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P22UNITY FOR US ALLNO, NOT BREXIT AGAIN:

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Pro-audio voices join the Brexit debate P20

Should we stay or should we go?Should we stay or should we go?

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A very diff erent cover style this month. But then again, it’s a very diff erent

month to come. While a signifi cant number of suppliers, techs and

support crews will already be knee-deep in Glastonbury fun and/or mud

by June 23rd (and, as on other occasions, I say, good luck with that, yeah,

cheers), others in our community will be voting on the EU referendum.

Hence, we’ve canvassed a few opinions across the pro-audio spectrum, to see what

our little world thinks about the debate. I hope you’ll fi nd that David Davies’ piece,

beginning on p20, shows that – from those people who were prepared to express

an opinion (and, sigh, as usual there are those who wouldn’t) – there’s still no clear

direction as to what industry leaders in the UK should do.

What do I think? I think it’s obvious, even though it’s not a choice I’m comfortable

with. I think we should vote Remain, despite the fact we have to endure the UK’s awful

prime minister and the rest of his self-serving elitist government.

As we’ve been told many times, ‘It’s the Economy, Stupid’. We have the trade

agreements. We have everything in place to build business, without having to

renegotiate our situation. Why would we sacrifi ce that? Why would we throw it all out,

when all we are off ered as an alternative by the Leave faction is spurious speculative

opinion and knee-jerk claims of scaremongering and the like?

There was a dagger-sharp article in the UK’s Observer newspaper some weeks ago

by commentator Andrew Rawnsley, eff ectively saying, those who whinge in political

debates never win. Leave are (still, even several weeks later) doing all the whingeing.

He said they won’t win. And I agree.

Still. Next time I write, we’ll see where we lie, won’t we?

Back to this June issue, then. Lots of tasty bites: Kevin Hilton’s feature on branding

throws up some illuminating takes on how to promote oneself; Dominic Harter’s

keen to get started at Martin Audio; the BBC are looking at a major shake-up; and Ed

Harcourt is feeling feisty. All I ask is you continue to tick the box next to PSNEurope...

PSNEUROPEP3

JUNE2016WelcomeEditor

Dave Robinson

[email protected]

Group managing editorJo Ruddock

[email protected]

Content director James McKeown

[email protected]

Advertising manager Ryan O’Donnell

[email protected]

Account managerRian Zoll-Khan

[email protected]

Head of design Jat Garcha

[email protected]

Production executive Jason Dowie

[email protected]

Contributors: Kevin Hilton, Marc Maes, Dave Wiggins,

Mike Clark, Phil Ward, Erica Basnicki,

David Davies, Simon Duff

PSNEurope NewBay Media,

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DAVE ROBINSONEditor@PSNEurope

Business6 Music Inside Rimini (MiR) reviewed8 Launching this year’s Pro Sound Awards10 Vocal channel: Erica Basnicki and Dave Wiggins12 Movers and shakers: industry appointments14 PSNTraining: get yerself some skills18 The strategic position: Dom Harter of Martin Audio20 Should we stay or should we go? The views from pro-audio land44 Brand ho! Image management in the pro-audio world

Technology16 New products

Studio 22 Unity Audio: rock on!24 Andrew Scheps’ move to Monnow

Broadcast26 BBC Charter review28 AIMS Alliance: who’s joined and why

Live30 SSL Live L500 breaks into Belgium32 RF Transmission upgrades systems33 Eighth Day Sound live with Macklemore34 Electo-Voice and the new ND range36 Entec and the Teenage Cancer Trust40 Muse rides radical with Nexo STM

Installation48 Shure Axient on the circuit.50 Denon and Marantz are back!

Back pages53 Hither & dither54 Q&A: Ed Harcourt

In this issue...

www.psneurope.com

P4JUNE2016

Contents

P24GREEN, GREEN GRASS OF HOMEANDREW SCHEPS HEADS TO THE WELSH VALLEYS

P34BELT AND BRACES THE MAN BEHIND A MAJOR RANGE OF ELECTRO-VOICE MICS

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ITALY

www.psneurope.com/business

P6JUNE

2016

Show review

Original format combines demos, product debuts, culture and tourism, writes Mike Clark

New Italian trade expo debuts to all-round optimism

A new event arrived on the Italian

entertainment technology shoreline

last month: Music Inside Rimini –

Innovation, Technology, Light, Sound &

Video’, organised by Rimini Fiera in collaboration with

associations APIAS, SILB FIPE and ENA. The three-day

show –MiR for short – attracted nearly 10,000 visitors

who were joined on the first two evenings for the “Music

Inside Festival” by numerous fans and buffs who flocked

to hear and see their favourite DJs’ sets amplified and lit

by exhibitors’ equipment.

Industry members with fond memories of the SIB

international trade show of old found a completely

different format awaiting them at the exhibition centre

on the Adriatic coast: a combination of expo, high-

profile demos (under the ‘Live You Play’ banner) and

numerous events focussed on live music production.

These included the evolution of technology and its

fundamental role in shows and festivals, the potential

of digital media for promoting live events and related

sectors, such as ‘Mediterranean nights: Salento,

Romagna Riviera and Ibiza for quality amusement’, a

summit on the importance of famous venues and live

events on tourist traffic.

Six of the expo centre’s halls (96metres long, 60m

wide and 22m high) were blacked out and each hosted

two fully equipped stages on which live shows were

followed by product specialists and sound engineers

explaining the ins and out of their systems, and, in the

case of the audio, enabling trade visitors to personally

test them.

Other full-blown sound systems being put through

their paces outdoors and in the evenings included three

Outline rigs used by a series of top DJs: the largest of

the three (hosting Germany’s Sven Väth and Italy’s DJ

Ralf) comprised 9+9 GTO, 1+1 GTO-DF, 24 DBS 18-2

dual 18” subs, plus four Mantas and two DBS18-2 as

monitors. The rig was powered by six Powersoft X8

amps and processed via Lake LM44 units.

On the Outline stand, on the last day of the show,

co-owner Michele Noselli, commented: “We had a lot of

traffic on our stand, visitors who weren’t at Frankfurt

and existing clients who wanted to upgrade their

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P7JUNE

2016

venues’ sound systems. We got the impression of a

definite upswing. We also had numerous interesting

contacts with rental companies, particularly from

central and southern Italy, and got negotiations under

way for our GTO systems, which is very positive. In

proportion, MiR went better than Frankfurt for us.”

Andrea Torelli, marketing manager with K-array

Systems, said the MiR format was good, as was

the demo stage idea with its full K-array rig, but he

considers there’s room for improvement, particularly

in the halls’ acoustics, and outdoor space could be

exploited better.

“The domestic market only accounts for a small part

of our sales, so there was a great need for an Italian

trade expo and reaction was positive. There was a lot of

interest.”

Live You Play was launched by Gianni Fantini seven

years ago, who was joined the following year by

another industry veteran (Pierfranco Galleone) and

the ramp-up from the 2015 edition’s two-stage format

(held in Ravenna) was the result of the decision to join

forces with Rimini Fiera, intent on re-launching the

entertainment technology and MI expo scene in Italy,

based on its experience with SIB.

Veteran sound engineer and musician Luciano Graffi

coordinated the sound checks in the six halls for Fantini,

who enthused: “Things went even better than we

expected!”

Alessandro Bertoni, brand manager with distributor

Molpass, designed the d&b Audiotechnik demo PA (two

main hangs with seven Y8 and 2 Y12 each and a sub

array with 12 Y-SUB and 2 J-INFRA, plus 2 V10P frontfill

speakers, powered by nine D80), and his main problem

was dealing with the huge halls’ acoustics.

He reported, “Although it’s early days to see the

amount of business generated, there was considerable

interest – particularly in the range of cables by German

manufacturer Cordial, one of the most recent additions

to our brand portfolio. We met a lot of visitors from

southern Italy, who probably don’t go to Frankfurt.” (No

wonder, as Sicilian trade members travel over 800 miles

just to reach Rimini!).

Nicola Zucchino (sales director, Pro Music & Pro

Audio, Yamaha) commented regarding the demo stages,

“We had a full Rivage/PM10 FOH/monitor set-up

running non-stop for three days for our band Recall.

This is the system that features technology recreating

the characteristics of Rupert Neve Designs transformer

circuitry and SILK processing. Another interesting

aspect of our stage was that all the guitar and bass

signals were processed via Helix processors, so the

backline was on stage for aesthetic purposes more than

anything else.”

The twin Nexo PA featured STM technology with a

double cluster, featuring nine M46-B112 and twelve

M28 per side, and French Nexo FOH engineers David

Hochstenbach and Theo Said switched between them

during the show. The nine-piece Yamaha endorser

band’s punch was reinforced by 18 S118 subs on the

floor in cardioid side-to-side configuration.

Said enthused, “The show gave us the opportunity

to demonstrate the very best of Nexo, coupled with

the greatest technology offered by Yamaha in terms of

mixing desks.”

Stressing that distributor Leading Technologies’ stage

was the only one entirely equipped by one company

– audio, lighting, etc., GM Marco Porro explained. The

main rig, designed and calibrated by our Live Division

manager Giovanni Bugari, comprised JBL VTX-V20

(eight per side), with twelve floor-installed VTX-S25 subs

in cardioid configuration to ensured lateral directivity.

FOH engineer Danilo Meroni manned a Soundcraft Vi

5000 and monitors, mixed by (one of Italy’s few female

sound engineers) Valeria Barbini on a Soundcraft

Vi 2000. After the event, Porro enthused, “The expo

exceeded all our expectations, with good attendance

– people were really interested and we’ll definitely be

back for the next edition!”

At the helm of an Avid S6L console, live sound

veteran Paolo “Red” Talami gave visitors an insight on

the rigs installed by

distributor Audio

Sales in the demo

area, while the band

played alternately

through a Martin

Audio MLA/MLX PA

and an Adamson

set-up (8+8 S10 plus

eight S119 subs).

Audio Sales MD

Stefano Rocchi

opined, “Although expos’ commercial results are never

clear immediately, we’re very satisfied with [this],

which enabled us to let the numerous visiting clients

and potential users see and hear our products in

action without having to run the length and width of

the country – at long last a trade expo for the Italian

market!”

EV/KT/Midas/Dynacord distributor Texim opted for

an all-digital signal distribution set-up to interface the

Midas/Klark Teknik AES50 and Electro-Voice OMNEO

networks on its demo stage, where the main EV X-Line

Advance PA featured 24 X2-212/90 array module and

16 X2-128 Subwoofers in ARC-Array configuration.

The Midas PRO X FOH console was manned by Cristian

Paroni and monitor sound mixed on a Midas M32 by

Luigi Schiavone.

Other demo stages included a KARA / SB 18 / SB28

rig fielded by Italy’s L-Acoustics distributor SISME and

powered by LA8-AES3.

Meyer Sound’s distributor Linear Sound ran outdoor

demos of two Leopard systems, on their Italian debut.

Massimo Carini (sales and marketing) explained: ”We

were visited by over 100 rental firms – it’s definitely

an experience to be repeated, but the dates should be

reconsidered, as we were run off our feet on the last

day (Monday), as most people involved hands-on in the

audio industry were at work over the weekend.”

Commenting on the debut, Rimini Fiera chairman

Lorenzo Cagnoni enthused, “We’re proud to have

correctly understood the market’s new requirements

at MiR, launching a trade fair project able to focus the

attention of the business world on an important market

such as Italy’s.”

http://www.musicinsiderimini.it/

Outline’s Michele takes a moment’s pause! Paolo Talami pilots the Martin Audio MLA demo system Meyer Sound’s Leopard made its debut in Italy at the show

A closer look at the new Yamaha flagship


It’s that time again! The annual pro-audio event you REALLY MUST attend

– PSNEurope’s Pro Sound Awards – is back at the world-famous Ministry

of Sound nightclub in London for the fourth time (count ‘em!) on Thursday

22 September. Tickets for the awards, which celebrate excellence in live,

studio, installed and broadcast audio, are on sale now for a bargain £55.

The lobbying period for the awards opens on 1 June (now!) and closes

at midnight on Friday 1 July 2016. As always, anyone can enter and its

totally free. Simply read through the categories and see which one(s)

you feel you want to make a pitch for, nominating yourself, your team, an

associate or a project or person with which you have been impressed and

want to give wider recognition. (Full eligibility criteria is available online at

prosoundawards.com) Then send a short pitch (up to a maximum of 300

words) for each award

under consideration

to prosoundawards@

nbmedia.com.

Provide as much

factual information

as possible; data

and evidence of

notable successes are

invaluable. Up to three

hotlinks to relevant

material online can also

be provided – and, by

all means, ask your

colleagues or industry

friends to make their

feelings known.

Based on the email

entries received, the

Pro Sound Awards

team will create a list

of fi nalists for each

category. This process

involves looking at

the performance of

those nominations over the past year (between end of May 2015 and end

of June 2016), plus the information provided by the lobbying emails, but

we don’t base fi nalist positions on the number of emails we receive about

a particular company – just solid evidence for their inclusion. A shortlist

of fi nalists for each category will be presented to a large panel of judges

from across the pro-audio spectrum; this panel will ultimately choose the

winners of each Pro Sound Award (with the exception of the Grand Prix

and Lifetime Achievement gongs, and the Rising Star award, chosen by our

friends at Audio Media International).

“We’re launching a little later this year, but that means the expectation

time between lobbying and the event is shorter, so, you know, that’s good,”

says PSNEurope editor Dave Robinson. “We had great fun at the Ministry

last year – terrifi c comedy, enthusiastic attendees, lovely special guests,

successful networking and incredible balloon millinery – so let’s do it again,

but bigger and better!”

You’ll fi nd judging criteria and more info online… Good luck! www.prosoundawards.com

[email protected]

Jump aboard, let’s see those entries fl ying in!

United Kingdom

08JUNE2016

THE CATEGORIESLive/touring sound

• Engineer of the year

• Bes tour sound production

• Best theatre sound

Studio sound

• Engineer of the year

• Best studio

• Best sound in post-production

Installed sound

• Team of the year

• Best permanent installation project

• Best temporary installation project

Broadcast sound

• Team of the year

• Broadcast event of the year

• Best facility

Achievement

• Marketing initiative of the year

• Rising star

(in association with Audio Media International)

• Lifetime achievement

• Grand prix

Send your nominations to

[email protected]

before Friday 1 July

Want to get involved? A range of partnership opportunities – from headline sponsor to category, red-carpet and

afterparty sponsorship – are available. Contact PSNEurope’s Ryan O’Donnell (rodonnell@

nbmedia.com) or Rian Zoll-Khan ([email protected]) for more details!

Ticket enquiries? Drop Georgia a line, [email protected]

Chocks away: the Pro Sound Awards 2016 take off!

Be proud of your sound

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Business


P10JUNE

2016

Vocal channel

Hooray for Mumble-gate

IIt sounds strange, but I am thrilled

an article has been written about bad

TV sound. Specifically, the article by

Maggie Brown, which featured in the

May issue of the Royal Television Society

and can also be found on psneurope.com.

