Entertainment Technology Asia May-June 2012

May - June 2012

MICA (P) 045/09/2011 KDN: PPS 1663/08/2012 [022804]

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Christie illuminates i Light Marina Bay 2012 Mark Graham comes through LOUD and clear Prolight + Sound 2012 review

Powering up your stage HDX series Barco’s high performance HDX projectors are ready to bring supreme image quality to any screen and stage. Thanks to their Xenon illumination and their high contrast optical engine these three-chip DLP projectors reproduce superior colors. In this way your audiences experience crisp and vivid images on every occasion. What’s more, with their sturdy and compact design, the HDX are ready for the road in no time. And during performances you can also efficiently control the projector via your smart phone or tablet computer.

With Barco’s compact and powerful HDX projectors, the future is here today.

Find out more about the HDX series on www.barco.com/media_entertainment

Barco Pte Ltd No 10 Changi South Lane #04-01, OSSIA Building Singapore 486162 Tel: +65 6243 7610

www.barco.com

08

FIRST WORDS

CONTENTS

VOL 13 ISSUE 3

MICA [P] 045/09/2011 KDN: PPS 1663/08/2012 [022804]

NEWS 10

Essential news from the industry

ENNOVATIONS 32

Innovations galore at Prolight + Sound 2012 This year’s Prolight + Sound Exhibition in Frankfurt, Germany, was a very exciting experience for me. I attended the first three days of the show and was fascinated by the myriad of new products presented by the exhibitors. Without giving too much away (we have a detailed exhibition review on page 56), I would like to bring your attention to the two innovations that caught my eye.

Although there were a number of new lighting products introduced at the exhibition, the Martin MAC Viper Series truly stood out.

Comprising of the MAC Viper Profile, the MAC Viper AirFX, MAC Viper Wash and the MAC Viper Performance, The MAC Viper Series features a combination of new patented technologies and a 1000W HID source that is both incredibly bright and economically efficient.

Martin’s team of engineers have produced a fixture that is smaller, lighter and faster than comtemporary 1200W fixtures but with lower power consumption. Output is also approximately 50% more efficient.

This innovation illustrates one very important point. Despite the fact that many lighting manufacturers have turned to LED technology in an effort to be ‘green’, manufacturers like Martin Professional have shown that you can still be energy-efficient by using discharge lamps.

On the audio side of the exhibition, the product that truly impressed me was the Mackie DL1608 Digital Live Sound Mixer. As I walked through the exhibition halls, I noticed that just about every manufacturer had an iPad application for their product or their product was iPad compatible.

However, Mackie went a step further by designing the DL1608 Digital Mixer completely around the iPad. The iPad can be slotted neatly on top of the mixer or the DJ can detach the iPad from the mixer and mix from anywhere in the venue. Sound quality is excellent and the DJ can control not only the mix but also the EQ and dynamics as well. However, the most attractive aspect of the DL1608 is its very affordable price (please contact the local Mackie dealer for this information). For more insight into the Mackie DL 1608, please turn to page 38 where LOUD Technologies CEO Mark Graham talks about this highly innovative product. You won’t want to miss this!

Judging from the popularity of iPad applications for professional AV products at Prolight + Sound 2012, it emphasises how important the iPad has become within the industry. Manufacturers are now designing their products with the iPad in mind. One can imagine that eventually the iPad could not only become an essential part of our work but also an important part of our lives.

Happy reading!

James Bose Editor james@spinworkz.com

A round-up of new products in the market

MANAGEMENT PERSPECTIVES 38 40 43

Mark Graham, CEO, LOUD Technologies Pio Nahum, Commercial and Marketing Director, Clay Paky S.p.A. Mark Ravenhill, President, German Light Products, U.S.A.

SPECIAL FEATURE 46 50

The Quality of Light Industry Pulse Check: Thailand

EXHIBITION PREVIEW 54

Broadcast Asia 2012

EXHIBITION REVIEW 56

Prolight + Sound 2012

INSTALL 68 71 72 74

75 76 78

Singapore American School revamps its auditorium lighting system Ingenuity glows at LIV night club blueFROG Qutb reverbs with d&b HARMAN JBL Professional Cinema Systems powers PVR Juhu in Mumbai L-Acoustics system equips new Jakarta Menara Citicon Auditorium Siam Niramit keeps faith with Nexo at its Phuket attraction QSC takes centre stage at a flurry of club installations Audio-Technica sponsors SWITCH

LIVE 79 80 82 83

84 85

86

Technopro takes the wise decision with PR Lighting grandMA2 joins Australia Day celebrations Kenkaato produces several event ‘firsts’ in Doha PR fixtures light TV studios for Qatar National Day Christie illuminates at i Light Marina Bay 2012 Culture Capital: grandMA2 walks the “Path of Pearls” Sennheiser powers Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival 2012 Opera on Sydney Harbour a resounding success with help from Norwest Productions L-Acoustics line array systems power up the Future Music Festival Asia 2012 Clay Paky Sharpy lights up the stars of Anugerah Skrin The Phantom appears in Jakarta

Publisher/Editorial Director Thomas Richard : thomas@spinworkz.com | Editor James Bose : james@spinworkz.com | Admin & Circulation Julie Tan : admin@spinworkz.com | India & ME Editor Ram Bhavanashi | Digital Platform Writer Rosalind Tan | 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.

10

NEWS

Sun Infonet appointed to distribute Denon and Marantz Professional Solutions

Pandoras Box mesmerizes at BMW Launch

Bob Goleniowski (left) with Neeraj Chandra

India: Sun Infonet Pvt Ltd has been appointed to distribute Denon Professional and Marantz Professional (D&M) solutions for the whole of India. Bob Goleniowski, VP of Global Sales for D&M made the announcement at the recent Prolight & Sound exhibition in Frankfurt.

“The possibilities in India are significant and we see many opportunities for our solutions across all sectors. We are pleased to appoint Sun Infonet as our exclusive distributor for our professional range as they have the network, the capability and the know-how to push our brands in India.”

Sun Infonet already represents many high end audio brands in India including Shure, Nexo, Camco, Quest and Allen & Heath. With a network of 35 large-scale channel partners throughout India, the company is perfectly poised to push the D&M solutions. Neeraj Chandra, Director of Sun Infonet is pleased with the appointment as it fits in well with all the other solutions that the company represents. “This association with D&M Professional enables Sun Infonet Pvt Ltd to provide complete pro audio solutions from microphones to speakers, amplifiers, mixers and now professional playback and recording systems as well as DJ mixers, which further strengthens our business relationship with our valued customers. Customers can expect all that is required from a single window with complete support in terms of immediate supply for the complete range and timely after sales service.”

Plans are already afoot to launch the D&M solutions at the upcoming PALM India Expo as well as through road shows in various cities and identifying and signing DJs as endorsers to build the brand momentum specifically for the Denon DJ solutions. www.dm-pro.eu www.sungroup.net

Singapore: Singapore based AV specialist SCM Production Pte Ltd (SCM) was tasked to design a spectacle to launch the all-new BMW 3 Series (luxury Line) held in the heart of Orchard Road alongside the corridor of the sleek, sophisticated-looking Mandarin Gallery.

Managers STD to synchronise 6 units of 42” Plasmas side by side to showcase a running video “jumping” from one plasma to the next. The endless possibilities and high performance of the Media Servers helped create a moving dynamic visual spectacle of the history of the BMW car from the earlier version to the brand new model.

Housed within a specially built-up and enclosed launch venue, more than 3,300 people attended the 4-day event which started with private viewings for VIPs, guests and customers and ended with a public viewing on the last day.

The combination of the video together with a sliding door in front of the plasmas that moves along after the video appeared in each plasma attracted the entire crowd to witness the perfect visual performance during the car launch.

A key highlight was using three coolux Pandoras Box Media Servers and Media

www.scmproduction.com.sg www.tsm-int.com www.coolux.com

Avolites dimmers for Marina Bay Sands Resort Singapore: Two units of Avolites ART 2000 Dimmers have been supplied to the Expo and Convention Center at the Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort. The Sands Expo and Convention Center offers facilities guaranteed to make it Asia’s premier exhibition and meeting venue.

The ART 2000 dimmer was specified by Syamya’el, Technical Planning & Production Manager of Marina Bay Sands Pte Ltd. Syam shared that he decided on the Avolites ART 2000 after extensive research and comparison with different brands of dimmers. Avolites dimmers were highly recommended by several people he spoke with. Avolites has a great track record of performance with well proven dimming technology and a reputation of being tough

and reliable. The Avolites ART 2000 dimmers were supplied by Avolites regional distributor Total Solution Marketing Pte Ltd. www.avolites.com www.marinabaysands.com www.tsm-int.com

Everywhere

From the ballpark to the ballroom, from a rock concert cert in theattre an outdoor venue to an orchestral performance in a theatre FBT T and from a House of Worship to the nightclub, the New FBT MITUS Powered and Passive Line Arrays, Speakers, akers s, re.

Subs and Stage Monitors ďŹ t the bill. Everywhere.

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12

NEWS

Total Solution unveils full year Avolites training programme for the region Avolites has also committed to Total Solution’s efforts by sending their Asia representative, Mr Luke Kou, for all the exhibitions, seminars and training.

Total Solution Marketing’s training programme will be conducted 4 times a year in each country to provide ample opportunity for the industry to train and familiarise themselves with the latest Avolites software.

The first training in Singapore was conducted on the 28 and 29 of March at the Total Solution showroom. The training elicited overwhelming response with participation from prominent churches, educational institutions and major rental companies.

“The Titan consoles are compact in size but huge in features. For example, it allows users to let go of the roller que and use the touch screen instead to achieve better results.

The training programme will provide users the opportunity to learn how the system can be used more effectively and going by the response from the first training we are confident that attendees will fully benefit from the programme,” said Wong.

The training session held in Singapore

Singapore and Malaysia: Total Solution Marketing Pte Ltd has unveiled its 2012 Avolites training programme scheduled to be held in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. One key objective of the training programme is to introduce lighting programmers to the new Titan software from Avolites. Many of the current Avolites users are familiar with the Pearl software which has been well received worldwide over the past 10 years. The training programme is meant to clear any reservations that those familiar with the Pearl software might have about the new Titan system.

Avolites’ Titan operating system represents a huge step forward in modern lighting control where new fixtures have needed new methods and solutions such as Video Media Server control and Pixel Mapping for LED low resolution video fixtures.

“Avolites are investing substantially in the development of the Titan OS, whereby upgrades to the software platform are provided free of charge to console owners twice per year. Currently Titan Version 6 is due for release with Version 7 scheduled for Plasa 2012. To take full advantage of Titan developments and power, operators have the opportunity to receive training locally with the help of our distribution partners Total Solution Marketing Singapore,” said Steve Warren, Sales Director of Avolites and Avolites Media.

The second Avolites training was conducted in Malaysia from the 12 to 13 April with overwhelming response as well.

their support and supply distributor network, which is active in 65 countries.

Warren adds, “Avolites and Total Solution Marketing have clearly been industry leaders in respect to on-going training for lighting and video operators and designers. Training and Product Development go hand in hand, benefiting both the manufacturers design team as well as the industry as a whole.”

Glenn Wong, managing director of Total Solution reiterates, “This is Total Solution’s commitment to the lighting industry to provide training to educate programmers.”

Avolites, have been running training programs from their dedicated training facility in London for over 20 years and have now taken the next step in providing training worldwide via The training held in Malaysia

The remaining training dates are as follows: Singapore 9-10 May, 4-5 July, 5-6 Sept, 7-8 Nov Malaysia 27-28 Jun, 22-23 Aug, 21-22 Nov Indonesia 23-24 May, 11-12 Jul, 17-18 Oct, 5-6 Dec Thailand 25-26 Apr, 25-26 Jul, 17-18 Sept, 19-20 Dec Anyone interested in attending any of the Avolites training sessions can contact Total Solution at +65-62879878 or e-mail at enquiry@tsm-int.com. www.tsm-int.com

SHARPY

AWARDS IN ONE YEAR

Lighting 2011 www.claypaky.it

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2010 HONORABLE MENTION as Best Debuting Lighting Product

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14

NEWS

Fine Art exhibits at Prolight + Sound 2012 International: With the aim of enlarging their international market share, learning about the strengths of their competitors, improving their reputation and influence, and becoming a first-class international brand within the stage lighting field, Fine Art took part in the Prolight + Sound exhibition from 21-24 March 2012 held in Frankfurt, Germany. Under the leadership of General Manager Mr. Liu, the team from Fine Art travelled to the show, after which, the team paid a special visit to their parts suppliers.

Sriram Sistla

Harkness Hall sets up direct presence in India India: Harkness Hall – the global leader in the screen business with core competencies in cinema screens – is making aggressive strides into India and the South Asia region.

The company took Sriram Sistla, a veteran of almost 30 years in the business and a renowned name in Indian cinema exhibition industry, on its board as Sales Director-India & SAARC to steer its fortunes in the region.

Based out of Bengaluru, Sriram will report directly to the American screen major’s Managing Director, Andrew Robinson, while promoting the Harkness brand across the SAARC region. The company had set up its India exclusive office in Bengaluru recently; it intends to set up its own manufacturing facility in Bengaluru, and start production by the end of the year.

“The main objective of the initiative is to reach and serve the customer better and faster,” says Sriram. “Opening an office in India/Bengaluru means we can support our customers better; this will enable us to offer shorter lead times and reduce freight and import costs,” he explains.

According to him, with rapid proliferation of digital projection and 3D technologies, the cinema exhibition business has been undergoing a big transformation worldwide and India is no different. This has resulted in an exponential demand for high quality screens not only for new builds but also for retrofits as cinemas increasingly upgrade to digital and 3D digital.

Harkness has over 80 years in the global cinema and event screen business, and this has been its only focused core expertise which is why it is like a global resource for screen technology and know-how for design, build, install, maintenance and service support. The company continually invests a

good part of its resources on R & D and it possesses the latest solutions at any given point in time, including the present day’s digital cinema screen.

“Cinema operators require better and faster services to be able to get along with the changes, and it’s a huge business opportunity,” Sriram elaborates. “We would like to capitalise on this opportunity.

We already have the technology and the products. We would like to bring them closer to the customer more efficiently than ever.” The immediate priority is to build relationships with all the players in the domestic cinema business, and thus, a continuous sales process.

“Our vision is to develop the company as an undisputed leader in the business of projection screens by offering the customers true value in terms of quality and service while being very reasonably priced,” the Harkness India Director disclosed. “Our subsequent objective will be to significantly increase our presence in other application areas as well.”

The company manufactures screens for various events and is apparently eyeing the fast growing event business in the region.

According to Sriram, Harkness is also keen on getting into the AVSI segment as well though its presence in the domain currently is not very encouraging. “While, admittedly, our focus had always been on cinema exhibitions, we do have critical strengths to address the AVSI screen segment too,” he explained. “We intend to explore that domain too, once we have firmed up our cinematic initiatives.” www.harkness-screens.com

During the show, the team warmly welcomed both current and new customers from all over the world to their booth. Most of the customers came from Western Europe with about 80 percent of them being Germans.

There were also customers from Italy, the UK, France and Spain as well as from Eastern European countries like Poland and Russia.

For Asia, the team noticed that there were more and more new customers from India, the Philippines, Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan. For the Noth and South American markets, there were customers from the USA, Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Peru.

Many customers were attracted to the light show put on by the Fine Art team. The customers also came to the Fine Art booth to look at the new fixtures including the FineII-1500E SPOT HPE, FineI-700Beam, Fine Xtreme-280, and Fine Xtreme-230. Many visitors were impressed with the light effect from the fixtures and they also examined the features and functions of the fixtures. One customer, Jonathan from Canada, was very impressed with the gobo wheel effect of the Fine Art fixtures. He said, “This is the best design I had ever seen. No other manufacturers have done this before.” The Fine Art team felt honoured and happy to receive recognition and praise from the customers. www.fineart-light.com

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Tel. +852 3113 4101 - Fax. +852 3113 4103 info@dts-lighting.hk

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16

NEWS

Synergy AVL garners another accolade Singapore: Synergy AVL Pte Ltd is a young company which has been making deep inroads in the audio-visual and professional lighting markets in Singapore and the surrounding countries. The 5-year-old company provides a wealth of services from product distribution and retail to consultancy, design and systems integration and is aiming at setting the standard for its technologybased services.

EBA, which recognises the company as one of the best enterprises in its field of services in Singapore. Mr. Saravanan comments that he feels proud to receive the recognition and that he is very grateful for the dedication and professionalism put in over the years by all in the company. Along with the Diploma, EBA has also granted Synergy AVL the licence to use its trademark for marketing purposes for a period of five years until 2017.

Synergy AVL was recently awarded the “Promising SME 500”. The company is also working towards achieving accreditation for its ISO certification. Synergy’s director, Henry Saravanan has won the “SICCI Promising Entrepreneur 2010” and also received the “Outstanding Young Entrepreneur Reward” in 2011.

The Europe Business Assembly is based in Oxford, Great Britain, and is a nongovernmental organisation which promotes transformation of state-of-the-art experience and economic practices, establishment of economic, educational, cultural, and scientific ties, creation of national business elites and creating a positive image of dynamically developing regions, companies and individuals in the European and global business community.

In March 2012, the company garnered yet another distinguished accolade, the Diploma for “Best Enterprise” which was awarded by the Europe Business Assembly (EBA). Synergy was chosen by The Socrates Committee of the

www.synergyavl.com www.ebaoxford.co.uk

MA onPC command wing shipped to MA distributors International: After its first presentation to the MA Lighting global distributor network, the MA onPC Command Wing was well received.

MA Lighting has started shipping this new tool to its distributors for demonstration purposes.

All interested parties can now experience the MA onPC command wing live at their local MA distributor.

All information about the MA onPC command wing – including detailed technical data, brochures, pictures and helpful links – can be found at http://wing.malighting. com/ www.malighting.com

A list of all distributors can be found on the MA lighting website: http://www.malighting. com/distributors.html

Nissan Global Media Centre chooses DTS Lighting Japan: Yokohama is the home of the Nissan Motor Company headquarters. The Nissan Global Media Center, located at the very heart of Nissan’s headquarters, manages the news sent to the company network and to the whole world, including videos about corporate activities, press conferences on management, financial results announcements, new model launch events or new products details, as well as various events like motor shows and motorsports.

To light the media center studio, Toshikatsu Kasai (President of Impact company) designed a circular light rig made of two concentric rings of LED projectors: the inner one fitted with DTS Lighting Titan Solo White units and the outer fitted with DTS Lighting Nick 600 Wash White units. The products were supplied by Ushio Lighting.

The Nissan Global Media Center is an extremely modern and stylish structure that well embodies Nissan’s corporate vision for the future.

www.dts-lighting.it

The light rig looks like a U.F.O. hovering above the room.

18

NEWS

FaitalPRO appoints Sales Development Manager for China be able to carry on the already excellent reputation of FaitalPRO products in China.

Andy will be at the Palm Show Expo 2012, that is being held from the 24-27th May, at the NEW China International Exhibition Centre (CIEC)

Andy Liu, Sales Development Manager, China

China: FaitalPRO, Faital’s professional audio division has appointed Andy Liu as its news Sales Development Manager in China.

FaitalPRO, is the division dedicated to the design and manufacture of professional loudspeakers of the renowned Milan based company, Faital S.p.A, which has been on the market since 1958.

For those not really in the know, Faital S.p.A. is based in S.Donator Milanese, Milan, Italy. The company has been in the audio business for half a century. It is international standards certified, with branches and manufacturing plants in six countries worldwide. Every FaitalPRO loudspeaker is meticulously CAD and FEA designed and tested for consistent sound quality and heavy-duty reliability. The use of NdFeB and special engineered heat dissipation systems guarantee important weight reduction, outstanding power handling and performance. Special treatments provide high-end reliability, powerhandling and environmental durability in all pro-audio applications. www.faitalpro.com

Andy previously handled major ProAudio account sales in the territory of China, focusing particularly in the area of Guangdong, the core region for the Chinese Pro Audio Industry.

“With our China business growing nearly 4-fold year on year for the past 3 years, the timing is perfect for Andy to take on new responsibilities and challenges,” said Flavio Naggi FaitalPRO Division Manager.

“He is already very well introduced in the industry and we’re excited to have him join our worldwide sales team.”

FaitalPRO HF105

Andy, who will cooperate closely with the FaitalPRO Sales department in Milan, will be responsible for all FaitalPRO accounts in China.

Andy’s efforts will be fully supported by the entire Pro-Audio division at Faital’s Head-Quarters and assisted logistically through Faital ASIA (FaitalPRO’s Gateway to Asia) based in Hong Kong, which makes FaitalPRO products readily available to the entire South East Asian region.

Andy will work closely with major audio wholesalers, retailers, top enclosure manufacturers and OEM producers and will

FaitalPRO FD371

20

NEWS

Mahajak appoints Louis Chan as Service and Logistics Manager recently set up Service and Logistics Department.

“This is a new challenge for me,” said Louis.

“The Service and Logistics Department was recently set up to give support to the end user because support is very important.

We also provide support for the sales people. Since we are a small department, we need to work closely with each other.

However, the most important thing is that the customer needs to be satisfied.”

Louis Chan

Singapore: Providing good support for its customers is something that Mahajak SKM Electronics Pte Ltd (Mahajak) takes very seriously. As such, it has appointed Louis Chan as their new Service and Logistics Manager to take care of all its customers’ needs.

Louis joined Mahajak on 2 April 2012 after having spent 10 years with Telex Communications which has been acquired

by The Bosch Group. His role within Mahajak not only involves taking care of Mahajak’s customers but also to provide support during Mahajak’s events. Louis heads a team of five people in Mahajak’s

“Having Louis on board to take care of our customers is a dream come true,” said Glenn Lin, Sales Manager for Mahajak. “We definitely want to improve our after-sales service and shorten the response time.

Louis has the experience to help us do that.”

“Having good support and logistics is very important to us,” said Dave Loh, General Manager of Mahajak. “We have a lot of existing customers and so there is a lot of support work to be done. I needed someone to help me to run this. I know Louis’ strength in logistics and and service and I think his strengths will be invaluable in helping us build up this company.” www.mahajakskm.com

Ashley enters the commercial sound electronics industry International: With the introduction of the new TM-360 mixer/amplifier, Ashly Audio has entered the commercial sound electronics industry. This is Ashly’s first product in this genre and heralds their commitment to providing quality products to this growing segment of the audio marketplace. The first product in this line, the TM-360, is a three-Input 60W mixer/amplifier that offers input and output flexibility coupled with energy efficiency. The TM-360 has the capability to automatically switch into a stand-by mode if no audio input is received for 25 minutes, thus reducing the current draw.

The TM-360, along with other new products in this series will be covered by Ashly’s five-year warranty, which many dealers and end-users believe is among the best-

administered and supported manufacturer warranties in the industry.

“Our review of the Commercial Sound Electronics market showed a lack of innovation and quality products,” explained John Sexton, Ashly’s Vice President of Sales & Marketing. “Many of the companies in this sector offer only a one-year or threeyear warranty. The energy efficient TM360 delivers Ashly-level quality backed by our five-year warranty at a competitive price point.”

The TM-360 is in stock and available for immediate shipment. The rack-mount kit (model RMK-360) is available as an accessory. www.ashly.com

22

NEWS

Richard Ferriday stands next to the Midas PRO2

Midas PRO2/PRO2C Launch Seminar Singapore: On Thursday, 1 March 2012, Quad Professional held a seminar in Scarlet City at AMK Hub to launch the Midas PRO2 and PRO2C, the latest additions to its PRO Series of digital consoles.

The event began with a short address by David Cooper, Asia Pacific Sales Manager for Midas. Cooper told the audience that Quad Professional was one of Midas’ best distribution channels for technical support and he thanked the Quad Professional staff for their hard work. He then talked about the virtues of Midas digital consoles such as ruggedness, reliability, ease of use and great sound. Later, he presented a few slides featuring world-famous sound engineers and their comments about Midas consoles.

After Cooper’s opening, Richard Ferriday, Midas’ Brand Development Manager, came on stage to talk about the various features of the Midas PRO2 and PRO2C consoles.

Despite being the most compact and least expensive Midas digital consoles, the PRO2 and PRO2C represent a move forward for digital mixing, both in technology and concept.

The PRO2C (C for Compact) has eight fewer input faders and a smaller frame than the PRO2, at 730mm by 880mm, compared to 730mm and 1180cm for the PRO2. Both consoles share the same components and finish as the rest of the PRO Series, including the mic preamps, A-D converters, and daylight-viewable screens.

The PRO2s/PRO2Cs also come with console templates to allow exploration of the new navigation concepts. In Normal mode, operation of the PRO2/PRO2C is similar

to many other digital consoles, allowing operators to work in a manner that they are accustomed to. The Advanced Navigation features can be implemented as the operator becomes familiar with the console. All Midas digital console showfiles are compatible with all Midas digital consoles, allowing a show written on a PR02/PRO2C to run on a PR03, PRO6, PRO9, XL8 and vice versa.

The PRO2/PRO2C standard system consists of a control surface and one 5U DL251 19” rack I/O unit, connected by a networked audio and data system. The network carries both proprietary control data and open architecture AES50 digital audio, and uses standard CAT-5E or CAT-6 cabling and connectors. They are also networkcompatible with all other Midas digital systems and I/O devices.

“We think with the new Advanced Navigation features on this console as well as the audio, we have perhaps the best user-interface in the industry as far as operating a large console from a small userinterface,” said Ferriday. www.midasconsoles.com www.quadpro.com.sg

David Cooper with the Midas Pro2C

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NEWS

Audinate’s Dante proliferates Prolight+Sound 2012 International: In an unprecedented event never witnessed before in Pro Audio, no less than eight Audinate OEM partners announced a total of 13 Dante-enabled products at this year’s Prolight + Sound exhibition.

“What is truly amazing is the wide range of different Dante products that were launched at the show”, said Lee Ellison, Audinate CEO. “It seems that no matter what you are looking for, there is now a Dante enabled product on the market.” Ellison also added, “The market is dictating what it wants, and Dante seems to be the answer.”

Harman - Harman Soundcraft revealed that plans are in place for Dante network cards compatible with Vi, Si Compact and Si1/2/3 series consoles, following an agreement reached between Soundcraft and Audinate.

