Nov | Dec 2011MICA (P) 045/09/2011 KDN: PPS 1663/08/2012 [022804]

Meyer Sound enriches Great Mountains Music Festi val

Synergy AVL lights up Merlion Park

Fine Art at the 26th Summer Universiade

www.barco.com

Curious?

SANDY LOVES THE CANDY

DEAN FELL FOR THE BEAM

JOSH LIKES THE WASH

WHATWILL YOUFALLFOR?

An Aura of creativity!

Personality! Never-before-seen, eye-candy aura effects take the synthetic look out of LED.

Zoom with boom! Wide zoom range for fantastic beam effects with great definition.

Wicked wash! Perfect colour mixing, exceptional colour range, warm or cold shades.

Eye candy, beam or wash, a new aura of creativity has arrived!

MAC AuraTM

www.martin.com.sg

ROAD-12A

ROAD-15A

www.dasaudio.com

Adv_LEDWash_series_210x285_ETECH.indd 1 20.9.2011 14:32:58

www.palmexpo.net

Recently, I had the opportunity to att end an audio, video and lighti ng exhibiti on held in China. As I walked through the halls of the exhibiti on centre, I noti ced that there were very few European companies parti cipati ng in the exhibiti on. Most notably, the top European lighti ng companies were not present.

Some industry insiders have suggested to me that the main reason why European companies were reluctant to exhibit their products in China was because some Chinese companies would make cheap copies of them. The infringing of intellectual property rights is one of the main problems faced by European audio and lighti ng companies in Asia. The problem has become so rampant that Robe Sales Director Harry von den Stemmen confi ded to me that some Chinese companies were even using Robe’s original brochures to market their copies of Robe’s products.

There are no quick soluti ons to this problem and the top European executi ves I have spoken to admit that their opti ons are limited. Robe CEO Josef Valchar has stated that Robe will take legal acti on against anyone who tries to copy Robe’s Robin Series or any of their new products. However, Soren Storm, Managing Director of Marti n Professional Singapore, does not think that legal acti on is the answer. He feels that innovati on is best way to deal with the problem. Another person who doesn’t think that legal acti on will work is Powersoft ’s Head of Global Sales, Luca Giorgi. “Normally, we try to talk directly to these companies to verify if they will stop doing it,” he said.

Exhibiti on companies are also making a concerted eff ort to tackle the problem. For instance, the organising committ ee of Palm Expo China took steps to discourage intellectual property infringements at this year’s show. A handbook on trademarks and patents was published and distributed to all visitors to create awareness about intellectual property protecti on. In additi on, all exhibitors were required to sign a contract to declare that they had understood the measures for protecti ng intellectual property rights during the show.

In spite of this, it seems that the only eff ecti ve way to deal with this problem is for end-users to stop buying products from companies who infringe on intellectual property rights. This may be a challenge because the copies made by these companies are usually sold cheaper than the originals. However, if end-users can be convinced that the long-term eff ects caused by intellectual property infringements are much worse that the short-term benefi ts derived from buying them, the industry may fi nally be able to come to grips with this highly controversial issue.

James BoseEditorjames@spinworkz.com

Publisher/Editorial Director Thomas Richard : thomas@spinworkz.com | Editor James Bose : james@spinworkz.com | Admin & Circulation Julie Tan : admin@spinworkz.com | Contributing Consultant Pushpa Veerappan | Freelance Correspondent Clarence Anthony, Audrey Anne Felix | Design & Productions By Jimmy Chin : jimmy@spinworkz.com | Printed By : Print & Print Pte Ltd

Published By SPINWORKZ PTE LTD51 Bukit Batok Crescent #06-10 Unity Centre Singapore 658077 | Tel: (65) 6316 2716 | Fax: (65) 63162715 | www.spinworkz.com

DisclaimerEntertainment Technology Asia is published 6 times a year. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine is to be reproduced, whether mechanical or electronic without the prior written consent of the publisher. Views expressed in this magazine do not necessarily refl ect those of the editor or the publisher. Unsolicited contributions are welcome but the editor reserves the discretion to use them. Whilst every care is taken to ensure the accuracy and honesty in both editorial and advertising content at press time, the publisher will not be liable for any inaccuracies.

CONTENTSNEWS10 Essenti al news from the industry

ENNOVATIONS34 A round-up of new products in the market

MANAGEMENT PERSPECTIVES42 Josef Valchar, General Manager, CEO, Robe lighti ng s.r.o

44 Fabiano Besio, Co-Founder, Luci Della Ribalta (LDR) srl

IN PROFILE46 Powersoft targets Asian Expansion

EXHIBITION REVIEW48 Prolight + Sound Shanghai 2011

52 PLASA 2011

INSTALL61 Phantom of the Opera returns with Digico

62 D.A.S. Audio at China’s Dongpo Theatre

63 Gallery “Splendid Central Plains” selects FBT

64 Arup chooses NEXO for SOTA

65 Renkus-Heinz at the Dubai Internati onal Swim Stadium

66 Marti n Lighti ng Mysti c at Kingdom of Dreams

67 Gold Coast Nightclub boasts 161 QSC CMX amplifi ers

68 Sydney’s Knox Grammar School picks K.M.E.

68 Allen & Heath selected for new Saudi Arabian university

69 IC Live delivers for two Qatar soccer stadiums

70 Custom ‘SPECKS’ for the ‘Pullman’ Dubai Mall of the Emirates

71 Synergy AVL lights up Merlion Park

72 Leading New Zealand school installs iLive

72 Modern Tannoy soluti ons for historic Indian theatre

LIVE73 Jands Vista M1 survives Immersion

74 ETC Element has its turn in the spotlight

75 Meyer Sound enriches Great Mountains Music Festi vals

76 MILOS for the Makkah Awards for Excellence

77 Showtec at the World Netball Championships

79 Marti n Audio’s MLA has a fi eld day

80 DTS lights up Studio Festi

80 Fine Art at the 26th Summer Universiade

VOL 12 ISSUE 6MICA [P] 045/09/2011KDN: PPS 1663/08/2012 [022804]

FIRST WORDS08 ntertainmenttechnology asia

NEWS10 ntertainmenttechnology asia

Broadcast Professional to increase Green Hippo distributi on

Green Hippo holds successful Asian Distributor Seminar

Singapore: John Paul Tan, Product Manager at Broadcast Professional Singapore, has worked with Hippoti zers for the past three years and having experienced the developments in the product over this ti me both Tan and his team are well versed with the hardware and soft ware.

Recently, Broadcast Professional and its sister company, Electronics & Engineering Pte Ltd, invested in an additi onal seven demonstrati on units for their three overseas offi ces. Their offi ces in Malaysia and Indonesia have each been furnished with a Hippoti zer HD, a HippoCritt er and a GrassHopper. The headquarters in Singapore already had a Hippoti zer HD and a HippoCritt er. A GrassHopper has now been added to complete their demo stock.

With this line up, Broadcast Professional is set to demonstrate and promote Hippoti zer media servers all over Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. They hope to cater for clients from all types of markets with varied needs in regards to functi onality and features. Plans are under way to focus on several markets including event companies, places of worship, fi xed installati ons within entertainment venues, places of interest as well as educati onal insti tuti ons. There are specifi c plans to train students in the three territories. Broadcast Professional will also off er training courses to their customers in their newly-equipped offi ces.

Tan comments, “This sounds like a tough nut to crack but with our new management and

team in place and with the value added to our product range by the Hippoti zer media servers, we have all the necessary resources to pull this rabbit out of the hat.” The most recent success was the sale of two GrassHopper units to Kumar Shan and Yeap Hong Gee who were also trained by Broadcast Professional and immediately went on to program and operate the Mercedes GP Petronas Formula 1 team party at the Malaysian Grand Prix earlier this year.

Green Hippo’s Samantha Bailey explained, “Broadcast Professional has been established since 1983 and has the backing of their sister company Electronics & Engineering which just celebrated its 60th anniversary. As such we feel they are strategically placed to grow the business and with the strong and enthusiasti c team they have, we are very confi dent in their ability to develop Hippoti zers in their region. The recent push on demo stock means they have showrooms and back-up units to provide fi rst line support in all regions for Hippoti zer customers. It’s a great move.”

www.green-hippo.comwww.broadcastpro.com.sgwww.enepl.com.sg

Samantha Bailey is very confi dent in Broadcast Professional’s ability to develop Hippoti zers in the region.

Internati onal: In August, Green Hippo held its fi rst Asian distributor seminar in the UK. The ti ming was chosen to conclude the company’s recent push to expand their dealer structure in Asia and was att ended by partners from China, Japan and Southeast Asia.

The four-day seminar gave everyone at Green Hippo and their Asian partners a chance to meet face-to-face. Green Hippo’s Marketi ng & Sales Director James R. Heron kicked-off the workshops with a general company overview and an update on recent developments.

Subsequently, everyone received a full day of HippoSchool training with Green Hippo’s head of training, Simon Harris, covering all the major features of the Hippoti zer media server range including the new LiveMask and UberPan components. Broadcast Professional’s Product Manager John Paul Tan commented, “The training workshop was awesome. It was concise and the trainers were very interacti ve.”

Days two and three were spent with Green Hippo’s specialist technical support team

introducing everyone to the server’s hardware components and main troubleshooti ng topics. Kupo Shanghai Co., Ltd’s Kane explained, “We have learned a lot through this training. It will help us to deal with problems and questi ons our clients may have.”

Green Hippo has seen a promising succession of recent sales with the newly extended distributor network. Furthermore, strong predicti ons for the future as well as new projects already in the pipeline provide an encouraging outlook for the coming months.Some evening entertainment was also organised and, in between dinner and drinks, Green Hippo’s visitors were treated

to London’s ‘We Will Rock You’ musical at the Dominion Theatre, which is successfully employing Hippoti zer media servers.

Green Hippo Sales Manager Samantha Bailey concluded, “It was great to have all our partners at the distributor event, not just for the technical training and new features but for the opportunity to strengthen relati ons and introduce them to the whole Green Hippo team. The event was a real success and will defi nitely be repeated across the whole distributi on network.

www.green-hippo.com

www.osram.com

NEWS12 ntertainmenttechnology asia

Clockaudio expands SEA Offi ces and appoints Regional Sales Manager

Full OCA Alliance membership for Yamaha

Singapore: Clockaudio has announced that it is expanding its Southeast Asia regional offi ce in Singapore aft er only a year of operati on. It has also announced the appointment of Jon Han to the newly created positi on of Regional Sales Manager Southeast Asia.

Clockaudio established a regional support offi ce in Singapore in July last year. The company’s regional expansion has necessitated a move to much larger premises

in the central east district of the city and an upgrading of the facility to full regional offi ce status.

The accelerati ng growth rate across the region has also resulted in the appointment of Han as Regional Sales Manager. Han joins Clockaudio from Audio-Technica SEA where he was Business Development Manager, Pro Audio Division. Prior to that he was Account Manager, Soluti on Sales at Spectrum Conferencing Pte Ltd, a key systems integrator and AV supplier in the region.

Commenti ng for Cloackaudio, Internati onal Sales and Marketi ng Manager Rod Geary stated, “South-East Asia is a rapidly expanding and a hugely important market for us, where our products and soluti ons are being specifi ed in numerous highly presti gious projects. The move to a full regional sales offi ce has been rapid and I am very happy to welcome Jon Han to the new regional sales positi on. He comes to us with extensive knowledge of the professional audio market, and in parti cular, experti se in integrated conferencing and professional AV soluti ons.”

www.clockaudio.com

Jon Han, newly appointed Clockaudio Regional Sales Manager SEA

Internati onal: The professional audio manufacturer Yamaha has become the ninth full member of the OCA Alliance.

The OCA Alliance was formed to ensure the standardisati on of the Open Control Architecture (OCA) for a wide interoperability of professional audio equipment. Since its formati on in June this year the members have been working towards a fi nal technical defi niti on of OCA.

As with all the other members, the Yamaha Corporati on was initi ally approached by Bosch, the initi ator of the OCA Alliance, to discuss how to overcome the challenge of interoperability in the professional audio market. ‘We are glad to join this alliance with which we were in close communicati ons from the very beginning’, Yamaha senior manager R & D Centre, London, Terry Holton said.

The Open Control Architecture is not meant to be a media transport technology or to replace evolving standards such as AVB. Instead, it is intended to complement these by providing a reliable and rich system control environment. It will be a fl exible and robust standard covering

the enti re range of future professional media equipment, ranging from the smallest to large-scale applicati ons.

The goal is to create an open public standard for professional media network systems. Phase one, completi on of technical documents and transfer of the results to an accredited public standards organisati on will be restricted to the full members of OCA. Other interested companies are welcome to join as observers and will be able to join as acti ve members in the second phase of the standardisati on process.

The members of the OCA Alliance are• Bosch Communicati ons Systems• d&b audiotechnik GmbH• Duran Audio• LOUD Technologies Inc• Media Technology Systems• PreSonus• Salzbrenner Stagetec Mediagroup• TC Group• Yamaha Corporati on

www.oca-alliance.com

Robert Juliat at Systems Integrati on Philippines 2011

Philippines: Robert Juliat Aledin LED fi xtures proved their value to television studios recently at Systems Integrati on Philippines 2011 (18 – 20 August).

Both the Aledin Profi le and the Aledin Wash were used to illuminate the set and presenter of a simulated television studio on the StageCraft Internati onal booth. It is the second ti me Robert Juliat followspots have been showcased on the StageCraft Internati onal booth, but the very fi rst ti me for the new Aledin LED range.

“We have received very positi ve response for the Aledin Profi le and Wash, parti cularly from the various broadcast companies,” said Robert Juliat’s Jamie Boey. “Most were very impressed with the showcase, especially with regard to the quality of light being captured on the JVC HD camcorder from Aledin’s 85W LED source. Aledin’s brightness, beam quality, consistency of colour temperature, together with the fl icker free operati on are crucial features for TV cameras. We would like to thank StageCraft Internati onal, together with Expandore Electronics Pte Ltd and JVC for making this showcase a success.”

www.robertjuliat.com

The TV Studio showcase at the StageCraft Internati onal booth

Aledin Profi le

HOUSE OF KWelcome to the

Enter a place of infi nite possibilities. In this house, over 40 years of amplifi er, loudspeaker and DSP experience born under a single roof run through the veins of every K Family product. Incredibly intelligent and versatile, all 10 models work together in countless ways to solve your most diffi cult audio challenges. And just like any good home, the House of K provides genuine comfort, delivering service you can depend on today, tomorrow and for years to come.

Whether for Rental Sound, Installed Sound or Portable P.A., the House of K is wherever you make it. Contact your QSC sales representative and build your own house today.

Ten ModelsInfi nite Possibilities

Three Lines

© 2011 QSC Audio Products, LLC. All rights reserved. QSC and the QSC logo are registered trademarks of QSC Audio Products, LLCin the U.S. Patent and Trademark Offi ce and other countries.

K Series

KLA Series

KW Series

qscaudio.com

NEWS14 ntertainmenttechnology asia

RTS and Telex launch new websitesInternati onal: Bosch Security Systems, Inc., Communicati ons Systems Division brands RTS and Telex announced the launch of their new websites on August 22, 2011.

The new www.rtsintercoms.com and www.telex.com websites will serve as interacti ve online hubs where customers can experience the latest products, news, and informati on from RTS (intercoms and accessories) and Telex (intercoms and accessories, aviati on headsets, radio dispatch equipment).

The RTS/Telex web development team carefully analysed feedback from users worldwide to design the new sites, which feature a clean and intuiti ve interface, streamlined navigati on, product comparison tables, enhanced support resources such as LiveChat (US only), Bosch knowledgebase access and a video gallery. Both sites also off er full social media functi onality.

www.rtsintercoms.comwww.telex.com

JM Rental initi ates ‘green’ HD digital backdrop

Hong Kong: JM Rental positi oned itself as a ‘green’ technology initi ator at a live corporate event called ‘ECO Wonderland’, held by ECOLS (ECO Life Style Shop) Hong Kong from 8-15 August 2011 at The One, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. JM Rental supported ECOLS during the event as the LED screen partner.

Apart from being one of the largest LED Screen rental companies worldwide, JM Rental is also committ ed to being a key player in the ‘green’ environmental campaign by promoti ng the use of the LED displays in events. The LED display, as a digital backdrop, consumes less energy compared to traditi onal non-LED backdrops.

‘ECO Wonderland’ featured music, fashion and lifestyle items to show visitors and eco-lovers how ECO concepts can be incorporated into everyday life. For the stage backdrop, JM Rental used a Lighthouse R4 Display at 4mm pitch. The display was 8.32 m wide by 4.8 m high (13 x 10 panels). It provided superb HD visual eff ects.

“We encourage the live-event industry to use LED displays as digital backdrops regardless of whether the installati on is temporary or permanent. The digital backdrop can off er infi nite opti ons for graphics with HD image quality. This will defi nitely be of great benefi t to the eco-system as well as the industry. By supporti ng ECOLS and being the LED screen partner of ‘ECO Wonderland’, JM Rental is demonstrati ng that it is committ ed to preserving the environment especially in our home town, Hong Kong,” commented Kenneth Yip, Operati ons Director of JM Rental.

www.joinmerit.comwww.ecols.com

Trio A.V. fi rst to purchase Marti n Professional MAC Aura in AsiaSingapore: Trio A.V. has become the fi rst rental and staging company in Asia to purchase the award-winning Marti n Professional MAC Aura, which was only recently launched at PLASA. Trio purchased 48 units of the MAC Aura to complement their existi ng Marti n lighti ng inventory of MAC 2000 Profi le, MAC 2000 Wash, MAC 700 Profi le, MAC 700 Wash, MAC 250 Wash and En-tour, MAC TW1 Wash and MAC 301 moving head fi xtures as well as Marti n lighti ng console.

Trio A.V. was happy to support Marti n’s move into the world of LED lighti ng fi xtures due to their long and successful relati onship with Marti n Singapore. Eng Meng, lighti ng engineer at Trio A.V comments, “We are boosti ng our already extensive moving light stock with Marti n’s latest technology. By adding quanti ti es of LED fi xtures to the hire inventory, we can meet the increasing requirements of designs that also include digital light sources as well as lighti ng.”

Eng Meng also highlighted some of the features that convinced Trio A.V. to invest on the MAC Aura. “The MAC Aura off ers wide or ti ght angling opti ons for a high intensity beam look. It also delivers amazing output in an ultra-compact package for a performance to size rati o that you don’t fi nd in other fi xture brands and the MAC Aura moves at a speed that was once only associated with moving mirrors. Furthermore, it is extremely quiet which is great for noise sensiti ve environments like conference events. The MAC Aura has super low power consumpti on (1 amp) and allows multi ple fi xtures to be daisy-chained on the same power line for an easier and faster set-up.

The MAC Aura is capable of producing new eye-candy eff ects and it functi ons as a highly capable single-lens wash with a broad

range of fully pre-mixed colours from two independent colour systems. Colour shades mix are completely uniform from vibrant saturated colours across beauti ful pastels to authenti c warm and cool shades of white.

The MAC Aura’s were immediately put to use for the ION Shopping Mall 2nd Anniversary event which added more glamour to the celebrati ons.

Trio A.V. has 20 years of experience in the industry and has one of the most complete warehouse faciliti es for lighti ng, sound and video products in Singapore. With the additi on of the new Marti n kit, Trio A.V. has the ability to supply a complete lighti ng visual package to any show, tour or event.

www.trioav.comwww.marti n.com

The MAC Aura

You’ve got the skills -

We’ve got the tools!The new coolux Pandoras Box Version 5 is setting a new standard in the area of creative media control. Discover the perfect software and hardware systems for your specifi c project needs.

www.coolux.com

NEWS16 ntertainmenttechnology asia

Jands’ portf olio grows with the additi on of Furman

Belden® announces new appointments

Australia: Jands recently announced their appointment as the exclusive Australian distributer for Furman.

Founded in 1974 and based in Petaluma, California, Furman manufacture a wide range of AC power conditi oning and distributi on products. With a focus on AC power technologies the company off ers professional grade multi stage protecti on, line fi ltering,

extreme voltage shutdown, true RS voltage regulati on and power factor correcti on products.

Jands CEO, Paul Mulholland, said, “I have long admired the innovati ve products developed by Furman and Jands is proud to be associated with the company. In recent years I have been made aware of our customers’ growing need and demand for mains protecti on and

Singapore: Belden Singapore Pte Ltd has announced two key appointments to drive growth in the main elements of marketi ng for the Infrastructure Business Group (IBG) - verti cal marketi ng, product marketi ng and outbound marketi ng.

Tan Chai-Koon (CK) is the new Vice President of Marketi ng for Asia Pacifi c in the IGB reporti ng to Steve Biegacki, Acti ng VP Sales & Marketi ng – IBG, Asia Pacifi c & Senior Vice President, Global Sales and Marketi ng. CK’s most notable experience includes Director of Asia Pacifi c Sales and Marketi ng with Johnson Controls Power Soluti ons, and various sales and marketi ng positi ons throughout Asia

with Hilti . CK has a Bachelor of Business Administrati on from the Nati onal University of Singapore and a Masters of Business Administrati on from Thunderbird School of Global Management.

Based in India and also reporti ng to Steve Biegacki is Puneet Mehrotra, VP Sales & Marketi ng overseeing both the industrial and enterprise businesses in India. With 20 years experience garnered within the industrial automati on and energy markets, Puneet hails from a strong background in channel, business development and sales management. He will be leading Belden’s growth in India. Prior to his present appointment with Belden India,

management products. It is well known that Australian power leaves a lot to be desired and professionals whose livelihoods depend on equipment conti nuing to work will be well served by the products off ered by Furman.”

www.jands.com.auwww.furmansound.com

Puneet spent over three years with Areva T & D as the VP/Commercial Director for Substati on Automati on Sales. Before that, Puneet spent 15 years with Rockwell Automati on, growing with them through several positi ons, the last being Regional Marketi ng Manager, Sensing, Safety & Connecti on Business.

CK and Puneet are on the leadership team along with Xiangdong Tao, Vice President Sales and Marketi ng, China and Keith Mauck, Vice President Sales and Marketi ng, APAC.

www.beldenapac.com

AV Staging purchases OHM equipmentMalysia: AV Staging Sdn Bhd, a Malaysian company with over a decade of experience in the AV industry, has become the fi rst rental and staging company in Malaysia to purchase a shipment of OHM sound equipment.

AV Staging specialises in the rental of audio, video and lighti ng equipment as well as staging design and producti on services. They also have extensive experience in providing systems designs, integrati on, installati on and support. They are familiar with all kinds of systems designs, from very basic designs to highly sophisti cated AV systems. AV Staging have also received ISO 9001:2008 and OHSAS 18001:2007 certi fi cati on.

AV Staging att ributes its success to the quality of the equipment they provide for rental as well as the excepti onal level of service that they off er. It is for this reason that they had decided to purchase the sound equipment from OHM which includes 8 units of OHM Ersa Line Array speakers and four units of OHM PUKK 218 subwoofers. In additi on, AV staging also purchased one XTA 448 Digital Signal Processor and two Lab.gruppen FP-1000Q amplifi ers.

The equipment has already been successfully used in two separate events, namely, the Amway Konvensyen Keusahawan 2011 at Sunway Carnival Conventi on Centre, Penang on 16 July 2011 and the SAP World Tour 2011 at the Kuala Lumpur Conventi on Centre on 3 August 2011.

www.avstaging.com.mywww.ohm.co.uk

The Amway Konvensyen Keusahawan 2011

NEWSntertainmenttechnology asia 17

SLV EXPO returns for 2012

The Amway Konvensyen Keusahawan 2011

Singapore: Aft er a short hiatus from the industry, UnUsUaL Exhibiti on Services Pte Ltd is back in acti on. The UnUsUaL team has been working relentlessly in the background to prepare for the 3rd Sound Light Visual (SLV) Expo. The exhibiti on is scheduled to take place at the Singapore Expo from 20-22 June 2012.

The SLV Expo might be new to the industry but is no stranger to the enti re market. Feedback gathered from the past two shows were positi ve and encouraging. “It is evident that the quality (of the expo) is of paramount importance over quanti ty”, said Johnny Ong, Director of UnUsUaL Group of Companies.

