JULY / AUGUST 2013 | 23.5
the international publication for technology in entertainment
july / august 2013
EUROPE & AMERICAS EDITION
epicureanism peter trojkov ic • theme p ar k s theatr ic al lighting
www.mondodr.com
PLSS13_236x154_Mondo dr.pdf
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W ELCOME mondo*dr 23.5 July / August 2013
ON THE COVER Hakkasan Las Vegas, USA Photo by Erik Kabik General Manager Justin Gawne / j.gawne@mondiale.co.uk Editor Rachael Rogerson / r.rogerson@mondiale.co.uk Assistant Editor Helen Fletcher / h.fletcher@mondiale.co.uk Advertising Manager Jamie Dixon / j.dixon@mondiale.co.uk Marketing / Circulation subscriptions@mondiale.co.uk Accounts Amanda Giles / a.giles@mondiale.co.uk Production David Bell, Mel Robinson, Dan Seaton Group Chairman Damian Walsh Mondiale Publishing Waterloo Place, Watson Square, Stockport SK1 3AZ United Kingdom Tel: +44 161 476 8340 | Fax: +44 161 429 7214 Annual Subscription Rates (7 Issues) UK: £30.00 / Europe: £50.00 / Rest Of World: £65.00 2 year rates are available on request. Subscribe online at www.mondiale.co.uk or call +44 (0)161 476 5580 ISSN: 1476 4067 Mondo DR (ISSN 1476 4067) is published in January, March, May, July, September, November and December by Mondiale Publishing Limited, Waterloo Place, Watson Square, Stockport, SK1 3AZ, United Kingdom Subscription records are maintained at Mondiale Publishing Limited, Waterloo Place, Watson Square, Stockport, SK1 3AZ, United Kingdom
mondo@mondiale.co.uk www.mondodr.com Printed by Buxton Press, Palace Road, Buxton, UK
The past couple of months have been somewhat of a whirlwind, with many weeks spent out on the road but after numerous emails and phone calls to keep track of where we’re up to, as well as a video meeting via Skype, the mondo*dr team is finally back together. I’m sure many of you will have been keeping track of our whereabouts via our facebook page and you’ll be able to read more about our adventures in both this issue and the next. People always ask me if I enjoy travelling and at the moment the answer is yes, witnessing five different cultures in four weeks is something people dream of but I’m actually living that dream. I’ve seen the Korean’s zest for entertaining nightlife - although no karaoke for me this time around - Czech Republic’s beauty and charm, the high-flyers of Dubai, the hustle and bustle of India and the intensity of China over the last few weeks and I have even more exciting trips lined up for later this year. Maybe one day it will become tiring but as I still consider myself a relative newbie in this industry in comparison to many - although I am celebrating five years at mondo*dr this summer - I’m cherishing every single moment. In other news there has been yet more acquisitions since I last wrote this introduction at the end of April. The latest announcements include Electra Partners taking over mixing console manufacturer, Allen & Heath from D&M Holdings and the Milos Group - which already includes Milos Structural Systems, Litec and Tomcat - adding Mobil Tech International to its portfolio. The latter is strengthening its brand and I guess will be trying to increase its market share. Similarly, over the next months we’ll be looking to boost the mondo*dr brand using a number of different methods. I’m keeping the details under wraps for now but keep your eyes peeled. Before all that though, I’m heading abroad again on what seems to have become an annual visit to Singapore and Australia, a trip that I always thoroughly enjoy. I’ve heard a few positive and negative whispers about both shows - Palme Asia and Entech - and I’ll be interested to see if any present themselves. Helen Fletcher will be heading down for Integrate next month too, her first trip Down Under so if you see her on the show floor, be sure to say hello. Rachael Rogerson | Editor
CONTENT S 014 020
in brief EXPO DIARY
IN DEP T H 024
024 032
INTERVIEW
peter trojkovic
REPORT
theme parks & Attractions
IN FO CUS 032
048
054
048
vanemuine teater, tartu
054
studio F, dubai
060
villa orsini, mirabella eclano
064
hakkasan, las vegas
070
paprika, st clair / carnival city, gulf city
076
lake placid center, ADIRONDACK MOUNTAINS
080
sohyang arts center, busan
086
kyo, singapore
IN BUSINE S S 064
070
076
080
092
koba, seoul
094
showlight, cesky krumlov
096
palme me, dubai
098
palm expo india, mumbai
102
palm expo china, beijing
108
infocomm, orlando
112
086
122
product guide
theatrical lighting
118
Product directory
122
lAST PAGE INTERVIEW harry de lon - elation
The 2013 US annual subscription price is 102.00. Airfreight and mailing in the USA by agent named Air Business Ltd, c/o Worldnet Shipping Inc., 156-15, 146th Avenue, 2nd Floor, Jamaica, NY 11434, USA Periodicals postage paid at Jamaica NY 11431. US Postmaster: Send address changes to MONDO DR, Air Business Ltd, c/o Worldnet Shipping Inc., 156-15, 146th Avenue, 2nd Floor, Jamaica, NY 11434, USA
012 AD INDEX
FRANÇAIS
DEUTSCH
ITALIANO
ESPAÑOL
Les deux derniers mois ont été comme un tourbillon avec de nombreuses semaines passées sur la route mais après de nombreux courriels et appels téléphonique pour tenter de savoir où nous en étions, ainsi qu’une conférence vidéo par Skype, l’équipe mondo*dr s’est finalement remise en place. Je suis certain que beaucoup d’entre vous nous ont suivi nos allées et venues via notre page sur Facebook et vous serez à mêmes d’en lire davantage sur nos aventures tant dans cette édition que dans la prochaine. Les gens me demandent toujours si j’aime voyager et en ce moment-ci, la réponse est oui ; être témoin de cinq cultures différentes en quatres semaines est une chose dont les gens rêvent mais moi je la vis réellement. J’ai vue la passion de la Corée pour animer la vie nocturne, la beauté et le charme de la République tchèque, les jeunes loups de Dubai, l’agitation de l’Inde et l’intensité de la Chine au cours des dernières semaines et j’ai encore plus de voyages excitants prévus plus tard cette année. Peut-être qu’un jour ceci deviendra fatiguant mais je suis un relativement un nouvel arrivant dans cette industrie, bien que je fête cinq années au Mondiale cet année ; je savoure chaque instant.
Die letzten Monate glichen einer Art Wirbelwind, mit vielen Wochen unterwegs, doch nach zahlreichen E - M a i l s u n d Te l e f o n a n r u f e n v o n irgendwo unterwegs sowie einer Videokonferenz via Skype, ist das mondo*dr-Team nun endlich wieder zurück. Ich bin überzeugt, viele von Ihnen haben uns aufmerksam über unsere FacebookSeite verfolgt und Sie können nun in dieser und der nächsten Ausgabe mehr über unsere Abenteuer erfahren. Ich werde oft gefragt, ob ich gerne auf Reisen bin und momentan ist die antwort Ja, fünf verschiedene Kulturen in vier Wochen zu erleben ist etwas, von dem viele träumen, aber was ich tatsächlich erlebe. Ich habe Koreas Vergnügen an unterhaltsamem Nachtleben, die Schönheit und den Charme der Tschechischen Republik, die Überflieger von Dubai, die Hektik und Dynamik Indiens und die Intensität Chinas während der letzten Wochen erlebt und sogar noch spannendere Reisen für Ende des Jahres eingeplant. Vielleicht werde ich es eines Tages leid sein, doch ich bin noch ein relativer Neuling in dieser Industrie – auch wenn ich diesen Sommer meinen fünften Geburtstag bei Mondiale feiere – und ich genieße jeden einzelnen Augenblick.
Gli ultimi due mesi sono stati caratterizzati da un turbine di attività fra cui molte settimane trascorse viaggiando. Al termine di numerose telefonate ed email nonchè video-chiamate con Skype, necessarie a comprendere in quali luoghi si stessero svolgendo le attività, la squadra mondo*dr è ritornata alla base. Sono certo che molti di voi si siano tenuti aggiornati sui nostri movimenti attraverso la nostra pagina Facebook e che sarete in grado di conoscere meglio le nostre prossime avventure in questo numero e nel successivo. Le persone mi chiedono spesso se amo viaggiare ed al momento la mia risposta è sì. Incontrare cinque diverse culture in quattro settimane è qualcosa che la gente sogna di fare, ma io lo sto effettivamente vivendo. Nelle ultime settimane ho visto l’entusiasmo della Corea per l’organizzazione dell’intrattenimento notturno, la bellezza e il fascino della Repubblica Ceca, le ambiziose carriere a Dubai, il fermento dell’India e l’intensità della Cina, ed ho ancora altri eccitanti giri in programma per la seconda parte dell’anno. Forse un giorno diventerà un’attività stancante ma al momento, dato che sono un nuovo arrivato in questa industria, nonostante stia per celebrare nella prossima estate i cinque anni di appartrenenza alla Casa editrice Mondiale, sto sfruttando ogni istante dell’esperienza.
El último par de meses ha sido una especie de torbellino con muchas semanas en la carretera, pero luego de numerosos emails y llamados telefónicos para rastrear por dónde andábamos y de una reunión vía Skype, el equipo de mondo*dr está junto de nuevo finalmente. Estoy seguro que muchos de ustedes seguirán el rastro de nuestra ubicación a través de nuestro Facebook y podrán leer más acerca de nuestras aventuras tanto en esta edición como en la próxima. La gente siempre me pregunta si disfruto de viajar y en este momento la respuesta es sí, vivenciar cinco culturas diferentes en cuatro semanas es algo con lo que la gente sueña pero que yo realmente vivo. He visto el sabor del entretenimiento nocturno de Corea, la belleza y el encanto de la República Checa, a los ambiciosos de Dubai, el ajetreo de la India y la intensidad de China en las últimas semanas y aún tengo más viajes apasionantes programados para el resto del año. Tal vez algún día se torne cansador pero como aún soy un relativo novato en esta industria- a pesar de que este verano cumplo cinco años en Mondiale- estoy aprovechando cada uno de los momentos.
ACM Audio ........................................ 107
Fenix.................................................... 73
Light Sky Fly Dragon.......................... 117
Quest Engineering ............................... 56
AD Systems ......................................... 83
Funktion One ....................................... 57
Look Solutions ..................................... 95
RCF .................................................... 79
ADJ Europe ....................................... 119
GET Show ......................................... 117
Martin Professional ................................ 3
Renkus-Heinz..................................... 101
Antari ................................................... 90
Global Truss China .............................. 27
MBN ............................................ 83 & 85
Robe ................................................... 19
Camco ................................................ 17
Guangzhou Brighthole Lighting .............. 6
Meyer Sound ...................................... BC
SAE China ........................................... 85
Chauvet ............................................... 97
Guangzhou Caiyi Light Disco FINE ........ 4
Nicolaudie............................................ 12
Starway ............................................... 75
d&b audiotechnik ................................. 63
Havells Sylvania Europe ....................... 53
One Systems ....................................... 29
Steinigke ............................................. 81
D.A.S. Audio...................................... 105
K-array ................................................. 13
PLASA ................................................ 31
Studio Due ........................................ 123
Deton Diyi Audio Equipment ................... 5
Kling & Freitag ..................................... 39
Powersoft ............................................ 51
Studiomaster ..................................... 116
DiGiCo .................................................. 2
Kobble Digital ........................................ 7
PR Lighting .......................................... 15
Sunlite Nicolaudie .................................. 8
Duratruss ............................................. 61
KV2 Audio ........................................... 95
Prolight+Sound Shanghai ...................... 6
TOA .................................................... 10
Elation ................................................. 35
Lab.gruppen ........................................ 87
Prolyte ............................................... 109
Weifa ................................................. 121
Europodium ......................................... 43
Le Maitre ........................................... 101
Pulsar Light of Cambridge ................... 59
XTA ..................................................... 30
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ADVERTS
014 in brief - europe/middle east/africa
IN BRIEF
THEATERSPINNEREI L IT BY D IGITA L P R OJE CTIO N Digital Projection is proud to sponsor one of the largest outdoor AV events in Europe - a theatre project in Nürtingen, Germany. The Titan Super Quad range of projectors have been chosen to illuminate the buildings in an open air theatrical piece - The Poor Poet - performed in the old town of Nürtingen near Stuttgart. During the Theaterspinnerei, event images will project on various buildings including the historical church and town hall, with the content provided by a coolux Pandora’s Box media server.
FUNK TIO N - O N E AT THE 55T H VE N IC E BIE N N A LE Funktion-One’s Italian partner, Sound Division, has taken the British loudspeaker manufacturer to the centre of the art world - to the 55th Venice Biennale. Funktion-One loudspeakers feature in ‘Time Lapse’ - an exhibit that combines architecture, vintage products and photography with a sound installation - and in an exhibit by artist Francesca Grilli. The Funktion-One loudspeakers are displayed, not hidden; their visual identities, as well as their sonic qualities, are very much part of the installation.
M US CAT F E STI VAL OF LI GHTS A&O Technology illuminated the capital of Oman, Muscat, along with many of its most notable sights as part of the Muscat Festival of Lights, bathing in changing colours not only the coastal road but also such landmarks as the Riyam Monument, the Mutrah Fort and the Mutrah Gate. The Sultanate of Oman stages the Muscat Festival every year, though the Muscat Festival of Lights is itself a new addition to the festivities. A&O Technology deployed for the premiere a total of 74 high-powered searchlights from its own Falcon range, accompanied by more than 300 LED fixtures and two lasers.
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016 in brief - asia/PACIFIC/OCeania
N AT IO N A L SCI E N CE AN D TECHNOLOGY CENTRE QUESTACON Canberra’s National Science and Technology Centre Questacon has become the first Australian institution to invest in Philips Selecon’s fully tunable high output LED PL1 luminaires. The centre - which attracts more than 420,000 visitors each year - has purchased 20 of the PL1s, which draw on Philips’ pioneering technology to meet the everyday challenges of illuminating the world’s museums, art galleries and stages.
A N O L I S I N S TA L L E D IN GCCEC Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre (GCCEC) has continued its investment in energy efficient lighting upgrades and solutions by installing more than 500 Anolis power-saving full colour spectrum LED fixtures throughout the venue’s foyer and corridor areas. The Centre’s decision to invest in the latest Anolis Lighting fixture solutions for the second stage of lighting upgrades comes after the successful stage one supply of Anolis LED Lighting fixtures to the common foyer and function areas of the Centre by the ULA Group.
W ILD F IR E STI MU LATE S THE SENSES Wildfire, one of the best waterfront restaurants in Sydney, has gained an enviable reputation over the years for fine dining, fine wine, all with a stunning view. Recently, owner Ton i Farac decided it was time to give their fine establishment an audio makeover calling in the experts at Compact Monitor Systems. Compact Monitor Systems completely dismantled the existing audio system and replaced all of the processing with BSS BLU, all amplifiers to Crown Audio and added a wide range of JBL speakers.
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018 in brief - the americas
C O O L S O U N D FO R ICEHOUSE
Photo by George Georgallis
One of the hottest new venues in Minneapolis’s thriving live music scene, Icehouse has interior finishes of wood and brick ceilings with walls of metal, glass and brick, which underscore the building’s industrial past but the space has been reborn as a bar and restaurant featuring live performance nightly. Icehouse’s team of sound gurus Jay Perlman, Alex Proctor and Cody Anderson turned to a team combining local Electro-Voice dealer Chris Vnak of Metro Sound and Lighting with Electro-Voice’s Mike Doucot to complete the audio overhaul.
NEW YORK CITY’S V ITAE RE STA URA N T Located near Grand Central Terminal, in New York City’s Midtown East neighbourhood, Vitae is a classy, upscale restaurant featuring a ‘New American’ menu. Designed by architect Niels Guldager of New York interior design firm Studio CMP, Vitae draws on the history of Midtown while bearing a strong contemporary identity that includes sound and acoustics as important design elements. David Schwartz of Essential Communications designed the sound system for Vitae, he chose Community’s new D-Series ceiling loudspeakers to meet the restaurant’s design goals of clarity and consistent level.
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EXPO DIARY 2013 MEDIATECH
INTEGRATE
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA 17-19 JULY 2013 www.mediatech.co.za
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
PALME ASIA
IBC
SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE 17-19 JULY 2013 www.palmeseries.com/asia
AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS
ENTECH
INFOCOMM INDIA
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA 23-25 JULY 2013 www.entechintech.com
MUMBAI, INDIA
PALMM
EXPO MUSIC
MANILA, PHILIPPINES
Sﾃグ PAULO, BRAZIL
15-17 AUGUST 2013 www.globallinkmp.com
18-22 SEPTEMBER 2013 www.expomusic.com.br
27-29 AUGUST 2013 www.integrate-expo.com
13-17 SEPTEMBER 2013 www.ibc.org
17-19 SEPTEMBER 2013 www.infocomm-india.com
www.mondodr.com LIGHTING WEEK
MUSIC MOSCOW
Sﾃグ PAULO, BRAZIL
MOSCOW, RUSSIA
18-20 SEPTEMBER 2013 www.lwbr.com.br
17-20 OCTOBER 2013 www.musicmoscow.com
PLASA
INFOCOMM MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA
LONDON, UK 6-9 OCTOBER 2013 www.plasashow.com
DUBAI, UAE 20-24 OCTOBER 2013 www.infocomm-mea.com
BROADCAST INDIA
JAPEX
MUMBAI, INDIA 9-11 OCTOBER 2013 www.broadcastindiashow.com
JARKARTA, INDONESIA 30 OCTOBER - 3 NOVEMBER 2013 www.jiexpo.com
PROLIGHT + SOUND SHANGHAI
ILDA
SHANGHAI, CHINA
AALEN, GERMANY 4-6 NOVEMBER 2013 www.laserist.org
10-13 OCTOBER 2013 www.prolight-sound.com
17 - 19 July 2013, Coca-Cola Dome, Johannesburg, South Africa
www.mediatech.co.za
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IN DEP TH
INTERVIEW PETER TROJKOVIC
REPORT THEME PARKS & ATTRACTIONS
The interviewee for this issue’s Big Interview is a well-known character Down Under and beyond. CMI’s Peter Trojkovic has brought many brands to the forefront of the Australian market through sheer determination and a lot of hard work. Peter tells his story from his first apprenticeship in the building trade up to his fiveyear plan ahead. The Theme Parks and Attractions Report is introduced by David Gray of Oasis Enterprises, who talks us through the integration of technology within themed environments. This is followed by a very wide variety of case studies ranging from traditional rollercoasters to mirror maze adventures.
024 INTERVIEW
“BY THE TIME I WAS 21 I HAD PAID OFF MY FIRST HOUSE AND HAD AT LEAST SIX EMPLOYEES WORKING FOR ME.” PETER TROJKOVIC Described as a dog with a bone for his salesmanship Peter Trojkovic of CMI is ambitious, hard working and knowledgeable of the audio industry. When Rachael Rogerson interviewed him she found out how he put all these attributes into play to come out on top.
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INTERVIEW 025
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026 INTERVIEW
Peter with his brother Drago Trojkovic and co-Director of CMI, Graeme Mitchell
It is thought that Aborigines from South East Asia were the first people to set foot - more than 50,000 years ago - on the land that we know today as Australia. However, it wasn’t until 1770 that Captain James Cook claimed the island for British settlement. Over the years various communities settled into different Australian territories, but after the two World Wars had a significant effect on the population and the economy, the country was in need of some revitalisation. Investements paid off when in the 1960s migrants from Europe and the Middle East started to arrive in Australia, which today is home to people from more than 200 different nationalities. Among the migrants of the early 1960s was the Trojkovic family, originally from a small island off the coast of Croatia. The family uprooted its three children from the Adriatic sea for a life in Geelong, a provincial town 75km southwest of Melbourne. It was there that Peter Trojkovic along with his brothers Luke and Drago were educated and their path into the music business began, although Peter tried his hand at another trade first. By his own admittance, Peter wasn’t a studious child and he left education at the earliest possible opportunity, choosing to take up an apprenticeship instead. Eager to plunge feet first into a working environment Peter accepted his first job offer as an apprentice in the building trade and despite knowing that he didn’t really want to spend his life in the trade, he certainly gave it his all. Peter explained: “On completing my four year apprenticeship I entered in to a partnership with a fellow worker and by the time I was 21 I had paid off my first house and had at least six employees working for me.” This set Peter in good stead but he was still just a 21-year-old, and like many youths in the ‘70s he dreamt of the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle. While he’d been learning the building trade, his brothers had formed a band so he decided to try his hand at being their roadie and “at the weekends we would spend our time building and selling speaker cabinets out of our parent’s garage,” said Peter. The manufacturing business gathered pace quickly so Peter’s brother, Drago sourced premises and set up shop selling professional audio equipment and musical instruments. Peter kept a watchful eye on the business and always offered a helping hand, but it wasn’t until he reached the age of 24 when he made the decision to jump ship from the builders yard into the world of professional audio. With an enhanced www.mondodr.com
“This quickly grew to become the second largest audio production company in Australia, boasting clients such as LRB, Men at Work, Midnight Oil, John Farnham and many others.”
TRUSS YOU CAN TRUST
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International distribution Germany: Europe: Americas: S.E.Asia: Japan:
www.globaltruss.de www.globaltruss.de www.cosmictruss.com www.globaltruss-sea.com www.soundhouse.co.jp
France: Spain: Australia: Singapore: Taiwan:
www.globaltruss.fr www.fenixlt.es www.dq.com.au www.excelsingapore.com www.ezstage.com.tw
Chile: India: India:
www.valook.cl www.fb.com/stardimensionsindia www.modernstageservice.in
Lebanon: Dubai:
skypub17@hotmail.com www.desertbeat.com
028 INTERVIEW
Peter with Chris Kennedy of Norwest Productions
workforce full of ambition, the correct surroundings were vital. Peter said: “We ventured in to the big smoke of Melbourne and set up an additional shop [to the one in Geelong] and then another in Melbourne, just 12 months later.” Once in Melbourne, Peter’s attention turned to the professional audio sector and he was quick to set up a separate rental division Troy Sound Reinforcement, which operated from the same outlet as Troy Music, the retail arm of the business. Peter built the rental side of the business to a substantial level, at which point he felt some investment from more experienced industry players would help the business to grow even further. After researching the market, Peter approached Balance Sound, a smaller competitor with three industry veterans attached, Ernie Rose, Grant Walsh and Adrian Smith. The amalgamation of the companies was finalised in 1984 and Troy Balance Corporation was born. “This quickly grew to become the second largest audio production company in Australia, boasting clients such as LRB, Men at Work, Midnight Oil, John Farnham and many others,” said Peter. The company managed to establish an iconic concert production set-up known as ‘The Lord Nelson System’. It was a system conceived with a philosophy of achieving the best possible audio quality and combining it with the most convenient set-up and operating parameters. Troy Balance Corporation was responsible for supplying audio at the first pre game entertainment showcase for the Australian football league grand final in 1986, which was broadcast to more than 70 countries and provided a sound solution for the Papal’s visit to Adelaide in 1988. For a second time in his career Peter was making waves at the top-end of the business. While Peter focussed on the rental and production side of the audio industry his brother Drago was busy in the retail market and advanced into importation. In 1978, under a new company name - Central Musical Instruments (CMI) - Drago began wholesaling musical instruments and audio products for the MI retail market, representing brands including Rickenbacker, Fender, Digitech, Dean Markley, Seymour Duncan and he still continues to sell many of these brands today. The brothers enjoyed many successful years in both areas of the business but began to feel the pinch in the early ‘90s when the Australian economy took a turn for the worst and spiralled into recession. “We both become stale and somewhat disillusioned with our lot, no longer enjoying what we were doing,” said Peter. This is when Drago suggested we sell off our production company and I join him at CMI with a goal of both taking it a little easier. With the two of us sharing responsibilities at CMI the idea was to work less and enjoy it more,” he continued. Peter grabbed the suggestion with both hands knowing that it was an attractive idea and the best way forward. “I immediately commenced the orderly sell off of the production business and I can tell you that we did everything but take it easy. With the two of us in the same company, together we found so much more energy and drive.” Today, CMI represents a number of high-end brands in the professional audio market including Adamson, HK Audio, MC² Audio, XTA, One Systems, Duran Audio, Mackie and Tascam. Co-Director and CMI shareholder, Graeme Mitchell and Peter have invested a lot of time and effort over the last 10 years to acquire new brands to distribute and although the road to setting up new distributorships has seen tough times along the way, these have been balanced out with some fun times too. Peter recalled: “Probably the funniest distribution story I have is when www.mondodr.com
“...Chris Kennedy from Norwest Productions - one of my biggest adversaries during my time in concert production and Adamson’s biggest client in Australia - stated that ‘if any one can make the product happen in Australia Peter can because he is like a dog with a bone’.” Jesse Adamson approached us to represent Adamson System Engineering in Australia. I asked why he wanted us to represent his product. To which he replied that Chris Kennedy from Norwest Productions - one of my biggest adversaries during my time in concert production and Adamson’s biggest client in Australia - stated that ‘if any one can make the product happen in Australia Peter can because he is like a dog with a bone’. I took that as a compliment.” Peter’s organisational logistics, financial understanding, determination to succeed and forward-thinking vision has lead him to many of these business relationships. He understands each particular brand fits into a market segment or a price point that is different to the next and the key is to represent the product in the correct way. “At the end of the day, a distributor continues representing a product only if they keep their supplier happy and we seem to be able to achieve this despite what may seem to be competing lines,” said Peter. He is also adamant of the importance of building and maintaining healthy working relationships with manufacturers and often takes to the road to visit his customers and demonstrate CMI’s support. Other than selling, Peter has brought many other defining attributes to CMI that remain a strong part of the company ethos to this day. Upon joining CMI full time, Peter spent his first three months in the warehouse, getting his hands dirty and learning the backbone of the business from the shop floor. His organisational and procedural skills were advantageous when dealing with existing customers or establishing new ones as he explained: “I remember always looking at any query or problem that came along and wondered how as a customer I would want this to be handled by my supplier. I felt that our customers wanted to buy goods from efficient suppliers who were easy to deal with and could deliver on time.” In a competitive market, providing good service is paramount. Although Australia is the sixth largest country on the planet in terms of total square footage, its population density is one of the lowest in the world making it tough for any niche
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030 INTERVIEW
“At the end of the day,
a distributor continues representing a product only if he keeps his supplier happy and we seem to be able to achieve this despite what may seem to be competing lines.” trading industry. However, Peter considers the Australian market to be technology hoarders and clearly that works in his favour. “Australians purchase much more high-end gear per capita than most other western countries. This is also why Australia is such an important market for most suppliers, as an example with one of our biggest music technology products, we are the forth largest market in the world by sales after USA, Germany and UK. Not bad for just over 24 million people,” he laughed. Thinking beyond the selling point is viewed by Peter as an important aspect to running the business, diversification must be part of a company make-up if it is to have any hope of survival. The distribution company is split into three clear sectors, MI, commercial and performance audio, and music technology, each of which has a fairly equal stake and this allows Peter and Drago to underpin their viability even during downturns and peaks of any one market segment. Expanding on diversification, CMI is also in a position to offer its customers a design service, which Peter said came about quite naturally but is taking the company in directions even he never thought possible. Commenting on day-to-day diversity, Peter said: “Just two weeks ago Simon Tait one of our system designers and consultant liaison officers was the key note speaker on Audio Systems for Evacuation at the first Australian Road Safety Conference. “I found it quite funny to watch the warehouse guys unload 14,000 ukuleles to fill a large chain order on one day then the next I was in Brisbane with Simon at the Australian Road Safety Conference.” This stark contrast of events is a far cry from the beginning and although Peter is still a long way off from the end of his career he is quick to reference a couple of inspirational people who have got him to the place he is today. Peter acknowledges Paul Mulholland of Jands and Chris Kennedy of Norwest Productions and
commends them for their “relentless passion and commitment to what they have been doing for so long. I take my hat off to both of them.” Passion is something that rides deep with Peter, it is passion, enjoyment and a hard work ethic that has made him the well respected industry figure that he is today. He is certainly thought of in high regard by some of the manufacturers he works with, Waring Hayes, Technical Brand Manager at XTA and MC² Audio said: “Peter and CMI are a pleasure to work with, going above and beyond the call of duty not just with their care of customers, but also their peer to peer relationships. Having spent time with them all in sunny Melbourne, I can honestly say they couldn’t have impressed or welcomed me more. Some day I hope to understand Aussie rules football, but until then I look forward to my next game and Peter explaining it ...again!” Sales Director for dBTechnologies, Michael Herweg added: “Peter and I first met when I visited CMI back in 2007, I’d just been appointed as Sales Director for dBTechnologies. We didn’t get off on the best foot but he accepted my proposal to start a fresh so we shook hands and became friends for life. Looking at CMI then and today, I realise the amazing job he did, growing the company to be a true leader in today’s audio industry in Australia. We still meet at least once a year, and I enjoy his company very much. There is nobody more honest or more direct than him.” Never one to shy away from hard graft, Peter along with his brother Drago and major shareholder Graeme all plan on being involved with CMI for as long as possible, continuing to grow and strengthen the company. Over the next five years the trio will take on an advisory board role rather than heading up the day-to-day running of the company, which will leave Peter more time to enjoy his favourite hobby of travelling abroad and seeing what the big wide world has to offer.
