Pro AVL MEA September-October 2021

ProAVLMEA September–October 2021 MICA (P) 010/05/2021

LIVE SOUND LIGHTING RECORDING INSTALLATION AV BROADCAST POSTPRODUCTION September–October 2021

NEXT STEPS FOR HYBRID EVENTS AN OASIS IN THE DESERT

WHAT’S THE FUTURE FOR TRADESHOWS?

THE RIGHT WAY FOR TODA Theatre of Digital Art takes immersive projection to new levels

Singapore: MICA (P) 010/05/2021

www.proavl-mea.com

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TOUCHLESS AUDIO SOLUTIONS FOR A NEW NORMAL

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Contents Volume 18 Issue Five September–October 2021

Editor’s note

NEWS NEWS Ross Video and Biamp make further acquisitors, Pro AV suffers declining revenues 4 DISTRIBUTION L-Acoustics and Edge in Qatar, Neumann and Thomsun team up in UAE 24 APPOINTMENTS Crestron and Barco CEOs retire, CTME adds senior PM for live events 28 SPECIAL REPORT Rudi Buchner from 3Monkeys on the future of hybrid events

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Email: sluckhurst@proavl-mea.com

FEATURES BEYOND BREAKING POINT Exterity adds a touch of home to Dubai airport hotels

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For the first time in nearly two years of sitting down to write this introduction, I feel like we’ve finally turned a corner. Everyday life now bares a much closer resemblance to the pre-pandemic era than those lonely days of working from home.

Frankly speaking, it’s about time! And for the United Arab Emirates, that timing couldn’t be more crucial. From October, things are stepping into a new gear, and the lowering of travel restrictions mean that I will at long last – fingers crossed – be able to head to Dubai and visit people face-to-face once again. We have three upcoming tradeshows at the Dubai World Trade Centre in the form of Light Middle East (28–30 September), GITEX Technology Week (17–21 October) and CABSAT (26–28 October). Then as CABSAT comes to a close, the 2020 Dubai Expo will finally open to the public following a 12-month postponement. A busy few months ahead, catching up for lost time.

Much of the content in this issue looks ahead and into a future post-pandemic world – from the immersive art exhibits at the Theatre of Digital Art, which are proving highly popular as the general public seeks out more varied, less traditional forms of entertainment, to questions about the future of tradeshows, as explored in our Business Analysis section, and a glimpse into the future of hybrid events in our Special Report.

DINNER IN THE DESERT World-class restaurants create an oasis in the Saudi desert 34 THE SPOKEN WORD Challenging interiors at Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal Mosque

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COVER: THE RIGHT WAY Projection adds new levels of immersion to ToDA exhibits

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REMOTE AMBITIONS Morocco’s UM6P commits to remote learning

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BUSINESS LETTER FROM AMERICA Dan Daley on MI being swallowed up by private equity

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LETTER FROM EUROPE Phil Ward reminisces on the internet’s great music takeover 42 COMPANY PROFILE Half a century of Martin Audio talent and dedication

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TECHNOLOGY A post-pandemic look at hearing loss prevention

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NEW PRODUCTS The industry’s most comprehensive product news

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ANALYSIS What’s the outlook for tradeshows?

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Contacts PRODUCTION MANAGER Adrian Baker T: +44 1892 676280

GENERAL MANAGER Richard Lawn T: +44 1892 676280

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Sue Gould T: +44 1892 676280

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Caroline Moss T: +44 1892 676280

EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Karen Wallace T: +44 1892 676280

rlawn@proavl-mea.com

sgould@proavl-mea.com

cmoss@proavl-mea.com

kwallace@proavl-mea.com

abaker@proavl-mea.com

DIGITAL MEDIA MANAGER Nick Smith T: +44 1892 676280

VIDEO EDITOR Chris Yardley T: +44 1892 676280

SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR

SALES ASSOCIATE Carolyn Valliere T: +1 562 746 1790

CIRCULATION Marne Mittelmann F: +65 6491 6588

cvalliere@proavl-mea.com

circulation@proavl-mea.com

nsmith@proavl-mea.com

cyardley@proavl-mea.com

Jessica Ubhi T: +44 1892 676280 jubhi@proavl-mea.com

COVER: Theatre of Digital Arts PRINTER: Times Printers Singapore LICENCES: Singapore: MCI (P) 010/05/2021 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.

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@ProAVLCentral

PUBLISHED BY: 17 Upper Grosvenor Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 2DU, UK

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NEWS

Ross Video acquires Primestream

David Ross WORLD

Ross Video has acquired Primestream in a move that takes the Canadian manufacturer’s personnel headcount over the 1,000 mark.

Founded in 1999 and based in Miami, Primestream is renowned for its Media Asset workflow solutions that enable the capture,

production, management and distribution of media assets. Its solutions support a range of workflows for live feeds and file-based content from HD to 4K and VR/360, allowing users to conduct streamline editing, newsroom metadata logging, control room playout and seamlessly

share, edit, review and approve content prior to broadcasting live, automating on-demand playout or publishing to a wide range of OTT platforms.

The latest acquisition marks Ross Video’s 17th since 2009, prompting CEO David Ross to declare that everyone from Primestream can be called Ross employee number 1,000. Led by president/CEO Claudio Lisman and EVP Namdev

joining Ross, we are joining a like-minded group that will help us reach new international markets, scale much more effectively and realise our aspirations.”

In addition to the new acquisition, the company is also expanding its Iroquois manufacturing plant with the addition of a new 5,179m2 facility and the aim of reducing its carbon footprint.

Lisman, the Primestream teams, including R&D and technical support, transition to Ross.

Ross aims to blend its Streamline media asset management solution with the Primestream products over time, to create a fully converged graphics and production asset management platform.

“We are extremely proud of what we have achieved here at Primestream, from both a solutions development and customer engagement perspective,” commented Lisman.

“Primestream has built an exceptional team that’s very customer centric in approach. In

“People care a lot about the company that they work for,” added Ross at the ground-breaking ceremony. “I think especially nowadays, it’s not just a pay cheque and it’s not even just the work, it’s more what the company does in the community and around the world. We are a manufacturer. There’s no big smokestack or anything else like that, but we do consume electrical power and we’re trying to figure out how to do that more efficiently.” www.primestream.com www.rossvideo.com

Pro AV revenues decline across the board EMEA

The latest IOTA market report from AVIXA has indicated that the global pro AV market shrunk by 17% in 2020, with Europe, the Middle East and Africa the hardest hit region and APAC the best performing. Largely a result of the pandemic, EMEA revenues were down by nearly 20% to US$57 billion in 2020.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, across all solution areas it was conferencing and collaboration that generated the highest revenue as workers went remote, students participated in distance learning and events turned virtual.

Live events and performance/entertainment solutions were the most impacted, with a combined annual revenue decline of 49.7% in 2020.

“Back in the early part of 2020, there was a lot of optimism that initial lockdowns and other measures would help get most regions through the worst of the pandemic, thereby

allowing economies to rebound and pro AV to benefit. While true in parts of Asia, this was not the case in much of the world and so pro AV fared even worse than our initial forecasts

would indicate,” said Sean Wargo, senior director of market intelligence, AVIXA. “The good news is we are now seeing meaningful recovery, and so strong growth dominates our revised estimates going forward.”

Aside from collaboration tools, digital signage is poised for strong revenue growth with a forecast of $32 billion in 2021 and increasing to $44.7 billion in 2026. The signage market had strength going into the pandemic, as display prices encouraged proliferation. Media servers are the leading product category for digital signage, with $6.9 billion in revenue in 2021. www.avixa.org

MENA cinema sector gears up for $1 billion revenues driven by Saudi surge MENA

Despite the challenges introduced by Covid-19, the cinema industry in the MENA region has grown against the backdrop of a steep decline in the global cinema industry.

Cinema box office revenues in the Middle East and North Africa are expected to grow by 4% to US$1 billion (Dh3.7 billion) by 2024, in contrast to a 2.4% decline worldwide, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

These numbers reflect a shift in the global cinema industry landscape, where growth has traditionally been driven by the countries outside of the MENA region.

Expansion throughout the Arab world and Middle East, specifically in Saudi Arabia, has

reportedly unlocked a lucrative economic opportunity, with the country now becoming a major contributor to the growth of the global cinema industry. The news comes as organiser GM Events released the dates for the fourth edition of the META Cinema Forum – the region’s largest cinema convention – which takes place from 26–28 October at Atlantis the Palm in Dubai. It also follows shortly after the Dubai government announced the lifting of restrictions on public entertainment events as part of a gradual opening of the country’s borders to select countries.

Cinemas in many markets are still closed and few countries have opened cinema halls while

many have permanently closed as a result of being significantly impacted financially

by Covid-19. However, unlike many other markets, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s (KSA) box office was up 3% to $115 million in 2020, the PwC report details. By 2030, one of the governing authorities to regulate and operate cinemas, the General Commission for Audiovisual Media (GCAM), expects there to be around 350 cinemas and 2,500 movie screens in the country, and

the industry will be worth around US$1 billion.

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Innovation Fuels Us

Room Systems Desk Phones Room Scheduling Collaboration Displays Digital Signage Video Walls Video Distribution AV Control

Crestron technology is everywhere in the workplace. We create automation solutions that transform the way people live and work, making their day-to-day tasks easier and improving efficiency and productivity. With Crestron, you aren’t just buying top-of-the-line electronics, you are investing in simple, scalable and customized solutions, gaining 24/7 global service and support.

Discover more at crestron.com

All brand names, product names, and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Certain trademarks, registered trademarks, and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities claiming the marks and names or their products. Crestron disclaims any proprietary interest in the marks and names of others. Crestron is not responsible for errors in typography or photography. ©2021 Crestron Electronics, Inc.

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NEWS

Neets fits into Biamp WORLD

Biamp has acquired independent AV control systems manufacturer Neets A/S. Based in Horsens, Denmark, Neets offers a family of device controllers, control inter faces and software that is defined by its easeof-use functionality and elegant design. By integrating Neets’ products and expertise within Biamp’s current control portfolio, the US brand has advanced its position among the main brands of AV suppliers.

“Neets is a company I’ve been impressed by and have been following for many years,” commented Biamp president, CEO and co-chairman, Rashid Skaf. “Their products are notable for their extraordinary ease of use and careful consideration of everyone that encounters them in the product life cycle – from designer to programmer, and installer to end user. Their products directly complement our solutions and will allow us to target an increasingly wider range of venue types, sizes and use cases.”

In addition to control, Neets recently added several other products to its catalogue that target conferencing

refining the best control solutions in the industry, so I am excited to combine forces with Biamp and deliver the benefits of Neets’ solutions to a global audience,” added Neets A/S CEO, Michael Jarl

Amadeus CEO becomes majority shareholder WORLD

Biamp president, CEO and co-chairman, Rashid Skaf applications, including media bars, cameras, device hubs and in-table connectivity systems. “The Neets team has spent over two decades building and

Christensen. “As part of Biamp, with its broad product portfolio and worldwide distribution system, Neets will be able to deliver its products to a far larger customer community.”

Neets will join Biamp as a new product family within the company’s portfolio, with business functions gradually being blended to form a single Biamp business.

French loudspeaker manufacturer Amadeus has been acquired by CEO, Gaetan Byk. The brand was originally co-created by Michel Deluc and Gaetan’s father, Bernard Byk, 30 years ago. Deluc will remain at Amadeus to lead specific design and manufacturing projects.

www.biamp.com neets.io

Wow Vision wholly acquired by Kramer WORLD

Having purchased the remaining 50% of the outstanding shares of the company, Kramer Electronics has acquired wireless collaboration software development company Wow Vision Pte. “We are incredibly excited that Wow Vision and its talented team of software engineers have joined the Kramer family,” said Gilad Yron, CEO of Kramer. “This acquisition will strengthen our R&D capacity and enable us to continue accelerating Kramer’s growth, especially in the strategic areas of networked software-based solutions, collaboration, unified communication and cloud technologies. It also demonstrates

our ongoing commitment to investing in innovative technologies that offer our customers and partners better and smarter automated solutions to collaborate, share and communicate in hybrid working and learning environments.”

Yuval Cohen, managing partner of Fortissimo Capital and chairman of the board at Kramer, added: “Kramer’s growth

is fuelled by innovation and our ability to develop the best solutions in the market.

Kramer continues to invest in technologies that will further enhance its leadership in providing solutions for the rapidly changing environment for how people communicate, work and study.” www.kramerav.com

DirectOut and Vivivaldy join SRT Alliance WORLD

German-based audio network specialist DirectOut and Italian IT systems provider Vivivaldy have joined the SRT Alliance with plans to use Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) for ViViD, a customised service that allows audio professionals to easily set up remote productions using standard internet connections. SRT is an open-source AV transport protocol and technology stack originally developed and pioneered by Haivision that enables the delivery of highquality and secure, low-latency audio and video across the public internet.

“Reliability has always been an important principle for DirectOut,” commented CEO, Jan Ehrlich. “Our hardware is built to be solid and to grant high quality, and the same concept stands for our AoIP implementations. The SRT Alliance follows

the same approach of secure and reliable network transmission for maximum quality, so joining the alliance perfectly matches with our company goals.”

Luca Di Chio, CEO of Vivivaldy, added: “We’re proud to join the SRT Alliance to implement the open-source AV transport protocol into our VPN-routers. We think it’s a way to bring additional value to our clients.

As the three pillars of ViViD are simplicity, low latency and reliability, SRT helps us to guarantee a steady, glitchless audio

transmission to open new scenarios and possibilities to live and broadcast streaming events via public internet infrastructures.”

“With the SRT Alliance, DirectOut and Vivivaldy are joining an industry movement to improve the way the world streams audio and video,” said Jesús Carrillo, director of the SRT Alliance at Haivision. “We’re pleased to see the SRT protocol being actively implemented by some of the world’s biggest broadcast and enterprise streaming workflows, as its adoption and industry-wide recognition continues to grow, becoming the de facto standard for low-latency internet streaming.” www.directout.eu

Gaetan Byk “For many years, my mission has been to find a space for Amadeus, a unique place where technological innovations with arts and crafts, combine and complement each other,” stated Gaetan.

“I think we need to go where our main competitors cannot, do not know how to or do not want to go. My goal is to remain, as far as possible, the majority shareholder of the Amadeus company structure to preserve our DNA and above all not enter into a logic of unbridled growth. My wish is to do better, not more.”

Gaetan has guided the company and its product development for the last decade, with notable accomplishments including the Hi-Fi Philharmonia reference monitor created with architect Jean Nouvel for the Philharmonie de Paris concert hall recording studios; stone-clad speakers made for the Panthéon; the unique speakers designed for the iconic Krug Champagne House; and, most recently, the 40m-long bespoke sound ramp designed for the Festival d’Avignon.

Collaborating with IRCAM and several other key French institutions, Amadeus has also been a pioneer of spatial sound for the live field via its HOLOPHONIX immersive sound processor.

www.srtalliance.org www.vivivaldy.com

www.amadeuslab.com

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NEWS

Sennheiser becomes GPA Global Partner

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WORLD

German microphone manufacturer Sennheiser has joined the GPA (Global Presence Alliance) as a Global Partner in a move it says demonstrates its commitment to the AV integrator network. The GPA is a global organisation of audio, video and unified communications business units committed to sharing best industry practices in order to ensure the same customer experience everywhere across the globe.

As a Global Partner, Sennheiser will work closely with other GPA business units by actively sharing the company’s industry knowledge and technical expertise to support the organisation’s mission of providing global business expertise that remains at the forefront of the industry.

“I am excited to welcome the Sennheiser organisation to our Global Partner Program,

and thereby their international team to our GPA global community,” said Byron Tarry, managing director of GPA. “With their longstanding commitment and reputation for audio technologies excellence, and an everexpanding focus in solutions to enhance user experience within corporate meeting environments, it is very much a natural partnership. But, most importantly, it is a partnership built upon a common culture

and commitment to ‘better’, to recognising we can learn and improve better together, and better support and enable our global customers together.”

“By joining the GPA Par tner Program, Sennheiser joins one of the world’s largest AV organisations and an amazing group of talented professionals in the area of audiovisual integration.

We look for ward to sharing our best

practices to enhance collaboration and to ensure ultimate user experience,” commented Charlie Jones, global alliance and par tnership manager, Business Communication, Sennheiser. “Like GPA, we at Sennheiser continuously challenge the status quo in order to set innovative new paths for ourselves and the industr y when it comes to producing solutions that allow people to seamlessly connect and collaborate with each other. We are thrilled to be working with GPA’s global network of like-minded individuals as one big team on fur ther developing industr y standards and suppor t the deliver y of quality products and ser vices worldwide.” www.sennheiser.com www.thinkgpa.com

INFiLED opens Middle East showroom to be closer to the market,” commented Samer Otaibi, business development manager for the Middle East. “We are proud and delighted to have a local office to invite customers and show them our latest products for fixed and rental installations.”

“The team is growing, and I am delighted to receive so much positive feedback from our partners,” said Marco Bruines, senior vice

president of INFiLED EMEA. “After a period of long and extensive travel restrictions, we believe it is our duty to be closer to the market to maintain long-term relationships

and support our global customers and partners.” www.infiled.com

Brompton powers Turkey’s first virtual production studio The studio installation was completed within five months, with MGX CTO and studio manager, Fatih Eke, being instrumental in choosing the right equipment. “After spending three months doing research and looking at other facilities like the ILM StageCraft virtual production solution, we built our own powerful Ledeca LED screen setup with top-of-the-range Brompton Tessera SX40 processing. By using such cutting-edge equipment, our VP studio managed to pique the industry’s interest even before we started to actively promote it,” Eke explained.

MGX Studio TURKEY

Owned by MGX Film, Turkey’s very first virtual production house, MGX Studio, has launched in Istanbul. The new virtual production (VP) facility offers an impressive LED stage powered by Brompton Technology processing, as well as advanced camera tracking solutions, in-camera visual effects and a host of pre- and postproduction tools that enable directors and filmmakers to create enriched interactive environments.

MGX Studio’s story began during the pandemic. “We decided to use the time when we were confined to our homes wisely, researching and looking for the latest

technologies in VP,” recalled Halit Gülmez, technical director at MGX. “MGX Film’s owner, Müşvik Guluzade, was a great inspiration to all of us as he was the first to recognise the power of virtual production and its influence on the global cinematography industry. He was the first to fully embrace the technology and bring it back to Turkey, establishing the country’s very first virtual production facility.”

With Guluzade at the helm, the MGX team took its first steps to not only achieving the ”know-how” of the new technology, but also being a VP facility that guides the technology rather than follows it.

The studio comprises a 15.92m x 4m curved LED wall made up of Ledeca LED panels The Ledeca team took an active role in the installation process and offered their full support while the studio was being built. “It was great to have the Ledeca team onsite,”

added Eke. “They did a temporary LED screen and processor install for us so we could see the full system and have a chance to demo it before it was permanently installed.”

The studio setup comprises a 15.92m-wide x 4m-high 100m2 curved LED wall, made up of LDSISP02.6XR Ledeca LED panels. Additionally, 125m2 of Ledeca LED panels make up the ceiling, which is used for lighting and reflections. “Our high-tech LED screen has a 9600x1536 pixel resolution and consists of 50x8 LED panels. We are also using three Brompton Tessera SX40 processors and five Tessera XD 10G data distribution units to provide a 10-bit colour depth image,” explained Mete Mümtaz, MGX’s virtual production specialist.

MGX Studio’s production calendar is already fully booked with projects from both Turkish and international production companies. “We feel the new filmmaking culture is currently growing following rapid evolvement of technology, pandemic restrictions and the way content is being consumed by Gen Z,” concluded Gülmez.

“Virtual production has a significant role in the formation of this new culture. We aim for Turkey to be part of this important change, with MGX Studio fully supporting the maturity of virtual production.” www.bromptontech.com www.mgxfilm.com

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LED display manufacturer INFiLED has announced the opening of a new Middle East office and showroom in Dubai.

Simultaneously, the company has announced the relocation of its EMEA HQ, including the warehouse, repair centre and office facilities, from Venlo to Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

“The office is not only a working space for our fast-growing team but also an opportunity

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NEWS BUSINESS

Kraftwerk Living Technologies opens ME office MIDDLE EAST

Kraftwerk Living Technologies (KLT) has announced the opening of a new Middle East office located in Dubai. The Austrian systems integrator’s office is based in the Concord Tower in Media City, with a warehouse for operations in the Saeed Al Maktoum Complex at Jebel Ali Industrial Area First. The opening was followed by membership of MENALAC, the Middle East association for the amusement and attractions industry. It takes Kraftwerk’s number of global offices to five.

“We believe in the Middle East’s growing entertainment and culture markets and opening an office in Dubai is an important step to strengthen our operations worldwide,” commented Manfred Meier, CEO and founder of Kraftwerk Living Technologies. “With over 28 years of experience, KLT has a perfect understanding of the market’s dynamic challenges.

Focused on providing the highest quality and

The KTL Middle East team innovation, we are the perfect partner for highly sophisticated solutions individually tailored to specific customer needs. Our

current aim is to enrich the Middle East market with innovative technology and exper tise in technical design, engineering,

implementation and maintenance. On top of this, we have several new unique attraction products as well as groundbreaking LED solutions, which are going to inspire the UAE and Saudi Arabian market.”

With more than 20 years’ experience, Stuar t Taylor has taken on the role of MD of Kraftwerk Living Technologies for the Middle East region. Previously working on the Kingdom Saudi Arabia Pavilion for the Dubai Expo 2020 and with involvement in numerous media technology projects in the past, Taylor brings an extensive technical experience for existing and future Middle East clients. He and the team can also be met at this year’s Saudi Enter tainment and Amusement Show in Riyadh, where the company will be exhibiting for the ver y first time. www.kraftwerk.at

Venuetech outfits GymNation UAE

Setting the standard for gym and fitness facilities in the UAE, GymNation has seven locations each open 24/7 and boasting world-class facilities as well as an enviable collection of fitness equipment. Five GymNation outlets have recently been supplied with Audac sound systems and Leyard video solutions by regional distributor Venuetech.

noise levels, as well as the difficult installation locations for both the loudspeakers and displays.

The team was able to overcome these challenges by using a distributed system of Audac Ateo 6 and AlTI 4 loudspeakers in the shared areas, with PX112 and 110 high-powered cabinets deployed for the training rooms and instructor-led exercises. For

The five locations outfitted

by Venuetech range from 2,300m2 to nearly 5,000m2 in size. The biggest challenge for the Venuetech team came in complying with the proper technical, functional and aesthetical expectations of the client due to the acoustical nature of these spaces, both in terms of airborne and impact

the video aspect, the team relied on Leyard 2.5mm pixel pitch LED screens.

The loudspeakers were supported by a back-end of Audac’s mixer matrices and Wavedynamic amplifiers, providing control for paging and zone switching.

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NEWS

Creative Technology ARHT showcases HoloPresence in Dubai Qatar celebrates 10th anniversary UAE

ARHT Media and NMK Electronics have jointly held a technology demonstration at the Dubai World Trade Centre to showcase ARHT’s HoloPresence solution. As the first company in Dubai to offer a holographic events solution, the showcase gave attendees a look at how the technology could improve their existing operations.

It was also the very first time the manufacturer had directly introduced its solutions to the local market.

The presentation explained how the technology could be utilised for professional ser vices organisations like investment banks, accounting firms, consulting companies and law firms, as well as the healthcare industr y to deliver remote healthcare ser vices as well as educating medical practitioners. It is also used by technology and communication companies to demonstrate the possibilities around 5G technology, as well as in education (primarily at the university level) and the enter tainment industr y.

“We are demonstrating our HoloPresence technology where we beam life-sized, life-like images of people in 3D with no noticeable latency,” explained ARHT Media CEO, Larr y O’Reilly. “We have also been showcasing the addition of 3D graphics to enhance presentations.

This technology allows enterprise organisations to have impactful digital interactions with employees, clients, investors or other stakeholders without the need for travel.”

Elements of the HoloPresence solution were developed more than five years ago; however, the product has been

dramatically refined and adopted globally in the past two-and-a-half years. Having recently taken on distribution for the brand in the GCC, NMK Electronics organised the event to introduce its clients in Dubai to the new technology.

“The feedback from UAE guests has been tremendous,” added O’Reilly. “We have already done activations in the region, including the World Government Summit with the Crown Prince,

QATAR

Creative Technology (CT) is celebrating 10 years of business in Qatar. The company opened its first local office in the heart of City West Bay in Doha back in 2011, but has been delivering projects in the country from as early as 2001 out of its UK-based facility.

In 2011, it was realised that having a local office and warehouse would make the company’s services, engineers and event technology more easily accessible to clients in the region.

“Within the first year of opening, the success of our organic growth saw CT Qatar move from our first warehouse in Al Rayyan with three full-time employees to a 13,000m2 space in Logistics Village with over 14 full-time staff,” recalled Irum Ashraf, CT Qatar general manager.

The company credits having a locally registered company in Qatar in establishing itself as a key audiovisual supplier in the Middle East. Over the years, CT has delivered AV services for several prestigious events, from the early delivery of the Asian Games and Qatar Foundation to the opening and closing ceremonies for the World Petroleum Congress, multiple National Day events and the more recent IAAF World Athletic Championships, to name a few.

“Our Venue Services department expanded alongside our live events with teams housed within the St Regis Doha, Shangri La and the Westin Hotels managing the audiovisual requirements for live events, conferences and exhibitions,” furthered Ashraf.

As the country gears up for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, 2023 World International

Horticultural Expo and the Asian Games in 2030, alongside the bidding for the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2023 and the Olympic Games in 2032, the events industry in Qatar shows no signs of slowing down. Meanwhile, Qatar’s 2030 vision has been set to develop the country into an advanced society that is able to sustain development. Not only would these events have a significant financial impact with people coming into Qatar and the spend on hospitality, travel and tourism but also allow residents in the country the ability to visit and engage with events that have never taken place in the Middle East before. With the infrastructure that has also been built to host the FIFA 2022 World Cup, the country should be in prime condition to continue hosting global events at this scale.

“We are always looking at new ways we can expand and grow in the region, and we have some exciting plans for the future of CT Qatar across our Live Events, Venue Services and System Integration divisions,” commented CT Middle East managing director, Andy Reardon. “We have already made investments in new event technology across video, lighting and audio and are in the process of making a further investment in AV equipment towards the end of the year. Alongside our new purchases, we are expanding our team of professionals across the region to accommodate the growing demand for business in the events, venues and systems integration industries.” www.ctme.co

pharmaceutical education of doctors here from product specialists in Canada, as well as a major financial conference.

There is so much happening in the region and ever yone is looking for groundbreaking technology to enhance their business, increase their efficiency and also reduce travel costs. Our technology enables all three of these goals and, based on the feedback we’ve received this week, I’m confident there will be many more deployments to come in the near future.”

Outside of the region, the solution has also been gaining increasing adoption.

“We just captured the former President of France for an event in Korea, our technology was used by Ar t Basel Hong Kong to beam in gallerists from Singapore, Geneva and New York, and we just completed an eight-par t medical education seminar with exper ts from Turkey and the US beaming into seven countries in Asia,” said the CEO. “All of this has happened in the past couple of weeks.” www.arhtmedia.com www.nmkelectronics.com

Irum Ashraf, CT Qatar general manager

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Evolution Wireless Digital

Evolving With You. Evolution Wireless Digital raises the bar by providing the highest dynamic range of any wireless system currently on the market, utilizing advanced features that simplify your setup and guarantee the most reliable connection. Maximize efficiency by taking full control with the Sennheiser Smart Assist app and automatically coordinate frequencies with ease. Increased bandwidth and the lowest latency make it the most powerful tool for those who put quality and performance above all else. www.sennheiser.com/EW-D

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NEWS

Dubai Airport welcomes Expo visitors with immersive exhibit

UAE

Pixel Artworks recently specified a TiMax SoundHub spatial audio server for a new highprofile audiovisual experience greeting visitors arriving at Dubai International airport. The immersive installation captures the spirit and ethos of the rescheduled Expo 2020 event that will run from Autumn 2021 to Spring 2022.

Dan Roncoroni from Raven AV handled the audio aspects of the installation following an earlier preparatory visit to the site by Out Board’s Robin Whittaker. Due to its

late addition to the project, TiMax had to be retrofitted into an existing system design within very tight timescales, adding interesting challenges into what was, as Roncoroni explains, “quite a difficult scenario”.

Aside from the airport’s highly reflective environment and characteristically high level of background noise, the requirement for loudspeakers to be neither surface mounted nor visible added further challenges. Additionally, significant negotiation with the airport had been

necessary to ease restrictive decibel limits, and because intended electrical cabling ran contrary to the airport’s infrastructure schedule, only data cables could be run across the airport.

Despite these challenges, the client expectation was for sound as immersive as the visuals from a comparatively small physical area. “The project called for a spatial audio setup outside the envelope of most spatial audio processors,” Roncoroni recalled. “It was just one of many situations where you could either mess around doing something difficult in a difficult way, or you just do what you need to with TiMax.” The solution hinged around a 32-channel TiMax SoundHub delivering a multilinear soundscape via Dante to 16 EM Acoustics EMS-51 loudspeakers, which were secured to halos of flexible LED display panels fixed around four of the airport’s marble pillars.

The loudspeaker specification was based on the EMS51 being “the best loudspeaker to fit the audio requirements, the size requirements and the budget,” explained Roncoroni.

Four loudspeakers were positioned to give coverage across a 120° angle per pillar. “I don’t know another processor that could so easily have dealt with groups of four loudspeakers pointing at each other from 20m apart at the widest gap,” Roncoroni noted.

The spatialisation capabilities of the TiMax solution ensured the airport’s restrictive decibel limits – located a mere 10m from the installation – were adhered to. Exploiting the bandwidth and full breadth of the groups of ultracompact EMS51s, driven by Powersoft’s new half-rack Mezzo power amplifiers, produced enough low end to compensate for the subwoofers that could not be accommodated. “I couldn’t have done that with larger loudspeakers running stereo content and the only way that worked really was with a TiMax,” furthered Roncoroni.

Audio playback from TiMax was triggered by the Seventh Sense Media server. TiMax also handled all the audio mixing and equalisation.

“Despite being possibly the worst environment to install a spatial audio system I’ve ever come across, TiMax allowed us to create an incredible and cohesive soundscape that is impressive to all who pass through the installation,” concluded Roncoroni. “With the excellent localisation achieved by TiMax, the airport’s reflective environment stopped being a worry, the loudspeakers effectively became acoustically invisible and there was just a sound field of incredible quality.” www.outboard.co.uk

Eldos FM brings Calrec into the community SOUTH AFRICA

Community radio broadcaster Eldos FM has upgraded its studio setup to include a Calrec Type R supplied by Wild & Marr and installed by Experience Audio Solutions.

Launched in 2018 and based in Eldorado Park, Johannesburg, the community station engages in dialogue with people in the local area and surrounding communities about social, economic, cultural and political activities.

Over the years, the station has gained a following of around 60,000 listeners in Eldorado Park, as well as in other parts of southern and western Johannesburg, and the decision was made to take its broadcast operations to the next level.

“We previously broadcasted on old and outdated equipment until the Media Development and Diversity Agency granted Eldos FM funding to build two new studios and our service provider, Abundant Media, took us to Wild & Marr to look at some product offerings,” recalled Lorreal De Lange, Eldos FM station manager. “We decided on Calrec Type R for Radio because of its multi-faceted and futuristic infrastructure.”

IP in the broadcast environment is growing exponentially in South Africa and, with the Type R being modular, the Experience Audio Solutions team designed a user-friendly system with each studio comprising a Type R Core, two six-fader panels and a Large Screen Panel (LSP).

made studio furniture, double glass windows, acoustic doors and panels. “For the final touches to the studio, we did a mural graphic design on the acoustic panels of the Eldos FM logo. The system was fully tested before the handover and it sounded great. Both Eldos FM and Experience Audio Solutions were happy with the outcome.”

“The hosts have been showing off the new equipment on social media and they are extremely proud of the new Calrec equipment,” added De Lange. “We love the timeless silver-face design along with its minimal cabling and its up-to-date touchscreen inter face.” www.eldosfm.co.za

Eldos FM’s new Calrec Type R

www.wildandmarr.co.za

Each Type R Core can handle eight sixfader Fader Panels, giving a total of 48 physical faders. With the Fader Panels being dual layer, the operators have access to 96 channels at the push of a button.

