ETA September-October 2014 by Spinworkz Pte Ltd

September - October 2014

MCI [P] 010/09/2014 KDN: PPS 1663/08/2013 [022991]

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E&E Revisits The National Stadium Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Get Loud!

Under The Lens: Thai Political Crisis Takes A Toll

Yamaha Mixes Business With Pleasure

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CONTENT

VOL 15 ISSUE 5 September - October 2014

72 Ms Collins Comes Alive with Martin Professional

98 #SPOTTED 90 Christie Creates 360o Projection For Barfoot & Thompson

06 FIRST WORDS

INSTALL

LIVE 83 Electro-Voice Gets Wet & Wild @ Thingyan Festival 84 UnUsUaL Productions Test Drives New National Stadium 88 MLA Mini Brings The Rose of Versailles Into The New Century 89 DPA’s d:facto Delivers A Great “Voice” Experience 90 Christie Creates 360o Projection For Barfoot & Thompson 92 ETC Receives Praise @ The Royal Ballet's Don Quixote 94 Robe On Pointe For Beiteddine Art Festival 96 Music Matters To D.A.S Audio

UNDER THE LENS

62 E&E Revisits Singapore's National Stadium 67 Cafe Mambo Sings Like A Bird With D.A.S Audio 68 Altimate Grooves With EAW 69 Robe Tops The Class @ The Academy 70 SinQing In Ecstasy With QSC 72 Ms Collins Comes Alive With Martin Professional 74 SPO Hit High Notes With Sennheiser & Neumann 77 Community Mirrors The Legend Of Hachiko 78 Michael Meacham Creates “Pixel Ambience” With CHAUVET 80 Screening Multiple Games Is A Breeze With AV Zoning

56 Thai Political Crisis Takes A Toll

82 FOOD- 4 -THOUGHT 98 #SPOTTED

08 NEWS 32 ENNOVATIONS EXHIBITION PREVIEW 46 More Than 350 Prominent Brands Exhibit @ PL+S Shanghai

EXHIBITION REVIEW 50 INDIAN DJ EXPO Gets A Thumbs Up

TECH TALK 54 Yamaha Mixes Business With Pleasure

SPECIAL FEATURES 58 Let's Get Loud!

97 HaAavve U Met...?

FIRST WORDS September - October 2014

The other day, Thomas and I were discussing the future. Of everything – from the human race, to technology and, of course, the magazine. Without planning to, our discussions usually lead into meditative brainstorming sessions and for some reason, they always occur during the most hectic periods! After our discussion, I sat alone thinking about change. Changes are happening everyday. We are advancing as a species in so many ways that if you take a step back to notice it, it might make your head spin. Case in point: Nobumichi Asai, a Japanese digital artist who has worked with projection mapping technology to express his creativity, recently created OMOTE, a fascinating video that shows what can be done when projection mapping and face tracking technology combine. While it is still unclear what he did to create the projection mapping or what projectors he used, it is still a fascinating step forward. Think about it. Last year, visual eﬀects were things we saw in movies like Harry Potter and Iron Man. Come 2014, this technology could now be used to improve stage productions – no more worrying about the heat on an actor’s face melting away expensive makeup or imagine having a diﬀerent look for every scene. The boundaries that separate film from the real world are slowly fading and this video is proof of that. (Scan QR Code) Watching that video gave me goosebumps. It’s just fascinating and eerily beautiful. Even though I’m an adult now, I still enjoy that childlike sense of wonder I get when everything around fascinates me. That lump in your throat or when your heart starts to beat really fast, you know, that feeling? I hope I never lose that, and neither do you.

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

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

EDITOR, DIGITAL PLATFORM Rosalind Tan rosalind@spinworkz.com

ADMIN & CIRCULATION Julie Tan admin@spinworkz.com

However, when I’m “on the job”, I try not to let that childlike side show. Then I met Andy Cooper, Yamaha’s Manager of Pro Audio Application Engineering at the Yamaha QL series launch in Singapore. The way he described the QL to me, I knew I had found someone with that childlike sense as well. He spoke about the console as if it were a close friend of his and essentially it is. Andy was kind enough to share his knowledge with us and that leads us to this issue’s TECH TALK. It is written in a very personal way that we hope you enjoy, I sure did.

DESIGN AND PRODUCTION Jimmy Chin jimmy@spinworkz.com

Enjoy! Elissa Nadine Assistant Editor elissa@spinworkz.com

MEDIA REP IN NORTH AMERICA Broadcast Media International Michael Mitchell Tel: +1 631 673 0072 mjmitchell@broadcast-media.tv

CORRIGENDUM In the article titled “Epson Shines A Spotlight On Possibilities” (Page 73) of the May-June 2014 issue of Entertainment technology Asia, there was an erroneous reflection on the lumens configuration for the Z11000 Epson projectors. Instead of 110,000 ANSI lumens, it should have reflected 11,000 ANSI lumens.

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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 September - October 2014

Robe Appoints LSD As Exclusive Distributor Robe’s relationship with LSD – one of Singapore’s most proactive and successful sales and installation operations - actually dates back to 2002 when LSD first started selling and specifying Robe products, a situation that has developed steadily over the years.

LSD’s Brenda Keung with Robe’s Josef Valchar

SINGAPORE: Leading moving light manufacturer Robe Lighting s.r.o. has announced Lighting & Sound Distribution (LSD) as its exclusive distributor in Singapore as of August 1st 2014. This is part of Robe’s medium term expansion strategy in the region and follows the launch of a new Asia Pacific oﬃce - also in Singapore - in January this year, which was set up in response to the brand’s growing business.

LSD’s General Manager Brenda Keung commented, “Naturally we are excited to be appointed as Robe’s exclusive distributor in Singapore, which will consolidate our existing business model and enable us to work even closer with Robe. “We really look forward to shaping our markets with Robe’s current and future product ranges, providing imaginative, practical, energy and cost-eﬃcient solutions tailored to individual client’s needs. We have always admired Robe’s dedication to innovation and this is a big selling point here!”

on the horizon, including a new product launch and Roadshow in September and a series of upcoming trade expos. Josef Valchar, Robe Lighting s.r.o.’s CEO stated, “This is a great partnership announcement for us. With the excellent history and track-record between Robe and LSD - going back to when ‘Robe’ was first launched as a brand at SIB Rimini in 2002 we look forward to continuing the positive synergies with LSD. “Through the years of continuous cooperation, we have developed a real rapport and knowledge of the Singaporean market, all of which contributes to a great opportunity to strengthen our brand presence there” he concluded. Robe Lighting’s Asia Pacific oﬃce in Singapore is the sales and technical support hub for all Robe's distributors in the Asia Pacific region. www.robe.cz

Brenda reports that LSD will be actively supporting Robe in a variety of events already

QSC WideLine-10 System Joins AV Express Inventory INDIA: For a decade, AV Express on India's East coast, has been one of the city's premier audio-visual events hire companies, handling audio, video and lighting for everything from live bands and DJ sets to corporate shows. The team recently added a QSC WideLine-10 system to their sound reinforcement inventory which comprised of 16 x ten-inch WL2102-w three-way speakers, each oﬀering 140-degree horizontal coverage, along with 6 x dual 18-inch GP218-sw subwoofers. QSC PL380s and PL325s handle the amplification. "When we were looking for a new system to upgrade our existing audio inventory, we would not compromise," commented Murugesh, one of AV Express's principal partners. "We had a lot to choose from, but only the QSC WideLine system matched our parameters of quality and performance. Plus, QSC’s representative, Pro Visual Audio, walked us through the entire operation and work-flow of the system during our demo, and gave us a clear idea of the advantages of the WideLine system over all of the other competitors in its class."

Following the purchase, AV Express immediately put the new system to the test with two major live events in Coimbatore and Chennai. Pro Visual Audio's Application & Business Development Manager, Deepak Gracias, was present with the AV Express team on site for both events to guide them through the process of aligning the complete system and tutor the team in using EASE Focus to create customised system design with respect to each venue. "The WideLine's 140-degree coverage makes it absolutely fantastic for shows where the audience is spread across a wide horizon," continued Murugesh. "We’ve used the system quite a few times now, and not once did we ever encounter the problem of ‘dead zones’ or low throw/low impact areas. And the matching pair of subs provides that solid thump and punch which crowds absolutely love. We found our WideLine-10 to be every bit as good on the field as it claims to be on paper, and the team at Pro Visual Audio, especially their South Area Sales

Manager Harry Martin, have been extremely supportive at every step." "AV Express shares a lot in common with QSC — both brands stand for high standards in performance and delivery," added Sandeep Braganza, Application & Business Development Manager at Pro Visual Audio. "As QSC’s oﬃcial representative in India, Pro Visual Audio is pleased to have played its role in helping AV Express find their perfect system." qsc.com

GAME CHANGER

BRIGHT MULTI FUNCTIONAL LIGHT

NEWS September - October 2014

Behringer Seeks Seat on Deswell’s Company Board INTERNATIONAL: Chairman and CEO of MUSIC Group, Uli Behringer, has notified Deswell Industries Inc. of his intention to seek a seat on the Company’s board. As the holder of a significant portion of Deswell stock, Mr. Behringer has expressed concern about the Company’s performance in recent months. “As a substantial shareholder, I’d like to have more input in the strategic focus and

direction of the Company. Accordingly, I request that the company appoints me to its Board of Directors. I am a long term holder of Deswell shares and I have the requisite experience and industry knowledge to advise the company as it seeks new avenues for growth and a return to profitability,” Behringer stated. Deswell, with its subsidiaries Kwanasia and Jetcrown, a manufacturer of consumer industrial products, including electronic

products for the pro-audio market has shown a substantial decline in annual sales and profitability as well as a major turnover of key management in the recent period which raises strong concerns. Behringer is requesting that the company calls a special meeting within the next 60 days to consider his appointment. www.music-group.com

Powersoft Tours Asia With Sound School Training Courses initial connection to the amplifiers and how to wire the system to achieve the best results in terms of redundancy and fail-safe operation. This was followed with advanced training on the DSP capabilities, covering all the finer details that can really enhance the performances of any PA, such as Active Damping Control, raised cosine and FIR equalization.

ASIA: Powersoft gives high priority to spreading knowledge in the field of sound engineering, and the Sound School training tour is the proof. Kuala Lumpur was the first stop, followed by Singapore (at Electronic & Engineering’s HQ) with the final destination in Tokyo, where two sessions were held — one in English and another for Japanese speakers only. Each Sound School session was arranged in collaboration with Powersoft distributors — Electronics & Engineering in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, Matsuda Trading in Tokyo — and the goal was mostly to allow attendees to experience the potential of the Armonía Pro Audio Suite software through a practical hands-on live demo and to learn technologies behind Powersoft ’s amplification. “Every single course attracted around 40-50 attendees,” said Luigi Chelli, Sound School Trainer and Powersoft sound engineer, “ I was initially concerned about the level of diﬃculty for the attendees, but everything went smoothly. The audience was well

prepared and able to follow even the deepest technical parts of the training. They were extremely receptive about all the little details and tricks shown during the training.” The Powersoft Sound School oﬀers the highest level of professional training to sound system designers, system integrators, sound engineers, audio technicians and pro-audio dealers. Its aim is to eﬃciently support the professionals who work with Powersoft products. “Teaching and training are very important aspects for us and have a vital impact in the industry in the medium-to-long term,” stated Francesco Fanicchi, Powersoft marketing and communication manager. “Above all, we strive to encourage the training of young people with a strong passion for audio and provide all the dynamics to drive the professional industry forward.” The course programme started by introducing the basics of the Armonía Pro Audio Suite software: how to establish the

The second part of the training courses included some real-world action, tuning a PA from scratch, making a preset ex-novo by using the advanced features just learnt. Many additional external tools — which usually make the life of anyone involved in sound reinforcement easier - were then shown, followed by an extensive Q&A session that concluded every single course. Clearly the Sound School had achieved its objectives, judging from the comments. At Matsuda Trading (MTC) Kiyoshi reports that he learnt a good deal, and that the July 3rd seminar was both “informative and useful”. He said, “The seminar certainly developed customer interest in Armonía, as they made positive eﬀorts to ask questions.” And as for the customers themselves, their feedback ranged from requesting further seminars of a similar nature (particularly raising awareness of the Powersoft K series to one who said, “I realized I hadn’t been fully utilizing the real cutting-edge features of Armonía. Now all that will change.” www.powersoft-audio.com

NEWS September - October 2014

Almoe Becomes First Martin Audio MLA Owner In UAE UAE: After operating Martin Audio line array systems in their hire fleet for nearly a decade, Dubai-based Almoe AV Production/Rentals have purchased the first MLA (Multi-cellular Loudspeaker Array) in the UAE. They placed an initial order for 36 x MLA and 12 x MLX enclosures with VTi, Martin Audio’s territorial distributor. “It was an easy decision to opt for the MLA after we had heard the system, its capabilities and the technology that adapts to the ever changing environment,” stated Almoe general manager, Glen Dougherty. Along with Almoe senior sound engineer, Bruno Vitanza, he had originally been invited to attend a live demonstration of MLA back in 2010, and the two men were immediately impressed by its performance in a diﬃcult venue. With momentum building, they have now decided to act. “Our decision was entirely based on the quality of the system and its future proof capabilities,” continued Dougherty. “Our growing business, and the increasing size of events we are called on to service, also required us to look for a larger PA system to cater that requirement.” Finally, he said, the purchase was based on the growing number of audio engineers eager to learn from a new system “that will definitely make a diﬀerence in the future.”

The Almoe team with their new MLA system

Bruno Vitanza is equally unstinting in his praise for the system. As a sound engineer he says the key attribute is the possibility of removing guesswork from the equation during set-up. “Every event becomes unique as the MLA can adjust its parameters to cover uniformly the whole audience area with incredible precision. Other advantages of MLA are its capability of avoiding areas like reflective surfaces or stage, and minimising spillage in complicated venues.” Almoe have been backing Martin Audio solutions since 2005, when they first had the opportunity to hear (and subsequently purchase) Martin Audio’s W8LM’s and WLXGS to which they later added LE1200, LE1500, F12’s, S15’s and F10.

“We have gradually been increasing our Martin Audio inventory,” confirmed Glen Dougherty. “And as demand grows, and the necessity arises, we also expect to purchase more of the MLA components.” Martin Audio International Account Manager, Andy Weingärtner added, “We are extremely pleased that Almoe is again putting its trust in Martin Audio. The purchase of this MLA rig in the UAE region fills an important strategic gap in between our Asian and European MLA users. And with more and more artists and sound engineers putting MLA on their riders this move by Almoe could not have come at a better time.” www.martin-audio.com

NEWS September - October 2014

SOUND.COM Launches Virtual Store INDIA: It’s diﬃcult to imagine a good show without good sound and India’s biggest sound rental company SOUND.COM has a refreshed approach to its practices and operations. It has started the first online rental store in the country; with resources for backline as well. Having established brand equity and an unmatched reputation for themselves in sound rental, the company has now forayed into allied verticals. To begin with, SOUND. COM has invested in a music instrument line with an enviable collection of keyboards, grand pianos drums, percussions, etc., which makes it easy for event managers who work with them – they can rent the audio equipment and the backline in one go without having to deal with too many service providers. “The whole idea of doing this was to make the industry understand that there are many products available which can be used for a

better sound, and we have what every major artist played on in backline history,” D’souza ascertained. Another significant move made by the company is hosting an online rental store on their website online-sound.com. Being the first sound rental company in India to do so, most of the equipment needed by event companies is made available on the site (almost 70 per cent), at competent and lesser rates. Booking equipment on the site makes the rental cheaper by 15 per cent which is a vantage point for the client. Payment can be made via credit/debit cards with the service being prepaid. D’souza shared, “The future is doing business on digital networks and the time has been right for us. We had a sizeably good catalogue to display and since we have a headstart in this, the store can keep evolving. Also, the idea was to become organised in a manner that we can grow. It is not about having a big

sound system if you can’t even do five shows properly. If we can’t automate, let our clients do so. But, anyone who signs up is vetted and no one is given a login ID easily. Our aim has been to empower event managers, give them good service and good quality and products as well.” Enter the store via the company website: www.online-sound.com

Community Launches New Brand Identity

INTERNATIONAL: Community Professional Loudspeakers unveiled its new corporate brand identity at InfoComm 2014. Community’s booth and demo room showcased the new look of the brand while I SERIES, a family of premium point source loudspeakers launched at the show, signalled a bold new direction for the company’s product design language. “The revised corporate identity is a vibrant and engaging new expression of the Community brand legacy – past, present and future,” explained Steve Johnson, Community’s CEO. “The design of our new

symbol and logotype suggest precision and elegance, two important attributes of our products and engineering.” Founded in 1968, Community has an impressive record of innovation and longevity and the company continues to reinvent itself in response to changing customer needs, global market forces and technical advances in the industry. The new brand identity and product design language are key elements of a branding initiative which reinforces Community’s focus on the installation markets and its commitment to innovative product design.

Johnson described how the company’s branding initiative guided the development of Community’s newest product, the I SERIES premium high-power installation loudspeakers. “The forward-thinking design of I SERIES demonstrates the kind of fresh and contemporary industrial design you’ll see in future products from Community. And,” he continued, “its installed-system focus, including some very clever rigging hardware, evidences our commitment to our core customers.” Johnson summarized in this way, “Community’s brand has always been highly respected throughout the pro audio industry. With this new corporate brand identity, we’re modernizing the way we present our company to the world while building on our past strengths and renewing our commitment to our customers.” www.communitypro.com

NEWS September - October 2014

Martin Audio appoints new MD An experienced business leader for a number of global businesses, with a passion for technology and music, Luke Ireland’s role will be to lead Martin Audio to ensure its success well into the future by developing reliable business structure and scalable process capabilities. With a Masters in Business Administration and a 24-year career spanning multiple sectors of technology, IT and media, Luke is well versed in product development, manufacturing excellence, sales and marketing. He believes that building exceptional client relationships is the only way to achieve success.

INTERNATIONAL: Martin Audio has appointed a new Managing Director, Luke Ireland, with immediate eﬀect.

On his appointment, Luke Ireland remarked, “Excited would be an understatement. Martin Audio has enjoyed a period of great success and witnessing first hand at this year’s Glastonbury Festival, they have tremendously exciting products that make a real diﬀerence to this industry. Having the opportunity to

join such a business and lead it to achieve its true potential is very motivating.” Simon Bull, International Sales Director, added “All my fellow directors were very impressed with Luke’s energy and vision for the company, and we were unanimous in his selection from a distinguished line up. We look forward to working with Luke to set Martin Audio on a very bright future, and I know he will hit the ground running.” Summing up, Mark Graham, CEO of Loud Technologies, said, “I am very pleased to announce the appointment of Luke Ireland to the Position of Managing Director, Martin Audio. Luke brings a compelling package of experience and dynamic leadership that will contribute powerfully to Martin Audio’s continued success and make it an ever more reliable business partner." www.martin-audio.com

Clay Paky Joins OSRAM For A Secure Future INTERNATIONAL: Clay Paky, the Italian manufacturer that for decades has been one of the world’s leaders in show and entertainment lighting, is getting ready for a new phase in its history. Pasquale Quadri, Founder and Current President, has signed an agreement for the acquisition of the company by OSRAM, one of the two leading light manufacturers in the world. After the acquisition, Clay Paky will continue to operate from its production and administrative head oﬃce in Bergamo. Since 1976, Clay Paky has been a landmark name at worldwide level in the sector of professional lighting systems. Its wide range of products includes several types of computerized luminaires, featuring conventional or LED sources. Clay Paky products are known all over the world for having innovated the way of show lighting design and they continue to be appreciated for their extraordinary performances and reliability. During its history, Clay Paky has received dozens of international awards, the result of relentless research and constant attention to construction details.

OSRAM is based in Munich, Germany. The company's portfolio covers the entire value chain from components – including lamps, electronic control gear and opto semiconductors such as light-emitting diodes (LED) – as well as luminaires, light management systems and lighting solutions. OSRAM generated revenue of almost €5.3 billion in fiscal 2013. The acquisition is subject to approval by the relevant antitrust authorities. "Integration with OSRAM, which has a great wealth of technological competence and an in-depth knowledge of the lighting market, is an ideal opportunity for the further development of Clay Paky," said Pasquale Quadri. "After 40 years crowned by success, I am delighted to be able to oﬀer my company, my staﬀ and our customers a reliable solution for a secure future. OSRAM plans that Clay Paky will maintain its independence to a large extent in day-to-day business”, added Quadri. Key positions will remain in the company, thus ensuring continuity in management. www.claypaky.it

Clay Paky President, Pasquale Quadri

NEWS September - October 2014

SCA Appointed New Japanese Distributor For Timax SoundHub And Tracker

TiMax2 SoundHub’s sound effects and playback server capabilities were also demonstrated using multiple atmos and spot effects played off the units internal harddrive, with looping, editing, volume profiling, delay panning and synchronised showcontrol events all programmed in the system’s new TimeLine and PanSpace environments.

JAPAN: UK event and installed audio specialists, Out Board have appointed S.C. Alliance Inc as their new Japanese distributor for TiMax2 SoundHub audio showcontrol matrix and TiMax Tracker performer tracking system. SCA hosted a TiMax Workshop in Tokyo where Out Board Director Robin Whittaker

presented and demonstrated the principles of TiMax delay-based Source-Oriented Reinforcement (SOR). Delegates learnt how variable audio localisation could be applied to wireless vocal mics using the TiMax2 SoundHub dynamic delay matrix, and how this could be automated via continuous control by Out Board’s market-leading TiMax Tracker performer tracking system.

Out Board Director Dave Haydon commented: “We recently refocused our attention on establishing serious TiMax representation and support in Japan having seen growing healthy economic indicators for the territory. I am delighted that a company with the strong reputation and technical depth of S.C. Alliance have decided to work with us, and there have already been very positive reactions from leading specifiers and end-users in the Japanese marketplace”. www.sc-a.jp www.outboard.co.uk

NEWS September - October 2014

Hb-Laser Merges With The Laserworld Group Martin Werner, CEO at Laserworld, accompanied several acquisitions and new foundations of companies within the Laserworld Group over the past few years and he sees an obvious trend: "In an increasingly diﬃcult niche-market, consolidating is essential to configure a way to be competitive and at the same time provide products that perfectly meet the requirements of the customers. Achieving this in an industry like ours is only possible with a strong team of highly qualified individuals; Laserworld provides the ideal framework for this!" (L-R): Lutz Bartl (HB-Laserkomponenten ), Martin Werner (Laserworld (Switzerland) AG) and Harald Bohlinger (HB-Laserkomponenten) after having signed the merger

INTERNATIONAL: HB-Laserkomponenten has become a member of the Laserworld Group and underlines Laserworld as the world leader in the field of manufacturing and distribution of show laser light systems.

already well-established marketing structures as well as the dense sales network of Laserworld become infused by HB-Laser's long-year experience and knowledge on the technical level as well as with customer support in project planning and implementation of laser show and multimedia show productions.

The company network already spans the whole world. The core companies maintain their independence, identity and brand structures, while further focusing on their business fields. HB-Laser is considered one of the leading suppliers in the German market perfectly fits this philosophy.

Lutz Bartl, CEO at HB Laser, expects more than one big step forward: "Despite substantial market changes in our industry over the past years, we at HB-Laser have always been up to date with innovations; we drove them forward and developed new products and solutions. We also saw Laserworld completely changing the whole show laser light market in a very short time. We are now in the position to participate in this and increase our presence in the market and industry, the advantages for our customers are more than obvious!"

