Sound Sense Issue 002

SOUND SENSE ISSUE002

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Creating a buzz at DisneylandÂŽ Paris

2018 System Designers Conference

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RIVAGE PM7 has Mass appeal

Mixing the Pope in Dublin

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Life on the edge at Le Agavi

BGM on the Amalfi Coast

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Contents

Editorial

Yamaha's Global Guests Enjoy The Magic Of Disneyland® Paris

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2018 System Designers Conference

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Hotel Le Agavi Life on the edge at a unique Italian idyll

RIVAGE PM7 Has Mass Appeal Mixing The Pope in Dublin

Nuage And Nuendo Are The Clearcut Choice Leading London studio chooses Yamaha

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Top Class Loudspeakers

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Medieval Minster's Amazing Transformation

More than 200 Yamaha loudspeakers are installed at Cardiff University

Transforming a 13th century church with technology

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Staff profile Christoph Härtwig's rock'n'roll pedigree

Achieving The Impossible Sound for a film première on a 600m mountain

elcome to the second issue of Sound Sense, the magazine which highlights the best of what Yamaha Commercial Audio, our fellow divisions and companies in the Yamaha family do.

While producing this issue, it again struck me how Yamaha professional audio equipment is used for such a diverse array of applications and therefore how creative and adaptable the company's staff and customers need to be.

Yamaha's status as the world's biggest manufacturer of musical instruments comes with the intrinsic suggestion of human creativity. Yet, oddly, in the hi-tech world of 'professional' audio, the focus is almost exclusively on the technology.

But that technology has no way of being developed or implemented without people.

Unlike the world of musical instruments, in this part of the industry we use dispassionate words like 'professional', 'commercial' and 'solution' a lot. We all - quite rightly - pride ourselves on our professionalism. But every 'professional' is also a human being, with the passion, commitment and creativity essential to develop and utilise products which can successfully deliver great sound to everything from a top class hotel, or an 800 year old church, to a film première on a mountain!

SOUND SENSE Editor and Scribe: Robin Johnson | robin@9016.uk Commissioning Co-ordinator: Karl Christmas | karl.christmas@music.yamaha.com

Images in this issue are courtesy of Grim Berge/Forsand Kommune, Karl Christmas, Clearcut Sound Studios, Ginny Goudy, Harmonia Consulting, Christoph Härtwig, Jan Prins.

Contributors: Ron Bakker, Karl Christmas, Andy Felix, Ginny Goudy, Christoph Härtwig, Tomas Nylen, Chris Wrigglesworth.

Sound Sense is published by The Yamaha Corporation of Japan.

Executive Publisher: Ron Bakker | ron.bakker@music.yamaha.com

Any views expressed within are those of the individual authors and contributors and do not necessarily represent those of the publishers.

Design: Mel Jefferson | meljefferson.com

All contents © 2018 Yamaha Corporation of Japan or published under licence. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be used, stored, transmitted or reproduced in any way without the prior written permission of the publisher.

All information contained in this publication is for information only and is, as far as we are aware, correct at the time of going to press. The publishers cannot accept any responsibility for errors or inaccuracies in such information.

CONFERENCE | COMMENT

Yamaha's Global Guests Enjoy The Magic At Disneyland® Paris The 2018 Yamaha Commercial Audio System Designer’s Conference took place at Disneyland® Paris, where over 300 audio industry professionals from 36 countries enjoyed a diverse seminar programme.

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he annual System Designer’s Conference (SDC) takes place in a different European country each year and, in 2018, France was the destination for over 300 invited audio professionals from across the world. Co-hosted by Yamaha Music Europe France and Nexo, this year’s event was subtitled Experiencing High Quality Sound In Relation To The Five Senses and featured around 70 sessions. These mixed experiential, immersive demonstrations with lectures, discussions and opportunities to network.

The programme was organised by Yamaha Music Europe’s Ron Bakker.

“My goal was to provide new ideas and insights into new audio technologies and applications as a basis for discussions - not only about the technologies and their scientific backgrounds, but also about what we do with them now, and what we plan to do with them in the future,” he says.

The venue was chosen because such a high end entertainment complex relies on the creative use of audio, while its excellent conference facilities and location close to both Charles de Gaulle airport and Nexo’s Paris headquarters also made it the ideal choices.