“It was an honour to be elected by Wild & Marr to carr y out the installation of Eldos FM,” commented Tumelo Maimela, owner of Experience Audio Solutions. “Our team built a full turnkey studio solution which included the wiring of the complete studio. We designed and supplied custom-

12 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2021

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NEWS

Bahrain TV OBs put VSM and Lawo in control

G

BAHRAIN

Bahrain TV has added two new medium-sized OB vans to its fleet, with two Lawo IP-based mc² audio production consoles in the audio control rooms and a VSM Broadcast Control System architecture for the overall control in both. The new OBs are part of the framework governing the modernisation process of the direct TV broadcasting system. Dubai-based systems integrator Broadcast & Studio Solutions (BSS) equipped the OB vans with high-definition TV broadcasting technologies, following stringent international specifications, security and safety standards, to allow the vans to cover all official events, exhibitions and conferences, as well as local and international sporting events.

The new OB vans are controlled by Lawo’s VSM Broadcast Control and Workflow Solution in combination with VSM servers in a redundant setup at the heart of the control system.

simplified operation from custom-designed configurable GUIs. Additional VSM hardware includes GPIO interfaces, UMDs for dynamic labelling and SmartHubs, which convert control signals from serial to TCP/IP and vice versa.

SNMP Monitoring capabilities are provided by the vSNMP editor software tool.

The audio infrastructure integrates a 48-fader Lawo mc²56 console with 384 DSP channels, a routing capacity of 5,120x5,120 mono channels, plus local I/Os directly available at the audio desk. An additional mc² Compact I/O system provides remote I/Os for high-profile productions.

The smaller OB carries a more compact 24-fader mc²36, again with a multitude of remote and local I/Os controlled by 192 DSP channels via a 512x512 matrix.

The 48-fader Lawo mc²56 audio console inside the larger OB vsmSTUDIO software handles all administration and configuration tasks, while control interfaces

in the form of a wide range of hardware LCD button panels and software panel clients allow

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ISRAEL

DHD Audio has completed a new studio installation for the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, Kan, resulting in the integration of a Series 52 18-fader RX2 console, a DX four-fader desktop mixer, four touchscreencontrolled Series 52 TX and an XC2 Core for use in the broadcaster’s Studio 6. The new studio completes the broadcaster’s transition from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and is one of more than 20 due to be equipped with DHD Audio mixers. The project was carried out by Jerusalem-based integrator, Broadcast Design.

“This is one more step in the complete supply and installation of new state-of-the-art radio studios in four locations across the

country,” commented Micha Blum, Broadcast Design’s founder and CEO. “Because everything is ‘inside’ DHD, it saves a lot of third-party equipment. The integral TFT screens mean there is no need for an external PC. Furthermore, DHD mixing systems are based on an Ethernet-linked core processor and input/output modules, typically located in the central apparatus room. They are reliable, flexible and fully customisable, scaling from a single studio to a multisite network.”

“The installation specified for Studio 6 includes a technical control room which can also function as a self-op suite,” added Christoph Gottert, DHD international sales

manager. “The configuration comprises a production/editing/screening desk, a talk studio currently equipped for five guests but expandable to eight, and a DJ suite with two CD players and a DX panel plus a TX panel for the host and co-host. A TX-equipped news booth can also act as an editing booth. All

user control screen menus for this project are in Hebrew text as our interfaces and configuration displays are compatible with Unicode standard character sets.” www.broadcastdesign.co.il www.dhd-audio.com

14 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2021

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Girohma refreshes theatrical lighting

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JORDAN

The Orthodox Educational Society (OES) is a charitable organisation based in Jordan that serves communities across the Middle East,

including the education and training of students. In the midst of the pandemic, ETC dealer Girohma worked with OES to supply

lighting equipment for its latest 450-seat theatre, in order to improve the setting for drama students and provide a better atmosphere when staging their performances.

Girohma received a request to design, supply and install a full theatrical lighting system and selected ETC ColorSource fixtures for the project.

A total of 20 ColorSource Spot fixtures with Fresnel adaptors, as well as 10 ColorSource Spot (with 25–50° zoom) profiles and nine ColorSource PARs were installed in the theatre.

“ColorSource fixtures have a good output of bright, beautiful light and they are easy to use,” commented Girohma general manager, Hanna Zananiri. “There is no worry about the light fading over the course of a show, as it compensates with thermal drop to keep the colour consistently strong. The thermal

management algorithms built into every ColorSource fixture ensure that the colours you choose in rehearsal are the colours you get during the show.”

A High End Systems HedgeHog 4X console was selected to control the lighting at the theatre. The compact control desk shares the same programming layout and capability as the larger High End Systems consoles and has full networking capabilities. “The HedgeHog 4X console packs a serious punch and has a userfriendly interface which makes it very simple and quick to work,” added Zananiri.

Despite the challenges the pandemic brought, the Orthodox Educational Society were said to be very pleased with the outcome at the theatre and the quality of Girohma’s work. www.etcconnect.com

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CTME brings L-Acoustics touring sound to Abu Dhabi 15/04/21 12:43

UAE

Creative Technology Middle East (CTME) has completed the installation of a new L-Acoustics touring audio system at the Etihad Abu Dhabi Arena. With the stadium being the largest indoor entertainment venue in the Middle East, CTME was chosen as one of only three companies in the world to boast L-Acoustics Approved Calibration Centre (ACC) and Certified Partner Integrations (CPI) credentials. The team worked closely with the French manufacturer’s applications team during the modelling phase.

As the venue plans to host a wide range of events, the audio design had to consider multiple configurations to suit various productions from indoor concerts to sporting events and more.

“CTME delivered the L-Acoustics system on behalf of the arena and also verified, tested, installed and calibrated the equipment, making sure the system was responding as per the

design,” explained CTME’s systems integration project manager, Craig Harvey.

CTME also installed a delay system consisting of five hangs of six KARA designed

to work alongside any configuration. The complete touring audio solution consisted of 36 K2 and 30 KARA, 12 K1-SB and 16 KS28 subs. Power was from 11 A-RAK II

complete with 43 LA12X Amplified Controllers.

The signal transportation was handled over an Optocore system, with all networking taken care of with Luminex Switches. “The networking gave us the capability of being able to transport analogue, AES or ABV signals to all the amplifiers,” noted Harvey. “CTME offers a complete installation service from design and equipment procurement through to installing and configuring the system, providing our clients with high-quality equipment accompanied by professional engineers who understand how to use it and maximise the system potential. Our ability to simulate these system designs before installation allows our clients to visualise the final result before making a purchase.” www.ctme.co

September–October 2021 PRO AVL MEA 15

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NEWS

SAW upgrades Namibia’s Office of the Prime Minister NAMIBIA

The Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) is a historical building in the Namibian capital of Windhoek that houses the first Cabinet Chamber and the Constitution Room where most of the country’s legislation was drafted.

The government recently elected to augment the Cabinet Chamber with new sound reinforcement and visual display systems to update the meeting experience. ICT products and services provider Gadgets Namibia Solutions was tasked with sourcing an appropriate solution, which they found with support from Stage Audio Works (SAW) Namibia.

“This was an interesting project as the multilevel and oval-shaped seating arrangement

Control of the system comes from QSC Q-SYS

DUT moves to LED SOUTH AFRICA

The Durban University of Technology (DUT) has completed a lighting upgrade comprising 14 Quartzcolor LED Fresnels to be used by the Department of Video Technology. The new fixtures were supplied and installed by DWR Distribution working in collaboration with Prosound and the Install Crew. In addition to the new fixtures, the project also included the rewiring of half of the department’s existing dimmers to hot power in the television school’s studio.

The Office of the Prime Minister Image courtesy of Sonja Kilian Photography

Sennheiser TeamConnect 2 microphones installed in the ceiling made it impossible to implement a traditional projector and screen solution,” noted Joppie Maritz of SAW Namibia. “Furthermore, we were working in a listed building with a very clear brief to preserve the historic interior finishes, so we had to find clever ways to install our equipment to ensure that it blended in with the minimum amount of disruption to the surroundings.”

In consultation with Gadgets Namibia, SAW designed and installed a customised solution based on Pixel Plus LED screens, a Novastar LED controller, Sennheiser TeamConnect 2 ceiling microphones, Audac loudspeakers and a Taiden digital conferencing system. Video routing and switching is handled via Atlona products with Q-SYS control.

“We opted for LED screens rather than a projector and screen solution, as the configuration of the room simply didn’t give us any other option,” added Maritz. “We mounted two Pixel Plus Xcell-i screens on opposite walls of the uppermost level. We chose a pixel pitch of 1.83mm for uncompromised visual quality

and used custom mounts for the cleanest possible installation. We also had to get creative when it came to designing the comfort monitor cluster in the central area which serves the lower level. We supplied four Samsung 65-inch UHD TV screens in custom Stage Plus screen trolleys, designed and built by our in-house manufacturing division for simple rearrangement when required.”

For the audio aspect, SAW installed a Taiden digital conference microphone system for each of the delegates on the lower level. Speech intelligibility for the upper gallery is enhanced via a pair of Sennheiser TeamConnect 2 ceiling microphones, and sound reinforcement overall is handled by eight discreetly mounted Audac WX502 loudspeakers which are nearly invisible from the lower delegate level. QSC Q-SYS control via a simple touchscreen handles source selection and powering all active equipment on/ off. Multiple motion sensors in the room allow the system to switch itself off when not in use after a predefined period.

“Stage Audio Works has delivered an impeccable solution,” commented Gadgets Namibia’s Victor Nzaramba. “They designed customised solutions where required that respect the elegance and heritage of the room whilst bringing OPM’s Cabinet Chamber into line with modern technical conferencing standards. The Prime Minister and her cabinet can now enjoy the comfort of crystal-clear audio and high-quality video throughout, with fingertip control.”

Louis de Waal, senior technician at DUT’s Department of Video Technology “All the staff in our department share the experiences they have gained while working in the industry with our students to complement the curriculum,” explained Louis de Waal, senior technician at DUT’s Department of Video Technology.

“My personal knowledge comes from working at the South African Broadcasting Association for 10 years where I received good technical and operational training in broadcasting while running both local and international productions.”

Studio training forms part of the curriculum with students required

to produce gameshows, variety and magazine shows during their first two years of training. With chroma key facilities available to them, they are able to shoot a multitude of productions including music videos, montages and short films. The studio itself, however, was in need of a lighting upgrade. The new install will equip students to work with a DMX system and better prepare them as they enter the workplace where most local broadcasters rely on LED technology.

“Our tungsten 3,200K lighting system was old and bulky and created a lot of heat, especially as the studio grid is only 4.2m high,” explained de Waal.

“The availability of the required bulbs became more difficult and expensive to replace. Furthermore, the old tungsten lights required more power, and we were not able to add more lighting due to the specifications and restrictions on our DB board.”

The department decided on 10 Studio LED X5 Plus and four Studio LED LX4 Plus daylight Fresnel fixtures. “The Quartzcolor units are really great and enable us to use more lights with almost no heat, utilise much less power and have a longer life span,” furthered de Waal.

“The 5,600K produce a good lighting look for various production scenes and the colour temperature does not change, even when fading the lights down slightly.

The Fresnels allow soft and hard focusing with a good pan and tilt function together with the barn doors for easy application of colour gels.”

The studio’s new LED infrastructure was completed by DWR’s Kevin Stannett, Michael Taylor-Broderick and the Install Crew’s Jacob Mogale and Freddy Mokwena. “After hanging and focusing the fixtures the moment of truth arrived, we turned them on and wow,” recalled TaylorBroderick. “Louis and I were blown away by the output and coverage the fixtures provided.” www.dwrdistribution.co.za www.quartzcolor.com

www.stageaudioworks.com

16 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2021

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04.08.2021 09:08:56 26/08/2021 16:42

NEWS

GloCom connects up Bahrain Radio BAHRAIN

Long overdue for a revamp, Bahrain Radio has recently completed a renovation project intended to take its seven radio stations into the digital realm. The project saw Dubai-based systems integrator GloCom select a Lawobased Madi architecture to cover all the on-air studios via a single control room.

“Bahrain Radio is one of many projects that the MIA [Ministry of Information Affairs] has completed in recent months, with more due for completion this year and next,” explained Eng Abdulla Ahmed Abalooshi, assistant undersecretary for technical affairs at the MIA. The first phase of the US$6.5 million turnkey project saw the entire facility refurbished, from nine radio studios and control rooms to the MCR (Master Control Room) and CAR (Central Apparatus Room), with a parallel overhaul of furniture, equipment, automation systems, radio library and acoustics. By deploying digital solutions in all areas of the facility, the radio section of the MIA has

essentially migrated out of an analogue environment.

GloCom was tasked with undertaking this overhaul during the 2020 lockdown, ensuring that the existing service was not disrupted at any point in time. While the main centre of the project was in Isa Town, related civil work also took place at various other sites.

“Our radio station and studios were built in 1980,” furthered Abalooshi. “They were really old and we used to having the occasional breakdown with no support available. All our FM and AM stations are processed in these studios and go through the MCR; our radio channels are also available on satellite and OTT. With this project, we have transferred our entire radio technology to a digital platform and have added a few elements that will make life easier for the production people in our radio department.”

The seven on-air studios can also be connected to two of the production studios for

One of the on-air studios with its new Lawo sapphire console

Lawo’s VisTool music or drama. A third production studio has been redesigned for mix-mastering. All seven on-air studios are designed to enable any FM station to log in and go live from any studio.

The MCR houses a 15 FM station automation system with full redundancy, meaning that the department can scale up in the future and add another six FM stations. Aside from the new automation solution, the MCR also houses four 80-inch LED walls, a brand-new Lawo VisTool for audio monitoring and a Lawo VSM video monitoring solution. A major portion of the project was the replacement of a legacy Dalet system with the latest radio automation system from RCS. The studios are connected to the MCR via fibre MADI with physical AES/ANA cables for

A Bahrain Radio studio

The central Lawo router redundancy. The CAR was also designed with a centralised MADI audio router from Lawo.

“We undertook a complete refurbishment of each of the radio studios, followed by detailed acoustic measurements and installation of new technical furniture, new equipment and thereafter its configuration and commissioning,” explained Zahid Mirza, president and chairman at GloCom. “This project was contracted to us in October 2019, but Covid-19 resulted in severe challenges in terms of shipments, permits to work onsite and so on. There were also technical and operational complexities for GloCom to address. The channels were on-air, and shifting one studio system to the other and ensuring people were happy with the setup while removing the bulk of spaghetti wire was quite challenging.”

Despite these obstacles, the project was delivered on time. For GloCom, one of the biggest challenges was managing the workflow of the Quran station. “With our highly qualified engineers, and with support of the MIA team, we achieved that without an operator,” added Mirza. “With the successful integration of the RCS automation and Lawo, all the stations played the Azan on time for one calendar year, without any delay.” www.glocomltd.com www.lawo.com

FOR-A aids distance learning for Ministry of Education UAE

The UAE Ministry of Education (MoE) has begun using FOR-A HVS-1200 video switchers to drive a virtual studio solution used for distance learning programmes. The virtual studio was originally designed to help the MoE build an educational channel for coverage of live lectures, but took on even greater importance throughout the pandemic.

The system was installed by United Broadcast at the new MoE headquarters in Ajman, with most of the crew training completed during the lockdown period.

“The aim for this project is to let the operators be confident in using the whole system, even non-technical operators,” explained Rayan Nasser, sales manager for United Broadcast. “The customer can work directly with HD and 4K requirements, whenever they want, without any complications or cabling issues. FOR-A’s versatile switcher delivers excellent virtual

studio imagery and positions the MoE for a 4K future.”

The virtual studio setup is built around a Brainstorm InfinitySet Lite, with three Panasonic

4K PTZ cameras controlled from the HVS-1200 switcher. It was designed to be very simple to operate, even by a single operator. The solution is used to produce up to five hours of live video

instruction daily and can support either 4K or HD production. The HVS-1200 features 10 inputs and outputs in 4K mode (or 40/10 in HD), including two outputs for HDMI 2.0. Also included are two multiviewer outputs, each supporting up to a 16-split display, one colour corrector and one still/clip store in 4K. “After all the schools closed because of the Covid-19 lockdown, the MoE turned to distance learning,” added Mohammed Abu Ziyadeh, system engineering manager at FOR-A. “With so much content to produce, they needed a system that was easy to use but could present engaging content for students across the country. United Broadcast delivered a solution that combines the flexibility of virtual set technology with the reliability of our HVS-1200 switcher. The result is high-quality productions with minimal staff.” www.for-a.com

18 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2021

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NEWS

Waves eMotion LV1 mixer powers Istanbul Conquest Day Celebrations TURKEY

FOH engineer Tayfun Oksuz selected a Waves eMotion LV1 Live Mixer to cater for the performances at the Istanbul Conquest Day celebrations. The event customarily involves audio and lighting productions on a grand scale. Oksuz’s setup included a 24-inch touchscreen, a Waves FIT Controller for tactile control of eMotion LV1, an Axis One Waves-optimised computer, a Waves

L–R: FOH engineer Tayfun Oksuz and Erim Arkman, broadcast engineer SoundGrid Extreme Server-C, a DSPRO StageGrid 1000 interface at FOH position connected via two Cat7 STP and two DSPRO StageGrid 4000 stageboxes at the stage plugged into L-Acoustics 24 Kudo tops and 16 SB28 subs.

“I am used to working with plugins in live events, so when I heard that eMotion LV1 was a very natural platform for running Waves plugins live, I immediately wanted to check it out,” explained Oksuz, who is a prominent live sound engineer in Turkey. “When I did, I was hugely impressed with the mixer’s pristine sound quality as well. In this specific show, my FOH

FOH view from the Waves eMotion LV1 mixer at the Istanbul Conquest Day Celebrations position was 40m away from the PA and I could distinctly hear every single detail of my mix.

“LV1’s super-fast setup is another huge benefit,” Oksuz furthered. “You can load your LV1 system in 10 minutes and you’re all set.

You can start the concert within 30 minutes, including all system settings. There is also

an incredible technical team behind you at Waves – I can call them from Turkey and they answer all my questions instantly. What’s also great about the LV1 is the super-flexible offline prep ability – I can work at home, on a tour bus or in a hotel room, and get my show perfectly prepped. It’s absolutely amazing that I prepared

my last concert at my home. In addition, I can take the Waves plugins used in studio recordings and put them in my LV1 system, and the quality stays the same.”

For the Conquest Day performances, Oksuz used all of the LV1’s 64 stereo channels.

The complex production started with various speeches and continued with two different orchestras: the Mehtran Bolugu Turkish Ancient Army Orchestra, which has a 2,100-year history and utilises a wide assortment of musical instruments; and a symphonic orchestra led by famous Turkish composer/producer, Iskender Paydas. These were combined with additional pre-recorded tracks triggered from Pro Tools.

All the live music, speeches, video sounds and jingles were mixed on the LV1 for the PA, and then sent to the broadcast mixer (two channels) from the LV1’s matrix-out. The broadcast stream used the same mix.

“The Waves plugins integrated within the eMotion LV1 were essential to mixing all these immensely diverse elements,” Oksuz explained.

“The LV1 is made with the convenience of an engineer’s workflow in mind. Any auxiliary tool you are looking for is in front of you – just plug and play. I’ve done about 20 concerts with the Waves LV1 so far and I can say now that its superior sound quality has surpassed all my expectations. The overall sound quality of the mix is incredible. I have been working as an FOH engineer for over 32 years and using a digital mixer for the last 16. I’ve now switched to the Waves eMotion LV1 mixer because I believe in its workflow, technology and scalability. I believe in the future of its system and I believe in its sound.” www.waves.com

The Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia chooses VITEC SAUDI ARABIA

The Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia has begun using a VITEC MGW Diamond quad-channel encoder to help bring its races to a worldwide audience. The Riyadh-based club wanted to expand its weekly horse racing coverage, which takes place on Fridays and Saturdays during its season, beyond its domestic reach and into new markets via internet streaming channels.

The MGW Diamond encoder sends the stream to NEP Connect and onto Sports Information Services (SIS) via the public internet. From SIS, it is distributed to customers and partners worldwide via its retail and online services, including its 24/7 live betting channels.

“Traditionally, we would’ve looked to have put a satellite truck onsite for a project like this,” explained James Bonnar, broadcast technical consultant of Proimage Solutions Limited. “However, with about 14 hours of total coverage over the two days and the need for a satellite truck, it would have been very cost prohibitive to use this broadcast workflow. Working with the Jockey Club’s head of IT, Mohamed Elhalwany,

and Tom Ryan, the director of strategy and international racing, we looked at what internet speeds we could get and what bandwidth could be dedicated to a possible stream.

MGW Diamond is a compact quadchannel HD or single-channel 4K HEVC

video encoder suited for field-based applications. The system in Saudi Arabia takes the mixed output from a broadcast flypack – also installed by Proimage Solutions Limited – which is then distributed. It makes use of several SRT streams: one going to SIS and another

going to Proimage Solutions Limited for remote monitoring purposes. While the stream is not currently 4K, the MGW Diamond encoder is power ful enough to deliver the resolution, if required in the future.

“The solution has been very robust, and the support has been fantastic,” added Bonnar. “VITEC was always there to jump in and provide support; they helped ourselves and SIS get the setup working in no time at all. The quality from this encoder has been amazing using SRT – we’re pushing out an 8Mb/s HEVC stream, and it is fantastic. It has also delivered on cost effectiveness over alternatives, which made it a viable project to do – without that, it simply wouldn’t have happened.”

Following a successful season of streaming in Riyadh, the encoder system is being moved to another racetrack in Saudi Arabia, where it will be used to stream action from Ta’if in the southwest of the country for 10 weeks. www.vitec.com

20 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2021

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26/08/2021 15:06

THE SOUND SOLUTION PRECISE DIRECTIVITY AND EXCEPTIONAL FIDELITY MAKES RENKUS-HEINZ LOUDSPEAKERS THE PREFERRED SOLUTION OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL AUDIO PROFESSIONALS

Learn more at renkus-heinz.com

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NEWS

BossFM goes virtual with RƎLAY

O

NIGERIA

Abuja-based radio station BossFM 95.5 has employed a Lawo IP-based RƎLAY virtual radio software in replacement of its former digital console as the broadcaster strives to make the on-air talent experience as streamlined and straightforward as possible.

With this new upgrade, BossFM 95.5 has reportedly become the first genuinely virtual radio station in Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory.

BossFM 95.5 is a leading contemporary FM radio station that serves a wide audience base with a unique blend of talk shows and music genres. The talent-first design and immediacy of its on-air studio’s desktop layout is facilitated by the RƎLAY software suite, which offers a fully fledged broadcast mixer with the ability to perform mixing, processing and routing on a touchscreen connected to an off-the-shelf PC, or on a

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laptop for on-location shows. The RƎLAY solution allows BossFM to mix 24 audio sources as well as AES67-compliant AoIP signal streams directly on the station’s PC. RƎLAY’s integration with third-party hardware and applications has allowed the broadcaster to extend its capabilities, with enough resource capacity to expand even further in line with future needs. Opeyemi Ogunsaju of Mega Cyber Plus, Lawo’s partner in Nigeria, was in charge of system integration and service support. “RƎLAY’s simple and straightforward looks are deceptive,” he explained. “This virtual radio suite brings professional radio production to any radio station, complete with audio-overIP and internal routing.” www.lawo.com www.megacyberplus.com

STADIA powers the audio for Ashdod Lights ISRAEL

Various Outline STADIA sound systems have been deployed in the Israeli city of Ashdod to support Ashdod Lights, a tour funded by the city’s municipality enabling visitors to walk around five key locations each hosting highimpact AV art installations, including video art projections on buildings and water screens, projection mapping, lighting and laser effects and holograms. Tel Aviv-headquartered pro audio company Gidron Levitan, Outline’s Israeli distributor, was commissioned to provide the audio systems for the high-profile project.

“The brief we received was for crystal-clear and powerful sound covering large areas from loudspeakers which had to be weatherproof, as all five installations are outdoors,” explained sound engineer and Gidron Levitan owner, Eytan Gidron. “I therefore immediately suggested Outline STADIA speakers to the audio consultant, as each STADIA 100 is actually four line array elements in one box, specifically designed for this type of application, thanks also to unbeatable weather resistance.”

To support the projection mapping on the façade of the Ashdod municipality

building, six STADIA 100 and six custom weather-proof DBS 18-2 subwoofers have been installed, as well as six OutSIDE-coated VEGAS 12 CX as surround speakers. The city’s Art Museum is a glass-roofed pyramid hosting contemporary Israeli and international art. In the museum’s entrance area, four STADIA 28, three STSUB-215 and six VEGAS 8 CX surround loudspeakers are deployed.

Audio at the laser show at the nearby Pisgah comes courtesy of four STADIA 100 and three custom weather-proof SUB 218 subwoofers, while the video projections on a water screen at the Ashdod Sea Park have an even greater impact thanks to two STADIA 100 and four custom weather-proof DBS 18-2 subwoofers.

At Sea Fort, which hosts video projections on the remains of a Roman fortress located on the Mediterranean coast, the soundtrack is fed out by four of Outline’s ARENA 215 CX, two STSUB-215 and four OutSIDE-coated VEGAS 12 CX on surround chores. www.glaudio.co.il www.outline.it

STADIA cabinets mounted to the Ashdod municipality façade

The Foschini store entrance is now flanked by Pixel Plus LED screens

Foschini greets guests with Pixel Plus SOUTH AFRICA

Stage Audio Works’ Pixel Plus LED solution has been chosen by The Foschini Group (TFG) for its newest store in the Canal Walk Shopping Centre in Cape Town. TFG is a JSE-listed retail clothing group that places a big focus on enhancing the customer experience, and so enlisted the help of digital communications specialists AVT to adorn the space with two large Pixel Plus LED digital signage screens outside each entrance of the store.

Working with the integrator, SAW specified two Pixel Plus Xcell-I Lite screens, each measuring 3.2m x 1.95m (WxH), to match the location, visibility and budget of the client. The purpose of these screens is to clearly communicate the brand’s clothing line and image, consequently driving more traffic into the store. SAW also designed and manufactured custom wall-mount brackets for the screens, which were specified with a pixel pitch of 4mm. To complete the Foschini setup, AVT supplied two Novastar TB6 LED processor and multimedia players for signal processing and control of high-definition content playback.

According to AVT account manager, Jerome Bullock, the project went off without a hitch: “This was our first project with Stage Audio

Works and I’m pleased to say that it was a great experience,” he commented. “Everyone played their part perfectly and even exceeded expectations to complete this time-sensitive project without delay. From the screen selection process to the handover, their sales manager was heavily involved and supported us every step of the way to ensure a smooth process from start to finish. Likewise, the technical installations team was extremely helpful with their after-hours support.”

“We’re delighted to align ourselves with TFG’s brand via AVT,” added SAW’s Mike Summerfield. “This project observed a textbook installation of some of our hallmark display technology. Effective collaboration across all of SAW’s departments was ultimately what made this project a success. We were on a tight schedule to obtain the components from our supplier before carrying out the installation.

Round-the-clock support from all involved departments ensured that we were able to meet the project’s tight deadline. It’s been a successful collaboration and one that I hope will be repeated.” www.stageaudioworks.com

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DWR assis Techn and i scree instit Havin proje acqua solut “The small requi traini Scha be on proje with s room two la the a privile Omeg years yet d great proje Mor are e

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NEWS BUSINESS

Omega explores communication possibilities with Absen SOUTH AFRICA

DWR Distribution recently assisted Omega Digital Technologies with the supply and installation of 16 Absen LED screens for a major financial institution based in Johannesburg.

Having used Absen on previous projects, Omega was well acquainted with the LED display solution and its offering.

“The project started out fairly small with just a few screens required for a couple of the training rooms,” explained DWR’s Schalk Botha. “It soon grew to be one of the largest display projects I have ever worked on with screens in every training room, lobby, boardroom and finally two large screens installed in the auditorium. I have had the privilege of working alongside the Omega team for the past three years and, with their professional yet down-to-earth attitude, it was great to be able to be part of this project.”

More than ever, companies are exploring new ways to

communicate without necessarily travelling or meeting in-person.

Screens placed in the lobby area at the financial institution have created an experience for visitors stepping in through the doors, and can be used to display content, share messages or play videos as a communication tool. Training rooms can become a virtual learning environment or simply be used to awake the senses.

Meanwhile, in the auditoriums, the new visuals will reach a larger audience.

The training rooms were equipped with Absen’s Acclaim Plus Series panels, in various pitches ranging from 1.2–1.9mm. The units, which were wall-

mounted, offer a free video display. In the lobby area, Omega selected flat Absenicon 165-inch screens, all running on full HD resolution. The executive boardroom has been equipped with an Absenicon 138-inch full HD screen, while in the main auditorium Acclaim 2.5mm panels have been installed to form two large screens, each measuring 6.1m x 3.4m in size.

The greatest challenge in installing the new screens was complying with the strict project deadlines and to ensure that products were delivered on time. “With all the sub-contractors working against the clock, we had to synchronise every room so that everyone had enough time to complete their tasks,” Schalk explained. “But, in the end, everything worked out perfectly and the project was completed slightly ahead of schedule. Thank you to Omega Digital’s project manager Dale McMurry who was instrumental in the smooth running of the project.” www.absen.com www.dwrdistribution.co.za www.omegadigital.co.za

Sajonisi Youth Radio selects AEQ Forum SOUTH AFRICA

South African regional radio broadcaster Sajonisi Youth Radio 88.5MHz has completed the integration of a 12-fader AEQ Forum digital audio mixer at its Port St John-based studio. The project was carried out to create a modern and functional work environment inside the studio.

Sajonisi Youth Radio, popularly known as SYR, is a South African regional station offering community programming combined with blocks of local and international music.

The studio’s technical management commissioned AEQ directly for the

project, which supplied the 12-fader Forum audio console to serve as the heart of the system.

Designed for on-air broadcast control, the Forum is a digital audio mixer incorporating all the basic functionality required by SYR for this type of environment, such as automatic monitor cut, coughcut, faderstart, signalling control, control signals for the automation of external equipment, external communications management and intercommunication. www.aeq.eu

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NEWS: DISTRIBUTION

L-Acoustics takes the Edge in Qatar QATAR

Edge Electronics has been named as the new L-Acoustics Certified Provider Distributor (CPd) for Qatar as the French loudspeaker manufacturer looks to solidify its strategic Middle East presence. Edge’s ability to provide customers with a complete audio, video and lighting catalogue, in addition to thorough training and technical support, has seen it grow to become one of the leading AV distributors in the country since its formation in early 2018. For L-Acoustics, having a Qatari partner with a strong local presence allows it to better support the region as the country gears up for a period of unprecedented activity in the run up to the 2022 Qatar World Cup. “We are very excited to have Edge Electronics join our CP network to look after Qatar. We are seeing many opportunities in Qatar and especially in the lead up to the World Cup. Having a strong distributor on the ground is vital to securing and then subsequently supporting this business,” commented Chris Mead, L-Acoustics sales manager, Middle East, India and East Africa.

“Pratap and the team have built a very notable presence in Doha in the relatively short amount of time since the office was opened there, and we are excited to be a partner in their ongoing growth. I’m confident they will play a big part in building the L-Acoustics brand in both the rental and installation markets.”

“We take pride in distributing some of the world’s most innovative AV brands across the board, enabling us to work closely with our clients in offering onsite assistance and 24/7 support,” added Edge Electronics general manager, Pratap Singh. “Working in a fast-paced market such as Qatar, holding local stock enables us to exceed our clients’ expectations. The Edge team is involved in almost all high-profile events in Qatar, so by adding L-Acoustics we now have the power to deliver any of our customers’ needs for their creative audio visions.”

With the Edge team currently engaged on a number of reputed theatre and stadium projects, the addition of L-Acoustics solutions makes its offering to customers even more compelling. “We are thrilled to add one of the world’s leading audio manufacturers to our portfolio, and one that fits perfectly with the product mix that we have to offer,” Singh furthered. “L-Acoustics has consistently been innovating and enhancing the audio experience for end users through its partners, and we are proud to bring this innovative experience to the local market. We will be working closely with Chris and Rahul to get the Qatar market trained and geared up for the upcoming projects and events.” www.edgeet.com

The Edge Qatar team with an L-Acoustics Syva cabinet

Mersive appoints Redington for MEA distribution

www.l-acoustics.com

Optimal Audio teams up with Audiosure SOUTH AFRICA

Newly launched Focusrite Group brand Optimal Audio has signed Audiosure as its exclusive distributor for South Africa. Part of the First Technology group of companies, Audiosure has been operating in the South African market for more than 20 years and boasts a portfolio of international audio, AV and lighting brands.

The Optimal Audio brand was created to provide a one-stop solution of control, amplification and loudspeakers for small- and medium-sized commercial installations, with a particular focus on supporting multi-zoned venues. “We’re delighted to be partnering

which we believe will quickly help to establish Optimal Audio as a leading player in South Africa’s growing commercial audio sector.”

