Entertainment Technology Asia September-October 2012 by Spinworkz Pte Ltd

September - October 2012

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

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IIFA 2012 mixes glitz and glamour with technology Johnannes Huth shares his thoughts about EV PALME Thailand preview

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FIRST WORDS

CONTENTS

VOL 13 ISSUE 5

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

NEWS 08

Essential news from the industry

ENNOVATIONS 48

A round-up of new products in the market

Better margins ahead for Rental & Staging Companies? The biggest bug bear for most rental & staging companies is to ensure that their inventory is amortized effectively so as to ensure profitability and good returns on investments. Without doubt most early adopters of the latest sound, light and visual solutions introduced by the manufacturers tend to be rental & staging companies. This also means most of the times a huge cash outlay and getting their new inventory to be quickly deployed to earn back the cash outlay at the shortest possible time.

EXHIBITION REVIEW

I am sure, recent technology advancements are a breath of fresh air for these companies as they fight to keep their companies profitable and at the same time offer the latest solutions for their clients. LED lighting fixtures for instance ensure longer lamp life which instantly means that the lights can be deployed over a longer period of time. But there are other exciting technologies that have been introduced recently that bring advantage to rental & staging companies.

MANAGEMENT PERSPECTIVES

Take Nexo’s STM speakers as an example. Being modular they allow companies to start off at a comfortable level and add on additional cabinets when they need to without needing to overhaul their inventory. The fact that the STM systems are also able to work with other cabinets from Nexo, makes it that much more desirable. The other would be the recently introduced Barco’s 'light on demand' projectors. By being able to “tune” the projector according to the specific need of an event, rental & staging companies can charge clients accordingly and at the same time save lamp life. There have been many occasions when a higher lumens system have been deployed just to get the contract. Size matters as well. Systems are taking less real estate place. The DiGiCo and Midas consoles are perfect examples. Being able to do a competent job with a smaller equipment means saving truck space, which at times means less trucks on the road thus saving fuel. Not to forget lighter speaker cabinets, which means saving time and manpower to set up systems; working with systems that are able to run with a Cat-5 cable, meaning less cables taking up space; lighter and stronger truss systems and the list goes on. These plethora of new technology advancements, should augur well for the rental & staging companies as it would mean better returns on their investments. I am also certain we are going to continue to see solutions that will evolve to the benefit of the industry as a whole. Thomas Richard Prakasam Publisher / Editorial Director thomas@spinworkz.com

SLV Expo 2012

EXHIBITION PREVIEW 56

PALME / INSTALL Thailand gears up

Johannes Huth, Director-Product Marketing, Bosch Security (Southeast Asia)

Sriram Sistla, Harkness’s India & SAARC Sales Director

LIVE 62

Carmen at Masada – The Return of the Grand Spectacle

Hippotizers at Hong Kong corporate event

Medialon at the “Big-O” Show

IIFA 2012 mixes glitz and glamour with technology

Showtecgroup and Midas at Fort Canning Green

Christie and WATCHOUT at Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea

dBTechnologies at Taman Tasik Titiwangsa

Laservision celebrates Hong Kong’s 15th Anniversary

PR Lighting arrives on Maldive Islands

INSTALL 78

Honeysuckle Hotel chooses Bosch for sound

Optocore for Tokyu Theatre Orb

Educating with d&b at Oxley College

Electro-Voice at Studio 169

Fuzion installs high end solutions for sub-urban venue

E&E Systems India powers Turquoisue lounge bar

Martin and Show Technology make their mark at Marquee

L-ACOUSTICS KARA settles in at Tokyo Concert Hall

Martin lights up Sub-Zero Ice Skate rinks

Publisher/Editorial Director Thomas Richard : thomas@spinworkz.com | Writer Rosalind Tan : rosalind@spinworkz.com | Admin & Circulation Julie Tan : admin@spinworkz.com | India & ME Editor Ram Bhavanashi | Design & Productions By Jimmy Chin : jimmy@spinworkz.com | Printed By : Print & Print Pte Ltd Published By SPINWORKZ PTE LTD 51 Bukit Batok Crescent #06-10 Unity Centre Singapore 658077 | Tel: (65) 6316 2716 | Fax: (65) 63162715 | www.spinworkz.com Disclaimer Entertainment Technology Asia is published 6 times a year. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine is to be reproduced, whether mechanical or electronic without the prior written consent of the publisher. Views expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect those of the editor or the publisher. Unsolicited contributions are welcome but the editor reserves the discretion to use them. Whilst every care is taken to ensure the accuracy and honesty in both editorial and advertising content at press time, the publisher will not be liable for any inaccuracies.

NEWS

The PA People install JBL, Crown and Shure at Skoda Stadium with extreme weather protection treatment. JBL PD5212/64WRC speakers, designed for applications requiring high output capability with excellent pattern control, and JBL AM7315/95 speakers were used as end firing boxes, with the AM7315/95 boxes firing a little shorter than the PD 5212/64WRC boxes so all of the ground and seating around the scoreboard are covered. Additionally, 78 JBL Control 29AV surfacemount speakers are used for under fill and also the concourses.

Skoda Stadium North-West Stand with Clusters

Australia: The Sydney Showground’s Main Arena at Sydney Olympic Park has been transformed into a 24,000 seat Skoda Stadium, the AFL’s newest venue. Designed by Populous, and funded by the NSW Government, Royal Agricultural Society and the AFL – the AUD $65 million stadium comprises two new grandstands built onto

its existing infrastructure. The northwest side grandstand also hosts new coach’s boxes, broadcast rooms and a massive scoreboard. Each new grandstand at Skoda Stadium houses four main PA clusters comprising of a JBL AM7315/95 high power 3-way fullrange loudspeaker, an AL7115 WRC sub and an AM7212 WRC rear firing speaker – all

Robe shines bright at Mnet Studio South Korea: Robe moving lights have been installed in the E&M TV studio in Seoul, Korea, which is dedicated to producing music shows – both pre-recorded and live – for the MNet broadcasting network’s 24-hour music channel. The studio is owned and operated by CJ Entertainment & Media.

that their television customers are really appreciating functions like hot spot control and in the case of the MMX, the amazing animation/gobo wheels and also the on-board wireless remote access. Fast, smooth movement is another key feature, together with brightness.

The Robes – 30 ROBIN MMX Spots, 24 ROBIN 100 LEDBeams and 8 ColorBeam 2500E ATs were specified by Choi Jae Woo, owner of rental company RGB, and supplied by Robe’s Korean distributor, ArtTech Lighting Co. Ltd.

All lightings are operated using a grandMA2 full size console.

RGB has been using the Robe brand for 10 years and recognizes the reliability and creative potential of the products. Jae Woo comments, “After ten years of experience using Robe in all types of scenarios and applications, I can honestly say that their products stay ahead of the rest on reliability and innovative features, and the current ROBIN series is no exception. These luminaires were the perfect choice for the studio.” ArtTech Lighting’s Yoon Dae In explained

“The Voice Korea” will be one of many major shows to benefit from the new Robe installation. www.robe.cz

Shure ULXP Wireless Microphone Systems and Shure PSM900 Personal Monitor Systems were chosen to offer compares and pre-game entertainers durable products that deliver the highest-quality sound. The PSM 900 Personal Monitor System gives users an unprecedented combination of excellent audio quality, robust radio frequency (RF) performance, and industry-leading features for the most demanding professional applications. Shure’s ULXP Wireless Microphone Systems also delivered uncompromising sound, even under the pressures of the most extreme environments like a professional sports stadium. www.jands.com.au

NEWS

Showtec adds MSX 48 to their ARX inventory This year Showtec's Audio System will feature 32 replay tracks from a Pro Tools HD system and 36 channels of Shure UHF-R radio mics mixed for FOH on an Avid Venue D-Show console (96ch in , 32 chs out) feeding a d&b FOH System consisting of 64 x J-8s and 32 J-SUBs powered by D-12 Amplifiers. Monitors Mixer duties are to be provided by an Avid Venue Profile console (94ch in , 40 chs out) feeding 40 Sennheiser IEMs from 12 transmitters. Showtec's Audio Production Manager Chandra Mohan explained that all ProTools tracks, Radio Mics and Line Level signals are being split via their seven units of MSX 48 Mic / Line Splitters. (L-R): Monitor Engineer Muhd Nurhisham bin Sidekand and FOH Engineer Danny Lee Keng Seng with Showtec's 64 Ch MSX 48 Splitter Rack

Singapore: Showtec Communications has added 3 units of ARX MSX 48 16 Channel Mic / Line Splitter to their existing ARX inventory bringing their total MSX 48 channel count up to 112.

The first outing for Showtec's expanded MSX 48 Splitter Racks was part of the feature celebrations for Singapore's 47th National Day, held at The Float @ Marina Bay, Singapore on August 9, 2012.

Founded in 1992, Singapore-based production company Showtec's extensive regional coverage now includes branch offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok. www.arx.com.au

Brad Schiller named new Philips Vari-Lite Product Marketing Manager International: In a move to strengthen its Sales and Marketing operations, Philips Vari-Lite has named Brad Schiller as their new Product Marketing Manager. With over 25 years of experience in the automated lighting industry, Schiller will oversee the development of the complete line of Philips Vari-Lite automated luminaires while also operating as a key contact for lighting dealers, designers and end-users worldwide. “We are extremely excited to bring in a Product Marketing Manager of Brad’s caliber,” said Bob Schacherl, Philips Vari-Lite Vice President of Worldwide Sales and Marketing.

Brad Schiller

“Through his established knowledge and expertise in the industry, Brad understands the legacy and quality of our product line and we feel confident that he will continue the work before him to build our global brand even stronger.”

Highlights of his programming and design work include the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies, 68th Annual Academy Awards, MTV Music Video Awards, Metallica, The Smashing Pumpkins, and numerous corporate events.

With extensive experience as a programmer, designer, manufacturer, and support specialist, Schiller was previously a Product Marketing Manager at High End Systems where he was involved with product development including Wholehog consoles as well as digital and automated luminaires.

He is also the author of The Automated Lighting Programmer's Handbook and a featured columnist in Projection Lights & Staging News (PLSN).

I wanted to be,” stated Schiller. “As a programmer and designer, I have enjoyed working with VARI-LITE automated luminaires. They’re known for their consistency and quality, and I look forward to continuing that tradition while overseeing the future development of the complete product family during a long career with Philips VariLite.” www.vari-lite.com

“When I was presented with the opportunity to join Philips Vari-Lite, I knew this was where

THE Sky IS NO LIMIT As tall as you wish, as powerful as you wish, as flexible as you wish! The new VERTUS active line array is a skyscraper of sounds, ideal for live performances and also fixed installations

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NEWS

Christie inspires Indonesian business community with compelling 3D projection mapping and Christie MicroTiles

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Indonesia: Christie MicroTiles were used for the Jakarta Governor Elections at RCTI TV station under the TV programme ‘Laporan khusus pilkada DKI jakarta di Program seputar Indonesia’, as well as the Grand Final of Indonesia Idol 2012.

Full-range, 12-inch, two-way, bi-amplified speaker system, equipped with two Class-D amplifiers (900W EIAJ) and controlled by the newest Montarbo® DSP processor which provides FIR filtering (Parallel Processing FIR alorithm) in order to provide our customers worldwide with the best solution. HF driver with a 1” throat and a 1,4” voice coil. Wide dispersion (80°Hx60°V) constant directivity horn. Cascode Conversion for Dynamic Extension. Cabinet in birch plywood. 100% made in Italy. You gotta listen to how it sounds.

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Christie also presented a compelling 3D projection mapping demonstration using two Christie projectors in Jakarta with its partner Hitecindo Kharisma (M) Sdn Bhd (HIKA). Argo Visual Omega Prima, HIKA’s rental partner – owner of the first two Christie Roadster HD20K-J projectors in Indonesia – and PT V2 Indonesia, HIKA’s Christie MicroTiles master dealer who acquired the first MicroTiles in Indonesia, supported the event. The event attracted more than 200 representatives of the Indonesian business community. “Through our entertainment solutions partner, PT. Megatech Engineering, Christie is highly recognized for its superb performance in the digital cinema market in Indonesia. Our success is especially remarkable with the deployment of 100 4K digital cinema projectors, Christie CP4220 and Christie CP4230, in Cinema 21, the largest cinema chain in Indonesia,” mentioned Lin Yu, Vice President, Christie Asia Pacific. “To further extend our footprint in Indonesia, we are showcasing our suite of solutions for business application in Indonesia for the first time. Through

this event, we are demonstrating our competence in delivering end-to-end projection solutions.” “With an established network of business associates in Jakarta, HIKA understands its needs and priorities. By partnering with industry veteran Christie, we are committed to bringing the latest visual technologies to meet their business demand to provide powerful visual communications to the Indonesian audiences,” commented C K Lum, General Manager of HIKA. Taking the multi-dimensional surface of the building exterior architectural structure into consideration, two Christie Roadster HD20K-J projectors were deployed for projection mapping onto its upper and lower levels. The projectors delivered exceptional image quality that wowed the audience. Level D and Yi studio, Aptronim Team, and Eightniq Production provided projection-mapping content. The representatives were also captivated by the brightness and image quality of the Christie MicroTiles array. Leveraging the strengths of both DLP® projection and Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology, Christie MicroTiles offer substantially brighter images and a much wider color palette than conventional flat panel LCD and plasma displays. www.christiedigital.com

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NEWS

Bosch Communications Systems holds first EASE training in Middle East and Africa

13 participants attended Bosch Communications Systems’ EASE training in Dubai

Dubai: Bosch Communications Systems recently held a three-day training programme on the theory and use of EASE acoustic simulation and measurement software from July 15th to 17th in Dubai, UAE.

place at the Robert Bosch Middle East’s training facilities in Dubai.

The event was organized by the regional office of Bosch Communications Systems in conjunction with Ahnert Feistel Media Group (AFMG).

“The EASE training was part of our local system design training academies – and we clearly hit the spot. All participants were very committed; we received outstanding feedback and were very pleased with the superb and cooperative atmosphere on all three days.”

Attended by 13 participants ranging from Egypt to Oman, the training was the first of its kind in the region for Electro-Voice and DYNACORD partners. The three-day course, hosted by AFMG’s trainer Paul Malpas, took

“The demand for training in the Middle East is generally very high”, says Tony Sawyer, MEA Technical Support Manager.

www.electrovoice.com

First Avolites Sapphire Touch in Malaysia sold to RB Sound & Light

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

www.acousticlighting.com

Malaysia: RB Sound & Light took the distinction of being the first company in Malaysia to add the Avolites Sapphire Touch to its inventory. The KL based rental & staging company is no stranger to Avolites as the company has in its inventory almost the full range of Avolite consoles except for Tiger Touch. According to Concept Associates (KL) Sdn Bhd, the company that sold the system to RB Sound & Light, the company was attracted to the Sapphire Touch features such as the two touch screens, the 45 motorised faders and the onboard 8 DMX output.

RB Sound and Light is delighted to get its hands on the Sapphire Touch as it would help enable them to up the ante for the many local concerts, corporate and broadcast events that they are involved in. www.conceptaudio.com.my

NEWS

Sennheiser gains inroads to Cambodia professional market with technical seminar

Cambodia: Sennheiser held their first professional audio seminar in collaboration with Soheto Cambodia Ltd, their official distributor for professional audio products in Cambodia, at the Ministry of Information on 18 July 2012. The seminar received tremendous support from the Minister of Information, His Excellency Khieu Kanarith who attended the full 3 hour session. “We are very much honored to have the Minister himself extending such great support for the seminar. We will continue to work closely together with the Ministry to contribute to the development of the professional audio infrastructure in Cambodia,” said Ng Chee Soon, President and Managing Director of Sennheiser Electronic Asia Pte Ltd.

solutions to the industry. As part of Sennheiser’s progressive effort to help end customers maintain with the industry’s continual technical advancements, the seminar covered both the theory and practical aspects of RF engineering with wireless microphone systems. Participants learnt the basic principles of RF engineering and its field applications in multi-channel live sound settings, and discovered best practices for live sound setup of wireless microphones and in-ear monitors. The seminar also created the opportunity for local industry players to be acquainted with Sennheiser Asia’s Cambodia professional distributor, Soheto Cambodia Ltd. www.sennheiserasia.com

www.acousticlighting.com

The half day seminar was attended by over 140 participants from numerous broadcast stations, rental companies, production houses, and government as well as system integrators. The seminar aimed to introduce the Sennheiser brand as well as the availability of Sennheiser’s professional audio products and

NEWS

Apex Audio appoints Dream Sound as new South Korea distributor South Korea: Audio processor manufacturer Apex Audio has appointed Dream Sound, one of the country’s major equipment supply companies, as its distributor in the region. Established a decade ago, the Seoulbased company services a wide range of productions from live concerts to major corporate events to supplying equipment and installations including theatres, schools, railway stations and other public buildings. “Dream Sound is one of the highest profile audio companies in South Korea and we are very pleased to appoint them as our distributor in the region,” says Apex Marketing Manager, Jeroen Sierjacobs. “We are looking forward to work closely with them to bring the benefits of our processors to the country’s venues and live events.” www.apex-audio.eu

WORK to provide EASE data files to its customers International: Spanish brand WORK has recently released the first EASE data files (.gll format) available for its products. EASE data files group useful information, which is crucial to evaluating and predicting acoustic performance in a determined area. Loudspeakers’ dispersion has also been precisely measured thanks to an anechoic chamber, using as much points of reference around the loudspeaker as possible.

These EASE files can be downloaded from the Equipson website (www.equipson.es) and the AFMG database (http://www.afmg. eu). Users who update their loudspeakers library will automatically get them. The loudspeakers and ceiling speakers include NEO 3, NEO 4, NEO 5 and 5A, NEO 6 and 6A, NEO 8, RCS 001, RCS 002, RCS 003, IC 50 T, IC 60 T, IC 80 T, IC4 PRO and IC6 PRO. www.afmg.eu

www.acousticlighting.com

www.pr-lighting.com

NEWS

JPJ Audio invests in HARMAN’s Crown Audio VRACK for Live Sound Applications “VRack ensures an optimum power match for all VERTEC models combined with uncompromised sound quality. Given its versatility, it can be used on VERTEC one day and then a monitor rack the next day,” he adds. As soon as JPJ Audio’s VRACKs arrived, they were put to work on the Lenny Kravitz Black & White tour mixed by Laurie Quigley. The PA system consisted of JBL VERTECs; 12 deep on the mains and nine deep on the sides with 12 subs a side and eight subs in the center. The JBL VERTEC was driven by 12 VRACKs, six a side situated behind the subs on side left and stage right. Australia: JPJ Audio has taken delivery of 26 HARMAN Crown Audio VRACKs, an amplifier management rack system solution. The VRACK features three built-in Crown I-Tech 12000HD amplifiers, providing an easy-to-configure, plug-and-play solution that eliminates the need to build amplifier racks. Designed to work in conjunction with JBL VERTEC®, VRX and AE series loudspeakers, the system’s modular design is highly scalable and is designed to meet the needs of both small and large sound systems.

“We purchased the Crown VRACKs and replaced all our existing amplifiers that were driving our JBL VERTEC line arrays,” explained Jim Straw, CEO of JPJ Audio. “It gives us a new, lightweight packaged amplifier solution as well as access to the new JBL V5 VERTEC presets. It was the way other companies around the world were heading and so we decided to push VERTEC forward again and change the amplifiers. The decision to purchase was driven primarily by the presets.”

“The VRACKs worked really well on the Australian tour and I was extremely happy with the sound quality,” Laurie states. “The VRACKs are very versatile; you can do whatever you want with regards to turning certain amps up or down. We had a good sound system, good crew, good company. The gear is only as good as the company that preps it and only as good as the crew that puts it in the air.” www.harman.com

Our Own English High School goes digital with Allen & Heath Sharjah: Our Own English High School in Sharjah, UAE, has upgraded the sound system in its auditorium from Allen & Heath analogue to iLive digital control. The school was previously using an Allen & Heath analogue console. For the upgrade, they opted for an iLive-T112 Control Surface and iDR-64 MixRack, supplied by local distributor VV & Sons and installed by Crown Star Technology (LLC). The iLive is located in the main control room, connected via an AH 700 Cat-5 digital snake to the mixrack, which is placed on stage. The portability of the system is a major benefit to the school. “The auditorium technician is very happy as he can shift the mixer to any location without hassle thanks to the AH 700 Cat-5 digital snake,” noted Crown Star Technology’s technical manager, Sabu John. www.allen-heath.com

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NEWS

PALM Expo 2013 delivers gateway to an estimated buying power of more than USD 500 million.

At PALM Expo 2012, David Mackinney, Senior Director of Operations, Harman Professional India busy interacting with customers at the booth.