For the fi rst ti me, the SLV Expo will be working with the Guangzhou Entertainment Technology Show (GET Show). GET Show is a comprehensive pro-light and sound exhibiti on hosted by the Industry Associati on of South China Entertainment Equipment (SECC) and China Internati onal Council for the Promoti on of Internati onal Trade (CCPIT).

The objecti ves of the SLV Expo have remained unchanged over the years. The SLV Expo will host workshops, seminars and conferences. Visitors and exhibitors will also have the opportunity to network while companies can grow their businesses. The SLV Expo will also provide the perfect platf orm for exhibitors to showcase their latest products, soluti ons and technologies.

Among the highlights of the SLV Expo are the usual Speaker Shootout, featuring live speaker demonstrati ons and PRO-Shop @

Sound Light Visual Expo

SLV where visitors can fi nd professional equipment at discounted prices. “We are determined to bring something UnUsUaL to you,” said Ong. Visitors can also expect to see a new line-array system and LED video-wall, which will be launched for the fi rst ti me in South East Asia. Another highlight of the show will be the latest laser technology and scaff old structure from Germany.

www.slvexpo.comwww.unusual.com.sg

NEWS18 ntertainmenttechnology asia

Marti n Audio MLA brings next generati on sound to Asia

China and Japan: Marti n Audio’s new Multi -cellular Loudspeaker Array (MLA) has enjoyed instant success in the Far East — thanks to two large orders placed by newly-appointed distributors. Both Beijing Pacifi c Budee Technology and Audio Brains, part of MSI Japan Holdings, were welcomed into the Marti n Audio family at the recent Prolight+Sound exhibiti on in Frankfurt.

Their response has been immediate, with Budee ordering a 36-enclosure MLA/MLX system to fulfi l an order from Hong Kong rental company, Max Producti on Ltd. The system was immediately pressed into service at Hong Kong’s AsiaWorld-Expo for the Japanese singer-songwriter, YUI, who was playing her fi rst overseas live concert in front of 14,000 fans in the AsiaWorld-Arena.

MSI, Marti n Audio’s distributor in Japan, was the contractor for this event, and Max Producti on Ltd was the audio equipment supplier for the venue. “This collaborati on proved to be a great success, and the coverage provided by the MLA system was excellent,” reports Budee’s deputy general manager, Mingsong Cao.

Meanwhile, Audio Brains’ 30-enclosure rig has enabled sister company MSI Japan — the second largest rental company in the country — to debut it at the major Rock In Japan festi val (equivalent in size to Glastonbury) in early August.

The Japanese company fi rst became aware of MLA aft er seeing it promoted and publicised in the territory by Patrick Lau, Marti n Audio’s Internati onal Sales Manager, Asia. “The company’s president fl ew to the UK to see

it performing on War Of The Worlds, and MSI now believe they are looking at the next generati on sound system for the pro audio industry,” he said.

Audio Brains’ Fujii Shuzo agreed. “We chose Rock In Japan for MSI to debut the system as we knew it would be a good opportunity to expose MLA to the many Japanese sound

engineers and rental companies that were present. With so many potenti al customers for this system it was certainly worth making this level of investment for our demo stock.”

MSI fi elded the MLA rig on the second largest stage — the most challenging one, since it is circular in shape. Marti n Audio’s Martyn ‘Ferrit’ Rowe set-up and tuned the system using the company’s display soft ware. The rig itself was fl own (9 x MLA and 1 x MLD per side) plus 6 x W8LM for the front fi lls, while 10 x MLX subwoofers covered the enti re area. Each day saw eight sessions and diff erent groups performing — each with their own sound engineer — and all expressed their delight with the MLA system.

Fujii Shuzo also took the opportunity to introduce the new platf orm to his own technicians. Meanwhile, Budee have also been promoti ng MLA heavily into the Chinese market, having staged two well-att ended seminars — one in Beijing and one in Shanghai.

www.audiobrains.comwww.marti n-audio.comwww.loudtechinc.com

Martyn ‘Ferrit’ Rowe, Marti n Audio’s technical training manager, with the Audio Brains team.

The MLA system makes its Japanese debut at Rock In Japan

JACK - UNLIMITED APPLICATIONSThe moving head that didn’t exist is coming

“One head, any application”Concerts, special events, fashion displays, corporate events, television studios, theatres, shopping malls, libraries, museums,

exhibitions, clubs, buildings, monuments, houses of worship, resorts, theme parks, sport facilities.

JACKHIGH-POWERCOMPACTMOVING HEAD

Head Office: D.T.S. Illuminazione srlVia Fagnano Selve, 10-12-14 - 47843Misano Adriatico (RN) Italy - Tel. +39 0541611131Fax +39 0541 611111 – info@dts-lighting.it

In Hong Kong: D.T.S. Illuminazione Asia LimitedFlat 5, 8/F, Harbour Industrial Centre,10 Lee Hing Street, Ap Lei Chau, Hong Kong.Tel. +852 3113 4101 - Fax. +852 3113 4103 - info@dts-lighting.hk

In Singapore:D.T.S. Lighting Singapore Pte Ltd - 182 Gul Circle Singapore 629630Tel:+65 68633400 - Fax:+65 68632280www.dtslighting.com www.dts-lighting.it

ECO-FRIENDLYONLY 230W

CONSUMPTION

VERSATILESHARP IMAGES

EYE-CATCHING EFX

3 FIXTURES IN 1('BEAM'+'SPOT'+'WASH')BEAM OPENING: 1° - 46°

SUPER-LIGHTQUICK AND EASY

TO INSTALL

ULTRA-BRIGHTMASSIVE LUMINOSITYUNIFORM COVERAGE

35,000 Lux

NEWS20 ntertainmenttechnology asia

ASTRO acquires 32 channels of Sennheiser wireless microphone systems

Malaysia: Malaysia’s leading cross-media group, ASTRO, recently acquired 32 channels of Sennheiser 2000 series wireless microphone systems from Sennheiser Electronic Asia Pte Ltd (“Sennheiser Asia”).

Astro is Malaysia’s leading integrated cross-media group with operati ons in 4 key businesses. They include pay TV, radio, content and digital. Launched in 1996, Astro currently has a 50% penetrati on of TV homes in Malaysia or 3 million customers, making it a key pay TV operator in Southeast Asia broadcasti ng over 152 channels, of which 15 are in HD.

Two racks of 8 units of the EM2050 dual channel receivers, together with 32 beige MKE 1-4-3 clip-on microphones and SK 2000 bodypack transmitt ers, and 2 AD 3700 directi onal antennas will be used on the set of the Malaysian editi on of the popular cooking reality TV series, MasterChef. Due to its small, hidden quality, the MKE 1-4-3 clip-on microphone proved to be the perfect applicati on for the recording.

The integrated Wireless System Manager (WSM) soft ware will also be used in the studio set for monitoring and remotely controlling the wireless system. As the change of recording sites is part of the fi lming process, functi ons such as the RF spectrum analyser and the RF level recorder in the WSM soft ware will show the size of available slots in the frequency spectrum at each fi lming locati on and monitor the fi eld strength of all radio signals present, demonstrati ng reliable transmission and interference-free sound.

Operati on Head of Sound for ASTRO’s Technical Operati ons, Ramesh Sathasivam Pillay, pointed out that Sennheiser equipment was chosen for their reliability and excellent aft er-sales service. “I am very impressed that we received a proposal with opti ons and technical soluti ons for this project applicati on three days aft er our fi rst meeti ng. Sennheiser Asia, through its local distributor, Tegas Broadcast & Multi media, has provided us with a fast turnaround on the product delivery and has been supporti ng us with experienced technical personnel to guide and advise our engineers during the set up. We hope to conti nue this good working relati onship with the Sennheiser team on a long- term basis,” he said.

www.sennheiserasia.com

(L-R) Benji Cheah, Sennheiser Product Specialist at Tegas Broadcast & Multi media, Faz Salleh, Senior Consultant at Sennheiser Asia, Ramesh Sathasivam Pillay, Operati on Head of Sound at ASTRO, and Mansor Lamit, Assistant Sales Manager at Sennheiser Asia

DISCOVER OUR NEWLOW PRICESDiscover our new i-Line range

i-Line products

i-Line facts

Prolyte Asia Pacific Sdn. Bhd Prolyte Doughty Japan Inc.

WWW.PROLYTE-ASIA.COM

NEWS22 ntertainmenttechnology asia

TC Group announce structural changesInternati onal: Tannoy, Lab.gruppen, Lake and White Acousti cs have announced the following important changes to the organisati onal structure within Marketi ng and Product Management across the brands, as well as the formati on of a new department for applicati on assistance and educati on for all brands.

Michael Munch has been appointed to the role of VP of Product Management across the installati on, touring and residenti al market verti cals. Michael joined TC Electronic in 2004, before moving to Lab.gruppen in 2006 where he enjoyed great success as Head of Product Management at Lab.gruppen and Lake. This new role will allow Michael to bring the power of Tannoy, Lab.gruppen and Lake’s resources together to form an even stronger team, with overall product management responsibility of the Tannoy, Lab.gruppen, Lake and White Acousti cs brands.

Tim Chapman has been appointed VP of Marketi ng across all the installati on and touring brands, covering the management of all marketi ng functi ons and personnel based in Coatbridge for the Tannoy, Lab.gruppen, Lake and White Acousti cs brands. With a long career in audio including marketi ng roles at Meyer Sound, Crest Audio, Turbosound and a consultancy for EAW, Tim joined the TC Group fi ve years ago as Head of Marketi ng for Lab.gruppen and (latt erly) Lake.

As part of the group’s conti nuing eff orts to increase overall support to customers, a brand new department has been formed to provide customer-facing technical and applicati ons assistance in the installati on and touring markets. This new Applicati on, Engineering & Training (AET) group

will cover issues such as design advice, consultant liaison, on-site commissioning, product training, general educati on programs, customer outreach, trade show presentati ons, webinars and seminars, to name but a few. Having spent the best part of twenty years with the company, Tannoy’s Graham Hendry will now head up the AET group, working across the Tannoy, Lab.gruppen, Lake and White Acousti cs brands.On the Sales side, TC Group has appointed Carsten Ishøy as VP of Sales for Installed Sound.

Carsten joined the company as VP of Sales in the HD market in January 2011, but his unprecedented success in that role has meant this new opportunity will allow the Group to opti mise sales channels as well as taking important and necessary initi ati ves towards strengthening and solidifying visibility and positi on in the install market.

“We are delighted to announce these new appointments across the board,” said Andrzej Sosna, Managing Director at Tannoy (and also in overall charge of the new VPs of Marketi ng, Product Management and the AET group). “The collecti ve experience of the individuals will greatly enhance the capability, both internally and externally, of the Tannoy, Lab.gruppen, Lake and White Acousti c brands. Bringing the brands together like this will also allow us to uti lise the experti se we have across the departments, providing us with a wider knowledge base and synchronised approach to both the touring and install markets.”

www.tannoy.comwww.labgruppen.comwww.lakeprocessing.comwww.whiteacousti cs.com

(L-R) Graham Hendry, Michael Munch and Tim Chapman

Antwerp, Belgium

Platinum - The power to light your creativity.

If Platinum has the power to light a concert stage for a major artist,

could this compact system also turn a street performer into a pop star?

www.philips.com/lighting/entertainment

NEWSntertainmenttechnology asia 23

Singapore: Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay, Singapore, has expanded its existi ng stock of Robert Juliat lighti ng equipment by taking delivery of a further consignment of Robert Juliat Zoom Profi le Lanterns, this ti me targeted at their 2,000-seat Lyric Theatre.

Comprising twenty-six RJ 611SX, sixteen RJ 614SX, eight RJ 711SX2 and eight RJ 714SX2 Profi les, the total of 58 units were supplied to Esplanade by local Robert Juliat distributor, Total Soluti on Marketi ng Pte Ltd.

Esplanade’s Technical Manager for Lighti ng, Milton Arnold, said, “Robert Juliat was already in place at the Esplanade when it opened in 2002. We have been happy to explore Robert Juliat soluti ons when we make changes to our equipment line. Of course, each project involves a testi ng and comparison procedure. This ti me our target

was the Theatre’s FOH lighti ng positi ons. We did considerable testi ng to fi nally arrive at the conclusion that the Robert Juliat profi les worked best for our applicati ons.”

Total Soluti on Managing Director, Glenn Wong, added, “Robert Juliat is renowned for being the pioneer in the theatre lighti ng industry and I am delighted Esplanade has chosen RJ because of its superior opti cal system that provides uniform light output and bett er intensity. They are also extremely user-friendly and easy to maintain.”

Esplanade is not the only high profi le venue to choose Robert Juliat. Earlier this year, the newly-opened Sands Theatre in Singapore’s spectacular Marina Bay Sands Resort took seven Cyrano followspots into their inventory.

www.robertjuliat.fr

Robert Juliat for Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay

(L-R) George Panait, Assistant Technical Manager for Lighti ng, and Milton Arnold, Technical Manager for Lighti ng take delivery of the Robert Juliat Zoom Profi le Lanterns

NEWS24 ntertainmenttechnology asia

Clay Paky announces winner of Sharpy PLASA competi ti on

Bosch holds ulti mate Electro-Voice sound experience

Chauvet adopts new Arkaos Kling-Net protocol

Internati onal: A lighti ng designer and programmer from Tel Aviv, Israel, has been named the winner of Clay Paky’s Win-a-Sharpy competi ti on at the recent PLASA show in London. Alan Cohen, 41, said it was a ‘huge surprise’ to hear his name called out over the public address system at the Earls Court exhibiti on.

“I was so happy, I couldn’t believe it. I thought someone was having a laugh,” he said. Cohen was one of almost 2000 PLASA att endees to try their luck at winning a Sharpy by playing a pair of specially customised slot machines at the Clay Paky stand.

The vintage machines had been carefully restored by Clay Paky President Pasquale Quadri, a long-ti me collector and slot machine enthusiast.

Cohen was at PLASA in his new role as product manager for lighti ng console maker Compulite Systems. “It was almost not to be,” said Cohen. “I’ve only been with the company a couple of weeks, and only decided to come to PLASA at the last minute.”

Cohen was given the choice of taking the Clay Paky spotlight home or swapping it for cash. “I must admit I took the money. I would have loved to have been able to take the Sharpy home with me, but the money will also come in useful.”

The competi ti on was in support of Clay Paky’s most popular new product, the Sharpy, which has experienced a phenomenal success, winning favorable reviews as well as a string of awards. Since its launch earlier in the year, the Sharpy has seen acti on on dozens of TV shows and toured with internati onal arti sts such as Paul McCartney, Take That, Usher, Bruno Mars, Beyoncé, The Foo Fighters and Ricky Marti n.

www.claypaky.it

Alan Cohen (left ) with Pio Nahum

Internati onal: ArKaos has announced that the revoluti onary ArKaos Kling-Net protocol has been adopted into two new LED lighti ng fi xtures from Chauvet, following its successful launch at PLASA 2011.

Released during LDI 2011, the pixel-based fi xtures were the fi rst in Chauvet’s burgeoning new Epix range, which are to be operated exclusively by Kling-Net.

“We are very excited by Kling-Net as the protocol is both aff ordable and easy for the average person to use,” said Chauvet President, Albert Chauvet. “We strive to work

with partners who share our vision, which is providing quality products at good value. We believe ArKaos’s Kling-Net will do so across all our markets.”

The move from Chauvet follows hot on the heels of Highlight Internati onal BV of Netherlands which recently incorporated Kling-Net into its new Pixelstrip P25 and Pixelbatt en P25 fi xtures, both of which were released at PLASA.

www.kling-net.comwww.chauvetlighti ng.com

Malaysia: Sime Darby Conventi on Centre came alive with sound on 30 September 2011, as Bosch expanded its Electro-Voice (EV) series of premium level products with the introducti on of the RE320 and R300 microphones and Live X Speakers.

A stellar line-up of performers consisti ng of Chelsia Ng, Katoon Network, Marti n Ngim and his band - The Red Quartet, DJ Irwan and Mr. C spiced up the stage as their rhythm and beats pulsated through the EV sound system.

High quality microphones and loud speakers are essenti al to any arti st’s stage set-up and the latest additi ons to EV’s portf olio were just what was needed! The RE320 microphone’s Dual Personality and greater high frequency detail make it versati le for use both in the studio and on stage. The R300 is a state-of-the-art wireless microphone worthy of a world tour performance, off ered at an unprecedented price. The stunning Live X speakers are lightweight and durable, setti ng new standards for portable sound. Like their predecessors from the EV series, they provide entertainers with excepti onal audio quality and professional grade performance.

“We wanted to showcase these top-of-the-range sound systems in a practi cal manner. There’s no bett er way to exemplify these products than through some of the very people who regularly use them. The Electro-Voice range is exactly what arti sts should be uti lising to maximise every performance, with sonic detail that will leave a glowing lasti ng impression,” stated Mr Randy Tee, General Manager, Security Systems of Robert Bosch Sdn Bhd.

www.bosch.com

NEWS26 ntertainmenttechnology asia

W-DMX™ installed in new i-Pix Satellite IISweden: Wireless Soluti on Sweden AB has added yet another excepti onal company to its growing list of OEM partners. W-DMX™ technology is now available in the new i-Pix Satellite II, an LED brick light based on the original best-selling Satellite fi xture, now with three ti mes the output.

Ideal for stage and theatrical applicati ons where space is a premium, the handy-sized Satellite can be easily concealed in a wide variety of small spaces in stage sets, under risers, in trussing, etc. With the additi on of W-DMX, this unit solves a myriad of challenges involving complex cabling and diffi cult locati ons.

i-Pix also off ers a satellite batt ery pack which transforms the new unit into a freestanding, focusable

RGBW device with stand alone or wireless DMX playback. It is designed to run for a minimum of 9 hours with three of the four

DIS Interpretati on systems make headway at events

Philippines: On 21 May 2011 at Ynares Center in Anti polo City, Philippines, Master Ryuho Okawa gave a lecture ti tled, “Love and Spiritual Power.“

This is the fi rst ti me Master Ryuho Okawa, the Japanese world teacher of Spiritual Truth and the founder of Happy Science, a global movement made to bring happiness to people all over the world, had gone to the Philippines to share his teachings on love and happiness. The event was in the English language with Tagalog live translati on. One thousand sets of DIS CIE 9000 Interpretati on Systems (delegate headphones and wireless infrared receivers) were used by the att endees.

On 6 June 2011, the China Council for the Promoti on of Internati onal Trade (CCPIT-Guangzhou) and Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) held the “Manila-Guangzhou Trade & Investment Conference & Cantonese Product Promoti on In Asean” event at the Sofi tel Philippine Plaza Manila. The event aimed to further boost the Philippine-China trade and investment relati ons and was att ended by about 500 business leaders, industry captains and government offi cials from both countries. Part of the acti viti es of the conference was a product promoti on through a virtual trade fair featuring the top products of China for export, business matching acti viti es and offi ce and factory visits. Two hundred and twenty sets of DIS CIE 9000 Interpretati on Systems (delegate headphones and wireless infrared receivers) were used by parti cipants in this conference.

www.dis.cc

channels on full intensity.

Chris Ewington, MD of i-PIX said, “With busy hire shops setti ng up numerous lights in and around venues, it can be quite a task with hardwired DMX. Introducing wireless DMX built into the new improved Satellite Mk II marks a sea change in ease-of-use. Not only is data fl ow maintained, the fi xture is further enhanced by being the fi rst in its class to off er both on-grid and off -grid batt ery power. Whatever the power source, DMX data fl ows are easily dealt with thanks to Wireless Soluti on. Stable, dependable and aff ordable, so much so that it’s part of our standard product off ering. We look forward to pushing this idea forward into other fi xtures within our range.”

Niclas Arvidsson, CEO of Wireless Soluti on said, “i-Pix is an incredibly innovati ve company and the Satellite II is a perfect example of how well they know their market and design products that fi ll a niche. We’re very happy to have them as an OEM partner.”

www.wirelessdmx.comwww.i-pix.uk.com

Satellite Mark II

SCTTECHNOLOGY

NEWSntertainmenttechnology asia 27

Grand Hyatt Hong Kong introduces fi rst HD digital backdropHong Kong: The world renowned Grand Hyatt Hong Kong hotel recently introduced the fi rst high defi niti on digital backdrop. The backdrop, also known as “Multi -Purpose Full HD LED Electronics Display” has been permanently installed in the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong’s Grand Ballroom.

Grand Hyatt Hong Kong is a reputable internati onal hotel. Also known as the “Event Hotel of Hong Kong”, Grand Hyatt Hong Kong is popular among internati onal business and leisure travelers. The hotel features 25 highly fl exible event venues. TG Events has been chosen by Grand Hyatt Hong Kong as its offi cial contractor to sell and manage the Ballroom Digital backdrop. TG Events is a very experienced company in the Hong Kong event management industry. It has been involved in projects such as the Tiff any Beijing Shop Opening, Tag Heuer 150th Anniversary Exhibiti on (Hong Kong), Carti er Hong Kong Shop Grand Opening, CSL one2free Online Shop Launch Ceremony, Hong Kong Fashion Week 2011 and much more. TG Events specialises in creati ng new audio-visual experiences tailored for each event.

Earlier this year, TG Events proposed to Grand Hyatt Hong Kong the concept of the fi rst 5-star venue with a ‘Multi -Purpose Full HD Digital Backdrop Soluti on’. The proposal explained how digital backdrops provide smart soluti ons for everyone. The digital backdrop’s capability of performing infi nite media inputs help to provide more opti ons and ti me for the clients. Lastly, it reduces the use of natural resources which supports the environment.

The proposed plan has led to the set-up of the world’s very fi rst HD digital backdrop installed in a 5-star hotel. The backdrop has been permanently located in the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong’s Ballroom main stage. The High-Defi niti on Digital Backdrop is made up of Lighthouse Technology R4 LED Display panels in the size of 8.32 m x 3.84 m with the pixel resoluti on of 1872 x 864. Lighthouse R4 panels were selected because of their fi ne characteristi cs and superb design. They are excellent for indoor display applicati ons that require close viewing and noise control.

“We are delighted to be Grand Hyatt Hong Kong’s Offi cial Contractor for the grand ballroom’s Digital Backdrop” said Fion Fan of TG Events. “Setti ng up the backdrop has been a magnifi cent

achievement in the venue management industry and creates a brand new green directi on in the set-working design industry. At the moment we are also expanding our services to the venue management industry as well.”

www.tg-events.com www.hongkong.grand.hyatt .com

NEWS28 ntertainmenttechnology asia

High End Systems announces trade-in program for Trackspot Bolt

Lab.gruppen announce award-winning distributors

Marti n Professional holds product training session

Internati onal: High End Systems has announced an exciti ng new trade-in program. Eff ecti ve immediately and running through the end of the year, customers can trade-in functi oning original Trackspot fi xtures for a credit towards the purchase of new Trackspot Bolt fi xtures.

The Trackspot Bolt is an updated version of the classic Trackspot from High End Systems. Improving on the success of the original which sold over 46,000 units, the Trackspot Bolt is based on an LED engine producing over 3000 lumens of output. With modern features such as rotati ng gobos, remote focus, anamorphic gobos and a wedged colour wheel, Trackspot Bolt sets a new industry standard for functi onality in a moving mirror fi xture.

The very nature of the powerful LED source provides many important enhancements

above non-LED fi xtures. With no loss of output over years of use, reduced power consumpti on and less heat dissipati on, Trackspot Bolt is the perfect choice for long lasti ng effi ciency.

“The LED engine and feature set in Trackspot Bolt allows clubs and small stages access to state-of-the-art lighti ng,” said Brad Schiller, High End Systems Product Manager. “The original Trackspot was extremely popular and most are sti ll in operati on today. This trade-in program allows customers to update their inventory with modern LED technology and stunning new eff ects.”

www.highend.com/TrackspotBolt/

Internati onal: Marti n Professional recently held an installati on products training seminar for lighti ng designers at its headquarters in Aarhus, Denmark - the fi rst of several planned over the coming year.

