1-june2011

LIVE • COMMERCIAL • RECORDING • BROADCAST

Issue 40 • June 2011

EAST ASIA FOCUS • STAGE WEDGES • EUROVISION • FATMAN • MARCELLA ARAICA

The latest from the UK firm thatʼs become aleader in digital consoles named after fish...

MAKING WAVES

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 the creative genius of Dave

Bracey, live mixing is taken to a whole new level.

DiGiCo SD7: Criminally Good.

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

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

DAVEBRACEY

FOH - Robbie Williams & Massive Attack

For superior audio quality and extraordinary

functionality in the same console there is

only the SD7. - Dave Bracey“

”

EVENTS

API AWARDS • 12The lastest on the Industry’s leading

awards

PALME ME • 14Dubai’s biggest AV event

STUDIO/BROADCAST

COVER FEATUREDIGICO • 16The latest from the UK console manufacturer

EUROVISON • 32The world’s biggest live sound event

LIVE SOUND/INSTALLATION

> IN THIS ISSSUE

CONTENTSISSUE 40 June 2011

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

Fax: +44 (0) 1992 535648

Editor: Andrew Low

[email protected]

Associate Editor: Lisa Carter

[email protected]

Staff Writer: Daniel Gumble

[email protected]

Advertising Manager: Darrell Carter

[email protected]

Designer: Claire Brocklesby

[email protected]

Ad Production: Rosie McKeown

[email protected]

Subscriptions Manager: Lindsay Banham

[email protected]

Publisher: Stuart Dinsey

[email protected]

Account Manager: Jodie Holdway

[email protected]

Luckily the Rapture was a

false alarm and we can all

go on with living our

normal lives, until October 21st –

which is great because we will get

to say our last goodbyes to

everyone in the industry in London

at the PLASA show in September.

Before I started spending all my

life savings and partying like it

was the end of the world, I attended this year’s

Eurovision Song Contest (see a particularly

technical report on pages 32 to 34). And yes, the

music was awful, but the show was certainly a

sight to be seen. The amount of money spent on

this historically money-losing event would send

any accountant into an epileptic fit. However, it did

serve as one of the most highly-specced and

innovative combinations of audio, lighting and

video that I have ever seen. One could liken it to a

boutique studio set-up by a producer with an

unlimited budget – the sky’s the limit.

And because I thought it was going to be my

last weekend on earth, I attended the FOM Festival

in Manchester. What better way to spend your last

hours on earth than in the middle of a windy field

watching live music? Although the inaugural

festival was sparsely attended, the sound system

and the line up were the best I’ve seen and heard

in years. American garage rockers The Black Lips

sounded better than I have ever heard them, and

veteran punk rockers The Buzzcocks destroyed

every other band on the bill with their timeless

songs and stage presence. The highlight of the

event, however, was John Cooper Clark’s set in

the comedy tent.

FOM Festival proved that although the UK

summer festival is horribly oversubscribed, we can

fit one more event in the calendar. In my opinion

the organisers’ decision to choose a line-up of

artists based on the quality of the music rather

than the popularity of the band made for one of

the best line-ups of the summer. I will make a

major caveat for Saturday’s headliner The Cribs,

who were the worst band I have ever seen. A full

report will follow in API’s July/August issue.

Andrew Low - [email protected]

mobile.audioprointernational.com

A bookmark us in your phone

EDITORIAL

BEHRINGER SUES PEAVEY • 4Lawsuit filed against US electronics corp

LYNX RELEASE HILO • 6Compact A/D converter released for studio

use

YAMAHA ON TRACK • 8Keeping up to speed after the earthquake

NEWS

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

> Regulars: Regional Focus 21 Dave Swallow 27 Marketplace 50 Mixdown 55 Behind the Board 58

MARCELLA ARAICA • 38Timbaland’s right-hand woman on

recording

FATMAN • 42Tony Larking brings tube sound to the

masses

Peavey US faces lawsuit from Behringer

> NEWS

ULI BEHRINGER’S Music Grouphas levelled a series of accusations atPeavey Electronic Corporation andhas filed a lawsuit against them.

Filed by the Music Group in theUS District Court, the suit is claimedto be for ‘false advertising, false patentmarking and unfaircompetition.’ It isbased upon Peavey’salleged ‘intentionalmislabelling of itsproducts in the USmarket.’

The Music Group,in a statement issuedon April 28th 2011, said: “An on-going investigation by the MusicGroup revealed that Peavey’s productsare not labelled in accordance withUS patent laws and FCC regulations.Evidence obtained from anindependent certified testing labshows that seven out of ten Peaveyproducts tested emit electromagneticradiation in excess of currentgovernment standards.”

Senior vice president of marketing,Costa Lakoumentas, commented:“The Music Group has investedmillions of dollars in comprehensivetesting and compliance labs and inquality control programmes to ensure

its products are in full compliancewith all regulatory standards.Additionally, we also go well beyondthe requirements of US regulations bycertifying our products through theUL Safety Standards process; thusensuring our products are safe for

consumers. “Compliance with

federal regulationsand safety are toppriorities in theMusic Group, and weexpect othercompanies in themarket place to take

these matters as seriously as we do.”The statement continues: "The

mislabelling lawsuit against Peavey,with its implications on compliancewith FFC regulations, could have astaggering impact on the pro-audioand lighting industry, whereindependent testing has shown anumber of products sold bymanufacturers in the US market arenon-compliant. Companies thatbypass regulatory testing are not onlybreaking the law, they are creatingpotential risks for consumers andcreate an unfair advantage over thosewho spend on testing fees andcompliance-relevant components."

‘Intentional mislabelling’ of its products leads to District Court hearing for electronic corporation

4 audioPRO June 2011 www.audioprointernational.com

THE NATIONAL Association ofMusic Merchants (NAMM) hassigned up as Headline Sponsor ofthe third annual Audio ProIndustry Excellence Awards for thesecond year running.

The globally renowned tradeassociation, best known for its show,held at the Anaheim ConventionCenter every January, will againtake a leading role in the awards inacknowledging the best pro audioproducts, companies and people.

“We are really pleased to sign onas headline sponsor for the 2011Audio Pro Industry ExcellenceAwards again this year,” stated BettyHeywood, director of internationalaffairs. “The NAMM Show has longserved as the hub for live sound andrecording equipment from aroundthe world and we are proud toprovide a supportive businessenvironment for this importantsector of our industry.

“We’re glad that with the Awardsnow in their third year, Audio Procontinues to reward excellence in

technology and its creative use.”“We are very pleased to have

NAMM join as Headline Sponsoragain this year. Together we willcontinue to provide a greater serviceto our readers and ensure that it is

the industry’s most comprehensiveawards event,”explained API’seditor Andrew Low.

The API Excellence Awards arearranged into two categories: Studioand Broadcast Sound and Live and

Installed Sound. There is also aLifetime Achievement Awardpresented to an individual who hascontributed to the industry over asustained time period.

The Grand Prix award has beenadded to this year’s category line-up.This is our highest accolade andrewards any pro audio brand orcompany which has enjoyed bothcommercial and critical success,while also showing the highest levelof overall support for the businessin general.

In the two sector-based categories,awards for exceptional events orprojects will go to the person, teamor organisation tasked withproviding the sound as a product,either through record production,sound system installation, hire,deployment or broadcast services.

A judging panel has beenassembled and the winners will beannounced in API’s October issueand online. You can nominate yourcompany or customer by [email protected].

NAMM sponsors Audio Pro Industry Excellence Awards

“Compliance with

federal regulations and

safety are top priorities

in the Music Group.

DANIEL GUMBLE has beenappointed as the new staffwriter for Audio ProInternational.

Gumble has experience inboth print and onlinejournalism, having enjoyedspells at publications includingCine-vue.com. He will supporteditor, Andrew Low, and assistin the day-to-day running of theprint magazine, as well asboosting the news and featurecontent on Audio Pro Online.

The appointment comes asAudio Pro looks to build on itsmarket leadership, both in printand online, with a number ofrecent and forthcomingdevelopments, including arevamped website, iPhoneapplication, magazine redesignand rich media Facebook page.

“Gumble’s background injournalism and music technologywill serve as valuable assests forAPI,” stated editor Andrew Low.

NEWS <

API Awards

PAGE 12East Asia regional focus

PAGE 21Eurovision

PAGE 32

WITH CONFLICTING storiescurrently circulating on the state oflive music in the UK, one canscarcely determine whether thefuture of live music events is lookingbright, or whether it is on theprecipice of an imminent nose-dive.

In a recent study, UK Music hasstated that ticket sales for live musicevents generate almost £1bn a year inrevenue, providing a much neededboost to the UK's economy. As such,these kind of figures are said toequate to the sustenance ofapproximately 19,700 jobs, withalmost one fifth of the revenuecoming from overseas tourists.

On emphasising the importance of

live music in the UK, chief executiveof UK Music, Feargal Sharkeycommented: "The role of music, interms of creating jobs, in terms ofsustaining businesses and in terms of

attracting visitors to all regions ofthis country, is something that comesover loud and clear."

Furthermore, in an attempt torepresent UK music on a wider scale,

various organisations have joinedforces to create the UK Live MusicGroup, with the appointment of LiveNation's Paul Latham to the UKMusic board. Live nation has teamedup with Agents Association,Association of Festival Goers andConcert Promoters Association, toname but a few, to form the UK LiveMusic Group sub-committee.

While this may all sound verypromising, a recent survey conductedby PRS For Music, has uncovered apotentially concerning counterperspective, revealing a 6.7 per centslump in ticket sales for live events;the first dip of its kind in ten years.It is believed that the cause of thisdrop in sales is a result of poorattendances at large-scale events forhigh profile artists, such as PaulMcCartney and Bon Jovi.

However, Chris Carey, aneconomist at PRS, claims that thesurvey results are merely a blip. Hestated: "I don't think this is a disaster,I think it's a blip. I'm not worriedabout the future of live music. Therehad been a lack of big name artiststouring last year, which was set tochange in 2011."

UK live sector faces an uncertain futureStats reveal £1billion industry suffers its first financial decline in over a decade

ROLAND'S NEW VR-5mixer/recorder has been cited as acrucial tool in the ongoing search formissing people abroad, with theMissing Abroad initiative, by the LucieBlackman Trust, having recentlyinstalled the device at their newlyopened studio.

Since the disappearance of LucieBlackman in Japan in 2000, the LBThas established the Missing Abroadinitiative to assist families of missing

people, by offering support, adviceand practical help. At any one time,there are 20-30 missing UK citizensthat the Trust are trying to find.

Matt Searle, Missing Abroad'soperations manager, has recentlycommissioned the opening of a TVsuite at the Trust's HQ based in theIsle of Wight, and has highlighted theVR-5 as a key factor in the process ofsearching for missing people: "Forfamilies whose relatives are missing or

murdered overseas, the process ofmaking a victim impact statementcan be very traumatic. Often theyhave to go overseas to do it, or intoan impersonal police station. Ournew studio will enable them to gothrough the difficult process andrecord their statement on video inrelatively benign conditions."

Searle commented that the VR-5came to his attention at the LondonBVE show: " I thought ‘wow’! I wassold on the spot. It is the perfectdevice for what we are doing, in acompact, all-in-one package."

Missing Abroad initiative

recruits Roland VR-5

“The role of music, in

terms of creating jobs,

sustaining businesses

and attracting visitors

to this country comes

over loud and clear. Feargal Sharkey

Audio Pro bolsterseditorial team

www.audioprointernational.com audioPRO June 2011 5

> NEWS

DBTECHNOLOGIES’ East Asianrepresentative Martin Capp has statedthat it is time for Western pro audiofirms to respect and work togetherwith East Asian manufacturers toaddress the growing need for proaudio products in the region.

In an exclusive interview withAudio Pro International, Capp statesthat he feels there isroom in pro audiobusiness dynamicsfor Westerntechnology to meeton an equal footingwith East Asianmanufacture. Hecommented: “Anequal union wouldbenefit both sides,with Westerntechnology and design know-how,combined with a highly geared-upmanufacturing base.

“Local knowledge andunderstanding for local productrequirements, married with modernmethods, in-depth productunderstanding and knowledge is apowerful combination. All of this isneeded in order to meet theenormous sales growth that is set tohappen over the next ten years or so

in the EA region. For this to happenin the most successful way it wouldtake great depth of foresight,enormous trust and a large chunk ofmutual respect on the part of aWestern brand in close collaborationwith a Far Eastern manufacturer,rather than being bought out by oneor the other. When one takes over the

other entirely therecan be a loss ofdrive on one side orthe other as a resultof naturalcultural beliefs. Thestrength comeswhen both sides areable to influencethe other in amutually beneficialway to get the best

out of both worlds.”Capp’s sentiments are supported by

recently released figures, which revealthat the Chinese government isplanning to spend an estimated 460billion US dollars to build an array ofentertainment venues. This willinvariably trigger a large spike indomestic consumption of pro audio,lighting and stage equipment. Figuresreleased by China’s Office of CentralLeading Group for the Reform of

Cultural Systems in February 2011show that China’s entertainmentmarket generated approximately 190billion US dollars in 2010.

Capp also states that pro audiofirms need to think globally and beable to address business demands withimmediate sales, marketing andsupport. He asserts that it is essentialto have dedicated staff in eachcountry it trades in, which can only be

strengthened by good relations withEast Asian manufacturers. “Today’smarket means that you need companypeople on the ground in each majormarket and time zone of Europe, EastAsia and the USA as a minimum. Ifthings are organised this way thenthere are no company disadvantages,only benefits,” Capp said. The full interview with Capp can befound on pages 21 to 23.

dB’s Capp urges Western developersto work with East Asian manufacturers

THE RELEASE of the HiloReference A/D D/A convertersystem has been announced by LynxStudio Technology.

Providing two channels ofmastering quality analogue to digitalconversion, up to eight channels ofdigital to analogue conversion and asecondary monitor output, the Hiloalso comes with an independentheadphone amplifier in a compacthalf-rack size.

With multiple internal mixers, aswell as being able to run on a batterypack, the two channel converter isintended to offer a great deal offlexibility. Its 480 x 272 touch-screenworks as a flexible interface that iscapable of adapting to a particularapplication and can be easilyupgraded with new enhancementsand features.

The unit's high-resolution screenis designed to do far more than

merely replace the buttons usuallyfound on the front panel of so manyother converters. It goes withoutsaying that it takes care of the basicsettings and routing functions,clocking and level settings. The maincontrol screen has ten tabs for all ofthese, in addition to five stereometer sets, plus faders for themonitor and headphoneoutputs.

Hilo's digitalsection possesses awide range ofinputs. BothAES/EBU inputsand outputs havetransformer isolatedbalanced XLRconnectors. Theoptical ports mayalso be utilised forup to eight ADATchannels, with the

ADAT input and output channelsbeing entirely independent from theAES/EBU or S/PDIF coax channels.Also included, is the Lynx LT-USBLSlot accessory, therefore enablingcomputer connectivity.

In total, Hillo has 12 inputs, 16

outputs, plus 32 channels possiblevia its LSlot port. Its internal 32channel mixer, which allows Hilo tooffer the most versatile I/O androuting in the two channel convertergenre, is powered by the unit'sFPGA.

Lynx Hilo reference converter unveiled

Mutual respect and collaboration needed to meet enormous growth in East Asian market

6 audioPRO May 2011

“Local knowledge and

understanding, married

with modern methods, is

a powerful combination.

Martin Capp

NEWS <

www.audioprointernational.com audioPRO May 2011 7

Ken Barnsley INDUSTRY STALWART KenBarnsley has sadly passed away. Fairlighthas issued the following statementregarding his death:

It is with great sadness that Fairlighthas announced the death of KenBarnsley, who passed away on April26th, 2011 after losing his fight againstcancer.

For over 25 years Ken led sales andmarketing efforts for some of the biggestcompanies in the music, broadcast, filmand post production markets, includingAMS-Neve, Solid State Logic, Avid UK

and Amek. Ken joined Fairlight in 2008as European operations director aftereight years as head of sales andmarketing for Merging Technologies.

In recent years Ken discovered apassion for horses, taking part in manyequestrian events both as a participantand as an organiser. He acted as vicechair of the Lusitano Breed Society ofGreat Britain until ill health forced himto retire earlier this year.

He leaves behind his partner ofsixteen years, Laura Duncalf, and adaughter, Diane.

Borrelli takes

new Cadac

sales dev role

CADAC HOLDINGS hasannounced that VincenzoBorrelli has been appointed asits new sales developmentmanager.

