AudioPro international July 2010

www.audioprointernational.com

Issue 31 • July/August 2010

GLASTONBURY • MATRIX AMPS • BEACH BREAK LIVE • COMMERCIAL MIXERS • PLASA

LIVE • COMMERCIAL • RECORDING • BROADCAST

CREAM OF THE CROPFull Fat Audio’s amps are keeping

fists pumping all over the globe

EVENTSPLASA • 11What to expect at this year’s edition of the

UK’s greatest audio show

INFOCOMM • 14Vegas AV show becomes the second

biggest of all time in 2010

COVER FEATURELANCASTER MUSIC CO-OP • 18The history and the good work of a non-profit

studio in the north of England

BEHIND THE BOARD • 36John Paterno has outboard. Lots of it

IN SESSION • 38Brighton’s manliest studio: The Ironworks

STUDIO/BROADCAST

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

FULL FAT AUDIO • 16Audio Pro re-visits the British amp firm that has

come a very long way since 2003

BEACH BREAK LIVE • 22How to give broke students the time of their lives

GLASTONBURY • 26The people, the gear and the good times... And by

gear we mean sound equipment, naturally

LIVE SOUND/INSTALLATION

> Regulars: Behind the Board 36 In Session 38 Products 40 People 43 Marketplace 45 Mixdown 49

> IN THIS ISSSUE

CONTENTSISSUE 31 July/August 2010

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

Fax: +44 (0) 1992 535648

Editor: Andrew Low

[email protected]

Deputy Editor: Rob Hughes

[email protected]

Advertising Manager: Darrell Carter

[email protected]

Editorial Production: Helen French

[email protected]

Ad Production: Rosie McKeown

[email protected]

Subscriptions Manager: Hannah Short

[email protected]

Designer: Claire Brocklesby

[email protected]

Managing Editor: Andy Barrett

[email protected]

Publisher: Dave Roberts

[email protected]

It has been an exciting month

month here at Audio Pro. Not

only did I get to bake in the hot

sun of the Glastonbury festival,

but also my band recorded at

Gizzard Studio in East London.

Both the festival (see full report

on pages 27 to 29) and the

recording sessions were a throw

back to the old school, as many of the Glasto

stages were using analog consoles and the Gizzard

sessions were done on a 1970's Alice Stancoil AM

series quad mixer to a Studer A80 tape machine.

Having recorded digitally for the last ten years or

so, tracking on tape and using razor blades for

editing as opposed to a mouse was very

therapeutic. And I don’t care what anyone says,

you cannot beat the sound of drums and bass

recorded to tape, no way, no how.

Similarly, as you will read in our Glastonbury

report, many of the stages featured XL4s and

H3000s, which I found interesting. After talking to

the crew chiefs and system techs working at

Glasto, it seems that much of what is specified by

visting engineers can still be handled on analog

desks. Saying that, there was a plethora of digital

consoles used throughout the weekend and some

areas where only digital desks were used. It is

hardly safe to say that the world has gone back to

analog or embraced the digital age, but it seems

there is a healthy mix of both being used, which

shows that it still comes down to personal

preference, so the debate continues.

I will say that the sound in all areas of the festival

was top notch. From the main stages to the dance

tents and parlours, the talent of this industry

showed throughout the weekend. I would like to

say that I could tell the difference between the old

school ways and the new school techniques by

ear, but I can’t. The truth remains that whichever

school the engineers at Glasto subscribed to, the

passionate ones made the systems sing.

Further to the sound, the vibe, creativity and

sunny weather at Glasto was enough to keep me

smiling up to this deadline.

Andrew Low - [email protected]

mobile.audioprointernational.com

A bookmark us in your phone

EDITORIAL

AUDIO PRO AWARDS • 4We’re open for nominations

CALREC • 5Broadcast specialist ceases production of

analog boards

SENNHEISER STATEMENT • 6Mic giant answers spectrum questions

EAW TECHNOLOGY • 6Amp firms adopt processing algorithms

NEWS

Voting begins now> NEWS

AUDIO PRO INTERNATIONAL isnow accepting nominations for itssecond annual virtual awards,acknowledging the best products,companies and people in all sectors ofthe business.

As with last year’s event, there willbe no pricey black-tie ceremony, ratherlobbying, nominations, debate andindustry-wide voting, all held throughthe pages of Audio Pro and online ataudioprointernational.com. This willall end in worthy winners of 15categories (see separate box).

The awards will have a transparentvoting procedure, with the Audio ProInternational team picking five finalistsper category, following a free-of-chargelobbying period, which beginsimmediately and will end August18th. A wide judging panel, drawnfrom all sectors of the business, willthen choose the winners.

The awards are arranged into twocategories: Studio & Broadcast Soundand Live & Installed Sound. There isalso an Audio Pro LifetimeAchievement Award presented to anindividual who has contributedsignificantly to the industry over asustained time period.

In the two sector-based categories,awards for exceptional events orprojects will go to the person, team ororganisation tasked with providing thesound as a product, either throughrecord production, sound systeminstallation, hire, deployment, orbroadcast services.

“The success of last year’s eventestablished the Audio Pro Awards asthe true voice of the industry byhighlighting the excellent work ofworld-class engineers andmanufacturers whose dedication totheir craft have taken the industryforward,” explained API’s editor,Andrew Low.

“Last year saw industry legendsdecorated for continually pushing theboundaries of the industry, includingPeter Gabriel for the LifetimeAchievement Award, Digicofor Best New Live SoundProduct for its SD8and Claire Brothersawarded for the U2360-degree tour, aswell as up-and-coming firms suchas Red SquareAudio, which wasrecognised for both its new ideasand its creativebusiness concepts.

“Once again, the process will besimple, transparent and inclusive. Thereaders of our magazine and websiteare on the pulse of the industry andwill surely have strong opinions aboutwho is truly worthy in each category.”

The panel of judges is currentlybeing assembled and Audio ProInternational welcomes requests fromanyone who would like to be a judge,or suggest someone who they feelshould be on the panel.

Lobbying is now open and thosewho work in the industry are invitedto put forward the names of people orcompanies who they consider to bedeserving of an award.

Self-nomination is perfectlyacceptable and encouraged. Tocontact the team regarding eitherjudging or lobbying, please email [email protected]

The second annual Audio Pro Industry Excellence Awards are now open for your nominations, so the time

has come to think about your favourite products, people and companies in all of audio’s business sectors…

Categories Live & Installed Sound

� Best live sound event

� Most innovative installation

� Best new live sound product

� Best new installation product

� Best live sound engineer

� Best after-sales support

� Best new company

Studio & Broadcast Sound

� Best new studio product

� Best studio engineer

� Best broadcast sound

� Best new studio

� Most original studio initiative

� Best after-sales support

� Best new company

� Plus the Audio Pro Lifetime

Achievement Award

“Lobbying is now open and those working in theindustry are invited to put forward the names of

people or companies deserving of an award.

4 audioPRO July/August 2010 www.audioprointernational.com

Right: Peter

Gabriel with his

2009 Lifetime

Achievement

Award. Below:

John Stadius and

Rupert Neve

NEWS <

www.audioprointernational.com audioPRO July/August 2010 5

PLASA preview

PAGE 11Full Fat Audio

PAGE 16Glastonbury

PAGE 26

CALREC AUDIO has announcedit will discontinue production ofanalog audio consoles.

The decision to stop makinganalog consoles results fromthe broadcast market’srapid adoption ofdigital technology,which has bothreduced demandfor analogproducts andmade dedicatedanalogcomponentsdifficult to acquire.Calrec had alreadystopped manufacturingits T-series and Q2 consolesprior to this announcement.

The process to stop productionof analog will begin on November30th this year. Until then thecompany is offering final purchasesof its S2, C2, and M3 consoles,modules and card assemblies.

In keeping with the company’slong-standing support policy,Calrec will continue to providecomponent spares and repair

services for the S2, C2 andM3 consoles for a

minimum of ten yearsfrom shipment date.

Should originalcomponents orparts becomeunavailable,Calrec will offerappropriate

alternatives,including hardware

or software solutions.Calrec distributors are

now in the process ofcontacting existing Calrec analogconsole customers to advise themof the details of the final purchaseoffer and to assess their need forconsoles, modules and cards in theshort and long term.> calrec.com

Calrec ceases analogconsole productionDecision matches market’s adoption of digital

Genelec partners with GP Acoustics

Loudspeaker giants agree to share technologies

STUDIO MONITORmanufacturer Genelec hasteamed up with GP Acoustics,the company behind thevenerable loudspeaker brandsKEF and Celestion.

The two firms have agreed toshare information onloudspeaker technology with aview to advancing futuredevelopment of their respectiveproducts. Each company hasacknowledged the other for itssystematic efforts to improve thequality of sound reproduction.

Under the terms of thearrangement, Genelec hasshared its well-known technologyof waveguides, utilised in itsreference products since the1980s and which help to controlthe directivity and the overallpower response of a loudspeaker.

GP Acoustics has sharedinformation relating totraditional coaxial driver design,which facilitates compact coaxialsolutions for mid and highfrequency drive units.> gpacoustics.com.hk

HARMAN HAS announced thatAndy Trott, president of Harman’sSoundcraft and Studer mixerbusiness, will now add AKG to hispresidential duties.

Trot will take over from StefanGubi, who has lead AKG for the pastfive years, and handle all threecompanies from Soundcraft Studer’sPotters Bar, UK location.

Credited as the architect of the‘digitalisation’ of Soundcraft Studersince he joined in early 2003, Trottis eager to lead AKG and explainsthat he will spearhead many newproduct development programmes.

Trott said there will be no majorchanges or restructuring for AKG.

“Stefan has done a great job andAKG is very stable. We haveabsolutely no intention of movinganything from Vienna. As for thefuture of the brand, I intend to focuson pushing the boundaries of whatwe can do, integrating systems andgrowing the business. I am very mucha technology focused guy; I lovetechnology and product, and I amlooking for all sorts of ways to bringAKG into new areas.

“The interesting thing is that micsand mixing consoles are very muchthe facing elements to the engineer

and the performer. The moreintegration we can get the better.

“We are working at the momenton exploring better interfacesbetween consoles, mics andheadphones. Expect to see somefairly innovative developments soon.

“The difference here is that, sinceit is under my leadership as Studer

Soundcraft and AKG, we are able todo things more intimately than wecould with the other brands.

“Mixing consoles arefundamentally different from micsand headphones, but we are all inEurope and we are only a two-hourflight away from each other. We doplan to bring the R&D groups

together frequently to share ideasand look at ways to develop bettersynergies in how we work, share bestpractices, look for efficiency benefitsor even share resources. Since we areso close geographically, we can thinkand act closely and often.”

Trott also said that there arenumerous avenues down which hecan steer the AKG business, insideand outside of the pro sector.

“AKG also covers the consumerand automotive sides, so it gives us alot of opportunities to expand,” hepointed out. “We think big here andon the console side we have had thetarget to supersede Yamaha. We havea similar goal for AKG and I wouldlove to make inroads on the Shurebusiness, so we need to startthinking differently and exploringways that the technology might offerusers something a little bit differentfrom the norm, or from what hasbeen expected. The interface withthe console is one such avenue. Idon’t see consoles going away in theshort term, so if we can improve theinterface and improve the usabilityand efficiency for the engine and theperformer then that has got to be agood thing.”> harman.com

Harman appoints Andy Trott president of AKG Soundcraft Studer president takes over from Stefan Gubi with remit to develop further mic interactivity

TROTT: Studer Soundcraft and AKG to do things more intimately

> NEWS

SENNHESIER HAS released astatement responding to the currentuncertainty among its customers,regarding the future of radiomicrophone use.

The statement read: “As of July2010, Channel 69 remains availablenationally for wireless microphoneuse and continues to be licensable.The current Ofcom timetable,however, will see access to channels61 to 69 inclusive (790 to 862MHz)cease during the second half of 2012.This means that any Channel 69equipment purchased now will havea steadily reducing window ofusability for most of its tuning range,with just over two years being thelongest period that it will continueto be usable.

“863 to 865MHz (two MHz ofChannel 70) will continue to beavailable for use by wireless audiodevices after 2012. This will supporta maximum of six wirelessmicrophone links (subject to rangevariant and local conditions), but isgenerally not considered suitable forprofessional use.

“Channel 38 (606 to 614 MHz)has been assigned as the replacementband for Channel 69, but somegeographical restrictions on its usecurrently apply. It is supplemented,where available, with additionalspectrum in Channels 39 or 40.

“In an improvement to theprevious schedule, this monthOfcom announced that Channel 38will effectively be available for bothindoor and outdoor use by wirelessmicrophones across the UK fromSeptember 21st 2011 – more than

three months earlier than waspreviously indicated.

“In the meantime, the Ofcom-appointed spectrum managementcompany JFMG has set up an online‘Channel 38 look-up tool’ located atjfmg.co.uk, which lists local Channel38 availability.

“Equipment users are advised tocheck availability of Channel 38before using relevant equipment, asthis is currently a legal requirement.JFMG is also the company that usersneed to contact in order to purchasetheir shared-use licence.

“Operation of equipment in eitherChannel 69 or Channel 38 requiresthe user to hold a valid shared-userlicence (available from jfmg.co.uk).During the period of transition, thislicence also covers parts of Channels39 and 40, where geographicallyappropriate. Operation of anywireless gear on frequencies from470 to 862 MHz without holding theappropriate licences is an offenceunder the terms of the WirelessTelegraphy Act.”> sennhesier.com

EAW HAS announced partnershipswith Lake, Lab.gruppen, andPowersoft, whereby all manufacturerswill integrate proprietary EAW DSPalgorithms into a subset of theirrespective product lines. Additionally,in Q3, 2010, Lake, Lab.gruppen andPowersoft will announce separateagreements expanding thepartnership to enable EAW to sell aselection of their respective product lines as components in EAWsystem sales.

One of the most notable of thesetechnologies is EAW Focusing, whichenables performance comparable todirect radiating studio monitors, butat much greater output levels. Thespectograph images opposite show thedifference in sonic characteristics thatcause ‘horn honk’ and ‘splashiness’before and after EAW Focusing isapplied.

“At the onset, the integration ofEAW’s DSP, most notably Focusing,will ensure seamless integration andoptimum performance of EAWloudspeaker systems matched withLake Processors, Lab.gruppen PLMsystems and Powersoft amplifiers,”

commented Jeffrey Cox of Loud.“Once the sales component of thepartnership is implemented, EAWwill offer a range of amp solutionsfrom the best in the business.”

The companies expect integrationto be complete in Q3, 2010.> eaw.com

Amp giants adopt

EAW technology

Sennhesier responds to spectrum uncertaintyStatement clarifies current wireless mic situation regarding the use of frequency channels 69 and 38

Lab.gruppen, Lake and Powersoft integrate algorithmsHARMAN PROFESSIONAL hasannounced a comprehensiveexpansion of its operations inIndia. This has begun with theappointment of audio industryveteran, Ankush Agarwal to therole of marketing andcommunications manager, which isto be followed by moreappointments to HarmanProfessional’s sales, technicalsupport and service teams in thesub continent.

