Pro Systems July-August 2015

July / August 2015 R38.00

AV SyStem IntegrAtIon | InStAllAtIonS | lIVe eVentS | StudIo Pro AudIo

medIAtech And Infocomm rePortbAck

educAtIon Sector focuS

StAte of the Art new StudIoS

mAdAme ZIngArA celebrAteS!

World class lighting designers at Mediatech

Cover Story

A10LA10” 2-way Active Line Array

RMS Power: LF: 400W HF: 100WMaximum SPL/1m: 133dB PeakFrequency Response (-6dB): 56 ~ 18000HzLF Driver: Celto Acoustique 10MB401-4HF Driver: Celto Acoustique FCD738-8Amplifi cation: 4th gen 95% effi ciency Class DAmplifi cation Power: 1200W LF + 300W HFProcessing: 56bit fl oating point DSP with 114dBdynamic range A/D converter, 24dB/oct crossover, phase correction, EQ fi lters and dual stage limiters (4 total)Connectors: Two NEUTRIK Speakon NL4MP Cabinet Size (H x W x D) mm: 290 x 580 x 486Weight: 22kg

viva afrikaViva Afrika Sound and Light (Pty) Ltd

45 Lake Road, Longmeadow Longmeadow North Business Park

PO Box 4709, Rivonia, 2128, South AfricaTel: 011 250-3280, Fax: 011 608-4109

[email protected], www.vivaafrika.co.za

56 ~ 18000Hz

BRAND

NEW

Introducing Hybrid+ Active Line Array

All you need from one system

A218SDual 18” Active Subwoofer

RMS Power: 2400WImpedance: 4 ohmsMaximum SPL: 138dB PeakFrequency Response (-6dB): 30~95HzLF Driver: Celto Acoustique 2x18S1200-8Amplifi cation Power: 3000WProcessing: 24dB/oct crossover, phase correction, EQ fi lters and dual stage limitersConnectors: Two NEUTRIK Speakon NL4MP Cabinet Size (H x W x D) mm: 580 x 1200 x 750Weight: 89kg

BRIEF DESCRIPTION:

The A10LA is a mid sized, Powered Line Array, utilising the latest switchmode power supply with power factor correction and class D amplifi cation, with DSP processing. The A218S is a high powered Dual 18” Sub Woofer, utilising the same PSU, class D amplifi cation and DSP processing. Both units feature ease of use and user presets.

APPLICATION OF PRODUCT:

Suitable for outdoor or indoor, fl own or ground stacked application, catering for between 2000-8000 people. Widely used for the following applications: Places Of Worship, Schools, Function Halls, Night Clubs, Small Rental Applications of ±2000-6000 people.

A10LA Frame

4 x A10LA

2 x A218S 3 x A218S 4 x A218S 4 x A218S

A10LA Frame

6 x A10LA

A10LA Frame

8 x A10LA

13200 Watts

±2000 people outdoor > 30m

±3000 people indoor > 30m

RECOMMENDED RETAIL PRICE: R215 500.00

20000 Watts




26400 Watts




A10LA Frame

4 x A10LA

2 x A218S 3 x A218S

A10LA Frame

6 x A10LA

A10LA Frame

8 x A10LA

Demos available countrywide

Viva afrika – hybrid+

A10LA10” 2-way Active Line Array

RMS Power: LF: 400W HF: 100WMaximum SPL/1m: 133dB PeakFrequency Response (-6dB): 56 ~ 18000HzLF Driver: Celto Acoustique 10MB401-4HF Driver: Celto Acoustique FCD738-8Amplifi cation: 4th gen 95% effi ciency Class DAmplifi cation Power: 1200W LF + 300W HFProcessing: 56bit fl oating point DSP with 114dBdynamic range A/D converter, 24dB/oct crossover, phase correction, EQ fi lters and dual stage limiters (4 total)Connectors: Two NEUTRIK Speakon NL4MP Cabinet Size (H x W x D) mm: 290 x 580 x 486Weight: 22kg

viva afrikaViva Afrika Sound and Light (Pty) Ltd

45 Lake Road, Longmeadow Longmeadow North Business Park

PO Box 4709, Rivonia, 2128, South AfricaTel: 011 250-3280, Fax: 011 608-4109

[email protected], www.vivaafrika.co.za

56 ~ 18000Hz

BRAND

NEW

Introducing Hybrid+ Active Line Array

All you need from one system

A218SDual 18” Active Subwoofer

RMS Power: 2400WImpedance: 4 ohmsMaximum SPL: 138dB PeakFrequency Response (-6dB): 30~95HzLF Driver: Celto Acoustique 2x18S1200-8Amplifi cation Power: 3000WProcessing: 24dB/oct crossover, phase correction, EQ fi lters and dual stage limitersConnectors: Two NEUTRIK Speakon NL4MP Cabinet Size (H x W x D) mm: 580 x 1200 x 750Weight: 89kg

