Canford Source Material Mag - Issue 5 (2020)

CANFORD.CO.UK

FIFTH

EDITION

A Canford Production

A FAIR HEARING: Choosing the right assistive listening technology CANFORD IN THE COMMUNITY STERLING EVENT GROUP Benefit from Canford’s huge range and unrivalled service

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MAKING SENSE OF COMMERCIAL AUDIO SYSTEMS

FUTURE HEADPHONES - BIONIC EARS

SHURE: TWINPLEX TAKES THE STAGE

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CONTACT OUR SALES TEAM UK sales t: +44 (0)191 4181122 e: sales@canford.co.uk Int sales t: +44 (0)191 4181133 e: international@canford.co.uk www.canford.co.uk 2 | Source Material by Canford

Call UK sales on +44(0)191 418 1122 or email sales@canford.co.uk

SOURCE MATERIAL 2019/20 – Introduction FEATURING

By Stephen Gallagher, Canford Marketing Manager Welcome to the fifth annual edition of Source Material. We’re not a commercial magazine, with a team of staff writers. Source Material is brought to you personally by the Canford Team. Canford articles are written by our staff, who are industry professionals representing our Manufacturing, Product Development, Technical and Sales departments to name a few.

Our team has now clocked up an impressive 2,014 years of valuable experience, accrued here at Canford. We celebrate colleague work anniversaries where 5, 10 and 15-year awards are the norm. 20 and 25-year certificates are commonplace and, while every year worked is important to us, now only 30 and 35-year awards stand out as being ‘extra’ special occasions (and we have several!).

by Canford

3 mm When he created the business back in 1976, Iain Elliott never wanted Canford to become just another Instead, he Are youbox-shifter. being accessible?

Weset canabout help. creating a business that was technically able and truly understood the Our NEW Large Area Infrared System uses the latest wireless technology to deliver industry, its customers’ needs and which could design solutions and easy-to-install assistive listening technology. manufacture high-quality, distinctive products. Forty-three years later, and now with the benefit of over two thousand man years’ experience behind it, the current Canford Team has never been better able to deliver on those founding principles.

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Whether you represent a school in need of a new PA system, a System Integrator, Live Events Touring Specialist or an International Broadcaster, the team here at Canford has the knowledge and experience to support your business, and provide the right solutions.

On behalf of all 136 of us, I’d like to thank you for continuing to support us. I hope you enjoy reading this edition of Source Material, and we look forward to working with you again soon!

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Would you like to feature in issue 6 of Source Material Magazine? Contact Stephen via email: sg@canford.co.uk

WHAT’S INSIDE 2

Canford Fibre Capabilities

Now Include Fibreco HMA Terminations

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Making Sense of

Commercial Audio Systems

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Source Material 2019/20

- Introduction Welcome to the fifth annual edition of Source Material....

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Canford 2020 show dates

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Future Headphones -

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BUBBLEBEE: The Sidekick In-Ear Monitor

A single word can affect the entire story. Capture each and every word without fail with the natural response and robust range of a TwinPlex™ dual-diaphragm lavalier.

TwinPlex Takes the Stage Shure is widely recognized for microphones and amazing wireless systems, but we had not addressed the premium lavalier and headset market as thoroughly as our other portfolios...

eed Cable?

N Rapid response, standard and custom cable assemblies...

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LOUD BT-1F Module C Bluetooth streaming in commercial applications has been called “Devils work”...

LOUD NEW CV Series C UNPARALLELED EFFICIENCY.

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Clever Black Boxes For Pro-Audio & AV Installers

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It’s so comfortable you’ll forget you’re wearing it.

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Microphones As technology developed so did the microphone and various different sorts arose for different applications...

The Next Stage in Sound

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RDL: A Treasure Chest Of

Bionic Ears Key areas and outcomes of research into Headphone Technology to enhance the listening experience...

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mm of Audio Perfection 3 DPA 6060 Subminiature Microphone

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roadcast Video Solutions B LEN: Solving your problems since 1995 anamic P Check out the new website

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Specialist asset finance for broadcast, postproduction and AV

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to The GreenHouse Canford has been distributing Green-GO, the cost-effective scalable IP Comms system throughout the UK and Ireland since 2016. In that time, the brand has become well established and is now used extensively at major festivals, live events and broadcast applications...

Commercial Audio. What’s that then?

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EMO Power Out with the

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Sustainability? Ruggedness? Built to last and with an enviable reputation?

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Come What May

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CONTACTA: A fair

hearing: Choosing the right assistive listening technology

benefit from Canford’s huge range and unrivalled service

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Loaded with new productivity features inspired directly from user feedback...

At the time of writing this article it would still seem impossible to predict whether or not Brexit will happen, and if it does, what exactly it will mean for everyone involved...

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Canford in the It is almost two years since I wrote an article about Canford’s role in the community and a great deal has happened in that time...

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Source Material by Canford | 5

Future Headphones - Bionic Ears

By Paul Power, Technical Support Engineer Intro Headphones provide many more functions than just the ability to listen to music: with lifestyle solutions like built in Google assistant, ability to monitor our heart rate for fitness training and probably what I would consider more appropriate noise cancelling which attenuates environmental noise to provide a better listening experience. These features have been available in headphones for a few years.

higher sound pressure levels before distortion. Having greater stiffness moves the resonant frequency outwith the normal hearing range. Interestingly headphone manufacturers are also borrowing from technology used in robots with a cable material called Roboden which can stretch to up to 40% of its original length, very useful for headphone cables which eventually end up getting snagged.

At the recent Audio Engineering Society (AES) Headphone Technology Conference a number of areas where research and development is taking place to further headphone technology and to enhance the listening experience was presented. In this article the key areas and outcomes of this research are explained.

Practical Consideration for Headphone Manufacture The first headphones were developed in 1910 by Nathanial Baldwin in his kitchen and were eventually taken up by the US Navy, they were heavy and uncomfortable to wear for long periods, nowadays if a headphone is greater than 400g it is considered to be too heavy.

Headphone Digital Signal Processing Traditionally headphones have been simple affairs with minimal electronics only allowing you to listen to music.

Further features are continuing to be included, the Bose hearphones for example that provide the ability to reduce noise levels and focus in on the conversation with the person in front of you: very handy as we have all been in situations where conversation is limited or extremely difficult. This is where these types of headphones come into their own and act in a similar manner to the ear/brain combination which allows us to hone into conversations in an environment with lots of competing sounds going on all around us, which is the psychoacoustic phenomena known as the cocktail party effect.

During a panel talk that was given at the conference it was discussed that materials for headphone construction have come a long way since they were first invented. Nowadays typical consumer headphones are being made of recycled plastics which are used to form co-polyesters, these are hardwearing and chemical resistant especially from hair products and skin oils. In addition driver diaphragms are being made from recycled coca cola bottles. It was also discussed that premium headphones borrow from F1 cars and space exploration technology by using a material called Textreme to create the driver diaphragms, these are far superior to nonpremium headphone diaphragms as they have a number of properties which include very lightweight, high stiffness and controlled break up, which results in greater sensitivity and

Not having any experience with the Bose headphones it is difficult to say how effective they are. The Sennheiser Ambeo Smart Headset here also offers the ability to listen through to your surrounding environment. Sennheiser call this transparency mode, but are different to the previously explained Bose hearphones, since the Sennheiser are targeted primarily at binaural recording, a recording technique which aims to record a soundfield as the listener would hear it using microphones placed where the listeners ears are. These types of headphones are coming to be known as “hearthrough� headphones which was another popular topic at the AES Headphone Technology Conference. In addition to hear through tech, there is a desire to improve headphone transparency so that users

6 | Source Material by Canford

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can appreciate their surroundings or even to enhance them through augmented reality. Headphone transparency is important for augmented reality in order for the captured sound to blend in. But due to the latency involved with capturing and playing back the content comb filtering and colouration occurs, research is ongoing to find ways of compensating for this and work reported at the conference suggested that adaptive hear through filtering to compensate for the comb filtering even using closed back headphones looks promising. Another issue that hampers headphone transparency is the Occlusion effect. For a headphone wearer this is a hollow or booming sound of the persons own voice caused by bone conducted sound of the skull reflecting off of the headphone occluding the ear which normally would escape through an open ear. It has been reported that noise cancelling can help alleviate this. Further refinements to noise cancelling continue, incorporating it with machine learning capabilities, which will allow noise cancelling to learn the characteristics of different types of noise and to build up a database that will make noise cancelling far more accurate.

3D Audio When the head, pinna and torso encounter an incoming soundwave in an open soundfield this causes the wave to be altered (filtered) before it enters the eardrum. The resultant soundwave impinging on the listeners eardrum will depend on the angle of arrival in the horizontal and vertical plane and the interaction with the afore mentioned anatomic structure of the listener. The filtering applied as a result of the listeners head, torso and pinna is unique to each individual and is known as a head related transfer function (HRTF).

To create a plausible 3D reproduction using headphones each person’s HRTF needs to be imposed on the sound source. This is problematic for the development of 3D audio using headphones and the roll out to mass market, since measurement of a person’s HRTF requires a very quiet

sound proofed room and a large amount of loudspeakers and specialist measurement mics and a lot of time to get it right. Fortunately research reported at the conference detailed ingenious systems to allow users to measure their own HRTF within their home in approx. 5 minutes. One of the systems takes the boredom out of measuring your own HRTF by allowing the user to interact with the measurement process using gaming head tracking systems. Some companies like Genelec and IDA audio utilise Smartphone cameras to allow users to scan their own head and then upload this to the cloud to create their own HRTF measurement database that can be used in some software applications.

It was also mentioned that users can eventually adapt to incorrect personalised HRTF and also even another person’s HRTF, which is problematic for further research in this area.

Other issues which hamper correct HRTF measurement include glasses and even the person’s hairstyle. Even with the correct HRTF, headphones do not have a flat frequency response and their frequency responses are tailored to mimic loudspeakers, so filtering has to be applied in order to remove this and attempt to create a flat frequency response.

Additional issues which hamper plausible 3D sound using headphones, is concerned with the reproduction of a rooms acoustics using Binaural Room Impulse Responses (BRIR).

For this technique the impulse responses of a room are recorded using a head and torso mannequin which has microphones at its ears, the recorded impulses can then be mixed with a dry sound source and reproduced using headphones giving the impression that the sound is being replayed in the room. For optimal effect it will require that you are listening to the reproduced room in the original room, however if the reproduced room and the room you are listening to the reproduction in do not match this leads to poor externalisation. Externalisation is the perception that the sounds are outside of the head, rather than traditional headphone reproduction where the sounds are perceived as coming from inside the head, this mismatch is known as room divergence.

Call International sales on +44(0)191 418 1133 or email international@canford.co.uk

Source Material by Canford | 7

Micro Electro Mechanical Systems With the ever expanding number of features and digital signal processing becoming available in headphones the amount of space required increases and the requirement for the reduction in size of the components increases. This is true for normal headphones but even more so for in ear type which have very little space to add additional digital signal processing. Research into MEMS was also a hot topic at the conference, with the majority of the research being presented by researchers from Fraunhofer in Germany, especially with respect to headphone drivers and microphones for noise cancelling and selective listening etc. There are obvious problems with miniaturisation of drivers for headphones, most notably creating excursions to get a high enough sound pressure levels and displacement of air.

However currently using a driver with only a 4mm2 area and a 1.5Âľm thickness a MEMs technology termed NED (Nanoscopic Electrostatic Drive) can achieve 85dB and 3Âľm thickness would achieve 91dB. Traditional electrostatic transducers have large gaps between electrodes and as a consequence require high voltages to generate large deflections. However the NED driver utilises a wafer design incorporating electrostatic actuators. The application of a voltage causes the actuators to bend and due to the design of the actuators a transformation of the force allows deflections which are greater than the gap between them, as a result of the small gap only small voltages are required. The other advantage of MEMS drivers compared to traditional diaphragms, MEMS have a high repeatability for acoustic measurements and can be manufactured with high consistency since they do not use traditional diaphragms. These small drivers can be used with in ear headphones leaving space within the headphone to incorporate further digital signal processing chips. Further work is required in order to reduce the harmonic distortion and to achieve sound pressure levels comparable with traditional headphone drivers.Yet an excerpt from a recording of a MEMS speaker playing back Mozart was played at the conference and was very impressive, especially from such a small driver.

Bionic Ears Looking to the future the ultimate goal is to combine the aforementioned technologies to provide headphones that will enable a number of different features. This will include the ability to listen to 3D audio reproductions using head tracking with correctly measured HRTF. The ability to hear through to the surrounding environment, attenuate the background noise and to also use enhanced biosensors that will not only monitor heart rate but also overall health including mood. Finally to be able to manipulate in real time environmental sounds and to pan them at will to different positions to provide augmented reality and ultimately create a listener with bionic ears.

8 | Source Material by Canford

Call UK sales on +44(0)191 418 1122 or email sales@canford.co.uk

THE NEXT STAGE IN SOUND.

A single word can affect the entire story. Capture each and every word without fail with the natural response and robust range of a TwinPlex™ dual-diaphragm lavalier. shure.co.uk/twinplex Š2019 Shure Incorporated. See shure.com/trademarks.

Call International sales on +44(0)191 418 1133 or email international@canford.co.uk

Source Material by Canford | 9

By John Born – Senior Product Manager at Shure After years of witnessing our wireless receivers perform flawlessly in the highest profile applications – from Super Bowl halftime shows to theatre productions – we decided it was time to deliver a superior end-to-end solution: Shure wireless attached to Shure lavaliers and headsets.

Shure is widely recognized for microphones and amazing wireless systems, but we had not addressed the premium lavalier and headset market as thoroughly as our other portfolios.

