Pro AVL Asia November–December 2023

ProAVL Asia November–December 2023

LIVE SOUND LIGHTING RECORDING INSTALLATION AV BROADCAST POSTPRODUCTION November–December 2023

SHANGHAI CHRIYING CULTURE

First Chinese studio installation for Meyer Sound’s Bluehorn technology

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ITECC SINGAPORE UPGRADES

THE RISE AND RISE OF L-ACOUSTICS

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Contents

Volume 22 Issue Six

November–December 2023

Editor’s Letter Welcome to our last issue of 2023. We’re pleased to feature a company that has done much to advance pro audio technology over the decades. Founded by particle physicist and audiophile Christian Heil in 1984, I’m talking of course about L-Acoustics, which presented its first line source system in 1992. We track the company’s history, learn about the new L Series and find out what the future holds (p74).

Another organisation that’s made a significant contribution to industry development is ISE, which celebrates the 20th edition of its annual tradeshow in Barcelona next January/February.

Having weathered the Covid storm which threatened to upend relocation plans to a bigger home, ISE is now firmly ensconced in the Fira Barcelona. Mike Blackman looks

NEWS

back to its humble beginnings in Geneva, reveals what’s in store for ISE 2024 and touches on the convergence of broadcast and AV, which is becoming ever-more apparent at the show (p102).

As I write this, I’m preparing to head to Mumbai for InfoComm India, another pro AV tradeshow which is moving to a new home, in this case, the Jio World Convention Centre at the Bandra Kurla Complex. I visited this new and evolving part of the city earlier this year and was impressed by its facilities, one of which – the theatre complex at the NMACC – is profiled in this issue (p50). These are among the most impressive theatres I’ve visited anywhere in the world and will contribute enormously to the performing arts in India.

Follow us on social media @ProAVLCentral Richard Lawn

Sue Gould

Carolyn Valliere

rlawn@proavl-asia.com

sgould@proavl-asia.com

cvalliere@proavl-asia.com

Simon Luckhurst

Karen Wallace

Libby Stonell

sluckhurst@proavl-asia.com

kwallace@proavl-asia.com

lstonell@proavl-asia.com

Nick Smith

Chris Yardley

Jack Stennulat

nsmith@proavl-asia.com

cyardley@proavl-asia.com

jstennulat@proavl-asia.com

Adrian Baker

Marne Mittelmann

Sue Su

abaker@proavl-asia.com

circulation@proavl-asia.com

ssu@proavl-asia.com

Digital media manager

Production manager

46 ITEHQ and CC’s

sustainable upgrade 50 NMACC opens in Mumbai 54 Bar.Yard reaches for the sky 56 Megastar Arena opens in KL 58 Shanghai Chriying Culture’s new facility 60 SVS expands

BUSINESS

sustainability 72 Holoplot Plan 74 L-Acoustics company profile

50

56

102

NEW PRODUCTS

Contact us

Senior reporter

FEATURES

62 Comment 64 Integrate show report 66 IBC show report 70 PPDS’s approach to

Email: cmoss@proavl-asia.com

General manager

4 Business news 15 Special report 16 Distribution 20 Appointments 24 Powering down 4 26 Industry innovators 28 View from Down Under 32 Projects

Advertising director

Editorial coordinator

Video editor

Circulation manager

Sales associate

77 The industry’s most comprehensive product news

Digital content editor

Digital content creator

Guangzhou manager

Spa House, 18 Upper Grosvenor Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 2EP, United Kingdom www.proavl-asia.com Telephone: +44 (0) 1892 676280

ANALYSIS

102 20 years of ISE Published by: LICENCES: Singapore: MICA (P) 001/06/2023; Malaysia PPS 1604/05/2013 (022953) All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the copyright owners.

PRINTING: Times Printers Singapore COVER: Shanghai Chriying Culture

November–December 2023 PRO AVL ASIA 3

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NEWS

DiGiCo acquires Fourier Audio

L–R: Gareth Owen, Peter Bridgman, James Gordon, Austin Freshwater and Henry Harrod WORLD

Fourier Audio has been acquired by DiGiCo. Building on its acquisition of KLANG:technologies in 2018, DiGiCo says the deal further strengthens its investment in live sound innovation. Over the last 24 months, the Fourier Audio team has been developing a new platform called “Project Core”, bringing the power of studio audio software plugins to live engineers.

“At DiGiCo, we are always looking at how we can enhance our customers’ ability to provide new and exciting possibilities in live performance audio,” said DiGiCo MD, Austin Freshwater. “With Fourier Audio, we are investing in a team that will soon launch an integrated plugin processing engine, ‘Project Core’, bringing new opportunities for DiGiCo to work with third-party software providers, truly

plugging in the world of live sound on a platform our clients can trust.”

Fourier Audio joins a growing roster of pro audio brands that includes Allen & Heath, Calrec, DiGiGrid, KLANG:technologies, Harrison, Slate Digital, sonible, Sound Devices, Solid State Logic and DiGiCo. “Knowing first-hand how successful and wellregarded DiGiCo and the wider Audiotonix family

are in the live market, this is a fantastic next step in Fourier’s growth,” commented Fourier Audio founders Henry Harrod (CEO), Peter Bridgman (CTO) and Gareth Owen (CCO).

“Being part of a global network of partners that are at the top of their game – in live events, touring and installed audio – gives us the opportunity to change the way that engineers and artists shape their shows. It’s an exciting time to be in an invigorated live market and we can’t wait to dream big with our new colleagues.”

James Gordon, Audiotonix CEO, added: “We are always looking for the next audio innovators that are a good technology and cultural fit, and with Fourier I’m pleased to say we have found both. Bringing this talented team into the Audiotonix fold under DiGiCo will allow us to give live sound users access to a wider range of our own and other third-party developers’ plugins. At AES New York, we invited all plugin manufacturers to come and have a frank and open discussion, and it was exciting to talk to these plugin brands about how we will be able to open the live sound market to their unique tools.” www.digico.biz www.fourieraudio.com

AEB Industriale turns 50 WORLD

For its 50th anniversary, AEB Industriale, the company behind the brand dBTechnologies, chose the civic museums of Bologna to celebrate and share this significant milestone, offering the public a gift: free admission for one weekend to the civic museums of Bologna and ART BEATS – Civic Museums of Bologna in Music, a cultural project for inclusion and participation, in collaboration with the Municipal Museums of Bologna.

Over 16–17 September, visitors had free access to seven museum locations selected from all six disciplinary areas that make up the Municipal Museums of Bologna: the Archaeological Civic Museum, Medieval Civic Museum, Municipal Art Collections, Museum of Modern Art of Bologna (MAMbo), International Museum and Library of Music, Museum of Industrial Heritage and Civic Museum of the Risorgimento.

The public were invited to listen to seven sound installations. These installations

have been commissioned by AEB Industriale from seven composers and musicians, representatives of the diverse artistic scene of Bologna. The visual charm of these seven cultural sites of the city were transformed into musical notes, offering an immersive experience to the visitors. Through the creation of a QR code, each composition will remain permanently available to the associated museum.

Arturo Vicari, founder and CEO of AEB Industriale, said: “The passion for music and the desire to bring the emotions that great artists are capable of arousing to thousands of people have guided me in growing AEB Industriale. It’s a successful business story that reaches 50 years and I wanted to share it with the city of Bologna by giving the thrill of entering a museum where art can be seen and heard.” www.dbtechnologies.com

Shure takes the helm at Ab Wavemark Oy WORLD

Shure has reached an agreement to acquire Ab Wavemark Oy, a leader in software products for theatre, film, TV, broadcast and content streaming applications. The acquisition will add Wavemark’s products to Shure’s professional audio portfolio, positioned alongside applications like Wireless Workbench (WWB) 7.

Wavetool is an audio and listening application that provides comprehensive monitoring for audio professionals. The software’s early detection of potential audio problems, streamlined communication capabilities with the sound team and its centralisation of monitoring functionalities aim to help professionals monitor high-stakes productions with confidence. Together, Wavetool and WWB provide audio engineers with a comprehensive set of tools to manage RF and monitor all audio sources throughout a production, from pre-show planning to monitoring and listening during the show.

For podcasters, content creators and broadcast audio engineers, the WTAutomixer V2 plugin offers sound-mixing capabilities and automatically balances volume across multiple microphones while intuitively turning down non-active microphones for clearer audio. It’s used on talkshows, discussion panels and in houses of worship, as it is said to ensure excellent audio recording and streaming experiences, no matter the number of speakers.

“The acquisition of Ab Wavemark Oy will further underscore Shure’s commitment to providing our professional audio customers with innovative solutions that enhance workflow,” said Nick Wood, senior director, wireless category, at Shure. “We are excited to expand our portfolio with cutting-edge and customer-centric solutions that enable creative productions across theatre, broadcast and content creation.” www.shure.com

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NEU

EW-DP

Production sound, simplified.

EW-DP: Fully digital UHF wireless audio system designed for filmmaking and video applications.

Time is measured differently on set. Seconds converted into frames, minutes into card space, hours into precious remaining daylight.

EW-DP will change the way you think of sound on set. A wireless microphone system that puts time on your side by blending best-in-class technology with an ergonomic build.

Whether you’re a crew of one or many, EW-DP is the ideal partner to simplify your audio workflow. After all, production has enough challenges; sound doesn’t need to be one of them. www.sennheiser.com/ew-dp

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NEWS: BUSINESS

A showroom in paradise INDONESIA

Peavey Electronics has announced the opening of its showroom in Bali, Indonesia, first unveiling the space with an opening gala, marking a turning point in Peavey’s presence in the country.

The decision to establish the Bali showroom stemmed from the company’s intention to establish a venue for the Indonesian and broader APAC market to enjoy first-hand experiences of the manufacturer’s audio solutions. In addition to featuring the installed sound and professional audio products as well as musical instruments and accessories, the venue also highlights technology distributed under Peavey’s Mediamatrix brand, as well as Crest Audio, also part of the Peavey family.

The Peavey showroom was designed as a multifunctional space catering to a range of needs. Bali was chosen as the appropriate destination for the showroom on account of ease of travel for APAC residents in and out of Bali, as well as its fitting description as a paradise destination with a myriad of entertainment, food, beverage and leisure options.

The showroom serves as a demo arena, showcasing the latest installed sound products from Peavey and Crest Audio, including SSE, Impulse, RBN, SP and PVX two-way speakers, PHR II ceiling speakers, IPR and CS series power amps, all controlled by the VSX loudspeaker management system and an Aureus digital

mixer. Additionally, the Crest Audio wall presents the new CPL+ Series speakers, along with Pro-LITE, CPX and CLh amps for the CPL T Series ceiling speakers, giving potential and existing clients the opportunity to hear Peavey

for themselves and allowing them to identify the product mix most fitting to their needs.

Furthermore, the showroom acts as a seminar venue, facilitating educational and training sessions for APAC distributors,

B&C Speakers acquires Eminence transducers for professional use intended for the musical instrument market (Mi-Musical Instruments), alarm systems and aftermarket car audio. The company was founded in 1966 on the initiative of Bob Gault and has established itself since the 1990s, under the leadership of his son Robert, as an internationally recognised brand.

Currently, the Eminence brand is marketed in

www.peavey.com

over 50 countries, mainly through the OEM channel.

Lorenzo Coppini, CEO of B&C Speakers, commented: “This acquisition allows us to strengthen our international presence, and also offers the opportunity to relaunch and enhance an iconic American brand. By joining forces, strong synergies can be leveraged, as we saw with the acquisition of Eighteen Sound in 2018. We can offer our customers a broader range of world-class products and produce them where they need them.”

WORLD

B&C Speakers has announced that it has acquired 100% of the share capital of Eminence Speaker US by Eminence, also under the control of Eminence Holdings, a significant part of its assets through a Newco entirely owned by B&C. Eminence Speaker has around 90 members of staff and is active in the sector of design and production of electroacoustic

Indonesian dealers, rental companies, installers and sound professionals. Various stakeholders can gather to share information, foster collaborations and create demand.

The space can also function as a content creation studio for product marketing videos and artist shoots. The showroom also houses a mini stage/studio where musicians can record live performances, capturing their talent with Waves eMotion LV1 and Crest Audio Tactus.Control as well as perform and experience the Versarray line array system.

The Bali showroom opening included a distinguished guest list, including several key members from the public and private sector, including Tantowi Yahya, former Indonesian ambassador to New Zealand and a former musician himself, Made Ariandi of the Bali Chamber of Commerce and Wayan Koster, the governor of Bali.

Several renowned musicians and artists added to the event’s line-up, including Peavey artists Mad Madmen, Canadian singer Deniz Reno, Ridho Hafiedz, lead guitarist of Slank, as well as Indonesian rock band, Cokelat.

Akshay Vaidya, Peavey Electronics general manager, Asia Pacific, also took to the stage to conduct a comprehensive loudspeaker demo.

www.bcspeakers.com

B&C Speakers CEO, Lorenzo Coppini

www.eminence.com

EAW’s KF210 comes to New Delhi INDIA

Pink Noise Professionals recently hosted a launch event for Eastern Acoustic Works’ KF210 two-way passive line array system at the Hotel Ocean Pearl Retreat, New Delhi.

Approximately 130 people were in attendance, with most either independent live sound engineers or working for rental companies.

Rental company owners, systems integrators and consultants also attended.

The event opened with a DJ set from Kappa Official, followed by a performance from band Rooh the Fusion Project. A Q&A session took place during the performances as guests arrived.

Pink Noise Professionals also announced that Akshara Communications from Lucknow was the first buyer of the KF210 in India. The company’s RS121 and RS118 products were also showcased at the event.

Attendees were said to be delighted to see the brand growing again within the Indian market,

with many engineers saying that they learnt pro audio and live sound engineering using EAW products. Pink Noise Professionals plans to host similar events throughout India in the future.

James Bamlett, EAW director of sales, APAC, said: “I was very impressed with the event that Pink Noise Professionals organised and with the number of engineers, integrators and consultants that attended. The reaction of the attendees was extremely encouraging, especially considering that EAW have been mostly absent from the Indian market in recent years. With the latest products from EAW and Pink Noise Professionals’ talented team, I’m confident that we have the right combination to re-establish EAW as one of the leading loudspeaker brands in the Indian market.” www.eaw.com www.pinknoisepro.com

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High Performance Condenser Microphone TD-1 Series Upgraded design Hypercardioid uni-directional microphone Better voice pickup with greater range Optimal frequency response and smooth off-axis response

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NEWS: BUSINESS

PVS celebrates 40 years

FB

WORLD

PVS, the company behind AV brands such as Audac, Procab and Caymon, has reached its 40th anniversary. To mark this special occasion, PVS has released a vinyl record featuring the talented young Jazz ensemble, Equi, native to PVS’s home town of Stevoort in Belgium. This musical journey is a heartfelt tribute to the pioneers who laid the foundation for today’s audio marvels, paying homage to the very roots of sound. The vinyl record was meticulously created, employing cherished vintage analogue techniques and treasured tape recorders from PVS’s private collection.

Reflecting on this journey, Tom Van de Sande, CEO of PVS, remarked: “Over the last 40 years, we’ve embarked on a remarkable voyage. Today, as we celebrate our anniversary, we look back on our origins while embracing innovation. In our pursuit of excellence, we have made it our mission to preserve every facet of the beauty of sound. This vinyl record stands as living proof. The pristine sound of this album was captured using vintage

L–R: Patrick and Tom Van de Sande

techniques and equipment. Thanks to our innovative sound solutions, the purity of this music can be shared in bars, restaurants, retail spaces, offices and beyond, ensuring every note and melody resonates with authenticity.”

In addition to this tribute, PVS has made substantial investments in its Research & Development division, which is fully based in Belgium, with the team nearly doubling in size over the past two years. This expansion has led to the introduction of the Atellio product family, a line of digital audio products aimed at “redefining the future of audio technology”.

In the past year, PVS’s testing facilities have also undergone a comprehensive overhaul.

The final touches are currently being applied to an anechoic chamber, a meticulously designed room that eradicates reflections or echoes of sound or electromagnetic waves.

This chamber will play a crucial role in testing electronic equipment to the highest standards of precision.

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www.pvs.global

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Avanda launches in the Philippines

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PHILIPPINES

Among the dynamic cityscape of Metro Manila, a launch event for Audiocenter’s Avanda took place recently at the Quirino Grandstand, aimed at a diverse audience of tech enthusiasts, industry leaders and media luminaries. Kolin Tanlin Philippines, the official distributor of the Audiocenter brand in the country, is said to have been the visionary behind the event’s success, curating an experience that aimed to capture attendees’ interests and promote Audiocenter’s sound technology.

The event included performances from two DJs and eight varied bands, utilising 16 units per side of both the Avanda 210A and 212A models plus 24 units of K-LA218 DSP subwoofers arranged in a precise

straight ARC gradient formation. Roshan Malim, the product application engineer from Audiocenter, oversaw all aspects of systems engineering.

With a focus on collaborative design and user experience, insightful panel discussions took place between the representatives of Kolin Tanlin Philippines and Audiocenter. This experience wasn’t only a platform for product introduction, but also a means to network and build partnerships. Audiocenter chief R&D director, Joan La Roda, also the designer of Avanda, flew all the way to the Philippines in order to provide insight to the attendees. www.audiocenter.net

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NEWS: BUSINESS

FBT gathers the industry to celebrate 60 years ITALY

To celebrate its 60th anniversary, Italian loudspeaker manufacturer FBT hosted a lavish dinner with live entertainment at its Recanati HQ. Around 500 guests comprising international distributors, domestic customers and sales reps from the Italian market, past and present staff members along with local dignitaries and suppliers mingled in the balmy Adriatic evening sunshine.

With factory tours incorporated prior to the festivities, such a large-scale event had never been undertaken before in the company’s history but,

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The dinner as Roberto Mataloni, FBT’s export manager, explained: “It was important to mark this date, because in my opinion when you reach 60, you can look back and see what’s been achieved, and last night listening to the presentations, seeing everyone, looking at what we’ve done, to be with the staff and celebrate with the people from where it started from and where we are today, it was emotional.

It’s incredibly rewarding, and it makes you feel proud that you’ve done a good job.”

of artists and musical genres. To support this, the system consisted of L-R arrays of 12 Myra214L each as main hangs and eight Myra218S as ground-stacked subwoofers in cardioid configuration. The entire system was powered by four Myrack, each comprising three 20,000W amplifiers. On top of the subs, four Muse 210LN provided front fill, while side fill and drum fill were managed by four Horizon VHA 406LN and two Horizon VHA 118SN respectively. Stage monitoring was handled by eight Ventis 115MA.

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The awards ceremony

www.fbt.it

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CQ delivers pristine audio ensuring everything is heard.

From the large stage setup in the grounds of the HQ, owners Bruno and Mauro Tanoni gave the guests a walkthrough of the history of FBT, which started from a small garage. Staff members with more than 40 years of service then joined them and were presented with framed certificates thanking them for their loyalty.

Don McConnell, MD of Audio Brands Australia, FBT’s distributor who had flown in from Sydney, said: “We’re really pleased to be here as FBT was our founding brand. Audio Brands is 10 years old and literally 10 years ago we came and met the FBT team, who put their faith in us, gave us the agency as a start-up business and it’s just grown and grown since then.”

During the evening, guests had the opportunity to listen to a variety

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NEWS: BUSINESS

L-Acoustics wins historic US$5m counterfeiting case WORLD

An investigation led by L-Acoustics in late 2022 has resulted in the seizure of an extraordinary 136 counterfeit products from Tampa-based rental company Se7ven Sounds Music. Along with the seizure, L-Acoustics filed a complaint against Se7ven Sounds for trademark infringement, counterfeiting and unfair competition. This month, the United States District Court, Middle District of Florida, Tampa Division ordered Se7ven Sounds Music to pay damages of US$5m to L-Acoustics. L-Acoustics also won the right to destroy the 136 counterfeit products confiscated during the investigation.

The final judgment holds that the “defendants infringed the L-Acoustics Trademarks by intentionally and willfully engaging in the unauthorised manufacturing, importation, offering for sale and/or rental, and sale and/or rental of goods in interstate commerce imitating the design of L-Acoustics products and bearing counterfeit

L-Acoustics Trademarks”. A judgement of this magnitude is a first in the professional audio industry.

L-Acoustics lauds the US justice system and especially the United States District Court,

Tampa Division, for recognising the noxious effects of counterfeiting on the quality and safety of the events industry. The filed complaint for “trademark counterfeiting and infringement, false designation of source origin, unfair competition

and deceptive acts or practices under the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, common law trademark infringement, and common law unfair competition” is a milestone in L-Acoustics’ ongoing anti-counterfeiting mission.

“Our customers and clients must have confidence in the L-Acoustics name and the integrity of our products and of our worldwide network of certified partners,” said Laurent Ostojski, senior legal counsel at L-Acoustics.

“We have zero tolerance for counterfeiting and this judgement makes it clear that not only manufacturing counterfeit equipment but also renting and selling fakes is illegal and punishable by law. It sends a strong message to service providers who profit by deceiving end users and promoters by providing inferior and unsafe counterfeit equipment.” www.l-acoustics.com

Accombliss invests in Adamson Genelec launches its new monitor in Japan INDIA

JAPAN

Genelec Oy and Genelec Japan gathered at King Records Studio 2, together with 40 professionals from the Japanese audio industry, for the launch of Genelec’s new 8381A SAM adaptive point source main monitor. Genelec’s head of R&D gave a presentation of the new system followed by a listening session.

Solja Nieminen, Genelec’s business manager for professional audio monitoring, said: “It’s been amazing to meet with so many of Japan’s top audio professionals and to hear their first impressions of our

new 8381A SAM Adaptive Point Source Main Monitor. We feel very welcome at King Records Studios, with which we have several decades of history.” www.genelec.com

Accombliss, an event management and AV equipment rental company headquartered in Chandigarh, has made a significant investment in upgrading its audio inventory. The company, founded in 2013 by Nitish Bansal, has evolved into a team of experienced professionals dedicated to offering quality service to their clients.

In response to the growing demand for large-format events in the Chandigarh region, Accombliss has invested in the Adamson E15 line array speakers, setting the stage for enhanced audio experiences. Its investment includes 18 Adamson E15 line array speakers, 12 Adamson E219 dual 19-inch subwoofers and 12 Adamson S10 line array speakers, all powered by Lab Gruppen PLM 20K44 amplifiers.

Bansal expressed his enthusiasm for the investment: “The entertainment market in north India demands high SPL systems with consistent coverage and the E15 was a suitable solution,” he said. “We look forward to providing our artists and audiences with state-of-the-art technology from Adamson.”

Carlos Sallaberry, an application engineer from Adamson’s Asia office, conducted a twoday training session for the team. The training included showcasing the Blueprint software for SPL coverage prediction and providing a detailed demonstration of the rigging system.

Karan Nagpal from Stagemix, the authorised distributor for Adamson

systems in India, commented: “The E15 is known for its sound quality and high SPL levels. We are pleased to welcome Accombliss into the family of E15 users in India.” www.adamsonsystems.com www.stagemix.com

Sama Sound hosts Shure Solution Day KOREA

Shure distributor, Sama Sound, recently hosted an event entitled Shure Solution Day in Seoul, in which SI companies, location sound

engineers and existing dealers were the target audience. Highlighting Shure products mainly across the system and professional side, there were four

sessions held across the two-day event, with 100 people in attendance.

As a result of the successful sessions, Sama Sound plans to make this a yearly event, alongside monthly training days in smaller groups at its headquarters.

Vicky Fung of Shure Asia said: “The first Shure Solution Day in South Korea, driven

by Shure and organised in collaboration with Sama Sound, has been successfully held in Seoul. Showcasing a wide range of Shure products and solutions covering different applications, we have received lots of good feedback and comments from customers.” www.samasound.co.kr www.shure.com

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NEWS: BUSINESS

DPA Microphones invests in new HQ

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WORLD

DPA Microphones has opened a new headquarters in the Copenhagen suburb of Kokkedal. Designed to encourage more creativity, the modern space puts an emphasis on the brand’s research and development (R&D) facilities together with significant upgrades including studio spaces.

“DPA continually aims to inspire sound professionals looking to improve their solutions, and we are confident that the new headquarters will further enable this growth,” commented DPA Microphones’ CEO Kalle Nielsen. “The facility offers a great environment for close collaboration across the organisation and with outside partners, which is the foundation we need to provide strong solutions.

This high-tech environment will be the homebase for some of the world’s best microphone specialists, enabling them to create even better microphones and provide more education to the pro audio community.”

The 1,700m2 facility implements green and environmental solutions such as WindowMaster climate solutions, energy-conscious LED lighting and electric vehicle charging stations. The R&D department will soon be benefitting from a full anechoic chamber that

will aid in the creation of DPA’s precisely accurate mics. Currently in development, a multiroom space featuring a video studio and a controlled listening area for live and recorded demonstrations is taking shape. The sales and marketing, finance, customer service and management departments stand to benefit from an improved climate within an architectural and interior design style aligned to the DPA brand.

“We wanted to create a modern and motivational work environment for our great employees,” Nielsen shared. “There is so much to look forward to in this space, from new product development to welcoming partners to tour our facilities.” www.dpamicrophones.com

KOREA

THE NEW INSTALLATION STANDARD The clever, uncomplicated and comprehensive loudspeaker series for professional indoor fixed installations.

C&C Lightway, ETC’s dealer in Seoul, recently hosted an open house event that brought together friends, customers and industry professionals. This four-day event attracted over 300 attendees eager to witness ETC’s latest advancements in

light show, C&C Lightway and ETC played an interactive music light show to introduce the Eos Apex consoles, which was said to be a valuable opportunity for attendees to gain insights into the Apex console and learn tips and tricks from industry experts.

lighting technology. A light show showcased the Eos Apex 10, Eos Apex 5, ColorSource Spot V, Source Four LED Series 3, Source 4WRD, Desire Fresnel, Halcyon, Lonestar and the SolaPix family.

Audrey Leung introduced the updates of Eos v3.2 and how it improves networking to fixture configuration. In addition to the

The event survey response was said to be overwhelmingly positive. The Eos Apex and Halcyon were highly appreciated, with many participants praising their “high quality” and willing to recommend them to customers and peers.

• High sound quality, easy integration and attractive price/performance ratio • Convenient speaker formats such as the ultra-compact FO 5 coaxial speaker and subwoofers for rigging • Extensive, sophisticated accessories for every conceivable application and installation scenario • DSP presets for Lab.gruppen IPX and LEA Professional as well as filter sheets for other DSP platforms - integration easier than ever before • Simulation data in GLL format for EASE and EASE Focus • Robust, durable and reliable. Ball impactproof as standard to meet the strict requirements of the German demand for sports facilities according to DIN 18032-3

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12 PRO AVL ASIA November–December 2023

PAA Pg4-45 News.indd 12

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NEWS: BUSINESS

Riedel and Studio Automated bring AI into the mix WORLD

With the goal of collaborating on an innovative artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted video production solution, Riedel Communications and Studio Automated have announced that they are joining forces. The two companies aim to create an optimised video production solution that will enable sports productions and leagues to remotely produce their live broadcasts with minimal personnel and operating costs.

“Through decades in live production, Riedel has established itself as an innovative leader whose world-class hardware and software solutions are used by major sports and media production companies across the globe,” said Paul Valk, founder and director of Studio Automated. “This exciting new partnership with Riedel is a validation of our software-first

L–R: Paul Van den Haak (founder, Studio Automated), Thomas Riedel (Riedel CEO), Paul Valk and Luc Doneux approach to developing the best AI for live sports production, which we believe – along with an open API – empowers our partners to deliver

unparalleled products for broadcasters and media rights holders. The maturity of our AI model enables us to serve clients that seek

to automate production in the higher end of sports broadcasting, and we’re thrilled to work with Riedel in creating new products for this market.”

“I am excited to work with the great team of scientists and engineers at Studio Automated to create innovative and efficient solutions for the sports market,” added Luc Doneux, director or live production at Riedel Communications.

“Their unrivalled expertise in artificial intelligence and machine learning, combined with our deep sports broadcast knowhow, is sure to yield great results. I am positive that this collaboration will herald a new era of affordable sports productions.” www.riedel.net

NewTek joins forces with Vizrt to become one WORLD

Since the acquisition of NewTek by Vizrt in 2019, the organisations have focused on their respective pro AV and broadcast markets, largely operating separately under the umbrella of Vizrt Group. However, the two organisations have become increasingly intertwined in the last few years, with Vizrt and NewTek working to unify and grow its customer

service, support, university, R&D and product teams.

“After years of investment, we have expanded our customer success function, which includes service and support, to be a 150-person strong, critical branch of our organisation. Our R&D teams, spanning six global hubs, have over 250 engineers, and our product team has developed and

released 20 innovations in the past year, with many more in the pipeline,” remarked Vizrt CEO, Michael Hallen.

As a result of the last few years of investment, and to continue to deliver innovative and user-centric software solutions to meet the evolving needs of its customers and end users, Vizrt and NewTek are joining forces to become Vizrt.

Customers will now be able to access the complete product portfolio from Vizrt and its community of partners, integrating workflows and simplifying the purchasing process.

Partners can also expand experience and sell our complete product portfolio to drive customer satisfaction and growth. www.vizrt.com

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PAA Pg4-45 News.indd 13

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NEWS: BUSINESS

SPO

Garage One covers larger events with L-Acoustics JAPAN

Founded in 1989 by professional event planning and production company Staff Co, Garage One was established to sell musical instruments and rent brand-name music rehearsal studios in the beach city of Fukuoka. A decade later, the growing Garage One stepped into the events segment, providing live audio and lighting solutions for wedding receptions and event banquets across the prefecture’s capital on the northern shore of Kyushu Island.

Since then, Garage One’s expertise in providing equipment and technical support for a varied programme of events has led the company to position the business to support larger-scaled events. Last year, Garage One hosted a technical demonstration in which local event organisers and decision-makers heard an L-Acoustics Kiva II system. Favourable reviews by guests led Garage One to acquire the long-throw concert sound system for its

opportunity to introduce the new Kiva II system.

Garage One deployed six Kiva II and two SB15m subwoofers per side for the event.

The system’s swift setup time, handled by just one member of its team, allowed for easy integration for the pop-up event.

Garage One can also specify Kara II as the main L-R system for event briefs in larger halls, with the Kiva II boxes deployed as fill. This wide range of event specifications will allow the company to scale operations to each event site, especially with the support of four L-Acoustics LA4X amplified controllers in its inventory.

“Now, with a variety of potential clients engaging us, we are well-positioned to provide system rental and technical operation services to gymnasium-scale sporting event projects and music concert halls,” said a representative from Garage One. permanent inventory to bolster its support for mid- to larger-sized events.

Following the addition, an indoor sporting event in a small gymnasium was the ideal

www.fuk-staff.com www.l-acoustics.com

Biamp acquires Evoko WORLD

Biamp has announced that it will acquire Evoko, a Swedenbased manufacturer renowned for its advanced scheduling systems. The acquisition marks another major step in Biamp’s expansion strategy

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customers around the world.

This acquisition will enhance our portfolio of collaboration solutions and provide customers with more comprehensive solutions for managing their meeting spaces by adding room

LD

Nigh L–R: Gary Knowles, CEO of Evoko and Rashid Skaf, Biamp president, CEO and co-chairman and commitment to provide more comprehensive, integrated solutions to its customers.

Evoko’s products include room booking solutions and desk scheduling systems designed to enhance productivity and streamline office operations.

Rashid Skaf, Biamp’s president, CEO and co-chairman, said: “Evoko is a leader in the scheduling space, and their products are highly regarded by

scheduling and more device connectivity options. Evoko’s innovative desk scheduling system is perfect for helping organisations effectively implement hoteling schemes in their workplace. Evoko stands to revolutionise desk scheduling just as it did with room scheduling years earlier.” www.biamp.com www.meetevoko.com

14 PRO AVL ASIA November–December 2023

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NEWS: SPECIAL REPORT

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The exclusive Society25 Bar in the basement

LD Systems has provided sound quality and flexibility at the W Budapest Hotel and utilise the existing loudspeaker arrangement and 100V infrastructure. “Due to the 100V cabling and the small cable diameters of 1.5mm2 and 2.5mm2, we could only add active subwoofers.

In addition, there were space restrictions for mounting, so we had to find a model that was a maximum of 32cm wide.” The final choice was the MAUI 11 G3 SUB dual 8-inch subwoofers (with a width of 30.5cm), which enabled ComplexIT to provide club-quality sound despite the limited space.

“We used the CURV 500 and MAUI 11 G3 SUBs for the first time for this project and are thrilled with the sound quality and flexibility. The hotel management of the W Budapest is also completely satisfied with our solution,” adds Gégény.

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The following products are used at the W Budapest: 48 LD Systems CURV 500 S2 Array Satellites 24 LD Systems CURV 500 SLA T 70/100V SmartLink adapters 24 LD Systems CURV 500 WM B wall mount brackets 6 LD Systems MAUI 11 G3 SUB active dual 8-inch subwoofers

Successful duo For the large, open W Lounge, ComplexIT installed a total of 16 arrays, each consisting of two CURV 500 S2 Array Satellites and a CURV 500 SLA T 70/100V SmartLink adapter on a CURV 500 WM B wall-mount bracket, complemented by four MAUI 11 G3 SUBs. At Society25, eight arrays with identical configurations and two MAUI 11 G3 SUBs provide the intimate atmosphere of the speakeasy bar. The CURV 500 systems are powered by a single Powersoft DSP amplifier with a custom preset for the CURV 500. The audio system is controlled via a Crestron software solution in conjunction with Apple iPads for mobile access.

Nightingale by Beefbar offers a fusion of Japanese, Chinese and Vietnamese cuisine OVER 150 ROOMS IN THE HISTORIC Drechsler Palace – located on the famous Andrássy Avenue shopping boulevard in Budapest – have been transformed into extravagant rooms at the recently opened W Budapest, providing a new luxury hotel option for visitors to the Hungarian capital.

After an extensive restoration phase, the five-star hotel which forms part of the Marriott chain delights with its mix of historical elements and modern design. To welcome guests to the W Budapest with appropriate and versatile audio that can do more than just background music, the contracted integrator ComplexIT relied on a combination of LD Systems’ CURV 500 portable array system and active subwoofers from the MAUI G3 series.

The original setup for the open W Lounge on the ground floor and the exclusive Society25 Bar in the basement envisaged a pure background sound system in a lounge style.

“The CURV 500 arrays cover all the important requirements for this application: they are compact, good-looking, have great sound and – for their size – an impressive sound pressure level,” explains József Gégény from ComplexIT.

New requirements It was only during the ongoing installation that the client’s requirements changed. It was decided that the sound reinforcement system in both areas also needed to be suitable for small club-style events –

www.adamhall.com blog.adamhall.com

An array of four CURV 500 S2 in the W Lounge

www.ld-systems.com marriott.de/w-budapest

November–December 2023 PRO AVL ASIA 15

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NEWS: DISTRIBUTION

QSC builds Genelec joins forces with Broadcast Professional on APAC network APAC

APAC

QSC has announced strategic partnerships with renowned distributors to expand its presence across the APAC region.

The following partners have been carefully selected to represent the QSC Pro Audio division: Guangzhou Joyfun Audio Visual Technology for China, LS for Korea, Fu Keung Holdings for Hong Kong and Macau, Sindo Exports for Singapore and Myanmar and KH Audio for Cambodia.

Alan Chang, director of business development, APAC, QSC, said: “Our selection of these reputable partners reflects our keen focus on securing the right partners who possess the expertise and agility to effectively navigate this evolving landscape and deliver unparalleled audio solutions to enhance customer experiences.” www.qsc.com

CMI partners with ONEstage AUSTRALIA

CMI Music & Audio has unveiled a new distribution partnership with ONEstage, a company providing power and signal distribution system.

“We look forward to offering ONEstage products to our production and venue partners. Many of our clients require these solutions to complete their projects, so we want to be a one-stop shop where any project can be designed and successfully delivered without having to rely on third-party companies that may impact the deployment of the projects. The addition of ONEstage is a great fit to our amazing arsenal of solutions,” said Neil Colliss, brand manager, CMI Music & Audio. www.cmi.com.au www.onestage.com.au

L–R: Gary Goh and Siamäk Naghian

Genelec has further strengthened its distribution network in the APAC region through the appointment of Broadcast Professional as its new distribution partner for Singapore and Malaysia, with responsibility for Genelec’s entire range of Studio and AV products across the two territories.

Currently celebrating its 40th anniversary, Broadcast Professional started life in Singapore as a subsidiary of Studer AG. Since then, it has widened its services to include broadcast and streaming services, as well as the creation of immersive experiences.

Genelec international sales director, Ole Jensen, commented: “APAC has been a key strategic

www.broadcastpro.com.sg www.genelec.com

Jands’ fortunes burn brightly with Blaze Audio AUSTRALIA

Blaze Audio has appointed Jands as the exclusive distributor of its commercial amplifiers in the Australian AV market. The announcement follows the 2021 appointment of NST in New Zealand.

“We are thrilled to partner with Blaze Audio, a brand that shares our commitment to innovation and quality,” commented Jands’ chief executive, Phil Muffet.

“This collaboration allows us to offer our hospitality-focused partners with expanded solutions.”

Blaze Audio executive sales director, EMEA and APAC, Niels Tholander Lorentzen, said: “We are excited to welcome Jands into that network. This partnership solidifies our expansion plans in the Asia Pacific region by establishing a strong presence in Australia.

Jands’s unparalleled reputation and experience in the industry assure us of their ability to elevate our business and provide unbeatable value to our customers.”

For Jands’s head of marketing, Will Repanellis, the future for Blaze Audio in Australia is bright. “The modular amplifier platform fits into smaller-scale education,

L–R: AV Distribution Asia’s Thomas Marcher with Will Repanellis and Patrick Lau fitness and hospitality applications, including bars and restaurants. The market feedback so far has been positive in terms of easeof-use functionality and elegant designs, including the wall plate controllers. Factory support of their reliable products was

arkona expands into China CHINA

arkona technologies has continued its international growth initiative by expanding its presence in China. Wiggo Evensen, worldwide partner manager for arkona, has announced that the company has established a working partnership with independent representative offices in Beijing and Guangzhou that will be owned and operated by its own Chinese employees, but will be known as Arkona China.

As a franchise company, Arkona China will increase awareness of the arkona brand, enable arkona technologies to strengthen relationships

market for us for many years and, having already established our own subsidiaries in China and Japan, the partnership with Broadcast Professional is a natural step in building our presence and delivering further growth across the region. Broadcast Professional’s values correspond perfectly with our own – and we’re extremely excited about the potential that we can unlock together.”

Joseph Ho, director, Broadcast Professional, shared: “We’re constantly seeking opportunities to expand the range of products and services that we offer our clients. Therefore, when discussing a partnership with Genelec in Singapore and Malaysia, the decision was straightforward, and we look forward to collaborating with Genelec to develop this market.”

Gary Goh, group CEO, Broadcast Professional, added: “We’re pleased to announce this strategic partnership with Genelec, a company with a long heritage of excellence. This collaboration unlocks the potential of great synergy between our organisations and perfectly aligns with our vision of providing our valued clients with industryleading solutions.”

with customers and gain insight into the specific requirements of local users that will lead to the development of more targeted solutions.

The representative office will also serve as a regional knowledge base by presenting seminars and training courses on a local level to keep customers up to date with arkona’s latest technical advancements, new product releases, software updates and hardware improvements.

Arkona China will be run under the direction of William Liu, an experienced veteran in broadcasting who will serve as sales director and

William Liu work with Evensen to manage the partnership.