Borrelli brings with him awealth of experience in themost competitive areas of thepro-audio sector, havingpreviously worked for a wide-range of companies, such asHarman, Mackie, SoundTechnology, and mostrecently, Stage Electrics.

Cadac sales director, BobThomas, said: "Cadac isactively developing retailfocused distribution networkas a major element in itsfuture growth strategy, insupport of its new compactanalogue and digital productlines. Vince brings invaluableexperience and knowledge ofthat market to the new role,and it's my pleasure towelcome him to the team."

With regards to productdevelopment, the CadacDM1600 was recentlyunveiled. The all-newpropriety DSP mix platform isa moduar design thataddresses both Cadac'straditional sound installationapplications, and potentialnew markets where audioreproduction, control andprocessing are required.

Thomas added: "TheDM1600 is a uniquepremium offering at its pricepoint; nothing currentlyavailable offers theexpandability, or this level ofquality and control.Furthermore, the controlsurface and user interface aredesigned to ensure the mixeris as easy and as fast tooperate as a compact analoguedevice."

Cadac welcomes Borrelli

> NEWS

Yamaha keeps up with demand after

Tohoku–Pacific Ocean Earthquake

THE EFFECTS of the Tohoku–PacificOcean Earthquake have been felt bythe international business community.This horrific natural disaster has notonly affected the people of Japan, buthas slowed down or halted productionof various industries. Pro audio hasspecifically felt the effects as numerousaudio companies around the worldsource their electronic componentsfrom Japan.

In an exclusive interview with AudioPro, Yamaha’s European director ofsales and marketing reveals that thefirm’s commercial audio division iscontinuing to trade despite thedisaster: “Across several of Yamaha’sproduct ranges, there has been, andmay still be, some limited disruption.However, the severity of the impactvaries dramatically. Luckily for proaudio the effect is extremely limited.

“Any disruption of supply may notbe solely down to componentshortages, but may also be because ofpower rationing at the sub-contractor’sfactory or transportation problems.Fortunately in Europe, as well as inother Yamaha subsidiaries andbranches, Yamaha holds a very highlevel of inventory, which will in mostcases allow us to continue to serve ourcustomers, even in those productcategories where there is somedisruption, until normal service levelsare resumed.

Yamaha’s manufacturing is notlimited to Japan, allowing productionto continue in other areas of theworld. “Yamaha has manymanufacturing operations both insideand outside Japan and each has itsown set of characteristics,” Cook said.“The choice of one location overanother will be down to many factors.Firstly, it depends on the type andvolume of the products manufactured

and how quickly a product line mayneed to be changed to accommodatenew variants or entire new productranges. This would determine the typeof manufacturing itself. Other criteriawould include the availability of skilledworkers and their costs, the availabilityof raw materials, and the suitability ofthe transportation infrastructure.”See the full interview on pages 24 and25.

High level of inventory helps Japanese firm trade through earthquake crisis

IN BRIEF

Bookmark us in

your phone:MOBILE.AUDIOPRO

INTERNATIONAL.COM

LATESTNEWS

STRAIGHT TO

YOUR MOBILE

A MIDAS PRO3 live audio

system has been installed

in one of Paris' most

prestigious and renowned

locations: the Gustave Eiffel

room on the first floor of

the Eiffel Tower.

This eagerly sought-after

location boasts a 360

degree panoramic view of

the city and hosts a diverse

variety of shows and

events. These range from

seminars and show cases

to product presentations

and business conferences.

The Eiffel Tower's resident

sound engineer, Alain

Phillipon, said: "For a venue

this unique, we have to

have the best.”

> midasconsoles.com

LOUDSPEAKERMANUFACTURER Danley

has donated several

loudspeakers to the

Nashville Rescue Mission as

part of a revamp of the

venue’s sound system.

One Danley SH-100B

was installed on each side

of the 400-capacity

church. The SH-100B is

said to wrap a full-range

SH-100 in a subwoofer,

extending its response

down to 50 Hz.

Scott Oliver, a volunteer

musician at the mission

installed the system. He

commented: ”One of the

beautiful things about

Danley boxes is that they

require so little.”

> danleysoundlabs.com

THE APRS has reported that, althoughsmaller than previous years, the 130thAES Europe Convention was asuccessful platform for its collaborationwith DV247.

The outfits joined forces at this year’sshow, held at London’s HammersmithNovotel from May 13th-16th, to provideinformation and hospitality booths inthe exhibition area of the Convention,providing a chance for networking anddemonstrations. Robert Sandall, head ofeditorial at DV247, felt that that AESprovided a platform for direct inter-action between industry professionalsand aspiring audio professionals. "Wehope to build on this first event–maybeby presenting similar activitiesindependent of existing trade shows.

“We will also be working with theAPRS to help UK manufacturers who

wish to launch themselves and their newproducts in the US market to attend thenext US AES Convention in News Yorkin October,” Sandall explained.

APRS executive director, Peter Filleul,explained his belief that DV is theperfect partner to connect with UK'saudio innovators. "Our work with UK

Trade and Investment, part of theDepartment for Business, Innovationand Skills, is designed to offer help tonew UK exporters by providing adviceand financial support for overseas tripsof which the New York AES is the nextexample.” > aprs.co.uk

Small AES brings APRS good trade


Recording trade body evolves in line with the rapidly changing recording industry

APRS teams up with DV247 at the AES Europe Convention

LIVE & INSTALLEDLive Sound Event

New Live Sound Product – Consoles

New Live Sound Product – Amps

New Live Sound Product – PA

Live Sound Engineer

New Installation Product

Installation Innovation

After Sales Support

STUDIO & BROADCASTNew Studio Product – Microphone

New Studio Product – Outboard

New Studio Product – Monitor

Recording Studio Engineer

Broadcast Sound

Studio of the Year

Studio Initiative

After Sales Support

THE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD GRAND PRIX (this award is voted for by the API team only)

Send your nominations to [email protected]

ARE YOU A WINNER?The Audio Pro International Awards 2011 will be announced during PLASA in September.

You can nominate yourself, a client or a supplier in the following catergories:-

www.adamhall.com

Adam Hall have been producing top quality, durable flight case

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

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

Our extensive portfolio includes LD Systems, LD Premium,

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

call Adam Hall on 01702 613922.


MOGAMI CABLE has appointed HHBas its exclusive distributor for the UK andIreland market.

HHB also announced that sales ofMogami cable will help victims of therecent earthquake and tsunami in Japan.“Ten per cent of the value of our Mogamisales between now and the IBC Show inSeptember will be donated to the RedCross Japan Tsunami Appeal,” said HHBmanaging director Ian Jones. “Our initialmeetings with Mogami took place shortlybefore this devastating natural disasterand, although Mogami was not directlyaffected, it seems to us an ideal way tohelp our friends and industry colleaguesin Japan.”

All of Mogami's cables are made underthe watchful eye of the company’sfounder at its plant in Nagano, Japan.

HHB's Mogami product specialistMatthew Fletcher explained: "Any audioor video recording or production systemis only as good as its weakest link andMogami ensures that it isn't going to bethe cabling that lets you down. From thetiniest cable to a heavy duty digitalsnake, every Mogami cable is designed toperform at the highest levels."

Hackenbackerwins a Bafta

THIS MONTH IN BROADCAST <

Studer boosts pioneering Swiss TV showTrimedial children’s show Zambo installs Studer mixing console at the centre of its creative infrastructure

HACKENBACKER AUDIO PostProduction was awarded the 2011 BritishAcademy Television Craft Award in theBest Sound Fiction category for its workon ITV's Downton Abbey.

Hackenbacker's director and founder,Nigel Heath, expressed his delight, saying:"I am absolutely thrilled thatHackenbacker has won this award and Iwas delighted to accept it on behalf of thewhole team, all of whom have played animportant part in making Downton Abbeya 'sound' success."

Hackenbacker received twonominations in the Best Sound Fictioncategory – for Downton Abbey and AnyHuman Heart. Heath added: “The list ofnominees for this category wasexceptional and we were proud to beranked amongst such an esteemed list, allof whom are great examples of talentedpractitioners in the art of sound.”

HHB named the UK and Ireland

distributor for Mogami cable

ZAMBO, a pioneering, trimedialchildren's programme has placed a StuderOnAir 3000 mixing console at its core.

Broadcasting since August 2010 onSwiss television (SF) and radio (SR DRS),Zambo is a multimedia world, aimed atchildren aged between seven and 13.Through the utilisation of television, radioand online, the programme takes itsviewers on a trimedial discovery trip.

The technical pioneers of Swiss Radio

and Television (SRF), with the creation ofthe Studio 30 on the Brunnenhofstrasse inZurich and a Studer OnAir 3000 mixingconsole at it's centre, now have aninfrastructure which is unparalleled.

As Zambo is broadcast on both SF2 andDRS 1 – as well as the internet – thetechnical requirements of the installationset a particularly problematic challenge.Situated in the old building of a largecomplex of radio studios, even the most

experienced specialists were faced with analmost insurmountable task.

Having been faced with this trimedialchallenge, installation project manager,Thomas Wochner, from broadcast serviceprovider TPC, knew immediately that newtechnology would be required inabundance. Furthermore, the technologywould also have to provide the necessarycapabilities in order to combine workflowsfor production, studio direction and

editing purposes.To achieve this, a self-operated

broadcast system was specified to handleeach of the trimedial elements of theprogramme, dealing with not only thedaily radio programme, but also remotely-controlled cameras and automated webcontent feed.

With the streamlining of workflowsbeing so important, the central audio-mixing console had to be operated as

simply and intuitively as possible; theprogramme staff themselves performingmany technical procedures.

Facing such requirements, TPC chose aStuder OnAir 3000 system for the studioand control room. The central SCoredrives 42 faders – 24 for camera directionand 18 in the self-op studio. There are alsotwo further sets of Studer I/O Frames, onein the central engine room, the other in alocal studio rack.

“Through the utilisation

of television, radio and

online, the programme

takes its viewers on a

trimedial discovery trip.

With the nomination process in full swing, we take at look at some of the latest news about the Audio Pro

Industry Excellence Awards, including details on how to get involved…

The winners of the Audio ProIndustry Excellence awardswon’t be announced until the

PLASA show in September, but thetime to nominate a finalist for one ofthe 16 categories isrunning out.

Professionals from the live,broadcast, studio and installationsectors have already started tonominate, so please send in yoursuggestions by June 27th. You cannominate your company or acustomer by [email protected],telling us why they should beconsidered a finalist.

The API awards have become wellestablished in the industry, not leastdue to the entirely transparent processof lobbying and voting. Anyone andany company can lobby for themselves,a supplier, customer or even acompetitor, and the winners will bevoted for by a panel of at least 75executives from across the industry.

Audio Pro International’s editorAndrew Low commented: “It hasbeen fantastic to talk directly withour readers about the gear, projectsand companies they believe to beleaders in all fields of the pro audioindustry through the IndustryExcellence Awards. Our aim from theoutset has been to provide a true

representation of our industry’sopinions and achievements and Ithink we have succeeded. With somany excellent products released inthe past 12 months, it will beinteresting to see which ones rise tothe top. We look forward to receivingyour nominations.”

Past winners have included some ofthe industry’s most innovative

projects and products from theworld’s leading firms. London’s ThePremises studio won last year’s MostOriginal Studio Initiative category forits solar powered studio. The studio’sVic Broughton commented: “Manythanks to Audio Pro International’sreaders for recognising that you cannow record professionally and be

carbon neutral at the same time.”German networking specialist

Optocore took the Most InnovativeInstallation award in 2010. TineHelme, director of sales andmarketing, stated: “When I heardthat we had won an Audio ProIndustry Excellence Award for theViva Elvis show in Las Vegas, I wasdelighted and really proud. It is such

a great installation that reflects whatOptocore products are made for andthe superb performance our systemdelivers. We really appreciate thishigh profile award and I will for surefind a place for it on my desk.”

When Red Square Audio won theBest New Company award in 2009,owner Paul Nicholson has this to say:“We were both surprised anddelighted to win this award. It’s beenan amazing ten months establishingRed Square Audio and we’re reallypleased to be working with such agreat group of manufacturers andstrategic partners. We’re extremelyproud to be representing what webelieve are the very best products intheir respective categories. Thisaward vindicates our strategy, so Iguess we must be doing somethingright. Our thanks go out to everyonefor their support and enthusiasm andto all the judges who voted for us.”

A full list of categories can be foundon the following page.

12 audioPRO May 2011 www.audioprointernational.com

> EVENT PREVIEW API AWARDS

“Receiving an API award vindicates out strategy, so I

guess we are doing something right.

Paul Nicholson - Red Square Audio

Who are the industry’s stars?


API AWARDS EVENT PREVIEW <

NEED TO KNOW

When will the final nominees and winnersbe announced?The finalist of the awards will be announced

in the July/August issue of Audio Pro

International and the winners will be revealed

at the PLASA show in September.

When is the deadline for submission?The deadline for nominating who you would

like to see win an Audio Pro Industry

Excellence Award is Monday, June 27th. You

can nominate your company or a customer

by emailing [email protected],

telling us why the company should be

considered a finalist.

What is the judging process?Anyone and any company can lobby for

themselves, a supplier, customer or even a

competitor. And a panel of at least 75

executives from across the business will vote

for the winners.

THE CATEGORIES:

LIVE & INSTALLATIONLive Sound Event

New Live Sound Product – Consoles

New Live Sound Product – Amps

New Live Sound Product – PA

Live Sound Engineer

New Installation Product

Installation Innovation

After Sales Support

STUDIO & BROADCASTNew Studio Product – Microphone

New Studio Product – Outboard

New Studio Product – Monitor

Recording Studio Engineer

Broadcast Sound

Studio of the Year

Studio Initiative

After Sales Support

This year, there will also be two special

awards. The Lifetime Achievement Awardwill once again be presented to the individual

who has shown an outstanding level of

commitment and contribution to the pro

audio industry. Nominations for this category

are invited from across the length and

breadth of the market.

Meanwhile, new for this year is the GrandPrix. This is our highest accolade and

rewards any pro audio brand or company

which has enjoyed commercial and critical

success, while also showing the highest level

of support for the business in general.

This award will be chosen exclusively by

the Audio Pro International team.

> EVENT REVIEW PALME MEPALME Middle East Dubai International Convention Center


FACT FILEVenue:

DubaiInternationalConventionCentreDate: April 26thto 28thExhibitors: 240Verdict: Theshow saw anincrease inexhibitor andvisitor numbers.

The PALME 2011 show had itsbest year yet as the region’s proaudio market has experienced a

resurgence of activity in all sectors. Held at the Dubai International

Convention Centre, PALME ME setthe stage for several exhibitors tomake industry announcements andlaunch various new products.

Notably, this year's event sawpower distribution products andaccessories manufacturer SES/RFWmake its fifth consecutive appearanceat the showcase. "SES/RFW hadanother spectacular show,"commented SES's director, Gordon R.Cooper. "Despite continued toughtrading times, SES/RFW had manybig enquiries on the stand and tooksome good orders and welcomed backexisting clients. Having RFW withgood stocks in Dubai has really pushedup the sales for the last 12 months.”

In addition to the attentiongarnered by SES/RFW, Tannoy,Lab.gruppen and Lake also made themost of the opportunity to display andpresent their latest offerings, as well

as conducting a seminar awayfrom the exhibition floor.

Delegates were given adebut public presentation ofTannoy's brand new VXSeries and VXP Series, thelatter featuring Lab.gruppen'snew IDEEA (Intelli-DriveEnergy Efficient Amplifier)power module, with theofficial debut demonstrationset to take place at theInfoComm show in Orlandolater this year.

Mark Flanagan, communicationsmanager for Tannoy, Lab.Gruppenand Lake, offered: "We were delightedto be able to showcase some of thenew VX and VXP product here inDubai. It added extra impact andgravitas to the seminar and reallyunderlined the company'scommitment and high regard for theMiddle East market."

An equally busy afternoon was alsoin store for Lab.gruppen and Lake, asit presented their amplification andpowered loudspeaker management

platforms, with a strong focus on theinstall potential of each of the mainproduct ranges, including PLM Series,FP+ Series and the C Series ofinstall-dedicated amplifiers. The LakeLM 26 standalone Digital AudioLoudspeaker Processor was alsopresented, providing some keyinsights on its potential within largescale fixed installations and its toursound capabilities.

