Sound Marketing - Selected Case Studies 2

SELECTED CASE STUDIES

W W W. S O U N D M A R K E T I N G L T D . C O . U K

Improve the clarity of your communications.

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SOUND MARKETING CASE STUDIES Contents Piccadilly Picks GDS

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Kung Fu Candles and the story of GDS ArcLamp Flicker

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F l y i n g H i g h , T r a v e l l i n g L i g h t - C O D A A i R A Y o n To u r with Peter Pan

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C O D A A u d i o A i R AY K e e p s t o T h e S c r i p t

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C O D A A i R AY i s P e r f e c t M e d s f o r P l a c e b o

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ArcLamp Flickers in Dublin Dungeon

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C O D A A i R AY P o w e r R e i g n s S u p r e m e o n S i n g a p o r e Parade

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A n c i e n t a n d M o d e r n - G D S A r c S y s t e m L i g h t s To w e r of London Chapel

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The Audio Group Gives Pioneer Professional Audio X Y- 3 B U K D e b u t a t M a n c h e s t e r ’ s L a z y L i z a r d

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Piccadilly Picks GDS

The full cast of GDS lighting products perform beautifully in major London theatre refurbishment...

The Piccadilly Theatre in London’s West End opened in 1928 as one of the largest theatres in London. In almost 90 years of history it has presented most forms of stage entertainment, as well as enjoying the claim to fame of premiering the first ever talking picture in Britain, the Singing Fool starring Al Jolson, in its opening year. By the 1990s the focus at The Piccadilly was firmly on musicals and for the most part, that genre has been its staple ever since. Jailhouse Rock, Guys and Dolls, Grease The Musical, Ghost The Musical and Dirty Dancing have all enjoyed successful runs in recent years and the Piccadilly’s star shows no sign of waning. The 1200+ capacity auditorium possesses a beautiful Art Deco interior, two balconies and a magnificent domed ceiling. In 2017 the Piccadilly underwent a major refurbishment, aimed at enhancing many of its original features using modern technology, as well as meeting modern sustainability targets.

Theatre owners Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) wished to completely replace the Piccadilly Theatre’s existing house light system with low-energy LED lighting, without detracting in any way from the theatre’s beautiful Art Deco heritage. This was to include emergency lighting throughout as well as provision for the recently restored dome ceiling, including new centre-piece chandelier.

Integrator White Light was engaged to install the new system.

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GDS supplied products from across its entire range to meet this extensive brief, including a number of bespoke special project items that avoided any compromise within the design. In excess of 50 x ArcSystem 1 Cell 2700K (large and small) fixtures were used for downlighting and emergencies, whilst more than 25 x ArcLamp Golf Ball Clear 2700K were installed as wall lighting. ArcSystem Decor LED strip (white and RGBW) was used throughout to light the dome, coving and rear windows. The ATG Group, following GDS’s recommendation, asked top designer James Morse to design a new central chandelier that would sit well with the other Art Deco luminaires within the auditorium. Morse designed a large, three-tired chandelier which met the brief to ATG’s satisfaction and Great British Lighting of Fleetwood duly fabricated the finished item. On completion it was transported in sections to GDS HQ in Bristol where LED strip was installed. GDS mounted 5 metres of ArcSystem LED Strip to the internal frame of the chandelier. The 2700K strip comprised 120 LEDs per metre with a CRI of 90 at 19.2W per metre. Having been tested for light output and appearance, the sections made their final journey to the Piccadilly and assembled together to be winched into position.

Matt Lloyd, Sales Director at GDS commented: “The Piccadilly Theatre install is a fine example of a job that draws from every part of the GDS range but also demonstrates our flexibility and responsiveness when it comes to provision for special projects. James Morse’s beautiful chandelier design was brilliantly realised by Great British Lighting and it remained for us to ensure that the final product was perfect. Set in context, everyone agrees, it looks stunning.”

Stuart Graham, Head of Technical Operations at ATG added: “The GDS system is a market-leading LED product aimed specifically at auditorium lighting. It’s retrofittable and it doesn’t compromise dimming curve or colour temperature, allowing the auditorium to retain a tungsten lighting feel. This made it the number one choice for ATG when planning our upgrade to the house light system at the Piccadilly Theatre. The addition of a new chandelier, wired with GDS fittings has become a focal point, housed in a newly refurbished and decorated ceiling.

The finished lighting system is outstanding, of exceptional quality and really brings the beautiful Piccadilly Theatre auditorium to life.”

