Sound Sense Issue 003

SOUND SENSE ISSUE003

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France's vision of the future

Audio at Arena Pays d'Aix

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Festive fun with Orbital

PM10 does pantomime

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Keeping ahead of the industry

YUC meets the challenge

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Contents

Editorial

Complex Sound: Yamaha and Nexo Are The Future

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... at France's Arena Pays d'Aix

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New products and updates at ISE 2019 Yamaha's ongoing commitment to improvement

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National Treasure

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Yamaha Opens New $100m Innovation Center

London's National Theatre relies on the MRX7-D matrix processor

Enhancing efficiency in Hamamatsu

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Orbital Puts Its Trust In PM10

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Yamaha Unified Communications

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AFC Is Big News At Kulturhuset Najaden

Early PM1D adopter puts its trust in Yamaha's latest flagship console Surpassing expectations in a fast-moving industry

Improving the sound of a community venue in a former print works

any readers of this issue of Sound Sense will have picked up the magazine at Integrated Systems Europe in Amsterdam, now well-established as the major European trade show for professional installed sound and, increasingly, live sound as well.

ISE's rise and rise is perhaps symptomatic of the way that boundaries in professional sound are becoming increasingly blurred. As innovations like Yamaha 's ProVisionaire apps make possible the control of complex audio systems by those with no technical knowledge whatsoever and as sound technology moves ever-further (and with increasing speed) into the realm of IT, it feels like the sound industry is changing more quickly than ever before.

The case studies in this issue of Sound Sense show, once again, how Yamaha and its sister companies continue to be at the forefront of that change. And the opening of Yamaha's new Innovation Center highlights the company's commitment to keep moving forward, listening to what end users want and delivering solutions that not long ago seemed impossible, but today are just part of the fabric of life. Whether users are professional or consumer, experiencing sound has never been more progressive.

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 Aldo Amoretti, James Bellorini, Karl Christmas, Mikael Collin, James Cumpsty, Robin Johnson, Philip Vile, Yamaha Unified Communications

Contributors: Bertil Sommer, Dom Bilkey, Karl Christmas, Mikael Collin, Chris Headlam, Randall Lee, Olly Steel, Phil Stanley, Ben Steinitz, .

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 Š 2019 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.

ARENA | AUDIO

Complex Sound: Yamaha And Nexo Are The Future At Arena Pays d’Aix Arena Pays d'Aix is a state-of-the-art, multi-purpose venue, designed to host a wide range of events. A Yamaha and Nexo audio system delivers high quality, flexible audio throughout the arena complex.

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ocated close to the southern French city of Aix-en-Provence, the outside of Arena Pays d'Aix presents a futuristic vision, its clean, sweeping lines contrasting with the surrounding countryside of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It has quickly become a popular destination for sport and entertainment from throughout the region, including nearby Marseille, France’s third largest city.

Designed by architect Christophe Gulizzi, the vision of the future continues inside, where a modular format allows the 4000m2 interior space to offer 17 different configurations, depending on the type of event being hosted.

The main space (Grande Salle, unofficially nicknamed The Cauldron) is the home of the Pays d'Aix University handball club, which competes in Division 1 of the Ligue Nationale de

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SOUND | SENSE

Handball. Featuring an audience capacity of up to 7000, it can be configured to host a wide range of other events, including tennis, wrestling, indoor motocross, live concerts, ballet and much more.

Arena Pays d'Aix also features a secondary arena (Salle Annex) with room for up to 1500 spectators, as well as three exhibition / event spaces which can hold up to 450 people each, bars / concessions and a press room. The main concourse (La Coursive) can also be used to host events, with a capacity of 1800 people.

The venue’s interior designer Kanju commissioned consultants Solus3 to design the AV systems. Solus 3 approached Aix-en-Provence based systems integrator Société Texen to deliver a solution where flexibility and quality were the most important features.

ARENA | AUDIO

Texen’s Thomas Goeuriot recommended a Dante-networked Yamaha and Nexo system, which is centred on four ‘nodes’ installed throughout the venue, each comprising a system rack with a MTX5-D matrix processor, XMV series amplifiers, 24 port switches and, where required, Tio1608-D i/o racks.

