mondo*dr 29.6

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 | 29.6

THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICATION FOR TECHNOLOGY IN ENTERTAINMENT

ROB CLARK

As Allen & Heath celebrates 50 years, we talk to Managing Director, Rob Clark.

ARCHITECTURAL AUDIO

Discreet audio solutions, designed to be heard but not seen.

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019

MICROPHONES & CABLES

A bumper product guide of sound sources and accessories.

THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICATION FOR TECHNOLOGY IN ENTERTAINMENT

IT’S REAL. IT’S HYPERREAL. Aerosmith – Deuces Are Wild Las Vegas Residency • Adelaide Symphony Orchestra • alt-J • Angus & Julia Stone • BBC Proms • Ben Howard • Bon Iver • Childish Gambino – This Is America Tour • The Classic BRIT Awards • Coachella Antarctic Dome • deadmau5 • EartH – Evolutionary Arts Hackney • Ennio Morricone • Le Grand Bleu Ciné-Concert with Eric Serra • Jazz à la Villette • The Lab at Panorama Festival • Lorde Melodrama Tour • Matthäus-Passion – Hamburg • Mercury Space Moscow • ODESZA • Orchestre National de Lille • Philippe Parreno – Tate Modern Exhibition • Puy du Fou Theme Park • Renaud Phénix Tour • Rossiya Theater • SPYSCAPE • Tomorrowland • UAE 46th National Day • Urban Voices • Wonderfruit Festival • Zürich Openair...

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ON THE COVER Paradise City, Incheon EDITOR Rachael Rogerson-Thorley r.rogerson-thorley@mondiale.co.uk CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Sam Hughes s.hughes@mondiale.co.uk DEPUTY EDITOR Emma Bilardi e.bilardi@mondiale.co.uk EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Emma Davidson e.davidson@mondiale.co.uk SALES DIRECTOR Jamie Dixon j.dixon@mondiale.co.uk

MONDIALE PUBLISHING Strawberry Studios, Watson Square, Stockport SK1 3AZ , UK 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 Two year rates are available on request. Subscribe online at www.mondiale.co.uk or call +44 (0)161 476 5580 ISSN: 1476 4067

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to take the spotlight is LEA Professional. Turn to page 14 to check it out. Secondly, we’ve added a dedicated section for the Women in AV association, and this will become a regular feature in the future.

Finally, we are set to launch the mondo*dr Awards for 2020, keep your eyes peeled for our ‘Save the Date’ and the announcement that entries are open.

N EO &

We haven’t had much of a summer, weatherwise, here in the UK, but we’ve certainly had a busy summer period. I’ve been out and about seeing venue installs in Warsaw and Cannes both of which you can read about in this issue.

We’ve added a new member to our editorial team, Emma Davidson, so there are two Emmas now, which is a little bit confusing, but you won’t mix them up in person!

We’ve also been working on a couple of new features for the magazine… Inside View has undergone a redesign and the first company

, M AGNE T

Mondo DR (ISSN 1476 4067) is published in January, March, May, July, September, November and December by Mondiale Publishing Ltd, Strawberry Studios, Watson Square, Stockport, SK1 3AZ, UK Subscription records are maintained at Mondiale Publishing Ltd, Strawberry Studios, Watson Square, Stockport, SK1 3AZ, UK

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9 CONT ENTS

CONTENTS 14 INSIDE VIEW

IN DEPTH 22 INTERVIEW Rob Clark - Allen & Heath 34 REPORT Architectural Audio

22

IN FOCUS 56 MARTINIKEK FOUNDATION CHURCH Groningen

ROB CLARK We had a chat with the current Managing Director at Allen & Heath.

58 COCA-COLA ARENA Dubai 68 TEATR MUZYCZNY ROMA Warsaw 78 GOTHA & MEDUSA Cannes 88 VAN GOGH - THE STARRY NIGHT Paris 92 UPSTAIRS BRIXTON London

96 THE MUNY The theatre in New York dazzles audiences with help from CHAUVET Professional.

96 THE MUNY New York 98 KAOS Las Vegas 106 CLEMENTINE Nashville 114 ONE THIRD / OTKUN Beijing, Hangzhou 116 PARADISE CITY Seoul 126 FICTION CLUB Canberra

IN BUSINESS 134 SHOW PREVIEW LDI, Las Vegas

78

138 MEDIATECH Johannesburg 142 PRO AVL Jakarta

GOTHA & MEDUSA TW AUDiO provides quality audio at new cabaret restaurant, Medusa and nightclub, GOTHA.

144 WAVE Summer Spectacular 148 COMPANY VISIT Martin By HARMAN 152 PRODUCT LAUNCH ETC & High End Systems 154 ANNIVERSARY NEXO 160 NEW DISTRIBUTION CENTRE Tronios

152 PRODUCT LAUNCH: ETC & HIGH-END SYSTEMS An exclusive look at the latest products from ETC and High-End Systems.

www.mondodr.com

162 OPEN DAY Amina Technologies 164 IN DETAIL Genelec, City Theatrical, Syncronorm, Stage Tec 172 PRODUCT GUIDE Microphones & Cabling 188 PRODUCT DIRECTORY 192 LAST PAGE INTERVIEW Simon Hicks - SixEye

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Dicolor 85 DiGiCo 147 Digital Projection 29 disguise 113 Doughty 187 Duratruss 187 Eaton 171 Elation 53 ETC 37 Fenix Stage 12 & 13 Fine Art 5 Fohhn 163 Funktion-One 17 GDS 39 Genelec 103 GIS 107 Global Truss 123 Gloshine 125 GLP 165 GTD 4 HARMAN 195 Kuzar 175 KV2 73 L-Acoustics 2 Laser Animation 169 Lawo 69

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14 INSIDE VIEW

The LEA Professional team From left to right - Scott Robbins, Matt McClain, Dave Butler, Josh Stump, Brian Wachtman, Blake Ausburger, Ben Carroll, Brenda Donat, Aaron Harkness, Bob Siegel, Brian Pickowitz, Jeremy Bules.

LEA PROFESSIONAL Based in Northern Indiana, LEA Professional is a team of established industry leaders with a drive and passion for specialised amplifier and electronics design. Launched in January this year, the company is spearheaded by Blake Ausburger, founder and CEO. With a passionate and in-depth knowledge of the audio sector, the company is due to release a range of new amplifiers including the Connect Series, with a commitment to power, performance, advanced connectivity and bold, compelling design. www.leaprofessional.com Blake Ausburger started his pioneering career in audio back in 2001 when he joined HARMAN to run the Crown Audio amplifier business. He then went on to lead the company for 10 years as its president, becoming a vocal part of the industry during this journey, going on to sit on the Board of Directors of NAMM from 2014 to 2016.

“Few people become entrepreneurs overnight.

You have an idea, you challenge it, revisit it and it grows on you and develops over time. As the idea takes shape into a nascent business plan, you carefully share it with like-minded peers and once it’s shared you almost have to do it,” explained Blake. “I enjoy the audio industry and I think that now is an especially exciting time to be in audio. Audio is central to the experience that so many businesses are seeking to create - from retail to hospitality to entertainment, quality audio has been elevated to a must-have requirement.”

With an extensive knowledge of all areas of the audio industry Blake and his team at LEA Professional are focussing on amplifiers with the upcoming launch of the Connect Series. This will see the company include professional-grade twochannel and multi-channel amplifiers for both

small-to-medium scale installations as well as bigger venues. “We see the amplifier as a critical initial building block of the audio platform. It’s an area we know very well where we can create a truly differentiated offering that delivers a unique value to the integrator, dealer and enduser. Couple that with the fact that some of the world’s very best engineering minds in amplifier technology became available to us right here in South Bend, Indiana, amplifiers were the clear first steps towards a platform,” Blake continued.

Joining Blake on the LEA Professional team are a number of industry greats from all areas of audio, including familiar HARMAN friends and also others from companies such as Schafer Industries, that will undoubtably contribute to the success and growth of the business. “We are a start-up with a great head start,” explained Blake.

“Jeremy Bules is joining us as Vice President of Engineering & Operations, Scott Robbins is Vice President of Sales & Marketing and is also a HARMAN veteran. Matt McClain is Vice President of Finance and Administration and joined us from Schafer Industries. He’s a great organiser and is helping us stay lean and agile and Brian Pickowitz is a dynamo working closely www.mondodr.com

with Scott on sales and marketing.”

As well as the already recognisable line up joining Blake on the team, LEA has also recently appointed Generation AV, a new company headed up by David McKinney based out of Singapore. “David’s new company will represent us throughout the Asia Pacific region. He brings unparalleled knowledge of that local market and shares our cultural commitment to providing customers with the best service and support.

Much like our organisation, Generation AV is a start-up but unique because the company has deep industry and technical experience. We are determined to only work with partners like David who share our enthusiasm, energy and drive to help our customers succeed,” shared Blake.

LEA Professional is promoting its amplifiers by emphasising on an aspect that is unique to the industry. Its Connect Series will be IoT enabled, providing sonic performance, ease of use and bulletproof reliability whilst also featuring DSP, wired Wi-Fi connectivity and web app configuration and control, something that the industry has not seen before. “I think that coupling IoT and audio makes this a

15 INSIDE VIEW

Blake Ausburger Founder and CEO at LEA Professional.

After leading HARMAN for 10 years and becoming part of the Board of Directors at NAMM, he is now ready to lead his new team at LEA.

Connect Series 3 Perfectly suited for small to medium scale installations, these two, four, and eight channel amplifiers feature direct HiZ (70V or 100V) or LoZ selectable by channel.

Furthermore, there are three ways to connect. For instance, users can engage the built in Wi-Fi access point, connect to the venue’s Wi-Fi, or use the FAST Ethernet to connect to any local area network via Cat5 or Cat6 cable.

IoT Connect App With the Connect App users get a clear status check of every amplifier connected to the network. In addition, with one click, engineers can view the status of every channel on any given amplifier. As a result, users can quickly monitor channel performance.

16 INSIDE VIEW

Company logo LEA Professional promote ‘The LEA Way’ within the company, which focusses on the customers success and considers every element of its operations with this in mind, as it builds its organisation. LEA Profssional believe it is not just going to design and build the best technology, it is also going to be the best partner for its customers.

pivotal, promising time - integrating, monitoring, managing and operating gear is easier and more affordable than ever before, and I am pumped LEA Professional is right there at the vanguard of this innovation,” continued Blake.

Since the launch of LEA in January the team have had constant, encouraging feedback leaving Blake staggered. “I am amazed and encouraged by the messages that we received, the feedback on social media, the reaction at tradeshows and the welcome we get at integrator and end-user meetings. It’s not simply that we have a proven team with strong roots but also that we have an idea whose time has come and that we’re backing the idea up with great product. That’s resonating with industry people around the world.”

Blake and the team at LEA Professional are continuing to grow and test out its new products across many venues. Slowly developing their business, soon it will be shipping amplifiers and seeing them deployed in a range of large format and mid-

tier applications across the globe. As well as this it is aiming to also make a web app user interface for control and monitoring available. This user interface will not require a software download and works to control and monitor amplifiers from any device.

With a diverse team and extensive knowledge of the audio industry, LEA Professional is looking to an exciting future with innovative ideas and a global reach already extending to the Asia Pacific and Latin American regions. Its team is rooted in a fresh mindset that is already proving to be popular with its customers.

“Our team is rooted in what we call, ‘The LEA Way.’ LEA Professional is unique in that we aren’t beholden to a holding company or large corporate structure. We are singularly focussed on our customers success and are considering every element of our operations with this in mind as we build the organisation. We aren’t just going to design and build the best technology, we are also going to be the best partner for our customers,” concluded Blake. www.mondodr.com

SPOTLIGHT: Scott Robins, Vice President of Sales Explain your position at LEA? I am Vice President of Sales. Most of my daily effort over the past months has been focussed on building the LEA sales channel. We have 100% of our US rep network in place, and about 75% of committed distribution partners in place globally. It’s been really gratifying to build up a path to market from scratch.

What is your background in the industry?

I have a Degree in Electronic Engineering and a Bachelor’s Degree in Organisational Management. While in college, I started working for a small audio systems integrator, which led me into the audio business. A short time later I started working at Crown as a bench technician repairing reel to reel tape recorders and power amplifiers. Going into sales with a technical background helped me early on, because I had a deep understanding of the products. Then, I worked for Bose for a few years, which was a great experience but eventually found my way back to Crown and was running global sales for Crown when the company was acquired by HARMAN in 2000. At HARMAN, I had the opportunity to work in several different roles including running global sales for HARMAN Professional.

What is the most exciting thing about joining LEA? We all share a common vision to do something different and innovative. It’s also very exciting to bring a new brand to market. It’s something I have never done before, so I am learning a lot along the way but having a lot of fun as well.

We are all rigorous about goal setting here at LEA. As we look back, it’s very exciting to see how far we have come and it’s equally exciting as we look forward to where we are going. I think people wonder sometimes how we can all be so excited about a small amplifier company…but we are!

What’s your vision for the future of LEA? Blake Augsburger, LEA founder, has created a vision for LEA to be a leader in technical innovation and a leader in how a business should be operated. That’s the future I see for LEA. A company that leads the industry in terms of technology but also a leader in how we treat our partners, our customers, and our employees. It’s ‘The LEA Way’!

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IN DEPTH

•Page 22

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INTERVIEW ROB CLARK ALLEN & HEATH

REPORT ARCHITECTURAL AUDIO

You can take the boy out of Essex‌ to Penryn, to be exact, where the headquarters of UK console manufacturer, Allen & Heath, is located, and Rob Clark is at the helm. Rachael Rogerson-Thorley took the short flight from Manchester to Newquay to learn more about the Managing Director, as the company celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

24 INT ERVIEW

• Above Rob and Global Sales Director, Markus Sinsel.

Getting to know Rob Clark has happened only recently, through meeting him regularly on the tradeshow circuit over the last 12 months, so, I was intrigued to find out more about the head of the company in familiar surroundings. I was pre-warned that Rob isn’t a big fan of being the centre of attention, and he stayed true to form, when he initially made the suggestion I interview someone else from the company!

What is clear with Rob is that he is a little modest - he has steered the ship very well over the last two years - he is very much a team player, is incredibly intelligent, and is well-versed in his area of expertise.

Despite Rob’s love for audio beginning in the way as it does for so many in the audio industry - in a band - he has always been more interested in the technology side, rather than the performance side. So, perhaps this shying away from the spotlight started at an early age. “My first interest was guitars at 13,” Rob recalled. “I tried to be The Cure, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, assimilating those sounds in my bedroom, and making a lot of noise. I joined a band, and at 16, I read a book called Sound Recording Practice and dreamt of being a sound recording engineer. While I was doing my A-Levels, I spent a summer working in an Essex recording studio, and that was really exciting. I was then chaper-

oned onto a degree in electronics. I saw it as the vehicle to get involved in sound.”

Entering the world of electronics and design, Rob did a brief stint at the BBC, where he did some work with acoustics.

He was then offered a PhD placement in DSP at Allen & Heath in 1993 - and he hasn’t looked back since. During the late ‘90s and the early 2000’s, Rob conducted DSP research and algorithm development for several products and took on more responsibilities in system design and technical specification. It was 2008 when his hard work and commitment paid off and he was offered the Technical Director role, heading up the R&D department - a role he thoroughly enjoyed.

Nine years later, which also marked Rob’s 24th year in the company, he was appointed Managing Director. “It was a tremendous opportunity,” he remembered. “Even though I knew everyone at Allen & Heath, it was a big change in responsibility. Glenn Rogers [previous MD] left the company in great shape and I couldn’t have asked for more from him. I knew moving forward that I had the right people around me at Allen & Heath. I thrive on learning.

You should never be frightened of asking questions, you will learn more and that’s definitely what has helped me throughout my career.”

Rob is very complementary about his predecessor, as well as company founder, Andy Bereza, who - in conjunction with Steve Batiste - set up Allen & Heath in 1969 in the corner of a factory in London.

“Andy was the one who started working with bespoke, custom consoles for bands such as Pink Floyd, The Who and The Bee Gees and that quickly turned into cost-effective products,” Rob continued.

“Even in the early days, there was a need for economical, feature packed design, and it’s fascinating to see how that DNA had progressed from one guy back in 1969 and it’s still very much part of the company now. Glenn retained that DNA, and he carried it through during his time as managing director.”

One of Rob’s early priorities as Managing Director has been to grow the team supporting Allen & Heath’s distribution network. Rob has a lot of praise for newcomers, in particular, Global Sales Director Markus Sinsel and Asia Pacific Sales Director, Jamie Ward. Rob said of Markus: “He is unique. He has 17 years of successful sales performance behind him. He understands the brand and our customers, and has great experience of our dealer and retail networks, and to top that he’s mixed thousands of gigs using Allen & Heath mixers, so he understands the

26 INT ERVIEW

products. There are very few sales directors who have that commercial experience and product knowledge. It’s great to have him onboard, he is a real commercial strength in our team.”

Markus was responsible for Allen & Heath in Germany from 2001, and also in the UK since 2017. With a mutual respect for one another, when the sales director role became available, Rob turned straight to Markus, and, in return, he knew it was something he wanted to do. “Since taking up the role, my focus has been on providing a higher level of support to our distributors, and that means being on the ground, working with them to understand the challenges and opportunities in their individual markets,” Markus explained.

“Our product range is only getting bigger

and more sophisticated, so we’ve also brought some of our most experienced product experts into the sales team to scale up our delivery of hands-on training to our distributors.

“We have such a brilliant team, in R&D, marketing, operations and across the whole business, and they keep delivering fantastic products that excite our customers. We all share the same passion for mixing consoles and for the people who use them - and that’s the perfect motivation to keep building on our success around the globe,” Markus added.

APAC Sales Director, Jamie Ward, was no stranger to the company either, as Rob explained: “Jamie originally worked in our sales office from 2001, before leaving in 2007 to have a very successful sales career

with Stanton, HARMAN and Community.

We often bumped into each other in the intervening years, and there was clearly always a strong connection to Allen & Heath. I am delighted that Jamie has ‘come home’ and is already helping our distributors to seize the great opportunities for growth in Asia Pacific.”

Contributing to the Allen & Heath success story is the £1.2m refit the company underwent to create a state-of-the-art facility.

This was completed three years ago. Manufacturing takes place in China - and it has been the same company producing the products for almost 20 years, while R&D, prototyping, testing, and quality control is all handled in Penryn before a product is even considered for production.

“We have a really strong partnership

• Above Rob with a compact dLive C1500 surface.

28 INT ERVIEW

• Above Rob (fourth from left) with the Allen & Heath R&D team, circa 1995.

with the team in China and our operations crew fly out to the factory regularly. Having that rock-solid foundation has been key to meeting the huge demand for Allen & Heath products without compromising on quality and reliability.”

R&D was one of the first stops on the tour of HQ during my visit. It was a privilege to be shown around the company by the managing director, and it was a notion that led to some humorous suggestions over who exactly I might work for and the purpose of my visit! Back in the early ‘90s, the R&D team was made up of eight or nine people. It grew to around 25 over the next 15 years, when Rob was appointed as Technical Director. Since then it has more than doubled - taking the total to 57 engineers today.

Heading into one of many R&D offices, Rob was keen to highlight the work of the software teams. “This team develops algorithms that process sound, like EQs and effects,” he continued. “We’re pretty obsessed with modelling classic analogue equipment with DSP algorithms, and the way we achieve this is unique and innovative. The team has developed our own DSP processor, customised to suit our modelling needs. This enables the team to write custom algorithms with custom

bit widths, adapting the processor to suit new models, making those models more accurate and cost effective. I think we’re the only company doing it this way, and we’re proud of that.”

We also met software GUI developers, who work with sound engineers to ensure the user interface is optimal. Rob introduced me to James Clarke, who spends 50% of his time on the road mixing and 50% of his time working with R&D software developers on GUI layout and feature definition - ultimately testing that it’s fit for purpose. Rob then introduced me to Chief Software Architect, Antony Jackson, who has been working on mixing software for Allen & Heath for 27 years. His current project is something that I can’t mention just now!

Next was the software test department. “I reckon, 12 years ago, it was probably one or two people in this department, and now it’s six people. Every digital product needs continuous development, and with so many products in the range the demands on this team can be massive. We’re investing heavily in automation to speed up our testing - it takes a lot of time to develop automated testing, but we are already seeing improvements in our software test capabilities.” www.mondodr.com

We passed through rooms that have dedicated teams that focus on specific product ranges such as the Qu Series and the SQ Series. He furthered: “Qu and SQ have done very well for us. The SQ Series was the last addition in the digital line-up, following on from the Qu Series and dLive”. In all, I counted over 30 software engineers, giving an idea of the investment required to maintain multiple digital mixer ranges.

Allen & Heath HQ also houses a new environmental test facility - a mechanical playroom for accelerated lifecycle testing as Rob describes it. For example, faders are put through tests to simulate years of regular use, to assess whether they’re robust enough to design and incorporate into the products. The facility reaches high temperatures to push product testing to the limit, and there is even a sand collection too, to imitate desert-style conditions. A listening facility was also built during the refit, which can be used to evaluate audio quality in a controlled environment. Rob also took me into a new training room where Allen & Heath can accommodate up to 120 distributors, staff or engineers for product trainings.

Rob was also keen to point out that Allen & Heath is dedicated to the local

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01/03/2019 10:36

30 INT ERVIEW

• Above Rob with colleagues in Software Test and Mechanical Engineering.

community and the younger generation.

“We get involved with schools and clubs, trying to help kids who are into music or sound engineers just starting out and we get involved by sponsoring or organising lectures,” added Rob. We also visited the new product Introduction facility, where future products are prototyped, before passing through the customer support area and finally ending our tour in the marketing offices. Here, the team enthusiastically highlighted the advances being made in creating realistic 3D product renders and talked about the growth of their social media and digital content as a means of staying close to its global audience.

Externally, of course, the Allen & Heath brand is well-established in its own right, but it is also part of the collective Audiotonix group. Rob was still in his technical director role when the company joined Audiotonix in 2014, back when it was ini-

tially formed. In terms of what being part of the group means nowadays, Rob said: “Audiotonix is a fun team to be in, it boasts lots of technology. There are opportunities to share ideas, concepts, as well as share savings on components, third party licenses and IP technology. The engineers also interact sharing experiences and opinions.

Since the refit, Allen & Heath now has the facilities to prototype products for other group members, too. This makes us more efficient as a group, and offers Allen & Heath more investment.

Looking to the future, and with the company’s 50th anniversary in sight, there are a number of ways in which is it being celebrated. The anniversary also coincides with a reinvestment into the installation side of the business. Installation has always been important for Allen & Heath, but in recent years the company has become more visible in the live sound and touring markets. However, after witnessing a surge in www.mondodr.com

theatre and house of worship projects, Rob was keen to deliver what the industry was asking for. “Installation is a really exciting place at the moment, because there’s a lot of interest from the market in improving audio quality and user experience through initiatives like audio networking, glass screen control, remote I/O and remote controllers.”

“Of course, we’re always designing new products, but it is great to see some amazing ones coincide with our 50th. I have to say, it’s great that Allen & Heath started the digital journey working on digital audio installation products, then we migrated to mixers, and now we’ve come back to our digital roots in the 50th year.”

Although Rob wouldn’t reveal any full details ahead of the two major launches - one expected in the Autumn and the other in early 2020 - you’ll notice a little bit of repetition in his cryptic descriptions, which might just give those of you who

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32 INT ERVIEW

are curious a sneaky hint. Allen & Heath really is making a huge investment in the installation market… so watch this space.

When I asked Rob what’s next for Allen & Heath, after the 50th year and the new product launches, which I’m sure will keep him busy for the next few months, he said: “I think our future is obviously to serve the customer. The twist is that our products are designed by our customers. It’s about collecting the input from sound engineers, bringing that together with our technology and innovation, then presenting the result to the market. I still get a real kick out of that - the process of working with and surprising our customers on a daily level.

It means we get the product right more of the time and, to be honest, it’s fun. It’s

why I still love working in this industry all these years later.”

When questioned about what future initiatives the industry should tackle as a collective, Rob was stumped for an answer - the first and only time during my 24 hours in Penryn that he was lost for words.

Despite his modesty, Rob certainly isn’t shy, and his enthusiasm for all things Allen & Heath radiates as he speaks. Following up on email, in answer to my question, he said: “The industry should work together on environmental footprint. It’s an area where we are already implementing new design and production processes, but we all have our bit to do. If you look at power consumption, I think this is one such area electronic engineers are naturally www.mondodr.com

• Above top Rob getting input from experienced sound engineers at a dLive event.

• Below left Rob meeting new Switzerland distributor, Go Wild, at NAMM 2019 • Below right A stop at Digital R&D during the HQ tour.

concerned with. I’m not sure mixers are a particular cause of concern on power efficiency, but it’s taking a fresh look that will help make a difference.”

Outside of Allen & Heath, Rob doesn’t take much downtime in what most of us would consider the normal way. His response for what he enjoys doing in his spare time was: “Obviously, if it’s not rigorous mathematics and digital signal processing, I am happy tinkering with an internal combustion engine in the garage.

Although most of the time I’m trying to keep up with my two children and understanding wife.”

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CITY S OC I AL COMPANY: AUDIOLOGIC LOCATION: LONDON, UK

Tower 42 in the city of London is home to Jason Atherton’s modern, Michelin-star restaurant, City Social. Situated on the 24th floor, the venue commands spectacular views across the Metropolis and serves the best of British ingredients in an elegant Art Deco environment. As well as serving an extensive range of cocktails, fine wines and beers, Social 24, the venue’s bar, also hosts popular and busy DJ nights.

The City Social management team faced a number of issues relating to its audio provision and consulted with integrators Excite AV and the application team at Audiologic to help determine a practical way to overcome some tricky problems. The basic brief was to deliver a new background music system that could be used as a main system for DJ events.

The existing ceiling loudspeaker system suffered from uneven sound and coverage, with 100V line loudspeakers dotted only near the windows and above the bar. On busy nights as, customers, gathered on the dancefloor, any lift in volume overpowered conversations in the peripheral areas, yet lacked sufficient dynamic range in the central dancefloor area. To overcome this problem, the venue had used larger suspended loudspeakers on DJ nights, but the unique design of the building transmitted vibration to the floor below and had led to the installation of an inconvenient noise-limiter to avoid complaints from other users of the building.

Having taken account of the setting and its challenges, Audiologic and Excite AV recommended a QSC solution and arranged a demonstration of QSC www.mondodr.com

loudspeakers at the manufacturer’s London demo room. Suitably impressed by what they heard, the support they received and the speed with which Audiologic was able to provide a quote, City Social went ahead with the design.

Excite AV installed six QSC AD-S6T 6.5-inch surface-mounted loudspeakers, eight QSC AC-C6T high-quality 6.5-inch ceiling mount loudspeakers and two QSC AD-81Tw eight-inch ceiling mounted subwoofers, the system is powered by two QSC CXD4.2 processing amplifiers. A Cloud LE1W remote input plate to provide a connection for an audio source completed the picture.

Audiologic Application Support Engineer, Yavor ‘Max’ Yanakiev commented: “To address the issues at hand, we suggested the use of surface mounted

low impedance distributed loudspeakers positioned above the bar, directed inwards towards the dancefloor as well as the busy parts of the venue where the energy was required. The AD-S6T loudspeakers powered by the CXD amplifier have provided the necessary levels, dynamic range, frequency response and headroom in these areas. Adding relatively small loudspeakers to the existing distributed system has allowed a significant reduction in structure-transferred noise, while still achieving great clarity and good SPL throughout the venue, without triggering the noise limiter as had happened before.”

Jim Thomas of Excite AV reflected on another successful installation: “The principal challenge we faced was to overcome the inaccessibility of the venue’s ceiling, which comprised large decorated

sound-absorption panels. This made cabling the in-ceiling loudspeakers on the side of the bar more difficult. Fortunately, the QSC CXD4.2 amplifiers’ ability to go down to 2.4 ohms proved to be very helpful in this instance, as they the allowed us to run the 14 loudspeakers and two subwoofers off two amplifiers.”

The installation at City Social demonstrates the value of close cooperation between project partners and emphasises the value of Audiologic’s service-led approach, where its team engages with integrators and end-users in the early stages of a project, ensuring that best-fit solutions are delivered quickly and efficiently. The reaction of City Social’s General Manager, Tim Smith, to the completed install certainly suggests that this is the case: “We went with www.mondodr.com

Audiologic and Excite AV because of the speed at which they were able to provide a definitive quote and the helpful support they offered from the start.

The staff are very happy with the new system, describing it as clear and more powerful without being overpowering. A major problem with the previous system was sound travelling through the floor and ceiling to our corporate neighbours. The new install does not have these issues, giving us peace of mind.

There is a clear difference between the sound in the bar with the new system as compared to the restaurant with the previous system. We find our visitors drawn to the area with the new system.” www.audiologic.uk

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HATC H COMPANY: AURA AUDIO LOCATION: MANCHESTER, UK

At Manchester’s award winning pop-up retail, food and drink destination, Hatch, you’ll find over 30 creative independent businesses that put their heart and soul into their products.

UK dealer Sixth Sound was introduced to Suzanne Bryant and Charlie Entwistle from Property Developers Bruntwood, the company responsible for Hatch, via Justin Crawford at Electric Box, a bar owner at Hatch and Jim Bane from Eastern Bloc records/Contrast DJ agency.

“Jim looks after the DJ bookings for Hatch, we have worked with both Justin and Jim on numerous projects over the last 10 years,” Dominic Stafford, owner of Sixth Sound explained. “Plus

I also did a gig in the courtyard at Hatch last summer for another client.”

Bruntwood decided to invest in a background music system for the entire Hatch site across fours zones.

“Phase one of the Hatch project consisted of several container units around a central courtyard with four trees, one in each corner,” Dominic explained. “For me this provided the initial inspiration for the design idea with the Aura Audio system and an opportunity to use the i3 loudspeaker in this manner. We decided to incorporate an 800mm base plate with a three-metre quad truss together with a custom top plate to www.mondodr.com

house four Aura Audio i3 loudspeaker arrays to provide 360° of sound above head height.

“We added an Aura Audio XD10 subwoofer on the base plate and matched the bench seating around the base of the truss with the existing seating in the courtyard. Finally we added an IP rated LED par inside the bottom of the truss as an up lighter on a slow colour change. We repeated this 360° truss idea across zones one to three and added pairs of i3 loudspeakers in zone four, behind the stage and elevated terrace area.

“I have to say I am surprised by how well the concept has turned out both from an aesthetic and sonic perspective. The coverage is good with

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“The XD10 subwoofers are as close to the i3 loudspeakers as possible. This was also a consideration in the design process, as our filtering and EQ for the system is done in the analogue domain within the amplifier. No DSP delay here.”

Staff at Bruntwood have been complimentary about the look and the sound of the system and had an open mind from the outset, which was refreshing for the Sixth Sound team to be a part of.

“I’d like to thank Sarah and Charlie for their assistance and Tony and the guys who run the show. It’s all come together nicely folks,” Dominic concluded. www.auraaudio.fi

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BISHOP GADS DE N CHA PEL COMPANY: COMMUNITY LOCATION: SOUTH CAROLINA, USA

Audiovisual integration specialist, McWaters, completed the installation of a discreet custom-coloured Community loudspeaker system for the Bishop Gadsden Chapel, with system design assistance from Pete Petty of manufacturer’s representative Mavric Incorporated.

Bishop Gadsden is a thriving life care retirement community set in over 100 acres of lush marshlands and majestic oaks on James Island, just 10 minutes from downtown Charleston South Carolina. Founded by Bishop Christopher Gadsden as an Episcopal Church Home in 1850, the community now has more than 450 residents and 300 employees. Nationally recognised for its architectural design, Bishop Gadsden provides its residents with a first-class lifestyle, extensive amenities and support services. The chapel is central to the

community, and ensuring it delivers the highest quality audio was a prime consideration when choosing a new sound system.

Pete explained: “Although high intelligibility and good coverage were key, aesthetics were also really important to the chapel and we had to agree to a single offset position on the left of the congregation for the loudspeakers. Additionally, the chapel has a long reverberation time, due to a hard ceiling, floors and walls, so to provide the optimum quality from this position we chose to combine two Community E Series ENT-FR high performance column line source loudspeaker systems in a single column. Mounted on Community’s pan/tilt brackets, the slim profile of the ENT-FR loudspeakers ensured minimal visual impact

and the loudspeakers were additionally custom painted

by Community to match the wall colour. Unless you look for the loudspeakers you really don’t see them, yet we were able to achieve the required levels of even coverage with excellent sound quality.”

Bishop Gadsden had an existing Biamp TesiraFORTÉ DAN AI audio DSP, so this was reprogrammed for the new loudspeaker system.

Pete concluded: “The customer is very satisfied with both the performance and aesthetics of their new audio system. The Community loudspeakers have transformed the previously poor intelligibility in the chapel.” www.communitypro.com

A RAY CLUB COMPANY: NEXT-PROAUDIO LOCATION: KYZYLORDA, KAZAKHSTAN

A NEXT-proaudio solution has been installed at a new club in Kyzylorda, Kazakhstan. Aray Club has been equipped with a NEXT-proaudio system following a recommendation from an acoustic engineer.

Aiming to bring a taste of Vegas to Kyzylorda, the Aray Club was equipped with a NEXT-proaudio sound reinforcement system, supplied by the manufacturer’s Kazakhstan distributor, Sound Light Systems.

Fast becoming Kyzylorda’s ultimate lifestyle party destination, Aray Club in southern Kazakhstan regularly features top notch entertainment, while redefining the standards of luxury clubbing with more than 300 seats,

unique contemporary musical and lighting equipment, and delicious food and drinks.

“When it came to designing a sound system in a fancy club like Aray, the biggest challenge came from the venue’s reflective surfaces, such as decorative mirrors and a lot of glass that covers almost all the walls,” said Rui Marques NEXT-proaudio’s Sales Consultant for Kazakhstan. “The main goal for the Sound Light Systems team was to design a system to ensure even dispersion throughout the club, while avoiding these reflective surfaces.”

The audio experience was designed and supplied by www.mondodr.com

Sound Light Systems using the NEXT-proaudio LA series, as well as PFA Series loudspeakers.

The Aray Club is equipped with a NEXT-proaudio sound system, comprising eight LA122 single 12-inch enclosure loudspeakers and four LAs218 double 18inch subwoofers as the main system for the stage, while 16 PFA12 loudspeakers were distributed throughout the club.

The whole system is powered by NEXT-proaudio MA Series amplifiers and a Next-proaudio LMS242 digital signal processor. www.next-proaudio.com

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SI C UI S I N E COMPANY: D&B AUDIOTECHNIK LOCATION: HANOI, VIETNAM

Hanoi’s vibrant nightlife is the toast of Vietnam, with world-class venues emerging onto the scene. Si Cuisine and Mixology is at the centre of the action, mixing sumptuous surroundings, live music and DJs under the ownership of Mr Trung, who required a class-leading sound solution to attract the city’s ‘it’ crowd. d&b audiotechnik partner, Stage Professional Company Vietnam was asked to specify a full sound system for the luxurious space, opting for the d&b audiotechnik xS-Series.

When it opened in January 2019, Si Cuisine set its sights on customers seeking fine dining, cocktails and an energising playlist of house music, hip-hop and R’n’b. In addition to background music during the afternoon and live DJs in the evening, the sound installation also needed to serve monthly live music events.

“Mr Trung chose to build Si Cusine and Mixology in one of the city’s prime locations, which attracts many special guests, so the venue required a highclass sound system,” said Nguyễn Thành Nam, from Hanoi-based Stage Professional Company. “Mr Trung

simply requested quality sound.”

Mr Trung said: “Our goal was to build a dining and entertainment place combining modern interior design and the best sound system, bringing a whole new experience to Hanoi. We understand that the sound experience for customers is extremely important it’s the first impression as soon as they step into Si Cuisine.”

Mr Nguyen and his team installed d&b audiotechnik 12S, 10S and 5S loudspeakers, supported by d&b audiotechnik B6 18-inch subwoofers and powered by three d&b audiotechnik 10D four-channel installation amplifiers. All visible elements are custom-finished in a deep burgundy colour - chosen by Mr Trung to perfectly augment the décor (and reportedly to match the colour of his favourite pair of shoes). “Mr Trung had experienced d&b audiotechnik loudspeakers before, so it was very easy to introduce him to the xS-Series system,” said Mr Nguyen. “We installed a demo system in the venue, configured as required. One challenge of the space was that the layout made it difficult to position the loudspeakers so that every position could hear the

same sound quality, but with the xS-Series, we solved that with the amazing power of each loudspeaker.”

