Audio Pro October 2010 - Issue 33

PLASA REPORT • ACOUSTIC MATERIALS • STUART ROSLYN • A-T MIC REVIEW • IBC

www.audioprointernational.com

Issue 33 • October 2010

LIVE • COMMERCIAL • RECORDING • BROADCAST

Drum and Bass duo Chase and Status' FOH SeanRampton explains that the show must go on

Against all odds

WINNERS REVEALED >>>>

Inside and out, the new I-TECH HD is one of the most technologically advanced

professional touring amplifiers on the market today. Building on the decades of

innovation, invention, and insight Crown is known for, the I-TECH HD features five

new patents – three on the power supply alone – giving you an amp that goes

well beyond the expected.

At the heart of the new I-TECH HD is the BSS OMNIDRIVEHD processing engine.

Four times faster than its predecessor and featuring Linear Phase FIR filters and

LevelMAX™ limiters, OMNIDRIVEHD provides unmatched clarity and sonically pure

signal processing.

All this, plus the versatility of System Architect software, combine to make

the new I-TECH HD truly bad to the bone.

Learn more at itechhd.com or call your local Crown representative.

EVENTSPLASA • 15All the hot news from this year’s big

London show

IBC • 20The full story from Europe’s big and busy

Broadcast event.

COVER FEATURESEAN RAMPTON • 26Chase & Status’ FOH engineer talks about his

many years on the road.

ACOUSTIC PRODUCTS • 32A review of the latest in acoustic materials

STUART ROSLYN • 38A chat with the busiest man in pro audio

STUDIO/BROADCAST

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

PROSONIC • 23Cologne, Germany loudspeaker manufacturer

and wireless specialist, dBTechnologies

celebrates its 10th Anniversary with a seminar

day and party in a brand new show room.

A-T MIC REVIEW • 24Alphabeat’s engineer, Ben Booker tries out

Audio Technica’s ribbon mics in various

applications on tour with the band.

LIVE SOUND/INSTALLATION

> Regulars: Behind the Board 44 In Session 46 Products 48 People 51 Marketplace 52 Mixdown 58

> IN THIS ISSSUE

CONTENTSISSUE 33 October 2010

Contacts for Audio Pro InternationalEditorial: +44 (0)1992 535646 Ads: +44 (0)1992 535647

Fax: +44 (0) 1992 535648

Editor: Andrew Low

[email protected]

Deputy Editor: Rob Hughes

[email protected]

Advertising Manager: Darrell Carter

[email protected]

Editorial Production: Helen French

[email protected]

Ad Production: Rosie McKeown

[email protected]

Subscriptions Manager: Gemma Messina

[email protected]

Designer: Claire Brocklesby

[email protected]

Managing Editor: Andy Barrett

[email protected]

Publisher: Dave Roberts

[email protected]

This has been one hell of a

busy month. In addition to

cumulating the final results

for the second annual Audio Pro

Industry Excellence Awards (page

11), a trip to Cologne for

dBTechnologies ProSonic Event

(page 23) the day before the

PLASA 2010 show (page 15) kept

us quite busy. Especially when I arrived at

Heathrow on the morning of the first day of PLASA

and the Picadilly Line wasn’t running. Thanks TFL!

I will leave the gory details of both events for

you to read further on in the mag, but I will say that

this industry has some great people and

personalities. PLASA is always the best show for

networking and catching up with old friends and

making new ones. And the guys from dB were very

welcoming and treated its visitors to classic

German hospitality – and sausages.

Aside from the shows and the mag, I mixed a

few more live gigs this month. My favourite was at

a small venue in London that only holds about 100

people. The ‘sound system’ comprised two

monitors, one wedge and an eight-channel mixer,

but it really made me appreciate the arduous role

of the live sound engineer.

Having come from a studio background, I always

sneered at live sound guys, thinking that their job

was merely an exercise in setting up a few mics

and, from my experience gigging, being the

biggest wanker at the venue.

Trying to get a good vocal sound, however, over

the very loud and fast bands made me appreciate

the idea that real talent and a thorough knowledge

of the gear is essential for proper live sound

mixing. I take my hat off to the guys who have to

use a new board in a new venue every night.

Further to that, dealing with the many weather

elements thrown into the mix during outdoor

festivals is another added and frustrating effect. No

matter how perfect your mix is, there is no plugin

or outboad that can eq wind off a festival field. A

truly thankless job that, when done correctly, can

make a show brilliant.

Andrew Low - [email protected]

mobile.audioprointernational.com

A bookmark us in your phone

EDITORIAL

API AWARDS WINNERS • 4Final results revealed

QSC MIXERS • 4Greg Mackie joins up for mixer development

SELENIUM • 5Harman acquires loudspeaker brand

AVID PA • 6New range of PA speakers debuted

NEWS

Audio Pro heralds 2010 award winners

> NEWS

THE INDUSTRY has spoken and thewinners of 2010’s Audio Pro IndustryExcellence Awards, sponsored byNAMM, have been revealed.

A judging panel of over 120industry experts and executives,including some of the most respectedfigures in the business, cast their votesfor the best in the pro audio business.

Winners included SSE Audio forthe tremendous hard rock festivalDownload, which scooped Best LiveSound Event, while the award for Best

Live Sound Engineer went to theillustrious ‘Big’ Mick Hughes for hisskills at FOH with Metallica.

Another big winner in the Live &Installed Sound category wasOptocore, which took the gong forMost Innovative Installation onaccount of the groundbreakingnetwork solution it delivered forCirque du Soleil’s Viva Elvisproduction. JoeCo, of BlackboxRecorder fame, proved to be theindustry’s favourite new live soundcompany by some margin and

Sennhesier UK’s noble work atfestivals and concerts around thecountry paid off when it wasacknowledged as offering Best After-Sales Support.

In the Studio & Broadcast Soundcategory, the inimitable Snap Studioswas named Best New Studio by thejudges, who also considered RupertNeve Designs’ Portico II to be 2010’sBest New Studio Product. Ray Staff,the only mastering engineer to makethe finalists, stormed away with Best

Studio Engineer, and the HHBcustomers among the judges wereclearly a satisfied bunch, because thesupplier walked away with Best After-Sales Support. The award for BestBroadcast Sound went to SIS, a clearwinner for its sterling work in helpingtelevise The Proms.

It was perhaps the LifetimeAchievement Award that was the mostanticipated of all and it gave Audio Progreat pleasure to be able to presentthis to the eminent loudspeakerdesigner and all-round audio genius

Tony Andrews of Funktion One.Andrews’ commitment to sonicaccuracy and putting the crowd’senjoyment first haven’t goneunnoticed and he was duly honouredfor his tireless efforts in addressingparamount issues within the industry.

Audio Pro International’s editor,Andrew Low, commented: “It hasbeen really fantastic to see theenthusiasm generated by the second

Audio Pro Industry ExcellenceAwards. Our aim from the outset wasto provide a true representation of ourindustry’s opinions and achievementsand I think we’ve succeeded. Manythanks to all our readers for theirsubmissions, to our judges for theirvotes and the heartiest ofcongratulations to all the winners.”For a full breakdown of all thewinners, turn to page 11.

Experts and executives from across the industry cast their votes for the very best of the pro audio business

“It gave Audio Pro great pleasure to present theLifetime Achievement Award to Tony Andrews.

QSC HAS announced apartnership with Greg Mackieand Peter Watts (M&W ProAudio) to create a series of digitalaudio mixing consoles.

Design work on the productswill be done by both M&W andQSC, while manufacturing,distribution, sales, marketing andtechnical support will be handledentirely by QSC. The firstproducts are expected to beannounced early next year.

Mackie, who needs littleintroduction, had the idea tocreate a new line of digitalconsoles after leaving MackieDesigns in 2003. He recruitedlong-time friend and collaboratorPeter Watts – who designed theTrident DiAn, the first digitallycontrolled console – in 2008.The pair then began looking fora partner to develop the mixers.

“We needed a pro-audiopartner with established sales,

marketing and distribution, anda solid reputation for quality andreliability – one that had thetechnical capabilities to developadvanced digital mixing consolesand the manufacturing know-how to produce the products,”said Mackie. “I had a long-timepersonal friendship with Johnand Barry Andrews and knew Icould trust QSC to be exactly theright partner.”

“We are delighted to beworking with Greg and Peter,”added Gerry Tschetter, QSC VPof marketing. Their passion forcreating fine audio productsmirrors our own. Our efforts tocreate value and performance onthe ‘B-Chain’ (processing, powerand loudspeaker) side haveyielded a number of highlysuccessful product lines. It’s greatfun to be working on the ‘A-Chain’ (mixing) side as well.”> qscaudio.com

QSC to enter digitalconsole market

Major truss companies Prolyte and

Litestructures announce merger

4 audioPRO October 2010 www.audioprointernational.com

LITESTRUCTURES AND Prolytehave merged. The amalgamated firmwill trade as Prolyte Products Group.

Litestructures’ Wakefield office willbe run by MD Lee Brooks, who willbenefit from a strengthenedmanagement team. The office will alsobe responsible for running a group-wide custom projects division.All bulk manufacturing will behandled by the group’s two Europeanplants, and global distribution will bemanaged from the Prolyte HQ inLeek, Netherlands.

“The combined team effort withinthe group reflects the positive drive wehave created by this merger, saidFokko Smeding the new group CEO.”

Litestructures founder AdrianBrooks, now on the supervisory boardof the new company, added: “I havelong thought that future developmentin our industry would rely on thecollaboration of the key players.Together, we are able to exploitopportunities that would not havebeen available to us separately.”> prolyte.com

IF YOU CAN’T BEAT ‘EM: (L-R) Lee Brooks, Smeding and Prolyte’s Gurt Felten

NEWS <

www.audioprointernational.com audioPRO October 2010 5

Audio Pro Awards

PAGE 11PLASA 2010 review

PAGE 15Sean Rampton

PAGE 26

HARMAN PRESENTED its newloudspeaker brand, Selenium, tothe European professional audiocommunity at PLASA 2010.

Following its acquisition of theBrazilian manufacturer ElectronicaSelenium, the brand is nowpart of HarmanProfessional’sLoudspeakerGroup led byMark Ureda,general managerand VP.

“Being part ofa global firmsuch as Harmanallows Selenium toexpand distributionin a measured, strategicand well-supportedmanner,” said Rodrigo Rihl Kniest,country manager, Harman Brazil.

Founded in 1958 in the south ofBrazil, Selenium manufacturesproducts for the automotive andpro audio markets. For the latter, itsproducts include a ribbon line array

system and 18-inch subwooferdelivering 1,000 Watts.

Michael MacDonald, HarmanPro’s executive VP of marketingand sales, noted: “The decision toacquire Selenium made perfect

sense from the first visit to itsfacilities. I am confident

that Selenium will bea great success as

part of HarmanPro. Lookingforward to theOlympic Gamesand the WorldCup, which will

be held in Brazil, Iam excited that

Selenium will be alocal flagship for

Harman Professional.Harman has ambitious growth

plans for the Brazilian market. Thecompany has invested aroundUS$100 million to expand itsproduction capacity and establish aworld-class R&D centre there.> seleniumloudspeakers.com

Harman reveals newloudspeaker brand

Mitch Carey: 1966 to 2010

MITCH CAREY, marketing andcommunications director of SonicDistribution and sE Electronics, diedunexpectedly recently, from what issuspected to be blood poisoning. Thecause of death is yet to be confirmed.He leaves behind his wife, Debs, andtwo sons, Dylan and Euan.

Carey joined Sonic Distribution asan equal shareholder and director,alongside Phil Smith and JamesIshmaev-Young, in 2004. The three,along with Siwei Zou, were alsopartners in sE, which has developedseveral popular studio microphones.

Carey is credited as being a creativeinspiration for marketing, taking ideasgenerated by the team and turningthem into reality, as well as helping tonegotiate some of the keymanufacturing partnerships. Theseincluded the collaboration withRupert Neve Designs that led to thecreation of the RNR1 ribbonmicrophone, which Carey brought tothe market. His artwork, branding andthe products he helped develop, suchas the Reflexion Filter, have formedthe face of one of the industry’s mostrecent brand success stories.

NEUMANN HAS unveiled thefirst studio monitor to carry itsbadge, the KH120, which hasbeen developed in conjunctionwith the team responsible for theacclaimed Klein and Hummelreference monitors. The brandwas incorporated by Neumannearlier this year.

The KH120 is designed to beused as a near-field referencemonitor, or as a rear loudspeakerin larger, multi-channelsurround sound systems. Itrepresents, said Neumann in astatement, “the latest in acousticand electronic simulation andmeasurement technologies toensure the most accurate soundreproduction possible.”

The KH120 comes equippedwith powerful analog amplifiers,which, Neumann claims, offersubstantial headroom and fasttransient response. It has a wide

horizontal dispersion patternallowing freedom of movementacross the mixing console, whilea narrow vertical dispersionreduces re ections off the mixingconsole. Non-parallel cabinet

walls attenuate internal standingwaves, while a one-piece frontpanel with no discontinuitiesreduces diffraction and helpsflatten out the loudspeaker’sfrequency response.

Other features of the newmonitor include the firm’sproprietary EllipticalMathematically ModelledDispersion (MMD) waveguide,

for smooth off-axis response,forgiving of diverse acousticalenvironments. A powerfultitanium fabric dome offers low-distortion, high frequencyreproduction and a composite

sandwich cone provides dampingof break-up modes. Itsaluminum cabinet ismagnetically shielded andminimizes resonances with highlevels of heat dissipation.

An associated subwoofer, theNeumann KH 810, was alsoannounced and extends the low-frequency response to 18Hz.> neumann.com

First Neumann-brandedmonitor unveiledKH120 designed for use as a near-field reference monitor or as a rear

loudspeaker in larger, multi-channel and surround-sound systems

The KH120 represents the latest inacoustic and electronic simulation and

ensures the most accurate sound reproduction possible.

> NEWS

AVID LAUNCHED its first range ofPA equipment, the GSR series, atPLASA 2010.

Though GSR is aimed primarily atthe MI market, speculation onwhether the firm will follow it upwith a pro range has quickly arisen,no doubt due to Avid’s clout in theupper echelons of the industry. InVenue, the manufacturer already hasan industry standard desk and to beable to supply the other parts of thesound reinforcement jigsaw would bein line with current trend within thelive sound industry.

Designed by the same engineeringteam behind the company’s studioreference monitor line, the GSRseries includes ten and 12-inch full-range loudspeaker cabinets and an18-inch subwoofer for extended bassin larger venues.

The 250-Watt GSR10 and 300-Watt GSR12 are two-way active PAspeakers and both featureneodymium magnets in the low-frequency drivers, to reduce overallweight and ease transport and set-up.

The GSR18 500-Watt activesubwoofer features four lockingcasters that make it easy for users toroll the sub into position.

All three models are built withClass D amps, which providesustained high-output levels withminimum distortion and low heat.

Other features include four eqpresets for multiple applications, anda variable low-frequency crossoverfunctionality in the GSR18 thatenables customers to tune thesubwoofer for use with GSR10 andGSR12 loudspeakers, or any otherfull-range loudspeaker.

“We are very excited about thepossibilities this new speaker serieswill bring to those working in smallto mid-sized venues,” said TanguyLeborgne, VP of creative enthusiastsat Avid. “We’ve applied our speakerdesign expertise to build a versatilesound reinforcement speaker seriesthat offers a level of sound qualitytypically only available in higher-priced options.”> avid.com

THE ORGANISERs of theReproduced Sound 2010 conferencehave announced that the theme forthis year’s show is entitled PerformingArts Venues: Balancing the Design.

Held at the Wales MillenniumCentre, Cardiff, on November 18th,the two-day conference is organised bythe Institute of Acoustics forconsultants, manufacturers,contractors and end users.

Jonathan Adams,architect of the WalesMillennium Centre,will present akeynote paper. Hewill speak on whatit takes to bring thevarious specialismsof acoustics, theatre,sound, lighting and soon, into thearchitecture of a venue ofthis size. He will also conductguided tours of the centre to talkfurther and in more detail about itsarchitecture and function.

Other highlights of the conferenceinclude a presentation of the PeterBarnett Memorial Award todistinguished American acousticianDr Leo Beranek in recognition of his‘enormous contribution to the field of

electroacoustics, especially in relationto loudspeakers intelligibility andsignal processing’.

Martyn Ware, co-founder of theIllustrious Company, will demonstratepieces resulting from a collaborationwith Goldsmiths College, Londonand Duran Audio of Cardiff, on alarge scale immersive audio

experiment. Ware, formerly withthe Human League and

Heaven 17, formed theIllustrious Company

in 2001 with ex-Yazoo and Erasurestar Vince Clarke,to create new formsof spatialisedsound compositionusing their unique

three dimensional3D AudioScape

surround-sound system.Paul Malpas, chairman of

the Institute of Acoustics’electroacoustics group, said:“Reproduced Sound has firmlyestablished itself as a ‘must attend’event for many people from a widebackground in acoustics and audiosectors – and this year’s conferencepromises to be one of the best yet.”> reproducedsound.co.uk

Reproduced Sound to focus

on performing arts venues

Avid moves into PA sectorIndustry observers speculate over the possibility

that a pro touring or installation range will follow

ALLEN & HEATH has unveiledthe GS-R24, a high quality analogconsole designed primarily forrecording applications. It’s the firstof its kind to be built by the firmsince the GS3000 in the 1990s.

Based on the Zed-R16 Firewireconcept with influences from theGS3000, the GS-R24 is aimed atproject studios, but its feature setalso lends it to post productionsuites and live applicationsrequiring multi-channel recording.It can be combined with a choice ofinterface modules, motorised fadersand MIDI controllers forinterfacing with DAWs.

“Following in the footsteps ofthe Zed-R16, the GS-R24 takes theconcept of mixer/DAW integrationto the next level,” explained Allen& Heath designer, Mike Griffin. “Itis unusual to find this level of highquality analogue pre-amp, eq andmixdown circuitry combined withDAW interface and controller all inone product.”

The GS-R24 will be madeavailable in December this year at asuggested UK retail price of £4,999plus VAT for the standard model,or £5,599 plus VAT for themotorised fader version.> allen-heath.co.uk

Allen & Heath increasesfocus on recording


Wireless microphones and in-ear monitorsChannel 69 to Channel 38

the transition ...

