Mondo*dr 24.3

MARCH / APRIL | 24.3

the international publication for technology in entertainment

march / april 2014

EUROPE & AMERICAS EDITION

gothic revival tony andrew s • tr us sing + r igging special ef fec t s

www.mondodr.com

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19/12/2013 17:39:26

13-15 SEPTEMBER 2014 THE NEC BIRMINGHAM

AUDIO AND LIGHTING TECHNOLOGY SHOW Launching in 2014, alongside the established BPM DJ show, PRO is a new exhibition focused on professional audio, lighting and video technology. The event will provide a showcase of the latest equipment as well as a meeting place for industry professionals.

WHO IS PRO FOR? • Professional sound and lighting users • Late night venues • Production / rental companies • Event companies • Freelance technicians

WHAT WILL BE EXHIBITED AT PRO? • Audio systems • Lighting fixtures • Laser systems • Trussing and staging • Pyros and effects

www.visitpro.co.uk

/visitproshow

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W ELCOME mondo*dr 24.3 March / April 2014

ON THE COVER Albert Hall, Manchester Photo by Helen Fletcher General Manager Justin Gawne / j.gawne@mondiale.co.uk Editor Rachael Rogerson / r.rogerson@mondiale.co.uk Deputy Editor Helen Fletcher / h.fletcher@mondiale.co.uk Advertising Manager Jamie Dixon / j.dixon@mondiale.co.uk Advertising Sales Laura Iles / l.iles@mondiale.co.uk Editorial Intern Verity Carson / intern@mondiale.co.uk Accounts Amanda Giles / a.giles@mondiale.co.uk Production David Bell, Mel Robinson, Dan Seaton Group Chairman Damian Walsh

Mondiale Publishing Waterloo Place, Watson Square, Stockport SK1 3AZ United Kingdom Tel: +44 161 476 8340 | Fax: +44 161 429 7214 Annual Subscription Rates (7 Issues) UK: £30.00 / Europe: £50.00 / Rest Of World: £65.00 2 year rates are available on request. Subscribe online at www.mondiale.co.uk or call +44 (0)161 476 5580 ISSN: 1476 4067 Mondo DR (ISSN 1476 4067) is published in January, March, May, July, September, November and December by Mondiale Publishing Limited, Waterloo Place, Watson Square, Stockport, SK1 3AZ, United Kingdom Subscription records are maintained at Mondiale Publishing Limited, Waterloo Place, Watson Square, Stockport, SK1 3AZ, United Kingdom

mondo@mondiale.co.uk www.mondodr.com Printed by Buxton Press, Palace Road, Buxton, UK

I recently joined the Women in AV group on LinkedIn. More so because I was asked to rather than researching the group and making an informed decision myself. The LinkedIn group currently has 685 members, the majority of which are women (obviously) but there some male members too. Group discussions are frequent but topics vary quite a lot. There are those with an underlying message that women working in the AV industry should be championed at every possible opportunity for doing the same job as a man, to those that clearly just want equality across the board.

Personally, I have to agree with the latter. Yes, the AV industry is dominated by males and when I started out at just 22-years-old, I certainly felt that I was looked upon - by some - as a female who knew nothing about technology, and therefore was not worth talking to. In part they were right, I had no technological background, but over time that changed thanks to those who were willing to put the time in to educate me about their passion for audio, lighting and visual technology. Today, I feel that I am recognised as a keen journalist who has been in the industry for nearly six years and the fact that I’m female bares little significance. Therefore, I believe it’s a case of, if you work hard you’ll achieve the desired results.

While I think the notion of sharing knowledge within the Women in AV group on LinkedIn is a good resource, I would like to see more encouragement towards younger woman considering a career in the industry. I also feel that the congratulating and promotion of job vacancies should be shared in a more neutral domain. Social media is a great tool and such announcements should be available to the whole of our industry rather than just a select few.

The history of men and women’s roles within the work place is always going to affect the present and the future, but I feel we’ve come a long way since the early 20th Century. The Mondiale office - which mondo*dr shares with TPi - would certainly have looked very different all those years ago but these days, while there are more females than males in our office the most important aspect is a happy working environment and that’s exactly what we have.

If you’ve not already seen the evidence of this, you’ll be able to witness it at Prolight+Sound in Frankfurt when the whole team will be out in force. We’ll be occupying our usual stand space between Hall 8.0 and Hall 9.0, stand number C03. However, you’ll more than likely see us whizzing through the aisles from meeting to meeting, grabbing a sandwich here and there or a glass of prosecco if it’s on offer. See you there.

Rachael Rogerson | Editor

CONTENT S 014

in brief

IN DEP T H 024

024 036

INTERVIEW

tony andrews

REPORT

trussing + rigging

IN FO CUS 056 036

056

064

082

096

albert hall, manchester

064 Scandinavian style, stockHolm/gothenburg 070

london college of music, london

078

l’esmeralda, toulouse

082

vendĖspace, la roche-sur-yon

086

hoxton square bar & kitchen, london

092

pryzm, bristol

096

the wallis, los angeles

104

amplyfi, los angeles

106

f.club, singapore

112

li bai / exo, mumbai

118 malaysian melting pot, kuala lumpur / sibu 122

ding dong lounge, melbourne

IN BUSINE S S 112

118

128

namm, anaheim

134

ise, amsterdam

144

PRODUCT GUIDE

148

PRODUCT DIRECTORY

162 120

162

special effects

LAST PAGE INTERVIEW

peter heath - roland systems group

The 2014 US annual subscription price is 102.00. Airfreight and mailing in the USA by agent named Air Business Ltd, c/o Worldnet Shipping Inc., 156-15, 146th Avenue, 2nd Floor, Jamaica, NY 11434, USA Periodicals postage paid at Jamaica NY 11431. US Postmaster: Send address changes to MONDO DR, Air Business Ltd, c/o Worldnet Shipping Inc., 156-15, 146th Avenue, 2nd Floor, Jamaica, NY 11434, USA

012 AD INDEX

FRANÇAIS

DEUTSCH

J’ai récemment rejoint « Women in AV » sur LinkedIn, un groupe de femmes travaillant dans le domaine de l’audiovisuel. Je l’ai fait plus parce que j’y ai été invitée que parce que je recherchais un tel groupe ou parce que j’ai choisi de le faire intentionnellement. Les discussions de groupe sont fréquentes, mais les sujets varient beaucoup ; il y a celles qui passent le subtil message que les femmes travaillant dans l’industrie de l’audiovisuel devraient être encouragées en toutes circonstances parce qu’elles font le même travail que les hommes et celles qui veulent simplement l’égalité entre les hommes et les femmes dans tous les domaines, et personnellement je suis de cet avis. En effet, l’industrie de l’audiovisuel est dominée par les hommes et quand j’ai commencé à tout juste 22 ans, j’ai certainement ressenti que j’étais vue par certains comme une femme qui ne connaissait absolument rien à la technologie et donc, que ce n’était même pas la peine de m’adresser la parole. Ces gens avaient en partie raison, car je n’avais aucun bagage technologique, mais au fil du temps cela a changé grâce à ceux qui étaient prêts à m’offrir de leur temps pour me transmettre leur passion de la technologie du son, de l’éclairage et de l’image. Aujourd’hui, je pense être reconnue en tant que journaliste passionnée ayant travaillé dans l’industrie depuis près de six ans et le fait que je sois une femme importe peu. Par conséquent, je crois qu’il s’agit simplement du fait que si vous travaillez dur, vous obtiendrez les résultats escomptés.

Kürzlich war ich bei den Frauen der AV-Gruppe von LinkedIn. Eher deswegen, weil ich darum gebeten wurde, als dass ich von mir aus über die Gruppe recherchiert und eine eigene durchdachte Entscheidung getroffen hätte.

Gruppendiskussionen sind häufig, aber die Themen variieren stark. Es gibt solche mit einer grundlegenden Botschaft, dass Frauen, die in der AV-Branche arbeiten, bei jeder sich bietenden Gelegenheit unterstützt werden sollten, weil sie dieselbe Arbeit wie ein Mann machen, und solche, die einfach nur Geschlechtergleichstellung einfordern. Persönlich stimme ich mit den zweiten überein. Ja, die AV-Branche wird durch Männer dominiert und als ich im Alter von 22 Jahren begann, hatte ich ganz bestimmt das Gefühl, - von einigen – als eine Frau betrachtet zu werden, die von Technologie keine Ahnung hatte und deshalb machte es gar keinen Sinn, mit ihr zu reden.

Teilweise hatten sie Recht, ich verfügte über keinerlei technologischen Hintergrund, aber mit der Zeit änderte sich dies dank all derer, die bereit waren, sich Zeit zu nehmen und mir ihre Begeisterung für Audio-, Beleuchtungs- und visuelle Technologie zu übermitteln. Heute spüre ich, dass ich als eine scharfsinnige Journalistin anerkannt werde, die beinahe sechs Jahre in der Industrie verbracht hat und heutzutage spielt es keine große Rolle mehr, dass ich eine Frau bin.

Deswegen bin ich überzeugt, dass wenn man hart arbeitet, die gewünschten Ziele erreicht.

A&O ............................................ 99 ACM Audio ................................ 161 ADJ Europe ............................... 137 Antari ........................................... 10 AT Professional .......................... 111 Audiocenter ................. 67, 133, 157 Camco......................................... 17 Chauvet Professional ................... 45 Coherent ................................... 121 coolux .......................................... 60 d&b audiotechnik ......................... 63 DAS Audio. .................................. 95 Daslight ....................................... 12 DiGiCo ........................................ 33 Digital Projection .......................... 59 Duratruss ..................................... 39 Dynacord ................................... 123 EAW .......................................... 103 Elation........................................ 107 Electron ....................................... 99 FBT ............................................. 19

Funktion-One ............................. 139 Genelec ....................................... 69 Global Truss China ...................... 43 Green Hippo ................................ 68 GTD Lighting / Truss Ltd ................ 5 Guangzhou Caiyi Light Disco FINE..7 Guangzhou Fangda Stage Equip........ 4

Havells Sylvania Europe ............. 153 Haze Base ................................. 151 HB Laser ................................... 151 Idea Pro Audio ............................. 51 Informa Exhibitions / PALM .......... 22 JBL Professional .......................... 81 K-array ......................................... 13 Kind Audio ................................... 83 Kling & Freitag ........................... 113 Koba ............................................ 54 KV² Audio .................................. 155 Kvant. ........................................ 126 L-Acoustics .................................... 2 Laser Animation ......................... 117

ITALIANO

ESPAÑOL

Recentemente mi sono unita alle donne del gruppo AV su LinkedIn. Più che altro perché mi è stato chiesto piuttosto che ricercare il gruppo e prendere una decisione in tutta autonomia. Le discussioni di gruppo sono frequenti, ma gli argomenti variano parecchio.

Ci sono quelli che lanciano un messaggio implicito a proposito della questione che le donne che lavorano nel settore AV devono essere difese ad ogni possibile occasione perché fanno lo stesso lavoro degli uomini e quelli che chiaramente vogliono solo l’uguaglianza su tutta la linea. Personalmente, devo concordare con quest’ultimo. Sì, l’industria AV è dominata dai maschi e quando ho iniziato, a soli 22 anni, certamente sentivo che ero considerata,da alcuni, come una donna che non sapeva nulla di tecnologia e quindi non valeva la pena parlarne. In parte avevano ragione, non avevo un background in questo settore, ma con il tempo questo è cambiato grazie a coloro che sono stati disposti a dedicarmi del tempo per insegnarmi qualcosa sulla loro passione sulla tecnologia audio, luci e video. Oggi mi sento riconosciuta come una giornalista appassionata che è stata nell’azienda per quasi sei anni e il fatto che sia una donna ha scarsa importanza.

Pertanto, credo che sia un caso, se si lavora sodo si possono ottenere i risultati desiderati.

Recientemente me he unido al grupo Women in AV (del Inglés, Audiovisual) en LinkedIn. Más aún porque me solicitaron que investigue al grupo y que tome una decisión informada por mí cuenta. Las discusiones en los grupos son frecuentes pero los temas varían mucho.

Están aquellos con un mensaje subyacente de que las mujeres que trabajan en la industria AV deberían ser apoyadas en cada oportunidad posible por realizar el mismo trabajo que un hombre, y aquellos que claramente solo quieren igualdad de manera global.

Personalmente, debo coincidir con el último.

Sí, la industria AV se encuentra dominada por los hombres y cuando yo comencé con sólo 22 años de edad, verdaderamente sentí que era considerada - por algunos- como una mujer que no sabía nada de tecnología y que por los tanto no valía la pena hablarle.

En parte, tenían razón, yo no contaba con antecedentes tecnológicos, pero conforme avanzaba el tiempo eso fue cambiando gracias a quienes estaban dispuestos a dedicar el tiempo para educarme acerca de su pasión por la tecnología del audio, la iluminación y lo visual. Hoy, me siento reconocida como una periodista sagaz que ha permanecido en la industria por casi seis años y el hecho de que sea mujer tiene poca importancia. Por eso, creo que si trabajas duro, alcanzarás los resultados deseados.

Le Maitre ................................... 151 LED Lux Italia ............................. 115 Ledika.......................................... 99 Light Sky Fly Dragon ...................... 6 Lightline Lasertechnik ................ 131 Look Solutions ........................... 105 Martin Professional ...................... 61 MBN ...................................... 87, 89 Meyer Sound ..............................BC Music & Lights ................... 115, 159 Philips Entertainment ............. 35, 97 Philips Lighting............................. 93 Pioneer Europe ............................ 77 PR-Electronics ........................... 129 PR-Lighting .................................. 15 PRO .............................................. 6 Prolight ...................................... 143 Prolyte ......................................... 47 Pulsar Light.................................. 73 Rane ............................................ 29 RCF .......................................... 101

Renkus-Heinz ............................. 109 Robe............................................ 53 Rosco Lab ................................... 27 SGM ........................................... 31 Soundcraft ................................... 75 Sparklaser ................................. 147 Starway ....................................... 85 Steinigke............................ 119, 141 Strictly FX .................................. 149 Studio Due................................. 163 Studiomaster ............................. 117 Sunlite Nicolaudie .......................... 8 Talbot Industries ......................... 125 Tannoy ......................................... 91 Tarm Laser Technologies ............ 145 TOA........................................... 135 Total Solutions Group................... 49 Wireless Solutions ......................... 3 XTA............................................ 109

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014 in brief - europe/middle east/africa

IN BRIEF

P U L S A R S P O N S O R S C A M B R I D G E L I G H T I N G A N D T E C H N O LO G Y F E S T I VA L For the second year running Pulsar sponsored the Cambridge e-Luminate Festival in the UK. Comprising a series of events workshops, and projections, the festival aims to connect ambitious art with imaginative technology, while shedding new light on low carbon innovation. Aiming to enable the work of the artistic and creative minds involved with the festival, Pulsar supplied a range of ChromaRange LED lighting fixtures to support the creation of more interactive and breathtaking installations.

A & O T E C H N O LO G Y S U P P L I E S T H R E E S P E CTA C U L A R I N T E R N AT I O N A L E V E N T S A&O Technology in the role of general contractor, along with its in-house creative department under the leadership of Lighting Designer, Jerry P. Appelt, ended 2013 in style and hit the ground running in 2014. At the end of November, the lighting specialist bathed the Burj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE in light to mark the announcement that the city had been chosen to host Expo 2020. On 18 December, a magnificent light show in Doha, UAE followed to mark National Day 2013, and a further lighting spectacle that included a record-breaking firework display on 31 December at the Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai heralded the advent of 2014. Falcon Beam colour 7,000W and Falcon 6000 CMY lighting fixtures were specified for the events, along with the Falcon CMY LED video moving LED / xenon hybrid searchlights.

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016 in brief - asia/PACIFIC/OCeania

P R - 5 0 0 0 ’ S S TA R AT N E W Y I N J I ‘ O ’ C O M P L E X I N C H I N A The Yinji ‘O’ Show complex in the new district of Kaifeng, situated in China’s Henan province, has been equipped with cutting edge production technology, including lighting effects from PR Lighting. Owned by the Yinji Development Company, the venue measures 46-metres high and 36-metres wide, and the Yinji ‘O’ Show’s large central ring structure, located opposite the main stands, is reported to be the largest of its kind in the world. The lighting designer from Sigongtech specified 75 PR Lighting PR-5000 Wash / Beam fixtures and 22 PR Lighting PR-5000 Spots, which were custom designed in order to be able to operate in the fountain shows, and were installed on the big ‘O’, the most remarkable part of the complex. These were supplied direct to the production and installed by the contracting team.

D H A K A G L A S S TO W E R : A B R I G H T PAT H WAY TO T H E S K Y The Tower of Light, part of the multifunctional cultural centre, within the Suhrawardy Udyan National Memorial in Bangladesh, India, has been illuminated by four units of Griven Kolorjet 7000 white lighting fixtures, focused at 1º beam angle and located at each corner of the 150ft high structure. The Suhrawardy Udyan National Memorial has been playing an important role within the life of Dhaka for many years.

www.mondodr.com

018 in brief - the americas

M O M EN T FACTORY SU PE R B OWL SPECTACUL AR Moment Factory recently made the Super Bowl Boulevard come alive with a spectacular multimedia show projected on the outdoor façade of Macy’s Herald Square in New York, USA, on the evenings leading up to Super Bowl XLVIII. The show’s visuals featured original footage, 2D and 3D animation and special effects, while images morphed, came out of the ‘screen’ and grabbed the audience.

V IN A R O B LE S TU RN S TO A D & B AUDIOTECH NIK SYSTEM Paso Robles, California has welcomed the Vina Robles Amphitheatre to its city. The brand new 3,300 seat outdoor venue complements its picturesque surroundings with soft earth tones and classic stone work throughout. The venue has put a high premium on providing exceptional sound and in working with 3G Productions, built a state-of-the-art custom built d&b audiotechnik V-Series sound system which is made up of left / right V8 and V12 loudspeakers, with T10 front fills, and a cardioid subwoofer array using B2-SUB cabinets.

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MUMBAI, INDIA 17-19 SEPTEMBER 2014 www.infocomm-india.com

IN DEP TH

INTERVIEW TONY ANDREWS

REPORT TRUSSING + RIGGING

Michael Nicholson speakes with Funktion-One frontman and sound guru Tony Andrews about his colourful life experiences and passion for audio this issue, while our Trussing + Rigging Report is introduced

by Sapsis Rigging President, Bill Sapsis.

024 INTERVIEW

“I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF CHELSEA AND THIS PSYCHEDELIC EXPLOSION WAS GOING OFF ALL AROUND ME.” TONY ANDREWS Sound began as an interest, turned to love and then into passion for Funktion-One frontman, Tony Andrews and he has been sharing his commitment with the audio industry ever since. Michael Nicholson spoke at length with the sound guru about his colourful life experiences.

www.mondodr.com

INTERVIEW 025

www.mondodr.com

026 INTERVIEW

xxxx

For someone who has done so much, not only in the context of professional audio but in life generally, Tony Andrews remains hungry. At 64-years-old, the man who gives real meaning to the word ‘pioneer’ could be forgiven for slowing down and letting his mind wander elsewhere. While his mind regularly takes flight into the wider consciousness, the speed at which he moves and the subsequent productivity show little sign of tapering off.

Let’s be straight, you could write a book about Tony Andrews’ life. In fact, Tony could write the book himself; and he might. This, after all, is one of the leading charges behind the first Glastonbury Festival, who has helped to define many aspects of today’s audio industry, including its foundations, and who recently designed and built a bass horn the size of a house for the Sochi Winter Olympics.

At mondo*dr’s request, we spoke for more than four hours about the 50 years that have passed since Tony fell in love with sound. We went even further back than that. So, with a smidgen of trepidation and lungs filled with air, I’ll try and give you at least a sense of how important he is to the historic fabric of the audio industry, to it currently and to its future.

“I’m really pleased I had a grammar school education. I didn’t realise it at the time, but it was damn good,” recalled Tony. “We were being programmed for the professions but it gave me a basis in physics, chemistry, geography, a bit of history, taught me how to write - grammar and how to spell - all the things that don’t seem to happen now.”

And outside school: “There were stations like Radio Caroline, Radio London and Radio Luxemburg - that’s where we got all our music from. I had a tape recorder and recorded things straight off the radio. I discovered that if you took two wires off the terminals of the speaker, you’d get a better sound because it bypassed a microphone and a speaker. It was mostly soul music - Tamla Motown, Staxx, Atlantic - and the other side of it was blues.”

Tony just happened to hit the sensory-seeking, formative years of his mid-teens at around 1963/64. By now, the lad who with the stiff education was finding ways of breaking out, looking for a space in which he could express himself and find answers to the questions flowing through his mind. All in all, it was a good time.

“Discovering stereo was a bit of a revelation,” said Tony. “That’s when I decided I had to make myself some speakers and have my own stereo system. I was absolutely transfixed - the spaciousness, the sound stage, the dimension, the activation of all those things inside your head that you didn’t know were there but actually are. That’s at the root of it all.” www.mondodr.com

Tony with loyal friend and Funktion-One partner, John Newsham.

“I used to just sit in the middle and develop, if you like, my more cerebral side. I’d shut my eyes and just go into a whole other world.

I was completely taken up by this and had some really informative experiences listening to music.”

“My favourite Rosco colour is GAM 365, Warm Straw.”

— Neil Austin

Lighting Designer

“In Le Corsaire for the English National Ballet, I used GAM 365 Warm Straw to create the heightened sense of romance in the backlight. It’s perfect for transforming clear tungsten halogen into lush, romantic sunlight.”

Used in footlights and overhead battens, G365 also enhanced the beautiful painted scenery and gave a glorious, warm, sunset colour to the backcloth by using it in the groundrow at a low light-level.

“I also use Warm Straw on West End transfers to Broadway in order to counter the slightly harsher white of American Source Four lamps, when compared to the 240v lamps we have in the UK.”

Neil Austin was the recipient of the 2011 Laurence Olivier Award for The White Guard at the National Theatre and 2010 Tony Award and Drama Desk Award for Red at the Golden Theatre, Broadway.

He has designed over 200 productions including 31 at the National Theatre and 25 at the Donmar Warehouse.

See us at ProLight+Sound Hall 11, Stand D78

Neil Austin

Find detailed information about every color in the GamColor range, including Neil Austin’s favourite – G365 Warm Straw – in Rosco’s myColor web app: www.rosco.com/myColor

028 INTERVIEW

“I’d trust people and I’d trust they shared my values. That’s how bloody naïve I was. And then sooner or later something would go on, like the money would go sideways.”

Tony and Ann have been together for 26 years, they married in 1997.

By the late ‘60s, Tony was of university age. Having scored well academically, he duly took a place at Chelsea College of Science & Technology, where he studied Geology. It was, perhaps, his last act of conformity and it was a brief one at that.

“I just couldn’t hack it. I was in the middle of Chelsea and this psychedelic explosion was going off all around me. So, after three weeks, I left.” Instead, Tony looked to experience as much hands-on stuff as he could. “I just wanted to learn as much as I could about physical reality. By getting hold of it, becoming competent at it and know what was going on,” he explained. All the while, his interest in sound, particularly stereo, grew into a love and an obsession.

“You’re supposed to position your speakers so that the angle between you and the speakers is about 60º, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But I wanted more dimension, so I put them at either end of the room. They were coming at me from either side about 10ft away. I used to just sit in the middle and develop, if you like, my more cerebral side. I’d shut my eyes and just go into a whole other world. I was completely taken up by this and had some really informative experiences listening to music.”

If you’ve ever seen Tony listening to a piece of music, you’ll recognise that description. Some things never change, while other things definitely do. “I find audio a very transporting thing - that will never leave me. It opened my mind.

Everyone at the time was trying to be in a higher state of consciousness - it was understood as part of the youth culture of the time. Now we’ve got to contend with what kind of underpants brand we’re wearing and how many pictures we can take in the middle of the gig.”

Tony’s journey into audio, naturally, deepened. He was experiencing music in the live environment and exploring his own loudspeaker building curiosities. From those transcendental moments in his attic room to watching gigs and outdoor festivals, something didn’t add up.

“It wasn’t the hi-fi thing that I’d already tuned in to,” explained Tony. “That did become my mission - to get what I was hearing off these quite sensible loudspeakers, with a nice turntable, decent cartridge, etcetera - we needed that out there for the concerts. Then, in my simplistic terms, the people would have a commonplace to all expand their minds into. It was all about rock ‘n’ roll, for sure.

We needed that sound but big. At the time, if you wanted a better sound system, you had to build it.”

So build it he did. There was the system for Pink Fairies, “with 15-inch www.mondodr.com

loudspeakers, much like a WEM (Watkins Electric Music) Column but we put some Goodmans Midax horns at the top. That was a really good rig for the time. We painted it pink - we were hippies.” The job he scored with a Scottish band called Clouds, which he secured thanks to the ‘lucky’ roadside repair on their Transit van. “I opened the bonnet, must’ve knocked a cable or something, got back in and it started. After that, the band gave me the job because I fixed the van.”

(Tony’s passion for mechanics and powerful cars came later). He also worked with Piblokto! - Pete Brown’s band after working with Jack Bruce from Cream.

By now, Tony was getting a name for himself. He was at the heart of a thriving music scene and was providing the technical knowhow and equipment to bands, while carrying out his own experiments (or R&D, if you like).

“They’d just show up at our place and ask for whatever they needed. Because I’d been working with the Pink Fairies and Hawkwind, who were at the hub of the Notting Hill Gate scene, which is how we all got connected with Glastonbury so early via Andrew Kerr, I just became part of what was going on. I could fix things; I could solder leads and sort stuff out because I was so practical. Electronics never really interested me that much but wood and speakers did - I was absolutely fascinated by the way they worked together to produce sound.

“We were mucking around with a speaker one day - my brother pointed it into the corner of the room, which, of course, killed most of the high frequencies and the mid, but I noticed that all the bass had come up. I thought, ‘where’s this extra energy coming from’ - it was kind of horn loading it. So, the next day, I’m in the garage making a corner of a room that fits around a speaker, but I decided to reverse the corner so that it pointed towards the driver. This was the beginning of the horn-loaded bass.

“I had met a guy called Muz whilst roadying for Pete Brown, who was friends with The Graham Bond Organisation, which was a pretty serious band at the time.

Ginger Baker was the drummer and the bass player Pixie came down to try out the horn loaded bass - everyone was always looking for new stuff because at that point nobody had anything, there wasn’t a PA business. He starts slapping the bass and plaster comes falling from the ceiling - we think it’s the best thing in the world. I was getting very hooked at this point. We really got on to something with this bass and evolved it and that’s what I patented in ’77.”

It was becoming clear to those around him at the time that Tony wasn’t willing to accept the status quo without at least questioning it. It’s a trait that has remained

030 INTERVIEW Roger Waters gave a special performance of The Wall to mark the Berlin Wall coming down in 1990, which 350,000 people attended. Tony and the design team provided the audio, giving Flashlight its debut outing.

at the forefront of his pioneering escapades through the world of professional audio.

“I actively rejected all previous ideas of the way you do things,” said Tony. “Just because something’s been done for a thousand years doesn’t mean it’s right. Let me check it out for myself. If I agree with it, that’s fine. But quite often when I check things out, they don’t actually hold water. You’ll find that about a lot of stuff.

It definitely takes energy, fearlessness and the kind of mind, which I’d already started to allow myself, that doesn’t baulk at entertaining concepts that appear to be outlandish. As Einstein said, ‘if at first the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it’. You do of course have to recognise the difference between absurd and stupid.”

It’s the philosophy that drove the first business ventures, Peace Sounds and Cosmic Boxes. Tony’s reputation grew. “We had this two-by-15-inch bin at the time, which was an absolute killer. And we were making a living - just about. But all the while, I never really got dedicated to being a speaker designer, it was a means to the end of people getting in a field with a big sound system and having a good experience together.”

Next came Sonic Trucking - a rental company that did big acts like Santana and Jackson Browne, which became one of the big players in the industry. “You know, I’d crammed a lot in,” reflected Tony. “Just saying it now, I realise how much happened in such a small space of time.” But it wasn’t restlessness or fleeting aims on Tony’s part - far from it. His objective throughout his career has been to make great sound and then make it even better. But some people’s aims aren’t quite as pure. “I’d trust people and I’d trust they shared my values. That’s how bloody naïve I was. And then sooner or later something would go on, like the money would go sideways. Nine times out of 10, when something went wrong, the money was going sideways. You trust people, then they abuse you. You get pissed off and take your toys back. That’s happened too often.”

As his own understanding and passion for sound developed, and the subsequent product innovation reached new levels, the inevitability of a more strategic enterprise grew on the horizon. In 1978, that promise arrived when Tony partnered with Tim Isaac and John Newsham and formed Turbosound. They began designing, building and renting out their speaker systems. Around the same time, Alan Wick and partner Mark Hardy, together with Pete Brotzman, were running the Muscle Music rental company in London. “Turbosound was becoming very successful,” explained Tony. “I was always engineering orientated, so I was looking www.mondodr.com

for a business partner and Muscle Music seemed like reasonable people at the time.”

The companies merged to form the Turbosound Group Limited and for more than a decade, Tony’s sound systems broke new ground while setting never before seen precedents in what could be achieved in live sound. His dream of matching those transcendental hi-fi moments in an expansive professional environment edged closer with products like the TMS-3 and the rest of the TMS Series that followed.

The company collected a Queen’s Award for Export in 1987.

Tony remembers how the quality standards were engrained throughout the design process. The sonic performance was fundamental but having been so submerged in the practical application of sound systems, the other production elements couldn’t be ignored. “We got really good at woodwork. Everybody was making these flight cases that were horrible to work with and scratched everything.

Whereas everything we did was completely flush and elegant. We put the handles on the inside of the case, so that nothing stuck out. We turned them around so that when they were left open, they didn’t stick out and gash someone’s leg. We were totally tuned in.

“We started to manufacture. That was going well. We came up with the TMS-3 when Alan Wick said you’ve got to get it all in one box, I’ll give him that. So we did.

And that was the TMS-3. It was a really heavy box but it was outstanding, for the day. There are still many in use all over the world today.”

Then something changed, which was, perhaps, the earliest sign of things to come.

Because they were supplying other rental companies, it was decided that the rental arm of Turbosound had to go. “Getting rid of the rental part of the company was a terrible thing for me. That’s what kept us real and on the cutting edge because we were facing all the problems that you have to face when you do gigs. Everything that was Turbosound Rentals went across to Britannia Row, including our rental guy, Mike Lowe and equipment manager Pete Brotzman. That’s a very sad story, that one.”

Despite his fears, the company kept moving forward. But by the mid ‘80s, relocation was on the cards. “In ‘86, we moved the R&D here (Hoyle Farm, Dorking - Tony’s home today and Funktion-One HQ). I knew things weren’t right between myself and Alan Wick.” Unbeknown to Tony and John, the company was being primed for floatation. The merger with BSS Audio and the formation of Precison Devices would add weight to what became the Edge Tech Group but when the crash hit in ’87, going public or getting onto the USM (Unlisted

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032 INTERVIEW Tony spent six weeks building Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage in 1981.

The newly constructed Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury, 1981.

Tony and John at Tokyo Dome, Japan for Jamiroquai in 2002, with one of the large Resolution clusters used for the gig.

Security Market) became unattainable. Instead, a buyer was sought.

“All I wanted to do was grow the company, so it was good and solid,” said Tony.

“We wanted to make great products and do things in a righteous way. So this idea of floating yourself and getting a load of money in was, as far as I was concerned, not a good idea at all. When it came to it, they couldn’t float it because of the ‘87 crash, so they tried to sell the group. With BSS involved, John and I were outnumbered. We really tried to hang on to it but it was only a matter of time before they found a buyer. And that buyer was AKG.” There’s no hiding how painful that memory still is today. “It was awful. I was an engineer - I wasn’t watching. I just thought people’s logic would be logical. If you make a deal to do something for each other, that’s what you do. I never questioned it. It took me a long time to learn the ways of man. I’m still learning now.

“It was my baby and they had it. Without beating about the bush, I cried tears over the situation I’d finished up in. I really did. At the time, it nearly broke me.

There was just no way out, other than to re-invent ourselves. I certainly didn’t sell out. The money that we did get out of it, because at least we had recognised shareholder rights, is some of the money we used to start Funktion-One. And, actually, it gave us the means to continue to be in this place and develop new ideas.”

The final contributions from the technical team were the Flashlight system, which once again set new standards, and its more wide dispersion buddy, Floodlight. The latter actually arrived from Funktion-One Research Ltd. Despite the anger and hurt, they designed a new product that would aid the company from which they’d been pushed. “We developed it to go with the Flashlight,” said Tony. “Frankly, I felt the job was half finished and I don’t do half finished jobs. It didn’t matter about the commercial implications - it was something I’d put into the world and I was going to make damn well sure that it was good. On a personal level, I was very unhappy but my duty was to the people and it always has been.”

Something else happened during that elongated final chapter. Tony met a lawyer originally from Manchester, who worked for the firm he was using to secure R&D’s relocation to Hoyle Farm. Her name was Ann. “I found her incredibly www.mondodr.com

“I was still trying to instigate that event where everybody comes together and something goes off. I’d experienced something in early house music, a euphoria that encouraged me in that endeavour.”

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034 INTERVIEW Yann Favret, Tony and Steve Fisher - who sadly passed away in 2002 – plus cameraman John Newsham’s shadow. The foursome climbed new heights during the ‘80s, including Mont Blanc in 1986.

“The Millennium Dome was a pretty good kick-off,” he reflected. By 2000, Ann had quit the law firm and was fully involved, driving the company’s success. “She’s instrumental,” stated Tony. “She runs the company.” straightforward to talk to - everything she said, I understood. We just got on really well. She helped us get Hoyle Farm and in the process became a friend. There were all sorts of things going on that meant that we kept meeting - I just decided I really liked her. Out of all of this, that is the one big area of emotional stability that’s emerged and it remains that way. I think we’re devoted to each other really, and that’s that.” Tony and Ann have been together for 26 years and married in 1997.

Funktion-One Research Ltd was formed in 1992 by the old R&D team, which included Tony, John Newsham, Toby Hunt, Steve Fisher, Martin Wall and Yann Favret and of course the addition of Ann. Sadly, Steve passed away in 2002 and Martin left the company in 2010. The five remaining founders enjoy a special relationship. “We don’t all think the same way,” revealed Tony. “It’s a very balanced approach to whatever we engineer. We’ve got totally different priorities, apart from making a good job. There’s a common understanding that you do things that you can be proud of.”

It took eight years for the first Funktion-One products to enter the public domain - at the Millennium Dome’s opening party. In that time, they worked on “bits and pieces” that generated a revenue stream, while simultaneously researching “the next level”. More avant-garde projects, like the Experimental Sound Field at Glastonbury in 1992, kept the creative spark lit and gave signs to onlookers that something was going on. “I was still trying to instigate that event where everybody comes together and something goes off. I’d experienced something in early house music, a euphoria that encouraged me in that endeavour.”

It was the latest chapter of his tempestuous story with the UK’s largest festival.

He was there in ’71 at the first Glastonbury and it was he who persuaded Michael Eavis to do another in ’79 - encouraging him to involve many of the original conspirators and make it a regular affair. He also spent six weeks supervising and building the second Pyramid Stage in 1981 and with John Newsham provided and ran the audio for 13 years before handing it over to Britannia Row. For Tony, it had always been the perfect platform for free thought, expression and unity, but during a visit in the early ‘90s, he experienced a darker side of the event, which turned him off. It wasn’t until 2007 that Tony returned to Glastonbury when Michael Eavis, in search of an improvement in sound quality, invited Funktion-One to do the Pyramid Stage. Unfortunately, several unholy forces conspired on the Saturday and confusion amongst the noise police meant the volume was dropped to unrealistic www.mondodr.com

levels. To make matters worse, the truth didn’t come out immediately. Instead, the PA was blamed and despite an attempt by the festival’s management to correct that narrative, the mistruth had already set sail.