The xS-Series is designed to be compact and unobtrusive, with slim cabinet dimensions, but in this venue they used custom colours to make the cabinets a feature. All models include rotatable horns that enable the loudspeakers to be deployed in either orientation, making them ideal for restaurant and bar installations.

“There is a lot to say about the xS-Series, but if you ask me what I am most impressed with, it’s a very compact design, offering amazing power,” Mr Nguyen said.

Mr Nguyen and his team were supported throughout the specification and delivery of the xS-Series by Mr Kenny Chng from d&b audiotechnik SE Asia.

Mr Nguyen added: “All areas within Si Cuisine experience the highest sound quality.”

Mr Trung concluded: “Our customers have commented that the sound is great, and that the colour of the loudspeakers is unique. If our guests are happy, we are happy.” www.dbaudio.com

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DOMA IN E DES É TAN G S COMPANY: AMADEUS AUDIO LOCATION: MASSIGNAC, FRANCE

Domaine des Étangs is the biggest five-star hotel resort in France. Located in Massignac, it spans 1,000 acres of unspoiled natural land, including forests, pastures, and ponds. The Domaine des Étangs offers outstanding hospitality experiences. This unique site hosts an 11th-century castle, fully renovated and decorated with contemporary works of art, detailed landscaping, six tenant farms, a former dairy (La Laiterie), a vegetable garden, a wellness centre, Gallo-Roman baths, two swimming pools, a floating tennis court, and a top-rated gastronomic Michelin-star restaurant. Built of stone and wood, La Laiterie is a new gallery space within the Domaine des Étangs complex that is dedicated to exhibitions about the ‘Meeting of Art and Nature’.

Manuel Gomez, who was in charge of the renovation work for La Laiterie at the Domaine des Étangs said: “As we collaborated in advance of the sound system installation with Amadeus experts, we were able to get rid of the loudspeakers’ common aesthetic nuisances and at the same time ensure a sound quality at a level rivalling the most famous concert halls.” Designed in a circular layout to get the best envelopment for visitors and to adapt to the geometric, technical, and aesthetic constraints in the Laiterie galley, the sound system comprises 44 loudspeakers manufactured by Amadeus and the HOLOPHONIX spatial sound processor.

“The specification was very complex. Mrs. Garance Primat, the owner of the Domaine des Étangs, is a great music lover and a contemporary art collector,” said Gaëtan Byk, Marketing Manager for the Amadeus brand.

“She wished to turn this former 18th Century barn into a place where past, present, and future art would meet to serve culture and presentation.

“This space had to be able to host art exhibitions,

events, acoustic or amplified music and electroacoustic music creations, without having to modify, reconfigure or move loudspeakers according to the application.

The sound system had to be as versatile, scalable and integrated as possible. It appeared obvious to us we needed to develop our project around the HOLOPHONIX processor,” said Gaëtan.

Mezzanines excluded, the hall is 75ft by 30ft. A total of 32 Amadeus PMX 5 coaxial loudspeakers are integrated at inferior purlins at mezzanine height - 10 evenly spaced loudspeakers lengthwise and six loudspeakers across the width.

Eight low-frequency Amadeus ML 12 SLIM bespoke subwoofer loudspeakers are integrated into the low section of the walls, spread out with four loudspeakers on each side lengthwise along the walls. In addition, a new purpose-designed ‘slim bass’ loudspeaker, named UFD 215, is integrated under each mezzanine.

The audio system is built around the spatial sound processor HOLOPHONIX. The integrated hardware and software product was designed by Amadeus in collaboration with the STMS (Sciences et Technologies de la Musique et du Son), a laboratory founded in 1995 and hosted in the IRCAM premises, in association with CNRS, the Sorbonne Université, the Ministère de la Culture, and the Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique.

The HOLOPHONIX processor ensures a specified coherency between all loudspeakers, each one receiving a dedicated audio signal. Several standard presets for HOLOPHONIX were designed on location according to the rooms’ specifications to enhance the system versatility and adaptability according to the needs of the installation or event.

The basic audio configuration uses three virtual sourcwww.mondodr.com

es, and synthesises the signal on all loudspeakers, according to the WFS (Wave Field Synthesis) principles.

The first source is stereophonic, it processes the output signal of the Lumin U1 player/streamer, used to play high-resolution music tracks.

“Most audio signals come from sources like TIDAL or Qobuz. They are played in native PCM format, with sample frequencies of 44.1Hz to 192kHz, with 16-bit or 24-bit resolution. The AES/EBU digital audio signal is then ‘transcoded’ in Dante, to preserve the digital chain and processed at 192kHz - the HOLOPHONIX processor is set up to work with this sampling frequency, within a 64 I/O limit,” explained Michel Deluc, Amadeus’ R&D Manager.

The two other sources for HOLOPHONIX are monophonic, they synthesise the audio signal coming from Shure ULXD4D digital wireless microphone receivers.

They can easily be moved in real time, to follow the actual position of the persons using the microphones.

The HOLOPHONIX processor creates an extremely advanced platform, which is able to mix, reverberate, and spatialise sound content played from various devices using several different spatialisation techniques in two or three dimensions.

The hardware offers a quasi-unlimited number of spatialisation buses, each one able to run one of the different sound algorithms available, including: Higher-Order Ambisonics (2D, 3D) Vector-Base Intensity Panning (2D, 3D), Vector-Base Amplitude Panning (2D, 3D), Wave Field Synthesis, Angular 2D, k-Nearest Neighbour, Stereo Panning, Stereo AB, Stereo XY, and Binaural. www.amadeusaudio.fr

THE SAEMOONAN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH COMPANY: HARMONIC DESIGN LOCATION: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA

The Saemoonan Presbyterian Church is the first organised church founded in Korea. Referred to the ‘mother church’ of Korea, since 1887, 21 district churches have now been established in Seoul and the Gyeonggi region, providing spiritual and social lifelines to the Protestant churches in Korea.

The sixth church to be built recently underwent a huge renovation, and a new architectural masterpiece was realised. A total of 68-metres in building height, with an impressive 80-metre church tower, the church has a capacity of 2,200 in the great chapel and is spread over 19 floors.

The entire sound system was installed in the walls, behind acoustic fleece.

The space is designed using Harmonic Design beamforming technology.

The coverage is even for all members of the congregation, despite the loudspeakers being positioned at the height of the cross in four-metre or 10-metre heights. Using only two Harmonic Design hd PL24Beam loudspeakers, the entire ground floor of the great chapel enjoys a full and even coverage.

The hd PL24Beam loudspeaker consists of 24 three-inch broadband chassis, each equipped with its own DSP and amplifier channel. It offers great potential for improving the sound distribution in complex architecture and strongly reverberant rooms, perfect for this particular project.

The advanced beamforming algorithms allows the integrator to only focus the sound on auditory surfaces, while surfaces that cause unwanted reflections and generate disturbing diffused sound are shaded. This led to much better speech intelligibility and a first-class listening experience for every member of the congregation.

Beamforming technology allowed inconspicuous positioning of the loudspeakers in spaces, or at angles that previously wouldn’t work in the church.

Two more Harmonic Design hd PL16Beam loudspeakers were specified for the sound of the gallery. Seamless algorithms such as ‘AdvancedDirectivity Optimisation’ and ‘AdvancedRoom Optimisation’ are set to achieve optimal spatial sound distribution, speech intelligibility and playback quality for music performances.

Two Harmonic Design hd PL12 passive column loudspeakers, which share the same enclosure size and design as the main loudspeakers, were installed horizontally behind the choir to focus their dedicated monitor mix on the choir singers without affecting their miking.

The planning of the sound reinforcement system was accompanied by sound field simulations with the proprietary remote control software, Harmonic Design hd LevelZ and verified using EASE 4.4 with the generated GLL data. www.harmonic-design.com

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BRITAN N I A H OT E L COMPANY: BOSE LOCATION: TRONDHEIM, NORWAY

The historic Britannia Hotel in Trondheim, Norway, is welcoming guests once again after a three-year, top-to-bottom renovation. Built in the late 1880’s, the Britannia is the city’s oldest hotel and has served as a primary hospitality hub for almost 150 years. The five-star hotel is a member of the prestigious ‘Leading Hotels of the World’ and features six restaurants and bars, a spa and fitness center, conference facilities, and 257 guest rooms.

The hotel’s extensive renovation marked a new chapter in its storied history. With a grand re-opening in April 2019, the 22,000 sq metre property glistens with handpicked furnishings, fine fabrics, and marble bathrooms that complement the bright and inviting guest rooms.

The hotel’s six restaurants and bars include the majestic Palmehaven and a wine bar that draws from an extensive cellar of fine options. Other new amenities include a signature gym and spa, indoor pool, and a majestic ballroom.

Bose Professional partner Kinly provided the Britannia with a comprehensive audio solution. According to Tony Moflag, System Designer at Kinly: “When we started working on the Britannia project, we soon agreed that this was not an ordinary building or renovation project. We had to look for an audio partner

with a range of products that could meet our need for flexibility. We selected Bose Professional for the job and from the first audio presentation, we understood that Bose was a brand name that the management of Britannia Hotel knew well and in a positive way. We started the long design process right after that first meeting.”

Tony continued: “As the project moved forward, it became clear that in order to get the desired sound quality and aesthetic results, several audio solutions for each hotel space would need to be evaluated. Through a combination of a wide loudspeaker selection - Bose FreeSpace, EdgeMax, MSA12X, and RoomMatch Utility loudspeakers, supplemented with one of the market’s most flexible amplifier solutions - Bose PowerMatch, I was able to make most changes quickly during the design and assembly phase of the project. When the project moved from installation to commissioning, we were pleased to work with Bose ControlSpace EX1280C digital processors. It’s quite amazing that a hotel of this class and size can be powered by only four devices. Bose ControlSpace Designer software gave us the opportunity to work in the large scale needed and allowed us to be highly efficient. This was critical for completing the project.”

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To help provide unique experiences throughout the Hotel, Kinly created eight distinct sound zones. “Walking through the hotel is an audio journey, with music aligning with each venue within. This holistic thinking has been very important to us; the music follows you through our grand hotel - including the elevators, hallways, and lobby - and really gives our guests a full experience,” said Mikael Forselius, Managing Director of Britannia Hotel.

In the Palmehaven restaurant, one of Trondheim’s most famous eateries, with a capacity of 450 people in the main room, Kinly installed a combination of Bose FreeSpace 3 and DS 100F loudspeakers. The restaurant is the centerpiece of the Britannia, enchanting visitors with its vault-like starry-sky ceiling and elegant Moorish garden.

In the rest of the hotel’s spaces and the restaurants, Kinly installed 63 Bose Professional loudspeakers - a combination of EdgeMax loudspeakers, RoomMatch Utility RMU105 loudspeakers, and FreeSpace DS 100F loudspeakers.

To maintain the integrity of the entire audiovisual solution throughout the Britannia, it was important that the audiovisual solution be invisible and work into the hotel’s architecture as much as possible.

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“A large part of the project has been to ensure that the technical solutions are hidden, without visible cables and wires. Everything is seamless and state-ofthe-art, with great sound and picture quality. The guests are impressed, and the staff are proud,” said Thomas Berg, Congress Manager, Britannia Hotel.

Mikael added: “The music follows you through our grand hotel as the loudspeakers are hidden in pillars, or beautifully integrated in the ceiling, while also providing the best sound experience. Everything is centralised and can be easily managed from a touch panel in the different rooms and areas.”

This comprehensive approach provides a seamless experience for staff and guests. While each space in the hotel has its own needs and acoustic properties, all now offer a consistent, high-quality audio experience - for staff operating the system and for guests enjoying music.

“For many, sound is not something naturally included in the creation of a concept, but something thought of later in the project, preferably also something simple and cheap. We realised that sound was an important part of creating the ideal guest journey and unique identity and made sure to test and find the best solutions out there to support this need. Now we have beautiful audio installations, that works well with the interior, provides great sound that is also easily managed by our staff.

“Kinly has been with us throughout the project and has given us security, with relevant questions and clear feedback. They turn around easily when the conditions change, and everything has been delivered on time. For me, this has been an incredibly comfortable process,” Mikael concluded. pro.bose.com

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G U C C I G A RD EN COMPANY: K-ARRAY LOCATION: FLORENCE, ITALY

The Gucci Garden in Florence, Italy, houses the iconic brand’s official museum, which tells the story of the Italian fashion and leather goods manufacturer, from its early start in the city, to the global, biggest-selling Italian brand it is today, through a permanent exhibition of iconic pieces, such as bags, clothes, and accessories. In addition to a series of contemporary art installations, the Gucci Garden also contains a library, a cafeteria, a small boutique and the Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura - a restaurant by a three Michelin-star chef.

With extreme attention given to creating delicate displays throughout the three-storey building that honour Gucci craftsmanship, architectural studio, PLS Design required an inconspicuous audio system that didn’t interrupt the museum layout or the intricate designs but provided enough SPL for pleasant background music to transport visitors through Gucci’s archives,

Recent years have seen the Russian Orthodox church expand its programme of church building.

At Moscow’s Khodynka Field, worshippers at the new Church of Saint Sergius of Radonezh were distracted by having problems hearing services, but Yamaha’s VXL Series slim line array loudspeakers have quickly solved the issue.

Khodynka Field, a few kilometres north-west of Moscow city centre, saw the first Russian flight in 1910 and quickly became the city’s first commercial airport.

The airport closed in the early 2000’s and since then the site has been redeveloped as housing, offices, sports venues and open spaces for Moscow’s expanding population. Located at the end of one of the former airport runways, the Church of Saint Sergius of Radonezh was opened in 2017 to honour one of the Russian Orthodox church’s most highly venerated saints, as well as the many airmen and women who had flown from Khodynka Field.

Russian Orthodox services are conducted entirely in melodic chants or singing, to create a sense of calmness and to express the true nature and purpose of the words. The church originally had no sound reinforcement system, but it quickly became obvious that churchgoers were clustering in the centre to hear services properly, distracting them from their worship.

The monks who run the church looked for a solu-

advertising campaigns, artisans’ images and vintage objects.

For the restaurant, Italian distributor, Exhibo, with the help of K-array Product Specialist, Daniele Mochi, were tasked with creating a system for each of the seven different zones on each floor depending on the different SPL needs. At the entrance of the museum where the ticket office and store are located, a system of six K-array two-inch Tornado-KT2 point source loudspeakers were cleverly mounted to the hanging lighting unit and combined with two Rumble-KU44 subwoofers. In the space immediately next to it, six practically invisible Lyzard-KZ14 loudspeakers and two Rumble-KU44 subwoofers were seamlessly integrated in the cafeteria.

For the restaurant, a discreet system comprised of four Lyzard-LZ14 loudspeakers were paired with two compact Rumble-KU44 subwoofers for even and pleasant

tion to spread the sound more evenly throughout the church and Roman Belyaev, of Moscow-based audiovisual specialists iProjector, suggested four Yamaha VXL1W-16 slim line array loudspeakers.

Three Yamaha PA2120 amplifiers were chosen to power the VXLs, with the system controlled by a Yamaha MTX3 matrix processor.

The high quality sound reproduction and wide dispersion characteristics of the VXL1s meant that worshippers would be able hear services clearly anywhere in the church. Just as importantly, the slim line profile meant they would be virtually invisible, ensuring there was no visual impact on the architecture and icons, which are used in Russian Orthodoxy to bring the church’s worshippers into the presence of those who are in heaven.

Services can range from one priest, up to 10 people and a children’s choir. As well as the VXL1W-16’s greatly improving the sound coverage, the MTX3’s Dan Dugan automixing means every service can take place without any need to worry about mixing the sound, to ensure everything is clearly heard.

“The system delivers a very natural sound without compromising the church’s visual appeal, helping worshippers to concentrate solely on the services, without any distractions,” said Roman. www.yamahaproaudio.com

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background music.

Throughout the three-level museum, similar systems are employed alternating between four units for surface mount or four Tornado-KT2C point sources to flush the loudspeakers within the ceiling depending on the integration needs of that particular zone. The setup is complete with two Rumble-KU44 subwoofers.

“We were having a very difficult time finding the right audio system for this beautiful space overflowing with vivid colours and patterns,” said Lorenzo Perini, architect and co-founder of PLS Studio.

“Once we discovered the Lyzard, we didn’t even need to hear how it performed: its small stature was exactly what we needed. It was only after we became more familiar with the product and the brand, that we were completely in awe of its acoustic capabilities. The system exceeded our expectations.” www.k-array.com

CHURCH OF SAINT SERGIUS OF RADONEZH COMPANY: YAMAHA PRO AUDIO LOCATION: MOSCOW, RUSSIA

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46 REP ORT: ARCH IT ECT URAL AUDIO

J OA N’S CAF E COMPANY: GENELEC LOCATION: FINSPÅNG, SWEDEN

Joan’s Café, named after the founder’s little sister, was first established in 2008 in Vingåker, Södermanland county, Sweden. Since then, the eatery/DJ and live lounge concept has proved so popular that the company has been able to open two further venues in Finspång and Karlskoga. The Finspång franchise recently decided to invest in a high quality sound system from Genelec, complete with lighting and control, in order to enhance the customer experience, whether it be during the day for lunch or an afternoon latte, or for drinks and dinner in the evening followed by live music or a DJ set.

Joan’s turned to specialist systems integrator, Lefflers AV Partner AB, based in Norrköping to design and install a system that would meet the high standards required by the restaurant as well as user friendly for the restaurant staff. Lefflers AV’s Mattias ‘Matti’ Björkman explained the challenge: “Joan’s wanted a system that would sound great at low volumes during dinner or drinks with friends, but powerful enough to handle a proper DJ set or small live band without going into overload. During dinner you want a full, warm sound albeit at a low, unobtrusive level - there’s nothing worse than having to fight with the sound system in order to carry on a conversation with the rest of the table - but

in the evening when the DJ or the band come on, you need to be able to turn it up and still have it sound vibrant and detailed but at much higher levels. Genelec’s 4000 Series installation loudspeakers were the ideal solution for this application.”

Furthermore, Joan’s Café has an extremely high standard of finish, and they required the system to perfectly match the architecture of the spaces.

Lefflers AV installed a total of 18 powerful, yet compact, Genelec 4030C loudspeakers in a zoned, distributed system throughout the restaurant managed by a Control4 control system combined with an audio matrix from Triad.

The audio system is distributed throughout five zones (the bar, front restaurant, rear restaurant, the stage, and outdoor terrace), all of which can be controlled separately via a central touchscreen located behind the bar. This enables staff to select different sources and manage volume levels for each zone as required.

“We opted for the Genelec 4030C loudspeakers throughout because, although compact, they are sufficiently powerful and develop enough low end that they can be used without a subwoofer, even at high SPLs. This means that they sound great in the restaurant but still work really well if there is a DJ or www.mondodr.com

small band performing. Another advantage is that they are active loudspeakers – in other words, amplification and processing is integrated into each loudspeaker for simple plug-and-play operation, which is ideal for non-technical restaurant staff. It also saves cost and space as there are no amplifiers to be purchased and installed. The other big benefit was from a design point of view; all Genelec 4000 Series installation loudspeakers are available in 120 RAL colours, and for Joan’s, we went for gold loudspeakers throughout as they blend perfectly into the décor.”

“The reaction we’ve had to the new system, both from Joan’s staff and visiting DJs, has been amazing,” confirmed Matti. “The staff are happy because it’s really easy to use and performance is excellent, while certain DJs have commented that it’s the best system they have ever played on anywhere, which is high praise indeed. From an integrator’s point of view, it’s always reassuring to work with Genelec because the quality of their products is outstanding - you know that it will be an extremely low-maintenance system that will last for years and years - and in the unlikely event of a problem, the support from Genelec is always first class.

It makes Genelec an easy choice.” www.genelec.com

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48 REP ORT: ARCH IT ECT URAL AUDIO

HA MA D I N T E R N AT I O N A L AIRPORT COMPANY: RENKUS-HEINZ LOCATION: DOHA, QATAR

Hamad International Airport covers nearly a third of the city of Doha, with more than half of the airport’s 29 sq km reclaimed from the Arabian Gulf. Its state-of-theart passenger and cargo facilities serve more than 30m passengers and 1.4m tonnes of freight per year.

Technology for the airport is equally impressive, including an RFID baggage handling system, high-tech air traffic control and radar systems, and a cutting-edge public address system based around Renkus-Heinz ICONYX digitally steerable line array loudspeaker systems.

The system includes 208 IC8-R, 30 IC16-R, five IC24-R, and two IC32-R loudspeaker columns, all networked to provide control of each individual unit. Strikingly, not a single one of the 245 loudspeaker columns installed throughout the facility is visible to the naked eye.

“All the loudspeakers are hidden,” explained Ren-

kus-Heinz Middle East Sales Manager, Norbert Bau. “They have all been flush mounted and concealed behind grilles, or they have been integrated into custom-designed stainless steel pillars. It’s an architecturally stunning facility and the best Iconyx installation I’ve ever seen.”

Much of the credit for this impressive installation goes to the contractors, Consolidated Engineering Systems Co (CESCO), and subcontractors H. Robert Guild Associates, Inc (HRGA). “The system was designed by Acoustic Design Ahnert (ADA Gulf), and the entire installation was performed by CESCO, who brought in Robert Guild of HRGA to provide the experience and expertise for this very high-profile project,” Norbert observed. The project also included a massive IED announcement control system and thousands of small ceiling loudspeakers for the voice alarm system. Testing and commissioning the

GKV ROT T E R DAM CE NT R E COMPANY: LD SYSTEMS LOCATION: ROTTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS

system was performed by HRGA, with support from Renkus-Heinz application engineers.

While the project has not been without its challenges, Norbert points to good planning as an indispensible factor. “The design of the sound system was seriously considered when designing the airport. And ADA Gulf convinced the architect to apply acoustic treatment so the acoustic conditions are very good - it sounds very dry.”

Since opening its doors to passengers, Hamad International Airport is quickly becoming an international hub, providing the air travel capacity the city of Doha has been sorely needing, with a sound system that will clearly and intelligibly serve millions of passengers for years to come.

As Norbert concluded: “It is an impressive system for a very impressive airport.” www.renkus-heinz.com

The GKV Rotterdam Centre (Gereformeerde Kerk Vrijgemaakt) is a protestant reformation church in the centre of the Dutch port city of Rotterdam, which recently underwent extensive renovation in.

Since then the church is in a bright, friendly and open-plan space, which brings the majestic altar into scene.

In addition to a new floor, the removal of partition walls, a new entrance and a brand-new interior, the modern church also includes a new CURV 500 pro audio array loudspeaker system from LD Systems.

Audiovisual specialists from the Dutch firm, Shaapsound carried out the installation in the church, which has retained its predominantly white and natural wood tones. In order to provide accurate sound dispersion with excellent speech intelligibility across the wide interior and high ceilings, Shaapsound utilised a total of four CURV 500 loudspeaker arrays of four S2 satellites suspended from the ceiling in front of the altar gantry in a two by two configuration, projecting both forwards and to the side pews.

www.mondodr.com

“The CURV 500 loudspeakers are perfect for sound projects of this type, since they are extremely compact and discreet they hardly affect the appearance of the room,” explained Joost de Visser from Shaapsound. “They sound fantastic, whether it’s speech or music - we are always amazed at the sound from these small satellites.”

The main arrays are supplemented by two twin satellite sets mounted on the rear wall behind the altar area projecting sideways so as to provide perfect sound, even for the outermost seats.

In order to provide music performances with sufficient power, Shaapsound installed two 10-inch bass-reflex subwoofers with a Class-D power amplifier from the CURV 500 audiovisual sets, which were integrated invisibly into the two front corners of the slightly elevated altar stage.

In order to maintain the GKV Rotterdam Centre’s aesthetic integrity and not detract from services, all of the CURV 500 elements were supplied in white to blend seamlessly into the overall visual appearance of the church. www.ld-systems.com

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FIR ST P R ES BYT E R IA N C HU R C H COMPANY: MARTIN AUDIO LOCATION: PITTSFORD, USA

TSH Audio & Visual recently completed a full audiovisual upgrade of the First Presbyterian Church in Pittsford, New York that includes a Martin Audio O-Line loudspeaker system.

The Syracuse based AVL integration company is five years old and specialises in house of worship installations. Discussing the project, company Principal and Design Engineer for TSH Timothy S. Harris explained: “This was an upgrade of the existing audio system with the addition of new projection and updated video capabilities.

“In 2004, the church sanctuary had a lightning strike and burned down, so they rebuilt the space, but the original PA system started to fail over time, plus it had a negative visual impact on the space as well.

“In terms of audio, they had hung two large loudspeakers from the walls, which never really worked in what is a very traditional church aesthetically with stained glass windows and side windows and a cross over the altar, so they

wanted a sound system that provided exceptional audio clarity along with a streamlined and clean-looking appearance. That’s why we chose the Martin Audio O-Line modular micro line array system for this install.”

The sound system consists of six flown O-Line boxes a side with a Martin Audio DX4.0 advanced loudspeaker controller and Lab.gruppen E-10:4 amplifiers. According to Timothy: “There’s a port for a powered subwoofer in the future but no subwoofer because this is very much a spoken word system. In addition to the pastor and other speakers, the church has a pipe organ in the balcony and a choir that is mic’ed” Asked about reactions to the new PA system, Timothy points out, the church loves how it sounds. The O-Line system is a night and day difference from the original PA. Most importantly, the sound for spoken word is a lot clearer and easier to understand. The church has an older congregation and during the first two services

www.mondodr.com

with the O-Line, no one had any issues with hearing or understanding what was going on.

“I appreciate the system’s scalability coupled with the DX4.0’s processing capability. With the Display software, it’s almost like having MLA in a small box. It basically puts the audio where it needs to go with the audience and keeps the sound from splashing off the back walls or the front of the balcony.”

Timothy concluded: “Plus the fact that O-Line is so compact and visually unobtrusive was a big deal for the church because they really didn’t want big black boxes hanging down and getting in the way. In fact, no one even noticed the loudspeakers or the projectors hanging from the ceiling until the Pastor said something about the sound and lighting during the service which is really good for us and everyone.” www.martin-audio.com

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JUPIT E R DI S CO COMPANY: DANLEY SOUND LABS LOCATION: BROOKLYN, USA

Like a scene from Star Wars or Blade Runner set in the middle of Brooklyn, Jupiter Disco is a refuge for intergalactic bounty hunters, replicants, and thirsty, trend-setting New Yorkers. Celebrated mixologists Maks Pazuniak and Al Sotack opened Jupiter Disco with inspiration drawn from their mutual love of dystopian science fiction. That unmistakable aesthetic combines with a solid foundation of world-class drinks and big, reference-monitor quality sound. Danny Taylor, from House Under Magic, designed the sound system for Jupiter Disco, relying on his long history with Danley Sound Labs’ unique, patented technologies to give the bar impactful, detailed sound with a grills-off aesthetic that fits the theme.

“This is Maks and Al’s passion project in a scene filled with taste-makers who are very enthusiastic, but also very critical,” explained Danny.

“Sure, they had to put money into it to pull it off, but the real key to Jupiter Disco’s success is their genuine passion. The scent of genuine passion (or

its lack) is really picked up on, and you can’t buy your way into it. The drinks and aesthetic are an obvious priority at Jupiter Disco, but the sound system is as well. They wanted to bring in DJs, along with limited live electronic acts in support of a local scene here in Brooklyn. They wanted an awe-inspiring sound system at Jupiter Disco.”

Danny’s experience with Danley goes back many years. He played in and engineered for Collapsing Scenery, orchestrating and overseeing their happy reliance on a pair of Danley SM80 loudspeakers and a pair of Danley TH118 subwoofers for all their live shows. He also works closely with Eastern Stage Productions, which keeps a healthy stock of Danley boxes on hand, citing their Hi-Fi sound and efficiency. “As great as the Danley technology sounds, I have to say the Danley horn-loaded aesthetic is almost as important as far as my clients are concerned,” Danny said.

“They respond to look as much as to sound, and a Danley horn-loaded box with its grill off is an iconic look. Clients get excited.”

www.mondodr.com

Based on their coverage patterns and output, Danny selected a pair of Danley SH60 loudspeakers for the mains at Jupiter Disco. The grills are off and the wood is stained to fit the rest of the bar’s aesthetic. “The Danley SH60’s are one of the first things you’ll notice when you walk in,” he said. “It’s a real statement piece, not just a black box. And the coverage is perfect: it’s even across the bar without much spill on the walls and ceiling.” A single Danley TH118 integrated into the DJ booth fills out the low-end, with significant additional support from two Danley CS30 subwoofers. A Danley DNA SC48 processor conditions the system, and Powersoft K-Series amplifiers power it. Additional sound reinforcement high points include a custom analogue Condesa rotary mixer and an SSL G Series VCA bus compressor. www.danleysoundlabs.com

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56 IN BRIEF - EMEA

L-Acoustics brings medieval church into 21st Century.

A place of worship has existed at the site of Martinikerk, in the heart of the Dutch city of Groningen, since the year 1,000. The building harks back to the 13th Century, constructed in Romano-Gothic style, traces of which are still present in its stunning architecture. In 1975, the Martinikek Foundation was formed to take care of the church, setting out a three-fold objective: to ensure it continued as a place of Sunday worship, to maintain the building, and to generate income for that purpose. Its most recent project was to revamp the audio system, which now benefits from the installation of L-Acoustics Syva.

The Foundation makes full use of the church’s beautiful appearance and ample capacity - its seating area measures 1,200 sq metres and the height of the hall extends to between 14-metres and 17-metres. It hosts concerts for up to 1,200 people and its forthcoming schedule includes Canadian pianist Vicky Chow and Irish singer / songwriter Luka Bloom, as well as a series of lunchbreak concerts, exhibitions, weddings and, of course, its regular

Sunday services.

However, with a reverb time of over six seconds, poor intelligibility was a constant issue. An installed system of digitally steerable arrays from 10 years ago resulted in a growing number of complaints from members of the congregation that the overall sound quality was poor and very unnatural.

“Additional systems were rented in, but most of the time they didn’t solve the problem,” explained Jan Ten Kampe from AV-i audiovisueel adviesbureau, who designed and specified the new system. “The University in particular demanded an adequate sound system for their events and, because of the issues at Martinikerk, were thinking about choosing another location.”

It was obvious to Jan that a system with better control was needed, one that delivered for both speech and music, but it also had to respect the building’s architecture and work with restricted rigging options.

“The majority of systems that work well in acoustical environments such as

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57 IN BRIEF - EMEA

this are those with digital processing which can create the special coverage needed,” Jan continued. “From my experience, these so-called beam steering systems can perform pretty well on intelligibility but fall short on their musical performance.”

At the time Jan and his team started looking at the project, L-Acoustics had just introduced Syva to the market. They realised that the pristine audio quality and 140° horizontal dispersion of Syva would deliver great coverage across the room, whilst the narrow, 26° vertical dispersion would focus the sound where it was needed.

With assistance from L-Acoustics Application Engineer Gert Wiersema, the loudspeaker manufacturer’s Dutch Certified Provider distributor, Audiobizz, provided a system comprising four Syva which the church could use for a few weeks during which two major events were being held, both with audiences of over 1,000. The defining moment for the system was during the grant of an honorary doctorate to Ban Ki-Moon, with every

word of the ceremony for the former Secretary General of the United Nations crystal clear.

“The system is pretty simple,” said Jan. “Just a pair of Syva as the front of house system and a pair used as a delayed system, and just one LA4X to power them all. Sometimes less really is more!” dB audiovisueel also installed a digital controller together with a dual 8x8 matrix / DSP to take care of different settings for signal routing, EQ and delay, allowing the church to choose from a number of presets via a touch panel control system or iPad. “The outcome is overwhelming,” concluded Jan. “For the first time, both intelligibility and musical performance are very good. The church is very happy and instead of complaints about the sound, they get compliments.”

www.l-acoustics.com

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58 VENUE - EMEA

COCA-COLA ARENA DUBAI, UAE EMEA

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With touring acts and events including the Middle East on the circuit more and more these days, it was only a matter of time before the region was in desperate need of a large, indoor venue that can be used all year round.

Three years ago, DXB Entertainment and AEG Ogden Australia were instructed to build said venue for owner, MERAAS at City Walk, Dubai. After a relatively short build period for a project of this scope, the Coca-Cola Arena is now open and has hosted its first collection of events.

The Coca-Cola Arena is the first and largest, fully air-conditioned, multipurpose indoor

• Above Outside of the CocaCola arena

arena in the Middle East. The design is based around the O2 Arena in London, UK, adopting a generic arena bowl layout with the stage at one end, although it is hugely versatile and the set-up of the bowl can be changed depending on the type of event at any given time. Along with touring productions, comedy gigs and exhibitions, the arena is also capable of hosting sporting events such as ice hockey, basketball and tennis, to name just a few.

Director of Technical & Production at the Coca-Cola Arena, Malcolm Giles picks up the story: “We don’t have any dedicated sports equipment attached to the venue, but we do

Mondo DR_313mm x 100mm.indd 1

04/09/2018 15:20

60 VENUE - EMEA

“The platform provided

by Tripleplay had to have the ability to provide engaging content for visitors to the arena, provide commercial opportunities, promote forthcoming events, as well as provide transport and weather information.

In addition, the ability to live stream the events taking place to defined sections of the arena and the VIP suites was an important requirement.”

have the ability to host a number of sports, and the required floor is brought in. We have sufficient power, enough for a generator to cool an ice rink, for example.

We also have draining ditches in place, so anything that requires water can be drained out.”

Depending on the seating layout, up to 44-metres by 88-metres of floor space can be achieved. Sporting events that take place in the round - it’s not usual to set up a concert in the round - make use of the standard automated retractable seats, as well as some areas that have a demountable seating system.

The seated capacity excluding the 42 hospitality suites, VIP suites and royal suites is 13,000 - although this is determined by the activity inside the venue - which increases by 1,400 when the hospitality areas are included. With standing included, the full arena can accommodate 17,000. Additionally, the arena has a horizontal and a vertical draping system, so more intimate sporting events or live gigs can also feel at home in the arena.

Technology within the Coca-Cola Arena, whether it be audio, lighting or visual has been designed and installed with the future in mind, even the roof structure, as the rigging points and the roof weight are rather unique in a venue of this type.

Malcolm continued: “All of the rigging is carried out from the catwalks, so there is no climbing, and no rope access. The rigging beams run the length of the catwalks at 4.8-metres apart, and rigging points are created by bridle method using SWR, and the apex of bridle vary from 18-metres to 22-metres. In essence, the arena is very flexible in terms of rigging, and height wise it should more than cover most of the shows that are coming through. Weight wise we have 90 tonnes over the stage area, 60 tonnes in the

middle and 40 tonnes at the far end. All three zones can be hung simultaneously, so the total roof weight is 190 metric tonnes.”

Utilising some of that roof weight is the in-house PA system from JBL Professional. It is a fully functioning system that provides ample audio coverage for sporting events and endstage concerts, however, it is common that any live touring production would bring in its own audio setup using preferred rider equipment. In that scenario, the JBL system is still used for PA/VA. The main PA comprises two hangs of JBL VTX A12’s, 18 boxes flown either side of the stage, plus two side hangs consisting of 12 cabinets. To provide low-end frequency, there are eight JBL VTX S28 subwoofers flown per side, and a further eight are groundstacked under the stage.

The Coca-Cola Arena is among the first VTX A12 installations globally, and is the largest install of the new product series in the Middle Eastern region to date. According to the JBL website: ‘The VTX A12 was designed from scratch to address the unique challenges of rental companies, FOH engineers and tour sound production crews. Next-generation JBL transducer technology and a highfrequency waveguide design deliver unmatched performance, sensitivity and coverage’. In order to encourage the use of the in-house system at the arena, it was imperative that a high-performing system was specified that would be able to cater for a variety of applications.

An extra, moveable support package is also available to clients using the arena.