Having previously served asmarketing manager for SennheiserIndia and with Hyundai Electronicsbefore that, Agarwal brings acombination of marketing andprofessional audio sales experienceto the team in India. He will usethat experience to drive HarmanProfessional’s marketing and publicrelations strategies in the regionand build upon the foundationlaid by Sushil John, the systemsdirector in India.

Both Agarwal and John willreport directly to David McKinney,senior director of sales for HarmanProfessional in Asia. They will worktogether to develop new initiatives

in the region that will serve tosupport both customers andchannel partners.

One of his first projects was toprovide support for Harman Pro’spresence at the PALM India Showin Mumbai, where the latestproducts and technologies inprofessional AV were introduced tothe Indian market.

In addition to the expansion ofits marketing team, HarmanProfessional will also be adding afull sales, technical support andservice team that will provide agreater level of customer service toits stakeholders in the region.> harmanpro.com

Harman Pro expandsoperations in IndiaFirst of several planned appointments made

Wireless frequency transition period now underway


AGARWAL: Driving marketing


The Norwegian broadcast corporationNRK used an extensive RiedelCommunications installation to handlethe 55th Eurovision song contest this year.

Riedel’s Mediornet technologycombined and integrated the various partsof the event’s infrastructure into asingle communications andsignal distribution system.

13 Mediornet Frameshandled 25 HD and SDvideo signals, as well asintercom data, betweenthe on-site mastercontrol room, FOH,commentary booth, PA,stage, press centre anddressing room areas.Various Artist control panelswere directly connected to theMediornet installation

An extensive Artist digital matrixintercom system provided thecommunications backbone for the event,integrating broadcast trucks, the mastercontrol room, the on-site event director

room and FOH into a single system. Theremote NRK master control room,located in the broadcast centre, wasintegrated via a VoIP connection. TheArtist installation was interfaced toMediornet via MADI, ensuring that all

panels could be directly routed andaccessed via Mediornet.

A sizeable RiedelRocknet installation

combined the playout,the split area, the roofand the catwalk into asingle digital audionetwork. Ten

microphone/line inputmodules and 13 line

output modulestransported all ambient

microphones and intercom lines tothe IEM transmitters, plus the backup, forplayout over a redundant CAT-5 ring.

In addition, Riedel furnished a mobileradio network to integrate 300professional mobile radios onsite. > riedel.net

Eurovision kitted out withstate-of-art AV digital matrix

SOUNDCRAFT/STUDER hasannounced the release of the latest inthe Vista series of digital mixingconsoles with the Vista 9.

The new console builds on the Vistadigital mixing platform by combiningadvanced ergonomic design withcomplete system flexibility. Several newfeatures are available, includingexpansion of the Vistonics interface toinclude ‘wide screen’ based TFTmetering and Faderglow.

Its new metering system enables thedisplay of mono to 7.1 channel signalsin the upper part of the screen, whilethe lower portion can show busassignment or an image of the surroundcomposite for surround channels.

The board’s new History moderecords events, such as overloads in theaudio path of each channel, andhighlights them in red on the channelwaveform. The operator can thenreview which channel had such anevent up to 30 seconds after the eventhas occurred. All stereo inputs andstereo masters have a correlation meter

bar above the bar graph display. Thecontrol bay on the Vista 9’s metersection provides the ability to beconfigured to show any choice of outputbusses and input channels and displaysup to 40 meters.

Studer’s patented Vistonics allowseach touch-sensitive TFT screen todisplay ten channel strips, with rotaryencoders and switches mounted directlyonto the screen, providing the operatorwith ‘Where you look is where youcontrol’ ergonomics.> studer.ch

Studer releases the Vista 9Latest Vista console designed for a new age of

broadcast and live production

Vuvuzelas all around for World Cup surround

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

NRK uses Mediornet and Rocknet for song contest

> THIS MONTH IN BROADCAST

ALTHOUGH WE will have to wait until2014 to see the world’s best players battleit out on the green in Brazil, this year’sWorld Cup matches will be forever held inthe digital archives in 5.1 surround sound.

The 2010 World Cup was the first to bebroadcast in surround sound thanks toDTS Neural Surround as football fans in

the United States and Brazilwere given the ability toenjoy the excitement ofthe games in high-quality5.1 surround sound.

“DTS surround soundtechnology was an integralpart of the broadcastproductions at the 2010World Cup,” said Geir Skaaden,VP, North American licensingoperations, DTS “When it comes to thesurround sound experience, DTS iscommitted to working with broadcastersto deliver high definition audio to viewers

worldwide. As the consumer

demand for highquality entertainment in

the home continues togrow, DTS will continue to do

our part and deliver the highest qualityaudio experience possible.”

Hardware integrated on-site includedthe DTS Neural Surround Sound

encoders and decoders hardware wasintegrated on the site as well as theMono2Stereo four-channel stereosynthesizer, built by hardware partner andlicensee DaySequerra. Both allowedmixers to create a dynamic surroundsound mix while maintaining strong voiceclarity from the announcers.

DTS Neural Surround is one of themany broadcast and production

technologies developed by DTS andlicensed worldwide to partners anddistributors such as DaySequerra andHarris Corporation. DTS-HD MasterAudio is also gaining popularity for its use in high definition movies and music in South Korea, Taiwan and the UnitedKingdom. For further information, please visit > dts.com

”DTS surround sound

was an integral part

of the broadcast

productions at the

World Cup. Geir Skaaden

DTS

This year’s international football tournament broadcasted in 5.1 to USA and Brazil via DTS Neural Surround technology

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

OR OUR SALES OFFICE ON: 0113 2866 411

COME AND SEE US ON STAND 1-E5

www.hkaudio.com/elements_en.php5

Earls Court, London September 12th - 15th

According to the press generatedby the organiser of PLASA2010, the world’s pro audio

community will gather in the halls ofEarls Court, London and will combineto create the biggest showing yet, asnew and steadfast brands haveconfirmed their participation.

Held from September 12th to 15that Earls Court, London, PLASAevents director Nicky Rowland statesthat the show floor and seminarschedule will have much to offer.

“The PLASA Show has been animportant product launch showcasefor pro audio brands and we’ve workedhard to make it even more so,” shesays. “One reason is the show’s profile,which combines the energy of the livemusic sector with the commercialclout of the installed audio business.Its place in the industry calendar isunique, too, happening just aseveryone returns from summer toursand festivals and right before theautumn/winter season, when a lot ofpurchasing decisions are made.

“There’s always a great atmosphereand it’s a very welcoming show interms of bars and other social areas.The seminar programme has taken offmassively, partly due to the hugeinterest created by the GotellierMasterclasses. In the past two years,we’ve seen presentations by TonyAndrews and John Stadius and thisyear we are fortunate enough to haveAlex Cooper from Midas.”

Early announcements reveal thatMackie, EAW, Martin, Korg,Turbosound, Baldwin Boxall, Bosch,Bose, Electro-Voice, Penton, Ateis andAvid will join the exhibitors list, withbig names like Digico, KV2, PolarAudio, Sennheiser, Roland, Allen &Heath, OHM UK, Shure, Trantec,AXYS, Midas, Harman, Yamaha, Nexoand Outline returning.

The Elements PA range will also beon show from HK Audio. Using justsix individual components, or‘elements’, these systems can be

configured for a range of scenarios. Simon Holley, Bose Professional

Systems divisional manager, states thatit is using its presence at the event toshow a positive commitment to theindustry. “We have some exciting newproducts in the developmental stage,so this year is all about establishingnew contacts and building on existingrelationships to create a strongfoundation from which to progress.”

Scottish speaker manufacturerTannoy, is expanding from its positionon Red Square Audio’s stand with its

own space for 2010. Mark Flanagan,communications manager for Tannoy,explained: “As a UK manufacturer,PLASA is our ‘home event’ and we’redelighted to have consolidated ourpresence at this year’s show. Exhibitingalongside our sister brandsLab.gruppen, Lake and TC Electronic– under the TC Group Internationalumbrella – we’re very much lookingforward to engaging directly with ourcustomers, showcasing our successfulVQ and V series lines next toLab.gruppen’s successful power

amplifier and powered loudspeakermanagement systems.”

The JoeCo Blackbox recorder wasexhibited for the first time last yearand was recognised for its innovativedesign at the show’s award ceremony.It has earned itself a spot on theinternational festival circuit sincethen, which has led to a new digitalversion. The company has moved fromthe Springboard Pavilion (formerlyThe Small Business Pavilion) to alarger stand at 1-J16 in Earls Court 1,to introduce the new recorder. Joe

Bull, MD of JoeCo, commented:“Being able to debut our Live

Multitrack Blackbox recorder last yearwas ideal, as it allowed us to tryPLASA out for the first time. Nowwe’re building on the success of lastyear and look forward to welcoming allour existing and potential customers.”

Digico recently confirmed its placeafter evaluating its commitment to theMontreux Jazz Festival in order to beat PLASA. Managing director JamesGordon explained: “PLASA is such animportant date in our calendar andDigico just has to be there in 2010.”They will be on stand 1-E4, at thefront of Earl’s Court 1 among otherbrands such as Allen & Heath, HKAudio, Equipson and Roland.

PLASA Connect has been upgradedfrom its debut last year to include anew area for pre-arranged meetings totake place. PLASA Connect wasdeveloped as a catalyst for newbusiness opportunities for the audio,lighting, video and staging industry'sservice providers, consultants, rentalcompanies and installers. It provides a“shop window” for these agencies andbusinesses to introduce their servicesto an array of potential customers andclients from various markets.

As always, the show schedule willincorporate a series of seminars on thelatest pro audio topics. These had notbeen finalised as we went to press, butwill be announced shortly. > plasashow.com

“The PLASA show has been an important product

launch showcase for pro audio brands andwe’ve worked hard to make it even more so

Nicky Rowland

PLASA events director

PLASA EVENT PREVIEW <


Audio avalancheAndrew Low finds out why London’s biggest entertainment industry event is heavy on pro audio this year…

> EVENT REVIEW ABTTJune 16th - 17th Royal Horticultural Halls, London


Watching the World Cuprevellers outside a pub enroute to the Royal

Horticultural Halls last Thursday, itstruck us that the ABTT must havebreathed a huge sigh of relief when itrealised that the England v Algeriagame, due to kick off the followingday, hadn’t fallen during the show.This would have spelt rotten luck forthe Association, which suffered a bitof a hit to its visitor numbers last yearwhen the Tube drivers took someunion-sanctioned days off.

On arrival, though, it was apparentthat nothing had got in the way of thegear-hungry drama fans as theycrammed the booths and aisleslooking for the kit that will makeshow business easier in 2010. Theyweren’t disappointed either, with apacked exhibition floor running thegamut of equipment and services forthe theatre market. Audio was wellrepresented as always and the buzzthat we’ve come to expect of theshow was tangible. We were remindedthat, although it doesn’t stand as tallas some shows in the wider industry,it still commands ample respect.

After the show, the Association ofBritish Theatre Associations

confirmed that it had indeed been agreat success – the biggest yet, bothin the number of visitors andexhibiting companies. This was inline with the sold-out booth spaceand record pre-registrations, whichwere up by over 18 per cent on 2009.

“We’re thrilled to have re-instatedour position of growth after 2009’stube strike that effected our visitornumbers,” said show director, RogerFox. “We have maintained our qualityand presented a show that was

packed with innovation and over 30product launches. It was great to seethe high level of investment in theexhibitor’s stands with nearly 50 percent opting for ‘space only’ options.”

Product launches there were;Yamaha Commercial Audio showedan Ethersound version of its M7CLdigital mixing desk, along with itslatest networking systems, while

Allen & Heath introduced the latestaddition to the iLive family. The iDR-64 large-format fixed I/O MixRackoffers high I/O capacity and a lowercost alternative to the flagshipmodular iDR10 MixRack. The iLiveseries now includes a total of sixMixRack and seven control surfacevariants, which can be mixed andmatched in any combination, andshare the same firmware, so that showfiles are transferable between systemsvia a USB key.

Another highlight was Soundcraft’sVi1 digital mixer, which was givenpride of place on the Sound Techstand. The most compact digital liveconsole yet from Soundcraft, the Vi1features the acclaimed Vistonics userinterface and the same renownedsound quality of its bigger sistermodels in the Vi range. SoundTechnology also displayed the Crown

i-Tech HD power amps, AKGDMS700 digital wireless microphonesystem, the 1U, USB2 disk drive-based JoeCo Blackbox digital recorderand JBL's sub-compact VerTec mini-line array loudspeaker system.

Alcons and Tannoy were among amass of loudspeaker manufacturers atthe show. Alcons showcased its newLR7 micro line-array system and itsLR7 Bass system, which features itsproprietary pro-ribbon technology,delivering mid/high reproduction thatis widely renowned in the theatreindustry. Tannoy, meanwhile, had itsbeam steering technology on show onthe Red Square Audio stand, in theshape of the Tannoy QFlex. The mainfocus here though was on the TannoyVQ Live system, aimed at fixedinstallation and able to provide soundfor a 1,500-seat, two-tier theatre withonly two cabinets.

The Trantec team was also presentand put the focus on its channel 38friendly, ‘racked and ready’ systems.With a comprehensive set of features,the firm’s S5.3 system offers 12channels, while the S5.5 offers 24channels, and the entry-level S4.16,16 channels.> abtt.co.uk

FACT FILE

Venue: RoyalHorticultural Halls,Westminster, LondonDate: June 16th to 17thExhibitors: 115Visitors: 2,000Verdict: With a 29 percent increase on 2009’sfigures, the ABTT show isan event on the up. Itcould be argued that theaudio companies are someof its biggest fans, withmost represented, at leastby a distributor.

Filling the Royal Horticultural Halls to capacity, the 32nd ABTT show was the biggest

yet. Rob Hughes headed to Westminster for a piece of the action…

“We’re thrilled to have reinstated our position ofgrowth after 2009’s tube strike. We have

maintained our quality and presented a show thatwas packed with innovation.

Roger Fox, show director

Off-screen debuts

Millions of fansThousands of performances

No unpleasant surprises

CONNECT WITH EXPERIENCE | YAMAHACOMMERCIALAUDIO.COM

PM5D | Still the one

GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL 2010

> EVENT REVIEW InfoCommJune 5th - 11th Las Vegas Convention Center


InfoComm 2010 blew the hatch offthe AV industry this year byachieving the accolade of being the

second AV show in history. Over32,000 AV professionals from 90countries touched down on the floorof the Las Vegas Convention Centerfrom June 9th to 11th.

Randal A Lemke, PhD, executivedirector and CEO, InfoCommInternational made bold claims aboutthe show despite competitors like ISErapidly nipping at its coat tales. Hestates: “InfoComm continues to bethe one tradeshow where mostprofessional AV service providersmake their important buyingdecisions for the year. The AVmarketplace has enthusiasticallyembraced InfoComm as the place tomake their purchasing choices,network with product and serviceproviders, and enhance skills throughour robust educational programme.”