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Push the gain on your social media.

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Kung Fu Candles and the story of GDS ArcLamp Flicker

ArcLamp Flicker, now a standard item in the GDS ArcSystem Pro range, first appeared as a special project item after GDS Managing Director Matt Lloyd, received a telephone call whilst on business in Korea, from David Gray, Architainment Lighting Division Manager of integrator (and GDS distributor) Oasis of Dubai: “David called me and completely wrong-footed me when he asked if we could make our ArcLamp product flicker! Given that we’d spent years researching and developing a lamp that dims perfectly without the remotest hint of flicker, I had to resist the temptation to respond with some choice words in the negative. Knowing David, though, I suspected that there was probably a good reason for his request and when the reasons became clear, we had no option but to rise to the challenge.”

Through its Professional Projects Division, Oasis were working on a large scheme at the Motiongate attraction at Dubai Parks and Resorts, the Middle-Easts largest integrated leisure and theme park.

Motiongate is a Hollywood inspired destination, showcasing themed areas including two that celebrate DreamWorks Animation’s Kung Fu Panda and Shrek movies. To enhance these areas, the client wished to create animated light in the form of flickering candles. Whilst this would present few problems in a tungsten setting, it was as yet untried in an LED format. It was this request that led directly to Matt Lloyd’s Korean call.

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GDS’s R&D department took on the challenge and by adapting the fade-to-warm technology within ArcLamp, developed a dual purpose lamp. Within DMX values 0-50, the lamp acts to mimic a candle with random flicker, from 51-100 it behaves as a normal ArcLamp. Not only does the combined effect of the flickering lamps create a stunning visual display in the themed areas, their dual purpose nature allows operators to use standard settings to indicate events such as ‘end of ride’ or for emergency lighting.

Both Oasis and Motiongate were delighted with the outcome in Dubai and unsurprisingly, in a short space of time, interest from other global theme park operators was strong. The decision to put the technology into wider production was thus straightforward - something that Matt Lloyd had quietly suspected would be the case from the off: “When our team had cracked the Flicker conundrum, we assembled a group of staff in a darkened room at GDS HQ, where we challenged them to identify the difference between an ArcLamp Flicker LED lamp and a real candle, set in identical containers. The results were extraordinary in that, in truth, no-one had a clue which was which!”

Publication: Et now Date: 19/09/2017 Product: GDS ArcLamp Sentiment: PRI Publication: Et now Date: 19/09/2017 Product: GDS ArcLamp Sentiment: PRI

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Flying High, Travelling Light - CODA A i R AY o n To u r w i t h Pe t e r Pa n

Peter Pan - The Never Ending Story is an action packed, arena-scale production created by Music Hall of Belgium, that has travelled the world to rave reviews. A production ‘in the round’ this truly spectacular show has consistently wowed audiences with its colourful combination of state-of-theart digital imaging, acrobatics, pyrotechnics and strong musical performances. Featuring classic songs and a score by Grammy-winning composer Matt Dunkley, the show recently embarked on its latest journey, this time to middle and far-eastern destinations.

Sound designer Guido Olischlager had worked with Belgian audio rental company Studio Haifax on the critically acclaimed, large-scale production of the First World War musical “14-18” and this next stage of the Peter Pan tour would reunite them in tackling a new challenge. Whilst Studio Haifax already carried an extensive inventory of CODA ViRAY compact line-array speakers, Guido had attended the official launch of CODA’s brand new AiRAY series in July and was left in no doubt that the new range was a perfect fit for the forthcoming tour. He perceived that AiRAY would offer both sonic and logistical advantages to the tour. Studio Haifax in consultation with Guido, decided to invest in AiRAY and ordered 54 units with which to embark on the Peter Pan tour. In midAugust, Pieter Begard, managing director of Studio Haifax and his team installed the new AiRAY configuration into the Hasselt Ethias Arena for rehearsals. Pieter immediately shared Guido’s impressions of the new system and declared that AiRAY marked a new concept in line array.

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The AiRAY is a fully integrated, compact 2 x 12” / 3-way line array system, designed for wide varieties of applications where high output, even coverage and outstanding intelligibility is required.

The unique package brings together the high output of a large system with the flexibility of a compact system creating a new category in large reinforcement systems. No other manufacturer has achieved the sonic results offered by AiRAY from a lightweight package (40kg) that has the same footprint as a 2 x 8” system. The fact that AiRAY is able to deliver this level of performance from significantly smaller-than-standard cabinets has clear implications for the market.