A further 12 JBL VTX A12 line array cabinets, as well as 24 JBL VTX S28 subwoofers can be temporarily installed to extend the permanent system, should the client require it. “We then have six preset delay rings covering the upper

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62 VENUE - EMEA

• Above A hospitality box inside the arena.

tier using JBL’s VTX V20’s, which are permanently installed, and we have a small satellite system that covers sporting events,” Malcolm explained. Clients are not required to use any of the PA, however, the use of the venue’s rigging points are mandatory for any event taking place.

The JBL PA is driven by Crown IT4x3500HD amplifiers connected via a Dante network and accessed via JBL’s Performance Manager - a software application that reduces design time, simplifies networking and automates control interface configuration. A BSS Soundweb London BLU-806DA processor is also integrated into the system, and is used when the bowl audio needs to be cut off to make an emergency announcement. A Meyer Sound Galaxy 816 processor is also available at FOH for access into the system and for touring EQ. And as far as communication goes, Malcolm added: “A lot of the communication between the stage positions and the control room are carried out in Riedel’s MediorNet. We’ve tried to make the venue very connectionfriendly. From a broadcast point of view, we have 30 boxes around the arena that all route back to the broadcast room. Each box has two triax, two SMPTE, four fibre and two data connections, all running through the building.”

Another element of technology that uses the rigging points is the LED screens.

These are not permanently installed, as they can be configured in different ways depending on the application. For sporting games, the 140 sq metres of R4 4.8mm LED screens from local supplier, PIXCOM, form a scoreboard that is flown in the centre of the arena. The scoreboard is made up of eight pieces - four that measure 6.5-metres by four-metres and four at 2.5-metres by four-metres.

However, if the arena is being used in end stage mode, the LED screens can be installed as required, using up to and including the 576 panels within the inventory. “For live events, the screens are often configured as IMAG screens,” continued Malcolm. “All of the equipment that is owned by the venue is to help our clients save money and time. Anything that is part of our inventory, we don’t charge for, we only charge installation costs.”

Similarly for lighting, clients can make use of it as they wish. This element of the arena was delivered by Eaton Lighting Systems from the UK, through a collaboration with locally based, BMTC, a dealer of Eaton products in the Middle East region, which also took responsibility for the installation of the lighting fixtures and control systems within the venue.

Much of the project needed to be www.mondodr.com

procured from UK companies, because at least some of the investment secured by the venue’s owners, MERAAS, emanated from the UK, so a UK connection was necessary. Although Eaton Lighting Systems doesn’t have an exclusive distributor in the Middle East, it has worked on other MERAAS projects including Dubai Parks & Resorts, LEGOLAND Dubai, Riverland Dubai and City Walk 2 - a shopping mall in very close proximity to the arena. It was due to the latter that the local Eaton Lighting Systems team was invited to make a presentation to the design team for CocaCola Arena working in conjunction with DAR - then designer, architect and consultant for the project - and its subconsultant, NSW-based Webb Australia.

Eaton Lighting Systems’ Project Manager, Peter Coles was involved from the design stage to the final delivery. The company was responsible for supplying the sports and events lighting packages and control systems in line with the tender requirements, fulfilling the specifications through three Eaton brands - Ephesus for lighting fixtures, a lighting console from Zero 88 and iLight / Eaton for control and infrastructure.

Peter takes up the story: “The tender stipulated that specific sports lighting criteria needed to be attained for lighting levels, which applied to both standards

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and lux that would also be TV / broadcast friendly. The team also wanted a solution that would enable the whole arena to become dynamic, and change colours and textures, so we chose 191 Ephesus Prism RGBA LED fixtures. These are positioned all over the venue so they can light it and the seating stands, plus surrounding elements for both sporting and nonsporting events, such as concerts.”

“In-house lighting has been catered around RGB lighting. It allows us to produce an atmospheric colour wash for walk-ins and with it being LED it’s instantaneous. If it’s a gala dinner, the wash lighting is there, if it’s a concert, the LD can take the DMX feed and control the house lights as well,” Malcolm explained.

Peter added: “Each light is individually controllable and can be used in different setups.

In any situation, they can change colour in the upper, middle and lower tiers of seating and across the arena floor. This enables the arena being to be illuminated in a vibrant array of

different configurations.”

The 74 Ephesus Arena Pro Colour Tuneables that make-up the primary sports lighting package needed to be expandable to allow the arena to be used for multiple sports events across large, medium or small sections of the venue. For the small section of the arena, the equipment had to meet the required lighting levels for tennis, basketball, volleyball, table tennis and badminton. This is provided by the Arena Pro Colour Tuneables. For the medium to large area, Eaton simply provided overlay points so that fixtures can be installed later, as and when the requirement arises.

For lighting control, which not only looks after all the Eaton Lighting System fixtures, but also the 104 Arena Luci 160 DMX LED Profile units that are in place for the aisle lighting, a Zero 88 FLX console takes centre stage. There is also an architectural control system that facilitates controlling lights from the building management system, touchscreens located in the security room, the VOC room, or via an app for day-today operations. This can call up all the different settings including cleaning, load-in, working, special events and sports lighting.

The main catwalk has an IP based DMX system running on a dedicated IP fibre network that enables control of all the sports and arena lighting either via the architectural control system, or via the in-house FLX lighting console. “FLX was selected for its intuitive and hands-on control of lighting and LED fixtures, which includes a touch monitor output for quick access to palettes / show overview,” Peter continued.

“The console is ultimately portable and hugely powerful with a small footprint. Free apps are available for wireless monitoring of the lighting rig, plus support for a range of networking accessories. Inbuilt tools include the awardwinning ‘RigSync’, helpful step-by-step ‘Guidance’, and ‘Auto Palettes’ to assist with the prep work.

Colours can be quickly and accurately selected and applied via the multi-touch ‘Colour & Image Picker’, the encoder wheels, or by selecting colours contained within ‘Mood Boards’ by LEE Filters.” www.mondodr.com

Completing the lighting package are six Lycian M2 long-throw 2,500W spots and a movable platform that can be positioned according to the event mode. These, as well as all the other lighting fixtures are now the responsibility of Goran Salkovic, Head of Lighting, and his team at the arena.

Another company with an existing relationship is Tripleplay, which has worked with AEG Ogden to provide IP television and digital signage to a number of its sites including Qudos Bank Arena, Cairns Conference Centre in Australia and the Hamburg and Mercedes Benz Arena’s in Germany.

For the Coca-Cola Arena, Tripleplay was responsible for providing the software and hardware platform, as well as using its extensive experience in this sector to advise on where to install screens, what type of screens to use and general knowledge on how to maximise the user and commercial experience in the stadium.

Amer Alzaiem, Tripleplay’s Regional Director for Middle East said: “The platform provided

by Tripleplay had to have the ability to provide engaging content for visitors to the arena, provide commercial opportunities, promote forthcoming events, as well as provide transport and weather information. In addition, the ability to live stream the events taking place to defined sections of the arena and the VIP suites was an important requirement. With the VIP boxes, guests have the ability to watch live streams with subsecond responses, live television channels and find information about the event through their interactive portal.

“We also managed to integrate a wide range of third party systems including the fire alarm, EPOS and scoreboard, that obviously helped to add more value to the system operation and performance.”

The Tripleplay products that have been installed at the arena include TripleTV for IPTV, TripleSign for digital signage, TripleCare for management and monitoring and a range of HD and 4k players behind the screens. The company deployed its event engine to manage moments of exclusivity and provide complete control of the

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TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND 48 x JBL VTX A12 line array cabinet; 48 x JBL VTX S28 subwoofers; 36 x JBL VTX V20 loudspeaker; Crown IT4x3500HD amplifiers; 1 x Meyer Sound Galaxy 816 processor; 1 x BSS Soundweb London BLU-806DA processor; 1 x Riedel MediorNet system LIGHTING 191 x Ephesus Prism RGBA LED fixture; 74 x Ephesus Arena Pro Colour Tuneable fixture; 104 x Arena Luci 160 DMX LED Profile unit; 6 x Lycian M2 long-throw 2,500W spot; 1 x Zero 88 FLX console VISUALS 576 x PIXCOM R4 4.8mm LED screen panel; Tripleplay TripleTV platform with a combination of DVB-S/S2, HDMI and HD-SDI interface; Tripleplay TripleSign digital signage system; Tripleplay TripleCare management and monitoring system; Tripleplay low latency encoder; Tripleplay TripleVOD on demand video server; Tripleplay TripleChoice interactive themed user interface www.coca-cola-arena.com

screens to ensure they are being managed efficiently and meeting the environmental requirements for the site.

Content, live streams and management is controlled centrally through redundant servers that provide hot standby resilience. Monitoring the system and application is constant and if there is an issue, it is able to switch over to the redundant server without a loss in service. This high availability provides a unique level of reliability for such a prestigious site. Behind each screen is a player, which is controlled by the central servers that deliver either live TV streams or multi-media content combined with live or stored video and data. If there is a loss in the connection to the server, the players are able to use stored local content so there are no blank screens. Content is zoned to ensure the right messages and material go to the right parts of the venue.

Tripleplay’s CEO, Steve Rickless said of the install: “One of the main strengths of Tripleplay’s product range is its ability to interface with different third party www.mondodr.com

systems. Through its BacNet interface it is able to link into the building management system and allow content to react based on information provided in real-time about the building such as a fire alarm going off. The ability to provide digital menu boards and dynamic pricing is provided through its electronic point of sales interface, giving the arena complete flexibility in what products to offer at what events. Other interfaces include the ability to get live data from the internet for transport, weather or news.”

With so much technology packed into one space, and with nothing else like it in the region, it won’t come as a surprise to know that the arena is already starting to get booked up. The need for an indoor venue capable of hosting sports, as well as concerts to avoid the hot and humid conditions outside, has existed for a long time, and it has finally been delivered to spectacular effect.

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TEATR MUZYCZNY ROMA

Opened in 1935, Teatr Muzyczny Roma - as it is known today - was the brainchild of architect, Stefan Szyller, whose work dates back to the late 19th Century. His designs changed over the decades from Vistula-Baltic style (neo-roman and neo-gothic buildings) to renaissance and early baroque. The Catholic House design - as it was originally known and today is Teatr Muzyczny Roma - was one of his latest masterpieces, he actually couldn’t quite complete the design due to ill health, so work was continued by Konstanty Jakimowicz. The impressive building on Nowogrodzka Street, Warsaw, Poland, also served as the ROMA Catholic cinema shortly after opening, until WWII when it was occupied by the Germans.

It was one of the few buildings in Warsaw that survived the war. Consequently, post war it was the location for the State National Council to hold its meetings. The council was a political

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body designed by the USSR, which served as a self-appointed Polish Parliament. Three years later in 1948, the Warsaw Philharmonic Opera made Teatr Muzyczny Roma its temporary home - because its original home was destroyed in the war - and it remained there until 1965. The Warsaw Operetta took over residency that same year and stayed right through until 1994, when the name of the building was officially changed to Teatr Muzyczny Roma, and therefore the show programme for the space changed, too, sparking the beginning of musical theatre at Teatr Muzyczny Roma.

“When you talk about Teatr Muzyczny Roma today, you have to start with the General Manager, Wojciech Kępczyński, who is all about vision

for theatrical forms,” said Pawel Danikiewicz of Polsound - the audio distributor that has been involved among others with the various technology upgrades over recent years.

“He is one of the most successful directors when it comes to introducing the typical musicals we have today.

He is among the favourites with the composers and the writers. For example with Cats, Andrew Lloyd Weber liked this version here in Warsaw the best. When he puts on a musical he wants to portray it as close to reality as possible for the audience.”

Sound Designer at Airpol Sound & Light, Krzysztof Polesiński added: “Wojciech also asks for the license for the musical, so he can design and present it in his own way using

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• Above The view of the theatre from the top tier booths.

his own ideas, which then has to be approved by the owner of the musical.

Once it’s approved, it is stamped as being a none-replica version, meaning nobody else can recreate the Warsaw version.

One comment we always get is that the Teatr Muzyczny Roma is adapted to the musical, not that the musical is adapted to the theatre.” Krzysztof too, has a long-standing relationship with Teatr Muzyczny Roma, he has been upgrading the audio setup for more than 10 years.

His involvement means he has a good understanding of the venue itself, he gets on well with all the staff that work within the theatre, and of course Wojciech, too.

Most general managers are in his position for three-to-five years - a role that is appointed by the city mayor - but the fact that he has lasted 20 years is a true testament to his expertise and success.

Under his guidance, Teatr Muzyczny Roma has presented 18 musicals in 20 years including some of the greats, such as Les Miserable, Cats, Mamma Mia, and Phantom of the Opera - the latter being the longest running show with 572 performances. The most recent show, The Pilots ran for 427 performances, and the next to begin is Elton John and Tim Rice’s, AIDA. Teatr Muzyczny Roma is similar to a Broadway theatre, in that it only runs one show at a time.

With a strong reputation to uphold, it won’t come as any surprise that the theatre has undergone a continuous upgrade of audiovisual packages. However, there has been a significant audio upgrade of late that pushes the boundaries of theatres in general, but definitely within Poland there is currently nothing else like Teatr

Muzyczny Roma from a technology perspective.

But let’s go back to the beginning, when the audio install began around 10 years ago. Krzysztof takes up the story: “Teatr Muzyczny Roma has issues with the existing PA so we began to investigate.

We discovered it was a complex problem, so a new system was needed. Working with Polsound, we tested a Meyer Sound system - it was the time when MINA had just been released.

“Alongwith my business partner, Arek Wielgosik, we flew the Meyer Sound MINA’s next to the old system and did an A-B shootout with the theatre team, and they decided almost straightaway to upgrade the system. We installed 10 MINAs per side and we also have four Meyer Sound 1100LFC subwoofers in the centre of the stage that are flown from the ceiling.”

With the old PA, the subwoofers had been flown behind the line arrays, but Krzysztof ’s design didn’t match the old system, as he was concerned about interference. Instead he designed and sourced a specially constructed frame for the four subwoofers to sit within a two-by-two configuration, which was then ceiling mounted in just 22 hours - in between dark hours of the current show.

Krzysztof said: “Everyone was pleased with the new subwoofers and said they could hear the difference in the sound system. The mixing engineer described it as awesome, saying the installation of the subwoofers offered a more complex, natural sound.”

The first show to run using the new system was Singing in the Rain, however,

Krzysztof was keen to add to the design, and during the switch from Singing in the Rain to Mamma Mia, his wish was granted. Renovations to add five more seating rows - taking the audience to 999 seats - and to decrease the proscenium took place at this time, and with an increase in audience, came an increase in sound system with the addition of three more MINA boxes per side.

“I also designed a new setup for infills, installing them on the porter wall, as they could no longer be installed on the columns, due to decreasing the proscenium. The two eight UPA1P infills work well in their new positions because they move the sound towards the front of the audience. Of course, we also have front fills in the form of UPM1Ps, which are built into the front of the stage,” Krzysztof continued.

The most important new aspect at this stage though - which was left out of the original Meyer Sound install due to budget issues - was the centre channel. “I feel the centre channel is very important, because you can make the positioning of the sound source better within the space,” said Krzysztof. Eight Meyer Sound MINA cabinets were purchased for a central cluster. Shortly after installation, Krzysztof spoke to the mixing engineer.

He continued: “He was putting the vocals through the centre channel and the music through the L-R sides, which was a much better solution because it allowed more headroom in the loudspeakers in all three arrays. However, there was a big difference in SPLs due to there being 13 boxes in the L-R hangs and only eight in the centre.

I worked with the mixing engineer to

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• Above The theatre adopts the traditional red colour , but combines it with a navy blue to recreate a striking look.

tune the system, lower the levels of the side hangs to match the centre hang to create the desired output.”

After a number of successful shows with the Meyer Sound MINA system, the designers had a chance to compare it with a new version of the series, Meyer Sound LINA. “MINA was removed and replaced with LINA, which is the same size but more modern, better sounding, increased intelligibility, better details in sound reproduction. This was time to increase the centre channel to the correct size too, so now we have 13 boxes in every hang.”

It was at this time that Krzysztof and the management team of Teatr Muzyczny Roma decided to replace the mixing consoles and this was the real gamechanger!

DiGiCo SD7Ts were selected for Teatr Muzyczny Roma as the main criteria was to have full redundancy. “This is one of the reasons we chose SD7T to begin with, as it has a dual engine,” Krzysztof explained. “It also has the specific theatre software, which is really good for musical theatre productions and it is the console that is on 80%-90% of riders, as the number one console. Management came to the first show after the DiGiCo desks had been installed, and the response was to encourage people who had seen the show before, to come again. The sound had changed so much, in a good way.

It was a positive sign for me too - my design worked well.

“For FOH we have the SD7T with an EX007 console expander, the latter stems from the previous mixing setup and the mixing engineers being used to having a certain amount of faders, because in order to control 40 wireless mics on one layer, the engineers wanted as much access as possible, for occasions when there is a fast change, for example. I added an expander, on which they have the orchestra in the groups that allows the song list to be on the main console, as well as some effects, surrounds and media servers. We decided on another SD7T for monitors, again so we had more redundancy, if one engine fails, the other can take over.” In addition to the consoles there are two Waves SoundGrid servers per console - two Extreme servers for FOH and two One servers for the monitor console, one on each engine and there are ProShow plugin bundles, too.

He added: “The console is the heart of everything and controls everything - this was one of my principles. Some productions that come through the theatre bring their own console for monitors, but then when they see the DiGiCo setup they decide to use the full in-house system. I’d say 60%-70% of the productions use the installed system.”

The theatre is also home to four DiGiCo SD Racks - one for radio microphones, two in the rack room connected directly to the orchestra pit and the final one is a spare, used for external productions. www.mondodr.com

“Because we don’t always use all the rack space, we also have connections for the media server, the light signals, and the Meyer Sound D-Mitri platform. For this we added some Optocore X6R-FX devices, which gives us more inputs and outputs to and from the system,” Krzysztof furthered. “I also added an Optocore Route66 AutoRoute, which opens the Optocore loop automatically when a device is connected. Likewise when you disconnect, it closes the loop.

With the Route66, you can change the topology of a loop installation, to a star topology installation. I am very impressed with this device, all you have to do is turn it on and forget.”

With the mixing system established as a roaring success, management at Teatr Muzyczny Roma wanted to continue the momentum and push the technology boundaries even further with the introduction of 3D audio. For this, Krzysztof returned to Meyer Sound. The design of the surround sound system means Krzysztof can not only move the sound from left to right, but also near and far, and he can elevate the sound, too.

The surrounds are based on Meyer Sound’s D-Mitri platform and comprise three rows of loudspeakers using a combination of UPM1Ps, UPJ1Ps and UPQ1Ps. The 3D audio effect covers the entire main audience, as well as the VIP booths - the additional booths will be added to the system at a later date.

He expanded: “I wanted to be able to

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TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND 39 x Meyer Sound LINA L-C-R line array cabinet; 4 x Meyer Sound 1100 LFC main subwoofer; 2 x Meyer Sound VLFC infra subwoofer; 2 x Meyer Sound UPA1P infill loudspeaker; 8 x Meyer Sound UPM1P front fill loudspeaker; 4 x Meyer Sound MM4XPD zone fill loudspeaker; 8 x Meyer Sound MM4XP upper side booth fill loudspeaker; 4 x Meyer Sound UP4XP stage front monitor line loudspeaker; 4 x Meyer Sound UPA2P stage monitor side fill loudspeaker; 2 x Meyer Sound UPQ2P stage effect loudspeaker; 10 x Meyer Sound UPQ1P top surround loudspeaker; 16 x Meyer Sound UPJ1P middle surround loudspeaker; 20 x Meyer Sound UPM1P lower surround loudspeaker; 2 x Meyer Sound 900 LFC surround effect subwoofer; 3 x Meyer Sound UPM1P VIP booth surround loudspeaker; 4 x Meyer Sound Galaxy 816 processor; 3 x Meyer Sound MPS488Hp power unit; 1 x Meyer Sound D-Mitri DWTRX sound effect playback machine; 3 x Meyer Sound D-Mitri DCP Core Processor; 2 x Meyer Sound D-Mitri DCM2 Core Matrix; 2 x Meyer Sound D-Mitri DAO24 output module; 2 x Meyer Sound D-Mitri DAIO816 input/output module; 1 x Meyer Sound D-Mitri DDIO input/output module; 2 x Meyer Sound D-Mitri DGPIO general purpose I/O; 2 x DiGiCo SD7T digital console; 1 x DiGiCo EX007 console expander; 4 x DiGiCo SD-Rack unit; 1 x DiGiCo OrangeBox unit (Optocore/DANTE); 2 x DiGiGrid MGB interface; 5 x Allen & Heath ME-U 10 port PoE monitor hub; 40 x Allen & Heath ME-1 personal mixer; 1 x DirectOut MADI.9648 SRC converter; 2 x Waves Server Extreme; 2 x Waves Server One; 4 x Waves ProShow plugins bundle; 1 x Optocore AutoRoute66 intelligent patchbay; 4 x Optocore X6R-FX I/O unit; Shure ULX-D digital wireless system (42-channels); 4 x Shure PSM900 in-ear monitoring system; 1 x Shure AXT600 RF scanner and management tool; 1 x WaveTool Platinum wireless microphone control and monitoring system LIGHTING & VISUAL 44 x ETC Source Four LED ellipsoidal luminaire; 13 x Clay Paky Alpha Profile 1500 moving head; 20 x Clay Paky Alpha Profile 700 moving head; 14 x Clay Paky Alpha Spot 700 HPE moving head; 27 x Clay Paky ALEDa K10 moving head; 20 x Clay Paky ALEDa K10 B-Eye moving head; 30 x Robe Spiider moving head; 19 x Robe T1 Profile moving head; 4 x Robert Juliat Profile Victor followspot; 2 x MA Lighting grandMA2 Light console; 2 x MA Lighting NPU network processing unit; 300 sq metres P6 SMD LED screen; 2 x disguise pro4x4 media server; 3 x Christie 4K30 LCD projector; BlackTrax tracking system; Visual Act Wagon System (seven wagons); Visual Act Spider Camera System www.teatrroma.pl

move the sound in all directions. There were a number of restrictions on where we were allowed to hang the loudspeakers, and in some cases the possibility to even rig just wasn’t an option, but I came up with a design in which every loudspeaker would cover as much of the main area as possible from its position. This gives every audience member the feeling that the sound is coming from all around.

The lowest row of surrounds are hung underneath the balcony to avoid interferences with sightlines and aesthetics, and the cabinets have been colour matched in navy to complement the décor. The middle row are mounted at booth height, but are mounted on the columns in between the booths, again, for aesthetic reasons. “The top row was easier, because they are above the booths, but we then had an issue with the weight, and the load that the roof could handle. We weren’t able to install as many boxes as I would have liked, but we have 10 UPQ1Ps and they do a great job, and acoustically 10 loudspeakers is more than enough,” said Krzysztof.

“Bringing it all together, everything is controllable from the DiGiCo console, that is how I designed it. The mixing engineer generally just triggers the 3D and other sound and show effects, as they are mostly pre-programmed. We have connected the whole system by Timecode, OSC and MIDI, so the console can trigger D-Mitri, or D-Mitri can trigger the console.”

He continued: “The PA, the consoles and the D-Mitri platform all work in 96K, and that was another one of my principles within the design. The first reason being the latency of the whole system including the plugins is lower. Secondly, there are more details, you can really hear the difference between 48K and 96K.” One vital piece of the audio setup that we shouldn’t forget in this theatre environment though is the sources - the microphones. Of course, it’s to be expected that a digital system would be used in such a theatre, however, due to the location of www.mondodr.com

Teatr Muzyczny Roma - next to the Palace of Culture, which runs the central part of the city when it comes to the DVB-T (Digital Video Broadcasting - Terrestrial) and it has a very strong signal - a wireless system is not the easiest to use in these conditions, although it’s not impossible.

Teatr Muzyczny Roma has been making use of Shure’s ULX-D system since it was first introduced. Polsound’s Pawel picks the story up again: “The ULX-D systems were the first digital systems that had a lot of channels that could go into a very small space in the RF spectrum.

The Shure ULX-D systems can have 22 channels going into one 8MHz TV channel, and here we have 60 channels - 40 on the main stage and 20 on the small stage. It’s tricky to get that number of channels, and of course these are channels working on normal RF power of 10mW. With the digital system we were able for the first time to have all of these frequencies available at the same time.

For control, management and monitoring of the wireless systems, the theatre has a WaveTool Platinum software package. If a microphone has a problem, it can be found quickly using the WaveTool. It is utilised most often in the radio operator area and the dressing rooms.

“When we look at the Meyer Sound PA and the DiGiCo consoles, this is a system that can produce a very wide dynamic range, which brings the audio experience closer to reality. In this case the sources also need to offer the same range. The ULX-D systems have over 120dB of dynamic range, which means that these systems have a nearly none existent noise floor. This has created, a sort of paradox problem because all of a sudden the quality of the microphones is immediately visible. In the past, analogue systems have had an inherent hiss sound, and the self noise of the microphone generally got masked by it. But now, the system is so clear, you can hear absolutely everything!

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• Left The Meyer Sound D-Mitri rack.

• Right above Sound Designer at Airpol Sound & Light, Krzysztof Polesiński behind the DiGiCo SD7T at FOH. • Right below The rack room.

has emerged and Shure is addressing that”.

The quality and the features offered by the digital system though, of course, greatly outweigh the paradox problem.

In-keeping with a state-of-the-art system, lighting and video technology at Teatr Muzyczny Roma is of an equally high standard. What is used from the inventory is very much dependent on the current show, but most recently, the theatre has been making use of a Visual Act Wagon and Spider camera systems, which are essentially moving platforms housing LED screens to provide scenery and scene changes. They are wireless and individually controllable, making for a very flexible visual set-up.

Content for the LED screens is provided by two disguise 4x4pro media servers - one for redundancy - and tracking is carried out through a BlackTrax system that can also be connected to the D-Mitri platform.

Three Christie 4K30 projectors are also at

home in the theatre. This setup, along with anything else technology wise is under the leadership of Technical Manager, Anna Was. She said: “I love technology and I want to make big improvements in the theatre all the time. I love similar people who share a love of technology and deliver to the end user.”

Anna has an eye for detail, especially given that she is also a costume designer in her spare time, and she assumes that role for many of the theatre shows, too. In addition to her visual equipment, Lighting Design, Marc Heinz also specified a number of moving heads and theatrical lighting fixtures for Anna’s disposal. The mostly LED line-up includes more than 40 ETC Source Four profiles, almost 100 Clay Paky moving heads, 49 intelligent lights from Robe - Spiiders and T1 Profiles - and four Robert Juliat Victor followspots. All of these are controlled via a MA Lighting grandMA2 Light console - and of course www.mondodr.com

there is a second one for redundancy.

Anna’s creativity can be seen through the visual presentation of any show, but in turn she admits, audio isn’t her strong point.

“I don’t understand sound because it’s invisible, but Krzysztof and Arek are my sound gurus, so we work well together. I trust them with the technology, the design and I took a trip with them to London to see a number of UK theatres and saw DiGiCo consoles everywhere, which gave me a reason to make the pitch for them back here at our theatre.”

Krzysztof had the final word: “This is the most advanced theatre in Poland, and people are now asking for similar designs because they have visited Teatr Muzyczny Roma, and were so impressed that they want to offer the same. We won’t recreate exactly what we have here, but people can see the technology advances and want to follow the trend.”

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Two unique spaces located sideby-side in the world famous city of Cannes, run by the same owner, and kitted out by the same design team comprising TW AUDiO, Colorsonic and Prospect Design. www.mondodr.com

Best known for the summer Film Festival, the city of Cannes, located on the French Riviera is famous for attracting the rich and famous by oozing luxury in all forms - hotels, restaurants, clubs, beaches‌ the list goes on.

Steeped in history, the Palm Beach Resort situated adjacent to La Croisette, a promenade linking the beach and the city - was closed for a number of years, before undergoing a huge transformation to restore it to its former glory.

The new complex is now home to two nightlife outlets operated by Cannes-famous duo, David Barokas and Patrick Tartary. The pair collaborate through their respective businesses, DB Group and Cannes Balneaire, combining to run more than 15 entertainment hubs in the region.

Long-term friend and contractor, Colorsonic, headed up by Managing Director, Gerard Giraudon has been working with David and Patrick for more than 20 years, and has spent the last three years planning their latest venture. Gerard’s favoured partner, Samy Chams, owner and founder of Prospect Design, who assumes the role of architectural and interior designer, has also been part of the journey. The finished article is two distinct venues, located side-by-side at the Palm Beach

Resort that boast ultimate opulence and sophistication. Both Medusa, opened last season, and GOTHA opened this season, have received rave reviews, the latter being described as ‘the best club in Europe’, according to Samy.

These highly exclusive venues required nothing but the best for every single aspect, from audiovisual technology and interior design materials, right down to the glassware and cutlery. Even the staff are trained to top-notch standard to ensure all guests - which regularly includes celebrities - are treated to faultless service.

The evening for most begins at Medusa, a cabaret restaurant with a difference that takes its name from the Greek myth for ‘femme fatale par excellence’, which embodies the power of femininity.

Extracting tokens from its history, the mythical and legendary venue presents diners with a magical and artistic performance that awakens all the senses.

The unique show is orchestrated by Italian company, Nu’Art, and its Artistic Director, Gabriele Rizzi.

Medusa has two dinner services - 8pm

and 10pm - with guests drinking in the bar area throughout the entire evening.

During the dinner service, a cast of performers from singers and dancers to trapeze artists interact with the audience to create a 360º show performance. “We were afraid people would only come and see the show once, but actually it has taken a different direction, and people come two or three times per week, while they are in town. We have one and a half shows, you could say, so the show isn’t exactly the same every night.”

When it comes to design, everything is under the management of Gerard and Samy. He continued: “Everything has to be designed by us, it’s not just the ceiling, the walls and the floors, and then handing it over to someone else. Some architects work like that, but not us - we decide as a team. We propose what we want to achieve to the client and, if they are happy, we go to our partners and specialised companies to draw up a detailed plan.”

The design started with the 1930’s history of the building using some brass materials and rusty colours, even the shape of the tables is a nod back to the original

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“TW AUDiO do more than sell a sound system, they sell a design. The sound is perfect, there are no delays inside or outside, just everyone listening to the same audio experience.”

form. “There has to be a balance between the technology and interiors, we want cutting edge for everything, not just the audio and lighting, so we also look for new materials and new designs. Most importantly, we don’t copy ideas; you will never see anything that looks like this venue anywhere else in the world,” Samy continued.

That said, Samy takes a very keen interest in the audio setup in the venue, not only from an aesthetic perspective, but from a listening angle, too, as it’s all part of creating the sumptuous ambience. And, on this occasion, he is over the moon with the TW AUDiO installation. He continued: “I think this sound system is more delicate, in comparison to other brands I have worked with in the past.

You can go from very low to very high, and that is a great advantage. TW AUDiO do more than sell a sound system, they sell a design. The sound is perfect, there are no delays inside or outside, just everyone listening to the same audio experience.”

When specifying the PA, Gerard needed to keep in mind that Medusa has three modes - restaurant, cabaret and club - so it was essential the system was flexible, and capable of background music, live performance and DJ sets. At the same time, the owners wanted the system to be as discreet as possible.

Coupled with these requirements is the fact that the venue is half indoors and half outdoors, split by glass bi-folding doors that stretch the full length of the elongated room. The solution was to install one system inside and one outside, however, they do function as a single solution.

Gerard explained further: “Inside we had to consider reverberation times, as well as the fact the room is essentially open on one side. We needed enough power from the cabinets to provide even coverage across the space, but not too much, to avoid any interference.”

Inside, Gerard selected 12 TW AUDiO T20i loudspeakers with a 90º by 50º dispersion angle mounted horizontally around the perimeter of the room. Thanks to the sophisticated driver arrangement and passive crossover the T20i has constant directivity, even when installed horizontally, which was necessary due to the low ceiling at Medusa. To supplement the T20i cabinets, Gerard also selected two TW AUDiO B30 subwoofers, and eight TW AUDiO B14i subwoofers, the latter of which was specifically designed by the company for this project, at Gerard’s request.

He approached TW AUDiO founders and brothers, Bernhard and Tobias Wüstner to ask if they could collaborate on a customised product. Bernhard furthered: “The B14i was the first of two products we developed for this project. Both were necessary to be able to fulfil the sound requirements and both were critical to producing the perfect sound. I feel with the B14i we have created something really special.”

At just 24cm in height, the newly designed B14i allowed Gerard to place the subwoofers into spaces the height of a typical eight-inch subwoofer, in this case, mostly under the sofas. What makes the B14i even more special is that TW AUDiO placed a specially developed 14inch long excursion driver in a bandpass

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• Above The central DJ booth at GOTHA.

enclosure when designing it, which provides up to 6dB more SPL compared to a traditional double eight-inch subwoofer of identical size. The benefit of this design being the extension of usable frequency response from 39Hz-120Hz, offering Gerard countless possibilities in a very compact box.

Bernhard continued: “The development of any product has a distinct process.

In our case, Tobias (TW AUDiO’s R&D Director) has a special design in mind, a specific sound. It’s a very natural, warm sound, which can be found across the entire portfolio. It’s pleasant to listen to, no matter what the environment, because of that warm, natural sound.”

Outside, with the obvious difference in acoustic environment, Gerard opted for 18 TW AUDiO M10’s - a significant amount for the size of the space, but he had his reasons for the quantity. “There are a lot of loudspeakers outside to avoid any noise issues. It’s a big area to cover, but we didn’t want any sound to leak out, as we are situated on the beachfront.

The M10’s have a short throw, so the sound isn’t projected too far and lost, but coverage is even thanks to the quantity of boxes. Present, clear, natural sound is what we strive for and we have definitely achieved it here, thanks to the adaptable range of products from TW AUDiO,” he said.

Bernhard added: “You don’t want to have two large loudspeakers in this kind of environment. But with the three modes

and the levels changing, getting louder with each mode, you do need power and precision.”

Amplification for the system is taken care of by eight Powersoft X4DSP+ETH amplifiers with built-in DSP, three for inside and five for outside. The two companies often work together, with the products containing standard presets for a quick and easy setup.

Completing the audio line-up at Medusa is the DJ equipment, which comprises a further four TW AUDiO M10’s powered by a single Powersoft Quattrocanali 4804 DSP+Dante amplifier, Pioneer CDJ-2000 NXS2 multiplayers and Pioneer DJM-900 NXS2 DJ mixers, as well as a Yamaha QL1 mixing console for the live show performances and two Pioneer Pro Audio XPRS 10’s for DJ monitors.

Looping back to Samy’s comment and how important every aspect of the venue is, he and Gerard were also responsible for the lighting installation. At Medusa, the majority of the lighting fixtures are hung on a truss grid outside, so the movers can really highlight the show performers, as well as double up as dancefloor lighting, later in the evening.

The weatherproof lighting inventory includes 10 Tronios Tiger 7R moving heads, four BEAMZ LED Orbic Wash Corolle moving heads, 10 BEAMZ Ignite 180B LED 150W moving heads and five Starway 10R beam spot moving heads, alongside a full complement of intelligent fixtures from Briteq, all of which are www.mondodr.com

controlled via a Sunlite FC+ software interface.

Samy said of the completed project: “I’m really proud of Medusa, it’s one-of-a-kind, although it’s the second venue I have built with an integrated show. Everything about it just works, and I have no doubt we will be asked to replicate a similar concept elsewhere.”

This incredible technology setup, along with the exquisite menu, the dazzling location and the simply stunning interiors screams pizzazz, and it will come as no surprise that the venue operates a strict reservations policy, as it is currently one of the hottest places in town. But the fun doesn’t stop there, it continues next door at GOTHA. Recognised around the world as one of the most famous clubs in Europe, GOTHA in Cannes is considered an institution based on a magical discotheque equipped with the latest technologies. Like Medusa, GOTHA offers its clientele a unique experience with the greatest DJ performances, refined extravagance cocktails, VIP service and a state-of-the-art PA system that shakes clubbers to their core on the dancefloor, as they are mesmerised by the iconic LED rings flown above the central DJ booth.

The GOTHA design was inspired by the ‘30s ‘Les Années Folles’ era when secret parties took place in decadent locations.

GOTHA’s different brass patterns and velvet furniture is a look that denotes luxury.