One of the show’s biggestannouncements for us pro audioobsessives was Midas’ launch of three

new consoles. As previously reported,the firm is owned by budget gear giantBehringer and subsequently debutedtwo sister consoles to the Pro6 – thePro3 and Pro9 – as well as the high-end XL8i. It also introduced a rangeof Midas digital snakes and digital

audio format and sample rateconverters from Klark Teknik.

The Pro9 now sits as the flagshipconsole for the range along side thealready established Pro 6, with thePro3 adding at a lower-cost option tothe line. The top model features an88-channel input count and 35busses, while the entry-level versionoffers 48 inputs and 27 busses.

Little information accompanied thelaunch of the XL8i, but Midas didstate that the new console will sit atthe top of its digital audio consolerange, created with the installation,theatre and house of worship marketsin mind. The company assures that all

the new systems use the sametechnology and components as theXL8 and Pro6.

Roland Systems Group expandedits digital mixing line with theintroduction of the M-300 digitalmixing console and new S-MADIREAC Bridge at InfoComm.

The 32-channel M-300 console issaid to possess many of the features of

the M-400 V-Mixer in a smallerformat. The board can be rack-mounted and features rapid recall ofsetups, 17 100mm motorized faders,an 800 x 480 colour screen, andknobs for eq, pan and gain. Itprovides 32 mixing channels andincludes digital patchbays, built-ineffects processors including outputdelays, eight auxs, four matrices, fourDCAs, four mute groups, built-instereo recording/playback and supportfor LCR configurations.

The fully digital system is built onREAC (Roland Ethernet AudioCommunication), which is said toeliminate the bulk and noisesusceptibility associated with analogsnakes by replacing it with Cat5e(Ethernet/LAN) cable. Users canquickly set up the system by pluggingin one lightweight Cat5e cable from achoice of Digital Snake stage units,allowing the user to select from up to160 inputs using REAC Merge.

The new S-MADI REAC Bridgehas been introduced as a way to

FACT FILE

Venue: Las VegasConvention CenterDate: June 5th - 11thExhibitors: 925Visitors: 32,000Verdict: With what canonly be described as vastnumbers of visitors andexhibitors, and anexcellent educationalprogramme, this year’sshow answered ‘yes’ to thequestion of whether it isworth the trip for those onthe other side of the pond.

Las A/VegasInfoComm 2010 was the second largest AV tradeshow ever held. AndrewLow discovers why the market is flocking to the show in huge numbers…

“The AV marketplace has enthusiastically embracedInfoComm as the place to make their purchasing

choices, network with product and serviceproviders and enhance their skills.

Randall A. Lenke, InfoComm CEO

“open the door to a multiplicity ofdigital connection opportunities” forREAC products such as the V-MixingConsoles, M-48 live personal mixerand Digital Snakes. RSG developedthe bridge following great interestfrom large-format consolemanufacturers like Digico after theintroduction of the M-48 personalmixer system. As such, the engineersat Roland have designed a bi-directional signal converter betweenMADI and REAC.

Harman-owned amplifiermanufacturer Crown Audioannounced the new ComTechDriveCore series amplifiers in LasVegas. Listed as a high performance,energy efficient amplifiers, theComTech DriveCore series consists offour models, all of which are onerack, convection cooled, ultra-energyefficient amplifiers.

The series includes up to eightchannels and 150 Watts per channelin a one-unit chassis without a fan.They also feature IntegratedDriveCore technology chip that offersgreater than 90 per cent efficiencywith no compromise in performanceand boast a signal-to-noise ratio of

110dB. DriveCore has patentedfeedback and protection circuitsintegrated into the silicon.

Several new announcements weremade by EAW, which launched thenew QX series loudspeakers for theinstalled sound market and the JF andJFNT series of high-definition two-way loudspeaker systems. The QXseries was designed to offer a highoutput point source cluster in acompact format. The series is gearedtoward medium-to-large-sized spacesincluding sports arenas, but is alsodesigned for a wide range of othervenues requiring high power andconsistent coverage in a compacthousing. JF and JFNT seriesloudspeakers are scalable, compactlightweight loudspeakers suited for amultitude of small and medium-sizedsound reinforcement applications

Unveiled slightly before the show,but still making big news in LasVegas, was Tannoy with its CMS in-ceiling range. The new loudspeaker,model CMS 1201DC, is penned as apowerful state-of-the-art large formatin-ceiling loudspeaker device that hasbeen conceived, designed and built tocomplement Tannoy’s existing class-

leading CMS range. It is said to offersuperior full-range performance tohandle demanding distributed soundapplications such as ballrooms,shopping malls, sports halls, airportsand other high ceiling installations.

The speaker is built around a brandnew evolution of the high-powerhandling 12-inch Dual Concentricpoint source driver. The new DualConcentric drive assembly features atreated mid-bass cone and doublerolled cambric surround for highsensitivity, as well as a 1.34-inchaluminium dome with ferrofluidcooled neodymium magnet assemblyand a newly designed waveguide forthe high frequency unit. These twodrivers seamlessly merge into onewith the high frequency mounted inthe throat of the mid-bass,coincidentally aligning bothtransducers to a point source.

Soundcraft/Studer announced therelease of the latest in the Vista seriesof digital mixing consoles with theVista 9. The new digital mixingconsole is built on the Vista digitalmixing platform and adds several newfeatures, including expansion of theVistonics interface to include wide

screen-based TFT metering andFaderGlow (see page 9 for details).

Allen & Heath used the show as aplatform to unveil the iDR-64 largerformat I/O MixRack at the show. Thenew rack offers higher I/O capacity ata lower cost than the flagshipmodular iDR10 MixRack. Itcomprises 64 mic/line inputs and 32XLR outputs in a 9U frame, andfeatures the iLive 64x32 RackExtraDSP mix engine, while providing fullprocessing (dynamics, eq and delay)for all 64 channels and 32 mixes. TheRackFX DSP framework provideseight stereo processors capable ofhigh quality FX emulation of industryclassics. Each Rack has flexible I/Orouting with eq and DynamikFXShaper on every dedicated return.

The new iDR-64 can be used inconjunction with any of the other sixMixRack and seven control surfacevariants in the iLive family. Allmodels in the line can be used incoordination with each other, inaddition to sharing the samefirmware, thus allowing show files tobe transferred between systems via aUSB key.> infocomm.org.

InfoComm EVENT REVIEWJune 5th - 11th Las Vegas Convention Center


Cutting edge AV goodies

abounded at InfoComm

2010. Happily, a great

deal of it was of the

audio variety.

of the UK’s biggest festivals, in high-profile dance clubs in theUK and Europe, and on tour with the likes of Grace Jones,

Beverly Knight and Stereophonics. The stars of the full fat audio range are twofour-channel amps – the FFA-4004 and FFA-

6004 (providing 4x1,000W or 4x1,500W,respectively) – and the two-channel FFA-

10000. The four-channel amps promisefull power delivery when all channelsare driven simultaneously and loadedat four Ohms, and the two-channelFFA-10000, at two Ohms. All ampsare of a power-efficient FFA Class Ddesign, with a high current switchingpower supply.

Capital Sound’s technical directorIan Colville recently chose the four-

channel amps to update the company’swedge monitor packages. “I was keen to

use a four-channel amplifier to increase thepower density of our monitor racks, so we sat

down and listened to all the amps that we couldfind on the market and Full Fat came out very

favourably against the competition,” Colville explains. “I wentup to see Dave Millard and Chris Newey and I was veryimpressed by their dedication to their craft.

It has been a while since we opened the door on the Full FatAudio boys (see company profile in API issue 11). Now with afour-channel amp that industry luminaries

including Funktion-One’s Tony Andrews arecalling ‘among the best sounding amplifiersin the world’, we discovered that theirstock has not gone sour.

Still manufactured in the UK withparts sourced mostly in Britain, FFAhas been growing at an exponentialrate and recently earnedpartnerships with Capital Sound,Production Hire and establishedan OEM deal with Funktion-One.Add a slew of new distributors inIndia, South Africa, Scotland andmany parts of Europe and you get avery rich mix.

Product manager David Millard andtechnical director Chris Newey arealready quickly outgrowing FFA’s newpremises in Hitchin, UK, and plan to add staffand continue to expand its international salesnetwork. Started in 2003, the company was founded on a loveof building sound systems that has grown organically, and itnow produces a line of amps that have been used at a number

> LIVE SOUND FULL FAT AUDIO


”We sat down and

listened to all the

amps we could

find on the

market. Full Fat

came out very

favourably.Ian Colville

Capital Sound

Full Fat Audio has seen dramatic growth in the last 18 months, securing new dealers internationally and

partnerships with some of the UK’s heavy hitters. Andrew Low talks to product manager David Millard

about the rise of Full Fat Audio…

Curds and waves


FULL FAT AUDIO LIVE SOUND <

“The newamplifiers havealready been in usewith theStereophonics, GraceJones and BeverlyKnight. We use four ina rack with XTAprocessors, which allowsus to drive eight monitormixes from a single, verylow-profile, lightweight rack.Because FFA is a smallercompany, they are very helpful andaccessible. For instance, I went back tothem and asked if we could have aremovable, foam fan filter, so they redesigned theback panel to incorporate one just for us – that is a service thatyou don’t get from larger companies.

“I also spoke in some depth with Newey and was veryimpressed with how seriously FFA takes the testing of itsamplifiers. I left with a great deal of confidence in their abilityto produce something that would last and do exactly what wewanted it to do. If you ever have a problem you can speak tothe man who has designed it on the end of a phone, which isnot always true of bigger companies. We were previously relyingon a company whose sub assemblies were done in China. Also,the fact that FFA hand assembles their amps and Neweypersonally tests them gives me great faith in their products.”

The success, integrity and motivation of FFA to create greatsounding and rock solid products has also garnered theattention of UK-loudspeaker manufacturer Funktion-One,which has recently begun to work with FFA on OEMamplifiers. “FFA has made an extremely good soundingamplifier and we back what we know works and has good audioquality,” F-1 MD Tony Andrews comments. “It is also quitecharming that some of the best amps in the world are comingout of UK-based companies. They have taken their time

reaching this point, which is the right way to do it. You have togrow these products organically so all the bugs get ironed out.They are splendid blokes and very ethical.”

The FFA-10000 is a Class D bass application power amp thatwas originally designed for a customer requiring a two-Ohm drivestereo amp capable of withstanding extended periods of use, at fullpower in high temperatures. Housed in a thick, ridged enclosureto ensure its components are protected from vibration, the FFA-10000 uses a dual mono amplifier architecture and dualredundancy as standard, and is rated at 5,000W into two Ohmloads, 3,000W into four or 1,500W into eight. The powerful ampwas designed in such a way that it does not require the need forpower reducing circuits for protection when driven to its fullpotential at two-Ohm loads.

Mega dance venues such as The Egg in London and Cream inLiverpool both use the FFA-10000. Cream’s engineer Andy Kayllnotes the improvement in the club’s sound after installing the newamps: “The difference was startling, the bass was tighter and fullerand the amps were just ticking over. A couple of hours withSmaart [EAW’s sound system measurement software] to rough itin and ears to perfect it and the place was absolutely rocking.”

Andrews also backs the amp’s grunt, stating: “This is one of themost powerful amplifiers that we have ever heard.”

In addition to its new ventures in the UK, Millard has seenFFA’s export business shoot up recently, and most of its

products are now being used on the touringcircuit in addition to high-profile

installations throughout Europe. Newdistribution appointments include

Audio Ethics in India, The MusicCompany in Bradford, Ward

Steedsy in Scotland and SouthAfrican firm, MetropolisSound and Lighting.

Millard comments thatthis success has only comeafter being in the game formany years.

“We have been bubblingalong for a while now andpeople have come to knowus more in the past coupleyears,” he explains. “We

have been around longenough that people have

had the chance to try ourproducts and found them to be

very reliable. Our products arebuilt to spec, and they do what

they say on the tin. Not manypeople make these high-quality items;

they are not mass produced like the biggercompanies. We are audio enthusiasts, which

shows through in our products and we work closelywith our customers to get feedback to improve them and

to add features that are of genuine use. Most of all, they are toolsthat people earn their living from, so they have to function.”

There is also a strong focus on quality control within thecompany. Millard comments: “A lot of the components like metalwork and circuit boards and all the major wound components aremanufactured in the UK, and we assemble and test everythinghere. This helps us to maintain a high level of control over eachpart of our amplifiers and ensure that everything is up to spec.The last thing we want is to have a product sent back to us. Notonly is it a nightmare for the customers, it takes our valuable timeto find out if there is a fault with the design or if it is amanufacturing or component defect and then assess it to makesure it isn’t an ongoing fault.”

For a company that has been ‘bubbling away’, it seems that it isset to rise to a full boil with plans to add staff and grow itsinternational sales network. It also has a range of new two-channel amps tentatively planned for shipment in the autumn, inaddition to new products in development for next year that willtake the range even further. Millard confidently states that FFA isin it for the long haul. > fullfataudio.com

”This is one of the

most powerful

amplifiers that

we have ever

heardTony Andrews

Funktion-One

Blackwell. “It was mostly live stuff, he’d bought a PA, but healso had some recording equipment set up at home. He phonedup and told us that he had a load of recording gear and asked ifwe had the space to incorporate him in the plan. We told himthat they had this big building and when he came along to havea look he thought it was great and decided to set up his studiothere. It was his private business initially – a very small studiowith eight-track recording on reel-to-reel, but he built it up andit started doing really well, so we asked him if we could buy itoff him and incorporate it into the business. And we did, wejust bought the business from him.”

Despite relinquishing his stake in the Co-op, Armisteadremained a familiar face and even gave up some of his time toteach the new owners how to record and engineer music.

“We never went to engineering school or anything,” explainsBlackwell. “There was never much of that around at the timeanyway, but Mick gave us a few lessons and then threw us in atthe deep end to go and record a few bands. This was finethough because they were just local bands and we were onlydoing it on to eight-track and there wasn’t really any pressure,so we learnt on the job as well.”

In 1985, clutching newly earned degrees and on the lookoutfor gainful employment and somewhere to play theirinstruments loud – though perhaps not in that order – a

group of former Lancaster University students approachedtheir local council with a business plan that would providethem with both. For them, the lack of local rehearsal facilitiesmeant a gap in the market and their observation landed them aplace on the Enterprise Allowance Scheme, funding and alease on one of the many empty buildings in the city. TheLancaster Music Co-op was established.

A few weeks and a grant from North West Arts – nowknown as the Arts Council – later, two rehearsal rooms hadbeen built and the Co-op was in business. An offer of some freeairtime on Radio Lancaster to publicise the facility was readilyembraced and served not just to draw the attention of cash-strapped bands – successful local musician and sound engineerMick Armistead (who would eventually to go on and playkeyboards with iconic Manchester band James) was listeningand quickly expressed an interest to get involved.

“Mick was a local sound engineer just doing it for himself,”recalls current co-director of Lancaster Music Co-op, David

> STUDIO LANCASTER MUSIC CO-OP


”We never went to

engineering

school or

anything. There

wasn’t much of

that around at the

time.David Blackwell

Lancaster Music

Co-op

For 25 years, Lancaster Music Co-op has provided hundreds of hard-up musos with a place to rehearse

and record. Rob Hughes learns about the organisation’s good work and why, worryingly, its future isn’t as

secure as it should be...