All areas apart from The Cauldron feature Yamaha loudspeakers - a total of 146, including VXC5F-VA (voice evacuation model) and NS-IC400 ceiling speakers, VXS1ML and VXS3FT compact surface mount models.

In The Cauldron, 30 Nexo GEO S12 loudspeakers deliver high quality sound to sports and event audiences. Arrayed as 10 flown clusters of three around the edge of the arena floor, they are powered and controlled by NXAMP 4x4 and NXAMP 4x1 amplifiers.

“Many manufacturers approached us to supply the Cauldron system,” says Thomas Goeuriot. "Coverage and intelligibility were really important and Nexo provided the best technical solution. The GEO S12 speakers cover low enough frequencies without needing subs and they provide seamless coverage to every seat.”

Meanwhile, in addition to the installed VXC5F-VA and NS-IC400 ceiling models, the Salle Annex features four CBR15 loudspeakers, driven by P7000 amplifiers, for added audio power and depth for sports training sessions, plenary sessions and other events.

A TF5 digital mixing console was also supplied, which can be plugged into the system for local mixing in any area. The press room features a pair of VXS8 loudspeakers for event monitoring, with the system also providing broadcast I/O.

“Arena Pays d'Aix has the most modern, high quality facilities installed throughout and the audio system is key to delivering the best experience to all users,” says Yamaha’s Pascal Bessenet.

“The entire audio system was single-sourced from the Yamaha and Nexo family, delivering not only high quality sound, but exceptional flexibility and reliability. We know these qualities will serve the Arena well for many years to come.”

The Cauldron: 1 x Yamaha MTX5-D 1 x Yamaha MY8-DA96 30 x Nexo GEOS12 2 x Nexo NXAMP 4X4 1 x Nexo NXAMP 4X1 1 x 24 port switch Salle Annex: 1 x Yamaha MTX5-D 1 x Yamaha XMV-8220 2 x Yamaha P7000 20 x Yamaha VXC5F-VA 18 x Yamaha NS-IC400 4 x Yamaha CBR15 Exhibition spaces (x 3): 1 x Yamaha MTX5-D 2 x Yamaha XMV-4280 20 x Yamaha VXC5F-VA 1 x 24 port switch

Nodal racks (x 4): 1 x Yamaha MTX5-D 2 x Yamaha XMV-8220 2 x 24 port switches La Coursive and concessions 50 x Yamaha NS-IC400 45 x Yamaha VXC5F-VA 8 x Yamaha VXS3F 4 x Yamaha VXS1ML 2 x DCP1V4S control panels Press Room: 2 x Yamaha VXS8 1 x Yamaha PX3 Control Room: 1 x Yamaha TF5 1 x Yamaha MTX5-D 1 x 24 port switch

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NEW | PRODUCTS

New Products And Updates For ISE 2019 Yamaha’s commitment to constant improvement saw a number of new products and firmware updates make their debuts at ISE 2019.

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VXC2F and VXC8S loudspeakers

SWP2-10SMF network switch.

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amaha Music Europe chose ISE 2019 in Amsterdam to launch its latest new products and firmware updates.

The multi-award winning VXC and VXS loudspeaker range is being expanded with the VXC2F 2.5” full-range, low profile ceiling speaker and VXC8S 8” bandpass ceiling subwoofer.

The VXC2F is the shallowest model in the VXC series, with a back can less than 7.6cm/3” deep, while VXC8S is the first ceiling subwoofer in the range and includes unique VXC features like anti-drop tab and carrying band for safe, straightforward installation. The PK-C4 pendant mount option for the VXC2F will also be launched, with all VXC models available in black or white (paintable) finish.

Also being launched at ISE is the SWP2 series of network switches, which include

10Gbps fibre uplinks, making them ideal for high capacity Dante networking, including 96kHz. Both multi and single-mode models allow for longer distance transmission. With straightforward setup, rugged connectivity and Yamaha’s legendary reliability, the SWP2 series is designed to provide the optimum environment for mobile audio networks.