Among the highlights of theexhibition was the PALME MiddleEast Awards, which took place at a

glitzy ceremony on the second day ofthe show, where innovation andtechnical excellence were rewarded in13 separate categories.

As expected, the PALME ME showproved to be its most successful todate, bringing an increase inparticipation of almost 25 per cent,and close to 50 per cent of exhibitorshave already confirmed their spacefor 2012, with the expectation thatnext year’s show will trump allnumbers set in 2011. > palme-middleeast.com

The PALME ME show saw a reinvigorated pro audio

community keen to do business in Dubai. DanielGumble finds out what the show had to offer…

Selling at sea level

Success in pro audio is down to knowing and loving theindustry. From the general manager to the assistantengineer at any firm you will find a level of passion that

does not exist in many industries, and in a specialist sectorlike pro audio the talent quickly rises to the top.

Such is the case with UK console manufacturer DiGiCo.Arguably one of the only firms in the world that specialises indigital consoles, DiGiCo has succeeded in the face of toughcompetition and can be found at the world’s biggest events.

With beginnings in the broadcast sector under the Soundtracsbrand name, DiGiCo has come full circle and introduced twonew SD7 and SD10 (known as the Ghost Carp) variantsdesigned for the broadcast market at this year’s NAB show. Inthe meantime, the firm has been carving a niche in the livesound market, whilst still maintaining a non-corporatestructure that its customers approve of.

Wigwam’s director Chris Hill expressed his sentiments aboutthe way DiGiCo operates: “We have found DiGiCo to be

> LIVE SOUND DIGICO

Britain’s got talentUK console digital manufacturer DiGiCo has taken the live sound sector by storm by introducing a variety of

desks named after fish. Andrew Low talks to managing director James Gordon about the company’s

leading position in live sound, entering the broacast market and working with The Hoff on BGT...


outstanding in both attitude and customer service and it hasthe ability to deal with any problems that have occurred.

“The company has a great vision for the future of the audioindustry and I am sure will keep at the cutting edge oftechnology without losing sight of customer requirements. Asone of Europe’s leading rental companies, it's great to knowthat you can get hold of someone at any time and theirworldwide dealer and service network will provide seamlessadvice and support without any corporate nonsense.”

DiGiCo MD James Gordon took over the position in 2006,just in time for the introduction of the SD digital mixingconsole with FPGA processing. The firm soon released itsflagship SD7, the first consoles to utilise FPGA technology forthe main audio core. DiGiCo is still the only consolemanufacturer to employ single FPGA. Gordon explains thatthis architecture is essential for large-scale projects: “FPGA’sare normally used to allow multiple DSP boards, in a singleconsole, to communicate with each other. The technologyhas grown and now it is available with much larger chip sets

that enable us to do far more than in the past. Our technicaldirector John Stadius came up with the idea of puttingeverything into one large-scale FPGA, which means thateverything is in one place and processed on the same chip.”

“This means that you no longer need multiple boards orinterconnections, which safeguards against a lot of technicalstumbling blocks that occur with DSP designs. The chips canprocess a huge amount of information in a short space of timewith just over one millisecond latency; it is not unusual forsome digital desks to have three or four milliseconds latency.That is not such a problem for FOH, but for monitors speedcan be much more relevant in the case of IEMs.

CORE BELIEFSGordon assures that DiGiCo has not lost sight of the beliefthat its products must be easy to use and sound good. “We arekeen on providing a good dynamic range and our floating pointprocessors provide high quality audio. We don’t go for a menu-driven structure,” he says. “A large percentage of our designershave been working on or designing digital consoles for a longtime, so our products tend to be very easy to use. This has ledto them being selected as the main console on numerous hugeevents. One of the reasons is that people can walk up to one ofour consoles and be able to use main mix functions for a showin about 15 minutes.”

In 2011 digital consoles are very much the standard, butback in 2002 it was a very different story. “At that time it wasvery much an education process to convince the market thatdigital consoles could deliver and offer additional benefit,” herecalls. “In 2005 the industry was very much convinced digitalwas the future. Now in 2011 the decision process and choicecomes down to sound quality, available budget, the feature set

DIGICO LIVE SOUND <


>>

”DiGiCo has a

great vision for

the future of the

audio industry

and I am sure will

keep at the

cutting edge of

technology

without losing

sight of customer

requirements.

Chris Hill Wigwam

John Stadius, James

Gordon and Dave

Webster form part of

DiGiCo’s core team

> LIVE SOUND DIGICO


>> and the actual capacity needed for the job. A lot of jobs havegrown considerably bigger over the last few years. Analoguetechnology had physical limitations and the demands ondigital consoles are now far greater and increasing.”

AUDIO PEOPLEDiGiCo’s success in the industry, as Gordon explains, is downto hard work and, perhaps, being slightly underestimated byits competitors: “The perception about DiGiCo is that wehave a lot of fun, and we do, but we have also put in a lot ofhard work. Our key has been employing good people – thosewho join the team have got to fit in with the vibe of thecompany. We also go to great lengths to look after ourcustomers by providing after-sales support without additionalcharges. You will find that everyone in the company, from ourfinancial director to our salespeople, are audio people at heartand are on the pulse of what is going on with our customersand the industry.

“All of the directors are very much involved with the day-to-day running of the company and we don’t have the drawnout decision-making structure that a larger corporation mighthave. So when it comes to making a decision, if it feels likethe right idea we will generally do it.”

Gordon’s sentiments are echoed by Clair Global presidentTroy Clair: "Technically, our engineering and road personnelhave always been impressed with DiGiCo’s innovation,flexibility and consistency – that’s witnessed by the fact thatwe’ve put their consoles to work on some of the decade’slargest and most high-profile tours. We also appreciate thefact that their work with us is more than just a vendor/customer relationship. It’s a true partnership in terms ofinput, collaboration and support."

And Keith Davies owner of Capital Sound adds: “DiGiCois probably the best console company in the world, they are atthe forefront of technology, always coming up with innovativeideas, the back up and service is the best Capital has everexperienced over the 25 years we have been around.”

The latest disciple added to the group is Ian Staddon, whorecently joined as vice president of sales. “When I moved fromsales director to MD we needed to find the right person to fillthe role. We didn’t want to rock the boat and put a person inplace who didn’t fit in with the team,” Gordon says. “We hadbeen looking for someone to come in and oversee the sales teamand generate sales on their own back, and our recent move intobroadcast, with our products launched at NAB, tied in verynicely with Staddon’s appointment. He is very well liked in the

industry, which fits in well with us.He knows a lot of the same peopleand has a history in live sound andbroadcast.”

UK BASED It is a rare occurrence for acompany of DiGiCo’s calibre toremain competitive while still manufacturing in the UK.However, it recently celebrated its 20th anniversary ofproduction in Scotland. And with four Queens Awards underits belt, DiGiCo is proud to be made in the UK. “We are proudto be a UK manufacturer but our export work is a large part ofour business. Our latest Queen’s Award was actually for theexport business we have established. It is quite anaccomplishment,” Gordon comments.

This is the first time DiGiCo has won the award in thiscategory, having previously received an award in 2005 in theInnovation category for the D5 console.

The heavily decorated firm has not received all of itsaccolades from the Queen. It has also been recognised forseveral awards on both sides of the Atlantic, including the2009 Audio Pro Industry Excellence Award for the SD8(known as the Barramundi). Technical director John Stadiushas also been decorated for innovation in the field of R&Dwhen he was awarded the Tony Gottelier Award at PLASA08.

With over 30 years of experience, Stadius is responsible forthe R&D management of the console business and itsaccessory company, whose output saw the recent release of aMADI to optical converter at this year’s NAB Show.

EMERGING MARKETSWhen asked about emerging markets Gordon reveals that‘B.R.I.C’ will be the foundation for future growth. “Brazil,Russia, India and China are the places that everyone in proaudio is looking to expand. Some of these areas have alreadybeen good while others still have some growth ahead of them.

“It is nice to see that people in these areas are prepared tospend the extra money on quality products. Audio quality iscertainly something those companies are interested in.

As for the future, DiGiCo intends to keep developingconsoles for its key markets in addition to diversifying intoother markets. “We have a few projects in the pipeline thatsome people wouldn’t expect and a couple things that we areworking on that will be a surprise.”> digico.biz

DiGiCo’s consoles

have been used on

tour with U2,on the

sets of Britian’s Got

Talent and the

Ryder Cup Gala,

plus numerous

other big events

”People can walk

up to one of our

consoles and be

able to use main

mix functions for

a show in about

15 minutes.

James Gordon

EAST ASIA REGIONAL FOCUS <


”People can be

ignorant of the

fact that many of

the world’s most

sought-after

premium brands

are manufactured

in East Asia.Ryan McKenna

While the world struggles to overcome the legacy of the financial crisis, East Asia continues to experience

strong economic growth. Rob Hughes discovers that pro audio is getting a good slice of the action, too...

Eastwards and upwards

>>

When you look broadly at the worldwide economicsituation and consider where the global electronicsbusiness slots in, it’s quite plain to see that East Asia

occupies a very unique and enviable position in the maelstrom.The regions least affected by recession in 2011 include Africa,

Latin America, the Middle East and Australia. Even Poland isenjoying a peculiar oasis of economic growth in the middle of anotherwise universally depressed Europe. But no other region,not even India, is as financially buoyant as East Asia.

This region also happens to be the world epicentre ofmainstream electronics production. And, as becomes obviouswhen you try to count the number of loudspeaker, console oramplifier manufacturers that haven’t outsourced the majority oftheir production to this region, professional audio equipment isno exception.

While many parts of East Asia can be considered developingareas, they are in fact developing so fast that the crisis merelyfeathered their brakes. Now that the West is on the road torecovery, consumer confidence is creeping back and the EastAsian factories are whirring to life. Consequently, manycountries in the region are accumulating enough capital to re-invest in the development of electronics, and with stages ofeconomic growth tugging at the coat tails of Western countries,domestic demand for these products is up, too.

In fact, growth in East Asia is so high that, during a

presentation to the Council on Foreign Relations in New Yorkearlier this year, the World Bank Chief Economist Justin Yifu Linsaid that it might need to slow down to address inflation. “I amconfident East Asia and South Asia will still be the highestgrowth region in the world, but if we want to generate enoughdemand for investment goods, we need to have growth in highincome countries, as well as other regions,” he said.

As far as the pro audio markets are concerned, East Asia isoffering an alternative solution to Lin’s problem. It seems thatwhen it comes to this class of product, East Asia likes to givejust as much as it does to receive – according to the lateststatistics from China Customs, the import of audio products in2010 rose to USD 2.4 billion (16.75 per cent more than in2009), reflecting the strong demand for imported equipment.This demand is expected to increase, as the purchasing power inChina will almost certainly remain strong in 2011.

Broadly speaking then, it would appear that East Asia hasproved an advantageous place to base a pro audiomanufacturing or distribution business. However, this is a vastand varied region, and the state of affairs in some countries,most notably Japan, is quite different.

But rather than simply analyse the situation from ourcomputers on the other side of the world, let’s get the thoughtsof some of the companies that actually operate in this region…

BORN FREE Taiwan-based Born Free provides sound and lighting rental solutions for awide variety of professional applications, including shows, tours andpermanent installations, along with AV consulting, equipment sales andrepair. Its headquarters are located in Xinyi District of Taipei.

The firm’s Henry Deng believes that as a hirer and installer of pro audioequipment, one advantage of being based in the this region is the hugemarket just waiting to be developed. Disadvantages are the counterfeitproblem, exacerbated by the bargain culture. “Replica speakers andamplifiers are readily available and at a very cheap price,” he explains.“Most customers don’t understand speaker quality, they only compareprice, not reliability. Since the pro audio rental company in Taiwan has nostandard price on equipment and no union protection, business becomesvery competitive. Rental companies are trying everything to get jobs, somewithout profit.”> bornfree.com.tw

DB TECHNOLOGIES –FAR EAST BRANCHdB Technologies has operateda dedicated Far East office,based in Guangzou, China,since 2007. The office is runby Martin Capp, who liveslocally and is completelyhands-on.

His efforts have stood dBTechnologies in good stead.Capp comments: “The

strength of a brand name is most important inthe Far East. If a lot of money is to be paid for audio then having a well-known brand name to support the spend is considered safer. Separateamplifiers and speakers, plus control units are what East Asian customersare used to, feeling that they are getting value for money with more units,but both of these attitudes are changing as customers gain moreconfidence in what they see, know and hear. Government regulations forlocal certification and high import duty are always there in a country thatwishes to protect its local industry. However, as local currenciesstrengthen, while local investment increases in such countries, thoseWestern products that are technologically advanced are becoming moreand more in reach of the widening audience for quality audio products.

“East Asian brands are generally good atproducing generic product that is price sensitivefor a good part of the entry level market aroundthe Pacific region and in other parts of the world.However, there is no doubt that there are a fewselect EA companies that are beginning to dosome good quality solid designs, that are a ‘cutabove’ the rest of the local manufacturers.Acoustic designs are therefore improving, but itis in designing and using new technology whereWestern products continue to dominate in themid to upper end of the professional audiomarket globally.” > dbtechnologies.com

>>

> REGIONAL FOCUS EAST ASIA

JTSJTS is a leading designer and manufacturer of microphones for a widerange of applications. Based in Ta-Li City, Taiwan, the company was lastyear named as one of the Top 10 National Brands in the Chinese ProAudio and Lighting Industry.

JTS’ Dowson YU says that the advantages of being based in East Asiainclude low cost materials and an abundance of suppliers, labour andland. He also acknowledges that it is the fastest growing market, butadds that it is geographically very far from the most mature markets inEurope and the US. He feels that the region could benefit from anincreased number of skilled software programmers and explains that,while companies in East Asia are often very ‘selling price-conscious’,providing great value to the consumer, this is not always so good forbrand building.

When asked what effect the associated music-based industries in hisregion, such as karaoke, have had on JTS’ approach, Yu says: “The

karaoke market in 1980s and ‘90s did help theindustry in Taiwan to grow up. Many

international brands such as Casiodeveloped karaoke machines andthey needed suppliers of

microphones to do this.Taiwan companieshave had tointroduce qualitymanagementsystems in order tomeet the qualityrequirement andscale up productionlines to meetquantity demand.”> jts.com.tw

INTERNATIONAL AUDIO GROUPHeadquartered in Shenzen, China, and with offices in Hong Kong, Macauand England, International Audio Group (IAG) is one of the fastestgrowing manufacturers of audio, lighting and video products in the world,with brands including Mission and Wharfedale Pro in its portfolio.

Ryan McKenna, the company’s PR manager notes that havingoperations in the Far East has many advantages, one of the biggest ofwhich relates to staffing. “China has a massive workforce, by manyaccounts the biggest in the world,” he says. “On top of this domesticworkforce, many people, from all over the planet, now want to comeand contribute to this booming economy. This enables us to tap into adiverse human resource base, giving us access to individuals with broadskill-sets and educational backgrounds.

“In terms of disadvantages, some countries still have certain stigmasattached to Far-East produced products, and can be ignorant of the factthat many of the world’s most sought-after premium brands aremanufactured in the region. These days it is basically impossible to

enter a building anywherein the world and not befaced with countless itemsmade in the Far East. Asia iscapable of producing fineproducts. IAG’s are genuineand come from a factory inShenzhen. It is a fact thateven products assembled inEurope or USA inevitablycontain a high percentageof sub-assemblies andcomponents sourcedfrom Asia.”> wharfedalepro.com


IAG is one of the

area’s fastest

growing firms

Henry Deng sees East Asia as a huge market waiting to be developed

ROLAND SYSTEMS GROUPRSG Japan has a facility in Matsumoto, Nagano, where products suchas the M-480 live mixing console are manufactured.

Atsushi Shimizu of the sales department notes that because there areseveral top car manufacturers located locally, there are also numerousparts suppliers in the area. Since these companies are required toprovide the highest quality electric parts available, employing cuttingedge technology, RSG Japan also has access to these materials.

Shimizu reveals that Japanese customers are often very picky aboutspecifications and sound quality. Once products are approved by thesecustomers, it usually gives the manufacturer confidence about the qualityof that product and assures them that it will be well received elsewhere.