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032 REPORT
THEME PARKS & ATTRACTIONS David Gray is the Architainment Division Manager for Oasis Enterprises, part of the Al Shirawi Group. Oasis Enterprises was established in 1985 and its services include distribution, system integration, project management and consultancy for innovative AV projects in the UAE and beyond. David talked mondo*dr through the importance of audio, lighting and visual technology in a theme park environment. THEME PARKS - ESCAPISM AND FUN “What attracts the crowd is the wearied mind’s demand for relief in unconsidered muscular action. We Americans either want to be thrilled or amused, and we are ready to pay well for either sensation.” - George Tilyou. That was the simple, timeless philosophy of the industry’s first true showman, the one who, over 100 years ago, perfected the business model used by nearly every theme park since. (extract: www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/201303/3421/) We really have to define the modern age of theme parks from earlier examples of themed spaces that were created for the enjoyment and surprise of visitors. One of the first experiences in my life as a 10-year-old was visitng the amazing Peterhof Fountain Gardens in St Petersburg created by Peter the Great in 1723. Technological solutions features heavily but in a very cool way. Peterhof Park has a unique fountain system, which uses absolutely no pumping hardware. A network of more than 20km of pipes was designed around the natural contours of the land and it supplies an entirely gravity-fed water system providing adequate water to feed the fountains and cascades of Peterhof Park for up to 10 hours a day.
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This has kept Russian royalty and nobility amused over the years through soaking guests with the ‘trick’ fountains - the staccato musical fountains shoot up at unpredictable intervals. Nowadays, during the warmer months children drench themselves running in and out of the fountains while trying to guess which one will go off next. The modern era to a certain extent can be credited to world fairs and expos. One in particular that included a recurring theme dating back 170 years before the event took place was World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. It featured the world’s biggest fountain and was the first world exhibition to feature the use of electric light. About 70 years later several Disneyland attractions - Great Moments with Mr Lincoln, It’s a Small World, and Dinosaurs of the Primeval World - were built by Disney’s in-house manufacturing department (Walt Disney Imagineering) for the 1964 New York World’s Fair. When the fair closed, Disney relocated the shows to a permanent home at Disneyland. This home - where Disney brought life to his animated characters with the support of technology - officially opened as Disneyland, Anaheim, California in 1955 and arguably could be described as the park that changed the themed entertainment industry forever. TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION Technology which is integrated to produce a themed ride may be cutting edge and create an amazing guest experience upon inauguration, but does it have a limited life span? Lets look at an example… IMAX cinema premiered in the 1970 World Expo as a direct result of Canadian film maker Graeme Ferguson’s mounting frustration at having to use several cameras to
REPORT 033
film very large images for Expo 67 (The 1967 Universal and International Exhibition in Montréal). IMAX permeated into theme parks with the Universal Back to the Future ride (5D) in Universal Florida 1991 and Hollywood two years later and lasted for 16 years before closing in 2007. What makes this most interesting is how the combination of a development in film, with a film script, some hydraulics and careful programming of timed effects make a new ride experience. PRODUCTS TAILORED FOR THEME PARKS There is a lot of cross-pollination from other industries where the technology is already mature and this saves a significant amount of time in the development cycle. This also goes a long way to minimise ride downtime, commissioning periods and maximises revenue. Typically, it is specialist integrators working closely with producers and art directors who develop and create the products for themed spaces. They have the experience to select and combine individual products from several different manufacturers along with their own glue or customisation. These are then tightly integrated to produce the unique effects and illusions visitors experience in a park. We hear of 3D, 4D, 7D shows but the action of integrating fans, water, smell, audio, lighting, movement have been around for years. Having said that, a principle identified in the 16th century by Giambalsta della Porta, subsequently popularised 300 years later from the Dircksian Phantasmagoria show by John Pepper, has been developed into a patented system of Dr Peppers Ghost most recently seen with the ‘ghost’ of Tupac Shaker in a 2012 Snoop Dog concert. ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” - Arthur C. Clarke. Too often technology is used because it’s there rather than because it is the right tool. The expectation from consumers is much higher today than ever before. In my opinion, shows and guest experiences work best when the story or theme is strong and well known - Indiana Jones for example. The experience is supported by technology where relevant, creating a balance as close to the guest expectation as possible. It is very important to work backwards from the design rather than forward from the technology. Offer too little and if the other elements are weak you have a less popular attraction. Adopt too much and if it has a technical fault you have unpopular downtime and unhappy guests. DIFFERENCES Theme park installations are generally fully immersive from beginning to end. Good
use of specially constructed set items to which technology is applied creates a natural habitat to set the scene for the main attraction. Entertainment venues typically receive and /or produce many different shows throughout the year with a skilled and well trained technical team to prepare and maintain the equipment - audio, projection, lighting, pyrotechnics, special effects that are required for that particular show. Theme parks are set up as entertainment venues in which the technology does not change for the lifetime of those attractions and the commissioning crews depart when the park opens. There are operators who follow lamp replacement schedules for luminaires and projectors and keep lenses and colour in the optical high life. There are also operators who either choose to ignore or were not briefed on operating costs. Most lighting effects are off during a dark ride yet a typical moving head remains on with a blackout flag dimmer blocking the light while still consuming electricity. It is not uncommon to find 60 1,200W moving heads spread around a park, representing over 100,000 Euros in electricity and lamp replacement costs per year excluding the ride downtime and labour to change the lamps. EXPERIENCES AROUND THE WORLD It is all about your point of reference and personal experience. I have worked in many themed environments over the past 25 years including Disney and Warner Bros parks in mature European markets and also Ferrari World, which became the first large theme park in the Middle East. A Saudi family with no other reference point visiting a park for the first time will find the experience in Ferrari World out of this world. All guest experiences are extremely personal and the diverse range of theme parks available today demonstrate the demand. I particularly enjoyed the old original wooden space mountain coaster until it was upgraded because it reminded me of what was very special back in its day. Sometimes looking back is a way to remind ourselves of the basic elements which contribute to our sense of fun and coming back from a day’s experiences fulfilled. FUTURE GROWTH Everybody wants a good day out preferably without queuing and more specialist parks or family entertainment centres will open in the coming years to cater for that demand. I also think park layouts that consider back of house and front of house in equal merit will have less downtime. Adequately funded and innovative guest experiences will continue to generate revenue for the successful operators, while location and a more economic investment may produce similar gate results for a less demanding audience.
www.oasisppd.com
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034 REPORT
EL SECR ETO D E LOS M AYA S Company: NetherLED Location: Salou, Spain
Since 1979, Adrian Fisher, one of the world’s leading innovators and creators of mazes and labyrinths has been transforming the traditional art of getting lost into state-of-the-art attractions, experiences and adventures. His most recent creation is the PortAventura theme park near Salou, Spain. Luis Carlos Valencia, Development Manager at PortAventura had a very demanding requirement, he wanted Adrian Fisher Design to design, fabricate and install a compelling new attraction into a 175 sq metre building in the Mexico Area of the park, in just over three months. Fortunately, Adrian had the experience, the product and the team to match this aspiration and after a round of meetings over in Salou, he came up with the concept of El Secreto de los Mayas, a self-contained, walkthrough themed attraction with a mirror maze at the heart. All Adrian Fisher designs have a strong storyline and this was no exception, the visitors seeking the Lost Secret of the Mayas in an archaeological dig before becoming lost in a seemingly endless labyrinth. As with previous projects, after bringing in Project Manager, Keith Thomas of leisure business consultancy, Petersham Group, a brief was developed and UKbased exhibition company, GTMS was engaged to build and install the attraction, with NetherLED of Maastricht, The Netherlands, brought in to design and install the technical system needed to complete the project to Adrian Fisher’s specification. This new design allowed RGBW lighting, wind and audio equipment to be triggered by a combination of motion detection and show-control recorders, which undoubtedly brings the whole attraction to life. GTMS pre-fabricated the new attraction, including over 90 triangular mirror maze cells which fit together like a carefully-designed jigsaw puzzle to lose and confuse the visitor, creating delight and playing with their senses as the beautifully-de-
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signed Mayan-style graphics change colour as NetherLED’s RGB LEDs morph colour in sequence, each lamp in each cell under separately addressed DMX control. El Secreto de los Mayas is housed in a building, strongly themed to resemble a Mayan tomb, fitting perfectly into the surrounding Mexico Land at the park and located near to the massive Condor drop ride. On entry, visitors navigate twisting and turning corridors with pulsing amber and red LED lights, decorated with Mayan carvings in the stucco walls before stumbling upon an archaeological dig in an adjacent chamber. The lighting and sound - played through high quality Bosch speakers and subwoofers - lead visitors into a pathway where multiple reflections created by mirrors located in the corridor sides as well as front and back cause confusion, while lightning cracks and thunder rumbles around. Turning the corner, visitors must pass over a rickety old rope bridge, as mirrors creating the effect of an infinite drop into a chasm below, before passing through a curtain into the mirror maze itself. In the middle, a hexagonal goal chamber further confuses visitors with the use of a rotating floor with a large helical design. Even if visitors find the right route, a further stretch of maze with a series of blind endings and corridors which turn back on themselves eventually turn into the chamber of doom - a mirrored ceiling giving the illusion of infinite height and six doorways to choose from, only one of which is the way out. As visitors enter, a further sequence of effects is triggered and a deep and ominous voice challenges all who come in to leave immediately or risk the ancient curse of the Mayas. In fact, the way out is the least likely - a completely dark corridor with spongy walls and dangling fabric stirs primeval fears but it’s the only way to go before visitors escape by bursting into the sunlight. www.netherled.com
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036 REPORT
AD L ABS IMAG I CA Company: Holovis Location: Mumbai, India Immersive, experiential specialist Holovis has completed three transformative sensory experiences for new rides within India’s first ever theme park, Adlabs Imagica. The Mumbai theme park, which opened in April, also features the first full dome projection in the country with a unique Holovis audiovisual turnkey dome solution. Considered now to be the most significant theme park attraction on the Indian sub continent, Adlabs Imagica features 18 rides and experiences and four restaurants serving cuisine from all corners of the world. In addition to the immersive dome theatre, the team also managed the supply and integration of complex media servers for two other rides including a flying theatre and a motion simulator working alongside the Adlabs local installation teams. Prince of the Dark Waters, an animated love story designed by 3D animation and visual effects specialist Prana Studios, is set in a hemispheric dome to fully immerse the audience bringing the characters to life in a compelling story. Holovis designed the dome experience in partnership with Adlabs and equipped the 24 metre dome with six precision placed Christie DS+10k projectors using the Holovis OptiRIG optimal alignment systems. This uses camera-based auto alignment technology to generate the required geometric distortion, blending and colour matching, all applied in real time from the playback server cluster to create one seamless pixel perfect 360° image. The experience also uses a 5.1 dome audio solution with special acoustic treatment to the dome’s cylindrical wall to ensure the very best immersive surround sound in the challenging solid dome structure supplied by the client. Holovis’ in-house audio division designed and installed 140 sq metres of acoustic foam to the walls before configuring and equalising the speaker set-up to cope with the nuances of being within the solid dome structure. Holovis’s custom designed and user-friendly control system, and its advanced training programme, has allowed
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the AV support team at the park to run daily checks and routine maintenance with ease to ensure a perfect system at all times for all shows. Holovis also provided Adlabs’ media company access to its R&D and demo dome theatres, permanently set-up at its headquarters in the UK, to ensure that the creative team could fully understand the complexities in creating 360° media for a concentric viewing audience and test the CGI renderings at different stages in the creative process while the dome was being built in India. This iterative, 1:1 scale development process reduces costly development time, increases final install speeds and improves the quality of the actual experience. A pre-show animation, featuring comic book style graphics, is displayed on a LFD screen captures the visitors’ imagination before entering the dome. These characters draw the audience in before they engage with the visual spectacular that awaits inside. Manmohan Shetty, Chairman of Adlabs Entertainment said: “To see the park officially opened is a proud moment for each of us who have been associated with the project. We wanted today’s global Indians to be proud of an experience in their own country. When we decided to bring India’s first full dome to the country we collaborated with Holovis to give our experience the technical stamp. They worked well with our teams and the attraction stands as proof of it.” Stuart Hetherington, Managing Director of Holovis added: “This was a really exciting series of solutions for us to help create and it is great to see them reach completion successfully in the challenging timescales ready for the theme park opening. We are also very proud to have innovated and delivered India’s first full dome theme park experience created by our specialists - one of the most experienced and capable dome solution teams in the industry. Our expertise lies in creating unique immersive, virtual and transformational sensory experiences, an ethos which runs throughout the whole theme park with its innovation-led approach to the different ride solutions.” Adlabs Imagica spans 110 acres and is the first phase of a larger development project for the area, which will also see the construction of a water park, hotel and retail space, completed in stages over the coming years. www.holovis.com
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BLUE P L A NE T AQ UA RI U M Company: Stouenborg Location: Øresund, Denmark With its striking architecture aptly suggesting a giant whirlpool, the new Blue Planet Aquarium near Copenhagen pulls visitors deep into an enchantingly immersive experience of underwater sights and sounds. Certainly the star attractions are the some 20,000 fish, birds, and marine mammals, but the live visual experience is enhanced by the dynamic soundscapes of waves, wind, and birds - sometimes mixed with appropriately subtle ambient music - that accompany visitors as they move through the aquarium. At the heart of Blue Planet Aquarium’s ambitious audiovisual system design is Meyer Sound’s D-Mitri digital audio platform, which manages multi-channel audio playback, mixing, signal matrixing, digital signal processing, and signal distribution along with show control functions encompassing the coolux Pandora’s Box media servers, Sennheiser wireless microphones, and an MA Lighting grandMA 2 lighting desk. The D-Mitri solution was specified by Anders Jørgensen, principal of the audiovisual consultancy and integration firm Stouenborg. Anders was responsible for the design of all audio systems, and he also took charge of the intricate sound design for the aquarium, working in the studio to prepare 415 discrete audio tracks that would be mixed and balanced onsite using D-Mitri. One D-Mitri feature of particular note is the Meyer Sound SpaceMap multichannel surround panning, which allows dynamic panning of sound across and around a virtually unlimited number of individually addressable loudspeakers. “For example, in the undersea tunnel I could have the sound of a wave in sync with the visual traveling from one end to the other,” he commented. “And in the Faroe Islands exhibit the bird sounds are flying around the room.” To realise dynamic sound movements, each loudspeaker had to be individually addressable, something best achieved with self-powered systems. For all principal audio systems at Blue Planet, Ander specified more than 50 Meyer Sound self-powered loudspeakers - MM-4XP, UP-4XP, UPJ-1P - and five subwoofers including the MM-10’s and the USW-1Ps. Most of the loudspeakers employ Meyer Sound’s proprietary low-voltage technology, with DC power for the internal amplifiers delivered - over a single cable along with audio signal - from a remote power supply. “The low-voltage self-powered loudspeakers are very efficient in terms of power draw,” commented Anders, “requiring perhaps half the current compared to a design using multiple rack amplifiers and long speaker cables.” From the earliest stages of the project, Anders worked closely with the architecture firm 3XN, exhibit designers Kvorning Design, and acousticians Gade & Mortensen Akustik to ensure that the sounds were present and involving, but never too loud or distracting. Because the system carries informative announcements as well as ambient sounds, high intelligibility was also critical. Final measurements of speech intelligibility (STI) ranged from 0.8 to 0.9 in most areas, an exceptional result considering the large room volumes and expansive glass surfaces. Blue Planet Aquarium is not only Northern Europe’s largest aquarium, claiming quite likely the most imaginative architecture of any aquarium on the planet, but it also sets new benchmarks for seamlessly integrating the dynamic sounds of marine life into the visitor’s experience. www.stouenborg.dk
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038 REPORT
T H E S H A RD Company: Dataton Location: London, UK
Photos © The View from The Shard
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At a height of 1,016ft Renzo Piano’s Shard is the tallest building in Western Europe and has redefined the London skyline. Conceived by the Pritzker Prize-winning architect as a vertical town incorporating offices, restaurants, residences, shops and the prestigious five-star Shangri-La Hotel, The Shard is the centre-piece of a £2bn regeneration project at London Bridge Quarter on the south side of the River Thames. The View From The Shard visitor attraction - the first part of the building to open - enables Londoners and tourists to enjoy the 360º views from the highest public levels 69 and 72 which, at up to 800ft are almost twice the height of any other viewing platform in the capital. The design of the visitor experience was carried out by Event Communications, working in collaboration with Renzo Piano, the architect for The Shard. Renzo Piano explained: “London is a city of inspiration and imagination. We wanted to create a public space where people could visit the building to experience London in a different way and also feel that they have discovered the spirit of the building. On top of the city, but also within it.” Event Communications were responsible for the experiential design of the whole The View From The Shard attraction, including the foyer and pre-show area at the dedicated entrance in Joiner Street, the ticket area and retail installation on Level 01, experiences on level 33 and 68 and a retail boutique on Level 68. The spaces on Level 00 and 01 utilise Dataton Watchout to integrate multiple HD video images into a single whole image, along with synchronised multimedia content playout. The foyer and pre-show area feature a five metre wide by three metre high flat-panel video wall showing filmic content designed to put The Shard into a historical and geographical context, while a four metre by one metre video wall, with the screens arranged to form a single portrait-mode column, provides up-to-date information for visitors regarding the schedule of their trip. “It is all about taking visitors on a journey, and the ground-floor galleries offer a witty approach to that journey, giving visitors filmic and graphic images of London and famous Londoners, some of whom you might not associate with the city at all,” said Kevin Murphy, Development Director of Event Communications. Between Levels 68 and 72, a series of a dozen ‘Tell:scopes’ act as digital telescopes, identifying places of interest in the user’s sight line and offering information on 200 London landmarks in a choice of 10 different languages. Explaining the role played by visual technology in the visitor-experience concept, Kevin said: “What we have here is a combination of a show system with digital signage. We were very restricted in terms of space, and we knew the system had to be flexible because with signage, you never know what the customer is going to do with it once the operation has started. “Using Watchout allows the content to be dynamic and updated as necessary. We can even insert 4K video files without any loss of quality or flexibility. Content is king, and with Watchout, we’re delighted with the quality of that content.” David Willrich of DJW is similarly effusive in his praise for Watchout, which offers the ability to blend and merge images from any source, and then synchronise their playback along with audio, lighting control and other show data, according to a pre-programmed schedule. “Past experience has taught us that Watchout is a rock-solid platform,” said David. “What we particularly like about it is that it scales very well while maintaining image quality. The software simply embraces the data you feed it with, processes it, and then gets the job done.” www.dataton.com
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ROMAN TI CUM Company: ISONO Location: Koblenz, Germany On 20 June 2013 a new tourist attraction in Koblenz, Germany opened its doors to the public, treating visitors with fascinating 360º IOSONO 3D sound. By bringing together history, culture and arts the Romanticum will take guests on a historic journey through the Rhine valley, telling them about the river and its legends with state-of-the-art sound technology. The exhibition covers 800 sq metres and is divided into several areas, letting visitors go on deck of an old steam boat, enjoy the salon or discover the storage room. Next to the video displays the visitor experience is rounded off by a special sound concept realised by Taucher Sound Environments, Berlin. The goal was to recreate the environment of a boat trip with seagulls crying in the sky, church bells ringing in the distance or a sudden cloudburst on deck. “The challenge we faced was to create a spatial and emotional sound concept that goes hand in hand with the visual information the visitors are taking in. With IOSONO’s audio processing and positioning technology we were able to create a detailed and authentic sound space,” said Aleesa Savtchenko, Creative Director and CEO of Taucher Sound Environments. IOSONO’s audio processor is rendering playback for the 64 speakers used in the exhibition. All rooms are equipped with ceiling speakers, guaranteeing a realistic sound experience. “The Romanticum vividly conveys the region’s culture and history and we’re sure visitors will enjoy the 3d sound trip to the Rhine Valley,” said Olaf Stepputat, CEO of IOSONO. www.iosono-sound.com
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040 REPORT
Photos by Péter Zentai
BREDA CA STL E Company: Christie Location: Breda, The Netherlands Christie projection is at the centre of what is believed to be the first permanent outdoor pixel mapping project ever staged in Europe. The initiative of saving the small early 19th Century Breda Castle, situated close to the eastern border of Hungary, by developing it into a new tourist attraction is the result of a collaboration between owners, the Megyeri family and the initiator Informax. Working with Bordos.ArtWorks and Invited Artists - run by Budapest-based 3D artist László Zsolt Bordos - and András Schmid of Christie technical partner DNN|360, they have mapped the façade in a series of stunning animated tableaux. From 15 June onwards, an artistic video mapping show will be projected everyday, every hour after dark, using the 3kW xenon light engine of a Christie Roadster HD18K projector, equipped with 1.8-2.6:1 HD zoom lens. And it is this that the owners now hope will help save the ruined castle. Back at Breda, László explained that the owners of the castle had first raised the idea of a projection onto the walls back in 2009 after seeing Bordos.ArtWorks and Invited Artists on the television news. In the winter of that year he contacted András Schmid about the idea, having already engaged in a couple of smaller collaborations with DNN|360 previously. “Breda Castle seemed like a great project to work on, and it has become the start of a great friendship,” László said. “It is always a major task to create unique video content - but fortunately we were given plenty of time for the creative process.”
László said that the scenes were based on personal dream experiences. “This environment was perfect due to the total darkness, no city lights, no light pollution, a place where black is black, so you really can make some parts of the building disappear.” András Schmid added that the investor commissioned a fully air-conditioned, weather-proof brick cube to house the technical equipment, inspired by an industrial artist. He recommended the Christie Roadster HD18K as the parameters would allow them to execute the task with just a single projector. “The Roadster has many system integration as well as operational advantages,” said András. “It met the criteria for high brightness, 1920 x 1080 resolution and reliable operation in extreme environmental conditions.” The production uses AVStumpfl Wings Platinum four play-out and show-control software with custom-built PC hardware. “In this case exhibitors can manage more complex shows than a normal play-out session,” continued András. “The remote management function was essential, since the distance between site and our HQ [in Budapest] is more than 270km.” Digital video signal distribution is based on Lightware products, while audio distribution uses Yamaha, Community and QSC products. All equipment was supplied by DNN | 360. The accompanying soundtrack for the mapping was written by famous Hungarian composer, Imre Czomba. “After establishing the main ideas of the storyboard, Mr Czomba showed me many variations until we eventually made our final selection,” said László. “The music was recorded using real instruments, and the quality of the music fits perfectly with the animation.” www.chrisitedigital.eu
S A LT M I N E Company: HB-Laser Location: Heilbronn, Germany Video, laser, light and sound equipment are arranged to a truly breathtaking, entertaining and educating experience. Visitors to the Salt Mine Heilbronn, Germany are able to learn how salt influences our life. Three six metre cubes were constructed for the tour of the centre and inside of them HB-Laser installed touch-terminals, projections and interactive applications to explain to the visitors more about how salt is used. On the outside of two cubes videos are projected using multiple video-projectors with salt-resistant housings. The Salt Mine is also equipped with hundreds of LEDs, which have been designed by light-artist Joachim Fleischer and installed by HB-Laser. And at the end of the tour the visitors enter an infinite 3D laser tunnel with fog. www.hb-laser.com
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REPORT 041
Company: Coherent Location: Rust, Germany
Image courtesy of Lobo
EUR OPA PA R K
The Eurosat ride at Europa Park in Rust, Germany is housed inside the iconic silver sphere, which symbolises the Quartier Français. In addition to the light tunnel, laser beams flash and bounce around the darkened dome interior, and occasionally even shoot off the side of the rollercoaster carriage throughout the entire ride. The visibility of the rapidly switched beams is enhanced by use of a proprietary Lobo low-residue fog. Because of Lobo’s successful design and implementation of Europa Park’s Historama attraction, Lobo was contracted to handle all aspects of the Eurosat light show upgrade. Key goals set by the park’s management were to continue with a cost-conscious, single colour system, but to deliver a fresher and more unique look. It was felt that much of the public is now over-saturated with green lasers in numerous public and private displays. The management also wanted the highest possible reliability. The Lobo design and engineering teams made the bold decision to minimise costs by generating the new laser effects using a single Sparks projector containing just
one laser, and to maximise the impact by making it a 6W yellow laser; the Coherent Taipan 577. The yellow colour was chosen because it is visually distinctive from green, but is still a wavelength to which the eye is highly sensitive. This ride is one of the first single colour displays at this relatively new wavelength. The Sparks projector can incorporate from one to several lasers and nearly all of the Sparks lasers used in installations are state-of-the-art optically pumped semiconductor lasers (OPSLs) in the form of Coherent Taipan laser heads. From a theme park point of view, one of the most important attributes of OPSLs is their high reliability. To date they’ve been used in Sparks projectors carried on trucks, exposed to sea spray, and in extreme weather conditions, but not a single OPSL has failed in any of these permanent or temporary installations. This extreme reliability was a paramount consideration when opting to power the upgraded Eurosat ride with a single OPSL, meaning laser failure would close a ride which carries over 1,500 guests per hour. Luckily, since the installation there has been zero unscheduled downtime due to the laser. www.coherent.com
E U RO PA PA RK Company: CLS Location: Rust, Germany Germany’s biggest theme park, Europa-Park has opened new wooden rollercoaster. Wodan is the first Timburcoaster for the park and features 1,050m of track, a peak height of 40m and a top speed of more than 10km per hour. The ride also crosses two other tracks of adjacent attractions, which results in an extra thrilling experience. With such dimensions, creating a lighting design was a challenge in itself. After several experiments by CLS distributor Becker Lichttechnik in close cooperation with Europa Park, a combination of the CLS Miriam GII RGB and CLS Revo Modular proved to be the best choice. The CLS Revo Modular were fitted with amber LEDs, which really gives character to the wooden structure. The impressive round framework with a height of 35m is no problem for the light output of the CLS Revo fixtures due to their 8º lenses. The technical staff at the park also preferred the Revo Modular - above the basic version of the powerlink connectors, which make it possible to link up to 25 units in a daisy chain. It also offers service personnel the possibility to easily dismount the fixture in the case that a malfunction should ever occur. The unit can then be serviced in the safe environment of a workshop, without the need to temporarily shut down the rollercoaster. The immense wooden framework is also illuminated from within by CLS Miriam GII RGB fixtures with 32º lenses. Changing the colours continuously, results in a contrasting glow behind the amber light from the Revo’s, a combination that brings the structure to life. www.cls-led.com
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042 REPORT
Photo by Irene van der Meijs, courtesy of eldoLED
DOM TOW ER Company: eldoLED Location: Eindhoven, The Netherlands On 11 April The Netherlands’ former Queen Beatrix officially opened the Dom Tower’s new installation In Lumine Tuo - lit by eldoLED drivers - as part of the 300th anniversary of the Treaty of Utrecht celebrations. The 112m high Dom Tower is part of a 90-minute walk called Trajectum Lumen through the city centre of Utrecht along architectural highlights that combines light, art and storytelling. The In Lumine Tuo installation was designed by Mark Major and Keith Bradshaw of Speirs + Major and installed by the Dutch LED lighting firm Proliad. eldoLED’s 50W POWERdrive 562 was the LED driver of choice for this prestigious project,
B E L L E WA E RD E Company: Beglec Location: Leper, Belgium
Photos © www.fx3.be
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featuring beautiful LED dimming, perfect configurability for the project and DMX addressability. Xicato’s high-performance XSM LED modules were also used in the installation. Every 15 minutes from sunset to midnight, the Dom Tower is lit by way of an ingenious lighting sequence that depicts the Dom Tower as a living, breathing organism, using the eldoLED driver’s top-notch dimming capabilities in smooth intensity changes. As the carillon begins to play, playful lighting sequences travel from the bottom of the Dom Tower all the way to the top, where it plays to a finish. www.eldoLED.com
Originally opened as a bird and safari park in 1954, Bellewaerde grew into an attraction park with several themes creating a Mexican and Far West atmosphere. Bellewaerde’s unique location, in the middle of Flanders Fields and boarding the British War Cemeteries, attracts several 100,000 visitors a year. In 2013 a new attraction opened in the Mexican Village. The Huracan is a family coaster within a Mayan temple. Huracan is the God of wind, rain and storm, and these are exactly the elements that the visitor will face during the ride. To make the ride even more spectacular, a unique light feature was integrated. The builders called upon the company FX3, a Belgian company specialising in the conception and realisation of special events and decors. The concept was to create seven different zones with LED lighting. A large number of RGB projectors create a warm and cold mysterious atmosphere within the Mayan decor. A mix of Briteq Stage Beamer and Microbeamer are integrated in the decor in such a way that the visitor doesn’t see the fixtures. The light fixtures are placed in a difficult environment, facing water, wind, moisture and heat. There is no room for inferior projectors as they’ll have to withstand these elements for many years. “Briteq’s LDP-Powerbars are installed in the most difficult zone, as they have proven to be extremely tough and reliable in former projects,” said Timothée Van Goethem, FX3’s General Manager. “Other than those, we had to look for powerful but discrete projectors, hidden in the caves and statues. Luckily Briteq, introduced us its Microbeamer.” Another challenge was the programming and timing. The different zones are activated through sensors on the rail of the coaster. A logistics server then captures this position and activates the scene in that particular zone, everything is pre-programmed and retained, so the staff only have to use one simple on/off switch to activate or deactivate the whole light installation. www.beglec.com
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Les Epesses in the heart of the Vendée region of France has become one of the country’s most visited locations, with more than 1.5 million people going in search of a historical experience every year. The original Cinéscénie was opened as far back as 1978 and its continued success led to the nearby Grand Parc opening in 1989. Entertaining this many people every day requires technology that is reliable and very repeatable and there is no reason to change anything as long as it continues to work. That is until products or formats become obsolete or an enhancement to a favourite show needs some more advanced features. Puy du Fou run several shows from different historical periods and two of them had quite similar technical requirements for the music playback and for 10 years, this had been very satisfactorily handled by Fostex D2424LV hard disk players. These are now out of production so the search has been on for more than a year for a suitable replacement. During 2012, Jocelyn Bouchet from Puy du Fou came across an article on Merging Technologies’ Ovation in an industry journal and Jean-Marie Roussel from Auvisys was contacted to demonstrate the operation of the software. That proved that Ovation offered all the features to replace the Fostex units and offered other benefits besides but some evidence of how it really performed was needed. Olivier Montagnon from specialist Merging dealer 44.1 was able to help with that as the company had previously supplied many Ovation units to another famous theme park in France. Olivier Moser and Dominique Charleux met the team from Puy du Fou and were able to assure them that Ovation was a system that could really be relied upon to operate 24/7 and was very simple to operate but offered a huge range of options. This endorsement convinced Jocelyn and his team that this was the right choice. Puy du Fou decided to install a total of five Ovation Gold Native systems loaded on to the rack mounted servers and using 16 I/O RME HDSPAES32 PCIe cards and USB Sync cards for the timecode connection to Ovation and the Pyramix editing software. Olivier Montagnon supplied and installed the systems and trained the team on Pyramix operation. For Ovation training, Olivier Moser was able to share his expertise to ensure that the team understood the operation and control options on offer. The systems only went live at the end of May so the operators are becoming more familiar with Ovation every day, but it is difficult to experiment with new features when you have shows running continuously. It was very important that Ovation was compatible with the Médialon show control software which is a popular choice for many theme parks. In addition to interfacing with Ovation, Médialon controls the lights and effects for the whole show. The Knights of the Round Table has the audio output from the Ovations routed to the Yamaha 02R96 console which also takes the timecode and sends it to the Médialon PC. All the show speaker systems in the Grand Parc are from L-Acoustics and in this case, the four main channels are driven by five KARAi units each and the three sub bass channels are handled by six SB18 units. The three surround channels have three KIVA and one KILO per track. The amplification uses a total of eight LA8 units for this set up. www.merging.com
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Company: Merging Location: Vendée, France
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044 REPORT
FL AN DE R S F I EL D S M U S E U M Company: projectiondesign Location: Ypres, Belgium The newly opened Flanders Fields Museum in Ypres, Belgium interprets the stories of the First World War as seen in the Flanders region using modern museum techniques and multimedia for visitors of today and tomorrow. projectiondesign F22, F32 and F35 wqxga projectors and WB processors were provided by specialist museums system integrator, Ocular BVBA for use in the Belle Epoque, First Battle, Ypres Salient and Third Battle exhibit areas with the aim of stimulating a more indepth look at how museum visitors deal with war and peace. On entering the museum, a poppy bracelet is given to all visitors. As visitors move around the beautifully restored medieval cloth-hall building in the city’s main square, a micro-chip inside their poppy, a globally recognised symbol of the First World War, provides them with video projections, interactive touchscreens and soundscapes used to re-create the pain and tragedy of the War. The museum has always focused on the stories of individuals within the larger picture of the Great War. These personal stories are told through many varied objects on display, interactive installations and life-like characters. Piet Chielens of Flanders Fields Museum, explained: “To really embrace the whole public with the impact of landscape then I think the best way of doing it is with projection. That is what we’ve done here. People are really thrilled with the experience and that is largely due to the techniques we’ve chosen to present it.