The new structure of the Laserworld Group brings up promising, new potential. The

www.laserworld.com www.hb-laser.com

Systems E&E holds “Mackie Demo Day” MALAYSIA: Systems Electronics & Engineering (SENE), in their role as the oﬃcial distributors for Mackie in Malaysia, together with partner Melectron hosted a “Mackie Demo Day” featuring the latest product introductions from the brand. The full day event commenced with the introduction of the latest products from Mackie, followed by a listening test and a demo for the attendees at Melectron’s Motivity outlet at Jalan Pasar, Kuala Lumpur. The presentation was conducted by Raymond Tee, Mackie’s Product Specialist, APAC, the newest addition to the Mackie team in Asia. Present at the event were attendees from a combination of various systems integration companies, rental houses and end users. There was positive response from the crowd especially for the Mackie DL1608 and Mackie SRMs with some units being sold oﬀ the floor! On the event, Lim Kheong Sen, Country Manager, Systems Electronics & Engineering concluded: “We are proud of the great working relationship that we have with

Mr. Fu and his team at Melectron and look forward to a continued partnership as we work together to further promote the Mackie brand in the market. The team and I are excited about the various training sessions that we have lined up for the coming months not only in the Kuala Lumpur stores but also across Malaysia and we are keen to reach out to the market both with products and technical support alike. ’’ Rohan Smith, Director of Sales APAC for Mackie commented: “We were delighted to

be involved with this initiative at Melectron and it is a credit to the organisation and professionalism of both the Systems Electronics & Engineering and Melectron staﬀ to produce such a successful event. With Raymond being based in Kuala Lumpur we look forward to working closely together in this partnership and to many more events of this calibre into the future.” www.enepl.com.sg www.mackie.com www.melectron.my

Take It To The Maximum

VP-773AMP

" $;Ì 1 Ì 8 " Ì 13. /Ì " Ì ! : !3!Ì /9 1 " Ì -3 1;Ì $ Ì 1 Ì 8, ÉÉÐ !, The VP-773AMP switcher/scaler is one of Kramer’s new presentation scaling switchers, designed as the answer to today’s demanding applications. 1 kÌ8, ÉÉÐ !,Ì@XXkÎÅÌ kÌ xÌk ÎÌ ×ÎÅ_Ì X ×b Ì ! _Ì8 _Ì Å @à, ÂÎÌ@ bÌ 8²Ì ÎÌ ÅX@ kÅÌÎ kÌÝ bk ÌÎ Ì@Ì × NkÂÌ xÌ ×Î×ÎÌÂkÅ ×Î Å_Ì×ÌÎ ÌÕ Ë¥æpæ_Ìk NkbÅÌÎ kÌ@×b _Ì @ bÌ ×Î×ÎÅÌ Î kÌ Ý bk Ì Å @ Ì Å × Î@ k ×Å àÌ Î Ì ÎÞ Ì ! _Ì @ bÌ kÌ @Åk1Ì 1,²Ì ÎÌ @ Å Ì ×Î×ÎÅÌ Î kÌ @×b Ì Å @ Ì Å × Î@ k ×Å àÌ Î Ì @Ì b Î@ Ì @×b Ì ×Î×Î_Ì @ Ì × N@ @ XkbÌ ÅÎkÂk Ì @×b Ì ×Î×ÎÌ@ bÌ@ÌÕß¥æ Þ@ÎÎÌ@ x kbÌN@ @ XkbÌÅÎkÂk ÌÅk@ kÂÌ ×Î×Î² 1 kÌ 8, ÉÉÐ !,Ì xxkÂÅÌ @Ì ÝkÂÅ@Î kÌ xk@Î×ÂkÌ ÅkÎÌ Î @ÎÌ X ×bkÅÌ , XÎ×Âk , XÎ×ÂkÌ x× XÎ Å_Ì × @ kà _Ì Õ Ì .kÅ ×Î _Ì @ÅÅÌ Î x X@Î Ì X@@N Î kÅÌ x ÂÌ @×Î @ÎkbÌ X@ ×ÅÌ k kÂ k XàÌ@ kÂÎÅÌ@ bÌ Âk_Ì×Å ÌÎ kÌ @ÎkÅÎÌÎkX kÅÌ xÌb Î@ ÌÅ @ ÌÂ XkÅÅ ² The VP-773AMP family scaling switchers won the 2014 Most InAVative Video Processing Product of The Year Award.

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NEWS September - October 2014

EAI Brings Martin Audio MLA To Singapore system to add on to our inventory and it needed to represent a significant upgrade. The other main reason is that the next four upcoming gigs are all rider specific.”

Martin Audio’s Chris Pyne presents the MLA seminar

SINGAPORE: As its global reputation continues to accelerate, so does the penetration of Martin Audio’s award-winning MLA multi-cellular loudspeaker array in new territories increases unabated. This is no better illustrated than in the Far East, where this month Singapore-based EXPO AV-INSYNC (EAI) significantly boosted an inventory that included Martin Audio W8LM Mini Line Array, by purchasing the country’s first MLA System 36 from local distributors Swee Lee. EAI Managing Director, Gerard Rodrigues, said he was proud to be the country’s first investor in the ground-breaking system. Speaking of the acquisition, he said, “We wanted a larger format, steerable array

He says the latest purchase continues a rich legacy that began with the old Martin Audio Wavefront W3/WS2 range. “We wanted to be the first company to own MLA, but in any case, after a year’s worth of research for a new line array, this came out top in terms of sound quality/output, ease of use and what engineers most wanted.” EAI had first heard about the system back in late 2012. “We deliberated this to ensure we had concert and corporate clients who would love it and specify it for their events. And although we had not heard it live at the time, I can’t remember the last time Martin Audio built a bad box, whether loudspeakers or line arrays.” Gerard Rodrigues and his Technical Director, Desmond Zuzarte, quickly discovered that MLA’s ease of use, the output it delivers from just a 12” enclosure, and the steerability and tailored control for each diﬀerent venue, made this a unique proposition. “We met Chris Pyne, [Martin Audio APAC Technical & Training Support] through Mr.

Wei Ming at Swee Lee and he gave us the added assurance that of the three brands we were reviewing this was by far the best. We then met Simon Bull [Martin Audio Director of Sales] and Andy Duﬃeld [APAC Account Manager] — and the rest was history.” Summing up, Gerard Rodrigues, said, “Our sound engineers are just very excited about this acquisition. From a sales point of view, the MLA speaks for itself. Aside from its output, the other big advantage is also its weight — here in Singapore, we needed a system which could deliver huge sound output, whilst maintaining a certain weight load restriction in many venues. “Looking at how the system is selling in Japan alone, it is a choice of all concert organisers and technical directors for large scale events.” Gerard Rodrigues says he is looking forward with relish to promoting MLA as the first system in Singapore and will be inviting key clients and concert organisers to hear it. Meanwhile, the adventure is just beginning, as EAI are already in talks again with Swee Lee — with a view to adding an MLA Compact system. www.martin-audio.com

Mika Singh Benefits From PR Lighting Dynamics

INDIA: PR Lighting fixtures were used extensively to provide a dynamic backdrop for a major concert by Bengali Bollywood/ Bhangra star, Mika Singh in Sri Lanka recently. Born Amrik Singh (but known by his stage name Mika), the Punjabi singer is a prolific songwriter, singer, performer and composer, who since releasing his first album 17 years ago has produced numerous chart hits — either taken from his film scores or privately recorded albums. Local production company The Lighthouse (Pvt) Ltd provided a real tour de force, decorating the main hall at the MICH (Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall) in Colombo with 30 x XS1200 (1200W) discharge spots, 30 x XR200 Beams, with their amazing output to size ratio, and 6 x XL1200 Spots.

©Anjana Caldera Photography

The design was handled by Lighthouse’s Dinusha Perera, who credited the fixtures’ “excellent reliability and high brightness.” At the command of the Avolites Pearl Expert, he confirmed that they fulfilled all the functions of a strident and dynamic light-show.

Event production company, Wizcraft Colombo, also stated that they were extremely happy with the overall quality of the lighting. www.pr-lighting.com

The shortest path between thought and reality. Touch the light with the ETC Cobalt lighting control system.

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www.etcconnect.com

NEWS September - October 2014

A United ‘Console’ Kingdom "The combined R&D teams are about to enter a new world of possibilities and we intend to take full advantage of their resources, passion, and experience. It's an amazing opportunity for us, and just maybe the whole British Pro Audio industry." Glenn Rogers, Managing Director of Allen & Heath, added, "The creation of the group with DiGiCo and their management is an impressive combination. It will certainly add new momentum to what Allen & Heath and Calrec had already planned for the future."

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INTERNATIONAL: The DiGiCo team spent the last 18 months consulting with Electra Partners about the possible combination of both Allen & Heath and Calrec with the DiGiCo family. The culmination of this brings together three British console companies to create a new professional audio group, while retaining their unique skills, customer relationships, and the identities of each brand. James Gordon will become Group CEO supported by a strong and talented management team from across the new group. When asked about what this means for the future, James said: "We have bold plans for the group but it is imperative that each company maintain its own independence and style. None of these brands needs to trade oﬀ each others technology or reputation." "These are three great companies and all the brands currently in the group have enviable reputations for technology, audio quality, reliability, and perhaps most importantly, customer focus and care. The strategy is to share technology and resources across the group and allow some inter-connectivity across the product lines."

Henry Goodman, Calrec's Sales and Marketing Director, commented that "This exciting formation gives Calrec new opportunities for swifter development of a host of ideas we have been wanting to bring to the market. We will have a vast pool of engineers to share new ideas for the industry and target them specifically to each brand's needs. Customers can expect us to maintain, and in some areas improve, our very high levels of support and service." The complexity of this combination required the eﬀort and support of two of London's top Private Equity houses. For the first time, Electra Partners and ISIS have pooled resources to support the management of this ambitious vision for the future of U.K. Pro Audio. Charles Elkington, Investment Partner at Electra Partners, said: "DiGiCo augments our existing investment in the professional audio sector. We have worked hard over the last 18 months to bring together these three successful businesses. We look forward to working with James Gordon and his team to grow the group, while also preserving the distinctive brand identity and excellent customer relationships of each business." www.digico.biz www.allen-heath.com calrec.com

NEWS September - October 2014

ETC Purchases Vortek Rigging Division Of Daktronics

INTERNATIONAL: ETC has acquired the Vortek rigging division of Daktronics. All Vortek rigging – a division of Daktronics – products will be integrated into Electronic Theatre Controls' (ETC) rigging portfolio and operations will be consolidated with ETC’s primary manufacturing locations in Wisconsin by the year’s end. The transition of Vortek into the ETC Rigging family of products will double ETC’s current oﬀerings of stage machinery. They will be able to provide customers with a wide variety of customengineered heavy-lift, high-lift and high-speed rigging solutions, which include orchestra shell, grand drape and scoreboard lifts, along with synchronized acoustic panels, and motorized packaged hoists. “On the heels of a successful launch of the new Prodigy P75 Hoist and with the incorporation of Vortek’s engineering expertise, ETC is preparing to open up our solutions for theater systems,” said ETC Rigging General Manager David North. ETC can now oﬀer advanced rigging solutions for the entertainment market on a national and international level. By building upon the engineering experience of Vortek, ETC also plans to maintain a custom engineering-design centre. “We see a great synergy between ETC and Vortek,” said ETC CEO Fred Foster. “The complementary strengths of rigging products as well as the combination of the skills and experience of the two companies will be a great benefit to our customers, old and new.” ETC will maintain an active, ongoing relationship with Daktronics to continue to provide high-quality hoists and lifts for Daktronics’ scoreboard-system customers. Additionally, ETC plans to provide the award-winning Prodigy hoists, QuickTouch, QuickTouch+ and Foundation controls, along with the Vortek Classic and custom hoists, and the full line of Vortek control solutions. Vortek’s operations will be integrated with ETC over the next three months. Product manufacturing will be consolidated into ETC’s new manufacturing facility in Mazomanie, Wisconsin, while a design and engineering center will remain in Victor to support custom products, customer support and service. “We are committed to providing a smooth and seamless integration of

these two companies,” explained Foster. “The entire Vortek team will be helping us through the transition and we will oﬀer them opportunities to continue to work with ETC in the future.” The company also ensures that Vortek customers will continue to have access to the equipment and services they have come to expect from Vortek over the years. www.etcconnect.com

NEWS September - October 2014

Electro-Voice ETX Powered Loudspeakers Catapult into Lion City compression driver) and two subs in 15'' and 18'' configurations. Positioned above the already renowned ZLX and Live X families, “the ETX Powered Loudspeakers are the latest in EV portable loudspeaker oﬀerings aimed to provide customers with a choice from the diﬀerent product families to cater for their needs” as stated by Edward Chia, Regional Product Marketing Manager. Guests were treated to the sounds of the new ETX Powered Loudspeakers during the product demonstrations. With power ratings of 1800W, the subs almost stole the show with their “punchy and lively feel”.

Edward Chia stands proudly next to the new system

SINGAPORE: To introduce the newly launched ETX powered loudspeaker range to the Singapore market, Electro-Voice held a launch event for approximately 60 of their loyal partners and friends from the pro-audio sector, which included SIs, consultants and distributors on the 13th of June 2014. Held at Singapore's first standalone rooftop bar, Loof, the team from Electro-Voice presented the family via live performances and demonstrations and even concluded the night with a lucky draw oﬀering an EV R300 wireless microphone as the prize. Launched in January 2014 at NAMM Show, California, the new ETX Powered Loudspeakers family builds upon the experience of an 85-year heritage of Electro-Voice audio engineering and is a versatile, high-end choice for live entertainment venues, rental companies, pro musicians and DJs. The family features (3) two-way models (10'', 12'' and 15''), (1) three-way model (15'' with a 6.5'' MF driver and a precision HF titanium

“The cardioid setting made available on the subs received great interest from listeners,” noted Chia. “That is another unique feature for this series and not only that, we have integrated a crossover setting that will allow users to crossover the diﬀerent boxes to match their existing EV loudspeaker models.” Kick-starting the demos with simple acoustic set-ups, the configurations got more complex and moved between genres such as jazz, pop and finally ending with hard rock. Leading the entertainment was Sherman Anthoney, accompanied by saxophonist, Jeﬀerson Yap and percussionist, Bryan Lim on the Cajon drum. Co-hosting the event with Chia, Regional Product Marketing Director, Johannes Huth has high hopes for the impact the family will make on the Singapore market: “Singapore, with its buzzing entertainment and live performances, is the perfect market for the premium ETX powered loudspeakers. Our customers, consultants and other business partners were impressed with the sound and this makes us proud that market feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and are excited that ETX Powered Loudspeakers start shipping now in Asia-Pacific, including Singapore.” www.electrovoice.com

NEWS September - October 2014

Penn Elcom Expands Presence In Asia

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distributed directly, far outpaced the sales growth in markets where we were represented by third party distributors. The main reason we attributed for this was the fact that we sell low cost products that are used in technical applications, so it is hard to get a third party distributor to commit the human resources required to make low value sales that may require upfront design or technical support. Once we got in front of the customers, we used the opportunity to give them custom solutions rather than having them try to make a standard product fit their requirements”.

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MALAYSIA: Penn Elcom has been expanding its global footprint over the last decade. As the next part of its globalization plan, a sales and distribution centre has been set up in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to provide a next day supply of products to the local market as well as to the surrounding South-East Asia countries of Indonesia, Singapore & Thailand. This is in addition to the manufacturing, sales and distribution centre that was established in Dong Guan China in 2004. 3124

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With over 40 years’ experience in the design and manufacture of speciality products for these unique industries, the decision was made to expand the business globally by providing immediate availability of its goods in local markets. “We decided that the best way to achieve this was to distribute our own products in our major markets” commented Roger Willems, Penn Elcom founder and Chairman. “Our initial model was to manufacture at our UK base and then supply our own sales and distribution hubs, initially in Europe, USA, Canada and Australia” he added. “This has worked very well for us. In fact by controlling our own distribution, our sales growth in the markets where we

“Our growth in China allowed us to see the potential demand for our products throughout the SE Asia region and opening in Malaysia is the next step to getting us in front of the next wave of potential customers”. Penn Elcom can support customers of all sizes. Whether a large multinational companies or a small start-up operation, they have the ability to supply customers with the products they need when they need them. With a catalogue range of over 3,000 standard products such as flight case hardware, speaker cabinet hardware, 19 inch racking enclosures and accessories, audio connectors, and staging and trussing Systems. Most of these catalogue products are stocked in Asia and can be shipped to customers on a same day basis. In addition to their catalogue range, Penn Elcom has extensive design and manufacturing capabilities that enable them to produce custom products designed to fulfil the customer’s specific need. Be it a modification or change to an existing item, or an exclusive design, Penn Elcom oﬀers high quality goods at competitive prices with fast deliveries and excellent customer support. www.penn-elcom.com

NEWS September - October 2014

MIPRO Presented With Taiwan Business Award

CHINA: MIPRO has won the Economic Contribution Award for small to medium enterprises at this year’s Financial Times (FT) Standard Chartered Taiwan Business Awards. The event, which took place at the beginning of July and was held at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Taipei. The Taiwan Business Awards have been designed to highlight achievements by Taiwanese companies and entrepreneurs in innovation, sustainable development, competitiveness and their contribution to the Taiwan economy. The awards are divided into four categories: Economic Contribution, Responsible Business, Entrepreneurial Success and International Visibility. The year’s event marked the second consecutive year that the awards ceremony took place. ‘There are 1.3 million SMEs (small medium enterprises) constituting 98 per cent of total companies in Taiwan,’ stated MIPRO president, Solomon Chang. ‘We are honored to be chosen as the winner among them.’ MIPRO was the only SME enterprise to win the Economic Contribution Award, which recognizes companies that are making an outstanding contribution to the country’s economy. ‘This award aﬃrms our economic contributions to our beloved country and is recognized by world leading business news and financial service institutions,’ Chang continued. ‘It is our goal to continue to work harder in developing high quality, high performance wireless microphone products and to provide simple to complex audio solutions for diverse applications faced by our customers.’ www.mipro.com.tw

NEWS September - October 2014

Sennheiser Asia Supplies L-Acoustics To Showtec SINGAPORE: Sennheiser Asia recently closed its first L-Acoustics K2 line array system deal in Southeast Asia. The Showtec group, a leading equipment provider for large-scale local and international events based in Singapore, is the first rental company and user ofthe K2 speakers in the region. The company decided to upgrade its inventory with the new system for use in a series of concerts in June, including the latest live performance of top Korean girl group, 2NE1, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. The new sale features a system consisting of a full L-Acoustics line array, with a total of 36 x K2 large-format WST line source speakers, 12 x K1 SB subwoofers, as well as 24 x cabinets of SB28 subwoofers and LA8

amplifiers respectively. The audio crew at the Showtec Group were also given an in-depth training on the K2 system by L-Acoustics trainer, Alvin Khoo, on 7 June and is now an oﬃcial rental partner for the K2 system internationally. Henry Ang, Managing Director of the Showtec Group, commented on the system purchase, “L-Acoustics systems are very popular in show riders and we believe that acquiring the K2 system will help us provide better audio quality for live shows in our region. We are very pleased with the technical and sales support from the team at Sennheiser Asia. www.sennheiser.com

Tom Howat Takes A&H iLive On The Road JAPAN: Franz Ferdinand’s monitor engineer, Tom Howat, selected an iLive modular system for the band’s recent appearance at the recent Fuji Rock Festival in Japan. High up in the mountains, far away from city life and daily grind, the annual festival also featured acts such as the Lumineers, TRAVIS and Arcade Fire. Comprising an iLive-112 Surface and iDR10 Mixrack with additional PL10 remote controller, the iLive monitor system manages six wedge mixes, five stereo RF IEM mixes and one stereo hardwired IEM mix, three eﬀects sends and two mixes for FOH. Howat shared his experience using the system: “I've had this particular set up since March and we've used it all round Europe, the USA and Mexico. I also hope to take the same system to South America in September. It is a very fast and responsive system which means I can concentrate on watching what’s going on on-stage rather than navigating the console surface. The band moves around a lot so this is very important feature.” An engineer for the past 20 years, Howat noted his favourite features of the system as: “Being able to 'solo' a channel anywhere in the signal path and the versatility of being able to lay out the fader assignments however needed, putting the most frequently used faders on the top layer.”

“Leon Phillips at A&H has been incredibly supportive and helpful in terms of this and I owe him a large drink!” added Howat. “We have also had a "B-rig" out for part of this Summer - a duplicate system to cover some shows where logistics have dictated that our equipment cannot get from "A to B" in time. Leon has been very helpful in sorting out the equipment for the second system as well. Overall the company have been an absolute pleasure to deal with and I'm very excited about what the future holds!” www.allen-heath.com

NEWS September - October 2014

The Brothers Four Tour Japan With Adamson Metrix The Metrix sound system, provided by OTA Audio of Japan, will be utilized extensively during the 20 city tour. OTA Audio was tasked with designing a system flexible enough to handle diﬀerent sized venues. The versatility of the Metrix enclosures easily accommodate everything from smaller, intimate club settings to larger performance halls on the schedule.

JAPAN: American folk singing group, The Brothers Four, are known for their hit songs Greenfields, Seven Daﬀodils and Green Leaves of Summer. They are currently on tour in Japan with an Adamson Metrix loudspeaker system.

“My original perception of the Metrix system was that it is was designed for rock and roll, not necessarily acoustic groups,” explains Ota, managing director of OTA Audio. “But I have found that it provides a high performance acoustic sound. The band sounds pure and unprocessed.”

The Brothers Four is on the road with 12 x Metrix enclosures that are typically ground stacked, six per side, to the left and right of the stage. 4 x Metrix subwoofers – two per side, stacked below the Metrix enclosures – provide low end support. The system is powered by four Powersoft K3 DSP+AESOP. The tour kicked oﬀ with two performances at Yomiuri Otemachi Hall which were both sold out. “With an acoustic act you want to reinforce the instruments and vocals while keeping the sound natural,” added Ota. “The Metrix system did that perfectly. We can easily pick up the sensitive nuances during the mix to reinforce the act. The audience and band are quite delighted with the Metrix system.” www.adamsonsystems.com

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NEWS September - October 2014

Total Solution Marketing, Coolux Pandoras Box and Christie Spice Up BroadcastAsia 2014 HD18K 3-chip DLP projectors. The HD14K-M projectors showcased projection mapping onto a 3D surface measuring 24 sqm, while the HD18K demonstrated interactive projections and stage tracking using the IDtags. Equipped with DLP technology, high-quality optics and 10-bit image processing, the Christie Roadster Series projectors utilize light eﬃciently to ensure brightness uniformity throughout the images that are projected onto irregularly-shaped “screens” such as buildings, interior spaces and natural landscapes.

(L-R) Harry Gladow of Coolux with Glenn Wong, TSM Managing Director and Matt Finke, Director of Loop Light

SINGAPORE: Total Solution Marketing (TSM), a distribution partner for various leading brands, recently showcased Coolux Pandoras Box projection mapping and real-time tracking ID-tags at the annual BroadcastAsia 2014 exhibition. While visitors immersed themselves in the interactive ID-tags from the Coolux Media Server, they were also able to share their thoughts and questions with Harry Gladow, Business Development Manager at Coolux, who flew in from Germany to attend the prestigious event. He was joined by Matt Finke, Director of Loop Light, a major supporter of Coolux Pandoras Box systems in Germany. Harry Gladow also shared his thoughts on working with Loop Light, “They are one of our most experienced customers who has given us extremely valuable feedback over the years. It has always been a joy to see how they are able to take our technology and really manage to show its full potential. At the same time they constantly inspire us to go beyond what we thought was possible.” “It was my first time to BroadcastAsia, and to me, it was a wonderful experience. Meeting professionals and enthusiasts in Singapore, and being part of high level conversations about the art of technologies, dreaming and creating new projects was just great.

Thanks to Total Solution for the invitation,” acknowledged Matt Finke. “Rather than just to exhibit at the booth, we tried something different this year. We specifically invited Matt Finke to attend so that he could help value-add to our existing Coolux Pandoras Box customers by sharing his extensive creative ideas and knowledge on how to maximize the Coolux servers,” explained Tevin Heng, Executive Director at TSM. “Through the sharing of ideas, we trust that our clients will be able to better equip themselves with newer skill sets. Loop Light is one of Coolux’s biggest supporters and integrate Coolux hardware and software into almost all their shows and events.” Harry also explained on the technology behind the real-time tracking ID-tags, “The coin-sized Coolux ID Tags make real-time tracking scenarios not only easier to set up, but also more reliable, versatile and cost effective. Each of the tags can be addressed with a unique ID, which opens up the possibility of up to 256 different unique IDs being tracked in real-time within a single setup. Automated movement of lights, cameras and interactive gamification of environments are just some of the creative possibilities which the ID tags can help realize”. Also in the spotlight were the Christie Roadster HD14K-M and Christie Roadster

“We’re proud to have collaborated with Christie and utilize the state-of-the-art visual solutions to showcase the high performance link between projection and digital image compositing oﬀered by Coolux media servers,” said Glenn Wong, Managing Director at TSM. “The high performance features, stunning visuals and reliability of Christie’s Roadster Series projectors make them the ideal choice for us to generate high quality contents and visuals that enthralled visitors.” Ken Wheatley, director of sales, Christie Asia Pacific, added, “We’re proud and excited to collaborate with TSM to showcase our cutting edge projection solutions that are not only flexible and upgradable, but also provide diﬀerent users with the features and functionality that they can rely on to share, collaborate and create.” The TSM booth was also chosen as one of the select few of the VIP tour. TSM presented their various visual applications in the presence of Singapore’s Minister of Communication & Information, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim as well as the Ministers of Communication from Indonesia, Brunei, Costa Rica, Malaysia, Montenegro and Ethiopia. Also highlighted at the TSM stand were broadcast lighting fixtures from Robert Juliat, Philips Showline and Highend Systems. www.tsm-int.com www.coolux.com www.christiedigital.com

NEWS September - October 2014

Optocore Rolls With The Stones & Timberlake In Tel Aviv stage and delay tower ends. One device was configured 8AE/8MI and the other three 8AE/8LO.