Yamaha's RIVAGE digital mixing systems are also receiving another significant upgrade, with ISE 2019 seeing the debut of RIVAGE V3.0. This firmware update adds the new DaNSe dynamic noise suppressor plug-in, developed by Dr K’s lab at Yamaha Japan to bring improvements in speech clarity for theatrical and broadcast applications. The update also adds Mix to Input routing, and workflows for global paste, DCA assignment and Custom Faders. All the improvements of RIVAGE V2.5 will also be on display, including Theatre Mode, which offers significant advantages for all types of theatrical production and support for Audinate’s Dante Domain Manager.

Alongside the new products, Yamaha was highlighting a number of other recentlyannounced products, including the SWR2311P10G Power over Ethernet (PoE) switch, VXL1-16P Dante PoE powered speaker system, ProVisionaire Touch / Control updates and CL/ QL series V5.1 firmware.

Finally, ISE 2019 saw Yamaha highlighting its Active Field Control (AFC) system. Yamaha is a world leader in immersive audio solutions, its spatial audio division having been involved in the acoustic consultation and design of live music venues since 1969. Yamaha patented its hybrid regenerative acoustic enhancement system in 1985, with the third generation AFC system launched in 2013. It is a feature of many theatres, opera houses, concert halls and multipurpose venues throughout Europe.

NATIONAL | NETWORK

National Treasure

London’s Royal National Theatre is one of the UK’s most well-known venues, with three theatres and multi-purpose spaces which host many different events. Reliably routing audio throughout the complex is vital, which is why it has chosen Yamaha.

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ore usually known as the National Theatre, or NT, the venue's Olivier, Lyttleton and Dorfman theatres present a wide repertoire of productions and it also hosts events ranging from theatre workshops to corporate events, weddings and parties. It uses a Dante audio network and four Yamaha MRX7-D matrix processors to manage show relay around the building.

An MRX7-D is located in the building’s central control room (CCR), with one in each theatre. As well as feeding show relay from the three theatres to induction loops / infra-red assisted listening systems and to narrators for audio described performances, the system links via MADI into a Riedel MediorNet system for video and audio distribution to artist dressing rooms, latecomer screens in the foyer, TV broadcast and networked drives for show archiving. The MRX7-D system also feeds background music to the NT’s bookshop, restaurants and bars - each controlled by its own, wall-mounted DCP series control panel.

“We chose the MRX7-Ds for a number of reasons. A very important one was reliability,” says NT head of sound and video Dom Bilkey. “More than 10 years since we installed them, we Dom Bilkey and Ben Steinitz

still have four Yamaha DME series digital mixing engines reliably working at various locations in the building. These systems that are on all day, every day doing functional but very important jobs, just need to work. Having complete trust in the reliability is vital.”

All of the MRX7-Ds are on the building’s Dante show relay control network, but each part of the system is ring-fenced, so the technical team in each theatre can only change the settings for their part of the system.

“Each one has its own character and its own team, but there has to be a certain amount of control and compatibility across the whole site, linking it all together,” adds Ben Steinitz, the NT’s senior building systems and communications engineer.

“The teams can remote desktop into virtual machines in the CCR, via MTX-MRX Editor software. They also use iPads to manage the system, which allow them to monitor the MRX7-Ds in real time. The operator at the mix position has a clear, instant visual reference of the various audio inputs and outputs.”

He continues, “When they’re setting up a show, as well as working on the mix they also spend time making sure that the delivery to all the other systems is good. Compared to what we had before, has made a massive improvement to the quality of what we’re delivering - both to the systems and the public. Many people have commented on how much better it is.”

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NATIONAL | NETWORK

“There are still a couple of areas which are not on the main network, but we are looking to add those.

We are also currently discussing whether to invest in a Yamaha TF1 or QL1 digital mixer for events in the foyer. It’s part of a bigger plan to make it a fully Dante building, to be able to plug in a console in the foyer and route the audio to anywhere else.”

The success of the MRX7-Ds on the main Dante network is why the NT team chose the same processor for the venue's newest addition. In 2018 a new, permanent structure was installed on the roof space known as The Deck. Its views across the River Thames to the City of London make it a popular space for corporate gatherings, product launches, parties and weddings.