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TECHNICAL INFORMATION MEDUSA SOUND 18 x TW AUDiO B14i subwoofer; 12 x TW AUDiO T20i90 loudspeaker; 2 x TW AUDiO B30 subwoofer; 22 x TW AUDiO M10 loudspeaker; 8 x Powersoft X4DSP+ETH amplifier; 1 x Powersoft Quattrocanali 4804 DSP+Dante amplifier; 5 x Pioneer CDJ-2000 NXS2 multiplayer; 2 x Pioneer DJM-900 NXS2 DJ mixer; 1 x Yamaha QL1 mixing console; 2 x Pioneer Pro Audio XPRS 10 DJ monitor LIGHTING, VISUAL & EFFECTS 10 x Tronios TIGER 7R moving head; 4 x BEAMZ LED Orbic Wash Corolle moving head; 10 x BEAMZ Ignite 180b LED 150W moving head; 8 x BEAMZ 180 LED 180W moving head; 5 x Starway 10R moving head; 8 x Briteq wash zoom moving head; 3 x Briteq LED strobe; 6 x Briteq Wash BT Orbit moving head; 6 x Briteq BT Theatre 250W Zoom projector; 10 x Contest wash zoom projector; 1 x Sunlite FC+ interface; 4 x Magic:FX mini CO2 jet; 1 x MDG ATMe smoke machine medusacannes.com

Opening at 12.30am GOTHA attracts some customers from neighbouring Medusa, but of course, it welcomes an army of revelers simply based upon its brand name, too. Each venue was designed to have its own identity to keep the crowds flocking in time and time again. With GOTHA being such a prestigious club, it certainly had a reputation to uphold.

Gerard and Samy worked in partnership here too, and the project was 18 months in the planning. Its semi-circular appearance didn’t make the design easy, and Gerard advised that more than 1,000 drawings were produced to achieve the final setup.

Built from scratch, but within the original structure, there were some architectural limits, specifically where a PA system could be flown. It was equally important that the overall aesthetics were not interrupted and that other residents in the building were not disturbed.

Likened to Jimmy’z in Monaco - a project also completed by Gerard and Samy - in terms of exclusive clientele, once again the technology installed had to be nothing but the best. GOTHA is after all, now the biggest TW AUDiO install in the area, so it’s a flagship project for the German manufacturer, too. Gerard said: “To use a French phrase, it’s a ‘human-sized’ company that I love working with. We get great support from TW AUDiO when we need it. Its products are a combination of what we’ve been used to working with over the years, but with the advantages of new technology.”

The main dancefloor PA comprises clusters of TW AUDiO’s T24N loudspeakers. “I like these loudspeakers, I have used them many times before - in Jimmy’z most recently,” Gerard continued. “It’s a great www.mondodr.com

point source cabinet.”

The T24Ns operate in conjunction with five subwoofers under the DJ stage - four TW AUDiO B21i bass enclosures and one TW AUDiO BSX in the centre for infra bass. The B21i single 21-inch subwoofer is the second product that was specifically designed for this project. Bernhard said of the bass enclosure: “Good things take time, but patience has made a perfect product. No two clubs are the same, but the introduction of this customised subwoofer has really made this a unique venue for us.”

Asked about the difference between the two subwoofers, Gerard said: “The centre one produces a drier bass, while the others are for the low-end. Even though we have combined different models it still operates as one source.” The dancefloor system can achieve 126dB peak SPL for those who want to truly feel the energy of the system.

For clubbers who still want to be part of the mix, but not centrally, the seating areas wrap around the dancefloor, and are looked after by a ring of TW AUDiO T20i loudspeakers. The same models are also used in the adjacent bar area, that is still part of the main room, but again offers a slightly different atmosphere.

Behind the DJ booth are the VIP and VVIP areas, and the latter has its own personal PA, to guarantee the most elite customers are treated to the best of the best at GOTHA. More T20i loudspeakers are utilised alongside more T24Ns and two T30i cabinets and four C12’s.

Low-end aside from the dancefloor is covered by a combination on B14i subwoofers - having been used next door to spectacular effect, it was a no-brainer to use them again - as well as B141’s, B30i’s,

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B18i’s and B17i’s. “The difficulty was to cover the entire space, due to the layout and the size of the venue, there are some shadows. We had to ensure everywhere was covered,” Bernhard said.

“There are a number of zones, but all areas are covered harmoniously, added Gerard. “TW AUDiO has a great product range, meaning we could select what we needed for this project - they really have a complete range.” Acoustic treatment on the ceiling and textured walls also assisted Gerard’s final vision, and together his dream plans were transformed into a reality.

Amplification at GOTHA replicates its sibling next door with a selection of Powersoft X4 DSP amplifiers to drive the PA. The four-channel amplifiers feature a built-in digital audio signal management system based on ARM Cortex A-8 processor and TI C6000 DSP platform, leading the way for an innovative level of signal processing, so yet again ticking the cutting-edge box that GOTHA craves.

Another Yamaha QL1 digital mixer is also in place at the club.

Aside from the impressive audio configuration, the central DJ booth is very much a visual focal point, as three 3D LED rings are suspended above it. Motorised so the rings can move up and down, as well as tilt, are built by Zhejiang DGX Electronic Technology and provide the club with dynamic animation across the entire space, since the rings offer a threesided view. A unique design feature that was implemented at GOTHA, after taking inspiration for the circular structure from

OMNIA club in Las Vegas.

Further LED screens for the front of the DJ booth, the pillar facades and two external promotional screens were also supplied by DGX, a Chinese manufacturer that Gerard describes as having a lot of innovative ideas. All the screens are controlled using a Resolume software package running on a PC. It’s the job of Lighting Operator, Cristobal Bachler Klein to take charge of the video content. He is also responsible for the intelligent fixtures, which at GOTHA includes more than 100 Briteq moving heads, strobes, projectors and blinders. For control of these, Cristobal utilises an MA Lighting MA onPC command wing, as well as another Sunlite FC+ interface. He said: “I came to Cannes one week before opening to programme the lighting, I was here day and night. But, everything we do with the lighting and visuals is live, it isn’t pre-programmed. I use many tools and compose with colour, gobos and effects, feeling the influence from the DJ and the atmosphere of the audience.”

With all of the technological aspects at GOTHA, in combination with the equally exuberant interiors and the five-star status the brand name has acquired, once again, it is very easy to see how popular a destination the Palm Beach Resort actually is. Arguably one of the most exclusive parties in the region, you know you’ve made it when you bag an invite to what could be considered a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

www.mondodr.com

TECHNICAL INFORMATION GOTHA SOUND 2 x TW AUDiO B18i subwoofer; 14 x TW AUDiO T20i loudspeaker; 14 x TW AUDiO T24N loudspeaker; 4 x TW AUDiO B21i subwoofer; 1 x TW AUDiO BSX subwoofer; 16 x TW AUDiO B14i subwoofer; 2 x TW AUDiO B30 subwoofer; 2 x TW AUDiO T30i loudspeaker; 4 x TW AUDiO C12 loudspeaker; 2 x TW AUDiO B17i subwoofer; 12 x Powersoft X4 DSP amplifier; 2 x Ecler Mimo12x12 digital matrix; 1 x Yamaha QL1 mixing console; 4 x Pioneer CDJ-2000 NXS2 multiplayer; 1 x Pioneer DJM-900 NXS2 DJ mixer LIGHTING, VISUAL & EFFECTS 8 x Briteq BT-GIGAFLASH LED strobe; 36 x Briteq BTX-TITAN projector; 12 x Briteq BTX-CIRRUS moving wash; 12 x Briteq BTX-BEAM 5R moving beam projector; 8 x Briteq BT-RETRO fixture; 60 x Briteq BEAMSPOT1-TRIAC projector; 240 x Contest PIN15QC beam projector; 24 x Contest RAY1R moving head; 1 x MA Lighting MA onPC command wing; 1 x Sunlite FC+ interface; 8 x Magic:FX mini CO2 jet; 1 x RVB 25W laser; 2 x Haze Base HZ-350 smoke machine gotha-club.com

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VAN GOGH -THE STARRY NIGHT PARIS, FRANCE EMEA

A new digital exhibition offers a spectacular immersive audiovisual experience with the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh, high resolution projection and innovative sound technology. www.mondodr.com

One of the most innovative, artistic experiences in the city of Paris is currently hidden behind the unremarkable façade of a former ironworks foundry in the 11th arrondissement. Inside this huge 19th Century space, one of France’s leading cultural producers, Culturespaces has been so successful with its digital experience of the art of painter, Gustav Klimt that it has opened a new exhibition dedicated to Vincent Van Gogh.

‘Van Gogh - The Starry Night’ is a visual and musical creation realised by Gianfranco Iannuzzi, Renato Gatto and Massimiliano Siccardi. In the same presentation is a short programme

by Danny Rose dedicated to the imagery of Japan. Both use the AMIEX technology (Art and Music Immersive Experience) developed by Culturespaces in 2012.

The AMIEX concept is based on the virtualisation and high-resolution projection of works of art on immense surfaces, and delivers projection mapping at its best. French audiovisual specialist, Cadmos was chosen as the integrator for the project, designing and installing highperformance technology to show the portraits and landscapes of Van Gogh on 35,000 sq ft

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of projection surface, over walls that can reach up to 12-metres high. The Halle de l’Atelier is an already complex space of angles and divisions - the designers have expanded it to 360° across all four walls, the floor, and extra surfaces like a floor-toceiling cylinder (the foundry’s former chimney), which houses a circular display area.

NEXO engineers worked with Cadmos to perfect the immersive audio design delivered by NEXO ID Series loudspeakers hidden in the metal truss work overhead. These super-compact cabinets, just 300mm wide, offer 120° by 60° high frequency coverage, and are mounted both horizontally and vertically. A total of 29 ID24 loudspeakers are used in the main room, supplemented by 11 ID S110 10inch subwoofers, another four ID24 loudspeakers and an S110 subwoofer are used in a smaller salon, with a wrap-around screen. In total, 11 NEXO NXAMP4x1 amplifiers are used to power the systems.

Loudspeaker locations are evenly spaced throughout the warehouse venue in order to get homogenous and consistent SPL coverage, without having to play each cabinet loud. Cabinets in the central row are delayed to those on the walls, so

stereo is crossed.

A total of 140 Barco 6,500-lumen high definition laser projectors in the 40ft high ceiling deliver the visuals.

A powerful media server solution by Modulo Pi, in the form of 35 units of Modulo Kinetic were used for show-encoding, mapping and show control.

Modulo Pi, previously worked with Culturespaces on the launch of its first digital exhibition, at the Carrières de Lumières, a former white limestone quarry, in 2012 - a relationship that continues to this day. NEXO and Barco products can alSO be found at Carrières de Lumières, powering the Van Gogh exhibition.

Each year the venue closes for several weeks to carry out full maintenance of its audiovisual equipment. This period is also used for programming new exhibitions for the upcoming season.

“The humidity rate in the quarry reaches up to 99%. Combined with dust, it creates a thin layer covering the projectors’ lenses and entering fans, so once a year all systems are dismantled and undergo a thorough cleaning.” Sébastian Chapuis, Technical Director at the Carriéres de Lumiéres explained.

During this year’s closure, The Carriéres de Lumiéres updated its system with Modulo Kinetic, the media server solution by Modulo Pi, which is now at the heart of each AMIEX venue (Atelier des Lumiéres and Bunker de Lumiéres in South Korea).

The integration of a further 28 Modulo Kinetic media servers and the encoding of the 2019 immersive exhibitions added to the delicate annual maintenance work. “Installing the systems was easy. Those are big networked servers,” said Sébastian. “However, due to the one-month period dedicated to maintaining the rest of the audiovisual system, we had little time left to do the warping process on new software. The whole team quickly familiarised themselves with Modulo Kinetic and made this new device its own.”

Before the Modulo Pi media servers were physically installed, the study and simulation phase for all new exhibitions were made in Modulo Kinetic Designer, the workstation dedicated to Modulo Kinetic’s software. “We 3D scanned the quarry and ended up with a point cloud. It was simplified and then imported into Modulo Kinetic,” explained Sébastien. “Thanks to this 3D model, we could anticipate and work on

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TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND 33 x NEXO ID24 loudspeaker; 12 x NEXO ID S110 subwoofer; 11 x NEXO NXAMP4X1 amplifier VIDEO 140 x Barco 6,500 HD laser projector; 63 x Modulo Pi Modulo Kinetic media server www.atelier-lumieres.com www.carrieres-lumieres.com

warping directly in 3D. “Nothing is straight in the venue, we have volumes from six-metres to 25-metres high with many imperfections on each screen. Working with the XMap function was very useful, especially for the most distorted screens. After the 97 projectors were maintained and re-installed, we realised that the media positioning and warping was already pretty good. The other advantage is that several members of the team can work simultaneously on

the warping, so that saved us a lot of time.”

The team took advantage of Modulo Kinetic’s show control capabilities to simplify their control room.

“Everything is included within the same software, which is very convenient. That way, we don’t have to deal with a bunch of interfaces that need to communicate,” Sébastien said.

A series of control panels were created in the programme to easily power on, power off, and control the video-projectors brightness. The

GraphEditor panel embedded in Modulo Kinetic was utilised to automate the sequences of shows, and times between shows.

Sébastien concluded: “We are running two exhibition programmes and have different opening hours over the year. In UI Designer, we could create custom panels to easily deal with that. We can automatically sequence shows, calculate the time of lights between them, and add other show programmes, such as retrospectives, on demand.”

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Originally conceived as a social space for Brixton, Upstairs at The Department Store was initially opened to friends, family and the local community. As popularity rapidly grew, Upstairs Brixton launched as a laidback rooftop members’ club in November 2018, with a new and aesthetically pleasing sound system from style-setting Italian loudspeaker manufacturer, K-array.

Offering a huge selection of sensory entertainment to match the mouth-watering delights served on the stunning rooftop dining terrace, Upstairs Brixton regularly hosts member events such as live performances and DJ weekends, comedy, gin and whiskey tasting, launch parties and orchestral recitals - all requiring high quality sound reinforcement in varying degrees.

When the previous audio system was deemed to be unserviceable, with no potential left for expansion, the owners turned to integrated

UPSTAIRS BRIXTON LONDON, UK EMEA

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• Left and above Wall mounted Python-KP102 columns and floor subwoofers create an energetic bar area vibe.

• Below Python-KP52 arrays are heard and not seen.

• Right Equipment rack housing the three Kommander amplifiers and control equipment.

specialist Flux London for a solution that would totally modernise the venue, and offer a flexible configuration that would allow several different sources to be routed into combinations of zones throughout the venue depending on the event taking place. Recognising that a high-quality line array loudspeaker system would be required from an acoustic perspective, K-array presented an obvious choice in terms of sympathetic aesthetics, and so the Italian brand’s UK distributor, 2B Heard was brought in to further develop the solution.

Flux London Technology Director, Richard Chaffey, explained: “The bar and restaurant occupy essentially the same space, but the objective was to treat them as quite separate audio areas, each with their own independent sound level so that the restaurant would generally be quieter

than the bar. As befitting a multi-use venue, audio levels change throughout the day, taking in lunch service, afterwork drinks, and the evening’s eating and drinking.

“When club DJs are invited to play in the bar SPLs increase significantly at weekends and into the early hours of the morning - and that required a system capable of transitioning from background sound to full-on banging beats, and all managed from a simple app-based control system,” said Richard.

In order to identify the optimum loudspeaker positions and accurately predict coverage, 2B Heard Director, Dave Wooster, provided an EASE design which allowed Richard and the installations team to place loudspeakers in key areas to even out the sound field and provide more audio separation www.mondodr.com

between the bar and restaurant zones.

Phase one of the installation involved replacing the loudspeakers first to minimise downtime for the client. In the main bar four Python-KP102 I column arrays replaced the original loudspeakers, the one-metre columns with their 12 closely-spaced drivers provided focussed long throw coverage of the bar area. These are supplemented by a Thunder-KMT18P high power passive 18-inch subwoofer and a Rumble-KU212 slim profile dual 12-inch line array subwoofer, adding up to give plenty of low-end punch when needed.

“K-array’s slim line arrays have succeeded in bringing out the best of the intelligible speech, typical of a commercial column but with the musicality of larger mainstream line arrays, and with an aesthetic that really works in such a

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TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND 4 x K-array Python-KP102 I column array; 1 x K-array Thunder-KMT18P subwoofer; 1 x K-array Rumble-KU212 line array subwoofer; 6 x K-array Python-KP521 variable beam line array; 2 x K-array Rumble-KU212 subwoofer; 1 x K-array Kommander KA84 DSP amplifier; 2 x K-array KA24 DSP amplifier www.upstairsbrixton.com www.fluxlondon.co.uk www.2b-heard.co.uk

• Left Python-KP102 column complements the Green Oak column.

• Right Python-KP52 columns discreetly cover the lounge and restaurant.

design-led venue as Upstairs Brixton, which has a close association with the neighbouring architects firm that designed it,” noted Richard. “We also had to re-use some of the previous loudspeaker locations, which constrained us slightly - some of the loudspeakers are mounted on structural pillars made of Green Oak which required specific permission from the main architectural partners - but since K-array’s discreet profiles and multiple bracketing options allowed us to optimise our fixing methods these challenges were easily overcome.”

Meanwhile, providing coverage of the restaurant and lounge area, six PythonKP521 variable beam line arrays together with two Rumble-KU212 dual 12-inch subwoofers deliver an altogether more muted ambience, but are still able to effortlessly crank up the volume to party levels. Dave revealed that the setup process was very straightforward based on the initial design: “The result was seamless coverage of the three separate areas that we created, allowing for the changes in SPL that the venue required throughout the day - from the quietest part of the day and with plenty of headroom to spare, up to a level that is never likely to be exceeded.”

Unusually for an entertainment venue, all the K-array columns are constructed

from stainless steel housings, which not only gives them a modernistic, high tech look, they are also durable. In the newly equipped rack are a Kommander KA84 four-channel 2,000W DSP amplifier and two KA24, four-channel 300W DSP amplifiers powering the entire speaker system.

“Not only does K-array stand apart from the crowd in power and fidelity, the company also backs up its loudspeaker products with an incomparable five-year warranty when used with its amplifiers, and that really sealed the deal for our client,” declared Richard.

“I also like the modular aspect of the K-array product line-up which has made it easy to choose the right loudspeakers to easily integrate within the space. You can move up and down the product ranges and find something that will fit both loudspeaker locations and budgets.”

George Squire is the Facilities Manager at Upstairs Brixton, and is keenly attuned to the need to create just the right ambience for a selective clientele. He said: “Sound in any hospitality environment provides atmosphere - it’s just essential. Although we don’t often have the music at a volume that would be deemed dancing, in my opinion quality of sound is always better than quantity of sound. I would much rather go for the extra capability and only ever use it at 20% because it’s quality that

is much better overall.”

Close attention was paid to the loudspeaker locations, with a lot of time and consultation focussed on perfecting the visually sympathetic and acoustically correct positioning. “We knew the K-array loudspeakers were slimline, and we knew that we could get them in black,” he noted. “And as you can tell from looking at the building, everything’s got to be black or copper. That was very important to us and I think they look great - they fit nicely on the green oak columns as well, and they are so discreet that sound appears to come from nowhere.”

“Anyone who comes in here having heard the old audio system can clearly hear the significant improvements the new K-array system has provided,” Richard concluded. “2B Heard has provided us with easy-to-use room audio equalisation, allowing each zone to be individually equalised, making the sound clear and comfortable throughout. As the audio demands increase through the day and into the evening, the K-array system delivers faithful audio reproduction to everyone in the room.

“As you walk into the bar and restaurant you feel it’s an appropriate audio solution that’s been designed to serve the space well, and you look forward to the next track being played.”

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LED upgrade of the century at The Muny with CHAUVET.

With its hurly-burly mix of saints and sinners, hot box dancers and streetsmart gamblers, Guys and Dolls is as captivating today as it was when it debuted on Broadway in 1950. This was plain to see when Frank Loesser’s multi-Tony Award winning musical kicked off the 2019 season at the St. Louis Municipal Opera Theatre ‘The Muny’ on 10 June 2019.

Part of the allure, was no doubt due to the timeless quality of this sweet but sassy tale of New York’s bygone underworld, but also enchanting the audience was something decidedly more modern - the theatre’s new state-of-the-art LED lighting system that features over 700 CHAUVET Professional fixtures supplied and installed by Bandit Lites.

Great theatrical works never seem to age, but the same can’t be said of even the finest theatres. This is why The Muny, the oldest and largest outdoor musical theatre in the USA, elected to begin its ‘second hundred years’ with a new stage system that, in addition to the IP rated LED lighting, features one turntable, three tracks, five lifts for moving sets and actors, LED screens, and a protected orchestra pit.

“The Muny embarked on this upgrade so it could continue to offer the most rewarding theatrical experience to the community,” said Rob Denton, Lighting Designer at the 11,000-seat venue, which opened under The Muny

banner on June 16 1919.

Rob, who was instrumental in the lighting upgrade and worked with Bandit Lites on its execution, noted that the theatre’s main goal was to create a LED rig that would be more flexible and energy efficient. Other considerations high on his agenda were light intensity and the quality and reliability of the lighting, as well as ease-of-use. Based on his experience lighting Guys and Dolls, as well as the productions that followed, he feels the new system has more than lived up to expectations.

“The new rig allows us to have a wider breath of looks than before, and the ability to unify our lighting with the vibrancy and feel of the CHAUVET Professional F4 IP LED video walls,” he said. “It also gives me, as well as any visiting designers, a greater ability to focus the audience’s collective eye.

This is true whether we’re lighting a modern musical where we want vibrant light, or a classic show that requires the traditional warmth of the tungsten lamp. In each case, we can evoke the sought-after mood.”

Playing a key role in the new lighting rig are its 310 Ovation E-910FC IP colour-mixing indoor/outdoor ellipsoidal units, 130 Ovation E-260W IP warm white fixtures, and 205 COLORado 3 Solo pieces. Many of these fixtures are hung on a 183ft span that runs over the downstage deck. From

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this position they provide front light, texture across the stage, and scenic element lighting.

Additionally, the Ovation fixtures along with a small number of the COLORado 3 units are positioned in a variety of side positions for cross lighting and template coverage. Ovation E-260W and COLORado 3 Solo units are also flown on truss over the video wall and are used for downstage and full stage back lighting. The backwall structure of the stage is uplit with 22 COLORado Solo Batten fixtures, while COLORado 3 Solo units provide downlighting. Adding another new dimension to The Muny stage are the massive back video wall and two side walls that are made with 238 F4 LED panels.

“The entire new rig is my baby,” said Rob. “I have been working on the plot and design of the system for several years now. For me, the biggest thing I’ve noticed is the quality of light from all the fixtures, especially the E-910FC and E-260WW. They have an amazing colour and quality, so it that feels like you’re using a traditional tungsten lamp, but of course they’re LED units with all of the advantages. Plus, like the rest of the rig, they’re outdoor rated.” Rob also worked with CHAUVET to creat an IP version of their colour changing Leko: “I had already hoped and planned that they

would be able to do this about a year before it was even created!”

However, a project this size does not come without its difficulties. “With it being an outdoor theatre, we also had to deal with the weather, we lost two nights of our four nights of focus due to rain, so not only were we behind, we were soon starting to worry a tad as weather was not helping.

We faced many challenges during the installation but non that we could not conquer!” concluded Rob. Rob has also heard rave reviews of the new lighting system from his colleagues. “The rest of the creative team here has noticed a remarkable difference in the quality and ability of the lighting design,” he said.

“Everyone agrees it opens new possibilities in storytelling.”

Writing about the theatre’s production of Guys and Dolls, the critic for the St. Louis Post Dispatch singled out the LED system writing: “Particularly representative of the new technology is a scene set in Havana. It’s so richly evocative - and so brilliantly realised - that you’ll want to hop onstage and order a drink.”

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KAOS

After the Palms Casino closed its doors at the end of the 2017 party season, Station Casinos took on the monumental effort of reviving the property’s identity and, in doing so, chose to set the standard in nightlife hospitality for years to come by making sure every detail and every feature of its rebirth was of the highest quality. Around 18 months later, the resort relaunched Kaos - over 100,000 sq ft of dayclub and nightclub, complete with a recordbreaking pool deck.

The technical design of the project was lead

by Fertitta Entertainment’s Aiden Kemp, and he selected National Technology Associates (NTA) to handle the design and integration of audio, video, LED, special effects and automation technology. In turn, NTA collaborated with SJ Lighting for the theatrical

LAS VEGAS, USA THE AMERICAS

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• Above The ‘Demon with Bowl’ stands at 65ft tall at the centre of one of the main pools.

lighting, Advanced Entertainment Systems (AES) for special effects, Salvin Design for cryo, SGPS for LED, Green Hippo for media control, and Sound Investment AV (SIA) for audio. The interior design was by Rockwell Group.

The entrance to the 73,000 sq ft outdoor pool deck/dayclub is home to Damien Hirst’s 23ft tall sculpture ‘The Warrior and the Bear’. There are two main pools, various side pools, and 39 cabanas, most with their own private pool. The dayclub, which can host around 6,000 people, features a seasonal dome cover that enables it to operate throughout the year. A second Damian Hirst structure the bronze ‘Demon with Bowl’ - stands 65ft tall at the centre of one of the main

pools. The venue, which was designed

by Friedmutter Group Las Vegas, also features a 270ft LED screen, which interacts with the music on the exterior of the resort’s Ivory Tower. The pool deck also converts into part of Kaos nightclub via a massive retractable glass wall and a rotating 360º DJ booth with stages on both sides.

NTA’s Project Manager, Nevin Edwards explained: “Obviously with a nightclub/ dayclub, the set-up of the audio system is of prime importance. This is where we, along with Aiden Kemp from Station Casinos, reached out to Todd Konecny (SIA) to come up with a design for the venue using Funktion-One. We knew Funktion-One would be a rider-friendly www.mondodr.com

choice for DJs and we also knew Funktion-One is installed in other venues in the city. The sound system needed to be larger, better sounding and louder than any other venue in Las Vegas. The nightclubs are in a constant state of trying to one up each other, so we needed Kaos to one up every other venue in Las Vegas.”

With this in mind, the sound system was designed to deliver across various metrics: fidelity, controllability, SPL, and reliability.

To achieve these goals, Funktion-One loudspeakers were chosen for their ability to reach high SPL levels without losing quality.

The lead system design and vision were

by Aiden Kemp, the integration and commissioning of the system was done

• Above The view from the DJ booth across KAOS. • Right The entrance to the nightclub and the mirror balls creating stunning lighting effects.

by NTA, and the supply and tuning of the system was by SIA. While the visual elements of the dayclub/pool deck are bold and striking, the sound system was to be visually unobtrusive. SIA’s Todd Konecny explained: “This demanded many hours spent in the design phase, working out the architecture around the loudspeakers.

The sound system does its work to support the experience wholly in the audio realm. With global artists like Marshmello creating the party, the system had to be superlative at all points on the pool deck. Funktion-One loudspeakers were a crucial part of achieving this goal and, because sometimes more is more, the system predominantly employs the upper tier of Funktion-One equipment like the Evo Series, and F124 and F132 subwoofers.”

The pool deck main stage is in the round and supports both DJs and live acts often both on the same day. The system uses four clusters of Funktion-One Evo 7E cabinets with additional Evo 6SH down and front fill to cover 300° of area around the stage. The main stage’s low frequency array consists of nine F124 bass enclosures and two F132A subwoofers.

The main perimeter of the pool deck is equally substantial through the use of another 20 Evo 6EH mid-high sections paired with an equal number of F115 mid-bass cabinets. The perimeter low and

sub-bass is provided by three F124 bass enclosures and four BR221 bass reflex loudspeakers.

As is the norm in Las Vegas, there are VIP cabanas - 36, to be exact - that occupy the main and second level of the pool deck, each with private swimming pools in front of them. These cabanas are designed to be high-intensity party areas that live up to the highest Las Vegas standards with luxury interiors, video displays, and private pools.

To provide the appropriate audio experience for the cabana occupants, smaller main systems are deployed at the exterior of each cabana that consist of the brand-new Funktion-One Evo 2SH mid/high loudspeakers combined with F115 mid-bass and BR218 bass reflex loudspeakers. These are installed flush within the exterior walls of the cabanas facing the private pools and provide high-fidelity, high-intensity areas in front of the cabanas. The interiors of the cabanas are equipped with stereo pairs of F101 mid/high loudspeakers with one-of-a-kind annealed metal grills and RAL colour finish to match the stone. The entry corridor is covered by weatherised PSM12 mid/high loudspeakers and BR221 subwoofers.

Todd said: “The overall result of this design is an expansive party pool deck that has very few areas not covered by high fidelity and high SPL audio

reproduction. Being such a large space with a variety of listening situations, the network backbone of the system was crucial to the fine tuning and daily usage of the system. NTA’s Joe Garcia was responsible for schematic design, documentation, network setup, turn on verification, and aligning the various components.”

Audio isn’t the only system that required unique attention, as NTA’s Nevin explained: “The video system also has its uniqueness. We didn’t want to just give the guest in the cabanas the same lame free-to-guest channel line-up they would typically get, so we designed a DirecTV video head-end that is encoded into IP-TV using the new Crestron NVX product.

“Every cabana has access to 24 channels of DirectTV and, if they want, for example, to watch a particular football game they have that capability. We also included the capability for a local HDMI input and a guest can bring in an X-Box if they so choose and they can play X-Box in their cabana. Again, I believe that these features don’t exist in any other dayclubs in Las Vegas.”

NTA also installed water cannons and flame heads on the roofs of the cabanas all the way around the pool and on top of the pool stage. There are also outdoor rated lasers that shoot onto the ‘petals’ of the stage roof, as well as high-powered

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TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND POOL: 2 x Funktion-One PSM318 DJ monitor; 3 x Funktion-One F132A subwoofer; 13 x Funktion-One EVO-7-E loudspeaker; 13 x Funktion-One EVO7-EH loudspeaker; 9 x Funktion-One DS210 Dance stack loudspeaker; 2 x Funktion-One F115MK2 loudspeaker; 2 x Funktion-One EVO6-E loudspeaker; 4 x Funktion-One Res1 loudspeaker; 1 x Funktion-One BR115 subwoofer; 5 x Funktion-One BR121 subwoofer; 12 x Funktion-One F124 subwoofer; 86 x Funktion-One F101 loudspeaker; 21 x Funktion-One F115MK2 loudspeaker; 6 x Funktion-One Res2SH-Wide loudspeaker; 11 x Funktion-One F115MK2 loudspeaker; 16 x Funktion-One BR218 subwoofer; 9 x Funktion-One Res2SH-Wide loudspeaker; 10 x Funktion-One PSM12 loudspeaker stage monitor; 6 x Funktion-One BR221 subwoofer; 1 x Linea Research 88C03-Dante amplifier; 24 x Linea Research 88C10-Dante amplifier; 23 x Linea Research 44C20-Dante amplifier NIGHTCLUB: 2 x Funktion-One F132A subwoofer; 12 x Funktion-One EVO7-EH loudspeaker; 1 x Funktion-One DS210 Dance stack loudspeaker; 14 x Funktion-One F115MK2 loudspeaker; 10 x Funktion-One F118MK2 loudspeaker; 11 x Funktion-One BR115 subwoofer; 4 x Funktion-One BR118 subwoofer; 4 x Funktion-One F124 subwoofer; 4 x Funktion-One F115MK2 loudspeaker; 6 x Funktion-One F221 subwoofer; 4 x Funktion-One F315 loudspeaker; 2 x Funktion-One DS310 Dance stack loudspeaker; 6 x Funktion-One EVO6-SH loudspeaker; 9 x Funktion-One F88 loudspeaker; 2 x Funktion-One F215MK2 loudspeaker; 8 x Funktion-One MB210 subwoofer; 3 x Funktion-One MB212 subwoofer; 18 x Linea Research 88C10-Dante amplifier; 11 x Linea Research 44C20-Dante amplifier; 2 x DiGiCo SD9 console; 1 x DiGiCo SD-Rack unit; 1 x Allen & Heath Xone:DB4 DJ mixer LIGHTING, VISUALS & EFFECTS 30 x Robe MegaPointe moving head; 10 x Robe Spiiders moving head; 2 x Robe LEDBeam 150 moving head; 54 x Ayrton MagicDot SX fixture; 26 x GLP JDC1 strobe, 24 x Elation DTW Blinder 350 unit; 16 x CHAUVET Maverick Storm 1 Wash light; 2 x MA Lighting grandMA2 Light console; 9,300 x NanoLumen 2.5mm LED tile; 8 x Green Hippo Hippotizer Montane+ server; 2 x Green Hippo Hippotizer Boreal+ server; 1 x Green Hippo Hippotizer V4.5 beta software package; 4 x Kvant ATOM 20 laser; 4 x Kvant Clubmax 3000 laser; 6 x Kvant LogoLAS 3000 laser; 5 x Kvant Clubmax 10 laser; 1 x Pangolin Beyond software package; 5 x Antari M7 smoke jet; Look Solutions Unique 2.1 hazers; 1 x MDG haze system; Ultratec FX Air Cannons; Vario Aqua Fog units; Interactive Technologies Cue servers; 32 x Salvin CO2 jet; 1 x Salvin Big Easy DMX control system kaosnight.uvtix.com *extract only

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• Above The view from the DJ booth across KAOS.

lasers under the roof that shoot out from the stage.

The pool stage is also home to 10 Robe iPointe and 16 CHAUVET Maverick Storm 1 Wash lights - both fixtures are IP65-rated - specified by SJ Lighting, together with an MA Lighting grandMA2 Light for control.

Steve Lieberman, President of SJ Lighting, said: “The pool area is using outdoorrated moving lights, which is such an amazing step forward in our trade.

Not having to use enclosures to protect equipment saves the aesthetic and, of course, money.”

A total of 1,035 25mm Yaham LED panels form the 270ft screen, while a further 1,624 4mm Yaham LED panels are installed throughout in the outdoor areas.

While the pool deck is a stunning space with plenty of technological innovation, it is the 27,000 sq ft nightclub that sets Kaos apart on that front. The indoor space is a study in sensory immersion, with the singular goal of transporting visitors to another dimension.

The centerpiece of the dancefloor is a unique tesla coil feature, which works independently or together with the cryo and fog technologies to simulate weather patterns. At first appearing as a cluster of somewhat-conventional mirror balls, the array of spheres lower in to place to create stunning lighting effects. It was imagined and designed by Aiden. “That’s the first time I’ve ever seen anything like that,” said Steve. “It’s nothing short of spectacular.”

SGPS supplied no less than 9,300 NanoLumen 2.5mm LED tiles around the venue, amounting to more than 64 million pixels of video, with all outputs and content, including live inputs, driven at 60fps.

This includes four LED halo rings that encircle the tesla coil feature. Nevin explained: “The second ring is fully automated and moves at a rate of six ft per second, which, I believe, is twice as fast as the chandelier at Omnia nightclub.

There is a complete halo of 2.5mm LED all the way around the ceiling, which extends down above the DJ booth. To further complicate things, the halo begins to angle as it heads toward the DJ booth from the back of the room.”

The CO2 cryo system from Salvin features 32 Salvin High Output DMX CO2 Jets over six zones - controlled by the company’s proprietary Big Easy DMX control system.

The Kvant laser and control system was provided to AES by Pangolin. It includes four ATOM 20s, four Clubmax 3000s, six LogoLAS 3000s, and five Clubmax 10 Lasers. All of the lasers use Pangolin Beyond software together with the grandMA2 Light for control.

AES also supplied 35 Antari M7 Smoke Jets mounted to the top of the pool stage, a number of Unique 2.1 Hazers from Look Solutions, the moving flame heads mounted on the cabanas, Ultratec FX Air Cannons for the confetti and streamers, as well as multiple Vario Aqua Fog units.

The effects arsenal is routed through www.mondodr.com

Interactive Technologies Cue Servers and the grandMA2 Light consoles.

Media control is managed by a custom Green Hippo system, which handles 17 streams of 4K that fire out to dozens of areas of the club and façade. The system comprises eight Hippotizer Montane+ servers and two Hippotizer Boreal+ servers - all running Hippotizer V4.5 Beta Software. Green Hippo developed two new accessory cards and various new features specifically for this project.

“Kaos is probably the most technologically advanced nightclub anywhere,” stated Nevin. “With all the systems that need to talk to each other we needed a robust network. We designed a main 12 switch stack with access switches connected to the stack. There are 27 VLans for all of the different systems.”