Asked what effect the associated music-based industries in his regionhave RSG Japan’s approach, Shimizu said: “It was helpful to developproducts like M-48 Personal monitor system to get some feedback frommusicians easily who are familiar with Roland Musical instruments.”> roland.com/professional

EAST ASIA REGIONAL FOCUS <


OHM CHINASound reinforcement brand Ohm bothmanufactures and distributes in the FarEast with its partner, Guangzhou OhmAudio Company, or Ohm China, which ischaired by Zhang Hua Ming. The firmopened a new factory in Panyu last yearand product that is manufactured there isdistributed in China along with productsent from UK.

Ohm’s sales manager Clive Kinton believes that having a Far Eastoperation brings benefits with respect to language, market knowledgeand customer confidence. There can, however, be difficulty inunderstanding copyright laws. “Care has to be taken to prevent copying,trademark theft and sub-standard manufacture,” he warns. “But wehave negated this by having close links with our China partners.”

Kinton points out the enormity of the karaoke market in China andsays that the desire for quality is often underestimated by Westerncompanies, with some of the most prestigious and expensiveinstallations to be found at karaoke hotels. “China is a mix of capitalismand communism,” he adds. “The private enterprises are looking for topbrand UK and European sound products and are willing to pay a highprice for importation. The government buying power is huge and strictrules exist in dealing with them. Local knowledge is essential tounderstand the regulations.”

Kinton goes as far as to say that Ohm’s products are more popular inEast Asia than they are in other regions. The reason for this, he feels, isthat the brand entered this market at a very early stage when productswere accepted based on their quality rather than their brand name.Ohm has since enjoyed the country’s “flair for business, hard work anddesire to increase their share of a huge market”.> ohmchina.com

SOUNDUSSoundus is a distributor of high-end pro audio equipment in SouthKorea with brands includingFunktion One, MC2 and Digico.

Soundus’ Chanwoo Kang says that one of the biggest pro audiomarkets in South Korea is the church installation sector. “We haveinstalled Funktion-One systems into a number of churches across SouthKorea. The requirements for churches in Korea tend to be for fullconcert systems rather than distributed systems, which seems to be thecase in Europe,” says Kang.

Kang feels that, in comparison to customers in Europe and America,Asian customers generally have less background knowledge of products.“In Korea it is very likely that the person who decides on the audioequipment is a manager, not an audio engineer, who are very muchconcerned with the visibility of a brand, how famous and how welladvertised it is. If we take on a brand that is relatively new to themarket, it takes considerable time and energy to establish it. We goabout this with lots of demonstrations.”> soundus.co.kr

WHITE ACOUSTICSThough not strictly basedthere, White Acoustics is anew installation soundreinforcement brandowned by TC Group thatwill initially operateexclusively in China,targeting the region’sburgeoning liveentertainment scene,particularly its manykaraoke venues.

White Acoustics waslaunched at PALMEChina last month and is acollaboration betweenTannoy, Lab.gruppen andLake, with East Asiaexpert and former MartinAudio MD, David Bissett-Powell, at the helm.

“It started out as an ideaof an opportunity,”explains Bissett-Powell. “Ihave spent much of thelast 20 years building abusiness that tended to be quite focussed both in terms of marketsegments and territory. In order to develop, we needed ownership ofsome other technologies that were outside the company and hence weformed alliances with third-party suppliers. I felt that the TC Grouphad these competencies within their own brands and, althoughleveraging them in certain areas, there was an opportunity to focusthem on the entertainment sector.

“White Acoustics is a highly-targeted brand and is not intended tocompete with existing distribution. The initial intention is to establishthe brand in China, where I have some knowledge of the market andI’ve been active for over 20 years.”

Ohm has a home advantage

White Acoustics

was designed for

the Chinese

market


> LIVE SOUND YAMAHA

The world was sent into a state of absolute shockfollowing the news of the damage created by theTohoku–Pacific Ocean Earthquake that struck the coast

of Japan this March, the effects of which are still being felt bythe country’s people, industry and overseas firms that relyheavily on its exports.

Countless firms around the world rely on YamahaCommercial Audio’s products for professional use in thetouring, fixed installation, post production and broadcastsectors. So much so that the effects of disruption in itsproduction and services could have proved catastrophic tothose firms.

SAFE GUARDSYamaha Commercial Audio’s European marketing directorNick Cook explains that although the tragic event has and willcontinue to affect its operations, the company’s pro divisionhas safe guards in place to keep business up and running:“Across several of Yamaha’s product ranges there has been, andmay still be, some limited disruption. However, the severity ofthe impact varies dramatically. Luckily for pro audio the effectis extremely limited. It must be remembered though that manyinternational audio companies (not just Japanese ones) rely onJapanese electronics components in their products also, suchas touch screens or DSP chips.

“Any disruption of supply may not be solely down tocomponent shortages though but may also be because of powerrationing at the sub-contractors factory, for example, ortransportation problems. Fortunately in Europe, as well as inother Yamaha subsidiaries and branches, Yamaha holds a veryhigh level of inventory, which will in most cases allow us tocontinue to serve our customers, even in those productcategories where there is some disruption, until normal servicelevels are resumed.”

Yamaha Commercial Audio’s European marketing director Nick Cook discusses the situation in Japan in

the aftermath of the Tohoku–Pacific Ocean Earthquake. Andrew Low finds out what lies ahead...

Business as ususal

Yamaha’s DME digital

mixer processors formed

part of the networked

audio distribution system

in Westminster Abbey

SINCE 1889Yamaha was founded in 1897 by Torakusu Yamaha. In 1887Torakusu was successful in repairing a reed organ atHamamatsu's Jinjo elementary school (currently MotoshiroElementary school), and in 1889 established Yamaha OrganWorks as a limited partnership in Hamamatsu. He went on tofound Nippon Gakki Company Limited on October 12, 1897,becoming the first president of the company. YamahaCorporation came into being on October 1st, 1987 when theNippon Gakki Company Limited changed its official name.

The firm has remained a leader in the production ofproducts for numerous pro audio and MI applications. Cookattributes this success to offering dependable, state-of-the-artgear. “Yamaha’s strength lies in the innovation and reliability ofour products as well as the quality of the pre and post-salessupport that we and our dealers and distributors provide.Yamaha is able to deliver local services backed by a globalsupport network that is second to none,” he says.

UPDATE AND REFRESHWith several of its DME units used for the recent RoyalWedding and numerous projects and rental firms utilising itsgear around the world, Cook claims that the company hasremained successful throughout trying times by ensuring itscustomers get value and long life out of its gear: “We have nothad any one big recent product launch that has helped usthrough the recession. Rather, we have continually updatedand refreshed our products to ensure that our investors/end-users will get the maximum benefit from them. Our clients

purchase their products and use them as assets in theirbusiness; therefore, it is vital that we protect the value of thoseinvestments in both good and bad business conditions. Yamahahas many products in many applications, so we do not rely asheavily as smaller companies with less products on the bigproduct launch for our business strength or stability.”

PRODUCTIONCook explains that while the Japanese operations have beendisrupted, Yamaha has many manufacturing operations bothinside and outside Japan, each with its own set ofcharacteristics based on the type of products made. “Thechoice of one location over another will be down to manyfactors. Firstly it depends on the type and volume of theproducts to be manufactured and how quickly a product linemay need to be changed to accommodate new variants orentire new product ranges. This would determine the type ofmanufacturing itself.

“Other criteria would include the availability of skilledworkers and their costs, the availability of raw materials, andthe suitability of the transportation infrastructure as well as thelocal legal requirements.”

POISED FOR GROWTHDespite the earthquake and the global recession, Cook assuresthat Yamaha is poised for growth. “Our businesses in Europeand North America continue to recover from the worst of theglobal recessions of the past three years and we are also seeingconsiderable growth in areas such as China. So provided wecontinue to serve the needs of our clients and deliver productswhich meet their demands we will continue to be consideredas a safe investment for our pro audio customers.”> yamahacommercialaudio.com

awww.audioprointernational.com audioPRO June 2011 25

YAMAHA LIVE SOUND <

We have continually

updated and refreshed

our products to ensure

that our investors/end-

users will get the

maximum benefit

from them.Nick Cook


> LIVE SOUND FROM THE FRONT LINES

Digital technology has opened the world of audio right up,more than analogue technology ever could. I've read somearticles recently that have got me really excited about thefuture of audio. I know some think we have stagnated andothers think that we are at the very peak of audio technology.Personally, I think we are very far away from the potential,but well on the way to getting there. It is only throughpushing the boundaries of what we can do that willeventually get us there, and as mixers we should be leadingfrom the front. Each and every one of us should bequestioning ourselves, our own abilities, and if the equipmentwe are using is really good enough or merely an adequate toolfor doing an adequate job.

How does this all relate to creativity? How can we paint asonic picture? How can we be creative within the confines ofthe room, our equipment and our artiste? These are allquestions I’ve spent a long time thinking about. Thesequestions will continue to be asked, but are rarely answeredto anyone’s satisfaction.

As with any form of art, creativity comes from within, buthow we tap into this creativeness and understand it is a verypersonal journey. Luckily for us as mixers, music is a verypersonal subject, so our journey into the realm of creativemixing starts with our personal relationship to music.

Our journey into ourselves starts with our own instinct. Ifyou truly understand what you are mixing then there is noneed to think about how it sounds. All those thoughts havebeen grouped together in your subconscious. Because you aretapping into your subconscious you should let your instinctand intuition guide your mix to a place where it feels right foryou. After all music, is all about feeling. But your instinctcomes from all of your influences. Your influences are one ofthe most important parts in your whole creative side. Theyguide and build your creativeness, but you must be aware ofwhere they came from, and how they have biased you. We areall guilty of building opinions without gaining the properknowledge, and the most important part to that knowledge isthe personal journey you took to get there.

I gave a seminar at Plasa Focus in April and I used theword archiphonics. This means a kind of focal point, but notthe focal point of a vocal or a guitar solo, but the whole cruxof the song. Most songs weren't written with that amazingvocal line, or that superb drop just before the bridge, themajority of these songs started as a small idea and grew fromthere. When you understand the music and where it camefrom, you can express these parts as a new angle on your mix,and this, is where the art of mixing a show starts.

Is there really an art to mixing a show? After all, there are somany external factors that come into play when puttingsound into a room, how much does it matter what you do?

The sound changes as the room fills up, the humidity andtemperature increases, so, is there an actual art to mixing or isit just down to experience and luck?

I think, as the equipment we use gets more refined and bitdepth and sample rates increase, we are now being presentedwith true HD audio. Sound is by far our most accurate sense,but for some reason always seems to come second to visuals. Isuppose images are more immediate and audio is, on the mostpart, subtle. Think about it like this; we see one octave incolour, we hear ten. We look forward, we hear all around us.The frames per second on an HD film is at most 30fps, yet ifwe convert our audio sense into frames per second, it would benearing 56,000fps, and that's just the start.

“Each of us should

be questioning

ourselves, our

abilities, and

whether the

equipment we use

is good enough.

Dave Swallow’s column focuses on the creative side of mixing…

Dave Swallow is a 15-year veteran FOH engineer who has worked with the likes of Amy Winehouse and La Roux

Mixing Art

Funktion One's new RM18 triple concentric stage monitor is a radical departure from the standard 15" and compression

driver configuration, delivering a significant perfromance advantage over conventional monitors.

The innovative design comprises an ultra-fast Neodymium 18" driver with 5" coil and a special mid range driver with a built in super tweeter

passively crossed over at 9kHz. The 700Hz crossover point and the natural materials used in the mid device give a previously unheard clarity and definition to the vocal range. The bass response of the

18" driver also makes it well suited to use as a drum monitor.www.funktion-one.com

Power and Clarity

THE NEW EAW Microwedge series, the speaker maker tells us, ‘raisesthe sonic performance and superior design principles of previous versionsto a new level’. The MW12 unit will be joined by eight and ten-inchversions at June's InfoComm in Orlando.

All models produce smooth and consistent response with good gainbefore feedback in a compact, coaxial design with very high powerhandling. They’re also ‘processor enhanced’ (as opposed to processor

dependant), eliminating the need topurchase additional processing.

The overall design philosophyis based upon the simple fact

that a loudspeaker mustnaturally sound good

without electronicenhancement, with

processing added onlyto optimise forspecific applications.(Microwedge offersswitchable passive oractive modes.)

>>

STAGE WEDGES LIVE SOUND <

THE LDMON101A features a high-end ten-inch coaxial speaker with aone-inch compression driver, delivering 150 Watts RMS. The Volex powersupply allows a secure connection of additional active monitors, which inturn enables the installation of a big active stage monitor system from asingle power plug. The monitor also features a softclip-limiter as well as avolume control. The monitor is housed in plywood with a high resistancetextured finish.

The spec is the same for the LDMON121A (pictured above), other thanthe 12-inch driver and the 250 Watt output.

LD SYSTEMS adam-hall.co.uk

NEW to the APG France stable is the elegant DX15 (and its smallersibling, the DX12), a high-power, two-way, coaxial, compact monitor thatoffers a coherent wide acoustic field even in the nearfield. Theasymmetric cabinet design enables two different angles as a floor monitor(30-degree for nearfield or 45-degree for further afield) and the unit canbe pole-mounted or flown for use as an FOH, delay or in-fill system. Itserves up an AES power rating of 600 Watts and a continuous SPL level@ 1m of 128 dB.

Majorwedges

The first recorded use of a stage monitor was back in 1961 when JudyGarland was provided with foldback speakers at a San Fransiscovenue, thanks to the kind-heartedness of Bob Cavin, a sound

engineer with McCune Sound. Cavin also takes the plaudits for designingthe first dedicated stage monitor speaker (with different angles on thewedge for those close by and other further away) and the first foldbackconsole.

Before that, musicians and singers simply had to hope that everythingwas sounding good and rely on their own abilities and trust theircolleagues on stage. Since then, of course, the use of stage wedges hasfiltered down to the most humble pub gig to enable the performer tohear what he or she wants to hear, while the sound out front is as itshould be.

The next innovation was the arrival of the powered monitor (still adirty word among some of the bigger touring engineers) and mostrecently the wedge has begun to disappear from big stages as the in-ear monitor grows in popularity – but that is another sector spotlightall together.

Today, the humble wedge is an essential for any performer with,broadly speaking, the higher-end, bigger gigs preferring the passiveoption (in case things go wrong and a section of the signal chainneeds quick and proper replacement) and smaller gigs rely onactive systems, which generally mean that, should one amp blow,there is still at least one other in full working order.

Either way, the choice has never been greater, so strap yourselfin as we head out on our own little tour of the world of wedges…

A mere 50 years in existence, the stage monitor has

come a long way in terms of technology and

quality. Andy Barrett discovers that today, even line

array makes an appearance…

APG uk.apg.tm.fr

EAW eaw.com

audioPRO June 2011 29

DAS’ new Road series has been introduced as a replacement for the SMand SML series monitors. The Road series comprises the 12 and 15-inchtwo-way powered monitors (Road 12A and Road 15A), which arecompact and low profile in design to help eliminate visual obstructionsbetween the audience and the artist. They use the latest in Class Dcircuitry and a switch-mode power supply, packing 550 Watts for LF and220 for the highs. Signal processing is handled with an advanced DSP.

THE MRX512M 12-inch two-way monitor is a portable system thatincorporates a passive network for accurate reproduction throughout thecross-over. It uses a JBL 262H differential drive woofer and a 2408Hannular polymer diaphragm, neodymium compression driver. A 70 x 70-degree horn provides even coverage in the vertical (mains) or horizontal(monitor) orientation.

> LIVE SOUND STAGE WEDGES


>>

ELECTRO-VOICE electrovoice.com

L-ACOUSTICS’ 115XT HiQ enclosure contains a three-inch diaphragmcompression driver loaded onto a constant-directivity, conical waveguidein a coaxial configuration with a 15-inch LF transducer. This arrangementproduces a 50-degree axi-symmetric directivity output along with asmooth tonal response free of secondary lobes over the entire frequency

range, resulting in exceptionalimmunity to feedback especially

in monitoring situations.Made of Baltic birch

plywood, the wedge-shapedcabinet design makes the

115XT HiQ suited toshort or long throwmonitoring use, with

two fixed angle settingsof 30 and 60-degrees from

vertical. The 115XT HiQcan also be pole-mounted

using the integrated socket or flown.

THE TX1152FM is designed for clubs, concerts installations and, well, abit of everything, really. A 55-degree vertical floor monitor with signalsynchronized transducers, 100dB of sensitivity (133dB maximum SPL),DH3 1.25-inch diaphragm and one-inch titanium compression driver,and loaded with the SMX2151 15-inch LF transducer. The unit offers500 Watts continuous power (2,000 peak) and has a 90 x 50-degreecoverage pattern.

