Pro Systems January/February 2016 by Pro-Systems Africa News

January / February 2016

R38.00

AV System Integration | Installations | Live Events | Studio PRO Audio

Cover Fill up Story the Dome Peripheral Vision Night Club Sector ISE Pre-show Report

Shellard Media Live Events in-depth Audio Networking

Studio Monitors Gibbon 5

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Gibbon 8

ACTIVE, NEAR FIELD, STUDIO MONITOR Woofer: 8” magnetically shielded polypropylene/ ceramic cone Tweeter: 1” silk dome tweeter Frequency Response: 45Hz – 22kHz HF – Amplifier Power: 80W LF – Amplifier Power: 30W Inputs: XLR Connectors, TRS Connectors, RCA Input Available Colours: Red or Black Net Weight: 11 kg Net Dimensions (LxWxD): 320 x 274 x 399mm

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Active speaker systems

Gibbon AIR ACTIVE SPEAKER

Woofer: Tweeter: Frequency Response: Power per channel: Inputs: Outputs:

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Gibbon 10

ACTIVE SUBWOOFER Woofer: Frequency Response: Amplifier Power: Inputs: Ouputs:

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viva afrika

Viva Afrika Sound and Light (Pty) Ltd 45 Lake Road, Longmeadow Longmeadow North Business Park PO Box 4709, Rivonia, 2128, South Africa Tel: 011 250-3280, Fax: 011 608-4109 orders@hybrid.co.za, www.vivaafrika.co.za

In This Issue EDITOR Hello everyone, and welcome to the first edition of Pro-Systems Africa News for 2016. The new year starts on an uncertain note, with the industry heavily affected by the steep decline in the value of South Africa’s currency. Currency fluctuation is just as difficult to manage in the local industry, dependent as it is on imports. Growth is difficult to sustain in this climate, but many companies are making a go of it, despite the gloomy economic prospects in SA, and indeed around the world. This is nowhere more evident than in our big news story this issue, of Peripheral Vision acquiring most of the rights to distribute Barco products in southern Africa. We back up the news with a company profile on the business, and CEO Wynand Langenhoven. The nightclub sector is a popular one for installers and integrators, often providing a smaller space than live music events in which AV people can be creative with sound and lighting. The sector is our focus for the issue – providing insight to a set of spaces around the world where people can dance and drink their cares away! We feature an interesting white paper in the section on the changes underway in formal live music and club spaces around the world. With the decline of recorded music as a revenue stream for artists and labels, such spaces have to become more flexible and creative – which obviously has AV consequences. The big international industry event this quarter is ISE in Amsterdam. This issue of the magazine coincides with the event in early February, so we have a full pre-show report on what to expect. Our next issue will contain our report-back on what promises to be an exciting industry exhibition, with a couple of parallel conferences on the go and many new products on show. Finally, our full and interesting live event coverage this issue covers the full gamut from Afrikaans culture, R&B and hip-hop, to symphonic pop and our fascinating cover story. The Fill up the Dome concert earlier this year was designed and produced by new kid on the block Formative, in collaboration with industry behemoth Gearhouse. We have the full back story. Don’t forget that we’re here for you – as your resource for key industry information, trends and product news. If you want to talk about any of that, have suggestions, or comments on anything you read here and in our regularly updated website and newsletter, don’t hesitate to let me know. I’m on james@sun-circle.co.za. Enjoy the read! James Sey

CONTENTS NEWS

ISE PrEVIEW

Peripheral Vision to distribute Barco in South Africa........................................3 Gearhouse embraces international skills exchange programme............................4 The Kramer Team has moved.........................4 Christie opens new Africa branch office in Johannesburg......................6 Shure Europe now the exclusive distributor of RF Venue Products in Europe, Middle East and Africa..................8 Convention Committee announced for AES 140th International Convention in Paris, France..................................................8 Selby’s invest in Robe.......................................9 Primeview USA launches the world’s first 32-inch 4K industrial solution to the market.....................................................9 Prolight + Sound 2016 looks forward.............10 Wild & Marr relocates and introduces a new look....................................11

SACIA SPOTLIGHT Eight attributes that characterise professional behaviour...................................12

COMPANY PROFILE Peripheral Vision on an upward curve.........14

Night Club Installation Matrix cranks up Billy’s with Dynacord.........20 Madison Avenue adds international class...........................................22 Basement jacking in NYC..............................24 Design is all at the Parq Club........................26 Nightclub venues diversify worldwide..........28

ISE Pre-show report 2016................................32

ADVERTORIAL Preview of Guangzhou (International) Entertainment Technology Show..................35

EXPERT OPINION Video over IP – the next wave......................36

PROFILE Elaine Shellard – A passion for AV.................38

EXPERT OPINION Rigging and such: Episode Two....................40

Live Events Afrikaans is Groot bigger and better in 2015..........................................42 Still starry-eyed after all these years.............46 Year-end Park Acoustics gig a raging success......................................50 Gearhouse and Formative slick at the BET festival....................................54 OppiKoppi embraces latest software technology for 21st celebration....................56 Formative experience for Cassper Nyovest........................................58

PRODUCT REVIEW Robe Strobe – Rhyme and reason...............62

Studio PRO AUDIO Audio networking: a progress report............64

Social SACIA Members Breakfast.............................66 SACIA AV Professional recipients ................68

Contributors Elaine Strauss | A journalist and photographer, with experience in writing articles featuring a broad range of subjects, Elaine is also currently working towards completing her Masters degree in Visual Studies, while making her mark in the audio and AV industries. With a keen interest in lighting design and film studies, she is a peoples-person with a fascination for all things new and shiny. With experience in journalism, videography and marketing, she brings to her writing a passion for and understanding of various fields. Jimmy Den-Ouden | An entertainment technician based in Sydney, Australia. His qualifications and experience span a broad range of subjects and technologies. He writes and reviews equipment most of the week, and works freelance on various shows and installations on a weekly basis. Jimmy can be seen on most GEARBOX video reviews, available on YouTube.

David Davies | A journalist who has been covering professional AV and broadcast technology for 14 years. He is reelance managing editor of Sports Video Group (SVG) Europe and continues to contribute to a host of trade publications, including PSNEurope, PSNLive and Installation. He has also been a part of the team for The AES Daily, The IBC Daily and, since 2005, The ISE Daily, for which he served as an executive editor in 2013 and 2014. In addition, he is active as a copywriter and sub-editor.

Editorial Disclaimer The views, opinions, positions or strategies expressed by the authors and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, positions or strategies of Pro-Systems Africa News or any employee thereof. Sun Circle Publishers makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, correctness, suitability, or validity of any information and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. Sun Circle Publishers reserves the right to delete, edit, or alter in any manner it sees fit comments that it, in its sole discretion, deems to be obscene, offensive, defamatory, threatening, in violation of trademark, copyright or other laws, or is otherwise unacceptable. All contents of this publication are subject to worldwide copyright protection and reproduction in whole or part, in any form whatsoever, is expressly forbidden without the prior written consent of the Publisher.

www. pro-systems.co.za

Publishers & Projects

news

Peripheral Vision to distribute Barco in South Africa

Visualisation expert Barco and audio-visual (AV) expert Peripheral Vision have just signed a distributor agreement. Under the partnership, Peripheral Vision will provide SouthAfrican resellers and system integrators with easy access to Barco’s extensive portfolio of Pro AV and control room solutions. Headed by well-known industry figure Wynand Langenhoven, who is also prominent in the industry as the Chairman of the South African Communications Industries Association (SACIA), Peripheral Vision is renowned across South-Africa for its in-house expertise in all aspects of AV applications. More than distributing products from the world’s leading manufacturers, the company also provides resellers and integrators with extensive training and support services, to ensure they can deliver the most state-of-the-art solutions. “South Africa’s demand for AV solutions is growing at a rapid pace. We offer our customers the highest-quality solutions to cater to that demand,” says Wynand Langenhoven. “Barco’s high-end offering definitely meets our stringent criteria for quality, innovation, support, and training.”

One-stop-shop for all markets Signing this new agreement, Peripheral Vision is now an official South African

Peripheral Vision's Wynand Langenhoven

distributor of a wide range of Barco products – from networked AV solutions, the complete line-up of Barco projectors (except digital cinema projectors) and Image Processing solutions through to the ClickShare collaboration product range. “This partnership really offers many lucrative opportunities and growth possibilities for both companies,” Langenhoven adds.

Backing up products with services The new agreement is a valuable addition to Barco’s global partner programme, which it is constantly intensifying to strengthen its foothold in the control room and corporate markets. “We are excited to be a supplier to Peripheral Vision,” says Eric Brouwers, Barco

Vice President MEA. “Every South African reseller or system integrator we’ve talked to praises the company for its expertise and experience, as well as the support and services it offers.” He continues: “We see that the market is ready for professional AV solutions, which increasingly converge with IT, yet many resellers or system integrators don’t have the technical skills to deliver the complex solutions that clients are looking for today. Peripheral Vision provides the ideal combination of products and services, including training. In this way, we can assure our South African clients the cutting-edge solutions they’ve come to expect from Barco.”

news

Gearhouse embraces international skills exchange programme Gearhouse South Africa represents South Africa within the AV Alliance and has successfully managed numerous events for their international partners. When 75 of the world’s leading event technology services providers unite to form the world’s most comprehensive event technology network, this formidable force in the event industry generates unlimited opportunities to share knowledge and stimulate industry growth through engagement between its members. The global AV Alliance network was originally formed to facilitate project requirements for clients through a network of regional representatives. The idea is to create an alliance of AV providers which could be relied on to service each other’s clients with the same high standards, across the globe. All members are independently managed companies, are among the leading providers within their respective regions and are committed to providing a consistently high delivery level. The AVA membership has grown to 75 companies which serve 102 locations around the world – and equates to a massive 5 733 employees involved in a massive count of 100 248 projects per year. The membership is selective with only one representative included per region and applicants are required to fulfil a catalogue of qualitative assessment criteria focused on the respective company’s quality

Ezekiel “Zieks” Mashimbye

and reliability. Gearhouse South Africa represents South Africa within the AV Alliance and has successfully managed numerous events for their international partners. In 2015, Gearhouse South Africa identified two deserving employees to participate in

the AV Alliance’s inaugural Skills Swap programme. Designated technicians spend a month working as part of the team at one of the other international companies on a one-to-one swap basis. For Ezekiel Mashimbye, Senior Audio Technician at Gearhouse Johannesburg and Ryan Shepherd, Project Manager at Gearhouse’s Cape Town branch; it was the chance of a lifetime. Mashimbye ('Zieks') spent last September at Neumann&Müller Veranstaltungstechnik in Stuttgart, Munich and working at the IAA in Frankfurt on a prestigious motor show while Shepherd travelled from Karben and Werne, Germany to Hilversum, Netherlands during October. “In Karben, I worked on large scale corporate and in Hilversum the focus changed slightly to a more scenic/custom graphics focus for exhibition stands and displays,” says Shepherd. He was given the opportunity to work in all departments on a rotational basis under the guidance of Satis&Fy Project Managers, Oliver Heyde, John Van Gaal and Thanos Souliotis. Zieks also worked in a hands-on capacity as part of the Audio team under the guidance of Neumann&Müller Project Managers, Moritz Späth and Felix Möhrle. A representative from Satis & Fy and Neumann & Müller will join the Gearhouse team for a month in November and February respectively.

The Kramer team has moved Electrosonic has moved the Kramer team’s offices. After upgrading their building at 279 Weltevreden Road, Electrosonic is moving their KRAMER team in. The new location is modern and sophisticated with a gorgeous open plan area for the team. The building now has demonstration and training facilities, a giant warehouse for all the stock and a new electronic workshop for Kramer product repairs. The move starts on Friday morning and will be completed over the weekend. To ensure accurate movement of stock, limited Kramer collections or deliveries will be done during this time. The team will still be available for urgent matters via phone and

Kramer’s new offices

Electrosonic has issued apologies in advance for any inconvenience the move may cause. As from Monday 7 December last year, the Kramer and Elite screens sales and technical teams (and stock) has been up

and running as normal – situated at 279 Weltevreden Road, Blackheath. There is no change in contact number. Clients can continue to dial Electrosonic SA’s main telephone number: 011 770 9800.

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news

Christie opens new Africa branch office in Johannesburg

Christie celebrated the opening of their new Africa Branch office on 13 January, at their new premises in Northlands Deco Park in Johannesburg. According to Richard Nye, Regional Director for Africa within Christie EMEA, the new office has the requisite space and the state of the art facilities required as the business looks to increase and corporatise its presence in the local market. The new office includes a burn-in room, a 'Christie University' space for training purposes, a service bay, a projector area and showroom. There is also a corporate boardroom complete with Christie conferencing equipment, as well as an

in-house warehouse for Christie’s local stockholding. “Our burn-in room’s main function is for when we repair projectors and we put them on tests overnight to ensure that they’re working. We currently have a cinema projector that we use in Ster Kinekor cinemas, just to show people that we have these facilities,” Nye says. Nye also explained the emphasis Christie is placing on training, stating that local open days for their channel partners and their customers, as well as training courses will be offered at the new premises. “Through installing our full-function demo and training facilities, we’re showing our commitment to developing and growing our African markets.” The service bay, lovingly referred to as the ‘bat cave’, features six work desks with more

than enough space for repairs and testing repaired products. “Previously we had no facilities to do this, so we used to go to Stage Audio Works to help us with repairs. Now we are able to do custom repairs, upgrades – basically anything,” he said. “We keep all the vital components here, including spares in our warehouse space on the premises, as well as at Ster Kinekor’s tech arm. We can also get spares from Dubai and the UK, which we can ship overnight. We’re pretty self-sufficient.” The showroom, near the entrance, is set up for demonstration purposes, according to Nye. “It is a flexible space where we rotate different products in the showroom, but the best part of it, is being able to set up different products next to each other to compare and contrast them for our clients,” he says. Besides the showroom, the office also boasts a ‘white box’ on the second floor, designed to put massive projector images on the four white walls, each measuring roughly eight metres by eight metres. “This is mostly for our rental staging, ultra-bright products and the edge-blended systems, to allow people to see exactly what these products can do,” he said. “This is a flexible space.” The office offers a very corporate, new look for the growth strategies and new identity that Christie has for its Africa operations. “The long-term strategy for the major African markets in sub-Saharan Africa is to develop these markets in collaboration with local presence and agencies and the feedback we’ve already had is excitement about our presence and support structure it affords,” says Nye.