Marti n Product Manager for Fixed Installati ons, Jonathan Meineke, headed the training with parti cipati on from members of Marti n’s R&D and Design & Applicati on Departments. The training included an up-close look at a live lighti ng installati on on the exterior of Marti n’s headquarters building,

along with hands-on training in the Marti n demo room. Discussions covered general lighti ng topics such as the appropriate use of LED, fl uorescent and discharge light sources in diff erent applicati ons, and in-depth case stories like the award-winning Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi.

The training gave lighti ng designers the opportunity to get hands-on with several Marti n installati on products, including the award-winning Exterior 400 Range™, the newly launched Exterior 100 IP68™ and Exterior 50 IP68™ luminaires, and the upcoming Exterior 400 Image Projector™.

For more informati on, please contact Marti n Product Manager Jonathan Meineke at Jonathan.Meineke@marti n.dk, +45 4080 5741.

www.marti n.com

Internati onal: Swedish pro-audio pioneers Lab.gruppen have announced the recipients of their Distributor of the Year Awards 2011.

These awards recognise the outstanding eff orts and successes of distributi on companies in their respecti ve regional markets, many of whom have helped build the Lab.gruppen brand and drive business to unprecedented levels over the past 12 months.

Miguel Hadelich, Lab.gruppen’s VP of Internati onal Sales for Touring Products, said, “As Lab.gruppen is a world-renowned and very successful brand with market-leading product lines being used across the globe, it is our pleasure to reward those outstanding individuals and companies that have helped get us to that positi on in their respecti ve regions. We are delighted to be represented by Hills SVL in Australia and Rivera Internati onal in India and would like to take this opportunity to thank all of their staff who have worked ti relessly to provide the very best service to their customer base, and also help educate them about the many benefi ts that Lab.gruppen products can bring to their inventory.”

www.tannoy.comwww.labgruppen.comwww.lakeprocessing.comwww.whiteacousti cs.com

Distributor of the Year 2011 – Far East Rivera Internati onal, India

Distributor of the Year 2011 – Pacifi c Rim Hills SVL, Australia

rental_2011print ad_FINAL_285x210.ai 1 14/10/2011 10:32 AM

NEWS30 ntertainmenttechnology asia

Glorious Singapore invests in Clair Brothers equipment

Singapore: Glorious (S) Pte Ltd, part of the Glorious Group of Companies headquartered in Hong Kong, have become the latest member of the Clair Brothers family with their recent purchase of a 40 foot container of Clair Brothers Audio System (CBAS) speakers and amplifi ers reportedly worth close to S$1 million.

Established in 1992, Glorious Singapore started as a pure pyrotechnics company. Over the next 19 years, they have expanded their services to become one of the largest special eff ects companies in Singapore with an inventory of products ranging from fi reworks and laser to water screens and other high tech equipment. They have been involved in projects like the Singapore Nati onal Day Parade 2007, the Singapore Flyer Offi cial Opening in 2008 and the Announcement of the Youth Olympic Games in 2010. They also cover other acti viti es such as corporate events, social functi ons and product launches.

Two years ago, Glorious Singapore decided to add light, sound and and video services to their repertoire. They intended to become the fi rst company in Singapore to off er a full range of services and a one-stop soluti on for companies or corporati ons looking to hold events of any scale.

“Our goal was to be the fi rst company in Singapore to turn-key any kind of project,” said Adam Tan, Managing Director of Glorious Singapore. “There are a lot of sound and lighti ng companies in Singapore but they do not have pyrotechnics licenses. Conversely, there are pyrotechnics companies in Singapore but they don’t own sound, light and video equipment. I think going in this directi on will help us to create a niche and provide our clients with cost savings as well.”

Adam thinks that this strategy has been working well for Glorious Singapore for the last two years and they have clients who have benefi ted from it. This was the reason why Glorious Singapore wanted to invest in top quality sound equipment. “If you look at our

strategy, we want to provide the best sound services in the market,” he said. “This was the reason why we decided to invest in Clair Brothers equipment. We want to capitalise on their technical experti se, excellent sound quality and solid reputati on.”

Glorious Singapore’s decision to invest in Clair Brothers equipment was done in a careful and systemati c manner. “From the beginning we wanted to invest in a system that was established, reliable, award-winning and recognised by industry experts for its excepti onal sound. One of my clients menti oned that Clair Brothers was the ‘Rolls Royce’ of sound and that gave me the urge to want to own the brand,” said Adam.

However, Adam is also a practi cal person and he knew he needed to test the system before he made his decision as a lot of money was involved. Fortunately, Resorts World Sentosa was conducti ng a comparison test with the system and Clair Brothers’ Singapore distributor, Quad Professional, invited Adam to the test. When Adam heard the system for the fi rst ti me, he was very impressed. “The Clair Brothers system clearly had the best sound,” he said. Adam also did some research on the Clair Brothers system and found that it had won numerous awards. There were other factors that Adam had to consider before making his decision. The system had to be mobile, easy to set-up and easy to maintain. Only the Clair Brothers system could fulfi ll all these requirements.

Since the Clair Brothers system was delivered

to Glorious Singapore, it has been used in three separate events. The fi rst event, a show for the Nati onal University of Singapore (NUS), took place only two days aft er the system was delivered. Although Adam’s team had no ti me to test the system, it worked perfectly straight away and the client was so impressed that they are talking to Glorious Singapore about doing another event.

The second event where the system was used was the high profi le Avalon At Large Mega Music Event at Marina Bay Sands Expo and Conventi on Centre on 23-24 September. The technical director for the event, Billy Magendran of Snipe Media, was very impressed with the sound quality from the system and so were the internati onal Djs present for the event. The third event where the system was used was a corporate event for Prudenti al at the Singapore Expo. “The event management company and the client were so pleased with the Clair Brothers system that they commented that it was the best sound they had ever heard in all the years that they had been running this event,” said Adam. Needless to say, Adam has been very happy with the feedback from his clients so far.

Another bright spot for Glorious Singapore since they purchased the Clair Brothers system has been the support they have received from the distributor. “The service we have received from Quad Professional has been very good and that is one of the reasons why we invested in Clair Brothers equipment,” Adam confi ded.

Although Glorious is very sati sfi ed with their investment, they hope to add more Clair Brothers equipment to their inventory in the future. “At the moment, we are doing events mostly in expos, conventi on halls and ballrooms,” said Adam. “In a couple of years, we may decide to do outdoor events and concerts where we will need to increase the number of cabinets in our inventory.”

www.glorious.com.sgwww.clairsystems.comwww.quadpro.com.sg

Adam Tan (fi ft h from left ) and his team with their Clair Brothers system

The Clair Brothers system was used at the Avalon At Large Mega Music Event at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Conventi on Centre

Prolyte Group introduces i-line in Asia and Australasia

NEWSntertainmenttechnology asia 31

Internati onal: Prolyte Group has announced that no less than 4 partners have added the range of i-line products to their existi ng portf olio of Prolyte products.

The introducti on of the i-line and policy at the PALM show in Beijing was well received by existi ng partners, underlining the importance of not only supplying quality products at the best prices, but backing this up with excellent availability and the best service and support available.

The fi rst containers of i-line products have arrived with Prolyte’s partners, which means the Prolyte X and H trusses, MPT towers and standard StageDex are now in stock for immediate delivery in Asia and Australasia.

i-line Partners for Asia & Australasia are:

Modern Stage Services India. Website: www.modernstageservice.in

Tongsuh Technology Co. Ltd, Korea. Website: www.tongsuhtec.com

Specialised Stage Engineering Pty Ltd., AustraliaWebsite: www.stageengineering.com

Metro Producti ons Ltd, New Zealand Website: www.metro.net.nz

Prolyte Products Asia Pacifi c Sdn Bhd., Malaysia Website: www.prolyte-asia.com

Prolyte Doughty Japan Inc., JapanWebsite: www.prolyte-doughty.jp

Basic Rigging Training & Workshop Schedule for 2012Prolyte Group have announced the 2012 schedule for their Basic Rigging Training & Workshop.

13 - 17 February, 2012 (14th Session)14 - 18 May, 2012 (15th Session)10 - 14 September, 2012 (16th Session)26 - 30 November, 2012 (17th Session)

www.prolyte-asia.com

NEWS32 ntertainmenttechnology asia

Sennheiser appoints Eric Denise Vice President Sales, APAC

ITE College East educates the future with Avolites

Internati onal: Eff ecti ve 1 January, 2012, Eric Denise, President Sennheiser France will bepromoted to the positi on of Vice President Sales, APAC. In his new positi on, Denise will head business in the enti re APAC region, encompassing Asia, Australia, Greater China, Japan and India. Having run Sennheiser France very successfully for 8 years, he now moves on to a larger responsibility, thus taking on a more corporate role. Recently, Sennheiser

engaged in a major restructuring program to improve customer focus and market knowledge. In the course of this restructuring program, Sennheiser also reorganised sales operati ons into three major regions: The Americas, EMEA and APAC.

Under Denise’s management, the French subsidiary, representi ng a signifi cant porti on of Sennheiser’s global business, had achieved record sales numbers which contributed to the global business success of the Sennheiser group.

“Eric comes with an excellent track record and is well-equipped for his new assignment. I’d like to congratulate him on his well-deserved appointment, which again supports our strategy for the upcoming years,” commented Volker Bartels, Speaker of Sennheiser’s Executi ve Management Board and President Corporate Services. ”Eric will help us implement our premium strategy, with a parti cular focus on each of our three Business Divisions and give a signifi cant positi ve impulse for business in the Asia Pacifi c markets.”

www.sennheiser.com

Singapore: The Insti tute of Technical Educati on (ITE) College East has taken delivery of Avolites Tiger Touch and Avolites Diamond 4 lighti ng consoles. The Avolites consoles will be used extensively as training equipment in the two-year Nitec in Electrical Technology – Lighti ng and Sound Course. The course aims to equip its students with relevant hands-on training and technical knowledge to prepare them for a career in the lighti ng and sound industry.

“Here in ITE College East, we started our lighti ng console training with the Avolites Pearl Tiger,” said Daniel Li, course lecturer at ITE East. “The boards were intuiti ve to use and students learnt to use it quickly. When ti me came for us to upgrade, we naturally chose the Tiger Touch and Diamond 4 lighti ng consoles. The Diamond 4 will be integrated into our auditorium replacing an aging Strand lighti ng board. The Tiger Touch is a high quality lighti ng console that is suitable for the students. It is easy to use and has new soft ware that is stable. The design of

the product is also modern. It has been a pleasure working with the Avolites consoles. We look forward to seeing more great products in the near future!”

The Avolites were supplied by Total Soluti on Marketi ng Pte Ltd. ”We are thankful to Total Soluti on for their ongoing support and commitment to our students’ educati on. The assistance rendered by Total Soluti on has been fl awless,” added Daniel.

www.tsm-int.com

The ITE students with their Avolites lighti ng consoles

JM Rental boosts its inventoryHong Kong: JM Rental Limited has advanced to another rental level beyond LED displays by exposing their rental inventory to cover a wide range of video system equipment.

Known as one of the world’s largest LED display rental companies, JM Rental hasn’t stopped at just being an LED panel provider. It has stepped up to another important stage as a total LED rental supplier by expanding its inventory to cover various types of video system equipment like media servers, digital AV mixers, intelligent digital disk recorders and video control desks.

JM Rental has also extended its inventory to cover various models of LED displays for both indoor and outdoor use. Furthermore, the company has become the only high-defi niti on 3D LED display distributor and conti nuously introduces 3D LED display panels to the worldwide market.

Besides providing turn-key soluti ons to worldwide partners and expanding the inventory to cover Video Control Systems, JM Rental has further expanded their inventory to cover all visual systems by investi ng in specifi c numbers of world renowned video control equipment such as the coolux Media Server, Panasonic 2D/3D Digital AV Mixer, Grass Valley T2 Intelligent Digital Disk 2D/3D Recorder and Player and the Barco Encore Presentati on system.

“We decided to go in for more AV control gear which covers both 2D and 3D video technology,” disclosed Kenneth Yip, Operati ons Director of JM Rental. “We believe that to be a good total soluti ons provider for LED displays, we have to cover all of the necessary control gear needed to manage and control shows of any scale. However, this is just another step further for us. We will defi nitely keep fi lling our inventory to meet up with the demand from our partners around the world as well as catch-up with worldwide industry trends.”

www.joinmerit.com

EvoLVINGgeneration

More powerful Class D amplifiersExtra lightweight polypropylene cabinetsHigher SPL for optimal audio reproduction

New DSP with four EQ presetsMore value for money

www.fbt.it info@fbt.it

stud

ioco

nti.b

iz 2

011

EvoMaxX 2a

400+100WEvoMaxX 2250W

EvoMaxX 6a400+100WEvoMaxX 6400W

EvoMaxX 4a400+100WEvoMaxX 4300W

EvoMaxX 9Sa600W

SUBline 18Sa1200W

SUBline 15Sa600W

DESIGNED, ENGINEERED AND MANUFACTURED IN ITALY

a

X 22aaa

WX 2

ENNOVATIONS34 ntertainmenttechnology asia

Marti n P3 System Controller available in PC version

Belden adds new 7.0 soft ware platf orm

Marti n Professional’s award-winning P3 System Controller for LED video screen processing is now available in a PC-based version. The P3-PC is an inexpensive yet full-featured soft ware-only version that can control up to 20,000 pixels using the Ethernet port of the PC it is running on.

The P3-PC packs three functi ons into a single soft ware package. It can be used for smaller Marti n LED video set-ups containing up to 20000 pixels (P3-PC license on Marti n One-Key™ required). It is also an offl ine editor for

the P3-100 and P3-200 System Controllers to pre-program set-ups anywhere on a PC or laptop. Users can save and copy shows to the P3-100/200 using a USB sti ck (no license required; free-of-charge). Furthermore, it can be used to address/test/upload fi rmware LED video set-ups on-site before the P3-100/200 arrives on locati on (no license required; free-of-charge).

The P3-PC soft ware can be downloaded for free from the Marti n Professional website. Media playback is performed by the PC itself

using any media player applicati on including Quickti me, Windows Media Player or VLC (Media playback requires an inexpensive Marti n One-Key license).

www.marti n.com

Belden Singapore Pte Ltd recently announced the release of the 7.0 version of its soft ware platf orm from the Hirschmann™ product series used in the MACH 100, MACH 1000, MACH 4000, MICE, PowerMICE, Rail and OCTOPUS families of managed switches from Hirschmann™.

Like previous versions, the latest release of this soft ware platf orm off ers a range of functi ons normally only found in backbone systems for the offi ce area. These include comprehensive management, diagnosis and fi lter functi ons plus various redundancy methods, security mechanisms and realti me applicati ons.

In additi on to DVMRP and PIM-DM, the new PIM-SM multi cast protocol is provided for Layer 3, enabling opti mum uti lisati on of

bandwidth. The confi gurati on, security and service functi ons have also been further enhanced.

Thanks to this latest soft ware update, it is now possible to create confi gurati ons offl ine, without any acti ve connecti on to the switches. These can be stored locally and copied to the devices later on. What’s more, the ARC protocol makes it possible to confi gure an MRP ring automati cally, enhancing the speed and reliability of this process. Only one switch must be modifi ed in order to completely confi gure all others in the ring. All setti ngs are then automati cally stored on every switch.

The new soft ware platf orm also provides additi onal service functi ons for IP telephony. LLDP for media endpoint devices (LLDP-MED)

permits automati c assignment of network rules. The incorporati on of IP phones into a Voice VLAN is also automati c, ensuring uniform voice quality.

“Not only does it off er by far the largest range of standard features for the automati on area, this release also provides a whole series of special functi ons,” said Product Manager Jürgen Schmid. “The ARC-protocol, for example, enables automati c confi gurati on of a complete MRP ring. And this means that installati on is simpler, faster and even more reliable,” he added.

www.beldenapac.com

ENNOVATIONS36 ntertainmenttechnology asia

Symetrix Zone Mix 761 adds ARC-WEB compatability

Symetrix announced the release of the Zone Mix 761, which adds ARC-WEB compati bility to the powerful feature set formerly found in the predecessor Zone Mix 760, one of the company’s most popular products. ARC-WEB allows integrators to build customised interfaces that operate on users’ smartphones or internet-connected computers. In additi on to ARC-WEB compati bility, the Zone Mix 761 shines with a modernised aestheti c similar to that of the Symetrix Jupiter series and includes a new collecti on of logic outputs on the rear panel.

“The Zone Mix 761 steps into the shoes of the 760, which has been among our most popular products,” said Trent Wagner, senior product manager at Symetrix. “With twelve inputs and six outputs, it excels at three of the most commonly-required functi ons in small- to mid-sized installati ons: paging with automati c ducking, fl exible routi ng and mixing, and comprehensive processing at the input and the output. The Zone Mix 761 carries on the traditi on of ease-of-use, full feature set, and very competi ti ve price point that have earned

the Zone Mix 760 a place in restaurants, bars, and hotels the world over. The Zone Mix 761 does everything the 760 did so well – and more.”

“Our ARC-WEB technology is a cost-eff ecti ve way to provide users with customised control of their sound systems from their smartphones or computers,” said Paul Roberts, VP of Sales & Marketi ng at Symetrix. “It’s exciti ng to take one of our most popular products and make it even bett er with the inclusion of this ARC-WEB technology. We think the form, functi on, features and quality of the Zone Mix 761 make it a uniquely powerful choice for integrators and consultants with zone mix applicati ons. Its low price-point amplifi es that statement.”

www.symetrix.co

Experience the Future!

MA Lighting Asia Pacific Pte Ltd.

195 Pearl’s Hill Terrace #01-18 · 168976 Singapore

Phone: +65 6513 1897 · Fax: +65 6516 0877

infoASIA@malighting.com

www.malighting.com

ENNOVATIONSntertainmenttechnology asia 37

Studiomaster Professional releases DMX5 mixer

New version of Xone Mixed in Key launched

The new Studiomaster Professional DMX5 is a 5-channel DJ mixer with 8 truly world class digital eff ects, allowing a new dimension of creati ve mixing.

The DMX5 has two microphone inputs along with 3-Band EQ’s. The input secti on has multi -routable and selectable lines as well as phono inputs, bright dual-coloured level LED meters and ultra smooth faders. The crossfader is smooth and durable with two curve selecti on opti ons. The master output has balanced XLR as well as RCA output. The mixer also has a separate booth out for monitor and other sound reinforcement applicati ons as well as record output to record mixes and sets on recording devices. Cueing is intuiti ve with Split/Blend opti on and Cue/Main mix as well as powerful headphone output on both 6.3mm and 3.5mm stereo jacks.

An essenti al tool housed in this mixer is the dual BPM display counter with manual tap functi on, separate for cue and master secti on. The heart of the DMX5 consists of the eight preset eff ects that are warm,

unique and totally customisable. The eff ects arsenal consists of the regulars like reverb, delay, fl anger as well as the jaw dropping phatt er, sub-bass extender and ping-pong delay. With the DMX5, users can change eff ects parameters on-the-fl y. The Studiomaster DMX5 mixer is ideal for both professional or novice DJs looking to rule the dance fl oor.

www.studiomasterprofessional.comwww.audioplus-india.com

Mixed In Key has released Xone Mixed In Key 5, the latest version of its harmonic-mixing soft ware which off ers new features and functi ons including multi -core support, on-screen audio player, multi ple-key recogniti on and a powerful new key-detecti on algorithm.

Used by world-class DJs like David Guett a, Pete Tong and Kaskade, Mixed In Key soft ware quickly and accurately identi fi es the keys and tempos of digital music fi les, making it easy for DJs to create mash-ups and play perfect DJ sets.

Xone Mixed In Key 5 off ers multi -processor support for both Mac and Windows, allowing the soft ware to take full advantage of the blazing speeds possible on multi core CPUs. Another highlight is the new Audio Player which lets users auditi on the key-detected songs and samples from within the soft ware. In additi on to existi ng support for MP3 and WAV fi le formats, Xone Mixed In Key 5 adds M4A and MP4 (video fi le) support.

”Mixed In Key 5 is the professional DJ’s choice for harmonic mixing. It’s a powerful DJ tool that connects with your favorite DJ soft ware and DJ hardware, and makes it possible to mix harmonically regardless of your medium,” said Yakov Vorobyev, president of Mixed In Key. “We love it when people use Mixed In Key with Traktor, CD-Js, Serato Scratch Live and all other DJ and sequencer apps. It works perfectly with them and takes your DJ sets to the next level.”

xone.mixedinkey.comwww.allen-heath.com

coolux unveils Pandoras Box Version 5coolux Pandoras Box Version 5 is the new and highly anti cipated next step in the development of the award-winning Pandoras Box product family. For the fi rst ti me ever, it is now possible to use Pandoras Box all the way from the incepti on of a project idea, right up unti l the actual producti on.

The new Pandoras Box Version 5 has fi ve new disti nct features. The fi rst is a video export and recording feature that greatly improves workfl ow and enables users to export enti re scenes as HD video while having the fl exibility of a real-ti me editi ng system. For live video ingest, users can now record and capture from any live input source up to 2K/HD.

The second feature, an Aeon FX Engine, enables users to create and combine an almost unlimited number of eff ects. All eff ects and animati ons are automati cally synchronised across the system network.

Thirdly, a FireFly™ 3D Parti cle System allows for the creati on of elaborate real-ti me parti cle eff ects in a true interacti ve 3D compositi ng space. Various emitt ers can be set-up and applied with forces such as wind and gravity.

Another new feature is the new QUAD Server and QUAD Player workstati ons which off er users up to four independent HD DVI outputs with built-in EDID Management.

Lastly, the Pandoras Box Manager Soft ware now supports ASIO audio interfaces and off ers synchronised multi -channel audio playback.

On the hardware side, the new members of coolux product family include a number of new server types streamlined for dedicated applicati ons, in additi on to hardware-based Pandoras Box player turnkey soluti ons.

The Pandoras Box DUAL Server is a powerful multi -purpose system that can be used for projects in a large variety of markets including (but not limited to) the event, theater, broadcast, touring and/or installati on sector.

The new QUAD Server systems are perfect for projects that require multi ple outputs.Great versati lity in combinati on with a great variety of available inputs make the QUAD Server a great choice for large scale panoramic projecti ons, interacti ve digital signage projects and fi xed installati ons.

The NEW BROADCAST Server off ers broadcast professionals a dual 3G/HD-SDI output soluti on. The BROADCAST Server features two low latency HD-SDI inputs. Along with its ability to off er sub-scanline level synchronisati on to external sync sources, the BROADCAST Server can be used for multi -system and multi -display applicati ons.

All the servers are available in three editi ons: LT, STD and PRO.

Following the huge success of the coolux Pandoras Box Player soft ware, the new QUAD and DUAL Player hardware systems combine the versati lity of the Player soft ware only soluti on with multi ple outputs and industry leading graphics power. Both the QUAD and the DUAL Player are perfectly suited for permanent installati ons and high defi niti on multi media displays.

In additi on to these very powerful hardware systems, it is worth menti oning that the new Pandoras Box Player LT off ers a very cost eff ecti ve soluti on for basic video and projecti on displays. This synchronised digital signage player completes the soft ware-only Player family, which is now available as either LT, STD or PRO.

The Pandoras Box EDITOR is an advanced real-ti me rendering system, that combines non-linear editi ng and 3D compositi ng tools. It enables designers and content creators alike to harness the creati ve powers of the award-winning Pandoras Box product family without the need to buy any additi onal hardware processors.

Users with prior knowledge of the Pandoras Box system will feel right at home, but even those new to the Pandoras Box product family will be impressed with the great feature-set that comes with the Pandoras Box EDITOR. coolux’s new video export technology, the dynamic AEON™ eff ects engine and the versati le FireFly™ parti cle system are all included in this powerful editi ng and compositi ng soft ware.