Nicolas Vanden Avenne, Managing Director at Ocular BVBA continued: “Every projection surface in this museum is either curved or has a rather unusual shape for projection, which made this a technical challenge. Along with projection, we use the blend and warp functionality of the WB processors throughout the museum.” As visitors enter the museum, they walk through the Belle Epoque exhibit, which highlights the period of time leading up until the war. In this area two F32 projectors are used to project footage on to a curved structure that looks like a forest of wood panels. In the First Battle exhibit, an F35 wqxga projector is used to project from the ceiling onto a 3D scale model map of the battlefields from the North Sea to the front line. Viewers can watch the deployment of allied troops in the city of Ypres and the first battle from a birds eye view. Ypres Saliant uses three projectiondesign F22 projectors and WB1920 processors onto a 170º curved screen to observe the progress of the war as if travelling in a balloon high in the sky. Footage includes a view over buildings and deployment of troops around Ypres. Perhaps the most harrowing exhibit the Third Battle, uses four F22 projectors onto a curved screen and ceiling to provide symbolic visuals with narration by nurses, doctors, soldiers, priests about one of the bloodiest battles in the First World War. Nicolas said: “To achieve the exhibit areas, we had to look for a partner that could do the engineering of our projections and cooperate with us during the building of the museum. We turned to projectiondesign because of its high-performance projectors for each exhibit area and choice of lenses.” www.projectiondesign.com
LEGOLAND DISCOVERY CENTRE Company: Laserworld Location: Berlin, Germany Legoland Discovery Centre in Berlin aims to attract visitors from the age of three to 16 years, but also provides many impressive and spectacular attractions for adults. Recently it has created a new game, which sees visitors try to reach the treasure that is protected by laser beams that raise an alarm when interrupted. The game requires the players to snake through the multiple laser beams without touching them. Different coloured lasers indicate the difficulty level of the game and it can be adapted to create different ambiences. Additional sound and lighting effects as well as fog are used to emphasise the emotional appearance of the game. People waiting in front of the gaming area can watch the players inside the three rooms on screens mounted in the entry zone. www.laserworld.com
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REPORT 045
C EDAR P O I NT Company: Chauvet Location: Ohio, USA Driving from the mainland to the island that houses Cedar Point amusement park, a striking panorama welcomes you. Rising and twisting toward the sky, massive roller coasters paint a vivid view, especially at night. Built on Lake Erie Peninsula, the park features a world record 72 rides - including 15 rollercoasters - and has the third-most rollercoasters in the world. Enhancing some of these amazing rides are 46 fixtures from Chauvet. A total of 20 COLORado Range IP and 10 COLORado Ridge IP wash lights dress the 310ft tall Millennium Force ride while 16 COLORado Range IP fixtures light the Power Tower attraction. President of Blue Haze Entertainment Andrew Strain specified and created the lighting design for the rides. Andrew decided to use the Chauvet fixtures for their great capabilities. “The even wash was so beautiful and powerful compared to other fixtures on the market,” he said. “We were surprised at what we got and how affordable it was.” Millennium Force is a breathtaking ride, fast, with plenty of up-and-down hills. “This is one of the key rides at Cedar Point. So, we wanted to light it up appropriately considering how famous it is,” Andrew said. “COLORado Range IP gives quite an even spread on Millennium Force. It washes not only the base of the ride, but all the way to the top.”
COLORado Range IP fixtures light the Power Tower ride from the centre, all around and at the very peak of the ride. “While Millennium Force has lights only at the base, Power Tower can explode with colour from the inside out, and at the very top of it,” continued Andrew. Guests riding up and down can see the colours changing all the way around them. “The COLORado Range IP lights provide an even, beautiful colour blending with the RGBWA,” he said. “It’s also the first ride where we put lights at the top, so as the truss comes towards the centre peak, they change colours on the towers from the inside and out.” www.chauvetlighting.com
C EDAR P O I NT Company: One Systems Location: Ohio, USA
When Cedar Point decided to renovate its spacious Midway area, it chose loudspeakers from One Systems, a leading designer and builder of direct weather, high intelligibility speakers. Together, Washington Professional Systems of Wheaton, Maryland and Audio Design Solutions of New Market, Maryland, performed the site analysis, created the system’s design and completed the installation. The Midway Plaza is the focal point of the park and serves as home for its east and west Skyride Stations and an extensive pathway to get from one side of the park to the other. The main attraction on the Midway is the Luminosity Stage where guests are entertained by live music, laser lights and pyrotechnics after dusk. What was important to Cedar Point’s management was high intelligibility for announcements and for clarity for the pre-recorded and live music program material played through the system. Full weatherproofing and good value were also prerequisites. “Cedar Point is right on Lake Erie, so the loudspeakers were going to get hit very hard with tough Great Lakes weather so we needed speaker systems that could withstand lake effect snow, wind and ice,” said Eric Choucroun, Account Executive at Washington Professional Systems. Choucroun and Chris Evans, President of Audio Designs configured the placement of the speakers specifically for each venue throughout the Midway. Great care was taken installing different systems for each area. “The greatest challenge was figuring out how to cover a large area of the park as evenly as we could. We were also under a strict, one week timeline and a very specific budget, but working with One Systems was a breeze,” commented Eric. Speakers used in the Midway Plaza include One Systems 212IM’s mounted on 20
large truss towers using 212IM-U U-Brackets and PT70-2 pan and tilt pole mount brackets. The Luminosity Stage is equipped One System’s powered POPS15’s and POPSSubs along with 106IM speakers to ensure that the audiences there hear every word, note and beat perfectly. After the original One Systems installation, the park liked the performance and quality of the system so much, it added more One Systems speakers to other areas in the park. The Washington Professional Systems installation team recently came up with new customised mounts that enabled speakers to be installed on one of the rollercoasters. It also added more POPS15’s to provide wide bandwidth, high impact music to even more of the park’s patrons. www.onesystems.com
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GUESTS
AWARDS
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For all enquiries about the TPi Awards, including sponsorship opportunities, please contact: Ben Chadwick on +44 (0) 7973 291 044 or email b.chadwick@mondiale.co.uk
IN FOCUS EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA VANEMUINE TEATER, TARTU STUDIO F, DUBAI VILLA ORSINI, MIRABELLA ECLANO
THE AMERICAS HAKKASAN, LAS VEGAS PAPRIKA, ST CLAIR / CARNIVAL CITY, GULF CITY LAKE PLACID CENTER, ADIRONDACK MOUNTAINS
ASIA/PACIFIC/OCEANIA SOHYANG ARTS CENTER, BUSAN KYO, SINGAPORE
The installations featured in this issue carry variety in terms of geographical location and venue genre. From Italy we bring you a rather quirky venue, Villa Orsini, which is set among the hills of Mirabella Eclano, an ideal wedding venue. Moving north east across Europe to Estonia, we report on a major lighting upgrade at Vanemuine Teater and then down to Dubai in the Middle East, to visit Studio F, in line to be the most exclusive fashion concept studio by day and one of the most chic lounges by night. Hakkasan Las Vegas is tipped to redefine the meaning of megaclub. The five levels at the MGM Grand boast restaurants, lounge spaces and the ultimate high-end nightclub. While Lake Placid Center in the Adirondack Mountains - a newly-constructed conference centre - and two lounge bars, Paprika and Carnival City in Trinidad wrap up The Americas section. Over in Asia we report on one of Korea’s first installations of Meyer Sound’s Constellation system at the Sohyang Arts Center and kyõ, an intimate dance club in the Central Business District of Singapore.
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Photos by Louise Stickland
VANEMUINE TEATER TARTU, ESTONIA
EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA The Vanemuine Teater in Tartu, Estonia’s vibrant second city, has always enjoyed a reputation for being a European centre of excellence. The theatre is a multiple producing and receiving house for a whole range of genres - drama, dance, musicals, opera, live music concerts and so on. Even during nearly 50 years of Soviet occupation, it was the only house to retain its unique combined repertoire of music and drama. Estonia’s oldest theatre, founded in 1870 by an amateur singing and acting society, now comprises three venues - The Big House, The Small House and the new Harbour Teater - collectively a gleam-
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ing paean to modern independent theatre. Around 350 shows are year staged between Vanemuine’s three venues, with all of them constantly busy between September and May. In the summer months the Teater also produces a number of outdoor projects in and around the city. Embracing exceptionally high production values and an enterprising attitude towards technology, the Vanemuine phenomenon is run by around 360 dedicated and hugely enthusiastic full time staff, technicians, engineers and creatives, plus a regular pool of freelancers - it is one of the primary state supported theatres in Estonia. Since this ‘new’ young country gained independence from the USSR in 1991, its many productions have been hugely popular as well as commercially successful. Vanemuine has recently completed a major stage lighting upgrade,
VENUE 049
EMBRACING NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND IDEAS, VANEMUINE TEATER AIMS TO PROVIDE THE PEOPLE OF TARTU, ESTONIA, WITH A BREADTH OF PRODUCTIONS COVERING A VARIETY OF GENRES. IN ORDER TO DO SO, A MAJOR LIGHTING UPGRADE WAS GOING TO BE KEY. which has seen the installation of over 200 Robe moving lights across its three venues. This was part of a much larger investment programme initiated in 2012 by the Estonian Government, which made funds available for new lighting technology to be installed throughout all eight of its supported arts venues. A specification was compiled by Secretary General at the Ministry of Culture, Paavo Nõgene, based on a drive to save energy consumption and ensure that Estonia’s theatres and cultural centres are actively contributing to a greener and more eco-friendly future. Vanemuine General Manager, Toomas Peterson explained that the general application process for the state funding was led by Vanemuine - as the largest venue - on behalf of all eight venues which also included the 850-seat concert hall that is in the same building, but run as a completely separate entity.
As a portion of the money made available came via CO² reduction trading with Japan, with it came a very strict directive that the new lighting must be energy efficient. This also, very much fitted the Estonian model of increased sustainability, and in turn underpinned the tender spec compiled by Paavo Nõgene. Paavo consulted on the spec while he was still Managing Director of Vanemuine in 2011, together with Andres Sarv and Margus Vaigur, Head of Lighting at Teater Endla in Parnu, another of the state supported venues which has had its lighting upgraded. The lighting supply contract was put out to competitive tender and won by Tallinn-based sales operation E&T, run by Olev Luhaäär. Out of the eight arts institutions, Vanemuine - named after the Estonian god of poetry and music - was the largest recipient of new equipment.
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THE BIG HOUSE Built in 1967, the Big House includes a 660-capacity main stage auditorium, workshops, extensive front and back-of-house facilities and administrative offices. The building underwent extensive refurbishment in 2004 and new lighting in the Big House includes 136 Robe moving lights made up of 56 Robin 1200 LEDWash lighting fixtures, 20 Robin MMX Spot moving heads, 10 Robin 600E Spot moving heads, 24 Robin 600E Wash moving heads, 24 CitySkape Xtreme LED fixtures - six of which are illuminating the exterior front façade - and two DigitalSpot 7000 DTs moving heads, while a selection of flight-cases were supplied for the fixtures so they can be easily moved for use on the summer season works and other ‘offsite’ shows. ”The new lighting has dramatically improved not just the creative potential for lighting designers and show directors, but the speed of the entire lighting process and the efficient use of stage and technical time,” explained Andres Sarv, Vanemiune’s Head of Lighting. Less time is needed for focussing, and previously they relied on a lot of 2K PC luminaires that simply could not be physically moved. All these have been replaced with Robe’s LEDWash 1200 lighting fixtures, which weigh a fraction of the PC spots and offer more scope and functionality. In its first month the new Big House stage lighting kit - including 22 LDR 250W LED lighting profiles - consumed just an eighth of the electricity than the average previous monthly figure. “We are extremely happy,” continued Andres, adding that personally, although it had served their time well, they were pleased to see the Big House’s previous - much smaller - and eight-year-old moving light system replaced. The beginning of May saw the premiere of a new production of Grease in the Big House, with an international production team including Director Georg Malvius and Lighting Designer Palle Palme, both from Sweden and Set Designer Ellen Cairns from the UK, who were all delighted to be among the first to benefit from the new lighting. Palle Palmé felt spoilt for choice when it came to the moving lights and said: “It is fantastic. Normally a house this size would have a lot less kit and probably not even half the moving lights, so it’s a massive improvement all round.” Palle has been working on shows at Vanemuine for around 10 years, and has also been using Robe products for a similar time in various locations around the world. Andreas Kangur is Vanemuine’s Head of Video and is said to be delighted to have the Robe DigitalSpot 7000 DTs moving heads at his disposal, especially with video becoming increasingly common and affordable as a visual medium in all performance genres.
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“They are ideal for quick and very flexible projecting onto different set pieces,” he commented, “and for producing really convincing environmental effects like fishes in water, flames, skies and so on. Content can be uploaded to the head of the unit and played back through any DMX controller, which opens a whole new dimension of painless integration of video into shows.” The lighting is controlled in the Big House by a High End Systems WholeHog 3 lighting desk. HARBOUR TEATER The Harbour Teater is located in a former river port building, which was converted in 2001 and is nestled into a picturesque riverside location, offering a fully flexible 300-seat, multi-functional black-box environment. This has received 30 new Robe moving lights in the form of eight Robin DLX Spot moving heads, 12 Robin 600 LEDWash lighting fixtures, 10 Robin 300 LEDWash lighting fixtures and two CitySkape Xtreme LED fixtures, together with 24 LDR Alba profiles. The lighting is in use most days for the Harbour Teater’s programme of 20 - 25 shows per month. Like Andres Sarv from the Big House, Chief LX Jaanus Moor had previously used Robe products when they were hired in for special occasions. Jaanus likes Robe for its reliability and - in the new Robin LED fixtures - for the tungsten emulation features, which are highly sought after for all types of theatre lighting. Jaanus will often light the Harbour Teater shows, and feels that some LDs have a bit of catching up to do in terms of learning the capabilities and finer points of their new fixtures. To this end both Vanemuine and E&T are supporting a lighting design course in Viljandi, part of the Cultural Academy of Tartu University, for which they are offering equipment, experience and expertise to an upcoming generation of Estonian lighting professionals. THE SMALL HOUSE A charismatic Art Nouveau building constructed between 1914 and 1918, the Small House includes a two-tiered oval shaped auditorium seating around 300. It’s exceptionally charming, and like the other two venues, painstakingly maintained - and due for a major internal re-fit in the next year. Lighting is looked after by Chief LX Imbi Mälk, who, like many staff has been at Vanemuine for several years, clocking up 20 in the Small House and around six in the Big House. The Small House stages a range of works - dramas, musicals, operas and ballet - and is the recipient of 40 new Robe moving lights made up of Robin 600E and 300E Spot and Wash moving heads, as well as LEDWash 600 and 300 lighting fixtures. Imbi lights the majority of the Small House shows herself and is really enjoying the advantages brought by the new Robe installation. “The luminaires are very easy to work with in every way,” she commented. She added that she likes the gobos in the Robin 600 and 300E Spots and the intensity and colour ranges of the LEDWashes. For anyone wondering how Paavo Nõgene working in the Culture Ministry and ostensibly a civil servant, is so switched-on to the latest lighting trends, there is another interesting twist to how he knows his stuff… Paavo’s professional career began by working as a basic lighting technician at Vanemuine. He quickly progressed to become Head of Lighting, then worked up to Head of Production before being appointed Managing Director of the Vanemuine Teater group itself - all in the course of a decade. From there, he took the post in the Culture Ministry - a man with a vision and who sees that he can
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FRANÇAIS
Toomas Peterson, General Manager
Andres Sarv, Head of Lighting
Le Teater Vanemuine de Tartu, seconde ville dynamique d’Estonie, a toujours joui de la réputation de centre européen d’excellence. Le théâtre est un établissement aux fonctions multiples qui produit et reçoit un éventail complet de genres : art dramatique, danse, comédies musicales, opéras, concerts en direct et ainsi de suite. Même pendant les presque 50 années d’occupation soviétique, ce fût le seul établissement à maintenir son répertoire unique combinant la musique et l’art dramatique. Le plus ancien théâtre d’Estonie, fondé en 1870 par une compagnie de chant et scène amateur, comprend maintenant trois sites : la Grande Maison, la Petite Maison et le nouveau Teater Harbour, conjointement ils sont une ode brillante au théâtre indépendant moderne. 350 spectacles environ sont présentés entre les trois sites du Vanemuine, tous étant occupés sans interruption entre les mois de septembre et de mai. Au cours des mois d’été, le Teater produit un certain nombre de projets en plein air dans la ville et ses environs. Vanemuine a récemment terminé une importante rénovation de l’éclairage de scène avec l’installation de plus de 200 projecteurs scèniques mobiles Robe pour ses trois sites. Ceci faisait partie d’un plus vaste programme d’investissement entrepris par le gouvernement estonien en 2012 permettant l’accès à des fonds destinés à l’installation d’une nouvelle technologie d’éclairage dans tous les huits sites artistiques qu’il soutient.
DEUTSCH
Olev Luhaäär., MD / Owner of E&T
Andreas Kangur, Head of Video
make a difference and help inspire a wide cross section of people by helping to provide some of the foremost theatre production opportunities in Europe. At 32, and with plenty of ambition, he has his sights on playing a much more influential political role in the country’s cultural development. While the audio hasn’t been updated in line with the lighting, there are plans in place for upgrades next year. The current audio set-up comprises a main PA system in The Big House made up of Martin Audio W8LM line arrays along with a Yamaha M7CL mixing desk for FOH and a Yamaha LS9 mixing desk for the monitors; while the Harbour Teater features a HK Audio loudspeaker solution coupled with a Midas mixing console. In The Small House, the PA system is made up of four Martin Audio W8VDO loudspeakers and an Allen & Heath 3000 mixing console.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION LIGHTING THE BIG HOUSE: 56 x Robe Robin 1200 LEDWash moving head; 20 x Robe Robin MMX Spot moving head; 10 x Robe Robin 600E Spot moving head; 24 x Robe Robin 600E Wash moving head; 24 x Robe CitySkape Xtreme LED fixture; 2 x Robe DigitalSpot 7000 DTs moving head; Robe LEDWash 1200 lighting fixture; 22 x LDR LED 250W profile; 1 x High End Systems WholeHog 3 lighting desk HARBOUR TEATER: 8 x Robe DLX Spot moving head; 12 Robe Robin 600 LEDWash lighting fixture; 10 x Robe Robin 300 LEDWash lighting fixture; 2 x CitySkape Xtreme LED lighting fixture; 24 x LDR Alba profile THE SMALL HOUSE: 40 x Robe moving heads including Robin 600E Spot, Robin 300E Wash, LEDWash 600, LEDWash 300 SOUND THE BIG HOUSE: 12 x Martin Audio W8LM loudspeaker; 1 x Yamaha M7CL mixing desk; 1 x Yamaha LS9 mixing desk HARBOUR TEATER: HK Audio loudspeakers; 1 x Midas mixing console THE SMALL HOUSE: 14 x Martin Audio W8VDO loudspeaker; 1 x Allen & Heath 3000 mixing desk www.vanemuine.ee
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Das Vanemuine Teater in Tartu, Estlands pulsierende zweitgrößte Stadt, gilt schon seit je her als ein europäisches Kompetenzzentrum. Das Theater ist ein Haus für zahlreiche Produktionen und Empfänge für viele verschiedene Gattungen - Drama, Tanz, Musicals, Oper, Live Musikkonzerte, etc.. Während der beinahe fünfzigjährigen sowjetischen Besatzung war es das einzige Haus, das ein einzigartiges kombiniertes Repertoire mit Musik und Drama beibehielt. Estlands ältestes Theater, gegründet 1870 durch eine Sing- und Spiel-Laiengesellschaft, umfasst heutzutage drei Treffs - Das Grosse Haus, Das Kleine Haus und das neue Hafentheater – zusammen ein glänzender Lobgesang für das moderne, unabhängige Theater. Rund 350 Shows pro Jahr werden in den drei Gebäuden des Vanemuines aufgeführt, die von September bis Mai ständig besetzt sind. In den Sommermonaten produziert das Theater zahlreiche Projekte im Freien und rund um die Stadt. Vanemuine hat kürzlich die Bühnenbeleuchtung stark verbessert, mehr als 200 Robe Lauflichter wurden in allen drei Gebäuden installiert. Dies gehörte zu einem viel größeren Investmentprogramm, das 2012 durch die estländische Regierung begonnen wurde, die Gelder für eine neue Beleuchtungstechnologie zur Verfügung gestellt hat, welche in allen acht, durch sie unterstützten Kunststätten zu installieren sind.
ITALIANO
Il Teatro Vanemuine di Tartu, la seconda città dell’Estonia per importanza, ha sempre goduto della fama di essere un centro europeo di eccellenza. Il teatro è contemporaneamente ospite e produttore di una grande varietà di generi: dall’arte drammatica alla danza, dal musical alla lirica, dai concerti dal vivo ad altri. Anche durante i quasi cinquant’anni di occupazione sovietica è stata l’unica risorsa in grado di mantenere il proprio esclusivo repertorio che combina la musica e il teatro. Il più antico teatro Estone, fondato nel 1870 da una società di musica ed arte amatoriale, comprende ora tre diverse sedi: la Big House, la Small House ed il New Harbour Teater, i quali tutti insieme costituiscono un luminoso esempio di teatro moderno indipendente. Nelle tre sedi del Teatro Vanemuine vengono rappresentati ogni anno circa 350 lavori teatrali, con una fervente attività in ognuno dei tre che si prolunga da Settembre a Maggio. Nei mesi estivi il Teater produce una serie di progetti destinati all’esecuzione all’aperto, sia nella zona interna che in quella esterna alla città. Il Vanemuine ha recentemente aggiornato l’impianto di illuminazione che ha visto l’installazione di oltre 200 luci mobili Robe nelle tre sedi. Ciò è stato realizzato nell’ambito di un più vasto programma di investimenti iniziato nel 2012 dal governo Estone, il quale ha messo a disposizione di tutti gli otto centri artistici da lui finanziati l’utilizzo di fondi per l’installazione delle strutture tecnologiche di illuminazione.
ESPAÑOL
El Vanemuine Teater en Tartu, la segunda ciudad más vibrante de Estonia, siempre ha gozado de una buena reputación por ser un centro de excelencia europeo. El teatro alberga y recibe a múltiples producciones de un amplio rango de géneros - drama, danza, musicales, opera, conciertos de música en vivo y demás. Incluso durante casi 50 años de ocupación Soviética, fue el único lugar que retuvo su combinado repertorio único de música y drama. Siendo el teatro más antiguo de Estonia, fundado en 1870 por una sociedad amateur de cantantes y actores, actualmente está compuesto de tres lugares - The Big House, The Small House y el nuevo Harbour Teater - un reluciente himno colectivo al teatro independiente. Entre los tres sitios de Vanemuine tienen lugar alrededor de 350 espectáculos al año, todos ellos ocupados constantemente entre Septiembre y Mayo. En los meses de verano, el Teater produce una cantidad de proyectos al aire libre en y alrededor de la ciudad. Vanemuine ha finalizado recientemente una actualización de iluminación en el escenario principal, con una instalación de más de 200 luces móviles Robe en los tres sitios. Esto fue parte de un programa de inversión mucho mayor iniciado en 2012 por el gobierno de Estonia, que puso a disposición fondos para la instalación de nueva tecnología en iluminación a lo largo de ocho de sus sitios de arte a los que apoya.
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DUBAI
STUDIO F JUMEIRAH EMIRATES TOWERS IS ONE OF THE MOST STUNNINGLY ARCHITECTURAL HIGHLIGHTS ON THE DUBAI SKYLINE. WITH ITS ELEGANT DESIGN AND LUXURIOUS FURNISHINGS, IT WAS ONLY FITTING THAT IT’S LATEST LOUNGE SHOULD FOLLOW SUIT, AS HELEN FLETCHER DISCOVERED.
DUBAI, UAE
EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA
World-renowned television channel FashionTV has launched into Dubai, what is set to be the most exclusive fashion concept studio by day and one of the most chic lounges by night. Housed in the boulevard of one of the most prestigious hotels in the region - Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Studio F is a high-end venue that features luxurious furnishings in an urban and industrial space. Known for its huge shopping malls and designer boutiques, Dubai is the ideal home for Studio F where, according to its creators, the fashion savvy can enjoy all things ‘a la mode’ including FashionTV programmes and live catwalk shows running across large video screens and televisions, as well as down a video catwalk, using the ArKaos Grand VJ software, installed by locally-based Em-Tec installation company and Funktion One distributor. Involved in the project from the very beginning, Em-Tec’s Alex Bracken told mondo*dr: “Studio F is more of a fashion venue and lounge rather than a club, the venue owners are trying to attract the elite party crowd and the glamorous side of the entertainment market, this is very much a ‘place to be seen’ venue.”