When the logistical elements of the equation are factored in, it quickly becomes obvious that savings in costs and time are significant. A tour’s budget is very much at the mercy of expenditure on transportation and crew and since the AiRAY speakers are something like half the size and weight of comparable systems, the financial implications are clear. Many venues on this particular tour (as is often the case) offered only a short window of opportunity for load-in and set-up, so the lightweight, easy-handling AiRAY system reduced pressure by saving a great deal of build time. The speaker was developed with the economic considerations faced by touring productions very much to the fore and the Peter Pan production neatly illustrated the unique advantages offered by AiRAY. The requirement for the highest possible sound quality is a given for a production of this nature and taking both sound quality and logistical aspects into consideration, Music Hall’s David Wright, production manager for Peter Pan and with 40 years of touring experience, offered this appraisal of AiRAY: “On my recent tours we’ve been equipped with most of the popular brand line-array systems and It’s worth saying from the off that the AiRAY system travels, loads and unloads easily and efficiently. We carry 6 hangs for an ‘in the round’ arena production and it unloads and flies in no time. AiRAY’s light weight is beneficial when calculating rigging weight combined with other production elements in the same roof space and its low power consumption to high performance ratio is also a bonus. Its compact design and light weight make a significant contribution to freight/truck space saving. The system is certainly powerful, appearing to effortlessly produce surprising volume that has a classy warmth and clarity. We’re very, very happy with AiRAY.” Sound designer Guido Olischlager was similarly impressed: “Already an enthusiastic CODA user, especially the ViRAY system, I’d heard about AiRAY in early 2015 and went to its introduction at Frankfurt. At that point, given its specifications, I began to consider whether it might prove to be a good fit for the Peter Pan Arena Tour. Its subsequent performance at the product launch confirmed everything I’d thought. The system has enormous power and great projection and even at a hundred metres, the sound is still ‘in your face’. In rehearsals at the empty Ethias Arena I was surprised by the power at low output levels, resulting in a show level without themassive slap-back you normally get in an empty arena. I’ve worked in that arena on many occasions, with many major brands and it was quickly obvious that AiRAY performed way better than the others. During rehearsals we were playing tracks through the system without any channel or system EQ and the sound was perfect!”

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Having confirmed AiRAY’s sonic credentials in advance of the tour, all that remained for Guido was to load up and ship out into the real live environment of Peter Pan, where every aspect of the system’s capabilities would be fully tested. Guido’s report from the front confirmed that every expectation, creative and practical, had been met: “The easy and fast fly rigging system means that putting up the arrays is a breeze. The prediction software is very precise so there not much in the way of correction when the system is flown only the occasional minor system correction was necessary to adjust to a particular venue. Both production and promoter were very pleased with the sound. Apart from the superior sound that the system produces, it’s the power to size ratio that really makes this a great touring product.

Ultimately you have the size and weight of a mid-sized system, which takes up far less trucking space but the performance of a large scale system that can handle any venue. When the ease of rigging is factored in, for me, CODA’s AiRAY is a winner!”

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Put the spotlight on your brand content.

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C O DA A u d i o A i R AY Ke e p s t o T h e S c r i p t

Irish rockers The Script returned to the road in February this year after a two year break. The band’s Freedom Child Tour filled arenas across the UK and delivered an evening that even the most careworn of cynics would have been hard put to dismiss. Engagement with their fans is in the band’s DNA and there was never a chance that they wouldn’t pull out every stop in staging a performance of the very highest quality. A production that involved the use of a main and B-stage, as well as ‘seat stages’ for acoustic sets, was employed to connect the musicians as closely as possible to the audience and spectacular video walls (12m high in places) provided a breathtaking backdrop to the urban-themed stage scheme and brilliant lighting. Every aspect of this painstakingly crafted show was of the highest calibre, including, naturally enough, the sound. First and foremost, The Script are about the music and of paramount importance was the selection of a sound system that would do justice to this ambitious production. CODA Audio Systems were chosen in the first instance for the sheer quality of their sound but as is quickly becoming clear, these ultra light, ultra compact boxes, offer a great deal more besides.

9 Hangs of PA were used for the shows. These constituted left and right main hangs of 14 x AiRAY plus 4 downfill, left and right side hangs of 12 x AiRAY plus 4 downfill, left and right upstage hangs of 8 x ViRAY, a centre cluster of 8 ViRAY and 8 x 15” SC2 flown subs per side. On the floor 32 x SCP 18” subs were used in a spaced array, with end fire on the extreme edges to direct the subs out to the side.