MACKIE mackie.com

WHILE NOT designing anything specifically for the monitor market,Mackie’s powered speakers are pretty universal units and can easily frontthe stage for any act. An example this is the HD 1221, a two-way, high-definition powered enclosure with Class-D ‘FastRecovery’ amplification, packing 1,200 Wattspeak power.

The USP of the HD seriesis Mackie’s proprietaryHigh-Definition AudioProcessing, which themanufacturer describes as‘seriously NASA-esque(and patented) acousticcorrection algorithms thatwork to correct inherentsonic issues that arise fromthe very nature ofloudspeaker design’.

QSC's CSM series comprises 'system packages' of stage monitorspeakers, proprietary digital processing and high-power amplifiers in atightly integrated design that offers the highest output-to-size ratio ofany premium brand stage monitor on the market to date.

There are three in the range, the ten, 12 and 15-inch models allbeing low profile, high performance monitors with selectable patterncontrol, three-inch compression driver and integral angle adjustment hardware.

NODE IS Void’s new range of subminiature stage monitorsdesigned to produce a truepoint source radiationpattern by use of a dualconcentric configuration.The Node 3 has beendesigned for medium scalestage monitor or for use – ifwall mounted – as downfill innight clubs and as part of themain system in smaller clubs. TheNode series features advanced fibres tominimise cabinet colouration, in a lightweightpackage with industrial strength properties.

VOID voidaudio.com

QSC qscaudio.com

JBL jblpro.com

THE VR12 monitor uses Alcons’superlative RBN601 pro-ribbon HFdriver, which offers optimisedintelligibility and high SPL output.The neodymium drivers assist theclarity (and weight) and theenclosure is Signal Integrity Sensingpre-wired for high damping andeven lower distortion.

The system includes dedicatedfiltering, but system equalizing isdone remotely (electronically) fullyutilising the individual speakercomponents’ power capacity. Thisresults in dramatically increasedheadroom SPL. The SIS pre-wiringensures complete cable andconnector compensation betweenthe VR12 and Alcons’ ALCamplification. The asymmetricalenclosure design provides for veryflexible mounting (ceiling, wall) and usage.

ALCONS AUDIO alconsaudio.com

L-ACOUSTICS l-acoustics.com

DAS dasaudio.com

OHM ohm.co.uk

OHM LAUNCHED the HDMX 12-inch and 15-inch monitors (350Watts and 500 Watts respectively)at the PLASA Focus show in Leedsin April – and caused quite a stirin the process. The lightweightneodymium coaxial units canwork as either floor or sidemonitors on a smaller stageand features a passivecrossover and a switchable bi-amp function – which, ofcourse, makes it active.

STAGE WEDGES LIVE SOUND <

www.audioprointernational.com audioPRO june 2011 31

NEXO'S 45°N-12 monitor is being touted as ‘a radical new concept instage sound’, which seems pretty valid in one respect. Line array has, ofcourse, been with us for decades, but this is something of a first – bringingarray technology to the humble wedge.

The unit uses Nexo’s Hyperbolic Reflective Wavesource, used in theGeo speakers. The result is that, unlike a conventional HF waveguideslopped out of a rectangular exit, the Nexo monitor's wave is pressed intoa 'smile', meaning the cabs can be chained to form arrays withoutinterference between wavefronts.

The result in action is improvement in the level to feedback ratio, lessneed for volume in the first place and a consistent frequency response.

NEXO nexo-sa.com

WHARFEDALE wharfedalepro.com

FUNKTION ONE funktion-one.com

THE WPM-1 from Wharfedale Pro is a personal monitoring solutionwith a number of great features that suit performers and artists who

demand perfect monitor mixes and totalcontrol. A five-inch, full-range driver is

matched to the on-board processing, eqand amplification to provide clear,

natural and intelligible vocal foldback.The WPM-1 can be stand mounted

on straight or boom mic stands,alternatively the WPM-1 can beplaced on the stage itself formaximum versatility.

Front panel controls allowusers to fine tune their onstage

vocal sound and the integrationof the monitor mix. 'With a

WPM-1,' the Wharfedale blurbsays, 'you no longer get the monitor

mix that your engineer supplies, youhear exactly what you want to hear.'

THE RCF TT25-SMA monitor is a full range coaxial stage monitor with alinear curve response (the consistent coverage and acoustic output) thatmakes it a popular choice for high profile monitor engineers. The voicing isaccurate and deep, the sound transparent in the mids and extremelyaccurate at very high frequencies.

RCF rcf.it

FUNKTION ONE’S RM18 point source stage monitor is a radicaldeparture from the standard 15-inch and compression-driverconfiguration, delivering significant performance over conventionalmonitors.

The triple concentric arrangement comprises a high power 18-inchdriver with a coaxially mounted two-way compression driver. The naturalmaterials used in the midrange section of the compression drivercombined with its 700Hz to 12kHz bandwidth, give clarity and definitionto the vocal range. The fast Neodymium driver with a five-inch voice coilis optimised for bass definition, making the monitor well suited to use as adrum monitor. It has a 70-degree Funktion One conical waveguide forefficiency and control and the point source arrangement is optimum forsmooth coverage and minimising feedback. As usual with Funktion Onedesigns, corrective eq is unnecessary leaving the enclosure phase coherentwith plenty of headroom, presenting a great canvas to the monitorengineer and performers on stage.

D&b Audiotechnik’s M6 stage monitor is a low profile, two-way highperformance cabinet employing an integrated 12 / 1.3-inch exit coaxialdriver with a CD horn and passive crossover network. It features 50 x 80-degree coverage, feedback stability and high sensitivity in a discreetdesign. When powered by the d&b D6 amplifier, the M6 delivers 132dBSPL; when powered by the D12 it achieves 135dB SPL in passive mode. Itcan optionally be operated in 2-way active mode by changing the D12‘sconfiguration without any modifications to the loudspeaker and achieve138 dB SPL. The M6 weighs 16 kg (35 lb) with a footprint of 486 mm(19.1”) x 455 mm (18”) and a height of 332 mm (13.1”) and comes withintegrated handles, M10 threaded inserts and a hidden socket to accept aloudspeaker stand.

D&B AUDIOTECHNIK dbaudio.com

THE HEART of the Premium Pr:o full-range models is the new one-inch

driver, which produces extremelylow distortion even under heavy

load, resulting in a naturalsound. In combination with

the 60 x 40-degree horn,it ensures even

coverage. The full-range

models alsoinclude flush-

mounted threadedbushings to make

professional permanentinstallation easy.

HK AUDIO hkaudio.com


> LIVE SOUND/BROADCAST EUROVISION

The Eurovision

Song Contest is

probably the

world’s biggest

live music event.Ties-Christian

Gerdes

Sennheiser

There are few times, other than the Eurovision SongContest, when the phrase ‘the winner is Azerbaijan’ isbroadcasted to over 100 million international viewers.

The 2011 event saw 43 European nations debut their latestpop ‘creations’ from Düsseldorf, Germany’s Esprit Arena.

Whether you love or loath the actual music performedduring the show, there is no doubt that this year’s competitionhad extremely high production standards and state-of-the-artprofessional audio systems for the live show and broadcastprogramming. Hosting the event is both a blessing and aburden, as the show is unanimously viewed as an exercise inlosing money. It is rumoured that Ireland lobbied to amend therules so that no country could win more than three years in arow after winning the show in 1992, ’93 and ’94; this mayexplain why Ireland put forward Jedward as this year’sapplicant. The amount of money required to host the show isfar more than any country can expect to receive from anuncommercialised event. However, with over 120 millionviewers watching, each host country tries to out-do the otherand produce the most lavish production.

Many of Germany’s top manufacturers took part in ESC2011, including Riedel Communications, Sennheiser and d&bAudiotechnik. German communications specialist RiedelCommunications provided the video, visual andcommunications signal distribution for the entire show via itsMediorNet system in conjunction with their other real-timenetwork technologies Artist and RockNet. Designed as acompletely redundant system, the set featured 70 of Riedel’s

MediorNet frames with a partially third redundancy layer viacopper cabling at various locations. A total of 1,200 audiosignals were managed by the Riedel installations.

Riedel’s MediorNet system served as the mother brain forEurovision communications. The 70 frames distributed andmanaged 70 HD/SDI sources, 150 destinations, 150connections, which included Programm-Feed, OB-Truck,video walls, press area, greenroom, backstage and commsthroughout the entire Esprit Arena. MediorNet combinessignal transport, routing, and signal processing and conversioninto one integrated real-time network.

BROADCASTGerman public broadcaster NDR was the technical host of theTV event and produced the national and international soundfeeds in the mobile broadcast centre at the Düsseldorf Arena,which featured Aurus sound control rooms. Riedel alsoprovided a redundancy switchover for the two OB trucks usedto broadcast the event.

“As official supplier and partner of German publicbroadcaster NDR, Stagetec provided all the mixing consolesused to broadcast this year’s show,” says Dr. Klaus-PeterScholz, one of the Mediagroup’s managing directors. “FourAurus’, each with 48 faders and a full complement of DSP,were on site. Three were installed in mobile control rooms thatNDR had set up on the Arena campus; the fourth was in oneof NDR’s HD outside broadcast trucks. In this set-up two ofthe four sound control rooms performed all the broadcast

The set of the Eurovision Song Contest featured top of the line sound reinforcement, broadcast and

communications from some of Germany’s top brands. Andrew Low suffers through the competition’s

singers – and Jedward – to bring you this report...

Digital vision


EUROVISION LIVE/BROADCAST

sound mixing. The first did the music mix andpassed its output to the second, which producedthe international sound feed. The third and fourthsound control rooms acted purely as backups andwere therefore equipped with identical hardwareand were able to take over seamlessly in case ofany failure of the main system.”

Each control room featured its own Nexusnetwork with extensive fibre-optic cabling to allow

it to operate independently of the other Nexus.The four networks also exchanged their audiodata via MADI to form a single audio networkfor the entire TV compound. “The wholeinstallation was planned for maximum reliabilityby NDR in an outstanding manner,” commentsDr. Scholz. “Incidentally, as is now the norm forinternational events, the sound feed wasproduced in both 5.1 and stereo simultaneously.This was why the backup consoles featured thesame abundant DSP capabilities as the mainconsoles. The signals from the broadcast centrereached more than 120 million viewers acrossEurope via more than 40 networks.”

CONSOLESThe show’s FOH area featured a fully redundantconsole setup that employed numerous Yamaha

consoles, including five PM1D, six PM5D-RH, threeM7CL, a DM2000 and several 01V96 digital mixingconsoles, as well as two DME64N digital mixing enginesand numerous MSP5 powered monitors. With only 45seconds between each act, the main consoles had aduplicate backup in place. Two PM1Ds were used formonitors, two PM5Ds for the main front of house mix,two PM5Ds for the vocal effects mix and two more forthe continuity mix between acts.

Yamaha worked closely with rental companyNeumann & Müller to ensure that the show ransmoothly. Jochen Jensen, the event's senior soundengineer, approached Yamaha's Arthur Koll, with theintention of utilising a fully redundant system.

“I came up with a concept for the show in June 2010 and weworked on it through to April this year, when we set it up atNeumann & Müller’s premises for four days of testing,” says Koll.“On April 19th the rig was set up at the Esprit Arena and fromthen on it was workin 24 hours a day, through the two semi-finalson May 10th and 12th, until after the final on May 14th.”

A total of 65 RockNet Yamaha expansion cards were used acrossthe consoles. Riedel’s RN.341.MY card fits into a Yamaha MY-cardexpansion slot and gives access to 16 in- and 16 output channels.A word clock in- and output is available to the host device via thebackplane connector and a front panel rotary switch is provided fordevice identification and selection of up to 15 programmablerouting tables. The RN.341.MY enabled the Yamaha boards tobecome part of the network and provide remote control of theRN.301.MI microphone preamplifiers.

COMMENTARYEach country participating in the contest had its own commentarybooth in the back of the Esprit Arena. The Australian public is soenamoured with the show that is had its own commentary bootheven though it was not qualified to enter. Riedel provided theaudio for over 48 positions via the new Riedel Artist CCP-1116commentary unit. Featuring integrated intercom functionality forArtist Digital Matrix Intercom systems, the CCP-116 features twocommentary positions with high quality analog mic pre amps. TwoMediornet frames were in place for the entire commentary systemthat connected to the show’s main ring and passed signals intoseveral local Mediornet systems dedicated to the commentary area.

MICS AND MONITORINGSennheiser was the official supplier of microphone technology atthe Eurovision Song Contest for the 24th time in Düsseldorf. “Weare delighted to have supported an international event of thismagnitude. The Eurovision Song Contest is probably the world’s

biggest live music event and we are thrilled to be part of thismega-show. With our partner, Markus Müller of MMCommunications, we made certain the event ran smoothly,“said Ties-Christian Gerdes, CEO of Sennheiser Vertrieb undService GmbH & Co. KG, Sennheiser’s German sales company.

The reallocation of German radio frequencies meant thatSennheiser and MM Communications needed to carefullymanage the wireless systems. The firms worked closely withNDR to determine the proper equipment and to calculate andfine-tune a secure frequency plan for the finale and the twosemi-finals of the song contest.

A total of approximately 300 of Sennheiser's mics and IEMswere used for the event, which included 50 SKM 5200-IIhandheld transmitters complete with Neumann KK 105 Scapsule, 72 SK 5212-II bodypack transmitters and 40 EM 3732-II twin receivers, as well as 15 SR 2050 IEM twin transmittersand more than 100 EK 2000 IEM receivers for monitoring.

SOUND REINFORCEMENTA total of 38 d&b Audiotechnik line array hangs were used forsound reinforcement inside the Esprit Arena. The systemcombined its Q-Series, J-Series and T-Series line arrays. Lowfrequency reinforcement was provided by two J-Sub hangs andeight J-Infras for the sub array. Ten Q1s were used for frontfillsand six E1s were used backstage. Two Q1 hangs were used forsidefill, in addition to numerous M2 and M4 monitors. Thefirms D12 amplifiers were used to power the system.

RF INSTALLATIONOver 30 of Riedel’s Tetra networks handled the RF installationfor Eurovision. Riedel’s director of marketing andcommunications Andreas Hilmer explains how analog anddigital technology was combined for the event: “Most of theproduction for Eurovision was realised with digital Tetra radiosbut there were 60 analog radios used. The analog radios wereinterfaced with the cabled intercom infrastructure over theRiedel RiFace. We used a Tetra network setup for the digitalradios that was connected to antennas on the arena’s roof.Although there were 500 Tetra radios used, the setup is verycompact. Our Artist intercom mainframe interfaced to aJuggler interface over MADI. The Juggler interface integratesTetra radio networks with wired artist digital matrix intercomsand allows the user to talk from an Intercom panel to adedicated mobile radio. This is one of the main advantages ofusing digital radios: you can have a dedicated radio in additionto talking to groups. The degree of integration between wirelessand wired communications is a speciality of Riedel. Our in-house team has a great deal of experience regarding the bestmeans of security when hosting on one circuit.”


Over 30 of Riedel’sTetra networkshandled the RF

installation atEurovision

> LIVE/BROADCAST EUROVISION

What Makes a Good Mix? What’s the difference betweenthose engineers who are average, good, and amazing?It’s all about how they listen and understand the music.

There’s a lot of things to consider when putting a mix together.Let’s look at the fundamental points of putting a mix together.

EQThere’s a lot of EQ that can be done, and only a very small partof the mix is actually done on the faders. It’s more than just

getting the right balance in level between the instruments; it’salso about making them fit around each other. If you askengineers about what they are doing, they might have to think alittle while about it before they can verbalise it. This is becausemixing has become a natural flow of creativity, environment,and thought.

Your mix is going to go through many stages and be full of tinyinstinctive thought processes, creating excitement andelectricity through buildup, energy transfer, and sound level.

> LIVE SOUND THE ART OF MIXING A SHOW

Building Blocks of a MixThis month API features the first part of a serialisation of FOH engineer Dave Swallow’s book, Live

Audio: The Art of Mixing a Show


BECAUSE there was no

hole in the front skin, I

placed a Shure Beta52

about 4–5 inches away

from the front head, then

used very minimal EQ on

the channel, losing 300 Hz

about 3–4 dB, with a Q

around 1.0, and adding a

slight bit of harshness

around 2.5–3.15 k. I let it

ring naturally, with no gate.