Channel 69 - 854 to 862 MHZ

Channel 38 - 606 to 614 MHz

N.B. Any wireless systems operating in Channel 38 in the UK require a licence. Licences can be obtained from JFMG Ltd. www.jfmg.co.uk 0207 299 8660

Sennheiser UK are a proud sponsor of BEIRG - the British Entertainment Industry Radio Group - working for

continued access to sufficient quantity and quality of spectrum for our industry. www.sennheiser.co.uk

Sennheiser Channel 38 Equipment Options

2000 Series

2000 Series - Range GW -

558 to 626 MHz

G3 Series

G3 Series - Range GB - 606

to 648 MHz

3000/5000 Series

3000/5000 Series - Range L

- 168 MHz tuning bandwidth

- 470 to 638 MHz - EM3732

II, SK5212 II and SKM5200 II

Ofcom has announced a funding package to assist eligible users with the transition. To find out if you

qualify go to www.pmsefunding.co.uk


VISIONS OB, the UK’s largestindependent outside broadcast facilitiesprovider has updated its impressive fleetof OB vehicles with equipment fromRTS/Telex, in particular the company’sTribus and Cronus systems.

Visions provides broadcasting servicesto most of the UK’s major sporting,cultural, corporate and social events. PaulFournier, head of sound at the firm,explained: “We have been relying sincethe late 1990s on equipment fromRTS/Telex. In fact, all our OB vans andflypacks are built around digital matricesfrom RTS/Telex starting with Zeus andcontinuing on to multi-truck Adamsystems with fibre-linked Tribus cards.These systems have proved themselves incountless productions over the years.

“The overwhelming majority offreelance sound engineers are fullyfamiliar with RTS/Telex,” he continued.“They can all program the systemswithout any problems. That makes our jobconsiderably easier.”

The new systems will be used in thebroadcasting of sporting events, musicfestivals and much more. Visions’ fleet ofoutside broadcast vehicles includes 15trucks and offers infrastructure for allbroadcasting tasks. It includes HD, SD,VT trucks and modular flypack systems.

“Even in far flung corners of the world,we can set up a complete OB productionunit, an international broadcast centre ora master control room, each capable ofdelivering studio quality.”> rtsintercoms.com

Visions OB updates with RTS

RIEDEL HAS won an IBC InnovationAward at this year's IBC show inAmsterdam, for its work with the RedBull Air Race.

The judging panel gave the ContentCreation Award to Red Bull Air Racefor its use of fibre-based distribution ofall communications, HD video andaudio content, via Riedel’s MediorNet.Also involved in the large-scale projectwere broadcast production providerSIVision OB and West4Media.

The Red Bull Air Race WorldChampionship is a unique visual

spectacle set in some of the world’sbiggest cities. The sport has quicklybuilt a huge following, with millionswatching the action on televisionsaround the globe.

“The Red Bull Air Race is one of ourmost prestigious and technologicallyadvanced projects. We are proud to berecognised by the IBC for our work. Iwould like to thank the IBC andeveryone in the team for his effort tomake this project happen,” said ThomasRiedel, MD Riedel Communications. > riedel.com

Riedel scoops IBC Innovation Award

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

> THIS MONTH IN BROADCAST

RED-TX handled the audio feed for theBBC broadcast of the Help for Heroesbenefit concert at Twickenham recently.

The live event attracted more than60,000 people, including some of theinjured service personnel who benefitfrom the money raised by the charity.

A star-studded cast of performers cametogether for the concert, billed as thebiggest live event of the year. RobbieWilliams and Gary Barlow headlined,supported by some of the biggest namesin the music industry, including PixieLott and Plan B.

Red-TX was commissioned to handlethe audio by Chris Bretnall, head ofCreative Broadcast Solutions who wasmade technical director by BBC Events.

“The delivery by everyone at Red-TXwas faultless,” Bretnall said. “This was amassive undertaking, at relatively shortnotice, over a period when both peopleand resources were already heavilycommitted. Plans for the broadcast of theevent and the ancillary processes thatwere needed for the live TX were still

maturing on the morning of the gig itself.Despite that, the Red-TX crew kept allthe tracks in place and delivered veryhigh quality sound.”

Renowned live sound engineer andRed-TX director Tim Summerhayesmanned the desk onboard the mainmusic truck, while co-director ConradFletcher, aboard the BBC OB vehicle,handled audio inputs from comedians,presenters and Summerhayes’ mix.

The first four and a half hours of theevent were edited down to one and a halfhours of programming. The broadcastwent live for the final half hour whenWilliams and Barlow were on stage.

Red-TX director Ian Dyckhoff said: “Itwas a complicated event because we werefeeding chunks of audio to the edit suitewhere it was being cut with footage ofwar veterans who are benefiting from themoney raised by Help For Heroes. Wehad a great team of people, however, andlots of help from other contractors,including Britannia Row.> red-tx.com

Broadcast sound specialist captures the audio for

injured soldiers benefit concert at Twickenham

Red-TX helps heroes

PAINTING THE TRUCK RED: The Red-TX

team relaxes after a successful concert

ANAHEIM CONVENTION CENTER

WWW.NAMM.ORG

AR

ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA13.1–16.1.11JANUARY THIRTEEN THRU SIXTEEN 2011

THE JUDGES’ votes have beencounted and verified and we can nowannounce the deserving winners ofthe second annual Audio ProIndustry Excellence Awards. Godown to the box below for a fullbreakdown of the winners and whatthey were acknowledged for.

As in 2009, this year’s IndustryExcellence Awards was a virtualceremony, so in place of a formalevent, each stage of the process wascovered through the pages of AudioPro and online atwww.audioprointernational.com.

The awards were subject to atransparent, voluntary votingprocedure and, after consultationwith the industry, the Audio Pro

International team picked five finalistsper category; industry-wide votingthen decided who the 15 worthywinners shoudl be.

This year’s awards were sponsoredby National Association of MusicMerchants (NAMM), the globallyrenowned trade association, bestknown for its annual winter show.

Betty Heywood, NAMM’s directorof international affairs commented:“NAMM congratulates the winnersof the 2010 Audio Pro Industry

Excellence Awards, with specialrecognition to Tony Andrews for hispioneering work in the world ofspeaker technology,” she said. “Weare pleased to support these awards,

which celebrate the best in pro audioinnovation. Each year, the pro audiocommunity gathers at the NAMMShow to see the latest live sound andrecording equipment from aroundthe world and NAMM is proud toprovide this amazing and creativegroup of leaders in this importantindustry segment with a supportivebusiness environment.”

Everyone at Audio Pro Internationalwould like to extend our mostheartfelt congratulations to the 15winners and to thank everyone whoparticipated in either thenominations or voting. We think theawards are a true reflection of the proaudio industry’s finest moments ofthe last 12 months.

“

And the winners are…


The industry has spoken and the winners of this year’s Audio Pro Industry Excellence Awards have finally

been revealed. Here are the people, the projects and the products that you considered the best of 2010...

NAMM congratulates the winners of the 2010Audio Pro Industry Excellence Awards, with

special recognition to Tony Andrews.Betty Heywood

Director of international affairs, NAMM

>>> AUDIO PRO AWARDS

>>


>>> AUDIO PRO AWARDS

LIVE & INSTALLED>> BEST LIVE SOUND EVENTDOWNLOAD FESTIVAL: SSE AUDIOSSE again provided its highlyacclaimed L-Acoustics K1system for the hugely popularhard rock show in June thisyear at Donington Park, UK.The festival welcomed actssuch as AC/DC and ThemCrooked Vultures.

STUDIO & BROADCAST

BEST NEW LIVE SOUNDPRODUCTSOUNDCRAFT VI1The Vi1 is a new addition tothe Vi series of live soundconsoles. Despite beingsmaller and lower-priced, itoffers the same sound qualityand many features of thebigger Vi desks, includingVistonics interface, FaderGlow, Lexicon effects engines,BSS Audio graphic eqs on alloutput busses and integraldynamics on all channels.

BEST NEW INSTALLATION PRODUCTFULL FAT AUDIO F60QThe F60Q four-channel Class D amplifier is manufactured forFunktion One by FFA in England. It delivers 1,500W per channel intofour Ohms and is considered ‘sonically excellent’ by Funktion Oneand a number of installers.

BEST LIVE SOUNDENGINEER‘BIG’ MICK HUGHESHughes is a widelyacclaimed British soundengineer who has mixedMetallica at every one ofthe more than 1,500shows they haveperformed since theirNovember 1984 tour ofEurope. His skills at FOHare often praised by hisfellow engineers.

BEST NEW COMPANYJOE COWith its first product, the Blackbox Recorder, Joe Co has revolutionisedlive music recording with a multi-track hard disk recorder that plugs intoany standard live mixing console via the normal insert points.

BEST NEW STUDIO PRODUCTNEVE PORTICO II CHANNEL: RUPERT NEVE DESIGNSThe Portico II is a self-powered 2U channel strip module featuring amic preamplifier, four-band eq, compressor/limiter, ‘texture’ controland level metering. It has become one of the most popular pieces ofstudio outboard.

BEST STUDIO ENGINEERRAY STAFFStaff is a highly regarded mastering engineerknown for work with an impressive list ofseminal artists, such as The Clash and BlackSabbath and more recently for Muse andCorinne Bailey Rae. He was the only masteringengineer to make the finals in this category.

BEST BROADCASTSOUNDTHE PROMS: SIS LIVESIS Live provides thetelevision coverage for theBBC Proms, which enjoyed arecord-breaking season lastyear when more than 12million viewers watched theshows. This year the firmcovered more than 25concerts, including the Firstand Last Night of the Proms.

BEST NEWCOMPANYTHE MICSTOREThe Mic Store is anew onlineretailer, dedicatedto microphones,that aims tosimplify theprocess ofchoosing thecorrect mic. It hasexpert advisors onhand to discuss allmanner of mikingrequirements with customers.

BEST AFTER-SALES SUPPORTSENNHEISER UKSennhesier UK has worked tirelessly at concerts and festivals around Britain inrecent times, providing complementary support and backup of all descriptionsfor Sennhesier products, customers and artists.

MOST INNOVATIVE INSTALLATIONCIRQUE DE SOLEIL’S VIVA ELVIS AT ARIARESORT & CASINO: OPTOCOREOptocore designed and installed its largest single ringnetwork so far for Cirque du Soleil’s Viva Elvisproduction in Las Vegas. At the request of Cirque duSoleil, Optocore enhanced the system to provide formultiple clients in a server-based topology, to meetthe needs of the production.

THE AUDIO PRO LIFETIME ACHEIVEMENT AWARDTONY ANDREWSAs the founder of Turbosound andFunktion One, Andrews has designedgroundbreaking loudspeaker systems suchas Floodlight, Flashlight and Resolutionwith the principal motivation of sonicaccuracy and through a technicalapproach that avoids the use of bothsystem eq and compression driver mid-range. He is highly regarded among hispeers and has been praised forchampioning the importance of factorssuch as transient response.


What they had to say...“We're touched and honoured that

Snap has been recognised by our

peers. We set out to create a home

for audio excellence and the

response to date from our

growing, loyal client base confirms

that we succeeded. More than

anything else it's a gas to hear so

much great music blaring from the

monitors. Thanks, everyone. See

you soon.”

Mark Thompson, owner, Snap Studios

“When I heard that we had won an

Audio Pro Industry Excellence

Award for the Viva Elvis show in

Las Vegas, I was delighted and

really proud. It is such a great

installation and reflects what

Optocore products are made for

and the superb performance our

system delivers. We really

appreciate this high profile award

and I will for sure find a special

place for it on my desk.”

Tine Helmle, director of salesand marketing, Optocore

“I have been extremely busy since I

joined Air Studios 18 months ago

and I am delighted to receive this

award which was totally

unexpected. It is great to get this

recognition from your readers and

professionals within the industry.

Ray Staff, mastering engineer

“Download represented a major

challenge for us this year,

integrating our PA with a second

stage and PA system for AC/DC on

the first day, which required

stripping out some delays and

reconfiguring the whole system

overnight, ready for the

‘conventional’ show days. The

project was a team effort between

Miles Hillyard, Dan Bennett and

Pete Russell, who designed and

redesigned to get the result that all

the parties concerned, including

AC/DC, the noise police and the

production team were happy with.

The ultimate result was stunning

and drew great comments from all

quarters. Spencer Beard, SSE

operations director supervised the

overall effort and ensured all the

equipment was in the right place at

the right time.

John Penn, MD, SSE Audio

“SIS Live is proud to have worked

with BBC Classical Music Television

again to provide the outside

broadcast facilities for the 2010

BBC Proms. We were delighted to

discover we had won the Best

Broadcast Sound award and would

like to thank Audio Pro

International readers for voting for

us. This award is testament to the

hard work and commitment that

the team puts into the planning

and delivery of each event across

the Proms season.

David Meynell, managing director, SIS Live

“Thanks to all the people who

voted for me. It is an honour to

receive the Best Live Sound

Engineer Award. I do my best to

make every show sound good for

the benefit of the band and the

fans, and this award makes the

long tours and challenging venues

all worthwhile.”

Mick Hughes, live sound engineer

“Ever since Edison invented the tin

foil phonograph, the recording

industry has been driven by

innovation. Okay, we can't claim to

have invented solar energy but

we're pleased to be the first in

Europe to run a recording studio

on it. Many thanks to Audio Pro

International readers for

recognising that you can now

record professionally and be

carbon neutral at the same time.”

Viv Broughton, CEO, The Premises Studios

BEST AFTER-SALES SUPPORTHHBHHB has become Europe's leading supplier of professional audiotechnology, particularly among the broadcast community. It is also a leaderin the development and production of digital recording products.

BEST NEW STUDIOSNAPNorth London’s inimitableSnap Studios opened recentlywith a very rare 1972 Neve5316 console, along with lotsmore highly coveted pieces ofgear, both vintage and modern.It has already been very wellreceived by those who haveworked there.

MOST ORIGINAL STUDIOINITIATIVETHE PREMISES: SOLARPOWERED STUDIOThe Premises in Hoxton, London, runsEurope’s first fully solar-poweredrecording studio, created with the helpof the Centre for Sustainable Energyand with acoustic design by RogerD’Arcy. Construction used a largeamount of recycled materials and allequipment (including air conditioning)operates on low power levels.

www.jhs.co.ukFOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT YOUR JHS PRO AUDIO ASM

OR OUR SALES OFFICE ON: 0113 2866 411

www.hkaudio.com/elements_en.php5

Now available from the JHS Pro Audio Division.

Earls Court, London September 12th-15th

PLASA EVENT REVIEW <

PLASA never fails to serve loadsof tasty new racks, desks, micsand black boxes to the pro audio

table. It also functions as a catalyst tobring the pro audio communitytogether in a manageable social formatin a manner that other, bigger showscannot. David Webster, marketingdirector at Digico, says it best: “PLASAis like a family: everybody comestogether and it's big but notoverwhelming – and that's what makeseverybody want to come.”

The organisers are pleased with theresults, stating that preliminary figuresshow growth from the 2009 show withover 12,000 visitors in attendance. Thefigures also show that the internationalpresence was substantial, as nearly 30

per cent of the visitors were from 99countries worldwide.

Show director Nicola Rowland says:"The universally positive feedback andthe strong visitor figures would besatisfying under any circumstances, but

in the current economic climate it's astrong result for our exhibitors and, forthe show itself, it underlines just howimportant PLASA remains in theinternational events calendar.

The swathes of new gear unveiled atthe Earls Court show was enough tooverload the pages of our website,confirming that exhibitors feel thatPLASA is one of the best places todebut their latest innovations.

KLOTZKlotz debuted the PCF1825C mainsmulticore cable for stage lighting. Italso showed the new HC51P15 andHC52P15 hybrid cables for computer-

controlled components and the QuadDI-Box DI44, a multi-functional four-fold DI box with balancing andsub-stagebox functionality with full DI options.

"Despite the gloomy economicsituation and a decline in the numberof exhibitors, PLASA 2010 was a highlyworthwhile event for us,” says GrantRoomes, Klotz’ regional sales manager.“We were happy to note a dramaticincrease in the number of visitors to ourstand from the UK and Ireland, almostall of whom were decision-makers andtop management executives. This wasclear proof that our product portfolio ismeeting a growing demand for specialcables and system solutions." > klotz-ais.com

“PLASA is like a family: everybody comes

together and it's big but not overwhelming –and that's what makes everybody want to come.

David Webster - Digico


PLASA 2010 brought some exciting new product innovations to the European pro audio community.

Andrew Low took the tube to London’s Earls Court to bring you this in-depth report…

FACT FILEVenue: Earls CourtConvention Centre,LondonDate: September 12th to15thVisitors: Over 12,000 (preaudit)Verdict: Visitor numberswere up from 2009, with anincrease in internationalvisitors. Pro audioexhbitors feel that PLASAis the place for newproducts launches.

Launch pad London

FUNKTION ONEFunktion One demonstrated a stereopair of the most recent version of itsDance Stack as configured for theBeatport installation at Coloarado’sClub Beta. The configuration (twoF221s, two DS15 and a DS210)employs the recently introduced 21-inch bass, which reproduces both highand low bass frequencies, meaning itcovers the same bass range as theoriginal mix of infrabass 218 and F218.

The MB210 LP, Funktion One’smost compact bass enclosures, was alsoon show. Designed to augment the F81and F101 loudspeakers, MB210consists of two ten-inch neodymiumloudspeakers driving a ported resonantchamber enclosure. It handles 600Wand averages 104dB sensitivitybetween 60Hz and 160Hz. There isalso a self-powered version available(MB210 LPA) and a self-poweredversion of the MB112 single 12-inchbass was also introduced.> funktion-one.com

RED SQUARE AUDIO“We had a really good show and the

feedback from clients bothold and new was

extremely positive,”says RSA owner

Paul Nicholsen. “Innovason

launched Nova2, which isbrimful ofnew features,including thenew remoteSR-16

stagebox andNeumann

Solution D digitalmicrophone

control. APG madeits UK debut showing

everything from the six-inchMX1 coaxial to the revolutionary DX and SMX ranges, plus the Unilineline array.” > redsquareaudio.co.uk

ALLEN & HEATHAllen & Heath added the xDR-16expander unit to the iLive digitalmixing family, providing remote analogI/O expansion and networking optionsat FOH, on the other side of a largestage, in another room, or in a differentbuilding during installations.

It also unveiled the GS-R24, a newanalog console combined with a choiceof interface modules, motorised fadersfor automated mixing, and MIDIcontrollers for tactile interfacing withsoftware DAWs.

Finally, Allen & Heath debuted aDante networking audio interface cardfor the iLive digital mixing series atEarls Court. > allen-heath.co.uk

TRANTEC“We’ve had loads of good input andfeedback regarding our ‘rack and ready’S5 series and channel 38 products,”explains Mark Parkhouse, head of salesand marketing expands on the show’ssuccess for Trantec. “We were ahead ofthe game here, making us very wellpositioned to provide advice for ourcustomers looking to future-proof theirwireless systems. We’re also verypleased with the Ofcom fundingannouncement. This year’s showbrought an increase in visitors and thequality of leads obtained so far isexcellent. We also benefiting fromexhibiting with TOA Europe.”> trantec.co.uk

FBT“PLASA was quite positive, and betterthan last year, in our opinion,” saysFBT’s export manager RobertoMataloni. “Several clients from theUK, dealers, rental companies, systemintegrators and installers visited ourstand and met with us and with ourUK distributor, Proel.

