ETA FEB 2019

For The Technical And Production Professionals in Asia

FEBRUARY 2019

Protec Reflects on 2018 and Expectations in 2019 Chameleon Welcome The New Year With Stagesmarts SNAPSHOT: Ron Schilling at the Guns N’ Roses Concert ALEX SCHLOESSER What is More Important - Gear or Ear?

www.e-techasia.com

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3

CONTENTS

February 2019

39

49 IN THIS ISSUE

VOL 20 ISSUE 2 FEBRUARY 2019 04 FIRST WORDS 06 NEWS 28 VIDEO FILES 30 ENNOVATIONS EXHIBITION PREVIEW 38 Prolight + Sound Guangzhou 2019 to Inculcate Full Solutions for the Entertainment Industry

ALEX COLUMN 44 What is More Important - Gear or Ear? LIVE 45 CHINA: HARMAN Professional Solutions at Traditional Chinese Theatre 46 AUSTRALIA: Chameleon Welcome the New Year with StageSmarts 48 CHINA: Jason Zhang Delivers Exceptional Performance

SNAPSHOT

49 THAILAND: Cameo Fixtures Light Up Little Nemo in Slumberland Performance

39 Ron Schilling at the Guns N’ Roses Concert

50 ABU DHABI: Golden Disc Awards Celebrate K-Pop with Nexo

SPOTLIGHT

51 EVENTS CALENDAR

40 Protec Reflects on 2018 and Gives Us an Insight Into What to Expect in 2019

56 MARKET PLACE

ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY ASIA | www.e-techasia.com

FIRST WORDS

4 Ram Bhavanashi February 2019

Editor, India And Middle East ram@spinworkz.com

The beginning of the year as always has started off with a buzz. CES, NAMM and ISE has definitely got the industry pumping. At NAMM, Adamson launched the Milan-ready CS7p point source; Mackie has gone all out with their new flagship range of DRM professional loudspeakers and NEXO has added to its GEO range with the top tier GEO M12 aimed at the mid-size rental company. Of course we have been promoting within the magazine as well as on our online collaterals d&b’s international introduction of the SL-Series’ KSL System at NAMM - a line array offering nothing short of full range directivity control to sound reinforcement projects of any genre, medium or large, mobile or installed.

Powersoft has released their T series amplifiers that are designed with the rental market in mind. The T Series consists of both 2- and 4-channel models available in 3,000 W and 6,000 W versions. Electrovoice has introduced the new RE3 UHF wireless microphone product family with dbTechnologies following suit with the RS16000 Touring Rack that is operable within the UHF spectrum between 470-870 MHz.

Ram Julie Bhavanashi Tan

Editor, And Middle East Admin India & Circulation ram@spinworkz.com admin@spinworkz.com

Julie TanChew Natalie

Admin Admin & Circulation Circulation Writer & admin@spinworkz.com natalie@spinworkz.com

Daniel Daniel Ngiam Ngiam

Natalie Chew MEDIA for MEDIA Rep Rep for Spinworkz SpinworkzPte Pte Ltd. Ltd Writer Tel: +65 Tel: +65 84410258 84410258 natalie@spinworkz.com first_dm@hotmail.com first_dm@hotmail.com

OUR COLLABORATORS Shankar Venugopal Atmaram Rawool Daniel Ngiam

There are certainly a lot more new solutions to talk about which we hope to cover in the coming issues.

ART / LAYOUT MEDIA Rep for Spinworkz Pte Ltd shankar@creativecult.in Tel: +65 84410258 Elissa Nadine first_dm@hotmail.com Web Content and Social Media Specialist ART / LAYOUT ETA

Our cover story this month highlights Protec. The company with its roots in the Middle East has grown rapidly over the years and seeks to continue to serve the events industry with their creative ideas and technical agility. Of particular interest is the establishment of their new office and warehouse in Saudi Arabia where they certainly are upbeat of the potential business the country has to offer.

CREATIVE

CULT

Rosalind Tan

Website Management Wizard

PV Anthony

Shankar Venugopal ART / LAYOUT

Server and IT Security Guru

shankar@creativecult.in

Halim, TrueDesignLab.com

CREATIVE HTML Design and Coding Maestro

CULT

Thomas Richard Prakasam Publisher / Editorial Director

thomas@spinworkz.com

To subscribe to Entertainment Technology Asia click here: https://www.e-techasia.com/subscribe/ PUBLISHED BY

71, Bukit Batok Crescent, #06-13, Prestige Centre, Singapore 658071. Tel: (65) 6316 2716 Fax: (65) 63162715, www.spinworkz.com

ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY ASIA | www.e-techasia.com

Disclaimer : Entertainment Technology Asia is published 12 times a year. All rights reserved.

No part of this magazine is to be reproduced, whether mechanical or electronic without the prior written consent of the publisher. Views expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect those of the editor or the publisher. Unsolicited contributions are welcome but the editor reserves the discretion to use them. Whilst every care is taken to ensure the accuracy and honesty in both editorial and advertising content at press time, the publisher will not be liable for any inaccuracies.

Please be informed that products and company names mentioned in this publication may be protected with tradenames, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Our non inclusion of such symbols is not an indication of us not recognising the copyright but rather to have a common look across our articles. Misuse of tradenames, trademarks or registered trademarks is strictly prohibited. It is the obligation of our readers to check if company names and products are protected with tradenames, trademarks or registered trademarks.

sl-series.com

Applied evolution.

Many years ago, a stepwise voyage of discovery took hold. It’s seen great leaps made in the breadth of the audio bandwidth that can be tamed, coupled with streamlining of system usability and performance. Born from this journey, the KSL System line array loudspeakers are bestowed with comprehensive attributes carefully honed to fulfil every expectation. Dependably strengthened by all that came before, and all that’s still to come. By a heritage and bloodline, and by the steady advance of applied evolution.

More art. Less noise.

NEWS

6 February 2019

HONG KONG

A-Team Plus Invests in X4 Bars for Clockenflap Festival A-Team Plus has been the main stage supplier for a number of years. Although the stage structure this year was shipped in 15 containers from Megaforce in Germany, all AV for the main stage was provided by A-Team Plus.

The company purchased the new GLP fixtures specifically for the event. “They were always keen to get them,” confirmed GLP Asia’s Michael Muenz.

The company was already familiar with the versatile battens, having received a demo in Hong Kong, and seen them multiple times at the Prolight+Sound Show in Frankfurt.

Clockenflap Music and Arts Festival, which takes place annually on Hong Kong’s Central Harbourfront Event Space, once again proved a major success. 2018 headliners included such names as David Byrne, Erykah Badu, Jarvis Cocker, Interpol, The Vaccines, Khalid and Wolf Alice, which delighted the crowds of more than 60,000.

GLP’s award-winning X4 Bars were pressed into action by event management and production company, A-Team Plus (HK) Ltd, who had made their first investment in the German manufacturer’s groundbreaking LED fixtures. They had added eight impression X4 Bar 10 battens and 16 of the longer X4 Bar 20 - all of which were specified and deployed at Clockenflap.

Michael Muenz recalls: “I still remember at the 2018 PL+S where [A-Team Plus owner] Ray Mok sent me a Whatsapp after seeing the PRG lightshow in the Festhalle with Jerry Appelt`s famous ground shaking effect. They were so excited that they wanted to see me immediately … and half an hour later they were at our booth for further talks and a cold beer!”

The X4 Bar specification comfortably met the requirement for a reliable and frequently specified fixture on tour riders. “There have always been requests for X4 Bars in Hong Kong,” continues Muenz, “and finally we have now an even bigger quantity available.”

The fixtures were used throughout the Festival and were re-rigged overnight for the second day to realise David Byrne’s signature design.

Commenting on the fixtures, Ray Mok, said: “This fixture is awesome.

It is very bright, has extremely vivid colours and super smooth dimming and zooming.”

Photos©Kitmin Lee www.glp.de

ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY ASIA | www.e-techasia.com

We love what you do, too.

Trademark and patent info: etcconnect.com/IP

visual environment technologies | etcconnect.com

NEWS

8 February 2019

GLOBAL

Crosby Acquires Straightpoint Ayling said: “SP has built a very strong team focused on innovation and high service levels and we wanted to ensure we could maintain and capitalize on these important features of the company. Crosby’s brand, its channel strength, global reach, and management team will enable us to build on our strengths and take the business to a new level. Becoming part of Crosby represents an opportunity to deliver our solutions to more customers and increase the pace of our innovation. It is an exciting new chapter for SP, its team members, and customers.”

Desel said: “We’ve had a close relationship with SP for quite a while—its load shackles are based on the industry standard Crosby G2130 shackle, and we use SP products on our Safe Rigging trucks. SP’s position as a leader and innovator in load measurement and monitoring,and the opportunity to integrate its technology into our already strong portfolio, made this a compelling addition to Crosby.

Safe lifting is in Crosby’s DNA and load monitoring is a critical part of that equation. Monitored lifts are inherently safer and we can now increase adoption of this best practice on a global scale.”He continued: “The acquisition is focused on growth. SP already represented a force in the marketplace and as part of Crosby we can position its products and expertise closer to the point of use and increase the pace of innovation.” Ayling confirmed that SP would maintain its commitment to non-rigging markets, such as the weighing sector.

Straightpoint’s David Ayling (left) and Crosby’s Robert Desel at the SP facility in Hampshire, UK, upon completion of the acquisition.

The Crosby Group LLC, that manufactures lifting, rigging, and material handling hardware, has completed the acquisition of Straightpoint UK (SP), a manufacturer of load cells and force measurement equipment.

The value of the transaction is not disclosed.

The acquisition, effective 2 January 2019, includes the manufacturing facility and headquarters, co-located in Hampshire, UK that will become Crosby’s center of excellence for load monitoring and measurement, in addition to key personnel based in the U.S. David Ayling, formerly CEO at SP, will step into a new role overseeing sales, marketing, and product development functions for all load monitoring equipment. He will report to Robert Desel, Chief Commercial Officer at Crosby.

ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY ASIA | www.e-techasia.com

Desel concluded: “We are very excited to add the SP brand, best-in-class products,manufacturing capabilities, and team members to the Crosby organization.” www.thecrosbygroup.com

TEAMWORK

GREAT FEATURE SET – PERFECT WHITE

350 W LED – 6,000 K – FRAMING

ALLROUNDER WITH MORE PUNCH 350 W LED – 7,500 K – IRIS

Information according to the Ecodesign Directive (2009/125/EG): GLP impression S350 & impression E350, EEC: D (Spectrum A++ to E), EEI: 0,93, Ec (in kwh/1.000h): 459

www.glp.de

NEWS

10 February 2019

INDIA

Neumann Experience at YashRaj Studios German audio giant Sennheiser has recently announced yet another historic case that is a testament to its journey of constantly shaping the future of audio and creating unique sound experiences for customers. Neumann, a part of the Sennheiser Group, and the world’s Ms Asha Bhosale leading manufacturer of studio microphones, has sold two units of its legendary Neumann U67 mic to a studio that is synonymous with the Bollywood industry – the iconic Yash Raj Studios. This sale has made Yash Raj Studios the first ever to own the Neumann U67 mic in India.

What’s made this an even bigger milestone for Sennheiser India is the person who was the first one to record their voice on this mic. Post the setting up of the mic in the studio, the first recording was done by the

most venerable, versatile and exemplary singer the Bollywood industry has ever seen – non-other than Ms Asha Bhosale.

“This is truly a moment of great pride and honour for us. We believe every brand always aims to create unique experiences for its audience,” said Vipin Pungalia, Director-Professional Segment at Sennheiser Electronics India commenting on the milestone achievement. “When we see some of the most iconic and respected names in the industry seeking value from our products, we feel immense joy and honour in saying that we on the right path,” he said. “With over a 70-year history that has been built on the culture of innovation and a vision to shape the future of the audio industry, Sennheiser has always been committed to creating products that don’t just understand the needs of the users, but also help the audio industry evolve.”