Audiosure is headquartered in Johannesburg, with branches in Cape Town, Durban and Bloemfontein that enable it to service the needs of its wide-ranging network of specialist dealers.

“We are pleased and proud to have been appointed as Optimal Audio’s sole distributor in Southern Africa,” stated Audiosure sales director, Greg Payne. “We’ve been seeking a commercial audio brand for some time that combines ease of installation and operation

with Audiosure in South Africa,” commented Optimal Audio managing director, Dom Harter.

“Greg, Alison and their team have built a strong reputation based upon a thorough understanding of the products they represent, as well as vast experience of the South African market.

The company’s dealer network includes audio integrators who have confidence in Audiosure’s system design and product selection, something

without compromising on quality. In our view, Optimal Audio represents exactly that and will occupy a very important space in our brand portfolio. Audiosure is excited by the prospect of introducing such a brilliantly conceived package at such an affordable price.”

MEA

Middle East and Africa technology distributor Redington has signed a new distribution agreement with Mersive Technologies for the MEA region. The agreement will see Redington promote and distribute Mersive Solstice, Solstice Conference, Solstice Cloud and Solstice Active Learning solutions, which together form a software-based and cloud-enabled meeting collaboration platform.

The new partnership expands Redington’s offering, as demand in the region grows for technology solutions that can support hybrid workplaces.

“As more corporations rethink the future of the workplace, we are ensuring we offer a full suite of products which our channel partners can take to their customers including

devices, software and collaboration tools,” commented Jeetendra Berry, president, volume distribution – Middle East, Redington Gulf. “Redington will offer Mersive’s wireless presentation and collaboration tools to its network of channel partners in the region and drive joint awareness for the offerings of Mersive across audiences.”

Cyril Mattar, Mersive regional sales manager Middle East and Africa, added: “We look forward to working with Redington’s team to provide new and existing customers the service and support needed in order to accelerate growth in the GCC region.” www.mersive.com www.redingtongroup.com

www.audiosure.co.za www.optimal-audio.co.uk

24 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2021

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HVL 15

LONG THROW SPEAKER SYSTEM

SOUND SOLUTIONS FOR STADIUMS

Focusing on stadiums and big arenas, HVL Series speakers are capable of true, concert-level

Up

to 3000 W AES power handling

high performance in arena-sized venues. Featuring point source, line source, and subwoofers

Up

to 145 dB SPL @ 1 meter

speakers, all modules embed RCF Precision Transducers, horns, and waveguides for optimal

Fully

Equipped with Neodymium Transducers

coverage and clarity. The cabinet’s design with coplanar woofers and horns produces identical

Long

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left and right coverage, capable of delivering serious sonic horsepower within the stadium

Baltic

while maintaining intelligibility and even coverage at every seat.

Weatherproof

Birch Plywood Cabinet and Steel Grille Treatment

www.rcf.it

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NEWS: DISTRIBUTION

NMK takes on Peerless-AV Neumann partners distribution in ME with Thomsun for UAE distribution MIDDLE EAST

Peerless-AV has appointed NMK Electronics as a new distribution partner for the Middle East. The Midwich Group-owned distributor boasts an established presence in the AV market, long-standing relationships with OEMs, dealers and end users and excellent local pre- and after-sales support capabilities.

These qualities reportedly made NMK an ideal partner for Peerless-AV to build brand awareness, loyalty and, ultimately, an increased market share in the region.

NMK will promote, market and distribute the entire line-up of Peerless-AV mounts and AV solutions, including kiosks, outdoor displays and dvLED mounting systems through its strong network of channel partners.

“We see Peerless-AV as an ideal fit within our brand portfolio, complementing existing solutions spanning audio, video, lighting and communication,” stated Dino Drimakis, NMK Electronics commercial director. “Globally, the brand has strong brand equity and trust within its stakeholders. Justin [Joy senior sales manager MEA&I] has been extremely supportive and has built a good brand rapport locally. We plan to work closely with him to enhance the business across the region.”

UAE

Dino Drimakis, NMK Electronics commercial director, and Justin Joy, senior sales manager, MEA&I, Peerless-AV “NMK have all the credentials needed to support our growth in the Middle East region and we’re excited about the new opportunities that this partnership will open for us in a wide range of markets, including education, hospitality, corporate, government, entertainment and more,” commented Keith Dutch, managing director – EMEA, Peerless-AV. www.peerless-av.com

DWR to distribute Madrix in South Africa

Thomsun Trading has been appointed by Sennheiser as the new exclusive distributor for Neumann studio monitors in the UAE. The relationship comes as the brand seeks further penetration in the UAE market. As one of the longest-running AV distributors in the UAE, Thomsun’s distribution network spans operations in retail, dealer/reseller networks, commercial AV, live events and rental, as well as the production and broadcast industries across the GCC and MENA. “We are delighted to announce the appointment of Thomsun Trading Est as the exclusive distributor for the Neumann Studio Monitor line in the UAE,” commented Mig Cardamone, sales and marketing director, Sennheiser Middle East. “We are impressed with the strength of their team and knowledge of the studio monitor business. Thomsun has a long-lived reputation in the UAE as a distributor and MI retailer, with penetration into broadcast, music recording and end user (project studios), as well as system integrators that need high-quality reproduction in corporate or commercial facilities. This appointment fits well

with our plans for growing our Neumann monitor business globally as well as in the UAE and the region.

“Sennheiser Middle East prides itself on its loyalty as a supplier to distributors and partners in the region. We are looking forward to a longterm partnership that is successful for both parties,” he added.

Thomsun Trading general manager Davis Varkey is equally excited about the new appointment. “Neumann is a well-established brand who know their market inside-out. They understand the importance of not just selling a product, but the added value of excellent service and technical assistance at every stage of the project – and that is exactly what Thomsun Trading stands for. There has been a growing demand for Neumann monitors in the market and this collaboration will provide a plethora of solutions for customers and businesses.” www.neumann.com www.sennheiser.com www.thomsunmusic.com

SOUTH AFRICA

German brand Madrix has partnered with DWR as its new distributor for South Africa. The company manufactures LED lighting control solutions and its products have been utilised on scores of architectural and entertainment installations around the world.

distribution partners like them to support us in their local markets. I’m very excited and confident about the synergy created by our two businesses.”

DWR Distribution’s Dylan Jones recently used Madrix for a pixel wall located in a high-end The Thomsun and Sennheiser Middle East teams

Hall Technologies enters the GCC with Avenger Electronics GCC

“DWR has shown a strong commitment to Madrix for a long time,” commented Christian Hertel, Madrix sales manager. “Even during this difficult pandemic, their team was able to successfully acquire new customers, and take on and support current customers. With deep roots in the entertainment industry and a ‘people buy from people’ approach, DWR Distribution is a perfect match. As demand for our affordable control and monitoring products grows, we are expanding and looking for strong

retail store. “I believe there is huge potential for the Madrix software and hardware products in South Africa to create more complex pixel-mapping solutions for our clients,” he explained. “Products like the Madrix AURA all the way through to the Madrix LUNA Art-Net controllers provide everything you need to control any LED lighting.” www.dwrdistribution.co.za

Hall Technologies has named Avenger Electronics as its exclusive distributor for the GCC. The addition to the Avenger portfolio allows the Dubai-based distributor to provide its clients with a complete AV solution that now includes video distribution capabilities.

“As we expand our portfolio, we were seeking a reliable partner that offers a video distribution system. Hall Technologies’ video and USB extension modules, active optical HDMI and USB cables, their new EMCEE200 presentation switchers for the education market and the HIVE control system are all very attractive products and will complement our business in this region,” commented Avenger Electronics sales manager Joseph

Ninel Robero. “Hall Technologies is a reliable brand name for video switching, routing, USB extension and control system solutions, and its addition to our portfolio allows us to provide complete audio-video solutions for our clients.”

The distributor has already acquired a local stock of the manufacturer’s products and has begun arranging demos for interested clients.

“We are also planning to create a demo showcase for Hall Technologies’ products at our new office, so that clients can come and experience the products themselves,” furthered Robero. www.avengerproav.com www.halltechav.com

www.madrix.com

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Unleash your creativity Introducing GLM 4.1 loudspeaker manager software For 15 years, GLM software has worked with our Smart Active Monitors to minimise the unwanted acoustic influences of your room and help your mixes sound great, everywhere. Now, GLM 4.1 includes the next generation AutoCal 2 calibration algorithm and a host of new features – delivering a much faster calibration time and an even more precise frequency response.

So, wherever you choose to work, GLM 4.1 will unleash your creativity, and help you produce mixes that translate consistently to other rooms and playback systems. And with GLM 4.1, both your monitoring system and your listening skills have room to develop and grow naturally too.

Find out more at www.genelec.com/glm

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NEWS: APPOINTMENTS

R sa

New CEO for Crestron as Randy Klein retires WORLD

Crestron has announced that president and CEO Randy Klein is to retire this year, with the current chairman and COO, Daniel Feldstein, to assume the president and CEO role. Klein has ser ved more than three decades with the manufacturer, including the last eight as Crestron CEO. “As President and CEO, I make a lot of decisions ever y day,” stated Klein. “This was one of the most difficult decisions I have ever made. The timing is right

and Crestron is in a better place than it has ever been. We have emerged from the past 16 months stronger than ever, more united and more resolved to take on the future and all the oppor tunity that it holds.”

Feldstein has been with Crestron for over 25 years. He spent the first decade of his Crestron career in R&D, playing a role in designing a number of the technologies the company still employs today. Since then, he has been working

in operations alongside Klein and former CTO Fred Bargetzi.

“George Feldstein knew my commitment to preserve Crestron’s core principles of being a technology innovator while remaining a family company when he named me CEO nearly eight years ago,” added Klein. “I have been a proud guardian of that vision and our growth to over a billion dollars. Dan Feldstein is the logical choice to take the reins.”

Randy Klein

www.crestron.com

CTME names Tom Márton Sós joins Warneke senior project Optocore as technical manager for live events support engineer MIDDLE EAST

Tom Warneke has recently joined Creative Technology Middle East (CTME) as senior project manager for the company’s live events division. Warneke will lead a team of engineers, providing technical guidance and direction across a wide range of events on behalf of the technical events company.

Warneke is a highly qualified professional boasting more than 15 years’ experience in the live

Tom Warneke

WORLD

events industry across Australia, Asia and the Middle East. In the past, he has successfully planned and executed technical management across multiple high-profile projects, such as Diriyah Season, the Dubai Burj Khalifa and Sydney Opera House New Year’s Eve Celebrations, World Skills Opening and Closing Ceremonies and the United Nations World Urban Forum. Beyond technical direction, Warneke possesses a wealth of valuable experience across the gamut of technical disciplines with extensive history in lighting and production management across the industry from theatre and musicals through to festivals, live music and large-scale events.

“I’m really excited to be joining such a world-class team as Creative Technology and work on some of the most exciting projects across the region,” commented Warneke, “particularly as we expand into offering that same level of service and quality in a fullservice way for not just video but complete technical delivery.”

Optocore has appointed Márton “Marci” Sós as its new technical suppor t engineer with immediate ef fect.

Sós, who will take up the same role with sister company BroaMan, has experience in both systems integration and sound engineer roles within the theatre world, as well as working as a a freelancer. Originating from Budapest, he is multilingual and proficient on many industr y-leading digital platforms, including Optocore par tner DiGiCo, as well as Focusrite Pro and Dynacord.

“I met Optocore’s former suppor t team a shor t time ago and was impressed with their immense level of knowledge, so I know I have big shoes to fill,” Sós commented. “The challenge therefore is to move into the role seamlessly so that clients don’t notice the personnel change.

The Optocore philosophy and mindset is similar to mine in that the company builds future-proof systems designed

Marci Sós to last for many years with minimum maintenance.” www.optocore.com

www.ctme.co

Beyma hires two industrial engineers in recruitment drive manufacturing operations with a focus on the company’s ongoing automation and digitisation processes.

Joining Beyma as a production manager, industrial engineer Jose Torres also heralds from the automotive industry. Torres will draw on his extensive experience in lean manufacturing to manage various production teams in addition to monitoring key indicators to ensure continuous improvements in production.

Adrián Benlloch

Jose Torres

www.beyma.com

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Beyma has hired Adrián Benlloch and Jose Torres as part of its ongoing recruitment programme. The two professionals come with extensive industry experience and will play significant roles within the Beyma production processes and digitisation.

Newly appointed director of operations Benlloch has extensive industrial engineering experience within the automotive industry, specialising in PMP (Project Management Professional), agile project management, lean manufacturing and finance. He takes a seat on the board of directors and will lead Beyma’s

Roy L

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NEWS: APPOINTMENTS

Roy Leggett to lead EMEA Gary Furman joins Icons AV sales for Hall Technologies SOUTH AFRICA

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Roy Leggett Roy Leggett has been named EMEA sales director for Hall Technologies and will in turn lead international sales for the manufacturer’s products in the Europe, Middle East and Africa regions.

“We are pleased and excited to announce the appointment of Roy Leggett as director of sales for the EMEA region,” commented

Hal Truax, VP of sales and marketing at Hall Technologies. “He brings a wealth of expertise in the EMEA dealer and distributor landscape.

We are aggressively expanding our global reach, and the addition of Roy to the team will help us amplify our efforts abroad. Roy’s knowledge of the industry is amazing, enabling him to provide world-class support in real time to the Hall customers in the EMEA region.”

Leggett boasts more than three decades of experience in the tech and AV/IT trades, with significant sales expertise combined with a depth of product knowledge across several industries. “I am delighted to be working with Hall Technologies on this next phase of the journey,” said Leggett. “Our management team has a clear vision with some exciting and bold plans. Couple this with some amazingly talented and dynamic people, together with some fantastic new products, makes for an excellent recipe for success.”

Gary Furman has joined South African company Icons AV, in charge of business development. Furman moves to the company having worked in the professional audio industry for almost 25 years, most recently holding the position of general manager for audiovisual distributor Wild & Marr.

“All my time in this industry has been spent in distributing solutions comprised of premium class-leading products and brands – Icons if you will,” commented Furman. “I met Icons MD Cliff Janit in the late 1990s, but really got to know him over a two-year period when he worked at my previous employer. We immediately realised that whilst most of our skills were different, the combination of them was extremely complementary which led to many business successes.

“Being asked to join the team at Icons is exciting,” he added. “From being at a large company that has 75 years of history and legacy and moving to a business that is new and innovative is a major shift, and I am

Gary Furman relishing the prospect. I am extremely excited to work with the people at Icons who I already know well and look forward to what we can achieve as a team.” www.iconsav.co.za

Akira Mochimaru joins Johannes Kampert to lead Powersoft as global Pan Acoustics global sales marketing director as Leerschool retires www.halltechav.com

WORLD

WORLD

After serving in the position for more than a decade, Pan Acoustics international sales manager Jan Leerschool has announced his retirement. He will hand over the reins to head of global sales Johannes Kampert, who will now be responsible for the loudspeaker manufacturer’s international business.

Already interested in audio technology since his youth, Leerschool used his experience and network in the AV industry to advance the Wolfenbüttel-based company internationally piece by piece together with founder and CEO, Udo Borgmann. “When Udo and I introduced the Pan Beam series of active line source speakers to the world 11 years ago, we were an eight-man operation,” Leerschool

recalled. “To date, Pan Acoustics has grown to almost 30 employees, which is great.”

The manufacturer also moved into newly constructed company headquarters last year. “The fact that we are where we are now and operate as a reliable global player that keeps pace with the competition in terms of technology is also largely thanks to Jan,” explained Borgmann.

These doors have resulted in projects in France, England, Denmark, Switzerland, Italy, Turkey, the Arab world and elsewhere.

“And the great thing is that the loudspeaker installations are still running reliably after more than 10 years,” enthused Leerschool. www.pan-acoustics.de

Akira Mochimaru has been appointed by Italian amplifier manufacturer Powersoft as its new global marketing manager. His duties in the new role will be to “connect the dots” between customers, technology, products, communication and distribution through strategic business planning and guiding implementation. Based in the US, he will also coordinate with Powersoft’s New Jersey-based operations to help grow the company’s presence in the install market through his knowledge and network of contacts.

“My personal mission is to connect customer experience and products through the use of advanced technology with unique value,” explained Mochimaru.

“I have already experienced situations where customer problem-driven ideas met a company’s technology-driven ideas.

Powersoft has the capability and foundation

Akira Mochimaru to convert technologies to solve customers’ problems and improve their experience, so I look forward to working closely with staff across the divisions to develop a plan and execute it with excellence.” www.powersoft.com

New CEOs at Barco as Jan De Witte retires WORLD

Barco CEO Jan De Witte has announced his retirement. Jointly taking over the role as co-CEOs are Charles Beauduin and An Steegen. Having been CEO since 2016, De Witte has repor tedly played a crucial role in the company’s turnaround since that time, bringing focus, strengthening the leadership team, moving the por tfolio towards a solutions strategy and strengthening its digital capabilities.

He also steered the company through a difficult Covid-19 period.

“I am proud of what we have achieved together with the leadership team and the

Outgoing CEO, Jan De Witte

entire organisation over the past five years, with the support and trust I have enjoyed from Charles and our board members,” De Witte commented. “During the Covid-19 period, Barco has been able to strengthen its resilience and growth opportunities, and is in a position to fully maximise these in the next chapter under the leadership of Charles and An.” Beauduin and Steegen will start respectively on 1 September and 1 October.

With his experience as a business leader at Van de Wiele NV and with her experience as a technology and innovation leader at

IBM, imec and Umicore, as well as their backgrounds as members of the Barco board of directors, the pair are said to be per fectly suited to the new role. Their focus remains on the further internationalisation of the company in view of worldwide commercial and technological leadership in the various markets.

Additionally, the board of directors has appointed Frank Donck, independent director at Barco since April 2015, as chairman of the board. www.barco.com

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NEWS: SPECIAL REPORT

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Is hybrid here to stay?

Having been thrown into the world of hybrid events during the pandemic, 3Monkeys CTO Rudi Buchner shares his experience on a market sector that seems set to endure Rudi Buchner

Prior to 2020, what events was 3Monkeys typically involved with?

Prior to the pandemic, 3Monkeys was primarily engaged in content production and editorial work for events, basically screen content, also for tradeshows, exhibitions, point of sale and point of interest installations. Let’s call them activations in general. The key focus point of the company has always been the design aspect, in correlation with the fact that we are working almost exclusively with realtime tools. We don’t produce videos – we produce real-time 3D content, which has to be highly impactful and responsive.

We have also done a fair share of work in the broadcast sector – mainly in the US actually rather than the UAE – lower thirds, integrations for TV stations, etc., using the same toolset.

How has the pandemic shifted the mindset around hybrid events?

I think the first point to make is that our industry is full of life, and we all wanted life to carry on. We were dumped into the virtual world as a means of survival; we’ve since learnt lots and become aware of a lot of technology that was previously ignored. If two years ago you told a client whose speaker cannot attend the event,

The events of 2020 led Valley Presbyterian Church to commit to a fully hybrid approach “no problem, we will get him in by Teams”, everyone would have told you you’re completely nuts. You couldn’t do it. Then all of a sudden this became a standard and was the only means of keeping events running. At the same time, we realised, and many organisers also realised, that as important as the physical space is for the personal and networking component, with a virtual approach you can draw a much bigger crowd than you could ever have expected to

inside a ballroom, for example. The hybrid approach is a best of both combination of in-person and virtual/remote elements.

What were 3Monkeys first hybrid events like? Did everything go to plan?

Our first couple of hybrid events had their share of issues. The first one most heavily suffered from the fact that we had one of

those typically out of aspect ratio large LED walls in the background that was almost CinemaScope, and all of the video content had been created for that oddly shaped wall. This was a learning curve. Agencies and clients have got to produce content with considerations like this in mind. It’s amazing the simple things that don’t get considered until they become an issue later on. Similarly, do you want the live audience to have an identical experience to the virtual, or do you want to play to the strengths of each medium and create something more immersive for each type of viewer? These aren’t necessarily technical challenges, but creative questions that people are only beginning to appreciate as we all get more familiar with doing events this way. You might, for example, need double the number of cameras to create an interesting webcast than a live show.

What types of events benefit most from a hybrid approach?

There are really two main types: firstly, like my client’s example above, you have corporate presentations where the main goal is really just to see the CEO and management, etc., yet not everyone can travel to the location and instead will now join from their computer. They might be simple presentations, but they still need

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NEWS: SPECIAL REPORT to be visually appealing in order to be successful. That is one of the main points to take away from all our experiences so far with virtual events and transport over to hybrid: if it’s not engaging, it won’t work.

The second main scenario is that because the events guys onsite are all now comfortable using tools like Teams, Zoom or WebEx, it’s become a good means to getting speakers and presenters in remotely. I’d consider this really to be the first modern definition of what a hybrid event really means, or could mean – having speakers remotely and having the audience remotely, mixing it all together in a physical space to create a virtual event space at the end.

and there is regional legislation to think about. For instance, if we do an event for a government entity in the UAE, we also need to host the content in the UAE. Once again, the technical solutions exist but we in the event industry need to start embracing them.

Do you see a long-term future for hybrid events beyond the pandemic?

How has 3Monkeys adapted to this market shift?

We didn’t invent one new piece of technology, we’ve just reused tools that we are already familiar with in the live environment and suited to the virtual world.

Now, how do we get things editorially and from a programmatic point of view to be interesting? We use our existing realtime graphics system to make interesting “stages”. We can use our existing real-time graphics solutions; however, you quickly find out that if you do everything the same as you would for a live event, costs start exploding all over the place as you need to double up for the full physical and virtual sets. There needs to a middle ground that makes such an event feasible

Greenscreen filming for a virtual set will become increasingly common in hybrid productions for the clients. One means of finding a middle ground is using technology like NewTek’s TriCaster, which we just invested in. TriCaster has been “the” webcast tool for decades and it’s really built for storytelling, which is what 3Monkeys is all about. It gives us not only vision mixer abilities to manage lots of different feeds coming in and out, it gives you the link into the graphics world and a link to a set of stage development tools, but equally the possibility to be integrated with my existing production workflow, Ventuz.

What are the primary challenges for this event sector moving forward?

An often-ignored aspect is IT compliance and security, which is of major importance for corporate events. No matter where external or internal events take place, the broadcast solution (aka web portal) and all its inter faces need to be safe. There are a couple of international standards but that is not all – enterprises have their own compliance and security protocols

Definitely. Certain events like concerts have been a stop-gap because lockdowns have prevented people from attending in-person, but the live show is still really the preferred medium. The corporate world is completely different. An event that could once only draw an audience of 500 that now instead pulls in over 5,000 can provide a lot more value to the client than the traditional approach. In the middle of the pandemic, one of my US clients told me that starting to explore the possibility of virtual events showed them how to overcome the shortcomings of the webcasts they produced in parallel to physical events for years now. Webcasts have primarily been talking heads with presentations. Virtual events told us how to do better webcasts.

Many of the tools have matured greatly over the last year and we’ve learnt a ton of new creative techniques that make the experience more engaging for the viewer.

These techniques will all persevere. www.3monkeys.net

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NEWS: SPECIAL REPORT

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Shure offers expanded AV Conferencing Solutions with Stem and Microflex Ecosystems

As meetings continue to evolve in today’s hybrid workforce, the desire for a complete AV conferencing solution that sounds great and is user-friendly has never been in more demand.

Shure, a global leader in audio technology, recognises this and is extending their offerings to additional markets later this year.

Following the acquisition of Stem Audio in late 2020, Shure is redefining their award-winning conferencing portfolio in a unique way. This will reinforce the market-leading position of Shure’s Microflex product line while adding Stem Ecosystem solutions as the optimal proposition for end-users seeking straightforward audio for their daily conferencing needs. Together, Shure’s Stem Ecosystem and Microflex Ecosystem solutions offer customers a choice of complete audio systems for a best-in-class experience for any meeting without compromising on performance or ease of deployment.

EFFORTLESS AUDIO WITH STEM ECOSYSTEM Better audio doesn’t have to be complicated. With Stem Ecosystem solutions, anyone has the freedom to mix and match devices to create the perfect pickup in any collaboration space.

Since Stem Ecosystem products were designed for anyone and any room, customers can easily design, install and manage their meeting rooms. Plus, the devices are backed by a robust platform full of tools designed to make the process of adopting new technology effortless.

STEM ECOSYSTEM PRODUCTS Stem Ecosystem solutions include wall and table speakerphones, along with a ceiling microphone that blends into any room and syncs with networked loudspeakers, as well as

dedicated control systems for a complete audio package: Stem wall Equipped with 15 microphones that perform beamforming, plus full-range speakers and subwoofers, the Stem Wall product ensures everybody has a voice.

Stem Table Optimised for tabletops and flat surfaces, the Stem Table product is equipped with nine microphones that perform real beamforming and a downward-facing speaker for superior performance.

Stem Ceiling A 100-microphone ceiling array comes with two mounting options (low profile or chandelier mode) and three beam options for exceptional coverage in any meeting room.

Stem Speaker Built to give users the freedom to expand sound to anywhere in the room, the Stem Speaker product is a PoE+ powered external speaker with three mounting options and a powerful driver for exceptional sound in any meeting space.

Stem Hub When more than one Stem Ecosystem device is used in a room, the Stem Hub product enables multiple units to communicate with each other in the room and function more effectively as a solution. With USB Type B, Ethernet, Dante, VoIP connectivity, and pluggable terminal blocks for external speakers, the Stem Hub product has all bases covered.

Stem Control A dedicated touch controller that connects to the network with a single Ethernet connection. The Stem Control product allows access to the Stem Ecosystem platform and remote management of an organisation, or can be used as an in-meeting controller with video conferencing platforms.

All Stem Ecosystem devices are networked PoE+ powered products. They are easy to install, with or without professional support.

EXPERIENCE PRECISION IN ANY ENVIRONMENT WITH MICROFLEX ECOSYSTEM From microphone to DSP to loudspeaker, Shure’s Microflex Ecosystem solutions offer a complete networked portfolio delivering premium audio that is highly scalable and customisable for best-in-class collaboration experiences for the most demanding spaces and clients. Microflex Ecosystem products can be

PRO AVL MEA September–October 2021

PAME Pg Shure Advertorial.indd 2

custom-tailored to meet precise coverage, connection and control requirements in complex meeting spaces used for AV conferencing, sound reinforcement, recording or voice lift applications.

Microflex Ecosystem solutions work with leading third-party software and hardware conferencing platforms, including Zoom, Cisco WebEx and others. Microflex Ecosystem microphones, DSP and loudspeakers are certified for Microsoft Teams. Connections are secure for Shure devices in the room with Shure Audio Encryption and users can seamlessly expand and manage their entire audio chain over any network infrastructure with Dante Domain Manager.

MICROFLEX ECOSYSTEM PRODUCTS Microphones Microflex Advance MXA910 Ceiling Array, MXA310 Table Array, MXA710 Linear Array Microphones and Microflex Wireless (MXW) Systems Loudspeaker Microflex MXN5-C Networked Ceiling Loudspeaker DSP IntelliMix P300 Audio Conferencing Processor and IntelliMix Room Audio Processing Software Software Designer System Configuration Software and SystemOn Audio Asset Management Software Accessories MXA Network Mute Button and Audio Network Interfaces “By maintaining the Stem Audio portfolio as a distinct set of products and offering our customers the option of two ecosystems, Shure can offer products with the right levels of customisability, features, design and price to suit every type of customer and every type of environment without having to compromise” said Jim Schanz, vice president of global System sales at Shure.”

AV experts focused on performance, or IT professionals focused on simplicity, security and support will find an option in Shure’s portfolio to meet their needs.

Both Shure’s Microflex Ecosystem and Stem Ecosystem solutions deliver high-quality audio products backed by a legendary support infrastructure that the company is known for.

Shure offers innovative audio solutions that are straightforward to set up, user-friendly and built to last. With two distinct product portfolios for conferencing audio, Shure has systems ideally suited to any type of customer and any type of meeting or teaching space. From small collaborative spaces to large multipurpose rooms, from the largest global enterprise or university to the small-medium business or local college, Stem Ecosystem and Microflex Ecosystem solutions scale to the needs of any sized institution.

To learn more about Stem Ecosystem solutions visit www.stemaudio.com To learn more about Microflex Ecosystem solutions visit www.shure.com/mxecosystem

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Explore the Shure audio ecosystem at shure.com/ecosystem

FEATURES: HOSPITALITY

Beyond breaking point An extensive Exterity IPTV solution is bringing state-of-the art guest services to travellers at Dubai Al-Maktoum Airport’s latest hospitality additions

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DRIVEN BY THE PROLIFERATION OF HANDHELD AND HOME media services, the offerings provided for guests in modern hotels have grown enormously in recent times. Whether stopping for a short turnaround, a one-day event or a longerterm stay, the newly opened Holiday Inn Dubai Al-Maktoum Airport and Staybridge Suites Dubai Al-Maktoum Airport hotels are designed to suit today’s guest. Located adjacent to one another, both hotels have invested heavily in reliable, cutting-edge entertainment and information systems to meet the needs of their targeted visitors.

As the latest additions to the growing Ishraq Hospitality property portfolio, the two complementary landmarks are belatedly preparing for their grand openings. The project’s construction process included a formal tender for a campuswide IPTV and digital signage solution. In total, this would serve approximately 1,000 screens across 606 guest rooms and public areas including the lobbies, restaurants, bars and meeting rooms. Offering 262 one- and twobedroom apartment-style suites, Staybridge Suites Dubai Al-Maktoum Airport has been created to provide independent living facilities for business travellers on longer stays in Dubai. Tailored towards short stopovers, the 344-room Holiday Inn Dubai Al-Maktoum Airport offers a wide range of meeting and event facilities ideal for business travellers.

These include three meeting rooms, a boardroom and a ballroom.

Ishraq Hospitality director of information technology, Shanu Ammunni and his technical team was delegated to draw up a shortlist for the IPTV and digital signage system. “Ease of use and reliability are especially important criteria for a hotel,” Ammunni explains. “We received a lot of proposals and there were many solutions to examine, some of which we had tried in the past and others which were new to us, like Exterity. Ultimately, we test things extensively to see if we can break them before we make any decisions.”

Exterity’s IPTV solution was the one that emerged unscathed following the thorough testing.

The new Al-Maktoum Airport site is a first for Staybridge Suites in Dubai Based on its past proven reliability in hospitality environments, the Exterity IPTV solution streams 125 channels of premium TV content together with hotel-branded infomercials to the hotels’ preferred choice of Samsung Hospitality TVs. Crucially for the modern traveller, guests can connect their own mobile devices to the IPTV system to access additional on-demand video services via site-wide, high-speed internet access. In addition, the Exterity deployment also provides seamless integration with the OPERA property management and integrated point-of-sale systems used at both hotels. This gives guests in-room access to room service, billing, concierge services and spa bookings, directly from screens in each room and suite.

Furthermore, the solution powers the digital signage screens in the bars, restaurants, spas and common areas across both locations. Although the digital signage will be commonly used to provide wayfinding and other guest information, it can be customised to meet the individual needs of businesses using the hotel meeting and conference rooms.

With the system up and running for almost one year now, Ammunni confirms that the reliability of the 1,000-endpoint Exterity system has lived up to his initial expectations.

“Our contractors worked closely with Exterity to design and implement the solution and the whole process went

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FEATURES: HOSPITALITY Exterity hospitality regional sales manager for the Middle East, Victor Hasan, was present from conception to commissioning.

“With travel bans beginning to ease and travellers preparing for hotel stays worldwide once again, there is an expectation that hospitality venues be technologically advanced to assure

One of the Holiday Inn guest rooms Staybridge Suites’ proximity to the 2020 Expo site makes it an ideal stopover for longer-term Expo guests smoothly,” notes Ammunni. “There have been no failures to date with any of the Exterity parts of the installation and the ArtioGuest software has also allowed us to make minor changes when required. Post launch, our facility team has been able to operate the system without any further assistance, as the software is extremely easy to use.”

Looking towards the future, Ammunni is considering expanding the system to include IP-video-over-Wi-Fi capability so that guests can access TV content via their personal mobile devices at any location across the entire campus.

“The Exterity solution has proven reliable, flexible and easy to use. The project’s success has been noticed by the wider group which is now considering Exterity for further hotels within Dubai and other regions,” the hotels’ director of information technology concludes.

guests of a welcome, comfortable and ‘safe-as-home’ experience,” comments the Dubai-based Hasan. “The upgrade undertaken by Holiday Inn and Staybridge Suites Dubai Al-Maktoum Airport highlights the importance of hoteliers investing in cutting-edge IPTV and video communications to deliver modern guest experiences. We are incredibly proud Exterity was chosen to fulfil this state-of-the-art upgrade.”