Technically, it was a

poorsounding kick drum—

but in the context of the

mix, it worked better than

anything else would have.

This is what understanding

what you’re mixing is all

about.

SEASICK STEVE’SKICK DRUM

SOLID AND CLEAR Control of your entire mix plays a major part in being a reallygood engineer. When your mix is completely under control, youwon’t hear any frequencies suddenly jumping out at you;everything will sit together nicely, and you won’t be struggling tohear anything at all. You’ll be able to hear everything that isgoing on, from the little percussion sounds to the well-rounded,heavy-set vocals of your leather-clad front man. And when thebass player hits a note and the whole room fills up with thatfrequency, it’s not a good sound; the seamless flow between thenotes is what you should be aiming for. A mistake that a lot offirst timers make is that they don’t really know what they arelistening to. If the singer has a bad mic technique, rather thantrying to sort it out, it’s left to be dealt with by themselves. Theyjust put up with what they’re given. It’s not their fault; they justdon’t know any better.

COMPREHENSIONThe key to all of this is to be aware of what kind of music you’remixing and the type of audience who will be listening to it. Iworked for quite some time with an artist called Seasick Steve,who had a very simple setup: The kit was a standard four-piecekit, one guitar line, and a vocal. The kick drum, though, wasn’tjust any kick drum; it was an old marching drum, with real skinover it.

By itself, the drum sounded more like hitting a cow in thestomach with a wet fish fillet than a kick drum, and because itwas actual skin it didn’t have a hole in the front of it. I justmic’ed it using one mic, very minimal EQ, and no noise gate sothe whole thing rang out naturally. It sounded awful on its own,but when the other elements of the mix started to be mixed in,the sounds started to make sense, sonically.

LEAVE YOURSELF SOMEWHERE TO GOOne of the things we looked at in rehearsals was putting thesetlist in order on a computer playlist so you could hear how thesongs flow between each other, but most importantly where the

peaks and drops in energy are going to be. It’s so important toget the right energy in the right place at the right time;

remember, when you are starting to put a mix together,never work to 100% straight away, and always leaveyourself somewhere to go.

NEVER MIX WITH YOUR EYESSome of us have perfectly good ears on the sides ofour heads. The ability to use them is so importantto how we do our job and get the best out of theequipment we have.

I see far too many engineers leaning into acomputer screen attached to the console, staringat the plugin settings, or making sure that allthe faders and EQs are at 0 dB, rather thansorting out the mix. Computer screens can bea distraction from the job at hand. Before wehad a screen on consoles, we never knewwhat the actual value of the fader was, orwhat the EQ curve on the bass guitarlooked like. The fact is, none of this reallyand truly matters. As long as it soundsright, it is right, no matter how you gotthere. There might be an easier way and abetter way of doing things, but you’llfigure it out, and it is that constantlearning that makes you good at your job.

TAKE THE ROUGH WITH THESMOOTHThere are certainly going to be times,however, when you’re going to have tomake the best out of a bad situation. Youaren’t always going to get the best mics,PA or mix position, but what we are allpaid to do is to make those situations

sound the best we can. And it’smaking those situations sound thebest that is most important to theartist we work with. But as withanything, with the right preparation,this should seldom occur.

UNDERSTANDING WHAT THEARTIST WANTSYou have probably heard storiesabout how difficult it is to workwith some artist and how he or sheasked for the moon to be covered inchocolate, attached to a stick, andused as a lollipop for the rest ofeternity. The thing is, these artistsusually know what it is they want,but have trouble articulating to thepeople around them exactly whatthat is; that’s why a lot of the timeyou hear these ridiculous stories.

When presented with statementslike: “Can you make the bass comeout?”; “I want it to sound moreopen.”; “It’s not crisp enough.” Youcan’t just have a blank expression onyour face.

The problem is we all have different onomatopoeic words forsounds according to how we hear them, so your job here is to tryand interpret what these things mean and translate it into asound. The trick is to really listen, and then when you think youknow what they mean, change your desk settings very slowly.Make sure you have a good line of communication going so thatyou know what you are changing is right and is going in thecorrect direction. If you can, get the artists to bring somerecorded music so they can give you a reference to what theymean. You’ll get some odd requests from time to time, but youshould try and go with them. You never know, you might learnsomething new.

THE ART OF MIXING A SHOW LIVE SOUND <


”

A renowned live sound engineer, Swallow has mixed for Amy Winehouse, La Roux, Seasick

Steve, James Blake, Corinne Bailey Rae and many other big name acts during his career.

His book, The Art of Mixing a Show, is now available from Focal Press. focalpress.com


> STUDIO MARCELLA ARAICA

As an engineer, you

have to think: ‘okay,

how do I take what

they did and magnify it

by ten?’

Marcella Araica

She’s been called ‘the most captivating woman behindmusic’. Marcella Araica, or Ms. Lago, as she has beenknown since rapper Missy Elliot dubbed her ‘Marcy-a-

lago’ (after Italian sports car, the Lamborghini Murcielago)has, in the space of nine years, notched up credits on over100 chart-topping hits. Still in her 20s, Araica has recordedand mixed songs for Britney Spears, Madonna, Nelly Furtado,Usher, Joe Jonas and Missy Elliot. She has worked alongsideproduction glitterati Timbaland, Danja, and Polow Da Donand, as her agency points out, has already accomplished whatmost engineers strive to achieve in a lifetime.

Like many young kids, Araica hadn’t considered a career inengineering. “Music had always been my passion in life but Inever said: ‘when I grow up I want to be an engineer,’ sherecalls. “It wasn’t until some time after high school that Ireally started to understand what one was by researching thevarious roles within a recording studio.

Araica’s obsession with music eventually inspired her tohave a go at making her own tracks in a basic home studio.While looking to hone her production skills, the Orlando-based school of music and film, Full Sail University, cameonto her radar. “I went to visit the school and I walked into areal recording studio with a real console,” she continues.“They had an Amek 9098 in there, and an SSL board, and Ireally got the feel of what it felt like to be in a studio. It was atthat moment that I realised that I wanted to be in that room,creating and manipulating sounds and making tracks comeabout. That was the start of it all. It was a moment of clarity,when I knew exactly what I wanted.”

Six months later, Araica moved to Orlando and enrolledon Full Sail’s renowned audio engineering course, which hasspawned numerous other high profile industry figures,including 2011 sound mixing Oscar-winner, Gary A. Rizzo.Not only did she graduate from Full Sail with honours, but

Female producers and engineers of any calibre

are in short supply, but ones as talented and

successful as Marcella Araica are a rarity

indeed. Rob Hughes caught up with the

woman that Missy Elliot likens to an Italian

supercar…

Missy’sMarcy-a-lago

awww.audioprointernational.com audioPRO May 2011 39

MARCELLA ARAICA STUDIO <

was recognised with the Advanced Recording EngineerAward, which is bestowed upon just one deserving studenteach semester. She was also honoured for perfect attendance.

Back in Miami, despite her impeccable academiccredentials, Araica found local studios resistant to the idea oftaking on a new apprentice. Request after request was metwith denial, but there was one facility that she refused to giveup on – The Hit Factory. Araica petitioned the legendarystudio with the same diligence she had applied to her studies,and after a period of relentless phone calls, she was finallyaccepted as an intern in March 2002.

Settling into her new role, Araica found herself faced withfour-hour commutes and working days that were so long sheoften had to sleep on the studio floor. Nevertheless, she metthe challenge with a smile, and it wasn’t long before herdedication caught the eye of Demacio ‘Demo’ Castellon, whoinvolved Araica in his projects with local and upcoming

talent. Two months into her internship,when Missy Elliot arrived at The HitFactory unannounced, it was he whobacked Araica and recommended her asthe stand-in engineer.

“I was just sort of doing the regularassistant duties such as cleaning, gettingcoffee, freshening the flowers and so on,”recalls Araica. “And then one day MissyElliot called up the studio manager andsaid: ‘I’ll be there in 15 minutes’. Shedidn’t have a studio booked or anythingand the manager came to me and said: ‘Ineed someone there on the session in theroom right now’. He asked me if I wasready and I said, ‘absolutely’. I mean, I wasnervous but I just said I was readyregardless of whether I was or not. Iremember asking myself over and over if I wasactually ready. I didn’t really know but I justthought: ‘I’m gonna do this’.”

GO-TO ENGINEERIn fact, the session went so well that when MissyElliot returned to the studio a few days later, sherequested Araica by name. Elliot was bowledover by her lightening-fast command of ProTools, and subsequently spent many productivehours with the budding engineer before tellingevery artist she knew, including fellow rapperand illustrious music producer Timbaland, abouther. Turning up at The Hit Factory to witness herabilities for himself, ‘Tim’, as Araica fondly refersto him, was equally as impressed. Unwilling to lose her toanother producer, he immediately made her his full-time, ‘go-to’ engineer. Since then she has mixed some of his biggest hits,including tracks from his platinum-selling 2007 album, ShockValue, which features contributions from the likes of JustinTimberlake and Nelly Furtardo.

Through Timbaland, Araica met Floyd Nathanial Hills,AKA Danja, the phenomenally successful producer whopreceded her in progressing from apprentice to hitmakerunder Timbaland’s watchful eye. Danja soon began toappreciate her skill and commitment and the pair formed anenduring partnership that continues to this day. Together, theyhave worked on numerous hits including Gimme More byBritney Spears, 4 Minutes by Madonna and Pink’s Sober, forwhich they were honoured with the prestigious ASCAPSongwriting Award. Building on this success, they recentlylaunched the independent label, N.A.R.S. (New Age RockStars) which began 2011 with four signed artists –singer/songwriters Kevin Cossum and Luke James and rappersWyld Money and Cali Stylz.

All this begs the question: to what does Araica attribute hersuccess? “I think one of the reasons I’ve been so successful isbecause of the diversity of music that I understand. I’m intoevery kind of music; I’m in the car right now and although it’soff, I’ve been playing classical music. I also listen to country alot, too. So I have been able to really understand what kind ofbeats and what kind of sounds are home to genres in whichI’ve worked. When I am in the studio, I try to experiment andreally find the right equipment to use on sounds in my mixes. Ithink that is a type of producing because you’re actuallyforming the sounds that make up the song. The producer isthe one who creates the beat of the music, but as an engineer,you have to think like a producer; you have to think: ‘okay,how do I take what they did and magnify it by ten?’ Becausethat’s what they’re looking for, they don’t want someone tocome in after them and just throw paint on what they’vedone. They’ve sketched out a picture and you have to colourit in carefully.

“Through working with Timbaland and Danja, I’ve had thechance to go even further by manipulating sounds andcreating new ones. I completely morph the whole sound outand they trust me to do it. It’s a really fun experience.”

Araica has notched up

credits on over 100

chart-topping hits.

> IN SESSION


FEDERICO HENCKER had more than

just a laundry list of world-class gear in

mind when building Costa Rica’s Green

Road Studio. He also wanted to make

the studio as eco friendly as possible.

Hencker worked with studio designer

Horacio Malvicino on the concept and

design of the studio. The two met

during a university lecture in Bogotá,

Colombia, and devised Green Road as a

‘room within a room’, constructed with

ultra touch recycle fibre insulation

(walls and ceiling), interfabrics acoustic

fabrics and valspar eco friendly paint. It

also features walls resonators made of

bamboo, a sustainable wood, and is

finished with environmentally friendly

paints and fabrics. “Obviously, there are

limitations if you want to build a studio

that is 100 per cent green, but we did it

as green as possible,” Malvicino reports.

Nestled between rainforest and

beaches, the studio offers an

environment that is conducive to both

work and relaxation. “My idea is to let

people know that they can work here

Monday through Friday, and then on

the weekend, go to the beach.”

Hencker continues, “People can come

to Costa Rica and enjoy all the things

that this beautiful country has to offer

while working in a professional, state-

of-the-art studio.”

Managing director and engineer of

Green Road, Hencker’s plan was to

build a world-class recording

environment capable of attracting

clients not only from Central America,

but also South America and the United

States. The studio is designed for audio

post production, sound design and

jingle recording for radio and television,

in addition to music production.

Guitar Center Pro supplied the studio

with a Solid State Logic Matrix console,

with an Avid Pro Tools HD3 system,

mics and processors. Hencker and

Malvicino met with account manager

Michael Yorky at the GC Pro showroom

in New York City to discuss equipment

options for the studio. “He gave me lots

of ideas about what kind of equipment

to have in Green Road,” says Hencker.

“His insight was very useful – if I had

any technical doubts or other issues, I

would just call Michael and he would

resolve them for me.”

The studio’s microphone

preamplifier list includes a four-channel

SSL Xlogic Alpha VHD Pre, an API 3124,

and units from Millennia Media. A

Manley Labs SLAM! and an Avalon VT-

737SP provides additional mic

preamplification with dynamics

processing. A classic Teletronix LA-2A

compressor and an Empirical Labs

Distressor are also available.

Hencker’s mic of choice is the AKG

C12; however, the studio’s mic locker

also includes a Microtech Gefell UMT

70S, which, he says, is fantastic for

miking guitars, as well as several

models from Shure, Sennheiser, AKG

and others, which he makes use of to

record drums.

“I am very happy with all my

equipment,” Hencker comments. “With

the SSL, for example, I have greater

headroom so my mixes sound louder.”

According to Hencker, Green Road is

the only studio in Central America to

feature an SSL console.

The studio comprises a control

room, a live room and an isolation

booth partly constructed from stone,

making it a suitable room for vocal

overdubs and other instruments. “I have

been experimenting with all the rooms

that I have,” says Hencker of the newly

completed facility. “The iso booth, for

instance, has a very live sound that is

great for guitar amplifiers.”

Malvicino concludes: “We tried to

make the studio as flexible as possible.

Even though it is small, we followed the

same guidelines that we use when

building a world-class studio anywhere

in the world. In Central America, there

are very few studios and, to be honest,

many of these are very low quality. With

Green Road, we wanted to raise the bar

a little bit.”

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

To have your studio featured in this section, please send all details to: [email protected] or call +44 1992 535646

Studios:

Hencker insists that Green Road is Central America’ s

only studio to house an SSL console.

People and equipment behind studios

in the UK and around the world...


IN SESSION <

The end of May saw the 130thAES Convention return tothe Hammersmith Novotel in

London. And it was good to see somany visitors to the APRS standenjoying our now traditional freshlybrewed Belgian coffee or chilledbeer whilst chewing over the topicsof the day and having a chat withour members.

The convention programmeoffered the usual selection oftechnical tours, workshops, studentcritique sessions and special events.

London’s place in recording andbroadcast history cannot be ignoredand the technical tours were proofof that, taking in the BBC’s MaidaVale and Broadcasting House, TheRoyal Festival Hall, The RoyalOpera House, and Mark Knopfler’saudio excellence paradise, BritishGrove.

AES regulars will of course haveattended the inimitable GrahamBlythe’s organ recital spanningBach’s baroque to Dennis Wickens’contemporary works.

AES’s special events programmereceived a serious boost with theMPG’s manufacturing chain QCpanel and the APRS/DV247collaborations on AcousticTreatment for Small Spaces, SignalPaths, Phil Spector’s RecordingLegacy, The Myths and Mysteries ofDSP and the ‘I Didn’t Get Where Iam Today...’ panel taking a closerlook at the many and varied careerpaths that some of the industrygreats have taken.

Education has been and willcontinue to be a very importantpart of AES.

This year’s Student Events andCareerDevelopmentprogrammelooked at theexpanding skillset required tooperate in ourever-changingindustry andprovided a Science spot wherestudents’ projects could bedemonstrated, as well as thetraditional Recording Competition

and the Student RecordingCritiques.

I was honoured to be invited tojoin one of the critique panels withIan Corbett and Dave Maclaughlin.Elliott Randall joined me on thisone too, and although engineersand producers will always findsomething to rip into in somebodyelse’s work, the standard of workpresented was phenomenally high.People are out there making greatmusic that is being recorded well.All we need to figure out now ishow to educate our audiences that

music shouldn’talways be for free,that it takes time,passion and resourcesto make, and that it’screated not to bolsterthe artists’ egos butfor the listeners’pleasure.

Talking about making things, onto the exhibition part of theconvention. Where do we start? Tosay the exhibition was small is a

classic example of Britishunderstatement. It was minute.Does size matter in these instances?The big wigs of themanufacturingbusiness and theiraccountants wouldsay: “Yes, without adoubt!” Morepractical andsensible people willsay that a small,focussed show willactually be moreefficient andpotentially generate more business.