“This agreement is a reflection of HARMAN’s responsiveness to its customers who want Dante networking,” said Lee Ellison, Audinate’s CEO.

Audinate’s Dante networking to its networking solution portfolio.

Here are some of the Dante-enabled products displayed at the exhibition:

Nexo - Nexo announced the new NXDT104 Dante audio plug-in card for the NXAMP, enabling NEXO loudspeaker systems to explore the many benefits of a high-performance AVB-ready digital networking solution.

The NXDT104 will distribute digital audio plus integrated control data, automatically configuring its network interface and finding other Dante devices on the network.

Four Audio - Four Audio, manufacturer of audio and loudspeaker management systems, announced the launch of their new DBO1.

The DBO1 is a Dante-enabled breakout box with 8 analog output channels. It allows the user to go from Dante to analog signals in a small 1U box. The DBO1 is operated by simply connecting it to a Dante network and configuring the easy-to-use breakout box via the Dante Controller.

Yamaha Commercial Audio - Yamaha Commercial Audio Systems, Inc. announced the launch of the new CL Series of digital consoles. The Yamaha CL Series is a Dante network–based console featuring remote I/O for a faster, more responsive Yamaha system solution.

Symetrix - Symetrix announced the SymNet Edge, a significant update to its long line of DSP solutions packed with incredible new features.

SymNet Edge features four configurable I/O card slots, up to 16 channels total of local I/O plus 128 (64x64) channels of Audinate’s award -winning Dante network audio.

AuviTran - AuviTran is adding Dante technology to their Audio Toolbox product range. Audinate was chosen to accelerate AuviTran’s development towards new networking technologies. Since 2003 AuviTran has provided audio professionals with innovative networking solutions using EtherSound technology and now adds

JoeCo Limited - JoeCo introduced the latest product in its BlackBox range of multi-channel live audio recorders and players in the form of the new BLACKBOX BBR64-DANTE RECORDER that can record or replay 64 channels.

TEQSAS - TEQSAS, a professional audio solutions company with core competencies in delivering high quality audio products, announced a new Dante AES breakout module for their cyberTEQ - m-family of digital audio interconnect solutions. www.audinate.com

CAST Appoints Jim Hutchison as wysiwyg and Vivien Product Manager and I love talking to our users about how wysiwyg works for them. I’m excited to bring my industry enthusiasm and knowledge to the Product Manager role.”

Jim Hutchison

International: CAST Software has announced the promotion of Jim Hutchison, creator and editor of the internationally renowned JimOnLight.com, to Product Manager for CAST Software’s wysiwyg as well as for Vivien Virtual Event Designer, the CAST software suite for the special events industry.

Hutchison has been contributing marketing and technical copy for CAST Software as their Social Media Manager since early 2009, in addition to writing various articles for the

company’s newsletter, The Plan. Given his technical experience with the company’s products, CAST has chosen Jim to lead the way forward for wysiwyg and Vivien Virtual Event Designer.

“I’m beyond thrilled to be leading the amazing development team at CAST,” Hutchison said.

“I’ve been a wysiwyg user since Release 4, and I don’t think that there is a design I haven’t created in wysiwyg since the early part of this century! I love the products, I love the teams,

Before joining CAST Software, Hutchison was a full-time writer, lighting designer and professor, teaching lighting design and production lighting technology. Hutchison started JimOnLight.com in 2008, writing about all genres and applications of lighting.

Hutchison is a practicing lighting designer and member of United Scenic Artists Local 829 and a contributing member of the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America.

Gil Densham, CEO of CAST, says, “We are very excited to have Jim’s enthusiasm and industry expertise in the Product Manager’s role and knowing the vigor Jim invests, it will no longer be quiet around CAST as we look forward to the future, with a grander vision for wysiwyg and Vivien Virtual Event Designer.” www.cast-soft.com

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NEWS

MILOS SRO launches new website International: Leading European trussing manufacturer MILOS has announced the launch of a brand new corporate website, www.milosgroup.com. The website features a cool, contemporary design and a fresh new, intuitive user-interface, slickly optimised for fast, straightforward navigation by product, market sector and application.

A number of unique features have been developed to ensure that MILOS clients and users have access to a powerful, constantly updated online portal containing a wealth of information to make purchasing or planning for upcoming projects and investments quick and simple.

These include expanded photo and design galleries to help inspire the creative process and illustrate the many possibilities using the dynamic product ranges. A full set of high quality instructional videos - arranged by product – is available for download. The complete product specifications, catalogues and CAD blocks are also available for instant download in convenient formats. Users can also access detailed showcases of recent MILOS projects from the website.

A new ‘Shopping List’ feature in the website will dispatch the customer’s shopping list directly to one of MILOS’ sales consultants to streamline and prioritise the ordering process.

This is designed for the ultimate convenience of MILOS’ customers from wherever they happen to be at the time, giving instant access to MILOS’ renowned service and fast turnarounds.

The website will also include all details on MILOS’s comprehensive range of aluminium trussing products including QuickTruss®, xStages, temporary roofing systems and rigging towers, ground and video screen supports, plus the numerous accessories including corner and angle blocks, cell clamps, etc. Furthermore, a ‘New Products’ section in the website will highlight the latest innovations from the MILOS design team. www.milosgroup.com

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NEWS

Gladstone Entertainment Centre welcomes Vari*Lite VL3500 Spots Australia: Gladstone Entertainment Centre in Gladstone, Queensland, the city’s premier live entertainment venue showcasing local, national and international artists, has taken delivery of six Vari*lite VL3500 Spot luminaires from Philips Vari*Lite to keep their existing VL500 Washes company.

“We have been very happy with out VL500 fixtures which have proven to be rocksolid,” commented Troy Everett, Manager, Performing Arts at GEC. “I love the colour that you can only get out of a tungsten unit and the unique VL500 colour system. However, when deciding on the new fixtures I had a look at a wide variety of lighting fixtures including Martin, Robe and Clay Paky models but the VL3500 Spot was the clear winner for me.”

Troy states that it is the VL3500 Spot’s fantastic colour, beams and shuttering capabilities which sold him.

“I love that all Vari*lite fixtures seem to deliver beautiful colours and that the gobos are always sharp and crisp,” he added. “In

Gladstone Entertainment Centre

fact, the colour mixing in Vari*lite fixtures is so good, there really is no alternative out there.”

Troy is also impressed by the precision of the zoom mechanism inside the VL3500 Spot and its shuttering capability - a four-blade shutter mechanism that allows the blades to be operated independently or in unison on two planes for a clear and crisp image.

“Plus of course the VL3500 really packs a punch!” he said.

The six Vari*lite VL3500 Spots, which were supplied by Rockhampton’s Stage & Audio, are permanently rigged on the front of house lighting bar. www.jands.com.au

Antwerp, Belgium

Platinum - The power to light your creativity.

If Platinum has the power to light a concert stage for a major artist, could this compact system also turn a street performer into a pop star? www.philips.com/lighting/entertainment

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NEWS “The quality of the beam across all the lamps is really important for me,” said Mark. “I rarely use smoke or haze so evenness of field on edge and focus across lamps is important. The new VL3500WASH lights are great.”

For the recent Rod Stewart tour the Vari*lites were distributed fairly evenly across the rig although Mark likes to rig in odd number groups such as three’s or five’s.

“I had eight VL6 fixtures on the set,” began Mark. “I often use the smaller lamps on, in or around sets; their size is the most important thing rather than features. I do use other brands mostly due to availability or budget, but given the choice, Vari*lites are my light of choice for arena shows.”

Vari*lites were used on the Rod Stewart Tour

Vari*lites dominate the Australian touring circuit Australia: There have already been many high profile concert tours in Australia using Philips Vari*Lite fixtures.

Ronan Keating toured with thirty-two VL3000 Spots and twenty-seven VL3500 Washes supplied by Chameleon Touring Systems.

Lighting designer Neil Trenell used a simple three-truss rig designed to cater for a wide variety of venues and to make load-in and out easy due to several back to back shows.

“The VL3500 Washes are great - very, very bright and deliver a great beam effect that compliments the other lights in the rig,” commented Trenell. “The VL3000 Spots are just a really nice light and you get a great gobo out of them, they’re ideal for the theatre environment that we’re trying to create.”

Eight VL3000 Spots were situated on the floor, the back truss held a further seven plus eight VL3500 Washes, the mid truss held eight VL3000 Spots and seven VL3500 Washes whilst the front truss housed eight VL3500 Washes and seven VL3000 Spots.

Roger Waters bought his Wall to Australia in a show originally designed by Marc Brickman with lighting director Mark “Sparky” Risk on the tour. PRG supplied the tour with the circular screen above the stage rimmed with twenty-four Philips Vari*lite VL3000 Spots and twelve VLX Wash units used across the stage floor. Eighteen VL3500 Wash units were used on six vertical torms stage left and right.

“The sidelight torm lighting is my signature,” said Brickman. “It creates a dimensional palette to get lines of light in a horizontal way like cutting with a knife. People look beautiful in that lighting.”

Rod Stewart’s lighting designer Mark Payne has been using VL3000 and VL3500 fixtures for years and the recent Australian tour was no exception with twenty-two VL3000 Spot, twenty-five VL3500 Washes and eight VL6c in the rig supplied by PRG.

Taylor Swift kicked-off her “Speak Now” tour in Australia with a lighting design by Baz Halpin who once again relied heavily on the Vari*lite VL3000 Spot and VL3500 Spot luminaires.

“They way I like to create my looks is to put fixtures in places that create beautiful pictures, and the Vari*lite VL3000 Spot and VL3500 Spot luminaires are staples in my designs,” he said. “I can literally put them anywhere to use as a key light, a front truss light, a wash light, a side light, or for an aerial beam light. They are definitely the workhorses of my shows because of their versatility and reliability. While some fixtures may give you one great look, the Series 3000 fixtures give you many.”

The rig was supplied by PRG. Photography: Troy Constable www.jands.com.au

“The Vari-Lites are ideal for this type of application – very nice in the theatre environment,” added Trenell. “The quality of the Chameleon Vari-Lites was great, they’re well looked after.”

Roxette’s lighting designer Calle Brattberg used VL3000s on their Australian tour. “The reliability and accuracy of the VL3000 Spot’s optics and zoom are ideal for achieving the diversity of moods the Roxette set demands.

The ability to rotate a gobo smoothly, really slowly or zoom out to max and maintain the same focus are some of my favourite features.

I‘ve always found the luminaires to be reliable with consistently uniform output, even across a large number of fixtures,” he said.

Vari*lite VL3000 Spots were used in Roxette’s tour

NEWS

D.T.S. Excellence Awards 2012 International: On 22 March 2012, D.T.S. held its third D.T.S. Excellence Awards dinner at the Tryp Hotel in Frankfurt. The ceremony started with a choreographed rendition of the ‘Mission Impossible’ theme and ended with the clear message that D.T.S. Lighting had accomplished its mission with the JACK and NICK NRG moving head

fixtures which were being displayed at the Prolight + Sound 2012 Exhibition. The JACK and NICK NRG high-power compact moving heads were also on-stage for the ceremony.

Silvano Latteo (President), and Franco Zaghini (VP of Sales) presented awards to the most successful dealers, and the best

installations, concerts and events staged with D.T.S. Lighting products during the past year.

Over 160 guests from all over the world gathered for the social occasion. www.dts-lighting.it

A new dawn in stage lighting.

Introducing the PLCyc1 LED luminaire The Philips Selecon PLCyc1 LED seamlessly blends intense washes of colour on your cyclorama. Using LED source technology combined with a properly shaped asymmetrical reflector, the PLCyc1 delivers consistent light distribution without the compromising performance of vertical or horizontal spreader lenses.

For more information, go to www.seleconlight.com

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32

ENNOVATIONS

Jands unveils the Vista L5 and LEDs. The L5 display lets you see the entire rig on one screen and provides instant access to presets, palettes, effects and more.

Its crisp, detailed image shows a huge amount of information in a flexible, clear and easy-tounderstand way.

Jands has launched their new flagship media and lighting control console - the Vista L5.

The Vista L5’s stunning 21-inch High Definition Wacom pen tablet makes it easy to manage today’s lighting rigs, which often include a large number of moving lights, media servers

As well as its massive screen, the L5 has 16 universes of DMX processed onboard and a backlit keyboard for working in dark environments. The 25 physical playbacks each have their own LCD legend and you can split them to create an impressive 70 playbacks per page. Inside, the Linux OS drives an Intel Core i7 processor with 8GB of Dynamic

RAM. All this power is contained in a rugged monocoque design that is lightweight yet impressively strong and sleek.

Paul Mulholland, CEO of Jands, said “By combining the second-generation Vista software with superb design, the Vista L5 proves that powerful media and lighting control doesn’t have to be complicated – the L5 is quite simply a physical extension of the way you think.” www.jandsvista.com/L5

MIPRO launches ultra light and compact MA-303 Portable Wireless PA System The MIPRO MA-303 Portable Wireless PA System is compact and light weight (2.7kg) with best-in-class performance. It has a powerful 60-watt output thanks to a high efficiency class-D amplifier driving a two-way loudspeaker, 1” tweeter and 5” woofer with level limiter. It accepts a wired microphone and up to 2 wireless microphones. The MA-303’s amazing versatility shows with its built-in 1 or 2 wireless receivers with 16 auto-scannable channels, optional USB music player & recorder with LCD screen,

3.5 mm line-in and built-in alarm sound. A built-in lithium rechargeable battery provides extraordinary 9~12 hours of standby time per charge, along with a 4-level battery meter for accurate readings. It can be carried via the fixed handle or mounted on a stand. It is ideal for indoor/outdoor gatherings or meetings, classrooms, seminars and presentations. It is also suitable as crowd control equipment or search & rescue equipment. www.mipro.com.tw

The MA-303 Portable Wireless System with the ACT-30H Microphone

ALTO TRUESONIC Speaker Series provide impact, power and reliability The TRUESONIC Series was designed with rigorous testing into making sure that what you pump into a TRUESONIC speaker is exactly what you get out.

Every model in this series – TS110A, TS112A, TS115A, TS112, TS115, TS SUB 12, TS SUB 15, and TS SUB 18 – is designed with practical functionality and pure impactful sound in mind. The TS115A (which is also available in the 2-way 15” passive variant – TS115) is

TS115

particularly a highlight in the series. With 800 watts of Class D power, it has a 15” low frequency transducer with a 1” neodymium driver. Equipped with two Mic/Line combo inputs with independent volume controls, this active speaker can support XLR output to link speakers. Portable and lightweight, it can be used as a traditional upright speaker, floor wedged, stand/pole mounted or flown.

Everything you see (and some things you don’t) – from internal signal path and components used to the sculpted cabinet and meticulously designed waveguide – was developed on the principle of offering accurate, transparent sound.

Every active TRUESONIC speaker benefits from the use of a Class D amplifier integrated into the cabinet. Class D amps are generally lighter than Class A and AB amplifier designs, which help TRUESONIC speakers maintain

an overall optimum weight, compared to its heavier counterparts.

Even though Class D amps are light, they’re quite powerful, and do an excellent job of efficiently converting that power into usable wattage without generating the type of heat associated with other designs. All of these factors, combined with a phenomenal dollarper-watt ratio, mean that TRUESONIC speakers literally pack a huge bang for the buck.

The drivers in the TRUESONIC series are designed to make sure that virtually no energy is wasted. That translates to more of the power from the amplifier actually working to generate sound rather than heat, giving the speaker better real world performance than other speakers with comparable published specifications. www.altoproaudio.com

ENNOVATIONS

33

Meyer Sound’s 1100-LFC Loudspeaker controls low frequencies with linearity

Get your wings!

MA onPC command wing – the sophisticated yet affordable extension for grandMA2 onPC

Meyer Sound has announced the 1100-LFC low-frequency control element, a new selfpowered loudspeaker defined by its sonic linearity in reproducing the operating range of 28 Hz to 100 Hz. The ultralow distortion, coupled with exceptional headroom and optimised rigging options, makes the 1100-LFC a flexible tool for low-end directional applications for large-scale tours and installations.

“As an industry, we are accustomed to subwoofers carrying a distinct harmonic tone. This ‘sound’ of any subwoofer becomes part of how a product is evaluated,” said John Meyer, CEO of Meyer Sound. “Linear loudspeakers lack this enhancement and are measured by their ability to precisely reproduce the electronic signals without altering the sonic characteristics. Bringing Meyer Sound’s linear technology and our advances in loudspeaker headroom and peak level control to the low-frequency domain makes the 1100-LFC quite an exciting direction for us.”

“Only when the signal that goes into a loudspeaker is identical to the output signal can you accurately predict, control, and measure the coverage pattern of a multielement sound system,” continued Meyer.

In creating the 1100-LFC, Meyer Sound has pushed the engineering boundaries of low-frequency linearity with a number of advances. The high peak power output enables excellent transient reproduction

and low-frequency clarity at extreme operating levels. The new 1100-LFC cabinet is designed to minimise turbulence noise, enabling the system to effortlessly reproduce any programming material with unprecedented clarity and stability in applications that range from large tours to installations in stadiums, arenas, concert halls, and more.

“For those who have worked to keep obtrusive low-frequency energy away from the stage, walls, and neighborhoods, MAPP Online Pro® [acoustical prediction program] has been great for us to virtually experiment different design concepts,” said Luke Jenks, Meyer Sound’s product manager, loudspeaker products. “The 1100-LFC completes this picture as a tool that allows us to control the low-end coverage pattern in a large-scale powerful and high-fidelity system like never before.

With this technology and working closely with our customers, we can further our imagination in low-end directivity system design to ensure music is heard exactly as the artists intended.”

The 1100-LFC can integrate seamlessly in a MICA® or MILO® line array or a JM1P arrayable loudspeaker system. RMS® remote monitoring system provides comprehensive monitoring of system parameters. Weather protection and custom-colour finishes are available.

ŧ Perfect solution for flexible and mobile programming ŧ Look and feel as known from grandMA2 consoles ŧ 2,048 parameters on-board ŧ MA 2Port Node onPC/onPC PRO for parameter extension ŧ Light, handy & rock solid: extra small housing and just 6kg ŧ Plug and play via USB: simply connect to your notebook ŧ Fully integrated into the grandMA2 system The brand new MA onPC command wing is the perfect solution if you are working as a lighting professional all over the world, running a small club or theatre, want to join the huge grandMA2 family or simply look for a smart backup or preprogramming solution.

So – get your wings!

Brand new MA onPC command wing – simply connect to your notebook running grandMA2 onPC via USB

www.meyersound.com

MA LIGHTING Asia Pacific Pte Ltd. 195 Pearl’s Hill Terrace #01-18 Singapore 168976 infoASIA@malighting.com www.malighting.com

34

ENNOVATIONS

Martin Audio releases new MLA Compact Martin Audio is making its Multi-Cellular Loudspeaker Array Technology available to a wider range of touring and installed sound applications, in a smaller and lighter version, with the release of the new MLA Compact.

The keenly anticipated system, formally launched over two days at London’s HMV Hammersmith Apollo in March, made its world trade show debut at Prolight+Sound Expo in Frankfurt.

Incorporating the same principles as the MLA, MLA Compact delivers this cellular technology to a wider range of applications that do not require the full power and throw of the full-size MLA, or where a smaller, lighter system is required — such as medium-scale touring and fixed installations.

Stated Director of Sales, Simon Bull, “MLA Compact is our response to the market demand for a mid-size touring system that can double as an installation system, while retaining all the breakthrough benefits of the original MLA system.

MLA Compact enables a much wider segment to buy into our game-changing Multi-Cellular technology.”

Sharing the same sonic attributes of the flagship MLA, the new system’s compact size (W: 788mm x H: 280mm x D: 500mm) belies its output capabilities. A 12-box array can easily deliver full rock SPL’s in a 5,000 seat venue, whilst a 24-box array will approach the output of many ‘fullsize’ systems which have less efficient acoustic elements.

Scalable and versatile, MLA Compact is the ideal system for application in concert halls, ballrooms, theatres and houses of worship,

and is the natural choice as a side-hang or front-fill companion to the full-size MLA. Once again, MLA’s cellular array design combines with fast, automated Display 2.1™ intelligent software to deliver a dramatically increased level of performance and coverage consistency compared to conventional line array technology.

MLA Compact’s fully integrated system brings together the latest technologies in acoustic design, amplification, DSP and industry-leading optimisation software with communications and control via an easy-to-use audio network. MLA Compact arrays can be remotely controlled from the supplied wireless tablet running VU-NET™ control software. Class D amplification, U-NET™ control network and DSP circuitry are integrated within each enclosure, simplifying system set up and operation and eliminating long, heavy-gauge cable runs — a particular benefit in premium fixed installations. Reducing cable runs to just inches within the enclosure means that all the power produced by the amplifier goes directly to the speakers and is not dissipated in the cables.

With MLA Compact, external amplifier racks are dispensed with — saving valuable space both on tour and in fixed installations.

From the outset, MLA Compact has been designed with the financial and environmental aspects of running a system in mind. Use of maximum-efficiency acoustic and amplifier technologies reduce both the size and weight of the system, assisting transportation as well as reducing the mains or generator power needed to run the system. www.loudtechinc.com

ENNOVATIONS

ArKaos unleashes GrandVJ 1.6.5 ArKaos has released GrandVJ 1.6.5, a new version of its famous real-time video mixer. ArKaos GrandVJ 1.6.5 introduces Scratch Control support for DJ-style MIDI controllers with jog wheels. Two new slider widgets control the sensitivity of the scratch and the scratch itself.

ArKaos has added templates with feedback support for the new American Audio VMS4.1 and VMS2 MIDI controllers in a move designed to give a DJ-style feeling while mixing video with these controllers. It has also updated the mapping templates for the Hercules DJ Control series to take advantage of this new Scratch Control feature.

GrandVJ 1.6.5 also adds mapping templates for the Livid OhmRGB, with feedback support and coloured keys, and for the Elation Midicon with feedback support. More importantly, GrandVJ’s new Scratch Control support now makes it compatible with the NuVJ Video Controller from Numark, which was a much requested feature from NuVJ users.

ArKaos will be offering a GrandVJ license at reduced price to all NuVJ users until July 31, 2012, giving them access to GrandVJ’s eight video layers, numerous effects, visual generators and all the other advanced features from their professional VJing software.

display of mouse-over tool tips on the interface which makes life easier for those controlling GrandVJ from a touch screen. www.arkaos.net

CUSTOM SERIES THE WORLD´S FIRST TRULY INTERACTIVE HEADPHONES ACOUSTIC EXCELLENCE SINCE 1924

Users can benefit from this special offer simply by entering their NuVJ software serial number on the ArKaos web site, on the upgrade page at http://www.arkaos.net/upgrade.php Other new features and improvements in GrandVJ 1.6.5 are the “Play Once and Freeze” forward and backwards mode and Mixer Pause mode selection giving a choice of ‘cut’ or ‘freeze’. A new playback widget in the visual parameter panel gives a new mapping target that enables control of the movie playback position using a Midi or OSC controller. There is also an option to prevent the www.beyerdynamic.com

Visit us at the PALM Beijing 24 – 27 May, booth A56

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IT’S THE REAL STAR. 100% Excellent Italian Technology.

36

ENNOVATIONS

ALTO introduces its new ZEPHYR Series Mixers

ZMX164FXUSB

Full range, 12” woofer, 1,4” driver, two-way, bi-amplified speaker system, equipped with two class-D amplifiers controlled by the new Montarbo DSP loudspeaker processor which provides FIR filtering with innovative solutions.

SAVETHEDATE | May 24-27, 2012 Visit us in Beijing at International Hall, booth E2H45.

www.montarbo.com | www.palcoplus.com

The ZEPHYR series offers the flexibility of multi-bus routing, with the smaller mixers offering 2-bus capability and the larger mixers delivering 4-bus capability.

In practice, users will have far greater control over the elements within their mix compared to a single-bus mixer. With the flexible ZEPHYR line, users can explore various possibilities by creating individual monitor mixes to be sent back to the band, or drum sub-mixes, vocal sub-mixes and more, and then control each sub-mix with a single fader, routed to the main mix.

Add some gloss and enhancement to mixes with studio quality digital effects, thanks to the onboard Alesis DSP of the ZEPHYR series. These mixers include a wide range of onboard effects, with 16 effects types and 16 variations on each effect for a whopping 256 effects in total. DSP technology from Alesis ensures world-class effects at a moment’s notice.

The ZEPHYR line consists of ZMX52, ZMX862, ZMX122FX, ZMX124FX USB, ZMX164FX USB, ZMX244FX USB mixers; each with its own advantages and edge.

The ZMX164FX USB is one the highlights of the series. This 16-channel mixer with effect and USB interface comes with 28 total inputs and 3-band EQ with swept mid on microphone channels. It is also equipped with 4-band fixed EQ on stereo line channels and a stereo 9-band graphic

EQ. It also comes with 4 AUX sends per channel; 2 PRE/POST faders switchable and 4-bus sub mixer. 24-bit Alesis DSP effects for 256 choices are utilized for effects changing.

All ZEPHYR ZMX mixers are designed with high headroom and ultra low-noise, discrete mic preamps so full dynamic range of mix can be achieved every time. These mixers are designed with performance in mind. Sometimes venues are dark and it can be hard to see the mixer controls.

ZEPHYR solves this problem by not only colour coding each section of the mixer, but also by using brightly coloured knobs.

The blue, red, yellow and white pots are instantly easy to identify in dim lighting.

LED indicators for output level, peak, and phantom power also assist in making sure that multiple visual cues that compliment everything that is heard.

Select models of the ZEPHYR series come complete with a high-quality stereo USB audio interface built right into the mixer.

This allows for quick and easy capture of the night’s set or the jam at sound check, giving a one-cable solution for recording directly to a laptop. The USB connection is plug-and-play and works with any class compliant audio software on Mac or PC. www.altoproaudio.com

ENNOVATIONS

New Yamaha CL series wows crowds at Prolight & Sound 2012 Yamaha launched the new “CL series” digital mixing consoles at Prolight + Sound 2012. Retaining essential features and functionality that have become standards over the past quarter of a century, Yamaha’s new CL series digital mixing consoles offer an evolved experience in accessible mixing plus sonic purity and advanced sound shaping capabilities that will give the most imaginative artists and engineers unprecedented creative freedom.

The line-up comprises three consoles, the CL1, CL3 and CL5, ranging in capacity from 48 to 72 mono + eight stereo inputs. All feature 16 DCAs and 24 mix / eight matrix output busses.