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news

Convention Committee announced for AES 140th International Convention in Paris, France

Shure Europe now the exclusive distributor of RF Venue Products in Europe, Middle East and Africa Shure Europe and US based RF Venue, Inc. announced today that they have entered into an exclusive distribution agreement across the EMEA region. Shure Europe and US based RF Venue, Inc. announced recently that they have entered into an exclusive distribution agreement across the EMEA region. Shure Europe’s regional distribution offices in Germany, the United Kingdom and BeNeLux – alongside Shure Europe’s third party distribution partners across EMEA – will now distribute and sell antenna and signal distribution products made by RF Venue that are

The AES has announced the official Convention Committee for the 140th International AES Convention, set to take place in Paris, France. Following closely on the heels of the highly successful 139th International Audio Engineering Society Convention in New York, the AES has announced the official Convention Committee for the 140th International AES Convention, set to take place June 4 to 7, 2016, at the Palais des Congrès de Paris in Paris, France. Cochaired by Michael Williams and Umberto Zanghieri, the 140th Convention is set to once again be the largest European pro audio event of the year. Once again offering four full days of in-depth programmes and presentations, facility tours, and a three-day manufacturer exhibition, the 140th Convention will be headed up by an international collective of individuals dedicated to providing a valuable and informative programme to

all attendees. Charged with leading this year’s Paper Sessions at the convention are Paper Co-chairs Thomas Gorne (Germany), Wolfgang Klippel (Germany), Bergane Periaux (France), Robin Reumers (Belgium), and Dejan Todovoric (Serbia). Co-chairs for the convention’s Workshops presentations will be Natanya Ford (UK) and Rob Toulson (UK). The popular Technical Tours will be Chaired by Phillippe Labroue (France), while additional support will be provided by Facilities Co-chairs Layan Thornton (France) and Nadjia Wallaszkovits (Austria). “Our convention chairs Umberto Zanghieri and Michael Williams have put together an impressive team to build the programme for the 140th AES Convention,” says Bob Moses, AES Executive Director. “The 140th is going to be a great event in a great city. If you are serious about audio, you seriously need to join us in Paris!”

designed to improve the signal quality and performance of professional wireless audio systems. Boston, Massachusetts based RF Venue manufactures proprietary antenna products, RF distribution systems, RF to optical signal conversion modules, and spectrum analysis hardware and software for the professional wireless audio market. “We’re pleased to partner with the world’s leading wireless audio brand to bring RF Venue products to EMEA regions,” commented RF Venue CEO Chris Regan. “Shure Europe’s marketing, distribution, and fulfillment capabilities will provide current and new RF Venue customers in those regions the highest level of sales and support. RF Venue products are highly complementary to Shure wireless systems, so this agreement is a great fit for both organisations.”

Key products from the RF Venue line include the Diversity Fin™ antenna for wireless microphones, the portable CP Beam™ folding helical antenna for IEMs, and the RF Spotlight™ antenna for minimizing interference in crowded RF environments. RF Venue also offers cost-effective distribution equipment like the DISTRO4 antenna distribution amplifier, the COMBINE4 IEM combiner, and Optix™ platform of RF to fibre optic signal converters for distributing wireless audio RF signals over single mode fibre cable. It further offers a range of powerful spectrum analysis hardware and software tools, including the RackPRO spectrum analyser and Vantage Mac OSX software application for the RF Explorer® series spectrum analysers. “RF Venue antennas and distribution systems complement our extensive Shure wireless offering very well. This distribution partnership strengthens our wireless market position across the EMEA region by offering a more comprehensive set of RF solutions for the most demanding applications,” says Ron Marchant, General Manager, Shure EMEA. “We look forward to working with the RF Venue organisation going forward.”

news

Selbys invest in Robe Selbys is one of the longest established design, rental, installation and technical production companies in Durban, South Africa, founded in 1980 by the late Ron Selby. In addition to the head office in the peaceful suburb of Westville and spacious warehouse in Springfield, Durban, the company has branches in Johannesburg and Cape Town and a base at the popular Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani Hotel right on the famous Durban beachfront. It is ideally placed to service the numerous conferences and corporate presentations taking place in that venue and area. Selby’s lighting department is run by Bismark Mxabo who started investing in Robe in recent years. The first fixtures were LEDWash 600s and LiteForce LED PARs, and these were followed by the first Pointes in Durban – setting a trend that several other companies then started following. They work across all sectors of the industry and in particular specialise in providing equipment and expertise to the world of quality corporate events and conferences in South Africa, and regularly in a number of international destinations including Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mauritius, Malaysia and the Seychelles. In addition to the standard technical production disciplines – lighting, sound, AV, set and staging – Selbys also supply and install IT infrastructure and networking, an essential element of most

Justin Pretorius and Shane Bailey

live events. The move towards Robe has been driven from two angles. Firstly, the good range of versatile and well-priced products, and secondly, the level of support they receive from Robe’s South African distributor DWR, in particular from the DWR Durban office run by Nick Barnes. Selbys Productions head office co-owner, Justin Pretorius, comments that the Pointes are “Super-reliable, and we are very happy with them – they are out working all the

time.” He likes the beams, the quality of the light output and their true multifunctionality which makes them invaluable for most of Selbys projects – large or smaller. Sales Manager Shane Bailey agrees, adding that they are very pleased with the quality engineering and robustness of Robe generally, a factor vital to any hard-working rental operation like Selbys, which services at least two or three events – of varying sizes – every day of the year.

Primeview USA launches the world’s first 32-inch 4K industrial solution to the market Primeview's 32-inch LED expands the 4K line for all budget types and applications. Primeview USA, a global leader in advanced display solutions, introduces the 32-inch UHD LED LCD monitor to the market. The first size in its class monitor expands the 4K UHD line from under 40 inches to 100 inches diagonal to fit a vast range of budgets and space in control rooms, medical environments, gaming, museums and digital signage. Joining the Primeview 4K UHD line of 49, 55, 65, 75, 84 and 98-inch displays, the PRV324KLED boasts true 4K resolution with a broad range of connectivity choices for

installing simple, sleek and flexible ultra-high definition deployments. The 4K displays are also available with HDBaseT connectivity embedded (model # PRV324KLEDHDBT), in addition to the standard connections of display port and HDMI 1.4 with HDMI 2.0 coming soon. “Over the past three years, we have seen a massive 4K adoption that went from the

consumer world and into the commercial market. As a project based industrial manufacturer, Primeview continues to be at the forefront of bringing more 4K commercial grade LED LCD display solutions to the market in a variety of brightness levels, connectivity and metal work designs. With the new size and budget oriented price point, our 32-inch solution helps customers enter a new era of 4K capabilities,” said Chanan S. Averbuch, SVP of The Americas. The 4K UHD line and 4K HDBaseT LED LCD Lines are now available, for detailed information on specific solutions visit www.primeview.biz.

news

Prolight + Sound 2016 looks forward

Confidence is running high for the success of the 2016 edition of Prolight + Sound in rankfurt, Germany. While 2015 was a record year, the prediction is for further growth, with a new event concept laying the necessary groundwork. Prolight + Sound will take place from 5 to 8 April 2016. “Over many years the event industry has been riding a strong economic wave. So it needs a trade fair platform that keeps pace with this impressive growth trend. Commitment and strong investment have made the show fit for the future, providing the sector with an unrivalled global show space and trading point,” explains Michael Biwer, Director of Prolight + Sound. All the key players in the event technology market have already announced their attendance, including Adam Hall, AudioTechnica, Avid Technology, Ayrton Sas, B&K Braun, Chain Master Bühnentechnik, Clay Paky, d&b audiotechnik, dBTechnologies, DiGiCo, Elation, Harman International, JB-Lighting, L-Acoustics, Lawo, MA Lighting, Martin Professional, Meyer Sound, Monacor, nivtec-flexibel, Peavey, Pioneer DJ, Riedel, Robe Lighting and Sennheiser. The high number of companies that have re-booked space or increased the size of their stand is testament to their confidence in the changes. What is more, there are many

manufacturers and service providers that will be at Prolight + Sound for the first time for the premiere of the new concept

Cornerstones of the new concept The increasing demand for exhibition space has resulted in a fundamental change to the hall layout. From 2016 Prolight + Sound will be held on the East side of the Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Centre, utilising a massive six halls and an extensive outdoor area. The sequence of days is also changing: in future Prolight + Sound will open Tuesday to Friday from 10am to 7pm. Holding the trade fair over four working days underscores its profile as a premium professional trade fair. To the same end the conference and seminar programme will be extended to fill every day of the trade fair and will also undergo changes.

The new hall layout on the east side Six product areas provide a unique global overview of new product development across the sector. Hall 3.0 features exhibitors from theatre, studio and stage lighting along with stage technology, machinery and lifting beams. In addition to current trends in the field of lighting, visitors to Hall 4.0 will find innovative new products relating to media, film and camera technology, displays, video and LED. Spectacular effects for shows and events are on display in Hall 5.0 along with

innovative installation fittings for event venues. Halls 3.1 and 4.1 provide a special focal point for sound, studio and radio engineers. The first hall focuses on public address systems of all sizes and application areas, while the second gives prominence to manufacturers from the areas of microphone technology, production, broadcasting and recording. Digital audio networking technology is a growth area which is also featured extensively in this hall. Forum.0 creates a perfect presentational environment for associations, publishers, service providers and educational establishments. Companies on the outdoor area have the opportunity to display their products in outdoor conditions: from PA systems to mobile stages, from LED walls to tent systems. This coming year, to help visitors find the products which are particularly relevant to them, there will again be brochures for specific product groups. These so-called quickfinders provide a concise list of each respective exhibitor in the ‘special interest’ areas of Broadcast, Production + Recording (eg. audio-interfaces, mixing consoles, monitoring systems), Media Systems (eg. loudspeakers for permanent installations, control systems, communications technology), Stagery (eg. lifting beams, stage components, theatre fixtures and fittings). Exhibitors from individual special interest areas are also able to advertise directly through the online search on the Prolight + Sound internet site and the Prolight + Sound app.

news

Wild & Marr relocates and introduces a new look

Wild & Marr's new premises in Isandovale

Professional audio distributors Wild & Marr have relocated their Johannesburg head office and at the same time revealed a fresh new look. The move was prompted by MD Joe Copans who had the vision to completely transform the existing layout of the newly acquired property into a spacious and efficient headquarters and warehouse. He says: “We are proud of the outcome. Wild & Marr as a company is growing, so the move has come at the right time. We have space available for hosting training and product related events and the warehouse has a more functional layout for packing stock.” The new Wild & Marr headquarters is situated in Isandovale, Edenvale in the Johannesburg area. To coincide with the move, Wild & Marr revealed a fresh new look with a new logo and corporate identity. According to Sales and Marketing Manager Andrew Sorrill, part of the reason

for the move was to consolidate the company. “As one of the leading distributors in the professional audio arena we are always open to development, whether it is product, business or personal. In this instance, we needed a larger warehouse and office space. We were also renting the other premises and felt it was time to invest in our own property. As a company, we still strive to provide the best possible service, excellence and professional audio and visual solutions to our customers,” he says. With regard to the brand refresh, Sorrill states that there are no specific reasons other than feeling that they wanted something more current that would reflect their values, attributes and professionalism in a refreshing manner. “The brand refresh is something that we have been contemplating for a while and the logo refresh eventually coincided with

the move,” says Sorrill. “The Wild & Marr brand is evolving as technologies and business strategies change. We believe that the brand is more than just a professional sound distributor; it’s a set of values and attributes. We wanted this refresh to reflect the spirit of our company. In the end it coincided with the move – so a new space and a brand new look, we would love for you to come and visit us!” The new logo and corporate identity were designed by a design and ideas agency, who wanted to illustrate the characteristics of the company. A logo icon in the form of the letters ‘W M’ appears above the wording ‘Wild & Marr’ which represent sound waves – symbolic in keeping with the nature of the industry that Wild & Marr provides solutions for. “The Wild & Marr brand is more than just a sound distributor; we hope that the artwork reflects the spirit of our company where we strive to provide the best possible service, excellence and professional audio and visual solutions to our customers,” says Sorrill

SACIA SPOTLIGHT

Eight attributes that characterise professional behaviour

By Kevan Jones, executive director, SACIA www.sacia.org.za

Over the past year I’ve been involved in many discussions about 'professionalism' in the broader communications industry. It’s a term that’s widely used but there seem to be many interpretations of what it might mean to be an industry professional.

3. Commitment to a code of conduct For some, being professional might mean dressing smartly at work, or doing a good job. For others, being professional means having advanced degrees or other certifications, framed and hung on the office wall. Professionalism encompasses all of these definitions. But, it also covers much more.