Liu explained: “We are the arkona representative in China, responsible for sales and technical

recently enhanced with the appointment of APAC sales manager Patrick Hau, who is based in Singapore.” www.blaze-audio.com www.jands.com.au

support. We have chosen to establish Arkona China franchise offices in Beijing and Guangzhou with the blessing from arkona technologies in Germany, and although we will be known as Arkona China, the company is independently owned 100% by the employees in China.”

Evensen added: “I could not ask for a better and more qualified partner in China. This cooperation will lead to incredible opportunities to serve demanding customers in a region moving to IP solutions. We are happy to reveal that we are already working on many large projects in China.” www.arkonatech.com

16 PRO AVL ASIA November–December 2023

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NEWS: DISTRIBUTION

A

Lightware partners with Tico ZhiSheng CHINA

L–R: E-commerce team member Katsuhito Hata with Tadashi Shimojima

Hibino Corporation to distribute HK Audio JAPAN

The E-commerce division at Hibino Corporation, with its headquarters in Tokyo, is now the distributor for HK Audio in Japan. Since 1964, Hibino Corporation has been one of the top addresses in Japan for the distribution of professional audio technology, planning, installation and maintenance of systems as well as rental and operation of sound systems for concerts and events.

Tadashi Shimojima, general manager of E-commerce at Hibino Corporation, said: “The E-commerce division at Hibino Corporation is engaged in the sales of professional audio equipment in Japan and possesses extensive experience and expertise. On the other hand, HK Audio is globally recognised for providing high-quality audio solutions and is widely used in areas such as live performances and events.

“The partnership with HK Audio is an important step in expanding Hibino’s E-commerce product line-up and offering

customers high-quality professional audio solutions. By focusing on our own E-commerce sales channel called Full-Ten, we expect that a greater number of users will have access to HK Audio’s excellent products and users will not only be able to conveniently and swiftly purchase products, but also experience smooth support and after-sales service.”

Christian Jordan, HK Audio CSO and CMO, said: “With the E-commerce division at Hibino Corporation, we have gained a very experienced sales partner with excellent contacts in the industry and a very high customer-oriented understanding of service.

I am looking forward to a procreative cooperation.” www.fullten.jp www.hibino.co.jp www.hkaudio.com

ISOVOX joins Group Technologies AUSTRALIA

Group Technologies Australasia has been appointed the new exclusive Australian distributor of portable vocal booth creator, ISOVOX. Founded in 2016 by audio engineer and vocalist Philip Mayson, ISOVOX is a Swedish pro audio manufacturer focused on a range of solutions for voice and vocal recording.

ISOVOX’s flagship system, the ISOVOX 2 portable vocal booth, has garnered endorsements from a range of high-profile performers and industry professionals, including Seal.

“Since 2016, we have been changing the way people from all over the world practise and record vocals. ISOVOX products are helping to improve audio quality across the board, from small home studios to large record labels and world-famous artists. We are very excited to continue this journey, and with the help of the enthusiastic professionals at Group Technologies, we can finally bring our innovative products to

Australia. As a new brand on the market, we are thankful for this opportunity and proud of being in such good hands,” said Philip Mayson, director and founder, ISOVOX. The agreement between GT and ISOVOX further strengthens Group Technologies’ dossier, building upon its coalescence of partnerships with studio-centric brands like Austrian Audio, PSI Audio and Cordial. “We are very excited to partner with ISOVOX, a brand that we feel is doing something quite different in the studio sector, and one which is also manufactured with an unparalleled craftsmanship. The addition of ISOVOX to GT’s portfolio makes for an ideal match, being very much in line with our focus on brands that are each leaders in their respective markets,” said Scott Jamieson, technical products manager, Group Technologies. www.grouptechnologies.com.au www.isovoxbooth.com

Lightware Visual Engineering has said that it has entered into a partnership with Tico ZhiSheng Information Technology to further accelerate the company’s expanding business operations in China. Tico ZhiSheng was established in 1994 and has grown ever since, cementing a reputation across China as a product supplier and service provider of audio and video product system solutions, with a proven track record in integrating design consulting, equipment supply, after-sales debugging and after-sales service. It has developed five national sales and service centres, with headquarters in Beijing and Foshan, branches in Shanghai and Guangzhou, and a joint branch and technology exchange centre in Chengdu.

Tico ZhiSheng, general manager, Wang Yu Lin, said: “Our collaboration with Lightware fully reflects our strong alignment with the vision of delivering the best audiovisual experience to industry users. With our product line-up being further enhanced, we will bring more creative audiovisual solutions to the market and customers.”

Sam Ng, regional director for Greater China at Lightware Visual Engineering, said: “Tico ZhiSheng has built an enviable reputation in the AV industry over nearly three decades of operation, and we look forward to leaning into its expertise, knowledge and excellence to further our ambitious programme in the country.” www.lightware.com

VMT partners with Kuzar INDIA

VMT has announced that it has secured distribution rights for Kuzar, a Spanish brand of stage stands and line array lifters. “We have a great team behind us at Kuzar, one which takes prides in every aspect of their work so that our customers and clients receive total satisfaction. We place great importance and invest heavily on R&D and use only the highest-grade components in each and every product

we manufacture,” said Ben Sinclair, international sales, Kuzar.

“I’m excited to announce our successful acquisition of distribution rights for Kuzar in India. This highlights our dedication to providing exceptional solutions,” added Jeff Mandot, national sales manager, VMT. www.kuzar.es www.vmt.in

Van Lam Audio fills a Void in Vietnam VIETNAM

Void Acoustics has secured its commitment to the expanding Vietnamese market with the appointment of Van Lam Audio as the country’s Void distributor. Van Lam Audio is geographically well-placed to specify and deploy Void installations countrywide, with

Van Lam Audio’s managing director, Mr Cuong, added: “The entertainment sector is seeing huge investment in pro audio and, with Void’s exceptional product design and superior sound quality, we know high-end clients and owner operators will

offices and experienced technical teams located in Ho Chi Minh City, central Vietnam and Hanoi.

Fedrick Lu, Void’s APAC sales manager, said: “We recognised there was a huge demand for Void Acoustics products across the expanding entertainment market in Vietnam. It was critical that we found the right partner with the right team, who demonstrate strength in technical knowledge and capability, as well as appreciate our desire to strengthen the position of the Void brand throughout the country.”

be demanding Void systems in their bars, clubs and cocktail lounges.”

Alex Skan, Void Acoustics’ managing director, is excited to welcome Van Lam Audio to its global network: “There is a clear synergy between our two companies, which was a key reason for pursuing this partnership.” www.vanlamaudio.vn www.voidacoustics.com

18 PRO AVL ASIA November–December 2023

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NEWS: DISTRIBUTION

Adam Hall expands its APAC reach ASIA

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Joint Venture Audio Visual and Lighting will take over the exclusive distribution of Adam Hall Group’s own brands LD Systems, Cameo, Gravity and Palmer in the Philippines. Joint Venture Audio Visual is a corporate merger of several companies, including full-service provider Systech Lighting and Controls. Under the umbrella of Joint Venture, Systech will represent the AVL brands of the Adam Hall Group in the Philippine market.

C Yulo, president, Joint Venture Audio Visual Lighting, said: “Since the end of the Covid pandemic, the APAC region has been one of the fastest-growing markets ever. Together we will implement numerous interesting projects and further increase the

awareness of the Adam Hall Group brands in the Philippines.”

Glenn Lin, business development manager, Asia Pacific, said: “Joint Venture is the leading distributor for the AVL sector in the Philippines. With separate subsidiaries for MI/retail, install and hospitality, the large team offers ideal conditions to perfectly match our diverse portfolio to the different target groups.”

Adam Hall Group also recently appointed Acoustic & Lighting System as its distribution partner for Vietnam, taking over the exclusive distribution of LD Systems, Cameo, Gravity and Palmer products.

Adam Hall’s Markus Jahnel (centre) and Alessio Foti (far right) with the Joint Venture Audio Visual team

www.adamhall.com

Biamp goes direct in ANZ

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ANZ

Biamp has announced that it will transition to a dealer-direct model in Australia and New Zealand in early 2024, to enhance its ability to support customers and drive growth. Following the recent opening of the new Australian headquarters in Brisbane, Biamp is now transitioning to a dealer-direct model to strengthen company

sales, support and product distribution in the regions.

“With ANZ being one of the biggest and most important markets in Asia Pacific, we are confident that our decision to go direct will allow us to serve our partners more effectively.

Bringing on board an experienced ANZ sales force coupled with an expanded pre- and post-

sales support team will allow us to engage dealers more fully throughout the ANZ markets,” commented Niclas Brattberg, general manager, Middle East and Asia Pacific markets.

Biamp is collaborating with its long-time partner Jands on a 90-day transition plan that will ensure all customers are fully supported throughout and after the change.

“We want to thank Jands for their years of commitment,” added Brattberg. “Working together, we doubled sales and built the brand to a place where it can support even more growth. This change is required to sell complete solutions to a larger set of customers in ANZ.” www.biamp.com

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NEWS: APPOINTMENTS

Chyron selects Lightware appoints senior VP of sales Robin Enlund as APAC president WORLD

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Chyron has announced the appointment of Alain Polgar as the company’s senior vice president of sales for EMEA. With decades of experience in senior roles across the broadcast media, technology and streaming market ecosystem, Polgar will lead customer-centric growth and guide the Chyron team in elevating customer satisfaction throughout key markets.

“Chyron has a fantastic brand and an exciting solutions portfolio that has been growing and evolving to address the changing demands of users, who themselves face transformational times,” said Polgar. “I look forward to working with my colleagues across Chyron to ensure we’re bringing a high level of value to customers across the EMEA and APAC regions.”

Mike Truex, president at Chyron, said: “With remarkable expertise across business, technology and strategy, Alain offers a uniquely rich

APAC

perspective on the broadcast and media landscapes that will benefit Chyron teams around the world and, even more importantly, the markets and customers they serve.” www.chyron.com

Lightware Visual Engineering has appointed Robin Enlund as president for the Greater APAC region.

He will work closely with Lightware offices in the region, distributors and consulting companies to support large business opportunities, ensuring that they can operate effectively and meet the needs of both staff and clients.

In addition, Enlund will act as a conduit between Greater APAC and Lightware HQ in Budapest. He will also work in close collaboration with his counterparts, the president of Americas (Clint Hoffman) and the president of EMEA (Siegfried Hermann), to ensure a unified corporate message and a global go-to-market approach.

“I am excited to join Lightware and be part of this growth period of the company. Current and coming product portfolios are best-in-class and I look

forward to supporting the Greater APAC teams in growing our market share. My goal is to establish an even stronger Asia Pacific Lightware presence in the upcoming years,” said Enlund. www.lightware.com

GT chooses Hay for NSW/ACT AUSTRALIA

NEXO

Group Technologies has welcomed Shaun Hay as its new business development manager for the NSW/ACT division. Hay brings with him 20 years of music industry experience. From studio mixing and mastering, to live touring, sound design for film, equipment retail and even lecturing in professional audio, Hay has engaged with a sizeable cross-section of the industry.

Hay has spent considerable time as both a freelance live engineer and a resident venue technical manager, and has an extensive background in AV, theatre, staging and hire. “The future of this division

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is looking bright, and we can’t wait to see Shaun harness his expertise in helping facilitate some outstanding solutions for our partners,” said Daniel Grist, national sales manager, professional audio, Group Technologies.

“To be able to work with some of the industry’s leading audio brands is a dream come true, and I look forward to representing them in NSW and ACT while continuing to grow their presence,” explained Hay. www.grouptechnologies.com.au

20 PRO AVL ASIA November–December 2023

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NEWS: APPOINTMENTS

Eagle becomes CEO of Hall Technologies WORLD

• TOM BARKER-HARROLD • SENIOR MARKETING DIRECTOR INTEGRATED SYSTEMS EVENTS

Hall Technologies has announced a leadership reorganisation naming VP of technology Ken Eagle as CEO. Eagle has been with Hall Technologies since July 2021 and has helped enhance the company’s product portfolio and launch new holistic solutions.

“I’m honoured to be named CEO and look forward to continuing the legacy that Hall Technologies has created over the last 30 years,” said Eagle. “This reorganisation will allow us to maintain our industry focus, expand our product offerings and continue to provide best-in-class products and service to our clients.”

Eagle replaces Jason Schwartz, who has served as CEO since 2020. Hall Technologies CFO Matt Kingsley will take on additional leadership responsibilities, with VP of sales and marketing Hal Truax also leaving the company.

Hall Technologies board chairwoman, Monica King, said: “We believe in Ken and Matt’s strategic vision and are confident that this change in leadership will support the company’s long-term goals and help take Hall Technologies to the next level.” www.halltechav.com

Astera appoints new CEO

Neat welcomes Janine Pelosi

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Astera has revealed that Carl-Johan Sköld will be joining the team as group • JEROEN PERQUIN • SENIOR FINANCE DIRECTOR INTEGRATED SYSTEMS EVENTS

• TERENCE CHAN • PRODUCT MANAGER CLEAR-COM

CEO. Having acted as a consultant for the Germanbased lighting firm for some time already, Sköld

is well-placed to advise and lead Astera into a period of strategic growth, bringing with him an extensive background in business consultancy and strategic development.

Sköld said: “It is clear from the recognition that Astera gets from some of the key names in the field of film and TV lighting that their reputation is well-deserved, and I am both grateful and excited to begin a new path together with them.”

Sebastian Bückle, sales and marketing director at Astera, commented: “Having already developed a close working relationship with the team in his previous consultancy role, we know well that Carl-Johan is an excellent fit for Astera, and we will benefit greatly from his insight, knowledge, drive and vision.” www.astera-led.com

WORLD

Neat has named Janine Pelosi as its chief executive officer.

Neat co-founder Simen Teigre, who has served as CEO since the company’s formation, has transitioned to the role of chief of emerging innovations.

Pelosi brings nearly two decades of experience in the technology industry, most recently serving as chief marketing officer of Zoom, where she led the company’s brand strategy, demand generation and online business from start-up to IPO and beyond.

“Janine’s visionary leadership in navigating the path to global scale, while remaining focused on the customer experience, will be instrumental to accelerate Neat’s continued growth,” said OJ Winge, Neat’s co-founder, board chair and co-founder of Ubon Partners, the majority shareholder in Neat.

Pelosi added: “As businesses manage both the benefits and complexities of hybrid work, Neat supports this new landscape and empowers teams to connect and accomplish more together.” www.neat.no

• ARPAN DHYANI • ASSOCIATE MARKET DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, NORTH INDIA

• VIJAY KUMAR • ASSOCIATE MARKET DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, SOUTH INDIA

• SIDDARTH GOPAL • SOFTWARE DIRECTOR

• SIAN REES • BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

SHURE INDIA

SHURE INDIA

PPDS

PPDS

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NEWS: APPOINTMENTS

HDC LED selects Edward Chia

Pixotope strengthens APAC marketing

HDC LED Asia has appointed Edward Chia as the regional sales director in Singapore. This appointment is in line with the brand’s aims to expand its regional presence and drive growth in collaboration with the Singapore team. With over 25 years in the AV industry, Chia has held various positions ranging from brand management to sales and systems integration. His wealth of experience will contribute to establishing HDC as a professional display manufacturer in the market and further deepen the company’s presence in Asia.

Simon Lim, managing director for HDC LED Asia, expressed his honour to have someone with such industry knowledge joining their team. Chia stated: “I am honoured and excited to work alongside partners in the region and establish HDC’s footprint

Pixotope has welcomed Vivian Yu as its new marketing director, APAC and global sales enablement lead, as part of its commitment to address the worldwide growth and demand for access to virtual production. Yu will leverage her individual networks and expertise in the media and entertainment industry to tackle the pain points of the growing broadcast market and APAC region.

Yu’s role extends beyond the APAC region to support the worldwide Pixotope marketing team with additional expertise in the media and entertainment industry. She will leverage her wealth of experience, which includes marketing roles at Avid and Ross Video, to drive campaigns that resonate with the unique needs of the region.

“I look forward to supporting our existing customers and welcoming new ones by

SINGAPORE

across Asia. Collaborating with the talented professionals within the company reinforces my belief that HDC will become a brand with a strong presence in Asia.” www.hg-hdc.com

APAC

fostering a community that inspires and connects end users to the opportunities that Pixotope virtual production solutions can offer,” Yu said. www.pixotope.com

• SUSAN WILHITE • SENIOR DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

• MARKETA FANTOVA • INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAMME COORDINATOR/DESIGNER

• MATHIAS MÜGLICH • TRAINING ENGINEER

• RAYMOND SIEW • SENIOR SALES MANAGER, SINGAPORE

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NEWS: POWERING DOWN

On top of the world Andy Jackson

Jackson and his friends at Gulf for Good

Clair Global Middle East CEO, Andy Jackson, sits down with Libby Stonell to discuss his work with charity Gulf for Good (G4G), as well as his growing appreciation for the earth and its wonders Tell me about your role at Clair Global

Vietnam and the empty mountains in Kyrgyzstan. And closer to home, it’s a privilege to be involved in the RAK Highlander event.

I joined Clair in the summer of 2022, with a remit to establish and set up Clair Global in the Middle East region. We are now fully established in the UAE and currently finalising our trading entities in KSA. As you would expect, the region is enjoying an incredible boom period and I have received unbelievable support from the owners and have been able to put together an international team that is able to deliver events across the region.

What is it about hiking specifically that you find to be beneficial?

As I get older, I get more and more in-tune with my body and the planet and try and stay grounded. I’m a great believer that the world is a natural healing mechanism, whether that’s mental or physical, so it’s really important to appreciate everything around you, because it’s not going to be very long before mother earth says enough is enough.

How did you get into hiking?

I have always preferred the outdoor life and subsequently always tried to challenge myself physically, whether that be through cycling or hiking. Over the years, I have taken part in various cycling challenges in the US, Uganda, Vietnam and Cambodia, raising funds for local charities, but my hiking journey started around the time when Covid restrictions were starting to lift in the UAE. Everyone wanted to escape the city and, because of my previous relationship with local charity Gulf for Good, I was able to support their hikes. G4G supports numerous children’s charities across the world through challenges – whether it’s cycling or hiking, people are encouraged to sign up, get fit and go and do a challenge that they wouldn’t ordinarily do. Post-Covid, we organised hikes locally in the mountains in Ras Al Khaima. By the end of 2020, we were taking 30–40 people out every weekend through the highest peaks in the Jebel Jais area.

What exactly is it that you do while working with G4G? I started as a volunteer rep and trail guide and it soon became apparent that I needed to do some training and implement some health and safety measures. So about two years ago, I took my mountain leadership training course, which involved time in the mountains, navigating, assessing weather conditions and learning search and rescue techniques. As hiking tourism has evolved, it is now mandatory to be led by a qualified guide.

Jackson and his wife at Angkor Wat, Cambodia

At home in the UAE mountains I have been an ambassador for G4G for a few years now. I spend time planning local hikes or weekend activities as well as training challengers for their “bucket list” challenges. A large part of the role is to motivate and train people so they enjoy the challenges, push them to their limit but, ultimately, keep them safe. It goes without saying that safety is the number one thing that you have to consider with hiking or any outdoor sports, especially in this part of the world, where it’s pretty easy to get dehydrated, lost or injured.

A lot of people think that Dubai is largely flat and made up of sand dunes, but you go an hour-and-a-half away and it becomes very mountainous.

What’s a standout memory for you so far?

Cycling through the maize fields in Uganda and coming across remote villages and African tribal families. It must have looked very strange when a bunch of people on mountain bikes wearing Lycra cycled through their village. A lot of what we do on the challenges is find time to meet and interact with the people and charities we are supporting. It’s not unusual to take time out to interact with schools and the local people. There are many other memories I could mention: cycling through the Angkor Wat temples, rice paddies in

So, is it fair to say hiking has given you a greater appreciation for the world?

Definitely. I try to make a difference where I can. Education and sharing the joy of hiking with any groups makes a difference. We regularly take corporate groups out for organised litter picks, usually in wadis that are popular tourist areas. The UAE, like most places, suffers from litter – particularly plastic – so on hikes, whether alone or out with a group, I’m quite often seen wandering around with a bin bag full of other people’s rubbish. The hope is that perhaps somebody will see me doing this and think twice about littering.

Maybe it’s just a grumpy old man thing, I don’t know!

For people that struggle to make time – perhaps those not in the same position as you where they can step away slightly – how important is it for them to find an outlet?

Honestly, I think it’s up to employers and industry leaders to set an example and make sure that the time is scheduled to give people time away from the stresses of work. I think that Clair as a global company really works hard on employee wellness. Giving people the correct work–life balance comes from the top. www.gulf4good.org

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NEWS: INDUSTRY INNOVATORS

A sound plan

Pratiksha Yadav’s curiosity about what went on behind the scenes at a live music concert uncovered a potential career path.

Caroline Moss meets a rising star of India’s live sound industry LIKE MANY YOUNG PEOPLE THE WORLD OVER, Pratiksha Yadav was uncertain of her future direction on leaving school. “I didn’t have a lot of options to pursue so I decided to study business and get a corporate job,” she recalls. Once in college, however, she felt as though she was being pushed in a direction she didn’t want to go. Attending a concert in her hometown of Bhopal in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh changed everything, opening up doors she didn’t know existed.

“I started wondering about what goes on behind the scenes, and so I started searching on the internet,” she says. “I wanted to know how these events are created, and who the companies were that were doing this.”

A bit more searching unearthed a diploma course in event management which could provide a gateway into the industry. “I talked to my parents who were against it at first, but I convinced them to let me do the course,” she continues. However, the following year, India was in the middle of one of the strictest lockdowns globally. Undeterred, Yadav completed her studies from home. Then, with the industry remaining shut down for some time, she began researching event companies in her area, contacting them about future work. “I wanted a permanent job rather than working freelance, as I didn’t think I would grow in that way,” she says. One of the companies she reached out to was Phoenix Networks, a Bhopal-based event management company founded in 2011 with the aim of providing world-class event experiences.

After a promising introductory chat, Yadav started working for Phoenix as a production executive in October 2022. After a few months her boss, Animesh Mishra, told her to start learning about sound, noticing her fascination with this aspect of the industry. “I started off by learning about lighting, but realised that wasn’t where my interest lay,” she explains. “I was always interested in live sound when I attended concerts, standing at the mixing console at events to watch how it was operated, but I knew nothing about sound. However, Animesh Sir gave me an opportunity to do it.”

Yadav initially found herself struggling with the concepts of audio.

“Certain things were hard to understand because I don’t have a background in physics, so I’ve been learning the fundamentals of audio. I repeat the topic again and again and again until I can understand it and, if I can’t, I ask someone. I have a lot of people around me that are teaching and guiding me, and everyone is so supportive, encouraging me to learn. They even ask me if I can teach them certain things that I’ve learnt.”

There have been plenty of opportunities to learn about some of the pro audio industry’s leading technology, as the Phoenix inventory includes DiGiCo Quantum 338 and SD10 and Allen & Heath dLive S7000 mixing consoles, plus one of the first Meyer Sound Panther systems to arrive in the country.

Yadav attended the launch in Delhi, where she learned how to rig the system. “I’m also making Panther sound system design files in Meyer’s MAPP 3D sound system design software, and Oscar Barrientos from Meyer Sound is helping me review those files and teaching me a lot that’s related to Panther and sound system design. I would say it’s by far the best sound system I have heard. It amazes me how a small box can create over 150dB of SPL. I like how easy it is to deploy the system, and it doesn’t need much EQ to sound good. And what I like the most is the linearity of the system; it sounds the same all around the area.”

Yadav designed the sound system for the recent grand unveiling of the Statue of Oneness in Omkareshwar, while debuting Phoenix Networks’ new Panther system. The event, dedicated to Adi Shankaracharya, attracted around 9,000

attendees. She reflects on the build-up to the event: “I took immense pride in being entrusted with the responsibility of designing for such a prominent event, and I’m genuinely grateful to those who provided me with the opportunity.”

Right now, Yadav is focusing on system design and alignment along with becoming a mix engineer. “I think system design might be my forte, but I want to learn every aspect of sound,” she says.

What’s her advice when it comes to attracting other young people into the industry, particularly women? “I think a lot of people are just scared to take the first step but, once you do that, you can go through with it. A lot of people have it instilled in their minds that it’s something the boys do, and they don’t have enough support to pursue this as a career.

Also, families here in India are strict. Mine doesn’t want me going out after a certain time, and you don’t have fixed hours in this industry. But we are getting there. We talk a lot, and my parents have supported me to pursue the career I want.”

Yadav with Phoenix Networks’ latest investment As our interview draws to a close, Yadav mentions that her given name, Pratiksha, signifies a period of hopeful waiting before something happens. This seems the perfect simile for her patience, getting on with studying until the right career revealed itself. Now this anticipatory period is over, Yadav’s career in India’s booming live sound industry is assured. www.meyersound.com www.phoenixnetworks.in

The Statue of Oneness

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STUDIO HEADPHONES

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NEWS: VIEW FROM DOWN UNDER

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The Hewshott team at the 20 Year Anniversary Global Conference

Aligned yet unique

Libby Stonell sits down with Hewshott founder Peter Hunt to discuss how the company – particularly in Australia – plans to continue growing while staying true to its roots Can you tell me a little bit about Hewshott’s inception?

Hewshott started in 2002, and everybody says to me, where did it come from? What does it mean? Hewshott is a tiny village within the Surrey/Sussex/Hampshire borders in southern England. Hewshott House is set in 35 acres and the family that inherited it were asset rich but cash poor at the time, so extra income came through renting out parts of the estate, so my (now) wife Katie and I moved into a wing.

We decided to start a new company, and thought “why not call it Hewshott?” I registered it as a company name shortly afterwards, bought Hewshott.com, and the rest, as they say, is history.

We started off as Hewshott Media, and then Hewshott Associates, followed by Hewshott International, which is when we opened in Singapore. In 2022, we had a big rebrand and repositioning, so now we’re just Hewshott.

How did Hewshott come to branch out?

In 2005, we won a project in Singapore for a German investment bank that set off an avalanche of work there.

Two years later, we won another project in Hong Kong for a different bank and, again, more work followed. By then, over 70% of our global revenue was coming out of APAC, so we moved back to Australia in 2009 and supported both offices.

In 2010, one of our clients asked us to handle a big project in Mumbai and that’s how the Indian office started. After four new offices in five years, consolidation was needed but, in 2021, the long-overdue American office was launched. As far as the future is concerned, I don’t have a crystal ball, but I’m not really one for standing still for too long. I’d like to see if we can increase our footprint just a little bit more, but only provided we don’t risk losing what makes us unique. I want to maintain that personable, friendly, responsive feel that is Hewshott worldwide.

Can running multiple offices be challenging?

Yes, but it’s made easier because all of us are rowing in the same direction. We’re really fortunate that all the directors are firmly aligned with our vision – everybody’s got a really good North star if you like. I think as the business has grown, we’ve ensured that whoever joins us shares

that vision. We could expand into two or three countries tomorrow, but we need to find the right person first – people are the most important part of our business. Being independent is fundamental to our makeup – there’s nobody sitting on our shoulders saying “you’ve got to do it this way”.

We’re free to make the decisions that we want to make in the best interest of the project outcome – nothing more, nothing less.

What do you offer the Australia/New Zealand market that other consultants don’t?

We’re a fairly modest office in Perth, a relatively small city in comparison to the rest of the region, and ANZ has plenty of very good consultants that operate here. Sometimes we lose against them, sometimes we win – that’s just the way it is as there’s enough work for all of us. But where I think we possibly are different to the majority of smaller independent consultants, companies of our size and our orientation, is that we have in-house IT and acoustics consulting experience and capability. In 2024, we will have chalked up 15 years of doing that in Australia.

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NEWS: VIEW FROM DOWN UNDER How do you keep up to date with AV and other technologies?

If I go back to my first ISE in Brussels, there were three major things to look at: video, audio and control. You could do the whole show really well in the two or three days and come out full bottle, knowing what’s going on. Today, I barely scratch the surface and I find it quite frustrating. However, Hewshott is 30+ people across the globe and all attend the tradeshows too, so there’s always somebody

How important is sustainability to Hewshott?

It’s important. Covid was a really terrible experience for everybody, but the green shoots that have emerged from that are people realising that you can deliver large, complicated projects remotely without ever having to get the team together physically in the same space. And from a consulting point of view, those barriers falling away opens massive opportunities because it means that we don’t need to be in Sydney to deliver a project there. And it’s not just us – our clients are doing the same thing, with one project in Sydney having major stakeholders in Singapore, Bangkok and London.

Spending all that money, boarding an airplane, spewing out loads of carbon, all for a three-hour meeting. Why would you do it?

Does Hewshott’s sustainability extend to suggesting greener solutions to clients?

Clients are increasingly going for the six-star building rating. While three points are available for acoustic compliance, there’s nothing for AV – yet. I think something should be there that encourages and recognises

Peter Hunt

things like equipment going into standby automatically when not being used. Most of us do that anyway, but it’s not something which is measurable or recorded – it’s an opportunity missed.

Another thing that’s coming up, which I think is often overlooked, is the discussion around modern slavery. Most of our clients are Global 500s who are signed up to various modern slavery legislations around the world. We research and report on products, solutions and services where there could be an abuse of that process in the supply chain. We have a duty of care to make sure that they’re looking at decisions with their eyes wide open. A consultant’s role is to bring full understanding to their purchases, but we know it’s their choice. We’re not there to make decisions for them, but we are there to inform and empower them to make decisions for themselves.

Does Hewshott have a current focus or area of growth?

The convergence between AV and IT continues to simmer.

Opportunity lies in having those discussions within the IT space, because we’re still not quite there yet – convergence is still converging. There are two distinct challenges involved in this – the first being that AV in IT will be oversimplified, due to a lack of understanding of the nuances of audio, light and video. The other challenge is the lack of deep knowledge of IT by the AV market, although those gaps are definitely closing. However, people will need to get used to these gaps and find a way to help close them. We have a dedicated IT person in our business who had no prior exposure to AV but could communicate with IT managers in our client base as an equal. Once our IT resource had exposure to the AV market, the confidence in the client base went up and the IT doors opened. It takes effort. www.hewshott.com

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L I N E A R R AY SYS T E M

www.ttaudio.com

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NEWS: PROJECTS

Astera NYX Bulbs provide A Midsummer Night’s Dream SINGAPORE

A Midsummer Night’s Dream – one of Shakespeare’s most timeless and intricately cerebral comedies – is always a delight to light, and Singapore-based lighting designer Gabriel Chan relished this task for the 2023 Shakespeare in The Park (SITP) version.

Chan chose 67 Astera NYX Bulbs to get light sources into some of the more inaccessible parts of Richard Kent’s stunning “cityscape” set design, a cocktail of architectural fantasies that reimagined Athens as a stark industrial landscape that transformed into a dynamic hi-tech playground for the magic parts of the narrative.

The set needed careful lighting from specific places and NYX Bulbs proved a suitable solution. It was the first SITP event for producers, The Singapore Repertory Theatre (SRT), since 2018 and the goal was to return to the outdoor theatrical season with a bang, which was achieved with the production directed by Guy Unsworth and staged at Fort Canning Green within Fort Canning Park.

The set worked as two contrasting worlds for the two main settings in the play – Athens and the dream world of the fairies, explained Chan. It was also the initial visual impact of the show that the audience encountered

when entering Fort Canning Green and was pivotal throughout the play due to its scale and size.

“For Athens, we referenced the raw industrial environment of oil refineries, docks and factories harshly lit with white floods that created sharp and abrasive lines,” he elucidated.

With the introduction of several large canvases that were drawn across the set like curtains, and plenty of lighting, that same set would become an entirely different landscape for the dream world of the fairies.

Chan’s main concern in architecturally lighting the scenic elements was that the fixtures had to last the entire four-week run outdoors. Having had “less than satisfactory” experiences during previous SITPs – this was his seventh season – using DIY LED products, his pitch to SRT this year was focused on “needing quality manufactured products with IP protection”.

Most of the set chimneys were also not load bearing, so they needed something small and light, and once the chimneys had been installed by crane with the lights attached inside, access was very limited, so any troubleshooting had to be done wirelessly.

Image courtesy of Crispian Chan

SRT purchased the 70 NYX bulbs specially for this production, of which 67 were used in the lighting scheme, with three as spares. They were installed in 10 of the 17 set chimneys which created an array of light sources that

Chan built into a sprinkling effect that evoked magic when that was happening, together with a variety of other narrative references. www.astera-led.com

ETC brings its Eos Apex Harudot Chonburi to NNTT brews the right vibe THAILAND

JAPAN

The New National Theatre (NNTT) Tokyo is Japan’s first and foremost national theatre for the performing arts, including opera, ballet, contemporary dance and drama. As part of its 25th anniversary, the NNTT has upgraded its lighting control system in the Opera House and reportedly fitted the first ETC Eos Apex console in the Japanese theatre industry.

Hosting numerous artists and designers from around the world, the NNTT was finding that overseas lighting designers were often requesting ETC consoles for their shows. When the time came for an upgrade, the theatre felt it made sense to purchase its own stock in the hope that it would assist the visiting designers who want to use their own data and simplify the work of the lighting production team.

Ken Production Services and local lighting dealer, synchro rise, worked closely with the NNTT lighting team and chose one Eos Apex 10 24K control desk and four Eos Apex 5 24K desks.

“I would highly recommend ETC gear to others.

Based on our experience, the Eos Apex console delivered a seamless performance without any

issues. A trustworthy console is essential for any production, so it’s great to hear that this one met our expectations,” said NNTT technical department, lighting director, Yuji Tatsuta.

The lighting setup at the NNTT used to be a challenge for the team with two consoles managing the lighting fixtures within a single production room in the lighting booth. Creating and updating cues was difficult because of the physical distance between the designer and the operator. The team found innovative ways to overcome these obstacles, but upgrading the lighting system to Eos Apex has given the designers quick access to everything they need.

“I enjoyed using Apex’s screen graphics – they were very easy to read,” explained NNTT technical department, lighting technician Takehito Suzuki.

“The complete full tracking system also made it easy to create data. Communication between the designer and the operator was much easier and faster with Apex. It’s a great choice for anyone looking to take their lighting design to the next level.”

Located in Chon Buri Province, Thailand, Harudot Chonburi is the latest addition to the Nana Coffee Roasters portfolio of coffee houses.

A selection of Electro-Voice compact loudspeaker models were chosen in formats and finishes to complement the aesthetics of the shop’s service, dining and meeting areas. Superior intelligibility at lower volumes was also a requirement, to ensure comfortable levels for daytime customers and staff, with the capacity to adapt to evening events.

Four ZX1i in white provide the highest output for the main part of the shop. Coverage into the adjacent areas is handled by four EVID-S5.2 in white, with low-end support from a pair of EVIDS10.1D subwoofers, also in white. A pair of EVID C4.2 ceiling speakers provide overhead sound.

Outside, four EVID-S5.2 in black complement the darker finish of the shop’s exterior. All the Electro-Voice loudspeakers are powered by five Dynacord L1300FD power amplifiers. www.dynacord.com www.electrovoice.com

www.etcconnect.com

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NEWS: PROJECTS

1 SOUND’S Cannon amplifies Cinema Inferno JAPAN

Conceived by creative director John Galliano, fashion house Maison Margiela held a large-scale installation based on the story Cinema Inferno, to commemorate its Artisanal collection, as well as to celebrate the relocation of its Omotesando store. The exhibition took place in Shibuya, Tokyo.

installed 1 SOUND’s Cannon C5s throughout the exhibition, playing sounds to accompany the dark poetic story. The C5s were hung as angled pendants. East Audio utilised ⅜-inch threaded rod to hang the Cannons at the desired height and used their C-Clamp accessory to aim the loudspeaker.

Astro Malaysia improves its workflow with BLT MALAYSIA

“Through multi-disciplinary displays, the installation illustrates the story and visual themes of Cinema Inferno,” stated a spokesperson for Maison Margiela, while explaining that the installation will showcase the film in full.

The exhibition has elements that are intended to invite people into the scenes of the story, while the film of the 2022 couture show plays on LED screens. East Audio, based in Japan,

“We love seeing our loudspeakers being a part of such a creative and strategic installation.

This exhibition invites the audience inside and creates a suggested path through the immersive story that is depicted around them, by utilising not just visual elements but sound design,” said Julia Mannarino, creative director of 1 SOUND. www.1-sound.com www.eastaudio.com

Recently, Astro Malaysia wanted to upgrade its outdated video delay server system and began searching for a modern solution that would integrate with its existing workflow.

BLT Italia partnered with JAAS, the exclusive distributor for BLT Italia in Malaysia and Southeast Asia, to conduct a thorough Proof of Concept (POC) with Astro using BLT’s Video Server system.

BLT Italia has over 60 years of experience in the television industry and specialises in live sports production events. BLT’s system is customisable to fit Astro’s entire press workflow, reportedly resulting in significant cost savings.

Features of the BLT system include live video delay and editing up to 24 hours, presentation live feed playout with built-in graphics, QC control for House Master production, integration with existing systems, full system preview and on-air monitoring without external systems, customisable GUI and 1+1 system redundancy. The BLT system installed at

Astro consists of a multichannel 2U SMSAV2 production server with full redundancy, a remote-control panel with T-Bar and Jog dial (RUS-Colour Plus) and BLT’s Live Editor.

Astro’s previous video delay system had one record and one playback channel, while BLT’s server has eight SDI inputs and four SDI outputs for future expansion, supporting 12G-SDI UHD inputs and ST 2110 IP networking. Challenges in the project implementation included component shortages due to effects post-Covid and the need for customisation and configuration of GUI software to match operator preferences and workflows.

David Chan, director of JAA Systems, said: “With our expertise and BLT’s system, we managed to integrate various workflows into a single optimised operator system. We are confident that this advanced BLT technology will empower Astro to further excel in delivering engaging content to its audiences.” www.jaasys.com

Nexo enriches Kingston Butter Factory AUSTRALIA

Once a bustling facility that produced lashings of dairy in the early 1900s, Kingston Butter Factory has endured as a historical fixture of Queensland’s City of Logan. Now a thriving cultural precinct, the old factory building and grounds have been renovated and repurposed to become the creative centre of Logan’s community, having been outfitted with a Nexo GEO M12 line array system.

The arts and entertainment hub is home to many community festivals, markets, concerts and installations. Central to hosting events and live performances is Kingston Butter Factory’s outdoor space, which includes an expansive stage looking out over a fan-shaped

audience area of over 5,200m². The newly renovated setting called for a highperformance professional sound system with comprehensive acoustic coverage. The Kingston Butter Factory Cultural Precinct is now equipped with a permanent line array installation, consisting of six GEO M12 cabinets and six GEO MSUB 18s flown on either side of the stage, with an additional

two GEO MSUB 18s, ground-stacked on both sides. Kingston Butter Factory is now poised to open its doors to a myriad of modest to large events.

Nexo’s loudspeaker systems have historically been a favourite of Logan City Council. Nathan Roser, Kingston Butter Factory’s technical production manager, said: “Our audio requirements as a venue

are wide and varied. What we have gained with the GEO M12 is a great-performing speaker system from a brand that we love and have used before. Kingston Butter Factory is the third venue that Logan Arts has equipped with Nexo. The Logan Entertainment Centre was the first to receive a Nexo system, and we have been relying on the brand ever since. It has worked and continues to work well for us, meaning that we can deliver for our operators consistently, and our audiences always leave having had a great experience.

We used Nexo’s software packages to map the venue, and the translation from software to reality has been excellent. The M12 and MSUB 18 have great build quality and excellent performance.”