ISRAEL: As the largest PA company in Israel, Sincopa Sound & Light recently used their Optocore digital returns racks to service major concerts by Justin Timberlake and the Rolling Stones in Tel Aviv’s giant Park HaYarkon for 50,000 adoring fans. In the case of Timberlake they were able to meet the specs' by deploying Optocore’s sophisticated fibre distribution system comprising 4 x XR6-FX interfaces at the FOH,

Transmission to the L-Acoustics PA and delay towers was via Optocore AES, Analogue and Ethernet on a redundant loop, with two AES lines from the Digico SD-7, through a routing/ summing Lake LM-44 to a total of five AES lines on the Optocore rack. These were configured for AES and analogue, while an analogue line was connected for backup. The two Optocore stage racks were respectively run AES Out/Analogue Out and AES In/Analogue In, while the other AES/ Analogue Outs were assigned to the two Delay towers. “Optocore supplied extremely close technical support and dealt immediately with any issues we encountered,” said

Sincopa technical manager, Assa Efrat, who configured the system. “I can now see this being part of our permanent audio deployment and it will be used again and again.”

“The support from Optocore was amazing,” agreed Amos Bokobza, CEO of Sincopa Sound & Light. “We were able to choose such a huge project on which to debut the Optocore system only because of the great technical support; this enabled us to remain calm during set-up and show days!” Other technical crew for the Timberlake show included Eran Pereldik (project manager), and system engineers, Eran Pereldik and Efrat himself. The Optocore solution more than met their requirements and was promptly redeployed when the Rolling Stones appeared at the same venue. www.optocore.com

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Mamma Mia - Amici Productions/Auckland Music Theatre Inc. Lighting Design by Nik Janiurek.

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NEWS September - October 2014

Yamaha Introduces QL Series To Asia competition. It's good because users can see the great diﬀerence between us and them. For instance, unlike other consoles, we have never crashed. Our technology isn't Windows or MAC, it is our own platform.” “Additionally, we could add more complicated features and details to it but we wanted it to be as easy to use as possible. We wanted users to feel comfortable with it from the very first time they use it. But the more time you spend with it the more detailed you will find it to be. This means that Yamaha consoles can also be used whether you're a new engineer or an old geezer.”

SINGAPORE: Held at the Yamaha Music Asia oﬃce in Singapore, Andy Cooper, Yamaha's Manager of Pro Audio Application Engineering gave a special presentation to an invited audience to introduce the ''Quintessential'' consoles that have caused quite a stir in the industry. The classic definition for quintessential is to represent the perfect typical example of a quality or class, or as Cooper stated, the QL series is “... Quintessential because it is an example of a perfect compact console.” Released at this year's Prolight + Sound Frankfurt, the latest consoles from the renowned Yamaha brand boasts two models: the QL5 with 64 mono + 8 stereo mix channels, and the QL1 with 32 mono + 8 stereo mix channels. Both models are aimed towards the Live Sound Industry with focus on the 3 core markets for Yamaha gear: Live Sound, Theatre and Live Broadcast. Presenting to a group of more than 50, Cooper highlighted the built-in premium

internal processors such as the Portico 5033/5043 created in cooperation with Rupert Neve, a legend in the mixing field. Adding that one of his favourite aspects of the series is its ability to reproduce the natural sound of an instrument. He also demonstrated the integrated Dan Dugan automixer which allows operators to concentrate on details other than fader operation for consistently high-quality mixes. Using 4 volunteers to simulate a conference scenario, Cooper showcased the customization possibilities of the automixer such as giving a singular mic more gain in a group or balancing out gains according to how much background noise is coming from a particular mic. While many attendees agreed that Yamaha consoles are able to be used by seasoned and new engineers alike, they were still concerned with the price point as compared to other brands. To this Cooper stated, “I don't mind when we are compared to the

To end off his presentation, Cooper simulated many problems that come with live gigs. Demonstrating issues such as loose cables and loss of power, he explained that the QLs come with the most efficient Dante network redundancy allowing them to handle almost any situation without a break in audio. On the expected impact on the industry, Cooper added, “It's still a premium product but it comes at a lower cost. It gives you all the luxury sound features at a more reasonable price so hopefully it will bring better sound to a lot more venues and events. If you want high-quality sound and a lot of unique features that's going to make your job easier, more enjoyable, less stressful and more satisfying then the QL is the console that will do that for you.” Originally planned as a one-day event, Yamaha Music Asia added an extra day of presentations to cater to the overwhelming response from the industry. "It’s heartening to see such a good response from the industry and that they are willing to review what Yamaha Consoles have to offer to the market," said Lawrence Tan, Yamaha Music Asia, Assistant General Manager. www.yamahaproaudio.com

NEWS September - October 2014

HARMAN India Sings An Ode To The Blues Academy also learned the process of setting up the system and the stage and in fact helped us a great deal,” said Somayaji. The students will go on to mix the multi-tracks and produce a finished live recording of the event. “An event of this scale required a first-class sound and lighting set-up. With multiple bands and a quick turn around required between acts, an eﬀective and reliable sound system is an engineer’s backbone for an event of such complexity. HARMAN brands, AKG, BSS Audio, dbx, JBL, Soundcraft and Martin lighting ensured that! As an FOH engineer, I could not have asked for better technology. This was one of the best music festivals I have had the pleasure of being associated with,” added Nikhil Pai, Freelance Sound Engineer.

INDIA: Held at Bangalore’s CounterCulture performance space/restaurant, India’s An Ode to the Blues festival featured international and Indian Blues artists. Guitar Shorty, Soulmate, Blackstratblues, Ministry of Blues and many others, performed on two stages outfitted with a complete HARMAN Professional live sound system and Martin lighting. “With every event we do, our primary focus is on the artist and we want to present the way they sound and the way they look at their absolute best,” said Guru Somayaji, Program Director and Festival Manager at CounterCulture. “This year we wanted to up the ante to bring in a set-up that not only looked good but sounded top-notch.” The Robert Johnson Stage and the Roots Blues Stage were equipped with a variety of JBL loudspeakers including 4 x VRX 900 Series loudspeakers, 2 x STX828 dual-18-inch subwoofers, 2 x PRX615M powered loudspeakers and 2 x STX815M loudspeakers. The loudspeakers were powered by Crown VRACK complete, self-contained amplifier systems, which include I-Tech HD Series power amps, analog and digital connections and a globally universal power distribution system, all housed in wheeled rack with a suspension system that enables VRACK to be flown if desired. A Soundcraft Si Expression 1 digital console with a Si Compact 16 handled the live sound mix for the Robert Johnson Stage, with a Soundcraft Si Compact 16 deployed for the Roots Blues Stage. The consoles were equipped with a Soundcraft Si Multi Digital Card to record the shows to a computer in multitrack digital audio. A selection of AKG microphones rounded out the system (Indian blues-rock band Soulmate are AKG endorsers). The Robert Johnson Stage and Roots Blues Stage were illuminated by a complete Martin lighting set-up that included RUSH by Martin MH 3 Beam, MH 1 Profile and MH 2 Wash models, plus MAC 101 LED wash and PAR 1 LED can lights. Martin M1 and M2GO consoles operated the lights for each stage. HARMAN Professional India and students at India’s Audio Academy assisted CounterCulture in producing An Ode to the Blues. “This year through our partnership with HARMAN Professional and Audio Academy, the team not only delivered a fantastic-sounding and looking set-up, but the students at Audio

“Without HARMAN Professional India and especially application manager, Sunil Karanjikar, none of this would have been possible,” he noted. “Each and every artist complimented us on how exceptional the JBL loudspeakers and Crown amps sounded, the clarity of the Soundcraft consoles and the AKG mics and the striking lighting provided by Martin. The audio was truly stellar, with excellent balance, presence and clarity from every location around both stages.” Somayaji concluded, “We look forward to further such associations for next year’s An Ode to the Blues festival and other events.” www.harman.in

ENNOVATIONS September - October 2014

Studiomaster Professional: OP 515 • • • • • • • • • • •

Power Output (RMS): 350W LF + 50W HF Power Output (Peak): 700W LF + 100W HF Frequency Response: 34Hz-20KHz Max SPL: 130dB Amplifier Type: Bi-amp, Lo F –class H, Hi F – class AB LF Driver Size: 1 x 15” Woofer HF Driver Size: 1 x 1” Compression driver Power Supply: 240VAC, 50Hz Fuse: T2.5A Dimensions (H x W x D): 27.5” ( 700mm) x 17” (440mm) x 12.5” (320mm) Weight: 48 lbs (22 kg)

The Studiomaster Professional OP 515 powered speaker is the latest addition to the OP series family, designed for high quality performance. The OP series speakers are perfect for any situation where business means sound.”

- Studiomaster Professional www.studiomaster.com

Analog Way: Orchestra 2 Remote Console • Controls a wide selection of Analog Way’s mid-range Mixers / Seamless Switchers: Di-VentiX II, Eikos, Pulse, etc. • T-Bar for smooth manually controlled transitions • Joystick for easy and fast set up of image or eﬀect parameters • Controls simultaneously up to 6 screens in single or multiple display configuration • Can store up to 64 presets per screen selection • Controls a large number of Analog Way’s Seamless Switchers • Oﬀ-Line Programming enables programming of Console when Seamless Switchers are not connected • Snap Function to help quickly position layers • Direct input/output selection access allows for last minute modification

After the successful release of the Orchestra Controller in 2009, Analog Way is pleased to introduce Orchestra2, a revamped version of the Remote Console. In total, the Orchestra2 is compatible with 16 Switchers from Analog Way.”

- Analog Way

www.analogway.com

ENNOVATIONS September - October 2014

PR Lighting: LED Studio 3205D • • • • • • • •

Lamp: (1) 500W LED source 2 available colour temperatures Luminous Flux: 9000 lumens (43°) / 17500 lumens (71°) Dimmer: 0-100% linearly adjustable DMX dimmer Linear motorised zoom Electronic strobe Beam angle: 43°-71° Shipping: Immediate

PR Lighting’s initial brief when planning its new LED Studio 3205D was to develop a fixture purpose-designed for lighting up large scale automobile shows around the world. But with its inherent power, derived from a single 500W LED source, coupled with a stable colour temperature and high CRI, its high specification makes it applicable to any large-scale application — particularly TV studios, theatre, commercial and multi-functional situations.”

- PR Lighting

www.pr-lighting.com

Danley Sound Labs: OS-80 • • • • •

• • • • •

System Type: Fully Weatherized Outdoor Speaker Coverage Pattern: 80° Conical Frequency Range (+/- 3 dB): 113 Hz – 18 kHz Frequency Range (-10 dB): 70Hz – 19 kHz Output: - 127 dB SPL (continuous) - 133 dB SPL (peak) Rated Impedance : 8 Ω Power Rating: 400 W (Continuous) / 1600 W (Peak) Driver Complement: one 12”, one 1.4”, coaxial Dimensions: 32.25” (819mm) x 26” (660mm) x 14.5” (368mm) Weight: 51 lbs (23 kg)

What sets the OS-80 apart is that its construction and materials make it impervious to the weather, for years and decades to come. Our local sources and molding machinery make it easy for us to turn over large Outdoor Series orders on short notice. Moreover, the molding process itself is very eﬃcient, which allows us to sell the OS products at fiercely competitive prices.”

- Mike Hedden, Danley Sound Labs President www.danleysoundlabs.com

BRILLIANT. STUNNING. QUALITY.

Christie Roadie HD+35K The Christie Roadie HD+35K delivers superior image quality and allows you to stack, blend and color-match multiple projectors. Ideal for building projection, live events and large venue applications, it is one of the brightest projectors in the industry, offering a native 2048 x 1080 HD resolution, user-replaceable lamps and user-friendly controls. With built-in body handles for handling and rigging or an optional stacking/rigging frame, this tough, manageable projector is built for true roadworthiness, frequent transport and quick set up.

www.christiedigital.com

Available from Singapore systems integrator:

ENNOVATIONS September - October 2014

DTS Lighting: MAX L & Nick NRG 801 The MAX L is very compact and light weight. It features the same innovative technology of MAX, and addresses a range of top level applications: from concerts to special events; from television studios to theatres. It is the perfect moving head for rental companies who want a quick and easy to install unit.”

- DTS Lighting

www.dts-lighting.com

MAX L • Lamp: MSD PLATINUM 16R 330W (16.000 Lumens) • Colour temperature: 8,000°K typ. • Average lamp life: 1,500 hrs • Improved optical group made with 11 coated lenses + dichroic glass reflector • 100,000 Lux @ 5 m • 16-bit motorized wide-excursion linear zoom • Beam opening: 1.7° ‘Beam’ projection; 1.7° - 37° ‘Spot’ projection; 10° - 60° ‘Wash’ projection • Introduces the ‘Studio’ projection (3° - 40°) - selectable via DMX • Colour wheel (17 colours + white) with linear selection • Customizable Gobo wheels: Rotating (9 gobos) & Fixed (10 gobos) • Prism: 4-facet rotating prism • Head Movement: Pan 540° / Tilt 270° • 24 DMX Channels • Power consumption: 450 W with PFC • Weight: 41.8 lbs (19 kg) • Updatable internal operating system

Nick NRG 801 • LED Technology: 14 FULL COLOUR LEDs (RGBW) • 8° - 50° linear motorized zoom with high eﬃciency optical system • Uniform projection on surfaces, from very wide Wash to PC Beam • Colour generation: 16 million colours • Wide palette of pure uniform whites with variable linear colour temperature (2700°K – 8000°K) • Head Movement: Pan 540° / Tilt 270° • Also available with ‘FPR’: limitless pan rotation, in either direction, never having to reverse motion • Control: Via DMX 512 and RDM standard digital communication protocols • 20 DMX channels • Power consumption: 200 W • Weight: 19.8 lbs (9 Kg)

ENNOVATIONS September - October 2014

coolux: Pandoras Box Version 5.7 Software

TOUCH THE

FUTURE In addition to all the major features, a whole range of helpful improvements for a “Pixel-Oriented Workflow” were integrated as well, in order to reflect the Pandoras Box’s true pixel accuracy even more. Using this decidedly “PixelOriented Workflow” makes it easy to set up and use split pictures, and also aids the communication flow between operators and content designers, who are used to thinking in terms of pixel values.”

TIGER TOUCH

- coolux

www.coolux.com

• Introduction of “Venue Sites”: - Users can now use a real-time compositing environment as a complete whole to simulate video projectors virtually, using a light projection approach - Media content and content compositing can be used completely independently from the visualised 3D scenes. - The ability to seamlessly switch from one Venue Site to another, makes comparing diﬀerent design scenarios very easy and helps to save valuable time and costs. - Users are now able to test and play around with the simulations of complex media installations. This way, one can for example train oneself to set up a spherical projection or a softedge projection without having to use real projectors in the process.

• Completely re-designed text editor: - Different font styles can now be used within a single text asset - New automatic horizontal and vertical scrolling capability - Users can now use and add an unlimited amount of text to a continuous text input • Advanced ASIO and HD-SDI Audio Routing: - Now possible to input ASIO sound as well as HD-SDI embedded audio - Users can route, delay and record ASIO inputs. Sound data can be used on ASIO tracks and programmed to the timeline, including different delays for different output signal chains - The Pandoras Box timeline now acts as an automated audio desk, or can alternatively be triggered via external commands.

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

ENNOVATIONS September - October 2014

GLP: impression X4 XL

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

• Source: (55) Osram High Power RGBW LEDs • Average service life: 20,000 hours • Zoomable optical system with 7° to 50° light distribution angle • Head Movement: Pan 660° / Tilt 260° • 8 or 16 Bit resolution selectable • High precision 3 Phase stepping motor control • Strobe-eﬀect with variable speed between 1-10 flashes per second, random-strobe, pulse eﬀects

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

• • • • • •

Continuous dimmer 0-100% Control: DMX-512 protocol Internal color-presets Internal Macro Eﬀects Power consumption: 350 VA (Watt) Power input: ~100-240 V AC, 5060Hz (wide range input) • Connectors: DMX XLR 3/5pin • Dimensions (L x W x H): 7.87” (200mm) x 21.6” (550mm) x 20.2” (515mm) • Weight: 52.91 lbs (24 kg)

The initial reaction to the X4 XL has been amazing, and it is clearly the large LED washlight that people have been waiting for. Creating continuity and longevity with our product lines is important for us, for our partners and the designers that use our fixtures. The addition of the X4 XL allows us to strengthen this product series for everyone.”

- Mark Ravenhill, GLP US Inc president www.glp.de

www.coolux.com

ENNOVATIONS September - October 2014

Allen & Heath: Qu-32 Digital Mixer Packed full of features and retaining a dedicated fader per mic channel, the larger Qu-32 complements the rest of the Qu family. The comprehensive array of features, such as copy and paste, soft keys, RTA and PFL options make using and setting up the Qu console easy and flexible. The Qu-16 and Qu-24 have been welcomed with great enthusiasm by customers from PA companies to churches, and we look forward to more success with the new addition.”

- Glenn Rogers, Allen & Heath MD www.allen-heath.com

• 32 mic/line inputs, 3 stereo inputs, 24 mix outputs including 2 Stereo Matrix Mix Outputs and 4 Stereo Groups • High resolution full colour 7” Touchscreen featuring the easy to drive ‘Touch Channel’ access to channel processing, the FX racks and all the setup and system management controls • SuperStrip provides control knobs for a selected channel’s key processing parameters, such as gain, HPF, parametric EQ, gate threshold, compressor threshold and pan • Qu-Drive: Mixer’s integrated 18-channel USB recorder can record and playback multi-track and stereo audio .wav files to a USB drive • A&H’s proprietary dSNAKE low latency audio connection enables the mixer to connect over a single 120m Cat5 digital snake to remote audio racks, such as the AR84, AR2412,

or upcoming AB168 stagebox. Also compatible with the ME personal mixing system • Motorised faders provide total recall of mix levels giving the user full benefit from the scene recall system and ensuring the fader is always in the right position even when swapping between the 2 layers, which allows instant access to all channels and masters or the Graphic EQs. To customise the fader layout to suit certain applications, a third user definable layer is also available. • Free QuPad iPad app gives instant wireless control of the mixer’s key parameters and settings, enabling the user to tweak the PA, adjust the monitors on stage, and even mix the show from the audience • AnaLOGIQ recallable pad-less preamps, optimised for transparency and low harmonic distortion.

ENNOVATIONS September - October 2014

CAST Software: wysiwyg R33

• CITP (v1.1) content protocol: - Feature designed for lighting designers working with video and multiple media sources - Uses JPEG compression enabling designers to display higher resolution videos in wysiwyg at up to 400 x 400 pixels - Various display aspect ratios including 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9 • LED Video Wall Glow: • Allows users to enable / disable screens and LED walls glow that will interact realistically with the lighting setup, performers and objects on stage • Shaded View Optimizations and Profiles:

• Optimizes graphics to increase performance and visualization. A combination of Shaded View settings can be saved for diﬀerent scenes/ sequences and toggled on/oﬀ • Screens and LED Wall arrangements can be cloned and applied to new projects at the click of a button • Mini Console has been upgraded to 512 channels allowing users to test fixtures and lighting equipment on the fly • New additions to library include 70 highly requested fixtures including the G-Spot by SGM Lighting and the new K10/20 B-EYE from Clay Paky • Wireframe View Optimizations for smoother viewing • Added AutoCAD support for importing

This is the biggest release since wysiwyg was introduced twenty years ago. R33 delivers new features and double the number of universes. R33 certainly raises the bar for industry professionals so they become more productive, more professional, more profitable. It’s all about our Members.”

- Gil Densham, President of CAST Software Ltd.

Members can scan the QR code to download wysiwyg R33: www.cast-soft.com

ENNOVATIONS September - October 2014

Lab.gruppen: D Series Platform D Series is about oﬀering freedom - freedom to use any network, any loudspeaker, any third party control system, and in any configuration. You can work within the Lake environment, integrating with 3rd party matrixes and protocols via Dante and many of the intermediary technologies developed over recent years, or now also specify D Series as part of a Tesira AVB eco-system – in a completely integrated way. We believe D Series is now the most compelling choice of amplifier on the market when it comes to large scale performance installations.”

- Klas Dalbjorn, Product Research Manager www.labgruppen.com

• Install-dedicated 4-channel DSP amplifier platform • Integrates seamlessly with a wide range of digital audio and control protocols • Available in two variants: One features Lake Processing, the other features Tesira by Biamp Systems • Lake variant: Provides a package of Lake Processing DSP with analogue, AES and a Dual-redundant Dante network solution, supported by the creation of new custom software to provide extensive integration potential with most key systems manufacturers. • Tesira variant: Is a collaboration between Lab.gruppen and Biamp. Dedicated modelsare equipped with Tesira DSP as well as AVB audio and control for “unheralded” amplifier and DSP platform integration, designed to ensure seamless interoperability between respective systems. • Available in 3 power configurations (8000 W, 12000 W and 20000 W total power output), each available in either variant

• Equipped with Rational Power Management (RPM) technology that allows flexible power allocation across all channels to ensure the most eﬃcient and rational use of total amplifier inventory. With RPM, each model can manage up to 5,000 W output on any single channel – even the lower power models – allowing the remaining power to be allocated freely to the other channels. This leads to a more optimised system design, with each channel tailored to the precise requirement of the load, achieving eﬃcient use of the total amplifier inventory • New software suite - CAFE (Configuring Amplifiers For the Environment): Provides full system surveillance capabilities as well as RPM configuration. Also includes an innovative design aid in the form of ESP (Equipment Specification Predictor) that provides an optimized recommendation for specifying D Series into the project, including model and number of amps, heat generated, channel distribution and current draw.

ENNOVATIONS September - October 2014

ETC: Nomad Puck AMAZING G OPTICS

One of the best features of Nomad and Nomad Puck, is the ability to run either Cobalt or Eos/Element software. It’s like having two consoles in one – users don’t have to choose between the two control platforms.”

- Anne Valentino, ETC Eos Product Manager www.etcconnect.com

HIGH OUTPUT

FULL FEATURE SET

Debuting Worldwide

March 2014

www.vari-lite.com

www.tsm-int.com

• Full-featured mini-computer with an embedded Nomad dongle capable of running Eos, Element and Cobalt applications • Provides lighting control with conventional and moving lights, media servers and LED luminaires • Can be used with either Eos or Cobalt operating systems in primary, backup, client and oﬄine environments • When connected as a client, Nomad accesses the full output capacity of the connected system • A single universe of output may be distributed using an ETC Gadget USB/ DMX converter

• Optional fader wings, X-keys and compatibility with USB–MIDI panels allow extended and customisable control • Available in 4 output counts (fieldupgradeable) : - Nomad / Nomad Puck 1536 with 1,536 outputs - Nomad / Nomad Puck 1024 with 1,024 outputs - Nomad / Nomad Puck 256 with half a universe of output - Nomad / Nomad Puck 2048 with 2,048 outputs

Sole Distributor for SIngapore and Malaysia

ENNOVATIONS September - October 2014

NEXT-proaudio: HFA Series HFA206 / HFA206P • Speaker Type: 2-Way Active or Passive Vertical Array • Frequency Response (+/- 3dB): 80 - 19.000Hz • Maximum calculated SPL/Peak: 121dB/127dB • Amp Technology: 500W Class D with DSP • Directivity: 90ºx40º • Dimensions (W x H x D): 8.77’’ (223 mm) x 23.5’’ (597 mm) x 10.35’’ (263 mm) • Weight: 27.5 lbs (12.5 kg) HFA112s • Speaker Type: Active Bandpass Subwoofer • Frequency Response (+/- 3dB): 40 – X-over • Max. SPL/Peak (Half-Space): 130 dB/136dB • Components: 12”, 4” Voice coil, Long Excursion, Neodymium, B&C speaker • Amp Technology: 1650W Class D with DSP • Dimensions (W x H x D): Width: 13.7’’ (349 mm) x 22.2’’ (565 mm) x 25.59’’ (650 mm) • Weight: 55 lbs (25 kg)

HFA206

HFA112s

This system allows the use of an active subwoofer (HFA112s) powering the passive satellite (HFA206P). It is a system with a fantastic ratio between the size and its sound pressure. The quality and the power of the system make it perfect for DJs and small systems for live music.”

- NEXT-proaudio

www.next-proaudio.com

MIPRO: MA-505 Portable Wireless PA System • • • • • • • •

• • •

Power Output: 100W(rms)/ 4Ω, 145W(max)/ 4Ω Amplifier: Class D Frequency Response: 50 Hz~18 kHz Rugged one-piece molded enclosure houses 1 “ titanium compression driver & 8 “ woofer. Built-in or detachable receiver module option Wireless receiver with 16 auto-scannable frequencies A voice priority feature that mutes the music when wireless microphone is used Industry’s only MT-91 wireless interlinking transmitter option to interlink multiple MA-505 portables wirelessly to extend transmission range and expand coverage. Up to 8 hours of stand-by time per 4-hour full charge. Dimensions (W × H × D): 11.2’’ (285 mm) x 15.7’’ (400 mm) × 8.9’’ (225 mm) Weight (battery included): 18.7 lbs (8.5 kg)

Since 1995, MIPRO has developed around 10 wireless PA systems,providing excellent public address solutions for small to large crowds. Now, MA-505 puts the idea of the most capabilities/ possibilities in a limited space into practice.”