It was a very low point for Tony. Funktion-One had grown into a very successful operation. The Resolution Series was taking the world by storm, finding its way into some very significant installations. But this was a kick in the teeth that felt particularly painful. An industry myth, ‘that Funktion-One can’t be used for live’, grew a new leg.

“The very idea that different genres of music only work with certain sound systems is completely and utterly stupid,” stated Tony. “Audio is audio and that’s all there is to it. I don’t know who is worst, those who started the lie or those who believe it. After all this is about the same design team that provided audio for one of the biggest concerts ever - 350,000 people at The Wall concert Berlin 1990.”

Amongst Tony’s highlights of the last 14 years is the Jamiroquai show at Wembley Arena in 2002. “It was an absolute triumph,” enthused Tony. “It worked unbelievably well. I was so stoked that I crashed my Quattro on the way home, with our German distributor in the back. He still talks to me!”

“The Millennium Dome was a pretty good kick-off,” he reflected. By 2000, Ann had quit the law firm and was fully involved, driving the company’s success. “She’s instrumental,” stated Tony. “She runs the company.”

“Sochi’s an exciting application of our technology,” he admited. Funktion-One sound systems have been used at the Bobsleigh Track and at the Bolshoy Arena (mondo*dr 24.2). And 2013’s ‘The 10 Best Soundsytems in America’ list from Beatport was pleasing. “Five out of 10 top club systems in North America - that’s not just getting the number one spot, that’s taking half of the places.”

Of course, there’s more to come. We’ve started to see the output from Tony Andrews 4.0. After all, this is the fourth generation - of knowledge, breakthroughs and discovery. Tony knows things now that he didn’t know four years ago - take a moment to imagine what that means.

The new products have already started to emerge - additions to the Compact Series, the Modular Stadium Technology (MST) Horns, Bass Reflex Range and the PSM318 DJ monitor - and are carving out their own headlines. Then there’s Vero Latin for ‘in truth’. The new live system will officially arrive this year. I ask Tony if he has a point to prove in the live environment. “Yes. Absolutely,” he smiled.

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036 REPORT

TRUSSING + RIGGING Every industry has milestones. Markers that identify turning points that have long lasting effects, positive or negative. The entertainment industry, especially the rigging section, is no different. Show rigging got its start at the circus. There were high wire acts and trapeze acts to be set up. The tent itself was a jumble of rigging gear and all of it had to be set up, taken down and moved from town to town.

With a couple of notable exceptions, the traveling circus was always a shoestring operation. It was typically a ‘mom and pop’ organisation that relied on everyone doing everything. The performers not only performed on the trapeze and walked the high wire, they also set them up and took them down - including the tent. As all of this had to be done quickly, the performers / riggers became quite adept at finding the fastest and easiest methods for accomplishing their tasks. The fact that they had elephants helping them wasn’t a bad thing either.

Enter the touring ice shows. The technicians working the touring ice shows of the late ‘50s and early ‘60s took their cue from the circus folks, borrowing the rope and block technology and quickly adapting it for use in the arenas around the country.

Instead of pulling up tents and trapeze bars, however, these shows needed lights and sound equipment suspended overhead. This equipment was bigger and heavier and there weren’t any elephants around to help with the lifting. Mechanical means of raising and lowering the lighting bars and loudspeakers, both manually operated and motorised, soon found their way from construction sites and factories to the steel structure above the ice and over the audience.

The next milestone belonged to rock ‘n’ roll. More and more production equipment was needed, or so it was thought, to make a concert look and sound right. The old lighting bars and I-beams of the ice shows were too heavy and cumbersome for touring music acts. Trussing, or, to be more precise, antenna tower, saw its way on to the stage as a better way to support all the flown equipment. The tower was

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made from steel and its structural integrity was more than a little suspect. But, as time went on refinements were made in the materials and in construction techniques to increase the capacity and lighten the weight. By the mid ‘60s aluminium made its grand entrance and so did the electric chain hoist. There was no looking back.

The ‘70s saw a number of refinements in the gear, especially with chain hoists.

Subtle changes in the mechanical and electrical components immensely improved their usefulness. However, there was one thing in particular, a very small change, that altered the way riggers worked forever. One of the hoist manufacturers replaced a small electrical component that then allowed the hoist to be used in any orientation, especially upside down. Riggers no longer had to haul the 100lbs plus machine up to the steel. They could pull up the significantly lighter chain and connect that to the I-beam, leaving the hoist at floor level. It took an hour off the set up and strike time, per hoist. Hanging hoists became easier and considerably less expensive. Everyone liked that. Because it was easier and less expensive, the shows could get bigger.

The introduction of moving lights in the early ‘80s changed everything. Shows looked different. The lights looked different. They were heavier too, weighing a lot more than a leko or par can. They were also a different size and shape. This ushered in arguably the most important milestone in the business. Truss had to change if it was going to support these new lights. Triangle truss didn’t do the job anymore.

Box truss, built to fit the clamps of the moving lights, became more common. The truss was built with higher capacities to carry the weight of the new lights. As a result, the shows got bigger and heavier. So the truss got bigger and stronger. A new era had begun… Again.

Over the next two decades the race was on to build the biggest, flashiest and heaviest concert on record. Shows that in the ‘70s and ‘80s had maybe 30 - 50

REPORT 037

LEFT: LDI 2013, Las Vegas ABOVE TOP: Paul Winter’s Winter Solstice at St Johns Cathedral, New York ABOVE BOTTOM: Streb London - One Extraordinary Day, London

Sapsis Rigging is a leader in stage rigging and safety systems for the entertainment industry, President, Bill Sapsis introduces this Report. hoists and a roof load of 75,000lbs starting growing into behemoths with 100 - 150 or more hoists and roof loads approaching 150,000lbs. It was an interesting time to be a rigger.

Not to be outdone by its concert cousin, the theatre industry, Broadway and show tours, also started to grow. Manually operated scenery and lighting quickly gave way to motorised equipment. Electric drum winches, deck machines and spot hoists became more and more popular on the stage just as hoists and truss had gained widespread acceptance in the concert industry in the preceding decade.

The new millennium brought the next milestone to the industry, namely, affordable access to digital control. Automated systems could now be programmed to do considerably more than just sit overhead and carry weight. Set pieces could be moved in the middle of a show as fly cues. The weight that the motorised systems could carry, and the speed at which they could be moved made for a larger and, judging by the audience reaction, a more exciting theatre experience and so the size of the shows grew.

Yet still the concert shows continued to grow. That 150,000lbs show became commonplace and a new roof load record seemed to be set every time a new show went out. The current record for a roof load on a single show is 250,000lbs. As load capacities increased a new element was introduced - speed. Not only were the set pieces large and heavy, they could now be moved at alarming speeds. Gone were the days of 20ft, 50ft or 75ft per minute (fpm), this was too slow for the modern audience. Now speeds of 500, 1,000, 3,000 fpm were expected. The performers themselves also became part of the rigging. Performer flying has always been a staple in theatre with shows like Peter Pan, Mary Poppins and the Wizard of Oz leading the way. The 21st Century took performer flying to new heights with shows like Spiderman, Wicked and Billie Elliott. Some of these shows have performers

moving at close to 5,000 fpm.

Enter the aerialist. From Cirque du Soleil to the neighbourhood gym, aerialists have found a home in the entertainment industry. Quite possibly the most difficult form of rigging yet. Not only are the speeds off the charts but so too are the forces created by these performances. These acts require an extraordinary level of focus and attention to detail. It was about this time that a higher degree of reliance on engineering and load monitoring began to develop. The high speed operation of people and large objects presented complex problems that could not be resolved simply by observation. Gone were the days of walking in to a venue, looking around and then proclaiming, “Yup, this will work.”

Structural engineering became an integral part of almost every show. Load monitoring, while not yet common, certainly saw a rise in popularity. Without the engineering and monitoring many were left guessing and that was no longer acceptable or safe.

At the end of the day the level of complexity in the equipment, the control systems and the choreography of modern day performances demands a higher level of skill from those who work these shows. The shows are bigger and they’re more complex. A system failure can have, and has had, catastrophic results.

Fortunately, as the level of sophistication in the rigging industry has grown, so too has the safety awareness. There was a time not all that long ago when a safety discussion was something to be dismissed. A cavalier attitude prevailed throughout the industry. That attitude was tolerated, and often encouraged, because the level of complexity in the shows was low enough to support such an attitude. As the performances grew in size and scope, however, the potential for disaster grew as well. While some riggers recognised this trend and took steps to deal with it, many did not. It wasn’t until several well publicised accidents early in the 2000s that the industry began to truly understand the enormity of the dangers these shows rep-

www.mondodr.com

038 REPORT

ABOVE: A demonstration of how truss can be used in a nightclub environment in Philadelphia.

RIGHT: Marc Jacobs fashion show at the 26th Street Armory in New York City.

resented and start to take steps to avoid future accidents. A culture of safety awareness, with an emphasis on training finally began to find it’s way into the industry.

The path to greater safety awareness was long and difficult and littered with hurdles.

OSHA, the governing body that set the rules for all employees in the USA wasn’t all that helpful. Their agents really had no idea what the rigging business was about and showed little inclination to learn. Finding common ground between the industry’s practices and the OSHA rules was an arduous task that took a considerable amount of time and effort with little reward at the end. Something had to be done, however, or else the industry and OSHA would continue to be at loggerheads with no relief in sight. That something turned out to be Standards, American National Standards, to be exact.

At some point in the past, the American legal culture adopted Standards as a means for working with recalcitrant government organisations. Different industries, through their trade associations, began writing documents that identified the proper methods and practices for working within that particular industry. It was soon noted that when documents were written under the auspices of the American National Standards Institute, even though the documents were voluntary in nature, they still carried with them the force of law in a courtroom. This provided the marriage between government and industry that everyone was searching for.

In the mid ‘90s, the entertainment industry, under the auspices of it’s trade association, the Entertainment Services and Technology Association (ESTA) formed a technical standards programme for the express purpose of writing ANSI standards for the entertainment industry. Since then the programme has produced over 40 ANSI Standards, Codes of Practice and Application Guides.

A discussion about safety in the entertainment industry must include training and certification. As previously mentioned, the level of sophistication and sheer size of modern day performances demands a level of knowledge and skill not heretofore seen in the backstage environment. While some level of training has always been around, it wasn’t until several factors combined that the industry began to embrace the concept that those tasked with running the shows needed proper training. Just learning to pull a rope wasn’t going to get the job done anymore.

Humans, it seems are better at learning from their mistakes than they are at

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avoiding them. In the early 2000s a series of serious accidents made it clear that adequate training was sorely lacking. A number of individuals, organisations and companies took up that mantle and began offering classes in seminars in everything from knot tying to digital controls. The culture of safety, no matter the impetus, continued to grow.

The advent of certification in the USA and the UK has taken the concept of training and fixed it firmly and, one hopes, permanently into the collective consciousness of the industry. Both certifications exist to identify, in a tangible way, the skill level of those working in the industry. To achieve that skill level requires a significant amount of work experience - coming up through the ranks, as it were - as well as adequate training to combine that real world experience with the empirical knowledge not always available on the job site. Certification provides the means to measure that union of skill and knowledge and authenticate the result not only to prospective employers but also to government agencies, insurance companies and industry experts. In short, having a Certification has grown to become something to aspire to, something desirable to have. The fact that training is a necessary component to reach the Certification goal is a win-win situation for everyone.

Along with increased levels of safety awareness and training comes and increase in accountability. You can’t have a discussion about a higher level of training, improving fall arrest procedures or expanded load monitoring without an understanding that everyone is responsible for the safety and well being of everyone working on the performance. If you design or build a device that can injure or kill someone if it’s not operated and maintained properly then it’s understood that you have a responsibility to ensure that the proper training is made available to all who require it.

The entertainment industry and especially the rigging portion, has seen incredible changes over the last six decades. Changes that have tested the limits of the equipment and the people responsible for the equipment. The industry has risen, albeit slowly at first, to embrace the responsibilities that these changes have brought.

Nobody knows what the future will bring but it’s becoming more clear that there is a willingness to change and to do so safely. www.sapsis-rigging.com

WHITE Company: Eurotruss Location: Dubai, UAE The new rooftop nightclub, White in Dubai, UAE - a sister project to the original in Beirut - is instantly earning a place among the most sought after party spots in the UAE. Located on the Meydan Racecourse’s spectacular Grandstand Rooftop on the eighth floor, the club has a capacity of over 1,000 people and boasts a spectacular 360º view of the vicinity.

The stunning decagon-shaped aluminium TT Ground Support structure forming the venue was built using Eurotruss truss systems. Over 200 metres of the TT Series was used, holding together a body comprising 10 towers, each with a 33-metre span. The structure also includes four circles of six metre diameter and 50-metres of HD44 Box Truss. The space is levelled using 250 Eurotruss Stage Decks that can support more than a 1,000 people; each having full visibility over the venue.

“Eurotruss’ support, from the team in The Netherlands, was key in delivering the project on time,” said George Germanos, Head of the Technical Department.

Dubai-based company Procom-ME and Eurotruss teamed up to make this job happen in just four weeks. Procom-ME is a market leader in professional sound, light, video and rigging and along with its sister company in Lebanon, Prolites, Procom-ME designed, supplied and installed the lighting, video and trussing equipment at White. Two large airfreight shipments were organised by Eurotruss to get all the materials from The Netherlands, through Istanbul to Dubai and deliver it straight to the Meydan Racecourse, where a team of riggers and stagehands were waiting to begin the set up. .

Eurotruss and Procom-ME are very proud to be part of White, Dubai’s success story. www.eurotruss.com

040 REPORT

T HE HON G KO NG C ULTU RA L C E N T RE Company: Litec Location: Hong Kong, China The Hong Kong Cultural Centre, located on the waterfront of Victoria Harbour in Tsim Sha Tsui, is the prime venue for a variety of cultural activities including world-class concerts, operas, dance, drama, theatre and musical productions, film screenings, conventions, conferences and exhibitions. Since its grand opening on 8 November 1989, the Hong Kong Cultural Centre has remained the premier cultural place offering stimulating environment for arts talents and quality programmes to the public, and since then it has witnessed the development of the arts in Hong Kong. To cater for performing arts of all varieties, the centre houses three major performing halls - the Concert Hall, the Grand Theatre and the Studio Theatre.

There is also an exhibition gallery and four foyer exhibition areas. Other ancillary facilities include 11 rehearsal and practice rooms and two conference rooms.

The 2,019-seat oval-shape Concert Hall is designed for any kind of music performance. The hall is finished in high quality oak and fitted with adjustable acoustic

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canopy to ensure quality acoustics effects. Recently, a new reflector canopy has been installed and the overall lighting system has been adjusted to provide better illumination for concert performances.

Macostar was responsible for the supply and installation of stage and house lighting system, motorised rigging system and complete truss frame with reflector canopy in the Concert Hall. Macostar is a stage lighting and machinery system specialist in Hong Kong, and has been involved in a number of stage-related projects including the centre’s chain hoist system at the Grand Theatre back in 2011, but the Concert Hall’s new reflector canopy is a different challenge. The centre is well-known for being one of the busiest performing venues in Hong Kong with a wide range of performances packed all year round. Due to a very tight booking schedule, the new reflector canopy had to be ready in just 52 days. This 15-metre wide, crescent moon-shape acoustic canopy comprises a space frame made up

REPORT 041

of two layers of truss elements, to which reflector panels and lighting fixtures are attached. The associated lifting devices of the canopy include eight new 1,000kg steel frames and lifting hoists at roof walkway, as well as 22-metre long lifting wires to support and stabilise the structure. The position of the canopy is adjustable (7.5-metres - 12-metres) to ensure quality acoustic effects, to fully cover the extended downstage area of the hall’s 290 sq metres stage platform.

The new canopy replaced the existing downstage single bar lighting truss as well as its motorised hoisting system, which only had four rigging points to support its linear bar construction. The maximum load of the new canopy (8,000kg) is four times that of the old system. Macostar worked with Italian aluminium truss manufacturer Litec to make a QX30SA square-type truss system in metalic for the canopy’s upper layer, while the lower layer used black trusses as they house performance lighting. QX30SA was chosen for its compact size, light weight, and

excellent performance with high-load bearing and twisting strength.

As the Litec team could also offer tailor-made trusses and cross fittings to give the structure strength and offer versatility in the assembly of corners and joints, fewer truss components were required. The metallic space frame became less cluttered, and aesthetically looked even more elegant and refined. Litec assisted Macostar at every stage, from initial concept to completion of the structure, and delivered a safe, high-performance and innovative solution. The metallic space frame was fitted with 16 flat wood panels and 10 15° curved acrylic panels. These reflector panels were specially designed as they needed to be sturdy, rigid and firm, and made of materials that are non-resonant, non-combustible and have sufficient internal damping to avoid ringing on impact. www.litectruss.com

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042 REPORT

Image courtesy of Marc Turner, PFM Pictures

SS E HYDR O Company: Foster and Partners Location: Glasgow, Scotland The SSE Hydro, Scotland’s largest purpose-built public event arena, opened to the public in September 2013. Its free spanning roof of 120 metres, large enough to encompass Glasgow’s Queen Street railway station, encloses a highly flexible amphitheatre for an audience of up to 13,000. Externally, the arena is wrapped in lightweight translucent panels taking the excitement of the concert to the city - the whole building can be illuminated to glow as a beacon of colour on the waterfront.

The new building joins the landmark Clyde Auditorium on the northern bank of the River Clyde within Glasgow’s former docks, and has been designed from the inside-out to ensure excellent views of the stage and high quality acoustics. The flexible arena has capacity for 12,000 seated or 13,000 with standing in the performance bowl, and includes 11 hospitality boxes, two large VIP suites and a club seating level. As well as accommodating a wide variety of concerts and stage sets, the SSE Hydro will also be configured as a sporting venue to host netball and gymnastics during Glasgow’s 2014 Commonwealth Games.

The seating bowl is shaped like an amphitheatre, enclosed by a lattice steel roof and wrapped in translucent ETFE cushions. The 1,400 tonne steel diagrid roof, one of Europe’s largest free-spanning roof structures, is held aloft by a circular array of angled concrete fins, which support a tilted seating bowl, designed to draw the audience close to the stage and provide the best possible viewing angles from every seat.

The whole building can function as a huge screen for projections, and every aspect of the state-of-the-art lighting system can be programmed, allowing performers great creative freedom to shape the venue, inside and out. Inside the seating bowl, the stage lighting rig was similarly developed with performers in mind and evolved through discussions with production crews - weighing 260 tonnes, its size and circular form allow maximum flexibility.

The circulation spaces run around the perimeter of the performance bowl. Here,

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the façade is more transparent to draw in natural light, animating the building with the movement of people and exposing the dramatic structure that supports the tiers of seating within. The spaces are protected from solar gain by a frit pattern, applied to the ETFE cushions.

Foster + Partners designed every detail, from developing the complex geometry of the roof structure to the interior signage. The practice worked with graphic designer, Per Arnoldi to devise a bold primary colour palette for the circulation spaces, and the cushioned seats were developed specifically for the project with the manufacturer.

Designed to reduce energy demands, the building combines natural and mechanical ventilation - fresh air is drawn into the building above the entrances, and vented at a high level. The SSE Hydro is integrated with the district-wide public transport and the surrounding landscaping provides a valuable new civic amenity - the building is set back from the river to frame a new public space between the arena and conference centre. In addition, a low concrete bank curves around the base of the arena, concealing catering and support spaces and providing an attractive green, landscaped plinth.

Spencer de Grey, Head of Design, Foster + Partners, said: “With its vast steel roof and capacity for 13,000, this is the largest performance arena that the practice has designed - operationally, it allows performers a great deal of freedom in staging events, and visually, its form helps to capture the excitement of a concert. We were delighted to have the opportunity to work with SECC once again, almost 18 years since we were first commissioned to design the Clyde Auditorium. The SSE Hydro has been a great team effort and it is fantastic to see the arena come to life for its first concert.” www.fosterandpartners.com

TRUSS YOU CAN TRUST

QUALITY AVAILABILITY RELIABILITY INNOVATION

MEET US:

Guangzhou China 24 - 27 February 2014 Hall 5.2 / Stand C11

Guangzhou China 28 February - 3 March 2014 Stand 4B-06A

Frankfurt Germany 12 - 15 March 2014 Hall 11.0 / Stand B11

Dubai 5 - 17 April 2014 Stand J10

www.GlobalTruss.cn | phone: +886-2-27209866

facebook.com/GlobalTruss

International distribution Germany: Europe: Americas: S.E.Asia: Japan: Saudi-Arabia:

www.globaltruss.de www.globaltruss.de www.cosmictruss.com www.globaltruss-sea.com www.soundhouse.co.jp www.jzacca.com

France: Spain: Australia: Singapore: Taiwan:

www.globaltruss.fr www.fenixlt.es www.dq.com.au www.excelsingapore.com www.ezstage.com.tw

Chile: India: India: Lebanon: Dubai:

www.valook.cl www.fb.com/stardimensionsindia www.modernstageservice.in skypub17@hotmail.com www.desertbeat.com

044 REPORT

Company: Wicreations Location: Brussels, Belgium Belgium-based entertainment engineering specialist Wicreations combined its expertise and skills to develop and build a dynamic and sophisticated special performance structure, complete with a full motion control solution, to facilitate a spectacular show featuring 37 international artists, including 11 aerial performers.

The show, Odyseo was devised by Artistic Director, Pascal Jacob to commemorate the 150th anniversary of world leading Belgian chemicals and plastics manufacturer Solvay. A total of 15 performances took place over 10 days in a special tented venue installed at the Solvay Campus HQ in Brussels.

Brussels-based Y. Services handled all the artistic, technical and show production and scenography under the direction of Yvon van Lancker, well known for his work with Cirque du Soleil founder Franco Dragone in Las Vegas.

Wicreations was approached by Yvon van Lancker after some previous collaborations, and asked to help realise and build a structure needed to stage this ambitious show. Wicreations’ Project Manager was Koen Peeters.

The Odyseo show was housed in a 50 metre diameter dome shaped tensile structure, custom fabricated by German company Röder, and each event was attended by over 1,000 seated invitees. Central to staging the production in this space was creating a show rigging superstructure to give a 12-metre diameter empty space below, in which the aerial elements of the show could freely be performed. A careful mix of imagination and innovation was required. The structure had to enable virtually any possible flying act to take place and also house all necessary lighting, sound and audiovisual equipment - including followspots and IMAG cameras, while including a catwalk safe working area for up to 16 people. The show space required a minimum of 18 metres headroom and had to be able to accommodate 12 moving performer winches… And at one point all aerialists descending simultaneously.

The WI-structure was based on four standard WI-towers joined by custom interconnections. The steel WI-towers’ outside dimensions are 750mm x 750mm, and the main outside cords are 60mm square tubing with intermediate tubing at 48.3mm making the attachment of scenic or production equipment very straightforward. The legs are individually adjustable to deal robustly with uneven surfaces.

The main feature of the rigging structure was a circular aluminium catwalk at 12 metres high with direct access bridges coming off the four legs and 24 integrated aerial performer launching platforms - 12 outside of the catwalk and 12 inside of it.

This allowed aerial performers to be dropped in unimpeded at virtually any point of the main structure. This created the working space for the 11 flying artists and six specialist assistance riggers, whilst still being able to accommodate an additional tonne of lighting equipment and 1.8 tonnes of audio kit. Four purpose-built follow-spot / camera positions were created on each of the legs at seven metres high, the optimum position given the nature of the performance, each designed to comfortably hold one follow spot and operator.

These were accessed via ladders mounted on top of the structure’s legs. The motion control system, fully integrated into the steel superstructure, was the technical hub of the show. Each of the 12 flying points comprised four main elements - a large curved tracking beam, three trolleys plus a winch and chain hoist. The tracking beams stretched from the lower structural circle of the main grid to the top, each with three trolleys connected together by a cable reel.

Chain hoists were used to control the positions of the tracking beam trolleys and these were installed in four sections of hoist truss, each containing two 250kg and one 500kg Lift Champ BGV-C1 zero speed chain hoists, together with controller and chain box. The other trolleys on the beam automatically followed as they were interconnected via cable reels. The trolleys were pulled back down by their own weight and / or that of the artists. A hinged pulley on the top trolley handled the angles between +/- 30º allowing the artists to swing.

The 12 winches were positioned around the structural circle at 12.4-metres high, with each winch cable flowing over multiple diverters, both ‘follower’ trolleys and finally the top trolley’s pulley, allowing up to 12 artists to simultaneously launch from the catwalk and fly in any position.

Yvon Van Lancker commented: “Working with Wicreations was excellent as always. They understood extremely quickly what I wanted to achieve, they have the knowledge, flair and ingenuity to produce a precise, inventive and absolutely safe solution”. www.wicreations.com

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Photos by Christophe Raynaud de Lage

ODYSEO

046 REPORT

LEIPZ IG G EWA ND H A U S Company: ChainMaster Location: Leipzig, Germany The Leipzig Gewandhaus had already invested in a new ChainMaster SQP2 D8Plus chain hoist, but the system has now been further developed. According to Bernd Schöneich, Technical Director at the Leipzig Gewandhaus: “In 2012 we installed the first chain hoists in the Gewandhaus. The system was chosen so that an extension at any time would be possible. We were very happy with the ChainMaster chain hoists, so we decided to expand the system as quickly as possible.”

The newest additions included a 16-channel RiggingLift control system for connection of up to 16 directly controlled ChainMaster chain hoists. The chain hoists are equipped with a load measuring unit for overload and underload shutdown and an incremental encoder for positioning. The operation of the system is easily accessible via a wireless colour touchpanel from the operator Protouch Stage Series.

The ChainMaster chain hoists can not only be positioned to the nearest millimetre with this control, but through the integrated target memory function, they can also

preset target locations and conveniently be used again and again. The modular system design of the controller provides many new opportunities to increase the chain hoists.

“The important thing for us is a simple and safe handling of the system,” said Bernd. “Due to the high frequency of events in the Gewandhaus, the chain hoists are operated by a relatively large group of users. Therefore, it is the protection against overload and positioning option for the safe operation of great importance.

Another advantage is, of course, that the chain hoists are extremely flexible and can be used at many locations in the hall. So that we can ensure that the whole stand in the hall load funds.”

en.chainmaster.de

LO N D O N A RT S IN H EALTH Company: Total Solutions Group Location: London, UK Total Solutions Group is always pushing its truss products to the limit, proudly thinking beyond the confinement of a production line producing 29cm truss. Its work within the entertainment industry gives the scope to do just that. “Truss is a great modular building block and so from the humble length we can start designing structures,” said Total Solutions Group Sales Director, Ian Hall.

Artist Michael Pinsky launched Fidget, a campaign run by London Arts in Health Forum to highlight the facts about physical activity and the way it affects our health.

Total Solutions was happy to get involved to design a mobile, tensile structure to tour and house the interactive exhibits. The design consisted of a central support mast and demountable decking along with an outer ring of support poles for the dual canopy. The whole structure had to be low profile and have a footprint no larger than the structure itself. Easier said than done when several tonnes of ballast had to be integrated to allow the structure to conform to the current Eurocodes. The canopy was a dual layer design with the outer one being a printed PVC mesh to Michael’s design and the inner one being a clear PVC to help with protection against the weather. www.trussing.com

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UNVEILING NEW PRODUCTS TOUS CHRISTMAS TREE Company: Fenix Location: Madrid , Spain For the second year running, the Christmas lighting design in Madrid, Spain, has been designed by some of the leading designers, architects and graphic designers of Spain. Among the design, a highlight was the three Christmas trees built by Fenix trusses for leading jewellery brand, Tous. The tress were located at key points in Madrid - Jardines del Descubrimiento, Glorieta del Emperador Carlos V and la Plaza de EspaĂąa.

The truss trees had a wingspan of 18-metres high and eight metres wide and they were covered with eye-catching and colourful LED lights.

This project was a colloboration between Global Medium Group and Fenix, and thanks to the versatility of the trusses and the low weight of the aluminium the installation was easy and straightforward.

Prolyte Group is dedicated to product innovation and product development. From blueprint to manufacture, Prolyte consistently creates products that offer the certainty of a flawless performance. The Prolight + Sound Exhibition will be the platform to unveil new products. Experience our products live at the show, you’re invited to join us.

Visit Prolyte at Prolight + Sound Hall 9.0 D91.

www.fenixlt.es

WWW.PROLYTE.COM

048 REPORT

Photos by Graham ‘Grum’ Leesmith

EXAMPLE Company: JTE Location: Various, UK World-renowned English rapper and singer-songwriter, Example, recently played a series of festival dates beneath a uniquely designed lighting rig constructed from James Thomas Engineering’s new JT Truss. The newly-launched JT Truss was chosen by lighting designer Graham ‘Grum’ Leesmith who needed to re-create a smaller, ‘festival-friendly’ version of the one he used on Example’s international arena tour. The truss is configured as two 4.5-metre diameter octagonal lighting rigs with each octagon composed of eight 1.5-metre sections of JT40 truss. These are joined by custom-made 45° corners and suspended above the stage where they form the main part of the full flown tour rig. In addition to being major design features, each octagon needed to be strong enough to support a substantial lighting rig of PixelRange SmartLines, PixelRange PixelSmarts, Clay Paky Sharpys, Martin Professional Atomic 300 DMX strobes and Martin Professional MAC Auras, yet be light enough to transport between festival sites and quick to erect and dismantle.

Grum turned to James Thomas Engineering for a solution. “I originally approached JTE with its folding X-Truss in mind but discovered the new lightweight JT Truss in the process,” he said. “I was amazed by it at first sight. The JT Truss is significantly

lighter than the trussing we use for the arena tour so was far more suitable for festival stages. Yet, despite being half the weight, it has the same weight-bearing as standard truss.”

JTE built the truss to Grum’s specifications using standard JT40 truss components and customised corner joints. JT Truss is a high-capacity, light-weight truss system, available in 30mm and 40mm sizes, with unique universal male / female forks that allow versatility of connection. The forks are held together by specially designed tapered pins which ensure fast, easy removal and form clean, strong joints.

“The tapered pin system made it very quick to put together which was an important feature,” said Grum. “The octagons are broken down into their component parts for transit between festivals so speed of construction was vital, especially with the fast turnarounds demanded by the festival circuit.

“The guys at James Thomas went that extra mile to customise the corner joints to fit the specification for the unusual shape of the rig and worked to an incredibly quick turnaround of one to two weeks.” www.jamesthomas.co.uk

U L L S T E I N - H A L LE Company: Prolyte Location: Berlin, Germany

Photo by Fischer Vertriebsgesellschaft

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During the last quarter of 2013, Berlin’s Ullstein-Halle, the headquarters of media group Axel Springer, underwent a transformation. The Ullstein-Halle had previously served as a venue for various galas and festivals. Following several months of renovations, on Sunday 8 December it became the home of the WELT-Gruppe Newsroom. Under the leadership of Editor-in-Chief, Jan-Eric Peters, around 100 journalists from the WELT-Gruppe editorial team relocated to this dedicated facility.

Prolyte Emsdetten was asked to supply a lighting rig as part of the redevelopment. Prolyte turned to partner Fischer Vertriebsgesellschaft to help realise the brief. Christian Schoof of Fischer visited the client to determine the exact specification and then consulted Prolyte, which set about designing a trussing system to fulfil the requirements.

Together they specified a structure incorporating more than 400-metres of Prolyte structures H30D truss. In collaboration with Berlin-based Schott Lighting, the truss was combined with lighting systems to form a pre-rig installation to fill the 1,000 sq metre hall. The structure provided a basis for adding additional truss, including an eight metre circle, upon which additional lighting and screens for the newsroom were mounted. Despite the tight timeframe - only 14 days from order to installation - the project was delivered on time and to the complete satisfaction of the client. www.prolyte.com

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PA U L VA N DY K Company: Trusst Location: Birmingham, UK For a fiery performance of German Grammy Award-winning DJ, musician and record producer Paul van Dyk, Managing Director for DMX Productions SJ Grevett used Chauvet lights and various pieces of Trusst in creative combinations to build the PVD logo at a grand scale on stage. Paul Van Dyke performed at the HMV Institute as opening act during a Godskitchen event.

“Trusst is very solid, I find it very handy and easy to assemble and offers great flexibility in the many ways you can combine it,” said SJ. To build the V-shaped structure at the centre of the stage, SJ used four one-metre Trusst sticks, two three-metre Trusst sticks for the cross section, a single scaffolding bar, one Trusst book corner and single poles. Four two metre Trusst sticks were flown above the audience in the mid-section of the venue and each carried three Chauvet Professional Legend 412 pixel-mapping moving yokes for captivating eye-candy effects. “I love the pixel mapping function the Legend 412 offers,” said SJ. “I use them at various events because they are bright and delivery a huge impact with a tiny footprint.”

SJ placed 12 Chauvet DJ COLORband PiX linear lights on the DJ booth, for video effects and animations when multiple units are used together. COLORband PiX also features individual control over 12 flicker-free tri-coloured LEDs, which allows for custom looks. “COLORband PiX is a phenomenal fixture,” SJ said. “It’s incredibly bright, I enjoy pixel-mapping it, and it brings a lot of value to the show each time.” www.trusst.com

050 REPORT

CARYL C H UR C H I L L T H E AT RE Company: LTM Location: London, UK Stage Electrics has completed the supply and installation of the lighting and audio infrastructure and stage engineering within the newly-built Caryl Churchill Theatre at London’s Royal Holloway University.

Affiliated to the University of London, Royal Holloway University prides itself on its reputation for having one of the UK’s leading drama and theatre departments with an international reputation for the quality of its research in many different aspects of drama, theatre and performance studies.

The innovatively-designed Caryl Churchill Theatre replaced the University’s pre-existing 30-year old black box Studio Theatre with a new, flexible, future-proof facility that also incorporates two large rehearsal studios, dressing rooms, a workshop and a new foyer.

Its new auditorium offers an increased seating capacity of 178 seats arranged around three sides of the auditorium and over two levels, with a third level entirely dedicated to technical operations and control.

Stage Electrics was appointed by builders Morgan Sindall to supply and install the infrastructure elements as specified by theatre consultants, Theatreplan. These include all dimming solutions, house and working lights, DMX distribution, cabling and customised facilities panels.

Theatreplan’s John Whitaker worked closely with Sean Brennan of Royal Holloway University and the Stage Electrics’ team of Design and Commercial Manager, Mark Larcombe and Technical Project Manager, Martin Woodage, to establish the best solutions for each element and deliver a theatre that was functional, flexible and future-proof.

Stage Electrics supplied two sections of motorised Prolyte truss to form a grid that covers the whole front-of-house roof resulting in an extremely flexible performance area. Each truss is supplied with double purchase suspension mechanisms complete with eight Loadguard chain hoists from Lift Turn Move (LTM), customised

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chain diversion assemblies, all rigging accessories and a cable tray located within the truss. An IGUS Energy chain cable management system was added to the truss grid sections complete with cables and chain collecting ‘baskets’. The control system includes fixed wiring to the chain hoists, a motor control cabinet and a control pendant. All parts and assemblies were tested in-house by Stage Electrics before installation.

Stage Electrics installed a mono rail system for rigging and hanging scenery. This consists of three customised mono rails, mounted on rollers and Loadguard chain hoists, suspended over the stage and central performing areas. The rails can be configured for end-on or lateral performances and have been designed to allow further additions in future.