Our price records

David Blackwell

(front) and Mick

Armistead in the

control room at

the Co-op

Despite its elementary approach torecording, the Co-op is credited withproducing music that has gone on to beplayed on Radio 1 and 6 Music by thelikes of Zane Lowe, Steve Lamacq,Marc Riley and Gideon Coe – proofthat the model works.

Worryingly though, the facilitymight not be able to continue thisgood work for much longer, asBlackwell explains: “We’ve still gotthe same licence to occupy that wehad 25 years ago. We’ve not got a full-

term lease so we can’t apply forfunding, even just to renovate the

building, because it’s in a pretty badstate. The thing is, if we get a full-term

lease at commercial rates, we’ll have tochange what we do then and turn it into a

profit-making company. And that totally goesagainst what we’re trying to do.

“We just want to secure the future of the Co-op andshow people how important it is. All the musicians know

how important it is – it’s just convincing the council of this.Redevelopment plans have been hanging in the balance for thelast five years and the problem is that we’ve just been hangingaround waiting. But now we’re saying: ‘sod that, we’re justgoing to have to move forward and think about ourselves andnot wait for someone else to come and try and help us’.

“As well as celebrating the fact that we’re 25 years old wewant to continue into the future and we don’t really want torely on other people to do that, we just want to do it under ourown steam.”> myspace.com/lancastermusiccoop


LANCASTER MUSIC CO-OP STUDIO <

In the early days, as well as a space to turn their amps up to11 and jam for the price of a pint of Skol, the studio offeredaspiring bands a way of making rudimentary but very cost-effective recordings that, at the time, would have requiredconsiderable investment to make at home. Today’s would-beDIY musicians, spoilt for choice by cheap digital technology,will never encounter this problem, but for those who relied onthe Co-op’s affordable services in the analog era, when even aneight-track would cost you a few month’s wages, it was prettymuch unthinkable.

“We kept that old eight-track for years,” continuesBlackwell. “We bought another one eventually, but we stuckwith the method and it worked because we became really goodat using it. We could never afford to upgrade to 24-track oreven 16-track. I remember when we bought the second eight-track, even though it was second-hand, it was well over agrand, so we always had to work on that kind of level.

“But all that changed when computer recording came in andbecame affordable. This is only going back maybe ten years, buteventually you were able to buy a multi-input soundcard andsome basic recording software, which gave you great soundquality. And all of a sudden you had a 24-track, and for afraction of the price. This didn’t necessarily up the amount ofpeople that used our place, but it definitely upped what wecould achieve. We no longer had to mix the drums directlydown onto two tracks, which is what we used to do. Back then,if we had more than a couple of guitars, we had to think aboutbouncing and stuff like that and losing a bit of quality.”

You could be forgiven for thinking that, rather thanincreasing the amount of bands turning to the Co-op to maketheir demos, the onset of computer recording would have anadverse effect on this aspect of the business, particularly as, theaffordable nature of the gear involved would lead manymusicians to believe, often incorrectly, that they could achievesimilar, or even superior results at home. But this is where theCo-op’s unique position in the market works to its advantage.It gives artists the best of both worlds; a happy compromisebetween recording at home and recording in a properrecording studio – they get the vibe of a creative placeand people who know what they are doing, but for afraction of the price charged by most studios. Andafter they’ve paid the Co-op’s very reasonablerates, chances are they’ll have enough moneyleft to buy some gear of their own.

“What we’re trying to achieve is to allowpeople at the beginning stage of theirmusical careers to actually get in thestudio and know what it’s like,” saysBlackwell. We’ve often had peoplecome in who’ve been to bigger studiosin the area and after doing stuff withus, have said that we’re just as good oreven better. And we’ve also had peoplewho have spent all this money onequipment, realised that they didn’tknow how to use it and then came tous. But our aim is to fill that gap betweenthe two markets. A lot of people come torecord with us, have it mixed down by usbut then take away the WAV files so thatthey can go home and play around with them,but still have a finished demo at the same time.”

“People will always aspire to record in a properrecording studio. They only do it at home because ofthe cost. A dedicated recording studio is reallyimportant, because you’re unlikely to get anything like thesame quality at home. For a start, unless you’ve got loads ofmoney you’re never going to be able to afford monitors that areanywhere near good enough to for you to hear exactly whatyou’re recording. Or microphones for that matter, and chancesare you’re not going to be able to get the room tuned properlyeither. These are the most important things. Recording ontocomputers has made it so much cheaper and the quality isamazing, but it’s only as good as the microphone you put itthough or the room you’re recording in. And at home you haveproblems with background noise and so on. That’s even beforeexperience and skill come into it.

”People will always

aspire to record

in a proper

recording studio. David Blackwell

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“We have always created our owntransformers, from original toroidalmodels right through to the new 8kvaswitchmodes that we use in all theamplifiers, except from the 1U series,”explains Hunt. “It is very important thatthe heart of the amp is made correctly,so the audio quality remains as high as possible, which is whywe build them ourselves, rather than buying them in.”

“Attention to detail and the use of quality components alladd up to make the product what it is,” adds Button.

Although many believe that building products in the UK ismore expensive than mass-producing abroad and importing,Matrix insists that any added cost is more than offset by thecontrol they gain by having everything in-house. The surfacemount assembly line not only improves the quality of theproduct that is built, it also eliminates a lot of the labour cost,thus reducing the production costs to a level that enables themto sell a product at a keen price point within the UK market.

Hunt and Button believe that the company’s reputation forcustomer service, gained during its earlier years, is one of itscore strengths. There are roughly 20,000 existing Matrixamplifiers in use throughout the UK, Europe and beyond.While there are many models that were installed over ten yearsago that are still working faultlessly, the products that haveneeded a little attention from time to time have received thesame high standards and rigorous attention to detail that wereapplied to the original build. All after-sales service is alsoperformed in-house, utilising the same expertise.

The company expects the next year to be very busy. Theproduction facility is already making up to 60 units weekly andadditional space has been acquired to raise it to 150. Recentexpansion has also included manufacturing for the OEMmarket. For example, Shermann Audio now also marketsShermann Amps. Of Matrix’s 6004, Shermann’s Ken Hugheshas said he's never heard an amp as clear and clean.

Seems like Matrix could be one to keep an eye on…

Andy Hunt, an amplifier designer with more than 20 yearsexperience of audio design within the PA and hi-fiindustry, has long been asked by many of his customers to

bring a lightweight amplifier to the market that could rival thequality of his Matrix ranges of years gone by. Now, after nearlytwo years of planning, he has re-established Matrix as managingdirector and a new range of amps is in production.

“The last 18 months has seen one of the largest R&D cycleswe have ever embarked on,” says sales director Matt Button.“We have done a lot of beta testing. You can bench test andthink you have it right, but eventually, it has to meet theultimate test, the end user. To this end, a large number ofamplifiers were sent into the field for end users to evaluate in awide variety of situations. In addition, the dealers and speakermanufacturers that we have seen, have provided us with verypositive feedback with regard to audio quality.”

The new amplifiers found their way into clubs, live events,carnivals (such as Notting Hill) and even circus tents. Theyfared well and improvements were made as the cycleprogressed. The valuable feedback from different market sectorshas culminated in the company’s official launch, in June, of afull line-up of 13 lightweight switchmode amplifiers. Hunt andButton believe they sound better than the originalheavyweights they were designed to replace.

To achieve this, the company’s production is very much anin-house affair, from conceptual 3D artwork, through to thedesign of the boxes that the amplifiers are delivered in.

“Popping the lids off the amplifiers reveals a very cleandesign,” continues Button. “It is immediately obvious that a lotof thought has gone into the production engineering of thisproduct. Andy can point out plenty of small details and explainhow each one is small on its own, but combines to make a bigsaving in assembly time.”

Speakons and Powercons used are all Neutrik and thecompany runs its own automated electronics assembly line andmakes all the magnetics in-house, using high-grade ferritecores, a process that involves copper foil and nimble fingers.


”We have done a

lot of beta testing.

You can bench

test and think you

have it right, but

eventually, it has

to meet the

ultimate test, the

end user.Matt Button

Matrix’s sales director

MATRIX AMPS LIVE SOUND <

Matrix Amplification, a name familiar to many in the audio industry, is back and currently building a new

range of lightweight power amplifiers from its base in Wales. Sales director Matt Button tells Rob Hugheswhat can be expected from this resurgent firm in the near future…

Matrix: reloaded

high-end EV line array system, deftly mixed on an Allen & HeathiLive console by Rob Richie and a handful of visiting engineers.With regard to the lighting, I wouldn’t know a goldenscan from amoving head but it looked pretty impressive. And if I thought theproduction was good, then I doubt the students were complaining.

So how do BBL and event production company SPS Audiomanage to pull all this off on a shoestring? SPS Audio’s

Steve Yelland explains: “Beach Break Live, for me,is providing a very high level of service on a very

small budget. The only way I can do that is totake care of everything – provide all the crew,audio, lighting, every proper stage from steeldeck upwards, and produce the eventmyself. That’s the only way I can make itall work, from the client’s point of view,otherwise they wouldn’t get that level ofquality, because they wouldn’t be able to

pay for it. Last year I did the completeproduction – I provided everything from

fencing to portacabins and power too. Thereare not many people out there who would be

willing to take on the entire thing like I am. Theclient knows I’m on top of every little thing and if

something extra comes up, I don’t start demanding moremoney; I just deal with it, because I’m able to.”

Not only does SPS Audio provide all this on a budget, it alsotravels 240 miles from St Austell in Cornwall, to Pembrey on the

It’s emerged victorious from the Dragon’s Den, cleaned up atthe UK Festival Awards and moved home three times in fouryears. And not only did it laugh in the face of extinction after

losing it’s venue three weeks before the opening day last year, itsecured a new site in record time (with one week to go), nailedthe event, then staged its biggest show yet in 2010. BeachBreak Live is a winner. Fact.

But unlike the major festivals, BBL doesn’tcharge three figures for entry; it’s targetedexclusively at students and, as such, costsneed to be kept down. If they weren’t, theticket price would quickly reach similarlevels to that of Glasto, Reading et al,and those fond of beans on toast andstolen traffic cones would probablyignore it and ‘go down the union’instead. Somehow though, thepromoters manage to keep a handle onthis and the tickets remain so cheap thatthey sell out quickly every year, despite thefestival’s youth and relative obscurity.

And if you were thinking that the thriftynature of the festival would be reflected in thequality of the artists and production, you’d be wrong. As apunter, you’d be hard pressed to spot many differences betweenthis and events that cost twice the price. Headliners includedVampire Weekend and Calvin Harris, who performed through a


Beach Break Live is an award-winning festival with ambitions that far outweigh its student-friendly budget.

Rob Hughes finds out how SPS Audio provides an audio system to match, despite its financial restraints…

Sound and waves

> LIVE SOUND BEACH BREAK

”Beach Break Live,

for me, is

providing a very

high level of

service on a very

small budget. The

only way I can do

that is take care

of everything.Steve Yelland

SPS Audio


BEACH BREAK LIVE SOUND <

South coast of Wales, to doso. Even then, it works to afigure that similar firms inthe local area have turnedtheir noses up at.Refreshingly, however,Yelland doesn’t seem to beoverly fixated on profits.Naturally, he needs to ensurethat he and his staff are takencare of, but once that box isticked, the priority becomes makingthe show as spectacular as possible.

“Some local companies asked if they couldsupply some of the smaller stages,” says Yelland. “When I told them thebudgets, they couldn’t see how I could do it. It’s the total production andyou can’t be greedy. On some of the smaller stages, the budget they weregiving me for lighting and sound was horrific, but the reason that I canmake it into what it is, is because I’m looking at the bottom line and, aslong as I’m happy, I’ll chuck a few more bits at a stage. It doesn’t cost anymore and I just want to ensure it looks and sounds good.”

And it certainly did sound good, but then, given the quality of thesystem components, which included 24 Electro-Voice XLC cabinets, 24 X-line subs and eight racks of P3000 amps, this is unsurprising. What is morestartling is that, despite limited cash, the promoters have managed to finda company that can provide their equally hard-up revellers with anindustry-leading sound system for the four days. SPS even supplementedits own EV kit with some from fellow rental firm APR Audio, allowing fora strapping XLD/X-sub system in the dance tent.

“I’ve been using EV kit for 18 years and the p3000 amps are renownedfor their reliability and are just amazing bits of kit,’ he explains. “All theEV line arrays and the X-Line range is stunning. So, because of myconnections, BBL is getting a much higher quality of kit than they wouldif they were just going to individual companies.”

For Yelland though, the key piece of gear at this event is his Allen &Heath iLive 144 console, which he believes is in a league of its own whenit comes to price versus performance: “The iLive works faultlessly withthis idea of providing an exceptional standard on a budget. It’s a stunningdigital board at a very reasonable price and a direct comparison to some ofthe bigger, more rider-friendly desks out there. We only had one refusal touse it during the festival and everybody who used it commented on howamazing it sounded. The iLive has allowed Yelland to save money withoutscrimping on quality, but where this is not possible, he accepts that thecost is a necessary evil in keeping the standard of the production high.This is particularly true of the crew, and it’s something that he often hasto explain the merits of to promoters.

“They can push me down on the price of the kit, but not on the crew.It’s these guys that you need to rely on and that doesn’t happen if you’reunderpaying them, which is something promoters need to remember.”

Grade amps. A combination of EV’s super-compactXLE line array with QRX cabinets, powered by EV’sCP amplifiers were used on the second stage.

EV’s Phoenix system, and the multi-purpose Tour X PAloudspeakers and stage monitors were featured in the two smaller stages in the marquees and in the Campsitebar respectively.

Sean Maxwell of Shuttlesound called the weekend“a singular opportunity to show the breadth and depthof Electro-Voice’s product offering for the multi-stageevent. Not only did we have the correct loudspeakerand amplifier match for these four very different stages,but we had a variety of EV microphones in performers’hands as well. OneBigStar, and particularly FOHengineer for the main stage Neal Allen, were pleased tohave an easy life, just dealing with one supplier andenjoying the benefits of through-the-range compatibility and integration.”

Duplicated from its original unveiling at the actual Glastonburyfestival, the silent stage was a popular area for bands over theweekend, as headliners Blurb and Oasish were able to rehearseusing the RSS M-48 personal monitor mixers and RSS controlequipment. Using the Roland V-Drums, V-Pianos, new Gaia synthand other instruments provided, festival performers were able torehearse and warm-up, hearing their own output through the M-48 system and headphones, while other guests in the VIP marqueeenjoyed the hospitality undisturbed.