I was pleased to seeSoundnetwork representing DPA,Acoustic Energy and MCAudioLab. Weiss, Nagra, AEA,Sennheiser, Microtech, Gefell andPMC added to the high-end flair ofthe expo and thanks to the positivemindsets of manufacturers,designers and distributors like DaveHill, Chris from Endless and theguys at KMR, visitors had thepleasure of seeing API’s 1608 on

show, Cranesong’s green lights wereglowing bright and Clasp wasdumping magnetic tape particles

straight to theDAW at a varietyof tape speeds.

It will beinteresting to seethe outcome of theAPRS/Manufacturersmeeting with AESin a few weeks’time once the dusthas settled.

Personally I hope some of that dustwill be kicked up again and forceAES to listen to the industry’ssuggestions.

While the days of HermannWilms working the floor are gone, Ithink it’s time for a new AESgeneration to take an example fromthat and be out there engaging themanufacturers, engineers andproducers and changing in tandemwith the industry it is striving torepresent.

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

Boutique but good for business Wes Maebe reports on the recent return of the AES Convention to London’s Hammersmith Novotel

Education has been– and will continue

to be – a veryimportant part of

AES.

People are makinggreat music that’srecorded well. We

just need toeducate consumers

that it shouldn’talways be free.


> STUDIO FATMAN

It is quite eye

opening when

people outside the

audio industry

realise the

advantages in

sound quality that

we can bring to

home setups.Tony Larking

The overarching theme of Tony Larking’s several businessventures is to provide warmth to digital music.Whether it is mixed with the valve outboard and

consoles under the TL Audio brand, or played on the Fatmanhifi products, Larking offers a range of products designed withvalve circuitry to add slight harmonic distortion to the signal chain.

With the VTC console selling steadily all over the world,the Ivory 5051 becoming a standard for studio and live workand his brother Don focusing on Larking List – a used highend used console supplier – Larking has brought histechnologies to the commercial market with the Fatmanbrand. Born six years ago with the release of a compressor andchannel strip for the entry-level market, Larking found itimpossible to remain competitive in the commercial marketwhen manufacturing in the UK, so the products were shelvedand Fatman had a rest for a few years.

In 2006 Larking explored the option of partnering with aChinese manufacturer and Fatman was able to have its firsttaste of success in the consumer audio hifi market. Larkingexplains: “We sold thousands of the original Fatman outboardunits, but they had to be at a certain price point andmanufacturing them in the UK made it hard to make themfinancially viable. We sold them for about two or three yearsand then they were discontinued. In 2006 we launched the

first Fatman iTube product - a valve hybrid amp and dock forthe iPod – and won the What Hi-Fi Product of the Yearaward. From that we developed a whole range of productsand in 2009 won a Diamond Award at The British InventorsShow for Innovation.”

The Fatman team has recently extended the capabilities ofits products with the introduction of the Wi-Tube dock withBluetooth. “Whereas some other products are made to usejust with Apple products, the Wi-Tube lets you use any phoneor laptop with Bluetooth, and the valve circuitry adds warmthto an otherwise cold, digital signal,” Larking says. “Ourproduct line offers something for everyone. Our mostaffordable products start at around £300 and the price goesup to just under £2,000. With Fatman, it is all abouteducating people because many of our customers have grownup listening to music on computers on small speakers. It isquite eye opening when people outside the audio industryrealise the advantages in sound quality that we can bring totheir home setups.”

PRO TO CONSUMERWith over 20 years of experience in the professional studiomarket, Larking explains that things aren’t exactly greener onthe other side of the fence: “We have distributors that wehave worked with in the pro market for years; it is very stable

TL Audio’s Tony Larking has been on top of the professional recording market with his valve technology for

decades. His latest venture, Fatman, is aimed at bringing his signature sound to the consumer market.

Andrew Low talks to Larking about Fatman, the TL brands and his idea for a new animated series…

Jack of all trades


FATMAN STUDIO <

and we get regular orders. The consumer market is muchbigger and the potential is massive, but there are pitfalls weneed to be careful to avoid. We also have to be careful whowe deal with and how you deal with them. A lot of peoplewant us to put thousands of units on sale or return, which issomething we would never do. It is all about knowing whoyou are dealing with.”

NICHE MARKETS Although the TL Audio brand is highly revered in the studioworld with high-end users like Coldplay and Brian Eno, theproducers of Dr. Who and Plan B singing its praises, Larkingdescribes TL Audio’s professional business as niche and limited:“In order to continue our growth as a company, we needed toexpand ourselves. The pro market is limited, and being in aniche end of it, we are slightly restricted so it is hard to see largegrowth every year. Getting into the consumer market was anobvious transition for us.

“I always thought the association of our TL products in theconsumer market would be great. People are using digitalmeans to play music more and more each year and valves areperfect for it.”

PLUGINS ARE DEADLarking has revealed that the feedback he is getting from hisprofessional users indicates that the plugin revolution isslowly loosing strength. Larking explains: “I hear from our prodistributors that plugins are not as good at outboard andthere is a definite trend back towards outboard. Firms likeKMR are doing the best business it has ever done becausethere are a lot more studios around. It used to be thatcommercial studios were few and far between, but the adventof the home studio is really driving big sales in that sector.”

FATMAN LIVESThe Fatman concept was originally intended to offer a ‘fatwith a ph’ sound for the home hifi market, but Larking has

since realise a future for the brand name and the corpulent manwho represents it. “I am working with Stevie V and using hisDirty Cash song as the theme for a new animated series calledThe Adventures of Stevie V and DJ Fatman,” he explains. “Ihave known Stevie for over 20 years and it occurred to methat Dirty Cash would be a great theme song for Fatman. Wehave had quite a few meetings with animators. We also havea Radio One DJ and some other high-profile people who arevery interested. Baby D is also interested in being animated asFatman’s girlfriend, so it could turn out to be something likean animated version of Hollyoaks,” Larking laughs.

According to Larking, the intention of the Fatmananimation is to drive the brand name into the heads andhomes of consumers around the world, and make it cool sothat teenagers on a budget will be drawn to the brand whenbuying home stereo equipment. “People love the Fatmanbrand; they associate it with this cute cool little character,” he explains.

PLAN BConsidering the success Larking has achieved in severalmarkets, it is not inconceivable that Fatman could becomethe new Homer Simpson in a few years. In the interim, Fatman and TL Audio continue to win awardsfor design, the most recent being Plan B’s MPG accolade forBest Single with She Said, a song that was recorded and mixedon TL’s M4 console at The Sanctuary Studio by EricAppapoulay.

An additional project added to the Larking’s what-will-we-do-next list is a 15 Watt valve guitar amp/combo that will beready for the Christmas season,” Larking states. “We alreadyhave a few out in the field and people are loving it. The onething that we always maintain is that, no matter what marketwe are dealing in, great sound comes first.” > fat-man.co.uk> tlaudio.co.uk> larkingslist.co.uk

Fatman products

contain valve circuitry

similar to TL’s high end

gear

Through working with our European operations, the CTVaudio crew have learned to use products and manufacturerswho they would not have necessarily been exposed to.

Lawo mixers and the Reidel family of communicationsmatrixes are far more common on mainland Europe than inthe UK, although the latter manufacturer is beginning to gaina foothold in the domestic OB market. I instinctively like theergonomics of the Reidel panels and once you have learned topress the illuminated display text rather than search for alatchable key in its vicinity, the system has a rather pleasinglogic to it.

Telex however, still dominates the UK and US markets inOutside Broadcast Communications matrix solutions. Thefamiliar protocol and programming that all US and UK audioengineers take in their stride is a huge marketing tool for eachnew generation of the RTS system. Our US clients rely on thesupply of familiar facilities when working in Europe and in abusiness where communication is vital. Telex is often top oftheir shopping list when choosing an OB vendor for theiroperations. There is however a vital communication skill thatis an essential pre-requisite for every UK technical manager oraudio engineer working with a US production crew; theability to speak ‘TV American’. In an environment where thesound supervisor is known as the A1 and his audio engineeras the A2 beware if you are ever referred to as C3.

Whilst tech managing a live entertainment show recently, Iwas reminded of a perennial problem that we face on eachand every televised awards show. Despite clear briefings fromfloor management, it is the natural tendency of guestpresenters and award recipients alike to lean into themicrophone, especially when it is lectern mounted. The imageof an award recipient bending low over a pair of mic capsulesis not a pleasing televisual composition.

PA companies that we regularly work with tend to useShure 412 or 418 kits, depending on the height of the lectern.The taller 18-inch’ 418 with its adjustable stalk is oftenpositioned as close to the speakers anticipated body positionas possible in order to counteract their natural reflex to leaninto the mic. We try and use as little fold back as possible onset in order to minimise colouration of the programme sound,but this in turn can deceive the speaker into believing thatthey are not being heard in the room and their instinct is tospeak closer to the capsule. It is a fine balance betweenmicrophone placement and fold back, a balance that is alsovery much influenced by the set designer, who more oftenthan not, wishes to present a clean stage devoid of wedges orpoint speakers. I was discussing this subject recently with anindustry colleague who designs the front of house sound formany of the shows that we at CTV televise. He admitted thatthere were several ways to balance microphone placementwith fold back, but nothing can be done to protect lecternmics from would be ‘Tank Drivers’, who firmly grasp a delicatestalk in each hand and attempt to steer the lectern acrossopen country whilst announcing the nominees or thankingtheir mothers.

Iam not one of life’s natural linguists. I have inherited manyof my dearly departed father’s traits and idiosyncrasies butfluency in overseas tongues is not one of them. My father

spent much of the latter part of his life overseas and had aninnate capacity to learn languages and mimic accents. Somedialects however escaped him, yet being the product of ageneration whereby the volume that one addresses atelephone mouthpiece is directly proportional to thegeographical distance the listener is away from you, heinvariably made himself understood. I attribute my mid-lifetinnitus not to a career televising music shows, but achildhood sharing a house in Somerset with a man who couldquite easily communicate with Moscow regardless of whetherhe was using a telephone or not.

These days, the commercial success of most companies,regardless of whether they are in the television domain or not,depends largely upon their ability to operate in a globalmarketplace. Television outside broadcast companies ingeneral and CTV in particular benefit greatly from theirEuropean and American alliances. Our UK operation is partof the vast Euro Media Group and our operational languageflits between English, French, Dutch, Flemish and German,although our commercial language thankfully remains in theEnglish domain. Our partner trucks from all over mainlandEurope to work regularly under our flag in British locations,servicing our entertainment and sport portfolio during timesof peak demand. Conversely, we work under our variouspartners flags in their own territories. The group is a sharedand varied resource with a common technical language.

“Commercial

success of most

companies

depends on their

ability to operate in

a global

marketplace.

Bill Morris

> BROADCAST LETTER FROM THE FRONT

Bill Morris discusses the challenges of audio comms at large-scale events…

Bill Morris is the business director of one of Europe’s largest independent outside broadcasting firms, CTVOB


Tank Drivers

David Skinner in the production gallery of OB8

shooting T4 on the Beach using Telex comms


> PEOPLE

Sennheiser welcomesClaussen as president

FROM THE BEGINNING OFAugust, responsibility ofSennheiser's Installed SoundBusiness Division will be handedover to new president PeterClaussen. Formerly of IT companyHöft & Wessel AG, the 47 year-oldmarketing and sales expert'sprevious post at the company was asdeputy chairman of themanagement board.

Claussen will be taking over ayoung division, which Sennheiserhas only recently introduced as partof its new corporate structure and,until now, has been under theprovisional leadership of Dr.Heinrich Esser.

As divisional president, Claussenwill join Sennheiser's ExecutiveManagement Board.

In his new position, Claussen'sresponsibilities will include theoperative business and strategicdevelopment of the Installed Sounddivision and ensuring thatSennheiser addresses the variousdemands of customers even moresuccessfully in this product area.

His commitment to the role is setto lay the foundations for moreefficient, long-term market activity

for the company. "I'm really looking forward to this

new challenge, as the InstalledSound area is increasingly becominga systems business. I can thereforeapply my extensive experience fromthe IT sector to firmly establishSennheiser's position in meetingthe market requirements in the longterm," he explained.

Prior to his appointment topresident of Sennheiser's InstalledSound Busines Division, and beforehis time at Höft & Wessel AGClaussen worked in a variety ofposts at Hewlett-Packard.> sennheiser.com

Peter Claussen set to lead young division

ELECTRO-VOICEhas announced thatPhillip Scobee hasbeen appointed asproduct manager.He will take

responsibility forboth new and existing

concert product lines.Best-known for his work as thedesigner of high-end touringsound systems for artists such asKenny Chesney and Sugarland,Scobee brings vast experience tohis new position.

"I'm thrilled at the chance tobe actively involved indeveloping and representing theEV concert sound line," Scobeecommented.> electrovoice.com

DIGICO HAS appointed IanStaddon as vice president ofsales. His recent work as vicepresident of sales for Studermade him an ideal candidate for

the Britishmanufacturer.

"I have a longterm respect forwhat DiGiCo hasachieved in such ashort period of

time, so when theopportunity arose to

join the Digico team itwas a big decision, but one I hadto take," said Staddon.> digico.biz

STUDIOSPARES has hiredGary Maguire as technical salesspecialist. Having previouslyworked for Tascam UK asnorthern accounts manager,Maguire has accumulated manyyears of specialist experienceand expertise. This new positionwill enable an increased effort

on up-and-coming productlines, key customers

and social media. Hewill focus primarilyon the company’skey existingaccounts as well aslooking at future

sales opportunities.He offered:

“Studiospares’ future islooking very positive and I feelmy past experience with Tascamwill help push things forward.”> studiospares.com

IN BRIEFEuropean sales manager set to drive Venue console sales for live sound

Avid appoints Mick Brophy

AVID has appointed Mick Brophy toEuropean sales manager for its LiveSound division. Leading Avid's LiveSound European sales team, Brophywill take a central role in drivingforward sales of the Avid Venue livesound console range.

With over 25 years' experienceworking in the live sound industry,Brophy spent the past four years inBarcelona as Vieta's internationalsales and marketing director ofprofessional products. Based atSeeSound, Avid's Spanish andPortuguese distributor, he handledsales of the Venue product range inPortugal, developing an extensiveknowledge of the system andcustomer base.

Brophy spent 11 years at mixingconsole company AMEK, three ofwhich as international sales director.

Based at Avid's EMEA headquartersat Pinewood Studios, Brophy willreport to Paul Hennessy, vicepresident of sales EMEA.

"I'm very pleased to welcome Mick

to the team," said Hennessy. "The LiveSound industry is a key area of growthfor Avid across Europe, and we'reexcited to add someone who has sucha wealth of industry experience andknowledge of our products. In just sixyears since the first Venue productwas launched, it's now the numberone touring console in NorthAmerica. We're expecting a busy

summer festival season this year withVenue becoming the primary consolechoice at many major Europeanfestivals. The permanent installationmarket will also be a key focus for usin 2011 and beyond. I'm sure thatMick and his team will do a great jobof driving sales of Venue into thisgrowing sector."> avid.com

Claussen will head new division

Innovason names

sales manager

DIGITAL mixing consolemanufacturer Innovason hasappointed Alexandre Liagre assales manager for the company'sdomestic market in France. Basedin Paris, Alex will take over fromPhillipe Guillo, who returns tomanage his own rental company.

Marcel Babazadeh, Innovason'sinternational sales director,believes that Liagre is an ideal fitfor the console manufacturer. Heexplained: "He is trained as both asalesman and a sound engineer, soin terms of profile, we couldn't askfor much better."

Liagre is equally excited to beworking with Innovason. Hecommented.

"Innovason is a company thathas always striven to offer the bestpossible care and service to theircustomers, and I'm proud to bejoining them."> innovason.com

L-Acoustics appoints Rental Network Agents

DISTRIBUTION <

L-ACOUSTICS has announced theappointment of two new K1/KUDOrental network agents in the CzechRepublic, T-Servis and High LiteTouring. The two companies, whoalready own substantial V-Dosc anddv-Dosc WST line source systems,have each added a K1/KUDO systemand K1-SB subwoofers to their currenttouring inventories.

With a high number of large-scalemusic events and open air festivalsbeing held in the Czech Republic, theaddition of these K1/KUDO systemsto the Czech market goes some way tohighlight the importance of the livesound reinforcement segment in thisdeceivingly small territory.