For most modern travellers, hotel services offered beyond a quiet and comfortable night’s sleep vary considerably. With the ongoing pandemic, these needs have been refocused and amplified. With some guests facing the possibility of being confined to their rooms for long periods of time, the ability to provide them with a hotel experience that is as close to homelife as possible has become vital. www.exterity.com

Inside a typical Staybridge Suites apartment

www.ishraqah.com

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FEATURES: HOSPITALITY

Dinner in the desert

Four international restaurants have opened in Riyadh Oasis where for the first time, the DJ and music are the central focus IT MIGHT BE HARD TO BELIEVE, BUT RIYADH OASIS IS NO figment of the imagination. Situated an hour’s drive outside of the capital city, the complex has been just one of the entertainment initiatives launched by Turki Al Sheikh, chairman of the general entertainment authority in Saudi Arabia, in the wake of the pandemic and as the country continually strives to persuade citizens to holiday at home rather than nipping off to neighbouring hotspots.

Quite literally an oasis in the desert, the complex is described as a luxury entertainment project complete with shopping, cultural events, music and sports offerings – all intended to draw residents out of the city for some much-needed relaxation. Despite the government’s preference for home vacationing, many Saudis travel abroad for their summer holidays but have also been unable to do so this year because of travel restrictions.

The coronavirus pandemic has also severely restricted Saudi Arabia’s plans to develop its tourism and entertainment industry, new sectors that are central to the strategy of diversifying its oilreliant economy and a primary focus of its Vision 2030 initiative.

The idea for the Oasis project originated in December 2020 as a way of quickly boosting the Kingdom’s entertainment sector as it recovers from the pandemic.

The primary allure for guests at the complex is the four “pop-up” restaurants operated by internationally renowned chains, including Japanese restaurant Zuma, Latin American fusion restaurant Amazonico, Emirati Arabic restaurant Ninive and Greek seafood

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FEATURES: HOSPITALITY restaurant Nammos. A remote desert on the northern outskirts of Riyadh might not be the expected location for a collection of some of the finest names on the global restaurant scene, but that’s exactly what guests here will find.

Having worked closely with the managements of Zuma and Nammos to outfit their respective Dubai-based outlets, Levels AV was approached by the site owner to handle the audio integration for all four restaurants at the Oasis. “In the past year or two, the Saudi government has been looking for ways to open up tourism and hospitality, with the onus on both government and private organisations, as well as Saudi investors, to go out to the world and bring back concepts to introduce into the Saudi market,” explains Levels AV managing partner, Hassan Alwan. “One of these investors travelled out to Dubai with the aim of finding the very best restaurant concepts to take back to Saudi Arabia. They identified Zuma, Nammos, Amazonico and Ninive as the real leaders in their field.”

Not only are the four venues very different in their respective cuisines, but each also has a specific visual aesthetic, brand identity and ambiance that Levels would need to preserve. The integrator’s prior experience with Nammos and Zuma therefore made it the ideal candidate for the job.

The Tourism Authority chose a barren location outside Riyadh nestled among the sand dunes, which while idyllic for visitors, created obstacles for the Levels team when it came time to begin the audio integration. Furthermore, the timeline the various companies were working to left little room for error.

“I’m not exaggerating, it was literally sand dunes and that’s all,” recalls Daniel Ball, Levels AV managing partner. “There wasn’t a single road going out there, not a single building, no power and no infrastructure whatsoever. And they were looking to open in just a month.”

“And when we say ‘pop-up’, you might assume that these are very fast, easy to construct, ground-storey huts,” furthers Alwan.

“But they are fully concrete – they’re permanent, they’re not going anywhere and this was all built within a month. The amount of detail that they’ve gone into and effort invested to make it look like the true outlets is simply phenomenal. But because of the very tight timeframes, and everything happening around the Christmas period, a permanent system simply wasn’t possible.”

It was determined that the best course of action was for Levels to instead call upon its rental stock which, unusually, was available due to the lack of live events at the time. “After this, we spent about a week working with their designers, with the teams from Saudi and from London, to get a strong understanding of what each restaurant wanted inside,” recalls Alwan. “Then we sent the equipment out into the middle of the Saudi desert.”

Situated approximately five minutes’ walk from each other, Levels designed dedicated audio systems that varied according to each brand’s requirements, yet follow similar methodologies.

Zuma is dutifully reinforced via four wall-mounted Pioneer Pro Audio XY122 two-way 12-inch loudspeakers, eight XY81 two-way full-range 8-inch cabinets and five XY115S subwoofers for additional low-end reinforcement. Power is delivered from a selection of Powersoft K3 and K10 amplifiers. Nammos tweaks

Amazonico

Greek seafood restaurant Nammos

Zuma this setup slightly, instead calling on a pair of Pioneer XY122 cabinets, alongside six XY101 10-inch full-range loudspeakers and three XY115S subwoofers – all powered from four Powersoft X4 amplifiers. Amazonico steps up the configuration once more, with eight XY122 and two XY81 paired with three XY118S single 18-inch subwoofers. Power at Amazonico is from four Powersoft T604 amplifiers. All three venues rely on Xilica Solaro FR1 DSP Cores for audio zoning and local control.

In contrast to the other three outlets, Levels took a different approach at Ninive, deploying French manufacturer L-Acoustics’ products for the final outlet. Eight L-Acoustics X8 cabinets

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together with a pair of SB15m subwoofers reinforce the restaurant area, while a pair of Pioneer CDJ3000NX3 turntables and a DJM900NXS2 mixer are joined in the DJ both by a single QSC K10.2 monitoring and Mackie ProFX compact mixer. A Shure QLXD4/SM58 wireless microphone solution provides inputs to the audio system, while a Symetrix Radius 128EX DSP and Symetrix xOut12 handle the DSP, zoning and system management requirements.

“We’ve recently become a certified partner for L-Acoustics,” explains Alwan. “This was technically our first project with the brand and, honestly, I was blown away. I was shocked at how clear the tops were and how great the response was from these 8-inch drivers. “Because of sequencing of the project, most of our attention at the beginning was with the other three restaurants. Eventually, we got the L-Acoustics equipment set up and the client walks in absolutely blown away by the sound.

We had to tell him that we’d only taken the speakers out of the boxes and spread them around – now the actual work begins.

Needless to say, everyone was more than impressed with the end result.”

Beyond its location in the middle of the desert, there were several novel challenges for Levels to tackle. Zuma, Amazonico, Nammos and Ninive all place a big emphasis on the music element, and their opening at Riyadh Oasis would form one of the first occasions in Saudi history that a restaurant concept debuted with a permanent DJ offering, and beyond that, where the DJ and music are the central focus of the venue.

“When the equipment arrived and our team started the installation, there were concerns about the size of the speakers,” shares Ball. “In fairness, the country isn’t accustomed to these types of music-focused outlets, as most restaurants have simple ceiling speaker setups for quiet background music. In order to have a central feature where the DJ is integral to the experience, you really need a proper sound system.

“Given those initial concerns from the overall project client, it was interesting to see how hard the systems were being driven on those opening nights. It’s been a huge learning process for everyone to deviate from what they’re used to, but we had nothing but positive comments.”

The original intention was for Riyadh Oasis to be a temporary venue, created as part of several desert-based activations that formed Riyadh’s three-month-long Winter Festival. The infrastructure, however, is permanent, and with the homegrown holiday experiment proving more than successful, it’s likely the concept will return for the upcoming summer season.

When that happens, Levels will be left with a decision to make – switch to a more permanent installed solution that lays dormant in the Saudi desert for more than half a year, or stick to the now tried-and-tested approach used this time around.

Perhaps the next time, the lack of dormant rental inventory will force the decision. www.l-acoustics.com www.levelsav.com www.pioneerproaudio.com

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FEATURES: WORSHIP

TechNet spreads the spoken word

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The aurally challenging interior of the Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal Mosque required acoustic treatment for its worshippers LOCATED WITHIN THE AL-FAIHA DISTRICT OF KUWAIT CITY, Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal Mosque was named after the prominent Imam who lived from AD 780–855. Considered to be one of the Orthodox founders of the Hanbali school of Sunni jurisprudence, the Imam was a highly influential and active scholar during his lifetime. Most recently, the mosque has been significantly enhanced with the addition of a steerable speaker system.

Just as Ibn Hanbal went on to become one of the most venerated intellectual figures in Islamic history, Kuwait TechNet Company (TechNet) is seeking to project Fohhn Audio AG as the sound reinforcement brand of choice within Middle Eastern Masjids. Founded in 2001, TechNet has been called upon to enhance the audio quality and intelligibility in over 300 Kuwaiti mosques alone.

Renowned business entrepreneur and philanthropist, Adnan Aljraiwy, generously donated towards the construction of the Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal Mosque. The landmark including the minarets is characterised by a classical Ottoman architectural design. Visually appealing, the aurally challenging interior required acoustic treatment for its worshippers. As such, the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs was called upon to supervise the acoustic and electrical engineering works within the 1,500-capacity building, including the main Haram prayer hall in addition to smaller Musalla halls located on the ground (men) and first-floor (women) levels.

Using EASE modelling and a Beta version of Fohhn Audio Soft software, the Fohhn–TechNet engineers focused their attention on reducing the reverberation time within the critical 500Hz – 1kHz frequency band from 6.3s to 1.9–2.2s. Fohhn LFI-350

and LFI220 Steerable Linea Focus column speakers are wall-mounted in an L-R configuration in the main Haram. Both Musalla halls are equipped with six Fohhn LX-100 enclosures.

“A further modification was made by adding an absorbing layer under the carpet which helped us to attain that optimum level,” explains TechNet managing director, Adel Behzadi. “Ultimately, we recorded a Speech Transmission Index of around 0.60.”

For the Fohhn–TechNet team, this marked the second project to adopt Linea Focus beam-steering technology following the successful implementation in the Sheikh Jaber Al-Ali Mosque.

“The sophisticated building architecture, lack of acoustic absorbers and reverberation time would normally make a project like this very challenging,” comments Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs head of engineering, Salah Al-Shalahi.

“Following guidance from the Fohhn–TechNet engineers, we have now set a new intelligibility standard. By adopting Fohhn solutions, we can enhance and deploy intelligible audio systems that are capable of yielding high SPLs and provide smooth, even coverage across the listening plain for all our future mosque projects.”

The architectural engineer emphasised the need to minimise speaker placement inside the Haram. Built to be discreet, the 130mm x 120mm (WxD) dimensions of the Fohhn Linea Focus cabinets were specified to provide a “less is more” speaker solution. In addition, the 3.49m-high LFI-350 and 2.25m-high LFI-220 speakers would need to perfectly blend in with the interior design of the Mihrab, which is a semicircular recess in the wall indicating the qibla and where the Imam hosts the service. Constructed of a special timber, the Mihrab is adorned with an Islamic Arabesque art together with fine marble.

The Fohhn LFI-350 and LFI220 speakers blend into their surroundings

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FEATURES: WORSHIP vertically and between 0° and 90° horizontally. Referred to as Two Beam Technology, this allows the speakers to generate two separate beams in their vertical dispersion range, providing simultaneous and focused coverage of different audience areas. Side Lobe Free Technology integrates a special algorithm to suppress undesirable side lobes that will occur within the beam.

The two Linea Focus enclosures combine to provide 95dB SPL between 50–80m distance from their outputs. Providing improved directional audio and speech intelligibility, the combined 5.74m lengths enhance acoustic efficiency and low-frequency control. Fixed to the walls by specially painted mounting brackets, the resultant 40kg columns are networked together and monitored from a laptop.

“Beam-steering line source is a relatively new technology, but Kuwait was the first country to adopt Fohhn within the mosques,” confirms Behzadi. “Although the project was a great challenge, the Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal Mosque wasn’t our first installation and we received excellent assistance from the German headquarters. Ultimately, we had to design an acoustical system that would combine a high SPL with excellent speech intelligibility in a harsh acoustic environment.”

Elsewhere within the mosque, a passive system comprising six TOA 630 horn speakers and Fohhn LX-100 columns are powered and networked by Fohhn D-2.750 rack-mounted digital amplifiers. Analogue mixing is performed on an Allen & Heath WZ3 MixWizard console and the Imams address worshippers with Sennheiser G4 e965 hand-held microphones.

The progressive mosque is attracting the attention of other Kuwaiti mosques seeking to enhance audio intelligibility in similarly acoustically harsh rooms. Having adopted its Fohhn toolbox to suit the bespoke nature of this Haram, TechNet has demonstrated an ability to disguise electroacoustic technology from the eyes of a worshipper, while drawing aural attention.

The 1,500-capacity Haram Hall

Intelligibility in the smaller Musalla halls are served by Fohhn LX-100 columns Having matched the RAL colour, the Fohhn specialists carefully finished the aluminium Linea Focus enclosures in a unique dyecoat paint to ensure that the resultant columns blend naturally into their architectural surroundings.

Integrating 24 and 16 4-inch neodymium speakers respectively, the LFI-350 and LFI-220 columns each comprise the same number of Class-D amplifiers and DSP processors.

Using Fohhn’s software, electronic adjustments can be performed in precise 0.1° increments between –40° and 40°

The Ahmad Ibn Hanbal Mosque is characterised by its classical Ottoman architecture

www.fohhn.com www.ktctech.net

eir

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FEATURES: INSTALLATION

The right way

A projector refresh at the Theatre of Digital Art in Dubai has taken its immersive art exhibits to new heights THERE HAS BEEN AN EXPLOSION IN THE USE OF DIGITAL art in recent years as the technology required to power such exhibits has finally caught up with the high expectations and requirements set by designers and artists. Since the start of the pandemic, two such world-class exhibits have opened up in Dubai for residents to explore, and the trend looks set to explode further as people seek out interesting new entertainment spots following nearly a year of little to no fun.

To meet this desire, the Theatre of Digital Art (ToDA) has opened its doors to visitors at Souk Madinat Jumeirah, close to the Mall of the Emirates. While the scale of ToDA may be quite humble in contrast to other attractions Dubai has on offer, it nevertheless packs in a lot of impressive visual equipment in order to bring static artworks to life. A recent projector refresh has also given the venue a brand-new shine.

The ToDA space combines three formats of digital art spread over 1,800m2 of space, including multimedia exhibitions, contemporary immersive installations and art in virtual reality.

The main focus is on the digital display of classical works, brought to life in combination with music, visual and surround sound effects, with the inaugural exhibition showcasing the works of nine celebrated artists. There are several sections to explore – traditional and classical art exhibitions, a contemporary digital art zone, hands-on exhibits for children and a virtual reality area.

“Previously, the main auditorium space was a traditional theatre where you could watch a ballet or dance recital,” explains ToDA general manager, Gabriel Afrim. “We have completely transformed it into a digital space. When you enter the room, visitors are immersed into the environment via giant imagery covering the walls and ceiling. They’re completely enveloped in the artwork from all angles.”

In order to accomplish this sense of immersion, the quality of the visuals is paramount, and something the ToDA management felt was lacking at its initial launch. Originally, the team opted for a “go it alone” approach, striving to get doors open for visitors as soon as possible after pandemic restrictions started to ease.

ToDA can host a variety of other events for clients “We started off with different projectors – ones we had bought and installed ourselves,” recalls Afrim. “Even though our customers were appreciative of the experience from day one, the technical team, owners and investors all wanted to create the absolute best environment possible. Because of this, we made the decision to fully replace our initial projector infrastructure.”

Starting over gave the team a chance to revisit things from a different perspective while drawing on the expertise of the industry’s biggest providers. “We started reaching out to companies for the best solutions available,” the general manager continues. “All of the big manufacturers came to us with proposals for the project. We sent them our requirements and asked to see their best models. We then started assessing the best options. It was a very close competition.”

After first whittling the selection down to two preferred brands, more detailed studies were completed to assess which would work best for ToDA’s purposes. “We were working closely with two main companies, and they were showing us their best

products. This was very important to us because we are working with art – they’re paintings, the colour is massively important and we wanted to showcase customers the best possible picture. When we tried out Epson’s models, there was a huge difference in the picture quality. It wasn’t that the other solutions were bad, but there was something special about the Epson models in their colour. When considering this specific point, they really stood out.”

Perhaps this is no surprise given the popularity of Epson’s trademark 3LCD technology, which has always been pitted head-to-head from a technological standpoint with the 3DLP technique used in many other manufacturers’ models. “The other important benefits were the size of Epson’s projectors – which are much more compact – as well as the lower running noise. These were both very important to the installation process, and putting all of this together ended up making our decision quite easy.”

To further cement ToDA’s decision, Epson provided a design for the projectors that went above and beyond. “We provided their team with a 3D model of our space and they came back to us with a complete recommendation,” the GM adds.

The old auditorium is now home to the ToDA main gallery – a 40m x 20m space extending all the way up to a height of 12m.

The visuals are beamed from more than 30 Epson projectors mounted from the walls and ceiling surrounding the room, including six of the manufacturer’s flagship 15,000-lumen EB-L1755U projectors, 10 EB-L1495U 9,000-lumen WUXGA laser projectors, two EB-L1505UHs, eight ELPLW08s, four ELPLU03s and finally four ELPLU04s. The visuals delivered to the projectors come from a Dataton Watchout media sever.

One other previously unappreciated element for Afrim was the attention to detail given by both the manufacturer and its local distributor, NMK Electronics. “This was something that I wasn’t expecting but was really appreciated. We ended up feeling like we were all one big team, like colleagues. Abdulla from Epson, and Dino and Alex from NMK were all instrumental in helping us to achieve our aims.”

While Afrim’s projector expectations were more than usurped by Epson’s flagship models, the manufacturer is also now able to boast a class-leading digital theatre among its reference projects in the Middle East – an increasingly key market for the brand.

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“As the events scene in Dubai and the Middle East begins to open up post-pandemic, immersive events are key for attracting visitors, and giving them new levels of engagement with art, music and culture. ToDA’s criteria was to ensure the images presented were of high-quality projection, specifically designed for larger venues,” explains Neil Colquhoun, vice president of CISMEA, Epson Europe. “Together with our local distributor NMK Electronics, 18 state-of-the-art Epson Pro projectors of up to 15,000 lumens have been deployed at ToDA, including our EB-L1755U, which is capable of providing super light, heat resistance and excellent reliability for up to 83,000 hours. We also added a variety of lenses for more flexibility and to provide vivid, high-quality images in narrow spaces.”

“We needed to ensure that the projectors we chose for ToDA added the maximum brightness, colours and light in order to bring the best out of the artistic work being portrayed and without question, the solution exceeded the clients expectation,” comments Alex Kemanes, managing director at NMK Electronics. “In addition, the display solution provided laser-sharp images, HD quality, 4K enhancement and a flexible 360° installation – with motorised lenses enabling it to be placed virtually anywhere without distortion or loss of brightness.”

After several months operating with the new projectors, Afrim says that the difference is like night and day over the original specification.

“Thankfully the transition between the two setups was quite smooth, and we’re now in discussions with Epson and NMK to help with the floor projections. We are also considering making another entirely new space. We’ve had big queues and sometimes even had to turn people away. There’s clearly a big appetite for these exhibits and we’ll be looking to expand into other areas in the region in the future.”

Danish cellist, double bassist and pianist Soren Lyng Hansen accompanies the immersive exhibits with live music

www.epson-middleeast.com www.nmkelectronics.com www.toda.ae

The venue provides a malleable backdrop for other events

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FEATURES: EDUCATION

Remote ambitions

One of newly equipped classrooms at UM6P

As Mohammed VI Polytechnic University commits to hybrid and remote learning, DDM ensures students hear all WHEN GLANCING BACK OVER THE LAST 18 MONTHS, IT almost seems as if some companies could predict the abrupt interruptions and challenges that were about to hit in 2020, and were well on their way to devising solutions to problems that were still yet to exist. Located near Marrakech, Morocco’s Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) is a private, non-profit university dedicated to applied research and innovation in Africa. With the onset of the pandemic, its classrooms sat empty as lessons couldn’t be attended in-person.

The university enjoys unique partnerships with other renowned establishments all across the world and cites the digital delivery of education as one of its key pillars. It was for this reason that Rafiq El Alami, CIO and head of UM6P’s Digital Learning Lab, began traversing the path to integrating remote learning solutions for its farer-flung students and faculty back in 2019. “We wanted to open our classes to remote learners and even remote teachers when needed,” he explains. “We also want to enable all our students to access full recordings of their classes as soon as the lesson is over. For both those scenarios, having a smart voice system that can efficiently attract speakers and learners and ensure high-quality voice capture is crucial.”

Alami’s timing couldn’t have been more fortunate – when the pandemic introduced a brand-new world of social and travel restrictions, UM6P had already designed and was beginning to

deploy an appropriate workaround. The coronavirus pandemic was never the original impetus behind its latest audio upgrade.

The university has invested heavily in its digital capabilities in recent years, with well-equipped digital teaching infrastructures and the continual development of e-learning modules, known as MOOCS (Massive Open Online Courses). The MOOCS support the university’s ambition to open classes to remote learners and remote teachers as required. But to do this effectively, UM6P understands the need to provide students with a seamless participation experience.

Local systems integrator Dimension Data Morocco (DDM) quickly became involved in the project, working closely with microphone manufacturer Shure to devise a suitable audio solution to meet UM6P’s remote requirements. Of key concern for the university was retaining flexibility in the classroom setup, which has a modular design and can be easily split into three zones to cater to multiple teaching scenarios. The DDM and Shure designed solution dutifully matched Alami’s high expectations.

The university’s senior IT programme manager, Raja Trajene, spearheaded the project while working closely with both the manufacturer and systems integrator. “We created a mic solution that offers full flexibility to the teacher when moving around as well as to capture the students’ questions without picking up the ambient noise,” she recalls.

“The university already had some classrooms using Cisco WebEx but were not happy with the microphones for the Cisco solutions,” furthers DDM business development manager, Aymane Ottani.

“So even before Covid, they knew they needed a new capture system that could be integrated with WebEx. The initial part of the project saw us start with five classrooms for the Africa Business School [ABS], a department within the Polytechnic.”

The chosen solution by DDM and the head of the university’s Digital Learning Lab is based around Shure’s Microflex Advance MXA910 Ceiling Array Microphone and complemented by the IntelliMix P300 Audio Conferencing Processor to enhance “all aspects of the audio”, says Ottani. The P300 is a digital signal processor that supports both acoustic echo cancellation (AEC) and automatic gain control (AGC), allowing a microphone’s signal to automatically adjust its output according to the environment, as required.

“We want to give our professors the flexibility to move freely around and to capture their voices irrespective of their position, whether that’s immediately in front of the students or further back at a whiteboard,” explains Trajene. The MXA910 meets this requirement though its use of Steerable Coverage technology, making it possible to arrange lobes of audio coverage that align with UM6P’s various room setups and multiple teaching scenarios.

Lecture capture enables classes to be recorded and played back by students for remote revision, while the audio clarity achieved via the MXA910 ceiling arrays at the point of delivery ensures that every participant can speak with and hear everyone else, utilising full room coverage and clear audio processing.

“The key success with remote participation is the quality of the audio,” Trajene notes. “With the great user experience and audio quality we’ve been able to achieve in our lecture recordings, we will definitely be recommending the use of the MXA910 and IntelliMix in all our future deployments.”

The Microflex ceiling array and P100 processor seem to offer a winning formula in Morocco, where Ottani has witnessed a sharp rise in requests in recent months. Similarly, work at the university shows no signs of slowing down as it looks to expand the solution to many more classrooms in the near future. Having thoroughly tested the quality of the Microflex solutions now on offer in the five ABS classrooms, the university is making plans to rollout similar setups at almost 100 classrooms across its various campuses.

Now the students are returning to a combination of in-person and distance learning as pandemic restrictions ease, the dualpurpose solutions at UM6P position the college perfectly for today’s world of education. ddm.ma

MXA910 arrays installed in the ceiling provide the flexible pickup required by staff

www.shure.com

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Middle East 7 Years

Think Globally Act Locally Over 100,000sqm of indoor and outdoor inventory ready for delivery 2021 marks the 20th anniversary of Absen as well as the 7th anniversary of the Absen Middle East DMCC. From jaw-dropping corporate lobbies to retail stores of the future, whatever your vision or requirement, there is an Absen LED solution that can be scaled and designed to fit your project needs.

For more details, please feel free to contact our UAE local team.

Alina Yuan

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TEL/WhatsApp: 00971 558868176 (UAE) E-mail/MSN: alina@absen.com

Twitter: @LEDAbsen

Facebook: @LEDAbsen

UAE branch office and show room: Room 1705, Tower 2, Cluster X, JLT

LinkedIn: Absen

Instagram: absenled

26/08/2021 16:49

BUSINESS: COMMENT

A letter from America

Wall Street won, didn’t they? Dan Daley on how the music industry is being swallowed up by private equity firms A DECADE OR SO AGO, I COULD NO LONGER RESIST pointing out, in a business column much like this one, in another publication, that the music industr y, including its production infrastructure, was being increasingly gobbled up by the financial industr y. It was clear even then that Spotify, which had launched in 2006, was an IPO play waiting to happen (it did so in 2018). By then, Warner Music Group had already been acquired by a consor tium of private equity firms led by Bain Capital, and another firm, Tailwind Capital, helped Concord Records – itself a repositor y of plenty of outside funding – take over Fantasy Records. The pieces of the record industr y, shattered by the disruptions first of downloads and then of streaming, were being collected, on the cheap, by deep-pocketed financial firms. It was not unlike the way Russian oligarchs picked up the pieces of the old Soviet Union’s industrial base for a few kopeks on the ruble a decade earlier.

The transaction I focused on at the time, though, was Guy Hands’ purchase of EMI, which took place in 2007.

It included the storied label’s catalogue of masters plus whatever copyrights accompanied them. But it was its iconic studio complex, Abbey Road, the flagship for what

was still a somewhat global studio empire, that concerned me. Hands was a character – he once played Lady Macbeth in a high school production – but he seemed to have a sharp eye for value, making head of Eurobond trading at Goldman Sachs before he was 30. What would become of the Beatles’ temple under his greeneyeshade gaze? (I’m still surprised – and relieved – that we have not yet seen Abbey Road, The Ride, at Disney or Universal.)

Alas, at least for Mr Hands, the EMI deal proved to be a bridge too far. A combination of the label’s huge debt load and the onset of the global recession in 2007, plus the fact that CD sales were in a tailspin and streaming hadn’t yet found its footing, forced a takeover by EMI lender Citibank. But before all that happened, my commentar y on how the financial folks were about to render music as so much tranched collateral touched Hands’ buttons, and he wrote me, with typical British restraint, a nicely worded screw-you note, with the admonition that it please not be printed. I honoured that, but did reply in print in 2011, which got me a bit of a cheap laugh, though made more valuable by being the last laugh.

Fast-forward to today and one might think Mr Hands had written the current playbook for music. Billions of pounds and dollars are being spent acquiring the song catalogues of everyone from Bob Dylan to Neil Young. Iconic studios like House of Blues, Muscle Shoals Sound, Ocean Way Nashville, Power Station and Capricorn Studios have been bought up, mostly by well-endowed universities that have turned them into prestigious labs for their production classes, or tech companies that wear them as badges of authenticity. As I write this, a 10% share taken by a UK holding company has valued French-owned Vivendi (namely Universal Music Group) at £35 billion, which has also sold bits of itself to an American chequebook company and China-based Tencent.

The future of the music business will be determined in boardrooms in the City and on Wall Street, with input from Silicon Valley. What I feared would come to pass a decade ago indeed has, and we might just go ahead and start thinking about what Abbey Road, The Ride, might eventually look like. (We’ll likely stand on a Long And Winding line to get on.) Guy Hands wasn’t wrong, he was just a bit too early.

A letter from Europe Phil Ward reflects on how MI and music technology retail has fallen foul to the digital realm THE MUSIC SHOP OWNER WITH GRANITE SIDEBURNS SAT down beside me, exhaled wearily and summed up his problems. “Bloody computers”, he said. Not “the internet”, or “online retail”; just “computers” in general, as if they had been chipping away at his business since 1969.

He was from Yorkshire – the modest spa town of Ilkley, to be exact. His was – and had been for 40 years – the only musical instrument shop for miles around. If you wanted a plectrum or a synthesiser or a squeeze box, this was your destination. Now, he sat next to me at the annual open day of John Hornby Skewes, one of the UK’s biggest MI distributors with headquarters close to the major city of Leeds, also in Yorkshire. My friend had not come far. In fact, he’d made little progress since The Beatles split up.

He wasn’t being prescient, either. He wasn’t speaking as home computing with online access was emerging as a strange phenomenon promising new horizons in retail. This was about seven years ago. He gave the impression, in fact, of having fought a rear-guard action against the phenomenon for all this time, heroically staving off the digital barbarians at the gate. Patronisingly, I felt sorry for him and suggested the hybrid notion of “clicks and mortar”, of supplementing

his real premises with a website – selling local charm using global dynamics. I might as well have spoken in Swahili.

He wasn’t wrong, though. MI and music technology retail has been through all the contortions of the high street since Amazon took over, even though you might think hands-on access to specific products would be a non-negotiable requirement here. The digital barbarians have breached the gate and stolen the portcullis, none more digital than Thomann, a German giga-shop that exists everywhere and nowhere and is the benchmark by which all European retail is measured inside and beyond this industry.

The World Wide Web has no respect for physical boundaries, least of all national borders, and this is felt especially keenly in Europe. The EU actively tries to restrict cross-border trading, much to Thomann’s chagrin, because internet mechanisms are so iconoclastic. Not even the dream of a single market is quite ready to wake up to the reality of unheeded transcontinental competition. But as for buying in Hampshire rather than Yorkshire… a no-brainer, if that’s where your strings vibrate.

Meanwhile, the good old days are packaged into tourist attractions. London’s Denmark Street is where the

American myth of Tin Pan Alley became applied to the UK’s songwriting and publishing hub, where Elton John once made the tea in a publisher’s office and where the Kinks or the Rolling Stones would walk through one door to buy guitars and take a few short steps through another to use them on the recording of a hit single. It’s now in the process of turning into a high-tech immersive media display centre, not unlike the domed Fremont Street in Vegas, complete with a new studio, per formance stages and heritage-prodding rentable spaces like Malcom McClaren’s former office, now called the Anarchy Suite. It’s run by a developer called Outernet London.

I don’t know if there’s still a music shop in Ilkley. I hope there is. But it won’t be anything like GuitarGuitar in Glasgow, Europe’s first physical retail space to be supported by Japanese music technology giant Roland.

Thanks to lockdown, instrument sales are said to be up 50% on 2019 and here’s another space promising “interactive and immersive experiences”. You used to get that in Ilkley by interacting with the brass doorknob and being immersed in cobwebs. But that’s not what we mean, nowadays.

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The excellence of Made in Italy

www.tasker.it Untitled-2 4

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BUSINESS: COMPANY PROFILE

Rock & roll royalty

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Martin Audio founder Dave Martin at the R&D bench

Caroline Moss looks back over the 50 years since Martin Audio’s visionary founder brought the brand into existence, ushering in half a century of talent and dedication SEVERAL NOTABLE BRITISH BRANDS HAVE SHAPED THE international touring scene by the sheer passion and drive of their founders, but Martin Audio surely leads the way.

The company’s history spans the early days of touring as it pioneered groundbreaking developments in entertainment and installation technology by way of rock & roll greatness, innovative product design, tragedy, endurance and reinvention. The latest chapter in Martin Audio’s history opened in 2019 with its acquisition by the Focusrite Group, joining stablemates Focusrite, Focusrite Pro, Novation, Ampify, ADAM Audio, new baby sibling, Optimal Audio and legendary synth brand, Sequential.

Pink Floyd’s 1973 Earls Court appearance – with a 7,000W 215 system

Dave Martin proudly displays a gold disc for his services to Sade’s 1988 tour

To understand what has made Martin Audio such a revered and enduring brand, you must go back to its debut in 1971 and the seemingly simple aim of Australian sound engineer Dave Martin: to enable bands to play to larger audiences and be properly heard. But back then, that wasn’t so easy to fulfil. Just six years earlier, in 1965, the Beatles had largely stopped playing live due to poor sound quality and inability for the music to be heard over the crowd noise.

Horn-loaded two-way systems were beginning to make an appearance though, and American bands were touring with systems based around RCA Shearer horns and Altec Lansing components. Due to the prohibitive cost of shipping these back to the US, bands would often sell them off to UK rental companies. Enter Martin, who was working at one such company, IES. But the boxes were heavy, and he started work on something a little more transportable, coming up with the 215 bass horn prototype which was used with Vitavox horn flares and JBL 2482 compression drivers for the midrange and high frequencies.