BRIEF DESCRIPTION:

The A10LA is a mid sized, Powered Line Array, utilising the latest switchmode power supply with power factor correction and class D amplifi cation, with DSP processing. The A218S is a high powered Dual 18” Sub Woofer, utilising the same PSU, class D amplifi cation and DSP processing. Both units feature ease of use and user presets.

APPLICATION OF PRODUCT:

Suitable for outdoor or indoor, fl own or ground stacked application, catering for between 2000-8000 people. Widely used for the following applications: Places Of Worship, Schools, Function Halls, Night Clubs, Small Rental Applications of ±2000-6000 people.

A10LA Frame

4 x A10LA

2 x A218S 3 x A218S 4 x A218S 4 x A218S

A10LA Frame

6 x A10LA

A10LA Frame

8 x A10LA

13200 Watts




20000 Watts




26400 Watts




A10LA Frame

4 x A10LA

2 x A218S 3 x A218S

A10LA Frame

6 x A10LA

A10LA Frame

8 x A10LA


EDITOR CONTENTS

elaine strauss | A journalist and photographer, with experience in writing articles featuring a broad range of subjects, Elaine is also currently working towards completing her Masters degree in Visual Studies, while making her mark in the audio and AV industries. With a keen interest in lighting design and film studies, she is a peoples-person with a fascination for all things new and shiny. With experience in journalism, videography and marketing, she brings to her writing a passion for and understanding of various fields.

neWs Nye to lead Christie in Africa.............................. 3HARMAN acquires SVSi ....................................... 3Innovatec Africa acquires Teljoy’s Meet.Inc. ... 4Avid completes acquisition of Orad Hi-Tec Systems ........................................ 4Merging teams with PENMAC ............................ 6ProAudio acquires new brands .......................... 6TID launch Adamson ........................................... 7Prosound honours French composer................. 7RocknRoller joins TV Audio family ...................... 8Switching on in Lusaka ........................................ 8

Mediatech africa 2015 Crestron shows independence ........................ 10DWR stand impresses ......................................... 10Portable Acer projector steals show ............... 11Getting to know Alpha Technologies.............. 11Boxer 4K30 projector main focus for Christie .. 11Lighting Designer Competition raging success at Mediatech .......................... 12Theatre lighting for stadium events ................. 14Stage Audio Works’ stand built by industry people, for industry people .............................. 15A stage for projection mapping ...................... 16TV Audio returns with double stand ................ 16Show on par with international standards ...... 16Audiosure and CHAUVET Professional dazzle visitors ...................................................... 17Bigger, better stand for PENMAC ..................... 17The art of lighting design................................... 18Clay Paky shows off Mythos ........................................................... 19BMFL Series centre stage at Robe stand ........ 20New product brands at Peripheral Vision ....... 20TID showcases new brands ............................... 22Tadco debuts Digico S21 at Mediatech ......... 23Viva Afrika’s sound presence at Mediatech .................................... 24A new look for Wild & Marr ............................... 24

infocoMM 2015 AV pros flock to InfoComm 2015 ..................... 26Product showcase par excellence ......... 28 – 34

coMpany profile Audiosure – professional brands in good hands ......... 36 – 40

integration & installation AV solutions and the education experience ...................................... 42Virtual Reality Centre revolutionises mine design ................................ 44Academy of Sound Engineering launches a higher state of learning ................ 46Prosound in the education sector ................... 48Education first for the LETPC ............................. 49Wild & Marr brings new voice to Newlands ... 50Media 24 installs giant screen .......................... 53

liVe eVents Classic guitar bands should get in touch! ...... 54Tim Dunn – the ethics of design ....................... 56SGM G-Spot – IP rated moving fixture ............. 58Powersoft X8 – Brawn & brains ......................... 60Topping the technicals for Madame Zingara ............................................... 62

studio pro audio Sound and Motion Studios – the Director’s Cut! ........................................... 66Howard Audio goes state of the art ............... 68

social Mediatech Africa 2015 ............................. 70 – 72

david davies | A journalist who has been covering professional AV and broadcast technology for 14 years. He is reelance managing editor of Sports Video Group (SVG) Europe and continues to contribute to a host of trade publications, including PSNEurope, PSNLive and Installation. He has also been a part of the team for The AES Daily, The IBC Daily and, since 2005, The ISE Daily, for which he served as an executive editor in 2013 and 2014. In addition, he is active as a copywriter and sub-editor.