The Pandoras Box Version 5’s combinati on of new features, products and overall capabiliti es make it a milestone in the development of creati ve media control technology. www.coolux.de

ENNOVATIONS38 ntertainmenttechnology asia

Pandoras Box Editor

ENNOVATIONSntertainmenttechnology asia 39

Xone:K2 controller unleashedAllen & Heath has introduced the Xone:K2, a MIDI controller and audio interface with a 4-channel internal soundcard, confi gurable MIDI surface with tri-colour LED illuminati on, USB bus power and incorporati ng A&H’s proprietary X:LINK to connect with other Xone equipment. The K2 is designed to work with all MIDI-enabled DAW applicati ons and interface with popular DJ soft ware packages, such as Ableton, Traktor Pro and Serato Scratch Live. It has 52 physical controls – including 12 analogue and 6 endless rotary encoders with push switch, 4 linear faders and 30 back lit performances switches - providing up to 171 MIDI control commands across 3 layers. The K2’s MIDI interface can be confi gured by the user, so the unit can be left in ‘Open Architecture (Latching Layers off ) Mode’ or set to ‘Latching Layers Mode’. K2 has an internal 4-channel high quality soundcard, that can operate at 44.1 and 48kHz, and all channels run from the PC to the unit, confi gured to provide 2 stereo channels, one for headphones one for

master out L and R, allowing headphone cueing without interrupti ng the master out. There is also a dedicated 3.5mm headphone jack, and a master out on RCA phono connectors.

It is possible to link two K2 units together to double the control area using Allen & Heath’s proprietary X:LINK protocol. X:LINK uses a standard RJ45 connector and distributes power and data, which means two units can be connected to your DAW using only one USB port.

Xone:K2 is constructed with a strong plasti c base and steel front panel employing A&H’s nutt ed pot constructi on to be both lightweight and hard-wearing.

Finally, the K2 comes with a stylish carry case that doubles as a stand for ease of use for travelling DJs.

www.allen-heath.com

ENNOVATIONS40 ntertainmenttechnology asia

Allen & Heath introduce Xone:DB2The Xone:DB2 is the latest model in its Xone:DB digital mixer range. The DB2 is a fully digital, state-of-the-art DJ mixer, incorporati ng two powerful multi -FX engines and retaining all the essenti al elements of the fl agship Xone:DB4 but at a more aff ordable price.

The DB2 has four input channels, each of which has a full input matrix that can select from four analogue, four USB, or two digital sources. The DB4 style ‘Trimodal EQ’ has been included which can be confi gured as a standard asymmetric EQ (+6/-25dB), total Kill (+6dB/OFF with a 24dB/octave slope), or a High-Pass/Low-Pass fi lter system with adjustable resonance. Each channel has a single routi ng switch that sends to the main mix, or to either of the two FX secti ons, and this control also assigns the crossfader.

There is a single microphone channel, which can also be switched to stereo line, providing 2-band EQ, gain, cue, and mix level. Similar to the main input channels, this can also be routed to either of the FX units or direct to the main mix. Beneath the Mic channel is the headphone monitor system, and to the right of the main mixer is the master secti on, with main mix level, booth level, and the two FX secti ons.

Each FX engine has 5 basic studio quality FX types - based on the iLive pro-touring FX system and opti mised for DJ use - comprising delays, reverbs, modulators, resonators and damage, plus each FX type has a patch library of diff erent eff ect variati ons that can be assigned to the relevant control. There is also a fi lter on the output of each FX bank, and each has a dedicated expression control and a rotary pot to set the wet/dry level, whilst further eff ect tweaking can be performed using the encoders beneath the OLED screen.

The OLED display is clearly visible even in bright sunlight, and displays the FX selecti on and current BPM, as well as being an easy and intuiti ve interface for the Menu set up functi ons. The mixer off ers many user defi ned setti ngs, such as meter mode, BPM range, USB audio routi ng scheme, display brightness, in additi on to the extensive built-in FX library.

The built-in, multi -channel USB2 soundcard allows replay and recording from computer-based audio soft ware for 4 stereo sends and 4 stereo returns. All controls (except Mic and Phones level) send MIDI data and the mixer can double up as a MIDI controller via the MIDI shift butt on, which allows the

FX selecti on controls to send MIDI data without changing the mixer setti ngs.

Like the DB4, the DB2 also has an X:LINK socket to allow easy integrati on of the new Xone:K2 soft ware controller.

The Xone:DB2 also sports a stylish, lightweight aluminium chassis designed to make touring easy. Other features include crossfader and upfader curve controls, multi -point level metering, digital output, analogue balanced outputs for main mix and booth, and a record output with adjustable level.

www.allen-heath.com

Q U A D P R O F E S S I O N A L P T E L T D4 5 U b i R o a d 1 , # 0 5 - 0 4 , S u m m i t B u i l d i n g , S i n g a p o r e 4 0 8 6 9 6

Te l : + 6 5 6 8 4 8 9 5 9 5 , F a x : + 6 5 6 7 4 5 5 9 1 8E m a i l : s a l e s @ q u a d p r o . c o m . s g

w w w. q u a d p r o . c o m . s g

uncompromising sound solutions

Phot

o co

urte

sy o

f Ci

ty H

arve

st C

hurc

h

Clair Brothers speakers at the City Harvest Church, Suntec Singapore

Management Perspectives42 ntertainmenttechnology asia

Josef ValcharGeneral Manager, CEOROBE lighti ng s.r.oCharming and charismati c, Josef Valchar is the public face of Robe lighti ng. He is oft en seen at lighti ng exhibiti ons and events where he listens to feedback and opinions from customers about his company’s products and shares this informati on with the various departments within Robe. This ensures that Robe’s products and services are kept constantly on the cutti ng edge.

Valchar takes an acti ve role in the day-to-day running of Robe lighti ng of which he is also the co-founder and co-owner. He realises the importance of networking with customers and end-users at events, exhibiti ons and installati on projects. His desire to know how Robe’s products are being uti lised and what his customers are saying about them has

greatly contributed to Robe’s success as the fastest growing moving light manufacturer in the world.

Entertainment Technology Asia Magazine conducted an exclusive interview with Valchar recently where he talked about Robe’s history, the philosophy behind Robe’s products and his goals for Robe in the Asian market.

ETA: How did you get into the lighti ng business?

JV: I att ended a technical university in the Czech Republic in 1989 where I specialised in general lighti ng. Aft er I graduated in 1991, I started working for a small local company doing disco lights. I met my partner Ladislav

Petrek in 1992 when he was working as a DJ. We decided to start our own company in 1994 as an OEM manufacturer with a focus on building intelligent lighti ng eff ects and scanners. We also wanted to export our products to the internati onal market, not just to the Czech or Slovak markets. I owned 50 percent of the business and Ladislav owned the other 50 percent of the business. Initi ally, we did not promote the Robe name because we were OEM manufacturers. In 2002, aft er we had built up our portf olio of OEM customers, we launched the Robe brand. It has now been 9 years since we have been selling our products directly to the market. We have established a very strong distributi on network with technical and service support. Next year (2012) will be my 20th year in this business.

ETA: What are Robe’s goals for the Asian market?

JV: We are a well-established company in the Asian market with a wide distributi on network. We are very strong in China, Japan and Korea. We are doing very well in Singapore and we are represented in every market in Asia but we are trying to improve everywhere. As a manufacturing company, you are never happy. You are always trying to improve. What we can off er to our customers are the high quality products which Robe is well-known for and our product range is very extensive. We have the 18 Series which is proven and has been in the market for a long ti me. Basically, these are the most reliable products in the market today.

We also have the new Robin Series. Robin means Robe Innovati ve Technology. We are adding more and more products to that range. The Robin Series has the ‘green’ technology we are trying to push forward. It may be interesti ng for our customers to know that we are really thinking about the future. The mott o we are promoti ng now is ‘Think of the future. Consider nature.’ All the new Robin products are small and lightweight with a smaller carbon footprint. They consume less power so we call them ‘green’ lights. This has been something we have been paying att enti on to since we launched our Robin range in 2008. Since that ti me, we have added the 300 range, the 600 range and now we have the MMX. We are constantly adding more and more products so this is something that is quite unique in the market. We are very pleased with our LEDWash 600 range which was launched at PLASA last year and has become a record-breaking best-selling product. We just added the smaller version of the LEDWash 600 range, called the LEDWash 300 range, in Frankfurt (Prolight + Sound) this year. We began producti on of it in June and now it is taking off , so we have plenty to off er to all our customers not only in Asia but worldwide.

Management Perspectivesntertainmenttechnology asia 43

ETA: How has Robe’s results for Asia been so far?

JV: The results are good. During the economic crisis, we did very well in Asia especially in China, Japan and Korea. These countries are really strong for us and these three countries are infl uencing the other countries as well. I have to say Singapore was a very good market for us last year and we see this trend conti nuing so we have been very happy with the results in Asia.

ETA: Do you fi nd any challenges or problems doing business in Asia?

JV: The major problem is the import taxes. This is killing the business. It not a problem in China or Japan because the import taxes are not that high in these countries. It’s a problem in countries like India, Indonesia, Malaysia and other countries where the import taxes are high. It would help if the import taxes are at a certain level which can fi t the business model as in other countries.

ETA: Do you think there is a problem with the copying of intellectual property in Asia?

JV: Absolutely. That’s one of the major problems we are facing because our lights are quite popular in China and if you went to the

PALME China exhibiti on, you could see all the copies of our products being displayed at the exhibiti on stands. Since they were not copies of our latest products, we are not taking any acti on. We are really paying att enti on to our intellectual property. We have over 45 patents granted or pending. We will be taking acti on against copies of the new Robin Series and all our new products. We are ready for them.

ETA: What is the philosophy behind your products?

JV: We have been focusing over the last three years on the environment. All our products are designed to fi t that philosophy. People should be conserving our natural resources because they are not unlimited. We are in the lighti ng business so we use LED lights in all our installati ons. Our lighti ng fi xtures are ‘green’ because they consume less

power and we also try to make them as small as possible. A smaller fi xture will require fewer parts so we save energy again by producing fewer parts for our fi xtures. There are lighti ng products in the market that weigh 50-60 kgs and this is absolutely unnecessary. A smaller fi xture will have a smaller carbon footprint.

A smaller fi xture will also save you energy in staging. A smaller fi xture will require less trucking space, you need less people on the stage to handle the fi xtures and you don’t need heavy duty trusses. This is especially the case in China because the stages there are absolutely the biggest. They think that the bigger and more powerful fi xtures will produce more light. It has been a challenge for us to introduce this ‘green’ philosophy in China. We have to show them that the fi xture with the highest power consumpti on is not necessarily the

Valchar with the Robin MMX Spot

brightest. China has big problems with energy and we hear that the government is now starti ng to promote ‘green’ technologies. Sooner or later, it will become a prerequisite for government projects to have fi xtures that meet certain standards for physical size and power consumpti on.

ETA: Which is your favourite Robe product?

JV: At the moment, it is the LEDWash 600 because it is our best-selling product. We will have more new and exciti ng products coming soon. This is a good ti me for Robe because our business is growing and we have a good product portf olio. We are glad that the LEDWash 600 is selling well because it is really the fi rst true LED wash light. Wash lights before were like beams with no colour mixing. We have removed all the disadvantages of the previous lights which were in the market.

ETA: Why do you think your products are so successful?

JV: We had a nice slogan when we launched the fi rst video teaser of the LEDWash 600. The slogan stated, ‘We could not be the fi rst because we wanted to be the best.’ That’s our mott o. We have been working with LED lights since 2004, almost 7 years. Our LED wash lights have been in the market for four years. At that ti me the LED lights were not bright enough and they were only the single chips. We were waiti ng for the Cree 10 Watt RGBW multi chip. That is why we said, ‘We could not be the fi rst because we wanted to be the best.’ We built a good product based on the RGBW multi chip and that’s the key to our success.

www.robe.cz

Valchar’s favourite fi xture, the Robin LEDWash 600

Management Perspectives44 ntertainmenttechnology asia

Fabiano BesioCo-FounderLuci della Ribalta (LDR) srl

Besio with the Nota 8/22 profi le spotlight

Warm, approachable and soft -spoken, Fabiano Besio is one of the most recognisable people in the professional lighti ng industry. Frequently seen at trade shows, lighti ng events and exhibiti ons, Besio is very popular with his industry colleagues. Part of the reason for this is that he possesses a humble and unassuming demeanor and is very forthcoming when it comes to off ering his advice about lighti ng.

A highly intellectual person, Besio has 18 years of experience in professional lighti ng. His extensive knowledge about lighti ng has made him a much sought-aft er speaker and he frequently conducts lectures and talks about lighti ng at universiti es. He also conducts training classes for lighti ng professionals to help improve their knowledge and skills.

As co-founder of LDR, a major supplier of theatrical and architectural lighti ng fi xtures, Besio juggles many responsibiliti es. Aside from being the designer for all LDR products, he also plays a major role in the company’s sales and marketi ng eff orts. In additi on, Besio also establishes and maintains strong business relati onships with LDR’s various distributors around the world who have contributed signifi cantly to LDR’s success.

In an exclusive interview with Entertainment Technology Asia Magazine, Besio talks about his extensive experience in the lighti ng industry, LDR’s plans for the Asian market

and off ers his insights about the future of professional lighti ng.

ETA: How did you get your start in the business?

FB: I grew up in a small town in Italy called Lonato del Garda, which is in the province of Brescia. It is situated halfway between Milan and Venice on the southwest shore of Lake Garda, the largest lake in Italy. I att ended a local university there and aft er I graduated, I joined Coemar as a lighti ng designer. This was during the late 80s. Aft er working for Coemar for a couple of years, I left to perform my military service. I served in a tank division. Aft er completi ng my military service, I returned to work at Coemar for a couple of years before joining another lighti ng company called Teatro (which means theatre in Italian) as a product manager. In 1997, I co-founded LDR with my partners Marco and Rossano Baiett a, and Lisa Papi. In those days I was using a 486

computer, which was my fi rst computer, in my bedroom to design our lighti ng products. That was fourteen years ago. Today, we fully-own a large producti on facility in a town in the northern part of Italy called Castel Goff redo. It covers 3,000 square metres and our factory and offi ces are situated there. We manufacture 95 percent of our products and we export our goods to more than 50 countries around the world. Castel Goff redo is also the home town of other companies in the industry like Coemar and Griven.

I’m sti ll involved in the design of all LDR products. This means my product knowledge is very good and it helps me when I am selling our products. I have a good relati onship with all the other industry manufacturers and I consider most of them as good friends even though they are competi tors. I feel that the industry needs all the lighti ng manufacturers to be guided in the right directi on by not misusing light sources. There is a right source for every lighti ng job. Someti mes this is in confl ict with the interests of a company which is to sell their products and make a profi t. However, we need to maintain our professionalism. We need to choose the right light source for the job. This is extremely important because, in architectural lighti ng, there is no sense in spending a lot of money to restore a very old theatre and then you don’t use the right light source to light up the architecture. We are all part of the lighti ng industry and we have the responsibility to use light sources correctly. People see the results of our work all around the world. The way a monument or House of Worship looks can be changed by the way it is lit. We should support our industry without misusing the diff erent light sources.

ETA: What are LDR’s plans for the Asian market?

FB: My goal is to establish LDR as a leading lighti ng company in the Asian market. The Asian market is growing very fast and that is why we give it a lot of att enti on. It is very important to us and we have appointed

(L-R) Fabiano Besio, Marco Baiett a, Rossano Baiett a and Lisa Papi

Management Perspectivesntertainmenttechnology asia 45

distributors in Singapore, China and Japan who are producing extremely good results for us. This had made us very happy.

However, it is not just about achieving sales targets. It is also important to see that your lights are installed in places where millions of people will see them. This exposure is more rewarding than the money you receive when you sell your products. We are also trying to diff erenti ate ourselves from our competi tors by providing our customers, through our distributors, special assistance for their specifi c needs that they will not fi nd with other companies in the industry. Someti mes our customers are not be able to fi nd the right lighti ng product for the right applicati on. We try to stay in close contact with them to help them with special products or to suggest the right applicati on. Through this process, we have obtained a lot of good feedback from our end-users and this has proven to be very useful for LDR. A lot of our success is due to this process of close communicati on between ourselves, our distributors and our end-users.

New markets like Vietnam and Cambodia are very important and deserve a lot of att enti on as well because we see a lot of opportuniti es there. We want to meet with the future lighti ng designers that will design the most important projects in those countries. Our sales in Asian countries are growing signifi cantly. All the Asian countries are opening their markets to the rest of the world and this presents many opportuniti es.

ETA: Why do you think your products are selling well?

FB: Our products are selling well because we really pay att enti on to the importance of the quality of the light. Light involves many aspects such as the mechanics, the opti cs and the electrics. I am parti cularly proud of the light output of our products which is second to none. Being in close contact with our end-users, with the assistance of our valuable distributors around the world, also helps to make our products bett er because we can use their feedback to improve our products. This makes a lot of diff erence in the market.

It is a combinati on of diff erent factors. The quality of our lighti ng products is the best and our aft er-sales service good. We react quickly to any query from our customers. Anyone from around the world can send an email directly to us and obtain an immediate answer. The size of our company helps to maintain this direct contact which is what the customer wants. Ulti mately, the personal relati onship we have with our customers is very important to us. We care about them very much.

ETA: Is it important to have your products manufactured in Italy or do you intend to establish a manufacturing facility in Asia?

FB: Having all our manufacturing faciliti es in Italy at one locati on helps us to have more control over the manufacturing process and maintain quality standards. It also helps us to meet the ti me schedules for manufacturing so that all the products will be delivered on ti me to the end-users. We are capable of shipping a product to any locati on in the world the day aft er we receive the order. Being in one locati on in Italy helps us to fulfi ll

all these orders quickly and effi ciently. Nevertheless, I am always interested in expanding our business and it is without a doubt that decentralising the manufacturing faciliti es around the world can help to reduce the shipping cost as well as match our products with the diff erent market needs. Another way to meet the new challenges of today’s market would be to diff erenti ate the products by using diff erent brands.

ETA: Are there any LDR products that you are parti cularly fond of?

FB: We have two products that are considered as among the best in the lighti ng market. The fi rst is the Canto Followspot which has more than 8 models in the range with watt age of up to 2,000W. Demand for this product is very good and we

produce more than 400 followspots per year. I feel that this product off ers the best ‘deal’ in the market in terms of price and performance. The second product is our Soffi o range of architectural lights which uti lises the 150W CDM lamp. Those are the two products that have received the best feedback.

ETA: What are your predicti ons for the future of the lighti ng industry?

FB: The market is evolving. There are plenty of undiscovered opportuniti es in the professional AVL industry and we must be ready to accept the new challenges.

As lighti ng manufacturers, we should explore new technologies but we should not forget the basic concepts of lighti ng which no new technology can change because the basic concepts of light are subject to the principles of physics. We can use new technologies but we should not forget the importance of colour rendering, colour temperature and the fact that good mix is the perfect soluti on to any installati on. At present, all the manufacturers are focussing their att enti on on LED technology and LDR is also developing profi les and fresnels using LED technology. However, we at LDR constantly emphasise that LED is not the soluti on for all applicati ons. The right light source in the right place is the secret. The right mix of tungsten-halogen discharge and LED will help to provide the perfect soluti on for the market. This is not an opinion. This is fact and it is backed up by opti cs and physics.

www.ldr.it

The Canto Followspot – the best ‘deal’ in the market according to Besio.

IN PERSPECTIVE46 ntertainmenttechnology asia

Powersoft targets Asian expansion

Since opening its doors for business in 1995, Powersoft has become renowned for making super energy-effi cient amplifi ers. Based in Florence, Italy, the company currently develops and sells high-end, patented technologies and soluti ons to over 50 countries. With its global distributi on network in place, the company is experiencing rapid expansion and is now ready to devote its resources to further expansion into the lucrati ve Asian pro audio market.

Although the company had very humble beginnings, Powersoft grew quickly thanks to the passion, hard work and determinati on of its founders - Carlo Lastrucci and his two sons Claudio and Luca as well as family friend Antonio Peruch. While they were studying at Florence University, Claudio and Luca Lastrucci became interested in electrical engineering and music. They began experimenti ng with amplifi cati on technology with Peruch, who was their classmate. Aft er graduati ng with Electronics degrees, they formed Powersoft and quickly developed a strong reputati on as a company with unique skills in advanced

electronics, soft ware soluti ons for high-end applicati ons and power amplifi cati on technology. The name Powersoft refl ects the two main souls of the company: power and soft ware.

Powersoft ’s early years were quite diffi cult because the digital era had not really begun and some of their ideas like Power Factor Correcti on (PFC) and Class D amplifi cati on were too advanced for the ti me but the

The Powersoft Team. (L-R) Ken Blecher, Tom Bensen, Luca Giorgi, Luca Lastrucci, Thomas Mitt elmann, Claudio Lastrucci, Carlo Lastrucci and Antonio Peruch

by James Bose

IN PERSPECTIVEntertainmenttechnology asia 47

team persevered. Today, Powersoft ’s range of amplifi ers are recognised throughout the world for their advanced technology that signifi cantly reduces energy consumpti on. Their networking capabiliti es, audiophile-quality sound and performance reliability are highly regarded by industry professionals. Powersoft amplifi ers can be found in installati on projects throughout the world like stadiums, theme parks, airports, conventi on centers, churches, clubs and are uti lised by the world’s leading tour sound companies.

According to Luca Giorgi, Powersoft ’s Global Sales Manager, the reason for the success of Powersoft ’s amplifi ers can be summed up in one word - fl exibility. “We believe that our amplifi ers off er the most fl exibility of any amplifi er you can buy,” he said. “When a users buy an amplifi er from Powersoft , they can use it in any type of applicati on project regardless of the mains voltage. If you have unstable voltage, the performance will not be compromised. The number of amplifi ers you will require for a PA system will also be less when using our technology. Due to the size of our amplifi ers, they will also off er fl exibility when it comes to transportati on and storage opti ons as well.”

This fl exibility has contributed to a period of stellar worldwide growth for the company. “We are growing very fast,” confi ded Giorgi. “Last year we grew by 40 percent. This year we are growing again by 35 percent with respect to worldwide sales and the growth is well-distributed so it is not due to a specifi c project.”

will produce results for sure. We also recently changed our distributi on network in Japan and Korea and appointed new distributors. We believe this will produce results as well.”

Powersoft are so confi dent of their growth prospects in Asia that they have set very ambiti ous growth targets for their Asian partners. “I think we need to bring Asia to 40 percent of our turnover within two years,” Giorgi said confi dently, “because we believe that is possible. It is a challenging goal but we think it is feasible. Of course, under the current economic conditi ons, it is not easy. One unfortunate event could impact the rest of the world. However, we have been growing very fast and we are opti misti c.”

In order to achieve these growth targets, Giorgi believes that the right infrastructure needs to be in place and Powersoft is aggressively taking steps to reinforce its distributi on network. “We need somebody nearer to the acti on. We already have one guy in Singapore, (Asia Pacifi c Sales Manager) Arthur Soh, but we need to reinforce this structure by possibly having a small logisti cs hub to serve the region. The next few months, we will be building the foundati ons of Powersoft Asia to serve our distributi on network bett er, perhaps with a service centre with our own technicians located in Singapore or Hong Kong. We are currently evaluati ng this kind of thing. So, this is more or less the strategy. We are trying to establish a more direct presence, not because we want to sell directly to our customers, but because we believe that being nearer to our partners could be benefi cial for them.

Although Powersoft envisions strong growth for their business in Asia, they are also currently experiencing some challenges. “The main problem we face in doing business in Asia is that some companies make cheap copies of our products,” remarked Giorgi. “I’m worried about the atti tude of these companies who try to present their products to the end-user like it is the same as ours. I think this is completely unfair. Obviously, the diff erence in pricing can persuade the end-

user that the copy is a bett er buy because they think that it is the same product. This is completely unacceptable.”

Giorgi thinks that the problem of copying intellectual property in Asia is so pervasive that he has encountered companies from China that not only copy Powersoft ’s products but also copy the way Powersoft display their products. “We have a display where we place an amplifi er rack with multi ple amplifi ers on a rotati ng spiral at exhibiti ons. Unfortunately,

we are unable to patent this display. At some shows in China, I have seen companies employ the same type of display. This is not good because the end-user might mistake their product for ours.”

In order to prevent any confusion, Powersoft is taking measures against companies who copy their intellectual property as well as those who support them. “Taking legal acti on is useless,” Giorgi opines. “Normally we try to talk directly to these companies (who copy Powersoft ’s products) to verify whether they will stop doing it. We have also told magazines who publish adverti sing from these companies that we will not support them because what they are doing is not fair. Thirdly, we have asked the European Community for protecti on against companies who copy our patents. Unfortunately, this is hard to enforce outside of Europe. We do not have many other tools to use.”