Defining professionalism The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines professionalism as “the conduct, aims, or qualities that characterize or mark a profession or a professional person”; and it defines a profession as “a calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation.” These definitions imply that professionalism encompasses a number of different attributes, and, together, these attributes identify and define a professional. I’ve identified eight attributes that characterize professionals within our industry sector.

1. Proven knowledge Professionals are known for their specialised knowledge. They’ve made a deep personal commitment to develop their skills, and, where appropriate, they have the degrees and certifications that serve as the foundation of this knowledge. In our industry there are very few professional qualifications that relate directly to our field of work. What matters, though, is that individuals should have worked in a serious, thoughtful and sustained way to master the specialised knowledge needed to succeed in their chosen field.

2. Relevant work experience Defining yourself as an industry professional is not a characterisation that’s applied overnight. The French chef, Jacque Pepin once described how “you have no choice as a professional chef: you have to repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat until it becomes part of yourself. I certainly don’t cook the same way I did 40 years ago, but the technique remains. And that’s what the student needs to learn: the technique.” Exactly the same commitment is required in the audio-visual market. A professional needs to be able to demonstrate consistency in the way they’ve applied their knowledge in different environments, for different shows and for different employers. In order to apply for SACIA’s CertAV Prof designation, individuals holding a relevant NQF level 6 qualification (diploma or advanced certificate) need to be able to demonstrate at least five year’s work experience in the audio-visual sector, while individuals who don’t hold a diploma or advanced certificate can earn the designation by demonstrating at least 10 year’s work experience.

Professionals get the job done. They’re reliable, and they keep their promises. If circumstances arise that prevent them from delivering on their promises, they manage expectations up front, and they do their best to make the situation right. All SACIA members are required to sign a Code of Professional Conduct that is underpinned by a number of values: honour, integrity, reliability, honesty and accuracy. Adherence to these values ensures they can be trusted to get the job done. Professionals do the right thing, even when it means taking a harder road.

4. Willingness to be held accountable SACIA members are held to a higher standard of conduct and professional ethics. Our Code of Professional Conduct is not a coat of convenience that can be removed when it becomes uncomfortable. It’s a binding commitment that each individual makes to his colleagues, and in instances where an individual fails to honour their commitment to these values, a charge of professional misconduct can be levelled against them. A disciplinary committee made up of industry peers will consider any allegations of misconduct and individuals found to have transgressed the Code can be expelled from the Association and have their professional designation withdrawn. The consequences of this expulsion can be severe. For example, many venues only provide access to technical crew who maintain membership of a relevant professional body. Any AV technician expelled from their Association for professional misconduct is then barred from working in that venue. Professionals hold themselves accountable for their thoughts, words, and actions, especially when they’ve made a mistake. This personal accountability is closely tied to honesty and integrity, and it’s a vital element in professionalism. They also stay professional under pressure. For instance, imagine a customer service employee who’s faced with an irate customer. Instead of getting upset or angry in return, the employee exhibits true professionalism by maintaining a calm, business-like demeanour, and by doing everything that she can to make the situation right. Genuine professionals show respect for the people around them, no matter what their role or situation. They consider the needs of others, and they don’t let a bad day impact how they interact with colleagues or clients.

5. Industry recognition Industry professionals are recognised by their peers and colleagues for their competence and skillset but true professionals are also recognised by government and regulatory bodies through their membership of a professional body. In South Africa, professional bodies are registered with the SA Qualification

Authority (SAQA) and professional designations are listed on the National Qualifications Framework. Every individual awarded a professional designation is listed on the National Learner’s Records Database. Recently, a number of government tenders have specified that anyone wanting to tender for the provision of audio-visual technology or services to government or state-owned enterprises should be able to prove their membership of SACIA. They’ve also specified that staff working on the project should hold a SAQA-recognised professional designation related to the activity undertaken.

6. Continuing professional development Continuing professional development (CPD) is the means by which people maintain their knowledge and skills related to their professional lives. CPD obligations are common to most professions, and individuals holding the any of the SACIA designations for theatre, live-event and audio-visual technology are required to participate in 70 hours of CPD activity over a three year period. These hours could represent formal learning but individuals are also awarded CPD credit for participating in industry workshops and seminars, attending conferences, and mentoring colleagues who are working toward the award of a professional designation. In an industry that sees new technologies emerging almost daily, CPD recognises that in order for any individual to remain relevant they need to participate in a programme of lifelong learning – keeping themselves up to date with the techniques and technologies that are shaping our future.

7. Professionals look the part There’s a dress code for professionals that’s not based on wearing a suit and tie. It’s about dressing appropriately for the situation. Professionals don’t show up to work sloppily dressed, with unkempt hair. Appropriate dress, along with basic etiquette, is one of the most common associations made to professionalism. We form first impressions and overall judgments about people by the way they present themselves so if we want to be taken seriously, we need to take ourselves seriously and look the part.

8. Principle of etiquette In addition to the prior attributes that characterize professional behaviour there’s a strong correlation between the traits that embody professionalism and the principles of etiquette: consideration, respect and honesty. Writing in the Boston Post on 17 August 2014, Peter Post described how “a professional person is able to look at a situation objectively, recognize what is going on, and understand how it affects everybody involved. It means being aware of the bigger picture.” He goes on to describe how professional people show respect toward those with whom they interact. “They think about the impact of their actions on others. Perhaps most important, they act in ways that not only deal with the situation at hand but also positively affect the other people involved. The professional person is truthful. Deception, even a white lie, is not part of his or her make-up. A core trait of the professional person is that he or she exhibits sincerity in their interactions.” When you look at these eight attributes that characterize professional behaviour it’s obvious that there’s no 'one size fits all' depiction that we can cut and paste into our industry sector. Despite this, it’s important to strive toward the embodiment of these attributes. Let’s take ourselves and our industry seriously as we work together in a common commitment to professional standards and ethical business practices.

COMPANY PROFILE

Peripheral Vision on an upward curve

With the recent announcement of its agreement to distribute Barco products in Southern Africa, Peripheral Vision has announced itself as a company on the up and up. James Sey took a closer look at the well-known local AV distributor, in conversation with CEO Wynand Langenhoven.

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Peripheral Vision’s CEO, Wynand Langenhoven, is not only one of the most respected figures in the South African pro-AV industry, as is indicated by his current role as chairman of SACIA, but is also the kind of businessman his company requires at this stage in its evolution. He has seen his business grow from a small agency focused on the residential installations market over a decade ago, to a substantial and reputable value added distributor that prides itself on the levels of technical expertise and experience among its people. The Barco deal is one symptom of the upward curve of the business. “Globally,” says Langenhoven, “Barco have a policy of not signing exclusive distribution agreements. But our single channel agreement for the majority of products with them is extensive, and definitely indicates a level of trust in the relationship with us."

The Barco deal Barco is a global heavyweight in the AV industry. A listed global technology company headquartered in Europe, it started life as a radio manufacturer in Belgium in 1934. The modern-day Barco designs and develops networked visualisation products for the entertainment, enterprise and healthcare markets, which incorporates sales and marketing activities in many different sectors. These include relevant sectors in the Southern African market, with leading products for control rooms, corporate buildings, meeting rooms and boardrooms. The company is active in more than 90

countries with 3 300 employees worldwide. Barco posted sales of 1 051 billion euro in 2014. Says Langenhoven:å “The Barco products which we will be distributing and supporting offer both companies good opportunities for growth in the regional African markets, where Peripheral Vision has already made strides – for example with our suite of Arthur Holm and AMX products. Our offering of Barco control room solutions, video walls, controllers and networked solutions really leads us into markets that offer growth and a repositioning to an extent for the Peripheral Vision business. One area that we are focused on is the corporate and related markets, and our ability to successfully sell and support Barco’s business and large venue projectors, LCD’s, rear projection cubes and the Clickshare meeting room solution will be important in opening up those markets for us.”

The Peripheral Vision journey The appointment as a Barco dealer is a further step on the journey Peripheral Vision has been following as a business over the last few years. Formed originally by Langenhoven and his business partners as a manufacturer’s representative for certain US suppliers, Peripheral Vision has grown into a full service distribution company, distinguished by the breadth and depth of technical experience, expertise and knowledge its staff brings to their work. Langenhoven has now assumed sole ownership of the business,

COMPANY PROFILE

and his vision and growth strategy are clear. “Our goal on one hand has always been to support our South African dealer network in all aspects of the residential and commercial audio visual products and applications that we offer. But one thing is clear to me about the business we’re in – the convergence between IT and AV principles is here to stay, and will continue to bring about innovation and change in our industry. This means we have to be up to date with new technologies and products, and we have to be in a position to offer our client base and existing dealers training on all the most cutting edge innovations out there. This obviously means our own people have to be constantly ahead of the curve, to ensure that our skills levels are top-notch and of international standards. Only this way can we ensure that all of our brands are fully supported from the manufacturer through us, with reliability, backup, and customer service being the most important factors. When your product portfolio includes only the best of the best, as ours does, it’s a non-negotiable factor to be able to walk the talk.” Apart from the new and flagship Barco agency, Peripheral Vision has long been renowned in the local market for their high-end offerings from Arthur Holm, AMX, Matrox and Bosch. The product portfolio is well-constructed and complementary; for example, AMX’s boardroom products fit neatly with new Barco offerings in the corporate space. “Essentially, our growth has to be driven by our success in our target markets,” continues Langenhoven. “That means we have to corporatize our business to meet our client’s needs.”

COMPANY PROFILE

technology by AMX. Arthur Holm also provides the installed set of individualised monitors with internal HD cameras, and we can switch from screen to screen with synchronised microphone switching in a videoconferencing set-up. We know our clients will be impressed!” “Our expansion and growth plans are focused on the continuing convergence between AV and IT,” concludes Langenhoven. “If we couple that trend with that of centralised buying for distributed corporate and government enterprises around the world, and especially in Africa, then our focus on those markets, and our suite of products, bodes well for the future.” With the company registering steady and substantial growth throughout the past few years, and really hitting its straps now, who are we to disagree?

New offices, new horizons To this end Peripheral Vision have recently moved into custom-designed corporate office space in Johannesburg . The new corporate headquarters provides the business with a self-contained base for executive leadership and operations. Says Langenhoven: “Our move into our new offices helps to reposition the business. We can present an end-to-end professional facility for our clients, our dealer network and end-users. Demo facilities will be available as part of the building’s infrastructure for all of our products from the second quarter of the year, including all our new Barco products. Our increase in capacity means that the business can also focus on beefing up on system designers and engineers, as well as on more skilled sales and support staff. We’re really excited by the possibilities. One of the jewels in the crown for us in the new premises, is our demo boardroom. An eight seater, it has a motorised screen by Arthur Holm, a set of state-of-the-art gooseneck mics from Bosch, as well as switching and control

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Night Club Installation REPORT

Matrix cranks up Billy’s with Dynacord

Local audio and installation specialists Matrix Sound were recently called in to lively up the waning sound system at popular Joburg nightspot Billy the Bum’s.

Matrix established its reputation as suppliers and installers in the live events sphere, but have become adept at technically excellent fixed installations with specific requirements. Just such an installation was the recent revamp of an existing sound system in perennially crowded Johannesburg nightspot Billy the Bum’s. In venues like Billy’s where crowd noise levels steadily increase in sync with alcohol levels as the night goes on, a reliable, clear and robust system is a must! Matrix director Trevor Peters takes up the story: “We were called in initially by the venue’s management to make some recommendations on the existing sound system installed in the venue. While it was still working, the quality of the sound was not great and at high levels the system sounded very harsh, something the client had picked up. We assessed that existing system and presented our recommendations.” As Peters points out, many clients call in professional audio companies on this basis half-expecting that they will insist on replacing the entire system with their own

kit. “It is not our modus operandi to automatically recommend an entirely new system when this is not necessary, especially in smaller installations,” he points out. “In most venues, certain speakers require their own specific amplification and processing, with a large number of enclosures that can run off a variety of amplifiers provided they are relatively closely matched in power, sensitivity and of course are reliable and deliver quality audio. It was evident at this venue that the control equipment and amplifiers were still in good condition and more than capable of driving the enclosures that we had in mind for Billy the Bum’s.” As a proof of concept for the client in this instance, Matrix ran an interesting sound experiment in the venue. Peters elaborates: “To illustrate the importance of quality audio and how it is actually appreciated by patrons, we installed one DYNACORD A112A speaker in the venue and left the remaining speakers in place. Over a period of weeks, the area of the venue in the vicinity of the DYNACORD speaker steadily became the most populated and this was clearly proof for the venue management that good sound has positive effects! Based on this proof, we were awarded the contract to supply additional DYNACORD A112A speakers for the remainder of the venue. We integrated the equipment that we supplied with the existing infrastructure allowing the venue to upgrade to a higher quality sound, affordably.” As Peters points out, it’s not always the large-scale installations with racks of amps and massive Pas that matter – but tailored solutions that mean something for the client’s business. Often, that means using appropriate sound solutions to improve the bottom line.

Night Club Installation REPORT

Madison Avenue adds international class

Madison Avenue is a premier local nightclub franchise, which recently opened branches in Pretoria and Rivonia. The clubs are managed by the organisation started by well-known local club guru Guy Van Der Post, of the VDP Group.