“We exhibited a wide range of ourproduction, including the newProMaxx and Mitus soundreinforcement series. Great attentionand interest have been given to theProMaxx 14a, a powerful and portablesystem, active, with eight on boardpresets and an exclusive andinnovative 14-inch neodymium woofer,created in collaboration with B&C.

“Another star has been the Mitus206LA powered, compact line array,with loads of features and unique indesign, flying and locking hardware,outer polypropylene mould.”> fbt.uk.com

SAMSONSamson focused on the new AirlineMicro wireless earset system, itssmallest wireless system, which couplessmall, high-quality audio componentswith the latest lithium ion batterytechnology. Samson’s Expedition seriesof portable PA solutions, whichfeatures the flagship XP510i, was alsodisplayed in addition to the new AuroD412 and D415 two-way active loud speakers.

Rob Castle, MD of Korg UK,comments: "The show was verypositive for us at Korg and thanks toeveryone who called in to see us at theshow. The new Samson productscreated a lot of interest as well aspeople looking afresh at the wholeSamson range."> korg.co.uk

ADAM HALLAdam Hall UK had a larger presenceat this year’s show. “PLASA 2010seems to be just as fruitful as previousyears, with a steady stream of visitorsfrom across Europe,” says general

> EVENT REVIEW PLASAEarls Court, London September 12th-15th


manager Andrew Richardson. “Theevent has given us a great chance topromote some existing relationshipsand also start some new ones. Onlytime will tell if this has been trulysuccessful, but early signs areencouraging. Strong interest for LDPremium products, Audac, theEminence Flux Density Modulator andthe show favourite, the Dave 12G2.” > adamhall.co.uk

JOE COPLASA was a huge success for Joe Coaccording to its MD, Joe Bull. “PLASAis a great opportunity to meet newcustomers and distributors, as well as achance to meet existing users and showthem new products such as the digitalI/O versions of the Blackbox recorderand to preview the Blackbox player,”Bull states.

“We were impressed with theamount of show traffic we saw over thefour days, which clearly indicates thatPLASA is an event valued by audioindustry professionals." > joeco.co.uk

DIGICO“Our new products,the Little Red Box,Little Blue Boxand SD Rack,created a lot ofinterest fromexisting userswho attendedand also got a lotof attention fromthose who aren'talready part of theDigico family, whichmeant the show was agreat success for us,” commentsDavid Webster, the marketing directorat Digico.> digico.biz

ROLAND SYSTEMS GROUPRSG highlighted its pro audio portfolioalongside the Edirol video products,including the new M-300, 32-channeldigital audio mixer, S-MADI (REAC-MADI bridge), V-1600HDmulti-format video mixer/switcher plusprofessional audio and video fieldrecorders, presenters and processors.

Simon Lowther, general manager atRoland Systems Engineering, explains:"We have a lot of staff and customerscoming from around the world and it'sgreat to get them all together.

“It has been a great year for us andthe show’s been great, so we’re happy.Our market is quite diverse andPLASA brings in lots of people fromthe theatre, installation and live events markets, plus a lot of end users – and they’re all coming here to see the equipment."> rolandsg.co.uk

MC2/XTABill Wood, group sales and marketingdirector for MC2 and XTA, comments:“I would say PLASA 2010 has beenthe best for years. Sharing space withour UK distributor, Polar Audio,continues to work brilliantly for us.

“We had a fabulous reaction tothe DP548 and the iCore

release from XTA, aswell as the E100 from

MC2 Audio. Wealso had hugeinterest from thehome-basedvisitors and wereable to do verygood qualitydemonstrations to

a very receptiveaudience.”

> mc2-audio.co.uk

RCF“We felt that it was important

that we were here,” notes Phil Price,UK director of sales at RCF. “We'vebeen working with a range ofconsultants and system integrators onpotential projects that if they come tofruition will have made this a genuinelyworthwhile event.”> rcf.it

TC GROUPTannoy teamed up with sister audiobrands Lab.gruppen, Lake and TCElectronic to jointly exhibit at thisyear’s show. Tannoy showed its fixedinstallation and live sound productsincluding the flagship VQ series(incorporating the latest developmentsin its ‘tour ready’ VQ Live guise) andsmaller footprint, compact V-seriesrange of point-source loudspeakers.

Lab.gruppen featured its C seriesrange of installation-dedicated poweramplifiers, the FP+ series and the newPLM 20000Q four-channel poweredloudspeaker management system(featuring onboard Lake processingand 5K per channel output).

The new System 6000 mk2 from TCElectronic was also featured. The 6000mk2 is said to ‘bring the almostubiquitous industry-standard system6000 mastering and reverb DSPplatform bang up to date for the 21stcentury with cutting edge features andpowerful new capabilities”.> tcelectronic.com

JHSThe appointment of John HornbySkewes as a sub-distributor of Tannoy’sVQ Live touring PA system wasreleased before PLASA.

The company was able to talk tovisitors about the joint venture withTC, while displaying new gear from itsother distributed pro audio brands, HKAudio, Allen & Heath and LA Audio.

Among this was the Elements PAsystem, a new compact PA that can beconfigured for use as from a smallconference PA to a full band stage rig.It features an integrated, cable-freeinternal E-Connect coupler for quickset up and versatility. > jhs.co.uk

DYNACORDDynacordlaunched thePowermate 3 atthe show. Thisnew addition toits poweredmixer offers anexpanded bus-structure andother new features,despite considerablereductions in weight,size and powerconsumption.

The latest incarnation is equippedwith a professional mixing surfaceoptimised for live performance, with achoice of ten, 16 or 22 channel strips.Features include vocal voicing filters,six aux busses, low-noise microphonepreamplifiers, low cut filters and 11-band graphic equalisers. Its USB 2.0

audio interface offers simple liverecording, playback and interval music.> dynacord.de

APEXBelgium-based Apex Audio launchedthe new Intelli-X series of audio systemmanagement devices on Red SquareAudio's booth.

The two new units – the Intelli-X 26and 48 – feature internal processing upto 192kHz as standard, high-endstudio-grade analog circuit designs andmastering-grade compressors.

This new series builds on the successof the original Intelli-series and SLseries by providing full control ofprocessor parameters via an intuitivefront panel design and the ApexIntelli-Ware software control platform.> apex-audio.be

ALCONSAlcons MD, Tom Back, reports that itsnew range of subwoofers drew livesound engineers to his stand. The new

subs features the high outputBQ211 quarter-wave

loaded, all-carbon 21-inch subwoofer and

the BC543 triple,all-carbon-conedtriple 18-inch inbass-reflexconfiguration: aself-containedcardioidsubwoofer or:

with cardioidcontrollable

dispersion pattern.Visitors were also

introduced to the new LR24mid-sized pro-ribbon line-array

touring system. > alconsaudio.com

AVID Avid displayed the latest products inthe Venue live digital mixing range,including the new MADI option card.The new card is designed to simplify

Earls Court, London September 12th-15th

PLASA EVENT REVIEW <


integration of Venue into any existingMADI environment, using the MADIprotocol to allow users to send andreceive up to 64 channels of audiobetween a Venue system and numerousMADI-compatible devices – includingrouters, other digital mixing consolesand mobile recording set-ups, therebynullifying the need for any furtherpatchbays or the like. A full report onVenue’s newfound interactivity will befeatured in API’s November issue.> avid.com

SENNHEISER Sennheiser UK celebrated its 20th yearas a subsidiary of its German parent,while highlighting solutions for themove from Channel 69 (845 to862MHz) to Channel 38 (606 to614MHz) and the launch of G3 GB.

A selection of Sennheiser andNeumann mics – including itsEvolution wired mics and the new Mk4 large diaphragm studio condenserstudio mics – were highlighted.

Sennheiser’s Wi Cos wirelessconference system and the ADNsystem were featured, in addition to arange of products from its distributedbrands, which include A Part Audio,DAS Audio, K-Array and Rane. >sennheiser.co.uk

OHM A ground stack version of the ErsaMajor line array system and the newlydeveloped class D amplifier moduleswere shown in conjunction with thePukk 218, 215 and 212 subs. Its newseries of Saturn full range cabinets, co-axial stage monitors and a range ofDSP controllers with a softwareplatform common to all future Ohmdigital products.> ohm.co.uk

HARMANHarman Professional introduced thelatest version of its HiQnet systemarchitect software, version 2.2,featuring new system design featuresand detailed venue monitoring.

Soundcraft debuted the new Sicompact console to its line of digitallive sound consoles. The new boardincorporates the same DSPfunctionality found in the other Siboards (Emma Lite) and accepts up to40 inputs to mix in three frame sizes –16, 24 or 32 mono inputs and fourstereo channels to mix – the smallest ofwhich is also rack-mountable.

“It was the busiest PLASA show Ihave seen for many years, there seemedto be a huge interest in digital consoles,and the fact that so many companies

were actively looking toinvest in gear shows theindustry is in a healthystate,” says Andy Brown,Studer Soundcraft’s head ofdigital console strategy.

“We had a really good andbusy show at the Harmanbooth, with many customersdiscussing new productpurchases, and inparticular theSoundcraftconsoles,” addsdirector ofmarketingcommunications,Dave Neal

AKG introducedthe new Perceptionwireless microphonesystem, which features30MHz bandwidth, a sportsheadset C 544 and a pro XLR output.>harmanpro.com

LOUD TECHEAW introduced new additions theKF, KFNT, JF and JFNT seriesloudspeakers. Both the KFNT andJFNT models integrate 1,500W ofamplification, EAW Focusingprocessing, software-accessible DSPand the proprietary U-Net network.

Martin Audio debuted its newMulticellular loudspeaker array touringsystem (see page 49).

Mackie displayed new additions toits line of HD high definition poweredloudspeakers with the HDA arrayableloudspeaker system, plus the ultra-compact HD1221 and two new HDpowered subwoofers. The VLZ3 four-bus mixers with built-in FX,compression and four-track recordingvia USB were on display alongside thenew Onyx Blackbird and Blackjackaudio recording interfaces. > loudtechinc.com

RIEDELRiedel revealed the new RocknetRN.345.IL expansion card for Allen &Heath’s iLive digital mixing system.

The RN.345.IL allows the respectiveAllen & Heath product to become apart of a Rocknet digital audio networkand enables remote control of anyRocknet microphone preamplifier. Itfits into the mixing console’s cardexpansion slot and gives access to 64input and 64 output channels. A rotaryswitch is provided for deviceidentification and selection of up to 15programmable routing tables. > riedel.net

NEUTRIK Neutrik’s DIWA (digital wirelessaudio), which operates at the fivegigahertz frequency band with noapproval processes, data compression,and three milliseconds latency was onshow. Xirium is the first product based

on the DIWAtechnologyand combines

digital receivingand sending lines

in one system. TheNA2JJ plug adapter

was also highlighted. > neutrik.com

POLAR AUDIOIn addition to new productannouncements from Dyancord, MC2and XTA, Renkus Heinz launched theIC2 and Modular point source array onPolar’s booth.

The IC2 combines the Iconyxdigitally steerable technology with thebenefits of a point source loudspeaker.Listed as the creating the world’s first‘crossover array’, it features four eight-inch low frequency neodymiumtransducers and one-inch titaniumnitride coated HF drivers, whileindividual steering control of eachdriver provides vertical pattern controlfor maximum intelligibility bydelivering up to four beams, even inreverberant spaces.

The Modular point source arrayseries, which initially comprises theself-powered CF101-LA and non-powered CFX101-LA systems, can beflown, ground-stacked or pole-mounted. Up to four CF/CFX101-LAcabinets can be arrayed to provide a 90by 60-degree coverage pattern,delivering up to nine dB more outputand tighter vertical pattern controlthan a conventional single cabinet. > polaraudio.co.uk

LINE 6Line 6 showed the XD-V30 and XD-V70 handheld wireless mic systems,and XD-V30L and XD-V70L lavalierwireless systems.

“Since its release, Line 6 digitalwireless technology has received nearlyunanimous praise for its unmatchedperformance, simplicity and sound,”remarks Simon Jones, VP of newmarket development at Line 6.“PLASA is the perfect venue to bringits advanced technology and simpleuser experience to audio installationcompanies, rental companies,production companies, and dealers.”> line6.com


> EVENT REVIEW PLASAEarls Court, London September 12th-15th

Make the right choice at line6.co.uk/wireless-microphone

Digital wireless is better. And Line 6 XD-V digital wireless microphone systems are exceptional. Each one delivers unmatched wireless performance, simplicity, and sound on every stage around the world – license free. Our 4th-generation digital technology makes sure of it. You can put your faith in ancient analog technology, or you can simply choose digital.

XD-V30

XD-V Digital Wireless Systems

XD-V70

Over a decade of digital innovationXD-V BELTPACKS

2.4 GHZ

LICENCE FREE WORLDWIDE.

Not subject to OFCOM Channel 69 Legislation.


Making the decision to attendPLASA rather than IBC thisyear turned out to be a little

like switching queues in thesupermarket, only to watch the linethat you abandoned pick up speedfaster than Dwain Chambers evadinga drug test. Allowing the unwieldy‘IBC 2010’ subfolder room to growthis month demanded some ruthless

deleting of emails – even aninvitation to masquerade as aNigerian lord in return for untoldmillions was forsaken. And grow itdid, by an average of ten pressreleases a day, while its PLASAequivalent began to look a littlemalnourished, like some sort of sickly e-child.

But the upshot of this is that, whileI swapped the vastness of the RAI forthe, ahem, splendour of Earls Court,there’s no shortage of news to reportfrom what is one of the mostimportant shows for audio, not tomention broadcast in general.

The 2010 event proved to be thesecond biggest IBC in history, with atotal attendance of 48,521, anincrease of 8.7 per cent on 2009. This

figure represents visitors andexhibitors combined – the continuedappreciation of the industry resultedin an increased demand for exhibitionspace this year, with more than 1,300companies vying for space on theshow floor. A 13th hall had to beadded just a few months before theevent to accommodate all whowanted to be present.

“The rise in attendance this yearsuggests strongly that IBC’sdevelopments are delivering what theindustry requires from its annualglobal meeting place,” said IBC CEO,Michael Crimp. “One of our biggestchallenges is in reflecting the waythat the industry is changing, withmuch more focus on strategicdecisions about technology andgrowth. With decision-makingmoving upwards within anorganisation, IBC has to be relevantto CEOs who previously might nothave had it on their radar. But what ismost encouraging is that, while ourdevelopment programme is still awork in progress, CEO level staff arealready well represented within theIBC audience.”

Like any self-respecting collectionof trade-show press releases, my IBCemail subfolder bore witness to athrong of unveilings. While many ofthem concerned new-fangled cameragadgetry that I couldn’t begin toexplain, an encouraging number werefrom good old audio companies suchas DPA, which revealed newadditions to its 4099 clip mic rangeand HHB, which introduced Rødeminiature microphones, along with anumber of new Wohler products,including the AMP2-16V Seriesmodular audio/video processingmonitor. Upgraded wireless systems inAudio-Technica’s 2000 and 3000Series also made their debut, as didSennheiser’s SKM 5200-II handheldtransmitter, with its switchingbandwidth of up to 184MHz.

But the big audio news at the showwas the obvious proliferation of audioover IP. Ravenna, a new open, real-time distribution technology, wasrevealed by Lawo associate companyALC NetworX at the show. It isdesigned to facilitate the passing of

signals between broadcast centres,OB trucks and for linking facilitiesover WAN connections. Also takingthe IP route was Barix with theExstreamer 50, a professional audioover IP device designed to ease thedelivery of programme audio betweenstudios and transmission points.

The IBC2010 conference offered afascinating mix of sessions on newtechnology, content creation andbusiness. Keynote speakers rangedfrom Sir Michael Lyons, chairman ofthe BBC Trust to Kent Novak, seniorVP at Texas Instruments. IBCtraditionally devotes a day to digitalcinema and stereographic 3D, but thisyear added a second theme daycovering sports, with a keynote fromManolo Romero, managing directorof Olympic Broadcasting Services.

Joop Janssen, CEO of the VitecGroup, concluded: “IBC 2010 hasbeen fantastic for us. We definitelysee the market being up from lastyear: there is more life in thebroadcast market in general.”> ibc.org

“One of our biggest challenges is reflecting the

way the industry is changing.Michael Crimp

IBC CEO

This year the booming IBC show was once again a fair reflection of a broadcast industry that just keeps

growing. Rob Hughes reports big figures and a vibrant showcase…

FACT FILE

Venue: Amsterdam RAIDate: Sept 10th - 14thExhibitors: 1,300Visitors: 48,521Verdict: By all accountsthe foremost event forthose in the broadcastindustry these days, IBCshows no sign of slowingdown – and it isn’t likelyto, either, if the marketcontinues to flourish as ithas done in recent times.

Technology and growth

> EVENT REVIEW IBCAmsterdam RAI September 10th to 14th

TLAudio specialise in high specification tube consoles that have subsequently been a part of some of the most influential recordings and

hits in recent years and have become a fixture in many world class facilities. If you love the unrivalled sound of analogue, and want the

perfect partner for your digital recordings, then our consoles simply have no competition, TLAudio really are masters of Valve technology!

For more info visit: www.tlaudio.co.uk/mixers

MIX

ERS

& C

ON

SO

LES

M1Tube Tracker

VTCTube Technology Console

M4Tube Console

FatTrackTube Production Suite

BRI N G ING MUSIC TO L IF E

TELEPHONE+44 (0)1462 492090

[email protected]

“It is very important to us that we listen to ourdistributors,” continued European sales manager,Harald von Falkenstein. “Despite visitor numberssuggesting that dB Technologies has gone global, weare fully aware of the value in keeping a local focus.”

DVA T12The highly anticipated DVA T12 active

loudspeaker module was previewed duringProsonic. Building on the success of thecompany’s T4 line array system, theT12 will provide three times thepower (1,200W) of the T4 whilemaintaining the same widthmeasurements, meaning it can beadded to an existing T4 system toincrease its capacity.

DWS800dB’s DWS800 digital wireless system was also

presented in an in-depth seminar about digitalwireless technology. The company stated that

‘analog is dead’ and the 'future-proof' digital microphone system was designed to address the problem ofnarrowing frequency bands by using its digital transmissiontechnology, ensuring many more frequencies are available in anarrower band.