Phil Viney, director of Design Stage, added: “When we specified the system, the M12 array actually didn’t exist in Australia yet.

We had never used it before and, really, the choice was based on Nexo’s strong reputation and Logan Arts’ preference and love for the brand. I have no doubt the client is very pleased with the outcome.” www.nexo-sa.com

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NEWS: PROJECTS

Tongbo debuts Coda Audio’s Space Hub

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CHINA

The 2023 Beijing Xishan Forest Park Concert was recently staged in the Chinese capital’s Xishan National Forest Park. The Symphony Orchestra of the Chinese Central Ballet Troupe was conducted by the well-known Tan Lihua, who is also the conductor of the Chinese Philharmonic Orchestra. The concert also provided production specialist Tongbo with an opportunity to deploy a Coda Audio Space Hub for the first time.

The team had addressed two principal areas in the studio, firstly in the context of stage monitor mixes for musicians and then to enhance the experience of the audience at concerts. Following thorough communication with the organisers of the Forest Park Concert, the goahead to use the immersive system was granted with their full support. Essentially, the team wished to provide the audience with an experience similar to sitting in an indoor concert hall while attending an outdoor event. This was to be achieved by combining traditional stereo sound with immersive sound techniques to simulate the acoustic environment of a concert hall.

The main system deployed traditional stereo reinforcement by means of eight Coda Audio AiRAY per side

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for the mid to far field, supplemented by eight ViRAY suspended below for nearfield coverage. Three SC2 subs per side were arranged in a heartshaped configuration to ensure that low-frequency signals were kept away as much as possible from the stage area.

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system, successfully recreated the sound environment of an indoor concert hall in the beautiful setting of the Forest Park.

Lihua said: “The sound left a deep and lasting impression on me. It allowed every musician and listener to enjoy the fresh air

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In conjunction with the main system, the Space Hub immersive system utilising its built-in acoustic processor, adopted a U-shaped layout, surrounding the audience area on the remaining three sides of the space in a 270° wraparound configuration. A distance of 6.5m separated six loudspeaker positions on each of the t sides. Each position used two HOPS8 8-inch full-range point source loudspeakers, at heights of 1.5m and 2.5m respectively. A further four speaker positions were located at the back of the audience area, each comprising a single HOPS8 deployed at a height of 3m.

The combination of uniform, realistic and clear musical layers delivered by the main array, enhanced by the supplementary Space Hub-based

of nature while listening to the beautiful and brilliant sounds of the concert hall.”

Coda Audio global director of sales and marketing, David Webster, commented: “This was a highly successful and meaningful endeavour which we believe marks a new chapter in the field of immersive sound reinforcement for live performances.” www.codaaudio.com

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NEWS: PROJECTS

Votion’s XR studio powered by Brompton Technology HONG KONG

Votion Studios, a technology-driven creative agency in Hong Kong, has launched a new virtual production studio that centres around an AOTO LED display powered by LED video processing from Brompton Technology.

Votion combines a strategic fusion of technologies and collaborative alliances to provide content creators with a solution that spans the entire production cycle.

Through its dedicated in-house VFX team,

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provides a cost-effective solution and the highest-quality resolution for our ambitious LED initiatives.

“Combining its LED setup with a disguise vx4 media server and three rx II render systems, Votion Studios can integrate all aspects of the production set into the media server – from backgrounds to XR elements enhanced by ARRI lighting and RED cameras. Everything is unified and can be programmed in advance.”

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A perfect combination of elegant design and superior audio output, the PD.24603BR, 24” Sub Bass driver represents best-in-class performance for professional audio system designers. the facility offers comprehensive support to its clients, functioning as a creative hub for the development of XR and VP productions.

The company reinvested in its LED volume, replacing the original LED configuration with AOTO LED panels and Brompton’s Tessera LED processors.

At the heart of the studio’s capabilities are three AOTO LED displays. The entire setup is driven by five Brompton Technology Tessera SX40 LED processors, complemented by four Tessera XD 10G data distribution units to deliver a unified data distribution solution.

“Adopting Brompton LED processing marked a pivotal moment in our commitment to provide cutting-edge, innovative visuals throughout our projects,” said Roger Proeis, co-founder at Votion Studios. “The inclusion of full 4K support and remarkable LED video processing, encompassing HDR, dynamic calibration and HFR+, ensures consistently stunning, accurate visuals. Teamed with Tessera XD distribution units, this configuration

In its drive for innovation, Votion Studios has broadened its presence within the Hong Kong Science Park, intensifying research and development in digital content technologies such as XR. “Our focus goes further than content creation,” said Proeis. “It’s about shaping the digital destiny of Hong Kong’s dynamic creative and entertainment landscape.

We see ourselves as a piece of a broader puzzle where the convergence of art and technology pushes boundaries.”

Elijah Ebo, director of APAC operations at Brompton, said: “This collaboration highlights exceptional technical capabilities and enables Votion Studios to demonstrate its creativity, expertise and commitment to top-tier VP and XR productions. It’s fantastic to see our Tessera SX40 being harnessed in this way to unlock unprecedented levels of creative expression.” www.bromptontech.com www.votion.studio

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NEWS: PROJECTS

Hunger film crew uses colour science THAILAND

Thai cinematographer, T-Thawat Taifayongvichit, has used ALEXA Mini LF’s range and colour science to bring out the textures of food and class division for his latest Netflix feature film. Hunger is a tale that follows the journey of Aoy, a young female cook who runs her family’s local noodle shop, and her unexpected entry into the cut-throat world of fine dining by joining the luxury culinary team, Hunger.

The story depicts two distinct realms of dining and the challenges Aoy faces in trying to navigate and survive in both.

“One of the main discussions director Sitisiri Mongkolsiri and I had was how to effectively illustrate the contrast between rich and poor, corporate and local. There were numerous scenes crafted to mirror the class divide, taking

the audience in and out of both worlds and making them experience the textures of fine dining against Aoy’s humble neighbourhood restaurant,” said Taifayongvichit.

With this theme in mind, Taifayongvichit was tasked with visually translating it on screen.

“We decided to have simpler camera setups for the local noodle restaurant and richer camera movements for the scenes with team Hunger.

For the local portion of the film, we just had our cameras on sticks or handheld most of the time. The tracking and Steadicam shots were all reserved for the fine dining world. Additionally, Aoy’s family restaurant was lit with harsher and less flattering lights, while the luxurious scenes had softer and more controlled lighting,” he explained.

When talking about the camera choice, Taifayongvichit revealed that his decision was largely influenced by the need to capture multiple characters within the various kitchen locations.

“The large-format sensor of the ALEXA Mini LF gave us the shallow depth of field that we needed to isolate individual characters within a crowded space, even while shooting at T/2.8 or T/4. Moreover, the compact and lightweight nature of the camera made it easy to fit onto different rigs and allowed smooth handheld shooting,” he said.

“The Mini LF’s high dynamic range also proved beneficial in depicting the significant

hospital juxtaposed to the local streets in the background of Aoy’s family restaurant. The dynamic range helped us achieve this without worries about losing details in the highlights,” he continued.

“Chef Chalee Kader, who served as our food stylist, beautifully designed the food shots, and it was my responsibility to do justice to his work. During the Hunger crew’s catering missions, we used very stylised lighting. The exceptional image quality and colour science of the ALEXA Mini LF preserved all details of the food shots despite the extreme lighting conditions, so that we could still dial the texture

backdrops of the different worlds in the film. For instance, we wanted to show the Bangkok skyline as the background for Chef Paul’s kitchen headquarters and the affluent

and colour of the food back closer to its original appearance in post,” said Taifayongvichit. www.arri.com

Okada Manila Casino hits the jackpot PHILIPPINES

As a destination that combines advanced technology with deluxe amenities, Okada Manila wanted to offer cutting-edge video entertainment throughout its property.

The resort required a reliable video solution that could easily handle the vast range of media inputs and diverse distribution requirements.

The solution needed to be flexible enough to interface with a wide range of display types and aspect ratios while being easy to manage for operators, to make sure the right content, branding, wayfinding and messaging gets to the right machine or screen, at the right time.

Okada Manila chose VITEC for its IPTV and signage system. The centrally managed solution enables the distribution of TV channels, promotions and jackpot information on each of the electronic gaming machines and screens across the casino gaming floor, as well as to back of house areas. Over 130 sources feed directly into VITEC HDMI encoders, including live international and local TV, gaming machine content, Okada advertising channels, live camera feeds and event footage. Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise aimed to design a resilient, reliable and secure network infrastructure to handle the volume of data and devices connecting at any given moment. Content is distributed across the network to LED screens both internally and externally, and over 600 media player endpoints on both the casino floor and public spaces.

All content is aggregated, managed, monitored and distributed through VITEC’s

Avedia server platform. Content is displayed on individual gaming machines, bank end screens, gaming machine LEDs, digital signage screens and Samsung TVs – including in the 1,000+ bedrooms. The VITEC solution is also integrated with the Casino Jackpot system, which triggers different audio and video experiences across different areas of the casino and wider resort, depending on the size of the win.

The VITEC solution enables Okada Manila to display a dynamic range of entertaining and informative content on hundreds of connected screens, including Samsung TVs, computer screens, mobile devices and LED screens across the venue. The technology advancements from VITEC and providers, including Alcatel and Samsung, have created a unique visitor experience, and the casino is said to have benefitted from increased footfall, extended dwell time, revenue growth and, above all, a casino destination clearly differentiated from the competition.

“The Casino at Okada Manila is the newest, most dynamic casino in Entertainment City, and we wanted an AV solution that reflected our commitment to the guest experience.

The VITEC IPTV system has for over five years provided us with a dependable and high-quality solution that positions us as a world-class resort at the forefront of technology,” said a spokesperson for Okada Manila. www.vitec.com

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NEWS: PROJECTS

L-ISA brings all that jazz to Beijing

B

CHINA

Each spring, the grounds of the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Beijing are the setting for the Taihu Jazz Festival, the Taihu Dance and Arts Centre’s outdoor celebration of jazz. Co-organised by the NCPA and China Musicians Association (CMA), the week-long musical affair consists of live performances, online live broadcasts, lifestyle experiences and music master classes, all delivering a unique, outdoor, jazzdriven experience.

Since its launch in 2021, the Taihu Jazz Festival’s objective has been to introduce Chinese culture to patrons through the universal language of jazz. As the years passed, raising the production value and staging tour-level music performances has driven the festival’s growth. Huang Yong, sound director of the Taihu Jazz Festival, said: “This year, we made it our goal to introduce L-ISA immersive sound technology to returning festivalgoers. We wanted it to be the first

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time L-ISA was used for an open-air concert in China.”

The “Jazz Starry Sky”-themed festival held over 100 local and international jazz acts performing for audiences over six evenings.

For the opening night, the CMA All-Star Jazz Orchestra performed reinterpretations of Chinese folk songs in a big band jazz style.

Then headlining performances were conducted

by Grammy-nominated Japanese jazz pianist Makoto Ozone and his quartet, Chinese jazz piano star A Bu and the Latin-Jazz outfit, Los Amigos.

On the festival’s third night, the experiential performance of “Mountains, Sea and Scenery: Feng Mantian Immersive Panoramic Sound Concert” presented Chinese art, technology and nature via playback of sounds found in nature, accompanied by live improvisation by musical instrumentalists.

The festival’s main stage consisted of an L-ISA Scene System of five hangs of three

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L-Acoustics A15 Focus and one A15 Wide each, with four KS21 subwoofers flown in the centre.

Twelve X12 coaxial speakers surrounded the audience gallery seating area, while two SB28 subwoofers provided low-frequency extension.

Supplied by Rightway Audio Consultants, sound engineers leaned on the intuitive interface of the L-ISA Controller to mix

positioned in the three-dimensional space of L-ISA in relation to the musician playing it onstage. I could hear and feel an outstanding sense of realism that I’ve never felt with a traditional stereo concert system.”

“L-ISA’s excellent sound positioning allowed the audience to step into the musicians’ world, where they can just listen and feel the music,” explained Yong. “Such an unprecedented aural experience

complex instrument combinations onstage in real time. Rao Ziqing, vice president of the general management department, Taihu Dance and Arts Centre, said: “When I sat in the audience gallery, I could hear the depth of each instrument

met our technical production objectives brilliantly and will be a key feature at the festival in future editions.” www.l-acoustics.com www.racpro.net

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NEWS: PROJECTS

Bamm Bamm Wolfgang moves to Atmos with PMC AUSTRALIA

A new PMC-equipped Dolby Atmos room has been opened at Bamm Bamm Wolfgang, a music and audio postproduction facility in Sydney, in order to cater for a wide variety of immersive projects, from film and TV work to advertising, games and music.

Established in 2017 by sound designer, music producer and composer Adam Alexander, Bamm Bamm Wolfgang is housed in Sydney’s Viking Lounge complex.

“Our multipurpose production/mix suite was designed and built from the ground up by Paul Stefanidis, whose vision and execution has resulted in one of the finest-sounding rooms in the country,” described Alexander. “The boutique nature of our studio allows us to provide music and post sound services with the integrity and quality expected of a craftsperson.”

L–R: Adam Alexander and John Romeo

Images courtesy of Darby Deck

The decision to upgrade to Atmos was taken almost by default. The facility had already installed a PMC 5.1 monitoring system but, when Alexander and studio partner, mix engineer and musician John Romeo heard how good the monitors sounded, they decided to go a step further and try and create the perfect environment for mixing immersive audio.

“Going to Atmos was an absolute no-brainer, especially for someone who has always associated sound and vision,” Alexander explained. “We’ve always loved the Atmos format. The scope it allows for the use of sound in storytelling, particularly for the moving image, is magical and limitless.”

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Romeo added: “It’s a massive bonus to have the fold-downs translate brilliantly, especially in an age where mixes must resonate meaningfully on phones and handheld devices.”

Supplied by local dealer AKA Pro Audio, the studio’s 7.1.4 monitoring system consists of seven PMC twotwo6 monitors for L-C-R and surrounds, four PMC twotwo5 monitors for overheads and two PMC twotwoSub1 for the low end.

“John and I agreed to upgrade our monitoring and I just loved the sound of the twotwo6s,” Alexander furthered.

“Rob Ramon at AKA Pro Audio had them in stock, so it was an easy decision to make. Once we had heard the twotwos in our room, there was no need to hear anything else. The fidelity, tonal response and detail is incredible, and the separation of channels in surround and Atmos is astounding. Decisions we are making on the PMCs translate brilliantly to other listening environments, including theatrical rooms. It is so important that reference monitors aren’t hyped or coloured, and that they provide an inspired and enjoyable listening experience. For us, the PMCs offer both.”

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NEWS: PROJECTS

Y

Headphone-free live translation for Polestar

CHINA

This year’s Auto Shanghai – Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition saw Holoplot’s flagship X1 Matrix Array taking centre stage, harnessing the power of 3D Audio-Beamforming and Wave Field Synthesis to create a multi-zone audio extravaganza to support the launch of the new Polestar 4 electric SUV coupé. Event solutions provider Creative Technology (CT) UK and Nordic worked closely with Polestar to create a system design that would achieve live simultaneous translation between English and Mandarin Chinese, a feat never before accomplished without the use of headphones or any other aid other than the audio emanating directly from the sound system.

As a Swedish brand, Polestar wanted to maintain a clean and minimalist Scandinavian design, so careful consideration was given to the loudspeaker placement within the space, ensuring the technical infrastructure remained discreet by hiding as much of the technology

as possible from view. The oval-shaped space where the launch took place was divided into multiple areas. The Polestar 4 was positioned on a central stage, surrounded by a field of red tulips, while the audience stood around the periphery of the display. At the rear was a giant LED screen, displaying videos and images. As

the company’s CEO, Thomas Ingenlath, and Maximillian Missoni, head of design at Polestar, took to the stage to deliver their speeches in English, thanks to the technology inside the X1 Matrix Array, attendees could choose to follow the live presentation in either English or a simultaneous translation in Mandarin Chinese.

“We were able to contain the audio on the booth within a strict zone, achieving a significant roll-off of about 2m from the aisle, adhering to strict sound level guidelines,” said Holoplot head of sales, Ryan Penny. The precise sound direction also mitigated much of the ingress of external noise, enabling visitors to fully focus on the content presented onstage and disconnect from the surrounding ambient noise outside the stand.

The system configuration comprised a main X1 array positioned above the LED screen, covering the area closest to it. Two pairs of X1 suspended at the left and right corners were utilised to project sound towards the opposite audience zones. This involved configuring the stage as a rejection zone, ensuring the cabinets on the left side would reach the audience on the far right of the room while avoiding the middle area.

The same principle was applied to the other two cabinets on the right side and allowed the presenters onstage to deliver their speeches in a much more natural way.

Homogeneous coverage for background music was also an integral part of the Holoplot design.

This was a feature of the remainder of the 10-day show, with the booth featuring a dedicated four-zone audio experience, with two squares positioned on the floor on the left side of the stand, delivering information about the new car’s technical specifications in both English and Mandarin Chinese. Similarly, two squares on the floor on the right-hand side provided information about the brand and car, again in either English and Mandarin Chinese. Each listening spot measured just 1m2 and precise energy dispersion minimised spill to the rest of the stand.

“The client developed a deep understanding of the importance of audio and its significance as an integral part of an event of such magnitude,” concluded Penny. “Polestar appreciated the seamless listening experience without the need for wearables. With the success of the Polestar 4 launch and a world first live simultaneous translation, and the multi-zone audio experience Holoplot X1 delivered throughout the show, what was accomplished has truly opened up new possibilities and a natural way of engaging people in events.” www.holoplot.com

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NEWS: PROJECTS

Yumi Matsutoya sets sail with Meyer Sound JAPAN

Known as Yuming to her fans, Yumi Matsutoya’s recent tour of 54 arena shows around Japan is expected to draw a total audience of more than half a million. Entitled The Journey, the tour’s ambitious staging centres around a pirate ship set, while the audio is powered by the country’s first major touring deployment of a Meyer Sound Panther large-format line array. Audio systems for the tour are supplied

by Arté (Acoustic Reinforcement Technology), the rental division of SC Alliance, in partnership with Artwiz, Meyer Sound’s dealer for Japan.

The system was designed by Arté audio designer and systems engineer Shoji Yuzawa with assistance from Meyer Sound director of system optimisation Bob McCarthy. The audio production confronted the typical challenges of in-the-round staging with further complications from the unusual set design.

“The pirate ship motif pushed the array up high, but Panther had enough vertical to get the coverage we needed,” said McCarthy. “For the horizontal, we used the wider Panther-W for the floor seating and transitioned to the narrower Panther‑L to minimise overlap and maximise intelligibility in the upper bowl.”

some of her earlier tours played a pivotal role in the development of the audio measurement and system optimisation tools. “Yuming’s team asked me to join them for shows starting in 1987,” recalled McCarthy. “This was the birthing phase of FFT analysis when we were developing the earliest multichannel versions of SIM [Source Independent Measurement]. Her shows benefited from the most extensive tunings with an audience in place ever done at that time.

Over the years, many of the techniques now common in system optimisation were pioneered on her shows.” www.meyersound.com

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The choice of Panther for the tour was satisfying for Artwiz CEO Keiji Shigeta, as he had mixed Yuming’s concert sound himself on 14 tours between 1981 and 1993. “Japan has some of the world’s strictest regulations for touring systems regarding safety and electrical requirements,” noted Shigeta, “and the introduction of Panther has made it possible to offer greatly improved performance within these restrictions. The reduced size and weight met or exceeded all requirements for the tour, especially regarding sound quality.”

The touring system for The Journey is anchored by eight hangs of 12 Panther loudspeakers each, with 16 1100-LFC low-frequency control elements contributing the bottom end. Fills are 16 Leopard compact line array loudspeakers along with four Ultra-X40 compact loudspeakers, with system drive and optimisation from three Galileo Galaxy Network Platforms.

Yuming has a special connection to the American manufacturer as

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NEWS: PROJECTS

India’s police choose TrueConf INDIA

India’s police departments have partnered with TrueConf to revolutionise their online communication and training practices. TrueConf’s videoconferencing solution united police departments across Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. With the video collaboration platform and built-in team messenger, the police facilitate online personnel training, conduct briefings and enhance in-departmental communication.

Under the modernisation initiative of the government, the organisation decided to facilitate the personnel training of all its cadres and create a large-scale and securely protected videoconferencing infrastructure to

speed up decision-making processes in its divisions.

The integration of TrueConf on-premises video collaboration platform was motivated by its “exceptional security, resilience against network outages and ability to operate autonomously”.

The TrueConf Server runs on a secure communication protocol and is deployed on the police servers, giving the police full control over its communications and data and technological independence from blocks or restrictions from the side of other providers and IT companies.

TrueConf’s videoconferencing technology offers an important benefit – the ability to enable real-time interaction and engagement

among India’s police departments. By utilising features such as desktop sharing and slideshows with annotations, reactions and video file sharing, police officers can actively participate in training sessions and briefings and exchange ideas, all from the comfort of their own locations. Staff can join meetings from their workplaces and conference rooms and use their PCs, laptops, smartphones and tablets – TrueConf applications with a user-friendly interface are available for Windows, Linux, macOS, Android and iOS. All the training sessions and videoconferences can be recorded and subsequently used for repetition of material and training of new

employees. Files, documents and recordings are stored in the police’s own infrastructure, so that they can rest assured that their transmitted data are completely safe and secure.

“In today’s eGovernance era, no publicfacing organisation can afford to not have a robust communication system. The quality of personnel training got a boost after India’s police departments started to use the video learning solution developed by TrueConf to educate 30,000 specialists in multiple locations,” said a TrueConf India representative. www.trueconf.com

Pixera projects Golden Eye on the Cosmos

HONG KONG

Launched in July, Golden Eye on the Cosmos is a new permanent exhibition at the Hong Kong Space Museum spotlighting the innovative technologies and scientific goals of the James Webb Space Telescope, the largest infrared space telescope ever built. The exhibition features a model of the Webb telescope, along with projected displays of images captured by its cameras and exhibits demonstrating the science behind infrared astronomy.

As an exhibition that relies heavily on projected images and video, Golden Eye on the Cosmos required a media server solution that would provide stable video playback, flexible projection mapping and geometric correction capabilities. To meet this objective, Jason Yeung of Hong Kong-based systems integrator, CosmoVision, and his team specified a single Pixera mini Dual server, which handles all video content layering and output projection mapping, including the projection-mapped images of the cosmos which are the highlight of the exhibition.

Yeung felt that the size of the Pixera mini Dual was ideal for the Space Museum. “The installation was relatively simple, but the exhibition space was comparatively small, so the Pixera mini was the perfect size to be hidden away behind the show exhibit while not compromising in terms of performance and stability,” he commented.

Due to the limited space for the installation, the Christie projector used in the exhibition had to be paired with an extreme wide-angle fisheye lens, which created significant distortion. “All the image correction and warping are done within Pixera to ensure that the content is not distorted or deformed in any way.”

Yeung concluded: “As always, Pixera provided the ideal hardware, software and support to allow us to realise this project.” www.cosmovision.com pixera.one

TDC Studios houses Mercy Road AUSTRALIA

Mercy Road is said to be an unrelentingly tense psychological thriller from Tracks director John Curran. Teaming up with Australian filmmaker Alex Proyas’ Arclight Films and virtual film production company, Heretic Foundation, Curran filmed the in-car and select outdoor scenes for the 85-minute drama using the LED Volume stage at the purpose-built TDC Studios in Sydney, Australia.

TDC supplied and engineered the bespoke virtual set and space for filming including ROE Black Pearl BP2 LED screens, RedSpy

by StYpe wireless optical motion tracking and the latest vx 2 disguise media server. The LED screen itself was 11m x 4m (WxH) while the LED ceiling was utilised.

The TDC team deployed the disguise XR workflow using rx II render nodes to render out Unreal Engine scene work live. “Utilising XR for scenes like this becomes very efficient as production staff are able to change out the desired scenery very quickly,” explained Harrison Dow, video technician at TDC. TDC collaborated with Giardina to facilitate the pixel mapping of the film’s scenic lighting to make ambient lighting subtle and immersive. Two downstage LED trolleys were at the DOP’s disposal to further enhance the scenic ambient lighting.

Andrew Robinson, GM and executive producer at Heretic Foundation, said: “The power of virtual production is to enable creative talent to bring anything in their imagination into reality. For Mercy Road, we employed a seamless workflow and the flexibility of Unreal Engine and LED screen tech to place ultimate control into the hands of John Curran.”

Arclight’s Gary Hamilton said: “Mercy Road is a gripping thriller vividly brought to life by our amazing director, John Curran.

This is a visually stunning and unique film that utilises cutting-edge technology.” www.tdc.com.au

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“Genelec have set the bar for immersive monitoring.”

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When London’s legendary RAK Studios responded to demand and went immersive, they wanted the most truthful monitors available. So they chose The Ones Smart Active Monitors, finding them unbeatable for neutrality, imaging, fatigue-free listening and consistent mix translation.

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So, if you’re serious about going immersive – whatever your room size – explore our industry-leading solutions online. Visit www.genelec.com/immersive-hub

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FEATURES: EDUCATION

Aiming for green while staying in the black

The 1,400-seat Tay Eng Soon Convention Centre Auditorium

An auditorium lecturn equipped with AV presentation technology

The upgraded 396-seat Tay Eng Soon Convention Centre Hall

With venues under increasing pressure to upgrade, creative AV design can transform spaces to attract bigger audiences while being mindful of budget and sustainability issues.

Richard Lawn visits one such upgrade at a Singapore’s ITEHQ and CC JOINING THE ALREADY-ESTABLISHED SITES OF THE Institute of Technical Education (ITE) College West and ITE College East, ITE Headquarters and College Central (ITEHQ and CC) was unveiled as ITE’s third and largest regional campus in late 2012. Located in Singapore’s central neighbourhood of Ang Mo Kio, the vast site comprises a wide variety of learning and recreational facilities including a Centre for Music and the Arts, a sports and recreation hub and numerous F&B and commercial outlets.

Celebrating its 30th anniversary at that time, Electro-Acoustics Systems (EAS) was commissioned to design, supply and install AV systems into the many lecture theatres, auditoriums, halls and sports venues. Working under the guidance of acoustic consultant Acviron, a skilled team of 20 technicians in addition to subcontractors spent over 12 months completing the entire works. Over the past decade, EAS has continued to maintain and service various rooms and venues in the campus, with an impeccable record.

“The Tay Eng Soon Convention Centre Auditorium and Hall here at ITEHQ and CC were initially conceived to host educational events,” explains ITECC music and arts officer, Joshua Chong.

L–R: ITECC music and arts officer Joshua Chong with EAS’s Tze Tze Lam and Renkus-Heinz’s KK Tan

“Speech intelligibility and PowerPoint presentations were the norm 10 years ago but, as the performing arts programme matured, the demand to host an increasingly busy schedule of live events and musical performances grew. Over the past 10 years, EAS has proved to be a reliable partner of ITEHQ and CC by providing invaluable expertise and advice, so we were fortunate to be able to reach out to them once again in our quest to upgrade the venues.”

With sustainability being a predominant theme in higher educational facilities, ITEHQ and CC was also mindful that there was a limited budget to facilitate the desired upgrade.

“The majority of technologies installed 10 years ago are in perfect working order,” continues Chong. “However, upgrading the auditoriums from speech intelligibility, ambient lighting and PowerPoint presentations to high SPLs, intense colours and lumens together with 4K backdrops would require some careful planning.” Acoustic works that would cater for higher-decibel entertainment were ruled out, however.

The Tay Eng Soon Convention Centre’s 1,400-seat auditorium at ITEHQ and CC has become Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s venue of choice for the Singapore National Day rally

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FEATURES: EDUCATION speeches. The 16m-deep stage hosts a wide variety of shows and presentations, all of which require their own individual AVL signature. Having fully evaluated all the components in terms of degradation and future entertainment requirements, ITE, together with industry input, determined what equipment would remain or need to be replaced.

The original Renkus-Heinz STXLA/9 dual 12-inch line array system, comprising 12 ceiling-suspended elements per side, remains in situ. Recessed into the wall on either side of the stage below each hanging array, eight original Renkus-Heinz DRS18 subwoofers continue to faithfully output down to 45Hz (±3dB). With six ceiling-mounted CFX81 speakers serving as under-balcony fills, full coverage in the front rows continues to

A Yamaha Rivage PM5 has been installed in the main auditorium control room

The original Renkus-Heinz STXLA 9 line array system remains in situ in the 1,400-seat auditorium be served by five Renkus-Heinz CX62 enclosures placed under the stage on speaker stands. Continuing to work reliably and efficiently, the entire system is powered by a combination of QSC Audio PL380, PL325, PL340, RMX1850HD and RMX850 amplifiers. “The Renkus-Heinz line array system operates across the full frequency range and perfectly fulfils our multipurpose requirements,” says Chong.

With ITE having requested a low-latency Dante audio network to be installed, EAS was engaged to highlight some of the digital components that needed to be swapped out. Located in the control room, a Yamaha Rivage PM5 console is now used for audio mixing. Designed with multi-operator use in mind, ease-of-use functionality is assisted by three 15-inch capacitive touchscreens, a condensed selected channel section for intuitive operation, remote setup from an iPad and the ability to store show presets. Routed to two RPio622 I/O racks, the 36-fader console is also connected to the Dante network via an RSio64-D interface capable of converting up to 64 channels of inputs and outputs.

Remaining in the digital domain, ITECC has taken ownership of a 24-channel Shure Axient wireless microphone system consisting of 12 ADQ4 four-channel receivers paired to Beta 87A transmitters, UA845UWB antennas and power distributors together with an AXT600 Axient wireless spectrum manager.

Chong provides his rationale for the investment. “With our prime minister performing speeches here in addition to hosting top-class entertainment, the auditorium demands a stable and reliable wireless solution. The RF environment is quite complex, encountering a lot of interference.”

Shure’s WWB6 Wireless Workbench management software was used to calculate the most efficient frequencies available, as well as backup frequencies. The AXT600 spectrum manager calculates compatible frequencies and assigns these to

Samsung P4.0 LED walls add a new dimension for visual entertainment

networked wireless systems, monitoring the backup frequencies of the RF environment in real time. Encountered interference is managed by the Axient’s automatic detection and avoidance function, while the ShowLink signal access point remotely controls all Axient transmitters. The built-in ShowLink test function was used to test all areas of the stage to ensure good coverage of the control signals. With the performers free to roam around, the deployment of extra UA874 antennas ensures complete signal coverage is achieved.

With an increasing demand to host varied visual productions, both at the front of the stage when films are being screened or as a backdrop to lavish live performances, ITE was faced with a dilemma. Venues are increasingly adopting fixed LED walls; however, the layout of the auditorium meant that installing an LED wall would severely cripple the ergonomics of the venue, limiting staging options. “Screen flexibility was an overriding requirement, so we opted for back projection utilising four Christie Griffyn 50,000-lumen 3DLP laser projectors in native 4K,” explains Chong.

With the use of Christie’s Mystique Install Pro Venue software, recalibration of any complex projection mapping can be completed with a single click. Any detected changes in the blended image are automatically corrected using a camera-based alignment system. Crucially, Chong and his team can easily reposition the immense 16:9 motorised projection screen at any point on the stage.

With the addition of an Analog Way Aquilon C+ 4K multi-screen presentation system and processor, eight 4K60p inputs are transmitted over HDMI to 12 4K60p receiver outputs including the four Christie Griffyn 4K50 RGB laser projectors. The various inputs, including existing Sony HD Live and PTZ cameras, are now mixed on an Analog Way RC400T event controller. A large inventory of Robe Forte and Tarrantula LEDs above the stage are controlled from a grandMA3 lighting control surface in the control room next to the Yamaha PM5 console.

Directly below the main level four auditorium, the 396-seat Tay Eng Soon Convention Centre Hall has also been upgraded with similar audio, video and lighting technologies. “Over the years, the demand for more full-range musical playback and live performances has grown,” explains Chong. “The original L-C-R TRX121 Renkus-Heinz TRAP array functions perfectly well in the proscenium, but this was originally specified for speech intelligibility.” Chong’s request for a discreet, higher-power loudspeaker system has been met with the addition of ICLive XL and ICLive LX enclosures. The self-powered speakers are wallmounted on either side of the stage and are augmented in the lower frequencies by four DRS18-1B subwoofers. “The inherent beam-steering technology ensures the acoustic energy is evenly distributed to all the seats,” he continues.

Having taken delivery of a Christie 4K projector in 2019 for a variety of presentations, ITEHQ and CC requested an LED wall to be installed at the rear of the main stage. Measuring 7.68m x 4.32m (WxH), a Samsung P4.0 LED wall comprising 64 (8x8)

Renkus-Heinz ICLive X subwoofers are tuned according to phase, delay and EQ in the sports hall

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individual IF040R panels supports HDR picture quality up to 8K (1920x1080p) resolution. The HDMI signals are transmitted from the existing Extron XTP II CrossPoint 1600 matrix switcher in the control room. “For speeches and presentations, the largeformat LED is the right choice for this venue,” evaluates Chong.

“In terms of reliability and price performance, Samsung is hard to beat. ITEHQ and CC’s MagicInfo digital signage runs on the same Samsung network and integrates with the campus content management system.”

A Yamaha CL5 control surface that interfaces with two Rio3224-D2 I/O racks for digital audio mixing has also been installed. Up to eight channels of Shure Axient wireless are transmitted from Beta 87A handheld and lapel transmitters to ADQ4 four-channel receivers paired to UA845UWB antennas and power distributors. “Axient Wireless Workbench programming is extremely accurate, so there are no interference concerns with the auditorium above,” explains Chong. A Dante network connection is enabled via a Yamaha SWR2310-28GT L2 switch.

The Tay Eng Soon Convention Centre Hall has also been converted following an increasing demand to host more live

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music programmes. “Owing to the 7m ceiling height, glazing and lack of effective acoustic treatment, the Renkus-Heinz ICLive steerable loudspeaker solution addressed audio quality issues,” says Chong. L-C-R arrays each comprising ceiling-suspended ICLive X steerable speakers are enhanced in the lower frequencies by two hangs of four ICLive ICLX-118S subwoofers.

The existing ceiling speakers continue to be used for speeches and announcements. A further four ICLive columns have been added as fills and in the pre-function area.

As in the level two auditorium, the audience is greeted by a high-resolution 7.68m x 4.32m Samsung P4.0 LED wall at the rear of the stage upon entry. A Yamaha CL5 console receives microphone inputs, including those from eight channels of

Shure ADQ4 four-channel receivers as well as from two Yamaha Rio3224-D2 I/O racks. Lighting control is now handled by a grandMA3 onPC lighting console. Installed in 2018 for digital audio processing of the back of house areas including the dressing rooms, a Q-SYS Core 110f processor transmits the digital signal over the QLAN network to an LEA Professional Connect 704D amplifier.

Furnished with retractable seating for parades, exhibitions and presentations, the level five sports hall combines five basketball courts. Consisting of 25 displays, the existing Samsung LCD wall used as a live screen, scoreboard and for PowerPoint presentations has been upgraded. The highly reverberant acoustics of the large, open room have been greatly mitigated by the addition of two wall-mounted RenkusHeinz ICLive arrays each combining two LX (top), two X (mid) and two XL (bottom) column enclosures. Fixed to the lower truss below the projection screen, four Renkus-Heinz ICLive ICLX-118S subwoofers have been tuned according to phase, delay and EQ. The previous analogue console has been upgraded to a Yamaha TF5 digital control surface fitted with an integrated Dante card for connection to the Rio stageboxes via wall- and floor-mounted patchbays. With nine presets available, the various DSP configurations have been programmed for recall at the touch of a button.

By staying in tune with both the audience and the artists, Chong and his team have transformed the ITEHQ and CC venues according to changing demands. With tastes in entertainment seemingly changing at a similar rate to technological advances, facility managers need to maintain an open mind in their quest to stay current – and solvent. By opting to expand on the solid foundations that the four venues in ITEHQ and CC are blessed with, the adoption of digitally precise and high-power AV technologies has taken them beyond the present day and into the future, without breaking the bank. www.easpl.com.sg www.ite.edu.sg

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The Grand Theatre’s 2,000-seat auditorium has a L-R system of 14 d&b Vi8 speakers per side Image courtesy of Harshan Thomson

Grand designs

Mumbai was alive with the sound of music when the NMACC theatre venues opened in March, paving the way for sophisticated local and international productions. Caroline Moss pays a visit THE BANDRA KURLA COMPLEX (BKC), CONSTRUCTED on reclaimed land on the Mithi river, is providing Mumbai with a host of modern facilities: corporate premises that wouldn’t look out of place in Silicon Valley, five-star hotels, fancy apartments and upscale bars and restaurants. In the midst of this everevolving development is the Jio World Centre which in turn houses the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC), a cluster of exhibition, entertainment and performance spaces. The glittering centrepiece of NMACC is the Grand Theatre bolstered by two smaller venues, the Studio and the Cube.

NMACC is the project of Nita Mukesh Ambani, wife of Reliance Industries chairman and managing director, Mukesh Ambani. A classically trained Indian dancer, the formidable Ambani is the founder of philanthropic initiative the Reliance Foundation and the Dhirubhai Ambani International School, owner of the Mumbai Indians IPL cricket team, India’s first female member of the International Olympic Committee and long-time patron of the arts.

In March 2023, Ambani unveiled the 2,000-seat Grand Theatre, whose lotus flower ceiling, complete with thousands of Swarovski crystals illuminated by twinkling LED lighting, has been the subject of much media frenzy. It’s fair to say that Mumbai, no stranger to style, excess and extravagance, has never seen the like. The presence of the technologically advanced Grand Theatre will not

only allow increasingly professional staging of traditional Indian theatre, dance and music but will also usher in more Western-style productions, including West End and Broadway musicals – the second production to grace the new stage after opening show, The Great Indian Musical: Civilization to Nation, was The Sound of Music, brought in by a US theatre company for a month of sold-out performances.

Cascading down three levels edged with 18 private crystalfestooned boxes, the Grand Theatre envelops audiences in a luxuriant embrace. This international collaboration, modelled on the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood complete with state-of-the-art technology, raises the bar high for performing arts in India. The building’s design process commenced in 2012, with the main construction almost finished when the pandemic hit in 2020, inevitably delaying completion. Time was then spent clearing out the punch list, an extensive document detailing the remaining items before the venues could be considered complete, after which all the systems were subjected to eight months of test concerts and events. This culminated in a trial run, with all spaces running simultaneously to make sure operations were smooth.

The design of the theatres was down to Steve Clem and Nick Wolfcale at TVS Design, an architecture, planning and interiors firm headquartered in Atlanta, in collaboration with Brian Hall of

Theatre Projects Consultants, also from the US. Overseeing the programming phase through to the beginning of construction was Theatre Projects’ partner in charge, Benton Delinger, who then moved to Reliance Industries as project manager in charge of design and construction of the theatres while his role at Theatre Projects was taken over by Michael Nishball.

All three theatres have been installed with d&b audiotechnik sound systems, supplied by d&b with assistance from the brand’s Indian distributor, Ansata, which learned of the project back in 2015. “The sound system in the Grand Theatre has three different settings,” explains head of technical production, Charles Bardey. “One is for live productions; there is a variable acoustic system [VAS] from SIAP in the Netherlands which creates differently sounding spaces and a Dolby Atmos system. The settings can be changed at the touch of a button, and the whole system runs on Dante.”