“The MRX7-D’s Dante networking and GPIO connections were a major plus, allowing full integration with the system amplifiers and contract installations like the fire alarms.

The fully-customisable iPad control was another major benefit, as was the price point. You get a lot for what’s in the box,” says Ben. The flexibility of Yamaha’s ProVisionaire Touch iPad app allowed a completely bespoke control interface to be designed.

“Staff can touch a button on the iPad and it instantly changes all the delay points and the rest of the settings for that room configuration within the MRX7-D. It makes a huge difference,” says Dom. The interface allows up to eight radio microphones to be mixed manually, with the MRX7-D's Dan Dugan auto mixing and feedback suppression also making things straightforward for non-technical members of staff.

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“Mixing on the iPad has real benefits for clients, because it makes the room look very clean, while the Dan Dugan auto mixing means the events team can just grab a few handheld mics and turn them on, with no need for an audio engineer. It works really well,” adds Ben. Currently The Deck’s system is completely independent of the main NT system, although the potential to connect them is there, should it be needed.

“It has been discussed, but keeping them separate makes sense for now,” says Dom. “However, we know there might be a time when, for example, we want an event in one of the theatres to happen in tandem with something related on The Deck.

“The new structure and systems have made The Deck a much more client-friendly space. It’s great to have such an attractive audio system that matches the way the events team work and like the space to look. It has worked really well.”

INNOVATION | CENTER

Yamaha Opens New $100m Innovation Center Yamaha has been at the forefront of the professional audio industry for many decades.

The corporation is committed to maintaining this position and, to achieve this, it has opened a brand new, $100m Innovation Center at its headquarters in Hamamatsu, Japan.

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esigned to accelerate pan-Yamaha development of a wide range of audio-related products, the Innovation Center has brought together engineers who used to be located in different buildings inside and outside the Yamaha Corporation HQ. Originally planned a number of years ago, it had to be postponed due to the 2011 earthquake. The project was reactivated in 2016 and, now complete, the Yamaha Innovation Center comprises three buildings. A new seven-story, 35,000m2 engineering facility is complemented by refurbished manufacturing control and quality assurance departments.

The new building hosts engineers from Yamaha’s professional audio, Unified Communications, home audio and musical instrument divisions.

By assembling them together in one location, Yamaha is aiming to making collaboration between engineers from different business units and disciplines more streamlined, to enhance development efficiency.

Complementing this aim, the new contemporary and inspiring work environment will boost creativity, delivering superior innovations and benefits to customers.

The Yamaha Innovation Center has a number of cutting-edge facilities to ensure that every Yamaha audio product delivers both the best sound and user experience possible. To ensure new products are evaluated both technically and subjectively, the engineering and testing rooms include: * One of the largest anechoic chambers in Japan, measuring 9m

wide x 14m deep x 13m high. * Speaker testing rooms with the highest quality acoustic insulation. * Recording studios * Vibration experiment rooms. * Ergonomic evaluation rooms. * Sensory rating rooms (for subjective product evaluation). * Reverb chambers with adjustable 0.3 - 1.6 second reverb time.

The recording studio is designed for engineers to bring in any audio I/O, mixing and processing equipment they choose. In addition a large session studio is also provided, with lighting and cameras.

The recording studio, session studio and experiment rooms are all linked with both analogue and Dante digital audio networks. The Dante network allows for running remote session in multiple rooms, making it possible to simultaneously record studio sessions in different monitoring environments.

The offices of the new Innovation Center are designed in an equally collaborative way, with open plan spaces, free movement (rather than fixed desks), meeting rooms and a restaurant, where guests can spend lunch time with Yamaha staff. It is all designed to encourage ingenuity and invention, accelerating efficient and flexible development of ideas and products for an increasingly diverse market.

If any inspiration from the past is needed, the new building also features Yamaha’s Innovation Road, a corporate museum which showcases over 130 years of development challenges and engineering passion. Featuring over 230 products, it includes an organ from 1887, the year Yamaha was founded.