Highlights The highlights of the conference were many and varied. Immersive demonstrations included Learprint: When Technique Becomes Art by Alain Français, which recreates the complex acoustics of a classical orchestra, allowing guests to wander through the installation to understand the different acoustic perspectives for each section of musicians and the conductor.

Using an impressive surround array of over 260 Nexo ID24 loudspeakers, the demonstration of Wave Field Synthesis

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CONFERENCE | COMMENT

by Casper Schipper and Ji Youn Kang from The Game of Life Foundation proved so popular that an additional session had to be arranged, while Ron himself showed off his musical skills when demonstrating the principles behind Acoustic Field Control systems.

Meanwhile, two very popular spaces were the Wine Room - where Sungyoung Kim of the Rochester Institute of Technology demonstrated the theory of cognitive plasticity, by inviting participants to express a preferred mix balance before and after a glass of high quality French wine - and the Chocolate Room, where PierreAndre Aebischer and Dominique Bettens of PAA Consulting delivered a virtual reality experience of how sound affects the body, including the senses of sight and taste.

Complementing the immersive demonstrations were sessions which discussed a wide array of relevant subjects, from the design of variable acoustics, the aesthetics of pro audio equipment design and the history and outlook regarding immersive music, to networking technologies, cloud services, artificial intelligence in mixing and how the audio team at Disneyland Paris manages the audio at its live events.

Sights and sounds Of course guests were also given plenty of opportunity throughout both days to mingle, discuss their work, exchange ideas and to enjoy high quality food, as well as the sights and sounds of Disney.

“These conferences are a great opportunity to meet people in a much more intimate setting, compared to the crowded environment of the major trade shows,” says Julian Carro, EMEA system solution account director for Audinate, who presented a workshop on Dante Domain Manager.

“The trade shows serve a very good purpose, but this is a different angle and is a great opportunity to learn about new things that Yamaha and others are bringing to the market. It was a really good event.”

As well as being interesting and enjoyable for the participants, the interactive sessions also served a useful experimental purpose for the presenters, with Sungyoung Kim expressing satisfaction at the results he gained.

“I saw many happy faces. The experiment in my session went very well and produced insightful results which we may share later with the attendants,” he says.

Meanwhile, Ron Bakker was very pleased with the two days. “Everybody who attended this year’s SDC gained new insights into what is possible with sound, so I am very happy,” he says.

“We are very grateful to Nexo, Audinate, The Game of Life Foundation, Institute National d’Audiovisuel, PAA Consulting, Rochester Institute of Technology, Pracownia Akustyczna, Learprint, Rupert Neve Designs, Universita di Parma and, of course, Disneyland Paris for all making a major contribution to what was a highly successful event.”

SOUND | SENSE

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RESORT | REPORT

Hotel Le Agavi: Life On The Edge At A Unique Italian Idyll Sat on the cliffs of Italy’s Amalfi coast, overlooking the sparkling Tyrrhenian Sea, Le Agavi is an idyllic, exclusive hotel. With spectacular views, a Michelin-starred restaurant, private beach access and discreet service, the family-run business is a peaceful, high quality retreat.

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We want to be sure that every aspect of our guests’ experience will be unique and unforgettable. Yamaha plays a very important role in ensuring that

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happens

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SOUND | SENSE

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ocated in Positano, a few kilometres from Naples, Hotel Le Agavi was founded in the 1960s by lawyer Aldo Capilongo, grandfather of the hotel’s marketing and technology manager Dr Mario Ippolito.

“When my grandfather found this area, he fell in love with it,” says Mario. “At the time there was only a farmhouse, but he had the foresight to realise that it was a place where people would want to escape the stress of daily life and relax.”

Aldo was right, the Amalfi coast having since developed into one of Italy’s most prestigious tourist destinations.

Aldo oversaw the building of 16 villas and a hotel, respecting the ecology of olive trees and agave plants which covered the site. Because of this, Aldo’s wife Maria suggested that they should name the hotel Le Agave.

“I remember him proudly telling me that, when he first came here, there were 82 olive trees and there are still 82 today,” smiles Mario.