In 1973 Pink Floyd used a large version of this system for an Earls Court concert, comprising ground-stacked speakers on the stage and four flown stacks to project to the back.

This was one of the first major instances of what became the Martin Audio ethos: to get the best-quality sound to as much of the audience as possible. But the 215 was cumbersome and heavy, so the ever-enterprising Martin

sawed it in half to develop the 115. Following a shootout at the Roundhouse in Camden, North London, systems based on the 115 bass horn were installed in all the Rank nightclub chain’s major venues around London and at the Roundhouse itself. Meanwhile, an early stage monitor consisting of the 15-inch JBL E140/JBL 2301 pepper pot or potato masher acoustic lens with JBL 2420 compression driver embodied Martin’s compact, high-power approach.

By 1975, Martin Audio had moved from its original premises in central London’s Covent Garden to Euston’s Stanhope Street, next door to fellow touring pioneer, mixing console manufacturer Midas. This association supplied many British tours throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s as together, the companies developed the Martin/ Midas dedicated system, comprising a four-way Martin Audio speaker system, Midas console with system crossovers and Midas power amp, flightcased and ready to go.

Next came a key product in the company’s history: the legendary “Philishave” MH212 midrange horn. Dave Martin had discovered that two-inch compression drivers couldn’t provide sufficient power, warmth and impact through the critical lower midrange region, and designed this dual 12-inch horn-loaded cabinet to solve the problem. This came to define the brand’s sound, running from 250Hz to 1.5kHz, with an HF2M high-frequency horn added for 1.5kHz upwards.

“It was the compression, the force and the impact of the sound, not just the loudness,” remembers Cooper Cannady of North Carolina’s RMB audio production house, a longterm Martin Audio client. “I’ve never heard vocals, a guitar or drums sound like that. At 150 feet you could feel the snare drum slap you in the face and feel it on your skin.”

The MH212’s first major tour was Supertramp’s Breakfast in America, deploying what went on to be a popular combination in the US: 48 dual 15-inch bass bins, 36 Philishaves and 48 Emilar horns and drivers. The system, together with Midas amps, BSS MCS200 crossovers, Klark Teknik DN27 graphic EQs and custom Midas consoles, was purchased by the band for the tour and subsequently bought by a conglomerate of technicians and roadies who formed Delicate Productions, a long-term associate of Martin Audio.

And Dave Martin himself was presented with a gold disc for his services to the Supertramp tour.

Back in the UK, Keith Davis bought his first Martin Audio system for PASE hire in Yorkshire in 1979 before setting

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BUSINESS: COMPANY PROFILE

Capital Sound’s original Martin-Midas PA system in 1978

Dire Straits’ mighty setup at Turin’s Juventus Stadium in 1980

up Capital Entertainment which went on to become leading UK rental company, Capital Sound. By now, the brand was finding its way onto the riders of leading tours, and bass boxes including the B215 and the S Bin were also added to the lineup.

Notable clients and tours throughout the 1980s included French rental company Regiscene, the 1984 Glastonbury festival, The Who’s ML Executive rental company and Concert Sound, founded by Tim Boyle following the acquisition of an MkI modular system by Welsh band Man,

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EMl Productions’ F2 rig at 1994’s Torhout-Werchter festival in Belgium – one of the biggest, loudest PAs on the planet which went on tour with Dire Straits in 1985. By now, most major tours, with acts from Abba to Yes, were using Martin systems. Custom work during this period also included drum fills for ELP’s Carl Palmer and The Who’s Keith Moon.

As systems started to be flown, Martin Audio trialled its F1 system, quickly superseded by the F2 which combined a one-box system with the modular approach of the array.

The first major tour for F2 was with Capital Sound for Sade’s 1988 Stronger Than Pride tour with Roger Lindsay at FOH. Ironically, Lindsay hadn’t been a fan of Martin Audio until this point. “We went to a Sade rehearsal at Brixton Academy and Dave Martin was there with the F2 prototypes,” he recalls. “I remember joking at the time that Dave couldn’t have built it, because it sounded too good!” Good enough for Martin to be presented with another gold disc.

Chinese distributors visit Martin Audio’s premises in the 1990s The fledgling Capital Sound also invested in a big F2 system for a Simple Minds tour, while, in 1994, EML Productions used an F2 rig at the Torhout-Werchter festival in Belgium: one of the biggest and loudest systems ever assembled on the planet. The following year, the F2 went on tour with Capital Sound for Take That.

By now, Martin Audio had moved its factory and offices out of London to High Wycombe. In 1990, Dave Martin sold the business to TGI (Tannoy Goodman Industries), with David Bissett-Powell as the new managing director and Martin

himself remaining as engineering director in a part-time role, until his tragic and unsolved disappearance in 1992.

Bill Webb, whose first stint at Martin Audio had produced the smaller, portable CX system in the 1980s, rejoined the company as director of engineering, coming up with the successor to F2, the Wavefront series. He also ushered the company into the installation market – a core sector for the company ever since – with the EM series.

By 1996, Webb had come up with a complete touring system with rigging hardware, racks and DSP – the W8 series, featuring the popular W8C compact cabinet with accompanying W8CS subwoofer. This was followed by the Wavefront Theatre series and a three-way cinema system. In the same year, Martin Audio moved to much bigger premises at its current address in Halifax Road, High Wycombe.

The late 1990s saw Martin launch its Blackline series of multipurpose loudspeakers for mobile and installation applications. With some original models still going strong today, the series is now in its third iteration, and led to the AQ installation speakers which drew on the same technology.

By the end of the last millennium, Martin Audio had also begun to build a strong presence in APAC. This was largely down to MD David Bissett-Powell’s enthusiasm for China, and his foresight that the fledgling entertainment and nightlife market was poised for strong growth. The brand has enjoyed continuing success with long-term Chinese distributor, Sino Huifeng Audio Group, which has recently been joined by Guangzhou Guidance AV Technology to open up new vertical

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BUSINESS: COMPANY PROFILE markets, largely at the initiative of pro audio veteran Dave McKinney and his Singapore-based Generation AV. Back to the turn of the new millennium, and a seismic move was afoot as line array technology swept the industry. Martin Audio released its first system – the W8L – in 2002, with the system evolving into the W8 Longbow. Capital and RG Jones were two early UK adopters, the former taking the system out on tours with Kylie Minogue and Take That, and the latter using it at the Glastonbury festival for the first time in 2008, where it continued on the main Pyramid Stage until 2014 when it was replaced with MLA. Longbow went on to spawn other products such as the W8LC compact and W8LM mini.

Another milestone for Martin Audio was its association with London’s Ministry of Sound superclub, beginning in 2005 with the installation in two rooms of Blackline+ and W8 Longbow systems. Five years later The Box, a custom-designed, sixstack system, was installed at Ministry, and in 2016 CDD speakers were added as part of this room’s upgrade to a Dolby Atmos system.

In 2003, David Bissett-Powell staged a management buyout from the TC Group, which had inherited the business with its previous acquisition of the TGI Group. Then, in 2007, the company was sold to Loud Technologies, ushering in key staff changes as sales director Rob Lingfield left the company and was replaced by Simon Bull, while Bissett-Powell also left, and Anthony Taylor – who had been joint MD – took over the role.

Martin Audio celebrated four decades in business in 2011 with the launch of MLA, its three-way, all horn-loaded design, continuing and reinforcing Dave Martin’s ethos of delivering the best possible sonic experience to everyone in the audience. Designed by director of R&D Jason Baird and acoustic engineer Ambrose Thompson, this turned the usual design concept around, so the performers’ engineers could now define the audience coverage and make the system behave in the appropriate fashion rather than the other way around. This was accomplished by its three-way horn-loaded design, as well as the Display 2.3 goal-based software which is behind all of Martin Audio’s optimised systems, including the Hard Avoid feature to direct sound away from where it’s not required. A year later, MLA Compact was introduced, a smaller system used in its own right for medium-to-large venues, as well as being an augmentation for bigger systems and also suitable for install. The MLA Mini two-way box joined the lineup in 2014.

MLA contributed to grow in APAC territories, notably Japan, where a new regional hub was established in 2013 with Yusuke Karato, director of Martin Audio distributors Audiobrains, fronting the operation. Under the new structure, Martin Audio Japan would act as main distributor and Audiobrains would take on a dealership role. Almost immediately, one of the country’s leading PA companies, MSI

The Martin Audio team share Dave Martin’s drive and ethos

Martin Audio has enjoyed a long relationship with London’s Ministry of Sound

First permanent MLA installation at Sydney’s Marquee club

MLA debuts on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury in 2014

MLA Compact at the One Third Club in Hangzhou, China

Japan, purchased a large number of MLA systems for its inventory, an investment that paid off when the system was adopted for the Rock in Japan Festival. By the end of 2013, MSI was providing MLA systems for more than five Japanese tours at the same time. Meanwhile, in Oceania, Martin Audio’s long-serving partner Technical Audio Group (TAG) oversaw the first permanent installation of MLA at the Marquee nightclub in Sydney.

The CDD install range was introduced in 2015, becoming the most successful and flexible installation range for the brand to date, offering boxes from a 5-inch through to a 15-inch version, all using the same coaxial differential dispersion technology. Weatherised and marine versions have followed, as has the CDD Live, which integrates the drive unit in a tour-grade enclosure complete with electronics and Dante networking.

Another management buyout in 2018 led by MD Dom Harter and supported by private equity resulted in new investment, resulting in a spate of product releases. First up was BlacklineX, a total redesign and reengineering of Blackline, making it more affordable and accessible.

Then, just over a year later in December 2019, it was announced that Martin Audio had been acquired by Focusrite, with Dom Harter continuing as MD. “The acquisition of Martin Audio was a strong demonstration of our strategic aim to expand into new markets,” explains Focusrite Group CEO, Tim Carroll.

“Martin Audio is also an established brand that instantly added value. More importantly though, they are culturally aligned and have a clear part to play in our unfolding narrative. The Martin Audio family shares our hunger to innovate and our passion as music and sound enthusiasts. That we’re just a stone’s throw away from them, physically, will only further help unite us in achieving our common goal.”

That common goal has been somewhat thwarted by the events that unfolded just a few months after the acquisition, certainly as far as live entertainment is concerned. Martin Audio is at the forefront of the #WeMakeEvents initiative aimed at highlighting the plight of the pandemic-ravaged live industry. At the same time, the company is well-placed to focus on other areas of sound reinforcement. “Martin Audio is absolutely committed to the live sound sector; it is our heritage,” says marketing director, James King. “Obviously, that part of the industry has been devastated during the pandemic and we have focused sales in the interim period on installation. Meanwhile, we’ve maintained close relationships with all of our rental partners, offering advice and support throughout the pandemic. We can’t wait for the return of live events and our roadmap of future product is already taking that into account. We have a positive outlook on the future given the world is slowly returning to some sort of normality.”

If Dave Martin could see the company he started half a century ago, and his passion and drive being shared by a team of talented, loyal staff, he’d consider that his initial, simple aim – to enable bands to play to larger audiences and be properly heard – well and truly accomplished. Summing up, Dom Harter says: “Martin Audio is a truly special company comprising energetic and passionate staff, innovative product and a wonderful customer base. I’m sure Dave would feel very proud and it’s a complete honour to continue his legacy.” www.martin-audio.com

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BUSINESS: TECHNOLOGY

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Stage whispers

Phil Ward listens out for a post-pandemic world of safer sound levels

HEAR’s Survival Guide for Music Hearing Health MY DAD USED TO ENJOY THIS PHILOSOPHICAL TEASER: IF A tree falls in a deserted forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Never mind how the tree fell; it just did, OK? It’s meant to challenge our perceptions of reality, but the answer I never got the chance to give him was, quite simply: no. And the reason has a lot to do with why the amalgamated industries of music and sound should stop, look and listen to the audiologists.

Sensaphonics founder, Dr Michael Santucci

Sensaphonics’ 3DME Custom Tour IEMs

We can prove that isolated events are creating sound waves, by using remote microphones and measuring equipment. But sound waves don’t become a “sound” until they enter the auditory system of a sentient creature, where they are converted into the electro-chemical stimuli that brains of one kind or another recognise as sound. So: nothing with a central nervous system in the area; no sound. The ghosts in my dad’s forest are truly grateful and live in peace.

It’s this bit about wave-to-nerve impulse that really matters when it comes to ear protection. According to a helpful chart produced by US-based organisation Hearing Education & Awareness for Rockers (HEAR), pain begins at 125dB: a level of air pressure that’s smashing up the china shop of your inner ear like a raging bull. Get to 180dB for any length of time, which is about what a space shuttle does close up, and human hearing tissue starts to disintegrate. If a symphony can peak at 130dB, you get the picture.

There are many industries, like construction, that have to tackle noise. That’s why hard hats are often accompanied by ear defenders. But in our industry, noise is disguised as music. It’s not a pesky side product of what we’re doing; it is what we’re doing. So, there is a natural resistance to smothering it. If we are going to use things that are the sonic equivalent of visors, they’d better be cool prescription sunglasses rather than blindfolds.

Since we’ve been locked up, with stages silent and theatres dark, dust has settled. To recalibrate our thresholds, microphone giant Shure and Illinois neighbour Sensaphonics have jointly launched a campaign to guide the industry towards a “new normal”, one more attentive to hearing health. “When athletes come back after time off, they have to condition their bodies back into playing shape,” says Dr Michael Santucci, audiologist and founder of Sensaphonics. “We now have a unique opportunity to use our technology and techniques to monitor at safer levels; to include hearing in our expanded health consciousness.”

Sensaphonics is a major supplier of custom parts for Shure’s IEM earpieces, as well as making non-signal earplugs. This is the time, the campaign says, to raise awareness of SPL damage – especially as people notice the impact made by levels we got used to. “Hearing conservation is important to everyone in the audio industry,” adds Nick Wood, senior director, wireless products at Shure. “We want to help ensure that all performers who use our equipment are able to use it for a long, long time.”

IEMIT

Kathy Peck from HEAR with The Who’s Pete Townshend So does Kathy Peck, executive director and co-founder of HEAR. “We had in-ear monitors for quite a while,” she points out, “but when the audiologists began to get involved, they chose a different pathway to designing the products. For example, in 2015 Future Sonics introduced a new armaturefree voice coil infrastructure in the Spectrum G10, while Sensaphonics switched to balanced drivers developed with the hearing industry and using embedded binaural mics to add ambience for a more natural experience. All those years of handing out thousands of earplugs at NAMM finally paid off!”

Bass player Peck can rightly be proud of her achievement in raising awareness of the issues over many years and linking audiology practice to the pro audio industry. She co-founded HEAR as a non-profit organisation as far back as 1988 in San Francisco, with the support of founding donor Pete Townshend of The Who, the Les Paul Foundation, the Bill Graham Foundation, the TEC Foundation and others, with a

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ACS’

BUSINESS: TECHNOLOGY special emphasis on the youth market through educational outreach.

“Originally, I was able to get funding for audiology education in science classes, but never in music classes,” she recounts.

“I really had to hustle to get onto that curriculum, and the resistance is still frustrating to this day. But the industry is right behind us now. I guess when Ozzy Osbourne gets on board, everyone can, right?”

Whereas IEMs help by controlling signal exposure, a simpler protection exists in the custom ear defender, wearable by musician, engineer and crew member alike. In Norway, manufacturer Minuendo markets a passive, acousto-mechanical model with an adjustable lever for variable attenuation. “It’s the classic membrane with an acoustic filter next to it, but we’ve achieved a flat frequency response by tensioning the membrane while mechanically controlling the filter between 7dB and 25dB,” explains Tom Trones, chief product officer and co-founder at Minuendo. “It’s a unique solution.”

With aural health on the agenda, the Norwegian government has subsidised the work on Minuendo’s “lossless” plugs carried out at the Fraunhöfer-like SINTEF research centre in Trondheim, further highlighting the need for protection over profit. “You probably wouldn’t use them as a mastering engineer,” admits Trones, “but at FOH you could establish your mix and then wear them throughout the gig, knowing all of your references. You can protect your ears without compromising on sound quality, and the stepless adjustments of the lever allow you get it just right for yourself.

“It also avoids the ‘finger-wagging’ nature of noise legislation: we give the decision process back to the user – and they look cool! This breakthrough has to win hearts and minds, and that’s our approach. We’ve done everything we can to make the threshold into using them as easy to cross as possible,

IEMITO’s Mike Dias

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environment. “We developed our vented Ambient Series two years ago,” Heale continues. “Many products vent by drilling through the mould which, apart from exposing the ears to more level, also kills low frequencies and sounds thin. So we introduced a set of filters that act as a bass trap, while also mitigating against the occlusion effect – the feeling of sticking fingers in your ears. It protects the hearing but also enables much better communication on- and offstage.”

In general though, ACS supports the move towards silent stages, wherein the monitoring is more similar to that in a recording studio. “It’s a new culture, and there is a stigma attached to earplugs,” admits Heale. “We need to understand that attenuating hearing protection is far more sophisticated than the word ‘earplug’ implies, and we’re working hard to change attitudes within the industry. You can have a product that protects your hearing and enables you to engage fully with the music.”

Minuendo’s acousto-mechanical IEM like getting into a good habit without being coerced. Creating awareness is good, but it has to be a positive story.”

Many hearts and minds cling fondly to the myths of rock and roll, and even after lockdown there is an enduring romance attached to going “kerrang” in confined spaces. There is also a very real sense of displacement caused by earpieces if not deployed with the right attention to detail – or attenuation to detail, you might say, if you were trying to be clever.

At IEM manufacturer and hearing protection specialist Advanced Communication Solutions (ACS), director Jono Heale is acutely aware of the trade-off between moving air and minding your ears.

“You can’t eliminate the noise hazard at a concert,” he points out. “You need to move a certain amount of air for it to work – around the mid-90s dB, so that through bone induction you can feel the bass. Fortunately, bass frequencies aren’t normally a threat to the sensory hair cells in the cochlea. Damage tends to result from mid-frequencies around 2–4kHz, the resonant frequencies of the ear canal and consonant sounds of the human voice to which we are more sensitive. But the PA system has to project those frequencies too, and the damage threshold is 30 minutes at 97dB or 15 minutes at 100dB.” This is why ACS has developed several techniques to attenuate music without ruining the experience, including the use of highfidelity sound pressure filters and soft, medical-grade silicon for the custom-moulded earpieces that flex with jaw movement. ACS also assiduously identifies the precise role of each individual user, establishing their bespoke earpieces – defenders or IEMs – as fit for purpose.

A big question at the moment is whether, and how much, to allow some ambient sound through the moulds to maintain some acoustic connection between the user and the

Tom Trones of Minuendo Another myth is that custom earmoulds are always superior to universal ones, according to Mike Dias, executive director of the In-Ear Monitor International Trade Organization (IEMITO) and vice president of sales, Earthworks. “You’re eliminating –25dB of ambient noise either way, regardless of the materials used for the moulds,” he states. “The real choices are as follows: you can do nothing, you can choose defenders or you can choose IEMs. No combination of those three choices works – like wearing only one IEM.” Defenders are perfectly acceptable, says Dias, but it’s IEMs that provide the most benefits: reduced vocal fatigue; laserprecision mixes; the elimination of random room anomalies; easier and quicker soundchecks; and way more controlled accuracy for the FOH engineer. “A quiet stage means the musicians are performing at their peak,” he continues, “plus the engineers have a lot more subtlety to work with, and all of this contributes to the greater enjoyment of the audience – what else matters?”

However, it doesn’t automatically follow that musicians and engineers will keep it down, warns Dias, even with the best IEMs and no wedges or side fills. Perhaps even Spinal Tap devotees will now notice what was actually happening back then, when things went up to 11. “Our physiology has literally been recalibrated over the last 18 months,” Dias reflects. “Whatever your role in and around the arena, sustained exposure to high SPL is simply way more dangerous than it appears.”

This could mean the end of backline as we know it, as the stage clears and audiences return to concerts demanding a more comfortable ride. It may even, eventually, improve ticket sales. Which raises an interesting question: if a guitar amp howls in an empty stadium… www.hearingprotection.co.uk www.hearnet.com www.inearmonitor.org www.minuendo.com www.sensaphonics.com

ACS’ Ambient Series

www.shure.com

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Evolution Wireless Digital

Sennheiser simplifies wireless With the development of Evolution Wireless Digital (EW-D), Sennheiser has created a simplified wireless UHF and 1G8 microphone setup that adopts an app-based workflow THE EVOLUTION Wireless Digital app provides all the planning to guide the user through the setup and tutorial videos presented by Benny Franke are an ideal start. “We talked with dozens of bands prior to the development of Evolution Wireless Digital,” explained product manager, Oliver Schmitz. “Many band members are in fact multitasking and do not want to become experts at RF. They just want something that works right away, so all they have to do is switch on and go.”

The Smart Assist intelligent setup automatically creates reliable wireless connections and allows users to name the channels. Bluetooth Low Energy allows for remote access to the system to ensure convenient syncing with the receiver. EW-D transmitters have an input dynamic range of 134dB, eliminating the need for a sensitivity setting to be added.

The receiver has been set to a gain value covering most applications, which can be easily changed.

Addressing crowded RF environments, the EW-D app scans the environment

to find open frequencies, making more room in a given frequency window. With a bandwidth of 56MHz and up to 90 channels per band, the app can set the wireless links at 600kHz intervals without any frequency calculation. EW-D has a low latency of 1.9ms and a transmitter battery life of up to 12 hours with the BA 70 rechargeable battery pack.

As a digital system, EW-D does not use a compander, but can be expanded to accommodate larger multichannel setups with a range of pro accessories, including antennas, antenna splitters, boosters and charging sets. EW-D handheld transmitters couple with any Sennheiser or Neumann wireless capsule, including the Neumann KK 205, KK 204, Sennheiser MM 435, MM 445 and Digital 9000 capsules. EW-D is available with a choice of handheld, instrument, lavalier, head mic, combo and base sets.

Sennheiser has also added new features to its MobileConnect Wi-Fi streaming solution. Standalone Mode allows higher education institutions to

quickly integrate MobileConnect into their existing Wi-Fi network for assistive listening support. This plug-and-play mode is described by the manufacturer as especially attractive for smaller systems and first installations, yet the solution is still fully scalable, with each MobileConnect station providing two audio streams for up to 100 users.

Finally, a new update for the free MobileConnect Manager caters to large and software-controlled MobileConnect setups. Version 1.3.0 will reportedly make workflows for large networks more convenient with a new Manager dashboard and API inter face. The MobileConnect Manager dashboard now gives ample system information at a glance, such as status messages for troubleshooting purposes, information about software updates, statistics for active MobileConnect Stations and streaming channels as well as the possibility to download a log of system status messages. www.sennheiser.com

AJA PAK Dock Pro 69 Allen & Heath AHM-64 update 61 65 Amadeus Holophonix v1.7 AMX DXLink 4K60 69 70 Analog Way Picturall Mark II series API 527A 58 Ashly Audio AWT+ 52 72 Astera AX2 PixelBar Atlona AT-OME-SW21-TX-WPC 68 Audac ARES5A/ASP20/IMEO2 53 58 Audinate DEP for ADI’s SHARC audio DSPs Audio Precision APx500 v6.1 64 Audix A10/A10X 52 Avid HDX Hybrid Engine & ProTools update 64 69 Barco ClickShare Present 59 Barix Exstreamer M400 Biamp Zoom Rooms certification 62 64 Bose ControlSpace Designer 5.9.1 Calrec Brio Duet/Brio Medley 57 Celestion CDX1-1412 57 73 Chauvet Professional Rêve E-3 Clear-Com FreeSpeak Edge Base Station 60 CODA Audio HOPS12i 54 d&b audiotechnik D40 51 58 DirectOut EXBOX.RAV update 61 disguise rx II EAW NTX Series/SBX Series 53 72 Elation KL PAR FC Electro-Voice PREVIEW 65 73 ETC Network Station Power Supply 61 Extron Quantum Ultra expansion cards Glensound Vittoria 59 72 Grass Valley Playout Xpress ic audio PRO 150-200/T plus-EN54 54 63 Klotz AIS Titanium StarQuad series Kramer KIT-401/DSP-62-AEC 68 Lavoce CSF082.00K/CAN123.00T 54 65 LynTec Android app LYNX Technik greenMachine Callisto+ 69 73 Martin Professional VDO Atomic Bold 66 Merging Technologies Music Mission MIPRO MI-58 Series 52 70 Modulo Pi Modulo Kinetic V4 NDI/Vizrt NDI version 5/Vizrt Live Production 72 Neutrik NPS-30W/REAN 60 Panasonic ET-D3QW200/PT-RDQ10 70 Peavey LN1263 56 56 Pequod Acoustics Polyphemus/Cerberus 12.1 Powersoft T902/T904 52 Precision Devices PD.24603BR/PD.2155-1N 57 Proel WX series (WX10A/WX8A) 56 QSC Q-SYS NS Series Gen 2 61 RCF Compact M 04/HD 12-A MK5 54 RME Fireface UCX II 57 Robe T2 Profile/iPointe65/iSpiider 73 Roland V-160HD/V-1HD+ Remote iPad app 68 Ross Video Interstellar/Vision[Ai]ry Ft 71 Sennheiser Evolution Wireless Digital 51 Shure ADX5D/SLX-D update 60 Solid State Logic UC1/LMC+ 66 Tascam V1.1.0 firmware for VS-R264 and VS-R265 62 Tasker TSK1026 Zero Loss 64 TOA EM-362 52 TVU Networks TVU Anywhere update 66 Waves SoundGrid update/Waves V12.7 65 WORK PRO Audio ENTAR Series 57 Yamaha Unified Communications ESB-1090 62 Zylia Concert Hall added to Oculus App Lab 66

d&b goes mobile DESIGNED AS a mobile version of the 40D installation amplifier without compromising on performance or power, d&b audiotechnik has introduced the D40. The German audio technology and solutions company testifies that the four-channel Class-D amplifier features reduced size and weight, advanced voltage management and increased system performance, while significantly reducing power consumption for improved environmental friendliness.

The amplifier’s user interface consists of a 4.3-inch (480x272 pixel) colour touchscreen and a digital rotary encoder, providing information about the device configuration and enhanced status monitoring. Operating within a dynamic range of 116dB (unweighted), the

D40 drives high-voltage d&b loudspeakers while providing management and protection capabilities. Capable of reaching 180V peak,

the D40 delivers full performance from d&b KSL System loudspeakers and the V-Series and Y-Series.

A comprehensive DSP suite includes loudspeaker configurations and user-definable setups, equalisation and delay functions.

Further benefits include the inclusion of advanced voltage management to drive systems demanding less input power as a whole. In addition, the D40 includes enhanced energy-saving features, power efficiency and an Automatic Wake-up for environmentally sustainable Green Building requirements. As part of the d&b family, the D40 benefits from the full range of d&b technology software solutions, including ArrayCalc, ArrayProcessing, NoizCalc and the R1 Remote control software that unite within the d&b Workflow. www.dbaudio.com

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PRODUCTS

Powersoft adds to T Series

THE T902 and T904 have been introduced

by Powersoft to extend the applications of the T Series and include larger-scale sound applications. Building on the legacy of the K Series, the T Series was launched in 2019 and provides daisy-chained Ethernet connectivity, Dante audio networking, power sharing, improved DSP with advanced EQ groups and FIR filtering.

The T902 is a two-channel amplifier specified to deliver 4,000W at 2Ω, 3,200W at 4Ω or 1,800W at 8Ω, and its high rail voltage and peak current on the outputs make it suitable for driving large 4Ω subwoofers (like dual 18-inch) or two- and three-way line sources.

Thanks to the T902’s onboard DSP featuring Raised Cosine, IRR and FIR filters, and precision delay, the T902 can be

used for powering and controlling complex cardioid subwoofer arrangements and threeway line sources.

The other new addition to the T Series family is the four-channel T904, which can deliver 1,800W at 2Ω, 2,000W at 4Ω or 1,600W at 8Ω. This new amplifier platform is designed to power biamped systems like stage monitors, two-way point source speakers and two-way line sources, as well as smaller subwoofers.

Much like the rest of the T Series family, the T902 and T904 feature onboard DSP, in-built Dante inputs and live impedance monitoring, as well as Powersoft’s Active DampingControl for cable resistance compensation. www.powersoft.com

MIPRO unveils digital stereo IEM system MIPRO HAS released its MI-58 digital stereo IEM system operating in the ISM 5.8GHz spectrum. Due to the wider bandwidth property, the system features a wide 20Hz – 23kHz frequency response, improved S/N ratio and extremely low audio latency. The MI-58 introduces clear and 24-bit digital audio which is reportedly superior to the UHF system. However, the MI-58 has a more affordable price and has been designed as a cost-effective personal monitor system. According to the manufacturer, the newly added engineer mode and networking interfaces will be a benefit to monitor engineers.

The Dante interface is supplied for the MI-58TD transmitter, which has been specifically designed for professional usage.

The MI-58 Series consists of the MI-58R stereo bodypack receiver, the MI-58T stereo halfrack transmitter, the MI-58TD stereo half-rack transmitter and two optional stereo earphones, featuring balanced full-range sound reproduction and isolation from ambient noise.

Created for entry-level and professional audio users, the system comes equipped with an easyto-read volume indicator, so the input volume status can be identified by red (peak), green (ok) and yellow (low) colour LEDs and then adjusted.

Additionally, the MI-58R has the stereo/mono/ mixed output modes and four EQ settings to

further customise the sound, while a 3.5mm TRS jack provides L-R 100mW @ 16Ω output for earphones. For extended battery life and elimination of disposable batteries, the MI-58R is compatible with the ICR 18500 lithium-ion rechargeable battery.

The front panel of the MI-58T transmitter is equipped with a graphic OLED screen with menu-based navigation, a rotary knob, an ACT sync button and an audio input set button. One 3.5mm and one 6.3mm earphone monitoring connectors and individual volume controls are both provided for any earphone. The rear panel is equipped with two XLR and 6.3mm input combo jacks and two 6.3mm phone jack loop outputs, as well as the ACT-BUS networking interface, optional Dante interface, TNC RF output connectors and 12V DC power supply.

The MI-58T delivers <25mW output power (the maximum value depends on the telecom regulations of different countries) with an on/ off switch, presets several interference-free channels and can ACT sync to the receiver.

Thanks to the stereo input combo jack featuring a high dynamic range characteristic, it can sustain the maximum output from any mixer.

Feedback from the Imam TOA ELECTRONICS Pte Ltd has specifically designed and developed the EM-362 neck-worn microphone for Imams leading prayer sessions in mosques and other applications where constant body movement is unavoidable.

Regular tie-clip versions can pick up unnecessar y noise from rubbing shir ts, while head-worn microphones can create discomfor t due to prolonged wearing and

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The cardioid, electret condenser microphone has a rated sensitivity of –35dB (±3dB) and operates within a frequency response of 60Hz – 20kHz. Providing sufficient distance from the amplifier, a 7m cable comes as standard, although a selection switch on the adapter promotes dual AAA batter y or phantom power operation. The on/off switch near the microphone allows users to switch off the microphone after use, avoiding noise pickup when not in use. www.toa.com.sg

are prone to slipping off during excessive movement. Ensuring the optimum audio pickup while eliminating unnecessar y noise from body contact standing or in prayer, the EM-362 is worn around the neck and suspended in front of the speaker’s mouth. A flexible shaft allows the user to adjust the microphone positioning and distance between the microphone and mouth.

EA

Audix takes the A10 to market AUDIX IS now shipping the A10 and A10X earphones. The US manufacturer has designed the A10 earphones to deliver studio-quality performance for live sound monitoring and critical listening. The A10 features a dynamic, low-mass moving coil assembly and titanium alloy diaphragm with a frequency response of 10 octaves and accurate phase coherence due to its point source design. The A10X earphones

A10

NTX S

are designed for an immersive listening experience. At the core of the earphone is a dynamic low-mass moving coil assembly and composite beryllium diaphragm.

Both models feature lightweight, injectionmoulded shells which are internally textured and ported for acoustic control and accuracy throughout the frequency range. Silicone ear tips are included for secure attachment, comfort and sound isolation. Gold-plated MMCX connectors provide 360° rotation for ease of placement, while silverplated, oxygen-free copper cable is equipped with a reinforced wire wrap near the connector to make sure that the earphones remain in place.

www.mipro.com.tw

A10X

www.audixusa.com

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PRODUCTS

Ashly Audio adds a Plus

Audac fits in where needed

ASHLY AUDIO HAS extended its AW Series OnWall speaker series with a Plus model that includes a higher power transformer for added flexibility in larger spaces.