India: Driven by a sterling demographic dividend, continuing structural reform and globalization, India is poised to accelerate its growth rate to 9-9.5% over 2013-15. This has prompted the belief that India will be the world's fastest growing economy by 201315. The GDP growth in India has averaged 6.2% annually over the past 30 years. During this period, India's GDP grew seven times to $1.2 trillion. India has also been constantly registering a steady growth with huge investments through FDI. It recorded investments worth US$46.84 billion in 20112012 which is a significant 34.4% increase from the US$34.84 billion recorded in 20102011. The Indian Media & Entertainment industry is anticipated to touch US$ 25.51 billion by 2016 (forecasted by a recent report from KPMG) thus registering a CAGR of 15%. Prime reasons for this forecasted growth is strong consumptions in Tier 2 and 3 cities, sustainable growth in regional media and the ever increasing new media business. Others include the rising infrastructure growth, India's economic and industrial position in markets across the world and recently, the possibility of successful world class events that has resulted to better infrastructural outlays. India also recently recorded over 500 million people under the age of 25, and favourable demographics coupled with rising disposable

income acts as a catalyst to these youngsters who persuasively spend on leisure and entertainment. Substantially with a cumulative annual growth and an invasive evolution in the middle class, India has witnessed an invigorated upsurge in investments made by International companies, especially from US and Western Europe, who are now focusing on expanding their brand and business in this ever growing economy. All of these factors have also triggered the favoured growth in the Pro Audio, Pro Sound, Pro Lighting, Pro AV and Music Production industries as well. A crucial factor fuelling the growth of these segments is consumer and end-user-led spending in a gamut of entertainment options. The exposure to international standards of entertainment, latest in international technology, infrastructure growth, and availability of varied entertainment options aggravated with increasing market competition has increased the demand for high performance professional equipment. With more than 300 hotels across major international brands expected to come up in India by 2012, coupled with a number of stadiums, multiplexes, amphitheatres and auditoriums projected to be built in next 3 4 years and more entertainment destinations like the Kingdom of Dreams, theme parks, concert venues, elite shopping malls and

office spaces with world class facilities, the Indian Pro Audio, Lighting, Pro AV and Music Production industries are all set to roar its multilevel growth in the coming few years. Playing an extremely crucial role in driving this growth is the PALM Expo, Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s foremost and undisputed and internationally reputed exposition for the Pro sound, Lighting, Music production, Musical instruments and Pro AV industry. The Expo is an amalgamation of creative & technical talent, trade and quality business networking, and was envisaged as a platform to deliver enhanced business opportunities within the Indian market. The Expo showcases products across all categories in the pro audio, pro sound, pro AV, lighting, broadcast and music production segments. The show witnesses the participation from heavy-weights of pro audio like Harman Professional, Sennheiser, Loud Technologies, Music Group, QSC, DiGiCo, TC Group, Avid, Genelec and many more, who re-affirm their commitment & dedication to the Indian market. At the same time, major lighting brands like Clay Paky, Robe, Martin Professional, Zero88, SGM, PR Lighting, Avolites, DTS, etc and much more also participate with great enthusiasm and zeal. The show also boasts of world class features across its agenda that fulfils almost every expectation of the extremely diverse visitor

FINALLY, DIGITAL WIRELESS BREAKS THE DIGITAL SOUND BARRIER Introducing Shure ULX-D™ Digital Wireless. With unmatched RF spectrum efficiency, transparent 24-bit digital audio, and intelligent, scalable hardware, ULX-D™ is the clear breakthrough in wireless performance. Learn more about the next generation of digital wireless audio at www.shure.com/asia SYSTEM FEATURES AUDIO • 24-bit/48 kHz transparent digital audio • 20 Hz – 20 kHz frequency range • > 120 dB dynamic range • Wide selection of trusted Shure Microphones RF • Up to 72 MHz overall tuning range (region dependent) • Up to 17 active transmitters in one 6 MHz TV channel • High Density mode greatly increases number of channels • Rock-solid signal stability over the entire range • Optimized scanning selects the cleanest frequencies available

HARDWARE • Single, Dual and Quad receiver form factors • AES 256-bit encryption for secure wireless transmission • Ethernet networking for streamlined setup ® • Wireless Workbench 6 Software • AMX/Crestron control • Rugged metal housing on both transmitters and receiver • Dante™ digital networked audio • Advanced Shure rechargeability options • Bodypack Frequency Diversity

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Join us at booth E01 at Houses of Worship Technologies Asia on 4-6 October 2012 at The Marina Bay Sands.

NEWS L’Acoustic partnership announcement. For our Live Mixing Workshop also the feedback was very positive. Last but not the least, our MI Sales order booking was the highest compared to any other show and any other year!”

Dataton WATCHOUT multi-display production and playback system on display at the PALM Expo 2012

profile. Established features like the Harman Live Arena, the PALM DJ Competition, the PALM Conference & Seminars and the PALM Open air line-array demo have witnessed staggering turnouts with quality visitors, while the new features like the Sennheiser’s Live Mixing Workshop (LMW), the Laser & lighting demo cum workshop, and the PALM Innovation Spotlight have been well received. Another premier highlight of the show is the PALM Awards ceremony, which recognizes, honours and felicitates professionals across crucial technical categories from stage, sound and lighting. Touted to be the best ever PALM Expo till date, the 2012 edition of the PALM Expo had exhibitors extremely excited with the kind of turnout they witnessed at the show and the amount of interest and response they received. Official reports from PALM 2012 state that the show clocked over 20,000 visitor registrations over the span of three days – an increase of over 25% as compared to the 2011, while the floor space was calculated to be around 12,000sq.m, housing a total of 117 exhibitors. In terms of the features, PALM 2012 saw Harman extending its support for the third consecutive year, as they joined hands with the PALM Expo yet again to deliver a magnificently magnanimous feature in the form of the Harman Live Arena. Like last year, the feature was more than a huge hit with the audiences, as it helped the musicians identify, evaluate and understand how they can enhance their audio requirements and deliver the best sound experience. Stage, Sound, Light and Music came together in perfect harmony. Ankush Agarwal, Director Marketing & Business Development, Harman India- Professional said, “PALM Expo 2012 has yet again provided the professional audio industry the impetus and platform to highlight technologies and networking for structured growth and expansion of the professional audio industry in India. It is undoubtedly an excellent platform to showcase and highlight

the latest and most apt technology in the Live professional audio segment”. As a continuous endeavour to showcase the Harman and its legendary brands applications and technological advancement, this year’s Expo was noteworthy in many ways. Ankush added “Overall this show was a very successful show for Harman India, given that we were able to address a wide range of audio requirements of the audio professionals in India”. At the same time, Sennheiser conducted the first ever edition of the Live Mixing Workshop (LMW) at the PALM which was one of the major attractions of the event. The LMW struck high notes with the majority live sound engineers present at the event, as it delivered a comprehensive schedule that encompassed several nuances of live mixing. Sharmila Sahai - Managing Director of Sennheiser Electronics India Pvt Ltd, stated that she was extremely pleased with the way the show eventually turned out as she quoted “The show has come a long way since we first started participating in 2007. The presence of so many new brands at the show and the number of visitors is a clear indicator that it has become a very important show for the Indian Professional Audio Industry. This year the PALM show was exceptionally good for Sennheiser India. We received very positive response to our

The show also featured some of the top notch pro audio, lighting, staging and trussing brands through exhibitors from China. Jenny Shan from EIECO – East International Exhibition Company Ltd, one of the exhibitors at the China Pavilion mentioned “Different from other exhibitions, at the Palm Expo Show visitors kept increasing throughout the afternoon. There were 2 different kinds of spectators with different intentions. One was professional visitors who run stores and distribute industry chains in Mumbai, whose main target was to look for competent exhibitors for business orders accounted for a considerate proportion. The other was amateurs of music and even teachers and students of universities, who played an important role in Palm Expo Show as well. There were a lot of opportunities for Chinese enterprises in Palm Expo Show” The PALM Expo 2012 superseded all expectations with some extremely impressive deliverables that came to fruition this year. However, Diversified Communications India (DCI) – the organizers of the PALM Expo assure that they will continue to invest in modernizing the show and providing a state of the art experience. Many initiatives and enhancements are planned for the flagship event for next year, and the organizers are confident that this will help the future editions of the show to the next level. PALM Expo will march with pride into its thirteenth year in 2013 and will be held from 30th May – 1st June 2013 at the Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai, INDIA. To book your space, write to contact Ramesh Chetwani on rchetwani@divcom.in www.palmexpo.in

At PALM Expo 2012, the busy Sennheiser booth loaded with headphones, microphones, wireless microphone and monitoring systems, conference and information systems.

NEWS

Electro-Voice conducts Experience Day in Ahmedabad India: Electro-Voice (EV) recently conducted an ‘Experience Day’ in Ahmedabad, the capital of Gujarat, in association with M/s. Mozart Music World – EV’s channel partner for the State. The one-day event conducted at Hotel Royal Orchid, was a resounding success, says the company. It was attended by over one hundred guests comprising personnel from the diverse professional sound industryresellers, consultants, DJs and representatives from the rental companies, besides the end users. The participants were taken through the long, rich history of EV and were highly impressed to learn how prominent the brand has been in the professional industry. They were also taken through several presentations on product ranges of Live X, ZXA1, EV amplifiers and DSPs. These presentations, supported by live demonstrations by technical experts from EV, turned highly interactive as the enthusiastic participants sought to know in detail the essentials that make the EV systems so special.

The highlight of the event was an engaging live performance by two upcoming bands that exclusively performed using EV products, including the microphones. That the performances captivated the audiences were proven by the fact that they wanted more. According to the company, the programme left a deep impression on the minds of participants and widened the scope of them choosing 'EV-only' equipment for all their future sound requirements. www.boschsecurity.co.in

Jack for all trades!

NEWS

Harman India showcases premier cinema solutions at Cinema India were of special attraction, as they provide extreme power for large format cinemas and are designed to enhance 3-D visual experience. The newly launched JBL 3730 was another highlight of the Harman Show at the Expo. This system provides smooth and accurate reproduction of cinema soundtracks in a compact and very cost effective system.

India: The cinema segment, being a key focus area for Harman India, saw another significant milestone being achieved with the second consecutive year of direct participation at Cinema India Expo 2012 organized on 23 and 24 July at the Renaissance Convention Centre Hotel in Mumbai. As the audio partner of the Expo for the second consecutive year, Harman India provided a complete suite of cinema solutions acclaimed as the most suitable systems for the dynamic and demanding cinema segment in India. The large 90sqm Harman Pavilion booth was uniquely designed to display and present live demonstration of its wide range of Crown amplifiers and JBL cinema speaker systems. Keeping in pace with the challenging industry requirement, Harman’s booth displayed three key real time solutions based on the three seating capacities of cinemas these dayssmall (up to 125 seats), medium ( up to 275 seats) and large ( up to 500 seats). The showcase of the Harman’s cinema range as specific solutions reinforced the company’s

position as a comprehensive provider of premium solutions provider. This was used to highlight the key products like JBL Screen Array 3730, 4732 & 5732 combined with a best configuration of the JBL cinema sub woofers and surrounds, which worked perfectly well in sync with well-designated racks of Crown Dsi series ( 2000, 4000, 6000) amplifiers. Visitors to the Pavilion were amazed by the complete display and representation of the solutions which connected aptly with their immediate and future requirements. “The highlight of this year’s participation at the Expo was the systematic approach to provide clear understanding of specific solutions and ideal configurations effectively addressed by Harman India’s technical and sales teams," Prashant Govindan, Sales Director at Harman Professional Division (India) said. "Overall we are encouraged by the overwhelming response for the Harman cinema solutions at the Expo."

On the other hand, Harman also took the centre stage at the conference sessions organized at the Expo. David McKinney, Senior Director (India Operations), at Harman Professional, was part of a key threemember industry panel discussion on the Importance of Sound in the digital cinema world moderated by noted actor Kabir Bedi. McKinney presented very incisive insights and experiences on the changes in technological trends and the adoption of same in the complex dynamic market like India. Commenting on the successful participation and presence at the Expo, Ankush Agarwal, Director- Marketing and Business Development, said, “with the advent of digital cinema, today’s cinema patron is even more demanding, of perfect coverage in every seat of the auditorium. Harman’s cinema solutions address those exact needs." www.harman.in

Among the systems displayed at the stand, the 5742 Ultra High Power ScreenArray speakers

Audio Light Asia appointed exclusive GUIL distributor in Singapore Singapore: Spanish design and manufacturing company GUIL Accesorios Música has appointed Audio Light Asia Pte Ltd as their distributor for Singapore. GUIL specializes in the design and manufacturing of staging, lifts, trussing, crowd barriers, modular structures for audio and lighting equipment. Thomas Tan, Managing Director of Audio Light Asia states, “We have been on the look out for innovative and reliable engineering equipment for the entertainment industry for some years and GUIL fulfills our requirement with their quality standards and safety that complies with the European standards.” Thomas Tan with two Guil ELC-503G Winch Lifts

“The softening of the Euro currency has also help bring down the cost of the equipment which favours our customers, who might otherwise opt to purchase less superior quality products from other Asia manufacturers.” Thomas also recognizes that the partnership forms an important factor for future success. “We expect a closer relationship not just to expand our market share, but also to create unique products to cater for our market here in this region. We are already planning for some interesting products for the theatre and large screen market,” he concludes. www.audiolight.com.sg www.guil.es

NEWS

Singapore's Golden Village Multiplex goes fully digital with Barco technology SINGAPORE: Golden Village Multiplex Pte Ltd., Singapore's leading cinema exhibitor, has completed full digitization of all its locations with Barco's Digital Cinema projectors. Since its inception in 1992, Golden Village Multiplex Pte Ltd has built a reputation of offering the widest choice of movies, stateof-the-art design and unparalleled comfort in prime locations. Now, the No. 1 exhibitor in Singapore has achieved full digital deployment across all of its locations with Barco projectors. With Barco digital projection and superb picture resolution, Golden Village is providing the best cinematic experience to movie goers, island-wide. The models being deployed at Golden Village include the DP2K-12C, DP2K-20C, DP2K-23B and DP4k-23b – all of which are praised for their excellent image quality and ease of maintenance and are DCI-compliant digital cinema projectors. Thanks to their superior optical design and sealed engine, the projectors guarantee ultra-bright movie projections on any screen. Barco technology was chosen for its ease-ofuse, superb image resolution, and modular

product design. Golden Village Multiplex boasts one of the widest screens (22.4 meters) in Southeast Asia – and it is on this screen that the DP4K projector has been deployed to offer first-class digital viewing on the grandest scale. Kurt Rieder, CEO, Golden Village Multiplex, comments: “Through our experience of having deployed Barco’s projectors, we are assured of Barco’s quality and after sales service. Barco’s projectors are intelligently built with modular parts that are easily replaced and can be used interchangeably across different models. This translates to savings in maintenance time and cost.” Eddie Tan, general manager, SEA, Entertainment & Simulation at Barco adds, “We are very proud to be working with Golden Village on their successful digital deployment, helping them achieve their goal of transforming the cinematic experience in Singapore. With our company’s strong presence in Southeast Asia, we have always been committed to delivering the highest level of service.” www.barco.com www.gv.com.sg

NEWS

Acoustic & Lighting System holds Alto and Sennheiser Showcase

Rich Curtis presented the Alto solutions.

The afternoon started off with lunch and entertainment that showcased Sennheiser wireless microphones and Alto speakers.

Malaysia: July saw Acoustic & Lighting System Sdn Bhd hold a product showcase at the Bukit Kemuning Golf Club in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The event attracted a large number of guests from distributors, to installers as well as rental & staging companies from across Malaysia. The half-day programme started off with lunch and a live band performance that showcased the versatility of both Sennheiser wireless microphones as well as the Alto speakers. This was followed by product introduction and demonstration. The Alto product introduction and demonstration was presented by Rich Curtis who other than being a spokesperson for Alto is an American singer, songwriter, composer, producer, engineer and performer. Curtis started off his presentation with a mix that showcased the quality of the Alto speakers. He then went through the different speaker systems that was being demonstrated. Two particular systems caught the eyes of the audience. The iPA Music systems from ALTO is a 400 watt powered speaker for the iPAD. The systems comes with a fully integrated universal Dock for the iPAD and an internal power amplifier as well as an Alto professional ADM10 cardiod microphone with a 10' cable. The demo showcased clear crystal sound and is targeted at the home, club or even event market. Users simply choose the music from their iPAD library to play on the speakers. For those into Karaoke, you can use the system to play your karaoke videos and sing the lyrics looking at the iPAD installed behind the speakers! The other Alto system that drew interest was the Alto TRUESonic Wireless Series. Featuring two models the TS115, an 800watt 2-way 15” speaker and the TS112 800 watt

2-way 12” speaker, the system offers wireless connectivity. The built-in bluetooth® A2DP wireless technology enables streaming of audio wirelessly from any Bluetoothcompatible device. The system can work as a permanent installation or as a portable PA. In the demo, the system was shown streaming music from an iPhone which was a few metres away. Interestingly because it is using A2DP wireless technology, once the speaker and the Bluetooth device is paired, it eliminates interference or control from other bluetooth devices within the vicinity. Also showcased were a range of Alto mixers.

Guests checking out the Alto mixers.

The Sennheiser demonstration showcased the range of XS wireless systems which offers users an entry into the wireless environment with competitive pricing be it for instruments, head-worn microphone or clip-worn microphone. The event also featured lucky draws and one winner walked away with the Alto iPA Music System. www.acousticlighting.com

Guests viewing the Sennheiser solutions.

The filled ballroom listening to the presentations.

Mrs Yeo presents the lucky winner with the Alto iPA Music system voucher.

Employee of the Year Every time you put a K Family loudspeaker to work it comes home with cash. It doesn’t care how long it works or how often. It earns praise from your customers - reflecting well on you and your company. And, it’s willing to sign up for a minimum work commitment of 6 years.* And no, it doesn’t sweep floors or clean toilets.

qsc.com

* K and KW Series 6-year extended warranty with product registration. © 2012 QSC Audio Products, LLC. All rights reserved. QSC and the QSC logo are registered trademarks of QSC Audio Products, LLC in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and other countries.

NEWS

Barco Digital Cinema's imposing show in India and the Middle East By offering our Qube server together with Barco projectors as a cutting-edge, all-in-one solution, we can offer India's theaters the very best quality and flexibility available in today’s market.” “We are proud to be the DCI-compliant projector partner for this digital cinema rollout at Inox as well as KNCC cinemas," said Abel Garamhegyi, Vice- President (Growth Markets EMEAI) and Managing Director for India at Barco. "Through these recent successful deals with leading players in the Indian entertainment industry, Barco further confirms its position as digital cinema market leader.” An Inox theatre that will soon deploy Barco digital cinema projectors.

India: Barco has reinforced its position in Indian digital cinema industry with a series of major deals with the country's leading cinema circuits and solution providers. Bearing latest testimony to this is the deal with Mumbaibased multiplex cinema major Inox Leisure Ltd. Inox, with its sister concern Fame India (which it acquired some time back), will deploy Barco's latest digital cinema projectors through the server solutions major, GDC Technology. Upon assuming management control of multiplex operator Fame India Ltd, in January last year, Inox Leisure Limited became one of the largest theater chains in India. The circuit currently ranks second in the country after Reliance MediaWorks' Big Cinemas, with a total of 68 multiplex venues in as many as 34 cities in the country for an aggregate of 257 screens, including Fame's 95 screens. When the company decided to convert all of its cinemas to digital, it carefully prepared the transition and organized thorough selection rounds to ensure they would team up with the best technology partner. The group chose Barco and its partner GDC Technology. Around 300 High Frame Rate (HFR) READY digital projection systems have been installed now, featuring Barco DCI projectors and GDC’s Integrated Mediablock (‘IMB’). Earlier this year, Real Image Media Technologies, India's leading provider of film, video and audio technology, confirmed an order for 300 DCI-compliant Barco projectors. Real Image's digital cinema concern Qube Cinema - which has already made a big footprint in the overseas market - has recently equipped as many as 39 screens of Kuwait National Cinema Company (KNCC) with Barco solutions. These deals have catapulted Barco to the top of the country’s digital cinema industry, with an estimated install base of 500

digital projectors by end 2012, and about 700 by the end of 2013. “We studied several digital systems before adopting Qube, Barco and Masterimage for the 3D systems,” said Hisham Al Ghanim, General Manager of KNCC. “We are very pleased with the systems and support offered.” KNCC operates its cinemas with the brand Cinescape. Since its inception in 1954, it has been the sole exhibitor in Kuwait, pioneering distribution and exhibition of Arabic, English and Indian movies in the Middle East. Cinescape’s investment in digital cinema continues to make it the leading entertainment provider in the region. In 2007, Cinescape theatres showed Taimour and Shafika, the first digital Arabic movie to be released. “It was clear to us, upon completion of our earliest deployments, that Barco projectors ensure the lowest 'total cost of ownership' and, thanks to their modular design, are easy to maintain," said Arvind Rangnathan, CEO of Real Image. "These are major benefits of the Barco technology. It seemed only logical to expand our relationship,” he said and added, "it has been a pleasure for us to work with Barco. They perfectly combine worldclass products with outstanding support.