With the intention of attracting Dubai’s ‘elite party crowd’, it was crucial the sound system installed was also part of that elite, with the client wanting warm, fat, crystal clear sound to run throughout the whole venue - a reason, perhaps Funktion One was chosen. “The venue started life as a bar / lounge and then the catwalk was added in later,” Em-Tec’s Andy Williams said. “So the sound system needed to be able to go from being pretty low-key during the day when the fashion shows are taking place to pretty loud in the evenings for the bar / lounge experience and so we’ve created a really even dispersion of sound across the whole venue. “There are two spaces for DJ booths in the venue, one in front of the catwalk and one towards the back of the room, which can be used in the week when there might not be any fashion shows taking place.” The main PA system at Studio F surrounds the catwalk and is made up of four Funktion One Resolution 3 full range loudspeakers and two Funktion One F221 bass loudspeakers, which have been hidden away to blend in with the building. In the main bar area two
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“The PA system at Studio F surrounds the catwalk and is made up of Funktion One Resolution 3 loudspeakers and Funktion One F221 bass loudspeakers.”
VIDEO CONTENT
Funktion One F218 bass loudspeakers are at home along side four Funktion One Resolution 1 loudspeakers back to back on the ceiling. To take care of the VIP customers, Em-Tec specified four Funktion One F101’s loudspeakers and two Funktion One MB210LP bass enclosures under the seats. Two Funktion One F1201 loudspeakers along with two Funktion One MB210LP bass enclosures cover the second bar area. While there are another two Funktion One F1201 used for DJ monitoring alongside two Pioneer DJM-900 Nexus mixers and four Pioneer CDJ-2000 multi-format players, these are split between the two DJ booths - one at the top of the catwalk and one in the VIP area. Both the Resolution 1 and Resolution 3 enclosures are required to produce a range of frequencies, with that in mind a Funktion One E100q amplifier was placed to charge the low-end while two Funktion One E30Q amplifiers handle the high frequencies and an E25 takes cares of the mid 10-inch on the Resolution 3. A Funktion One E90 amplifier and a Funktion One E45 amplifier power the system’s bass enclosures, while power handling for the VIP area is provided courtesy of a Funktion One F60Q amplifier. A further Funktion One E30Q amplifier has been installed to look after four Funktion One F81’s, which are positioned for the private VIP area next to the catwalk and the backstage area to get the models in the mood before their run on the catwalk. Three XTA DC1048 loudspeaker management systems are used for processing within the venue. “We chose the Resolution 1 specifically for the main bar
area of the lounge because they produce very narrow dispersion,” said Andy. “We wanted to try and keep the sound off the bar as much as possible so people can hear each other. Whenever we do plans for a venue we consider where people need to be heard and where the music needs to be focused.” As mentioned, before it was transformed into the high-end venue that stands before us today, the space at Jumeirah Emirates Towers was previously used as a car park and while its low ceiling gives the venue an advantage when it comes to acoustics, there were still some issues that needed to be addressed as Alex explained: “The ceilings are really low, which makes things better for us acoustically but there is also a lot of glass to contend with and there are still a few rattles and shakes because of air grills and so on, but the acoustics aren’t as bad as we thought they were going to be. “Virtually all the loudspeakers are placed where we wanted them apart from one of the Resolution 3’s which had to be moved as the client wanted to put another fresh air duct in which wasn’t on the original plans. Obviously this was a shame but there’s nothing you can do in these situations - our main focus is getting the coverage right and luckily the only area we’ve really lost coverage is near the smaller bar and the toilets, which aren’t major areas.” The intelligent lighting within the lounge is focused on the catwalk and is provided by Robe, while architectural lighting from Tryka and light boxes are used throughout the rest of the space. “We chose to use Robe because we wanted to use LEDs and
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FRANÇAIS
La chaîne télévisée de renommée mondiale FashionTV a lançé à Dubai ce qui promet d’être le studio de concept de mode le plus exclusif de jour et l’un des bar-salons les plus chic de nuit. Installé sur le boulevard de l’un des hôtels les plus prestigieux de la région, le Jumeirah Emirates Towers, le Studio F est un site haut de gamme qui dotés d’ameublements luxueux dans un environnement urbain et industriel. Connu pour ses immenses centres commerciaux et ses boutiques de designers, Dubai est le site idéal pour le Studio F où, selon ses créateurs, les passionnés de mode peuvent profiter de tout ce qui est « à la mode » y compris les programmes de FashionTV les défilés de mode en direct projetés sur de grands écrans video et téléviseurs ainsi qu’une vidéo de défilé de mode utilisant le logiciel ArKaos Grand VJ, installé par la compagnie locale d’installation Em-Tec et le distributeur Funktion One. Il était crucial que le système de son installé fasse également partie de cette élite, le client souhaitant un son chaleureux, plein, cristallin, ce qui est peut-être la raison pour laquelle Funktion One a été choisi. Comme vous pouvez vous y attendre, l’éclairage intelligent à l’intérieur du salon est concentré sur le défilé de mode et il est fourni par Robe, tandis que l’éclairage architectural de Tryka et les colonnes lumineuses sont utilisés dans tous le reste de l’espace.
DEUTSCH
they are easy lights to manage,” said Andy. “They’re very good lights to work with and we installed 10 Robe Robin 100 LEDWash moving heads along with 16 Robe LEDForce Par 18 RGBW moving heads; there is also one Antari HZ 350 hazer and lighting control comes from a Zero 88 lighting console. “I really like LED lighting and the possibilities it allows; I like the control you get over the colours. We have set up a lighting program for the venue and have put together content for the VJ, there are fashion shows run throughout the day and then in the evening the FashionTV channel is shown. This is one of the reasons we haven’t gone big on moving heads - the client wanted video to be the main focus throughout.” Summing up the project, Andy said: “The project has been really straightforward and the client has been really receptive to what we wanted to do, this has been great. It’s taken time, especially getting the video in and all the television screens but there have been no major problems to contend with and that’s all you can ask for.”
TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND 4 x Funktion One Resolution 3 loudspeaker; 4 x Funktion One Resolution 1 loudspeaker; 4 x Funktion One F1201 loudspeaker; 4 x Funktion One F101 loudspeaker; 4 x Funktion One F81 loudspeaker; 4 x Funktion One MB210LP bass enclosure; 2 x Funktion One F221 bass enclosure; 2 x Funktion One F218 bass enclosure; 2 x Funktion One E25 two channel amplifier; 2 x Funktion One E30Q four channel amplifier; 1 x Funktion One E90 two channel amplifier; 1 x Funktion One E45 two channel amplifier; 1 x Funktion One E100 four channel amplifier; 1 x Funktion One F40Q four channel amplifier; 1 x Funktion One F60Q four channel amplifier; 3 x XTA DC1048 loudspeaker management system; 1 x Formula Sound ZMR-243 three zone mixer with remote lighting 16 x Robe LEDForce Par 18 RGBW moving head; 10 x Robe Robin 100 LEDWash moving head; 3 x Antari HZ-350 hazer; 1 x DTS Pharus 1500 followspot; 1 x Zero 88 Solution 4 lighting desk; 1 x ArKaos Grand VJ software; 1 x Apple MacBook; 1 x Look Solutions Viper smoke machine; 1 x Look Solutions Unique 2 hazer; 1 x Green Hippo Hippotizer Critter media server; 1 x Sanyo projector www.facebook.com/studiofdubai
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Der weltweit bekannte Fernsehkanal FashionTV hat in Dubai das exklusivste Fashion Konzept Studio für tagsüber und eine der schicksten Lounge Bars für nachts gestartet. Studio F liegt in der Allee eines der prestigeträchtigsten Hotels der Region – Jumeirah Emirates Towers – und ist ein Luxustreff mit erstklassiger Einrichtung in einem innerstädtischen und industriellen Bereich. Dubai ist bekannt für seine riesigen Einkaufszentren und Designerläden und somit der ideale Rahmen für Studio F, wo, so seine Gestalter, der Modeliebhaber in den Genuss von allem ‘a la mode’ kommen kann, einschließlich FashionTV-Programme und Live Catwalk Shows, die auf großen Videobildschirmen und Fernsehern laufen, sowie unten auf einem Video Catwalk, der die ArKaos Grand VJ Software verwendet, die durch Em-Tec installiert wurde, der vor Ort ansässigen Installationsfirma und Lieferant von Funktion One. Was besonders wichtig war, das installierte Soundsystem war auch Teil dieser Auslese, der Kunde wollte einen warmen, fetten, kristallklaren Sound für den gesamten Treff – ein Grund vielleicht, weswegen Funktion One ausgewählt wurde. Wie Sie sich wohl denken ist die intelligente Beleuchtung in der Lounge auf den Catwalk ausgerichtet und wurde durch Robe geliefert, während die architektonische Beleuchtung von Tryka und Lichtkästen im übrigen Bereich benutzt werden.
ITALIANO
FashionTV, il noto canale televisivo apprezzato in tutto il mondo, ha lanciato a Dubai quello che viene considerato uno studio dedicato alla moda più esclusiva durante il giorno e ai più eleganti bars interni durante la notte. Ospitato negli spazi di uno dei più prestigiosi alberghi della regione, il Jumeirah Emirates Towers, lo Studio F è un ritrovo all’avanguardia caratterizzato da un arredamento di lusso inserito in uno spazio urbano industriale. Conosciuto per i suoi vastissimi viali interni dedicati allo shopping e alle boutiques d’autore, Studio F trova nell’ambiente di Dubai la sua perfetta collocazione. Così come viene descritto dai suoi creatori, gli esperti di moda possono gustare nello studio tutto ciò che si presenta come all’avanguardia, inclusi i programmi della FashionTV e gli spettacoli che utilizzano le attrezzature ArKaos Grand VJ, installato dall’impresa locale denominate Em-Tec e distribuite dalla Funktion One. Di fondamentale importanza è stato il fatto che persino il sistema di amplificazione installato corrispondesse agli elevati standard del luogo, ciò che il cliente chiede infatti è un suono pieno, corposo e limpido allo stesso tempo, diffuso in tutta l’area. Ciò ha probabilmente portato a scegliere l’azienda Funktion One. Come nelle previsioni, l’illuminazione intelligente proposta nel bar interno è diretta sulla passerella ed è fornita da Robe, mentre le luci strutturali da Tryka; insegne luminose sono utilizzate nello spazio restante.
ESPAÑOL
El canal de televisión FashionTV, mundialmente reconocido, lanzó en Dubai, lo que se entiende es el estudio de concepto de moda más exclusivo para el día y uno de los lounge bars más chic para la noche. Emplazado en el boulevard de uno de los hoteles más prestigiosos de la región – Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Studio F es un lugar de alta gama que luce lujosos amoblamientos en un espacio urbano e industrial. Conocida por sus enormes shoppings y boutiques de diseñadores, Dubai es el lugar ideal para Studio F, donde, de acuerdo con sus creadores, los expertos en moda pueden disfrutar de todas las cosas a la mode’ incluyendo los programas de FashionTV y shows de desfiles en vivo que se ven en enormes pantallas de video y televisión, así como bajar un video de un desfile utilizando el software ArKaos Grand VJ, instalado por Em-Tec - empresa de instalación y distribuidor de Funktion One, con base local. Era crucial que el sistema de sonido instalado también fuera parte de esa elite, ya que el cliente quería un sonido cálido, voluminoso y límpido que sonara en todo el sitio - razón por la cual, tal vez, se eligió a Funktion One. Como es de esperar, la iluminación inteligente dentro del lounge está focalizada en la pasarela y es provista por Robe, mientras que en el resto del espacio se utiliza iluminación arquitectónica de Tryka y cajas de iluminación.
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VILLA ORSINI Mirabella Eclano, italy EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA
The Pascerella family have history in the hospitality world dating back more than 100 years, but today they are best known for the Villa Orsini complex, which includes reception rooms, a lobby, lounge areas, a cellar, an archaeological museum, a swimming pool and a beautiful water fountain. Villa Orsini sits on a hillside in Mirabella Eclano just a short drive inland from the bay of Naples and benefits from spectacular panoramic views. The building’s architecture is stunning, having been designed to blend in with the hillside landscape that surrounds it. Inside, the building boasts themes of old-world charm and elements of classic, harmonious beauty.
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The romantic hideaway - stretched out across 70,000 sq metres - is able to accommodate a number of different events and is a very popular venue for weddings. Guests to the villa are able to admire ancient Etruscan and Roman archaeological artefacts - which are protected by the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage of Salerno and Avellino - in the archaeological museum or they can sample cheese and wine in the original 18th Century cellars. Since its opening in 2009 Villa Orsini has witnessed an increase in demand for live music during events and so owner Carmine Pascarella decided it was time to upgrade the audio system in the main
function room. In keeping with his own desire for perfection and the stylistic ideologies of Italy itself, Carmine wanted a powerful yet tasteful system. He turned to Giacomo Ripa of pro audio specialist Osmen in Avellino to specify and install the new sound system. Giacomo visited Villa Orsini to take measurements of the main function room to decide on the best solution in terms of coverage, frequency response and pressure level, and he then conducted a product demonstration at the venue. Giacomo said: “The E-Series from d&b audiotechnik was already a favourite of mine. It’s like a designer’s tool kit; a variety of beautifully crafted
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loudspeakers that enable me to fashion a system design precisely to the room and fulfil Mr Pascarella’s heartfelt desires.” Giacomo chose four d&b audiotechnik E8 high performance loudspeakers in white supplemented by two d&b audiotechnik E15X-SUB compact and lightweight subwoofers, all of which were powered by two d&b audiotechnik D6 dual channel amplifiers and run on d&b audiotechnik’s R1 Remote control software. The E Series was selected due to its unobtrusive size yet its ability to cater for high SPLs. “The system design I determined was, in the end, quite simple; once Mr Pascarella realised just how powerful and sweet toned this system is I was able to specify a relatively modest installation of E8’s with just two E15-SUBs for what is actually a pretty big dining area,” continued Giacomo. “The function room is a substantial space. Some 40 metres by 25 metres, and at under four metres the ceiling is quite low. The reliably consistent directivity of the E8 loudspeaker, 90° by 50° was ideal in terms of coverage, and it is such a small cabinet most of the guests don’t even notice they’re there during the feast. It is features like those that make me proud to be a d&b audiotechnik sales partner.” Alongside the installation in the main function room, Giacomo also designed an audio solution for the patio swimming pool area, a place which is often used to serve the wedding cake, champagne, and is the setting for early evening dancing. Outdoors Giacomo selected four weather resistant d&b audiotechnik E12-D two-way loudspeakers for the main pool area, as well as four d&b audiotechnik E8 loudspeakers for the annex next door. These cabinets are driven by two d&b audiotechnik D6 amplifiers and are managed by d&b audiotechnik’s R1 Remote control software. “Even when the wedding feast is over and we clear away the tables to leave the floor open for dancing the sound and quality is just what my clients want. A wedding in Italy is not a drive in a Ferrari, it is something to be taken slowly and savoured; sometimes we cruise and relish the view; later we might step on the gas and enjoy the thrill of the ride. That’s how I think of the system Giacomo has designed for me,” concluded Carmine.
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TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND FUNCTION ROOM: 4 x d&b audiotechnik E8 loudspeaker; 2 x d&b audiotechnik E15X-SUB subwoofer; 2 x d&b audiotechnik D6 amplifier; d&b audiotechnik R1 Remote control software OUTDOOR PATIO: 4 x d&b audiotechnik E12-D loudspeaker; 4 x d&b audiotechnik E8 loudspeaker; 2 x d&b audiotechnik D6 amplifier; d&b audiotechnik R1 Remote control software ww.villaorsini.it
www.dbaudio.com
Knowing the whole picture ...
... of an opera house, the xS and xA-Series loudspeakers from the d&b White range can score through discreet optical and acoustical integration along with an ensemble of versatile mounting options, they may amaze with controlled even coverage and natural sound, delivering well-rehearsed and applauded intelligibility. In short: when it comes to opera house style applications d&b is in the frame.
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HAKKASAN LAS VEGAS, USA THE AMERICAS
Set in the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, the latest Hakkasan boasts one of the biggest Turbosound installations the world has ever seen. Its scale is breathtaking. And with a DJ roster stacked with the biggest stars of electronic dance music (EDM), the owners appear to be constructing a whole new level of expectation. Is this the next generation of megaclub? Ever since gambling laws in Nevada Desert were relaxed in 1931, Las Vegas has been reputed for its open doors entertainment policy. The city is famous for its flashing bright lights and 24-hour commitment to hedonistic pursuits. Over the last few years, however, the
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lights have taken on more of a cutting-edge and the acronym on everybody’s lips is EDM. Known more loosely in other markets simply as dance music, where it has enjoyed varying levels of prominence since acid house in the late 1980s, like many things that the US takes to its heart, the genre has morphed into an augmented version of itself. When you consider the superstar level that DJs rose to in Europe during the late 1990s, it offers an idea of where the next tier of development takes it. Make no mistake; this is huge. You only need to cast an exploratory eye across trends in the music industry to realise EDM’s influence. Artists are drawn to it and the DJ-cum-producers who are leading the charge. Audiences flock to it. And venues that are capable of supporting its weighty elements are
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being created at a suitably upbeat tempo. If America is the home of EDM, then Las Vegas is its capital. And its community of notable venues has just grown with the launch of supersized entertainment destination, Hakkasan Las Vegas. Created by Hakkasan Ltd and its partner Angel Management Group, Hakkasan Las Vegas is a five-level culinary and nightlife mecca, set within the MGM Grand entertainment complex. It is a bold evolution of the prestigious global restaurant brand into an all-encompassing nightlife experience. Architected and designed by 212designinc, Labo and Gilles & Boissier, the mega-venue has been shaped with grandeur and escapism in mind. Throughout, the design ethos carries depth and intricacy. Finishes are rich in quality and the level of detail is remarkable. The same can be said for the entertainment technology, which has been scripted by Audiotek’s Frank Murray - a man who has been specifying audio, lighting and video technology solutions for more than three decades. Though Audiotek is based in Ireland, its reputation has always cast it further afield. The company has been involved in some
of the biggest nightclub installations in the UK, Ireland and now America. Over the last year, Frank has spent a lot of his time in the US, where the market is buoyant with a desire for high-energy clubbing experiences. Frank saw the opportunity developing in the States and has used his knowledge and expertise to seize it. The equipment that has been prescribed for Hakkasan Las Vegas is a carefully considered mix of cutting edge lighting, video, special effects and, of course, audio. The list of manufacturers befits the sheer ambition of the operation. Robe, Martin Professional, Clay Paky and ETC products feature in abundant quantities. The DJ booths have their own lighting spec, as well as the latest Pioneer DJ kit. And sound systems throughout have been crafted using high-performance Turbosound products. For Frank, this is the biggest installation he’s ever been responsible for. “It’s the first casino-based Hakkasan project worldwide. That gives the whole building a certain amount of cachet. It’s a completely different twist to the standard, conventional nightclub format. “It had to be treated as five different venues, because none of the
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Photos by Erik Kabik
areas were to be treated as secondary. All of them have to excel and perform in their own right. That was the client’s absolute aim - to ensure that every guest, no matter where they are in the building, feels like they’re having the absolute experience.” Guests are greeted at the entrance space by ambient sounds, scents and lighting - all key components of Hakkasan’s DNA. The atmosphere is relaxed and mood is anticipative. The main dining area on the next level is divided by latticed woodwork, known as the ‘Cage’, which forms intimate dining spaces within the main room, while still sharing the atmosphere of the entire dining area. Audio, as it does in every part of the venue, comes from Turbosound loudspeakers and amplifiers. The restaurant’s kitchen is a dramatic culinary theatre helmed by Michelin-starred Chef Ho Chee Boon and his team of highly skilled wok and dim sum chefs. The private dining room on the second level overlooks the main room giving guests a birds-eye view of the awe-inspiring ‘Cage’. At the heart of Hakkasan Las Vegas’ operation is a multi-tiered nightclub, which begins with Ling Ling Club on the third level. The 10,000 sq ft space offers a contemporary clubbing experience, with an urban feel and free format music policy. It has been created with a Turbosound sound system, Pioneer DJ kit, Robe Robin 100 LED and Martin Professional MAC 250 Entour lighting fixtures - controlled with Chamsys MagicQ Maxi Wing - and an Absen AI06 LED video display, which is controlled using a Resolume Avenue and MadMapper hybrid. It is coupled with Ling Ling Lounge, which offers a more intimate environment. An architectural lighting scheme gives the space an ambient feel, while Turbosound loudspeakers and amplifiers, together with a Pioneer DJ set-up injects an energetic undertone. With each floor, like gravitational rebellion, the energy levels rise. By the time Hakkasan Las Vegas’ guests reach the fourth floor, they are suitably primed for a holistic clubbing experience, formed in an expansive space by a marriage of lighting, video and audio infrastructure. MAIN ROOM “Audiotek’s motivation has been to create a dynamic uplifting immersive environment which would captivate and enthrall patrons and
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talent alike,” explained Frank. “We trawl the world seeking out artists, concepts and technical innovations to come up with fresh ideas and creative applications to further advance the show elements under our control. “The main room system comprises 24 Turbosound TFA-600HW line array modules and 12 Turbosound TFA-600L low frequency loudspeakers, flown in four arrays of three TFA-600Ls with six TFA600HWs,” added Frank. “In addition, the dancefloor system employs six groundstacked Turbosound TFA-600B bass enclosures and three Turbosound TFS-900Bi subwoofers.” The TFA-600HW is a compact trapezoidal wide dispersion bi-amped or tri-amped three-way mid-high enclosure, consisting of a 1-inch high frequency compression driver on a dendritic horn, a 6.5-inch high-mid frequency driver on a patented polyhorn device, and two Turbo-loaded 10-inch low-mid frequency drivers. It combines a dendritic HF waveguide and a midrange polyhorn together in a single physically aligned, equal path length waveguide with 100° horizontal dispersion, ensuring a phase-coherent wavefront at the horn mouth. In addition, the drive units are symmetrically arranged within the enclosure, which contributes to the smooth and consistent horizontal and vertical coverage. The TFA-600L is a compact horn loaded bass enclosure that consists of a single 18-inch neodymium low frequency driver loaded with a TurboBass device in a birch plywood cabinet. Its integrated flying system allows it to be flown at the top of the flex array column using a simple conversion frame between the three TFA-600Ls and six TFA-600HWs. They work in collaboration with the groundstacked TFA-600Bi subwoofers to deliver lower frequencies to the main room. The TFA-600Bi is a compact horn loaded bass enclosure. It uses a single 18-inch neodymium low frequency driver loaded with a TurboBass device. Turbosound’s TFS-900B hybrid dual-18 subwoofer employs a hybrid loading, which combines the sensitivity and characteristics of a horn with reflex loading’s extension. A total of 12 Turbosound RACKDP-50 four-channel amplifiers power the 24 TFA-600HWs. Each amp integrates lightweight power supplies, high power sonically transparent Class D amplifiers, full system monitoring - including ‘end of line’ - and includes a fully featured
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TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND
USB or network controlled 24 bit 96kHz DSP processing platform on-board as standard. The low frequency loudspeakers and subwoofers are powered by Turbosound T-90 lightweight switch-mode amplifiers and controlled using Turbosound’s LMSD26 audio management system. Under balcony fill is supplied by 22 Turbosound TCX-8 compact passive two-way loudspeakers and eight Turbosound NuQ-6 ultra-compact passive loudspeakers. Upstairs, a further 21 TCX-8 loudspeakers have been deployed for above the balcony. The TCX-8 uses an 8-inch low frequency driver and a 1-inch high frequency compression driver on a converging elliptical waveguide in a trapezoidal enclosure. It has been designed to be visually discreet, while offering excellent pattern control. The NuQ-6, with its front-loaded 6.5-inch neodymium low frequency driver, 1-inch neodymium high frequency compression driver and rotatable HF waveguide, offers a great deal of flexibility from a compact enclosure. “We are motivated primarily by the music - it all starts and ends with the music,” said Frank. “We must enhance the musical experience and bring an additional level to the emotional interaction between the artist and the audience. That’s why tuning and voicing a system is central to what we do. With Turbosound here, as in many other landmark projects, we have had the use of its resources to spend time ensuring we retain the musicality, while creating the massive powerful presence demanded by these events.” Behind the scenes, in dressing rooms, corridors and bathroom facilities, Turbosound TCS-C50t passive two-way ceiling loudspeakers feed audio from the main club. Turbosound RACKDP-50 amplifiers handle amplification for the balcony speakers and peripheral zones. BSS Audio Soundweb London processing and management systems handle control and matrix throughout. The main room’s DJ station is furnished with four Pioneer CDJ-2000 DJ decks, a Pioneer DJM-900 DJ mixer and Pioneer RMX-1000 remix console. All of the Pioneer products are Nexus Platinum editions, complete with mirror chrome finish. A Rane Serato Scratch Live box, two Shure wireless microphone sets and two Technics SL1210s ensure the DJ booth is equipped for a range of needs and styles. An L-Acoustics system, comprising three Karai two-way mid-highs and two SB18i subwoofers on each side, has been chosen for DJ monitoring. It’s an indication of the size of the place that DJs have
MAIN CLUB & MEZZANINE: 24 x Turbosound TFA-600HW loudspeaker; 12 x Turbosound TFA-600L bass enclosure; 6 x Turbosound TFA-600B bass enclosure; 3 x TFS-900Bi loudspeaker; 43 x Turbosound TCX-8 loudspeaker; 8 x Turbosound NuQ-6 loudspeaker; 32 x Turbosound TCS-C50T in-ceiling loudspeaker; 3 x L-Acoustics Karai loudspeaker; 2 x L-Acoustics SB18i subwoofer; BSS Soundweb London BLU control unit; 21 x Turbosound Rack DP50 amplifier; 5 x Turbosound T-90 amplifier; 4 x Pioneer Nexus Platinum CDJ2000 multiplayer; 1 Pioneer DJM-900 Nexus Platinum mixer; 1 x Pioneer RMX-1000 Nexus Platinum effects unit; 2 x Shure wireless set; 1 x Rane Serato scratch box PAVILION: 16 x Turbosound TFA-600HW loudspeaker; 8 x Turbosound TFA-600L bass enclosure; 6 x Turbosound TFA-600L bass enclosure; 6 x Turbosound TCS-122 loudspeaker; 10 x Turbosound TCS-C50T in-ceiling loudspeaker; 2 x Turbosound Milan M15 loudspeaker; 2 x Turbosound B18 loudspeaker; BSS Soundweb London BLU control unit; 10 x Turbosound Rack DP50 amplifier; 3 x Turbosound T-90 amplifier; 4 x Pioneer Nexus Platinum CDJ-2000 multiplayer; 1 Pioneer DJM-900 Nexus Platinum mixer; 1 x Pioneer RMX-1000 Nexus Platinum effects unit; 1 x Shure wireless set; 1 x Rane Serato scratch box LING LING CLUB: 16 x Turbosound TCS-1061/100 loudspeaker; 8 x Turbosound TFA-400 loudspeaker; 14 x Turbosound TFA600B bass enclosure; 4 x Turbosound NuQ-10 loudspeaker; 2 x Turbosound TCS-122/96 loudspeaker; BSS Soundweb London BLU control unit;16 x Turbosound Rack DP50 amplifier; 3 x Turbosound T-90 amplifier; 4 x Pioneer Nexus Platinum CDJ2000 multiplayer; 1 Pioneer DJM-900 Nexus Platinum mixer; 1 x Pioneer RMX-1000 Nexus Platinum effects unit; 1 x Shure wireless set; 1 x Rane Serato scratch box LING LING LOUNGE: 8 x Turbosound TFA-400 loudspeaker; 1 x Turbosound TD1-218 subwoofer; 4 x Turbosound TSB-212 sub bass; 8 x Turbosound NuQ-8 loudspeaker; 10 x Turbosound NuQ10 loudspeaker; 3 x Turbosound Milan M15 loudspeaker; 19 x Turbosound TCS-S50T in-ceiling loudspeaker; 1 x Turbosound T90 amplifier; 7 x Turbosound Rack DP50 amplifier; BSS Soundweb London BLU control unit; 2 x Pioneer Nexus Platinum CDJ-2000 multiplayer; 1 Pioneer DJM-900 Nexus Platinum mixer; 1 x Shure wireless set; 1 x Rane Serato scratch box
LIGHTING
MAIN CLUB & MEZZANINE: 16 x Robe Robin 300E Beam moving head; 16 x Martin Professional MAC 350 Entour moving head; 16 x Clay Paky Sharpy moving head; 26 x ETC LED S4 Lustre+ lighting fixture; 12 x Robe Pointe lighting fixture; 8 x Robe DLX Spot lighting fixture; 18 x Robe LED 100 Beam moving head; 6 x Robe Fazer 1500 haze machine; 2 x Salvin Design confetti canon with DMX & colour flame; 4 x Salvin Design CO² bazuka; 1 x Kyro Genifex liquid nitrogen multinozzled effect PAVILION: 12 x Robe Robin 300E Beam moving head; 4 x Martin Professional MAC 350 Entour moving head; 8 x Clay Paky Sharpy moving head; 6 x ETC LED S4 Lustre+ lighting fixture; 1 x Robe Fazer 1500 haze machine; 1 x confetti canon with DMX & colour flame LING LING CLUB: 16 x Robe LED 100 moving head; 1 x Robe Fazer 1500 haze machine; 1 x LED chandelier
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Absen AI06 LED video displays; Resolume Avenue and MadMapper hybrid video control; Abesn K6 video displays; Crestron DigitalMedia switching and control systems www. hakkasanlv.com
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a monitoring system that would typically be used as the main PA in a small live venue. While the sound system has been specified to be aurally impactful and visually discrete, the lighting and video elements are designed to be just the opposite. The main rig was custom designed at Audiotek’s design workshop. It takes the iconic Hakkasan ‘double-K’ logo and uses the form and shape to create a physical presence for the brand within the dramatic space. The rig is further dramatised by the use of Acclaim LED on a reflective base to create an etherial hovering entity that supports the lighting. The visual spectacle above the dancefloor has been created using 16 Robe Robin 300E Beams, 16 Clay Paky Sharpy fixtures, 16 Martin Professional MAC350 Entour profiles and 18 ETC Source Four LED Lustre+ luminaires with custom gobos. Plus the addition of some of Robe’s latest products - 12 Robe Pointe fixtures and 8 Robe DLX Spots. Frank explained the benefit: “The main room and pavilion lighting have been further augmented by the installation of the newest Robe fixtures, which advances the visual sensory package into the realm of touring arena show sophistication.” The mezzanine has 18 Robe Robin 100 LEDBeams and eight more ETC Source Four LED Lustre+ units. Effects include six Robe Fazer 1500 haze machines, two Salvin Design confetti canons with DMX and colour flame, four Salvin Design CO2 bazukas and a Kyro Geniflex liquid nitrogen unit. As the focal point of the room, the raised DJ area is home to a feast of lighting and effects units. The line-up includes eight Robe Robin 300 Beams, eight Elation Elar Quad panels, 12 matrix blinders, two custom arc and lighting bars, two upright curve lighting bars and four RTI Nano 4 RYGB 20 lasers using Pangolin LD2000 software. Lighting and effects elements are controlled by a Chamsys MagicQ MQ300 Pro console - with 32 universes, 58 full playbacks, two external monitor outputs and in-built Ethernet switch, UPS and solid state drive. The DJ area is backed by a huge LED video display, which stretches
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to the height of three floors, and wraps around the front of the DJ station, adding to the drama and heightened sensory overload. It is made up of Absen AI06 full-colour LED displays and Absen K6 displays - covering 125 sq metres in total. Video control is managed using Resolume Avenue and MadMapper software. “This video technology is uniquely mirrored in the pavilion and in the Ling Ling room,” said Frank. “All the screens are under the command of world renowned VJ and video artist Ed Shaw of Ne1co. Turbosound and Audiotek personnel were familiar with Ed’s work from projects in the UK and in India. He is a genius.” PAVILION Adjacent to the main nightclub is the pavilion - an indoor space with an outdoor feel, which features an oriental garden, two-storey water feature and lush life-like foliage. It operates either as an extension of the main nightclub or independently, hence a technical package that is capable of standing alone or seamlessly aligning with the main club. In terms of the specified equipment, the pavilion mirrors many of the choices made in the main space. Four hangs of four Turbosound TFA-600HW modules and two Turbosound TFA-600L low frequency loudspeakers cover the main space. Further low frequency reinforcement comes from six groundstacked Turbosound TFA-600B bass enclosures. Six Turbosound TCS-122 loudspeakers address the peripheral areas and Turbosound TCS-C50T ceiling loudspeakers the corridors and bathroom areas. The DJ set-up is the same as the main room, with four Pioneer CDJ2000 DJ decks, a Pioneer DJM-900 DJ mixer, Pioneer RMX-1000 remix console, Rane Serato Box and a Shure wireless microphone system. Monitoring duties are handled by two Turbosound Milan M15 active two-way speakers and two Turbosound B18 subwoofers. The symmetry continues with the lighting spec, which boasts 12 Robe Robin 300E Beam fixtures - offering full-colour mixing, a colour wheel with seven replaceable dichroic filters, plus static and rotating gobo wheels. Four Martin Professional MAC350 Entour profiles
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have also been deployed. Each one offers seven extremely efficient high-power LEDs, eight interchangeable dichroic colours with split colour effects and continuous rotation, an enhanced colour spectrum and six rotating and indexable gobos. Eight Clay Paky Sharpy moving beam lights bring 14 different colours and 17 gobos, allowing beam shaping and spectacular mid-air effects. With its lightweight and modest footprint, Sharpy is extremely flexible in its application. The line-up of fixtures is completed with eight ETC Source Four LED Lustre+ luminaires. This version offers the same size, look, optics and beam angles as a traditional Source Four, with the efficiency and energy savings of an LED. Effects units include a Robe Fazer 1500 haze machine and a Salvin Design confetti canon. A Chamsys MagicQ MQ60 console controls the lighting effects. The unit can support 12 universes over Ethernet using Art-Net I, II or III, Pathport, or Streaming ACN. In addition there are four fully patchable direct DMX outputs on the rear panel. The video element has been created using 20 panels of Absen AI06 LED display, which is controlled using Resolume Avenue and MadMapper software. Video throughout the building is supported by Crestron DigitalMedia switching and control systems. “We constantly travel worldwide visiting manufacturers, show designers and event specialists to see the latest and most innovative developments top harness and incorporate these ideas and technologies into our designs and installations,” revealed Frank. “Our motivation is to provide the backbone onto which the venue can grow their productions and shows, programming and enhancing their events with the best technology and production values available today. “We believe that every night, every patron, every visitor, and every employee should be awe struck startled and surprised by the sensory overload we provide to Hakkasan. We want the journey to start at the front door and build in anticipation throughout the voyage to the main club through the stone clad candle-lit corridors and austere and mystic spaces.” Hakkasan Las Vegas is a triumph of creativity, technology and col-
laboration. While Audiotek led the creative, project management and commissioning, (working closely with AMG/Hakkasan Ltd), there are people and companies that have to be recognised for their contributions. Sun City Electrical - led by Jason Bosnos and Garry Fife. R2W’s Jeremy McConnico, Thomas Durfee and Dustin Proverse, who carried out low voltage work, rack wiring, as well as the Crestron design and programming. The lighting installation by 4Wall. Madrix programming for the LED lighting was by Greg See and Mikey Callaghan of AVLI. Chris Kmeic was the Turbosound factory engineer and Jay Easley from Music Group was the local Turbosound support. Hakkasan Las Vegas has laid bare its intentions by securing a host of high profile residents. Calvin Harris, Tiesto, deadmau5 and Steve Akoi form part of a considerable line-up of producer and DJ talent who regularly play out to thousands of guests. Such investment in performer talent would have been misplaced without a design philosophy and technical infrastructure to support its ambition. Hakkasan Las Vegas has both in abundance. Reflecting on Hakkasan Las Vegas’ creation, CEO of Angel Management Group, Neil Moffitt, said: “Combining our nightlife and entertainment expertise with such a reputable name in the culinary world has produced a venue that will provide an unforgettable experience for all who visit Hakkasan Las Vegas. After more than two years of hard work and intricate planning, we are thrilled to open the venue and see our guests’ reactions.” Hakkasan Ltd CEO Didier Souillat added: “We view a partnership with Angel Management Group as an invaluable asset to the Hakkasan brand’s first venture into nightlife. It’s been a thrilling process to fuse our award-winning dining program with immersive nightlife elements to create an all-encompassing venue for our foray into Las Vegas.” For Audiotek, it’s been business as usual, explained Frank: “The goal has been and always will be, to create benchmark venues, combining world beating technology and effects with the best sound and visual reinforcement. We want to leave our patrons and clients with a lasting set of images and experiences, which they will carry with them long after their visit is over.”