Le Agave is unusual in that it is built down the cliff face and has its own, private funicular railway to transport guests between the different levels in comfort. The main reception area is 200m above sea level, with the restaurant, suites, rooms, swimming pool and other areas progressing down the cliff, to the private beach, Remmese Beach House and large solarium by the sea.

Uniquely on the Amalfi coast, as well as a sea view, every room has a large terrace. Guests can also enjoy the vista from La Serra restaurant.

Here chef Luigi Tramontano - awarded a 2018 Michelin star produces exquisitely crafted food.

Meanwhile Luigi's wife, Nicoletta Gargiulo,

RESORT | REPORT

is maître and master sommelier, looking after diners every need and responsible for the hotel’s extensive wine cellar.

The hotel also has a private landing stage, where guests can discreetly arrive by water taxi. “Many of our guests arrive by sea, which is a pleasantly different way to start your holiday,” says Mario. “You can also take excursions from here to discover the beauty of the region.”

From the beginning, Aldo and Maria Capilongo’s aim was to make every guest feel like part of the family, enjoying the warm embrace of a homely atmosphere. Mario and his team have maintained and evolved that tradition, blending his grandparents vision with the latest technology to give guests a supremely comfortable experience. This includes high quality background music throughout, brought

to customers by Yamaha loudspeakers, which blend tastefully into the décor.

“We want to make every guest feel special, so we take care of every tiny detail. This includes state-of-the-art technology to create the best atmosphere and environment possible,” says Mario. “We choose Yamaha because of the great, natural sound of its loudspeakers and how easily they blend into the décor. The versatility of Yamaha control also means we can easily manage the entire sound system on this complex site.

“We want to be sure that every aspect of our guests’ experience will be unique and unforgettable. Yamaha plays a very important role in ensuring that happens.”

Mario Ippolito

System Profile The Yamaha system at Le Agavi comprises VXS5, VXS8 and VXS10S loudspeakers, powered by PX3, PX5 and XMV8140 amplifiers, with WXC-50 wireless streaming devices in reception and the solarium. The system is managed by an MTX3 matrix processor and is controlled by Le Agavi staff using an Apple iPad running the ProVisionaire Touch Kiosk app, plus DCP1V4S and DCP4V4S surface mount controllers.

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CONSOLE | FOCUS

RIVAGE PM7 Has Mass Appeal 2018 saw a Yamaha RIVAGE PM7 digital mixing system play a key role in the visit of Pope Francis to Ireland

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espite lasting just 36 hours, the first papal visit to the Republic of Ireland for 40 years in August attracted global headlines and many thousands of Catholics who wanted to be in the presence His Holiness Pope Francis.

Dublin’s Croke Park stadium was the setting of the Festival of Families - the climax of the triennial six-day World Meeting of Families - a major live event which featured a wide array of entertainment and the Supreme Pontiff addressing the 82,500strong, sold-out crowd.

Described as ‘a reflective concert style event within a prayerful and joyful atmosphere’, the two-hour Festival of Families was choreographed as a celebration of family life, with many of Ireland’s best-known performers taking to the stage in front of the Pontiff and the enthusiastic audience.

Dublin-based Sound Design Ireland was tasked with producing the sound for the complex event, with the company’s John Vickers entrusting the main front of house mix to a Yamaha RIVAGE PM7 digital mixing system, despite it being the first show he had mixed on the console.

“We have been Yamaha users for many years, investing in the PM5D at a time when there was still resistance to digital mixing from many quarters. But we persevered and, of course, it paid off,” says John. “As long-term Yamaha users, we knew how well suited RIVAGE PM7 would be to an event where both music and speech were equally important. Plus, of course, I was fully confident in the reliability of Yamaha consoles.”

The signal routing backbone for the entire

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show was run from the RIVAGE PM7. Every input and output coming to and from FoH was routed through a Yamaha TWINLANe network, working seamlessly with Dante, using RPio622 and Rio3224-D I/O racks. This provided up to 400 channels between stage and FoH, with incredibly low latency at a native 96khz, 32-bit sampling rate.

Hans Metger of Yamaha Commercial Audio was on hand to assist John and his team with the system setup and management. “The flexibility and user friendliness of RIVAGE PM7 allowed it to handle everything that was needed. Whether it was having two operators patching and applying processing to the 200+ inputs and outputs or routing inputs between Dante and TWINLANe networks, the PM7 easily mastered every challenge,” he says.