This sentiment is reflected throughout.

Steve said: “The theatrical lighting design for Kaos was a very complex task. We were part of a comprehensive team of consultants that all operate at the highest levels. With that said, we worked closely with Rockwell Group and Station Casinos to really bring our portion of the project to life. The lighting design priorities were first and foremost; a wow factor. There are over 100 moving connections with rotating panels and within each of these zones there are moving lights, LED pixel tape, special effects, video surfaces, etc.

“We have a stage area for both venues with lighting being a critical detail.

The artists that perform at this venue are world class, and there needs to

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be a system in place to support their requirements. Pointing out the obvious fact that we are in Las Vegas - the entertainment capital of the world the design needed to be over the top, overwhelming, and immersive.”

The lighting design features 30 Robe MegaPointes, 10 Robe Spiders, two Robe LEDBeam 150s, 54 Ayrton MagicDot SXs, 26 GLP JDC1 strobes, 24 Elation DTW Blinder 350 and an MDG Haze system, with control from an MA Lighting grandMA2 light.

Steve added: “This system is designed with efficiencies in mind. We gave very careful attention to the layout so that the lighting designers - both house and visiting - could systematically go through the system and build their respective shows.”

In a similar vein, the sound system had to be exemplary in all respects to support live acts and EDM equally well.

To achieve the ultra-high performance that the venue demanded, the main room has Funktion-One Dance Stacks built in to the walls flanking the DJ booth. Each stack features two F221 double 21-inch bass enclosures, two F315 triple 15-inch mid-bass cabinets, and six Evo mid/high packs for near perfect coverage of the room. The low frequency range is covered by another six F124 bass enclosures and a pair of F132A subwoofers. Additional F215’s, Evo 7SH and Evo 6SH cabinets, MB210, BR118, BR115 and F88’s serve to fill in the perimeter areas.

Todd said: “Overall, the main room is unequalled with respect to its sheer power and ability to create an entirely enveloping aural experience with any music genre.”

The signal chain electronics include DiGiCo consoles, AtteroTech DM I/O devices and over 75 Linea Research amplifiers - a combination of 88C03Dante, 88C10-Dante and 44C20-Dante models - located in several rooms around the venue.

“The system makes great use of Dante audio networking to support complex source switching between the various stages and for monitoring the system health. The venue-wide network is a single backbone with an extremely high bandwidth distribution scheme that allows audio, video, lighting and control to exist within the same domain for the ultimate in controllability and flexibility.”

Todd continued: “The Linea Research amplifiers really showed the value of having a power amplifier platform that sounds good, has high channel density, internal DSP and onboard Dante network capabilities. Load monitoring, mains current draw control and actual power limiting at the output stage (as opposed to just voltage limiting in the signal chain) goes a long way towards system reliability, and allows an engineer to think of the system in more manageable blocks.

We’ve been extremely happy with how the amplifiers integrated into the Kaos network.”

There’s no doubt that Kaos represents a major moment in venue design and entertainment technology. It has been delivered by the best in the business using the highest end of technologies. Much of the responsibility fell on NTA’s shoulders, as the lynchpin between owners and suppliers.

Nevin reflected: “NTA is very well positioned to deal with a project of

this size and scope. Our team is made up of people that have worked on and in numerous nightclubs. Joe Garcia was the lead engineer for the project without Joe’s contribution, this project would have never gotten done in time.

NTA’s COO H. Waldman assisted with project management. He headed up the coordination effort for the install of all of the static and flying LED elements in the ceiling and was the master gatekeeper for the network.

“The project definitely had its challenges, with schedule being one of the biggest.

Projects always get pushed on schedule but given the complexity of this one the schedule wasn’t our friend for sure.

Basically, we all worked the entire month of March with every day being no less than a 12-hour day, many days were up to 18 hours. It was a herculean task to get the project to the finish line, but all the extra hours made it worth it once we saw the finished product. I feel great about our part in it.”

Steve added: “This project is one of the most ambitious venues we’ve ever had the privilege of being involved with. We are extremely proud of the final product, and everyone who has had the chance to experience it first-hand can attest to the fact that this venue is at the pinnacle of nightlife and hospitality on a global scale.”

Todd concluded: “We have worked with many of designers involved with Kaos on some of the highest profile projects in the world. Seeing their designs for Kaos come on line during the installation and knowing that those systems are unique in the world is awe-inspiring. We were fortunate to have been involved in this project.”

• Above One of the tables in Kaos.

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Photos: Brian Dowdle

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CLEMENTINE NASHVILLE, USA AMERICAS

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Following a year-long renovation project, the former West Nashville United Methodist Church re-opened at the beginning of the summer as Clementine, a unique space for weddings as well as corporate, fundraising and music events. The venue offers a blank canvas for hosting bespoke gatherings that include an expansive all-LED, all-ADJ lighting system which allows custom-coloured illumination of every part of the space.

Owners Dan and Brenda Cook are no strangers to projects that involve breathing new life into previously closed historic buildings. In 2011, they bought a shuttered church in the Hillsboro Village area of Nashville and lovingly restored it to create a

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boutique event venue they named Ruby.

Since then, the location has proved popular for a wide range of private functions, while Dan and Brenda have been on the look out for another suitable building to transform into a similar venue able to cater for larger events.

Last year, they were able to acquire the former West Nashville United Methodist Church, which was originally built way back in 1889 and has since been expanded numerous times. They then spent a whole year renovating the building, which included removing internal walls, false ceilings and stripping the plaster from the walls to reveal the

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original bare brick beneath. The finished result is a beautiful facility that blends the history of the space with a contemporary industrial design.

The venue is now comprised of two main areas.

The former sanctuary has been named the Adelaide Hall and features a large vaulted ceiling and two separate stage areas. Then behind it is a separate room, christened the Little Bird Lounge in honour of Dan and Brenda’s daughter, which has a distinct feel and boasts a 20ft built-in black marble bar. In addition, there are three dressing rooms available for performing artists, as well as an intimate outdoor courtyard. The vision behind the facility is to provide a flexible space that can be easily adapted to events of all shapes and sizes.

This approach extends to the technical aspects of the venue, which have also been designed from the ground up to offer flexibility to the event organisers who will use the space. As Dan

explained: “We take a distinct approach from every other venue in town, which require lighting to be brought in. We believe that hired-in lighting is never as good as thoughtful lighting that is permanently installed and configurable. So, taking that idea to the extreme, for Clementine we wanted maximum flexibility for the client, so we added wall washing lights, stage washing lights, house lights and illuminated window arches. Every light in the building is LED and everything is dimmable and colour changeable.

Our goal is for no client to ever feel compelled to bring in supplemental lighting. This not only saves our clients’ money, but it makes our day shorter, reducing setup and strike down time for each event.”

To achieve this goal, Dan and Brenda brought in Corner Audio and Video, the same company they relied on to kit out Ruby. Headed up by

Chief Systems Designer, David Goon, it is the installation division of Corner Music, the retail company owned and founded by Larry Garris, which has been supplying the musicians of music city since 1976.

“I’m not an audio or lighting expert, so over the years I’ve come to rely on Corner Music to strike the right balance between cost and offerings,” said Dan. “David Goon has really steered me in a great direction with ADJ, we’ve been using their lighting at our original venue for around five years and I’ve always been very pleased with it. So, when it came to setting up Clementine, we were happy to follow David’s recommendation and go for an all-ADJ system.”

A native of Ohio and a Nashvillian since 1978, David operated his own electronics repair business which led him into media system installations. He has been a part of Corner’s

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• Above Lighting fixture in Clementine, filling the space with a golden hue.

design and installation team since 1998, and an exponent of ADJ products for more than 10 years. His ethos is one of building on-going relationships rather than simply selling products or carrying out one-off projects.

“I’m all about building long term relationships, where clients bring us back every time they want to expand or make a change, which is what happened with Dan and Brenda,” David explained. “First, we did the installation for Ruby and then, when they bought the building for Clementine, they brought us back to help again. To make this kind of relationship work we need to be installing equipment that we know is going to be reliable as well as fit for its purpose. I recommended ADJ fixtures for Clementine because they fit within the lighting budget and because I know that ADJ have a rigorous QC process, which makes for a low failure rate. The very first time I ever installed

one of their fixtures, I could tell right out of the box ADJ’s quality and reliability was better than other brands I’d used. This was a repeat customer and we wanted to get it right so they keep coming back, which made ADJ the obvious choice.”

To deliver the level of complete flexibility that Dan wanted, David specified a grand total of 52 ADJ UB 9H one-metre linear LED wash fixtures to illuminate both the exposed brick walls and the vaulted ceiling of the Adelaide Hall. Each of these compact battens feature nine 6W HEX LEDs allowing for colour washing using an almost unlimited palette of colours.

In addition, David’s team mounted six of ADJ’s potent COB Cannon Wash fixtures to the rafters in the ceiling angled to point down at the floor. These serve as house lights for the room, allowing clients to not only dim the lighting, but also change its colour to achieve the exact look they require. Each COB Cannon Wash unit

features a powerful 150W quad-colour COB LED and offers a wide 80º beam angle, meaning that the six of them together are more than capable of filling the whole space with a uniform wash of bright light.

To provide flexible illumination across the venue’s two stages, David specified a combination of ADJ’s 12P HEX and PAR Z100 3K fixtures. Each loaded with twelve 12W six-in-one HEX LEDs, the 12P HEX units fill the stage areas with vibrant colour washes. Meanwhile, the PAR Z100 3K units, with their 100W warm white COB LEDs, ensure that performers on stage can be clearly seen.

An imposing feature of the main sanctuary when Dan and Brenda bought the building was the large pipe organ dating back to 1905. Originally, they intended to remove the instrument and find a new home for it in another church, but in the end, they decided to keep it

TECHNICAL INFORMATION LIGHTING 52 x ADJ UB-9H linear fixtures; 13 x ADJ 12P HEX LED Par fixtures; 6 x ADJ COB Cannon Wash LED Par; 4 x ADJ PAR Z100 3K LED; 2 x ADJ 5P HEX LED Par fixtures; 2 x ADJ D6 Branch Splitters; 1 x ADJ myDMX 3.0 control software; Acclaim Lighting Flex Tape SOUND 6 x Renkus-Heinz CFX101LA line array cabinet; 2 x Renkus-Heinz CFX15S8 main line array subwoofer; 2 x JBL 521595 loudspeaker; 2 x JBL C29AV-1 loudspeaker; 2 x QSC K-SUB subwoofer; 8 x JBL Control 25-1 loudspeaker; 4 x JBL Control26CT loudspeaker www.clementinehall.com

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“We knew that these products would handle everything thrown at them. They provided the flexibility to route audio wherever and whenever it is needed due to their quality and reliability. Luckily all of the products do not take away from the aesthetic of the building either.”

and make it a key feature of the Adelaide Hall. This proved to be a good move, that not only provides a focal point for the room, but preserves some of the building’s heritage and ties into Nashville’s musical culture.

To visually link the main hall with the Little Bird Lounge behind it, Dan and Brenda decided to install a glass wall in the latter that provides a rear view of the organ. David then supplied a pair of ADJ’s 5P HEX LED par fixtures to sit inside this space and illuminate the vintage internal workings of the instrument.

While installing the fixtures a member of the Corner Audio and Video team came across a ‘Recital Bulletin’ dated all the way back to 1924!

The combination of ingeniously-placed glass wall and ADJ LED illumination provides a unique feature to the Little Bird Lounge, while the organ itself serves as an impressive backdrop to one of the stages in the Adelaide Hall. However, the organ is more than an aesthetic feature of Clementine, it has been meticulously maintained - by the same company since the 1960s - and recently fully renovated so that it can still be played if an event requires authentic organ music.

Completing the impressive lighting installation, the Corner Audio and Video team fitted LED pixel tape, from ADJ’s sister company Acclaim Lighting, around the perimeter of a number of the venue’s steel gothic windows as well as the organ arch and coat closet. They also wired up the whole system using a pair of ADJ’s D6 Branch DMX splitters and set it up for control using ADJ’s myDMX 3 software.

The ADJ lighting system is a key part of the venue, as Dan summed up: “Lighting is definitely a real selling point for our clients, they love the fact they can get www.mondodr.com

exactly the right look for their event using the equipment that we already have installed in the venue.”

The audio was also installed by Corner Music Audio and Video. After several meetings with the owners to assess their design needs, Bob Nickerson, Production Consultant at Corner Music Audio and Video helped out with the installation. The heart of the system is the Mackie DL32R. With 32 inputs and 28 outputs, add to that the wireless control from the Master Fader app on an iPad and you have the ability to move anywhere, in any room, and adjust the levels. A combination of Renkus-Heinz CFX101LA line array cabinets and JBL 521595 loudspeakers were chosen along with Crown Xti-2 Series, CDi Series and ART SLA-1 amplifiers. Bob concluded: “We knew these products would handle everything thrown at them. They provided the flexibility to route audio wherever and whenever it is needed due to their quality and reliability. Luckily all of the products do not take away from the aesthetic of the building either.

Working with Dan and Brenda Cook is a pleasure and we look forward to their next project.”

The end result of the renovation project is a truly stunning venue that combines modern sensibilities with historic charm to provide a truly versatile venue that can be adapted to become the perfect venue for any event.

Finally, you may be wondering why the venue was named Clementine… and you’ll have to go on wondering. Dan and Brenda don’t want to explain the origin of the name as they feel it’s better to let their customers and guests use their imagination!

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Live legends utilises disguise to power dynamic shows at nightclubs across China.

When Creative Director Daan Oomen, of Amsterdam-based live experience architects Live Legends, created turnkey show experiences for a series of nightclubs in China, he turned to disguise pro range media servers to drive dynamic LED video screens at each location.

Daan developed the concept design for the clubs, including the interior design; lighting, video, laser and motion design, as well as show production.

He and his team also trained local crews to operate the shows to international standards. disguise media servers were chosen for their reliability, flexibility and ease of use in these high-profile, permanent installations.

The first One Third club opened in Beijing with the concept of bringing an old factory building back to life. The windows of the factory are embedded with 3mm LED video screens, which tell the story of the factory’s past, present and future. Live Legends produced six different timecode shows with dancers. The shows are programmed and locked so the local crew can run them throughout the night.

A smaller club related to One Third, OTKun opened next in Kunming. Its

concept embraces the power of darkness in the night and features massive LED video screens and organic forms in rectangular and cubic shapes.

Most recently, Hangzhou has expanded the clubbing scene with the launch of a brand new One Third club, adjacent to the new Cirque du Soleil Theatre.

Similar to its predecessor in Beijing, it’s built in an old factory - a former foundry turned train station - where the history comes to life for clubgoers via a large scale LED video canvas.

With One Third already recognised as the gold standard of nightclubs in China, Live Legends was asked to bring its extensive skills, knowledge and vision from the world of live events to the second location of the club. “We delivered all the creative elements from concept to execution, including show production and interior and technical design, which required coordinating all the visual disciplines and optimising the guest experience with flair and imagination,” said Daan.

Regarding all the Chinese clubs in Live Legends’ portfolio, he noted that: “The pixel maps of these clubs are insane. OTKun’s screens are 26K wide

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115 IN BRIEF - APAC

by 4K high, so the only choice to power them was using disguise. We also wanted a show control solution that the local teams would find easy to use. disguise made it possible to hook all the elements together, and, using a simple touchscreen, access the whole system and start a show with the touch of a finger.” “disguise media servers are capable of pushing all these pixels while remaining stable. We love the flexibility of the system as we have timecode shows followed by input from the local VJs mixed with pre-programmed base theme looks,” added Dave van Roon, Video Specialist and disguise Programmer at Live Legends.

“On our shows everything is connected,” he explained. “With SMPTE and UDP, for instance, the lighting desk will follow along with the shows so video, lighting, special effects, motion and lasers are all in sync. Once the system is programmed we go back home and the local crew, with no prior knowledge of disguise, has to operate it. So I developed a touchscreen interface with easy to use buttons. To start a show all they have to do is select which show to

play and press ‘go.’ If the VJ feed is still on the screen it will fade off before the show starts. And since it uses disguise Telnet communication, the interface is fast and always works.”

Dave noted that disguise was critical during the pre-production stage of each of the clubs as well. “We programmed all the shows in our studio in The Netherlands using disguise Visualiser and the Lightconverse 3D show platform. This way we could test all triggers and see how the content would work with the lighting, motion and lasers. So when we arrived at the venue we could focus on troubleshooting and tweaking the details,” he said.

“With projects of this scale there is a chance that the actual LED video screens are built slightly differently from the drawings,” Dave noted. “But within disguise, content mapping is conceptually separated from output mapping so you don’t have to worry about that. You can programme the show as designed and use the output feed to make sure it looks exactly the same.” www.disguise.one

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Photos: Seungyull Nah

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PARADISE CITY

Paradise City, located in Incheon, is the largest entertainment complex in South Korea, combining high-end hospitality with entertainment facilities, such as a hotel, casino, convention centre, shopping, spa, nightclub, shopping, carnival and performances.

C2 Artechnolozy (C2) was at the forefront of the design for the newly-opened Paradise City phase 1-2 project, which includes Chroma, the largest nightclub in East Asia, encompassing three separate nightclubs, Wonderbox, an indoor amusement park, and the boutique hotel, Art Paradiso. As well as these, the vast complex also features an Art Garden and the Paradise Walk areas.

C2 was responsible for designing and

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• Above The entrance to Wonderbox.

supervising the audio, visual and lighting systems, as well as the design, development, and supervision of the EBGM system (Enhanced Background Music) for the entire resort. In addition, the company was responsible for the design and construction of both the Chroma staging system and the audio, video, and lighting systems for the recently opened Wonderbox. Paradise City’s plan was to build a media infrastructure that differentiated itself from existing hotels and convention areas and C2 has delivered.

“From a media point of view, the facilities of existing hotels and convention centres seem to lack a lot of options to represent an ‘art-tainment’ resort, which combines art and entertainment,” stated Dongyup Kwak, the CEO of C2 Artechnolozy, who built a state-of-the-art integrated media infrastructure with very few limits, for each of the venues in Paradise City.

“C2 first wanted to upgrade the BGM, which is delivered to all

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facilities. However, the system for emergency broadcasting could not be changed. So, we focussed on the main spaces of the facility and differentiated it from the existing BGM system.

We named this system Enhanced BGM (EBGM), it is the first and greatest example of the world’s highest quality sound for background music.

We applied the DXD sample rate to go beyond the sound quality limit of 48kHz of existing hardware-based DSP sound source transmission and control systems.”

The EBGM system is based on eight Ovation servers (one per building plus one for redundancy), Horus, and Hapi interfaces from Swiss manufacturer, Merging Technologies. The system is capable of up to 384KHz or DXD (DXD - Digital eXtreme Definition at 352.8KHz) via the AES67 RAVENNA network. The 352.8KHz DXD EBGM was applied to 69 zones with 145 outputs, including four buildings and three outdoor spaces, and is the first time anywhere in the world

that a background music system supports and operates at DXD/384KHz quality throughout a whole resort area.

Utilising Apple’s iPad and Ovation’s Web Server functions, C2 designed the control interface so that each space within Paradise City can be individually controlled for its volume and channel, as well as for selecting sound sources of various genres through channel selection. With the iPad control system, the user can create a playlist to suit the location and taste, or it can be set to play back the selected music in a random order.

In order to reproduce differentiated sound sources with the highest quality, C2 chose Amadeus loudspeakers. After long discussions with Amadeus, the integrator chose Amadeus C Series - initially designed by Amadeus for the Paris-based Théâtre National de Chaillot (Chaillot National Theater) - PMX Series loudspeakers, and ABB 15 and ML12 Slim bespoke subwoofers.

Powersoft power amplifiers are applied throughout the boutique hotel, Art Paradiso to power the loudspeaker system.

“First of all, the top priority is quality and ease of control. In addition to that, we had to consider the quality, as well as how they look once they are installed in the venue. So, basically, we chose the loudspeaker that best suits all of those criteria,” said Dongyup.

“Amadeus loudspeakers are beautiful, compact and powerful, which means they were the perfect match for the luxurious surroundings. As well as the Amadeus loudspeakers, there are d&b audiotechnik and L-Acoustics boxes used in the club. L-Acoustics is also used for the EBMG areas, such as the Plaza and Infinity Bar at the Cimer Spa - there are weatherproof Bose loudspeakers in the spa, too.”

The Art Gallery at Paradise City is equipped with hanging tracks, power, and network terminals, with Amadeus PMX 5 D and ML 12 D active

Mission Control by Merging Paradise City demanded an ultra-high-quality DXD background music system and the integrator, C2 Artecholozy, knew there was only one system that would provide a multi-zone system with a host of additional features. Merging Technologies’ Ovation.

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TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND Amadeus PMX 5 loudspeakers; Amadeus PMX 8 loudspeakers; Amadeus PMX 5 S loudspeakers; Amadeus C6 loudspeakers; Amadeus C15 loudspeakers; Amadeus ABB 15 subwoofers; Amadeus ML 12 Slim subwoofers; Amadeus ML 12 D subwoofers; Merging Technologies Ovation servers; Merging Technologies Horus interfaces; Merging Technologies Hapi interfaces; Powersoft X8 DSP+ETH amplifiers Powersoft Ottocanali 12K4 amplifiers; L-Acoustics ARCS Wide loudspeakers; L-Acoustics ARCS Ⅱ loudspeakers; L-Acoustics SYVA loudspeakers; L-Acoustics 5XT loudspeakers; L-Acoustics KS28 subwoofers; L-Acoustics LA8 amplifier; L-Acoustics LA12X amplifier; d&b audiotechnik YI10P loudspeakers; d&b audiotechnik BI6 subwoofers; d&b audiotechnik Yi8 loudspeakers; d&b audiotechnik Vi10P loudspeakers; d&b audiotechnik Yi-SUB subwoofers; d&b audiotechnik D80 amplifier; d&b audiotechnik D20 amplifier; d&b audiotechnik GSL 8 loudspeakers; d&b audiotechnik GSL 12 loudspeakers; d&b audiotechnik SL-GSUB subwoofers; Bose 251 loudspeakers; Bose FREESPACE 360Ⅱloudspeakers; SSL Live L500Plus console LIGHTING, VISUAL & STAGING NovaStar MCTRL 660 LED controllers; RGBlink VSP628 PRO video processors; Panasonic PT-VZ580 projectors; Panasonic PT-RZ31K projectors; Panasonic PT-RZ21K projectors; Panasonic PT-RZ970 projectors; Moment Factory X-Agora X2PRO media servers; MA Lighting grandMA3 consoles; MA Lighting grandMA3 Compact XT consoles; MA Lighting MA onPC software; MOVECAT Plus Lite 500-8-HE-0 chain hoist lifts; MOVECAT MPC4ID8 & 4ID8-LM PLC controller AXYS controllers; MOVECAT NDB-6 network distributor; MOVECAT DMC 16-RS-H encoder splitters; MOVECAT LME 500-B4X load measurement cell www.p-city.com *extract only

“For the Wonderbox, Moment Factory’s X-Agora media server plays multichannel audio at 48KHz sample rate. There are also Ovation servers from Merging Technologies working as a master show controller. They control the X-Agora server with four sets of scheduled scenarios.”

loudspeakers to enable installation flexibility depending on the needs of the art installation. “The Amadeus loudspeaker is the only one that can satisfy both the luxury and high quality of hotels and art galleries. The system uses the AES67 DXD format for the EBGM system as well as a separate operation using a Dante network,” explained Dongyup.

C2 studied the interior and architectural design of Paradise City with Professor Kim Ji-kyung of Tuneworx, and specified the ideal loudspeaker arrangement for each space, including the Cimer Spa, Art Garden, Paradise Walk, the Chroma ticket booth and the Highline Park area.

In the Cimer Spa section of Paradise City, Amadeus PMX 5 and ML 12 Slim subwoofers were installed along with other complementary loudspeakers and audio equipment necessary for the indoor/outdoor environment.

There are two more buildings on either side of a wide square across from the hotel and spa buildings. One of the two buildings is the Wonderbox indoor amusement park. C2’s team managed the Wonderbox project: John Kim was Executive Manager; Suk-Hoon Lee was the Project Manager and designed all the audio, video and lighting systems including integration; and Taechan Moon was in charge of audiovisual construction.

Joshua Jeon was in charge of whole 2Dwww.mondodr.com

3D design, and designers Eunjung Kim and Yunhee Choi and Jeongeun Choi worked on the 2D-3D simulation and design of the audiovisual system.

C2 collaborated with Canada-based Moment Factory, which is in charge of the content. Dongyup explained further: “For the Wonderbox, Moment Factory’s X-Agora media server plays multi-channel audio at 48KHz sample rate. There are also Ovation servers from Merging Technologies working as a master show controller. They control the X-Agora server with four sets of scheduled scenarios.”

Wonderbox is equipped with over 60 Amadeus loudspeakers with Powersoft amplifiers and six Ovation servers from Merging Technologies for the show control and audio control.

On the other side of the building from Wonder Box is Chroma, which houses three clubs. C2 equipped the main club with an SSL Live L500Plus, as well as a full complement of d&b audiotechnik loudspeakers including the new GSL Series. Staging equipment at Chroma was designed and implemented using products from StageOne and Kinetic Lights.

As mentioned, C2 also installed the lighting throughout various areas of Paradise City. In Chroma, which was designed with multi-purpose performances in mind, a whole host of

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“Amadeus loudspeakers are beautiful, compact and powerful, which means they were the perfect match for the luxurious surroundings.

As well as the Amadeus loudspeakers, there are d&b audiotechnik and L-Acoustics boxes used in the club. L-Acoustics is also used for the EBMG areas, such as the Plaza and Infinity Bar at the Cimer Spa - there are weatherproof Bose loudspeakers in the spa, too.”

fixtures are utilised, with control coming from MA Lighting’s grandMA console, while a grandMA3 Light console is used for the special effects equipment.

“For the Wonderbox, there are two separate lighting networks,” said Dongyup. “Moving heads, fixed lights, such as spot and ellipsoidal fixtures, are controlled by a grandMA3 console. The grandMA network is configured with grandMA3 CompactXT and MA onPC, so it has complete redundancy.

“We used Luminex GigaCore 26i switching hubs, GrandMA3 2 port nodes, Luminex Ethernet-DMX 2 MKII truss and Luminex Ethernet-DMX 4 MKII truss nodes for network and DMX signal convert.

“The other lighting network controls the festoon lights, which are controlled by Art-Net from Moment Factory’s X-Agora Server. The rest of the area use normal interior lighting.”

To further enhance Paradise City’s immersive environment, C2 installed the visual elements throughout the complex.

Dongyup takes up the story: “We’ve used www.mondodr.com

16 Panasonic PT-RZ31K 31,000 ANSI lumen laser projectors and a disguise 4x4 pro media server for outdoor projection mapping. We’re operating projection mapping on the wall of Chroma 52.6-metres by 27-metres - at the Chroma Square and Wonderbox - 70-metres by 20-metres - at the Art Garden. We’re also preparing interactive visual using motion tracking.”

“There are 14 Panasonic PT-RZ21K 21,000 ANSI lumen laser projectors.

They are used for projection mapping on a curtain shaped interior wall inside WonderBox. Also, two Panasonic PT-RZ970 10,000 ANSI lumen laser projectors are used for projection mapping on the Wonderbox logo that people can see when they enter through the entrance door.

“For the main club in the Chroma, we’ve designed and made moving LED panels for the centre and side screens on stage.

The main club also features 274 sq metres of LED panels. The second club and water club are equipped with a 6.5-metres by two-metres and 13.5-metres by two-

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metres each. We applied 5,000-10,000 ANSI lumen Panasonic projectors for the rest of the small areas or for portable use.”

For visual control throughout the complex C2 used a combination of NovaStar MCTRL 660 LED controllers and RGBlink VSP628 PRO video processors. The NovaStar MCTRL 660’s have a built-in HDMI input, as well as a DVI input allowing the content to play easily, which was a huge benefit for this large project. While the RGBlink video processors offer video scaler, scan converter, switcher and transcoder functionalities, which convert any input signal format to any

output signal format.

One of the most striking things about the project at Paradise City is that the sound, video, and lighting control systems have redundant components created by C2 design, so that if some part of a control system fails, the lights, sound or video can still continue to be controlled without downtime.

C2 Artechnolozy was involved in many aspects, from design, through supervision, and construction, and also many of its operations.

The company manages the day-to-day directing and operating of the club’s systems. Under the

direction of Kim Nam-hoon, C2’s staff, and several partner companies run all the technical systems and produce a slightly different show every hour.

Dongyup concluded: “The Paradise install was a huge challenge for us, no one has ever done a project this large in Korea.”

Paradise City was first opened at the end of September 2018 and, with the opening of Wonderbox in March 2019, the entire project was finally complete. As the biggest single site of its kind in South Korea, it was a huge task to take on, but C2 overcame all of the project’s difficulties, completing and stabilising each individual system.

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FICTION CLUB CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA APAC

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Canberra is a city renowned for its political landmarks and laid-back approach to Australian culture. However, home to an array of exciting, stylish bars, it has always held a mischievous love for cult entertainment and a good party. After taking over the former, very popular Academy club, Fiction has re-shaped the city’s nightlife and newly thriving club culture.

The venue is held in the unique space that was once home to a traditional cinema, and with entertainment already engrained in the walls, Fiction now holds some of the most vibrant club nights the city has to offer. Not only is the venue a place to let your hair down after a gruelling nine-to-five week, it’s also a cultural hub, providing a creative space for emerging talent in the art field to thrive.

Holding weekly nights such as ‘Techno Thursdays’, Fiction offers a full party schedule, proving popular with those looking to enjoy a mid-week dance in the comfort of their own city. Without the need to travel to Australia’s larger metropolises like Sydney and Melbourne, Fiction is pioneering a new era of popular clubbing, welcoming live art, theatre and innovative performances, too. Fiction has firmly brought the charismatic space back

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• Above The main room inside Fiction.

to life and is continuing to paint smiles on the faces of Canberra’s many night owls.

Elite Event Technology (EET) took on this project and with such a busy schedule that sees the venue being used for theatre shows, art installations and live gigs, Fiction needed to be kitted out with some of the best technology at hand. The brief for the lighting, according to Darren Russell, Managing Director of EET was: “Big, bold, kick ass and to look totally different to what Academy did in the space.”

So, ChamSys and ACME were brought in to help give the club that courageous illumination. Darren contacted ULA Group to supply all the lighting equipment.

“There is a rear truss on stage with the LED screen suspended from it, this truss

line also has U drop frames either side of the screen for lighting. There is also a square truss grid out in the room around the main dancefloor area and some lighting bars installed under the mezzanine floor of the floor above,” explained Darren.

When asked about the reason behind using ChamSys and ACME Darren said: “We have used ChamSys control in several club installations, we find it works very well for this, it is user friendly and the media server integration and pixel mapping capabilities work very well in this type of environment. ACME have good reliability, a good feature set and are great value for money with great warranty.”

Working in conjunction with the lighting fixtures, the club also houses complex visuals that work well

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• Above The control desk inside Fiction , along with the LED screens provided by VuePix and control from NovaStar.

with the diverse range of genres and innovative movements that pass through, dancing in front of its shapeshifting logo.

Guided along by the kaleidoscopic LED displays provided by VuePix infiLED, the experience for attendees is heightened, again adding to the uniqueness of the club that is proving to be at the centre of its success.

“There is a 16:9 screen flown above and behind the DJ on stage and then a DJ fasia screen the same width as the flown screen in front of the DJ position. We use VuePix infiLED LED products exclusively in our rental stock and have done for many years now, we know they’re reliable so that’s our reason for always going back,” furthered Darren.

In a space like Fiction, the sound system is, of course, equally important. EET wanted to provide a powerful system that could accommodate all kinds of live acts

if required in the future. It needed to be able to switch between the chest rattling bass lines of new techno to the sombre tones of an independent art exhibition with ease. Therefore, Turbosound’s TFA600H loudspeakers were used along with Turbosound TSW-218 subwoofers to achieve this.

“As the entire system is a permanent rental, we decided to try and use existing rental stock for the audio, while still providing the brief as required by the client,” explained Darren. “There are two main L-R line array hangs of six elements each, with a subwoofer array featuring six cabinets across the front of the entire stage. There is then a delay using the QSC AD-S10T surface mount loudspeakers.

Martin Audio CDD10’s and CSX212B-F subwoofers are used for the upper bar level on the mezzanine floor. The design works well as the system has

an incredible amount of headroom and sheer horsepower for the main dancefloor area, while still maintaining good control in the bar area, so that the staff can hear drinks orders and converse with the patrons.

“We also used Lab.gruppen PLM Series amplifiers, these power the Turbosound systems, provide reliability and have onboard Lake loudspeaker processing,” continued Darren. Yamaha MTX Series DSPs were also used on this project for audio processing and routing, a regular installation product of choice for the team at EET on this style of project.

Punters and performers both benefit from such a powerful sound system, this was portrayed in the clubs most recent hosting of Australian DJ, ‘Made in Paris’, who packed out the venue and transformed the space into an electronic pop paradise driving in and out of

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textured techno and deep moods.

Fiction is an impressive refit of a building that already had some exciting stories to tell. The landscape of the venue had changed quite significantly, so this was a large part of the design process along with how the venue was operating and what needed to be newly incorporated.

This meant that in turn, some difficulties arose during the installation. “We had limited time, the building project originally allowed three weeks

for our installation, this ended up becoming four days, this meant we had to throw an army of people at it and everyone worked some very long days,” concluded Darren.

The club has already equipped itself with the best technology to host its ongoing programme of quirky activities that are bringing a new life to Canberra’s club scene. Fiction has incorporated innovative lighting, visuals and a fresh sound system to create a matchless environment for

universal ravers of all kinds. It has been driven by a passion for creative innovation, from the DJs who perform to the packed-out Monday to Sunday crowds, to the lighting designers involved in the creation of the spectacular interior re-fit, Fiction club has, so far, been a soaring success.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND 6 x Martin Audio CDD10 loudspeaker; 2 x Martin Audio CSX212B-F subwoofer; 3 x QSC Audio RMX2450 amplifier; 1 x Australian Monitor Is600 amplifier; 2 x QSC Audio AD S6T loudspeakers; 1 x Crestron SAROS ICI6T-W-T loudspeaker; 6 x Turbosound TSW-218 subwoofer; 12 x Turbosound TFA-600H Flexarray line array element; 2 x Turbosound iQ12 monitor; 4 x QSC Audio AD-S10T loudspeaker; 4 x Lab. gruppen PLM10000Q 4 amplifier; 2 x Lab.gruppen PLM14000Q amplifier; 1 x QSC Audio RMX2450 amplifier; 1 x Yamaha MTX 5D processor; 1 x Yamaha EXI8 input expander; 1 x Yamaha EXO8 output expander; 3 x Yamaha DCP4V4S remote panel; 3 x Pioneer DJM-900 NXS2 DJ mixer; 8 x Pioneer CDJ-2000 NXS2 multiplayer LIGHTING 1 x ChamSys MagicQ MaxiWing control surface; 1 x ChamSys MagicQ software package; 1 x ArKaos Media Master Pro Software package; 2 x ACME EN28 Art-Net DMX converter; 24 x ACME XA-100BSW Rayzor hybrid moving head; 16 x ACME XA-400PRO Energy Spot Pro moving head; 8 x ACME CM-300ZR-II LED washlight; 20 x ACME TB-1230-QW Dotline 360 LED batten; 8 x Martin by HARMAN Rush 5x5 strobe panel; 2 x MDG ATME haze generator 2 x Litecraft PD332SPX power distro; 1 x Litecraft PD332SAA power distro; 2 x HP E230t 23inch touch screen monitor VIDEO 88 x VuePix infiLED E6.25 Mesh LED screen panel; 10 x VuePix infiLED E Series dual flybar; 1 x VuePix infiLED E Series single flybar; 2 x NovaStar MCTRL600 screen processor; 2 x RGBlink X1 scaler / switcher STAGING 13 x Mojo straight crowd barrier; 3 x Global Truss 1800 x 600 DJ / stage deck; 12 x Global Truss 900mm rolling stage deck legs; 2 x 2.5m CLS 300mm box truss; 4 x CLS four-metre 300mm box truss; 2 x CLS five-metre 300mm box truss; 3 x 2.5-metre Global Truss F32 flat truss; 4 x CLS 300mm cube joiner; 8 x Global Truss U1100 frame; 2 x Global Truss U frame header bar; 8 x Chain Master CMBGV-D8-1000-20-2 one ton chain hoist; 1 x Chain Master CM-Manual-Control-830001 motor controller www.fctn.com

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• Page 142

IN BUSINESS

• Page 134

• Page 144

SHOW PREVIEW LDI LAS VEGAS

EXPO PRO AVL INDONESIA JAKARTA

BY RACHAEL ROGERSON-THORLEY

EXPO MEDIATECH JOHANNESBURG

BY STEW HUME

WAVE SUMMER SPECTACULAR

OPEN DAY AMINA TECHNOLOGIES

NEW DISTRIBUTION CENTRE TRONIOS

PRODUCT LAUNCH • Page 152 • Page 166

• Page 148

ETC & HIGH END SYSTEMS

• Page 192

MARTIN BY HARMAN

COMPANY VISIT ANNIVERSARY NEXO

IN DETAIL GENELEC CITY THEATRICAL SYCRONORM STAGE TEC

PRODUCT GUIDE MICROPHONES & CABLING

PRODUCT DIRECTORY LAST PAGE INTERVIEW SIMON HICKS - SIXEYE

134 SH OW P REVIEW - LDI

LDI

22-24 October Las Vegas Convention Center Live Design International (LDI) has been connecting design, tech and production to the live audience experience. As the leading conference and tradeshow for live design professionals from all around the globe, LDI hosts over 14,000 members of the production community, working in a wide range of international live and broadcast venues - festivals, corporate events, theatre, concerts, clubs, theme parks, architainment, and houses of worship. www.ldishow.com

Adam Hall Cameo OPUS SP5 Stand No.: 217 www.cameolight.com/opus-series → Profile spot moving head with 300W full colour RGBAL-LED. → Display the complete colour spectrum with CRI >90 and TLCI 93. → High-quality optics with especially long zoom range of 6° to 44°. → Even projection without colour shadows. → Fourfold diaphragm slider system with +/- 45° rotation.