Says Tim Sinnaeve, Market Director, Digital Cinema at Barco: "Barco’s wide portfolio of projectors and projector packages with IMB are a perfect match for the Indian market. Highest ease of use, and reliability, combined with lowest TCO is what exhibitors are looking for when going through such a rapid digitization as India’s cinema industry.” Impression at Cinema India 2012: With a view to furthering its brand imposition, as well as appraise the industry on what’s latest from its offerings, Barco took an active role in Cinema India 2012 held recently in Mumbai. In association with its server solutions partner in India, Qube Cinema of Real Image, the projection major demonstrated its latest digital cinema projectors as part of the Real Image stand at the exhibition. It also took part in the focused technical session on digital cinema titled HFR (High Frame Rate) or 4k – A Great Debate where the company spokesperson Tom Bert shared the panel discussion dais with other industry stakeholders, and explained Barco’s approach to the whole issue. That the session was well attended by discerning industry professionals it apparently contributed to the brand’s cause. www.barco.com www.qubecinema.com

Tom Bert of Barco (third from left) sharing his view at the Session on ‘HFR or 4K - A Great Debate!’ at Cinema India 2012, Mumbai. Others in the picture are Don Shaw of Christie (left) Tony Adamson of Texas Instruments(second from left) and Rafey Mahamud, a cinematographer.

“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

NEWS

Vari*Lite for Downtown East Kareem Haniffa, Director of Downtown East commented, “We are very proud and happy that once again, we have chosen Vari*Lite fixtures. The VL440 Spot luminaire is compact, light-weight and economical but still loaded with powerful and useful features. This new series of luminaires from Philips Vari-Lite provides our lighting designers with effective and creative tools for our venue. It basically contains everything that really matters to designers which are limitless colour options, unmatched clarity of optics, exceptional zoom range, fast, smooth movement and powerful output features.

Singapore: Choice leisure destination Downtown East, a 14.7 hectares total lifestyle concept that provides recreational lifestyle, theme park and premium resort accommodations in the eastern part of Singapore, has added to its inventory of Vari*Lite fixtures with the recent acquisition of 8 units of Vari*Lite VL440 Spot Luminaires.

The latest consignment was supplied to Downtown East by Vari*Lite distributor, Total Solution Marketing. Kareem added, “Total Solution service is second to none because they are always readily available to provide valuable support and solutions to our technical enquiries.” www.downtowneast.com.sg www.tsm-int.com

MediaPro uses Christie Roadies for Etisalat Football Finals Abu Dhabi: Dubai-based AV company, MediaPro International, recently fielded three mighty Christie Roadie HD+35K projectors (along with two Christie HD18K 3-chip DLP projectors) to beam the action for the Etisalat Pro League Football Finals- a major draw in the Abu Dhabi city of Al Ain. Contracted by Al Ain Football Club, the production company ensured that the high output 35,000 lumens projectors brought the event to life for the 11,000 people who gathered in the Tahnoun bin Mohamed Stadium, showing HD content and bespoke graphics throughout the event. Images were projected onto a huge 60m x 90m canvas, using the Christie Twist module in the projectors, with the show running through a Dataton Watchout system. With a throw distance of around 55 metres, MediaPro used 1.45-1.8:1 zoom lens on the projectors, which were mounted on scaffolding platforms positioned in the upper grandstand. This formed the

centrepiece of a show in which the company also fielded more than 500 luminaires, an LED 6m x 8m screen and a complete audio system. MediaPro International have been running Christie projectors as their front-line devices since 2008, when they purchased their first DS+8K projector. With a view to keeping their inventory at the cutting edge level, they recently added new Christie J Series models to their hire fleet in the shape of HD9K-J’s and HD20K-J. www.mediaproav.com www.christiedigital.com

NEWS

Ferry Corsten`s live performance in Abu Dhabi while the audio was supplied and integrated by Delta Sound who worked in conjunction with Eclipse Staging to supply the PA and DJ system for the Dutch trance music producer as well as for support acts DJ Aly & Fila and Mister Outlaw. Delta took care of the radio communications during the event as well.

Abu Dhabi: du Forum, one of the Next Generation party hang outs in Abu Dhabi’s famous entertainment destination Yas Island recently gave an echoing welcome to noted Dutch trance music producer and DJ mixer Ferry Corsten for an entertaining session. Corsten – popularly called System F – known for his diverse musical activities, produced yet another edition of lively music to enthral the Arab, and touring audiences. The event was produced and managed by local musical entity Flash Entertainment,

FUTURE

The main PA consisted of 12 DV-Dosc main hangs per side, 12 SB218 subs in a sub arc centre cluster. The 112xt were used as front and out fills. DJ monitors consisted of three L`Acoustics DV-Dosc and one DV-sub per side.

TIGER TOUCH

All L`Acoustics Loudspeakers were powered by LA8 amplifier using Network Manager 2. As for the DJ sets, Pioneer CDJ2000s were supplied to the artist along with a DJM 900. FOH mixing duties were taken up by the ever versatile DiGiCo SD-9. www.deltasound.ae

Republic Polytechnic lights up with Robert Juliat Aledin fixtures Singapore: The Republic Cultural Centre (TRCC) in Republic Polytechnic recently took delivery of 20 units of Robert Juliat Aledin LED Light-source Profile fixtures and 20 units of Aledin LED Light-source Wash fixtures. This deal was concluded by Robert Juliat distributor Total Solution Marketing (TSM). Tony Kam, Technical Director of TRCC shared, “The new RJ Aledin LED Profile fixtures are the first of its kind to achieve significant output and framing / projection ability from an extremely low-powered LED light source and definitely a perfect fit for the venue. The RJ Aledin LED Wash fixtures with its high output LED, its 200mm Fresnel lens and its great beam quality, give a very powerful wash effect. The versatility offered by the choice of two colour temperatures (3500K or 5800K) makes the 330LF another perfect fit for the venue. Tony also commented on the outstanding support rendered by Total Solution. “Definitely the deciding factor for us to purchase the Robert Juliat fixtures was the excellent after-sales servicing provided by TSM all these years.”

TOUCH THE

RJ LED Wash

Managing Director of Total Solution Marketing, Glenn Wong commented, “Robert Juliat is renowned for being the pioneer in the theatre lighting industry and I am delighted TRCC has chosen RJ Aledin LED fixtures because retaining all the optical and operational features of other Robert Juliat profiles, they are one of the most versatile, cost-effective and safe fixtures in the market. www.rp.sg/trcc www.robertjuliat.com www.tsm-int.com

POWER CUBE

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

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

NEWS

VV & Sons and Avitco reinforce sound at Sharjah Indian Association Sharjah: Dubai-headquartered audio distribution major VV & Sons, in association with locally-based audio-visual solutions provider Avitco recently provided a sound reinforcement system to the Community Hall of the Indian Association in Sharjah. As the venue was increasingly being demanded by the growing number of performers as well as the Indian communities, the Association wanted to upgrade the existing system. More, that the old system was also perceived to be not up to the mark, owing to the acoustic challenges it posed, the Association decided to revamp the entire system with new specifications and new equipment.

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

The brief outline for the solution providers was that the solution had to be optimal, meaning economic, at the same time world-class. It was, thus, one of the typical situations where the right sound solution had to be weaved in without disturbing the existing building interiors. The integrator, after due examination of the site chose to modify the alignment of the speaker systems chosen. The solution suggested was to hang two Nexo PS15U speakers on the left and right

of the stage, while a pair of Nexo RS15 subs was to be stacked in the centre of the stage. An RCF HD12-A speaker was used as centre fill, and completing the set-up was a combination of three RCF 12-A stage monitors. Augmenting the audio set-up further is a new GLD 80 digital mixer from Allen & Heath, aligned with an AR2412 mixer rack. According to the integrator, the Association was happy to have the ‘very cost-effective and easy-to-use’ system. That the system was designed with an analogue style interface, even as it gives the capability to record and playback a stereo signal on a USB memory stick, was hailed as a big innovative feature. The other features of the install included soft patch bays, quick copy-paste, and resetting the mix parameters, apart from the input/output options. That the installation took just three days showed the agility and attentiveness with which the integration teams worked. www.vvsons.ae www.avitcoonline.com

Clay Paky among the leading lights at Volkswagen Night in Beijing The Volkswagen Group presented an exclusive preview of its latest models at the first Volkswagen Group Night in China, which was held recently during the "Auto China 2012" exhibition at the Beijing Olympic Swimming Centre. Over 1700 guests turned up for the one-hour event, which took place the evening before the opening of the motor show. The event was planned and coordinated by Filmtec Media GmbH, on behalf of Volkswagen Kommunikation, and technical direction was entrusted to Martin Kuhn.

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

www.coolux.com

78 Clay Paky Alpha Wash 1500s, 24 Clay Paky Alpha Spot HPE 1500s, 14 Clay Paky Alpha Profile 1500s, 32 Clay Paky Alpha Beam 700s and 18 Clay Paky Sharpys were used at the event together with other lights. "The Clay Paky range has been highly successful at this type of event in recent years, and I agree with lighting designer Kleine-Herzbruch when he says that they are currently the most efficient lights

available. Furthermore, they stand out for their high reliability. We had no failures or problems,” explains Kuhn. "The Sharpys were the icing on the cake. We used them for several reasons: first, they allow you to achieve effects that are not possible with other lights on the market; second, we had to pay attention to weight since we were near the rigging capacity; and third, the rig was suspended at a height of 18 m, which is ideal for the Sharpys' ultraconcentrated projected light." www.claypaky.it

NEWS

Harman Pro showcases full rental solution in Vietnam Vietnam: Early August, saw a full Harman solution demonstration that included the JBL Vertec Line-Array full size and other Harman Proâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s synchronized systems at the Continental Hotel, Ho Chi Minh City. Amongst the audience of more than 100 attendants were composers, musicians, singers, sound specialists, entertainment event organizers, and managers from PR/ event companies. Brought in by Ba Sao Audio, a local company who is the official distributor of Harman Pro in the territory of Vietnam, this is the first 100% Harman Pro system being imported into the country for rental services and is now one of the best quality sound systems in the entertainment industry of Vietnam. The main system set up for the demonstration included 32 loudspeakers, featuring 16 JBL VT4889-1 3-Way Line Arrays, 12 JBL VT4880 Arrayable Subwoofers, and 4 JBL VT4887DP Powered 3-Way Line Arrays, powered by 24 Crown iTech Stereo Amplifiers. Monitor and side fill systems included VRX 932 LA and 8 units of VRX915M monitor loudspeakers powered by MA 5000i Crown amplifiers. Together with Soundcraft Vi1 for FOH and Si1 for monitor, 4 sets of AKG DSM 700 wireless mic for 8 lead vocals, a AKG big drum set, C214, C414 for guitar amp and instruments, the system showcased to its audience its versatility in handling various kinds of music from pop to rock and other genres, effortlessly. According to the singers and musicians who played at the event, this was the best sound system they have ever had the chance to perform with.

Vertec is not a stranger to worldwide events and projects. The same system has been served at many world-class tours and venues such as the Presidential Inauguration of the United States, Munichâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s World Cup Opening Ceremony, Bruce Springsteen World tour, or the Radio City Music Hall in New York City, to name a few. Ba Sao Audio is pleased to be able to bring such a system into Vietnam where not many rental sound systems could fulfill the requirements of high quality sound at international scale events. The demonstration was preceded by a training session a day earlier for the Vertec Line-Array and Crown IT HD by Stuart Dingwall of Harman Pro to more than 20 technicians of Ba Sao Audio and its dealers. After the demo, the first system was bought by Fivestar Media, a local rental company. The purchased inventory included VT 48891 x 16 pcs, VT 4880 x 12 pcs with matching Crown ITHD to drive; 4 pcs of VT 4887 DADP, VRX 915M x 8 pcs, VRX918S x 4 pcs, VRX 932LA x 8 pcs; Soundcraft Vi1 x 1pcs, Si1 x 1 pcs; all mic by AKG: a big drum set, C214, C414, DSM700, etc. With this system, Vietnam is now capable to provide sound system to all events from local to world-class level, without having to bring equipment from abroad as before. www.basaoinvest.com www.harmanpro.com

NEWS

Sennheiser Asia launches “The Pursuit of Perfect Sound” Regional Marketing Campaign Singapore: Sennheiser Electronic Asia (“Sennheiser Asia”), the first Asian subsidiary of global audio specialist Sennheiser, marked its 20th year of direct presence in the region with its broadest marketing initiative. Titled “The Pursuit of Perfect Sound”, the campaign covers its markets in Southeast Asia, Korea, and some India sub continental markets in multiple languages. “The Pursuit of Perfect Sound” campaign was conceptualised to focus on the intense emotive characteristic of sound and highlights how music is driving people’s personal and professional passions. The campaign kicks-off with a series of videos on people – award-winning DJs, successful rock band, aspiring YouTube singers, passionate sports enthusiasts, champion online gamers, music-loving youths, and ordinary people touched by Sennheiser – encapsulating their constant pursuit for sound perfection. The videos on these Sennheiser “Sound Heroes” are available on the Sennheiser Asia website and its YouTube and Facebook platforms. The regional campaign is supported by an integrated marketing programme involving online and social media; public relations; direct mailer; sales promotions and search activities for Sound Heroes in the region. The campaign finale will be a specially programmed closed-door celebration event at Zouk Singapore, one of the world’s top dance venues. “This is Sennheiser Asia’s most coordinated marketing initiative that unites all

Sennheiser products on a uniform brand platform. It creates synergies among all the local activities in the region, housing them under the new global brand umbrella, ‘The Pursuit of Perfect Sound’. Through our Sound Heroes, we can speak genuinely and credibly about how Sennheiser makes a difference,” said Ng Chee Soon, President & Managing Director, Sennheiser Asia. “We firmly believe that intense sound will bring about intense emotion. For decades, we have seen how music drives people’s exploration and development of their passions. That is why Sennheiser is investing heavily in our research & development. We are constantly challenging industry norms for new innovations and it is in our DNA to pursue that elusive perfect sound.” Other activities including a retail promotion, and local Sound Heroes search activities can be found on Sennheiser's Facebook pages. For more information about Sennheiser Asia’s “The Pursuit of Perfect Sound”, check out the following links: *SennheiserAsia.com *YouTube.com/SennheiserAsia *Facebook.com/SennheiserAsia *Twitter.com/SennheiserAsia

NEWS

Wireless done right!

D.T.S. employs new hi-tech machines at its production facilities

International: D.T.S. has recently strengthened and integrated its logistics chain by expanding its production facilities, and reinforced its plants by purchasing a series of new hi-tech numerical control machines, including a computer controlled 5 KW laser cutter, and a thermoplastic polymers 3D printing machine.

D.T.S. has just issued a video clip titled “The art of manufacturing”, to illustrate this new phase of development. Check it out at http://www.dts-lighting.com/Company

This way, products are developed faster, and produced more efficiently. D.T.S.’ current streamlined production cycle and its extensive automation have been fully employed in the production of one of its most innovative products, the high-power compact moving head JACK.

VSL expands coverage of dBTechnologies distributorship IMM Building, with a staff of 3 complemented with a staff of 31 in Malaysia.

Malaysia: VSL Audio & Visual Sdn Bhd who have been exclusively distributing dBTechnologies' solutions since July 2010 in Malaysia, have expanded their distribution coverage to include Singapore, Cambodia and Vietnam as of May this year. In line with the expansion, VSL has set up an office in Singapore. VSL AV (Singapore) Pte Ltd has an office based in the west of Singapore, at

“We are very pleased that dBTechnologies have recognised our efforts in Malaysia and feel confident in giving us a larger distribution area. The solutions from the company offer quality at a good price and have proven to be able to cater to different types of environments, such as outdoors, indoors, intimate and large audience. We are looking forward to showcasing and selling the solutions to Singapore, Cambodia and Vietnam,” said Connie Heng, Marketing Manager at VSL.

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

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

www.teamonepro.com www.dbtechnologies.com

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

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

NEWS

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 lamp and has 14 fixed colors on two 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 Philips Platinum 35 lamp producing 19,000 lumens of output. For a complete list of product features visit www.vari-lite.com.

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

RCF amplifies Calvary Carnival 2012 Malaysia: Acoustic & Lighting System sponsored, installed and rented the reliable range of RCF TT+ sound system to the celebratory Calvary Carnival 2012. Held on June 30, 2012 in the scenic Taylor’s University Lakeside Campus, Bandar Sunway, this one-day fund-raising event successfully attracted throngs of people from all walks of life to soak up the exciting atmosphere. With over 140 stalls set up that day, visitors were spoiled for choices as they feast their eyes on various cuisines such as nasi lemak, assam laksa, pasta dishes, and even durian. For this hugely popular event, RCF TT+ high definition touring and theatre speakers were deployed to perfection. This range of speakers represent true high definition audio quality solutions with the latest technology in transducer development plus new generation Class D digital active amplification and DSP (Digital Sound Processor) for huge and exciting live concerts, events, theatre and stage monitoring. RCF TT+ was the first choice that came to the mind of Acoustic & Lighting System for this carnival. Mr. Yeo, the CEO of Acoustic

and Lighting System, comments, “We have been a major distributor of RCF sound system for many years now. Now, with RCF TT+ we are running out of adjectives to praise the system! In our opinion, RCF TT+ is one of the best professional speakers for touring and theatre. With extremely user friendly functionalities and high quality sound reproduction, what is there not to love? Additionally, installation has always been a breeze for us and for this fact, we couldn’t adore it more. One thing I would like to highlight about RCF is its suitability for outdoor events. Its strong sound projection, clarity and highly powerful impact are suitably perfect for huge events like the Calvary Carnival.” Equipments sponsored by: Acoustic & Lighting System Main Equipment 8 units of RCF TTL55A 4 units of RCF TTS56A 2 units of RCF Flybar TT55 2 units of RCF TT22A 1 unit of RCF RDNet Control 8 www.acousticlighting.com

NEWS

MILOS Group acquires LITEC & TOMCAT becoming the world’s largest Aluminium Trussing & Staging Manufacturer International: Czech Republic based trussing and staging manufacturer MILOS Group has acquired two leading trussing and staging brands – LITEC and TOMCAT. The new deal makes MILOS the largest global aluminium trussing and staging group with the addition of major manufacturing bases in Italy, Slovakia, Mexico and the US to strengthen their 250,000sq ft of production facilities in the Czech Republic and Asia. The exciting acquisition will reinforce the MILOS operation on a worldwide scale, strengthening international sales, manufacturing and engineering infrastructure, as well as bringing additional dynamics to the group. Increasing the manufacturing capacity will also make MILOS even more competitive with the impressive portfolio of standard products and special projects. MILOS’s CEO Frantisek Zykan states, “We are very excited with this announcement. Our strategy has always been to deliver

the best products made to the highest standards of excellence with a quick, efficient turnaround. Having LITEC and TOMCAT on-board expands the ideas pool and product range to meet all staging needs …. with a truly international reach.” The skills and experience of all three companies make a perfect combination with many natural synergies, a vast collective experience, an awesome knowledge base and extensive contacts. “All those working for LITEC and TOMCAT are driven, focussed and share our collective visions for the future,” concludes Zykan. TOMCAT is based in Midland, Texas and has received enormous kudos in the concert touring, live music and large scale musical theatre sectors. Its products have always been innovative and progressive with “Strength Under Pressure” an enduring company mantra. Mike Garl, President & General Manager of TOMCAT says, “We are delighted to become part of the MILOS group, which will open up a huge range of creative possibilities

with like-minded individuals. TOMCAT has always been ‘customer driven’, and we strive every time to provide service beyond expectations to our clients”. LITEC was founded in 1991 and operates out of a large manufacturing facility in Mogliano Treviso, Italy, with another manufacturing plant in Slovakia which is optimised for standard product production. It offers a wide range of stylish products that have become popular worldwide for the conference, exhibition, corporate, commercial and event industries. Fabio Prada, VP Sales & Marketing of LITEC says, “Joining forces with MILOS will enable all of us to continue offering the best staging solutions – off-the-shelf and customised – to meet the needs and exactions of our customers worldwide. Our staffs are all motivated by passion, enthusiasm and initiative, which is very much the MILOS ethos”. www.milosgroup.com

NEWS

The Production People strengthens with Coolux Pandoras Box Singapore: The Production People, a technical production company based in Singapore, providing event-related hardware and manpower for a wide range of events and clientele throughout Asia recently strengthened their video division with the purchase of the Pandoras Box Quad Player & Media Manager.