- MIPRO

www.mipro.com.tw

EXHIBITION PREVIEW September - October 2014

More Than 350 Prominent Brands Set To Exhibit @ Prolight + Sound Shanghai Taking advantage of the fair’s leading position in the Asian market, more than 350 prominent pro audio and lighting suppliers have confirmed their participation at Prolight + Sound Shanghai 2014, which will take place 8 – 11 October at the Shanghai New International Centre Expo in China.

space due to the success of last year’s show. Among the Taiwanese brands will be CBG ProAudio, Jave Yuan, Kai Shuai, LamaVita, Litz, TSLC, Yahorng and Yoga. The Shanghai pavilion will feature local distributors for well known brands such as BOSE, DPA, Maquinas, NEXO and YAMAHA.

Key brands from around the world showing their latest products and innovative technologies at the show will includeKey brands from around the world showing their latest products and innovative technologies at the show include Aiweidy, Audiocenter, Avid, Behringer, DiGiCo, Fidek, Global Truss, Hi LTTE, ITC, JBL, KAIFAT, KV2 Audio, L-ACOUSTICS, Malanbao, Nightsun, Polinata, SAMSON, Soundcraft, Soundking, Srexact, Takstar, Tannoy, TC Electronic, Tonwel, Topled, Turbosound, TW AUDiO, Viasho, SAE Audio and Zsound.

Commenting on the large number of international brands taking part in the show, Fiona Chiew, Deputy General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (Shanghai) said, “Prolight + Sound Shanghai has gained a solid industry reputation as a successful trading platform in Asia. I am glad to see an overwhelming response from international brands for this year’s show and some new faces including dB Technologies, Electro-Voice, Klark Teknik and Martin Audio.”

Additionally, pavilions from Taiwan and Shanghai will return, doubling their exhibition

One of the show’s long-term supporters, Guangzhou Ruisheng Lighting & Audio Equipment Co Ltd agrees that Prolight + Sound Shanghai is an ideal place for accessing the Eastern China market. Xiaolin Bin, a marketing representative for the company said, “We have been part of Prolight + Sound Shanghai for many years building up a professional and high-end brand image in Eastern China. We plan to demonstrate the

TouchMix Simply Genius

8 Chia Ping Road #04-05 JTC Estate Singapore 619973 Tel.: +65 6268 2360 Fax: +65 6268 2390 Email: sindo88@singnet.com.sg Website: www.sindoexport.com

EXHIBITION PREVIEW September - October 2014

latest TWAUDiO VERA36 series at Concert Sound Arena and display the UK brand Midas pro series at our booth.” Audio visual solution provider Beijing Pacific Budee Technology Development Co Ltd is a first time exhibitor. The company will showcase the new Electro-Voice EXC Powered series and also loud speakers and products from Martin Audio. Another newcomer to the show will be Guangzhou Winsound AV Technology Co Ltd, a distributor for high-end pro audio products. The company’s Marketing & Technology Director, Xinxing Huang considered Prolight + Sound Shanghai an eﬀective platform for raising brand awareness. He stated, “We are a newly set up company and are hoping to build up company recognition in the market by participating in the show. We will bring the latest audio products from Klark Teknik, Midas and Turbosound to the show. The MIDAS M32 Digital Console will be one of the major highlights at our stand. We will also promote some of our products at the product presentation session, as well as exchanging the latest technology updates with industry peers.”

Aihua Liu, Marketing Director for LED display supplier Shenzhen Lightlink Display Technology Co Ltd added: “Promoting our new product and connecting with existing clients are top priority for exhibiting at Prolight + Sound Shanghai. The market is very competitive so it is important for our products to be creative and up to an international standard. At the show we will feature our new LED die casting case with fast installation technology.” Prolight + Sound Shanghai will host a series of fringe programmes and events including Asia’s largest and professional Concert Sound Arena. This year’s event will feature 12 local and international brands demonstrating concert sound systems in an outdoor environment. Another event will be

the dome projection show and the Stage Art Design & Technology Show featuring stage design projects from China and overseas. For more information about the show, please visit: www.prolightsound-shanghai.com or email: plss@hongkong.messefrankfurt.com

EXHIBITION REVIEW September - October 2014

Key Industry Players Give A Thumbs Up To INDIAN DJ EXPO Date: 3 – 5 July 2014 Venue: Mathura Rd, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, DL 110002, India Showgrounds: 5000 sqm Number of Attendees: 5530 Number of Exhibitors: 52 Website: www.indiandj.in

rganized by Beatroots Expo & Publications LLP, the inaugural INDIAN DJ EXPO (IDJE) 2014 witnessed a fantastic turnout in first-time visitors. A recorded footfall of 5530 visitors from across India graced the show-grounds at the Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. Conceptualised to cater to the prevalent demand of a professional sound, lighting and AV platform in Northern India and neighbouring Eastern region, IDJE bridged the gap between end users and technology. On the show floor. numerous exhibits were spread across 5000 sqm showcasing leading brands in DJ & Studio Gear, Club & Touring Sound, Stage Gear, Entertainment Lighting and LED Displays. With a clear focus on technology and education, the expo was supported by 52 key companies. While its main focus was on establishing and identifying growing markets, IDJE also recognised state-of-the-art technology as factor in the continued growth of the industry as a whole. Exhibitor Sudhin Prabhakar of Pro Musicals shared: “It’s the first time we are here in Delhi and we are bringing in DJ gear. What’s interesting is that it is a dedicated show and it is exactly what we needed. Our line of products are aimed straight at the DJ market. It is a focused show, thanks for conducting it and putting up a great show”.

A key highlight of the event was the Outdoor Line array Demo Arena where 8 leading brands – Audiocenter, Audiopro, B3, FBT, Pope Professional, Tecnare, TW Audio, Zsound – went head to head in a live demonstration of power, throw, coverage and clarity. Attendees mainly comprised of DJ's, music producers, club owners, rental companies, event managers, sound consultants, lighting installers, audio retailers and record labels. Rajan Gupta of Hi Tech Audio Systems Pvt. Ltd., noted the positive experience they had

by being a part of the expo, “The 1st Indian DJ Expo in New Delhi was a distinguished experience. The platform was long awaited by audiophiles in North India and this was evident in the number of visitors as well as exhibitors participating. From club owners to aspiring DJ’s, all were enthusiastic about the products displayed and demonstrated keen interests in actual investments. 3 days at the expo were copious with meeting new and potential clientele. We hope to serve them along with our existing customers and look forward to Indian DJ Expo 2015.

EXHIBITION REVIEW September - October 2014

Another feature of the Expo saw DJs attending a Seminar Session conducted by DJ Sushein, Founder of Skratch DJ Academy, who touched on important aspects of DJing, Marketing and Profile making. Aceaxe (Aditya Singh) a popular DJ from the EDM Circuit, joined in and shared his knowledge on EDM Music and Production. Eshdeep Singh of LBT Electronics Pvt. Ltd added: “It has been a good exhibition for North India. We had people from Punjab, Himachal, Chandigarh and from the east as well. Good Job!!!” Expressing his enthusiasm for future possibilities that await the IDJE, Rajesh Motwani of Narain Pro Audio & Lighting Pvt. Ltd predicted: “In the coming years , we are sure it will develop into a much bigger show. For the first time, a DJ Exhibition was organized in Delhi, and was accompanied by light and sound. It has been a very good show with a reasonable response from the audience.” A final testament to the success of the show came from Karan Nagpal of Sonotone who declared, “The Indian DJ Expo was an

excellent platform to capture the northern market. Being the first year it had a much higher footfall than expected. Overall it was a good return on investment. “ Bookings for the 2015 Expo which will be held next year from 2 – 4 July, have already begun. The show will once again be held at the Pragati Maidan in New Delhi, India.

BRANDS SHOWCASED 18 SOUND ABS ADAMSON AERONS AIFA PRO ALESIS AMERICAN AUDIO AM PRO AM SHOWLIGHT A-PLUS A-PRO ARX ASHLY AVOLITE AUDICA AUDIO TECHNICA AUDIX AUDIOCENTER AUDIOPRO AUDIOSTAR AURAL AW AW PROFESSIONAL B3 BEHRINGER BEYERDYNAMIC BIG DIPPER BMS SPEAKERS BOLD AUDIO

BOSCHMA CASES BOSS CAD MICROPHONES CAPITAL CAVE AUDIO CIRCLE CODEM MUSIC DAS AUDIO DATASAT DIGITAL DENON DJ DIGI SOUNDS DJS DJ TECH DL&MC DOD DTS DYNATECH ECLER EON LIGHTING EXXO FAITAL PRO FALCON FANE FBT FENIX FIDEK FIVE O GEMINI GENI ELECTRONICS

GUNJAN HERCULES HILUX HONEYWELL I DANCE ICON ICTC IMAX LIGHTING JBL JB – LIGHTING JIA LIGHTING JONA LED JTS KLING & FREITAG KRELL KRYSTAL KV2 AUDIO KWIK TRUSS LABGRUPPEN LASERWORLD LBT LD SYSTEM LDR LE MAITRE LIGHTKING LED LPS LASERSYSTEME LYNX STUDIO TECHNOLOGY MACKIE

MARSHALL ME MEGA MINTU MONTARBO MOSGATE MOTU MPRO MXT NEWTECH NEXO NEXPRO NIGHTSUN NUMARK NX AUDIO OHM OLIVE OSRAM P.AUDIO PALCOPLUS PANASONIC PANGOLIN PEAVEY PHONIC PIONEER DJ PLS POPE POWER X PRECISION DEVICES

PRO PROLUX PROTON PR LIGHTING QD AUDIO QSC RADIAL RAM AUDIO RANE RAYTECH RCF RD LED RINUS RINUS PLUS RIVERA LIGHTS RMX ROCKSTAR ROSCO ROXY SATAN LIGHTING SCINTILLA SENNHEISER SEVEN STARS SGM SHAINA SHOLITE SHURE SMITHSON MARTIN SOUNDCRAFT

SOUNDSPIRIT SOUNDSTANDARD SOUNDDLANE STAN LIGHTING STUDIOMASTER PROFESSIONAL SUNDRAX SUNRISE (S.R) SUPERLUX TANNOY TASCAM TECNARE TOA TW AUDIO ULTRA ULTRA STEREO UNIVERSAL TRUSSING VAL AUDIO VELODYNE VT PROFESSIONAL WEGNER PRO LIGHTING XILICA YAMAHA ZERO 88 ZSOUND

TECH TALK September - October 2014

Yamaha QL Series

Mixing Business With Pleasure

By Andy Cooper

Yamaha’s QL series of consoles was launched early in 2014, and is now shipping worldwide. It is the latest digital mixing console to join a line-up which includes 30 models, spanning more than 25 years. While many members of the Yamaha team that produced the QL in Japan have been a significant part of this story, I have had the privilege of working alongside them from the London R&D oﬃce since the turn of the century.

If you consider that the CL-series (launched in March 2012) has the M7CL as its mother and the PM5DRH as its father, then the QL-series is the younger brother! It has undoubtedly inherited many fine aspects from its predecessors, but it also has plenty of its own talents.

But first let’s remember its grandad, the PM1D, Yamaha’s first live digital mixing system, and the first digital mixer I truly got to study inside and out. After a decade or so, it is still considered by some customers to be the most reliable console they have ever owned (analogue or digital). At the time, the PM1D contained more internal Eﬀects, GEQs, and dynamics processors than any product before it. It also included a distributed system of I/O boxes with a simple Gain Compensation feature and a complicated cabling setup to provide redundancy. Features that were once only available with a 6-figure price tag (USD) are now made available with the QL for around a tenth of the price! How has this cost reduction been made possible? Perhaps, by moving the factory to another country? No! All of Yamaha’s professional digital mixers are still made in the same factory in Japan, by the same skilled team. By using lower quality components? No! The quality remains high, but prices have reduced as touch-screen, chip and LED manufacturers improve their production processes. For example, during blind-listening comparisons, over 80% of participating Sound Engineers preferred the sound of QLseries mic pre-amps over the older PM5D-RH pre-amps. Obviously, some savings have been made by making the desk physically smaller and

taking away minor luxuries such as a built-in LED meter bridge and a polished wooden arm rest. However, much of the saving is due to the efficiency of the experienced design team. They know about heat dissipation, electro-magnetic interference, and how circuit board grounding affects sonic character. They are experienced at harnessing the efficiency of Yamaha’s own DSP chips, together with FPGA processing and other third-party silicon, selecting the most appropriate component for each task. They also have thorough knowledge of Yamaha’s own choice of stable operating system and how it manages the control of tens of thousands of parameters. Yamaha has a strong history of innovation, and one brave new move with the CL-series was the inclusion of Dante audio networking. Since then, the popularity of Dante has grown exponentially, and the QL1 is now the smallest digital mixer available with Dante networking included as standard. Dante provides a fully synchronised, redundant audio network using 1GB Ethernet equipment. Up to 32 of Yamaha’s Rio units can connect to both the QL and CL consoles, and literally hundreds of other Dante equipped audio products can join the system, including personal computers for live recording. Harnessing what is essentially IT technology will be a new discipline for some audio engineers, but it opens a new world of possibilities for the system designer and

TECH TALK September - October 2014

saves a huge amount of time and money for the installer. When it comes to cabling, there is no simpler way to connect than by using a Dante “Daisy-chain”, and when cables generally cause about 90% of all audio problems, a simple system will improve reliability. Dante has three key advantages over other audio networks: 1. Sample-accurate synchronization 2. Fixed low latency 3. Eﬃcient redundancy But these are not unique to the QL-series. One special feature is the ability to transfer 32-bit audio data through the network. All the DSP inside the Yamaha Rio remote input and output units along with the CL and QL consoles process audio with 32-bits, so it also makes sense to transfer audio between them with 32-bits. Therefore, even when there is some heavy gain reduction going on, audio quality is not lost. The system’s Gain Compensation feature is processed inside the Rio units and can be controlled from multiple consoles. If one engineer wants a high input level to their console, and the other wants a low level, the gain structure would otherwise become less than ideal. With 32-bit transfer, there is an extra margin of 48dB. Another benefit of networking is that even a small console, such as a QL1, can actively control and monitor up to 24 remote devices. It can also patch audio between itself and all other Dante devices from Yamaha, as well as a selection from the likes of Shure, Aviom and Nexo. Furthermore, if there is more than one QL console in a network, they have the ability to control each other’s analogue input gains. That could be a recipe for disaster, but the feature is not enabled

by default, can be password protected, and the Gain Compensation function (further improved since the original CL-series v1 implementation) can make operation smooth for everyone. A patching function we call “Port to Port” is only found in the QL-series consoles, and it allows inputs to be patched to outputs without passing through any mixer channels. This is how analogue inputs on a monitor console can pass to the Dante network and onto the Front-of-House mixer. Or the two MY-card slots can be used as format converters: MADI to Dante, or EtherSound, AES-EBU, ADAT, etc. A QL console is a stagebox, a router, and a mixer all at the same time! Other technology showcased by the QL series includes Virtual Circuitry Modelling (VCM). This is where the behaviour of each component in an analogue circuit is

accurately modelled, and a virtual circuit is created within a DSP chip. This is how such accurate simulations of the Rupert Neve Designs Portico EQ and compressors are created, with their non-linear transformer behaviour and over-shoot filtering characteristics. QL is also the first mixer to include the Dan Dugan Automixer as a standard feature. This is modelled within Yamaha’s DSP and can run with up to 16 input channels, all controlled from the touch-screen. Dan Dugan is a friendly and highly-experienced engineer from San Francisco, and at Yamaha we have thoroughly enjoyed partnering with him on this project. It’s such a simple tool to use, yet completely transforms the sound of a conference or TV debate.

Noise goes down, feedback becomes history, and intelligibility goes up…with no unwanted artefacts or harsh gating. I don’t expect to ever hear the words “disappointed” and “Dugan” spoken in the same sentence! While working on the QL project, the team came up with the word “quintessential” to describe the product, meaning that it should be the “closest to perfect” example of a compact digital console: containing everything that is needed between the microphone and the amplifier for small to medium live music and corporate speech events. We hope to have provided our customers with a tool that will make their job not only easier and quicker, but also more enjoyable and satisfying. www.yamahaproaudio.com

UNDER THE LENS September - October 2014

Thai Political Crisis Takes A Toll On The Rental & Staging Business by Thomas Richard Prakasam Industry Players are confident of pick-up from hereon in

he first four months of this year saw the number of tourists in Thailand shrink by almost 400,000. Last year Bangkok ranked as the world's top tourist destination, with reports that tourism accounted for about 9% of GDP. To compound the matter there was already weak domestic demands and government spending had come to a halt. When the Army decided to step in to put a stop to the political impasse that started with antigovernment protests in November last year, its immediate action to introduce curfew and ban group gatherings had exacerbated the situation. Thankfully once it was deemed that things were in control, the Army relaxed on those terms especially with the curfew.

the political situation and insurance had become an issue. Most of the Thais though, admirably went about their daily business as usual, taking the situation in their stride. Unfortunately though, they were not able to shake oﬀ the image created by the international press that caused many to avoid Bangkok and, as a consequence the rest of Thailand. So when the dust finally settled, one of the top priorities of the Army was to get their tourism back on track.

Needless to say many of the brands were not willing to spend on events and foreign artistes had to cancel their concerts as both

Sermkhun Kunawong of PM Center comments, “Yes, PM Center was aﬀected by the political crisis in Thailand in the 1st

Now, there are signs showing that things are beginning to pick up again albeit slowly. Indications from some of the key production companies highlight a sense of confidence returning with events beginning to trickle in.

and 2nd quarter of 2014. Most events were postponed and some were even cancelled. Especially, the concerts or shows imported from other countries since artistes were concerned about the violence that might happen in Bangkok.” Pok Sutat Kohkiat of Mr. Team Productions, adds, “As the majority of Mr. Team's business is derived from overseas and international clients particularly in the corporate sector, we have seen a lot of cancellations and lost business, as people do not want to bring their business to Thailand at the moment. The likes of Herbalife, Rotary International, etc do not want to take what they perceive to be the risk of coming here. For example, one of my Production Managers has just finished a Show for Symantec in Bali, yet the job was originally booked in Phuket. Sadly this is all too typical of what we are seeing

UNDER THE LENS September - October 2014

this year in Thailand, and is simply down to foreign perception and not what is actually happening here.” It was also a similar situation for PerfectusDorier, as Weekran Maneesri states, “As most of our clients are from overseas, it has aﬀected us quite a lot. What has happened is that they have changed the destination and no RFQ from them at all since Shut Down Bangkok started.” Pok Sutat Kohkiat, adds, “Challenging is a good word, and sums the whole year up really. Nothing will improve until foreign perception changes, and investment returns, I really don’t see any upturn before next year. But to be positive, 2015 heralds the beginning of the AEC (Asian Economic Community), and trade should open up and increase in the region generally, and we look forward to being a part of this fresh challenge that lies ahead for us all. Rising to challenges is what we try to do at all times, be they positive or negative, so we try to take it all in our stride through good times and bad…” And indeed some have taken the situation into their stride and concentrated on the domestic market instead. “For sure the situation did aﬀect business overall but we have been maintaining our flexibility to shift

“Rising to challenges is what we try to do at all times, be they positive or negative, so we try to take it all in our stride through good times and bad…” - Pok Sutat Kohkiat, Mr. Team Productions focus from international to domestic market whenever necessary and it does help at this point. Bangkok is unique and can selfsustain. As long as we grow with this in mind, business still goes on,” says Adrian Goh of Hexogon. There is however a feeling that the industry is coming out of the woods currently. Sermkhun Kunawong comments, “From 3rd to 4th quarter of 2014, overall business situation should return to normal. Most of our clients are beginning to spend their budget again after holding the spending for several months.” This school of thought resonates with the rest as well. Kanyakorn Aroonroch of Media Vison Co., Ltd states, “From my view and I believe everybody as well, from now till the first half of next year will be better. Events and concerts which were put on hold are coming back online. The Army and the Tourism Authority of Thailand are also working hard to spread the message that things are

generally back to normal and tourists, as well as events are welcomed.” Adrian Goh reaﬃrms, “Yes, a lot of companies had put their budget on hold and are now eager to push their marketing objectives. We are starting to feel the excitement.” AEC in 2015 that Pok Sutat Kohkiat had mentioned is also on the lips of Sermkhun Kunawong. “The coming of AEC in 2015 emphasizes that PM Center will have more demands from countries in ASEAN as we have built up connections with some potential countries such as Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia. Moreover, our new workplace named “Bangkok Creative Playground” is now the center of creativity for Experiential Marketing business. This should augur well for the seamless integration of PM Center with the AEC objectives locally as well as with our neighbouring countries. From these positive factors, we are confident that from now to next year, PM Center will improve and be successful in 2015.”

PM CENTER Organizes FRESHTIVE 2014 marketing, brand activation, event and entertainment management within ASEAN. The objective of the event is to present new fresh holistic ideas in experiential marketing and event management, from creative ideas, trends, multi-media to application of innovative artistic technologies and light and sound equipment. With an eye on the upcoming AEC 2015, PM Center is gearing itself to be the first choice when it comes to Light, Sound and Visual design expertise as well as equipment inventory, within the ASEAN region. To promote its expertise as well as to share knowledge and network, the company recently organised FRESHTIVE 2014, which was the first-ever showcase on experiential

FRESHTIVE 2014 was held at the Bangkok Creative Playground, which is a 20,000 sqm space comprising of the diﬀerent event creation businesses in the same premises . It is the location of 3 companies, mainly CMO Public Company Limited, PM Center Company Limited and The Eyes Company Limited. In eﬀect, the companies are able to provide 360 degree marketing communication for clients.

The inaugural event attracted 3,500 attendees who came from event, advertising, TV production entertainment industries as well as university students, not only from Thailand but also Vietnam, Myanmar and Laos to share ideas and see them evolve.

SPECIAL FEATURE September - October 2014

Outdoor PA systems can make or break a show. Here are some of the hottest systems on the market with testimonials from those who have taken a leap of faith and trusted in the quality of sound produced by leading brands. Now you too can have high-quality sound to match your high-quality skills!

L-ACOUSTICS: K2

Meyer Sound: LEO

A K2 line source utilizes the unrivalled characteristics of Wavefront Sculpture Technology. Inter-element angles can be set with laser like accuracy up to a generous 10˚, allowing the optimization of the vertical coverage with SPL smoothly spread across the audience. The K2 also features the PANFLEX technology, a unique solution for adjusting the horizontal coverage pattern to any audience or room geometry. For applications demanding extreme LF impact (contour mode), or maximized LF projection (throw mode), K2 can be arrayed with its dedicated and flyable K1-SB LF extension. The K2 system can also address applications with demanding infrasonic reproduction when combined to the SB28 subwoofer.

Meyer Sound LEO embodies a fully integrated approach to sound system design and engineering, achieving unprecedented headroom and sonic accuracy in the most demanding arena, stadium, and festival applications. LEO provides a highly linear and neutral response, allowing FOH engineers to use digital processing tools to create any sound desired, without being limited by the peculiar characteristics of one type of system. In doing so, LEO achieves high sound pressure levels with extremely low distortion across the full audible bandwidth.