South African lighting supplier and AV integration specialists DWR Distribution kitted out the clubs with Robe miniPointes, Robin 100 LEDBeams, Philips Showline Nitro 510C RGB & W LED Strobe fixtures, Le Maitre MVS Hazer and a stack of RGB LED Strip lighting used for colour. “The process began in May last year,” explains Schalk Botha of DWR. “Guy approached us an existing client, but he wanted something new, fresh, and a touch of magic to add the wow factor to these two new and high-end club spaces.” Van der Post is the founder of the VDP Group and opened his first night club in 1996. He has been responsible for the successful design and production of benchmark club venues all over South Africa, including Nite Fever, Clapham Gold, Tiger Tiger, Joe Kool’s, Bourbon Street and the Manhattan Club. Botha first met van der Post many years ago when Botha was a DJ spinning tracks at some of the clubs. After DWR conducted various lighting demonstrations for the VDP Group, the club owners decided on the ever-popular and versatile Robe miniPointes and Robin 100 LEDBeams, both of which can create fast moving effects in the small-scale venues. The miniPointe in

particular is a tiny agile air cutter specifically designed to produce sharp beam and aerial effects in venues constrained by size. As Botha points out: “Robe’s super fast ROBIN® LED Beam 100 is the ultimate effects lighting tool, especially for club spaces. It has a highly optimised motorised control, which produces speedy pan and tilt movement, three LED zones which allow the creation of various colour chases, and an extra punchy 7-degree beam angle can be amplified with fast strobing. We also installed a SL Nitro 510 C strobe luminaire in each venue, that delivers intense bursts of coloured and white light and dynamic effects. “The kit installed in both clubs was pretty similar,” continues Botha. “We installed six Robe miniPointes and eight Robin 100 LEDBeams in Joburg, but only four miniPointes and six LEDBeams in Pretoria, since the space there is slightly smaller. Then we rigged both clubs up with a Philips Showline Nitro 510C RGB and W LED Strobe, and MVS Hazer and RGB LED Strip Light. The installation took around two weeks per club, with all the fixture suspended from the ceiling on a very safe steel structure, while LED strips lit up elements such as the bar areas

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and ceiling bulkheads. As with all the VDP Group installations, Royden Smith from the Group handled all the technical planning aspects of the new clubs. He was great to collaborate with, and created awesomely slick looks and sophisticated programming for the lighting,â&#x20AC;? concludes Bothat. Madison Avenue is proud of the international ambience of its two new SA flagships. Van der Post is an extensive traveller, drawing on design inspiration from clubs around the world for his own venues. The Madison Avenues clubs continue the tradition of an extravagant atmosphere, with the queues around the block to get into both indicating the success of the formula.

Night Club Installation REPORT

Basement jacking in NYC

Located in midtown Manhattan in New York City, TAO Group’s LAVO NYC destination nightclub attracts sophisticated revellers looking for weekend rowdiness. The club called in EDM and techno festival specialist lighting designer Steve Lieberman, founder of SJ Lighting and responsible for the lighting designs of the Ultra festivals around the world, including that in South Africa. The brief to Lieberman was to spruce up the club’s outdated lighting system.

Lieberman soon realised that what was really needed was a complete overhaul, which he based on the RUSH by Martin line of lighting fixtures. The nature of the space is such that this niched club was looking for a high-end, cost-effective lighting system which fit the aesthetic parameters of its guests. The result is a club that’s not only much more attuned to guest expectations but one that also puts less of a dent in management’s bottom line. Located beneath the landmark LAVO Italian restaurant, the 600-person capacity club features an elevated DJ booth, two bars and a number of banquettes and tables for bottle service. Because

of limited ceiling height in the below street level club, exposed pipes and mounted lighting fixtures are present throughout the nightclub. Explaining the redesign process, Lieberman says: “None of that plumbing could be relocated like the rest of the space, and in contrast to our usual process, we had to reverse-engineer a new design into an existing space with many restrictions. Additionally, the existing beam fixtures were ineffective and visually overwhelming at such a low height, not to mention structurally unstable and within reach of dozens of wild party animals every night!” Lieberman replaced the existing 5-R beam lights with six RUSH MH 4 Beam fixtures, which feature a more appropriate 2-R lamp. The RUSH MH 4 uses significantly less energy, is more suitable for the space and its small footprint made it possible to mount on the ceiling despite the crowded plumbing system. Lieberman also deployed ten RUSH MH 5 Profile LED moving heads, which he selected for the strong ratio of output vs footprint. The LED-sourced fixtures require less maintenance in changing of bulbs and also consume less power while still providing an effective dynamic light source. Lieberman, who values a cohesive design that won’t go out of style, complemented the Martin products’ compatibility with other manufacturer’s products installed at the club: “While technology upgrades in clubs are usually a non-revenue generating investment begrudged by club management, the managers and owners view this as a refreshing upgrade that also saves them money. They called me in May, a few months after the first upgrade had completed, about upgrading a second area of the club. That’s as clear an indication of their satisfaction with the re-design as anything.”

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Night Club Installation REPORT

Design is all at the Parq Club

Located in San Diego’s famous leisure and entertainment district the Gaslamp Quarter, the Parq is an avid clubgoer’s techno dream. The 38 000 square foot club opened in the Autumn of 2014. It is a heavily conceptualised and designed space, in everything from its VIP treatment to the interior design, sound and lighting.

High-end agencies were brought in to take care of each design and sound element, and the lighting was again entrusted to Steve Lieberman’s SJ Lighting. Renowned for large scale festivals like Electric Daisy and Ultra Festivals around the world, including here in South Africa, Lieberman is also a club lighting design guru, and an award winner for his groundbreaking work on the famous Marquee Club. Lieberman relies on creativity, principles of design, and high-quality lighting fixture manufacturers like Martin Professional to build visually dynamic club atmospheres. He decided once again to go with an array of RUSH by Martin products for the required high-end vibe of the Parq Club. The fixtures included RUSH MH 3 Beam, RUSH MH 1 Profile and RUSH PAR 1 RGBW in an installation that was both comprehensive and cohesive with the club’s other design elements. Lieberman was brought in midway through the two-year construction period by a referral from the interior designer. He describes his role as that of a visual ‘enhancer’ based on the designer’s aesthetic. He explains: “It’s important to consider all aspects including geometry and perspective. You know it’s done right when it looks like a single design firm was responsible for the whole space.” While creating a cohesive environmental design is Lieberman’s

overall responsibility, his primary focus is the lighting, the club’s primary visual element during party hours. He relies on Martin’s line of club-oriented RUSH lighting fixtures to immerse every inch of the club in lighting in a way that boosts every guest’s experience. Lieberman comments: “The Martin RUSH MH 3 Beam does the heavy lifting. The big effects over the dance floor – that’s the RUSH Beam. The lighting over the main attractions like the DJ and the dancing girls – also the RUSH MH 3 Beam. Every fixture has a purpose but you need to make sure that the space is properly lit.” The RUSH fixtures certainly contribute to Parq’s highly stimulating interior, which is frequently described as ‘heavy on technology’ and ‘state of the art’. But Lieberman believes bright, prominent illumination is only one component of proper venue lighting. He considers lighting fixtures essential to maintaining a dynamic atmosphere for guests, performers, producers and club staff. He says: “Club shows often go for more than eight hours. Our goal is to give the lighting designer enough tools he needs to keep things fresh, for both staff and guests, night after night. A great lighting designer tells a story along with the music. The more tools he has, the better the story he can tell.”

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Night Club Installation REPORT

Nightclub venues diversify worldwide By Dan Daley for InfoComm International ©InfoComm

As the financial woes of the music industry continue, music venues around the world – including in South Africa – are feeling the competitive pinch. The response of the venues has to be a bit of diversity and lateral thinking.

In this second decade of the music industry’s financial challenges, one bit of wisdom that has emerged is that even as recorded music, in the form of CDs and downloads, continues to struggle, live music has become an economic engine. Last year was a benchmark for touring dollars, hitting a massive $20 billion in ticket sales globally, according to Billboard. That’s great if your name includes Gaga, Taylor, Justin, Katy or Beyoncé, but artists one level down (or more) still need places to perform. Although the muddy fields of Bonaroo, Rocking the Daiseis and Oppikoppi remain crowded – reflecting the millennial age demographic’s current infatuation with music festivals – midsizedand-smaller venues aren’t faring as well. According to a recent article in the London Telegraph, almost 50 percent of nightclubs in Britain have shut since 2005. In the US, a survey by ULI/Lachman Associates found that barely 60 percent of millennials spend time at nightclubs. As a result, local music clubs in US cities large and small are closing

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Night Club Installation REPORT

Terminal 5 in Manhattan

with alarming frequency. In SA the venue pool is predictably much smaller, with about 100 formal venues across the country, and an unknown number of informal music venues. So what’s a small venue operator to do? Some see opportunity beckoning in the form of live-event production. In many cases, small and midsized music clubs offer just the right space for a large variety of events (not everyone needs Madison Square Garden) and they often come with a certain cachet. Such spaces range from rock-and roll-establishments, such as the Hard Rock Café, to a growing cohort of vinyl record shops and ‘lifestyle’ venues such as Maboneng or te Neighbourgoods Market in Jozi. The fact is that music, even in its absence, offers a kind of allure that makes even a non-music event stand out. “Music clubs are spending more money on higher-end sound, video and lights, and a big part of the reason is that they’re going after more private-event business,” says Ziv Gross, an account manager at the Los Angeles office of AV systems retailer GC Pro, which also does installations. Gross says event-production customers have become savvier, and they know that name-brand technology can help draw event attendees. “They know what a line array is now, they know the difference between analogue and digital, they recognise certain brand names,” he says. “They also want to know that the venue has everything it needs in terms of sound, video and lights. They don’t want to have to rent certain items. They want the whole package ready to go.”

The Bowery Boys Michael Swier, John Moore and Jim Glancy, founders of The Bowery Presents, pooled their resources and now run five iconic clubs in New York that range in size from the 300-person capacity Rough Trade record shop/punk-rock venue in Brooklyn, to Terminal 5 (T5) on Manhattan’s West Side, which can hold 1 800 sweaty dancers or

1 200 seated attendees, when hosting private events. T5 Production Manager Chris Burrows says each of the company’s venues has its own AV and lighting systems, tailored to each space’s characteristics. T5 itself has a large, new L-Acoustics system, with two sets of 12 K2 enclosures on either side of the stage, four K1-SB LF extension cabinets flown behind each K2 array, and eight SB28 floor-stacked subwoofers. Over at the Bowery Ballroom, which holds 575 people, the room is filled with sound from three EAW 650 and 695 boxes in an L-C-R configuration, flown above the stage and mixed through a vintage analog Midas Heritage 3 000 console, in keeping with the venue’s legacy. The Mercury Lounge uses d&b speakers, while the remaining venue, the Music Hall of Williamsburg, can hold 650 standing (300 seated) and entertain (or inform) audiences through an older, but solid, L’Acoustics dV-DOSC sound system. Burrows says that because each venue’s AVL system is tailored to the space, the systems across all five venues are not interchangeable. This has implications for maintenance and operations (the A1 sound engineer at one venue might not be up-to-speed on any console but the one he or she runs each night) and the ROI on technology is specific to each venue, so there’s little available in the way of economies of scale. “We can’t really trade speaker enclosures back and forth if someone needs extra speakers,” Burrows says. “When we can, we’ll help out a ‘family’ member, but each venue is its own little world and that can be a little frustrating at times.” But, he emphasises, the sound, lights and video for each venue are perfectly suited to their respective spaces. And the FOH mixers at most of the venues are veterans of music touring, which, in terms of experience and resourcefulness, makes them considerably more accomplished than the typical hotel-event mixer. “The really great thing is that event clients can choose from a portfolio of room types,” Burrows says. “Pick the size and vibe that’s right for you, the sound and lights and video will be perfect in each one.”

Le Poisson Rouge Le Poisson Rouge, a cabaret club in Greenwich Village, opened in 2008 with a high-end arsenal of AVL, including a Meyer Sound surround-sound PA, designed by noted recording-studio architect John Storyk and installed by Masque Sound. It’s zoned to cover the venue’s main room and its smaller 'gallery' space, either independently or as one big area that can hold 1 100 people. That kind of investment in technology and flexibility has helped make LPR – as its fans call it – a successful event-production venue, with outside planners booking space there throughout the year. But, says Jonathan Talley, LPR’s Director of Production, it also requires careful technology choices on a regular basis. When the club opened, LED lighting was still exotic and expensive; since then, its entire lighting grid has transitioned to LED, a process Talley says required extensive consultations with systems designers, technical staff and the various touring engineers who pass through. Plus, the club and its AVL systems have to adapt to changing music trends, which affect event-production clients’ decisions. “EDM is very big now, so we have to make sure the PA and the lighting systems can reproduce what those clients have come to expect,” he explains. “There’s a big advantage in having sound and lights as part of the package we can offer event planners – one price includes everything instead of having to add layers of rentals. But we have to keep the systems as current as possible.” All around them, music venue operators see growth in live-event production. Meetings, conferences, product rollouts, fashion shows – you name it. They’re taking place in museums, warehouses, vacant lots, corporate lobbies and elsewhere. Why not hold a corporate summit in a music club? With ongoing contraction in their core business, such venues can parlay their expertise in audio, video and lighting into new and engaging live-event experiences. And they’re on the lookout for new and better AVL products and services.