Yamaha’s Centralogic user interface has already proven its value as the most user-friendly digital operating environment available. The now-standard Selected Channel interface is also integrated into this advanced system, with a number of refinements for enhanced operation. User-defined knobs are another notable addition, allowing variable parameters to be assigned to the four knobs for direct, instant access.

The CL Series EQ and effects have been vastly expanded. They include an Effect Rack that features VCM analog circuitry modeling technology, as well as a Premium Rack that includes the Rupert Neve Designs Portico 5033 equaliser and Portico 5043 compressor/ limiter, developed in close cooperation with Rupert Neve himself.

Yamaha began working with Rupert Neve Designs in 2010, developing devices based on Yamaha’s VCM (Virtual Circuitry Modeling) technology.

Two new rack-mountable I/O units, the Rio3224-D and Rio1608-D, can be used in a variety of combinations and configurations, communicating via a scalable Audinate Dante™ digital audio network. Up to eight I/O rack units can be connected to a CL series console, while multiple CL series consoles can share control of the same I/O rack unit. A new Gain Compensation function adds the ability to combine FOH and monitor control via a single network, for comprehensive digital live sound integration. The Dante module used in the CL series was developed in cooperation with Audinate.

The CL consoles are supplied with Steinberg “Nuendo Live” software for state-of-the-art live multitrack recording and virtual sound check capabilities. Nuendo Live delivers features and performance that have been fine-tuned for live recording tasks, with many capabilities directly accessible from the CL consoles. The Extension plug-in, a software adapter that facilitates communication between the console and Nuendo Live, makes CL features such as channel name copy, marker set, and transport control available from within the console interface.

Extra flexibility is provided by the CL StageMix application for iPad, providing wireless remote control capability for setting up and operating CL consoles from anywhere on stage or in the audience seating area. The Yamaha Console File Converter is another useful

computer application, allowing data to be shared between CL series, PM5D, M7CL, and LS9 consoles, so data from one show doesn’t have to be completely reprogrammed from scratch for the next, even if different consoles are used.

“The CL series mixing consoles ideally answer today’s needs using today’s technology,” said Kazunori Kobayashi, General Manager of Yamaha’s Pro Audio Division. “The collaboration between Yamaha, Rupert Neve Designs, Audinate and Steinberg has made it possible to deliver a sublime balance of sound, performance and features that results in uncompromised overall mixing capability and quality.

After a quarter century of evolution, the CL series represents a momentous new chapter in the history of Yamaha digital mixing.” www.yamahaproaudio.com

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MANAGEMENT PERSPECTIVES

Mark Graham Chief Executive Officer, Loud Technologies Inc.

As the driving force behind LOUD Technologies, Mark Graham presides over some of the most coveted brands in the industry such as Martin Audio, EAW, Mackie and Ampeg.

Before becoming CEO of Loud Technologies in 2010, Graham was the President of Crown International. Since his move from Harman, Graham has been busy working his plan to revitalise and propel LOUD’s brands to ensure their continued success. So far, his efforts have been fruitful, especially in Asia, where LOUD Technologies experienced a 62 percent growth in sales, as a whole, in 2011.

In an exclusive interview with Entertainment Technology Asia Magazine, Graham talks about his background in the pro audio industry, the philosophy behind his management style and the challenges that LOUD Technologies faces when doing business in Asia.

1. ETA: How did you get into the pro audio business?

MG: Like so many of us, I was a frustrated musician. I was going to be a rock star at one point but that didn’t play out. I then went on to own a pro audio shop and was an MI dealer. Ultimately, I realised that if I was going to support a family, I would need to go to school. After securing a degree in electrical engineering, I did a short detour through Hewlett-Packard for 4 years before going to work for Harman. I love music, I love gear - so it was natural to want to work in this industry and that’s the path I took. I’ve worked on the strategic, technical, and marketing side of the business. But at heart, I’m a strategist.

2. ETA: Why did you leave Harman and join LOUD Technologies?

MG: The marketer in me has always been a huge fan of Ampeg, EAW, Mackie and Martin Audio and the incredible position each brand holds in its respective market. Naturally, I was really excited at the thought of having a hand in the continued growth and evolution of such incredible brands. The move also allowed me to bring all of my market understanding and industry experience to an innovative and fun company. I’m having more fun here at LOUD than at any other point in my career.

3. ETA: Would you say it is more of a challenge working at LOUD than at Harman?

MG: I wouldn’t say one is more challenging than the other. All business challenges are difficult - the roles are just different. Like a lot of us, I need a challenge in my job to find it fulfilling. My role at LOUD is more of a coach and councellor -- and I get to lead one of the most exciting teams in the industry and I’m having a blast doing it.

4. ETA: How would you describe your management style?

MG: My approach is to empower leaders, give them objectives, let them create plans and coach them to successfully achieve them. I am not a directive leader, but I will get more involved if necessary.

For instance, I spent a lot of time in Asia in my first year assessing our market positions, understanding the needs of our partners and pinpointing where we could help. I started by empowering Davwinder Sheena and promoting him to APAC Managing Director, reporting to me, and began expanding his team by adding in-field resources to support him and our distribution network throughout the region. Now that most of these pieces are in place, I just let the team run and their results speak for themselves -- 62% year-overyear sales growth in Asia in 2011!

5. ETA: What are some of the challenges you face doing business in Asia?

MG: Like any western company, the challenge we face is how to bridge our western business mindset and the vastly different business cultures throughout the region. So, rather than trying to run the region as an extension of our more familiar western territories with a team of expat managers, we’ve instead built a hybrid in-field team of local managers and factory-based resources that make the most out of both our resources, as well as those of our distributor partners.

I see so much potential in the APAC region and such a great need to create even stronger connections between headquarters and our

MANAGEMENT PERSPECTIVES in-field partners that I centralised the APAC sales team. So, while I decentralised all other functions in the company around 3 brandspecific teams (EAW; Mackie & Ampeg; and Martin Audio) I centralized the APAC support team so Davwinder Sheena now reports directly to me. As a result, Davwinder has immediate access to resources and has the ability to make rapid decisions to ensure we maximise opportunity. This allows us to move as fast as the market requires – and we know how fast that pace is throughout the region.

One of the things that’s most exciting to me is to see our APAC team engaged. They just jump right into places that myself, as a westerner, would struggle to understand. And it’s working.

6. ETA: How does LOUD Technologies deal with these manufacturers who infringe on your intellectual property rights?

MG: Of course, anytime you have developing economies, you’re going to have challenges with IP infringement. While we pursue the typical legal, legislative and political channels to address these issues, we focus the majority of our attention and effort on continued product innovation and distribution partner support. I believe the best weapon in the IP battle is to continue innovating. Innovation makes it that much harder for the copiers to copy our products, and keeps copiers several steps behind us. At the end of the day, nothing is stronger than a truly breakthrough product that solves our customers’ problems better than anything else, and an excited, welltrained sales partner who’s out there pitching his benefits to the market. That’s where we are different and how we’re going to keep winning throughout the region.

7. ETA: What are some of the innovations that LOUD Technologies is currently working on and what are some of the trends that you see developing?

MG: We’re seeing a very interesting trend in the emerging economies – particularly China and India where customers, who several years ago were shopping on price alone, are today shopping for the best-sounding, most technologically advanced solutions and are willing to pay the price for it. This is a real sea change in market preference and one that plays very well into our brands’ strengths.

On the Mackie, more consumer side, we’re seeing an amazing adoption rate for our new DL1608 digital live mixer that, as you know, uses an iPad and an app as the user interface and packs all of the punch of a much larger digital mixer in a compact, and affordable, package. In the case of the DL1608 I like

Mackie DL1608 digital live mixer

to think we’re setting some trends of our own. What we’re seeing with this product, and this space, is that portability and the freedom to mix from anywhere in a venue from an iPad is a massive selling point and a sign that the customer is ready to break from traditional mixer interface paradigms. What this product also enables us to do is tap into the community and creativity of our user base and will ultimately allow a level of sharing and collaboration previously impossible and unimaginable. We’re already working on the next iterations of this product line and are committed to staying way out in front – just what you’d expect from the Mackie brand.

On the pro audio side, look at the technology that was developed into the Martin Audio MLA and how successful that product’s value proposition is. Customers are willing to pay a significant premium for MLA technology and its ability to deliver extremely high-fidelity audio in a very controlled manner to just those areas where it’s needed. Within months of the MLA launch, customers were asking for us to extend the same technology into smallerscale touring, as well as install, products which is what drove us to develop the new MLA Compact that will make its Asian debut at PALM Beijing in May.

EAW has had similar capabilities, but with an expectedly EAW approach, for years now that has been layered with their Focusing processing and applied primarily to large and small-format installation projects. They are refining and evolving the technology now in ways that incorporate networking, digital signal processing and sophisticated modeling to deliver products that can adapt to the requirements of any venue in many different vertical markets. www.loudtechinc.com

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MANAGEMENT PERSPECTIVES

Pio Nahum Commercial and Marketing Director, Clay Paky S.p.A. One of the most recognisable and respected people in the professional lighting industry is Clay Paky’s Pio Nahum. Charming, outgoing and approachable, Nahum is an Italian gentleman who exudes confidence and panache. Not only is he frequently seen at all the most important trade exhibitions, he possesses a wealth of knowledge about lighting, derived from his 25 years of experience in the industry.

During the recent Prolight + Sound Exhibition in Frankfurt, Nahum took time out to grant Entertainment Technology Asia an exclusive interview where he talked about the reasons behind Clay Paky’s recent commercial success and gave his opinion about the future of professional lighting.

ETA: How did you start out in the professional lighting business?

PN: It began as an opportunity. At that time I was working for Michelin, in the tire industry.

I had to commute very far everyday and I wanted to spend more time with my family. A friend of mine told me about a small company that was looking for a new sales director and was located very near to where I lived. I asked him for the name of the company and he told me it was Clay Paky. “Clay Paky? What a strange name,” I thought. “What do they do?”

My friend told me that they did lights for clubs.

I told him that I had never done anything like that but he told me not to worry because they just needed a person who knew languages and could do some sales management.

So, I met with Paky (Pasquale Quadri, the founder of Clay Paky) in 1988 and it happened that I went from the total black of tires to the rainbow of colours of club lighting. It has been a big change for me, going from a huge multinational corporation to a very small company, but Clay Paky was already very successful and, with my knowledge in international sales, I helped the company to develop and it has been good.

A few years later I went to work at Martin Professional. After Martin, I had the opportunity to work in the architectural lighting business. I worked for 5 years at Targetti Poulsen. In 2009, I returned to Clay Paky. It’s just like coming back home, really nice! So,

I’ve been in the lighting business since 1989, I have worked for different companies and in different fields. I know entertainment lighting very well but I have learned a lot also about architectural lighting, the real architectural lighting, not archi-tainment which is what I did at Martin. I have learned about pure architectural lighting - street lighting, office lighting, hospital lighting and outdoor lighting.

In the future I will try to use this know-how for Clay Paky.

ETA: What is the philosophy behind the design of Clay Paky’s products?

PN: The technology used in Clay Paky’s products has changed over time but historically the main principle has always been intrinsic quality - meaning reliability, durability, optical performance and high output. These are the kind of things that were perceived by the users as tangible examples of quality.

Obviously, this approach has seen an evolution over time and nowadays we speak a lot also about sustainability, energy savings and going ‘green’. Clay Paky has tried to achieve energy savings in a different way than other manufacturers in our industry who have decided to go into LED immediately, believing that this technology is the immediate (and only) solution when it comes to saving energy.

Clay Paky did not believe in this because, back in 2008, the LED technology was not mature yet. LEDs were not powerful enough and their quality inconsistent. At Clay Paky, we decided to achieve energy savings by improving the efficiency of our lighting fixtures. We have been working on traditional lamps at lower wattages that can deliver a higher output, enhancing their performance even further with improved optics and electronics. We have been very successful in this. For instance, the first of these low wattage, high output series was the Alpha 300. We made a very compact fixture with the power consumption of 300W but the light output of a 600W fixture of the older generation. Then, we released the Alpha 700, an incredibly small fixture, consuming 700W but delivering the light output of a 1200W fixture. The latest example of this design approach is our Sharpy which is extraordinarily efficient. With less than 200W of power, it is as powerful as 1500W fixture.

The market still is and will continue to be interested in LED and in the meantime this technology has improved a lot. However, at the end of the day, what people need in a show is a very powerful light. In entertainment, it is not like in architectural lighting, you know. It is all about power. The producers want more and more powerful lighting systems. There is an escalation to entertain and to create emotion. LEDs have not always been the right solution and, because of this, Clay Paky got a segment of the market where nobody was actually working on and we have achieved some really good results.

ETA: Clay Paky manufactures many products. Is there a product in your inventory that you are particularly proud of?

PN: Obviously, I have to say that we are extremely happy to have released the Sharpy because the Sharpy is really a fantastic product. I can say that it is the best-selling product that Clay Paky has ever released. We had similar success with the Golden Scan in the 1990s but the number of Sharpys we are

MANAGEMENT PERSPECTIVES selling is definitely higher than the Golden Scan and we are selling them in a shorter time.

Lighting designers love the Sharpy and use it in large quantities. It is on tour with the most famous artists and we sold container-loads of Sharpys to the US, Europe, Asia, everywhere.

There is no country in the world that is not into buying the Sharpy. We even sold Sharpys to Nigeria, for example.

But it is very difficult to sue these companies in China. It is very complicated and it takes a long time. The Chinese government doesn’t help us with this problem. Procedures are complex, companies disappear suddenly and appear again under another name. Significant investment is required for lawyers and for collecting evidence of patent infringements.

You have to pay for everything and, in the meantime, the damage is already done and our products risk becoming obsolete.

What we can do is to stop these products from coming to Europe or the countries where we have a patent registered. Rather than going after the manufacturers, which is very difficult, we will go after the people who are importing and distributing these products in the West and the rest of the world.

ETA: Aside from companies copying your products, do you face any other challenges doing business in Asia?

The Clay Paky Sharpy

The measure of the success of the Sharpy is, unfortunately, the number of copies that are available in the market. We want to protect our investments in research and development and we have patents on the design and for the optical system. Nonetheless, there are tens of counterfeiters, mainly in China, that make copies, clones and sometimes even use the Sharpy name. What they do is illegal. It is also illegal to import and distribute these copies in the countries where Clay Paky has intellectual property rights.

ETA: What can Clay Paky do against these companies that make copies of your products?

PN: Our solution is innovation, continuous innovation. We develop new products all the time and try to stay ahead. However, we have to be careful. We have to innovate and protect our customers’ investments, at the same time.

That’s why we can’t avoid being disappointed by all these copies and we have to react. The Sharpy is a relatively new product. It was officially released in January 2011 and we have numerous copies already. In one year, the copy-makers can make our (and our customers’) investment completely fruitless.

We can’t afford that, we have to react. We can react because we have intellectual property rights, and we will react. We are now collecting all the information, we are buying copies of the Sharpy that are available in the market and we are examining them to see if they are infringing our patents. We will go after these companies.

PN: There are companies that have enjoyed great success in Asia over the last 10-15 years, typically Martin I would say. They have their own branch offices in Singapore and over time they have captured a large market share.

We have to improve our brand awareness. Our branding is strong. Everybody knows Clay Paky but there are still a lot of products around, sold by our competitors, that are used or specified mainly because they are available. They have been available for a very long time and the rental companies obviously prefer to use what is in their inventory rather than being forced to buy new equipment. It is a normal practice that we have to accept but that is what is making our brand promotion more difficult.

However, many rental companies need to rejuvenate or to reinforce their lighting inventory and our fixtures are the best choice.

They belong to the newest generation, with better features and lower running costs. A lot of lighting designers around the world specify our products and many American tours and shows use Clay Paky now, which is helping a lot. It will take some time before this “wave” will reach Asia but it will eventually happen.

In the end, customers understand the value of what we are offering.

ETA: What are your predictions for the lighting industry in the future?

PN: I believe that LED technology is going to be important but it still has a long way to go.

Nobody can do without LEDs today. But, you know, in the entertainment industry, as I was explaining earlier, it is a lot about power.

To be honest, this is an industry where going ‘green’ is just a motto that we use to please ourselves and satisfy public opinion. We

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often lie when we say we are going ‘green’ because in the entertainment venues, in show business, in concerts, in big events like the Olympic Games, at inaugurations, expos or whatever, the production company wants to have more lights and more sound. This results in more power consumption in the end. So, when we say we are going ‘green’, we are not being completely honest.

Of course, we all try to achieve some energy savings by improving the efficiency of our products. Using LEDs is one way but they aren’t powerful enough to completely replace traditional lamps in all applications. How can you make a search light like the Space Cannon of the old times with LEDs? It is impossible, you can’t do that. It would also be very difficult to create one of our stronger ‘beamlights’, like a 1500W Alpha Beam with LEDs. It would be too expensive and it won’t be effective. There are other issues as well, like the quality of colours. For years we have had discussions with theatre lighting designers about the shade of the colours, the palette of the colours and the purity of the colours.

These discussions are even more critical, now, with LEDs. So, I think that there will still be a few more years for conventional light sources to exist in the market before being completely replaced by LEDs. This does not mean that Clay Paky is not working at all with this technology. In fact in September 2011 we introduced the GlowUp, a battery-operated wireless LED uplighter. In Frankfurt, we launched the A.LEDA, a family consisting of three washlights with high performance and high quality LEDs. For users who prefer LEDs to conventional lamps, we have excellent solutions.

Therefore, as your question was about the future of the lighting industry, in general, I repeat that LED technology is going to be important. LEDs are already good enough for the less demanding stage lighting applications.

And, if we speak about archi-tainment, if we speak about clubs, restaurants, small DJ products...well, we are there. LED lighting is already suitable for these applications.

Without question, lighting fixtures have to become more efficient. We need to save as much energy as possible and Clay Paky has shown that its approach, over the last few years, has been very successful. www.claypaky.it

“The Spot Ones have the punch to perform even at the biggest venues such as the Hong Kong Coliseum” Mazon Chan, MD A.H.M. Engineering Co., Ltd.

“The reason for AED Rent buying 500 impression Spot One and Wash One is very simple – these RGB LED fixtures are the future of the industry, and we believe that we need more in the near future to meet market requests.

Now we finally see that Ecology and Economy go hand in hand.”

Glenn Roggeman, CEO AED Network

“The Wash One is a real Multi Talent.”

Lighting Designer Jerry Appelt using impression Wash One at the X-Factor

www.glp.de GLP German Light Products Asia Ltd. Tel: +852 3151 7730 |e-mail: asia@glp.de

MANAGEMENT PERSPECTIVES

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Mark Ravenhill President, German Light Products, USA A 25-year veteran of the professional lighting industry, Mark Ravenhill is well-known for his design and production work in Europe.

Ravenhill joined German Light Products (GLP) in 2009 as Director of Global Key Players, ensuring prime customers around the world were kept informed of GLP’s developments.

He was subsequently appointed President of GLP, USA, to head up GLP’s North-American office later that year while retaining his Director of Global Key Players position.

Entertainment Technology Asia Magazine caught up with Ravenhill during Prolight + Sound 2012 for an exclusive interview where he talked about his background in the professional lighting industry, his role within GLP and why he feels that LED technology will completely replace traditional forms of light.

ETA: How did you enter the professional lighting business?

MR: I grew up in the southern part of England.

When I was still in school, I used to work in one of the local theatres. After leaving school, I enrolled in a technical theatre course at Highbury College of Technology near Portsmouth, which is a big naval city on the south coast of England. In those days, lighting design was not a widely available college course.

After graduating from college, I found work as a chief electrician in a theatre in Winchester called Theatre Royal, on the south coast of England. Theatre Royal was a beautiful, old Victorian theatre that took touring shows in. We also produced some of our own shows but not very many. I worked with the touring lighting designers and took care of the house systems.

Two years later, I left the theatre and joined Blazers Cabaret Club in Windsor as a stage manager. During my time there, the cabaret had a refurbishment and as part of this refurbishment, some Martin Professional equipment got put into it together with a dedicated Martin controller. The technical manager, Steve Rawlins, and I used to program the lights using the controller which was one of the first sold in the UK. As more Martin products started to come into the UK, the person who was looking after

the distribution approached Steve and I to do training, programming and exhibitions, stuff like that. After the LDI show in 1991, Peter Johansen, who was the original founder of Martin Professional, offered both of us a job in Denmark. We accepted and started working for Martin in January 1992.

I worked in Denmark for four years and then I returned to the UK and worked for AC Lighting doing technical sales. AC Lighting were getting more inovlved in exclusive products in those

days, such as the WYSIWYG system by CAST Lighting and the Wholehog range of consoles from Flying Pig Systems.

I stayed at AC Lighting for four years and then re-joined Martin as the product manager for all their moving heads. That was in 2001. I worked at Martin for another 8 years, seeing through all of the moving head range that was being developed and released at that time.

After that I joined GLP in 2009.

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MANAGEMENT PERSPECTIVES

ETA: What is your role at GLP? MR: My initial role at GLP was to look after the lighting designers, the specifiers, the consultants, the people who were deciding which products to put in their show or venue.

I had to ensure that they knew about GLP, that they knew about our products and they had the opportunity to try our products. If necessary, I would do a ‘shoot-out’ against another manufacturer’s fixture to ensure that the customer could see the benefits of LED as a technology.

professional grade RGB LED spot fixture. It’s something that is a very viable alternative to other spot fixtures in the market using either tungsten, plasma or discharge sources. It’s got a full feature set. It’s not an easy challenge to take an LED source with multiple colours and control it and make gobos look nice and make a prism effect look nice and all of these things.

The fact that we’ve been able to do it and the fact that now people are really appreciating it and investing in the product is something that is really nice.

For sure, there was a certain amount of hesitation with people. I try to give them a level of comfort where they can spend some time with the fixture and compare it with a discharge or tungsten-halogen fixture. This is something I still do on a daily basis. However, initially, that was what I was coming in to focus on.

Today, my role is President of GLP, USA. We are a fully-owned subsidiary of GLP Germany with an office in Los Angeles. There are 8 people currently working out of that office. I run it on a daily basis and it has just kept growing and growing. It is very enjoyable.

ETA: Why does GLP only make LED fixtures?

MR: For GLP, the first major product that we really had with LED was the Impression fixture. The Impression came into the market at a time when it fulfilled all the requirements that people were looking for. Up until then, manufacturers who were working with LED were maybe able to achieve some of the requirements that people were looking for but not all.

The Impression fell right into place and was obviously a great success for GLP. It kickstarted a very strong dialogue with our specifiers, designers and consultants about LED as a technology moving forward and it just became very clear in a short period of time that if we could make a fixture like the Impression, then we could do a lot more with LED. As time went on, it became more obvious that discharge was a technology on the decline and would continue to decline. As a company that wants to expand and grow their operations, we didn’t want to start investing in a technology that we saw as on the downside.

We wanted to invest in a technology that was on the upside.

ETA: Is there a product in your range that you are particularly fond of?

MR: I think, currently, it’s got to be the Impression Spot One which is the first

GLP Impression Spot One

ETA: Do you think LED can completely replace traditional sources of light?

MR: Currently, we have an LED profile fixture which has the same feature set as the average 700W discharge fixture in terms of its rotating gobos, its prism, its iris, its zoom, its focus and its animation wheels. All of the things you expect in a mid-size discharge fixture, you can get in an LED fixture. We’ve followed that up with the Wash One which has a similar output to a 700W discharge fixture.

For sure, the output level of LEDs currently is not as high as some discharge fixtures. We don’t have an LED engine that is equivalent to a 1500W discharge lamp, for example. That will come, though. The sources are getting brighter and more efficient as the technology develops. In terms of what the product can do, absolutely, we can replace discharge lamps and as a manufacturer, we’ve gone over to LED. That is our business model now and we are replacing discharge fixtures and tungsten-halogen fixtures on a daily basis with LED technology.

People can now see that LED is a reliable source of light when it is produced properly and the software controlling it is working. It is a source that gives them everything they need in terms of the quality of light and the quality

of the colour range. There are a number of advantages with LED technology. The lower power consumption is a key advantage and the longer lifetime is also a big advantage. In our new fixtures, we put a 5-year warranty on the LED engine itself. There are also a lot of other advantages in terms of being lighter, smaller, taking up less space and being easier to transport – these are all fantastic advantages.

Almost on a daily basis, we are finding new customers or existing customers who are now really understanding LED and totally committing to it. For us as a company, building a product range and a business model on LED technology is something that we’ve committed to, something for us that has proven very successful. We are one of the few manufacturers of automated lighting that is only LED in terms of our new product development. We are investing a lot of time and resources through our R&D department to be at the leading-edge of LED technology that’s available and it is showing through the fixtures that we produce.

The light that you buy has to fulfil a task. If, as a manufacturer, we can fulfil all of the parameters that the customer needs, then there is no reason why they shouldn’t choose LED. Our experience is that they do choose LED because it ticks all of the boxes and answers all of the questions.

The big question is: can LED completely replace traditional forms of light? Ultimately, yes it will. I would say that in the next 5 years you will be able to find an LED fixture that can replace any tungsten-halogen or discharge fixture that we currently have. I’m very sure that will happen. I can see the speed that we are pushing things forward and the technology that we are getting access to. I would say, maybe even within 3 years but definitely within 5 years. www.glp.de

Mark Ravenhill with the GLP Impression X4

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special feature

As winner of the 2010 Gottelier Award, Fred Foster (Chief Executive Officer of Electronic Theatre Controls, Inc.) was invited to give the Gottelier Masterclass Talk to the membership at PLASA 2011 in London. Foster’s speech, “A Call to Arms: We Must Join Together to Protect the Quality of Light,” is distilled here: In n memorry off Ton ny Gotteliierr

For those of you who might not have known Tony or don’t remember him, he was quite famous for the articles he wrote in Lighting and Sound International where he would take the piss out of every company he could. And so, as I was thinking about what I should talk about—because I was given an hour to talk about anything I wanted—I asked myself, What would Tony Do? I thought Tony surely would have looked at what is happening in the lighting industry and looked for ways it could be made better.

He would alert us to threats to the art of lighting. So, even though my topic is almost politically incorrect (which I’ll also blame Tony for), I will sound this Gottelier-inspired alarm: Environmental concerns and the push for sustainability are posing a threat to the quality of lighting.