Stage Electrics added a finishing touch with the provision of two curtains on Triple E curtain tracks within the main house, one behind and one opposite the retractable seating, and a further set of curtains in each of the two rehearsal studios adjacent to the main auditorium. “We were pleased that Stage Electrics won the technical outfitting contract,” said Sean. “We have used the company for equipment purchases over the years and have always been satisfied by the level of service we have received. Stage Electrics is a large national company but it maintains a personal approach.

“The college and department is extremely satisfied with the technical installation in the theatre which is neat, intuitive and functional. The Caryl Churchill Theatre has become the flagship venue within the department offering a level of flexibility and user interface that makes the building a pleasure to work in for researchers, students, academics and technicians.”

www.liftturnmove.co.uk

052 REPORT

VISICITA TOUR Company: Ledika Location: Various, Indonesia Telecommunications company, Visicita carried out a national tour of Indonesia in 2013, hosting roadshows for propaganda activities in 15 cities including Tangerang, Garut, Cirebon, Tasikmalaya, Sukabumi, Bandung, Bogor, Jakarta, Bekasi, Depok, Palembang, Lampung, Padang, Pekanbaru and Medan. The roadshow is set to continue throughout 2014 encompassing the following cities Serang Karawang, Tegal, Purwokerto, Semarang, Kudus, Solo, Yogyakarta, Denpasar, Mataram, Jember, Malang, Surabaya, Samarinda, Banjarmasin, Pontianak, Manado and Makasar.

The truss and stage design for the touring roadshow has been provided by Ledika. It is a unique and novel design featuring an electric lifting type detachable polygon structure with 12 columns in a circular patterns for the roof. The design uses 400mm by 400mm square truss and provides sufficient stability and security for the whole structure.

Electric hoist lifting instead of traditional hand chain hoist lifting, saves a lot of labour and time. The roof design also means the equipment can be used in indoor

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or outdoor applications.

The outer edge of the polygon is created using 450mm by 600mm square truss, while the two main middle beams use 520mm by 760mm truss each spaning 22.2 metres and each able to carry a 989kg load. The back ceiling beam comprises 450mm by 600mm truss with loading capability of 896kg and a 12 metre span.

“The requirements for this event structure is different to general structures, but the impressive truss by Ledika, which takes into consideration the safety load capability, provides the perfect structure shape and great solutions for audio and lighting,” said Cossa, Director of the installation company. “In the year of 2013, the activities were carried out smoothly and successfully. This not only made our customers happy, but also our team because they enjoyed such engineering installations. We are very proud of this wonderful job.” www.ledika.com

I am

Come and get Me 014 2 d oun ll 11.0 S & ght , Ha 15 Proli oth B51 ch 12 - in Bo M ar t am Ma k fur n a r F

IN FOCUS EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA ALBERT HALL, MANCHESTER SCANDINAVIAN STYLE, STOCKHOLM / GOTHENBERG LONDON COLLEGE OF MUSIC, LONDON L’ESMERALDA, TOULOUSE VENDESPACE, LA-ROCHE-SUR-YON HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN, LONDON PRYZM, BRISTOL

THE AMERICAS THE WALLIS, LOS ANGELES AMPLYFI, LOS ANGELES

ASIA/PACIFIC/OCEANIA F.CLUB, SINGAPORE LI BAI / EXO, MUMBAI MALAYSIAN MELTING POT, KUALA LUMPUR / SIBU DING DONG LOUNGE, MELBOURNE The March / April issue features a wealth of interesting venues for you to cast your eyes over, beginning with cover story Albert Hall, which saw Helen Fletcher travel down the M60 motorway to find out how this gothic venue has been resurrected and turned into the city’s latest live venue. We also have a round-up of Swedish venues for you, from Stockholm’s latest club arena to Rabbit Land in Gothenburg; along with two venues from France, the L’Esmeralda in Toulouse and Vendespace in La Roche-sur-Yon. Moving out of Europe, we have two venues from the US this issue following Helen’s trip to LA in January. The Wallis is Beverly Hills’ first performing arts centre and Amplyfi is Hollywood’s latest ‘hole in the wall’ music venue.

We have also travelled to Singapore for the latest installment from Fashion TV, f.Club, Martin Audio installations in Mumbai and a roundup of venues in Malaysia before ending up in Melbourne at Ding Dong Lounge.

056 VENUE

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VENUE 057

MANCUNIAN MARVEL ALBERT HALL WITH THE LIKES OF THE HACIENDA, SANKEYS SOAP, THE WAREHOUSE PROJECT AND EVERYTHING INBETWEEN, MANCHESTER IS SYNONYMOUS WITH MAGNETISING MUSIC VENUES. BAR CHAIN TROF, IS CONTINUING TO BOOST THE CITY’S LEGACY FOR INFLUENTIAL MUSIC SPOTS AND ITS MOST RECENT OFFERING RAISES THE BAR, AS HELEN FLETCHER DISCOVERED.

MANCHESTER, UK

EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA

Fight your way through Manchester’s throng of tiki lounges, countless cocktail bars and never ending nightclubs and you might just stumble across the newest and most exciting entertainment venue to hit the north west - just sitting there unassumingly among the chaos.

Albert Hall Manchester is a Grade II listed Wesleyan Methodist chapel designed by W.J Morley in 1910 for the Wesleyan Mission.

While the ground floor of the building was home to Brannigans bar and nightclub up until 2011, the first floor chapel - thought to be haunted - has been hidden from view since 1969.

It has since been resurrected by Joel Wilkinson and his company Trof - a Manchester-based venue operator that has steadily earned a reputation for discovering spaces and turning them into buzzing entertainment spots such as Trof Northern Quarter, Gorilla and The Deaf Institute, which all have strong, yet individual identities.

Albert Hall, with its eclectic design featuring baroque and gothic elements, is the latest venue to join the Trof family and its magnificent arching stained glass windows, ornate ceiling, choir

vestry, and a century old organ provide the perfect backdrop for live events. The 2,000-capacity chapel was first reopened as a pop-up venue in the summer of 2013, as part of the Manchester International Festival (MIF) which featured a string of one-off, specially commissioned performances including: Mogwai, Goldfrapp with the RNCM string orchestra (Royal Northern College of Music), and Maxine Peake starring in a theatrical adaptation of ‘The Masque of Anarchy’. Since then, Albert Hall has hosted numerous sell-out live events including: FAC51 Hacienda New Year’s Eve party; Slint, Half Moon Run, Wild Beasts, Bonobo, Moderat and Anna Calvi, to name but a few and momentum at the venue is growing, as is the hype.

In order for Albert Hall to become Manchester’s ultimate entertainment venue, a first class audio and lighting system was essential; however working with a Grade II listed building is no easy feat and brings with it numerous complications and considerations, and so it was essential the right team was in place. Having worked on earlier Trof projects, dbn Lighting’s Stephen Page was the

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058 VENUE

VIDEO CONTENT

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natural choice for the lighting design at Albert Hall, but this would come at a later stage. Before anything else, noise tests at the venue had to be carried out, and for this Tube UK, which is also based in Manchester and had an existing relationship with dbn Lighting, was called upon.

As the company’s Melvyn Coote explained however, projects such as Albert Hall are rarely straightforward: “The venue was a mess, there was no lighting at all and we had to carry out sound tests in the pitch black. We brought a PA in, just a small test system and set it up so Joel could sit in various spots of the venue and see what sound was coming out of the building. As soon as we turned the system on plaster started falling off the ceiling… It was an absolute mess, it really was.

“Albert Hall is geared at being a multifunctional venue and the audio system needed to reflect this,” continued Melvyn. “Anything from the spoken word, to drama through to hardcore trance, as well as everything in between takes place here and the audio system needed to be able to cope, without any issues and without needing to be significantly changed in any way - this is why we chose d&b audiotechnik. We use it in our hire stock and for me it is one of the only systems that can cope with both theatre and dance events without any issues.”

As Melvyn and his team were already familiar with d&b audiotechnik products, when it came to setting up the system - as far as acoustics go, Tube UK hit it straight away. “We’re used to working in unusual spaces and venues such as Albert Hall and d&b audiotechnik is a product we will always put forward first as it just works,” he said. “We’ve tailored the system a little towards minimising reflections and so on, and while sound checking in here

can be a nightmare, once you get the audience in, the room warms up and the acoustics change, it just works… You would think the room would retain some of the bounce but it doesn’t. This is partly because the PA is properly focused so it’s hitting the audience area rather than going up into the space.”

With acoustics taken care of, the next challenge was hanging space. Normally in a venue of this size you would expect to see much larger line array drops from the roof for the main PA system, but because of the building limitations this just wasn’t possible, another reason for choosing d&b audiotechnik as Melvyn explained: “d&b’s boxes are small, lightweight, really efficient and loud. Other systems can achieve the same level of performance from a size point of view but not from a weight point of view.”

The main arrays, hung left and right of the stage, are each made up of four d&b audiotechnik Q1 loudspeakers and one d&b audiotechnik Q-Sub bass reflex subwoofer. There are 10 d&b audiotechnik V8 loudspeakers groundstacked along with four d&b audiotechnik V-Sub cardioid subwoofer split left and right of the stage. Additionally, there are two d&b audiotechnik Q7 loudspeakers on stage, along with four d&b audiotechnik B2-Sub subwoofers, and eight d&b audiotechnik M4 wedge monitors, all of which is powered by 12 d&b audiotechnik D12 amplifiers.

For mixing there are two Yamaha CL5 mixing desks available and according to Melvyn, so far the response from sound engineers has been positive with only the odd person requesting Profile consoles from Avid. “So far all of the touring engineers have loved the inhouse system we have installed at Albert Hall,” he said. “So we’ve not had to add to it in any way, just the odd desk on request.”

For microphones, Albert Hall has a selection of wired microphones

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from Audio Technica, Shure and Sennheiser, while wireless microphones from Sennheiser can be provided.

“For me, what’s so special about Albert Hall is that it’s not just another ‘black box’,” continued Melvyn. “It’s the most exciting venue space in Manchester to be involved in right now and every show so far has been sold out.

The vibe you get back from people is incredible, it has such character and history.”

When it came to designing the lighting rig, weight loading restrictions in the roof also saw the dbn Lighting team having to think outside the box. Stephen commented: “Having the chance to work in such a fabulous space was incredible enough. Trof always put production values at the top of the agenda and my challenge was to come up with a design that complemented the amazing architecture and is harmonious with the environment as well as working well for the wide variety of events that the hall hosts.” dbn Lighting specified and installed a series of Slick OV40 spreader trusses with a particular strength to weight ratio to create a more flexible rigging arrangement and maximise usable capacity and Lift Turn Move’s (LTM) LoadGuard hoists are used throughout. These Category A motors are certified to operate without

Introducing the:

| 20,000 HOURS ILLUMINATION | 360 x 360 ORIENTATION

TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND: 2 x d&b audiotechnik Q-Sub subwoofer; 8 x d&b audiotechnik Q1 loudspeaker; 10 x d&b audiotechnik V8 loudspeaker; 4 x d&b audiotechnik V-Sub subwoofer, 4 x d&b audiotechnik B2-Sub subwoofer; 2 x d&b audiotechnik Q7 loudspeaker; 8 x d&b audiotechnik M4 wedge monitor; 12 x d&b audiotechnik D12 amplifier; 2 x Yamaha CL5 mixing console, 2 x Yamaha RIO 3224 I/O digital stagebox; 1 x Shure Beta52A microphone; 1 x Shure Beta91A microphone; 4 x Sennheiser e904 microphone; 6 x Audio Technica AT4041 microphone; 2 x Audio Technica AT4040 microphone; 12 x BSS AR133 DI box; 4 x Shure SM58 microphone; 4 x Shure Beta58A microphone; 6 x Shure SM57 microphone; 6 x Shure Beta57A microphone; 2 x Sennheiser e906 microphone LIGHTING: 6 x Clay Paky Sharpy profile; 4 x Clay Paky Alpha Spot 575 moving head; 8 x Robe Robin 600 LEDWash moving head; 8 x Chauvet Professional COLORdash white LED fixture; 8 x Martin Professional Atomic 300 DMX strobe; 12 x Showtec Sunstrip Active DMX batten; 6 x High End Systems Trackspot lighting fixture; 1 x Martin Professional Jem ZR12 smoke machine; 1 x Avolites Tiger Touch lighting desk; 6 x James Thomas Drop Bar; 2 x Lift Turn Move LoadGuard hoist; 9-metres Slick OV40 truss www.alberthallmanchester.com

See it at Prolight & Sound with

Booth 9.0 A08

www.digitalprojection.co.uk

060 VENUE

needing additional safeties, which is essential as roof access at Albert Hall is difficult given the height and construction of the venue.

The motors are top hung and LTM has down-rated the clutches to further protect against overloading of the roof structure.

There are two lighting trusses above the stage, a 12-metre one at the front and a nine metre one further back upstage, leaving the organ pipes as the backdrop. The back truss is rigged with six Clay Paky Sharpy moving heads, four Robe Robin 600 LEDWash moving heads, six Martin Professional Atomic 3000 DMX strobes and 12 Showtec Sunstrip Active DMX battens. These are all hung on six drop bars at three different lengths, longest offstage and the shortest onstage in a mirrored configuration.

This flourish of ingenuity with the positioning adds an enormous amount of depth to the whole space - it amplifies the size of the lighting rig and also increases the scope of where the different fixtures can be focused.

On the front truss are another four Robe Robin 600 LEDWashes and four Clay Paky Alpha Wash 575 moving heads, which provide for further effects, front and key lighting. For control, Stephen specified an Avolites Tiger Touch desk and dbn Lighting also supplies any extras or specials as required by the different artists.

The less-is-more approach brings real clarity to the rig and more than enough lighting dynamics for the event in hand, the units have been thoughtfully selected to offer both the house lighting operators from dbn Lighting and also any touring / guest LDs plenty of options, and the whole system has been carefully installed so as to maximise impact while working with the space and structure of the building.

Currently dbn’s Chris Phillips is overseeing everything day-to-day on site, he told mondo*dr: “This project was particularly interesting as we really had to think about what we were going to hang because of the limited space and Stephen came up with a design that gives

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062 VENUE

FRANÇAIS

Basé à Manchester, dbn est le spécialiste de l’éclairage et des systèmes de gréement. L’entreprise a conçu, fourni et installé une plate-forme d’éclairage extrêmement efficace pour le Albert Hall de Manchester. Cette fabuleuse salle datant de 1910 est située directement au cœur de la ville dans un ancien lieu de prières méthodiste absolument charmant et peut accueillir jusqu’à 2 000 personnes. Le magnifique espace a été soigneusement rénové mettant en valeur sa splendeur d’antan avec notamment des ornements d’origine tels des fenêtres à double hauteur avec de beaux vitraux et un magnifique orgue aux tuyaux apparents entièrement restauré. Récemment ouvert au public, Trof en a fait l’espace événementiel et musical live le plus cool de Manchester.

Stephen Page de chez dbn a travaillé sur d’autres projets du propriétaire indépendant Trof auparavant et fut ravi d’être invité à nouveau pour créer le concept d’éclairage du Albert Hall. Deux poutres d’éclairage sont placées au-dessus de la scène ; une de 12 mètres à l’avant et une autre de 9 mètres plus loin en fond de scène. Il a aussi choisi de laisser les tuyaux de l’orgue comme toile de fond. La poutre arrière est munie de 6 Clay Paky Sharpies, de 4 Robe Robin LEDWash 600s, de 6 stroboscopes Martin Professional Atomic et de 12 Showtec Sunstrips. Ces appareils sont tous accrochés à six barres verticales de trois longueurs différentes, la plus longue étant placée en coulisses et la plus courte sur scène, formant ainsi une configuration en miroir.

Le système audio PA d&b audiotechnick est utilisé conjointement avec un appareil de mixage Yamaha et les micros sont de chez Sennheiser.

DEUTSCH

more depth and level. It’s a really nice venue to work in and pretty cool… It’s definitely attracting the right kind of attention and the momentum is really building.

“We chose the Robe Robin LEDWash 600s because they give a great wash and having them split between the two rigs means all of the stage is covered. They’re also lightweight and use low levels of power, which is a bonus. Then we’ve got the Clay Paky Sharpys, which everyone loves, they’re very bright and everyone’s favourite.

The set up we have allows for a lot of different options and looks and we can always add to it if necessary, depending on the show.”

A small lighting system has also been integrated into the bar / restaurant and smaller performance space downstairs, originally home to Brannigans. dbn Lighting supplied six original High End Systems Trackspots from the ‘90s - the company still have a closely guarded stash, treated with reverential amounts of TLC - and they are still going strong after nearly 20 years of active service.

These are hooked in to a special analogue controller plus there are a couple of Martin Professional Atomic 3000 DMX strobes and a Martin Professional Jem ZR12 smoke machine for general use, but the system can easily be reconfigured with a console added when operators are required.

“They are still a great fixture with a proper choreographed sound to light function which has never been bettered,” said Stephen, adding that the lamp also gives the trackspot a unique colour rendition compared to more modern discharge or LED fixtures. Their high vintage value also hits the aesthetic button for blending classic and contemporary elements, which permeates the renovated Albert Hall - a venue with a past looking to the very bright future.

The final word comes from owner Joel, who told mondo*dr: “Albert Hall is a venue for Manchester, that is owned by the people of Manchester, offering amazing architecture. It was built with viewing events at every angle in mind - with its raked floors, capacity and acoustics.

“In working with dbn Lighting and Tube UK I found people from Manchester who are passionate and are experts in their field. They have been extremely flexible and were willing to do anything to get the project working. The audio and lighting systems implemented are amazing and use some of the world’s leading brands. The audio in particular is very flexible and can cope with anything from spoken word events, to international club nights and live music artists, to classical - amazing.”

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Der in Manchester ansässige Beleuchtungs- und Riggingspezialist dbn hat ein äußerst wirkungsvolles Produktions-Beleuchtungsrigg für die Albert Hall in Manchester entworfen, bereitgestellt und installiert… Ein fabelhafter neuer Treff mit einer Kapazität von 2.000 Plätzen in einer charismatischen ehemaligen MethodistenVersammlungshalle aus dem Jahre 1910 mitten in der Stadt. Der atemberaubende Bereich – ursprüngliche Merkmale umfassen doppelt hohe Fenster mit gebeizten Glasdetails und einer komplett restaurierten wunderschönen Orgel mit Pfeifen links offen – wurde liebevoll renoviert, so dass er seine alte Pracht wiedergefunden hat und als der neueste und coolste Livemusik- und Eventbereich in Manchester durch den unabhängigen Besitzer Trof eröffnet wurde.

Stephen Page von dbn hat bereits an anderen Trof-Projekten gearbeitet und war begeistert, als er gebeten wurde, ein Hausbeleuchtungsdesign für die Albert Hall zu kreieren. Über der Bühne gibt es zwei Beleuchtungstraversen – eine 12 Meter lange vorne und eine 9 Meter lange im hinteren Bereich... Die die Orgelpfeifen als Hintergrund lassen.

Der hintere Träger ist mit sechs Clay Paky Sharpies, vier Robe Robin LEDWash 600s, sechs Martin Professional Atomic Strobes und 12 Showtec Sunstrips ausgerüstet. Sie hängen an sechs herunterhängenden Balken mit drei verschiedenen Längen, der längste hinter den Kulissen und der kürzeste auf der Bühne in einer Spiegel-Konfiguration.

Audio stammt von einem d&b audiotechnick PA System, das zusammen mit Yamaha zum Mischen und Sennheiser für Mikrofone eingesetzt wird.

ITALIANO

L’azienda dbn sita a Manchester, specializzata in illuminazione e impianti, ha progettato, fornito ed installato un efficace impianto di illuminazione per l’ Albert Hall di Manchester... Una nuova favolosa sede di 2.000 posti in una carismatica ex sala riunioni metodista risalente al 1910 nel cuore della città. Questo posto incantevole, le quali caratteristiche originali includono finestre a doppia altezza con vetrate colorate e un magnifico organo completamente ristrutturato con le canne lasciate a vista, è stato amorevolmente restaurato riportandolo al suo antico splendore e aperto, diventando il posto più nuovo e più cool di musica dal vivo ed eventi di Manchester, dal proprietario indipendente Trof .

Stephen Page di dbn ha lavorato ad altri progetti di Trof ed è rimasto sorpreso di aver ricevuto la richiesta di creare un progetto di illuminazione da interni per l’ Albert Hall. Ci sono due tralicci per le luci sopra il palco, uno di 12 metri nella parte anteriore e uno di 9 metri nella parte posteriore del palco... Lasciando le canne dell’ organo come sfondo.

Il traliccio posteriore è attrezzato con sei Clay Paky Sharpies, quattro Robe Robin LEDWash 600s, sei luci stroboscopiche Atomic Martin Professional e 12 Showtec Sunstrips. Queste sono tutte appese su sei barre a goccia di tre diverse lunghezze, più lunghe dietro le quinte e più corte sul palco, formando una struttura a specchio.

L’audio proviene dal sistema PA di d&b audiotechnick, utilizzato insieme a Yamaha per la miscelazione e a Sennheiser per i microfoni.

ESPAÑOL

dbn, especialista en iluminación y servicios de montaje y con base en Manchester, diseñó, suministró e instaló un montaje de iluminación altamente efectivo para el Albert Hall en Manchester. Un nuevo y fabuloso espacio con capacidad para 2.000 personas en una sala de reuniones de lo que fuera una iglesia Metodista del año 1910 en el corazón de la ciudad. El imponente espacio - con características originales que incluyen ventanas de doble altura con detalles de vitraux y un magnífico órgano renovado por completo con los tubos que fueron dejados a la vista - ha sido cuidadosamente restaurado en su esplendor anterior y fue inaugurado como el espacio para música en vivo y eventos más nuevo y sensacional de Manchester por Trof, propietario independiente.

Stephen Page, de dbn, ha trabajado en otros proyectos de Trof y estuvo encantado de que se le solicitara crear un diseño de iluminación para el Albert Hall. Sobre el escenario hay dos estructuras metálicas - una de 12 metros en el frente y otra de 9 metros más atrás en la parte trasera... Dejando los tubos del órgano como fondo. La estructura trasera se encuentra equipada con seis Clay Paky Sharpies, cuatro Robe Robin LEDWash 600s, seis estroboscopios Martin Professional Atomic y 12 Showtec Sunstrips. Ello se encuentra todo colgando sobre seis barras a tres alturas diferentes, más largas por fuera del escenario y más cortas dentro del escenario en una configuración en espejo.

El audio proviene de un sistema de d&b audiotechnick PA, utilizando Yamaha para la mezcla y Sennheiser para los micrófonos.

www.dbaudio.com

Huge room volumes

The challenges remain consistent, but seldom appear independently. The d&b columns, however, are new and corrective; a unique combination of waveguides and damped ports create a cardioid pattern with a constant horizontal directivity of 90째, whilst the tight vertical dispersion tilts downwards in the low to mid range and is adjustable in the high frequencies. Handy for those who like to comprehend word for word in long, large, high, reverberant spaces with impediments to intelligibility. The d&b xC-Series: positions text clearly.

Flat to the wall mounting

Highly reflective surfaces

Visual unobtrusiveness Large and high ceilings Extremely reverberant spaces

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SCANDINAVIAN STYLE STOCKHOLM/gothenburg, SWEDEN

SOLIDARITET ARENA The one thing Sweden is known for, other than its meatballs, is its eye for style and design and the recent addition of Solidaritet Arena at the Tele2 Arena in Stockholm, which features a Bose RoomMatch sound system, is an excellent example of this.

The Tele2 Arena itself, has a maximum capacity of 40,000 and is able to host concerts, sporting events and exhibitions, but with its restaurants, bars, shops and now the Solidaritet Arena nightclub / event space, it offers visitors the opportunity to further extend their evening of entertainment.

Lending itself easily to after show parties and clubbing events, as

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well as corporate parties and more, the idea behind Solidaritet Arena which covers 1,100 sq metres of space, is to capitalise on the large number of visitors that frequent the Tele2 Arena on a regular basis.

The design of Solidaritet takes on an industrial vibe, combining rough edges with a smooth design and the use of technology from Bose and Martin Professional throughout adds to this. Solidaritet is the first major club install to feature a Bose RoomMatch system, which follows the architecture of the space and is controlled by presets accessible from wall panels located in different parts of the venue.

Solidaritet can be used as one main space or can be divided into three separate rooms depending on an event’s requirements - three

Copyright MĂĽrten Bergkvist, Adapt AB

EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA

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different events can be held on the same night, at the same time, thanks to the zoned audio and lighting system in place and soundproof room dividers.

In Club 1, the largest of the three spaces, which features a VIP area, there is a 1.8-metres tall Bose RoomMatch progressive directivity array hung left and right of the stage. According to Bose, by changing the horizontal coverage progressive from narrow in the top module to wide in the bottom module means the critical distance is further back in the venue, compared to a conventional array. With this technology a coherent wave front is also maintained due to no gain shading.

Each progressive directivity array is made up of four RoomMatch loudspeaker loudspeakers (one RM5505 module, one RM7005 module, one RM9010 module and one RM12020 module). There is a compound bass array in Club 1, located under the stage for live concerts, club nights and conferences this consists of eight Bose RMS215 subwoofers and four Bose RMS218 VLF-subwoofers.

Left and right arrays hang at the back of Club 1, each made up of one Bose RM7020 module and one Bose RM9040 module. These arrays are in place for when a club night is taking place.

In Club 2 there are four Bose RoomMatch arrays, two at either end of the space, each is made up of one RM5520 loudspeaker and one RM9040 loudspeaker; there are also two Bose RMS215 subwoofer endfire arrays.

Club 3 features a Bose RoomMatch array hung left and right at the front of the room, each using one RM702020 loudspeaker and one RM9040 loudspeaker alongside two Bose RMS215 endfire arrays.

The Bose PA system is powered by 17 Bose PowerMatch PM8500 amplifiers, a new Class-D design that combines Class-D efficiency with a dual feedback circuit that continuously monitors and controls both the current and voltage of the output devices; processing comes from a Bose ControlSpace ESP-88 engineered sound processor. To control the system, four control panels are located back stage and at the three bars throughout the venue. From these panels a source can be chosen and where it should be distributed to, can also be decided.

Tomas Carlsson of Bose, told mondo*dr that due to the design of the building, which consists of large fans and lighting rigs all over the ceiling, one of the main challenges was fitting all of the audio kit in; that, and dealing with the acoustics, as there is a lot of concrete in the building. “We implemented acoustic areas all over the venue,” said Tomas, “in the roof, in the walls… The acoustics were a bit tricky, but we worked around this and we have been pleased with the end result.”

Solidaritet Arena is a flagship installation for Bose RoomMatch, Tomas commented: “Technically this installation is very interesting, particularly the subwoofers - they are very big, so it was challenging finding room for them in Club 1. We had the same issue in Club 2 but we found space for them in the walls and they ended up in the roof, as we couldn’t make the arrays any bigger than they already are as they would have taken up too much space.

“The good thing about the system is that it can be used for a DJ night or concert, whereas most nightclubs in Stockholm are only set up for DJs. In each of the three bars there is a panel where you can select which source you want to play, the DJ from one of the other bars could be sampled or the same music can be played throughout the whole area.”

Jesper Ahlbom, owner of the club added: “This nightclub has a very rugged interior. We had made improvements with the acoustics, but still I didn’t expect the sound to be that crisp and clear and with such a deep bass. It’s like having your own private sound system in the nightclub only louder and deeper. In my opinion, this is the world’s greatest sound system.”

The Bose RoomMatch system is complemented by a full lighting install from Martin Professional. There are 40 Martin Professional Rush Par 1’s which are used to light up the pillars in the venue. A further 27 Martin Professional Rush MH2 Wash moving heads feature alongside eight Martin Professional Rush MH3 Beam moving heads and seven Martin Professional Rush MH1 Profile moving heads, which have been installed around the Club 1 stage. There are also eight

Martin Professional Atomic 3000 DMX strobes and support lighting comes from eight Philips Selecon Rama fresnels and 11 Showtec Sunstrip Active DMX lighting battens. There is an LED wall feature behind the DJ booth, which is made up of nine Martin Professional LC2140 LED panels. Special effects are created through the use of three Martin Professional Jem K1 hazers and four MagicFX CO² jets.

The ceiling features 300 plus pieces of Traxon Dot XL-9, each of them pixel-mapped.

Swedish supplier Adapt worked closely with the venue owners on the specification and installation of the audio and lighting kit and the company’s Senior Project Manager, Viking Grandin, commented: “The main brief of the project for both the audio and lighting, was that the space had to be flexible so that it could be used for conference and corporate events during the day and nightclubs and concerts in the evening. The owners wanted it to become Stockholm’s most exclusive venue and I think it is fair to say there is no other venue like this in Stockholm, or Sweden in fact.

“Because the room can be used as one space or divided into three we needed to create a system that easily connects everyone in the room to what is happening on stage when in a conference situation, so there are eight motorised screens with projectors fixed along the length of the room. There are also two remote cameras installed in the roof, which means we can send out camera pictures to all the screens at the back of the room. It needed to be a fully flexible system and one that allows any member of staff to set the atmosphere in each individual room.

“The Bose sound system is delayed for each zone when the space is used as one room and we have done the same with the lighting fixtures - all of the LEDs in the roof are pixel mapped so we can control each one.”

Commenting on the decision to combine moving heads with LED lighting, Viking told mondo*dr: “The idea was to create environmental lighting with extended effects and the combination of the two creates depth within the smoke and highlights the length of the room. The design of the stage, with the LED panels behind it and so on, is so that the DJ becomes the ‘artist’ for the night.”

What makes Solidaritet Arena particularly interesting is the combination of nightclub and corporate - this isn’t a standard set-up or one you come across on a regular basis, as it is a difficult set-up to get right. Getting the space to work as a multi-functional room was no easy feat according to Viking, but the end result is one that is extremely impressive and makes a statement, offering the people of Stockholm a unique and vibrant entertainment space that makes the most of the latest audio and lighting technology developments.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND

2 x Bose RoomMatch RM5505 loudspeaker; 2 x Bose RoomMatch RM7005 loudspeaker; 2 x Bose RoomMatch RM7005 loudspeaker; 2 x Bose RoomMatch 12020 loudspeaker; 4 x Bose RoomMatch RM7020 loudspeaker; 4 x Bose RoomMatch RM9040 loudspeaker; 2 x Bose RoomMatch RM5520 loudspeaker; 12 x Bose RoomMatch RMS215 subwoofer; 4 x Bose RoomMatch RMS218 VLF-subwoofer; 17 x Bose PowerMatch amplifier; 1 x Bose ControlSpace ESP-88 processor

LIGHTING

40 x Martin Professional Rush Par 1 lighting fixture; 7 x Martin Professional Rush MH1 Profile moving head; 27 x Martin Professional Rush MH2 wash moving head; 8 x Martin Professional Rush MH3 beam moving head; 8 x Martin Professional Atomic 3000 DMX strobe; 9 x Martin Professional LC2140 LED panel; 8 x Selecon Rama fresnel; 11 x Showtec Sunstrip Active DMX batten; 3 x Martin Professional Jem K1 hazer; 4 x MagicFX CO² jet sldrtt.se

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066 VENUE

RABBIT LAND In celebration of its 90th anniversary, Liseberg amusement park in Sweden has completely renovated its children’s area to create Rabbit Land, a 10,000 sq metre play area where children can interact with animals and rabbit-costumed actors. To carry the actors’ voices, sound effects, and incidental music throughout the park, system integrator, One Two Sales of Gothenburg has outfitted Rabbit Land with Meyer Sound’s D-Mitri digital audio platform and Meyer Sound self-powered loudspeakers discreetly placed throughout the area.

At the heart of the system is the D-Mitri platform, which provides all show control, audio playback, mixing, matrixing, and DSP functions using five processors. D-Mitri connects to six Meyer Sound UPJunior-XP VariO loudspeakers nestled in the park’s Rabbit Hills and Cupcake areas, with three Meyer Sound 500-HP subwoofers providing low end. In addition, seven Meyer Sound UP-4XP loudspeakers are mounted underneath the park’s monorail track to extend coverage and provide sound effects.

The system was designed and specified by Ola Lindstedt of One Two Sales in consultation with Dan Rigtorp, Liseberg’s Technical Director, who commented: “The D-Mitri platform contains all the necessities, including integrated Wild Tracks playback. We particularly like the fact that you can tailor the workspace on the iPad controller app to access the D-Mitri functions any way you like.

“We looked at other solutions, but decided on Meyer Sound for several reasons. It was important that the system provides clarity and covers a small footprint; Meyer Sound’s unique low-voltage solution is perfect for this. There’s no loud cabling and all you have is the actual power supplies, it makes it very simple to install. In addition, Meyer Sound offers us a single source for everything, including support and education.”

As with most projects, as time went on initial ideas developed and changed, as Dan explained: “Initially we had about 45 loudspeakers covering the whole area and five zones but budget constraints meant we had to reassess this. In the end we settled on two zones, but with the flexibility of adding more if we want to. We also had some considerations when looking at the placement of the loudspeakers underneath the monorail track as we weren’t sure how much noise

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it was going to make, but in the end it was fine as it really doesn’t make all that much noise.”

In addition to Wild Tracks playback of programmed music and effects, the system carries the live voices of rabbit-costumed actors who perform in interactive shows. The actors use six Shure ULX-D wireless microphones in conjunction with six channels of Shure PSM 1000 in-ear monitoring, which are used to time their antics with the Wild Tracks playback. A HP network with six WiFi access points allows total system control anywhere throughout the attraction.

The Rabbit Land development represents Liseberg’s largest single investment, with a total cost of just under SEK200m (about US$31m).

Established in 1923 and owned by the municipality of Gothenburg, Liseberg attracts about three million visitors annually with 40 rides and attractions.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND

6 x Meyer Sound UPJunior-XP VariO loudspeaker; 7 x Meyer Sound UP-4XP loudspeaker; 3 x Meyer Sound 500-HP subwoofer; 6 x Shure ULX-D wireless microphone; 6 x Shure PSM 1000 in-ear monitor liseberg.com

GOTHENBURG CITY THEATRE Gothenburg City Theatre is Sweden’s oldest city theatre and dates back to 1918. Inaugurated in 1934, today the theatre is housed at Götaplatsen and features elegant 1930s architecture, particularly in the audience areas. There are three theatres: the main stage that can host an audience of 580; the foyer stage which can seat up to 300 people; and the studio stage, which has a capacity of180. The theatre’s mission is to inspire, generate debate, entertain and provoke reflection and its two main stages feature a mixture of classic and contemporary repertoire from Sweden and abroad.

It is essential that the audio and lighting kit chosen for the theatre is able to accommodate for this varied mix of performances and that they are placed in the very best position to showcase each performance to its fullest. To ensure this, Gothenburg City Theatre received a massive refurbishment 14 years ago, which saw a new auditorium built inside the original, resulting in much better placement opportunities for both audio and lighting.

“The venue has been built specifically for theatrical performances,” said Henrik Eriksson, Service Engineer at Gothenburg City Theatre. “So, as far as the sound is concerned, we ensure it carries from the stage into the auditorium. The main issue for us is keeping the noise levels down from the moving heads, this is the main requirement when we look to new lighting fixtures.”

The lighting inventory at Gothenburg City Theatre is vast and is constantly being updated in order to keep up with the demanding performances. The most recent addition comes from Clay Paky in the form of 15 Alpha Profile 1200 moving heads and 25 A.leda Wash K10 light sources, the first fixture from Clay Paky to use LEDs as light sources.

“We have been using Clay Paky for the last 13 years,” said Henrik. “We needed to replace some of the fixtures to get the noise levels down even further and we also needed a more flexible stage because we are hosting everything from a theatrical performance to a musical, to a rock show. It took us a little time but we found what we were looking for in Clay Paky - it was the only manufacturer that matched our specifications.