“Many performers find that the M-48 live personal mixer is abreath of fresh air for live performers,” says RSG marketingmanager Martin Thomas. “It provides a way for each musician tomonitor exactly what they want to – their order, their grouping,their levels, eqs, reverb – whatever. The M-48 enables control ofup to 40 audio channels via 16 stereo groups, so you don’t have toshare the same sources in the same order as everyone else, a trulypersonal and unique mix can finally be achieved by each player.”> rolandsg.co.uk

Before Gastonbudget, there were few opportunities fortribute bands to enjoy recognition for the hours they putin to replicate the songs, moves and wardrobe of their

favourite band. Now in its sixth year, Glastonbudget is Europe’slargest cover band festival, with 7,000 tickets sold for this year’sevent, which let over 130 bands get an idea of what it’s like toplay big stages to thousands of fans, just like their heroes.

A state-of-the-art sound system complete with EV line arrays,RSS mixing desks and snakes and a silent stage were providedfor the bands playing the festival. In addition, its VIP tentfeatured RSS’ new M-48 personal monitor mixers and digitalcontrol equipment, along with V-Drums and Roland keyboardsto provide pre-gig rehearsals on site.

Event production and rental company OneBigStar suppliedthe light, sound and staging to Glastonbudget and introducedShuttlesound (EV’s supplier in the UK) and Roland SystemsGroup as sponsors for the event.

Roland pro audio gear was used on all of the festival’sperformance areas. OneBigStar used its digital snakes on themain stage along with Edirol’s V-400HD and CG8 mixed andoutputting video graphics. The FOH position in the large big-toptent that housed the B stage employed a M-400 V-Mixingsystem, and the new RSS M-380 compact digital console wasused to mix bands in the marquee, which housed the thirdperformance venue. Roland amplifiers were used for backlineacross all of the stages.

“Glastonbudget was quite a statement for us,” says RSG’sMartin Thomas. “It demonstrated that our professional audioand video brands can perform effectively at a high commerciallevel. This partnership with the Glastonbudget team draws onRoland’s long-established strength and reputation in live musicand instrumentation – the ‘Silent Stage’ is a great concept forfestivals, but it’s also good to see professional musicians lining upto go nuts on the new TD20-KX V-Drum kits.”

The main stage PA was made up of Electovoice’s XLCcabinets, flown 12 a side, with X-Subs powered by EV Tour

> LIVE SOUND GLASTONBUDGET


Roland and EV joined as sponsors for the tribute band festival,

Glastonbudget. Andrew Low discovers how OneBigStar geared the stages...

”It’s good to see

professional

musicians lining

up to go nuts on

the new TD20-

KX V-Drum Kits.Martin Thomas

Roland Systems

Group

Cover boys

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Find out more about the digital mixing consoles that live depends on at www.soundcraft.com

W8L complemented by two downfills.Four sets of delays were also used in the field, which

comprised arcs of 12 of Martins W8LC arrays and two hangs offour W8LSs for downfill coverage. A whopping 54 W8218Xsubs were employed for LF coverage, used in cells of three incardiod mode with one rear-facing cabinet.

RG provided FOH engineers with the choice of two MidasXL4 consoles, two Avid by Digidesign Profiles and a YamahaPM5D for digital or analog control, while Synco’s proprietarystage wedges controlled by two H3000 Midas desks handledmonitor mixes.

Simon Honeywell of RG Jones commented that the systemwas very well received; noting Dizzee Rascal’s post-showcomment that the reason punters were really going for it duringhis set was all thanks to the great sound on the Pyramid stage.

Although the dry and hot weather was not ideal for keepingwithin the festivals noise guidelines, Honeywell reported thatthere were no problems with off-site levels. “We were runningat just over 100 dB for the headliners and were still able to keepit under the offsite level, which was really good,” he stated.

“The PA was essentially the same as last year’s, but we wereable to get in earlier this year and have more time to set it up.We have run into problems in the past by having too many

This year’s Glastonbury Festival set records for all theworst reasons. Already known as the biggest open-airmusic and performing arts festival in the world, 2010

brought the hottest temperatures in the festival’s history withover 3,000 people needing treatment for heatstroke and otherweather-related ailments; a far cry from past years when heavyrains buried tents in muddy puddles on the site’s low grounds.

Despite the heat, Glasto’s 40th anniversary brought over 170thousand punters to Worthy Farm in Pilton, UK, for six days ofmayhem, drug taking, love making and, what? Oh yeah, music,and the festival did not disappoint. Sunday night headlinerStevie Wonder smacked it on the Pyramid stage while FlamingLips, Orbital and hundreds of other world-class acts fuelled thefire throughout the weekend.

The readers of Audio Pro know that the real stars of thefestival are the engineers and production companies that workaround the clock to make sure the mammoth systems on themain stages and the stacks in Dance tents and parlours weretweaked to near perfection.

The festival’s main Pyramid stage saw the return of a Syncoby Martin Audio Longbow line array system supplied byLondon-based RG Jones. Headliners Gorillaz, Muse and StevieWonder played through main hangs consisting of 14 of Martin’s

”We were running

at just over 100dB

for the headliners

and we were still

able to keep it

under the offsite

level, which was

really good.Simon Honywill

RG Jones

Glastonbury’s sprawling 900 acres were covered with the latest and greatest in professional audio gear.

Andrew Low walks, dances and struts through Worthy Farm with ears open to bring you this report…

Livin’ for the country

> LIVE SOUND GLASTONBURY



GLASTONBURY LIVE SOUND <

new matrix allowed connection of six consolesinto the system at one time, each with L, Rand sub capabilities.

Carr finds that each year moreengineers request bringing their owndesks. RG combats this by offeringthe analog and digital options. “Byproviding both analog and digitaldesks more people can settle withone of those and not have tobring their own kit. However,the main support and headlinersalways have the right to bringtheir own desk. Each year wewant to give the best options; wedon’t ever want anyone to feelforced to use anything.

“The Digidesign Profile is ahighly requested console byengineers, especially by visitors fromthe States,” he explains. “We supportthem, we use them and they sound great.People recognise the board and it has beenaccepted as an industry standard.”

Formerly known as the Jazz World stage, theWest Holts stage featured the slightly lessmainstream sounds of Femi Kuti, GeorgeClinton with Parliament/Funkadelic andRodrigo y Gabriela. APR Audio supplied anEV Xline system with X Subs running incardiod mode for the stage, complemented byan EV N8000 Netmax system for distribution.Two Midas H3000 analog consoles wereprovided at FOH with another onstage formonitor mixes.

APR’s system tech crew chief explains thereason for the all analog mix environment of thestage: “We looked at the requirements of all the bandson the stage during the weekend and the H3000 was thecommon denominator that fit everything we were asked for.The mix was dialled in all weekend, so if you couldn’t get a goodsound out of it then there was a big problem,” he laughs.

As always, the Other stage held jam sessions, freakouts andfeedback from some of the world’s best alternative acts. Thisyear Skan PA used 20 d&b Audioteknik J-series on the mainhangs, per side aside and 14 on the side hangs, in addition to sixQ1s for the centre hang and 24 J-Subs and 10 J-Infras in a subarray to handle the LF. The d&b M2s, C7 and M2s were used formonitoring with and Q-Subs for drumfill. The sidefills were sixQ1s (flown) above three B2 subs.

Skan provided two Midas XL4 (44 mono and four stereo)desks at Other’s FOH. In addition to the standard system, italso supplied – as guest desks – Digidesign Profile and D-Showconsoles, a Yamaha PM5D-RH and a Soundcraft Vi6. Florenceand the Machine brought a Pro 6 and the Pet Shop Boys used aDigico SD8. At last count, there were 22 consoles used inaddition to the four supplied.

The company also supplied two hangs of 16 d&b J-Seriesarrays for the massive crowd that collected to watch the Englandvs. Germany World Cup match.

Over on the John Peel stage, local production and hire firmAPR Audio provided an Electro Voice main system comprisingXLC DVX line array cabinets and X-Subs. EV X-Array boxeswere used for side and drum fills and the whole rig was poweredby EV P3000 RL amplifiers. On stage, HK Audio CT wedges,powered by Lab.gruppen PLM 10000Qs, provided soundreinforcement for monitoring. All mixing was done on YamahaPM5DRHs (see Yamaha box out for more on this).

EAW is no stranger to the festival, with six stages, includingthe über trendy Park and BBC Introducing stages, pumping outhip sounds through its cabinets. On the Park stage, artists suchas Empire of the Sun, Biffy Clyro and Thom York reached theears of the punters via a KF series FOH system that consisted ofeight KF853, eight BH853, 16 SB850 and four KF850. TwoKF850 and two SB850 were used as side fills.

As soon as the main stages let out the dance tents and fieldswent mental, as the crowds stormed out to hear the heavy

system techs working on the PA, but we put our faith in MarkEdwards this year and he did a great job.”

Steve Carr, also of RG Jones, was appointed as projectmanager to make sure that the Pyramid stage was furnishedwith every piece of gear necessary, right down to the lastSpeakon. He was also on site acting as FOH chief engineer.

Carr commented that a new matrix system was used on thestage this year: “We wanted to use a master matrix desk formiscellaneous feeds and bring all the guest mixing consolesinto one place. The most suitable board would be high specdigital, but we were running everything analog and didn’t wantto put in a conversion between the outs of desk and ins ofsystem, so we used a Midas XL88 matrix analog device, whichgave us eight ins and outs. We also used a Yamaha 02R to takemiscellaneous feeds for the DJS, VT screens andannouncements mics.

Another new feature at the Pyramid was a digital flip flopsystem, which featured two Digidesign Profile consoles alongwith the XL4s. Markus Bista got in touch with the performer’stechnicians ahead of the show to find out what plugins wereneeded so that they were loaded into the Profiles on the day.

The Digidesign were connected to the system by bussing theoutputs of the profile through the group ins on the XL4. This

”By providing both

analog and digital

desks, more

people can settle

for one of them

and not have to

bring their own.Steve Carr

RG Jones

> LIVE SOUND GLASTONBURY


YamahaAs usual, Yamaha digital consoles were to be found all overWorthy farm. Of note, however, is the John Peel stage, wherea sandwich of PM5DRHs could be found, taking care of bothFOH and monitor mixes. APR Audio’s Matt Guntercommented: “The PM5D is a consistent, reliable board. It’sbeen around for a while and everyone knows it well. Theyhad a generic patch put in and engineers could just walk upto them, see their channels and everything would beorganised for them. As a company, we’ve never had an issuewith Yamaha consoles – not a single failure. I find themdamn reliable.”

DigicoDigico proved a popular digital console choice, with SD7sand D5s making appearance alongside Gorillaz and StevieWonder, and SD8s handling mixes for Pet Shop Boys andCorinne Bailey Rae. Dave Guerin, monitors for Gorillaz,said: “With a total of 108 inputs from stage, one SPX 90return, and 11 shout channels, and then 39 mono aux and14 stereo aux in use for the Gorillaz on monitors, no festivalhouse system is ever going to accommodate that lot, in factno desk other than the Digico SD7 can accommodate thatlot. At Glastonbury, even the BBC was hard pushed to keepup with our channel count. When we go to 144 availablestage inputs on the Autumn production tour, the SD7 willkeep on going.”

Allen & HeathAllen & Heath popped up in various areas throughout thefestival, as Ellie Goulding used her iLive set up for aperformance on the John Peel stage. Monitor engineer, StevePattison, used a mixture of the R72 surface and a touchscreen laptop, which gave him the flexibility to talk to theartists during sound check, and move around the venueduring the show. Further to iLive’s presence at the festival,Sasha headlined the Glade stage using the new Xone:92mixer, which was also found on the on the East and WestDance stages.

thumps, clicks, beeps and bumps of the world’s hottest DJs.Audile of Manchester, UK used Funktion-One’s speakers togreat effect in the Dance East tent where 18 Resolution 5s andeight F-221s were used for main stacks. Res 4s and 218s wereused for sidefills and Res 1s for infills, in addition to MC2amps, XTA processing, Turbosound TFM 450 monitors and ananalog H3000 console at FOH, with a Yamaha PM5D in themonitor position.

Audio Funktion provided Funktion-One gear for the Gladestage and Arcadia area. The Glade stage used two stacks ofthree Funktion-One, F-221, double 21-inch bass enclosuresper side with five Resolution 5 loudspeakers. Four Res 4

speakers hung from the tent with six double-18-inch F-218s onthe floor for rear field coverage.

The giant flame-spewing spacecraft DJ booth returned tothe Arcadia field this year. Audio Funktion kitted out theflaming area with six Funktion-One stacks in a hexagonalconfiguration with omnisonics control. Its front stacks wereleft and right configurations of six F-218s topped by five Res 5sper side, in addition to side and rear stacks and two Res 4sflown with two F-218s on the ground. F-1 also brought its ownAmbisonics rig to the Glade area, where it used Prism Sound’sOrpheus Firewire computer interface. See Funktion-One box-out, below, to find out more about the company’s own rig...

Funktion-OneIf you found yourself in the dance area at Glastonbury thisyear, chances are you were throwing shapes in front of apurple loudspeaker. F1’s very own system, which it set up itin the Experimental Soundfield included loudspeakers in sixpositions in a hexagonal arrangement on a 25-metre circle.Each position consisted of one F121 and one Resolution 3.As a six-channel Ambisonic set up, each position neededseparate amplification. This consisted of three MC2 E90s forthe F121s, three MC2 E45s for the Resolution 3 18-inchdrivers and six MC2 E25s for the ten-inch and one-inchdrivers. Three Funktion One X04As provided the crossoverpoints and delays, while Ambisonic software was running inthe Prism Orpheus soundcard, giving six Ambisonicanalogue outputs connected to the X04As.


GLASTONBURY LIVE SOUND <

www.eaw.com One Main Street, Whitinsville, MA 01588 | 800 992 5013 / 508 234 6158

hitinsvW,eettrSMain ne O

om.cww..eawww6158 234 508 / 5013992800| 01588A M, ville

Full Fat AudioBritsh amplifier manufacturer Full Fat Audio provided all thepower needed to drive Noise Control Audio loudspeakersystems across numerous venues and fields. Highlightsincluded the NYC Downlow (pictured), LondonUnderground and The Hub. Amplifiers used were FFA-2000, FFA3600, FFA-6000 and the new FFA-10000. SteveStavrinides, Noise control audio production manager notedthat he was very pleased with the audio and absence oftechnical issues.

Far from the sexiest product in a pro audio distributor’sprofile, commercial installation mixers nonetheless servetheir purpose as the mother brain for intricate commercial

installations the world over. With integrated DSP, numerousI/O options and expandability features packed inside a rackableunit, these slim mixers offer ‘no brainer’ control for conferencerooms, banquet halls, bars and restaurants.

YAMAHA IMX644 The Yamaha IMX644 rackmount digital mixer is designed forconference rooms, banquet halls, bars and restaurants. Itsinputs comprise six mono Euroblock (each with +48Vcontrol), four RCA stereo and an optical digital in, whileoutputs are two pairs of stereo Euroblocks and two mono outs,plus RCA and optical digital outs for recording.

Advanced features are accessible via a computer runningIMX644 manager software, connected via USB. These featuresinclude feedback suppression and automatic ducking on allmono inputs, with six band parametric eq, digital delay andoutput balance on all outputs.