“The flexibility of the dispersion patterns allowed us to keep energy oﬀ the venue walls. Previously troublesome venues were improved through the use of the asymmetric settings. The weight of the box is a huge advantage as we played a number of venues where rigging capacities were limited and even so, we still managed to fly 12 boxes per side to maintain full coverage of the venue.” - Ian Nelson, Placebo FOH

"LEO is a great system to listen to and mix on with such a big, beefy, dominant, coherent sound. Other systems just don't have the focus and the clarity that comes with the linearity of LEO. It also has a wonderfully smooth high end. If a typical sweet high end is like table sugar, then LEO is clarified honey." - Gordon Reddy, FOH Engineer, Fun meyersound.com

www.l-acoustics.com

Outline: GTO (Grand Touring Outline) According to some of the world’s most respected FOH engineers, no other system is able to guarantee such natural "full-range" sound coverage over such long distances, allowing them leave their delay systems at home. When coupled in an array, GTO’s V-shaped front baﬄe allows individual sound sources to be positioned closer together than in conventional line-source systems. This facilitates superior acoustical coupling between highfrequency modules, producing a smooth yet extended HF response. This also allows for an ‘unbroken baﬄe’ shape through an array which

minimizes diﬀraction and deterioration of the mid-high frequencies, contributing to the far-field performance of the system. Each cabinet oﬀers 10 loudspeakers housed in a compact case with a large surface area of sound-producing elements, designed to increase phase coherence between component groups at the exit point of the cabinet. “The GTO was already a winner on paper, due to the box containing superior components. However, it was only when I worked with the system for the first time in front of a 700,000-strong audience that I realised that the GTO was not only far superior on paper, but also compared with anything else I had ever worked with. It really rocked, providing long-throw coverage never heard before”. - Andrea Taglia, FOH engineer, Andrea Bocelli www.outline.it

SPECIAL FEATURE September - October 2014

Martin Audio: MLA (Multicellular Loudspeaker Array) MLA delivers unerring accuracy of consistent sound coverage for the audience whilst applying unprecedented control for noise spillage and pollution. Every other sound system focuses on sound exiting the speaker itself, with very little control on what actually hits the audience or beyond. MLA takes the opposite approach. The user specifies the required sound levels to occur at various points within the venue and beyond the perimeter and then intelligent software automatically determines the speaker configuration and individual speaker cells within to produce that result. MLA’s unique optimisation software lets production companies plan and visualise coverage and then achieve those exact results, right from switch on. No more lengthy and pressurised tuning sessions – just program what needs to be achieved and MLA delivers, regardless of the unique acoustic properties of the venue itself. Finally, the outdoor live event conundrum is solved: optimal sound experience for the audience, with greater control of noise pollution. “We decided on the MLA investment because the promoters of summer outdoor festivals are increasingly demanding the absence of delay towers from festival sites and a need to solve oﬀsite noise issues. We also like the fact that its calculation ability is extremely accurate. The benefit of this is that we can get a result that corresponds with what we have planned in the simulation.” - Ryoichi Hashimoto, Managing Director, Hibino Sound Japan www.martin-audio.com

Electro-Voice: X-Line

X-Line, XLC compact line arrays have a proven record of performance and reliability. These units excel in pattern control and predictability, and are easy to install in a variety of system designs. The popularity of line-array systems is due to the response and pattern control possible when the array is well executed. A key component for the outstanding performance and success of EV line arrays is the unique design of the planar wave generator – “Hydra”. The signal from one HF driver is divided into discrete paths arriving with same amplitude and phase at the waveguide as a plane wave. In eﬀect, the Hydra isolates each cabinet’s HF section from the other in order to minimize interference. “The system operated flawlessly and exactly as we had envisioned. Factory presets are supplied as standard with the controllers and the FIR filters for the XLDs and we were able to download them free-of-charge for IRIS-Net. This made our work considerably easier. These are sensible and extremely useful features.” – Pino die Constanzo, Managing Director, Backstage PA www.electro-voice.com

NEXO: STM Series The STM Series is completely modular and is comprised of 4 elements – M46 main cabinet, M28 omnipurpose main or downfill cabinet, B112 bass cabinet and S118 subbass cabinet. There is total flexibility to configure a system that is suitable for audiences between 1000 and 100,000 although Nexo has received reports from events where the crowd was 200,000+. The rental company can use all 4 elements to create one of the most powerful line array systems currently

available, or it can use part of its inventory to handle small shows and corporate events. Even the mix of elements can be varied: jazz or orchestral material can be handled with just Main and Subbass cabinets, which can be boosted for rock and metal performances by the incorporation of Bass cabinets and extra Subbass. “We’re gradually building up our STM system to an arena-sized rig which can be broken down into many smaller PAs. I always really liked the sound of Nexo’s Alpha and when I first heard of STM I liked the concept from the start. The fact that it is modular and scalable is brilliant. We will have a big pile of STM cabinets and will be able do various jobs by adding more or less to the order.” - Matt Dufty, Monitor City, Australia www.nexo-sa.com

SPECIAL FEATURE September - October 2014

D.A.S Audio: AERO 40A

EAW: Anya Anya is the first product in EAW’s Adaptive Performance Series and it is the only line array cabinet that can fly flat. EAW considers this approach “Adaptive Performance” because it goes far beyond “beam steering”. Any product with Adaptive Performance possesses the following four fundamental capabilities: • The ability of a system to assess the required three-dimensional coverage area of a space, determine the processing needed to achieve that three-dimensional coverage pattern and tonal balance, and then implement this processing in DSP hardware to achieve the needed performance across the entire audible spectrum. • The ability to achieve criterion #1 at show speed and without any physical reconfiguration. • The ability to continually analyze system output for faults. If a fault occurs, the ability to analyze the location of the fault and adapt processing to maintain optimal performance to the extent possible. • The ability to autonomously determine the configuration of the system (i.e. quantity of modules, their respective orientation to one another, horizontal and vertical angles, etc.) and present this to the user as unified entities (i.e. arrays) in software.

Aero 40A Advanced Line Array System is a 3-way powered line array system which incorporates connectivity for remote monitoring and control. The unique configuration of the Aero 40A employs a rear-loaded 12” transducer in a bass-horn configuration for low-end reproduction. The mid-range is handled by a new 8” transducer developed specifically for the Aero 40A. High frequency reproduction relies on two D.A.S. M-75N compression drivers attached to a new BPS-2912 waveguide. The three channel, high eﬃciency Class D design is equipped with a switch mode power supply and a comprehensive protection package for both the amplifier as well as the components. The signal treatment incorporates the latest in digital signal processors. Brick wall FIR filters have been used to provide perfect alignment between ways achieving exceptionally uniform coverage all the way down to the crossover point. Top-of-the-line AD/DA converters are employed allowing for significant improvements in dynamics, lower distortion and ultra-low noise levels. “The Aero 40A is one of the best balanced 3-way systems I have worked with. It has got lots of headroom and very good definition in the mid-highs but yet a solid presence in the lows. I never had to push the system to reach the pressure I wanted. Overall, it was a real pleasure and a great experience working with Aero 40A.” – Luis Irrizary, FOH Engineer, Calle 13

“To be honest I was skeptical about the extent to which Anya’s pattern control would live up to the hype. The audio at the mainstage on day one was excellent. But the really impressive thing was that for the first time ever, we did not receive a single noise complaint during its running time and we didn’t make the slightest compromise on volume or sound quality in the venue.” - Dave Schenk, Event Director, Easter Fest (Australia)

www.dasaudio.com

eaw.com

INSTALL September - October 2014

SINGAPORE

by Thomas Richard Prakasam

E&E Revisits Singapore's National Stadium EAW speakers provide coverage, intelligibility and OOMPH How often does it happen that the company responsible for the integration of the sound system in the previous venue once again gets involved with the new venue, 41 years on! That’s exactly what has happened. The original National Stadium was opened in 1973, was torn down and rebuilt as part of the new Sports Hub and now stands proudly as an outstanding icon in Singapore. It just goes to show E&E’s perseverance, reliability and credibility to once again play a key role.

nless you have been living in some remote island with no communication available, you would have heard of The Singapore Sports Hub. It is a state-of-theart, fully integrated sports, entertainment and lifestyle hub that will allow everyone in Singapore to watch, play and support sports and entertainment. Located on a 35-hectare site in Kallang, near central Singapore, The Sports Hub consists of the new National Stadium which is the jewel in its crown as well as an Olympic-sized aquatic centre, a multi-purpose arena and a water sports centre. Catering to social needs it also includes a Retail Mall, restaurants,

skate park, a Sports library and the Singapore Sports Museum, in an environment that just makes you want to hang out there or start getting fit for sports.

The New National Stadium The giant dome with the retractable roof will capture your attention immediately as you step into the Stadium. The retractable roof covers 95% of the 55,000 seats and takes about 20 minutes to open or close. The roof is made of cutting edge weather-resistant material that blocks out the sun’s heat as well as the rain. Thus easily ensuring that an event carries on even in wet weather conditions. Considering that Singapore is located along the Equator, it would get easily hot and bothersome in a closed environment. Anticipating that, the designers have created an innovative bowl cooling system, where cool air of 23 degrees is pumped from underneath all seats, using less than 15% of the energy required for similar conventional air-conditioned stadiums. Brilliant! The Stadium was also designed to host a multitude of events such as rugby,

cricket, football, athletics, concerts, family entertainment shows, national and community events. The lowest tier of seats can be mechanically and automatically retracted thus enabling the stadium to be configured to accommodate the diﬀerent types of events – ingenious! Thus the seating capacity changes according to the event. As an example an Athletic event will accommodate 50,000, a Cricket event 52,000 and a Football/Rugby event the full 55,000 capacity. It has also been reported that with a dome of 312 metres in diameter, the National Stadium currently holds the record of the largest dome structure in the world. Enough said. The new National Stadium will indeed hold pride for many Singaporeans. Adding to that is a carefully thought out and designed sound system that can easily be considered as one of the best sound system in the world for a Stadium.

The Sound System Configuration There are two sound systems in place. The Event Sound System which consists of all

INSTALL September - October 2014

“In our business it is first location and second the choice of speakers. The EAW QX speaker system are outstanding speakers that enabled us meet the criteria set by the owners and consultant. I honestly doubt any other speakers would have met all of the criteria.” - Ronald Goh, Managing Director, E&E Pte Ltd

EAW speakers. The entire speaker system is suspended from trusses way above the seats and the Voice Evacuation system which consists of Community speakers also hung from the trusses. The Event Sound System consists of 35 units of EAW QX 2,000 watt 3-Way Full range speakers installed across the dome roof. There is a mix of QX speakers oﬀering diﬀerent distribution angles for optimum coverage. In addition to the QX speakers, 6 units of EAW MQX 4,000 watt dual driver/ horn speakers were installed serving the lowest section of the grand stand and VIP area. Generally unusual in a stadium installation but 48 units of EAW SB528ZPWP-W 2,000 watt Dual 18” Subwoofers were also installed below the dome roof. The Subwoofers were configured into 12 clusters of 4 speakers each, 2 units stack 600mm above another 2 units all facing down for a cardioid distribution pattern; that is with all the sub bass energy aiming downwards towards the seating galleries and not upwards and avoiding the roof. The 12 units of cardioid subwoofer clusters are evenly spaced over the seating galleries.

The VIP and lowest tier areas feature EAW MQX speakers that oﬀer two driver and two horns aimed at diﬀerent angles.

The Subwoofers were configured into 12 clusters of 4 speakers each, 2 units stack 600mm above another 2 units all facing down for a cardioid distribution pattern

INSTALL September - October 2014

VP89 shotgun condenser microphones encased in Rycote windshields have also been installed across the stadium for broadcasting and media applications. The control rooms are equipped with Shure Microflex MX405 gooseneck microphones mounted onto MX400DP desktop pre-amps, as well as SRH940 headphones for monitoring.

Ronald Goh on the EAW system

The sealed air-conditioned rack housing the amplifiers, DSP and NETGEAR switch.

All the EAW speakers are weather proofed models painted over with fiberglass resins and painted in light grey to blend in with the roof trusses.

analog as back up. There is also redundant processing built into the design and all these measures result in a very robust system,” adds Gary.

The high power speakers are driven by 70 units of Powersoft K10 2x6,000 power amplifiers and 26 units of Powersoft K2 2x4,000 watts power amplifiers. Processing is handled by 40 units of Symetrix Symnet Edge DSPs featuring Dante Network cards that are linked to 40 units of NETGEAR 1000 base network switch. The signals are transmitted via fibre optic cables to the control room in a loop configuration for maximum redundancy.

The control room located at Level 5 of the National Stadium features an Allen & Heath iLive 64 channel Digital Mixer, Tascam CD player and recorder. There is also a Control PC installed in the control room for the Dante software control and patching to the room.

The power amplifiers, DSPs and NETGEAR switches are all mounted in 16 units of specially constructed sealed air conditioned equipment racks that are installed up in the Cat-walk that runs across the roof. The speakers are then connected directly to the power amplifiers in the nearest rack location. Gary Goh, Deputy MD of E&E highlights “Having the amplifiers in the cat-walks allows us to minimize the cable lengths between the amplifiers and speakers thus maximizing the eﬃciency of the system.” Gary adds, “The air-conditioned racks serve two purposes - To cool the power amplifiers when they are in operation and to act as a de-humidifier when they are not in use. This will keep the delicate electronic equipment dry and in optimum condition. The entire audio system distribution is run on Symetrix and Dante and Dante itself has primary and secondary redundant network. “We also catered for redundancy into the amps - so AES as primary inputs and

The sound installation is complemented by a range of Shure microphone systems, including the UHF-R Wireless System with UR4D+ receivers, UR handheld transmitters with Beta58 mic heads, UR1 bodypack transmitters with MX150 lavaliers, as well as UA845SWB antenna distributors. Several

Ronald Goh, Managing Director of Electronics & Engineering Pte Ltd who was 27 years old when he was involved in the original National Stadium comments about the sound system at the new National Stadium, “After watching the World Rugby 10s that was held from 21-22 June at the new stadium and seeing how the sound system was used, I realised that this is the new age sound system. 40 years ago the sound system at the National Stadium was a Voice or Public Address system. Now it is a Disco quality sound system with sub frequencies going down to 25 Hz and literally hits you on the chest. Whenever, a goal is scored from either side, the soundman or DJ in this case, cranked up the sound level to enhance the cheering and built up the mood. In fact, at one point the DJ played the familiar disco song “YMCA” and got the whole crowd in the stadium standing up, swaying to the beat and acted on the Y M C A as it is being played over the main event sound system just like in a disco except that this is in a 55,000 seat stadium. The subwoofers did provide all the “oomphs” to get the crowd excited. What a far cry from the old stadium sound system and technology of 40 years ago. He adds, “At the end of the day we have provided a good world class sound system and it is up to the person using the sound system to make full

The A&H iLive Digital Mixer in the control room.

INSTALL September - October 2014

use of the high power sound system to create the ambience to excite the crowd.” Ronald is indeed very pleased with the EAW speakers. “In our business it is always location, location, location and then the choice of speakers. The EAW QX speaker systems are outstanding speakers that enabled us to meet the criteria set by the owners and consultants and I honestly doubt any other speakers would have met all of the criteria, especially on the speaker power output, clarity and its size.” “There was already an operational criteria provided by the Sports Council on what their new sound system in the main stadium should be like. We are to meet their criteria and to provide a turnkey solution. They were obviously looking at cost as a key factor. They wanted to see if we can meet the criteria price, weight, SPL. As the speakers would be installed under the roof, weight was a critical factor. We came up with the design to meet all their requirements.” Ronald continues, “It is made possible because EAW has the right speaker. The EAW QX series speaker fits the bill perfectly. It has a 600mm square horn fitted with a high power mid and high coaxial driver/horn surrounded by 4 units of 12” bass speakers in a super compact enclosure. The winning factor was its clarity and the throw of the horn. But there were certain areas where we needed a double QX which is essentially a MQX model which has the same two co-axial drivers and two horns and aiming at a distribution angle served by a QX horn. They narrowed the horn so the sound can penetrate better. So for the lowest seating galleries which has the longest throw from the roof trusses, we used 3 MQX for each side of the grandstand to meet the Sound Pressure Level criteria at that distance of throw. MQX is a custom-made product that was designed specifically for stadiums and they had it which helped to meet the distribution power and at that height.” Ronald provides a deeper insight as to the workings of the EAW QX system. “30 years ago a constant directivity horn will give you a frequency range of between 800 to 8,000Hz. Anything below that is omnidirectional. Whereas the EAW QX speaker is able to achieve good coherence and pattern control well into the low frequency range from 55Hz to 20,000Hz. This is made possible by having four Phase Aligned 12” low frequency transducers arranged as vertical and horizontal pairs that leverage beneficial

interaction based on their spacing within the cabinet with minimal phase distortion throughout the whole frequency spectrum.” There were other issues that E&E had to come to grips with and convince the project team to see it from their view and thankfully it all worked out well. EASE software was used to decide on the location of the speakers which was all well. However Ronald points out, “The speakers were too high. I mean on paper it is okay but in reality it is diﬀerent. It was 60m up. That means sound takes more than 200 millisecond to reach your ears when it is produced from the speaker. We needed to reduce that as much as possible and to keep the direct sound within the “critical distance” that is the direct sound from the speaker and the reflected sound from the ceiling and walls as far apart as possible. We managed to lower the speakers to a height of 45 meters so as not to interfere with the lights and other services. Lowering the speakers helps to bring a higher level of direct sound to the ears to improve on the overall clarity in a reverberant environment.” Another aspect that mattered was regarding sound absorption or the reverberation coeﬃcient in the stadium. “Sound travels and it gets reflected in all directions unless it is being absorbed by acoustic material in the space or its decay to 60dB and below. I always talk about the “car” and the “road”.

We can design the best and fastest car, but we must have the road to complement the performance of the car. Likewise, the stadium interior and environment must complement the sound system for its best clarity. It was fortunate that the dome ceiling panels were absortive as they were perforated with the 50mm thick rock wool behind them, to isolate the interior from the roof panels. Ronald adds on, “I was initially also concerned about the sound travelling from one side of the gallery to the other side. The stadium has four sides to it – East, West, South and North. My concern was if the reflected sound from speakers serving the North grandstand travels to the South grandstand, how much interference it will have on the intelligibility on the other side. It worked out quite well because of the seating incline and the absorptive ceiling, whatever remains of the sound travelling to the other side will be masked or drowned by the direct sound on the same side without aﬀecting too much of the intelligibility of speech.”

The Sweet Spot on the West Side Ronald lets us in on where in the Stadium you can appreciate the EAW speakers perform at their best. “We have installed two speakers facing the open air space on the West Side. Initially the project team wanted the speakers to be installed on either side of the side roof trusses. I told them it was not a good idea

The EAW QX speaker facing the west end. “To appreciate such a horn with no phase distortion, that would be the spot. Those two speakers are higher at 50m, which would be the highest placed speakers in the stadium and it sounds fantastic. It is very pure sound. No distortion - the sound hits you like just one point source. So much presence because of the horn.”

INSTALL September - October 2014

as the side facing speakers would have the sound travelling in opposite directions and it will lose its directional realism. That is, sound does not travel from the centre of the field like the other speakers anymore but from the side galleries. It is best to mount them within the triangle of the truss as it is small enough and face the west seating gallery accordingly to maintain directional realism for the west gallery. The two speakers were therefore suspended within the truss in the air providing sound coverage to the open side on the West.” Ronald insists that you need to stand there to appreciate why he keeps raving about the EAW QX system. “To appreciate such a high power mid/high co-axial driver/horn speaker with phased aligned bass speakers with minimal or no phase distortion, that would be the spot. Those two speakers are installed at a height of 50 meters, which would be the highest placed speakers in the stadium but it sounded so clean and clear because it is from a one point source with no surfaces or reflection close to it and the presence of sound sounded like it is so much closer to you than it is 50 meters away and with no colouration at all. Humans can tolerate total harmonic distortion - we can handle 5% but when it comes to phase distortion – even at 1% you can hear the diﬀerence. Here there was no colouration, no near reflections - you will need to listen to it to appreciate the quality of the speaker. I never knew a speaker could sound so sweet, so clear and so loud too and at that height. It is the clarity of sound that strikes you - it is so clear,” said an enamoured Ronald.

Visual Treat

The main displays at each end of the stadium feature Daktronics 20HD pixel layouts and each measures 16.46 meters wide by 9.51 meters height. They are each able to provide live video and instant replays but are also capable of being programmed into multiple sections to provide additional up-to-the-minute statistics, graphics, animations, advertising messages and other information. Two ribbon displays of 73 cm height and stretching 149.96 meters wide along

both the stadium’s seating fascia, provide additional advertising opportunities and game relevant information. Each ribbon display features 20 mm line spacing. The displays incorporate excellent image clarity and contrast with wide angle visibility to provide an improved view and experience for all those in attendance. The LED displays were installed by Electronic and Engineering Pte Ltd.

Ronald concludes, “At the end of the day throughout the whole stadium the sound is good because we have chosen the right speaker and it sounded right because we have installed them in the right locations.” www.enepl.com.sg

IN A NUTSHELL • 35 x EAW QX 2,000 watt 3-Way Full range speakers • 6 x EAW MQX 4,000 watt dual driver/ horn speakers • 48 x EAW SB528ZP-WP-W 2,000 watt Dual 18” Subwoofers • 70 x Powersoft K10 2x6,000 power amplifiers • 26 x Powersoft K2 2x4,000 watt power amplifiers.

• 40 x Symetrix Symnet Edge DSPs featuring Dante Network cards • 40 x NETGEAR 1000 base network switch. • 1 x Allen & Heath iLive 64 channel Digital Mixer • 1 x Tascam CD player and recorder. • Shure UHF-R Wireless System with UR4D+ receivers, • Shure UR handheld transmitters with Beta58 mic heads,

• Shure UR1 bodypack transmitters with MX150 lavaliers • Shure UA845SWB antenna distributors. • Shure VP89 shotgun condenser microphones encased in Rycote windshields Shure Microflex MX405 gooseneck microphones • Shure MX400DP desktop pre-amps • Shure SRH940 headphones for monitoring.

INSTALL September - October 2014

ust steps from Calangute beach, Café Mambo holds one of the top spots on the Goan famous club scene. Owned by brothers, David and Ricardo De Sousa, the nightclub has made a name for itself by playing host to national and international DJs that spin a diﬀerent genre of music every night of the week.

With a clutch of other venues to their names, the De Sousa brothers are no strangers to superb sound and know high quality when they hear it. Precisely why they have relied on D.A.S Audio systems for over 9 years and religiously update the club’s sound with new D.A.S. products every three years. The first D.A.S. products installed at Café Mambo were Rf-15.85 systems paired with Rf-218 subwoofers. Pleased with their performance the owners augmented the system after three years, investing in additional Rf-15.85 and Rf-218 systems for the main dance floor while reusing the older systems outside. Recently, the De Sousa brothers decided to kick the sound at Café Mambo up a notch and contacted Audio Kris to design and install a new sound system.

Goa-based Audio Kris, a professional sound and light provider, has worked hand-in-hand with the De Sousa brothers and D.A.S. Audio for years. Given the owners’ lengthy and positive history with D.A.S. products the technicians decided to install systems from the D.A.S. catalogue of Aero Series 2, Avant Series and Artec series of products, confident that the new systems would surpass the criteria for the Café Mambo sound re-haul. The Audio Kris technicians installed 8 x Aero 12A compact line array systems on the main dance floor, where party-goers tear it up dancing to some of the world’s best DJs. These eﬃcient and powerful systems were matched with 4 x high-performance LX218 subwoofers and D.A.S. D-100 amps for distortion-free music. The indoor system was rounded out with two Avant 15A powered, full-range tops and two Avant 118A powered subwoofers systems for the DJ monitors. The open-air lounge that encircles the enclosed dance floor is the ideal place to kick back and relax with a snack and cocktail. To boost the outdoor sound, the technicians decided to install 4 x Artec 526A ultralightweight amps. These systems provide a dynamic range and extremely low-distortion

that, when paired with 2 x LX-215R longexcursion loudspeakers, take Café Mambo’s outdoor system to a new level of lowfrequency performance.

“Where The World Comes Together”, Cafe Mambo caters to locals, weekenders and celebrities that, indeed, come together to enjoy top-notch entertainment and superior sound provided by D.A.S. Audio systems. www.dasaudio.com www.cafemambogoa.com

IN A NUTSHELL • Venue: Cafe Mambo • Location: Tito's Lane, Baga Beach, Baga, Goa • Integrator / Designer: Audio Kris • Equipment: - Aero 12A compact line array systems - LX-218 subwoofers - D.A.S. D-100 amps - Avant 15A powered, full-range systems - Avant 118A powered subwoofers - Artec 526A amps - LX-215R long-excursion loudspeakers

INDIA

Café Mambo Sings Like A Bird With D.A.S Audio

INSTALL September - October 2014

By Elissa Nadine

SINGAPORE

Altimate Grooves With EAW

ccupying three floors of the 282m One Raffles Place building in Singapore, 1-Altitude equates to three concept bars and restaurants combined: Altimate (61st floor), Stellar (62nd floor) and 1-Altitude Gallery & Bar (rooftop); with all of them enjoying a stunning 360-degree view of the luminous city. Before it started its reign as one of the highest and prestigious clubs in the world, Altimate was a sports bar. With its new walk, there was a need to have audio that was befitting the sexy yet sophisticated theme of the ultra-luxurious dance club on the 61st floor of One Raffles Place. The system would also need to blend in well with its surroundings so as to not obstruct the view of the Singapore night skyline. Integrators for the project, Access Communications Pte Ltd (AC) relied on the quality of EAW speakers to get the job done. Working closely with the brand's Singapore distributor, Electronics & Engineering Pte Ltd (E&E), led by lead technical specialist & Director Paul Tan, AC conceptualized the choice of speakers, lights, special effects to be used and their placement. “One of the challenges we faced was selecting a high-performance sound system that will augment the audio experience without compromising the interior’s ambience. We needed to achieve an even sound distribution throughout the venue, which has several small circular seating booths of different heights set in an irregular shaped layout,” explained Paul Tan.