“The big advantage of the Clay Paky K10’s is that each colour can be controlled separately and it uses a low amount of power. Instead of using 10 regular lighting fixtures we can use two or three K10’s and you can move them around easily, it makes a real difference.”

TECHNICAL INFORMATION LIGHTING

15 x Clay Paky Alpha Profile 1200 moving head; 25 x Clay Paky A.leda Wash K10 lighting fixture www.stadsteatern.goteborg.se

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AUDIORAMA Audiorama in Stockholm is Sweden’s first ‘listening venue’, providing visitors the opportunity to listen to music, sound art and ear plays.

It is a specially designed acoustical space where the audience is surrounded by 21 loudspeakers from floor to ceiling.

The venue functions as a sound art gallery with a walking audience, as well as a room for seminars and private events. Some of the concerts and ear plays are presented with a sitting audience on chairs, while events for children might mean relaxing on pillows on the soft floor - one notable difference about the space compared with other performance venues, is that there isn’t a stage.

Magnus Bunnskog, Creative Producer and Composer at Audiorama, told mondo*dr: “The concept was to create a space for people working in the arts to develop new ideas and to connect with others in the industry.

“While the idea of sound art has been around for some time we’re really trying to push the concept forward and it’s starting to evolve now.

The big challenge is getting people to understand what it is we’re presenting here, people are surprised when they get here - it’s quite difficult to explain the experience they’re going to get until they see it for themselves. We were trying to find a suitable space for about four years until we found this venue and once we found the space we brought in an acoustic designer who did an amazing job, developing a floating floor and so on, even the paint is absorbent - you can speak forever in here, it is a really comfortable room to work with, you never

have to raise your voice.

The sound system installed at Audiorama consists of eight Genelec 8260A minimum diffraction coaxial DSP-based monitors; five Genelec 8240A DSP-based two way system loudspeakers; four Genelec 7260B DSP-based subwoofers and four Genelec 8130A two-way analogue loudspeakers, while playback, editing and recording is provided by Avid Pro Tools.

The room is not only equipped with an advanced sound rig, but also a detailed and programmable light system, which changes the room during performances. “The lighting used for the space complements the mood of the audio,” said Magnus. “An LED system is used which is controlled by Pro Tools and you can really compose with the light in the room. We did a project for children recently, which followed the story of ‘Journey to the Centre of the Earth’ and it was interesting to see the children’s reaction to the lighting and sound.”

TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND

8 x Genelec 8260A loudspeaker; 5 x Genelec 8240A loudspeaker; 4 x Genelec 7260B loudspeaker; 4 x Genelec 8130A loudspeaker; 1 x Avid Pro Tools by Avid audio production platform www.audiorama.se

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LONDON COLLEGE OF MUSIC LONDON, UK

EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA Every so often a new technical infrastructure appears in the firmament which provides immeasurable optimism that our industry will be passed safely down to the next generation.

It’s little surprise that we find ourselves in the academic performance world, but the real revelation is that it is in an unassuming building in a leafy London suburb. It is at the University of West London’s Ealing campus that the London College of Music, billed as the largest spe-

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cialist music and performing arts institution in the UK, can be found.

There were few hints of what treasures the Lawrence Hall, the hub of the performance space, holds as we negotiated the corridors to the North Building - saved for the consummate music, recording and sound reinforcement knowledge that pours forth from the day’s escort Andrew Bourbon, Senior Lecturer in Music Technology.

A self-confessed ‘tone’ freak, studio engineer Andrew achieved his PhD in Composition from Birmingham University, he then moved to work as a lecturer for seven years at Birmingham City University before relocating to Ealing two years ago. With an energised and infectious enthusiasm, Andrew quickly filled in the detail on how this

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CLIVE WILSON DISCOVERED HOW ITALIAN DESIGN IS PROVIDING THE STUDENTS OF LONDON COLLEGE OF MUSIC WITH THE TOOLS TO GET AHEAD IN THE ARTS.

recent ÂŁ350,000 technical overhaul, masterminded with colleague Richard Liggins, Specialist Subject Resource & Technical Manager, took shape.

The tools they have given their students to work with are both inventive and far from what one might expect.

Although used for Performance, Music Technology, Composition, Musical Theatre and Music Theatre up to BA, the new three-year module in Live Sound Production, has already been proving popular.

The course covers everything from lighting and sound through to music management and touring logistics, and other music industry topics such as contract law. It’s a small wonder that industry professionals are lining up to support this initiative.

The first phase of a multi-part project - with the new Heart space and theatre still to be built for the next academic year - was nothing but a fast fit, and Richard wisely brought in experienced theatre consultant / integrator Kave Theatre Services to write the specification and work

with main building contractor, Willmott Dixon.

Interestingly, for a versatile sound reinforcement system that matched performance with budget, they turned to an unlikely source in FBT, an Italian manufacturer, that despite having celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, has only had a UK base for two years, under Managing Director, Mark Parkhouse.

Kave helped organise a demonstration at a local Horsham school, which was all the convincing Andrew required. As a result, two hangs of five process-controlled FBT Mitus 206LA compact line array elements - on Neutrik powerCON connectors - were specified. These feature two B&C 6.5-inch woofers and 1.4-inch exit compression horn with a 1.7-inch coil. Also in the hangs are two FBT Mitus 212FSA subwoofers either side, with a pair of FBT Mitus 118SA groundstacked subwoofers.

Andrew had considered more household brands but was mindful both of the heavy utilisation of the system and the need for flexibility

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Andrew Bourbon, Senior Lecturer in Music Technology at London College of Music

VIDEO CONTENT

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within a scalable system, since it would be used by drama students and jazz and pop musicians as well as for classical recitals. The provision of a tilt bar, the fact that he could easily change the gain structure via the eight built in presets provided a further compelling reason and the fact that it was perfectly matched for a teaching school. “We made our mind up there and then,” Andrew said.

Next came the choice of measurement tools, such as EASE Focus to optimise the system as well as d&b audiotechnik ArrayCalc and WaveCapture’s Live-Capture Pro - a PC-based software tool for real-time live sound measurements, optimised for FOH use.

The senior lecturer was also impressed with the quality of FBT’s floor monitors and eight Mitus 210MA low profile stage monitors are available for reference sound as required, although since this is a teaching facility there is also scope for students to enter the new world of personal in-ear monitors, under close supervision. “As we often work with noisy bands carrying a lot of backline, we were blown away by these stage monitors,” he said.

For the mixing platform, DiGiCo was the preferred choice - selected for its ubiquity in theatres. Networking is via Focusrite RedNet Ethernet based system, which converts the MADI signals from the DiGiCo SD9T and SD11 digital consoles to Dante and streams them to 23 Mac Lab studios - and three teaching studios - running Avid Pro Tools HDX on the Macs, another piece of inventive specification, with so many recording suites as well as other production and rehearsal rooms.

“We were totally focused on what we wanted and chose just that - rather than taking product just because it was being offered,” emphasised Andrew.

“For instance we went to DiGiCo because when you look at West End Theatre, its desks are everywhere. The SD9T with the theatre software is invaluable while the SD11 we use as a monitor / porta-

TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND 10 x FBT Mitus 206LA loudspeaker; 8 x FBT Mitus 210MA loudspeaker; 2 x FBT Vertus CLA604SA loudspeaker; 4 x FBT Mitus 212FSA subwoofer; 2 x FBT Mitus 118SA subwoofer; 2 x FBT Vertus CLA208SA subwoofer; 1 x DiGiCo SD9 mixing desk; 1 x DiGiCo SD11 mixing desk lighting 12 x ETC Source Four Fresnel lighting fixture; 10 x ETC Source Four Par lighting fixture; 8 x ETC Source Four Jr Zoom lighting fixture; 4 x Robe Robin 300 LEDWash lighting fixture; 2 x Robe Robin 300E Wash moving head; 2 x Robe Robin 300E Profile moving head; 6 x Chauvet Professional COLORado Batten 144 Tour; 1 x ETC Ion lighting desk; 18 x Litec QD30S HD 29cm square truss - three metres; 4 x Litec QD30S HD 29cm square truss - 2.5-metres; 2 x Litec QD30S HD 29cm square truss - one metres; J&C Joel Triple E curtain tracks and drapes www.uwl.ac.uk

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SU Bar

ble console with a DiGiCo Little Red Box splitter, so we can use one as a master and one as a monitor, sharing the same multicore.”

Visually the installation required the same flexibility, since the room - an archetypal ‘black box’, which can be purpose designed to suite the event, also hosts fashion shows. The impending arrival of black acoustic theatre drapes will do little to alleviate this.

The overhead rectangular Litec single box truss provides a fixed but versatile grid which allows ‘in the round’ presentations as well as conventional theatre format, when retractable seating at the rear allows them to introduce around 112 seats on motors.

The lighting therefore, has to be used creatively depending on circumstance. Kave chose a mixture of classic generics like the ETC Source Four PARs and fresnels, Robe Robin 300E moving heads and Robe Robin 300 LEDWash moving heads, as well as some Chauvet Professional COLORado Batten 144 Tours, which are generally used as cyc lights. This is all run off an ETC Ion lighting console and powered by an ETC Sensor 3 dimmer rack.

The fact that the college takes its equipment seriously is exemplified by the fact that it carries Sennheiser 300 Series wireless systems, FBT portable Vertus loudspeakers, Nexo PS10-R2 loudspeakers and LS400 sub bass units among its hire stock - provided by its own Media Resource Centre. In fact they are presently out with two theatre shows - in both the Watermans Arts Centre, Brentford and Charing Cross Theatre, the latter staging the world premiere of the musical, Bel-Ami. Summing up, both Andrew and Richard seem delighted with their new technology infrastructure - particularly the versatility offered by the FBT Mitus. “We wanted people to be able to walk into a highly specified theatre space, and that’s what we have achieved,” said Andrew.

“The FBT system in particular is proving popular with the students.

We assessed the time alignment and it’s perfect. The group delay is much lower and it’s fast, which is why we use Live-Capture Pro. The result is a very coherent system and the fact that the FBT 118SA has a preset for multiple boxes means we can create a broadside

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“The FBT system in particular is proving popular with the students.

We assessed the time alignment and it’s perfect.

The group delay is much lower and it’s fast, which is why we use LiveCapture Pro.

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FRANÇAIS

Au campus Ealing de l’Université de Thames Valley se trouve le London College of Music (LCM), considérée comme la plus grande institution des arts de la scène et de la musique spécialisée au Royaume-Uni. Andrew Bourbon, Maître de conférences en technologie musicale explique comment la récente refonte technique de 350 000 £ qu’il a orchestrée avec son collègue Richard Liggins, Directeur technique et des ressources de réserve spécialisées a été menée. La première phase de ce projet à volets multiples n’était qu’un ajustement rapide et Liggins a judicieusement invité les consultants/intégrateurs expérimentés de Kave Theatre Services pour rédiger le cahier des charges et travailler avec le principal entrepreneur en construction, Willmott Dixon. Fait intéressant, pour trouver un système audio polyvalent faisant correspondre performance et budget, les deux spécialistes se sont tournés vers une source improbable, FBT. Les services KAVE ont organisé une manifestation dans une école d’Horsham, fournissant ainsi tous les arguments convaincants dont Andrew Bourbon avait besoin pour aller de l’avant, et puisqu’une préférence pour la table de mixage DiGiCo a été exprimée, une SD9 et une SD11 sont installées au LCM. Le caisson unique de la poutre rectangulaire Litec fournit une grille fixe, mais polyvalente sur laquelle KAVE a monté un ensemble d’appareils génériques classiques : un châssis ETC Source Four PARs et des lentilles de Fresnel, des lyres Robe et quelques herses Chauvet Professional généralement utilisées comme lampes cyclorama. Tous ces équipements sont gérés à partir d’une console d’éclairage ETC Ion et sont alimentés par un capteur de gradateur ETC 3.

DEUTSCH

Im Ealing Campus der University of West London, befindet sich das Londoner College of Music (LCM), das als das beste Institut für spezielle Musik und darstellende Künste in GB gilt. Andrew Bourbon, Senior Lecturer für Musiktechnologie, hat erklärt, wie diese kürzlich durchgeführte technische Überholung für 350.000 £ unter der Leitung seines Kollegen Richard Liggins (Spezialist für das Fach Ressourcen und technischer Leiter), Form angenommen hat. Die erste Phase dieses mehrteiligen Projekts war nichts weiter als eine schnelle Reparatur und Liggins führte vernünftigerweise den erfahrenen Theaterberater/ Integrator KAVE Theatre Services für die Spezifikationen ein, die mit den wichtigsten Bauunternehmer, Willmott Dixon, zusammenarbeiten sollten. Interessanterweise wandten sie sich für ein vielseitiges Beschallungssystem, das gleichzeitig leistungsstark und kostengünstig zu sein hatte, an eine eher unwahrscheinliche Quelle, FBT. KAVE half bei der Organisation einer Demonstration in einer lokalen Horsham Schule, die alles hatte, was der überzeugende Andrew Bourbon benötigte. Da die Mixing-Plattform DiGiCo die bevorzugte Wahl war, sind im LCM ein SD9 und ein SD11 untergebracht. Der rechteckige Litec-Single-Box-Overhead-Träger verschafft ein festes aber vielseitiges Gitter, in das KAVE eine Mischung aus Klassikern wie den ETC Source Four PARs und Fresnels, Moving Heads von Robe und einige Chauvet Professional Leisten, die normalerweise als CycLights benutzt werden, montierte. Gesteuert wird alles von einem ETC Ion Lichtpult und gepowert von einem ETC Sensor 3 Dimmer Rack.

ITALIANO

cardioid array. It’s really a plug and play system and because we can directly address the system from the console we can use the matrix outputs to control the sub levels.”

The decision to specify DiGiCo has also paid of, he said. “While the console represents an analogue mentality - and we have provided an analogue outboard rack - it’s also fascinating to hear the emulations.

I want students to be able able to compare what they hear in the studio with the speed of live sound.”

Meanwhile, development continues apace - both in the premier tracking and mixing room, Vestry Hall Studio 1, and at the other end of the scale in Freddie’s Bar, which also hosts entertainment and events, and was installed at the same time by Kave.

The company’s Sales Manager & Project Engineer, Michael Mackie-Smith, is also delighted by the implementation and commented: “We have provided the facility with a lot of flexibility. In addition to the Lawrence Hall and Student Union bar we have equipped the café and gym, and provided a lot of analogue and digital tie lines and relays.”

And with the new system commissioned, attention will soon turn to the next phase of development at this remarkable facility.

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Presso l’Università Ealing campus, situata nella parte ovest di Londra, si può trovare il London College of Music ( LCM ), annunciato come il più grande istituto specializzato in musica e recitazione del Regno Unito. Andrew Bourbon, professore ordinario di tecnologia musicale, ha spiegato come ha preso forma questa recente revisione tecnica di £ 350,000 , ideata e diretta con il collega Richard Liggins (specialista di settore e direttore tecnico ). La prima fase di un progetto suddiviso in più parti era solo una formalità e Liggins è stato sapientemente portato a scriverne le specifiche e a lavorare con uno dei principali imprenditori edili Willmott Dixon grazie all’esperto consulente cinematografico KAVE Theatre Services. È interessante notare che per un sistema versatile di amplificazione sonora che abbia un buon rapporto qualità-prezzo si sia rivolto ad una fonte improbabile, FBT. KAVE ha contribuito a organizzare una manifestazione in una scuola locale di Horsham, su richiesta convincente di Andrew Bourbon. Se la piattaforma di miscelazione DiGiCo era la prescelta, SD9 e SD11 hanno preso il suo posto presso il LCM. La parte superiore del singolo traliccio dell’americana Litec fornisce una griglia fissa, ma versatile su cui KAVE ha montato dei semplici proiettori parabolici PAR della ETC e dei proiettori fresnel, proiettori a testa mobile della Robe e alcune luci cambiacolori Chauvet Professional, che sono generalmente utilizzate come luci cyclorama. Tutto questo è diretto da un mixer luci ETC Ion e alimentato da un sensore ETC 3 dimmer rack.

ESPAÑOL

En el campus Ealing de la Universidad de West London, se encuentra la London College of Music (LCM), perfilada como la institución más grande especialista en las artes musicales y de interpretación en el Reino Unido. Andrew Bourbon, Profesor Titular en Tecnología de la Música, explicó cómo tomó forma esta reciente reparación técnica por £350,000, dirigida con el colega Richard Liggins (Especialista en Recursos y Gerente Técnico). La primera fase de un proyecto con partes múltiples no fue otra cosa que una rápida instalación y Liggins inteligentemente convocó a KAVE Theatre Services, consultores/ integradores experimentados en teatro, para delinear las especificaciones y para trabajar con los constructores principales del edificio, Willmott Dixon. De manera interesante, para un sistema de refuerzo de sonido versátil en el que conjugaran bien la performance con el presupuesto, se inclinaron por una fuente improbable, FBT. KAVE colaboró con la organización de una demostración en una escuela local de Horsham, lo que resultó sumamente convincente para Andrew Bourbon. Dado que la plataforma para mezcla DiGiCo era la opción preferida, en LCM se encuentra una SD9 y una SD11. La estructura rectangular Litec que está por encima provee un enrejado fijo pero versátil en el que KAVE montó una mezcla de genéricos clásicos como el ETC Source Four PARs y fresnels, cabezales móviles Robe y algunos listones Chauvet Professional, los que generalmente se utilizan como luces para cicloramas. Todo esto funciona con una consola para iluminación ETC Ion con tecnología de un panel de control de luces ETC Sensor 3.

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The Pioneer Pro Audio flagship system comprises the GS-Wave series 3-meter dance floor stack with GSA technology and the XY series in-fill speakers, all powered by Powersoft’s high-performance K-Series amps with built-in DSP. This comprehensive line up guarantees versatile installations that deliver optimum sound and complete coverage throughout venues of every shape and size.

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TOULOUSE

L’ESMÉRALDA NEW PRODUCTS ARE HOT PROPERTY, EVERYONE WANTS A PIECE OF THE ACTION AND TO BE THE FIRST TO INSTALL A NEW PRODUCT IS A HIGH PRIORITY. L’ESMERALDA WON THE HONOUR OF BEING THE FIRST VENUE IN FRANCE TO INSTALL A JBL MARQUIS DANCE CLUB SERIES SYSTEM.

toulouse, france

EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA Occupying the space that was formerly Aqualand but not stepping into the same guise, L’Esmeralda in Toulouse is the first installation of the JBL Marquis Dance Club Series in France. The audio renovation was matched with an injection of lighting and effects that harmonises the entire atmosphere of the venue.

Directors of L’Esmeralda, Rene Viteur and Bernard Vernet contacted Philippe Nozeran of Dealight Concepts to complete the new fit out. Working as an approved installer for JBL products, Philippe knew the Marquis Dance Club Series would be the ideal solution for the club and set about trying to source the equipment, which had become difficult due the reorganisation of the JBL distribution in France. CSI, SCV HiTech and SCV Audio - the Harman distributor - joined together to form a one-stop-shop under parent company Freevox. However, once Philippe had made contact with Laurent Delenclos, Technical Director at SCV Audio the design began to take shape.

Having already put together a Marquis demonstration in Monaco, Laurent was well poised to carry out technical support for the system at L’Esmeralda. For the main PA, Philippe and Laurent installed a cluster either side of the DJ booth, each of which comprise a JBL Marquis MD2 bi-amplified loudspeaker flanked by

MD3 JBL Marquis low frequency loudspeakers. At the foot of the DJ booth four JBL Marquis MD7 long excursion subwoofers are placed side by side in order to produce homogeneous sound. The three elements combined provide a high energy five-way dance system that produces exceptional fidelity, clarity, and purity across the entire dancefloor. “It is remarkable that even at 15-metres away, the impact of the subwoofer is still felt,” said Jean Michel Lafaille, a entertainment specialist who got involved with the project. “The MD7 subwoofers do not require a huge amount of power as they feature plenty of low level dynamics on their own.”

The PA is powered by five Crown I-Tech 4x3500HD amplifiers, which adhere to the parameters of the system and take care of the filtering requirements. Laurent commented: “The Crown I-Tech 4x3500HD amplifier is one of the most powerful four channel models available on the market. The I-Class amplifiers feature differential drive technology which offers a number of advantages.”

Each pair of JBL Marquis MD3 enclosures has been assigned two amplifier channels, while there are a further two channels for each of the JBL Marquis MD2 loudspeakers. “It is possible to systematically control the amplifiers, view the groups that have been created for each section of the sound system and adjust the equalisation if necessary,” continued Laurent. “The current configuration means there is a spare amplifier channel per side, which could be utilised in the future, should more loudspeakers be added.”

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Photos © Alain-Marc Malga

Optimising the system took place with the assistance of a RME sound card, HiQnet Audio Architect configuration software and analyser software to determine the system measurements. “We have put together an interface detailing a back-up configuration, which kicks in should the main system fail,” Laurent explained.

Aside from the main PA, fills have been placed around the perimeter of the dancefloor and in the seating areas. A total of 12 ElectroVoice ZX1 full range loudspeakers - offering smooth and wide frequency response - and eight Electro-Voice Sx300 compact loudspeakers were deemed the best products for the job. These work in combination with two Electro-Voice TX1181 subwoofers, which extend the low frequency range of the fills. The Electro-Voice package is completed by four CP4000S Class-H amplifiers - which are capable of 1,200W per channel into two ohms - and an ElectroVoice DC-One processor for loudspeaker management control.

To ensure the club had a brand new identity It was also important to make an impact on the lighting front and a total of 12 PR Lighting XL 250 moving heads overlook the central dancefloor, their economical design made them a favourable choice, as well as the fact that they were simple and straightforward to install and when in operation produce minimal noise. Also placed around the dancefloor but at a slightly lower level are 12 ADJ DJ Scan 250 EX scanners, which offer a number of effects thanks to their 11 colour plus white colour wheel, 10 gobos plus spot gobo wheel, 15º beam angle and fast strobing abilities. Two Martin Professional Atomic 3000 DMX strobes, four Starway Funstrip LED battens and three Cittadini lasers complete the line-up.

Two Nicolaudie Sunlite2-EC interfaces that operate in conjunction with Sunlite Suite 2 software have been specified for lighting

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control, while two Pangolin Quick Show software packages feed the lasers with instructions.

Reinventing an existing space is never an easy task, as there is no escape from comparisons, however, being the flagship venue in France for the JBL Marquis Dance Club Series is a prestigious title to hold and it sets L’Esmeralda in good stead for attracting Toulouse’s hard-core clubbers.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND 2 x JBL Marquis MD2 bi-amplified loudspeaker; 4 x MD3 JBL Marquis low frequency loudspeaker; 4 x JBL Marquis MD7 subwoofer; 5 x Crown I-Tech 4x3500HD amplifier; 12 x ElectroVoice ZX1 full range loudspeaker; 8 x Electro-Voice Sx300 loudspeaker; 2 x Electro-Voice TX1181 subwoofer; 1 x ElectroVoice DC-One processor; 4 x Electro-Voice CP4000S amplifier; 3 x Pioneer CDJ-2000 Nexus multiplayers; 2 x Pioneer DJM900 Nexus mixer; 1 x Pioneer RMX-1000 remix station; Shure microphones lighting & effects 12 x PR Lighting XL 250 moving head; 12 x ADJ DJ Scan 250 EX scanner; 2 x Martin Professional Atomic 3000 DMX strobe; 4 Starway Funstrip LED batten; 2 x Nicolaudie Sunlite Suite2-EC software package; 2 x Cittadini green laser; 1 x Cittadini colour laser; 2 x Pangolin Quick Show software package www.esmeralda-discotheque.com

Great dance club design begins and ends with massive, captivating sound that is felt as much as it is heard. The Marquis Dance Club Series brings the passion that JBL engineers have for sound directly to the dance floor, saturating the entire environment with high energy, irresistible movement and an unforgettable experience.

Marquis Dance Club Series comprises eight powerful multi-way systems and subwoofer models that combine JBL’s extraordinary sound, proven reliability and breakthrough technology with striking architectural design and versatile configurability. With the Marquis Dance Club Series, JBL Professional takes a giant step onto the dance floor. jblpro.com/Marquis

Š 2011 JBL Professional

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VENDÉSPACE VIDEO CONTENT

LA ROCHE-SUR-YON, FRANCE EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA

Multi-purpose venues are very much the norm these days, due to the different forms of entertainment available diversifying our enjoyment threshold. Any given performing arts venue can be expected to cater for theatrical plays, musicals, opera concerts and rock ‘n’ roll tours all in one space. However, combining a sports arena with a classical music hall, and all the technological differences that go along with it, is a juxtaposition that is less common, yet it is exactly what has been achieved at Vendéspace in La Roche-sur-Yon, France.

Vendéspace takes its name from the Vendée area in which the venue is located, a region that is well-known around the world, primarily due to the annual Vendee Globe boat race. With this in mind, a keen interest in sport in the area is plain to see, but the need for a purpose built sporting arena and a large performance venue has been something the town has craved for a long time.

The project was put out to tender for design and specification and after three rounds of proceedings the design for Vendéspace was awarded to famed French architect, Paul Chemetov. Consulting firm, Peutz France was brought in as part of the design team and to help draft the programme for construction. Peutz France was also asked to prescribe the necessary specifications regarding sound insulation and internal acoustics as well as the mechanical equipment.

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Marc Asselineau head of the Peutz France team said: “This project features a dojo - a room or hall in which judo and other martial arts are practised - a sport hall, and a large multipurpose hall. The latter was to deal with very different kinds of performances, from indoor sport to opera through to pop or symphonic music. Due to this complexity, variable acoustics were required from the start.

“Most multi-purpose venues provide slight acoustic differences between shows as similar as theatre and opera, but certainly not as different as sports and symphonic music.” Flexibility was key, as there were many staging options. The stage could be located along the small side or along the large side, it could also be implemented in the middle of the hall or it could feature an orchestra pit. “It was a difficult acoustical challenge with the multiple staging and seating configurations,” continued Marc.

The large multipurpose hall, known as the Grand Hall has been designed as an acoustically dead space for when it is in use for amplified music, yet when enhanced ambience is needed for concerts and sporting events, active acoustics are used.

On the hunt to find the correct sound system for the job, Marc and his team - which included Martin Morillon, Vendéspace Director - met with several providers of acoustic enhancement systems, however, it wasn’t until a major acoustic international conference was held in Paris that one manufacturer in particular took full notice of the brief and was confident it could deliver that brief. “John Pellowe of Meyer Sound was at the acoustic international conference, listened with

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interest to our quest, and launched himself enthusiastically in the design of a system suitable for the Vendéspace project,” continued Marc.

Shortly after, Marc and Martin travelled to Laboral Teatreo in Spain to listen to a Meyer Sound Constellation system in application. Martin said: “We listened to a chamber music rehearsal. In such a large space, we were amazed at the acoustics, balance, and volume of the music coming from only five instruments.” The trip was arranged

by Meyer Sound’s French distributor, Best Audio, the company that went on to design the PA and provide support for the Vendéspace project - while the Constellation system was designed by the Constellation team comprising John Pellowe, Freddy Meyer and Roger Schwenke.

A total of 58 Meyer Sound Ultra Series loudspeakers, 12 Meyer Sound subwoofers and 48 distributed microphones - for sensing the ambient physical acoustics - are deployed for the Constellation set-

up. The system includes 36 Meyer Sound UPJ-1P compact VariO loudspeakers, eight Meyer Sound M1D-Sub ultra compact subwoofers and 32 cardioid microphones for the ceiling system; three rows of four Meyer Sound UPM-1P wide coverage loudspeakers and four cardioid microphones above the stage; 10 Meyer Sound UP-Junior ultra compact VariO loudspeakers and four Meyer Sound UMS-1P subwoofer onstage. A Meyer Sound D-Mitri digital audio platform with five Meyer Sound VRAS processors are in place for each distinct reverberation zone. Marc said: “The Meyer Sound D-Mitri digital audio platform and VRAS processors were quite adapted to the kind of flexible installation we were considering. In addition, they left the door opens for future enhancements.

“Constellation was an excellent solution for Vendéspace, as it does not introduce any coloration into the sound. It was also the most economical option, and it has demonstrated that it can cope with the extreme variability of event staging.”

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The installation in the Grand Hall has more seating capacity than any other Constellation project to date, it provides 4,100 seats for sporting events such as basketball, while other entertainment events can employ either longitudinal or transverse staging. The venue’s transverse ‘lyric’ configuration seats about 2,300 for classical music concerts, or the venue can accommodate up to 4,900 fans for amplified music.

The Constellation system is active in concert mode, classic mode or opera mode, however, for amplified events there is an additional PA, which was designed and specified by Best Audio’s, Cyril Ubersfeld and was installed by Parisian-based Tech Audio. The PA comprises 18 Meyer Sound Mica line array loudspeakers, eight Meyer Sound JM-1P arrayable loudspeakers, and eight Meyer Sound 700-HP subwoofers split evenly left and right of the stage. The PA is connected to a Yamaha M7CL digital mixing console plus a stage box, which are linked via an Ethersound network. The console can take up many positions within the venue depending on application. The Mica loudspeaker arrays can also be hung underneath the retractable cen-

Most multi-purpose venues provide slight acoustic differences between shows as similar as theatre and opera, but certainly not as different as sports and symphonic music.” tre scoreboard if required for high-volume sporting events, in which case the Constellation system can then be used as an additional effect.

Cyril commented: “The main challenge was the tuning of the system and finding a dedicated time for the Meyer Sound team to be able to match the sound output with the acoustical treatment in a space that wasn’t silent due to building work still taking place. The final setup was completed with the help of the Vendee Orchestra, and they were all amazed by the natural effect of the Constellation.”

Marc agreed with this opinion, yet concluded on the project in a different way, he said: “Architects can often be difficult to work with, especially when compromises have to be reached due to technical or financial reasons. I absolutely want to express my respect and admiration to Vincent Breton from Chemetov architectural agency, who had the very difficult task of herding the construction part of the project and did it so efficiently, yet very kindly.”

TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND

36 x Meyer Sound UPJ-1P compact VariO loudspeaker; 8 x Meyer Sound M1D-Sub ultra compact subwoofer; 12 x Meyer Sound UPM-1P wide coverage loudspeaker; 10 x Meyer Sound UP-Junior ultra compact VariO loudspeaker; 4 x Meyer Sound UMS-1P subwoofer; 1 x Meyer Sound D-Mitri digital audio platform; 5 x Meyer Sound D-Mitri VRAS processor; 48 x distributed microphones; 18 x Meyer Sound Mica line array loudspeaker; 8 x Meyer Sound JM-1P arrayable loudspeaker; 8 x Meyer Sound 700-HP subwoofers; 1 x Yamaha M7CL digital mixing console plus stage box http://vendespace.vendee.fr

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Pub_Mondo_333x236_11-13_StarWay_Mise en page 1 29/11/13 09:45 Page1

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HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN LONDON, UK

EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA When you bring together one of the UK’s most forward thinking entertainment groups and one of London’s most fashionable boroughs, the level of expectation on a venue is always going to be pretty high.

Such was the case with Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen, one of the MAMA Group’s most popular live music venues.

The group itself is a live venue and artist management company that owns and operates a number of live music venues and festivals in the UK, with a portfolio that includes six London venues and four regional venues: The Forum in Kentish Town, The Borderline, The Jazz Cafe, The Garage in Islington, The Barfly; The Institute in Birmingham, The Picture House in Edinburgh, The Ritz in Manchester and East Village Arts Club in Liverpool. The latest addition to its successful staple is Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen, a 450-capacity live music venue, bar

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and restaurant, situated in the heart of Shoreditch, London.

Before the MAMA Group took ownership, the venue already had a glowing reputation from the cool set in London, an underground haven where the best new bands from across the world would come and tear it up on the small stage, a place where you saw the next best thing and were seen doing so. In short, it was a reputation of a particular kind of quality that many felt couldn’t be improved upon.

But MAMA Group has, with the help of audio solutions from TC Group brands, Tannoy and Lab.gruppen.

One of the Hoxton originals, Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen is a multi-room venue, with a main bar, a second bar and restaurant area, and then the venue itself providing a separate space for live music and club nights. With that kind of multi-purpose usage and a quality

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reputation to uphold, the MAMA Group’s Head of Property Archie McIntosh called upon the expertise of Andy Huffer and the team at HD Pro Audio team to overhaul the audio system and provide something to cater for every use, whether that be background music in the bar or restaurant, or a full band in the venue room.

“We have worked with Archie for a number of years on various projects, so when he approached us with a new venue he wanted to overhaul we knew that we had to find a solution that worked in terms of power, reliability, aesthetics and budget,” Andy said.

TC Group’s UK Sales Manager Paul McMullan has worked with Archie for more than 10 years on various projects, and commented that a focus on providing the best in-house production as possible has always been his absolute top priority. “Although Hoxton is a lot more intimate than some of Archie’s other projects, this is certainly no exception,” he said.

Working in conjunction with Paul, Andy and the team at HD Pro Audio were able to design a main PA system around Tannoy’s VQ Series, Tannoy’s large-format, high SPL performance audio loudspeaker system designed for any application where precise directional control, outstanding sonic performance, and high SPL’s are critical issues; perfect, in other words, for a leading live music venue like Hoxton. At the heart of VQ Series is a patented point-source horn-loaded transducer design. Tannoy’s unique approach in keeping what is effectively a dual concentric behind a single horn gives VQ many performance advantages, including sound quality, accuracy and control of coverage.

The PA in the main venue is involves a pair of Tannoy VQ 100 loudspeakers, with low-end reinforcement provided by an accompanying pair of Tannoy VS 218DR bass enclosures. Monitoring comes courtesy of seven Tannoy VX 15HP loudspeakers - tuned for live use - and one Tannoy VSX 15DR loudspeaker.

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“We arrived at the optimum solution possible in terms of a PA in the venue, which has already proved to be a great choice,” Andy said.

“The VQ 100 is just the perfect box for that space. It handles everything, from live music to club nights, and just pumps it out.”

For the amplification, it was Lab.gruppen’s flagship PLM Series that was chosen, with a PLM 20000Q and a PLM 10000Q powering the main rig. Of course, each PLM Series amplifier comes integrated with Dante networked audio distribution and industry renowned Lake processing, as well as load verification with real-time performance monitoring, providing installers with an incredible set of tools for any size of installation, large or small.

Since the wedges didn’t need such power, Andy settled on another Lab.gruppen solution, this time choosing the company’s latest platform, the IPD Series. At the heart of the IPD platform is a latest-generation DSP engine equipped with up to a total of 40 real-time, multi-slope parametric EQs along with adjustable gain, input and output delay, and both high- and low-pass filters adjustable to any frequency. These affordable, 1U amplifiers also come with an IPD LoadLibrary, a collection of Lab.gruppen released presets - for quick configuration and optimisation of a wide range of loudspeaker systems, both generic and popular brand models.

“We used the onboard DSP to set them up, and it was great. Really easy to control and configure,” commented Andy. “But to be honest, at that price point, I would spec IPD Series even if it didn’t have that DSP on board. They are 1U, you have a two by 600W and two by 1200W version, so they are already right up there with the choices of mid-priced, high quality amplifiers. The onboard DSP is just the icing on the cake really.”

A Behringer X32 is the console of choice at FOH, and system control for the venue is achieved via a Symetrix Solus 8 processor with an ARC-2e wall control interface - for the restaurant and bar area, a

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dbx ZonePro 640 processor does the job.

The venue looks as impressive as it sounds thanks to some stateof-the art Chauvet Professional lighting fixtures, courtesy of Utopium Lighting, which is another one of MAMA Group’s trusted and longtime suppliers.