Two BBC One dramas are among the

TV series that have specifically criticised

for poor audio: Happy Valley and Jamaica

Inn. The complaints are valid; the audio is

awful. It’s a shame for everyone involved in

producing the dramas, but it’s a huge win

for sound professionals.

Here’s why: the accepted adage is that no

one notices the sound unless it goes wrong.

The thing is, to their credit audio pros have a

history of always delivering despite a lack of

support – be it financial or otherwise.

We come into the trade learning to play

second fiddle, and make so with what we’ve

got. Inevitably, there comes a breaking point

and for what feels like the first time, the

sound has been noticeably bad…and the

audience has taken notice. Fantastic!! When

has sound been the subject of debate on the

public sphere to this extent?

To be clear, I don’t for a second think it

is the fault of the sound team that this has

happened. Actors mumble. Microphone

placement is challenging. Any number of

factors could have contributed to poor audio

quality, pre, post or during production, none

of them necessarily directly relate to the

work of those working on sound.

Unfortunately, Joe Public still needs

educating. However, the very fact that

it’s being discussed outside the industry

means that producers really can’t afford to

ignore the soundtrack any longer. Not that

producers do this deliberately, of course not.

But the accepted way of working on

television and cinematic projects – which

emphasises the visual – can only be taken

so far until it backfires. The mindset needs

to change and sound needs to be given

more consideration. We’ve always known

this.

Having said that, it’s also time for the

sound department to change its mindset as

well. It’s great to get what you need with the

minimum budget and/or time.

Maybe it’s time to make a little more

noise about why there needs to be more

budget, and more time for getting the sound

right. Maybe it’s time to stop just getting the

job done, and insisting it be done right.

It’s impossible to know why Happy Valley

and Jamaica Inn ended up sounding the way

they did, but its certainly smacks of a low

point for broadcast audio. If it’s not rock-

bottom, then I hope there are many more

awful-sounding TV dramas to come.

I hope there are more articles about

audio issues, and more people talking about

it. I hope that it registers with producers that

they can’t skimp on sound.

I also hope that this debate emboldens

audio suppliers to ask for more: time,

money, staff…whatever. What “Mumble-

gate” has made clear is that viewers won’t

put up with sub-par audio… now that they

now what sub-par audio sounds like.

ERICA BASNICKI is a writer and sound designer

Yes! Please!

I am, it may not surprise you to learn,

an entirely unreconstructed fan

of progressive rock. For decades

I have revelled in its absurdity, its

richness, its freedom, its technicality,

its impenetrable lyrics and its absolute

disdain for passing musical trends. Thus

it was in a state of some excitement

that I recently travelled to Birmingham’s

beautiful Symphony Hall to witness at first

hand one of its mightiest exponents – none

other than legendary prog leviathans, Yes.

Some 48 years into their career, Yes’

music remains arguably anachronistic yet

vital as the band played classic albums

Fragile and Drama (from 1971 and 1980

respectively) plus other fan favourites.

The world tour on which they have just

embarked features over 50 dates in eight

countries through to February 2017,

which shows just how big a draw they

remain. The longest-serving member is

Steve Howe, a genuinely unique guitarist

who manages to look like a kindly

history professor while the colossal

shoes recently vacated by the late and

much lamented Chris Squire (to whom

a touching video tribute was paid at the

beginning of the show) are ably filled by

bassist/vocalist Billy Sherwood.

By now you could be forgiven for

thinking that you’ve somehow tuned into

Prog Gazette Monthly but worry not, dear

reader, because I am gradually edging

towards my point…

Like most folks in the pro-audio

business I find it near impossible to go to

a gig, even as a punter, without taking a

critical interest in the sound. I also know

from experience how deathly boring it

can be for my companions to hear me

whining about it so I generally try to keep

schtum. My concerns for this gig however

were multiplied by the knowledge that the

Symphony Hall is (like most great acoustic

spaces) a notoriously difficult room in

which to use sound reinforcement ¬– in all

the gigs I’ve seen there, I’ve never seen the

PA done the same way twice. Further, Yes’

music is dense, multi-layered and complex

with a high-register vocal floating over the

top of it all, so surely a challenge for any

system and crew.

Within a few minutes I was reminded

of just how good modern systems are as

all the power and subtlety of the music

were reproduced with apparent ease. The

soaring vocals of new singer Jon Davison

(replacing Jon Anderson and sounding

uncannily like him) were, like every other

musical component, perfectly intelligible

and balanced. Prog audiences are, I

suspect, among the most audio-critical as

the things that attract them to the music in

the first place must be present and correct

– the ecstatic reaction of the capacity

audience indicated that they were.

A marvellous evening of music that also

validated much of the technology we now

take for granted. Kudos to Clair Global and

FOH Dean Mattson – gentlemen,

you rock.

DAVE WIGGINS is a freelance marketeer and pro-audio pundit

T H E N E X T L E V E L O F T O U R S O U N D


P12JUNE

2016

Movers and shakers

Vanguardia celebrates its 10th year of operations with a new head of live business and exclusive rights to sound management technology

Holy moly, Vanguardia’s hired Roly

As of 1 May 2016, UK-based audio

engineering, sound management and

design consultancy Vanguardia began

working with renowned sound engineer

Roly Oliver (Manic Street Preachers, Pet Shop Boys,

Red Hot Chili Peppers).

Joining from audio equipment specialists Eighth

Day Sound, where he was in charge of global sales,

Oliver is responsible for all concert touring and

festivals, promoting the consultancy’s services,

including noise control and management, sound

system design and testing and hearing protection.

In his new position as head of live business Oliver

will establish and oversee the company’s distribution

of the sound management tool MeTrao in the UK, for

which Vanguardia has secured sole rights.

“To lead this venture, we knew we needed

someone who combined both hands-on sound

engineering expertise with a proven track record

in sales – a quite specific combination of divergent

skills. Thankfully, Roly Oliver is exactly that person.

We are over the moon he’s joined the team and

look forward to working with him,” says director of

Vanguardia Jim Griffiths

vanguardiaconsulting.co.uk

Peavey Commercial Audio secured two new European distribution deals covering Spain and Sweden during the course of this year’s Prolight + Sound trade show, increasing its footprint throughout Europe.

The first of the deals was established with Spanish distributor Neotecnica. The company will be covering Iberia, offering the full Peavey commercial range of MediaMatrix, Crest and Peavey Professional products to mainland Spain and the Balearics.

“We are both delighted and thrilled to add Peavey to our audio offering,” says Neotecnica’s Javier De Pedro.

In Sweden, Visono Media will be bringing the Peavey Commercial Audio portfolio to Scandinavia, with owner Jan Westling saying: “Our expertise compliments Peavey’s unparalleled heritage in the audio industry and this partnership is a perfect fit.”

Both deals are effective immediately, with Midwich continuing to be distributor for Peavey Commercial Audio throughout the UK.www.neotecnica.eswww.peaveycommercialaudio.comwww.visonomedia.com

Scotland-based pro-audio provider The Warehouse Sound Services has been named the UK dealer for both Adamson Systems Engineering and Nexo.

The Warehouse is one of the largest suppliers of pro-audio equipment in Scotland and north England and currently has offices in Glasgow and Edinburgh. A third branch was recently opened in Lancashire, headed up by new recruits Craig Buckley and Paul Atherton (see appointments).

On order from Nexo are PS Series cabinets and a quantity of the new super-compact ID Series multi-application loudspeakers. The compact GEO M6 line array is also scheduled for delivery.

The Warehouse also recently introduced the UK market to Adamson’s S-Series sub-compact line array system at PLASA Focus Leeds, and also carries Adamson’s PC series of loudspeakers. www.adamsonsystems.comwww.warehousesound.co.uk

Sound Network has been appointed as the latest addition to Sony’s Professional Audio distributor network for Europe.

Sound Network says it had been looking for a digital wireless system for some time to match with their existing product portfolio and Sony models such as the UWP-D Series and DWX Series allows the company to offer a wide range of product solutions

This would include combining DPA capsules – a product Sound Network is well known for distirbuting – with Sony’s transmitter handles.

“DPA d:facto has an adapter (SL1) for Sony wireless transmitter handles and the DPA d:screet miniatures have three for the various Sony belt pack transmitters (DAD3058, DAD6008 and DAD6019),” says Sound Network marketing manager Caleb Hill (pictured, left). “This could prove very useful to our current DPA users, and we will definitely be informing them as to this compatibility.”pro.sony.euwww.soundnetwork.co.uk

DEALER NETWORK

UK-based technical supplier White Light has appointed Richard Knott to the position of audio business development manager. Knott joins after stints at both Bose and Orbital Sound. www.whitelight.ltd.uk

QSC has recruited Chris

Humphrey as vice president, marketing, overseeing all of the company’s global marketing initiatives across its professional, systems and cinema divisions. www.qsc.com

Joe Fustolo joins Renkus-Heinz as application engineer. Fustolo has worked extensively with loudspeaker technology, including technical positions with Eastern Acoustic Works, FBT and Outline. www.renkus-heinz.com

Craig Buckley joins The Warehouse as a dedicated brand and division manager. Craig previously worked for 10 years as national sales manager for Bose before becoming MD of RW Salt Communications. www.warehousesound.co.uk

Also joining The Warehouse is Paul Atherton, now business development manager for the company. Atherton has also worked for AV specialists Midwich Group after several years as a freelance sound engineer. www.warehousesound.co.uk

Marked Events, organisers for BPM | PRO has appointed Lyndsey Hopwood as account manager. “She’s very accomplished in her field and highly regarded within the industry,” says CEO Mark Walsh. www.markedevents.co.uk

P14JUNE

2016

Level up your skills

This month saw Izotope launch Pro Audio

Essentials, a free game-based course for music

producers to practice and improve their audio skills.

This web-based educational experience is said to

be the fi rst of its kind in the audio education space,

off ering an interactive learning environment that

BY COLBY RAMSEY

BY ERICA BASNICKI

24-26 MayAFMG: EASE Training Level 1Letchworth Garden City, UKwww.afmg.eu

4-10 JunePowersoft InfoComm trainingLas Vegas Convention Centerwww.powersoft-audio.com

8 JunePrism Sound: Mic to monitorAbbey Road Institute Pariswww.prismsound.eventbrite.com

OngoingIzotope: Pro audio essentialsOnlinepae.izotope.com

www.psneurope.com/training

It’s game on at ThinkSpace...

ThinkSpace Education, an online music school

specialising in composing for fi lm, video games

and television, in partnership with the University

of Chichester, have launched three new master’s

degree programmes: Composing for Video Games

(Master of Arts), Sound Design for Video Games

(Master of Arts) and Game Music and Audio (Master

of Fine Art).

Commencing this September, ThinkSpace

Education courses are the fi rst online master’s

degree programmes focusing on the fi eld of game

music and sound design.

In consultation with leading industry

professionals, ThinkSpace has developed a suite

of online postgraduate courses to prepare sound

designers and composers with “the real-world

creative and technical skills that future employers

are looking for”.

The institution is staff ed and tutored exclusively

by professional working composers and sound

designers, with video game franchise credits

including Assassin’s Creed, Bioshock, Dragon Age,

Fallout and many more.

Guy Michelmore, ThinkSpace Education’s course

director and an Emmy-nominated fi lm, games and

television composer, comments: “There are plenty

of music and sound production schools yet despite

increasing interest in video game soundtracks,

almost none who specialise in game music and

audio. We’re excited to off er the fi rst online master’s

degrees in composing and sound design for video

games.”

Photo credit: ThinkSpace Education Facebook Page

thinkspaceeducation.com

MPG discount on MMF Induction Day

MPG Full members are entitled to a 25% on the

upcoming Music Managers Forum (MMF) Induction

Day on 14 June. The event provides an overview

of the essentials of music management including

management contracts, income streams and

royalties, accounting and fi nance and releasing and

marketing a record.

The course is taught by Erik Nielsen (Rocket

Music), and covers marketing, digital and promotion,

touring, funding, accounting and fi nance, and

insurance and legal. It has been described as a

‘three year degree in a day’ and is attended by both

new managers, self-managing artists, students

as well as those already working in the fi eld who

are looking to update their knowledge. A panel of

industry professionals, including accountants and

lawyers will also be on hand so you can put your

questions to them.

Photo credit: MMF Facebook Page

http://themmf.net/education/induction-day/

BY ERICA BASNICKI

includes a combination of audio games, ear training,

and instructional videos.

The course’s game-based design helps users

practice concepts as they ‘level up’ through audio

challenges. Through regular practice, players will

steadily improve their understanding of audio

essentials like equalisation, compression, bit depth,

and sample rate.

With instruction designed by mastering engineer

and Izotope’s director of education Jonathan Wyner,

the company says Pro Audio Essentials refl ects

its “deep-rooted passion for both education and

empowerment”.

“We were eager to evolve the current landscape

of audio education-to help shift the balance from

passive learning to active learning on foundational

topics like EQ,” says Wyner, “We challenged

ourselves to develop an online resource that’s both

interactive and engaging, so our community can not

only learn by doing, but genuinely enjoy themselves

along the way.”

pae.izotope.com

HK Audio is the German pro audio brand offering the easiest way to the best sound.From portable to professional live sound to install solutions for over 30 years, we build PA systems for those who are fascinated by the energy of sound. Giving them a stage. Giving them a home.

www.hkaudio.com

THE SOUNDMAKERS >

“After months of planning, testing and finding the perfect sound solution for a venue, for me it’s all about that moment when a project truly comes to life.”

www.psneurope.com/technology

P16JUNE

2016

New products

PLAYdifferentlyMODEL 1What is it?

An analogue mixer designed for both club and studio

use. Model 1 is the result of a collaboration between

DJ Richie Hawtin and former Allen & Heath engineer

Andy Rigby-Jones.

Details:

Model 1 offers six stereo channels, two stereo send

and return channels, two mix outputs, and master

and booth EQ.

And another thing…

Also included are a per channel hybrid filter EQ and

input overdrive control and master resonant filter

with both HPF and LPF controls.

www.playdifferently.org

LECTROSONICSSSM

What is it?

A wireless transmitter designed with concealment

in mind.

Details:

The SSM measures just 55x35x15mm (about the

size of a matchbox) and can be tuned in 100kHz or

25kHz across a tuning range of 75MHz.


The limiter in the preamp can cleanly handle signal

peaks over 30dB above full modulation.

www.lectrosonics.com

PEAVEYRBN 112 AND RBN 215

What is it?

The latest powered speaker enclosures from

Peavey Electronics.

Details:

The RBN 112 speaker enclosure combines a ribbon

driver with a 12” dual-voice coil neodymium Black

Widow speaker, which features Peavey’s exclusive

field replaceable basket technology.


The 15” RBN 215 sub enclosure maintains full

output down to 36Hz.

www.peavey.com

PRISM SOUNDCALLIA

What is it?