Dan Krcmar, director of L-Acoustics' distributor for the CzechRepublic and Slovakia, Pro Music,commented: "We are excited to seetwo of our clients investing in theK1/KUDO system. It has often beensaid that he who is a Czech is also amusician, proving the historical factthe Czechs are considered as one of

the most musical nations worldwide.In such an environment, L-Acousticsrepresents the most sought-after brandin the pro audio industry, and thepresence of the latest line sourcetechnology with K1 and KUDO willhelp to extend this exclusive position

and reputation even further, especiallyfor all L-Acoustics Czech RentalNetwork agents."

Director of High Lite Touring,Martin Duda, added: "Our goal is todeliver sound without anycompromise, and L-Acoustics systems

are the only ones capable of this. Inpast years, being part of the L-Acoustics family has helped us toachieve this goal, and joining the K1agents is the icing on the cake."> l-acoustics.com


Funky Junk to carry

Radial Workhorse

FUNKY JUNK has beenchosen by ShureDistribution as one of theUK's key dealers to carryboth its new RadialWorkhorse unit and 500series modules.

It is reported that ShureDistribution, whichdistributes Radial in the UK,selected Funky Junk as a keydealer due to its establishedlist of clients and expert pro-audio knowledge. Paul Crognale,of Shure Distribution commented:"Funky Junk were the first companywhich came to mind when handpicking stockists for the Workhorse.Their reputation, client base andproduct knowledge is a perfect fitfor a product of this type."

As a modular rack and mixer, theRadial Workhorse is equipped tohandle up to eight modules,allowing users to mix and matchpreamps, EQs and compressors andcombine them in one rack.Individual modules are accessibleon the rear panel, following thetraditional API format or bussed tothe built-in 8x2 summing mixer forsignal panning, level control and

muting control.With shipping having already

begun in the UK earlier this spring,Funky Junk currently has both theWorkhorse unit and the 500 seriesmodules in stock, with demo unitsalso available.

Funky Junk's Adam Crowe, said:"We are very excited to carry theWorkhorse. It's not often these daysthat we get to witness a productwith a truly smart design. TheRadial guys have clearly put a lot ofthought into this unit in terms ofusability, design, spec andperformance, and boy does itdeliver." > proaudioeurope.com

Two new K1/KUDO agents appointed in the Czech Republic to highlight live sound reinforcement segment

Shure distribution names select UK dealers

Funky Junk stock Workhorse

TL AUDIO has appointed MSLProfessional as its exclusivedistributor for both the UK andIrish markets.

The company will be addingTL Audio's Ivory, Classic andEbony series of valve processors,in addition to the professionalVTC, M4 and M1-F valve mixingconsoles to its developingdistribution portfolio.

MSL company director, SimonLowther, said: "We are delightedto have the opportunity ofworking with TL Audio."

"We're very pleased to welcomeMSL Professional as ourexclusive distributor for the UKand Ireland," added TonyLarking, founder of TL Audio."We're also delighted to beworking with Simon and histeam as they understand ourpassion for great sound and thecontribution our products maketo studio recording and livesound. "

> mslpro.co.uk

MSL namedexclusive UKdistributor

MEYER SOUND hasannounced the incorporation ofMeyer Sound Middle East. Thenew office, located in DubaiMedia City, will serve the MiddleEast, the Indian subcontinent,and North Africa.

The expansion will putcustomers in closer reach toMeyer Sound's offerings,including technical support,design services and education.

"The development of the AVindustry in the Middle East hasmade it essential for us to form astrategic presence in Dubai,"adds Helen Meyer, executive vicepresident of Meyer Sound.> meyersound.com

Meyer SoundannouncesDubai office

> PRODUCT


API RECOMMENDS

GERMAN AMPLIFIER manufacturer

Hoellstern has recently released the

Delta 8.4-DSP amplifier. Aimed at

traditional rental business as well as

permanent installations, such as

theatres and concert halls, Delta 8.4-

DSP features inbuilt, four-channel

DSP, remote control option and free

DSP configuration.

When the amp’s ‘On’ mode is

activated each of its four channels

provides 1,300 Watts at eight Ohms

and 1,700 Watts at six Ohms. In ‘Off’

mode the output power is 4 x 850

Watts at eight ohms or 4 x 1,700 Watts

at four Ohms respectively.

Hoellstern’s DSP loudspeaker

management offers four discrete

audio inputs. The 56-bit DSP

controller is fully integrated into the

Hoellstern amplifiers to offer a

comprehensive loudspeaker

management system. All four

individual audio inputs have a short

latency of 0.2 ms (7 cm sound path

distance, QuasiAnalog), and the

Hoellstern DSPSoftEngine. These

factors are said to provide an

architecture that allows the successful

emulation of all external controllers

and DSP power amplifiers currently

available. Preset configurations are

available for free download from the

firm and constantly updated. Like all

other Hoellstern amplifiers, the

Delta8.4-DSP may be operated on an

RS-485 network under Windows and

Mac using the free Konfigurator2

software or configured and controlled

via the Hoellstern AmplifierTeacher.

The company states that the Delta

8.4-DSP is stable down to one Ohm,

easy to use, flexible and suitable for all

loudspeaker systems.

Product designation4-channel audio amplifier with built-in

4-channel DSP, remote control option

and free DSP configuration

Technical specifications4 x 4 channels, 4 x 1,300 watts at 8

Ohms, 4 x 1,700 watts at 6 ohms and

4 x 1,700 watts at 4 Ohms in another

operating mode

Dimensions19-inch, 2 RU case, 29 cm deep

Weight11.6 kg

Availability April 2011

> hoellstern.com

Hoellstern Delta 8.4-DSP Amplifier

For more information or tohear sound samples visit:

placidaudio.com

The COPPERPHONE™

HARMONICA MINI

The Original COPPERPHONE™

THE ORIGINAL PLACID AUDIO™

COPPERPHONE™

Truly Unique and Nostalgic-Sounding Recording Tools

> MARKETPLACE

SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT

SOUND MARKETING

SOUND MARKETING wasformed in 2008 and has grown into a successful marketing agency.Initially specialising in PR,Sound Marketing has evolvedand now offers a full range ofnew media services to theentertainment technologyindustry,includingYouTubeChannel andsocial mediamanagement,social networkset-up andtraining. In January 2011 MarkBracken of Bracken Media andStephanie Dell joined forces toform a winning partnership inthe emerging micro-film market.Bracken Media producesprofessional video content,comprising training videos,talking heads, digital pressreleases, corporate and viralvideos for use on socialnetworking sites and websites, soteaming up proved to be asomewhat natural amalgamationfor Sound Marketing.

Mark Bracken and StephanieDell have over 35 yearscombined experience in theprofessional audio and lightingindustry and have workedtogether in various roles over thepast two decades. The pair

announced the launch of theirnew partnership at this year’sPLASA Focus show, whilstworking on their first commercialprojects together.

Stephanie Dell, of SoundMarketing, commented: “I amdelighted to be working with

Bracken Mediain whatpromises to bean exciting andrapidly growingmarket. Videocontentproduction sits

well with Sound Marketing’sexisting traditional PR and new-media business. Continuing todevelop Sound Marketing whilsthaving an active role in BrackenMedia will greatly enhance ouroffer to our existing client base,whilst providing new clients acomplete content productionand management package”.

She added: “We have recentlyreinforced the traditionalmarketing side of the businesswith the appointment of JohnJones as copy writer; John hasmany years’ experience in themusic industry and has worked asa consultant and freelance writer.This will allow me toconcentrate on key accounts andon developing our new mediadivision.”

� MARKETPLACE ADVERTISERS INDEX �

Adam Hall 01702 613922

Sommer Cable www.sommercable.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

Hatch 020 8297 1200 hatchcreations.co.uk

JHS 0113 286 6411 www.jhs.co.uk

Monacor 01908 217 100 [email protected]

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

Powersoft www.armoniasuite.com

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

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

TEAC 01923 438 880 [email protected]

Wild Distribution 01342 841 637 www.wilddistribution.com

AUDIO MARKETPLACE

� �

DESIGN

design that rocks!

design for print & web | advertising | exhibitions & events

corporate id | print management | e-marketing

copywriting | presentations | photography

hatchcreati

ons.co.uk

020 8297 1200

music industry maestros

CLASSIFIED RATES: Minimum 12 Months -

One Annual Charge Quarter Page £1,495

To advertise call Darrell Carter on 01992 535647

“Sound Marketing hasevolved and now

offers a full range ofnew media services.

50,51,52,53,54 API40_v2 25/5/11 16:12 Page 1

MARKETPLACE <

DISTRIBUTOR

DISTRIBUTOR

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PERFORMANCE YOUCAN TRUST

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

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

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

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

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

That’s performance you can trust.

Learn more at www.jblpro.com/prx600 or

call Sound Technology Ltd on 01462 480000

DISTRIBUTOR

> MARKETPLACE

DISTRIBUTOR

www.jhs.co.uk

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT YOUR JHS PRO AUDIO ASM ��

��

THE HOME OF...THE HOME OF...

MANUFACTURER

MANUFACTURER

MANUFACTURER

MARKETPLACE <

PRPR

MANUFACTURERMANUFACTURER

> MARKETPLACE

MANUFACTURER

STUDIO

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

A starmakes us soundlike us, only better

Great earsgets fantastic

sound

Gear Headknows all the gearand all the tricks

Great address bookgood studio and

producer relationships

Nice persongets on with everyone,

recommended byprevious clients

Plays an instrumentspeaks our language

Feet firmly on groundno big ego,

"no prob" attitude

Superficialresemblance to Kid Rock

(not a deal breaker)

Good communicatorquick to understand

what we want

Will traveland speaks four

languages

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

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

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

...Better call Wes then

STUDIO

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].


>>

PIC OF THE MONTH

A-HAThis glittered group of punters is seeing A-ha for the last time

ever. The final show of the band’s farewell tour was held at Oslo'sSpectrum and recorded by Cinevideogroup, who deployed thelargest of its OB trucks ,OB 14 (HD). At the centre of the 16.5-

metre truck is a 144 x 144 Advanced Digital Audio Matrix (ADAM)intercom system from RTS/Telex.

Wortorganisiert German Communications specialist Riedel wins this month’s award for

the tidiest and most organised warehouse we have ever seen.

WAREHOUSE OF THE MONTH

DONNY AND MARIEDonny and Marie Osmond’s headlining act at Las Vegas’ Flamingo

Hotel recently celebrated its 500th show. Audio-Technica was the mic ofchoice for the show.

OH YEAH, THE CONSOLE LOOKS GOODTOO

KT Tunstall stole the spotlight in this shot of herotherwise very attractive API 1608 console.

Eurovision 2011

This issue’s empty room of the month was taken by API editor Andrew Low. This istruly the biggest and grandest empty room we have ever seen. Unfortunately,

about 35,000 people showed up and ruined this otherwise perfectly empty room.

EMPTY ROOM OF THE MONTH


>> APRS AT AES

Trisha Wegg, Mandy Parnell andDebbie Pearce cheer up the APRSBooth

Melvin Thoms mansthe JAMES corner ofthe APRS Booth

Phil Spector Lecture presenter

Barry Marshall and APRS

veteran Dave Harries

>>

Wondering what the twitterati have been up to

this month? Look no further...

@dmmusic: Generallypleased the rapture didn'thappen... would have beenbad for business. (DM Music)

@kbconsulting: 26 millionWindows users haveswitched to Macs since2004, according toNeedham's Charlie Wolf. (Ken Berger – KB Consulting)

@MadSteveAlbini No one knows I was borndeaf in one ear and partiallydeaf in the other. I've heardthat music is supposed to bebeautiful.(A person who may or may not be

engineer Steve Albini)

@alexpetridis“You don’t know me and Idon’t know you, but yourmusic helped me knowmyself.” Perfect summary ofthe relationship between fanand artist.(Alexis Petridis – The Guardian journalist)

@waybnecoyneRecording the song At NASAon Acid with MGMT.(Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips)


A GREAT PLACE TO WORK

Harman’s manufacturing facility in Tijuana, Mexico was certified as one ofMexico’s Top 100 Great Places to Work. Harman representatives were onhand in Mexico City to accept the certificate on behalf of the facility during

a celebration honouring each of the top 100 companies.

Over 20,000 spectators and 1,200 participants attended the2011 St Patrick's Day Parade and Parade Party in Munich

M7 Veranstaltungstechnik relied on a Dynacord Cobra systemcomprising Cobra-4 Far, Cobra-4 Top and Cobra-PWH enclosures

and its M12 monitors for the event.

This shot was taken by

CTVOB’s camera

supervisor Dave White

from the top of his

60m perch above

Horseguards at The

Mall during the Royal

Wedding. CTVOB

covered the route

from the Mall through

Horseguards for ITN,

Canada Gate for NHK

Japan and the main

studio for CTV Canada

opposite the Abbey.

audioPRO June 2011 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 2011. 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>>

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

BEHIND THE BOARD WITH…

DAVE WOOSTER

Do you utilise any outboard

effects/EQ, and if so, what are

they used on and why?

I am currently using all internaleffects on the Profile due totravelling issues and the factthat Waves Live, Oxford EQand TC Electronics’ reverbs areshit hot. In the future, certainmodelled preamps like theLiquid Channel will becomevery useful. In the studio I use aTC Electronic Reverb 6000because the low-endreproduction is awesome, and Iuse Summit and Manley tubeunits on vocals as they lift out anessence from the performance.

Favourite console?

Digidesign Profile as a live soundboard and Soundtracs Jade S inthe studio. The Jade S isKoolworld’s desk and it alwaysseems to amaze me. My nextpurchase will be a TL Audiovalve console.

Favourite PA system?

A Martin Audio W8LC systemwith 16 LC boxes and six 218subs. I can drive it hard, and it isan awesome system for mostvenues. As for when I amworking in the studio, I likeGenelec monitors.

Favourite venue/festival?

The Oxford Apollo is a great littletheatre with an excellent low-endresponse. The New Orleans JazzFestival is another one of myfavourites. Koolworld is myfavourite studio – shameless plug.

Best toy you take on tour…

My Power Mac is a true multi-tool. I have lost count how manytimes it has gotten me out of theshit. It has all the essentials:SpectraFoo, Pro Tools, LogicAudio, email and Skype; the listgoes on.

What really pisses you off when

working?

People who don’t listen.

What makes you happy when

working?

In the live environment, 30 db ofheadroom and knowing you cango there. I also love a studio full oftalented musicians.

With hindsight, what job would

you have chosen for yourself?

Brain surgeon.

If you weren’t working now,

you’d be..?

At home, with my granddaughterclimbing all over me.

Dave Wooster is a live sound and studio engineer

who has worked with artists such as Black Sabbath

BLACK MOUNTAIN – WILDERNESS HEART Black Mountain’s latest album Wilderness Heart is a fantasticallyrecorded rock album. The Vancouver stoner rockers teamed upwith Randall Dunn (Sun O)))), Six Organs of Admittance) andDave Sardy (Johnny Cash, Slayer, Oasis, LCD Soundsystem) forthis album, which resulted in a more defined sound.

The majority of the album was recorded with Sardy at SunsetSound recording studios on its Neve, API and custom consoles.The band’s Stephen McBean feels that the addition of a produceron the sessions added an element of trust to the recordings: “In thepast we spent a lot of energy not only on getting the sounds butchoosing the takes and knowing when to stop. It was great to havesomeone there who would tell you that the sixth take was the bestand to just trust their judgement. It is harder to judge your ownvocals because there are certain quirks that might annoy you thatsomeone else picks up on and thinks sounds interesting.”

The availability of amazing gear also had an effect on the overallsound of the recording. “On our first album we only had one preamp, an SM57 and an MXL tube mic to choose from, whereaswhen we were doing the overdubs with Sardy he has endlessamazing old amps to choose from,” McBean explains. “You aredealing with about 80 thousand-dollar signal chain. When were didthe first record we were getting the same sounds in the same room

with the samemicrophones.”

McBean alsocomments that Sardy is amaster of guitar sounds:“He’ll tell you to recordone track with a bunchof different mics insteadof layering 10 guitartracks. We had an ideaof what we wanted butwe always wanted tokeep it open for nicesurprises and let thingsfind their own voice.”

API’s July/Augustissue will have a fullreport on the recordingthe album.

HOW IT’S DONE

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

The Leisuretec Listings Plus 2011 • Call us to Order Your Copy • Experience • Choice • Value • Service

AVAILABLE NOW

THE LEISURETEC LISTINGS PLUS 2011bringing brands together

1-june2011

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