Le Poisson Rouge in Greenwich Village

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ISE SHOW PREVIEW

ISE Pre-show report 2016

ISE 2016 kicks off at the Amsterdam RAI exhibition and trade show venue from the 9th to the 12th February 2016. What can attendees expect from the largest AV trade show in Europe this year? For the first time the show will expand to include a fourth day, and will hope to top the record figures of 59 000 visitors and over 1 000 exhibitors in

SHOW PREVIEW ISE 2015. ISE 2016 already has a sold-out sign up on the show floor, topping out at 43 000 square metres of exhibitions space — an increase of 11% on 2015. The 2016 edition of the event will attract thousands of professionals from every aspect of the systems integration landscape. AV and IT professionals, integrators, installers and end-users alike will be networking furiously, chasing deals and trying to attend as many new product launches as possible. The massive show floor will cover different themes, including Digital Signage, Residential Solutions, Unified Communications, Audio Solutions and Smart Building.

Event highlights Prior to the opening of the show with a panel discussion and reception on Monday 8 February, visitors can attend the Audio Forum, a full-day event with seminars presented by high-profile audio professionals, or the Smart Building Conference. This is a joint venture between ISE’s co-owners InfoComm International and CEDIA. The full day programme here deals with key insights in the industry sector, including energy savings and home automation solutions. On the show floor, the Drone Arena is an exciting first for ISE 2016. The area will show off the latest technologies, trends and applications in the world of drone technology, and highlight their applicability in the world of AV/IT. A relatively new featured event on the ISE 2016 calendar is the ISE Capital Summit, on the 11th February, which brings together AV and IT industry entrepreneurs and executives with financial professionals and business experts from the world of investments, mergers, and acquisitions. Among the key points under discussion will be raising investment capital for AV and IT integration businesses.. One of the undoubted highlights of the entire ISE show this year will be the keynote speech of Dr. Michio Kaku, one of the world’s leading scientific figures. He is a recognised expert in Einstein’s unified field theory and has unparalleled skill in predicting trends affecting business, commerce Michio Kaku and finance based on the latest scientific research. The keynote will begin at 9 am, half an hour before the show opens on Friday 12 February. Dr. Kaku holds the Henry Semat Chair in Theoretical Physics at the City University of New York. He received his PhD in physics from the University of California at Berkeley in 1972, and has been a professor at CUNY for almost 30 years. He also does considerable public speaking on international radio and TV and frequently keynotes major business conferences, focusing on future trends in computing, finance, banking and commerce.

Professional Development ISE has always prided itself on the extent and quality of its professional development initiatives, and the 2016 edition of the event is no different. Complementing the extensive product and networking presence on the show floors is a parallel programme of seminars, courses, and even on-site certification! ISE’s co-owners CEDIA and InfoComm International will offer more of their popular technical and business education, even allowing attendees to gain globally recognised qualifications without leaving the show venue.

ISE SHOW PREVIEW A new development initiative, the FRDY@ISE programme, will be taking place on the final fourth day on 12 February. This will see ISE hosting an M2D Networking Event for manufacturers and distributors, launching a special AV/IT Seminar Programme and showcasing Dr Michio Kaku’s Closing Keynote. InfoComm International will be offering free professional development consultations to attendees of ISE 2016. The consultations will be conducted by InfoComm’s Europe-based and other international staff, with the goal of helping individuals and companies identify courses of study for advancing their careers and businesses. InfoComm’s in-person, one-on-one professional development consultations at ISE will run for approximately 20 minutes each. At the end of the consultation, participants will receive a tailored plan of training opportunities not only from InfoComm, but also from others sources inside and outside the AV industry, including courses devoted to information technology and networking, as well as business management. Many of the education sources that are part of InfoComm’s offering deliver free and low-cost training. InfoComm’s professional development assistance is designed to offer a holistic picture of the opportunities available to learn new AV skills, technologies and best practices. The on-site InfoComm advisors will have at their fingertips all of InfoComm’s certification and training curricula, as well as training resources from industry partners, manufacturers and other sources, in order to suggest a well-rounded course of study that meets the person or company’s specific training needs.

‘InfoComm for Higher Education: What’s Working Now’ will focus on technology advancements and integration tools and strategies for higher education facilities. The session wraps with a networking reception. ‘InfoComm for AV Executives: What’s Working Now’ will concentrate on the importance of actively creating, fostering and sustaining an aligned corporate culture. The conference and panel will include executives from well-respected companies who have garnered success in developing and maintaining a healthy corporate culture. This session kicks off with a breakfast. The InfoComm Masterclass Programme, designed for experienced AV professionals, emphasises in-depth technical and business topics through hands-on activities. These three-hour sessions will be taught by industry experts from organisations such as Harman Professional, Paradigm Audiovisual and Meyer Sound. Each session offers three renewal units. The MasterClass session titles include: • Projection Optimisation • The Product is Dead, Long Live the Platform • The HDBaseT Expert Installer Course • AV/IT Security Needs Analysis • Networked AV • Project Management for AV Integrators • How to Enable Collaboration in an IT Infrastructure • Classroom & Meeting Room Design: The Viewing Environment • Digital Audio and Networking • LED Lighting Control and the Internet of Things • Classroom & Meeting Room Design: The Listening Environment Finally, the InfoComm Flashtracks are free, 20-minute presentations at the InfoComm stand at the show (12-N100). They are designed for AV professionals of all experience levels. Attendees will hear about hot topics in the industry, including short excerpts from InfoComm University courses featuring practical, applicable ideas and skills.

ADVERTORIAL

Preview of Guangzhou (International) Entertainment Technology Show The exhibitors and exhibition attendees will reach a fresh record high this year, with the number of exhibitors exceeding 550.

With a78,000 sqm exhibition area, over 550 exhibitors and 60,000 buyers which is double that of last year, Guangzhou (International) Entertainment Technology Show (GET show) 2016, will be held in Pazhou Poly World Trade Expo (PWTC) Center from March1st to March 4th. The show this year keeps the concept of being a high-end ‘silent show’ in China, providing exhibitors and visitors a comfortable, relaxed and relatively quiet exhibition zone which is conducive for business negotiations. The show features six halls (comprising three professional audio halls and three professional light halls) and one outdoor line array stage. Last year, the first independent international brand hall was highly praised. GET show 2016 will devote greater effort to having many more big brands both at home and abroad to join the show, such as Ace (JBL, Crown, Shure, Soundcraft), Meyer Sound, Yamaha, Ruisheng (German TW Audio-German SAL-acoustics line, German GLP Computer Lights, Australia LSC etc), Verity Audio, Pioneer, AV Media (Peavey Electronics), America QSC, Acton(Spain DAS), Germany KS Audio, Sound Works and Supplies (German D&B), Win-sound (Midas, Klark Teknik, Turbosound),

Martin Audio, L’Acoustic, Sennheiser, Digico, (PAL Audio) C-Mark, Real Music (Canada Adamson), Portugal Norton, Belgium Apex, France Active Audio, Digital Media Technology (Clair Brothers, DPA, DB Technologies), Ruifeng, DIYI, Sky-art, OHM, Phida, DSPPA, DVON, Liyun, Shengli, Hertz, Regal, Lingjie, Dema, Hongcheng, Huiying, Zomax, Wind Force, etc. Furthermore, there will be many famous enterprises participating in the professional light hall, such as PR-lighting, Fine Art, Top-led Lighting, Deliya, DS Lighting, Goldensea Professional Lighting, Hongcai Lighting (Jolly), Huihong Lighting, Liangyi Lighting, Rentian Lighting, Omarte Lighting, ACME Group, Yajiang Applied Technology, Max Lighting, W-DMX, Nanshi Lighting, Nanyi Lighting, Chuangyi lighting, Light Sky, Yellow River Lighting, East River Lighting, RGB, FDL, GLOBALTRUSS, Ledika Lighting, Ruiying Lighting, Weifa Truss, Huawei, Tinhao Maquinas, etc. They will definitely offer a marvelous visual feast to the audience. The show will also hold an outdoor line array exhibition, new products release meetings and interaction with visitors on-site. Compared with the previous shows, GET show 2016 will have tighter schedule, richer activities, more highlights and more customer-focused service. During the show there will be a continuous industrial information exchange platform for the participating enterprises, purchasing agents and exhibition visitors, a wider space provided for industrial technical exchange, win-win cooperation and mutual benefits. The Chinese entertainment equipment industry will present a picture of a positive, optimistic and flourishing state, and make contributions to the prosperity of local culture and the development of the local and international sectoral economy.

ADD: Room 803,Building B,Shidaichuangyi Park 179,Yingbin Road,Panyu District, Guangzhou,511430,P.R.China TEL: +86-20-8479 0060

8479 0061

Website: www.getshow.com.cn

FAX: +86-20-8479 0162

Email: info@getshow.com.cn

EXPERT OPINION

Video over IP

– the next wave

By Abrie du Plooy

Traditional video distribution has come a long way since the days of analogue radio frequencies and higher resolution RGBHV signals.

The digital world brought us HD (High Definition) television, but with brand new technical challenges. HDMI (High Definition MultiMedia Interface) was introduced as a HD signal standard with a higher bandwidth requirement for more information transfer between source and sync (display) devices. Because of this, multi-media signals over copper cables are limited by distance. In addition, the HDMI equipment did not accommodate multiple source/multiple display architecture. Another challenge brought about by HDMI is HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection). The latter is a control protocol embedded within the HDMI signal. Word on the street has it that Hollywood orchestrated this in an attempt to reduce the criminality around counterfeit copies sold on the black market, which costs content producers in dishonoured royalty obligations. HDCP ensures that both source and sync devices are conforming to a protocol – a digital handshake between licensed devices prohibiting the user from duplicating material.

HDMI soon became the norm in residential set-ups and later on in the professional audio-visual industry where many new technologies facilitated the distribution challenges. In professional video systems, one is more often than not faced with system architecture that requires video signals to reach greater distances than intended for HDMI’s design. Certain systems require video switching between multiple sources and others require multiple displays showing the same content. More advanced systems need a combination of both multiple source and multiple display devices with full routing flexibility. Many different technologies introduced solutions to some of these challenges. Balun (Balanced/Unbalanced) systems with transmit and receiver hardware on either side of a STP (shielded twisted pair) cable increased distribution distances but at an expense. More recently, HDMI optical fibre cables function in a similar style with transmit/receiver components integrated at both ends of optical fibre cables with power supplied by the HDMI ports. Fibre cables thus eliminate various components and instead provide a single point of failure with a neater installation appearance. The latest breakthrough in distribution technology is video distribution over IP (Internet Protocol). As more and more audio-visual systems integrate with IT systems, it was only a matter of time before IP

EXPERT OPINION

networks were introduced to distribute HD multi-media signals. Technologies continue to develop with higher resolutions and current recording, distribution and display devices are capable of 4K UHD (Ultra-High Definition) signals with a resolution of 3840x2160 – four times that of Full HD(1920x1080). Video over IP has changed the architecture limitations of conventional video routing systems. Based on customer requirements, conventional systems select a frame to accommodate the configuration required before being populated with components. The negative side to this solution is that the frame size is established by either the number of inputs or outputs to be accommodated. This then results in the other side of the solution having to use the exact same frame even if only a fraction of the real estate is used. IP distribution systems utilise one multi-port switch with transmitters and receivers at both ends of the solution. Each transmitter will convert the HD signal to IP and send it to the IP switch. The receiving end will dictate an IP address where the required source is transmitted from and thus switched to the desired display. This design only requires an IP switch to accommodate the total number of connections (sources and displays) needed in a system. The greatest benefit of a video over IP system is that it utilises IT network infrastructure but in order to distribute uncompressed HD or UHD video, network infrastructure must be capable of 10Gb/s bandwidth. This might increase cost but will prepare networks for future IT requirements, assuming that the pace of development around the ‘internet of things’ remains the same. Certain video over IP systems will use video compression and thus require much lower bandwidth capabilities. This makes these systems more appealing because of an attractive bottom line. The question to ask is whether the objective of distributing true HD or UHD video is achieved. Another important factor to keep in mind is the HDCP protocol explained earlier. It might not be required when a local presentation is sent over a network as the content belongs to the presenter. However, the moment one decides to send a HD news broadcast or the latest release blockbuster over a network that is not HDCP enabled, the signal will be rejected by the display device, resulting in a ‘no show’. It is also of high importance to have the initial IT functionality still available on the IT network. On a 10Gb/s system, each video endpoint is capable of delivering 1Gb/s allocation for internet only. Systems should also be capable of sending USB protocols over the same network and to make it more attractive to the AV professional. Control integration at each endpoint must be capable of delivering Infrared and RS232 protocols. Video over IP technologies are also readily available for the entertainment and staging industry where signal distribution has always been a challenge. System architecture is slightly different with

a FOH (Front of House) sender unit – where source components connect – and a back stage distributor switch sending various commands and signals to relevant systems. Both components are linked by a single, two cable connection for redundancy. Some of the supported signals include audio and video as well as control protocols such as Dante and Artnet for lighting control – an important aspect of the live entertainment industry. Equipment is built for rugged on-the-road conditions and the architecture has revolutionised the requirements around live event set-up. In short: the future of video distribution lies with IP networking, with high enough bandwidth to accommodate all the components and technologies in today’s digital world.

THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME

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PROFILE

Elaine Shellard – a passion for AV

Elaine Shellard is an industry veteran of over forty years’ experience. One of the South African AV sector’s most recognised figures, she currently serves on the board of SACIA, continues to actively and successfully run her business Shellard Media, and is a renowned industry mentor and guru. James Sey caught up with her.