A PCM and DSD capable DAC, preamp, and

headphone amp meant for the home environment.

Details:

The unit supports USB, coaxial RCA phono and S/

PDIF optical equipped digital devices.


Digital signals up to 32-bit (USB only), 384kHz are

catered for, alongside DSD processing, making

Callia compatible with all major music releases.

www.prismsound.com


P17JUNE

2016


SOMMER CABLE SC-STRATOS AND HICON

What is it?

A hi-fi connection lead and RCA/phono connector

assembly.

Details:

The SC-STRATOS line relies on a heat-dissipating

design to ensure a long service life, while the “Screw

& Play” HICON assembly eliminates troublesome

soldering work.


The gold-plated HICON connector in combination with

the oxygen-free copper wires of the SC-STRATOS

lead make the duo well suited for daily professional

studio use.

www.sommercable.com

MEYER SOUNDMJF-208 COMPACT STAGE MONITOR

What is it?

A compact self-powered stage monitor that

incorporates the performance of Meyer Sound’s

MJF-212A and MJF-210.

Details:

The monitor is said to provide impressive power-to-

size ratio and very low distortion in a small-footprint,

lightweight package.


Each MJF-208 measures less than 13 inches high

and weighs 45 pounds (20kg).

www.meyersound.com

JBL EON ONE

What is it?

An all-in-one line array PA system.

Details:

The EON ONE combines the sound quality of a

professional system with the convenience and

streamlined look of a compact, column-style

solution.


An unobstructed 10” bass-reflex subwoofer is said

to deliver tight, accurate low-frequency response

that is ideal for DJs and playing back recorded

music.

www.jblpro.com

JTS SGM-14

What is it?

An electret-condenser shotgun microphone

designed for ENG and outdoor recording

applications.

Details:

The JTS SGM-14 features a 78dB signal to noise

ratio, which keeps background noise at a very low

level, while a full 20-20,000Hz frequency response

guarantees audio fidelity.


The SGM-14 operates on a 9-48 VDC phatom

power, and measures 367mm in length.

www.jtw.com.tw


P18JUNE

2016

The strategic position: Martin Audio

A few months on from assuming the helm at Martin Audio, Dom Harter reflects on the company’s current buoyant status, future R&D strategy, and the investment tendencies of the touring market. Interview by David Davies

‘We couldn’t be in a stronger place in terms of technology and talent’

Having arrived at the company a mere

10 days or so before this year’s Prolight

+ Sound, Dom Harter could have been

forgiven for giving a polite shake of the

head to some of PSNEurope’s questions – particularly

those that focused more on the history and heritage of

the Martin Audio brand. But in fact, he was more than

willing to dive in and examine the past, present and

future of the eminent UK manufacturer – indicating

that he has already thought deeply about its position

in the global pro-audio market.

Perhaps this is no surprise, however, given an

impressive CV that includes stints as director of R&D

and sales director at Turbosound, as well as several

positions at Harman’s mixer group, not least global

sales director/VP.

Our conversation began with Martin Audio’s

primary launch at PL+S 2016 – the CDD-LIVE!

self-powered portable loudspeaker series, which

features Differential Dispersion technology, Class

D amplification, DSP and Dante digital audio

networking…

How long has this system been in

development, and with which user groups do

you expect it to resonate most strongly?

The work has taken place over about three years

in total, with the hardware element being a kind of

cross-LOUD Group development. It’s a really clever

system and I think that we will see rapid adoption

in a number of areas, such as multimedia and

corporate rentals. I can definitely see it appealing to

small rental houses who do a variety of corporate

projects.

The system offers Dante integration as

standard. Do you think Dante can be said to

have ‘won’ the networking war?

We have certainly been getting a lot of requests

for Dante integration. The people at Audinate are

very smart and understand their business model

very well. They deliver a good product that solves a

number of problems, so for the foreseeable future

it will be Dante [around which we focus our efforts

regarding networking]. I think over time you will see

[different solutions] intersecting, but right now it is

clear that Dante offers by far the best package to

integrate with any product.

More generally, how would you characterise

the current status of Martin Audio – and the

opportunity that presents for the future?

Most manufacturers would love to have a technology

like MLA (Multi-cellular Loudspeaker Array), so at

Martin Audio we are aware that we are very privileged

to now have these amazing R&D building blocks that

we can move anywhere [and incorporate into other

products]. We have some fantastic technology and

products, although there are some products that are a

little longer in the tooth and will need replacing in the

next year or two.

Fundamentally, our focus as a brand is pretty much

half-touring/high-quality PA, and half-installation –

and that will continue to be the case. Geographically,

we are fortunate that Martin Audio has always been

very strong everywhere, including the Far East. In

terms of China, I think a lot of people in the audio

We are very privileged to now have these amazing R&D building blocks that we can move anywhereDom Harter, Martin Audio

Dominic Harter, a familiar face at the helm of Martin Audio

Harter and R&D director Jason Baird launch CDD-LIVE! in Frankfurt in April


P19JUNE

2016

industry would say that they had an ‘interesting’ time

in that market, but that it is coming back strongly now.

Organisationally, do you envisage

any major changes?

Well, I am here now [laughs]! We already have in

place a strong and talented team, and I hope what

I can hopefully bring to the set-up is some broader

audio experience. We certainly have a busy period

in store. In terms of CDD-LIVE! alone, we will begin

shipping in early to mid summer, but before that

we will be starting events [showcasing the system]

and basically getting it in front of as many people

as possible. The only way you will buy loudspeakers

is to hear them, so that will form much of the focus

over the next few months.

What is your view of the live music

market at present?

I think that in common with many people I would

suggest that it is fairly flat at present. Where we as a

manufacturer have an advantage is that MLA [is an

innovative system]. Purchasing a new loudspeaker

system is a major investment, and PA companies may

feel that some conventional systems from, say, last year

are not fundamentally different from those of ten years

ago. And that obviously determines their willingness

to invest. With MLA, it is a very modern PA system and

frankly it sounds better. It also helps to deals with a lot of

the nasty attributes that conventional systems can have.

Due to developments like MLA, it’s my view that

Martin Audio couldn’t be in a stronger position in terms

of technology and our own internal talent. If you look

anywhere in the world, Martin Audio will consistently be

in the top three or four speaker brands. That’s a position,

and a message, that we will continue to develop and

support.

www.martin-audio.com

Production House of Northern Ireland just

purchased 48 x Martin Audio MLA,

24 x Martin Audio MLA Compact and

24 x Martin Audio MLX sub bass loudspeakers


P20JUNE

2016

Business

The imminent EU membership referendum in the UK has evoked strong emotions on both sides of the debate. David Davies finds out what the specific implications of ‘Brexit’ could be for UK-based pro audio

EU referendum: should we stay or should we go?

Some have suggested that it’s almost

impossible to ‘take the temperature’ of the

UK’s EU referendum; others have repeatedly

claimed that in the face of uncertainty about

what happen after a possible ‘Brexit’, there is no way that

sufficient numbers will vote to come out. But at the time

of writing (8 May), a Financial Times website ‘poll of polls’

suggests that the referendum – which is due to take

place on Thursday 23 June – could be rather closer than

many expect, with 46% expected to vote to stay against

43% opting to depart.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, referendum-related polls

have been met with a fair degree of scepticism in light of

the fact that almost everyone predicted the outcome of

the 2015 UK General Election incorrectly. In addition, the

incoherence present at times on both sides of the debate

has made this a particularly hard one to call.

By a slim majority the pro-audio industry figures

who PSNEurope canvassed for opinion were in favour of

remaining within the EU – in general, the feeling being

that trade with EU member states could be hindered,

whilst impact on future legislation and regulations would

undoubtedly be dramatically reduced. But there are also

plenty who feel that the well-documented inefficiencies

and ‘democratic deficit’ of some EU institutions should

override all other concerns.

THE ‘IN’ CROWD

The number of jobs directly linked to business with

the EU has been among the primary arguments made

against Brexit. Estimates do vary, but according to

recent HM Treasury analysis it is possible to connect

3,250,000 jobs to EU exports. The case around the extent

to which we benefit from rebates versus the amount we

contribute to the EU budget is more vexed given the quite

remarkable variety in the estimated amounts that are

cited. However, for employees, there is no doubt that the

EU has delivered significant improvements in terms of

holiday pay, maternity leave and rights’ protection.

But in truth it is uncertainty that dominates the

thoughts of many of those who wish to remain:

uncertainty about the duration of negotiations required to

arrange post-EU trade agreements (estimates rang from

less than one year to as many as eight); and uncertainty

regarding the future perception of UK-headquartered

businesses, both in terms of manufacturing and touring/

installation service provision.

“We should stay,” declares Andy Dockerty, managing

director of Liverpool-based rental, sales and installation

company Adlib Audio. “The European touring market

for us would suffer massively if we’re not a part of the

EU because a lot of the European companies will be the

go-to companies, rather than the British ones, for the

European/American touring market.” The motivation

comes from “protecting your business and what you

believe will affect you most, and that’s what I believe will

affect us most.”


P21JUNE

2016

RH Consulting co-founder Roland Hemming is also

firmly part of the ‘in’ crowd and believes that the vote will

actually be more emphatically in favour of remaining than

many suspect. “There is actually agreement on both sides

that whatever the long-term benefits [of leaving may or

may not be], there would be a short-term shock involved

– and frankly, I would rather not have a short-term shock,”

he says. “Plus, I don’t think the EU is more broken than any

other level of government…”

But understandably given his involvement in their

writing and revision, Hemming’s concerns tend to be

focused around the more tangible area of industry-relevant

standards such as EN54 parts 16 and 24. Whilst the UK

would continue to have input to the (currently ongoing)

revision of these standards whether or not we vote to

remain, our influence over fresh developments in the future

would be dramatically reduced.

“We’d continue with standards work through our

membership of CEN [the European Committee of

Standardisation], which extends beyond EU member states,

but as we would not be members of the EU we would have

no influence regarding any overriding laws that lead us

to have those standards in the first place. In committee, I

look across the room at my Norwegian colleague who still

has to implement all this, but has no say in the legislation.”

says Hemming, pointing to the Construction Products

legislation that led to the initiation of the aforementioned

EN54 standards.

OVER AND OUT

Trepidation about future standards compliance cuts little ice

with Chris Scott, MD of Nottinghamshire-based pro-audio

and premium integrated systems developer Inspired Audio,

which recently marked its fifth birthday. “The same could

be said of standards that we need to comply with in the

Americas, for example, and we wouldn’t have any influence

over those,” he suggests. “The fact is that we are living in

a globalised world in which companies are doing more

and more business with each other – yet the EU is going

in the opposite direction to that with greater centralisation.

It makes sense to me to be looking to do more business

outside of the EU.”

That has certainly proven to be the case for Inspired

Audio, which continues to see its activity levels rise in the

Middle East and South America, in particular. It might

therefore be argued that the company would have little

to lose from Brexit, but Scott is by no means the only one

to single out the “undemocratic nature of some of the

institutions, as well as the huge inefficiencies… If the EU

was a company it would have gone out of business within a

fortnight! And I think it’s worth giving some thought to what

would happen to the UK if there was another economic

crisis – Greece, Spain and Portugal remain very vulnerable.”

Given the UK’s status as the world’s fifth largest

economy (source: IMF, 2015), and the prominent position

of its banking community in the global financial services

sector, it seems unlikely that the country would not be

involved in any future major bail-out whether or not it opts

for Brexit. But that issue aside, it is evident that the UK’s pro-

audio companies will need to weigh up their own present

– and likely future – sources of work and opportunities very

carefully as they make their way to the polling booth.

Benedikt Koch (right) from Funktion-One’s distributor

in Germany, Thöne und Partner, highlights the

cost implications of a possible UK departure from

the EU. “The Brexit discussion makes it difficult to

plan the cost and pricing of products coming from

England,” he says. “In case of the UK leaving the EU,

deliveries will become more expensive, combined

with more paperwork. In addition, the currency

rate will change and it’s hard to predict in which

direction. Competition for our products in Germany

might become more difficult than it is already. As a

member of the EU, I do not think the UK will be doing

itself a favour if it leaves the EU. Among other likely

implications, it will weaken its economy.”

“The UK will not be doing itself a favour if it leaves the EU”

James Gordon (right) is group CEO of DiGiCo, Allen

& Heath and Calrec, and remarks: “[Assessing the

implications for pro audio] is an almost impossible

question to answer as it’s never been contemplated

before. What I can say is a lot of our export business is

into Europe and, with our current member status, it is

very straightforward to move demo products and sales

efficiently at almost no notice period. This potentially

could change, making it more complicated to move

hardware across borders without the correct and time-

consuming paperwork that is not required today.

“As a group we also benefit from having employees

across Europe that have either remained in their home

countries or moved to the UK. This freedom has certainly

helped us recruit some skilled pro audio people without

the costs, time and complications of visas.

“In small, highly skilled, industries this flexibility is

easy to take for granted.”

“Flexibility is easy to take for granted”

Andy Dockerty

Roland Hemming

Chris Scott

www.psneurope.com/studio

P22JUNE

2016

Studio

Phil Ward visits Unity Audio, a company flourishing between a Rock and a hard place

Healthy minerals

Manufacturers, especially their international

agents, often become distributors: witness

Sennheiser UK, SDUK et al. Rarely does

the reverse happen; even more rarely

with mission-critical, flagship product types as opposed

to handy bits and pieces to glue a system together. So the

marked achievements of Unity Audio as the brains, heart

and soul behind the Rock, Boulder and Avalanche range of

studio monitors is noteworthy to say the least: Unity was

established as a traditional distributor at the heart of the UK

recording and mastering industry in 1995 by experienced

salesman Kevin Walker. Success is never carved in stone,

but Walker and Unity are managing exactly that.

Unity’s valuable experience with distributed lines

of studio monitoring is crucial to the manoeuvre into

manufacturing: and by ‘experience’ we mean something

that can be as sobering as it is inspiring. The distribution

business began with a formative Dynaudio Acoustics deal

in the mix, succeeded by another with Berlin’s ADAM Audio

and, briefly, Focal Engineering in France. All had ‘victims of

success’ ramifications, enough to convince Walker that it

was time to try a different path…

“We were consistently the second or third best-

performing Dynaudio distributor outside the US,” he relates,

“but when TC Electronic took on the global distribution of

Dynaudio it all changed. We were the last independent

standing, but it was only a matter of time. That process

more or less repeated with Adam Audio: we elevated their

profile considerably and had great success with a relatively

new brand, but on the back of that the goalposts moved

again. If you under-perform, you’ll lose a distributed brand –

but you can also lose it if you do the job too well! They went

direct.”

The prospect of navigating this trajectory a third time

prompted a major re-think, although few expected such

a radical departure. “Lots of people thought I was crazy,”

admits Walker, “but monitors have been associated

with Unity from day one. It’s a fundamental part of our

business. It made sense to make our own, as far as I was

concerned.”