With an orchestra, choirs, playback and numerous microphones to accommodate, it was a complex show. The music was submixed by Paul Keegan before being routed to the RIVAGE PM7 for the final mix at John’s hands.

CONSOLE | FOCUS

Paul Keegan and John Vickers with the RIVAGE PM10 at Croke Park

“We used a lot of plug-ins and processing, especially the Rupert Neve Designs SILK Blue and Red, which I used throughout the show,” he says.

One of the major challenges facing John was ensuring that all speech at the event was crystal clear, especially as the stage included a 20m catwalk extending in front of it and the large Nexo PA. Here the Rupert Neve 5045 Primary Source Enhancer plug-in played a key role, maximising gain before feedback and preventing any unwanted squeals.

“The Pope’s microphone was the most critical input of the whole show and his main speech was to be given from this catwalk, in front of the main PA,” says Hans. “Managing this aspect of the system was crucial and the Primary Source Enhancer helped us to do just that. Using it alongside a well-designed sound system goes a

long way when you are trying to squeeze out every last bit of gain. Due to the high profile nature of this show, any extra peace of mind makes a big difference!”

The sound was relayed to the enthusiastic crowd via a large Nexo STM series loudspeaker system for the main arrays, with further STM arrays on four delay towers. These worked seamlessly with Croke Park’s recently-installed permanent Nexo GEO S12 system. Stage monitoring was courtesy of Nexo 45*N-12 wedges.

“It was a high profile, high pressure event but RIVAGE PM7 is a truly lovely board and it went a long way to making the show such a success,” says John. “As is often the way, our technical production setup time shrank to around a third of what we had been allocated, but the combination of Yamaha and Nexo was really good. In all honesty, it couldn't have been better.”

Event production for the Festival of Families was by Tyrone Productions. It was broadcast throughout Ireland live on RTE, and distributed to a worldwide audience of several million people.

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The flexibility and user friendliness of RIVAGE PM7 allowed it to handle everything that was needed. Whether it was having two operators patching and applying processing to the 200+ inputs and outputs or routing inputs between Dante and TWINLANe networks, the PM7 easily mastered every

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challenge.

Live depends on us “The PM10 is refreshingly reliable, a console I can truly depend on.”

Matt Jones - Monitor Engineer, The Pixies

www.yamahaproaudio.com

Perfecting The Art of Live Sound

SOUND | SENSE

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POST | PRODUCTION

Nuage And Nuendo Are The Clearcut Choice For Leading London Studio Clearcut Sound Studios is one of London’s premier post-production facilities, A fast, dependable workflow is essential, which is why the business relies on Yamaha Nuage and Steinberg Nuendo.

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For us as creative engineers, it is important to consider audio as an equal part of the whole production process, to strive for quality and give the sound mix the effort that it deserves, making sure that we all create an outstanding

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piece of work

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stablished in 1993, Clearcut Sound Studios' clients include leading advertising agencies and broadcasters, producing content for television, radio, cinema and online media. Owned by its staff of eight, the company has recently upgraded to a Nuage post-production system.

The company is headed by managing director Chris Wrigglesworth and senior sound designer James Clark. “We have a team of creative and driven individuals that share the responsibility of running the business. We believe this makes us a different breed of facility, where there is a universal passion and care for the people we work with and the work that we do,” says Chris.

The company switched to Steinberg Nuendo in 2009 and were impressed with its ease and speed of use. “It offers a complete solution that didn’t rely on expensive outboard kit, software add-ons and plug-ins," he notes.

For a long time the company used Yamaha DM2000 digital mixers for I/O, with expansion cards for Dante connectivity.

While the reliability of the DM2000s was unquestioned, as Nuendo has developed, the control side became dated. With the facility developing its music composition service

- meaning it can offer a complete package of audio post-production - it became essential to have a fast, intuitive hardware solution to harness Nuendo’s advanced features.

As a result, the company invested in a Yamaha Nuage system comprising an NCS500CT Nuage Master unit, two NCS-500FD Nuage Fader units and five I/O units.