In terms of loudspeakers and amplifiers for the restaurant and bar, it was more TC Group solutions that entered the fray, as Paul McMullan commented: “The cafe and bar area is serviced with Tannoy’s Di Series, which uses the very best dual concentric driver technology, resulting in a very pleasant BGM system with the power to cut through crowd noise on the rowdier bar nights. That end of the overall system is powered by Lab.gruppen E Series, which is an ultra-efficient, Energy Star qualified amplifier platform that is just perfect for a venue like Hoxton Square.” In total, 12 Tannoy Di 8DC loudspeakers were installed in the restaurant and bar, along with three Lab.gruppen E 8:2 amplifiers, while the existing dbx ZonePro digital zone processor was retained.

Commenting on the use of Lab.gruppen technology, Andy said: “We have used Lab.gruppen amplifiers quite a lot in the past, and always found them to be very reliable and great sounding amplifiers. Maybe in the past things like C Series may have been slightly out of some people’s budgets, but now with the E Series and IPD Series, we are specifying Lab.gruppen a lot more. The price point for those units makes that kind of Lab.gruppen quality a lot more affordable.”

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In conclusion, the new look Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen builds on the reputation of the site and the reputation of the owners MAMA Group. Through inspired design, the right personnel, and some of the very best products, the locals of Shoreditch are now enjoying a stateof-the-art venue that surpasses expectation. That’s thanks, in part, to the people and products involved, as Andy testified. “From our perspective, TC Group was a great company to work with. It has the perfect combination of great products and great people, which are all essential for a project like this to be successful.”

TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND

2 x Tannoy VQ 100 loudspeaker; 2 x Tannoy VS 218DR bass enclosure; 7 x Tannoy VX 15HP loudspeaker; 1 x Tannoy VSX 15DR loudspeaker; 12 x Tannoy Di 8DC loudspeaker; 1 x Lab. gruppen PLM 20000Q amplifier; 1 x Lab.gruppen PLM 10000Q amplifier; 3 x Lab.gruppen E 8:2 amplifier; 1 x Behringer X32 mixing desk; 1 x Symetrix Solus 8 control; 1 x dbx ZonePro 640 digital zone processor mamacolive.com/hoxton

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PRYZM bristol, uk

EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA With Peter Johansen at the helm, SGM has come a long way since the buyout in 2011. It has moved its operation from Italy to Denmark, set up a number of new distribution partners around the globe and has presented the lighting market with some innovative new products.

Thanks to their flexibility, the SGM LD-5 LED domes can be categorised as such and have been making a name for themselves in venues around the UK, in particular at Pryzm nightclub in Bristol.

Andy Pound, Operations Director of Technical Arts was put in charge of the lighting design as part of Luminar Leisure’s Oceana nightclub conversion into Pryzm.

The SGM LD-5 LED domes have an outer diameter of just 80mm, can be mounted in any orientation, and it’s also possible to connect up to 35 domes in a single chain. At Pryzm, the SGM LD-5 LED

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domes have rejuvenated two themed bar areas - that occupied the space when the venue was Oceana - into a new chic and modern space now known at Velocity. The room’s stylish design was put together by Glyn Dyer Design.

“The room has its own distinct feel - gold, black and luxurious,” said Andy. “The club wanted to enhance that effect and the low level SGM LD-5 crystal ceiling does just that; the pixels are individually addressable with scrolls and patterns to give a sophisticated lighting effect - it’s both subtle and classy and is highly effective.”

Andy took advantage of the fact that the SGM LD-5 LED domes can be custom designed to fit any housing. He said: “We removed the dome itself to create a point source and placed it inside a box, with the crystal effect produced by a diamond shaped glass paperweight bonded onto a square of glass. You not only get the twinkle off the crystal but when smoke is added you almost get a pinspot type beam on the floor, such is the strength. It’s an easy install and as plug and play as it gets.” The effects are programmed to deliver random patterns via the existing lighting controller.

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When it came to the audio upgrade at Pryzm, operator Luminar once again turned to a familiar face in the form of CVA. The Surrey-based audio solutions company was approached by Eric May, Luminar’s Head of Club Development to look at the proposed plans and devise a solution that would give maximum impact within time and budget.

Jon Constable headed up the CVA team. Explaining the brief he said: “A system that integrated well with the existing infrastructure and gave the venue the audio performance that Pryzm and Velocity would require in terms of quality and reliability was required.”

In the main room at Pryzm, Opus, Jon simply repositioned the existing six horizontally loaded CVA One Voice 15/2 mid/top loudspeakers in accordance with the new layout. “Working with the CVA One Voice 118 bass cabinets, it’s a very powerful main room system.

It also allows for a noticeable drop of from dancefloor to peripheral areas,” continued Jon. “Adapting a system in an existing venue without it looking that way is always more challenging than starting from scratch, especially when the room is part of a multi-room venue. We managed to achieve this successfully without the need to disrupt other areas.”

Elsewhere in Velocity - sitting alongside the SGM LD-5 LED domes - there are eight CVA One Voice 8/1 loudspeakers for the dancefloor area supplemented by four CVA One Voice 115 subwoofers

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to provide the bass element of the system. Jon utilised some of the existing kit for the peripheral areas.

DJs at Pryzm have access to two Pioneer CDJ-900 mulitplayers and one Pionner DJM-900 mixer, while processing is taken care of by BSS and amplification by QSC. The upgrade of Luminar venues is set to continue in the UK, with future Pryzms in Leeds and Brighton next in line.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION LIGHTING 100 x SGM LD-5 LED dome sound 6 x CVA One Voice 15/2 mid/top loudspeaker; 8 x CVA One Voice 118 bass cabinet; 8 x CVA One Voice 8/1 loudspeaker; 4 x CVA One Voice 115 subwoofer; 2 x Pioneer CDJ-900 mulitplayer; 1 x Pionner DJM-900 mixer; BSS processors; QSC amplifiers pryzm.co.uk/bristol

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Photo by John Linden © 2013

THE WALLIS THE WALLIS ANNENBERG IS THE FIRST PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE TO OPEN IN THE CITY OF BEVERLY HILLS. THE VENUE PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE COMMUNITY AS HELEN FLETCHER DISCOVERED WHEN SHE MET WITH ELECTROSONIC DESIGN CONSULTANT, STEVE COE.

LOS ANGELES, USA The Americas

After more than two years of construction, Beverly Hills’ first performing arts centre, the Wallis Annenberg Center - or simply The Wallis - officially opened in mid-October 2013 with a star-studded, invitation-only gala featuring a concert by Natalie Cole.

Since then, the centre’s primary performance space - the 500-seat, proscenium-arch Bram Goldsmith Theater - has been hosting a steady lineup of world-class theatre, music and dance performances sonically reinforced by the venue’s L-Acoustics PA system. The sound system was designed and installed by the Burbank team of

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Electrosonic, which handled AV design and integration for the entire complex - including the adjacent 1933 Beverly Hills Post Office, fully restored and repurposed as a grand lobby, café, gift shop, classroom and office space, and home to the 150-seat Lovelace Studio Theatre.

Speaking with mondo*dr on site, Electrosonic’s Design Consultant, Steve Coe revisited the decision to work with L-Acoustics: “We needed a medium sized system that would be able to handle small scale theatre productions and from the very beginning I knew L-Acoustics would be a good fit. To my ear, it has a slightly softer edge to it compared with other manufacturers and it lends itself extremely well to theatrical use.

“When we first became involved in the project five years ago, we

‘FRESH OUT THE BOX’ from Philips at Frankfurt

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Photo Credit: Joshua Grossman, Schuler Shook

were considering the L-Acoustics Arcs and Arcs II models, along with the Kiva and Kilo systems,” continued Steve. “We spent a lot of time listening to the products and we all agreed - along with the venue owners - that L-Acoustics was the right sound for the venue. Then the Kara loudspeaker was introduced so we switched, but there were a few architectural issues with the size of the Kara and it became somewhat difficult to integrate into the theatre design because one of the main briefs was that everything had to be out of sight.”

At the same time L-Acoustics introduced the Arcs Wifo range which combines Arcs Wide and Arcs Focus - and according to Steve “it proved to be a bit of a God send,” as they fitted into the space and were near on perfect. An array of three L-Acoustics Arcs Focus and one Arcs Wide on a two-line winch is hung above the centre of the Goldsmith’s full-sized theatrical stage. The compact array can fly from stage level to the top of proscenium, as well as fly out of sight above the ceiling reflectors at the catwalk level when unamplified performances are taking place.

“Having personally tested the Goldsmith’s new system with a string quartet, classical pianist, jazz band and rock band, I feel that it achieves a level of purity and clarity, as well as a lovely warmth,” said Steve.

The rest of the sound system is practically invisible. Coaxial L-Acoustics 12XT enclosures are hidden in the proscenium on either side of the stage, while two more are flown above the ceiling reflectors as balcony delays. Also suspended above the reflectors are four individually flown L-Acoustics SB18i subwoofers for low-end.

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For cinematic events, the venue additionally features a full 7.1 surround system built around L-Acoustics’ smaller XT series products.

There are eight 8XTi enclosures mounted in acoustically treated wall recesses along each side of the room and covered with removable acoustic panels, while a total of four tiny 5XT enclosures are similarly hidden along the back wall of the balcony and deliver rear-balcony coverage. There are two L-Acoustics LA8 and eight LA4 amplified controllers housed in a custom amplifier rack in the control booth, which power and process the entire system via LA Network Manager software.

The Wallis has purposely been designed as a theatrical space and so acoustically it is sound - thanks to the work of Mark Holden of Jaffe Holden Acoustics, who in the words of Steve, “did a great job on the venue.”

“It is a mechanical variable acoustics system,” said Steve. “There was a brief discussion at one point whether we wanted to do electro acoustics and the answer was a very definite no. We knew this from a very early stage; there was a lot of control of acoustics and reverb time in the auditorium.”

As far as challenges go, the project did of course have its moments, as Steve explained: “They were mostly physical challenges as the theatre is quite a modern design inside. There aren’t many straight walls, there are lots of curves and shaping to the sidewalls and reflectors, so installing the loudspeakers was a challenge - it is like trying to get a square peg in a round hole. Nearly every single loudspeaker had to be looked at twice to figure out how to integrate it

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into the building - I’ve never been on a project before where so many of the loudspeakers had to be looked at so many times.”

And has this resulted in the sound being compromised? Not at all…

All the coverings and positioning of the loudspeakers have been looked at multiple times, while all the recesses for the surround loudspeakers have acoustic absorption material behind them to stop any kind of rear wave coming out of the back of them.

“When we tune the system, which we did with L-Acoustics, all these little things which can seem irritating at the time, actually do make a difference,” said Steve. “Cutting absorption material and squeezing it into the back of a speaker recess for example, actually does make a difference. The sound is as pure as we can make it, while the theatre itself is very quiet.”

Photo Credit: Joshua Grossman, Schuler Shook

Photo Credit: Joshua Grossman, Schuler Shook

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James D’Asaro, Director of Production at The Wallis, shares Steve’s enthusiasm for the new system and said: “Our L-Acoustics house system works very well for producing a sound and expressiveness within the range of what our artists and guest companies expect without being overwhelming to our audiences. The system doesn’t feel like it has to ‘pierce’ before it has real presence and power, but is well balanced in a way that allows it to become virtually invisible when we don’t want to perceive that it is doing something.

“During Natalie Cole’s performance at our opening gala, the system sounded clean and inviting. The soul in her music easily shone through, and she commented about the lovely sound from the stage.

Natalie’s FOH engineer, who had never been in the Goldsmith Theater prior to then, also mentioned that he was very impressed.

“Building theatres is an incredibly important thing for a community. They have a social importance and are still extremely valid, even in this digital age.”

He was surprised by how amazing everything sounded from a system that, for the most part, is so well hidden.”

Lighting at The Wallis involves numerous lighting fixtures, which come from ETC, as does control, which comes in the form of an Eos 4000 console for the Goldsmith Theatre and an Ion 1500 console for the Lovelace Theatre, specified by Schuler Shook, which came on board in early 2009.

“We jumped into the planning that was being led by architect Zoltan Pali and worked closely with his office and the owner from the early planning stage through to the completion of the project,” said Joshua Grossman, ASTC (American Society of Theatre Consultants), Principal, Schuler Shook. “The artistic mission of The Wallis is to produce theatre at the highest professional level and serve as a venue for touring acts. The brief for the production lighting system was to be capable, flexible and nimble to allow for whatever might come through the door.

“In addition, the architectural lighting in the theatre spaces had to be an active element in the architectural design to reinforce an environment that was innately theatrical but refined and contemporary.”

According to Joshua, the principal requirement for the lighting system was that it should accommodate a large range of programming. As mentioned previously, in its short operational history, The Wallis has already presented theatre, dance, film, and music performance.

“There is a significant difference too in the ideal system for a facility that produces its own product and a facility that presents touring product,” said Joshua. “This facility needs to accommodate both with minimal compromise for either.”

Commenting on the decision to specify ETC, Joshua told mondo*dr: “Theatrical lighting equipment and systems are ruled by the tyranny of the curtain. It doesn’t matter how wonderful the equipment is or how groundbreaking the technology, if it doesn’t allow the curtain to rise reliably every night. ETC meets that challenge and our clients are able to rely on the products.”

As with the audio, the theatre’s architecture provided several challenges when it came to placement, as Joshua explained: “In the Goldsmith, the sinuous lines in the interior of the house presented a challenge for sidewall lighting positions, which like straight pipes and regular repeated angles to the stage. Additionally, the lines of the room are very clean and we didn’t want to expose a lot of production

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FRANÇAIS

Le premier centre des arts de la scène de Beverly Hills, le Wallis Annenberg Center ou tout simplement « Le Wallis », a officiellement ouvert à la mi-octobre 2013 après plus de deux ans de travaux de construction. Un gala exclusivement sur invitation et hautement prestigieux offrit un concert privé de Natalie Cole.

Depuis lors, le principal lieu de représentation du centre, le Théâtre Bram Goldsmith de 500 places, muni du système de son en cadre de scène L-Acoustics PA, a accueilli des troupes de théâtre, des musiciens et des spectacles de danse de renommée internationale.

Le système audio a été conçu et installé par l’équipe Burbank de Electrosonic chargé de la conception audiovisuelle et de l’intégration de l’ensemble du complexe, y compris du bureau de poste voisin de Beverley Hills datant de 1933, et entièrement restauré et reconverti en un grand hall d’accueil, un café, une boutique, un espace de salle de classe et de bureau, accueillant aussi le Théâtre Lovelace Studio de 150 places.

La mission artistique du Wallis est d’offrir un théâtre de niveau professionnel le plus élevé possible et de servir de lieu de représentation pour les troupes de passage. Le système d’éclairage devait donc être performant, souple et adaptable pour pouvoir gérer toutes sortes de situations. L’équipement de ETC est utilisé dans tous les dispositifs d’éclairage et de contrôle sous forme de console Eos 4000 pour le Théâtre Goldsmith et de console Ion 1500 pour le Théâtre Lovelace, le tout exigé par Schuler Shook venu rejoindre l’équipe début 2009.

DEUTSCH

Photo by John Linden © 2013

equipment that would muddy the cleanliness.

“For the sidewalls we allowed the lighting position, developed as a ladder, to curve in section, while remaining straight and regular in plan. By carefully studying the available focus angles from each ‘rung’ of the ladder, we were able to place the lighting pipes so that the required lighting angles were maintained and the line of the wall shaping was unimpeded.”

For the Lovelace Theatre, which is an adaptive re-use of the old mail sorting room in the post office building and makes up the other half of the project, the challenge was again structural as Joshua explained: “The existing roof and roof structure wasn’t designed to accommodate the loads required to hang a lighting pipe grid. For this we designed a free-spanning grid that ran from wall to wall and was supported by existing columns, which fortunately had sufficient capacity for the additional load.”

The Wallis installation had more than its fair share of challenges and restrictions imposed for both audio and lighting due to the design and shape of the new building and the manner in which it connects to the existing building, but in a way this makes the theatre all the more interesting and rewarding for those involved, as explained here by Joshua and Steve.

“The challenges were wonderful stimuli for interesting and creative solutions,” Joshua said. “The team on the project met those challenges with great zeal and enthusiasm and working with them was incredibly enjoyable.”

And for Steve: “I grew up in the theatre environment and to me building theatres is an incredibly valid and important thing for a community, particularly big communities like Beverly Hills. I feel extremely fortunate to be in this industry, I have a love for theatres as buildings and spaces - they have a social importance and are still extremely valid, even in this digital age.”

TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND

3 x L-Acoustics Arcs Focus loudspeaker; 1 x L-Acoustics Arcs Wide loudspeaker; 4 x L-Acoustics 12XT loudspeaker; 16 x L-Acoustics 8XTi loudspeaker; 4 x L-Acoustics 5XT loudspeaker; 4 x L-Acoustics SB18i subwoofer; 2 x L-Acoustics LA8 amplifier; 8 x L-Acoustics LA4 amplifier; L-Acoustics LA Network Manager software

LIGHTING

Various ETC lighting fixtures; 1 x ETC Eos 4000 lighting control console; 1 x ETC Ion 1500 lighting control console www.thewallis.org

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Nach mehr als zwei Jahren Bauzeit öffnete das erste Zentrum für darstellende Künste in Beverly Hills, das Wallis Annenberg Center – oder kurz The Wallis – offiziell Mitte Oktober 2013 mit einer hochkarätigen Gala nur auf Einladung und einem Konzert von Natalie Cole. Seitdem stand der wichtigste PerformanceBereich des Zentrums - das Bram Goldsmith Bühnenportal Theater mit seinen 500 Sitzen - einer zahlreichen Theater-, Musik- und TanzPerformances der Weltklasse zur Verfügung, die akustisch durch das L-Acoustics PA System des Veranstaltungsortes unterstützt werden.

Das Soundsystem wurde durch das Burbank-Team von Electrosonic konzipiert und installiert, das für das AV-Design und die Integration für den gesamten Komplex verantwortlich war – auch für das angrenzende Beverley Hills Postamt aus dem Jahr 1933, das komplett restauriert und zu einem großen Bereich mit Foyer, Café, Geschenkboutique, Klassenraum und Bürofläche umfunktioniert wurde und das Lovelace Studio Theater mit seinen 150 Plätzen unterbringt.

Die artistische Aufgabe des The Wallis besteht darin, Theater auf höchstem professionellem Niveau zu produzieren und als Platz für Gastspiele zu fungieren. Der Auftrag für das Beleuchtungssystem sah vor, in der Lage, flexibel und gewandt zu sein, um jedmögliche Performance zu ermöglichen. ETC wurde für alle Armaturen und für die Steuerung in Form einer Eos 4000 Konsole für das Goldsmith Theatre und in Form einer Ion 1500 Konsole für das Lovelace Theatre nach den Vorgaben von Schuler Shook, die 2009 zum Projekt stießen, ausgewählt.

ITALIANO

Dopo più di due anni di costruzione , il primo centro di recitazione di Beverly Hills “ Wallis Annenberg Center “ o semplicemente Il Wallis, è stato inaugurato ufficialmente a metà ottobre 2013 con un galà stellato (al quale si poteva accedere solo su invito) che ha ospitato un concerto di Natalie Cole. Da allora, lo spazio di recitazione primario del centro, l’arco proscenico di 500 posti Bram Goldsmith Theater, ha ospitato una linea costante di spettacoli teatrali, musicali e di danza di livello mondiale che sono stati rafforzati, dal punto di vista del suono, dal sistema di amplificatori L-Acoustics del locale.

Il sistema audio è stato progettato e installato dal team di Burbank Electrosonic, che ha curato la progettazione e l’integrazione audiovideo per l’intero complesso, compresa l’adiacente Beverly Hills Post Office del 1933, completamente restaurata e riproposta come una grande hall, caffetteria, negozio di souvenir, aula, ufficio e sede di Lovelace Studio Theatre con 150 posti.

La missione artistica del Wallis è quella di produrre teatro al più alto livello professionale e di essere utilizzato come sede per le tournée. Le direttive per il sistema di illuminazione dovevano essere capaci, flessibili e agili per far fronte ad eventuali imprevisti. ETC è utilizzato dappertutto per impianti e controllo e si presenta sotto forma di una console Eos 4000 per il Teatro Goldsmith e una console Ion 1500 per il Teatro Lovelace, specificato da Schuler Shook, che è entrato a far parte del team nel 2009.

ESPAÑOL

Después de más de dos años de construcción, el primer centro de artes de Beverly Hills, el Wallis Annenberg Center - o simplemente The Wallis - fue inaugurado oficialmente a mediados de Octubre de 2013 con una gala llena de estrellas con invitación exclusiva presentando un concierto de Natalie Cole. Desde entonces, el espacio principal del centro - el Teatro Bram Goldsmith con un arco del proscenio y 500 asientos - ha albergado una programación estable de presentaciones teatrales, musicales y de danza de primer nivel con refuerzos de sonido por parte del sistema L-Acoustics PA del lugar.

El sistema de sonido fue diseñado e instalado por el equipo Burbank de Electrosonic, quienes tuvieron a cargo el diseño y la integración para el complejo entero - incluyendo el Correo de Beverley Hills del año 1933 contiguo, restaurado completamente y destinado actualmente como un gran lobby, café, tienda de regalos, espacio para clases y oficinas y lugar para albergar el Lovelace Studio Theatre con capacidad para 150 asientos.

La misión artística de The Wallis es la de producir obras teatrales con el más alto nivel profesional y servir como espacio turístico. Las instrucciones para el sistema de iluminación tuvieron que ver con que fuera un sistema capaz, flexible y veloz para dar lugar a cualquier cosa que apareciera a través de la puerta. A lo largo del lugar se utiliza ETC para los artefactos y el control, lo que se traduce en una consola Eos 4000 para el Goldsmith Theatre y una consola Ion 1500 para el Lovelace Theatre, especificado por Schuler Shook, que se incorporó a principios de 2009.

Conquer the unpredictable:

Adapt.

In real time.

“We, at Rat Sound, maintain an active awareness of new pro audio technologies. It seems every few months a new sound system is released with varying degrees of useful assets: a little louder, a bit lighter, somewhat smaller, and so on, but rarely is a system released that offers a completely new set of assets and advantages. We decided to embrace and add an EAW Anya™ system to our premium rental inventory because we believe Anya is a truly revolutionary advance in large format sound reinforcement technology.” · · Dave Rat

Rat Sound crew flies an array of two straight columns, 8 modules each, for 120° horizontal coverage. No “J”. No wrap fills.

An Anya Distro Rack distributing audio and control via Dante™, adjacent to a Rat Sound power distro.

A self-detecting, self-healing fully cabled twocolumn Anya array, covering precisely what it needs to.

Audience members and FOH engineers alike enjoy the show as heard through a 32-module Anya system. Engineers monitor system status via Resolution™ on the fly.

EAW and Rat Sound on Facebook and get updates on Anya and other EAW products in use daily.

Eastern Acoustic Works | One Main Street | Whitinsville, MA 01588 USA tel 800 992 5013 / 508 234 6158 | fax 508 234 8251 | www.eaw.com

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Rat Sound Systems Inc | 486 Constitution Ave | Camarillo, CA 93012 tel 805 383 0777 | fax 805 383 0720 | www.ratsound.com

1/3/14 10:42 AM

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AMPLYFi LOS ANGELES, usa The Americas

Popular Hollywood music venue Amplyfi recently upgraded its PA system with units from Cerwin-Vega’s new P-Series Professional PA system and CVA Active Series loudspeakers.

Situated in the heart of Hollywood, Amplyfi is an all ages live music venue and over 1,500 bands have graced the club’s stage since its opening three years ago. The all-ages live music venue has always had a reputation for unfaltering, high-quality sound and the Cerwin-Vega setup at Amplyfi features two P-Series stacks, which each include a P1500X two-way, bi-amped, full-range bass-reflex loudspeaker and a P1800SX powered subwoofer. Equipped with a large subwoofer and amplifier, each P1800SX offers Cerwin-Vega’s high-level bass with low-end response to all musicians who play at Amplyfi. The semi-conical horn of the P1500X meanwhile, gives the venue an enhanced sound clarity over an even and wide coverage area.

“Changing the entire sound system was a huge decision for me,” said venue owner Kota Wade, who is also a musician and Amplyfi’s FOH engineer. “When we started out we used some of my own equipment, which I’d acquired through being in bands and it consisted of just a couple of Behringer monitors. This was enough power in the beginning but we soon realised we needed to upgrade the kit.

“We’re known for our sound at Amplyfi and have really locked it in so I really thought about the decision before changing the set-up. A lot of venues you go to don’t really care about the bands or performers

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and will try and pass off their requests, so being an artist myself I really try my hardest to give bands what they want - I can sympathise with them.

“I was stunned with the clarity I heard from the Cerwin-Vega P-Series and CVA at every volume level, even when I ran it through multiple music genres.”

Rounding out the audio setup at Amplyfi are several Cerwin-Vega CVA-28’s, two of which are strategically placed facing the audience for centre fill, and four being used as sound monitors. Primarily a live music venue, Amplyfi is home to several renowned artists, such as Echosmith, The Maine, the Brobecks, the Bolts and, of course, Kota’s two bands - Girl Radical, a 12-member pop music super group managed by N Sync’s JC Chasez, and Bad Wolf, an alternative rock band. The 800 sq ft space has a maximum capacity of 80 making for a more intimate show and features music of varying styles, including ambient, electronic and rock, and groups of all sizes, from acoustic outfits to big bands.

“When I decided to make the switch to the P-Series and CVA, I didn’t just change my gear, I changed my setup,” continued Kota. “I included subwoofers, which I had never used in this space before, because I felt safe knowing that the P-Series allows me to have total control over the sound, which is very important in a room this size.

People of all ages can stand less than a foot away from the speakers when a band is playing and I know that I won’t blow out their ears

because I can control the sound levels.”

The Cerwin-Vega P-Series is suited for any sound reinforcement application, from live performances to public speeches. The P1500X loudspeaker aims to be one of the most powerful PA products in its price class, employing a 15-inch subwoofer and high-frequency compression driver, powered by a custom 1,500W Class-D amplifier. The P1800SX powered subwoofer features an 18-inch subwoofer with a custom 2,000W Class-D amplifier. Both pieces include a built-in mixer with I / O connections, allowing for simple and fast setup, while enhanced EQ, Vega bass boost and highpass filters enable exact tuning and high quality performance for any event.

As for the lighting set-up at Amplyfi, this has been kept simple - with a mixture of LEDs and par cans, but this doesn’t stop Kota making the most of the kit she’s got, introducing a mixture of back lighting and front lighting, as well as strobes and so on to get the best environment possible.

“Amplyfi is completely dry - no alcohol licence - because I wanted to create a space where teenagers could party and listen to good music in a safe environment,” concluded Kota. “But, when you can’t hide behind your customers’ ‘alcohol ears’, the sound has to be really good and it definitely is.”

TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND 2 x Cerwin-Vega P1500X loudspeaker; 6 x Cerwin-Vega CVA-28 loudspeaker; 2 x Cerwin-Vega P1800SX subwoofer www.amplyfi.com

106 VENUE

F.CLUB sINGAPORE, singapore ASIA/PACIFIC/OCEANIA

Born out of a TV concept that began in 1997 to deliver the latest style and trends in the fashion world, FashionTV outlets are now popping up around the globe. FashionTV is a global multimedia network, which broadcasts over a number of different platforms across 193 countries in both private households and public spaces.

Once established as a 24-hour fashion, beauty and lifestyle television station, it was time for the next step, nightlife venues that embody the same ethos.

The latest incarnation has made its home at Clarke Quay in Singapore - a well-known nightlife hotspot - and will strive to supply its guests with great energy, cool vibes and the perfect party atmosphere, all the while providing the ultimate fusion of fashion and mu-

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sic. Although there are a number of F Bars and F Cafes, Singapore is home to the first f.Club. It is spread across 10,000 sq ft, which is split into two sections, the Ruby Hall and the Diamond Room and thanks to investors from both the US and Germany the entire venue has been kitted out with state-of-the-art technology.

German-based Auxweg was awarded the contract to source the location for f.Club, as well as provide the full design, specification and installation of the sound, lighting and video systems. The aim was to ignite the f.Club brand in style.

Working alongside design company, Archetype, Auxweg partner, Volkan Gümüs and his team first began work on the Diamond Room. “From our previous experience with the Elation brand and the awesome support we’ve received in the past, it was clear that we would work with Elation products again,” said Volkan. “The price to performance ratio both suited our client’s budget and fulfilled the project’s requirements.”

The Diamond Room encompasses a diamond-shaped bar and DJ booth, while mounted on the ceiling are three Duratruss diamond shaped truss structures. Nine Elation Platinum Beam 5R Extreme moving heads, six Elation Rayzor Q12 LED lights, and three Elation Platinum Spot LED Pro II fixtures have been split equally across the three trusses. “We decided to use the Platinum Beams and the Rayzors here because the Diamond Room is the house area where people want to party hard, so we needed moving heads with fast movement and powerful output,” said Gregor Schubert, another partner of Auxweg. “The Beams are perfect for this. We went with the Rayzors because we needed a fast light that was able to light up the dancefloor area in a specific colour. The Platinum Spots are used to display the FashionTV logo at different positions, to light up dancers and to throw large gobos throughout the hall.”

Alongside the lighting fixtures in the Diamond Room are some special effects including two Swisslas PM-1500G lasers, one Laserworld PS-5200RGB Compact laser and a Martin Professional Jem K1 hazer, all of which ensure the ultimate dance club environment. The lighting fixtures are controlled using a Daslight DVC3 ZM Gold controller, which outputs three DMX universes, allowing for control of up to 1,536 channels, while the lasers are operated by Pangolin Phoneix4 Live software. “The reason we selected the Daslight software is because it’s very easy to learn how to operate, and light jockeys can make changes quickly and easily, which is very important for live DJ performances,” continued Volkan.

“There are preprogrammed lighting functions that are speed adjustable via a speed fader, shutter sequences with speed faders, or operators can choose any gobo, colour, prism, or wash effects and control them very easily.”

Complementing the lighting design in the room is yet another diamond inspired feature, this time through the use of video tiles. Comprising 15 Elation EPV6 LED video panels, the diamond-shaped LED video screen - measuring 2.3-metres by 2.3-metres - is mounted behind the DJ booth and runs

108 VENUE

visual content from FashionTV along with custom visuals. A PC equipped with an Elation EPV PCI sending card controls the video screen. “We had major problems with suppliers either because of the construction involved, pricing or delivery and three weeks before the opening we were faced with the problem that one of the key features in the main room, the three-point diamond-shaped truss and LED screen, would not be ready. We decided to call Elation for help and after explaining what we needed they came back the next day with a full quote, drawings and an exact shipping time,” said Volkan.

“Elation saved us and even delivered the diamond-shaped truss.

The happy faces of the Auxweg crew, the other contractors and the shareholders were priceless. Everything worked perfectly, and I must admit it was quite an emotional moment when I saw Elation still helping us via remote desktop access and a webcam to do the system

set-up and patch the video panel. Impressive, also when you think about the eight-hour time difference to the Elation technical support guys in The Netherlands,” he continued.

With the visual in place, it was time for Volkan to turn his attention to the sound equipment, and in the Diamond Room, the energy was required on the dancefloor. Volkan decided to stick with the same group of companies to supply the sound system, choosing Elation’s sister brand AD Systems. He selected four AD Systems Magnus15 bi-functional loudspeakers, which offer a homogeneous directivity pattern for the dancefloor, while six AD Systems i.Flex15B bass reflex subwoofers extend the low frequency range of the Magnus15’s.

A further five AD Systems i.Flex8 passive loudspeakers are installed around the periphery to provide atmospheric music in the seating areas and VIP area. “The dancefloor is equipped with a four-way

TECHNICAL INFORMATION LIGHTING & VISUAL DIAMOND ROOM: 9 x Elation Platinum Beam 5R Extreme

moving head; 6 x Elation Rayzor Q12 moving head; 3 x Elation Platinum Spot LED Pro II moving head; 15 x Elation EPV6 video panel; 1 x Elation EPV PCI sending card; 2 x Swisslas PM-1500G laser; 1 x Laserworld PS-5200RGB Compact laser; 1 x Martin Professional Jem K1 hazer; 1 x Daslight DVC3 ZM Gold controller; 1 x Pangolin Phoneix4 Live software; 3 x Duratruss diamond shaped truss structure; 4 x Global Truss eight-metre support truss RUBY HALL: 8 x Elation Platinum Spot LED Pro II moving head; 4 x Elation Design Wash LED Zoom moving head; 1 x Martin Professional Jem K1 hazer; 1 x Daslight DVC3 ZM Gold controller; 1 x Duratruss five-metre diameter circular truss

SOUND DIAMOND ROOM: 4 x AD Systems Magnus15 bi-functional

loudspeaker; 6 x AD Systems i.Flex15B bass reflex subwoofer; 5 x AD Systems i.Flex8 passive loudspeaker; 2 x Lab.gruppen C68:4 amplifier; 2 x Lab.gruppen E12:2 Class-D amplifier; 1 x dbx DriveRack 260 loudspeaker management system; 1 x Pioneer DJM-900 Nexus mixer; 2 x Pioneer CDJ-900 multiplayer RUBY HALL: 4 x AD Systems Magnus15 bi-functional loudspeaker; 4 x AD Systems TouringSub bass reflex subwoofer; 9 x AD Systems i.Flex8 passive loudspeaker; 2 x Lab.gruppen C68:4 amplifier; 3 x Lab.gruppen E12:2 Class-D amplifier; 1 x dbx DriveRack 260 loudspeaker management system; 1 x Pioneer DJM-900 Nexus mixer; 2 x Pioneer CDJ-900 multiplayer www.f-club.sg

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110 VENUE

FRANÇAIS

Nés d’un concept de télévision ayant débuté en 1997 pour vendre le dernier cri du monde de la mode, les points de vente FashionTV surgissent aujourd’hui dans le monde entier. La FashionTV est un réseau multimédia mondial diffusé sur un certain nombre de plates-formes à travers 193 pays, à la fois chez les utilisateurs privés et dans les lieux publics. Maintenant établie comme la chaîne de télévision 24/24 de la mode, de la beauté et du grand style de vie, le temps était venu d’aborder la prochaine étape, c’est-à-dire les lieux de vie nocturne incarnant la même philosophie. Le dernier avatar est le tout premier f.Club installé à Clarke Quay à Singapour. L’entreprise allemande Auxweg a été mandatée pour trouver l’emplacement idéal du f.Club et en faire son entière conception, en plus d’établir son cahier des charges et de développer l’installation des systèmes de son, d’éclairage et de vidéo.

Parallèlement à une gamme complète de lampes Elation contrôlées par le logiciel Daslight, l’on trouve des effets spéciaux de Swisslas, Laserworld et Martin Professional, exploités par le logiciel Pangolin Phoneix4 Live. Les visuels en place, Volkan devait focaliser son attention sur l’équipement sonore et dans la Diamond Room tous ses efforts se concentrèrent sur la piste de danse. Volkan a aussi décidé de garder le même groupe de sociétés fournissant l’audio, en choisissant une filiale de Elation appelée AD Systems et qui utilise des amplificateurs Lab.gruppen contrôlés par un processeur DriveRack 260 dbx.

DEUTSCH

VIDEO CONTENT

www.mondodr.com

acoustic radiation system. The biggest focus for the sound concept was to ensure the sound level was just right without compromising the sound quality of power,” said Volkan.

The AD Systems PA is powered by two Lab.gruppen C68:4 amplifiers - which thanks to each channel having its own individually configurable voltage peak limiter that works in combination with adjustable input gain achieves maximum headroom regardless of input levels or output impedances. These sit alongside two Lab.gruppen E12:2 Class-D amplifiers featuring the company’s amplifier platform IDEEA - IntelliDrive Energy Efficient Amplifier. A dbx DriveRack 260 processor provides loudspeaker management control, while DJs can perform on a Pioneer DJM-900 Nexus mixer and two Pioneer CDJ900 multiplayers.