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CONSOLE | FOCUS

Orbital Puts Its Trust In PM10 Back in 2001, leading theatre sound design and rental company Orbital was one of the first to invest in the Yamaha PM1D digital mixing console. With the RIVAGE PM10 system firmware recently updated to include Theatre Mode, Orbital has again invested in Yamaha's flagship digital mixing system

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lly Steel, Orbital’s head of sound design, sums it up neatly. "For the market we work in, it’s incredibly important that you should be able to turn the console on, know it’s going to work and be able to completely trust it every day,” he says.

“We have always had a very close relationship with Yamaha and have maintained a large inventory of the company's digital mixers. Once it became obvious that they would develop the necessary theatre features for the RIVAGE PM10 system, it was the right time for us to invest in their latest flagship platform.

An added bonus was that the theatre firmware upgrade does not come at any extra cost.”

The launch of RIVAGE firmware Version 2.5 in October 2018 added Theatre Mode which, amongst other improvements, facilitates scene and costume changes with four banks that can be used to store different EQ and dynamics settings for individual performers.

The timing of the update meant that Orbital’s investment in RIVAGE PM10 could coincide with the festive season, during which the company designs and supplies over 40 audio systems for pantomimes throughout the UK. “Because of the volume of work over the pantomime season, large format consoles are in extremely high demand. So it made sense to put the PM10s straight to work, then put them on to upcoming theatre musical productions once the panto season is finished,” says Olly.

High production values Olly chose Cinderella at the Bristol Hippodrome and Robin Hood at the Milton Keynes Theatre to feature the new system. They have similar-sized productions - a cast of 10-12, all using wireless microphones, plus a five piece band and a lot of playback. Both are

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Orbital sound operator Ben Clark at the Milton Keynes Theatre

staged by Qdos Entertainment - the world’s biggest pantomime production company, which has been producing quality Christmas shows since 1999. Qdos has very high production values and they have to be met in a very short time, minimising the period that venues are unavailable for other productions.

“The shows loaded in on a Sunday, soundchecked on Tuesday night, did technical rehearsals until Friday, then a dress rehearsal and they opened on Saturday,” says Olly. “There was very little time to spare on these productions, they’re ambitious and extravagant for all departments, so our priority has always been to make it functional and use the time as best we can.

“From the beginning the PM10 systems made a real difference.

Because they are so easy and quick to work on, we had noticeably more time to concentrate on making the shows sound great.”

That ease of use is thanks, in part, to the familiarity of the user interface. “The control surface has the same ethos as the rest of the Yamaha range and every sound engineer knows how to get a mix from a Yamaha system,” Olly continues. “PM10 is more complex, of course, but it is still usable by any engineer. It’s very easy to work everything out, the functionality will be familiar to everyone.”

CONSOLE | FOCUS

This was epitomised by Piers Archer, Olly’s highly experienced sound operator at the Bristol show. “He toured PM1Ds and 5Ds before, but has used a different manufacturer’s consoles for the past few years,” says Olly.

“He stood in front of the RIVAGE PM10 two days before he had to start using it and said ‘Great, it operates like a big CL5’. The PM10 layout makes learning it very fast.

“I also really like some of the touring features which make a big difference, like the ability to configure signal paths to very fine detail - they can be very complex, but can be achieved very quickly, something which is arguably unrivalled. And things like the screen being laid out in a way that you immediately understand what you’re looking at.

“On the sound side, the plug ins are great and the audio quality is something I’ve not heard for a while. We’re using the systems with the D2 R-series I/O units and I’ve been super impressed with them.”

Trusted While Olly is very happy with all the features of RIVAGE PM10, he again comes back to what is, ultimately, the most important thing for any major sound production - reliability.

“When I was initially talking to Yamaha about the system, I placed huge emphasis on redundancy and reliability,” he says. “I can’t stress enough how important it is to turn a console on and be totally confident that it will work. Nowadays that’s truer than ever before, as sound systems are increasing in complexity every day. You need to be certain that the core of the system will work perfectly all the time. If we can rely on the equipment, it makes everything else so much easier.

In 2001 Orbital's Drew Mollison, sound designer Scott Myers, No.1 sound operator Riccardo van Krugten and Yamaha's Terry Holton and Andy Cooper at London's Sadler's Wells. The PM1D's public debut was on The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

“The first time I stood in front of RIVAGE PM10 I completely trusted it, which was a huge deal.”