“As technology has improved and engineers have got quicker and more efficient at doing certain tasks, the expectation is often that sound sessions can be completed incredibly quickly,” says Chris. “We looked at various control options and decided on Nuage, because it is built for Nuendo and every control has a clear and simple purpose.

“For us as creative engineers, it is important to consider audio as an equal part of the whole production process, to strive for quality and give the sound mix the effort that it deserves, making sure that we all create an outstanding piece of work. Nuage has provided exactly what we needed to achieve that, making it fast and straightforward to harness all aspects of Nuendo.”

EDUCATION | EQUIPMENT

In the quest to improve its physical learning spaces, a major upgrade of the facilities at Cardiff University has seen the installation of over 200 Yamaha ceiling loudspeakers

Speakers That Are Top Of Their Class

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ardiff University in Wales is currently midway through a refurbishment programme of all of its physical learning spaces (what 'old-school' graduates would call lecture theatres), taking place throughout its Cathays Park and Heath Park campuses. Two new buildings are also under construction - one in Cardiff’s Central Square for the University’s School of Journalism, Media and Culture (JOMEC - to be shared with BBC Wales) and the Centre for Student Life, next to the existing Student Union.

150 Yamaha VXC8W ceiling loudspeakers have been installed in the newly-updated spaces, while 99 VXC6W will be installed in the new buildings.

Harmonia Consulting has been working with the university for the past three years, designing both the acoustics and the AV systems for the upgrades and the new spaces. The systems have been installed by integrators GV Multimedia and Reflex.

“We chose Yamaha VXC series loudspeakers for all the spaces with low ceilings and where cabinet loudspeakers hanging from the ceiling would obstruct sight lines,” says Harmonia consultant Sam Williams.

“A distributed loudspeaker approach was the obvious solution and, with ceiling speakers located closer to the listeners, it also meant that we could maximise gain before feedback.”

Yamaha speakers were chosen after extensive testing and comparison of different models, satisfying all the acoustic and technical requirements as well as being at the right price point.

"We had several key tests, including level variance over nominal coverage angles, because many two-way, coaxial-‘ish’ ceiling speakers have inconsistent spatial variance over the nominal coverage area and beyond,” Sam continues.

“Speech and music quality were also very important and many two-way or larger loudspeakers with reasonable directivity can significantly compromise audio quality.

“The fact that Yamaha had low profile options and different sizes of ceiling speaker meant we could deliver a project with consistent tonality and quality, which was also cost effective to the client."

A final advantage of choosing the Yamaha VXC series was the benefits they bring to systems integrators. “The VXC series is not too heavy, unlike units we have previously used, and they are easy to install. This helps the integrators to have a positive project experience, which is very important,” says Sam. With the purpose of this project being to provide the highest quality learning facilities at Cardiff University, the Yamaha VXC series will play a key role in improving the learning experience for over 30,000 students every year.

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WORSHIP | PROJECTS

Medieval Minster’s Amazing Transformation Two challenges facing Anglican churches in the 21st Century UK are changing patterns of use and the swift advance of technology raising visitor expectations. At Hull Minster, a multi-million pound transformation project is addressing these issues and much more.

Daniel Broom

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he medieval Minster has been a place of worship for as long as the settlement of Kingston upon Hull - on the north bank of the Humber Estuary in Yorkshire - itself. Named Holy Trinity Church until May 2017, the Grade I listed parish church is the largest in the UK by floor area and became Hull Minster during the city's tenure as UK City of Culture.

From its inception

by King Edward I in the 13th/14th century, the church was intended to be as much a community centre as a house of worship. However, by the

early 2000s, Hull had the lowest church attendance in the UK and the Minster’s leadership had long wanted to make it more inclusive and attractive to a wider demographic.

Dubbed the Amazing Transformation, a major investment is aiming to turn it into a high quality performance and arts venue, as well as radically updating its facilities for worship and pastoral care, forming a centrepiece of the city’s Old Town.

Completed in December 2016, the first phase was to re-order the churchyard, removing the surrounding wall to welcome people in (rather than presenting a physical and psychological barrier) and creating a large outdoor space for community and church events.

The next phase included moving the fixed pews to the side of the nave, which would make a large, flexible space reminiscent of the medieval church. Importantly, this would be suitable for concerts, performances and banquets, as well as worship.