Jimmy den-ouden | An entertainment technician based in Sydney, Australia. His qualifications and experience span a broad range of subjects and technologies. He writes and reviews equipment most of the week, and works freelance on various shows and installations on a weekly basis. Jimmy can be seen on most GEARBOX video reviews, available on YouTube.

CONTRIbuTORS

2

In thIS ISSue

Publisher| Simon Robinson | [email protected] editor | James Sey | [email protected] Managing editor & advertising sales | Claire Badenhorst | [email protected] in-house Journalist | Elaine Strauss | [email protected] sub-editor | Tina Heron design | Trevor Ou Tim | [email protected]

subscriPtions | Albertina Tserere | [email protected] accounts | Natasha Glavovic | [email protected]

Sun Circle Publishers (Pty) Ltd | Tel: +27 11 025-3180 | Epsom Downs Office Park, 13 Sloane Street, Bryanston, Johannesburg | PO Box 559 Fourways North 2086, South Africa

www. pro-systems.co.zaPublishers & Projects

editorial disclaimerThe views, opinions, positions or strategies expressed by the authors and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, positions or strategies of Pro-Systems Africa News or any employee thereof. Sun Circle Publishers makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, correctness, suitability, or validity of any information and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use.

Sun Circle Publishers reserves the right to delete, edit, or alter in any manner it sees fit comments that it, in its sole discretion, deems to be obscene, offensive, defamatory, threatening, in violation of trademark, copyright or other laws, or is otherwise unacceptable.

All contents of this publication are subject to worldwide copyright protection and reproduction in whole or part, in any form whatsoever, is expressly forbidden without the prior written consent of the Publisher.

Hello everyone, and

welcome to the new

edition of Prosystems Africa

News. Mediatech Africa

has come and gone, and it

has outdone most people’s expectations.

It is now firmly established as THE premier

media and entertainment technology

trade show in Africa, with appreciable

growth this year in exhibitors and visitor

numbers. Notable at this year’s event was

the increased number of international

exhibitors representing themselves directly

– a clear indication that Africa is being

seen as a growth market all over the world.

This edition carries a comprehensive

section focused on feedback from the

event. A particular highlight was the

Lighting Designer sessions, during which

well-known lighting company Clay Paky

sponsored the presence of two of the

world’s most decorated and highly

respected LDs, Paule Constable and

Durham Marenghi.

New to this edition is our first sectoral

focus, an editorial feature in which we will

investigate challenges, innovations, case

studies and products in a particular

end-user sector. We begin with an

in-depth look at the education sector,

running stories on cutting edge new

installations in the higher education sector

in particular.

Other things to look forward to in this

issue include reports on two innovative

new studio spaces – one in Johannesburg,

and one in Cape Town – that demonstrate

the South African market can still be at the

forefront of global sound technology and

expertise; a comprehensive profile on the

well-known Audiosure, as well as our usual

mix of insightful and witty product reviews,

industry people, news and views.

Don’t forget that we’re here for you – as

your resource for key industry information,

trends and product news. If you want to

talk about any of that, have suggestions, or

comments on anything you read here and

in our regularly updated website and

newsletter, don’t hesitate to let me know.

I’m on [email protected].

Enjoy the read!

James sey

3

newS

HARMAN International has announced that

it has acquired SVSi, the leading maker of

networked AV products.

Based in Huntsville, Alabama, SVSi

manufactures and sells an extensive portfolio

of products for delivering a complete AV

experience over an IP network. Included

among these is a full range of high

performance encoders and decoders,

windowing/wall processors, audio

transceiver, video recorder, and

management software. SVSi will join

HARMAN Professional’s Video and Control

Strategic Business Unit (SBU) led by Rashid

Skaf and marketed under the AMX by

HARMAN brand. Terms of the transaction

were not disclosed.

“HARMAN was early to recognise the

emergence and potential of AV over IP,”

comments Blake Augsburger, President

HARMAN Professional Division. “For more

than six years, we have been steadily

introducing new products to serve growing

customer demand for IP-based products.

With the acquisition of SVSi, we will

accelerate our development plan with the

addition of extraordinary expertise from the

SVSi team.”