To make that happen, we needed to engineer and manufacture the best sounding, most durable lavalier and headset mics that the pro audio world had ever heard. We focused on three goals: sound quality, cable durability and sweat protection.

Twice the Sound To get the big sound we were after, Shure engineers proposed a dual diaphragm design – literally two parallel elements. With twice the surface area of other 5 mm microphones, the cartridge offered a bigger, warmer low frequency response, better extension and a smoother top end response. Also because of the increased surface area, we would expect best in class specifications and the largest dynamic range of any lavalier at this scale.

The dual side-firing elements delivered another important advantage for performers that move around a stage or studio: reliable and consistent off-axis performance. As an actor’s head moves side to side or a mic drifts on a forehead, sonic changes are minimized because the sound source is always facing one of the diaphragms.

were shown to leading sound designers, and they looked at me like I was crazy.

We had to figure out how to take at least 4 mm of length out of the mic without sacrificing sound quality. We did this by placing the electronics in between the two microphone diaphragms instead of behind them.

Cable vs. Cableflex Machine Since cables are usually the first components in lavs and headsets to fail, we worked as hard on the cable construction as we did on the cartridge. We wanted a mic that sounded great, but it was just as important for it to work reliably on stage or in the television studio as long as possible. We started early on in the project with a separate team devoted to the cable. We worked closely with our strategic supplier team to seek out a new partner to co-design the cable with us. After about a year of searching and testing and travelling to about 10 different companies, we settled a high-end medical company that had a unique cable construction used in medical devices.

After a few prototype rounds, we put the first batch on our cable flex machine and the cable failed to fail in over two weeks – or 140,000 flexes – on our laboratory’s punishing cableflex machine.

We actually stopped testing it because the machine was needed for other tests.

In fact, the medical grade cable is thinner than our previous cables and lasted significantly longer than our original specification requirement based on competitive benchmarks.

The reason for its extraordinary durability is a nontraditional cable construction. There are two tinsels wrapped inside the shield that function as redundant grounds. Also, the spiral tinsel resulted in a very flexible relaxed feel that is easy to route through a costume for theatre or film work. We wrapped the unique cable in a paintable jacket that resists dry out and cracking and takes paint very well, a requirement for theatre work.

Another side benefit of the dual-diaphragm design was minimal cable noise. Any mechanical vibrations that touch the cable are essentially cancelled due to the parallel diaphragm. This was especially noticed in the Film/ TV market where they are constantly hiding mics and needing quiet solutions for feature films and reality shows.

Making it Small Early on, one of the biggest challenges was size. The first concepts were way too big. The very early prototypes 10 | Source Material by Canford

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Sweat-Defying There’s no denying it. Subminiature lavs in theatrical or broadcast applications are subjected to a tremendous amount of sweat that can degrade the tonal quality or cause the mic to fail altogether.

This is less than ideal for a talk show host, a reality TV star or a singer delivering the signature song of a Broadway musical.

We needed a way to test for this so we invented a new test at Shure that can measure mic performance in the presence of sweat.

We named it the “Sweat-Bot”. It pummels mic elements with expensive artificial sweat and allows us to catch mics failing redhanded. We then tear the mic open, analyse it, and make it better.

This pushed us to design a cap on the element to prevent sweat and moisture from entering the mic in the first place. We settled on a micro-moulded frequency response cap that is nanocoated with a super-hydrophobic coating. Sweat simply rolls off the element before entering. on the cartridge. We wanted a mic that sounded great, but it was just as important for it to work reliably on stage or in the television studio as long as possible.

Subjected to weeks of drip testing by the SweatBot in the Shure lab, we had created the first line of defence in sweat protection.

Real-World Testing We knew we TwinPlex had to be right. Not just the microphone itself, but the packaging, accessories, mounts, clips, colours, connectors also needed to be perfect. We didn’t want there to be any reason why these high-tier customers would not choose TwinPlex.

So we embarked on an extensive field testing, deploying literally thousands of mics into the market to various market segments from theatres to broadcast studios and even orchestras using TwinPlex as string mics.

The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and we couldn’t get samples out fast enough.

TwinPlex prototypes took the stage on some of the biggest shows and theatres, including The Voice, Shark Tank, the Grammy’s, the Oscars, The Jimmy Kimmel Show, The Ellen Show, Film and TV projects and Broadway and West End stages in New York and London. Many of those prototypes are still in use today.

Living Up to the Shure Name The enthusiastic response we received from our beta testers said a lot about the kind of faith our customers have in Shure. For them to love it so much and trust versions that weren’t quite ready for prime time proved to us that the time it took to bring TwinPlex to the stage was well worth the wait.

From the very beginning, we knew we had to remove every obstacle preventing users from putting TwinPlex microphones to the test. We had to offer superior sound quality. We needed to nail durability and ensure the right product version available. Whether it is a colour, sensitivity, connector, or accessory version, integrating TwinPlex into your existing workflow is now a seamless transition.

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CONTACT OUR SALES TEAM UK sales tel: +44 (0)191 4181122 email: sales@canford.co.uk Int sales tel: +44 (0)191 4181133 email: international@canford.co.uk Call International sales on +44(0)191 418 1133 or email international@canford.co.uk Source Material by Canford | 11

BT-1F MODULE

By Simon Curtis Bluetooth streaming in commercial applications has been called “Devils work”; it’s up there with Radio Mics as one of the most dangerously uncontrollable forms of content that causes desperate confusion for the end-user. There are so many variables and tenuous factors making Bluetooth as an audio conduit challenging. The knock on effect is continual support issues for the installer and obvious frustration for the user.

Cloud have tried to alleviate these issues by developing a wall mounting receiver that simply and reliably addresses the most obvious issues.

Cloud’s new BT-1F Bluetooth Accessory gives enormous flexibility over distance The BT-1F is a remote wall-mount input module that allows Bluetooth® compatible devices including laptops, tablets and smartphones to stream audio wirelessly to a BT-1F interface and into an audio zone of a sound system where a BT-1F is installed. Connecting directly to a host of Cloud products fitted with an RJ45 facility port and via an FPA-1 Adaptor for products not equipped with a facility port, the BT-1F is exceptionally simple to install.

Connection Distance The BT1-F mounts at distances of up to 100m from host units, connected via a single screened Cat 5 cable, using standard shielded RJ45 connectors at each end. Unofficially the BT-1F’s have been tested successfully with cable runs up to 1km in length, which puts the BT-1F exactly where you need it to be to stream audio to it, whilst host units are stored safely away.

This ensures further devices cannot inadvertently connect until the currently-connected device has disconnected.

An alternative “non-secured” operating mode may be selected, via a rear panel dip switch, which allows the BT-1F to freely connect to any available device, without the use of the pairing button.

Simple to Install The BT-1F is exceptionally simple to install, fitting in a standard UK-style single-gang electrical back box with a minimum depth of at least 35 mm. The connecting Cat 5 cable carries DC power as well as balanced audio to host units.

Bluetooth Ident Settings For projects using multiple BT-1s, individual module identifiers may be set via rear panel dip switches, ensuring users connect to the correct module for each zone. In this scenario it is recommended that each BT-1F is physically labelled (on the face panel) to help users identify which module they are connecting to.

Pairing Using Bluetooth pairing mode, which requires a recessed push-button on the module to be pressed and confirmation of connection to be made on a paired device within 30 seconds, a “first-come, first-served” protocol is employed.

Adjustable Range Power Setting In situations where multiple BT-Fs are installed, it is possible via rear panel dip switch settings, to adjust the RF power level at which the Bluetooth® interface operates, thereby reducing or increasing its operational range.

12 | Source Material by Canford

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It may be necessary to do this where there are BT-1 modules installed in adjoining rooms, as it reduces the likelihood of the BT-1 in one room appearing in the device list on portable devices in other rooms.

Aesthetically Pleasing Reliability The user-interface of the BT-1F is very simple and apart from the recessed pairing push-button, the faceplate is limited to a single bicolour LED, which confirms progress of the pairing process, establishment of a valid connection and when audio data streaming is occurring.

Further Information Cloud Electronics, UK manufacturers of high-quality commercial audio products including Zone-Mixers, MultiChannel Amplifiers, Paging Microphones, Headphone Audio Distribution and Loudspeaker products for audio applications in Retail, Hospitality, Education, Commercial and Leisure markets.

Cloud Electronics USA has been operating since 2012, located in Park City, Utah providing sales, system design, stock distribution and after sales support.

BT-1F Compatible Cloud Products The BT-1F is connects directly to these Cloud products;

ALL CLOUD PRODUCTS CARRY A COMMERCIAL 5-YEAR WARRANTY. For further information visit www.cloud.co.uk

• MPA120MK2 & MPA240MK2

If you would like further information please contact:

• 46-120, 46-120T and 46-120MEDIA Zone Mixing Amplifiers

Cloud Electronics Ltd Tel: +44 (0) 114 244 7051 email: sales@cloud.co.uk twitter: @CloudElectronic

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Call International sales on +44(0)191 418 1133 or email international@canford.co.uk

www.cloud.co.uk 22/10/2018 12:05

Source Material by Canford | 13

MAKING SENSE of Commercial Audio Systems

By Stephen Gallagher, Canford Marketing Manager Commercial Audio. What’s that then?

Well, for the uninitiated commercial audio systems are designed to operate 24/7, 365 days of the year. They are intended for permanent installation in leisure facilities, restaurants, shopping centres, workplaces and travel hubs to name just a few applications. The name “Commercial Audio” doesn’t define the size of a system. Instead it refers to the commercial application of an installed PA system. The primary purpose is to provide background music, paging and announcement facilities. Its usefulness, or rather the science and our ability to utilise audio to affect behaviour is now reaching even further than I expect could have been imagined back in the 1930’s, when Tannoy became synonymous with “PA systems” following success supplying the armed forces during World War II. Not in absolutely every instance, as is demonstrated throughout the extensive range of AV Interfaces and Stick-On modules from RDL, and the MA Series of Mini Mixer Amplifiers from Cloud, but in most cases commercial audio hardware, such as amplifiers and mixers are 19” rack-mounting. Unlike domestic hi-fi systems which are typically on display, and placed in relatively safe environments, commercial audio systems are installed in public areas, industrial and harsh environments. They are often used to provide audio over large areas where they can provide zoning. Zoning enables the selection of different audio content with independent level control across several areas served by a single system.

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Commercial audio system integrators will use free-standing or wall mounted rack cabinets to suit the application. These provide a professional, secure and in the case of the Canford ES455 Series Wall Cabinets, an IP rated storage solution that will resist falling dirt, wind-blown dust particles, rain, snow and splashing water.

These professional audio systems are scalable. Although it is technically possible to mix-n-match, system designers will follow one of two protocols – 100V or Low-impedance. 100V (also known as constant voltage) being more commonly deployed due to the simplicity of system design, scalability and straightforward wiring convention. Unlike domestic hi-fi’s, which typically offer a single stereo pair of loudspeakers. A commercial audio system will often utilise numerous loudspeakers. Loudspeakers of mixed design; ceiling, pendant, projector, column and even outdoor types can co-exist on a single amplifier output. Search “100V vs low impedance loudspeaker systems – what you need to know” for more details and information about wiring and the correct loudspeaker cable to use.

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most routine telephone conversations. You might imagine other examples such as the doctor’s reception desk, with an open-plan waiting room full of patients behind you. A carefully designed commercial audio system can be utilised to discretely mask our conversations, to provide a degree of privacy, and with that the confidence to communicate better.

PA systems have long been used in the workplace to affect behaviour. In an early attempt to increase the productivity of wartime factory workers, from 1940 the BBC broadcast a twicedaily radio programme titled “Music While You Work”. The show would play a carefully chosen playlist. This would include popular, up-tempo tracks while being careful to avoid lethargic music.

Consideration was given to playlists. For example, the popular song “Deep in the heart of Texas” was reportedly banned for concern workers would bang tools against machinery, or move their hands away from their work to join in with the infectious four-clap chorus.

Fast forward eighty years, and it’s hardly any surprise to find that commercial audio systems are being deployed for ever-more ingenious uses, and it’s obvious when you think about it. There are five primary human senses;

1. Sight

2. Hearing

3. Taste

4. Smell

In the pursuit of satisfying our senses, great care and attention is given to the aesthetics of new venues and re-fit projects. Designers are appointed to ensure restaurants, hotel chains and retail environments hit the right notes in terms of their look. Everything from the choice of flooring, colour schemes and soft furnishings – they’ll even create unique scents to convey the image of the brand they represent.

5. Touch

Our senses relay information about our environment and experiences to the brain. This affects our mood, and consciously or subconsciously, we make decisions and come to conclusions as to whether we enjoyed the experience, or not.

Of the five senses, I think the sense of hearing is unique. We can look away or close our eyes. We can decide not to put something inside of our mouths if we don’t want to taste it, and we can avoid touching something. Maybe we’re unaware of smells while we sleep. Other than for deafness or some form of mechanical block such as wearing ear-defenders, our hearing is active all of the time.

There’s no off switch.

Thankfully, there is more known about the effects of audio in the workplace since the wartime days and attempts to speed-up factory workers – although I expect that did work! Employers are now mindful of the effect music can have on the wellbeing and happiness of their team. It’s not uncommon also to see workers wearing headphones. That is perhaps an acknowledgement of the importance of giving staff the choice of what they listen to, and to avoid forcing one style of music onto those who don’t like it.