Elaine’s story neatly mirrors the technological development of the AV industry in many ways. She started out in the industry as a photographer in the 1970s, working in a darkroom developing super 8mm film reels. In the 80s Elaine sold slide carousels and projectors, and dissolve units. Working with TL Electronics in the 80s meant a move into the boom time for the VHS video format – TL was a JVC vendor, and quickly became involved in the education and government sectors, installing equipment – two sectors that remain close to Elaine’s, and Shellard Media’s, heart to this day. TL Electronics became a Bell & Howell company in 1984, and this brought with it a range of AV products they could offer South Africa’s fledgling broadcast market. “From the beginning in that environment,” says Elaine, “I was

Elaine Shellard

involved in the technical side of the business. As a woman, I was never treated as if I couldn’t be technically skilled – I learned, listened and asked questions, and all my colleagues were prepared to answer them and discuss the technology issues with me. There’s a lesson in that for any woman coming into what is still a male-dominated industry.” Shellard Media started life on the 14th of January 1994, when TL Electronics hit the wall. “Our vision in starting Shellard media,” says Elaine, “was to improve standards of equipment buying, installing and technical support. Our initial industry focus for our customers was in the sectors we knew something about – government and the education sector – as well as targeting the corporate sector.” Elaine’s husband Laurie became a key cog in the fledgling business

PROFILE

when he threw in his lot with Elaine. An engineer by profession, he had been manufacturing and selling AV equipment for the SA market through his own business. A change in the business model saw Shellard Media decide to move to importing, reselling and installing best of breed equipment. An important ingredient in the new approach was Laurie’s stringent technical standards as a qualified engineer, something the company retains to this day in their sales and support functions. That skills profile extends to the technical staff in the business. “Part of our ethos,” continues Elaine, “is a commitment to technical and relationship excellence with our suppliers and clients. They must trust us for the relationship to work as a partnership. They know that we only use best of breed products, and that we support the properly with technical

excellence. So even though we target a fairly broad customer spectrum, in education and government and the corporate sector, we maintain a very good reputation. For example, if we can make one government department look good with a boardroom installation, word gets around!” she jokes. “We work on our visibility for our customers too – submitting to as any tenders as we can, and working from long-term SLA’s which show our customers that we don’t walk away after installing their products.” But Elaine is perhaps most proud about the people in her business. “We have about 30 permanent staff, and many join us from school. We mentor our people, teaching them in technical disciplines and equipping them with valuable life and employment skills. As a result we have a very low staff turnover, and we optimise our ability in the business to meet client needs.” Elaine is sanguine about the future for Shellard Media and the industry: “There’s no easy way to build a business,” she says. “At the moment, AV/IT convergence is a key trajectory for the industry worldwide, and we have to keep up with those technologies and trends – but your people can help you in this. We need people in the local industry who are passionate about what they do, who take pride in doing the best job they can. Our job is to make technology – whether it’s in the classroom, the government office or the corporate boardroom – as usable and accessible as possible."

EXPERT OPINION

Rigging and such:

By Rinus 'Rhino' Bakker

Episode Two

Raking a truss…. Which point takes the load? First and foremost let’s get one thing clear: DO NOT attempt to rake trusses using wind up stands! That type of operation invites just too many variables, all of them with Murphy in the front seat! We all know that lighting designers sometimes increase the dynamics of their design by raking the lighting trusses. Some designs have moving pods or fingers, to create stunning effects, often with synchronised motion control. Clearly, this increases the complexity of your truss and loading point calculations and of course the control actions and safety procedures.

Single simply supported spans in UDL*: Let’s start simple; one single truss suspended in a level plane from two hoists. Just like what you’ll see in the manufacturers loading table specifications for their truss types, in UDL and CPL*. The question that often causes misunderstanding is how that new (raked) situation distributes the loads over the supporting hoists, as most of us will have a gut feeling that it is not the original (ca. 50-50%) division, that was present in the hoists with the truss in a level situation in UDL loading. Is it the top or the bottom hoists that will get more load, and as a consequence become more hazardous, with the risk of overloading in mind?

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EXPERT OPINION How does this work at home? It’s always helpful to think of your own experience in similar situations. Like carrying household gear, such as a fridge or a washing machine up the stairs. We all know that the guy at the bottom is doing ‘the real job’ – weight wise, and the guy at the top only might lose some finger skin between the wall and the load. In this case the centre of gravity is pretty much straight over the shoulder of the lower guy. Where for the top guy, this is straight, under the fingers of the out-stretched arms. And we also know that fingertips on out-stretched arms are not the preferred limb parts used by weightlifters. One can compare this type of guided load lifting to the static situation with wind up stands.

Raking: move with care! In chain hoist suspension the (unguided) load (the truss pod with lighting fixtures) has its centre of gravity positioned below the lifting machinery. In the case of raking your truss, the load will increase towards the two hoists in the highest position. That load will increase even more when the combined centre of gravity of the truss and fixtures move into a position deeper below the pick up points on the truss. Rake angles of about 15 degrees normally shouldn’t be alarming, but raking your truss or truss pods steeper than a 15 degrees angle needs a careful calculation before you move it into position. This however is not so simply calculated, because there are lots of parameters to take into account. Time to get an engineer in and adding a load monitoring system might not be such a bad idea as well. Oh yeah, just to be clear: DO NOT rake trusses when using wind up stands….

* UDL – Uniformly Distributed Load. For example a curtain tied in repeating identical distances, or a series of identical fixtures with identical distances in between. * CPL – Centre Point Load. This is one (heavy) load in the middle of a span, between two supporting points. Eg. a vertical array of LED-screen modules, or a Line Array PA system.

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LIVE EVENTs REPORT

Groot

Afrikaans is and better in 2015

bigger

Die Heuwels Fantasties at Afrikaans is Groot

By Elaine Strauss

REPORT LIVE EVENTs

As the biggest Afrikaans music concert in Pretoria, Afrikaans is Groot keeps exceeding expectations year after year… The ever popular Afrikaans is Groot returned to the Moreleta Park NG Church in Pretoria in November 2015 for 11 shows. As one of the highlights of the Afrikaans musical performance calendar year, as well as the biggest Afrikaans music concert in Pretoria, Afrikaans is Groot features a group of popular pop, country and rock artists each year. With tickets sold out within six hours of going on sale, the excitement for this show had been building up and expectations were high. MGG Productions took on the role of sole technical supplier for the audio and lighting of the show, with project manager Denzil Smith and his crew working under the supervision of technical director Ian Vos. With roughly 6 500 concertgoers per show, several challenges and only two weeks to get everything set up, the technical team really pulled off nothing short of a miracle for this production.

Sound For the sound, Smith and his team made use of 24 JBL VTX V20 line array speakers, 12 JBL VTX S25 subs, six JBL VTX G28 subs, 20 JBL Vertec 4886 Line arrays, eight JBL VRX932 LA Front fills, six Crown VRACKS Amps, two Crown HD3500 amps and six Crown HD 12 000 Amps, creating a total power output of 385 000watts. “For the sound desks, we used Soundcraft VI6 & VI 3000 at FOH and monitor desk VI 5000. We also used twelve VTX F15 monitors, 96 channels of XTA Splitters, 37 channels of In ears monitors, 56 channels of RF mics and a total of 3500 batteries for the duration of the shows,” said Fanie Pieterse, Head of Audio at MGG.

Lighting For lighting control, MGG made use of a GrandMA 2 Full size, two GrandMA 2 Lites, a GrandMA 2 on PC, two GrandMA 2 Switch with 20GB network line, four GrandMA 2 NPUs, two GrandMA 2 VPUs, two GrandMA 3D render machines, a Resolume and an Ableton Launch Pad. “It is the first time that the GrandMA 2 Switch network line was used anywhere in the world,” Smith said proudly.

The lights used for the shows included: • 20 Clay Paky Alpha Profile 1500 • 12 Robe BMFL Blades • 24 Robe 1200 Led Washes • 24 Robe 600 Led Washes • 32 Clay Paky Sharpys • 24 Robe Pointes • four Clay Paky Mythos • 12 Clay Paky B Eye K10 • 12 Clay Paky B Eye K20 • 12 Robe Cycfx 8

• 36 Robe Led Beam 100 • 12 Robe CitySkape 48 • 12 Martin Mac 250 Entour • 12 Elation Cuepix panels • four Robert Juliat Aramis 2500 follow spots • two Martin Jem Glaciator Extreme • a MDG The One Hazer and Smoker • and two Le Maitre MVS Hazers.

LIVE EVENTs REPORT

Stage with LED floor

The future now

Challenges

MGG Productions is the first in Africa to make use of Kinesys to move trussing, which they used for several acts during the show. “It is incredible and provides you with so much more options to work with. The whole thing is run by software and programmed with cues, making the motion smooth and spectacular,” Smith said. Along with the moving trussing, the show also boasted a 6mm LED floor, adding depth and visual interest to the show. Another first at this year’s show was MGG’s use of eight load cells on the stage trussing. “These load cells show us the live weight of our trussing at different points, in real time,” said Smith. “They are going to be an industry standard soon and it is really amazing how you can measure the exact weight at an exact point.” The trussing was all run with Prolyft motors using double brakes.

According to Smith, an entire outdoor trussing rig had to be built on the stage, in order to accommodate the equipment. “Since this auditorium was designed as a church, rather than for a lot of live events, there was no adequate hanging space for equipment and the roof could only hold as much as one and a half tons of weight,” he said. “Due to this, we had to build an entire trussing rig on the stage for all the equipment.” Another important factor regarding the venue was the PA design, which, according to Smith, was quite critical. Pieterse added to this, stating that they ran into some challenges with regard to the sound in the auditorium, due to some of the building’s physical features causing a lot of audio to be lost, specifically on the balcony seats. “Overall, we took on most of the challenges head on and in the end, I must say, everything turned out great,” Smith said. Having worked on Afrikaans is Groot for several years, Smith said it is still one of his all time favourite shows and a great client to work with.

REPORT LIVE EVENTs

GrandMA2

Denzil Smith and Ian Vos

Theuns Jordaan in action

LIVE EVENTs REPORT

Still starry-eyed after all these years For the RMB Starlight Classics, hosted at The Country Club Johannesburg, lighting designers Joshua Cutts from Visual Frontier and Christopher Bolton from Keystone Productions worked in unison as they used two grandMA2 Lite consoles for multi-user programming â&#x20AC;&#x201C; not an everyday practice in South Africa.

REPORT LIVE EVENTs

The staging, lighting and set with the back LED was provided by Gearhouse South Africa, the Dome stage was by In2stuctures, and the side LED screens by AV Systems. The amazing girls from JAM Events, Sam McGrath and Joanne Jaques, ensured another smooth running event with an emphasis to detail as they have done for the past 17 years. Audio was supplied and operated by one of South Africa’s finest sound engineers, Marius Marais from Audio Logic. The rig incorporated 25 Robin 600 LEDWash, 24 Robe Pointes, 16 Robe Red Wash 3.192, Robe 2500 Washes, 24 Martin MAC Vipers, a bucket load of parcans and 48 Longmans. “It was a good experience,” commented Joshua Cutts. This was the third year he had worked on the annual show, which is held in Cape Town in February and in Johannesburg at the beginning of September. This time round, as Josh had a busy work schedule including work on The Voice, South African Idols and programming for the new SABC sport studio, he decided to get Chris Bolton on board and work as a team. “It took the workload off me,” said Josh. It was the first time that he and Bolton worked together on Starlight. “It’s a great show to do,” said Josh. “The music changes slightly between Cape Town and Joburg, but we tend to keep a similar look and feel and readapt it to the music. When we go back to Cape Town next year, we will build a new design and then repeat the process.” With a large orchestra on stage, comprising the Johannesburg Festival Orchestra and cadet players from the Johannesburg Youth Orchestra Company, there is a restriction to what one can do on stage. “Generally it lands up with the orchestra at the back, the vocalists in the front and redesigning a lighting rig above them,” says Cutts. “You can’t really change it too much because you need similar light in similar places.” Adds Bolton, “The biggest challenge for us, with both Joshua and I being pretty much rock and roll designers, is no sweeping through the audience. You are not allowed to take any beams from stage and point them up through the crowd at any stage, ever!”

Preparations for Starlight this year, which is an outside event, saw a particularly cold Johannesburg – hard to believe a few months later in a heatwave summer! “We did some prep work in the visualiser before, and when we got to site it was freezing cold,” says Bolton. “You don’t understand how freezing cold it was! We had a mushroom gas heater between us. We were programming outdoors on site for the first two nights and then on the third night, Thursday, we had sideways rain.” Show nights were on Saturday and Sunday. With the first part of the show programmed, the rain came down. The show was saved onto memory sticks and the team left for the Keystone studios, where they plugged it in and programmed the second part of the show off-line. Having not seen it live, the team had to take information from the first half that they knew was right and use it in the second half, improvising as they went along. “One follows the stack and watches the show while the other guy is fixing because you can go into what is called Blind Mode and input information into the console while the show is running,” explained Cutts. So while Bolton operated the show, Cutts would see that the orchestra lights had to come up in six cues but they had not yet been programmed. “So I’d go into Blind Mode, store the orchestra lights six cues ahead of him and then come back out. And when he’d go into orchestra they’d be there. We worked on the consoles at the same time.” They had never done this, to this extent, before. “But it works and you get a lot of information into the consoles quicker,” observes Bolton. The MA 2 platform made it possible because of the connectivity of the two units in the same network. “It allows you full access on the rig for both operators so you have to trust each other,” says Cutts. “I had to know he was working on this and I was working on that, so don’t go grabbing his stuff because it’s going to break. In such an extreme environment it’s important to know each other’s styles well in order not to clash.”