In full disclosure, I am the CEO of ETC [Electronic Theatre Controls, Inc.]. Forty

percent of our business comes from making dimming systems and 30% from making Source Four fixtures. On the other hand, about seven or eight percent of our business is from making LED luminaires.

So, while this is a defense of the light bulb—it is more substantially a defense of the quality of light that you, as designers, need to create your art.

Qualitty an nd Susstaain nabiilitty

There is a blind rush right now towards anything green in lighting, and that is reflected in the funding offered to venues. You can get money for lighting if you work to save energy, and that impetus is pushing us to favour and use technologies that may or may not truly be the proper tools in every case.

Being forced to use light sources simply because they are energy efficient and not because they produce the right type of light can severely limit your creative choices. And it is for this reason that I am making this call to arms, to defend the quality of light.

With that said, let me admit that I was terrified (once I had chosen this subject) to figure out how I was actually going to present this problem to lighting designers—because I am not a lighting designer. At eighteen I tried to be a lighting designer and I quickly learned I was not going to be successful at it. (I suppose what qualifies me for being able to talk about the quality of light is that for 35 years I have worked—and my company has worked— to make tools that lighting designers have demanded us to make and to improve those tools to a level that we may sometimes think is silly, but in practice is totally proper to do.)

And so, not being a lighting designer, I sought out input from some lighting designers, who were incredibly gracious with help.

I sent emails to people like Richard Pilbrow, Jennifer Tipton, Don Holder, and Duane Schuler. I had conversations with Rick Fisher, Ken Billington, Paule Constable, Neal Austin, Jason Lyons and Hugo van Uum. Everybody responded almost immediately, saying ‘thank you for starting this discussion.’

Qu ualitty off Ligghtt

What I wanted to ask them was this: What is the ‘quality of light?’ What are the qualities of light we should be fighting for? Everybody had different views about the ‘quality of light,’ but I could see an emerging consistency in their different answers. One designer described the ‘soul’ of tungsten lighting; some described the ability of an arc light to cut through the murk onstage. Some designers loved to mix arc lights in their Broadway shows and wanted moving lights to look like moving lights. Some wanted moving lights to blend in with tungsten sources. The designers were intrigued by LED lighting but were concerned because they haven’t been able to make LEDs perform like the tools they are used to.

Don Holder said, “The wrong quality of light can alter perception of all the other elements—in a way that can be damaging to the overall success of the production.” Don has seemingly spent about the last half of his career doing Spiderman on Broadway. He described in detail how he couldn’t have done that show without LEDs but he won’t use them in every show he’ll do.

Richard Pilbrow shared this angle: “White light is a must. It is what nature provides and must be all our starting points. But the sun is, of course, almost always ‘coloured’ in some way. The atmosphere is God’s first filter.”

I think this relationship to natural light is key to ‘quality’—and explains why that glowing piece of tungsten is an invaluable tool in your tool box. Human eyes have evolved in adaptation to a glowing ball of fire in the sky and to firelight and embers in the darkness. We have developed to perceive a full spectrum— literally every hue in the rainbow. Our eyes need and seek such light to see properly.

Evolution of Light

Technologies evolve. Before I got into the business, all incandescent lamps were plain tungsten. They didn’t have the tungsten/ halogen cycle in them, and as such, had a colour temperature of about 2700 degrees.

Duane Schuler tells a story from early in his career, in the 70’s, at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis. After he had been there for

special feature a season or so, the whole rig was changed from tungsten to tungsten/halogen overnight, and the colour temperature went from 2700 degrees to 3200. The first show being done was designed by Desmond Heeley, a famous costume and scene designer. At breakfast, after the first day of lighting, Heeley leaned over to Duane and said, “Where did all the friendly light go?”

How do you describe the quality of light? Is it a ‘friendliness’? Is it ‘warmth’? Is it ‘the soul’?

Is it ‘harsh’ or ‘soft ’? These were some of the words designers I talked to used. They are all qualities of light.

Faade e Qualitty

Dimmers. I can speak with some authority on dimmers, I think. Dimming in 1975 was SCR dimming—thyristor dimming, as you call it over here. This was a solid-state dimmer, but there were trim pots on the face of every dimmer module in the rack. So you would start out every show, or maybe every season, adjusting all those trim pots so that when you set a fader to 5, all the dimmers would respond the same way. This was not a good thing. So, in about 1980, digitally-fired dimmers started coming out. We put computers in the dimmer racks, and they took a digital signal from the console and fired the dimmers perfectly.

Every level was exactly what you set on the console. However, this introduced 8-bit fades, and you saw stepping in 50-watt lamps. That was unacceptable. (My career has often been about correcting problems we made for ourselves while you all scream at us.) So the result was that for the next decade ETC and all the other dimming companies started putting in 16-bit fades. We’d take the 8-bit data from the console and change it into 16-bits so you got nice smooth fades. We figured out what a square-law dimmer curve was and what a modified square-law curve was and we offered all of these options that you could select from your console and enjoy a performance of dimming that has reached probably as fine a state of the art as you can get.

As new technologies were introduced, say, moving lights with mechanical dimmers, bad fades came back and designers screamed. It took a while, but this problem was fixed, and you can now get good fades from movers as well.

Now, we have colour-changing LEDs. However, LEDs have no thermal latency, and fadestepping has returned again. But it’s actually even more damaging because red will step differently than the blues, the greens, etc.

Not only is there a steppy intensity change, there’s a colour shift. We have a brandnew technology, but we have taken a step backwards and lost something (fade quality) that we already have in the industry. This is

something that you shouldn’t let us do and we shouldn’t allow happen.

Movvin ng Ligh hts

For the brief time I learned lighting—or tried to learn lighting—there was the McCandless theory that defined three aspects of control: intensity, colour and movement. ‘Movement’ was fading an area out and bringing an area up. Moving lights gave us a whole new definition of movement. They also introduced a whole bunch of problems. The first moving lights moved. The first moving lights kind of pointed to the same place twice in a row, and control desks were not up to the task. Since then (1982-ish), control desks and moving lights have been maturing. There are tungsten moving lights, arc source moving lights, LED moving lights.

When moving lights were introduced, I remember lively discussions (largely between older lighting designers who were afraid of moving lights and manufacturers who didn’t make moving lights): “We will never see daylight colour sources on Broadway. They will not work.” They (we) were wrong. When I brought this up to Richard Pilbrow recently, he said, “I kind of like my moving lights to look like moving lights. Your Revolution tungsten fixture is a very nice fixture, but when I want a moving light, I want it to be a moving light.” Other designers want moving lights to blend in.

Over time, movement has been redefined and perfected, and designers have learned how to use moving lights on Broadway.

Co olo our

Colour. This is actually what scared me out of lighting. I could put the lights in the right place, I could focus them, I could cue them, but I couldn’t choose colour with any confidence. I can bore you to death with the science of colour, but suffice it to say that I still can’t choose the right shirt to go with a pair of trousers.

When you think about the evolution of colour media over the time, you see that much has changed. Colour, back in the early 20th-century days of Belasco, was silk drawn in front of gas lights (which sounds like a terribly dangerous thing). Then it went to gelatin. Then came Roscolene (dyed acetate). And then Roscolux (polycarbonates and polyesters). Gel has gone from ‘It melts when you get it wet’ to ‘It fades as the sources got brighter and brighter.’ The colour industry had to change, continuing to improve the product.

Colour consistency was a big problem as well.

I remember people saying, ‘This R80 isn’t the same as the R80 I got the last time.’ In response, colour-media companies worked

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tirelessly until they refined gels to reach the optimal colour-consistency that people demanded. The result set the colour-quality bar high in our industry.

And, once again when dichroic filters were developed, they went through the same cycle of improvement (like dimming) to produce the same quality and consistency that gels had developed.

LEEDs

Steve Terry, from ETC, went and talked to a lighting department at a very famous university in California. The theatre there was filled with cheap and cheerful LED PAR cans.

The staff said, “They’re fabulous. We don’t have to think about colour until we put them up in the air, and then we can pick any colour we want. And we have colour fades.” Steve asked, “What do you think about the quality of the fades?” The theatre staff answered, “They’re terrible. They step.” Then Steve asked, “Well, what do you think about the unit-to-unit consistency?” “Oh, it sucks,” they said. Steve wondered what they were going to do then. “We’re going to buy some more!” they said.

Steve had discovered the “killer app” of LED lighting…you can mix any colour, instantly from the console. And, apparently, this school was willing to sacrifice some of the quality of light (smooth fades and colour consistency) to use it.

But not every designer is. Last summer, we previewed a prototype of our new Source Four LED…under secrecy…to Ken Billington.

Ken was the first designer to use the Source Four twenty years ago, and I fully expected him to demand 50 of them right away. I expected him to value the ‘killer app.’ I was surprised at his response. He said, “I think about a show before load-in. I have my colourscrollers made up with the colours I know I’m going to want. I have the colours cut for my front of house.” He later told me that he went to PRG in NY and sat down with every moving light in their inventory along with his hundred favourite colours and a Source Four and he matched every moving light. Then he came back and matched every LED fixture they had (and then I think he probably went blind). Colour flexibility wasn’t important to Ken—the quality of the colour was.

I was on a panel with the opera designer Christina Giannelli during LDI 2010. Her concerns echoed what I’ve heard elsewhere: ‘If I have LED lights, how do I get the same colour from this show to two years from now when the LED lights are old and the LEDs have faded? Or will the LED lights in one theatre provide the same colours as the next?’ Gelcolour consistency provides a huge advantage

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to designers who do shows that may come back into production or shows that tour. If you give your colour-cut list to the theatre and you know there are Source Fours or other tungsten/halogen lamps front of house, you pretty much know that what you designed in one theatre is going to look the same. For Christina (and many other designers) the consistency of colour is critical.

spectrum out. So, all of the sudden, I saw skin tones that were tolerably lit by LEDs. And that was exciting. The x7 Colour System clearly exceeded simpler LED systems and met my critical good enough line.

Brilliant! This turned out to be the perfect use of a monochromatic yellow light source, and that was probably the only light source that would have worked. So, we can’t get rid of even the worst light source ever. It’s another tool in our design toolbox.

The ‘G Good d Enou ugh Liine e’

In our marketing department we use a phrase: the “good enough line.” And I hate it. I hate the line, I hate the phrase. When is a product ‘good enough’ to sell to the customer, rather than when a product is perfect? But, realistically, at some point you have to establish a ‘good enough line.’ On a great day with a great product, that line is where perfection is achieved. But that doesn’t happen very often, so you are always making concessions and you are always deciding at what point the product is now a useful new tool for people. And that ‘good enough line’ is different from one field of lighting to another.

The Philips AmbientLED lamp provides an interesting example of a ‘good enough line.’ It was developed to meet the performance of a 60W incandescent “A” lamp but only consume ten watts. It actually won the US DOE ‘L Prize.’ This LED lamp is impressive when the ‘good enough line’ is set at the performance of a compact-fluorescent source. According to the manufacturer, “…when lit, this bulb produces a beautiful soft white colour, just like an incandescent bulb.” But if you look at how it renders skin tones compared to an incandescent source, there is a real difference.

For the home of the average person, I think it is a reasonable ‘good enough line.’ But for us, for our industry, for your eyes, it cannot be a good enough line.

So, LEDs—I’m really excited about them. I think additive colour-mixing is fascinating. I wasn’t too terribly excited by RGB, or RGBA, or RGBAW systems. The light that they produced did not truly render colours well, particularly skin tones that are so important in entertainment lighting. But then Novella Smith and Rob Gerlach developed a product line called Selador. They came to demo it at our headquarters. They shined a unit onto a big image of coloured dots that said ‘Selador’ at the top. I said, “I’ll teach you” and put piece of ’02 into a Source Four and said, “Match it.” And after a few seconds, I said, “[Expletive]! That’s pretty damn good.”

The trick of it is that LEDs are narrow-band emitters; and an RGB source, with just three narrow wavelengths of light, is like having teeth missing in the spectrum. However, the more wavelengths you have, the better light you will get. Selador’s x7 Colour System (with seven different wavelengths) really filled the

mist and fog was created to form into clouds and dissipate. A mirror covered the entire ceiling, reflecting the glow. Paule described the experience: “We all lay around and watched the sun—only it didn’t set. So we watched a setting sun that never set.”

ETC Selador Desire LED luminaires 2011

However, the entertainment-lighting industry is a commercial flyspeck on the world of lighting. We have very little commercial clout.

The money is in A-lamps, fluorescent-light replacements, and streetlights. That is where the development money is going, and that is where the good enough line is being set. We have to figure out how we can encourage a good enough line where it needs to be for our industry.

Susttaiinaabilityy

I am very concerned about global warning.

I don’t mean to sound like I’m not. The industry has to be responsive to our social good of improving the environment and saving electricity. But I think we have to do it pragmatically and reasonably, and most importantly, fight to keep the quality light we have today as well.

If you really want to be energy efficient, without consideration for aesthetic or optical appeal, there is low-pressure sodium— the worst light source ever (like the yellow streetlights I saw recently in Berlin). Since it is a monochromatic yellow source, when you light something with it you get yellow and black, regardless of what colours are illuminated.

But it does have an efficacy of 200 lumens per watt. We’re not going to see anything at 200 lumens per watt out of anything else in the near future or even in the next decade. So this would seem the ideal light source. But with what artistic sacrifice?

I thought I had a killer argument here, and then Paule Constable (Tony Award winner this year for War Horse) sent me a copy of a speech she gave recently. Paule talked about Olafur Eliasson’s stunning art installation The Weather Project, done at the Tate Modern in 2003.

The massive Turbine Hall had been illuminated with a disk of single-frequency yellow light. A

Hugo van Uum, the technical manager in charge of lighting of the Hett Musik Theatre in Amsterdam told me, “I never met a lighting designer who asked me for a sustainable light.

But project managers do!” However, Hugo has experimented with sustainable lighting. In late 2010, VPT (the Dutch association for stage technology, equivalent to an ABTT or USITT) sponsored a creative test, pitting sustainable technology against conventional fixtures.

They enlisted two dance companies (one hip hop and one classical), lighting designers, and industry experts to light the same piece twice—using sustainable and conventional sources. They asked, “Can we do it well with sustainable lighting only?” Then they polled everyone involved—designers, stage pros, dancers, and the audience—asking, “Could you tell which was ‘sustainable’ and which wasn’t?” Oddly enough, not even the dancers could tell the difference. And yet, some people would say they liked one better than the other. What the test showed is that you can’t obtain exactly the same results when you’re limited to sustainable sources.

Similarly, for the last couple of years at the Broadway Lighting Master Class in New York City, Don Holder has done a presentation where he seats two actors on stage and lights one with LEDs and the other with conventionals. Does he achieve the same results? To this point, the answer is still no.

And for a long time it will be.

In 1987, there was a production of Tristan and Isolde at the LA Opera that is famous because they said from the beginning they were going to light it with nothing but Vari-Lites. This was a David Hockney-designed production, and it got coverage in the New York Times. The Times wrote about how Hockney had a VariLite set up in his house in Los Angeles with a Vari-Lite programmer there and a set model.

I asked Richard Pilbrow if he’d seen it, and of course, he had. “It was wonderful but very noisy…. The richness of the colour was like something you’d not seen before.” Almost everybody talks about how noisy the fans and motors were.

special feature that designers and artists use to make shows.”

Even if you only use that screwdriver only occasionally, you want to keep it in your tool box forever.

Tristan and Isolde, Act II, Los Angeles Music Center Opera, 1987.

Design by David Hockney. Photograph by Richard Schmidt © David Hockney

This production was an experiment, to light an opera with one single type of source. I wondered if it was artistically successful.

Duane Schuler said, “Do you want to know something interesting? When they brought the show back into their rep ten years later, I re-lit it. And I’ve re-lit it a few times after that.”

I said, “Really, what did you do?” He said that they took all the moving lights away. I found a quote from David Hockney, from the second time around: “Lighting costs a lot of money in the theatre. To put in cues takes a lot of time.”

The second half of this quote is “and they don’t give you the money for it.” I asked Duane Schuler how the production has evolved. He said it was hard for Hockney to adjust from the vivid, unique colours he had seen, to what could be produced with conventional lighting.

Over 20 years’ time, the production has been mounted several times. Hockney has even directed it once. “It was difficult, but eventually David was satisfied,” Duane told me. “Over the years, we added some Vari-Lites back in, but only where they made sense.”

I actually think that all of these experiments were flawed. With the possible exception of Eliasson’s The Weather Project, the lesson to be learned from Tristan and Isolde is that no single source can solve every problem. Great lighting requires using the right light for the right purpose.

The To oolb boxx

The toolbox analogy came to me as I was talking to the different designers and hearing everybody tell me how they use things differently. If a screwdriver is in a lighting designers’ tool box, Richard may use the handle and turn a screw, Duane may hold it by the blade and use it as a hammer.

When I take people through a tour of our factory in Madison (it’s kind of all I really do), I try to explain what ETC does. If they’re not in our industry, they often excitedly ask, “Have you lit any good shows?” and I say, “No, we make the paintbrushes, we make the tools

Better tools have emerged throughout the history of theatre lighting, of course. Carbonarc followspots were the thing of the day when I started out. Then Xenon came in, then MSR and HMI (and whatever other initials there were). These provided a quality of light very similar to a carbon-arc followspot’s, with some clearly perceptible advantages and improvements. They were better because you didn’t have to time your followspot cues so the operator could change the carbons. They were better because, if you had me running your followspot in Madison, Wisconsin, as an IA stagehand, and I got distracted, the arc didn’t start to extinguish and you wouldn’t have to yell at me to strike it back up. This is an example of a truly valid replacement of an old technology with a new, better one.

We cannot allow a light source or tool that we have now to be outlawed or taken out of our toolboxes until there is an equal or better replacement for the quality of light it produces.

The Caalll to Arrms

There are many specific actions I am asking for in my Call to Arms.

Ed ducaate e

Make a concerted effort to educate everybody we talk to about why the quality of light matters.

I’ll tell you a great story. I live in Verona, Wisconsin, a farming community and suburb of Madison, Wisconsin. I was at a local hardware store, in line behind a woman with a basketful of compact-fluorescent lamps.

Between us was a quintessential farmer in bib overalls—60-some years old, a big bear of a man, with hands like bear paws, and dirt under his fingernails. He tapped the woman on the shoulder and said, “Ma’am, you really shouldn’t buy those compact fluorescents because they are not going to make you look pretty.” I wanted to kiss the guy! People can and do understand the importance of good light once they see it.

Pu ush h Tech hnolloggy and d Deman nd pe erffeccti tion

Do adopt new technologies but continue to complain about them until we make better.

Continue to make our lives hell until we give you the perfect tools. That is what’s going to push the ’good enough line’ toward perfection.

Don’t let us off the hook. As Broadway LD Jason Lyons said, “Embracing technology is important, and not just embracing it, but driving it.”

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Richard Pilbrow may have been dreaming when he said, “I think whatever we move to, it must be full spectrum white. You’ll have to make a light that does that economically!” But he wasn’t letting us off the hook.

Co oord din natte Ourr Efforrtss

Professional organisations around the world that value the quality of light are dealing with new sources of lighting and sustainability at some level.

The Academy of Moving Pictures and Sciences have some great videos about how to use solid-state lighting and its effect on film. The BBC just published a paper on the appropriate use of solid-state lighting in television. There’s an effort within PLASA to agree on how LED lighting should be measured. There’s an attempt by the IES to redefine CRI because, for some reason that I don’t quite understand, the CRI index does not apply to LEDs. All these organisations should pool and coordinate their efforts so we don’t duplicate them and we can start speaking as a common voice.

We are the ‘flyspeck’ I referred to earlier.

We have a small voice, a small commercial voice, but we can be a very loud flyspeck. All of you work with talent, and talent likes to come on board. So if you can get Bono to say “Oh, yes, we need the full colour spectrum,” that’s great. Those are ways we can amplify our voice.

Join n th he Lun naticc Friingge

So, I am asking you all to become the lunatic fringe—the people out in the dark, in the corner, screaming for and demanding the protection and the quality of light, demanding that perfect light be provided. Artificial light may not be perfect now, and it can be improved in the future. But we can’t lose the quality of light we have achieved. We have to be out there working in a coordinated fashion so that we have impact. The lobbyists making the laws are big-business lobbyists, and we are not a big-business lobby. Collectively, we can have a much louder voice.

I will end with my favorite lighting quote, by lighting designer Jennifer Tipton: “99.44 percent of the audience is not aware of the lighting, though 100 percent is affected by it.”

This is why you light, this is what you do, and this is why we make the tools for you to use.

Together, we are that fraction of a percent who are aware of light. And that is why we have to fight for it. www.etcconnect.com

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INDUSTRY PULSE CHECK: THAILAND

by Thomas Richard Prakasam

(L-R) Sutat Kohkiat of MR Team Productions with Siri Wongkamolchun of Fusion Far East

As by now many of you will know IIR Exhibitions will be holding INSTALL/PALME THAILAND this year from 19 – 21 September in Bangkok, at the IMPACT Exhibition & Convention Centre.

The last time IIR held the event in Thailand was in 2006. So after six years the exhibition makes a re-visit to the Land of Smiles. But this time round the PALME/Install Thailand exhibition is being co-located with six other exhibitions.

These 6 other exhibitions are : Building Maintenance & Asset Management Expo Asia 2012 / Green Building & Retrofits Expo Asia 2012 / Landscape Asia 2012 / Constech 2012 / Pool&SpaTech Asia 2012 / World Spa & Wellbeing Convention 2012. The objective being to bring vertical market end-users directly to the exhibitors of PALME/Install Thailand.

IIR Exhibitions kindly invited me along in February to spend a week in Bangkok to check the pulse of the industry especially after the devastating floods that took its toll in the northern region of Thailand and came threateningly close to devour the whole of Bangkok in the last two months of 2011.

“Many of the rental & staging companies were quick to ensure that they were not adversely affected especially with their inventory,” said Sutat Kohkiat, managing director of MR TEAM Productions Co., Ltd. “Because they are so used to packing and setting up in a limited time, most of them managed to bring their inventory to higher grounds within their warehouses or pack them onto their trucks ready to go to higher grounds if needed.”

Sutat was spot-on as the rental & staging companies that I spoke to managed to save their inventory.

So what has happened since then? According to Sutat most of the rental & staging companies are very busy catching up with postponed events and working on new events. “Of course with this upside there are also challenges facing the rental & staging companies such as insufficient manpower, some times even equipment and even shortage of venues.”

Nevertheless Sutat believes that the industry will continue to be busy in the coming months.

(L-R) Termyot Dechsupa, Siripol Samithisawad and Jesada Pattanatabut of JSS

At the end of the week, there was only one conclusion – The Industry is up on its feet and being kept busy. This obviously augurs well for IIR’s plans for their event this year.

The Rental & Staging segment

The industry and I should say the whole of Thailand came to a standstill in the last two months of 2011. Every distributor, systems integrator and rental&staging company was affected badly. Concerts and events were cancelled; some integration projects were put on hold; many of the staff were more concerned about their homes in the towns and districts where the floods were and many rushed home to do what they can to save their homes and belongings.

Echoing Sutat’s sentiments was Suree Kunawong, managing director of PM Centre.

Established in 1990, PM Centre has 150 fulltime staff in their Creative, Engineering, Design and Production team providing complete turnkey solution for events with an envious inventory of the latest audio, visual, lighting and staging equipment. “Since the beginning of 2012 we have been extremely busy working almost 7 days a week continuously,” says Suree. The company is normally busy with the many events that they are involved in but have been exceptionally busy in the first quarter of 2012. “We continue to see growth in the business as we are involved in a variety of segments from private events to corporate events, to local and international concerts, conferences and government projects and this is expected to continue.” Suree also adds on that they will continue to upgrade their inventory with purchases. “We generally set aside about 30 to 40 million baht in our fiscal year budget for purchase of new equipment,” says Suree.

(L-R) Suree Kunawong of PM Centre with Anna Cheong of IIR Exhibitions

JSS Production company is renowned in the field of International concerts as a specialist company providing the best in sound for international artists who come to Thailand.

Headed by its charismatic president Jesada Pattanatabut, better known as Jack, the company has seen the International concert scene growing over the last five years. “We almost handle an average of 4 jobs per week, which is keeping us busy,” says Jack. The company’s growth has also got Jack looking for an additional warehouse space which he is hoping to find soon. He is also excited with the recent addition of the L-Acoustics K1 systems to his inventory.

special feature The installation and integration segment

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as usual. “One reason is that the floods did not hit the key areas in Bangkok so business carried on. However the biggest impact we faced was staff as they understandably were concerned about their homes and many took time off ”.

“We continue to see 10% growth on our project end whereas the distribution business has slowed down a little but overall we expect to maintain year on year growth,” says Pongsakorn.

(L-R) Norasate Somboonwong with Kanithaka Sriyabhaya of Light Source

Nuntawan Tangtantranon with Natthapong Tangtantranont and Kittisak Tangtanttranon of NPE

Established lighting rental company Light Source also re-affirms that the industry has been busy since January. “The floods did affect the events industry but since January it has picked up tremendously,” says Norasate Somboonwong sales and operations director, Light Source. The company handles up to 70% local jobs with 30% relating to international concerts. “We continue to see growth in this segment and in fact are looking to add to our inventory motorised hoists and possibly the MAC Auras soon”.

The companies involved in installation and integration mirrored the sentiments of the rental & staging segment. There was positive sentiments in this segment as well.

Mukda Kongvirog of Valentine88

The only unfortunate victim of the flooding that I met with was Valentine88. “We managed to save 80% of our inventory but the flood came in fast and quick and unfortunately we lost millions of baht worth of inventory,” says Mukda Kongvirog, proprietor of Valentine88.

Showing us the flood water level marks which came up to near my shoulder levels was a shuddering thought. The good news though is that Valentine88 is confident of recovering its losses with a number of new projects coming on board, with 80% of their business relating to event production.

All in all, there is no doubt in my mind that the rental & staging companies are doing well and are positive about the future with many continuing to invest in equipment. The recent news about the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) securing eight major conferences that are expected to generate US$29 million and bring 10,000 delegates to Thailand is indeed further confirmation of the positive vibe surrounding the industry.

