The feel and flavours of the Ottoman Empire were the influences behind one of London's hottest new restaurants, the 130-seater Chintamani which recently opened in Jermyn Street. With sumptuous interiors and an eclectic menu, Chintamani also boasts a sophisticated JBL/Crown sound system, complete with DJ booth supplied and installed by The Sound Division Group.
According to Sound Division managing director, David Graham, the brief was quite clear. "They wanted the best restaurant sound system in London, and were prepared to commit the budget to do it," said David. "We were recommended to the client on the strength of testimonials from DJs who have played at MoMo’s where we installed a state-of-the-art Meyer sound system last year."
The system comprises a pair of JBL Control 29s which act as DJ monitors, and a further 12 JBL Control 25s which are distributed around the restaurant, driven by a total of two Crown XLS402 and four XLS 602 power amplifiers. A BSS Soundweb system, including a Jellyfish remote, provides system control, while the DJ booth is equipped with two Pioneer CDJ1000 CD turntables, a Pioneer PDF607 Multidisc CD player and an Allen & Heath Xone 62 mixer.
"We have provided an extremely high quality background music system with zone control for specific areas of the restaurant that may be adjusted according to mood and ambience. Most of the time the system is run at low levels to provide high quality background music, but the power is there to turn it up when required." Owner Meto Fadillioglu is pleased with the results.
L-Acoustics has announced the addition of two new members to its global V-Dosc Network. Live Sound Agency is the first Eastern European V-Dosc Partner to join the Network. The Moscow-based company was founded in 1990 by Yuri Sokolov and now employs more than 50 people to take care of all national and international concerts, festivals and tours, corporate and governmental events, working with local partners to offer a high standard of service, ranging from sound and lighting systems, to stages, decorations and communication.
In only 12 years, the Russian service provider has become the largest sound company in Russia and on the territory of the former Soviet Union, and has already worked with artists as varied as Placido Domingo, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Joe Cocker, Al Di Meola, Sting, Liza Minelli and Montserrat Caballe and many others.
Meanwhile, Gearhouse LLC in Dubai has acquired a brand new V-Dosc turnkey system as they too join the V-Dosc Network. Peter McCann, managing partner of Gearhouse LLC, said: "The Middle East - and particularly Dubai - has begun to be recognized as a regular tour stop for some years now, and we intend to capitalize on this by providing quality production support to our regional operations."
Andy Jackson, a certified V-Dosc engineer, who recently left Delta Sound in the UK to join the Gearhouse team confirms that "being a V-Dosc Network Partner is a significant move for Gearhouse, and this will surely strengthen our dominant position across the Middle East in all aspects of concert and event delivery."
For its first ev
Hz International has launched a new amplifier - the Nexus 1.5 - offering 750W a side into 4 ohms. It features total short circuit protection with continuous clip limiting and two speed fans, so that when the going gets tough, the amp gets cooler. The weight has been drastically reduced from 16kilos to 8.5kilos thanks to the amplifier’s innovative new power supply. It also has massive headroom thanks to its extremely high damping factor (almost twice that of the existing DPX1500). The latter will still be available alongside the Nexus 1.5, but with the up-rated protection system creating a more cost-effective option for installations.
(Ruth Rossington)
Biamp Systems is expanding its European Division with the addition of Romano Cunsolo, who will perform the duties of regional manager for select countries in the division. Graeme Harrison, vice-president of international sales for Biamp, explained the move: "Ian Hodgkinson, our current European regional manager, has done a great job in increasing our presence in these markets during the last four years, and our forecast of our future growth in Europe necessitates the addition of a second regional manager. We feel that Romano has excellent sales and technical expertise and has the added ability of speaking five languages, which always aids in business communications. We are very pleased that Romano elected to join our organization."
Romano Cunsolo most recently was with EVI Audio where he held a variety of posts and was the European Sales Manager for Electro-Voice and Dynacord. Cunsolo officially joins Biamp’s International Division on 1 January. His geographic responsibilities include Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, all eastern European countries.