“Choosing the EAW JF series speakers for Altimate was an obvious choice - the speakers stood out from the rest as they have high-performance and eﬃcient with low power consumption. To complement, we chose Powersoft K series amplifiers to power all the EAW speakers in the club. The Powersoft K2 amplifiers were light, eﬃcient and have loads of power in their 1RU enclosure. For ultimate control and speaker protection, we chose the EAW UX8800 processor. Equipped with the Gunness Focusing technology as part of the preset processing, it has also made the entire speaker tuning process a breeze.” Tan added. “The speakers had to be of right size and not too bulky, so that would be aesthetically acceptable. They also had to be geared to withstand high impact sound pumping for long hours. Our team decided to use several EAW JF10s as fill-ins to fulfill an even spread of sound in any particular area within the venue. The JF10s was a superb choice as they are small and seamlessly align with beautiful interior and are strong enough to take on a beating every night.” This was not the first time the AC team had worked with EAW speakers. Having worked with the brand for the last decade, Tan shared that he was very confident working with EAW speakers. “They have a proven track record in terms of reliability and sound quality, and we have delivered many successful projects using the speakers.”

Definitely a place to get your groove going while enjoying the sights of the small city, Altimate croons to the smooth power of 10 x EAW JF10, 4 x EAW JF59 complemented by 4 x LA118Z subwoofers and 4 x SB625ZP. “With the EAW UX8800s’ managing the Powersoft amplifiers that’s powering the EAW JF series speakers, I can sleep soundly at night knowing that the speakers are almost indestructible with its powerful processing and limiters working. For a world class venue, Access Communications is proud to be the integrators to have delivered a world-class sound system solution.” said Tan. www.eaw.com www.enepl.com.sg www.1-altitude.com

IN A NUTSHELL • Venue: Altimate • Location: 1 Raﬄes Place, 61st Floor, Singapore 048616 • Integrator: Access Communications Pte Ltd • Distributor: Electronics & Engineering Pte Ltd • Equipment: - EAW JF10 loudspeakers - EAW JF59 loudspeakers - EAW LA118Z subwoofers - EAW SB625ZP subwoofers - Powersoft K series amplifiers

INSTALL September - October 2014

he Academy is the largest club in Canberra and is right in the heart of the city. It is also now benefiting from a new Robe moving light installation which was supplied by locally based Elite Sound & Light. The installation was designed to ensure that their popular EDM club nights and visiting live artists can enjoy the very best lighting and visual experiences.

the DLS' rigged on a bulkhead over the bar. The fixtures were chosen for their ability to oﬀer a near infinite variety. They are used for big room looks, for washing the front, rear and sides of the stage and for feature highlights like gobo projection. They are also used for spotlighting two enormous mirror balls for retro disco moments, and a giant rotating Academy logo.

Elite’s Darren Russell was asked to propose a design, and his primary aim was to spec' fixtures that would give the flexibility and variety of eﬀects needed for long periods of operation and that would enable the club to have a completely diﬀerent look and feel according to its programme that night.

The new installation has made a huge diﬀerence to the quality and style of the light shows and the atmosphere that can be created and built on at The Academy – both key elements to whether a space buzzes with energy or has a flat and uninviting environment!

With a 800 capacity main room and a 150 capacity Candy Bar upstairs, The Academy is a cool area to chill out and absorb the vibes before hitting the floor and cutting some serious shapes! The Robe fixtures chosen in groups of 8, include the LEDWash 600s, DLS Spots and Pointes, all from the ROBIN series. The new rig is three times the size of the previous lighting system but consumes less than half the power! The lights are installed on the house trusses in the roof positioned so that they can have the best eﬀects throughout the space, with two of

While designing, Russell followed the 101 principal for good club lighting which is first laying down base washes and then layering on top of these with eﬀects, specials and clever programming. He started here with

the LEDWash 600s which he loves for their smooth colour mixing and the rich array of hues and shades. The DLS’s and The Pointes then come in with all their funky, fun visual elements - between the two types of fixtures, there is a massive scope for creativity! The club’s regular operator Atley Jones runs the rig day-to-day using a ChamSys Maxi-wing and a PowerMAC running MQ software. He and everyone else working at the club – on technical and in other areas – simply love the Robes, reported Darren with a satisfied grin, exceedingly pleased with the results. Elite Sound & Light is the largest technical service and solutions provider in Canberra and a big investor in Robe in recent years with over 300 Robe products in rental stock. www.robe.cz www.academyclub.com.au

IN A NUTSHELL • Venue: The Academy • Location: 50 Bunda St, Canberra City 2601 • Supplier / Designer: Elite Sound & Light • Equipment: - ROBIN LEDWash 600s - ROBIN DLS Spots - ROBIN Pointes - ChamSys Maxi-wing - PowerMAC running MQ software

AUSTRALIA

Robe Tops The Class @ The Academy

INSTALL September - October 2014

INDIA

SinQing In Ecstasy With QSC

andolim has always been that one place in Goa that’s managed to perfectly combine nature, beauty, serenity and party. Scenically, Candolim boasts the iconic Fort Aguada and roads that are flanked with natural canopies on either side. From the party point of view, Candolim is also home to one of Goa’s current favourite dance out destinations, the SinQ Beach Club. Deriving its name from the beautiful and breath-taking Sinquerim Beach, the SinQ Beach Club encompasses a massive area of over 600 sqm and is able to host between 3000 - 4000 guests at any given event. The owners acquired the area with the objective of creating a premium party destination that would appeal to, and better suit the needs of, the local party enthusiasts as well as the various tourists that visit Goa. There are a variety of areas within the Beach Club, all of which, oﬀer guests diﬀerent experiences within one location. On the ground floor there is a fully sound-proofed indoor main club that has an adjoining pool

deck area with outdoor bar seating as well as a poolside cabana. One floor up, the club houses a lounge cum pub/bar area which has external separate space which breaks oﬀ into the guest rooms that act as a party hotel space. “We’ve conceptualized the entire space to keep with the varied moods of party lovers. It’s a uniquely well-defined space and we've ensured that the ambience always maintains the perfect balance of luxury, relaxation, high spirit and all-round positivity. Basically, SinQ Beach Club reflects a dazzling lifestyle, high energy music, breath-taking live DJ performances and lots of happy and spirited dancing. We’ve pretty much stayed true to our vision, and this has established SinQ as the place to party at while in Goa.” said Kenneth, Manager of Operations at SinQ Beach Club. Adding, “It’s the overall package that makes SinQ a good venue, and Raya and his team have done a fantastic job here. From the technological point of view as well, the club

is one of the most tech-savvy and tech-stable clubs around - featuring one of the most impressive intelligent lighting and sound system set-ups I have ever seen.” Raya Shankhwalker, Principal Architect of Raya Shankhwalker Architects, lead and managed the entire project and was entrusted with the primary responsibilities of creating an elegant design for the entire club. He stated, “Aesthetically, the place is just breathtaking, and in terms of the technology, we’ve used the best possible gear for the AV set-up, and the magnificent quality just shows. It is all thanks to the wonderful support from the management of SinQ and the various partners that helped bring the project together so perfectly.” Raya Shankhwalker Architects worked closely with Pondicherry-based acoustic and sound design solution company, SoundWizard to devise the sound proofing, internal acoustics, AV system design, installation and final system optimisation. “Special mention to the team at Sound Wizard - they were

INSTALL September - October 2014

passionate, focussed and so very good at what they did, and this has reflected at all levels of our association and resulted in a memorable experience!” exclaimed Shankhwalker. Kumbha Young Grenier, CEO of Sound Wizard confirmed that he and his team were given full acoustical and AV design freedom within the guidelines set out for visual finishes and the house budgets. “Budgets and Finances are always a factor to work with, but in this case, doing a great job was more important to the client and spending wisely on good quality equipment and good solutions helped in achieving an amazing result overall. We took care of the acoustics first and then focused on the perfect complementing sound system to deliver the necessary coverage and SPL. When it came to making the decision on the overall audio set-up, we unanimously opted for an all exclusive QSC set-up. This was primarily because of its quality and also considering the huge advantage of having a single source supplier in Pro Visual Audio for procurement as well as a future operational maintenance of the system,” explained Grenier. The stand out factor about SinQ in terms of its audio and acoustic design is the even coverage and SPL maintained throughout the venue, with special emphasis on the 'high pressure zone' AKA the dance floor. On the dance-floor, the subwoofers are flown to provide improved coverage, with a cardioid subwoofer pattern designed to gain more SPL out of the same equipment. From the set-up design, it’s also quite apparent that there was a conscious choice to position loudness away from the bar areas and create slightly lower pressure zones for people to be able to communicate with the bar tender.

The outdoor lounge area also has the loudspeakers positioned above the bar to face away from the drinks counter and toward the audience. Another thoughtful feature of the outdoor lounge was the design of posts with speakers and a subwoofer at the base in between the tables so as to ensure that all tables enjoy an even and consistent sound experience. The highlight of the audio set-up at SinQ though is the active use of QSC’s pride and joy of system control - the QSYS Core. As Shankhwalker elaborated, “I guess SinQ is the first nightclub project in India to use the QSC QSYS Core processor and a definite first time for Sound Wizard. On paper it is the most flexible and ideal system for this kind of setup. Since we had never used it before, it was like we were taking a bit of a gamble but, my word, it paid oﬀ perfectly. The QSC QSYS Core processor works brilliantly - it’s easy, flexible and reliable, and a total joy to work with.” Sharing his team’s experience of being a part of the project, Shankhwalker added, “It’s been great! Raya and his team were fantastic, and working with them totally made the project a massive success.” “I can proudly say that we have one of the best and most stable sound systems that you’d find anywhere. We were always of the opinion that sound would play a very vital role in building the party vibe and in contributing to the success of the club, which is why we paid special attention to having a system that was near to perfect! We’ve pretty much hit the nail right on its head - DJs love performing here and party people love partying here,” shared Kenneth. qsc.com sinq.co.in

In A Nutshell: • Venue: SinQ Beach Club • Location: Opposite Taj Holiday Village, Candolim, North Goa • Designers/Integrators: Raya Shankhwalker Architects & SoundWizard • Equipment: - Main Club Area 4 x QSC KW512 wooden enclosure loudspeakers 6 x QSC K8 loudspeakers 2 x QSC GP218sw subwoofers Amplification: 2 x QSC PL340 power amplifiers - Pub Area 16 x QSC AD S52WH two way loudspeakers 5 x QSC S28Tw WH subwoofers 5 x QSC AD S32T surface mount loudspeakers Amplification: 2 x QSC CX254 power amplifiers + 3 x QSC CMX800V power amplifiers - Outdoor Lounge Area 12 x QSC AD S82H two way loudspeakers 12 x QSC S28Tw subwoofers 15 x QSC AD S52T surface mount loudspeakers Amplification: 1 x QSC ISA800TI power amplifier, 2 x QSC ISA300TI power amplifiers (1 for VIP section + 1 for sit out), 3 x QSC CMX800V power amplifiers +3 x QSC CMX500V power amplifiers - DJ Area 2 x Pioneer CDJ 2000 players 1 x Pioneer DJM 900 mixer 2 x QSC K10 loudspeakers for monitoring A single KRK KNS8400 headphone for close ear monitoring - Comprehensive Distribution and Processing - DSP 1 x QSC QSYS Core 250i 4 x QSC CIML4 I/O Cards for Mic/ Line In 6 x QSC COL4 I/O Cards for Line Outs 1 x QSC I/O Frame with 4I/O modules

INSTALL September - October 2014

Ms Collins Comes Alive With Martin Professional Images courtesy of Anthony Licuria & Peter Tarasik

AUSTRALIA

s the latest venture for established hospitality group Roar Projects, Ms Collins includes seven bars of varying sizes and ambience. The vast black, multilevel structure is capable of holding 800 patrons and is daubed with a riot of pink and white paint and neon lighting, with intimate spaces tucked in every corner. Designed by Blackmilk Interiors and inspired by French socialite ‘Ms Collins’, the elaborate venue evokes glamour and sexiness with the use of bold, opulent colours and a luminous material palette featuring high-tech fabrics that are capable of changing colour with light. Along with its thought-provoking signage and daring use of colour, the venue also features a suspended DJ stage that hovers above the central island bar. Pivotal to the design is the translucent central bar, framed with black steel and glass handrails. Audio and Lighting Services were tasked to design, supply and install the lighting and audio requirements of the venue and immediately turned to their trusted supplier, Show Technology to provide the complete package. Louie Constantinou, Director of Audio and Lighting Services, worked closely with the client and the architects particularly since the venue was heritage listed which restricted the placement of lighting. The main entrance is high and features a large white horse hanging upside down. This is lit up at night by 3 x Pro Shop LED Quad Bars with the colourful display acting as a beacon to passing pedestrians and traﬃc. An ELC DMX Scene player controller looks after this area.

For the main room and the mezzanine floor, Louie took the opportunity to use some of Martin’s RUSH fixtures with 16 x RUSH MH3 beam lights and 6 x RUSH MH1 profile lights. Added to that were 6 x MAC Auras.

“Reliability was a big factor when choosing the fixtures. The venue operates three nights per week in nightclub mode so we needed a product that would last,” commented Louie. “The beams from

the RUSH MH3 are fantastic – bright and quick. The MAC Auras were chosen to provide colour wash in the room but as they can zoom we also use them to highlight things such as dancers. They’ve been performing great.” Adam Leelasorn is the in-house technician at Ms Collins and he was blown away by the Martin RUSH fixtures. “The MH3’s are brilliant, such a strong beam … I love them!”

INSTALL September - October 2014

he said. “It’s really interesting using them to make shapes and patterns in the air, they’re wonderfully powerful and pretty quick too. They do most of the work through the void in the main bar area. The MH1 profile lights are pretty cool too, especially the gobo selection in the gobo wheel. “The MAC Auras are great for lighting the room when it trades as just a bar rather than a nightclub. However, when the room is in nightclub mode I have a lot of fun with the Auras going from a sharp beam out to a wider focus using diﬀerent colours.” As Louie already has a splendidly performing Martin M1 console in the sister venue, Alumbra, he decided to stick with the same platform. “It’s a great console, never misses a beat and is easy to use,” he added. ““The M1 is the complete package. It is simple to learn and I like the touchscreen. The colour picker window for easy colour selection is great too. We also added a Martin Ether 2DMX8 for Artnet to DMX conversion.” In the near future the venue plans to install LED screens and in preparation, Louie has supplied them with a coolux Pandoras Box Media Server to play video content on the LED Screen. The Ballroom area of the venue has 6 x RUSH MH2 wash lights which are, according to Louie, compact yet powerful, fast and agile. Their unique wash beam eﬀects are possible with auto trig shows and music trig sound activation.

“Unfortunately, the Ballroom often runs with a separate DJ and I have to leave the MH2’s with a

few programmed looks,” lamented Adam. “I’m very tempted to move them into the main room so I can get my hands on them as they’re a great fixture!” 96 of the new Elation Pixel Bar 40 Modular Linear RGB Pixel Control LED Strips are on the roof with another coolux Pandoras Box Media Server supplied, this time for pixel mapping the LED strips. The Pixel Bars can be used to display imagery or as a wash luminaire for floodlighting surfaces and stages. They are an exciting addition to the venue and there energetic displays have become quite a talking point. “They really look beautiful and are one of the best looking features of the venue,” remarked Adam. All five bars in the venue are internally lit up with Pro Shop RGB HD LED Tape with each controlled via their own ELC DMX Scene player.

“This is really useful for when corporate clients hire the venue and so they can light up the bar in the appropriate corporate colour,” said Louie. “The Pro Shop RGB LED Tape is a simple way to provide a colour changing touch to a bar creating a bright and saturated glow. The output is even and vibrant and the colours achievable are endless.” The Pro Shop RGB HD LED Tape is so eﬀective Adam has to turn down the brightness. “If I had them turned up to 100% I could pretty much light the entire venue with them,” he laughed. “I have to turn them down quite a bit for the club mode but during the day trade I run them quite bright.” www.martin.com www.mscollins.com.au

In A Nutshell: • Venue: Ms Collins • Location: 425 Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3006 • Designers/Integrators: Audio and Lighting Services • Suppliers: Show Technology • Equipment: - Pro Shop LED Quad Bars - ELC DMX Scene player controller - Martin RUSH MH3 beam lights - Martin RUSH MH1 profile lights - Martin MAC Auras - Martin M1 console - Martin Ether 2DMX8 for Artnet to DMX conversion - Martin RUSH MH2 - Elation Pixel Bar 40 Modular Linear RGB Pixel Control LED Strips - coolux Pandoras Box Media Server (pixel mapping the LED strips) - Martin Jem Compact Hazer Pro

INSTALL September - October 2014

SPO Hit High Notes With F

or the past 70 years, The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO) has played a leading role in enriching the cultural lives of citizens in Korea. It also gained worldwide recogniition in 2011, when The SPO became Asia’s first orchestra to sign an exclusive worldwide ten-CD contract with the Deutsche Grammophon record label, with the first two releases instantly going platinum. Guided by Maestro Myung-Whun Chung, the orchestra sets a new standard for orchestral music within the nation by performing a wide range of music from Mozart to Messiaen and continually shattering box oﬃce records.

KOREA

Wanting to remain at the forefront of the recording technology field while hitting the right notes, the SPO recording studio is fitted with 56 channels of Sennheiser and Neumann digital microphones, which makes it the world’s first all-digital studio. The microphone equipment includes 44 x digital small-diaphragm condensers from Sennheiser’s MKH 8000 studio range plus 4 x Neumann TLM 193 large-diaphragm condensers. All of the microphones are digitised directly behind the microphone head by the Sennheiser MZD 8000 digital modules and powered and controlled via Neumann DMI 8 digital interfaces. The MKH 8000 microphones include 24 cardioid models, 6 super-cardioids, 6 wide

cardioids, 4 multi-pattern microphones and 4 MKH 800 TWINs with remotely adjustable pick-up patterns. The TWINs are used as main microphones due to their ability to have their pick-up pattern fine-tuned either on the mixing desk during recording or in postproduction. Meanwhile, the cardioids, wide cardioids and super-cardioids are employed as spot microphones and selected according to the type of music that the orchestra plays and the venue in which they are performing.

The SPO is produced by Michael Fine, who is the Senior Advisor for Artistic Planning to the SPO and a recording producer. Fine started working with the orchestra in 2005 and has been working with Sennheiser microphones for many years as well. “One of our first comments was that it almost sounded like there was nothing between us and the stage. It felt like we were actually in the room with the musicians. The clarity

INSTALL September - October 2014

Sennheiser & Neumann was breath-taking and quite extraordinary. Whilst I’m not saying that we can’t make great recordings without this technology, I’m impressed by that additional degree of clarity, beauty of sound and faithfulness of reproduction that we are achieving with these digital microphones,” stated Fine. With three decades of experience in the recording of classical and jazz music under his belt, tonmeister Wolf-Dieter Karwatky is involved with the music recordings and has been involved with the SPO for five years. “This new digital microphone system provides us with more quality, flexibility and speed than any other existing system, and this applies both during the recording sessions and in post-production. Furthermore, the Sennheiser/Neumann system is free from interference and any kind of technical restraints, as it cuts out analogue cables and interfaces. With the remote capabilities we can immediately adapt to any recording situation – even during the recording process,” he added. Classical music enthusiasts can look forward to two new SPO albums later this year: Chin’s three Concertos scheduled to be released in mid-June this year, and Mahler Symphony No. 9 due to be released in the second half of 2014, both with the Deutsche Grammophon label.

IN A NUTSHELL

www.seoulphil.or.kr www.sennheiser.com

• Venue: Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra Recording Studio • Location: South Korea • Equipment: - Sennheiser MKH 8000 studio range digital small-diaphragm condensers - Neumann TLM 193 largediaphragm condensers - Sennheiser MZD 8000 digital modules - Neumann DMI 8 digital interfaces

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INSTALL September - October 2014

Community Loudspeakers Mirror The Legend Of Hachiko

A Powersoft M30D HDSP+ETH was chosen to drive the Community loudspeakers, for its power, audio quality and the on-board DSP it provides. The M30D HDSP+ETH provides high levels of control and monitoring through the Armonía Pro Audio Suite software, with the same user interface and on the same network as all Powersoft amplifiers.

Benefitting from core technologies of Powersoft ’s flagship K Series, the M30D HDSP+ETH sets a class standard in eﬃciency leading to low power consumption, and consequently, to less money spent on electricity - all in an eco-friendly way.

achiko Square, sometimes called Hachiko Plaza, is probably the busiest and best-known meeting place in Tokyo, Japan. It was named to honour the statue of “Hachiko”, the White Akita dog whose story of loyalty is famous throughout the world. The plaza is usually teeming with people, especially during the evenings and weekends and it has even been said that every three minutes, hundreds of people cross the street. Most people, locals and tourists alike, gravitate toward the bronzed statue referred to as Hachi or Hachiko. The original statue was erected in 1934 to honour the dog who met his master, Professor Ueno Hidesaburo, every day at the station after work. When Professor Ueno died in 1925 and did not return, Hachiko continued to wait for him daily for the next nine years, appearing exactly when the train was due. The story continues to be told and the 2.4 million people who use Shibuya Station pass by the bronze dog each day and use the statue as a meeting point. As with many of the world’s great cities, such a location provides the perfect advertising opportunity. Professional sound company, Katoya Recording Service, was commissioned to provide the audio for a 24.3 x 17.3 meter LED screen, that is mounted on a roof overlooking the intersection.

Explaining the choice of loudspeakers, Katoya, Managing Director of Katoya Recording Service stated, “To provide high quality and intelligibility within a defined area at such a distance required high power loudspeakers with exceptional control. We chose 2 x Community R.5-66T’s, with 60x60 degree dispersion for the main area, and an R.5-HPT with 60 x 40 dispersion to focus on the distant crossroads. They deliver the sound clearly to the areas where the displays are seen, but do not create a noise problem with spillage."

www.communitypro.com

IN A NUTSHELL • Venue: Hachiko Plaza • Location: 2-1 Dogenzaka, Shibuya, Tokyo 150-0043 • Supplier: Katoya Recording Service • Equipment: - R.5-66T Loudspeakers - R.5-HPT 3-Way Full-Range Loudspeakers - Powersoft M30D HDSP+ETH

JAPAN

With R SERIES’ proven all-weather capabilities, Katoya Recording Service provided a system with the reliability which reflects that of the famous statue's model. Like the legend of Hachiko, the system will be heard by countless millions for many years to come.

INSTALL September - October 2014

Michael Meacham Creates “Pixel “We were very happy with the quality of the Chauvet products that we chose for Vanity. I had used the Intimidator Spot 350 previously in other clubs with great success, but I never used the EPIX series before. The EPIX fixtures worked out perfectly for this design. My client was thrilled!” - Michael Meacham, Lighting Designer.

JA APA AN

city acclaimed for its eateries, now has at least one very special nightclub too.

With its concrete canyons and bustling streets, Japan’s third largest city resembles many other big international cities. In terms of culinary excellence though, Osaka is in a league of its own. Sometimes referred to as “the food capital of the world,” the city – which boasts 108 Michelin restaurant stars - lives by an ethos the Japanese call kuidaore, a joyful gastronomical indulgence. With the opening of Vanity Osaka, the city now has a nightclub that equals its dining excellence. In no small part, this is thanks to a sweepingly bold lighting design by Michael Meacham that draws upon the brightness, colour and pixel mapping capabilities of over 400 fixtures from CHAUVET Professional. Meacham of iDesign Productions (Miami) has designed some of the highest profile clubs in the world yet, he faced a special challenge when lighting Vanity Osaka. “This is a single level club with both sides of the dance floor elevated for VIP seating, so my design was going to be broad, horizontal and expansive,” he said. “The challenge I faced, though, is that there were these huge structural columns that land right in the center of the dance floor.”

Instead of trying to “work around” the wide columns, Meacham used CHAUVET EPIX 2.0 bars and EPIX 2.0 strips along with some adroit pixel mapping to incorporate them into his stunning design. “I figured the columns would be a great place to start my design,” he said. “Once I started the design utilizing the huge columns on the dance floor, the rest came together quickly. It was a really smooth, fun process.” It is impossible to see the end result of Meacham’s eﬀorts without being awestruck. His artful pixel mapping and overall lighting

design has transformed the Vanity Osaka dance floor into a free flowing, almost cosmological swirl of patterns and colours that instantly envelops visitors, creating a visual experience they aren’t likely to forget. “My vision for this project was to create an expansive look inside the club,” said Meacham. “The idea was to have an intimate lighting and video experience in every direction. We want people to be immersed in the entire space, no matter where they are in the club. Our goal was to create something that surrounded everyone.”

INSTALL September - October 2014

Ambience” With CHAUVET Elaborating on that point, Meacham explained, “I love high contrast abstract video. It’s much more captivating to use it as moving art and interesting eye candy. There is a lot of colour matching between the video and moving lights that gives the guests an exclusive experience that’s diﬀerent than most other clubs. Vanity has an ambience of pixel mapping eﬀects.”