He was right. Talks with respected studio designer Kevin

van Green led to talks with Tim de Paravicini, founder of

Cambridgeshire’s hidden consulting gem Esoteric Acoustic

Research (EAR), where transducer disciples regularly find

the Holy Grail. “He agreed to design the electronics for us,”

confirms Walker, “which was a major coup. Not only is

he such a respected analogue designer, he’s never done

anything like this for anyone else. He doesn’t sell speakers

at EAR so there’s no conflict there, so he designed an

amplifier exclusively for our range. It’s modular, so it’s

adaptable for The Rock, The Boulder, the Avalanche

subwoofer and the new Super Rock.”

Despite direct knowledge of the kind of network

electronics espoused by Dynaudio’s AIR series, Unity’s

homegrown monitors eschew DSP and concentrate on

the basics. “We’re pretty old school, if you like,” smiles

Walker. “Less is more for us. Even now I’m a bit sceptical

of room correction, despite the advances in converter

technology. It’s amazing how many people have thanked

us for not going down that route, and for sticking to first

principles. The market seems to be more than happy with

straightforward, well-made and traditional active monitors

that come from a UK heritage, are transparent and fit

anywhere. To be honest, we’ve never even been asked if

we have DSP, EQ or anything like that.

“To me, if you find, say, a 4-band parametric EQ on the

front of a monitor, that smacks of a manufacturer hedging

their bets: it’s like, if you don’t like the sound of what we’ve

made, here’s something to fiddle with in the hope of

making it better. It’s so wrong.”

Unity’s range – which now includes the cutely titled

Pebble and Bam Bam nearfields – include little more than

a power switch and a volume control. The 3-way Boulder

has a few minor LF tweaks but, according to Walker, “most

experienced professionals prefer not to have to deal with

tuning their monitors. They want to trust you.”

As well as Avalanche, Unity now offers the BABE

(Boulder Active Bass Extender) as a LF solution, as well as

meaningful accoutrements such as the Monolith speaker

stands and choice items from the signal processing

catalogue like the Lisson Grove AR-1 Tube Compressor.

Interestingly, Unity has followed the examples of both

Dynaudio and Focal into consumer audio, as has The

Professional Monitor Company (PMC). As ambitions go for

a small company based in a converted farm building on

the Essex-Cambridgeshire border, this is bold – but, if this

accomplishment keeps up, they can only get bolder.

www.unityaudioproducts.co.uk

Pebble and Bam-Bam monitors (geddit?)

New Order’s Barney and Stephen Morris Producer Ben Hillier with his Rock

UNITED KINGDOM

www.psneurope.com/studio

P24JUNE

2016

Studio

From the Chili Peppers to the Welsh Valleys for leading LA mix producer/engineer, discovers Tim Frost

Scheps shifts multiple channels to Monnow

G rammy Award-winning producer/mixer

Andrew Scheps has relocated his studio

facilities to Monnow Valley Studio in South

Wales, UK. He has brought over his vintage

Flying Faders 64-channel MkII Neve 8068 as the centre-

piece of a new install.

The Monnow Valley studio opened in 1975 originally as

the Rockfield rehearsal studio and went independent in the

1980s. It is now one of the UK’s oldest residential studios.

Since the ‘80s it has played host to artists including Black

Sabbath, Oasis, Robert Plant, Simple Minds and Biffy Clyro.

Scheps first worked there in 2007, a year after owner

Jo Riou bought the studio. He has returned on numerous

occasions in the interim years and felt that it should be the

new home for his studio.

“I fell in love with the rooms at Monnow Valley and

immediately knew the Neve would sound amazing there,”

he says. “When my move to the UK became concrete, I

called Jo and we struck the deal. It’s great to finally see it

sitting next to one of my favourite live rooms.”

With his move to the UK, Scheps, who now mainly mixes

in the box, has closed his Punkerpad West studio in LA and

moved the gear to Wales for the install.

Scheps will be booking the room to produce and record

(if it’s available, says Riou), now that the studio is 100% open

for business. “I suppose in a way I’m hoping the room will

be too busy for me to get into…” he comments.

Along with the console, Scheps has brought the results

of 20 years of rescuing gear from closing studios such as

Sound City, Oceanway Recording and Signet Soundelux

(plus a wealth of experience from working with Metallica,

the Chili Peppers, Iggy Pop, Limp Bizkit… and Adele!)

The install was overseen by studio co-manager Tom

Manning alongside ex-Olympic Studios tech, Richard

Griffiths and engineers Matt Glasbey, Curtis Elvidge, Liam

Ross and Beau Blaise. Manning and Scheps designed the

new layout, within the room that previously held an SSL G

series. There is a new solid oak floor in the control room

complementing the unique organic design of the studio.

Riou sees the Scheps development as a further

affirmation of their continuing business as a

residential studio.

“As Andrew says, this is really a very big deal. There are

not a lot of people who would shift £750,000’s worth of gear

half way around the world and install it into a residential

studio,” she told PSNEurope.

“Whilst many studios are having to diversify or close

completely, we have solely focused on music. We haven’t

got distracted by tourism, which others have. We have this

combination of the incredible live room and drum room that

attracts customers and we have been able to expand into a

place which now surpasses all our expectations.”

The selection of vintage gear added to the Monnow

facility includes Pultec and Lang EQs, Urei and RCA limiters,

as well as valve mic classics from Neumann and AKG.

Additional equipment includes a Neve BCM-10 with 10

1073 modules, a pair of RCA Ku3s and a wide selection of

boutique microphones, compressors and EQs. The new

installation also includes a 64 I/O Pro Tools HDX2.

“Monnow Valley is heritage in the fact that this is one of

the oldest residential studios in the country,” comments

Riou. “We have the heritage equipment but we also have the

brand new Pro Tools – we are all ‘digitalled up’.”

The Monnow’s residential accommodation has also been

upgraded, “whilst retaining its country house appeal,” says

studio co-manager, Megan Griffiths. “Our clients love the

home away from home vibe at Monnow Valley. We have

seven lovely bedrooms, a spacious lounge and dining room,

a gym plus three acres of gardens and the beautiful River

Monnow on our doorstep.”

Apart from the studio itself, the privacy that Monnow

offers is another factor for its continuing success.

“People love coming here. It’s isolated but still only a

couple of miles from the town and with one studio people

have the exclusivity,” Riou comments, “And, of course, our

price: we are really affordable and we offer incredible value

for money. Andrew has brought something very special to

this small corner of Wales and our vision is for it to continue

for years to come.”

www.monnowvalleystudio.com

The main studio at Monnow Valley

The live room Andrew Scheps

UNITED KINGDOM

www.psneurope.com/broadcast

P26JUNE

2016

Broadcast

By Kevin Hilton

BBC Charter Review confirms role of R&D but calls for more partnerships

The UK government published its long-

awaited – and almost dreaded – proposals

for the future running and operations

of the BBC last month. As well as laying

out measures that would divorce the BBC’s Royal

Charter from the political cycle of elections, bring

iPlayer viewing under the licence fee and reinforce the

Corporation’s original pledge to inform, educate and

entertain, the White Paper also calls on the national

public broadcaster to carry out a “detailed review” of its

current activities in research and development.

There had been concern that the government was

prepared to make radical changes in the way the

BBC is financed and how it operates in the television

and radio markets. This was fuelled by the previously

stated opinion of culture and media secretary John

Whittingdale that the licence fee, which is paid by

everyone owning a television set and funds much of the

broadcaster’s activities, should be scrapped.

When it was published during May, A BBC for the

Future: a Broadcaster of Distinction recommended that

the level of the licence fee should be increased in line

with inflation. It also laid out plans for a new governing

body and a revised Royal Charter that will run for 11

years before coming up for renewal. There were also

fears that the BBC R&D department, which over the

years has worked on the development of NICAM stereo

sound, widescreen transmission and ‘Red Button’

systems, would be scaled back.

The document states that the government will require

the BBC to “undertake a detailed review of current

R&D activity”, including a value for money assessment.

According to its annual report and accounts for 2014-

2015, published in July last year, the BBC spends £170

million a year on technology, with R&D running with an

annual budget of approximately £75 million. The White

Paper comments that the broadcaster “clearly plays

an important and valued role in R&D and technology”. It

says that “stakeholders” were “positive” about the BBC’s

activities in this area, although some did suggest that it

could improve performance through “more effective and

collaborative partnerships”.

BBC R&D already works in conjunction with a number

of educational and research institutions. A major part of

this has been the Audio Research Partnership with the

Universities of Surrey, Salford, Southampton, York and

Queen Mary University of London. Work has included

research into perceptual differences between spatial

audio reproduction methods, the quality of binaural

sound for entertainment applications in uncontrolled

environments and automatic control of audio quality on

smartphones and other consumer recording equipment.

The White Paper wants the BBC to “retain a role in

technological development and R&D”. But, it continues,

for this to happen the broadcaster “needs to improve

its understanding of the value it adds in this area”. The

suggested review and cost-benefit analysis of R&D

work, including the iPlayer, would aid this, as well as

showing how licence fee payers benefit from this work.

During the consultation period for the White

Paper a number of groups and organisations were

invited to make suggestions. Among these was one

from the Digital Television Group (DTG) and Institute

of Engineering and Technology (IET) proposing a

Technology Advisory Board to “improve the way the BBC

governs its technology projects”, as well as encouraging

partnerships. In its response to the document the

DTG said the Advisory Board would “provide expert

insight into the long-term technology issues facing the

industry”.

There will now be a period for assessing reaction to

the White Paper, with a draft of the new Charter due to

appear over the next few months. A finalised Charter is

scheduled to be in place from 1 January 2017.

www.gov.uk/bbccharterreview

Heart of the BBC: Broadcasting House

Culture and media secretary John Whittingdale

www.audio-technica.com

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Open & Closed The new flagship studio headphones


P28JUNE

2016

Broadcast

Less than six months after it was established, the AIMS Alliance for IP Media Solutions has already made a significant impact on the broadcast technology community. David Davies speaks to some of the audio member companies about their reasons for joining – and wonders if the Alliance can bring clarity to the oft-confusing IP debate

Our AIMS are true

“ I would say that we are an organisation

that sits beneath other groups who are

developing or promoting IP standards, and

helps to encourage their adoption throughout

the broadcast industry.” That’s AIMS Alliance for IP

Solutions chairman Michael Cronk’s capsule summary

of the primary objectives of a group which has made a

substantial impact on the broadcast IP revolution since

it was launched a mere six months ago.

Although attendance at broadcast industry

conferences over the last 12 months has tended to

point to a variety of viewpoints regarding how long the

transition from legacy SDI to IP might actually take,

the AIMS Alliance is taking a proactive approach by

promoting the use of a number of existing standards.

These include the Video Services Forum’ TR-03

(Transportation of Uncompressed Elementary Stream

Media over IP) and TR-04, SMPTE 2022-6 (enabling SDI

signals to be transported over IP using the Real-Time

Transport Protocol) and – most pertinently to the audio

community – the AES67 interoperability standard for

existing AoIP technologies.

Cronk – who is also vice-president core technology

at Grass Valley – confirms that AES67 will be “integral”

to audio’s future within broadcast IP workflows. “It

is written in stone in our roadmap,” he says. “We see

that the broadcast community is adopting (audio-

over-IP interoperability standard) AES67, and one of

the aspects we are working on is determining which

are the operating points in the broadcast workflow

within AES67.” Nonetheless, he readily acknowledges

that several key aspects – notably discovery and

registration, and connection management – “are

important pieces of the puzzle that are not covered” by

this standard and which will need to be addressed in

the future.

AIMS personnel, including Cronk, are acutely aware

that the general messaging around IP hasn’t always

been coherent. Hence a simple communication of

objectives has been a crucial plank

of the organisation’s efforts to date

– and the success of that approach

has been borne out by rapid

membership in recent months. At

the time of writing, there are 21

full members listed on the AIMS

website – ranging from leading

vendors such as Grass Valley,

Evertz, Lawo and Sony, to content

producers including 21st Century

Fox – as well as 11 associate

members.

At present, there are three audio

vendors in the group – Avid, Lawo

and the Telos Alliance. PSNEurope

spoke to two of them, along

with Germany-based systems

integrator Broadcast Solutions,

about their reasons for joining the

AIMS Alliance – and the problems

that still lie ahead as we move into

an IP-based future.

“CONVERGENCE IS

ESSENTIAL”

For Avid VP market solutions

Alan Hoff, the work of AIMS dovetails neatly with the

continuing adoption of its MediaCentral Platform for

file-based workflows. “We believe that converging

on an industry-wide open standard for moving

professional media streams across IP networks

is essential to the future of the industry. We liked

the approach that AIMS and the VSF have taken –

incorporating proven existing standards and promoting

consistent interoperable implementations across the

industry,” says Hoff.

In terms of audio specifically, AIMS’ support of

AES67 is “fantastic in that it bridges multiple legacy

audio-over-IP formats, so we can move forward as

an industry in an open, interoperable fashion without

losing the investments already made in legacy

techniques.” But Hoff also acknowledges that there

are plenty of challenges to be overcome, not least with

regard to contrasting manufacturer implementations.

“It is encouraging that so many vendors have now

aligned with AIMS and, therefore, VSF TR-03,” he

says. “But now we face the challenge of converging

on interoperability between implementations from

literally dozens of vendors. This is a good challenge

to face because it shows the traction AIMS and TR-03

Networking collaboration in action at NAB


P29JUNE

2016

have now in the industry, but it is going to take work

for TR-03 implementations to be ‘plug and play’

compatible.

“The other challenge we are working on now is

synchronisation. Because TR-03 carries audio and

video in separate streams, which is the most effi cient

method, we must all approach timestamping and sync

recovery in the same fashion or else we will have

major A/V sync issues.

“This is all properly specifi ed in TR-03 which

leverages PTP timestamping in accordance with

SMPTE 2059, but again the trick is going to be getting

everyone in the ecosystem to implement timestamping

and sync recovery in a consistent, interoperable way.”

“LOGICAL STEP”

Putting the decision to join AIMS in an historical

context, Martin Dyster – business development, TV,

vice-president at Telos Alliance company Linear

Acoustic – describes it as “entirely logical step” given

a track-record of IP product development that reaches

back to 2003 and the release of AoIP protocol Livewire.

He also points out that AIMS’ objectives “might be

considered allied to the Media Networking Alliance,

whose members seek to promote the adoption of

AES67 as the most appropriate interoperability

mechanism for AoIP in both pro-audio and broadcast.”

Notes Dyster: “We have a wealth of experience

and expertise to off er within AIMS. Equally, there is

a great deal that we can learn from our new partner

companies within the organisation who focus on the

video side of the market.”

But like Hoff , Dyster is aware that there is much

work to be done in clearing “the confusion in the

market regarding the diff erent AoIP protocols and

where AES67 fi ts into the picture. Manufacturers will

always listen to their customers fi rst, and rightly so,

but it is incumbent upon all of us to promote the idea

of interoperability so that the adoption of AoIP into

broadcast workfl ows is not infl uenced by a specifi c

protocol which in turn restricts the end-users’ choice

of products.”