CROMO SERIESSound demonstrations against competitors and technicalpresentations on the Cromo series were held to highlight thepower and sonic characteristics that can be produced from therelatively small speaker with a modest price tag. “I couldn'tbelieve the difference in sound quality, compared to othermanufacturers' products in a similar price range,” said Finlanddistributor, Jori Asikainen.

Peter Trojkovic from dB’s Australian dealer deemed Prosonic asuccess, stating that he would return again next year for theeducational seminars and to enjoy the company’s hospitality.“The team made sure we were very well looked after for theduration. The food, drinks and music were the perfect end to agood day's work,” he added.> dbtechnologies.com

German loudspeaker manufacturer and wirelesstechnology specialist dB Technologies opened its doorsto its worldwide dealer network this month, to celebrate

the company’s tenth anniversary in a brand new 500 square-metre showroom in Cologne.

Held the day before PLASA, the itinerary for theevent included a riverboat trip on the Rhineand the Prosonic event, which included aneducation and discussion forum, followedby a party. A stage, fully kitted out withdB loudspeakers and lights from sistercompany SGM, was the centrepiece forthe seminars and celebrations. Theparty welcomed over 200 visitors tothe state-of-the-art showroom for alively celebration.

The company certainly has a lot tobe pleased about after growing from athree-man team to a 35-memberoperation, merely a decade later. “I’mextremely proud of our development over thepast 10 years,” said managing director MichaelHerweg. “We have built a team instilled with the samepassion that we had when we started.

“Back then we were selling, picking and packing all at once,”remembers Arne Deterts, now sales director Germany and oneof the original three. “The drive and enthusiasm for excellentlevels of customer support was just the same then as it is now.”

Adding to the celebrations was the announcement that dBachieved a 25 per cent growth in sales in 2010 despite harsheconomic conditions. “We consider growth in this economy tobe a particularly notable success; in many territories dBTechnologies is seen as one of the leading brands in the RCFgroup, which is an incredible position to be in,” Herweg stated.

The fourth annual Prosonic convention invited 85 of dB’sdealers and sales reps from 40 countries, in order to educatethem on the company’s newest products and developments.Dealer awards and an open discussion were held to bring theguests up to speed with the company’s high points, whileproviding a forum for feedback from its partners. “This was achance for distributors to really get to know the potential ofeach of the ranges; we've given them every tool they need tohelp sell them in their territories,” remarked Herweg.

www.audioprointernational.com audioPRO OCtober 2010 23

PROSONIC LIVE SOUND <

dB Technologies’ annual Prosonic event had an added agenda this year, a

tenth Anniversery Party and a brand new show room. Andrew Low reports…

Audio cologne

CROWD MICSI tested both pairs of ribbons as crowd mics foruse with in-ear monitors. I normally use a pairof pencil condenser mics positioned eitherside of the stage pointing just over the frontrow of the crowd.

I put the 4081s out first with thewindshields on and was surprised to hearsome cracking and banging. I checked thecables, which were fine, then went back tomy normal mics, which sounded good.

When I returned to the 4081s Irealised it was the windmaking the bangingnoises. To be fair, it wasreally windy. I tried the4080s but the samenoise could be heardwith the wind.

The next day was a littleless windy so I tried again. I’mglad I did, as the sound of the4081s in the in-ears was great. With verylittle eq, I had a really balanced sound pickingup crowd noise, but, due to the figure-eight pick uppattern, a lot of the stage sound as well, which was areally nice bonus.

I then swapped to the 4080, which also had a verysmooth sound. The difference is minor: the 4081’s areslightly brighter and the 4080s have a little more body.

CONCLUSIONThese mics sound great. They would be a greataddition to any mic box to give you some differentflavours and I would recommend using them as asecond mic on guitar to achieve some tonal options.The only small problem is when using them outdoorswhen it’s windy. I guess on those days you would justhave to put them away and miss that sound.

Abox of four beautiful looking Audio Technicaribbon mics arrived just days before I set of ona Danish outdoor touring festival to mix

monitors for the Danish pop group, Alphabeat. Thisturned out to be the perfect place to put themthrough their paces.

The AT4081 is a long, pencil-shape side addressmic. It comes with a rubber shock mount and awindshield. The AT4080 is a more traditionallooking mic, which is a similar size to AT4050, one ofmy normal choice’s for overhead duties. It features acradle shock mount and wind shield. Both mics arefinished in silver and look very well made.

DRUM OVERHEADSAlphabeat’s drummer hits the skins really hard,which can cause some microphone problems,whether simply positioning or handling the signal.Both sets of mics sounded great and handled the highSPL. I tried them in various positions, but found thebest sound was achieved when the null point of thefigure-eight pick up pattern was pointed at the snarewith the mics in an upright position. With a littlecompression, a really nice, full drum sound wasachieved. The mics seemed to take the harshness outof the cymbals while retaining the high-end air.

GUITARSI tested both mics on the guitarist’s amp alongside aSennheiser supercardioid e906 instrumentmicrophone. He uses a Laney VC30, a very brightamp (think Vox AC30). Both the 4080 and 4081tamed the guitar very well. The sound was smoothand removed the bite of the amp without losing allthe definition. The only minor down side to using afigure-eight mic on guitar is that you hear a lot morestage sound than normal. This is not too much of aproblem for mixing on in-ears, but I think I wouldstruggle to put these mics in loud wedge mixes.

> LIVE SOUND AUDIO TECHNICA RIBBON MICS

Acclaimed live sound engineer Ben Booker uses Audio Technica’s 4080 and

4081 ribbon mics for various applications on tour with Alphabeat...


Dance to the ribbons


A live engineer with three decades of experience under his belt, Sean Rampton has had his fair share of

tough gigs. He tells Rob Hughes that no matter how bad the gear or the venue, the show must go on…

”You have to find

a way to make it

happen. And

where there’s a

will there’s a way.Sean Rampton

FOH, Chase & Status

Toilet circuit troubles

Having to make space in the mag for a lastminute ad is never a bad thing, butinvariably results in a minor wrangle

about whose feature must be subjected to asustained attack with the editorialtomahawk. This can be a somewhatdisheartening affair, particularly when afascinating quote by veteran FOHengineer Sean Rampton is lost in theensuing massacre.

But rather than dwell on the injustice, Iquickly considered ways of putting thingsright and in a moment that temporarily gavecredence to the wildly untrue phrase ‘everycloud has a silver lining’, I called Rampton to putforward the idea that we give him his very own feature

in the October issue. Rampton was delighted andsuggested we meet at an intriguing Finsbury Park

venue, the Faltering Fullback, to get someideas down. En route, much to my chagrin, I

discovered that our fresh-faced staff writer,Adam Savage, had once again lifted mydictaphone and that I was left with whatyou could call ‘the loaner’.

After forcibly convincing myself that, asa rookie, his need for the device wasgreater than my own, I adopted the

manner of said fullback and greeted a verycordial Rampton with an explanation of my

poorly equipped circumstance, coupled with apledge to make do with the unwieldy and

unfamiliar device that was burning a hole in my

After the Libertines

disbanded, Carl Barât

asked Rampton to tour

with his new band,

Dirty Pretty Things

> LIVE SOUND SEAN RAMPTON

called Art of Darkness, which had recentlytaken delivery of a brand new digitallighting system. Unfortunately, thehouse power supply was totallyinadequate and when we tried toswitch it on it didn’t work at all. Butwe noticed that underneath the stairwell was an old generator, so we tookit out the back, ran the cables insideand fired it up.

“We found out that we could runfour lights with it, so we decided togive it a go. The show started and thefirst thing that happened was all thepetrol fumes started coming through thedoor, so we had to tape the door up. Thenthe generator started getting louder and louderuntil it sounded like it was going to explode. Ilooked up and the lighting designer had got eightlamps on the go. This was great, until it ran outof petrol halfway through the show. When allthe lamps went out the LD marched throughthe punters, switched the house lights on andwent straight to the bar and ordered a pint. Wefinished the show with the house lights.”

A DISTRO DILEMMA“These Heath Robinson approaches are actuallysometimes the best.

“Back when I started working with Dirty PrettyThings, after my last gigs with the Libertines, thetour started in Mexico City and the first show was at asort of festival come A-list party.

SEAN RAMPTON LIVE SOUND <

rucksack. This must have triggered a thousand or more imagesin his head of having to work under pressure without idealequipment because, for the following anecdotes, young Savageis, in some way, to thank…

SETBACKS AT THE CHARLOTTE“No matter what equipment you’re working with, or not, as thecase may be, the show has to go on,” says Rampton. “You haveto find a way to make it happen. And where there’s a willthere’s a way. As an engineer, this situation is particularlycommon when you start off small and build up to bigger things.You start off doing the ‘toilet circuit’, so you’re inevitably goingto find yourself in places that don’t have all the right kit.Sometimes they don’t have any of the kit that you’d expect, butyou have to make do with what’s there.

“There was a favourite venue of mine on the toilet circuit –in Leicester, called the Princess Charlotte. It finally closed itsdoors last year, but for a long time it was a regular gig for a lotof bands and a big part of the indie scene in the city. But it washard work – you had a stone flagged floor, a small aperture of astage with a low ceiling, the system was caned to pieces, therewasn’t one microphone stand that wasn’t held together withgaffer tape. But once you’d been there a few times, you learntthe best way of making the most of the venue; you learnt howto deal with the acoustics and how to make the stands standup. You quickly learnt that you needed to tape them to thestage as well because that began to give way over the years andit had a bit of a slant to it. I wouldn’t wish the Charlotte onanyone, but it was important to the scene and to the bands thatplayed there so we had to do our best with it.

“I did a gig there with a punk band called Compulsion,around about 1993 or 94 with Shed Seven on as support. OurLD had hired some gear from Bryan Leitch who had a company


> LIVE SOUND SEAN RAMPTON


“We got there and the site for the gig must have been a bigmansion house that had been torn down. All that was leftwere tennis courts, but there was rubble everywhere and thestage had bits of metal sticking out and all sorts. If it was theUK, health and safety would have had a field day, but itwasn’t, it was Mexico. The whole stage was rickety and theyhad these side fills that looked like huge boxes on sticks. Idon’t know what they were, but they were big old lumps andto keep them in place, they had the biggest, most colourfulcollection of bungees you’ve ever seen, wrapped around bits ofscaffolding and these full-range cabinets. They had the powerdistro sat in a big puddle behind the stage in an orange box tokeep it above the water, but every time the kick drum was hitor the subs made some noise it splashed water all over it.

“I said to them: ‘are you sure about that?’ and he said:‘yeah, it’s fine, we do this all the time’. Well, it all seemed towork okay – if you do something enough you learn how toiron out the problems don’t you?”

BACK TO BASICS“I started engineering in 1980, mixing for a punk band

called Here & Now. We had a Canary 24 into two desks withfixed eq – high/mid, low/mid and bottom end. There was nooutboard or anything, no gates; all we had was one WEMCopicat and the most modern bit of kit was a Roland SpaceEcho, which was amazing. And I didn’t care what I was usingeither, because the whole buzz of going out on tour was sogreat that it didn’t really matter and I would have workedwith whatever I had. Using that sort of gear helped me learnto get the best from a console or PA, no matter how basic it was. We got some great gigs out of some very average gear.

“Having all the best gear can even be a curse. The powerfultechnology we’ve got these days is great, if used responsibly, butmy biggest concern is the way that digital equipment is affectingthe way engineers work. I love the thinking behind the drive togive us more tools – the fact that I can use plugins on aDigidesign desk is really cool – but my gripe with it is that itencourages you to use your ears less and your eyes more, and Ithink that is fundamentally wrong. Ultimately, you’re being paidto make something sound good, not look good.”

>>>

A heady mix

Currently handling FOH for Chase & Status and,

when they return the stage, Basement Jaxx,

Rampton is also employed as both a FOH and

monitor engineer at the Shepherds Bush Empire, Koko

and Indigo at the O2.

His career began in 1980 and a tour with anarcho

hippy punks, Here & Now, during which he honed his

craft on an early PA system designed and built by Tony

Andrews. Rampton stayed with the band for nearly four

years, before getting involved in promoting and man-

aging bands in his hometown of Southampton. Acts in-

cluded The Cropdusters and Flik Spatula who enjoyed

relatively successful, if short careers.

In 1988, Rampton was invited to work for Vince

Power's Mean Fiddler Organisation and became pro-

moter of his new Islington Club, The Powerhaus. He

gave the venue it's name and chose the musical policy,

booking the first London dates for most Madchester

scene bands such as The Stone Roses, and UK shows

for Dinosaur Jr, Naked Prey, Mo Tucker and Half

Japanese among others. Rampton recalls that the first

demo he listened to was by an outfit from Wiltshire

called Jesus Jones.

After a brief quarrel with Power, Rampton began

engineering on a full time basis at The Mean Fiddler,

Powerhaus, Subterania and eventually The Garage and

The Grand. He soon started working directly with

artists, such as Ash, which he juggled with Compulsion,

one of his favourite bands. He went on to work with

numerous successful touring acts, including Shelby

Lynne, Remy Zero and The D4.

More recently, Rampton has delivered live mixes for

The Libertines, Kate Nash and The View. He has also

done some studio work, remixing live audio for Chase

& Status at Ibiza Rocks for MTV and, last year, recording

an album for US band The True Lovers at Mission

Sound in Brooklyn. This was tracked in January 2009

and mixed April the same year.

Rampton has been the FOH stalwart for

scores of acts over the years

USE YOUR EARS: Rampton worries about ‘visual mixing’

“If it was the UK,

health and

safety would

have had a

field day. But it

was Mexico.

Steve Levine

There’s a revolution underway in recording studios and on live stages stretching

far and wide across the UK and beyond.

Renowned producer and Chairman of the Music Producer’s Guild, Steve Levinehas added his voice to a chorus of unswerving praise aimed directly at

Audio-Technica’s revolutionary AT4080 and AT4081 Ribbon Microphones:

“Using the AT4080 for vocals, it sounds instantly like a late 50’s, early 60’s

session, but without the noise. It has that thick warm vocal sound reminiscent

of so many great vocals of the era...

...The AT4081 is now my first call when recording guitar amps... they sound

so sweet...”

A Ribbon Revolution......the rules have changed

Connect with us...

twitter.com/AudioTechnicaUK

youtube.com/AudioTechnicaUK

flickr.com/audio-technica

facebook.com/AudioTechnicaUK

With no fewer than 18 patents pending, Audio-Technica’s AT4080 and AT4081 successfully solve the problems of fragility and low

output that have historically plagued ribbon microphones.

The AT4080 and AT4081 are covered by Audio-Technica’s unique lifetime warranty, and can be trialled free of charge under our

First Impressions Scheme. So why not join our revolution, visit www.audio-technica.com/firstimpressions for more information.

www.audio-technica.com

passionate outfit behind this and that a lot of care and attentionhas gone in to designing and building these units.

SWEET MUSIC TO MY EARS... AND MY CLIENTS’I was working on a few different projects at the time I recievedthe EQ1ch from MC Audio Lab’s UK distributor, SoundNetwork. It came at just the right time and I was able to put itthrough some serious, real life situation tests.

The very first component I threw at the EQ1ch was a vocal. Iwas in the middle of mixing a track for Freestate and really

wanted to get this track out of the box. I sent thevocal through some gentle vintage compression

and into the EQ1ch. That’s when I firstrealised you can hit this baby hard. This is

not a surgical eq, rather an extremelymusical ally.

I was missing a bit of air andpresence on this particular vocal, so Imainly used the mid section ataround 8kHz. On the widest Q andthe boost almost on full I wasexpecting a very screechy result.What came back at me was a present,

breathing and silky smooth vocal.Those following the Sonic Cuisine

online will know that’s when I fell inlove with this eq unit.

In a world where space is at a premiumand money must be wisely spent, I am always

looking for units that are not one trick ponies and Iwas far from done test driving the unit.

The kicks and bass from a pretty heavy Abstract Source housetrack were next in line. When I fed both EQ1ch’d componentsback in the mix the producer was knocked off his feet. The kickhit you right in the face and stomach and the bass had a niceand round, yet old-school, growly character.

Convinced and converted I was not going to let this unit gowithout using it to its full potential. The guys from New ModelArmy are celebrating 30 years in the business and will bereleasing a double album anthology. They asked me to re-mixone of the songs and you can hear the EQ1ch working away onthe track Someone Like Jesus.

GET CONNECTEDIf you’re looking for a top notch valve eq to put in your recordingchain or to warm up those zeros and ones, give this beast a whirl.Check out mcaudiolab.com online and join them on Facebook.And if you want to get your hands on one, drop the guys atSound Network a line or swing by the Sonic Cuisine to see it inaction. Keep it sounding warm and sparkly.> soundnetwork.co.uk > mcaudiolab.com

Imet the guys from MC Audio Lab at this year’s AESConvention in London. A little stand, just around thecorner from my APRS base camp, was displaying very cool

looking black rack units with valves, blue lights, rather chunkycontrols and funky VU meters. It goes without saying that Ihad to go and investigate. MC’s Manuel Curcuruto can spot agear freak when they see one and got me wearing headphonesand playing with the EQ1ch single channel valve eq.Exhibition hum and headphones – a distinctly imperfectlistening environment – but I could immediately hear thisbox had serious potential.

WHAT’S IN THAT BOX?The EQ1ch is a single channel, three-band valve equaliser. It is entirelypassive with the valve stages takingcare of the buffering and the outputstage amplification.

The low frequency band and thehigh frequency cut both have ashelving characteristic, going from20 to 150Hz and four to 20kHz,respectively. It is the LF band thatgives this unit its Pultec feel. Youhave boost and cut on the same band,which can be used at the same time,again very much like the Pultec PEQ.When you use the boost on its own, it willgive you 14dB of gain. The cut can shelvedown to about 12dB. When used together, the cutamount drops once you boost past the first quarter.

It is very important to realise that the cut of the LF bandworks at a x10 ratio. So, if you boost at 20Hz, the cut will startrolling off at 200Hz.

The high cut can attenuate down to 10dB. The mid/highmid band is nice and wide, ranging from 600Hz to 16kHz witha very musical Q control and a seriously good amount ofpossible boost.

The large output knob acts as a master volume control,feeding the Lundahl output transformer and a simple threeLED meter, which tell you that you have signal, are at optimaloutput or going over the limit.

Weighing in at 5kg, the EQ1ch is a hefty beast, bothphysically and sonically. The front panel has the legendengraved in a clear silver. You’ll know this unit is powered ononce you flick the bulky power switch and the bright blue lightcomes on behind the EQ1ch name tag.