ADJ Lighting Hydro Wash X7 Stand No.: 612 www.adj.com/hydro-wash-x7 → 280W LED IP65 outdoor rated moving head wash designed for indoor or outdoor use. → Seven Osram 40W RGBW (four in one) LEDs. → IP65 outdoor rated – protects fixture from dust, sand, moisture and liquid. → Motorised Zoom: 6° to 40°. → WiFLY wireless DMX built-in, up to 2,500ft / 700-metre line of sight.

Chromateq Pixxem Stand No.: 450 www.chromateq.com → Brand-new software Pixxem, which completes the company software range of DMX controllers will be on display. → Pixxem is the ideal solution for all pixel-mapping projects (multiple DMX and 3D matrices, LED strips and DVI), available on Mac OS X and Windows. → Provides efficient easy control of the most ambitious projects, with up to 255 Art-Net universes and an unprecedented user-friendly experience with Chromateq’s touch screen user interface. → Features include more than 500 effects for unlimited combination possibility, a fixture patch, profile editor, effects and transitions managements, customisable live mode, audio timeline synchronisation. → Free download available on the Chromateq website. www.mondodr.com

135 SH OW P REVIEW - LDI

Elation Professional Proteus Maximus Stand No.: 602 www.elationlighting.com/proteus-maximus → Brightest LED Profile on the market - 50,000 lumens. → IP65 and multi-functional: profile, beam, wash. → Efficient 950W 6,500K white LED engine, 180mm front aperture. → CMY CTO, six colours, rotating and fixed gobos, animation, iris, dual prism, dual frost. → Indexable full blackout framing system, 5.5° to 55° zoom.

LDR Astro 600 Stand No.: 231 www.ldr.it www.CantoUSA.com

KVANT LD 33 Spectrum RGBY Stand No.: 1675 www.kvantlasers.sk → 33W output and laser beam divergence of only 0.5mrad (measured at a full angle) offer extraordinary brightness and long-range visibility of projections. → The system is fitted with 532nm and 577nm coherent OPSL heads, ensuring brilliant-white and a more extensive range of other mixed colours. → Motorised dichroic filters for quick and easy colour alignment via integrated FB4 interface or Pangolin Beyond software are built-in as standard. → The projector comes with fast and precise Saturn9 scanning. → Spectrum systems are robust, IP54 rated and suitable for touring and other demanding applications.

→ The Astro 600 produces an astonishingly pure white beam of light with an extremely flat field - this unit produces an incredible output with its integrated stateof-the art LED engine and electronic control system. → Features a six-disc removable colour changer, sizing iris and movable clamp-on digital dimmer slide, a 7000K, single-source COB, which prevents any colour shift during dimming and a double-condenser optics system with variable zoom from 8° to 16°. Standard five pin XLR for DMX 512 with RDM control integrated into the fixture. → Unparalleled smooth dimming curve, compact size and lightweight with two large user-friendly side handles, maximum throw distance is 50-metres. → Universal power supply: 100/260vac makes this followspot suitable for any installation worldwide. → A full range of accessory options are available: custom flight case, five and or six colour changer, standard spigot or fluid head spigot, gobo holder and sizing iris complements the range.

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136 SH OW P REVIEW - LDI

RGBlink X14 Stand No.: 8.A41 www.rgblink.com → Large scale video processing for modern events and venues. → Control multiple video displays as complete systems. → Support for 12 simultaneous 4K at 60 inputs of any signal. → Output 80 mega pixels in virtually any format. → A whole new way to control with XPOSE 2.0.

ROE Visual Amber Stand No.: 302 www.roevisual.com → The Amber LED platform by ROE Visual offers uncomplicated installation, adaptable design and easy low-key maintenance. → Amber offers a fine pitch LED platform for environments where excellent visuals count - deliverable in pitches ranging from 0.9mm till 1.5mm. → Equipped with robust IM components, the LED performance will be flawless from the start and will keep that way - no matter how often it’s used. → Amber offers a seamless canvas with zero bezel tolerances. Goodbye to disturbing white or dark lines in the display, and content will be displayed as it is - no visual noise, just pure brilliant visuals. → The Amber LED platform is equipped with a fully redundant power supply system, so users don’t need to worry about unplanned downtime of the screens. The dual power supply will keep the panels up - and running at all times.

Truss Aluminium Factory 5-Point Truss TT45 Stand No.: 1431, North Hall www.trussaluminium.com → New product recently added to TAF’s production portfolio represents a remarkable solution for event management and onsite-crews in terms of safety, fast and easy assembly, extra load bearing capacity. → Extended square format truss with a bottom chord provides a much safer solution for clamping LED panels, light systems or any other equipment. → The centre bottom tube is connected to the outer chord by cross tubes – ladder style horizontal bracing in the bottom level of the truss. → Fully compatible with all Truss Aluminium Factory truss systems. → Straight segment lengths available up to threemetres.

www.mondodr.com

138 EX P O

MEDIATECH

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA / 17-19 JULY

The biennial event in South Africa showcased the latest technology for the installation and live event markets, and attracted more than 7,500 visitors and 800 brands to the Ticketpro Dome in Johannesburg.

Absen promoted a range of LED display products at Mediatech. Partnering with its exclusive South African distributor, DWR Distribution, Absen was located at stand D28 with hosts Ricky Qiu, Jessica Xiao and Allen Zhang.

With over 30,000 successful customer references from some 120 countries, Absen LED panels were found on indoor and outdoor stages, exhibitions, television studios, shopping malls and advertising billboards.

Visitors to Mediatech witnessed the Absen iCon 138 boardroom screens, Polaris Lite 3.9 indoor screens and the Absen N2 Plus’ in-action.

Clay Paky and its South African distributor, DWR Distribution, welcomed lighting professionals to meet with Massimo Bolandrina, Clay Paky Sales Manager, and Kevin Stannet, Sales Representative from DWR Distribution, at stand number B22 to view and learn about Clay Paky’s products.

This year, Clay Paky put the new Xtylos on

display, a laser-based compact beam moving light with unique optical and chromatic characteristics. This laser source, lasting for 10,000 hours, is enclosed in a reliable, safe and fully sealed module and it is the powerful engine of an incredible array of colours. The beam aperture is less than 2° and it can be decreased further to 0.5°. Furthermore, the stand displayed the Sharpy Plus, Mini B-Eye, B-Eye K15, B-Eye K25, Axcor 300, Axcor 400 and the Axcor 600.

With a list of international guests attending, the exhibition saw some of the world’s leading equipment manufacturers, distributed by DWR Distribution, hosting stands at this year’s exhibition, including Robe, Clay Paky, Absen, Prolyte, Visual Productions and Quest.

“We wanted to make DWR a central hub for people to unwind, meet up with our team and catch up with our international suppliers,” said Robert Izzett from DWR. On the DWR stand, visitors were able to have a drink or enjoy a cup of coffee. Then, a few steps away, they had the opportunity to see the latest products being demonstrated, as product specialists on the Robe, Absen, Clay Paky, Prolyte, Visual Productions and Quest stands

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brought the latest and greatest in entertainment technology to the show. “Our suppliers have jumped on board with great enthusiasm, and we know their passion will contribute to creating a fantastic vibe at Mediatech Africa,” said Robert.

Mediatech hosted three presentation zones, where discussions and training sessions were held. “This is a great initiative by Mediatech, and DWR along with our suppliers, are glad to contribute to the conversation,” he concluded.

Green Hippo and DWR highlighted how technology is changing the face of creative design and human experiences, and showcased the boundary-pushing Hippotizer Media Server range of solutions for real-time media playback and 3D mapping.

Visitors were invited to stand C20 to witness the creative possibilities that the powerful new features of the latest Hippotizer software - V4.5.

The team demonstrated the most recent software features developed in response to end-user feedback, including Object to Output, a new output mapping workflow.

Created as an invaluable live events tool, Object to Output ensures users can directly map content to outputs inside Hippotizer’s 3D workspace,

139 EX P O

ingeniously simplifying the management of large numbers of displays. It also allows users to integrate multiple moving set elements seamlessly, map a single video across numerous displays or dynamically adjust the perspective of the content.

Another feature designed to augment the creative user’s artistic expression is Hippotizer’s BeatBridge feature, which allows Hippotizer parameters to respond, in real time, to an audio input, via MIDI or DMX, be it the beat of the music or the intensity of a crowd.

In addition, on 17 July at Zone 3, stand C30, Green Hippo’s product specialist Suzy Stenning presented a fascinating and informative introduction to Media Servers for Live Production. Visitors learned about real-time output configuration and playback, basic set-up, hardware benefits and options as well as a range of popular software features.

Later on, the same day, and at the same location from 2.30pm to 3.30pm, Suzy presented Projection Mapping and 3D Workflow, covering the different types of Projection Mapping, 2D and 3D workflow and how Hippotizer and SHAPE can be used to streamline processes,

followed by a deep dive into a case study on the Houston Energy City 3D Mapping project.

Throughout the show, the Green Hippo and DWR teams were stationed on stand C20 to answer any questions visitors hed, whether they were seasoned users or new to the creative and business potential of media servers.

The Prolyte stand presented some of the most innovative entertainment solutions on the market, including the game-changing Verto truss and the LSU system for supporting LED Systems in a safe way. Greeting visitors were Paul Hadfield and John Postma from Prolyte to get more information. As official distributors in South Africa, DWR worked alongside the Prolyte team.

The Verto truss is a revolutionary system, making truss connection fast, silent and safe. The Verto truss brings a totally new perspective on truss assembly. This truss can vastly improve the daily working practice for technicians; its tool-less connection is almost completely silent, thereby adding significantly to safety on the work floor.

Tested general sound levels are around 55dB, where a conical truss system generates a sound level of 80dB during assembly. Furthermore, it reduces assembly and disassembly time. Tested

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general assembly times are up to five times faster than those for truss with conical coupling systems and 10 times faster than any bolted truss.

The LSU Series is a range of products to facilitate safe erection or suspension of LED systems. The LSU Series offers solutions for either suspending your LED systems or building LED systems from ground level.

The LSU Series comprises three solutions to suspend your LED system: H40R, H40V-MB, S52SV-MB. The trusses with middle beam are both compatible with the regular truss series and one universal solution to build LED walls of different manufacturers, the LED Stack system.

All systems offer sound constructive solutions and user safety.

The ProLyft Aetos range of entertainment hoists is fully equipped to meet future demands in lifting equipment and offers smart features and carefully engineered product attributes. It comprises standard 250kg, 500kg, and 1,000kg hoists and controls. Every hoist is equipped with limit switches and has a fixed speed of four-metre per minute. The Aetos has a specially designed disentangle plate for optimal chain feeding; this reduces 90% of locking chains.

140 EX P O

Audio professionals at the tradeshow met with Frank Andrewartha, Quest Engineering Product Manager, and Jaco Beukes from DWR Distribution, the South African Distributor of Quest, to learn and view about some of the audio solutions that Quest provides.

The stand located at D28 the team hosted a variety of products from the Quest Engineering range including the QM450A two-way stage monitor, QM600ASi active 15-inch sub-bass, HPI8i and HPI110 high intelligibility two-way passive speakers and the HPI111 mid-powered voice and music projection system along with a select collection of IP67 products from Quest’s installed loudspeaker range.

Robe lighting presented a selection of its latest moving lights and LED technology on stand C18, marking the second time that Robe hosted its own stand at Mediatech, supporting its very proactive local distributor, DWR Distribution.

Expo visitors met key Robe personel including CEO Josef Valchar, International Sales Director, Harry von den Stemmen, theatre and performing arts specialist Dave Whitehouse - who previously worked at DWR Distribution - lighting and media designer, Nathan Wan and technical specialist, Radim Zlebek.

Robe continued to celebrate its 25th year of business and creativity, bringing innovation, reliability and excellent product design to the diverse and dynamic world of entertainment technology, with several cool Robe products, including the T1 Profile, T1 Wash, SuperSpikie, SilverScan, BMFL FollowSpots, BMFL WashBeam, MegaPointe, RoboSpot, Divine 160.

Stage Audio Works was once again on-hand to support the biennial event with its characteristic large stand, highlighting some of the latest products from major international brands, as well as its own locally manufactured technology.

As well as this, Stage Audio Works also had a presence at the outdoor live sound demonstration area, featuring daily demonstrations of the VIO L208 from dB Technologies was a highlight of

Mediatech.

“The real benefit of any tradeshow is getting technology into the hands of end users and discussing how it can help them,” said Shaun Xavier, Marketing Manager at Stage Audio Works. “We have seen how Mediatech has enabled us to do this in the past and we are looking forward to highlighting how our technology can benefit projects of all shapes and sizes right across Africa.”

Visual Productions BV exhibited its range of architectural lighting controllers. In close cooperation with South African distributor, DWR Distribution, the team invited lighting professionals from the African region to visit the Ticketpro Dome in Johannesburg.

Located on booth C23, Maarten Engels, the Managing Director of Visual Productions, Iveta Čevorová, the Marketing Manager of Visual Productions and Johnny Scholtz, an Architectural Lighting Sales representative from DWR Distribution - presented a great opportunity to learn more about the company’s interactive lighting control solutions from Visual Productions.

The brand new KIOSC, an app for creating custom touchscreen user interfaces for the Visual Productions’ range of lighting controllers was on show. Visual Productions also showcased the CueCore2 multi-protocol architectural lighting controller, QuadCore 4-universe solid-state lighting controller, IoCore2 GPIO interface module, B-Station wall-mount button panel, TimeCore a modern timecode toolbox, Cuety LPU-2 entry level lighting control software for IOS and Android, RdmSplitter and the Rackmount a 19-inch adapter for two Cores.

Mediatech will return in 2021, but dates have yet to be announced. For more information, go to: www.mediatech.co.za

www.mondodr.com

Pub_Mondo_236x333_0919.qxp_Mise en page 1 06/09/2019 11:58 Page1

Here is DINO, the new generation LED Spot moving head.

Twenty years after the famous Starway Servo Spot 250, it's the first projector in a new ultra compact and powerful range: 8000 lumens, 11.5 kg for a height of 47 cm, linear zoom of 10 to 25°, wheel of 8 colors, wheel of 6 rotary and indexable gobos, wheel of 6 fixed gobos, 5-facet linear and 6-facet circular prism, frost.

www.star-way.com

142 EX P O

• The Bose stand

• The show entrance

PRO AVL INDONESIA JAKARTA, INDONESIA / 18-20 JULY

Following two successful outings in Singapore, the co-exhibiting tradeshows, PRO AVL Indonesia and Tourism Technology Asia, this year moved location, favouring Jakarta after identifying Indonesia as a growing market.

The three-day show, held in conjunction with a further two exhibitions - Broadcast & Media Tech and Music Indonesia - aimed to cater for the entertainment, leisure, hospitality and tourism industries.

As it was my first time visiting Jakarta, it was great to meet some distributors from the region for the first time. However, there were also some familiar faces from neighbouring Singapore.

Robe Asia-Pacific exhibited, having recently employed someone on the ground in Indonesia.

MD of Robe Asia-Pacific, Jens Poehlker made the short flight, and had a positive report for the show - after he met some new customers and reacquainted the Robe brand with the Indonesian

• FBT products on display at the Promedia Solutions stand

www.mondodr.com

market.

Lighting & Sound Distribution was also present.

Despite having offices and a larger presence in both Singapore and Malaysia, the company does represent brands in Indonesia, too. A new manufacturer for the latter market is Laserworld and to show its commitment to the new distributor, Norbert Stangl attended the show, and introduced the Laserworld product range to the visitors.

• Yosua Yan Heriyantgo of Promedia Solution with Norman Lim of beyerdynamic

143 EX P O

• Jason Echols of EK Lights with Louis Teo of Lighting & Sound Distribution

• The Kairos team

• Live band performance

• Jens Poehlker of Robe AsiaPacific

• One of the many seminars that took place during the three-day event

• The ASIIS team with representatives from Laserworld

Beyerdynamic distributor, Promedia Solutions also had support from Singapore in the form of Kamal Mahtani and Norman Lim, and collectively they showed off the new company branding the manufacturer has recently changed its colour branding, which now features an eye-catching orange and grey logo.

In addition to the exhibition stands, there was a full seminar programme including training sessions across the three-day event, as well as an awards presentation during the first evening, which was followed by a live band performance and offered an opportunity to network.

When speaking to the local companies, many of them said the first few months of the year had been a little slower than expected, but that times were changed • The Electro-Voice stand

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and they were beginning to see a lot more projects in the pipeline - largely in the install market, but also in the live event industry, too.

As a first edition of a regional tradeshow, organisers Krista Exhibitions, GIEC and EXPOSASIA, delivered what was expected, and the general consensus appeared to be positive. The organisers have already decided to stay in Jakarta, rather than move back to Singapore or another country in the region, so let’s see what next year brings.

PRO AVL Indonesia will return to the JIEXPO in Jakarta on 28-30 July 2020.

For more information go to: https://avlindonesia.com

• VMB towers and Waves Live on display

144 WOMEN IN AV

WOMEN IN AV | SUMMER SPECTACULAR Women in AV is a group spread across all areas of the audiovisual industry. It constantly looks to push and expose females at the forefront of some of the sectors most inspiring work, whilst educating others about its empowering message. Abigail Brown, Managing Director at Openingz and leader of Women in AV UK, explained the latest event the group held.

It just so happened that our most recent Women in AV (WAVE) event was held on the 27 July 2019, the hottest day of the year. Despite the heat, a high number of attendees joined us, and we were also very pleased to see the highest number of men in the audience too! A trend we hope to see continue.

Every year we look forward to our ‘Summer Spectacular’ and make a real effort to make it fun and memorable, but also most importantly, where our attendees can take some real value - whether that is making new introductions and connections, picking up new ideas or simply learning a different perspective on something that will help them move forward.

Women in AV as an organisation has always been keen to demonstrate through our actions that we are a truly inclusive community, encourag-

ing everyone to be collaborative and supportive whenever possible.

This summer’s event was hosted by our long-term supporter, Kevin McLoughlin, and our venue, the beautiful Chandos House, was indeed an ideal setting for the theme of our evening. There was a special reason we chose storytelling - firstly, because we thought it was about time we heard directly from some women currently within the audiovisual industry - where they have come from, what they have achieved, what challenges have led them to where they are now and what has helped them make key decisions on what can be a difficult journey.

Conducting research into why storytelling can also be valuable for business showed us that stories simply help us to relate, empathise and ultimately remember. I know this for myself, having www.mondodr.com

attended numerous conferences, tradeshows and networking meets throughout my career so far.

An organisation in the USA, Wirebuzz.com talks about four superpowers, and I focus on number four: memorability.

The speakers who contributed to the evening were all well received, given the positive feedback we have heard. There was certainly a mix of laughter and some high emotions in the room.

As a key part of WAVE’s mission is networking, before the main event kicked off our attendees had a full hour to engage and meet one another.

There was a great atmosphere in the room and many relationships were formed (with the unbearable heat being high on people’s agenda)!

A screen was up and recognised both the sponsors for the event, but also those organisations who have kindly backed us these past few months

145 WOMEN IN AV

Sam Gibbs - Global Shure Audio Institute Specialist “This was the first Women in AV event that I had attended, and I was honoured to be asked to share my story. It’s wonderful to see so many people becoming involved in the industry, and groups like WAVE offer a fantastic opportunity to support others and champion the audiovisual world. To hear from the other women who shared their stories was a truly inspirational and humbling experience, and I look forward to becoming more involved in WAVE events in the future.”

Jo Harris - HR Manager at AT&C Professional Systems “It was an honour to be involved in such an inspirational evening. Women in AV is a fantastic stage to network and grow yourself and business. I am truly thrilled to be involved with this outstanding group of individuals and look forward to the next event.”

Toni Moss - Managing Director at CDEC and Director of Women in AV “Working alongside Abi this last year has really taught me about overcoming obstacles, she is a true inspiration.

With everything she is going through, she teaches you about humility, dedication and fighting for what you believe in. WAVE is a great organisation and it’s all down to the dedication and hard work Abi has put into it, and I wanted to pay homage to this in my speaking slot at the event this year. It was such a nerve-racking experience for me, as I was talking about something that was very personal to me and my family. I feel it was a story that could help people in the audience. I was shaking like a leaf at the beginning, but by the end I started to see how engaged the audience were. My story touched on some of the struggles I have had with the business when I initially took it over after the death of my partner. But nothing comes easy in this life and you need to fight for what you believe in. The feedback on the night was amazing and I had quite a few people come up to me afterwards saying I touched their hearts.

It was very empowering to hear such warm words.”

Emma Bigg - Director at Octavius RE “Several attendees came up to me afterwards to say they’d had a very similar experience to mine and that they got something from my advice in how to deal with that type of situation. We also had more men attending and I spoke to a few of them afterwards.

Their overriding experience was not only did they learn from the talks, but it made a refreshing change from more traditional networking events. This was all very encouraging to hear and I think it also shows that the quality, and variety of events WAVE are hosting are really hitting the mark.”

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146 WOMEN IN AV

“Our key mission is ultimately working hard to empower and educate women in the audiovisual workforce through learning, networking and now mentoring opportunities.”

for our first mentoring program.

When it was time to open the event I seeked assistance from my team colleague, Toni Moss, Managing Director at CDEC. At every event we share details about who we are, what we do, why we do it, and of course share an update about where we are in our growth plans.

We share how important it is that women are listened to and feel valued, as it’s important we retain them in the industry.

They have skills and talent we don’t want to lose. Therefore, it makes absolute sense that our activities are designed to empower, support, educate, inspire and ensure our goals and challenges are discussed - our key mission is ultimately working hard to empower and educate women in the audiovisual workforce through learning, networking and now mentoring opportunities.

With the above in mind we thought the theme of storytelling from women inside our industry was important. We were grateful to the following for their contributions - our gold sponsor; Sam Gibbs, from Shure, followed by Pat Jobs at AV www.mondodr.com

Jobs, Jo Harris at AT&C Professional Systems, Toni Moss at CDEC, Emma Bigg, Managing Director & founder at Octavius RE, and closing with my story about a personal journey coping with cancer treatment alongside building my recruitment business and leading Women in AV. Every story offered something different and really gave us something to think about - the feedback we received afterwards was that attendees had found us to be very inspiring, seeing how we have coped with challenges within the industry and the positive outcomes we have been met with.

We will certainly focus more on storytelling at our future events, but in the interim stay tuned for some very exciting news about Women in AV and our mission moving forward. www.womeninav.com @WomenInAV @OpeningzByAbi

Affordability. Expandability.

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SD12 Advert August 2019 - MONDO.indd 1

30/08/2019 13:44

148 COMPANY VISIT

MARTIN BY HARMAN | COMPANY VISIT As you drive into the carpark of Martin by HARMAN’s Hemel-Hempstead office, you would be forgiven for thinking that this is yet another anonymous industrial park on the outskirts of London. However, once you pass through its glass doors, you step into a showcase room unlike any other. Due to the sheer scope of the HARMAN brand - not to mention the reach of its parent company, Samsung - you find that its products find their way into a variety of industries.

The London Experience Centre, which houses a selection of ‘sets’ to demonstrate the various uses of its products, shows off the sheer volume of solutions that it can deliver to its customers.

From a mock retail outlet that uses the latest custom recognition software to provide tailored adverts, to the hotel rooms with the latest smart technology giving a glimpse into future hospitality.

One such scenario was HARMAN demonstrat-

ing the latest JBL VTX A12’s, complete with a Soundcraft Vi2000 and a lighting rig with a collection of Martin by HARMAN fixtures. The later was actually the reason for mondo*dr’s visit to the London headquarters, to hear from some of the Martin by HARMAN team - including Peter Skytte, Director of Lighting, as well as our tour guide for the next few days, the company’s Director of Global Communications, David Glaubke - about the future of the lighting branch of the organisation.

Since Samsung’s acquisition of HARMAN in 2017, a great deal of work has gone into fine-tuning the Martin by HARMAN side of the business.

During the initial evaluation stage, the company created three goals: to optimise its R&D footprint; to improve product differentiation; and to boost the amount and speed at which new products come to market.

To achieve these goals, Martin by HARMAN went about consolidating its assets both in terms www.mondodr.com

of people and locations. In 2017, there were over 14 engineering sites across the globe. This has now been concentrated into six locations, and the overall R&D engineering base for lighting has been boosted from 42 to 64, with the ability to rapidly scale up using engineering expertise deployed in other areas of the business. Since the reorganisation, its R&D footprint is now split between two sites. One is the Centre of Competence (CoC) in Denmark, which focusses on technology-enabled key differentiators in products, while the other is the Product Development (PD) Centre, located in Shenzhen, China, which focusses on engineering excellence and fast project execution close to supplier base.

“Denmark is where the company is really pushing the future of lighting and where the technology will be in three to five years and beyond,” stated David, giving an overview of some of the changes within the company. “We have already got to see the result of this consolidation with the

149 COMPANY VISIT

release of the MAC Allure.

“Then we have the Shenzhen operation, which is all about taking that engineered product prototype from Denmark and developing it further to bring it to market quickly, efficiently and cost effectively - ultimately to be built and shipped to customers here in Pécs.”

The message coming from Martin by HARMAN is that of streamlining its development and manufacturing process. It’s worth noting that this framework has also rolled out across the other divisions in the HARMAN family. Each arm of the HARMAN brand informs the others in the development of new products.

“Cross-division learning at HARMAN drives innovation in profound ways,” commented David.

“For example, what we’re doing in Professional Solutions to develop the future of professional audio can impact developments in lifestyle and car audio.

“Conversely, the technology that HARMAN

is creating for the connected car can influence development for Professional Solutions, such as in live events or hospitality industries. No other audio, lighting and control company has that level of access to engineering.”

During mondo*dr’s time in the London, we got to hear about some of the latest innovations taking place under Martin by HARMAN’s roof, including future light source with alternative sources and new cooling technology.

To see the procedure firsthand, mondo*dr left the London facility and boarded a plane heading to Pécs, Hungary - a small town a few hours’ drive from Budapest city centre. Having opened in spring 2016, the Pécs facility oversees the creation of a number of Martin by HARMAN products including Studer, Soundcraft, Intellivox and Martin by HARMAN. At the time of the visit, the facility was going through a reorganisation, with one of the main work areas being rearranged to make way for the www.mondodr.com

expansion of Martin by HARMAN’s automotive manufacturing.

Greeting us at the facility were Senior Manager for Materials and Logistics, Istvan Prehoffer, and Senior Manager for Manufacturing Engineering, László Bencsik. Istvan starting proceedings by giving a brief history of the facility, which for over four decades has been involved in various electronic manufacturing with a variety of companies, including those in the telecommunications industry.

When Martin by HARMAN purchased the space in 2016, the group repurposed the 31,000 sq metre warehouse to conform with safety standards. With years of experience working with technology-based products, it had a huge pool of experts within the Pécs region to call upon in order to get the ball rolling with the state-of-theart facility.

While walking through the warehouse, it was clear that quality control was of utmost impor-

150 COMPANY VISIT

tance. From the floor shaker to test product robustness, to the in-depth LED calibration, down to the individual circuit board tests, no stone was left unturned in making sure that each product met the grade. What was also impressive was how many manufacturing processes took place within the facility. One was the manufacture of circuit boards – done with the company’s own SMT line, which is tested rigorously to create the highest quality product. These tests include various QC checks, including X-ray machines to look at every individual solder joint. “This means that the circuit boards are of a much higher standard when they are sent into manufacturing,” commented László.

This level of detail remains even when the products go out the door, as Istvan explained.

“We want to ensure that everything leaving the facility gets to the customer safely,” he said. “We have even run tests where we have put sensors in our packages, to decipher any points of issue within transit and how we might better prepare the products to ensure they are safe.”

Both Istvan and László had worked in the facility for some time for other companies that had used

the manufacturing plant. Like many of their colleagues, both men had wealth of knowledge about manufacturing processes - a fact that Martin by HARMAN as a group clearly values.

“We want to make our processes as efficient as possible,” commented Istvan, gesturing to a white board displaying several photographs from around the factory. On closer inspection, this ‘wall of fame’ proved as a record of new protocols, which had been brought in via the suggestion of those working on the warehouse floor. Any worker is able to suggest an idea that they think will improve working procedures and product quality.

Moving to another sector of the warehouse, László walked mondo*dr through the multiple stages of the manually intensive process that goes into making each Martin by HARMAN fixture. “In total we have 120 people working solely on the production side the lighting fixtures,” he began.

“We put them together from scratch – it’s like a Swiss watch, only bigger.”

How much bigger? Well, the largest fixture in its range, the MAC Viper, is made up of some 4,300 individual components. As you might

imagine, to piece these fixtures together involves a regimented training scheme that takes place in house.

“It takes about a month and a half to train an engineer to be able to work on the production line,” stated László. “Once trained, however, any one of the workers is able to jump on the production line of any of the fixtures, as they all follow similar protocols and methods in production.”

The theory is that such a methodical level of manufacturing, backed up by consolidated R&D, can lead only to greater innovation down the line. “It’s one of the biggest things we learned from the consolidation process,” coclunded David. “Originally all the brands under the HARMAN banner were operated as individual entities. But we believe as a group, consolidating manufacturing process is a good thing as we have been able to take the best elements from each brand and create a group-wide standard. Martin, like the rest of the brands, has certainly benefited from this and it will lead to greater innovations in the future.” www.martin.com www.pro.harman.com

A-Series

Assume nothing.

It takes very little time for the A-Series to reveal its true colors: Coverage options to spare.

Extra clever acoustic control. More flexibility. Fewer compromises.

Approach sound reinforcement from a different angle: dbaudio.com/a-series

More art. Less noise.

A-Serie_236x333_3.indd 1

02.09.19 12:46

152 P RODUCT LAUNCH

ETC AND HIGH END SYSTEMS | PRODUCT LAUNCH ETC and High End Systems held an exclusive showcase event at Edinburgh’s Leith Theatre on the 19 August. Exhibiting a range of its latest lighting technology, the event saw a packed-out reception of industry professionals, freelancers and press all there to see the company’s latest range and develop new and exciting relationships.

The fitting venue was kitted out with a huge range of innovative new products that illuminated the room in neon, kaleidoscopic hues during a presentation led by Calder Sibbald, Director at Black Light, an installation company which so heavily relies on ETC’s dynamic product range to revive many theatres across Scotland. ETC and High End Systems donated the products to Black Light that transformed the theatre into an array of colours, with eight of the new TurboRay units being used for the first time at a live event.

“I am honoured and privileged to be using these lights in the Leith,” explained Calder. “Our partners at ETC and High End Systems very kindly donated every light in this venue, allowing us to make this happen successfully.”

The dynamic show included an extensive range of products from ETC and High End Systems.

The SolaFrame 750 began the show with a collection of exciting features including 6-50° zoom, framing shutters, CMY mixing, and a colour wheel making the fixture ideal for theatres, studios and large events.

The SolaFrame 3000 was also demonstrated hailed as ‘brighter than bright’, the beams filled the historic theatre along with punchy output and unprecedented effects from the lightweight and compact SolaHyBeam. The SolaSpot 2000 cast a range of shadows across the theatre’s dancefloor using its smooth zoom, iris and rotatwww.mondodr.com

ing and fixed gobos.

The SolaWash 2000 was also on show, using a 600W bright white LED source, multiple colour and effects systems and an incredibly versatile zoom range, resulting in revolutionary new lighting looks. ETC premiered The SolaFrame 1000, with a 20,000 lumen output, full framing shutters, rotating and fixed gobo wheels, multiple colour systems and a 12º-40º zoom, while the SolaSpot 3000 flashed out amazing, vivid colour that will no doubt be an excellent choice for theatre lighting designers.

High End Systems also showcased QUAD, which gave brand new visuals and classic ACL animated searchlight patterns. The QUAD features four RGBW LEDs with independent X & Y module control, four high-efficiency TIR lenses and a high powered indigo backlight system. The fixture also includes 540º pan and 265º tilt, offering

153 P RODUCT LAUNCH

unprecedented movement capabilities.

Probably the most exciting of the evening’s products was the TurboRay. With a retro design that allows the light to shine through and illuminate the durable optical plastic, it is more than just a RGBW. Additional deep red and blue dichroics allow the fixture to go deep while also giving a beautiful 3,200K CTO. The TurboRay is described as ‘one of a kind’ as the gobo wheel and other features produce spectacular textures unseen in any other fixture.

Tania Lesage, Brand Manager of High End Systems said: “The Sola range is really for all types of events, large and small. We have a complete range going from very small fixtures to extremely big and bright fixtures and they are suitable for a variety of markets including live events, television and fixed installations. We are very proud and excited about this range especially the TurboRay as tonight will be the first ever time it is being used at a live event.”

The evening was a perfect way for ETC and High

End Systems to showcase its newest product installations at the iconic Edinburgh theatre.

The venue has recently played host to a number of breakthrough artists such as Kate Tempest, Jarvis Cocker and Anna Calvi, as well as being a focal point in this year’s Edinburgh International Festival. The Leith Theatre is now as colourful as the art, music and culture that inhabits its historic walls. www.etcconnect.com www.highend.com

AUDIO MASTER

w w w. am p tow n- sys te m .com

“The thing that motivates me is satisfaction – the satisfaction a client says they feel when they enjoy the sound experience that I designed.”

RÜDIGER AUE Audio Specialist

DOING BETTER

154 ANNIVERSARY

NEXO TURNING 40 This year, NEXO is marking its 40th anniversary.

For the last 10 years, a strategic business unit of the globally dominant Yamaha Corporation of Japan, NEXO has consolidated its place as one of the world’s leading elite manufacturers of sound reinforcement equipment of the highest specification. The company’s pioneering technology, innovative designs and sonic excellence have enhanced live events across the globe for decades, gaining the respect and trust of sound professionals everywhere.

Founded in 1979 by Frenchman Eric Vincenot and Englishman Michael Johnson, NEXO designs all its ground-breaking sound reinforcement solutions in Paris, from which headquarters it has built an international network of more than 80 distributors as well as working with Yamaha sales subsidiaries and maintaining its own national sales operations in four countries.

Always taking a distinctively independent approach to audio technology design, NEXO’s engineering achievements can be recognised in a portfolio of patents. One of the first companies to promote line and tangent array designs, its compact GEO S8 Series became the world’s best-selling line array system upon its launch in 2001, building on the market success of the classic point-source Alpha Series - launched in 1996 -

which, 23 years later, remains a much loved FOH choice. But, perhaps the most instantly recognisable NEXO product remains the PS Series, now 25 years old, and used at one time or another by virtually every sound engineer in the world.