Natthapong Sales & Service Co., Ltd. or NPE has been in the business for more than 40 years now. The company distributes a range of audio solutions and has its own OEM brands for both the professional and consumer market. NPE also takes pride in being the first one to open a supermarket for electronics concept stores. “Our motto is to offer a range of good products quickly at a reasonable price,” says Natthapong Tangtantranont, managing director of NPE. The company’s inhouse engineers also provide advise for clients with regards to their requirements. With two retails shops currently and a wide dealer network NPE is confident of the business opportunities in Thailand.

The floods did affect the company as its factory was shut down for a month and a half but Natthapong sees opportunities. “There are re-building and re-furbishment projects in demand currently due to the floods, which we feel provides companies like us opportunities.

Since January we have seen the market reviving and are confident that it will continue to pick up”. In fact NPE will be opening another store soon reiterating its positive feel for the industry.

Pongsakorn Kanchanachayphoom of Mahajak

Pongsakorn Kanchanachayphoom, general manager - Visual & Lighting of Mahajak Development Company highlights that the floods did affect the dealers business but Mahajak’s installation business continued

Alan Archer of Mahajak

“The tourism industry is a vital component of Thailand’s growth. We are continuing to see many hotel developments not just in Bangkok but in other tourist areas as well. Bangkok as a city is growing and is in fact spreading which has brought about construction of new offices and condominiums,” says Alan Archer business development manager at Mahajak Development Company.

Alan continues, “Pattaya is seeing rapid change as the local government has been making tremendous effort in cleaning up Pattaya and we have seen new hotel developments coming up there. Interestingly one effect of the flood is that property now is becoming more popular on the Eastern sea board.

All these developments continue to fuel our business”.

Reiterating Mahajak’s sentiments is Siri Wongkamolchun, director / general manager of Fuzion Far East Ltd, “Tourism is an essential aspect of the Thai economy and we are continuing to see many hotel developments.

There also seems to be more venues other than hotels, such as restaurants, pubs and even performing arts theatres opening up in Phuket and Pattaya and further away from central Bangkok and we believe this will continue”. In fact Fuzion that represents highend audio systems such as DiGiCo, Camco and Nexo continues to see its business growing.

“Most recently we concluded a few pub installations that featured DiGiCo SD11s,Nexo GEO12 and RS18s as well as Camco V6 and V8 amplifiers. We are thrilled that pubs have decided to invest in high quality solutions and we are in fact seeing a trend towards this,” says a delighted Siri.

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PALME/INSTALL Thailand reaches out to key vertical markets

(L)Thaweesak Thamsirisup of Vichai Trading

Our visit to established systems integrator Vichai Trading (1983) Co Ltd continued to reaffirm the message that Thailand is continuing to see positive momentum. The company has been involved in Accord Group’s first 6 star hotel in the region under the SO Hotel branding, providing visual, lighting and sound solutions for the Ballroom, meeting rooms and restaurant worth millions of baht.

Thaweesak Thamsirisup, managing director of Vichai Trading (1983) Co Ltd hints that the company is continuing to see its business flourish with a fair number of high end projects in the hospitality segment. Vichai is also involved in the corporate, government and education segments as well.

Conclusion

If you have been reading the article in its entirety I am sure you agree with my conclusion that Thailand is continuing to buzz despite floods and political upheavals.

The opportunities for our industry remains stable and in fact will see growth. One interesting element in my conversations was the number of companies showing interest in Myanmar and who in fact are making in-roads in that country. There seems to be a positive expectancy for their business in Myanmar as well.

With property developments be it condominiums, corporate offices and of course hotels, it seems that IIR’s parking of its exhibition in the related industries makes great sense.

If there is one advise that I am allowed to afford - it is this. If exhibitors want to see returns it is important that they put in full effort in creating a booth that will cater to the interest of the vertical market visitors from the six other exhibitions. This means showcasing solutions and creating collaterals that will “speak” to them. This should be in addition to catering to the interest of the usual light, sound and visual visitors that are anyway expected at the exhibition.

The key twist to the PALME/ INSTALL Thailand exhibition is that it is NOT a stand alone exhibition.

The value proposition to the exhibitors is that the exhibition though has its own Hall is part of a number of vertical exhibitions, being held at the same time, date and venue, thereby providing an opportunistic platform to reach out to end-user markets and clients directly.

“The PALME brand together with its predecessor PALA has been serving the Asian lighting sound and visual industries for over 20 years. In the early days the exhibition was the platform for manufacturers to secure distributors. As the industry has developed and stabilised we now enter a new phase. A new phase of reaching out to the end-user markets.

The end-user market scope is very large as sound, lighting and visual solutions permeate across a range of vertical markets. This year the PALME/INSTALL exhibition in Thailand sits together with a range of growing vertical markets in Thailand. In essence we are bringing the vertical market to the doorsteps of our exhibitors. This is the unique proposition that we are bringing to this event,” says Anna Cheong, Exhibition Director, IIR Exhibitions Pte Ltd.

The vertical market exhibitions are:

1. The Building Maintenance & Asset Management Expo Asia 2012 which is targeted at bringing in facility management and property management personnel as well as facility security and fire safety personnel.

2. Thailand International Construction Machinery, Equipment and technology Exhibition that brings in visitor profiles such as contractors, investors, developers/ builders, engineering firms and consultants, trade associations, government officials and even educational institutions.

3. Green Building and Retrofits Expo Asia 2012 targeted at Landlords, Developers, Architects, Contractors, Consulting/M&E Engineers, Government Ministries, Property Managers, Facility Managers and more.

4. Landscape Thailand 2012 targeted at Landscape Architect and Designers, Building Architect and Designers, Consultants, Property Developers, Leisure Centres & Water Parks, Hotels, Golf Course Owners, Urban Area Authority amongst others.

5. Pool&Spa Exhibition Asia again targeting Hotels and Holiday complexes, Spa & Health clubs, Wellness Centres/ Clinics and more.

“We strongly see the possibility of our trade exhibitors showcasing amongst other solutions architectural lighting solutions, PA systems, Background music systems, Video and Security solutions, Boardroom solutions, Presentation solutions, digital signage solutions to the vertical markets.

This is really a unique opportunity for our industry to meet with these key vertical markets. In addition the vertical market exhibitions are fully supported by all the key Trade Associations and Government Associations,” concludes Anna. http://install-asia.com/thailand/

“This year the PALME/INSTALL exhibition in Thailand sits together with a range of growing vertical markets in Thailand. In essence we are bringing the vertical market to the doorsteps of our exhibitors. This is the unique proposition that we are bringing to this event,” says Anna Cheong, Exhibition Director, IIR Exhibitions Pte Ltd.

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exhibition preview

BroadcastAsia2012 set for strong showing OTT delivery in the spotlight

A new feature area at BroadcastAsia2012 will zoom in on Over the Top Technology (OTT), a must-see for industry professionals as OTT delivery promulgate in the coming years; with cloud broadcasting setting new standards in video content delivery network (video CDN).

Solutions for Digital Radio, DVB-T2, File-based and Digital Media Asset Management will also be showcased.

BroadcastAsia, the international digital multimedia & entertainment technology exhibition and conference, will return with a large showing for its 17th edition. The event will be held from 19 to 22 June 2012 at the award-winning Suntec City Convention Centre in Singapore. The show has seen more than 85 percent of exhibition space taken up by exhibitors.

BroadcastAsia2012 will showcase a global array of the latest technologies, applications, equipment and solutions in Film, Audio and TV with a spotlight on Multi Streaming Technologies, Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV (HbbTV), Playout Services, Pro-Audio Technology, Over The Top (OTT) Technology, Cloud Broadcasting and Digital Radio. Visitors can look forward to nine international group pavilions and a larger Cinematography/Film/ Production Zone on the show floors. The BroadcastAsia2012 International Conference and Creative Content Production Conferences will provide an in-depth look at the latest technologies and techniques panning out in the market, with more sessions offered to address the latest needs and technologies in the broadcasting industry.

Revolutionary Technologies

Continuously evolving to stay relevant to fastmoving industry needs, BroadcastAsia has taken the leap forward by setting sights beyond broadcasting to spotlight the convergence of technologies and solutions that are relevant to the fast-changing media landscape.

Trade visitors at BroadcastAsia this year will get an exclusive opportunity to preview live demonstrations of ground-breaking technologies such as Cloud Broadcasting and Over the Top Technology (OTT).

The prolific growth of portable devices has created new business opportunities and has compelled broadcasters and content producers to look for means to monetise content. As the world population progresses into a digitally connected domain, broadcasters are driven to add value by customising content to specific audience interests, and communicating with viewers across various platforms. Broadcasting is no longer about just transmitting, but also about interaction between content providers and users.

A recent research report from Cisco1 predicts that by 2016, there will be 10 billion smartphones and tablets on earth; some 1.4 mobile gadgets per person. Consumers are looking for new ways to access media. The amount of data traffic generated by 60 per cent of mobile users – three billion people worldwide – is expected to be phenomenal at one gigabyte per month.

Cloud-based technologies and services are increasingly being adopted to deploy the appropriate hardware and software solutions as broadcasters are being pushed to support ever-increasing distribution platforms.

Consumers are already viewing content on a variety of devices like PCs, tablets, smartphones or netbooks, spearheading a multi-screen usage trend that will soon become a mainstream activity. Consequently, multiscreen connectivity is fast becoming the norm, with new portable devices enabling flexible personalisation of multimedia content.

Users seek to contribute their own inputs and want to be able to engage with their content on a device that provides the best experience at any particular time.

Confirmed exhibitors Axon, EVS, Seachange and Magna will offer their insight into the future of broadcast and media delivery to BroadcastAsia visitors, by presenting a special showcase on how technology providers are preparing both broadcasters and media producers to deliver content to a new generation of consumers, who have now become active players. Visitors can also expect to see their advanced multi-screen technology, and multi-package, live-media delivery solution. The equipment will be supplied by Axon, EVS, Magna Systems and Seachange; and Sony Pictures Television Networks Asia will provide the content for this showcase.

Companies who will be part of this limelight at BroadcastAsia2012 include ATG, Blackmagic, Evertz, Envivio, Fortis, Grass Valley, Harmonic, Harris, Miranda, Nevio, Plisch, Quantel, Salzbrenner Stagetec, Sennheiser, Snell, Tektronix and Thomson Video Networks to name a few. Visitors can also look forward to nine international group pavilions on the show floors.

With viewers using multiple devices to consume content, broadcasters find themselves knee-deep in the game changing transition of broadband, OTT delivery, mobile broadcasting and new viewer engagements models. The BroadcastAsia2012 International Conference will cover the innovative transformation of the industry and provide the needed insights to the pivotal issues on technology enablement, business models and business transformation towards next generation broadcasting.

“Cloud broadcasting will transform the way broadcasters manage and monetise content in the coming years. BroadcastAsia works to connect visitors with technology vendors as the Asian broadcasting landscape continually reshapes. A myriad of cutting edge products, services and technologies on the show floor, with an insightful thought platform that imparts current industry knowledge, trade visitors and delegates at BroadcastAsia will be spoilt for choice as they make vital decisions on procurements that best complement and

exhibition preview advance their company’s operations.” said Mr. Calvin Koh, Senior Project Manager for BroadcastAsia from show organiser, Singapore Exhibition Services (SES).

“I had a good experience at BroadcastAsia.

Being in the media for 43 years, I see Asia as the biggest market for TV and film industries. This exhibition definitely offers new dimensions, more technical and innovative solutions. I visit this show every year without missing a single one. The new venue also means the show is more compact, more organised and it is easier to locate suppliers,” said Mr. Madhav Kant Mishra, Chief Executive Officer, Disha Channel.

Creative Content Production Conference

Singapore Exhibition Services (SES) and the Asia Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) will jointly co-present the third Creative Content Production Conference this year, part of the BroadcastAsia2012 exhibition. The conference is one of the largest gatherings in Asia for executives and creators in the film and TV industries in the region to exchange views on the latest developments in the field.

The conference focuses not just on the editing of content for film & TV productions but also on strategies for developing and distributing content across different media platforms.

Producers, writers, TV directors, programming directors and professionals associated with creative content generation in the region will congregate to engage in discussions, share knowledge and network with peers within the industry.

Day one of the conference will centre on the small screen and multi-screen industry, and will delve into topics such as how to create adaptable content to be delivered on these different platforms. Day two will deal with motion pictures, feature films, visual effects and issues related to content and funding for film production in the region. The final day will feature concurrent workshops which will add value on top of the conference sessions for the delegates.

The Creative Content Production Conference is scheduled to take place from 20-22 June 2012 at Suntec Singapore level 3.

BroadcastAsia2012 International Conference to Discuss Key Strategies for Multi-Screen Broadcasting An impressive line-up of over 80 reputed industry speakers will deliberate on the most critical issues facing broadcasters today. The conference agenda foretells the ‘reinvention’ of the broadcast industry as content is repurposed towards viewers who have become increasingly more mobile and who view

content on various devices. Broadcasters are forced to reckon with this fact and gear up to cater to this growing trend.

With this in mind, the BroadcastAsia2012 International Conference will address the multitude of challenges and opportunities broadcasters face today.

Speakers representing the various members of the broadcast ecosystem will touch on many inflection points that are occurring as the industry grapples with shifting content as well as moves towards digitisation in terrestrial broadcasting.

The conference will feature two C-level keynote panel discussions and 10 in-depth tracks, spread over four days. Speakers from leading companies across the globe will bring participants the latest technology developments, future strategies for broadcasters to stay cost effective and profitable, new industry alliances that they will need and outline the workings of future business models. The conference is expected to host 400 senior level executives from all across the world.

Charting the future in broadcasting

As the broadcast industry grapples with shifting landscapes and disruptive technologies, the International Conference will commence with a keynote panel discussion on Future Business Models. The panel will focus on the question that is on every broadcaster’s mind - “What direction is the broadcasting industry taking?”

Panelists will closely examine next generation broadcasting models, debate the impact of Google TV, Apple TV, Netflix and Hulu on

55

traditional broadcasting, share perspectives on how to better engage their audiences, and how to continue building and maintaining a robust brand in the eyes of their viewers.

Lastly, in the move towards digitisation, panelists will also discuss how they intend to mitigate technology obsolescence and bring their organisations forward with a clearly chartered vision for the future.

Industry watchers say that this decade will see the migration of TV from its historical model of film to the internet as new technology and consumption patterns pave the way for this migration. According to Gartner’s estimate, manufacturers will produce over 70 million broadband connected TV sets worldwide by 2014. Day One proceedings will cover the dynamic interplay of broadcasting and broadband, digital migration roadmaps with suitable enhancement strategies and the outlook for Pay TV operators.

“The explosion of broadband, mobile broadcast and Over the Top Technology (OTT) delivery is challenging the industry to embrace transformational changes as broadband and broadcast come together. As broadcasters touch new markets and previously unreachable audiences, the conference will guide industry professionals and business leaders through a rethink of what customers need and how best to adapt their business models to drive further growth,” said Ms. Lindy Wee, Director of PR & Conference from organiser Singapore Exhibition Services (SES). www.broadcast-asia.com

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EXHIBITION REVIEW

Prolight + Sound 2012 achieves record visitor turnout This year, the dominant subject in the lighting sector was the efficiency of modern illuminants. It was revealed that the tried and tested discharge lamps were enjoying a small comeback. Last year, Clay Paky gave an unmistakable signal with its ‘Sharpy’. This year, it was the Viper series from Martin Professional, which is fitted with the new Lok-it! HTI Power Series illuminant from Osram. The result is a fascinating co-existence of established and new technologies.

Prolight + Sound 2012 was held in Frankfurt, Germany, from 21 to 24 March 2012. During the four days of the fair, 876 exhibitors from 41 countries made presentations to visitors from all over the world.

Prolight + Sound also welcomed more visitors than ever before: 40,894 people attended Prolight + Sound to discover the latest products and services for the professional lighting, audio and entertainment industry. The combination of an extensive range of products and services with numerous supplementary offers like information events helped to boost the visitorship.

More companies that ever before made presentations at the outdoor areas. At the Portable Sound Arena and the Concert Sound Arena, visitors could see and hear live demonstrations of big and small PA systems.

Additionally, a number of suppliers presented mobile stages and tent systems with 360 degree projection facilities.

In the audio sector, there were two new products that were awaited with particular interest.

Firstly, the new VTX series from JBL, which was demonstrated in the ‘Festhalle’ and, secondly, the CL series of digital audio consoles from Yamaha. Many other manufacturers presented existing systems that have been improved through simplifications.

The primary focus in the field of stage technology this year was on safety. Load-measuring systems are an integral aspect of every manufacturer’s range. Additionally, well thought-out details, especially in the case of trusses and sling gear, make products not only easier to work with but also save time – which in turn is helpful in safety terms.

Overall, exhibitors were pleased with Prolight + Sound 2012. 88 percent of the companies taking part were satisfied to extremely satisfied with the fair. Visitors also gave Prolight + Sound top marks. 97 percent were pleased to extremely pleased with the fair. Prolight + Sound also had top quality visitors. 58 percent of visitors were managers and 54 percent were directly responsible for their companies’ purchasing decisions. www.prolight-sound.com

Exhibition Highlights:

Antari showcases its first 1800 watt Fog machine The M-8 is the new member of Antari M Series.

It is also the first 1800 Watt fog machine from Antari. Besides the heritage of tough structure and built-in DMX from Antari M Series, the most marvellous feature is the speedy and massive fog output provided by the high pressure heat exchanger, which can satisfy rigorous demands of professional stage and touring use.

The M-8 features an output coverage of 50,000 cu.ft per minute and has a 10 litre tank capacity with a fluid consumption rate of 4 minutes per litre based on 100% output. There is also an on board DMX with a Wireless DMX available as an option. www.antari.com

EXHIBITION REVIEW

Avolites Media exhibits the Ai Media Server and previews the Sapphire Media Live Video Control Platform

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beyerdynamic offers customised headphones

Avolites extensive touring experience leads to the highest quality of components, contained in the custom anti-vibration and anti-shock internal floating frame. The other benefit, clear for all to see, is the front panel mounted touch screen enabling local control, system analysis and remote preview. Ai Infinity is due to ship in August.

Sapphire Media

Avolites Media Ltd was founded in 2011 by managing director Steve Warren and is part of the Avolites Group. Avolites Media bought the intellectual property rights to manufacture and distribute the Ai Media Server worldwide with an aim to deliver a lighting and video solution in one single medium. At Prolight + Sound as well as demonstrating the Ai Media Server, visitors were granted a preview of ‘Sapphire Media’.

The Ai Infinity media server features 8 Full HD Outputs. Conveniently, each DVI output has an accompanying preview output. The Ai Infinity also includes internal EDI management, LTC and MIDI Time-code, Genloc Input, Multi-Server Frame-sync and Master-Slave remote control.

The Sapphire Media Live Video Controller creates a new class of show media controllers integrating the accuracy of multi-timeline control and flexibility that Avolites is well known for.

Sapphire Media offers video operators intuitive, live hands on show control surface enabling seamless integration of all visual elements. The Sapphire Media control surface connects to Ai Media servers and highlights include 2 generous, wide screen, touch surfaces for easy access to the User Interface and Salvation Engine control. Additionally, 4 switchable and assignable, touch preview monitors are available to the system operator.

These preview monitors may be mapped to any inputs, outputs or video layers.

According to beyerdynamic its Custom Series headphones are the world’s first truly interactive headphones. As the name suggests users can customise the headphones to suit their lifestyle.

Users can customise the style and look of the headphones and customise the sound with adjustable sound profiles, customizable bass as well as variable noise reduction. Users can even select from a variety of detachable cables to fit their requirement be it for gaming, integrated mic or studio cable. Manufactured by handcraft in Germany the Custom Series features 16 Ohm Drivers for maximum performance and output with a bendable metal headband that comes with a whopping 20 years spare part warranty!

www.avolites.com

www.beyderdynamic.com

D.A.S. Audio showcases Action series D.A.S. Audio also presented the new D series amplifiers, whose perfect combination of power and functionality makes them ideal for the majority of sound reinforcement applications. Also on show was the new D.A.S DSP-2040 digital signal processor, the new self powered systems in the DR series (models 508A and 515A), and the EN products, which all comply with the stringent EN 54-24 European D.A.S. Audio Marketing Director Roberto Giner with the Action series Standard’s requirements for the construction and robustness of D.A.S. Audio took full advantage of the German trade fair to not only display the company’s voice alarm loudspeakers. most important lines of professional sound systems but to also present its new products - in Also on display at the D.A.S. Audio stand was particular its new Action series. This new line of the DASnet monitoring and control software, speakers boasts a wide range of models in active an audio management application for D.A.S and passive designs, the most outstanding of powered processors and systems. which are the stage monitors, the independent systems, and subwoofers which musicians and www.dasaudio.com DJs will find extremely useful.

Clay Paky unveils A.LEDA moving head range

Commercial and Marketing Director Pio Nahum (left) and Marketing Production Manager Davide Barbetta with the A.LEDA

Among the new products making their international debut at the Clay Paky booth was the new “A.LEDA” LED moving head range. The line consists of three models with wide, fast pan and tilt movements: 100 W, 300 W and 600 W approx. This line is a valid alternative to discharge-lamp washlights of equal power, with all the benefits of LED lights - intense, highly vivid saturated-tone colours, light-weight, energy saving, longer light source life, and lower operating and maintenance costs. www.claypaky.it

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EXHIBITION REVIEW

d&b launches the V-Series be suspended using vertical splay angles of 0 to 14 degrees with a 1 degree resolution.

The V-SUB is an actively driven cardioid subwoofer powered by a single amplifier channel housing two long excursion neodymium drivers in an integrated cardioid setup: an 18” driver in a bass-reflex design facing to the front and a 12” driver in a two chamber bandpass design radiating to the rear. The cardioid dispersion pattern resulting from this approach avoids unwanted energy behind the system. It can be used to supplement V8 and V12 loudspeakers in various combinations, ground stacked or flown, either integrated on top of a V8 / V12 array or as a separate column.

Take the widely coveted consistent mids and vocal presence of the d&b audiotechnik J-Series, then combine them with the proven qualities of a Q-Series and the result is the V-Series: a mid-sized line array suitable for any sound genre.

The V-Series comprises the 3-way passive V8 or V12 loudspeakers having 80 and 120 degrees horizontal dispersion respectively.

These loudspeakers are supported by the dedicated V-SUB which incorporates the d&b patented passive cardioid technology. The V-Series fulfils several roles: as a complement to the J-Series by providing identical coverage to audiences located in off axis areas as well as matching sound characteristics; as a delay system and last but by no means least, as a line array in its own right. The mechanical and acoustical design enables flown vertical columns of up to twenty four loudspeakers to

The V-Series is driven by the d&b D12 amplifier that incorporates d&b loudspeaker specific configuration information and has analog and digital signal inputs and links. It has a d&b Remote network interface that enables central control and monitoring of a large number of system functions and extensive system integration capabilities from anywhere in the network. The d&b ArrayCalc calculator must always be used to predict the physical and acoustical performance of arrays as it uses a sophisticated mathematical model enabling simple, safe and accurate system planning. Finally the system is supported by an extensive range of accessories and transport solutions facilitating ease of setup and mobility.

Smaller, lighter and equal to the J-Series in dispersion and tonality, the V-Series will provide opportunities to improve sightlines and reduce both cost and weight for productions designed for medium and large sized auditoriums. www.dbaudio.com

DTS Lighting displays its most efficient LED wash light According to DTS Lighting, the Nick NRG 1201 LED Wash is the most efficient wash light ever produced thanks to its specially developed high-efficiency optical group, an exclusive DTS feature. This optical group consists of 30 high-powered, full-colour LEDs (RGBW). This enables the Nick NRG 1201 to achieve an exceptional brightness/power consumption ratio making it a truly ‘green’ LED fixture.

Weighing only 10.5 kilograms, the Nick NRG 1201 is suitable for top professional applications like tours and special events.

The unit is ethernet and wireless ready. It can be controlled via DMX 512 and RDM

standard digital communication protocols.

A multi-function OLED graphic display with four soft keys for control, management and monitoring is among its list of features.

www.dts-lighting.it

EXHIBITION REVIEW

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EAW debuts next-generation Avalon dance club loudspeakers performance venue for world-class DJs. Lyons worked with EAW in the late 1990s to produce the original line Avalon loudspeakers.

The products released include the CLUB.two and CLUB.three. Each is a three-way system using a horn-loaded, ultra-efficient, coaxial mid/high compression driver. The CLUB. two includes four 12-in LF cone transducers mounted in a vertically and horizontally symmetrical pattern and axially aligned with the mid/high section. The CLUB.three uses a single, ferociously powerful 15-in LF cone mounted in a triaxial configuration behind the mid/high section.

EAW’s John Speck stands beneath the Avalon dance club loudspeakers

EAW® has announced the launch of the first two products in the all-new, next-generation Avalon line of dance club loudspeaker systems.

The line was co-designed by legendary dance club designer/owner John Lyons, whose Avalon Hollywood club is a favorite

TIGER TOUCH

www.eaw.com

Electro-Voice launched the ZXA1-Sub, the matching subwoofer for its best-selling ZXA1 compact self-powered loudspeaker.

The ZXA1-Sub is designed to provide the ultimate combination of portability, performance, and power in a lightweight, stylish, small-format package. Though equipped with a heavy-duty EV-engineered 12” woofer, a state-of-the-art 700-W amplifier, a durable 15 mm wood enclosure, and a maximum SPL rating of 126 dB, the ZXA1-Sub weighs-in at just 21 kg and sports a trim 40 cm x 44 cm x 46 cm profile.

www.electrovoice.com

FUTURE

In both cases, the symmetry allows for the application of slight mid/high delay to produce an apparent unified origin, as if output across the entire frequency range were originating from a single point. EAW has used a similar technique in a single plane across their product range for many years, and Avalon by EAW takes the technique to a new level of output and performance.

Electro-Voice debuts the ZXA1-Sub

Add easy-to-use controls and connectivity to the equation and a ZXA1-Sub makes enhancing a compact sound system with professional-quality low-end easier than ever.

TOUCH THE

POWER CUBE

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

Bosch Product Marketing Director Johannes Huth with the ZXA1-Sub

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

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EXHIBITION REVIEW

FBT launches Archon Series The Archon series of full-range and bi-amped speaker systems have been designed to provide ample bandwidth and high SPL for an accurate sound reproduction in various application projects. With the Archon series FBT wants to meet today’s expectations of the installed sound market: a new generation of improved speakers responding to high quality sound requirements for modern indoor spaces.