At this point systems integrator SFL Group and Yamaha Commercial Audio entered the picture, because a key part of the plan was to implement a major upgrade of the Minster’s AV facilities, to give visitors a true 21st century experience.

The installation of new underfloor heating (along with improved accessibility and a new visitor centre/shop) gave SFL Group the opportunity to add a comprehensive Dante audio network beneath the Minster's flagstone floor.

“The new floor and heating were a vital part of making the Minster more inviting. Gone are the days of freezing while listening to sermons and presentations,” smiles the Minster’s community

WORSHIP | PROJECTS

minister Daniel Broom. “Now it’s a welcoming space, whatever the weather.”

Covering the full length of the Nave and the chancel, the Dante network forms the backbone of a Yamaha audio system, which comprises a Yamaha TF3 digital mixer, a pair of TIO1608-D stage boxes and an MTX5-D matrix processor.

“There are five connection points located throughout the church, all with a primary and secondary line. The TF3 and stage boxes can be plugged into the network at in any of these positions, allowing the system to cope with any event,” says SFL project manager Andy Felix.

"Using Dante, it’s also easily expandable to cover the next phase, which will include a new café.”

The system is controlled by Yamaha’s Wireless DCP app and an MCP1 surface-mounted controller. The MTX5-D takes feeds from the Dante network, as well as wired and wireless microphones, managing these and the outputs to the loudspeaker system via a number of presets.

Andy and the SFL team programmed these to be modular, allowing Minster staff to build a full setup by making a series of smaller decisions, such as which audio sources and zones are active.

“We needed the system to be easy to use by engineers of all skill levels, have a reputable and reliable product and have integrated Dante networking that could communicate simply with other devices. We’re extremely pleased that the Minster team found the TF3 so easy to use and that it and the I/O units integrate so seamlessly with MTX5-D,” says Andy.

“Visiting engineers can also bring their own console. If it’s Dante equipped they can plug in to any of the network points. Alternatively, an analogue connection can be provided from the Yamaha TF3.”

This phase of the Amazing Transformation was completed by early 2018 and, although there are further improvements to make, those completed so far have already made a significant difference.

“We hope that this major investment will bring

wide-ranging benefits,” says Daniel. “In terms of worship facilities and the people who come to us for support, we will be able to serve the community more effectively.

“Importantly, it will also enable us to use the building to its full potential. Through hiring our spaces we can become financially stable, using the surplus income for pastoral care and missionary work within the wider community.”

James Symonds, the Minster's events co-ordinator, adds, “Hull Minster is fast becoming renowned as a place for great events and concerts - both from it’s setting within 700 years of history, but also with the ability to deliver almost all types of musical styles through the in-house system. This negates the need to bring in external PA companies to provide even the simplest of sound reinforcement systems."

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STAFF | PROFILE

The Härt Of The Matter This month's staff profile is of Christoph Härtwig, who tells a tale of good, old fashioned rock'n'roll rebellion

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He did them a great deal since nobody else wanted the guitar.

Not a big surprise. It was

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pink.

Of Darksome Origin strike the classic 'up the nose' pose beloved of death metal bands

Christoph on stage with Sonic Black Holes

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owadays Christoph Härtwig leads a (mainly) respectable life as Yamaha's Product Manager for Post and Music Production, as well as looking after the online marketing and social media for RIVAGE digital mixing systems. But rock'n'roll still runs through his veins...

Born in east Germany in 1980, one of Christoph's first acts of musical rebellion was to start playing guitar by, as he admits, "stealing my sister´s acoustic". Inspired by Al Di Meola and others, "it was a revelation to me that acoustic guitars didn't have to mean camp fires and folk songs," he says.

Embracing the likes of Pearl Jam, Guns N Roses, Metallica and later extreme metal, he rebelled against his parents strict Catholic convictions by founding death metal band Of Darksome Origin in 1993, the year he got his first electric guitar.

"I told my parents that I wanted a cheap black BC Rich Warlock counterfeit for Christmas, but the guy in the shop persuaded them to buy a Charvel Spectrum, because it was better quality," Christoph recounts. "He also did them a great deal since nobody else wanted the guitar. Not a big surprise. It was pink."