Dust and water-resistant, all IP54-rated speakers exist within an Ashly Audio solutions ecosystem that includes Protēa and AquaControl DSP. Varying in size from 2.75- to 8-inch models and designed for varying distributed fullrange to limited coverage BGM and paging applications, the AW line consists of the 2.1P, 3.2P, 5.2T and 8.2T wall-mounted speakers. Reducing the off-axis deviation in SPLs to <9dB, Directivity Optimised

CONSISTING OF active and passive units linked to each other, Audac has developed the ARES5A two-way active loudspeaker. In addition to a 5.25-inch woofer and 0.5-inch HF tweeter, the ABS enclosure incorporates an integrated amplifier delivering dual 40W RMS power. Capable of delivering a maximum SPL of 105dB, the active speaker includes a stereo amplifier module,

Crossover is integrated into the 5- and 8-inch AW designs to provide a wider sweet spot and an accurate midrange.

The new Plus model, or AWT+, offers a power upgrade to make the speakers more accessible for larger rooms such as retail spaces or sports bars with high ambient levels. The AW-5.2T+ is now available at 30W, 15W, 7.5W and 3.75W at 70V and at 60W, 30W, 15W and 7.5W at 100V. The AW-8.2T+ is available at 60W, 30W, 15W and 7.5W at 70V and at 60W, 30W and 15W at 100V. www.ashly.com

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panel connections, permitting expansion of the system through remote input modules.

The Sound Projection (SP) series has been extended with the development of the ASP20 spherical loudspeaker. Primarily designed for factory halls or large retail spaces with open ceilings, the ASP20 uses an 8-inch driver and a 70V/100V line transformer with 20W, 10W and 5W

NTX Series INTENDED TO streamline setup by delivering maximum results in minimal time, EAW has unveiled the NTX Series line array, a dual 10-inch articulated array which offers a built-in 1,600W two-channel amplifier and PFC power supply. The NTX210L cabinet operates in the 55Hz – 18kHz range with a max SPL of 140dB and a 90° horizontal and 12° vertical nominal beamwidth. The manufacturer has also announced the SBX Series of companion subwoofers to be paired with the NTX line array.

The NTX210L houses patented OptiLogic technology capable of automatic array selfdetection via onboard infrared sensors and accelerometers, resulting in “near instant” optimisation, including air loss compensation.

The NTX Series also features integrated Dante networking (with loop-thru), including analogue redundancy capability, allowing the analogue input to be set to automatically enable if the Dante signal is lost. The user-friendly solution is said to be ideal for performing arts centres, theatres, corporate events, houses of worship, or even medium and large outdoor festivals.

The SBX Series, meanwhile, comprises highoutput 18-inch models in two configurations: the SBX118 which is capable of outputting up to 2,500W and the SBX218 which doubles this to 5,000W. Both operate in the 25–120Hz frequency range with respective max SPLs of 135dB and 141dB, and both feature 18-inch

neodymium woofers with 4-inch voice coils. As well as serving as suitable complements to the NTX210L array, the SBX models can also be used to support other EAW systems, such as Anna ADAPTive and RSX Series lines.

Designed for both production and installation, the SBX Series is equipped with a threaded pole mount and rugged handles. Integrated runners on the top and sides lock the subs together to resist movement. Ground stacking of the NTX210L loudspeakers can be accomplished with two sets of flybar locating pins, providing safe operation at any splay angle. Both the NXT array and SBX subs work with EAW’s Resolution 2 software, which is capable of complete system optimisation from anywhere in the venue, as well as room design and prediction. www.eaw.com

also delivering the input signal to the tappings. Weighing 2.95kg, the ABS-sealed passive unit. Unbalanced audio sources enclosure is resistant to moisture and UV can be connected through a 3.5mm light with an IP56-rating. Operating within an jack connector, while balanced sources 80Hz – 18kHz (±3dB) frequency range, the can be connected to the terminal block ASP20 can be mounted safely to a ceiling input connection allowing long signal courtesy of a 3.5m connection cable with a runs without interference. In addition steel core. to the two-band tone control, The manufacturer has also a volume potentiometer released its IMEO2 Soundbar, adjusts loudness levels designed for classrooms, and the auto-standby presentation rooms mode reduces power or meeting rooms consumption when where it can be no input signal is used and installed detected. in combination Providing with screens, flexibility, a smartboards or specially designed projectors. The bracket system acoustics originate allows close to from a three-way wall installation of speaker construction, the speakers, while a composed of two 1.5-inch recessed bracket structure high-frequency drivers, two provides a cosmetic outlook 2-inch mid-frequency drivers ASP20 of the system. Weighing 3.5kg and a low-frequency section and measuring 150mm x with two 2.5-inch low-frequency 240mm x 146mm (WxHxD), the ARES5A drivers with an RMS rating. The power can be mounted both horizontally and handling reaches an overall level of vertically with an inclination up to 45° on 60W RMS. The Class-D amplifier with both sides, enabling users to position integrated WaveSelect DSP processing and the loudspeaker in the right direction. transmission line configuration for the lowThe bracket consists of two 45° edges frequency drivers is said to offer a crystalto promote installation in corners or clear sound reproduction and low-frequency ceilings, while the optional MBK455 response. Selectable DSP presets offer angled mounting bracket allows for an optimisation for presentations, music extra inclination of 90° if required. A playback or videos. remote input connection implemented www.audac.eu through an RJ45 connector allows wall

SBX Series

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PRODUCTS

CODA Audio launches HOPS12i ic audio heads outdoors CODA AUDIO has announced the expansion of its HOPS (high-output point source) range with the addition of the new HOPS12i. A high-output, three-way point source, the HOPS12i incorporates 12-inch neodymium cone drivers with 4-inch voice coils adapted from those found in CODA Audio’s flagship line array, AiRAY. As well as the manufacturer’s latest DAC (Dynamic Airflow Cooling) technology, it features exchangeable and rotatable waveguides that provide various options for adjusting directivity but, unlike other loudspeakers that only steer high frequencies, the HOPS12i waveguides control all the way down to 300Hz. The means that the broadband energy is focused exactly where required, while keeping it away from walls and other reflective sur faces.

90° x 60° and 60° x 40° waveguides are available, and both are rotatable, giving four directivity options. The low end of the HOPS12i means that in many applications, subs might not be required. As a result, the HOPS12i is said to offer systems designers even more choice towards achieving optimal solutions across the ver y broadest range of applications. As with the entire HOPS range, the HOPS12i comes with a variety of accessories and mounting options.

GERMAN MANUFACTURER ic audio has added four new speakers to its line-up. Engineered for outdoor applications with 54-24 certification, the PRO 150-200/T plus-EN54 has been designed for a large range of venues, such as airports, mega-stores and stadiums.

The 150W powered professional speaker is equipped with a two-way bass-reflex system, consisting of an 8-inch woofer and a highperformance HF driver with crossover at 2.5kHz. The speaker offers three different 100V power tappings; 70V and low impedance operation is also possible. The DL-SE 06-100/T-EN54 is a splash-proof version of the SE-Series designed for installation in bathrooms and pool areas. The IP54-rated 6W speaker is equipped with a 100mm fullrange loudspeaker and a 100V transformer with three power adjustments. The DL-SE

The HOPS12i can be customised in a wide range of colours and weatherproofing options are also available for demanding environments. The latest versions of CODA’s proprietary amplifier control software (Linus Control V2.2) and prediction software (System Optimiser) both contain new datasets incorporating the HOPS12i. www.codaaudio.com

Lavoce bring bespoke performance ITALIAN TRANSDUCER manufacturer Lavoce has unveiled the first products in its newly announced Common Magnet Coaxials category, which launches with a ferrite magnet 8-inch model, and neodymium 12-inch and 13.5-inch options. All three are with or without an aluminium 60° x 40° horn.

CSF082.00K

coaxials respectively. Both offer 350W AES power handling, 3-inch copper voice coils for the LF and 3-inch Edgewound CCA voice coils for the HF. They include a composite titanium/polyimide diaphragm with double demodulating rings for low distortion. Both models have a specified frequency range from 45Hz – 20kHz with an 80° nominal coverage, making them ideal for compact point source systems or stage wedge monitors.

Lastly, the CAN123.00TH and CAN143.00TH have the addition of a proprietary aluminium horn which has been developed by the manufacturer’s R&D team to deliver a linear bandwidth dispersion with true 60° x 40° directivity, while not protruding above the front of the speaker. This makes them a good choice for more directivity-specific point source or stage wedge applications.

PRO 150-200/T plus-EN54 also delivers a clear and balanced sound for voice alarm and background music.

The DA-D 20-130/T-EN54 20W design speaker has a concave shape and is equipped with a 130mm full-range speaker and a 100V transformer with three power adjustments. Thanks to a high-quality midrange resonator, the speaker offers a sound characteristic that matches other twoway systems.

The DL-H 20-100/T plus-EN54 is a 20W speaker equipped with a 100mm twoway bass-reflex system and a wide and homogeneous dispersion. The IP65-rated DL-H has a 100V transformer with four power adjustments which can be adjusted by a rotary switch on the top of the sphere. Lowimpedance operation is also possible.

DL-SE 06-100/T-EN54

www.ic-audio.com

THE COMPACT M 04 from RCF is a multipurpose, two-way, full-range coaxial speaker system, suitable for a wide range of applications. It has 60W AES power handling, 113dB maximum SPL and a 90Hz – 20kHz frequency range. The speaker comes with

The HD 12-A MK5 active speaker boosts performance with a high-power 12-inch woofer and a 1.4-inch HF driver, a 1,400W two-channel Class-D amplifier, and FiRPHASE and Bass Motion Control processing. With 130dB max SPL, vocals are described as natural, the sound is clear at long distances and SPL power is stable at very high levels. The lightweight polypropylene cabinet with internal reinforcement reportedly offers maximum strength, and the speaker also includes a steel pole mount, threaded inserts for rigging and rubber handgrips. Also joining the lineup is the HD 10-A MK5 with a 10-inch woofer and a 1-inch HF driver, an 800W two-channel Class-D amplifier, FiRPHASE and Bass Motion Control processing and 128dB max SPL. Both units feature a 90° x 60° wide-dispersion constant directivity horn.

Beyond expectations

www.rcf.it

Compact M 04 The CSF082.00K is a ferrite 8-inch coaxial with 200W AES power handling, 96dB sensitivity, a 2-inch Edgewound CCA voice coil for the LF and 1.4-inch CCA voice coil for the HF. It has a one-piece polyimide diaphragm and surround together with double demodulating rings to reduce distortion. Its frequency range spans from 75Hz – 20kHz with a 100° nominal coverage, making it a suitable solution for compact point source and ceiling speaker applications.

The CAN123.00T and CAN143.00T are high-spec 12-inch and 13.5-inch neodymium

www.lavocespeakers.com

CAN123.00TH

a 120° x 120° constant directivity coverage angle, a 4-inch coaxial woofer and a 1-inch voice coil neodymium dome tweeter. The M 04 features high sensitivity, thanks to the use of oversized magnets, and a hi-fi sound quality, with a smooth and wide frequency response.

The SPL level of low-distortion audio in the M 04 is said to go far beyond expectations of such a compact solution. According to the manufacturer, the compact design with accurate finishing makes the M 04 suitable for almost any environment, even with architectural constraints.

An included wall-mount bracket allows the use of the M 04 on wall or ceiling installations.

HD 12-A MK5

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A__UHD Core

ULTRA-HIGH DENSITY IP AUDIO ENGINE

ENER G T X E N

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KEY FEATURES 1,024 Lawo-grade DSP Channels on 1RU (512 channels in 96 kHz mode) IP network processor based on open standards (ST2110-30/-31, AES67, RAVENNA)

bit.ly/A__UHDCore_Video

IP Easy – IP setup as simple as analog Full redundancy: SPS stream redundancy (ST2022-7) with 8x 1/10GbE-capable* independent SFP network interfaces plus hardware redundancy via hot-spare redundancy unit

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DSP resources shareable amongst multiple consoles

* future release

Scalable DSP performance via licensing system Designed for mc² 56 and mc² 96 consoles Futureproof, software-defined hardware

www.lawo.com

Untitled-2 4

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PRODUCTS

Peavey introduces column array Pequod promotes Polyphemus total radiant surface equivalent to a 32-inch diaphragm. Compared to a traditional subwoofer made of wood, the Cerberus system does not present harmful structural vibrations, as well as having very high resistance to atmospheric agents. The system can be used for creating full-range systems with high acoustic impact, and can be combined with Shockwave, Polyphemus and Kona products.

The Borea Sub 13.1 is a long-excursion acoustic suspension system in an ovoidal axisymmetric closed structure, developed to provide extreme sensitivity, dynamics and emission power. It is constructed from an incredibly rigid and light structure of durable

DESIGNED FOR small-scale live music per formances, the LN1263 column array is said to of fer a clean design in a low-profile package. The unit has no visible cables in mono operation, making it suitable for applications where speakers should be heard and not seen.

The column array uses 1,200W of potential maximum power, enabled by 12 2.75-inch custom drivers in the mid-high column and a custom 12-inch driver for the subwoofer, delivering 127dB maximum SPL and a frequency response of 35Hz – 20kHz. The satellite speaker features rugged aluminium housing and a quick attachment design, and the subwoofer is built from multiply birch, making it both durable and lightweight. Each satellite features a speaker stand and a twist-lock speaker cable connection, which allows the speaker to be positioned remotely for applications where stereo configuration or additional coverage is desired. The column array unit weighs 4.5kg less than its nearest competitor and has been designed with the solo acoustic guitarist in mind. The onboard sixchannel mixer features four combo inputs, each with the option of selecting a guitar input. Each channel also of fers a compressor as well as mute and line indicators.

Central to the LN1263’s ease of use and operation is the modern DSP, as well as an onboard LCD screen and remote control via Bluetooth using a custom iOS application for control.

“Simple” mode in the app simplifies features like compression for novice users, while “Professional” mode allows complete control for more advanced sound tweaks. There are plenty of settings, including seven onboard EQ presets and eight onboard ef fects, along with an independent sub-level control. Two additional media channels feature stereo ¼-inch inputs and streaming audio Bluetooth in, which can handle a separate device other than the one controlling the array.

Stage monitoring

WX10A

POLYPHEMUS IS a high-performance, passively amplified, full-horn, three-way system, designed to integrate the dedicated transducers with composite horns for elevated sensitivity, dynamics, definition and durability.

By providing wide-angle coverage of a highly controlled soundfield, it has “the ability to reach sound levels at the limits of human tolerance with no perceptible distortion”.

Assembled, the system forms a triptych of large horns in frontal development. The HF and midrange horns are brought together in a single group to create spherical emission waves, integration between high and medium frequency and wide, symmetrical and uniform acoustic coverage. The LF driver is protected by a water-resistant cone. Due to its elevated sensitivity, the system requires limited amplification power. It can be driven passively through a dedicated inner crossover. A Full Fat Audio FFA 6000 (with external DSP) is the recommended amplifier partner for this solution.

The Cerberus system is a bass-reflex subwoofer consisting of three 18-inch longexcursion woofers housed in three ovoid volume structures connected and fused to form a light and rigid monolithic structure. The total power of the system is over 10,000W with a high sensitivity (102dB/W/1m) and a

provides a high output that results in an unexpected SPL for such a small loudspeaker.

The analogue processing provides a detailed response, particularly in the vocal range, and a resistance to feedback.

Two EQ presets are available so that the

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Cerberus 12.1 composite materials. The scratch-resistant glossy surfaces are said to deliver resistance to atmospheric agents. Borea Sub 13.1 uses a single high-quality, high-excursion transducer, 12 inches in diameter.

Zephyrus is a compact product designed around a 5-inch coaxial high-performance speaker. It has a 5-inch mid-woofer with a horn-loaded and coaxial driver capable of high resolution at high frequency. The body is constructed from a composite material, light yet resistant, and capable of withstanding shock and atmospheric agents. They system is also suitable for creating satellite and subwoofer systems that maintain high quality with low encumbrance. Zephyrus speakers can be used for sonorising small rooms or areas in clubs, creating equal diffusion of high-quality sound in an open area or connecting to a studio system or a PC workstation. www.pequodacoustics.com

speaker can be used not only for stage monitoring but also as a main sound system if necessary.

The WX monitors are available in two models. The ultra compact WX8A can reportedly provide high-quality monitoring in very small spaces and is suitable for speech, vocals and acoustic instruments.

The WX10A, with a higher SPL and a full-range response, has been developed for vocals, guitar, horns and electronic instruments or as a monitor for DJs. www.proel.com

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PROEL HAS launched its WX series stage monitors that can reportedly fit into stages of any size. The transducers’ coaxial design is said to provide an optimal HF and LF alignment and a controlled directivity from any position, but it also helps to minimise the size of the monitor.

The ultra-compact enclosures, with integrated handle and pole socket, have been designed with a very low profile and a minimal footprint onstage. The cabinets are finished with tough polyurethane paint. The lightweight 500W Class-D amplifier module with SMPS

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26/08/2021 16:01

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Seismic precision

Celestion creates a new rising star

WITH THE unveiling of the PD.24603BR and PD.2155-1N sub-bass drivers, Precision Devices has unveiled the first models of a new pro audio transducer series. The flagship 24-inch and 21-inch models are the first to be revealed in the series with further 18-inch, 21-inch and 24-inch models in development.

Tuned primarily for use in bass-reflex enclosures from 150–220l, the PD.24603BR incorporates a 6.08-inch high-power copper voice coil. Featuring a vented cast aluminium chassis design for improved thermal control, the 1,800W (AES)-rated model operates within a 20–200Hz frequency response and can register a sensitivity (1W/1m) of 98dB. A vented neodymium motor system together with a voice coil gap combine to reduce the power compression and the optimised compliance

CELESTION HAS developed the CDX1-1412 high-frequency compression driver.

Featuring a 1-inch throat exit and neodymium magnet, the unit’s compact 60mm width makes it ideal for small twoway cabinet designs and other portable applications. With a recommended crossover frequency of 2kHz, the CDX1-1412 features 35W (AES standard) output power rating and 107dB sensitivity across a 1.5–20kHz frequency band. Designed and developed at the UK company’s headquarters, the CDX1-1412

suspension system provides optimal linearity and ultra-mechanical control.

The 21-inch PD.2155-1N is a low-distortion and dynamic sub-bass driver with a vented cast aluminium chassis that offers improved thermal control. Optimised for hybrid horn-loaded cabinet designs, the transducer produces 98dB sensitivity (1W/1m) over its working band down to 30Hz. Capable of handling 1,500W (AES) power, the PD.2155-1N features a vented neodymium magnet assembly and voice coil gap for reduced power compression. Other engineered features include a double silicone spider configuration and 5.5-inch inside/outside copper voice coil. www.precision-devices.com

features a 1.4-inch diameter edge wound copper clad aluminium voice coil.

Capable of delivering a 107dB sensitivity per formance, the unit features a single piece Polyimide film diaphragm and surround and is fabricated using a rigid engineering thermoplastic with a standard 2xM5 bolt fitting. Acoustic foam is utilised to minimise internal air cavity resonances, dampening unwanted reflections from the inside of the cover. www.celestion.com

Brio shrinks and gains power

PD.24603BR and PD.2155-1N

Entertainment meets architectural WORK PRO Audio has launched a new range of two-way professional loudspeakers that are aimed at the installation and live sound markets. The ENTAR Series combines the words ENTertainment and ARchitectural.

Both passive and active speakers are included, in a variety of different sizes. All models are manufactured from high-density plywood and their construction and shape makes them ideally suited to light PA duties.

They are also useful as stage monitors or for front-, side- or rear-fill.

There are four models offering a choice of 8-inch, 10-inch, 12-inch or 15-inch woofers. Power outputs range from 400–600W. The series also includes three active models equipped with Class-D amplifiers and either 10-inch, 12-inch or 15-inch woofers. Each of the loudspeakers has a controllable DSP that includes EQ presets,

location presets (pole, monitor, bracket), selectable HPF filter, shelving EQs, limiter and front LED mode (on, off, limiter). Active models also include a volume knob and line/mic and link/mix switches. All loudspeakers in the ENTAR Series are finished in black and have black steel grilles for a modern look.

AS PART of its 25th anniversary celebrations, RME has launched the Fireface UCX II, the successor to its Fireface UCX. Featuring 40 I/O channels as well as a variety of applications, the Fireface UCX II is said to mark a new standard in the field of professional audio interface solutions with a compact half-rack size. The interface also boasts up to 20 recording and 20 playback channels, SteadyClock FS, high-performance microphone inputs, built-in parametric EQ, USB direct recording plus full standalone functionality.

The Fireface UCX II houses two mic/ line preamps in XLR combo configuration on the front panel, along with two digitally controlled line/instrument inputs, followed by a headphone jack, various control buttons, a display and the main volume knob. At the rear is a set of 10 analogue balanced line inputs and outputs, MIDI I/O, ADAT I/O, AES/EBU and SPDIF I/O, USB 2.0 as well as a switchable word clock I/O. Thanks to the digital DURec (Direct USB Recording) functionality, any input or output

OFFERING GREATER channel counts and expanded connectivity as standard, Calrec has developed enhanced versions of the Brio console with the launch of the Duet and Medley packages.

baseline Brio console with an increased input channel count from 64 to 96 channels, handling more surround and immersive mixing in addition to slim trims where space is at a premium. The Brio

Designed as a plug-and-play broadcast console with no DSP sharing, Brio slots into any broadcast workflow by making its facilities available all the time. Fully loaded with dynamics and delay on every path and expandable for future growth, Brio’s feature set includes a large internal router, multiple monitor outputs and built-in I/O. With Brio Duet, Brio’s base specification has been upgraded for existing Brio customers. The Brio 36 Duet becomes the

Medley package adds a Dante or MADI expansion card and a Br.IO I/O box with 24 mic/line inputs, 16 analogue outputs and eight AES I/Os. The UK manufacturer has also announced the launch of a free educational training module for mixing live broadcasts in Dolby Atmos using the Calrec Brio console.

www.equipson.es

www.calrec.com

RME updates Fireface UCX of the Fireface UCX II can be recorded directly to a USB storage device. DURec uses the integrated DSP which provides standalone operation without the need for a computer. The fields of potential applications include standalone field recordings, live and rehearsal recordings, or playback of live recordings for vir tual

soundchecks. The Fireface UCX II also comes with the TotalMix FX DSP mixer offering routing and monitoring options, as well as the DIGICheck analyser allowing it to measure and analyse the digital data feed in both directions. www.rme-usa.com

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PRODUCTS

DirectOut adds NMOS to EXBOX.RAV interface

DIRECTOUT TECHNOLOGIES has further expanded the capabilities of its Ravenna/ MADI converter EXBOX.RAV by adding NMOS IS-04 and IS-05 support. NMOS (Networked Media Open Specifications) is a suite of specifications for stream discovery and connection management developed and maintained by the AMWA, filling a gap left open by the AES67 and SMPTE ST 2110 standards. IS-04 handles device discovery and registration to support automation in setting up networked systems, while IS-05 covers the connection management between devices to allow creation and removal of flows between senders and receivers on the network.

“We are seeing a lot of AES67 and ST 2110 projects coming up with requests and requirements for NMOS,” commented Claudio Becker-Foss, CTO and CEO of DirectOut. “NMOS is a public

specification, which fits well with the open approach of Ravenna. Based on modern network protocols, it eases the device integration into network management and orchestration software. Being NMOS-ready makes EXBOX.RAV even more attractive as a compact and cost-effective interface for IP infrastructures.”

Other features include FastSRC for sample rate conversion when dealing with different clock domains and EARS (Enhanced Automatic Redundancy Switching) designed by DirectOut to improve reliability of digital multichannel audio systems. Network redundancy is also granted by compliance with ST 2022-7.

NMOS has also been added to the Ravenna modules offered for the PRODIGY Series and to DirectOut’s OEM board RAV2. www.directout.eu

API introduces updated 527A SINCE ITS debut over 12 years ago, the API 527 has continued to gain popularity with mixing engineers across the world. Designed with flexibility in mind, the 527 of fered fast compression and a punchy tone coupled with API’s analogue warmth. Now, the manufacturer has released an updated version of the original 527 called the 527A. Retaining the circuit structure and sound of the original, the 527A is said to provide improved LED monitoring of gain reduction and a hard bypass option.

The 527A will take its place alongside the family of VCAbased compressors, including the 225L compressor and 529, 2500 and 2500+ stereo bus compressors.

Features common to the family include “feed for ward” (new) and “feed-back” (old) gain reduction methods selectable on the front panel, which are said to provide a choice of the “old way” or the “new way” of compression. The “old way” or feedback method is what most of the classic compressors used for the gain control circuit. The “new way” gain reduction

is more typical of the newer VCA-type compressors that rely on RMS detectors for the gain control voltage.

There is a soft/ hard knee switch for an “over-easy” type compression which repor tedly results in a ver y natural, uncompressed sound or a typical sharp knee type that lends itself to a much more severe limiting ef fect. The patented Thrust function can be switched in and out via the front panel as well, applying a filter before the RMS detector circuit that preser ves that punchy bottom end.

Two or more 527As can be linked together via a DC link, allowing multiple units to be combined for stereo and multichannel applications. The output level remains fairly constant regardless of the threshold or ratio control, much like the “more/less” ceiling control on the old 525 compressor. This allows for live adjustments without any noticeable gain changes in the programme level. The 527A also makes use of the 2510 and 2520 discreet op-amps.

PTZ camera specialist Bolin Technology is now shipping its new D-series of HD and 4K resolution PTZ cameras featuring Dante AV. With Dante AV, Bolin has combined 4K60 video, smooth PTZ movement, low latency and easy interoperability for integration over standard 1Gbps networks. Bolin is also introducing a Dante AV decoder, enabling many AV devices to work with a Dante AV network. As a leading networking and connectivity solutions provider for pro AV and telephony, Patton Electronics is now shipping its FPX6000 series of Dante AV-enabled encoders and decoders. The integration of Dante AV connects network gateways to non-networked AV products such as cameras, monitors and video editing stations. www.analog.com

Dante AV is now available as part of new solutions from Bolin Technology and Patton Electronics. Capable of video connectivity over

standard 1Gbps networks, the new products are the first commercial offerings in the Dante AV video-over-IP networking platform.

www.audinate.com www.bolintechnology.com www.patton.com

58 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2021

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Audinate announces first Dante AV adopters A COLLABORATION between Dante AV networking developer Audinate and Analog Devices, Inc (ADI) has resulted in the Dante Embedded Platform (DEP) for ADI’s SHARC audio DSPs. Manufacturers using ADI’s premium SHARC DSPs can now benefit from Dante audio-over-IP as single on-chip software.

By adding DEP to a compact, audio featurerich and multi-core application processor such as the SHARC ADSP-SC5xx, manufacturers can deliver Dante connectivity with low latency and audio processing. With Dante audio networking already onboard, DEP promotes interoperability with other Dante-enabled products. The ADSP-SC5xx offers an ARM Cortex core, up to two high-performance SHARC audio DSPs with high on-chip RAM and audio connectivity peripherals. Additionally, the SHARC DSPs provide an ecosystem of audio processing algorithms enabled by ADI’s Sigma Studio graphical programming environment.

Having partnered with Audinate to deliver the first Dante AV-enabled video-over-IP cameras,

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PCM, Opus and Ogg Vorbis finishthe and anti-reflection With latest technology standards. as well as lower powerformats, consumption, thesupporting fan-less SIP and secure Powered by Barix’s Linux-based IPAM 400 SIP in peer-to-peer and server modes. Other new features relative to earlier Exstreamer audio module, the Exstreamer M400 has significantly higher processing power than models include IPV6 support, internal audio file

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previous Exstreamer models and a more storage with externally triggered playback and programmable, software-driven architecture support for Singlewire Software’s InformaCast for easier expansion, rapid prototyping and and Syn-Apps emergency notification platforms customisation. It comes with an increased with automatic endpoint registration. buffer size and advanced buffer management The Exstreamer M400 will initially target technology for networking performance IP audio, including background music, disruptions. Expanded support for IT security paging, SIP/VoIP integration and emergency standards includes HTTPS, plus secure, notifications. Direct support for Barix’s encrypted SIP (voice-over-IP) communications IC Paging and Simple Paging solutions, using TLS and SRTP. scheduled for release later in the year, will The installation of multiple Exstreamer M400 allow Exstreamer M400s to be easily added as units is simplified the devices’ System endpoints. The device will also be expanded Corporate application for thebyC-series and B-series Configuration Tool. Accessible through a web with robust functionality for radio broadcasters browser, the dashboard enables installers in future updates, such of as AES67 displays repor tedly firmware reduce the total cost to efficiently configure up to hundreds ownership of support for high-quality audio transport between and provide quiet operation.

Exstreamer M400 devices at once. It can be facilities and interoperability with Dante-based Forming part of the DWX wireless series, used to assign devices to grouped zones and DWR-S03D devices.

Sony’s slot-in receiver has received specify up to five prioritised source streams a firmware upgrade. Using the dedicated DWAwww.barix.com for each unit. Settings can be copied from oneadaptor, SLAU1 sound engineers can now benefit from the DWX series using the UniSlot or SuperSlot interface. This new compatibility will reportedly offer a wideband digital audio solution for location sound recording for movies, dramas and documentaries. The free v1.10 firmware upgrade, which includes direct frequency input function and digital GLENSOUND HAS launched a new network channels of audio inputs and or analogue audio output settings when theoutputs on bridge featuring two redundant Dante each network up to 96kHz DWA-SLAU1 adaptor is attached, means(or 16 channels interfaces. The Vittoria enables audio toexisting at 176.4kHz 192kHz), that owners of theorDWX serieswith canfully redundant be routed between two networks running power supplies and word expand the use of their equipment for clock new in and asynchronously, or at different sample applications.out. There are high-quality sample rate rates, while keeping those networks totally converters between the networks and they

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FOLLOWING ITS launch at ISE 2020, Bose Professional is now shipping the all-in-one USB conferencing Videobar VB1.

Proprietary transducers reproduce audio from multimedia presentations in addition to playing Bluetooth, while six beam-steering microphones focus on voices in the room and reject noise. A 4K HD camera with auto-framing delivers video that allows remote participants to visualise presenters, whiteboards and other in-room objects. With USB connectivity simplifying setup, mounting options include a table

stand or a wall-mount kit, both of which include tilt to ensure a central video image.

The Bose Videobar VB1 connects to existing network infrastructures and integrates with third-party cloud services, including Microsoft Teams, Google Meet and Zoom. Remote management and configuration capabilities make it simple to deploy and manage remotely as a single unit or install up to 1,000 in conference rooms. Available as an app or via a web browser, the Bose Work Configuration software is included to

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PRODUCTS

Clear-Com takes a leading Edge DEVELOPED AS an IP base station that supports the full range of FreeSpeak digital wireless intercom solutions including 1.9GHz, 2.4GHz and 5GHz, in addition to third-party Dante devices, Clear-Com has launched the

E two-way radio systems with an intelligent GPIO interface.

The CC-28 is a lightweight, single-ear headset with an over-the-head design and a flexible gooseneck microphone. It has been designed for comfort and ease of use and features enhanced audio quality with a frequency response up to 14kHz and a four-pin XLR connector. The headset’s dynamic microphone can be muted by moving the microphone boom – rotating it up will mute the microphone while rotating down in front of the mouth will un-mute the microphone.

The CC-28 is the functional replacement of the CC-26k lightweight headset.

In brief, Clear-Com’s new Station-IC Virtual Desktop Client is now available for the LQ Series of IP interface devices as well as the manufacturer’s Eclipse digital intercom matrix.

systems, as well as support for FreeSpeak 1.9GHz IP transceivers via AES67 connections, previously only available through Eclipse Digital Matrix systems with an E-IPA card. The next-generation IP base station supports up to

FreeSpeak Edge Base Station FreeSpeak Edge Base Station. Featuring two full-colour, high-resolution touchscreen displays with four rotary encoders, the single 1U device allows four talk and listen channels, enabling the station operator to communicate with the wireless beltpacks.

The FreeSpeak Edge Base Station provides a standalone solution for FreeSpeak Edge 5GHz

16 beltpacks and six IP transceivers (10 E1 transceivers), with the flexibility to mix and match bands in addition to up to eight ports of IP interoperability with third-party Dante connections. With a mixture of IP, two-wire and four-wire audio ports, the FreeSpeak Edge Base Station can integrate a variety of systems, including Clear-Com Encore partyline and

CC-28

Neutrik adds Gigabit PoE injector EXTENDING THE capabilities of its Dante audio network interfacing modules, Neutrik has introduced the NPS-30W Gigabit Power over Ethernet power supply, addressing the need for PoE injectors that can operate in the harshest stage and field applications. The NPS-30W behaves as a passive power supply, delivering constant uninterrupted power, with no requirement for power negotiation with connected devices. It partners the NA2-IO-DPRO and NA2-IO-DLINE I/O interface devices that enable connectivity of legacy analogue and digital audio equipment within Dante audio networks.