As Meacham noted, the creation of this immersive experience started when he used the EPIX 2.0 bars to illuminate the center columns on the dance floor. “The EPIX fixtures on the columns, just flowed so well with the DJ booth and ceiling lighting,” he said. “It created a very smooth look.” In addition to the EPIX 2.0 bars and strips on the columns, Meacham built EPIX 2.0 bars into the wall behind the DJ booth and added five configurations of 32 x EPIX 2.0 strips each on the ceiling. He also positioned EPIX 2.0 strips behind the frosted glass in the VIP area. The LD accented the EPIX lit columns with 20 x Intimidator Spot LED 350 moving fixtures from CHAUVET DJ in four groups of five. Meacham’s design utilizes the motorized focus of the Intimidator Spots to project crisp gobos over the dance floor. Meacham positioned 8 x Strike 882 white SMD LED strobe panels with pixel control and special eﬀects macros above the VIP areas on either side of the dance floor. “The Strikes have an impressive big punch, plus the individual pixel cells make for great chasing eﬀects,” said the LD. The pixel mapping capabilities of the Chauvet fixtures was essential to Meacham’s vision for his Vanity Osaka design. When asked to describe his creative vision for this club, the LD simply replied, “Deep abstract video immersion. I wanted to push pixels all over that club!”

It is impossible to see the end result of Meacham’s eﬀorts without being awestruck. His artful pixel mapping and overall lighting design has transformed the Vanity Osaka dance floor into a free flowing, almost cosmological swirl of patterns and colours that instantly envelops visitors, creating a visual experience they aren’t likely to forget.

The Chauvet fixtures were praised by Meacham for being easy to use with a variety of control options. “I used the GrandMA to send DMX out to the Chauvet movers, strobes and hazer,” he said. “I also used Arkaos Media Master Pro in fixture mode talking to GrandMA via native MA NET with CITP enabled. All the EPIX, including the VIP up-lighting, is mapped with Kling-Net. There’s a huge video content library set up and by having CITP enabled, it allows the lighting operator to see a still preview of the video in the MA windows.” “The Chauvet fixtures were amazing,” said Meacham. “We were very happy with the quality of the Chauvet products that we chose for Vanity. I had used the Intimidator Spot 350 previously in other clubs with great success, but I never used the EPIX series before. The EPIX fixtures worked out perfectly for this design. My client was thrilled,” continued the LD. “Vanity is one of the most original and unique clubs. There is nothing like it in Osaka.” www.idesignproductions.com www.chauvetprofessional.com vanityosaka.com

IN A NUTSHELL • Venue: Vanity Osaka • Location: Southern Palace Bldg. B1F, Shinsaibashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka Japan • Integrator: iDesign Productions (Miami) • Equipment: - CHAUVET EPIX 2.0 strips - EPIX 2.0 bars - EPIX Drive 642 - Strike 882 panels - Q-Wash 419Z-LED Moving Head - Intimidator Spot LED 350 - Amhaze II water-based haze machine

INSTALL September - October 2014

Screening Multiple Games Is A Breeze With AV Zoning By Shireen Ho

SINGAPORE

Well-known among Australian sports fans in Singapore as home to the Australian football league AFL, National rugby league NRL and Cricket Australia, Boomarang Bistro & Bar impresses customers with sophisticated AV system.

ounded in 2008 at Robertson Quay, Boomarang Bistro & Bar is an established Aussie bar in Singapore and a popular place to watch live sport matches. In 2013, Boomarang expanded their business with a new outlet located near Boat Quay. Offering relaxing ambience for all-day dining and entertainment, the outlet along Circular Road offers some of best-in-the-class audiovisual entertainment. Engaging the service of TNT Audio Visual, Boomarang gave a brief requesting for 6 zones with 7 audio sources (1 x MIO TV, 2 x SCV TV, 2 x EV RE-2 Wireless Microphone, and 2 x laptops) for live streaming, BGM and video. Boomarang also requested for an AV system that is easy to comprehend so that the service crew can use it with ease. Additionally, as the bistro has ambitious plans to expand, the systems’ flexibility allows for future expansion if so desired. TNT Audio Visual began working on the project in June 2013. Over the period of three months, intensive work was done to ensure that the bistro was ready by the Formula One weekend in September. For this project, TNT Audio Visual was mainly responsible for the audio and integration of the different AV systems.

Zoning for maximum flexibility Boomarang knew that with AFL and many other Australian sports, different games could be going on at the same time. To have more sports coverage simultaneously, Boomarang currently has about 10 x Display systems installed at the 2-storey bistro. As it is impossible to have all the displays switched on without the audio overlapping, zoning is a way to resolve that and still have complete control of the AV system. For ceiling speakers, TNT Audio Visual has used Electro Voice’s EVID C8.2, an 8” 2-way coaxial ceiling loudspeaker for a low-profile yet rich sound in tight spaces, a perfect fit for Boomarang as the bistro wanted to keep the sound contained within the different zones. But at the same time, the bistro needed a compact full range of sounds to bring up the loud, exuberant mood of football games as well, so several Electro Voice EVID 4.2 surface-mount loudspeakers were installed for the effect. Driving the speakers are Electro Voice’s Q Series Q44-11-230V amplifiers. Together, the loudspeakers and amplifiers give a major sound boost to the bistro, resulting in an unforgettable sound experience for many of its patrons.

Wireless mic for trivia nights and private functions On Thursday nights, Boomarang holds a weekly trivia. On top of this, the second storey of the bistro is also frequently used for private functions and events, therefore one of Boomarang’s requirements also included a good microphone system that could cover both levels. For that, Boomarang needed a wireless microphone system and TNT Audio Visual suggested the Electro Voice RE2-N2, a UHF Handheld Wireless. Featuring one-touch “Auto ClearScan”, the user can find the clearest channel/group in terms of seconds, taking frequency agility to a whole new level. The mic system consists of a receiver and a handheld transmitter with N/DYM 267a element. “These [zones] have a microphone already zoned into it. So as soon as I turn the speakers on, it’s a ducting system so you can walk around and you don’t have to deal with feedback up and down. It’s already automatic and very user-friendly,” commented Martin McGettigan, Managing Director, Boomarang Bistro & Bar. To ensure maximum coverage and reduce intermittence, TNT Audio Visual has also

INSTALL September - October 2014

installed several antenna and power distribution such as the Electro Voice’s APD4 (UHF Antenna/Power Distribution System), LPA500 (Directional Log Periodic Antenna) and UAA-500 (Antenna Signal Amplifier).

Acoustic treatment to reduce noise feedback Besides zoning, Martin was also very concerned about noise feedback. When the venue was first acquired, he described it as a “complete concrete shell.” Noise feedback was apparent and it was obvious that work had to be done to address the concern. “One of the major AV concern is designing the space. So we left the air-con ducts open, try to take away the flat edges, and we looked at the flooring, the walls, everything...” said McGettigan. Thankfully, the consultant for the project foresaw the problem and had the design layout to include wooden floorings and a layer of acoustic material to be sprayed on the ceiling. With the soft, spongy acoustic material absorbing most of the feedback, TNT Audio Visual was then able to proceed with their audio installation without much issue. “I believe it was pretty hindsight of the consultant specs,” said Francis Ng, Application & Project Engineer, TNT Audio Visual.

Systems integration and userfriendly features Using Bosch’s PLM-8M8 PLENA Matrix, the 8 channel DSP matrix mixer handles the audio part of the system, including the ceiling speakers and wireless microphone systems. Ideal for sound systems requiring up to 8 zones of high quality speech and background music, the PLENA Matrix was a clear choice for Boomarang who needed only 7 at the

“We have already become known as a sports-watching venue in a very short amount of time. So that’s good.”

- Martin McGettigan, Managing Director, Boomarang Bistro & Bar time. Together with Bosch PLM-WPC PLENA matrix wall panel control, Boomarang staff can adjust audio settings such as volume control and source selection using this control. For video integration, TNT Audio Visual has applied the Kramer HDMI Matrix, a highperformance unit designed for transmitting HDMI signals. Taking into consideration that Boomarang has plans for AV expansion in the future, this card-slot type matrix allows for more flexibility. And since TV programmes are mostly of HDMI standard now, the HDMI matrix is an obvious decision for good picture quality. In terms of systems automation, TNT Audio Visual has used Crestron, a master integrated program controller to integrate the various systems so that staff can control the AV system easily using the iOS devices such as the iPad and iPhone. “With over 40 staff in our employ, we need an AV system that is simple and easy to use. We just want people to be able to adjust volume, on-off power switch on the mobile devices - simple stuff,” explained McGettigan. In this project, Bosch’s PLENA Matrix is linked to Crestron software. Several iOS devices can be also be used simultaneously for AV control, without interfering the operation. With easy connectivity over mobile broadband or Wi-Fi connection, the rich Smart Graphics interface of Crestron software delivers an intuitive user-experience with gesture-driven controls.

Martin McGettigan(right) with Francis Ng of TNT Audio Visual

Additionally, TNT Audio Visual had also customised volume control and channel selection on the iOS devices, enabling it to tell the user what content is being played on diﬀerent channels, eliminating the need for a TV channel list. The control app installed in the iOS devices conveniently allows staﬀ to take control of Boomarang’s AV system wherever they are in the bistro. “AV isn’t always like that, it can be quite tricky to use. The system here is made to be userfriendly, it’s made to be on the iPad; touch this, volume up, volume down. It’s quite simple in that respect,” said McGettigan.

Customer satisfaction Having used several AV contractors in Singapore, Martin was very impressed with TNT Audio Visual’s responsiveness and proactiveness. Francis has managed to interpret Boomarang’s requirements, resulting in an installation that meets and exceeds expectations. “We have already become known as a sportswatching venue in a very short amount of time. So that’s good,” concluded Martin. www.boschsecurity.asia www.electrovoice.com www.kramerelectronics.com www.crestronasia.com www.boomarang.com.sg

IN A NUTSHELL • Venue: Boomarang Bistro and Bar • Location: 52 Circular Road, Singapore 049407 • Integrator: TNT Audio Visual • Equipment: - Electro-Voice EVID C8.2 - Electro-Voice EVID 4.2 - Electro-Voice Q Series amplifiers - Electro-Voice UHF Handheld Wireless Mic System - Electro-Voice UHF Antenna/Power Distribution System - Electro-Voice Directional Log Periodic Antenna - Electro-Voice Antenna Signal Amplifier - Bosch PLENA Matrix - Bosch PLENA matrix wall panel control - Kramer HDMI Matrix

FOOD-4-THOUGHT September - October 2014

Tired of the everyday industry mambo-jambo? Take a break with us and delve into the world around you. A jukebox of ideas and interesting stories – just scan the QR Codes or click on the links to stay updated on points of interest that could one day aﬀect you in your personal or work life.

A Day Made Of Glass Corning Incorporate, one of the world’s leading innovators in materials science, takes us through in a day made of glass. This video could possibly be a preview of what the future looks like. Could this be the world that the children of our children will grow up in? Terrifying or Amazing? You decide..

They Say The Eyes Tell All Are the eyes a window to the soul? With eyetracking technology, we may now be able to finally answer that question. The results point to fascinating diﬀerences between men and women and useful insights into advertising and design.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Cf7IL_eZ38&feature=youtu.be

http://www.businessinsider.com/eye-tracking-heatmaps-20125?IR=T&op=1

Everything You Need To Know About 3D Printing

Move Over Static, Flexible Screens Have Arrived

It is a trend that has been slowly gaining traction over the past few years. Though it hasn’t made a dent in the Asian commercial market – yet. 3D printing is already transforming the way goods are manufactured in the US. Read the arguments behind its use and why you need to care that this trend is going to aﬀect the market in a big way..

Scientists have patented a new way to make ultra high-res displays that can bend and are thousandths of a mm thick. The design is aimed to be incorporated into wearable technology, smart contact lenses or foldable screens. http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-28231084

http://www.engadget.com/2014/06/23/3d-printing-explainer/

Who Wants To Change The World? 11 simple inventions that promise to truly change the world. Number 7: A way to scan food nutritional content. Need we say more?

http://www.huﬃngtonpost.com/2014/07/15/simple-inventionschange-world_n_5565040.html?&ncid=tweetlnkushpmg00000046

Solar Roadways! Designed to replace our asphalt sidewalks and roads, solar panels generate electricity and they generate capital. Not just lifeless solar panels, these roadways are smart, micro-processing, interlocking, hexagonal solar units. Could this be the answer to clean energy? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlTA3rnpgzU&feature=youtu.be

The articles and videos listed here in no way reflect the views of Spinworkz Pte Ltd. We claim nothing to be ours. LIKE us on Facebook to share your comments on these stories! https://www.facebook.com/EntertainmentTechnologyAsia

LIVE September - October 2014

MYANMAR

Electro-Voice Gets Wet & Wild @ Thingyan Festival However, outdoor stage set-ups come with their own set of challenges. The festival stage was set-up to be 3.4m above the ground; this meant the speakers needed to be tilted at extreme down angles to project the sound towards the audience to immerse them in the live music. Without precise line array prediction, all the sound would have been projected above the audience’s heads. Subwoofers were also strategically placed to direct the bass to the ground. In addition, the sound system had to withstand the challenges of being used at an outdoor stage at a water festival! It was important to keep the speakers away from accidental sprays of water while not impeding sound quality.

he Thingyan festival is also known as the water festival and it marks the start of the new year in Myanmar. This year, Kabar Aye Pagoda Road was lined with performance stages and platforms where the organizers could splash water on passing vehicles and people as part of the cleansing ritual to welcome the new year. Electro-Voice provided the first concert system to utilize OMNEO media networking technology on a live stage for Myanmar’s Thingyan festival. Prior to the celebrations, the EV team and installer Pink Khine Zin had to determine the site dimensions and requirements. The information was then keyed into EV’s Line Array Prediction Software (LAPS) to determine the number of speakers needed to produce optimal sound for the performance. For outdoor stage setups, sonic directivity, loudness, and consistency are very important. The LAPS is used to generate optimal angles between each XLC speaker element as part of the entire line array. Once that detail is covered, the speakers and amplifiers can be mounted for setup. Finally, with all the presets tuned correctly and sound testing completed, the system is ready to rock. The owners of the stage wanted loud, clear, and consistent sound, as this was the only

stage with a live band setup along the whole festival stretch. To ensure that they stood out from the crowd while not disturbing the nearby residential areas and commercial properties, the owners opted to use the EV professional sound systems. The OMNEObased XLC127DVX and Xsub subwoofers with TG5/7 amplification and RCM-28 DSPs were deployed to meet this demand.

Held during one of the hottest months in Myanmar, the ambient heat of 40 degrees Celsius meant the TG amplifiers were running on full steam throughout the four-day event. The ruggedness of the EV sound solution was put to the test, braving the elements while impressing the crowd and local celebrities that were invited to perform on the stage with its superb sound quality. The band, Pho Ther (Guardians), were exceptionally impressed with how the EV sound system complemented their music and enhanced the whole performance experience. www.electrovoice.com

..The sound system had to withstand the challenges of being used at an outdoor stage at a water festival!

LIVE September - October 2014

SINGAPORE

UnUsUaL Productions Test Drives New National Stadium

The Singapore Chinese Orchestra Our Music, Our People event

he Singapore Sports Hub is a stateof-the-art, fully integrated sports, entertainment and lifestyle hub located on a 35-hectare site in Kallang. As the centrepiece of the Singapore Sports Hub, the new 55,000 capacity National Stadium provides spectacular views of the waterfront and Singapore city skyline. The Stadium was designed to host a multitude of events such as rugby, cricket, football, athletics, concerts, family entertainment shows, national and community events. The lowest tier of seats can be mechanically and automatically retracted thus enabling the stadium to be configured to accommodate the diﬀerent types of events. The New National Stadium opened its doors to the public in the latter part of June this year, starting oﬀ with a World Rugby 10's

Tournament, which was followed in quick succession with the Singapore Chinese Orchestra Our Music, Our People event and Stefanie Sun's Kepler World Tour 2014. In addition the South-East Asia (SEA) Games Countdown and Community Open House was held in-between, mainly at the Waterfront area of the Sports Hub. UnUsUaL Productions was heavily involved in the events except for the World Rugby Tournament, thus making history in being the first rental & staging company to get involved with events at the new National Stadium. And as expected it was a hectic period for the company but they managed to pull oﬀ all the events without much glitch and more importantly satisfied clients. The main challenge was with regards to the SEA Games Countdown and the Singapore Orchestra event as they were held one day after the other. Johnny Ong, Director at

UnUsUaL Productions comments, “We had four days to set up for two diﬀerent events. The SEA Games Countdown happened on the 27th of June and the Singapore Chinese Orchestra event was held on the 28th of June and we were responsible for the entire technical production for both events including the fireworks for the SEA Games event. So as you can imagine we had a full range of equipment and most of our people out at the Sports Hub and we had to co-ordinate the rehearsals, equipment check, etc to ensure that everything would go smoothly.” Johnny adds, “The new National Stadium is beautiful and with the ability for the venue to hold diﬀerent events, I am sure it will cater to the varied interest. We found setting up at the stadium a breeze. Entry and exit points were convenient and we were able to achieve our objectives with minimum fuss.”

LIVE September - October 2014

SEA Games Countdown

The 28th SEA Games officially marked its one year to the Games at the Singapore Sports Hub with a slew of community events to have members of the public experience one of the SEA Games main competition venues first hand. Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, and Singapore Southeast Asian Games Organising Committee (SINGSOC) Advisory Committee Member, Mr Lim Swee Say, and Minister for Culture, Community and Youth and Chairman, Steering Committee of SINGSOC, Mr Lawrence Wong, flagged off the “One Year to SEA Games” Walk-a-Jog along a scenic sunset 2km and 3.5km route around the Sports Hub to enjoy the view of the mega multi-sport structure. Over 6,000 people of all ages participated in the Walk-a-Jog. Later that evening, the public were treated to a 7-minute fireworks spectacle along the Stadium River. Helping to create the right atmosphere for the Countdown, UnUsUaL Productions had set up a sound system at the Waterfront

area which featured 24 units of EV X-Line Array speakers, 24 units of EV XLC 127+ speakers and 24 units fo EV X-Sub-Woofers all driven by Electro Voice P3000 amplifiers and processing done through Electro Voice DX38 Processor. A Yamaha M7CL Digital Audio Console handled the mixing. For the Stage and VIP viewing area, 12 units of Nexo PS15 speakers were used in tandem with a Nexo Power Amplifier and Processor. 4 units of Shure Wireless Handheld microphones with Receiver, 4 units of Shure wireless Headworn microphone with Receiver and 8 Shure Dynamic Wired Microphones helped with the audio dispersion. Lighting duties were mainly handled by 60 units of Robe Classic Beam 300, 150 units of M3 15R Moving Beam lighting fixtures, 100 units of M3 5R Moving beams and 150 units of M3 RGBW LED Parcan Spots controlled via 2 units of GrandMA2 Full size lighting consoles.

312 square metres of LED video screen was also set-up. It consisted of 624 M3 P10 SMD LED panels with RGBLink HD Multi-Video Processor and RGBLink Optic Transceiver. In addition a Multi Video Switching system comprising of 1 unit of Barco Encore SC Control Console, 1 unit of Barco Encore 3ME Video Processor and 2 units of Barco ImagePro Scan-converter were deployed. Video coverage was handled by 5 units of Panasonic P2HD-372 DV cameras with mixing duties assigned to a Panasonic AVH400S Digital Video Mixer. The finale was the fireworks spectacle that also featured laser beam shootouts. 3 units of Full Colour 30W Laser Launcher and 3 units of Green Colour 10W Laser Launchers were used for this purpose with other supporting equipment. UnUsUaL Productions was also responsible for the fireworks which were launched off a barge that was placed on the river. A mix of different sized shells, mines, comet, Roman candle, multiple shot and other effects created stunning effects in the night sky.

The Singapore Chinese Orchestra Our Music, Our People event The Singapore Chinese Orchestra successfully gathered over 5,000 participants from 127 performing groups, to present a series of pieces. The event was also held to break a historical 4 Guinness World and Singapore records, which was achieved admirably. The records were for the Guinness World Record for the Largest Chinese Drum Ensemble and 3 Singapore Book of Records for the Largest Chinese Orchestra Performance, the Largest Erhu Ensemble and the Largest Chinese Drum Ensemble. SCO Patron, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Mrs Lee, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) and Second Minister for Ministry of Communications and Information – Mr Lawrence Wong, and Minister, Prime Minister’s Oﬃce, Second Minister for the Environment and Water Resources and Second Minister for Foreign Aﬀair – Ms Grace Fu, graced this momentous

LIVE September - October 2014

event as Guests-of-Honour amidst the 30,000 audience who turned up at the event. 3,736 orchestra members and 1,297 choir members were involved in this massive event. The challenging aspect for this event for UnUsUaL Productions was the use of over 500 microphones and 6 mixing boards that had to produce sound seamlessly throughout the performances. Two towers were set up by UnUsUaL Productions to cater to the sound reinforcement needs. The FOH speakers were flown on the towers and placed facing three diﬀerent directions so as to be able to cover the seated audience that were almost covering three-quarters of the stadium. The FOH Main system consisted of 36 boxes of JBL VT4888 Midsize Tri-Amplified 3-Way High Directivity Line Array elements with 24 boxes of JBL VT 4880 Fullsize Arrayable 2-18” subwoofers. These were supported by two side systems. One consisted of 24 boxes of JBL VT4888 and the other 24 boxes of EV XLC 127DVX threeway compact line array elements with 2 units of EV DX38 processors. For coverage at the front, 32 boxes of EV XLD 128 three-way compact line arrays with 4 units of EV DX38 processors were deployed. 52 units of CROWN I-Tech HD1200 amplifiers

supported by 28 units of CROWN I-Tech HD5000 amplifiers were ran oﬀ a HiQnet System Architect. The I-Tech HD amplifiers featured the upgraded V5 preset to enable the JBL speakers to take full advantage of additional features. There were a mix of FOH consoles to support the event. 1 unit of Midas XL8 mixing control, 1 unit of Midas Pro2 mixing console, 2 units of Yamaha PM5D-RH 48ch mixing console and 1 unit of Yamaha M7CL 48ch mixing console with all supporting peripherals were deployed. Monitoring duties were handled by an Avid Venue profile, Genelec 8250A monitors, Dynacord speakers, 20 units of PS15 monitor speakers and 20 units of Mackie TH-15A powered speakers. UnUsUaL also created two rings of lighting fixtures that lit up the seats and roof of the Stadium. Another set of lights were hung on trusses within the stage for the performers. A huge range of lighting fixtures were used that included 360 units of M3 15R Moving beams, 600 units of M3 RGBW Led par, 100 units of Martin MAC 2000 Wash, 60 units of Martin MAC 600 Wash, 60 units of Vari-lite VL3000 Spot, 16 units of Vari-lite VL3500 Wash, 150 units of Arri 2kw with barndoor. 2 units of Robert Juliet 4kw and 8 set of Robert Julie 2.5kw followspots were also engaged. The

lighting fixtures were controlled via 2 units of GrandMA2 Fullsize consoles and 1 unit of GrandMA Lite lighting console. LED screens were also deployed to project the live recording as well as to create the atmosphere for the diﬀerent segments. 4 sets of 9m x 11m LED wall made up of 792 panels and 6 sets of 3m x 15m LED wall made up of 540 panels – all of which were comprised of M3 Pitch 10 LED panels were set up. Control of the LED Screens was assigned to 1 unit of Barco Encore SC Control console supported with 2 units of Baro Encore 3ME Video Processors and 3 units of Barco ImagePro Scan converters. The exhaustive list of inventory befitted the Guinness World Record breaking event, creating an evening to be remembered by the performers as well as all those present.

Stefanie Sun 2014 Kepler World Tour

Singapore-born Mandopop diva, Stefanie Sun, had the honour of being the first artist to perform a pop concert at the new National Stadium. The concert, part of her “Stefanie Sun 2014 Kepler World Tour”, was brought in by UnUsUaL Entertainment, Make Music and DNA Entertainment. The concert’s main Front-of-House, Delay and Fill systems, was handled by 64 boxes of JBL VerTec VT4888 and 24 boxes of VT4880,

with the speakers driven by Crown’s flagship I-Tech HD Series amplifiers. The JBL VERTEC VT4888 cabinets - Midsize Tri-Amplified 3-Way High Directivity Line Array Elements were flown 18-per-hang for the Right and Left from a commanding height beside the stage for the Front-of-House (FOH) reinforcement. Low frequency support for the main VT4888 tops were from JBL VT4880 Full-size Arrayable 2x18" Subwoofers in 6-per-side ground positioned at the front of the stage. The side fill systems also utilised 6-per-side JBL VT4888 ground arrays which adequately covered the upper seating areas. For the delays a pair of flown fill systems comprising of 8-per-side JBL VT4888 elements were used. Mixing was done on a VENUE Profile desk. The VerTecs were driven by 44 units of Crown I-Tech 5000HD and 1200HD power amplifiers. Mahajak SKM Electronics Pte Ltd, who is the Singapore distributor for HARMAN Professional products provided technical assistance with the upgrading of the Crown I-Tech HD amplifiers, so as to enhance a number of performance attributes.