(L-R): Sheldon Gooi of The Production People, with Glenn Wong from Total Solution

Sheldon Gooi, owner of The Production People and a veteran in the industry, shared that the Quad Player with 4 independent full HD outputs offers them the ideal and most cost-effective solution to provide advanced multi-media solutions to meet their clients rising expectations. With the availability of up to 8 video layers and unlimited graphic layers to be programmed, it allows quick and easy video solution with dynamic results.

He also thanked Total Solution Marketing for their excellent after sales and technical training to assist in bringing their video division to the next level with the addition of the Pandoras Box. www.tpp.com.sg www.coolux.com www.tsm-int.com

Coolux Media Server

Republic Polytechnic ignites the night with Yamaha Digital Audio Mixing System Singapore: Republic Polytechnic celebrated the best of local music acts with the annual ‘IGNITE! Music Festival 2012’ held on-campus, on July 6 and 7. The two-day event featured performances from Republic Polytechnic’s alumni bands such as Bear Culture and Natalie’s Plight alongside current students from Re-plug and Jammerz Arena interest groups. Well known bands such as Catalogue V (Yamaha Asian Beats 2011 champions), YouthWreck and The Great Spy Experiment also put up performances to remember. The entire event, which also promotes charity awareness through its belief of “Passion and Compassion,” left the audiences in awe of the bands and the amazing sounds delivered. Led by Mark Spencer, Head Audio Engineer of The Republic Cultural Centre (TRCC), the TRCC audio team employed Yamaha Digital Mixers and Stageboxes with seamless integration and efficient setup for the event. One Yamaha M7CL-48 V3 was used as the monitor desk, Yamaha M7CL-48ES for frontof-house (FOH) and a total of six units of Yamaha SB168-ES Stageboxes. The M7CL-48 V3 was equipped with one Yamaha MY16-ES64 and two MY16-EX Ethersound cards to enable 48 inputs and 24 outputs through the stageboxes via Ethernet cable. Each of the mixers was connected to three Yamaha SB168-ES Stageboxes.

In addition to this, the M7CL-48ES at the FOH was equipped with Waves SoundGrid Server using two WSG-Y16 cards, which enabled the use of MultiRack featuring the SoundGrid Pro bundle. 32 tracks were recorded to a Mac running Steinberg Nuendo 5 connected via Ethernet cable to the Waves SoundGrid network that was later mixed down in post. Using Ethersound networking technology, the setup time was greatly optimised and the cable runs simplified with no comprise in sound

quality. Thanks to Yamaha digital mixer’s open protocol architecture, the users were able to utilize their Waves plug-ins that further enhanced the sonic quality and improved the audience overall auditory experience. The newly acquired M7CL-48ES, Wave SoundGrid and Nuendo5 systems were supplied through System Integrator, Pave System Pte Ltd. sg.yamaha.com

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NEWS

ITE College West kicks off “To The Max 2012” with Yamaha Digital Mixer, Ethersound and DANTE Singapore: “To The Max 2012 For the Win” is a community event, held July 7 at the Mega Sports Park, by New Life Community Services to reach out to youths through sports, performing arts and digital media. Activities include street soccer and touch ball; dance and music concerts; and LAN gaming and photography. The audio team from ITE College West headed by Jeremiah Joseph, provided all the audio equipment and services throughout the event. ITE’s audio team specifically chose the Yamaha Digital Mixer due to its open protocol that can use Ethersound and DANTE audio networking simultaneously for a seamless and easy setup. With the support from Yamaha Music Asia, the additional DANTE cards and HP ProCurve network switches were provided for the event to meet the requirements. A Yamaha M7CL-48ES was used as monitor mixer, one Yamaha M7CL-48 for the FOH (front-of-house) with three units of Yamaha SB168-ES Stagebox. Both the M7CL-48ES and

the M7CL-48 were equipped with two Yamaha MY16-AUD DANTE cards to be able to transmit and receive digital audio signal via a single Ethernet cable up to a 100 meter distance. Both the main FOH mixer and the monitor mixer were connected on a HP ProCurve network switch and were able to have a split of the input signal from the SB168-ES Stagebox. Up to 32 tracks were recorded to a PC/Mac running Steinberg Cubase 6.5 by simply connecting an Ethernet cable to the network switch without needing an external audio interface. The iPad Stagemix also made the monitor setup easier than ever. Using Ethersound and DANTE networking technology, both the mixers were able to have the versatility to adjust their own gain with this setup. Moreover, the setup time was greatly reduced and the cabling was simplified without comprising the latency and sound quality. sg.yamaha.com

Trio and Highlight purchase Martin Professional EC-10 video display panels Singapore: Two of Singapore’s reputed rental & staging companies, Trio A.V. Pte Ltd and Highlight Systems, recently added Martin Professional EC-10 video display panels to their inventory. Trio ordered a total of 96 panels whereas Highlight ordered 52 panels. For system control, both companies purchased the P3-200 controller from Martin Professional. (L-R): Account Manager Alvinson Yap, Lighting Engineer Tan Eng Meng, and Director John Tang of Trio A.V., with Edward Lai, Regional Sales Manager of Martin Professional.

EC-10 and Martin MAC Aura LED Wash at Jayesslee Concert in Bangkok Convention Centre

The EC-10 is a high performance, true 10 mm pixel pitch LED display panel that features lightweight and cable-free design for rapid deployment. At 3000 Nit, it offers high contrast and brightness with a wide viewing angle of 140°. With IP65 rating and modular design, it is easy to service. Each panel measures 480mm in width x 720mm in height with a depth of 100mm and weighs 13.2kg. Control and processing of the panels is achieved via the P3-200 controller from Martin Professional. The P3-200 System Controller™ features built-in scaling and de-interlacing, multiple video protocol and resolution support, builtin graphical user interface, and direct DMX control of brightness, colour, pixel-mapping and more with SD-SDI, HD-SDI and 3G-SDI

input capability for optimized use in TV/ broadcast environments. Both Trio and Highlight are involved in providing creative solutions to a range of events from award ceremonies, product launches, conferences, exhibitions, roadshows, gala dinners, celebrations, special events and concerts. With LED video displays now becoming more of a mainstay in stage designs, the companies decided that they needed a system that enables them to be creative and yet flexible with their design and the EC-10s fitted their requirements. John Tang, Director of Trio A.V. comments, “In the face of tight schedules, time is short. We need to set up everything fast and reliably. Martin EC-10 caters to this with its easy setup. From user interface to programming LED wall, everything is pre-programmed. It is also a great one-stop solution. We are able to achieve a stage visual look where everything is integrated.” www.martin.com www.trioav.com

NEWS

E&E collaborates with Hexogon at Night Festival 2012 Singapore: The streets of Bras Basah came alive with a nocturnal extravaganza of aerial performances, music, dance and installation artworks over two weekends on August 24 – 25 and August 31 – September 1. The Night Festival, now in its fifth iteration is part of the efforts of the National Heritage Board to develop Singapore’s visual arts. Among the highlights was a full-scale light up of the façade of the Singapore National Museum. Electronics & Engineering Pte Ltd, together with Hexogon Solution were the official technology partners for Night Lights 2012.

The team used Green Hippo media servers to power up the building projection with projectors, across the front façade of the Singapore National Museum, incorporating both sound and visual elements to bring the historical building to life. The event also featured many local music acts and roaming buskers that entertained the crowd at dusk all through to past midnight. www.enepl.com.sg

ENNOVATIONS

HARMAN’s Soundcraft Si Performer Digital Consoles feature Integrated DMX The Si Performer builds upon the successful Si Compact range to which it bears a likeness, providing almost twice as much DSP power and increased functionality, with an input capacity of 80 inputs to mix on all models. The built-in I/O does not disappoint: Si Performer 2 with 24 mic and eight line inputs, and the Si Performer 3 with 32 mic and eight line inputs, plus the four FX return channels. The provision of two option card slots allows I/O expansion via any of the Soundcraft stageboxes and option cards from the Soundcraft® ViSi Connect range, giving the possibility of patching up to 80 inputs to mix, or from CobraNet, AVIOM or AES inputs via the appropriate cards. The unique integration of a DMX512 port offers core lighting control. The first release of software provides four scene masters (A-D) with associated slave channels on the ALT fader layers, individual colour intensities or parameters are set on the slave faders with an overall master level fader, which itself may be assigned to any of the main fader layers for simultaneous access to audio and lighting levels. To automate the process, DMX settings may be stored alongside audio settings in the snapshot system, so both may be recalled automatically by a single button press or via an external MIDI command. With selective isolation, snapshots with just audio or lighting parameter changes may be recalled. A feature-packed audio console with fully-parametric 4-band EQ as standard on all input channels, and as usual on Soundcraft’s digital range, BSS graphic EQs on all bus outputs. This is in addition to the already standard filters, gates, compressors and delays on all inputs, compressors and delays on all outputs, which when calculated delivers the equivalent of over 220 rack units of processing in a tiny footprint. All this processing is fully available all of the time, there are no compromises on the amount of DSP in use. Fourteen mixes may be configured in various combinations of mono and stereo to a total of 20 mix busses; great for mixing in-ears and wedges in a monitor situation. These busses are supplemented by four stereo matrix mixes, four dedicated FX busses, and three master Mix busses which offer true LCR mode mixing make the buss structure immensely powerful. Users will be delighted by the addition of eight VCA Groups and eight mute groups, which now start to show the absolute power of this new console from the Soundcraft stable. Each channel features a custom LCD screen to show identifications such as channel name, assignments, graphic EQ frequencies and DMX data, plus signal metering. The Si Performer will be controllable from the Soundcraft ViSi Remote iPad® app along with the Soundcraft Vi Series, Vi1 and Si Compact consoles. www.harman.com

ENNOVATIONS

LSC releases first LX Console LSC Lighting Systems, in conjunction with Open Clear, has unveiled the first model in the much anticipated Clarity LX console range.

The recent release of the LX300 will be closely followed by the LX600 & LX900 in the coming months.

The LX300 is a fully integrated console based on the successful Clarity software that has already operated thousands of shows over the last three years since its original launch for the PC and Mac in 2009.

www.lsclighting.com

The Clarity LX console range, comprising the LX300, LX600 and LX900, offers a wealth of new features including a rig view, providing users with quick, logical fixture selection and a detailed 2D simulation of the lighting rig; intelligent fixture cloning and copy/ paste using ‘real world’ data; Colored FaderIdent to instantly recognize fader mode; media server integration with thumbnail representation and pixel mapping built in. The first manufacturing run of Clarity LX300 consoles has already sold out and production quantities for the second and subsequent runs have being increased to meet the market’s demand for this new console.

LSC Clarity LX300 Console

Platinum - The power to light your creativity.

Antwerp, Belgium

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

ENNOVATIONS

C4dio Digital I/O Card for AllFrame MultiModular I/O System now shipping

The C4dio Digital I/O Card is a 4x4 AES3 I/O card with BNC Word Clock Out, In, and In with Termination options. With this card, users have even more connectivity options and flexibility in terms of designing signal flow in a Pro64® audio network. At the center of the AllFrame MultiModular I/O System is the F6 Modular I/O Frame, a multi-purpose network frame with six field-configurable I/O card slots and integrated Cat-5e and fiber optic connectivity. The F6 can be outfitted to meet the audio I/O requirements of nearly any application with C4m Mic/Line Input Cards, C4o Output Cards or the new C4dio Digital I/O Cards. Installing six C4dio Digital I/O Cards in an F6 Modular I/O Frame allows the AllFrame

to be configured as a 24x24 AES3 digital audio interface. Sample rate converters can be turned on per input pair from within the Pro64 Network Manager™ software to allow asynchronous devices with digital outputs, but without Word Clock connections, to be used as input sources. The F6 can be powered in multiple ways, including a four-pin XLR connector, a Euroblock connector or one of the Cat-5 A-Net ports. Installations that use Power Over A-Net must use the new Aviomapproved POA80 Power Supply. The AllFrame Multi-Modular I/O System brings the flexibility of the Aviom’s powerful Pro64 audio network to the wall box and stage box. For both installations as well as on the road, the AllFrame MultiModular I/O system eliminates several expensive and labor-intensive stages of the signal chain while reducing cable clutter and enhancing flexibility. www.aviom.com

Studiomaster Professional presents the S5225 The S5225 is a high power dual 15”, 1100 Watts Loudspeaker, powered by transducers from RCF. These high quality RCF transducers, coupled with an innovative new passive crossover network design is housed in an attractive, highly durable , abuse resistive black paint finish cabinet that delivers incredibly deep bass, smooth midrange and finely-detailed high frequency response. The loudspeaker has an incredible SPL of 134dB & sensitivity of 101db with a wide frequency response of 40Hz-20 KHz. The Studiomaster Professional S5225 is designed to deliver uncompromised audio performance and rugged reliability in the most demanding applications & is the perfect product for DJ’s, rental companies, auditoriums, places of worship, etc, looking out for a high quality system to jazz up their performances. www.studiomasterprofessional.com

ENNOVATIONS

(L to R): Randy Krochak, Marian Sandberg, and Herman Fruhm

Parasol ACS Systems feature scalability Parasol ACS Systems are entirely scalable and can be categorized into three series – L Series (Large), suitable for outdoor theme parks, special events, etc. The L series Carts are designed for large lighting fixtures such as Syncrolites MX4, SXB-7/3 or XL10’s; M Series (Medium), ideal for indoor theatrical productions, concerts, musical events. M Series Carts are primarily built for medium weight light fixtures from 80lb to 120lbs; and the S Series (Small), suitable for discos, dance clubs, showrooms and cabarets, cruise ship theatres. S series Carts are for lights under 80lbs. Parasol’s unique patented technology allows moving lights, cameras or even lasers to be fixed to moveable carts that glide the lights along a predefined guide way or track. The carts are self-propelled, motorized carts (ParaCarts) that are controlled by wireless technology. The Tracks can be of any shape that is appropriate for the specific event, concert or structure.

custom series the world´s first truly interactive headphones acoustic excellence since 1924

The system recently received the Live Design 2011-2012 Product of the Year Award in the rigging category for the Parasol ACS system. The award was presented during a special ceremony, held May 22, at the Jerome Robbins Theatre in the Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York, as part of the Live Design Broadway Master Classes. “This is a great honor for Parasol and it makes us very happy to know that leading industry professionals are taking note of our technology,” said Parasol CEO Hermann Fruhm. www.parasolsystems.net www.beyerdynamic.com

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ENNOVATIONS

Calibre introduces projection and LED scalers

safety

HQView530

LEDView530

Harnessing the power of the Reonâ&#x201E;˘ video processor running state-of-the-art HQV algorithms from Calibre, HQView530 and LEDView530 are the newest addition to Calibreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inventory. HQView530 is a universal image scaler and scan converter that provides stunning image quality for professional, broadcast and corporate AV users.

generated warp maps can also be processed from automatic image alignment systems. LEDView530 is a highly flexible LED video screen image scaler that provides stunning image quality for professional, broadcast, sports, digital signage & corporate AV. LEDView530 features 4-sided edge drag and drop for sizing the picture to fit the LED screen, making system configuration very easy.

It features 4-sided soft edge blend with multi-region black level correction for seamless blending of multiple projectors and includes flexible geometry correction functions able to correct image shape and projector misalignment by dragging and dropping each image corner; pin/barrel, rotation or keystone and rotation.

Multiple-unit mode with autozoom allows several LEDView530s to seamlessly drive huge LED walls made of several screens. Support is provided for stacking screens up to 4 wide x 4 high for a maximum screen resolution of 7680x4800.

HQView530 has 3G-SDI input and out connectivity with backwards compatibility with HDSDI and SDSDI. For in-camera use, a Genlock input is provided for compatibility with bi or tri-level sync or black & burst.

Very low image latency ensures minimal picture lag, which together with genlock capability makes LEDView530 ideal for on-stage or in-camera use at live events. Configuration is a breeze via front panel LCD readout and jog-wheel or remote control via webserver.

Full warp mapping is also supported by HQView530. A PC application is included for easy warp map creation and third-party

www.calibreuk.com

designing structures that make the difference when it matters, like roof systems www.Prolyte.com

EXHIBITION REVIEW

SLV EXPO 2012

The third edition of the Sound Light Visual Expo (SLV Expo) was held from 20 to 22 June 2012 at the Singapore Expo Convention & Exhibition Centre. Organised by UnUsUaL Exhibition Services Pte Ltd, the exhibition occupied Hall 3 of the Singapore Expo featuring 43 exhibition booths. According to UnUsUaL the exhibition attracted a total of 1894 visitors with visitors from Singapore contributing to nearly 75% of that number. One of the objectives with regards to the SLV Expo is to bridge the knowledge gap within the industry through workshops and seminars. This objective was met with all three days featuring a range of workshops and seminars. A Lab.Gruppen & Lake training and certification programme was also held

for the first time in Singapore over two days at the exhibition venue. The certification programme was organized by distributor TEAM 108 and saw very good take-up by participants. Product seminars included those from L-Acoustics, AVID, DiGiCo and K-Array. There was also a Panasonic Systems Engineer Seminar that was conducted by Invitation Only. The Speaker Demo which has become synonymous with SLV Expo, this year saw participation from Coda, EV, KV2 Audio, LD, Mackie, Norton, QSC Audio, Turbo Sound, TW Audio and Z-Sound. The demonstrations that were timed to allow each brand to showcase its range, enabled visitors to gauge for themselves the sonic quality of the brands in a controlled environment.

Speakers Demo

EXHIBITION REVIEW

Proud Owners of MIDAS PRO2 in Singapore/ Malaysia as of March to August 2012

House of Worship Grace Assembly of God x 1 system Emmanuel Assembly of God x 1 system Brighton Community Church x 1 system Institution ITE Central x 5 systems Entertainment Club Nana x 1 system Rental Company The Production People x 1 system J5 Productions x 2 systems Niche AV (S) Ptd Ltd x 1 system Malaysia Universiti Sains Malaysia x 1 system Puteri Harbour Hotel x 1 system Acoustic & Lighting System Sdn Bhd x 1 system

Watch Out

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QUAD PROFFESSIONAL PTE LTD 45 Ubi Road 1, #05-04, Summit Building, Singapore 408696 Tel: +65 6848 9595, Fax: +65 6745 5918 Email: sales@quadpro.com.sg www.quadpro.com.sg

exhibition preview

PALME / INSTALL Thailand gears up

Date: 19 -21 September 2012 (Wed – Fri) Venue: IMPACT Exhibition & Convention Centre Bangkok Thailand Exhibition Hours: 10am to 7pm Exhibitor Highlights ABtUS to introduce classroom av solution for the modern educator

Analog Way to introduce its new Soft Edge Blending solution

CreateLED to highlight its LED video solutions

ABtUS has designed a simple, all inclusive package which is ideal for any multimedia room or hall to help create a modern multimedia setting. This package includes options which users can select to better suit their applications. All the products are specially designed and produced by ABtUS to work perfectly together. This package is particularly put together for quick, hassle-free installation that makes perfect economical sense.

French-based company Analog Way is introducing its new Smart Edge FX and an upgraded version of the Smart Edge at PALME Thailand.

CreateLED develops manufactures and markets LED video solutions for both rental and permanent installations. The CreateLED video solution for indoor and outdoor applications are bespoke to industry standards on major tours and events, enhancing colours & viewing pleasure in prestigious theatres and world-class car show around the globe.

The main attention-drawer in the package is the centralize control panel that can consolidate and allow simple one-touch controls, all in one panel. Regardless of the settings of the room, the options available in the package would be able to provide customized solutions for every requirement. From short throw projection to traditional ceiling mount, from dual screens to interactive screens to IWB, this ABtUS package will no doubt help integrate and improve multimedia technology for the benefits of all users. It’s a perfect solution multimedia controls.

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convenient

Acoustic & Lighting to showcase RCF solutions Acoustic & Lighting will be showcasing a variety of audio solution models from RCF. These include TTL-IIA, TTO5IA, TTO52A and ART 4 SERIES. With RCF, there is a solution for every application from concert requirements to paging, theatre sound as well as conference systems. Also on exhibit will be solutions from other reputed international brands such as PR LIGHTING, CLAY PAKY, LAX, Antari and Lite Pu.

Smart Edge FX is a new addition to Analog Way’s Edge Blending solutions. It offers up to twelve inputs, including four fitted with 3G/HD/SD-SDI and two fitted with HDCP compliant DVI. The device outputs digital and analog signals in DVI, RGB, and offers a Video Output card providing SD or HD-TV formats in various signals from Composite Video to HD-SDI. The upgraded Smart Edge adds the ability to display one PIP on a frame background with ‘true seamless transitions’. Moreover, Multi Screen Edge Blending can be achieved by linking up to three Smart Edge units, resulting in panoramic image with two to six projectors without loss of synchronization. Seamless transitions are available as well as a variety of visuals effects which can be combined during transitions such as dynamic PIP, flying, zooming and cropping PIP.

