Harrogate-based sales and installation specialists Funtime Music has recently installed a number of Camco's Vortex amplifiers supplied by Camco's UK distributor Fuzion plc, into two new Po Na Na venues in Lincoln and Salisbury. Funtime Music, nominated as Installer of the Year at the upcoming BEDA Awards later this year, has the contract for all new Po Na Na venues and plans to install Vortex amplifiers throughout. Funtime's Jonathan Reece explained his choice: "It really wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Vortex has revolutionised what we do in amplifier terms. We weren't particularly happy with the amps we were using, especially on the bottom end, but Vortex is just leagues apart. They sound superb right across all frequencies, but particularly on the bass. They run extremely cool so operation is trouble-free, and they also look very stylish, which for installations can actually be quite important. The lightweight aspect, although ostensibly more attractive for touring applications, is an added bonus as far as I'm concerned. But what is even more amazing is the price. It's hard to believe that you can get such a reliable, high quality product for the price I'm definitely sold!"
Funtime has installed six Vortex amplifiers in Po Na Na in Salisbury using Vortex 4s to drive the top boxes and Vortex 6s on the bass bins. A further three Vortexes have been installed in Lincoln.
The Golders Green Hippodrome has been the official home of the BBC Concert Orchestra since the early 1970s. The most recent, and probably the most extensive technical refit in recent years was completed at the end of April 2001 and included significant building works as well as a complete studio overhaul. The Oxford Sound Company was chosen to install a new 72-input SSL console, the SL9000J Series, and to integrate it into the existing infrastructure, as well as adding new cabling for the additional inputs. Much of the studio equipment was also replaced, including talkback system and effects units. Main monitoring is via an impressive PMC BB5/XPD system, with Excel-201s for near-field and surround monitoring. The existing 24-track Studer A800 is used as the standard recording machine and additional cabling was installed for ‘guest’ recording equipment to provide 48-track facilities when required. "Working in old buildings not designed for this level of technical equipment always brings problems," said Stuart Edmiston, Oxford Sound's project manager. "This is quite a unique venue with sophisticated levels of recording and live performance equipment working side by side."
The auditorium sound system was also upgraded during the shutdown period with the existing Meyer UPA-1 speakers being refurbished by Autograph Sound. A new 32-channel Soundcraft K3 mixer for controlling the audience sound balance was supplied and installed by the Oxford Sound Company, with microphone feeds shared between the SSL and the Soundcraft via a microphone splitter s
Audace Ltd, the audio control specialists have been experiencing great domestic success with their intelligent Wall Plate system since launching it on the Allen & Heath stand at the PLASA Show last year. Installations include the Red Cube Bar and Grill in Leicester Square, Springbok Bars in Wigan and Cardiff and Bar Censsa in Preston. Managing director Bryan Waters told PLASA Media: "We are absolutely delighted with the response to this system. When we took the decision to commit to this project, we knew that there was a gap in the market between VCA pots and touch screens and it is encouraging to see that we are not the only ones with this conviction!" The Audace intelligent wall plate system provides inexpensive digital control of DSP-based audio processors via Cat 5 cable and configuration is carried out using a free Windows GUI available from the Audace website.
Royal Caribbean International has recently introduced the first of its Radiance class of ships - Radiance of the Seas. This stunning vessel is the largest ship ever to have been built at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, and the first joint venture between a German shipyard and an American cruise line.
RCI has a tradition of delivering high quality onboard entertainment and Radiance is no exception. The Viking Crown is the trademark destination on-board Royal Caribbean ships, a spectacular space surrounded by a sweep of glazing, that wraps itself around the funnel at the highest point, providing panoramic views for the passengers. In the evening, the Viking Crown takes on a completely new persona and turns into a major entertainment complex and, in the case of the Radiance of the Seas, this includes a disco, a black-box theatre and bars of various hues.