“As an independent company, SVSi has

enjoyed tremendous success and

acceptance of our networked AV

solutions,” remarks Andy Whitehead, SVSi

President and Founder. “Our products have

been recognised with numerous industry

awards and, more importantly, been

adopted by a wide number and variety of

leading organisations in the entertainment,

government, education, and corporate

sectors. By joining forces with HARMAN, we

can deliver the benefits of our solutions to

more customers, faster than we could do

on our own.”

HARMAN acquires SVSi

Blake augsburger, president harMan professional division

Richard Nye has accepted an important

new position within Christie EMEA as

Regional Director for Africa. He takes the

helm with the departure of Phil Lord who

returns to the UK after nearly a decade as

Territory Manager to become Manager

Cinema Lamp Sales, EMEA. Nye’s move

coincides with a new facility in

Johannesburg.

Since joining Christie in 1996, Nye

managed key UK partners as Business

Development Manager for the UK markets

before moving to the cinema role and

progressed to Director of Digital Cinema:

Nye put Christie on the map as cinema

leader in EMEA and is known across the

industry for leading cinemas to switch from

film to digital technology. “In light of the

success he achieved, I am sure all of this

valuable experience in relationships, team

ethics, market understanding and product

knowledge will stand him in good stead for

the challenges ahead,” states Simon Smith,

VP of EMEA.

With this new opportunity, Christie will look

to Nye as Regional Director, Africa, to build

on the platform established by Lord to

enhance Christie’s considered position within

the African market, to develop new markets

in emerging countries like Nigeria and Kenya,

as well as grow existing channels in the more

traditional markets in South Africa. Nye will

continue to oversee the Cinema business in

the Middle East as well as Africa.

“I can’t wait to get to grips with the

challenge of looking after the African

Territory. For those who are not aware, we will

have state-of-the-art demo and training

suites where we offer local support for our

African partners and clients,” Nye says.

Simon Smith also pays tribute to Lord: “I

would like to say a big thank you to Phil

who has firmly put Christie on the African

map and I firmly believe that he will be

handing over to Richard a sound

platform of business as well as an

established team which is now in place

with Annalise, Chris and Tyron.”

Nye to lead Christie in Africa

richard nye, director of film sales for eMea at christie

4

newS

Innovatec Africa has acquired 100%

ownership of Meet.Inc, a division of

Teljoy Business Systems (Pty) Ltd, effective

1 May 2015.

Meet.Inc is an industry leader in video

conferencing and boardroom solutions in

South Africa, and the acquisition allows

Innovatec Africa to provide a dedicated

market offering.

According to Quinton van der Burgh, Chief

Executive Officer at Innovatec Africa: “This

acquisition provides us with the opportunity

to extend the value and service we offer to

our existing customers and increase our

capabilities within the market. We are now

able to effectively manage each project

confident that we will exceed customers’

expectations.”

Meet.Inc is a group of highly specialised

professionals boasting 12 years as a market

leader, and is known as a pioneer in the

corporate audio visual, meeting and

collaboration industries. “We have chosen

Meet.Inc because of its experience within

the industry,” states Van der Burgh, “we are

on the path of mergers and acquisitions and

having created a fantastic brand –

Innovatec Africa, we recognised Meet.Inc as

a sustainable business that will assist us to

achieve our growth.”

Marc Atkinson, Divisional Head of Meet.

Inc states: “When we were approached by

Innovatec Africa, we saw the synergy

between our companies and knew that it

would be a solid fit for us because its

aggressive acquisition and expansion

strategies would satisfy our

growth ambitions.”

Meet.inc have made it their mission to

streamline communication in corporate

meeting spaces with technology solutions

that are both affordable and maximise

business productivity using simple solutions

that are practical and innovative and built

on existing infrastructure to maximise

business productivity and growth.

“This acquisition not only improves the total

service offering from Innovatec Africa, it also

provides our collective customers with a

single point of contact for these services and

allows Innovatec Africa to enable value

added services and support,” ends Atkinson.

Innovatec Africa acquires Teljoy’s Meet.Inc.

Avid® announced it has completed its

acquisition of Orad Hi-Tec Systems, a leading

provider of state-of-the-art 3D real-time

graphics, video servers, and related

workflow management solutions.

The Orad product lines are highly

complementary to the Avid MediaCentral

Platform, and allow Avid to give media

organisations and creative professionals

more comprehensive workflows with greater

choice, flexibility and operational efficiency.