Chinavut Marketing Co., Ltd to launch its RAZR brand solutions Chinavut Marketing will be using PALME Thailand as a launch pad for the introduction of its RAZR brand products for the Thai market. These include projection screens, presentation accessories, the RAZR Visualizer Presenter, the RAZR i-Board interactive board, the RAZR i-Board Mini and Razr sound system. They will also be exhibiting Optoma’s latest DLP projectors at their stand.

AirLED™ is becoming an integral part of many events, such as entertainment events, shopping centres, theatres, retail centres, and casinos around the world with their superior resolution and image reproduction. On exhibit will be CreateLED’s AirLED-5 Indoor LED Display; AirLED-15C Curtain Display; JumboGENIE LED TV; Key Features of CreateLED’s products are that they are ultra-slim and light weight in design; standard cabinet size design makes stocking simple; precision extruded aluminum section structure; Fast-locking system design makes assembly and dismantling simple and efficient and there are zero gap between panels.

Extron to highlight high performance video scaler The Extron DVS 605 is a high performance video scaler that includes three HDMI inputs, two universal analog video inputs, and simultaneous HDMI and analog high resolution outputs. The DVS 605 accepts a wide variety of video formats including HDMI with HDCP, HDTV, RGB, and standard definition video. It features advanced Extron video signal processing with 1080i deinterlacing, Deep Color processing, and true seamless switching for professional-quality presentations. Designed for professional AV integration, the DVS 605 offers flexible control options including Ethernet, RS-232, USB, and contact closure. The DVS 605 is available in models

EXHIBITION PREVIEW with audio switching plus HDMI audio embedding / de-embedding, and also 3G-SDI/HD-SDI output with genlock. The DVS 605 will be just one of the many solutions that Extron will be exhibiting which will feature control systems, interfaces, switchers, distribution amplifiers amongst other AV system integration products.

FBT to showcase its new VERTUS CLA active column array FBT is a leading Italian manufacturer of professional audio, installed sound, system integration solutions, musical instruments amplification. Exhibiting for the first time at PALME / INSTALL Thailand together with its distributor STAR ELECTRONIC SALES AND SERVICES CO. LTD of Bangkok, FBT will be introducing a wide selection from its production: the new VERTUS CLA active column array as well the new MITUS 206LA active line array; the highly performing PROMAXX and EVOMAXX series, matched with the SUBLINE subwoofers. A selection of KEMPTON audio products completes the showcase.

Fuzion to launch Nexo STM The STM Series is NEXO’s new proposition for the modern touring and rental company, 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 super-powerful, super-flexible, easy to use, and might actually make its owners some money! 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. An STM system can be configured at will from four discrete loudspeaker elements;M46main, B112 bass, S118 subbass and M28 ‘omni’ fill modules. System configurations might comprise arrays of main cabinets only, or main+bass, or bass+main+bass. The ability to add extra bass cabinets to the system in order to increase power and headroom without introducing unwanted phase anomalies makes STM unique, the first system to offer scalable LF. Deploying the dedicated subbass cabinets, either in the arrays or as groundstacks, further increases the options, and the ‘omni’ fill speakers complete the coverage pattern, whatever the scale of the system

Kramer to showcase its MV-6 Multiviewer Amongst other solutions, Kramer Electronics will be introducing to visitors the versatile high−performance MV−6 multiviewer for 3G HD−SDI video signals. The device can display up to six inputs in any combination and output the image in multiple formats, supporting either pre−programmed or customizable screen divisions. The MV−6 has a maximum input data rate of 3Gbps and is HDTV compatible. It features Kramer’s re−Klocking™ & Equalization technology, which rebuilds the digital signal to travel longer distances. The multiviewer offers flexible control options via IR remote, Ethernet & RS−232 (supplied with PC control software). The 4.3” color LCD preview screen (16:9) displays the output signal on the front panel. The front panel also has buttons to freeze, resize and position the picture, as well as four pre−programmed and two user−definable screen handling buttons which make the unit easy to monitor and control. The MV−6 multiviewer is intended for use in production studios, rental & staging and presentation applications and is a valuable device for professional broadcasting purposes.

NPE to exhibit its amplifier and power mixer solution NPE’s Class-D Amplifier Model D-2200 is a very efficient and lightweight Stereo Power Amplifier. Its power supply is the switching type so the heat from operation is low. It is fully equipped with various protection circuits. This model is specially designed to fully respond to professional PA users’ needs. It can be applied to speakers with impedance 8 Ohms, 4 Ohms and 2 Ohms without sound alteration. Also, it can be operated continuously at full power 1,100 Watt at 2 Ohms when operating on Stereo basis or at 2,200 Watt @ 4 Ohms when operating on Bridge MONO basis. It comes in standard 2U and weighs 11.5 Kg. The MDA-MT SERIES carries wide ranges of Power Mixers that are specially designed for PA application from NPE. It is suitable for any buildings, requiring public address sound system. It can also be used with either speaker boxes or horn speakers. It features line matching 70 – 100 V. Equipped with MP3 Player and FM Radio, the MDA-MT can operate very well with digital sound sources. There are two models in this series. All functions are the same except power output. MDA-1000MT can be operated at full power of 750 Watt and MDA-800MT can be operated at 500 Watt Max. In addition, MDA-MT Series can also be operated with both 220 Volt AC 50 Hz or car battery 24 Volt DC.

Total Solution Marketing to showcase a range of solutions Total Solution Marketing is a leading distributor of premium professional Lighting, Rigging, Visual & Special Effects products and also supplier of Permanent LED and Architectural lighting products in Asia. Their clients include some of the regional leading rental companies, prominent theatres, clubs, schools and churches. On exhibit will be the Avolites Sapphire Touch - Ultrafast programming with two wide screen touch monitors offering a huge workspace area. Ultimate live control from 45 motorised master faders offers silk smooth operation or automated playback. Unique Avo ‘sketchfast legends’ are fast to draw digitally and easy to locate during showtime. Vari*Lite VL3015, VL3015LT, and VL3515 Spot Luminaires - The VL3015, VL3015LT, and VL3515 Spot luminaires use the doubleended 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. Robert Juliat RJ ZEP - 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. Robert Juliat RJ TIBO - 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. Coolux Pandoras Box New Version 5.1 - After the great success of the groundbreaking Pandoras Box Version 5.0, the new Version 5.1 adds a great range of powerful features to the Pandoras Box product family, including Media Encryption, 3D Warping and a new Matrix Patcher.

MANAGEMENT PERSPECTIVES

EV: Sounding global customer benefit by Ram Bhavanashi markets as of today in terms of total sales. Looking at high growth countries in ASEAN and emerging markets such as India, we see opportunities to further strengthen our brand awareness. We feel rightfully ambitious in these regions. ETA: What reasons do you see for this success and / or challenges?

Electro-Voice, since its re-emerging onto the global soundstage under the Bosch flag, has been a saga of great excitement and anticipation. While some part of it has already unfolded, creating a whole new spec to the industry dynamic, it appears it is all set to lead the industry towards a new ‘open-standard’ horizon soon. Johannes Huth, Director-Product Marketing at Bosch Security Systems & Communications Systems (Southeast Asia), who was recently in India, talks to ETA on what exactly the audio major is up to in today’s fast paced global marketplace. Excerpts:

ETA: It's been roughly over five years since the re-branding of EV under the Bosch brand. How has the journey been till now? Johannes: We would rather talk about strengthening than ‘rebranding’ the EV brand. Bosch acquired Telex in 2006 and always treasured EV as a strong asset. Since then Bosch invested a significant amount of money to further strengthen the brand that has grown over 85 years, with a deep impression on the Pro Sound industry. It has been an interesting journey with encouraging growth figures on a year by year basis. ETA: In what geographies and what market segments do you think you had maximum success; and what regions and segments had low success? Johannes: It is true that unlike US, Asia is a market with diverse countries and conditions as well as diverse levels of brand recognition. Matching up this diversity, EV has a rich legacy, and a strong brand recognition in well developed countries in the Asia Pacific Rim such as Japan and Australia- our biggest

Johannes: Like Bosch, EV has never been a ‘me-too’ company. For, they both stand for innovative products, high quality and trustworthy value propositions. With the launch of Live X at NAMM show 2011, we successfully re-entered the retail business, strengthening EV brand on a world-wide scale. Live X has been one of the most successful product launches in the history of EV, and this is only the beginning as we continue to bring new products to this important business segment. At the same time, Bosch invested significantly into its installation business. For instance, just take the EV innovation loudspeaker line. In that perspective, EV customers benefit from the overall Bosch strategy to invest a good part of its revenues into R&D, a key success factor for Bosch as a total company. Raising the bar further, next year, customers would see a complete new media networking architecture becoming the new platform for new value propositions for Public Address, Conference Systems, Critical Communications Systems and Pro Sound. ETA: What specific changes have been brought to the product portfolio during this time, in terms of- product diversification; technology; customization; and pricing? Johannes: Yes, some very decisive developments have shaped the brand and its portfolio. We strengthened our MI portfolio, and added products to our FI business. You will see new products coming from our concert business too. In term of technology- we do not just make standard products. Our Live X product range has been designed by our experts in Minneapolis, our headquarters for Communications business, and tested in our own anechoic chambers (unlike many who have outsourced processes!). Being a technology leader in many areas, the Pro Sound business will benefit from our

ambition of making OMNEO as the leading technology platform for communications. While striving to enhance our products and customer experience from time to time, we also endeavour to improve the industry as a whole- which is why we have been industry leaders in standardization efforts such as the OCA Alliance for the device control, and the AVnu Alliance for the AVB transport initiatives. We believe that these open approaches provide great benefits to our customers, and the fact that OMNEO is interoperable with other devices that use variety of technologies such as AVB, Dante and OCA will provide superior performance and customer experiences. In terms of customization- recognizing the fast pace of emerging markets and regional product requirements coming along with it, Bosch set-up in 2012, Regional Business Units (RBUs) bringing our BU headquarters closer to the faster growth regions. We established an RBU for China in Shanghai, and Singapore for rest of Asia Pacific Region (APR). On top of that, we have our own Bosch sales organizations in all major countries in APR, providing localized solutions for many years. This can be a special speaker bracket in Japan or an explosion proof speaker for off-shore customers in Singapore, Australia or India. In terms of pricing- EV has been a highly appreciated brand in high price points (HPP) market segments delivering good value for money. Gaining back market share in MI markets, we now offer excellent products at affordable price points offering more choices to customers. To be clear about it, also in MPP segments (medium price point market segments), EV will not compromise sound quality. ETA: Would you please elaborate on the OMNEO initiative? Johannes: OMNEO represents another significant area that Bosch has strengthened and complimented EV, and how the entire Communications Business Unit is stronger because of these partnerships and collaborations. It is a classic example of how we bring industry-leading technology to market for overall benefit of customers. OMNEO offers a solution for both the transport of media as well as the control of media devices that is based on open standards; it’s a complete integrated solution that the industry has long been asking for, but has been missing to date.

MANAGEMENT PERSPECTIVES ETA: What exactly is the purpose of the initiative? What is EV's stake in the whole initiative?

to hit the market will be an EV product- the RCM-28 DSP and network module for our Tour Grade amplifiers.

Johannes: As said just now, while many proprietary solutions are available today to address media networking challenges, an integrated solution that can enhance distribution as well as performance of media devices with control mechanism and interoperability that hasn’t been there before. This is one of the main objectives of OMNEOto develop a superior solution for both performance and interoperability.

ETA: Bosch has divested off Klark Teknik and Midas that formed very important brands under EV. Why did you have to do it? For what specific challenge or benefit?

The initiative, in general, had two primary goals. I already spoke about how Bosch has complimented and strengthened EV on business and internal level, but there is more to that story. The portfolio of products created when Bosch and EV came together was one of the most diverse and powerful in the market. It is logical to desire marrying together all these products into highly integrated solutions that no other manufacturer could provide, and that the industry had been increasingly demanding. However, the challenge was that many of these products needed a common networking architecture to tie them together for control, monitor, supervision, and general communication. That was the inspiration for OMNEO.

Johannes: Our clear focus has been on EV and Dynacord and we were glad to have found with Music Group a strong company in the Pro Sound environment offering investments that MIDAS and Klark Teknik brands deserved. MIDAS has been, and, still is a highly appreciated brand. On the other hand, even a company as Bosch, sometimes has to make choices, and setting priorities is inevitable. The divestment allowed us to further strengthen our EV/DC value propositions in dedicated market segments.

our historically strong business activities in PA and Conference solutions in India. We do have a strong local team and local offices across India supporting our key business partners. The same is valid for Middle East. ETA: How would you differentiate these two markets? What strengths and weaknesses do you see in these markets? Johannes: Both markets expect excellent sound and product support at affordable prices and honourable specs. EV is a ‘nogimmicks’ company, meaning we deliver what we promise. Talking about weaknesses, looking at India as an emerging market, sometimes we have to make choices as we cannot do everything at the same time. Another challenge is to find the right people as the Pro Sound community is a very special breed of experts with its own expertise, culture and networking. Both the markets offer plenty of growth opportunities, and Bosch has positioned itself very well in India and Middle East to contribute to industry growth. ETA: What strengths/ competencies do you believe have been built into the company to make it a reckonable force?

Johannes: Expertise. We successfully managed to keep intact our Pro Sound R&D colleagues within our company. As we began to develop Synergies. EV benefits from this architecture, it quickly the profound manufacturing became apparent that the true capabilities and resources of customer benefit(s) would be Bosch which is a multi-national realized if only it worked on manufacturer for over 125 years. open standards, rather than Both Bosch and EV stand for proprietary technologies. Thus high quality and reliable value we came up the second goalpropositions. On the other hand, create a world-class technology we cannot neglect – as stated while simultaneously working "EV's focus on India is reinforced by their large booth space and vibrant display at the Palm Expo Mumbai 2012. before - another key success towards a standardization. factor: Bosch, and as part of it, EV, believe in fair and long lasting relationships Our role as a founding member of the OCA Alliance is a great example of this mindset. ETA: Focusing on the India and Middle East with customers, meaning distributors, dealers This approach will benefit everybody, and markets, how successful has EV been in these and value added resellers. Even through tough times, Bosch will appreciate and support will allow tremendous opportunities for EV markets? our partners making business decisions on products to be integrated with Bosch products (and vice versa) to create system solutions Johannes: India is a key market for Bosch. profound ground rather than short-term The successful launch of first Tour X, followed oriented success decisions. that no competitor can match. by Live X helped us tremendously to further ETA: To what extent do you believe the develop EV brand and awareness all across ETA: What is the road ahead for EV in the Initiative has gathered momentum? By the country. Having installed EV speakers near term, and the long term? which time can one expect a fully-unveiled in many world-class stadiums all over the globe, including world renowned events in Johannes: We will continue to provide the structure? Germany, Poland, Ukraine and London, Bosch best sound in each market segment, at fair Johannes: OMNEO will be an ongoing was also honoured to install EV speakers at pricing and honourable specs. initiative, the success being determined by the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the main host future solutions and applications, whether its venue for the Commonwealth Games in 2010. www.boschsecurity.asia Bosch or its partners. The first OMNEO product In addition, we see many synergies between

MANAGEMENT PERSPECTIVES

Taking the Big In any cinema hall, generically, one of the first things that attract one’s attention inside the auditorium is the screen. Traditionally, movie houses are highlighted for their screen size quality. Currently in the times of digital hype, for both operators and their patrons it takes centrestage in cinematic experience. British Screen major Harkness Hall, having made its name globally synonymous with cinematic experience, set up its India office in Bengaluru recently, as part of its ambitious expansion into Asia Pacific.

ETA: What exactly is your/Harkness' agenda through the current profile- both in the immediate/near term and long term future?

Sriram Sistla, a renowned name in Indian cinema exhibition industry, who took over as Harkness’s India & SAARC Sales Director recently, talks to ETA about the screen major’s plans initiatives in the region.

ETA: How do you intend to do that? Any specific initiatives already on the ground?

ETA: Congratulations on your new assignment. What does it mean to you, and to Harkness Hall? Sriram: Opening an office in Bangalore means we can support our customers better. A screen making facility is planned to follow end 2012. This will enable us to offer shorter lead times and reduce freight and import costs. At a purely professional level, this assignment is enormously responsible since we are building an organization from scratch in India. 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.

Sriram: The immediate priority item on our agenda is building relationships, and thus, our sales with all the players in the domestic cinema business. In addition to seeking to become the leader in our core business area of cinema screens, our subsequent objective is to significantly increase our presence in other application areas as well.

Sriram: Harkness is already popular amongst all the multiplex chains. We are happy that a number of single-screen owners are also

aware of Harkness, and we have embarked upon a number of initiatives to reach out to this segment. These include our participation in cinema specific exhibitions, reaching out to the various film chambers, engaging freelance engineers, distributors and consultants and, of course, most importantly, having face-toface meetings with as many single-screen exhibitors as possible . ETA: Seeking to manufacture cinema screens locally is quite an ambitious task. What excites you going for it? Sriram: This is a strategic move by Harkness Screens Group. India is an important and fast growing market and, as the only global player in cinema screens, it is quite logical for us to have local presence in India. It fits well into our strategy of 'global reach and local supply'. ETA: Where exactly is the manufacturing facility being set up? What is the time-line for rolling out the locally manufactured screens? Sriram: The location has been finalized. It will be located at the industrial area in T Begur, off the Tumkur Road, an important highway connecting Bangalore and North Karnataka besides adjoining States like Goa and Maharashtra. It is also conveniently accessible from the international airport at Devanahalli. The facility is slated to be up and running in the first quarter of the next calendar year, and it will roll out all the models of Harkness screens including the Smart View frame screens.

MANAGEMENT PERSPECTIVES

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by Ram Bhavanashi

Closer to Customers ETA: What potential do you see to support your initiative? Sriram: Cinema business is undergoing a big transformation worldwide with rapid proliferation of digital projection and the growth in 3D. India is no different to this phenomenal change though it has its own unique way reflecting its typical characteristics of the Indian market. 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. So that’s a huge business opportunity. Digital projection lamps are expensive and have shorter lives than film projection lamps. It is therefore of critical importance that the cinema operator(s) and / or their consultants should choose the smallest lamp possible that can achieve high light output. A tricky situation here is that a high brightness (gain) screen can help project better image with low power lamp thereby reducing the lamp cost. Harkness’ Perlux and Spectral screens are a testament to this. Further, they also contribute to reduction of a carbon footprint due to the use of low power consuming lamps. That Harkness is global leader in high gain screen technology it contributes to operators’ cost saving and carbon footprint reduction efforts. All this provides for a big business opportunity. ETA: How about the pitfalls, given the volatile nature of the business? and the local price competition? Sriram: Entering any new marketplace comes with a risk, and generically seen, there is no business that doesn’t come with a risk. What matters is whether the business seeker positions its case to stand the risks. In our case, hiring experienced local talent is key to reducing risk. Competition comes second. Our prices will be significantly lower when we make our screens locally. Admittedly, our current prices are higher than local competition but we will have a price parity with higher quality when we manufacture locally. Given the provocative demand that we have been seeing for many years now – thanks mainly to the multiplex and digital revolution – this is the critical advantage that we hope will offset the pitfalls.

ETA: What professional expertise does Harkness intend to bring to the screen business in India, particularly in the 2k-4k digital cinema era? Sriram: Harkness is over 80 years into global cinema and event screen business, and this has been its one and only focused core domain expertise - which is why it is like a global resource for screen technology and know-how for design, build, install, maintenance and service support. That the company continually invests a good part of its resources on R & D, it possesses the latest solutions at any given point in time, including the present day’s fancy and necessity of digital cinema screen. Further, the MD-CEO of Harkness, Andrew Robinson, who travels extensively across the globe, is a regular presenter of the latest trends and technologies disseminating knowledge. All this makes up a huge source of expertise that flows into the Indian market enabling cinema or non-cinema space operators to choose the best screen solution to provide an enhanced viewing experience to their patrons. That’s the key benefit from Harkness’s professional expertise.

ETA: Harkness is predominant in Cinema. Would you stick to cinema screen manufacturing or diversify into non-cinema and A/V screens too? Sriram: Any business development will be based on our 'core competence' and technical know how. There may be selected opportunities in home theatre and highend 3D applications in AV. We will, however, carefully evaluate each opportunity and build competencies before seeking it.

Sriram: We would exploit niche areas. The market is continually evolving, and, we believe, it will expand for providing wider opportunities for many players. More, quality products will always find their place even in the midst of the most demanding environment, and superlative quality is what makes Harkness unique. All this means that we will make our way successful. ETA: Screen technologies do not change as frequently as other components of the business do. Is this not a technical limitation? Sriram: Admittedly, technologies are slower to change in screens - improvements are mainly incremental. In our core business of cinema screens, change is to the extent that it best complements the other aspects of the movie watching experience. Having said that, it does not limit our passion for innovation, and we continue to explore the opportunities to improvise from on our offerings from time to time. ETA: What significant technologies do you believe Harkness has brought to place in the recent past? Sriram: There indeed have been some major technology innovations by Harkness in the recent past. Perlux Digital is an example of incremental improvement. While coming with the same features as the Perlux, the Digital one is a comparatively whiter screen surface to be able to produce more, brighter reflectance of light (thrown from the digital projector lamp). So, even a lamp with lesser capacity is complemented by the reflectance of the screen to make the image brighter. www.harkness-screens.com

ETA: Given your low penetration in noncinema and AV segments, how would you take on the competition from global majors?