(Lee Baldock)
MC2 Audio has recently notched up its first sale of amplifiers to Malta. Light Sound Vision, a member of the ITC Group, contacted MC2 Audio via their website in early spring 2002 and a follow-up meeting was arranged for the PLASA Show. "We were very pleased to have the opportunity to meet Mario Camilleri, managing director of Light Sound Vision at PLASA in September," commented Ian McCarthy. "Their initial order for amplifiers from both the MC range and T Series followed in October and we now look forward to future collaboration with Light Sound Vision."
(Ruth Rossington)
Filipino install and live sound company, Stage Craft International, has been utilizing eight Chameleon 3700 DP/2 amplifiers at a variety of events in Manila, with venues spanning small nightclubs to major raves featuring top DJs. The first Chameleon benefactor was Decades, one of Manila’s most popular nightclubs, where a single 3700 DP/2 has been installed to power a Turbosound rig at the 300-capacity venue. "Because it plays rock to rave music, Decades was looking for a more heavy sound, so the 3700 DP/2 is currently driving the subs only. There has been a significant increase in dB level and a marked improvement in low end grunt," says Stage Craft’s Frankie Zabala.
The Gatecrasher, God’s Kitchen, Ministry of Sound and Cream raves - all staged in the 3,000 capacity NBC Tent at Fort Bonifaco - also benefited from Chameleon’s renowned power handling capabilities, where eight rack-mounted 3700 DP/2s powered 24 Turbosound TSW721s and 12 TSW718s. Zabala says he has been so impressed with the 3700 DP/2s that he intends to use the amps to power Stage Craft’s entire Turbosound rig, which also comprises 24 Flashlight TSF-780s and an equivalent number of Floodlight TFL-760Hs.
(Lee Baldock)
Canegreen Commercial Presentations Ltd continued a busy 2002 winter season, making sure the sound matched the quality of the winners at the Woman of the Year Awards, held at the Hyde Park Hotel Inter-Continental in London.
The awards, sponsored by O2, celebrated women’s achievements in music and related industries, with Sharon Osbourne walking away with the coveted ‘Woman of the Year Award’. Women from all areas of the music industry picked up awards in categories including lifetime achievement and special achievement of the year given by guest award presenters, from Dr Fox of Capital Radio fame, to Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker and Will Young.
Canegreen Commercial was presented with the challenge of achieving audio coverage to all of the 450 guests in the Grand Ballroom at the Inter-Continental, from a central stage. They achieved this by flying eight Meyer UPA-1P SP speakers, which were carefully angled on a UPA flying frame in the ceiling of the room. Chris Ekers was sound engineer, carefully adjusting the sound throughout the evening, so that the speeches and videos were always clearly audible over the background chat in the room.
Andrew Frengley, Canegreen Commercial’s project manager, designed and managed the logistics of the installation: "No two events are the same, and this event’s distinctive characteristic was the stage in the centre of the room. Flying the speakers meant we could achieve good audio coverage without affecting sightlines. The UPA-1P Meyer cabinets were ideal for this style of awards dinner." With four
Reading-based rental company Skan PA Hire has provided a sound system for the recent Supergrass tour of the UK. The tour played venues including Newcastle University, Glasgow Barrowlands, Cardiff University and the Academy in Manchester, Birmingham and Bristol respectively, terminating with three nights at London's Shepherds Bush Empire.
Skan sub-hired an EAW KF850 system from Villa Audio to fulfil the requirements of the band's front of house engineer Mike Hornby, which it combined with its own amplifiers and control system. The front of house system included a Midas Heritage 2000 console and EAW KF853 mid-high and KF852 low boxes with SB1000 subs powered by Lab Gruppen amplifiers, together with a Midas XL3 monitor console and Turbosound TFM-450 biamped 2-way wedges. Skan also supplied manpower in the shape of full-time employees Matt Vickers and Ant Carr.