The Reliance team was invited to ISE 2018 to hear d&b systems including Soundscape, after which they met with Ansata director Leslie Lean and Gert Sanner, d&b’s senior consultant education and application support. Sanner began designing the FOH system using d&b ArrayCalc software in tandem with EASE software to determine the best possible solution for all three theatres.

From 2017 to 2020, Ansata’s Neil Lean was contracted by d&b to assist in the role of education and application support for

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FEATURES: ENTERTAINMENT

Ansata’s Neil Lean worked with d&b on the design and installation of the theatres

The Studio is equipped with a Dolby Atmos d&b system Image courtesy of Harshan Thomson

L–R: Rasesh Parekh, IES; Charles Bardey, NMACC; and Leslie Lean, Ansata

the subcontinent. “I was involved in the design, installation and commissioning processes for the FOH, VAS and Dolby Atmos systems for the Grand and the Studio theatres from the start,” explains Lean, who has continued to assist with fine-tuning the systems since the theatres opened.

The main FOH system in the Grand Theatre consists of 14 d&b Vi8 line array loudspeakers per side, with five Vi subwoofers flown behind the main PA on custom rigging plates. Ten Yi8 compact line array loudspeakers are flown in the centre, with a ground stack of seven V8 and V12 loudspeakers and two V

subwoofers per side and an SL-SUB per side on the left and right wings. “The ground stacks were added to improve the imaging of the system for the ground-floor audience,” continues Lean. “The main FOH system is flown high up in the theatre to cater to the ground floor and two balconies. When the ground stacks are not in use and the wings are clear, a couple of V10P point source speakers per side hidden in the proscenium help with the sonic imaging for the ground floor. The VIP boxes on the left and right are covered by Yi7P point source loudspeakers which are also hidden in the proscenium. Eleven E4 point source loudspeakers

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FEATURES: ENTERTAINMENT

A production in the Studio

Image courtesy of Harshan Thomson

LED lighting controlled by Madrix software illuminates thousands of crystals in the Grand Theatre’s lotus ceiling

The Cube’s neutral backdrop suits a range of performances with custom cable termination recessed into the apron wall provide front fill, with four more E4s in the wall behind the orchestra pit for when it is replaced with more audience seating. E8s can be placed on the stage lip if the production demands louder fills. Six E6s are recessed under the balcony as delay speakers for the rear ground stalls.” A set of redundant DS100 signal engines are used as a matrix and to facilitate Soundscape productions. FOH and monitors are catered for by two Yamaha PM10 consoles, with Yamaha TF1 and CL5 consoles on hand if required.

A total of 60 d&b Y8 line array speakers make up the Grand Theatre’s Dolby Atmos system, split into five hangs of 12-deep for the L, LC, C, RC and R channels behind the screen, with a V subwoofer for each of the five arrays. Two SL-SUBs drive the LFE (low frequency effect) channel, and a total of 104 Yi10P point source speakers and 20 8S point source speakers recessed into the walls provide side and ceiling surround for the Dolby Atmos system, coupled with four ViG and eight Ti subwoofers as the surround LFE. “I designed and configured the Dolby Atmos systems along with Christian Lurch from Dolby UK,” continues Lean. “Dolby India helped me during the design phase and gave me technical backup to make the right speaker choices according to the DARDT [Dolby audio room design tool] sheet designed by the Dolby UK team. During installation, Dolby India helped me to position all the loudspeakers in the Grand and the Studio. I carried out initial measurements of the Atmos system to find out the losses and compensation needed for the speakers in enclosures recessed into the walls in the Grand Theatre. Dolby India then came in to assess the angles of each speaker in the hall before Pavel Stverak from Dolby arrived to commission the theatres.”

The Dolby Atmos speaker positions are also used with SIAP’s VAS processor. Twenty-two E8 speakers can be mounted onstage to emulate an orchestral shell with the VAS. The SIAP microphones are suspended above the auditorium from automated electronic cable reelers, which deploy them to the correct height when the

system is in operation. When not in use, they are retracted above the auditorium ceiling petals.

Installation was carried out by Singaporean SI company, Swee Lee, which handled AV project management and systems integration and worked closely with Reliance, d&b and SIAP. Ian Stott headed the Swee Lee team, working alongside Lean to determine installation and construction elements including custom rigging solutions and amp room configurations, with Lean making tweaks to Sanner’s design throughout this process.

“When we were to commission the SIAP system, Gert Sanner and Javier Frutos-Bonilla, senior application engineer at d&b, flew down to help,” says Lean. “The three of us, along with Wim Prinssen and Reinout Gerlach from SIAP, commissioned and tested the SIAP system with a Western and Indian orchestra in May 2022.”

Ansata also provided the theatre with a selection of DPA microphones ranging from shotgun and headset models to vocal instrument miking and touring kits, as well as Avid Pro Tools systems, a Dante Domain Manager network hub, Audinate AVIO adapters and subsequent smaller requirements of d&b speaker systems.

A fly system with 69 battens allows swift stage-length scene changes, adding flexibility to the scope of productions. The orchestra pit, which accommodates up to 100 musicians, can be raised to create an extension in front of the stage for talks or smaller events while the main stage is being set up for another performance. The media pit in the middle of the auditorium can be rigged for crew or converted to seating, depending on show requirements, while translation booths increase accessibility by providing live translation and audio description. Back of house has parking for 34 lorries to cope with large-scale sets, as well as plenty of space for production offices and artists’ dressing rooms.

The Cube and Studio theatres have been designed for performances on a smaller scale. The 250-seat Studio is an intimate venue with a mezzanine level, while the 125-seat black box Cube is lined with wood-toned acoustic boards, giving a neutral backdrop to suit a range of performances. “They are the workhorses of the centre,” says Delinger. “Their ability to flex between multiple setups is what makes them unique. They may look simple, but everything within them is made for flexibility.”

Portable platforms and grids facilitate a range of configurations, with the ceiling of the Studio fitted with a tension wire grid allowing technicians to rig and change lights while the floor is being set up or used for rehearsals. All stage engineering was handled by US theatrical rigging specialist, J R Clancy.

The Studio has a pair of d&b Vi10P point source speakers as the main PA, coupled with a mobile V10P system with two V-GSUBs per side when needed. This venue is also equipped with a customcoloured Dolby Atmos system, with three Vi10Ps as the L-C-R system behind the screen, each mounted on a ViG subwoofer.

Two 21S subwoofers are used for the LFE channel. A total of 30

The Studio’s overhead tension wire grid provides versatility 8S and eight 5S point source speakers are rigged for the surround and ceiling channels, along with two Yi subwoofers for surround LFE channels. A DS100 signal engine serves as a matrix mixer for simultaneous use of all the systems, facilitating Soundscape productions when the need arises.

The Cube is installed with two Yi10Ps and an E15X subwoofer per side. There is also a sizeable mobile d&b V-Series system that can be moved to the centre’s banquet halls when needed. Currently, part of this system is being used for the ground stacks in the Grand Theatre. All three theatres have a combination of d&b M4 and M6 stage monitors.

Lighting system design was handled by Theatre Projects’ Steve Rust. A Madrix Luna 16 DMX system running Madrix 5 software controls the LED lighting that studs the lotus ceiling’s custom RGBW-W PCB, blending colours to illuminate the 8,400 Swarovski crystals in a near-infinite amount of patterns and sequences. Indian distributor IES supplied the theatre with 44 Robe T2 profiles and 28 T2 washes plus 12 Avolites DMX splitters, and there is a vast selection of conventional and moving lights from Martin by Harman, Robert Juliat, Altman, ETC Source Four profiles and ETC Lustr 2 LED profiles, together with an ETC Eos Titanium lighting console with full tracking backup. The production lighting system was provided by LSI Projects from the UK. Mumbai’s new trio of theatres, together with NMACC’s exhibition spaces, will open up new opportunities for performers and artists from India and beyond. “Put together, these theatres are going to host several hundred performances each year that would not otherwise have taken place,” comments NMACC head, Tim Brinkman. “That means employment for the artists on the stage, for their technical teams and for the administrative staff as well.

It’s a big, dynamic improvement to employment opportunities.” www.ansata.net www.dbaudio.com www.dolby.com

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Tough at the top

Richard Lawn ascends great heights to visit the latest bar towering above the Thai capital’s streets

The bar area is reinforced by Cyclone 8 speakers and a Venu 215 V2 sub THE COMPETITION BETWEEN BANGKOK’S SKY BARS is becoming stiffer. Jostling for the top spot, Bar.Yard, at the apex of the Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok, welcomes well-heeled guests including nearby embassy staff for a sundowner each evening. Offering a beautiful vista and serving up exotic drinks alongside barbecue grills, Bar.Yard seemingly has it all. But in its quest to rule supreme among sky bars, the hotel management requested a creatively designed audio system that would further distinguish it from other heavenly venues.

Working with Bangkok-based AV systems integrator, Aura Visual System (AVS), and AV consultant Maarten Goetheer, managing director of Never2Late, Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok recently upgraded the rooftop bar’s audio and control systems.

“I was initially invited to design the music for the hotel,” explains Goetheer. Established in 2013, Never2Late consists of three divisions – background music curation, DJ and live music programming and sound system consultancy and integration.

“Following a conversation with general manager Patrick Both regarding the audio quality in other parts of the hotel, Patrick highlighted some inconsistencies at Bar.Yard,” continues Goetheer. “Owing to the architectural layout of the venue, the dispersion of the audio is not straightforward. It’s partly open air and a very wide venue with high ceilings and lots of reflective materials. The unique layout was creating inconsistencies and delays in isolated seating areas.”

Rather than commence acoustic measurements, Goetheer decided to survey both the bar’s staff and its customers. “Metrics can be applied through computerised methods, but it is not always sufficient,” he says. “Following an extensive survey, I soon discovered that some guests were clearly enjoying the audio much more than others, depending on where they were sitting.

DJ Tom Funky Master helms the Pioneer decks and mixer

Never2Late managing director Maarten Goetheer on the terrace Patrick made it very clear that every customer in the bar was to experience consistent hi-fi quality.”

To maintain a consistent audio output, Never2Late recommended loudspeakers from Void Acoustics’ weatherised Cyclone range that operates in rain, heat and high humidity.

Powered by Void Bias amplifiers, a combination of Cyclone 8 (8-inch) and 55 (5.5-inch) speakers are augmented in the lower frequencies by a Cyclone Bass and a Venu 215 V2 subwoofer.

“To maintain consistent levels, I had to pay particular attention to filling the isolated pockets incorporating a blend of the 55 and 8 models,” explains Goetheer.

A design to floor-mount the subwoofers was discarded at the initial design stage. “Like most rooftop bars and hotels, the venue operator must be sensitive to the fact that there is usually a private suite underneath,” he continues. “Fixing subwoofers structurally above is always a challenge, so we worked very closely with the hotel engineering team once corporate had approved the application.”

AVS fixed both subwoofers on brackets at a height of 3.5m above the floor. “For the subwoofers, we selected logical points to allow us to tune the system and to minimise positions and arrival times at various locations across the venue,” explains AVS sales manager, Phankom. “We had to liaise with Maarten, the hotel engineers and the venue’s technical department to ensure safety.”

With live DJs performing every night on Pioneer turntables in addition to some live music, there were added challenges in terms of how the loudspeaker system must perform. “The tiki-themed bar often hosts a jazz ensemble or a singer accompanied by a saxophonist,” explains Goetheer. “We therefore added flexibility, allowing performers to come in and simply plug into the system that patches through to a mixing console. In terms of noise pollution spilling out, there are several foreign embassies in this location but, fortunately, there are few residential buildings facing us, so it’s not a problem.”

Prior to the upgrade, Bar.Yard had resisted integrating any audio zoning. “The creation of audio zones would enable better audio management from an operational perspective,” says Goetheer.

“We placed more emphasis on the audio indoors, especially around the bar with a small dancefloor, which is where the subwoofers and Cyclone 8s have been installed. The operations manager has tools to control the volume between the zones.

Some guests may pay a premium to sit and enjoy a drink with the

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FEATURES: HOSPITALITY view, and be able to converse without having to battle with the loudspeaker system.”

To create the desired audio zoning, distributor Sonos Libra was contracted by Goetheer to supply an Allen & Heath AHM-16 16x16 audio matrix processor. “Maarten explained that one of the key requirements was to create at least two distinctly separated audio areas,” says Sonos Libra chief, Alfonso Martín Rodríguez. “Sonos Libra designed a system that would create three specific zones without compromising an individual zone or the overall distribution across the venue.”

With varied entertainment being staged every night, a flexible yet simplified form of audio management control was vital. “Control, source selection, output and routing are integrated into the AHM-16,” explains Rodríguez. “You must account for the fact that the venue has no technical personnel working there, so we had to assess what permission levels each member of staff would be allowed. The audio parameters can be managed on the actual front panel interface in the control room, which comprises four soft keys for volume control, source selection and recall presets.”

The venue operators are using a wireless iPad touchscreen, for which Sonos Libra designed and programmed a custom interface to include all the controls requested by the operational team.

“This required planning, initial programming and reprogramming following beta testing until the venue was completely comfortable with the interface,” says Rodríguez. “It’s a very useful tool for the operations manager as he can immediately adjust the volume for VIP guests in the various zones while walking around.”

The restaurant manager has been provided with the same custom control application in a much simpler interface on his phone. “We have included varying levels of control, depending on how comfortable the management is, for various members of the operations team,” continues Rodríguez. “It is mostly used for volume control, with SPL parameters stored as presets. In addition, we have added an Allen & Heath IP1 rotary control, which is a small device that can simply be pushed and turned to select any function from the presets available, together with zonal volume control.”

Futureproofing has also been built in, according to Rodríguez: “To add flexibility to the audio system, you don’t need more speakers.

Additional sources can be provided to plug into different parts of the venue so, by adding an SLink 128x128 expander card into the chamber of the matrix, we can offer that service. A Dante 96kHz option card is also available for AES67 audio networking.”

Sonos Libra provided an Allen & Heath AHM-16 16x16 audio matrix processor Just as Goetheer started this quest by surveying as many guests and personnel as possible, he ended it in a similar fashion. “For a high-profile project such as this, you want to add value to the guest experience, so I am a firm believer in aftercare service,” he maintains. “Following installation and commissioning I talked to all the staff to gauge their feedback, because they are here day in, day out, and will let you know immediately if there are design elements that are not right. Fortunately, we’ve received compliments from the management and the operations team because they, in turn, have received favourable comments from guests.” www.allen-heath.com www.kimptonmaalaibangkok.com www.never2late.com

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Star quality Mega Star Arena has a festival-style Nexo STM system

A converted cinema in Kuala Lumpur has been reimagined as a live music venue complete with a Nexo STM system. Caroline Moss reports WHEN PAUL WONG HEARD THAT THE HISTORIC SUNGEI Wang Cin cinema was up for grabs, he immediately saw an opportunity. Founding the Mega Star Arena Kuala Lumpur company to handle the renovation project, Wong has provided the Malaysian capital with its biggest live music venue to date.

This ambitious plan was driven by the abandoned cinema’s prime location in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, as well as its historic past. “Sungei Wang holds the distinction of being one of Malaysia’s earliest malls,” explains Peter Hii, technical director of Mega Star Arena, who has worked as a sound engineer for 20 years. “What’s more, we’re proud to be the very first hall in Kuala Lumpur capable of accommodating a crowd of up to 5,000 people.”

Renovation work to convert the old cinema began in October 2022, with Wong handling the acoustic design assisted by his in-house technical team, who carried out the installation of audio and lighting systems.

When it came to equipping the new venue, a Nexo STM system was the preferred choice, supplied by Nexo’s local partner, Mubari, backed up with hardware support by local SI company, Concept Audio. Additionally, Nexo engineers Leo Manhimho from Hong Kong and Bertrand Billon from France visited the venue to align and optimise the STM system. “The system’s adaptability shines through as it effortlessly handles diverse musical genres and vocal ranges, making it suitable for a wide array of events,” continues Hii. A system of 15 STM M46 modular line array elements with 15 STM B112 bass cabinets per side has been installed in the 4,000m2 space, with an additional 15 STM S118 sub bass units per side, a delay system of Alpha speakers and PS15 point source speakers as stage monitors. The system is driven

by Nexo NUAR universal amp racks equipped with NXAMP4X4

Peter Hii mixing the Raisa concert on the FOH DiGiCo SD7 powered controllers. “The installation of 30 M46 cabinets delivers outstanding mid-high tones, while the 30 units of Nexo B112 enhance the low end, adding a remarkable depth to the sound quality,” says Hii. “Moreover, the inclusion of 30 S118 subs provides a robust bottom end presence, perfect for shows that require a powerful bass impact.”

“It’s really a large outdoor festival system put into an indoor space, which makes for an incredible experience for the customers coming through the door,” says Nexo’s business development manager Asia and Oceania, Joe White. “Two-thirds of the largest indoor concert venues in Kuala Lumpur are now installed with STM systems, the other venue being the Zepp Hall.”

A DiGiCo SD7 console is being used for front of house, with a second SD7 for monitors.

An array of 208 lighting fixtures designed for concert halls provide versatility for different types of productions, controlled by a grandMA2 lighting console from MA Lighting. Lighting designer and programmer Steve Ho, who has worked on stadium tours with artists including Jacky Cheung and Eason Chan, took care of the lighting design. “This setup elevates the visual aspect of concerts to an extraordinary level, creating an outstanding and immersive experience for the audience,” says Hii. The venue is also installed with 312m2 of transparent LED screens. “The display not only ensures that all visuals are bright and clear but also delivers stunning, vibrant colours,” says Hii. “Additionally, the transparent LED setup allows for creative set designs, enabling lights to shine through and enhance the overall visual experience with a unique and captivating ambience.”

The first concert to be held at the Mega Star Arena took place in late April, and the venue has since gone on to host a range of local and international artists including VChuan’s Never Give Up concert, Konsert Satu Suara, UK-based Stephen Zechariah, Indian playback singer Karthik, Canadian musician David Foster and Friends, Indian film composer and singer D Imman and Indian singer Raisa’s Hits Live in Concert.

According to Hii, reactions to the Mega Star Arena have been positive across the board. “Audience members and concert organisers alike are satisfied with this venue because it’s in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, with readily available, high-quality audio, lighting, video and staging systems,” he says.

Based on the success of this venue, Wong and his Mega Star Arena Kuala Lumpur team are now preparing to open a bigger venue in the city. www.megastararena.com www.nexo-sa.com

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FEATURES: RECORDING

Culture hub

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Founded in 2008, Shanghai Chriying Culture has relocated to a new facility in the Chinese city. Sue Su pays a visit

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L–R: Feng Shunxian and Wang Jiajie in Studio A SHANGHAI CHRIYING CULTURE HAS A TRADITION OF working with Hollywood mix engineers to provide total sound solutions for large-scale Chinese movies and video games, including Honor of Kings and League of Legends. Its talented team consists of graduates from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and Shanghai Theater Academy.

In recent years, the company’s business has expanded into the field of original animated film and AI animation. Given this expansion, especially the increase in market demand for

Dolby Atmos, the company has moved from its original 300m2 production facility into a cultural and creative park located on Mengzi Road, Shanghai. The new facility is approximately 1,000m2, providing Chriying Culture with three Dolby Atmos production studios, three voice recording studios, four editing rooms and a Foley studio. Two of the Dolby Atmos studios are installed with Meyer Sound speakers, the larger one becoming the first studio in China to feature Bluehorn as a professional monitoring system.

Studio A is the first in China to feature a Bluehorn monitoring system

Chriying Culture’s team had no previous experience of Meyer Sound products before the move, deciding on the brand purely because they were blown away by its sound. “Our studio is relatively large, so we wanted a big speaker, but we didn’t want it to sound as if it was unnaturally amplified and coming from a speaker and would instead provide ample, natural-sounding coverage for the room,” explains Feng Shunxian, senior composer at Chriying Culture. “We tried our best to listen to different brands based on the requirements of Dolby Atmos, but we couldn’t find a satisfactory solution until we listened to Bluehorn at the showroom of Meyer Sound’s distributor, Shanghai Broad Future. We were pleasantly surprised at how amazing the speakers sounded; our struggle to choose a system was over.”

The Bluehorn system has been installed in Dolby Atmos Studio A, the largest studio in the facility, which is mainly used for recording, mixing and film screenings, with a control room and live room each measuring 45m2. The monitor system has been designed to comply with the standards of a 9.1.6 theatre screening room. The left, centre and right channels are catered for by one Bluehorn speaker, with 10 Meyer Sound HMS-5 and two HMS-10 speakers for the surround and overhead channels.

Two Amie-Subs have been added to the surround channels to supplement the low frequencies, while the ultra-low frequencies are reinforced by an X-1100C high-power cinema subwoofer.

“Because this is a horn-based system, there’s not much difference in sound when listening from any position in the room,” continues Feng. “It has wide coverage, very clean mid and high frequencies and a very flat frequency response. Its low frequency is particular impressive with sufficient power and depth and at the same time the separation is very clear, which is really rare.”

“As mix engineers, what we most want to hear is what the low frequencies are doing,” adds Chriying Culture’s senior mix engineer, Wang Jiajie. “If the low frequency is muddy, it is very easy for us to make mistakes. But Bluehorn, like other speakers from Meyer Sound, is very strong in low-frequency separation. The sound and image separation of each instrument is very clear; I’m able to hear all the details clearly, even very small things. This is a feature that mix engineers particularly appreciate.”

pro-

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FEATURES: RECORDING Studio A is also equipped with an AMS Neve Genesys G64 console, connected via Avid MTRX, Avid HDX and Antelope Galaxy 64 interfaces to a Pro Tools Ultimate workstation.

Microphones include classic models from brands including AKG, DPA, Brauner, Neumann, Telefunken and Sennheiser. There is also a selection of outboard equipment including SSL FX G383 and AMS Neve 1081 mic preamps; API 5500, Heritage Audio Motorcity and Neumann W491A equalisers; Chandler RS124, UA Teletronix LA-2A and dbx 165A compressors; and Lexicon 480L, Eventide H9000 and TC M5000 Electronic effects units. Chriying Culture also added some mastering products including two Pultec EQP-1A equalisers during the relocation.

The 7.1.4 configuration, 17m2 Studio B is mainly used for mixing tracks, which are then sent to Studio A for a final check. Meyer Sound Amie monitors form the L-C-R as well as the surround and overhead channels, with low frequencies extended by two AmieSubs. The mix surface combines a Slate Digital Raven MTi2 and a JL Cooper AXOS controller connected to a Pro Tools Ultimate workstation via Avid MTRX and HDX interfaces.

Wang believes that Amie is particularly outstanding among the nearfield monitors he has used. “Before our room was Meyer Sound’s three-way Bluehorn system

The 7.1.4 Studio B is mainly used for mixing

completed, I was doing some dubbing for once,” he recounts.

“I switched to a pair of Amies just for listening to the voice, and it felt different from other speakers I had heard before.

After listening to a song I was familiar with, I completely fell in love with that pair of Amies. They have helped me a lot in mixing. For example, in sound effect design, the client and the sound designer might be using different monitors, and that can create some information differences, but here I can clearly hear if there are any flaws in the sound design. These speakers are so accurate that they can easily help me judge what’s right and what’s wrong.”

Adds Feng: “One of the amazing things about the Meyer Sound speakers is that they handle what they are capable of

extremely well, but they let you know if something is beyond their capacity. For example, if the box cannot reach a low frequency, you will be asked to add a subwoofer. But, in the frequencies it can achieve, everything is crystal clear, and it feels as if it’s reached its ultimate in what it can do. Although the soundfield of Amie is not as wide as Bluehorn, it also gives you the feeling of a perfect monitor speaker, especially after adding a subwoofer: the entire frequency band is complete, things are clear and every frequency band including low frequency is particularly solid.”

As a senior mix engineer, Wang also handles video game CG (computer graphics), music, voice, foley and other work in addition to mixing, and has noticed an increasing demand for the Dolby Atmos format in recent years.

“Atmos will become mainstream in the future because it is a 3D experience, and the soundfield is so much wider,” he comments. “Another advantage of using Meyer Sound speakers for Dolby Atmos mixing is that the sound image localisation is very clear; you can hear the changes in depth and feel the distance of the object from you. Whether it’s 2–3m or further, it’s very difficult to achieve this with speakers. The mix engineer hopes to hear what these speakers express clearly: frequency response, phase, imaging and depth – Meyer Sound does a really good job of all that.”

It took more than two years to design, install and decorate the new facility, during which time various pandemic-related challenges had to be worked through. Shanghai Broad Future provided technical support to Chriying Culture, including aligning and fully optimising the system.

Chriying Culture is now working on a series of large-scale projects in the new facility, which is attracting a lot of attention from industry peers due to its status as the first professional Meyer Sound Bluehorn facility in China. www.meyersound.com www.shguangyuan.com

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FEATURES: RECORDING

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Vision of the future

The new studios are equipped with SSL Big 6 mixers and Genelec 8340A monitors

Husband and wife team Mohit and Mona Shetty

For three decades, Sound & Vision Studios (SVS) has carved out a niche in India’s increasingly sophisticated multilingual localisation market. Caroline Moss learns about growth and standardisation strategies for its new Mumbai studios and beyond SVS HAS BEEN ON AN UPWARD TRAJECTORY SINCE IT was launched in 1993 by voice actor and dubbing director Leela Roy Ghosh to provide multiple Indian language dubs, beginning with Jurassic Park. Following Ghosh’s unexpected and tragic death in 2012, her daughter Mona Ghosh Shetty – herself a voice actor since the age of five – took over the business, opening a floor of dubbing studios in a commercial building in Andheri West in 2015. Now, SVS has shaken up its Mumbai operations, taking over another floor in the same building and repurposing a previous studio opposite for accounts, HR and administration, while an existing premises in Andheri East has been converted into a dedicated, six-room mix facility. Added to that, new studios have been constructed in Chennai and Bengaluru, with more planned for Hyderabad, Kochi and Kolkata.

“The teams were all over the place – the directors, engineers and mix engineers – and it was hard to keep track of everything,” recalls Shetty from the new floor in Andheri West.

“This location is very convenient for the acting community, and we’re focusing on voiceover recording and operations here, apart from one mix room upstairs on the existing floor for client presentations and checking mixes.”

Shetty initially found suitable premises for expansion in 2019, hiring Munro Acoustics to design the studios. “We’d spoken to Kapil Thirwani at Munro before, but always when we were mid-construction, so we knew that the next time we were at the planning stage, we should bring him in,” she continues.

Unfortunately, the initial property deal fell through. “It was so disappointing because the design was ready, then the Covid lockdowns happened so I had to continue my property search remotely. But luckily, we got this place in March 2022, and it worked out for the best because we’re all in the same building now.”

L–R: Munro Acoustics’ Vignyan Beera and Rachel Jacob Work commenced in May 2022 and by December the new floor was up and running. Munro managed to fit in seven studios, complete with vocal booths – one of architect Rachel Jacob’s first designs for a recording facility since joining the consultancy. “The

main brief was that they wanted seven studios in a 305m2 space together with offices and a conference room, so it was quite a challenge,” she says. “I placed the rooms in areas that were good for navigating, but the interior geometry didn’t work. I discovered that smaller studios have a different design approach to larger studios, as the treatment, internal wall depth and partition type varies based on the total area of the room. I learnt how to optimise every square inch available and utilise acute corners for effective LF trapping.”

“We approach smaller rooms like this from a different perspective, using an inverted shell,” continues Munro acoustic consultant, Vignyan Beera. “Usually, each room has an internal shell onto which all the soundproofing layers go. Here, we used the same framework but put the layers on the outside, which required a lot of engineering. We ended up saving about 2 inches on each wall to optimise the floorspace. Cyril Thomas, our senior acoustic engineer for this project, carefully calculated and correlated each individual room’s acoustic response to the point where the RT varies by milliseconds across the rooms, so they all respond in the same way, keeping things constant, and that’s reflected in the other facilities as well. If you go between these rooms and the mix facility in Andheri East, which we also worked on, they sound the same.”

The issue of consistency will soon see Munro Acoustics upgrading the existing floor in Andheri West – a challenge in a building that is mainly residential – and is setting a standard for new facilities in other Indian metropolitan cities. “We’ve always rented studios, but now we are building our own,” says Shetty.

“We weren’t getting the synergy we wanted, and we needed to raise the benchmark.”

The Indian localisation market is now huge and, as a longstanding player, SVS is understandably protective of its highly trained and trusted personnel. “We only employ full-time staff

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FEATURES: RECORDING because of the sensitivity of the content being handled,” says Shetty. “We don’t want to share people – and therefore information – so almost everyone you’ll meet here, except the voice actors and writers, are full time: the directors, engineers, operations, admin, HR, accounts and IT personnel; all of them.”

SVS currently employs around 150 people across the group.

While Shetty deals with the aesthetic and creative aspects of the business, her husband Mohit Shetty is focused on the technical side, along with consultant Shantanu Hudlikar, who helped set up Yash Raj Film studios which he ran for 15 years. “Everything you see is pretty much my vision, coupled with Munro’s design, my husband’s execution skills and Shantanu who’s helped us to greatly improve the quality of sound engineering and to get more consistency across our studios in terms of equipment, systems and processes,” Shetty explains.

Hudlikar joined SVS three years ago, greatly influencing equipment choices – a major factor in successfully matching original dialogue. The increasing globalisation of Indian films, together with the growing predominance of sync sound (the recording of sound and dialogue on the film set itself) is changing the landscape in an industry where ADR (automatic dialogue replacement) was long the standard. “The general level of acting and training has improved, and people are taking it much more seriously,” explains Shetty. “There was a time where models with

Apart from Neumann U87s, other mics on offer include Neumann KMR 81 i shotguns and TLM 102 condensers; Shure SM7Bs, SM57s and SM58s; Sennheiser MKH 416 and 8060 shotguns and MKH 50 super cardioids; AKG 414 condensers; DPA 4060 miniature omnis; Sanken models; and Mojave MA-300 tube condensers.

“We have an SSL Big 6 desktop mixer in all the new studios, which has four great preamps built into the console,” continues

One of the new control rooms at SVS

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All the new studios have stereo Genelec 8340A Smart Active Monitor setups for tracking, which will eventually be standardised across all the facilities. “They have very small footprints and are true across the frequency range for the work we do: dubs, ADR, podcasts,” says Hudlikar. We’re mainly dealing with voice, so I’m never going to be recording a kick drum where I need to hear down to 20Hz, and therefore there are no subs. But at the new mix facility, where we mix full

Munro designed the new floor to maximise space and provide daylight no acting experience were given roles, and a professional would be called in to do the ADR.” “Many other studios still don’t have the capability of giving you more than two microphones at once,” continues Hudlikar.

“Traditionally, everyone has used Neumann U87 microphones for recording vocals for ADR, dubbing and whatever else. Now that sync sound has taken over, everyone is wanting to match that, so we have more boom and lapel mics coming into the studio.

We might, for instance, have a three-mic setup where you’ll use a U87, a boom and a lapel to give the distance, so that when you’re mixing, you can pick which is right for that scene and that character, otherwise it’s too much of a voiceover as opposed to blending in in a natural way. Matching becomes very difficult unless you can replicate the shooting scenario within the studio.”

One of the new dubbing booths can fit up to 15 actors, facilitating crowd scenes, podcasts and interviews. “You can try out mic techniques like putting an XY configuration in the centre to create a feeling of more people,” explains Hudlikar. “And when you have a situation with people throwing in one-liners here and there, you don’t have to bring them in separately. We can even do small music recordings such as a solo acoustic or electric guitar.”

SVS consultant, Shantanu Hudlikar Hudlikar. “To add more character, we have the Universal Audio UA 710 Twin-Finity, which combines solid-state with the warmth of tube, so I can switch between them and also have incremental blends of the two, which creates some incredible tonal characteristics. In a small footprint and with a small amount of equipment, I’ve got so much flexibility. On top of that, a dynamic compressor is built into each of the four preamps on the console.

We’ve also got Cloudlifter, Manley Core and SSL XLogic Alpha Channel preamps and channel strips and Klark Teknik KT-2A and Manley ELOP+ compressors.”

bandwidth in 5.1 and 7.1.4 studios, we’re using Genelec 8351 and 8341 coaxials which have a fantastic dynamic range, with the 7360 subs.”

Hudlikar is full of praise for the local distributors who supplied the gear. “We have great vendors who are not just here to sell a product, they know their technology,” he says, namechecking Sound Team (Genelec, SSL, Manley), Alphatec (Klark Teknik) and Sudeep Audio, which supplied many of the microphones.

With supply chain issues rife as the studios were being equipped, Hudlikar singles out Shiv Sood at Sound Team, who delivered 13 Lynx Aurora AD/DA converters in the required timeframe. “It’s infinitely configurable, modular and adaptable because when you’re building a studio, you’re looking at least five years ahead,” he says. “Everything is upgradeable so, without changing the infrastructure and the cabling, I’m good for another 20–25 years. Everything goes directly into my patchbay over there; this is one of the rare studios where I’m using an age-old technology. Everything is interchangeable and floating.”

Returning to the standardisation theme, SVS is planning to use Munro Acoustics for all its future facilities and upgrades. “When we set out, we were only going to use them for Mumbai, our flagship facility, but then we figured that since our clients are global, it wouldn’t matter whether we worked on their content in Mumbai, Kochi, Bengaluru, Chennai or anywhere else,” says Mohit Shetty. “All our engineers were trained on systems that were defined for Mumbai, and that has set the standard across all our facilities.”

The dust may not settle on SVS’s grand expansion for some time to come but, when it does, the company’s world-class facilities across the subcontinent will be sure to guarantee its ongoing progress into the future. www.genelec.com www.munro.co.uk www.solidstatelogic.com www.soundandvisionstudios.in

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BUSINESS: COMMENT

A letter from America

Dan Daley examines the violence reaching pro audio’s front door in the US

AMERICA IS A BIG PLACE, IT’S A UNIQUE PLACE, BUT it’s an increasingly dangerous place in a way that’s undermining some of the things that have made it the beacon for creativity and technology it’s been for the last century. Most egregious have been the physical attacks on performing artists here in recent months. Harry Styles, Bebe Rexha, Drake, Cardi B, Kelsea Ballerini and others have been hit by, or had very close encounters with, objects thrown at them from the audience, including drinks, vape pens, cellphones (Rexha got three stitches from a thrown mobile) and, in a truly bizarre instance, the cremated ashes of a fan’s mother, thrown at Pink onstage.

Cellphones can cost US$1,000 and the last earthly remains of one’s parent should be considered priceless, but those values simply underscore the intensity of what’s behind this weirdness. Pundits have speculated that it’s a reaction to the end of pandemic restrictions, often combined with the rise in alcohol consumption taking place at events. But these actions become even more ominous when viewed in the larger context of America at this moment. The number of school shootings has skyrocketed, a 75% increase in the last decade. There have been more than 470 mass shootings across the US just this year as of August, a number that runs into the thousands over a decade.

That same decade has also seen the number of shootings at entertainment events increase in both frequency and intensity, the zenith – more accurately the nadir – being the shooting at a country music festival Las Vegas in 2017 that killed more than 50 people and left 500 wounded. There are an estimated 1,073,743 registered firearms in the US, with another 392 million unregistered guns floating around. That’s 120 weapons per person, many in the hands of people not terribly qualified to use them. It paints a scary picture.

While a lot of anger and other pathologies are evidenced by attacks on artists, it’s not a huge leap to fear that the same dynamic might at some point extend to the crews of touring shows, who are in many ways extensions of the artists. The front-of-house position has always been the best seat in the house but, by definition, also the most exposed one. Staff have had plenty of instruction on safety when it comes to issues such as natural disasters, extreme weather, pandemic protocols and terrorism, but we may now have to add instruction on how to spot a crazy headed for FOH, too.

The culture around entertainment may not be helping, either.

Songs by certain country artists, notably Jason Aldean’s threateningly titled Try That in a Small Town which critics said promoted racist vigilantism, and which was filmed in part at a

courthouse in Tennessee that was once the site of a lynching, contribute to an atmosphere of fear. Same goes for the movies. The film Sound of Freedom, putatively about human trafficking which labels leftists as paedophiles – pulled in over US$180 million at the box office despite being promoted heavily through QAnon.

Music has historically had its share of artists on both sides of the ideological divide but, in the age of social media and disinformation, that divide has become turbocharged, taking entertainment with it. I’m especially appalled that the US is at the root of much of this. The fact that over the past two decades, the annual volume of US-made semiautomatic firearm imports into Canada – the most polite country in the world – has increased almost 10-fold, leading to an 869% increase in shootings there sadly encapsulates this.

Adele is shooting back – with a T-shirt cannon – and rapper 50 Cent is reportedly facing charges for throwing a microphone and striking a fan at a concert. But that’s not where this needs to go. It took two generations in the middle of the 20th century for American entertainment culture to dominate the world. I hope it doesn’t take that long to unravel what we’ve done with it lately. Meanwhile, add Kevlar to the gear list.

A letter from Europe Phil Ward celebrates the escape of BBC Maida Vale Studios from the property developer’s grasp THESE STORIES DO NOT NORMALLY HAVE A HAPPY ending, but this one does. Five years ago, the BBC revealed that one of its hallowed treasures was to be sold into property development. Oh dear, here we go again.

Admittedly, this one was in prime residential territory, the perfect place, over the years, to squirrel away a few ministerial mistresses, Soviet spies and perfectly decent next-door neighbours with a cat called Monty. This is Maida Vale, the kind of suburban London where Mary Poppins might breeze in.

Originally a roller-skating arcade, the building occupied by the BBC after 1934 still has its Edwardian Baroque façade and a long, low elevation that looks odd among the genteel redbrick mansion blocks. Behind it, 20th-century culture has been going quietly mad. From the orchestras of wartime musical cocoa to the potty blips of Dr Who soundtracks and hundreds, perhaps thousands, of forgotten bands encouraged by exalted DJ John Peel to melt the speaker cables, it has all flowed through here to every BBC radio station there ever was. And, three days before a fatal heart attack on a Spanish golf course, Bing Crosby signed off his recording career with a session including As Time Goes By.

There were seven studios in total. MV1 was the biggest orchestral recording space in the UK, bigger than Air Lyndhurst and rivalled only by Abbey Road One and Decca Three. Bang up to date, it had an SSL System T console with Dolby Atmos capability along with other objectbased frills, and is where the BBC Symphony Orchestra called home. More traditionally, MV3 and MV4 had SSL 9000Js and used this analogue upholstery to capture light orchestral relief, the ghost of Bing Crosby and all of Peel’s disciples.

The unique quality of the Peel sessions is that Maida Vale preserved a technique of recording well past its sell-by date. Long after commercial recording studios had evolved into jigsaw puzzles of chipped sound assembly over countless days, these were swift takes of live sound as would be played onstage, just as practised in the 1950s and early 1960s. The difference, of course, was that the backline and PA output was not being thrown around a crusty dungeon with acoustics like a drained swimming pool, but beautifully balanced into MV’s lightly compressed cushion of tape to provide a convincing portrait of the act.

Even bands you didn’t like sounded good.

All of this is now gone, and the building itself might have been gone forever if the BBC had succeeded in its rather shameful attempt to block the move by government watchdog Historic England to list the building as architecturally important. But, as if encouraged by this intervention, Maida Vale has new owners completely sympathetic to its heritage: Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, co-chairs of UK film studio Working Title who, alongside film composer Hans Zimmer and his business partner Steven Kofsky, have met the asking price of £10.5 million. Honour, in a very rare way, is served.