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PAPRIKA / CARNIVAL CITY St clair / GULF CITY, Trinidad The Americas
PAPRIKA Paprika restaurant and lounge was once located in the northern part of Trinidad in Cocorite, north west of downtown Port of Spain. Gustavo Molina and Dr Gerard Farfan opened this establishment in 2006, however, after a number of years on the Western Main Road, the duo decided it was time for a change. Gustavo and Gerard sought a location that would attract food lovers who also enjoy late night drinks, and they found such premises on Rush Street in St Clair, much closer to the bustling crowds that regularly frequent Port of Spain. With the reincarnation of Paprika came the opportunity to develop a new concept for the venue and a fresh design; although one element that the pair were keen to keep
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the same was the sound quality of the audio system. The original Paprika was kitted out with a combination of ElectroVoice loudspeakers and amplifiers, so when the time came to specify the new audio solution, Electro-Voice came out on top. They contacted Streamline Systems, a system integration company in El Socorro, which specialises in designing, supplying and installing high quality sound, lighting and video systems. Streamline Systems is also the only authorised repair facility for Electro Voice equipment under warranty in Trinidad meaning after care support would be on the doorstep. While Gustavo and Gerard were very impressed with the sound quality at the original Paprika, they really wanted a system that packed a punch, produced a higher output and could cope with the change in volume levels as the restaurant and lounge transforms into a small nightclub later in the evening. Upon hearing the brief, Director of Streamline Systems, Michael Pereira was confident in his equipment choice. “The Electro-Voice ZX1i’s small footprint
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STREAMLINE SYSTEMS IS THE ONLY AUTHORISED REPAIR FACILITY FOR ELECTRO-VOICE EQUIPMENT IN TRINIDAD, SO WHEN A COUPLE OF VENUE OPERATORS KNEW THEY WANTED THEIR VENUES FULL OF ELECTRO-VOICE KIT, THEY KNEW JUST WHO TO CALL.
and clean sound was a perfect fit for the venue’s needs,” he said. The ZX1i’s are well equipped for low frequencies and produce 123dB of maximum SPL. A total of 10 Electro-Voice ZX1i twoway loudspeakers have been installed using QuickSAM mounting brackets across the four zones - the main lounge, the dancefloor, the rear loung and the outdoor patio - at Paprika. A challenge presented itself in the form of finding subwoofers small enough to supplement the ZX1i loudspeakers, as the owners did not want the audio equipment to interfere with the décor. Luckily, around the same time that Paprika was designed, Electro-Voice introduced a new subwoofer, the ZXA1-SUB. The 12-inch powered subwoofer is compact in size and when combined with the Electro-Voice ZX1i, extends the system’s low frequency capabilities, four were specified for the job. Michael selected three Electro-Voice Q66 amplifiers to power the system, he said: “Electro-Voice’s Q Series amplifiers offer superb sound quality and loads of headroom all at a reasonable price point. While we were kept on a strict budget we were still able to offer high quality components to the customer for a great sounding system for years to come.” For processing Michael chose an Ashly Protea ne24.24m DSP matrix
processor. It’s a product he has used in previous installations so he was confident of its ability. The processor’s flexibility was also key to the choice, it features a maximum of 24 input and outputs, some of which will not be used initially, but having the option of being able
TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND 10 x Electro-Voice ZX1i loudspeaker; 4 x Electro-Voice ZXA1SUB subwoofer; 3 x Electro-Voice Q66 amplifier; 1 x Ashly Protea ne24.24m DSP matrix processor lighting Artic Lighting LumiRain ED3B103 LED colour bars; Artic Lighting Pentux ED3B1009 LED beam effects; Artic Lighting ED7135 seven beam effect fixtures; 1 x Chauvet ShowXpress 512 Plus controller; 1 x Chauvet ShowXpress software and a remote for DMX triggering; 1 x Hanson Pro Systems HPS-4L-RGYV red, green, yellow and violet four-tunnel laser system; Hanson Pro Systems GRU-V black lights www.paprikatt.wordpress.com
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to add more inputs and outputs with little disruption in the future is a great advantage. The decorative focal point at Paprika is the mirror ball chandelier, where a number of 20-inch mirror balls have been hung at different heights to create the illusion of a chandelier. The ambiance at Paprika was highly important, the different textures and fabrics used to decorate the venue had to be accentuated by the technology. With this is mind, for the restaurant area Michael selected Artic Lighting ED7135 seven beam effect fixtures, Artic Lighting Pentux ED3B1009 LED beam effects and some RGB tape lighting to create smooth and elegant lighting effects on the intricate artwork which line the walls. Whereas the lounge area makes use of Artic Lighting LumiRain ED3B103 LED colour bars that are used as wall washers and uplighters. And for the ultimate club atmosphere, Michael selected a HPS-4L-RGYV red, green, yellow and violet four-tunnel laser system from Hanson Pro Systems, as well as some GRU-V black lights.
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Control for the lighting and visual effects at Paprika is provided courtesy of a Chauvet ShowXpress 512 Plus controller acting as an interface for the Chauvet ShowXpress software and a remote for DMX triggering. A total of 18 DMX scenes were programmed at Paprika, creating different lighting options dependent upon the venue function at any given time. Each DMX scene is accessible and can be triggered via the remote control. Because Paprika does not have a resident lighting technician, it was important that the lighting control was simple and straightforward so that any member of staff would be able to operate it. Michael said: “Training for the lighting control system took about two minutes before the owners were smiling as they saw the new effects that they could create at the push of a button.” Restaurant Manager Jesus Ramirez described Paprika as, “a unique place for people to have an experience like no other,” and said it offers guest the chance “to feel out of Trinidad while in Trinidad.”
CARNIVAL CITY Carnival City ultra sports lounge combines a restaurant, lounge, bar and club in a sports style environment. It is located in the Gulf City Mall in San Fernando, Trinidad and is part of the Carnival City brand, which also includes the casino next door, Carnival City members club. The theme at Carnival City is gaming whether it be in the form of sports matches on the 32 LED screens, games of luck or the interactive gaming table tops. The venue is aimed to be a place of indulgence where visitors can be entertained by gaming as well as enjoying the finest cocktails, delicious food and the ultimate party atmosphere. With so many strings to its bow, Carnival City needed an adaptable audio system that would cater to each individual aspect of the venue. During the day and early evening the audio requirement is background music with high SPLs for the restaurant and lounge areas but as the night draws in high energy bass levels are needed in order to compete on the Caribbean nightlife scene. Streamline Systems were called upon to design and install the audio, lighting and visual technology at Carnival City and Director Michael Pereira once again turned to Electro-Voice for the sound equipment. The most important element of the design for this multipurpose venue was versatility so Michael opted for 10 Electro-Voice EVF-1122D loudspeakers and six Electro-Voice EVF-2151D double 15-inch subwoofers for the main PA system. A pair of Electro-Voice EVF-1122D loudspeakers aimed at the dancefloor can be used when required and there are Electro-Voice Live-X ELX-115P loudspeakers in place for stage and for DJ monitors. The audio experience continues on the outdoor patio area, where Michael specified two Electro-Voice ZX5-90PI weatherised loudspeakers producing high SP, while the VIP rooms and the restrooms are both covered by Electro-Voice’s EVID C8.2 ceiling loudspeakers meaning every inch of the venue is submerged in a musical enclosure. Eight Electro-Voice CPS2.12 amplifiers power the audio system and an Ashly Protea ne24.24m DSP matrix processor takes care of the processing requirements. Michael said: “With multiple presets the staff at Carnival City are able to mute the loudspeakers aimed at the multipurpose dancefloor when required and change EQ settings between lounge and club mode.” Live gigs do take place at Carnival City although they are usually fairly intimate affairs, a Yamaha MG166CX compact and lightweight console takes charge of mixing the performances. The console offers 16 inputs and a built-in digital multi-effect processor with 16 effect programs, these equip the sound engineer at Carnival City with reverb, delay, modulation, and distortion tools to define the sound for the audience. The operators of Carnival City asked Michael for a lighting solution made up entirely of LED fixtures. The lighting brief was to illuminate the walls and bring the venue to life during the lounge period and then follow through with full club effects later in the evening. A total of 70 Artic Lighting LumiRain ED3B103 LED colour bars have been installed for wall wash.
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These automatically turn on each morning on a daily preset and slowly dim and change colour throughout the day. Eight Artic Lighting ED2300 LED spot moving heads take to the lighting up a step, these are turned on when the venue converts to lounge mode in early evening. And when a DJ or live performers take the stage, the club lighting - four Artic Lighting Pentux ED3B1009 LED beam effects, four Artic Lighting Acrux ED3B156 derby effects, three Artic Lighting E5011 strobes and three Artic Lighting ED7135 seven beam effect fixtures - spring into action. To further enhance the club experience Michael opted for a Hanson Pro Systems HPS-4L-RGBP red, green, blue and pink four lens laser and a Hanson Pro Systems HPS-4L-RGYV red, green, yellow and violet four head laser that have been installed either side of the stage for use during live performances, while a X-Laser Skywriter is used to create liquid sky effects, animations and customised messages with the use of the built in ILDA port. A Martin Professional LightJockey 2 PC-based controller was selected to operate the light shows at Carnival City, although there is an option to control the system wirelessly using an iPad. The LightJockey2 offers the lighting designer flexibility and spontaneity in a user-friendly interface. Carnival City marked the first installation by Streamline Systems of the TouchMagix MagixTables. The table-sized tablets are interactive bar tops that can be used simply for graphic effects and interactive gaming. A feature such as this, not often seen in Caribbean clubs is considered an attractive characteristic and is sure to bring in the customers through intrigue alone.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND 10 x Electro-Voice EVF-1122D loudspeaker; 6 x ElectroVoice EVF-2151D subwoofer; 2 x Electro-Voice EVF-1122D loudspeaker; Electro-Voice Live-X ELX-115P monitors; 2 x Electro-Voice ZX5-90PI weatherised loudspeaker; 8 x ElectroVoice CPS2.12 amplifier; 1 x Ashly Protea ne24.24m DSP matrix processor; 1 x Yamaha MG166CX console LIGHTING 70 x Artic Lighting LumiRain ED3B103 LED colour bar; 8 x Artic Lighting ED2300 LED spot moving head; 4 x Artic Lighting Pentux ED3B1009 LED beam effect; 4 x Artic Lighting Acrux ED3B156 derby effect; 3 x Artic Lighting E5011 strobe; 3 x Artic Lighting ED7135 seven beam effect fixture; 6 x Artic Lighting LumiBar TRI24 LED bar; 1 x Robe Robin 300 LEDWash moving head; 1 x Hanson Pro Systems HPS-4L-RGBP red, green, blue and pink four lens laser; 1 x Hanson Pro Systems HPS-4L-RGYV red, green, yellow and violet four head laser; 6 x Hanson Pro Systems GRU-V LED fixture; 1 x X-Laser Skywriter RGB laser www.ccusl.com
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LAKE PLACID CENTER ADIRONDACK MOUNTAINS, USA THE AMERICAS
Set in the breathtaking Adirondack Mountains of New York at the site of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympic Games, the newly-constructed conference centre at Lake Placid pairs the splendor and story of its surroundings with amenities that rival those of most big city convention centres. The architecturally stunning three-storey building boasts over 90,000 sq ft of flexible ballrooms, meeting rooms, and pre-function space, as well as decks and verandas from which to enjoy the natural beauty of the surrounding landscape. The New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA), which manages the state of the art conference centre, asked Starr Entertainment Group to design a thoroughly modern audiovisual system that could flexibly accommodate a wide range of uses. Pleased with the company’s competence and communication, ORDA invited Starr Entertainment Group to bid on the installation of its design. The bid was successful, and so the company saw its
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design through to completion. “We have been involved in the Lake Placid project since the beginning and spent a year on the design alone,” said Peter Starr owner and Chief Designer of Starr Entertainment Group. “As far as the equipment was concerned, there was a relatively large, cutting edge list. It is a high-end convention centre, typical in that none of the equipment should be seen, therefore we built everything into the ceiling using 60 JBL Control 322 in-ceiling loudspeakers in the ballroom - which can be broken down into six smaller rooms - and then 180 JBL Control 26 in-ceiling loudspeakers distributed throughout meeting rooms and common areas. This is a system where you don’t really see anything but you really feel some pressure when you turn it up - it is clear and crisp.” Starr Entertainment’s background is in nightclubs and for Peter, coming from that experience and perspective, he always wants to
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ONCE HOME TO THE WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES, LAKE PLACID NOW BOASTS A MODERN DAY CONVENTION CENTRE COMPLETE WITH A CUTTING EDGE EQUIPMENT LIST. PETER STARR OF STARR ENTERTAINMENT EXPLAINS HOW THE PROJECT CAME ABOUT.
know that if necessary, sound pressure and level is there, no matter what the project. “This was the main complexity of the project,” he told mondo*dr. “Making sure a big system, with all these elements and different logic possibilities worked simply and efficiently. This is done via the Crestron Pro2 system, which features 22 wall panels and allows users control of every aspect of system performance, such as video and audio input selection and volume, room combining, and room temperature and lighting.” In addition, the building’s functions can be accessed via secure internet and LAN connections. A 32 x 32 Crestron digital video matrix processor allows any video input to be shown on any combination of the centre’s video output devices, which include 13 Sanyo HD projectors along with many flatscreen monitors. In addition, a large Visix-based digital signage system provides conference centre guests with ‘way-finding’ and other information. “It was essential that all the technology was able to speak to each other and so consequently I designed a completely digitally matrixed system,” continued Peter. “The system has to be flexible and every-
thing has to be available to change at the touch of a button. There are a lot of different configurations available because usage changes all the time; there are multiple meeting rooms that need to be able to communicate to the ballrooms and vice versa. These also need to be able to communicate with other areas of the centre - it’s a logic puzzle, which is why so much time was spent concentrating on the design and we worked very closely with the client to make everything come together. We really had to anticipate that things needed to be able to change and quickly - this was a big challenge.” The system collects its audio inputs from wireless microphone systems, wired microphones, media input panels, visual media players, and a background music system. In addition, several small-frame consoles in rolling racks accommodate events with live music. The inputs feed two Peavey Media Matrix NION processors, which allow system-wide inputs to be assigned to any output zone. A total of 13 Ashly ne8250 eight channel amplifiers deliver 250W per channel to each of the 104 zones distributed throughout the building. “ORDA wanted a high-quality system. They wanted to do it right,”
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FRANÇAIS
Situé dans le cadre saisissant des monts Adirondack dans l’état de New-York, sur le site des jeux olympiques d’hiver de 1932 et 1980, le centre de congrès construit récemment à Lake Placid réunit la splendeur et l’histoire de ses alentours avec des installations qui rivalisent celles de la plupart des centres de congrès des grandes villes. L’Autorité pour le Développement Régional Olympique de l’État de New-York (ORDA pour son acronyme en anglais), qui gère le moderne centre de congrès a demandé à la compagnie Starr Entertainment Group de concevoir un système audio-visuel entièrement moderne pouvant s’adapter de façon flexible à un grand éventail d’usages. Satisfaite de la compétence et de la communication de la compagnie, l’ORDA invita le Starr Entertainment Group à faire une soumission pour l’installation de son concept. La soumission a été acceptée et la compagnie s’est chargée de sa réalisation en utilisant des marques telles que JBL, Ashly, Crestron et Christie. « Nous avons été impliqués dans le projet de Lake Placid depuis 2010 et nous avons passé une année, seulement pour sa conception, » a declaré Peter Starr propriétaire et concepteur en chef de Starr Entertainment Group. « Pour autant que l’équipement soit concerné, il y avait une relativement petite liste de souhaits. Il s’agit d’un centre de congrès de pointe mais il se distingue par le fait qu’aucune partie de l’équipement ne doit être visible. »
DEUTSCH
said Peter. “About a year-and-a-half ago, we used Ashly ne8250 amplifiers in a hotel system. I loved the fact that we could get 250W per channel. It’s ideal for these kind of systems. Of course, there are other multi-channel amplifiers on the market, but nothing combines the specifications, affordability, and reliability of Ashly’s ne Series. The convention centre at Lake Placid sounds great and is capable of some serious volume when needed.” According to Bob Hammond, ORDA’s Director of Planning and Construction: “The Starr Group has exceeded expectations” and it was noted by Ted Blazer, ORDA’s President and CEO, to be “the most dependable and cooperative contractor on the project.” For Peter, one of the most enjoyable aspects of the project was working with the team at Lake Placid, he concluded: “I don’t know if it’s the mountain air or the surroundings but they really were cooperative and wonderful to work with - there’s a real sense of that Olympic community - it was a great experience. We worked closely with the architects and they did an excellent job acoustically which made a big difference, there are a lot of traditional yet modern materials such as carpets, padded walls, acoustical ceilings and dividers. The team was very interested in the project and it turned out really well, the whole team was willing to do whatever worked to get the job done.”
TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND
60 x JBL Control 322CT coaxial in-ceiling loudspeaker; 195 x JBL Control 26CT coaxial in-ceiling loudspeaker; 7 x JBL Control 28-T60 coaxial surface mount loudspeaker; 13 x Ashly ne8250 70 eight channel amplifier; 2 x Peavey MediaMatrix NION processor; 1 x Crestron PRO2 professional dual bus control system; 2 x Crestron QM-RMC room media controller; 17 x Crestron TPS-6LW-T Isys wall mount touchpanel; 2 x Crestron C2N-RXM XM receiver; 1 x Crestron SRD-ANT-1LD-PAK satellite radio antenna system
VIDEO
13 x Sanyo HD projector; 5 x Samsung Commercial 19-inch monitor; 8 x commercial LCD flat panel; 28 x Crestron DM-RMC-100 Digital Media CAT receiver and room controller; 1 x Crestron 32 x 32 Digital Media switcher www.lakeplacid.com
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Das neu errichtete Konferenzzentrum in Lake Placid, das in den atemberaubenden Adirondack Mountains von New York gebaut wurde, dort, wo 1932 und 1980 die Olympischen Winterspiele stattgefunden haben, vereint die Pracht und die Geschichte seiner Umgebung mit den Annehmlichkeiten, die denen der Kongresszentren von Großstädten gleichkommen. Die Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) des Staates New York, die das hochmoderne Konferenzzentrum managt, bat Starr Entertainment Group um den Entwurf für ein durchweg modernes A/V-System, das sich leicht zahlreichen Verwendungszwecken anpassen kann. ORDA war mit der Kompetenz und der Kommunikation des Unternehmens zufrieden und lud Starr Entertainment Group ein, ein Angebot für die Installation ihres Entwurfs zu machen. Das Angebot war erfolgreich und somit wurde der Entwurf des Unternehmens umgesetzt, wobei Marken wie JBL, Ashly, Crestron und Christie verwendet wurden. „Wir sind seit 2010 am Lake Placid-Projekt beteiligt und haben ein Jahr allein mit dem Entwurf verbracht,” erklärte Peter Starr, Besitzer und Chefdesigner von Starr Entertainment Group. „In Bezug auf die Ausrüstung war die Wunschliste relativ kurz. Es handelt sich um ein Luxus-Kongresszentrum, ist aber relativ normal in dem Wunsch, dass die gesamte Ausrüstung nicht gesehen werden soll.”
ITALIANO
Situato nella cornice mozzafiato creata dalle Adirondack Mountain nello stato di New York, nel luogo dove si sono svolte le Olimpiadi nel 1932 e le Olimpiadi Invernali nel 1980, il nuovo Centro Congressi di Lake Placid eguaglia lo splendore e la storia dell’ambientazione con caratteristiche uniche che sfidano quelle dei centri congressi della maggior parte dei grandi centri urbani. L’Autorità per lo Sviluppo Regionale Olimpico dello Stato di New York (ORDA), che controlla lo stato dell’arte del Centro Congressi, ha chiesto allo Starr Entertainment Group di progettare un innovativo sistema audiovideo che possa realizzare in modo agile un vasto spettro di iniziative. Soddisfatto della competenza e dell’abilità nella comunicazione di questa azienda, ORDA ha sollecitato la Starr Entertainment Group ad inviare un’offerta per la realizzazione della progettazione. L’offerta ha ricevuto l’incarico e l’azienda ha potuto quindi seguire la propria progettazione fino alla fase finale di realizzazione, usando marchi quali JBL, Ashton, Crestron e Christie. “Siamo stati impegnati nella progetto Lake Placid fin dal 2010 ed abbiamo trascorso un intero anno esclusivamente sulla progettazione” ha affermato Peter Starr, proprietario e capo-progettista dello Starr Entertainment Group. “Per ciò che riguarda l’attrezzatura, la richiesta di elementi particolari è stata contenuta. Pur essendo un centro congressi esclusivo, le sue caratteristiche rientrano nella media dato che nessuna parte dell’attrezzatura è a vista”.