The application of convergence-inspired design has resulted in such innovations as the NXAMP Series and 4x4 Powered TDControllers which provide full integration of loudspeaker and amplifier control, and console management of PA systems over the latest and most popular digital networking protocols.

Commercial achievements, such as a five-year run for the GEO T Series line array on Glastonbury’s famous Pyramid Stage, installations of GEO Series loudspeakers in the Stade de France, Stade Roland Garros, Wimbledon and many other international sports venues, and the record-breaking sales of the PS Series over two decades, have ensured that the NEXO badge identifies some of the most consistent loudspeaker products on the market.

NEXO seeks not only to enhance the audience experience through the development of increasingly more transparent and consistently controllable sound systems, but also to serve the wider public through the improved directivity of its systems. The company is wholly focussed on www.mondodr.com

serving the environment, through the adoption of more sustainable and less polluting manufacturing processes, and through the development of systems that are ever more compact, easier to transport and less demanding to set up.

155 ANNIVERSARY

NEXO LAUNCHES P12 HIGH-OUTPUT POINT SOURCE CABINET WITH MATCHED SUBBASS With its curvy modern aesthetic and best-in-class performance specifications, NEXO’s new P12 is an ultra-versatile multi-purpose loudspeaker, bringing ingenious technical innovation to a wide range of sound reinforcement applications.

Surprisingly, given NEXO’s long-standing global reputation for point-source loudspeakers, this is the first time the company has designed a 12-inch enclosure. The much-anticipated P12 promises to establish a new benchmark for the all-purpose point-source cabinet that can deliver at frontof-house, on stage, and as part of a distributed system.

“NEXO has also become well-known for going its own way in terms of acoustic design,” said Joseph Carcopino, Head of R&D at NEXO. “Beginning the process with the P12, we looked at the leading products in the marketplace - everybody has a two-way point-source cabinet in their portfolio and we brought in the boxes, not the spec sheets.

“Taking the sum of all the characteristics gave us the threshold of modern expectations. We wanted to do better with our new cabinet than our own high standards: the PS Series are still among the loudest compact enclosures on the market.

Our challenge was to make something even more powerful.”

Inside the curvilinear enclosure of custom birch and poplar plywood, the P12 employs a purpose-designed 12-inch LF Neodymium driver

and three-inch diaphragm high frequency driver in a coaxial configuration. The cabinet footprint is very compact, measuring 531mm x 432mm x 317mm. Frequency response is 60Hz-20kHz, and the SPL is an impressive 138dB peak (passive)/140dB peak (active mode), making it the most powerful point-source design in its class in today’s market.

In an innovative design twist which allows the user to customise his or her P12 cabinet, the horn flanges can be interchanged to deliver a variety of directivities - from the 60° x 60° that is provided as standard, to a 90° x 40° or an asymmetrical 50°- 100° x 40°. (The interchangeable flanges are marketed as accessories). Switching between different directivities can be accomplished in just 15 seconds, easily removing the steel grille and replacing the flare, which uses a magnetic fixing.

Less than 20kg in weight, the ergonomic design of the P12 includes carry handles on each side, pole-mount fitting with an ingeniously-positioned Speakon connector behind it to allow tidy cable management, and threaded inserts for connection of mounting accessories. P12 can be used on a pole-mount with the L15 subbass cabinet, wall-mounted or flown in landscape mode beneath a L15 enclosure, using a specially-designed yoke bracket.

NEXO expects that one of the principal applications of the new P12 enclosure will be on stage as the most versatile wedge monitor speaker on the market. The variable directivity feature will effectively treble the deployment of any inventory of P12 floor monitors, and the cabinet is designed

www.mondodr.com

for the rigours of touring use, with an extra-robust grille and scratch-resistant paint finish.

With a switch on the back of the cabinet, the P12 is easy to reconfigure from passive to active mode, where it achieves 140dB peak SPL. This is the first NEXO loudspeaker to be purpose-designed to use the processing capacity of the new NXAMP4x2mk2 amplifier, although it is fully compatible with the larger NXAMP4x4.

The processing in the NXAMP4x2mk2 is very precise, with separate set-ups for each directivity providing perfect coverage.

To partner the P12, NEXO has launched the L15 subbass cabinet, specially designed in a matching footprint which makes it ideal for flown applications, and for use as a drumfill. With a new acoustic loading technique using a 15-inch bass horn, the L15 operates with maximum efficiency: nearly all the front face of the cabinet is used as a radiating surface to provide really impressive output. With a frequency range of 40Hz-120Hz, and 139dB peak SPL, this sub measures up as the most powerful in its category in the market.

Touring and installation versions of the P12 and its partner L15 subwoofer will be produced in black and white scratch-resistant paint finishes, the first use of a new paint process which prepares the P12 for use in all climate conditions, and enables it to deal robustly with the demands of stage monitoring use. TUV and IP54 certification is provided for the installation version of the P12.

156 ANNIVERSARY

INTERVIEW - JEAN MULLOR, CEO, NEXO NEXO is 40 years old this year, what makes the company’s history unique?

Its fierce independence! NEXO has been distinct in its philosophy, technological development and manufacturing approach from the very beginning, when Eric Vincenot and Michael Johnson founded the company in 1979.

It is definitely not a me-too brand! Its engineering achievements can be recognised in a long list of patents. The R&D team here in Paris has always followed its own star, bringing genuinely innovative ideas into the market, for example tangent array technology in the form of GEO T (and GEO D) systems, the world’s first line monitor for stage sound, and the concept of modular line array in the successful STM Series. NEXO became part of the Yamaha Corporation in 2008, but, although there is a huge degree of co-development and collaboration, Yamaha continues to give NEXO the freedom to think laterally and creatively.

How do you feel NEXO has helped to shape the audio industry in the early years and more recently?

Our history is punctuated by many landmark moments and breakthroughs in sound reinforcement technology, which have earned the respect of our competitors and sound engineers all over the world. The most influential of these was probably the GEO S8, the smallest line array design to reach the market in 2001, which set the precedent for compact systems.

NEXO’s roots began in concert sound but then developed into install sound. How did the company make that transition?

As you know, the touring industry has changed dramatically over the past 20 years, causing major changes across the global landscape of the service sector. Nowadays, audio rental providers seek safety and security in just two

or three brands, so there has been a knock-on effect for manufacturers that supply the industry. NEXO has not transitioned out of concert sound: we are still very much present at the elite level of entertainment events (with our flagship STM Series modular line array), but we have evolved our product design focus in the direction of the much larger mid-market, producing systems like our highly successful GEO M Series of compact and mid-size line arrays.

At the high end, the new business for the rock and roll community is the installed sound market. All around the world, you see NEXO, d&b audiotechnik, HARMAN and L-Acoustics all going after the fixed installs, because it’s the most active area of growth for entertainment loudspeakers - as opposed to rental. Music touring has been reduced to the point where it is not commercially viable to carry audio systems with the tour. In fact, for a significant number of artists, the “tour” may consist of a series of appearances at festivals. This market is also changing. Outside the UK, our distributors report that the majority of festivals are purely EDM. All our concert sound products are re-engineered for the installation market. A good example of this is the compact two-way GEO S1210-ST, a high-output, long-throw version of the standard GEO S1210 cabinet, which has been optimised for stadium installations. It offers exceptional SPL for long-throw applications, with enhanced speech intelligibility, ideal for the large sporting venue.

The popularity of our brand in the installation sector is less dependent on NEXO’s reputation in concert sound than it is a product of the hallmarks behind our badge - high SPL, compact low-profile enclosures, integrated networking, signal processing and amplification in the powerful NXAMPs, and extensive simulation and modelling software tools for system design.

Are there any particular install projects you would like to highlight?

We’ve had an amazing year in the UK and Ireland, thanks to some superb

www.mondodr.com

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AQUA580Beam AQUA580BWS

158 ANNIVERSARY

work by our system integrators. NEXO systems are up and running, entertaining crowds at Ireland’s national stadium, which is Croke Park in Dublin; at the All-England Lawn Tennis Club, on Wimbledon’s famous Court No. 1; at Manchester City FC’s home ground, the Etihad Stadium in Manchester; and at the Emerald Headingley Stadium in Leeds. We continue to be the goto solutions provider in French sport, with new installations in Arena Pays d’Aix and Stade Pierre Brisson in Beauvais.

This rising profile of successful NEXO installations in sporting entertainment venues is closely linked to our investment in our Engineering Support Division, where we have very talented system engineers, armed with an array of modelling and prediction software tools, to help our integrators realise affordable designs. Our ES engineers not only have training and great ears, but they have unique experience - since our flagship installation of the Stade de France in 1997, we’ve been able to build on years of expertise in this field, and we get feedback on the experience gained from more than 100 stadiums worldwide. NEXO is not just a solution provider - we can be advisors as well, sharing this great depth of experience.

Can you tell us more about the Yamaha connection, what advantages and disadvantages having such a parent company brings?

Not one day goes past when I don’t rejoice that we’ve have Yamaha as a parent company since 2015. Fundamentally, no hedge fund, conglomerate, or mainstream business investor would support our activities like Yamaha does. From strategic planning to operations, we have developed an unparalleled partnership between our teams. Yamaha is manufacturing NEXO’s amplifiers while NEXO is fine tuning some of the new Yamaha loudspeakers, together we collaborate on software solutions such as ProVisionaire, NEXO’s distribution is handled by the Yamaha subsidiaries in some important areas such as USA, Canada, Japan, Singapore, India, MEAF, Indonesia, Brazil, or Taiwan. NEXO also learns a lot from Yamaha headquarters, for example, the robustness of processes such as the quality management system, and the incredible level of attention paid to the customer’s experience. As for the disadvantages, I am sorry but I can’t see any! www.nexo-sa.com

All NEXO products are still manufactured in the company’s home country of France. In today’s market, how important is that and what does it mean to NEXO? All our loudspeakers are manufactured in France in our two factories.

Manufacturing processes are outsourced to Yamaha for our amplifiers. With inhouse manufacturing, we can enjoy huge time-saving opportunities and great flexibility in the development process. We retain total control over the quality processes and the final outcomes of the product. Manufacturing our own goods eliminates several logistics issues and it takes less administrative work to complete a manufacturing cycle inhouse when compared to outsourcing arrangements. Of course, French labour costs are very high but the good news is that our long history in this city, in this country, has created a fantastic company spirit, from R&D engineers to factory workers, and our customers love it, too.

www.mondodr.com

EVORA 600 BEAM 50W TRI-COLOUR RGB LED 21,280 LUX @ 5m CONTINUOUS 360° PAN/TILT FROST FILTER (13°) MOTORISED FOCUS 2 PRISMS (CIRCULAR & LINEAR) WIRELESS DMX CONTROL

For demo/finance options...

Call +44 (0) 1254 704 111

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Email sales@prolight.co.uk Visit www.prolight.co.uk

05/08/2019 11:22

Big Shoes.

Small Footprint.

We posed a question.

Could we bring the focus, clarity and control of our industry-leading ICONYX series Digitally Steered Speaker Arrays to more intimate environments? Could we translate our cathedral-filling, airport-taming designs into solutions for corporate offices, mid size industrial locations, restaurants, health clubs, universities and civic facilities?

The answer is: Yes. Introducing the ICONYX IC 12/3 and DC 12/2 Directivity Controlled vertical column speakers from Renkus-Heinz.

Delivering the ICONYX experience to smaller venues, the revolutionary DC12/2 is a ready-to-roll solution featuring predefined, user-selectable presets and control via smartphone or tablet. And the IC12/3 delivers a modular, stackable system which can be easily customized for any location.

Take a walk to www.Renkus-Heinz.com and take your first step towards incredible audio.

ICONYX DC 12/2

ICONYX IC 12/3

160 NEW DIST RIBUT ION CENT RE

TRONIOS | NEW DISTRIBUTION CENTRE This month sees the beginning of construction for the new purpose designed Tronios distribution centre, a high tech, semi-automated facility which will enable Tronios to continue its European growth well into the future. The facility, which will be based in Almelo, The Netherlands will put the company in new territory for both logistics and stock handling capabilities, with 15 full width, lorry height loading bays, allowing it to maintain fast delivery times, and enhance order fulfilment possibilities.

Founded in 1998, Tronios group quickly became one of the most important players in the European market for affordable sound and lighting products, with brands including BeamZ, Power Dynamics, Vonyx and Fenton representing a strong and steady name in the industry. The

Tronios group is already active in 40+ countries, with a distribution network that supplies Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the entire European Union.

In order to remain competitive, the new centre is designed for company growth. With the current capacity of Tronios at 75,000 cubic metres, this will be expanded to 190,000 cubic metres in the new centre, divided into a 17,000 sq metres storage and distribution space, with 3,000 sq metres for the offices. Tronios is also excited to be including 600 sq metres of permanent product demonstration areas for its professional sound and light customers.

With an investment of 17m Euro, the building has been designed with a modern stylish feel that includes large parking areas for staff and www.mondodr.com

customers, landscaped grounds and easy access loading and unloading bays. The facility has been designed to meet all current and future commercial building requirements, with the latest low-impact construction materials and building methods used throughout the project.

Marketing Manager Edwin Sauer stated: “We are very excited about the new premises and look forward to the growth and progression this will bring to the company, the distribution centre will enable us to continue our European growth well into the future.� With an expected move in period of January - March 2021, Tronios is excited for the next chapter.

www.tronios.com

RIGGING HOIST 4.0 SAFETY FIRST - MADE IN GERMANY

g k 0 100

U N B E ATA B L E : SWL.............1000 kg SPEED..........4 m/min 18 m weight...........60,8 kg DMI....416x300x335 noise........< 60 dB/A

D8 PLUS RIGGING HOIST

DYNAMIC STAGE TECHNOLOGY

movecat.de

162 OP EN DAY

AMINA TECHNOLOGIES | CELEBRATING 20 YEARS UK-based invisible loudspeaker design and manufacturer Amina Technologies has built a solid reputation in the industry for high performance, panel based loudspeaker technology. Rendered completely invisible when installed, the product’s are used worldwide in commercial, marine and residential properties. This year marked Amina’s 20th anniversary and on 17 July, to mark the occasion, the company launched a new London showroom and announced an upgrade to its popular Mobius range of loudspeakers.

The event began with a history of the company, which dates back to 1997.

Founder, Richard Newlove was leading one of the original teams within the NXT group to develop and produce the first commercial products to utilise new DML (distributed mode loudspeaker) technology. The basic principle of DML being the use of a sound board mechanism from the musical instrument, driven by an electro-magnetic device to set up its vibrations, rather than the strings for a violin for example.

“Those early products were incredibly crude,” Richard recalled. “There were very few available composite materials that were suitable and cost effective enough for the price point required within the group brands. The first drivers had

very limited power handling capabilities and generally the technology was unproven.

“Internally though, with all the research and practical applications we got involved with, we knew the technology really did work, and we knew acoustically, a distributed, diffuse sound source (today we tend to call this spread source) had really positive benefits over the conventional point source, especially in large reverberant spaces. This was born out in practice time and again as we toured the country explaining the technology to the trade, and making demonstrations in a variety of buildings from churches to an enormous multi-storey glass atrium, and even parliament. We also knew that these benefits extended to great handling of close proximity microphones, in applications such as roving radio microphones and video conference systems, where feedback is reduced and gain can be lifted.”

At that time Richard saw an opportunity to create great acoustically performing products, practically disguised as something else, principally for the commercial market place.

With the help of a trade partner in the UK, Richard took a licence from NXT and established Amina, designing and manufacturing in the UK for the local and European commercially oriwww.mondodr.com

ented customer base. The company commenced trading in May 1999.

Amina also announced its latest line of invisible loudspeakers, the Mobius i series in honour of the company’s 20th anniversary. While the line builds on the popular Mobius Series that launched three years ago, the i Series represents a further leap in acoustic efficiency and improved overall acoustic performance.

Continued research into driver technology, with significant advances made possible by simulation in the virtual domain, have allowed precious Neodymium to be saved by creating novel geometries, yet improving the performance of the finished loudspeaker. That research has resulted in the company’s second generation Excelsior class high frequency driver, which the new Mobius i Series is based around.

The upshot is a massive 6dB boost in mid-range sensitivity, an extended lower frequency boost and increased smoothness and extension in the high frequencies. Both the mid-price Mobius5i and flagship Mobius7i boost high frequency reproduction above 30kHz. Everything combined, the overall result is an even more open sound with increased presence. uk.aminasound.com

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11:27 AM

THE FUTURE OF THE LINE ARRAY IS STRAIGHT C

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FOHHN FOCUS VENUE BEAM STEERING FOR CONCERT SOUND

Flown or stacked straight.

Dispersion characteristics controlled in real time using software. Just experience perfect live sound.

For further information: www.fohhn.info/focusvenue

164 IN DETAIL

CITY THEATRICAL | MULTIVERSE

The Multiverse system can deliver more data while reducing the amount of radio energy required for wireless DMX by as much as 90%, enabling scalability never possible before. Every product in the Multiverse system is built around a tiny radio, the Multiverse Module, which can carry up to five universes of data.

Due to their low cost, increased data transport, and ease of design integration, the Multiverse Module marks the first time that a wireless DMX chip has been implemented in every DMX device.

The Multiverse SHoW Baby (P/N 5900) is the fourth generation of the original plug ‘n’ play wireless DMX transceiver system

by City Theatrical. SHoW Baby plug and play transceivers set the standard for ease of use and reliability at an affordable price point. The addition of Multiverse radio technology enhances the performance even more, as a wireless DMX transceiver that delivers breakthrough plug ‘n’ play wireless DMX and RDM transmission. In its default mode, the Multiverse SHoW Baby works like and is compatible with all other SHoW Baby Transceivers with six user selectable SHoW DMX Neo SHoW IDs. By connecting an RDM controller, like City Theatrical’s multi award-winning DMXcat Multi Function

Test Tool, all of the 147 revolutionary new 2.4GHz Multiverse SHoW IDs are accessible as well as all 70 SHoW DMX Neo SHoW IDs. Users can add to their existing SHoW DMX SHoW Baby systems, build new single universe Multiverse systems, or use Multiverse SHoW Baby as a receiver on multiple universe systems with a Multiverse Transmitter.

The Multiverse Transmitter 2.4GHz (P/N 5911) opens a new world in wireless DMX/RDM. Its Ethernet input allows it to take in streaming ACN (sACN) or ArtNet and to transmit as many as 10 user selectable universes of DMX/RDM in the 2.4GHZ band, while using only a fraction of the radio energy of any presentday single universe wireless DMX transmitter. The Multiverse Transmitter has a bluetooth radio receiver built in that allows it to communicate with the DMXcat app from the user’s smartphone, giving the user smartphone control of any lighting fixture that is part of the Multiverse setup. The Multiverse Transmitter is also Wi-Fi enabled.

Several of the breakthrough technologies that make up this new technology include its ability to broadcast up to 10 universes of DMX data while using less

www.mondodr.com

•Above The Multiverse System.

radio energy than other single universe wireless DMX transmitters. It also has simultaneous dual band transmission, which allows it to broadcast on two radios in the 2.4GHz band at the same time. With auto dynamic limited burst, Multiverse wireless DMX systems automatically sense which DMX slots are not in the patch and will not broadcast them, thereby reducing unneeded radio energy.

Multiverse wireless DMX products use mDMX, a form of DMX proprietary to City Theatrical that is optimised for wireless broadcast. Multiverse also uses mRDM, which allows it to broadcast RDM information without disrupting the DMX broadcast. This feature is not available even in wired RDM systems.

Multiverse products also come with SHoW Key Security which can be added to the Multiverse SHoW ID that will prevent any other system set on the same SHoW ID from interfering with the system. When using a smartphone with the DMXcat app, a four-digit PIN, called Lock PIN, can be applied to the Multiverse Transmitter to assure only authorised users can access it. www.citytheatrical.com

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166 IN DETAIL

GENELEC | THE ONES

Genelec has recently expanded The Ones series of point source monitors.

The announcement of the new 8351B and 8361A coaxial three-way monitors, alongside the complementary W371A adaptive subwoofer system, means that The Ones family now delivers uniquely uncoloured and neutral reference monitoring performance.

The new 8361A three-way coaxial monitor offers advanced acoustic performance with high dynamic range, unrivalled directivity and imaging and a short term SPL of 118dB with peak levels even higher. Now the largest coaxial monitor in The Ones family, the 8361A will deliver an exquisite monitoring experience at any listening distance up to five-metres.

The 8361A features two newly-designed acoustically concealed subwoofers - generating high SPL output with extremely low distortion - and brand new MDC coaxial midrange and tweeter drivers which provide smooth directivity, low distortion, high SPL and extended frequency response of up to 40kHz. The 8361A’s minimum diffraction enclosure

eliminates colouration and its entire front baffle acts as a directivity control waveguide. Efficient proprietary Class-D amplification is complemented by advanced DSP processing, including delay equalisation and 20 precision equalisers for room compensation.

The 8351B revision has managed to improve on the exemplary performance of its predecessor by offering increased SPL, additional room compensation equalisers, equalised delay and enhanced high frequency response.

The W371A adaptive subwoofer system is a truly unique concept, designed specifically to complement 8341, 8351 and 8361 monitors, and in conjunction with these models creates a series of full-range monitoring solutions with unrivalled neutrality and supreme levels of control over directivity and the effects of room acoustics. Studios can now experience all the benefits of a main monitor, but with the freedom to locate this free-standing system in optimal positions within the control room.

Standing at 1,100mm high and featuring dual high performance subwoofers, one www.mondodr.com

•Above The Ones series by Genelec.

forward-facing and one rear-facing, the W371A offers a vastly superior performance compared to standard free-standing loudspeakers or supporting subwoofers, since it offers a flatter and smoother in-room frequency response with more coherent low frequency imaging.

Augmenting the dual subwoofers of The Ones coaxial models with a complementary W371A yields four subwoofers in total per channel, and these are combined using advanced acoustic measurement to reduce destructive cancellation and standing wave artefacts.

All models in The Ones range integrate tightly with Genelec’s GLM software application, which can configure, calibrate and control entire Genelec smart monitoring systems. GLM is able to minimise the listening room’s influence on the sound, enabling the user to produce mixes that translate perfectly to other systems in any format.

www.genelec.com

168 IN DETAIL

SYNCRONORM | DEPENCE²

Depence², the all-new multimedia show design and visualisation software by Syncronorm, is a unique application, which combines the process of creation and animation with the potential to program and control real multimedia shows. The rendering engine of Depence² uses the latest technologies to simulate multimedia installations with realistic results. With show design becoming more and more complex, using more and more varieties of different elements and media, Depence² is the brand-new tool to control and pre-visualise entire shows accurately in real-time.

Depence² features an effective workflow to program complex shows in a visual timeline interface, combined with a dedicated real-time 3D view. To that, automation and logic features, in combination with Syncronorm’s standalone hardware playback servers, provide everything needed to bring a multimedia show to life.

The inbuilt 3D engine of Depence² is said to be the world’s first engine, which allows full simulation and visualisation of fountains along with stage lighting, lasers, video and special effects - all in

real-time. Multimedia shows can be integrated into natural architectural scenes, by using modern environmental rendering capabilities. Whether using Depence²’s internal control capabilities or connecting an external console, the real-time pre-visualisation possibilities are countless.

In addition to the included timelinebased control solution, Depence² supports common Ethernet based protocols to receive DMX signals of up to 128 universes from external consoles. The material system included in the Depence² rendering engine thereby offers many features and texture channels, which are required for physical based rendering (PBR). Hundreds of materials are included in the library and it is possible to import PBR substances and materials from any source.

Furthermore, Depence² comes with several customisable water shaders to simulate realistic water. With the release of Depence² a cloud-based database to permanently update the program library is implemented as well. Fixtures, trusses, models and materials are frequently updated and automatically synchronised www.mondodr.com

•Top left Depence² show design and visualisation software.

with every machine running Depence².

Importing 3D models created in other software is possible with a single click.

Depence² has features, which take the simulation of water to a high level of realism by featuring an advanced physics engine that calculates the hydrodynamic behaviour of fountains in real-time.

With this high grade of realism, it is now very easy to perfectly synchronise shows with collisions and splashes of water. With Syncronorm’s innovative concept of dependencies fixtures can instantly be connected. Being used to calculate hydrodynamics and lighting, these connections can be simply compared with pipes and cabling in real-world installations. In addition to that, the Depence² multimedia rendering engine supports all common features of conventional and intelligent lighting fixtures such as gobos, prisms, shutters, frames and many more. A combination of physical based rendering (PBR) and IES based intensity distributions also nearly offers photorealistic renderings.

www.syncronorm.com

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17 0 IN DETAIL

Photo: ASC

STAGE TEC | AVATUS

Stage Tec’s AVATUS mixer series are modular from the ground up, using several IP addresses, working together as decentralised units at different points in the network. Each display and fader encoder has its own IP address making it possible to operate individual displays or entire parts of the console according to requirements.

The 21-inch touch screens and multicoloured, luminous rotary encoders and faders allow clear differentiation of various functions that any user can use efficiently. Depending on the condition of the channel, the encoders can directly adjust all important parameters in a familiar, haptic, traditional form. Starting with the Gains, the dynamic units expander/gate, compressor and limiter up to the settings of all EQs, filters and N-1as well as AUX-ways, all settings can be made on the AVATUS in the proven way and again directly on the spot.

AVATUS consoles also do not require a central mixing console section eliminating the need for the user to toggle between channel strips and central control as all extended functions can be accessed directly.

Amptown System Company (ASC) recently completed its first joint projects with Stage Tec. During the summer break, the AVATUS IP mixing console made its debut in two well-known Berlin venues. A 36-fader AVATUS was installed in the Konzerthaus Berlin on the Gendarmenmarkt and soon the Volksbühne Theatre will be equipped with a FOH AVATUS with 48 faders and two mobile consoles with 12 faders each.

AVATUS replaces a 20-year-old CANTUS - from this first Stage Tec digital console, the Konzerthaus has now switched to the first IP-based console. The new concept, in combination with the proven audio signal processing and the modern user www.mondodr.com

•Top left Konzerhaus Hall.

•Top right Ralf BauerDiefenbach of MMT Network, Christoph Wegner of Amptown System Company, Jürgen Böhm from the Sound Engineering Department at Konzerthaus Berlin, and Jochen Schulz of Tonmeister Konzerthaus Berlin.

•Below The AVATUS mixing console.

interfaces, was convincing. “The decision for AVATUS was made democratically.

Both the sound department of the Konzerthaus, colleagues from rbb Radio and Deutschlandradio Berlin and we as planners were immediately convinced by the innovative features with AVATUS we are entering the future of audio engineering,” explianed Ralf Bauer-Diefenbach, Managing Director of MMT Network. Peter Laduch, Technical Director of Konzerthaus Berlin, added: “The broadcasters’ opinion is always important to us, because they use our audio control room regularly for transmissions and recordings. I was very pleased that there was a clear consensus on this issue.”

www.stagetec.com www.amptown-system.com

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17 2 P RODUCT GUIDE

mi•cro•phones

[myk-kroh-fohn] n.

An instrument capable of transforming sound waves into changes in electric currents or voltage, used in recording or transmitting sound.

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MICROPHONES SPONSORED BY

The Sennheiser Group, based in Wedemark near Hanover, Germany, was founded in 1945 and is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of microphones, headphones and wireless transmission systems. From Digital 6000 to the latest evolution wireless G4, the company’s ever popular range of microphones are used for every conceivable application from theatrical productions to mobile journalism. Sennheiser’s most successful microphone series, evolution, is now in its 21st year of manufacture and, during that time, it has continued to evolve. Manufactured at the company’s German headquarters, the evolution series has become a global industry standard for live microphones, and includes such popular models as the e 935 and the e 945 vocal microphones. Its wireless counterpart, evolution wireless, is in its fourth generation now and delivers high-quality, reliable audio for musical performances, houses of worship, theatres, business and education settings as well as camera work, including brand-new on-camera systems. evolution wireless has been designed to evolve with the requirements of its users. While bands and houses of worship may choose to start out with ew 100 G4 systems, they can choose from any of the compatible evolution capsules and easily upgrade to ew G4 500. This series is ideal for bands, theatres and houses of worship that require an expanded feature set, greater range, more spectrum flexibility and the additional control options offered by the Wireless Systems Manager software.

The 300 Series has been fine-tuned for the corporate, hospitality and education markets, and comprises vocal, lavalier and headmic sets, including base sets that conveniently let you re-use existing accessories. For camera work, the evolution wireless 100-p sets have become go-to solutions for any filming, broadcasting, or reporting needs, while the new 500-p Series is an ideal choice for ENG work and general filming needs. Sennheiser’s digital wireless microphones include the top-of-the-range Digital 9000 and the industry standard Digital 6000, two extremely frequency-efficient systems that employ a proprietary audio codec to deliver impeccable audio performance. The latest member of the Digital 6000 family is the SK 6212, a tiny, totally unobtrusive mini bodypack transmitter that is easy to hide from view in costumes and wigs, is an ideal choice for double-miking and has a spectacular operating time of 12 hours. And there’s more in the portfolio: MKH shotgun microphones, the filmmaker’s choice, studio microphones such as the MK 4 and MK 8, and classics such as the legendary MD 421 and iconic MD 441 - end even the future of audio, the AMBEO VR Mic. www.sennheiser.com

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174 P RODUCT GUIDE - MICROP H ONES

AKG C555L

Audix VX5

The C555 L high-performance head-worn condenser microphone is ideal for handsfree applications, including presentations or onstage performances.

The C555 L rests securely and comfortably on the head, and can be attached to the left or right side of the behind-the-neck headband as desired. A transducer shock mount reduces handling noise to a minimum. The moisture shield ensures a high degree of humidity protection for the microphone.

The C555 L provides a three-pin mini XLR connector and can be used with all AKG WMS Series body-pack transmitters, B29 L power supply, or the MPA VL adapter for external phantom powering. www.akg.com

The VX5 is a professional vocal condenser microphone designed for a wide variety of live, studio and broadcast applications. With an ability to duplicate studio quality sound on stage, the VX5 is known for its smooth and accurate frequency response, resistance to feedback and ability to handle very high sound pressure levels without distortion. The VX5 is characterised with a tight and uniformly controlled supercardioid polar pattern, which helps to isolate the vocals from the rest of the instruments on stage. With a wide frequency range of 40Hz to 16.5kHz, the VX5 has a very clean and natural sound with exceptional transient response. This microphone requires nine - 52V phantom power. Other features include a 14mm gold vapour diaphragm, an acoustically ported steel mesh grill with multi-stage pop filter and a -10dB pad and bass roll-off filter. The VX5 will handle sound pressure levels in excess of 140dB (with pad and roll-off engaged) and will provide over 20dB of ambient noise rejection on live stages. It is a very versatile microphone for home studio recording.

The VX5 is well balanced comfortable to hold, durable and designed with very high standards and tight tolerances. www.audixusa.com

beyerdynamic TG 1000 TG 1000 is a 24-bit digital wireless system, which covers an impressive 319MHz of the UHF bandwidth (470-789 MHz). With these two features alone, TG 1000 is an extremely flexible system that can be used in a wide variety of venues worldwide.

Combined with a wealth of user-friendly features, designed to enhance your performance, TG 1000 becomes your go-to wireless system regardless of the application. Ruggedly built and featuring an extremely wide 319MHz UHF bandwidth, TG 1000 is an ideal product investment for rental companies due to its ability to cater for a large variety of frequency requirements worldwide. With 24-bit digital converters and a collection of superb interchangeable microphone capsules, it’s easy to see the flexibility on offer with the TG 1000 digital wireless system. TG 1000 is the ideal wireless system for businesses around the world. Its wireless transmission signal features advanced digital encryption to keep your meetings totally secure. To ensure ease of use, TG 1000 features OneButton navigation and the intuitive Chameleon Software, which is already installed on the receiver. www.beyerdynamic.com/tg1000

Audio-Technica 5000 Series Two transmitters are available for use with the 5000 Series: ATW-T5201 body-pack transmitter and ATW-T5202 handheld transmitter. The ATW-T5202 includes a high-pass filter and an industry-standard thread mount that allows for the use of six interchangeable A-T microphone capsules, as well as other compatible capsules.

The capsule options include Audio-Technica’s C6100, C4100 dynamic and C5400 and C3300 condenser models, interchangeable versions of widely used microphones from the company’s flagship Artist Elite and Artist Series ranges.

Both transmitters feature rugged, ergonomic metal bodies, highly visible OLED screens (switchable between standard and performance views to highlight key metering), programmable features, soft-touch controls, and switchable RF power. They are available in two different frequency ranges-DE1 (470–590MHz) and EG1 (580–700MHz) – to provide complete coverage of the receiver’s bandwidth.

The third-generation, dual-receiver 5000 Series continues to offer the highest-quality wireless live sound, with dual-compander circuitry that processes high and low frequencies separately and True Diversity operation. www.audio-technica.com

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17 6 P RODUCT GUIDE - MICROP H ONES

Countryman A3 Halo Biamp Parlé Utilising the patent pending Beamtracking technology found in the TCM-1 pendant microphone, Biamp has responded to a growing demand amongst architects, designers and end users for invisible technologies, with the sleek, attractive TCM-X ceiling microphone.

With four 90° zones for full 360° room coverage, the TCM-X’s beam tracking technology, which actively tracks and intelligently mixes conversations, works straight out of the box, simplifying installation and reducing commissioning time.

Each microphone uses just one channel of acoustic echo cancellation (AEC) for far more efficient processing resource utilisation than conventional beamforming models. The range also includes the TCM-XA with two-channel PoE and amplifier for further ease of installation (requiring only a single cable from the DSP to the unit’s ceiling-located amplifier) and the TCM-XEX expansion model.

Parle is now available from POLAR in the UK. www.biamp.com

Based on the award-nominated A3 podium microphone, the A3 Halo includes an ultra bright LED indicator ring with tuned light pipe and a unique dual-element design to deliver superior sound quality and switch-selectable omnidirectional, cardioid, and hypercardioid polar patterns. Active plus vibration cancellation dramatically reduces table thumps and microphone handling noise without the need for shock mounting, making it ideal for historic buildings and flexible seating spaces. The innovative in-microphone jumper system allows installers to reconfigure the pins of the A3 Halo’s XLR5 to match most common halo gooseneck configurations without the need for rewiring. Other features include a screw-on multistage windscreen, rigorous RF protection, and a choice of three lengths in a rugged semi-rigid design.

A3 Halo Podium Microphones are supplied with a case and windscreen. Optional mounting accessories are available. www.countryman.com

DPA Microphones 6066 Subminiature DPA’s 6066 Subminiature headset microphone is the ultimate in wearable tech and the perfect solution for anyone who wants freedom of movement on stage. The recipient of a 2019 Red Dot Award for innovative product design, this headset offers superior sound quality and is so comfortable and easy to fit that even the most inexperienced artist or performer can mount it themselves.

The 6066 Subminiature headset microphone forms part of DPA’s recently introduced 6000 Series of tiny, high-end pro audio microphone capsules that measure just 0.12 - inches in diameter. Although 60% smaller than the company’s existing 4000 Series, they are equally as powerful, partly because they include the supreme CORE

by DPA microphone amplification technology that reduces distortion and increases dynamic range.

The one size fits all 6066 has a clever three point spring mechanism that helps it grip below, over and behind the ear, making it very secure. With a fully adjustable boom and redesigned 90° cable management system that allows the cable to run discreetly down the wearer’s back, this headset is particularly useful for situations where unobtrusive miking is desirable. The 6000 series offers a lower noise floor and higher sound pressure levels than any other 3mm Capsule on the market. www.dpamicrophones.com

Electro-Voice RE20 Electro-Voice is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the RE20 dynamic microphone! It’s truly an industry standard, a firm favourite among radio broadcasters and sound engineers worldwide for its smooth, linear characteristics on voice.

After the RE20 was introduced, its popularity soon extended beyond broadcast into music production as an instrument and vocal microphone.

Featuring Variable-D™ for minimal proximity effect, true cardioid with no coloration at 180° off-axis and voice tailored frequency response.