Several forms of sound masking have emerged too. We’ve all needed to have a discrete conversation, whether on the telephone or in-person, where it has been impossible to move to a private room. If ever you’ve worked in a quiet, open plan office, you’ll understand how easy it is to become self-conscious of even the

This attention to detail, as you might now expect, extends to the audio systems and music selection. It is not by chance that your favourite clothing stores and restaurants play their own particular style of music. Businesses are investing more energy into their audio systems and content management. They are utilising our sense of hearing to strengthen the brand experience through curated playlists. Carefully designed to engage us, improve the customer experience, build guest loyalty and brand perception. The aim of course is to provide the customer with a distinctive proposition, a familiarity across all sites, a place of comfort in which they’ll be happy, spend time… and money.

Canford has been distributing equipment from leading commercial audio manufacturers for decades, complimented with our own product lines. We have supported system integrators and supplied professional audio equipment for use in visitor centres, airports, schools, houses of worship and entire branch networks of national retailers. We can provide system integrators with technical product support, backed by a huge amount of experience. I, for one, am looking forward to seeing what the future brings to the commercial audio market place. Perhaps we’re only limited by our imagination.

Call International sales on +44(0)191 418 1133 or email international@canford.co.uk

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UK sales t: +44 (0)191 4181122 e: sales@canford.co.uk Int sales t: +44 (0)191 4181133 e: international@canford.co.uk www.canford.co.uk

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FORGETTABLE

THE SIDEKICK IN-EAR MONITOR The Sidekick In-Ear Monitor is an invisible communications earpiece designed for IFB. It’s so comfortable you’ll forget you’re wearing it. With the world’s first micro speaker solution, the driver itself fits comfortably in the ear, and you can choose just how much of your environment you’d like to hear.

visit BUBBLEBEEINDUSTRIES.COM/THESIDEKICK Call International sales on +44(0)191 418 1133 or email international@canford.co.uk

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By Paul Carlisle, Head of Technical Support INTRODUCTION We live in a digital world but there has to be the analogue interface to connect it to the real world.

Microphones are very useful items allowing us to sing Karaoke, talk on our mobile phones and hear what people on the TV and radio have to say, for example.

There are a great many types of microphone for many applications.

Several people claimed to have invented the microphone. Alexander Graham Bell with the telephone is probably the most wellknown.There are others from Germany and the USA who also contributed and development has carried on since the early 1800s.

The first reasonable microphone was the carbon type. David Edward Hughes, born in the UK, loosely packed some carbon granules between two metal plates. He found that sound pressure on the one of the plates caused electrical resistance between the plates to change. Wires connected to the plates produced a voltage that could be amplified. The sound wasn’t brilliant but it was a good start. Hughes also is credited with coming up with the term “microphone.” Before this, devices designed to capture sound waves were called transmitters.

As technology developed so did the microphone and various different sorts arose for different applications.

The four main types are Dynamic, Condenser, Electret and ribbon.

DYNAMIC The simplest is the dynamic microphone. This a coil, attached to a diaphragm that moves over a magnet. The movement of the coil reacts with the magnetic field and a voltage is produced in the wires of the coil.

These are useful as no external voltage is required so are good for portable use. They will be found on the stage for vocalists and performers, for journalists taking interviews and for recording kick drums.

The Shure SM55 and SM58 are well known examples for vocalists:

SM55

SM58

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AKG D112

Magnet Sound in

Cone structure to respond to sound pressure variations

Coil of wire in magnetic field

Signal out

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CONDENSER The condenser mic is an improvement in the quality of the output over a dynamic microphone. It is effectively a capacitor that changes capacitance as a diaphragm moves with the received sound vibrations. The voltage across the capacitor varies with the change in capacitance and can be amplified to produce a useable signal. It has a higher output and a wider frequency bandwidth. It does require a voltage to charge the back plate and to power an amplifier as the output of the mic head is very low.

Neumann is a well-known name for high quality condenser mics and it was this company that invented the first commercial mic.

Signal out

ELECTRET The electret mic is a variant of the condenser mic. It doesn’t need power for the mic head but it does for the internal amplifier. This is usually from 3 – 9V. These mics can be made extremely small and are used in lapel radio-mics, taped to an actor’s head for unobtrusive theatre use and for portable recording using a mobile phone.

Diaphragm Electret

Airgap Backplate

Connector

V+

IC OUT

JFET

Sound in Battery to bias plates

RIBBON The Ribbon Microphone, developed in the 1920s, was adopted by the broadcasters, particularly for drama recording.

They usually had a figure-of-eight pickup pattern which meant two people could use the mic at once. The dead sides allowed the actors to turn the pages of their scripts without the rustling being picked up by the mic. One derivation of this mic was the ”Lip” mic, so loved by football reporters. As the mic was very insensitive it allowed the reporter to talk loudly above the noise of nearby fans without distortion setting in.

Condenser mics are used in high quality recording. Typical examples would be the Neumann U87 used for recording vocals, wind and string instruments, piano and percussion. The AKG C414, again for vocals and instrument recording and the AKG Blueline series. The latter comprises a preamplifier body, the SE300B, along with a variety of interchangeable heads which allows for very flexible use. Different heads can be used for different situations without having to be a preamplifier each time.

Coles 4104 lip mic

Coles 4038 Figure of 8

Transformer

Ribbon

IC Neumann U87

AKG C414

AKG Blueline preamplifier and separatemic heads.

Magnet

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Output

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VARIATIONS Shotgun mic Essentially a capacitor mic, with a cardioid pickup pattern and an “interference” tube. The tube has slits along its length which cancels out higher frequencies from the sides, allowing signals coming in at the front of the mic to be heard more clearly.

Boundary Layer Mics can be visually intrusive and off-putting to many people.

A boundary layer mic often has a low profile and can be placed on a table or on the wall. Available in several polar patterns for differing applications.

Parabolic reflectors Plastic parabolas come in various sizes that can pick up sound hundred’s of metres away. The mic, often a small, lapel type is placed at the “sweet spot” allowing the recording of wildlife, say, without any disturbance.

USB Microphones Come with various pickup patterns and have built-in preamps and analogue to digital converters. They connect to a pc via the USB port so are useful for portable recording or where the facilities of a mixer or recorder are not available.

POLAR (PICK-UP) PATTERNS Microphones come with their own sound pick-up (Polar) pattern. Some even have switches to accommodate several different patterns. The correct microphone should be chosen for a particular application.

Omni This picks up sound in a sphere around the mic head – omni-directional (every direction). They are good for TV and Radio reporters where they can convey the atmosphere of the scene.

Cardioid This picks up sound from the front of the mic, rejecting everything from the rear and not picking up much from the IC is involved. sides. Good for vocalists where PA Hyper-Cardioid Similar to cardioid but with a tighter pickup pattern at the front. Good in areas of high noise where more isolation is required.

POWERING REQUIREMENTS Condenser and electret microphones require powering. The former requires 48V, the latter 9 volts.

The 48V phantom power (called phantom as the voltage appears to be invisible – no obvious power supply is required) is carried on the same wires as the mic signals. It comes from the mixer or recorder on balanced audio cables.

Some equipment can only supply 12V. The mics should work ok but they may be a little noisy and the dynamic range will not be a wide as when the full 48V is used.

Electret microphones are often lapel mics used with wireless transmitters. The voltage comes from the transmitter over unbalanced wiring. Lapel mics obtain their power from portable recorders via the microphone mini-jack socket.

The film industry has often used T-Power. This is an unbalanced feed of 12V but on balanced wiring. It MUST only be used with the appropriate microphones.

PREAMPLIFIERS A PA system has to amplify the voice so that someone at the back of an auditorium can hear it. A great deal of amplification, done in various stages, is needed to do this. Microphones, media players and musical instruments all need amplifying up to a common level before a mixer or recorder can deal with them. This is usually known as line level. The signal output of a microphone is very low and needs to be amplified up to this line level. It can be done by a stand-alone unit, the microphone preamplifier. This is an important item as a poor preamplifier will give poor quality sound – most undesirable, especially if the sound is to be recorded. A mixer will have several mic preamplifiers built in to it and will also provide the phantom power required for condenser mics. Portable recorders have mic preamps built in as well, to increase the microphone level suitable for saving on an SD card or the like.

Omni

Cardioid

Hyper-Cardioid

IC (Directional) Shotgun Where an even tighter pickup pattern is required to pick out a sound source in a noisy environment or one at a distance from the mic. Often used on video cameras.

Figure of eight Here sounds are captured equally from the front and the rear of the mic while rejecting sounds from the sides. The pattern looks like the figure 8. Good for drama recording. Also used with a cardioid mic for M-S stereo recording.

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Figure of eight

Shotgun (Directional)

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3 mm of audio perfection 6060 Subminiature Microphone

DPA sound in a 60% smaller package

Modular adapters fits most wireless systems

Industry leading 3 mm CORE capsule

IP58 certified - protected from dust and water

Stainless steel, PVD-coated mic housing

Innovative 8-way clip for use as a lavalier

dpamicrophones.com/6060

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Source Material by Canford | 21

COVERING THE DISTANCE – delivering quality to a remote unit base.

The challenges of filming with a remote unit base cannot be underestimated. Even a typical 18 hole golf course can cover up to 150 acres (600,000 square metres), whilst the enclosed area of a major music festival can exceed 900 acres (3,640,000 square metres). Such distances, coupled with the transient nature of events such as music festivals mean that preinstalled fibre networks are often unavailable, unlike in more compact venues such as cricket grounds, football stadiums and concert venues.

With the costs of a permanent installation likely to be prohibitive and the activities being filmed live, the pressure is on for the production team to deliver a high quality, yet affordable solution, which is when experienced crews frequently turn to LEN products.

Where a video feed is derived from two or more pieces of equipment, differing potentials of the equipment’s grounds may increase the risk of signal distortion, whilst under certain circumstances a voltage difference may also lead to an electric shock.

LEN, a leading provider of signal enhancement products, designs and manufactures a broad range of galvanic ground isolators for 4K12G/3G/HD/SD SDI video use at their base in Crewe, England. A popular choice with Broadcast Engineers, these products provide full galvanic isolation of signal and ground paths, but also outperform broadband transformers for SDI signals, as they ensure that there is no distortion of the signal, by permitting the full bandwidth of the SDI signal to pass, whilst offering input and output impedance of 75 ohms and return loss better than 20dB. LEN’s Galvanic Isolators are passive products, meaning that they do not require their own power supply. They prevent signal interference, enable access to high quality video across an extremely wide area and by avoiding the need for a separate or dedicated power supply, are lightweight, whilst also eliminating the unnecessary power draw of active solutions, saving further time and effort during rigging, whilst minimising the environmental impact of a production.

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At many live events, production teams are confronted with vast distances and no pre-installed fibre network.

When filming from a variety of areas, across a very wide area, some production teams may opt to utilise in excess of 100 Galvanic Isolator units to fully cover a location.

No matter how large or small your production, LEN products can also simplify your pre-broadcast rigging. LEN’s market leading Cable Clone solution enables video signal to be easily tested in the Outside Broadcast Unit as the cables are being run, identifying issues as you go along.

With over 20 years’ experience, Crewe, England based LEN helps broadcasters deliver high quality content from the most challenging environments, both reliably and affordably.

LEN can be contacted via: Telephone: +44 (0) 1270 886157 Website: www.len.co.uk

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Source Material by Canford | 23

NEW

CAMERA CABLE FOR LIVE PRODUCTION DRAKA SMPTE 311M HYBRID HIGH FLEX

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A brand of the

A brand of the

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BU Multimedia Solutions of Prysmian Group enhances design and performance features of Draka SMPTE 311M HD camera cable series

DRAKA CABLE FOR LIVE PRODUCTION: EASY TO BEND Cologne, October 23, 2019. The Multimedia Solutions division of the Prysmian Group has developed its SMPTE 311M hybrid camera cable further. The broadcast cables for live production are now available with two Draka BendBright-XS single mode fibres and a highly flexible jacket. These properties make the SMPTE 311M Hybrid High Flex cables even more resistant to bending, very robust and durable.

The Hybrid HD Camera Cables 2SM 9/125 + 4 x AWG20 + 2 x AWG24 according to SMPTE 311M standard are now equipped with two BendBright-XS single mode optical fibres of type G.652.D2 or G.657.A2/B2 as well as auxiliary and signal conductors. They are used for simultaneous transmission of energy, video, audio and control signals and connect the camera to the base station.

The new BendBright-XS single mode fibre features extremely low macro-bending sensitivity, tight glass geometry and ColorLock-XS coating. This makes the SMPTE 311M Hybrid High Flex cables extremely robust and resistant to bending. Optical fibre with BendBright Technology has the flexibility to be pushed, pulled, bent and handled in ways that allow easy manipulation for outside broadcast camera shooting situations, without any degradation of the transmission signal. This important feature results from the high performance and flexibility of the Prysmian Group PCVD fibre manufacturing process. This special process offers the unique advantage of protecting the integrity of light inside the fibre core, essential in critical signal

transmission situations when regular fibres may experience significant leakage resulting in signal loss and dropout.

The cables are available with PUR, TPE or LSZH outer sheathing. Mobile use with permanent winding has been proofed. The connector is easy to mount in the field. The SMPTE 311M Hybrid High Flex cable is available in various flame resistance types and suitable for all new digital camera systems of well-known manufacturers. “ Designed for professional studio and live production, Draka Hybrid HD camera cables meet the broadcast industry’s needs for long-term HDTV, super slow motion, 4K and 8K broadcasts,” says Dipl.-Ing. Marc-Oliver Hentschel, Product Manager Studio Broadcast BU Multimedia Solutions of Prysmian Group. “We are pleased to provide our broadcast customers with highly flexible and powerful camera cables with an optimal cost-benefit ratio with immediate effect”.