The back panel provides us with XLR in and out. You have aground lift disconnecting pin 1 from the signal ground in orderto avoid hum. The earth lift elevates the chassis mains earthfrom pin 1 to avoid hum loops. From the moment you lay eyeson the MC Audio Lab products, you can see that there’s a

> REVIEW MC AUDIO LABS EQ1CH

”When I fed both

EQ1ch’d

components

back in the mix,

the producer

was knocked off

his feet.Wes Maebe

Wes Maebe takes MC Audio Labs’ EQ1ch three-band valve equaliser out the box to

mix Freestate and New Model Army and found warmth and elegance in a 2U rack...


Italian warmth

Roomresolutions e

Room acoustics are a pivotal point of success or failure in any spacewhere audio is broadcast. This point is especially poignant inprivate recording studios where bad acoustics can mean that mixes

do not translate well outside of the room. Similarly, an echoing venue canrender millions of pounds of gear useless.

But acoustics are just as important in the live and commercial audiosectors where reflections and untreated surfaces can also dump on a biginvestment in equipment. As Radial’s president, Peter Janis, says:“Changing the PA system from a JBL to a Meyer to an EV will not help awhole lot unless you actually treat the room. A new PA system is only aband aid. You really want to fix the problem. Today, more and morecontractors are looking at acoustics and beginning to understand theramifications. Ultimately, if a venue spends $50,000 and finds that thesound is only marginally better, this only serves to deepen the cut.”

Will Benger of EQ Acoustics provides us here with an introduction theworld of acoustics for professional audio...

ACOUSTICS FOR AUDIOThere are countless ways to upgrade an audio system or recording setup.Investments in equipment often result in subtle improvements in audioquality. Despite the common tendency for continuous upgrading, theextent to which the room itself affects the sound is often overlooked.

Consider the dramatic change that occurs when you remove softfurnishings from a room to redecorate. If the effect of removing thecurtains is so clearly audible, surely room acoustics are a fundamentalinfluence on the audio quality we so actively pursue?

With a sound system we are often looking for a faithful reproduction.The listener wants to experience the sound as the producer intended it tobe heard. The audio professional wants to hear accurate sound so theycan be confident their production will translate well to listeners’ audiosystems. With any system we hear the original sound combined withresonances and reflections from boundaries of the room. What are theimplications of the room’s influence on our sound?

REFLECTIONSFor many, the acoustics of a room are characterised by reverb. It is themost noticeable attribute of a room’s acoustic, particularly when we movebetween a large and small room. In fact, reverb only accounts for the midand high frequencies. Bass frequencies also contribute to the acoustic butthese are less directional, so we’ll look at bass separately.

Reverb consists of countless reflections caused by sound bouncing offhard surfaces. The length of time it takes for these sound reflections tosubside is known as the reverb time (RT). The RT of a room is a productof its size and the type of materials present.

A long reverb can be desirable when recording acoustic instruments.An orchestra rarely sounds as imposing without reverb and as such manyconcert halls have an RT in excess of two seconds. A recording engineerwill use reverb as a creative tool and understands how different RTs affectthe listener’s perception of the music.

In a listening environment such as a control room, a short reverb isdesirable – around 0.5 seconds. We don’t want the room to be completelydead as it would be an uncomfortable space to occupy and it would notbe representative of a normal room so translation would be poor.

DISTORTIONIn a small room, reflections can arrive at our ears in very quicksuccession. As such, the early reflections in these spaces are interpretedas being combined with the original sound. This causes certain

Andrew Low sits in an optimal listening position

to bring you the latest acoustic solutions for the

studio, live and commercial markets…

www.audioprointernational.com

ACOUSTIC PRODUCTS STUDIO <


”Eq and room

correction

systems can

help your

speakers but

won’t improve

your room as

most acoustic

problems occur

after the sound

has left the

speakersWill Benger

EQ Acoustics

>>>

frequencies to be cancelled out altogether – an effect know ascomb filtering.

Where two parallel flat surfaces face each other, reflections canbounce back and forth like a ping-pong ball. Known as flutter echo,it can be very disruptive at the listening position.

RESONANCESWhile mid and high frequencies bounce around the room, lowfrequencies are less chaotic. Bass has the ability to excite thenatural resonances of the room itself. This results in some notesbeing louder than others. At different points in the room the bassfrequency response can vary considerably. Resonance, like reverb,continues to ring on after the original sound has finished. Thiscauses a lack of definition in the bass.

In a purpose built listening room the dimensions are chosen verycarefully. The relationship between the length, width andheight of the room determines how evenly spacedthe modes or resonances are. This makes for aflatter and more uniform bass response atdifferent listening positions.

ACOUSTIC ABSORBERSAll materials, including air, absorb soundto some degree. Porous materials tend tobe most efficient; hence acousticabsorbers are often made fromcompressed fibres or open cell-foams.Adding acoustic absorption to a roomreduces the RT time, but strategicplacement allows minimised distortion.

The performance of an absorber is known asthe absorption coefficient. This is a value between0 and 1 (0 meaning no absorption; 1 meaning 100per cent absorption). Absorption is normally testedbetween 125Hz and 4KHz with a separate coefficient at sixdifferent frequencies.

When buying absorbers, check that they perform adequately atthe frequencies that need to be addressed. Fire ratings varybetween materials so check they comply with your needs. Foam isgenerally the most affordable option, but fabric wrapped fibreproducts tend to last longer and can be relocated easily. The look ofthe product is often a key consideration.

The thickness of a material determines the range of frequenciesit can absorb. A balanced room has an even decay time from low tohigh frequencies. If we cover the walls in thin acoustic tiles, it mayappear dead when we clap our hands but in fact the bass and low-mid frequencies will still be untreated. Bass absorbers are muchthicker so they absorb lower frequencies. Often known as cornertraps, they are designed to sit in the corners of a room, ideally in astack of more than one trap.

PLACEMENTThere are various approaches to acoustically treating a listeningroom. The ideal scenario is a purpose built room professionallydesigned for optimal acoustics. For those of us without this luxurythere is a simple process, which works well in many cases:

Choose your sitting position. You should be centred between theleft and right walls just inside the front half of the room. Set up yourspeakers according to the manufacturer’s specification. For monitorspeakers this is normally an equilateral triangle formed by the twospeaker positions and a point just behind your head. Install as manycorner traps as you can fit and afford. You can’t have too many andthe more you have, the more even your bass response will be. Treatyour first reflection points. These can be identified by havingsomeone move a mirror around the walls and ceiling. If you can seeone of your monitors in the mirror, note the location and treat itwith an acoustic tile. The common locations are behind thespeakers; either side of the sitting position and above the sittingposition. Add additional tiles to your taste or to treat specificproblems. You may put some tiles on the wall behind you if the roomis still too live.

Acoustic treatment is essential for accuracy with anylistening system. A properly treated room will have a

clear stereo image, lots of detail and even soundingbass. With the right products, good acoustics are

easily achievable and could well be the bestinvestment you make.

THINGS TO REMEMBERAcoustics is not soundproofing. Manyacoustics companies also sell soundreduction materials but this must beintegrated during the building phase; eq

and room correction systems can help yourspeakers, but won’t improve your room as

most acoustic problems occur after the soundhas left the speakers; egg boxes and carpet are

too thin to absorb anything other than very highfrequencies and can be a fire risk; decent speakers in

a well treated room sound better than fantastic speakers in a bad room.

THE COMPANIES

RPGInspired by the research of Manfred Schroeder, Dr Peter D’Antoniobuilt his first Quadratic Residue Diffusers and in 1983 set up RPGDiffusor Systems in Maryland, USA. RPG developed a completerange of diffusors, absorbers and combination products, many ofwhich have shaped the industry as well as influenced a newdirection of studio design ideas, such as the ‘reflection free zone’.RPG have played a crucial role in the development of many of thepractices and designs in use today as well as helping to developstandards for the measurement of diffusion and scattering.

Acoustic GRG Products began working with RPG DiffusorSystems some 20 years ago, becoming RPG Europe, manufacturingthe complete range of RPG Diffusor Systems in the UK for the UKand European acoustic market.

RPG has a wide range of acoustic devices for studios, both pro-audio and home, from simple foam tiles to bass traps that areeffective at 35Hz. Rather than just producing another generic foampanel, RPG developed a new foam panel that would allow users to

”If you do not

produce a

reasonably flat

response, your

reference will in

fact not be a

reference at all.

Peter Janis

Radial

> STUDIO ACOUSTIC PRODUCTS


>> increase the bandwidth of absorption without having toremove product already installed while making the best use ofthinner materials. It used the patented Variable Depth AirCavity system and produced foam that can be layered toincrease performance.

RPG Acoustic Tools are room kits made from its Absorborand BAD panel line, these are traditional fabric wrappedfibreglass panels, which offer increased bandwidth and a rangeof colours to produce a more customisable aesthetic.

RPG has had many prestigious clients, such as Real WorldStudios, the BBC Studios Maida Vale, Sony Music, The HitFactory, EA Sports, Code Masters and many others. > rpg-europe.co.uk

EQ ACOUSTICSEQ Acoutics, formerly known as Acousti Pro, are UKmanufacturers and suppliers of Acoustic Treatment, SoundProofing and the Studio Anywhere range of modular acousticstructures, which ranges from vocal booths and control roomsto entire performance facilities. The company specialises inproviding solutions anywhere where modular acousticstructures ranging from vocal booths and control rooms to entireperformance facilities are needed. Its team consists of technicalsales, studio designers, qualified acousticians, commercial projectmanagers, music lovers and music industry veterans with acombined 50-years of practical experience. By manufacturing inthe UK and distributing products directly from its own warehousefacilities, it can adapt to most budgets.

The company offers services including studio designand build and provides high-performance firesafemodular room systems that, it feels, out performtraditional build methods sonically andfinancially. From vocal booths and controlrooms to full performance facilities, it designsand installs its products quickly and withminimal disruption in full compliance withUK fire regulations and BB93.

Eq also offers acoustic treatment for homeand project studios, home cinemas andlistening rooms, commercial studios forrecording post production and broadcast, inaddition to varied work for schools and offices.

The company can custom manufacture parts fromits wide range of materials to exact specifications, subjectto suitability. > eqacoustics.com

PRIMACOUSTICSPrimacoustic is a manufacturer of numerous acoustic materialsfor various markets. Its staff has a collective experience of over 30years in the studio and live sound markets and 15 years inacoustics. The company is highly focused on educating itscustomers through its website and client interaction and offers alarge range of acoustic solutions from room kits to panels, basstraps, diffusors, Studio Globos, IsoTools, hardware and more.

Radial’s Peter Janis comments: “There is a lot ofmisinformation regarding the performance of acoustic panels.The single most important element is understanding that just likea loudspeaker, if you do not produce a reasonably flat response,

Below are graphical results from tests done by the same laboratory on Primacoutics versus a valued competitor

your reference willin fact not be areference at all. This, in ourview, means that you really needto balance the absorption. Think of athree way speaker – wonderful mids andhighs do not make up for a blown woofer.”Below are actual tests done by the same laboratoryon Primacoutics versus a valued competitor, whichdemonstrate product performance.

“In the studio, bass management is critical, but users tend to notfully understand what a bass trap is actually doing,” Janis continues.“It will not reduce the bass in the room, it will reduce the bassreflections in the room. This in turn means that it will reduce theeffect of room modes where you either get hotspots or severecancellation. Most bass traps are only marginally effective. This isbecause they are limited by their size. A new trend in designincorporates a diaphragmatic resonator. This is how our MaxTrapworks. Essentially it is a giant microphone only capable of capturinglow frequency energy.” > primacoustic.com

UNIVERSAL ACOUSTICSUniversal Acoustics is a UK manufacturer of acoustic productsbased in Milton Keynes. The company states that it is uniqueamong acoustic foam manufacturers by being able to provide arange of contemporary profiled designs cut from Basotect fireretardant material the meets class O ratings for use, not only in

studios but in public spaces. It is also the only company inEurope that can produce coloured tiles.

Universal Acoustics offers a wide range ofproducts including speaker isolating Vibro Pads,

Solar System kits, absorption tiles, diffuser tilesand bass traps. They also supply specialisedglue, formulated to give great adhesion towalls, while leaving the foam undamaged. Allits products are made in the UK under thewatchful eye of its staff to provide quality control during the design and

manufacturing process.It provides acoustic treatments for use in

recording and broadcast studios, music rehearsalrooms, audio and language labs, boardrooms, offices,

staff rooms, gymnasiums and any open spaces that requireefficient sound absorption to improve the audio integrity andintelligibility plus the performance and dynamics of the room.

The company asserts that every studio or listening room needsacoustic treatment and, once treated, it will be the engineers mostvaluable tool for getting a great sound. Its website features a freeonline guide and video with tips on how to acoustically treat a room.> universal-acoustics.com

AURALEX ACOUSTICSAuralex Acoustics was founded back in 1977 to offer affordableacoustical products to the market. Company founder Eric Smithstarted the company in his back garage because he saw that eventhe big-budget broadcast and recording facilities could not affordthe proper acoustic materials. > auralex.com

Pluto Starter PackAcoustic Treatment Room Kit

If you haven’t acoustically treated your room - you should.Unless the sound reflections in your room /studio are carefully controlled you’ll have bass

notes sounding muddy, a lack of focus in the mids and highs and vague stereo imaging.

So control them with a Universal Acoustics Room Treatment Kit which will dramatically

improve the audio integrity and sound definition by the simple application

of scientifically engineered acoustic tiles.

And with the new Pluto Starter Kit available for just £99.00 inc VAT, you can

kiss that muddy unfocused sound goodbye for a lot less than you’d expect.

A full range of acoustic treatment tools...

Absorption Tiles

Speaker Isolation Room Kits

Bass Traps

Find your nearest dealer at: www.scvlondon.co.ukwww.universal-acoustics.com

Go online for your FREE Acoustic Treatment Guide

Pluto Room kit: 24 x 300x300x50 Mercury Wedges and 1 Space Mist Adhesive. £99.00 inc vat

SKYLINE DIFFUSOR rpg-europe.co.uk

� Expanded polystyrene optimised two dimensional primitive root diffusor, moulded from high density Caril-F flame-retardant grade expanded polystyrene

� Employs two dimensional optimised primitive-root reflection phase grating principle, using an array of rectangular phase blocks

� Installed in the same orientation to preserve the twodimensional orientation of the surface

>>

> STUDIO ACOUSTIC PRODUCTS


SOUND ABSORPTION FOAM adamhall.com

� Its shaped structure enlarges the surface area and allows sound absorption values to be achieved in Mid to High Frequency ranges

� Sheet Size: 1,000 x 1,000 x 70mm (1m²)� Material: Foam material on a melamine resin base,

density 11±2 kg/m³� Flammability: Class 0 BS476 part 6, class 1 BS 476 part 7

MAXTRAP primacoustic.com

� Broadband bass trap� High performance corner mounted � Suspended diaphragm absorbs bass down to 50Hz� High density front absorber controls highs and mids that stretches

the full size of the device� Ideal for small rooms where modes cause problems� Three-inch thick front-mounted 24 x 48-inch Broadway panel made

from 6lb per cubic foot high-density glass wool fiber

STUDIO ANYWHERE eqacoustic.com

� Vocal booths, drums rooms, recording spaces, rehearsal rooms, home cinema, private consultation rooms and more

� High performance modular steel structures� Acoustically optimised interiors� Choice of finishes � Firesafe� Selfbuild kits and installation services� Fastbuild with minimal disruption

PLUTO/MERCURY ROOM KITS universal-acoustics.com

� High NRC ratings and the relevant fire retardant specifications.

� Each system includes an installation guide and the appropriate quantity of Cosmic Fluid

� Features generous quantities wedge tiles and Mercury Bass traps, each with 86 per cent NRC and 28-32 kg/m3 density

� Six competitively priced systems are available

STUDIOFOAM PRO auralex.com

� First melamine-free acoustical foam with a Class A fire rating� Slim 1.5- thickness � Offers a noise reduction coefficient of .90� Extended durability due to reduced oxidation� Available in two sizes: 2x2-foot and 2x4-foot� Presents a low-cost option for sound absorption in churches,

restaurants, clubs, professional settings and other venues

eqacoustics.com

� Dependable quality and performance� Compatible with EQ’s Airspace Tiles� Durable, soft-touch fabric facing� Standard colours available� Colour Panel L Acoustic Tiles: 990x450x50mm, soft touch, hard

wearing brushed nylon faced acoustic tile with FlexiFit� Colour Panel S Acoustic Tile: 450x450x50mm. Other features same

as L Acoustic Tiles

primacoustic.com

� Complete home studio in a box� Made from high density 1.8lb open cell foam� Three inch thick Z-foam and wedge components provide

effective mid and high frequency absorption (500Hz+) � Z12: 54 open cell polyurethane acoustic foam components� Z14 includes an additional pair of Australis Bass Traps � UV resistant dark charcoal finish compliant with

California C-117 fire and safety specification

rpg-europe.co.uk

� VDAC technology provides minimum point of contact with the mounting surface, thus enabling most of the foam to be positioned away from the wall for optimum absorption

� First nestable profile foam� First profile foam using patented VDAC technology� Available in Class A Melaflex and UL94 Polyflex (polyurethane) � Additional absorption can be achieved by stacking new layers on top of

the existing ProFoam

universal-acoustics.com

� Lightweight material demonstrating excellent acoustic properties, and used for architectural applications when a higher degree of fire resistance is required; typically in large areas or public building spaces

� Class-O surface as defined in paragraph A12B of Building Regulations document B and achieves BS476 part 7, Class 1 and B476 part 6

� Ultra Fire Retardant Basotect foam material� 600 x 600 x 50mm tiles plus 600mm and 300mm Jupiter or Mercury

bass traps

primacoustic.com

� Fabric covered acoustic panels with resin hardened edges� Made from high performance 6lb glass wool� Balanced absorption down into the bass region� Class-A/1 fire rated for safe use anywhere� Up to six times greater density than typical foam panels for balanced

absorption throughout the audio listening range� Each panel is fully encapsulated with micromesh and edges are resin

hardened to assure safe handling during installation

customaudiodesigns.co.uk

� 35db and 41dB versions available. � 35db: 44mm thick, sound reduction Rw = 35dB; FD30 or FD60

fire rated � 41dB: 65mm thick Sound Reduction Rw = 41dB; FD30 or FD60

fire rated � Standard opening size: 2095x1005mm� Wide range of veneer options available � Double leaf doorset with 34dB rating available

COLOUR PANEL TILES

PRIMAFOAM STUDIO KITS

PROFOAM

BASOTECT

BROADWAY ACOUSTIC PANELS

ACOUSTIC DOORSETS

> STUDIO STUART ROSLYN


Show and the forthcoming Ray Winstone feature film Father ofGirls have been finished with scores composed and recorded inhis studio, found in south west London’s Matrix complex. Andwhen he’s not snatching the odd moment to make music, he’staking care of the myriad business issues generated by twoproduction companies and a management firm.