Elsewhere in the Ruby Hall, a space that has a French baroque theme opted for a more discreet line-up of technology. Eight Elation Platinum Spot LED Pro II moving heads and four Elation Design Wash LED Zoom moving heads are mounted on a five-metre diameter circular truss structure from Duratruss, which hangs over the dancefloor. “We chose the Platinum Spots because they are just perfect to throw big gobos into the hall, and we use the Design Washes to immerse the dancefloor in different colours and create a special atmosphere in combination with the baroque design,” said Gregor.

Control for the lighting is once again taken care of by a Daslight DVC3 ZM Gold controller, however, this time outputting just two DMX universes - up to 1,024 channels - because there are fewer fixtures and fewer effects required in the Ruby Hall in comparison to the Diamond Room. For additional effects another Martin Professional Jem K1 hazer was installed along with four 50-inch Samsung LED screens - to create one large screen - for VJs to generate a visual dimension in the room when required.

The PA also bares a striking resemblance to the Diamond Room, with a further four AD Systems Magnus15 loudspeakers used as the main dancefloor system. This time these are supplemented by four AD Systems TouringSub bass reflex subwoofers that feature low power compression, high sensitivity and high power handling in order to create a punchy bass output. While nine AD Systems i.Flex8 passive loudspeakers provide the fills in the outer areas. Volkan said: “The sound should not be distorted and shouldn’t create a feeling of pain in the customers’ ear. This goal, we reached perfectly with the state-of-the-art sound system from AD Systems.” Lab.gruppen provided the amplification for a second time, as did dbx for the loudspeaker processing.

Summing up Volkan explained the support that was so valuable in making the project a success. “Without Elation, we would not have been able to deliver the requested end result, not in time and not within budget,” he said. “We give a big thank you to Simon Gasch at Elation and the team around him, also to Sven Haferkamp from AD Systems and our local hero Louis Chia from Archetype.”

FashionTV Outlets entstammen einem TV-Konzept aus dem Jahre 1997, um die neuesten Stilrichtungen und Trends in der Modewelt zu zeigen und tauchen nun weltweit auf. FashionTV ist ein globales MultimediaNetzwerk, das über zahlreiche verschiedene Plattformen in 193 Ländern sowohl in privaten Haushalten wie auch in öffentlichen Bereichen sendet.

Nach der Etablierung als 24-Stunden-Fernsehsender für Mode, Schönheit und Lifestyle war es an der Zeit für den nächsten Schritt, Nightlife-Treff mit dem gleichen Ethos. Letztes Beispiel ist der allererste f.Club, der sich in Clarke Quay in Singapur angesiedelt hat. Das in Deutschland ansässige Unternehmen Auxweg erhielt den Auftrag, die Location für f.Club auszustatten und das komplette Design, die Planung und die Installation von Sound, Beleuchtung und Videosystemen zu übernehmen.

Neben der vollen Zahl an Elation Beleuchtungskörpern – gesteuert über eine Daslight Software – findet man Spezialeffekte von Swisslas, Laserworld und Martin Professional, die durch eine Pangolin Phoneix4 Live Software betrieben werden. Nachdem die Visuals angebracht waren, war es an der Zeit für Volkan, sich um die Sound-Ausrüstung zu kümmern und im Diamond Room war die Energie auf der Tanzfläche erforderlich. Volkan beschloss, mit derselben Unternehmensgruppe für das Soundsystem weiterzuarbeiten und entschied sich für die Schwesternmarke von Elation, AD Systems, gepowert durch Lab.gruppenVerstärker und gesteuert über einen dbx DriveRack 260-Prozessor.

ITALIANO

Nati da un format televisivo che nel 1997 ha iniziato a lanciare gli ultimi stili e tendenze nel mondo della moda, gli outlet FashionTV ora stanno spuntando in tutto il mondo. FashionTV è una rete globale multimediale che trasmette su un certo numero di piattaforme diverse, sia sulle reti private che su quelle generaliste, in 193 paesi . Dopo essersi affermato come canale televisivo che tratta di moda, bellezza e stile di vita 24 ore su 24, era arrivato il momento per il passo successivo: luoghi di incontro notturni che incarnano la stessa atmosfera. L’ ultima incarnazione, che è il primissimo f.Club, si trova a Clarke Quay a Singapore. Alla casa tedesca Auxweg è stato aggiudicato l’appalto per procurare la location degli f.Club, oltre a fornire la progettazione completa, le specifiche e l’installazione dei sistemi audio, luci e video. Insieme ad una serie completa di apparecchi di illuminazione Elation, controllati con il software Daslight, ci sono gli effetti speciali di SwissLas, Laserworld e Martin Professional, azionati dal software Pangolin Phoneix4 Live. Dopo aver sistemato il sistema video, era tempo per Volkan di rivolgere la sua attenzione alle apparecchiature audio, invece nella Sala Diamante l’energia è stata focalizzata sulla pista da ballo. Volkan ha deciso di aderire al medesimo gruppo di società per la fornitura del sistema audio scegliendo la marca AD Systems, sorella di Elation, alimentato da amplificatori Lab.gruppen e controllato da un processore dbx DriveRack 260.

ESPAÑOL

Nacido de un concepto de TV, que comenzó en 1997, para hacer llegar las últimas tendencias y estilos en el mundo de la moda, las tiendas de FashionTV estan apareciendo ahora alrededor de todo el globo.

FashionTV es una red de multimedios global que transmite sobre una cantidad de plataformas diferentes a través de 193 países tanto en hogares privados como en espacios públicos. Una vez establecida como una estación de televisión orientada las 24 horas a la moda, la belleza y al estilo de vida, fue tiempo de dar el siguiente paso: espacios de vida nocturna que personificaran los mismos valores. La última encarnación, el primer f.club, se estableció en Clarke Quay en Singapur. Auxweg, con base en Alemania, ganó la contratación para conseguir la ubicación para f.Club, así como también, proveer el diseño completo, la especificación y la instalación de los sistemas de sonido, iluminación y video. Junto a un complemento completo de artefactos de iluminación Elation controlado a través del software Daslight - se encuentran los efectos especiales de Swisslas, Laserworld y Martin Professional, operados por el software Pangolin Phoneix4 Live. Con todo lo referente a lo visual en su sitio, fue tiempo de que Volkan pusiera su atención al equipamiento de sonido y en el Salón Diamond se requería que la energía se pusiera en la pista de baile. Volkan decidió quedarse con el mismo grupo de empresas para suministrar el sistema de sonido, eligiendo la marca hermana de Elation, AD Systems con tecnología de los amplificadores Lab.gruppen y controlada por un procesador dbx DriveRack 260.

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LI BAI / EXO MUMBAI, INDIA

asia/pacific/oceania Epitomising luxury, glamour, exuberance and style, The Penthouse on the 37th floor of The Palladium Hotel in Mumbai, India, has put the capital city on the international map. Each venue within The Penthouse, including a restaurant, lounge and club boasts spectacular 360º views of the city. Designed by the internationally acclaimed Wilson & Associates of Singapore and operated by Atul and Gayatri Ruia, the promoter of The Palladium Hotel, The Penthouse put its best foot forward from the outset.

Visiting customers can begin the evening in the opulent oriental restaurant, Mekong. It serves aromatic cuisine influenced by a fusion of Chinese, Vietnamese and Thai flavours complemented by a vast menu of dim sum. This section of The Penthouse overlooks Mumbai’s Mahalakshmi racecourse and the Arabian Sea. Adjacent to Mekong is an Asian-style bar, Li Bai, which takes inspiration from the

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Chinese romantic poet of the Tsang dynasty that shares the same name. The bar has a whole host of edgy cocktails on offer and has furnishings and technology to match.

Mumbai-based Integrated Entertainment Solutions (IES) was the company chosen to provide the latter. “We were called to Li Bai when the venue wanted to change its identity to a top notch bar, meaning the sound quality needed to be high energy. It has to accommodate live band set-ups on certain nights too,” said co-owner of IES, Rasesh Parekh. “We selected a sound system that provided full coverage and warm sound over the entire area of the bar.”

Eight Martin Audio OmniLine cabinets split into four clusters were installed at Li Bai to provide maximum coverage of the floor area and these were optimised using the company’s OmniLine software. The main PA is supplement by a single Martin Audio AQ215 dual-driver subwoofer, while two Martin Audio DD6 compact loudspeakers are

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used as fills for the passage area. “We selected loudspeakers based on differential directivity in order to provide uniform sound coverage over the dedicated area, while at the same time ensuring that it was not too loud. This allows visitors to enjoy high quality sound yet still be able to converse with one another,” continued the other owner of IES, Kekul Sheth.

The PA system is flown alongside a wire mesh sculpture of poet, Li Bai and lavish seating designed with a chrome and wood finish.

IES continued with the same manufacturer to power and drive the system, selecting one Martin Audio MA3.0 amplifier, one Martin Audio MA2.8Q amplifier and one Martin Audio DX1.5 loudspeaker management system. The two in, six out DX1.5 processor operating at 96kHz provides plenty of flexibility so the sound system can cater for the regular bar music or live bands when required. “Martin Audio amplifiers power the loudspeakers to provide optimum performance and are housed in 1RU cabinets, which allowed rack space in the control room to be minimised,” said Kekul.

If patrons are after more of a club vibe, they need look no further than EXO. Taking its name from Exosphere - the outermost region of the atmosphere - the club’s floor-to-ceiling windows certainly enhance the panoramic view. Clubbers are embraced by the menu, design, music and ambience at EXO, all signature elements that the venue prides itself on, all of which are further brought to life by resident DJ, Madoc.

Upon the success of Li Bai, IES was asked to supply the lighting and sound solution for EXO. “Sound at EXO was designed so that all the energy was focused in the centre of the room, as there are glass walls on two sides of the nightclub, which overlook the city of Mumbai,” said Rasesh.

For the main PA on the lower level - suspended from a height of 18ft - are a pair of Martin Audio XD15 high output loudspeakers along with a pair of Martin Audio AQ215 subwoofers placed at an angle - one over the other - to allow for increased efficiency. Two

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Martin Audio Blackline F10+ passive loudspeakers are used as surround fills. Upstairs four Martin Audio Blackline F12+ high power loudspeakers are utilised, accompanied by another Martin Audio AQ215 subwoofer. Rasesh commented: “At EXO we have used the new XD15 loudspeakers paired with the AQ215 subwoofers, which are simply perfect for the venue and its requirements. The Blackline loudspeakers used as surrounds and for main PA on the upper level do their job as they traditionally do in other venues worldwide.”

The series of amplifiers used at Li Bai was mirrored at EXO, this time Rasesh and his team selected two Martin Audio MA2.0’s and three Martin Audio MA3.0’s and a Martin Audio DX2 processor for loudspeaker management control. Rasesh explained the choice further: “We had to account for DJ sound as well as daytime music from the hotel. The signal processing and signal cabling has been installed so that the DJ can play individual music at both locations and if necessary during the day sound inputs can be provided from the in-house hotel music source.”

Because The Penthouse is all about glitz and glamour, it was necessary for IES to specify complementary lighting equipment too.

Minimal but effective nightclub lighting was the brief and due to the venue’s high ceilings Rasesh opted for one of the latest additions to Robe’s product line, the Pointe. Two Robe Pointes were installed along with two Robe Robin 100 LEDBeam effect moving heads, which are capable of creating a number of colour chases and fast strobing effects. Rasesh said of the Pointes: “They are multipurpose moving heads with beam, spot and wash capabilities and with limited

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“Mumbai finally gets a penthouse with a restaurant, club and lounge that puts it on the international map.”

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116 VENUE

FRANÇAIS

Incarnant le luxe, le glamour, l’exubérance et le style, le Penthouse du 37e étage de l’Hôtel Palladium à Mumbai, en Inde a fait connaitre sa capitale dans le monde. Chaque lieu du Penthouse, y compris le restaurant, le salon et le club offre une spectaculaire vue à 360° sur la ville. L’entreprise Integrated Entertainment Solutions (IES) basée à Mumbai a été choisie pour fournir la technologie du Li Bai, un bar de style asiatique et de la discothèque EXO. Des coffrets Martin Audio OmniLine ont été installés au Li Bai assurant une couverture optimale de toute la surface du bar et ceux-ci sont pilotés par des amplificateurs Martin Audio MA Series et par un système de gestion d’enceintes Martin Audio DX1.5. Alors que dans la discothèque EXO, IES a choisi d’installer des enceintes à haut rendement Martin Audio XD15 avec une paire de caissons de graves actifs Martin Audio AQ215 à l’étage inférieur et des enceintes Blackline Series au premier étage. Le Penthouse n’étant que paillettes et glamour, IES se devait également d’offrir un équipement d’éclairage complémentaire spécifique, donc l’entreprise a opté pour l’un des plus récents produits de la gamme Robe, une lyre spot « Pointe® ». Deux de ces nouveaux spots ont été installés aux côtés de deux lyres Robe Robin 100 LEDBeam contrôlées par un seul progiciel Robe Cyber Arch fonctionnant sur un ordinateur portable.

DEUTSCH

IES’ Kekul Sheth and Rasesh Parekh with Martin Audio’s Simon Bull

space for fixtures at EXO, they are the perfect choice. The Pointes were complemented with Robe’s 100 LEDBeams with top hats.

These highlight the crystal chandelier while the Pointes do their own magic.”

Lighting control was also kept simple, with just a single Robe Cyber Arch - featuring 512 standalone DMX channels - software package running on a laptop.

Kekul concluded: “IES proved that when called into a project before, in between or when there is change in brief, we can deliver the required results. We attribute to the large repertoire of our principal companies, Martin Audio and Robe, which cover a gamut of technical innovations for entertainment industry. Using this, IES and its inherent strength of experience in this industry was able to deliver the desired results.”

While Gayatri Ruia, promoter and Director at the Palladium Hotel said: “Mumbai finally gets a penthouse with a restaurant, club and lounge that puts it on the international map - a glamorous yet chic jewel in the sky with 360º views of the glittering city at its feet.”

TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND LI BAI: 8 x Martin Audio OmniLine cabinet; 1 x Martin Audio AQ215 dual-driver subwoofer; 2 x Martin Audio DD6 compact loudspeaker; 1 x Martin Audio MA3.0 amplifier; 1 x Martin Audio MA2.8Q amplifier; 1 x Martin Audio DX1.5 loudspeaker management system EXO: 2 x Martin Audio XD15 high output loudspeaker; 3 x Martin Audio AQ215 subwoofer; 2 x Martin Audio Blackline F10+ passive loudspeaker; 4 x Martin Audio Blackline F12+ high power loudspeaker; 2 x Martin Audio MA2.0 amplifier; 3 x Martin Audio MA3.0 amplifier; 1 x Martin Audio DX2 processor LIGHTING EXO: 2 x Robe Pointe moving head; 2 x Robe Robin 100 LEDBeam effect moving head; 1 x Robe Cyber Arch control software package www.palladiumhotel.in

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Das Penthouse auf der 37. Etage des Palladium Hotels in Mumbai, Indien, verkörpert Luxus, Glamour, Überfluss und Stil und hat die Hauptstadt auf ein internationales Niveau erhoben. Jeder Treff im Penthouse, einschließlich einem Restaurant, einer Lounge und einem Club, trumpft mit einer spektakulären 360º Aussicht auf die Stadt auf.

Das in Mumbai ansässige Unternehmen Integrated Entertainment Solutions (IES) wurde ausgewählt, um die Technologie für die Bar im Asienstil, Li Bai, und den Nachtclub EXO bereitzustellen. Martin Audio OmniLine Gehäuse wurden im Li Bai installiert, um den Etagenbereich bestmöglich abzudecken, betrieben werden sie von Verstärkern aus der Martin Audio MA Serie und einem Martin Audio DX1.5 LautsprecherManagementsystem. Im EXO hat IES Martin Audio XD15 Lautsprecher mit hoher Leistung neben einem Paar Martin Audio AQ215 Subwoofers für das niedrigere Level, die durch die Blackline Serien von Lautsprechern oben ergänzt werden, ausgewählt. Weil das Penthouse Glanz und Glamour verkörpert, war es notwendig für IES, auch eine ergänzende Beleuchtungsanlage zu spezifizieren. IES entschied sich für eine der Neuerscheinungen der Produktlinie von Robe, the Pointe, von denen zwei zusammen mit zwei Robe Robin 100 LEDBeam Effect Moving Heads mit Steuerung über ein einziges Robe Cyber Arch Softwarepaket, das von einem Laptop aus betrieben wird, installiert wurden.

ITALIANO

Quintessenza del lusso, glamour, esuberanza e stile. Con la Penthouse, al 37 ° piano dell’ Hotel Palladium di Mumbai, l’India ha messo la sua capitale sulla cartina internazionale. Ogni luogo all’interno della Penthouse, tra cui un ristorante, un salotto e un club vantano una vista spettacolare a 360 ° sulla città. Sita a Mumbai, l’ Integrated Entertainment Solutions ( IES ) è stata la società scelta per occuparsi della tecnologia per il bar in stile asiatico, il Li Bai ed il nightclub EXO. Delle casse Martin Audio OmniLine sono state installate nel Li Bai per fornire la massima copertura del piano e queste sono guidate da una serie di amplificatori Martin Audio MA e da un sistema di gestione altoparlante Martin Audio DX1.5. Invece nell’ EXO, IES ha selezionato degli altoparlanti ad elevate prestazioni Martin Audio XD15 insieme ad una coppia di subwoofer Martin Audio AQ215 per il piano inferiore integrato dalla serie di altoparlanti Blackline al piano superiore. Essendo la Penthouse tutto sfarzo e glamour, è stato necessario per IES installare anche specifiche apparecchiature di illuminazione complementari. IES ha optato per uno degli ultimi arrivi nella linea di prodotti Robe, la Pointe, due dei quali sono stati installati insieme a due teste mobili Robe Robin 100 LEDBeam con controllo tramite un unico pacchetto software Robe Cyber Arch in esecuzione su computer portatili.

ESPAÑOL

Al representar lujo, glamour, exuberancia y estilo, The Penthouse en el piso 37 del Palladium Hotel en Mumbai, India ha colocado a la ciudad capital en el mapa internacional. Cada espacio dentro de The Penthouse, como el restaurante, el lounge, y el club hacen alarde de una espectacular vista de la ciudad en 360 grados. IES, Integrated Entertainment Solutions, con base en Mumbai, fue la empresa elegida para suministrar la tecnología para el bar de estilo Asiático, Li Bai y la discoteca EXO. En Li Bai se instalaron gabinetes Martin Audio OmniLine para proveer una cobertura máxima en la zona del piso. Éstos son manejados por amplificadores de Martin Audio MA Series y un sistema de administración de parlantes Martin Audio DX1.5. Para EXO, IES seleccionó altoparlantes de gran salida Martin Audio XD15 junto con un par de subwoofers Martin Audio AQ215 para el nivel inferior complementados por altoparlantes Blackline Series en el nivel superior. Dado que en The Penthouse todo tiene que ver con la ostentación y el glamour, también fue necesario que IES especificara un equipamiento complementario de iluminación. IES optó por uno de los productos más nuevos de la línea de Robe, el Pointe, dos de los cuales se instalaron junto con dos cabezales móviles para efectos, Robe Robin 100 LEDBeam, controlados mediante un simple paquete de software Robe Cyber Arch que se ejecuta a través de una laptop.

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MALAYSIAN MELTING POT KUALA LUMPUR / SIBU, MALAYSIA asia/pacific/oceania

Despite the global clubbing scene taking somewhat of a downturn in recent years - either due to financial reasons or increased popularity in other forms of entertainment - there are pockets that have remained strong. Nightlife in South East Asia is one such pocket.

Working in Malaysia, Next Integration Engineering, a company which specialises in design and installation of audio, lighting and video systems, has recently added three venues to the entertainment line-up.

Beginning in the capital of Kuala Lumpur, Providence - located in the heart of the city’s entertainment hub - has been designed to target the elitist clientelé and provide them with a VIP experience. Part of the Massive Collective nightlife family - incorporating PVT, Dream and Playhouse in Singapore - Providence offers plush interiors, table service and luxurious yet distinctive décor.

In order to sustain perfect harmony within the venue a high-class sound system was required for the space. Technical Director of Next Integration Engineering, Kumaresan Narayana Gopal specified a Next

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Pro Audio audio package to meet those needs. Four Next Pro Audio X15 full range loudspeakers and four Next Pro Audio X12 compact loudspeakers were chosen, all of which are equipped with constant directivity horns to allow the enclosures to be mounted either vertically or horizontally. At Providence they are flown horizontally in order to achieve even coverage across the room. In addition to the X15’s and X12’s, Kumaresan also selected eight Next Pro Audio X08 loudspeakers from the same series.

Either side of the DJ booth are two Next Pro Audio XH15 subwoofers, which direct plenty of sub-bass energy onto the dancefloor.

While a further two Next Pro Audio XS118 subwoofers and six Next Pro Audio XS12 subwoofers extend the low frequency output of the entire sound system.

Amplification for Providence was also supplied by Next Pro Audio, a total of 13 units from its MA Series are needed to power the system.

Four Next Pro Audio MA1700’s, four Next Pro Audio MA2300’s, two Four Next Pro Audio MA3200’s and three Next Pro Audio MA3800’s have been installed at the club. For loudspeaker management, Kumaresan turned to a Next Pro Audio LMS242 processor featuring two inputs, four outputs and an eight-band parametric EQ per input

and output, as well as a further three DP240 DSP units - featuring crossovers filters on every output - from Next Pro Audio’s price conscious brand, N Sound.

At the DJ station, DJs have a Pioneer DJM-900 Nexus mixer and two Pioneer CDJ-2000 multiplayers at their fingertips, while a Shure SLX Wireless System that is easy to set up, has automatic frequency selection and features Shure’s patented audio reference companding, which improves the overall sound quality, is also in place.

The aim with Providence was to bring a taste of Las Vegas to South East Asia and with the first OLED lighting system installation on the Kuala Lumpur club scene, along with a state-of-the-art sound system from Portugal, it has all the ingredients at the ready.

Over the South China Sea, on the island of East Malaysia in the town of Sibu, Next Integration Engineering has completed a further two installations. The Ruai Kenyalang club - which translates as ‘the hornbill veranda’ - is located next to the second longest river in the world, the Rejang River. Since its opening just a few months ago, this club has become a regular hotspot for the natives in the state of Sarawak.

Once again, Kumaresan Narayana Gopal specified a Next Pro Audio sound system. Around the periphery of the room, a total of four Next Pro Audio X15 loudspeakers and two Next Pro Audio X12 loudspeakers have been installed. While four Next Pro Audio XH18 subwoofers and two Next Pro Audio LAs218 sub-bass units are groundstacked and deliver excellent precision and punchy bass across the low frequency range.

The sound system at Ruai Kenyalang needed to be flexible because as well as a dance club, it doubles as a karaoke lounge, an activity that is typical of the region. Powering the system are three Next Pro Audio MA3800 amplifiers and five Next Pro Audio MA3200 amplifiers, while processing is provided by two N Sound

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DP240 versatile processors. DJ equipment was once again supplied

by Pioneer in the form of one Pioneer DJM-900 Nexus mixer and two Pioneer CDJ-2000 multiplayers.

The intelligent lighting fixtures have been truss mounted on the ceiling. A total of 12 LED moving heads, two beam moving heads and two blinders are controlled via a Sunlite software package.

Ruai Kenyalang offers clubbers a different kind of treat by serving Tuak, a famous rice wine and the original native alcoholic beverage that is difficult to find anywhere else in the world.

The second venue is Q Bar, tucked in the heart of Sibu City, Sarawak. Since its inception eight years ago, Q Bar has become somewhat of a tourist attraction amidst its laid back surroundings.

After a number of succesful years in operation, it was decided that Q Bar needed a new lease of life. The idea was to inject a brand new attitude with an over-the-top style and create a futuristic ambiance.

Kicking off the refurbishment was another sound system from Next Pro Audio, based around the same loudspeakers series as the other installations. At Q Bar, the system comprises four Next Pro Audio X15 loudspeakers and two Next Pro Audio X12 loudspeakers, which are placed in and around the central dancefloor. These are supplemented by two Next Pro Audio XH18 subwoofers and four Next Pro Audio LAs218 sub-bass units. The audio system is driven by two Next Pro Audio MA3800 amplifiers and three Next Pro Audio MA3200 amplifiers, while DSP is courtesy of two N Sound DP240 digital processors. A single Pioneer DJM-900 Nexus mixer and two Pioneer CDJ-2000 multiplayers are in place for the DJs. A standout feature at Q Bar is the LED wall, which begins as a backdrop to the DJ booth and flows up and over the dancefloor to engulf the ceiling and embrace the dancers below. The screen is made up of LED panels, which sit alongside six beam moving heads, four blinders and 12 lasers. The lighting effects are operated via a Daslight software package. Octagen-shaped designs embellished with LED lights add a chic, modern finish to this newly revitalised club.

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TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND PROVIDENCE: 4 x Next Pro Audio X15 loudspeaker; 4 x Next Pro Audio X12 loudspeaker; 8 x Next Pro Audio X08 loudspeaker; 4 x Next Pro Audio XH15 subwoofer; 2 x Next Pro Audio XS118 subwoofer; 6 x Next Pro Audio XS12 subwoofer; 4 x Next Pro Audio MA1700 amplifier; 4 x Next Pro Audio MA2300 amplifier; 4 x Next Pro Audio MA3200 amplifier; 3 x Next Pro Audio MA3800 amplifier; 1 x Next Pro Audio LMS242 processor; 3 x N Sound DP240 processor; 1 x Pioneer DJM-900 Nexus mixer; 2 x Pioneer CDJ-2000 multiplayer; 1 x Shure SLX Wireless System RUAI KENYALANG: 4 x Next Pro Audio X15 loudspeaker; 2 x Next Pro Audio X12 loudspeaker; 4 x Next Pro Audio XH18 subwoofer; 2 x Next Pro Audio LAs218 sub-bass unit; 3 x Next Pro Audio MA3800 amplifier; 5 x Next Pro Audio MA3200 amplifier; 2 x N Sound DP240 processor; 1 x Pioneer DJM-900 Nexus mixer; 2 x Pioneer CDJ-2000 multiplayer Q BAR: 4 x Next Pro Audio X15 loudspeaker; 2 x Next Pro Audio X12 loudspeaker; 2 x x Next Pro Audio XH18 subwoofer; 4 x Next Pro Audio LAs218 sub-bass unit; 2 x Next Pro Audio MA3800 amplifier; 3 x Next Pro Audio MA3200 amplifier; 2 x N Sound DP240 processor; 1 x Pioneer DJM-900 Nexus mixer; 2 x Pioneer CDJ-2000 multiplayer LIGHTING & VISUAL PROVIDENCE: OLED lighting system RUAI KENYALANG:12 x LED moving head; 2 x beam moving head; 2 x blinder; 1 x Sunlite software package Q BAR: 250 metres of LED panel; 6 x beam moving head; 4 x blinder; 12 x laser; 1 x Daslight software package www.facebook.com/providencekl www.facebook.com/rkclub4u www.facebook.com/qbar.sibu facebook.com/rkclub4u

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DING DONG LOUNGE melbourne, australia ASIA/PACIFIC/OCEANIA

To be successful in the evening entertainment market there should be an interesting experience on offer for the customers. Owners of such establishments need to keep things fresh, be constantly mixing it up and bestow diversity.

This is the attitude Bill Walsh, singing drummer of the legendary band ‘Cosmic Psychos’, took when he made the decision to sell his shares in Cherry - a rock ‘n’ roll bar located on AC/DC Lane in Melbourne, Australia, which he co-founded in 1999 - to become the sole owner of Ding Dong Lounge on Market Lane, Melbourne, after buying out the other partners.

Since fire damage from the restaurant next door took hold of Ding Dong Lounge in June 2011, the venue has been out of use so Bill thought it was about time it received some much needed love and attention. Modelled on a fusion of sister venue Ding Dong Lounge in New York and the greatly missed Continental Café of Prahran, Melbourne, Bill has revitalised and re-opened the live music venue ready for the best artists that indie, punk and rock genres have to offer.

Ding Dong Lounge resides unassumingly amid the restaurants of Chinatown, and Bill contacted an old friend, Wil Burston, a longtime rock ‘n’ roll touring engineer, to help out with the technological specification for the revival. Wil brought in integrator Soundcorp to assist him with the new design for the venue. Soundcorp’s

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Pro Audio Product Manager, Scott Jamieson soon got to work on critically evaluating solutions to the problems Ding Dong had experienced in the past. “Ding Dong was ready for a refit,” said Scott. “It plays host to a diverse range of acts and Bill Walsh knows what it’s like to be up on the stage. He was always a smart operator back when he was touring with the Cosmic Psychos, and knew what he wanted the system to achieve.”

After the initial assessment, Scott selected an audio manufacturer he believed would be able to devise a system that would adhere to all the necessary requirements, and he contacted the manufacturer’s distribution partner in Australia, Group Technologies.

Drew Menard Group Technologies’ Technical Sales specialist said: “We all discussed some of the short falls in the previous system.

They included coverage, horsepower and sound on stage. That’s one of the big issues with smaller venues - what’s happening with the PA drastically affects what’s happening on stage. We wanted to make sure both the FOH and foldback systems worked cohesively.”

The specification was a L-R configuration which consists of one Nexo GEO S1230 two-way loudspeaker and one Nexo GEO S1210 scalable loudspeaker per side flown horizontally left and right of the stage. Together, the enclosures provide 40º of vertical dispersion and between 80º and 120º of horizontal dispersion, while four Nexo LS600 high power sub bass provide the perfect accompaniment.

“We have 25 storeys of apartments over looking our roof space, so we had to do some beam steering to get the vertical lobe off the subwoofers” explained Wil. “We also had to high pass the system at 38Hz because the LS600’s were running flat to 28Hz and were

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Scott Jamieson, Drew Menard, Wil Burston and Bill Walsh

knocking things off the tables.”

Outfills for the VIP areas on either side of the stage are provided courtesy of two stereo pairs of Nexo PS8 compact loudspeakers, while a further two Nexo PS10-R2 high power loudspeakers can be used as side fill when the venue is hosting a live gig, however, on club nights, these turn the stage into a further dancefloor area.

The Nexo system is powered and processed using two of the company’s NXAMP 4X1 and one of the NXAMP 4X4 powered TD controllers, which combine DSP and high-power amplification. Due to careful planning and an accurate design for the main PA - which was optimised in Nexo’s NS-1 3D modelling software - the FOH system required almost no EQ. “We had to do very little tuning,” said Wil. “It was all time alignment. We only pulled two frequencies out of the entire system. One was a 1/30th of an octave slice at 53Hz to get rid of the resonance from the slab. The other was a small dip at 5kHz which I’ve since put back in.”

All of the time alignment and a little EQ was handled by one of the new Xilica Neutrino processors. This completely open-architecture DSP engine is 40-bit floating point. This flexibility allows design of remote controls for the management for individual zone levels and separate inputs. They have chosen both dedicated switch buttons as well as Xilica’s NeuPanel, a seven inch industrial touchscreen.

This has allowed Wil to give the other staff an easy to understand graphics based control system.

After selecting the main Nexo PA, the attention was turned to monitoring, for which seven Quest Engineering QM12MP wedges and a Quest Engineering HPI 12S subwoofers were selected, which Scott installed on the stage for drum fill. Amplification for the monitors is taken care of by three Camco D-Power 4 amplifiers, while a single Xilica XP-8080 fixed architecture processor is responsible for some basic EQ and limiting for the monitor system.

At the mixing station, Wil’s brand of choice was DiGiCo, which was once again supplied by Group Technologies and installed by Soundcorp. An SD9 connected to a 32 input, eight output D-Rack handles both FOH and foldback duties. At just 878mm wide and 785mm deep, the compact footprint of the SD9 was important to make the most of the limited space. This compact console provides 48 stereo inputs, 16 stereo busses, an LCR master buss and a 12 x 8 matrix, making it more than capable of catering for each and every band’s needs. “Having toured forever and used everything, I use nothing but a DiGiCo if possible,” stated Wil. “They’re one of the only digital consoles that has full 40 bit floating processing throughout, the latency is always fixed and you don’t have to do anything to it to make it sound good to start with. It’s musical without changing colour, and it does what you tell it to do.” The SD9’s liberal 24 physical faders were also a big selling point for Wil. “As a single operator venue, the two banks of faders are invaluable,” he continued.

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To complete the audio line-up at Ding Dong Lounge, an Apex Hera sound level controller and an Apex Argos sound level limiter sit inline before the main PA processors to prevent sound leakage from the venue. Australian live music venues in urban areas are under great pressure from neighbours, councils and the Liquor Licensing Commission over noise levels. “Although Ding Dong has been there forever, the gentrification of the city is impacting on it,” said Scott.

“We had to make sure the license was in no way jeopardised.”

The Apex system is put to use when the venue is operating in club mode. The Apex Hera monitors sound levels through an analysis microphone, and should the levels need adjusting this information is transmitted to the Apex Argos, which also keeps a detailed log for reference.

“The Argos uses servo-loop circuitry similar to a VCA to preserve dynamic range, so you get a better result than just slamming it against a brick-wall compressor / limiter. It also allows you to vary volume limits at different times of the day. There have been no issues with the noise police or neighbours. If the neighbours ever do claim it was louder one night than the last, you can print out a log of the readings from the evening,” continued Scott. And it’s given Wil peace of mind. “It ensures that the room stays at 101dB - 95dB, depending on the time of evening, until 7am, saving both our licence and staff’s hearing. From midnight, we are a club, and without this system I doubt we would still be trading.”

Concluding Scott said: “Working with Wil and Bill was very easy because they had such a clear vision of what they wanted to achieve. Wil’s knowledge of audio and familiarity with Nexo made it easy to put together a system that is just phenomenal. And while everyone else wants to do it cheap, Bill realises you have to do it right.” Wil was happy to return the compliments: “It was one of the most painless, transparent PA installs I could imagine. Soundcorp’s support has been fantastic.”

TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND

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R serie Mondo 1402.indd 1

01/02/14 19:10

IN BUSINE S S namm, anaheim ATTENDED BY HELEN FLETCHER AND LAURA ILES

ISE, AMSTERDAM ATTENDED BY THE MONDO*DR TEAM

GUIDE SPECIAL EFFECTS

PRODUCT DIRECTORY

The 2014 show season started in sunny California for the NAMM show in January, before moving on to blustery Amsterdam for the ISE show. Helen Fletcher and Laura Iles were lucky enough to catch some winter rays and experienced what was, one of the busiest NAMM shows to date.

A week back in the office and then it was time for all four of us (Rachael, Helen, Jamie and Laura) to make the short trip to The Netherlands. ISE has fast become one of the most important stops on our tradeshow calendar and this year’s event was no exception.

Our Product Guide this issue focuses on special effects and our Last Page Interview is with Roland Systems Group’s, Peter Heath.

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NAMM ANAHEIM

Having now come full circle on the tradeshow calendar, NAMM is definitely one of my favourite events. Yes, it might have something to do with the southern Californian weather, and yes it might have something to do with the fact I can eat my own body weight in Baby Ruth chocolate bars, pancakes, and bacon and not feel in the slightest bit guilty, but more importantly it is down to the fact that NAMM as a whole, is a great experience and you can’t help but get swept up in that infectious positivity Americans have about the industry and well, life in general - it must be something in the bottled water!