The new Yamaha consoles made such a difference that even the star of the Bristol show noticed. “He has high standards and I was very pleased when he said it was the best it’s ever been and asked what had changed? I was happy to tell him it was the console. If it’s reliable, has great sound quality and you can give the star what they want quickly and easily, it’s obviously a winner.”

He adds, “As soon as the theatre upgrade was announced, there was a buzz about it from theatre sound designers. I genuinely think that this upgrade will attract both a lot of younger theatre designers and PM1D users of old, who went over to other systems in the meantime. I’m sure they will quickly be coming back to Yamaha.”

Delighted Orbital managing director Chris Headlam is also delighted with the company’s new investment, saying, “The global musical theatre world has been waiting for a theatre mixing console which is bulletproof reliable, sounds amazing, has all the power needed for a modern musical… and also really looks and feels the part.

“Nowadays people always want mixers to be smaller but, when you are making a major investment for very high profile shows, we think it’s important that it should look and feel every bit as good as it sounds and works. RIVAGE PM10 is a proper, high quality piece of Japanese engineering in every sense. It’s beautifully built, it does everything we need straight out of the box and it oozes quality. I am delighted for Orbital to be investing in PM10 for theatre and look forward to working with the systems on many productions across the world.”

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COMPANY | PROFILE

Yamaha Unified Communications: Surpassing The Expectations Of A Fast-Moving Industry When it comes to AV conferencing, sound has traditionally been the poor relation of video. But the AV industry is rapidly changing and Yamaha Unified Communications is meeting the challenge of secure, high quality sound for a diverse customer base

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“

You can have the

best quality video in the

world, but if I can’t hear you then that video quality is

”

meaningless

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he AV conferencing market covers a vast customer base and is very fast-moving.

From high end corporate communications to families and friends keeping in contact, demands for flexibility and quality are increasing, while security is an ever-present concern. Yamaha Unified Communications has brought together two of the audio industry’s most respected companies to fly the flag for secure, high quality sound.

Secure wireless microphone specialist Revolabs was founded in 2005, quickly becoming the ‘go to’ name for major businesses who needed flexible, secure audio conferencing solutions. Meanwhile Yamaha was establishing a reputation in the unified communications (UC) market, especially in the Far East, with USB speakerphones as part of cloud-based web conferencing solutions.

In 2014 the Yamaha Corporation purchased Revolabs, with the first jointly-engineered product coming to market three years later. In 2018 Revolabs was renamed Yamaha Unified Communications, Inc.

“Our aim has always been to improve the quality of spoken audio in any environment,” says Phil Stanley, Sales Director EMEA at Yamaha Unified Communications, Inc, who joined Revolabs early in the company’s existence. “Our systems are designed to be agile, easy to install and manage. Using Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) technology, they are more easily moved than wired systems, meaning spaces can be very dynamic and, with DECT, you can put more systems in any location than with RF-based wireless. Finally - and very importantly our systems are fully encrypted.”

Revolabs systems are trusted by many of the word’s biggest banks, manufacturers and corporations. However, a challenge for Yamaha Unified Communications is that the industry is not only fast moving, but it’s happening in different directions, driven by the demands of both business and consumers.

With the UC industry moving increasingly from ‘traditional’ audio solutions towards cloud, voice over IP (VoIP) and other networked-based systems, corporate AV conferencing is increasingly coming under the umbrella of IT departments.

“We spend a lot of time educating IT departments, because they don't understand audio in the way that audio professionals do,” says Randall Lee, Director of Strategic and Channel Marketing at Yamaha Unified Communications, Inc. “We can give them the tools to invest in high quality sound, but they often need education to help them appreciate the benefits of it.”

Indeed, as Phil points out, in any communication or conferencing situation, poor sound quality is a key issue. “A simple example is if you order fifty bags of cement and the merchant

COMPANY | PROFILE

hears sixty. You can have the best quality video in the world, but if I can’t hear you then that video quality is meaningless,” he says.