The disco is called Starquest, and Wynne Willson Gottelier (WWG) has designed a spectacular lighting, sound and video system in the area to get the holidaymakers on their toes. One of the main features is a WWG-conceived Beamlight which has been used to create a cage of 78 sequencing, vertical beams around the dance area. Other effects contained in the feature dome above the dancefloor are Martin MAC 250+s, Roboscan Pro 918s and Acrobats, Clay Paky Miniscan HPEs, Diversitronics strobes and a bunch of neon controlled via Mode Digitrans inverters. All the automated lights listed are fitted with custom gobos. The overall lighting control is provided by a ShowCAD system linked to a Lynx button panel. Two Le Mai
The newly-formed London-based PA rental company Blitz Sound (formerly TP Sound), has given a significant boost to its hire inventory with the purchase of 10 Crest X4 consoles from exclusive UK distributor The Sound Department - through dealers, Marquee Audio. The desks are intended for use as Blitz Sound’s standard consoles for small- to medium-sized shows within the corporate and conference markets and also for small musical and theatrical events. They replace existing stock in an ever-expanding hire facility. To date, the desks have been in operation on such events as the Opel Vivaro car launch in Germany and a Millennium Dance Company Show staged in London. Crest’s X4 consoles occupy a privileged position in the marketplace. As Blitz director Dave Perry illustrates, "The X4’s are really the only desk of that size, with the number of inputs and outputs that we need - with the requisite build quality that we require, and at a price that suits."
Hayden Laboratories, the exclusive UK distributor for Rane products, has supplied Rane NM84 network mic preamps to London-based specialist classical recording company Floating Earth. The preamps - part of the CobraNET range of audio products - were specified by Mark Harrison, technical engineer for Floating Earth’s new OB truck. It’s Floating Earth’s first mobile, so they consulted broadcast and high end equipment suppliers HHB about the project, asking them to supply the equipment and systems utilised and after-sales support. Floating Earth then undertook the physical install themselves. The four Rane NM84s were supplied by Hayden to HHB, for whom the project was managed by Steve Angel. The mic preamps go into the venue and sit at the front end of the location recording - each offers eight line inputs. They are linked to QSC CobraNET digital decoders in the truck by a single fibre optic cable. Mark Harrison has followed the development of CobraNET with interest over the last two years. He chose the NM84s because 'they were the right boxes at exactly the right time. They are studio-quality preamps, they have a remote control facility and mate perfectly with the QSC decoders.' He adds that the preamp’s return outputs facility has also proved very useful for talk-back and playback.
Harrison has long been a fan of Rane equipment and remarks on its proven reliability and quality. He’s so impressed with the Rane NM84s that he’s just ordered another two - to give him a total of 48 channels to the truck, and 16 return outputs. The Floating Ear
Following the recent appointment of Tone Ferne, Dobson Sound continues to expand its team of project co-ordinators to keep pace with the company's increasing workload. Richard Mortimer is the newest recruit to take his place. He will be working closely with David Lewis looking after the museum and conference market. A graduate in Music and Technology from Kingston University, Mortimer has spent the last three-and-a-half years working for Dobson Sound on a freelance basis so he is already very familiar with the client base. "As project co-ordinator it is my job to attend meetings with the client, ascertain their needs, specify the system, organise the crew and basically make sure the whole thing runs smoothly from start to finish."
Glen Beckley has joined Stage Electrics heading up the Audio Design Services department. Beckley recently returned from two months touring the arenas of the USA with southern gospel group the Gaither Vocal Band, following this with designs for pantomimes in Bath, Blackpool, Stoke and Sheffield last Christmas. 2001 will also see him designing systems for national tours of Anything Goes and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, as well as contributing to various installation projects in the UK and Europe. Last year also saw him design a groundbreaking digital audio system for the national tour of ‘Carousel’ starring Darren Day and Sam Kane, the first of its kind seen in the UK, which impressed audiences and critics alike all over the country, as well as a system for the national tour of 42nd Street starring Ruth Madoc.
Stage Electrics has also announced that Peter Western will be joining the company in early June. Western has firm roots in the entertainment industry including 10 years at Donmar and two years at Lighting Technology. Joining Stage Electrics as a business development manager for projects, Western will be working with architects and lighting designers on a range of projects including theatres and permanent visitor attractions as well as architectural installations.