Call International sales on +44(0)191 418 1133 or email international@canford.co.uk

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O G n e e r G e k a t d r e o f s n u o Ca H n e e r G to The

By Stephen Gallagher, Canford Marketing Manager

Canford has been distributing Green-GO, the cost-effective scalable IP Comms system throughout the UK and Ireland since 2016. In that time, the brand has become well established and is now used extensively at major festivals, live events and broadcast applications.

The Canford Team routinely deliver bespoke, on-site product demonstrations for clients who are either taking their first look at Green-GO, or who have already invested in this digital intercom system and are now looking to explore the possibilities further – such as duplex interfacing to legacy analogue systems, GPIO switching, communicating over walkie-talkies or linking to external comms systems around the globe with the Green-GO GGO-BRIDGEX interface.

With Green-GO now experiencing record-breaking demand, the time was right to host the very first UK Workshop event. The date was set, 5th November, timed to coincide with the KitPlus Show. Audio specialists from events companies, broadcasters and system integrators were invited to the aptly named, and slightly quirky “The GreenHouse”, which is based in the heart of MediaCityUK – home to the BBC, ITV, Dock10 and the University of Salford to name a few.

The Workshop was a sell-out! (Albeit it was free to attend).

It brought together members of the Green-GO community and gave an opportunity for consultants, system designers and operators to share experiences and ideas, and to meet with product experts from Canford and Green-GO, who sent Silvio Cibien and Henk-Jan Blok to support the event.

Erika Dobie, UK BDM and Green-Go Commercial Manager commented: “To summarise, it has proven to be extremely successful with visitors from far and wide. I am already being asked about the next Green-GO Workshop!”

Alex Hadjigeorgiou of fac365 added: “It was great to attend the inaugural GreenGo training event at Media City. As a long term Green-Go user, who provides comms systems to multiple markets including Broadcast, Corporate, Live Sports and Live Music Touring, I thought the event was very useful. Not just to brush up on new features, and tips and tricks for programming, it was also a useful networking event where we came into contact with other Green-Go Rental houses who we did not know existed. We are certainly looking at adding to our inventory on the back of really understanding how the Green-Go Bridge interfaces can be deployed. It was certainly an afternoon well invested.”

Don’t worry if you weren’t able to attend. Canford are already planning for the next Green-GO Workshop event and details will be announced soon. If you’d like to register your interest, please email: GreenGo@canford.co.uk 26 | Source Material by Canford

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Pro Audio • Video • Broadcast • Post Production • AV • Live Events

Specialist asset finance for broadcast, post-production and AV

To discuss your next project, please call us on 01327 872531 or email sales@media.lease @medialease

www.medialease.com Call International sales on +44(0)191 418 1133 or email international@canford.co.uk

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MEDIALEASE: ASSET FINANCE FOR PRO-AUDIO, VIDEO, BROADCAST AND AV

By Paul Robson, Managing Director of Medialease Medialease provides asset funding tailored to the needs of the broadcast, film, television, AV and live events markets and has worked closely with The Canford Group for nearly twenty years. Our relationships with many of our customers go back years, with broadcasters and post-production companies returning to us at each phase of their business plans to upgrade equipment or improve facilities.

We understand the requirements of audio and videobased industries, together with how essential the specialist equipment is to the success of a company. As an asset finance provider, we work with broadcasters, post-production houses and events companies, supplying editing, grading and audio equipment for post-production facilities, along with the latest 4K cameras and location playout equipment for the world’s biggest sports and motorsports broadcasters.

Whether you need to finance a single camera or equipment for an entire facility, Medialease is in a great position to offer help and advice, providing access to knowledge, new products and fantastic deals that you won’t find anywhere else. Here are just a couple of recent examples of how we’ve helped companies build their businesses.

Post-production upgrades With the huge costs involved in equipping a new business with the latest editing, production and grading equipment, companies often turn to finance solutions to spread the

load, rather than compromise on technical requirements.

Clear Cut Pictures, an award-winning post-production company operating in Shepherd’s Bush, Soho and Bloomsbury, recently upgraded three of its audio suites at its Shepherd’s Bush site.

While the company normally manages its upgrades organically on a rolling programme, this was a much bigger project, featuring Avid audio consoles supplied by HHB and housed in technical furniture from AKA Design. With Medialease to back its plans, Clear Cut was able to upgrade all three suites simultaneously and buy the best solutions for its clients in one streamlined project, minimising any possible disruption. With over twenty years of industry knowledge, Medialease was able to provide insight and advice each step of the way.

Dramatic live events The live events market has seen tremendous growth and maturity in the last ten years, with many acts reforming to make millions from concert tickets alone. This has also seen audiences demand a higher quality aural and visual experience, so the production standards and the equipment required has grown hugely too. This is where Medialease can help, funding the lighting, sound and video screen equipment required by events companies for their music tours, live events and West End shows.

Award-winning rental company, Universal Pixels, which specialises in camera systems and LED screens for events, recently turned to Medialease to finance two new ROE Vanish 18 panels. Universal Pixels is setting itself apart from the rest of the rental market by investing in extremely lightweight and high-quality equipment. Event organisers are having to constantly balance weight restrictions with all the required kit and will seek out the best quality lightweight equipment wherever possible.

Consequently, Universal Pixels’ lightweight kit is much in demand. The new Vanish 18 panels are lightweight and offer 50% transparency for a dramatic see-through effect; the semi-transparent nature of the screens enabled amazing visual effects for the Chemical Brothers and Massive Attack tours.

28 | Source Material by Canford

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many partner finance companies on board, we can provide useful leasing advice for any company, whatever its size. Our dedicated industry knowledge, combined with our financial and banking expertise, means you can be 100% confident in our advice. Brands also often have special leasing offers, presented through Medialease, only available through certain channels.

So, if you’re still pondering over your next purchase, please contact the team at Medialease on 01327 872531 or visit www.medialease.com.

Massive Attack image courtesy of TPI Magazine

Our finance offerings Medialease offers a range of financing options to suit varying customers’ needs, including medium and long-term rental, on and off-balance sheet leasing and traditional hire purchase.

Whether securing funding for a single camera or financing a fully-equipped outside broadcast truck, we can advise on your best options. Our business development team has a background in broadcast, live events and AV, with technical knowledge on cameras and broadcast equipment. And with For further information, please visit www.medialease.com or call our friendly team on 01327 872531.

CUSTOM METALWORK Working with our customers to develop bespoke solutions • Dedicated Metalwork Shop Incorporating Painting, Laser Engraving and Assembly • In House Design and Development Service • Low Minimum Order Quantities • Short Lead Times • Canford Quality as standard

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON CUSTOM METALWORK CONTACT UK sales tel: +44 (0)191 4181122 email: sales@canford.co.uk Int sales tel: +44 (0)191 4181133 email: international@canford.co.uk or the custom metalwork team email: custommetal@canford.co.uk Call International sales on +44(0)191 418 1133 or email international@canford.co.uk

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UNRIVALLED EXPERIENCE AND CONTINUED INVESTMENT SEES CANFORD STRENGTHEN ITS POSITION AS INDUSTRY NO.1 SUPPLIER OF CUSTOM SOLUTIONS

By Gavin Drake, Production Manager (Portland) With 43 years experience and over 15,000 standard product lines it goes without saying that Canford has built a strong reputation for not only understanding its extensive customer base but also offering them the off the shelf solutions they require from stock and in many cases on a next day delivery service.

For many major distributors this would be enough however Canford from the very beginning has always strived to be more than just another “Box Shifter” and with our own design teams, manufacturing workshops and long serving skilled staff we now manufacture a large percentage of the products we sell. A significant proportion of Canford’s biggest selling own brands started out as a frustrating problem in a studio, theatre or out on a live event. Now it would be easy again for Canford to take the view that having covered both the more standard off the shelf distributed items and then throw in the additional 40% which accounts for the Canford own brand designs we should stop but that really isn’t our style as we always strive to better understand what our customers need and how we can utilise our extensive capabilities to meet this demand.

What Canford quickly discovered at the very start of its journey was that there were many projects and applications which, as a result of specification, environment or just a slightly eccentric design engineer, were never going to be solved by anything we would have within our normal ranges. This was very much the missing piece in the jigsaw and given our intention to truly become a “One Stop Shop” we launched our Custom Design Service which would allow customers to approach us with their unique problems and allow us to work with them to develop and deliver the solutions they needed.

Jumping forward 43 years and with significant and ongoing investment in both staff and equipment we now boast 3 workshops across our 2 sites in the UK that have the understanding and capability to make us an industry leader when it comes to bespoke and customised solutions.

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Our metalwork factory on the Isle of Portland in Dorset now incorporates CNC machining, sheet metal working, powder coating, laser engraving and an assembly department.

Along with a well-respected reputation for producing the full range of Canford’s termination panels, rack shelves, rack boxes, stage boxes and other accessories it also has an experienced team of engineers working with customers to design and manufacture a diverse range of custom products across several of our key areas including Broadcast, AV and Live Events.

In 2019 they have been heavily involved in manufacturing several hundred bespoke facility wall box plates and 19” rack panels for a key UK Systems Integrator who is working in Qatar on stadiums for the 2022 Football World Cup. Alongside this they have also developed and designed panel and SMPTE fibre solutions for another integrator working on a well known TV studio in Cardiff.

Though these are two of the major projects there have been many hundreds of other smaller customer projects which this year have accounted for over 40% of the total sales for our Portland site.

Our Fibre workshop in Washington which is now into its 3rd year is also increasingly involved in manufacturing non-standard cable assemblies where due to specification, application or environment our standard stock ranges aren’t suitable. With a vast range of stock connectors including SMPTE, Opticalcon, HMA and coming soon MTP/MPO coupled with the widest offering of stock cables options Canford is in the enviable position of being able to offer a true “mix and match” service to meet our customers exact requirement within sensible lead times. Our Call UK sales on +44(0)191 418 1122 or email sales@canford.co.uk

experienced fibre team are also able to advise and assist in the choice of connectors and cables for most applications.

Last but not least is our original workshop in Washington which not only continues to manufacture our well known MDU, Tecpro, EMO, Neal and standard cable assembly ranges but has from Canford’s first inception been involved in working with our customers to solve problems and address those needs that can’t be met from our off the shelf offering. It would be fair to say that over 43 years they have produced many thousands of oddball cable assemblies, power distribution units, stage boxes, wired termination panels and a vast selection of other weird and wonderful product to help our customers in their quest for the right answers to their seemingly unique problems.

In truth, during the entire history of Canford, the teams across our 3 workshops have probably covered every eventuality and issue when it comes to custom specials. It is indeed very rare for us to come up against a problem we have not seen in some respect before. Sadly not every problem is solvable and it’s fair to say we have also had some pretty bizarre requests over the years however we can say with confidence that if there is an answer we probably have it which now makes us the custom provider of choice for the vast majority of our large customer base.

For further information regarding our custom design services please contact either our sales or technical support teams.

NEED CONNECTION PANELS BUT HAVEN’T GOT ALL DAY TO FIND THEM?

TRY OUR NEW PANEL SELECTION TOOLS canford.co.uk/TechZone Call International sales on +44(0)191 418 1133 or email international@canford.co.uk

Source Material by Canford | 31

EMO Power Out with the old, in with the new….

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU THINK OF EMO? Reliability? Sustainability? Ruggedness?

Built to last and with an enviable reputation? A possible victim of its’ own success maybe?

By Erika Dobie, UK Business Development Manager Since EMO was founded in 1973, it quickly earned the respect for reliability and audio fidelity by many professional studios, touring and events rigs globally. It has been the first and only choice for many industry leading professionals with a distinctive and recognisable design. It was indeed the brand of choice for our very own PA system here at Canford back in 1976. Rugged mains panels and sequential switchers, mic splitters and DI boxes that withstand years of abuse on the road are in daily use by leading engineers and artists.

Originally designed and built in Durham UK and acquired by Canford in 2000, simplicity of design and use of the highest quality components remains the philosophy to this day with no compromises. It has a history of outstanding build quality and near zero returns. Our very own Mike Reay came as part of the package and continues with his role as technical support for EMO, Tecpro and Green-Go product ranges.

32 | Source Material by Canford

Despite its’ success, it was becoming apparent that to retain our position in the market and to meet with todays’ new technologies and demands, changes were required. With our growing customer base in the touring and live events industry in mind and regular enquiries for custom manufactured power distribution panels or modifications to the existing models, this series of products seemed like the most obvious place to start. And so it began, the birth of the new range of EMO Power Distribution panels and floor boxes.

It was important to us that the new features met with the requisites of todays’ user and who better to consult with but our own customers at the coalface and other industry experts. A simple case of ‘what do you want and we shall build it’ was applied and after having sought many different opinions and through collaborative product development working with our highly experienced teams across our main Washington and Portland manufacturing sites, we developed our first, fresh new look, basic range.

Call UK sales on +44(0)191 418 1122 or email sales@canford.co.uk

We believe that the range is tailored to meet the high standards and expectations of the modern theatre, live events and touring systems. All models include a wide selection of locking connector options where a safe connection is paramount and to avoid costly disconnection during an event. New overcurrent thermal breakers provide essential protection in the event of excess current from an overload or short circuit. A new bank of ‘traffic light’ LED power status indicators feature on all 1U and 2U panels, displaying Supply Present/Earth Present and Neutral Fault status plus the added advantage of a switch to disable the indicators for onstage environments and to enable PAT testing.

A choice of five 1U models was developed in the knowledge that rack space is at an all time premium and size and weight considerations are essential. There didn’t appear to an ‘off the shelf solution’ available in the market and we therefore seized the opportunity. With the provision of Powercon, Powercon TOP and Locking IEC’s, these units have been designed with processor racks in mind where they will power commonly used items such as outboard processors, radio mic systems, DMX distribution and amplifiers.