GPI inputs and outputs are provided, plus a RS232-C remoteconnection, which allows remote control via third partysystems such as AMX or Crestron. The IMX644 is designed todovetail seamlessly with all 26 models of Yamaha’s Installationseries loudspeakers and the IPA8200 power amplifier.> yamahacommercialaudio.com

MEDIAMATRIX NIONNion, by Peavey brand MediaMatrix, is a range of floating pointDSP cores operating over either Dante or CobraNet andfeaturing a 448-channel high-speed digital audio bus for low-latency expandability. This makes them suited to applicationswhere a huge amount of DSP is required.

To take the Nion nX Dante as an example, specificationsinclude 96 channels I/O (two modular I/O card bays), 32-bitprocessing engine (three Analog Devices Sharc HammerheadDSPs), 24-bit conversion, sample rates from 16 to 96kHz, 64channels of Dante audio and included NWare software.

Peavey introduced Nion nE, a DSP platform for mid-marketapplications at InfoComm 2010.> mediamatrix.peavey.com

AUSTRALIAN MONITOR MX833 Australian Monitor’s MX833 features eight XLR mic/line, andstereo RCA inputs. Phantom power is available on mic inputs.

Internal settings include the ability to select pre or post faderfor the channel direct outputs. Additionally, channels 1 and 2feature a 120Hz, 24dB/octave high pass filter to eliminatehandling noise and rumble through microphones. This feature isdefeatable internally. Input 1 can also be set as a defacto priorityinput so that audio from channel 1 is not affected by the mastervolume level. Even the headphone output has options. > polaraudio.co.uk

In the zoneAndrew Low rounds up the latest zone and matrix mixersfor the commercial installation market…

> INSTALLATION MIXERS


”While not the

sexiest pro

audio product,

commercial

mixers

nonetheless

serve their

purpose as the

mother brain in

installations.

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> INSTALLATION MIXERS


BIAMP 801IThe 801i is a single rack-space mixer with eight mic/line inputsand one auxiliary line input. Each mic/line channel uses adifferentially balanced, discrete transistor preamplifier for lownoise and low distortion performance. Both a limiter andremote level control are built in.

Additional features include channel 1 override via signalpresent or external switch, aux input ‘ducking’ via signalpresent on channels 1-8 and remote control of main out levelvia external pot. > polaraudio.co.uk

RCF PR 4092RCF’s PR 4092 is a nine input, two output preamp. Each of thenine inputs can be sent to output A only, output B only, or bothA+B; in this way PR 4092 can also be used as a doublepreamplifier: A-bus dedicated to paging, B- bus for BGMprograms. Its two-in-one design, priority function relevant tothe inputs is active on the output selected only, by not affectingthe other output bus. Input 1 has overall priority (voice orcontact activated) and can be used for emergency paging;Inputs 2 and 3 together can be set as priority on Inputs 4 to 9.> rcf.it

TASCAM LM-8STThe Tascam LM-8ST is a one-space rackmountable line mixerwith eight pairs of balanced quarter-inch TRS inputs -switchable from +4 or -10dB – can be bussed to a pair of XLR balanced outputs, labeled ST1 and ST2/aux. Pre or post-fader bussing is available for the alternate buss, and masteroutput level controls and metering keep signals under control. A microphone input is also provided forannouncements or performance.> tascam.com

CROWN 14M AND 28M Crown’s range of Commercial Audio units are configurable for arange of uses such as paging, background music, security, andevacuation instructions.

The 14M has four inputs and one output channel, while the28M features eight inputs and two output channels. Any inputcan be sent to any output channel.

The systems are expandable by adding Crown CommercialAudio series amplifiers or mixer-amplifiers. Each unit comeswith a three-year, no-fault, fully transferable warranty. > crownaudio.com

EAW DX 1208 DSP MATRIX MIXEREAW’s DX1208’s digital matrix mixer is designed for a varietyof commercial and installed sound applications. Eight inputscan handle either mic or line signals, with selectable 48-voltphantom power per input. These eight inputs, and the eightoutputs, are accessed using Euroblock detachable connectors.The additional four inputs utilise unbalanced RCA connectors,

allowing the user to ‘stack’ inputs – increasing the number ofavailable analog audio sources.

Four additional inputs are available via S/PDIF connectors,capable of receiving sample rates ranging from 32kHz to 96kHz,with sample rate conversion to 48kHz for internal processingfunctions. All inputs are accessible through the audio matrix, withDSP functions assignable prior to distributing signal at line level.

Up to eight DX1208 units can be connected using the 16-channel DX Link, which is integrated into every unit. Using aring topology network, DX Link allows the transfer of up to 16channels of audio between DX1208s.> eaw.com

CLOUD Z8IIThe Z8ii offers direct connection of up to six music sources,two microphones and a paging mic, all of which can be selectedto operate in up to eight different output zones, in anycombination. It has been developed as a master control for theentire sound system

The Z8ii offers the ability to accept an array of input sourcessuch as CD, video, and satellite. Connecting the LM-1or DM-1active modules extends the versatility of the units. > cloud.co.uk

FORMULA SOUND ZMR243 The ZMR243 features two balanced microphone inputs andfour stereo line inputs, which can be routed and mixed to threestereo outputs. Optional remote volume control plates providesVCA control for four music sources.

The rear-mounted microphone connectors are XLR style,balanced, with associated gain, HF and LF cut presets. Internalsettings provide 15V phantom power if required. Also on therear, the ‘music’ inputs are by four pairs of phono connectors,each pair with screwdriver operated gain setting. > formula-sound.com

APEX DBZ-48DApex dBZ-48d is a stereo distribution mixer with inputscomplete with LED metering, on/off, mono sum and gainadjustment facilities. Similarly, each stereo output sectioncomes fitted with identical features, with the addition ofindependent mix controls for both stereo inputs, allowingindividual stereo mixes to be sent to each output.

The dBZ-48d features integrated DSP for user-selectabledelay and 24dB/octave high and low pass filters.> redsquareaudio.co.uk

”The high-speed

digital audio bus

makes NION

suitable for

applications

where a huge

amount of DSP

is required.


>> APPLICATIONS

THE AES/EBU digital variant of theaward-winning JoeCo BlackboxRecorder made its debut alongsideProcol Harum recently, during theirtour of the US and Canada.

The band played a number of soloheadline shows in addition to sharingthe stage with Jethro Tull during thetwo-week tour.

Linked to a Yamaha PM5D-RHconsole, Procol Harum FOH engineerGraham Ewins explained how the 24-channel multi-track live audiorecorder proved an ideal companionover the touring period.

"Hook up was simplicity itself –connect the looms, connect the harddrive, power up and off you go. Wehad to configure our new hard drivesfor fat 32 file handling but, once thiswas done, we were up and runningvery easily. Procol Harum channelstotal 22, with channels 23 and 24used as a stereo pair for audiencecapture, so it's ideal, both for creatinga one-scene 1 to 24 layer on thePM5D and for capturing the wholeshow using a single BBR unit.

“The Blackbox Recorderremembers all the shows and puts

them into a file by date. It also tellsyou how much disk space you haveleft and just gets on with it. I had funtelling the system techs how much 24-track audio you could record with aTerabyte hard drive – 80 hours,unbelievable. I recorded at 24 bit48kHz because that's what we archiveat and it's also what my studio runs at.I am looking forward to hearing theresults and quality of the WAV files. Avery easy to use and configure piece ofkit. It also fitted into a 1U rack bagwith the looms still attached.”> capturingperformance.com

VOID ACOUSTICS has made animpact on the Ibizan club scene withnew distributor, Ibiza PA, completingtwo major installations in just sixweeks. The controversial daytime club,DC-10, recently re-opened with asizeable Void triple-horn Air Motion –installed for promoters Circo Loco –while the Sands Beach Restaurant issporting a brand new Air Ten system.

The DC-10 installation represents amajor coup, with the club re-openingafter a chequered history with thelocal authorities, resulting in itsclosure in 2009. Located in a formerairport hangar close to the runway atIbiza Airport, DC-10 is the traditionalvenue for daytime partygoers, openingin the morning as the ever-popularSpace club closes. The installation,completed in record time by Ibiza PA,comprises eight triple-horn AirMotions, complemented by six Stasys

X low-frequency cabinets. At Sands,the complete system comprises fourAir Tens together with Basys B15s,Infinite 6 amplifiers and Void’sDigidrive loudspeaker management.

Owner Jason Bull commented: “Weare getting great comments on theVoid system at Sands, with ouropening party hosted by SanderKleinenberg, who kicked off his latesttour here. He really enjoyed testingthe system to the limit.”> voidaudio.com

AES/EBU digital variant of recorder used on North American tour by FOH engineer Graham Ewins

Void kits out DC-10

New Blackbox debuts with Procul Harum

”Hook up was

simplicity itself –

connect the

looms and hard

drive, power up

and off you go.Graham Ewins

FOH, Procol Harum

>> OHM HAS… …Completed a series of successful road tests of its new Ersa Majorline array. In Poland, the system met performance expectations ina series of concerts with top international acts, including ex-Genesis guitarist Ray Wilson and leading Polish band LZY. Bandsound engineer, Wojtek Cichocki subsequently decided to includeOhm in his sound rider as the band’s preferred system.> ohm.co.uk


APPLICATIONS <<

ABBEY ROAD has bought four

Digital Audio Denmark (DAD)

AX24 converters for use in the

Abbey Road Mobile. All four are

equipped with plugin MADI

options, and two include DAD's

new direct Pro Tools HD

interface card.

Abbey Road Studios engineer

Jonathan Allen, who undertook

test recordings with

the AX24 before

purchasing the

units, said: “We

needed a unit

which had

world-class

converters,

great built-in

mic amps and the

ability to run MADI

back to the control room. The

DAD AX24 not only ticked these

boxes but made one of the best

arguments for working at higher

sampling frequencies."

> digitalaudio.dk

OPÉRA COMIQUE in Paris has

purchased an Eclipse digital

mixing console from Innovason.

Sebastien Arribas, head of AV at

the venue, decided to move on

from an old analog console as it

was too limiting in terms of the

number of outputs and flexibility

of configuration.

“It still sounded good, but we

had got to the stage where we

were asking more of the console

than it was capable of giving. A

digital console was the obvious

choice. The Eclipse came highly

recommended from Radio

France. We do a lot of work in

collaboration with Radio France,

and I hold their technical team in

the highest regard, so that was

an important recommendation.”

> innovason.com

EV loudspeakers installed in nine out of ten hosting stadiums in South Africa

ELECTRO-VOICE loudspeakerswere chosen to provide soundreinforcement in nine of the tenarenas hosting the 2010 World Cup.In six of the stadiums, announcerswill also be using Electro-Voicewireless microphones.

A major factor in EV’sproliferation in this area is said to bethe outstanding reputation ofElectro-Voice’s partner in the region,Prosound, the country’s leadingsupplier of sound and lightinginstallations, which won thecommission to install the soundsystems in nine of the ten stadiums.

The contract was a hugeundertaking, since four of the tenstadiums were new constructions andthe other six had to be renovated,extended or partly rebuilt in order tomeet the stringent demands of thetournament. In the case of the sound

reinforcement, each stadium was thesubject of a separate invitation totender and to merit seriousconsideration, each soundreinforcement solution proposed hadto be tailored to the specificrequirements of each stadium.

“Ever since founding the firm over37 years ago, I have worked closelywith Electro-Voice,” said ProsoundMD Terry Acres. “And with goodreason – Electro-Voice systems arereliable, robust, evince exceptionalmechanical quality and deliver clearand balanced sound. In short, they’rethe ones that best meet ourrequirements.”

Over 2,300 Electro-Voice andDynacord loudspeakers and a varietyof EV Rev-D wireless microphonesystems were installed in thestadiums in Johannesburg, Pretoria,Cape Town, Nelspruit, Port

Elizabeth, Rustenburg, Polokwaneand Bloemfontein. In South Africa,FRX, ZX5, SX, XLD and EVID boxesfrom Electro-Voice are being used,while Dynacord is represented byover a thousand loudspeakers fromits DL800 series. From compact,direct-radiating modules beneathbalconies to line-array systemsdesigned to cover long distances, awide variety of enclosures have beeninstalled, with all components fine-tuned to one another.

Prosound’s experience in theequipping of sports stadiums goesback to 1981 when the audio firmdeveloped and installed acomprehensive sound reinforcementsystem for Ellis Parks Stadium inJohannesburg – a system thatfunctions flawlessly and unaltered tothis day.> electro-voice.com

Electro-Voice cornersWorld Cup sound market

SCRATCHINGTHE PADRecent industry deals


BEHIND THE BOARD WITH… JOHN PATERNOLA-based producer, mixer and engineer John Paterno tells us of his fondness for cell phones in the studio

Which band/project are you

currently working on?

Working with a Spanish artistnamed Veronica Romeo. We’ve beenwriting and demo’ing some newmaterial. I've also been mastering afew different projects.

Do you utilise any outboard

effects/eq, and if so, what are they

used on and why?

Yes, I've got a bunch of ChandlerLimited gear – almost everythingthey make. I'm particularly fond ofthe LTD1s and the Germanium eq. Iuse a Curvebender on my mix bussand either an LA-3, EAR 660, or anADL 1000 on lead vocal. I reallylike the Mike E and the Distressorby Empirical Labs. The Mike E onbass is particularly great. Forsoftware, I love the UAD plugins.They have done some amazingthings I also think Altiverb isfantastic. Sound Toys plugins arealways on my mixes, as well atMcDSP's Filter Bank.

Favourite console?

For tracking I really like API or pre-8068, Neve's best. Sunset Sound hasa custom built console in its Studio1 that is fantastic. For mixing, I

prefer SSL 4000s or a Neve 8078,depending on the project. But Iseem to mix mostly in Pro Toolsthese days.

Favourite PA system or monitors?

I started using Focal Twin6 monitorsand the Dangerous monitor ST afew years back and have been superhappy with the results. The Focalssound accurate to me and theDangerous allows me to work at lowlevels and not get weird imagethings when the volume pot is at itslowest setting.

Favourite venue/festival/studio?

Sunset Sound/Sound Factory,Henson, and Sound City are myfavorites in LA. Air Studios inLondon is a great place to work.

What’s been your worst

professional experience to date?

There haven't been very many at all.The eight-hour banjo overdub wastough, but it only lasted eight hoursand not eight weeks.

What’s been your career highlight?

I've worked with some amazinglytalented people. I don’t mean tosound corny, but that moment when

a great performance happens isalways a highlight. I really likehelping people get to where they aretrying to, musically.

What really pisses you off when

working?

Mobile phones – shut the damnthing off before you walk into theroom. Are you here to get somethingdone or to be distracted by a littlescreen? I absolutely hate mobile

phones in the studio. Okay, got thatone off my chest.

What makes you happy when

working?

When everyone in the room isfocused on the performance. Whenpeople on the tech side are thinkingahead so the creative side can findits groove. And when someone takesthe time to crossfade the bass beforeconsolidating it.