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System Tech Alan Harrison described the system as “phenomenal”, praising CODA’s philosophy of directing attention towards perfecting the speaker cabinet and reducing the reliance on processing and amplification to obtain optimal results. Citing CODA Audio’s annular ring driver technology as key to reducing harmonic build-up, Harrison was unequivocal about the quality on offer: “It’s super clear and has almost zero distortion. The high frequencies and high-mids throw for miles with a clarity you’ve not heard before. That’s all down to the speaker technology. Couple that with fly-behind bass elements and you get a frequency response that’s extremely predictable and homogenous over the entire audience area.”

FOH engineer Ste ‘Patty’ Pattison shared Harrison’s enthusiasm, describing the system as “super revealing” and praising its scope for achieving great results. Superb audio aside, Harrison was equally effusive about the tour-friendly nature of the system: “It’s extremely light, AiRAY is only 39kg a box, it has 6dB more output than some of its competitors, twice as powerful over the whole frequency range AND its about half the size, which means you can fit more of it on a truck or put another way, you can really save space! Not stressing over the truck pack every night is a real bonus. I load the speakers in at 9am and they’re up at trim by 11am. It just makes my life so much easier, without any loss of quality and means I’ve never had to compromise on quantity or placement of hangs due to weight or sightlines.”

The UK leg of The Script’s Tour was a phenomenal success and earned rave reviews from fans and journalists alike. Delivering quality, power, punch and portability, CODA Audio Systems, played a central role and proved once again to be masters of the arena environment.

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C O DA A i R AY i s Pe r f e c t M e d s for Placebo

It’s 20 years since Placebo released their first album, during which time they’ve sold more than ten million records. Hard to categorise, from originally being labelled as alternative or glam-rock, the band have developed musically throughout their career to attract any number of labels from critics. If a goth-rock, brit-pop, post-punk, electronic, experimental, industrial, progressive, grunge rock band is your thing and you trust the judgement of David Bowie (and who wouldn’t?) then it’s a safe bet Placebo will be right up your street. This year, that’s where Placebo have been (or pretty nearby) having embarked on a world tour to celebrate their incredibly productive and highly respected career.

That tour rolled through the UK in the latter part of 2016, taking in a number of familiar arenas and attracting large audiences. The band’s commitment to revisit every part of their back catalogue, including songs they swore they’d never touch again, proved popular, during a two-hour plus performance of epic proportions.

From Continental Europe through Russia and back, the tour audio was delivered by Liverpool’s finest, Adlib, who, as well as being one of the country’s leading rental outfits, are exclusive distributors of CODA Audio in the UK and chose this auspicious occasion to throw CODA’s AiRAY system into the fray. Having taken delivery of AiRAY early in 2016 and been suitably impressed by its credentials on outings with contrasting artists Ella Henderson and Public Service Broadcasting, as well as one or two notable summer festivals such as T in the Park and Latitude, the system had earned its stripes and took to the road in the hands of system-tech George Puttock and Adlib’s regular Placebo front of house engineer, Ian Nelson. Given the distinctly eclectic nature of Placebo’s set, plenty of thunderous assault but also liberal and measured use of violin, piano, keys and even a theramin, the band offers the perfect vehicle by which CODA’s game-changing rig can be reasonably assessed.

Catching up with George and Ian at Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena on a gloomy December morning, the usual collection of trucks is poised outside the home of Nottingham Panthers Ice Hockey stars, waiting to decant a cargo that’s seen action from Moscow to Manchester. Of immediate significance is the number of trucks. They have covered 14,000 miles and it’s a theme warmed to by system tech George Puttock: SOUND MARKETING CASE STUDIES

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“AiRAY really IS a compact system. Whilst box for box we used a near-identical count to the PA on the previous tour, we used one less truck. You can’t really overstate the implications of that.

The AiRAY system was around one third lighter than the previous one, so we didn’t need the same lifting capacity of chain hoists (less truck space), cabling and amplification requirements were significantly reduced (less truck space) and of course the boxes are physically smaller (again, less truck space) Having one less truck probably saved in excess of £7K worth of fuel alone - that’s not just a financial saving either, it’s an environmental one!”