ESPAÑOL
Ubicado en el imponente Macizo Montañoso Adirondack de Nueva York, en el sitio donde tuvieron lugar los Juegos Olímpicos de Invierno de 1932 y 1980, el centro de conferencias recientemente construido en Lake Placid empareja el esplendor y la historia de sus alrededores con instalaciones que compiten con las de los centros de convenciones de las ciudades más grandes. El ORDA (La Autoridad de Desarrollo Regional Olímpico del Estado de Nueva York), que administra el centro de conferencias de última generación, le solicitó a Starr Entertainment Group que diseñe un sistema A/V completamente moderno que pudiera ser utilizado flexiblemente para una amplia gama de usos. Satisfechos con la competencia y comunicación de la empresa, el ORDA invitó a Starr Entertainment Group a que liciten para la instalación de su diseño. La licitación resultó satisfactoria de manera que la empresa completó su diseño utilizando marcas como JBL, Ashly, Creston y Christie. “Hemos estado involucrados en el proyecto Lake Placid desde 2010 y hemos destinado un año únicamente al diseño,” dijo Peter Starr, propietario y líder de diseño de Starr Entertainment Group. “En cuanto al equipamiento, existía una lista relativamente pequeña. Es un centro de convenciones de alta gana, pero bastante normal en cuanto a que ningún equipamiento debe verse.”
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SOHYANG ARTS CENTER SOHYANG ARTS CENTER IS ONE OF KOREA’S FIRST INSTALLATIONS OF MEYER SOUND’S CONSTELLATION SYSTEM AND THOSE THAT PLAYED A PART IN THE PROJECT FEEL TRULY HONOURED TO HAVE BEEN INVOLVED.
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OF TWO
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BUSAN, SOUTH KOREA ASIA/PACIFIC/OCEANIA
No. 51838951 • High-Power Beam with Osram Sirius HRI 230W lamp
In the southeast corner of the Korean Peninsula is the country’s second largest city, Busan. It is home to the newly built Dongseo University’s Sohyang Arts Center, which boasts one of the first installations of Meyer Sound’s Constellation acoustic and sound reinforcement system in Korea. The centre is designed to host all kinds of events from musical theatre to classical performances and rock concerts, and so the primary focus during the design process was focused on the former reverberation time and the surround sound effect. Meyer Sound dealer and AV system integrator, Avix Tech were involved from the beginning, assisting during the design stage before entering the tender process in September 2011, shortly after a Meyer Sound seminar on the new Constellation system concept. After witnessing the new system, Avix Tech’s Lee Sung-bok and General Director of Sohyang Arts Center, Song Dae-young made the trip to Meyer Sound’s headquarters in Berkley for more training and to see the system in action on the touring production of Cirque du Soleil. After the visit there was no doubt that Constellation was the right choice.
• LED ring with 12 x 3 W tricolor LEDs (RGB) • Very narrow beam angle of 1.3° • With integrated wireless receiver for WDMX operation
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MORE PHOTOS
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The design brief for the Sohyang Arts Center was to create an ambient acoustic environment, which could switch from mimicking an intimate music hall to a vast performance space. The PA system design was handled by Meyer Sound’s Bob McCarthy, who also handled Seoul’s Sang Nam Hall, LG Center. The system uses a total of 157 small mid-high loudspeakers, these are a combination of Meyer Sound MM-4XP, UPM-1P, UP-4XP, UPJunior and UPJ-1P VariO loudspeakers, all of which are precisely positioned in the auditorium to guarantee an optimal reverberation system. The loudspeakers are supplemented by 12 Meyer Sound UMS-SM compact subwoofers that are concealed within the sidewalls and over the stage. A total of 40 miniature microphones complete the Constellation system, which is built on Meyer Sound’s D-Mitri digital audio platform.
The D-Mitri core of the system comprises 17 frames, including four DVRAS processors - for the four acoustical zones - plus additional frames for core processing, input/output, GPIO, mixing, and WildTracks digital recording and playback. As acoustical flexibility was a high priority for this space, Song Daeyoung made some specific requests. “I asked the Constellation team to provide six presets with enhanced reverberation times from 1.3 to five seconds,” he said. “I know five seconds is not necessary, but it does demonstrate to some guests how dramatically Constellation can change the reverberation time.” Avix Tech’s Lee Sung-bok admitted that the installation of the system itself did prove difficult, purely from a lack of experience point of view. However, with guidance and support from Meyer Sound HQ, he - along with his team Eric Han and Tom Jung - were able to ensure that each and every element of the Constellation system was installed according to the exact specifications and that the wiring and cabling between the loudspeakers and the processor platforms was truly accurate. Alongside the Constellation system is a sound reinforcement system, the two are usually combined when jazz or classical rock concerts take place at the arts centre. The SR system comprises two hangs of four Meyer Sound UPQ-1P loudspeakers per side - with a wide operating frequency range of 55Hz to 18kHz - left and right of the stage and a central line array cluster featuring 10 Meyer Sound Mina curvilinear array cabinets - which are ideally suited to a high-fidelity sound reinforcement system - coupled with two Meyer Sound 700HP subwoofers. The FOH console at Sohyang Arts Center is a DiGiCo SD7, supplied by the manufacturer’s Korean distributor, Soundus. Although General Director Song Dae-young was originally looking at an analogue mixing desk, upon reviewing the performances the console would need to cater for (including the Busan International Film Festival once a year) the decision was made to opt for a digital desk instead. The SD7 has integral I/O of 12 analogue inputs, 12 analogue outputs and 12 AES I/O mono channels meaning the desk is equipped with a total of almost 1,400 audio connections. Its flexible worksurface also makes it user friendly for touring productions that perform at
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FRANÇAIS
Busan en Corée du Sud est le siège du nouveau Centre d’arts Sohyang de l’université Dongseo qui s’enorgueillit de la première installation du système accoustique et de renforcement sonore Meyer Sound’s Constellation en Asie. Conçu pour recevoir tous les types de manifestations depuis le théâtre musical aux spectacles classiques et les concerts de rock mais dont l’objectif principal est dirigé vers le premier, le temps de réverbération et l’effet sonore d’ambiance constituaient les elements les plus importants au cours du processus de conception. Le distributeur de son Meyer et le système d’intégration audi-visuel Avix Tech on travaillé ensemble avec le directeur general du Centre d’arts Sohyang, Song Dae-young et ont reçu un grand appui de Meyer Sound HQ. Parallèlement au système Constellation se trouve un système de renforcement sonore, les deux sont généralement combinés lorsqu’un concert de jazz ou de rock classique est donné au centre d’arts. La console FOH du Centre d’arts Sohyang est une DiGiCo SD7, fournie par le distributeur coréen du fabricant, Soundus, alors qu’une console Yamaha M7CL-48 pour le son en direct est également installée. Pour ce qui est de l’éclairage, le théâtre n’est équipé que des éléments de base qui comprennent avant tout une rampe d’éclairage théâtrale générique 567. Les companies de production qui nécessitent un ensemble d’éclairage plus poussé intégrant un éclairage intelligent sont priées de louer l’équipement selon les besoins. Un choix de variateurs et une console MA Lighting grandMA2 viennent compléter l’inventaire de l’éclairage.
DEUTSCH
the arts centre. A Yamaha M7CL-48 live sound console is also at home at the Sohyang Arts Center, filled with advanced concepts and features, this intuitive desk is easy to use and is compact in size, making it ideal for this installation. On the lighting side, the theatre has only been equipped with the basics which primarily comprises 576 generic theatrical lighting fixtures. Production companies that require a more advanced lighting set-up incorporating intelligent lighting are requested to rent in the equipment as required. A selection of Strand dimmers are in place as well as a MA Lighting grandMA2 console - featuring real-time control for up to 65,536 parameters, six DMX outputs and 30 motorised faders - for lighting control. A Barco DP2K-32B digital cinema projector is available upon request for any performance that wish to include video projections. The DP2K-32B can project bright and vivid images onto the custom made screen at the Sohyang Arts Center. Since its opening, the arts centre has welcomed a number of high profile productions including Chicago, Mamma Mia, Les Misérables, and Korean musical Kwanghwamun Younga. “When the Les Misérables team visited the hall, they were impressed by both the Constellation and PA system,” said Song Dae-young. “They decided not to bring their own equipment for reinforcement.”
TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND 157 x Meyer Sound mid-high loudspeaker (MM-4XP, UPM-1P, UP-4XP, UPJunior and UPJ-1P VariO); 12 x Meyer Sound UMSSM compact subwoofer; 40 x miniature microphone; Meyer Sound D-Mitri digital audio platform; 8 x Meyer Sound UPQ-1P loudspeaker; 10 x Meyer Sound Mina curvilinear array cabinet; 2 x Meyer Sound 700-HP subwoofer; 1 x DiGiCo SD7 digital console; 1 x Yamaha M7CL-48 live sound console lighting & Visual 1 x MA Lighting grandMA2 console; 1 x Barco DP2K-32B digital cinema projector; 576 x generic theatrical lighting fixture; Strand dimmers www.avixtech.co.kr
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In Busan, Südkorea, befindet sich das kürzlich gebaute Sohyang Arts Center der Dongseo Universität, das sich mit der ersten Installation eines akustischen und Sound-Verstärkungssystems von Meyer Sound Constellation in Asien rühmt. Es ist für jede Art von Veranstaltung gedacht, von Musiktheater bis klassischen Aufführungen und Rockkonzerten, doch sein Schwerpunkt liegt auf dem erstgenannten, somit waren die Nachhallzeit und der Raumklang die wichtigsten Elemente während des Entstehungsprozesses. Der Lieferant von Meyer Sound und AV-Systemintegrator Avix Tech arbeitete mit dem Generaldirektor des Sohyang Arts Center, Song Dae-young, zusammen und wurde stark vom Meyer Sound HQ unterstützt. Neben dem Konstellationssystem gibt es eine Beschallungsanlage, die beiden werden normalerweise kombiniert, wenn im Kunstzentrum Jazz- oder klassische Konzerte stattfinden. Die FOH-Konsole im Sohyang Arts Center ist ein DiGiCo SD7, das durch den koreanischen Lieferanten Soundus des Herstellers beschafft wurde, während es auch eine Yamaha M7CL-48 Live-SoundKonsole gibt. In Hinblick auf die Beleuchtung wurde das Theater nur mit den elementaren Grundlagen ausgestattet, die vornehmlich aus 576 typischen Theater-Beleuchtungskörpern bestehen. Produktionen, die eine weiterentwickelte Beleuchtungsanlage mit intelligenter Beleuchtung benötigen, werden gebeten, sich ihre Ausrüstung je nach Bedarf auszuleihen. Eine Auswahl an Strand Dimmers und eine MA Lighting grandMA2 Konsole ergänzen die Beleuchtungsausrüstung.
ITALIANO
Busan, nella Corea del Sud, è la nuova dimora del Sohyang Art Centre della Dongseo University, da poco costruito, il quale vanta la prima installazione in tutta l’Asia del sistema acustico e di intensificazione del suono della Meyer Sound Constellation. Progettato per ospitare ogni genere di eventi dal Musical alle rappresentazioni classiche ai concerti rock, ma con l’attenzione principalmente rivolta alla prima forma d’arte, gli elementi principali del processo di progettazione sono stati la durata del riverbero e gli effetti sonori d’ambiente. Il distributore della Meyer Sound e l’ integratore di sistema audio-video della Avix Tech, hanno collaborato con il Direttore Generale del Sohyang Art Center, Song Dae-young ed hanno ricevuto notevole sostegno dalla direzione della Meyer Sound. Insieme al sistema Constellation c’è un sistema di rinforzo del suono, i due vengono generalmente combinati quando al Centro sono programmati concerti jazz e rock (oppure) classico. La console FOH utilizzata al Sohyang Art Center è una DiGiCo SD7, fornita dal distributore del produttore coreano, Soundus, mentre viene utilizzata contemporaneamente una consolle da concerto Yamaha M7CL-48. Per quanto riguarda l’illuminazione, il teatro è stato solo attrezzato con l’impianto di base che comprende principalmente 576 installazioni luce teatrali generiche. Le compagnie di produzione che richiedono un impianto di illuminazione più elaborato, comprendente l’illuminazione intelligente, sono invitati ad affittare e installare ciò di cui hanno necessità. Una serie di oscuratori Strand ed una consolle per illuminazione MA e grandMA2 completano l’elenco del materiale.
ESPAÑOL
La ciudad de Busan en Corea del Sur alberga al nuevo Centro de Artes Sohyang de la Universidad de Dongseo, el cual presume de tener la primera instalación acústica Constellation y sistema de refuerzo de sonido de Meyer Sound en Asia. Diseñado para albergar todo tipo de eventos desde musicales teatrales hasta interpretaciones clásicas y conciertos de rock pero con su foco primario en el anterior, el tiempo de reverberación y el efecto de sonido envolvente fueron los elementos más importantes durante el proceso de diseño. El distribuidor de Meyer Sound y el integrador del sistema AV, Avix Tech, trabajaron en conjunto con el Director General del Centro de Artes Sohyang, Song Dae-young y recibieron un gran apoyo de Meyer Sound HQ. Junto al sistema Constellation hay un sistema de refuerzo de sonido. Ambos son combinados generalmente cuando en el centro de artes tienen lugar los conciertos de rock clásico o jazz. La consola FOH en el Centro de Artes Sohyang es una DiGiCo SD7, suministrada por el distribuidor Coreano del fabricante, Soundus, a la vez que se encuentra una consola Yamaha M7CL-48 para sonidos en vivo. En cuanto a la iluminación, el teatro ha sido equipado únicamente con los básicos que comprenden 576 artefactos genéricos para iluminación teatral. A las compañías productoras que requieran de una configuración de iluminación más avanzada que incorpore iluminación inteligente se les requiere que alquilen el equipamiento en cuestión. Una selección de potenciómetros Strand y una consola grandMA2 de MA Lighting completan el inventario de iluminación.
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KYÕ SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE ASIA/PACIFIC/OCEANIA
Godwin Pereira of Limited Edition Concepts (LEC) is well-known on the nightlife circuit in Singapore. After starting out as a DJ, he progressed to be a music consultant for lifestyle brands such as Kudeta, Harry’s Holdings, and LifeBrandz. In 2012, Godwin launched LEC’s flagship venue, The Vault - reviewed in mondo*dr’s 22.6 - his first venture as an operator, 12 months on he has added to his portfolio with his latest creation kyõ. kyõ - which is pronounced ki-o - is a house music club located in the Cental Business District of Singapore. It is the only venue in the area to be housed at basement level and is home to Singapore’s longest bar, at a staggering 27 metres. Symbolising rhythm and vibration, kyõ embodies the character and essence of the space where design ideas have been driven towards accentuating its underground attri-
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butes. “We went with the name because it encompasses what we are trying to do with the space,” explained Godwin. The launch of kyõ in March came on the back of The Vault’s success and growing popularity. In actual fact The Vault exceeded all expectations of what was initially supposed to be a New York-style pre-clubbing lounge and bar. The introductioin of kyõ catered to a gap in the market for an intimate dance club. “kyõ came at a time when the landscape was dominated by large clubbing complexes featuring mainly commercial sounds. With kyõ we wanted to go back to basics, rejuvenate the intimacy in clubbing and bring it back to the old acid house days,” said Godwin. kyõ - a 6,000 sq ft space - takes on many guises throughout the night, it begins as a casual diner and bar serving Japanese fusion cuisine before evolving into a club from 11pm onwards. When selecting a sound system that would be flexible enough to cater to each different function, Godwin looked into many options but as well as selecting the most suitable equipment he also wanted the suppliers and contractors to be like-minded so that his vision would
The game changes now Very occasionally a product comes along that re-writes the rule book, raising the expectations of a market forever. Available in two power configurations (2 x 600 W and 2 x 1200 W), the ultra compact IPD (Intelligent Power Drive™) Series benefits from networked integrated DSP, 4-channel input matrix, extensive front panel controls and graphic display, analog AES input (with redundant fail-over) and definitive Lab.gruppen limiters and build quality. Photo courtesy of Martin Professional Singapore
TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND
4 x EAW QX596I full range loudspeaker; 4 x EAW SB1001 double 18-inch subwoofer; 8 x EAW JF10 two-way loudspeaker; 2 x EAW SB150ZP 15-inch subwoofer; 2 x EAW LA212 compact loudspeaker; 1 x EAW SB150ZP subwoofer; 4 x Powersoft M20D amplifier; 1 x Powersoft M30D amplifier; 1 x Powersoft M14D amplifier; 2 x Powersoft K8 amplifier; 2 x Powersoft K6 amplifier; 1 x Powersoft K2 amplifier; 2 x EAW UX3600 loudspeaker processor; 1 x Ashly Protea 3.6SP loudspeaker processor; 4 x Pioneer CDJ-2000 CD player; 1 x Pioneer DJM900 mixer
LIGHTING
128 x Martin Professional VC-Grid LED panel; 1 x Martin Professional M2GO lighting console; Epson projectors
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be fully achieved. Despite the relatively low ceiling height of just 3.5-metres, which could have made it difficult to specify audio equipment, its rectangular shape meant that “we could easily compartmentalise certain things and make it operationally efficient as well,” said Godwin. “I’m a fan of EAW and have used its products before so I gave Gary Goh from Electronics & Engineering (E&E) a call. We sat down to throw a few ideas around along with Jason Tan, the sound designer. Jason gave us two options but we decided to go with the QX Series and the JF Series, which gave us the same amount of power output as the first option but with an increased amount of cabinets.” There are four EAW QX596I full range loudspeakers, one in each corner of the dancefloor and four EAW SB1001 double 18-inch subwoofers, which deliver approximately 120-122dB on the dancefloor. Godwin said: “I like to try new things, so when Gary told me about the QX Series I knew I wanted to give it a go. We’re possibly the only venue in Singapore to install the QX Series into a club environment and push it to its full potential.” Eight EAW JF10 two-way loudspeakers have been positioned around the venue strategically to create a unison sound throughout. Godwin
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said: “You don’t have to be on the dancefloor to feel the punch, you can get that anywhere because those main fills give 100-05dB, creating a really good balance.” In the main lounge area, where smaller fills would have been the obvious choice, Godwin opted for two EAW SB150ZP 15-inch subwoofers flown from the ceiling. And for DJ monitoring a pair of EAW LA212 compact loudspeakers and a single EAW SB150ZP subwoofer are in place. Powering the system is a selection of Powersoft amplifiers, four M20D amplifiers, one M30D amplifier and one M14D amplifier. The M Series is lightweight and compact with all models housed in 1RU. Two Powersoft K8 amplifiers, two K6 amplifiers and one K2 amplifier complete the line-up, these too are compact in size but offer higher efficiency due to their switch mode technology. “I knew about Powersoft amplifiers and it just so happened E&E carried the brand so it was like a match made in heaven. I was like a little boy in a candy store as E&E had a lot of the equipment that I wanted, it’s a configuration that I’m very pleased with,” commented Godwin. Two EAW UX3600 processors and one Ashly Protea 3.6SP loudspeaker processor were also supplied by E&E. The latter loudspeaker management system features three inputs and six outputs offering
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Photo courtesy of Martin Professional Singapore
kyõ additional flexibility. An area with matched flexibility is the console station, which is 7.8-metres in length. It’s a complete rack and rail system in which the four Pioneer CDJ-2000 CD players and the Pioneer DJM-900 mixer can be moved into various different configurations to suit the individual DJ’s needs. Overall Godwin is very impressed with the audio set-up at kyõ, he said: “Even in the first few days of putting up the system without any EQ’ing the system already sounded brilliant. It was a class configuration from my point of view and E&E did a great job. I know Gary on a personal level so it made the deal a lot easier and made the planning stage a breeze.” When it came to the lighting and visual concept for kyõ, Godwin had some specific ideas in mind. He wanted the lighting to be unique and somewhat quirky so he came up with an indirect lighting concept and approached Martin Professional Singapore to assist him. Jeffrey Ong headed up the team from the Martin Professional side and together they selected the new VC-Grids as the main light source. Jeffrey explained further: “We custom designed boxes of various sizes and then placed the VC-Grids inside these boxes. Instead of using the light boxes as downlights, we are actually creating a reverse by shining the light boxes upwards.” The boxes hang at different heights from the ceiling primarily over the dancefloor and are reverse mounted in random patterns to create an abstract and futuristic look within the venue. The 128 Martin Professional VC-Grids were chosen instead of LED strips in order to create the correct beam angle of 120º, ensure optimum brightness and to provide uniform coverage for the ceiling. A Martin Professional M2GO compact console has been installed to control the LED boxes. The futuristic element is enhanced by the graphic canvases that line the walls of kyõ. Godwin commissioned a young street artist, Ceno2 to create original Japanese infused artwork. He requested that part of the canvases were left white in order to create a totally different dimension at kyõ using projection mapping. Espon projectors combined with software provided by Singapore-based visual artist are used to create the visual displays. kyõ is one of the latest additions to the Singapore nightlife scene, and its carefully planned design concept coupled with its high-end technology is sure to make this venue a resounding success.
“You don’t have to be on the dancefloor to feel the punch, you can get that anywhere because those main fills give 100-105dB, creating a really good balance.”
MORE PHOTOS
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IN BUSINE S S koba, seoul ATTENDED BY RACHAEL ROGERSON
SHOWLIGHT, CESKY KRUMLOV ATTENDED BY RACHAEL ROGERSON
PALME ME, DUBAI ATTENDED BY HELEN FLETCHER & JUSTIN GAWNE
palm expo india, mumbai ATTENDED BY RACHAEL ROGERSON & JUSTIN GAWNE
palm expo china, beijing ATTENDED BY RACHAEL ROGERSON & JUSTIN GAWNE
infocomm, orlando ATTENDED BY HELEN FLETCHER & JAMIE DIXON
product guide THEATRICAL LIGHTING
PRODUCT DIRECTORY The tradeshow calendar has been rather full on for the past couple of months, which is why our In Business section is bursting at the seams. Rachael Rogerson headed over to Seoul, swiftly followed by Cesky Krumlov. The latter ran concurrently with Palme ME, which Helen Fletcher and Justin Gawne attended, Justin reports back with his view of the show. Rachael and Justin then travelled to Mumbai and Beijing, two shows which share very similar names yet couldn’t be more different, Rachael gives her insight. And last but by no means least was Infocomm, a show that is becoming increasingly popular. Helen and Jamie Dixon flew to the States to see what was on offer, Helen reports back on the highlights from the show floor.
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1. Patrick Han of Daikyung Vascom with Lars-Olof Janflod and Mika Makilaakso of Genelec. 2. The Laserworld team. 3. President of Jung Won Stage Lighting, Seo In Seok. 4. San Hyun Son and Hong Sik Kim of Hansam Systems with Soren Storm of Martin Professional. 5. Sasha Xiong of PR Lighting, Kevin of El Luce and Gerard Vermeulen of Stage Accompany. 6. Wonyoung Chang and Jung-Mi Kin of Lumisia. 7. The Yamaha stand. 8. The Kevic stand. 9. General Manager of Soundus, Kyoung Mo Kang with Ian Staddon of DiGiCo.
KOBA SEOUL
KOBA 2013 was held at the Coex Convention and Exhibition Centre in Seoul on 13-16 May. It was the 23rd edition of the Korea International Broadcast, Audio and Lighting Equipment show, which is co-hosted by Korea E&EX and Korea Broadcasting Engineering & Technicians Association (KOBETA) and is supported by a number of related institutions. A total of 839 companies from 33 countries attended KOBA 2013, an increase on last year’s figures, which also lead to an increase in floor space required. KOBA stretched across 25,405 sq metres taking over the exhibition halls on the first floor and third floor at Coex. Visitor numbers were equally impressive with a head count of 42,459 over the four-day show. Show highlights in the professional audio sector included a first outing in the Korean market for FBT’s Vertus CLA line array as well as the new QSA 112a and 112.0a active line array systems and the QSA108A compact line array system from Qube, all of which were on show at the AD&C International stand. Over at the Soundus booth Funktion One showcased the PSM12 point source
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monitor, the F1201 full range loudspeaker and a selection of cabinets from the company’s well-known Resolution Series. K-array displayed its Kobra and Python ranges and the DiGiCo desks - an SD5, SD8, SD9 and SD10 - lined one edge of the two-storey stand, giving customers easy access to the consoles for hands on demonstrations. The Yamaha stand was split into very clear sectors: the Digital Mixing Engine Zone, the Digital / Analogue Mixer Zone, Music and Post Production, and finally the Speaker and Amp Zone. This allowed visitors to navigate the booth easily. Despite having distribution in place for a few years in the Korean market, this year’s show was the first time Fohhn Audio exhibited. The manufacturer, along with its distribution partner Stagenet decided to give KOBA a go this year and both were pleased with the customer feedback they received at the show. Harman distributor, Sovico presented JBL Professional’s VTX Series of line arrays, the Soundcraft Si Expression Series of digital live sound consoles and the Crown DCi Series of amplifiers specifically aimed at the installation market. To demon-
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10. The Tong Suh Technology stand. 11. Bernhard Wustner of TW Audio. 12. Ingang Audio’s Steve Kim. 13. The D.A.S. Audio stand. 14. Frank Strohmer of Fohhn Audio with June Lee of Stagenet. 15. Jin K. Lee and Daniel D. Kwon on the Sovico booth. 16. Radim Zlebek of Robe, Dae In Yoon of Art Tech and Luke Kuo of Avolites. 17. FBT’s Roberto Mataloni with Agatha and David Moon, who run AD&C International. 18. Kane Ko (centre), Tony Ko (right) and colleague on the Avix Tech booth.
strate the Harman products, Sovico invited acapella group Snow City to give daily live performances. With a strong focus on the Asian market this year, TW Audio decided to exhibit at KOBA for its fourth year. Although TW Audio Managing Director, Bernhard Wuestner is a huge believer in shootout areas to demonstrate loudspeaker products in a realistic environment - a feature that is not available at KOBA - he still felt the show had other strengths that made it worthwhile exhibiting. Sound Solution displayed key products from all of its major brands which included the Spek-Trix and Metrix line array systems from Adamson, the TT+ touring and theatre range and D-Line loudspeaker series from RCF and a combination of analogue and digital consoles from Midas. For Lab.gruppen it was the PLM, FP+ and the C Series that were on display alongside the new IPD Series launched at Prolight+Sound in Frankfurt earlier this year. The Swedish amplifier manufacturer also presented Sound Solution with an award for ‘Best Distributor of the Year’ shortly before the show. Other audio brands represented on the show floor included One Systems, Electro-Voice, Avid, Martin Audio, Renkus-Heinz, Sennheiser, D.A.S Audio, Peavey and Genelec, a rather respectable professional audio line-up for a show with a heavy broadcast focus. The lighting element of the show is arguably smaller in terms of the number of booths showcasing lighting technology, however, those that are present do carry a significant amount of brands.
Hansam Systems distributes Martin Professional, MA Lighting, Vari-Lite, ADB and PR Lighting. The latter introduced the new LED Studio Series at KOBA, a range of LED products aimed primarily at the TV broadcasting market but is suitable for theatre applications too. Tong Suh Technology had Prolyte’s ProLyft on display, alongside ChamSys’ Magic Q and Magic Q Pro lighting consoles and Clay Paky’s Glow Up, Alpha Profile 800 and Sharpy Wash 330 intelligent moving lights. Art Tech highlighted Avolites’ Sapphire Touch, Avolites Media’s Ai servers and from Robe the Robin Minime, Robin CycFX and the new Pointe Series were on show for the first time in Korea. Korean lighting manufacturer, Lumisia attended the show for the third consecutive year. The highlight of its booth this year was the Lumi Painter Series of moving heads. Four days at this show is quite a long time if your interest is only in the professional audio and lighting side of the market, however, if your interest extends to broadcast too then KOBA is definitely worth a visit for an overview of the Korean market. It seems to be the favoured show by most exhibitors - there is another industry tradeshow held in Korea in November - and by assessing figures alone, KOBA is strong. With concerns over too many tradeshows never far from thought, positive features are a must. KOBA is set to return to Coex on 20-23 May 2014. For more information go to: www.koba.co.kr
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1. Ceský Krumlov Castle. 2. All the booths at the exhibition were shell scheme and of equal size. 3. The conference hall.
SHOWLIGHT CESKY KRUMLOV
Showlight is an international conference organised by and for lighting professionals that takes place every four years, each time in a different location. The setting for this year’s event was the picturesque town of Ceský Krumlov in Czech Republic, it took place on 18-21 May. Organising Committee Chairman, Ian Dow, said: “The decision to take the four day event to the town was taken after visiting a number of different potential areas, and it was the intimate feel and stunning backdrop of Ceský Krumlov that won us over. “Showlight offers a unique opportunity to listen to and consider the experiences of lighting professionals from across the industry, and to get an insight into the way they work. We also make sure everyone gets a chance to network with some of the most famous names in the business.” The town is home to a 13th century Gothic castle, which acted as the main venue for the conference and exhibition. The conference is the main focus and Showlight organised an impressive line-up of speakers including LD Durham Marenghi, Wayne Howell of Artistic Licence, lighting and visual specialist Tupac Martir, Israeli LD Bambi and many more. These seminar sessions took place over the course of three days, beginning on Sunday 19 June. The conference topics included: Inside the Isles of Wonder at the London 2012 Olympics; The Cinematography of Pixar’s Films; TV Design in Iceland - The X Factor; The Future of Lighting Control; From Stage to Camera; Lighting the Diamond Jubliee; and Lighting Opera at the Foot of the Masada Mountains.