“We would like to truly thank both, Yash Raj studios, as well as Asha ji, for allowing us the opportunity of contributing in a little way to the evergreen music they so beautifully create,” he added. www.sennheiserindia.com

HONG KONG

Hong Kong’s Xiqu Centre Opts for Clear-Com for Accurate Communications intercom system, delivering reliability, a high performance-to-cost ratio and an integrated platform.”

The Hong Kong West Kowloon Cultural District installed a Clear-Com Eclipse HX-Median intercom matrix, a 64-port E-IPA IP interface card, an E-DANTE64 64-channel Dante interface card, and a 12-channel HelixNet digital main station with support for up to 72 beltpacks and headsets.

For its new live performing arts theatre at the Xiqu Centre, the Hong Kong West Kowloon Cultural District has selected Clear-Com for communications between the Chinese Opera’s stage manager, lighting staff and audio staff. The system was sold by Clear-Com’s Hong Kong partner BDI Technology Limited.

The item that impressed them the most was the E-IPA IP interface card.

“With this newly released card, we can install an IP transceiver at any time and in any location within a network-accessible area. The quality is so much better compared to what we’ve had in the past,” he added.

In addition to the main theatre for the Chinese Opera, the Clear-Com system is also being used in the venue’s “freespace” and Lyrics Centre, making the most out of the Cultural District’s investment.

According to West Kowloon Representative, live performances require instant and accurate communications, so that cues happen exactly when they are supposed to happen.

“What we get using Clear-Com is simple — excellent performance and superior technical support,” the West Kowloon Representative concludes.

“In live theatre, you never get a second chance,” said West Kowloon Representative. “Clear-Com is our best choice for our new theatre’s

www.clearone.com

ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY ASIA | www.e-techasia.com

NEW

TAKING LINE ARRAY

PERFORMANCE

TO A WHOLE

NEW LEVEL Sharing the same aesthetic and sonic signatures as the acclaimed GEO M10 and compact M6 line arrays, the new GEO M12 takes its place as the flagship of the range, achieving a peak SPL of 140dB. And with great power comes great versatility, with integral rigging, a dedicated sub, plug & play power options and touring / installation versions making GEO M12 a system that performs at a whole new level in a wide variety of applications.

Thinking. Inside the box.

NEWS

12 February 2019

VIETNAM

Lighting the Stars Lands in Vietnam He went on to share stories about his experiences designing the lighting for the London Olympic Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies in 2012, and his work on Michael Jackson’s This Is It tour, which was tragically cancelled after Jackson’s untimely death in 2009. Woodroffe’s design was immortalised in the film of the same name, which focused on preparations for the tour.

The conference excited the audience, who were thrilled to hear about Woodroffe’s life in light and take part in a Q&A session after each section.

Franco (MA Lighting), Patrick Woodroffe, Doan Nghia (ProAVL) and Alfonso Takano (Claypaky)

The ‘Lighting the Stars’ series of conferences featuring internationally renowned lighting designer Patrick Woodroffe landed in Ho Chi Minh City in November with the aim of celebrating lighting and discussing its future.

The event, which was organised by Vietnam ProAVL Co. Ltd alongside Claypaky and MA Lighting, presented Woodroffe to an audience keen to hear first-hand about his thirty-year career at the forefront of live music, event, architectural and theatre lighting design.

Indeed, Woodroffe has designed the lighting for a diverse array of bigname projects, from the London Symphony Orchestra to ABBA, from the Rolling Stones feature film Shine A Light to the Vanity Fair Oscars party to Prince Charles’s Highgrove House gardens. His achievements are remarkable.

This latest Lighting the Stars seminar was held at the New Music Center in Ho Chi Minh City. Guests heard Woodroffe discuss both the past and the future of lighting in all its forms - music, dance, live performance, architecture and art.

In addition to the seminar, guests were invited to experience the latest fixtures from Claypaky. Mirco Segatto from Claypaky hosted a showcase of the Axcor range:the Axcor Profile 600, the Axcor Profile 400 and Axcor Spot 400 and the Axcor 300 Spot, Beam and Wash. Also, some units of the new Sharpy Plus – the successor of the legendary Claypaky Sharpy – were shown on the stage.

“The Lighting the Stars event in Vietnam offered a great opportunity to demo the products of the Axcor range and how together, these multifeature fixtures provide a complete toolkit to lighting designers,” says Alfonso Zarate Takano, the Claypaky Sales Manager for the APAC area.

“At the same time, they present an attractive commercial opportunity for rental operators worldwide, as a finely engineered, versatile equipment choice which meets the requirements of the widest range of productions and applications.

“Our showcase attracted a lot of interest from rental houses from across the South East Asia region.”

Diem Truong from Hanoi-based Claypaky distributor Vietnam ProAVL Co. Ltd supplied the Axcor range to the conference, along with a host of other Claypaky fixtures including the Scenius Spot, Scenius Unico, Mythos 2, Aleda B-EYE K10 and Sharpy Plus.

Claypaky CEO, Pio Nahum, comments: “We are proud to support Patrick Woodroffe as he travels the globe promoting the importance of light and recounting his vast experience at the helm of so many world-class events. Claypaky is thrilled to be an ongoing partner of these Lighting the Stars conferences and are grateful to our regional distributors, such as ProAVL, for their support and brilliant service.”

Photos©Tran Thanh Hung www.claypaky.it

ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY ASIA | www.e-techasia.com

THE NEW REFERENCE POINT

w w w . r o b e . c z

NEWS

14 February 2019

PHILIPPINES

DPA Microphones Appoints New Distributor in Philippines

Dominic Tsang and Jun Fernandez

DPA Microphones has appointed Music & Audio Solutions & Services as its new distributor in the Philippines, with immediate effect and across all markets including live sound, House of Worship, broadcast, pro audio, film and theatre.

Founded in 2007, Music & Audio distributes products for a wide range of manufacturers involved in the sound reinforcement and musical instrument industries. Brands such as Korg, VOX, Smarvo and Lava Cable are included in the company’s roster. Music & Audio’s philosophy is to provide premium, cost - effective solutions for the most demanding music-making and sound enhancement needs. Thanks to a strategic partnership with Audiophile Components Inc. – the largest pro audio distributor in the Philippines with a total of 70 dealers/contractors nationwide – DPA products will now be available through 12 Audiophile branches in and around Manila.

Commenting on the appointment, Dominic Tsang, DPA’s APAC Area Sales Manager, says:“We are pleased to have found an experienced partner in the Philippines and I am confident that with its solid knowledge and local expertise, Music & Audio will be able to serve our current and future customers promptly, efficiently and in the best way possible. By having Music & Audio as a partner, we are ready to expand ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY ASIA | www.e-techasia.com

our sales network to different market segments and capture the full potential of the Philippines.”

Jun Fernandez, Managing Director of Music & Audio, adds: “DPA is a technology leader in the proaudio market and a company with a strong product development team. In recent years they have launched numerous cutting edge products to different sectors including Broadcast, Film and Theatre.

“To offer the best audio solutions to our customers, we only sell products that we love and want to use ourselves and this is especially the case with DPA microphones. Their sound is so real and natural, which is the most important element for miking because microphones are the first part of the signal chain and the one place where you don’t want any colouration or distortion of the sound. We’re excited to be a distributor for DPA and believe that DPA’s products will generate synergy with our existing brands. www.dpamicrophones.com

NEWS

16 February 2019

INDIA

Sennheiser’s Master Class for the Future of Audio

Meghdeep Bose

Vijay Dayal

Sennheiser India recently organised a learning experience unlike any other – a Master Class with Hit Makers of Bollywood in Mumbai. The day-long session was aimed at engaging budding sound engineers and giving them the right guidance and training as an impetus to their growth in the industry, as well as helping them reach out to potential prosumers.

Vijay Dayal, Renowned Sound Engineer, feels the moment: “it was a phenomenal experience to have conducted this workshop for the pro audio industry on behalf of Neumann. We had an overwhelming response with such positive turnout of industry professionals, budding musicians, composers and sound engineers, myself and Meghdeep had a great time and the session was very interactive.”

Organised exclusively with Neumann, the leading manufacturer and industry-standard of studio microphones and speakers, this master class had two legendary professionals from Bollywood’s music industry – music producer Meghdeep Bose and sound engineer Vijay Dayal, share their learnings, inspirations and techniques from some of their greatest hits over the years with aspiring designers and musicians.

According to him, they discussed everything, from the basics of Music mixing and Music production, till the details of each tracks in a chart buster. They were glad that they could guide many on the process and workflow in making music and hoped that it continues in future as well.

Vijay hailed Jibu Ramachandran for his sharp understanding of the industry, knowing what the industry wants and coming up with such unique events.

“Neumann has been a key element in the evolution of music and recording industries. I believe, the workshop held at YRF studios by Sennheiser India and Neumann has strengthened my morale towards my vision of inducing great studio-based etiquette to the upcoming generation of music producers and engineers,” said Meghdeep Bose, Speaking on the occasion. According to him, it was such a delightful experience to conduct a workshop alongside Vijay Dayal, who’s a pioneer in the field of sound. “I express my gratitude to Jibu Ramachandran who has been a pivotal person to churn this into reality and achieving a turnout of more than 120 participants including everyone from professionals to beginners,” he said. “I was surprised by the detail to which the participants had researched our works and had so much thirst to learning.”

ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY ASIA | www.e-techasia.com

“Thanks to Neumann and Sennheiser India for putting it together,” he said. “I look forward to many such events in future.” www.sennheiserindia.com

NEWS

18 February 2019

GLOBAL

Adamson Appoints Marc Bertrand as CEO

Adamson Systems Engineering has announced the appointment of professional audio industry veteran Marc Bertrand as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Bertrand will lead Adamson’s global operations from its headquarters in Port Perry, Ontario, as company Founder Brock Adamson assumes the role of Chairman.

“It’s a tremendous honour to be leading a company as respected and reputable as Adamson – especially amidst an exciting time of growth and continued innovation,” begins Bertrand. “We have one of the most passionate partner networks I’ve ever seen, and close collaboration has led to considerable growth in key territories in recent years.

Their connection to the product and the people that support the network provides a solid foundation as we build on Brock’s vision and proven approach to manufacturing with a host of new products and innovations in 2019 and beyond.”

Bertrand spent a decade with Tannoy North America beginning in the mid-1990s, eventually serving as Managing Director for five years.

Then, in 2009, he became the CEO of TC Group Americas, overseeing a catalog of brands including Tannoy, TC Electronic, Lab.gruppen, Lake, and others through to 2016.

Following his time with TC Group Americas, Bertrand assumed an advisory role with Adamson before formally joining the company in November 2017 as Managing Director Americas, attracted by the entrepreneurial and energetic management team at Adamson.

ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY ASIA | www.e-techasia.com

In his new role, Bertrand plans to continue building the Adamson brand in the vital North American market while maintaining its strong presence in Europe and supporting its growing Asia-Pacific market position.

“Since I joined Adamson, I’ve worked with Marc both in his role as CEO of TC Group Americas and within our organization. Together, we formalized Adamson’s system approach through the standardization of the Lab.gruppen infrastructure. This experience led to Marc gaining a deep understanding of the needs of our network and Brock’s vision.

Our history of working together will make it easy to support him as he transitions into his new role,” states James Oliver, Director of Marketing and Sales.

“The core group at Adamson is focused and skilled,” Bertrand adds.

“Our ability to continue the exponential growth that the organization has experienced under the leadership of Brock Adamson is undeniable.”

In closing, Brock Adamson comments: “In his time with Adamson thus far, Marc has proven that his esteemed reputation in our industry is well-earned, and that his strengths as a leader complement our direction for the future.” www.adamsonsystems.com

Build your LED system from ground level with the Universal LED Stack system

Building your LED screen from ground level is now easy, whatever your type of screen, Prolyte offers a universal solution, the LED Stack system (LSU). This combination of a base-unit, connection bar and ladder truss, creates a very stable system to support your LED screens in various configurations and offers flexibility in height as well as width.