Of course it’s one thing saving on transport costs, quite another ensuring that no corners are being cut in respect of delivering world-class sound for a world-class band on a world tour. Any question of this ultra-light, ultra-compact system providing anything other than optimal audio is quickly dispelled by George: “We’ve had a couple of promoters walk in to some pretty massive arenas and raise an eyebrow at the PA during set-up. It’s clear that they were doubtful about whether we had enough power...and then at the end of the gigs they can’t quite believe what they’ve heard!”

In Nottingham as AiRAY is fired up in the empty barn, a tour of the venue reveals a remarkable clarity and consistency in every location - and that’s just the raw sound of the system. At showtime, as Placebo take the stage, any lingering doubts that this highly compact, much vaunted system might be undercooked for the Arena circuit are swept away at a stroke.

Placebo come on strong and stay there. The sound is huge and punchy and gives the firm impression that Ian could comfortably find more headroom if he wished. There isn’t any need. Another tour of the venue reveals a remarkable consistency of power and balance in every area of The Motorpoint.

Placebo’s set is going over a storm and everyone, including the fans high on the sides are getting the full weight of the band’s delivery. The sense that Placebo have reached a significant milestone is palpable and there is also a distinct feeling amongst the audio-cognoscenti that CODA’s AiRAY is also setting down a notable marker of its own.

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Placebo’s 20 Year Tour took in 37 arena shows in 12 weeks, playing to 280,000 people in 16 countries. The choice of AiRAY for the tour was, by all accounts, an easy decision. The vastly experienced Ian Nelson took a considered view that every conceivable benefit, sonically and practically, pointed towards something special for this historic tour. He was not disappointed.

Reflecting on the system’s performance he sums up: “Let me start with the audio quality which is quite simply phenomenal. I didn’t walk away from a single one of 37 shows feeling anything less than happy. By every criteria I can think of, AiRAY makes everything easier. The linear nature of the system from phase to dispersion makes my job easier. It’s very predictable in terms of what the audience hears - it’s the same on-axis as off-axis, so I’m confident that the audience at the side is hearing what I’m hearing at the mix position. We were able to create loud, coherent sound in rooms that had previously been a real fight and on many occasions we were running the system almost flat - again - making life a lot easier.

When you factor the compact nature of AiRAY into the equation, the advantages keep on stacking up. A box with stadium performance that weighs less than 40kg allows us to get enough PA into even the smallest gigs we do, without compromising coverage or level. Saving an entire truck on the Placebo Tour made a significant dent in production costs - I’d estimate something of the order of £30K in total. Taking everything into account, AiRAY ticks every production box from the truck to front of house - even the lighting and video crews are happy because the compact nature of the system means there’s less to get in the way!”

Orders for CODA AiRAY are being placed globally in increasingly high volumes. For top flight solutions provider Adlib, its use on the 20 Years of Placebo tour served to confirm that confidence in the system was very well-placed. This is perhaps best reinforced by the fact that the company has recently added another significant quota of AiRAY to its inventory, to meet growing demand for this game-changing technology.

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ArcLamp Flickers in Dublin Dungeon

Vaults Live is Dublin’s newest and most exciting tourist attraction. Based on characters from Irish history, Vaults Live offers an immersive experience that transports visitors to the centre of six amazing stories. The largest cast of professional actors in Ireland brings those stories to life on an action-packed journey through stunning 360° sets, lavish costumes and brilliantly devised special effects. Set across four floors of a stunning Victorian schoolhouse and with a script written by award-winning playwright Peter Sheridan, the aim of Vaults Live is to make sure that every guest laughs, screams and takes away an unforgettable insight into Irish culture.

Excellent lighting is fundamental to any setting with high production values such as Vaults Live and its creators appointed Peter Canning of High Resolution Lighting as the project’s lighting designer.

He, in turn, invited one of Ireland’s longest established film, TV and events lighting suppliers, Cine Electric Ltd, as its preferred specialist lighting supplier.

In 2017, GDS’s ArcLamp Flicker product was unveiled at the international PLASA Show to huge interest. Having been at the forefront of LED lighting development for a number of years, the Bristol-based company, through its ArcSystem range, was globally renowned for producing lamps that could dim perfectly without the remotest hint of flicker...Following an enquiry from a client supplying a large theme park in the Middle East, the GDS team set about, somewhat counter to its principles, to develop an LED lamp that could flicker to mimic the appearance of a candle. This special project was a huge success and ArcLamp Flicker was born.