Avid plans to expand its portfolio and

distribution network with Orad’s line of news,

channel branding, sports production and

enhancement, elections and special events,

virtual studios, video walls, and virtual

advertisement products. With this expanded

capability, media organisations on the Avid

MediaCentral Platform should reduce the

burden of piecing together disparate

fragmented workflows in their production

environments, resulting in less complexity,

fewer interoperability challenges, and

greater efficiency and productivity.

The combination of Avid and Orad is

expected to deliver a number of significant

benefits for customers of both companies,

including enhanced integration, more

comprehensive workflows, improved

efficiency, complete choice with an open

ecosystem and more options for workflow

management.

Under the terms of the deal, Avid paid

€5.67 in cash for each share of Orad

common stock, which at today’s exchange

rate equals approximately $65 million USD,

net of estimated cash acquired. The

company funded the transaction with the

proceeds received from the recently

announced sale of its convertible senior

notes. Avid expects the transaction to

be accretive on an adjusted EBITDA

and cash flow basis. In addition, the

company expects to provide updated

annual guidance in connection with

the second quarter business update

call, which would include the impact

of the transaction.

Avid completes acquisition of Orad Hi-Tec Systems

louis hernandez Jnr, chairman, president, and ceo of avid

Johannesburg | +27 11 974 0633 | [email protected]

Cape Town | +27 21 787 9378 | [email protected]

Durban | +27 31 573 7400 | [email protected]

Imported and Distributed by

6

newS

Merging Technologies is proud to announce

the formation of a new company to support

its sales and technical support in Sweden.

Merging Sweden took over distribution of the

Merging professional products line at the

beginning of May. The force behind this new

operation is Kjetil Laukholm who has been

supporting sales in Sweden for some time

now. The move to become the full distributor

was a logical conclusion, given his

experience with the Merging brand.

Shortly after ISE 2015, the South Africa

distribution was switched to PENMAC; a

company with particular expertise in live

events and A/V installations. Headed up by

Malcolm Finlay, PENMAC’s South African

roots have led them across their country, but

they have also gained extensive

international experience supplying

compelling audiovisual solutions to

satisfied clients.

Established in 1998 and primarily supplying

multi-track audio recording and production

solutions, their expertise now also

incorporates multi-screen visual productions.

The close integration of Merging products

with PENMAC’s visual platforms ensures a

solid synergistic solution for projects requiring

very high definition visual content coupled

with very high definition audio delivery all

perfectly synchronised onto one control

platform. This strategy reflects the global

increase in sophisticated and immersive

spectaculars and events and perfectly

mirrors one of the main directions that

Merging has been following with its Ovation

Audio Events Sequencer.

Laukholm comments: “My focus is to

improve the responsiveness and technical

support for Merging customers in Sweden.

My colleagues and I have been customers

for many years so we know what is needed in

today’s competitive market.”

Finlay sums it up; “We started with Ovation

without really understanding what else

Merging could offer. Now we know, we feel

confident we can significantly expand the

user base for Merging in South Africa. They

have some great products at a variety of

price points that appeal to our client base.”

ProAudio recently acquired the rights to

distribute the Midas, Klark Teknik and

Turbosound brands of professional installed

and touring sound products.

The wholesale distribution business has a

long association with the highly successful

Behringer pro-audio range, and the holding

company of the Behringer brand, MUSIC

Group, also owns the distribution rights to the

specialised Midas, Klark Teknik and

Turbosound brands.

"MUSIC Group really believes in the value

to be gained from building a brand, and

really believes in wholesalers and distributors

of their product adding value in sales terms.

That’s in line with our own approach, which is

to actively market our full product range to

our dealer network and to drive sales," says

ProAudio Sales Director David Myers.

"Behringer has been a flagship brand

partner of ours since the beginning, so the

extension of the distribution rights for these

brands to ProAudio makes sense

commercially. And the new markets opening

up for these brands is also testimony to

MUSIC Group’s role in creating the

professional consumer – the 'prosumer' –

as a market segment and creating desirable

brands for it," concludes ProAudio MD

Joss Pack.

Meanwhile, having been the Midas

distributor for nearly 30 years, Prosound

recently regrettably announced that it has

been decided by the Music Group to

consolidate their brands under one

distributor for the region, the result being

that Prosound will no longer be the

distributor for Midas/Klark Teknik.

According to ProSound, it is difficult to

have to let go of such a great product in

which they pride themselves on their

technical expertise. They will continue to

service their clients with existing Pro-Series

mixers. Although they will have to assess

their involvement with the product as time

progresses, it should be realised that

changes do occur within the industry.