Then there is the support that will need to be

given to broadcast engineers as they negotiate

the increasingly pressing requirement to add IT

capabilities to their skillsets. “As somebody who has

previously spent over two decades designing and

installing broadcast systems around the world without

giving AoIP even a passing thought, my learning curve

has been steep and I’m certainly nowhere near the

summit, in fact I’m not sure I’m much further than

base camp yet,” Dyster admits. “Fortunately, the

incoming generation of engineers have grown up with

IT as a second language and for them, confi guring a

Cisco switch is probably as close to second nature as

confi guring a mixing console is to me.”

“URGENT NEED FOR STANDARDISATION”

Based in Bingen am Rhein, Germany, Broadcast

Solutions is Europe’s largest OB van manufacturer

and system integrator for broadcast facilities, DSNGs,

fi xed up- and downlink stations, and mobile satellite

communications solutions. The decision to join

AIMS, says CEO Stefan Breder, is in line with a belief

that there is “an urgent need for standardisation

in the migration process towards IP. With our AIMS

membership we like to support and participate actively

in this goal, and we are very much looking forward to

our membership and to supporting the standardisation

process in the shift from SDI to IP.”

As more vendors and service providers look

to adopt IP-based infrastructures, latency and

synchronisation issues will come increasingly to

the fore. “Low latency networks or networks with

constant time delays for lip-sync or monitoring are

necessary. To achieve them we would need separate

networks for audio over IP to secure clocking and to

defi ne network paths for separate packets, thereby

achieving synchronicity and avoiding clock skew. But

this in a way would contradict the basic idea of using

IP infrastructure. On the other hand, using existing

or shared IP infrastructures’ Quality of Service is

paramount, but again this results in other problems.”

Then there are the expectations that are likely to

result from “special audio services like immersive

sound that the media experience of 4K/UHD or High

Dynamic Range [HDR] promise, and which will require

broadcasters to make further changes.”

The extent to which the emerging ‘next generation’

of broadcast audio will require unprecedented levels

of upskilling and infrastructural renewal is only

beginning to become clear. In this context, it is to

be hoped that the AIMS Alliance will provide some

welcome uniformity to a debate that has hitherto been

worryingly diff use at times.

aimsalliance.org

Michael Cronk: AES67 will be “integral”

to audio’s future in broadcast workfl ows

Manufacturers will always listen to their customers fi rst and rightly so, but it is incumbent upon all of us to promote the idea of interoperability.Martin Dyster, Linear Acoustic

Martin Dyster Stefan Breder: there is “an urgent need for standardisation”

Alan Hoff , Avid: “It is encouraging that so

many vendors have now aligned with AIMS”

Belgium

www.psneurope.com/live

P30JUNE

2016

Live

Expanding its digital “blue” console inventory, DEE Sound & Light invested in the country’s first SSL Live L500 Plus console, deployed it at a Trixie Whitley gig in the Antwerp Lotto Arena, reports Marc Maes

SSL Live L500 Plus does the trick for Trixie

In 2011, DEE Sound & Light decided to split their

operations, assigning colour codes to each

segment of the business. “A red label for all-in

productions where we take on the full audio and

lighting assignment, a green label for backline rental

operations and a blue label for the digital equipment:

consoles, effects and recording gear,” explains André

Schneider, founder/MD of DEE Sound & Light. “We

wanted to expand our digital platform, which already

features Midas (XL8, PRO 9,PRO 1 and M32) and

Digidesign (Profile and VENUE) consoles, and all the

separate cards – these cards are rented out all over

Europe to rental and recording companies.”

Schneider opted for an L500 Plus console as the

perfect complement to his stock of digital desks. “I

liked the sound and quality of the new mixing desk,”

he says, “and believe in this type of console. With

the L500 Plus, SSL has become the extra brand that

meets the demand of digital consoles throughout

Europe. I particularly like the fact that the all of the

processing is featured in the console – no extra racks

needed here – and the desk’s compact size. The option

for extra inputs is also a bonus. For smaller gigs, the

direct 32 mic inputs are very helpful – but with the

extra ML32.32 and ML I.32 stageboxes it’s quite easy

to add more.”

DEE took delivery of the L500 Plus console some

eight months ago – the desk has since been on the

road for European concert tours of Sam Smith and

Santana, and Dutch gigs of the band Raccoon. At press

time, Jurassic 5 confirmed the SSL 500 Plus as FOH

desk for their upcoming European festival tour.

“This type of bigger digital console is currently

not yet popular in Belgium, contrary to what we find

with the smaller ones, ” admits Schneider. “But I’m

convinced that the market will steadily grow into it.

Let’s face it – when we included our first Midas desk

in the rental catalogue some 10 years ago, it needed

quite some introduction time. Today, our digital Midas

mixers are booked up months in advance.”

It was Joystick Audio, the Belgian SSL distributor,

who supplied the L500 Plus console to DEE Sound

& Light. The company introduced the new console

with seminars and demo concerts, promoting the

prestigious brand of studio console’s entry in the live

and touring business.

Belgian American multi-instrumentalist Trixie

Whitley’s European tour (11 dates in the UK, The

Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany and France)

became the ideal tool for a SSL Live L500 Plus

promotion campaign. With concerts in 500-800

capacity venues, the tour was an ideal opportunity to

show the new live console in clubs throughout

Europe and to introduce system techs and audio

production engineers with the quality and flexibility

of the live desk.

“The console has a super analogue sound,”

enthuses Tim Lenssens, Trixie Whitley’s FOH engineer

and Joystick Audio product support. “The Live L500

uses the same pre-amps like in the SSL AWS and

Duality studio consoles, great analogue pre-amps with

lots of depth and warmth, and this was crucial in the

production’s choice for this console.”

Lenssens adds that the console’s flexibility and

the quality of the effects are other crucial assets.

“All of the plug-ins are SSL-based but ‘re-tuned’ to

live sound – both the ‘natural reverb’ and the special

plates…” he says. “When Trixie’s on stage she sings

with quite some low-mid – the SSL’s dynamic EQ

allows me to bring her vocals to the front . I also use

the amp-simulator to give her voice just that little

‘edge’ it needs.

DEE Sound & Light’s SSL Live L500 Plus, with two

ML32-32 stage-racks was first used in Belgium for

the concert of Trixie Whitley (29 April, Lotto Arena

Antwerp).

The FOH system, supplied by Phlippo Productions,

further consisted of two hangs of nine L-Acoustics

K2, 15 SB28 subs and 20 L-Acoustics KARA speakers,

controlled by a Lab.gruppen LM26. Monitoring was

undertaken through a Midas H3000 desk, L-Acoustics

X15 wedges and ARCSII + SB28 sidefills.

The SSL L500 Plus was part of a dry-hire

agreement between DEE’s ‘blue label’ and Phlippo

Productions.

www.dee.be/dee

www.joystick.be/pro

www.trixiewhitley.com

SSL Live L500 Plus with Tim Lensses in Antwerp

Trixie Whitley Photo credit: Guy Kokken

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BELGIUM


P32JUNE

2016

Live

Belgian wireless systems specialist RF Transmission decided to enter the digital wireless domain with an investment in 72 digital channels, including the first Sony DWX-N series in the country, reports Marc Maes

First Sony DWX-N for RF Transmission

W ith over 500 channels in analogue

wireless systems, RF Transmission is

arguably a leader in its supply sector.

The company enjoys an excellent

reputation both in Belgium, and abroad, where the bulk of

its assignments come from. In the analogue domain, the

company has the Wisycom brand dealership in the south

of Belgium.

Faced with the challenge of a reducing bandwidth for

wireless systems and as part of his bi-annual inventory

review, company founder Bernard Scyeur decided to

invest in digital wireless systems at the start of 2016.

“When, in May last year, our long-time clients, the Scala &

Kolacny Brothers choir decided to upgrade their existing

Sennheiser wireless system to the Digital 9000 system,

our first step, as a supplier and dry-hire company, was

to purchase an 8-channel rack – consider it a customer

back-up…”

For the further expansion of his digital wireless

systems, Scyeur had to make critical choices, with

parameters such as quality, investment value and

technical specifications.

“When Sony released their DWX-N series, I was

immediately persuaded by the DWX-N’s quality, reach

and reduced latency and decided to split my investment,”

Scyeur continues. “The idea was to use Sony DWX-N as

main touring system, flexible but requiring specialised

staff because of its many parameters. The eight channels

of Sennheiser cater for HD sound quality recording. A

Beyer TG1000 system completes my digital catalogue.”

Scyeur says the DWX-N’s sound quality, with

24-bit/96kHz conversion, was far better than existing

analogue systems. “The reduced 1.5 ms latency is

another bonus, as is the remote control: we do a lot of

opera and theatre and the remote Sony software allows

us to individually monitor and adapt the settings of each

DWX-N channel,” he explains.

In a first step, RF Transmission have taken delivery of

48 Sony DWX-N systems, supplied by distributor Amptec,

with an option for 16 additional channels.

Internationally renowned female choir Scala & Kolacny

Brothers were amongst the first to use RF Transmission’s

new Sony system, for their 20th anniversary concert.

Engineer Tom Logghe put together a configuration

consisting of the choir’s Sennheiser D9000 channels

and the DWX-N system, adding up to 74 channels in

total. “In addition to the fact that we went ‘all digital’, I find

the biggest advantage in the new Sony channels in the

remote control option. I used the Sony Wireless Studio

Software version 4.3.2 with the so-called Simple Status

Viewer.

“All of the parameters of the transmitters could be

controlled from the console position,” says Logghe.

“Adding more power, extra filters or change frequencies,

monitor the battery status… it’s a unique piece of

technology. Sony combined the best of both worlds here.

And for a huge choir with soloists, the DWX-N’s reduced

latency is super – depending on the codec, we use Codec

2 – it comes down to approx 1.5m/s – crucial for singers

in terms of in-ear monitoring.”

With the beyer TG1000 series, RF Transmission is

eyeing the ‘backliners’. “Big tours in France very often

use 60 to 80 frequencies,” Scyeur says. “In the past,

backline wireless systems sometimes conflicted with

the microphone or in-ear monitoring channels. The new

digital TG1000, with a bandwidth of 319MHz allows us

to simply adjust the backline frequencies rather than to

adjust the whole microphone and in-ear system.”

RF Transmission purchased one rack (16 channels) of

the beyer TG1000 series – at press time, Scyeur revealed

that the equipment has been booked up solid until

November already.

www.rftransmission.be

www.amptec.be

www.scalachoir.com

The ladies of Scala in action

The Sony DWX-N wireless system, and a view of a Scala rehearsal


P33JUNE

2016

For the current Macklemore & Ryan Lewis world tour, Eighth Day Sound is supplying DiGiCo consoles and a Adamson E-15 PA with veteran FOH mixer Tim Colvard at the helm. Simon Duff reports

Eighth Day more than ready for Macklemore

T im Colvard’s FOH mix engineer CV boasts a

diverse roster of world class acts including

Madonna, Whitney Houston, Alicia Keys, R.

Kelly and Toni Braxton, and rap icons such

as Eminem and The Beastie Boys. He cut his teeth on a

DiGiCo D5 in 2003 with 50 Cent, Jay-Z and Earth Wind

& Fire. He says: “I have been blessed with a variety of

artists starting back in the early ‘80s with The Pointer

Sisters and continuing to this day with Macklemore.”

The artist of note is a Seattle rapper, who began

releasing albums in 2000, working with his production

partner Ryan Lewis since 2009. The duo have found

worldwide success with albums The Heist in 2012 and

This Unruly Mess I’ve Made released in February of this

year. For the current world arena tour in support of the

new album, which began in Belgium and features high

musical content, Colvard is using a DiGiCo SD7 at FOH,

running at 96kHz. Picking up 77 inputs off the stage

split, including 24 outputs from Ableton Live, two guitars,

bass, drums, trombone and three trumpets with a string

line up of two violins, viola, cello, piano, and guest vocals.

A Sennheiser SKM 5200 is the vocal microphone of

choice with ME 5005 capsule, a Neve 1073 preamp and

Avalon 737 compressor in the chain. Colvard notes:

“The vocal difference, technique wise, between singers

versus rappers would probably be the proximity of the

mic to the mouth position. Fast rappers tend to use

very close proximity techniques and

melodic singers tend to naturally have

the mic position further away.”

The SD7 has been Colvard’s console

of choice since its arrival in 2008. “The

sound, the surface layout including

the video monitor keeps the desk

progressive for today productions.”

For the Macklemore mix he uses

snapshots to keep his mix consistent

each night, fired off timecode from

the Ableton Live stage rig. Outboard

includes two Eventide H3000s, used

for vocal double tracking FX, TC

Electronic System 6000, for reverb hall

sounds and two Yamaha SPX 2000s

on horns and drum plate sounds. At

monitor world, a DiGiCo SD5 with a Waves package is

the order of the day with monitor engineer J. Summers

creating eighteen stereo in ear mixes and wedge

requirements, predominantly d&b audiotechnik J8s and

B22 subs.

Commenting on the choice of the Adamson system,

Colvard says: “I chose the E-15 after using it on a festival

show with Lionel Richie last year in France. During that

show the system provided clarity, punch and throw. Of

course all the aspects that a good system should have.

Now that I’m touring with the system it is continuing to

provide that same criteria, especially with the addition of

the E119 sub. We are flying 24 E-15 per side along with

8 flown E119 per side for the main hang. The side hang

consist of 6 E-12 and 12 E-15 per side. On the ground

there are 12 E 119 subwoofer per side.”

The tour continues though June and July with arena

dates in the USA, summer festivals in Europe before

concluding in Australia at The Perth Arena in August.

www.adamsonsystems.com

www.digico.biz

www.8thdaysound.com

www.macklemore.com

Macklemore (left) & Ryan Lewis: on tour around the world until August

Tim Colvard cut his engineering teeth working with the likes of Madonna

and Whitney, and rappers including Eminem and the Beastie Boys


P34JUNE

2016

Live

E-V and the ND range: “We had to do it right”

In 2002, the founder of Electro-Voice, Al Kahn,

gave an interview about the origins of the

company. Describing his involvement in the

development of microphones, he passed a

remark that has a simple, powerful resonance

for his successors in the company he began. The

evolution of Indiana-based E-V into the microphone

market in the early 1930s set a standard and traces

a pioneering line to the present day. That evolution

was squarely based on quality. Of Electro-Voice’s fi rst

microphone, Kahn said simply: “We made a good

one.”

Speaking to Rick Belt, the designer and driving

force behind the development of Electro-Voice’s new

ND Series of wired microphones, it is immediately

apparent that a strong sense of legacy hangs in the

air. “I take the view that as a custodian of the brand,

my responsibility to handle it with care is of the

utmost importance, and that any product stamped

with the Electro-Voice name is to be of the highest

possible quality,” says Belt

“As part of a wider strategy to update and refresh

certain products, the introduction of the new ND

Series constitutes the next stage in the evolution of

the neodymium technology that we at Electro-Voice

pioneered in the 1980s. It wasn’t something to be

taken lightly or done in haste.”