The consortium’s plans include both recording and education in a refurbishment that will maintain the florid façade while continuing to utilise “revolutionary science in the service of art”, according to a press statement. Meanwhile, the BBC’s operations are being transferred to a new campus called East Bank near the former Olympic Park on the opposite side of London, which will also house facilities for the Victoria and Albert Museum, Sadler’s Wells ballet and University of the Arts’ London College of Fashion. As Dick Van Dyke’s chimneysweep Bert puts it so eloquently: “Not Royal Academy, I suppose. Still better than a finger in the eye, ain’t they?”

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BUSINESS: SHOW REVIEW

Integrate 2023

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FOLLOWING A REGROUPING IN 2022, INTEGRATE reopened its doors at Sydney’s ICC at Darling Harbour in late August. Born in 2009, the AV-savvy show teamed up with the Security exhibition this year, resulting in a deceptively larger footprint. Upon further investigation, however, the double-header failed to disguise the fact that some of the more established pre-pandemic exhibitors had opted to abstain.

Both paid and free educational classes and workshops lie at the heart of Integrate, with the AVIXA Education platform focusing on helping the industry understand new market opportunities. Notable highlights were the Thinkers Theatre and the panel discussion: Leadership Styles and Building Spaces for Women to Thrive in the AV Industry. Tech Talk forums including What Happens After a Project is Handed Over?, Sustainability and Integrated Technology, AV Tech and the Future of Learning Environments, All About AI – Future of Workplace Collaboration and Engagement and Greening the AV Industry enticed visitors away from the show floor, as did the Bose, CMI, Harman, Jands, QSC Q-SYS (Seervision) and Shure demo rooms.

Previously, the scene at Integrate was set by a display of projection and LED screens. This year’s offering was scaled down, despite the attractions on the Barco, Christie, Epson, Panasonic Connect, SiliconCore Technology and the ULA Group exhibits, with LG, Maxell, NEC, Philips Professional Displays, Samsung and Sony either absent or showing on dealers’ booths.

Crestron and Kramer drew residential and commercial installers by showcasing Intelligent Video and Flex Pods demos together with AirMedia wireless conferencing and the all-in-one Videobar 70. Having appointed AVA Distribution as a dedicated partner, Kramer showcased its Connect, Quicklaunch and Control platforms and the latest KDS-7 AVolP streaming solution. Continuing the immersive theme, Igloo Vision demonstrated its Igloo Core Engine operating system, while HP Poly drew in the masses with a Formula One car.

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There were few absences among the more audiocentric Australian suppliers, which attracted and retained the crowds with offerings of coffee and craft beer. Boasting AMX, JBL and other Harman brands, MadisonAV also premiered new additions Humly, Nureva and Yealink. The next-generation AMX Muse automation platform, which simultaneously processes multiple scripting languages, supporting nocode and low-code capabilities, was demonstrated behind closed doors. In addition to the VTX-A line array series, JBL showcased its Control Contractor speaker series including the COL600 and COL800 columns. Rounding off a more comprehensive AV package, PTZOptics camera products featured alongside Philips Professional Display Solutions including the refreshed Q and D Series digital signage panels.

Dynacord amplifiers and EV speakers were evident on the Jands booth alongside Biamp’s impressive line-up of Desono

loudspeakers and Parlé beamtracking microphones. In addition to the large Robe lighting exhibit, the latest products from Clear-Com and Shure were showcased alongside Jands’ latest brands, RGBlink and Blaze Audio.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, Audio Brands was premiering Optimal Audio and German loudspeaker brand Fohhn in addition to UK amplifier manufacturer Linea Research alongside Bosch, Earthworks, FBT, Mipro, RTS and Univox, with the distributor’s Don McConnell nominating the new Meyer Ultra-X40 point source speaker as the star of the show.

It was business as usual on the polished floors of the Technical Audio Group (TAG) booth where the aroma of Italian coffee enticed consultants, SIs and end users. Distributing QSC since 1994, TAG has used the gravitational pull of Q-SYS to shed light on its three other leading brands. Nic

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BUSINESS: SHOW REVIEW Beretta and Andrew Crawford demonstrated the Allen & Heath Avantis, dLive, SQ and Qu consoles, alongside the latest wireless and Dante mics from Audio-Technica and the Martin Audio Wavefront Precision Modular, CDD, Torus and O-Line series, showcased against a backdrop of its solar-charged eight-ton truck.

Melbourne-based Production AV Technologies was joined by international product managers who provided technical

explanations on the latest AtlasIED, Audix microphones, ClearOne, EAW loudspeakers, Powersoft, RDL technologies and Symetrix processors. Acquired by Transom Capital Group earlier this year, Bose Professional showcased its PowerShare amplifiers on the booth and the demo room above.

Sennheiser demonstrated technologies from two of its three business units including Evolution DX wireless, TeamConnect

Ceiling 2, Mobile Connect and SpeechLine. The presence of Qvest, Riedel and Ross Video at Integrate suggests that the worlds of AV and broadcast are now converging on the same HDMI and AES67 networks.

Since the departure of Hills and the exodus of Harman Pro brands from Jands, the Australian audio distribution landscape looks very different. Some of the displaced Hills brands including Renkus-Heinz and Williams AV have reassembled on the Amber Technologies booth together with Bluesound and new addition Holoplot.

Some visitors and exhibitors were initially puzzled as to why the show is not being staged every other year in Melbourne.

Following this year’s return to networking and catching up without masks, social distancing and restrictions, few individuals were complaining at the close of Integrate 2023.

2023 Dates:

30 August – 1 September

2024 Dates:

21 – 23 August

Venue:

ICC, Sydney

Total exhibitors:

101

Attendance:

8,811

Contact:

www.integrate-expo.com

From the show floor Nick Orsatti, Fredon Technology: “This show really focuses on connectivity with people. It’s very important to see the latest and greatest products. More importantly, it’s about relationships, so we’ve brought a lot of our clients to network with the people who are supplying the products. There is a real need to connect, to share experiences and stories. It has been great to attend a show that’s had a real buzz. Integrate has been very busy with heightened energy, showcasing lots of new products and developments born from the supply chain challenges we have experienced over the last two years. I’ve come to see some products and attended a panel discussion on how we recruit the next generation of people into this industry. I work with people who have been in the industry for a while, who all need to stand up and get involved if they are to inspire the next generation.

We’re trying to encourage them and insist there’s is a real career ahead of them, because our industry is facing an acute shortage of skilled personnel.”

Lee Stevens, CMI Audio: “We decided to take a third-level dedicated demo room rather than a booth on the show floor at this year’s exhibition. The space allows us to spend more time with attendees to introduce and explain our immersive technologies, including the Adamson Fletcher and JBL spatial audio technology. We would not be able to demonstrate these properly on the show floor. It’s been pleasurable watching people smile or their jaws hit the floor during these demos. Although there are audio level limitations, we can really push these more here and properly demonstrate what JBL and Adamson can provide.

By demonstrating where the audio technology is going, the business development that will result from this year’s Integrate excites us. We have met a good mix of integrators and end users from throughout Australia including some of the smaller states such as Tasmania, in addition to New Zealand.”

Don McConnell, Audio Brands: “Integrate is a great place to network with customers. We exhibit all our brands on the show floor including our recent addition, Fohhn.

The German brand has a great team of people behind it and the factory support is brilliant.

The loudspeakers offer unique solutions for our customers in difficult environments with RAL colours and other customised engineering. We’re celebrating our 10th anniversary this year and have recently incorporated some visual and IT products into our portfolio including Netgear Pro AV switches as they fit perfectly with our widening customer base, including AV integrators and consultants. The best part of Integrate is simply seeing everyone face-to-face again. It bodes well for the future as we have had some good meetings with key people, company owners and project managers. We have been supported by some of our suppliers including Mipro and Optimal Audio.”

Tony Russo, TAG: “I am often asked why TAG exhibits at Integrate. For me, it’s the best place to catch up with many of our integrators, and people we rarely see. This year, it’s amazing how many extra people we have seen who are buying our products. We have enlarged the booth each year because more people are coming to us. Our QSC business has expanded significantly and as a result we have two dedicated rooms to demonstrate Q-SYS and Seervision. We are highlighting our Allen & Heath, Audio-Technica and Martin Audio products, with product specialists flying in to support us. They have noted that Integrate is now a key show in the APAC region and have observed the hospitality we have been providing for over 25 years. Our booth is a meeting place where integrators can come and talk to one other as they realise there is more to TAG than just sales. We continue to develop friendships and long-term connections with technology.”

Treva Head, Qvest: “It’s been a work in progress since April but Integrate has provided us with the first opportunity in Australia to publicly introduce Qvest to the market. Focusing heavily on TV, Qvest’s heritage is systems integration and broadcast. AV and broadcasting have a good synergy and are increasingly coming together. Qvest can now bring AV to the table, and we are backed by a large global organisation of 1,300 employees. By focusing heavily on Australia and New Zealand, we’re delivering a new combined brand and portfolio to the market.

We’ve been coming to Integrate for many years, so it is important to show our customers that we are still working with sales partners such as Glensound, DirectOut and Stagetec. We opted for a bigger booth this year as we wanted to make sure that we get Qvest across to our customers and others who may not have come across the brand before.”

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BUSINESS: SHOW REVIEW

IBC2023

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Having returned to an in-person show last year following the Covid-enforced three-year break, the omens for IBC2023 were good

“WE’VE SEEN A FANTASTIC TURNOUT FROM THE entire industry at IBC2023,” commented IBC’s CEO, Michael Crimp, on this year’s return to form. “There was a real sense of purpose at the show as business leaders and tech innovators came together to help our industry navigate change and build a better future for media and entertainment.”

The visitor count may have increased 16% year-on-year, but it remains 23.65% down on pre-pandemic levels. With a 20% increase in exhibitor space, not only were Halls 3 and 4 reopened but many of those screened off in 2022 were fully utilised. The autocentric appeal of Hall 8 was expanded with an immersive esports showcase highlighting the latest innovations. Topics such as cloud, AI, 5G, VR/AR/ XR, metaverse, gaming and edge computing dominated the theatres and exhibition halls, while the IBC Accelerator Media Innovation Programme promoted cross-industry collaboration and proof-of-concept demonstrations of the main subject matters.

The three core pillars running through the content programme – Transformative Tech, Shifting Business Models and People & Purpose – delivered a comprehensive agenda including driving more sustainable and inclusive business practices. An increased line-up of over 325 speakers took to the stage to promote new technologies, future business models and creative innovations that broaden media and entertainment horizons.

Although the pandemic accelerated the rate of change, it appeared to be business as usual for many exhibitors who seemingly carried on where they left off – in many cases in the same locations. 4K, 6K and 8K cameras and monitor formats were previewed on booths including ARRI, Blackmagic, Canon, Grass Valley, Ikegami, Panasonic and Sony.

Magewell’s diminutive Director Mini production solution made a big impact. Combining multi-input switching, graphics, streaming, recording and monitoring, a single operator can

Team Nugen L–R: Charles Blessing, Sophie Guest, Freddy Vinehill-Cliffe, Lucy Hampshire and Tom Griffin create visuals for live and remote events. With the unveiling of Matrox Origin, Matrox Video announced its common framework foundation for tier 1 live production in the cloud with a vendor-agnostic media framework built on a cloudnative architecture.

Occupying a larger footprint than 2022, the Ross Video booth included an immersive experience focusing on extended reality (XR), integrating AI, robotic camera systems, enhanced cloud production and hyperconverged infrastructure. Other highlights were the Carbonite Ultra 60 production switchers

and next-generation spidercam, automated camera tech and LED displays.

From stereo upmixes to immersive to AoIP, the audio exhibits welcomed a multitude of global visitors. Calrec debuted its ImPulse1 IP audio processing and routing engine as a cost-effective ST 2110 solution for singleconsole scenarios. Designed for remote and modular radio productions, Wheatstone showed the Strata 32 console alongside the Blade4 I/O unit and GSX console surface for its WheatNet-IP network.

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BUSINESS: SHOW REVIEW Solid State Logic highlighted broadcast audio workflows for immersive and remote production in addition to the TE1 and TE2 DSP engines, while Stage Tec presented its fully IP-based Avatus E console, the portable Nexus Compact and its Stagenet 1.0 IP signal management control software with MatroxVideo IP DRH converters in a 1 Gb/s network, demonstrating the ease of transition to IP operations.

Demonstrating its HOME Apps server-based processing, .edge routing platform, VSM custom workflows, A__UHD Core IP DSP engine and Power Core high-density I/O, mixing, processing and routing engine, Lawo networked under a Black Forest tree bereft of large production desks. Using the same hardware for a multitude of processing tasks, Elasticity, which combines the software-based functionality of HOME Apps with proprietary hardware devices, was a star draw.

That buzz of making up for lost time was particularly noticeable in Halls 1, 2 and 7, while the traditionally peripheral halls were not spared the rush of visitors either. While DPA Microphones, Lectrosonics, Microtech Gefell, Schoeps, Sennheiser, Shure and Wisycom attracted new and traditional broadcasters seeking microphone technologies, Clear-Com (Arcadia), Altair (IPcom), Pliant Technologies (CrewCom), Riedel (Bolero), RTS (Omneo IP) and AEQ (Xpeak and X_core) continued to showcase their latest IP comms. Riedel played down its intercom credentials by focusing on the latest AV transportation gateway, MediorNet HorizoN. Ravenna, the first fully AES67-compliant AoIP technology, was celebrating its 10th anniversary. All existing AoIP solutions – including Livewire, QLAN, Dante and WheatNet – have now adopted AES67, allowing over 2,000 products to interoperate. The IP video revolution continues to have a dramatic effect on broadcasting and media operations. Platforms such as the openGear modular frame system designed by Ross Video further support a diverse range of terminal equipment manufacturers. Audinate featured demos of Dante Connect using the Cloud MX Audio Mixer from Waves and Dante AV technology. Dante Connect was also selected as the audio transport solution for the AWS broadcast production workflow demo.

Genelec’s Lars-Olof Janfold removes the wraps from the 9320A Reference Controller

L–R: Andreas Hilmer and Wolfgang Huber at HOME on the Lawo booth

Nancy Mathis from Q5X promotes the Canadian brand’s slim digital Chameleon

Easing supply chain issues and increased visitor levels made for a collectively buoyant mood at the close of IBC 2023. “We’ve seen incredible participation from long-standing exhibitors and new players that are tackling technology transformation,” commented IBC director, Steve Connolly.

“We’re ready to continue evolving for next year’s show to keep up with increased demand, and we’ll be expanding our footprint with additional outdoor pavilions and the opening of Hall 14.”

2023 Dates:

15 – 18 September

2024 Dates:

13 – 16 September

Venue:

RAI Amsterdam

Total exhibitors:

1,250

Attendance:

43,065

Contact:

www.show.ibc.org

Expect

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BUSINESS: SHOW REVIEW

From the show floor Abe Adt, AJA: “IBC draws engineers and developers to Amsterdam who are wanting to discuss their projects and integrations.

It’s neither broadcast nor AV specific, with these technologies now merging over IP. Tradeshow conversations often stimulate the next round of product development. I can’t tell you how many products have been conceived during or just after IBC. AJA doesn’t build products for the sake of it – we cater to customer demand. When AJA releases a new capture card, for us it’s the equivalent of releasing a new iPhone. Kona X is our latest and greatest complete with a subframe board. The latency is under one frame, which is massive for sports broadcast in addition to AV, live production and streaming. Medical professionals are approaching us at IBC because we have an imaging version of Kona with special certifications for use in surgical systems.

The media world is changing rapidly with distributed workforces as no one needs to be in one location anymore to create a video. Today, the video is produced, the content is transmitted up to the cloud and editors across the globe work on it. Making content instantly accessible to people all over the world is something that excites us.”

Simon Westwood, Blackmagic Design: “The first couple of days have been extraordinarily busy and we have met many broadcasters working in live and postproduction. Streaming remains popular because of the changes people made during the pandemic. We experienced a good return to IBC last year, but it certainly seems like there’s an increased volume with associated energy levels this year. Among an array of new technologies, Blackmagic is highlighting the Micro Studio 4K G2 camera. Following customer requests, we started making a new version of the original and the result is a 12G camera with 4K Ultra HD production together with a full-size HDMI for output to a monitor. It comes with two USB-C drives for recording Blackmagic raw onto that drive and it’s tiny and lightweight. They can be positioned in any way imaginable within a live production setting, including stunt cameras or fitted into body suits. Blackmagic is also giving cameras away on iOS, offering professional Blackmagic camera controls associated with our pocket cameras in an iPhone app, capable of filming at 720p, 1080 or 4K. With the professional codec support, the files can be uploaded to the Blackmagic Cloud and onto DaVinci Resolve for the editor to start working on.”

Elijah Ebo, Brompton Technology: “One of our partners, White Lights, allowed us to share their booth. Despite being a new exhibitor this year, we were familiar with IBC and knew that we should attend. As we drew closer to the 2023 event, we realised that there were 18 collaborators demonstrating technology that was relevant to us. By adding a fourth emitter that provides a broad-spectrum white, we are highlighting the more natural impact of RGBW and how this changes skin tones and reflections.”

Bryan Reksten, VITEC: “Visitors to our booth are generally interested in broadcast workflows and how they can be applied to their bespoke workflow. As our customers continue to transition out of the pandemic, they are accelerating towards IP solutions. Having initially dipped their toes into the water, they understand what IP can deliver, and are returning with projects. IBC represents a wonderful opportunity to meet different customers and discover what their current challenges are. By focusing on delivering the right solutions for them, we are developing our next generation of products. Our products team has welcomed different groups from Europe and the Middle East, as well as some customers from Asia Pacific. In addition to broadcasters, we’re meeting customers from other verticals including enterprise, corporate and venue management. IBC is important for them as they need to adopt broadcast workflows in their applications. Whether it’s streaming media inside a network or externally, everyone’s a broadcaster or a content creator, regardless of who their viewers are. Because of IP, the lines are blurring.”

Marina Prak, ROE Visual: “We’ve held good quality conversations and meetings with customers who wish to interact again. ROE Visual is showcasing specific products and solutions for the broadcast vertical at IBC. These include the Ruby series of LCD panels including the narrow 1.2mm pixel pitch model. We are also showcasing the Helios LED processing platform, a full native pipeline of SMPTE 2110 signals streamed over a 100GB network. This was the result of an exclusive cooperation between Megapixel VR and ROE Visual. Compared to other exhibitions, where we promote technologies for rental and fixed installation, our broadcast solutions are set up as a real-world application, such as Sky Sports’ new studio which adopted our LCD panels. Hybrid is here to stay, with a much greater convergence between AV and broadcast. For example, we demonstrate the merging of cloud-based solutions for live events at ISE, and for broadcast applications here at IBC. The acceptance of VR, such as internal communications within corporate IT companies, rose dramatically during the pandemic. IBC is not exclusive to film and broadcast, because the application of technology on show is much wider than traditional broadcast.”

Christophe Van den Berghe, Sennheiser: “We’re focusing on a few verticals at IBC this year including immersive workflow applications for the entire group beyond the Sennheiser brand, including Neumann, Merging and Dear Reality.

By combining products from these brands, we are integrating more flexibility and ease-of-use features into our customers’ daily workflows. Immersive remains something of a discovery area for many of our customers. They have the technology, the hardware and all the connections, so as a group we need to think about and solve their challenges. I’ve been coming to IBC for 24 years and our booth continues to evolve. Compared to 2019, visitor numbers have dropped and IBC is not yet at full capacity. However, Sennheiser has welcomed a quality audience over the past four days. Fewer visitors attending from certain companies, perhaps, but we are meeting the key decision makers, and this allows us more time to go in-depth. A second aspect is the widening of the show. Broadcasters used to be a very niche group but, with smartphones, everyone seems to be a broadcaster or a content creator.”

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BUSINESS: SUSTAINABILITY

All things considered PPDS discusses the manufacturer’s eco credentials and forward-thinking approach to digital signage sustainability

Tableaux providing digital signage at a supermarket

PPDS’s 6395 LED designed on a common cathode LED for lower energy consumption RESEARCH SHOWS THAT THERE IS TYPICALLY A negative correlation between the importance of sustainability and the average premium consumers are willing to pay. In categories that have the highest importance for sustainability in a consumer’s daily life – electricity, heating, groceries and transportation – this premium is roughly between 22% and 27% of less sustainable options. But with potential alarm bells sounding over the health of the global economy at a time when sustainability in AV had just become a serious topic, is all that good work about to be undone? PPDS (Philips Professional Displays) doesn’t think so.

Sustainability has been on the agenda for PPDS for many years and, at the end of 2021, the display manufacturer placed it as a top business priority, actively seeking to help customers reduce their electronic waste and enhance their green credentials. This initiative includes more energy-efficient products, a reconfiguring and reduction of packaging and a move to provide greater access to information on energy consumption to aid more informed buying decisions. It’s resulted in PPDS being lauded with several sustainability awards as the company strives to bring the topic to the forefront of the industry. “We certainly are doing a lot,” says Stefan van Sabben, global CSR and sustainability manager at TP Vision and MMD, the parent companies behind PPDS. “And I’m very pleased to see it being recognised.

It is a topic that has taken on increased interest with customers in recent years – in fact, we’ve reached a point where customers are actively demanding that manufacturers are more environmentally mindful.”

An obvious example of this movement within PPDS is Tableaux, the company’s new Kindle-style

Stefan van Sabben

solution for low-energy digital signage first unveiled at ISE earlier this year. The use of ePaper technology means power is only required when changing out the static image, making it not only vastly more efficient than a typical screen for many signage uses, but also creating new options for where and how digital signage can be deployed.

As van Sabben previuosly alluded, while PPDS has long had an interest in being more sustainable, the post-pandemic mindset from customers has elevated this conversation, making it all the more important for companies to back up their principles with more than just words. Product certification is vital but that does little to explain nuance and allow customers to make truly informed decisions.

“We certainly want to avoid greenwashing and so we think it’s important to explain in detail precisely what we are doing instead of simply applying X credential to a product. As an example, our 7000 Series LED display is near climate neutral. What does that actually entail? We begin with a lifecycle assessment to gauge how many CO2 emissions are involved to create the product, with all the assembly lines taken into account. Then we create a reduction plan together with an external party as a verified auditor. From that moment onwards, you can offset by, for example, planting trees or supporting forest growth.”

“Lifecycle assessments are key for us in being able to really evaluate our products,” adds global head of communications Vicky Fox, “and, as Stefan says, they’re a massive undertaking because they take in every aspect, right through their journey. Of course, it’s also important that our roadmap carefully considers the ongoing sustainability picture for each product. In that respect the lifecycle assessment is just a part of the story, and there could be nothing worse than customers feeling a need to scrap existing working displays that are still serving their purpose but don’t match new sustainability expectations.”

This means that often the best approach for the customer is not to invest in new products, instead extending existing displays’ lifespans. “Beyond our own motivation, we have new legislation being introduced supporting initiatives such as eco design and the right to repair, that is not directly linked to a hotel TV or signage display, yet in the bigger picture is relevant,” notes van Sabben. “So, as well as supporting the extension of our products’ lifetimes via the free software updates, for products like Philips MediaSuite and the energy management and predictive maintenance available via our Wave remote display

management platform, we also discuss options such as take-back schemes with clients. We take back the product – offering the customer a financial reward as well – and give it a second life in another country or market Vicky Fox where it can still serve a purpose.”

This approach provides the benefit of an additional cost saving for customers. Despite best intentions and morality, the overriding buying factor for many remains price. Even if they desire a more sustainable solution, are they willing to pay for it? The forward-thinking approach from PPDS is also paying dividends in this regard.

Beyond purely economic forces, the reduction in willingness to pay for sustainability stems from a wider availability of alternatives. As businesses in a market introduce more options, competition is heightened. Consumers get more variety, and sustainability evolves to become the norm rather than the exception, reducing the green premium. Businesses that benefit from first-mover advantages experience monetisation potential that erodes over time as sustainability becomes the expectation.

Arguably, that first-mover advantage period has already passed in many AV sectors and PPDS is no longer alone as an enterprise manufacturer focusing on its green credentials.

The question for manufacturers therefore becomes, can your business afford to no longer take the topic seriously?

“Keeping ourselves at the forefront of this conversation is crucial and is why we take such a proactive approach,” concludes van Sabben. “We showcased Tableaux to our customers back in November last year but didn’t actually release it until February. Having that really great feedback relationship with our integrators makes sure we are manufacturing products that are needed, rather than just ticking a box.” www.ppds.com

70 PRO AVL ASIA November–December 2023

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BUSINESS: R&D

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Making a plan

It's been a busy year of development since Holoplot released the first version of its sound system design software, Plan

WHEN IT COMES TO AUDIO DESIGN, BEING ABLE TO accurately predict how a system will operate in a specific real-world environment is one of the most important assets in an integrator’s tool set. Given enough experience, a simple enough system and a small environment, it’s perfectly possible for the job to be carried out using just ears alone. But the more considerations that enter the equation, the harder this task becomes. As a result, there are no shortage of solutions, either created by manufacturers or third parties, to help users better tackle this problem.

They’re not new either. Primitive, CPU-hungry platforms providing basic loudspeaker coverage gradients have been around for decades, and have since evolved into complex 3D predictive models. The benefit of using these programs, particularly on larger shows, is well understood. You might wonder therefore why Holoplot felt the need to dedicate a whole development team and nearly two years of R&D creating its own predictive solution rather than picking one of those off-the-shelf platforms. Anyone that’s experienced the capabilities of the German company’s X1 Matrix Array knows that existing solutions were never going to cut it, and so Holoplot’s product team has been hard at work on the development of a dedicated, tailor-made alternative.

“I think it’s fair to say that when it comes to loudspeaker coverage, we’re a slightly different ball game,” says Holoplot Plan product manager Adele Gardner. “We’re simulating thousands of drivers depending on how big the system is and how many modules it uses. There are so many different elements that can be controlled and things for users to get confused about.

Furthermore, you have to appreciate a ton of new concepts when thinking about system design using a Holoplot array. The approach is very different to a more conventional setup – even though when you look in our software, we’ve used industry-standard heat maps and direct SPLs to convey system behaviour in a way that system designers are able to see real performance clearly.

“Take the concept of steerable audio beams, for example,” furthers Gardner. “Some system designers may have never really thought about how this approach affects the design and it’s vital they have a way of exploring and visualising this if they’re to get the most out of the system’s capabilities. But you’re right that there are plenty of other predictive solutions available on the market and so it was also crucial to ensure we were not just building some cool new stuff, but building something that people need.”

The Holoplot Software Suite encompasses Holoplot Plan for the system design aspect and Holoplot Control for the day-to-day running of an array. Plan allows users to import a 3D model of a specific room or environment which has been created in industrystandard modelling software. They can then deploy virtual arrays

Rece

The main interface in Plan where you can manipulate the 3D model and arrays inside the model, analysing results in real time as attributes are manipulated, highlighting the impact of coverage beams, applying 3D Audio-Beamforming for optimisation and placing virtual sources using Wave Field Synthesis.

The company describes the process as not just intuitive but a truly seamless experience that supports the Holoplot workflow end-to-end, from design to installation, and content production to showtime. In tech company style, the whole process from initial development through to final release has been the result of persistent agile development throughout the 18-month-long R&D cycle. “It’s a fully custom solution,” notes Gardner. “And has to be because it needs to interface with our custom hardware.”

The software suite was released into an initial beta phase in November 2022, with an early access programme alongside a high-touch onboarding approach. “Prior to the early access, we also worked with a small group of early adopters that were testing out builds and giving their feedback to assess whether what we had was indeed ready to go to market. It’s been a gradual rollout since then with this high-touch approach being key.”

Because many of these concepts are novel to system designers, an extensive aspect of the Holoplot Plan development

Adele Gardner, Plan product manager at Holoplot phase has been this onboarding process with beta users over the last year. The process involves taking users through all aspects of the system design functionality within Plan, using example models to explain the desired workflow. “If you are used to designing with linear arrays, this is a different way of thinking about things,” Gardner notes. “That’s why we wanted to go with a very high-touch approach to make sure that we can introduce the concepts in the most effective way. And if people have questions, we are there face-to-face to be able to guide them

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BUSINESS: R&D through the software and the different approaches. At the end of an onboarding call, everyone has the basic toolkit and knowledge at hand to design a Holoplot system.”

By employing Plan, users are able to experiment with how many modules might be required to perform various setups, experiment with different beam types/combinations and array positions. “Then once you’re happy with your configuration and you have the system set up, you press sync in the software and your configuration is deployed onto the Holoplot sound system,” says Gardner.

As mentioned previously, while Plan allows users to design their array setups, the platform works in combination with Control for the day-to-day running of the system, adding further to the need for a rigorous R&D process. “We really emphasised stability when we were building this application because it’s not just a system design software, you also use it to interface with the actual array.

As a result, the testing process is way more involved than it would be for a typical desktop application.”

Testing an array coverage pattern on the 3D model Having now been thoroughly tested, tweaked and put through numerous beta versions, the platform is now available to all for download. “Since beginning the process, a plethora of new

features that testers wanted to see incorporated have all been added,” notes Gardner.

These include Zone Drawing, designed to streamline sound system design workflow, and a new and improved simulation engine, which takes into account the so-called baffle and edge diffraction effects which are particularly noticeable in low frequencies and become more relevant the larger the array. Holoplot says that this now makes Plan the industry’s most accurate direct sound prediction software to date, and enhances the low-frequency behaviour of beams generated by its Matrix Arrays.

“We’re really proud of what we’ve built with Plan. It makes the unique and complex Holoplot technology easy to interact and design with, maximising creative potential. With each software update, our system continues to evolve, pushing the boundaries of sound control and redefining what’s possible in audio. And for those using EASE for advanced closed-room simulations, we are providing a technical note explaining the differences you may see in EASE after applying this update,” shares Gardner. “We have a dedicated team actively working on Holoplot Plan and we’re still using user feedback that we’re constantly checking on to make sure that we’re prioritising the right things.”

Of course, with an ever-growing user base, it will no longer be possible to conduct individual, dedicated onboarding sessions.

“The next stage is scaling up our educational approach.

We’re currently working on a system design curriculum that can effectively condense this tailored onboarding, which is specific to different experiences and different types of projects, into a central space and to guide people through the journey.

Many more people are now familiar with Holoplot than when we started this process; however, we know we’re still at the beginning of the journey, so it’s important to us to make sure that Holoplot systems can be designed effectively and Plan is pivotal in achieving this. We regard ourselves as a software-driven company – we’re innovating using software even though it’s the hardware that delivers the final result.”

ai167091651262_Pro AVL Asia(228x154mm)_#2.pdf 1 2022/12/13 下午 03:28:45

Receiving the personalised onboarding service

www.holoplot.com

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November–December 2023 PRO AVL ASIA 73

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BUSINESS: COMPANY PROFILE

L-Acoustics founder Christian Heil

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Très bien fait

L-Acoustics CEO Laurent Vaissié

The L-Acoustics premises in Marcoussis, France

Founded in 1984, L-Acoustics continues to shape the pro audio landscape. Caroline Moss reflects on the company’s heritage, learns about the new L Series and looks to the future with the French manufacturer

THE GROUND-BREAKING ACHIEVEMENTS OF L-Acoustics need no introduction. In 1992, company founder Dr Christian Heil, a particle physicist with an interest in acoustics, revolutionised pro audio with the launch of V-DOSC, drawing on his Wavefront Sculpture Technology (WST) theory, which coupled discrete sound sources to build the equivalent of a line source array. Heil defined the resulting column, which fulfilled the WST criteria over the entire frequency bandwidth to produce a continuous and isophasic wavefront and create a consistent listening experience throughout the venue, as a “line source” rather than a “line array” system. V-DOSC first proved itself on the Supertramp tour of 1997, causing the industry to sit up and take notice.

More models joined the WST range: the ARCS Constant Curvature Array, dV-DOSC – a compact version of V-DOSC – and Kudo, with K-Louver Modular Directivity technology allowing mechanical adjustment of the MF/HF directivity. By 2007, the Kiva ultra-compact line source array was targeting applications where architectural constraints and weight limitations called for a discrete solution, and in 2010 the manufacturer introduced the Kara and Kara(i) WST line source enclosures.

Fifteen years after the launch of V-DOSC, L-Acoustics released the large-format K1 system. Sales were initially limited to a few global touring companies participating in the manufacturer’s K1/Kudo two-year pilot programme and providing feedback to L-Acoustics’ R&D team on its field performance. In 2011, K1 was officially launched at the Coachella festival – which L-Acoustics has been involved with since 2001 – headlined by Kings of Leon, Arcade Fire, Kanye West and The Strokes.

Alongside WST developments, L-Acoustics was busy introducing new technologies including the P Series self-powered coaxials, the SB28 subwoofer with Laminar Airflow Vents followed by the SB18

An assembly line at LAFR2 in Marcoussis and SB18i models, LA4 and LA8 amplified controllers with fully integrated electronics and Soundvision 3D acoustic simulation software. In 2012, the manufacturer turned its attention to the installation market, releasing a range of dedicated speakers for permanent installs; other new technologies include Panflex, which adds an adjustable horizontal coverage pattern to line source arrays, the Milan AVB networked audio protocol and Contour XO in-ear monitors produced in collaboration with JH Audio.

By 2016, L-Acoustics had entered the immersive sound market with L-ISA, an object-based technology that took 3D audio out of the studios and cinemas into the live arena, connecting audiences with performers. The company has recently expanded its markets, making this technology available to recording engineers with L-ISA Studio and packaging its concert-grade professional audio solutions for residential applications.

It isn’t only in the field of technological advancements that L-Acoustics has pushed the boundaries. Recognising early on that its systems required a high standard of deployment, the company formed the V-DOSC Network, collaborating with select international partners to support the technology. This group of V-DOSC owners shared universal system standards, offering a consistent level of service, technical support and sonic performance for productions across the world. By 2008, this had expanded into the Rental Network Partnership established on high-quality criteria and deployment standards. Today, there are more than 700 certified providers worldwide, all of whom continue to raise the bar on a local level, supported by 110 certified trainers. A total of 750 permanent L-Acoustics staff members are employed around the world, a quarter of whom are dedicated to R&D. In 2002, the company moved into LAFR1, its 4,000m2 headquarters in Marcoussis to the south of Paris, which is used today as office space and R&D laboratories. A 3,300m² enclosure production facility, LAFR2, came online in Marcoussis in 2013, while dedicated space for receiving raw components as well as finished product is located 20 minutes away from the company headquarters. A fully owned woodworking subsidiary in the east of France boasts a dedicated 5,000m² factory which opened in 2015, while amplifier subsidiary Camco has 1,400m2 for R&D and 1,200m2 for production in Western Germany, and a 5,400m2 metalworking facility in the Loire Valley rounds out production

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Coachella 2012 with the K1 arrays debuting at the event in 2011 capacity. The company also works with an ESAT, a French work assistance establishment aimed at supporting differently abled people in the workplace, to carry out some subassembly and labelling.

In January, partners Tokyo Sanko and Winly in APAC, Britannia Row/Clair Global and Novelty Group in EMEA and PRG and Solotech in the Americas joined the pilot phase of the L Series line source system, which builds on V-DOSC technology three decades after its introduction. The partners deployed the new system for live events including the BRIT Awards 2023 in London, Helene Fischer’s German tour and US festivals Coachella and Stagecoach. It was launched in April at the Hollywood Bowl, an L-Acoustics venue since being installed with a V-DOSC system in 2004 and updated to K1 in 2013. According to L-Acoustics, the response to L Series from its pilot phase partners has been “overwhelming”, and large-scale L-ISA projects using L Series are now being planned in the Americas, EMEA and APAC. L Series features patented Progressive Ultra-Dense Line Source (PULS) technology and comprises two elements designed to work together or alone: L2 above and L2D below. Each element provides the same contour as four K2 cabinets in a format that is 46% smaller and 40% lighter, requiring fewer elements, reduced truck space and time saved loading in and out. Other claims are improved SPL by size, consistency over the audience area and improved rejection everywhere else.

“Fundamentally, a traditional line source array is based on the height of the low-frequency component, which means there’s a lot that is not making sound: the wood between the enclosures, the air gap produced from the rigging,” explains Scott Sugden, director of product management at L-Acoustics. “These ultimately produce a variation in the response for the audience. We don’t notice because we’ve had 20 years of hearing it, and it was so much better than everything that came before. But we wanted to eliminate every one of those elements.”

Sugden describes L Series as “a perfect line source from top to bottom. There are no breaks in the line. The reality is almost every venue is shaped the same, with raked audience seating being the norm, meaning the further from the stage you get the higher up the audience sits. And that means every single day we deploy the arrays in a very similar way, so there are massive time savings in not having to connect enclosures and jumper cables.

We can expect as much as a 68% time saving to deploy the array compared to a traditional line source.

“The second advantage is fewer wood panels, which means less weight to generate the same acoustic power. And an L Series array is also shorter and narrower, meaning it takes up less space. This, of course, makes the lighting and video designers

Scott Sugden delivering the keynote at the L Series launch at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles

The Dreamsonic tour audio crew pictured with an L2 enclosure in August 2023 happy. The L2 design utilises 30% less wood, 60% less steel and 56% less paint than a traditional line source element, equating to 30% less truck volume and 25% less truck weight. The first tour with L Series – the Helene Fischer tour across Germany – was able to eliminate an entire truck of audio and deliver the same great result for the audience.”

L Series is driven by the new LA7.16 high-resolution touring amplified controller, providing 16 channels of high-power amplification. “Each channel is capable of 1,300W into 8Ω, driven by a single power supply that can produce more than 20,000W of instantaneous power and sustain over 7,000W of power for over 200 milliseconds,” continues Sugden. “The DSP can be used to shape the wavefront of the L2 and L2D system to have a more stable response for the audience and more rejection below.”

L-Acoustics CEO Laurent Vaissié is keen to point out that L Series is what he terms a “revolution” in loudspeaker design enabled by the company’s progress in electronics and software development. “L Series was designed with our clients and end users in mind,” he says. “The L2 and L2D can be deployed in most applications where line arrays have previously been used, for audiences from 1,000–10,000 in traditional stereo configurations. Its compact size and shape facilitate integration with existing venue architecture, including lighting and video. It can be placed above or behind LED screens and in venues from

sports arenas and houses of worship to concert halls, while improving the sound experience for the entire audience. But the most exciting feature of L Series is that it enables a deployment three times faster [than previous systems], and improved sightlines in multichannel configurations such as L-ISA Hyperreal deployments for audiences up to 25,000. An L-ISA deployment is now comparable to a traditional line array stereo configuration in terms of setup time and resources, which will enable faster adoption of object-based mixing and immersive content by artists and productions.”

Looking to the future, L-Acoustics is opening a dedicated 4,600m2 production facility near its other manufacturing facilities in Marcoussis in early 2024. Work will commence on scaling the L Series range up and down in size, and a timeline for AES67 and AVB tools within the LA7.16 platform, which promises to boost applications in the fixed installation market for the L2 and L2D, will be announced imminently.

“Above all, our mission remains the same but is more exciting than ever: to elevate the sonic experience for both the audience and the artist,” concludes Vaissié. “This will guide every step as we embark on our next chapter of innovation and manufacturing, celebrating the next year 40 years of independent thinking and passion for great sound.” www.l-acoustics.com

November–December 2023 PRO AVL ASIA 75

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ATDN1061 PROAVL FA.pdf

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27/10/2023 12:23

NEWPRODUCTS

INSTALLATION • AV • LIVE SOUND • BROADCAST • POSTPRODUCTION • RECORDING • LIGHTING A–ZCONTENTS

Allen & Heath speeds up the mix Allen & Heath has unveiled its CQ series, a trio of compact digital mixers for musicians and bands, audio engineers, home producers, small venues and AV installers PLACING A priority on ease of use and speed of setup and built around a new 96kHz processing engine, the CQ series comprises the CQ-12T and CQ-18T desktop mixers featuring tactile controls and a 7-inch multitouch screen, and the portable CQ-20B stagebox mixer, all controllable via the companion CQ apps.