Visit us at the Live Entertainment Expo Tokyo and The Pro Light + Sound in Frankfurt to see the LSU in action.

For more information email us at infopap@prolyte.com

NEWS

20 February 2019

APAC

d&b audiotechnik Further Strengthens its Sales Organization in Asia Pacific German audio technology company d&b audiotechnik is further strengthening its organization in Asia, appointing Amos Jen to the newly created position of Vice President of Sales, Asia Pacific.

A highly profiled leader from the pro-audio industry for regional sales management, Jen has joined the d&b team in Singapore on December 1, 2018, and reports to APAC Territory Manager Mike Case.

Jen, who was born in Singapore, graduated as Master of Science at the University of Essex, United Kingdom, and earned degrees from the National University of San Diego, California, and the Nanyang Technical University in Singapore. He started his professional life as a software engineer. Most recently Jen worked with Harman Asia where he was Business Development Director, responsible for pro-audio and professional video in the region. Previously, Jen was the Business Head for Broadcast and Professional Products, Sony Singapore, and Head of Sales for Sennheiser Asia’s pro-audio business.

“Amos’ energy and expertise will support us as we continue to establish d&b as the pro-audio brand of choice in Asia Pacific. The creation of this role strengthens the APAC team and is further evidence of our commitment to deliver exceptional audio solutions and services to customers and partners in the region,” says Case.

“The Asia-Pacific region is of huge importance to d&b. I am looking forward to working closely with our partner network to deliver solutions into projects where exceptional sound quality is the priority,” says Jen.

The announcement of Jen’s arrival joins a series of corporate announcements about the purposeful growth of the business in AsiaPacific, including the establishment of a d&b subsidiary in Greater China.

www.dbaudio.com

THAILAND

Allen & Heath Appoints Sonos Libra as Exclusive Distributor in Thailand service and customer support. Allen & Heath’s comprehensive product portfolio allows Sonos Libra to fully address a broad range of market segments, from audio installations through to the most demanding touring applications.

Markus Sinsel, Sales Director at Allen & Heath, says: “We are very pleased to be working with the Sonos Libra team in Thailand. They are a young, dynamic company who have rapidly built an impressive standing in the region. We are looking forward to continuing to work together to further strengthen the brand”.

Alfonso Martin of Sonos Libra

Alfonso Martín, Sonos Libra’s CEO, added: “Allen & Heath was a ‘musthave’ brand for us in Thailand. We know how much Thai customers like Allen & Heath products, particularly in compact digital and touring formats and we’re extremely excited to be able to bring the full range to the market.”

Allen & Heath is pleased to announce the appointment of Sonos Libra as its exclusive distributor in Thailand.

The partnership takes immediate effect with plans for regular training, product support, stock availability and product presentations.

Sonos Libra has a strong presence as a pro audio distributor in SE Asia and already represents the Allen & Heath brand in Vietnam. With an experienced team they have quickly garnered a reputation for first-class

www.allen-heath.com

ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY ASIA | www.e-techasia.com

NEWS

22 February 2019

GLOBAL

Zero Goes Beyond 88 It offered many new and innovative features for that level of production, including up to 8,192 freely assignable control channels with no fixture patch limitations, supported by 4 rotary encoders, with .24 dedicated playback faders (across 10 pages) and 4 UDK’s (User Definable Keys).

Enjoying a great start to the new year is Eaton’s Zero 88, reporting that they have hit the magic number of ‘88’ in terms of territorial reach, and more specifically the number of countries to which their awardwinning ZerOS lighting control products - including the popular FLX range consoles - have been supplied… and are now being used and appreciated!

The first award-winning FLX console – proudly made in Wales, – UK was launched in autumn 2015. Sales rose steadily throughout 2016. Since 2017, especially following the launch of the FLX S range, sales have increased dramatically via a carefully selected worldwide distribution network.

Business for the FLX range initially took off in the UK and Europe, according to Tyler Holpin, UK Key Accounts & International Sales Manager for the Cwmbran based manufacturer. However, the hot countries for FLX sales during 2018 were Japan and Australia!

Other places doing well and growing fast are South Africa, the Middle East, Malaysia, Hong Kong, China and India, and the global reach of the brand and the FLX range in particular has resulted in significant sales in places as diverse as Bangladesh, Egypt and Mauritius and the Channel Islands. Sales to rental companies and the television sector were particularly impressive, and FLX consoles are in constant use for live events and concerts: It’s also a winner for multi-purpose installations.

Optimized for the wide-spectrum market embracing ‘medium’ sized productions – typically those using a combination of moving lights and LED fixtures – the original FLX console was designed to give users working in all sectors (theatre, television and all types of live shows) more time to be imaginative, inventive and efficient.

ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY ASIA | www.e-techasia.com

The clean, straightforward user interface plus tools like Patch Wizard and Auto Palettes which consolidate all the prep work, aimed to offer LDs, programmers and operators the ability to to work faster, smarter and more harmoniously in creating shows… were an instant hit!

Zero 88 is famous for its excellent technical support, superlative after sales service and comprehensive product training programmes. The training concept is being rolled out worldwide via the distributors, so ZerOS users everywhere can experience continuity and the same high levels of support.

A delighted David Catterall, General Manager for Zero 88 Eaton Lighting Systems, estimates that the ZerOS user base “has doubled” in the last 12 months, “and that’s down to the foresight and hard work of the whole team here - R ‘n D, manufacture, sales, marketing and admin.

While there are currently some uncertainties in 2019 regarding our exact relationship with the EU, we are fully positioned to continue serving our dealer network wherever they are located”.

David adds that the company generally remains committed to ‘doing business right’ – including no waste to landfill, reducing the carbon footprint by 17%, generating new jobs due to taking the PCB manufacture in-house… and respecting individual’s rights and wishes under GDPR. “We are looking forward to a positive and active 2019” he concluded. www.zero88.com

NEWS

24 February 2019

CHINA

Wuhan JinMu Carnival Welcomes 2019 with NEXT-proaudio

Wuhan JinMu Carnival in Wuhan City, China welcomed 2019 with NEXT-proaudio at Wuhan Expo Park, with a fantastic lineup including some of the top Chinese Hip-hop artists. The festival was headlined by the top Chinese artists such as Tizzy T, AY, Dom. T, Ryan. B, Kungfu Pen, DamnShine, etc.

The local distributor Real Music Acoustics supplied over 80 NEXTproaudio loudspeakers.

“JinMu Carnival employs Next-Proaudio’s flagship product LA212x, dual 12” line array element, which not only sounds natural and smooth, but also get precise power control and directivity, easily manages to cover

the show with around ten thousand people audience, bringing energy to the show. The 18 Las418 Subwoofers each side, perfectly handle the low end, filling the show with dynamic and powerful low frequency”, said Real Music owner Zhen ‘Richie’ Wang.

The NEXT-proaudio systems configuration for the carnival included arrays of 15 LA212x three-way enclosures per-side for main reinforcement and 9 LA212x cabinets deployed as out fills. Handling the low frequencies were 18 NEXT LAs418 subwoofers per-side ground stacked. www.next-proaudio.com

SEA/INDIA/OCEANIA

Joe White Joins NEXO Sales Team Effective 1 February 2019, NEXO is pleased to announce the appointment of Joe White to its international sales team. He will be taking up the role of Business Development Manager with responsibility for NEXO’s activities in South-East Asia, India and Oceania.

Joe is a familiar face to NEXO customers, having spent four years with the company as Global Marketing Manager. Since 2011, he has been running his own business in Indonesia, but, in his words, “I really miss the audio industry and all the co-workers and colleagues in NEXO’s international orbit.”

ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY ASIA | www.e-techasia.com

Reporting to Sales Director Denis Baudier, Joe White will shoulder the responsibility for managing NEXO’s distribution network in the far East.

“Over the last 7 years, I have had a ringside seat to watch the cultural and economic evolution in this territory,” says White. “New government policies and investments into infrastructure are highly encouraging for a sound reinforcement equipment manufacturer of international renown. As the countries in South-East Asia become more tolerant of, and receptive to, multiculture, we can see huge growth potential in the entertainment and worship sectors. This is a very exciting time to rejoin my friends at NEXO and put on a new hat!” www.nexo-sa.com

26

NEWS

February 2019

GLOBAL

Prolyte Intensifies International Expansion Following the opening of the ultra-modern production site in Romania in 2016 and the North American office in the USA in 2018, Prolyte Group has announced its next steps to grow on all frontiers.

Prolyte introduces Eddie Slotboom as the new Projects Director for Prolyte Group. In this role, Eddie Slotboom will be responsible for determining the strategy on Large Structures and seeking cooperation with global Event organisations.

With his wealth of experience and because of his previous work at Stageco, Eddie Slotboom is Eddie Slotboom, not a stranger in Projects Director, Prolyte Group the entertainment industry. “Eddie shares the same vision as Prolyte in terms of safety and professionalising the business. I’m convinced that his role will be instrumental to the ambitions of Prolyte”, states Lambert Bouwmeester, CEO of Prolyte Group.

William Voskuil, Sales Director, EMEA and LATAM

With these latest expansions, Prolyte is confident customers and future customers can be assured to have the best possible access to the full expert support, as well as giving a solid foundation for its continued international expansion. www.prolyte.com

As of January 1st, 2019, Ralph Stockley has moved on from his position as Chief Commercial Officer to Chief Business Development Officer.

His primary goal will be to realise business opportunities in new areas for Prolyte Group.

Prolyte ST Roof

Ralph Stockley, Chief Business Development Officer

ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY ASIA | www.e-techasia.com

William Voskuil, former General Sales Manager at the Prolyte headquarters in Leek, The Netherlands, has moved to the position of Sales Director EMEA and LATAM. He will be responsible for all Sales and Marketing activities within Europe, Middle East, Africa and Latin America, leading the Prolyte Internal Sales, Marketing and Distributor Manager teams to Prolyte’s ambition for global growth.

www.Broadcast-Asia.com

Capture T h e

F u t u r e

18 - 20 June 2019 Level 3 – 6 Suntec Singapore

Be part of the exciting developments within the broadcasting and digital multimedia industries.

Lead the disruption by spotlighting your technology and innovations at BroadcastAsia2019 and expand your business network, form meaningful partnerships, and discover new opportunities!

BroadcastAsia - Asia’s must attend international event that attracts the media, entertainment and technology professionals, together with CommunicAsia and NXTAsia, form ConnecTechAsia, Asia’s MEGA technology platform.

Book your stand Now! Contact us at enquiry@Broadcast-Asia.com

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VIDEO FILES

28 February 2019

LITEC MyT Folding Steroid Roof System at Tribute Concert

Introduction to Martin Audio Wavefront Precision Longbow [WPL]

The video documents construction of the massive MyT Folding Steroid Roof System, which also featured spot and delay towers (constructed with MyT Folding Steroid’s modular components), and shows them in action during the evening’s performances. The highly publicized and nationally televised concert attracted an impressive crowd of more than 85,000 attendees, and was broadcast to a television audience of millions.

Wavefront Precision Longbow (WPL) now brings high performance, optimisation, flexibility and control to large-scale touring and installation applications. Designed as a complete system with external iKON multi-channel amplifiers, automated DISPLAY optimisation software and VU-NET control platform, WPL provides financial accessibility to the higher echelons of touring and install sound — from stadium concert and outdoor festivals to arena and House of Worship installations.

Introduction to Cameo THUNDER WASH 600 RGBW

ROBE SuperSpikie Product Video

Electrify your audience with dramatic lighting and energy-laden effects.

Combining a rapid-firing strobe, high intensity blinder and bright wash light, the Thunder Wash 600 RGBW is the latest addition to Cameo’s successful Thunder Wash series. Delivering a massive output of 6,700 lumens with extended 100° beam angle, the Thunder Wash 600 RGBW is equipped with a total of 648 SMD LEDs.