In addition to this, we have upgraded a few of the original C-series 16A and 32A 2U models. The unique feature of the recess above the 16A splash-proof CeeForm inlet is still very much in demand. This allows the sprung cap of the mating cable socket to fit into the rack and avoiding interference with other co-racked equipment. The provision of the CeeForm loop-through allows for several mobile racks to be powered from one source. A greater number of 13A sockets are available on the E616 model together with the introduction of Powercon and Locking IEC socket options on the E617 and E618 (32A) versions.

To complete the basic series and a first for EMO, we have introduced the E621 and E622 Power Distribution floor boxes. Designed for on-stage powering of either musician backline or they can be truss/ fly bar mounted in theatre or touring applications.

They offer Powercon loop through connectors that feed a bank of six 13A sockets and housed in folded steel enclosures with painted steel handles positioned to protect the thermal and RCBO circuit breakers from damage. Crucially, In the event of a circuit breaker tripping, the pass through of power to the next unit is not affected.

Future additions to the range will include models that cater towards the international market. Watch this space….

The full range is now available from stock, see www.canford.co.uk/EMO for further information.

Call International sales on +44(0)191 418 1133 or email international@canford.co.uk

Source Material by Canford | 33

By John Slider It is almost two years since I wrote an article about Canford’s role in the community and a great deal has happened in that time.

Our Founder, Owner and Chief Executive Iain Elliott along with our other principal shareholder and Chairman, John Francis have taken the decision to sell the company to an Employee Ownership Trust whereby our employees will be the beneficiaries of this trust.

This is great news for our employees as it gives them the assurance that the ethos of the company will be perpetuated in the years to come and that Canford will remain a company that cares about its people.

Although our ethos has significantly contributed to our success another factor is Canford’s contribution to the community. Both Iain and John are passionate about being excellent corporate citizens and firmly believe that Canford should “give something back” to the community in which it operates.

How do we do this? Basically we do this by participating in a number of programmes and events that help and support young people in our community. These programmes and activities range from

It was back in 2010 HRH The Prince of Wales said he would like to see companies like Canford doing more to engage with young people to make them aware of industry and what it can offer.

Initially we became involved in the Engineering Development Trust’s Go4SET programme, an annual event which involves high school pupils in years 7/8 setting up a 10 week project where they can develop skills in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

The most recent example was a team from a local Academy working on an energy saving project. The team visited Canford and met with staff who offered advice and helped them design and build test rigs to determine energy usage and the differences and savings that could be made by using differing modes of lighting.

These projects culminate in an end of term competition where all local schools come together and present their project to a group of assessors drawn from industry. I am happy to say that the schools we have worked with have always been in the top three!

• Go4SET • STEM Activities and Programmes • Engineering Scholarships • Work Experience

Working with high school pupils is very rewarding but it is also vitally important to engage with children at the earliest opportunity and hence Canford is an active participant in promoting STEM activities in primary schools.

34 | Source Material by Canford

Call UK sales on +44(0)191 418 1122 or email sales@canford.co.uk

But it is not only children we engage with.

We also participate with the Arkwright Scholarship Programme by offering mentor support. Arkwright Engineering Scholarships are a part of the Smallpiece Trust programme and are the most prestigious scholarships offered in the UK. These scholarships are offered to high calibre year 11 students who have gone through a very rigorous and robust screening process and are seen as future industry leaders. Each scholar is “mentored” by an experienced individual from a variety of engineering and management backgrounds and I am Canford’s representative for this mentoring programme and willingly give of my time for this prestigious programme.

Over the past two years I personally have visited many primary schools and have to express my disappointment in the general impression that young children have of the engineering profession. On countless occasions when I ask the question “what is an engineer” I get the answer “someone who fixes motor cars”.

Now I do not wish to belittle or denigrate car mechanics as today engine technology is highly sophisticated. However among the 5 to 11 year old’s and their teachers there is a total lack of understanding regarding the scope and breadth of engineering disciplines.

Many think that engineering is a dirty and hazardous occupation and hence shy away from a career that could be extremely rewarding.

How do we change attitudes?

Well Canford goes into schools with presentations that are designed to both educate and enthuse young children and their teachers about the variety of different engineering disciples available. We invite them to visit, meet staff members and see first-hand how rewarding a job in manufacturing can be.

Obviously many of our employees have families and many have taken the opportunity of asking “can my son or daughter” spend some time at where I work to understand what Mum or Dad does on a daily basis.

We have turned this into a work experience activity whereby the young adult is given a week’s work experience, something that equips them with knowledge about life beyond school.

On a few occasions when vacancies have arisen we have managed to fill the vacancy with a family member hence growing “the Canford family” and helping secure employment for “one of our own”.

So there you have it. Canford in some small way trying to give something back to the community it operates in and something for which we are extremely proud.

On occasions we take equipment into the classroom and involve the children in a series of activities where they build and use simple replicas of computers. The key here is to make it fun and I am always amazed at the inquisitive nature and ingenuity of 6 or 7 year olds. If we can somehow capture their imagination we may well be successful in attracting the engineers of the future!

Call International sales on +44(0)191 418 1133 or email international@canford.co.uk

Source Material by Canford | 35

Green-GO digital intercom over Ethernet For live events, broadcast and industry

• No Central Matrix (single point of failure) • Low Data rate for network friendly operation • License-free DECT wireless system (1.9GHz) • Full duplex, low latency, clear audio • Unique 32 channel beltpacks (wired or wireless) • Interface with third party analogue and digital comms • Bridge to Green-GO users world-wide over the internet • Create simple or complex systems – from 2 to 3000 Users • New 1U Dante interface provides 4 pairs of audio In/Out

For more information email greengo@canford.co.uk or visit www.canford.co.uk/Green-Go

UNIQUE & UNIVERSALLY FITTING LOCKING IEC C13 & C19 CONNECTORS

NOW COMES IN AN ANGLED REWIREABLE VERSION!

PREVENT ACCIDENTAL POWER LOSS OF MISSION CRITICAL PRO AV, TOURING & BROADCAST EQUIPMENT

Authorised distributors: Canford Audio Limited call: 0191 418 1122 I email: sales@canford.co.uk I visit: www.canford.co.uk/IEC-Lock www.ieclock.com 36 | Source Material by Canford Call UK sales on +44(0)191 418 1122 or email sales@canford.co.uk

COME WHAT MAY!

By Sarah Webster, Canford Key Accounts Manager – International At the time of writing this article it would still seem impossible to predict whether or not Brexit will happen, and if it does, what exactly it will mean for everyone involved. What we do know however, is that despite all that is going on in world of politics, Canford’s desire to provide its European and Overseas’ customers with the same level of service as its Domestic customers, hasn’t wavered at all.

Canford has always supported overseas customers. We have developed business across Europe and further afield over the last forty-three years. Perhaps most noticeably with our multi-lingual team of international account managers, who between them possess an array of language skills. Any form of Brexit, with or without a deal, will not prevent this from continuing.

In-fact, over the last 12 months Canford has worked hard to further improve the level of service offered to its European Customers. Germany has always been an important market for Canford and a key focus area. Our team recently made visits to German customers and we’ve launched a new, German language website www.canford.de, where a huge amount of work goes into ensuring all account, ordering and product pages are accurately translated.

In 2019 Canford exhibited at Prolight + Sound, Frankfurt.

We launched our new range of EMO mains distribution products which have been developed specifically for the touring and events markets, along with our new Dante interface modules. The show was a great success and we are pleased to announce that we have committed to exhibiting at Prolight + Sound Frankfurt again in 2020.

In terms of what the future holds, Canford is well positioned for change. Following the results of the now infamous 2016 “Brexit” referendum, an experienced focus-group was created and we began to prepare for all eventualities of leaving the EU. Despite an ever changing political landscape, the primary goal was always to ensure there would be no additional costs incurred by our European customers.

Canford Shipping Manager, Ian Farina commented: “I feel we’ve tackled the situation head-on and believe that it now also opens up an opportunity for our UK customers to work even closer with us and to ship their orders directly to Europe. We can move goods swiftly, without any of the inconvenience posed by extra formalities as a result of leaving the EU. Even with all of the planning in the world, there will always be a twist in the tale and a new scenario. In any event, we are committed to working with our customers, to utilise our vast exporting experience and find the right solutions.”

Ian concluded “I’m confident we have a robust plan in place and that Canford is able to continue servicing all European customers without disruption. Canford is taking the headache out of exporting goods to Europe.”

The message to our European Customers is very clear: Rest assured.You’re in safe hands, its business as usual!

Call International sales on +44(0)191 418 1133 or email international@canford.co.uk

Source Material by Canford | 37

WHY USE GREEN-GO INTERCOM?

By Mike Reay, Product Manager Awareness of the multi award-winning Green-GO digital intercom system has grown enormously in the UK over the last year. Every day we talk to customers who are looking for new ways to create better intercom system designs that will ultimately improve the quality of their productions.

What should you expect from an intercom system?

•C lear audio - you shouldn’t be wasting brain power trying to decipher what was just said. That applies to both wired and wireless beltpacks.

• L ow latency – you know how irritating the delay on mobile phone networks can be…

• L ow noise – for conferences and theatre work where instructions are sometimes whispered •A decent headphone amplifier that won’t fall over when things get a bit noisier and that will drive your favourite headsets including those using an electret mic.

• Enough intercom channels for more complex shows (uniquely, our devices can each store 32 channels for instant access) •R obust interfacing to classic analogue and digital matrix comms, broadcast cameras (via their CCUs), to walkie-talkies (extremely useful), to PA systems for announcements, to IEM transmitters for presenters and to show relay systems for dressing rooms and the green room.

• I t should work over existing data networks without slowing or crashing the system

By designing out the eye wateringly expensive central matrix that most digital systems use, Green-GO removed the possibility of a single point of failure, while also making the system affordable. To replace the central matrix, each individual user station or interface holds in memory the complete system configuration with all the settings. In the unlikely event of a device being damaged, there is no domino effect, so the rest of the system will continue working and it takes only a few moments to introduce a replacement unit to the network, copy the system configuration and pull in the User settings.

Audio quality is high, system latency is low (12ms, so no lip-sync problems) and Green-GO can be configured to be as simple or as complex as the job demands – from 2 to 3000 users…

At its simplest, all you need is a PoE switch (to provide the data network and power) and 2 x wired beltpacks. A couple of headsets will also come in handy. Remove the beltpacks from their boxes, plug them into the PoE switch and they will find each other and communicate because they will each have the default factory configuration.

• It should be easy to set fixed or dynamically assigned IP addresses on your intercom devices to accommodate different ways of working.

• Systems should be easy to configure to suit new events OK, Green-GO can do all that….what else are customers looking for?

Along with the technical competence of any potential intercom system, value for money always has a notable influence when people are comparing the features and performance on offer from the leading manufacturers.

This is where Green-GO’s choice of operating system has advantages for the customer.

38 | Source Material by Canford

Call UK sales on +44(0)191 418 1122 or email sales@canford.co.uk

One of the most frequently asked questions is ‘how far can Green-GO travel before a signal boost is required’?

Typical distances are: Standard CAT5E cable with solid conductors

95m (5 metres for patch cables)

Canford CAT5EF flexible cable with stranded conductors

75m (5 metres for patch cables)

Multimode Fibre OM3

300m

Multimode Fibre OM4

550m

Single mode Fibre OS1

The BridgeX can also be configured to enable ‘remote users’.

When set to Remote Connection mode, a single Green-GO beltpack or other device in a remote location (with no local BridgeX), can connect over the internet to a LAN port of the local BridgeX. In this mode, the device simply becomes another user on the system and has access to all available intercom channels.

GREEN-GO BRIDGE REMOTE CONNECTION OF DEVICE •A user anywhere in the world • Becomes a full member of the local Green-GO network

20km

GG-Device

Bridge

Active Side

Passive Side

For greater distances or local routed connections, you can ‘bridge’ over the internet using a BridgeX interface.

The Green-GO BridgeX is a 4 port network bridge interface, intended to connect up to four remote locations to a local Green-GO intercom network. Each of the four connection ports can function in Group or Remote User mode.

In ‘Group’ mode, two separate and independent Green-GO intercom networks, each with its own BridgeX interface, will be linked together over the internet or local routed office network.

Using one data stream, the audio and optional ‘Call’ signals will be transported from one Green-GO network to the other. This setup will create a single intercom group that is common to two sites.

LAN/WAN

Green-GO

Providing you have a good internet connection at both locations, once you are on the internet, you can talk to colleagues in most areas of the world. The audio quality from the remote bridged system is similar to that of the local system and latency is typically too low to notice.

If you want more information on bridging remote sites over the internet, we are preparing an in-depth article which will be posted on our website www.canford.co.uk.

If you have other Green-GO questions, drop us a line to greengo@canford.co.uk

To increase the number of groups, use more of the four available data streams.

GREEN-GO BRIDGE SHARE A GROUP BETWEEN TWO NETWORKS • Create one large party line shared on locations • Green-GO systems can have different configurations

Green-GO

Bridge

Bridge

Active Side

Passive Side

LAN/WAN

Call International sales on +44(0)191 418 1133 or email international@canford.co.uk

Green-GO

Source Material by Canford | 39

A fair hearing: Choosing the

right assistive listening technology Assistive listening technology is an essential part of any commercial project, ensuring spaces are accessible to people with hearing loss. However, a lack of knowledge about assistive listening systems can mean they are either omitted from plans or, when standards and legislations are raised, an inappropriate system is installed only once a site is close to completion.

Andrew Thomas from Contacta Systems Ltd explains the options available to specifiers, installers, and end users, and the deciding factors that can make the difference between success and failure when it comes to accessibility.