“In the business community, this is highlighted by the way people meeting has fundamentally changed. Huddle rooms are now commonplace and ‘town halling’ (where a presentation to a physical group of people is streamed globally so others can engage) is commonplace. People are videoconferencing on laptops in their kitchens and on smartphones in the street, using any number of cloud-bases subscription services. Meanwhile, in the education market, it is now very unusual for lectures not to be streamed or recorded.

“High quality audio is a fundamental need in all of these situations and the entire environment of a video/audio conference is only as good as the weakest equipment in it.”

The consumer market is also pushing the AV industry to improve, with users demanding better sound quality, expecting every audio experience they have to be on a par with home entertainment systems. By bringing together two truly global leaders in audio excellence as Yamaha Unified Communications, both the business and consumer markets will benefit from products and systems which place the emphasis firmly on high quality audio.

“People want a single solution and Yamaha is renowned for its passion and performance in music, reinforced and networked sound, not to mention the reliability of its products, while Revolabs has always been a byword for excellence in the conferencing market.

Together we are targeting global growth, developing an increasing product portfolio which will bring together the best of both worlds,” says Randall.

“For example, in the US market we have just launched the YAI-1, a DECT wireless microphone system routed through a MRX7-D matrix processor, through an SWP series network switch, to a pair of VXL ‘P’ series Power over Ethernet (PoE) loudspeakers. It’s an IT-deployed solution, with instructions how to wire and network it, making it very straightforward for IT departments to install a high quality audio solution.

“As Yamaha Unified Communications, we have a greater market reach and significantly bigger sales and support resources,” adds Phil. “With IT departments increasingly taking over from the traditional AV department, they’re the ones making the buying decisions and they are quick to adapt to new technologies. Bringing Revolabs customers to Yamaha’s professional audio portfolio will also help Yamaha to establish itself as a familiar name in the IT supplier market.

“Being part of a fast-moving industry is a challenge, but we are well-equipped to meet and surpass - the needs of its diverse customer base. We are working on products for high quality audio in every type of environment where people need to communicate.”

“

With IT

departments increasingly taking over from the traditional AV department, they’re the ones making the buying decisions and they are quick to adapt to new

”

technologies

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ACTIVE | ACOUSTICS

AFC Is Big News At Kulturhuset Najaden

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Marcus Lundberg

“

We were able to design the system quickly enough for it to be ordered only three months after the initial

”

approach.

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esigned to be a cultural and community hub for the town of Halmstad, Kulturhuset Najaden re-uses the building which used to house the offices and print presses of the regional Hallandsposten newspaper.

The name was chosen as the winning entry in a competition run for local residents - Najad is the Greek word for flood or stream and is appropriate for Halmstad’s location at the mouth of the Nissan river, as well as Kulturhuset’s purpose of encouraging the community to immerse itself in music and other cultural experiences.

“Halmstad has long been asking for a facility like this. When the Hallandsposten building became available it was the ideal solution, allowing us to adapt the large area where the printing presses stood for a high quality performance venue, while the offices and other spaces could be refurbished and modernised for other cultural uses,” says Marcus Lundberg, project manager for Halmstad Culture Department.

The venue includes a concert hall, a second multi-functional main space, rehearsal facilities, meeting rooms, offices and a 32-room suite which is used for a wide range of educational and other activities.

Converting the former printing factory into a high quality concert hall was a challenge, especially as it had to be truly multi-purpose to get the necessary funding.

Events would range from spoken word and unamplified drama, all

Artists, musicians and audiences are encouraged to come together in a creative and inspiring atmosphere at Kulturhuset Najaden, a 5000m2 venue in Sweden.

A Yamaha AFC active field control system ensures that every type of performance sounds its best. the way through to symphony orchestras and full rock’n’roll. While fixed acoustic treatment was planned, there were large, reflective, curved walls to overcome and it was clear to Marcus that a controllable acoustic system would deliver the best results.

The project’s acoustic consultant, Jan-Inge Gustafsson of Gothenburg-based Akustikon at Norconsult AB, had worked with Yamaha’s Active Field Control system before and suggested that Marcus discuss the system with Mikael Collin of Audile Electroacoustics AB. Audile is an approved Yamaha Tuning Partner for AFC systems, with Mikael and colleague Mattias Winther having a lot of experience with it.