Four times brighter than the original Spikie and with the addition of rotating gobos – this effects machine has even more looks to blast through its 165mm lens front. The Zoom is bigger too. From a 3,5° beam to a soft wash at 42°, the CMY or RGBW colour mix looks rich.

With the ability to mount it in any position, the fast 360° continuous pan and tilt motors add yet another dimension.

ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY ASIA | www.e-techasia.com

18 – 20 September 2019 Bombay Exhibition Centre Mumbai

IN THE WORLD’S FASTEST GROWING, MAJOR EMERGING ECONOMY, NOW IS THE TIME FOR PRO-AV AND INTEGRATED SOLUTIONS PROVIDERS TO JOIN THE ASCENT. In January 2018, India’s Hon’ble Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi talked about the rise of New India.

This is an India with an investor-friendly economy set to grow at 7.5% over the next two years. An India with macro-economic stability, political stability and a regulatory framework that supports investment.

An India with a massive young domestic market of over 600 million Indians under the age of 25. An India with an AV industry which is predicted to grow 7% every year until 2022.

An India which is more ready than ever before to welcome you with open arms to do business.

Join InfoComm India 2019.

Organized by:

A project of:

ENNOVATION

30 February 2019

Adamson Introduces Milan-Ready CS7p Intelligent Point Source Enclosure Adamson Systems Engineering has introduced the CS7p point source enclosure – the first entry in a new generation of loudspeaker technology. Beginning with the CS7p, the new CS-Series will be the world’s first family of mobile loudspeakers to feature onboard Class-D amplification, DSP, and Milan-ready (AVB) network endpoints.

3” compression driver, loaded with a rotatable 70 x 40 (H x V) waveguide. The dipole arrangement of the cabinet provides a stable polar response, and the CS7p can also be paired to increase horizontal coverage and overall output.

“In recent years, Adamson has been working as part of the Avnu Alliance with other industry leaders in the development of the Milan protocol – an initiative that we believe will benefit the entire professional audio industry,” begins Morten Lave, Network Architect for Adamson. “With the CS7p and other upcoming CS-Series offerings, Adamson has taken steps to ensure compliance with Milan, but we have also included a fully redundant, daisychainable networking topology to ensure that the signal chain is the most manageable and secure in any networked audio loudspeaker product available on the market today.”

The CS-Series builds atop the proven foundation of the tour-grade S-Series and install-focused IS-Series. In its first iteration, the CS7p has been successfully used as a FOH near-field monitor at high-profile events such as the Hillsong Conference (Australia) and on the Drake and Migos North American tour.

The CS7p employs Milan-ready redundant AVB technology with the ability to daisychain networked audio between multiple sources in addition to an analog XLR input and output. Acoustically, the CS7p contains two 7”. Kevlar Neodymium transducers and a

www.adamsonsystems.com

Mackie Unveils New Flagship Loudspeaker Series DRM315, 2000W 12” DRM12A Array, and 2000W 18” DRM18S Subwoofer plus all models are available in passive boxes.

Mackie’s all-new flagship DRM Professional Powered Loudspeakers is packed with up to 2300W of power, cutting-edge DSP, and built-in full colour displays. DRM Loudspeakers offer incredible sound quality and reliability for a wide range of applications. Perfect for mobile DJs, bands, install, Houses of Worship, rental systems, and more. Available in the 1600W 12” DRM212, 1600W 15” DRM215, 2300W 15” 3-Way

ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY ASIA | www.e-techasia.com

DRM Series Professional Powered Loudspeakers deliver class-leading power up to 2300W via ultraefficient Class-D amplifiers with next-gen system protection. Universal power supplies (100-240V) feature Power Factor Correction technology that regulates incoming voltage for peak performance even with unstable AC power.

At the heart of every DRM Series loudspeaker, is Mackie’s Advanced Impulse DSP module. Precision crossovers, transducer time-alignment,

ENNOVATION and meticulously tuned FIR filters overcome inherent physical attributes that can contribute to poor sound, especially at high SPL. The result is crystal clear, punchy sound typically experienced only with massive touring systems.

The DRM Control Dashboard features a best-in-class high-contrast, full-colour display on the back panel for quick and easy setup. On the default screen, you will see all the most important settings, levels, and meters. With single knob control, you can navigate to the settings you need quickly. Full-range models offer 3-band parametric EQ, venue specific voicing modes, alignment delay, user presets, and system lock.

The subwoofer features a variable crossover, cardioid mode, and more.

Custom high-sensitivity woofers and titanium diaphragm compression drivers housed in braced plywood cabinets are designed for consistent performance in the most demanding applications. On the exterior, each DRM is covered in a touring-grade textured coating and paint that is made to last. The unique ported design of DRM cabinets allows for punchy, responsive bass while simultaneously helping to keep the amplifier cool.

31 February 2019

versatility. Both the DRM212 and DRM215 feature angled cabinet designs to allow for use as high-powered floor monitors.

Not only is the DRM Series an amazing choice for DJs, bands, clubs, and rental systems, the series also offers solutions for production and install applications. Fly up to 4 DRM12A cabinets plus 2 DRM18S subwoofers for an incredibly powerful, great sounding system that is perfect for venues, houses of worship, and more. For customers that require passive loudspeakers, every DRM Series model is available as a passive version. Available in select countries, Mackie’s all-new MX Series Professional Power Amplifiers are the perfect match for DRM Series Passive Loudspeakers. Combine with our SP260 Loudspeaker Processor for the ultimate Mackie passive system.

The Mackie MX Series Professional Power Amplifiers will be available in select countries beginning February 2019. Contact your local Mackie distributor for pricing and availability. mackie.com/drm

DRM Series Loudspeakers offer all the configuration options you would expect for professional applications. Equipped with M10 flypoints, dual angle pole mounts, and available line array configurations for maximum

THE NEW FORCE IN THE FIELD OF INNOVATIVE PREMIUM STANDS. available colours:

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gravitystands.com

VISIT OUR SHOWROOM IN SINGAPORE Adam Hall Asia Pte Ltd · Singapore 737853

11 Woodlands Close 01-12 · Phone +65 3152 9345 · asia@adamhall.com a subsidiary of the Adam Hall Group Germany

Gravity®

SOUND

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ENNOVATION

32 February 2019

NEXO Introduces GEO M12 Line Array NEXO’s new GEO M12 line array, the top-of-the-line addition to the hugely successful GEO M family of sound reinforcement systems by the French manufacturer,completes the GEO M Series.

Sharing the same aesthetic design and sonic signatures as the other models in the GEO M Series, the GEO M12 promises to deliver all the NEXO hallmarks of power, flexibility, coverage and superb sonic performance in a thoroughly modern package. Launched together with the MSUB18 companion subbass cabinet, the GEO M12 is aimed primarily at the mid-size rental company, although its competitive pricing will make it a popular investment for all types of user, from corporate presentation to live performance venues to houses of worship.

GEO M12 allows maximum flexibility in use. A protected switch on the rear of the M12 module allows the user to change the box, on the fly, from 2-way passive to 2-way active mode, without having to open the box. NXAMP can also be configured on the fly to match M12 in active or passive mode. This consideration for the working engineer has a NEXO hallmark, enabling modules to be adjusted without tools to gain improved horizontal coverage.

GEO M12 with MSUB18

The GEO M12 takes its place at the upper end of NEXO’s current line-up of line array designs, the new head of a family that includes the GEO M10 and GEO M6 mid-size and compact systems.

GEO M12 is more powerful than NEXO’s earlier 12” line array cabinet, the GEO S12, which remains in the catalogue. Launched in 2007, nearly 40,000 GEO S12 boxes have been sold to date, with the specialist longthrow S12-ST version becoming a common sight in large sporting stadia and arena around the world. “S12 is a typically hard-working NEXO product, but 10 years on, we are now releasing a 12” cabinet which offers 4dB more max SPL.” The M12 line array module, which contains a premium 12” Neodymium LF driver paired with 1.4” titanium diaphragm HF driver, is offered with two vertical dispersions, the 10° GEO M1210 and the 20° GEO M1220.

Horizontal directivity is 80° by default for both modules, but, by adding an optional Configurable Directivity Device (the NEXO-patented CDD), it can be changed in seconds to 120°, using a magnetic fixing system.

The M12 modules are 370mm x 700mm x 446mm, and weigh 34kg.

The two-way module will deliver a frequency response of 50Hz20kHz with nominal peak SPL of 140dB. The enclosures use the same honeycomb structure and urethane co-polymer material first used in NEXO’s STM Series cabinets, and carry a full complement of patented technology, including the Hyperbolic Reflective Wavesource (HRW) and Phase Directivity Device (PDD), as well as a new and improved version of the patented V-shaped profile of the bass port.

ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY ASIA | www.e-techasia.com

Rigging hardware is integrated, with no loose parts.

The AutoRig system automatically connects the front rigging system when speakers are assembled, with a guided back rigging system for easy angle adjustment. Perfect coverage is achievable with a choice of 11 angles between cabinets, in arrays of up to 12 boxes, indoors or outdoors. A new hardware accessory, the Mini-Stack, allows three M12 cabinets to be placed on top of an MSUB18 to make a powerful groundstack. Another new accessory enables GEO M10 modules to be stacked on top of the MSUB18.

Although the GEO M12 is partnered by the dedicated sub bass cabinet, the MSUB18, it shares the same phase response as other NEXO speakers, so it can be teamed with any NEXO sub without requiring complex adjustment.

As is standard with any NEXO product, amplification is via NEXO’s NXAMP4x4 TDcontroller, running with up to three M12 cabinets per channel. The system can be controlled over a network using a Dante, Ethersound or AES/EBU digital expansion card.

There are dedicated touring and installation versions of the GEO M12.

The Touring version uses a magnetically-fixed front steel grill with a back mesh. AutoRig automatically connects the front rigging system when the speakers are assembled, with a guided back rigging system for easy angle adjustment. The connection plate uses NL4 connectors.

The IP54-rated Installation version comes with a fixed front steel grid, covered by an acoustic cloth. The rigging system uses safety nuts and the connectivity is made through cable gland and captive four core cables. All hardware is TUV-certified. Both Touring and Installation versions are available in black, white and custom RAL colours on request. www.nexo-sa.com

33

ENNOVATION

February 2019

Electro-Voice Introduces the New RE3 UHF Wireless Microphone Product Family Electro-Voice has launched RE3: a new UHF wireless microphone system engineered for best-in-class sound quality, wireless flexibility and overall ease of use in alignment with the latest RF regulations. The RE3’s user-friendly, state-of-the-art technology and roadworthy construction extend the rock-solid reputation of its predecessor the RE2.

The RE3 handheld combines robust aluminum build quality with a sleek profile. Five handheld system sets are available with a choice of interchangeable mic capsules: ND76, ND86, ND96 (dynamic) and the new RE420 and RE520 (condenser). These capsules can be purchased separately.

The compact RE3 bodypack features cast magnesium construction for maximum durability. Five bodypack system sets are available for instrument and lavalier/headworn microphone applications: OL3, CL3 (lavalier), HW3 (headworn), GC3 (instrument cable) and one bodypack-only system.

RE3 receivers and transmitters are available in 10 pre-packaged sets, configured to cover a wide range of performance and presentation applications. Sets contain one 1/2-rack-space diversity receiver with antennas, universal power supply, rack mount kit, transmitter, batteries and an input device.

Additionally, the RE3 portfolio contains a comprehensive assortment of accessories to aid in the creation of large, multi-channel systems. The RE3’s UHF design with clear frequency scanning makes multi-system wireless operation fast and simple.

All RE3 transmitters offer excellent battery life and run on regular alkaline or rechargeable AA cells. www.electrovoice.com

workhorse.