Despite these problems, Giorgi thinks that Powersoft ’s range of amplifi ers will conti nue to have wide appeal throughout Asia because of their quality, reliability and technology. Their K3 amplifi er conti nues to be their top selling individual model and their M series of amplifi ers are their best-selling range. However, the product that Giorgi thinks will have the biggest impact in the installati on sector is the new Ott ocanali 1204 amplifi er. “We believe it will be a big success because of its characteristi cs,” he enthused. “I don’t think there is a another amplifi er quite like it in the market in terms of size, power consumpti on and fl exibility. The monitoring of the load through our Armonia soft ware is another plus for this product. Although we don’t have the fi gures yet, we are very confi dent that it will be a success in the installati on sector as well as an energy ‘star’.”

Luca Giorgi, Powersoft ’s Global Sales Manager

In spite of these impressive results, Giorgi feels that there is even more potenti al for growth and the region that presents the biggest potenti al is Asia. “In the past we had very litt le exposure in Asia,” Giorgi refl ected. “For the last few years, Powersoft ’s image has grown a lot. This has changed the appeal of the brand with respect to the key players in the diff erent countries. We experienced a big growth in China but we believe there is even more potenti al there. We have started putti ng the right network in Southeast Asia and this

The Ott ocanali 1204 amplifi er

With the rising popularity of their amplifi ers, the dedicati on of more resources towards developing their infrastructure in the Asian market, the appointment of new distributors as well as the introducti on of new products, Powersoft is poised to become a dominant player in the Asian pro audio market for a long ti me to come.

www.powersoft -audio.com

EXHIBITION REVIEW48 ntertainmenttechnology asia

Prolight + Sound Shanghai, which took place from 11 – 14 October 2011 at the Shanghai New Internati onal Expo Centre, has set a new record for exhibiti on space with three halls and an outdoor area totaling 25,000 sqm. This year’s show was relocated to a new positi on within the showground which off ers more exhibitor and visitor convenience. The sound hall and non-sound hall were moved closer to a new show entrance and registrati on area which is a short walking distance from the metro line and a newly built hotel.

More than 400 exhibitors from 18 countries and regions showcased their latest products. Brands on display included AKG, American DJ, Antari, Barix, Behringer, D.A.S. Audio, Dataton, Duran Audio, EM Acousti cs, Hoellstern, JTS, K-array, Klippel, KV2 Audio, KVANT, LAX, Mackie, msm-studios, Neumann, Pangolin, Peavey, Penn-Elcom, Sennheiser, Soundking, Tom Lee, TW Audio, Verlinde and Wenger. Visitors were also able to view products from the German and Taiwan pavilions as well as the debut pavilion hosted by the Shanghai Performance Trade Associati on.

A diverse range of events and fringe programmes which covered the full industry spectrum from manufacturer to end-user was held during the show’s four days. The Concert Sound Arena, which was a live line array demonstrati on from six leading brands, att racted huge crowds. The demonstrati on

gave the audience an opportunity to experience these systems under realisti c outdoor conditi ons. The parti cipati ng brands were Audiocenter (China), Duran Audio (Netherlands), KV2 Audio (UK), Peavey (USA), Soundking (China) and TW Audio (Germany).

Another popular feature of the exhibiti on was the Headphone Demonstrati on Corner which was dedicated to broadcasti ng and studio sound professionals. This feature also allowed audiophiles to experience the exquisite sound from the latest headphones from top brands like AKG, beyerdynamic, JTS, Sennheiser, Superlux and Takstar.

There were a number of seminars that were conducted throughout the exhibiti on. The Premier Contractor Seminar, which was held on the fi rst day of the exhibiti on was well att ended by many industry professionals and recording engineers. Co-organised with the China Associati on of Recording Engineers, this seminar shared various aspects of pro-audio industry development.

Also held on the fi rst day of the exhibiti on was the TV Studio Technology Forum. Organised in conjuncti on with the Studio Art (Lighti ng) Work Council of China Radio and Television Associati on, lighti ng engineers from various Chinese TV stati ons shared their experti se in incorporati ng LED displays into traditi onal studio equipment and technology. They also

talked about the applicati on of professional lighti ng in TV broadcasti ng.

People who were new to stage design got a chance to further their knowledge about the subject during the Stage Art for Large Performance Forum which was held on the second day of the exhibiti on. This forum included professional training and case studies of modern Chinese stage design. Presenters included Mr Liu Wen Hao, chief lighti ng designer for Universiade 2011 and the Paralympic Games 2008, and Mr Miao Pei Ru, chief designer of the 2010 Asian Games.

Those who were familiar with stage design but wanted to know how to use multi media simulati on in stage performance were able to obtain valuable insights into this topic at the Discover the Latest Stage Design Technology and Equipment forum, which was also held on the second day.

As usual, there were many product presentati ons conducted throughout the exhibiti on. Among the leading companies who unveiled their latest products and technologies were Duran Audio (the Netherlands), Klippel (Germany), Mackie (USA) and msm-studios (Germany).

www.prolightsound-shanghai.com

Prolight + Sound Shanghai 2011 sets new record

EXHIBITION REVIEW50 ntertainmenttechnology asia

Highlights from the exhibiti on fl oor...

Antari Fog Machines

FBT Electronica

D.A.S. AudioThe Antari AF-5 is a versti le special eff ects blow fan with onboard wireless control and DMX. It is suited for the touring, club, theatrical and house of worship markets.

With three diff erent fan speeds, the AF-5 allows users to control the amount of wind blown on to a stage, dance fl oor or any other setti ng. Aside from creati ng

the eff ect of the wind, the AF-5 can be used to make fog, haze, snow and bubbles. The AF-5 also has an adjustable 45 degree wind angle which makes it fl exible enough to excel in a variety of applicati ons,

Made of polypropylene plasti c, the robust AF-5 is well-suited for touring applicati ons. The AF-5 is also compact, lightweight and easy to transport. The 1-horsepower unit measures 530 mm long (20.9”) by 470 mm (18.5”) wide by 490 mm high (19.3”) and weighs 17.5 kilograms (38.6 lbs).

www.antari.com

Antari AF-5 high powered DMX special eff ects blow fan

The D.A.S. Audio booth att racted plenty of visitors due to the large number of products on display. However, the product which att racted the most att enti on was the Convert 12A powered, two-way curved source array. It is ideal for use in small to medium live events as well as permanent installati ons.

The Convert 12A enclosure is constructed of birch plywood fi nished with the durable Iso-Flex black paint. The rigging system can be used to form verti cal curved source arrays of up to 6 units. The Convert 12A

includes a pole mount socket with variable inclinati on for use as a satellite unit in combinati on with subwoofers.

www.dasaudio.com

The Convert two-way source array

The Italian manufacturer of high quality professional audio products was out in full force during the exhibiti on. In their booth were products from their bestselling EvoMaxX series of speakers and Mitus series.

The EvoMaxX series of speakers evolved from the FBTMaxX series. Along with key performance and portability improvements, FBT developed the EvoMaxX Series to off er the customers more value for money. EvoMaxX’s lightweight yet sturdy polypropylene cabinets feature a monitor taper designed to ensure that they perform with excellence no matt er whether they are used at front of house for a main sound system, as stage fl oor monitors or within permanent installati ons. The EvoMaxX series consists of four powered and three passive models.

The new MITUS sound reinforcement series off ers a comprehensive range of line array systems, speakers, subwoofers and monitor systems. They are available in acti ve or passive design to deliver the fi nest sound in all applicati ons. Five diff erent confi gurati ons are available which allow the systems to be suspended or ground stacked. A wide range of accessories makes the MITUS range extremely fl exible for live or permanent installati ons.

www.fb t.it

FBT Export Manager Roberto Mataloni

On display at the Weifa Truss booth was their new E1400 Big Truss. The Weifa truss weld adheres to internati onal quality standards “aviati on aluminium 6082 -T6”. Having passed the loading test, hoisti ng and loading can be safely performed according to guidelines. This product

is light weight, stress corrosive and pressure resistant. The newly-designed spigot and pin connector is also easy to install and disassemble.

www.weifa.com.cn

This year, the Sennheiser booth was a Jazz lounge with live stage performances from culturally diverse bands from around the world. Needles to say, many people were drawn to it for the wonderful music and the many Sennheiser products on display. On the stage were the Sennheiser K-array series of loudspeakers, the Sennheiser G3 wireless microphone and the evoluti on 900 wired microphone. They were used by the bands who performed on stage. Visitors were treated to performances by the Noukilla band from Mauriti us, Aha - a Shanghai University student band famous for singing without musical accompaniment. Also performing were Greg & Matt , Dana & Vlad and Irina.

Sennheiser headphones and K-arrays were also used to equip the outdoor Jazz Stage at the Music China exhibiti on. People from every corner of the venue were able to enjoy the great music from the Sennheiser speakers.

www.sennheiserasia.com

EXHIBITION REVIEWntertainmenttechnology asia 51

LAX Sound

Weifa Truss

Sennheiser

LAX Sound had the OP Operati on line array system on display. It is designed for large scale events such as concerts and fi xed installati on applicati ons like clubs, theatres and churches. Also on display was the AT Ultra-Compact line array system. This system is highly fl exible and can be used for a variety of applicati ons, from stadiums to conference rooms. Another highly fl exible product displayed at the LAX booth was the TH1000 Engineering System. This system can be used in auditoriums and large-scale conference halls. LAX Vice Director Ken Lau said, ”Our products are used

in major internati onal events line the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and are recognised for their quality, technology and reliability.”

www.laxpro.net

LAX Vice Director Ken Lau with the OP Operati on Line Array

E1400 Big Truss

EXHIBITION REVIEW52 ntertainmenttechnology asia

New products and strong att endance highlight successful PLASA 2011This year’s PLASA show provided visitors with plenty to talk about as over 500 new products were launched, including major new developments in audio, AV, lighti ng and staging. There was also a series of new interacti ve features such as STLD’s LED Luminaire Shootout, the Theatres Trust Ecovenue feature and the new PLASA Producti on Bar which drew large crowds of people.

Organisers PLASA Events were “delighted” with visitor fi gures of over 12,000, showing a marginal increase over 2010 and strong internati onal engagement from across the world during the four-day exhibiti on at Earls Court in London.

Events Manager Sophie Atkinson commented, “Exhibitors have been enthusing about the high quality of visitors and the rate of sales enquiries, and with hundreds of new products being launched, there has been a great return on investment for them. We expect to see many back here at Earls Court next year.”

Visitors were eager to get their hands on the industry’s hott est new products and there were a number of ‘behind closed doors’ prototype demonstrati ons of ideas expected to be unveiled in full next year.

The second PLASA Rigging Conference turned out to be a big success and was att ended by 175 delegates from 18 countries, some

travelling from as far as Malaysia, Singapore, Sweden, Canada, the USA, Hong Kong and Australia, to share their knowledge and experience as well as to learn more about this fast-changing fi eld.

The expanded Educati on and Learning Programme also proved to be very popular with visitors. It drew over 2,200 people. The Gott elier Masterclass by ETC’s Fred Foster, ‘Lighti ng Visualisati on at the Royal Opera House’, the ALD’s ‘50 Years of Lighti ng’, the RST and Stage Electrics’ ‘Transforming Theatres’, Bernie Davies’ ‘Lighti ng Big Events for Television’ and MA Lighti ng’s ‘How the Sun works and why the fi xture weighs so much!’ drew huge crowds and were all standing room only.

“The show just gets bett er and bett er - it’s busy from beginning to end and our distributors and customers come from all over Europe, not just the UK, to check out the new products,” said Mark Vassallo, VP of Global Sales at ETC.

Clay Paky’s Pio Nahum was also pleased with the show. “The show has been very good. We had a very strong att endance and our stand was always full of people with our range of new products being extremely well received.”

At Marti n Professional, Larry Beck also said that the company’s new products had been very well received. “We’ve been ecstati c with the recepti on to our new product, which is

our big launch here at the show. And winning a PLASA award put everybody in an even bett er mood. The show’s been good, and as far as the quality of customer is concerned, we couldn’t be happier. A great premiere to our 25th anniversary next year.”

Jiri Baros at Robe commented, “PLASA is a very internati onal show covering all parts of the world and the response to our new products has been great - we’ve taken signifi cant orders for some of them, so we’re very happy.”

Simon Smith, Sales Director for Christi e EMEA, enjoyed the positi ve response to the company’s projecti on demonstrati on and to its innovati ve new display system. “In terms of footf all through the stand we’ve been consistently busy. Our stand has created a lot of interest, and we met a lot of end users at PLASA.”

Sophie Atkinson concluded, “The strength of the PLASA Show, its vibrant atmosphere, its supporti ng programme of events and the fact that so many exhibitors choose it as their new product launchpad underlines its importance in the internati onal marketplace.”

The PLASA Show returns to Earls Court from 9 - 12 September 2012.

www.plasashow.com

The Alpha Spot QWO 800

EXHIBITION REVIEWntertainmenttechnology asia 53

Clay Paky launch exciti ng new products

Visitors to the Clay Paky booth were able to view the GlowUp, a portable, batt ery-powered uplight. The wireless colour changer is intended for temporary architectural applicati ons where access to power is limited or where cables represent a safety issue.

Another brand new fi xture on display was the Alpha Spot QWO 800, a compact 800W spotlight packed with arti sti c features such as an animati on wheel for creati ng life-like projecti ons, a self-focusing zoom with 7° to 55° range and the new Dyna-Cue Creator capable of enabling complex animati ons

with minimum programming. The unit off ers uncompromising image quality, intense brightness, excellent beam uniformity, silent operati on and low energy consumpti on.

A product that att racted a lot of att enti on was the Igloo, a temperature-regulati ng enclosure that allows sub-700W moving lights to operate in any weather, even in sub-zero temperatures. Igloo comes with an IP67 power socket, an onboard wireless DMX receiver, and a unique system that maintains operati onal temperature between 0°C and 35°C (32°F and 95°F).

During the exhibiti on, Clay Paky designer Giovanni Zucchinali conducted a lightshow and demo for visitors. The lightshow not only displayed the capabiliti es of last year’s products like the Sharpy and the Shotlight Wash but also provided a glimpse of next year’s technologies as well.

“The reacti on to the Shotlight has been amazing,” commented Commercial Director Pio Nahum. “There’s nothing else like it, so we realise it has to be seen to be fully appreciated. At the demo, we had 12 units working in sync, which really gave us an opportunity to show off its true potenti al for the fi rst ti me. All the designers who saw the Shotlight were deeply impressed, and we’ve experienced an immediate spike in interest as a result.”

www.claypaky.it

The GlowUp

The Igloo

DTS Lighti ng unveil brand new moving headsFour brand new, high-power, compact moving heads were on display at the DTS Lighti ng booth. They were the Jack Spot, the Nick 600 Wash RGBW, the Nick 600 Wash Full Colour and the Nick 600 Wash Full White.

The Jack Spot is fi tt ed with an advanced MSD Plati num 5R 189W discharge lamp, a wide excursion motorised zoom and ultra-fast and silent Pan/Tilt. The Jack Spot combines a massive luminosity of 28.000 Lux at 5m, extremely uniform projecti on, with luminosity regularly diff used at any point of the light beam, making this unit ideal for big shows and big stages. The Jack Spot has also been ergonomically engineered. It weighs only 11 kg, making it very easy to transport, install, and store.

The Nick 600 Wash RGBW is available either with a 13,5° - 40° motorised zoom, or with three interchangeable opti cal units (Spot, Medium fl ood, Wide fl ood), and ultra-fast and silent Pan/Tilt (also available featuring the breakthrough ‘FAR’ technology). The Nick 600

Wash RGBW is one of the brightest compact LED projectors on the market. Luminous fl ux is no less than 9.750 Lumens. The Nick 600 Wash RGBW is suitable for a variety of applicati ons, such as lighti ng shopping malls, libraries, museums, exhibiti ons, clubs, restaurants, buildings, monuments, as well as concerts, special events, fashion displays, etc. The unit is easily installable even in the most refi ned setti ngs, thanks to its att racti ve appearance.

www.dts-lighti ng.com

The Jack Spot

The Nick 600 Wash RGBW

EXHIBITION REVIEW54 ntertainmenttechnology asia

FBT display full line up

FBT exhibited a full line up of professional audio products including the new EvoMaxX speaker series and the SUB Line acti ve subwoofers along with other best-selling models from their product range.

Evolving from the FBTMaxX Series of loudpeakers, the new FBT EvoMaxX speakers feature new woofers and even lighter, more powerful Class D amplifi ers with an extremely low noise fl oor. The EvoMaxX speakers also feature an EvoMaxX digital signal processor with four presets

to provide quick equalisati on contours to accomodate any acousti cally challenging venue.

FBT developed the EvoMaxX Series to off er customers more value for money. EvoMaxX’s lightweight yet sturdy polypropylene cabinets feature a monitor taper designed to ensure that they perform well regardless of whether they are used at front of house for a main sound system, as stage fl oor monitors or within permanent installati ons.

The EvoMaxX series consists of four powered and three passive models including the Subline 15Sa and 18Sa, all of which boast birch plywood enclosures with 15” band-pass and 18” refl ex designs respecti vely.

The SUBline series consist of 15Sa/15S and 18Sa/18S subwoofer models, built in birch plywood and aimed to extend the low frequency response to a wide range of FBT speaker systems. They are designed in 15” band-pass and 18” bass-refl ex respecti vely and are available in powered or passive versions.

www.fb t.it

FBT’s Export Manager Roberto Mataloni with the EvoMaxX speakers

Green Hippo display Hippoti zer Version 3.1Green Hippo had its Hippoti zer Version 3.1 on full display at their familiar double-decker stand with a collecti on of new features across both hardware and soft ware. UberPan is perhaps the most eagerly anti cipated component but the programming team have added new features and tweaks such as LiveMask, DMX2 and Realti me Sync.

In additi on, the Graphical User Interface for ZooKeeper has been reworked. The Hippoti zer installer has several new Input Card Opti ons with improved performance and nati ve drivers. Furthermore, several systems are now benefi tti ng from unlocked output resoluti on and additi onal layers which opens up new applicati ons and possibiliti es for many of the servers across the range.

Many of the existi ng features have been fi ne tuned as well. These include merging and mixing of video maps, ti meline updates for modes and paths, new FX’s and generators, updated diagnosti cs soft ware and speedometer, PixelMapper updates with Colour Kineti cs ki-net support and import/export improvements. DVI

Emulators, known as Parrots, are now shipping as standard on Hippoti zer and new breakout panel opti ons are now available for GrassHopper and HippoCritt er variants allowing professional connectors on more models in the range.

Also on show was a sneak preview of Green Hippo’s forthcoming architectural mapping soluti on from the Special Projects division. To help visitors understand its unique features Green Hippo projected it onto a 4-foot high, detailed, hand-craft ed dolls house. There were also working demonstrati ons of their multi -screen soft ware suite known as JigSaw.

www.green-hippo.com

Hippoti zer Version3.1

TIGERTOUCH

PEARL EXPERT TOUCH

Avolites:

+44 (0) 2089 658 522avosales@avolites.comwww.avolites.com

Total Solution:

(+65) 6287 9878sales@tsm-int.comwww.tsm-int.com

TOUCH THE

FUTURE

POWER CUBE

EXHIBITION REVIEWntertainmenttechnology asia 55

MA Lighti ng release new GrandMA2 soft ware Version 2.4 The PLASA exhibiti on was the ideal opportunity for MA Lighti ng to release the GrandMA2 soft ware Version 2.4 which received plenty of good feedback from visitors. “Introducing our soft ware release 2.4 at PLASA gave us the opportunity to directly receive comments from our customers who were very content about this step towards an even more powerful grandMA2,” said MA Lighti ng’s Managing Director Michael Althaus.

GrandMA2 Version 2.4 adds a multi tude of new functi onality, such as preview of cue values in all sheets and in the grandMA 3D soft ware, cue zero as a new sequence tracking opti on, temporary views for groups, sequences, views, macros and eff ects. There is also a template show folder for write protected showfi les and new programming functi ons like circular copy, shuffl e values, odd ID/even ID selecti on and user-defi ned programmer/executor ti mes.

Also on display at the MA Lighti ng booth

was the dimMA compact RCBO which combines the well-known reliability of their touring dimmers with the outstanding features of the MA-Net2/MA-Net network architecture. With the dimMA compact RCBO, every channel is protected with single RCBO (combinati on of RCD and MCB), to reach a new level of safety and to ensure the operati on of the remaining channels even if a single channel causes an earth leakage or over-current.

www.malighti ng.com

dimMA compact RCBO

Outline adds to the GTO family

Outline debuted its GTO large-format line-source system at the show. The result of a two-year cooperati on between Outline and some of the world’s best-known rental companies, GTO (Grand Touring Outline) has already had a highly successful start. The fi rst systems that left the factory in

The GTO-DF

summer 2010 were sold and earmarked for immediate use on high-profi le concerts and tours, initi ally in the USA and then Europe. Those systems, says the company, were not prototypes but standard producti on models.

However, the GTO family conti nues to grow. During the show, the Italian company also unveiled its GTO-DF (Down-fi ll). This element is mechanically compati ble with GTO and conceived and designed with the sole aim of providing audio coverage for the fi rst rows of the audience in every type of event at which GTO systems are used.

From the design point of view, the GTO-DF is eye-catching, with its aperture (120°) gradually fl aring out downwards. As opposed to the GTO, which has ten loudspeakers, this element uses six, four 8-inch mid-woofers and two 3-inch compression drivers.

www.outline.it

EXHIBITION REVIEW56 ntertainmenttechnology asia

Marti n Professional MAC Aura wins PLASA Innovati on AwardThe Marti n Professional booth was a hive of acti vity. Most visitors were there to see the MAC Aura, the fi rst compact LED moving head wash light with zoom that off ers never-before-seen “eye-candy aura” eff ects as well as functi oning as a highly capable single-lens wash with fully pre-mixed colour.

So impressive was the MAC Aura that it walked away with the PLASA Innovati on Award. The PLASA Awards for Innovati on recognise products that advance the industry by demonstrati ng a new style of thinking or improving technical practi ce or safety. PLASA CEO Matt hew Griffi ths presented Marti n Product Manager Peter Skytt e with the Award, a recogniti on of the MAC Aura’s ground-breaking opti cal system.

The MAC Aura’s opti cal system combines two illuminati on systems in one luminaire - multi -colour beam LEDs and a backlight LED lens array. An unrivaled 11-58° zoom off ers fantasti c beam eff ects with great defi niti on, capable of angling wide or extremely ti ght for high intensity beam looks. A uniform fi eld of light and excellent effi ciency is maintained throughout the zoom range.

The MAC Aura delivers almost 4000 lumens of output in an ultra-compact 5.6 kg (12.3 lb) package for a performance to size rati o not found in comparable fi xtures. And the Aura moves at a speed and precision that was once only associated with moving mirrors. Thanks to an excellent cooling system and high opti cal effi ciency, the MAC Aura is also extremely quiet while super-low power consumpti on (1 amp) allows

multi ple fi xtures to be daisy-chained on the same power line for an easier, faster and less expensive installati on.

www.marti n.com

The MAC Aura

Soren Storm (left ), Managing Director of Marti n Singapore, and PR Coordinator Larry Beck pose below the MAC Aura lights

Philips Stagepainter takes LED to a new level

Taking centre-stage at the Philips booth was the StagePainter D60 2000 – a system so fl exible and controllable, it enables lighti ng designers to paint exactly the scene they want with LED light. The StagePainter soluti on, designed in ADB’s ALC4-2 fi xture, provides a viable, energy-effi cient alternati ve to traditi onal halogen lamps in entertainment applicati ons. Due to the integrated colour mixing, Stagepainter produces perfectly controllable light. It also goes beyond existi ng LED stage lighti ng capabiliti es to provide superior control over

colour consistency and brightness, creati ng drama and spectacle with simplicity and ease.