Finally, Ben Cole joined Stage Electrics in May as business development manager for production services. He brings with him experience from Aztec Communications and more recently OnStage Events, the production division of The Sound Division Group, where he was instrumen
An XTA Electronics SiDD (Seriously Intelligent Digital Dynamics) processor has become, in the space of one tour, a vital component in conveying Gary Moore’s vocal power on stage. Moore’s front-of-house engineer, Andy May, decided to experiment with the multi-dynamics device after trying "virtually every compressor on the planet, from all the familiar units to the most esoteric American kit." Capital Sound is providing the tour’s audio production, with a Martin Wavefront 8 system, itself controlled by XTA DP226 digital loudspeaker processors. Both the DP226 and SiDD are based on XTA’s proprietary AudioCore DSP engine. The Gary Moore band is a straight-ahead four-piece line-up. The rig includes a Midas Heritage 3000 desk, Martin LE700 wedges, and Crown Macrotech amplification. Graham Lilley is production manager and Danny Stead mixes monitors.
May explains the challenge: "Gary sings and plays with a lot of passion and adrenalin, which works the vocal audio chain to the limits. He also likes a high guitar level on stage, so when he walks away from the microphone, the guitar sound floods into the mic, which means a lot of riding the faders for me. I’ve tried every kind of compressor on his vocal and none has ever really done the job of managing the dynamics without compromising the energy of his performance or the sound quality. SiDD goes a long way to solving that problem; it’s simply a brilliant product."
UK band Toploader have set themselves up with a travelling demo studio using a Tascam 788 8-track Digital Portastudio. Guitarist Julian Deane was the first to convert to the unit: "We’ve been using a live sampler set-up for the last five years," he explained. "It’s had a fair bit of wear and tear on the road, being thrown into the backs of trucks and what have you. We’ve decided to switch over to an MDM format and the Tascam is renowned for its quality and endurance. It also interfaces with the Spirit digital desk. All of the outputs will be going into my desk and I will be dubbing it up as ususal."
South African-based Matrix Sound recently supplied four Trantec S4000 IEM transmitters and 18 S4000 IEM receivers for use by the cast of Grease, The Stadium Spectacular, staged at Johannesburg Stadium. The lead characters, Danny and Sandy, had their own in-ear mix, as did the rest of the support cast. Although the vast stage area was covered by side-fills and wedge monitors, due to the sheer size of the production - andthe delayed sound returning from the rear of the stadium - it was decided that an in-ear system would aid the artists’ timing for song and dance numbers. Custom moulds were manufactured for all 18 performers as the S4000 IEMs made their first large-scale South African stage debut. The ability to operate on higher frequencies within the Channel 62/64 range ensured an interference-free performance from the 18 headset radios and 12 radio comms being used simultaneously on the show. Grease played to 60,000 people at Johannesburg Stadium and was very well received. Danny was played by South African, Craig Urbani, fresh from playing the role of Buddy Holly in London’s West End, while Sandy was played by fellow South African Amra Faye. The show also starred South African superstar Yvonne Chaka Chaka and popular breakfast radio show DJ Jeremy Mansfield as Vince Fontein.
One of Oslo’s biggest theatres, Sentrum Scene West, has upgraded its front-of-house system with a new Sony DMX-R100 8-bus digital mixing console. The 1,000 seat venue needed a flexible desk which could be instantly reconfigured for a variety of roles, yet which offered high sound quality. The theatre stages a wide range of productions, including live concerts, theatrical performances and one-off special events, and previously the engineers would have to reset the FOH console for each new show. However, by using the DMX-R100 on-board snapshot automation, this can now be achieved with the touch of a button.
Kjetil Husoey, the theatre’s sound designer, said: "With so many different projects running in the theatre at the same time, we needed a console that had the flexibility and more importantly a snapshot automation facility. Other contenders were considered, but would have been double the cost of the Sony."
Italian loudspeaker manufacturer Outline has developed the first high power, pollution free sound system with its' innovative Soundtracker system. The Soundtracker is a ceiling mounted tile that works as part of a matrix. The patented design incorporates a 21 foot horn, and a dual concentric 10" and 2" driver configuration. When a matrix of at least 16 units are installed, the off axis sound rejection is 30dB. Larger matrices of Soundtracker will perform equally. The intention for the composite ceiling tile which weighs in at an astonishing 22Kg, is for venues that either have a noise pollution problem, because of their location or indeed because of the Noise at Work Regulations Act which dictates limited working hours in areas of high SPL. Soundtracker can also be used as an extremely cost effective solution for hotels, exhibition or any public venues where sound pollution is a problem.