STINGER G3 SERIES ®

MULTIFUNCTIONAL PA SPEAKERS & SUBWOOFERS

VISIT OUR SHOWROOM IN SINGAPORE Adam Hall Asia Pte Ltd · Singapore 737853 11 Woodlands Close 01-12 · Phone +65 3152 9345 · asia@adamhall.com a subsidiary of the Adam Hall Group Germany

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34

ENNOVATION

February 2019

dBTechnologies Unveils RS16000 Touring Rack The new RS16000 Touring Rack from dBTechnologies is operable within the UHF spectrum between 470-870 MHz. The digital, 24-bit, true diversity wireless microphone system offers up to 400 MHz of tuning bandwidth (for any receiver and transmitter) across six channels. A total of 16,000 frequencies are available to users, which can be selected in manual mode within 25 kHz increments to meet the needs of virtually any application in countries around the globe.

Housed in a rugged road case, the RS16000 system includes six RS16000R receivers, a model AS6W antenna splitter with 9V phantom power, its own active cooling system, an RPS10 power supply, and a HUB800 network hub, which facilitates use of dB Technology’s proprietary Wireless Manager software via a front - panel USB port.

An Ethernet port is also provided in the back-panel for building and managing multiple systems, each of which can virtually support more than 60 transmitters simultaneously.

Sold separately, handheld and bodypack transmitters are available for use with the system. Interchangeable capsules are included with the handheld transmitter along with a Shure adapter, while the bodypack is equipped with a Shure compatible four-pole Mini-XLR connector. Either alkaline or rechargeable lithium-ion batteries can be used with both transmitters, providing up to seven hours of continuous operation.

Beyond the broadband antenna included with each system, optional accessories include windproof omnidirectional and directional antennas, both of which are active with adjustable gain (+12, +6, 0, -6 dBm), and outfitted with an LED indicator that warns users when RF saturation exceeds safe levels.

With an operating range of nearly 300 feet in absence of interference, the RS16000 Touring Rack is FCC, RED, and IC compliant. Its low latency (1.8 ms maximum) complements the digital, compander-free circuitry to insure sonic clarity across the entire working spectrum. As a safeguard, a 48-bit random encryption key enables discreet operation that can’t be decrypted even with another RS16000 device.

Engineered to be a truly comprehensive management app, Wireless Manager can be used to accomplish myriad tasks ranging from country-specific frequency selection, spectrum analysis, and automatic frequency scan to calculating intermodulation, making gain adjustments, and much more. www.dbtechnologies.com

Martin Audio Announces Wavefront Precision Longbow (WPL) Martin Audio has shrugged off any notion of January blues with the announcement of its latest optimised line array, adding to the popular Wavefront Precision Series with the Longbow (WPL) edition.

With the launch of the Wavefront Precision Series (WPM and WPC) back in 2017, the concept of scalable resolution was born — harnessing the optimisation technology behind Martin Audio’s self-powered MLA Series systems in a new line array format with a scalable approach to external system amplification.

ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY ASIA | www.e-techasia.com

ENNOVATION Wavefront Precision Longbow (WPL) brings high performance, optimisation, flexibility and control to large-scale touring and installation applications. Designed as a complete system with external iKON multi-channel amplifiers, automated DISPLAY optimisation software and VU-NET control platform, WPL provides financial accessibility to the higher echelons of touring and install sound — from stadium concert and outdoor festivals to arena and House of Worship installations.

The complete system philosophy guarantees that WPL arrays perform predictably and effortlessly to their design maximum, as well as ensuring that they are compatible with other WPL systems throughout the world.

WPL is a full-scale line array that is capable of exceptionally high output for its modest size and weight. A three-way, bi-amped system, WPL’s very high output is achieved by utilising Martin Audio’s trademark horn-loading technology across all frequency bands — increasing the acoustic output of the low frequency section as well as the midrange and HF.

35 February 2019

It incorporates 2 x 12” (300mm) drivers with Hybrid horn/reflex loading, 2 x 6.5” (165mm) cone drivers on a midrange horn which covers the vocal frequency range from 300Hz to 4kHz, and 3 x 1” (25mm) exit HF drivers operating from 4kHz upwards. Each section features innovative horn-loading techniques and refinements which raise the acoustic performance of WPL to a superior level — both in terms of output and smooth 90° horizontal coverage patterns of the mid and HF horns.

Sonically, WPL’s exemplary horizontal dispersion pattern translates to an incredibly consistent frequency response off-axis, with minimal variation from the on-axis response.

The maximum peak outputs of the LF, Mid and HF sections are 139dB, 140dB and 145dB per enclosure at 1metre and 6dB crest factor respectively — ensuring that a WPL array will meet the most demanding requirements for throw and clarity in the largest venues and outdoor events. martin-audio.com

Prolyte Asia

will be exhibiting PROTOS, among other products, at Live Entertainment Expo Tokyo from 27 Feb - 1 Mar Makuhari Messe PDJ booth - Hall 1 Stand D43

Pro Light + Sound Frankfurt

from 2 - 5 April Frankfurt Messe Doughty Booth - Hall 12 Stand D84

PROTOS is an intuitive and affordable solution for measuring the forces on the loads you’re lifting and the structures you’re building!

For more information, or to schedule an appointment email us at

ipdj@prolyte.com for Japan and infopap@prolyte.com for Frankfurt

Force Monitoring Systems

PROTOS, THE APEX SOLUTION INFO@PROTOS-ONE.COM

ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY ASIA | www.e-techasia.com

WWW.PROLYTEPAP.COM

ENNOVATION

36 February 2019

Obsidian Control Systems Launches NX 4 The NX 4 houses a powerful new Intel Hexa-Core processor, highspeed NVMe SSD drive and 16GB of DDR4 RAM. Fast boot times, instant operation and the ability to process 64 Universes right inside the console without the need for costly external processing networks results in unprecedented power in this form factor. The NX 4 is also ergonomic with motorized playback faders, short depth, easy screen access, full ONYX command and keypad section, and bright, adjustable HD touch screen. With four DMX ports, Timecode, Midi and dual Gigabit ports for up to 64 Universes of Art-Net, sACN plus the ONYX X-Net protocol, the NX 4 has all the connectivity and power the everincreasing sizes of shows demand.

The NX 4 is the newest member of the innovative ONYX platform from Obsidian Control Systems. Equipped with a range of professional features and using the latest in industrial components, the NX 4 is designed to handle even the largest show with ease. With a wellarranged combination of motorized and manual faders, as well as an array of playback buttons, the NX 4 offers 44 total playbacks in a compact yet extremely powerful package.

The NX 4 includes a high-brightness, 15.6�, full-HD multi-touch screen with support for two external 4K touch displays. Eight assignable parameter encoders, a dedicated Intensity encoder, an assistive minitouch screen, full keypad and command section, and a dedicated grand master make for a dutifully intuitive control surface.

Two independent playback sections offer instant access. The main playback with 10 motorized faders plus 10 play-pairs allow for quick page changes while the sub playback with 12 faders and 12 button playbacks mean that important cues are always at the your fingertips.

ONYX ONYX is a powerful yet easy-to-learn lighting control platform designed for both hardware consoles and PC systems. It is a rebranding of the well-established M-Series control platform and is designed for use with all new ONYX and existing M-Series hardware. Designed and maintained by real-user professionals with over 25 years of experience in lighting control systems, ONYX provides a stable and efficient programming platform that is fast to program and fun to operate.

ONYX scales from the smallest shows to the largest touring productions with easy-to-use tools and optimized graphical work environments that can adapt to any task and complexity. Obsidian Control Systems products are distributed exclusively by Elation Professional worldwide and are available in various sizes to accommodate any scale and budget. www.obsidiancontrol.com

HARMAN Professional Solutions Releases Martin ERA 300 Profile The Martin ERA 300 is an ultracompact profile fixture with an extremely efficient 260W white LED engine that produces a sharp gobo projection with the flat field that Martin fixtures are known for.

Designed to set the new standard compact and affordable lighting for the rental and live production market, this modern, everyday workhorse fits nearly-anywhere, is easy to handle and rig, and takes up less truck space.

Plus, Martin ERA 300 boasts a full suite of professional features not commonly found in other fixtures in its class, including CMY colour mixing, 1:2 zoom, 9,500

ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY ASIA | www.e-techasia.com

lumens of output, electronic dimming and strobe, colour wheel, two layers of gobos, iris, rotating prism and pan/tilt.

The ERA 300 Profile’s light source delivers more output than typically associated with similar-sized and featured fixtures. Fully electronic dimming ensures extremely fast strobing, instant intensity control, and a flat, consistent field that can be maintained down to zero percent.

Onboard CMY colour mixing offers wide-ranging versatility from subtle pastels to deep, vibrant, colours, as well fast transitions and smooth fades. And, with 13 to 28 degrees of zoom, the ERA 300 Profile is perfect for various trim heights and is wide enough to ensure great coverage on smaller stages. www.martin.com

37

ENNOVATION

February 2019

NEXT-proaudio Introduces N-RAK more efficient than the former LA Rack. With the Powersoft amplifiers already built in and no assembly required, it’s an easy-to-configure, all-in-one amplifier solution that eliminates the process of building amp racks.

The N-RAK touring rack offers an advanced rack solution for all NEXTproaudio’ systems covering signal and power distribution in a plug-andplay touring package.

NEXT-proaudio has developed a unified rack solution N-RAK, designed for optimum performance flexibility and setup simplicity. The new rack was configured to interface seamlessly allowing multiple configurations for the entire NEXT-proaudio’s product range. Consisting in a family of 4 different models, N-RAK 20, N-RAK40, N-RAK60, N-RAK80, all the N-Raks are equipped with Powersoft X8 and/or X4 amplifiers, featuring Dante audio networking functionality (optionally).

N-RAK was created as a universal platform developed to facilitate cross-rental between NEXT-proaudio’s Users worldwide and to ensure compatibility with the cabling standard of the systems.

The N-RAK has Dante (optional), AES3 and Analog inputs for multiple connections, making the setup process greatly simplified and much

The fully equipped N-RAK module comprises a 6U Customized Rack with 2 Powersoft X8 (N-RAK80) or 1 Powersoft X8 and 1 Powersoft X4 (N-RAK60) or 1 Powersoft X8 (N-RAK40) or 1 Powersoft X4 (N-RAK20); 2U Audio Distribution Panel in the front; and 2U Power Distribution Panel in the back.

The N-RAK features Armonia software for convenient, simplified and standard control. The complete digital audio signal management system based on ARM Cortex A-8 processor and TI C6000 DSP platform heralds new and innovative level of signal processing, providing non-boolean routing and mixing, multi-stage equalization with raised-cosine, IIR and FIR filters, delay up to 4 s in input processing and 200 ms for time alignment, gain and polarity adjustment, crossover, peak limiters, TruePower limiters and Active DampingControl. www.next-proaudio.com

Powersoft Releases T Series Amplifier Powersoft has announced the release of the T Series line, an ultra-reliable and efficient amplifier platform designed with the rental market in mind. The new platform is now available now through Powersoft authorised distributors.

The T Series consists of both 2- and 4-channel models available in 3,000 W and 6,000 W versions supporting channel powers from 750 W to 3,000 W in a single rack unit. All models can deliver the same high peak voltage and can drive single 8/16 ohm cabinets at full SPL, making the T Series a cost-effective solution for small systems without boxes in parallel. The high voltage can also be used for power sharing between channels for applications such as biamped loudspeakers or subwoofers with passive tops.

In addition to analog inputs, the T Series also includes AES3 and Dante

by Audinate inputs, which are optimised for daisy-chained distribution of 2-channel audio to multiple amplifiers with no need for external ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY ASIA | www.e-techasia.com

switches or splitters. Each model features group controllable advanced EQ to let users equalize multiple amplifiers in a chain, as well as a robust preset library with FIR processing.

The T Series offers remote control and advanced signal processing abilities via Powersoft’s ArmoníaPlus System Manager as well as onboard DSP. Each amplifier platform in the T Series is fully operable from the front panel display, making it ideal for small systems in a rental company. The display includes features like preset recall, gain, delay and mute, plus it also shows available headroom, as well as other status monitoring.