The FBT Archon series lines up three 2-way full range/bi-amp models and three 2-way full range compact models. In addition, two lowprofile subwoofers (2x8” and 2x15”) increase the low frequency extension of the desired

systems. All Archon speakers are elegantly designed and crafted to meet the most demanding architectural requirements. www.fbt.it

German Light Products showcases Impression X4 washlight

GLP’s Mark Ravenhill displays the Impression X4

The latest moving head fixture to be added to GLP’s Impression range is the Impression X4 washlight. It contains 19 of the new Osram Quad Optic 15W RGBW LED’s (single LED’s each containing four colours). It has a unique 7 to 50° Zoom to provide a good beam spread with almost no light spill. On top of that the Impression X4 offers lighting designers a huge ammount of matrix effects — all contained in a lightweight 7.5 kg package. www.glp.de

HARMAN’s JBL Professional introduces VTX Line Array Series HARMAN’s JBL Professional announced the introduction of the VTX Line Array Series.

Designed for portable and fixed-venue system operators alike, the VTX Series features JBL’s legendary sound quality coupled with the most advanced sound reinforcement technology and support available.

At the heart of VTX is the D2 Dual Driver, a revolutionary device developed by JBL that dramatically improves the sound and performance of high frequencies. D2 overcomes the limitations of conventional compression driver technology: limited high frequency extension due to mass of the diaphragm and voice coil, and distortion characteristics that arise due to dome breakup modes.

The VTX Series draws from the expertise and integration of the entire range of HARMAN

Mark Gander, Director, Marketing, JBL Professional/Selenium Loudspeaker Business Unit with the VTX Line Array Series

Professional audio technologies. As a result, in addition to the best sound possible, set up, tuning, networking and controlling the VTX Series is efficient, intelligent and truly a system solution. www.harman.com

EXHIBITION REVIEW

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L-Acoustics ARCS WIDE and ARCS FOCUS delight the crowd The ARCS® WIDE and ARCS® FOCUS systems are based on two constant curvature enclosures holding distinct directivity pattern and SPL capabilities. Intended for mediumthrow applications in rental productions and fixed installations, these line sources deliver remarkable acoustic properties and unmatched versatility for many applications, including FOH L/R systems, central clusters, side-fill monitors, distributed systems and complementary fills.

The ARCS® WIDE or ARCS® FOCUS line sources provide high SPL with perfect acoustic coupling, solid LF performance and constant tonal balance over distance. Both systems can be deployed as either a horizontal or vertical array.

The ARCS® WIDE is suited to achieve an extensive coverage with few elements,

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offering a remarkably compact array that preserves sightlines. The ARCS® FOCUS line source focuses the same acoustic energy within half of the coverage angle, i.e. N x 15°. The ARCS® FOCUS is therefore suited to achieve a narrower coverage, offering a higher SPL with a more extended throw than its sibling.

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www.l-acoustics.com

Lake introduces Smaart 7 integration with Lake Controller version 6

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to be shown directly within Lake Controller, enabling the user to configure and tune a system accordingly – all in real-time. This significant new functionality has been highly anticipated by users for some time now, and Version 6 promises to deliver on that powerful potential – irrespective of a users personal preference of measurement platform, be it Smaart or WaveCapture.

Perhaps more significantly for Lake’s existing user base however, is the advent of new integration potential with market-leading realtime acoustical spectrum analysis software; with Version 6 supporting full integration with both Smaart 7 and WaveCapture’s LiveCapture. The new plug-in support allows measurement traces from either platform

lake.labgruppen.com

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With Live-Capture Pro, several measurements can now be captured and averaged, with a defined target response, allowing the optimizer to find ideal placements of filters with which to achieve that target. The WaveCapture program can then transfer theses filter parameters to the desired module or group overlay on the Lake devices. For example, Live-Capture Pro can find optimal EQ-parameters to voice a sound reinforcement system towards a target response. The Room-mode analyzer is integrated with the optimizer and can generate filters to cure room resonances.

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This latest Lake Controller software – version 6 release heralds some highly anticipated new functionality as well as a host of performance improvements. In addition to general enhancements, including optimization for Windows 7 and improved performance for large system networks, Version 6 will include support for the forthcoming Yamaha MY8-LAKE card, bringing Lake Processing to Yamaha’s extensive line of digital audio mixing desks and further enhancing the market’s uptake of Lake as a true standard in live sound processing.

In addition to the long-awaited Smaart 7 integration, Lake support for WaveCapture’s suit of tools has been further enhanced (LiveCapture has been supported since Version 5 of Lake Controller). Now, filters can be defined and transferred directly to any networked Lake device.

LONGMAN INERNATIONAL GROUP CO. LIMITED Tel : +86-20-26272917 Fax : +86-20-26271441

Total Solution Marketing Pte Ltd Tel : +6562879878 Fax : +6562879388

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EXHIBITION REVIEW

LDR brightens the show with Alba LED profile The Alba profile is a high efficiency, powerful 200W LED module featuring a PWM dimming power source. With a CRI rated at 86, its excellent optical performance at any angle and outstanding light output, the new Alba range is the professionals’ choice for all those applications where heat is an issue, power supply is limited and running costs need to be significantly reduced.

The Alba 8/22 is available in two different colour temperatures - warm white at 3.200K and cool white at 5.600K. A full range of accessories complements the range. www.ldr.it

LDR co-founder Fabiano Besio (left) and Macostar President Derek Chow with the Alba profile

Mackie DL1608 Digital Live Sound Mixer wows visitors The Mackie DL1608™ redefines live mixing by combining the proven power of a full-featured digital mixer with the unmatched ease and mobility of an iPad®. With 16 boutique-quality Onyx mic preamps and the performance of 24bit Cirrus Logic® AD/DA converters, you have unparalleled sound quality. Seamless wired to wireless iPad control means you can mix from anywhere in the venue. This gives you the mobile freedom to control not only the mix, but powerful plug-ins like EQ, dynamics, effects and more. The sleek DL1608 even supports up to 10 iPad devices. Forget bulky consoles and racks of gear. The power is at your fingertips. www.mackie.com

MA Lighting debut MA onPC command wing The MA onPC command wing paves the way for mobile use of the highly flexible and powerful grandMA2 control system.

In combination with the free of charge grandMA2 onPC software, the MA onPC command wing is a portable 2,048 parameter control solution that can be used nearly in any location – and all for an affordable price.

Designed as the perfect hardware expansion to the grandMA2 onPC software, the MA onPC command wing enables the look and feel of the software to be as close to a real grandMA2 console as possible. With a simple USB connection between the MA onPC command wing and the computer running the grandMA2 onPC software, all inputs and outputs of a grandMA2 console are available to the user. DMX, Midi, Timecode and Analogue Remote are all on hand directly at the MA onPC command wing.

Due to its compact size the MA onPC command wing is perfect for travelling - even as hand

MA Lighting Public Relations Manager Bjorn Gaentzsch poses next to the MA onPC Command Wing

luggage on a plane. However the MA onPC command wing is not only designed for tours.

It is also ideal for smaller shows and clubs, for programming in a theatre auditorium as well as for pre-programming. It’s also the perfect choice for any MA enthusiast to enter the world of MA Lighting. www.malighting.com

EXHIBITION REVIEW

63 Wireless done right!

Martin Professional introduce MAC Viper family This year’s Prolight + Sound exhibition was a busy affair for Martin Professional who introduced no less than 12 new products including the world premiere launch of the MAC Viper family! The new Viper family of MAC moving heads is a whole new breed of high-performance luminaire from Martin Professional. They feature an aggressive combination of intense light output from advanced lamp technology and an innovative feature set on the leading edge of the evolutionary scale. All in a slender, agile body that moves deceptively fast!

Also on display were new moving heads in Martin’s popular MAC III family, an all-new VC series of creative LED video solutions, new portable lighting controllers in the M-Series, and a new compact hazer in Martin’s Jem family. www.martin.com

NEXO debuts STM Series

• Industrys most reliable wireless DMX/RDM system • Automated Cognitive Coexistence • Is not disturbed by and will not disturb other systems • Lowest latency in the industry at 5 ms • Link range: 500-1000 meters line-of-sight • Advanced 128 bit encryption • One button takes care of all setup

NEXO’s STM Series is the first scalable modular line array on the market. Its concept combines the best of NEXO Alpha functionality with the technical innovation of NEXO GEO waveguide designs to deliver a system that is both superpowerful, super-flexible and easy to use.

Scale Through Modularity (STM) is NEXO’s strapline, describing the STM’s ability to scale up or down to suit event audiences from 1,000 to 100,000. There are four new loudspeaker cabinets in the STM Series in ‘road-ready’ format, together with new dual-voltage NXAMP4x4 power amplification and innovative digital patchbay and monitoring solutions.

Specified by real-world users, the STM system has been designed for the warehouse, the truck, the roadie and the venue. It is as much about how it packs together for transport as it is about how it sounds; using a range of dolly and bumper accessories, the system can be prepped in the warehouse, loaded onto dollies for transport, and simply wheeled into a venue. All aspects of a sound system’s use have been re-engineered, and its PistonRig™ and REDLock™ rigging technology will allow a single technician to fly a 72-cabinet arena system quite easily.

For more information about LumenRadio’s wireless control products, please visit www.tsm-int.com

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

They’re all grown and ready to hit the road.

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EXHIBITION REVIEW

Outline’s compact VLA tailor made for medium and small rental firms

THE LITTLE ONES ARE NOW SHIPPING At less than 61 cm tall and only 20 kg, the VLX3 LED Wash boasts 6,000 lumens using 3 x 120W replaceable custom RGBW LED chipsets with a 10,000 hour source life, all with individual LED control.

Coming in under 64 cm tall and only 25 kg, the VL400 Spot provides 9,000 lumens of output from a 400W MSR Gold 400 Philips MiniFastFit ůĂŵƉ ĂŶĚ ŚĂƐ ϭϰ ĮdžĞĚ ĐŽůŽƌƐ ŽŶ ƚǁŽ independent color wheels.

All created under 64 cm tall and only 25.5 kg, the VL440, VL770, and VL880 Spot luminaires are complete with a 3-wheel CYM color assembly for rich, saturated colors. The VL440 uses a 400W MSR Gold 400 Philips MiniFastFit lamp to produce 9000 lumens of output, the VL770 has a 700W MSR Gold 700 Philips MiniFastFit lamp which produces 15,100 lumens of output, and the VL880 is complete with a 800W MSR WŚŝůŝƉƐ WůĂƟŶƵŵ ϯϱ ůĂŵƉ ƉƌŽĚƵĐŝŶŐ 19,000 lumens of output.

For a complete list of product features visit www.vari-lite.com.

Eidos 265 LA

Outline offered a “plug & play” package at the exhibition which consisted of 8 Eidos 265 LA + 2 Flysub 15 + two T5-DSP amplifiers – tailormade for medium and small rental firms.

Outline describes it as a “little big” array, as it is able to take a place at the top end of the category, and has the figures to prove it.

Eidos 265 LA uses two 6.5” loudspeakers and a compression driver with a 2.5” diaphragm (1.41” throat) loaded with a (100° horizontal dispersion) waveguide. The aforementioned package obviously has a dedicated subwoofer (Flysub 15 - with a long-excursion 15” woofer), which is also brand-new and equipped with the same rigging hardware, perfect for both flying and stacked applications.

The rigging hardware for flying the Eidos 265 LA, as well as that for the Flysub 15, is manufactured without any compromises. The

In fact, the system foresees the installation of up to 16 cabinets in a vertical line array, or set-ups including Flysub 15 subwoofers (for example: two Flysub 15 and eight Eidos 265 LA). However, the dispersion characteristics of the Eidos 265 LA also enable just a few elements to be used with wide splay angles (up to 10° between elements).

For filtering the signals fed to the LF and HF sections, Eidos 265 LA has an on-board passive crossover manufactured with top grade components (coils with very low resistance and metallized polypropylene capacitors).

Further processing is done by the DSP in the Outline T5 power amplifier: the aim is to optimize electro-acoustic performance and ensure ample safety margins for the utmost reliability of the entire system. www.outline.it

Philips Vari-lite introduces three new luminaries Philips Vari-Lite introduced the new VL3015, VL3015LT, and VL3515 Spot luminaires to provide lighting professionals worldwide with the increased output of a 1500W lamp in the successful line of VARI*LITE spot luminaires.

All three luminaires use the double-ended 1500W lamp that has been so effective and reliable in their large format wash luminaires.

The VL3015 and VL3515 Spot luminaires feature a 6:1 zoom optics system, while the VL3015LT boasts an impressive 10:1 zoom optics system.

All three luminaires include CYM colour mixing, variable CTO colour temperature correction, gobo/effects wheels, and ultrafast strobe mechanisms. While the VL3015 and VL3515 have a six-position colour wheel, the VL3015LT utilises two five-position colour wheels, and the VL3515 luminaire has an added feature of a four-blade shutter mechanism that allows the blades to be operated independently or in unison for a clear and crisp image.

The VL3015, VL3015LT and VL3515 Spot luminaires are all complete with a palette of

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

combination of the material used – a special aluminium alloy – and a series of treatments of a mechanical and chemical nature ensure the structure superlative hardness (500 HV). Outline explains that this latter factor is decisive for contributing to maintaining efficient operation as well as excellent resistance to stress, corrosion and abrasion through time.

Philips Vari-Lite Product Marketing Manager George Masek with the VL3015

VARI*LITE gobos, effects and colours, while custom gobos, effects and colours are also available. www.vari-lite.com

EXHIBITION REVIEW

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New XLED 336 fast moving head from PR Lighting

The XLED 336 is a 36-LED fast moving, compact and economically priced head, with 18.15° beam dispersion angle. It generates its power and RGB colour mix from 36 x 3W Osram Oslon LEDs (12 red, 12 green, 12 blue). With a power consumption of just 140W it outputs close to 250W. Head movement includes 540° pan and 270° tilt, with auto position correction, pan and tilt swap and invert function. It also offers 12 DMX control channels (16 channels in extended mode) plus electronic dimmer and strobe. Expected LED lamp life is 50,000 hours.

According to PR Lighting, the first day of Prolight & Sound saw 1000 orders of the XLED 336 cementing a good future for the product. www.pr-lighting.com

Prolyte showcases Liteconsole

LiteConsole is an extremely versatile podium structure that offers a portable and high-visual-impact solution for any number of applications from live musician and DJ performances, to corporate AV presentations, exhibitions, conferences and retail environments where it makes an extremely eye-catching stand.

LiteConsole modules comprise just six primary easy-to-connect sections. Standard modules are designed to house a logo panel, although this open space could feature a 50” PLASMA screen, back-lit corporate logo, LED panels, starcloth, or any other form of messaging. www.prolyte-asia.com

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EXHIBITION REVIEW

QSC displays two new Q-Sys™ products Two new Q-Sys™ products were displayed by QSC for the first time.

500i Integrated Core

The 250i/500i Integrated Cores bring the power and elegance of the larger Q-Sys Cores to applications requiring fewer channels. Integrated Cores have the capability of directly accommodating eight Q-Sys input and/or output cards for a total onboard channel capacity of 32 channels (more if AES or CobraNet™ cards are used). Channel count may be further expanded by the addition of Q-Sys I/O Frames and other peripheral devices. www.qscaudio.com

Robe enjoys busiest Prolight + Sound Robe lighting enjoyed its busiest and best Prolight+Sound exhibition to date with a record number of deals closed, plus a phenomenal interest in its progressive, forward thinking ROBIN product range as well the launch of five innovative new fixtures at the show.

The five new LED based innovations in the ROBIN series all received huge interest, especially the super-speedy LEDBeam 100 and the high powered DLX LED spot and DLF LED fresnel wash. Everyone loved the LEDBeam 100 for its speed, size, performance and excellent price, which are set to make it another best seller for Robe. The DLF is ideal for theatre and television applications with its fresnel lens, smooth homogenised lightsource, beam shaping module and highly flexible 5.5 – 75 degree zoom. The DLX Spot has all the features expected from a premium spot fixture, while the Actor 6 uses the benchmark technology of the LEDWash 600, which is presented in a new format prefect for theatres, TV productions and all types of fixed installations. The LEDWash 800 is another step forward in this leading series of luminaires in which Robe is pushing the envelope of quality LED lighting design.

The LEDBeam 100

www.robe.cz

Robert Juliat introduces TIBO and ZEP After successfully introducing the first framing spotlight with integrated LED light engine in 2010, Robert Juliat showcased two innovative ranges of profile spots that combine excellent dimming with homogenous projection quality.

A truly innovative, multiple light-source model, the RJ TIBO profile presents a compact and lightweight solution in a visionary, modern design. TIBO offers a choice of different powerful and long-term lighting sources (LED, tungsten or discharge) specified for a comprehensive range of diverse applications. It also features an outstanding unique optical design that allows two different zoom ranges in one single unit and the option to integrate wireless DMX technology (LED version).

An evolution of the award-winning Aledin 85W LED profile (winner of the PLASA Award for Innovation 2010), the new RJ ZEP profile is designed to offer a higher light output - equivalent to a 1000W tungsten profile spot - together with very low power consumption.

This new LED profile incorporates an innovative and powerful 150W LED engine offering two different colour temperatures, a choice of three zoom ranges and the option to integrate wireless DMX technology.

Tibo

Designed with Robert Juliat’s trademark qualities of ergonomic perfection, optical and mechanical excellence, these two new profile ranges feature a better colour rendering index and suit every application from the smallest theatre to the largest spectacular. www.robertjuliat.com

ZEP

EXHIBITION REVIEW

Sennheiser draws the crowd with entertainment and innovation Audio specialist Sennheiser presented its complete wireless range along with the new XS Wireless entry-level series, which celebrated its European debut, supplemented by new accessories. A particular highlight were the new KK 204 and KK 205 capsule The Sennheiser booth was a hive of activity heads from Georg Neumann GmbH, which are now bringing the legendary Neumann sound to the 2000 wireless series. Also new was the SKP 300 G3 plug-on transmitter from the evolution wireless series and the tourguide EK 1039 tour-guide system. At the heart of their stand, a Sound Room captivated music fans where they could compare Sennheiser’s wired vocal and instrument microphones on the basis of multi-track recordings.

Musical entertainment during the international trade fair was provided by The Eyetones, the CarringtonBrown duo as well as Peter and the Wolvettes. www.sennheiser.com

Dr Heinrich Esser, President of the Professional Systems Division

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W-DMX™ gains new OEM partners and distributors Wireless Solution Sweden added to their growing list of OEM partners Robert Juliat, Studio Due and Ape Labs.

The company also appointed Acoustic & Lighting System as distributor for Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.

The latest G4S W-DMX was on display. The company has been working since October 2011 on a completely new software platform with the lowest latency in the market under 5ms, available for a software Niclas Arvidsson, CEO of Wireless update on all existing Micro Solution Sweden, displays the F-1, BlackBox, WhiteBox and Blackbox MK2 ProBox units already shipped via the USB Dongle. It is prepared for future hardware functions as well as many new features and updated functions.

Also on display were the improved BlackBox MK2 and the flagship product, W-DMX ProBox F-2500, both with substantial upgrades. www.wirelessdmx.com

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INSTALL

Singapore

Singapore American School revamps its Auditorium lighting system Lighting and Control Systems

There are two control stations, 3 house light control panels and 14 control switches located at various points in the theatre for the work lighting. These control stations are: • the Stage Manager Station • the Control Room Station The control of the work and house lighting was to be delegated to the respective stations by the touch of a single button. To achieve this, Lighting Controls installed a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) onto a Chillinet System that worked in tandem with the 14 control switches.

Stage Lighting

The Singapore American School (SAS) is located on 36 acres of land in the northern part of Singapore at Woodlands and has sufficient classrooms and extensive facilities to support an enrolment of up to 3,900 students. The state-of-the-art facilities in SAS house four school divisions: primary, intermediate, middle and high schools. The school features amongst other facilities, large and small venues for various performances.

The biggest of these venues is the SAS Auditorium which has a seating capacity of 865. The school management decided that it was time to revamp the auditorium’s lighting system which has not had a major revamp for the past 15 years.

Proposals were called for to achieve the above objectives and after careful deliberation, Lighting Controls, a Singapore based supply and integration company was awarded the massive project.

Revamp Objectives

The project was divided into two phases.

The first phase involved the removal of 4 large dimmer racks which consisted of 96 channels of Levinton Dimmer modules each and the removal of redundant breaker panels.

The next part of the first phase involved the installation of 4 new racks of 96 channels of State Automation Dimmers each as well as the supply and installation of a House Light and a Work Light Control System.

SAS was clear with what they wanted to achieve. They had a list of things they wanted done and were looking for solutions that could do the job. Their requirements included: • increasing the total ambient lighting for the Auditorium • easing the maintenance and servicing of the fixtures by making them more accessible • creating an energy efficient lighting system • designing new side lighting stands • having additional dimmer points at the pin rail • making the theatre DMX 512 ready • designing a lighting rail system for the back of Auditorium • designing custom brackets and lighting fixtures for house and work lighting

Project Overview

The lighting for the Auditorium is divided into 3 sections: • Stage Lighting • Work Lighting • House Lighting The lighting for these sections needed to be upgraded and brought to their full potential.

The second phase involved the complete dismantling and rewiring of the stage as well as the work and house lighting. DMX wiring and access points for the entire theatre also had to be provided. This was followed by the supply and installation of custom-made lighting fixtures to be integrated with the Lighting Control System.

The SA Dimmers

Wiring of Dimmers: The existing Stage Lighting Dimmers (Levington) were replaced with 4 racks of 96 channel State Automation (SA) Dimmers each. Each dimmer module had a 10A load capacity. Each of the Dimmer modules was protected by RCBOs, which meant that any earth leakage fault would readily trip the module. This ensured that safety issues were further enhanced. The APC (Advance Phase Modules) modules incorporate a 10A relay in each module. This enables the modules to be in switch mode when on a 95% dimmer level.

The SA Racks have 35 dimmer laws and optical connections for uploads and are Artnet ready with many other features.

Conventions were followed in the numbering of dimmable points throughout the Auditorium. Reference was taken from the procenium arch and numbering was from stage right to left and up stage to down stage.

INSTALL no electrical trunking for that matter, the School had temporarily sorted this out with extension cables running the full length of the lighting bar tapped from dimmer points located on the pin-rails. These cables were suspended from the lighting bar without any counterbalancing weights.

Counterweights at the lighting bar proved to be a key challenge which the Lighting Controls team managed properly and systematcially with help from the team from SAS.

Working with Counter Weights and Rigging Ropes: Working with counter weights proved to be a challenge for the team as the counterweights had to be removed almost completely to work on the lighting bar. The weights had to be removed in stages and this had to be done in tandem with the removal of the lighting fixtures on the lighting bar. Failure to do this would amount to an uneven balance of weight between the counterweight and the lighting bar. This would be catastrophic as the lighting bar could fly up or the counterweights could come crashing down. The scenario could go either way if the weights were not removed or loaded on carefully.

The same process in reverse had to be done once the works were done and the lighting fixtures were hung back on the lighting bar.

The weights easily exceeded 400kg for each of the lighting bars. There were 4 lighting bars. The team from SAS worked closely with Lighting Controls to ensure everything was done properly and systematically.

To resolve this issue Lighting Controls installed a new trunking with 36 dimmable points and 4 DMX points. Neuprene electrical cables were installed to replace the PVC insulated extension cables for the lighting bar. In addition, a counterbalancing weight and a pulley system was installed for the neuprene electrical cables so as to relieve the stress placed on the cables when the electrical bar was hoisted up and down.

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longer practical. The new lighting stands incorporated heavy duty wheels and screw thread stabilisers which made manoeuvring the stands to different locations easier. A heavy base plate at the foot of each stand ensured the stands had stability. An aluminium ladder installed at the back of each lighting stand made it easier for rigging of lighting. Six boom arms that could be positioned anywhere along each stand made it easier for beam focusing and adjustments. The sides were caged so as to prevent accidental touching of the hot fixtures. An extension of 1m on top of each stand was made to accommodate additional lighting fixtures.

With these new lighting stands dance productions and musicals were a breeze to work on “Our sincere thanks go to Tony Kam of the Republic Polytechnic for the initial design and assistance,” says P.V. Joseph, managing director of Lighting Controls.

Power Outlet System: Multiple power outlet systems are incorporated at over 18 locations in the Auditorium. There are six power outlets in CEE form (black) with the Socapex connections and DMX points within the same system.

CEE form PCE connectors

CEE form PCE connectors: CEE form 16A sockets and angled plugs were used to replace existing 13A power socket outlets and plugs.

The CEE form connectors were specially brought in for the project and had to be indented from Austria.

They were black in colour which is the preferred colour among theatre users because the colour hides them from view and is nonreflective. The angular plugs were smaller in profile and did not affect the adjacent flybars or lighting bars which were only a foot apart when flying down or up.

DMX 512: The Auditorium was not DMX 512 ready. There were no points on the stage or the bridge to cater for any DMX ready devices such as moving lights, LEDs, and smoke and haze machines. During the revamp, DMX was an important criteria and it was included in the overall system set up. A number of DMX splitters were installed at various locations on the stage and bridge to cover all the areas in the Auditorium.

Work and House Lighting

The initial Stage Area and the Audience Seating Area was too dark for rehearsals, concerts and prop-building. The Auditorium was also used occasionally for exams but the lighting levels were inadequate.

To solve the problem for the interim period, the school used a mixture of metal halide, flourescent, halogen and stage lighting to increase the lighting levels. The control of these lighting fixtures was at various locations and it became difficult to manage . Due to the different types of light sources, the light was unevenly spread in different parts of the auditorium.

New trunking with dimmable points and DMX points together with Neuprene electrical cables were installed at the fourth lighting bar.

Cyclorama Lighting at the Fourth Lighting Bar: Cyclorama lighting fixtures were located on the fourth lighting bar and were in need of proper lighting points. As there was no dimmable points on the bar or

Side Lighting Stands were custom-built featuring heavy duty wheels and aluminium ladder for easy rigging.

Side Lighting Stands: Custom-built side lighting stands of 3m in height, each with a provision of an extension of 1m, were built as the current lighting stands were no

To resolve the low House lighting levels at the Auditorium, more than 100 flourescent light fittings which consisted of recessed ceiling fittings and suspended fittings with custom brackets were installed. The house lighting was distributed in a manner that gave an even light distribution to all areas of the auditorium.