With its studio condenser-like performance, Large diaphragm, humbucking coil and bass roll-off switch, the RE20 occupies a sweet spot in the microphone cabinet. Engineers at pro studios with high-end European microphones have it close at hand as a triedand-true workhorse that always delivers (kick, horns, bass) and smaller studios have it as their go-to best mic. www.electrovoice.com

Lectrosonics D Squared The new D Squared digital wireless microphone system from Lectrosonics utilises fourth generation digital architecture for excellent flexibility, ultra-fast setup, studio quality audio, and ultra-low latency of 1.4ms, analogue in to analogue out.

The system includes the DSQD four-channel, half-rack digital receiver, DBu digital belt pack transmitter, and DHu digital handheld transmitter. Features include 24-bit, 48kHz digital audio, two-way IR sync, three encryption key policies, and a tuning range from 470-608MHz (470-614MHz for export versions).

The DSQD receiver is a four-channel, half-rack design with analogue and Dante digital outputs and is compatible with the latest digital transmitters, and backward compatible with Digital Hybrid Wireless transmitters.

Three different diversity schemes are available, including antenna switching, Digital Ratio Diversity, or Digital Frequency Diversity. The DBu belt pack and DHu handheld transmitters offer RF power selections at 25mW and 50mW and include AES 256-CTR encryption for high level security applications. www.lectrosonics.com

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17 8 P RODUCT GUIDE - MICROP H ONES

Milab DC-196 The DC-196 is a highly compact multi-pattern microphone built around the latest version of Milab’s characteristic rectangular condenser capsule.

The unusual rectangular capsule was originally designed in the late 1950’s to eliminate the resonance peak in the mid-range that is inherent in large circular microphone capsules, but the rectangular shape also has several other unique properties. The off-axis response in the horizontal plane is extremely smooth which, unlike most regular large diaphragm microphones, makes the Milab DC-Series microphones excellent choices for coincident stereo setups like XY and Blumlein. The dimensions of the capsule have allowed Milab to build unusually small, large diaphragm condensers, only slightly larger than pencil microphones. www.milabmic.com

Neumann KMS 104 The KMS 104 brings studio sound quality to the stage. Unlike usual stage microphones, which use dynamic capsules, the KMS 104 is equipped with a true condenser microphone capsule offering superior clarity. At the same time, the KMS 104 possesses the ruggedness required of a stage microphone, refuting the myth that condenser microphones must be fragile. The KMS 104 can stand enormous sound pressure levels of up to 150dB without clipping, and its tight, frequency-independent cardioid pattern ensures high gain before feedback.

As a stage microphone, the KMS 104 is optimised for close miking; a fixed low cut filter compensates for the proximity effect and ensures clear bass.

The headgrille is made of hardened steel and features a highly effective internal pop screen, which also keeps moisture away from the capsule. Thanks to careful Neumann engineering, these acoustic filters do not cause any sibilance problems.

Its transformerless output minimises electromagnetic interference, such as hum.

Because of its low output impedance of only 50 ohms, the KMS 104 can drive very long cable runs of up to 300-metres without transmission losses. www.neumann.com

PreSonus PRM1 The PreSonus PRM1 precision reference microphone provides an accurate reproduction of a room’s sound characteristics for use with audio-analysis tools. It employs a 0.25-inch, pre-polarised, electret-condenser capsule with an omnidirectional polar pattern, which allows the microphone to measure reflections, as well as direct signals up to 132dB SPL. The PRM1 has an all-metal chassis and comes with a clip, foam windscreen, and hard case.

Unlike microphones for recording and live sound, the PRM1 has a narrow dynamic range, since it is intended to receive test frequencies, such as pink noise, at a fixed level. While it is not recommended for recording or performance, it’s the right microphone for analysing a sound system’s performance. The PRM1 exhibits linear frequency response between 20Hz and 20kHz. Since it neither boosts nor cuts frequencies, it doesn’t colour the sound, making it ideal for measuring what a room or loudspeaker is doing to a sound system’s outgoing signal. The PRM1 can be used for a variety of measurement applications, including MLSSA, Spectrafoo, TEF, and Smaart. www.presonus.com

Riedel RUN-E1L/R Riedel’s latest development in the headset category is the RUN headset series.

Optimised for use with Riedel’s award-winning Bolero wireless intercom system, the RUN-E1L/R (XLR4F) is a light but robust one-ear headset for demanding, highnoise environments (like sports or music events) where maximum voice intelligibility paired with a secure fit is key. Thanks to its advanced noise-cancelling abilities, the referee-tested microphone even succeeds in stadia with hundreds of thousands of cheering fans. With its fully adjustable microphone boom and the ability to be used with custom ear moulds for a perfect individual fit, the lightweight RUN-E1L/R (~ 53g net weight) offers truly unlimited freedom of movement. www.riedel.net

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180 P RODUCT GUIDE - MICROP H ONES

SE Electronics V7 MC1 The V7 MC1 is a supercharged supercardioid dynamic wireless capsule intended for use with Shure handheld transmitters. Its innovative, specialised aluminum voice coil captures the human voice with perfect clarity and immense power, with best-in-class feedback rejection and off-axis response. The patented internal shock mount keeps handling noise to a minimum, and the high-end workmanship and all-metal construction give it the reliability required for any stage, from arenas to clubs.

The capsule is available for Shure (V7 MC1) or Sennheiser (V7 MC2) handheld transmitters, or as a wired handheld dynamic (the V7). All in all, the V7 MC1 makes it easier than ever for engineers to get an amazingly full, rich sound with minimal processing. www.seelectronics.com

Sennheiser TeamConnect Ceiling 2 TeamConnect Ceiling 2 delivers flexibility and performance thanks to automatic, adaptive beamforming. This technology, patented by Sennheiser, automatically focusses on the active speaker and follows their voice no matter where they move in the room.

Created with the ability to combine multiple ceiling tiles to serve medium and large meeting rooms, Sennheiser’s adaptive beamforming technology automatically follows the active speaker’s voice, letting people speak naturally – whether they are sitting, standing or moving around the room. Hence, with TeamConnect Ceiling 2, the room can be used in a totally flexible way, tables are free from cables and microphones, chairs and tables can be arranged as desired, and the participants can move about the room freely.

TeamConnect Ceiling 2 also offers exceptional flexibility as it can be used together with existing analogue audio equipment as well as integrated into fully digital systems, where it can be controlled and monitored via the IP network. The ceiling array microphone supports Power over Ethernet (PoE), Sennheiser Control Cockpit, Dante Domain Manager and third-party control solutions such as the Crestron control platform. en-uk.sennheiser.com

W Audio DTM Series Prolight brand, W Audio’s DTM Series wireless microphones feature twin UHF belt pack or handheld systems with 20 (863-865MHZ) or 80 (606-614Mhz) selectable frequencies. Available in either Channel 38 (606-614MHZ) for the DTM 600 or Channel 70 (863-865MHZ) for the DTM 800; both systems utilise a true diversity, full bandwidth receiver for the ultimate in RF stability. Outstanding vocal reproduction and stable wireless connectivity allow freedom of movement on stage.

These systems offer crystal clear sound reproduction and rock solid reliability. Metal bodied transmitters feature ergonomic design with a rugged housing to stand up to the rigours of the road. www.prolight.co.uk

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Shure KSM8 Dualdyne The KSM8 Dualdyne is a dual diaphragm dynamic handheld microphone - a ground-breaking feat of engineering that represents a major leap in microphone technology.

Not to be confused with dual-element microphone technology, KSM8 Dualdyne features two ultra-thin diaphragms in a single element that receives the entire frequency range. The second diaphragm sits in the microphone resistance network to help control proximity effect. To achieve this, Shure undertook a huge engineering project, spanning seven years to reverse the airflow of a dynamic microphone. The result is a new dynamic microphone design that produces virtually no proximity effect, has a huge sweet spot, and boasts a textbook cardioid polar pattern. For the artists and engineer, this feature-set translates into minimal requirement for EQ and processing, more natural sounding off-axis stage bleed, and greater performance freedom.

This advancement in technology marks a significant milestone in both microphone history and Shure’s continuous journey in the pursuit of perfection. www.shure.com

Creating a Myriad of Possibilities ROE Visual introduces Installation Range LED panels ROE Visual introduces a range of LED panels specially adapted for use in AV integration and permanent installations. Based on its in-depth experience with LED screens used in the live event industry ROE Visual presents a LED panel range based on the same philosophy; adaptable products that offer excellent visual quality and are easy to install, maintain and use. Creating an infinitive range of installation possibilities, ROE Visual supplies the display solution that suits your requirements, no matter how demanding they are.

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182 P RODUCT GUIDE

ca•bles [kay-buhls] n.

An insulated wire or wires in protective casing either with mini-phone plugs at both ends for transferring analogue sound from a computer or music player to a set of loudspeakers or to connect lighting / visual controllers to lighting / visual fixtures.

PRODUCT GUIDE

CABLES SPONSORED BY

Italian cable manufacture, tasker was founded and remains in Cusago, a small city close to Milan. The company are specialised in the production and distribution of high quality cables and accessories for the audio, video, broadcast, data networking , electronic and industrial industries. The UNI EN ISO 9001 certification the company has, ensures quality products, which is also guaranteed by more than 40 years experience in production, technical planning and worldwide distribution. All products are ‘Made in Italy’ and the constant development of the production department allows Tasker to increase the type and number of products available, year-on-year. The current inventory boasts more than 3,000 products that includes cables and connectors of varying length and colours, as well as cable drums. www.tasker.it

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15 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 17 October, 2019 Dubai World Trade Centre, UAE www.prolightsoundME.com

Get your business in sync with the latest trends In the field of systems integration, the synergy between your business and the market is of vital importance. At the Middle Eastâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s premier trade show for professional lighting and sound, discover cutting-edge innovations and get up to speed with current industry standards at free-to-attend conference sessions and training workshops.

Register to visit: www.prolightsoundME.com

184 P RODUCT GUIDE - CABLES

Amphenol HPT Series Amphenol has announced the release of the HPT Series connectors for a wide range of indoor and outdoor power applications. Featuring a robust latch locking connection system that prevents any accidental power disruptions, while providing a safe and reliable connection. The 2+PE contact arrangement is rated at 250VAC / 16 amplifiers (20 amplifiers USA) with current breaking capacity so they can be connected or disconnected under load, making them ideal for entertainment applications such as LED screens and lighting fixtures.

Designed for true outdoor use with an IP65 rating, UV resistance and certification to UL498 and UL50E type 4x makes these connectors the right choice for rugged environments.

Cable retention is handled by the clever use of a compression gland with a patented locking safety feature and can cater from 6-12mm or 7.5-16mm cable O.D. Unique to Amphenol’s offering are the spring-loaded protective dust caps that are self-closing reducing the risk of personnel forgetting to replace the cap and allowing water ingress. HPT series connectors comply with UL498, CSA C22.2 NO. 182.3 and VDE certification pending. www.amphenolaudio.com

CAE Group AUDIOLAN Range The AUDIOLAN range is composed of several solutions, such as: polyurethane cables for mobile applications - AUDIOLAN24 and AUDIOLAN6; extra-flexible PVC cables - AUDIOLAN624 and AUDIOLAN626; and the AUDIOLAN6AW range, composite cables that combines power supply with data, saving time when pulling the cable.

The AUDIOLAN24, AUDIOLAN6A and AUDIOLAN6AW have double shielding, which allows users to obtain excellent protection against the electromagnetic disturbances (mobile phone, tablets, microphone).

The AUDIOLAN624 and AUDIOLAN626 cables are new solutions that help complete the AUDIOLAN range. These are F/UTP Cat.6 extra-flexible PVC cables with AWG24 or AWG26 sections. www.cae-groupe.fr

KLOTZ M1FM1K KMK The M1FM1K KMK pro microphone cable is lightweight and tough, with Neutrik compound, this XLR stage and studio cable delivers great sound.

Reliable and great to handle, the XLR connectors are produced exclusively by Neutrik from composite material, while spiral shield gives effective protection against interference. www.klotz-ais.com

Link Digital Audio AES/EBU 6.0mm Featuring 110 ohm nominal impedance and extremely low capacitance, these cables carry high quality digital audio signal. The high velocity of propagation shortens signal delay, providing error-free transmissions over extended distances. The material utilised guarantees high flexibility and long flex life, as demanded by professional audio applications. www.linkitaly.com

Neutrik DRAGONFLY With technology based on fibre lenses and fusion splicing, Neutrik’s DRAGONFLY achieves an extremely robust signal with minimal loss. Based on Neutrik’s patented XB2 Technology, its innovative fusion splice high-performance lense transmits UHD 4K and 8K signals with very low loss, as the signal surface of the XB2 lens is 322 times larger than physical contact surfaces. This further results in low insensitivity against dust and dirt.

DRAGONFLY offers robust connectivity against vibration, th having low potential for damage. It is also field serviceable - thanks to its fusion splice technology - making DRAGONFLY an outstanding choice for field broadcast applications. With its high performance, low loss attributes and its consistent quality, including 100% reliability, even at extreme temperature fluctuations, DRAGONFLY is both innovative and futureproof. www.neutrik.com

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The first MONDO | STADIA presents AGORA was held at ISE in 2019, with the sporting venue conference focussing on technology, the latest developments in the industry and future projects.

Through panel discussions, case studies and expert keynote speakers, AGORA explores the benefits of the latest technology, trends and techniques - analysing the impact it has and will have at modern stadiums and sporting venues around the globe.

From enhancing the fan experience and modernising stadium infrastructure, through to the planning of ceremonies and events, AGORA provides valuable insight that will help to increase knowledge and performance for future stadium and sporting venue projects.

AGORA will return as a full-day conference at ISE 2020, offering sporting venue managers and event organisers the chance to network with technology innovators and industry experts.

THURSDAY 13 TH FEBRUARY ISE, RAI AMSTERDAM PRE- REGISTER HERE: WWW.MONDOSTADIA-AGORA.COM

INTERESTED IN AGORA 2020? CONTACT SAM (S.HUGHES@MONDIALE.CO.UK) SPONSORSHIP: JAMIE (J.DIXON@MONDIALE.CO.UK) OR LAURA (L.ILES@MONDIALE.CO.UK)

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PROCAB CPR Compliant Cables Premium cable manufacturer PROCAB has introduced an extensive new range of CPR compliant cables. This range is designed to be used in applications where CPR classification is required to offer the safest possible solution to installed cabling.

The Construction Products Regulation (CPR) is an EU regulation for installation cables, classifying cables based on their fire performance. The standardisation is introduced to improve the fire safety in buildings as in case of a fire, most casualties are a result of the toxic smokes.

This new cable range consists of loudspeaker, microphone, CAT6, CAT6A and even CAT7 types of cables, available in 100-metre and 300-metre variants keeping possible surpluses to an absolute minimum.

PROCAB extensively tested its tailor-made cable range in the harshest environments on three criteria: Smoke concentration, burning droplets and acidity of the smoke. Because the outer jacket is flame retardant, it provides optimal resistance to spreading fire and therefore maximises the overall safety of the construction. www.procab.be

Sommer Cable SC-Micro Duo Aramid To avoid collateral damages at concert recordings, Sommer Cable has developed the new twin-pair SC-MICRO DUO ARAMID. It’s the perfect solution for surround and multi-channel recordings, especially when the microphone is hanging from the ceiling or the cable is exposed to strong tensile forces. To absorb the weight of the microphones, fillers made of braided aramid fibres have been incorporated as an extra strain relief. Compared to a steel rope, these have no negative influence on the electrical properties (e.g. the attenuation). The SC-MICRO DUO ARAMID shines with a low capacitance, it is AES/EBU and DMX capable (110 ohms) and, due to its concentrically braided OFC wires, ensures an optimised, neutral transmission. The highly flexible and reelable cable is perfectly suited for professional applications both on stage or in the studio. Available also as a neutral version without printing. www.sommercable.com

Tasker TSK1078 L.S.Z.H, TSK1091, TSK1070 LSZH & T42 PUR

Titanex H07RN-F

The company’s flagship product is the Tasker TSK1078 L.S.Z.H., a double-shielded coax with dimensions of 0.8mm/3.5mm/7mm, ideal for applications for up to 120-metres. This product is also available with polyurethane (PUR) sheath, resistant to flame, UV rays, oils, and water, chemical and atmospheric agents. In addition to being halogen free, it can be submersed in water or other liquids down to 50-metres deep. It is suitable for both cold and hot applications, thanks to its temperature range of -40/+80°C. Over the years, the needs of its customers have led Tasker to develop different types of compound cables that allow users to have different services in a single cable. An example would be the TSK1091 Series, which offers six different combinations of 3G-SDI coaxial cables and DMX audio.

The TSK1070 LSZH has also proved to be a great success, as it allows Tasker to supply a three 2.50 sq mm of power in a LAN cable Cat.7 S./F.T.P. The best SDI coaxial cable is the T42. This is an extremely flexible cable with 26/7 AWG (0.8mm) stranded formation in O.F.C. red copper, with dielectric in injected gas PE of 4.80mm and double O.F.C. tinned copper braid with a coverage of 89% and 86%, respectively.

The T42 PUR is suitable for broadcast installations, but also for the drag chain with efficiency tests performed at 500,000 cycles, with a maximum speed of 3.3-metres per second and maximum acceleration of four-metres per second. www.tasker.it

The Prolight Concepts Group distribute the internationally acclaimed TITANEX H07RN-F flexible rubber cable range. Their distribution agreement with this globally recognised brand allows them to offer cabling solutions where quality and durability are key.

These are in stock and ready to dispatch.

Available in three, four, five or 18 core, comes in 1.5 sq mm to 16 sq mm options.

Robust yet flexible and chemical and UV resistant, these cables withstand the toughest of conditions.

Suitable for worksites and temporary events such as festivals, concerts or sports competitions. www.prolight.co.uk

Tourflex Datasafe The Tourflex Datasafe range includes the workhorse Cat5E cable with a speed of up to 1Gbps across 80-metres, which is suitable for the vast majority of audio system applications. For more demanding applications, the performance Cat6A cable is suitable for data signal transfer up to 10Gbps across 80-metres (1Gbps over 100-metres). A Cat7 cable is also available.

Tourflex Datasafe cables are manufactured and tested to exacting specifications. This rigorous process includes a Cat ‘x’ compliance test to ensure that all cables meet the required standards they need to at the length they are supplied to. In addition, pre-assembled cables undergo an electrical (dielectric and insulation) test to provide complete peace of mind for any application.

Datasafe cable can be bulk ordered as reels of raw cable, or supplied by Tourflex Cabling as finished cables to any custom lengths and fitted with Neutrik etherCON or RJ45 connectors. Other customisation options include adding personalised branding (such as laser engraving etherCON connectors with company logos and text) and colour-coding, to make cables easily identifiable for use with different equipment. www.tourflex-cabling.com

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DuraTruss B.V. Junostraat 2 6468 EW Kerkrade The Netherlands Tel. +31 45 546 85 81 info@duratruss.com

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1. ADJ Starship

3. CHAUVET Professional Maverick MK3 Spot

The Starship’s six motorised bars offer independent tilt control with a range of 95º and are positioned in a star-shaped configuration extending out from a central hub. Each bar is fitted with four individually controlled 15W four-in-one RGBW LEDs generating razorsharp beams. Six independent motors and 24 separate LEDs allow the Starship to create a wide variety of effects that feature a mass of beams changing colour and moving in different directions. The fixture is supplied with a selection of mesmerising built-in programs which make full use of its pixel control capabilities as well as its independent tilt motion. The fixture also offers full DMX control, with a choice of two channel modes 22 or 120 - allowing for integration into a larger lightshow within a nightclub or bar. The 120-channel mode also offers full RGBW colour mixing for each individual LED. www.adj.com

The Maverick MK3 Spot from CHAUVET Professional is a 820W moving LED fixture with a 51,000-lumen source. The new spot fixture is more than just a potent light cannon, aside from packing enough punch to rock even the largest arena, the Maverick MK3 Spot is also loaded with features that make it right at home in a variety of applications, from major events to broadcast projects. The Maverick MK3 Spot puts a wide palette of colours at designer’s fingertips thanks to its CMY + CTO colour mixing and colour wheel. It also features a fast 9:1 zoom ratio that maintains a flat field of focus even when fully wide. Other features include adjustable CRI from 73 to 93, two overlapping, three gobo wheels for endless texturing possibilities, two frost options, 16 bit dimming and an animation wheel www.chauvetprofessional.com

2. Ayrton Pereso

4. Chromateq Pixxem

Perseo is Ayrton’s first multi-function, compact, powerful, IP65-rated fixture developed for intensive outdoor use. Feature rich from the factory (including 100% framing shutters), Perseo produces 27,000 lumens from its 500W LED source, and sports a fully weatherproof housing with a new water-resistant menu navigation system to handle whatever the weather can throw at it. www.ayrton.eu

Chromateq the French based specialist in DMX lighting control systems has launched a new product range. A range of USB to DMX dongles compatible with the latest Pixxem software for Windows and Mac Os. The new PIXXEM 255 is the ultimate interface to run Pixxem under Art-Net and unlock the Pixxem software with all DVI output and software possibilities. The dongle is compatible with and works on Windows and Mac and it can run two 512 DMX channels in input or output mode. When connected to a computer, Pixxem 255 will unlock the Art-Net communication up to 255 universes on the local IP network for large projects. Pixxem255 will also allow a DVI display output windows of 1280x1024 pixel resolution producing 1,310,720 pixel possibility for video screen and media servers. www.chromateq.com

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5. FENIX Stage NEMESIS 110

6. Lawo AES67 Stream Monitor

This lifter has been designed to cover the needs when doing small shows. It perfectly matches all solutions for DJs due to it being lightweight, easy to use and easy-to-carry.

It goes up to a maximum height of four-meters with a reasonable folded height of 1.55-metres, which makes it very easy to fix to any accessory with tube diameter of 28mm-35mm without the need for adaptors. The NEMESIS 110 can be used for rising sound systems, lighting or truss with a maximum loading capacity of 110kg. Its legs can be adjusted into three positions depending on the needs of elevation and working area.

It has a special adjustment system that allows a smooth rise of the different sections avoiding the shaking of the bars to prevent unnecessary risk, as well as long-life stainless safety pins. It has been designed to be transported easily and comfortably together with its transport bag, AC-623B. The NEMESIS 110 sits between the other two models in the NEMESIS Series. www.fenixstage.com

The AES67 Stream Monitor from Lawo displays detailed information for as many as 16 user-definable audio streams, each of which can contain multiple audio channels. The main display presents audio levels and alarm indications at a glance for all monitored streams; selecting an individual stream display allows users to discover detailed stream information. Functions include the ability to audition AES67 streams on-demand using the PC sound card, monitoring of two Ethernet NICs simultaneously for true ST2022-7 compatibility and a Stream Health Monitor that keeps track of jitter, dropped packets and data errors. The monitor also uses LUFS metering with detailed tracking of loudness units over time, alarms for silence-sensing, under-level or over-level alerts, with userdefinable thresholds, SDP interrogation of each monitored stream, with information copiable to clipboard for documentation purposes or for use with other applications and per-stream status window with display of audio level content over time, errors over time, and file-based error report - ideal for keeping informed about deviation from loudness compliance for outgoing streams. www.lawo.com

Built with light Foto: © Ledbox Company

For the spectacular light artwork of Brazilian artist Guto Requena in the Paris disco “Le Terminal 7” 450 m video controllable LED strips of the series C were used.

Stay Connected

#LEDmadeinGermany #LEDplayedinParis

schnick.schnack.systems /SchnickSchnackSystems /schnick.schnack.systems

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1. Magewell Ultra Stream

3. MDG ATMe Haze Generator

Magewell’s Ultra Stream HDMI encoders enable users to record or stream high-quality video with one click using on-device buttons or an intuitive smartphone app. Customers can stream live to services such as YouTube to a custom-specified RTMP server, and can record video as files to a USB drive or the associated smartphone. The new features include support for 3G and 4G USB modems, automated connectivity management switches between mobile broadband, wired Ethernet and Wi-Fi and users can also stream to different targets simultaneously over separate connection methods if desired. A new Access Point mode enables Wi-Fi-based smartphone control of Ultra Stream encoders in environments that don’t have an existing accessible Wi-Fi network. Rounding out the enhancements is a new web interface, enabling users to control Ultra Stream encoders through a web browser. The browser-based interface enables customers to remotely control the encoder from anywhere via VPN or access it from a desktop computer over wired Ethernet. Multi-level user management in the web interface allows access to administrator functions to be restricted to authorised users. Developers wishing to integrate control of Ultra Stream encoders into their software applications also gain important new capabilities, with an API enabling them to leverage the devices’ robust functionality in their own branded interface. www.magewell.com

The ATMe and ATMe WPE haze generators are industry-benchmark generators that produce the finest haze on the market. The ATMe WPE is a weatherproof and dustresistant version of the market-leading ATMe, which has been designed specifically for outdoor use. MDG’s highly efficient Me Series of fog generators, will be represented by the units at two opposite ends of the size range, with the compact Me2 fog generator at one end and the hugely impressive, stadium-filling Me8 fog generator at the other - both of which release pure white, fine particled fog in unbelievable volume with the finest of control. www.mdgfog.com

2. MasterSounds Radius TWO VALVE MasterSounds has added the compact Radius TWO VALVE to its range. At the heart of TWO VALVE are two dual triode valves, which form part of the input buffer stage to the VCAs. TWO VALVE comprises two fully-featured channel strips with aux send, input level trim, illuminated input select switch, a super smooth three-band asymmetric EQ, large illuminated cue switch and high quality ALPS rotary faders. To the right of the channel strip features a three-band Master EQ/isolator, master and booth level controls, and headphone monitor with split and cue/add mix control. Below the master section is a high-quality Penny & Giles crossfader, with contour control to adjust the curve from smooth mix to fast cut. Two 36mm illuminated analogue VU metres provide accurate signal level monitoring of the mix buss, which automatically switch to monitoring the cue level when a channel cue is activated. If the signal level is excessive, the VU metre illumination will change from warm white to bright red. All circuit coupling is through bypassed Panasonic electrolytics to preserve this fidelity throughout the entire signal chain. Finally, there is a pair of MUSES operational amplifiers providing world class summing for the fully balanced main mix buss. www.mastersounds.co.uk

4. Prolight Concepts eLumen8 MP180 With high quality dimming, a superb 180W light output and super smooth colour mixing the eLumen8 MP180 luminaire is perfect for short to medium throw applications including theatres and studios. Housing an adjustable 13°-46° beam angle an even field of light can be placed wherever needed. The addition of amber, lime and cyan within the COB LED source makes for perfect colour on any scene or subject, giving this fixture the edge over fresnels with only quad-colour LEDs. As with most others in the series, the MP180 fresnel style fixture benefits from RDM, temperature-controlled fan cooling for whisper quiet operation, and a four push button display allowing users to select DMX and manual dimming modes along with dimming curves. A filter frame and barn door are included as standard and the fixture comes backed up with the eLumen8 two-year warranty. www.prolight.co.uk

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5. TOMCAT Lighting Pod

6. Void Acoustics Venu V2 Series

The Lighting Pod from TOMCAT expands the flexibility and scale of your walls of light compared to traditional truss profiles. Within one framework that mounts both vertically and horizontally, lighting designers are given more creative freedom that helps their live events stand out. Strong and durable two-inch by 1.8-inch and 1.5-inch by 1.8-inch aluminium tubes are used in the construction of the Lighting Pod, and it measures 6ft by 2.6ft by 6ft (L x W x H). Steel spigots, forklift pockets and heavy-duty casters allow for stable stacking and convenient transport. www.tomcatglobal.com

The Void Acoustics Venu range of high-performance loudspeakers now have a smooth, high-end finish that aligns with Voidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coveted, stylish fibreglass range. Across the whole Venu V2 Series, each product now features a desirable speakON socket. Meanwhile, a larger Phoenix connector makes it possible to use wider diameter cables to improve sound quality. The passive, two-way Venu V2 mid-high loudspeakers are available in five sizes, with low frequency drivers ranging from 6.5-inches to 15-inches. With the introduction of an asymmetric, rotatable, high frequency horn, this allows the correct dispersion to be maintained, plus wider horizontal coverage in the near field and improved far field projection. Additional special features also include: fixing points for easy hang, yolk or ceiling brackets, and an optional top hat in place of the blanking plate, allowing mounting in mobile applications. The durable grilles and fittings are combined with a robust enclosure made entirely from 15mm multi-laminate birch plywood to enhance durability. www.voidacoustics.com

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“Native remote management without the cloud software development.”

SIMON HICKS Founder and CEO of SixEye

Can you tell our readers what it was that first drew you to the industry?

Theatre is where it all started for me. I discovered lighting design and control at school. Controlling light in a space, with the ability to illustrate a story, really grabbed my attention. I play the piano and, if you look at the history of lighting and music production, they borrow from each other. The original lighting controllers looked like pianos, and MIDI is a shared automation technology.

As a teenager I worked as a casual technician in the local theatre, which was when I first started to see professional lighting control systems in action. I learned a lot that definitely helped me out later in my career. I then went to Cambridge University to study Engineering. It is well known for student

theatre and is the starting point for many TV, theatre and film careers. We had the same desks that people were using in the West End, so I could put all the ideas that I’d had in school into practice.

Lighting control seemed to be the thing for me and, in my final year, I designed the lighting for the Trinity May Ball – my first taste of architectural lighting.

When I graduated, I tried to apply to be a software developer for Flying Pig Systems, only to find that one of the founders and the core development team had left to setup their own company, Carallon, and I was lucky enough to be offered a position there.

What has kept you at Carallon group for all of this time?

Carallon’s whole ethos is very people focussed. There is a culture of nurturing www.mondodr.com

• Above Simon Hicks of SixEye.

and promoting from within. That makes you want to stay; you don’t feel like you need to go elsewhere to further your career. The founders and shareholders are all still working for the company dayto-day. They take the profits from one venture and plough them into the next.

I left for a while to be involved in an early stage tech start up in Edinburgh, and Carallon welcomed me back in 2015 to write more software for them. This was all extremely flexible, which was ideal for me at the time. They knew my ambition was to develop a business and they were keen to help with this; in my spare time I developed the business idea which later became SixEye. When I pitched the idea to Carallon’s shareholders for investment, they decided to separately incubate the business and I assumed the role of CEO of SixEye.

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What other roles did you have before becoming CEO of Six Eye? I was product manager at Pharos, which is also part of the Carallon group, and then its technical director. I was exposed to the full product lifecycle and that allowed me to develop a real breadth of technical knowledge. I think that having strategic roles alongside development work gave me more confidence to run a technology company. I spent a lot of time in the field supporting projects with Pharos and some of the challenges I faced there definitely inspired me to start SixEye. Can you outline how Carallon, Pharos and SixEye interact with eachother?

Carallon is a product development consultancy for the entertainment industry and specialises in control systems, working with companies such as ETC and Martin by HARMAN. The company offers a complete product design service – software, electronics, industrial design – and it can manufacture the product, too. It also does contract work just for specific product components. Carallon founded Pharos Controls and Brompton Technology because it saw gaps in the market and wanted to fill them. I learnt by example and founded SixEye for similar reasons.

On paper all four companies are actually separate entities – Carallon has no stake in the other three. But there is an overlap in directors and shareholders and Carallon provides valuable services to the other brands. SixEye is a little different to Pharos Controls and Brompton Technology because it has its own R&D team.

Can you tell us how Six Eye works?

SixEye provides systems integrators with their own, branded web application at their own custom Internet domain. In their web application, systems integrators can create sites to represent physical installations. They add the devices in the installation - any device that supports SixEye, from any manufacturer. They can set permissions per user, per site, per device and per function! So, for example, an end user might only have permission to trigger a pre-programmed lighting state in one area of an installation. A technician would have more permissions, to see diagnostics, for example. SixEye provides manufacturers with a software library, written in C++, to enable rapid integration of their devices with SixEye. This takes care of device authentication and the secure connection with the device gateway. All connections are

• Top The SixEye logo.

• Below The millenium bridge.

over HTTPS, providing security but also making it straightforward for IT departments to allow devices to connect to SixEye. Also, no inbound connections are made to devices - only outbound from the device to SixEye. No-one else is tackling remote management in quite the same way. We saw the demand from end users and systems integrators for remote management in professional entertainment and architectural control systems but felt our industry wasn’t well served by the mainstream solutions.

We’ve taken existing technology and put it together in a way that works for this industry.

What are the USPs of SixEye? The ability to manage the products of multiple manufacturers in one place - in one application, on your phone or on a computer so you don’t have to sign in to

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each manufacturer’s proprietary system.

System integrators can also work with a web app at their own internet domain with their own branding. This means they can present the product as their own, and price it how they like.

SixEye requires no extra hardware for remote management - existing controllers connect natively. Taking Pharos, for example, any Pharos controller sold since 2012 can now be managed remotely with SixEye with just a firmware upgrade.

There is no need to configure your firewall with SixEye because there are no special rules required. Controllers accessing SixEye behave just like computers accessing websites, so you don’t need to compromise security by opening ports or enabling additional protocols on your IT infrastructure.

Finally, manufacturers can enable their products for native remote management without doing any cloud software

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development. Integrating the SixEye library takes minimal development time compared to creating their own remote management offer, allowing manufacturers to quickly tick off the specification point for remote management.

So, SixEye is a remote management solution for systems integrators, designed to solve the challenges they face. The feedback we’ve got is that they don’t want each manufacturer to produce their own, proprietary remote management solution - they want something they can use on any project where they work with multiple manufacturers’ products in the installation.

Could you tell our readers a bit more about the end user features?

The end-user features are something we have had a lot of requests for and haven’t really been able to add until now. This month, ahead of PLASA where you’ll be able to see SixEye on the Pathway stand, we will introduce the Control Panel, which will provide a simple set of buttons on a mobile device for the user to control an entire installation. For example, if you have a bridge - or multiple bridges - that are lit up at night with dynamic lighting, and you want to allow the customer to change the lighting from a boat or from a skyscraper with a view down onto the bridge, they can choose a different effect, change the colour, adjust the brightness, and so on. They must have a simple interface that’s easily accessible, but it must be secure, and it must work over the Internet. And the customer mustn’t be able to change anything else with the system; the systems integrator must be in complete control of what the end user can do. And the systems integrator doesn’t want to have to worry about IT or Internet security to set it up. Right now, that’s surprisingly difficult to do.

What does your day to day role as CEO involve?

Mainly product development, working with the team to deliver what is expected because there are a number of things to review and many decisions to be made.

We’re always making compromises because we need to get something to market quickly that works well, meaning that sometimes the bells and whistles have to be cut down. These are the kind of decisions I’m making, as well as just generally being available to prioritise people’s work.

I have done a lot of software development over the past two years, but now I mainly review code. I expect others will take this over from me as we ramp up

commercially. There are 10 of us in the team currently and none of us are in the same place, we are entirely remote.

We have people in the UK, Spain, The Netherlands, Uruguay, Poland and Romania, so we are widespread!

Can you outline which manufacturers SixEye works with currently?

Pharos and Pathway are the first to be live. Pathway will have controllers with firmware that supports SixEye by September. We are currently working with a few more manufacturers, looking at their devices to see what we’ll enable for remote management. We’re not just looking at lighting companies either, we are looking at video, too. In the future, we plan to be controlling everything in a venue.

Excitingly, any Pharos controller sold since 2012 can now work with SixEye, and that amounts to thousands of products. It would be lovely to switch on that existing install base, as well as new projects.

Can you tell us something we don’t know about SixEye? I was trying to come up with a name for the company but didn’t like anything

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I’d thought of, so I just Googled ‘web’ one day and a Wikipedia article about spiders came up. I went to read it, initially looking for a species of spider that I could use and, of course, it said that spiders have eight eyes. That didn’t inspire me, but I then found out that some spiders have fewer than eight eyes – of these, the most common are six-eyed spiders.

SixEye sounded good, and spiders spinning webs with lots of eyes was kind of like linking up all these projects for remote management across the Internet, so that’s how the company got its name!

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Before SixEye and having children I did lighting design for theatre shows whenever I could. Right now, any spare time is spent looking after my two young children. My daughter is only six months old, so I am really maxing out on life events.

What is your desert island disc?

Learning To Fly – Pink Floyd because I was actually listening to it when I flew into the first tradeshow on behalf of SixEye. I like to think it’s got a message about new beginnings, which is how it’s felt starting up SixEye!

• Top London Eye and County Hall.

• Below A simple ‘how it works’ diagram.

DRIVING HUMAN AUDIO EXPERIENCE

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