Despite an in-tray of biblical proportions, Roslyn was kindenough to give us a few minutes of his time…

What does your work involve at the moment?There are three branches to what I do – Intrusion Productions,Red House Productions and Red House Management, which Irun with my business partner Eamonn England. We’ve justsigned a band called The Musgraves to Imagem Publishing.We’ve been developing them for a few years now and currentlywe’re concentrating on getting autumn/winter press and radiofor a release in April 2011.

Another avenue is my own songwriting and production. I’malways developing new artists, as well as writing and producingfor established acts. I’ve been working with several X-Factorfinalists and also developing artists with Crown Management.I’ve written songs for The Monroes in Germany that have soldover a million, so songwriting is a very important aspect.

My daily process is to try and combine all these things andstill actually make music, which is the only thing that earns memoney, really. So along with all the business stuff I need tomake sure that I’m doing something musically every single day.

Audio Pro’s much-loved advertising manager, DarrellCarter, has a phrase that he delivers every time hemanages to collar someone on the telephone that he’s

been after for a while, which is quite often: ‘You must be thebusiest man/woman [delete where not applicable] in pro audio’.And if just ten people read this feature, I’m confident that thiswill strike a chord with one of you, because a phone call fromCarter is never more than a few minutes away.

I’d never given much thought to who was actually thebusiest person in the industry but I think, despite Carter’svaliant efforts to locate them, I might have beaten him to it.

The first sign came when I fired off an email request for aninterview with Stuart Roslyn and the reply came not from theman himself, but from a very efficient assistant named Brian.Having an assistant isn’t, broadly speaking, an unusual thing,but in this business it is something of a rarity. I’ve been luckyenough to interview some of the most celebrated producersand engineers around and only one or two, with schedules thatClark Kent would find it hard to adhere to, had assistants.

I quickly got the impression that Roslyn’s time was stretchedtighter than Burt Reynolds’ face, which wasn’t much of arevelation, having read the list of artists and projects that he’sbeen working on in recent times. The likes of Leona Lewis,Finley Quaye and Mark Owen have all called on his services,and he has just bagged a worldwide number one in the dancecharts with a Paul Oakenfold remix of the track written withMatt Goss called Firefly. TV shows such as The Oprah Winfrey

I’ve done every

job under the

sun just to

afford the next

bit of gear or

help me make

music in

some way.Stuart Roslyn

For UK producer Stuart Roslyn music is business, but uniting the two in a career requires no small amount

of diligence. He speaks to Rob Hughes about balancing the creative with the corporate…

Holding it together

There’s no definitive answer to how you fit everything in, butI think you do have to be disciplined at times. If I’ve got aproduction to finish, I’ve got to make sure that I don’t answerthe phone or get sidetracked by emails and just make surethat the production gets done.

If I’ve got The Musgraves, that can take up a lot of timebecause we’re working on styling, making videos, promotionand radio and the kind of stuff that takes a long time to setup and involves a lot of meetings. I can’t physically be in thestudio and do all that. We try andjuggle it so that we can fit it all in,but sometimes it gets tricky wheneverything comes at once and I’vegot a film score to finish, publishingdeals to sign and three productionsto complete by the end of the week;that’s when it gets a bit hairy and Ibecome a hermit.

When you’re self employed anddoing it for yourself, you’ve got tomake sure that you’re keeping upwith every thread that’s going on,because ultimately, the buck stopswith you. You can’t just go to bed and pull the duvet overyour head. But if you’re ambitious, it’s good to have thatpressure – it’s what you thrive on.

How have you arrived at what you’re doing now with somany different elements to your business?There’s not been one single thing that has made my career asuccess, it’s just been many smaller things that have grownand snowballed. It’s been a long evolution from when I wasvery young, but I’ve always written songs since I was a kidand that’s where it started. I use the term ‘songs’ very loosely,but I began by writing music on the piano.

Along the way I’ve done every job under the sun; I’ve beena window cleaner, a milkman, a butcher and I’ve deliveredpizzas, but all that was in order for me to be able to afford thenext bit of gear or help me make music in some way. I onceworked in Harrods selling towels and I went down to thepiano department and said: ‘you’ve gotta have me in herebecause I’m a pianist’. I did whatever I could to be involvedwith music because I never saw anything else as being apotential career.

I’m a musician first, but I started earning money fromTV and film before I started making money fromsongwriting and production. The songwritingand production was something that I wasalways doing, but the income from TV andfilm enabled me to spend a bit more timedoing the songwriting and developingartists and production. I got good atproduction because I wanted my ownsongs to sound good enough to pitchto artists and labels and so on, so it allwent hand-in-hand really.

Being in the Matrix complex hasreally helped. We’ve got ModestManagement and Crown Managementhere, plus a lot of other great producers,including Pete Martin, who is only 20 feetaway. Pete Tong, who I’m doing some work with, isjust next-door. Being around people who are in theindustry offers you an extra ear that you can trust. When youwork at home on your own I think you can lose touch withwhat is happening out there.

At what point did the technical aspect to music makingand recording come in?As soon as I could afford to buy gear. I didn’t just spend 20grand on a studio or anything; it was literally one keyboard,then a drum machine, then a sequencer. Then I bought aYamaha MT8-X, which was a cassette eight-track. It took anormal C90 cassette that you could buy anywhere and that’swhen I really began to learn about recording. I mean it wasbloody awful, but at least it helped me understand the process

and you’ve got to cut your teeth somewhere. Then I startedsequencing with Cubase on an old PC, but it couldn’trecord audio because it had no memory, all you could dowas sequence with it. That was synced to my eight-trackwith MIDI timecode. It was a very complicated process, butit gave me a good grounding.

Bring us up to date then, what sort of setup do you usethese days?

I use Logic now and I still have aan old Mackie 24-8 analog console,because it’s great to have a niceanalog desk to run signals throughrather than it all being digital. Ilove that board. Some people stillsay that it’s like having a 100-grandconsole in the studio. I found anold copy of Sound On Sound when Iwas moving this year from around1993 or something, and it was onthe cover. It cost something like sixgrand at the time and I thought:‘wow, that was a lot of money back

then, equivalent to something like a 20-grand desk now’.And it’s a real workhorse, everything still goes through it. Iplough drums through it because it gives me moreheadroom and I can fire them a little bit and then stickthem back into Logic.

Regarding microphones, I use SM58s and my CharterOak SA538B, which is a fantastic all round mic, especiallygood for vocals. I don’t compress anything to tape and I geta great live, organic, raw sound that is very well suited tothe Musgraves. I used a £5,000 mic in a big studio once andthe result wasn’t what I hoped. Next time, if I do go intoanother studio, I’m going to take my own mics and tellthem that we don’t want it going through any processing,just straight to tape, and I’ll deal with it afterwards.

What parts of the recording process do you handle onyour own?In terms of producing my artists, I do everything. I do allthe recording myself. I do everything in my own studio inthe Matrix. I can’t really fit a drum kit in my live room, it’smore of a vocal booth that doubles as Brian’s office, but it’s

totally perfect for me and if I need to record live drums,I’ll just use another studio, but I don’t have to

do that so often. I’ve used external studios,but I actually recorded The Musgraves in

my house. We made the living room thedrum booth and the dining room wasguitars and we had wires running allover the place and it was great funfor the five weeks last summer thatwe did the album.

The times that I have put a bandin other studios hasn’t really beenthat great. I think, unless you’ve got

it locked out for three weeks, justgoing in and doing a day or two can be

a bit difficult because you’re under timeconstraints. You’re in someone else’s studio,

the band don’t feel quite as relaxed, you’re notused to the sound in the studio and all these

contributing factors mean that actually, what you end upwith is not as good as what you could have achievedyourself and yet you’ve spent £1,000 a day.

Also what it means is, at midnight, if you fancy doing adrum track after a bottle of wine and everyone is morerelaxed and up for it then that’s fine, you can do it withoutbeing charged overtime. I think it’s a difficult balance to find,and like I say, if the record label is paying 30 grand for you tohave the studio for three weeks then great, that’s a differentball game because everyone can relax, but if you’ve got 12hours and you’ve still got four takes to do and it’s 11 o’clockand everyone’s moaning... I can’t work like that.> intrusionuk.com

STUART ROSLYN STUDIO <


When you’re self employed

you’ve got to make sure

that you’re keeping up with

every thread that’s going on,

because ultimately, the

buck stops with you.Stuart Roslyn

side, the adoption of a transmission medium that is virtuallyelement proof has revolutionised the way that locations arerigged and equipment supported. When Capability Browndesigned the gardens and park at Burghley, he did so withscant regard for television production. Cables runningthrough water conduits, lakes, ditches and rigged across by-ways have to be tactile, impervious and, above all, strong.

We tend to use Telecast’s Adder systems for audio deliveryacross very long distances. This family of fibre multiplexersallows us to bring multiple analog sound sources down a singlestrand of single mode fibre. This enables the CTV sound crewto rig several strategic microphones within fences and alongthe course, without the channel limitations previouslyassociated with traditional copper multi-core cables. Whenmultiple audio and HD Vision sources are required from anindividual location, such as a commentary position or remotemonitoring area, we tend to use one of our Telecast POV orPython systems. Each pair of end boxes allows themultiplexing of up to eight HD video and audio sources. TheSony HDC1500 cameras deployed on most of our locationsutilise SMTE fibre cable. This rugged and virtually imperviouscable passes two single mode fibres, two mains voltage coresand two data streams. With a tough stainless steel connectormanufactured by Lemo, the integrity of the joints are usuallyvery good, even when submerged in streams or driven over byLand Rovers.

Our long suffering rigging teams have had to learn a set ofnew skills to ensure the longevity and durability of their rigs.The lessons learnt installing major fibre rigs on most ofEurope’s championship golf courses as part of our EuropeanTour Golf contract have taught us salutary lessons in fibrecare. Cleanliness is indeed next to Godliness when it comes toSMPTE and single mode fibre installations. One spot of mud,one drop of moisture or one spec of dust on the fibre node andthe optical level is decimated and function drops off at analarming rate. In order to balance the inevitable raft ofproblems that accompany fibre rigs in the field, manufacturershave started to build in additional diagnostic levels withintheir equipment. OB companies have also had to invest intraining for their engineers and riggers, in order that rigs canbe terminated and damaged fibres spliced on location.

Whether it be Burghley, The V Festival in Chelmsford, orthe Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor, the sight of a lonely crewmember, isolated in the middle of a rain drenched fieldhuddled under a sheet of polythene, is becomingcommonplace. Splicing together 24 strands of fibre with anindividual diameter of no more than ten microns is a trickyjob in the workshop, let alone in a cold, muddy ditch. Thetwo ends of fibre must be precisely aligned; a small electric arcis then focused on the ends to fuse them together. Before thatthe cable must be stripped, precision cut, fusion protectionsleeves added and the alignment tested. It’s a skill that verysoon will no longer be the reserve of ‘The Few’ but bynecessity ‘The Many’.

Wintson Churchill’s famous line: ‘Never in the field ofhuman conflict has so much been owed by so manyto so few,’ from a speech made to the House of

Commons on August 20th 1940, were recited by the PAannouncer as I stood on the Scanner roof, watching aHurricane, Spitfire and Lancaster from the Battle of BritainMemorial Flight perform low passes over the Main Arena atthe close of the 2010 Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials. Thisannual fly past traditionally marks the close of the majorinternational equestrian competition. It also signals the end ofour annual five-day battle of technology versus the elements.

This 30-fence, three-day cross country event is set amongthousands of acres of spectacularly landscapedCambridgeshire parkland, originally designed and installed inthe 18th century. Using one of our larger high definitionoutside broadcast units as a central hub, we radiate severalarmoured, single mode fibre, multi-core cables over distancesranging from 600 meters to 1.5 Kilometres. These ‘spokes’support their own sub hubs, which we, always looking for anew acronym, somewhat tongue-in-cheek, refer to as ‘Tossas’(Technical Outside Source Switching Areas). This in turn hasled to the creation of a new freelance grade – Tossa Engineer.

Strategically placed and well hidden among the verdantparkland foliage, these remote bays of equipment in theirindividual dome tents, are sited in locations where they, inturn, can support multiple SMPTE camera and audio multi-core feeds rigged back from individual fences and obstacles.

As an industry, outside broadcast has made full use ofemerging fibre technologies. In a sector where water andelectricity has traditionally had to work successfully side by

“The sight of a

lonely crew

member,

isolated in the

middle of a rain

drenched field

huddled under a

sheet of

polythene, is

becoming

commonplace.

Bill Morris

CTVOB


COLUMN BROADCAST <

Letter From The FrontCTVOB’s Bill Morris writes his second monthly column from the Land Rover

Burghley Horse Trials…

Bill Morris is the business director of one of Europeʼs largest independant outside broadcasting firms, CTVOB


>> APPLICATIONS

NIGHT FLIGHT, one of the latestadditions to the emerging nightclubscene in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia,has installed a lab.gruppen-poweredTannoy VQ system as part of one ofthe highest specification audio-visualrigs in the country.

The AV installation was handled byexperienced Bulgarian technologyintegrator Bulcomp, which isresponsible for other recent nightclubinstallations in Bulgaria featuring

Tannoy VQ and Lab.gruppen soundsystems, including Club Deluxe inAsenovgrad.

Night Flight’s new system comprisestwo clusters of two VQ 60 cabinets,hung each side of the 15 metre stage,with additional paired VS 15DR andVQ 64DF enclosures for LF anddown-fill. Six VS 218DR dual 18-inchdirect radiating subs are under thestage front to provide all the bassextension that could ever be needed.

V-series cabinets have been installedthroughout the venue, includingV300s as balcony delays, V15sproviding stage side fill and V12sfulfilling all of the monitoring needs.

The system is controlled via pairs ofTannoy SC1 and TDX-1 processorsand powered by a rack of sixLab.gruppen C series amplifiers,including a pair of the company’sflagship C 88:4s.> tannoy.com

VOID ACOUSTICS supplied asound system to the UK’s biggest freeadrenalin sports festival, Windfest,held in Dorset recently, where 10,000visitors turned up to see some of thebiggest names in the extreme sports.

A custom-made Basys system was setup for the bike show on Sandbanksbeach in the town of Poole, whereriders such as Sam Pilgrim and BlakeSamson performed hair-raising tricks.

Following Windfest, Void Acousticswill be following the AnimalRelentless Bike Tour across the UK.The next stop will be in October atthe much-anticipated London FreezeFestival 2010 at Battersea Powerstation, where Void will again supplythe sound system. Details of thesystem are unclear but Void promisesthat it will be ‘substantial’.> voidaudio.com

New Bulgarian super club installs Tannoy’s flagship system powered by Lab.gruppen C series amplifiers

Void gets extreme

Tannoy VQ gives wings to Night Flight

”Six dual 18-inch

direct radiating

subs provide all

the bass that will

ever be needed.

>> CROWN HAS… … Provided the amplification at Moses Mabhida stadium inDurban, a 70,000 capacity venue that hosted several World Cupgames. A Harman system, which was installed by Wild & Marr,required 74 Crown I-Tech 4000, 36 I-Tech 8000 and 33 CTs4200USP/CN amplifiers. Signal processing is provided by BSSAudio, with three Blu-800 devices, eight Blu-160 devices and sixBlu-320 devices. Mixing is on Soundcraft RM100 series consoles.


APPLICATIONS <<

RYAN HEWITT, whose credits

include the Red Hot Chili

Peppers, has adopted Universal

Audio’s UAD-2 powered plugins

to remix classic 70s rock tracks

for the Guitar Hero series.

“I had a direct copy of the 24-

track analog master from Blue

Oyster Cult’s Burnin' for You,”

said Hewitt. “It was an honour to

work with the original

multitracks,

because that

was my favorite

song as a kid.

They mixed it

on a Harrison

3624 console,

which had the

same eq that

Universal Audio

modelled from Bruce Swedien’s

desk. I read an article about that

desk and I thought: ‘Sweet, I

have those eqs’.”

PLUS 4 AUDIO has taken

delivery of 12 APG DX12 low

profile monitor speakers for

rental stock from UK distributor,

Red Square Audio.

Plus 4 is one of the leading

suppliers of PA and monitor

systems to the UK TV industry.

Based in Surbiton, Surrey, its

clients include Fountain Studios,

Maidstone Studios and the BBC,

as well as various OB events and

television shows such as the

Mercury Music Prize and Strictly

Come Dancing.

Plus 4’s Stewart Chaney

commented: “I had been looking

for a micro wedge monitor for

our smaller shows for quite

some time. Paul Nicholson said

he’d got something that might

interest me and gave me a demo

of the new DX12s. I was more

than pleasantly surprised.”

German production company invests in cutting edge rig after world debut

MARTIN AUDIO has sold its firstMulticellular Loudspeaker Array(MLA) to Berlin-based productioncompany, Complete Audio, followingthe completion of its world debutwith German rap band Fettes Brot.

Complete Audio placed an orderfor 20 MLA, two MLD enclosures

and 14 MLX subs, along with theMerlin network management system,rigging and other peripherals, withMartin Audio’s German distributor,Atlantic Audio.

Complete Audio MD, AndréRauhut remarked: “I now own asystem which is truly unique. TheMLA is a genuine technological

advancement – far exceeding thecommonly hyped systems in themarket – and the next step in thegenealogy of line array-based systems.Martin Audio has taken an entirelyrevolutionary approach to designinga sound system.”

Upon beta testing the system,

André Rauhut and Fettes Brot’sFOH engineer, Oliver Vogesdiscovered that MLA could deliverconsistent sound up to 150 metres,translating the engineer‘s mixaccurately, throughout the audience.

“This was the proof I needed,” saidRauhut. “Before touring with FettesBrot I only had the opportunity of

hearing the MLA under controlledcircumstances, but out on the roadeveryone – the sound engineers,venue promoters and audiences –were all amazed at the sound clarityand consistency. With conditionschanging daily from venue to venue,the MLA mastered even the moststringent challenges. All the promiseswhich had been made by MartinAudio worked in reality.”

Wolfgang Garçon, managingdirector of Atlantic Audio,comented: “Many manufacturershave jumped on the line arraybandwagon and Martin Audio couldsimply have developed a nextgeneration version; but with anamazing R&D team headed by JasonBaird they have come up with atotally different principle. Their goalhas been to create a coherentwavefront at the listener’s ear ratherthan the conventional method ofproviding coherent waves emanatingfrom the speaker.”> martin-audio.com

Martin Audio sells first MLAsystem to Complete Audio

SCRATCHINGTHE PADRecent industry deals

“MLA is a technological advancement that

far exceeds commonly hyped systems.André Rauhut

Managing director, Complete Audio


BEHIND THE BOARD WITH… DAVE GUERINThe Pogues’ monitor engineer on silver service and (unsuccessful) deer dodging…

Which

band/project

are you

currently

working on?