The T Series also lets users configure presets. For example, if a T Series amplifier platform is included in a rental package, then the user can limit the amplifier platform’s functionality to ensure reliable and safe performance prior to renting out the amplifier platform. www.powersoft-audio.com

EXHIBITION PREVIEW

38 February 2019

Prolight + Sound Guangzhou 2019 to Inculcate Full Solutions for the Entertainment Industry as Hall Space Sells Out event management, system integration and AV technology sectors. Set to delivering more diverse range of industry insights inside the regime of entertainment technology, the programme will be divided into two themes: Maintaining and modernising performance venue This theme will see experts from the audio, lighting and stage industries share techniques to maintain, revamp and upgrade in different performance venues.

PLSG figures at a glance

This year’s edition of Prolight + Sound Guangzhou 2019 (PLSG) will broaden buyers’ sourcing options by featuring 1,350 exhibitors across 13 thematic halls and in the Y-Channel demonstration area. The highly anticipated show will take place from 24 – 27 February 2019 at Area A of China Import and Export Fair Complex.

In line with market shift towards more technological convergence, Hall 4.2 (Communication and Conference) and Hall 5.2 (Media Systems and Solutions) of the show will feature the latest innovations amongst entertainment, communication and media systems, while the KTV hall and Theatre K. Pub will focus on customised entertainment equipment.

Announced earlier at the fair’s Gala Dinner, many worldwide brands will come to participate once again, with reputable exhibitors including AKG, Audio-Technica, Ava LED, Beta-3, BMB, Bosch, Bose, d&b audiotechnik, DAS, dB Technologies, Eagle, EM Acoustics, Fidek, Fine Art, Gonsin, Haimei, Harman International, Hivi, ITC, Klotz, Kvant, Laserworld, Longjoin, Meyer Sound, Mipro, Nan Yi, Nightsun, Plustruss, QSC, Rainbow, RCF, SE Audiotechnik, Seikaku, Sennheiser, Shure, Soundking, Star-net, Taiden, Takstar, Thunderstone, Viashow, Yamaha and Yes-tech.

Addressing the need for high-level technical exchange Whilst serving as a four-day industry event, PLSG also provides a market information exchange platform beyond the fair itself. As the entertainment, event planning, stage design and integration sectors become more interrelated than ever, a series of high-rate events will be held to support industry peers in moving towards the intelligent technology and collaboration era.

For instance, the signature PLSG Annual Training Course will feature a range of sessions with inspirational speakers across the audio, lighting, ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY ASIA | www.e-techasia.com

Topics include: * Theatre-based application on AVoIP * LED: the new language for high performance lighting * Construction, management and safety aspects of system equipment in performance venues * A new performance: lighting control of game facilities in theme park * The latest application of lighting systems for the operation and management of performance venues Overview of AoIP Networking and Media System Integration This theme aims to advise industry peers in selecting the best network option for the different AV solutions and understand different network infrastructures.

Topics include: * AVIT panel discussion: AI, New Era! (New) * Audio networking standard: AES67 in projects (New) * Exploring networked audio protocols: AVB, Cobranet & Dante * Dante certification training In addition, PLSG will be working together with the Guangdong Association of Stage Art on the launch of the first manuscript showcase of stage art design in Guangdong, under the theme Traces: Visible Thinking. Designers from the stage art, lighting, costume, makeup, props and sound design sectors will showcase their ‘visible thinking’, and will nourish the show with a hint of artistic nature.

Meanwhile, the large-scale outdoor line array demonstration will expand even further at the 2019 show, with four major exhibition areas in 1.0, 4.0, 5.0 and 6.0 held concurrently for the first time.

Among them, there will be eight overseas well-known audio brands displaying high-quality sound with ’double string’ line arrays, providing participants with a moving auditory experience in a concert setting.

Prolight + Sound Guangzhou is organised by Messe Frankfurt and the Guangdong International Science and Technology Exhibition Company (STE). www.prolightsound-guangzhou.com

SNAP SHOT

39 February 2019

Ron Schilling at the Guns N’ Roses Concert

ETA took the opportunity to have a quick chat with Ron Schilling who was operating the lighting console at the Malaysia leg of the Guns N’ Roses “Not In This Lifetime” tour. The concert was in the capital city, Kuala Lumpur, at the Surf Beach located at Sunway Lagoon. Ron highlights that this was the first time he was handling a concert in a Waterpark. The concert was held on 14 November 2018.

The concert held on a weekday saw the skies opening up before the show started and it pretty much stayed that way throughout the three and half hours, but that did not deter the crowd as they sang along to old favourites and soaked in (pun intended) the incredibly energetic performance by the band.

Ron has been with the tour since it started in 2016. He was initially the Lighting Crew Chief but took on the additional responsibility of lighting operator when towards the end of the first leg of the tour, the original lighting operator had indicated that he would not be available for the next leg. The Lighting Designer for the tour is Phil Ealy with the programming completed by Rob Koenig, who followed Phil’s design.

The key element of the production’s lighting are the 133 lighting fixtures that are suspended above the stage in a unique “hive design”.

The fixtures are clustered into seven “pods” with 19 lighting fixtures in each pod. The idea behind the design is to offer complicated pixelmapping effects, giving excellent eye-candy to the stage.

When ETA caught up with Ron, they had already toured Jakarta and Manila with the next stop being Taipei. Incredibly the production team had to pack up after the Kuala Lumpur concert and head to the airport at four in the morning to Taipei. “Once we reach Taipei, we have 24 hours to complete our programming once the stage has been rigged,” said Ron. For most of the leg, the production team had relied mainly on the GLP impression X4 lighting fixtures for the pod. However, in the Southeast Asia trip, this was not possible. For the concert in Kuala Lumpur, Ron

ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY ASIA | www.e-techasia.com

relied on the Robe ROBIN 800 LEDWash lighting fixtures for the pods.

Supporting the ROBINs were four units of SGM Q7s, 10 units of Martin Professional MAC Viper profiles, 59 units of ClayPaky Scenius, 10 units of Robe MegaPointes, 56 Ron Schilling with his spotlight operator units of Fine Art fixtures, 60 units of DTS BRICK LED Washlights, and 43 units of Martin Professional Atomic LED fixtures.

A further 40 units of Robe BMFL Blades were used as keylights and spotlights. Altogether 400 plus lighting fixtures were in play to complement the LED displays and the band.

“In a tour, you will need to adapt to situations. This includes the unavailability of preferred fixtures. Even the weather, in this case, plays a part.” Close to curtain call a power generator tripped and the spotlights were not working. The rain had shorted some electrical power point. It was interesting to see how Ron was cool as a cucumber.

There were alternative options obviously, but it might not have produced the same impact. Thankfully all got sorted out before the first song. That was a close call!

GLP impression Though the GLP fixtures were not in use I enquired about the GLP impression X4s which were used extensively in the earlier part of the tour. Ron says that they are very reliable with hardly any problems.

“They are a great value when you know the fixture is going to work and the impressions offer great saturated colours with a fantastic output.”

About grandMA consoles At the show, there were two units of full-size grandMA2 boards.

Ron started using the grandMA1 in 2004 and most recently used the grandMA3 in Front of House for the Paul McCartney tour. “MA dominates the industry for a particular reason. They are extremely reliable, and it is also a powerful board. Consoles drive a huge number of LED fixtures which consumes a lot of channels and parameters.

These might slow some consoles down but not the MA which has fast processing speed. Ergonomic wise I like it as well. The way it is laid out is pretty intuitive. When I have only 24 hours to programme a show, it is great that I can recall the pages, groups and palettes quickly which is essential. Once you understand the console and know how it works and what it does it is great.”

It was great talking to Ron who despite some challenges at the show still took time to talk to me. It is interesting to see how a true professional conducts himself. He was calm and collected and got on with the show.

SPOTLIGHT

40 February 2019

Protec was involved with the Unite with Tomorrowland event that attracted 40,000 EDM fans

Protec Reflects on 2018 and Gives Us an Insight Into What to Expect in 2019 Protec started 2018 with a big announcement and an even bigger vision for the year ahead. The Protec group expanded to include Protec European Events based in the UK and has extended its global reach to include events this past year as far flung as Rwanda. Also, opening an office and warehouse in Saudi Arabia to offer their clients a service on their doorstep meant a significant growth in resources to avail of the burgeoning events industry there.

With this expansion into the UK and Saudi Arabia there have been many highlights. One that springs to mind is the ground breaking ceremony for Qiddiya, the famous Saudi Arabian giga-project which is set to make all existing global entertainment destinations look minute in comparison. Or there was the media attention generated by their dart playing robots at GITEX, the futuristic technology exhibition, where they showed off their accuracy and prowess against willing show attendees.

This made it into the top 5 attractions to visit according to The National newspaper and also attracted some royal visitors! Protec also were part ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY ASIA | www.e-techasia.com

of some very impressive global conferences such as the UN World Data Forum.

We spoke to Stephen Lakin about some of the highlights of 2018.

Stephen Lakin

“2018 has been an incredible year with a wide variety of outstanding events that we were delighted to be a part of. Some moments that stand out are seeing our dart playing robots on a stand at GITEX garnering so much media attention, helping our client unite 400,000 EDM fans at Unite with Tomorrowland, delivering an opening ceremony to remember for the MENA Special Olympics, to watching our client relationships strengthen

SPOTLIGHT

41 February 2019

Protec’s dart playing robots at a GITEX stand gathered much attention and our global reach expand with our European branch – it’s all been outstanding. But, I think it is the industry awards we received this year recognising all these great achievements and inspiring and encouraging us to push the boundaries of event technology even further that stands out the most. It is especially impressive how ‘Protec European Events’ was awarded ‘AV Production, Staging & Rental Company of the Year’ at this year’s long standing AV Awards ceremony – what an amazing achievement from our team during their first year in operation! We also picked up several awards in the Middle East for event technology, project manager of the year and I myself picked up the AV Industry Recognition Award, which was very humbling. This peer and industry recognition certainly inspires us to be even more innovative next year and we already have a few surprises in the pipeline!”

On the back of their recent successes and achievements in the UK, Protec European Events have needed to expand their premises to facilitate their growth. Still strategically located next to the National Exhibition Centre and Birmingham International Airport, they have more than doubled their storage area to 63,000 ft2 (5850 m2). Alongside the new space to store their growing inventory and expanding staging and scenic department, they will be hiring more ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY ASIA | www.e-techasia.com

world class personnel in order to consistently deliver the standard of events the global Protec brand is recognised for. Already on board is Jason Strange who has decades of global experience in the events industry including 8 years with Protec in Dubai. He brings creativity and imagination as well as scenic and staging expertise to aid our clients to deliver impactful events and maximise their budgets.

Protec clients’ words speak volumes about their reputation and professionalism across all event types, from corporate to rock and roll, intimate or spectacular.

“Our goal is to bring people from all walks of life, countries, backgrounds and unite them as one with the power of music. That is exactly what UNITE with Tomorrowland did once again and we are very happy with the feedback. It is with the help of strong partners like Protec that make this concept such a huge success in the UAE.” Barry Pavic, Director, Envie Events “I have two words that come to mind when I think of the Protec team, ‘professionalism personified’ – they have creative ideas, technical agility and are flexible even under “show” pressure. We have a great working

SPOTLIGHT

42 February 2019

New investments include the grandMA3 full size console relationship with them, they understand our business, they know the personalities, and our goals are aligned – we make both our companies successful – now that’s true partnership.” Evelyn Truter - Marketing Programme & Project Manager - Xerox International Operations Protec have made some new investments with a busy 2019 in mind including the grandMA3 full size which has already been out on a couple of large events, and 4 MA3 Light consoles. First to purchase this cutting edge technology in the region, Lighting designer and HOD Aaron Russ tells us how these consoles will bring benefit to both the lighting team and their clients.

“It is going to give us a whole new world of creative possibilities.

Updated hardware means more processing power, that means the mathematical calculations and algorithms can be far more complex.

We are no longer bound to going from point A to point B. We can program one hell of a detour in the middle and this has never before been possible. The extra workspace, the now 8 display screens (over the old 4 in the MA2 full-size) has totally changed the workflow, all information is now much easier to access and this makes programming much easier.”