The processing engine, utilising Allen & Heath’s FPGA technology, is said to bring numerous time-saving tools to the CQ to speed up and simplify common tasks for users of all abilities. Gain Assistant automatically sets preamp gain to the optimal level and monitors and adjusts for any unexpected peaks in the signal. Feedback Assistant identifies and filters out problem frequencies across all outputs via simple one-button operation, with more in-depth control available for challenging acoustical environments.

Input channels can be switched between a Quick Input, giving users a source-specific set of controls with single knob control of channel processing, or a Complete Input for full

control of all channel processing parameters.

Additionally, an Automatic Mic Mixer (AMM) is present on all input channels, instantly improving clarity and reducing background noise in speech-based applications.

The CQ range also introduces a suite of high-quality, user-friendly reverb, delay and modulation algorithms with instrument-specific presets for speedy setup, while the FX Assist tool shapes the FX by dynamically responding to the input signal for optimal clarity. The CQ-18T and CQ-20B offer four FX engines and the CQ-12T features two FX engines.

All three CQ mixers benefit from flexible

recording and playback options, including a multichannel USB audio interface, multitrack SD card, simple stereo recording and playback via an external USB drive, plus convenient stereo Bluetooth playback.

The CQ series is supported by a pair of free multiplatform apps. The CQ-MixPad app enables remote control of the mixer from anywhere in the venue, while the CQ4You app allows performers to take control of their personal monitor mix via their mobile devices.

The CQ-18T and CQ-20B also benefit from integrated high-performance dual-band Wi-Fi for quick and easy connection of control apps without any additional network equipment.

The CQ-18T provides 16 mic/line inputs and one stereo input; the CQ-12T includes 10 mic/line inputs and one stereo input; and the stage-friendly CQ-20B offers 16 mic/line inputs, two of which can be used as Hi-Z instrument inputs, and two stereo inputs. All three models feature six independent outputs which can be configured to run up to three stereo outputs.

1 Sound Cannon C4 Adamson Blueprint AV v1.3.3 AEQ Olympia 3 planning tool AJA KONA X Allen & Heath CQ series APG NESS v1.2.0 API 1608-II Special Edition ATEN Control and Room Booking System Atlona AT-HDR-SW-51 Atomos Ninja / Ninja Ultra Audio-Technica ATH-M50xIB / ATH-M50xBT2IB Barco UniSee II Blackmagic Design Studio Camera 4K Plus G2 Bosch PRA-SCS Small System Controller Cameo PIXBAR 600 IP G2 Celestion FTR12-4080DL Christie Hedra Clear-Com I.V. Direct Crestron TST-1080 d&b audiotechnik NoizCalc 4.0 Datapath Aligo TX100 Quad HD disguise Porta 2.2 Elation Proteus Radius Beam FX EM Acoustics R5 EMEET Meeting Capsule Pro Room Kit Epson EB-L260F ETC 8-inch Mosaic Touchscreen Extron DTP3 T 203 Focusrite Scarlett Solo GatesAir Flexiva GX 3.5kW Genelec 9320A Reference Controller Glensound Charles Interpreter Box Gravity Multi Keyboard Stand HH Electronics Tensor Solo High End Systems Hyperstar INFiLED Studio Series KLOTZ AIS H3R88 series Lawo vsmShare LD Systems MON G3 Series Lectrosonics DSR digital dual-channel slot receiver Leyard Europe VDS Series LYNX Technik PDM 1484 B and D Martin Audio THS Merging Technologies Atmos Bundle Neutrik Power Container NEXO P18 / L20 Optimal Audio Cuboid 6 and 6TX Pan Acoustics Power Core Peerless-AV IRTO55-XHB4 PK Sound PK .dynamics PPDS Signage 4650 D-Line Series punQtum Control app for Q210 RCF SUB 7 Series mk3 Riedel MediorNet HorizoN Robe iFORTE LTX WB RØDE Wireless PRO ROE Visual Ruby RB1.2 SB Audience NERO-18SW1900D Sennheiser EW-DP SKP Shure WWB7 Solid State Logic B-DYN Sommer Cable SC-Mercator Cat.6a Proflex Stage Tec NEXUS compact Studer Vista BRAVO SurgeX Vertical Series+ Tascam Sonicview v1.4.1 Tasker TSK503 TSL MPA1-MIX-NET-V-R Vari-Lite ZerOS 7.14 Vizrt TriCaster Mini Go and Vectar Wharfedale Pro WLA-112A Wheatstone Audioarts Voice 1 Wisycom RPU500-F Wohler Technologies eAMP1-S8-MDA WyreStorm Sygma Cloud Device Management

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PRODUCTS

NEXO expands Celestion adds 4Ω P+ Series low-frequency driver FOLLOWING IN the footsteps of P12 launched in 2019 and joining its P8, P10, P12 and P15 siblings, NEXO has released the P18 which comes with a long-excursion, neodymium 18-inch LF/4-inch diaphragm HF coaxial driver in a curvilinear enclosure of custom birch and poplar plywood. The cabinet footprint is relatively compact, measuring 680mm x 579mm x 446mm. The speaker has a frequency response of 50Hz– 20kHz and an SPL of 140dB peak (passive mode) and 142dB peak (active mode).

Like other speakers in the P+ Series, versatility of the P18 is said to be enhanced thanks to varying HF coverage patterns. Horn flanges can be interchanged to deliver a choice of directivities – from the 60° x 60° that is provided as standard, to a 90° x 40° or an asymmetrical 50–90° x 40°. Switching between different directivities can reportedly be accomplished in 15s by removing the steel grille with a coin and replacing the flare, which uses a magnetic fixing.

The P18 is available in Touring, Installation (passive only) and hybrid TIS versions. In the Touring version, two large handles on each side hold a 35mm pole stand adaptor and speakON connector for discrete connection when the cabinet is used on pole stands or

in wedge monitor applications. Two other speakON connectors are included on the back plate. In the Installation version, a cable gland with a two-core cable for audio input ensures IP54 protection when it is used outdoors.

Joining existing L15 and L18 sub-bass cabinets in the P+ Series, the L20 uses a 20-inch long-excursion driver, achieving an SPL of 141dB peak, extending the LF response down to 28Hz. NEXO NXAMPMK2 or DTD/DTDAMP deliver tailored power and processing solutions, combining multichannel, high-powered, networkable amplification with loudspeaker control and protection. Linear phase presets included for P+ cabinets in both vertical and horizontal configuration – and for the full range of NEXO cabinets – are said to make it quick and easy to configure a plug-and-play solution for any system. www.nexo-sa.com

SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED for subwoofer applications, Celestion has added a 4Ω 12-inch driver to its lowfrequency series of speakers. Initially established as an 8Ω driver, the FTR124080DL features a cast aluminium chassis, ferrite magnet assembly and 4-inch voice coil. Developed at

FTR12-4080DL Celestion’s headquarters in Ipswich, the FTR12-4080DL can produce 1,400W of continuous power handling and 88dB sensitivity with an output frequency range of 20–300Hz. The halfroll elastomer surround offers improved modal distribution for reduced distortion and added stability at extremes of excursion (with an Xmax of 13.6mm) for a solid bass response. Designed using FEA (Finite Element Analysis) modelling techniques, the Airflow vented magnet assembly promotes dynamic heat dispersion and minimises power compression. Featuring optimised double suspension for added control and linearity together with a glassloaded paper cone, the driver includes weather-resistant impregnation.

Boasting performance upgrades over their predecessors in a more compact package, the manufacturer has also introduced two 1.4-inch exit, neodymium magnet, high-frequency compression

drivers to its range. The CDX14-3055 and CDX14-3045 drivers are said to provide improved power handling and sensitivity, with a lower crossover point and overall reduction in size, which Celestion hopes will make them effective HF solutions for use in fixed installation or touring sound systems.

An upgrade to the CDX14-3050, the CDX14-3055 has an increased power handling capability of 120W (measured to AES standard) and a sensitivity of 108dB, with a lower minimum crossover point of 800Hz (12dB/oct) to increase application flexibility as well providing a notable boost in sound pressure level above 5kHz. Its external diameter of 120mm reduces the distance between acoustic centres when multiple units are used, offering improved close-coupling in applications such as line array cabinets. In common with its predecessor, the CDX14-3055 incorporates Celestion’s patented twopiece, deep drawn titanium diaphragm and maximum modal suppression phase plug.

Meanwhile, the CDX14-3045 upgrades the CDX14-3040, this time featuring a single piece titanium diaphragm.

With the same power handling, sensitivity

EM Acoustics extends its References CELEBRATING 21 years of operation, British loudspeaker manufacturer EM Acoustics has unveiled its latest addition to the Reference Series, with the ultracompact R5. Characterised by their low-profile design, the Reference Series full-range point source loudspeakers are

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and crossover points as the CDX14-3055, its diameter has been reduced to 117mm. www.celestion.com

www.emacoustics.co.uk

1 SOUND updates its 4-inch Cannon coaxial 1 SOUND has released the Cannon C4, the fully IP55 and saltwater-resistant version of the 4-inch Cannon coaxial model. The C4 differs from the original C4i version because of its marine-grade cable gland connector that comes with 0.6m of 16/2 gauge speaker wire in either black or white. The Cannon C4’s build quality and design are said to make it an extremely compact loudspeaker for the sound quality, bandwidth and SPL that

it produces. Extra slack of the attached speaker wire can also be supplied if requested for a specific installation design.

Each model in the Cannon Series – the C4, C5, C6 and C8 – provides extended low-frequency and a “pronounced and projected” midrange. The models are IP55-rated for indoor and outdoor use, with an “I” version available that has a screw terminal block connector. www.1-sound.com

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said to provide remarkably flat frequency and phase responses.

Combining a 1.5-inch neodymium HF annular compression drive unit with dual 5-inch neodymium woofers, the R5 integrates a unique crossover design and FIR for interchangeable wide (110° x 50°) and narrow (80° x 50°) rotatable waveguides.

Operating within a frequency range of 80Hz–20kHz (±3dB), the 300W RMS-rated R5 weighs 8.2kg.

Finished in black or white with RAL options available, the slim plywood enclosure promotes flexible rigging and mounting options. Quick-release attachments are included for tool-free connection of flying hardware, together with threaded rigging points, for suspending and installing in a variety of different applications.

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PRODUCTS

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UK-BASED HH Electronics has announced the launch of the Tensor Solo, a portable, all-in-one column PA aimed at applications of 100+ audience members, such as small gigs, houses of worship, education and speech presentations. Comprising an 8-inch subwoofer and six 2.75-inch drivers, the Tensor Solo has a four-piece, slottogether, lightweight design which weighs 13kg and is available in black and white.

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Microphones and line-level devices can be connected simultaneously to the Solo’s four-channel mixer, which features

an adjustable reverb. Bluetooth devices are able to connect for wireless audio streaming, while on-board DSP provides four EQ presets for music, vocal, natural

and live. Audio protection prevents overloading and damage. www.hhelectronics.com

Optimal Audio expands ecosystem with Cuboid additions UK COMMERCIAL audio manufacturer Optimal Audio has introduced its latest loudspeakers, the Cuboid 6 and 6TX. Following in the footsteps of the Cuboid 3, 3TX, 5 and 5TX models, the Cuboid 6 and 6TX come with a high-grade 60W transformer for improved 70V/100V line operation. With a 60W (AES) and 240W (peak) rating, the models deliver an audio output of 107dB (continuous) and 113dB (peak). With an IP54 rating and frequency response range of 90Hz–20kHz, the Cuboid 6 and 6TX are suitable for outdoor spaces where there is often a greater requirement for enhanced low end.

The Cuboid 6 and 6TX are full-range, twoway, passive 6.5-inch loudspeakers designed for distributed applications with high-quality background music and speech reproduction.

They can be fixed in either portrait or landscape orientation, and a weatherproof terminal cover is available for outdoor use. The units feature a 1-inch silk dome high-frequency driver mated to a shallow waveguide for consistent HF distribution. For enhanced bass performance, the speakers can be teamed with the Sub 10, while a SmartAmp or powered Zone will provide amplification, optimal sound settings as well as limiters to protect the drivers when playing at louder sound levels. When coupled with

Zone and WebApp, system setup and end user control is described as straightforward, and can be further supplemented by ZonePad wall controllers. www.optimal-audio.co.uk

Cuboid 6

Power in a small package PACKING THREE high-technology drivers into a compact trapezoid enclosure, the THS high-output loudspeaker from Martin Audio is the latest addition to the company’s TH series of standalone loudspeakers. Capable of 135dB peak, Martin says its three-way triaxial configuration delivers superior mid- and high-frequency performance. To ensure the most effective use of amplifier count, the THS is designed to be bi-amplified, with an internal passive network performing the mid/high crossover function.

LF driver into an 85° x 50° horn. The horn itself is user-rotatable, with a large mouth to maintain pattern control down through the midrange.

With multiple threaded inserts, the enclosure facilitates a variety of mounting options, including eyebolt, yoke, pole and truss mounting. Martin has designed the THS for medium-scale DJ club applications and installations that call for high sound levels from a compact, standalone system.

The THS LF section comprises a reflex-loaded 15-inch LF driver with a 4-inch coil, waterproof cone and neodymium magnet structure. A 4-inch midrange ring radiator and a 2.5-inch HF ring radiator – both with high temperature polymer diaphragms – are arranged coaxially at the rear of the LF driver and integrated into a 1.4-inch exit. This transitions through the magnet structure of the

www.martin-audio.com

Next-gen stage monitoring LD SYSTEMS has unveiled its MON G3 Series, the manufacturer’s third generation of active stage monitors which has been completely redesigned, both technically and visually, and is said to offer a mix of robustness, versatility and full-range sound quality. With their coaxial speaker design, integrated DSP functions and versatile connection options, the MON G3 units can be integrated flexibly into different stage setups – either as a classic monitor at the edge of the stage, a specific monitoring solution for DJs,

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entertainers and speakers, or a PA speaker on a stand. The MON G3 Series includes four models in 8-, 10-, 12- and 15-inch sizes.

The models are based on a newly developed combination of woofer and titanium tweeter in a compact coaxial design, which provide a consistent sound even away from the ideal listening axis as well as from a short distance – for example, as stereo monitor speakers on a DJ desk. In addition, the integrated CD horn, with its optimised dispersion pattern of 50° x 90° (HxV), reportedly ensures a clean and separated sound

image as soon as several monitors with different monitor mixes are used onstage.

The active MON G3 Series is driven by a Class-D power amplifier with 300W RMS and up to 1,200W peak power. Thanks to the integrated heat sink, the models operate without a fan and are also suitable for noisesensitive use at lectures, panel discussions or unplugged gigs.

The new second-generation DynX DSP offers users a wide range of customisation options. The sound of the stage monitor can

be precisely adjusted to different monitor setups and stage requirements via a threeband EQ, four EQ presets, a notch filter and a delay function. On the connection side, there are PowerCon-compatible mains sockets (in/out), two line inputs with XLR jack combo socket and two XLR Thru outputs for the loop connection of additional monitors.

All connections, controls and carrying handles are located on the sides of the enclosure to help access onstage and protect against knocks and accidental adjustments due to the recessed arrangement. The units come with a robst polyurea coating, a sturdy speaker grille and a 36mm flange on the side for vertical use as a PA speaker on a speaker stand. For the latter, all MON G3 models offer a standalone full-range mode as a selectable DSP preset. www.ld-systems.com

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Wharfedale adds power to its curves RCF updates SUB 7 Series

INCORPORATING THE same hardware features of its passive brother, Wharfedale has added to its active WLA-1 system. Featuring EVO-Fold waveguides, Beyma 12- and 15-inch drivers and a Hybrid

WLA-121SUBA

Curvature Array configuration, the WLA-1A Active combines internal amplification with internal DSP with FIR filters. Providing 100° x 20° coverage, the software-controllable WLA-112A and WLA-115A arrays are housed in 15mm Baltic birch plywood with integral side plate rigging. A 21-inch WLA-121SUBA subwoofer with a 4-inch Quattro voice coil can be added to extend the lower frequencies to 25Hz (±3dB).

A DSP Controller v1.1.8 update has been provided as a management system for the brand’s DP-F and DP-N amplification platform. In addition to a Q-SYS control plugin, updated user permissions menus now offer three access levels for enhanced control and security. www.wharfedalepro.com

Ferrite and coaxial drivers finds their Audience

CLAIMING NEODYMIUM performance at end Satori line which currently consists of a range a ferrite price point, the NERO-18SW1900D of midwoofer, midrange and tweeter transducers.

18-inch subwoofer from SB Audience As coaxial transducers are closer to a true introduces a high-powered 18-inch point source compared to separate double ferrite magnet motor woofer/tweeter transducer subwoofer. Designed for combinations, SB Audience environments where the says it delivers advantages subwoofer is located in to physical time alignment, stationary locations like enabling the sound source commercial cinemas, to stay time-coherent at any clubs or sports arenas, listening angle. The driver is the NERO-18SW1900D suited to midrange/tweeter features a low-distortion reproduction in a larger multidouble magnet motor, 4.5-inch way speaker system, or as a interleaved sandwich voice midwoofer/tweeter for a smaller coil technology and double spider monitor-style speaker. Features NERO-18SW1900D high-stability suspension. include a vented cast aluminium The sub also includes a chassis, proprietary cone shorting ring in the motor material with Egyptian system which SB Audience papyrus fibres, a neodymium say reduces distortion. motor system with extended The company has also added copper sleeve and a 26mm soft to its family of high-end Satori dome tweeter with neodymium motor, drivers with the 7.5-inch Satori copper cap and CCAW voice coil.

MT19CP-8 coaxial driver. It is the www.sbaudience.com first coaxial driver in the company’s high-

Ice, ice baby

AUDIO-TECHNICA HAS unveiled a limited-edition “Ice Blue” colour version of its ATH-M50x. The ATH-M50xIB model is the result of a global crowd-sourcing campaign, where end users voted on their favourite colour of the next ATH-M50x model. From the 45mm large-aperture drivers to its sound-isolating earcups, the ATH-M50xIB can be used in critical audio applications, including recording, live sound, broadcast, DJ and personal listening.

The wireless ATH-M50xBT2IB delivers the same listening experience as its wired counterpart. Multipoint pairing lets users connect wirelessly to two Bluetooth devices at once, and a low-latency mode improves synchronicity between audio and video for

smooth streaming and gaming. Battery life is approximately 50 hours of continuous use on a full charge and up to 3 hours of use on a 10-minute rapid charge via USB-C connection. A USB charging cable and a carrying pouch are also included.

THE SUB 7 Series mk3 are the latest additions to RCF’s collection of highperformance subwoofers. Available in three sizes, with 10-, 12- and 15-inch cones, the SUB 7 Series are described as the ideal complement to RCF portable active speakers.

The SUB 702-AS mk3 is a portable 12-inch high-power active subwoofer for live sound applications. It features a state-of-the-art transducer with a high-power ceramic magnetic circuit and a powerful Class-D amplifier that delivers sound pressure levels up to 129dB with “exceptional headroom”. It has been designed as the ideal complement for 8- or 10-inch loudspeakers. Rear panel controls include volume, EQ, polarity and crossover frequency selection. The rugged all-wood cabinet with scratch-resistant polyurea coating are said to make it durable, easy to carry and install securely. The SUB 702-AS MK3 is most suited for small to mid-sized venues and portable applications.

The SUB 705-AS mk3 is a 15-inch subwoofer that delivers SPLs up to 131dB and can be paired with 10- or 12-inch loudspeakers, while the SUB 708-AS mk3 is an 18-inch version with SPLs up to 133dB and complements 8- and 10-inch speakers. www.rcf.it

Pan Acoustics launches its most powerful PoE speaker with beam steering PAN ACOUSTICS has released what it describes as a new technology for the energy-efficient supply of AV components in an Ethernet network. Power Core has been created to generate the maximum audio experience from any IT network.

Modern Ethernet networks with Power over Ethernet (PoE) are available in different power classes and can deliver constant power from 15.4W to 90W over a Category cable, depending on the version. Power Core manages the available power depending on the selected PoE class and allocates it to the loads in an energy-optimised manner.

It also serves as an energy buffer for maximum available peak power from the PoE network.

Active Pan Beam speakers with Dante audio network – launched in 2018 – have now been re-engineered and are available with integrated Power Core technology.

Pan Beam works on power classes of PoE+ and PoE++ (30W, 60W and 90W). A selection of the power class is possible via the free Pan Beam configuration software. Overloading the network with too much power is avoided. An additional status LED on the back of the speaker signals the correct PoE supply. Due to the power-optimised Power Core technology, a Pan Beam loudspeaker connected to PoE++ is no longer distinguishable from a fully fledged, mains-powered 230V version in terms of perceived volume. Power Core technology is available in PB 04-D | PoE++ models as well as PB 08-D | PoE++, with further models to come in the future. www.pan-acoustics.de

Pan Beam speakers

www.audio-technica.com

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The gold standard For years it’s been called the gold standard. Winning an Emmy award has made it official, recognising the central role our Tessera SX40 has played in the in-camera visual effects revolution.

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PRODUCTS

Connecting to the network GERMAN CABLE manufacturer KLOTZ AIS has released the H3R88 series of hybrid cables which combine mains and data lines in just one cable. Remote equipment can be optimally integrated and interference due to different earth potentials is avoided.

According to the manufacturer, this is particularly advantageous over longer distances. The HC72P15 hybrid cable enables a variety of applications as a connection for modern, computer-controlled devices. Two flexible Cat7 lines connect

components of digital audio networks such as Dante, CobraNet and EtherSound or transmit DMX control signals based on the ArtNet, MA-Net or Pathport protocols. The cable also serves as a solution in the IT sector when a network connection plus power line is required. Thanks to the double shielding (Al foil + dense copper braiding) of the Cat7 cables, the interference-free transmission of high data rates over long distances is possible without any problems, even in electromagnetically influenced environments.

The KSH series connects guitars, basses or other electric instruments with bodypacks from Shure, Sennheiser and other manufacturers. The robust TQG (mini XLR 4p) plug reportedly ensures a secure connection to the bodypack transmitter and is optionally available with a screw cap (KSH-305 and KSH-307). On the instrument side, users can choose between straight and angled jack plugs with metal housing and gold-plated contacts. In addition, all KSH versions are also available with the Neutrik SilentPlug jack plug for a noise-free instrument change.

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TQG (mini XLR 4p) plug KLOTZ is also supplementing its range of speaker cables with Neutrik’s FXX series speakON connectors. The FXX series replaces its FC and FX series predecessors and come with a twist-lock system featuring solid contacts with screw terminals, including strand protection. The ergonomic design with non-slip two-component housing and the locking socket with improved strain relief for a cable diameter of 6–16mm are said to make the connectors suitable for a wide range of professional speaker cables. The bend protection has been significantly improved by the new socket and the assembly has been simplified, as the strain relief mechanically locks with the insert and aligns with the housing. The FXX speakON connectors are certified according to IEC 61984, UL 1977 and CSA C22.2 No. 182.3.

Wisycom brings the coverage

SINCE CPR legislation came into force, Tasker has increased its range of mediumrisk class (Cca) cables to follow constant market demands. The manufacturer has unveiled four additions that are all compliant with the world’s most advanced homologations and suitable for indoor and outdoor installations.

In the speaker cable category, Tasker has released a new family of products, which includes the TSK503 CPR Cca 4x2.5mm² and the TSK404 CPR Cca 2x4mm². These cables follow in the footsteps of three conductor speaker cables: the TSK401, TSK402 and TSK403 CPR Cca with 2x1mm2, 2x1.5mm2 and 2x2.5mm² sections respectively.

The manufacturer has also released new microphone and DMX cables, all with a 2x0.35mm² section. The TSK1050 CPR Cca is a foil shielded microphone cable and the TSK1038 CPR Cca is a shielded braided DMX.

WISYCOM HAS unveiled its RPU500-F fullduplex mobile transceiver. Designed for sports, live events and outside broadcast commentator coverage, it comes with a 1W multiband transmitter (where applicable) with a newly designed integrated intercom/IFB receiver. The RPU500-F features an ergonomic and compact form (73.1mm x 64.5mm x 21.6mm) that makes it suitable for live applications requiring a lot of movement. With a battery pack that lasts more than five hours with continuous high-power transmission, the RPU500-F has also been designed for applications where long coverage periods might be required. Additionally, the transceiver’s transflective LCD colour display means that it is legible in all lighting scenarios – including direct sunlight – which is ideal for sports and other outdoor events.

The transmitter operates in the 174–960MHz spectrum, while the receiver works in the 440– 700MHz range and can operate in three modes, which are selectable on the device menu. This includes ultra-narrowband (channel bandwidth 12.5k), narrowband (50k) and narrowband enhanced (110k). The bandwidth provided by the enhanced mode makes it possible to include up to three embedded audio sources on the same device. The device also features four programmable push-to-talk buttons for remote audio routing on AUX or through Ethernet with Ember+ and has been designed to work with the Wisycom Symphony Series receivers and MTK Series transmitters.

Bringing additional support to some of Wisycom’s latest products, the company has introduced updates to its Wisycom App, including the ability to remotely change a channel or transmitter name, as well as monitor RF levels, battery life and audio levels. Available for both iOS and Android devices, the updated app includes LTC timecode validity and remote formatting of Micro-SD cards for the MTP61 and MTP60 bodypack transmitters. The updates also support Wisycom’s BFLT1 transmitter and BFLR1 receiver, along with full control, monitoring and firmware updating capabilities for these devices.

The Wisycom App allows users to monitor, control and manage Wisycom devices through a Bluetooth 5 long-range connection. Features include the ability to change frequency, audio levels, channel/group and TX/RX bandwidth, as well as activate RF power and enable recording.

www.tasker.it

www.wisycom.com

H3R88RU

www.klotz-ais.com

Bright Sommer forecast for Proflex IDEALLY SUITED for live entertainment, industrial and studio applications, Sommer Cable has upgraded the SC-Mercator Cat.6a Proflex network patch cable (580-1331). Marrying flexibility with ruggedness, the dual jacket 8.7mm outer diameter features a soft PVC jacket. The outer jacket is extruded by applying a tube to keep the wire pairs in a tight position, and the inner jacket provides added

protection against abrasion, pressure or kinks. Constructed from S/FTP, the high cross-section of the AWG24/7 can be routed over longer distances.

Finished in matt, a PUR version of the Proflex variant is recommended for applications under high pressure, strong tensile forces and temperatures below freezing point. An

Tasker adds to range of Cca cables

RJ45C6XL plug or Neutrik NE8MX6 can be mounted onto the cable without tools. Most current standards are supported, including 10GBaseT and 1GBaseT Ethernet, Dante, AVB, ACE, GigaACE, Art-Net, MA-Net and HDBaseT. www.sommercable.com

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PRODUCTS

API unveils 1608-II Special Edition IN CELEBRATION of its 15th anniversary, API has released a commemorative edition of the 1608 console. The 1608-II Special Edition console features the vintage style cream colour worn by numerous iconic API consoles, and is accented with blonde maple side panels, bolster and meter bridge trim. Each console is also loaded with matching API 550A and 560 EQ modules and is equipped with API’s Final Touch Automation.

“We’re making a limited number of the Special Edition consoles with both a nod to the past, and a view to the future,” said API president Larry Droppa. “With hundreds of 1608s installed in

facilities around the world, this is a fun way to celebrate how much impact the 1608 continues to have on the industry, and also how API is honoured to play such a major role in audio for the past 55 years.”

“Special Edition consoles began shipping in September and we’re slotting them into production wherever we have room,” added Richard Josephs, API’s production director. “It’s a beautiful console and a pleasure to build. We expect to have them all delivered by the end of this year.” www.apiaudio.com

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Studer reveals Vista BRAVO VISTA BRAVO from Studer is a Vista mixing console for BRAVO Studio that “delivers all the flexibility content creators need to enhance live entertainment, gaming and sport productions”. The launch is said to add a new dimension to the platform by providing virtual access to a full mixing console featuring all of Studer’s enhanced audio capabilities.

With Vista BRAVO, users reportedly have all the flexibility they need to enhance live music, entertainment, gaming and sports productions, whether working on-premises or through the cloud.

Studer has also expanded Vista control using the Evertz VUE Intelligent User Interface.

Offering over 2,000 bidirectional controls, the combination of Vista and VUE has reportedly created the ideal tool for multiple small production suites and remote productions.

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With the introduction of Vista BRAVO, together with VUE, Evertz is bringing Studer’s audio capabilities into the BRAVO Production suite eco system with MAGNUM-OS at its heart.

The Video PFL (Pre-Fade-Listen) feature has been added to the Studer Vista console range to maximise Evertz’s MAGNUM-OS orchestration, monitoring and analysis software. With Video PFL, audio operators can select an input to pre-fade while listening to the audio and seeing the accompanying video for that channel on the multiviewer in the audio control room. By allowing the video to follow the audio, Evertz gives engineers a visual representation of the audio on the PFL, ensuring that the right source is always selected. www.evertz.com

VSM

Lawo adds onto VSM LAWO HAS expanded its VSM IP broadcast control system with vsmShare, an add-on for vsmStudio that allows sharing sources and targets – whether physical or virtual – among separate vsmStudio clusters; a HOME API interface for integration with the HOME management platform, providing access to routing and parameter control for HOME Apps as well as HOME-native and NMOS devices discovered and registered in HOME; and a range of general product enhancements, including an Undo/Redo function for the Panel Editor and an online Help feature embedded in vsmStudio.

The German manufacturer has also announced a collaboration with intoPIX, a provider of compression technology, so that .edge users can now benefit from the intoPIX TICO-XS codec to encode and decode JPEG XS-compressed streams. Support for the lossless JPEG XS compression technology in HD, 3G and UHD video format resolutions will allow users of Lawo’s .edge hyper-density SDI/IP conversion and routing platform to

encode, process and decode compressed SMPTE ST2110-22 IP streams.

JPEG XS support for .edge is a licensable option that relies on Lawo’s edge-computing and software-licensable infrastructure strategy. The ability to encode and decode JPEG XS right at the IP network’s edge means that uncompressed streams no longer need to travel to a processor somewhere on the SMPTE ST 2110-based IP network, and onto their destination, therefore saving bandwidth. JPEG XS delivers broadcast-grade compression ratios of up to 30:1. This makes it suitable for WAN-based IP networks where bandwidth is typically limited, while the number of camera feeds and video streams keeps rising. JPEG XS (ISO/IEC 21122) provides visually lossless quality with submillisecond (<1 video frame) delay and is designed for latency-critical applications, such as live remote event productions over widearea networks. www.lawo.com

AEQ incorporates planning tool into Olympia 3 DEVELOPED FOR sporting events with hundreds of commentator positions in dozens of venues, AEQ has expanded the functionality of its Olympia 3, the third iteration of the manufacturer’s digital commentary system with IP transmission and intercommunication. The system has been designed to democratise the use of commentary units in basic environments such as mobile units, Off Tube sets and simultaneous translation systems. No dedicated hardware is required as a source and origin of signals: any AES67 or Dante equipment interfaces with Olympia 3. It can also be used as an intercom user terminal: one of its channels can work as a user panel of intercom systems, both in the setup phase and live, if there is a coordinator in the commentator position.

With the Olympia 3 planner, the configuration of the whole system is generated, avoiding errors and, above all, the configuration time of each of the teams, including the Cus or Olympia 3 commentator units. The planning tool is able to work

simultaneously with venues with previousgeneration Olympia positions, with digital point-to-point connectivity and with other venues with current Olympia 3 with AoIP Dante/AES67 connectivity.

At the same time, in order to make connection to the AoIP standards of the different users more flexible, additional cards have been developed for the X_CORE routers used at major events. Dante AoIP cards controllable with Dante Controller and Dante Domain Manager, and AoIP Ravenna cards, compatible with SMPTE ST 2110-30/31 with the NMOS control protocol, have also been added. www.aeqbroadcast.com

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Neutrik extends CONTRIK SurgeX maximises rack space Active power distribution range with Vertical Series+ THE NEUTRIK Group has added a range of volumes and effort. Onboard power metering products to its CONTRIK brand of portable and cPot grounding are featured, while separate power distribution systems, especially protection with RCBO circuit breakers on each designed for deployment in harsh all-weather OUT channel protects against overload, shortapplication environments. The range of Xtreme circuit and electric shock.

Outdoor (XO)/Active designated products Power Rack Xtreme is more suited to includes Power Container, Power Rack and integration in outboard electronics and Power Turtle systems and is intended for amplifier racks. Circuit protection is provided mobile entertainment production applications, by individual miniature circuit including videowalls, stage lighting and breakers (MCBs) on each OUT. audio installations. The XO Variants provide designation denotes the alternative Shuko extensive environmental and powerCON protection features, TRUE1 OUT additional to CONTRIK’s configurations. usual certification standards, Power Turtle providing high levels of Xtreme is an mechanical (IK) and ultra-compact, environmental (IP) lightweight, protection. These ultra rugged include enhanced solution for protective housings rapid, mobile and self-closing caps and applications, including the protection up to the IP65 quick extension of larger level against particulate and CONTRIK Active Power Turtle power networks. Despite liquid ingression, with CEE/ its reduced form factor, a cPot in mated condition. The Active label refers CEE32A connector facilitates high-capacity to the products featuring active components power input and daisy chaining. Separate like circuit breakers.

MCBs provide protection on each of the six Power Container Xtreme is said to provide powerCON TRUE1 OUTs. The units are fully a rugged, reliable and powerful distribution lockable and stackable with various versatile solution, most suited to applications such as mounting options. videowalls. The housing concept is well-adapted In brief, the FIBERFOX EBC25 and EBC25 to handling and transportation with integrated X-TREME series of two- and four-channel handles and connector protection and the ability HMA expanded beam multimode fibre-optic to stack multiple units. Along with NEUTRIK connectors have also been released. powerCON TRUE1 OUTs, Harting E16 multi-pin www.neutrikgroup.com OUTs are said to drastically reduce cabling

Bosch launches streamlined Praesensa controller option

BOSCH HAS launched the latest addition to the Praesensa public address and voice alarm system to optimise Praesensa system components to meet specific project needs in the hope of improving operational efficiency and reducing overall system cost. The PRA-SCS Small System Controller is suitable for midsized applications and is said to offer systems integrators more options for designing a tailored, value-oriented Praesensa solution across a wide range of sectors, such as hospitality, education, retail and commercial buildings.

The system oversees all system-related functions within an IP-based Praesensa system, including the routing of all audio connections between network-connected Praesensa audio sources and destinations. It handles calls and emergency alerts, collects device status information and generates fault reports. Furthermore, it also plays back messages and tones stored on its flash memory and manages background music streams, business calls and emergency calls based on

priority level and zone occupancy. Equipped with an internal real-time clock, the controller can schedule events and features event time stamping, with support for Network Time Protocol (NTP) and automatic adjustment for Daylight Saving Time (DST).

Like its larger counterpart, the PRA-SCL, the PRASCS Small System Controller delivers multichannel audio and reportedly provides an easy-to-use, browser-based control interface. DC‑powered from a multifunction power supply with an integrated battery backup, the controller fits both centralised and decentralised system topologies. System communication is based on OMNEO IP architecture over an encrypted IP network. Connections to other system devices are established via the built‑in five‑port switch, which supports the Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) for redundant network configurations and has an open interface for third-party applications. www.boschsecurity.com

DEVELOPED AS a smart power distribution unit (PDU), the Vertical Series+ comprises cloud-connected power quality analytics, fleet management and risk prevention capabilities of the SurgeX Connect series. Promoting space-efficient power distribution and comprehensive power management, the Vertical Series+ smart PDU offers ease of installation with or alongside rackmounted equipment. Suitable for connected environments, the unit comes in eight, 16 and 24 receptacle configurations, for powering all devices within any rack configuration.

Fully IP-controllable with SurgeX CONNECT, the cloud-based Vertical Series+ solution enables monitoring and power health management for fleets of compatible SurgeX devices. From a centralised dashboard, operators can control, configure, monitor and deploy connected devices with software connected by Wi-Fi. The Vertical Series+ offers analytical software, sequencing and monitoring capabilities, including remote power down and reboot, sequencing, power cycling, advanced scheduling and AutoPing. www.surgex.com

Clear-Com updates Arcadia Central Station WITH THE introduction of I.V. Direct IP interfacing connectivity, Clear-Com has updated its Arcadia Central Station platform. The I.V. Direct IP interfacing feature connects Arcadia with the LQ Series of IP interfaces, Eclipse HX Digital Matrix System (via an E-IPA card) and other Arcadia systems over LAN, WAN or internet. Capable of supporting distributed

two-wire, four-wire and GPIO ports. Clear-Com’s Agent-IC and Station-IC virtual clients, twoway radios and SIP telephony are supported, bypassing the requirement for multiple audio and control cables.

Capable of supporting up to 16 I.V. Direct connections, Arcadia’s interfacing can be extended beyond local Dante-based networks

workflows, the update also provides an increase in capacity for 285 input/output connections on a single system to FreeSpeak beltpacks, transceivers and HelixNet endpoints.

The I.V. Direct connections allow intercom audio, logic controls and call signals to be passed between separately managed Clear-Com systems and assigned to channels, groups and keys in the individual systems. Interfacing with LQ expands current analogue connections using

to large, multi-site live events and remote broadcasting applications, where multiple systems require audio communications over large distances. With the latest update, Arcadia Central Station can now support up to 32 IP transceivers, 64 wireless FreeSpeak beltpacks and 128 HelixNet endpoints, while 192 digital beltpacks can be connected from the 1U unit. www.clearcom.com

84 PRO AVL ASIA November–December 2023

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PRODUCTS

GatesAir shines a light on global radio transmission

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GATESAIR HAS introduced a 3.5kW model to bridge the gap between its low- and mediumpower Flexiva GX solutions. Introduced in 5kW and 10kW versions, the manufacturer added 50W and 1kW models earlier in the year that bring the benefits of Flexiva GX transmitters to low-power broadcasters. Flexiva GX provides radio customers with a “strong” power-to-size ratio for all five power levels by leveraging the latest LDMOS technology, packing power density into a compact chassis with reported overall efficiency ratings up to 76%. The power density, efficiency and footprint are made possible through the Flexiva GX’s design, enhanced by GatesAir’s third-generation PowerSmart high-efficiency transmitter architecture. Flexiva GX transmitters also support N+1 configurations, enabling large national network operators to build flexible and consolidated transmission sites that meet stringent uptime requirements.

The manufacturer has also updated its Maxiva MultiD Series of multichannel DAB/ DAB+ radio transmitters. The latest MultiD system design serves four independent DAB/ DAB+ channels within a single 1U chassis, instead of requiring a separate transmitter for each channel plus an external combiner and auxiliary hardware. The update also increases flexibility for broadcasters by making it possible to broadcast four independent DAB radio services across different channel frequencies.

Power output per channel can also now be built

Flexiva GX 3.5kW to each customer’s specifications, allowing broadcasters to establish unique power levels for each service.