In additi on to this, Philips’ Plati num lighti ng technology, which debuted in 2009, conti nues to be embraced by many manufacturers. Prior to PLASA, Philips Plati num lighti ng technology was incorporated into 12 fi xtures from seven OEM partners.

www.philips.com

Philips Plati num lighti ng technology

Stagepainter D60 2000 system

EXHIBITION REVIEWntertainmenttechnology asia 57

Prolyte’s H40R Truss att racts visitorstruss with a higher loading capacity. With his team of engineers he has designed the H40R truss, a rectangular standard H40 truss with a very clever programme of specifi cati ons based on the H30V, H40V and S36R truss.

The H40R has three-sided webbing. The thicker braces on the bott om side allow easy mounti ng of automated luminaires/moving heads and central loading, reducing the torsion eff ect resulti ng from one-sided loading in standard trusses. The spigot orientati on follows that of the S series truss, allowing easy assembly while the truss is sti ll on the fl oor. The H40R measures 387 mm high by 287 mm wide. The diagonals are placed to allow room for a 30D truss to rest on the bott om chords.

Its compact design makes the H40R easier and more cost-eff ecti ve to transport. The loading rate is comparable to the H40V, although lateral forces are limited due to the three-sided webbing. The H40R is available in all standard lengths as well as a box-corner. Apart from the standard lenghts and boxcorner for the H40R range, Prolyte has added a convenient box corner att achment.

www.prolyte.com

Over at the Prolyte Group stand, there was plenty of interest in their new H40R Truss which is essenti ally a combinati on of the best features of their top-selling trusses.

Prolyte’s Brand Manager Eric Laanstra had frequently received enquiries for a smaller

QSC extends KLA SeriesQSC Audio Products featured their new KLA Series Acti ve Line Array System which is the latest additi on to the House of K Family of acti ve loudspeakers. With similar user interfaces and sonic performance characteristi cs throughout the family, the K Family models can easily be mixed and matched to suit a wide range of applicati ons for installed sound, as well as rental and portable PA, says the company.

“With the House of K line, system integrators, designers and installers have an incredible arsenal of tools that they can uti lise to meet the requirements of contemporary sound applicati ons,” said Ray van Straten, QSC’s marketi ng communicati ons manager.“Since their introducti on, the K Family of products has conti nually exceeded our customers’ expectati ons

in terms of sonic performance, ease of deployment, reliability, and versati lity. They have become the go-to soluti on over and over again. Now, with the additi on of the KLA line array to the family, the House of K off ers an unbeatable soluti on for an even

larger range of venues. We’re very excited about the product and what it represents to our customers.”

Available in black and white, the KLA Series is comprised of two models, the KLA12 a 12-inch, two-way, line array element and the KLA181 an 18-inch direct radiati ng subwoofer. KLA12 is an 18-degree fi xed-arcuate line array element allowing installers to create a 90 X 90 degree array using only fi ve KLA12 enclosures.

www.qscaudio.com

EXHIBITION REVIEW58 ntertainmenttechnology asia

Renkus-Heinz displays IC2

The IC2

combining the control and fl exibility of Iconyx digitally steerable technology with the power and focus of a point source loudspeaker, creati ng the world’s fi rst ‘hybrid array’ with the full benefi ts of both technologies.

Each IC2 two-way 8-inch module delivers “arti culate musicality and powerful punch”, with a versati le design that can be used as a stand-alone high-performance loudspeaker, a small ground stack or a fl own array of up to 20 cabinets.

A full dual IC Live digital beam steering system with matching IC215S-R subwoofers, and a single cutaway IC2, gave visitors a chance to see this special technology. The display was completed by a single IC16R digitally beam-steered installati on loudspeaker. Att endees at the Technology for Worship Pavilion lectures had the privilege of hearing the presenters over an IC Live system with an IC Live and matching subwoofer on either side of the stage.

www.renkus-heinz.com

Renkus-Heinz displayed its latest products on the POLARaudio stand. Heading the list on the stand was the unique IC2 (IC Squared) - the fi rst ever high powered, medium format digitally steerable loudspeaker system designed for theatre and club installati ons. It integrates digital beam steering with high power output, built in amplifi cati on and RHAON network control. According to Renkus-Heinz, it opens up “a totally new product sector in pro audio, for venues looking for the ulti mate in quality and control.”

IC2 was designed to set a new benchmark in live sound loudspeaker design by

Robert Juliat launches Aledin LED Wash

Robert Juliat’s launch of the Aledin 330LF LED Wash was hailed a great success at the show. It was designed as a complement to the award-winning Aledin 630 Profi le, the industry’s fi rst LED profi le which the company launched at PLASA last year, the Aledin Wash is based around the same 85W LED light source.

Available in a choice of two colour t e m p e r a t u r e s (3500K and 5800K), Aledin Wash is suitable for a whole spectrum of uses. Its fl icker-free, dimmable ballast and variable beam angles make this a perfect unit for television studios where it is already proving a great hit.

Robert Juliat were delighted with the recepti on Aledin Wash received at the show. “The Aledin 330LF LED Wash made a huge impact on its release at PLASA 2011,” said Lionel Garraud, Robert Juliat’s

Sales Director. “The customers, which include hire companies, television studios and venues, which invested in the Aledin 630 LED Profi le last year were very happy to see the Wash come on to the market. It forms the perfect complement to Aledin Profi le and a large number

of orders for the new-comer were placed directly on the stand. We are very pleased with the response it has received.”

www.robertjuliat.com

Wireless done right!

For more information about LumenRadio’s wireless control products, please visit www.tsm-int.com

www.tsm-int.com • Phone: +65-62879878 • sales@tsm-int.com

• Industrys most reliable wireless DMX/RDM system• Automated Cognitive Coexistence• Is not disturbed by and will not disturb other systems• Lowest latency in the industry at 5 ms• Link range: 500-1000 meters line-of-sight• Advanced 128 bit encryption • One button takes care of all setup

EXHIBITION REVIEWntertainmenttechnology asia 59

Robe enjoys ‘awesome’ show

The Robe booth was an awesome sight as the Czech company took the opportunity to launch two new products, the Robin DLX Spot - the world’s fi rst RGBW LED based moving head, and the ROBIN 1200 LEDWash, the latest additi on to the hugely popular Robin LEDWash family. There was also a special preview of the Robin Sniper concept - a mega-bright fi xture with super-ti ght 230 mm parallel fat beam.

There were large crowds at the stand throughout the 4 days of the show. Most people were there to learn about the new launches as well as the Robin MMX Spot, the fi rst in the next generati on of ‘workhorse’ 1200 series fi xtures. There was also considerable interest in the Robin 300 and 600 Spot, Wash and Beam ranges.

This year’s stand also included a special enclosed demonstrati on studio where individual presentati ons were given to invited guests focusing on the fi ner details of the new product releases. All these slots were also fully booked throughout the enti re four days.

Robe also took the opportunity to celebrate the sale of its 5000th Robin 600 LEDWash luminaire during the show. The Robin 600

LEDWash has become the fastest selling product in the c o m p a n y ’ s history. It was launched at last year’s PLASA show and the fi rst units rolled off the producti on line in the Czech Republic in December 2010.

Robe’s traditi onal Sunday night party slot at the Café de Paris in central London was att ended by over 600 guests. There was live music, great food and lots of entertainment.

Robe CEO Josef Valchar commented, “We had a fantasti c show in all ways. The new products were very well received, which also reinforces our thoughts and ideas for the future. We met lots of internati onal and high value new contacts in additi on to many of our worldwide distributors along with a wide mix of our existi ng clients and friends, and it provided a great forum for all of us to catch up on both business and social fronts. I think the exhibiti on conti nues to be among the most important in Europe for the entertainment sector.”

www.robe.cz

Sales Director Harry von den Stemmen (left ) and CEO Josef Valchar with the Robin 1200 LEDWash

The Robin Sniper concept

Robin MMX Spot

At less than 61 cm tall and only 20 kg, the VLX3 LED Wash boasts 6,000 lumens using 3 x 120W replaceable custom RGBW LED chipsets with a 10,000 hour source life, all with individual LED control.

Coming in under 64 cm tall and only 25 kg, the VL400 Spot provides 9,000 lumens of output from a 400W MSR Gold 400 Philips MiniFastFit

independent color wheels.

All created under 64 cm tall and only 25.5 kg, the VL440, VL770, and VL880 Spot luminaires are complete with a 3-wheel CYM color assembly for rich, saturated colors. The VL440 uses a 400W MSR Gold 400 Philips MiniFastFit lamp to produce 9000 lumens of output, the VL770 has a 700W MSR Gold 700 Philips MiniFastFit lamp which produces 15,100 lumens of output, and the VL880 is complete with a 800W MSR

19,000 lumens of output.

For a complete list of product features visit www.vari-lite.com.

THE LITTLE ONES ARE NOW SHIPPING

They’re allgrown andready to hit the road.

www.tsm-int.comPhone: +65-62879878

sales@tsm-int.com

EXHIBITION REVIEW60 ntertainmenttechnology asia

W-DMX™ awards Best OEM Partners and Distributors

Wireless Soluti on Sweden AB congratulated the Best of W-DMX™ winners for 2011, awarded at a special ceremony during PLASA to celebrate 100,000 W-DMX units shipped worldwide. The company held its famous Swedish vodka and meatball party to toast the event.

The winners were:• Best Asia/Oceania Partner: ULA Group• Highest OEM Sales: Golden Sea

Professional Equipment• Best Debuti ng OEM: Guangzhou Yajiang

Photoelectric Ltd.• Most Promising OEM: Philips Vari*Lite• Best Installati on Asia: Laservision for

Marina Bay Sands

• Best Installati on Asia: ULA Group for Marina Bay Sands

Niclas Arvidsson, CEO of Wireless Soluti on said, “We owe so much of our success to the hard work and dedicati on of our distributors, OEM partners and the outstanding installati ons around the world using W-DMX. This is just a small way we can give them the recogniti on they’ve earned and we look forward to many more success stories to come.”

In additi on, Wireless Soluti on displayed the new BlueBox RDM Controller. It allows users to search for any RDM enabled product in a DMX/RDM Network, automati cally patch and control the fi xture, receive status updates and confi gure setti ngs such as fi xture mode, lamp on/off and more. BlueBox works with the W-DMX™ G4 range and will automati cally search for and fi nd any G4 transmitt ers and RDM enabled G4 receivers. Signal strength and wireless channels are displayed, plus confi gurati on opti ons such as signal power, transmitt er/receiver pairing and compati bility modes.

www.wirelessdmx.com

Wei Kai Jiang of Golden Sea Professional Equipment receives his award from Niclas Arvidsson

GLP launch breakthrough technologyGLP chose this year’s PLASA show to launch a revoluti onary new LED washlight from its Impression range as well as a new video display and controller from G-LEC.

The new Impression Wash One boasts a 400W RGB LED light engine and the same groundbreaking technology as the Spot One. The fully-featured luminaire is able to deliver delicate colour changes or instantaneous colour bumps over a wide, carefully-calibrated colour spectrum.

The Impression Wash One off ers a 6°-60° zoom range but the key diff erenti ator is its innovati ve 3° narrow beam mode and its unique variable soft -edge beam control that allows soft ness adjustment. Another att ribute is the beam shaping functi on that enables the user to illuminate only the parts of a stage that need to be lit. With its baseless yoke the Wash One weighs just 22 kg...perfect both for transportati on and fl exible stage rigging (in any orientati on).

GLP also launched a new device called G-LEC Video Processor. Available in three versions (Pro, Standard and PC) the video processor’s generic features include a 30 sec set-up ti me (with automated placement, snap features and stage plan picture underlay) and intuiti ve ‘What You See Is What You Get’ placement, off ering individual panel scaling and a single video input to many diff erent pixel pitches.

www.glp.de

GLP Head of Marketi ng Uli Steinle with the Impression Wash One

INSTALLntertainmenttechnology asia 61

The Phantom of the Opera has been seen by over 100 million people globally and with the show taking more than $5 billion at the box offi ce, it’s considered by many as the most successful theatre show of all ti me.

Love Never Dies, the dazzling sequel to the Phantom of the Opera, has hit the Australian scene and it’s had some mighty big shoes to fi ll. Melbourne’s Regent Theatre was home to the Australian debut of Love Never Dies in May and the show has been running non-stop, tugging at the heart strings of audience members since its premiere. Theatre specialists System Sound were handed the audio reigns due to their extensive experience in professional theatre. The team at System Sound decided to use their brand new DiGiCo SD7T console complete with an EX-007 expansion console, 5 x DiGi-Racks and an SD8 on monitors for good measure.

The SD7T and EX-007 expansion were used as the front of house system connected together via Ethernet. For Love Never Dies, the EX-007 was uti lised as a side car unit providing an additi onal 24 faders to the existi ng 52 on the SD7T (the EX-007 can also be confi gured as a remote control unit of the main console).

At Front of House, local I\O as well as a DiGiCo Mini-Rack were confi gured with 4 AES Bi-directi onal cards. This rack handled all playback from automated SFX units as well as Outboard FX.

Phantom of the Opera returns with DigicoAustralia

Behind the stage, three full sized DiGi-Racks were also commissioned. The fi rst rack was dedicated to handling all radio mics (with most people on stage carrying a redundant mic pack as backup). The SD7T was confi gured so that it could easily switch over to the input of the second mic in the event of unforseen microphone issues during performance. The second rack was confi gured for the orchestra and the third was used for all system feeds. A fourth rack was also put to use (this ti me a Mini-Rack) for additi onal orchestra inputs. All four racks were connected to the SD7T via a redundant opti cal loop and the fi rst two racks were connected via MADI to the SD8 which handled monitors.

The on-board VNL video screen on the SD7T was connected to two cameras at Front of House covering the conductor and pianist. This

was uti lised as a visual aid for communicati ons between the operator, conductor and pianist.

The show has been running sold out shows since May.

The sound crew for Love Never Dies:Sound Designer: Mick Pott erAssociate Sound Designer: Paul GatehouseSound Supervisor: Shelly LeeDeputy Supervisor/System Engineer: David GreasleyHead of Sound: Camden YoungDeputy Head of Sound: Evan DrillRadio Mic Technician: Que NguyenRadio Mic Swing: Jess FrostRadio mic Consultant: Alix Campbell

www.grouptechnologies.com.au

David Greasley setti ng up the SD7T and Camden Young behind the SD7T

Melbourne’s Regent Theatre

INSTALL62 ntertainmenttechnology asia

D.A.S. Audio at China’s Dongpo TheatreChina

Being one of the most important tourist citi es in China, Hangzhou is famous for its natural scenery and its West Lake. This thriving city is also home to the Dongpo Theater, the fl agship theatre of Gold Coast Culture Development Ltd., bett er known as the Gold Coast Company. As one of the top entertainment theatres in China, the Dongpo Theatre off ers two performances nightly year ‘round - Night of West Lake for the tourists and the Gold Coast Entertainment Show for local citi zens. Sound quality is a major considerati on for all who perform at the Dongpo Theatre, which is considered a cultural and entertainment landmark. This is precisely why a new sound reinforcement system drawn from the catalog of Valencia, Spain –based D.A.S. Audio was recently placed into service.

Ms. Jie Han, Gold Coast Company’s Project Manager, discussed the signifi cance of the company’s eff orts and the reasoning that led to deployment of the new D.A.S. Audio sound system. “As the largest theatre chain in China,” Ms. Han explained, “the Gold Coast Company operates over 50 theatre producti ons at its 14 theatres across China. The Gold Coast Entertainment Show is the most famous brand among the Gold Coast Company’s off erings and the producti on is presented all year in each of the company’s theatres. With a total audience volume of over 5 million people per year, this is a very important entertainment property, so it is crucial that our audiences be treated to the very best sound.”

With this objecti ve in mind, Hangzhou Chuangda Stage Faciliti es, the authorised D.A.S. Audio dealer in Zhejiang Province, was contracted to design and install the theatre’s new sound system. With logisti cal assistance from D.A.S. Audio’s Hong Kong offi ce, the Dongpo Theatre’s new sound system was designed to include loudspeakers from the Aero Series 2 and Artec product groups.

The house mains consist of 16 D.A.S. Audio Aero 12A powered, 2-way, mid-high line array elements—fl own 8 cabinets per side. An additi onal 4 Aero 12A loudspeakers are used for front fi ll. For low frequency support, 4 D.A.S. LX-218A powered subwoofers—each with two 18-inch transducers—are ground stacked, two cabinets per side in a left -right confi gurati on. Twelve D.A.S. Audio Artec 28 2-way enclosures are provided for surround fi lls throughout the theatre. A D.A.S. Audio DSP-4080 4 In/8 Out signal processor handles loudspeaker management responsibiliti es.

Eduardo Lopez, D.A.S. Audio Hong Kong’s Operati ons Manager, commented on the recent installati on. “The Performance Theatre industry in China is very acti ve and relevant, and for D.A.S. Audio to establish a collaborati on with one of the leading companies in this sector is a milestone achievement for our speaker systems in this kind of applicati on. Our acti ve, compact line arrays, which are easy to install and set-up, do not detract from the grand appearance

of the stage, yet they provide outstanding audio performance and represent a good opti on for this type of venue. The diversity of performances and music played in this theatre match perfectly well with the variety of applicati ons our line arrays are designed to support, so I am confi dent there is a good future for D.A.S. Audio.”

Installati on of the Dongpo Theatre’s new sound system was completed this past June and, since that ti me, Gold Coast Company management reports they are very pleased with the results. “D.A.S. Audio is a company that exhibits professionalism, honesty, and integrity,” notes Ms. Han. “We appreciate their enthusiasti c service and support and, of course, the high quality sound of the company’s loudspeakers. I sincerely hope Gold Coast and D.A.S. Audio will establish a reliable partnership and, together, further develop the Chinese entertainment market.”

www.dasaudio.com

INSTALLntertainmenttechnology asia 63

Gallery “Splendid Central China

Zhongyuan Fu Tower is situated in Zhengzhou, the provincial capital of Henan in China. The tower occupies 141 hectares with a constructi on area of 58,000 square metres and incurred a total investment amount of 836 million yuan. The height of the tower is 388 meters and is the tallest steel tower in the world. It is also considered to be a landmark of the province with integrated functi ons of a TV signal transmission tower, tourist att racti ons as well as an educati onal and cultural centre.

The “Splendid Central Plains” Gallery, located on the third and fourth fl oors of the tower has been recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest panoramic painti ng in the world. This mammoth artwork is 18 meters high, 164 meters long and occupies 3012 square metres with a surface modeling area of 2,200 square metres.

agreed that the FBT Verve off ered outstanding performance at a competi ti ve price. When the sound level was properly set, the FBT Verve produced speech of high clarity, amazing presence and music of excellent transparency at high frequency. The mid-range presentati on was sweet and natural. Singers’ voices and musical instruments could be reproduced with a high degree of realism. The bass presentati on was strong enough and with clear defi niti on. Strong punch from drums could be reproduced perfectly which impressed the audience.

Aft er 3 years of constructi on, the 101-storey Zhongyuan Fu Tower was fi nally opened in February, 2011. The painti ng in the gallery provides a detailed portrayal of Henan’s historical heritage and natural scenery covering 18 citi es. It presents the past, present and future of the Central China and is a grand spectacle full of creati vity, innovati on and senti ment. With sophisti cated sound from the FBT Verve speakers, light and electronic techniques, the panorama’s fi gures and landscapes come to life with a dynamic movement that deeply impresses every visitor.

The sound system used in the gallery of the panoramic

Although the gallery’s emphasis is on the visual eff ect of the panoramic painti ng, the sound system’s quality has never been compromised. The management believes that the audio-visual eff ect can only be opti mised if a high quality audio system is used. To select the best sound system for the gallery, they sent specialists to similar installati ons in other parts of the world to study the sound systems used in those installati ons. Aft er extensive research, a few top American and European brands were chosen for a second-round evaluati on by sound experts.

Eventually, the FBT Verve series of speakers was chosen for the project. The management of the gallery and most e x p e r t s

painti ng consists of the following:

• FBT Verve 152 - 2-way speaker x 26 pcs• FBT PSR 118S - 18” Sub-woofer x 6 pcs• FBT Verve 8M - Monitor speaker x 2 pcs• FBT Symbol 12000 - Powered amplifi er x 6 pcs• FBT Symbol 18000 - Powered amplifi er x 2 pcs• FBT DLM26 - Speaker management processor x 4 pcs

www.fb t.it

FBT Verve speaker

Plains” selects FBT

INSTALL64 ntertainmenttechnology asia

Arup chooses NEXO for SOTA Singapore

An intrinsic part of the Singapore government’s strategy to focus on the arts is the School of The Arts (SOTA) – a specialist high school off ering the Internati onal Baccalaureate but dedicated to training in the visual and performing arts. Opened to students last year, it is the fi rst of its kind in the nati on. This July sees the offi cial inaugurati on of its presti gious new performance spaces; two theatres and a 700-seater Concert Hall, designed to the highest producti on standards by Arup.

Arup’s acousti cian Tan Suan Wee drew on his own live sound background when designing the sound reinforcement system for the elegant Concert Hall. Two systems were able to meet the precise specifi cati on, which demanded much in terms of scalability, portability, directi onal control, clarity, musicality and, of course, budget. For this high-profi le concert venue, the choice came down to a NEXO GEO S12 line array design, with RS15 subs, PS8 front-fi ll cabinets, and power and processing from NXAMPs.

SOTA is located at the gateway to Singapore’s arts and entertainment district. Designed by renowned architects WOHA, the school is unique in combining a high-density inner-city school with a professional performing arts venue. Its diverse prospectus of arts disciplines puts a fantasti c variety of musical styles through its premier venue, the Concert Hall. The repertoire extends from baroque and chamber music to choral, full orchestral performances and amplifi ed concerts.

Arup has built great acousti cal fl exibility into the space such as movable choir stalls that can track forward to allow the stage

size to be reduced, creati ng more inti mate platf orm setti ngs. There are also variable acousti c elements in the Hall that enable the reverberance to be reduced without losing clarity. “SOTA had very defi nite ideas about how the faciliti es of the school should perform,” Suan Wee said. “The acousti c challenge is to accommodate such a wide repertoire and we needed to design and specify a sound reinforcement soluti on that was itself versati le and complementary to the acousti cs of the Concert Hall.”

Arup has taken a scalable system approach by implementi ng modular sub-systems. In the Concert Hall, the NEXO GEO S12 loudspeakers are installed in a L/C/R confi gurati on. Left and right hangs carry 4x GEO S1210 with a GEO S1230 downfi ll. They can be rigged onto the loudspeaker hoist on demand, or de-rigged, to serve in another part of the SOTA campus. A centre cluster of 3x GEO 1230s side-by-side can be interfaced with the L/R rig, or used standalone, when the producti on calls for a clean (no speakers on show) aestheti c in the Concert Hall. “With the central cluster fl own above the acousti c canopy, this is a good soluti on for voice-only or subtly-amplifi ed solo instruments, while minimising the visual footprint of the system,” says Suan Wee. “The NEXO GEO S12 cabinets off er good directi onal control, handling speech as well as amplifi ed music. From an acousti c perspecti ve, we can achieve excellent clarity in a highly reverberant space.”

As importantly for SOTA, the scalable design of GEO allows it to be taken apart and moved around quite easily. “The amplifi ers for the left and right arrays, subwoofers and fi lls are

housed in touring fl ightcases, so they can be relocated easily and on their return, re-patched easily to form the full system. There is the full complement of rigging accessories from NEXO so the GEO cabinets can be used outdoors for a concert, or in other venues as required.”

Suan Wee confi rms that the Concert Hall is available to external rental users. “This also helps SOTA’s revenue stream, as outside producti ons will look for a rider-friendly amplifi ed system.”

Specifi cati on:4x GEO S1210 each side1x GEO S1230 each side3x GEO S1230 centre cluster2x PS10 centre cluster out-rigs4x RS15 sub bass2x GEO S1230 stalls fi ll5x PS8 front fi ll, integrated into stage lip2x PS8 choir stallsNXAMPs 4x1 and 4x4

SOTA’s system was supplied through Yamaha Music (Asia), NEXO’s distributor in Singapore, where Lawrence Tan of the PA/CA Marketi ng Group oversaw the project.