"Cinema business is undergoing a big transformation worldwide with rapid proliferation of digital projection and the growth in 3D. 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. So that’s a huge business opportunity."

LIVE

Carmen at Masada – The Return of the Grand Spectacle

Imagine the most unimaginable. Scale up the thought process for a setting of the most uncommon kind: an opera festival staged at the foot of mount Masada, the lowest place on earth; over 800 artistes including cast, musicians, flamenco dancers and choirs performing Carmen - on a 3,500-square meter stage - in front of nightly audiences of 7,500; Ten live horses and seven donkeys walking on the hills that are manually created from 10,000 cubic meters of sand, and with the backdrop of the floodlit Masada rock. Add to this, live broadcast simultaneously from three different locations. A truly magical setting recreating the atmosphere of 19th century Spain in which an extraordinary woman - the Carmen manifests a boundless character. That's Carmen at Masada- Israel's greatest opera festival spectacle. Leading Israeli technical production solutions company The Design Group returned to the site they created in 2010, right at the foot of Masada Mountain on the shores of the Dead Sea, for the 2012 edition that proved in every bit as hot as the searing desert temperatures!

The fantastic ‘bare stage’ production took advantage of the arid, boundless expanses of the boulder strewn natural environment, bringing a completely different look and feel that was literally ‘ground breaking’ as the set was radically bulldozed out of the barren desert terrain. Featuring William Orlandi’s stunningly visual production design, Carmen was directed by Giancarlo del Monaco and conducted by maestro Daniel Oren with a lighting design created by Avi Yona Bueno (Bambi). The Design Group team was led by Production Director Eyal Lavee and Site and Production Manager Elad Mainz, who built on the massive learning curves of the previous two years, with the site now a real practical working environment. Carmen utilized the skills and resources of two out of three Design Group companies - Stage Design and Irgunit (the other being LEDIM) – and Lavee and Mainz worked with up to 150 crew and technicians on site over a sustained two month period. Irgunit built the stage set and provided all the props for both the performance and the

large FOH areas, including lighting and sound. The package included the supply of seating tribunes to accommodate 7,500 people each night and all the necessary site and production infrastructure. The process involved close collaboration with the Opera’s production team led by Events and Operations Manager, Uri Hartman with whom the Design Group has a very harmonious relationship. Leading UK rental companies HSL and Britannia Row were again brought on board by The Design Group to deliver the very best quality in stage lighting and sound. With three years of experience working in the toughest desert environment under their belts, all knew what to expect – including the complete unpredictability of life, nature and technology out there! That was just one of many ephemeral threads making it another magical and completely unique production at Masada.

Setting The Scene The set at a quick glance might have looked like nothing much, but it soon became apparent that sculpting the rocks and sand

LIVE of the former sea bed into the sultry Seville backdrop for Carmen took enormous effort and meticulous planning! Working with the bare stage required “A completely different approach and entering a different visual headspace,” explains Elad Mainz. Plenty of technology also had to be ensconced in the set – larger items like wedge monitors and lights together with copious amounts of cabling. To maintain the best site lines, a new lower orchestra pit was also excavated. The small ‘stage mountains’ at the back and in the rabbit warren of interlinking paths and walkways criss-crossing the space were intricately plotted, along with a myriad of other mounds, nuances and hills carefully carved out to conceal various elements.

Wide, stripped back and sparse, the whole space took on an almost film-like appearance. Rather than presenting a set of predetermined creative aesthetic parameters, it made everyone’s individual imaginations work intensively to create their own variations of the setting. Several large set pieces were constructed by Irgunit, including a 15 metre long train consisting of an engine and three wagons – for which they also laid down 50 metres of railroad track upstage. A large 120 square metre dance stage was made up of 20 segments– which had to be carried onstage and assembled / removed in three and a half minutes. At the back of the performance area Irgunit completed an

industrial scale installation with electricity pylons and telegraph poles, juxtaposing starkly with the barren desert. The Design Group team first started work at the site at the start of April, and by 1 May, the operation was stepped up several levels, completing in time for the first dress rehearsals and press right in the first week of June. New this year, left and right LED screens were added for IMAG relay from a centrally placed camera at FOH, while the bi-lingual subtitles (in Hebrew and English) were displayed on three screens left-centre-right of the orchestra pit wall at the front. As a piece of open air staging, the passion, drama and well balanced accessibility of

The lighting design was created by Avi Yona Bueno (Bambi)

The Design Group team was led by Production Director Eyal Lavee (L) and Site and Production Manager Elad Mainz (R).

Carmen worked beautifully and organically. The action engaged with the special environment of Masada like a long lost companion, complete with balmy weather enhancing the mystique.

Director Giancarlo del Monaco had a very clear vision about what he wanted to see onstage in terms of lighting – which was that it should remain as naturalistic as possible.

Lighting It was HSL’s crew chief Ian Stevens’ third stint at Masada, and although the same demanding working conditions existed, experience and acclimatization also made it much easier. This year, he was joined by Matt Brown and the two of them worked with three top Israeli lighting technicians employed by Stage Design - Tsafrir Dagan (Saffi); Itay; and Ran Hafner.

As with the scenic elements, superficial impressions might suggest this being an easy task, but Bambi had his work cut out to bring exactly the right amount of layering, texturing and specific quality of lighting needed to paint the bigger picture envisioned by the Italian duo (del Monaco and Orlandi). The daylight scenes were based around subtle different colour temperature whites and ambers, while the night ones around sumptuous shades of blue. Simple, traditional, effective.

The challenges of working with restricted colour palettes also brought a real resonance and depth to the picture. Stage Design installed large steel lighting gantries either side of the stage – which juxtaposed very effectively with the stark settings. A box truss was built at the back of the main grandstand seating to give the FOH positions. The 150 moving lights were all Robe this year – specified by Bambi for a number of reasons including the fact that they are a brand seriously tough enough to withstand the intense heat, dust and wind.

LIVE The L-Acoustics Kudo sound system that worked so successfully last year was back again, designed and refined by a combination of Jonathan Dunlop, Britannia Row’s MD Bryan Grant and Josh Lloyd, last year’s systems engineer and crew chief.

The Lighting Crew: L – R : Ran Hafner (sitting), Itay Hafner, Ian Stevens (from HSL), Tsafrir Dagan (Saffi) and Matt Brown (from HSL)

Apart from that, the 82 Robe ColorSpot 2500E ATs and 32 x ColorSpot 1200E ATs were also picked for their intensity, which was needed to cover the long throw distances to the stage of up to 80 metres. Thirty Robe REDWash 3·192s were stationed upstage, masked in the ‘scenic’ mountains and used to streak moody splatterings of light down the length of the stage. These distinctive rectangular lightsources are a favourite of Bambi’s and were an excellent effect. Other lighting from HSL included about 200 ETC Source Fours, Strand 5K Bambino fresnels fitted with adaptors to take Chroma-Q M5 Mk II colour scrollers, an assortment of single PARs, Raylites and several strings of 250W and 600W ACLs plus all dimming, distro and cabling. Masada Mountain was lit – at strategic moments - with sixty 5K Panther searchlights from Stage Design and 20 sets of HSL’s 600 W ACLs, all running off a City Theatrical wireless DMX system from HSL. Alon Cohen programmed and operated the show over five nights on site using a CompuLite Vector Red console, with another running in full tracking backup. In addition to that, the lighting department surpassed themselves in creating backstage facilities and vibes. Well stocked fridges and freezers, pleasant chill out areas to take advantage of the best Wifi hotspots and the now legendary Stevens Café & Grill, where Ian’s toasted sandwiches have become Masada site folklore! Rumours that he will also be providing crew catering next year are unconfirmed!!

Sound Several new faces appeared on the Britannia Row crew of 10 this year including crew chief Tristan Farrow, who wasn’t fazed by any of the challenges of the desert and embraced the camaraderie and good working atmosphere.

There were 14 Kudos in the main hangs and seven in the sides with six SB218 subs on the floor each side.

The 55 metre wide stage aperture presented its own issues for audio, along with the large orchestra pit and the generally loud volume of the singers onstage, and they relied heavily on precisely positioned infills to focus as much ‘weight’ into the middle of the auditorium as possible. These consisted of four stacks of three-high dVDOSC and three dV SUBs. L-Acoustics 108 speakers formed the delay rings - a row of eight behind the first tier of seating, and another half way up the bleachers to freshen up the high end. FOH engineer Barry Bartlett mixed the show using a Midas XL8 console, using all the on-board facilities and just one piece of outboard - a Lexicon 960 reverb. This ran four engines – high and low strings, chorus and soloists. Monitors were mixed by Dee Miller from the comfort of a climate controlled container backstage which also housed all the Sennheiser radio racks. The Opera doesn’t usually utilise monitors when performing in venues, but in the unique ‘without walls’ scenario at Masada, the essential function of the monitor system was to try and mimic something of a room sound.

The concept worked extremely well in terms of marking out a sound field for the performers. The mics were all DPA 4061 headsets, with the 10 principals and 30 of the chorus close-mic’d, and a selection of shot-gun mics provided for ambient pickups onstage. The orchestra were mic’d with 54 channels of Schoeps. The Sennheiser 5000 radio system consisted of 48 x 3782 Mk II receivers and 48 x 5212 belt packs, running via eight antennae dotted around the stage, routed into a custom made distro system from Sennheiser. This was minded by Barry McLeod, who encountered a few surprises when discovering the ‘real’ RF interference levels – and sources - present in an empty desert space! Britannia Row also supplied a comprehensive show call and relay / shout system based around a Yamaha DME (digital mixing engine) running in conjunction with a Dante line system. This fed 48 x Turbo Impact speakers via a Yamaha LS9 16 channel mixer covering all the backstage, dressing room and technical areas.

Moving On Carmen was another major creative and technical achievement for both the Israeli Opera and The Design Group, uniting many disciplines, skills, talents, energising some great teamwork and producing awesome results. This massive enthusiasm, imagination and talent has all fused and produced three very different shows over the initial period for which the event was committed. Having built such an international reputation and a real fresh and invigorating festival phenomena – literally right out of nothing in the desert - it’s just been announced that the Opera festival will continue next year ….. with a new production of Puccini’s Turandot.

The front-of-stage ring of Turbosound TFM420 wedges – completely buried in the earth of the stage floor - were delayed to the conductor’s earth position in the pit. A side hang of 1 x dV-DOSC SUB and four dVs per side covered the side ‘walls’ in the mid-stage position, with upstage stacks of two-high dV-DOSC to give a back wall effect at the rear of the space – in the scenic mountains! The Sound Crew: (back row, L-R) Dee Miller, Jono Dunlop, Stefan Krista, Cesar Lopez, Tristan Farrow, Barry McLeod; (front row, L-R) Juliet Ogden, Luke Cohen, Dan Lavi, Barry Bartlett

More information under

www.coolux.com

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Hippotizers provide last-minute solution for high profile corporate event March 2012 saw the official merger of King & Wood with Mallesons Stephen Jaques, thereby creating the global law firm King & Wood Mallesons. The launch event for this prestigious partnership took place at the Four Season’s Grand Ballroom in Hong Kong and in keeping with the venue and its guests, Sydney – based event organiser G1 Productions planned a dazzling classy evening. Technical consultant and supplier Avollusion was drafted in at the 11th hour to organise this large scale projection project that G1 Productions had in mind. For the event, the ballroom was fitted with a 42m x 4m seamless projection screen made up of three separate walls at 45 degrees to each other. The custom content at full 8128 x 882 native resolution, plus Live inputs, were to be projected onto this curved screen as one seamless image sequence. With barely two weeks for the preparations and a set-up time of only 6 hours, Avollusion needed a system that could easily be configured on arrival and allowed for flexible control within this limited time frame and space. Accommodating enough projectors in the venue at the right distance to create a smooth projection over this enormous surface created an extra challenge for Avollusion who organised the set-up using two sets of projectors for the two parts

of the wall. For the longer side they chose 3 x Christie HD18K projectors running at full HD but overshooting, while the shorter sides were covered by 2x Christie WU12K projectors that were aligned to fit the screen but used slightly less than HD resolution. The combination of different power projectors but inversely proportional image sizes was due to the unique projector placements. In order to achieve the perfect blend in colours and consistent brightness throughout the image, Avollusion decided on Green Hippo’s media servers for the video control. Two Hippotizer HD media servers, purchased by Avollusion via Green Hippo’s Hong Kong distributor Ten Thousand Things, and one GrassHopper, supplied for the event by TTT, were used to facilitate the panoramic projection. Hippotizer’s UberPan component enabled the three Hippotizers to work together and create one single 42m canvas. Avollusion’s Justin Choy stated: “Uberpan was the star of the show, enabling us to tie the project together using only ten minutes to

set-up. Uberpan allowed us to join the odd aspect ratios together without any effort. The end result was a perfect full resolution seamless image that utterly wowed the crowd.” Using UberPan, Avollusion was able to split and encode the full high resolution content onsite while the ScreenWarp feature helped to align the projection, accommodating the curved screen and allowing them to play back anything the client requested. Ten Thousand Thing’s Mike Clingman comments: “Avolusion’s client (G1 Productions) was very happy that they could create and hand over the video in full format and save days in the editing studio not having to cut and render pieces for each projector. They loved using Hippotizer and after a short learning curve they found it really easy to use. And UberPan was awesome!” www.avollusion.com

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South Korea lights up “Big O” with Medialon Show Control system

The marine-themed Expo 2012, which opened in May 2012 for a three-month run in Yeosu, South Korea, features a “Big-O” landmark constructed to give visitors an insight into the expo's theme, including experience zones hosting large-scale events and cultural performances. French-based production company ECA2 was in charge of designing the entire ‘Big-O’ show as well as the O structure. During the day, the “Big-O” is a giant sculpture that will remain after the Expo as a symbolic landmark. By night, it is the centerpiece of a unique show that embraces the Expo’s themes. The O itself features a water screen inside the outer rim, which shows films and other videos. The outer rim also produces special effects, such as laser shows. ECA2’s team designed the O as a mysterious object that could have emerged from the ocean itself. It glistens in the sunlight like a jewel over the lagoon. Modern materials such as concrete and steel are harmoniously

combined to lend the structure an almost organic appearance. For the “Big-O” night-time show, the Medialon show control system synchronized hundreds of devices and special effects, creating an immersive show that plunged the audience into the heart of a sensory narrative.

The Medialon Manager V6 PRO show control software allowed for the control and synchronization of 24 moving water cannons, the 45-meter “Cascade Screen” high water curtain and hundreds of water jets. For visual and lighting, the V6 Pro controlled fifty-eight 1500W moving heads and six 35000 lumens video projectors. www.expo2012.kr www.eca2.com www.medialon.com

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IIFA 2012 mixes glitz and g by Ram Bhavanashi

International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) – a synonym for Indian brand cinema overseas – is, simply put, a celebration of Indian cinema in all its glory - which is why its awards programme attracts global attention, making a huge entertainment fare in itself. Making it a larger-than-life proposition is the technology that powers it every time, and the latest edition was no different. Held in the bustling city-state of Singapore recently, the 13th IIFA Awards programme upped the ante of the spirit of “technotainment.” ETA presents a perspective. IIFA – brand in itself in the glam world of Bollywood – has always been a watchout fare for all its endeavours for both the entertainers and those who work behind them; more so when it comes to its annual Awards Programme. A first-of-its kind initiative in the country – promoted by Mumbai-headquartered premier global event management enterprise Wizcraft International – the entertainment body honours the individuals who have contributed significantly to the cause of ‘Brand India’ in global cinematic domain. As part of its endeavour, the company had been organizing awards programmes every year in different parts of the world, carefully choosing the host cities that have a vibrant Indian diaspora. The 13th and 2012 edition of the event, recently held in Singapore, was a befitting statement of its spirit and purpose. A technotainment fare that it was, the programme presented

Viraf Sarkari, Director of Wizcraft International who oversaw the IIFA overall proceedings

‘the celebration of Indian cinema’ in the glitz of glitterati, and stunning audio-visual technology. For the technical eye, the glamour of the event was that even as the celebs on and off the stage reveled in cinematic fun, a massive set-up of audio, video, electronic and lighting systems worked in tandem presenting an equally appealing setting. A measure of the setting can be gauged from the numbers of the systems it used: around 100 speakers and subs in different places and combinations; 50-plus mics including wireless handheld; as many as 32 mixing monitors; a whopping 500 lighting fixtures of various measures and combinations; 30 power amplifiers; four haze machines, and to top it all, a massive 100 feet x 60 feet LED wall on the stage, besides multiple columns of 25 feet x 6 feet each LED displays.

An event of this scale required an evenly matching trussing work; an impressive stage design; and an involvement of dozens of technicians and workers. That the company sourced the equipment and expertise from as diverse geographies as India and China, it was a compelling challenge for the team heads involved. “An event of this scale is expected to come with challenges,” says Wency Rodrigues of Virtual Vision, the Mumbai-based AV solutions enterprise entrusted with LED and video design for IIFA 2012 programme. “That we sourced equipment from diverse

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glamour with technology places, mostly from China, the challenge of coordination was probably bigger than ever owing to the communication predicament with the Chinese,” he added. According to him, IIFA-2012 sourced most of its equipment from China for many reasons. While price and proximity were two important reasons, the other was availability of large quantity of material, particularly the LED lights. For IIFA Singapore’s LED requirement, which is huge, there were no other manufacturers than the Chinese in the region with such capability. “Sourcing equipment and expertise from China proved much easier than from India and elsewhere,” Rodrigues said. “Apart from

logistics, Chinese market proved better with regard to availability of men and material.” Lighting IIFA 2012 The centre of attraction at the IIFA 2012 was the huge LED wall on the stage, measuring 100 feet x 60 feet, meant to display graphics and content relevant to the programming on the stage. It’s a very customized design evolved by Wizcraft in-house design team; and the solution was sourced from BAO Lighting from China which earned international reputation with its supplies for the Beijing Olympics. Magnifying the glitter of the show on the stage as well as that of the setting were multiple columns of LED displays, measuring 25 feet in height and six feet in width, installed at different places across the venue. The venue main lighting featured an exhaustive combination of Martin Professional and PR Lighting solutions. It comprised as many as 110 units MAC 1500W Wash XBs that are augmented by 60 units of MAC 1500W Spot III; 22 units of MAC 1200W Spot; and 16 units of MAC 2000 Profile Spot. Adding further glitter to the show were as many as 34 units of PR 5000 Beam, from PR Lighting.

Exhaustive that it was, the lighting at the venue also comprised as many as 184 RGB PAR LED lights which were complemented by 20 each of LED Washer and City Colours, and 30 audience lights of eight lamps each. The lighting solution is interfaced by as many as six units of KUBO 4KW HMIs, and controlled by a GrandMA 1 system from MA Lighting. Adding further lighting glitter were three 5Watt, single colour lasers, and as many as 40 LED Battens lights of 1.5 meter long each. Chipping in to further the impact were four haze machines and four exchangers. Sounding perfect The audio comprised a combination of multiple solution providers: Meyer Sound, Shure, Digidesign, Yamaha, and TC Electronics, apart from others. The main system comprised Milo flying clusters of 24 loudspeakers each, hung on the left and right of the stage facing the VIP area. The central flying cluster comprised eight Milo loudspeakers- all from Meyer Sound. These units were supported by 24 numbers of Meyer 700 HP ground-stacked subwoofers. Further, a pair of Milo flying clusters of 16 loudspeakers each were also hung on either side of the stage aimed at the audience, and they were complemented by an even number of Meyer Sound M’elodie array loudspeakers. The audio processing task of this scale was entrusted to two units of Meyer Sound Galileo 616 digital matrix processor connected to a computer. The system also featured a Meyer Sound RMS. The microphone component saw a combination of Schoeps and Shure, with four CCM41 directional gooseneck microphones from the Danish manufacturer taking the podium meant for speakers and panelists, while the American manufacturer came in with 10 numbers of UHF-R handheld wireless microphones, supported by an even number of beltpacks. Four units each of boundary mics and long range gun microphones also chipped into action, connected by 12 numbers of DI boxes. Monitor mixing was handled by a Yamaha PM 5D whereas FOH mixing was consigned to a 96 channel Digidesign Venue d-show mixer.