This combination of equipment and talent proved such a hit with Hornby and monitor engineer Gerry Wilkes that they have requested the same control system and staff for the Supergrass dates scheduled for January 2003. Although maintaining a preference for Skan's Turbosound system, Vickers comments: "I really enjoyed the challenge of working with a different speaker box. It also provided us with an opportunity to prove that the time we have spent on designing a flexible control and cabling system has been worthwhile."
And it wasn't just the audio industry that appreciated the quality of sound Skan brought to the Supergrass gigs, with The Times music reviewer claiming that "....Supergrass have never sou
In association with the launch of Stardraw.net, the first web-based CAD system, Stardraw has announced the introduction of bronze, silver and gold partner programmes. These offer different ways for anyone who is interested in, or whose customers may be interested in, online design and documentation systems to earn from or implement Stardraw.net applications.
The first tier is the bronze package, also known as the Affiliate programme. The programme, which is free to join and open to everyone, allows Affiliates to earn a 5% commission from all online purchases at www.stardraw.com that result from a click-through from their site. The silver package is the Stardraw.net Partner programme. Like the Affiliate programme, this is also free to implement, the difference being that rather than offering a simple link back to Stardraw.com, the Partner programme allows you to run the Stardraw.net application within your own website. No additional administration, bandwidth or files are required, and all users will generate a 20% commission for Partners. The final option is the gold package or the Stardraw.net OEM programme which offers total flexibility and full customization of the Stardraw.net CAD engine depending on the customer's needs. Typical features of a customized application might include a design and documentation system delivered through a web page that looks and feels as the customer specifies, plus a central library of their products and real time linkage to their back-office systems. Costs and revenue opportunities are structured according to the individual system develope
The newly launched DiGiCo D5 Live digital mixing system recently embarked on its first US tour, a two-month North American odyssey with Beck, in support of the band’s acclaimed new album, Sea Change, which reached number 8 in the Billboard Hot 200.
The tour’s audio was provided by Showco of Dallas, with Jon Lemon at the front of house controls and John Shearman on monitors. A Showco Prism PA system, with a Clair Brothers IO wireless loudspeaker controller and Amcron amplification, delivered the wattage to audiences of up to 5,000. Jon also used a hard disk recording system, linked directly to the D5 Live, to record the show and perform pre-soundcheck system set-up. Showco’s Jim Ragus was FOH system technician, with Justin Hoffman as monitor tech.
Beck - supported by The Flaming Lips on the tour - comprises a five-piece band, plus Beck himself, with drums, keyboard/guitarist, a second keyboardist, synthesizers and bass, creating a 72-input mix for Jon Lemon. Monitoring came via Showco SRM wedges and was mixed on a Midas XL4 console.
Jon comments: "I first saw the D5 Live system on the Rod Stewart tour at Wembley in the summer. I was looking at all the leading digital consoles, to evaluate them with this tour in mind. I spent a couple of days putting the development console through its paces and at the end of day two I’d made my mind up to spec it for the Beck tour. Software-wise it’s been great, and I used the Pyramix hard disk recording system, linked directly to the D5 Live’s inputs at mic level, to record the shows." The
The MTV Staying Alive concert, in Association with YouthAids, and staged at Cape Town’s Green Point Stadium in late November, proved a major success with over 20.000 people witnessing the event live and millions more watching an edited version on television channels the world over.
Three of the world’s most successful music stars headlined the event, which was held to create awareness of HIV/Aids, as well as encourage tolerance of those affected by the disease. Alicia Keys, Usher and P. Diddy were joined by homegrown stars Mandoza, Zola, 101, Danny K, Bianca Le Grange and DJ Ready D.
Gearhouse South Africa was contracted to provide lighting, sound, structures, audio-visual, rigging and power. The SABC (South African Broadcast Corporation) filmed the show on behalf of MTV, for its MTV Presents Levi’s Jeans Staying Alive Concert In Association With YouthAids 90-minute special which premiered on MTV on December 1, as well as on SABC 1 and more than 60 other terrestrial broadcasters around the world. Gearhouse director, and one of the country’s top live production designers, Tim Dunn was behind the controls while the company’s Johannesburg and Cape Town branches supplied all the equipment, along with the technical team to run the show.