“We’ve had very good support from Yamaha,” said Suan Wee. “They’ve provided very good service, ti mely delivery and excellent planning. They’ve been backed up by the NEXO factory, with Nicolas Kirsch and Scott Mason dedicated to the SOTA project. The factory did its own modelling of our original design, a case of due diligence by a manufacturer that is quite rare! It’s good that both parti es reached the same conclusions.

“SOTA has already hosted the Singapore Arts Festi val, which saw the system being used for diff erent musical styles and both the venue staff and ourselves are very sati sfi ed with the outcome. The project has parti cular requirements in terms of the sound reinforcement system and, in this situati on, I believe it’s the most appropriate tool for the applicati on,” Suan Wee added.

“From a technical point-of-view, the system design has to cater for professional users but there is an equal focus on the learning process of the students themselves, who will be stepping through the diff erent venues and their varying technical specifi cati ons, and they can learn a great deal from the design philosophy of the NEXO system,” Suan Wee concluded.

www.nexo-sa.com

SOTA’s 700-seat Concert Hall

Renkus-Heinz at the Dubai Internati onal Swim StadiumUnited Arab Emirates

Rising like an elegant blue wave from the sands of the Arabian Peninsula, the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Sports Complex is a stunningly futuristi c building.

Created by FaulknerBrowns Architects and ARUP, its centerpiece is the Dubai Internati onal Swim Stadium. The 18,000-seat aquati cs complex made its internati onal debut hosti ng the Fina World Short Course Swimming Championship.

This impressive venue is divided into main pool and training pool areas and, suspended from the soaring arched roof, a long gantry carries a PA system that’s designed for both audio quality and cost effi ciency in equal measure.

Renkus-Heinz Middle East sales representati ve Norbert Bau explained, “The initi al sound system design specifi ed 40 large speakers hanging from the ceiling. We felt the budget could be used more eff ecti vely, so we submitt ed an alternati ve, via our consultant, Ricardo Castro at RCE Electroacusti ca, to convert the main competi ti on hall system design to just four IC Live Duals and two IC Live singles.”

“The VIP and VVIP stands are covered by two SG151 compact two-way loudspeakers to add a litt le bit of extra warmth to the sound in those areas. In eff ect, it means we are able to deliver even sound coverage to all 18,000 seats in the stadium with a main system of just eight loudspeakers,” Bau added.

Facing the seati ng from the central roof gantry, the six loudspeaker locati ons, made up of a total of four dual IC Live arrays

and two single IC Live arrays, cover the enti re main bowl.

Exploiti ng IC Live’s multi -beam capability, each array is confi gured in BeamWare to provide three individual beam angles that cover the seati ng terraces from poolside to just under the roof.

“When we fi rst explored this idea it was quite exciti ng, as it was the fi rst ti me we’d looked at covering such a huge space in this way. But the soluti on worked in EASE simulati ons, it met the budgetary requirements and gave the stadium owners an almost invisible system - and it’s performing really well. It’s great walking up and down the spectator terraces and hearing equal intelligibility and transparency everywhere,” Bau said.

The training pool hall has its own system, using two IC24s, while a total of 80 Iconyx loudspeakers cover the cafeteria and other public spaces, and just two Iconyx IC32 columns cover the enti re Grand Foyer.

Renkus-Heinz’s California factory, which regularly supplies weatherised versions of products to order, added specially developed, warranti ed, chlorine-resistant coati ngs and treatment for the drivers.

A Biamp-based CobraNet network and a secondary analog network, plus full integrati on with a secondary voice alarm system, ensure compliance with all internati onal VA/PA safety standards.

www.renkus-heinz.com

INSTALLntertainmenttechnology asia 65

Marti n Lighti ng Mysti c at Kingdom of DreamsIndia

India’s Kingdom of Dreams is a fi rst-of-its-kind entertainment desti nati on near Delhi that presents Indian culture and unique Indian experiences to tourists in the form of Indian-based performing arts, art, craft s and cuisine.

Spread across a large six-acre site at the apex of the golden triangle of Jaipur, Agra and Delhi, Kingdom of Dreams boasts venues of internati onal standard, namely the Nautanki Mahal and Showshaa theatres, and a cultural and cuisine area known as Culture Gully.

Nautanki Mahal is an 848-seat auditorium with an ornate facade designed like a palace that serves as the park’s main entertainment space. Consulti ng lighti ng designer for the theatre is well-respected German light designer Jerry Appelt, who also designed the lighti ng for the theatre’s debut show, ‘Zangoora – the Gypsy Prince’, an extravagant cinemati c and theatrical musical billed as ‘the biggest Bollywood musical show ever’.

“Nautanki Mahal features the Zangoora show but also hosts other shows and events,” Jerry comments. “It’s really a very multi -purpose space and therefore needed a fl exible house rig to cover the various events. It was very important to have a reliable system and I know the MAC series well. They are reliable workhorses and very fl exible.”

The theatre rig is made up of mostly MAC 2000 series fi xtures - Marti n MAC 2000 Wash XB™, MAC 2000 Wash™, MAC 2000 Profi le™ and MAC 2000 Performance™ luminaires, plus

Atomic 3000™ strobe eff ects. Adding to the mysti cal atmosphere of “Zangoora” is ground-hugging fog from Jem Glaciator X-Stream™ heavy foggers along with smoke eff ects from Marti n Magnum 2000™ smoke machines.

The Marti n lighti ng for Kingdom of Dreams is supported through Marti n Professional’s Indian offi ce based in Bangalore, an important local connecti on that Appelt found quite valuable.

“Support is very important on a project like this and it is nice to have the local Marti n support in India for testi ng, maintenance, demos, etc.,” Appelt stated. “When you need to show the automated luminaires against, for example, PAR cans, the MACs will just sell themselves, but you have to get the equipment on site so you can make the comparison! That’s a key step. You also have to convince the client what is behind the lighti ng as far as service and support, so it’s important to have a company like Marti n behind you.”

Jerry also completed the lighti ng design for the palati al outdoor facade of the theatre and chose Marti n Exterior 1200™, Exterior 600™ and Inground 200™ luminaires. The Exterior series fi xtures are mounted in groups and illuminate the enti re façade in a uniform wash of saturated colours, typically in Indian orange, that give the structure a stunning night ti me look.

Additi onal Marti n lighti ng at Kingdom of Dreams includes a line of Marti n Tripix 1200™ outdoor LED strip lights mounted on an anterior wall to uplight Indian relief art, and additi onal Exterior 600s used to add color to the Culture Gully, a lavish air-conditi oned indoor boulevard full of Indian culinary delights and shopping.

Marti n equipment used:Exterior 1200™Exterior 600™Inground 200™Tripix 1200™MUM™MAC 2000 Wash XB™MAC 2000 Wash™MAC 2000 Performance™Atomic 3000™Jem Glaciator X-Stream™Marti n Magnum 2000™

www.marti n.com

INSTALL66 ntertainmenttechnology asia

INSTALLntertainmenttechnology asia 67

No fewer than 161 CMX Series amplifi ers from QSC are providing the pulse for a multi -room nightclub on the southern ti p of China. Chosen for their reliability, products from across the CMX range not only power the 400 square metres of dance fl oor but also 26 private rooms and 14 VIP rooms — the dynamic combinati on of powerful audio and brilliant stage lighti ng, installed by Shenzhen Duoyuan Technology Co. Ltd., providing a super-sensory sti mulus for patrons of Gold Coast in Xuwen.

Introduced last year, the new CMX series, an evoluti on of the award-winning RMX Series, uses a high-current toroidal transformer and fi ltering to ensure generous energy reserves allowing the amplifi ers to eff ortlessly handle high-level transients. The output secti ons feature rugged class AB and class H architecture depending on power level.

These are features certainly not lost on Wu Haitao, Product Manager at QSC’s Chinese distributor, PCI. He recognises that CMX was designed as an economical soluti on for system integrators, providing an irresisti ble combinati on of unmatched performance

with an aff ordable price. “CMX has inherited QSC’s legendary superior performance while increasing its applicati on opti ons, by off ering greater fl exibility and perfect sound,” he stated.

Wu Haitao points out that it was the investors themselves who selected QSC CMX Series power amplifi ers to drive the enti re sound system, citi ng brand dependability, stable operati on and excellent performance as key criteria in the decision making.

And their faith has certainly proved justi fi ed. Expected to provide stable operati on over a long duty cycle, the QSC amplifi ers have been performing fl awlessly, a feature that fi lled the project investors with reassurance from the outset.

Situated in a buzzing nightclub district of the city, Gold Coast caters to party people of all ages in Guangdong Province, looking to experience the venue’s high sensory impact generated from luxury audio, vibrant video eff ects and exaggerated décor.

Since the new CMX Series was introduced, PCI say they have been enjoying increasing

success. “Although QSC’s profi le has changed over the years, and the company’s diversifi cati on into advanced loudspeaker and processing design has quickly been recognised by the Chinese market, its amplifi er products are sti ll fi rst choice for the majority of customers,” stated Wu Haitao. “This enables the QSC brand to maintain a very high market share.”

www.qscaudio.com

Gold Coast Nightclub boasts 161 QSC CMX amplifi ersChina

INSTALL68 ntertainmenttechnology asia

Sydney’s Knox Grammar School picks K.M.EAustralia

Professional Audio Technology Pty Ltd (PAT) has delivered another K.M.E. PANO Series line array public address system, this ti me to the new sports and events hall at Sydney’s presti gious Knox Grammar School. Various PA manufacturers were compared based on sound quality, manufacturing quality and price by contracted audio consultants with K.M.E. coming out on top.

The new sports and events hall, which consists of three basketball courts, a spectator seati ng gallery and everything else a sporti ng venue could ask for, will be used for sporti ng events and can also double as a concert hall, comfortably holding up to 800-1,000 spectators. The Front of House concert rig consists of Line Source Units QL 1215 powered by a DA 428 with 700 Watt s per

channel and subs QLB 118 powered with a DA 230 amplifi er with 1,500 Watt s per channel. The K.M.E. amplifi ers with multi channel functi onality and DSP drive the enti re system.

Professional Audio Technology’s Technology Specialist Alan Liddelow was at the venue during the fi rst sound check with the new K.M.E. system. “We are extremely sati sfi ed with the performance and clarity of the new system and what’s equally important is that the client is very happy with their buying decision which is imperati ve. We recommended the PANO system to Knox Grammar because they wanted to have a soluti on which would not only sati sfy the sound quality requirements, but was also small in size, but with enough SPL to provide the sound engineer with enough headroom during the events. During

the set-up of the amps, K.M.E.’s Preset Editor and Wizard made the job very straight forward and easy. We thought that a small PANO system was a future-proofed soluti on providing the highest quality sound, an even sound dispersion and more than enough headroom to deal with anything that might be thrown at the system. Before making our recommendati on to Knox Grammar, we met with the client, discussed their needs, analysed the acousti c characteristi cs of the room and took into account what the system would be used for.”

www.kme-sound.com

Allen & Heath selected for new Saudi Arabian universitySaudi Arabia

Allen & Heath mixing consoles have been installed throughout the new Princess Noura bint Abdul Rahman University for Women in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Supplied by CAP France BAT with the support of Allen & Heath distributor PAXT Pro Audio Engineering, the audio installati on encompasses the University’s Conventi on Centre including a 2800 capacity theatre, a smaller 1400 capacity theatre, a rehearsal/multi -purpose theatre and ten seminar rooms.

The University was offi cially opened by Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah less than three

years aft er laying the fi rst foundati on stone. The major building project covers 8 million square metres, and includes administrati on buildings, 13 faculti es, a 700-bed student hospital, laboratories, research centres and a residenti al area including accommodati on for students and staff . The capacity of the university is around 26,000 students.

The two larger theatres feature a total of four iDR-48 MixRacks and four iLive-T112 Control Surfaces to manage FOH and monitors, whilst the Black Box rehearsal theatre contains an iDR-32 MixRack with iLive-T80 Control Surface. Additi onally, ZED-14 analogue stereo USB mixers are installed in each of the seminar rooms to mix wireless, goose-neck mics and programme audio sources.

www.allen-heath.comThe iLive-T112 Control Surfaces located in PNU university

IC Live delivers for two Qatar soccer stadiumsQatar

Two soccer stadiums in Qatar have each been equipped with a uniquely designed Renkus-Heinz IC Live digitally beam steerable PA system, confi gured to deliver music, safety announcements and match commentary in the largely roofl ess venues, which are owned by the Qatar Olympic Committ ee (QOC).

The multi -purpose stadium in Al-Rayyan, Qatar, home to the Al-Rayyan and Al-Khariti yath sports clubs, and the near-identi cal Al-Gharafa stadium, seat around 25,000 each. Both are largely open-air apart from VIP grandstands, and in a country where summerti me temperatures can hit 40°C/104°F, the term “bleacher” means exactly what it says.

They are the latest in a series of high profi le Renkus-Heinz beam steering installati ons in the Middle East, two other recent presti gious projects being the Qatar Royal Mosque and the Dubai Swim Stadium.

Consultant Fredrik Sett erberg of Swedish audio specialists Solifl ex was called in to fi ne-tune the design and, he explains, this has turned out to be another world fi rst for the versati le IC Live system, which was installed in record ti me by local contractor Al-Tamas.

“It was a very fast job from start to fi nish - about a month from the order being received. We worked with Al-Tamas to equip two stadiums with 16 IC Live arrays and two sub-woofers in each stadium, each connected via RHAON (Renkus-Heinz Audio Operati ons Network). We originally planned to have the loudspeakers on the edge of the pitch shooti ng upwards towards the audience, but

the QOC asked for a re-design, partly because of visibility issues. The main challenge was to massively improve intelligibility across the seati ng areas without interfering with sightlines - and without a roof to hang speakers from,” said Sett erberg.

“We solved it by mounti ng the IC Live columns on custom-built downward-angled mounti ng poles on the stadium’s outer wall behind the spectators, with the cabinets upside-down to get the high frequency drivers as close to the audience as possible. A combinati on of the mechanical angling and IC Live’s beam steering eff ecti vely aims the sound directly across the spectators’ heads. The soluti on worked out really well. We have very good STI values, and the SPL is more than enough to cover the whole arena - even with all the crowd noise,” he added.

Where the original PA had employed 42 loudspeakers around the arena, the new soluti on with IC Live sees just 16 units covering the whole stadium. The CobraNet system has an analog backup for redundancy and the system is designed to allow future expansion of its functi onality to include voice alarm capability. “It’s only a PA for now, although we have recommended that we can integrate it with the voice alarm in the future, because the IC Live is considerably more powerful than the existi ng VA loudspeakers,” Sett erberg explained.

Sound sources are mostly music, in the shape of nati onal anthems, and spoken commentaries, announcing the names of goal scorers and the recipients of yellow cards,

delivered by an announcer from a media booth in the grandstand using a wireless microphone.

A 360 Systems hard-disk-based playout system provides the musical content, with a Yamaha mixer integrati ng the various sound sources. A MediaMatrix NION NX handles distributi on to the system’s 11 zones, which can be switched on and off independently, while all the speaker processing is performed within RHAON.

“The big advantage with RHAON is that you don’t need an expensive DSP processor, because the only functi on it performs is the matrix zone routi ng,” said Sett erberg. “We use RHAON for EQ and beam steering and everything else, and networking is all on fi bre opti c with Cat-5 up to the loudspeakers, which are weatherised and are fi tt ed with ruggedised Ethernet switches that will work at up to 85°C/185°F without fan cooling.”

www.renkus-heinz.com

INSTALLntertainmenttechnology asia 69

INSTALL70 ntertainmenttechnology asia

Custom ‘SPECKS’ for the ‘Pullman’ Dubai Mall of the EmiratesUnited Arab Emirates

The ‘Pullman’ Dubai Mall of the Emirates is Accor’s upscale hotel brand which is tailored toward providing high quality services and faciliti es for both business and leisure clientele. Strategically located in the heart of New Dubai, the Pullman rises proudly above the bustling metropolis and showcases a seamless blend of contemporary French elegance with Middle Eastern hospitality.

Given Dubai’s many examples of elaborate architectural treatments for fi ne hotels, it was paramount that the fi rst Pullman Hotel in the Middle East made a clear and defi niti ve statement about its positi oning amongst such considerable competi ti on and thus, a striking lighti ng design was devised.

The main architectural lighti ng aspect is the glass feature wall at the core of the building. This design was prepared by NORR Group Consultants and Light Touch PLD.

The design called for a matrix of ultra bright LED pixels which were to be mounted in the curved facade of the feature wall. Illuminati on Physics created a custom version of the popular ‘SPECK’ - a compact high powered LED fi xture designed for inserti on into Curtain Wall panels.

This ‘Pullman’ Speck had to incorporate special qualiti es in order to properly functi on in the harsh Middle Eastern climate. It was designed to withstand non-operati ng temperatures of 90 degrees Celsius and operati ng temperatures of 70 degrees Celsius, making the Pullman SPECK extremely robust. Six Rebel LEDs were used (RGB), driven at 350 milliamps.

The SPECK series of products incorporate domed lenses that provide high visibility even from shallow viewing angles.

Ninety pieces were used spread over 18 storeys. Illuminati on Physics provided all of the control equipment and drivers. The

display is controlled using Illuminati on Physics X-Soft , a graphic interface PC-based product.

The contract was managed by Illuminati on Physics’ agent in the UAE, Cinmar Lighti ng.

Equipment:90 x illuminati on Physics custom specks18 x illuminati on Physics HP led drivers3 x DD4 dmx splitt ers1 x Xnet8 ethernet/DMX converter1 x PC with illuminati on Physics X-soft soft ware

www.illuminati onphysics.com

Synergy AVL lights up Merlion Park Singapore

Sentosa, the popular island resort in Singapore, att racts millions of local and foreign visitors every year. They come to enjoy its long sandy beaches, golf courses, 5-star resort hotels and the famous Universal Studios theme park. Every visitor to the island is also familiar with its most famous resident and visitor att racti on - The Merlion - a 37-metre high statue formed in the image of the fabled half-lion and half-fi sh guardian of Singapore. The view from the crown of the Merlion is a magnifi cent 360 degree panorama of Sentosa and Singapore’s southern shores.

Sentosa Development Group, which manages the Sentosa Merlion Park, had decided to enhance the Merlion Park’s environment with the use of creati ve outdoor lighti ng. Synergy AVL Pte Ltd, a Singapore-based audio-visual and lighti ng soluti ons provider, was invited to propose a lighti ng soluti on for the island’s statuesque icon. Synergy’s project team, led by senior project engineer Chip Chong, conducted a series of site surveys before deciding on which types of indoor and outdoor luminaires were best suited to fulfi l the management’s requirements.

As a start, Chip proposed to adapt outdoor wireless technology using W-DMX WhiteBox products made by Wireless Soluti on Sweden. The wireless set-up uses one W-DMX WhiteBox transmitt er and fi ve WhiteBox receiver units. Not only does the use of wireless technology provide a cleaner look, it also did not disrupt the daily operati ons of the park and avoided serious damage from unnecessary cabling work. Synergy installed

a PC-based lighti ng control running on the Daslight Virtual Controller DMX512 soft ware which allows the park’s AV team more freedom to programme and operate all DMX lighti ng luminaires installed in the park. Selected members of the AV team were given basic training on the Daslight system by Synergy AVL’s experienced lighti ng programmer.

powerful and bright moving beams up to the sky to complete its external lighti ng eff ects. For illuminati on inside the Merlion’s eyes and mouth, Synergy installed Colorbeam LML-36 and CP-50 colour changer fi xtures equipped with long life LED lamp technology to replace the previous light fi tti ngs which would oft en break down.

One of the fi ve W-DMX Whitebox receivers for the high-ground searchlights

With the diff erent (indoor and outdoor) areas and themes in the park, Synergy was very careful in choosing the right luminaire to deliver the correct mood required for the diff erent features in the park. With its special water wave eff ect, ACME LED Wave units were installed along the bridge walkway from Sentosa Resort to the park to make the journey feel more like ‘walking on water’. Ten IP65 rated D.T.S. Delta 10 F RGBW LED colour changer wash lights were positi oned around the Merlion to highlight the main exterior body of the Merlion. Additi onally, six units of Novalight High-Ground 2000W moving-yoke fi xtures are positi oned in a line at the rear of the Merlion and programmed to shoot its

D.T.S. Delta 10F LED washlights face towards the 37-meter high Merlion

Synergy AVL also installed a Spineti X HMP-100 Media Player to display 2D animated graphic content from a Sanyo PLC XM100 5000 ANSI lumens projector which was encased in a Tempest Lighti ng Blizzard 6550 enclosure (using DEC3 control technology to maintain opti mum projector and lamp life) to cover its centre area. Chong found it easy to add or edit content on the Spineti X system. “We can upload the content from the wireless router which is installed in the Tempest dome. This allows us wireless access to the Spineti X box from the PC.”

The new lighti ng and visual soluti on in Sentosa Merlion Park now off ers a multi -visual environment and creates a more complete experience for the visitors. Response from visitors about the park’s new ambience has been good and this reinforces the reputati on of Synergy AVL for delivering high quality soluti on designs.

www.synergyavl.comwww.colorbeam.com www.daslight.comwww.spineti x.comwww.wirelessdmx.com

INSTALLntertainmenttechnology asia 71

INSTALL72 ntertainmenttechnology asia

Leading New Zealand school installs iLiveNew Zealand

St. Peter’s School in Cambridge, New Zealand, recently installed an Allen & Heath iLive digital mixing system in its 600-capacity auditorium. Comprising an iDR-32 MixRack with iLive-T112 Control Surface, the system is an upgrade from the incumbent analogue mixer.

As one of New Zealand’s leading independent secondary schools, St. Peter’s is set in 100 acres of land and includes faciliti es such as an equestrian park and golf academy. The auditorium hosts various dance, drama and music events throughout the academic year,

culminati ng in an intensive performing arts fortnight, which includes two variety concerts, a rock concert, dance showcase and house music competi ti ons.

“We have had a variety of A&H desks over the years and we loved our GL2800 but the complexiti es of the concerts we stage and the scale of our annual major producti on means an upgrade to digital was advantageous,” explained St Peter’s School AV manager, Bruce Richards. “We chose iLive because A&H products have always been reliable and I like the ‘analogue style’ interface, rather than menus within menus.”

The auditorium’s audio system includes Marti n F12 speakers, Lab.gruppen amps and XTA processors.

The school also has two compact analogue mixers, a 16-channel GL2200 and ZED-14 USB mixer, for use in the adjoining performing arts studios.

www.allen-heath.com

Modern Tannoy soluti ons for historic Indian theatreIndia

When renovati ng a historic building, an installer has to ensure that any loudspeaker soluti on they propose maintains the aestheti c qualiti es of the venue. The Gaitey Theatre in Himachal Pradesh, India, has a unique look that is worth preserving. This remarkable piece of Victorian architecture was conceived by legendry architect Henry Irwin and symbolises the grandeur of the Briti sh colonial period.

Since its incepti on in the year 1887, many eminent theatre personaliti es like Rudyard Kipling, Baden Powel, K.L. Sehgal, Prithviraj Kapoor, Balraj Sahni and Manohar Singh have taken to the stage of this theatre. The government of Himachal Pradesh recently restored the 124-year-old historical landmark which seats 320 people over two fl oors and whose main purpose is sti ll for drama and other classical and folk culture acti viti es. However, aft er the restorati on, it was clear that the existi ng sound system wasn’t meeti ng the demands of this busy theatre, and that a new, state-of-the-art soluti on was required.

The design team of audio-visual specialist M/S Godrej was called upon to recommend the best soluti on for this important and historic

venue. They, in turn, consulted Tannoy. Mr Haider from Tannoy proposed a state-of-the-art soluti on that uti lised digital acousti c beam-steering technology. The ideal product for this kind of installati on was Tannoy’s award-winning QFlex steerable array system because it did not compromise the aestheti cs of the theatre.

“We proposed this soluti on because we knew the quality of Tannoy’s loudspeakers and how eff ecti ve QFlex can be in terms of intelligibility. I’m glad to say that the Gaitley Theatre and its performers fi nd it ideal for their performances

as it gives a uniform coverage in the auditorium,” said Mr. Haider.