Egor Popovski of MA Lighting Middle East congratulated Protec on pioneering this new technology.

ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY ASIA | www.e-techasia.com

“We are very proud to congratulate Protec on being the first to purchase the grandMA3 consoles in the Middle East and are happy that we can deliver these solutions. This is one more important step in our long lasting relationship with Protec.”

Alongside this, Protec added the impressive Robe RoboSpot followspot ground control system and 40 of ClayPaky’s latest Axcor 400 Profile fixtures.

In the video department Protec invested in the OmniCal camera system by ‘disguise’ (D3). Scott Walker explained the benefits of this new addition to our disguise range.

“The OmniCal system will cut down set-up time and give us more flexibility in 3D mapping. This system will provide us with updated point cloud data that will allow us to adapt our model mesh to match precisely the real world object which will be great for complex 3D mapping jobs with large quantities of projectors.”

HOD of Audio, Ed Ross has told us they have received new LA Rak 2 amp racks to add to their extensive L’Acoustics inventory. He added there is more exciting news on the horizon for Protec’s audio division but is remaining elusive thus far promising very big news in the springtime.

SPOTLIGHT

43 February 2019

“This new acquisition will be terrific not just for Protec but for all our clients putting on large events in the region.”

Alongside their new compact K10 robots, a new addition in the past few months, the ‘Advanced Technology’ department have promised a few exciting surprises in 2019 with some different technology on the event horizon. This technology is expected to be launched in February so keep your eyes peeled for some clues flying around!

Of course, these new acquisitions and the highly skilled team behind these successful events will be available globally to Protec’s clients in the UK, Europe, Middle East, Asia and Africa as they look towards delivering the same consistently world class events beyond all expectations across continents.

Protec has been the cornerstone of the events industry in the Middle East since 1999. Established by industry leader and habitual pioneer Stephen Lakin, Protec has grown into the region’s most committed and consistently reliable event equipment rental company, producing live events that are truly spectacular, leading edge, and globally acclaimed. Now also based in Saudi Arabia, the UK and operating across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, they bring their vast experience and technical resource palette to the global market. www.productiontec.com

Another new investment was on 40 units of ClayPaky’s Axcor 400 Profile fixtures

The various awards won by Protec

ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY ASIA | www.e-techasia.com

ALEX COLUMN

44 February 2019

What is More Important - Gear or Ear? For this month’s column, I want to address one of the biggest challenges in all proaudio careers.

We will all admit that we do tend to be “Gearheads” and “gadget people” and we are all looking for tools to make our trade simpler and easier to help us on the job.

On the other hand, as we learn about more and more tools, the challenges still stay and we learn that things are much more complicated, than we thought they were, before we learned about all the tools and toys. So, what is more important, knowing and learning all the toys or learning and understanding how a mix and how Audio works and how this all interacts with the audience?

For our younger colleagues, this of course many times means a challenge to decide, what to learn first. How to use all the different gear and tools or to learn about mixing and how audio sources go together in a mix and how equalization and dynamics and timing work in audio. I have always thought that the tools that we use are really only that: Tools. They cannot do the job and anyone ever having tried a “Automixing” algorithm on a Band mix, will be happy to confirm this.

There is no holy grail of tools and there is no “one size fits all” for any of us. I am sorry if this is disappointing to you, but on the other hand look at the bright side: This will keep you in the job, if you are decent at it, for the rest of your professional life.

distribution completely within the pro audio industry. The gaming industry has literally taken over the development of 3D Audio as the only substantial developments are financed by Gaming Companies.

One of the things that no one has ever taught me and which I had to learn all by myself, is the secret to being a good sound engineer. Please allow me to share with you how I see this and what I find important.

When I mix any show or artist, no matter what genre and what music, I develop a “sound picture” in my head as to how I think this should sound. This of course is highly subjective and therefore, there is really nor wrong or right. All this is being decided by the audience and by the artist. Once I have this picture in my head, I will then approach the mix and putting sources together always with the ultimate final picture or sound in mind. The art is to listen and to hear what is not yet right and then to know which button to turn, which effect to use and which processing module to engage. Approaching my work in this way has kept it alive and very interesting for some 32 years now, not bad right?

So how then do we approach all the challenges? I must admit that I do enjoy learning about gear and new stuff, even if it is not useful to my every day work, but occasionally I still come across something new Alex can be reached at alex@asaudio.de and interesting and you must go through the “noise floor” to find the occasional gem. In the past ten years, the only real questions that When I mix any show or artist, colleagues and myself no matter what genre and have been discussing what music, I develop a “sound after any event or picture” in my head as to how I trade show was always the same: “Did you see think this should sound. anything interesting on this show or event?”

Sadly, however the speed of innovation from within has slowed down quite a bit. In the past ten years, we see a lot of innovation coming from the IT industry, which has literally taken over Signal Mixing and Signal

ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY ASIA | www.e-techasia.com

LIVE

45 February 2019

CHINA

HARMAN Professional Solutions Brings Enchanting Audio to Open-Air Production of Traditional Chinese Theatre JBL VTX A12 loudspeakers and Crown amplifiers deployed for outdoor performance

Zhongzhi Construction Technology Engineering Co. deployed a range of JBL loudspeakers and Crown amplifiers for a large-scale outdoor theatre production of “Home in the Dreams”.

“Home in the Dreams” is an open-air theatre performance of a traditional Chinese legend, presented by the Cultural Education branch of the Chinese company Yitian Group. The waterfront theatre in Shangrao, Jiangxi province where it’s performed provides a backdrop of lakes and mountains for up to 3,000 audience members.

Yitian Group wanted the natural beauty of the open-air theatre to enhance the performance, but needed a sound system that could withstand the rigours of outdoor use. They hired Zhongzhi Construction Technology Engineering Co, who put together an all-weather audio solution featuring JBL Professional loudspeakers and Crown amplifiers.

“After the installation of the audio system, the customers were highly satisfied with the theater’s acoustics,” said Chen Zhiwei, audio system designer and engineer of Zhongzhi Construction Technology Engineering Co. “They said the sound quality was much better than that of similar venues, and they were quite confident in the level of quality the HARMAN system brought to the performance.”

ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY ASIA | www.e-techasia.com

Zhongzhi installed JBL VTX A12 line array loudspeakers for focused mid- and high-frequency detail. ASB 6128 extended-range subwoofers supplemented the main arrays, covering 250Hz and below. To fill out the center image with full-range sound, Zhongzhi positioned threeway PD6322 loudspeakers along the front of the stage. High-powered AW595-BK monitors provided clear sound for the performers on stage. Heavy-duty WRC (Weather Resistant Coating) protected the loudspeakers from the elements.

Two Crown I-Tech 4x3500 HD power amplifiers with onboard OMNIDRIVE HD processing and network connectivity powered the main left and right arrays. Seven high-efficiency MA 5000i amplifiers powered the center-fill speakers, controlled by the same network as the line arrays. Three T10 dual-channel units powered the stage monitors, providing power and headroom in a simple, dedicated system. www.harman.com

LIVE

46 February 2019

AUSTRALIA

Chameleon Welcome the New Year with StageSmarts StageSmarts smartPDU72 sets a new standard in functionality, flexibility, reliability and safety

Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) ushered in 2019 with a star-studded concert on the Boardwalk of the Sydney Opera House.

Australians around the country and people around the world tuned into the ABC to celebrate the biggest night of the year, New Year’s Eve. 3.6 million viewers partied the night away, tuning in to The Night is Yours concert, music, fun and fireworks.

rolled out their recently purchased StageSmarts smartPDU72 which sets a new standard in functionality, flexibility, reliability and safety.

Engineered to meet the tough requirements of the events market, the smartPDU Series helps you to keep track of the situation at any moment, protecting your connected equipment and crew and, when needed, assisting you in diagnosing problems.

From 9.30pm, Charlie Pickering and Zan Rowe ramped up the celebrations and dialed up the volume, presenting The Night is Yours live show featuring a star-studded line-up of artists performing songs from a playlist voted by the Australian people. Artists rocking the night included Tim Minchin, Ben Folds, Casey Donovan, Christine Anu, Client Liaison, Baker Boy and crowd favourite Daryl Braithwaite who led us up to midnight with the number one voted song…The Horses.

“The smartPDUs were very easy to set up, plugged up like other racks but the back end of the system was a lot nicer due to their design,” commented Anthony Carlon, Chameleon’s Project Manager. “They are very clean and easy to use. The power monitor allows us to check voltages on all the 3 phases before we even turn the main breaker on.”

With millions of people watching the show live on television, iView or Social Media, lighting this event was a little nerve wracking for the Chameleon Touring Systems crew. No hiding from mistakes on this gig!

Anthony remarked that the status lights on each channel help with identifying problems straight away as they light up green when there is a load on the end of the line. If there is no load the LED status light does not turn on. Pressing that status LED also gave him a live read out of what that channel was currently drawing.

So, with power distribution at the heart of any modern event providing power to show-critical and highly valuable equipment, Chameleon

ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY ASIA | www.e-techasia.com

“Having individual RCDs on each channel helps a lot with outdoor events,” he continued. “If there was an issue with one fixture getting

LIVE

47 February 2019

water in it due to rain, it would only trip that circuit and not a whole section of the rack. However, despite the heavy rain we didn’t have any issue with water anyway!”

Blinders and ProLights Panorama IP Wash. Also in the rig were Claypaky Mythos, ETC ColorSource Pearl, Robert Juliat Victor followspots and Unique2 hazers.

Anthony added that the backlit strips above each breaker makes it a lot easier to see in the dark and can help you quickly find the breaker you’re looking for …… very helpful for fixing and tech issues in the dark!

“The new Panaroma Washes are fast becoming a favourite fixture,” said Hugh, who has also used them on Ninja Warrior and Game of Games.

“They are quite versatile and the patterns on the fixture front and ring are very useful. The Mythos are still a fantastic hybrid light and allowed for a great variety of beam and spot FX through the night. The LED FusionBAR Q XVs were running in single pixel mode so we had 1050 individual pixels (4200dmx channels) of control. All of these fixtures allowed a wide variety of looks for the thirty plus songs performed in the show.”

Lighting designer for the show was Hugh Taranto who wisely chose a rig that was mostly waterproof IP rated lights allowing them to stay operational through storms just before the show and intermittent showers during. These included the seventy ShowPro LED FusionBAR Q XV, forty of which were mounted on eight custom frames, Chauvet Colourdash Hex Pars and Colorado Zoom Pars, Elation DTW 4 Lite

Control was an MA Lighting grandMA2 full size with an MA2 light for backup and MA2 NPUs. Ziggy Ziegler who was the lighting designer for the bridge joined Hugh and the crew at the concert site to control the bridge lighting for the city and together, they were able to coordinate some special lighting moments.

Photos Credit: Anthony Carlon www.chameleon-touring.com.au

ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY ASIA | www.e-techasia.com

LIVE

48 February 2019

CHINA

Jason Zhang Delivers Exceptional Performance L-Acoustics K1/K2 System play critical role

Zhang Jie, also known as Jason Zhang, is a musical phenomenon in China. He started out on the My Show TV talent contest in 2004 and has since released 12 studio albums. His latest Future Live tour has filled stadiums across the nation, including a show at the Beijing National Stadium (Bird’s Nest) for 80,000 fans, which sold out in just over two and a half minutes and set new records for a live streamed event via Tencent with over 100 million viewers.

The Future Live show is a theatrical masterpiece, and as well winning praise for the human elements of music and dance, it has been termed a ‘comprehensive showcase of new technology’, with the incorporation of a large L-Acoustics K Series PA system as well as a huge ‘ice’ LED screen, advanced mechanical staging and lighting effects.

Zhang Jing was the Monitor Engineer for Future Live and describes the evening at the Bird’s Nest Stadium as an ‘undreamed-of success’.

“It was mind blowing,” he says. “With spectacular lighting, and an amazing sound system. Zhang Jie delivered the best performance on stage, while the L-Acoustics system delivered the ultimate sound.