Christoph promptly covered it in black duct tape and his rebellion resumed!. He started the journey that all future sound engineers of the time embarked on, beginning with primitive equipment and learning as he went along (for example that bathrooms are perhaps not the perfect recording space for guitars!), later starting to mix gigs by local bands.

Christoph with Aviv Geffen at Chameleon Studios

By the time he moved to Hamburg to study media technology and sound engineering, he was working regularly as a live engineer and built his own studio, which soon became a business.

His neighbours didn't appreciate the noise, but it turned out to be a good thing as Christoph moved into Hamburg's legendary Chameleon Studios, where he still occasionally works as an engineer. This has included working with artists like Al Di Meola ("My inspiration coming back full circle," he notes), Ricky Ross and Aviv Geffen.

"I also have some technical credits on a Deep Purple record," he says, adding with a chuckle,. "A fun fact is that I recorded an album with German comedian Mike Krüger, who was also a childhood hero. When I was aged 6, his song Der Nippel changed my life..."

In due course Christoph became the first employed product specialist at Steinberg, before working for a different console manufacturer and then returning 'home' to the Yamaha family in early 2015.

Besides his work for Yamaha and part-time audio engineering, Christoph indulges his passion for wine and plays guitar with his band Sonic Black Holes.

"Wine goes well with music. Not many people know that I am an approved sommelier," he says.

"In Sonic Black Holes the anger of my teenage years is replaced with melody. We regularly tour and will soon be recording our second album. But it won't be in a bathroom."

MOVIE | CHALLENGE

Achieving The (Mission) Impossible

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ne of the most iconic scenes of the film Mission Impossible - Fallout is the fight between Tom Cruise and Henry Cavill on an imposing cliff edge. Filmed at the Preikestolen (the Pulpit), a large rock outcrop in the mountains above Lysefjorden in Forsand, Norway, where better for the film’s Norwegian première to take place? The event was hosted by Forsand Kommune, but a major problem was… how to deliver high quality cinema sound to 2000 people on a mountain, 600 metres above sea level?

It was a challenge too tempting for outdoor cinema specialists Unique Digital Nordic to resist. They contacted Tomas Nylén of Yamaha, who was happy to help.

“For outdoor cinema sound, speech clarity and bass pressure are essential,” says Tomas. “The bass is even more important for action films, because you want to really feel effects like explosions.

Despite the challenges of delivering this from a system sitting on solid rock in the open air, we knew that Yamaha’s new DZR315 full-range and DXS18 sub-bass loudspeakers would deliver the necessary power and quality.”

Tor Brede Michelsen of Unique Cinema Nordic specified a 5.1 set up to complement a 12 x 6m Airscreen and Christie projectors.

The audio setup comprised an L-C-R front system of three stacks of a DZR315 with DXS18-XLS. Two more DZR315/DXS18-XLS stacks provided the surround elements, while four more DXS18-

XLS with 18dB low pass filter at 100Hz delivered the extended low frequencies. As usual for cinema, the system setup was 85dB C-weighted, measured two-thirds of the way back in the audience area.

This was the first Norwegian public event using the new Yamaha loudspeakers, which had to be especially airfreighted in from Japan. While the 2000-strong audience had to spend 2.5 hours climbing steep trails to reach the cinema site, the technical system was transported via helicopter, although it took a total of 13 trips.

The weather for the setup was unrelenting heavy rain but, by the time the film started at 11pm on the following evening, it had dramatically improved - dry and with little wind for either the screen technicians or audio team to worry about.

“It was a wonderful summer evening with a magical atmosphere.

When the sun went down, the spectators sat down in sleeping bags and ate popcorn while they watched the film. The sound and ambience on the mountainside swept them into an enchanting movie experience,” says Tomas.

“Everyone was very impressed with the sound and we received many favourable comments from the audience. Logistically it was a tough challenge, but the chance to provide the sound for a spectacular, unique outdoor cinema at the Preikestolen only ever happens once in a lifetime!”

SOUND | SENSE

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Live Depends on Us Your mixes. Our consoles.

RIVAGE PM10 Digital Mixing System

NEW

For more information please visit www.yamahaproaudio.com

Perfecting the Art of Live Sound

RIVAGE PM7 Digital Mixing System