Finally, GatesAir has added a 1U Intraplex IP Link hardware codec. The Intraplex IP Link 100n is a full-duplex, single stereo-channel codec for simultaneous reception and transmission of audio-over-IP streams in STL (Studio-toTransmitter), STS (Studio-to-Studio) and other networking applications for radio and streaming services. Like the IP Link 100c and 100e, the IP Link 100n offers a modernised platform that allows GatesAir to integrate more features under the hood, including 10-bit audio processing for improved programme audio quality, Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) and cloud-based monitoring of live streams. It is compatible with

all existing IP Link codecs – including the IP Link MPXp codec for FM-MPX composite signal transport – and Intraplex Ascent, GatesAir’s bulk cloud-transport platform for enterprise applications.

MicroMPX is a third-party software library developed by Thimeo that helps FM broadcasters transport a full FM composite MPX signal at 320kb/s. When used within the IP Link 100c, 100e or 100n, customers will reportedly reduce bandwidth consumption by up to five times.

This makes the combined solution suitable for reliable MPX transport over public internet connections and low-bandwidth distribution networks. www.gatesair.com

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Sennheiser completes EW-DP family with new plug-on transmitter COMPLETING THE EW-DP series for videographers, broadcasters and filmmakers, Sennheiser has released the EW-DP SKP plug-on transmitter. The device features an onboard 32-bit float recording, which – in combination with the series’ 134dB dynamic range – is said to ensure distorted audio is a thing of the past. Everything can be handled by the SKP without the videographer having to reset levels, meaning recording will become faster and easier.

The recording function of the EW-DP SKP plug-on transmitter is described as a safety net for the user, with a safety copy of their audio being stored on a micro SD card. The SKP additionally offers 24-bit/48kHz recording so that videographers can also opt for this less memory-intensive recording format. Sennheiser describes the SKP as the most versatile member of Evolution Wireless Digital family, as it can be connected to dynamic and condenser XLR microphones (+48V phantom power on board) as well as to lavalier mics with a 3.5mm jack connector. Its low-cut filter can be switched off, so the SKP can also serve as an adjustment tool for PA systems. The system comes complete with a magnetic mounting plate kit, a BA 70 rechargeable battery, two standard AA batteries, a locking 3.5mm TRS to 3.5mm TRS cable, a locking 3.5mm TRS to XLR cable and a USB-C charging cable for the receiver.

In addition to the plug-on transmitter, the German company has previewed the new MKH 8030 RF condenser microphone with a figure-of-eight pickup pattern. The MKH 8030

The EW-DP system

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will not only unlock M-S, double M-S and Blumlein stereo recording options, but will also be a choice wherever the highest attenuation of neighbouring sound sources is required – be it a PA system whose sound needs to be eliminated or an adjacent instrument that must not be picked up.

The sound signature of the MKH 8030 has been engineered to blend in harmoniously with existing MKH 8000 series microphones.

The MKH 8030 joins the MKH 8020 (omni-directional), MKH 8090 (wide cardioid),

Compact performance STAGE TEC has released the NEXUS compact, a mobile I/O box which comes equipped with eight high-end 32-bit TrueMatch converters with four digital splits each, to provide “topnotch performance” for all multi-format daily recording tasks. Within the NEXUS eco-system, in addition to the TrueMatch microphone converters, the NEXUS compact comes with a built-in DSP-powered mixer, integrates eight analogue line outputs, AES3, Dante, AES67 I/O and GPIOs, and is described as a small yet powerful solution for all conversion and format needs.

The manufacturer has also released a V1.20 update for its Avatus console, providing a new OS, enhanced speed and responsiveness and additions such as DAW-Control via HUI/Mackie protocol, RDP-Client on the interface to control

external devices and a web browser to access essential pages for AES67 streams and internet browsing. The release also includes several GUI improvements, such as channel colour coding and real-time channel “fuzzy” search throughout all menus, load library presets through ember+ and I/O black-&whitelists.

In brief, Stage Tec has released Stagenet 1.0.

Stagenet provides advanced IP control and surveillance, including dynamic multicast address management of all connected devices. This is merged with conventional control capabilities, such as managing matrix crosspoints and adjusting microphone or video inputs, reportedly allowing a smooth transition from traditional systems to audio- and video-over-IP. www.stagetec.com

MKH 8040 (cardioid), MKH 8050 (super-cardioid), MKH 8060 (short shotgun, super-cardioid/ lobar) and MKH 8070 (long shotgun, lobar) RF condenser microphones.

Staying with the MKH 8000 family, there is now a new filter module for the MKH 8000 RF condenser microphone series. For broadcasting and filming, the MZF 8000 II effectively blocks low-frequency wind and handling noise for better recordings and ensures the input stage of connected recorders does not get overdriven.

The filter module has been redesigned

incorporating user feedback and replaces the existing model.

Lastly, Sennheiser’s AMBEO 2-Channel Spatial Audio live renderer will be made available as a plugin for Merging Technologies’ Anubis audio interface. The plugin transforms, in real time, standard multichannel surround and immersive formats into two channels of audio that can be delivered anywhere stereo is delivered today. Patented controls, adapted for use in a broadcast environment, allow for fine-tuning of spatialisation settings to maintain mix integrity and improve dialogue intelligibility over stereo mixdowns. www.sennheiser.com

Glensound enhances interpreter and commentary units EXTENDING THE appeal for creating bespoke solutions in various live events sectors, Glensound has added networked audio to the Charles Interpreter Box. Designed to cater for the needs of a single translator, the unit provides significant redundancy for power and Ethernet. Dual PoE connections plus a mains and DC input provide the security needed to keep the unit live, while rear panel RJ45 connectors are included for primary and secondary Dante connections. A floor input from the Dante network and alternative XLR sockets for the translator’s microphone are featured with network output for the microphone only, the floor plus microphone and two talk outputs completing the I/O. Single button selection of the talk outputs allows the user to switch as required for multiple languages.

As a major supplier of commentary units, Glensound can now take advantage of the networking connection functionality. With the inclusion of a Dante Brooklyn board upgrade, the CU-001 Dante is a threeuser unit with direct analogue outputs that mirror the Dante connections. Either direct or mixed outputs are provided,

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Charles Interpreter Box along with three talkback outputs. An advanced limiter circuit stops exuberant commentators from clipping their channels. Primary and secondary Dante ports ensure that the network connection is secure and power is backed up by the addition of a DC input on XLR in addition to the standard IEC connector.

The GTM unit has been specifically developed for the esports market.

Networked connections including Dante are part of the package. The GTM features a noise gate on the input to prevent audio from the arena bleeding into the comms mix. www.glensound.com

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02/11/2023 09:20

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PRODUCTS

Remastering an original FOCUSRITE HAS announced the launch of Scarlett 4th Gen featuring the Solo, 2i2, 4i4, Solo Studio and 2i2 Studio. Said to provide better specs than any previous generation of Scarlett, features include Auto Gain, Clip Safe and a re-engineered Air mode.

The Scarlett Solo has been designed for singer-songwriters. With one mic preamp, one Hi-Z instrument/line input and a new custom-designed headphone amp, the Solo

new features like Clip Safe, Auto Gain and the re-engineered Air mode.

The Scarlett Solo Studio and Scarlett 2i2 Studio packs are said to provide an all-in-one solution for high-quality recording, and include either a Solo or 2i2 interface, CM25 MkIII studio condenser mic and closed-back SH-450 headphones.

Scarlett 4th Gen uses converters from the manufacturer’s RedNet range to deliver

has a compact design and features the re-engineered Air mode with Presence and Harmonic Drive, said to breathe life into vocals and acoustic instruments.

For the aspiring artist, the Scarlett 2i2 offers two remote-controlled mic preamps and two Hi-Z instrument/line inputs for guitars, keys and groove boxes. The two-in/two-out interface “delivers professional studio quality in a portable package”. With new features like Clip Safe, Auto Gain and Air mode, the 2i2 is said to give artists the freedom to make release-ready recordings anywhere.

For the multi-instrumentalist, the Scarlett 4i4 provides two remote-controlled mic

a 120dB dynamic range. The 2i2 and 4i4 feature remote-controlled preamps with 69dB, while a custom-designed headphone amp reportedly drives high-impedance headphones louder and clearer than any previous Scarlett.

In addition, all models now have independent controls for headphones and monitors.

With Auto Gain, users can play or sing for 10s and Auto Gain will set the best level for recording. Clip Safe monitors levels up to 96,000 times per second and automatically adjusts the gain to prevent clipping, allowing users to fully immerse in performing and not have to worry about their levels. The

preamps, switchable line or Hi-Z instrument inputs, two fixed line inputs and four balanced outputs for the flexibility to record mics, guitars, synths and more. According to the manufacturer, MIDI I/O makes it easy to bring in synths and grooveboxes to sync with recording sessions. The 4i4 also includes

re-engineered Air mode takes a sound’s unique character and brings it to the front of the mix. Air mode also includes the original all-analogue Presence mode, plus a new DSPbased Harmonic Drive mode.

SSL goes back to its roots THE 4000 B Dynamics (B-DYN) 500 Series module is the latest recreation from Solid State Logic’s SL 4000B console. Featuring Compressor/Limiter and Gate/Expander sections and a dedicated De-Ess mode, the B-DYN module is modelled on the original circuit design found in the SL 4000 B channel strip, and is said to bring all the “tone, punch and warmth” from the SL 4000 B console’s dynamics section to the 500 series format. The dynamics section in the SL 4000 B console channel strip used the fader VCA as its gain element, rather than a dedicated VCA. This

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VCA “feedback” design has been inherited by the B-DYN module, offering “characterful and coloured” compression, with its own sonic signature – very different from the later E and 9000 Series. These similarities are also evident from B-DYN’s “Auto” release setting, which offers a program-dependent release time as found on the Bus Compressor.

Delivering full control of the System T production platform from a software application, Tempest Control App (TCA) offers virtualised control solutions for live-to-air broadcast audio. Delivering full control of all mix, routing, monitoring, setup and automation functions, including the entire suite of next-gen immersive production tools, the TCA is said to raise the level of production flexibility and operational adaptability for broadcasters. Incorporating the same graphical user interface (GUI) found across the System T range, the scalable control solution includes remote and newsroom production, backup scenarios and can be used anywhere a physical control surface is not required.

Enhancing the G-Series Bus Compressor with multiband processing and advanced feature set, the UK manufacturer has also developed the G3 MultiBusComp Plug-in, available in several formats including VST2, VST3, AAX and AU as part of the ever-growing SSL Complete subscription. The plugin enhances the original G-Series bus compressor with multiband technology, advanced processing and sidechain routing. Key features include multiband processing with classic SSL “glue” compression across three customisable frequency bands. In addition, a parameter link applies inverse changes between the input/ output gain or the threshold and makeup gains in each frequency band. Inspired by the SL 4000 Series console, the 4K drive per band is said to add warmth to a mix while retaining full dynamic control over the signal. Customised sidechain filters accentuate or diminish response to certain frequencies. www.solidstatelogic.com

The DSR era begins for Lectrosonics INTEGRATING VECTOR diversity, digital and hybrid compatibility, and AES 256-bit encryption, Lectrosonics has launched the DSR digital dual-channel slot receiver.

Primarily designed for ENG and portable location sound systems, the miniature receiver includes design elements from the DCR822. Making them operate well even in hostile RF environments, both receivers have a high IP3 figure of +15dBm. Directly compatible with digital transmitters in D2, HDM, Duet and DCHX modes, both receivers are backwards compatible with

accessories, docks, powering, audio output and mounting hardware available for the SR line. Features include full-time Vector Diversity with two RF front ends per channel and a built-in RF spectrum analyser for quick local RF scan in addition to SmartNR noise reduction for digital and hybrid compatibility modes. IR Sync can be used for quick setup, sharing tuning groups, managing encryption keys and a 5P front panel connector and colour display are also included. all Lectrosonics digital hybrid transmitters manufactured over the last two decades.

As the successor to the SR line, the compatible DSR draws on a catalogue of

www.lectrosonics.com

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Merging adds Atmos Bundle THE MERGING Technologies Atmos Bundle offers comprehensive monitoring and calibration facilities in a compact footprint across varied applications. The bundle includes a Hapi MkII interface with DA8 cards, Anubis Pro SPS and Sonarworks SoundID Reference for multichannel including microphone. SoundID Reference provides an automated measurement that identifies room issues and builds correction profiles for different workflows. The corrections are then exported to run inside Anubis for the lowest latency and consistency. For acousticians calibrating systems manually, the exported profiles are stored in the Anubis monitoring

engine which provides trims, delays and 336 EQs for all rooms.

With 128 inputs, Anubis manages sources, stems, speaker sets and cues in a variety of formats with full control. For monitoring Atmos binaural mixes or feeding a low-latency cue mix to a musician for tracking, two headphone outputs feed individual cue mixes. The Hapi MkII headphone output extends this same functionality.

Merging’s Hapi MkII can be added to provide additional I/Os, such as MADI, AES, analogue or digilink for connectivity to Avid HDX systems. www.merging.com

Genelec bridges the gap

9320A Reference Controller

GENELEC HAS developed its 9320A Reference Controller as a bridge to its new UNIO Audio Monitoring Service Platform. UNIO is said to bring together all the benefits of Genelec Smart Active Monitors, GLM 5.0 calibration software and Aural ID 2.0 technology to create “seamless integration” between professional in-room loudspeaker and headphone monitoring services.

With flexible connectivity, a reference-grade headphone output and tactile hardware control of Smart Active Monitors, GLM and Aural ID, the 9320A provides a hub for both static and mobile professional audio monitoring applications.

At the heart of the UNIO platform is the manufacturer’s range of Smart Active Monitors, which utilise auto-calibration and cloud computing to enable the production of accurate, reliable mixes that translate consistently to other rooms and systems. For professional headphone users, Genelec’s Aural ID technology provides a personal headphone listening experience with the natural sense of space and imaging provided by good in-room monitoring. By combining a calibrated Smart Active Monitoring system and professional headphones with Aural ID, users can enjoy mixes that translate reliably between monitors and headphones, integrate these technologies and services via a single intuitive mobile desktop device, and view the entire system via their MyGenelec account. As a bridge to UNIO, the 9320A offers management of multiple Smart Active Monitoring systems from stereo to immersive, and comes with a factory-calibrated reference microphone to allow automated system calibration and control of key GLM software features.

The 9320A can control up to three separate monitoring systems plus headphones, and each

system can operate at a calibrated listening level, according to EBU R128, ATSC A/85 or SMPTE RP200 standards. While the 9320A can support any active loudspeaker system – such as one or two ALT stereo sets – it provides oneclick access to a vast number of extra monitor control features built into Genelec’s Smart Active Monitoring family.

The reference-grade headphone output of the 9320A allows users to combine their choice of professional-quality headphones with the latest Aural ID 2.0 headphone plugin. Additionally, the 9320A allows integration with any DAW or audio interface. With its analogue, AES/EBU and USB connectivity, the 9320A can also connect directly to stereo monitoring systems (with and without a subwoofer), providing monitor control and doubling as a high-quality A/D and D/A converter for both monitors and headphones.

The introduction of UNIO and the 9320A also coincides with the latest GLM 5.0 loudspeaker manager software release, which provides support for both the 9320A and the 8381A launched earlier this year. GLM 5.0 enables UNIO to integrate a range of reference audio monitoring services, including intelligent room analysis, in-room system calibration, monitor control and fully personal audio monitoring.

In brief, the manufacturer has also created its MyGenelec customer portal, a free online resource providing customers with a single unified access point for all Genelec products, services and software downloads, and has been designed to develop into a comprehensive community and knowledge base for all Genelec users worldwide. www.genelec.com

Hapi and Anubis

Another yellobrik in the LYNX Technik wall SUITABLE FOR applications that require multichannel audio handling, LYNX Technik has expanded its yellobrik line-up with two AES and analogue audio embedders/ de-embedders. Supporting SDI formats up to 12G, the PDM 1484 B and PDM 1484 D are multi-purpose yellobriks supporting both embedding and de-embedding functions simultaneously. Featuring BNC audio connection, the PDM 1484 B supports unbalanced AES audio, while the PDM 1484 D with a D-sub audio connection supports balanced AES and analogue audio.

The modules allow access to four audio groups (16 channels), which can be selected and assigned by a rotatory switch on the unit or via the LynxCentraal or yelloGUI software.

By cascading or racking modules together, additional audio groups can be included in, or extracted from, the video stream.

optional fibre I/O provides additional connectivity possibilities, including CWDM options.

Local controls are available on the module for basic settings, although users can access more advanced settings, adjustments, configuration and monitoring features via the compatible yelloGUI and LynxCentraal software.

For larger and more integrated system solutions, LYNX Technik says the CQS 1462 can be rack-mounted in the RFR 1000-1 or RFR 1200 rack frames. Adding the RCT 1012 Rack Controller connected to a network allows the RCT 1012 to automatically discover connected yellobriks and display them in the LynxCentraal control software. Further integration is achieved by adding the SVR 1000 Server module, allowing an unlimited number of workstations access to the system for configuration and monitoring. The SVR 1000 module also facilitates integration with third-party SNMP automation systems. The

Compatible with the yelloGUI and LynxCentraal configuration, control and monitoring software, the rack-mountable PDM 1484 B/D yellobriks can access additional internal settings and functions when connected to the software.

When connecting the RCT 1012 Rack Controller to a network, the connected yellobriks are automatically discovered and displayed in the LynxCentraal control software.

With typical applications including the conversion between legacy quad 3G 4K transport systems into single link 12G-SDI signals, the CQS 1462 yellowbrik from LYNX Technik is a bidirectional single-link/quad-link converter. A direct replacement for the CQS 1441, it supports both square division (SQD) and two sample interleave (2SI) input pixel mapping, while an

CQS 1462 yellobrik supports five conversion modes: single 12G-SDI to quad 3G-SDI level A; single 6G-SDI to quad 1.5G-SDI; quad 3G-SDI level A to single 12G-SDI; quad 1.5G-SDI to single 6G-SDI; and Distribution Amplifier mode (1x4) 12G, 6G, 3G or 1.5G. Finally, the CHD 1412 yellobrik is a 4K HDMIto-12G-SDI converter with an integrated frame synchroniser that converts an HDMI 2.0 source signal (up to 4K) to an SDI signal up to 12G in real time. Designed as a throw-down module or system solution, the yellobrik converter complements the existing CHD 1821 HDMI-toSDI converter, which supports SDI resolutions up to 3G 1080p. www.lynx-technik.com

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Wohler upgrades baseband audio monitors eAMP1-8-M and eAMP1-16M units also feature a 7-inch touchscreen, plus additional features not available on the outgoing model.

These baseband-only SDI audio monitors offer additional software upgrade options for Dolby D and Dolby E decoding and a separate option adding presets, loudness

WOHLER TECHNOLOGIES has redesigned its DA and MDA line of audio monitors in both eight- and 16-channel configurations. For baseband monitoring (3G-SDI, AES3 and analogue) users, the units are designed at a lower price point. Designed for ease of operation, the 1U eAMP product line includes a 7-inch LCD touchscreen display offering access to input sources, meters and menus, all augmented by hardware controls. Three units are available in the form of the eight-channel eAMP1S8-MDA, 16-channel eAMP1-S16-MDA and eight-channel analogue and AES only eAMP1S8-DA. The base models integrate source selection with sum, mute and solo operations in addition to headphone, speaker and analogue XLR outputs. A software upgrade package is available that includes loudness monitoring, presets, web meters/monitoring/ configuration and customised output.

Primarily designed for use in OB vehicles and for use in live production, Wohler’s IP-ready iVAM-SUM-16 and iVAM-SUM-8 monitors are available with a choice of either eight or 16 meters and add video monitoring and an HDMI output to the feature set of the iAM-SUM Series which launched at NAB earlier this year.

Utilising 7-inch touchscreens, the iVAM-SUM’s display can be toggled between meters plus video, meters only or meters plus loudness. When video is being displayed, the screen also indicates HDR status, video resolution and virtual trim controls, and may be configured to monitor either mono channels, stereo pairs or a mix of both. As standard, the iVAM-SUMs include phase and loudness monitoring and up to 64 presets. Three option cards are available: an AoIP card with either Dante or Ravenna monitoring, an SFP option card

Wyrestorm moves into the cloud with Sygma

that provides two additional SFP cages or an option that provides eight channels of additional analogue inputs and outputs with a TOSLINK connector. Other rear panel options include SFPs for 2110 and/or 2022-6, MADI single-mode or multi-mode and SDI fibre. Software licensing options are also available for AES3, MADI and output routing.

Based on Wohler’s new e-platform and replacing the now obsolete AMP1-8-M and AMP1-16-M, the new and lower priced

monitoring and web metering/monitoring and configuration.

Last but not least, a rework of Wohler’s fourchannel analogue VMQ-4 has been released.

First going on sale in 1999, component obsolescence forced it into temporary retirement. The reworked model uses the same circuitry as the original but features updated switches. The device has even retained the original battleship grey colour. www.wohler.com

The multi keyboard stand experience from Gravity WITH THE Multi Keyboard Stand, Gravity has introduced an instrument and equipment stand with four levels for the placement of keyboards, synthesisers, workstations, groove boxes, effects units and mixers. Manufactured in aluminium, each of the Multi Keyboard Stands can be freely adjusted by large rotary controls for positioning instruments or equipment comfortably and securely in the desired place.

Adjustments in height and distance can be made between the two supports on which

the instrument or equipment is placed. In addition, the angle of inclination can also be set as desired. For precise adjustment, the black aluminium tubes can be provided with centimetre and millimetre measurements using the enclosed self-adhesive measuring tapes. A double anti-tilt protection (2.5mm or 4mm) ensures the units remain in a stable position and an integrated cable guide enables the safe routing of cables behind the instruments. www.gravitystands.com

Sygma Cloud Device Management

WYRESTORM HAS launched an advanced online platform giving users the ability to monitor their devices from anywhere in the world. Sygma Cloud Device Management features a comprehensive suite of features, providing seamless device control (with monitoring of the status, performance and health of devices in real time), firmware updates and access to online support, all in one centralised location.

In addition to Sygma, the manufacturer has also unveiled an addition to its camera line-up with the Focus 200 PRO Webcam.

It features an 8MP CMOS Sensor with 4K30 resolution, distortionless lens, enhanced PTZ capabilities, 120° field of view and is now equipped with gesture controls.

Additionally, it has been officially Zoom certified.

Lastly, Wyrestorm has developed a Q-SYS plugin exclusively for NetworkHD Series products. The plugin reportedly provides

seamless integration of serial, IR and CEC commands; audio and USB routing accompanied by TX and RX audio channel muting options; scene switching capabilities, specifically tailored for videowalls; and streamlined controls for screen power on/off, one-touch play and standby modes.

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TSL unveils advanced IP audio monitoring DESIGNED TO offer an easy transition to IP, particularly for ST 2110 trucks and installations, TSL has unveiled the MPA1MIX-NET-V-R monitoring solution. The PAM dashboard provides visual system health information including software/hardware version information, temperatures and fan speeds. Diagnostic information including PTP lock status, IP packet counters and multicast addresses, and port numbers of the essences currently being subscribed to, are also visualised.

The fully redundant 1U audio confidence monitor and mixer comprises 16 recallable

for integration with TSL control and third-party systems.

The user interface includes a “V”-shaped layout of the controls for navigating in low-light environments and SNMP integration allows remote configuration changes. Multiple audio sources can be monitored by using the eight dedicated rotary controls to quickly configure and create the required monitoring mix.

The manufacturer has also added redundancy highlights to its TallyMan product family. The update includes an automatic failover solution; a fully automatic synchronisation of user-config across the redundant pair of controllers; single

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MPA1-MIX-NET-V-R independent mixes. Engineered in accordance with key industry standards (SMPTE ST 2022-7) to ensure that optimised network topologies reduce network complexity without limiting operational agility, the MPA1-MIX-NET safeguards against system failures. Two 1G AoIP connections provide 64 channels of input, with a further 64 available via an optional MADI SFP. Support for in-band NMOS is included

virtual IP, making it easy and transparent for external IP systems to interact with the current active controller; support for parallel-wired serial and GPI input and output ports; and an easy-touse, four-button redundancy control panel, allowing monitoring and manual override of the redundancy system from a convenient operator location. www.tslproducts.com

Harvest time for Wheatstone FEATURING ASYMMETRICAL voice correction, optimised high-frequency EQ, targeted filtering and psychoacoustic algorithm technology, Wheatstone has developed the Audioarts Voice 1 processor.

In line with Wheatstone’s range of mic and audio processors, the halfrack Voice 1 utilises 24-bit A/D converters and Super Quiet mic preamps to deliver a low noise floor, an open dynamic range, accurate transients and a flat frequency response. Offering a warm, yet robust vocal presence, the Voice 1 supports a variety of microphones with high-input impedance, high available gain and 32dB of input headroom. Further equipped with routable I/O and logic control, the Voice 1 can connect to the WheatNet IP audio network.

Running on Amazon Web Services (AWS), Wheatstone’s Layers Stream software includes stream provisioning, audio processing and metadata support from the cloud or an on-premise server. Designed for a simple setup and navigation, Layers Stream comes with audio processing tools designed specifically for streaming with Lua

transformation filters converting metadata input from any automation system into any required output format for transmission to a CDN. As part of Wheatstone Layers Software Suite, Layers Stream also has software modules for running instances of FM/HD processing and mixing in a cloud data centre.

The Layers Software Suite incorporates a mix engine and Glass virtual mixers for laptop, tablet or touchscreen operation with routing, logic, automixing and full native IP audio integration.

Incorporating advanced audio processing algorithms in a half-rack unit, the Audioarts LiON FM audio processing has been designed to fully deliver across the frequency spectrum. The FM/HD audio processor uses advanced multi-band AGC and limiting/ clipping algorithms specifically developed for source content and listening devices.

Other features include stereo enhance, RDS generator and power controller for compliance with the ITU BS.412 stereo modulation standards. www.wheatstone.com

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RØDE debuts “compact and powerful” Wireless PRO DESIGNED FOR filmmakers and content creators, RØDE has unveiled what it calls its most powerful compact wireless system ever with the Wireless PRO, a dual-channel wireless microphone system that uses RØDE’s Series IV 2.4GHz digital transmission with 128-bit encryption to provide stable audio transmission at up to 260m line of sight.

The Wireless PRO offers 32-bit float onboard recording capabilities allowing for recording directly to the transmitters with no chance of the audio clipping, meaning that users will always have a clean backup of their session and eliminating the need to set gain levels prior to recording. 32GB of internal memory offers over 40 hours of onboard recording.

For users that want to record audio directly into their camera, the Wireless PRO includes RØDE’s GainAssist technology to automatically control levels on the fly. It also features output control with 30dB gain range available as well as pre-configured camera presets for quick

setup. For added peace of mind, the system offers a safety channel feature, which outputs a second channel of audio 10dB lower than the primary channel and clips the camera input.

Additionally, both transmitters feature locking lavalier connectors. Plugin power detect on

the receiver automatically powers the unit on and off in sync with a connected camera. The 3.5mm output on the receiver also functions as a headphone output for audio monitoring as well as an audio input for a headset or other TRRS “narrator” microphone, such as a lavalier.

The Wireless PRO comes with a complete pro accessory kit that includes a smart charge case, two Lavalier II microphones and MagClip GO magnetic clips. It also comes with three high-quality furry windshields, all necessary cables for connecting to cameras, phones and other devices, and a case for keeping these accessories safe. www.rode.com

Adamson updates Blueprint AV software THE COMPLETE range of Adamson Systems’ IS Series loudspeakers is now available for design and simulation with Blueprint AV v1.3.3.

The latest version also improves the Mac installer experience and fully supports macOS Ventura and Apple Silicon computers.

Blueprint AV has been the fundamental system design and simulation solution for Adamson’s product family since 2013. Blueprint AV functionality has been added to Adamson’s

recently released ArrayIntelligence software, which adds control and monitoring of the manufacturer’s CS-Series loudspeaker range and associated rack units, such as the Gateway and Bridge. Systems designers and installers can use either Blueprint AV or ArrayIntelligence to accurately and efficiently design their systems and streamline their deployment. www.adamsonsystems.com

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Expansion on the cards TASCAM HAS announced the development of an expansion card for the company’s Sonicview consoles that will provide full support for the SMPTE ST 2110 AV networking standard. The IF-ST2110 can access 64 audio input and output channels with full network redundancy in accordance with SMPTE ST 2022-07 and support for SMPTE ST 2110-30/31, NMOS, AES67 and SAP. With the global trend towards IP-based AV solutions, there is a growing need for products to be fully compatible with the different AV-over-IP protocols that are best suited to each specific application. While broadcasters are increasingly implementing SMPTE ST 2110 and AES67 AV networks, there are also situations where different IP protocols are used, so the ability to connect between multiple formats is a key advantage.

With an integrated Dante interface, Tascam Sonicview 16 and 24 mixing consoles already offer AV network connectivity out of the box which can now be extended by the new card.

The IF-ST2110 complements the existing range of expansion cards that include MADI, AES-EBU, analogue output, additional Dante capability and a 32-track audio recorder, serving the needs of live events, installed audio systems and broadcasters in studios and OB vans used for remote production.

A v1.4.1 firmware update aims to increase the functionality of its Sonicview 16XP/24XP digital recording and mixing consoles with a range of enhancements. The company says the update improves user operability of its Sonicview consoles, enabling any input/output port to be selected for insert send/return. In addition, in the MODULE (GEQ) screen of the MIX 1-22 module

Sonicview

and MAIN L/R master module, Graphic EQ can now be operated by a fader.

Furthermore, Sonicview Control app for macOS, Windows and iPad iOS has been updated to v1.4.0, adding remote control capability for the Sonicview 16/24 v1.4.1 features. The manufacturer has also released a v1.11 firmware update for the IF-MTR32 recording expansion board, which the company says addresses issues in certain situations when overdubbing and offers better stability.

PK Sound changes its .dynamics ROBOTIC LINE array manufacturer PK Sound has formally released v1.0 of its PK .dynamics robotic system control software for Windows and macOS. Combining each stage of the modern live sound workflow, .dynamics develops designs from conception to reality with the flexibility of real-time coverage adjustments.

The toolset provided in .dynamics v1.0 includes the Venue tab, where users create, simulate and prepare the virtual workspace; the System tab, where they discover, identify and match real-world sources with the simulation; Robotics, where the system’s multi-axis coverage is articulated and optimised; Tune, where users apply EQ and adjust system parameters through onboard DSP; Live, where users monitor system performance in real time; and Status, where they can manage diagnostics and log service notes directly in the loudspeaker modules if needed.

The V1.40 firmware update for the Model 12 Integrated Production Suite addresses a variety of functions that end users have been requesting and provides “greater flexibility and more intuitive operation”. The USB Return channels are now re-assignable. Users can choose either Inputs 1–2, 9–10 or MAIN bus. Users who want to use the channel or live/MTR inputs on 1 and 2 while using the USB returns, can now assign the USB returns to 9–10 or MAIN bus. www.tascam.eu

punQtum adds Q210 app RIEDEL BRAND punQtum has launched a free-to-download app, which works as an intercom system over any IP network.

It’s available to Android and iOS users with access to the brand’s Q210 PW speaker station and is intended to streamline workflow for users.

The easy-to-use station gives users full control through four-channel communication and programmable buttons that allow mics to be muted, paging announcements and logic outputs. Additionally, the station is

Built on an Electron backbone, PK .dynamics uses HTML5, Sass and TypeScript. The microservice-based architecture has been adopted for scalability, and has been developed

to drive PK Sound products operating the AES70 standard over a Milan-ready AVB network. www.pksound.live

Shure deploys Wireless Workbench 7 SHURE HAS made Wireless Workbench 7 (WWB7) available as a free download on macOS and Windows. The software provides a full suite of RF spectrum

management tools in one place for the command of compatible wireless devices.

WWB7 is equipped with a number of enhancements over previous generations,

including the addition of the WWB Scan Library, which gives users access to an ever-growing, online database of RF scans contributed by professionals around the world. The integrated scan library portal allows users to view recently uploaded RF scans before upcoming productions to better facilitate pre-coordination.

Additionally, WWB7 features a userinterface refresh that includes an optimised dark mode for more comfortable viewing in low-light environments. Futhermore, those using Shure Axient Digital and ULX-D in HD mode for maximum spectrum efficiency can now generate a set of evenly spaced, compatible frequencies by right-clicking on the device profile header. Wireless Workbench now also provides more ways to customise reports to ensure that users view only the information necessary to their production.

equipped with a network switch with four ports, two of which are PoE+ powered.

To use the new punQtum app, a DHCP server is required on the network to provide IP address assignment. It can be connected to the POE+ port if needed, but this isn’t a requirement. The app just needs to be on the same network. Users can also integrate the app into their current punQtum Q210 PW system without the need for additional beltpacks.

www.shure.com

www.punqtum.com

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NESS gains binaural capabilities A V1.2.0 upgrade has been released

by APG for its free NESS immersive audio software. The update adds a host of features, including new binaural capabilities, a revamped reverb engine and a new graphical user interface.

users to experience spatial sound over headphones, with no need for an external speaker system.

Elsewhere, the reverb module has been overhauled to add more depth and ambiance to 3D audio mixes. By

Compatible with any loudspeaker brand, the NESS program enables operators of entertainment and corporate venues, including bars, nightclubs, theatres and conference rooms, to experiment with and benefit from immersive sound. The new binaural feature in NESS introduces an additional dimension by allowing

allowing more precise control and selection of reverb effects, NESS 1.2.0 is said to deliver a more natural listening experience, closer to the sound produced by the natural acoustics of a room or listening space.

d&b unveils NoizCalc 4.0 D&B AUDIOTECHNIK has announced the availability of NoizCalc 4.0 software, the latest version of its advanced simulation tool designed to accurately predict noise arising from outdoor events equipped with d&b systems. Version 4.0 features a range of enhancements over previous versions, including a new Graphical User Interface and an optimised workflow to reportedly ensure an accessible and intuitive user experience. Among the enhancements are greater similarity and alignment with ArrayCalc and the R1 remote control software, so users of those tools will find themselves in a familiar environment, without too steep a learning curve.

NoizCalc enables proactive noise management in advance of an event. Using system data from d&b ArrayCalc project files, along with geodata from Google Maps and OpenStreetMap, the software calculates a grid noise map, which accurately predicts any potential noise issues in the surrounding neighbourhood. NoizCalc allows

the user to identify, at the design stage, any potential noise issues – the advantage being that these can then be dealt with proactively, in advance of the production being set up.

Developed in collaboration with SoundPLAN, a specialist software developer for environmental noise prediction, NoizCalc 4.0 imports system settings directly from d&b ArrayCalc. The software then offers a choice of international standards for its calculations (CNOSSOS-EU, ISO 9613-2 and Nord2000), depending on the user’s requirement.

NoizCalc can model complex systems consisting of many types of d&b loudspeakers, including line arrays, point sources, subwoofer arrays, fill and delay systems. System designers can also simulate adjustments to the way each element of a system is placed and powered to achieve the desired result.

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ATEN’s Open API extends integration with third-party controllers SUPPORTING OPEN APIs for enabling thirdparty controllers (AMX, Crestron and Extron) to integrate within the pro AV system, ATEN has added the Control System and Room Booking System. Bypassing the ATEN Configurator Software (VK6000), interoperability is enhanced between different systems and devices, offering greater flexibility for customising and extending functionality, while encouraging collaboration with other developers.

By developing interoperable software that integrates third-party systems, including controllers and room scheduling systems, users can create new applications and integrations that rely on the ATEN Control System.

For the ATEN Control System, third-party controllers, booking systems and software can refer to the Telnet CLI document and use the ATEN open API to enter the required commands, enabling integration without the VK6000. This ensures communication with different systems without compatibility issues, paving the way for the creation of custom workflows. Effectively performing a range of actions, including check-in and check-out, third-party controllers benefit from the TCP CLI document to retrieve and manipulate room status within the ATEN Room Booking System. www.aten.com

EMEET introduces a do-it-all solution for hybrid work UPGRADED FROM its Meeting Capsule – a 360° AI conference room camera – EMEET has released the Meeting Capsule Pro Room Kit, an all-in-one solution that is said to outperform its predecessor and “takes hybrid collaboration to a higher level”.

Featuring dual 4k lenses and a Sony sensor, the Meeting Capsule Pro has been designed to capture everything in the room and provide a 360° panorama in 1080p resolution. The AI-powered speaker zooms in on whoever is speaking, making remote attendees feel like they’re sitting in the room and right next to the speaker.

In addition, an extra wireless co-camera is also provided with the kit, which allows users to enable whiteboard corrections. The co-camera is said to provide portability and wireless connectivity and makes it suitable for a variety of different meeting scenarios.

According to EMEET,

it is the co-camera that sets the Meeting Capsule Pro apart from other conference cameras on the market.

In terms of audio, the Meeting Capsule Pro comes with eight omnidirectional mics and two noise-cancelling mics. Combining EMEET’s DSP algorithm, VoiceIA, and a 10W hi-fi speaker, this “all-in-one gadget” is said to make communication smooth and flow naturally by letting everyone hear and be heard clearly. www.emeet.com

PPDS unveils breakthrough in modular design WITH THE launch of the Philips Signage 4650 D-Line Series of 4K displays, PPDS (Philips Professional Displays) has delivered a sustainable digital display solution with innovative features. Available in 32-, 43-, 50-, 55-, 65-, 75-, 86- and 98-inch models, the Philips Signage 4650 D-Line Series combines a 4K (3840x2160), 500cd/m2 display with a 11.9–14.9mm bezel in a portrait or landscape mountable design. Delivering faster on-display picture processing for smoother content transitions, the displays are equipped with Advanced Super Dimension Switch (ADS) wide-view technology for 178° viewing. QuadViewer can transform the displays into a bezel-free 2x2 videowall by simultaneously playing multiple content and channels on the same screen.

The Philips 4650 Signage Series is the first digital signage range in PPDS’s portfolio to feature the company’s “dual architecture” modular design. The 4650’s modular design allows for components to be easily detached and replaced in the event of faults or agerelated degradation. The latest model is also compatible with the cloud-based PPDS Wave ecosystem. PPDS Wave provides remote display management, including the monitoring and control of displays, upgrading of firmware, playlist management and power schedule settings from a single interface.

The displays integrate Crestron Connected as standard. The inclusion of PPDS’s Smart Browser also lets customers connect and

has doubled from 16GB to 32GB and the RAM has increased from 3GB to 4GB. Working with the internal browser, it also serves as a

Signage 4650 D-Line Series control content via the cloud, using the display’s integrated HTML5, Chromium-based browser.

Updated from Android 8 to Android 11, web apps and software can be installed directly onto the display without the need for an external media player. Allowing more content to be stored directly on the display, internal storage

memory cache when streaming online content.

During a network failure, the media continues as the internal memory keeps content running by playing a cached version. The inclusion of “FailOver” technology automatically plays backup content during an outage. The 43- to 98-inch models are Bluetooth 5.2 compatible,

with Wi-Fi 6 wireless technology allowing for speeds of up to 9.6Gbps. With the CRD22 module, 4G connectivity is said to virtually eliminate connectivity boundaries or limitations for installations.

Extending PPDS’s family of in-room entertainment, the Philips Professional Soundbar (HAL5023) with a built-in subwoofer has been designed and configured exclusively for Philips MediaSuite TVs to transform hotel guest rooms into immersive cinematic experiences.

Designed and built in collaboration with TP Vision’s Philips sound team, the 70cm x 12cm x 7cm (WxDxH) soundbar features a professional 2.1 channel setup, with an output power of 200W max/100W RMS (10% THD).

Back-end controls through Philips MediaSuite TVs also allow for specific configurations to be put in place, including volume limits, ensuring surrounding rooms are not impacted or disturbed.