Just finishedsome Poguesgigs, next isthe Gorillaz.

Where are you at the moment?

At home in Ireland.

What audio console are you

utilising? And how many channels?

For the Gorillaz it’s a Digico SD7.About 110 or so inputs in use. Plus38 mono outs, and 15 stereo outs.

What decision process was behind

the choice of this audio console?

No other desk does this amount ofinputs and outputs.

Do you utilise any outboard

effects/eq, and if so, what are they

used on and why?

An SPX90 for an octave upharmonise effect on one of theGorillaz’ songs. The desk only doesoctave down.

Favourite console?

Digico SD7, but Midas Pro 6 is alsogood, as is the Soundcraft Vi6. Can’tstand Digidesign.

Favourite PA system or monitors?

d&b M4, d&b M2, d&b Q7

Favourite venue, festival or studio?

Venue: Brixton Academy, exceptthey messed with the roof 15 yearsago and it doesn’t sound as good asit did. Festival: Any with silverservice catering and complimentaryred wine, for after the gig of course.Studio: Not Electric Lady anyway.

Best toy you take on tour (can be

audio… can be other)…

iPhone 4

What’s been your worst

professional experience to date?

Not a professional experience, buthitting a deer in a van travelling at100kph somewhere in Sweden aftera gig wasn’t pleasant.

What’s been your career highlight?

Blur at Glastonbury 2009 was ahuge gig.

What really pisses you off when

working?

Not being able to do my gig becausea union thinks it knows best.

What makes you happy when

working?

Good gigs.

With hindsight, what job would

you have chosen for yourself?

Singer, then I’d give all the monitorengineers a hard time.

Finally, if you weren't working

now, you'd be?

At home in Ireland. And I’m notworking now, so that’s where I am!

Sound • Lighting • Special Effects • Distribution Power Squared • Tel: +44 (0) 1525 850085 • www.leisuretec.co.uk

bringing brands together

The Leisuretec Listings Plus 2010 • Call us to Order Your Copy • Experience • Choice • Value • Service

> IN SESSION


Telephone: +353 (0) 9064 36175 Web: www.grouselodge.com

Vale, Worcestershire

Rooms: Control room, live room, two booths

Consoles: Neve 8014, Raindirk 10-4 sidecar

Mics: Neumann, AKG, Coles, Calrec, EV, Lomo, Reslosound, STC

Outboard: Drawmer, Neve, SSL, BBC, Audio & Design, Teletronix

Monitoring: ATC, Parasound, Auratone

Telephone: +44 (0) 1386 861744 Web: www.valestudios.co.uk

VALE STUDIOS is a new residential

recording studio hidden away in a

Georgian manor house in a small

village on the outskirts of Pershore,

Worcestershire, in the heart of England.

It can be reached via train from

London Paddington station in just

under two hours.

The facility has been open for

business for just over a year and a half,

yet already has attracted the likes of

Zak Starkey (The Who, Oasis) and Mike

Chapman, renowned producer of

Blondie’s Parallel Lines, who employed

Vale’s services in producing The

Arcadian Kicks’ debut album.

Interestingly, Chapman cites this

record as some of his best work.

Vale is based around a vintage Neve

model 8014 console, built in 1971 and

fitted with four 1084, 12 1066 and two

2254A modules. Its aim is to be one of

the very few residential recording

studios in existence with world-class

equipment, but without the sky-high

prices usually associated with such

facilities, which can be prohibitive to

many artists and engineers.

The studio’s air-conditioned control

room comfortably seats six people and

offers clear views over the console to

the live area and booths. There is

plenty of bass trapping, along with a

large rear-wall slat-resonator, creating

a good, flat response. There are also

clear sightlines between the main live

room and each of the two isolation

booths. The cellar houses an additional

isolation booth for amps and doubles

as a truly vintage live chamber.

In the live areas, musicians will find

an array of wonderful instruments and

backline, including a Hammond C3

with Leslie 122, Wurlitzer EP200

electric piano, Jones & Co harmonium,

Otava melodica and 70s Ludwig Drum

Kit with 60s Supraphonic Snare.

In the adjacent ballroom stands a

Bechstein Model B grand piano, to

which mic and headphone lines can

easily be run.

Separate from the family quarters,

Vale has three twin guest rooms and an

additional double room to sleep eight

people or six band members and a

producer. There are separate guest

bath and shower rooms and there is no

charge for studio clients to use Vale’s

guest rooms. The family’s two children,

Emilia and Haydn are likely to be found

around various parts of the house (but

never the studio) during a stay.

GROUSE LODGE, located in Co

Westmeath, Ireland, was launched In

July 2002 and, to this day, remains

Ireland’s only residential studio. It is

situated close to the picturesque

village of Rosemount, an hour’s drive

from Dublin city or Dublin airport.

Prior to opening, the Georgian

estate in which the studio complex is

housed underwent a total

restoration and transformation

process. The complex itself

includes two world-class

studios, both designed

by Andy Munro, along

with nine double

bedrooms in three

separate renovated

stone outhouses.

Each house is a self-

contained unit with

kitchen, bathroom, either

two or three bedrooms with

satellite TV and living room with

large open fire.

The main studio is purpose built, but

integrates the existing 275-year-old

stone structure and features a huge

control room (900 square feet) with

plenty of natural daylight and two large

live rooms with, reportedly, superb

acoustics. The extensive use of local

cut stone gives the space a unique feel

and sound. Studio One is equipped

with a 40-in, 40-out Neve VR60

console with flying faders/total recall,

which was recapped this year by AMS

Neve, while Studio Two features a 36-

channel Neve V-series console.

Both control rooms are equipped

with Dynaudio, Genelec and Yamaha

monitoring. Pro Tools is provided as

standard and a two-inch tape machine

is available upon request.

The company aims to ensure that

its clients are as relaxed as possible

during their stay, contributing

to productive and stress-

free sessions.

To encourage this,

one of the main

features is a health spa,

featuring swimming

pool, sauna, jacuzzi

and gym.

Grouse Lodge has

hosted a wide variety of

international recording

artists including Muse, Snow

Patrol, Bloc Party and Manic

Street Preachers. The late ‘King of Pop’

Michael Jackson began recording what

was to be his comeback album at the

studio and was planning to return there

to finish off the album after his planned

50-night run in London at the 02

Arena. Of course, this never happened

due to his death before the concerts

took place. According to reports, the

tracks recorded at Grouse Lodge will

be released on a new, as yet un-named

album next month

Blondie producer Mike Chapman recorded what he

thinks is some of his best work at Vale studios.

Studios:

Rooms: Studios One and Two, two live rooms

Consoles: Neve VR60, Neve V-series

Mics: Neumann, AKG, Coles, Earthworks, Beyer, Brauner

Outboard: Tube-Tech, Manley, Summit, GML, SSL

Monitoring: Dynaudio, Genelec, Yamaha

People and equipment behind studios

in the UK and around the world...

Grouse Lodge, Ireland

Kallaghan, French RivieraIN BUSINESS since 2005, Kallaghan

Studios is a full service (recording,

mixing and mastering) studio located in

the French Riviera at the foot of the

alps, just 20 minutes drive from Nice

airport. The studio building is situated

right next to the Mediterranean Sea,

giving it a highly desirable

location for long periods of

recording. For this

reason, it also provides

accommodation

facilities, which

include a swimming

pool and garden.

Kallaghan Studios

was founded by 28-

year-old Charles

‘Kallaghan’ Massabo,

who decided to build

his own facility after

several years spent working

in virtually every studio on the

French Riviera, while touring with two

bands as a musician. He initially used

the studio to record his own metal and

funk bands Sikh and Really Addictive

Sound, but as external demand for use

of the facility escalated, he eventually

decided to turn it into a fully fledged

commercial business.

Kallaghan attracts bands from

various European countries, however

the studio also undertakes work for

companies such as Madwaves and

NewWave Labs.

Some of these projects have been

quite substantial and the studio has

been known to partner with other

studios in the area, such as Solid

Sound, Electric and Coxin Hell. Recent

clients have included labels such as

Sony ATV, Sony BMG, Sensory Records

and Aperture Music. Another

high-profile client was

Google, which

commissioned the

studio to produce

music content for

the Android system.

Kallghan’s control

room is based

around a rare Studer

902 console with 24

mic pres, 24 eqs and

16 compressors. At the

core is a Pro Tools HD

system using Apogee

Rosetta 800 and Digidesign 192

converters. The studio also lays claim

to a ‘massive’ collection of plugins.

Over in the live room, empty-

handed musos won’t be caught short

for an instrument or amp, with a Mapex

drum kit, Gibson Les Paul, Fender

Telecaster, Mesa boogie dual rectifier

and Ampeg SVT4 among numerous

pieces. These are complemented by an

assortment of pedals, including the

Maxon eq, Radias Overdrive Red, DOD

Gonkulator Modulator, Boss GT5 and

Electro Harmonix Big Muff.

Rooms: Control room, live room

Consoles: Studer 902

Mics: Neumann, AKG, Røde, Electro Voice

Outboard: Vintech, Manley, TL Audio, Tube Tech, Universal Audio

Monitoring: Dynaudio, Adam

Telephone: Not Listed Web: www.myspace.com/kallaghanstudio

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

To have your studio featured in this section, please send all details to:

[email protected] or call +44 1992 535646

SO, CAN mixing in the box be asexciting as mixing on a largeformat console? The answer isvery nearly, if you have the rightgear to hand.

I must confess that I’m most athome behind a big analog boardbeing fed by a 16 or 24-track two-inch tape machine. If it were up tome, I’d send all my clients to oneof our amazing studios to recordall the material, pick a mix roomsuitable for the job and master itat one of our many top facilities.

But we live in a rapidlychanging technological world andwe have to deal with it. With thedrastic change in the buyingbehaviour of our end users as ourcreative industry struggles to getpaid for music, our clients can’talways rely on the framework and‘safety net’ the record labels usedto provide. This means thatproduction budgets aren’t as largeas they used to be, as we all know.

With all these challengingbudget cuts we find ourselves,more often than not, in a positionwhere we’ll have to mix ‘insidethe box’. All this will put you onan almost endless search for thebest sounding plugins, the mostflexible DAW and the most tactilecontrol surface.

Some may disagree, but I thinkthat nothing beats the feel of afader or the response of a rotarycontroller. We don’t need to beconvinced that mixing is anextremely creative and tactileprocess. Personally, I feel thatusing the mouse to make fadermoves, and especially rotaryfunctions such as compressorthresholds, takes away all the fun.

Clicking a mouse and draggingit round the various controlsseems to take a flash more time tocomplete the operation. Intensivemouse mixing can cause repetitivestrain injury and it appears thatmost of us tend to draw in theautomation parameters ratherthan making ‘human’ fades, taking

the human andcreative touch out ofour modern day mixes.

So why not put a touch of oldschool mixing into our digitalworld? There are plenty ofcontrollers around. Check themout and find the one that worksbest with your software.

My Euphonix MC Mix and MCControl are permanently set up inthe studio. The MC Mix offersyou eight faders with pan controland, with a simple press of abutton, you can access all yourplugin parameters, making mixingin the box pretty much as tactileas in the analog world. The MCControl gives you an extra fourfaders to play with. And sinceEuphonix released Version 2,

there is improved touch screendata access and full transport,zoom and scroll control, providinga lot more versatility.

On top of all this control, oneof the key upsides of all thesewonderful DAW controllers isthat they take your eyes awayfrom the computer screens andencourage you to focus your earson the task at hand.

But enough lecturing from thesonic chef. I know most of usknow the feeling of a good fader,but this is mainly aimed at thosewho have grown up in the digitalworld, controlling everything via amouse and staring at waveformsfor hours.

Get out there, speak to yourpeers, try out the controllers,enjoy the feeling of having fadersunder your fingertips, mix yourheart out and have some fun.

APRS board member Wes Maebeon working ‘inside the box’

One of the key upsides

of controllers is that

they take your eye off

the screen and focus

your ears on the music.

Wes Maebe is a multi-skilled engineer involved in all aspects ofthe studio and live sectors. While spending a great deal of timetouring with artists such as Sting, he freely admits that his firstlove is is studio work and he is most at home either recording,mixing or mastering at his own facility or several top UK rooms.Recent clients have included Alexandra Burke.

Finger Food from theSonic Cuisine


IN SESSION <

THEY SAY: Dante provides a self-

configuring, plug-and-play digital

audio network.

SPECIFICATIONS: The DM-1 can be

installed in the Netmax N8000 or

N8000-1500 chassis to provide high

resolution, low latency audio

transmission over IP networks.

Audinate’s Dante uses standard

Internet Protocols, which works on both

100 Mbits and one Gigabit Ethernet.

The Dante Virtual Soundcard turns a

PC or Mac into a Dante-enabled device.

It provides the ability to play and record

audio using any Windows audio

application with ASIO multichannel audio

support, or any Core Audio Mac

application. It uses the Ethernet port on

the computer to communicate with a

network of other Dante-enabled devices.

> electrovoice.com

DM-1 Dante card forNetmax

THEY SAY: The Mahalia was designed

due to the ever increasing demand for

Neumann U67 sounding microphones.

SPECIFICATIONS: Though it is not an

exact clone, it captures the nuances of

the U67 with the added benefit of nine

selectable polar patterns. It has a dual

backplate 34mm condenser pressure

gradiant capsule. The frequency range

is 20Hz to 20khz. It features an output

Impendance of 150 Ohms.

The SPL handling of the Mahalia is

136db and the self noise is jist 14db (A

weighted). The tube is a GE 5 star

5654w tube and the transformer is a

cinemag 2510, combined for added

warmth and character. Beesneez’s mics

are hand made in Australia.

> beesneezmicrophones.com.au

Beesneez Mahalia tubemicrophone

THEY SAY: NX series stage monitors are

superior in transducer technology,

speaker design and manufacturing.

SPECIFICATIONS: RCF’s new NX 10-

SMA, 12-SMA, and 15-SMA coaxial

monitors feature a newly designed

coaxial neodymium transducers, large

single neodymium ring magnet for

optimised high flux density and BL factor.

Both new transducers are feature hyper-

vented basket and magnetic assembly.

With ten, 12 and 15 inch-woofers,

each wedge contains a high power,

neodymium 2.5-inch voice coil, one-

inch HF driver, titanium dome,

neodymium 1.75-inch voice coil,

between 129 and 130dB max spl, while

providing 90 x 70-degree from a wide

dispersion constant directivity horn.

The NX 10-SMA and the NX 12-SMA

are equipped with new high power

digital amplifiers with digital processing.

> rcf.it

RCF NX series coaxialstage monitors

> PRODUCT

1 2 3 4

NEW GEAR

THEY SAY: The Basis subwoofers all

have Geithain’s cardioid bass

dispersion characteristics to reduce

room mode excitation.

SPECIFICATIONS: The Basis 11K, 13K

and 14K subwoofers are powered by a

1,000W Class-D amplifier. All three

monitors are powered by same new

amp, which delivers a max SPL (1 m) of

112dB, 118dB and 122dB respectively.

Features include a built-in bass

management system for 2.1 channel

monitoring with remote control

override, separate LFE input and

independent level controls for subbass

and LFE. For surround applications, a

separate bass management processor is

available to drive up to 7.2 systems.

Adjustable crossover filters are

provided, and a distance/delay control

calibrated from zero to one metre. A

subwoofer output is also provided.

> me-geithain.de

Musik ElectronicGeithain active subs


3

2

14

Recent releases in audio technology <<<

PRODUCT <


8

THEY SAY: A highly accurate test and

measurement mic.

SPECIFICATIONS: The TM1 is a 6mm

pre-polarised condenser microphone

with omni-directional polar pattern. Its

frequency response is 20Hz to 25kHz.

Designed to capture acoustic

measurements for room analysis

software programs, real-time analysers

and other sound control devices, TM1

requires 18 to 52 Volts phantom power

for operation, and features a four-stage

brass body and capsule housing, nickel

plate finish, Switchcraft XLR, shock

absorbent O-rings and heavy duty snap

to fit mic clip.

Optional accessories include an

acoustic foam windscreen (WS-TM1) that

threads onto the microphone housing

for secure and stable operation, and a

shockmount adapter (SMT-TM1).

> scvlondon.com

Audix TM1 condensermicrophone

THEY SAY: Delivers coverage and

consistency not possible from

traditional line arrays.

SPECIFICATIONS: Martin Audio’s

Multicellular Loudspeaker Array features

six individual cells in each enclosure,

each with its own onboard DSP and

power amplification. A 24-enclosure

array has 144 cells. Martin Audio‘s

proprietary Display 2.0 system design

software automatically calculates FIR

DSP filters for each cell and a redundant-

ring audio network (U-NET) downloads

the settings into each array enclosure.

Martin‘s VU-NET software provides real

time control of the system.

MLA features 140dB peak, per cabinet

@1m output; automatic optimisation of

array; computer control, monitoring and

total control of sound system balance.

Additional features include 90 x 7.5-

degree dispersion; (1136mm (44.7in)

wide x 372mm (14.6in) high x 675mm

(26.5in) deep) dimensions, one-box-fits-

all application range and a global voltage,

power factor corrected power supply.

> martin-audio.com

Martin Multicellularspeaker array

THEY SAY: The Roxdon Vocal Booth is

designed to provide an acoustically

favourable environment to record

studio quality vocals

SPECIFICATIONS: The Roxdon VB-1

can be attached to any sturdy

microphone stand by means of two

rubber-protected clamps on the rear of

the booth. Any standard thread, mic clip

or shock mount can be attached using

the fully adjustable mounting hardware

that is supplied.

For added height, the VB-1 can be

attached to the boom section of a

suitable microphone boom stand if set

in an upright position.

Unlike other similar units, the

RoXdon VB-1 Vocal Booth has two

front wings that are adjustable to vary

the acoustic ambience.

> roxdon.com

THEY SAY: A multi-channel audio

interface featuring next generation

sound quality, Logic and Pro Tools

compatibility.

SPECIFICATIONS: Symphony I/O features

a modular based system, which can

function in standalone mode or connect

directly to a Mac via any Mac-based audio

workstation. The new Symphony system

offers digital audio conversion technology,

new Maestro 2 software, multiple I/O

options and low latency.

A flexible and scalable I/O architecture

is provided in addition to an I/O base

chassis that can accommodate up to two

I/O modules, creating any combination of

analog and digital I/O with USB 2.0,

Symphony and Avid’s Pro Tools.

The new Maestro 2 software offers

integral control of Symphony I/O while

connection to Symphony 64 PCI or

Symphony Mobile Express/34 card

provides low latency with Apple Logic, and

all Apple Core Audio applications.