New York City’s Carnegie Hall has become the world’s first concert hall to include a Yamaha PM1D digital mixing system, as part of a recent audio system upgrade, which also included a Myere Sound loudspeaker system. The design was completed by David Andrews of Andrews Audio, John Monitto from Meyer Sound and acoustical consultants Art-Tec, who performed extensive acoustic and RASTI measurements. The decision to purchase a large format digital front of house console came about through recommendations, and the need for future expansion. "We had an analogue board for 11 years, and it worked very well," said head of sound John Cardinale. "However, we were intrigued by the capabilities and the sound of digital consoles when they were first introduced, so we convinced management to make an investment in a quality front of house console as part of our upgrade. Our decision to go with the PM1D was based, for the most part, on an established paradigm in sound reinforcement," he continues, "and that’s the signal flow and layout of the Yamaha PM4000. The majority of the touring acts that come to Carnegie Hall specify a 4000 on their rider, and the control surface of the PM1D is very similar. We found that you can set it up to work on the surface, and don’t have to page through menus."
Carnegie Hall’s main PA consists of a centre cluster, comprised of three Meyer powered MSL4 cabinets and four CQ1 cabinets, with side stacks consisting of four MSL4 and two PSW2 cabinets. "The front-fills are UPM1Ps that lay across the st
Studio Brussel is one of Belgium's most vibrant radio stations catering for the dance-orientated youth market. For their annual party this year they decided to go for a full-on festival held in Kuipke, the old velodrome in Ghent. A total of seven different venues were used to showcase the best of both Belgian and international talent. The main stage was in Kuipke and featured acts such as the Postmen, 28 days, Starflam, the Guano Apes and many more. Acoustic sessions took place in the Casino with the likes of Novastar, Monza and Luc de Vos, while other attractions included a drive-in movie theatre, cabaret, and DJ sets from Cut la Roc and Luke Slater. The welcome area included a live broadcast studio and a display of artwork from famous Belgian artist Panamarenko.
Dee Sound of Belgium was responsible for supplying the audio requirements for this high profile event. Both the main stage and the casino were equipped with the Synco Touring loudspeaker system. After the gig the Guano Apes engineer commented: "It's a great system it gives you lots of headroom at high SPLs without loss of clarity." It was also the ideal opportunity to put the two newly-purchased Midas Heritage 3000s through their paces, particularly as the consoles were used for both FOH and monitoring purposes. According to Andre Schneider (owner of Dee Sound): "The desks are so clearly mapped out I have no worries letting visitors work on them. "
The event was attended by 10,000 people who partied until dawn. The Studio Brussel team, who confessed to a slight case of butterflies before
Outline, the Italian loudspeaker designer and manufacturer, has announced the addition of a 'Joey' to its Kanguro (pronounced kangaroo) range of ultra portable sound systems. 'Joey' was the project name, which will not be used to market this latest product in the Kanguro range. The KW1215A is a self-powered loudspeaker system which allows the High Pack to be placed inside the Sub for transport. Amplifiers for the system have been developed in-house by Outline and are fully Digital. Each module produces 450W into 8 Ohms and there is a module in each of the KW1215A cabinets.
Members of the ALD (Association of Lighting Designers) and the STLD (Society of Television Lighting Directors) along with other lighting designers have been invited to Wybron's Open Day for a demonstration of the Autopilot II system. The demonstration will be held at the Prince of Wales Theatre, London, where the Autopilot II is currently in use on the production of The Witches of Eastwick. Autopilot II is Wybron's automated followspot system, which is very easy to set up, use and monitor from a PC. Lighting designer Kevin Burgess will demonstrate its full potential and show how it's used in Witches. "We are really excited to have Kevin Burgess, the true Autopilot II ‘expert’, with us on the Open Day," says Mike Goldberg, manufacturer's representative for Wybron, who is arranging the event, which takes place at 3pm on May 25th. Goldberg can be contacted at the e-mail address given below.