With a 30W PoE budget, up to four of these I/O Dante interface devices can be daisychained off of a single NPS-30W. This is said to make the NPS-30W suitable for applications such as ambient miking. In common with the NA2-IO-DPRO and NA2-IO-DLINE, the NPS-30W features a compact, ultra-rugged form factor and removable rubber safety casing, and is equipped with lockable power connector and Ethernet ports. Optional mounting brackets

or a rack panel allow all three devices to be mounted on the underside of tables, in floor boxes, outboard racks or on a truss.

The rear panel power input and network data input port, along with the front panel PoE/ data output network port, feature Neutrik powerCON TRUE1 TOP and etherCON chassis

connectors to reportedly ensure fully robust, professional standard connectivity. The NPS-30W is an optimal companion for any PoE application, as well as Neutrik’s own networking products.

The manufacturer has also announced the global launch of its REAN brand of audio, video

SHURE HAS unveiled its dual-channel ADX5D portable wireless slot receiver. Designed to enhance the Axient Digital ecosystem of wireless audio solutions, the ADX5D has been created to translate Axient Digital into a portable option. It is suitable for sports/events broadcasting, electronic news gathering (ENG), film/episodic television and electronic field

production (EFP). The receiver supports a wide dynamic range, AES256 encryption and 2ms latency from the mic transducer to the analogue output. It can slot inside and connect directly to the audio inputs of a professional broadcast camera, enabling streamlined connectivity of the two devices. The portability is also said to provide convenience and flexibility, especially

for film and TV sound mixers who often have discrete powering, audio-routing and/or RFdistributing gear in their portable recording bags.

The ADX5D incorporates ShowLink, which is unique to Axient Digital, and allows for real-time control of all transmitter parameters, interference detection and avoidance. Suitable for remote, hybrid or on-location sound environments, ShowLink makes it easier to use backup frequencies and provide remote control directly to the linked transmitters. Compatibility with Wireless Workbench supports control and configuration, optimal spectrum management and frequency coordination.

Shure has also announced the addition of free software networking capabilities for its SLX-D. Shure’s Wireless Workbench 6 software and ShurePlus Channels iOS app are now compatible with SLX-D. The software solutions offer the necessary RF management that professionals rely on for critical oversight and control of Shure wireless systems.

NPS-30W and NA2-IO-DPRO

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www.clearcom.com

and data connectors. The portfolio incorporates a full range of “standard” professional XLR, ¼-inch Jack, XLR/Jack combo, Ethernet, Power Connector, 3.5mm, Phono, DIN and Dual Banana plug solutions, and the new Z Series of IP65-rated XLR and RJ45 Ethernet connectors.

These are specified for outdoor applications, resistant to water and dirt, and optimised for use in lighting and digital signage applications.

Finally, Neutrik has issued an update of its FOC Controller app for its NA2-IO-DPRO I/O Dante interface device, which enables connectivity of legacy analogue and nonnetworked digital audio equipment within Dante audio networks. V2.0 introduces a new device discovery mechanism that improves the response speed of the software and enhances the user experience by separating online and offline devices. DPRO Controller V2.0 should be used in combination with the latest (v9.14) firmware and the website download bundles of the updated controller and firmware. www.neutrik.co.uk

MXA710 Finally, Shure’s MXA710 linear array microphone is now certified for Microsoft Teams and joins the manufacturer’s increasing portfolio of conferencing solutions that are already certified for Microsoft Teams that give installers and end users even more options for their environments. www.shure.com

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Expansion on the cards THE LATEST product updates to be issued by Extron include new Quantum Ultra expansion cards to simplify the design, integration and operation of large videowalls, together with a new compact but high-performance control processor and new 4K.60 video switchers.

image synchronisation and eliminating video tearing. Integrating Quantum Ultra processors configured with Quantum Expansion cards provides flexible system design for large videowalls without the need for front-end switching or distribution amplifiers.

serial port with hardware and software handshaking, advanced security standards and Gigabit Ethernet, which ensures compatibility with multiple TouchLink Pro touchpanels, Network Button Panels and IPL EXP expansion interfaces using a standard network infrastructure.

Lastly, the recently announced DSC 401 and DSC 401 A high-performance scalers have now been made available. They support data rates up to 18Gbps and incorporate the manufacturer’s Vector 4K scaling engine. Both models support 4K/60 signals on a single HDMI connection, while additional features include onscreen menus, internal test patterns and status LEDs.

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Alongside the Ultra expansion cards is the release of Extron’s new IPCP Pro S1 xi compact control processor, which has been designed for decentralised control in smalland medium-sized applications. The device is said to offer greater processing power and twice the memory of the manufacturer’s IP Link Pro series. Ethernet monitoring and

A&H reaches new spaces ALLEN & HEATH has announced several new additions to its installation portfolio.

The AHM-64 audio matrix processor can now benefit from hardware-based echo cancellation via the AEC processing expansion module, providing 12 channels of AEC with a 150ms adaptive FIR filter, non-linear processing for residual echo and background noise reduction, plus AGC (Automatic Gain Control) for the far-end signal. Said to offer multiple benefits over cloud-based echo cancellation, including the ability to handle multimicrophone setups and dedicated Sound Reinforcement outputs, the AEC module offers “a step up in audio quality” for teleconferencing and videoconferencing applications in meeting rooms and conference centres.

Three new Dante interfaces have been added to Allen & Heath’s Everything I/O range of audio expanders: the DT20 with two mic/line inputs on combi connectors; the DT02 with two line outputs on XLR; and the DT22 with 2x2 I/O on Phoenix connectors. The compact form factor, in conjunction with rugged aluminium casing,

is said to make the interfaces suitable for the rigours of portable AV hire, while surface-mount and rack-mount kits enable integration into more permanent installs.

www.extron.com

DSC 401 and DSC 401A

QSC announces NS Series Gen 2 PRE-CONFIGURED TO meet the requirements of the Q-SYS audio, video and control platform, QSC has introduced Q-SYS NS Series Gen 2 enterprise-grade, Netgear-manufactured AV network switches.

Designed as a plug-and-play solution for faster and more reliable standalone AV networks, the AV network switches provide real-time transport of Q-LAN, AES67 and Dante audio streams in addition to Q-LAN video streaming and distribution.

Excluding the uplink and SFP ports, each Q-SYS NS Series Gen 2 network switch features standard PoE on each of its ports to provide combined Q-SYS device power, data and control. In addition, two NS Series Gen 2 models support PoE++ for use with Q-SYS devices, eliminating the need for PoE injectors and external power supplies while simplifying cabling infrastructures.

Providing multicast data management between multiple switches, the NS Series offers intelligent features that automatically manage multicast traffic on the network with integrated Netgear IGMP Plus. Additionally, an optional built-in DHCP server is pre-configured, enabling automated connectivity for independently administered AV systems.

QSC has also announced new Meeting Room Solutions following a collaboration with Zoom Video Communications and Q-SYS Ecosystem partner Sennheiser. The solutions centre around the Q-SYS Core 8 Flex processor and also includes the QSC SPA Series two- and four-channel power amplifiers and the QSC AcousticDesign Series AD-C4T ceiling loudspeaker. QSC and Sennheiser have also partnered to include the Sennheiser TeamConnect Ceiling 2 (TCC2) microphone, which integrates with Q-SYS via a control plugin. www.qsc.com

Finally, the CC-7 (7-inch) and CC-10 (10-inch) touchpanels complement the existing range of remote-control options for AHM-64, dLive and Avantis mixers.

PoE powered and pre-configured to run the Allen & Heath Custom Control app in kiosk mode, they offer an alternative to BYOD in houses of worship, corporate and educational facilities. Multiple user interfaces can be designed by the installer or systems integrator, uploaded to the mixing system and instantly deployed to all connected Custom Control devices. www.allen-heath.com

Q-SYS NS Series Gen 2

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PRODUCTS

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Biamp Zooms in ZOOM VIDEO Communications has certified two Biamp conference room audio bundles for customers to operate a complete audio solution in medium and large Zoom Rooms.

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microphones, which track and mix conversations from around the room.

The US manufacturer claims that this results in an audio experience

Remote conferencing from Yamaha The new cer tified bundles offer the advantages of a complete Biamp solution. Installers benefit from simple system deployment and configuration resulting from the integration of each component, automated EQ, minimal cable requirements with no terminations and without the need to set up the network. Significant time savings on Zoom Rooms projects are made possible with a room deployment tool that bypasses the requirement to configure the Tesira software platform.

Parlé microphones use beamtracking technology to create dynamic vir tual

that makes remote par ticipants feel physically present in the room.

Two bundles are available for medium and large Zoom Rooms, both of which include a TesiraFORTÉ VT4 processor, TesiraCONNECT expander, Tesira EX-UBT USB extender and an appropriate quantity of Parlé ceiling microphones together with Desono C-IC6 loudspeakers for the room size. They also incorporate Biamp’s PoE-powered amplifiers incorporating Burst Mode technology together with mounting accessories and category cabling. www.biamp.com

Real-time rendering AS IT continues to strive towards real-time content rendering, disguise has unveiled the new rx II hardware release, reportedly the fastest and most powerful professional GPU on the market. The company states that the new rendering node unlocks 40% more graphics processing power than its rx predecessor, enabling users to more reliably render larger and higher-quality scenes in real-time engines such as Unreal Engine, on any display canvas and across any industry application.

The rx II enhances disguise’s existing cluster rendering solution, which has been

engineered to split the processing power of highly detailed or large-scale, real-time scenes across multiple rx render nodes. By splitting up content processing power, each individual machine is only given what its GPU can control. Each render node operates as part of

YAMAHA UNIFIED Communications has announced a new model to its Enterprise Sound Bar line-up. The ESB-1090 solves common challenges and limitations in sound output to reportedly create a rich, premium audio experience for remote conferencing, classrooms, and hotel guest rooms, lobbies or meeting rooms. The ESB-1090 features three modes, allowing users to opt between Conference, Education and Hotel. Users can swap between Conference Mode for remote conference purposes, Education Mode for classroom settings and Hotel Mode for lobby or room playback with the included remote. It can also be configured for Ethernet operation.

a bigger cluster, allowing for a unified image that’s the product of multiple machines. The rx II is the company’s new dedicated rendering node.

The rx II currently sits together with disguise’s vx as a hardware bundle.

The sound bar includes two subwoofers, two midrange speakers and two tweeters.

It connects to any sound source – display, PC or mobile device – via HDMI, Bluetooth or even optical cable and analogue audio.

There is also an operation restriction preset to prevent unwanted tampering or changes.

Like the ESB-1080, the ESB-1090’s slim design reportedly blends into any environment and offers installation versatility. Users can either wall mount the unit or place it flat on a table or school AV cart. www.uc.yamaha.com

Connecting the two hardware units is the manufacturer’s proprietary RenderStream protocol, available through the latest r18 software release.

The rx II further enhances real-time rendering via 10-bit HDR processing for highest-quality output. Users can scale their production while using any render engine, create photorealistic backgrounds and assets and leave it to rx II to deliver graphics to the screen with minimal latency. www.disguise.one

Tascam updates its streamer/recorders

VS-R264 and VS-R265

A V1.1.0 firmware update has been released for the VS-R264 Full HD streamer/recorder and the VS-R265 4K/UHD streamer/recorder. The new version, with its suppor t for three simultaneous RTMP streams, enables users to stream their programmes/ per formances to three dif ferent streaming platforms all at the same time, such as YouTube, Facebook and Dacast. Fur thermore, this update also facilitates simultaneous backup

distribution (Main and Backup) to the ser ver of the same streaming ser vice.

Support for a total of eight simultaneous streams has also been added. This includes three RTMP/RTMPS (RTMPS is a variation of RTMP that has an added layer of security), one RTSP (Real Time Streaming Protocol), one HLS (HTTP Live Streaming), two RTP/UDP Unicast and one RTP/UDP Multicast. www.tascam.com

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TI-MF

PRODUCTS

Klotz expands Titanium StarQuad series CREATED FOR interference-free transmission of balanced line audio signals, Klotz AIS is now offering three StarQuad audio cables as part of its Titanium StarQuad microphone (TI-M) series. The new Titanium StarQuad analogue cables are available in the plug combinations XLR Female to TRS (TI-MFS), XLR Male to TRS (TI-MMS) and as a pure TRS line audio cable (TI-TRS). Providing a loss-free plugin connection, Neutrik metal connectors with gold-plated contacts come as standard. Measuring almost 8mm in diameter, the outer jacket comprises four wires arranged in a star shape with an extra large cross-section (4 x 0.34mm²).

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BNCslim connectors and is suited for the transmission of WordClock, AESid and MADI coaxial signals. The stranded wire is embedded in a PE insulation, while the dense high screen braided shield achieves a coverage of 95%. The soft PVC outer jacket is said to make the D9 cable flexible and therefore suited for rackinternal cabling and patches. Both the D7 and D9 series are available in cable lengths between 30cm and 10m.

The cable manufacturer has also updated its H1A33NP (audio and power) and H1T88RX (2x Cat and power) and increased the splice length to 50cm, which makes it easier to reach connections that are far away from each other with the splice. From a length of 30m, a professional strain relief from REMKE at the splice reportedly protects against high tensile forces and extends the service life of the cable.

Grouped alongside the LX-5X series with XLR 5 p. connectors, Klotz AIS has extended the PRO DMX cable series with the addition of XLR 3 p. connectors (LX-3X). The digital cables are characterised by an exact impedance of 110Ω.

The LX2 is a flexible touring DMX cable made from the high-end OT2000 digital cable.

The LX3 incorporates the OT206Y doubleshielded supreme digital cable with black jacket and the LX4 is distinguished by D7-SPDIF a blue jacket. For the LX5 series, Klotz AIS uses an OT206PB cable with a blue PUR jacket, while the LX6 comes with complete five-way pin assignment. With AL/PET foil and an additional copper-braided shield, the double-shielded DC422CY cable provides interference-free data transmission over very long distances. The PRO DMX cables are equipped with transparent shrink sleeves on both sides and are available with both XLR 3 p. and XLR 5 p. connectors by Klotz AIS or Neutrik. www.klotz-ais.com

FINGERTIP PRODUCTION COMPLETE PRODUCTION STATION KMU-200 is an all-in-one production station that can be operated by a single director.

With a single UHD camera input and the power to create multiple regions of interest you create a show that looks like you’re working with a multitude of cameras!

KMU-200 works with large touchscreen and gesture controls. Precise control can be done with the hardware buttons.

Built in streaming, audio embedding, audio level control and recording on SD cards ensures you of a hassle-free experience.

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sound with fast response, detailed fidelity and undistorted transient reproduction.

In the new D7 coaxial cable series, both the cable material and the RCA connectors are manufactured with 75Ω characteristic impedance. The flexible stranded wire is wrapped in PE insulation, then next is the braided shield (coverage >85%) and finally the robust PVC outer jacket with a diameter of less than 6mm. The D7-SPDIF is not only suitable for coaxial SPDIF signals but also for analogue composite video signals and has been designed as a flexible yet robust patch cable in shorter lengths.

The D9 coaxial digital cable series is equipped with high-quality Damar&Hagen

$ 3,499.00 Excluding VAT/Duties/shipping

More information on www.datavideo.com

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PRODUCTS

Zero loss cables AS THE physical features of audio become more important, Tasker has lent its cabling expertise to develop long-distance installation microphone cables with zero dB losses at all analogue frequencies.

The TSK1026 Zero Loss has a diameter of 6mm, a nominal section of 2x0.25mm², an active carbon screen and full copper spiral shielding, while the TSK1028 Zero Loss has a diameter of 6.3mm, a nominal section of 2x0.35mm², an active carbon

screen and high coverage tinned copper braid shielding. Active carbon screen technology has existed for many years and Tasker uses it for many unbalanced cables for instruments, such as its C285 for live applications and the TSK1032 for recording studios. However, the Italian manufacturer has come up with the idea of using this material and wrapping it directly under the shielding of microphone cables to obtain zero dB losses.

AP detects rub and buzz WITH THE release of the v6.1 update, Audio Precision has added new measurement results, options and test signals to establish APx500 audio measurement software as “the best solution for production testing of loudspeakers, headphone drivers and microphones”.

For speaker driver developers, APx software now offers the broadest set of methodologies available in the detection of rub and buzz defects. Rub and buzz commonly refers to possible manufacturing defects that make undesirable noises during speaker operation. In addition to air leaks, the most common defect categories are rubrelated noises when the speaker cone is offcentre and mechanically rubs when it moves to create sound, and buzz defects when loose particulate matter such as chipped magnet material or glue become trapped in the gap between the speaker’s voice coil and the cone.

Rub and buzz defects are not necessarily detectable by traditional audio measurements. Several different rub and buzz detection methodologies have been developed using high-pass tracking filters,

Rub and buzz examples distortion-oriented methods that focus only on high-order harmonics and techniques applying human hearing-based algorithms to the distortion signal. No single method has achieved uniform adoption in the industry.

Previously available in APx software, the v6.1 update uses high-pass tracking filters to remove the fundamental signal and

Avid continues to add value AS PART of the Pro Tools | Ultimate 2021.6 software release, Avid’s Hybrid Engine has been made available for HDX Systems.

Combining added power for HDX Systems with on-demand access to near zero latency recording, the Hybrid Engine splits processing between native and HDX DSP mix engines.

This allows users to take advantage of their host computer’s mixing and processing power, while providing access to HDX’s DSP for supplementing computing power and recording through AAX DSP plugins with virtually no latency. As a result, sessions can operate with

Both Zero Loss cables are fully filled with cotton to avoid any loop effects and fully customisable with different types of sheaths:

a low CPU load, optimised voice usage and reduced system delay.

With the Hybrid Engine, a single HDX card can handle 2,048 voices at all sample rates, providing plenty of headroom for all the plugins, virtual instruments, surround mixes and other elements. When tracks are put into DSP mode, the entire signal chain and AAX DSP-compatible plugins are processed directly on the HDX card while the host computer plays back the rest of the mix.

detect defects as excursions in the residual waveform’s crest factor or peak ratio.

SoneTrac is a Bose-developed improvement to rub and buzz that filters the residual signal and ratios it to the RMS of the total signal to reduce the noisiness of the measurement result. A High-Order Harmonic Distortion (HOHD) uses the Total Harmonic

LSZH for fixed public installation, PE or PUR for outdoor installations, and with or without metallic armour for underground installations, even in the presence of rodents. www.tasker.it

Distortion (THD) ratio but only of harmonics above the 10th, 10–35, 20–200, etc. that account for frequency masking effects. Rub and buzz loudness applies a psycho-acoustic loudness model to the residual signal to calculate the perceived level of the rub and buzz based on well-established models of the human perception of sound.

To support the addition of the HOHD and rub and buzz loudness measurements, AP has introduced the Fast Sweep signal with v6.1. Fast Sweep is an extremely fast-stepped frequency sweep with no input or output ranging between steps and continuous transition between steps to minimise transient effects. In addition, v6.1 allows an instant switch between IEC and IEEE THD calculation modes for harmonic distortion results, addressing common measurement artefacts that occur when testing loudspeakers. All acquired waveform, impulse response or cross-correlation results can be saved to .wav files as a sequence step in automated measurement sequences. www.ap.com

Bose takes control BOSE PROFESSIONAL has unveiled an update to its ControlSpace Designer and ControlSpace Remote software.

ControlSpace Designer 5.9.1 includes numerous improvements to the design

www.avid.com

and operation of Bose Professional sound systems, including suppor t for AES67 and Dante Domain Manager on all Dante-enabled hardware to improve interoperability and ease of management in enterprise networks.

Also included are enhancements to the system commissioning experience and updated compatibility with third-par ty devices.

Updated firmware to support these improvements is included with the software release. ControlSpace Designer 5.9.1 includes EQ support for newly introduced DesignMax pendant and AMM multipurpose loudspeakers.

In addition, the ControlSpace Remote 2.10 update provides wired or wireless control of networked Bose Professional system components.

ControlSpace Remote builder software is used by the system designer to create custom control panels that are sent to the ControlSpace Remote app for operation by end users. Using control panel templates from within Bose ControlSpace builder, designers are able to quickly create unique inter faces for control of Bose networked pro audio systems running on iOS and Android devices. pro.bose.com

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PRODUCTS

Amadeus advances Holophonix with v1.7 AMADEUS HAS released a software update for the company’s Holophonix immersive spatial sound processor. The v1.7 software update features a redesigned web-remote user interface and includes a host of new features that promote faster workflows when working on immersive creative projects.

Graphic performance and large preset loads are up to eight times faster than previously. Free to all current Holophonix users, the v1.7 software is included with all new hardware systems.

Previously restricted to linear speaker arrays with regular spacing between the transducers, Wave Field Synthesis now supports non-linear speaker arrays,

including 2D surround setups. The algorithm can now control circular, rectangular or curved-shaped loudspeaker layouts with non-uniform spacing.

The built-in reverberation engine now features a new Room Size parameter for finely tuning the reverb effects and a per-speaker EQ has also been included with seven PEQ and high- and lowpass filters. Further v1.7 features include options bar displays of different functions by selected view, higher order ambisonics and stream sources together with a transformation tool for better positioning control for objects in 2D and 3D.

WAVES AUDIO has announced new updates for all Waves SoundGrid applications: the eMotion LV1 live mixer and the SuperRack plugin chainer for live sound processing, and the SoundGrid Studio and StudioRack applications for lowlatency recording and mixing in the studio. The new updates add integrated monitoring sync between SoundGrid Studio and two DAWs, REAPER and Bitwig Studio; support for the Waves MyMon personal monitor mixing app in SoundGrid Studio; graphic interface resizing options for all apps, including eMotion LV1 and SuperRack; and other new features and improvements.

SoundGrid Studio’s new automatic monitoring sync streamlines the workflow of REAPER and Bitwig Studio users when recording and monitoring in low latency through SoundGrid Studio. As a result of this new integration, REAPER and Bitwig Studio users can now automatically switch SoundGrid Studio’s I/O

hassle-free channel routing and switching, which until now had to be done manually.

Also new in Waves SoundGrid Studio is support for the Waves MyMon personal monitor mixing app, which gives musicians direct control of their monitor mixes during the recording process, via any mobile device.

New resizing/rescaling options added to the eMotion LV1 live mixer and the SuperRack live plugin rack allow users to customise the interfaces for their specific monitor setup.

SuperRack’s user interface can now be automatically resized, and a new Display AutoScaling mode has been added to eMotion LV1 for better support of high-res screens.

In other news, Waves V12.7 introduces a new User Preset System to streamline the process of saving, loading and organising custom-made plugin presets, as well as sharing them between different systems or other users. In addition, the Waves SSL

routing and toggle StudioRack’s Input/Playback modes directly from their DAW, saving time on routing and configuration. This new synergy between Waves’ studio applications and both DAWs streamlines REAPER and Bitwig Studio’s workflows for channel routing and auto-configurations throughout the recording process. The automated DAW sync reportedly keeps a recording session flowing with fast,

plugins and Waves Tune Real-Time now feature new high-resolution HiDPI GUIs, providing a crisper interface. The latest features join the new Waves Preset Browser and the ability to resize plugin windows introduced in V12. The V12.7 update is free for all users with V12 licences.

www.holophonix.xyz

EV previews speaker placement PREVIEW IS a new platform-independent software tool designed as an efficient way to configure Electro-Voice line arrays for maximum coverage. The software provides 3D visualisations of coverage, SPL and frequency response, as well as precise mechanical load calculations to help specifiers, designers and audio engineers quickly calculate the ideal configurations and positioning of line arrays.

It then recommends mechanically valid combinations of loudspeakers and rigging hardware.

immediate visualisation of the coverage density. The flexible auto dB range option maps the predicted SPL range across the full available colour range, maximising the visual detail simultaneously in all displays.

Virtual microphone positioning allows users to predict frequency response anywhere in the venue.

The spectrogram display presents a vertical frequency response plot for each loudspeaker at the point at which its main geometric axis reaches the audience area.

These plots are shown side-by-side, to help

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The software offers a 3D environment in which objects may be placed and manipulated anywhere, with the user having complete control over rotation, scaling and translation, as well as the ability to “see through” any surface that is viewed straight on.

A set of practical tools help the user achieve the optimal acoustical representation. Quick Map delivers

the designer assess how evenly the venue is covered in both level and frequency.

The software also simplifies the creation of subwoofer arrays and also includes a detailed report generation function and project file database. This database allows users to import existing designs and to store new project files, drawings and templates.

www.waves.com

LynTec updates Android app LYNTEC HAS updated its Android app to include more features and capabilities that allow users to remotely control and monitor LynTec networkable Remote Power Controller (RPC) and RPCR electrical panels without the need for an additional licence or fees. With the new app, facility managers and operators can control AC power control for AV systems, audio sound system sequencing, commercial lighting, DMX lighting, intelligent lighting, energy management systems and home automation.

“As we’ve continued to add new functionality to the GUI and expand our line-up of AVL power control solutions, we’ve had a surge of customers requesting the same app features for their Android devices as we’ve built into our more recent Apple app,” commented Mark Bishop, LynTec president. “This upgrade delivers on our continuous commitment to serve our customers and answer their needs with robust, flexible solutions that allow them to control their AVL assets at the system, zone and circuit level, with or without thirdparty controllers.”

www.electrovoice.com www.lyntec.com

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Anubis embarks on a Music Mission FOLLOWING AN intensive period of beta testing with leading international musicians, engineers and producers, Merging Technologies has released the Music Mission for Anubis. The Music Mission can be downloaded by existing users free of charge. Music Mission transforms the manufacturer’s desktop Anubis device into a low-latency recording mixer and Ethernet audio interface.

When switching on the Anubis, choosing the Mission is a press of the touchscreen, loading either the typical monitor controller or, if selecting the Music Mission, an up to 48-input/24-output, low-latency mixer with multiple effects. The size of the mixer depends on the number of AoIP devices on a user’s network; however, instead of a complex matrix to manage these I/O sources and destinations, newly developed PEER and UNITE features add the additional channels to the mixer with a simple screen tap. Routing can be managed from the Anubis touchscreen without the need to be a network technician.

Music Mission embeds multiple mixers which allows the creation of 1–5 different mixes for a performer’s cues or programmes. Different input sources or a mix balance can be routed to any outputs thanks to the flexible bus routing.

Additionally, there are 18 snapshots to save and fully recall previous settings, with the possibility to customise mixer layouts depending on use

in the studio or live onstage. All this can be achieved without having a DAW connected.

The Music Mission is designed to provide an engineer and several musicians with separate, controllable cue mixes. The Anubis delivers a main mix, five cue mixes and three further stereo pre‑fade sends, for a total of nine different balances, each of which can draw

on all available inputs. Each mix can feed a single stereo output pair, and the first is also duplicated so that you can have that mix going to two speaker sets, or to one speaker set and one headphone output. Cues can be used when recording, overdubbing, playing live or for independent programme distribution.

New to the platform are the PEER and UNITE features. UNITE is an automatic AoIP Stream patching feature included in the Merging drivers that allows a user to quickly connect I/O streams between the Anubis and a DAW without the need for any AoIP knowledge or additional applications. The Music Mission is expandable to 48 inputs channels and 24 outputs within the Anubis mixer, when adding AoIP interfaces to a setup. With the Anubis PEERING feature, users can expand their Anubis I/Os in operation with interconnected standalone devices, without the need of any computer to set it up. www.merging.com

TVU Networks adds subject tracking TVU NETWORKS has announced its TVU Anywhere solution has integrated support for Center Stage, a new iPad Pro (M1 Chip models) feature that automates subject tracking and reportedly eliminates the need for a camera operator in many situations.

The integration of Center Stage frees the reporter or anchor using TVU Anywhere from the constraints of holding a fixed position, using AI to automatically recognise the

subject and tracking them as they move. As additional subjects enter the shot, such as an interviewee, the camera will automatically zoom out to capture the additional subject and then zoom back in again once the interview is complete. Center Stage is fully integrated with TVU Anywhere via API, so no external controls are required.

TVU Anywhere is a downloadable app that turns a smartphone or tablet into a production

SSL unveils UC1 controller FOLLOWING THE success of the UF8 advanced DAW controller, Solid State Logic has launched the next level in hardware plugin control with the UC1. It combines studio-quality encoders, switches and feedback LEDs with an authentic moving coil Bus Compressor gain reduction meter for a true console “centre section” experience. With knob per-function control of the SSL Native Channel Strip 2 and Bus Compressor 2 plugins, the UC1 provides a continual onboard display of which plugin is currently in use, and a value readout of the control currently engaged.

Adding power to a DAW mix experience, the new SSL 360° Plug-in Mixer application allows users to create

their ver y own vir tual SSL console to work in unison with the UC1 hardware.

The controller has also been designed to provide instant access to current and future SSL designed Channel Strip and Bus Compressor plugins within a single window environment.

The manufacturer has also announced its refreshed eCommerce platform with the launch of a new take on the 4000 series console classic compressor. The LMC+ is an enhanced version of the classic SSL Listen Mic Compressor with a range of new creative tools for ar tists, producers and engineers.

camera. It has a wide range of capabilities such as dual-camera support, facial skin smoothing, remote pan-zoom and other camera settings that enable home, remote or field-based professionals to deliver high-quality content using their mobile devices. www.tvunetworks.com

Zylia Concert Hall added to Oculus App Lab

www.solidstatelogic.com

UC1

THE ZYLIA Concert Hall application on Oculus App Lab has been developed to allow listeners to move freely and navigate within virtual, 3D spaces. With navigable audio, detected changes in intensity, direction, height and timbre correspond to the position of the ears as in real life.

The Oculus headset allows the listeners to walk through the live-recorded 3D sound scene of the concert hall and stand next to any performing artist, represented in the VR environment by static musicians. The 6DoF Navigable Audio solution combines multiple Zylia ZM-1S, 3rd order Ambisonics microphone

arrays and software plugins for DAWs and game engines. The captured live 3D sound scene can be implemented into various immersive AV productions. The Zylia 6DoF Higher Order Ambisonics Renderer software allows playback of the synchronised recordings for listening from any position in the space. The Renderer can be used independently from the 6DoF hardware to create navigable 3D assets for various audio productions. The software package also includes the Zylia 6DoF Recorder and Ambisonics Converter components. www.zylia.co

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Atlona shares USB data in AV workflows THE LATEST entr y in the Omega Series of AV integration solutions has been released by Atlona in the form of the AT-OME-SW21-TX-WPC wall plate switcher and HDBaseT transmitter. As a successor to the AT-HDVS-210U-TX-WP, the new device combines HDMI and USB-C switching with extension of both AV and USB data in a US one-gang, wall plate form factor. The OME-SW21-TX-WPC transports video, audio, display control signals and USB data via HDBaseT over distances up to 100m when paired with Atlona’s AT-OME-EX-RX receiver or AT-OME-SR21 switcher. The transmitter supports video sources up to 4K/UHD at 60Hz with 4:2:0 chroma subsampling

and is HDCP 2.2 compliant for deliver y of protected content.

The OME-SW21-TX-WPC’s USB-C input supports both AV and data, enabling singlecable connectivity for Mac, Chromebook and Windows PCs in addition to smartphones and tablets with AV-capable USB-C ports.

Separate USB 2.0 interfaces and a builtin USB hub support an additional host system and a peripheral device, such as a speakerphone or microphone. The USB type B host interface can also be paired with the HDMI input for synchronous switching of video and data. In addition to discreet interfacing on walls, in furniture or in floor boxes, the OME-SW21-TX-WPC also includes

Long-reach HDBaseT THE KIT-401 is a high-per formance autoswitcher/scaler kit for 4K HDMI and VGA over long-reach HDBaseT. The kit includes the KIT-401T wall plate transmitter/ switcher and the KIT-400R receiver/scaler.

The KIT-401T transmitter converts the userselected input signal into the transmitted HDBaseT signal. The KIT-400R receiver receives the HDBaseT signal, converts it to HDMI and up- or down-scales the picture to match the resolution of the HDMI monitor.

The KIT-401 extends video signals to up to 40m over Cat copper cables at up to 4K@60Hz (4:2:0) 24bpp video resolution and provides even further reach for lower HD video resolutions.

Kramer has also added the DSP-62-AEC to its XSPerience family of DSP products.

The DSP-62-AEC is a 6x2 audio matrix switcher that includes multichannel DSP, AEC (Acoustic Echo Cancellation), HDMI de-embedding and class-compliant USB audio inter face. The user-friendly graphic

inter face is said to make configuring every detail of an audio system intuitive and easy.