The house lightings were connected with

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INSTALL forward, from using a motorised lighting bar to a complicated pulley system. Lighting Controls finally decided on the novel idea of a Lighting Rail System as it was the most practical system and the most cost effective in the long run.

To resolve the low House lighting levels more than 100 fluorescent light fittings were installed.

The Lighting Rail System consisted of a long track of close to 12m and a system of support to hold the whole structure in place. The lighting fixtures were custom-built with ball bearing heavy duty rollers that rolled out the fixtures in pairs. Each pair of fixtures had control and power cables that were daisy chained to each other. The pairs of fixtures were separated by a system of rods of equal length. This enabled them to be brought onto the bridge bay for easy maintenance and servicing.

House lightings can be controlled via the Chilli panels located at the entrance and exit of the auditorium.

dimmable ballast which incorporated 1-10V control signal. The Control of the house lightings could be controlled via the Chilli panels located at the entrance and exit of the auditorium and also through the main controls in the control room. The important criteria of the maintenance aspect was met as the house lighting was now accessable to all the electrical technicians and could be serviced without the need of erecting a scaffolding which was a major concern.

Certain sections of the auditorium were difficult to light up as there was no proper access to these areas from the ceiling. Light levels were very low just below the followspot room and it needed to be lit. This made it a challenge for the team.

Various methods and suggestions were put

Work Lighting at Grid Area: Flourescent lighting with electronic ballast was installed at the grid level to illuminate the grid area.

Electronic ballast was installed so that there would be no flickering on start up. It is also more energy-efficient than conventional ballast. Electronic Ballast would turn off the lights if the units were faulty instead of the lights flickering. These high quality ballast from Germany have a warranty of 2 years.

Utmost importance placed on safety

The safety of the entire system was a very important criteria. All movable fixtures are hung with a safety chain of the appropriate diameter. The dimmer system is protected with electrical breakers and RCCDs (Residual Current Circuit devices).

An Isolator is provided for the dimmer rack and house light on the bridge. The lighting bars can be disconnected by way of a plug and switched socket.

Zero88 Chilli 1210HF Dimmers

HF Dimming and Control Panels with Key Lock: Zero88 Chilli 1210HF Dimmers were used for the house light dimming system, where 1-10V dimming protocol was used for 14 circuits. There are two dimmers, each having 12 circuits. The Final Circuits are interlaced, so if one of the dimmers were to fail, the theater would still have even lighting and not go into a complete black out. Each of the dimming channels is incorporated with a 10A relay.

The dimmer is able to handle both DMX and Chillinet protocols. With these protocols included, the stage manager station and the control room are able to take control from the Chilli Wall panels.

The innovative Rail system

Flourescent lighting with electronic ballast was installed at the grid level to illuminate the grid area.

The three Chilli Wall panels have a key lock system, whereby the panels can be locked-off to prevent unauthorised personnel to fiddle with the panels during a show.

The work and house lights are fitted with specially indented twist-lock lamp holders that bring about additional safety by preventing the lamps from falling off.

Training and Maintenance

After completion of the project, an in-depth training session was arranged with the facilities’ maintenance team and the theatre’s technical team. The training conducted by Lighting Controls included the safe use and maintenance of the house, work and stage lighting systems.

“Great teamwork made this project a success. In the end, the client was no longer seen as a client but as a colleague. We wanted the best solutions for the school and the trust of the client ensured that we were motivated to complete the project successfully,” says P.V. Joseph.

“The users of the auditorium were all smiles when they found that the venue fulfilled their needs and more. That was the icing on the cake”. www.sas.edu.sg www.lightingcontrols.com.sg

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Royal Room has been created for private dining. The Gold Room has been designed with back projecting LEDs casting light through the translucent resin tiles creating a halo on the projective gold cast ceiling while the Royal room features reflective walls and a fiber optic sky ceiling giving it a countless starry night effect.

The highlight of all the impacting factors, however, is the way the hovering necklace like crystal chandelier is designed. The entire system is made to reflect on the ambience through a matrix software via an Art-Net interface.

The LIV in its brilliance. Observe the geometric cast resin tiles, brass wall trims, spider pattern of the ceiling chandelier and wall grooving lines.

India

Ingenuity glows at LIV night club

by Bhavanashi Ramakrishna

When the Mumbai-based ‘GenNext’ foursome of Aneesha Bahl, Shashi Thadani, Sunny Sara and Ritik Bhasin decided to revamp the erstwhile teenager haunt Red Light at heritage precinct of Kala Ghoda in the metropolis, they had one thing in their mind- to transform the space into a ‘boutique nightclub’ that caters to an ‘elite crowd.’

The ideation of boutique night club meant that the space had to be very distinct in structure and texture. To realize this spec, they needed a specialist design team, and thus came in the locally-based architectural firm Urban Studio. The newly conceptualized LIV night club therefore took shape with dramatic and refreshingly dynamic, art deco interior that is characterized by black metalla marble walls, crystal-resembling resin tiles and a custommade ‘floating chandelier’ criss-crossing the entire ceiling.

While the interior design stands out as the unique appealing factor, the highlighting aspect of the whole ambience is the floating chandelier customized with as many as 2500 DMX RGB LED modules, each comprising one pixel. This lighting expertise honours is taken

by Mumbai-based renowned AVSI Innovative Systems and Solutions (P) Ltd. “The clients wanted to create a high-end signature statement night club that caters exclusively to the elite,” says Pronith Nath, the head of Urban Studio. “The design had to have that ‘signature’ element central to it.” Accordingly, the solution weaved in makes special deference through infinite and distorted reflections by mirror walled surfaces, resin tiles, and a huge crystal chandelier.

The reflective surfaces cleverly magnifies the modest volume of the club that is barely 20 feet in depth creating infinite reflections through parallel mirrors, that pulsate with cutting edge synchronized light and sound antics, through a massive hovering necklace like chandelier. The brass wall trims, faceted black marble bar and geometric cast resin wall tiles, gold mirror ceilings dramatize the space.

“The idea behind the space takes its que from the art deco lines,” explains Pronith.

“The lighting of the space is undoubtedly the single largest impacting factor,” explains Hetal Patel of ISSPL. The use of LED pixel lights on a matrix control system in the chandelier pulsates with the music creating cutting edge synchronized light,” he says, adding, “the lighting blends with music and mood, creating a ‘sensorial treat’ as well as an uber-lux and jewel-like feel.”

According to the designers, the “LIV is extremely unique in design and concept.”

While space is always a constraint and big limitation as in most other spaces in Mumbai, the same limitation is ingeniously exploited to maximum benefit through illusion. At LIV one experiences the illusion and at the same time is not able to see one’s self in the mirror. www.isspl.in www.urbanstudioindia.com

The resultant ambience is truly dramatic. It wasn’t, however, without challenges. That the full height of the space is barely 20 feet was a major constraint. Being on the first floor, having a reputed restaurant on the ground floor and office spaces above, it had to be acoustically isolated on all sides.

The budget of the space was also an issue always kept in mind while designing.

According to Pronith, the use of parallel mirror/ glass as the major construction material helped solve multiple challenges. It kept the rising budget in check as well as helped create infinite reflections doubling the volume of the space and creating an overall effect which is hypnotic and luminous. Acoustical treatment was done on all four sides in consultation with an acoustical consultant to isolate the space completely thereby terminating sound leaks.

The newly designed LIV has done away with Red Light’s VIP backroom, and divided the full space into three sections: The main bar has open space as a dance floor; the Gold Room is provided with large seating space; and the

Changing illusions with changing colours. The lighting design does it all.

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INSTALL

blueFrog full view: a design delight

India

blueFROG Qutb reverbs with d&b

by Bhavanashi Ramakrishna

The upmarket locality of Qutb Minar in Mehrauli, New Delhi, has many embellishments that represent a dynamically changing India. One of the most popular hang-outs there is the blueFROG, a unique music and clubbing project. Taking shape as an extension of its earlier cousin – blueFROG Mumbai – the new clubbing destination took the concept to new high with a blend of unique sound and structure.

“In terms of aesthetics and design, we wanted to carry the essence of our flagship blueFROG in Mumbai, to our Club in Delhi,” explains Nitin Chandy, Chief Technical Officer for the project.

A sound engineer-recordist by profession and a musical experimentalist by passion, Nitin has been with the blueFROG founders Ashutosh Phatak and Dhruv Ganekar even before from its conception and inception which made him comprehend the requirement with precision.

While the name Qutb Minar spells an antique magic with a ‘monumental’ history, the modernity that has been springing up and surrounding the place, of late, indicates the sophistication redefining the locality. The latest, and perhaps, one the most fascinating destinations, is the blueFROG club that typifies the culture brewing up in the socially upward moving communities in the country.

“Mumbai blueFROG, we would say, poses a rustic look,” elaborates Nitin, “in Delhi, we wanted to give the place a more futuristic vibe in terms of materials, colours and finish.”

According to him, the design draws parallels to a small amphitheater with seating all around, ensuring that patrons got the best seats no matter where they are located in the venue. To make the seating and service more

A ‘revolutionary musical project (as the clubbing entity calls itself),’ that started off in Mumbai some four years ago, and extended to the National Capital Region recently, blueFROG is a designer’s delight by its structure, and a clubber’s fancy by its texture.

Almost following the same design theme as its Mumbai cousin, the blueFROG in Delhi features a distinct architecture - a ceiling clad with bright, finely micro-perforated aluminium discs circular diffused lighting; a stage equipped with a big videowall playing graphics and videos; a dance floor that is surrounded by circular seating cubicles clad with metallic topping; and an FOH created on the mezzanine facing the stage. There are two more big videowalls on either side of the stage that play in tandem with the central videowall. The dimly-lit ambience effuses a distinctly typical glow when illuminated with the diffused lighting. The interesting feature of the venue, thus, is a pleasing blend of architecture and acoustics.

An angle view of blueFrog: FOH on the mezzanine on left, and the stage on the right. A blend of sound, light, and structure

personal, the designers carried the signature pod design from Mumbai and modified it a bit to improve convenience and comfort within them. However, the design had a setting of live music performance as its core focus, and the components were chosen accordingly.

That the venue has a major limitation of a much lower ceiling, and a mezzanine had to be created for FOH, Nitin and his team had scanned the different solutions available in the market before zeroing in on d&b audiotechnik.

“We did do a lot of R&D before we chose our brand for Delhi,” discloses Nitin. “We did have a system design in place and we did preview a lot of brands including Meyer Sound, Adamsons, HK Audio, etc. They were all great sounding boxes, but there was a certain finesse about d&b audiotechnik

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are driven through one channel of D-6 amp, and two units of 15-inch MAX loudspeakers that are powered by one more channel of D-6 amp. The entire audio is remotely controlled by the R1 software and R60 interfacing.

According to Nitin, both the blueFROG management as well as the musicians who frequent the venue are apparently happy with the install and the sound experience that it weaved.

“It’s obviously one of the most prestigious projects that we did,” says Andrew Paul, the director of Digital Advantage. “Admittedly, they had many options, fortunately we had the right solution,” he says, adding, “moreover, they were convinced with our demo- that clinched it all.”

The blend of sound and structure: Observe the distinct ceiling and mezzanine FOH

which appealed to us more than the rest,” he explains. “Sound is very subjective and personal that way. Also, how wrong can you go, with a brand that’s installed in the Sydney Opera House?” he questions.

The typical structural limitations of the space meant that it required a very expert acoustic design as well to enable the audio install gave the intended experience all through the space uniformly. The design team, therefore, included the Pondicherry-based Sound Wizard, specialists in entertainment facility design.

“It was indeed challenging,” admits Kumbha Young Grenier of Sound Wizard. “That the signature pod design of aluminium discs was very special to the place, we exploited the micro perforations of the discs to play acoustics too,” he explains. “We used them in a way that they will absorb the sound produced, and does not echo. We also employed a good deal of base trapping and fine rubber material in the seating area as well as behind the walls to absorb the sound.”

According to the Sound Wizard director, they had actually minimized the use of regularly opted glasswool due to its possible hazardous effect on the space.

The all-important audio:

The audio solution involved an exhaustive main PA, and a matching stage monitoringall coming from d&b, and installed by Delhibased dealer Digital Advantage. The main PA comprised as many as ten units of 10AL-D loudspeakers made into two line arrays of five units each, hung from the low ceiling on either side of the stage, and driven by two units of D-12 and one unit of D6 amps each. These line

arrays are complemented by a pair of J-SUB subwoofer – one on either side, suspended from ceiling, adjacent to the line arrays – and powered by a pair of D-12 amps.

Reinforcing the LF further on the dance floor is a pair of 18S Subwoofers installed under the stage, and powered by a channel of D-12 amplifier. That the stage is fairly wide and the distance between the two line arrays is on the higher side, the system is augmented by one unit of 12S loudspeaker as center fill that is specifically aimed at the dance floor. To cater to the high SPL needs, particularly when DJs and live bands are performing at nights, a pair of same 12S loudspeakers has been added on either side as side in-fills from the rear of the dance floor, and focused right on to it. Further one more pair of 12S loudspeakers have been installed- one unit on either side of the stage, acting as out fills, adjacent to the line arrays.

While the side and rear fills loudspeakers are powered by one each channel of D-6 amplifier, the center fill is made to draw power from one channel of D-12 amplifier.

“We were overwhelmed with the support and involvement we got from d&b audiotechnik,” Nitin compliments. “Both from their dealer in India, and their head office in Germany, have been very helpful in seeing through the install.” blueFROG is a unique project, vouches the CTO of the club. “You have large format music venues and auditoriums all around, but we aren’t comparing to them. This is a much more scaled down, intimate environment, where you can go with your friends and family, enjoy live music, in an informal / casual setup, over food and drinks.”

His impression appears vindicated in the popularity that the venue has quickly gained. www.bluefrog.co.in www.soundwizard.net www.dbaudio.com

“To ensure that the FOH engineer heard what everyone else did on the dance floor, we decided to go in for a single point source array design as opposed to a cluster design that would be much harder to control,” details Nitin. “We felt by doing so we could get much better HF & LF distribution to the sound engineer, without compromising what’s going on below on the dance floor. By adjusting various parameters available to us on the array system, we’ve been able to bridge the difference between what the FOH and dance floor hears.”

The stage monitoring comprised as many as six units of 12-inch MAX12 loudspeakers that

Close up of the d&b line arrays

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India

HARMAN JBL Professional Cinema Systems powers PVR Juhu in Mumbai

HARMAN International India Pvt. Ltd. has successfully completed an audio system installation with HARMAN JBL Professional cinema loudspeakers at PVR Cinema in Juhu, Mumbai. PVR Cinema is India’s leading cinema exhibition chain.

PVR Cinema in Juhu consists of five auditoriums, which have varied seating capacities ranging from approximately 100 to 300 seats. Due to its prime location, the Juhu property of PVR hosts previews and premieres of most of the major movie releases every week. With Mumbai at the heart of the Bollywood community, PVR had to ensure that its Juhu cinema location provided the best-inclass cinema experience, especially when it came to the audio and projection systems.

Since PVR Juhu is considered a premium cinema, PVR decided to upgrade the sound systems to meet the latest technology standards. PVR Juhu sought the expertise and consultation of the HARMAN Professional

India team for the refurbishment and upgrade of the sound systems for all the auditoriums in the cinema. Samir Mistry, Application Engineer, HARMAN Professional India, carried out the system installation with assistance from Hi-Tech Audio Systems, the authorised India distributor for HARMAN Professional products in India. With the advent of 3D cinema, it was evident that the sound systems would have to match the requirements of worldwide cinema standards and also leave sufficient scope for upgrades.

PVR opted for HARMAN JBL 5742 ScreenArray® loudspeaker systems and 4642A subwoofers in each of the five auditoriums, along with JBL 8340A surround speakers in three auditoriums and JBL 8350 surround speakers in two auditoriums. Crown DSi 2000, 4000 and 6000 amplifiers power the systems.

The new system, designed by the HARMAN Professional India team, has the capability of handling high sound levels with ample headroom, enabling PVR Juhu to provide its customers with a unique and immersive cinema experience.

There were some challenges as well. Since it is a fully functional multiplex, the installation had to be performed during non-show hours (late night to early morning), with the auditoriums up and running for the next day’s shows to begin on time.

Today, the feedback from both the film fraternity and the general public is overwhelmingly positive. Commenting on the successful installation, Mr. JC Mehta, Vice President of Engineering, PVR Cinemas Ltd said, “Although film is by definition a visual medium, the story is incomplete without sound. The entire cinema-going experience has undergone a sea change in India with multiplexes and the mall culture. PVR has been constantly following and adapting all the latest international trends and standards in cinema sound. A prime example of this is PVR Juhu, Mumbai, where we have done a complete revamp of the audio equipment as part of our philosophy in providing the best quality.

We have therefore invested in the latest JBL speakers and the latest DSi digital amplifiers from Crown to support our requirements in supporting 3D sound. Needless to say, our patrons are extremely happy with the enhanced movie viewing experience.”

“The system has been designed to deliver its fullest output in all scenarios, with ease of use in mind,” said Ankush Agarwal, Senior Manager, Marketing, HARMAN Professional India. “Most importantly, the headroom for all variations and the control in sound output is now best managed with this combination of high-performance HARMAN cinema systems.

It is capable of handling high sound levels with ample headroom and effectively reproduces soft whispers to the loudest bang.” www.harman.com

Indonesia

L-ACOUSTICS system equips new Jakarta Menara Citicon Auditorium L-ACOUSTICS’ Indonesian representative Tri Tunggal Abadi has supplied a KIVA/KILO WST® line source system to the Menara Citicon Auditorium, located on the 22nd floor of the Menara Citicon office building in Jakarta.

“The client wanted an unobtrusive system which would deliver high quality sound, with an appearance that would match the interior of the hall,” says Tri Tunggal Abadi’s Andre Bonang.

The 500-seat capacity multi-purpose venue, which will be used for weddings, product launches, worship gatherings, live performances, theatre and performing arts, has been installed with a L/R system of four KIVA ultra compact cabinets and two KILO low frequency extensions per side, with four SB18i fixed installation subwoofers, two 108P self-powered coaxials for front fill and 112P self-powered coaxial monitors. The entire system is driven by three LA4 amplified controllers.

“They had seen the KIVA system in the Nafiri Convention Hall and liked both the sound quality and the look of the system. After we made a simulation based on L-ACOUSTICS’ acoustic modeling software, SOUNDVISION, they all agreed this was the right system for the venue.

“The sound team at Menara are all very happy with the sound quality and coverage of the system. The venue was first used for a Christmas event and everyone was amazed by the sound quality of the system.”

www.tri-tunggal-abadi.com www.l-acoustics.com

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Thailand

Siam Niramit keeps faith with Nexo at its Phuket attraction

Touted as one of the largest stage productions in the world, Siam Niramit showcases a spectacular show of Thai Arts and Culture with state-of-the-art technology. After opening its doors 5 years ago in Bangkok and receiving rave reviews from tourists as well as locals, Siam Niramit opened its second attraction at Phuket late last year. The show features 100 performers in lavish costumes and stunning set design and is open six days a week. The 70 minute show also features high quality sound to ensure audiences are kept enthralled.

Siam Niramit in Bangkok featured Nexo speakers and the owners continued to keep their faith with the brand with a predominantly Nexo sound system set-up at their Phuket venue. Goldenduck Innovation Co Ltd supplied and installed the permanent

sound system with the help of Nexo’s Thai distributor Fuzion Far East Ltd, who designed a 10.2 system for the new venue.

Seven clusters of Nexo GeoS12s were installed in the venue in centre, left, right, far left, far right, upper left and upper right configuration.

Each cluster comprised of 3 x GEOS1210 and 1 x GEOS1210. Four units of Nexo RAYSUB 18 (RS18CI) were used as left and right subwoofers. All the NEXO boxes are powered

by CAMCO Vortex 6 in active mode to give a better sound. A total of 22 Quest HPI 8 passive loudspeakers are utilised for left surround, right surround and rear surround, supported by four Quest QA3004 amplifiers. Providing further support are 13 Camco Vortex 6 amplifiers and a Camco EtherCai-Box.

Four units of Nexo PS15R2 were used as side-fill monitors. The control room features five WORK Neo6A installation speakers and two ArcSub12s. Two Symetrix 8x8 DSP units together with two units of Symetrix Break In 12 and three units of Break Out 12 are used for processing the entire sound system in the venue.

The project was completed within the specified tight time frame and budget and has garnered praises from the Siam Niramit management as well as patrons seeing the show. www.fuzion.co.th www.goldenduckgroup.com

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The Riva Music Club stage features QSC Active KW152 speakers

Malaysia

QSC takes centre stage at a flurry of club installations Malaysian club installation specialist, Voicelite Innovative Works Sdn Bhd, has been busy specifying and installing QSC speakers at a number of clubs within Kuala Lumpur. Mike Wong of Voicelite comments, “The QSC speakers met the objectives and requirements of the clubs. As the clubs featured live music together with Dj mixing, in a cosy environment, the QSC speakers delivered clear crisp even-coverage sound without overwhelming the patrons. Management at all the clubs were very pleased with the sound produced by the speakers”.

The QSC 8” ADS-82H side fill at the Riva Music Club

The Riva Live Music Club features some interesting design elements

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To minimise sound bounce wooden fixtures with holes were installed at Club Pelangi. To give it a stylised look colour changing LED lighting were incorporated behind the fixtures.

Club Pelangi a fairly renowned and established name in the private club scene in Kuala Lumpur saw its new group of owners recently refurbish the club to give it a new zest of life. The music lounge aspect of the club is elongated and not so broad, thus Voicelite decided that just a pair of QSC KW152s hung left and right side of the stage together with a JBL sub would sufficiently do the job and to their credit the sound coverage is unbelievably even throughout the club. To minimise sound bounce off the hard walls facing the stage, Voicelite erected stylised wooden fixtures with holes. Though not the ideal solution, the wooden fixtures helped to reduce the sound bounce and at the same time fitted in with the management’s objective of keeping the club looking modernised with lights installed behind the wooden fixtures to give it a stylised look.

The DJ console at the Riva Live Music Club

The Riva Live Music Club is a beautifully designed venue that is approximately 2500 sq. ft. featuring QSC Active KW152 speakers hung on the left and right of stage supported by a JBL sub-woofer amplified by a QSC RMX 5050. For side-fills, 3 units of 8” QSC ADS-82H speakers powered by a QSC GX5 amp are located at strategic locations facing the stage.

Monitoring on stage is handled by a QSC K12.

All the QSC solutions were supplied by QSC’s sole agent YOSIM Technology Sdn Bhd. Just a pair of QSC KW152s was sufficient to provide even coverage at the Club Pelangi lounge

www.yosimtech.com

The Nova Gold Club performance stage once again features the QSC KW152 Active speakers

The 5000 sq. ft., Nova Gold Club features 2 Pool tables and a round island bar facing a stage and the DJ console. The stage once again features 2 units of the QSC Active KW152 speakers configured left and right of stage supported by JBL sub-woofers powered by a QSC RMX 5050 amplifier. 3 units of QSC K12 Active speakers act as monitors for the band. Due to the size of the club, side-fills are handled by 2 units of QSC KW122 Active loudspeakers supported by 2 units of QSC KW181 18” Active sub-woofers and 4 units of 8” QSC ADS-82H passive loudspeakers that are powered via a QSC GX5 amplifier.

Isaac from Yosim Technology with Hajit Singh and Mike Wong from Voicelite

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Singapore

Audio-Technica sponsors SWITCH In December 2011, the owners of Timbre group launched a bilingual live music bar at Bras Basah Road called SWITCH. AudioTechnica (SEA) Pte Ltd proudly sponsored this start up to promote the local music industry and also because they strongly felt that Timbre’s artists had great potential.

on the kick-drum, three ATM350s for the tom and snares and two AE5100 instrument microphones for the overheads. Tailored for clear sound production, two ATM650 microphones are used for guitar amplifiers and a pair of ATH-M50 monitor headphones is plugged in for the musicians’ use.

SWITCH selected Audio-Technica equipment for the superior sound quality it produces for vocal as well as live instrumental music.

Located within the NTUC Trade Union House, SWITCH has a 300-seat capacity and the live band performances usually comprises of both English and Chinese songs.

“Some of our musicians swear by AudioTechnica products and that’s why the start of the partnership was seamless and continues to evolve. Together, we can raise the level of music performance through this partnership and demonstrate to the music scene and industry an effective synergy between brands,” he added.

In addition, two sets of wireless systems are also provided, the ATW-3141b which includes a ATW-T341b cardioid dynamic transmitter microphone, and the ATW-702 that comes with its ATW-T702 unidirectional dynamic transmitter microphone.

Audio-Technica provided SWITCH with the Artist Elite® series of vocal microphones (AE4100 and AE6100) to provide a dynamic and aggressive sound, capturing the voices of the performers clearly while isolating them from handling noise. These microphones were chosen because they were AudioTechnica’s top-range microphones for professional artists.

To bring out the crisp rhythm of the percussion instruments, the AE2500 microphone is used

When asked why he decided to choose Audio-Technica as a partner for SWITCH, Danny Loong, Co-Founder/Chief Creative Director of Timbre Group, said, “We like the Audio-Technica brand energy and marketing direction and we think that this partnership of Audio-Technica’s amazing range of high quality products combined with the vibrant live music brands of Timbre Group, this will prove to be synergistic and pave the way for other projects.”

Vincent Chan, Managing Director of AudioTechnica (S.E.A.) Pte Ltd, stated, “Local musicians should be given the opportunity to nurture their musical abilities and showcase their talents on larger stage. SWITCH is definitely a good platform for our young talents to do so. Hence, Audio-Technica is proud to be part of this collaboration.” www.audio-technica.com.sg

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Technopro takes the wise decision with PR Lighting The 2011 WISE Summit with the theme of ‘Changing Societies, Changing Education’ was held recently at Qatar National Convention Center in Doha.

Throughout the three-day summit, 1,200 decision makers, practitioners and thought leaders from different sectors shared and debated ideas, discussing new ways to address major challenges and to promote purposeful action.