Pioneer GB has introduced the futuristically-designed CDJ-1000, which includes a range of innovative new features such as Vinyl Emulation, Wave Display, Multi-Media Card (MMC) and Loop In and Out Adjust. The CDJ-1000 provides a creative universe limited only by the imagination of the DJ - entirely irrespective of favouritism towards either CD or Vinyl. With its design rooted in CD and sampling technology, the CDJ-1000 is modelled on a traditional vinyl deck. With the world’s largest touch-sensitive Jog Dial, designed to faithfully and accurately emulate the characteristics of a turntable. This allows DJs to treat CDs exactly the same way as they would a vinyl record: cueing, pitch-bending, back-spinning and even scratching.
The Wave display reads every track on the CD and displays the corresponding sound level in a graphical format. This enables the DJ to cue up a track just as they would with vinyl by reading track break-points in advance for use as a mix point. There is also a Zoom facility which lets the DJ scroll along the Wave display to obtain even greater information. The MMC memory card feature allows the DJ to store favourite cue and loop points, as well as all the track Wave data from the CD onto the card for future use (16mb MMC = 100 cue and loops points and WAVE data up to a maximum of 10,000 CDs). There is also a back-up function that duplicates cards in case of loss. Other features include an instant reverse activated by a switch with no loss of tempo or pitch; three Hot Cue buttons that can be used to memorise cue points on different CD tracks and th
Multiplex, the Australian company renowned for its on-time completion of the Stadium Australia for the Sydney 2000 Olympics, is currently working on upgrading Chelsea Football Club's Stamford Bridge ground. As part of this, its on-site contractor SVT were asked to look at the arrangements for evacuation in cases of emergency such as bomb threats. Deciding that a new system was required they turned to a partnership of ASL's world-leading PA equipment and Navica Ltd's rack-building expertise for this flagship installation. ASL's products from the core of the Incident Evacuation system, which will be used to control and evacuate the crowd inside the stadium. The primary fire evacuation system, in this case, will continue to use conventional sounders but should it be necessary, ASL's system can be configured to be fully compliant to the standards required of a primary fire evacuation system.
Terry Crouch of SVT is delighted with both the equipment and the support during the design, rack build and commissioning process from ASL and Navica. He stated: "The key thing for me about the system is that it's so simple to wire, configure and use. The entire process is so easy using ASL's clear and concise instructions and frankly, in our business, less wires means less mistakes and money saved."
Audace Ltd, the audio control specialist, has released V1.04 of their Intelligent Wall Plate software. The wall plates interface to digital mix processors such as the Allen & Heath DR Series to provide inexpensive, easy-to-use but configurable control of the audio environment by unskilled operators. New features include free Windows GUI available from the Audace website for configuration of systems; wall panels can now control up to four audio channels simultaneously; the 'range' of volume control can be limited at configuration stage; switches can be programmed as mutes, presets, source selects or no function; switches can be configured as additive or mutually-exclusive in function, interfaces with Allen & Heath V2.10 system software which eliminates the need for an optional remote control port, thus reducing overall system cost significantly.
Audace managing director Bryan Waters commented: "In combination with Allen & Heath DR128 in particular, I feel that this solution represents one of the best value sophisticated audio control systems on the market. Not everyone has the budget or requirement for touch screens and of course the compromises of VCA control pots are well documented in terms of no on-panel display, wiring costs, no facility for limiting control, lack of scalability and difficulties achieving multi-channel control. With our system you can even install multiple panels (up to 32) in a large ballroom, for example, and all the relevant wall plates will update when any one of them is manipulated. The displays will also, of course, respond to changes from
The Greater London Authority in temporary residence in Westminster has contracted Recreation Sound to supply the conference equipment necessary for the public council meetings for sound reinforcement, broadcast to news media and for live transmission on the GLA website. To assist them in this, Recreation Sound opted for a beyerdynamic MCS system: "We looked at different systems for the GLA system, and we were impressed by the sound quality of the beyer MCS system," commented Mark Trigg, managing director of Recreation Sound. John Kensington is the system operator and was impressed by the ease of the system’s operation: "I control everything from the laptop. In the excitement of the discussions and debates, the participants can forget to turn on their microphones and it’s as easy as a mouse-click for me. We leave Ken's [Livingstone] mic on all the time as he has most to say and as the entire meeting is recorded we don't want to miss any of his rhetoric!"