Visually, the stage was impressive and focused on the theme of HIV/Aids Awareness. Backdropped by a huge red Aids ribbon set against a white background (which was constructed locally to international design specification), two massive daylight screens were mounted prominently on the stage. It proved to be highl
The Klark Teknik Group has announced the appointment of John Oakley to the position of managing director with immediate effect.
According to Mathias von Heydekampf, president of the Telex Pro Audio Group worldwide, Oakley brings a wealth of knowledge, expertise and experience to the Klark Teknik and Midas brands. "He joins the group from a long and varied career within Harman, and comes from a strong technical, as well as managerial, background, and thus is ideally placed to take up the reins at Klark Teknik. We are delighted to welcome him to the team."
John Oakley is also looking forward to his new role. "This is a very exciting time to be joining the Klark Teknik Group," he stated. "Midas has very strong product lines in the Venice, Legend, Heritage and XL4 consoles and continues to go from strength to strength. At the same time Klark Teknik is in the midst of major new product launches. The Helix DN9430 Digital Equaliser is the first Klark Teknik product to interwork seamlessly with Midas consoles. This is a fine example of the intelligent application of technology and demonstrates the shape of things to come."
(Ruth Rossington)
Sennheiser UK inaugurated its guidePORT partnership scheme (through which it will exclusively make available the supply and installation of its new guidePORT intelligent, wireless personal tour guide system), by appointing Orbital as the first guidePORT partner at the recent MUREX National Museum Resources Exhibition, at the NEC in Birmingham.
Sennheiser and Orbital demonstrated the configurable system that incorporates multi-channel digital RF transmission and real-time audio streaming technologies. Commenting on the move, Orbital managing director Chris Headlam, stated: "Orbital has been looking for a unique product to enable it to offer a market-leading service provision for the cultural, heritage and exhibitions industry. guidePORT represents the future of interactive tour guides."
The guidePORT system employs digital sound transmission techniques and cellular-based computer network control to provide a unique visitor experience, incorporating multiple languages, or any number of different levels of description, with possible separate soundtracks for children, adults, local populations, tourists, experts, academics, students, VIPs, or even individual visitor groups. Each visitor experiences a soundtrack specific to their chosen route through the exhibition environment, automatically received as they individually approach each exhibit or enter each area of the attraction. Visitors wear a lightweight personal receiver pack and headphones, with which they are able to select the language and/ or description level.
"We received a high level of interest
Imagination has created a new space for young people to learn about technology at the science centre, @Bristol. The Orange Imaginarium is aimed at 4-16 year olds and seeks to explain wirefree technology (developed by @Bristol sponsor Orange) from a child’s point of view.
The Imagination team, led by designer Caroline Wilson and lighting consultant Tony Rimmer, worked in collaboration with researchers and futurologists from Orange to create the interactive learning environment. The experience begins with a series of animated stories, linking everyday needs to technology. Three more zones follow a pattern of ‘Search and Find’, letting visitors experience and be creative with technology. The space is built around three key technologies - voice activation/recognition, personalized information and Orange Home services. In ‘Tell Me A Joke’, voice recognition software from IBM and Wildfire - previously only used to recognize adult voices - has been redeveloped, and now tells a joke at the child’s request. The software is triggered by RS232 inputs from an Electrosonic control system. Audio interfaces are via BSS Soundwebs, allowing full control over microphone and speaker levels with full parametric EQ and sound gate to limit the amount of background noise sent to the PC’s sound card (a Soundblaster Audigy device within Compaq Evo slimline desktops). The ‘Say Your Name’ area, also uses directional speakers to throw back voices at different pitches using voice recognition technology.
In ‘Chase The Rainbow’ visito
Marquee Audio has supplied a Soundcraft MH4 audio mixing console to Tour Tech, which immediately went out with Idlewild, initially to support Coldplay on their European tour. "Idlewild was the perfect opportunity for Tour Tech to confirm the purchase of the MH4, which Dick Rabell had been considering for some time," said Glen Smith of Marquee.