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The exhibition opened during the conference breaks, all booths were shell scheme and of equal size. It offers companies the chance to put just one or two or their products in the spotlight. The breaks in the seminar programme also act as networking opportunities as all attendees dine for lunch at the same time. This is a hugely popular aspect of Showlight. Alongside all the traditions that you would expect at a conference and tradeshow for our industry Showlight also incorporated a half day visitor programme on Monday 20 May when visitors chose from a selection of tours - Baroqaue Theatre, Budweiser Brewery, Graphite Mine, Schwan Cosmetics and Cesky Theatre. This was followed by a networking dinner for all the delegates. Czech Republic-based Robe was the main sponsor of Showlight this year, CEO Josef Valchar said: “Robe very much believes in the Showlight mission of bringing together the lighting community from all over the world and providing an outstanding opportunity to learn from some of the best in the business. We were honoured to have the opportunity to welcome Showlight in to our beautiful country and we hope it will become a source of inspiration for all participants for years to come.” Further adding to the show programme, after Showlight closed it’s doors, Robe offered attendees the opportunity to visit its headquarters in Valašské Mezirící for a factory tour, something which proved very popular with the show guests. The next Showlight will take place in 2017 but details are yet to be announced. For more information go to: www.showlight.org
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1. A number of the industry’s major players were represented by distributors. 2. The Golden Sea exhibition stand. 3. SGTC Pro represented a number of brands including QSC. 4. The Protec exhibition stand. 5. Distributor Module Decor. 6. The Showtex stand. 7. This year’s exhibition had a noticable number of Chinese exhibitors. 8. DTS was represented by its distributor at this year’s show. 9. Distributor Techniline Electronics.
PALME ME DUBAI
This industry’s exhibition circuit is to say the least, overcrowded, there are shows in every conceivable geographic area. They are either large exhibitions that attract the manufacturer as exhibitor and a global visitor profile, or small regional shows with a local distributor exhibitor and audience. In current times of strategic marketing spending, it is the latter that are seeing dwindling numbers, and because of this become self fulfilling prophecies - the less there is to see the less reason to visit. Palme ME is a show in such a dilemma; I’ve attended the show since its inception and seen it rapidly grow and slowly decline. Fundamentally there is nothing wrong with the show, it is held in a good city for trade, great exhibition hall and is well organised, but it’s own success of opening the Middle East market up to manufacturing companies has meant it has achieved its goal as an exhibition, and ultimately has served its purpose. I’m not here to stick the knife into any business but to reflect on my own personal observations and conversations, which on the whole
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MORE PHOTOS for Palme ME was a certain sense of ennui. As ever, conversations on the show floor brought up a mixed response with exhibitors either being disappointed by the traffic or with companies that had taken very small stands, which said they were having a good show. The problem for Palme ME is that while delivering a return on investment for an exhibitor making a small speculative investment, it simply won’t fill an exhibition floor space. On the upside for the organiser, Informa the Middle East Event Awards, which are held on the second evening of the show are a resounding success, maybe similar to what is happening in many media organisations - a natural evolution from one successful business model to another and you follow that direction. Palme ME 2014 will be held from 15-17 April at Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre. For more info go to: www.palme-middleeast. com
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1. Chris Mead from Meyer Sound and Felix Remedios of Reynold’s. 2. Sonu A.B. of MA Lighting Middle East giving hands on training at the show. 3. Bart Kresa and Fredrik Svahnberg of Dataton. 4. Ashish Mehta, Director of Star Dimensions with Jack Lee of Global Truss. 5. Sumit Gupta of Elgin Electronics and Dean Standing of Rane. 6. MD of Reynold’s, Felix Remedios with Martin Kuyper of Eurotruss. 7. Avolites’ Sales Director, Koy Neminathan, Nabir of Modern Stage Service, Stephen Baird-Smith of Avolites and Varinder Wadhwa of Modern Stage Service. 8. The IES team - Dominic Jacobson of Martin Audio, Lumen Radio’s Peter Kirkup, Rasesh Parekh of IES, Harry von den Stemmen and Ondrej Hegar of Robe and Kekul Sheth of IES. 9. Puneet Kumar Kain and Vipin Pungalia of Sennheiser India flank Peter Owen of L-Acoustics.
PALM EXPO INDIA MUMBAI
To say the tradeshow calendar has been busy for the past couple of months would be an understatement. Palm Expo India sat somewhere in the middle, taking place on 30 May to 1 June at the Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai in 35 degree heat. As noted previously by mondo*dr, this show - now in its 13th year - is gaining momentum rapidly, attracting new exhibitors this year such as TW Audio, TOA, Nova Acoustic, Bose and Philips to name just a few, as well as introducing new features. Possibly the most talked about new feature was the ‘Integration for Entertainment Demo - Interactive Audio-Video’. The exhibit showcased a unique pixel mapping display designed by industry veteran Bart Kresa in association with Modern Stage Service
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and Hi Tech Audio Systems. High-end brands including Christie, Green Hippo, Dataton, Medialon and Bose participated in creating one of the finest displays of immersive interactive technology that India has ever seen. Rigging and trussing manufacturer, Prolyte was at the forefront of another new segment for Palm Expo India, Prolyte Campus Live. Hands-on live demonstrations were conducted by Prolyte’s Marc Hendriks, he covered a variety of topics based around using trussing safely. “Bringing knowledge to the people involved with day-to-day practical side of it is our way of contributing to safe working practices and building skills and expertise,” said Marc.
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10. Video Design’s Vijay Sabhlok with Medialon CEO Alex Carru. 11. Graham Eales on the Philips stand. 12. Marc Hendriks and Menze Van Der Sluis of Prolyte. 13. Andreas Dessloch of Rosco. 14. The E&E Systems India team. 15. Sigmund Ruff, Ram Nagpal and colleague from LPS-Lasersysteme. 16. The team on the Golden Sea stand. 17. Stonewater & Dynamite’s Sushant Palesha, Mahendra Palesha, Vikram Shetty (far right) and colleague. 18. Gerry Frost and Benedikt Orthen of Laserworld flank Pratik Wadhwa of Modern Stage Service. 19. Zura Braganza, Head of Design and Sales for Lloyd Lee Company. 20. Audiocenter’s Markus Augenstein, Sumit Gupta of Elgin Electronics, Dena Tsui of Audiocenter (far right) and colleague. 21. Pooran Rawat of Delhi Light & Music Centre, distributor of FBT and Qube with Alex Bryan of Fenix. 22. Frank Andrewartha of Quest Engineering and Neerai Chandra of Sun Infonet.
Other regular features included the open-air line array demonstration area, the Palm DJ Championships, the Palm Sound & Light Awards, the IRA Awards, Palm Innovation Spotlight and an extensive seminar programme. The Harman Live Arena returned for a fourth year, the stage was equipped with the latest Harman products in live sound technology along with high-end lighting and visual equipment. While over on the show floor, it was the first time that Harman and Martin Professional co-exhibited since the acquisition earlier this year. Midas and Klark Teknik exhibited for the first time with its newly appointed distributor, Dhanashree Electronics. Midas and Klark Teknik Brand Development Manager, Richard Ferriday said: “This provides a huge opportunity for growth due to our new competitive pricing policy - and Dhanashree is the perfect partner to take full advan-
tage of that. I welcome Dhanashree to the MKT family and look forward to delighting their customers with plenty of high-quality, reliable and affordable MKT products.” Over on the Modi Digital stand, Merging Technologies had Horus, Pyramix and Ovation all being shown in their latest versions. Electro-Voice launched the ZLX Series of powered and passive loudspeakers to the India market, while both Avid and SSL brought their latest creations - the S3L System and the Live console respectively - to Mumbai. Apart Audio was on display on the Sennheiser booth having joined its distribution network earlier this year. A concern that is present at many tradeshows nowadays is copycat products and there were some on show at Palm Expo India. It can be difficult for organisers to prevent this altogether, however, they should be actively checking all products on
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1. Riveria had DJ demonstrations throughout the show as well as displaying products from DiGiCo, Adamson and the company’s new range of lighting fixtures. 2. Abhishek Guha, Albert Leong, Monisha Devaiah and Dave McKinney on the first joint exhibition booth for Harman and Martin Professional. 3. Gavin D’Souza (left) heads up the Star Professional Audio team. 4. Santoh Kumar V. and Gautham N.D. on the Bosch stand representing Electro-Voice. 5. Bernhard Wuestner of TW Audio with Sunny Chhibber of Acoustics Arts. 6. Clifford Pereira and Shiv Sood from Sound Team. 7. Milind Raorane of Sound Frame, Harry Gladow of coolux, Andrew Paul and colleague of Digital Advantage, which as well as coolux distributes d&b audiotechnik. 8. Krishna Prabha Singh of TC Group, Narinder Pal Singh of Audio Jewellers and Sunny Chhibber of Acoustics Arts. 9. Director of GM Audio, Udayanarayan, which represents D.A.S. Audio. 10. Sachin Agarwal of Hi-Tech with Kamal Mahtani of Klotz. 11. Richard ‘Fez’ Ferriday of Midas with Ryan Baker of Dhanashree.
the show floor and removing any that are clearly copycat products. Although this did eventually happen, it did take some encouragement from certain manufacturers. The general consensus of this show is positive with many manufacturers flying in to support their distributors, however, many do say that India is not one of their most successful markets in terms of sales, this is possibly a consequence of the market as a whole rather than individual companies. In the entertainment world, some live event production companies are just happy to use a product that gets the job done rather than investing in equipment that can be used time and time again. And on the installation side, because outlets don’t tend to have a lifespan longer than two to three years,
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it’s once again difficult to justify the expenditure for high-end technology products. Although there is most definitely growth in the market, India is very different to many other countries in terms of its infrastructure, its economy and the way business is conducted. Arguably, it could be said that India is somewhat lagging behind in the professional audio, lighting and visual world but if companies continue to invest there then hopefully things will continue to move forward. Palm Expo India will return to the Bombay Exhibition Centre in Mumbai on 29-31 May 2014. For more information go to: www.palmexpo.in
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1. Freddie To and Daniel Chan of d&b audiotechnik China. 2. Danny Lau of Rightway Audio Consultants representing L-Acoustics. 3. GLUX demonstrated the diversity of its products. 4. The team on the SAE stand, the company is also the distributor of Verity Audio. 5. Fabien Bareille (centre), Wayne Grosser (right) and colleague of Clair Bros. 6. Vladimir Hasman and Michal Zykan of Milos. 7. Bruce Ferguson and Emma Wolf of Darkroom. 8. The Eastar Electronic team. 9. The Beta Three team headed up by Rodger Rapsey (second from left).
PALM EXPO CHINA BEIJING
The 22nd China International Exhibition on Pro Audio, Light, Music and Technology took place in Beijing on 7-10 June at the China International Exhibition Centre (CIEC). This was the second year that Palm Expo Beijing was held at the new facilities close to the international airport. After a turbulent start in its new home last year with many complaints from exhibitors - namely the lack of visitors - organiser IIR needed to pull out all the stops to prevent exhibitors from losing interest in the show this year. Unfortunately, the general consensus on the show floor was that not enough improvements were made and it’s looking likely the organiser will suffer the consequences heavily next year. For some exhibitors, witnessing the show just once in the new location was enough
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to put them off with a number of major brands deserting this year’s show. One of particular note was Leafun, distributor of Robe, Avolites, Lumen Radio and RCF, which instead of taking a stand at the exhibition decided to run a concurrent workshop for its customers in a more central Beijing location. Once again, exhibitors that mondo*dr spoke to were disappointed with visitor figures. Although the buses running from the centre of Beijing out to the exhibition centre seemed to be better publicised this time, making it easier for visitors to attend, IIR still struggled to convince the numbers onto the arranged transport. The rainy weather over the four days made the show one of the wettest on record. And while IIR can’t possibly have any control over the weather, it did have conse-
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10. Steve Chen of P Audio. 11. Ciare’s Export Manager, Livio Grossi. 12. Lavoce’s Riccardo Abbatelli (left), Eric Chen (right) and colleague. 13. Andy Lui and Gianluca Turra of FaitalPRO. 14. The DJ Power team. 15. The Fine Art stand. 16. Andre Correia, Rui Marques and Antonio Correia of NEXT-proaudio. 17. Gerard Loret, Dena Tsui and Markus Augenstein of Audiocenter 18. Nexo’s Denis Baudier with a colleague from Top Plot. 19. PR Lighting’s Sasha Xiong. 20. FBT’s Remo Orsoni and Roberto Mataloni flank Lui Shen of Shanghai People’s Sound 21. The Logic System team. 22. The team on the Prolyte booth. 23. Eric Boyer and colleague of Budee with Simon Bull and Anthony Taylor of Martin Audio.
quences for the outdoor line array shootout area. Inside however, there was a significant increase in audio demonstrations in comparison to previous years. In the past China has been a country renowned for loud tradeshows, however, as the market has developed and as the desire to fall in line with other international tradeshows for our industry has increased, the noise levels became more acceptable, certainly at Palm Expo Beijing. This year it appeared that we were transported back in time as there were occasions when holding a conversation with someone next to you was almost impossible. From speaking to audio manufactures, it was apparent that IIR did make attempts to reduce the noise, but arguably not very sensible attempts. The organiser was issuing
warnings discouraging companies from playing music above 70dB, and naturally the response from exhibitors was rather laughable, given that the background noise in the halls surpassed that level. The proposed alternative was that no demonstration could last longer than 10 seconds, but again without outlining how often the demonstrations could take place the rule was almost pointless, as companies could play for 10 seconds turn it off for five seconds and then back on again, over and over again throughout the day. International exhibitors from non-audio companies were understandably the most annoyed. The layout of the new exhibition centre means that the international halls sit on the west side of the premises and the local manufacturers exhibit in the east
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1. The ADJ stand had constant light shows running for visitors to enjoy. 2. The Golden Sea team headed up by Chairman, Jiang Wei Kai (third from left) 3. Marco Stuve of Global Truss, Alex Bryan of Fenix with George and Jack Lee of Global Truss. 4. Ruisheng’s Stanley with LSC Lighting’s Richie Mickan. 5. The Powersoft team headed up by Luca Giorgi (centre). 6. Real Music’s Ritchie Wang, Adamson’s Ewan McDonald and colleague. 7. Jonas Nilsson, Niclas Arvidsson and Shelly Li of Wireless Solution. 8. Lui Yi of ACE, Product Specialist for Visual Productions with Maarten Engels. 9. MD of Martin Professional HK, Raymond Wong. 10. Mach Audio was formed in 2012 and it took over the Mach brand from Martin Professional, the show marked the first outing for the new Mach Audio company. 11. Alan Ho of Sanecore with Hock Thang of Symetrix. 12. Danny Lau of Rightway Audio Consultants, which distributes DiGiCo. 13. EK Lighting’s Raymong Chen. 14. Meyer Sound’s Michael Maxson with Shanghai Broad Future Electro Technology’s, Cao Yiqun.
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1. The ACE stand representing the Harman brands. 2. Kvant’s Dušan Navara, Julie Zhu and Pavol KuboÅiek. 3. The D&E International team, which represents Avolites and Avolites Media. 4. Outline had products on display at the show. 5. The Antari team. 6. The Veloo Light team. 7. Ruisheng’s Stanley with Michael Munz of GLP.
side halls. Essentially there is no segregation between the main audio section and the lighting, visual, trussing and effects section on either side, the halls are very much open plan. Therefore any non-audio manufacturers, particularly in the international hall were being affected by sound leakage, which made conducting business very difficult. Some even went as far as saying they won’t exhibit at the show next year, purely on the noise pollution basis. Another angle of the show that was mentioned regularly was the cost to exhibit, with some exhibitors claiming is it the most expensive show on the calendar, it costs more per square metre than Prolight+Sound in Frankfurt or ISE in Amsterdam. This will not help matters for IIR as it battles in an overcrowded tradeshow schedule. Comparisons were made last year between the Beijing show and the up and coming shows in Guangzhou - ProSound and Light recently renamed to Prolight+Sound and The GET Show - and these once again resurfaced with even more ferocity in light of the severe backlash to Beijing and the fact that one of the Guangzhou shows has now been taken over by the experienced Messe Frankfurt.
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There seemed to be a decrease in Western visitors this year, there were notably few manufacturers that had flown out to support their distributors, often on the advice of the latter. Visitors who also came from nearby Asian countries appeared to be in fewer quantities than usual. Among the cloudy atmosphere surrounding the show, there was some positivity with manufacturers insisting they met key customers and showing product lines for the first time in China, which did provoke interest. Overall for mondo*dr, it was definitely a worthwhile visit as despite some manufacturers choosing to avoid the show there was still a good portion which have stayed loyal to the show. It still remains one of our best opportunities to meet with our Chinese customers. The seminar programme, the competitions and the organised evening dinners were well attended but if Palm Expo Beijing is to stay afloat, then IIR really must do better on the show floor next year. Palm Expo Beijing is returning to its usual month of May next year, taking place on 26-29 May 2014. For more information go to: www.palmexpo.com
108 EXPO
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1. Neil Wittering of projectiondesign. 2. Tim Brooksbank of Calibre. 3. Mark Wadsworth of Digital Projection. 4. Lars Sandlund of Dataton. 5. Sennheiser’s new LSP 500 Pro PA wireless loudspeaker system. 6. Avid’s Senior Product Manager, Sheldon Radford. 7. The Robe stand.
INFOCOMM ORLANDO
Having visited NAMM in Anaheim and now InfoComm in Orlando I have decided I very much like American tradeshows. Firstly, being a Brit, the weather is generally a vast improvement on anything we might hope for at home and secondly, the atmosphere tends to be a lot more relaxed compared with some of the other shows mondo*dr visits. This is not to say that the main reason for a tradeshow - to meet with others in the industry and talk business - is forgotten. Infocomm certainly covers a substantial amount of the Orange County Convention Centre floor and this year’s show saw an increase of 2.5% in attendees pacing the aisles. According to official figures released by the organiser - this year’s show was attended by 35,126 professionals from more than 110 countries and 937 exhibitors took a booth.
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All areas of the AV industry were represented at the show, meaning there were some elements that weren’t completely relevant to the mondo*dr readership which made walking the show floor a little easier on the feet in comparison to other tradeshows. However, I did notice there was a strong video element to the exhibition. There was evidence of some new products being launched and plenty of demonstrations taking place throughout the week. The demo rooms did in fact open the day before the show started, however it appeared not everyone had been made aware, leaving some exhibitors disappointed - an issue the organiser needs to address should they choose to do this next year.
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8. Kari Eythorsson of Optocore with Clear-Com’s Vinnie Macri. 9. James Capparelle, Sales & Marketing Associate, DPA Microphones. 10. Thomas Bensen of Outline. 11. Doug MacCallum of One Systems.
SHOW HIGHLIGHTS On the AKG stand the new ear hook C111LP microphone was debuted, alongside the Discussion System CS3 and revamped digital automatic microphone mixers - the DMM6 and DMM12. Audio-Technica displayed its AT-DMM828 digital matrix mixer - a microprocessor-controlled, programmable, automatic-switching eight-channel matrix mixer. Avid presented the biggest thing it has done for the install market so far - the S3L mixing desk, which can live on stage or in a rack and has a newly designed control surface among other features. The main news on the Barco and projectiondesign booth was the merging of the two companies, however both also presented news products. Barco with its latest HDX projector model - the HDX-W20 Flex, and projectiondesign with its F35 panorama projector, which is being combined with Barco’s ClickShare solution. Beyerdynamic showcased its new Quinta conference system and its range of Revoluto microphones, along with the new TG 1000 digital wireless microphone system. Introduced at the Biamp Systems stand was its new canvas design control system for Tesira. In other company news the manufacturer has teamed up with Audix to introduce the CM1-6W and CM1-6WS gooseneck ceiling microphones. The Plena Matrix digital sound system from Bosch was shown for the first time in the US, it includes a graphical user interface, DSP processor, two types of 4-channel Class D amplifiers, a call station and a wall panel. Broaman showcased its Repeat48 and Repeat48CWDM plug ‘n’ play video conversion solutions on the ClearCom booth. The repeat platform devices convert 3G/HD/SD-SDI (or MADI) signals from coaxial cables to
110 EXPO
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1. The Elation stand. 2. Josh Martin, Technology Sales Manager for Eminence. 3. L’Acoustics’ Andrew Nagel, Head of Applications with Marketing Coordinator, Jan Bui. 4. Valerie Hoffman, Jim Reinhardt and Matthias Holz of beyerdynamic. 5. David Venus of PixelFLEX 6. Anthony Taylor of Martin Audio. 7. John Dunn, Adina Arhire and Mike Graham of Chauvet.
fibre and back. BSS Audio debuted its Soundweb London BLU-GPX network-controlled GPIO expander and BLU-806, BLU-326 Dante processors. The company also introduced BLU-Si BLU link cards that connect Soundcraft Si mixing consoles with Harman BLU link- enabled products. Calibre returned to InfoComm with significant updates to two of its most important products for the pro-AV marketplace - the LEDView530 and HQView 530 switcher/scalers. Over on the Chauvet booth, the company showcased one of its most recent releases the Professional Legend 230SR beam moving head, along with the Nexus 4x4 tour ready washlight, Ovation series of theatrical luminaires, PVP S5 and PVP S7 HD video panels, MVP Ta8 Curve modular video panel, Well 2.0 wireless washlight, Q-Spot 360 LED and Q-Spot 460 LED moving spot fixtures, and washlights from the Colorado Series. Christie’s suite of next generation digital display tools provided the main thrust of a number of technologically-advanced visual solutions for the Pro AV, large venue, architectural, corporate, broadcast, control room and digital signage markets, at Infocomm. Several new products were staged on the Clear-Com stand including its new
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Concert 2.7 software update, the HME Dx210 wireless intercom, upgrades to its Tempest digital wireless intercoms, the Eclipse HX-delta, the Helixnet Partyline intercom system, and its next generation 700 Series analogue beltpacks. DPA showcased two new Podium microphones, which are suited to the installation market - giving AV installers and conference organisers clear, transparent and precise sound. DriveCore Install Series power amplifiers were highlighted on the Crown stand. Successor to the company’s CTs Series, the DCi amplifiers incorporate a host of improvements including Harman’s DriveCore technology. Over on the Dataton stand, new multi-image display and presentation software was showcased in the form of Watchout Version 5.5 along with the new Watchpax solid-state media server. Equipson showcased its UDA-16 modular column with line array shape. It is composed of an elaborate system of filters and 16 transducers with a wide frequency range placed as a line array system. The Vertex VT-EXT vertical rack strip was shown by Furman, which provides integrators with eight outlets, addresses ground loop issues, and simplifies cord management to reduce installation time. The new BB-ZB1 gateway, which works in conjunction with the Panamax MD2-ZB was also highlighted on the stand.
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8. Alison Maxson and Bruce Allers of Barco. 9. Christie had a large and impressive stand. 10. Tony Cacciarelli of AJA Video Systems. 11. Guy Low of Bosch. 12. The Meyer Sound booth. 13. Dennis Gaines of Independent Audio with Johan Wadsten of Merging Technologies. 14. The d&b audiotechnik booth.
GLP presented its new Impression X4S fixture, which is the small version of the impression X4; as well as the Volkslicht Spot, a scaled down version of the impression Spot One. JBL introduced its Series Column loudspeakers and the HiQnet Performance Manager Version 1.5. Launched earlier this year, K-array presented Anakondato the US market - a bendable loudspeaker that in the manufacturer’s words can adapt to almost any integration environment. The new Martin Audio MLA Mini line array system - a 12 box array system that can deliver live music in small venues of 750 - 1000 people, made its American debut. L-Acoustics showcased two new systems - the 5XT ultra-compact coaxial enclosure, which is based on a two-way passive design with a nominal impedance of 16 ohms, and SB15m compact subwoofer, which features a single 15-inch driver in a bass reflex tuned enclosure to provide impact, sensitivity, low thermal compression and reduced distortion. Meyer Sound released Version 3.0 of its Compass software program, which provides a centralised platform for controlling the new Compass RMS remote monitoring system; in addition to the Galileo and Galileo Callisto loudspeaker management systems and CAL column array loudspeakers.
Celebrating its 40th anniversary during the show, Outline introduced its GTO C-12 line source array speaker system to the US. Derived from Outline’s larger-format, dual-15-inch GTO cabinet, it generates output power surpassed only by its larger sibling from an enclosure that is physically smaller and 30% lighter. The IC Live and IC Live dual systems as well as the IC2, and all configurations of third-generation IC-R-II systems with triple tweeter technology were all on display at the Renkus-Heinz stand. Iconyx with integrated AVB capabilities was also showcased along with the Varia line loudspeakers. Audio specialist Sennheiser introduced the LSP 500 Pro PA, a new PA wireless loudspeaker system; in addition to the Tourguide 2020 system. Soundcraft announced a new option card in the ViSi Connect series of expansions for the Si Expression, Compact and Performer consoles; as well as a software update which includes several new features. Already announced in Europe at the Prolight+Sound exhibition in Frankfurt, TC Group announced its rebranding initiative in the US for the first time during the exhibition, as well as introducing its new Lab.gruppen install dedicated amplifier range, Lucia. InfoComm 2014 will take place at The Las Vegas Convention Center from 18-20 June. For more information go to: www.infocomm.org
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112 GUIDE - THEATRICAL LIGHTING
A.C. ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGIES | CHROMA-Q INSPIRE www.ac-et.com
The Chroma-Q Inspire LED house light is a powerful multi-purpose creative lighting tool. With fully homogenised colour mixing and a choice of three different lens options, the Inspire provides a suitable selection of mixed colours and true whites from a single fixture, and with no unsightly colour separation shadows. Fusing entertainment, theatrical and architectural lighting capabilities, the Inspire provides designers with a tool to create environments that transcend the physical barrier between the stage and audience through the creative use of light and colour - transforming the look and feel of performance venues. The Inspire can produce a range of effects from subtle shifts in colour temperature, to bold and dynamic colour changes. Featuring a compact, energy-efficient LED design, which provides a powerful 4,000 hot lumens output, the Inspire house light has a low power consumption of 110W. The Inspire’s custom optical design provides a smooth, uniform output, matched by a high CRI of 90 for accurate colour matching and theatrical grade dimming and is available in black or white bodied versions and can be specified with either a narrow, medium or wide beam angle lens.
ADB | ALC4-2 www.adblighting.com
The ALC4-2 combines the equivalent light output and colour rendition of conventional tungsten halogen lighting fixtures (1,250W) with the advantages of the low power consumption and reduced carbon footprint plus the dynamic colour mixing of LED luminaires. The unit produces no waste and there are no possible lamp glass splinters. The generated light beam produces no degrading ultraviolet or uncomfortable infrared wavelengths. Thanks to a mixing chamber, the ALC4-2 LED modules offer a perfectly homogenous light output with no coloured shadows. The flicker-free light output is well suited for broadcast applications. Seven calibrated colour temperatures are selectable via remote DMX control for consistent image quality. The beam angle can be adapted for various applications by choosing one of the optional reflectors. The unit is compact and self contained, and can easily be moved around the studio or the venue. ALC4-2 may be mixed and interchanged with previous ALC4 models when set to compatibility mode.
CHAUVET | OVATION F-165WW www.chauvetlighting.com
The F-165WW fresnel-style fixture in the Ovation line of theatrical lights is powered by 16 10W LEDs and delivers over 1,730 lux at five metres (13º), maintaining this intensity without a significant temperature-related drop off. The fixture has an easily adjustable motorised zoom and works well with barn doors to aid in glare reduction and beam shaping. Knobs for local control of both dimming and zoom enable fast focus calls with or without a board-op. Its innovative LED source produces smooth, even washes from 13º to 58º with a colour temperature of 3,100K and a beautiful soft field. Selectable dimming curves make it compatible with older, traditional theatre fresnel lights.
CLAY PAKY | ALPHA PROFILE 800 ST www.claypaky.it
The Alpha Profile 800 ST uses micromechanics to obtain a compact, light, silent unit with an extremely bright light and a zoom capable of producing a sharp, uniform beam. Lighting designers will find all the tools they need to enhance their creativity in the Alpha Profile 800 ST, a miniaturised four-blade framing system, capable of creating any geometric shape, with smooth, flexible blade movements at variable speed; a zoom that starts from the extremely narrow angle of 7.6º and reaches up to 55º; an exclusive auto focus system and the dyna-cue-creator function. The 6,000kW light beam and operating silence (42dBA) complete the characteristics of this light.
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THEATRICAL LIGHTING - GUIDE 113
COEMAR | REFLECTION LEDKO P www.coemar.it
The Reflection LEDko P LED profile provides a light output comparable to traditional high consuming halogen profilers, and thanks to the newly designed optics, it delivers ultra-flat field projections, while the Reflection LEDko P DIM is ready to replace traditional fixtures in existing lighting systems. It enables the end user to achieve significant energy savings without giving up on performance and without having to do any re-cabling. The light output can be regulated via standard dimmer or through a control knob on the rear panel. Instant gobos and soft profile lens option guarantee a further flexibility to the product.