LIVE EVENTs REPORT Starlight is designed around the dome structure supplied by In2 Structures, which, technically speaking, is quite an undertaking. “I recommended that we didn’t use truss inside the dome because it’s already there as part of the structure,” explains Cutts, adding that he didn’t want straight pieces of truss to spoil the lines of the curved dome. “But this meant that the poor crew had to put up every piece of lighting individually in the roof and hang it off the structure because it keeps with the shape and the form of the roof – therefore using the architecture of the structure as part of the design. Gearhouse did this for me and I was very grateful.” The roof structure was a full week of set up, the technical side took eight full days and by the time the lighting designers got to site everything was ready for them. The show itself is a great programme of orchestral music which brings classical with an African twist to the platform. Rand Merchant Bank, who are the sponsors of this client entertainment evening call this brand Afro-Symphonic. The show programme is always a collective effort put together by a team from RMB, Richard Cock Music Enterprises, Jam Events and new Show Director Darren Hayward. “Darren Hayward was part of the show for the first time and he was excellent,” says Cutts. “He was great to work with, along with the rest of the team, Sam McGrath and Joanne Jacques, and Camera Director for the shoot, Eugene Naidoo. The conductor, Richard Cock is exceptional. The show is generally about Richard Cock presenting all this music to the audience. But he is such a colourful character and just adds to the show. He gets the audience involved and makes them understand the music they are listening to. It’s a great part of the event, it’s fantastic.” For Cutts, Starlight has always been an event he has wanted to do. “The Cape Town part is particularly wonderful because you

get to spend a week on the wine estate, Vergelegen, amongst the oak trees. It’s a tough job and you’re there for a week,” he smiles. “In the day you don’t do much. That’s the one cool part. You can’t work in the day.” “This is the biggest problem we have,” adds Bolton. “We can only really start our job once everyone leaves the room. Because then you can sit and break the music down piece by piece and analyse what’s going on. Otherwise you have venue lights on, people talking, it’s just a nightmare.” Home time for everyone else is one of Cutts’ favourite times. “The quiet time is my best time. The best time in the industry is when I programme the venue lights, having that time alone with the rig.” Colours and design for Starlight Johannesburg were based on the music with the stage layout under Darren Hayward’s direction. The video contact was done by 9mm Films and CI Nation. Stefan van der Walt from CI Nation teamed up with Peter Heaney from 9mm films to create the amazing graphics on the back LED wall. It was essential for the lighting to complement the graphics. A big part of the show was the MA VPUs. “We use them to pixel map the venue, it’s becoming standard on our shows now,” said Cutts. “So we get to run video over that whole roof and if you lay it out properly it looks like the entire roof has got a fluid motion.” Concludes Bolton: “This is what added a twinkle in the roof, the video motion moving through the fixtures.” Starlight Classics was started by RMB as a client entertainment evening in 1998 and has been attended year after year by an audience who enjoy light classical music as they picnic with friends under the African sky.

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LIVE EVENTs REPORT

Year-end Park Acoustics gig a raging success

By Elaine Strauss

Goldfish on stage at Park Acoustics

For the third year, Phuture and Funktion One have provided Park Acoustics with an incredible way to end the popular concert and the year…

After about six years, Park Acoustics has really come into its own, with the outdoor concert growing from roughly 300 concertgoers in its first two years, to about 5 000 who attended the final show for 2015, at the Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria recently. Park Acoustics, which is held at the monument on the last Sunday of every month, also features a final show at the end of every year, which was held on Saturday 28 November last year. The final 2015 concert featured Goldfish, Shortstraw, Black Cat Bones, Haezer, The Moths, Sideshow and many more. The technical sound production for the electronic dance music, Griet stage, which switched over from the band stage at 6pm, during the show, was done by Phuture Sound.

Phuture Sound has been supplying PAs with Funktion One sound to the electronic dance music stage of the Park Acoustics gig over the previous three years. Anton Sinovich is one of the founding members of Phuture Sound, the distributor of Funktion One in South Africa and Africa. “The event was incredible, the DJs played awesome, edgy sets and the crowd went wild – as crowds do,” said Sinovich. Henk van der Schyf, one of the organisers of Park Acoustics, was thrilled with the technical production. “Anton introduced us to Funktion One, which is an industry standard overseas and we have been very happy with the results,” said van der Schyf. “This is an incredible event and with the Funktion

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LIVE EVENTs REPORT

The electronic dance music stage

One equipment it feels like we are pushing the boundaries in Pretoria, in ways that we have never pushed before. We are proud and privileged to work with Anton and Funktion One.” For the electronic dance music stage, Sinovich made use of four Funktion One Resolution 4 loudspeakers, four Funktion One F221, double 21” bass, a Funktion One X04a processor with audiocore, a Funktion One E25 amplifier, a Funktion One E100 amplifier and a Funktion One E90 amplifier for the Electro Floor. Sinovich also used two Funktion One PSM318 DJ monitors, powered by a Funktion One X02 processor, a Funktion One E25 amplifier and a Funktion One E100 amplifier. For the main system, they used a Resolution 4 Touring Rig. This is a ground stack rig that they have successfully deployed at exclusive roof top parties in Gauteng catering for up to 1 500 people. “The system is characterised by its incredible low frequency bass authority – controlled, accurate, very precise and very, very powerful. It kicks you in the chest and moves right through you, which makes it particularly amazing for deep house and electronic genres,” Sinovich said. “The mid-high’s are equally precise and stand out for their apparent lack of distortion, which means you can hear everything with incredible clarity. They are loud, but they just don’t hurt your ears. They also project sound in a very linear way. He explained that at most of these types of events, the people at the front of the crowd generally get the most of the sound, which can be painful and dangerous, while people at the back are left with a dull and muddled representation of what it sounds like at the front. “This just doesn’t happen with this system. As was illustrated on the PSM318 DJ monitor

evening, people right at the back of the room were going just as wild as the people in front row. Having great DJs playing high quality, uncompressed audio source files also makes a massive difference. With most touring rigs of this size you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between DJs playing off MP3s or Wav Files... with this system you can.” According to Sinovich, the PSM318 DJ monitor was released about a year and a half ago, after Richie Hawtin and Carl Cox helped with its development. “Nothing in the world even comes close to what the PSM318 does!” Sinovich said. According to an overview of these monitors on the Funktion One website, the PSM318 DJ Monitor delivers outstanding full frequency output, accuracy and immediacy. Sinovich explained that these monitors were first used at the Space 25th year anniversary in Ibiza and have recently been used in Cape Town, where a pair of them now resides as well. “It is the first time that we used our new PSM318 DJ monitors in Gauteng. You are probably asking ‘So what’s the big deal about DJ monitors? These are pretty special, they were launched at the Space 25th year anniversary in Ibiza, and pretty much widely regarded as the best monitors ever made,” Sinovich said. “If you want to see a DJ grinning from ear to ear, put him / her in between a pair of PSM318s.” The 5 000 people that attended this yearend concert proved that nothing comes even remotely close to the vibe that Park Acoustics offers. “This was our final Park Acoustics concert for 2015 and I believe that everyone enjoyed it. We look forward to see all our concert ravers again, on the last Sunday of January next year,” Van der Schyf said.

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LIVE EVENTs REPORT

Gearhouse and Formative slick at the BET festival

For the first time in Africa, the Black Entertainment Television (BET) network (DSTV channel 129) presented the BET EXPERIENCE AFRICA, an urban entertainment and lifestyle extravaganza which flights in locations around the world, and was on at the Dome on Saturday 12 December 2015.

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The 12-hour entertainment fest featured a substantial line up of musicians for the closing concert, including the top hip-hop and R&B talents of Young Thug, Rafael Saddiq and undisputed headliner Mary J. Blige. In keeping with the international events, the SA version featured a celebrity basketball game, a comedy stage, a fashion, beauty and health Expo showcasing the hottest brands and trends, a Sneaker Con and a daytime sound stage with performances by top African artists. Gearhouse again teamed up with Cape Town-based design and production agency Formative to stage the multi-artist main concert spectacular. Prosystems caught up with Gearhouse lighting designer Robert Grobler to find out a bit more.

Q: What were the main lighting and staging design elements – and why were those choices made? RG: There were two main elements we had to keep in mind. We had to be able to accommodate all the international artist’s technical requirements (a common challenge on multi-artist festival-type shows) while still keeping a unique look that works for the TV broadcast of the show. We also had to keep the crowd entertained during the sometimes quite lengthy change overs. To do that a B-stage was built, with a DJ who created a great vibe, but which also maintained the look and sound of the BET brand. As for the main stage we ended up doing a combination of all the artist’s requirement to come up with a lighting rig that worked for everyone.

Q: What was the initial client brief for the show? RG: It was important to keep to look and feel of the BET brand. Keeping that in mind it needed to be something slick and lifestyle oriented, with a clean look, we decided to go with a design based on LED video strips to mirror the design elements of the BET brand. The strips really brought everything together, and gave the stage a unique look and feel which still accommodated all the international artist’s different requirements. The end result was a design created by Grant Orchid from Formative and slightly modified to accommodate all the artists, but which still maintained the look Formative designed and which the client was very happy with.

Q. Was the design built around any gear in particular? And how did the great video content for the backdrops work? RG: Everything in the design definitely had a purpose. As far as the content goes, the international artists supplied their own media servers that plugged through our main media server. The rest of the content was created by Formative using a D3 server to run it all. We had a very limited time to get everything up and running. Getting all the frame work for the LED strips up and running was what took up most of the design and construction time but was crucial to the look and feel of the production.

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LIVE EVENTs REPORT

OppiKoppi embraces latest software technology for 21st celebration

Having celebrated this incredible anniversary by welcoming 162 artists to perform over three days on seven stages, to around twenty thousand revelers, it is, perhaps, of little surprise that OppiKoppi 2015 welcomed the opportunity to embrace the latest software technology in the form of ArrayProcessing, from d&b audiotechnik. This function within the d&b ArrayCalc simulation software allows users to optimise the listening experience across an entire audience. By applying a combination of FIR and IIR filters to each individual loudspeaker within a d&b line array, ArrayProcessing achieves a common tonality and consistent sonic result over the listening area defined by the vertical coverage. Managing Director, Kobus van Rensburg explained in detail:

Photo by Charlemagne Olivier

Photo by Chris Preyser

The Oppikoppi celebrated its 21st anniversary last year and naturally everything was bigger and better. Located in Northam, Limpopo province, north east of Pretoria, this South African festival boasts an unrivalled reputation as the live music festival event of the year.

“Not having used ArrayProcessing before, I was intrigued to experience both the process and the result. We designed the system in the d&b ArrayCalc software to give us the best front to back coverage as we would normally do. Then we applied the ArrayProcessing algorithm to the main array to give us a 2dB drop in SPL from front to back, which was over 80m away. This whole process only took about five minutes from design to implementing and loading the parameters into the amplifiers. “It is no exaggeration to say the result was absolutely astounding. The front to back coverage was smooth and consistent without any tonality changes at all, just that slight defined 2dB drop in SPL as you moved towards the back. I’ve not experienced such even tonality from any PA system ever before. We also found that there was no distortion or audible artifacts present at any volume, high or low.” Onsite Head of Audio, Marinus Visser, concurred: “I had comments from one visiting engineer that he was able to mix the band much louder than usual – and he was under strict instructions to do so. At one point, we reached peaks of 118dB SPL A-weighted at FoH (50m away) with 10dB headroom on the whole system. The consistency and clarity meant I could really mix the show with great confidence and be assured that whatever I was doing at FoH was heard by every member of the audience – wherever they were.” The logistics and technical production of a big event featuring five arenas, like OppiKoppi, can be a nightmare if it is not planned with military precision. Stage Effects worked with Blue Array to provide lighting, sound and AV technical solutions for the 5 different arenas. A major difference this year was the inclusion of the Luminex and its networking capabilities that allow for ease of control. Luminex is a complete networking solution that allows for different networking protocols to be managed with ease. Visser was introduced to Luminex at MediaTech in 2015. The ability to run one fibre cable from front of house to backstage allowed him to spend more time on the sound development of the arenas. Regarding the communication between sound equipment, a decision was made to incorporate the lighting requirements onto the same network. The plug and play technology is associated with the specialized VLAN technology that was development by Luminex. This allows for network traffic to be managed seamlessly and in a matter of minutes … without any IT experience required. The ability for these network switches to accommodate protocols like Art-Net 1.2.3, Dante, CobraNet, Ethersound, AVB, Q-LAN, SVSI, Streaming ACN, MA-Net/MA-Net2, EtcNet2, Net3 are some of the protocols that Luminex supports. OppiKoppi 2016 will take place from 5 to 7 August in Northum, Limpopo.

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LIVE EVENTs REPORT

Formative experience for Cassper Nyovest

Caption

Local rapper Cassper Nyovest made headlines, and was even mentioned in Parliament, with his recent benchmark Fill up the Dome concert. The full suite of creative, production and technical design was handled by cutting edge Cape Town-based company Formative, in collaboration with Gearhouse.