Hearing loss impacts 1 in 6 of the UK population, almost 11 million people. As a ‘hidden’ disability, however, adaptations necessary to make spaces accessible to those with hearing loss can be overlooked.

Awareness of accessibility for people with mobility issues is comparatively high, but people with hearing loss are by far the largest group within the disabled community. With an ageing population, it’s a group which will only get larger.

Standards for accessibility are in place but are not always accounted for, but it is essential to include assistive listening technology in any new development or refit.

area. A sound source such as a microphone or PA system is converted into a magnetic signal by a hearing loop amplifier (driver). The loop transmits this signal across the designated listening area, direct to a user’s hearing aid, which converts it back to sound using its built-in magnetic coupler or ‘T-coil’.

This technology has been used for decades and offers distinct advantages that cannot be achieved by other technologies currently. This includes low sound latency, universal compatibility, and the ability to offer a receiverfree transmission.

To loop or not to loop?

Devices such as hearing aids amplify all sounds around the user, including ambient and surrounding noises. Assistive listening technology amplifies a desired sound source above distracting background noise.

The most common solution is a hearing loop, also known as an induction loop. Copper wire is placed around or in a listening area, either beneath the flooring around the perimeter of the space or in a series of loops across a larger 40 | Source Material by Canford

Call UK sales on +44(0)191 418 1122 or email sales@canford.co.uk

Hearing loops can be used in a wide range of spaces. Large area loops can transform the experience of the congregation at a place of worship, delegates in a conference room or passengers in an airport terminal. Short-range or ‘one to one’ hearing loops enhance communication with staff at a till point or service desk. Hearing loops can also be integrated into ticket machines, busses and trains, lifts, door entry systems or through-glass speech systems to make every secure service window accessible to customers with a hearing impairment.

The key to integration

Assistive listening technology should be an inherent part of any development scheme, and specialist installers can offer advice on the suitability of each system for intended spaces.

While the principles remain the same when installing any type For example, while a skilled installer can conceal hearing loop of hearing loop system, the main differences are the length of cabling in the challenging spaces (such as listed buildings or timber-floored auditoriums) it is far easier and cheaper to the loop cable, amplifier power, and type of sound input. incorporate a design from the outset and ensure it is installed Signage is a critical factor when installing a hearing loop system, before flooring goes down. as the systems are often completely concealed and invisible Understanding a building’s construction means audio engineers to the user accessing a service. Clearly visible signage ensures can calculate the signal loss from a metal sub-structure or the users can access the system and are aware of its availability. potential interference from an air conditioning unit. Accurate room sizes will also affect the selection of transmitters to Infrared systems ensure they are powerful enough to give coverage across the Infrared systems use invisible light to project sound using whole space. transmitter. Receivers then convert the light back into an audio Schemes involving open areas such as the concourse on a signal and to allow users to listen with clarity, with or without railway station need careful consideration. Listening points may hearing aids. already be planned for hearing aid wearers in which to stand to Infrared systems are simple to install or retrofit after a project clearly hear announcements – but can users see the information has finished. boards at the same time, or is there seating they can use? Is Transmitters are mainly wall mounted at height and receivers there signage to let users know where they should stand to use a system effectively? All these factors demonstrate the need for are simple personal devices with adjustable volume control. careful planning in order to offer the user the best outcome and Some infrared systems offer inductive neck-loop receivers to prevent costly re-designs further down the line. as well as highly amplified volume gain to help hard of hearing users.

Maintenance and testing While infrared systems are an excellent solution for a Being able to hear clearly is a key factor in employee wellbeing meeting room, a theatre auditorium or a cinema, infrared and public spaces need to be inclusive to meet legal and best systems have distinct advantages where sound needs to be practice requirements. Installing assistive listening technology is contained - courtrooms, for example, or meeting rooms one thing, but if it isn’t performing well when someone tries to where the spillage of sound into neighbouring spaces use it the system may as well not be there. must be avoided. This is because the infrared light cannot penetrate through walls or ceilings, the sound transmission A well-planned installation with an ongoing schedule of stays within its transmitted area. maintenance and testing is essential to create an inclusive space that’s accessible to all.

Radio frequency systems About Andrew Thomas Radio frequency systems are ideal for when sound sources need to be wirelessly transmitted across large areas. Because Andrew Thomas is the Market Development they use radio (RF) waves, the signal is unaffected by a Director of Contacta Systems Ltd, one of the building’s structure or internal fittings.

UK’s leading manufacturers of assistive listening The ability to transmit to multiple receivers simultaneously technologies. Andrew has more than 30 years’ makes radio frequency systems ideal as an assistive listening experience in the sector. device for conferences, exhibitions and museums, and He is Chair of the International Hearing Loop guided tours.

Manufacturers Association (IHLMA) and a member of the The receivers are versatile and come in a variety of designs.

British Standards committee for the revision of BS 8300.

A popular transmission frequency is the free 2.4GHz athomas@contacta.co.uk bandwidth, but there are also systems which use other http://www.contacta.co.uk/ bandwidths available.

Call International sales on +44(0)191 418 1133 or email international@canford.co.uk

Source Material by Canford | 41

Are you being accessible? We can help.

Our NEW Large Area Infrared System uses the latest wireless technology to deliver easy-to-install assistive listening technology.

A complete wireless assistive listening solution using infrared light, ideal for areas such as court rooms, meeting rooms, theatres, auditoriums or places of worship.

• • • • • •

2-channel system, flexible and modular A selection of receivers and listening options Powerful transmitters, coverage area up to 2700 sqm Dual channel transmission at 2.3MHz and 2.8MHz Simple installation Multi-charging receiver cases available Contact us on 01732 223900 or email sales@contacta.co.uk

42 | Source Material by Canford

Ensure your facilities are accessible and fulfill the BS8300 Standard and the Equality Act 2010

Call UK sales on +44(0)191 418 1122 or email sales@canford.co.uk

Sterling Event Group benefit from Canford’s huge range and unrivalled service Sterling Event Group is one of the UK’s leading technical event production and hire companies. Established in 1999

by Managing Director Richard Bowden, with the vision to combine the best in cutting edge technology and a team of people who are quite simply amazing at what they do.

The company has grown rapidly over the years and the team now includes project managers, account managers, designers, office support staff, on site and warehouse based technicians and dedicated warehouse support staff. From their 40,000 sq ft. facility, conveniently located near Manchester Airport, they supply services across the UK and internationally. Their work is split across the whole spectrum of live event sectors including corporate, private, public, sporting and live music and they also supply a dry hire service to other production companies from their dedicated trade counter along with a 24/7 venue support service. They are successful but not complacent and are therefore continuously developing, investing and improving to keep the company at the forefront of our industry.

The company currently specialises in technical production & equipment including Audio, Lighting, Vision, Rigging, Staging & Set. Overall Sterling Event Group is headed up by a team of Directors as well as Heads of Departments that maintain each of their specialist divisions.

Sterling Event Group further expanded in 2019 with the addition of two new warehousing units – totalling 40000sqft across the whole of the Sterling Event Group HQ. As well as the space expansion, they also added a number of additional members of staff to both the office and the warehouse setup. They have plans to continue investment across all departments and continue to develop as a business.

Ben Marshall, Head of Audio at Sterling commented “We use Canford because their level of customer service is unrivalled. It doesn’t matter how small or large the order is you still receive the same level of service from all their staff.” He continued “At first I didn’t really consider using Canford as a key supplier for our business. However that soon changed after meeting Erika, Canford’s UK Business Development Manager. She showed me the huge range of products and services they offer to their customers at a competitive price point. She is also our key point of contact should we have any issues or require product demos which I find hugely beneficial. Having the trade web login is a huge advantage as we can see our pricing, accurate stock levels and past orders which makes placing orders extremely quick and efficient. Canford also offers a wide variety of spare parts with next day delivery which is extremely useful when we need to get equipment repaired and back into service as fast as possible.”

We use Canford because their level of customer service is unrivalled.

The company’s most recent investments from Canford include products from Yamaha, K&M, Shure, Tecpro and Green Go to name a few.

Call International sales on +44(0)191 418 1133 or email international@canford.co.uk

Source Material by Canford | 43

HACK the

Canford WEBSITE www.canford.co.uk | www.canford.de | www.canford.fr LOG IN & UTILISE • Account specific pricing* • Link your User Login to one or more pre-existing Canford Customer Accounts • Set-up and manage multiple account users • Manage user details, authority levels and marketing preferences • View order status and purchasing history *

Requires User Login to be linked with Canford Customer Account

VIEW REAL-TIME STOCK LEVELS & MORE • No surprises. View real-time stock levels • Need more? Data-driven stock availability • E stimated lead times available for Special Order & Out of stock products QUICK-ORDER • S peed-up the processing. Input/paste part codes without navigating to product pages • Export your Shopping Basket to Excel for an easy way to build quotes, save or share with colleagues and clients SELECT YOUR PREFERRED CURRENCY • Use the drop-down menu to select your preferred currency TECHZONE AND OTHER TOOLS • Use our MDU, Cable Drum and Panel Selection Tools to help you calculate and personalise your order to suite your exact requirements.

• Our product pages are full of technical information and resource such as data sheets, instruction, etc. to help you chose the best product for the job.

• Our product pages also provide recommendations for products other customers ‘Also bought’ or to help you ‘Find similar’ options, just use the tabs.

44 | Source Material by Canford

Call UK sales on +44(0)191 418 1122 or email sales@canford.co.uk

SIGN IN

Call International sales on +44(0)191 418 1133 or email international@canford.co.uk

Source Material by Canford | 45

THE NEW ROLAND VR-50HD MkII

– inspired by you Loaded with new productivity features inspired directly from user feedback, the VR-50HD MkII MultiFormat AV Mixer is the next evolution of Roland’s industry leading, all-in-one AV switcher with USB 3.0 streaming. Easily operated by a single person, the VR-50HD MkII continues to deliver best-in-class connectivity and flexibility, allowing you to work a wide range of events with different I/O requirements.

The VR-50HD MkII adds an AUX output to support dedicated RGB/Component and Composite inputs, accommodates professional cameras, computers, presenters’ mobile devices, confidence monitoring, recording, or streaming feeds, control microphones, and more. capabilities for select JVC and Panasonic PTZ cameras, and new automation functions such as intelligent automated audio mixing and automated video input switching.

PTZ camera compatible Eliminating the need for peripheral devices, the VR-50HD Robotic Pan/ Tilt/ Zoom (PTZ) cameras can eliminate the MkII combines a 12-input/4-channel multi-format video need for dedicated camera operators while still providing switcher, a 12-input digital audio mixer, a multi-viewer studio-grade broadcast quality. During production, PTZ touch screen, and an AV streaming output via USB 3.0. cameras can be placed in discreet locations thanks to their The VR-50HD MkII’s assignable inputs allow the use of any small size. The VR-50HD MkII can directly control select combination of four SDI and HDMI sources for countless JVC & Panasonic PTZ LAN cameras, without the need for configurations and applications. The new input assignment a dedicated PTZ camera controller or operator. Up to six buttons make it easy to use all inputs on the switcher compatible PTZ cameras can be controlled via a single with on-the-fly assignment of inputs to crosspoints on LAN port. the switcher. The versatile I/O capability, also including

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Dedicated AUX output As live streams, HD recording, and presenter confidence monitoring often have separate visual needs from the main program output, the VR-50HD MkII has a dedicated AUX output available for sending alternate content without effecting the main PGM output. The source for the AUX output can be switched by means of dedicated AUX delegation buttons; any VR-50HD MkII input can be fed to the AUX output independent of the main PGM output.

The Mixer Output feeding the PGM output can also be fed synchronously to the AUX output to serve as a built-in distribution amp out. The AUX output is available in HDMI, SDI and RGB/Component formats.

Redesigned intuitive interface A large built-in touch screen multi-view monitor allows concurrent viewing of Preview and Program, of the four inputs assigned to crosspoints, and of four still images (up to four still images can be loaded from USB to internal storage for immediate access). Dedicated broadcast-style buttons give instant access to various functions –whilst each audio path now has its own Solo and Mute buttons.

Professional quality audio mixes for events and live web streaming, including situations where having a dedicated audio engineer is not feasible, are facilitated by the VR-50HD MkII’s new intuitive interface with Auto Mixing of levels and built-in Anti-Feedback. Settings allow certain audio inputs to take priority so that when a presenter speaks, the other audio levels automatically reduce. Audio from input sources can automatically change when you switch video sources with a “Audio Follows Video” operational mode, while a ‘Video Follows Audio” mode can switch cameras based on who’s speaking into an assigned microphone.

Includes webcam technology To share events and maximize global reach, the VR-50HD MkII uses the same USB connection technology as webcams.

Web-based streaming simply requires connecting the USB 3.0 I/O to a computer or hardware streaming interface; there is no software to download, drivers to install, updates to manage, or restart required. Roland’s free companion VR Capture software, available for Mac or Windows OS, accommodates recording to “web ready” Full HD AV files.

VR-50HD MkII MULTI-FORMAT AV MIXER

Loaded with new productivity features inspired directly from user feedback, the VR-50HD MkII Multi-format AV mixer is the next evolution of Roland’s industry-leading, all-in-one AV switcher with USB 3.0 streaming. Easily operated by a single person, the VR-50HD MkII continues to deliver best-in-class connectivity and flexibility, allowing you to work a wide range of events with different I/O requirements.

PROAV.ROLAND.COM

Call International sales on +44(0)191 418 1133 or email international@canford.co.uk

Source Material by Canford | 47

PROFESSIONAL

FIELD RECORDERS Lugging around large recording interfaces and mixers has long posed a problem for broadcasters, reporters and sportscasters.