The entire system is installed in the Marsham Street venue by Recreation Sound for major meeting or by the GLA's own technical staff for smaller internal meetings and has to be de-rigged after use as the room is used for other functions. The central control rack also includes Drawmer DAs for News Media isolated feeds, Denon recorders, an Allen & Heath DR66 mixer and a Nexo PA system.
ARX's range of SPL Series Powered Integrated Loudspeakers has been expanded with the release of the new SPL 20 Powered Arrayable Trapezoidal Sub Woofer. Featuring a single 18" (460mm) long-throw driver, the SPL 20 provides extended low frequency output from 35-100Hz in an Arrayable trapezoidal reflex-loaded package, for use in flown or ground stacked multi-cabinet loudspeaker systems. The SPL 20's fully integrated amplifier/speaker combination offers ARX's propriety ISC system protection and CoolPort technology, ensuring maximized high power output whilst retaining low distortion and providing sonic accuracy. Designed as a complementary sub-bass cabinet for SPL 12 and SPL 10 arrays, the SPL 20 can easily be used with other speaker systems. Since its control electronics and amplifier are built-in, the SPL 20 is the perfect add-on when more extended low frequency output is required. The all-new amplifier design inside the SPL 20 uses existing proven ARX analogue amplifier technology for predictable operation in all professional applications. Its transformer based power supply and Mosfet drive circuitry both enable a reduced parts count for long term reliability. Plus, with their inbuilt self-regulation, Mosfets are accepted as being the most thermally reliable and predictable amplifier output stage currently available. ARX’s SPL range of powered loudspeakers are now widely used in concert halls, auditoriums, hotels, convention centres and other venues requiring high quality predictable sound reproduction worldwide.
Following the growing success of the beyerdynamic conference products, beyerdynamic (GB) Ltd have signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Biamp Inc to represent their full product range in the UK. The Biamp product line has found increasing applications in conference applications and is a perfect partner for both the beyerdynamic MCS and MCW product ranges. Commenting on the appointment, John Midgley, managing director of the beyerdynamic UK operation stated: "This is an important product line for us and comes at a great time with the success we have had in the conference and distance learning markets. Now with the Audia product we can integrate systems even further and offer a complete, integrated solution to this growing market sector." Biamp have recently launched the Audia Digital Audio Platform as an open architecture configurable audio matrix system, allowing installers the ability to exactly define the audio system for a given installation with the ability of simple and quick reconfiguration of the input and outputs. The system can be controlled via Panja (formerly AMX) or Crestron protocols via Ethernet or serial communication networks.
Audience members attending Hugh Whitemore’s new play God Only Knows at The Vaudeville Theatre in London may not realise that they are witnessing a small revolution in theatre sound design: Aura associate Robert Tory and Aura director John Leonard have decided to make it the West-End’s first ‘mixing-desk free’ show . . .
The original touring equipment list, supplied to the production by Autograph Sound, included a Yamaha 02R digital desk, along with an Akai S6000 sampler, playing out through Richmond Sound Design’s AudioBox and controlled by RSD’s Showman show-control program to replay the atmospheric sound effects mix, and to ‘fly’ a sinister helicopter effect around the auditorium for the play’s denouement. Both Tory and Leonard, along with Aura’s show-control expert Scott George, were keen to investigate the latest option for AudioBox users, CM Automation’s MotorMix, which adds a motorised fader-pack to Richmond’s audio-playback matrix. The unit facilitates hands-on programming and provides a fader mimic for the AudioBox, as well as providing full remote control for show-running. Following Aura’s comprehensive use of the AudioBox and associated ABEdit software for Madame Tussaud’s New York exhibition (see L&SI, Dec 2000), Leonard and George were confident that the entire show could be handled just by the AudioBox and MotorMix combination and that any other front-end equipment could safely be made redundant.
Aura specified a complete double system, with a standby AudioBox tracking the m