While a vast majority of the show is dedicated to the MI industry, the pro audio and lighting sector also has an important role to play and all the major players were somewhere to be seen, whether this was by taking their own space, on a distributor’s stand, or in the case of Martin Audio, Meyer Sound and DiGiCo to name but a

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few, taking up residency at ‘Hall P’ (or the Marriot Pool Bar as it’s more commonly known).

According to the NAMM official post-show press release, emerging brands, growth in pro audio and the music technology category, and an increase in international exhibitors, converged for the second-highest exhibiting company number ever. In total there were 1,533 exhibiting companies representing 5,010 brands. Meeting those brands was a 2% increase in buyers over the 2013 show. In total, 96,129 members of the music product industry registered for the 2014 NAMM Show.

There was also a 6% increase in international attendees and 636 exhibitors, from 49 countries made up over one-third of the total exhibiting companies.

For mondo*dr, while a lot of the companies we met with were waiting for ISE in Amsterdam and Prolight+Sound in Frankfurt to make their latest announce-

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1. The ADJ stand. 2. Allen & Heath on display on the AM&S stand. 3. Pioneer DJ presented a range of new products along with its new pro audio loudspeaker range. 4. Phil Sanchez of QSC. 5. Gioia Molinari of RCF. 6. DiGiCo product was on display. 7. Avid had a busy stand throughout, holding demonstrations and talks. 8. Audio-Technica held a press conference on the first morning of the show. 9. John DiNicola, Senior Product Specialist at Behringer. 10.

UK-based Chauvet representatives, including Michael Brooksbank (right) made an appearance at NAMM. 11.

Juan Jose Vila of Equipson. 12. The Faital Pro team. 13. Roberto Mataloni and Mark Parkhouse of FBT. 14. Mark Ravenhill of GLP. 15. Pier Paolo De Minicis of Lavoce Italiana.

The Infra-Floor® Series Creates a rigorous music experience through an Amplitude of the Infrasound-Signal which counts up to 5mm!

Prolight + Sound Frankfurt 12. – 15.03. / Hall 11.0 / E 51

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1. Patrick Almond of Studiomaster. 2. The Sommer Cable team busy on their stand. 3. Peter Heath of Roland. 4. Caroline Tew and Dan Duffell of Solid State Logic. 5. The Sennheiser stand was busy throughout. 6. The Music Group went through all of its brands during its press conference. 7. Josep Maria Sans and Willy Ye of SAE. 8. PreSonus held regular media demos throughout the four day show. 9. The D.A.S Audio stand. 10. Electro-Voice had a well presented press conference during NAMM. 11. Gibson Pro presented its latest range of KRK loudspeakers.

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12. Robert Teorey of Laser Shows Inc with Francis Oliveira (right) and colleague of Laserworld USA. 13. Megan Clisby and Margie Ulm of Renkus-Heinz 14. Dean Standing of Rane. 15. TC Group showcased its electronic sector.

ments, some of the highlights of the show included the introduction of Cerwin-Vega’s XD loudspeaker series. The XD4 and XD5 full range systems and XD8 powered subwoofer join the existing XD3 powered loudspeaker.

Genelec introduced the 8010 active monitor, the smallest member of the 8000 product range, widely used in the high-end professional audio, mastering, post-production and broadcast market sectors.

Gibson brand, KRK Systems presented the new Rokit Generation 3 studio monitor series, available with five-inch, six-inch or eight-inch drivers.

Harman was selected to support the NAMM GoPro Stage at the Grand Plaza this year; the system included the new JBL VTX Series V20 line array system and S25 subwoofers. Additional equipment included Crown VRack amplifier systems, Soundcraft Vi Series digital consoles and AKG wireless and wired microphones. A full Martin Professional entertainment lighting system was used and featured MAC Viper, MAC 700 and MAC 301 lights operated by an M1 programmable controller.

Midas unveiled its M32 digital mixing console, featuring 40-inputs and a host of connectivity options.

One Systems presented its new On Point Audio branded OPALine powered threeway vertical line array system, while over on the Peavey stand, the new RBN 215 subwoofer and RBN 112 powered loudspeaker enclosures were showcased.

Pioneer presented its professional audio loudspeakers, the GS-Wave and XY Se-

ries, designed for commercial, nightclub, restaurant, bar and lounge applications.

QSC introduced its much-anticipated digital mixer line - the TouchMix Series, offering production professionals and live performance venues the power and capability of a large format console in a portable, integrated and easy to use product.

RCF’s latest addition to its ART series, the ART 745-A, was presented at on the stand. A two-way powered speaker that includes a four-inch compression driver.

On the Riedel stand, the RockNet real-time low latency audio distribution network was highlighted alongside RockNet console interfaces for SSL, Soundcraft Si, Studer and Yamaha.

Solid State Logic presented its new Sigma remote controlled analogue summing system, a unique analogue mix engine in a 2U rack unit. It is remote controlled using MIDI via Ethernet via a DAW or an iDevice-compatible software interface.

Studiomaster’s new Venture Series of high performance ultra-compact cabinets were on show for the very first time - the series is available in both active and passive variants.

Turbosound launched its new TLX Series of compact and sub-compact line arrays, which are designed for small and medium scale sound reinforcement use in live music venues, retail and themed environments.

NAMM 2015 show will take place from 22-25 January at the Anaheim Convention Center. For more information go to: www.namm.org

WWW.LIGHTLINE.DE LIGHTLINE Lasertechnik GmbH Lengericher Landstr. 44 D-49078 Osnabrück Germany The new look in lightdesign. The DMX-controlled unit puts out a parallel beam array of 10 individually controlled beams that can be faded very liniar at all speeds. Only 3,5 kg of weight make it easy to use and install. Available colors are red, green and blue.

Hall 11 A20, A21

Lasearray www.mondodr.com

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ISE

AMSTERDAM While Prolight+Sound in Frankfurt remains the main tradeshow in the industry for launches and ‘firsts’, the ISE show in Amsterdam, is fast becoming another highlight of mondo*dr’s travel diary and as such the entire team was out in force in February to cover the show.

This year’s tradeshow attracted more than 50,000 registered attendees for the first time in its history, surpassing even the organisers’ own expectations and a record 952 exhibitors, helping to fuel attendee growth of 15% over last year’s figure.

Some of the highlights from the show included: Adamson showcased the Point Concentric Series, a range of passive, coaxial loudspeakers designed for both the installation and rental markets. The versatile two-way cabinets are designed to pro-

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duce linear, high-resolution audio throughout the intended bandwidth. The series includes five different models, PC 5, PC 6, PC 8, PC 10 and PC 12.

Alcons Audio showcased its latest pro-ribbon sound system innovations, presenting a selected choice of its point source, point source array, line-source and line array sound systems, with the main focus on the RR12, which has been developed as a building block to create tight-packed arrays for controlled sound coverage.

Analog Way presented its Midra Series of mid-range mixers / seamless switchers with Eikos2 and Saphyr offering 10 seamless inputs and 16 input plugs. Both systems feature a variety of effects and transitions to animate layers. Eikos2 delivers up to 34 seamless transitions, including circle, stretch and depth.

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1. James Gordon, MD of DiGiCo. 2. Tom Van de Sande of Audac. 3. James Oliver and Jochen Sommer of Adamson. 4.

Geert Polfliet of Apart Audio. 5. Robe’s Jiri Baros. 6. The Analog Way team. 7. The beyerdynamic stand was busy throughout. 8. Evangeline Pirot of Audio Technica. 9. Sheldon Radford of Avid. 10. Biamp held a busy press conference on the first day. 11. The new Bose Professional Dante networking capabilities were showcased.

Audac presented its latest loudspeaker in-wall loudspeaker range, the Mero, which includes three models in different sizes and with different specifications. Also on show was the SMA and SMQ Series of Class-D power amplifiers, featuring WaveDynamics audio processing technology.

Avolites Media exhibited for the first time at ISE this year, the stand offered the company’s complete range of media servers including its top of the range S Series servers and EX media servers.

Barco used a ‘connecting the world’ theme on its stand which featured the ClickShare presentation system, a brand-new full line-up of corporate AV projectors and the LCD Series.

Biamp Systems launched a number of substantial updates to its Tesira, Nexia and Vocia product lines.

Bose Professional showcased its three new cards that bring Dante networking interoperability to the company’s latest ControlSpace engineered sound processors and PowerMatch configurable professional

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1. The About Show stand. 2. Max Lindsay-Johnson of Community Professional. 3. Hans Stucken and Harry Gladow of coolux. 4. Ignacio Chulía and Robert Giner of D.A.S Audio. 5. d&b audiotechnik held numerous demonstration sessions throughout the tradeshow.

power amplifiers. The new Bose ControlSpace Designer software enables an operator to design, configure, control and monitor all Bose networked system electronics using a single application.

The main focus of the Christie stand was cutting-edge solutions for burgeoning markets such as collaboration, command and control and large-scale video mapping. Christie demonstrated its recent additional excursions into 4K technology, its Phoenix open content management system, and for collaboration requirements, the Brio.

The Community stand showcased a number of European debuts: the Wet X range, which consists of three new models; eight new additions to the R-Series line; and the DP8 pendant loudspeakers, which expands the manufacturer’s distributed design series of ceiling, surface mount and pendant loudspeakers. d&b audiotechnik hosted three daily demonstrations to introduce listeners to the passively crossed over 24C and 24C-E column loudspeakers from the new xC-Series; fixed installation products aimed squarely at speech reinforcement in demanding acoustic spaces. This series is specifically intended for the kind of highly reverberant environments where conquering acoustic challenges must balance with aesthetic considerations.

Dataton previewed new manager software for its Watchout multi-display system, along with new Watchnet software and the latest version of its Watchpax media player and Pickup audio guide system.

DiGiCo introduced its D2-Rack, which has been designed to support and expand the SD Range’s higher sample rate I/O solutions. It comes with comes with either BNC or Cat5 MADI connections, allowing it to be used with a number of DiGiCo consoles or as a standalone unit.

Digital Projection presented its new high brightness laser projector - the HighLite Laser 12K, which delivers 12,000 lumen output and boars 20,000 hours of stable solid-state illumination with a WUXGA resolution.

Dynacord presented its expanded its vertical array loudspeaker family at the show, which includes the full-range boxes TS 100 and TS 200. While, parent company Bosch also announced that its Electro-Voice loudspeaker series has been certified

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EN 54-24 compliant.

On display at the Elation booth were the Platinum Wash 16R Pro and the Rayzor Beam 2R, both powered by platinum lamp technology. In Elation’s line of innovative LED lighting, the multi-functional Protron LED Strobe, as well as a pair of dynamic white LED luminaires, the DW Fresnel and DW Profile, were also on show.

FBT had a selection of installed sound, audio contractor and professional audio products on display at this year’s ISE. Funktion One kicked off its tradeshow calendar with its fourth appearance at ISE and displayed the large format MST loudspeaker range together with other products from the manufacturer’s product range.

Genelec introduced the 4010, a brand new model in the 4000 Series of AV installation loudspeakers. Visitors to the stand were able to listen to a working demo of the new model.

Green Hippo introduced the Aviary video-tools range, a complementary set of products, all aimed at enabling users to playback, manipulate and display media in ways not encountered before and all in broadcast quality, high-resolution formats where needed. The company also presented a new member to the Hippotizer family, Chipmunk.

The Harman Group presented a range of products from its growing brand portfolio.

AKG presented the new WMS420 wireless system; from BSS Soundweb London, the BLU-50 digital signal processor and the introduction of the BLU-Si BLU link card, which enables Soundcraft mixing consoles to be connected to Harman components equipped with a BLU link interface; Crown showcased its USBX accessory that enables XTi, CDi and DSi Series amplifiers with a USB port to be operated via an Apple iPad / iPhone using the ‘Powered by Crown’ app; dbx introduced its DriveRack PA loudspeaker management system as well as the PS6 power supply for the dbx PMC personal monitor controller. JBL Professional introduced its CBT 50LA-LS line array column loudspeaker, the VTX F Series two-way multi-purpose loudspeakers; and the PD6000 Series, which complements the larger PD700 mid-high systems; Soundcraft introduced the new Realtime Rack, a 1U (one rack unit) enclosure capable of processing up to 16 channels of a MADI stream, while

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1. The Electrosonic stand. 2. Juan Jose Vila of Equipson. 3. The FBT team - Roberto Mataloni, Mark Parkhouse and Luigi Paoloni with Eric Verstijlen (second from left) of Nedelko. 4. Mark Wadsworth of Digital Projection. 5. Larry Beck and colleague of Elation. 6. Tobias Pirtsch of the Bosch Group. 7. Stacey Chiang of BXB Electronics. 8. Alex Bryan of Fenix.

additional units can be added for 32, 48 or 64 channels. The newly acquired Duran Audio showcased it Intellivox range, which have now been incorporated into the JBL brand and in future will be sold as the JBL Intellivox and JBL AXYS product series. And Martin Professional completed the line-up to make the stand a one-stop-shop for audio and lighting solutions.

K-array’s focus this year was the Tornado, a pioneering active micro loudspeaker designed for point source applications and high quality distributed systems.

Martin Audio presented the MLA Mini, featuring an ultra-compact footprint, light weight and radical design. The key that unlocks the power of MLA Mini is the MSX

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mini-sub power plant, which complements the main system and houses the amplification, networking and DSP necessary to power and control itself and four MLA Mini enclosures.

Merging presented new hardware and software developments for its Ovation product range, including a number of operational improvements in terms of flexibility, usability and speed for the Ovation 5. The first descendent of Horus was also premiered.

Meyer Sound introduced its Lyon linear sound reinforcement system, the newest addition to the Leo family of linear loudspeaker systems. Lyon extends the

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9. David Bruml busy with customers on the Funktion-One stand. 10. Green Hippo launched the Aviary video tools range. 11. Lars-Olof Janflod (right) and colleague of Genelec. 12. Keith Watson taking part in the Harman Group press conference.

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1. Clive Kinton and Jo Olenski of Ohm. 2. Simon Bull (left) and Anthony Taylor entertain the crowds at the Martin Audio press conference. 3. Antoni Zacarias of Meyer Sound with the new Lyon system. 4. The Music Group stand. 5. Fabio Sorabella (centre) of Music & Lights. 6. Doug McCallum of One Systems.

advantages of highly linear self-powered systems to a broader range of venues and applications.

Powersoft shared a stand with its Dutch distributor TM Audio and made clever use of its display area, carefully selecting rack amplifiers from its installation range, including the Ottocanali 12K4 eight-channel amplifier and Deva, the multifunctional multimedia device.

Dean Standing was on the Rane stand, demonstrating the company’s newest product line, the HAL DSP Series, which is set to revolutionise system design and installation.

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RCF showcased its VMAX Series of loudspeakers, presenting a no-compromise compact design and construction and a natural sound in recorded music and live situations, alongside its Livepad range of high performance audio mixers, which were introduced two weeks earlier at NAMM. It was Czech-manufacturer Robe’s first outing at ISE, the company had a busy show and entertained visitors by putting on a MiniMe light show controlled via DMX. Roland Systems Group presented the VR-3EX, the latest addition to the VR Series of ‘all in one’ audiovisual mixers. It incorporates a video switcher, audio mixer,

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Hall 8 Stand G94

Frankfurt: 12-15 March 2014 Demonstrations throughout the show in room dialog (off 9.2 staicase)

Brighton Music Conference 11-12 April 2014, Stand A61 PSM318 demonstrations

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1. The Proel stand. 2. Jason Kelly and Dan Duffell of SSL. 3. Shayne Thomas and Andy Rust of Peavey. 4. Alexis Lipoff with Francesco Fanicchi of Powersoft. 5. Margie Ulm of Renkus Heinz with Daniel Keller. 6. Christian Bockskopf and Rick Scharpenberg of Riedel. 7. Sina Petzold and Wienand Mensendiek of Sennheiser.

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1. The Yamaha Pro Audio stand. 2. Patrick Halliwell, MD of Daktronics UK. 3. Ateis held a well attended press conference during the show. 4. Darren Banks, Business Development Manager, EMEA at Christie. 5. The Ashly stand. 6. Michel Baars, Kirsty Lamport and Jens Rothenburger of Shure. 7. Kai Böckmann of t&mSystems.

touchscreen preview monitor and streaming-ready USB output all in a single unit.

On the Sennheiser stand, TeamConnect was on show, an all-in-one audio meeting solution for corporate and government facilities. An end-to-end professional grade meeting solution, it integrates speakers, microphones, central control unit and connectivity management.

Shure presented a selected product portfolio for installed audio applications including wireless solutions for demanding installed applications, discussion and conferencing systems as well as wired microphone lines for diverse requirements and budgets.

Solid State Logic exhibited for the first time this year and presented its new ‘Live’ console, a flexible and extremely powerful digital audio console designed specifi-

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cally to meet the demands of all aspects of live sound production.

With a larger presence than ever before, TC Group’s install and tour brands Tannoy, Lab.gruppen and Lake showcased their integrated audio systems for the installation market, including the first major European debut of Lab.gruppen’s Lucia amplifier.

Yamaha showcased its full range of products for the installation market including the full CIS series, all VXC and VXS loudspeakers, XMV multi-channel amplifiers, MTX matrix processors and DCP controllers.

ISE 2015 will take place from 10 - 12 February at the Amsterdam RAI, The Netherlands. For more info go to: www.iseurope.org

Prolight reklama 236x333:Layout 1 2014.02.20 19:56 Page 1

Turn your laser projector into a powerful

LASER HARP With Prolight Laser Harp Controller

w w w. l a s e r- h a r p . c o m

144 GUIDE - special effects

ADJ | FOG FURY SERIES www.americandj.com

The series of Fog Fury fog machines come with a solid metal case durable enough for everyday use in clubs or on the road. The new heat system, pump and circuits are designed to give maximum reliability and economic use. The Fog Fury 1000 is the entry-level machine with a 650W heater and 3,500 cubic ft per minute output with a re-heat time of just four minutes. The Fog Fury 2000 is a mid-level, portable 1,100W machine with electronic thermo sensing, which reduces the power consumption to a minimum. With a huge 7,000 cubic ft per minute output this makes it ideal for small stages and mid size clubs. The Fog Fury 3000 is the high output 1,500W DMX machine. The built in timer, manual and DMX functions along with 2,1000 cubic ft per minute output makes this the only choice for large stages and super clubs.

The 2000 and 3000 models both have a LED fluid indicator showing the status of the machine and also indicates when it needs re-fueling.

ANTARI | F-5 HAZER www.antari.com

The successor of F-3 has been launched with several advanced features including greater output, finer and smoother haze quality, lower noise level, multi-language control interface, W-DMX as standard equipment, and more importantly extreme low rate for heater clog. The upgraded heater design has increased F-5’s output by two times and the haze produced is exceedingly fine with even lower noise level and above all, the risk of a clogged heater is sharply reduced. In addition, the control interface is now supported with multiple languages and W-DMX by Wireless Solution is added as standard equipment so that trouble of cable management can be avoided.

CHAUVET PROFESSIONAL | AMHAZE II www.chauvetlighting.com

Amhaze II is a road-worthy, pro quality water-based haze machine suited for large-scale applications. Built specifically to function with the industry’s wide variety of water-based haze fluids it features a durable, low-profile road case to survive the rigours of touring and production.

Haze output and speed can be easily adjusted via DMX or the LCD screen and the unit comes equipped with an M13 threaded insert for hanging in any location.

CITC | AQUAMAX www.citcfx.com

The Aquamax uses award-winning technology - Best Debuting Product of the Year at LDI 2013 - that allows long-lasting, water-based odourless, organic haze. For years, water-based haze machines produced a haze that didn’t last long, thereby creating high costs in haze fluid each year, while oil-based haze fluids have received a bad reputation for leaving residue on lights. AquaMax answers both of these concerns by producing a long lasting, two-hour haze without any of the residue worries of an oil-based machine. The machine never needs cleaning and has built-in fans to spread the haze faster and better. The AquaMax is also conservative on haze fluid and produces the smallest particles to date meaning it is extremely dry. The unit includes timers, remotes and DMX. The machine also has a low electrical requirement and very quick heat up time.

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special effects - GUIDE 145

COHERENT | VIPER SERIES www.coherent.com

The new Viper series of lasers from Coherent features output power up to 20W, a perfect beam that enables a small, ultra-bright spot at long throw distances and superior pointing stability to deliver sharp, high resolution images. Measuring only 213mm by 98mm by 68mm, Viper lasers also offer a choice of colours - orange (590 nm wavelength), yellow (577 nm) or green (532 nm) - as well as direct modulation, simplifying their integration into projectors. Viper lasers are already used in the new infinity beam laser system from laser manufacturer and rental company LOBO. Combining up to four compact Viper heads in a single air-cooled laser system on a moving base delivers up to 80W of spectacular effects even over extreme distances.

HAZEBASE | BASECAP www.hazebase.com

Small-sized, compact, powerful and economical the Basecap is DMX controlled, uses low power at only 650W; low fluid consumption; is light in weight, features continuous fogging, and the maximum projection output is eight metres.

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146 GUIDE - special effects

LASER ANIMATION | LASERGRAPH DSP COMPACT MKII www.laseranimation.com

LaserAnimation presents a new hardware platform of its legendary Lasergraph DSP Series. The laser show controller offers full performance at a much smaller volume, because the new design makes it possible to integrate a complete Lasergraph DSP Compact Mk II into a small lightweight ABS Polymer housing. With its handy dimensions of 28cm x 20cm x 4cm and its weight of only 1.5kg the controller can carried comfortably. Despite its low weight the ABS housing is sturdy and robust, making the Lasergraph DSP ideal for mobile use.

LE MAITRE | SALAMANDER www.lemaitreltd.com

The Salamander canister flame effect produces spectacular flame columns in fast chases. The small footprint allows single units to be easily coupled together in a four-up configuration to produce coloured or natural flames ranging in height from four metres to six metres.

Features include: propane style flame from four metres (single unit) to six metres (four units); up to 30 seconds continuous flame; natural or red flames; ethanol / methanol or propane / butane flame options; canisters offer simple, quick and easy set-up; canisters remove issues associated with valves and accumulators; onboard DMX 512 support - two channels; and safety features including tilt sensor and ignitor monitoring.

LIGHTLINE LASERTECHNIK | LASEARRAY www.lightline.de

The LaseArray is a light effect featuring a unique and new look. Normally laser effects have a divergence and get larger with distance. This one stays parallel for hundreds of metres and enters the audience area more than common light effects. It is controlled by DMX just like a LED bar and doesn’t need any special laser controller, just connect it to the light console. Each diode output fades individually which makes it very powerful in terms of creating good effects. LaseArray is available in red, green and blue with different power levels.

LPS-LASERSYSTEME | COMPAX www.lps-laser.de

The CompaX is a small yet powerful laser with numerous features and advantages. It has an integrated show player enabling high-quality laser animations; is available with 30, 40 or 60kpps graphics scanner and laser power with 1.5W or 3W RGB.

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special effects - GUIDE 147

PROLIGHT | LASER HARP CONTROLLER www.laser-harp.com The Laser Harp Controller turns any ILDA compliant laser projector into a powerful frameless full colour laser harp. It creates a virtual light harp that employs multi-coloured laser beams instead of strings. It can be programmed to trigger any type of audio or video event, any visual image, sound or music, special effect or even pyrotechnics. Combined with any laser control software, Laser Harp Controller can be used to play selected laser show cues and effects by blocking laser beams like a true laser jockey. It can trigger synthesizers, PC samplers, DJ software or any other kind of MIDI controlled device. It is completely user friendly and its plug‘n’play technology makes it easy to work with. The user just needs to connect an ILDA-compatible laser and a synthesizer and they are ready to play.

ROBE | ROBIN CYCLONE www.robe.cz This effects moving head has an integrated fan in the centre of the head surrounded by a ring of 24 high powered RGBW multichip LEDs (patent pending). There is a zoom of 8º to 63º on the LEDs and a strong central airflow that can be combined with fog and haze to assist with creating the best quality atmospheric effects. The vari-speed fan can be independently DMX controlled, starting from a very low RPM and is a perfect complement to fog and hazers in any live environment - from clubs to concerts - needing fine-tuned fog / haze flows. Each LED is individually controlled and can be pixel mapped for the creation of eye-catching colour, rainbow, strobe and effects. The Robin Cyclone is also perfect for lighting and cooling performers from a neat ‘footlights’ position and can also produce dramatic ‘hair-blowing’ and ‘smoke-through the-fan’ effects. The unit also benefits from all the features from Robe’s LEDWash Series.

148 DIRECTORY

ADAMSON | POINT CONCENTRIC SERIES www.adamsonsystems.com The Point Concentric Series, a range of passive, coaxial loudspeakers designed for both installation and rental markets, is a versatile two-way cabinet designed to produce linear, high-resolution audio throughout the intended bandwidth. The series includes a PC 5, PC 6, PC 8, PC 10 and a PC 12 version.

The PC 5 and PC 6 are the most compact loudspeakers in the series. When more power is required, users can step up to the larger Point Concentric options - PC 8, PC 10 and PC 12. The PC 8 is in the middle of the Point Concentric line. It is a compact, passive two-way coaxial loudspeaker. It features the widest coverage pattern of the range with 80° conical dispersion. The PC 10 houses a single 10-inch coaxial driver and features a 70° conical pattern. The three larger models also incorporate standard pole mount hardware. A unique rotatable jack plate allows for Neutrik NL4 connections on the bottom or back of each enclosure.

ADJ | INNO SPOT SERIES www.adj.com The Inno Spot Series of LED moving heads offers a variety of brightness options and is designed for a wide variety of applications. The series offers brightnesses from 12W to 180W, with features designed for someone just getting into moving heads to professionals looking to upgrade from halogen or discharge to a more eco-friendly LED with energy-saving power consumption. The four Inno Spot LED moving head models include the Inno Pocket Spot, the smallest and most affordable of the four moving heads uses a 12W LED source, it has seven colours, seven fixed gobs plus spot on a laser cut gobo wheel and projects a 17º beam angle. The Inno Spot LED is powered by a 50W LED source and comes equipped with eight colours. The Inno Spot Pro is powered by a bright 80W LED source. The versatile moving head has motorised focus, manual zoom and a three-facet prism. Finally, the Inno Spot Elite is the flagship of the Inno Spot Series with a massive 180W LED source. All models include four button digital DMX displays, three pin DMX in / out and IEC in / out power daisy-chaining.

AKG | WMS420 www.akg.com The WMS420 is a versatile and high-performance single-channel wireless system designed for smaller venues. It is a flexible single channel package with quick and easy rack installation via detachable extended antennas that attach to the back of the receiver. WMS420 includes the SR420 UHF stationary receiver with two external and detachable antennas on the rear side and BNC connectors at standard 50 ohms. The HT420 handheld transmitters and PT420 pocket transmitters charging contacts, like the AKG WMS470, are compatible with the AKG CU400 charging station.

ALCONS AUDIO | RR12 www.alconsaudio.com

The RR12 point-source array is the latest of the pro-ribbon system innovations, and implements the unique features of Alcons’ pro-ribbon transducers in a modular concept. It has been developed as building block to create tight-packed arrays for controlled sound coverage in the widest variety of audience areas.

ALLEN & HEATH | QU-24 www.allen-heath.com Allen & Heath has added the 30 in / 24 out Qu-24 to its Qu Series of compact digital mixers, featuring total recall of settings, an intuitive touchscreen and a Qu-Drive integrated multi-track recorder. The mixer is packed with massive processing capability and high speed dual core DSPs provide comprehensive channel and effects processing, with ample room for future processing updates and functionality. Qu-24 is equipped with a high resolution full colour touchscreen featuring the easy to drive ‘Touch Channel’ access to channel processing, the effects racks and all the setup and system management controls.

Qu-Drive, the mixer’s integrated 18-channel USB recorder, works with an external USB drive to record and playback multi-track and stereo audio wav files.

The 24 mic / line inputs feature crystal clear AnaLogiq total recall pad-less preamps, optimised for transparency and low harmonic distortion.

APG | MX0 www.apg.tm.fr The MX0 installation loudspeaker is specifically designed for ease of installation in any environment, the MX0 may be stand-mounted, wall and ceiling-mounted using the optional ETMX0 bracket, or simply placed on a suitable surface. It comes with phoenix connectors as standard and is also available in 70V / 100V line version. The MX0 is an ideal choice for applications where space is at a premium and the sound system needs to be discreet yet powerful. It’s reduced form factor and very wide dispersion characteristics enables extended coverage with a minimal amount of loudspeakers. Applications include vocal reinforcement such as conferencing, as well as for background music and in-fill applications.

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API | 505 DI / 565 FILTER BANK www.apiaudio.com API introduces two new members of its 500 Series modular signal processing line - the 505 DI Direct Input and the 565 Filter Bank. Both modules possess API’s sound and fit all 500 Series chassis, including the API Lunchbox and the API 1608 small-format analogue console. The 505 DI includes gain control, adjustable tone control, a bright switch, a 20dB pad, switchable 100 / 400K ohm load impedance, and thru connectivity. The 565 Filter Bank includes a sweepable low-pass filter (500Hz to 20kHz, -12dB or -18dB slope), a sweepable high-pass filter (20Hz to 400Hz, -6dB or -12dB slope), and a variable notch filter (fully sweepable between 20Hz and 20kHz).

ARX | BLUE DI www.arx.com.au Blue DI is a new addition to the AudiBox range of Precision Tools. A professional wireless active direct box interface, it allows users to connect Bluetooth enabled devices to the pro audio world of balanced signals and XLR connectors via a robust wireless connection of over a 12-metre range. ARX’s new Blue DI is compatible with Bluetooth Version V2.1 EDR, 3.0 and 4.0, can be powered by +48VDC phantom power from a mixing console, or an external DC PSU and features industry standard balanced left and right line level XLR outputs.

AYRTON | NANDOBEAM S6 www.ayrton.eu

The NandoBeam S6 is a very compact, ultra-fast moving head. Equipped with 37 RGBW LED emitters and arranged in four ‘crowns’ of independently controlled semi-ring sections. Designed primarily for use on concert stages and in television production, NandoBeam S6 exhibits quick, dynamic movement along with Ayrton’s saturated colour palette and 8° to 40° beam spread.

AVOLITES MEDIA | S-SERIES www.avolitesmedia.com

Avolites Media introduces the new S-Series of media servers. The Ai S2, S4 and S6 media server offer two, four and six display port / DVI outputs respectively.

They feature third generation PCI express motherboards, graphics cards and RAID SSD drives for unrivalled performance along with 4K Ultra HD capability in the S4 and S8 servers. The dual processor, highest specification S6 server, performs up to Apple Pro Res 4444 playback.

BIAMP | TESIRA 2.0 / TESIRA FORTE / DAN-1 www.biamp.com The Tesira 2.0 is the latest version of Biamp’s flagship family of digital signal processor (DSP)-based media systems. The centerpiece of Tesira 2.0 is TesiraForte, an all-new series of audio processors that extend audio video bridging (AVB) to application-specific settings. TesiraForte consists of eight preconfigured models (four AVB models and four non-AVB models) designed to bring greater simplicity and more options to today’s conferencing, telephony, and VoIP environments. Also shipping with Tesira 2.0 is Biamp’s new Dante-enabled DAN-1 digital server networking card, which, like its current CobraNet card, functions as a gateway interface to support 64 x 64 channels of Dante networked audio. The DAN-1 card provides system integrators with a Dante digital transport within Tesira media systems. While the Tesira platform operates over AVB, with the addition of the DAN-1 card, customers will have the flexibility of integrating with different system types. The DAN-1 can also be used alongside AVB and / or CobraNet in the same Tesira server or server-IO. In addition, Tesira 2.0 includes new firmware and software that enable two Tesira servers to act as a redundant pair - with the secondary Tesira server providing a mirrored backup to prevent any interruption in service in case of failure in the primary server.

BSS | SOUNDWEB LONDON BLU-50 www.bssaudio.com BSS Audio introduces the new Soundweb London BLU-50 half-rack width processor that offers a fixed configuration of four inputs and four outputs, configurable signal processing, logic processing and BLU link. The device can be powered with the included 12VDC power supply but can accept 12-48VDC via a terminal block connector. The BLU-50 can also be powered with PoE+ via the Ethernet port, allowing the device to be powered, configured, controlled and monitored using a single Cat 5e cable. The analogue inputs of the BLU-50 provide software configurable gain in 6dB steps up to +48dB per channel and software selectable phantom power per channel. Phantom power, signal present and clip information per channel is easily accessible, without the requirement for a PC, from clear front panel LED indication. The BLU-50 features BLU link, a low latency, fault tolerant digital audio bus of 48 channels, which uses standard Cat 5e cabling giving a distance of 100-metres between compatible devices. Fibre media converters can be used to increase the distance between devices to over 10km (6.2 miles) using single mode fibre. The BLU-50 is configured, controlled and monitored from HiQnet Audio Architect or HiQnet London Architect and is compatible with other members of the Soundweb London family.

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www.hb-laser.com 2014/02 Technical details are subject to change without notice. Errors excepted. All used logos and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective companies.

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CHAUVET PROFESSIONAL | NEXUS AQ www.chauvetprofessional.com A new addition to Chauvet Professional’s family of pixel mapping displays, the Nexus Aq 5x5 LED system is made for the stage and studio. A truly versatile LED system, Nexus Aq 5x5 projects narrow beams of light, provides full colour mixing washes, makes instant audience blinders, and displays impactful text and vivid animated graphics in full RGBW colour. Nexus Aq 5x5’s smooth dimming curve and mounting versatility make it a perfect application into live events, broadcast, studio, theatre, and touring applications.

CHRISTIE | Q SERIES www.christiedigital.com The Christie Q Series is a one-chip DLP projector powerhouse with a sophisticated design brightness options ranging from 8,500 to 10,000 lumens and XGA, WXGA, and WUXGA resolutions and is equipped with eClarity - advanced image processing that significantly enhances images by providing greater control over image sharpness, gloss and shading. With built-in high dynamic contrast range image ‘washout’ in high ambient light conditions is eliminated by adjusting the dynamic contrast to recapture detail lost by excess ambient light on the screen. The Christie Q Series is also equipped with DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) simulation mode for training purposes. With the built-in dual colour wheel, users can quickly choose between two colour wheels to select the one that best suits their content and application.

CLD DISTRIBUTION | INTEGRAL www.cld-dist.co.uk CLD Distribution has introduced Integral, a new range of retro-fittable direct replacement LED lightsources. Constructed using cutting-edge LED technology and the best components available, the range is available in a wide variety of popular types, wattages, dim and non-dim versions and warm or cold whites.

The types of fixture include PAR16, MR11s and classic light bulb replacements. This LED product is suitable for offices, schools, retail outlets, factories, sports, leisure and entertainment facilities as well as residential homes to replace their entire lighting schemes with more sustainable and eco-friendly lighting -with no fuss and utilising the existing wiring infrastructure.

CODA AUDIO | D-SERIES / G3000 SERIES www.codaaudio.com The Coda D-Series of coaxial loudspeaker systems are engineered without compromise to provide a true one point source radiation. This unique loudspeaker technology aligns the acoustical centres of the transducers providing a coherent wave front without hot spots. Precise directivity ensures uniform coverage with perfect time alignment between the components. Advanced neodymium technology provides lightweight, high output and ultra low distortion. While the The G3000-Series models are compact versatile full range systems that incorporate dedicated passive crossovers ensuring linear frequency and phase response allowing them to work without additional processing, the use of the DNC260 19-inch digital controller dramatically improves the overall system performance offering protection and frequency response optimization either in full range, stage monitor applications or in combination with subwoofers.