In a separate sale, ML Executives have purchased two Yamaha DM2000 digital mixing desks from Marquee Audio, which are currently in China with The Planets. The DM2000s were first specified for front-of-house and monitor mixing of The Planets' European shows supporting Deep Purple. "As the opening act, we needed consoles that were compact," explained Gary Marks of ML Executives. "The whole band uses in-ear monitoring and all their instruments are on radio systems so the mix is quite intricate. We were looking for a digital desk that would offer a consistent performance, and the DM2000s were so successful that the band kept them going for their own international shows.
"The engineers Ian Nelson and Dan Bartley have got the mixes set up on their laptops, so, even when there isn't a lot of time for a soundcheck, they can get consistent results wherever they are. And with the pre-set mixes, they don't have the feedback problems that occur when there isn't enough time to set up an analogue desk properly."
(Ruth Rossington)
Swedish Radio (SR) has announced that it will begin 'extensive bench testing', utilizing DTS’ Coherent Acoustics compression/decompression algorithm, aimed at providing live surround sound radio broadcasting.
While SR is examining all potential surround sound platforms, research has established a popular demand for the higher quality signal of DTS Digital Surround. A download on the company’s website (see link below) offering material in the alternative formats has been on-line since June and of the 300,000 downloads of this material, approximately 70% have been of the DTS encoded version.
SR has formed a 5.1 working group which has been allocated funds for the production of more 5.1 programming and has established contacts with potential distributors among satellite, terrestrial, cable and broadband-based transmission companies. DTS’ Coherent Acoustics compression/decompression algorithm, commercially marketed as DTS Digital Surround, was conceived as a scalable technology from the outset in order to achieve surround sound. Whether carried on a DVD disc, transmitted via digital satellite, cable or terrestrial broadcast signals, or by means of a broadband internet connection, the highest possible multi-channel audio can be transmitted within the available bandwidth by virtue of DTS Digital Surround’s scalable bit-rate.
DTS’ strategy for the digital broadcast industry encompasses both developing the means of delivery to the consumer, as well as technology to support use of the format throughout the production chain. At IBC, DTS demonstrate
CMT - laser, projection and live event technology specialists - brought together a unique team to create a son et lumière spectacular at Millennium Mills, the derelict hulk of the former Spillers flour mill at Royal Victoria Docks, East London. The event may have been a world first, as a result of its use of a wireless LAN link to control all the various technologies involved.
CMT was approached by event organizers Mask Event Design & Productions to supply the design and technical infrastructure for an impressive opening show to kick-start the four-day World Travel Market exhibition running at ExCel - sited across the River Thames from the Mills. CMT’s Gino and Ram Malocca and Tim Fothergill jumped at the opportunity to stage the event, which had many technical and logistical challenges, and also included unorthodox live elements such as speedboats and helicopters.
For lighting, they called in the unflappable Darren Parker and his company DPL Production Lighting - no strangers to working in galvanizing environments. Parker’s section of the 15-minute show was to produce wild beam effects from a row of automated fixtures lined up along the jetty wall of Millennium Mills.
Two faces of the building - the North and West - were used as a massive 150m projection surface for an animated video show, which depicted travel scenes from around the world. The event culminated in an incendiary firework and pyro display by Fantastic Fireworks, with explosives located all along the front of Millennium Mills, and spanning the nearby footbridge, which became engulfed in a 1
Birmingham's SSE Hire has recently completed the first sale of a Nexo GEO loudspeaker system by a member of the UK GEO reseller network. Supplied as a complete package to Litton Lane, the system includes speaker enclosures, amps, processors, flying hardware and flightcases. As an existing Nexo Alpha user the addition of GEO to Litton Lane's hire stock was a natural progression for the Dublin-based company.