The ND Series is the company’s fi rst major

launch into the microphone market for a number of

years, but as the conversation with Belt progresses,

it becomes obvious that an agreed date for this

launch would only be reached when the products

met his stringent criteria for excellence and value.

The fundamental aim of the ND Series was to

improve the acoustic performance of the capsules

to achieve a more contemporary sonic off ering and

include features that would signifi cantly enhance the

experience of end-users.

Belt explains: “At the point when we launched the

successful RE 320 [dynamic vocal and instrument

mic] in 2011, we began to approach how we were

going to refresh the entire family of ‘N/DYMs’ – and

with eight items in the range, it does take a bit of

time to craft a solution.

“We opted to break down the capsules totally and

re-engineer the entire engine. So it wasn’t that we

took the old heads and stuck them into new bodies:

we actually redesigned how those capsules were

built and performed. If we were going to do it, we had

to it right. We didn’t cut any corners worrying about

how long it was going to take...”

He pauses for emphasis and to drive the point

home: “We had to do it right.”

Doing it right, then, meant understanding the

needs of artists and engineers and investing Belt’s

vast practical experience of live settings and studios

into product development. He speaks with an

authority and clarity on the subject that could only

have evolved from this background. The technical

data is accompanied by a tangible passion and

commitment toward developing solutions that

will play out perfectly in real-life situations. As he

describes the nuances of

the ND Series, Belt does

so, not only in terms of the

science, but in terms of how

a particular feature might

address the specifi c needs of

a performer or an engineer.

NDing TO KNOW

What of the microphones

themselves? At the heart of

the series is a new large-

diaphragm capsule design.

The vocal microphones

are essentially addressed

towards three distinct

application scenarios and

are diff erentiated by polar

pattern, capsule voicing

and grille shape. From

the all-round ND76 and

76S (with on/off switch),

through the ND86, aimed at

larger concert and festival

venues to the ND96 for loud

stages where its extremely

high gain-before-feedback

characteristic enables vocals

to be pushed through the mix,

there is an option for optimal

performance in each setting.

All the ND mics are here!

At PL+S, Electro-Voice introduced its fi rst major salvo of products into the professional live microphone market for some years. John Dexter Jones talks to project leader Rick Belt about the timing of the launch


P35JUNE

2016

Similarly, the instrument models are optimised for

their applications by polar pattern, capsule voicing

and mechanical design. The ND44, with its innovative

mounting clip, is designed for tom-toms and snare

drums, while a compact form factor and low-profi le

angling head allow for precise placement in other

applications. The larger ND46 dynamic mic has a

unique locking pivot mechanism for simple and

accurate positioning – particularly in hard-to-reach

areas of drum kits. The ND66, a small-diaphragm

condenser microphone’s fi lters, pads and locking

pivoting head – the only one of its kind on the market

– make it an extremely versatile choice for, typically,

drum overheads, hi-hats, close-miked drums,

acoustic guitar and piano. Finally, the ND68 dynamic

is voiced for a powerful kick drum sound with little or

no additional equalisation required.

Belt’s declared intention throughout the

development of the series was to over-feature the

price point (between $120 and $200) of each item by

taking careful measure of the usability by use case.

His aim was not simply to meet the expectations of

users but exceed them by, including features that

enhanced the aesthetics and the practicality of each

item against the background of superior acoustic

performance. Given the dominance of the heavy

hitters in the sector, this aim is at the core of the

sales proposition. Belt observes, “We’re not going

to go downmarket to gain market share, that’s just

not going to work, so we have to go upmarket at a

competitive price. The critical part of this proposition

is that we’re giving the end-user more for the money

and we have some fi ne engineering to back this

up. At recent shows where we’ve encouraged people

to get hands-on with these microphones and see

what they can do, the reaction has been a

universal ‘Wow!’ “

Alongside their considerable engineering talents,

Belt and his team have quite clearly poured heart

and soul into another chapter of Electro-Voice’s near

90-year history of audio excellence and they are

a confi dent that the new series will have a strong

impact. Time may indeed have passed since Electro-

Voice’s last major launch into this sector but the

overwhelming message that accompanies its new

ND Series of microphones is that the wait will have

been more than worth it.

www.electrovoice.com

We’re not going to go downmarket to gain market share, that’s just not going to work, so we have to go upmarket at a competitive priceRick Belt

ND series designer and team leader Rick Belt at Prolight + Sound 2016


P36JUNE

2016

Live

After 16 years, audio partners Entec and d&b continue to raise the bar for the Teenage Cancer Trust

Sonic advance for Daltrey’s TCT

Now a staple of the Royal Albert Hall’s

springtime calendar, the Teenage Cancer

Trust’s annual festival of music and comedy

shows has seen over 200 artists perform

to nearly 500,000 fans, raising more than £22 million

since its launch in 2000. Throughout the event’s 16-year

history, Entec Sound & Light has been proud to remain

its exclusive audio provider and, through its partnership

with manufacturer d&b audiotechnik, has set high

standards at the revered London venue. This year, with

the deployment of the latest version of a Dante network

package and d&b’s ArrayProcessing software, the

partnership reached a new peak.

The event grew out of Roger Daltrey encouraging

The Who to play a show for the charity, and in doing so,

becoming the driving force for the events that followed,

curating each year’s bill alongside show producer Des

Murphy. This April’s week-long offering was typical of

the range of talent to which audiences have become

accustomed. Kicking off with a comedy night headlined

by John Bishop, the week progressed with The Vaccines

and Everything Everything, Simply Red, Bring Me

The Horizon and New Order, ending with a classic

performance by David Gilmour.

Middlesex-based Entec became involved from the

outset, in no small part due to the company’s former

head of sound, Dick Hayes, who managed TCT’s audio

up until his retirement last year. He says: “I had worked

for The Who since 1969 under Bob Pridden and,

coincidentally, my first gig with them was at the Albert

Hall. When I joined Entec in 1995, Bob was one of the

first people I contacted because The Who were forever

having monitoring problems. I presented our APW

monitors as a solution: Daltrey and Townshend loved

them, and when the first TCT show was announced,

Entec was given the job.”

The production team for TCT has remained stable

throughout the show’s existence with Steve Allen in

residence as production manager since the first event.

However, no one takes their role for granted, according

to Matt Grounds who, after running monitors last

year, became both Entec’s project manager and crew

chief for 2016. “The consistency of the crew over the

years has been key to maintaining a good working

relationship with TCT production,” says Grounds. “We

are very fortunate to have highly skilled people whose

personalities are a very good fit.”

TAMING THE AUDITORIUM

Entec’s long experience of handling one of the world’s

most notoriously challenging acoustic spaces carries

considerable value. A d&b audiotechnik rental partner

since 1995, the company originally deployed the C4

system, configuring it as a large centre cluster for the


P37JUNE

2016

second year, before moving to the Q-Series. For TCT’s

2006 events, Entec debuted the large scale J-Series

(d&b’s first foray into boxes that size) and it is a

testimony to its design that it remains at the core of the

TCT audio spec.

This April, Entec’s PA consisted of 14 J8s per side as

the main hang with eight V-Series cabinets in each side

hang, a balcony fill of four Y8s per side, a pair of Y7Ps

with a Y10P per side, and a central hang of six J-SUBs, a

front fill of two Y-SUBs, two Y7s and a pair of Y10s, two

E8s for centrefill and four B22s underneath the stage.

Everything was powered by d&b D80 amplifiers.

Liam Halpin, seven years working on TCT, comments:

“As systems and technology have improved, and we’ve

become increasingly digital with greater access to DSP

power, we’ve become more clued up about the things

that affect sound in the venue and how best to deal with

them for a better experience. We’re now having to do

less EQ adjustment on a system that is mainly designed

in advance and executed on the day with minimal tuning.”

Not surprisingly, a very healthy exchange of ideas and

information exists between Entec and d&b. The ongoing

support provided by the German manufacturer is

“outstanding” and its beta versions of new products are

regularly field-tested by the rental company – one of the

most recent examples being the latest software update

for its ArrayProcessing tool, demonstrated at TCT last

year, ahead of its official launch at Prolight + Sound.

One of d&b’s most significant developments,

ArrayProcessing (AP) allows each loudspeaker cabinet

to be individually processed with FIR and IIR filtering

to bypass some of the limitations associated with line

Comedy headliner John Bishop

L-R: FOH engineer Paul Ramsay and system designer Liam Halpin

Entec crew, L-R: James Kerridge, Liam Halpin and Matt Grounds


P38JUNE

2016

Live

array cabinets, particularly the directionality and level

distribution of the low-mid frequency range. “This

prompted d&b to take a further step with the system

processing that allows the low-mid to be distributed

more evenly and you can really hear the difference,”

claims Jonny Clark, the successor to Dick Hayes in his

newly appointed role of head of sound.

(ArrayCalc, the simulation tool within d&b’s

processing suite, is a crucial link here – the function

used to design an array based on a map of the venue,

providing system performance prediction, time

alignment, rigging and safety parameters.)

NETWORKED SOLUTION

Last year’s introduction of Entec’s custom-packaged,

highly scalable Dante networking system was another

step forward for the TCT shows, prompted by the

distribution of amplifiers in the gallery, underneath

the stage and in the ‘rat run’ behind the stage, and

the associated desire to reduce analogue cabling and

gain more flexibility. For 2016, the system took in

28 managed network switches with eight Focusrite

RedNet units located around the venue and Lake LM44s

running Dante input and output.

The d&b PA hang during soundcheck

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P39JUNE

2016

As a result of also being fed into the network, crew

communications on TCT have reached a new level of sophistication.

Matt Grounds explains: “We are using MyMix personal monitor

mixers for the crew shout system which is integrated into our Telex

BTR 800 radio comms and Mikey Grove, our stage manager, has

a radio pack that can switch between each department with more

flexibility than he’s ever known.”

GET VACCINATED

Advance dialogue with all artists informed the deployment of a

DiGiCo SD7 as Entec’s house FOH console – manned by engineer

Paul Ramsay – and an SD10 for monitor mixer Simon Higgs.

Grounds: “For The Vaccines’ engineers Martin Hildred and Neil

Heal we brought in a pair of Avid Profiles, which was one of the

few special requests we received. We install what we believe is the

best possible system configuration for the venue, but we are also

here to serve the incoming artists so there are always a number of

individually tailored items.”

Also at FOH, a Midas PRO1 was hooked up to the Dante network

via a KT DN9650 network bridge to manage compère mic feeds, VT

audio playback and matrixing for incoming consoles. Additionally, to

service Matt Hey’s multitrack recording of every show in conjunction

with FX Rentals, Entec supplied a system based around a 96-channel

Avid D-Show VENUE console running MADI to Pro Tools.

Nearly every year sees Entec working with other rental firms

whose clients are in the line-up. For TCT, the company teamed up

with SSE for Bring Me The Horizon and Britannia Row for Simply Red

and David Gilmour. Says Jonny Clark: “Between SSE and ourselves,

we came up with the idea of Bring Me The Horizon [BMTH] running

their own line system via our network and then into our SD7 at

FOH. Meanwhile, the support band, PVRIS, used our line system and

Profiles at each end so that we had two completely independent set-

ups. That was immensely helpful because BMTH decided to augment

their set with a full choir and orchestra, obviously impacting greatly

on the input count.”

“That’s one of the really impressive things about TCT,” added

Grounds. “The artists love being part of it and often go the extra mile

to treat it as a special one-off show, and so adding 60 choir singers

onstage is the kind of thing we’ve come to expect. There’s a level of

excitement that you don’t normally see elsewhere.

“With David Gilmour, it was a case of accommodating his

production within our existing set-up.” Brit Row brought in their line

system and SD7 at FOH for engineer Colin Norfield,

although it was still Entec’s PA.

“Maintaining good relationships with these other

companies is important because at some point you

are going to be working together on events like TCT

and smooth interaction is what everyone wants,” says

Grounds.

Entec’s crew also included technicians James

Kerridge and Tom Olorenshaw. Of all the many special

moments from the 2016 shows, one of the major

highlights came when, three days after Prince’s tragic

death, David Gilmour segued into Purple Rain during his

iconic Comfortably Numb guitar solo – a fitting tribute at

the climax of an emotionally charged week.

www.entec-soundandlight.com

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Shown Actual Weight.

Focusrite RedNets at the hub of Entec’s Dante network


P40JUNE

2016

Live

Radical design with Nexo STM Series modular line array for Austrian concert

Muse feeling good, and on top of the world with STM

Fourteen thousand fans packed the Silvretta

Arena in Ischgl for a very special edition of the

world-famous Top of the Mountain concert

series, with British rock heroes Muse and a

never-seen-before configuration of Nexo’s STM Series

modular line array.

Fantasy Veranstaltungstechnik, the Austrian sound

rental provider that has serviced more than 20 TOTM

concerts for the Tyrolean ski resort, has been deploying

Nexo STM Series systems for the last five years. The

company has just made a major investment in the

Marc Carolan, FOH engineer, mixes Muse in Ischgl


P41JUNE

2016

STM M28 ‘Omni’ modules, and this was the first

appearance for the new cabinets in a starring role

on the mountaintop.

Hannes Knapp, technical director of Fantasy, has

some history with the French brand: “I remember

using the old TS2400 touring rigs, then spent about

seven years working with big Alpha systems, before

moving onto GEO T.

“STM brings me fully up-to-date, and as the TOTM

concerts grow every year, we need to be current

with the best possible loudspeaker systems.

His new STM M28 compact modules can be

used as a downfill with the M46 modules, or as the

main cabinet in the arrays with B112 bass cabinets,

he reports. “ It has a huge amount of headroom,

unbelievable really; the clarity and precision of every

single instrument is phenomenal, even at 70-plus

metres.”

With the input of STM specialist Norbert Bund,

and Val Gilbert from Nexo’s Engineering Support

Team, an innovative system configuration was

designed for Muse, maximising the modular

versatility of the STM Series to meet the band’s LF

requirements. A single line of 18x M28 cabinets was

bracketed by nine B112 bass cabinets, creating a

3-wide array.

“When Nexo first released STM, we offered

the rigging options to present the system 3-wide,”

explains Gilbert. “However, few customers have

deployed that design with the large M46 main

cabinet, and Fantasy is the first to do it with the

new M28. Our original design for Ischgl was a line

of M28 and a line of B112, but rigging restrictions

meant that we had to spread the weight of the

arrays. Rigging limitations vary, depending on the

density of the snow, and they are very strict. The

modular nature of STM enabled us to break the

system into three lines, which could be done without

compromising acoustical performance. The atmospheric

conditions are the hardest anywhere, and the M28

performed with distinction.”