Present at ArcLamp Flicker’s launch at PLASA 2017 were Director Michael O’Toole and Project Manager David McKeown of Cine Electric. During a chat about the application of GDS technologies, they were introduced to the product. Suitably impressed, Michael and David ordered some demonstration kit on the spot. When David sat in on design meetings for the Vaults Live project, he was able to suggest a number of solutions to address specific issues arising, one of which was ArcLamp Flicker. Cine Electric supplied High Resolution with a sample and the designers were very happy with the effect when the lamps were placed within custom-made fixtures. The client was similarly impressed with the effect and felt that ArcLamp Flicker was a perfect fit for their aim of recreating the atmosphere of a Cromwellian dungeon.

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There was to be strictly no disturbance of the ancient fabric and with this in mind, Morse settled upon a wireless system and turned to GDS ArcSystem. Contractors EV Bullen, specialists in mechanical and electrical building services and holders of Her Majesty’s Royal Warrant, were appointed to install the scheme. E.V. Bullen have provided more than 30 years service to the Royal Household and Historic Royal Palaces and are well accustomed to the highly sensitive nature of such projects.

An entirely wireless GDS ArcSystem was installed, utilising the existing mains wiring to feed the new control system. Being completely wireless, the system did not require the installation of any additional low-voltage cabling, thus meeting an essential demand of the brief that there should be as little physical disturbance as possible to the interior.

The system comprised, principally, ArcPro MR16 2700K 33 and 24 Degree fittings controlled by an ArcPro Mesh Control TX1 Transmitter. Lighting scenes were programmed to allow for winter and summer daylight conditions as well as for specific services. During the course of the project, GDS designed a bespoke stand for a number of the MR16 fittings where it was simply not possible to attach them to surfaces. Adaptability is a key aspect of GDS’s approach to its technology and bespoke engineering of this sort, that overcomes issues arising during a project, is a feature of GDS’s drive to ensure that the designer’s vision is in no way compromised. A project such as this emphasises the need for this combination of creativity and skill.

Matthew Lloyd, Managing Director of GDS was delighted to see ArcSystem find a home in such a historic and important setting: “The historical significance of the Tower of London needs no explanation. As a world heritage site, ancient monument and one of the UK’s most popular visitor attractions, The Tower is easily one of the most recognisable buildings in the world. The installation of ArcSystem into St John’s Chapel is a special moment indeed for GDS. We worked closely with Historic Royal Palaces to provide a high quality, low impact solution in a sensitive environment. James Morse is a true specialist and his specification of ArcSystem for this and a number of other similarly challenging briefs is very gratifying.”

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C O DA A i R AY Po w e r Re i g n s S u p re m e o n Singapore Parade

Singapore’s 51st National Day Parade took place in August 2016 at the 55,000 seater Singapore Sports Hub, a venue notorious for its challenging acoustics as much as it is famous for its huge domed roof - the world’s largest. Well publicised sound issues have plagued concerts held at the venue and whilst the National Day Parade was not simply a gig, its magnificent spectacle leaned heavily on audio, lighting and video technology. On such an auspicious occasion, there was no room for sub-standard delivery. Highly experienced independent audio consultant Shah Tahir had overseen the design of the sound system for each of the previous eight Parades but this was the first at the relatively new Sports Hub. Overseen by the military, under whose auspices the event takes place, Tahir settled on CODA Audio’s AiRAY system to deliver the necessary precision.

Arena-specialist integrators, The Show Company, installed 24 arrays, comprising 128 AiRAY boxes, to provide a distributed system for greater directional control and to minimise reflection in the vast dome. Tahir had considered a number of options but the combination of AiRAY’s power and compact nature came out on top. Stringent weight restrictions were in force owing to the large amount of technological hardware already placed in the roof and the light weight of the speakers was a crucial factor in obtaining the required safety certificate. Fixed seating below the dedicated hanging points threw up a further hurdle. Seats below the hoists could not be removed and TSC crew had to lift more than 100 speakers into place before attaching them. In these circumstances AiRAY’s 40kg cabinets proved a blessing in terms of handling and ultimately, time taken. 56 of CODA Audio’s smaller ViRAY system were placed in the corners at one end of the stadium to complement AiRAY in achieving optimal coverage.

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The event itself was a great success. Detailed preparation, experience and great expertise combined with CODA Audio’s game-changing loudspeaker technology, delivered high quality audio from a range of orchestral, acoustic and electronic performances. At such a prestigious event, there was no place for anything other than excellence and AiRAY once again demonstrated exactly why it is turning so many heads.