Two QFlex 24s, two VS 18DR subs and two V8 sound reinforcement loudspeakers were specifi ed and installed to provide complete full range coverage and in-fi ll where required. The installed audio system was completed by the additi on of a Biamp Nexia for signal routi ng and Yamaha mixing consoles. QSC amplifi ers powered the Tannoy V8s and VS subs.

www.tannoy.com/pro

The iLive-T112 Control Surface installed at FOH in St. Peter’s School’s auditorium

LIVEntertainmenttechnology asia 73

Jands Vista M1 survives ImmersionVivid Sydney is a festi val of light, music and ideas that includes large-scale light installati ons and projecti ons through to music performances and the holding of conferences and seminars on ideas and creati vity. First held in 2009, Vivid Sydney has become Sydney’s major winter festi val which lights up diff erent parts of the city aft er 6pm, including the Sydney Opera House, Circular Quay and The Rocks.

From light “graffi ti ” on the Museum of Contemporary Art to live fi re shows, more than 200,000 visitors experienced the festi val this year.

One of the most popular of the light sculptures that was part of the Festi val was ‘Immersion’ designed by Marti n Bevz and Kathryn Clift on. Consisti ng of LED tubes in a semi-circle, the sculpture invited the viewer to ‘play’ with them by refl ecti ng their movement through the installati on via a live video relay of sti ll and dynamic images. The tubes are pixel mapped to form what is essenti ally a very low-res 18 x 2m video screen.

Bevz used the Jands Vista M1 to control the Catalyst media server for a number of reasons including its size.

“Not requiring a full-sized console to fi t in a 12RU rack for three weeks - three very wet

weeks – was a major plus!” he said. “Also, having physical faders allowed for easy programming and playback testi ng. The Jands Vista M1 works on a Mac alongside the Catalyst soft ware and that reduces hardware requirements. I really like the visual ti meline based playback and the easy to use date/ti me events so an operator was not required to power up and down each day.”

Bevz further commented that the Vista was rock solid throughout the durati on of the festi val and consequently it’s the console that he would always prefer for any semi permanent installati ons.

“It’s visual, easy to use and Jands have a great support network,” he added. “As a fi nal touch to the installati on we programmed a start up sequence featuring a countdown ti mer and stati c which slott ed in with the rest of the programming. It’s important to be able to work visually with media servers as they are inherently visual instruments – you need to be able to ‘see’ what the desk is telling the server in order to enable seamless crossfades and visual eff ects.”

www.jandsvista.com

LIVE74 ntertainmenttechnology asia

ETC Element has its Turn in the SpotlightTwo icons of Australian theatre, Nancye Hayes and Reg Livermore have combined their much-lauded talents in Turns, a “pantomime with a twist” – where no matt er what, the show must simply go on. Produced by Christi ne Dunstan and with lighti ng designed by Trudy Dalgleish, the show has been touring both citi es and regional theatres for several months. And everywhere the show has gone so has a vital tour member – the ETC Element console.

ETC’s Element console was designed expressly for modest rigs and maximum hands-on fader control. Aff ordable and easy to use, Element packs in the fundamentals of lighti ng control. The lighti ng rig for Turns consists of purely analogue light fi xtures which can vary in model from venue to venue and so lighti ng operator and technical manager Jo Elliot is relieved to have one constant with her in the form of the Element console.

“At each theatre I only have to update cues and someti mes change fade ti mes to suit the dimmers in the venue,” said Jo. “I found that the Element adjusts quite easily to accommodate the diff erent dimmers I’ve come across so it’s been really quite good.”

Jo parti cularly liked having 40 submasters at her fi ngerti ps so she could easily grab

diff erent subs if there was an emergency.

“They are also very good for plotti ng because I will oft en plot the show without anyone standing in the light and so they give me the ability to adjust levels very quickly,” she said. “The spreadsheet view in blind plotti ng makes life very easy as it is simple to quickly scroll through. We have a couple of channels that I have to absolutely make sure are in certain cues because if they are not, it’s a total show stopper and it’s really easy in blind to check that they haven’t accidently been knocked out whilst I was plotti ng.”

Jo also discovered that the Element console is easy to patch and she likes that she can patch with either a channel number or dimmer address as her fi rst number.

“I fi nd that adding and changing cue ti mes is very straightf orward,” she added. “We have a litt le chase and adding it to a cue or submaster

is simple. In fact, it’s an easy console to fi gure out quickly, very user-friendly.

“The Element’s small size makes it great for touring. It can be set up next to the sound console FOH and as I’m also Technical Manager, that is very handy as I can hear and see the show from that positi on. Quite oft en the venue may not have a riggers remote for me to use so I can pick up the console and set it up front of stage and access the rig from there.”

www.jands.com.auwww.etcconnect.com

Jo Elliott with the ETC Element

LIVEntertainmenttechnology asia 75

Concluding its eighth season this summer, Korea’s heralded Great Mountains Music Festi val and School (GMMFS) received added inspirati on in 2011 not only from its new arti sti c directors, famed violinist Kyung-Wha Chung and cellist Myung-Wha Chung, but also from sonic enrichment by Meyer Sound’s Constellati on® acousti c system.

“The bott om line for a successful music festi val is a concert hall with great sound,” said Arti sti c Director Kyung Wha-Chung in an arti cle in Korea’s Joongang Sunday.

The Great Mountains Music Festi val brought musicians and conductors from around the world to the idyllic Alpensia Resort for three weeks of concerts and master classes. The principal venue was the resort’s inti mate 600-seat Alpensia Concert Hall. The Hall’s

physical acousti cs when occupied were found to be inadequate for the festi val’s concert repertoire that encompassed everything from a suite for solo cello to a Mozart requiem with full orchestra and chorus. Both musicians and audiences appreciated the added acousti cal depth and richness provided by Constellati on.

“I’d performed at the Alpensia hall in February and there was a great improvement in the acousti cs since then,” observes cellist Sangmin Park. “The hall sounded very dry in the cello and bass secti on back then, but it no longer seems that way.”

Installed temporarily for the festi val, the Constellati on system was driven by the Meyer Sound D-Mitri® digital audio platf orm with eight D-Mitri digital audio processors at its core, including three DVRAS processors hosti ng the

patented VRAS™ algorithms responsible for Constellati on’s stunningly natural acousti cal qualiti es. Thirty ti ny cardioid microphones captured the hall’s acousti c ambience and aft er VRAS processing, the resulti ng early refl ecti ons and late reverberati ons were reproduced by 38 MM-4XP miniature self-powered loudspeakers and nine M1D-Sub subwoofers. Although the system focused on stage acousti cs, a signifi cant benefi t was also realised throughout most seati ng areas of the small hall.

“I had not heard the hall acousti cs before,” admits cellist Lluís Claret, “but for me it was a very nice experience. The acousti cs were just perfect.”

Clarineti st Evan Solomon was aware of the change. “I performed on stage last year as well, and this year I felt a bit more reverberati on. It felt very natural, not arti fi cial, so it was more comfortable to perform on stage.”

Installati on of Constellati on was facilitated by Incova Ltd. of Seoul with coordinati on by Managing Director Eugine Yune. Throughout the extensive program of concerts, classes, and seminars at GMMFS in 2011, the two celebrated arti sti c directors were joined by the Great Mountains Music Festi val Orchestra and the Seoul Motet Choir along with 47 internati onally renowned arti st-instructors that included Tchaikovsky Competi ti on winner Karine Georgian and Kevin Kenner, whose latest CD was named Editor’s Choice by Gramophone.

www.meyersound.com

Meyer Sound enriches Great Mountains Music Festi val

LIVE76 ntertainmenttechnology asia

MILOS for the Makkah Awards for ExcellenceThe largest MILOS trussing installati on in the Middle East to date was built for a special presentati on ceremony at the 2011 Makkah Awards for Excellence, staged in the Hilton Hall of the Jeddah Hilton Hotel, Makkah Province, Saudi Arabia.

MILOS trussing and staging products from Bright Star were used to build a spectacular stage set for the event, including a 50 metre diameter circular truss that circled the perimeter of the enti re presentati on space, which was also used to hang a 360 degree projecti on screen and an 18-metre diameter round stage.

The installati on was designed by Hatt an Madani, who was also Bright Star’s site and project manager for the event. Bright Star is a leading technical and event producti on company based in Jeddah, headed by Ibrahim Madani, and with a large stock of MILOS products.

The Makkah Award winners were a selecti on of businessmen and women, scholars and economists from Makkah Province, all of whom have contributed to and played important roles in the fi eld of social responsibility. They received a certi fi cate of appreciati on from Makkah’s Governor, Prince Khaled Al-Faisal.

The 18-metre diameter circular stage for the event was extended on two sides, making it a total of 29 metres in length and 15 metres deep, with seati ng in front extending to

almost 270 degrees around the space. The whole presentati on area was surrounded by the 50 metre circular truss, which was supported by 12 ground supported towers. The projecti on screen was att ached to this and the truss trimmed at 8.5 metres high - the highest possible positi on with the ceiling height of the room.

MILOS QuickTruss M390L product was used to construct the circle. This is a large format product line, with the “L” denoti ng the heavy duty version. It is extremely robust, so ideal for large spans, and quick to erect using conical connectors, pins and R-clips, off ering substanti al weight loading capabiliti es coupled with great aestheti cs.

The towers were from MILOS’ MT2 range, which is designed for larger events and demanding high-end applicati ons requiring the maximum loading and free-span characteristi cs. The standard MT2 Towers are built from MILOS’ QuickTruss M520 and can be extended to a maximum height of 12 metres. The system is renowned for its stability. The circular truss was joined to the MT2 towers via sleeve blocks with custom adaptor plates.

The stage was built from a combinati on of standard MILOS XStages S8W products and a selecti on of bespoke components specially fabricated to form the rounded elements specifi ed by the client. This is also very quick to assemble. The stage decks have fi ne-tuned adjustable legs to ensure perfect levelling.

MILOS xStages S8 is an extremely versati le heavy-duty platf orm system that enables the constructi on of large stages in most imaginable shapes and confi gurati ons! The site build took Bright Star’s team of riggers plus local crew 4 days to complete, project managed by Hatt an Madani.

The company also has its own reputati on for excellence, and won the contract to supply the event due to its ability to deliver the complete project including all the other technical elements - lighti ng, sound, AV and the projecti on screen - in a highly competi ti ve package.

Bright Star has invested in MILOS in recent years for the brand’s innate reliability and the breadth and dynamics of the product range, as well as for the company’s ability to design and deliver any custom pieces required for a specifi c project quickly and effi ciently.

www.milosgroup.com

LIVEntertainmenttechnology asia 77

Showtec at the World Netball ChampionshipsThe 2011 World Netball Championships were held in Singapore from 3–10 July. Sixteen nati ons contested the week-long tournament. The gold medal match was closely fought between defending champions Australia and world number one, New Zealand. The match was ti ed at the end of four quarters of regular ti me. Australia eventually scored the winning goal in the dying seconds of extra ti me, defeati ng New Zealand 58–57 to claim their tenth World Championship ti tle.

All 48 matches were held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. For the World Netball Championships, the venue contained two adjacent playing courts and an overall seati ng capacity of 8,000. The opening ceremony began with Australia’s team captain running into the arena with the trophy the Australians won in 2007. Next, the offi cial mascot entered on a trishaw and then the 16 competi ng teams. The organisers also arranged a surprise birthday cake for Guest-of-Honour President S R Nathan, who celebrated his 87th birthday.

The programme for the opening ceremony refl ected the changes the Republic has undergone over the years. The ceremony’s creati ve director, Mark Richmond, put together a 90-minute video that warmly welcomed all 16 parti cipati ng nati ons to Singapore and also showcased the city’s

energy and its aspirati ons especially in netball.The story followed the ups and downs in the journey of a teenager named Julia who dreams of being the player who makes the winning shot for the world championship.

The sound and lighti ng for the enti re event was handled by Showtec Communicati ons Pte Ltd, a leader in the technical rental industry in the Asia Pacifi c region. Showtec had prior experience working with Mark Richmond on some projects. As this was a high profi le event, Showtec worked closely with Richmond to put together a system of lighti ng and sound that would deliver the best performance for the programme’s needs.

Comprehensive lighti ng equipmentDue to the demands of the opening ceremony’s programme, Showtec Communicati ons employed a comprehensive list of lighti ng equipment consisti ng of 24 DTS Lighti ng XR 1200 Wash Moving Head Projectors, which were used for colour balancing for television and eff ects lighti ng, and 18 Clay Paky Alpha Spot HPE 1500 Moving Head Spotlights. According to Showtec Lighti ng Designer David Creigh, custom gobos of the nati onal fl ags of each of the parti cipati ng nati ons and the logos of the World Netball Federati on and the World Netball Championships were loaded into the Clay Paky Alpha Spots and projected on to one end of the stadium during the opening ceremony. As the teams entered the stadium, the gobos of their nati onal fl ags would follow the teams and were positi oned in front of the teams when they lined up.

“The Clay Paky’s were the brightest lights we had in our inventory with the best photometric qualiti es and lensing to make sure that the fl ags were absolutely clear and focused all the ti me while the DTS washes were the best for colour balancing and are quite reliable. That’s why I chose that equipment for the show because they would sati sfy the producti on requirements,” Creigh said.

LIVE78 ntertainmenttechnology asia

Since the tournament was going to be televised to various countries around the world, supplemental lighti ng had to be brought in to ensure that the television audiences could see all the acti on. This included 18 DTS Lighti ng Arc 1200 Architectural Colour Changers which were mounted on the fl oor. Creigh felt that the light being projected down on to the court from the top of the stadium was not heavy enough and he needed fl oor lights otherwise the stadium would have a dark background on wide camera shots. The DTS Arc 1200s not only provided more lower illuminati on but also added fullness to the camera pictures and Creigh was very pleased with the results. A further two Zenith Lighti ng Lycian M2 2.5K Followspots were added as supplemental lighti ng in order to pick up specifi c talent. In order to coordinate all the lighti ng fi xtures for the event, Creigh used a Road Hog Full Boar Lighti ng Console using the Hog 3PC soft ware from High End Systems.

A clean and pure sound systemThe organisers were very parti cular about the sound system used for the event. They specifi ed that they did not want a concert-type sound system with lots of clusters hanging around the stadium. They wanted a very clean system with pure sound that enabled the audience to hear announcements clearly.

Choong Chip Weng, the Project Manager for the event, chose the Coda LA8 Line Array System for the event because it fulfi lled all the requirements sti pulated by the organisers. It produced good sound yet the audience was able to hear announcements clearly when the stadium became loud and noisy. A total of six fl own clusters consisti ng each of 4 LA8 speakers and an LA8 subwoofer were uti lised. The Coda LA8 System was supported by CAMCO V6 amplifi ers.

In additi on, the sound system needed to be very fl exible because the playing area throughout the tournament would alter but the audience’s seati ng positi ons were fi xed. Showtec installed 8 L-Acousti cs V-DOSC subwoofers on the ground with Lab.gruppen amplifi ers. The opening ceremony included singing and dancing and the V-DOSC subwoofers would enable the audience to hear the beat of the music clearly. Furthermore, the V-DOSC subwoofers were all arranged in a neutral positi on so that they would not interfere with the netball matches.

The mixer chosen to control the sound system was the Yamaha M7CL 48-channel digital mixer, described by Choong as a ‘workhorse’ because it had all the necessary features built into it. When it came to selecti ng the microphones, Choong decided on Sennheiser long-range wireless microphones since all the umpires and referees for the event had

to carry microphones. In additi on, there were two handheld microphones for the emcees.

The event was a success and the feedback from the event organisers was very positi ve with regards to the sound and lighti ng. Commented Choong, “They were so happy that they are asking us if we would like to do the next World Netball Championship in Sydney!”

www.showtecgroup.comwww.dts-lighti ng.itwww.claypaky.itwww.zenithlighti ng.comwww.codaaudio.comwww.camcoaudio.comwww.l-acousti cs.comwww.sennheiser.comwww.yamahaproaudio.comwww.highend.comwww.wnc2011.com

A jubilant Australian team receive the Championship trophy

Marti n Audio’s MLA has a Field DayOne weekend in Hackney’s Victoria Park presented Marti n Audio’s Multi cellular Loudspeaker Array (MLA) in three separate festi vals.

Promoted by Eat Your Own Ears, Underage, Field Day and Apple Cart, the event saw Capital Sound Hire return to the Park with the same system they had used for the LED Festi val a few weeks earlier — working alongside Loud Sound, the event management company, and LarMac LIVE, the producti on company.

This increasingly popular festi val site is bordered on one side by trees, a canal and high-tariff residenti al properti es. Environmental acousti cs experts Vanguardia needed to be sati sfi ed that the sound would not bleed beyond the site perimeter and Cap’s crew chief Nick Foots, supported by Marti n Audio’s Development Manager Phil Anthony, set presets that would comfortably ensure this, while being able to retain a threshold of 98dB-100dB (Leq) measured over a 15 minute period.

Although the main stage was not in use for Underage, the Friday event, the award-winning MLA performed spectacularly for the star-studded Saturday (Field Day) and Sunday (Apple Cart) events. Emulati ng the rig design for the LED event, the main hangs of 16 x MLA and 1 x MLD downfi ll enclosures per side were complemented by 15 front facing MLX

subs and seven rear facing in a combined broadside/cardioid array. These were delay curved to provide a horizontal dispersion of 110° to cover the enti re fi eld.

Marti n Audio W8LC Compact Line Array elements provided outf ills and a delay positi on 60 metres back, while two further hangs were fl own on the Friday night in the 6,000 capacity second tent, which became the main showcase arena for Underage.

As a result, Cap Sound’s general manager, Paul Timmins, said his company had learnt a lot more about the system’s performance outside during their summer evaluati on. “Taking it into Victoria Park has been extremely useful and we have been able to give audiences a diff erent experience. Event manager Dan Craig said the MLA sounded fantasti c, and that the situati on with both the off -site noise and levels at FOH were exactly as they wanted,” remarked Timmins. “Most producti ons working there in the past have struggled to meet off site criteria.” LarMac LIVE’s Ian Greenway and Nick Foots also registered their sati sfacti on.

Said Phil Anthony, “A number of MLA fi lter opti misati ons were done to cover from 65-100 metres so we had setti ngs that would allow Nick to dial in where he wanted coverage to stop. We ended up with a coverage depth of

about 85m in conjuncti on with excepti onally consistent SPL and frequency response.”

The Marti n Audio man observed that he could have set an even sharper cut-off at the perimeter had it been needed and also that the MLA performed way beyond its IP rati ng. “While the arrays were waiti ng to be rigged, some of the cabinets’ amplifi er modules fi lled with water during a cloudburst but we empti ed it out and the system fi red up straight away.”

Nick Foots, meanwhile spent much of his ti me babysitti ng at FOH and inducti ng sound engineers eager to try out the system which has become the talk of the industry. “Many were curious to hear it for the fi rst ti me,” he said.

“Vanguardia seemed really sati sfi ed with the system,” Foots summarised. “It’s just what you want from a PA — happy engineers, a really stable system and a great sound.”

Paul Timmins refl ected, “We have used MLA on the appropriate projects this summer, both inside and out, including Whitesnake, and have received some excellent feedback so we’re extremely happy.”

www.marti n-audio.comwww.loudtechinc.com

LIVEntertainmenttechnology asia 79

LIVE80 ntertainmenttechnology asia

DTS lights up Studio Festi During the 2011 Singapore Grand Prix, the Singapore F1 Grand Prix organisati on presented its audience with a top-level arti sti c event by the iconic Italian producti on maestro Studio Festi at the Marina Bay fl oati ng platf orm. The show was an ensemble famous

throughout the world for its extraordinary choreographies and scenic installati ons in large open-air spaces, with arti sts dancing suspended in midair. Two specially commissioned acts called Ocean Symphony and Veneti an Festi val were featured this year.

Ocean Symphony was a tribute to the symphonic nature of water using 20 tonnes of water to create a stunning canvas of lights. The audience witnessed acrobati c ballerinas twirling mid-air in bird cages, leaping out of a giant water bowl, and suspended gracefully as sea creatures on life-sized hooks and coral branches.

The Veneti an Festi val transported the audience to the splendor and magic 17th Century Venice. This act involved elaborate props like an infl atable moon and mysterious actors clad in Baroque-era costumes and whimsical masks weaving through the crowd.

One hundred D.T.S. moving head projectors were used to light the Studio Festi performance. They consisted of 20 XR3000 Beam, 40 XR3000 Spot CMY and 40 XR1200 Wash. The lighti ng system was supplied by Showtec Communicati ons Pte Ltd.

www.studiofesti .itwww.showtecgroup.comwww.dts-lighti ng.it

Fine Art at the 26th Summer Universiade Opening CeremonyUniversiades are World Games for students hosted by the Federati on Internati onale du Sport Universitaire (FISU). They are held every two years with a Winter and Summer editi on. Universiades are the second largest multi -sports events in the world aft er the Summer Olympics in terms of the number of parti cipants. This year’s Summer Universiade was held at the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen. Held from 12-23 August, the event att racted nearly 12,000 athletes and offi cials from 152 countries. The various sports were held across 41 stadiums in Shenzhen.

The opening ceremony was held on 12 August at the 20,000 seat Shenzhen Bay Sports Centre, also known as the Spring Cocoon by the locals due to its design. The grand gala event had an atmosphere of youth and

passion. Taking centre-stage was a 100m high by 20m wide LED screen wall which was used to great eff ect with dynamic presentati ons. The LED wall was supported by 1,100 units of moving head stage lights from Fine Art for this event providing a brilliant visual experience. With the theme of the Games focusing on Green lifestyle many of the materials used for the stage were recycled materials thus ensuring sustainability and environmental awareness. The stadium’s capacity at 20,000 was also planned so that it could be used aft er the games for diff erent types of events thus keeping to the sustainability theme.

As part of the opening ceremony, the “@” symbol found in keyboards was created within the stage design and lighted up with Fine II moving heads to symbolise the event’s

connecti on with the youth who use the character frequently in their emails, social media websites and other internet acti viti es.

The ceremony saw a variety of cultural performances with Fine Art lighti ng fi xtures working seamlessly with the performers and the LED wall to create an evening of colour and excitement.

Aft er the athletes had entered the stadium, President Hu Jin Tao pronounced the games open. Hundreds of Fine 1500 and 2500 moving head lights changed their colours on cue to conclude the festi ve opening ceremony.

www.fi neart-light.com

www.slvexpo.com

Past, present & futureTechnology that delivers, for creative stage lighting

Selective control is a fundamental requirement for the art of stage lighting. It is the source of ourname, Selecon, and the founding design principle in our ever-evolving luminaire range.

New to the Philips Selecon family, the PL3 utilises the latest in LED technology, effectively building a bridge to the

future for entertainment lighting. Its clean, colour balanced whites are ideal for stage, television and film production,

while an infinite range of beautiful colours – including subtle tints from a variable motor controlled beam angle – are

designed to delight. Designers will enjoy seamless fades, subtle colours and a natural field that has not been available

from any LED luminaire. Technicians will appreciate the simple DMX connectivity, with the wired and wireless

DMX and WiFi options making set up fast and easy. Long life LED engines dramatically reduce maintenance costs,

while energy savings of up to 60% allow the total cost of ownership benefits to be quickly realised.

Our tried and tested 500W/650W Acclaim, 1000W/1200W Rama and 2000W/2500W Arena Fresnels and

PCs have moved with the times over the past fifteen years, taking advantage of new and improved technologies,

materials and the latest in efficient lamp filament designs. Proven performers in theatre and venues around the

world, the Philips Selecon lens luminaires all feature a wide range of beam angles, from a spot for dramatic highlights

to a medium flood suitable for even stage illumination, fast precise focus slide adjustment with reference scales,

and 4-flap or 8-flap barndoor accessories to shape the light, while delivering outstanding light output with minimal

distracting field angle spill.

To learn more about the comprehensive range of Philips Selecon entertainment lighting or to arrange a trial

in your venue, please contact your local dealer or sales manager: www.seleconlight.com/dealers

Nat

iont

heat

er M

annh

eim

, Ger

man

y