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

bringing brands together

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

> IN SESSION


The Ironworks, Brighton

Telephone: +44 20 7232 0008 Web: www.miloco.co.uk/ironworks

Absolute Pro Audio, UK

Rooms: Live room, control room, video edit room

Consoles: Yamaha 02R96VCM, TL Audio M4

Mics: AKG, Beyer, Schoeps, Shure, Sennhesier, Røde

Outboard: TL Audio, Universal Audio

Monitoring: Genelec 8050

Telephone: +44 1763 852222 Web: www.absoluteproaudio.co.uk

AV SALES and rental company

Absolute Pro Audio recently moved

into the former Neve premises in

Cambridgshire, UK, as part of its

ongoing expansion. The studios that

came as part of the acquisition had

seen little use in recent years, but were

a major attraction for the company,

which offers professional audio sales,

demonstration, design, installation,

commissioning and training services.

The firm realised that having a studio

onsite would provide better facilities,

while at the same time adding another

string to the its bow.

“It was a fantastic opportunity to

create a high quality demonstration

and training facility and also to set up a

cutting edge recording studio,” said

Absolute Pro Audio’s Phil Darke.

“Because of our wide range of

installation work which includes hotels,

restaurants, learning facilities,

conference venues, public buildings,

theatres and concert halls, it is

extremely useful to bring clients here

and demonstrate equipment, so they

can hear for themselves and make an

informed choice.”

Recording clients can expect

affordable yet professional facilities

featuring select pieces of both digital

and analog equipment, housed within a

live room and control room designed

by none other than Andy Munro. On

the inventory can be found a Yamaha

02R96VCM console, various pieces of

valve outboard gear and a pair of

Genelec 8050 monitors.

There is also a substantial collection

of classic instruments and

amplification, residing in a live room,

which can comfortably accommodate

up to ten performing musicians.

“A digital console with recall facilities

was essential, because of the diverse

use of the studio,” said Darke. “We

chose the 02R96VCM for its all-round

suitability, excellent audio quality,

included VCM package and improved

preamps. For monitoring, the 8050’s

were my first choice as the die cast

cabinets, I think, are an improvement

on the wooden cabinet design. The

frequency response is staggering for

such a relatively small speaker.

“The first thing I did when it was all

wired up was mic up our new Yamaha

Stage Custom drum kit,” added Darke.

“As soon as I listened back I knew that

acoustically we had found a very

special room.”

IT SEEMS hardly a month goes by

these days that we don’t have another

Miloco studio to tell you about. And

this month is no different because the

unstoppable studio group’s latest

acquisition, The Ironworks, its first

forays into the über creative city of

Brighton, is open for – and is already

doing lots of – business.

The Ironworks was originally

set up to record producer

and engineer and Mike

Pelanconi’s Drumdrops

sample library. The

large live space was

optimised for drum

recordings ranging

from dry sounds to

huge 60s ambience

and it soon became

apparent that a studio

with a very special range of

acoustics had been created –

one that could go on to bigger

things. Word got out and, by the end of

the first six months, acts such as Unkle,

Nick Cave and Black Rebel Motor Cycle

Club had already visited.

The Ironworks is based in a

warehouse building off Brighton's

Trafalgar Street in the North Laines and

has been designed and built by Mike

Craig, a former technician of both

Olympic and Chalk Farm studios with

40 years of experience in acoustic

design and high grade electronics.

A spacious 50 square-metre live

room features vintage drum kits by

Gretsch and Rogers, along with a drum

riser and Pelanconi’s amazing

collection of vintage keyboards, guitars

and amps, including an ARP Odyssey,

Korg Monopoly and Vox AC30.

The control room measures an

ample 40 square meters and is lit

naturally via a skylight. In the

centre of the room is the

Custom 28 Channel

Vintage BBC Class A

Console dating back to

the late 1970s and

complemented by

Tannoy Golds and

Yamaha NS10s, which

are powered by a BBC-

modified Quad amp –

Miloco assures of a flat

and even response. The

outboard racks are accordingly

equipped with a range of units from

high-end studio classics to more weird

and wonderful gadgets, among them,

several vintage spring reverbs and

echoes. Recording is via an Ampex

M1200 16-track two-inch machine,

offering results that are said to be

unrivalled in terms of bottom end.

“The design and dimensions of the

control room were inspired by Capitol

Studio B and the old Hollywood Sound

Recorders where many cool 70s artists

recorded,” notes Pelanconi.

Select pieces of gear are housed within live and

control rooms designed by Andy Munro.

Studios:

Rooms: Live room, control room, iso booth

Consoles: 1970s custom 28-channel Class A BBC console

Mics: Neumann, Calrec, Sontronics, Beyerdynamic, Calrec, AKG

Outboard: GML, API, Tube-Tech, Summit, Langevin, Chandler, Chiswick Reach

Monitoring: Yamaha, Tannoy, Quad

People and equipment behind studios

in the UK and around the world...

The Cutting Room, NYCUTTING ROOM studios has enjoyed

a privileged position as one

Manhattan’s premier recording studios

for many years now and, as a result,

counts superstars such as Aerosmith,

Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jon Bon Jovi

and Run DMC, as well as smaller local

artists, among its happy customers.

The studio specialises in mixing and

has a long history of mixing major and

independent records. Its primary

control room, studio A, houses a brand

new SSL Duality, Pro Tools HD3 Accell

and a raft of outboard gear including

mic pres by Neve, SSL, Tube Tech,

Avalon and Focusrite – reportedly a

powerful mix environment.

The live rooms are not to be sniffed

at either and, along with widely

renowned acoustics, offer views of the

city skyline to the north and east. They

are said to equally adept for cutting

intimate vocals or a getting a great

drum sound. Live room A is the primary

tracking room for drums and piano

recordings, although both A and B are

well equipped for tracking overdubs

and vocals. Tickling of ivories can be

done on a Hardman baby grand and

the list of other instruments and

backline is long and impressive. 1962

Jazz bass anyone?

“The whole point of our studio

complex was to create an environment

that offered the physical size and high-

level equipment of a larger facility in

one great room, while our other rooms

lend support,” explains owner David

Crafa (pictured). “At the same time, we

wanted an environment where clients

could relax in a non-corporate setting.”

Chief engineer at The Cutting Room

is Anthony 'Rocky' Gallo, a platinum

award-winning and Grammy-

nominated engineer. Dubbed 'The

Vocal Comping King' by John Legend,

he has worked with artists such as

Perry Farrell's Satellite Party and Mos

Def, as well as with legendary

producers including Steve Lillywhite,

Eddie Kramer, and Will.I.Am.

As well as its bread and butter

tracking and mixing business, The

Cutting Room offers mastering, as well

as periphery services, such as web

design and video production. It also

partners with local radio station KEXP

to provide the space and technology

for up-and-coming artists to broadcast

live performances to listeners around

the world. The studio donates its

services as part of a larger effort to give

back to the local music community

that has supported it for 15 years.

Rooms: Two live rooms, control rooms, mastering and production rooms

Consoles: Neve 8816, 48-channel SSL Duality

Mics: Neumann, AKG, Audio-Technica, MXL, Audix, Electro-Voice

Outboard: Tube-Tech, GML, Avalon, Focusrite, Empirical Labs

Monitoring: Yamaha, Genelec, ProAc

Telephone: +1 212 260 0905 Web: www.thecuttingroom.com

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

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

[email protected] or call +44 1992 535646

VOCALS remain one of the keyingredients of most musical styles.

As engineers and producers wehave a myriad of microphones,mic pre amps, compressors, eqsand rescue tools to hand whenworking with vocalists. So wheredo we start?

Everything but the kitchen sinkMy favourite vocal mic is aBrauner VM1 and I usually carryit with me to all my sessions.Mostly this baby will serve myneeds, but sometimes I need toconcede and change the mic for aparticular voice, for a particulargenre. You start to find littletreasures dotted around the globe;the valve U47 at RAK and TheSony C800G at Sensible spring tomind. And the same goes forpreamps and other ancillaryequipment you put in the chain.

The big cook off: performanceversus tuningWhen working withinexperienced singers, just startingout on their careers, who stilldeserve the best product we candeliver, we may not have bigbudgets to work with. In thesesituations, where we don’t havethe luxury of ample studio time,we go for the best performance wecan get in the time available andreach for the tuning software.Personally, I hate the idea oftuning vocals. The end result cansound bland and artificial, and Ican’t get rid of the ‘cheating’feeling. Whenever I can, I willwork the artist a bit harder (andprobably drive them nuts) to get abetter performance than theythink they’re capable of. And ifthe performance is sizzling hot,the odd ‘offness’ will not offend.

When we have to set up anextra room in the studio dedicatedto tuning all the vocals, it showsthat there’s some training andcoaching to be done. There’s abunch of fantastic vocal coaches

out there, whowill work miracles ina pretty short time. Check outthe Voice Council website forvocal tips and various contactdetails: http://voicecouncil.com.

Haute cuisineWhen we’re lucky enough to workwith outstanding singers, we canreally view the voice as aninstrument. We have time to focuson giving that instrument the bestenvironment in which to shine.It’s extremely gratifying when asinger compliments the engineeron the balance in the headphones,and even better when they listenback in the control room and say‘That’s an amazing vocal sound’.

I’ve just had the pleasure of

mixing Justin Sullivan of NewModel Army. On the trackSomeone Like Jesus, he starts outwith a low growl like Lee Marvin,before moving smoothly to a pureand fragile vocal line that sitsdelicately in a track of sparebeauty. I didn’t even eq it, justsome gentle compression with an1176 Blackface. Less was more.

Your dinner’s in the dogGreta, in fact. The resident dog atthe Ichinchilla Villa will inhaleany food you are careless enoughto leave within reach. But evenshe contributed her vocal to aseven-part harmony backing vocalthe other day – unprompted,unasked, unexpected, but actuallyin time, in tune and in the mix.You never know what you’ll findon the other side of the glass.Always have the tape rolling...

APRS Board member Wes Maebe

tackles vocal work

Even Greta the dog

contributed to a

seven-part harmony

backing vocal the

other day.

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

Amuse Bouche fromthe Sonic Cuisine


IN SESSION <

The Cutting Room is said to be equally adept for

cutting vocals or getting a great drum sound.

THEY SAY: CMS 1201DC delivers best-

in-class performance for the most even

beamwidth and pattern control over

the widest range of frequencies of any

large format ceiling speaker.

SPECIFICATIONS: CMS 1201DC is a 12-

inch (300mm) dual concentric

point-source driver featuring a treated

mid-bass cone and double rolled

cambric surround, as well as a 1.34-

inch (34mm) aluminium dome with

ferrofluid cooled neodymium magnet

assembly and a new waveguide for the

HF unit. These two drivers merge into

one with the HF mounted in the throat

of the mid-bass; aligning both

transducers to a point source.

Each device comprises three discrete

components: the loudspeaker assembly

(mounted on ported steel baffle), a

separate 2.8 cubic feet steel back-can

with multiple mounting points.

> tannoy.com

Tannoy CMS 1201DC

THEY SAY: New connectivity and other

technical features that are of major

benefit to professional installers.

SPECIFICATIONS: The new 4020A and

4030A from Genelec are two-way

active loudspeakers fitted with ‘Phoenix’

screw terminals and 4000 series’

integrated amplifier.

In-built protection circuitry

electronically protects its drivers from

signal peaks and misuse of the system.

Room response controls, including

calibrated bass tilt, treble tilt and bass

roll-off optimise the loudspeaker’s

response to different acoustical

environments. Mounting is provided by

way of integrated support points for

Omnimount 20.5 series hardware on

the enclosure back panel, and the 3/8-

inch UNC threaded hole at the base of

the enclosure and the wide variety of

mounting options and accessories

> genelec.com

Genelec 4000 series

THEY SAY: VoxGuard’s lightweight

design makes it much more flexible and

affordable than its competition.

SPECIFICATIONS: VoxGuard is a high

performance ambient noise attenuator

designed to mount on a microphone

stand and surround a recording

microphone to help control the sound

from entering the microphone by

minimising the reflections in the room.

VoxGuard features a high-impact

ABS outer surround shell that snugs

onto a mic stand using the mic clip. A

high-density open cell acoustic foam

liner blocks absorbs the voice range

while keeping room ambiance out.

The lightweight design makes

positioning the VoxGuard easy without

the usual fear of the stand falling over.

This makes it effective when used with

round base stands, tripods and even

with large studio booms.

> primacoustic.com

Primacoustic VoxGuardambient noise attenuator

THEY SAY: This complements the

existing mic/line conversion cards and

offers a number of new device options.

SPECIFICATIONS: Optocore’s AES3

card is a new I/O card for the X6R 16-

channel converters, which provides 16

AES channels, with the ability to change

the inputs or outputs in groups of eight.

New card configurations include,

X6R-16AE: 1x 16 channel AES3 I/O, with

Euroblock connectors and up to 192kHz

sample rate, in addition to cards for its

X6R-8AE/8MI, X6R-8AE/8LI and X6R-

8AE/8LO. Optocore has also produced

AES cards for the new X6R-TP (16-

channel converter with 24ID SANE

network), as well as the new X6R-FX: 16-

channel converter with 24ID SANE

network to 24ID Optocore network.

> optocore.com

Optocore AES3 card for X6R

THEY SAY: A standalone system that

combines DVX with the AMM-1 analog

measurement module, and a

touchscreen PC.

SPECIFICATIONS: DVX-3 DVD/CD

analyser features Quikscan, which can

test a DVD-5 in 38 seconds. It can

perform bit-for-bit comparison of two

discs of any type, including video,

audio, or data. Operated with or

without an external monitor, keyboard,

or mouse, DVX measures six types of

errors on DVDs and CDs, plus

reflectivity, modulation, resolution,

beta, focus error, tracking error and

jitter on DVDs, and reflectivity, I11/Itop,

I3/Itop, beta, focus error, tracking error,

and jitter on CDs.

> dvd-testing.com

Eyecote Clover SystemsDVX-3 DVD/CD Analyser


> PRODUCT

THEY SAY: Distributed networked

smarts, flexible, scalable features, and

no-nonsense Biamp quality.

SPECIFICATIONS: Vocia is a distributed

networked approach that offers

decentralised architecture to distribute

processing and page routing across the

network. Built to meet EN54-16

requirements for voice alarm control

and indicating equipment (VACIE),

Vocia uses standard IP technologies

such as Cobranet as well as existing IP

networks for multi-site installations.

The Vocia output (VO-4) converts

four channels of digital audio input into

line-level analog audio outputs. The

networked multi-channel Vocia

amplifier (VA-8600) provides eight

channels of modular amplification with

up to 2,400W of power per chassis and

optional channel-to-channel or device-

to-device failover.

> biamp.com

THEY SAY: The 500 series format is

more and more in demand and the

Obsidian in this guise is not only equally

as good as the 19-inch rack mount

format but offers even more flexibility.

SPECIFICATIONS: The 500 series

features TXIO transformer balanced I/O,

precision stepped controls, VCA feed-

forward compression, selectable internal

high-pass filter, expansion port, option to

link multiple modules, selectable pad

settings and imaging.

The new unit is derived from the same

circuit design as the regular 19-inch rack

unit, with added flexibility from a

selectable high pass filter. The 500

version also adds one more 1.5:1 ratio

position. There will be a dual mono

expansion module available, which

provides independent metering for each

channel, and the addition of the inputs to

the side chain.