ELATION | TVL 3000 II www.elationlighting.com
Bright, quiet and flicker-free, the Elation TVL 3000 II provides a suitable broadcast lighting solution for theatre, TV and video production applications. A high-output TV studio light panel with 24 3W LEDs, the Elation TVL 3000 II is available in 3,200K warm white, 5,000K cool white, and 3,200-5,000K dynamic models. All models are convection cooled with no fans for a silent operation and all feature smooth flicker free dimming to produce results in any studio application. The warm and cool white light produced by the TVL 3000 II series provides a smooth white balance with no shadows to complement any skin tone. Intelligent fixtures, the TVL3000 II series light panels have one DMX channel, which is a master dimmer. The fixtures can also operate in a manual mode. The TVL 3000 II series also features optional mounting brackets, 24V battery pack option, 10ยบ, 25ยบ, 40ยบ, 60ยบ beam angle lens kits, and adjustable barn doors.
ELECTRON | SMART PIXEL SERIES www.electron.gr
The latest product to be added to the Smart Pixel Series is the DMX 512 direct control strip. It has 32 RGB three in one chip LEDs per metre. Each LED can be controlled individually through standard DMX 512 control protocol. The pixel pitch is 31.25mm. It has adhesive tape on the rear side. It is 5VDC, it consumes 9W/m, 120ยบ viewing angle and is available with protection of IP20 or IP65. The Smart Pixel Series is the ideal solution for LED matrix effects.
ETC | SOURCE FOUR LED www.etcconnect.com
The ETC Source Four LED fixture comes in a range of models, with features including: Lustr+- offering a complete palette of colours, thanks to the seven-colour mixing system; Source Four LED Tungsten and Daylight produce maximum brightness at warm and cool white colour temperatures; Source Four LED Studio HD combines exceptional light output with an ultra-flexible, variable white light, for more accurate colour rendition on camera. Each produces a sharp, clean beam of focusable light or a smooth wash, to give extra versatility to almost all lighting projects, and is suited to venues where energy efficiency is highly important, or where seamless and silent colour changing may be required. ETC Source Four LED achieves between 30 and 40 lumens per watt, depending on the model, and is designed to look, feel and focus like a Source Four, with the added benefits of an intelligent fixture.
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114 GUIDE - THEATRICAL LIGHTING
GRIVEN | STAGE EDITION SERIES www.griven.com Designed to withstand demanding stage, set and touring applications, the Stage Edition Series offers a wide selection of versatile LEDbased lighting fixtures purposely designed for theatrical and rental distributors, exhibition houses, theatres, nightclubs and live show venues. Powershine MK2 S SE and Diamond SE are just two units out of a comprehensive range of high output colour changers, white or dynamic white powerful floodlights that are capable of delivering an extraordinary performance from relatively compact fixtures. These models are available with extremely narrow optics, as well as medium, elliptical and extra wide photometric distributions up to 80° aperture which are obtainable from an exchangeable filter selection. Adjusting the inclination of the beam spread has never been so easy with the newly conceived articulated fixing system that can also offer an instantaneous and steady positioning on the floor or truss arrangement. The plug ‘n’ play configuration includes in and out DMX connectors, onboard control panel and IP65 protection rating for hassle free installations. Eco-friendly and cost saving, these professional LED lighting solutions incorporate the very latest energy efficient solid state technology and feature a versatile and high profile equipment for the widest range of applications.
LDR | CANTO 2000 MSR FF www.ldr.it
The Canto 2000 MSR FF is the latest addition to the Canto followspot line produced by LDR. Canto 2000 MSR FF is one of the most compact 2kW followspots available on the market and it harnesses the power and flexibility of the Philips 2000msr FastFit lamps with LDR’s advanced optics and mechanics. The result is a new concept, efficient, lightweight and extremely powerful followspot, ideal for all longthrow applications. Canto 2000 MSR FF features the patented FastFit rear load lamp base system, which enables easy lamp replacement in difficult stage conditions. The MSR filling of the lamp guarantees pure, white light, whereas the short arc provides high beam intensity for professional entertainment lighting.
MARTIN PROFESSIONAL | MAC VIPER WASH / DX www.martin.com
The MAC Viper Wash and MAC Viper Wash DX with internal framing, are full-range wash luminaires capable of performing at the high level you would expect from a professional wash light. The Wash DX houses a unique internal framing system that enables designers to shape and control light projection onto stages, performers, scenery, scrims or any set element with great precision. The internal framing system makes it a highly capable, automated substitute for a conventional daylight fresnel fixture. Both luminaires use the same 1,000W HID source as the other members of the MAC Viper family. At 33,000 lumens of output, both the Viper Wash and Viper Wash DX are brighter than larger and more power-demanding 1,500W fixtures. Both house a CMY colour mixing system capable of producing a superior palette of vibrant colours with excellent colour stability across the entire beam. A linear CTO gives daylight to tungsten CCT control and expansion of the CMY palette. Both the MAC Viper Wash and Wash DX house a continuous, fast and fully linear zoom with a flexible 13.5º to 59º range.
MUSIC & LIGHTS | EVO190E www.music-lights.se
EVO190E is the first profiler from Music & Lights with LED light source capable of replacing traditional profilers equipped with 750W HPL lamps. Available in tungsten (3,100K) and daylight (5,600K) versions, EVO190E aims to offer an amazing light output and an excellent framing property with a low-consumption LED source. Light source is generated by an array of 19 10W LEDs, guaranteeing a highly uniform projection calibrated at same colour temperature. The design of EVO190E makes it a perfect fit for studio applications, theatres, events, architectural and in environments with limited power supplies.
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RED LIGHTING | EYE www.red-lighting.com
Eye is the latest generation followspot, with optic group based on the innovative and ultra-performing 300W MSD Platinum 15R discharge Lamp by Philips (8000ºK). Intuitive and easy-to-use, it has the same light emission as a traditional 2,000W spot, while the average life of the source, optimised by Red Lighting’s optical system, is over 2,000 hours. Eye has a motorised colour wheel with five dichroic filters plus white and a manual zoom with beam angle from 6 to 12º. Suitable for medium and long distance projections - from 15 metres to 50 metres - it is ideal for theatrical performances, TV and live shows.
ROBE | DLS www.robe.cz
This is the latest product in the DL range of luminaires that use the Robe RGBW LED module. The DLS adds a system of four fast, smooth, framing shutters within the optical path design of the proven DLX Spot format. There is individual control of each shutter blade position and angle, together with rotation of the complete framing module. As well as providing a sharp precise or soft frame for the projected image, the system produces a new series of effects through pre-programmed shutter blade shape and movement sequences. As with all models in the Robe DL luminaire range, the multiple shadows normally associated with an LED source have been eliminated. The Robe RGBW LED light source reproduces both rich and pastel colours at output levels normally associated with 1,200W discharge fixtures as well as pure whites at pre-selected 2,700K, 3,200K, 4,200K, 5,600K and 8,000K colour temperatures. The tungsten emulation function allows the fixture to be integrated seamlessly into lighting schemes with existing traditional lanterns.
ROBERT JULIAT | ZEP/ TIBO www.robertjuliat.com
Robert Juliat has made new additions to its range of LED fixtures. The first line, ZEP, retains the same form factors as the first generation of LED fixtures but offers a much higher output of 150W. The second line of development is known as TIBO, a newly designed range of stylish and compact fixtures offering a mix and match choice of light source (LED, tungsten halogen and discharge) lens type (Fresnel and profile) and body colours.
SELECON | PL SERIES www.seleconlight.com
The PLFresnel1, PLProfile1, PLProfile4, PLCyc1, and PLCyc2 LED luminaires bring lighting design to life at a fraction of the energy costs of standard tungsten fixtures. Additionally, without the use of expensive gels designers can now achieve virtually limitless colour mixing and colour temperatures through the use of the high-output RGBW LED chips inside each luminaire. Each PL Series luminaire mixes colour combination on demand to produce a fully homogenised beam, and they are designed to let the user shape and control the light to meet their requirements, whether they need to texture and shape their light with the PLProfile1 or PLProfile4 LED luminaires, blend intense washes of colour on their cyclorama with the PLCyc1 or PLCyc2 LED luminaires, or need a general purpose theatrical luminaire in the PLFresnel1 LED.
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116 GUIDE - THEATRICAL LIGHTING
SHOWLINE | SL BAR 640 / 660 www.lighting.philips.com
Designed specifically for the entertainment industry to provide strong feature sets combined with high performance LED sources, the Showline SL BAR 640 and SL BAR 660 are powerful LED linear fixtures that offer unprecedented output and exceptional colour clarity. Ideal for any theatrical production, the SL BAR 640 and SL BAR 660 may be used for general illumination or direct view purposes. With both fixtures using a standard 60째 beam angle, either the SL BAR 640 or SL BAR 660 can easily replace outdated R40 strips, border-lights, foot-lights, or cyc lights by providing coverage, colour washing, and animations. The SL BAR 640 and SL BAR 660 also include standard mounting brackets for floor or pipe mount and the mounting brackets feature secure lock off and a tight profile to insure close placement to further insure smooth beam spreads. Each luminaire is also designed for daisy chaining and includes cable management for clean cabling and an easy load-in so that production stays on track.
SPOTLIGHT | PROFILED 150 RGBW www.spotlight.it
The ProfiLED is an innovative tool for lighting designers, in one compact RGBW LED source 16 millions of colours for sharp, concentrated, adjustable light beam, with the possibility of gobo and slides projection. Suitable for dynamic lighting projects both in theatres and TV studios, for saturated and intense colour effects and adjustable white colour temperature through DMX and RDM controls. Useful in architectural applications for new lighting solutions, as a result of the high efficiency / low consumption and the extra long life of the source, ProfiLED 150 RGBW can reduce the maintenance cost in heavy applications.
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ALCONS AUDIO | CR3 www.alconsaudio.com Extending Alcons’ digital cinema sound system program, the company has developed the CR3 three-way pro-ribbon cinema screen system, specifically aimed at medium sized applications, where excellent projection control and 1:1 accurate, non-compressed digital sound reproduction is required. It is designed to meet and exceed all requirements of current and future digital cinema sound formats. Due to the multiple-patented Alcons pro-ribbon transducer technology, the CR3 offers a unique linear response to above 20,000Hz. The absence of a compression mechanism caters for the same tonal balance from the lowest to highest SPLs, while the patented Real-90 horizontal dispersion of the pro-ribbon transducer guarantees a very stable sound field throughout the operating bandwidth. This also widens the stereo experience for far left and right-seated audience. The driver arrangement consists of a double RBN401 pro-ribbon HF driver array, two 6.5-inch mid-range drivers and two vented 15-inch woofers for LF reproduction. The CR3 HF section has a 1,600W peak power input, enabling a 1:16 dynamic range with up to 90% less distortion from 1kHz to beyond 20kHz. The 40° vertical cylindrical projection of the HF section (inclusive screen spreading compensation), in combination with the 10º pre-tilt, caters for a precise projection control, preventing unwanted ceiling reflections.
AUDICA PROFESSIONAL | MULTIZONE www.audicapro.co.uk Joining the existing Audica MICROseries, is MULTIzone, suitable for retail outlets, bars and restaurants, hotels, education facilities, museums, visitor centres and other public spaces requiring independent zone input and output control. The MULTIzone is a four-zone control mixer with six music inputs, plus a microphone input for paging. Each of the four outputs can be independently configured to provide music from any one of the inputs plus the paging microphone and the relative levels are set by front panel controls. The music is automatically ducked to allow for announcements to be heard clearly. Up to seven MULTIzone units can be linked for systems of up to 28 zones. Zone outputs are individually switchable for flat response or Audica loudspeaker EQ, allowing for systems using Audica or any other brand of loudspeaker. A mute control input is provided for connection to fire control systems. Remote zone control is possible via optional in-room wired wall control panels or via an RS232 interface. The RS-232 interface allows control of all basic functions of the unit. The MULTIzone can be used freestanding, or mounted in its included 19-inch rack-mount panel. Balanced and unbalanced outputs are provided for the MULTIzone to partner with Audica’s four-channel MICROplus power amplifier, or any other unit.
ARYTON | MAGICPANEL 602 www.ayrton.eu
Ayrton has introduced the MagicPanel 602 luminaire, which features 36 15W Osram RGBW pixels and produces a powerful, tight 7° beam. It can be managed by ArtNet, RDM or DMX and produces a sharp edge 15,000 lumen multi-directional light beam, thanks to its motorised infinite pan tilt system - all from only 600W power consumption.
BOSE | ROOM MATCH www.bose.com Bose has expanded its range of RoomMatch array module loudspeakers with 22 new models with horizontally asymmetrical coverage patterns. The RoomMatch series now includes 42 unique coverage patterns providing system designers with unprecedented coverage control and scalability for venues including auditoriums, performing arts centres and sports arenas. The asymmetrical pattern modules improve sound quality in many room shapes by reducing side-wall reflections, which helps improve consistency of sound quality, seat-to-seat, without the need for ‘yaw in’ array aiming. The asymmetrical pattern modules also improve stereo soundstage effects when used either in L-R pairs or in L-C-R array configurations. The modules feature the industry’s only large-format asymmetrical waveguides, with pattern control down to 800Hz, which improve vocal clarity by reducing room reflections in the critical 1-4kHz vocal intelligibility range. All RoomMatch full-range modules utilize six Bose EMB2 extended midrange compression drivers with two inch voice coils for the high frequencies and dual Bose LF10 high-excursion, 10-inch woofers with three inch voice coils for the low frequencies. RoomMatch full-range array modules feature a frequency response of 60-16k Hz (+/- 3dB) with long-term continuous power handling of 500W and peak handling of 2,000W.
CHRISTIE | MIRAGE 4K25 & MIRAGE 4K35 www.christiedigital.com The Christie Mirage 4K25 and Mirage 4K35 projectors for 3D applications are suitable for advanced visualisation. These new three-chip DLP projectors, anchored by the Christie TruLife electronics platform with proprietary 1.2 gigapixel per second, floating point architecture, offer full 4,096 by 2,160 resolution at 120Hz for 3D. The Mirage 4K25 and 4K35 aim to provide outstanding flexibility in brightness from 10,000 to 35,000 lumens, a variety of input options including DisplayPort, HDMI and HD-SDI, and built-in Christie Twist for curved screens and blended array visualisation applications. Their image quality, colour and uniformity enable visual accuracy in the vehicle development process, which can reduce risk and costs for research and prototyping, from concept to final design. The reliability and durability of these projectors deliver consistent, repeatable performance with no down time and the stereoscopic capability of the Mirage 4K25 and 4K35 enables engineering work collaboration and visualisation of the most complex data sets.
COMMUNITY PROFESSIONAL | WET X www.communitypro.com Community has introduced WET X - 13 new models of its acclaimed WET Series featuring innovative next generation techniques that redefine outdoor loudspeaker construction and improve sonic performance. WET X’s hand-laid fiberglass enclosures are internally lined with marine-grade plywood and use innovative drivers to provide premium sound quality for both outdoor and indoor venues. The versatile 12-inch and 15-inch, two-way, full-range WET X loudspeakers offer six rotatable horn patterns, high output, and unmatched LF extension. WET X loudspeakers contain a large diaphragm 1.4-inch exit high frequency compression driver and can produce the same output levels as the largest WET II loudspeakers but in enclosures only half the size. The low frequency cone and internal circuitry have Community’s proprietary envirotech coating for improved weather-resistance. The WX218SDF, a downfire dual 18inch model, adds an ultra-high-performance subwoofer to the line. WET X enclosures feature a modified trapezoidal silhouette that improves upon the curved shape of Community’s WET II enclosures, bringing a more traditional look and feel to the loudspeakers while still providing the same outdoor direct exposure resistance and streamlined shape to reduce wind load.
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CREST AUDIO TACTUS www.crestaudio.com
Crest Audio has partnered with Waves to create the Tactus digital mixing system, which features a simple, customisable touchscreen operating interface that puts all of the audio routing, processing and mixing tools within easy and immediate reach. It is designed to work with the new Waves eMotion mixer for SoundGrid and allows the use of Waves audio processing plug-ins for live events. The Tactus hardware is comprised of the Tactus.FOH, the audio processing core for the system, and the Tactus. Stage, a 32-in / 16-out remote stage box. The modular capability of the Tactus digital mixing system, which interconnects via standard Gigabit Ethernet cabling and an internal gigabit switch, allows multiple configurations in a range of channel counts to best suit each application. The Tactus.FOH is powered by the Waves SoundGrid audio processing / networking platform, ensuring extremely low latency with precision audio processing, while the Tactus.FOH frame provides eight local microphone / line inputs and eight line outputs, and serves as the audio signal processing engine. The Tactus.Stage includes 32 microphone/line inputs and 16 line outputs.
DANLEY SOUND LABS OS80 www.danleysoundlabs.com
The Danley OS80, like its synergy horn siblings, aims to deliver tremendous output, both in terms of sound pressure level and transparency, as well as precise pattern control. Unlike its Synergy Horn siblings, however, the OS80 is housed in an enclosure that is utterly impervious to weather, making it the ideal loudspeaker for outdoor installations at sports venues, arenas, athletic fields and complexes, theme and recreational parks, public gatherings, race tracks, community centres, cruise ships, hockey rinks, water parks, swimming areas, and more. The OS80’s coverage pattern is 80º conical with an operating frequency range that spans 113Hz to 18kHz (+/- 3 dB). It has 101dB SPL sensitivity and a maximum output that rates 127dB SPL continuous and 133dB SPL program. A single high performance 12-inch driver and a single 1.4-inch driver energise the synergy horn and are hidden away inside a thermal molded poly-composite exterior measuring 32.25-inches high by 26-inches wide by 14.5-inches deep. A U bracket is included as are other flexible mounting options.
DRAWMER MC2.1 www.drawmer.com
Drawmer’s new active MC2.1 three-way monitor controller is designed to be as electronically transparent as possible, with an ultra-low-noise specification and built-in low-hum switchable linear power supply, and it is also physically robust, with its rugged steel chassis and brushed black aluminium cover. There are four inputs, and up to three pairs of stereo speakers, plus a mono subwoofer, may be connected and active at any one time in any combination, making it ideal for A/B mix or monitor comparisons. Level trims for each individual channel ensure that any output discrepancies in the connected speakers can be compensated for, ensuring perfect level matching between connected speaker pairs, two headphone amplifiers and a talkback microphone, all with individual level controls, are also built in. The two main inputs, and all of the balanced stereo outputs, are high-grade Neutrik XLR connectors. Input 2 is a combination XLR / jack, while the aux input is via left / right phono connectors or a stereo 3.5mm jack, allowing the easy connection of sub-mixers, laptops, record decks or other audio sources. The front panel is dominated by the output volume control, which incorporates a paralleled custom quad pot for excellent channel matching and the smoothest possible action, but the MC2.1 offers much more than simple control over output level.
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EAW | QX300 www.eaw.com EAW’s QX300 range of full range loudspeaker systems surround a high-output, low-resonance, four-inch coil / 1.4-inch exit high frequency compression driver with four 10-inch low frequency cone transducers in vertical and horizontal pairs. EAW engineers have drawn upon their extensive horn design experience to offer six distinct coverage patterns within the range. And unlike the QX500 range, the QX300 range uses different spacing for the vertical and horizontal pairs of LF devices to better match the beam width of the system through the crossover transition. Like the QX500 range, all models share an identical enclosure. EAW designed the QX300 range for permanent installation only, and the products can be ordered in standard black or white or with EAW’s famous WP weather-protected coating.
ELDOLED | TOOLBOX PRO www.eldoled.com The new TOOLbox pro from eldoLED, whose ultimate programming capabilities are now packaged in a new design, is a valuable tool accessible to anyone who wants to fine-tune their eldoLED LED driver(s) for their lighting application. Benefits include precision setting of LED output currents and dimming behavior, programming of DMX parameters and testing of lighting settings under DALI. As before, the TOOLbox pro can be used with the FluxTool and ShowMaster DMX software.
GLP | IMPRESSION X4S www.glp.de The Impression X4S from GLP the latest product in the series aiming to bring a new level of functionality to compact LED washlights, complete with RGBW homogenous colour mixing, a seven to 50º zoom range and a high output level. The Impression X4S utilises seven high-powered 15W RGBW LEDs at its source. These LEDs give a single homogenised colour output from its unique looking front lens across a wide spectrum and with high output for a very compact fixture. Adding flexibility, the Impression X4S turns things up considerably for such a small fixture with an expansive 7:1 zoom ratio that ranges from seven to 50º. At its narrowest, the Impression X4S features both a hard and soft edged beam, allowing for aerial effects along with powerful colour washes. By using quad colour LEDs, the Impression X4S features a range from the deep saturates through to soft pastel shades by incorporating more of the white LED element, which has a native colour temperature of 5,600K, and is complemented by a variable colour temperature correction control channel. For extra cool effects, the Impression X4S allows users to address each of its seven pixels in any combination to create patterns across its face.
LAB.GRUPPEN | LAKE CONTROLLER VERSION 6.1 www.labgruppen.com The Lake Controller Version 6.1 is the most significant update to Lab.gruppen’s Lake digital audio processing platform in the brand’s history. The new release features substantially improved implementation of Dante, new integration support for real-time audio analysis software SysTune, and a number of other key developments aimed at both live sound and large-scale fixed install applications. Across both Lab.gruppen’s PLM Series and Lake LM Series, v6.1 will see Dante functionality greatly improved for all devices, with a seamless synchronisation between the Lake Controller and Audinate’s Dante controller, where all information is now available for the PLM and LM Series products. The new update makes Dante easier to configure in large networked systems and more stable and reliable than ever before, with increased compatibility with Dante controller for parallel monitoring, naming and routing from either controller. Additionally, a brand new feature has been added to both PLM and LM Series platforms, which allows the user to set their Lake devices as the preferred Dante network Clock Master. The v6.1 update also introduces further RTA software integration possibilities with SysTune 1.3 now featured, adding to the recent integration with Smaart v7 and LiveCapture.
MA LIGHTING | MA VPU www.malighting.com The MA VPU, which has been on the market for some time, has undergone a complete technology change, adding new features and an upgrade to software 2.8. The MA VPU allows videos to be displayed in full HD or HD and the internal synchronisation of the MA-Net2 ensures the highest frame and DMX synchronicity. Horizontal and vertical soft edge blending as well as keystone correction help to scale videos to any size desired. Images can be scaled, positioned, tiled, coloured and manipulated directly from any grandMA2 console. It is as simple as controlling any other fixture - the MA VPU just has to be added to the network session.
MEYER SOUND | VERSION 3.0 COMPASS SOFTWARE www.meyersound.com Meyer Sound has released version 3.0 of its Compass software program, providing a centralised platform for controlling the new Compass RMS remote monitoring system, in addition to the Galileo and Galileo Callisto loudspeaker management systems and CAL column array loudspeakers. The streamlined user interface in Compass 3.0 makes achieving flawless system performance much easier, even when working with complex loudspeaker configurations and prohibitive time constraints. With the remote monitoring control interface moved to Compass 3.0, Compass RMS allows users to perform mute, solo, and wink ID functions and monitor more than a dozen loudspeaker performance parameters much more efficiently. Compass RMS supports both Windows and Mac operating systems and is backwards compatible with all Meyer Sound loudspeakers equipped with an RMS module. Use of Compass RMS with the Compass 3.0 software requires RMServer, the new purpose-built network hardware that hosts the loudspeaker status reporting functions.
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PEAVEY MEDIAMATRIX CLARO www.mm.peavey.com
Audio DSP market innovator MediaMatrix has introduced the new, feature-packed Claro processor. The Claro is a single rack unit frame that provides 12 balanced inputs, each of which can be configured as a microphone or line input, including phantom power, and four line outputs. Inputs and outputs are connected via phoenix euroblock connectors. The Claro contains numerous convenient and sophisticated features. Each input has its own dedicated acoustic echo cancellation processor, allowing up to 12 mics to be managed during a teleconference. The Claro also supports VoIP and POTS telephony through its telephone hybrid interface. An entire range of control options are also provided. Claro’s rear panel provides 12 GPIO connections, RS-485 and RS-232 connections, and multiple ethernet connections for interconnection and control. The Claro contains a complete range of DSP mixing, routing and processing functions, such as EQ, filters, delays, compressor / limiters, meters and test signal generators, all accessible and controllable via an external GUI. The Claro scales easily across multiple meeting rooms, court rooms or classrooms, as up to four Claro frames can be interconnected via its audio expansion interface to extend its capacity to 48 inputs and 16 outputs.
QSC CDX SERIES www.qsc.com
Designed specifically for the needs of integrators, the new CXD Series of amplifiers from QSC provide efficient, robust and extraordinarily high fidelity power capable of driving multiple amplifier channels and loudspeaker configurations while simultaneously deploying sophisticated digital processing - all with optimal energy and efficiency. The CXD line-up includes the CXD4.2 featuring 400W into eight ohms, the CXD4.3 with 625W at eight ohms and the CXD4.5 equipped with 1,150W at eight ohms. The CXD 4.3 and CXD4.5 are able to direct drive 70V and 100V systems. The rear panel features four balanced euroblock input connectors and four euroblock touch-proof loudspeaker connectors enabling integrators to terminate wiring before connecting to the amplifier. GPIO located on the rear panel offers additional functionality including a heartbeat output for life safety supervision. In addition to their outstanding efficiency, the CXD amplifiers’ power saving modes further ensure that energy costs will be kept to a minimum over the life of the installation.
RCF SUB 8004-AS
www.rcf.it
The SUB 8004-AS is one of the most powerful 18-inch subwoofers in professional sound category. Featuring a high power, hyper-vented 18-inch woofer, with 4-inch inside / outside voice coils, this cabinet is designed to deliver a serious amount of low frequency. Powered by a 1,250W digital amplifier module, the SUB 8004-AS can perform in the most demanding situations. The input board includes volume control, deep / punch switch, high pass switch, phase switch, cardioid, time delay.
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...More than 50% of all professional applications are white light so white light LED is the highest priority for Elation.
HARRY DE LON
ELATION’S THEATRICAL / TOURING LIGHTING SPECIALIST How did you first get into the lighting industry? As a student I worked part time, then later full time, as an electrician at the Bavarian State Opera in Germany - one of the biggest repertoire theatres in Europe - this was my first introduction to the industry. You’ve worked for a number of major lighting brands, what lead you to your latest role at Elation? I was looking for innovative and modern companies in the lighting business and the combination of fast reaction to the needs of the market, innovation, the understanding of global structures and most importantly, the fast and flexible manufacturing resources worldwide, attracted me to Elation. How important are white light LED products in the Elation range? More than 50% of all professional applications are white light applications so white light LED is the highest priority for Elation. There are thousands of venues using old technology that has to be replaced step by step. From my point of view replacing tungsten and dimmers in theatres, congress centres, schools and museums with LED lights is one of our biggest tasks.
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How are cool white, neutral white and warm white LEDs used differently within applications? Warm white LEDs are used in applications where tungsten lights were once used as standard. Warm white LEDs are the most similar to tungsten with reliable colours and the benefit of increased colour stability during dimming. Cold white LEDs give a colour temperature similar to the sun at high noon without shadows. At every application where natural light is involved cold LEDs can be used, while all major European opera houses enjoy the daylight look of HMI and cold LEDs. The desired realistic look of big stages is difficult to realise with tungsten light because of the lack of blue and the poor light output. I was working at an opera house when the big HMI-fresnel’s were introduced - a revolution in lighting standards available at that time. How does Elation tailor its lighting fixtures to cater specifically to the TV lighting market? Close binning, no noise, high CRI, extremely even beams and smooth dimming, but then this has been the need of every professional user for centuries, not just in TV lighting. What steps is Elation taking to improve efficient discharge technology? In the entertainment business discharge is still
elemental, because making spots or beam lights on exact defined high brightness levels or creating beam angles under 5° is not yet possible in LED technology. We are very happy that the ADJ Group and Philips made the experience called platinum technology, integrating the lamp into the reflector, thereby creating a small spot where all gas and metal is ignited. The technology is perfect for spot and beam fixtures. As a result we can offer platinum Pro 15 Spots 290W as bright as a standard 700W with an even beam, excellent projection quality and colour mixing - with less power consumption and a lamp life up to 3,000 hours. In the white LED sector these advantages are even more distinctive. A 100W LED easily replaces 1K tungsten. What are you predictions for the lighting industry over the next five years? More efficiency in terms of output, less weight, more competition, the death of tungsten in new fixed installations and the replacement of DMX 512. Tell us something about yourself that people might not know? I have a life-long passion for theatre and music and in my spare time I am a dedicated puppet player with my own small puppet theatre, where I work as drama inventor, stage builder, lighting designer, narrator, player, sound mixer and anything else needed.