Paul Ward, Marketing Director at CODA Audio expressed great satisfaction: “This was a real test for everyone concerned with the audio provision. The challenges presented by the acoustics of the Sports Hub were well-known and a number of other restrictive elements served to complicate matters. The event constitutes the biggest day of the year in Singapore’s national calendar and the pressure to deliver was immense. There were a number of sceptics who had voiced their doubts as to whether a good sound was possible at all in the Hub but AiRAY, in the hands of an excellent team, proved more than up to the challenge.”

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Ancient and Modern - GDS ArcSystem L i g h t s To w e r o f L o n d o n C h a p e l

St John’s is a Romanesque chapel, located in the heart of the Tower of London. It was built between 1077 and 1097 of French stone imported by William the Conqueror and constitutes not only the best preserved interior in the White Tower but also one of the finest examples of Anglo-Norman church architecture in England. A UK scheduled ancient monument, as well as a UNESCO designated World Heritage Site, the Tower of London is perhaps one of England’s most iconic structures.

Steeped in a rich history, tied closely to the development of the British state and now one of the UK’s most popular tourist destinations, The Tower and its environment is rigorously protected by government through the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act of 1979. St John’s has been a Royal Chapel for almost a thousand years and the Queen’s Chaplain still performs a series of royal services within its walls throughout the year. When any kind of remedial or developmental work is carried out in such an environment, the demands to limit any negative physical or visual impact are inevitably high on the project agenda.

Historic Royal Palaces had wished for some time to improve lighting provision in the chapel to achieve an improved experience for visitors and congregational acts of worship. Architects Carden & Godfrey, retained architects for Historic Royal Palaces at the Tower of London, recommended James Morse for the project. Morse specialises in the interior and exterior lighting of historic buildings and had recently worked with Carden and Godfrey at Rochester Cathedral.

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There was to be strictly no disturbance of the ancient fabric and with this in mind, Morse settled upon a wireless system and turned to GDS ArcSystem. Contractors EV Bullen, specialists in mechanical and electrical building services and holders of Her Majesty’s Royal Warrant, were appointed to install the scheme. E.V. Bullen have provided more than 30 years service to the Royal Household and Historic Royal Palaces and are well accustomed to the highly sensitive nature of such projects.

An entirely wireless GDS ArcSystem was installed, utilising the existing mains wiring to feed the new control system. Being completely wireless, the system did not require the installation of any additional low-voltage cabling, thus meeting an essential demand of the brief that there should be as little physical disturbance as possible to the interior.

The system comprised, principally, ArcPro MR16 2700K 33 and 24 Degree fittings controlled by an ArcPro Mesh Control TX1 Transmitter. Lighting scenes were programmed to allow for winter and summer daylight conditions as well as for specific services. During the course of the project, GDS designed a bespoke stand for a number of the MR16 fittings where it was simply not possible to attach them to surfaces. Adaptability is a key aspect of GDS’s approach to its technology and bespoke engineering of this sort, that overcomes issues arising during a project, is a feature of GDS’s drive to ensure that the designer’s vision is in no way compromised. A project such as this emphasises the need for this combination of creativity and skill.

Matthew Lloyd, Managing Director of GDS was delighted to see ArcSystem find a home in such a historic and important setting: “The historical significance of the Tower of London needs no explanation. As a world heritage site, ancient monument and one of the UK’s most popular visitor attractions, The Tower is easily one of the most recognisable buildings in the world. The installation of ArcSystem into St John’s Chapel is a special moment indeed for GDS. We worked closely with Historic Royal Palaces to provide a high quality, low impact solution in a sensitive environment. James Morse is a true specialist and his specification of ArcSystem for this and a number of other similarly challenging briefs is very gratifying.”

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The Audio Group Gives Pioneer P ro fe s s i o n a l A u d i o X Y- 3 B U K D ebu t at Manchester’s Lazy Lizard

Raucously hedonistic fun is the promised order of the night at the latest addition to Manchester’s Northern Quarter, Mark Andrews Developments’ (MAD Ltd) Lazy Lizard venue. If bringing Ibizan beach-club style to the city’s occasionally less-than-sun-drenched streets might appear to be something of a tall order, this brand new late-night concept begs to differ. Set on two floors in the Printworks on Withy Grove and with an overall capacity of 800, Lazy Lizard will be open Thursday to Saturday hosting a mix of local and Ibizan DJs, playing the very best in techno, deep and classic house music. Ibiza club nights will of course become a regular feature of the club, where every detail has been tailored to convey the atmosphere of the White Isle. Refreshing cocktails and lighting features that create the feel of a Mediterranean sunset, give Lazy Lizard (the largest MAD Ltd site in its portfolio) a truly unique character. Its beating heart, as is the case in every club, is its sound system and for this key component of success, MAD Ltd, in consultation with integrators The Audio Group, chose the state-of-the-art XY-Series from Pioneer Pro Audio.