The coverage was excellent, which is never easy for such a large-scale production, with audiences in the tens of thousands.”

concrete inner bowl and a 45,000 tonne steel mesh roof. Measuring 330m x 220m, even with the inner acoustic membrane, the sheer size of the venue meant that coverage and control were always prime concerns for the crew.

The solution was a substantial L-Acoustics K Series deployment comprising over 200 loudspeakers. The main PA system consisted of stereo hangs of 12 K1 cabinets with three Kara modular cabinets, stereo hangs of 12 K1-SB subs, LR stacks of eight SB28 subs, and eight stacks of three Kara cabinets as distributed front fills. Two hangs of eight K1 and three K2 were used for outfills, and additional distributed systems consisted of five stacks of four K2 elements on chariots, plus two flown arrays of six K1 and three K2, and six flown arrays of eight K2 elements.

“We definitely got the most out of the system,” says Zhang Jing. “We achieved the full fidelity the loudspeakers are capable of, which allowed us to maximise the listening experience for the audience.

“With a well-designed solution and accurate installation, L-Acoustics gives excellent quality sound and creates a perfect atmosphere for the audiences - even in such a large venue.” www.l-acoustics.com

China’s Beijing National Stadium, nicknamed the Bird’s Nest Stadium due to its unique and highly recognizable architecture, includes a huge ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY ASIA | www.e-techasia.com

LIVE

49 February 2019

THAILAND

Cameo Fixtures Light Up Little Nemo in Slumberland Performance ZENITH W600 fixtures add the right mix to performance

Held at the Parc Paragon event space within Siam Paragon shopping centre in Bangkok, Thailand, Little Nemo in Slumberland was a five day event that was targeted at young kids and those who are young at heart. Held during the school holidays, from October 17 – 21, over 20 colourful inflatables were operated by Plasticiens Volants, a street theatre company based in Graulhet, a town in the department of Tarn in southern France.

The performance coincided with the 113th anniversary of Winsor McCay’s comic strip, Little Nemo in Slumberland that first appeared in the New York Herald. True to the spirit of McCay, the performance incorporated vivid colours and larger than life inflatables and an imaginative narrative.

Plasticiens Volants performance featured giant mythical creatures, buildings, raspberry fields and Nemo on his hovering bed, whose legs towered 9m high.

Interactivity is a key element of the performance where Plasticiens Volants’s actor-operators floating characters mingle and play with the audience. A combination of theatrics, acrobatics, pyrotechnics, music and lighting effects over the one hour performance ensured a fantastic and memorable experience for all.

Lighting effects played an important role in creating the mood throughout the performance. A total of 18 ZENITH W600 fixtures were deployed for the performance. The fixtures were supplied by Lighting & Equipment Public Company Limited.

Cameo’s ZENITH W600 are outdoor IP65 rated LED wash lights that offer 21,000 lumens output. Featuring advanced 16-bit technology for high-resolution colour mixing and dimming and an 18° beam spread, the ZENIT W600 projects hugely intense, uniform washes. With colour temperature and individual LED colour correction, four selectable dimming curves and fully adjustable halogen lamp-like dimming response, the fixture is the perfect tool for highly professional lighting.

“The ZENITH W600 fixtures met the rider’s needs. The colour output and quick reaction of the fixtures impressed the performing company artists as well as the rental company and event organisers. Despite its compact size the features in the fixtures enabled the lighting designer and operator to be creative and complement the performance,” said Arocha Kittivittayakul, Product Manager Entertainment Lighting, Lighting & Equipment Public Company Limited. www.cameolight.com www.lighting.co.th

ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY ASIA | www.e-techasia.com

LIVE

50 February 2019

SOUTH KOREA

Golden Disc Awards Celebrate K-Pop with Nexo The Sky Dome presents huge acoustic challenges for sound reinforcement

The Korean K-Pop phenomenon celebrates itself every year at the Golden Disc Awards, staged in Seoul. Audio production provider for seven years, Way Audio has found the means to tame the huge space that is the Gocheok Sky Dome, using a large modular PA system, the STM Series from NEXO. 2018 saw K-POP take the USA by storm, as boyband BTS filled baseball stadia in Los Angeles and New York, as well as European capitals, with their loyal fanbase known as the ARMY. Every January, this musical genre holds its own awards ceremony; the Golden Disk Awards event featured performances by many of its big names: BTS, EXO, Twice, Red Velvet, Black Pink, Momoland and Mamamoo, among others. The domed baseball stadium houses 25,000 K-Pop fans, and the show is broadcast live by JTBC. The Sky Dome is one of Korea’s largest indoor venues, and the largestcapacity stadium. Designed to evoke the shape and movement dynamic of a baseball, the structure presents huge acoustic challenges for sound reinforcement. However, local production rental house Way Audio has serviced many large concert events at Gocheok, with Yun Cheol Lee tailoring his system designs to perform perfectly in the huge stadium.

“The reverberation time and reflections created inside the venue, with its high roof, cause a lot of problems for visiting audio rental ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY ASIA | www.e-techasia.com

companies,” explains James Lee, MD of AWorks, distributor of NEXO sound reinforcement equipment in South Korea. “Do Gil Kim and Joon Ho Kang are also key members of a Way Audio team that has more experience than anyone else of how to design efficiently, using NEXO’s modelling and prediction software tools, to get a pleasing result in this location.”

NEXO’s modular line array is a key component of Way Audio’s success, running over a Dante network and highly controllable thanks to the NeMo software suite. Set up with a main PA comprising 15 sets of M46 main and B112 bass modules, with M28 downfills, the system also used the smaller M28 cabinets as 4-point delays, and as frontfills. All stage monitoring was provided by NEXO PS15 cabinets.

All channel signals were mixed at FOH by Joon Ho Kang, Way Audio’s general manager, before being sent to the OB van for JTBC’s live broadcast. “The STM system is very versatile and multi-purpose,” confirmed James Lee, “it is ideal for rock ‘n’ roll as well as K-pop, and Way Audio is always busy with it, getting many enquiries from the K-Pop world as well as other entertainment companies.” www.nexo.fr

51

EVENTS

February 2019

EVENTS CALENDAR 2019 Feb 05 – 08 Integrated Systems Europe 2019 Venue: Amsterdam Rai, Amsterdam, Netherlands VISIT SITE

Feb 21 – 23 LED China 2019 - Shenzhen Venue: Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center, Shenzhen, China VISIT SITE

Feb 24 - 27 Prolight + Sound Guangzhou 2019 Venue: Area A, China Import & Export Fair Complex, Guangzhou, China VISIT SITE

May 15 – 17 InfoComm Southeast Asia Venue: Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre (BITEC), Thailand VISIT SITE

May 30 – 1 June PALM Expo India 2019 Venue: Bombay Exhibition Center, Goregaon East, Mumbai, India

VISIT SITE

Mar 27 – 28 IoT Asia Venue: Singapore Expo, Singapore VISIT SITE

Apr 02 – 05 Prolight + Sound Frankfurt 2019 Venue: Frankfurt am Main

Jun 09 – 12 Guangzhou International Lighting Exhibition Venue: China Import and Export Fair Complex, Guangzhou, China

Jun 12 – 14 Conference Programme starts on Jun 08 InfoComm International 2019 Venue: Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, USA VISIT SITE

Jun 12 – 14 Conference Programme starts on Jun 11 IAAPA Asian Attractions Expo 2019 Venue: Shanghai New International Expo Centre in Shanghai, China VISIT SITE

VISIT SITE

Apr 06 – 11 NAB Show 2019 Show starts on April 09 Venue: Las Vegas Convention Center, NV, USA VISIT SITE

May 08 – 10 SecutechAsia Venue: Taipei Nangang Exhibition Centre, Taipei, Taiwan VISIT SITE

May 08 – 11 Guangzhou Entertainment Technology (GET) Show Venue: Poly World Trade Centre Expo, Guangzhou, China

VISIT SITE

July 17 – 19 InfoComm China Beijing 2019 Venue: China National Convention Center (CNCC) VISIT SITE

VISIT SITE

VISIT SITE

Feb 27 – Mar 01 Live Entertainment Expo Tokyo Venue: Makuhari Messe, Tokyo, Japan

July 2- 4 SLV Symposium Venue: Quill Convention Centre, Quill Mall, Kuala Lumpur

Jun 18 - 20 ConnectechAsia (BroadcastAsia 2019) Venue: Suntec, Singapore VISIT SITE

Jun 18 – 20 ConnectechAsia (CommunicAsia and NXTAsia 2019) Venue: Marina Bay Sands, Singapore VISIT SITE

Jun 27 - 29 LED Expo Thailand Venue: IMPACT Exhibition and Convention Center, Bangkok, Thailand VISIT SITE

VISIT SITE

ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY ASIA | www.e-techasia.com

Jul 18 – 20 Pro AVL Indonesia in conjunction with Toursim Technology Asia and Broadcast & Media Technology Venue: Jakarta International Expo, Jakarta, Indonesia VISIT SITE

Jul 18 - 20 Summer NAMM 2019 Venue: Music City Centre, Nashville, TN VISIT SITE

Aug 27 – 29 Integrate Venue: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Melbourne, Australia VISIT SITE

Sep 04 -06 InfoComm China Chengdu Venue: Chengdu Century City-New International Exhibition & Convention Center, China VISIT SITE

Sep 18 – 20 InfoComm India 2019 Venue: Bombay Exhibition Centre, India VISIT SITE

Sep 18 – 20 LED China 2019 - Shanghai Venue: Shanghai New International Expo Center VISIT SITE

Nov 18 - 24 Exhibition starts on Nov 22 Live Design International (LDI) Venue: Las Vegas Convention Centre, USA VISIT SITE

MARKET PLACE

52 February 2019

Enquire

FOR ENQUIRIES OR TO LIST YOUR USED EQUIPMENT CONTACT 10K USED GEAR ASIA CONTACT BASED IN SINGAPORE:

MANOJ CHAMANLAL

manoj.chamanlal@10kused.com

Enquire

L’Acoustics KUDO System

Midas Pro2C with DL251

€171,430.00

€9,900.00

For sale a used L-Acoustics Kudo system that is in excellent condition. Includes 24x Kudo, 16x SB218, amplification racks, cables and flightcase.

Enquire

For sale a used Midas PRO2C Digital Audio Mixer with DL251 that is in fair condition and the price shown is for 1 x Mixer with DL251.

Enquire

Enquire

MA Lighting Grand MA2 Ultra Light

Clay Paky Mythos 2

d & b audiotecknik Q-sub

€9,750.00

€2,490.00

€1,600.00

We have for sale MA Lighting Grand MA2 Ultra Light available in fair condition. Price above is for console w/ wooden crate.

For sale used Clay Paky Mythos 2 lighting fixtures that are in excellent condition and the price is per piece. Only sold in pairs with dual flightcase.

Enquire

We have for sale used d&b audiotechnik Q-Sub available in good condition. Price above is per speaker.

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FFA 6004

Meyer Sound 600HP

Varilite VL 1100AS ERS

€1,575.00

€1,375.00

€2,950.00

We have for sale Full Fat Audio FFA 6004 available new. Price above is per unit.

For sale used Meyer Sound 600HP Subwoofers that are in good condition and the price is per piece. Dolly and cover included when sold in pairs.

Enquire

Enquire

L’Acoustics ARCS II

d&b audiotechnik D12 Touring rack

€2,950.00

€5,700.00

For sale used L-Acoustics ARCS II Loudspeakers (New Colour) that are in excellent condition and the price shown is per speaker.

For sale brand new Varilite VL1100AS ERS Lighting Fixtures, price shown is per fixture and also includes lamp.

For sale used d&b audiotechnik D12 Touring rack, 3 x D12 amp with power distributor and cable split. All in good condition.

ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY ASIA | www.e-techasia.com

PRICE MIGHT DIFFER AT WEBSITE DUE TO DYNAMIC PRICING MECHANISM