With another nine M28 boxes per side acting as delays

for the system (at 60m), and 48x STM S118 subs flown

and groundstacked, this compact line array system

comfortably catered for the audience of 14,000, spread

over a considerable listening field, and the expectations of

one of the biggest rock bands in the world. Marc Carolan

was the man at FOH, mixing on a Midas PRO X.

“[The M28 is a magical little box,” reports Hannes

Knapp. “It has the light weight and flexibility for our

smaller shows, yet, using the same components, we

can assemble a system for a Muse concert. It is easy to

handle, totally versatile, and can deliver for more than

20,000 people. You can do everything with this tiny little

system.”

For the past four years, Fantasy has used Nexo’s

STM M46 as the main module in the STM PA system,

coupling 1:1 with the B112 bass cabinet. Chief system

designer Norbert Bund (seconded from German rental

company acoustic Network) was impressed with the way

the smaller STM M28 worked in place of the M46. “The

configuration of the main arrays gave us good coverage

We don’t need to throw more than 80 metres, even though we can, but in this place, it’s a good idea not to throw to the next mountainHannes Knapp, Fantasy

[email protected]

+44 (0)208 238 7800

Unit 12 Capital Business Park, Manor Way, Borehamwood, Herts WD6 1QJ

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An radical approach to setting up the Nexo STM system


to about 60m, where the delays started. But with the smaller M28 boxes, we can use

shorter inter-cabinet angles, so the coverage is really focussed and accurate. Using

them in this way with the B112s meant that we didn’t have to depend on the LF energy

of the M28s, and could exploit the headroom in other frequency ranges.”

Knapp brings up the critical question of location: Ischgl is in the Austrian Tyrol at

1,500 metres above sea level, while the Silvretta Arena is 800 metres above that!

Getting the audience there is easy: they just ski there. “At this altitude, there are fewer air

molecules than in the valley. We don’t need to throw more than 80 metres, even though

we can, but in this place, it’s a good idea not to throw to the next mountain…

“Most of the time, the humidity is nearly 100%, and the temperature can change

from -15°C in the morning to +10°C at noon, so having the M28 delays is a much better

solution than driving the main PA too hard.”

Logistical complexities abound. “We’re well within the snowfields and there is no flat

surface at all so it is difficult to transport heavy equipment there,” explains Knapp. “We

need simple and easy-handling dollies and covers so we can load-in or strike quickly.

All stage construction is directly on 3 to 5 metres, built on snow with no concrete

beneath, so we need lightweight cabinets – another reason for choosing Nexo’s M28.

Norbert Bund joins in. “Rigging is all-important. We have to move very fast because

we may not always have good weather, and there are obvious difficulties of access

for the vehicles. But the STM rigging is extremely flexible, allowing us to change the

configuration as we did for Muse from a standard 2-line array to the 3-wide system that

was compatible with the rigging point load factor. No other system would have given us

such possibilities.”

www.eventengineering.at

www.nexo-sa.com

Being able to rig the system quickly and easily was very important in the snowy climes


P44JUNE

2016

Business feature: Branding

In a time when just about anything or anyone can be a brand, how do specialist audio companies establish and maintain and effective market presence? Kevin Hilton gets all his ducks in a row to look at a very niche form of image management

Brand ho!

P rofessional audio may be a small, well-

defined industry but it has not shied away

from using branding and general publicity

techniques to promote itself. Companies,

and even specific products, have made indelible

impressions, often as the right thing at the right

time. This is encapsulated in the old story that during

the 1970s and into the ’80s, record company A&R

departments would ring round recording studios asking

if they had a Solid State Logic console, particularly the

4000 G Series. If the answer was “yes”, a studio went on

the list of places for top acts to record.

Despite such recognition, times and tastes change

and new contenders enter the arena. As Joseph

Gelman, a partner at brand and marketing consultancy

Prophet Madrid, has noted, “The story of brands getting

old is a story of relevance.” SSL adapted its strategies

in subsequent years, aiming more towards broadcast

and post-production with a range of digital products,

including the Axiom and Aysis desks and, latterly, the C

Series.

Even so there is still the misconception that a sector

as small and specialist as pro audio, where just about

every potential customer knows about just about every

manufacturer big and small, there is no need to spend

time and money on building and maintaining a brand.

Andreas Hilmer, director of marketing and

communications at Lawo, observes that, going back

10 to 15 years, “no one was doing any real brand

management or development” in the market. “Even

today most companies are not into actively developing

an image – it’s not on their radar,” he says. “In the past

one could afford to do that but in broadcast in particular,

with companies merging into bigger groups and

everyone trying to get a share of the market, branding

is a tool that can be used to survive. It can give a higher

profile that will help to be around in the future.”

Before joining Lawo in 2013, Hilmer spent nine years

with Riedel Communications’ marcomms department.

While there he helped build the company up from being

an intercom manufacturer virtually unknown outside its

home market in Germany to the international network

infrastructure developer with the bold red image of

today. Lawo has similarly built up its standing and

reputation on the world stage, although Hilmer says

this was already happening under the management of

Philipp Lawo when he joined the company.

“Philipp had a vision of what things would be like

Calrec Audio’s Periodic Table of Broadcast Consoles

Promotional visual for Sennheiser’s ‘D1 and Only’ campaign, featuring the vocal mic with stylised images of the rock & roll lifestyle


P45JUNE

2016

in the world of IP,” Hilmer explains. This, he continues,

involved audio consoles becoming the backbone of a

studio or production set-up, controlling network functions

as well as mixing sources. A key part of this has been the

development of RAVENNA audio over IP (AoIP) technology.

Although conceived by Phillip Lawo and now a core

part of the products that bear his name, RAVENNA was

deliberately not branded as Lawo. Instead it is marketed

under the umbrella of ALC NetworX to emphasis that it

is an open standard not tied to a specific manufacturer.

“Because it’s not seen as Lawo’s protocol that has allowed

competitors such as Calrec to approach ALC NetworX and

integrate it into their own products,” Hilmer comments.

As with any company that’s been around for over 40

years, Lawo has looked to refresh and alter its brand and

image. Hilmer says this has been done subtly, rather than

with any dramatic repositioning and change of image: “You

always have to keep the existing image and logo in mind.

The company is the people [within it] and if you just want

to take something and make it sexier, that won’t work. You

have to have a vision and know where you want to go.”

SOMEBODY ANSWER THE PHONE

Harman Professional encompasses such noted brands as JBL, BSS, AKG, AMX,

Studer and Soundcraft. Each has its own image through the products it produces,

supported by some very recognisable logos: JBL’s orange rectangle with the ‘v’-

shaped exclamation mark; the three intertwined cardioid patterns that are still part

of AKG’s image; and the distinctive typeface used for the Studer name. Despite this

immediate recognition, Keith Watson, marketing director for Europe, the Middle East

and Africa with Harman Professional Solutions division, says such graphical design is

only one small aspect of branding.

“Behind that is a whole range of qualities and promises,” he says. “The quality and

innovation built into our products, how the company reacts to the customer. How it

responds to requests – and even how it answers the phone. Then there’s how it fixes

problems. A brand is a promise of all those things being done well. So it’s not just a

visual representation. It’s no good just telling people what the brand is about: you have

to prove it. And it’s no good

telling them it’s the best in the

world if it falls over.”

Watson observes that

underlining what a product can

do and how it is different from

the competition is particularly

important in a market where

digital technologies and

techniques are the basis of

most of what is on offer. “And

even if there is a problem with

something, when a company

fixes it the customer may still

be loyal to the brand because

they see the reliability and

support behind it,” he says.

Like most manufacturers,

Harman and its subsidiaries are

using social media to reach new

customers. In this way, Watson

says, a brand can be kept fresh

As the Oxford Dictionary of English – itself a well-

known brand – points out, there was a time when

people didn’t think specifically about a brand. They

might have favoured a certain type of car or drink

but branding has taken this further with active

promotion and building of an image.

Rebecca Battman, founder of the RBL agency, says

that while many people think of branding in terms of

a company logo, that is only the start: “It’s a symbol,

the reason why a person buys a product or uses a

service.”

Battman adds that branding is effective in

differentiating companies that offer the same or

similar products or services: “A brand can sum

up the personality of a company and would be the

reason someone would choose to fly Virgin rather

than British Airways, even through they do exactly

the same job.”

Which means both Virgin and BA – and any other

type of company – needs to know exactly what they

are offering and to whom. As Mark Baynes, chief

marketing officer of drinks company Keurig Green

Mountain has said, “Unless you have absolute clarity

of what your brand stands for, everything else is

irrelevant.”

www.rbl-brandagency.com

What is branding?

Rebecca Battman

Traction Sound had a local ale branded up, something many

companies have done (see the Pro Sound Brews photo

collection on the PSNEurope Facebook page!)


P46JUNE

2016

Business feature: Branding

and relevant: “Nobody thinks of AKG and JBL

as old brands.” But, he says, any marketing

needs to be targeted. An interesting example

of this is the ‘Faces’ advertising campaign

run for Studer-Soundcraft consoles from

2012. This featured an archetype to represent

each market sector that used the companies’

mixing desks. These included a thoughtful BBC

interviewer type-man in his 50s for radio; a

massive American football player for OB TV

sports coverage; and a rock guy and a rock

gal for live touring. Watson comments that all

were successful despite not focusing heavily

on the product being promoted. “The personas

were relatively easy to identify and carried the

right qualities of the respective Studer and

Soundcraft consoles,” he says.

Faces won the 2013 Pro Sound Award for

marketing initiative/campaign of the year. Also

nominated that year were the three campaigns

for L-Acoustics’ 5XT, ARCS Wide and Focus and

KIVA-SB15m ranges; the ‘Frame Story’ for the

d&b audiotechnik White range; and DiGiCo’s

‘Mugshot’ ads. Another memorable piece of

branding came from Sennheiser for its D1

wireless vocal microphone. The model number

gave great scope for wordplay; the mic was

branded as ‘D1 and Only’ and Sennheiser ran

a scheme to discover and promote new music

acts, billed as ‘The One and Only Band’.

Not that pro-audio branding has to be all

about high-profile campaigns and grabbing

attention. Companies can carve out a niche and

stay with it, supporting an established image

with very specific marketing. Sonifex was founded by

Paul Brooke in 1969, initially building mixing consoles

for dubbing facility De Lane Lea. Brooke’s son Marcus,

who now runs the company as managing director,

agrees that the choice of name – Sonifex, a composite

of ‘son’ for sound and ‘fex’ for effects – better summed

up later products, such as the cartridge machines and

telephone hybrids that became a mainstay of radio

studios in the 1970s and 80s.

While carts are long gone, Sonifex still produces

a telephone hybrid and on-air desks. Today it is best

known for its range of audio and video processors, many

of which are part of the distinctive Red Box range. These

form a striking part of the company’s stand at IBC, which

has been in the same position – just to the left as people

walk into Hall 8 - for the last ten years. “We don’t do an

awful lot to promote the brand,” Marcus Brooke says, “but

we do push it at trade shows. We don’t want to rest on

our laurels and I hope we have that brand recognition.”

Branding is often derided due to the highfalutin’

and often nonsensical language used by consultants

when running ideas up the flagpole and trying to get

people to salute them. When it comes down to it, says

Kevin Emmott, marketing manager at Calrec Audio,

business-to-business branding “should tell the story of

the company and reflect what it brings to that particular

industry”. Calrec has been through several

ownerships and in the past manufactured

both radio mixers and the SoundField

microphone. It is now part of the Audiotonix

group, along with DiGiCo and Allen & Heath,

and concentrates on consoles and networking

systems for live TV.

“As part of Audiotonix Calrec benefits

from shared R&D know-how and purchasing

resources but its commitment to live

broadcast hasn’t changed, just as DiGiCo’s and

A&H’s commitments to their niche markets

haven’t changed,” Emmott says. “To build an

effective brand in its market Calrec needs

to be across all the changes in technology

and do that before our customers need to be.

Branding should provide confidence that a

company is playing an active role to help its

customers define the future of the industry.

This is especially important in a specialist

market where many people already know

who you are.”

Emmott adds that Calrec uses all the

marketing tools available to it, including

advertising, sponsorships, white papers,

exhibitions, PR, websites, community

initiatives, customer support and social media.

“We adapt how much of these we use on an

ongoing basis but they should all complement

each and have the same message,” he

concludes. “In this way responding to this

article is part of Calrec’s branding.”

www.calrec.com

www.pro.harman.com

www.lawo.com

www.sonifex.co.uk

A company can be well-established as a brand in

a niche market but may have to rethink not just its

image but its name to branch out into other sectors.

CoachComm is known in US sports for intercom

systems used by coaches in college football. While it

has built up sales internationally it wanted to move

into the wide professional audio market with new

products and technology.

To do this CoachComm launched Pliant

Technologies in March this year, introducing the

new CrewCom wireless communications system at

NAB. Pliant Technologies is also marketing existing

CoachComm products, including the Tempest NG

wireless package and the SmartBoom range of

headsets. Global sales manager Gary Rosen explains

that a separate persona was needed to aim squarely

at the wider pro market: “Selecting the Pliant name

was about removing the sports connotation. We’re

looking at introducing a broader range than just

intercom, so we didn’t want something too specific.

Pliant implies flexibility and that leaves the window

open for other products.”

www.plianttechnologies.com

Building a new brand - Pliant Technologies

Gary Rosen

The Volkswagen van, as featured in the D1 campaign, did a tour of trade events

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www.psneurope.com/installation

P48JUNE

2016

Installation

Just in time for the racing season, Belgian Shure distributor FACE installed an Axient wireless system in Francorchamps’s pit lane, reports Marc Maes

Axient in pole position: reliable wireless for speed races

The legendary Francorchamps race circuit,

located in the Belgian Ardennes region, is

well known for its “24 heures de Spa” and

Formula 1 races. To enhance the race track’s

visitors’ experience, local circuit reporters comment

on the race from alongside the track, from the pit

lane, paddocks and the racing teams’ workshops, with

interviews and race facts. The interviews are aired on

the circuit’s Bose public address system in front of the

stands.

“In the past, the Francorchamps Circuit management

hired in a couple of wireless microphones, connected

to the main audio system,” explains Glenn Willems,

wireless specialist and account manager with FACE.

“But whenever they had technical race support teams,

TV crews or radio reporting teams over to the site,

the ‘official’ wireless microphone signals suffered

from interference or were even wiped out. The rented

microphones also had limited reach and the installation

of the temporary receiver masts was not always

optimal.”

When it came to upgrading these arrangements, in

addition to the race coverage, the Francorchamps Circuit

wanted a new installation to serve as a public address

system in case of a requirement to evacuate the circuit’s

public area.

Willems, with his professional background in wireless

systems, initially suggested Wysicom mobile reporting

units. “From what we’ve learned in Francorchamps,

the wireless system had to be interference resistant

and 100% failsafe,” he says. “You cannot take the risk

of having any security messages broadcasted on the

sound system being interfered by signals from reporter

teams on the site. That’s why we thought of Wisycom

high power mobile units, like those used on Formula 1

races and by broadcaster Sky. The problem is that these

packages are quite heavy to carry around in the already

crowded pitlane.”