The event was designed by Auditoire, one of the leading event companies in the region, and TechnoPro provided the lighting

equipment for the summit, calling on their inventory of PR Lighting fixtures. TechnoPro rigged the stage with a combination of 14 x PR XL1200 Spot, 20 x XL1200 Wash and 4 x PR XL700 Wash.

The World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) is dedicated to building the future of education through innovation. This global collaborative initiative was inaugurated in 2009 by Qatar Foundation, under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser. Its mission is to address the challenges facing 21st century education, to expand dialogue around the world and to implement

practical and sustainable solutions. www.pr-lighting.com www.technopro.me

grandMA2 joins Australia Day celebrations “grandMA2 was the appropriate control system to use on this project”, commented Collison. “I could program in 3D using grandMA2 3D and had the rock solid network of grandMA2 for the show. Furthermore I had my main and back-up consoles in the control room and additionally an MA NPU and a grandMA2 onPC system on the barge in the middle of the bay. If there would have been a problem with the fibre, we could still have run the show locally from the barge. All in all, it was a lighting, video, fireworks and laser spectacular. A 26 minute sound track all linked together via SMPTE Timecode culminated the day’s festivities.”

Celebrated annually on 26 January, Australia Day (previously known as Anniversary Day, Foundation Day, and ANA Day) is the official national day of Australia. The date commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove in 1788 and the proclamation at that time of British sovereignty over the eastern seaboard of New Holland. Community festivals, concerts and citizenship ceremonies accompany the day in large and small communities and cities around the nation.

The celebrations in Sydney are always special – like this year in the city’s Darling Harbour.

through the air to the edge of the bay. From there, the fibre dropped to the bottom of the bay and ran out to the barge. Needing a fully redundant system, we had the means to run the show from the main control room, or from the barge itself.”

www.malighting.com

For the show there, lighting designer and video content producer Paul Collison again relied on MA Lighting products. In detail he used 2 x grandMA2 light and 1 x MA NPU (Network Processing Unit) as well as the grandMA2 3D software for previsualisation.

Said Collison: “We had to build an iconic display in the middle of the Darling Harbour bay and needed a concept that could entertain an audience with a specatular show to end the day. Our control room was some 250m away from the barge on which the display was built. We ran fibre for all services

Andrew Walsh worked as producer, Nick Eltis as technical director and Ian Baldwin as well as Ian Anderson as production manager.

Chameleon Touring Systems delivered the lighting equipment. Show Technology is MA Lighting’s distributor in Australia.

markbedson.com

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Kenkaato produces several event ‘firsts’ in Doha Dubai based event production company, Kenkaato, has produced the first ever live public music event to be staged in the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) Park in Doha, Qatar.

The initial concert in a series of music shows planned over the coming months was headlined by Yusuf Islam/Cat Stevens – on his first ever live appearance in the Middle East - and was completely sold out, attracting a capacity audience of 2,800 people including 221 VIPs and senior members of the Qatari Royal Family.

Kenkaato is a fresh new company established

by Sarah Whitmarsh and Daryl Payne to provide imaginative, turnkey, full production solutions for all types of live events. Both Whitmarsh and Payne have extensive experience working on a variety of large scale and high profile productions in the Middle East region.

The company’s brief for the MIA Park show from the Qatar Museums Authority included the provision of complete event production and coordinating all the technical and logistical elements needed to make it happen.

The Museums Authority were especially keen to have a single-source production company putting the show together, giving them just one point of contact.

In addition to this, Kenkaato dealt with all the logistics, artist negotiations, artist liaisons and travel arrangements, both locally and internationally. They also advised on the marketing plan and promotions for the series of concerts, which are intended to become a regular Doha cultural highlight.

Kenkaato’s on-site team in Doha included production manager Chris McDonnell and artist liaison Rebecca Bryant. One of their key beliefs is ensuring that the right people are in the right places for an event, not just to make everything run smoothly and efficiently, but also to create a great atmosphere and working environment.

Whitmarsh and Payne utilised their extensive local and regional contact base to source all aspects needed to stage a successful, groundbreaking show.

Kenkaato themselves designed the site layout, which included a bespoke roof system, with plenty of space and weight loading to be able to accommodate cutting-edge international productions. This was evolved with the help of Ross Cameron and Al Laith Event Services’ Qatar operation, in collaboration with Serious Stages, who engineered the new roof and were on-site for the install. “We wanted to create something unique and completely different to anything that had been seen here before,” explained Whitmarsh.

Specifically, they wanted a construction that would have the right aesthetic impact for the setting and offer all the necessary production facilities. The result was a standard Al Laith stage base with an elegant, separate, skyward pointing, cantilevered tensile roof structure, the look of which is based on classic Arabic arch architecture. At 25 metres wide, it has decent headroom of 14 metres, and an impressive weight loading of up to 32 tonnes and 2 tonnes on the 7-metre rising cantilever.

The seating – also supplied by Al Laith – was integral to the overall site design and has created an intimate ‘enveloping’ space bringing the audience close to the stage, so they can experience a direct communication with the artist and the action.

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The roof is finished with white skins on the outside – specifically designed to be illuminated at night – and black on the inside to reduce glare and reflections bouncing around, and ideal for optimising onstage lighting and video effects. The cantilever was also internally lined in white, allowing another element for light play.

A camera system, PPU and left and right IMAG screens – made from Lighthouse R7 LED were supplied by CT Qatar for the Yusuf Islam show. Lighting and sound came from Creative Communications Group (CCG), Qatar’s leading professional lighting and sound rental company.

For audio, an L-Acoustics Kudo system provided crystal clear quality sound throughout the venue, together with a really expedient profile, and satisfied all the requirements of the artists’ engineers. The lighting included over 50 Clay Paky Alpha series moving heads, assorted conventionals, and was also to the spec of Yusuf Islam’s touring LD. Architectural lighting for the stage and roof structure was designed by Michel Khairallah from CCG, who used Griven Kolorado 4K colour changing wash fixtures to highlight its clear lines and distinctive shaping.

A backstage ‘production village’ included green rooms dressing rooms and production offices, all supplied by De Boer, and the stage and site was powered by two 500 KVA autosynched gennies from Prime Power, overseen

by Steve Ford, who also provided a crew of electricians.

The very specific backline requirements were met by Melody House from Dubai.

Kenkaato’s remit included formulating a traffic plan for VIP transport, bus routes from the park-and-ride and general site crowd management.

Being the first public music event on the site, Kenkaato found themselves creating a ‘scope of the works’ in conjunction with the Museums Authority as the site evolved which enabled contracts to be drawn up and signed.

“We really like working in unusual and challenging spaces, so we were very proud to have the chance to be ‘the first’ in a very special environment and to be able to set standards of excellence to be followed,” said Payne.

Yusuf Islam’s manager, Majid M Hussain, commented after the event, “Yusuf, his band, the Roadsters, and our crew really enjoyed the experience. Everything was made easy, from the technicals to the hospitality and

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that’s what helped make it such a special first show for Yusuf in the Middle East. The stage was fantastic and it was befitting for Yusuf’s repertoire to be out in the open performing his hits.”

The concert was a huge success, and became an instant talking-point in Qatar. “From the beginning, we had a definite look in mind and when all the elements came together, it was exactly what we wanted – beautiful, elegant and worthy of the huge team effort,” said Whitmarsh.

Director of the Museum of Islamic Art, Aisha Al Khater, commented, “The Yusuf Islam concert was talked about all over Qatar as being truly spectacular. As the first major international concert to be held at the Museum of Islamic Art Park, the bar has been set very high and I very much look forward to collaborating with Kenkaato on making the forthcoming series of concerts a major attraction to Doha’s cultural landscape.” www.kenkaato.com

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PR fixtures light TV studios for Qatar National Day Three TV studio tents were installed by TechnoPro llc, with lighting equipment from PR Lighting and trussing from Litec for Doha TV, during the recent Qatar National Day celebrations at Darb-a-Saai, Doha.

As the National Day TV channel, Doha TV took up its makeshift studios in Darb-a-Saai which were used to broadcast a unique set of programmes, by hosting individuals who had significant roles in Darb-a-Saai activities.

They constructed the high impact lighting rig around 22 x PR Lighting XL 1200 spots, 20 x PR Lighting XL700’s, and 46 x PR XLED 590 (each head containing 90 powerful LED’s).

TechnoPro, one of the major suppliers for Qatar National Day, has been servicing the technical needs of the Qatar National Day Organising Committee for three consecutive years now.

This includes professional LED screens, lighting equipment, audio equipment, truss structures and power distribution equipment in various locations during the celebration.

The events production company, based in Dubai, with a branch in Qatar, has a strong presence throughout the Gulf region. www.pr-lighting.com www.technopro.me

Christie illuminates i Light Marina Bay 2012 Christie supported its partner Hexogon Solution Pte Ltd in the latter’s participation as a featured artist in i Light Marina Bay 2012.

The event took place from March 9 to April 1.

Making use of 16 units of Christie’s projectors, the projection by Hexogon Solution covered a total surface area of 30,500 square feet onto the Art Science Museum façade at (Marina Bay Sands), projected from various points across the Marina Bay area - the largest 3D projection mapping ever accomplished in Singapore. Twelve units of Christie Roadster HD20K-J and four units of Christie Roadster HD18K projectors were installed for this three-week long festival.

“Christie was very pleased to be an equipment provider for this unique festival celebrating sustainability and energy efficiency. Care for the environment is one of our key global initiatives in our corporate social responsibility agenda and all Christie’s projectors are designed to be energy-efficient. Our latest J series projectors for example, come with energy saving features such as auto shut-off and eco mode that help to minimise energy consumption and extend the life of both the projector and the lamp,” remarked Lin Yu, vice president, Christie Asia Pacific.

The 3D video projection mapping was accomplished on the surface of the Art Science Museum at Marina Bay Sands, which features a lotus-flower design resembling ten “fingers” anchored by a round base in the middle. “’Garden of Light’ was the title of the video projection on the Art Science Museum at Marina Bay Sands. Besides using digital projectors capable of displaying images in very high resolution and brightness, we also employed a variety of light and sound

effects to tell a story about environmental sustainability and highlight the beauty of the natural world. The outcome was a tantalising visual treat that was appreciated from various vantage points throughout Marina Bay,” explained Adrian Goh, managing director of Hexogon Solution Pte Ltd. According to Jonathan Lim, general manager of Christie Singapore, this was the first time the Christie HD20K-J projector, a compact and rugged digital projector from Christie’s all-new J series, was used for an outdoor 3D projection mapping in Singapore. The Christie Roadster HD20K-J provides superior image performance and quality xenon illumination with full HD resolution and proven 3-chip DLP® technology for the best high definition image.

“In addition, Hexagon used four units of Christie Roadster HD18K projectors for the

‘Garden of Light’ show. The Christie Roadster HD18K projector was used during the last National Parade celebrations in Singapore and features full 1920 by 1080 resolution, providing one of the best HD images anywhere,” Lim noted. i Light Marina Bay is the only light art festival in Asia to advocate the use of energy-efficient lighting technology for a sustainable future.

Visitors to the festival were treated to energyefficient light shows, displays and entertaining performances, workshops and competitions that aim to prompt people to develop a more heightened level of consciousness for a more sustainable lifestyle. The festival was organised by the Urban Redevelopment Authority, Singapore. More information on the festival can be found at www.marina-bay. sg/ilightmarinabay. www.christiedigital.com

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Culture Capital: grandMA2 walks the “Path of Pearls” Bahraini capital, Manama, as Cultural Capital of the Arab World 2012. It is the first time Manama has been selected for this honour since the initiative was launched by the Arab League in 1996, as part of UNESCO’s cultural capitals programme.

With “Path of Pearls”, a musical production that wove Bahrain’s heritage with its modern underpinnings, “Manama, Capital of Arab Culture 2012”, was officially launched.

“Manama, Capital of Arab Culture 2012” is a celebration of programmes and events that will be held throughout 2012 to celebrate the

Eclipse Staging Services from Dubai supplied all the lighting and video equipment. www.malighting.com www.eclipse.ae

“Path of Pearls” was held at the sea front of the Bahrain National Museum. Lighting designer Luc Peumans from Painting with Light, Belgium, specified 1 x grandMA2 fullsize, 1 x grandMA2 light along with 2 x MA NPU (Network Processing Unit) for the show.

For the musical, a large orchestra, 100 dancers plus 9 aerial artists performed on a multi-level stage. The show used the largest low-res LED screen (300sqm) that was ever used in the region.

Sennheiser powers Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival 2012 “It was yet another incredible experience for Sennheiser to support and complement the entire technical crew at this year’s Java Jazz Festival in delivering revolutionary audio systems. The festival line-up was truly worldclass, with a first-rate multi-genre musicians’ line-up. We are delighted to be part of this regional landmark festival for the second year running and I believe we will continue to do so in more festivals to come.” said Ng Chee Soon, President and Managing Director of Sennheiser Asia.

The Manhattan Transfer used Sennheiser SKM 2000 professional wireless handheld microphones for their stage performances

The eighth edition of the Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival was held from 2 to 4 March 2012 at the Jakarta International Expo. This year, the three-day carnival extravaganza featured more than 200 performances over 17 stages. Showstoppers included dazzling performances by internationally renowned artistes such as Stevie Wonder, Pat Methany, Herbie Hancock, Erykah Badu, and the Al Jarreau & George Duke trio. Altogether, there were 168 international and local artistes/groups.

all the Sennheiser bodypack transmitters and in-ear monitors (IEMs) used on stage. 14 channels of Sennheiser evolution wireless 300 IEM G3 systems circulated amongst eight international performing stages involving celebrated artistes like Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, Sheila E and The Manhattan Transfer.

In addition, six channels of Sennheiser 2000 series professional wireless audio systems with the MMD 935 dynamic cardioid microphone capsules were used solely for both concerts by The Manhattan Transfer.

Partnering the festival organiser, PT Java Festival Production, Sennheiser Electronic Asia (Sennheiser Asia) in collaboration with the Sennheiser Global Relations Team, deployed more than 40 channels of wireless RF microphones, monitoring systems, antenna systems, evolution 800 series wired vocal microphones, and 900 series wired instrument microphones on site. The legendary SR 300 IEM monitoring transmitters were installed to ensure unparalleled and reliable RF transmission with

Away from the main festival grounds, the official festival hotel also presented a special jamming stage exclusively for a harmonious get-together by all performing musicians.

The mini stage was supported with a pair of K-array Redline KR400 speakers together with Sennheiser evolution wireless SKM 335 and SKM 345 G3 handheld microphones.

Sennheiser evolution 800 series vocal microphones and evolution 900 series instrument microphones were also used.

Reflecting on the use of Sennheiser microphone technology and K-array speaker systems for the festival, Dewi A.L. Gontha (Ms.), President Director of PT Java Festival Production, the festival organiser, commented, “This year, the support we received from Sennheiser was tremendous. Working with the Sennheiser team and partners once again has given us the guarantee of good audio quality at the festival. The amount of equipment supported was substantial and we are thrilled to welcome more of Sennheiser’s involvement in our upcoming festivals.” www.sennheiserasia.com

Stevie Wonder and Maurice Brown performing with Sennheiser microphones and K-array speakers at the hotel jamming stage.

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Opera on Sydney Harbour a resounding success with help from Norwest Productions mixes for the orchestra. As well as the technical side of the job, he also had much human interaction as the majority of the performers had never used in-ear monitors before. John spent a lot of time getting the confidence of the cast to make them all happy.

Several weeks of rehearsals provided the performer’s familiarity with in-ear monitors.

The twelve principals have custom moulds by Ear Monitors Australia and the forty chorusmembers rely on Shure SE115 earphones.

When Opera Australia’s fearless artistic director Lyndon Terracini announced that he would be staging an open-air opera on Sydney Harbour there was much skepticism from opera buffs who furiously pursed their lips in anticipation of a production disaster.

It was clear from the outset that enormous technical and logistical challenges would have to be overcome to make the event a success - in particular the sound quality with opera purists lining up to criticize an operatic performance that utilised radio microphones and amplification.

Fortunately this open-air production of Verdi’s La Traviata has opened to much acclaim by critics and whilst Brian Thomson’s open, sloping, diamond-shaped stage with its scene-stealing 9m x 9m crystal chandelier has grabbed initial attention, the sound quality has been universally praised.

microphones picking up the full colour of the score from the orchestra and revealing extra detail in the vocals.

The main PA is an Adamson main line array consisting of six Y18 and four Y10 boxes flown either side of the stage with directional cardioid subwoofers positioned on a deck to deliver the low end. As the PA towers are 60m apart, a stack of three Y18 boxes are positioned at each side of the stage for additional fill.

Infill for the middle front is delivered by a pair of Y10 boxes, in a left/right arrangement in front of the stage with a pair of subwoofers positioned in front of the sea wall, and time delayed.

At Tony’s finger tips is a 96-channel Digidesign D-Show console using a variety of inbuilt plugins plus additional reverbs and effects taking place outboard on a MacPro and a TC System6000 reverb unit. To assist in the limited rehearsal period a 96ch Pyramix multitrack record system was used so that virtual sound checks could take place without the talent being present and this also helped tidy up scene changes which were in excess of one hundred and sixty five.

Norwest spent three days testing, commissioning, equalising and time aligning the system with a combination of Smaart 7, recorded music and a few keen ears.

Sound designer Tony David Cray, along with the team from audio provider Norwest Productions, has pulled off a fantastic coup with well-balanced sound engineering. The result is a lush soundscape that is an expertly mixed blend of instruments and voice with

Monitor engineer John Watterson, who mixed on a Digico D5T audio console probably had the hardest job of the event with sixteen individual in-ear monitor mixes, six monitor loudspeaker mixes and sixteen sub group

DPA 4060 omni directional head worn microphones were the microphone of choice due to their outstanding performance in windy conditions. The two microphones on each principal performer are split into a Rational Acoustics Smaart 7 sound system measurement system, so that Norwest can check that each of the two DPA microphones is performing to specification prior to each performance.

Norwest’s radio-supremo Steve Caldwell monitored and measured the frequency spectrum. There are over 60 RF channels in use, consisting of 45 channels of Shure UR series radio mic in use spread across two adjoining bands. Added to that are sixteen transmit channels of Sennheiser IEM furnishing fifty-two receive packs. All radio microphone receivers are fed from a single pair of newly released high-performance tapered helical antennas from RFVenue, and IEM transmitters are fed through two custom weatherproof stainless log-periodic antennas.

Both antenna systems have been designed to withstand the salt water and outdoor weather conditions. The system is monitored closely during all performances due to the somewhat hostile RF environment in this area.

“Working with Norwest has been an absolute treat, they have been awesome,” commented Tony David Cray. “They were chosen for this project because of their event experience and we knew that the project would present challenges that are quite different to normal theatre work. We were correct in making that choice as everything has been fantastic.” www.norwest productions.com

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L-Acoustics line array systems power up the Future Music Festival Asia 2012

Headlining act, Flo Rida, performed with a Sennheiser evolution wireless 100 G3 handheld microphone on the Future Stage, supported with L-Acoustics KUDO speaker systems.

Future Music Festival Asia 2012 took place at the Sepang International Circuit in Kuala Lumpur on 17 March this year with over 50 acts and a massive crowd of more than 30,000 people. The performing groups included The Chemical Brothers, Flo Rida, Pendulum and many more. The one day event showcased the industry-leading L-Acoustics line array

systems and Sennheiser evolution wireless G3 100 series microphones on all four performance stages. They were provided by the event’s official sound, light and stage producer, Digital Aid Sdn Bhd, together with local L-Acoustics rental partner, Orange Events Sdn Bhd.

Digital Aid Sdn Bhd supplied 18 cabinets of KUDO systems, coupled with 12 SB28 subwoofers and nine sets of LA8 amplified controllers. They were set up on the main stage, also known as the Future Stage. An additional four 112P co-axial speakers, eight KARA cabinets, and two SB218 subwoofers fulfilling the purpose of side fills, were supplied by Orange Events Sdn Bhd. On the Flamingo stage, the front-of-house was made up of the KUDO line source speaker systems, which comprised of 18 KUDO cabinets and 12 SB28 subwoofers. The Escape stage consisted of the L-Acoustics KARA system with four cabinets per side. The equipment for the Flamingo stage was also supplied by Orange Events Sdn Bhd. On the fourth stage, Las Venus, the L-Acoustics V-DOSC system was showcased with ARCS speakers as the frontof-house system. www.l-acoustics.com

Clay Paky Sharpy lights up the stars of Anugerah Skrin The Putra World Trade Center (PWTC) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, was treated to some serious star power as veteran artists, rising stars and the hottest celebrities gathered to celebrate the best in local film industry. Held in November last year, this event marked a significant moment in the local entertainment industry as it recognized and honored the best talent in the film and drama sectors. The event was nothing short of class, glitz and glamour as the creative theme of Golden Glamour was utilized to sinful perfection to reflect the golden glam of the movie era.

Mubari Sound Light Sdn. Bhd. to install and manage the lighting and audio systems that night. For the lighting system, Siswa Azmi (also known as Ajun in the entertainment industry) and his two brothers Syaiful Rasyidi and Syaiful Nizam from Mubari Sound Light Sdn. Bhd. unanimously picked the prominent Italian pro-stage lighting brand, Clay Paky, to illuminate the breathtaking stage. “For a prestigious event like this, we will usually go for the best brand available. For me, Clay Paky is one of the most flexible and reliable brands out there”

Golden Glamour is all about the way the event was presented to the audience. From the red carpet area up until the stage, all props emitted a wave of glittering and sparkling wash to dazzle the audience and exude a sense of refined taste and quality nostalgia reminiscing the Golden Age of cinema.

For the main stage, a total of 96 moving heads were used. Out of the total, 76 units were Clay Paky products. These include 28 units of Clay Paky SHARPY, 28 units of Clay Paky Alpha Beam 300 and 20 units of Clay Paky Alpha Beam 700. “Clay Paky is among the pioneers of the intelligence lighting field. Thus, it is not surprising to see Clay Paky being utilized in various prestigious live television programs in Malaysia. Apart from small footstep and feathery weight, it requires very little energy from the generator source to power up the system. Indirectly, more money can be saved since it uses a smaller generator,” explained Azmi .

Since the night was about glamour in gold, TV3 lighting designer Mohd Haizollizam Yusof and lighting programmer Mohd Muliyadi Abas designed the lighting fixtures to throw a warm yellowish hue to the stage to make it livelier and more coherent to the theme. As a result, the stage was a sight to behold and a befitting arena to crown the best talent in the industry.

For this event, Malaysia’s Number One freeto-air broadcasting station, TV3, awarded the job to one of its rental collaborators,

On his choice of using the Clay Paky SHARPY for this event, he responded, “Every time I look at a SHARPY, I can’t help but to have the words ‘lighting sword’ bubbling in my head. It is the perfect definition of a sharp, strong and bright

lighting instrument. In our culture, we have a traditional idiom that goes like this: ‘kecil-kecil cili padi’. It characterizes something that is small in size but big in power and character.

In more ways than one, SHARPY is the exact epitome of cili padi – small, lightweight and consumes the least power. However, when it comes to pure power, it can easily blow up its much bigger siblings, the Beam 700 and Beam 300. That’s how powerful this small fellow can be. Apart from that, the lens and reflector technology in SHARPY are by far the most advanced I have ever seen.”

“Feedback received is very encouraging and we are glad we did a splendid job for Anugerah Skrin. With 60 in-house full-time staff, we believe we have enough manpower and brain to ensure everything works to perfection.

Most of our crew have been involved in the entertainment industry for more than 8 years. Vast experience is the main advantage when we need to be a step ahead of our competitors,” concludes Azmi. www.mubari.com.my

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The Phantom appears in Jakarta The Phantom of the Opera made its grand performance in Indonesia in February and March 2012 after touring the world for the last ten years and setting the world’s weekly box office record.

The Phantom of the Opera is the first international musical production Jakarta has seen in a long time. Produced by the Joyce Agency Of New York City and promoted by Big Daddy Entertainment, the show was staged at the intimate Nusa Indah Theatre Hall and was reinforced by a Turbosound Flex Array sound system supplied by Indonesia’s biggest audio rental company, Sumber Ria. Turbosound’s Flex Array met all of the production needs necessary to qualify for the project including sound quality, efficiency and multiple configuration capability. The TFA-600H three-way mid-high provides high SPL with moderate amplification and has a small visual footprint which worked well for this event.

According to Paul Schmidt of Entertainment Engineering, the design engineer and production FOH engineer, the show presented several production challenges which Sumber Ria made an exceptional job of overcoming.

“As Indonesia had never had a show of this type before it was a big learning curve for all involved,” admits Schmidt as he explained the intricately detailed audio configuration.

Paul Schmidt

“The system was designed in a 7.1 configuration, and comprised of 112 inputs on stage, orchestra and house microphones, as well as all the miscellaneous inputs. In total there were 22 head-worn E6 mics with 24 channels of wireless beltpacks worn by the performers, and for the orchestra and miscellaneous needs, about 15 SM57s, 30 AKG D40s, 2 SM81s and a few others here and there.”

The main FOH left-centre-right speaker system was all Turbosound: eight TFA-600H Flex Array mid/highs and four TFA-600L Flex Array subs for left main PA, the same configuration for right main PA, and six TFA-600H Flex Array mid/highs in the centre. Four TSW-218 double 18” subwoofers provided the low frequencies.

When it came to rigging the PA, it turned out that the roof couldn’t support more than 500kg per point, which ruled out suspending from it, and so a ground support system was

devised. “The entire grid system over the stage was an amazing feat to say the least,” says Schmidt. “I really don’t think I can truly reflect in words the amount of work the locals did to make this happen - they were without a doubt some of the hardest working people I have ever had the pleasure of working with!”

“Turbosound was perfect for this application and room size,” he confirmed. “I never had a single complaint, and only got the thumbs up every night. I enjoyed mixing on the Turbosound rig and would do it again any time. I’m a long time Turbosound user, so I know what it has always done in the past.

When the Turbosound gear showed up on the dock and the audio contractor asked me if it would do... all I could do was smile and motion them in to the lift!” www.sumber-ria.com www.promediasolution.com www.entertainmentengineering.biz

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The K Family didn’t become the #1-selling line of loudspeakers* in the U.S. just by showing up to the party. Like you, we’re where we are today as a result of hard work, continuous improvement, and a deep understanding that every performance matters. When you do things right, people notice and you earn their business. No shortcuts. It sounds so simple, doesn’t it?

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