Traditional mobile audio interfaces are inconvenient as batteries need to be constantly replaced and more importantly, sound quality is all too often compromised in attempts to miniaturize the circuitry.

After in-depth research into the needs of radio broadcasters and audio professionals, CEntrance has created a product family of high-quality, truly mobile recorders and interfaces. The newest member of the family is the recently updated MicPort Pro 2 listing at under £229.

The CEntrance MicPort Pro 2 builds on the awardwinning MicPort Pro Classic, which is endorsed by 100+ broadcasters, including BBC, NPR, and Swedish Radio.

This handheld recording channel is full of features previously only available in studio interfaces, making it an ideal portable device for travelling audio and broadcast professionals. Featuring a combo XLR input, a lownoise, boutique mic preamp, 48V phantom power, a built-in rechargeable battery, and an analog limiter, the new MicPort Pro 2 preamp and USB interface

By Michael Goodman

continues CEntrance’s tradition of making innovative personal audio products. And all that is packed into a tough aluminium tube smaller than a studio microphone!

If one input channel is not enough, then you need take a serious look at the MixerFace! MicPort Pro’s older brother, the MixerFace is a two-channel mobile recorder and interface with combo XLR inputs. In addition to the extra recording channel, MixerFace offers lots of useful features as CEntrance’s flagship recorder.

MixerFace comes in three models: R4, R4R, and R4B. Shared features across the model lineup include two low-noise Jasmine™ preamps with 48V phantom power and switchable high pass filter on each channel, an AUX input, zero latency monitor, a 24-bit/192kHz USB audio interface, and a built-in 8-hour rechargeable battery.

An upgrade from the basic R4, the R4R model adds a robust, micro-SD card-based audio recorder to the passport-sized unit. Stepping up to the flagship R4B, CEntrance adds a pair of newly released PM1 XY stereo mics, which plug into the XLR inputs and transform MixerFace into a professional field recorder.

Other features shared across all MixerFace models include a hefty complement of outputs: line out for connecting to cameras/ external mixers, balanced outs to studio monitors, a premium quality headphone out, as well as a micro USB jack for recording to a phone, tablet, or computer.

Both MicPort Pro and MixerFace share the same advanced preamp and converter technology fit for on-the-go, broadcast quality recording. CEntrance products share innovative, intuitive design, distinguished in part by easy-to-use, tactile control knobs and a lack of complicated menus. Given that the units are intended for professional mobile applications, the build quality is top-notch, featuring an aircraft-grade aluminium chassis for scratch-protection and durability. If

48 | Source Material by Canford

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the original MicPort Pro is any indication of longevity, you can expect these new models to provide you with years of quality recording!

Beyond creating premium recording gear, CEntrance’s legacy includes award-winning audiophile equipment, such as portable DACs and headphone amps. Seeing how most of this equipment includes a high-quality headphone output, it was only a matter of time before the CEntrance headphones arrived.

And arrive they did. With Tom Gibbs of Positive Feedback magazine referring to them as “undeniably the finest professional monitor headphone sound I’ve ever experienced,” CEntrance’s Cerene dB Transparent Reference Headphones are a welcome addition to the product family. The new headphones were designed to meet the needs of a wide range of listeners, including broadcasters, podcasters, recording engineers, artists, and audiophiles. Enjoy hours of comfortable monitoring thanks to the luxurious,

padded earpads. Foldable design offers flexible storage options making this professional pair of headphones well-suited for travel, in the tradition of all CEntrance products. Competitively priced, the new headphones are perfect accessory to consider when purchasing any of CEntrance’s recording or playback products. www.centrance.com

Call International sales on +44(0)191 418 1133 or email international@canford.co.uk

Source Material by Canford | 49

70 Years of It adorns the stands that can be found on the great stages of the world: The character combination K&M. On the one hand, it is the brand abbreviation of the German stands manufacturer König & Meyer – and on the other it stands for a seventy-year success story. But what is behind the façade of the professional brand for stands and accessories?

At home in the small town – appreciated worldwide In Wertheim, a small town in the south of Germany, innovative strength lies in the air. Leading global companies in the glass and mechanical engineering industries are close neighbours.

One of them is an exotic company: König & Meyer. With 280 employees, the company produces the accessories for the stages of the world at 3 factories in and around Wertheim.

Made in Germany is not an advertising slogan. Apart from a few exceptions, almost every installed element of the stands is manufactured in-house in Wertheim. Only the tube materials are supplied. But even these are subject to strict requirements in terms of material quality and tolerances. The company is committed to producing its equipment under fair working conditions for people and the environment.

The right accessory for every problem?

An abundance of microphone and speaker stands, holders and stands for orchestra and studio equipment, multimedia accessories and 19” racks are just as much a part of the K&M portfolio as classical music stands and instrument stands. The company seems to have made it its business to provide the right equipment for every problem. The thick König & Meyer catalogue contains a total of 800 products.

From magnets to overhead tripods.

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For the stars of today – and tomorrow Artists such as Nightwish, Hurts and Milky Chance are among the endorsers of König & Meyer and trust in the functionality and quality of the products in everyday touring, rehearsal or studio life. But König & Meyer also offers young artists a platform and thus facilitates their entry into the world of professional music.

From musicians for musicians Music folders become electronic devices, amplifiers become digital, instruments become larger, smaller, improved and replaced.

Call UK sales on +44(0)191 418 1122 or email sales@canford.co.uk

The dynamics of the music industry are unmistakable.

Accordingly, K&M products are developed in the in-house design department. In close cooperation with musicians, organisers and dealers, ideas for new stands or further developments are created.

Always in view: the customer In times of anonymous markets, buying via the internet and impersonal contact, König & Meyer swims against the tide. The technical customer advisors and sales staff are always available for questions and suggestions. Those who prefer it digital, on the other hand, can use the company’s recently modernised website.

A foray through 70 years of K&M Karl König and Erich Meyer founded the company König & Meyer in Wertheim in 1949. The family business is still owner-managed today. With initially six employees, the production of measuring tools and music stands was started. In the following years, the product portfolio was supplemented and expanded before a cult product was born in 1966: The legendary 210/2 microphone stand. With the growing demand for quality stands from home and abroad, the production area was continuously expanded until the construction of a second factory in Wertheim in 1969 was inevitable. Today, the majority of the production process takes place here. In 2017, a new dispatch centre with 7000 pallet spaces was inaugurated to meet the requirements of modern customers: Ordered today – delivered tomorrow.

Call International sales on +44(0)191 418 1133 or email international@canford.co.uk

Source Material by Canford | 51

STUDIO MONITOR KH 80 DSP

The KH 80 DSP – Small. Clever. Neutral.

Now also available in white.

Neumann KH 80 DSP studio monitors

Neumann.Control for iPad®

Neumann’s KH 80 might be the smallest of the KH range but with the inclusion of an on-board DSP engine they are incredibly flexible little boxes which will meet the needs of a wide range of monitoring requirements. With a 4” bass/mid driver and a tweeter set back in a large waveguide these front ported speakers manage a very respectable 57Hz (-3dB) and when paired with the DSP-equipped KH 750 sub can cover stereo monitoring duties all the way down to 18Hz.

Neumann.Control opens up the full potential of the KH 80 DSP studio monitor.

The DSP built into the KH 80 can be simple or detailed – basic speaker correction can be carried out from the back panel via a 4 position Acoustical Control switch, or a more detailed set up can be achieved using the free Neumann Control iPad app which calculates settings for the 8 DSP filters per speaker using guided questioning of your room (or you can tweak settings manually based on independent room measurements).

Via standard IP networking, Neumann.Control gives full access to all the functions of the KH 80 DSP Studio Monitor not already available via the back panel. Systems of loudspeakers can be defined, from mono to 3D, aligned for a good in-room sound, and then operated centrally: Setup, Align, Operate.

Just install and follow the on-screen instructions. There is also a demo mode so you can try it for yourself even if you do not have KH 80 DSP studio monitors to hand.

Available on the App Store for free

These compact, rugged little monitors are perfect for multichannel or installs, with extensive mounting options, dimmable illuminated logo and up to 9 speakers on the network. Great sound is a given and with a big sound from a small speaker with network control there is very little not to like about these little boxes, whether you’re working in a project room, music studio, editing, or inside an OB van.

52 | Source Material by Canford

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Neumann NDH 20 headphones Neumann’s first pair of headphones, the NDH 20 are premium studio tools for monitoring, editing and mixing with plenty of solid engineering in evidence throughout – cups are reassuringly solid aluminium, the headband is sprung steel and the unique hinge mechanism is cleverly designed and beautifully executed.

The sound is as unflattering as a reference monitor should be, with impressively low distortion and excellent acoustic isolation offered by the substantial closed back, over the ear design and memory foam pads which make sure external sound stays out and, just as importantly, sounds from the headphones stay in.

Excellent isolation (34dB at 4KHz) means less level into performers’ ears during tracking, better mic placement when engineers can hear their microphones better, and less chance of headphone bleed onto open microphones.

A folding design for storage and detachable cables, one straight and one curly, make these headphones as useable out of the studio as in. The NDH 20 is a high impedance design and due to high sensitivity courtesy of newly designed drivers with high gauss neodymium magnets they provide ample level even when driven from smartphones.

The uncoloured midrange performance, lack of distortion, long term comfort and acoustic isolation make these headphones as suitable for long editing sessions as they are for monitoring in a noisy tracking session.

CLOSED DYNAMIC HEADPHONE

Monitoring.

Editing.

Mixing.

In the Studio.

At Home.

On the Road.

Call International sales on +44(0)191 418 1133 or email international@canford.co.uk Source Material by Canford | 53 Discover the NDH 20 – the first Neumann headphone: NDH20.neumann.com

www.skb-europe.com www.skb-europe.com

TRAVEL CONFIDENTLY WITHYOUR YOURSKB SKB CASE TRAVEL CONFIDENTLY WITH WITH CASE TRAVEL CONFIDENTLY YOUR SKB CASE As As a professional moviemaker a professional moviemakerororaudio audioengineer engineer your your number number priority when traveling istoto securely transport expenone priority when traveling securely transport expenAs aone professional movie makerisor audio engineer your your number one sensitive andhighly highly customized gear. Preferably Preferably sive,sive, sensitive and gear. you don’t don’t priority when travelling is tocustomized securely transport your expensive, your gear sightand and you want to toyou keep in the let let your gear outout ofofsight you want keep itit safe the sensitive and highly customized gear.

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SKBFlyer Flyerseries series SKB We up toto1515case with 29 29 configurations for all Weoffer offer upseries casesizes sizes with configurations foryour all your SKB Flyer audio, photo, video, and lighting needs.

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• Upgraded, pro-quality padded dividers and lid organizers • Upgraded, pro-quality padded dividers and lid organizers • Fully customizable divider interiors to accommodate all setups • •Upgraded, pro-qualitydivider padded dividerstoand lid organizers all setups Fully customizable interiors accommodate • Waterproof, dust-tight, military-grade hard case protection • •Fully customizable divider interiors to accommodate all setups Waterproof, dust-tight, military-grade hard case protection • For Blackmagic, Zoom, Sennheiser, Shure and many more For Blackmagic, Zoom, Sennheiser, Shure andprotection many more •••Waterproof, dust-tight, Designed especially formilitary-grade audio-, photo-hard and case videographers Designed especially for audio-, photoand videographers • •For Blackmagic, Zoom, Sennheiser, Shure and many more and their gear and their • Designed forgear gear lovers

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Making sure your pro audio, photo and video gear is safe and secure while Making suresure youryour pro audio,audio, photophoto and and Making traveling ispro our #1 priority.

videovideo gear gear is safe and secure whilewhile is safe and secure traveling our priority. #1 priority. travelling is ouris- SKB #1 Will Steven Product Manager

Will Steven Product Manager Will Steven - SKB- SKB Product Manager

54 | Source Material by Canford

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The NA2-IO-DPRO is a 2IN, 2OUT breakout box designed to connect legacy audio equipment with the Dante ® network. It features high-quality microphone preamps and 2 Dante ® ports for either redundant setup or daisy chaining. Audio parameters are adjusted by the DPRO Controller app.

The NA2-IO-DLINE is an end-of-network device. It is a breakout box which allows two channels of audio to be integrated into a Dante ® network. Simultaneously, NA2-IO-DLINE converts a Dante ® stream into analog audio signals. Hence, it is possible to use this tiny box to feed analog audio signals into the Dante ® network while at the same time receiving a mix from another Dante® source.

Designed for both harsh stage conditions and fixed installations. www.neutrik.com

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Source Material by Canford | 55

Salford University prepare their students for the real world with SONY DWX Gen3 When it comes to teaching the next generation, Salford University have focused on mirroring the professional industry by kitting out their studios with the new SONY DWX Gen3 Digital Wireless system. We talk to Ash Tidball, one of the TV studio managers, all about the facilities and why he chose SONY DWX. With over 1200 students a year, studying a wide range of courses, from Television and Radio to Visual and Animation, Salford University is well known for growing industry ready students. Nestled in the studios, overlooking all its going ons for the last 13 years, is Ash Tidball the TV Studio manager.

“In this space we take care of 1 on 1 interviews all the way through to 18 piece Latin bands, we have a large variety of different shows that come in and out. It’s not only for the students, it’s also working with commercial clients like the BBC, CBEEBIES and ITV”.

Since opening in September 2011, the studios have gone from strength to strength, starting with an old 4 camera, 4 mic system at the Adelphi Campus, moving over to 3 industry compliant TV studios and a vast array of cameras, lighting and audio. The move to Mediacity in 2011 played a big part in its development, creating the opportunity for Ash and Senior Lecturer & Programme Leader Laurence Murphy, to work closely with TSL to expand and improve the facilities.