Helsingborg Symphonic Orchestra rehearses at Kulturhuset Najaden

ACTIVE | ACOUSTICS

“The system needed to be extremely flexible and also very easy to use, because there would not always be technical staff on hand," says Mikael.

"Any user should be able to change the settings without knowing anything about the system but, at the same time, not be able to change any settings that they don’t understand."

The challenges for Mikael and Matthias were considerable. These included having to design a system for an already part-converted building, working with Jan-Inge to achieve what he and the customer wanted… and having less than eight months between the initial approach from Marcus and the building’s planned opening.

“It is better to design acoustic improvement systems into a project from the start and it’s always a challenge to design them for re-purposed rooms, even without the challenge of a short deadline,” says Mikael. “But we have a lot of experience with AFC and were able to design the system quickly enough for it to be ordered only three months after the initial approach.”

The system comprises four cardioid microphones for early reflections and eight omnidirectional microphones for reverb, fed via twin AFC-FIR processors and an MRX7-D matrix processor to 36 suspended VXS8 loudspeakers, with four more mounted on the rear wall of the auditorium and 20 further loudspeakers on the stage walls. All of the loudspeakers are powered by a total of eight XMV8280-D network amplifiers.

The system is controlled by Crestron panels, which also handle the hall’s lighting and other technical

infrastructure.

“Marcus, Jan-Inge and his colleague Emma Gjers were all excellent to work with,” says Mikael. “It showed what can be achieved with a true team effort. It’s a very good-sounding room and everybody worked hard to deliver a great result.”

Although Kulturhuset Najaden has only been open for a few months, it has already staged many shows. The venue’s staff, performers and audiences alike have all been very happy with the sound of all kinds of performance, with audiences completely unaware that the acoustics are ‘artificially’ controlled.

What is AFC? Active Field Control (AFC) is a truly scalable acoustic conditioning system, designed to adjust and enhance the architectural acoustic characteristics of facilities such as performance arts venues, houses of worship, theatres and concert halls while maintaining the natural sonic characteristics of the space. It uses the innovative ‘Hybrid Regenerative’ concept to achieve a high quality, natural response.

AFC systems are currently installed in over 100 facilities throughout the US, Japan and Europe. These include Tokyo International Forum (Japan), Warsaw Opera House (Poland), Tyumen Philharmonie (Russia), West Gimhae Culture Center (South Korea) and Royal Swedish Opera rehearsal hall (Sweden) and many more.

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

15

VXL Series speakers are designed to effortlessly blend in to countless commerical, educational, or multi-purpose environments.

See us at ISE Amsterdam, Stand 3-C112

• Line-array configuration • Blending elegant, slim appearance with quality sound • For speech, announcement and music playback • 1.5" full-range speaker units with neodymium magnets • Available in 3 sizes (VXL1-8/-16/-24) • Black & White (paintable)

• Lo-Z only (Hi-Z option available) • IP35 waterproof (with port cover) • Single package Dante PoE powered model (VXL1-16P) available • Dante audio network supported • Max output level 15W (PoE+)

Sleek. Smart. Sound.

Power Rating (PGM) Max SPL (@1m)

220W 117dB SPL

160W 116dB SPL

80W 111dB SPL

VXL1-8

Default

Supplied Bracket For seamless wall mounting* * This bracket does not allow angle adjustment

VXL1-16

VXL1-24

Optional Accessories

ST-L1 LCB-L1 Transformer box Bracket for vertical for high-impedance mounting of two arrays, connections. Ideal for for increased SPL and multiple speaker layouts extra projection

HCB-L1 Bracket for side-byside mounting of two arrays, for increased SPL and more focused horizontal dispersion that can minimise unwanted reflections from nearby surfaces

WMB-L1 Bracket for 2-axis adjustment of a single array

VCSB-L1 Bracket for 2-axis adjustment of a two vertically linked arrays * The VCB-L1 and WMB-L1 are used together

For more information please visit www.yamahaproaudio.com

Inspired sound

PA-L1 Bracket for pole mounting * Suitable pole size ø 35mm