> kmraudio.com

>> Recent releases in audio technology

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8

NEW GEAR

Biamp VociaDramastic AudioObsidian 500

THEY SAY: High performance, energy

efficient amplifiers, convection cooled,

ultra-energy efficient amplifiers.

SPECIFICATIONS: ComTech DriveCore

amps include up to eight channels and

150 Watts per channel in a 1U chassis

without a fan. They feature Integrated

DriveCore technology with greater than

90 per cent efficiency and a signal-to-

noise ratio of 110dB. DriveCore also has

patented feedback and protection

circuits integrated into the silicon for

quick response.

CromTech conforms to Harman

Professional’s Green Edge

environmental initiative. They are

convection-cooled and Energy Star 2.0

compliant and weigh 10lbs each.

> crown.com

Crown ComTechDriveCore amplifiers

PRODUCT <

6

2


3

1

4 5

7 8


> DISTRIBUTION <

MEYER SOUND has announcedthe appointment of Philippos Nakasas its new distributor for Greece.From its base in Athens, the companywill handle sales of Meyer’sloudspeakers, in addition toproviding technical support, productservicing, and co-ordination ofeducational programmes for theGreek professional audio market.

Philippos Nakas has beensupplying musical instruments andprofessional audio equipment inGreece since 1937. It is one of thecountry’s leading distributors in theindustry, with a portfolio thatincludes Sennheiser, Klotz Digital,Neumann and Robe.

“We have been looking for a bigname in loudspeakers for a long timenow and are very excited to addMeyer Sound to our offerings,” saidKonstantinos Nakas, managing

director of Philippos Nakas. “Thecurrent economic state is driving awave of new sound rental companiesto the market and these companiesare demanding quality equipmentsuch as Meyer Sound.

“Meyer Sound is a strong believerin transferring its experience andknowledge to audio practitioners onthe field,” added Scott Gledhill,Meyer’s international sales manager.“By working with Philippos Nakas, wehope to drive the sound quality inGreece’s live events to the next levelby providing both sophisticated audiosolutions and high-level technicaltraining and support.”> nakas.gr

Meyer appoints Philippos Nakas

BTX to handle Yamaha’s ProjectPhoneNew partnership for distribution, live demos and dealer training in the US

BTX TECHNOLOGIES has beennamed as US importer anddistributor of the YamahaProjectPhone web conference

microphone speakers.The company will begin the

partnership with the wide-bandwidth PJP-20UR microphonespeaker, the personal pocket-sized

PJP-10UR, and the eight-microphone PJP-50USB.

“BTX consistently looks forproducts that bring innovation andconvenience to a number of AVapplications, and Yamaha’sProjectPhone line certainlyaccomplishes that,” said Greg

Schwartz, president of BTXTechnologies. “For businesses, thesedevices are simple to use and providean unmatched level of flexibility andquality in web conferencing.”

“BTX has a well-deservedreputation for innovation, which willprove invaluable as we bringProjectPhone to the AV market inthe US,” said Terri HidekiNakagawa, supervisor ofYamaha SoundNetwork division.“Partneringwith BTXprovides us withaccess to an

extensive network of dealers, and weare certain their customers will findour ProjectPhone web conferencespeakers to be a highly effective andconvenient solution for theirbusiness applications.”> btx.com

Technical support and educational scheme complement distribution deal

LINEAR ACOUSTIC hasfurthered its expansion

into Europe with theaddition of SonoStudiotechnik asits German dealer.SonoStudiotechnik will

serve as the soledealer for Linear

Acoustic in the region.> linearacoustic.com

L-ACOUSTICS HAS revealedthat Lightone will serve as itsnew distributor for Israel.Lightone has extensiveexperience of the Israeli soundreinforcement market, andboasts a knowledgeable sales andtechnical team.

“Having previously workedwith Lightone I am excited torenew my contact with them,”said Tim McCall sales managerat L-Acoustics. “I anticipate thatthe appointment willopen up newpossibilities andmarkets tofurtherstrengthen theL-Acousticsbrand name in Israel.”> L-acoustics.com

PROEL GROUP has signed adeal with Kamol SukosolElectric Company (KEC) tohandle the exclusive distributionof all its products andaccessories for Thailand.

Founded in 1974, KEC havebeen a pioneer in the Thaiprofessional and consumeraudio field and has broughtmany well-know internationalbrands to Thai consumers overthe years. > proelgroup.com

MAGENTA HAS appointedCraneworks Oy of Helsinki todistribute its full range ofaudiovisual and serial signaldistribution and switchingproducts in Finland.

Its new distributionagreement allows the companyto grow sales throughout itscustomer base, as well asproviding increased access toMagenta technologies for itsown engineered solutions.> craneworks.fi

IN BRIEF

SEGMA (Specialized EngineeringGroup in Media Advancement) hasbeen appointed the exclusive SouthAfrican distributor for all PrismSound and Sadie products.

Segma, based in Johannesburg is agroup of specialised media engineerswho work together to bringadvancements to the industry, boththrough distribution of class-leadingproducts and research anddevelopment of new products.Among the brands alreadyrepresented by Segma is Adam studiomonitors.

Although just one year old, Segmahas already built a strong reputation

for identifying issues that face theSouth African media industry andfinding new methods to resolve them.The company is due to move to new

premises that will feature studios andmix rooms, all of which will be usedas demo facilities so that customerscan test equipment in real worldenvironments.

Segma director MaldwynGreenwood (pictured) said: “We arevery keen to introduce the SadieLRX2 location audio workstation tothe South African market because it isan outstanding product. The fact thatit can record 64 MADI channels isgoing to take the market by surprisebecause we have nothing locallyavailable that can even begin tocompete in its size.”> prismsound.com

Johannesburg-based SEGMA appointed as exclusive distributor for the country

Prism Sound targets South Africa

To clarify last mont’s distribution news: Vicoustic’s UK distributor is Systems Workshop www.systemsworkshop.com. Vicoustic’s website is www.vicoustic.com

Wooster joins Sennheiser UKVeteran live sound man will work with customers, but continue as an engineer

PEOPLE <

SENNHEISER UK has appointedveteran FOH engineer Dave Woosterto the role of live sound specialist – anewly created position. Wooster willwork alongside customers, allowingthem to benefit from his up-to-dateknowledge and experience and willcontinue in his role as an engineer.

“My aim is to demonstrateSennheiser UK’s live sound solutions,provide ongoing support and backupand further develop how this range ofproducts fit in the currentmarketplace,” said Wooster, whoselive sound engineering credits includeVan Morrison, Gary Moore and, mostrecently, Leona Lewis. “Sennheiser’s

own products are well known fortheir excellent quality and the thirdparty brands it distributes have been

carefully chosen to compliment this.”“When you’re working in a live

sound scenario, you need to be ableto talk to someone that instantlyunderstands what you require andcan explain things in practical, ratherthan text book, terms,” added PhilMassey, general manager ofSennheiser UK. “The Sennheiserethos is to identify the quality andrelevance of each of the brands withinour portfolio. By doing that, we canmake our client’s lives as easy aspossible and provide a service that isof real value. Dave is ideally placed tohelp us fulfil this.”> sennhesier.co.uk


Wooster will

provide

backup for

customers

Curious? Please visit our website www.riedel.net

ROCKNET PERFORMANCE AUDIO NETWORKSThe Solution for World Class Events.

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ATEIS UK has named MattCollman as its new salesexecutive. Collman take chargeof its non-voice alarm products.

The new recruit will handleAteis’ professional installationproduct ranges, which includethe new echo cancellationsystem, UAPG2 DSP audionetwork, IP-based products andthe Magellan counter intercom.

Collman began his salescareer working in the hi-fidepartment of John Lewisbefore moving into pro audio atHarman UK in its service salessupport division. Most recentlyCollman was with gamescompany Atronic, handling pan-Europe sales on accounts worthmillions of euros.

Commenting on his new roleat Ateis UK Collman says, “I'vewanted to move back into proaudio for a while and spentsome time researching Ateis andits expanding product range.Ateis ticks all the boxes for me.”> ateis.co.uk

Ateis hires

sales exec

Powersoft names new VP for USAppointment of Ken Blecher seen as a major step toward Stateside expansion

POWERSOFT HAS strengthenedits presence in the US with theappointment Ken Blecher as vicepresident and director of businessdevelopment.

With more than 25 years ofexperience in the manufacturing,contracting and consulting segmentsof pro AV integration and toursound, Blecher will be teaming upwith Thomas Bensen, US vicepresident and director of operations,at Powersoft’s US facilities inFarmingdale, NY.

“I look forward to continuegrowing the Powersoft infrastructurein the US,” confirmed Blecher. “Myimmediate attention will be to

increase the exposure of Powersoft’stechnologies, thereby raisingawareness within the professionalaudio community of the values andbenefits of Powersfot amplifiers onall levels.”

“Ken adds a new dimension toour market presence,” addedBensen. “This is a major step in theexpansion and the strengthening ofthe brand in the US.”> powersoft.it

Dream Team: Blecher (far left) will help drive powersoft forward in the US

SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT

SOUND MARKETING

SOUND MARKETING IS where awealth of knowledge and experience ofthe audio and entertainment industryare applied on behalf of clients withenergy, imagination and personality.

Stephanie (Lambley) Dell began hercareer in the entertainment industry(appearing in The Bill and Eastenders).In such an unpredictable business shethought it wise to develop asupplementary career, so after receivinga diploma in performing arts, secured anadministrative position in the servicedepartment of Hayden Laboratories.

Before long she was snapped up bythe sales and marketing division andthe actor turned marketeer.

During her six years at Hayden Labs,Dell formalised her passion formarketing and obtained a CharteredInstitute of Marketing diploma. Onreceiving a job offer from leadingdistributor Leisuretec Distribution, shetook up a post with the company andwent on to become the sales manager.

Six years later, with a wide remit ofresponsibility, she decided it was time toset up her own company.

With such strong roots in audio andentertainment and a real flair forapplying her knowledge and experience

to a broad range of tasks, SoundMarketing was an inevitable step.

“Sound Marketing was born from alove of all things audio and a passion forthe entertainments industry,” she says.“It is about traditional marketing, aswell as new media, viral campaigns anddigital marketing. I am committed toproviding cost-effective, tailoredmarketing and PR services”.

Dell represents firms such as PolarAudio and Pioneer, but is currently onthe lookout for new clients.> soundmarketingpractice.co.uk

Marketing - PR - New Media

DELL: Passionate

� MARKETPLACE ADVERTISERS INDEX �

Adam Hall 01702 613922

Crown +1574 294 8093 www.itechd.com

DBT 0800 239 2848 www.dbtechnologies.com

Eyecote 01600 72443 www.dvd-testing.com

Full Fat Audio www.fullfataudio.com

Gasoline www.gasoline.co.uk

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

GHQ 0207 8749 5654 www.wesonator.co.uk

HME +1858 535 6060

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

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

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

TEAC 01923 438 880 [email protected]

TL Audio 01234 772 244 www.larkingslist.com

AUDIOMARKETPLACE

CLASSIFIED RATES:Minimum 12 Months -

One Annual Charge

Quarter Page £1,495

To advertise call

Darrell Carteron 01992 535647

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

A starmakes us soundlike us, only better

Great earsgets fantastic

sound

Gear Headknows all the gearand all the tricks

Great address bookgood studio and

producer relationships

Nice persongets on with everyone,

recommended byprevious clients

Plays an instrumentspeaks our language

Feet firmly on groundno big ego,

"no prob" attitude

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(not a deal breaker)

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

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

...Better call Wes then

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STUDIO

Studio engineer, Nick Sevilla, who used a 32-channel Allen & Heath GL2800 tomix his Grammy award-winning mix of Steve Martin's The Crow in 2009.

GOT THE HORN

Audio Pro deputy editor, Rob Hughes’s Bernese

Mountain Dog, Laser, takes a sniff at her lunch.

Seconds later, it was a different scene. Hughes

caught this five-pound mirror carp by fly-fishing

with her dog biscuits. She felt it was a good trade.

AUDIO FISH OFTHE MONTH

>>www.audioprointernational.com audioPRO July/August 2010 49

The last word in Audio Pro

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

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

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

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

7 WAYS TO (UNION) JACKChicago house godfather MarshallJefferson is spotted on his way to the UKclutching a bag containing his MetricHalo ULN-8 interface. “It smokeseverything else out there”, said Jefferson.

WHAT A COM-POSEROscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer,hailed for his work scoring movies suchas Gladiator and The Lion King has arelaxed look for the camera, while at hisfacility, Remote Control, in SantaMonica. Zimmer is the proud owner ofno less than six Manley Massive Passiveeqs. We’re not a bit jealous.

API salesman MarkSeman serves upanother Maryland crabcake slammer, sure togo down the hole inone, at the AudioMasters GolfTournament inNashville recently. Theevent was held insupport of NERF(Nashville EngineersRelief Fund). A rafflefor two API 7600channel strips was wonby Mark Miller andAndrew Mendelson.

API MEALS

audioPRO July/August 2010 www.audioprointernational.com

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

Intent Media is a

member of the Audit

Bureau of Circulation

and the Periodical

Publishers Association

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

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

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

reproduced in any form or by any means without prior permission

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

subscription to Audio Pro International, please email

[email protected] or call 01580 883848

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

ISSN: 1755-4918

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

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

A>> EMPTY ROOM OF THE MONTH

Finland Pavilion, Shanghai ExpoNot only is this room furnished with enough rocking chairs to satisfy the needs of a large retirement home, it’s also equipped with a thumping

complement of Genelec 8050A loudspeakers and 7060B subwoofers. Maybe they weren’t turned on?

VISIT FROM THE AUDIO STORK MIXTAPE MEN

The C90 is back! Well, briefly at least, thanks to a

group of Birmingham City University students who

have launched a cassette tape record label, Brave or

Invincible. Brave, yes. Invincible, no.

Tannoy’s Mark Flanagan kicksoff the pro audio baby boomwith the birth of his son,Arthur Alistair Flanagan,weighing in at 7lbs 12oz.

SD7An Arresting Combination.The next generation of digital sound engineering is here, in the form of the stunning SD7 Live Digital Console.

Featuring Super FPGA and Floating Point Stealth Technology, exclusive to DiGiCo, the performance results are

exceptional. And, you don’t just have to take our word for it, when coupled with Peter Gabriel’s FOH maestro

Richard Sharratt, live mixing is taken to a whole new level. Sharratt says “The SD7 is the only choice.

An unbelievably powerful and fl exible console”.

DiGiCo SD7: Criminally Good.

I think the SD7 sounds great. I thought the D5 sounded

great and it’s a continuation of the same line.

From a control point of view it’s everything a D5 could

do, but better. - Richard Sharratt

“”

RICHARDSHARRATT

FOH - Peter Gabriel

www.digico.bizDiGiCo UK Ltd. Unit 10 Silverglade Business Park, Leatherhead Road,

Chessington, Surrey KT9 2QL. Tel: +44 (0) 1372 845600

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