Studio A, Joseph John, Ashley Tidball and Liz Starkie

as much as possible, not only in what the academics bring from the outside world in terms of production, presenting and educating, but we have people like us, Creative Technical Demonstrators that are bringing in skill sets from the Live Broadcast and engineering industry. We need to mirror the industry, we have to, our students need to have transferable skills that will prepare them for the real world”.

This summer, Ash and the team, Joseph John, Liz Starkie and Ben Jackson, turned their focus to their audio equipment.

The Studios needed a current, professional and respectable system, not forgetting top of the range performance, design and engineering. “The University tries to mirror the industry

After extensive research and testing, Ash and the team decided to invest in the new SONY DWX Gen3 wireless system, installing the range across their 3 TV studios. “Looking at the Sony DWX system was something that we felt was needed for the studio, not just as a new microphones system, but for the network capabilities. It was needed for the robustness and the quality”. The Sony DWX miniature beltpack transmitter is known as the most robust of its kind.

With a strong magnesium-alloy casing, resistant to rain, spray and sweat; and weighing under 100g, making it perfect for round the clock use across a wide variety of applications at Salford’s busy studios.

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Since switching to the Sony system Ash and the team are extremely happy with its performance. Drawing on Sony’s 60 years of experience in professional Audio, the third generation brings us the release of Sony’s Codec 4, the best sounding codec yet, and new features such as high density channel groups allowing up to 21 channels per 8MHz TV band. “We replaced another audio manufacturer and have got away from things like drop outs and disconnects, white out noise, things that were happening in a space where it shouldn’t be happening. Our new Sony DWX Series transmitters and receivers are extremely versatile, high fidelity, futureproof and, keeping our students in mind, robust!

With hundreds of student studio users a year, we needed a system that was up to specifications and reliable. The quality has surpassed our old system, alongside DPA 4060 Microphones delivering clarity for every studio situation. The system reflects the industry and will see us with bright and reliable audio recordings for many years to come”.

Salford University are a facility for everyone, students and professionals. In fact, Ash described themselves as less of a school and more like a hire house and with their new Sony system they can rest assured that they are providing their diverse range of recordings with extremely high quality, reliable and professional wireless audio.

For more information on the Sony range please visit karnosound.com or call us on +44 (0)20 8064 0340

Ash Tidball with the SONY DWX Gen3

Call International sales on +44(0)191 418 1133 or email international@canford.co.uk

Source Material by Canford | 57

Profesional Audio

Uncompromised wireless audio for professional applications

SONY DWX Digital Wireless Robust miniature beltpack

-

Industry leading audio quality

-

Extensive support network

•

UWP-D Wireless Audio Quick and easy NFC pairing

-

Direct SONY camera integration

-

Professional audio quality

; W ] V L 58 | Source Material by Canford

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20 SHOW

20

REGISTER NOW! We’re back in London as part of the KitPlus 2020 show lineup with our event for media technology professionals, from micro content creators through to large scale broadcast.

LONDON

26th February 2020 The Truman Brewery, E1

MANCHESTER 10th November 2020 MediaCityUK, Salford Quays

kitplusshow.co.uk show@kitplusshow.co.uk or +44(0)1635 237 237

Call International sales on +44(0)191 418 1133 or email international@canford.co.uk

Source Material by Canford | 59

The Divine Glensound Glensound have been very busy over recent years. The Maidstone based company is very much at the forefront of Dante ®/AES67 technology for developing networking audio products for broadcast, theatre and professional use.

You may have heard of Glensound’s Dante ® network audio speaker called the Divine, but Glensound has a whole family of network audio products currently available, with more added every month.

The Road To Dante The network audio journey started several years ago at Glensound. During 2013, Glensound started researching the network technologies available, with a view to entering the network audio market. Having already developed the AES47 standard for audio over ATM networks in conjunction with BBC Research, Glensound already had a wealth of knowledge of the potential technical issues associated with audio over IP. Ravenna, AVB, Dante ®, Ethersound, and others were all considered and evaluated in detail, but the choice was quite clear. “We prefer simple, elegant solutions that work at Glensound”, reflects Managing Director Gavin Davis. “Dante ® was the only solution that actually worked out the box, was practical to implement from a technical perspective and also very importantly actually usable by our customers” Since the decision to integrate Dante ® network audio was made, Glensound now have fifty three Dante ®/AES67 products.

Dante ® allows these systems to be used as part of small set ups, or networked together to cover larger scale events.

The Paradiso also adds a 32x32 mixer that can be used to mix Dante ® audio channels, adding local audio if required, and sending the mix back onto the Dante ® network.

The Glensound commentary range has continued to expand with a simple two user unit (the Express ip) and single user commentary units in either compact desk top (the MINFERNO) or belt pack styles (the VITA). Users appreciate the fact that these devices can simply be connected via a single network cable connection for PoE power and audio.

There is also a Dante ® headphone amp called VIRGIL. A simple PoE device allowing local monitoring of any Dante ® source. This is particularly popular as an under desk fixing to monitor in studio or office locations.

Dante Control As network audio is becoming a standard requirement, being able to network a range of Glensound products, along with other products from other manufacturers, is hugely beneficial for users. Setting up simple broadcast networks, all connected via standard CAT5/6 cabling, or fibre, is quick, simple, and low cost, using the free Dante ® Controller software.

It Started With Commentary Glensound evolved their commentary units, and with the addition of Dante ®, two significant units were launched, the INFERNO single user unit, and the PARADISO, three user unit. These two units are the most widely used Dante ® based commentary units currently available. They are very powerful, especially when paired with some clever remote software.

Network Interfacing With Analogue And AES/EBU With the introduction of commentary units came the arrival of interface units. There are two types of Glensound interface: the lower cost AoIP units with 4 channels I/O or less that use the Dante ® Ultimo chip and are generally PoE & compact, or the larger DARK units which use the Dante ® Brooklyn module. These are 8-16 channels that

60 | Source Material by Canford

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offer Ethernet redundant copper links, fibre links and power.

Some units have mic amps and remote level control options.

Some DARK units are available as stage boxes, giving you stage mic inputs into Dante ®, with the mic amps available under remote control.

The Evolution Of 4 Wire Beatrice is Glensound’s Dante ® intercom system. It is a very simple system utilizing the benefits of Dante ® networks, but at a very low price point. Beatrice is the modern evolution of traditional 4 wire without going into the expense of the high end matrix based digital intercom systems.

Certain Beatrice models also overcome some of the limitations of Dante ® when used in intercom, by offering fixed gain mixers to generate mix minus’s. Belt pack, desk top and rack units are available up to 16 channels.

Beatrice also features a proper phone handset unit for the complete non technical. Pick it up to talk… and that’s it.

Beatrice units can also just be used directly, point to point if required.

Divine Inspiration The multi award winning loudspeaker from Glensound is called the Divine. It is PoE powered and can accept four audio inputs from a Dante ® network.

Any input can also act as an interrupt to another, so it has great use in and intercom style application. You could have programme audio on input 1, a PA announcement on input 2 which interrupts 1, and even a fire alarm on input 3 which also interrupts.

Standard mounting options are from a 75mm VESA on the rear, or mic thread adaptors on the base, so installing and mounting is even straightforward and low cost. There are many other configurable settings in this clever little speaker, which is a first to offer this many control options.

Customisation Glensound’s flexibility has also been liked by broadcasters who wanted to solve specific problems. This has led to many custom projects in many interesting areas. Most recently this has been a twin Dante ® headphone and mic amp used as an interface in orchestra’s for a national orchestra in Belgium, and even a high quality phono pre-amp that connects directly to a Dante ® network.

Network Remote Control A major requirement for many users using Dante ® networks is being able to remote control devices connected on another part of the network. This is especially true with mic amps, being able to adjust the level and turn them on and off. To achieve this Glensound have Glen Controller, a Windows 10 app that allows control of several of Glensound’s commentary and interfacing units, with more being added to the control list all the time. Developing a Windows 10 app for remote control allows network bandwidth used for control to be at a minimum and this is really important on larger networks.

Glensound’s Dante ® Product Names “When we started on this naming convention, we had no idea how popular our Dante ® units would be.” Comments Sales & Marketing Director Marc Wilson. “For the first product with Dante, it just scanned for us that Dante’s Inferno was well known reference to Dante. We all liked the word Inferno, and our first product was named. We hadn’t quite expected how rapidly our Dante ® range would grow, but as we had started down the path of naming products with the association to Dante’s Divine Comedy poems, it just continued. Hence we have Beatrice, Virgil, Paradiso, Bella, Dark, etc. Every name has a link to Dante!”

The Network Future Glensound’s applications with Dante ® and AES67 products look set to keep growing. Marc comments, “The move into new areas, like the Divine speaker, and customer requests for new ways of using Dante are being looked at every day.

This is an exciting time for our industry and Glensound look forward to introducing solid, reliable principles from our last 50 years, into new technologies and products.”

Call International sales on +44(0)191 418 1133 or email international@canford.co.uk

Source Material by Canford | 61

G lensound Keeps Working

Available from Canford Intelligent Dante/AES67 Loudspeaker The Divine is a Dante / AES67 speaker with 4 inputs, priority interrupt and several intelligent conguration settings. PoE powered.

Compact Dante /AES67 Interfaces Affordable 2 and 4 channel interfaces with options of analogue and AES/EBU connections. Rack mount & stage box. PoE powered.

Fully Redundant Dante /AES67 Interfaces

Fifty three Dante network audio products and growing: -

Audio interfaces Intercom Commentary Mic amps Headphone amps Loudspeakers Windows 10 remote control

That’s why Glensound really is the home of network audio.

8-16 channel interfaces with options of analogue & AES/EBU connections. Redundant PSUs, primary & redundant connections on copper and bre. Remote control mic amp options. Rack mount & stage box.

Glensound 6 Brooks Place, Maidstone, Kent, ME14 1HE. +44 (0)1622 753662 sales@glensound.co.uk www.glensound.co.uk 62 | Source Material by Canford

Call UK sales on +44(0)191 418 1122 or email sales@canford.co.uk

THINK FIBRE...

THINK CANFORD

“The well heeded well heard. ” FIBRE TERMINATION SERVICE Alighieri

By John Driver, Head of Design and Fibre Technology Back in late 2016 Canford decided the time was right to invest in our own in-house fibre termination facility. We quickly identified what the industry required, where it was heading and put the plan in motion with great success.

Despite being new to fibre termination Canford’s reputation gave our customers confidence that we could be trusted to supply both Quality and Reliability when it came to fibre termination and we have been kept very busy since the beginning. We are now manufacturer authorised termination partners for Lemo SMPTE, Neutrik opticalCON and Fibreco HMA expanded beam fibre connectors. This reputation has now spread beyond our customers and we are now in discussions with a number of manufacturer’s who would like us to support their own termination facilities.

Scan R Single eport Fiber Telco rdia P C

measured in mm), the polished apex offset (measured in um) and the fibre height (measured in nm). These all fall within tight industry standards which guarantees reliability when mating random connectors. Final testing involves the insertion and return loss measurement, again against industry standards. Although some termination facilities do not use interferometry and rely merely on Insertion and Return loss testing to determine results Canford will always carry out interferometry as standard and can supply test results which includes 3D imagery of the termini upon request.

Date & Time o f Scan: Mon, O ct 28, 2019 10:17 AM

Canfor d Audi o Ltd Crow ther rd Wash ington Tyne an d Wear Tel: 01 91 418 1000 Fax: 01 91 418 1001 Web: ca nford. co.uk

Conn ector I D: p1

Produc t ID: 3 52889/ 2

p1

Userna me: us er

Operat or ID: ik

Sampl e Para meter s

Sampl e N PC Con ame: nector Produc t T Standa ype: rd Con nector Fiber D iamet er: 126 Nomin al Y-A ngle: 0

Result : PA

SS

PASS /FAIL M

EASU REM

Ferrul e Typ e: Ceram ic

Crucial to this success are the steps and processes involved during the termination stages, the most critical being the interferometry of each and every terminated termini produced.

Interferometry measures three critical dimensions required for continued reliability, end shape (radius of curvature

ENTS

Param Radius eter of Cur vature (mm) Fiber H eight (n m) Apex O ffset (u m)

Min

Max 7

-125 0

ADDIT IONA L ME

Apex O ffset X (um) Apex O ffset Y (um)

50

Value 8.17 13.633 23.712

ASUR EM

Param eter

25 50

Result Pass Pass Pass

ENTS

Call International sales on +44(0)191 418 1133 or email international@canford.co.uk

Value 23.699 -0.776

As we head into 2020 we continue to expand the fibre facility into a new 162sq m location within Canford. This will allow us to double the number staff in the facility and should be completed early January. Watch out for the much anticipated MPO/MTP terminations from Canford, along with a wider offering on the fibre front.

Source Material by Canford | 63

AVAILABLE NOW

12G 4K microMUSA Smaller, lighter &12G performance

• Reduced weight and space saving 1U design • 24, 32 and unique high-density 48-way configurations • Performance exceeds SMPTE ST 2082-1 • Suitable for composite and component video, 270 Mb/s SDI, uncompressed 1080i or 1080p HD-SDI video and 4K UHD (2160P60) video up to 12GHz

• Manufactured by Canford, 12G technology by Coax Connectors Ltd

EXCLUSIVELY AVAILABLE FROM CANFORD. FOR MORE INFO CONTACT UK sales t: +44 (0)191 4181122 e: sales@canford.co.uk Int sales t: +44 (0)191 4181133 e: international@canford.co.uk www.canford.co.uk