Paul Adamson of The Audio Group collaborated with Pioneer Pro Audio on the system design.

Pioneer Pro Audio supplied a variety of XY-Series speakers, including several recently-released, full-range XY-3B enclosures. Lazy Lizard’s DJ area was fitted with Pioneer Pro Audio XPRS active series as monitor speakers and all amplification was by Powersoft. Pioneer Pro Audio also supplied all the cradles, frames and yokes for the flown elements of the PA. Paul Adamson of The Audio Group takes up the story: “The job was a referral and it was the first time we’d worked with Martin Andrews Developments but of course we knew of Lazy Lizard’s General Manager, Charles Herbert, through his touring and management background - we move in similar circles, crossing paths at numerous events and festivals. At The Audio Group we’re well known for being first to market with products, we’ve never really followed trends, much preferring to set them and so the Lazy Lizard, a brand new concept in itself, was the perfect opportunity to install XY-3B for the first time in the UK. It’s a product that excites me and The Audio Group team and we’re really looking forward to exploring its limits as we move forward. Our project manager Phillip Sykes is very experienced in large scale installs and the job was a smooth process throughout.”

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Charles Herbert, General Manager at Lazy Lizard offers an upbeat view: “This was the first time I’d worked with The Audio Group - they came highly recommended by a number of colleagues who’d worked with them before and by my contacts at Pioneer DJ. We wanted to install a world-class system, pure and simple and having reviewed all the options in the market, concluded that the quality offered by this new, cutting-edge product was exactly what we needed. The additional support offered by The Audio Group coupled with my long personal relationships with key staff at Pioneer DJ Europe all pointed to a winning option. The service and quality of the install by the Audio Group can’t be faulted - at every stage of the project they were on time, on schedule and delivered a high-quality level of finish at each step.”

Lazy Lizard opened its doors in early December, with a packed dance floor delivering an overwhelming thumbs-up to the system. Charles Herbert continues: “The system is mind-blowing. I’ve toured with world-class DJs for the last twenty years, experiencing some of the best sound systems in the world and the XY Series we have installed at Lazy Lizard is equal to anything I’ve heard before. I’ve had nothing but compliments from everyone who’s heard the system so far - it’s aesthetically pleasing as well as being acoustically fantastic. I’m sure that the XY Series will confirm Pioneer Pro Audio as a world leader in club and festival sound systems - the benchmark has been raised!”

At Lazy Lizard, Manchester, The Audio Group installed: DANCE FLOOR AND FILL SPEAKERS 7 x Pioneer Pro Audio XY-81 Mid 8” Plus 1 “High Speaker 3 x Pioneer Pro Audio XY-101 10” Plus 2” Mid High Speaker 4 x Pioneer Pro Audio XY-3B 3 Way Mid High Enclosure 1 x Pioneer Pro Audio XY-122 12” Plus “2 Full Range Speaker 3 x Pioneer Pro Audio XY-115S 15” Bass Enclosure 4 x Pioneer XY-218S 2 x 18” Bass Enclosure DJ MONITOR SPEAKERS 2 x Pioneer Pro Audio XPRS 12” plus 1” Active Full Range Speakers POWER AMPLIFICATION 1 x Powersoft K3 Power Amplifier With Built In Dsp 1 x Powersoft X4 Power Amplifier With Built In Dsp 2 x Powersoft K10 Power Amplifier 3 x Powersoft M50Q Power Amplifier With Built In Dsp HARDWARE AND FLYING 7 x Pioneer Pro Audio CPXY 81 Hanging Cradles 1 x Pioneer Pro Audio CPXY 101 Hanging Cradles 3 x Pioneer Pro Audio CPXY 122 Hanging Cradles 2 x Pioneer Pro Audio CP XY3 Hanging Cradle 2 x Pioneer Pro Audio CP XY3 Hanging Frame 2 x Pioneer Pro Audio CP XY3 Hanging Yoke DJ EQUIPMENT 1 x Pioneer DJM-900NXS2 4 x Pioneer CDJ-2000NXS2 SOUND MARKETING CASE STUDIES

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