The system supplied by SSE included 18 GEO-S cabinets, four CD12 cardioid subs, two Nexo NX241 digital controllers, four Camco Vortex 6 amplifiers and flying hardware to suit. To complete the package, SSE also supplied its custom GEO cases, capable of holding seven GEO-S cabinets and all flying hardware in a ready-to-fly configuration. Also included were SSE GEO distribution boxes providing AC, signal and speaker distribution for the shock-mounted SSE Cube racks housing the Camco amps. Paddy Freeney, MD of Litton Lane comments: "We’ve always been very happy with the performance of the Alpha so with the introduction of the GEO we decided to stay with Nexo. SSE’s packaging is well thought out and perfectly suited to on the road use. We’re busy at the moment and already have a number of important shows to do using the Geo."
The GEO package from SSE offers more than a standard system. With custom-designed cases the system is not only protected, but housed in a practical, easy-to-use manner, allowing the arrays to fly straight from the cases. The SSE manufactured distribution units for the racks offer complete flexibility, with standard Neutri
St. John's Church in the Lebanese city of Achkout, 15 kilometres north of Beirut, has recently had a brand new sound system installed. With seating for 750 and a maximum capacity of 1,000, St. John's is one of the largest Christian churches in the area.
Installer Tony Abou-Khair outlines the brief: "In terms of speech intelligibility, the old system was not capable of doing justice to the demands of today. As an ever-increasing number of people have been frequenting the services, the sound system had to be expanded. The budget was tight so the loudspeaker cabinets we chose had to be capable of producing a balanced sound with excellent speech intelligibility, even without any type of external controller. As a result, we opted for the HK Audio Linear 3 Series. The acoustics in the front portion of the church are problematic because of a potentially unpleasant build-up of mid to high frequency reflections; thanks to the cabinets' integral Sound Field Selector (an internal HF-damping), we were able to keep these under control without even having to resort to any external EQ." The church is divided into three zones and covered with six LR 112 cabinets mounted to the side walls, with HK Audio BWH 3 wall-mount adapters.
(Ruth Rossington)
Urbium plc notched up their 26th venue this month with the opening of the expansive Tiger Tiger in Newcastle. In keeping with their policy, the venue forms part of a new £70m leisure and retail development called The Gate at the top of Newcastle’s Bigg Market drinking circuit, in the shadow of the former Mayfair Ballroom.
To maximize an ideal location, Urbium brought back interior designers Tibbatts & Co to deliver this 1800-capacity multi-bar concept. With a large ground floor Tiger Bar, Moroccan-themed Kaz Bar, Manhattan-style Loft, colonial-style Raffles Bar and the retro feel of The Den, as well as a clever tunnel which acts as a bass trap into the industrially-appointed club, the venue caters to all tastes. There is also further evidence of the company’s move towards fine dining with the stylish, silver service restaurant. Yet where Newcastle has become truly groundbreaking is in piloting a network management system which enables the operation to be serviced and maintained online.
When Urbium’s technical manager, Jeremy Dowding, and technological innovators, Green-I, pooled their collective knowledge of applied electronics, an elaborate ‘dial-up’ scheme was devised. In addition to monitoring the installation, this network would report any operational activities outside predefined parameters, ensuring that the system would run on autopilot if necessary. The design was based around two essential digital control and virtual dynamics blocks - the BSS Soundweb and the less obvious QSControl, from American amp giants QSC.
The latter&rsquo
Cadac Electronics Plc reports that its J-Type Live Production Console features on three of the current Mamma Mia! productions. September saw the show's debut in Sydney at the Lyric Theatre, Star City, underlining the Australian's continuing enthusiasm for the sunny musical. In November, the first ever non-English language production premièred in Hamburg - at the refurbished Operettenhaus an der Reeperbahn. The Umi Theatre in Tokyo completes the picture for 2002, where Mamma Mia! opened on 1st December.
For this latter, Mamma Mia! is being staged by the Shiki Theatre Company at this brand new 1200-seat theatre, which is located in the new Bayside Tokyo Shiodome SIO-SITE complex. The show is the latest in a long line of large-scale musical productions under the Shiki banner, including Phantom of the Opera, CATS and The Lion King. The Shiki team was responsible for the design of the Umi Theatre and the acoustics, giving them an ideal level of control from the outset. The sound designer for the show was Bobby Aitken, with Brian Beasley as associate sound designer.