COMMUNITY PROFESSIONAL | R-SERIES / R-MAX SERIES www.communitypro.com Three new compact models, the R.15COAX, R.35COAX, and R.35-3896, give systems designers increased flexibility by offering vastly improved music playback, additional coverage patterns and higher output in attractive paintable ABS enclosures. Five new R-MAX products, the R.5-66MAX, R.5-96MAX, R2-64MAX, R2-66MAX, and R2-94MAX, provide the most well behaved, flattest musical response, premium loudspeakers ever offered in the R-Series. The R.15COAX and R.35COAX use identical 1.25-inch exit HF compression drivers, featuring Community’s exclusive Tru-Phase phase plug technology, and carbon ring cone woofer technology which allows LF drivers to exhibit cone areas up to 20% larger than standard woofers of the same diameter. The dynamic R.35-3896 is a triaxial 8-inch carbon ring cone loudspeaker featuring Community’s exclusive multi-source waveguide technology, integrating the output from dual midrange compression drivers and a 1-inch exit HF compression driver into a single coherent source. The new R-MAX loudspeakers feature premium 1.4-inch exit HF drivers and 600W neodymium woofers. R-MAX delivers well behaved coverage patterns, flat frequency response, high intelligibility and high broadband output.

D&B AUDIOTECHNIK | D80 www.dbaudio.com The 2RU four channel D80 amplifier is a high power density amplifier, ideally suited for use in both mobile and installation environments. It contains configurations for all d&b loudspeakers and a linear mode. The signal delay capability enables user definable settings of up to 10s to be applied independently to each channel.

The same applies to the two 16-band equalisers, providing optional parametric, asymmetric, shelving or notch filtering. The D80 incorporates a colour TFT touchscreen, offering quick access to the menu structure, while the rotary encoder can be used for fine adjustment. The front panel and the integrated touchscreen of the D80 amplifier is tilted up for ease of operation when the amplifier is below eye level. The equal ratio of signal input to amplifier output channels increases the application flexibility particularly for monitor, front fill or effect channel use. The LoadMatch function integrated within the D80 amplifier enables the electrical compensation of loudspeaker cable properties, without the need for an extra conductor. This results in an increased accuracy of audio reproduction over a bandwidth of up to 20kHz, preserving the tonal balance when cable lengths of up to 70-metres (230ft) are used.

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DPA | D:FINE 66 / 88 www.dpamicrophones.com The d:fine 66 and d:fine 88 miniature headset microphones carry on the sound capabilities of the microphone capsules from the classic 4066 and 4088 and the features of the modern d:fine mechanics, such as an advanced headset mount and flexible ear hooks. Featuring a total of four capsules, two omnis and two cardioids, and three headset mounts, single-ear, dual-ear and personalised mount, the d:fine headset microphones series offers something for every user and environment. The new DPA d:fine 88 directional headset microphone and d:fine 66 omnidirectional headset microphone, which is recognised by the rounded capsule / housing of the 4066 / 4088 predecessors, is intended for use by actors, musicians and singers who require optimal sound and grid cleaning /changing options. The d:fine headsets that are recognised by their low-profile flat microphone head are perfect for presenters, speakers or hosts who require minimal visual impact.

MEEt uS in HAll 9 | StAnd F21

EIGHTEEN SOUND | NCX www.eighteensound.com The NCX high performance neodymium coaxial loudspeakers from Eighteen Sound are comprised of two models, the 12-inch format 12NCX750 and the 15-inch diameter 15NCX750. Designed for compact reflex enclosures and stage monitor applications, they each have a nominal dispersion of 80º. The 75mm (three inch) LF copper voice coil employs the manufacturer’s Interleaved Sandwich Voice coil (ISV) technology, implementing a high strength former with windings on both the outer and inner surfaces. In order to maintain the same sonic signature, both models employ the 60mm (2.4-inch) diameter HF diaphragm titanium diaphragm assuring exceptional high frequency behaviour. A specific HF exit profile design maximises coupling with the cone.

BriteArc

®

Combining the latest innovations in manufacturing technology for superior quality and performance BriteArc® is the family name for Sylvania’s range of High Pressure, Short Arc lamps specifically designed to meet the challenges of the entertainment market.

With more than 80 years of expertise in Photo Optic lighting, Sylvania has a dedicated R&D team based in Belgium and enjoys long-standing partnerships with key customers and OEMs across the globe.

ELATION | EZ4 www.elationlighting.com The EZ4 is a high-quality, 4mm pixel pitch LED video panel designed for indoor use in installations, broadcast environments, corporate productions, car shows and more. Black face LEDs ensure high contrast while a high density of 10,816 pixels (104 x 104) per panel ensures a clear and sharp picture.

Colours display vivid, consistent and uniform, and a brightness level of 1,200 Nits means the EZ4 performs well even in high ambient lighting conditions. A high-precision die-cast aluminum frame produces a flat and seamless video display and professional-grade features like modular rigging and design options allow users to easily and flexibly rig or floor mount the unit. The slim panels measure 19.7-inches by 19.7-inches by 2.9-inches (500mm x 500mm x 75mm) and are low weight at 10kg for easy transport and one-man handling. The EZ4’s fan-less design uses convection cooling to dissipate heat effectively and the lack of fans means no noise, less cleaning, and greater reliability.

Choose your lamp from our comprehensive range and excite your audience with one of Sylvania’s special solutions.

www.sylvania-lamps.com

Sylvania_Mondo_Arc_Photo_Optic_advert_04.indd 1

09/01/2014 19:29

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ELECTRO-VOICE | ETX www.electrovoice.com The ETX portable powered loudspeakers are a versatile high-end choice for live entertainment venues, rental companies, pro musicians and DJs and installed sound, the ETX family features three two-way models (10-inch, 12-inch and 15-inch, all with a precision HF titanium compression driver), a three-way model (15-inch with a 6.5-inch MF driver and a precision HF titanium compression driver) and two subwoofers (15-inch and 18-inch drivers). ETX completes a trio of recent EV portable loudspeaker offerings - each of which was designed to bring best-in-class performance to its price point. EV-engineered high-efficiency transducers and high-powered Class-D amplifiers, Signal Synchronised Transducers (SST) waveguide design and smart FIR-Drive DSP all work together to provide peerless EV sound quality and precise coverage at the highest SPLs.

EQUIPSON | WORK UDA 16 www.equipson.es

The Work UDA 16 array configuration column provides many advantages for integrators including controlled beamwidth for almost all frequencies reproduced by the column which leads not only to minimise undesirable effects induced by walls and ceiling reflections such as reverbs and echoes, but also to excellent results in reverberant acoustic conditions and a perfect music and speech intelligibility.

FOHHN | FOCUS VENUE www.fohhn.com Focus Venue is a new high performance series from Fohhn aimed at large venue installation and live sound applications and offers a robust but elegant set of high, low-mid and low frequency active loudspeakers. These can be combined for greater coverage when used in challenging acoustic venues and performance situations. Featuring high powered drivers and speaker chassis for extended coverage, the new loudspeakers will offer all the standard elements of Fohhn beam steering technology, including real-time remote control and monitoring via Fohhn Audio Soft software.

FUNKTION-ONE | PSM318 www.funktion-one.com The PSM318 DJ monitor delivers outstanding full frequency output, accuracy and immediacy, thereby setting a new benchmark for DJs looking for ultimate stage sound. Each two-part PSM318 comprises a new double 18-inch bass reflex enclosure (PSM318L) providing very strong near-field sub-bass with a separate triple concentric enclosure for the rest of the frequency spectrum (PSM318H). The triple concentric arrangement of the mid-high enclosure comprises a very high power 18-inch driver with a coaxially mounted two-way compression driver. The natural materials used in the midrange section of the compression driver give previously unheard clarity and definition to the vocal range. The ultra-fast 18-inch driver with its Neodymium magnet and 5-inch voice coil delivers excellent mid-bass definition. The overall design has been optimised to minimise sight line impact.

GENELEC | 8010 www.genelec.com The 8010 active monitor is the smallest and newest member of the acclaimed 8000 product range, which is widely used in the high-end professional audio, mastering, post-production and broadcast market sectors around the world. Suitable for professional work in small studios, it offers accurate monitoring capability with ease of installation. The outstanding sound quality makes the 8010 ideal for small studios and OB vans, and a perfect companion for portable recording devices and other mobile production work. Featuring a balanced XLR input, 3-inch bass driver, 3/4-inch tweeter and efficient Class-D power amplifiers - one for each driver - 8010 produces more sound pressure level than might be expected from a monitor of this size. The Intelligent Signal Sensing ISS circuitry saves energy by automatically putting the monitor to sleep when the audio signal has been absent for a period of time.

GREEN HIPPO | CHIPMUNK www.green-hippo.com Chipmunk is the latest addition to Green Hippo’s award winning Hippotizer media server range. Driven by the same software engine that powers the entire range, Chipmunk delivers two layers of 1080p HD with ease. Full on-layer geometry, FX and colour control plus keystone correction. Timeline functionality is as per Chipmunk’s siblings along with RegionMapper, Preset Manager, ScreenWarp and many more of the components Hippotizer users have come to expect. The ability to switch to a single layer with cross-fade opens up a host of possibilities for Chipmunk. With a selection of transitions and mixer style functions built in, the system is ideal for on the fly applications such as music events, nightclubs or even permanent installations. Hippotizer Chipmunk can be further configured to perform advanced functionality through a series of additional software packages that can be purchased at any time.

For projects with up to two layers of HD video via a single output without sacrificing flexibility and control Chipmunk is the perfect solution.

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THE ULTIMATE CLUB SYSTEM

KV2 SL SERIES SLIMLINE WIDE DISPERSION SPEAKER SYSTEM

SL412

GTD | 330II www.gtd-china.com

Slim and discreetly profiled the new SL Series incorporates KV2 Audio’s VHD Active Driven philosophy

GTD has released the new 330II moving head. Features include an Osram Sirius HRI 330W integrative lamp source; a 6,700K colour temperature; a 1,500 hour lifespan and a parallel beam angle of 0º to 3º. With its integrated aspheric optics, the user can very easily switch between the beam effect and spot effect when operating the luminaire. It offers a two prisms system, one eight-facet prism with one 16-facet composite-prism and bi-directional rotation in variable speed. The HRI also encompasses 16+1 fixed gobos, 12 rotating gobos, 14 dichroic colour filters, a pan of 540° / 630° and a tilt of 270°.

It includes high-precise optical lens, linear adjustment focus, and independent frost. Also three-phase motors with moving control, which are fast moving with very low noise and an LCD control panel.

There are 20 / 18 / 15 control channels, DMX 512 wireless optional, smart cooling and energy saving systems.

JBL | VTX V20 / S25 www.jblpro.com

SL2.15

The VTX V20 dual 10-inch line array loudspeaker and VTX S25 cardioid-arrayable dual 15-inch subwoofer.

Both offer sonic clarity, high power density and precise coverage in compact form factors, providing rental sound companies, event sound designers and system integrators even more flexibility. The VTX V20 features a three-way system design with proprietary D2 dual diaphragm dual voice coil compression driver and differential drive low frequency transducer technology along with patent-pending ultra-linear motor technology employed for midrange components. The VTX V20 has high power density with each line array element featuring two 2261H 10-inch differential drive woofers, four 2164H 4-inch ultra-linear mid-range transducers and three D2415K dual drivers.

FULL & WIDE SOUND EXACTLY WHERE IT’S REQUIRED

KLING & FREITAG | GRAVIS 8 / 15 www.kling-freitag.biz The Gravis 8 and Gravis 15 complement the full-range speaker Gravis 12+. Based on the existing housing design, the 8-inch / 1-inch and 15-inch / 1.4-inch systems significantly extend the range of application. The Gravis 8 is designed for near-field sonication, and also for use as front-fill, side-fill and delay speakers. With a maximum sound pressure of 129dB, the Gravis 8 is clearly tuned for maximum performance. The Gravis 15 achieves, additional to the extended low frequency range, up to 5dB more SPL than a Gravis 12+. In the crossover frequency, the bundling of both sound sources is largely identical, which has a positive effect on the enforcement of the system in the short and medium throw distances. All housing of the Gravis series has two monitor angles of 35° and 55°.

Just 300mm deep, the SL Series can be installed against a wall or in it...dramatically reducing the venue floorspace required.

The new KV2 SL412 and SL2.15 speakers incorporate an eye-catching, slim and stylish cabinet design. Using KV2’s VHD technology, the SL412 loudspeaker utilises 4 x 12” low mid-range components with a single 8” mid-range and 3” large format NPVD compression driver. The cabinet’s configuration keeps low mid frequencies in a controlled pattern, greatly reducing problem room resonances.

Cabinets can be designed and supplied with custom colors, grill templates and logos, offering a flexible and true designer-integrated product.

The system is driven by proprietary KV2 amplification. The KV2 SL3000 powers a pair of SL412s and the VHD3200 which can drive up to four SL2.15 subs.

SL Series - The Ultimate Club System

Maximum SPL: 137dB ______________________________________ Freq Resp +/- 3dB : SL2.15 40Hz - 500Hz, SL412 70Hz- 22kHz ______________________________________ Dispersion: H110° x V40° ______________________________________ Power: VHD3200 - 1600 Watts x2 ______________________________________ Power: SL3000 - Low 1000W x2, Mid 200W x2, High 100W x2 ______________________________________ Crossover Points: SL2.15 - 70Hz, SL412 - 400Hz & 2.5kHz ______________________________________

SL412 - H670mm (26.38”) W1080mm (42.52”) D300mm (11.81”) ______________________________________ Weight: SL412 - 60kg (132.28lbs)

Need more info? Want to locate your nearest KV2 Professional? uuWWW.KV2AUDIO.COM

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LTM | GUARDIAN G-PRO www.liftturnmove.co.uk The Guardian G-Pro fixed speed chain motor controller range includes a number of interesting features such as the extra room left at the back of the unit around the connectors to allow easy access, even when the operator is wearing gloves; the splash-proof toggle switches; and the E-stop indicator system, which communicates to the user which one has been triggered. Designed by experienced and dedicated entertainment lifting professionals, the Guardian G-Pro fixed speed chain motor controller range is manufactured in a rugged enclosure and suited for use in any demanding touring environment. It facilitates four, eight or 12 channels of linkable control. Additionally, there is an optional load cell alarm input / link to an external E-stop loop.

MARTIN AUDIO | MLA MINI www.martin-audio.com MLA Mini’s ultra-compact footprint, light weight and radical design form a great combination for installed sound contractors looking for a scalable, high octane solution. To exemplify this, a 12-box array will throw 35-metres and deliver live music in venues of 750-1,000 people. The key that unlocks the power of MLA Mini is the MSX mini-sub power plant, which complements the main system and houses the amplification, networking and DSP necessary to power and control itself and four MLA Mini enclosures. The system can be flown, groundstacked or pole mounted. In its simplest configuration, four MLA Minis can be pole-mounted above the MSX with precisely adjustable tilt angle, and function as a plug-and-play system, with the user recalling onboard presets instead of using computer control. At the other end of the scale, up to 16 MLA Minis can be flown in an array and powered by four groundstacked MSX’s. Each MLA Mini enclosure houses two 6.5-inch (165mm)/ 2-inch (50mm) voice coil LF drivers and a vertical column of three 1.4-inch (35mm) aluminium dome HF drivers on a 100° horizontal dispersion horn. The 15-inch (380mm) reflex loaded MSX can be integrated into flown arrays or ground-stacked separately.

MARTIN PROFESSIONAL | M6 www.martin.com Martin Professional’s new M6 is a state-of-the-art lighting console that functions as a highly advanced visual control surface. Incorporating the latest available technologies with an industrial multi-core processor, solid-state drives and custom-designed high-brightness touch screens, the M6 is capable of delivering up to 64 DMX universes directly from the console’s network ports without using costly external processors. With advanced features like a LiveBlender T-Bar, FastDial rotary encoders, paired playback buttons and BriteTouch display, the M6 is Martin Professional’s most advanced console design ever. It offers a total of 44 playbacks, including dual main go sections, 10 motorised faders and 12 additional faders, as well as a total of 17 encoders for parameter access.

MEGALITE | AXIS PRIME 10R www.megasystemsinc.com The Axis Prime 10R is the latest moving head beam fixture from MegaLite. This unit has a powerful HRI 280W lamp, making it a great pair to any 5R beams.

With a 2.7º - 48º zoom, this fixture quickly transforms from beam to a spot. The Axis Prime 10R is equipped a colour wheel with 16 colours plus open. The unit has one rotating gobo wheel with nine interchangeable gobos and one static gobo wheel with 17 gobos. Also featuring an adjustable focus and three facet prisms, the Axis Prime 10R is feature full. This compact moving yoke is 15.5-inch by 13-inch by 22.75-inch and weighs 40lbs. It is controlled via DMX512A and has 16, 17 and 25 channel modes. The Axis Prime 10R has an LCD display making for easy programming and operation on the fixture. The Axis Prime 10R connects to AC power 110V-240V and features auto sensing. It is manufactured with Nema 5-15 power con in and both three-pin XLR and five-pin XLR.

MERGING | OVATION 4 www.merging.com The Ovation 4 features a number of new features including: audio recording to Cue - it is now possible to assign a record mixer and stream up to eight channels of audio to a new or existing cue; CD import to Cue - users can easily capture CD sounds without the need to leave the software; auto-import from removable devices - any file placed in a cue list from a network connected or removable device will be auto-copied into a local audio folder associated with the project; marker rule improvements - from conditional looping to firing of other information in cue list anywhere in the show, the cue markers are one of the most powerful parts of Ovation. Version 4 brings optimisations and small enhancements to make this feature even better; show templates - users can choose from a variety of default templates, or create and save their own for any application; mixer improvements; cue pinning - when in show mode, users can now choose which cues will appear in the active cue window when clicking through cue lists. Ovation 4 is can also be synchronised with Dataton Watchout and Multi-Ovation.

MIDAS | M32 www.midasconsoles.com The M32 digital mixing console is a 40-input digital mixer with a host of connectivity options. It features the same mic preamplifiers as the Pro Series consoles, is 96kHz ready and features 192 kHz AD/DA converters. The mixer also features Ultranet for acoustic integration with Turbosound iQ Series active loudspeakers or IEM systems. Packed with processing power, the M32 removes the need for outboard gear with its eight-slot stereo effects engine. Additionally, a high-quality onboard 32 by 32 USB interface allows real-time tracking and multiple expansion cards such as ADAT, MADI and Dante, are available for digital networking.

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NEXO | GEO M6 SERIES www.nexo-sa.com The GEO M6 compact loudspeaker series is a versatile arrayable cabinet design that extends beyond Nexo’s traditional heartland of live music applications, towards the corporate AV sector and a wide range of fixed installation opportunities where speech reinforcement is the primary requirement and is comprised of the GEO M620 arrayable cabinet and the GEO M6B bass extension. The GEO M620 is a full-range unit for stand-alone, curved array or line array application. Compact in size and lightweight, the GEO M620 uses a Nexo-designed long-excursion high-efficiency 6.5-inch LF driver and 1x 1-inch throat driver on a BEA / FEA optimised HR Wavesource, to deliver a frequency response of 80Hz - 19kHz ±3dB, with nominal peak SPL of 127dB. HF dispersion is 80° or 120° horizontal, with 20° vertical coverage, 0° to 20° splay when arrayed. The GEO M6B is a low and mid-frequency extension box, for applications, which demand more powerful reinforcement, such as live music. With one 6.5-inch eight ohm long-excursion driver, the M6B weighs just 7.6kgs and shares the same physical footprint as the M620, allowing the cabinets to be arrayed together in the same column.

ONE SYSTEMS | OPALINE www.onesystems.com The OPALine powered three-way vertical line array system delivers very high performance sound for both portable and fixed installation applications. It consists of the OPALine single box vertical array loudspeaker featuring four 8-inch woofers and two powerful compression drivers driving its line array waveguides and the OPALine Sub 18-inch powered subwoofer. The OPALine Sub also houses the system’s dual channel 2,000W peak, European-designed amplifier that powers both speakers. OPALine’s vertical transducer configuration provides wide 90º horizontal dispersion and a precise 40º vertical pattern that delivers excellent intelligibility in reverberant spaces by maximising direct sound. The four NP8 woofers have the same acoustical radiating area as standard 8-inch cones, but are only 6.8-inches in diameter. Its two HF waveguides operate in parallel from 1,000Hz to 2,500Hz, but the lower guide is frequency-shaded above that frequency to maintain coverage beamwidth. The OPALine vertical line array loudspeaker can also be used stand-alone as a standard passive loudspeaker. The OPALine Sub features a powerful 18-inch woofer with a 4-inch voice coil. The Sub houses the system’s powerful amplifier and processing electronics inside its tour-grade 18mm marine plywood enclosure.

PIONEER EUROPE | DDJ-SZ www.pioneer.eu The DDJ-SZ is the first Pioneer controller to closely match the CDJ-2000NXS set-up for the most intuitive, physical scratch performances yet. Features include full-sized jog wheels inherited from the CDJ-2000NXS, illuminated cue point markers, large performance pads with customisable, multi-coloured hot cue LEDs, and two USB sound cards for ultra-smooth DJ handovers. The DDJ-SZ takes all the best features of its stable mate the DDJ-SX and enhances them.

It features an On Jog display, which introduces a unique digital sticker illumination with cue point countdown and track playback position so DJs can perform precision scratches without looking at their laptop screen. Plus the full-sized jog wheels feature jog feeling adjust, brake speed, and conductive technology for a lighter, smoother faster response. DJs can finger-drum with confidence thanks to the larger, velocity-sensitive performance pads, which give instant access to quantised hot cues, slicer, roll and sampler. The multi-coloured LEDs show which mode is in play and will match cue point colours that DJs have pre-set in Serato DJ. The DDJ-SZ has DVS control, four mixer channels and two dedicated mic channels. DJs can instantly trigger four sound colour effects - which can also be applied to the sampler, mics and master channel - and manipulate them with a high / low pass filter on each channel.

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POWERSOFT | OTTOCANALI 12K4 www.powersoft-audio.com

Ottocanali 12K4 from Powersoft is a powerful eight-channel amplifier, offering a wide range of system control and monitoring functions in 2RU. It implements dual redundant power supplies, allowing great efficiency and reliability, with one power supply operating all channels in case of failure of the other. In addition, the dual power supply setup grants worldwide operation with any AC voltage.

PR LIGHTING | XR 1000 SPOT / BEAM www.pr-lighting.com New Spot and Beam versions of PR Lighting’s XR 1000 moving head are now available. Housed in an IP20, high temperature engineered plastic chassis the fixture boasts several features such as a brighter lamp and a weight of 31kg. Highlights of the powerful feature-set are seven rotating gobos and seven fixed gobos; a three-fact prism, soft frost and fire effect wheel, and a linear zoom with range of 9°- 47°. Other features include: 2,800K-6,500K linearly adjustable colour temperature; smooth CYM colour mixing system, plus CTO with macro; colour wheel with seven colours (plus white) and vari-speed bi-directional rainbow effect; step / linear colour changing; DMX linear focusing and zooming; 0 - 100% linearly adjustable dimming and 5-100% linearly adjustable iris (with macro); double shutter blades with shutter speed of 0.3-25 fps (with macro).Other beam angles include 10°-21° (5° in high light) and frost effect 9°- 31°.

The adjustable head movement itself offers 540° of pan and 270° (tilt). The XR 1000 also offers a number of other useful features to facilitate operation. These include: use time display for the projector and the lamp respectively.

PRESONUS | STUDIOLIVE AI-SERIES www.presonus.com The StudioLive AI-series of powered loudspeakers consists of three full range systems and a subwoofer. The StudioLive 312AI features a 12-inch ferrite woofer and an 8-inch midrange driver and 1.75-inch titanium compression driver driven by 2,000W of triamped, Class-D amplification. The 315A1 features a 15-inch woofer, along with the same coaxial mid / high drivers and power amplification as the 312AI. For smaller applications the 328AI pairs two 8-inch midrange drivers to deliver a powerful and punchy low end. The rear of the StudioLive AI series reveals a combo XLR / TRS line input and an XLR microphone input with a Class A microphone preamp and 12V phantom power, as well as an XLR mix output, USB and Ethercon connections.

QSC | CDN64 www.qsc.com

The CDN64 Dante bridge card for the Q-Sys Network Audio platform provides third-party Dante enabled digital audio products the ability to connect and interface with Q-Sys while maintaining low latency. The CDN64 provides a bridge for 64 x 64 channels at 48kHz (32 x 32 channels at 96kHz) from any Dante edge network, directly into a QSC Q-Sys Core for advanced processing and re-distribution over larger LAN and WAN IT infrastructures

RED LIGHTING | LW27 / LWB7 www.red-lighting.com

Red Lighting introduces the LWZ7 and LWB7, two LED moving head projectors with motorised optical zoom and an innovative wheat dissipation system that maximises the source’s performances reducing the size and weight of the fixture at the same time. The head’s rotation is infinite on both X and Y axes and the speed of movement is also impressive as is the mix of colours.

ROLAND SYSTEMS GROUP | VR-3EX www.roland.com/professional The VR-3EX is Roland Systems Group’s latest addition to the VR Series of the ‘all in one’ audiovisual mixers. The innovative design of the VR-3EX incorporates a video switcher, audio mixer, touchscreen preview monitor and streaming-ready USB output all in a single unit. Expanding the feature set of the Roland VR-3, the VR-3EX boasts four HDMI inputs, two HDMI outputs, built-in scaling with resolutions up to 1080p and WUXGA, HDCP support, a full 18-channel digital audio mixer with effects and over 200 video transitions and effects. It features audio embedding from the HDMI inputs whilst the built in audio mixer has delay settings on each input allowing ‘lip sync’ adjustments to be made to match the video source. Supporting HDCP allows the user to mix copyright protected material such as game consoles and Blu-ray content into a live production. Composition effects such as chroma key, luminance key, and picture-in-picture enable title / logo overlay or lower thirds on background video.

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SHURE | UA864 www.shuredistribution.co.uk The UA864 wall- and ceiling-mount RF antenna is unobtrusively designed to look like a wallmount wi-fi router, with an included mounting bracket and a neutral white cover which can be painted to match the prevailing interior colour scheme. Four variations of the UA864 offer wideband RF coverage across a switchable frequency range extending from 470 to 952MHz, can be used with handheld, bodypack, and boundary microphones over a 100º area, and blends easily into its surroundings. A four-position selectable gain switch provides attenuation and boost settings (-20, -10, 0, +10dB) to optimise the antenna performance for varying transmitter distances and cable run lengths.

SSL | MATRIX2 www.solidstatelogic.com The Matrix2 uses a combination of SSL analogue summing, streamlined integration of boutique analogue outboard mic pres and processing and an advanced DAW control surface. Matrix2 hardware device inserts can now be loaded directly from the console hardware controls with an intuitive new interface that facilitates loading individual processors, A/B comparison of different processors and building processor chains. A powerful fader linking system has been added to the console, which allows two or more faders to be grouped, to facilitate stereo or 5.1 channel control or subgroup style mixing.

The A-FADA summing system used in duality, AWS and the new SSL sigma rack has been introduced to enable the analogue faders of Matrix2 to be driven by automation data from a user’s DAW.

STUDER | A-LINK www.studer.ch The Studer Vista X digital console features the Infinity processor and the A-Link audio interface system.

A-Link is a fibre-based audio interface that uses a 3GB it/s data rate to offer 1,536 audio channels per connection. A new PCI express card has been designed to fit into the Infinity Core’s server board. This card is fitted with 12 A-Link interfaces capable of over 5,000 inputs and 5,000 outputs offering the huge I / O interface counts required of this new processing engine. A newly designed, D23m high-density I / O system is used to break out these A-Link connections to standard analogue, digital and video interfaces. The A-Link interface also provides direct connection to the MediorNet distributed router, allowing multiple Infinity Cores to be connected together.

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SYMETRIX | SYMNET COMPOSER www.symetrix.co

Symetrix has upgraded its SymNet Composer software, complete with additions necessary to enable interoperability between Symetrix DSPs, network amplifiers and Dante interface products from two other manufacturers. Select Dante-enabled products from the three manufacturers to be programmed through a single software platform. SymNet Composer 2.0 is also fully-integrated with SymQ, the DSP manufacturer’s online design and price quotation calculator.

TANNOY | QFLEX www.tannoy.com Tannoy has announced a number of important advances and updates to QFlex, its digital beam steering loudspeaker array. QFlex is designed to focus acoustical output on a specified listening area - thus delivering significant improvements to speech intelligibility and musical clarity in reverberant spaces - with the latest updates offering installers and integrators a greater level of functionality and available options during the set up commissioning process. A Gang-Loading feature has now been introduced, making it possible to load multiple steering files into a single QFlex column, with master and any associated slave devices updated automatically. With a similar focus on large-scale applications, Tannoy is also introducing the VNET-Ethernet interface, allowing installers to use the power and control of Tannoy’s VNET network over Ethernet. As well as this, there is also a brand new update to the VNET Software (podware) featuring improved GUI and more, adding a new level of functionality and improved layout.

TURBOSOUND | IQ SERIES www.turbosound.com The Turbosound iQ Series features acoustic integration, which enables digital mixers, personal monitor systems and loudspeakers to communicate directly with each other digitally via the company’s proprietary Ultranet Technology. The speaker modeling capability lets users dial up preset frequency contours that emulate the sound of 10 of the world’s most iconic loudspeakers. Acoustic Integration puts more control at the user’s fingertips, allowing them to make dramatic changes to overall sound system performance - in real time, without ever leaving the mixing desk. The iQ15, iQ12, iQ10 and iQ8 two-way loudspeakers are lightweight, portable and provide premium-quality sound. Added support for low-frequency performance comes from the iQ18B and iQ15B subwoofers, which provide exceptionally deep and powerful bass. All enclosures feature standard 35mm pole-mount sockets, for deploying dynamic full-range systems ideal for even the most demanding sound-reinforcement applications. All iQ Series models connect with Midas M32 and Behringer X32 digital mixers and are equipped with 3,000W Klark Teknik Class D amplifiers and DSP - plus Turbosound drivers. Users can easily set up and adjust built-in DSP parameters directly at the speakers, or remotely via PC or tablet running the free of charge, downloadable app.

VERLINDE | STAGEMAKER SR10 www.stagemaker.com Verlinde has added a heavy loads version to its range of new generation Stagemaker SR hoists. With its one-metric tonne lifting capacity, Stagemaker SR10 is ideal for the handling of grids and scenographic equipment of large capacity and is equipped as standard with double brake, special ChainFlux chain guide, patented Perfect Push hoist load wheel, retractable carrying grips and protective rubber coating where necessary. It is available with lifting speeds of 4m/min or 8m/min. Versions A or B are available for all models. Version A is fitted with a motor with DC voltage control whereas the version B motor has low voltage control. Its new black painted ergonomic design suits any environment especially where industrial light grids are installed. The SR5 is fitted with retractable handles for transportation to prevent the risk of injury during assembly and ensuring excellent compactness when retracted. Shock-absorbing rubber pads also protect it from impact during manipulations.

VUE AUDIOTECHNIK | COMPACT H-8 www.vueaudio.com The compact h-8 is the latest product to join the h-Class line and benefits from the same advanced technologies developed for the larger h-12 and h-15 systems, and combines them into a compact and versatile design that’s ideal for applications where space is at a premium and exceptional performance is critical. It combines a precision-engineered 8-inch transducer with a neodymium compression driver. Powerful onboard electronics include next generation DSP that’s programmed to address every individual element within the h-8’s ecosystem. Dual channel, high efficiency amplifiers deliver ample power for both transducers while eliminating the need for noisy cooling fans. Powerful SystemVUE networking technology is standard in the h-8, allowing the user to connect one or multiple h-8’s with any VUE DSP-enabled system via a wired or wireless Ethernet connection to a Windows or Mac computer. Once connected, SystemVUE Software provides access to a broad selection of network and device-level control and monitoring functions.

YAMAHA | MTX SERIES www.yamahaproaudio.com Yamaha has announced new firmware and application software for its MTX Series matrix processors - a core component of the Commercial Installation Solutions (CIS) range - a key benefit of which is making the MTX-5D compatible with the MY4-AEC echo cancelling and Dugan-MY16 auto microphone mixing interface cards. Previously available for use primarily with Yamaha’s DME Series digital mixing engines, the Dugan-MY16 optimises the gain distribution of multiple faders simultaneously, allowing sound engineers to focus on their mix rather than being preoccupied with microphone levels. The MY4-AEC Echo Canceller eliminates unwanted acoustic echo caused by secondary signals of speaker output, or reflections from room surfaces, that are common in teleconferencing applications.The updated MTX series software therefore adds considerable flexibility to the CIS range, because it allows users of the MTX5-D to add all the functionality of the Dugan-MY16 and MY4-AEC, while taking advantage of the excellent facilities to price ratio of the CIS series.

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...In the world of pro audio it takes time to get a level of acceptance and I feel proud that not only have we achieved that, but we are now taking market share from some of the ‘big boys’!

PETER HEATH ROLAND SYSTEMS GROUP, SALES & MARKETING DIRECTOR You’ve been with Roland Systems Group (RSG) a significant amount of time haven’t you?

Almost 18 years now - the first 12 years I spent in the music division before being asked to set up the pro audio sector in 2007. Why do I stay? I think it’s largely due to the fact that I love the business - I’m a musician and have a passion for audio. As a teenager I worked in rehearsal facilities, ran around doing small PA hire and worked as a tape operator in a studio.

With Roland being such a multi-faceted business there has never been a dull moment! There is also a certain amount of pride in working for a company with such a heritage and that is respected for its innovation and ‘world firsts’. Building up RSG to what it is today has been challenging but rewarding and I’ve invested a lot of ‘me’ in it so I see it as a longterm commitment to keep building it.

RSG has a long history, what has been your proudest moment?

I think it is the history itself that makes me proud. It’s not one event or one product, it’s the blood, sweat and tears that we put in to keep going forward. In the world of pro audio it takes some time to get a level of acceptance and I feel proud that not only have we achieved that, but we are now taking market share from some of the ‘big boys’!

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RSG is naturally associated with MI, but it is also heavily involved in install isn’t it?

Yes, that’s right, we do a lot of business in the install sector and a great deal of our product range is well suited to it in terms of design of the hardware and software. The fact that we can supply total solutions to the installers is our core strength. We pride ourselves on the high quality, reliability and longevity of our products and the feedback we get from existing customers has been extremely positive.

Our challenge is introducing the brand and products to installers who are not aware of what we can offer them. It’s getting the products in front of them and showing them the features of the M-480 digital console and the benefits of using our Digital Snake systems, the ease of Cat5e connectivity.

How does the install market differ in terms of demands?

Markets have evolved over the last couple of years but the most common demands will always be small footprint, feature rich, innovative and reliable products at the right price. There is also a demand for products to multi-task and this is where we can really add value to the installation. With products such as the VR-50HD, one small box can combine audio, video, live streaming and recording and is practically

‘plug and play’. These kind of products, though not traditionally ‘install’ products, are becoming popular because there is no need for the installer to make it more complicated. Innovative products that make the process easier such as the M-200i iPad controllable digital console are popular because the mix can be adjusted from any point in the venue.

Who in the industry inspires you?

People who are prepared to take a risk against all odds and make it work.

If you could learn to play a musical instrument in a day, what would it be?

I already play guitar and keys but I would love to have a great voice, so if someone could train me in a day to sound like my heroes then that would be it.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

Sweet and sour! Anything sweet combined with something sour… Lovely!

And finally, vinyl, CD or download?

Definitely vinyl!

THE PERFECT MIX OF

STRENGTH & BE AU T Y VISIT US AT PROLIGHT+SOUND, HALL 8.0 STAND F70

Combining the performance and headroom of LEO with the beauty of a smaller package, LYON brings linear sound reinforcement to more venues. Meet LYON, the latest line array from Meyer Sound, and the newest member of the LEO Family.

A product of our ongoing pursuit of linear sound www.meyersound.com/lyon

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