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Formative was contracted directly by Cassper Nyovest to provide full creative direction, production design, content design, show and technical production for the show. “We familiarised ourselves with the music before designing the production so that we could create lighting, video and scenic elements to match the different musical elements, and we then worked very closely with the different companies in the Gearhouse Group to make these seamlessly come together,” explains Thomas Peters, Formative’s technical project manager. Gearhouse Group in fact collaborated closely with Formative for some six weeks prior to the event. Formative set up a proposed design and budget which Gearhouse executed on, providing a sizeable amount of MC7 LED, lighting, rigging, power, audio, and set elements. Gearhouse also integrated Formative’s D3 into the system. Cassper’s dream was to ‘Fill up the Dome’ and be the first South African performer to do so. Formative’s design embodied that theme, putting Cassper in the dead centre of the Dome and lifting him high above the audience for his glory moment. To achieve this, Formative designed a long ‘ego ramp’ out into the

centre of the Dome with a 3 x 3m suspended stage which elevated him above the crowd at a climactic moment. This suspended stage was constructed of specially configured MC7 LED panels on a bespoke frame manufactured by Gearhouse In2Structures and on the underneath of this stage piece 16 x Mac 101’s and 4 x Martin Rush strobes provided beam effects. This was the central moment of the show and was heavily reliant on Gearhouse expertise to make it work well and safely. When the 19m large upstage LED screen displayed the words, “If you are reading this. I made it!”, it made for a truly goosebump moment! All screens were MC7 provided by LEDVision and a first for the LED team was that this was the biggest screen they have flown at a 35 degree angle. The artist was on a safety harness during this performance to ensure complete safety . “Working in The Dome comes with significant weight restrictions, especially when you are hanging about 4 tonnes of almost 65 sqm LED Screen at 35 degrees to the vertical! So the fact that all of these fixtures are very lightweight and still deliver amazing output is extremely useful, and the Gearhouse team really delivered on our vision,” says Peters.

LIVE EVENTs REPORT

“We planned out the show in Logic Pro X, with tracks for lights instead of music, creating a ‘visual score’ so that once at the console we only needed to put those elements in and record them. We didn’t want to fall into the trap of ‘programming the lights’ instead of ‘programming the show’, and the approach clearly paid off.” “Working in Logic Pro X also meant we were able to exchange tracks with the artist, which meant we were able to communicate in the same musical language- my BA Honours in Music is coming in really, really handy these days!” exclaims Peters Formative ran two d3 4u v2.5 servers and two MA2 full size consoles, with an additional MA2 full-size at dimmer beach. “We ran Art-Net from d3 into MA2 for pixel mapping the Rush Strobes, Robe CycFX8 and Robe Pointes, and split timecode between all the systems so that any failover was instant and seamless. We also had a directed and engineered HD four-camera system which we captured with d3 and used in the performances. “We set up the entire rig in MA3D via Vectorworks on an extremely high-spec rack mount PC, with 64Gb of Ram, a 3.3GHz Intel i7 and a nVidia GeForce Titan X, which with some tweaks to fixture profiles was able to deliver a solid 130fps at 1920x1080 regardless of how many fixtures were running how many effects at the same time. This also meant we could put the entire show into the desk ahead of time, see how different things worked together, move fixtures around as needed very easily and then send a final plot off to be prepped from, making work on site significantly easier for the crew.” Peters and his team ran the first half of the famously sold out show from FOH, running 4 channels of audio to play out tracks, click and timecode. The second half of the show was with a live band, during which cues were programmed according to the album tracks and played in live, which made for a much more 'organic' and flowing show, with even some room for improvisation, in contrast to the strictly regimented on-the-beat first half. On the video content front, Formative created customised

graphics for each track, sometimes making new cuts and rotoscoping existing music videos (as with Travel The World and Fuseg), creating new animations (as in their version of the hit Gusheshe), and sometimes driving lights as video screens to achieve a level of sync between lighting and video that would have been impossible via the creation of individual cues. “Creatively”, continues Peters, “we relied heavily on the LED screens as light sources, mounting these above, behind, inside and either side of the stage and driving them at full intensity. At times we applied solid block colours and ran them on the beat – the first track of the show, for example, Mmagwane, was lit entirely by the LED floor and the SL and SR Strobes. In particular with Mama I Made It we played the toplight of the grid of Patt 2013s off against the uplight of the LED floor Cassper was standing on.” The team was attempting to create darkness within the light. Visually, they avoided colours and gobos to get a strictly stark, direct, solid look, using only white, red and blue, with fixtures focused almost always as narrowly as possible, and where a softer look was needed using a prism instead of a gobo. “We were very particular about the effects we wanted to create, and selected specific lights (or even parts of lights) for tracks,” says Peters. “Some fixtures on the rig were there specifically for one particular moment- the Vipers on their boxes as the end of the runway for Alive, placed at exactly the right height to have the lens peek over the stage level so at to provide the light where it was needed without the whole fixture being in the picture, or the Mac 101’s rigged underneath the flying platform, which coupled with the ZR-44 under the stage made it look like a Jet Engine taking off. “We had complete creative freedom on this project, which allowed us to really push the boundaries. Considering we only had one month to produce this show from conception to completion, it could not have turned out better, we are all very, very happy with the result and from what we heard, the audience was too” concludes Grant Orchard, Creative Director of Formative.

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Full kit list • 60 Robe Pointes • 38 Robe Robin 600 LED Washes • 11 Robe CycFX8s • 8 CitySkape Xtremes • 12 Robe Patt 2013s • 20 Philips Showline SL Nitro 510s • 29 Martin Rush Strobe 5x5s • 38 Martin MAC Vipers • 50 Longman 011A Battens • 6 Martin Atomic Strobes • 12 Martin MAC 2000 Profiles • 12 Martin MAC 2000 Washes • 18 i-Pix BB4s • 19 i-Pix Satellites • 30 8-lite Molefayes • 4 Strong Gladiators • 2 grandMA2 full-size consoles • 1 grandMA 3D • 1 grandMA2 OnPC Command Wing & Playback Wing • 4 NPUs • 4 MDG Atmospheres • 2 JEM ZR44s

PRODUCT REVIEW Gearbox

Robe Strobe – rhyme and reason

By Jimmy Den-Ouden

The Robe Strobe certainly has the rhyming part right, but does it have a good reason to exist? It’s by no means the first LED strobe to hit the market, but as we discovered it does have a few features that make it quite unique.

Gearbox PRODUCT REVIEW

The front lens is occupied by 120 high power white LED chips with a native colour temperature of 6 000K. The chips are grouped into four columns across three rows, allowing the strobe to be controlled in 12 different sections. The fixture includes a selection of preset control macros, allowing users to quickly generate interesting looks without the need to pixel map. The beam angle spec is 32 degrees at ½ beam, or 60 degrees at 1/10 beam. A special rigging system allows up to four Robe Strobe fixtures to be ganged together vertically for really serious strobe effects. The Robe Strobe is pretty big – its front face measures 450x190mm, and at 300mm it’s physically deeper than it is tall. It weighs 10kg, no doubt part of which is accounted for by the rather solid yoke with dual tilt locks. The locks have a nice positive action and secure the fixture well, and in addition to this there are dual safety wire attachment points on the head itself. The yoke allows the fixture to be tilted through about 180 degrees. We tested a pre-production model because at the time of writing the production units were yet to arrive in the country, and since our unit was built, the housing of the Strobe has been re-designed to provide a higher IP rating. We understand that production units will be usable in light rain showers, so they’ll be okay to use on an exposed

front truss on a festival stage. Typically this space would be occupied by traditional Molefay units, so it’s nice to see the Robe Strobe provide a more flexible alternative. As you’d expect from an LED based product, the Robe Strobe provides adjustable strobe rate and duration, as well as the obligatory ‘blinder’ effect. Each section can be individually dimmed, and there’s high resolution master intensity control as well. Ramp up, ramp down, ramp up-down, random flash, single flash, and microphone driven strobe effect complement the more ‘user-driven’ control modes. Strobe duration is 0-650mS, and rate is 0-30Hz. Four different control protocols allow for control options from full through to basic. Rear panel inclusions are the same as standard on many Robe fixtures – 5 pin DMX in and loop, PowerCon in and loop, RNS2 touch screen for setup and control, and EtherCon for ArtNet. RDM, MA Net and sACN compatibility is standard, and a wireless DMX module is optional. I like this fixture. Its sheer output alone places it in the ‘super strobe’ category, yet at the same time, its unique aspects place it in a category of its own. I don’t have any specs as to exactly how bright it is, but having seen it in person I’d say ‘definitely bright enough’. We had to dim the thing WAY down just to get a workable photo of it. As if the Robe Strobe wasn’t already cool enough in its own right, there’s talk of a colour LED model on the way too, which adds another dimension of interest.

Brand: Robe Model: Strobe Street Price: R43 865 (excl VAT) Price correct at time of print and subject to change

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Studio Pro Audio REPORT

Audio networking: a progress report

By any standards, 2015 was a monumental year in terms of the awareness and adoption of pro-audio networking. But with numerous new networked audio products set to hit the market and a new control standard on the way, 2016 could be even better, writes David Davies.

Momentum has of course been building for upwards of five years now, but it is arguable that 2015 will eventually be regarded as the year in which audio networking – and specifically Audio over IP (AoIP) – finally crossed over from ‘theory’ to ‘reality’ in a mainstream context. And if we want to identify a specific symbolic moment, a live display held at the AES Convention in New York in late October is hard to beat. The AES67 standard – which was devised to provide interoperability between various existing IP-based audio networking technologies – has been generating considerable excitement in industry circles for some time now. In New York, it was showcased with a 22-device demo using products employing Dante, Livewire, Q-LAN and Ravenna networking technologies. Underlining the scope of the

display, items from ALC NetworX, Archwave, Digigram, Focusrite, Genelec, Lawo, Meinberg, Merging, QSC, Solid State Logic, Telos/ Axia, Telos/Linear Acoustic and Yamaha were all included. One of the most notable elements of the display was that two of the leading solutions – Ravenna and Dante – were shown to be working alongside each other effectively. In a recent conversation, Joshua Rush – vice-president of marketing at Dante developer Audinate – suggested that we are now moving from stage two to three of the three-stage adoption cycle for any new professional technology. And in terms of bringing its solution to the widest possible audience, Audinate took another decisive step forward in November with the availability of its Dante Via software product.

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“We hadn’t been quite sure how it would take off, but it’s clear that this concept of a softwareonly audio network is part of the reason that Via is resonating so much.” – Joshua Rush, Audinate Will Hoult (left) and Kevin Gross from AES67-promoting organisation the Media Networking Alliance, in front of the AES67 demo at AES New York

Dante diversifies

Control standard

Devised to make it easier for end-users, integrators, consultants and sound engineers to jump onboard the Dante ‘train’, Via enables USB, FireWire or Thunderbolt devices – including microphones, legacy mixing consoles and I/O boxes – to join any Dante audio network. Significantly, the software also allows a Dante network to be established without the need for dedicated hardware, providing a straightforward approach to routing audio using only computers. Rush confirms that the latter aspect is striking a particular chord with users – and that’s likely to include those in South Africa, where Dante is now making its mark. “We hadn’t been quite sure how it would take off, but it’s clear that this concept of a software-only audio network is part of the reason that Via is resonating so much,” he says. “This appeals to those people who had heard about Dante and wanted to work with it, but didn’t necessarily want to buy enabled hardware.” With 550 Dante-supporting products available at the time of our interview, Dante continues to maintain its position as the fastestgrowing solution – something that was amply underlined by the publication of RH Consulting’s The Death of Analogue and the Rise of Audio Networking’ white paper, which was published in early 2015 and remains a must-read for anyone venturing into the networked audio realm. Looking ahead, the report “predicts that we will be up to [Danteenabled] 758 products by the end of next year, and that certainly looks to be manageable at the present rate of growth,” says Rush. Meanwhile, one of the other leading lights of IP-based audio, ALC NetworX’s Ravenna, continued to make headway throughout 2015. Underlining the technology’s growing appeal to broadcast, live sound and other users, August saw the largest-ever full implementation of Ravenna for a live event, when the Orchestre Nationale de Lille (ONL) played its 40th anniversary concert. The show – which attracted 16,000 people and was captured for broadcast – made use of ONL’s new Ravenna-using studio infrastructure, augmented with some additional equipment. 2015 also saw the first Ravenna-based broadcast truck in the US take to the road, when Japanese broadcaster NK introduced a new OB vehicle specifically to capture major sports events for broadcast back in Japan. There were also a number of further additions to the roll-call of Ravenna manufacturer partners, among them Luminex, Modulation Index and 2wcom.

While network transportation has understandably dominated the industry discussion in recent years, there has also been significant activity around another important piece of the networking puzzle – control. Early in the new year, some of this work is set to reach a much wider audience with the expected publication of the proposed AES70 standard. In development for some years under the OCA (Open Control Architecture) banner and promoted by the OCA Alliance, the project has as its primary objective the definition of a scalable control protocol architecture for the control and monitoring of professional media networks. As Ethan Wetzell – platform strategist at Bosch Communications Systems and a primer mover behind the OCA Alliance – told Pro-Systems News in late 2014, this will be “a natural fit with the AES67 standard as these two elements work in tandem to address both the transport and control elements of a complete media networking solution.” The traditional final major stage of confirming a new AES standard – a six-week period for public review – commenced on November 12, suggesting that AES70 could be with us as soon as February. Compliant equipment isn’t likely to be long in arriving, either; for example, Bosch products that support its OCA-utilising OMNEO media networking architecture have been designed “in such a way so as to be able to be upgraded to comply with the final AES standard” if it deviates from Bosch’s current OCA implementation, as Wetzell confirmed. With many vendors also working to ramp up their educational efforts, the scene is set for what promises to be an extremely exciting 2016. While traditional point-to-point connectivity isn’t going anywhere any time soon, IP-based audio has now found a home in broadcast (historically one of the earliest adopters of any new technology), live sound, permanent install and other applications. It is arguable that AES67 has provided a welcome extra injection of energy with its reassurance of interoperability to end-users; but equally, it can be claimed that the flexibility and efficiency of networked audio meant that it was never really a question of ‘if’, but ‘when’. That ‘when’ has now arrived.

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