According to the manufacturer, the freestanding or wall-mountable (brackets included as standard) soundbar can be easily configured using the professional setup menu on the Philips MediaSuite TV. All related settings can be quickly and efficiently copied and transferred to the entire TV fleet remotely through cloning via PPDS CMND to help save installation times and costs. www.ppds.com

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Extron brings USB-C connectivity to DTP range EXTRON HAS launched a three-input twisted pair transmitter for sending USB-C video, HDMI and control up to 100m over a shielded Cat6A cable. The DTP3 T 203 transmitter supports 4K/60 4:4:4 signals and is HDCP 2.3 compliant. To maximise image quality and eliminate latency, all supported video resolutions are transported without compression.

Capabilities such as 60W of USB-C charging, dual buffered HDMI and DTP outputs, contact closure with tally output and Ethernet remote control facilitate integration in professional environments. Integrator-friendly features

sources, while five USB device ports connect to peripherals such as USB cameras and microphones. The USB-C input provides video/ audio, USB and 60W of power to charge a user’s laptop computer. With the UCS 303, meeting spaces can integrate a room’s USB cameras and microphones with users’ portable laptops into Teams or Zoom meetings.

The UCS 303 reportedly offers intuitive collaboration with auto switching, which can prioritise inputs, providing natural switching and minimal user interaction with AV hardware.

Small huddle spaces will benefit from the UCS 303’s support of TeamWork Show Me

include EDID management, auto-switching between inputs and bidirectional RS-232 pass-through for control of remote AV devices.

The DTP3 T 203 provides switching and transmission of USB-C and HDMI video at data rates up to 18Gbps. In addition to enabling uncompressed extension of video, it supports HDR, Deep Colour up to 12-bit, 3D, embedded HD lossless audio formats and CEC. The transmitter is compatible with Show Me cables, which provide connectivity and user input selection and control for TeamWork Collaboration Systems. It also benefits from simultaneous transmission of bidirectional

cables and retractors, which are said to place control at users’ fingertips. According to the manufacturer, the UCS 303 makes it easy to integrate AV sources and USB cameras for Teams and Zoom meetings, into huddle, meeting and collaboration spaces.

Designed for simplified operation within Extron control systems and HC 400 Series products, the NBP VC1 D and NBP VC2 D Network Button Panels are customisable AV system control interfaces. Connecting to control processors via standard Ethernet, the latest additions provide convenient volume control within a room.

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Next-generation switching ATLONA HAS unveiled its next-generation AT-HDR-SW Series of HDMI switchers and matrix switchers. The three matrix switchers provide support for 4K/UHD video @ 60Hz with 4:4:4 chroma sampling, as well as HDMI data rates up to 18Gbps and support for high dynamic range (HDR) formats. All models offer a compact design for undertable mounting inside meeting and learning spaces. HDR-SW switchers and matrix switchers are suitable for a wide array of AV applications, including hospitality and retail displays; meeting rooms and various spaces for AV presentations; and educational AV systems. Each model has five HDMI inputs, with various outputs to help systems integrators and end users choose the ideal configuration for their application requirements.

The AT-HDR-SW-51 (one HDMI output) is suitable for conference rooms and meeting spaces and can also feed larger, multizone distribution platforms such as Atlona’s OmniStream AV-over-IP systems. The AT-HDR-

SW-52 (two HDMI outputs) can be used in presentation spaces where two displays are needed and can feed separate content into dual, side-by-side presentation displays. The AT-HDR-SW-52ED (matrixed HDMI and HDBaseT outputs) offers the same benefits and features as the HDR-SW-52 but its HDBaseT output transmits video, embedded audio and Ethernet over distances up to 100m and pairs with the AT-HDR-EX-100CEA-RX receiver. The HDRSW-52ED can also serve a lectern-installed confidence monitor inside auditoriums and lecture halls alongside the main projector.

The HDR-SW Series has also been designed with EDID management features, automatic input switching and HDCP 2.2 compliance.

Additionally, 4K downscaling to 1080p at 60Hz, 30Hz or 24Hz is available when connected to an HD display. All three models can de-embed audio from an HDMI input to S/PDIF or balanced analogue audio outputs, and are controllable via Ethernet, RS-232 and IR. www.atlona.com

disguise releases Porta 2.2 graphics controller DISGUISE’S PORTA 2.2 broadcast graphics controller has been launched as a single platform for show graphics (CG), MOS newsroom templates, augmented reality (AR) and extended reality (xR) that can easily be combined with existing broadcast workflows and tools. The controller unlocks support for Unreal Engine’s Motion Graphics, enabling broadcasters to control all their graphics types – AR, xR and motion graphics – through one single user interface from the cloud or

on-prem. This innovation is said to reduce roundtripping and streamline workflow, tools and operations.

Additional benefits include native compatibility with Unreal 5.3 to ensure users get the latest updates instantaneously; studio visualisation and design whereby users can configure technical aspects while previsualising a studio’s look with a simplified workflow; and an improved UI. www.disguise.one

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RS-232 signals from a control system for AV device control and Extron’s EDID Minder technology, which ensures connected sources power up properly and reliably output content for display. Furthermore, the DTP3 output can be configured to send video and embedded audio, plus control, to an HDBaseT-enabled display.

Extron has also unveiled the UCS 303, a collaboration and presentation switcher designed to meet the unique needs of UC meeting spaces. Three inputs support connection of USB, HDMI and DisplayPort

The NBP VC1 D features a rotary volume control knob and a dual colour, illuminated soft touch button for muting. The NBP VC2 D provides volume and microphone level controls with six fully customisable, soft-touch buttons that are backlit for low-light applications. Both PoE-powered models offer LEDs that provide at-a-glance level indication of volume levels.

The single-gang junction boxes include black and white decorator-style wall plates and a mud ring. www.extron.com

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Peerless-AV adds a new touch to digital wayfinding THE LATEST solution from Peerless-AV enables users to transform outdoor displays and kiosks into touch-enabled digital wayfinders and information points in high traffic areas. The IRTO55-XHB4 IR Touch Overlay enables standalone installation on the 55-inch Xtreme High Bright Outdoor Display and the Smart City Kiosks.

The device can support 10 points of simultaneous touch with a fast response time of less than 15ms. It can also detect input from a gloved finger, stylus or other devices.

Not only does this mean improved reliability but also allows for greater flexibility in content selection. The overlay is powered by a 3m USB 5V DC adaptor cable, is HID-compliant so no custom driver software is required and

works with multiple operating systems. It’s also IP65-rated and can be mounted in landscape or portrait orientation. Its powder-coated stainless steel frame sits over the primary frame of the standalone Xtreme display.

The product also comes with an external ambient light sensor extender accessory (ACCD-ALS) to automatically adjust the brightness of the Xtreme display according to lighting conditions. The ALS Extender overrides the built-in ambient light sensor, when it is connected, allowing flexibility for installations where the built-in ambient light sensor may have shadows being cast on it by surrounding structures or vegetation.

DESIGNED TO keep pace with evolving formats, protocols, codecs and other modern workflow demands, AJA Video Systems has released a low-latency KONA X I/O card, HDR Image Analyzer 12G v3.0 update and 12G-SDI OpenGear audio and HDMI conversion solutions.

Compatible with AJA Desktop Software v17 and v17 of AJA’s software development kit (SDK), the KONA X is a four-lane PCIe 3.0 card for ultra-low latency video capture and playback and features built-in streaming DMA. Combining bidirectional dual BNC 12G-SDI and dual HDMI 2.0 connections, the KONA X has been designed to meet a broad range of I/O demands. An optional KONA Xpand board promotes more connectivity, including AES/EBU audio, LTC and REF. The latest HDR Image Analyzer 12G v3.0 monitoring and analysis solution update introduces several new workflow capabilities for live, on-set, QC and postproduction environments. The update increases the volume of video channels that can be analysed simultaneously, integrates Dolby Vision tools, adds NDI connectivity options, expands support for the latest ARRI colour science with

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With the OG-12G-AM and OG-12G-AMA, 16 channels of AES/EBU and analogue audio embedding and dis-embedding are enabled respectively. Supporting 12G-SDI input and output up to 4K/UltraHD, OG-Hi5-12G and OG-HA5-12G cards ensure 12G-SDI conversion to HDMI 2.0.

Each hot-swappable card is designed for high-density openGear 2U frames, including the OG-X-FR, for remote control via support for Ross DashBoard software.

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Blackmagic updates its Studio Camera 4K BLACKMAGIC DESIGN has released its Studio Camera 4K Plus G2, an updated studio camera model which adds 12G-SDI, allowing customers to connect it to SDI-based switchers such as ATEM Constellation.

The new model also adds support for remote camera control over networks via REST APIs and talkback on 3.5mm headsets.

Blackmagic Studio Cameras have the same features as large studio cameras, miniaturised into a single compact and Studio Camera 4K Plus G2 portable design. With digital film camera dynamic range and colour science, the cameras can reportedly handle Features of the Studio Camera 4K Plus G2 extremely difficult lighting conditions while include a native 4K sensor with 13 stops of producing cinematic-looking images. The dynamic range, a USB-C port for recording sensor features an ISO up to 25,600 to external disks or remote camera so customers can create professionalcontrol over a network, a large 7-inch high looking images, even in dimly lit venues. brightness viewfinder, 12G-SDI and HDMI Advanced features include talkback, tally, connections and optional focus and zoom camera control, built-in colour corrector, demands for lens control.

Blackmagic RAW recording to USB disks The manufacturer has also unveiled the and livestreaming.

Blackmagic Micro Studio Camera 4K G2,

a next-generation model of the Micro Studio Camera 4K. Retaining the same compact design of the original model, the G2 version comes with a 4K digital film sensor with 13 stops of dynamic range and dual native ISO up to 25,600 for low-light performance. In addition, the camera adds 12G-SDI for operation up to 2160p60 and a new USB-C expansion port for recording Blackmagic RAW to external disks as well as network control via Ethernet adapters.

corrector and lens using the SDI and HDMI connections. It can even record Blackmagic RAW to USB disks. Designed specifically for live production and powered by a 12V or LP-E6 battery, the camera has a small, rugged body with a magnesium alloy core.

Finally, two hardware control panels have been created to provide access to the manufacturer’s ATEM Constellation HD and 4K switchers.

The ATEM 1 M/E Advanced Panel 20 and 30 models feature the same design as the 2 M/E and 4 M/E Advanced Panels, but in a compact size to fit into any broadcast studio space. The

Tr ATEM 1 M/E Advanced Panel 20 Described as the ideal solution for placing cameras on set when customers don’t have space for regular-sized cameras, the G2 version includes an MFT lens mount, very low-light 4K image sensor and cinematic colour science.

It’s also possible to control the built-in colour

new panels include up to three system control LCDs, buttons for control of four upstream keyers, four downstream keyers and four M/E rows as well as a joystick and T-bar fader. www.blackmagicdesign.com

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ROE expands Ruby range ROE VISUAL has extended its Ruby Rental Series of LED panels. The Ruby RB1.2 has been designed for a variety of applications, from live events and corporate presentations to studio work. It offers high contrast and less reflection due to the optimised black LED body. Sporting a 16-bit colour depth, the panels can reportedly portray endless shades of grey and have a near-realistic colour accuracy.

The Ruby RB1.5 offers a 1.5mm pixel pitch and the Ruby RB2.3 comes with a 2.3mm pixel pitch. Both provide a wide viewing angle, high contrast and reduced reflection. The Ruby RB2.6 is described as having a robust all-round LED panel with a high-contrast black LED. It comes with a 2.6mm pixel pitch and wide colour gamut along with a wide viewing angle and reduced reflection. Its high refresh

rate of 7,860Hz and a scan ratio of 1:12 are said to make it suitable for rental as well as in-camera applications. The Ruby RB1.9BV2 and Ruby RB1.5F also come with a refresh rate of 7,860Hz but have a scan ratio of 1:8.

The Ruby VP series is described as a range of sturdy LED panels equipped with high-contrast black LEDs. The series comprises panels with pixel pitches ranging from 1.9–2.6mm. The panels provide less reflection and high contrast due to the optimised black body and a 16-bit colour depth. They are equipped with features that are said to be beneficial for any broadcast or film studio environment. According to the manufacturer, high refresh rates, powerful driver ICs and optimised multiplexing “guarantee optimised on-camera behaviour”.

The Ruby-C is said to offer all the qualities of the Ruby series in a curving LED panel

ETC HAS released an 8-inch Mosaic Touchscreen station to join the 5-inch model that was released earlier this year. The 8-inch screen comes with a 1024x768 pixel truecolour display that can be oriented horizontally or vertically. Both units offer users multi-touch contact with the seamless glass screen, allowing them to slide faders and press buttons simultaneously. Touchscreen stations have the processing power to offer multiple

good in any décor. The 5-inch Touchscreen mounts on a standard 1-gang back box, while the 8-inch version uses a 2- or 3-gang back box. Both show no visible means of attachment for a sleek presentation. They are described as quick and easy to install and can be placed in a custom surfacemount back box when required. Both versions can be added to any Mosaic project with Mosaic System Designer software. The

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ETC gets a bigger touchscreen Barco UniSee joins the dots with next-gen technology

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and can be combined into one wall with the regular Ruby panels. It has significant curving options, creating seamless curves from –30° to +30° in 11 tiny steps to

custom pages of control, based on built-in themes or users’ own designs. According to the manufacturer, “high DPI, vivid colour and superior brightness mean greater screen fidelity”, so that users can choose the exact right colour show for their audience.

The Mosaic Touchscreens feature a clean design, plus a fit and finish that is said to look

M-TS5 and M-TS8 work with the full line of Mosaic controllers, including the MSC, MSCX, MTPC and Atlas Controllers. They communicate with controllers via standard protocols over a wired Ethernet network using Power over Ethernet.

DESIGNED FOR control room, boardroom, corporate and experience centre applications, Barco has launched its next-generation UniSee II LCD videowall. According to the manufacturer, the UniSee platform combines improved image performance with precise, predictable installation and maintenance.

By applying quantum dot technology to visualise colour-rich content more vividly, the colour gamut has been significantly increased. Coupled with the UniSee Mount, the videowall’s contrast is increased to High Dynamic Range (HDR) levels, by implementing a mini-LED backlight unit for a more refined and accurate local dimming. Now matching the contrast, Sense X automatically matches the brightness and colours in real time to create a balanced single canvas alignment for static and dynamic content.

Incorporating advanced polariser technology, the UniSee II reportedly delivers a constant performance, regardless of the viewing angle

or the ambient lighting conditions. Offering a brightness of 800 nits, the technology reduces eye fatigue and radiated heating.

With the adoption of mini-LED backlights, the real use power consumption of the UniSee II is reportedly 20% lower than the previous generation. www.barco.com

www.etcconnect.com

TriCaster heads to the cloud PROMISING TO bring TriCaster technology to everyone, Vizrt has added a new model to the line-up with the TriCaster Mini Go. The solution is the company’s entrylevel TriCaster for streamers and content creators of all kinds to add broadcast-quality functionality to their video creations. It offers USB, NDI and SRT connectivity, four inputs, two M/Es and mix outputs at HD resolution.

The TriCaster now offers access to the TriCaster software without hardware tied to

a specific location. The whole system can reportedly be deployed and ready to produce in under 10 minutes and switched off when no longer needed, all without users needing their own cloud infrastructure, saving on costs but increasing efficiency.

To ensure TriCaster offers something for everyone, the enterprise-grade 4K cloudbased switcher, Viz Vectar Plus, joins the TriCaster line as the TriCaster Vectar.

Available to deploy to customers’ own cloud

infrastructure, the TriCaster Vectar will soon offer an array of advanced features including increased bit-depth support and extended bitrate stream quality. These additions are said to offer customers two paths to production in the cloud: simple and standardised with the TriCaster Now and customisable and more powerful with the TriCaster Vectar.

TriCaster Mini Go

www.vizrt.com

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Crestron speaks out FEATURING A high-contrast 10.1-inch capacitive LED touchscreen, the TST-1080 includes voice commands for controlling touchscreen functions, full-motion streaming video from cameras, Rava SIP intercom and an internet browser. A universal status bar is populated with virtual buttons for quick access

Riedel merges SDI and SMPTE ST 2110 A NEW addition to the MediorNet family of video networking and processing devices, Riedel’s MediorNet HorizoN is a hybrid processing platform that “blurs the boundary” between SDI-based and SMPTE ST 2110 infrastructures with an array of UHD gateways. It also provides video processing capabilities such as UHD up/down/cross conversion, SDR-HDR conversion and colour correction. Using a software-based app concept, HorizoN is suitable for the broadcast, entertainment, sports, corporate and government sectors.

HorizoN not only combines the simplicity of SDI with the interoperability of ST 2110 but also provides all the key processing functionalities for modern broadcast workflows. Because these capabilities can be distributed across the decentralised MediorNet TDM network,

HorizoN reportedly reduces the need for external processing devices as well as deployment complexity and costs. As the licensing scheme accommodates userspecific combinations of processing and gateway capabilities, users only pay for the functionality they need.

Designed to adapt according to needs, HorizoN houses 16 independent and individually configurable processing engines within a single rack unit, facilitating flexible processing while bridging the gap between baseband and IP systems. The platform provides up to 128 SDI-IP gateways, up to 32 channels of SDR-HDR conversion and colour correction, or up to 16 up/down/cross conversions and colour corrections. SFP-based baseband video I/O completes the package. www.riedel.net

COB gives VDS all the angles THE VDS Series is Leyard Europe’s latest LED technology using Chip on Board (COB) technology. Available in 0.9mm, 1.2mm, 1.5mm and 1.8mm pixel pitch models, the VDS Series features a 27-inch 16:9 cabinet and is designed for HD, 4K and 8K setups.

With a protective layer designed to give a hardness rating of 4H, EMC Class B certification and fully installable and serviceable from the front, the VDS Series is suitable for use in public spaces such as airports, train stations, museums and lobbies.

Leyard says its COB technology promotes a viewing angle of up to 170°. Its 5G architecture reduces installation time

as less cabling is needed, while a standby mode reduces power consumption to as little as 3W per m².

Compared to a traditional SMD LED, which has a point emittance so pixels can be observed at close distances, COB emits a more uniformly distributed light. The obtained larger viewing angles, in combination with its protection layer, effectively relieves graininess

and reduces moiré effects. The VDS Series units have no UVA, UVB, UVC or other wavelengths below 380nm to help improve the visual comfort for long-term viewing such as in control room applications. www.leyardeurope.eu

TST-1080

Videobar 70 to common touch functions, with each button preconfigured with power, home, lights, up, down and microphone for programming via

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a Crestron Control system. Unused buttons can be individually hidden. Designed for both portable and stationary use, the tablet has a rechargeable battery that supports nine hours of continuous use between charges.

The touchscreen is also compatible with the XiO Cloud service for remotely provisioning, monitoring and managing Crestron devices.

The TST-1080 is designed to support the latest Crestron Construct UI editing tool for accelerated UI design and deployment across all interfaces in an enterprise environment.

Comprising a plugin architecture that serves as a platform for all future development software, Construct UI is the first Crestron tool based on a HTML5-based UI design. Once a UI design has been created, it can be used in multiple applications without reconfiguring or reprogramming.

In addition, the manufacturer has released the Videobar 70, designed for medium or large meeting rooms. Four highquality cameras work together to crop for the best image, ensuring the video captured is always a clear, well-framed view of the person speaking, even at 9m. The Videobar 70 is said to give customers an interface for meeting control in a refined form factor, while the Android OS reportedly makes it an easy plug-and-play deployment. www.crestron.com

More control in the room with Aetria

A SCALABLE 4K transmitter heads up a list of new developments for Datapath’s range of Aetria control room components for multipoint video management and control. The Aligo TX100 Quad HD is described as a highly scalable transmitter that can ingest a single 4K source, or up to four independent HD sources for IP distribution to any suitable endpoint in an Aetria system. Each source also has a dedicated USB connection for independent KVM control. Alongside the visually lossless stream of each connected source, Datapath’s SQX technology provides a simultaneous compressed stream for transmission across low-bandwidth networks, integration with thirdparty systems or archiving. With a single 10Gb connection, the Aligo TX100 provides a way to bring HD sources into Aetria, while routing up to four independent HD sources over the 10Gb connection helps reduce cabling and switch ports.

Meanwhile, support for the ActiveSQX2 IP encode/decode card gives Aetria the capability to encode content to h.264 or h.265. Encoded streams can be unicast or multicast across the Aetria network, then decoded for display and monitoring on configured videowalls and operator workstations.

Other developments include Arqa workstation support for sources with multiple graphics outputs (multi-head), providing operator access with full keyboard and mouse control. Multi-headed sources can also be displayed on Aetria Wall Controllers individually or collectively as part of a preconfigured window. Videowall controllers connected to the Aetria system can now also be shut down, rebooted or started (via Wakeon-LAN) from the Aetria Command Center. www.datapath.co.uk

98 PRO AVL ASIA November–December 2023

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Christie offers complete solution with Hedra WITH HEDRA, Christie has developed a videowall processor that serves as a secure, all-in-one control room solution.

Based on a Linux hardware system and with multiview KVM, work can be performed either remotely or centrally. For arranging and controlling displayed videowall information, the drag-and-drop interfaces and customised layouts promote simplified switching between onscreen layouts and configurations.

Supporting videowalls up to 32 megapixels in configurations up to 8x2, Hedra can deliver data up to four UHD displays. The TAAcompliant control room solution can display, arrange and operate up to 26 inputs from both baseband sources – including HDMI and IP sources – with latency-free operation. Designed for smaller applications including command and control rooms and broadcast operations, Hedra is available in three models, with inputs ranging from nine on the Standard model to 26 on the Pro-Video model.

Expanding its M 4K RGB Series of projectors, Christie has also introduced two RGB pure laser projectors: the M 4K15 RGB and M 4K+15 RGB. Both deliver 15,750 lumens and are designed for a range of demanding applications, including staging and live events, projection mapping spectacles and theme park attractions.

Hedra www.christiedigital.com

At 38.1kg, Christie claims the M 4K15 RGB and M 4K+15 RGB are the lightest 3DLP projectors in their class. With omnidirectional rigging capabilities, they are also compatible with legacy M, J and Crimson Series lenses and M Series rigging frames.

Operating at 43dB, both projectors deliver full brightness at 120V or 220V and approach 98% of the Rec.2020 colour gamut. The M 4K15 RGB offers a 2,700:1 contrast ratio and 4K UHD (3840x2160) resolution, while the M 4K+15 RGB offers a contrast ratio of 2,200:1 and 4K UHD+ (3840x2400) resolution. For applications

M 4K15 RGB

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that require higher frame rates, optional Mirage and Mirage Pro upgrades deliver 4K at 120Hz and HD resolution up to 480Hz. In brief, the manufacturer has added a third member to its GS Series. In addition to all the features from the DWU880-GS and DWU1100-GS, the DWU1400-GS comes with 14,250 ISO lumens, 12,000 ANSI lumens and a RealBlack disabled contrast of 1,200:1. It also has a 985W (max) power consumption and a 10A (100V) operating current in normal mode.

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November–December 2023 PRO AVL ASIA 99

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PRODUCTS

Epson unveils wide-aspect business projectors

Atomos reinvents its Ninja ProRes monitor-recorder

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EPSON HAS announced a number of additions to its business projector line-up intended to support the rising need for higher-quality conferencing products. The models include the EB-L260F, EB-L210W, EB-L210SF, EB-L210SW, EB-770Fi, EB-770F, EB-760Wi and EB-760W. Designed for ease of use in collaborative working environments ranging from workplaces to classrooms, the models offer a wide-aspect screen which allows users to view projections in detail. Given the prevalence of online meeting applications in hybrid workplaces, the EB-L260F, EB-770Fi and EB-770F display in 16:6 and 21:9 aspect ratios. The 21:9 aspect ratio allows viewers to take in more information in one go, boosting productivity and efficiency. The EB-L260F and EB-L210W projectors can cover up to 300 inches, while the EB-770Fi and EB-760Wi can display up to 150 inches for a 16:9 aspect ratio when not in interactive mode. The EB-770F and EB-760W cover up to 150 inches diagonally in 16:9 aspect ratio.

The EB-L210SF and EB-L210SW projectors are also capable of displaying 16:9 and 16:10 aspect ratios respectively.

In terms of output capabilities, the EB-L260F and EB-L210W boast a brightness

COMBINING AN HD disk recorder with a touchscreen monitor, Atomos has upgraded its Ninja line of camera-mounted monitorrecorders. Integrating a 5-inch HDR screen, the latest Ninja and Ninja Ultra models handle higher video resolutions, record ProRes RAW and can connect to almost any camera.

The AtomOS 11 operating system brings new features including EL Zone exposure referenced colourised image, ARRI False Colour and scheduled playback and recording tools.

Targeted at DSLR and mirrorless camera users, both models feature a distinctive “camo” colour polycarbonate body and include the 6K ProRes RAW, ProRes, DNxHD and H.265 codecs as standard.

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display of 4,600 lumens and 4,500 lumens respectively, while the EB-L210SF and EB-L210SW offer 4,000 lumens. The EB-770Fi, EB-770F, EB-760Wi and EB-760W come with a high brightness display of 4,100 lumens. The use of a laser light source means that the models all boast up to 20,000 hours of maintenance-free use.

Aiding connectivity in meeting and education spaces, the Epson iProjection application allows users to simultaneously project up to four devices within the same network. The application also enables users to quickly change source devices through the remote control function.

The Ninja Ultra maximises camera cloud technology using Atomos Connect with cinematic workflows. Capable of recording files to ProRes RAW of up to 4K60p while simultaneously recording HD60p to H.265, the latest models support automatic matching filenames, timecode and record from ARRI, Canon and RED cameras. In “cloud mode”, the Ninja Ultra’s 4K camera can record and upload higher-quality bitrate H.265 video with higher framerates. Half the size of H.264 media files, the recordings are small enough for camera-tocloud workflows, but can be applied for social media, sports reporting and news reporting.

By adding an Atomos Connect expansion module to a Ninja or a Ninja Ultra enables Atomos RemoteView to share live views from the Atomos screen with other Atomos monitors or other wireless devices. When used with the Ninja Ultra, the Atomos Connect module provides a lower latency, higher throughput and more stable connection with Wi-Fi 6E. Both Ninjas are backwards-compatible with their Ninja V and Ninja V+ predecessors, allowing all Atomos and third-party accessories to be used with them.

www.epson.com

Ninja Ultra

www.atomos.com

More mounting for PIXBAR G2

INFiLED books into the Studio DEVELOPED TO create bespoke stages for broadcast, xR and vR applications, INFiLED has developed the modular LED Studio Series.

As part of the series, the manufacturer has integrated three new technologies: Infinite Colors, which is an RGBW technology that extends the colour spectrum; CBSF, which combines improved colour accuracy with brightness that avoids colour shifts; and Seamless Curve, which shortens postproduction time.

In addition to the normal red, green and blue emitters, INFiLED has introduced a fourth emitter that increases the colour spectrum viewed from cameras using an LED video ceiling. Infinite Colors improves a variety of

LED applications by allowing full variations in tone, saturation and colour appearance in white light and custom colours within one display.

The resultant advanced colour and texture reproduction reportedly leads to a higher Colour Rendering Index (CRI) and a more natural appearance of human facial tones. Serving as an advancement in display technology, CBSF has been seamlessly integrated into the Studio DB and Studio Xmk2 series. With enhanced colour accuracy, it upgrades background performance by mitigating colour shifts, to provide a consistent visual experience that remains true to the intended colours.

AIMED AT the rental, theatre and broadcast sectors, the PIXBAR G2 series is the second generation of Cameo’s PIXBAR LED bars. Comprising the PIXBAR 600 IP G2 (RGBWAUV) and PIXBAR 400 IP G2 (RGBW), both models are IP65-certified for outdoor use.

With 16 individually controllable LEDs, the PIXBAR 400 IP G2 is equipped with four-in-one RGBW LEDs, while the PIXBAR 600 IP G2 expands the colour space to include amber and UV light with six-in-one RGBAUV LEDs. The beam angle of 24° (PIXBAR 600) or 25° (PIXBAR 400) can be extended up to 70° using optional filters.

For noise-sensitive use in theatres or TV studios, the PIXBAR G2 series has a fanless cooling design for low-noise operation. With a variety of connection and mounting options, bars can be quickly and easily connected to each other via side-mounted magnetic plates.

Cameo says its pixel pitch feature means the spacing between the LEDs remains consistent to create a symmetrical overall look, even between different models. An optional STACK KIT is available for vertical stacking of up to three units with mechanical locking.

Cameo says versions with Tunable White and SMD LEDs will follow later. www.cameolight.com

PIXBAR 600 IP G2

www.infiled.com

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Oceans apart for Elation as Proteus expands ELATION HAS extended the Proteus IP65 series with the Proteus Radius Beam FX and Proteus Odeon framing profile fixtures. Capable of projecting narrow, intense beams over long distances, the Proteus Radius is a compact, high-intensity, IP65-rated beam FX fixture. The 100W solid state phosphor-converted light engine delivers an intense 0.9o beam and offers 360° movement on each axis for impactful beam animations. Aerial effects are enhanced with a CMY colour mix, gobos, prisms and frost.

The Proteus Odeon features a variable CRI LED engine for adjusting an optimum blend of light output and colour accuracy from CRI 70–93.

As CRI adapts, the colour temperature remains

KL CYC

Proteus Radius

Robe strengthens its inventory LIGHTING MANUFACTURER Robe is losing any theatrical subtlety or control. The aiming to create “drama, excitement and wide-ranging zoom from 6–61° (Fresnel) and anticipation” with the launch of a variety of 5.5–62° (PC) offers even coverage, making new products. the FORTE Fresnel comparable to a traditional The iFORTE LTX WB is described as a long2.5KW Fresnel luminaire. The TE 1,000W throw LED wash beam, developed for any XP (Xtra Performance) white 6,700K LED application where intensity is needed over Transferable Engine generates 90,200 lumens. long distances. Powered by Robe’s iSE-TE Both models output over 41,000 lumens from 1,000W XP (Xtra Performance) IP65-rated the front of the fixture. The white LED Transferable Engine, the fixture CMY colour mixing system produces 335,000 lux at 5m. The Transferable provides “buttery Engine technology is said to offer all smooth” colour the advantages of field exchange, transitions from the cost-effective replacement and the subtlest pastels to the ability to keep up with LED strongest saturates. development to ensure a Features include two long fixture life. It comes colour wheels, CRI 80 and with a solid beam, 245mm 90 filters, plus a variable front lens and three zoom CTO from 3,000–6,700K. modes: Standard Optical The FORTE Fresnel includes Mode for the widest 3.5–55° medium and light frosts; coverage, Follow Spot Mode RotaScrim, which is a of 2–55° and Long Throw graduated filter system with iForte LTX Follow Spot Mode producing position control; ±180° an ultra-tight 0.8–2° to deliver rotation and edge colour tight, crisp beams without correction; and the rapid any intensity loss over long 4Door internal barndoor distances. system for accurate The FORTE Fresnel and individual blade control PC washes also utilise the and ±90° module manufacturer’s Transferable rotation.

Engine technology. Both products www.robe.cz deliver “powerful and intense” washes without

stable. With CRI adjustable from a single fixture, the IP65-rated framing profile fixture can cater to a wide range of applications.

Combining a 550W rating output with an extended lamp life of up to 4,000 hours, the Proteus Hybrid Max is a compact IP65 hybrid fixture. Capable of emitting 22,000 lumens through a 170mm front aperture, the upgraded big brother of the Proteus Hybrid is equipped with a Philips MSD Platinum Flex 500 lamp and incorporates CMY and linear CTO colour correction.

Designed for noise-sensitive applications requiring silent automated framing, the fan-less Fuze Teatro houses a 480W RGBMA LED array with a CRI of 91 and output of over 15,000 lumens. Two rotating gobo wheels, animation wheel, dual frost, prism and iris are also included in its feature set.

The KL CYC is an LED lighting solution for smooth and even cyclorama, set and wall washing applications. Incorporating an RGBMA colour system, the KL CYC utilises an asymmetrical reflector design to create optimum blends. The fixture can also be used for footlight positions, providing versatility for stage, film, television and event lighting use. Magnetic alignment, a simple mounting bracket attachment, power and data management are included to reportedly make the KL CYC simple to integrate.

Created to complement the KL Profile FC, the IP65-rated KL Spot IP is a fully automated static ellipsoidal fixture with a 7–50° zoom that requires no additional lens tubes. www.elationlighting.com

Hyperstar shines with Lonestar WITH THE introduction of High End Systems’ Hyperstar, ETC has added a companion to the Lonestar automated luminaire. Optimised for projection versatility, the compact moving light can create unique designs for a wide variety of venues.

The same size as Lonestar, Hyperstar shares the same compact footprint and brightness ratings. With Lonestar recognised for its projection capabilities and framing, the framing modules of Hyperstar have been removed to provide more versatility when using patterns and aerials. Offering nine rotating patterns, 11 fixed patterns, an animation wheel, dual frosts and dual prisms, the unit also provides a large selection of breakups, aerials, radial patterns and gobos specialising in morphing and texture.

Hyperstar provides a 15,400-lumen output, weighs 21kg and comes with a 290W ultra bright LED engine. The 3.8–55° zoom range is said to create powerful narrow beams to wide washes and everything in between. www.etcconnect.com

Hyperstar

Vari-Lite ZerOS update enhances FLX Series consoles THE ZEROS 7.14 update for the Vari-Lite FLX Series consoles now supports Open Sound Control (OSC), RS-485-based Vision.Net and DMX Input. The OSC input support in ZerOS 7.14 allows ZerOS-based consoles including the FLX Console, FLX S Series and ZerOS Server to receive OSC commands from other devices and software that support the third-party control protocol. The update allows users to integrate their lighting control into OSC-controlled systems and automated applications.

By adding RS-485 to its existing IP-based Vision.Net support, Vari-Lite is expanding its

support for the Vision.Net platform within ZerOS. With support for Vision.Net RS-485, one of the FLX Series console’s onboard DMX ports can be used to receive Vision.Net commands from Vari-Lite Vision.Net Button stations or touchscreens. The addition of inbound DMX offers similar support for other DMX control devices in the system, including stage manager stations. Both capabilities allow users to recall lighting cues or adjust the lighting remotely. www.signify.com

November–December 2023 PRO AVL ASIA 101

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BUSINESS: ANALYSIS

20 years and counting

As ISE prepares for its 20th anniversary edition next year in Barcelona, Mike Blackman discusses plans for the biggest show yet, looks at how ISE has progressed to become a pivotal annual event and comments on the convergence of AV and broadcast IT’S CERTAINLY AN EXCITING YEAR FOR ISE. NOT only are we celebrating our 20th anniversary, but ISE 2024 will be our largest-ever show. We already have an expanded show floor which is 17% bigger than last year, plus two new halls and over 80 brand-new exhibitors currently confirmed to make their debut.

This year, as well as several celebratory features to mark the 20th anniversary of ISE, we’ll also be looking ahead to the next 20 years of innovation. Our ISE journey from humble beginnings in Geneva in 2004 to becoming the definitive event it is today has been a remarkable story of persistence, hard work and vision from the industry pioneers that envisioned the success that it could be.

The first ISE in Geneva consisted of just 120 exhibitors and a good quality, but small, audience. Last year we attracted over 1,000 exhibitors and more than 58,000 visitors. Over the past 20 years, ISE has served as a catalyst for groundbreaking technological advances, fostered meaningful connections and dialogue and propelled the systems integration industry to new heights. It’s incredible to see how the pro AV and systems integration industry has grown and evolved in every market sector it covers. From live events to retail applications, it really has an impact on so many areas of our lives.

To make it simple for visitors to navigate the show floor and find exactly where they want to go, we have divided it into eight key Technology Zones to group exhibitors together. There will be two new halls open for the first time at ISE 2024 – Hall 1 becomes the new home of Lighting and Staging while Hall 4 will host part of the growing Multi-technology Zone – which also covers Halls 3 and 5 – and also houses the Content Production and Distribution Zone. Hall 2 is shared between Residential and Smart Building, Unified Communications and Education

Technology. Digital Signage and DooH (digital out-of-home) are in Hall 6, Audio is in Hall 7 and the ISE Sound Experience with audio demo rooms in Hall 8.0.

In 2021, ISE made its much-anticipated move to Barcelona but, as we all know, the world was put on hold at that time.

This delayed our plans but, ultimately, it made the first official show in Barcelona in 2022 even more special – there was such a fantastic buzz across the industry because we’d been apart for so long. It was so special to reunite, and it really showed the appetite for tradeshows and how important it is for us to get together in person, to experience technologies and network, for both personal and business growth.

Renowned for its rich cultural heritage, stunning architecture and innovative spirit, Barcelona serves as an ideal backdrop for the next phase of innovation and growth in the pro AV and systems integration realm. We’ve had fantastic local support since we moved here, and it really does feel like home to us now. The Fira Barcelona Gran Via is a state-of-the-art exhibition centre that is easy to navigate for visitors and means we have space to grow thanks to its size. In addition to the two new halls, we’ll also be opening a new North access point, joining the South and East ones to help smooth the entrance/exit experience for all.

Barcelona, a tech hub of Europe, is strategically situated and easily accessible from around the world. Its well-connected transportation infrastructure, including a modern international airport and train links, allows easy access for exhibitors and attendees, while the local transportation provides a simple, stress-free experience. Visitors to ISE can collect a free travel card for use on the Barcelona Metro and bus network.

There’s also plenty to explore outside of the show and opportunities to experience some of the local culture. We are

planning a number of special activities throughout Barcelona, including extending our partnership with the Barcelona Llum lighting festival – watch out for more news in the coming weeks.

Understanding broadcast technology and content creation has become increasingly important for the pro AV and systems integration market. At ISE we’re embracing the convergence of broadcast and AV and broadening our horizons. The broadcast market, a cornerstone of the media and entertainment industry, has undergone remarkable transformations in recent years.

While it certainly holds its own, we’re seeing a growing demand for broadcast applications within AV projects, which can be attributed to several factors such as evolving technology and media consumption habits. At ISE we are being challenged to incorporate more content and features showcasing how these technologies can work together.

ISE serves several vertical end-user markets, many of which are now looking to produce their own broadcast-quality video content for internal or external use. Initially predominantly deployed by the media and entertainment industry, content production and distribution has spread to an increasing number of verticals over the past few years. The greater deployment of broadcast technologies in education, hospitality and corporate environments represents a significant shift in how these sectors communicate, engage and deliver content. This transformation is driven by the need for effective communication, engagement and information dissemination.

There is so much more to share about ISE 2024, so I’d encourage readers to follow us on social media and check out the website for updates. We’ll be sharing news from our comprehensive conferencing programme, with eight inspiring, specialist conferences which run in parallel to the exhibition.

We’ll also be announcing some very exciting keynote speakers as well as sharing details of the various events and activities taking place to mark our anniversary. We look forward to welcoming you to ISE 2024. Blank Canvas readers can secure free registration using the proavlmea or proavlasia codes. ISE 2024 will take place at the Fira Barcelona Gran Via, 30 Jan – 2 Feb 2024. Registration is now open. www.iseurope.org

102 PRO AVL ASIA November–December 2023

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Permanent installations present their own set of expectations and need a purpose-built product for those demands. The IS-Series brings the rider acceptance and performance of Adamson’s touring products to the world of integration.

The new ultra-compact IS7c point source takes the well-rounded IS-Series to 12 application-specific boxes.

For more info visit adamsonsystems.com

New! - IS7c Ultra-compact , light-weight, passive 2-way coaxial speaker Frequency Response: 80 Hz - 20 kHz | SPL: 130 dB

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L SERIES

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