The upgrade is necessary as there are still many companies using the older series speakers with the I-Tech HD DSP amps as in the case of UnUsUaL Productions. “What we are doing is upgrading their systems with our V5 presets and this gives a new tone to the existing speakers. So a company like Unusual only needs a software upgrade without replacing the hardware and this is a huge savings in cost for them," explains Dave Loh, General Manager, Mahajak SKM Electronics. In essence the V5 preset upgrade enables the JBL speakers to leverage the the OMNIDRIVEHD™ linear phase FIR processing capability of Crown I-Tech HD DSP power amplifiers. This includes improvements in horizontal coverage due to the use of higher-order asymmetric filters, refined tonal balance consistency across all models and superior sound quality through the use of arbitrary coeﬃcient FIR phase linearization. www.unusual.com.sg

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LIVE September - October 2014

JAPAN

he Takarazuka Revue is a Japanese an all-female musical theatre troupe based in Japan’s Hyogo Prefecture and founded a century ago by Ichizo Kobayashi, president of Hankyu Railways. Following the tradition of bringing musical masterpieces to the stage, the latest ‘Cosmos’ revue troupe has revisited of The Rose of Versailles, which tells the tale of Lady Oscar who was raised from birth as a man. She commands the palace guards at Versailles in the years before the French Revolution and it is her beauty and noble spirit that make her a shining figure in the eyes of both men and women. Torn between her chosen life of service and her desires, she lives as a noble among the wealthy of Versailles while watching over the poor. The Rose of Versailles was first turned into a major hit by the Theatre back in 1974 to help celebrate its landmark year. For the recent revival, a Martin Audio MLA Mini PA system was chosen to bring the legend into the new age of high-quality sound. The multi-cellular loudspeaker array was specified by Woody Land, the rental company that supports the Takaraduka Musical, to help reinforce the historic grand romance

between Count Axel de Fersen and French Queen, Marie-Antoinette in a magnificent production. Woody Land, who recently purchased the MLA Mini system, ground-stacked 8 x cabinets above 2 x MSX subwoofers, on each side of the stage as the main reinforcement. The design enabled the system to achieve excellent intelligibility both at the FOH position, under the balcony and the top row seats on the second floor. The latest model in Martin Audio’s multicellular family, the MLA Mini, includes a unique function, the ability to connect a PC directly to the system via a USB port on the MSX sub. This eliminates the need for the network racks that the larger MLA and MLA Compact systems require. There is a USB to Ethernet adaptor available as an accessory which could then be used to connect to a

wi-fi network to enable wireless connection from a PC at FoH to the system. Because it is self-powered, the space normally occupied by the amp racks on stage has been reclaimed — a benefit highly appreciated in the staging of a musical play such as this. Kurashige, Woody Land’s sound engineer noted, “The MLA Mini is fantastic because of the consistency of the sound throughout the venue, from the front row to the end. It is also nice that we can change the directivity of the array — not physically but electronically — using diﬀerent parameters, even though the rehearsal may have already begun.” He also acknowledged that the incredible ability of the MLA Mini was the perfect complement to such a beautiful production such as that of The Rose of Versailles. www.martin-audio.com

“The MLA Mini is fantastic because of the consistency of the sound throughout the venue, from the front row to the end. It is also nice that we can change the directivity of the array — not physically but electronically — using diﬀerent parameters, even though the rehearsal may have already begun” - Kurashige, Sound Engineer

LIVE September - October 2014

AUSTRALIA

DPA’s d:facto Delivers A Great “Voice” Experience “..We were keen to try them [d:facto] on a couple of TV shows we were working on. DPA has a great reputation for high quality mics and this interested me because I hadn’t been happy with any capsules on the RF systems we were using.” - John Simpson, Senior Audio Director of The Voice.

hanks to DPA’s d:facto Vocal Microphone, vocal deliveries for the live broadcast of Australia's The Voice were significantly improved. As with many TV singing/talent shows, the culmination of The Voice Australia relied on wireless microphone technology to ensure that the contestants could move freely about the stage. DPA's award- winning d:facto Vocal Microphone fitted the bill perfectly thanks to its state of the art adapter system that allows the high quality condenser capsule to be seamlessly integrated with many professional wireless systems or used in conjunction with DPA's wired handle. The decision to try DPA's d:facto Vocal Microphone on the show was taken by Australian rental company, JPJ Audio. John Simpson, Senior Audio Director of The Voice, said: "JPJ’s Brad Adamson told me he had DPA's d:facto's and we were keen to try them on a couple of TV shows we were working on. DPA has a great reputation for high quality mics and this interested me because I hadn't been happy with any capsules on the RF systems we were using." Simpson knew that, being DPA, their pedigree would shine through the moment he brought up the faders.

"I realised we wouldn't be needing that old EQ curve any more," he says. "The sound was natural, present and uncoloured, like having a top notch studio condenser available as RF. We don't have to process anywhere near as much as we used to and everything sounds better; vocalists and presenters, male or female. The d:facto's make it much easier to sit voices in a mix."

are a significant step up from anything he has heard and is very impressed, as are the operators at Monitors, FOH and Broadcast." "Just keep making them," implores Simpson. "The capsules are the best thing we've heard for RF mics in a long time and have been an asset for us." www.dpamicrophones.com

Simpson adds that the Vocal Coach for the programme was also a fan. "He thinks they

LIVE September - October 2014

NEW ZEALAND

Christie Creates 360° Projection For Barfoot & Thompson Images Courtesy of Spyglass Group Ltd

s the sun set over the majestic Sky Tower in downtown Auckland, the ASB Showgrounds – located next to the city’s scenic Cornwall Park – was abuzz with activity. Thousands came together to celebrate the 90th birthday of New Zealand’s leading real estate company, Barfoot & Thompson. Besides tucking in to a delicious food and drinks, the 4,000 guests were treated to a spectacular 360-degree projection mapping show that not only recounted the rich history and accomplishments of the company, but also showcased exciting and stimulating visuals. The 360-degree screen created a seamless background of various scenic and iconic landmarks of New Zealand as live musicians welcomed the guests with an animated ensemble. During a live performance of New Zealand’s national anthem, the projections changed into waving flags, accompanying the patriotic vibe. To ensure that all guests were able to witness the activities on stage, live feed broadcasting

was displayed on the screens. As the familiar Happy Birthday Song was played during the cake-cutting ceremony, the images onscreen transformed into large birthday candles that created an immersive environment for the guests who joined in the tradition of blowing out the candles. Projections of an impressive fireworks display ended the evening’s celebrations in a literal 'BIG BANG'. Christie’s local partner in New Zealand, Spyglass Group Ltd, was contracted as the technical vision supplier for the prestigious event. Led by its director Scott Davis, his team of experienced event production and technical professionals, conceptualized, planned and executed the performance with style and precision. A total of 300m of surround projection, 4 walls – each measuring 9m by 75m in length, were required to be mapped. After calculations, it was revealed that a total of 24 x Christie Roadster S+20K DLP projectors were needed to ensure that the projection covered the entire area.

“I think Christie products have given us a leading brand presence in New Zealand. Over the last few years, we have been engaged in more and more projects around the world and Christie’s visual solutions have certainly helped us to open some doors!” - Spyglass Group Ltd Director, Scott Davis

“Computer-aided design was used to accurately plot the projection positions and to make sure that we didn’t move away from our minimum specifications in terms of pixels/m and brightness. In addition, we deployed backup solutions to ensure that everything could be executed beautifully without a hitch,” said Davis. The Christie Roadster S+20K DLP projector was the natural choice for the job due to its superior image quality with 3-chip DLP SXGA+ technology and high brightness delivery of 20,000 ANSI lumens. It also oﬀers 10-bit image processing for broader colour spectrum and wider input signal compatibility, as well as a contrast ratio of 1800:1 for highly enhanced image details – with blacker blacks and whiter whites. Rugged and compact in design with builtin handles and multiple rigging points, the Spyglass team was able to rig and mount the projectors onto the truss with ease. The projection mapping performance certainly played a key role in showcasing the longstanding history of Barfoot & Thompson through an interactive animated scrapbookstyle timeline to reminisce the generations involved in the company’s 90 years in real estate business. The projection was also responsible for transporting the audience into multiple environments in reflection of the night’s activities. All the attendees were

LIVE September - October 2014

“We pride ourselves in helping our customers collaborate, communicate and tell stories with their audiences, and I’m confident that this extraordinary 360-degree projection mapping show will be fondly remembered by many in the years to come” - Ken Wheatley, Director of Sales, Christie Asia Pacific. enthralled by the clear, vibrant visuals and interactive playback of the animated clips and videos shown, and expressed their enjoyment by snapping photos and recording videos of the eye-catching projections. The successful execution of this massive task was not without its challenges. During the preparations, the Spyglass team had to work with a total of 24,000-pixel wide imagery in an uncompressed format, which proved to be one of the major challenges during the execution of the projections. “Content workflow had to be fully worked out, from small details in the content-creation stage to the delivery of the content. But I’m glad that the Christie projectors took these challenges in their stride perfectly,” said Davis. “You need to have good reliable technology and the right team! I am very proud of my guys who worked tirelessly in the lead up to this event to ensure its success.” Davis noted that Spyglass owns an extensive fleet of Christie products, which includes an arsenal of Christie S+20K and HD18K projectors, as well as Christie Spyder video processors. “We have been using Christie products since 2007 and are very happy with the results of the Christie projectors since we made our initial purchase for the Tourism New Zealand’s Giant Inflatable Rugby Ball full dome projection experience world tour. I think Christie products have given us a leading brand presence in New Zealand. Over the last few years, we have been engaged in more and more projects around the world and Christie’s visual solutions have certainly helped us to open some doors!” Michael Bosworth, general manager of Christie Australia, who also oversees the New Zealand market, commented, “Christie is proud to have played a part in such a

significant milestone for Barfoot & Thompson through the planning and execution of an impressive projection mapping display by our partner Spyglass. Scott and his team are among the largest rental staging players in New Zealand and they are committed in delivering very high standards in the projection mapping projects that they are involved in, and we look forward to working more closely with them in the future. We’re also thrilled that thousands of guests were wowed by the awesome visuals presented during this celebratory event.” Ken Wheatley, director of sales, Christie Asia Pacific, added, “I would like to applaud Scott and his team from Spyglass for conceptualizing and delivering this visuallystunning projection mapping performance. This is a fine testimony of how Christie’s world-leading display technologies can help

our customers share the experience. We pride ourselves in helping our customers collaborate, communicate and tell stories with their audiences, and I’m confident that this extraordinary 360-degree projection mapping show will be fondly remembered by many in the years to come.” Christie’s leading visual solutions created a visually captivating experience for the guests and provided reliable technology for Spyglass’s smooth execution of projection mapping at Barfoot & Thompson’s 90th birthday celebrations. Judging from the satisfied responses from many of its guests, it was evident that combining the technical professionalism of Spyglass with the use of Christie products had guaranteed the event’s success. www.christiedigital.com

LIVE September - October 2014

CHINA

ETC Receives Praise @ The Royal Ballet’s Don Quixote

udiences at the Shanghai Grand Theatre were bowled over by a performance of Don Quixote by The Royal Ballet from London. The show utilised a large number of Source Four LED profiles and was run by two Gio consoles. Simon Bennison, lighting manager for The Royal Ballet commented on the Source Four LED: “It enabled us to recall an eﬀective color palette on tour without using scrollers. The lighting for Don Quixote was designed by Hugh Vanstone, a Tony Award-winning lighting designer. Bennison wanted to ensure authenticity while recreating the piece away from Covent Garden, the home of The Royal Ballet: “It’s my role to reproduce Hugh Vanstone’s lighting accurately. It’s a sizeable work with some exacting looks across the scenes.” The Shanghai Grand Theatre inventory provided enough Source Four LED Lustr+ luminaires to allow them to be used as the pipe-end systems and in the front of house. “This seemed the logical route to take,” Bennison added. “Overall they worked well. I was pleasantly surprised by the way they were able to take colour information from our original show file and also by the quality of light.”

Taing the production from daylight to sunset, to a sombre tavern and to the bright, clear quality of the town square, the Source Four LED luminaires were able to react smoothly and rapidly to fulfil the demands of diﬀerent scenes and mood changes while complementing the design.

Sixty-eight of the instruments were a significant amount for the piece, but the Gio control system proved flexible and easy to use, with two Gio consoles linked -- one as master and one as backup. “The Gio was a wonderful thing as we got the advanced features of Eos Ti, but in a smaller, more manageable format. Even scaling down from

“They [ETC consoles] adapt to your way of working and not the other way round. The way one can choose how the console presents information is fantastic. You can see at a glance what is going on in a cue, or switch to table-view and drill down to all the attributes of a moving light” - Florian Baeumler, Lighting Board Operator. © Hangzhou YiDaShi

LIVE September - October 2014

“Overall, they [Source Four LED Lustr+] worked well. I was pleasantly surprised by the way they were able to take colour information from our original show file and also by the quality of light” - Simon Bennison, Lighting Manager.

Eos, we still had a fully functioning board with all the preset capabilities we expect from the larger one,” said Bennison. “We use its sibling, Eos, back in London, and will be switching to Eos Ti in the summer.” Florian Baeumler, The Royal Ballet’s lighting board operator for Don Quixote, was equally pleased with the way his Gio desk interacted with the lighting. He updated the software to the latest version (v2.2) and took advantage of the user-friendly features. He said switching between three workspaces on each monitor without having to use snapshots was a real timesaver in a busy programming session. “I did not really miss my external monitors, with the three individually configured windows on each internal monitor,” Baeumler stated. Baeumler really enjoyed the versatility offered by ETC consoles: “They adapt to your way of working and not the other way round. The way one can choose how the console presents information is fantastic. You can see at a glance what is going on in a cue, or switch to table-view and drill down to all the attributes of a moving light.” As ETC’s official dealer, Hangzhou YiDaShi provided great help to make the show perfect in the Shanghai theatre. Don Quixote is a new production from The Royal Ballet, reworked by Principal Guest Artist Carlos Acosta. The first ballet version of the Spanish novel Don Quixote de la Mancha appeared in 1740 by Franz Hilverding in Vienna, Austria. Don Quixote has since been interpreted into many different versions, becoming a classic of ballet repertoire. www.etcconnect.com

LIVE September - October 2014

LEBANON

Robe On Pointe For Beiteddine Art Festival

he 2014 Beiteddine Art Festival in Lebanon, a vibrant, high profile annual summer music and cultural event was staged against the magnificent backdrop of the 2000 year old Beiteddine Palace. With an all-star line-up of local and international artists set to appear, the crew decided on an all Robe moving light rig. The venue is ensconced in the mountains about 70km South of Beirut and this year’s diverse range of performances included Joss Stone, Katie Melua, Kazem Al Sahir, Bel Canto tenor Juan Diego Florez and a collection of special performances and collaborations including world famous Lebanese Director, Wajdi Mouawad’s unconventional adaptation of Sophocles' "Antigone". The event was opened by a show-stopping set from Lebanese diva, Magida El Roumi. The lights were supplied by Sound On Stage Events, a leading technical production company based in Dubai and actively working in both territories. They have supplied audio to the prestigious event for the last 14 years, but this year for the first time were also asked to provide lighting, which included a production lighting by brothers Rawad and Mazen Saad, who also own and run the company. All the equipment was shipped in from Dubai.

Since 2011, Sound On Stage Events has enthusiastically embraced the Robe brand and been steadily investing in more products. The festival lighting rig utilised 16 x Pointes, 16 x MMX Spots, 16 x MMX WashBeams, 16

x LEDWash 1200s and 16 x LEDWash 300s, all from Robe’s ROBIN series. “It was a huge honour to be asked to design and supply lighting as well,” commented

“We like the overall brightness of all the fixtures, the light weight and the wireless DMX option is also very useful and a feature that we use a lot” - Rawad Saad, Sound On Stage Events

LIVE September - October 2014

to the event industry for some years and when we made the decision to start the Lighting department - so we could offer the full production package - we wanted to have the best products,” explained Rawad. They looked at all the options before deciding to go with Robe after several meetings and demonstrations with Robe Middle East’s General Manager, Elie Battah. Rawad, “And of course we wanted to make a really good impression and ensure that the event received the best possible production elements”. The 4000 capacity outdoor auditorium created for the event was completely sold out for every show. He added that the design needed to be flexible and adaptable to meet the needs of the numerous different types of performance – from orchestral to rock ‘n’ roll and many genres in between, including full blown musicals. Clearly Sound On Stage Events made a real impression with the lighting, as Chief Organiser Noura Jumblatt confirmed, “This is the best lighting that we have had to date”. She added that for the festival - which started in 1985 as a mark of unity during the bitter Lebanese civil War, with her heading the organising committee since 1987 - it was crucial for them to have the best technology onstage, “A good production gives us a real edge”. Most of the fixtures were arranged across five over-stage trusses and an advanced / front truss, with some reserved for the floor depending on the artist. Some performers brought their own LDs but the majority were lit by Lucas Rey, brought in by Sound On Stage Events as Programmer / Operator. Lucas has been using Robe for some years in his work however this was the first time he had used Pointes, on which he commented, “They are amazing – I really like them - in particular the gobo options when in Spot mode”. The MMX WashBeam is also among his favourite Robe products - he likes the zoom and the gobo selection - and he appreciates the sheer power and excellent colour mixing of the LEDWash 1200s together with their even, high quality light output. Sound On Stage Events first purchased Robe when their business started taking off. “We had already been supplying sound and video

“We like the overall brightness of all the fixtures, the light weight and the wireless DMX option is also very useful and a feature that we use a lot.” Rawad added that high up the agenda for him and Mazan, was the fantastic technical and after-sales support they can receive from Robe throughout the Middle East region.

at Beiteddine this year, they also have Robe ROBIN LEDBeam 100s and ROBIN 300 Beams. On the audio front, Sound On Stage Events supplied a Coda Airline LA12 audio system complete with Coda SC8 subs and Midas PRO 9 / Yamaha PM5D consoles for Beiteddine. They are the first company in the Middle East / Gulf area to have Coda which is rapidly becoming a choice for high end productions, as its clarity and exceptional sound quality has been turning a few heads! In addition to the Robe lights at the Festival, they supplied MILOS trussing, MDG fog machines and a large quantity of Robert Juliat PC Spots, profiles and cyc lights plus grandMA2 consoles for control. www.robe.cz

They currently have around 120 Robe units – purchased via Elie and Robe Middle East in Dubai. In addition to the products on the rig

“This is the best lighting that we have had to date” - Noura Jumblatt, Chief Organiser

LIVE September - October 2014

SINGAPORE

Music Matters To D.A.S. Audio

escribed as “TED meets SXSW” by American singer-songwriter Jason Mraz, Singapore’s award-winning Music Matters Live with HP is the only event in Asia that brings together the entire music and entertainment industry in one place. With over 60 bands, 18 countries, and 170 shows the event is a global platform that connects the music industry with fans through a stellar line-up of local and international bands. Emerging and established bands from Asia and around the world took to the main Fountain Stage over the course of the festival, where D.A.S. Audio professional sound systems delivered superior sound that wowed the crowds.

“The D.A.S. Aero 12A and LX-218CA can be tuned to sound almost like any other speaker system that you want to hear, and yet it has its own characteristic sound. It’s a very easy system to work with and gave me exactly what I needed for each band” - Raj, Sound Engineer

Music Matters Live was broadcast live on YouTube from the event’s main Fountain Stage in Clarke Quay, an entertainment hotspot on Singapore’s waterfront. Yet the massive event also required the collaboration of other venues around the city, including two Timbre Group locales which are no strangers to D.A.S. Audio: both are fitted out with a range of D.A.S. professional systems. When Music Matters Live event

The Clarke Quay venue posed a challenge for the Showmakers team, who worked closely with D.A.S. Audio’s Singapore oﬃce on the sound design and installation at the Music Matters Live Fountain Stage. Given the bustling activity at Clarke Quay the technicians had limited time to set up and decided on the compact yet powerful D.A.S. Aero 12A and LX-218CA systems as the best option for the FOH.

organizer Branded called in event managers and producers Showmakers to provide the sound for the festival, the sound technicians from this one-stop event production house immediately knew that the rugged and reliable D.A.S. Audio professional sounds systems would get the job done.

A total of 8 x D.A.S. Aero 12A compact line arrays were ground-stacked in two clusters of four units each on opposite sides of the stage. These eﬃcient and powerful systems were matched with 4 x high-performance LX-218CA subwoofers, also ground-stacked in a classic left/right/centre configuration to provide complete sound coverage for the

over 6,000 fans who packed the venue over the course of the four-day event. Showmakers opted to bring in 8 x D.A.S. Avant 12A, a versatile active speaker system, to handle stage monitor duties. These robust systems performed flawlessly and delivered high sound pressure for the legions of bands that crossed the stage at Music Matters Live. For the cleanest sound on the market the sound technicians rounded out the system with D.A.S. Audio DSP-4080 amplifiers. Raj, a veteran sound engineer with almost 15 years’ experience in the industry, handled the mixing of numerous bands each night with only a short sound check between set breaks. An expert on just how much “music matters”, Raj had only positive reviews after using the D.A.S. systems. “The D.A.S. Aero 12A and LX218CA can be tuned to sound almost like any other speaker system that you want to hear, and yet it has its own characteristic sound. It’s a very easy system to work with and gave me exactly what I needed for each band.” www.dasaudio.com

HaAavve U Met...? September - October 2014

Lighting Designer – Mumbai, India

E-Tech: Where do you draw your inspiration from? Becket: I read and relate to inspirational stories and biographies all the time. I am motivated by the opportunity and desire to grow and learn new things. I’m very selfmotivated too and I’m not at peace with myself unless I know I am working at my full potential. E-Tech: After countless shows and a tour with A R Rahman, what would you consider your most memorable show?

Becket 'Beckey' Tundatil considers his work “a fusion of technology, popular culture, and visual information”. After 14 years in the Lighting & Video sector, the 34-year-old is able to control and manipulate his craft to ensure artists always look their best both on stage and screen. Born in Kerala, India, Becket has been on tour with megastar, A R Rahman and has been involved in projects in various parts of the world including – Hong Kong, Kuwait, USA, Canada, Egypt, Singapore, Malaysia, Abu Dhabi and Bangladesh.. E-Tech: Tell us about your foray into the Entertainment Industry Becket: At first, I just planned to start a small time general lighting rental company and so, I started a discussion with my elder brother, Tony Tundatil who used to share a room with Lighting Designer, Harold Fernandes. One night while I was still starting up, Tony decided to take me to a live show and introduce me to Harold. At that point of time, Shailesh Gopalan [Owner of Stage Gear India aka Show Genesis India] was starting a new company and so Harold recommended me to Shailesh. It was Shailesh who taught me the basics of lighting and guided me in my career in my early days. You could say, he is my mentor.

gain some confidence. Immediately after that, I got the job for the 'War of the DJ’s' Competition which got me recognition and appreciation. E-Tech: What is your weapon of choice? Becket: The console is my most powerful weapon and I use a Jands Vista on a regular basis. After rigging and cabling, I feel that I can handle any kind of situation if I have my hands on a Vista console. The operating system is so advanced and it gives me the freedom to organize the layout in such a comfortable manner that, for me, programming my show is a cakewalk. E-Tech: If you had never become an LD, could you imagine being anything else?

E-Tech: Do you remember your first gig? Becket: I used to assist on shows for quite some time but my real first independent show came when I had to light up the Air India Building for its 75th year anniversary. It was a simple setup but it helped me

Becket: I love movies! I can watch all types and there was a point where I nearly started the hunt for a job to make a career in films. If my life had been diﬀerent, I think I would have been a director or a cinematographer.

Becket: If it’s an A R Rahman show, my favourite was the A R Rahman US & Canada tour in 2007. The creative freedom I got on the show by Deepak Gattani, the show director, was awesome. I also worked on Season 1 of Dancing With The Stars, the Indian version. It set new standards for television lighting in my country. The creative freedom was vast and the crew were the craziest people I have had the pleasure to work with in the past 14 years. Those two experiences stick out in my mind the as the most memorable experiences in my career. E-Tech: After everything you have seen and done, what does the future hold for Becket Tundatil? Becket: I recently started an architectural firm and am looking to set it up in a big way. My goal is to be the owner of the finest architectural lighting company in India. E-Tech: Do you have any advice for those on the ground just joining the entertainment industry? Becket: Live your dreams, chalk up a goal sheet, learn the system, respect your Guru, RnD is necessary and the rewards are unlimited. To find out more about Becket, get in touch with him at: beck0808@gmail.com View his personal portfolio at: http://www.beckettundatil.com/ Want to recommend an interesting/inspiring artist? Get in touch with us at elissa@spinworkz.com

#SPOTTED September - October 2014

Total Solution “Chill-Out” Night

Yamaha QL Series Launch (Singapore)

Arkaos Products & Training Seminar

Wuxi Studio Uses Christie Visual Solutions to Create Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s First Permanent Projection Mapping Show

Photo courtesy of Wincomn Technology Development Co. Ltd

Six Christie Roadie Series and four Christie Roadster Series projectors are used to present an impressive projection mapping display at Wuxi Studio in China.

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