In Hamburg, Mamma Mia! broke a number of records in the run-up to the official opening. Four days before the première, production company Stage Holding reported that over 150,000 tickets had been sold via the ticket hotline. In order to meet the unprecedented demand, they had to employ more than 300 ticket agents. In Australia, meanwhile, Mamma Mia! has been touring the country with a 70-channel J-Type. The tour kicked off in Melbourne at the Princess Theatre in early 2001, with 26th September 2002 marking the s
21st century audio technology has joined 11th century history in the first ever Renkus-Heinz ST-STX installation in Europe. The Dala-Husby Church in the very heart of Dalarna, Sweden, has chosen the high powered Renkus-Heinz ST7, with built-in Class D amplification and integral processing, to deliver sound throughout its large, highly reverberant main hall.
The installation was supervised by DAT AB, Renkus-Heinz’s Swedish distributor. DAT installed the new Renkus-Heinz ST7/94 (90 x 40 degree dispersion) loudspeaker and a series of distributed nearfield speakers in the church, to minimize the effects of a long reverb time while projecting vocal and musical clarity throughout the building.
Faced with a limited budget and the requirement for a compact, simple, but state-of-the-art sound system, DAT measured the reverberation time at almost 4.5 seconds and created an EASE model of the church. Their conclusion was that one single speaker with added nearfield speakers would be the optimum solution. Robert Nilsson, head of DAT AB, explains: "The church is built entirely of stone with highly reflective areas everywhere. Even the brick floor placed serious demands on the sound system design. The best way to solve this was to use a full-range enclosure with a large format horn and tightly controlled dispersion as the main sound source.
"Since the budget was tight, I knew that if we only proposed one solution with a comparatively high price tag, we wouldn't get the job. So earlier this year, I set up a demonstration of different speakers and different system solu
Metropolis Studios has consolidated its position as one of Europe’s leading recording studio complexes through the reconstruction of two of its main rooms around SSL consoles. The 72 channel SSL XL 9000 K Series will be fitted into the customized 5.1 and stereo Studio E and an SSL 9000 J into Studio A.
The move is certain to be seen as adventurous in the current climate and watched with interest by senior industry figures. The studio industry has been in a state of flux for a couple of years with a change in the way records have been made, resulting in a number of mid to large studios closing. Metropolis created studio E, one of the world’s first purpose-built music surround mix rooms in 1996 and was the first major studio complex to embrace the ProTools revolution in the early 90s. The Group was also unique in offering ProTools workstations for every session with Prism converters included in their standard rates.
Metropolis Group’s Head of Technical John Goldstraw, who constructed the studios with Chairman Carey Taylor, said: "We recognized early that the multi-channel music format was only waiting for a commercial carrier. These now being available [SACD, DVD-A, DVD-V] guarantees the success of this art-form in music."
The new XL will form the core of studio E, Metropolis’ premier stereo and 5.1 surround mix and overdub room, which boasts past artists such as Robbie Williams, Westlife, New Order and Slipknot to name a few. Studio A has been the scene of some of the finest recording sessions in Metropolis history, perhaps most notab
D-PAC has announced the introduction of the AM-152, AS-1+ and PS-1 to the D-PAC range of self-powered loudspeakers. AM-152 is a self-powered 15" neodymium speaker and 2" neodymium compression driver mounted on a 70 x 60 degree horn. Weighing 28.5kg, the AM-152 is suitable for portable use. As an option, single point flying anchors can be mounted, adding flexibilty when installing in venues or for use as delay.
AS-1+ is a self-powered 18" subwoofer in a bass reflex configuration. Due to the integrated ribs, safe stacking is possible when using multiple AS-1+s. AS-1+ is equipped with link out to one PS-1 (unamplified) when dual 18" systems are required. PS-1 is an AS-1+ without the amplifier module, and intended for use as a slave to the AS-1+ or for use with other amplifiers, giving the option to later upgrade with AS-1+.
(Lee Baldock)