(all photo credits to Wizcraft International)

The Tech Team The technical team for such an exhaustive show had to be big. Wizcraft International

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itself being a pioneer in such endeavours took the centrestage with its in-house team for the technical production, with the lighting solution coming in from Mumbai-based Media Pro who worked in tandem with the UK-based special effects enterprise SFX. Audio solution integration was provided by Performance Audio whilst the LED and Video design was weaved in by Virtual Vision with the imposing set design evolved by Blue Lotus Productions - all from Mumbai. Known for its meticulous attention and precision for such events, Wizcraft had to bring in its best to make the best of the show. The all-important act of set design drawing and renderings itself took seven days; drafting the same took another two days and set install on site took three full days. The Design Challenge “It was indeed a challenge,” admits Viraf Sarkari, Director of Wizcraft International

who oversaw the IIFA overall proceedings. “There were two main challenges, for the visuals/AV team,” he explains. “First was to create content as per the LED set-up; and second was to technically control the LEDs to play HD content as per the requirement of the particular act.” According to him, that the LED set-up was in pieces, and in different levels, except the center LED screen, made it all the more challenging. Furthermore, they had to have a ready-to-act solution for any possible hardware breakdown. To overcome the first hurdle Wizcraft’s inhouse creative team developed a series of design sketches for each act that not only fits into the shape of the LED screens but also compliments the theme of IIFA in Singapore. Those sketches were then mapped on to the virtual set in their studio to understand how they will look on the live show.

“We successfully tested it and got it right too,” Viraf vouches. But that wasn’t enough, as his technical team had to burn the midnight oil to cross the second hurdle of control process. “It was a very critical process, as each of the LED screens on the wings were mapped individually; so if even one of them didn’t work according to our visual content design, the entire look could go for a toss,” he explains. “Finally, just a few hours before the show we got it right and the show went smooth.” That there were a total of 29 LED screens across the venue, the task was potentially big. Says the Wizcraft Director-dreamer: “IIFA being the biggest Bollywood awards show, it has a lot of visual and AV content. Wizcraft believes in giving the mother of all entertainment package; and visuals and AV are a critical part of it. We are happy that we have been able to do it successfully, every time.” www.wizcraftworld.com

(all photo credits to Wizcraft International)

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Showtecgroup and Midas take honour at Fort Canning concerts as the band, and I am sure the 7000 packed audience felt the band both visually as well as sonically!! Kudos to Midas Singapore (Quad pro) as well as the rental company, Showtec for a job well done!” For the Megadeth gig, unfortunately the monitor engineer could not make the trip at the last minute and the Megadeth FOH engineer, Dave Rupsch had to jump into mixing monitors and the FOH duties were handed over to Showtec’s local systems and mix engineer, Utha, with the help of Quad Pro’s Khew, who was on hand to assist on the console patches. Utha mixed FOH with no problems and even got a pat on the back from the band’s front man, Dave Mustaine, who appreciated the fact that the local systems guys filled in the shoes to mix FOH at the last minute and still pulled off an excellent band mix.

Showtecgroup recently did a double bill concert at the Fort Canning Green, Singapore, for Snow Patrol and Megadeth. Although both were for two different promoters, LAMC and Lin vin respectively, Showtec satisfied both artiste requirements accordingly and was praised by both band productions for the excellent work rate. It helped that the concerts were a day apart and the set-up was similar. The main PA system consisted of 18 units of L-Acoustics V-DOSC speakers hung left and right of stage complemented by 16 units of L-Acoustics SB 218 and 8 units of L-Acoustics SB 28 subs. Front of House mixing was provided by a Midas PRO6 with DL 371 engine connected to two units of Midas DL 251 stage box that featured a total of 72 channels. Quad Pro, the distributors of Midas consoles in Singapore, provided the Midas console to Showtec, while monitoring was handled by digidesign venue profile systems.

On the video front, 3 units of HD camera systems were employed to showcase images onto a Glux 10mm pitch LED mesh comprising of 48 panels with processing from 4 units of Glux processors. Through the generous help of Quad Pro Pte Ltd, who graciously provided the Midas PRO6, which was the console of preference for both acts, audio re-production for both bands was excellent. FOH engineer for Snow Patrol, Nigel, comments, “Singapore was the only stop for us that provided all the requirements to a T, especially the FOH console of choice, the Midas PRO6. They made our day in Singapore not only easy, but a very good one as well. We were pleased with the sonic reproduction from both the V-DOSC PA as well as the excellent console to mix the band ... it was definitely a memorable day for me as well

“The Midas PRO6 needed to be set up properly from scratch for the Megadeth gig, and once that was done, I just let the great Midas circuits do the job to create a full punchy mix that is required for a metal band like Megadeth. Not much EQing or processing was done, as the band and the backline kit sounded good already .. and what more with the V-DOSC as the main PA .. it was a great and memorable night for me for sure,” said Utha, grinning ear to ear after the end of the gig, adding, “the adrenalin rush was awesome and I have to thank Quad Pro for the opportunity and shall relish this experience for years to come!” At the end, it was 2 great nights of music, enjoyed by the audience, as well as the band, thanks to the efforts of Showtecgroup and the Midas console. www.showtecgroup.com

Stage lighting consisted of 16 units of Vari*Lite VL3500 fixtures, 24 units of DTS XR1200 Wash, 16 units of DTS XR3000 beam, 8 units of DTS XR 300 beam, 8 units of Clay Paky Alpha beams and 16 units of Martin atomic strobes, which were all controlled via 2 units of Whole Hog Road Hogs.

For the Megadeath gig, FOH duties were handed over to Showtec's local systems and mix engineer, Utha, who earned the praise of the band's front man, Dave Mustaine.

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Christie and WATCHOUT to the fore at Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea Designed around the theme of ‘The Living Ocean and Coast’, Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea, held May 12 to August 12, occupied more than 250,000 square metres with its 74 pavilions and related exhibits, enthralling thousands of visitors from all over the world. Behind the scenes, Christie and WATCHOUT solutions had been working tirelessly in providing a seamless and interactive experience for audiences in the various pavilions. Here we highlight some of the pavilions where the technologies have been implemented.

Highlighting China’s success in marine research and conservation is an inverted dome six feet in diameter. Combined with touch screens, the dome allows visitors to interact with the oceanic creatures all made possible by four Christie DS+10K-M projectors.

Christie at China Pavilion The China Pavilion at Expo 2012 drew large audiences with the aid of eight Christie 3-chip DLP projectors displaying a lively presentation of ocean culture and sustainable development in keeping with the ‘Living Ocean and Coast’ theme of the event. The pavilion theater featured two 9-meter wide by 5-meter high screens with Christie CP2220 Solaria Series Digital Cinema projectors displaying a water-themed video. Following the movie, the screens lift to allow for a dance performance on the stage, complete with an interactive LED floor. The ‘Love of the Sea’ section of the pavilion displayed the achievements and future development of China’s oceanic research for a sustainable environment. A 3.5-meter wide

by 2.6-meter high curved screen illustrated a futuristic deep-water navigation while a 2.5-meter by 1.9-meter screen displayed images of the South Pole using two Christie Roadster S+22K-J projectors. “Christie is a valuable partner that we enjoy working with. Christie’s projectors brought to life the Song dynasty river scene in the digital painting of Qing Ming Shang He Tu, which stunned visitors during the Shanghai World Expo 2010. The exceptionally high resolution, color and quality of the projection contributed significantly to the success of our pavilion in the Shanghai event. With Christie’s prompt and timely delivery, we aim to demonstrate the connection between the ocean and human beings at this Yeosu event,” said Zhenge Zhao, Commissioner Director of China Pavilion.

360-degree rider theater “A Journey on a Hot-Air Balloon to a World Full of Fun”

LIVE Christie brings Korea’s first 360-degree visual display to LOTTE Pavilion

has been very successful in providing these simulation scenarios for the defence, medical and education industries, to name a few.”

Sixteen Christie WU12K-M WUXGA 3-chip DLP projectors displayed visuals for “A World Full of Pleasures”, featuring the virtual hotair balloon ride in the pavilion’s miniature amusement park that forms part of an immersive entertainment experience for visitors.

www.christiedigital.com

Known for its entertainment business, LOTTE’s pavilion at the Expo housed multisensory exhibits and attractions resembling its amusement park, LOTTE World. Visitors begin their tour in a fairytale-like forest and then proceed to a 360-degree rider theater ‘A Journey on a Hot-Air Balloon to a World Full of Fun’. The 9-meter high and 69.1-meter long cylindrical screen displayed fascinating visuals including deep seas, icebergs, coral reefs and blue skies. 4D effects – smoke, wind, lightning – stunning contents and a motion platform, immerse the audience in a thrilling hot-air balloon ride over and into the sea. As a fully customized solution, Christie’s visual environments team worked closely with the LOTTE pavilion and its appointed system integrator, Mileseum, prior to the installation. A precision-engineered 16-channel Christie WU12K-M projection and mirror structure was designed and built at Christie’s Kitchener facility in Canada. It was then seamlessly integrated into the LOTTE Pavilion’s theater super structure to achieve the 360-degree high-resolution projection. The most compact in its class, the award winning, dual-mercury lamp Christie WU12K-M projector provides the highperformance and feature-rich standards that exist in all Christie products. “LOTTE’s corporate spirit is about creating pleasure for people and we hope our clients enjoy the hot-air balloon ride in the pavilion we created. We want to make it fun for everyone,” commented Kim Tae Hoon, Chief Manager of LOTTE Pavilion, DAEHONG Communications. “To present the best visual quality and performance to the visitors, we built a 360-degree display system and produced video contents of 16K resolution. As Korea’s first and largest installation, it was not an easy task due to the technical and time challenges involved. Christie has provided us with an excellent visual solution and we are extremely satisfied with the stunning result.”

Christie enthralls visitors with a reallife ship sailing experience Christie immersive technology simulated a close-to-real-life 4D stormy sea scenario at the Fishery Experience Zone of Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea where visitors are empowered to navigate the ship as a captain. Christie’s immersive technology, provided by four Christie DWU670-E WUXGA 1-chip DLP projectors, is housed within a 2000-ton ship in the Energy Park to showcase a 4D simulation of a ship sailing in the waterfront of Yeosu. After a presentation on traditional and modern shipping, the presenter invites visitors to the dock to navigate and steer the ship amidst high tidal wave and sea traffic in a role-playing scenario. “The Fisheries Experience Zone promotes the need for marine ecosystem restoration, and provides opportunities to learn about the marine fisheries industry. Shipping is an inseparable part of the marine culture. To enhance a visitor’s experience at the zone, we rebuilt a 2000-ton ship and installed Christie’s projectors to simulate a stormy sea. Thanks to Christie’s immersive technology, the stormy-sea scenario turns out close to reality,” acknowledged Ji Dae-Jae, the manager of Fishery Experience Zone. “The Fisheries Experience Zone presented the many possibilities of Christie’s visual technology that go beyond cinematic art,” adds Lin Yu, Vice President of Christie Asia Pacific. “This is where we fully realize the potential of visual technology in helping mankind to simulate real-life scenarios and how to deal with them. Christie’s immersive technology

Photo credits: German Pavilion, Sysco

WATCHOUT blends visitor pre-show area at the German Pavilion Germany’s ICT Innovative Communication Technologies AG (Kohlberg) integrated WATCHOUT in the visitor pre-show area of the German Pavilion to perform threefold and soft-edge blend projection on to a 24-meter panoramic screen. The pre-show area is designed to engage audiences as they wait for the exhibit doors to open with a cinematic presentation that highlights the diversity of the German coastline and harbours. At the end of the preshow presentation, the innovative screen and wall opens up to allow audiences to discover and explore the German Pavilion.

LIVE WATCHOUT in a dome’s view at LG and Korea Pavilions The 27 pavilions presented by the Expo Yeosu Korea included exhibits supported by local and national government bodies, as well as attractions designed by the event’s corporate sponsors. Among the latter, the LG pavilion featured a media façade powered by eight edge-blended projectors all driven by WATCHOUT, as well as an associated water screen. Korea’s national pavilion also hosted a 30m dome with circular projection screen divided into 21 different zones – each powered by a different WATCHOUT-connected projector. Both the LG and Korea pavilions had their systems designed and installed by local integrator AV Korea. “Our technicians have been using WATCHOUT for a long time so we were very confident in our choice,” says the company’s Director, Koo Joung Mo. “The 30m dome, which also incorporated a 12.2 channel surround-sound system, was a first for this country’s event industry, but the technical support we received from Dataton and our partners domeprojection.com was second to none. WATCHOUT proved very easy to integrate with the system’s AMX controllers, which meant we were able to deliver a single point of control for the WATCHOUT show, all the projectors, and the event lighting.” www.dataton.com

WATCHOUT combines music and video at Kazakhstan Pavilion “In the Kazakhstan pavilion, we used WATCHOUT not just for the automated playback of a six-projector sourced movie cycle, but also for the music in the band performances which are an integral part of that cycle,” says Alex Samokhin, AV systems integrator for the Kazakhstan pavilion. “WATCHOUT controlled the audio cues, LED backlights and moving-head lighting fixtures which are used to highlight the live musicians, singers and dancers. Best of all, the performers themselves can choose their songs or dances using an iPod interface to the pavilion’s Crestron control system.”

Photo credits: domeprojection

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dBTechnologies rocks the crowd at Taman Tasik Titiwangsa On the 8th of July, the picturesque Taman Tasik Titiwangsa recreational park featuring a lake and a view of the Kuala Lumpur city skyline, was turned into a vibrant party celebration central for the more than 10000 party-goers, mainly Indonesians, who lapped up the entertainment at the park. Presented by the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur and organised by A Club Management Sdn Bhd, the event was a pre-celebration of the Indonesian Independence Day for the thousands of Indonesians in Malaysia. For the record, Indonesia’s Independence Day is on the 17th of August. With the weather holding up, the outdoor event was a mega success. The programme included a mass Aerobic exercise, singing performances, lucky draws, traditional dance performances and the main crowd pleaser – live band performances by five bands. Team One Production was roped in to provide the sound, light and staging for the event. With a coverage area of roughly 50 metre wide and 70 metre deep, Team One had to ensure that sound coverage was optimal and decided that their set-up configuration would revolve around dBTechnologies speakers. For the performers, Team One had set up heavy duty ground support truss systems with

a roof measuring 40 feet by 30 feet. The stage itself measured 36 feet by 36 feet with a height of 6 feet.

digital mixer was enlisted for main and monitor mixing with a Yamaha LS9 digital mixer responsible for the Sub mix.

The main PA system consisted of 8 units of dBTechnologies T12, 3-way active line array modules hung on each side of the left and the right of the stage. An additional 4 units of dBTechnologies T12, 3-way active line array modules on each side were configured as main left and right Outfill arrays with 12 units of dBTechnologies S30N sub-woofer 2x18” bass reflex units. 2 units of dBTechnologies DVX D15 two way multifunctional speaker cabinets provided main front fill duties. A further 2 units of dBTechnologies DVX D15 together with 2 units of dBTechnologies Sub 15D active sub-woofers per side took on the task of stage side fill monitors.

The sound system set-up by Team One Productions proved a hit with the audience and the performers as crisp music and vocals filled the air at the popular recreational park.

For the band, drum monitor was provided by 1 unit of dBTechnologies Opera 605D two way active speaker and 1 unit of dBTechnologies Sub 18D active subwoofer. Guitar, keyboard and bass monitor was provided by 6 units of dBTechnologies Opera 605D two way active speakers with vocal monitor support provided by 4 units of dBTechnologies Flexsys FM12 active coaxial stage monitors. 3 units of dBTechnologies DSX 2040 2 in 4 digital controllers handled the loudspeaker digital signal processing. A Yamaha M7CL

www.teamonepro.com

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Laservision celebrates Hong Kong’s 15th Anniversary In a coordinated celebration spanning the globe, the creators of the ’Biggest Show on Earth’ and Guinness World Record ‘Symphony of Lights’ collaborated with the Hong Kong Economic Trade Office in Sydney, Australia, to celebrate the historical 15th anniversary of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), held from 28 June to 3 July 2012. The Government of Hong Kong hosted over 300 activities across the globe celebrating this historic occasion. The spectacular celebrated the diversity of Hong Kong, ranging from its importance as a leading financial powerhouse to a shopping paradise and artistic hub. In particular, the iconic Hong Kong House located in Sydney’s CBD became the canvas of a weeklong Light and Laser spectacular through the projection of signature images iconic to Hong Kong. “The laser light show on the façade of Hong Kong House was a ‘Wow!‘ moment. I could hear the buzz from the passers-by generated by these amazing images,” commented Steve Barclay, Director of HKETO, Government of the HKSAR.

The show was created using Laservision’s latest Show Control technology, namely the Digital Data Pump Series III (DDPIII). This technology coupled with Laservisions Media Manager software formed the backbone of the ‘World’s Largest Light and Laser Show’ as well as the more recent ‘Wonder Full’ Multimedia Attraction at the multi billion dollar Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort located in Singapore.

arena for a city scale spectacular down to 1/1000 of a second.

The DDPIII paired with Laservision’s Media Servers provides an infinitely scalable platform capable of precise control and distribution of massive volumes of data across a performance

www.laservision.com.au

Laservision high powered Solid State Light Ray Laser systems were also utilised to project the iconic Laser images onto Hong Kong House. Utilising the latest in Solid State technologies, over 50W of Laser energy transformed into enormous multi-coloured dynamic Laser graphics.

LIVE

PR Lighting arrives on Maldives’ Celebrity TV The holiday resort destination of the Maldive Islands in the Indian Ocean, has provided the exotic location for PR Lighting’s latest foray. Local event management company, BeamOn, is using the popular XS1200 Spot on the celebrity TV show ‘Tharinge Rey 2012’ broadcast by Maldives TV station, DhiTV. Recorded in a local theatre, the series runs once a week (over four weeks), with all shows pre-recorded two days in advance. Working in conjunction with the TV station, BeamOn designed the lighting rig, specifying six of the high power XS1200’s among the lighting effects – chosen for their colour temperature filters and colour saturation. The lighting is controlled by Avolites Pearl Tiger console. XS1200 uses a 1200W short arc discharge lamp that boasts a rapid beam movement, with its many features and saturated colour optimised by the super-efficient optical system.

“Everyone has been delighted with the lighting dynamics,” says Abdulla Shareef, BeamOn. He expects these lights to be featured on future DhiTV shows in the Republic of Maldives. www.pr-lighting.com

Martin Audio MLA Rocks Japan Martin Audio’s award-winning MLA system is continuing to wow audiences in the Far East, having completed a successful tour of duty at Japan’s largest festival, Rock in Japan. Promoted by music magazine publishers, Rockin’On, and an annual event since the year 2000, this three day extravaganza pulls over 100 of Japan’s leading rock bands and artists and draws a crowd of around 60,000 daily to the venue - the Hitachi Seaside Park in Hitachinaka. Rental company, MSI Japan, who provide front line sound reinforcement for the event every year, now has the luxury of fielding the MLA for the largest of the six stages (Grass Stage) — specified by the company’s president, Shuzo Fujii.

The promoters were already aware of the power of the MLA system, having experienced it on the second stage (Lake Stage) at last year’s festival, where the system enjoyed its Japanese debut. Such was its success that they were happy to endorse its promotion to the main stage this year. With Martin Audio Technical Training Manager, Martyn ‘Ferrit’ Rowe, optimising last year’s sound, the system tech duties this year was passed to Dave Sugawara. A procession of headline artistes, including Princess Princess, Yuki, KREVA, Perfume, Spitz, The Hiatus and Acidman all played through MLA with their respective sound engineers all commenting on the sonic quality and characteristics.

For MSI Japan the challenge was about throwing the sound 200 metres without a delay tower, which the 19 x MLA elements per side (plus one MLD per side), managed effortlessly. This was further boosted by the LF extension offered by two hangs of six MLX subs and a further 11 on stage. Reflecting on a hugely successful weekend, Osamu ‘Sam’ Yamashita from Audiobrains, Martin Audio’s Japanese distributor, stated, “The beauty of MLA was that it maintained its consistency right across the 200m throw distance. But at 300m there is a parking lot — and the system was optimised so that the sound could hardly be heard at all from there.” www.martin-audio.com

INSTALL Australia

Heritage-listed Honeysuckle Hotel chooses Bosch for sound Noisebox Entertainment Systems installed and designed a solution that included ElectroVoice Vari Intense EVI-15 speakers, EVID EV 3.2T and EV 4.2T surface mount speakers and EV ZX1i surface mount speakers. An EV CPS4.10 amplifier was also used to power the Vari Intense speakers, while a Dynacord PCL 1245 amplifier was used for the ZX1i speakers and a Dynacord Paramus for the remaining equipment. The digital management of the audio system was done through an EV NetMax. The new audio-visual infrastructure installed at the Honeysuckle Hotel provides a total surround sound that is capable of providing their customers with a theatre like experience without bothering their neighbours. During the urban renewal project to revitalise the foreshore area around Newcastle, heritage-listed railway workshops were restored to accommodate a variety of cafes, restaurants and hotels to boost economic development in the Hunter region. Located on Lee Wharf C, the Honeysuckle Hotel, part of the Laundy Group, opened their doors to the public in October 2010, boasting a chic modern space that provides patrons with the perfect spot to relax whilst overlooking the harbour.