The solution came with Shure’s Axient system,

FACE being the manufacturer’s partner for distribution,

installation and support. Willems and Yves Quireyns of

Shure Benelux approached the Francorchamps Circuit

management with their solution.

“The big advantage of the Axient series is the AXT600

spectrum manager – Axient is so much more than a

microphone and a receiver,” Willems explains. “It’s a fully

integrated system with a high-tech frequency scanner:

the Spectrum manager automatically detects possible

risks of interference and permanently scans the ether

for the best frequencies on the site. Another forté of

the system is that the whole configuration is integrated

in one network, the Showlink system. The AXT200

handheld transmitters use the AXT610 Showlink access

points to set up a wireless network link with the Axient

equipment located in the rack in the equipment room:

the AXT400 double receiver, the AXT600 spectrum

manager and the AXT900 intelligent battery charging

station, by means of the AXT620 ethernet switch,

allowing a fully synchronised automatic switch-over to

alternative frequencies in case the used frequencies are

jeopardised by external sources of interference.”

Glenn Willems underlines that the Spectrum

manager system, in combination with the AXT200

transmitters, equipped with the new KSM8 Dualdyne

capsules (launched at NAMM) and their dual-frequency

capability, along with the Shure AXT400 receiver is

the best guarantee for full failsafe operation in the

RF-crowded pitlane as reporter system, and in, case of

calamity, as a 100% reliable public address signal. “For

extreme reliability the AXT200 handheld transmitter

can operate on two frequencies simultaneously. In case

one of the frequencies risks being interfered with, the

Axient system automatically shuts down that particular

frequency while carrying on operating on the second

frequency. Then the spectrum manager hands out a

clean frequency to handheld transmitter and receiver

alike after which the whole system seamlessly (and

inaudibly) switches back to dual-frequency operation.”

Having found a solid solution for the wireless

frequency issue, expanding the reach for the

Pitlane and stands finish line

Wisycom LNNA Antennas covering pit lane


P49JUNE

2016

microphones was the next challenge. “Seeing the

dimensions of the pit lane, the choice of the antennas

was crucial,” Willems continues. “We’ve opted for a set

of Wisycom LNNA antennas – their integrated amplifiers

are very robust, and able to cope with very hostile RF

environments. In terms of operational functionality it’s

the best product in FACE’s reception antenna portfolio.”

The essential factor in wireless transmission

being “line of sight”, Willems decided to install the

Wisycom antenna near the finish line on a 5m-high

mast, ensuring full coverage of the pit lane and part

of the paddock. “The selectivity and the excellent

intermodulation behaviour of the Axient transmitters

and receivers, in combination with the bullet-proof

Wisycom head-end amps, ensure that interference

due to overload, adjacent channel transmitters and

intermodulation products can be avoided. When we

tested the system in this critical environment, it turned

out that even on the edges of the requested coverage

area, we were able to obtain more than 25dB of fading

margin (on the ‘away’-facing antenna) using a clever

antenna configuration.

“Let’s face it, 350 metres coverage for a wireless

microphone system is quite impressive,” enthuses

Willems. “Additionally, Axient allows us to programme

any frequencies that are reserved, for example, for

television coverage. Those are then automatically

excluded from use by the frequency manager.”

Completing the Shure Axient set-up is the Wireless

Workbench 6 control software, allowing remote control

of the full network, making the system efficient, easy to

handle and reliable.

FACE supplied and installed the Shure Axient

configuration, after having tested with various trial

settings. Willems also took on the training of local

engineers in terms of frequency planning and

management, allowing the local technical crew to deal

with frequencies used by external reporter teams or

emergency services. The system is standard using

Shure KSM8 capsules (the specific race environment

requires close miking) but the incorporated software

also allows the use of other microphone brands when

calculating frequency plans.

The output of the Axient system is amplified through

a Bose loudspeaker system, consisting of five LT3202

in combination with 50 Paranay 402 series cabinets,

mounted against the pitlane building facing the length

of the stands.

The speakers are powered by Bose Powermatch

8500N amps controlled by a Bose Controlspace

ESP system. The Francorchamps circuit is currently

replacing its sound system (including some old horn-

speakers) by Bose 402 cabinets. Over a three-year

stretch, an additional 150 cabinets will be put in place,

covering the whole race circuit area..

face.be, www.shure.be

spa-francorchamps.be

Yves Quireyns (left) and Glenn Willems testing the system

Vintage race cars on circuit


P50JUNE

2016

Installation

The Denon Professional and Marantz Professional brands have spent a couple of years in the wilderness, it could be argued. Watch out, world: inMusic have big plans for the famous black boxes, writes Dave Robinson

(Play)back on track

B ack in the summer of 2008, US-based venture

capital company Bain Capital purchased

Japan-based D&M Holdings (which, by

that time, owned Calrec and Allen & Heath

alongside Denon and Marantz). D&M Holdings did business

in three primary categories: automobile after market audio,

consumer audio and professional audio. But Bain’s main

focus was the consumer division, and so After several

years of shrinking sales in the pro-audio segment, Bain

made the decision to sell the professional brands and

dedicate their focus on consumer audio. While Calrec and

A&H went to Electra, the professional Marantz and Denon

brands were purchased by Jack O’Donnell’s inMusic.

Paul Jenkins, vice president Denon Professional-Marantz

Professional, explains what happens now

What effect did the inMusic acquisition have?

Paul Jenkins: inMusic acquired Denon Professional and

Marantz Professional in 2014. These brands came to

inMusic with an existing stable of products, conceived,

designed and manufactured overseas. Those existing

product line-ups were not necessarily complete or market-

coherent. On the contrary, frankly, they were an incomplete

range, missing key units, and not having a clear market

position or direction. High-quality products when considered

[in their own right], but without clearly identified goals.

Obviously, to start with, inMusic has “played the hand it

was dealt”, so to speak. [However] as the inMusic ownership

of these brands has begun to take hold, we’re jumping on

conceiving and designing the next generation of products.

InMusic has extensive in-house marketing, engineering,

industrial design capabilities and these resources have

been brought to bear on performing competitive product/

market analysis, identifying product opportunities, designing

new products from both a performance and appearance

standpoint, and then working with first-rate, engineering-

supportive overseas contract manufacturers to get the new

models produced and delivered.

This is ongoing: the next year or two will see almost an

entire changeover from older product to brand-new ones.

What defines the difference between the Denon

and Marantz brands now?

Denon Professional (DP) offers a full line of AV playback/

recording/signal distribution equipment and speakers for

the commercial sound and installation market. Restaurants,

clubs, hotels, education…. Our professional installer base

also serves the higher end of the residential home theatre

and whole-house AV market, but our core market is the

commercial user. DP sells to the installer market, not to the

online or bricks-and-mortar consumer retailer market.

Marantz Professional (MP) is quite separate from DP.

MP will concentrate on the recording market, with a wide

range of product offerings such as all types of microphones

and recording accessories spanning the range from

consumer to professional. MP will also offer rack-mount

audio player/recorders, portable AC/battery-powered PA

speakers and a full range of self-powered recording studio

monitor speakers. MP supports any products needed by

the amateur-to-professional recording market, and it will

be sold through more traditional end-user retailers. DP is a

different, installer-to-commercial-user sales model.

Would you agree that DP and MP have been

somewhat neglected in recent times, and that the

profile of those brands has slipped?

Perhaps these brands have been a bit neglected, but

we’ve found that there is an incredible reservoir of brand

recognition, brand equity and acceptance/demand for

their products. InMusic is a private company and we don’t

publicise sales figures, but suffice to say that every new

product that inMusic has developed for these brands has

met with tremendous success. There are products where

we’ve sold entire production runs in the blink of an eye.

These goods represent a combination of build quality,

product performance, brand reputation/history and

‘clean sheet’ marketing/sales opportunity for both us

and our partners that is absolutely unmatched by any

other lines in the business.

[At inMusic] we look at DP and MP as once-in-a-

lifetime opportunities and we are extremely confident of

taking full advantage.

What are the key strategies or products we are

going to see from the brands?

Denon Professional will put a strong focus on – but

not limited to – professional install source and capture

products. CD, audio playback devices, SD and CD recorders.

Additionally we will enter the portable PA, ceiling speaker

and audio solutions segments.

Marantz Professional will primary focus on its true roots:

portable capture and broadcast products. We will also

branch off into studio products, security video capture and a

limited line of install source products.

What territories needed to be addressed first?

We are up to full speed in the North American market

with the addition last year of an experienced electronics

industry sales/marketing veteran whose sole focus and

responsibility is DP and MP. He leads a dedicated team

of in-house sales/marketing/engineering people and

directly oversees our in-field sales rep organisations. We

have also have just recently addressed the critical UK/

Benelux market with the hire of new key sales/marketing

personnel. Wide-open, target-rich markets just waiting to

be served by professional, attentive sales and marketing

efforts are now being served. We’re well past the low-

hanging fruit and we’re rapidly climbing the tree.

Where are the brands going to be in three years?

We fully expect DP and MP to have leadership positions

in their respective market slots, both from a raw

“numbers” standpoint and even more importantly, from

a visibility/”mind share” standpoint. There is tremendous

upside potential for both of these brands. We have the

sales/marketing teams in place, we have the design/

engineering resources mobilised and we have the

marketplace partners identified and active. Three years

from now, the industry will wonder what hit them.

www.d-mpro.com

Paul Jenkins: “The brands had no clearly identified goals”

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www.psneurope.com

P53JUNE

2016

This month, it’s mainly about odd-looking men doing odd things in odd places

Hither & raver

Please send all contributions for possible publication to [email protected]

Spotted at the Urban Village Fete last month at the Greenwich Peninsular:

this is the fabulous Mr Wilson’s Second Liners, who combine New Orleans-

style funeral jazz with Hacienda hits from the early ‘90s. Bonkers and brilliant!

Also at the Urban Village Fete was a d&b

system… and this dedicated old fella, getting

an early boogie in before his cocoa

As we have a feature on branding this month,

we thought we’d re-run this pic of Calrec’s

Ian Cookson at IBC2015, with the specially

branded AoIPA, ‘The Original Networking

Protocol’

And here’s something you don’t normally see.

Answers on a postcard…At a recent gig by

soul superstars

Bodkin Lane [Yes,

my band – Ed], there

was so little room

on the riser, instead

of using a boom

stand for the guitar

amp mic, it had to

be fastened to the

keyboard stand.

Good old gaffa tape!

www.psneurope.com

P54JUNE

2016

Backtalk

Fifteen years after the release of his debut album Here Be Monsters, Ed Harcourt is ready to release a new beast into the world. Mike Hillier discovers there are plenty more hiding under the bed...

Ed Harcourt

Ed Harcourt is a multi-instrumentalist and

songwriter, who in addition to his own

impressive back-catalogue has toured with

Marianne Faithfull and written and produced

music for other artists including Sophie Ellis-Bextor

and Paloma Faith.

With his seventh studio album, Furnaces, due out in

mid-August on Polydor, Harcourt is once more focused on

his own music.

How did the new album come about?

After I made Lustre (album of 2010), I did a lot of

touring. When that ended, I had a lot of time on my

hands. Lustre hadn’t done as well as I’d wanted it

to, and my son was about to be born so I felt the

pressure was on. I came back into the studio and

started writing.

But rather than sitting at the piano, or the guitar,

I got really lost in the computer, discovering and

experimenting with electronics and software production

techniques. I wrote three songs that way, before

questioning what I was doing. I came out of that and

ended up writing Back Into The Woods as a response to it.

Around 2012 I approached Flood and asked him

to produce my next record. I played him three songs

and he said, “These are really good, but where are

the others?”

We met up again, in a coff ee shop and I gave him

headphones like an eager little student. He already

had a vision. He’s like a Machiavellian master when it

comes to working with artists, he has a plan all along

but you don’t know it until you’ve made the record.

How much of the songs were complete when

you brought them to Flood?

All the songs gestated from me experimenting with

synths and software and bouncing it down as wave

fi les and then putting it through old pre-amps and

then coming in and playing over the top with live

instruments, merging the electronic with the organic.

Almost all of the album came from that.

Everything I did here in Logic I’d give to John Catlin,

who was working with Flood, and he’d bounce it

down and put it in Pro Tools. We spent the fi rst

half of 2015 in Flood’s little room, which he calls

‘The Ghetto’, spending a lot of time sync’ing up the

modular synths making beeps and bleeps and drum

machine sounds, and things that would be triggered

off my live drums.

You’ve also produced quite a few records

yourself. How do you fi nd working and

writing for others?

I’ve just done the new Sophie [Ellis-Bextor] record.

We did that in State of The Ark [in Richmond]. We did

the whole thing in 10 days and Cenzo [Townshend]

is mixing it again. It was quite a departure from the

record before and it was really weird for me, there’s

a couple of disco songs in there!

We did the Kathryn Williams album (Hypoxia)

here in [my studio] and then mixed it with Dave

Isumi Lynch down in Eastbourne. I know how the

room works here, and how to get the drum sounds

I want. Jim Sclavunos (Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,

Grinderman) taught me to put a mic in the top corner

to get a massive room sound. And there’s another

rule John Parish talked about where you put a mic

right down on the fl oor. It sounds huge.

A lot of production for me is just being a magpie.

I’m lucky enough to have worked with some of the

best, and I always sneak up on them, looking at what

they’re doing and being a sponge really.

Tell me about your studio?

When I fi rst moved in there was a wall in the middle,

which I’ve knocked down to make more space. A lot

of the gear I have is pretty old. I’m not the kind of

guy who can sit in a room with a keyboard and one

mic. I feel like my brain has exploded on the walls,

everything on these walls is what I’m into and what

I’m about; animals, weapons and skulls! I’m a bit

of a hoarder and collector. I love old dirty mics like

Grampians and Amperites.

Being a piano player I always have a ridiculous

amount of keyboards scattered around the place.

But of late I’ve got really into guitar pedals, so I’m

amassing a collection of those too.

What recording gear have you got?

Only in the last 3-4 years have I started collecting

proper analogue hardware for recording purposes.

So I have my lunchbox, which was the fi rst thing

I acquired. I use the Shadow Hills [Mono GAMA]

and the Neve [1073LB] for pretty much everything

when recording. Vocals come through the Neve, and

then the Anamod [AM660], which acts like a mini-

Fairchild. But I chop and change depending

on my mood. And everything goes through the

amazing Gear & Loathing SSL G-Buss clone [Mike

actually built this for Ed Harcourt – Ed].

I also use the console [a Trident Fleximix] on

piano and drums. I have been using it for mixing, but

it’s more of a sidecar for processing. I don’t like to

work totally in the box, so I need to use a mixture of

outboard and plug-ins.

No big, proper desk then?

I’d love to get a big proper desk, but I’m more of a

songwriter…

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PSNE June 2016 Digital