The WP-EN6 is a 2-gang (US) wall plate video encoder that provides streaming of 4K@60Hz (4:2:0), HDCP 2.2, HDMI video, IR, RS-232 and USB signals over an IP network in unicast (one-to-one) or multicast (many-to-many) configurations. It is a fully

producer displays, streaming software and recorders.

www.atlona.com

DSP-62-AEC

www.kramerelectronics.com

an external video recorder, saving and recalling eight preset memories, adjusting the output video and making system settings.

The Jupiter-X Editor is now available for free for macOS and Windows and provides a user-friendly graphical interface that reportedly makes it easier to harness the creative potential of these instruments. It serves as a standalone graphical editor and

Jupiter-X editor

V-160HD The V-1HD+ Remote iPad app has been launched for remotely controlling the Roland V-1HD+ HD video switcher. The app lets V-1HD+ owners control features from their own iPad touchscreen, such as switching video and mixing audio, specifying the video effect assigned to each video bus, changing audio volume levels, adjusting the degree of effects applied, triggering

and projectors on or off without the need for an external control system or user intervention.

standard and compliant JPEG 2000 codec which enables compatibility with other software and hardware encoders. The WP-EN6 auto-senses the extension line PoE status and accepts power from a remote PoE provider such as a PoE matrix, with optional mains powering from connected power adapter (not included).

Finally, the VW-4 is a four-output videowall driver designed to quickly and easily configure and manage videowalls. One VW-4 device can be used to create any wall configuration with up to four displays, for example a 2x2, 4x1, 1x4, 2x1 or 3x1 videowall. Users can connect additional devices to create walls of any size and configuration of up to 64 displays; configure a single or multiple device setup using the VW-4 app via Ethernet or RS-232; or quickly configure a basic setup using the local dip switches.

KIT-401

Roland adds to V-series line-up THE V-160HD streaming video switcher is the latest addition to Roland’s V-series portfolio of multichannel HD video switching products and the first with built-in streaming capabilities. It allows users to connect with live audiences in Full HD with HDMI and SDI I/O and simultaneously stream to any popular web platform via USB-C. The V-160HD also features an eight-layer video effects engine, a 40-channel digital audio mixer and integrated PTZ camera control, plus nextgeneration cue management and live show automation tools. Eight HDMI sources and eight SDI sources can be mixed in Full HD, even with mismatched frame rates and colour spaces. Built-in scalers are provided on four of the HDMI inputs for interfacing with computers, tablets, smartphones, gaming consoles and legacy 4:3 devices. And seven total outputs – three HDMI, three SDI and one USB-C – are available to feed program displays, auxiliary monitors, multiview

automated features that enable touchfree operation. Automatic input selection switches between inputs when sources are connected or removed, while automatic display control turns compatible monitors

V-1HD+ Remote iPad app librarian for managing scenes and individual tones in one place. The editor comes equipped with a Scene Builder for designing complex

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layers and performance setups, and a Part Editor that features the parameter section available for the ZEN-Core engine and Model Expansions.

Finally, the GO:MIXER PRO-X is the latest member of the GO:MIXER family of audio mixers for smartphones and tablets. Compared with the previous GO:MIXER PRO model, GO:MIXER PRO-X offers expanded support for Android and iOS mobile devices, a guitar/bass input pad switch and the ability to use a headset mic or the inline mic on smartphone earbuds as a sound source. www.roland.com

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AJA unveils PAK Dock Pro WITH NO external power supply required, AJA Video Systems’ PAK Dock Pro media reader is a compact, plug-and-play device which streamlines the transfer of Apple ProRes and Avid DNx files from AJA Ki Pro Ultra 12G digital video recorders to desktop and laptop computers on macOS and Windows operating systems. PAK Dock Pro supports the latest USB 3.2 Gen 1 standard via the USB-C connection, reportedly ensuring broad compatibility and fast transfer speeds.

Designed to simplify media transfers in broadcast, production, post and pro AV environments, PAK Dock Pro allows professionals to quickly and easily ingest files recorded to AJA PAK solid state drives to a desktop or laptop computer. Users remove the PAK media drive from the Ki Pro Ultra

12G, insert it into the PAK Dock Pro and plug the media reader into their computer via USB-C for near-instant editing, highlights creation, archiving and more. PAK Dock Pro is compatible with all AJA PAK drives including the PAK 2000, PAK 1000, PAK 512 and PAK 256, and PAK drives used in legacy Ki Pro Ultra and Ki Pro Quad products.

The manufacturer has also released MiniConfig v2.26.2, a free software update that adds new features for select AJA 12G-SDI, 4K/UltraHD and other Mini-Converter models, including Region of Interest scan converters.

Mini-Config v2.26.2 introduces Extended Display Identification Data emulation for all HA5-12G models, HA5-4K, HA5-Plus, ROI-DP, ROI-DVI and ROI-HDMI, enabling the connected source to continuously output the

PAK Dock Pro desired video format. The update extends pass-through support and compatibility with Dolby Digital Plus JOC for HA5-4K and all HA5-12G models. Mini-Config v2.26.2 also delivers p60 to p59.94 and p59.94 to p60 simple frame rate conversion for 12GM, HA5-12G, HA5-4K and HA5-Plus; loss of input management capabilities for the UDC and FS-Mini; and PsF support for 12GM, HA5-12G and Hi5-12G models.

Finally, AJA has introduced FS-HDR v4.1 for its real-time HDR/WCG converter and frame synchroniser. FS-HDR v4.1 features

increased frame buffer depth from 6–20 frames, updated v1.5 BBC HLG LUTs, new NBCU LUTs, expanded Closed Captioning support and a new ability to pass-through or translate critical ancillary data, even while performing a conversion. In addition, FS-HDR v4.1 increases the device’s frame buffer depth to support configurable delays of up to 20 frames. This free update is available to all FS-HDR users and does not require a hardware change. www.aja.com

Barco expands meeting portfolio ADAPTING TO the reality of hybrid workplaces, Barco has added to its ClickShare family with two new models of ClickShare Present, the manufacturer’s wireless presentation and collaboration solution. The entry-level C-5 is ideally suited for huddle spaces and small meeting rooms, offering the key functionalities of wireless 4K content sharing. The highend C-10 is described as the perfect companion for interactive collaboration in any meeting space, and adds enhanced video performance and a set of interactivity features, such as touch back support, moderation, blackboarding and annotation.

C-5 Users can share content wirelessly to the central room display in full HD from the ClickShare app, any laptop (PC or Mac) or mobile device. The solution comes with full

The visual solutions manufacturer has also introduced the next generation of its UniSee LCD videowall with an improved colour performance under wide viewing angles and proprietary local dimming technology enhancing local contrast. The deployment and serviceability of the platform have also been improved to make it easier for users to get the wall up and running and keeping it operational with minimum interrupts. With the introduction of the Videowall Management Suite, resellers and managed service providers can monitor and manage the installation from a central location.

BYOD support on a 4K canvas. The C-5 and C-10 offer enhanced security features (ISO27001 certified) and a wide range of connectivity options. With the XMS Cloud Management Platform, users can enjoy remote management of units and clear analytics to drive the digital workplace.

Both units can be used on their own or in combination with an existing conference room.

www.barco.com

AMX fibre modules go the distance AMX HAS created a 4K60 4:4:4 distance transport switching solution in the form of four DXLink 4K60 fibre input/output boards, transmitters and receivers. Fully compatible with AMX Enova DGX 100 series enclosures, the new fibre modules accompany the previously released twisted pair boards and endpoints to provide added security and support over extended distances. The simple upgrade transforms existing systems into becoming the most secure with the highestquality technology without having to invest in an entirely new system architecture.

runs. Providing uncompromised image quality in critical applications including government operation centres and hospitals, the latest DGX 4K60 additions of fer 4K 4:4:4 video at 60fps over a single fibre-optic cable. The four DXLink modules are auto-configured and the settings can be applied using the Enova DGX web-based configuration tool. Field maintenance is simplified with hot-

el

ixers th XER and d or Previously, high-security operations resorted to either reduced resolutions over a single fibre connection or full resolution over multiple fibre

swappable cards to repor tedly ensure zero downtime to other sectors of the installation. pro.harman.com

LYNX Technik unveils latest greenMachine MODULAR SIGNAL processing manufacturer LYNX Technik has released its latest greenMachine general-purpose hardware device, Callisto+. Callisto+ is 2x 3G capable and complements the existing greenMachine Titan hardware (4K capable) with the same feature set and performance. According to the German manufacturer, Callisto+ provides users with a more cost-effective and entrylevel signal processing solution when 4K is not necessary or required. greenMachine Callisto+ hardware (model: GM 6825) includes input/output cross-point switching and distribution, an audio cross-bar for embedding/de-embedding SDI audio to and from sources and destinations, with support for analogue, discreet or embedded AES and MADI audio. A Dolby E decoder and a full metadata management tool are also included. HDMI in/ outputs are provided and fibre interfaces for 3G

HD-SDI and Gigabit Ethernet LAN control are available with optional SFPs. The hardware also offers an integrated colour display and control panel for live image monitoring, audio meters and status indicators. Full remote control is also available using the greenGUI software.

The first signal processing configuration available for Callisto+ is GMC-2CUPXD, a broadcast-quality, two-channel 3G SDI up/down/ cross-converter, which can convert between SD, HD and 3G video formats. In addition to its conversion capabilities, the GMC-2CUPXD is considered fully featured in that it also includes a frame synchroniser, 3G scaler, de-interlacer with motion adaptive filtering, embedded metadata management, colour correction for gain, lift and gamma adjustment, as well as various video adjustment features. www.lynx-technik.com

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Analog Way develops Picturall range ANALOG WAY has announced the availability of its next-generation, Linuxbased media servers. Engineered around a newly developed hardware platform, the Picturall Mark II series delivers enhanced performances for large-scale events and installations from a single server unit.

Replacing the current Picturall media servers, the French image processing systems innovator has added four products to the Picturall series with the Pro Mark II, Quad Mark II, Quad Compact Mark II and Twin Compact Mark II. Designed for video playback in fixed installations, broadcast, video rentals and live events, the Picturall Mark II series can drive up to 16 4K@60Hz LED videowall controllers or video projectors from a single server unit and enough power

to play back media up to 16K@60Hz or uncompressed image sequences up to 8K@60Hz. The latest media servers incorporate high-grade hardware components to provide a robust platform and deliver optimised uptimes for any mission-critical applications. To achieve high faulttolerance capability, the Picturall Mark II media servers feature a redundant, hot-swappable power supply option. Up to six low-latency input cards can be inserted to capture up to 24 1080p@60Hz or six 4K@60Hz sources with a wide selection of input inter faces available to support one or more channels of 3G-SDI, HDMI 1.4 or HDMI 2.0. In addition to displaying HTML-based web content with full Java

script support, the media servers can also receive several network video streams and are compatible with NDI live video streaming.

Designed to offer consistent per formance and reliability for 24/7 applications, the Picturall Mark II media ser vers are

readily equipped with read-intensive professional drives, with several storage options available to store uncompressed video content. High network bandwidth with two standard 10Gb/s Ethernet connectors promotes faster transmission of media files and more networked video streams.

In addition to offering synchronised multichannel audio playback, the media servers also support real-time audio de-embedding and routing from HDMI or SDI sources, network streams and web sources. Equipped with several optional audio inter faces, the Mark II media servers are also compatible with a variety of third-party multichannel USB audio inter faces. All four products feature an Art-Net inter face and Ethernet control via a standard TCP/IP socket connection supported by all major third-party control systems. www.analogway.com

Panasonic creates immersive experiences TO HELP venues re-imagine attractions and welcome back audiences in person, Panasonic has designed the ET-D3QW200 short-throw lens in collaboration with Illuminarium, a fully immersive 360° entertainment centre. Created specifically for the PT-RQ50K 3-Chip DLP Solid Shine laser projector, the ET-D3QW200 lens is suitable for events that encourage full immersion into content and require crystal clear images. The short-throw lens (0.55–0.65:1) allows audiences to approach content without casting a shadow, providing full top-to-bottom screen coverage with zero offset, inviting audiences to fully take in the visuals, stimulate their senses and step into the action. The Active Focus Optimizer is said to keep the image pin-sharp, while the L-shaped design helps to reduce the amount of installation depth, making it suitable

ET-D3QW200

for small spaces.

The PT-RDQ10 Series 1-Chip DLP Solid Shine 4K laser projectors have been designed for live entertainment, exhibition and museum venues, and are said to bring a new level of realism to events, engaging returning audiences by immersing them in the centre of the action. Colours are described as natural and bright, with vivid, vibrant and richly detailed 4K resolution from Smooth Pixel Drive technology providing a close-up and immersive experience.

The PT-RDQ10 Series reportedly reduces logistic and installation hassles with new features and workflow improvements, including the Smart Projector Control application and Near Field Communication function. These features are said to make it easy to read and change basic setups just by holding a mobile device against the projector’s touchpoint, while the new Remote Preview function makes it possible to check the content signal remotely via multimedia control software or a web browser.

Panasonic’s pre-activated Geometry Manager Pro upgrade software reportedly streamlines even the most complex edge-blending and projection-mapping installations.

The projectors provide 20,000 hours of “virtually maintenance-free” 24/7 operation, thanks to an air-tight and dustresistant optical unit and cooling system.

The PT-RDQ10 Series is compatible with a wide range of the manufacturer’s 1-Chip DLP lens options. When paired with the optional ET-DLE020 ultra short-throw lens, additional versatility is possible, enabling images to be projected in extremely tight spaces and minimising on-screen shadows. Models range from 8,000 to 10,000 lumens and are available in compact and lightweight black or white cabinets.

PT-RDQ10

www.panasonic.com

was paid to the 3D scene viewer to offer users a smooth navigation and polished experience within the software.

Version 4 includes the support of Notch Block, 10-bit Apple ProRes and 10-bit GoPro Cineform, as well as support for the LUT format, allowing creative filters and real-time colour grading. With support for the WebSocket protocol, it is now possible to create custom web applications, and interact with shows created in Modulo Kinetic from a smartphone, a touchscreen or any other computing device.

Modulo Kinetic version 4 also includes a series of improvements to its embedded 3D engine, with new features significantly enhancing show study and simulation. The already existing internal database of video projectors has been updated to include more than 680 references, while projectors can be easily imported into Modulo Kinetic

Designer from a csv file. Their distribution in 3D scenes is also now much faster and easier thanks to a new clone and symmetry tool.

Lastly, detailed study documentation can be created directly inside Kinetic. Users are offered the ability to add measures or annotations to 3D scenes and export any view and information required: 3D view snapshots, lux and pixel density views with captions and a pdf list of video projectors with their information. In addition, Modulo Kinetic upgrades its rendering with the support of spotlight and point light shadows.

It is also possible to render camera, projector or mesh instances in a timeline layer with post-processing Reflection, Ambient Occlusion (SSAO), Depth of Field (DOF), Glow and advanced Antialiasing.

Modulo debuts Kinetic V4

BILLED AS its biggest release ever, Modulo Pi has released version 4 of Modulo Kinetic, a fully integrated media server solution with a revamped user interface, improved 3D engine and new capabilities dedicated to virtual productions.

Firstly, Modulo Kinetic Designer offers a revamped user interface with new icons, optimised views, toolbars, timelines and a nodal programming editor. Special attention

www.modulo-pi.com

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Ross goes Interstellar and decode four WebRTC streams, sending these out over SDI and then receiving and distributing one incoming SDI stream to the four contributors. The hardware can manage up to 16 audio channels per stream and supports the OPUS and H.264 codecs.

Interstellar is currently available in three editions: Interstellar Express (one remote

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WITH THE rise in demand for remote production, Ross has developed Interstellar, a complete remote production platform that reportedly enables content creators to blend their “traditional” working methods and onsite personnel with remote talent and contributors. Interstellar reportedly enables high-quality production values and combines the convenience of a web browser

interface and professional feature set with extremely low latency. A key element of Interstellar is the Interstellar Streaming Gateway, a 1U hardware solution that provides connectivity between SDI and WebRTC transports. Once configured, the Streaming Gateway is fully controlled by the Interstellar UI. Supporting 720i, 1080i and 1080p, the Streaming Gateway can receive

studio, five concurrent users, four streams); Interstellar Prime (two remote studios, 10 concurrent users, eight streams); and Interstellar Standard (five remote studios, 25 concurrent users, 32 streams).

Ross is also aiming to redefine camera motion systems with the launch of Vision[Ai]ry Ft, a facial tracking system that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to detect, locate and track

the position of faces within the video stream directly from the camera. It uses facial positions to drive the pan, tilt and zoom axes of the robotic camera system to maintain the desired framing of the face or faces in the image. This eliminates the need for a camera operator to manually adjust for the position of the subject in the image.

The AI algorithm can recognise a diverse set of race, gender and age data, and can accurately identify and locate faces as long as at least 50% is visible in the image. The user interface provides a live display of the video feed with detected faces and framing target clearly indicated, along with status info, tracking controls and framing template library.

In brief, Ross’ compact UHD-over-IP SDI/ HDMI converter, Newt, has been upgraded to version 4.0. It builds on the existing feature set by adding SSM, NMOS and diagnostics to help users keep their network running trouble-free.

ST 2110 networks can now also benefit from the new support for Precision Time Protocol (PTP) on Ross’ SRG-4500 master sync generator. The new PTP software upgrade option brings drop-down configuration support for ST2110 and AES67 profiles to build an IP or Hybrid SDI network. www.rossvideo.com

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PRODUCTS

Grass Valley goes DIY GRASS VALLEY is bringing a DIY mentality to its latest playout solution in order to provide a low-cost entry point to the market.

Playout Xpress is a pre-commissioned system that allows customers to adapt to changing audience trends by defining their specific requirements. The solution offers up to four playout channels together with

an automation system that can cope with the complex demands of playout at a competitive entry point. The solution has been designed to be deployed by a customer in as little as one day.

“In today’s dynamically shifting media market, customers need to engage with global audiences that can no longer be

VIZRT GROUP has unveiled the next generation of the NDI software-defined IP video standard under the tag line “moves audio and video anywhere in the world, for free”. The latest version of the solution promises high-quality, low-latency video sharing with anyone else

in real time, to connect to any device, in any location, anywhere in the world and working with “almost any” video application. This means physical studios can connect to ones in the cloud, with remote video production effectively becoming local.

reached through one or two platforms,” stated Karl Mehring, senior commercial director, playout for Grass Valley. “Playout is crucial to enabling customers to spin services up and down quickly in the most cost-efficient way possible, and we are excited to launch Playout Xpress to further expand our offering.” www.grassvalley.com

Video from anywhere with NDI 5

Astera adds to AX series CREATED AS an extension of the AX range, Astera has released its AX2 PixelBar in two versions: a 1m fixture with 16 10W LEDs and a 50cm fixture with eight 10W LEDs. The units have been developed to meet demand for wall, backdrop or surface washing luminaires and are compatible with the AX and Titan ranges.

Utilising the manufacturer’s Titan LED light engine, the AX2 features a high CRI and TCLI and is said to produce a refined range of perfect colour temperatures from 1,750–20,000K. The digital calibration allows it to reproduce any colour or gel filter. The quick connect system for attaching two

or more units is designed to maintain a consistent pixel pitch between conjoined fixtures, and the feet can be loosened to assist in angling a row of AX2s uniformly along its entire length.

With the press of a button on one AX2, all the fixtures in a string of connected units will auto DMX address via their integrated IR modules. They communicate with each other and each fixture knows its position in a “flow set”. They can be controlled via the AsteraApp and inbuilt Lumen Radio wireless CRMX, in addition to a physical 5-pin XLR socket and powerCON in/out connectors for running a wired option, making it straightfor ward to daisy-chain several AX2s.

The AX2s can be rigged in flown trusses and used for individual pixel effects.

They can be used onstage to light up bands/ar tists from a footlights or side position, or for light cur tains, and are versatile flicker-free light sources for livestream setups and other recording and camera environments. Accessories include barn doors which can focus and control the light source as needed and act as a “glare shield” so users don’t see the LEDs – only the effect – on the wall. SuperClamps and a TrackHangar enable the attachment of safety bonds, while the FlyBar suspends up to 4m lengths of connected AX2 PixelBars.

New to NDI 5 as a free download within NDI tools is NDI Bridge, which forms a secure bridge between any NDI network regardless of location and opens a wealth of remote workflows for live video production. Also new to NDI Tools, NDI Remote allows anyone using a URL to contribute live audio and video from an internet-connected device, like a camera phone or a web browser, to another point anywhere in the world.

According to the manufacturer, NDI’s optimised codec and transport protocols provide unparalleled ease of use across existing networks. NDI Audio Direct allows for seamless integration of NDI audio into software-based audio workflows, be they across a local network, in the cloud or hybrid, removing the limitations of hardware audio mixers. Reliable UDP forms part of NDI’s mission to make video easier everywhere and reportedly makes WAN and Wi-Fi connections more resilient with less configuration required.

Together with the launch of NDI 5, Vizrt has also announced the next version of Live Production, which combines Viz Vectar Plus, Viz Engine, Viz Trio and Viz Mosart into a single, cloud-deployable solution. Vizrt Live Production is the first production system to fully exploit all the latest NDI 5 capabilities, including connectivity across both WAN and LAN networks, running onsite and in the cloud on the same sync, audio-over-IP integration with digital audio systems and the ability to bring in any camera with a browser as a source, from anywhere in the world.

In brief, NDI is now supported in Zoom Rooms. NDI for Zoom Rooms gives content creators an advanced set of creative, production options. Individual video streams, from either Meeting or Webinar, can be used by video producers to connect to other NDI devices, allowing them to create custom visual experiences. www.vizrt.com

Modern meets classic TAKING MODERN technology and pairing it with a classic design, Elation has created its KL PAR FC, a full-colour LED PAR light forming part of the manufacturer’s KL “Key Light” Series. It houses a 280W RGBMA LED engine with CCT adjustments possible from 2,400–8,500K for precise colour temperature control. The fullspectrum LED engine emits diffused saturates and soft-field pastels, including tunable white light. The unit boasts high CRI (92) and TLCI (95) values, meaning that, according to Elation, the colour recreation is extremely accurate both to the eye and to the camera. Output is up to 11,000 field lumens, equivalent to existing 750W tungsten PAR fixtures.

The KL PAR FC can adjust for light that shifts away from pure white towards green or magenta through a green–magenta shift adjustment and a virtual gel library. Capable of matching the white balance for camera, users can shift the colour temperature without the use of ±green gels and filters. Additionally, the LED refresh rate can adjust so there is no flickering when used with high-speed cameras.

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Features include a 7.5-inch colour frame and multiple included lens choices (11°, 22°, 30° and 52°) that are easy to replace in the field. Optional items include 7.5-inch barndoors, an extra-wide 90° lens and a 23° ovaliser lens. DMX controllable (six DMX modes, 1–17 channels) with full RDM support, the PAR offers manual control for standalone operation when desired for instant control of intensity, colour temperature, green shift and other important settings.

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ETC extends power supply

Martin adds to VDO Atomic family

ETC HAS designed its Network Station Power Supply (NSPS) to make it easier for users to add the stations and sensors necessar y to satisfy design briefs and energy codes for today’s architectural control systems. Par t of the manufacturer’s Unison Paradigm lighting control system, the Network Station Power Supply expands the reach of each

THE MARTIN by Harman VDO Atomic Bold creative LED lighting fixture provides a high lumen output, true tungsten emulation, smart interlocking mechanics and a compact footprint.

Combining an audience blinder, strobe light, creative LED pixel/ surface (beam and aura) and stage wash, the VDO Atomic Bold is said to equip lighting designers with an large palette of application possibilities.

The fixture retains the same interlocking mechanics, same universal cabling

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Paradigm processor by connecting to a Paradigm processor over a network connection. This allows Paradigm systems to take advantage of network infrastructure for long data runs, and then power system inputs like user stations and sensors with shor ter two-wire cabling.

The compact, DIN rail-mounted NSPS is described by ETC as easy to install wherever it’s needed. It suppor ts up to 63 devices, giving users the power and connectivity for today’s sensor-hungr y systems. A compact LCD screen on the unit and tactile button inter face repor tedly make it easy to configure the NSPS and bind replacement stations without needing separate configuration software or to physically be at the Paradigm processor. www.etcconnect.com

and a similar look as its sibling, the VDO Atomic Dot, but is much larger with a higher, full-colour LED lumen output.

Its octagonal-shaped design offers single light or large array configuration options. The unit features control via Martin’s proprietary P3 software and Art-Net, sACN and DMX protocols, allowing fixtures to be driven from a console, a video source or a mix of both. pro.harman.com

Robe expands its catalogue THE T2 Profile luminaire from Robe produces over 17,500 lumens via its 850W MultiSpectral LED (MSL) source. The fixture’s quietness is described as ideal for settings where silence is crucial. It can also be used as a long-throw partner used in conjunction with Robe’s smaller T1 series fixtures, as both feature MSL LED engines and produce an identical multi-spectral, colour-mixing consistency. The T2 Profile incorporates adjustable CCT from 2,700–8,000K, together

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self-calibration of the LED engine without using any external tools, and AirLOC (Less Optical Cleaning) reduces the levels of airborne particles across the optical elements.

The iPointe65 is a bright, high-performance, multifunctional luminaire modelled on Robe’s MegaPointe which works equally well as a beam, spot, effects and wash fixture. The IP65-rated model comes with NFC (NearField Communication) technology which enables access setup, diagnostics and other

performance-related features directly from a mobile device using the Robe Com app. The light source is a 310W lamp with a lifetime of up to 4,000 hours that has been specially developed for Robe by Osram. Providing 12,000 lumens – measured at the front lens – the source produces a razor-edged beam which is adjustable from a tight 1.8° column to a wide 42° spot. Both static and rotating glass gobos offer in-air effects and projected images with a sharp, high-contrast, flat field, while a dynamic effects engine has 12 varying beam and “flower” effects.

Modelled on Robe’s Spiider LED wash beam, the IP65-rated iSpiider is a bright, high-performance luminaire, retaining all the features of the indoor version. As with the iPointe65, onboard NFC technology enables remote access for diagnostic and performance features from a mobile device or smartphone via the Robe Com app. The iSpiider uses the same 18x 40W and 1x 60W LED sources as the original fixture, and the identical 12.5:1 zoom optical system is said to give the flexibility to go from a tight collimated 4° beam to a wide 50° wash.

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with DataSwatch for the quick selection of 237 authentic pre-programmed colours and tones, including the most frequently used whites.

Other features include a high CRI of 95+, Robe’s L3TM – Low Light Linearity – and 18-bit dimming. EMSTM stabilisation keeps the fixture steady whatever is happening around it, and the Cpulse flicker-free management can be used when working with cameras and vision systems. Robe Colour Calibration allows

Dreaming in colour THE OVATION Rêve E-3 from Chauvet is described as a next-generation ellipsoidal that ser ves as a variable white and a colour rendering unit. When creating whites with a 95+ CRI and high TM-30 RF, it repor tedly delivers a level of brightness equal to that of a 750–1,000W incandescent fixture. It also features a linear CCT adjustment with ±green to match other light sources in a rig, and colour temperature presets from 2,800–8,000K with high CRI and CQS. Brightness levels are described as even greater when the Rêve E-3 is creating realistic colours, ranging from soft pastels to bold

primaries, with its RGBAM LED engine.

According to the manufacturer, its “mint” colour LED has been shown to be more efficient at producing a much brighter output as well as higher-quality whites and colours.

Whether it’s used to create variable whites or colours, the Rêve E-3 has the output to repor tedly ensure even coverage from any hang point in installations of all sizes. Thanks to its precision optics, the fixture is said to deliver near flawless edge-to-edge focus to minimise any shift in focus between colours. It is vir tually silent, making it well-suited for applications where ultraquiet operation is valued. Selectable fan

speeds make it possible to eliminate even the faintest sounds completely, while the fixture’s adjustable PWM ensures flicker operation on-camera.

The yoke of the Rêve E-3 can be shor tened without being removed to provide a convenient solution for hanging from a low ceiling. The fixture’s integrated handle is said to make focusing faster and easier, and, as an added time saver, its Focus Mode can be accessed from a dedicated button. The Rêve E-3 works with all lens tubes used on existing Ovation features as well as lenses from some other manufacturers. www.chauvetprofessional.com

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BUSINESS: ANALYSIS

What’s the outlook for tradeshows?

Object Matrix co-founder, Nicholas Pearce

Nicholas Pearce, co-founder and chief revenue officer of object storage software provider Object Matrix, asks whether our industry still needs tradeshows SINCE THE OUTBREAK OF COVID, THE INDUSTRY HAS responded at an astonishing speed, putting measures in place to ensure business continuity, reconfiguring live production and implementing solutions to manage the media supply chain remotely. With that said, one particular area has stood out as an ongoing challenge for the industry – tradeshows.

There has been a huge amount of speculation around shows such as NAB, IBC and ISE over the last year or so.

There’s been much discussion about whether the shows will end up taking place, get moved back again, operate as hybrid events or go fully remote. But as we’ve discovered already, the pandemic won’t respect even the best-laid plans, and circumstances can change in an instant.

I’m not about to gaze into a crystal ball and try to predict whether these tradeshows are likely to proceed in a format that resembles business as usual. Reading back over the predictions from last summer clearly demonstrates that the impact of the pandemic is very difficult to pin down. Perhaps a more interesting question to ask is: after everything we’ve learnt over the last year, do we still need them?

Historically, these events were where most of the key sales in the industry took place but, while we wait to meet up again, sales activity has not stood still. Organisations have changed more than workflows and processes as a result of the pandemic, and there have also been fundamental shifts in the ways that businesses interact, together with overall sales psychology.

A McKinsey article recently claimed that “for B2B sales, digital is the wave of the future”. After assessing decision makers’ behaviour globally since the beginning of the pandemic, McKinsey research clearly points to digital dominance, with “more than three-quarters of buyers and sellers say they now prefer digital self-serve and remote human engagement”. So now that the digital sales approach is here to stay, will face-to-face interaction remain limited even after social distancing restrictions are lifted?

The show floor at a bygone IBC Many argue that tradeshows are not just about the end sales result, but rather they are a point of connection in the calendar for the industr y as a whole. During a recent panel arranged by [media industr y business network] DPP we discussed the pros and cons of tradeshows, and this is cer tainly a topic that the industr y must continue to explore. While the pros are that shows offer a fixed point in the calendar to network and share new product information, the cons cer tainly stack up. Tradeshows are notoriously expensive, and this can create a sor t of industr y class system that damages the adoption of innovative new technologies. The barrier to tradeshow entr y is extremely high, so smaller star t-ups often lose out on exposure to incumbents with the resources to shout louder. This often means that some of the most interesting developments in the industr y aren’t receiving the attention they deser ve until they are much more established.

Environmental impact is also becoming an increasingly urgent consideration. We need to count the environmental cost as well as the financial cost of the established tradeshow format. Thousands of people flying to the same location, building a mini city in an exhibition centre,

and dismantling it within the space of a few days is not sustainable in the long term.

Also, is it necessar y to transpor t all the technology – quite a lot of which will have been seen before – to the shows if one of the main purposes is networking? Is it possible to have tradeshows with less equipment on show, and therefore lower transpor tation costs and power usage? Can you ever truly demonstrate your products – par ticularly audio products – effectively in a tradeshow setting?

Then there is the individual impact on your team, whether you are exhibiting or attending; a rotating calendar of events doesn’t result in an ideal lifestyle.

With a culture of late-night drinking, unhealthy food and a lack of work–life balance, these events can take a toll on the team’s productivity. That being said, if the goal is networking, connecting and learning, then it’s wor th using this assessment of tradeshows as a star ting point for something new.

We are now in the unique position of designing our own industr y engagement brief. As we’ve seen this year and last, there are plenty of ways for organisations to connect digitally, share information and move the industr y for ward. Many of them are far more effective than the traditional tradeshow. If 2020 was a time for reflection on how the organisations interact, 2021 presents us with an oppor tunity to build new ways of working. People cer tainly have a need to connect in-person, but that doesn’t necessarily have to be en masse in a windowless convention centre.

As for 2022 the jur y is out, but we need to see how organisations plan to bring about meaningful change. As our DPP panel discussed, in-person events are muchneeded and much-missed, but they need to evolve quickly to be more sustainable and offer a fair event for the whole industr y. www.object-matrix.com

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OFFICIAL DISTRIBUTOR

V.V & Sons 4 -28, 16A St Marabea Street Al Quoz Industrial Area 4 Dubai United Arab Emirates +971 4347 5433

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