Noisebox Entertainment Systems, who installed the new audio-visual infrastructure, were faced with a number of challenges such as heritage-listed building regulations and noise pollution restrictions imposed by the Local Council due to residential zoning.

www.boschcommunications.com.au

Being a federation style wharf shed, Noisebox Entertainment Systems also had no floor access for the installation and they needed to consider the potential for salt corrosion on electrical components of the system due to its close proximity to the harbour.

New Zealand

Philips Entertainment luminaires deliver highflying solution for New Zealand Aviation Display Hall in its most recently completed display hall.

Philips Entertainment luminaires are helping Auckland’s Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT), New Zealand’s largest single collection of aviation heritage, dramatically reduce its energy consumption

Designed by Studio of Pacific Architecture, the new display hall tells the story of New Zealand's unique and innovative civilian, agricultural and military flight history. The winner of several major architectural awards including the NZIA award for sustainable architecture, the Aviation Display Hall features rainwater harvesting system, naturally reticulating air conditioning and more than 190 carefully chosen Philips Entertainment luminaires. This choice has substantially reduced its overall lighting load from 250kW to under 20kW.

A number of Philips Selecon RGBAW LED luminaires alongside Aureol Beamshapers and Pacific Zoomspots are also used to sculpt and illuminate the aircraft and associated displays. The luminaires are controlled from a Philips Strand Lighting Rack Palette 3000. Stuart Mitchell, NZ sales manager for Philips Selecon comments, “The choice of an LED solution for this installation was simple. With a serious lack of access over and around the aircraft we needed to reduce the amount of running maintenance. All the luminaires we chose provided that. There is exceptional control, and enough useful light output for some of the longer throws (over 20m). Backed by the Selecon three year warranty, we’ve all but guaranteed the client a lighting system that will perform and evolve above expectations for many years.” www.philips.com

INSTALL

Japan

Optocore’s advanced fibre network for new Tokyu Theatre Orb Tokyu Theatre Orb

Yamaha SS constructed the digital architecture around nine Optocore DD32R-FX primary interfaces, connected to nine X6R-TP-16LO and nine X6R-TP-16MI converters — initially linked via AES D-Sub 25, although this will transfer in due course to Optocore’s SANE (Synchronous Audio Network plus Ethernet) protocol. The Optocore system derives its clock signal from a Rosendahl Nanoclocks master clock generator.

While Shibuya is the heart of Tokyo’s busy shopping district, Hikarie itself is seen as a new cultural hub. The word itself means ‘Towards the light’ — and the light in this instance shines from Tokyu Theatre Orb’s highest stage in Japan, located on the 13th floor of Hikarie. Yasuhito Terada, a technical director at Tokyu Theatre Orb, confirms that in addition to the permanently installed system, they are also looking to set up a temporary independent system that can be used either for stage I/O, or to connect between FOH and the stage monitors. Meanwhile, the Optocore digital signal flow will continue to provide the new theatre with an elegant and flexible solution. www.optocore.com

A brand new purpose-built musical theatre has opened in Japan — situated between the 11th and 16th floors of the new 1.27 billion dollar 34-storey Shibuya Hikarie glass tower in Tokyo. Connected to the Shibuya Station, Tokyu Theatre Orb’s first production was of West Side Story, with signal distribution via an Optocore fibre backbone provided by the German company’s Japanese representatives, Acoustic Technical Laboratory Inc (ATL). This ambitious project was floated by owners, Tokyu Corporation back in 2008, and ATL became involved after Yamaha Sound Systems Inc (Yamaha SS), the biggest sound system construction company for theatres and auditoria in Japan, had specified an Optocore solution in their proposal. According to Tetsushi Hirai of Yamaha SS, the optical fibre backbone was chosen in view of its long distance transmission of dialogue and music between the 1972-seat auditorium, stage and mixing control room as well as the data transmission between floors — including the Hikarie Hall A & B on the 9th floor.

Outputting to a Meyer Sound M’elodie line array system (with 600HP subs), the Optocore system can be divided into three smaller systems: the first is mounted in device racks in the control room; the second is mounted in a rack on the stage; and the third is mounted in a mobile rack that can be freely moved within the hall, allowing it to be connected to various optical connector panels, while the hall itself contains a network of optical fibres that are patched for use over the 256-channel matrix. The signal I/O for the control room and the stage systems are connected to an XLR patch panel, and connections are made depending on the requirements of the event being staged. Within the control room, some of the signals are generally patched to a Yamaha PM5D or DM2000 console via AES, while the mobile rack is used in combination with the DD32R-FX and the converter unit, wherever it is needed.

Auditorium (credit Tokyu Corporation)

Optocore rack (credit Eizen Hirai)

INSTALL Australia

Educating with d&b at Oxley College We also wanted to ensure local support for the system."

Nestled in the leafy outer fringes on the eastern edge of Melbourne lies Oxley Christian College, a school that provides education for about one thousand children, aged between four to eighteen years. In order to offer a more intimate space than their large school hall and to support its strong sense of community, the decision was made to build a brand new performing arts centre. The space was not simply to be a stage for performing arts; it would have to fulfil the myriad of functions that fill any school's academic year. One week it might have to host a full scale student drama and music production playing to two hundred and fifty, the next it could be hosting a lecture or parents' evening. The College, bolstered by a significant grant from the Federal Government, set about turning their plans into reality. It would require a discreet, yet flexible, sound reinforcement system to compliment the intimate nature of the design, a stage that is level with the front row of the audience with the remainder of the seating set on a steep rake to bring even the back rows closer to the stage. Chris Hodge, theatre and AV manager of the Centre explains further, "When it came to the PA, the College originally approached four companies. My predecessor, Phil Mawson, was committed to acquiring a premium loudspeaker system so d&b audiotechnik were always on the agenda. Through National Audio Systems, the sole distributor for d&b in Australia, the College approached the audio visual company, Mozaix who are based in nearby Berwick. We were impressed by both the recommendations of other clients and their very positive attitude and general ethos.

System Integrator, Paul Tucker from Mozaix continues, "We did a shootout against an installed system in the church associated with Oxley College. This PA was physically much larger and certainly looked like it should outperform the d&b T-Series loudspeakers we took in. Instead, the tiny little d&b loudspeaker stack on the floor comprising two T-SUBs and three T10s absolutely blew away the opposition. The vocals really cut through, the music was full without any nasty frequencies, and the subwoofers were kicking. When we A/B'd the systems in front of the client, their decision was made in an instant. From that shoot-out, they were going to do whatever they could to make sure d&b went in. It just goes to show that certainly in the audio market, bigger is not necessarily better, either in sound or in value for money." As always, budget was a mitigating factor but as Tucker says, "Everyone has a financial limit and quite frankly, I don't think they expected us to meet it. But with some minor compromises we met their target. Budget is always important but d&b carries so much weight that it sells itself." In conjunction with System Designer, Dave Jacques from NAS, Tucker put forward a design comprising loudspeakers from the Ti-Series, the T-Series cabinets explicitly designed for permanent installation from the Black range; Ti10Ls supported by Ti-SUBs and driven by d&b D6 and D12 amplifiers. The system is rigged as a line array split equally stage left and right. As Hodge remarks, "The speaker system needed to be as discreet and as inconspicuous as

possible for aesthetic considerations while still providing a wide coverage. The subwoofers therefore are at the top of the array to build a compact single unit. As the building was new and didn't present any major acoustic challenges, the quality of sound and the visual effect were our major objectives." Tucker continues in similar vein, "Although some walls have been treated with acoustic baffles, the space is fairly live to accommodate un-amplified pieces and because the performance space extends all the way into the seats the need for a fairly tight patterned PA was important. To provide a user friendly system for students and teachers we set up essentially two user modes: performance mode (theatre, musical performance, church meetings) and lecture mode (for classes, school assemblies etc). Through an integrated AMX control system we were able to automate the lecture mode with the Yamaha M7 digital mixing console to make a fairly complex system respond easily for teachers." The centre was opened by the State Minister for Education, the Hon Martin Dixon MP where it was officially named â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Broadley Performing Arts Centreâ&#x20AC;? in honour of the College's Principal of over twenty year's standing. As Hodge concludes, "The auditorium is a much welcomed addition to the college facilities. We are particularly pleased with the installation and performance of the loudspeaker system; it far exceeds the expected output and quality of sound within the space. From a full on concert like our opening show to the smallest of lectures, the speaker system really does the business." www.dbaudio.com www.nationalaudio.com.au www.oxley.vic.edu.au

INSTALL

India

Electro-Voice combines outstanding sound with beautiful aesthetics in Studio 169 Studio 169 is a new concept store that combines fashion and fine dining located in Moments Mall, New Delhi. The designer store boasts a wide variety of fashion wear and accessories, with a creative team of stylists, concept developers and fashion designers. In particular, its lounge bar serves exquisite and artistic cuisine from various nationalities, coupled with an array of beverages and soulful entertainment, providing patrons with an unparalleled luxurious experience.

speakers, stressing that they had to fit the high-end image of the facility.

The lounge bar comprised of two sections – the Bar area and the fine dining restaurant, which in itself houses a ramp used occasionally for fashion shows. It proved to be a conflicting challenge to maintain the varying volume levels of the two sections; with the Bar area regularly playing loud music whilst the restaurant turns its volume on only during fashion shows.

Q series amplifiers and DC-one were used for crossovers, equalization, delay and gain control. As for the outlook of the speakers, white EV speakers were chosen to complement the main theme of the décor.

The interior designer of the facility was also very particular on the aesthetics of the

Four EV Zx1i speakers were installed in the Bar area, providing loud and clear music to patrons of the bar. As for the restaurant section, EVID 4.2 speakers with 12.1 subwoofer were installed to not only supply soothing background music, but also the occasional loud foreground music when required for the fashion shows.

The two systems, each placed at strategic positions, allowed the Studio 169 to control the volume levels to their satisfaction. The speakers also provided quality sound, which fit the high-end image of the facility.

EV’s white speakers matched perfectly with the décor and ambience of the facility, fulfilling a big part of the store’s requirement – excellent aesthetics. “EV has delivered an impressive job with the beautiful speakers, which are matched with an excellent sound,” said Shilpi Gupta, Managing Director of Studio 169. www.boschsecurity.co.in www.electrovoice.com

INSTALL Thailand

Fuzion installs high end solutions for sub-urban venue compromising sound solution for the venue. Fuzion spoke to the owners about their needs and configured a system that was centred around NEXO loudspeakers. Four units each of NEXO GEOS12 were hung in left and right configuration as the main PA systems driven by 2 units of CAMCO VORTEX 6 amplifiers. These were complemented with four units of NEXO RS-18CI sub-woofers driven by 2 units of CAMCO VORTEX 8 amplifiers. 2 units of NEXO NX242ES4 were integrated as controllers for the speakers. Eight units of QUEST QM12MP were installed as Stage monitors with four units of QUEST QM12FR employed as side fills with a further two units of QUEST HPI-8 acting as delays to ensure coverage across the huge venue. All the QUEST speakers were driven by eight units of QUEST QA3004 amplifiers. Taking centre-stage as the Front of House Mixer is the DiGiCo SD11.

About an hour away from Central Bangkok is Ta-Keang - a venue catering to patrons from the industrial/manufacturing area. Other than the location, there is nothing industrial about the venue. Ta-Keang is a restaurant that offers live music interspersed with DJ music. The venue is famous for country music and even holds country music concerts headlined by famous Thai bands. Mixing up the music genre

is the DJ who plays hip hop music late into the night. The spacious single storey venue features 1500 seats with a wooden cabin theme for its interior decoration. From the beginning the owners were particular about the sound quality. They wanted top end solutions and got in touch with Fuzion to deliver an un-

Siri Wongkamolchun, Director and General Manager of Fuzion comments, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our customer chose NEXO and DiGiCo because of a few important reasons. First, GEOS12 is one of the best sounding boxes in this category. Since the speaker sounds great, customers want to embrace it with the finest digital mixer. That is why the SD11 was installed. Second, the system is very durable and reliable. Last but not least, I believed that we have proved that our technical support and services are second to none in the country.â&#x20AC;? www.fuzion.co.th

INSTALL

India

E&E Systems India powers Turquoisue lounge bar Turquoise Resto Lounge, located at the centrally located Koramangala area of Bangalore, is the latest addition to the long list of fine dining specialty restaurants and lounge bars in the Garden City of India. The specialty hang out, stylized to look different from most others in the line - with a predominantly snuff-coloured theme matching up its wooden decks and furniture style - features two separate restaurants across the two floors- each spreading over almost 5000 square feet. The European Restaurant on the second floor specializes in Italian, French, Spanish, British and Mediterranean cuisines while the Indian Resto-Lounge on the third floor dishes out typically North Indian palate comprising Kebabs, Curries and Biryanis. The cuisine, however, is augmented by some Parsi delicacies such as Dhan Sak and Patra-niMacchi as well. While this being the fare for the multi-cuisine palate, the offering for the discerning musical mind, and a demanding sound heart is the audio set-up, weaved in by E&E Systems India. The system installed in the venue include a pair of EAW FR 159z, three pairs each of EAW SMS 4124, and EAW SMS 1990, and a pair of EAW LA 118 Subwoofer, besides an RCF SUB 705 AS Powered Subwoofer which were integrated and connected through a Matrix Processor EAW DX 1208. The DX 1208 consists of eight Input and eight outputs which

connect the speakers and subwoofers of both the floors through the mixers outputs. A Soundcraft EPM 8 mixer - with eight outputs - has been configured to do its job effortlessly. The systems are powered by a Crown XLS 1500 and another Crown XLS 2000, besides a QSC RMX 2450 amplifier towards enabling the speakers to throw customised sound throughout the venue. The performance of the audio system instantly won the appreciation of the Turquoise management, claims the E&E team. Spento Cooper, the proud owner of Turquoise was pleased with the final outcome of the audio install. The E&E team involved in the install comprised of Roshan Malim, Shyam Suresh and Purushotam. www.enepl.com.sg

INSTALL Australia

Martin and Show Technology make their mark at Marquee

Internationally acclaimed nightclub operator Tao Group has brought a monumental change to Sydney’s nightlife landscape with the opening of Marquee nightclub at The Star Sydney. Featuring a Martin lighting, control and smoke package, Marquee houses three distinct spaces within one venue to cater to different tastes and moods.

Matthew remarks that he has installed Martin moving heads into many venues which are still running ten years later, something he is certain you wouldn’t see with many other brands. “Also, the fantastic support we get from our local Martin distributor Show Technology really makes ownership of Martin a very easy decision for us,” he added.

from multiple locations. The intelligent Hydra fog system eliminated the need to purchase multiple fog machines as it has eight individually fog heads controlled from the desk all pumping special ‘steam juice’ from one conveniently located base unit. A Jem Magnum 2500 plug-and-play, easy-to-use hazer was also installed.

The brand may sound familiar to some Sydneysiders, but to those who frequent the United States, the name “Marquee” signifies the best that nightlife has to offer in both Las Vegas and New York City.

MAC 101

M1, M-PC control

The low roof of the venue dictated the use of the Martin MAC 250 Entour and to support this look, a nice wash effect was required that would be fast and deliver the latest technology. “The Martin MAC 101 small, super light and easy-to-use LED moving head wash light was the obvious and also inexpensive solution,” said Matthew. “We’ve used fourteen and they provide a narrow beam effect, a wash light and an LED ‘pixelated’ effect all from the one little mover.” Martin Mania EFX 500 halogen effect lights and Martin Atomic 3000 strobes are also used.

For control, the main room uses a Martin M1 console, a great console that is easy to use and quite affordable for what it can do, according to Matthew. “Whilst it’s reasonably new to the market we weren’t worried about that as there are already quite a few out there in use,” he said. “In the back room we originally were going to go with a Martin LightJockey system but once we got into the install we changed to the newer Martin M-PC system. It sits more in line with the operating system on the console in the main room so the switch between the two rooms is less of an issue for the operators.”

Matthew Kline, managing director of Australia Venue Services, was contacted by The Star to be part of the design team and put together an audio visual design dream-team consisting of Mark McInnes from Show Technology and Tony Russo from Technical Audio Group and of course, himself!

High standards “The standard was set high for us in the beginning,” commented Matthew, who had no hesitation in recommending Martin for the majority of the professional lighting. “I’ve used Martin-branded products for a very long time in all types of applications all across the country. I find Martin products hold up well in a nightclub situation; a nightclub can be a very tough place for a moving light to live and whilst there are certainly cheaper products on the market, Martin pays you back in reliability and serviceability over the duration of the operation.”

Jem smoke system A Jem Hydra fog system delivers a fog effect

www.martin.com

INSTALL

Japan

L-ACOUSTICS KARA settles in at Tokyo Concert Hall

L-ACOUSTICS’ Japanese distributor Bestec Audio has supplied a KARA/KUDO WST® line source system to the Orchard Hall, Shibuya, Tokyo. This large-scale cultural facility was the first of its kind in Japan, and consists of a concert hall, theatre, museum, a cinema, cafes and art shops. The 2,150-seater Orchard Hall has undergone a major refit, including the installation of a central system of 12 KARA cabinets with six KUDO, three SB18i subwoofers and one 115XT HiQ coaxial per side. A further four 115XT HiQ cover the central section of the first floor level, while four 12XT coaxials take care of the third floor seats. Eight white 8XTi from L-ACOUSTICS’ installation range cover each side of the balconies, with five standard 8XT for the under-balcony area of the second floor and two for front of stage. The entire system is controlled and driven by LA4 and LA8 amplified controllers.

A point source system had previously been used in the hall. “Since we changed the system to an L-ACOUSTICS line source array, the sound has become uniform throughout the entire hall, and we can hear the outline of the sound very clearly, with very little phase interference,” continues Mr Ishikawa.

Mr Wakui from SC Alliance Sound Craft adds, “The most important point for us was that the sound should suit the hall”. The KUDO side speakers are mounted in chambers at either side of the stage, and the concert hall’s technical staff have designed a special base that angles them to the correct position, according to the application.

“When performers from abroad hear that we have an L-ACOUSTICS system, they are very pleased as the brand has such a good international reputation. Once I tell visiting rental companies that we have installed KUDO as the L and R system, they always decide to use just the house system, without adding their own speakers. Consequently, because there are no speakers on the stage, the whole area can be used for performances. And as the entire stage can be seen from every seat, we can sell as many tickets as possible.”

“We will be having productions that require more dynamic sound in the future and that was the main reason we chose KUDO, as it has enough capacity and expression for this,” continues Mr Wakui.

KARA/KUDO WST® line source system

L-ACOUSTICS 8XTi

“As the horizontal directivity of KUDO is changeable, there is no unnecessary reflected sound from the chambers. This is definitely one of the system’s benefits.” www.bestecaudio.com www.bunkamura.co.jp www.l-acoustics.com

The system was installed by SC Alliance Sound Craft Engineering. “When I heard the sound in the hall, I felt it was natural and not mechanical,” says Mr Ishikawa, the hall’s chief operator. “This hall is usually used for classical music and orchestras, and I thought the sound from the instruments and the sound from the speaker system should blend seamlessly together. We compared systems from several manufacturers and the L-ACOUSTICS system produced a sound which was exactly as I imagined it should be.”

INSTALL

Martin lighting fixtures provide cool effect at Sub-Zero Ice Skate rinks Major Cineplex Group Plc (MAJOR) is Thailand’s leading Lifestyle Entertainment Company with core business in cinema, bowling, karaoke, ice skating rinks, retail space, film distribution and advertising media. When the company established its Sub-Zero branded Ice Skating rinks, it turned to Mahajak Development Co., Ltd to design, supply and install the lighting and sound system for the rinks. The first Sub-Zero rink was located at the Esplanade Ratchadaphisek Shopping Mall, followed by a second rink at the Esplanade Rattanathabet. Mahajak duly specified and installed Martin Professional lighting solutions for both the rinks. Both rinks featured MAC250 Entour, MAC-700 Wash, MAC-575, ATOMIC 3000, RS485 Splitter, LIGHT JOCKEY and JEM ZR-44 Haze machines that created the appropriate ambience at the rinks. The rinks were an instant hit with the Thai public and this prompted MAJOR to build two

more Sub-Zero rinks at the Major Cineplex at Sukhumvit Road and at MEGA BANGA which is a huge shopping mall in Bangkok. Once again Mahajak was called upon to design and install the sound and light equipment and once again Martin lightings featured prominently at the rinks but this time the MAC-350 Entours were included as part of the installation. A Mahajak spokesperson comments, “The client has full trust in Martin products, especially after they were used in the first two locations. The products have proved their quality where they have been used in unusual conditions such as the high humidity in the Ice Skating hall. The customer found that the Martin products are very durable and required less maintenance and provided good performance.” www.mahajak.com www.martin.com