> apogeedigital.com

5 6 7 8

Roxdon VB-1 vocal booth

Apogee ElectronicsSymphony array

5 6

7


> DISTRIBUTION

Focusrite and Stanton Group

join forces in Great Britain

FOCUSRITE HAS announced thatit will serve as the exclusive UKdistributor of all Stanton DJ andCerwin Vega Pro audio products.

Focusrite have been the exclusiveUK distributors of Stanton’s KRKfor four years. Steve Van Laere,managing director EMEA at StantonGroup commented on theappointment: “Focusrite have shownjust what they were capable of withour KRK brand, making it thenumber one choice for studiomonitors in the UK. The CerwinVega and Stanton brands have hugepotential in the UK, and we’re

excited to be working closely with theFocusrite team to take them tosimilar heights.”

Focusrite's sister company,Novation’s move into the DJ spherewill complement Stanton’s products.

Furthermore, with Focusrite's ownexperience in live sound, withproducts such as the Octo Pre MkIIDynamic, the company feels that itmakes sense to carry the CerwinVega brand into live sound.

Focusrite sales director DamianHawley stated: “At Focusrite, we onlytake on brands that we trust.”> focusrite.com

ADAMSON HAS addedProSonic Audio-Lights

to its Europeandistributionnetwork.

Located on theIsland of Cyprus,Prosonic

represents a newlive sound division

of Pana Sound's groupof companies. Its portfolio

includes Allen & Heath, Shureand T&M Systems. Establishedin 1931, Pana Sound also offerlighting and own retail MI shops. > adamsonsystems.com

WOHLER TECHNOLOGIESannounced that Milan-basedAret Video and AudioEngineering, will serve as anItalian distributor for the fullline of Wohler products.

During the IBC2010 show inAmsterdam, an Aret mobileproduction truck locatedoutside the RAI showcased arange of Wohleraudio andvideomonitoringproductsolutions.>wohler.com

KLING &FREITAG has announced theappointment of Shanghai MYCTechnology Company as theexclusive distributor of Kling &Freitag products.

The company will be fullyresponsible for marketing andsales in Mainland China, Macaoand Hong Kong.

MYC is headquartered inShanghai, China, with 1,000 sqmetres of office area andmodern hi-tech multi-functionalshowroom. It also has regionaloffices in Beijing, Guangzhouand Hong Kong.> kling-freitag.biz

Jands has joined the exclusiveAustralian and New Zealanddistributor for Creator.

Founded in 1997, Creator hasfour distinct product lines,including matrix switchers,controller systems, conferencesystems and LED screens. Thecompany invests 25 per cent oftheir annual revenue every yearstraight back into the R&D tobenefit its product lines.> jands.com.au

IN BRIEF

OPTOCORE HAS appointedSydney-based Professional AudioTechnology as its exclusivedistributor for Australia, withimmediate effect.

The fibre network specialist is thesecond major pro audio brand to beadded to PAT’s portfolio in recentweeks. Earlier this month, the firmannounced that it would bedistributing loudspeaker brandKME’s line of products.

Optocore’s Tine Helmlecommented: “I feel we have foundthe perfect partner in Australia. PATwill concentrate on Optocore’s coremarkets - broadcast, permanent andlive sound.”

Salloch said: “The Optocoreproducts bridge the gap betweenvarious high end manufacturerswhen it comes to having a rock solidand reliable network for audio,video and data.”> optocore.de

Optocore appoints

PAT for Australia

TC Group awards JHS with excusive rights to the line in the England and ROI

JHS awarded distribution of Tannoy’sVQ Live touring loudspeaker system

JOHN HORNBY SKEWES hasbeen appointed as the exclusive sub-distributor of Tannoy’s VQ Livetouring PA system.

TC Group International (TCGI)will continue to manage directrelationships with a small number ofkey accounts in the UK, but JHS’ proaudio division will begin handling allother VQ Live business immediately.

JHS has been involved with TCover the past couple of years and wasrecently appointed as a full-line joint-distributor for the UK for theTC-owned Lab Gruppen poweramplifier range, alongside its HKAudio, Allen & Heath and LA Audiopro product ranges.

“JHS’ impressive track record in thelive sound market and its long standingreputation for professionalism andcommitment to ongoing customersupport across the entire UK market,make this new partnership an excitingprospect,” said Simeon Ludwell,TCGI's UK touring sales manager.

“We look forward to working withthem in realising the full potential ofVQ Live and delivering it to the UKand ROI market.”

JHS MD Dennis Drumm added:“We are delighted to continue toexpand our relationship with TCGI,and bring Tannoy VQ Live to thewider pro audio and specialist resellermarket. VQ Live perfectlycomplements our existing pro audiorange and enables us to offer an evenwider range of solutions.”

Touted as a ‘line array killer’,The VQ Live series features theNet 60 Live, a full range, three-wayloudspeaker system with integrateddigital signal processing, networkcontrol and dual channel Class D amplification.

An accompanying VNet 218DRLive is a direct radiating dual 18-inchsubwoofer cabinet, which extendsthe system’s frequency response ofthe system down to 31Hz.> jhs.co.uk

Down under: Optocore adds PAT

L-R: Focusrite’s Damian Hawley and Stanton’s EMEA MD Steve Van Laere

Soundking Group promotes Patrick Almond

PEOPLE <

FORMER HEAD of marketing forStudiomaster takes on responsibilityfor the group’s brands in Europe

Soundking, parent company ofCadac, Studiomaster and Carlsbro,has announced the appointment ofPatrick Almond as Europeanmarketing manager.

Almond, formerly head of marketingfor Studiomaster, assumes responsibilityfor the marketing of the three brandsthroughout Europe with immediateeffect. In his new role, Almond willoversee the group’s promotionalactivities across the professional audio,live sound, theatre sound, AV, eventproduction and MI sectors.

The appointment is a key aspect ofthe group’s strategy, as Cadacestablishes itself, with a wider product

portfolio, beyond its traditional marketleading position in theatre mixingconsoles, and as Studiomaster re-establishes a prominent position inprofessional and MI PA, andcommercial audio markets.

A re-launch of the Carlsbro brand isscheduled for next year’s PL+S show.

Almond stated: “Our group strategydemands a more integrated approach tomarketing activity across Europeanterritories, as expansion of our brandspresents new challenges andopportunities in new and overlappingmarket sectors. While the brands willcontinue to retain their independentidentities, a common, group fundedmarketing resource will greatly improvetheir market penetration.”> soundking.com


Curious? Please visit our website www.riedel.net

ROCKNET PERFORMANCE AUDIO NETWORKSThe Solution for World Class Events.

NEW!SOUNDCRAFT

STUDER GOES

ROCKNET

CROWN AUDIO has appointedDaniel Saenz as market manager,installed sound.

In his new positionSaenz will beresponsible forworking directly withcustomers to supportdesign anddevelopment ofinstalled systems anddeployment of Crownamplifiers for installapplications. He willreport to vice president ofmarketing, Marc Kellom.

Prior to joining Crown, Saenzserved in multiple roles at Pelton,

Marsh, and Kinsella and LLC, anAV consulting and design firm,

most recently as senior director ofmarketing and business

development andmanaged the Las

Vegas office. In his new role he

was responsible formarketing acoustics,AV, telecomm and

security services as wellas consulting on major

projects in the Las Vegasmarket. These projects ranged

from hotels to theaters andshowrooms and education facilities. > crownaudio.com

Crown Audio names new market

manager for Installed Sound Riedel bolsters roster with two

new team appointments

RIEDEL COMMUNICATIONShas expanded of its productmanagement and sales teams withthe addition of Henning Kaltheunerand Óscar Mezquita.

Kaltheuner is a former product-planning specialist from Yamahawith over 25 years experience in theindustry. He will be handle Riedel’sbackbone technology products.

Óscar Mezquita is a former salesmanager from Clear-Com andSiemens who brings more than tenyears of experience in internationalbroadcast sales as well as extensiveengineering know-how to the team.> riedel.net Henning Kaltheuner joins Riedel

Former Studiomaster head of marketing takes on responsibility for the group’s brands in European markets

SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT

SOUND TECHNOLOGYSOUND TECHNOLOGY is one of thelargest and longest running independentdistributors of pro audio equipment inthe UK. Its portfolio of brands for theprofessional audio markets includes theentire Harman Professional range –AKG, BSS, Crown, dbx, JBL Pro,Lexicon and Soundcraft – and numerousother class-leaders, such as Solid StateLogic, TL Audio and JoeCo.

Having acquired the UK directdistribution division from HarmanInternational in 2008, the formerHarman Pro UK and existing SoundTechnology companies were merged andnow operate from Sound Technology’sLetchworth Garden City headquarters,where centralised logistics and accountsare complemented by market-specificsales and support teams.

Sound Technology and its portfolio ofbrands serves numerous market sectors;installed audio and engineered soundsolutions, cinema sound, live sound,studio and broadcast and MI retail. Tobetter serve the pro audio markets, agradual restructuring has seen an ever-increasing emphasis placed on technicaland support services. Earlier this year thecompany announced the formation of itscommercial audio Project Team. TheProject Team, with experience in theaudio design and delivery of world-class

venues, provides pre and post salessupport for individual products and,critically, ‘engineered’ system solutions.

Key customers of Sound Technologycan call upon the Project Team in theUK, which, combined with additionalresources from Harman's global supportnetwork, offers unprecedented back-upfor their audio projects, from earlyplanning through to delivery. Andworking in conjunction with leadingaudio consultants, the Project Teamhelps to ensure the smoothest possibledelivery of prestigious installations.

Sound Technology also runs monthlyfree-of-charge in-house training coursesfor BSS Soundweb London audionetworking and for Soundcraft’s digitallive sound consoles. The company hasalso recently increased its demonstrationfacilities to include, notably, full-size andsub-compact JBL VerTec line array,Crown V-Rack and high-end SSL, TLAudio and Lexicon studio hardware.> soundtech.co.uk

� MARKETPLACE ADVERTISERS INDEX �

Adam Hall 01702 613922

Crown +1574 294 8093 www.itechd.com

DBT 0800 239 2848 www.dbtechnologies.com

Eyecote 01600 72443 www.dvd-testing.com

Full Fat Audio www.fullfataudio.com

Gasoline www.gasoline.co.uk

Graphic Nature 01992 558 800 www.graphicnature.co.uk

GHQ 0207 8749 5654 www.wesonator.co.uk

Leisuretec +44 (0) 1525 850085 [email protected]

Neutrik +44 (0) 1983 811 441 www.neutrik.com

Powersoft www.armoniasuite.com

Sound Marketing 01296 621 052 www.soundmarketing.co.uk

Sound Technology 01462 480 000 www.soundtech.co.uk

TEAC 01923 438 880 [email protected]

TL Audio 01234 772 244 www.larkingslist.com

Wild Distribution 01342 841 637 www.wilddistribution.com

AUDIOMARKETPLACE

CLASSIFIED RATES:Minimum 12 Months -

One Annual Charge

Quarter Page £1,495

To advertise call

Darrell Carteron 01992 535647

� �

DISTRIBUTOR

Its fully functional DSP processor enables complex calculations, and allows digital signal processing functions along with completely free configurability and adaptability, providing new solutions.

online control that’s in the zone AUDAC presents the R2, a powerful multi-zone audio distribution system.

www.adamhall.comAudac is exclusively available in the UK, from

laptop not included

oe clinno

lorton

metsyn soitubirtsidnoz-itlul mufrewop

s tnteserAC pDUA

s in t’thatoe clinno

snoitulow seg nnidivorpadadnaytilibarugifnocmochtiwgnolasnotcnufoprlangislatigdiswollalucalcxelpmocselbanepPSDlanoitncufyllufstI

.midue an

, a2e Rh

enoe zhtlorton

sytlibatprfyletelpm

g nissecoa,snotaossecopr

snoitulow seg nnidivorp

.s

mor, fKe Uhn te ilbaliavvy alevvisulcxxs eicaduA

mo.clalhmaad.www

DISTRIBUTOR

Active & passive speakers Line array InEar & Wireless Public adress

The sound of experience

a member of

dBTechnologies Deutschland GmbH

International Sales Offi ce

Direct: +49 2203 9253723

Freephone: 0803 234 2848

Sales Representative North

Rob Moore: 07595 672157

Sales Representative South

Rich Soper: 07734 532117

www.dbtechnologies.com

> MARKETPLACE

MARKETPLACE <

MANUFACTURER

DISTRIBUTOR

LOUDSPEAKER

PERFORMANCE YOUCAN TRUST

Your audience deserves to hear every note, every word, and every beat. PRX600 Series

speakers were designed from the ground up to perform in the real world where difficult

acoustical environments, high ambient noise levels or loud volumes are the norm. And our 60

years of building speakers is engineered into every PRX600. Knowing that you can rely on your

system to deliver gives you the freedom to deliver your very best.

That’s performance you can trust.

Learn more at www.jblpro.com/prx600 or

call Sound Technology Ltd on 01462 480000

DISTRIBUTOR

> MARKETPLACE

MANUFACTURER

DISTRIBUTOR

LOUDSPEAKER

HS-P82

TASCAM’s HS-P82 offers 8 tracks of the highest quality recording, yet it’s built for the rigors of location recording with reliable solid-state performance. The HS-P82 is built for location television and fi lm production audio, with eight microphone inputs for big shoots or reality programs. The standard XLR microphone inputs include phantom power and analog limiting, with trims controlled from recessed front-panel controls. In addition to the eight individual tracks, a stereo mixdown can be recorded for instant use during editing. Audio is recorded at up to 192kHz/24-bit WAV format to a pair of Compact Flash cards. This solid state media is completely reliable with no moving parts, and you can record to both cards simultaneously for extra security. The Broadcast WAV fi les include iXML metadata for quick import into nearly any video or audio editing system, either via the USB 2.0 connection or a standard card reader. The HS-P82 offers several options for power. It runs on either AA or NP batteries, an included AC adapter, external DC input or a V-mount adapter for Endura batteries. An internal slate microphone is available for naming takes. Functions like a 5-second pre-record buffer, front panel lockout and headphone output alert signal further inspire confi dence. For high-resolution music recording, a set of AES/EBU connectors is available for attaching pedigree A/D converters and preamplifi ers. SMPTE timecode in and out, video and word sync are provided. All of this is controlled from a colour touchscreen interface which makes operation fast and simple.

DISTRIBUTOR

Looking for a sound engineerwith ALL of these qualities?...

A starmakes us soundlike us, only better

Great earsgets fantastic

sound

Gear Headknows all the gearand all the tricks

Great address bookgood studio and

producer relationships

Nice persongets on with everyone,

recommended byprevious clients

Plays an instrumentspeaks our language

Feet firmly on groundno big ego,

"no prob" attitude

Superficialresemblance to Kid Rock

(not a deal breaker)

Good communicatorquick to understand

what we want

Will traveland speaks four

languages

Wes Maebe: Freelance recording, mixing, mastering and live engineer

T: 07875 401114 E: [email protected] www: wesonator.co.uk

Email Wes for your FREE copy of his 10 Top tips for Optimising Your Recording Session

...Better call Wes then

STUDIO

MARKETPLACE <

PR

PRMANUFACTURER

MANUFACTURER

High Speed Cost effective CD/DVD quality assurance

www.dvd-testing.com

NEW to Market - The DVX-3 Ultra High Speed CD/DVD Analyzer is

the fastest, most convenient and cost effective test system on the

market today. The DVX-3 is a stand alone system employing a

touch screen that needs no PC, keyboard or mouse - comes with

the ‘Analogue Measurement Module’ and 'Quick-Scan' as standard

With the new QuickScan feature, it can test a DVD-5 in as little as

38 seconds - DVX -3 also Performs bit-for-bit verification on all

formats including video, audio & Enhanced CD.

The DVX Autoloader option fully automates DVD and CD testing. It

is a standalone system that includes a built-in PC with Windows XP.

Just add a monitor, keyboard, mouse and printer and you're ready

to go to work. In automation mode, DVD and CD discs are tested,

and the detailed results are automatically saved.

250 Disc Capacity

Auto Detect Format - Mix CD's & DVD's

Proven Reliable Robotics, Standalone System (includes built-in PC)

STUDIO

> MARKETPLACE

MAKE SOMENOISE

CONTACT: DARRELL [email protected]

Tel: 01992 53647

GET YOUR PRODUCTS OR SERVICES IN FRONT OF THE WHOLE INDUSTRY

MARKETPLACE

Europe’s No.1 show for professional AV and electronic systems integration presented by

audioPRO September 2010 www.audioprointernational.com

To discuss advertising contact Darrell Carter on 01992 535647 [email protected] editorial enquiries email Andrew Low [email protected] or call 01992 535646

Intent Media is a

member of the Audit

Bureau of Circulation

and the Periodical

Publishers Association

Audio Pro International is published 11 times a year by Intent Media

~ Saxon House, 6A St. Andrew Street, Hertford SG14 1JA, England

© Intent Media 2010. No part of this publication may be

reproduced in any form or by any means without prior permission

of the copyright owners. Printed by Manson Group, AL3 6PZ If you or one of your colleagues would like to request a

subscription to Audio Pro International, please email

[email protected] or call 01580 883848

SUBSCRIPTIONSUK: £50 Europe: £60 Rest of world: £90

ISSN: 1755-4918

If you would like to receive your own copy of Audio Pro International, please email our

subscriptions department on: [email protected] or call 01580 883848A

A

Red Square Audio’s Paul Nicholson, APG’s Xavier Pion and Innovason’s Hervé DeCaro celebrate after hours on Red Square’s booth (above). Visitors enjoy a drink

with Digico (below left). DJ Kidney’s beats are on show (below right).

PLASA PARTYING

Fred Heuves (l), Former CMO of the Ampco

Flashlight Group, Holland, and Liviu Stanescu (r),

GM of Five's International, Romania, pose with

their best catches from a trip to the Danube Delta

in south-east Romania.

AUDIO FISH OF THE MONTH

The last word in Audio Pro

The Audio Pro paparazzi is infiltrating all audio events, snapping away for our

monthly Mixdown, which features friendly faces of people in the business and

shots from industry events. If you have any pictures from an event that you

would like us to include, please send them to [email protected].

10 YEARS STRONGdB Technologies’ Harald von Falkenstein and Anne Liversidge

pose for a snap at the company’s tenth anniversary party.

www.adamhall.com

Adam Hall have been producing top quality, durable flight case

hardware and fittings since the 70s. In addition, we distribute

a wide range of well-known event and audio products.

Our extensive portfolio includes LD Systems, LD Premium,

Eminence, Defender, Audac, Palmer and Adam Hall’s own

stands and cables to name but a few. For more information

call Adam Hall on 01702 613922.

Audio Pro October 2010 - Issue 33

Documents

Transcript of Audio Pro October 2010 - Issue 33