Prosound’s market offering remains the

same: providing experienced technical

service with high-quality product.

Merging teams with PENMAC

ProAudio acquires new brands

Joss pack

7

TID recently became the exclusive distributor for Adamson System

Engineering in South Africa and held a South African launch for the

Adamson S-series at the Barnyard theatre in Rivonia on Tuesday 21 July.

The S-Series was first launched at Prolight + Sound in Frankfurt,

Germany earlier this year.

Jochen Sommer, director of European operations at Adamson, led the

presentation, discussing the history of Adamson, before focussing on the

S-Series.

“Adamson has one of the top three ranked products in the live sound

industry, in the world. Our products are specifically for live performances,

rather than public address or plain speeches.”

According to him, Adamson is among the top manufacturers in

the industry.

“The S10 is a 2-way, full range line source cabinet containing 2x

ND10-LM Neodymium Kevlar drivers (2x 16 Ω) and an NH4TA2 1.5” exit

compression driver (8 Ω). The critically optimised sound chamber

produces a slightly curved wavefront with a nominal dispersion pattern of

110° x 10° (H x V),” he said.

“Any theatre, rock concerts, churches and stadiums would benefit

greatly from Adamson and the S10 system is arguably one of the best

compact 2-way systems currently available on the market.”

Eugene Bester, Technical Manager at Liberty Church attended the

event, saying: “I liked the fact that the system is so neutral, it makes it easy

to do anything you want with it.”

Another attendee, Gary Botha, Systems Design Engineer at MMPA

Consultants said: “The system never got shrill or sounded like it was

working hard even when handling low frequencies below the systems

rated frequency response. Response was even both in terms of frequency

and sound level across the venue. Another key feature is the

compactness of the amplification and processing, low overall weight,

small size and ease of rigging.”

According to Tiaan Hoogstad, Marketing Manager at TID, TID is a

complete solutions company servicing the live eventing market and

acquiring Adamson will go a long way to allow them to provide even

more than they have to offer.

“We are very excited to add Adamson Systems Engineering to our line

card. Adamson has helped to fill a gap TID has had and so today we are

launching not only our new relationship with Adamson, but also the S10

system,” Hoogstad said.

“This is a big responsibility for us, to effectively be Adamson in South

Africa. But we are used to this responsibility, as we take this responsibility

very seriously with all our brands and we look forward to working

In celebration of the 90th birthday of French composer, Pierre Boulez,

Prosound recently partnered with violinist, Waldo Alexander and Dr

Cameron Harris from WITS School of Arts, in presenting the South African

premiere of Anthèmes 2 for solo violin and live electronics at the

Goethe-Institut in Johannesburg.

Mark Malherbe, Prosound technical director and sound designer for

this project, set up an array of Prosound’s own Maestro speakers in order

for the piece’s spatialisation to be performed.

The technological accompaniment of the violin, mic’d with a DPA

VO4099V, was achieved through specialised processing equipment and

software, and both violin and accompaniment was performed through

eight carefully rigged Maestro speakers, each transmitting sound at

different intervals, thereby immersing the audience in a unique sound

experience.

The lengthy applause at the end of this piece was evidence enough of

its effect on the spectators present; complete amazement at the

technical difficulty of the performance and the realisation

of the significance of this event in South African music.

TID launch Adamson

Prosound honours French composer

8

newS

TV Audio has recently added the

RocknRoller Multi-Cart 8-in1 Equipment

Transporter cart to their list of products – and

already the South African industry is sitting up

and taking notice.

The RocknRoller Multi-Cart is the perfect

transportation solution for broadcasters,

mobile audio technicians, audio and video

applications, photographers, videographers

and more. Ultimate versatility and the ability

to change configurations on the go to fit

virtually any combination of equipment

make Multi-Carts the go-to utility cart in

studios, TV sets, movie sets and sound rooms

around the world.

Among its top qualities are the

expandable frame, which adjusts to load

size and shape, its huge load capacity in

spite of its ability to fold small for storage, the

fact that it is lightweight, rugged and

ergonomically efficient and it ability to

reduce time and effort moving equipment

by up to 50%.

Stage Audio Works Southern Africa (based in

Windhoek, Namibia) with the assistance of

the South African branch recently executed

a complete conference venue installation in

Lusaka, Zambia.

Twangale (meaning 'Let’s Play' in the local

language) contracted Stage Audio Works,

who successfully installed a complete

conferencing system for Twangale’s recently

built venue.

For the main auditorium, which can be

divided into three smaller venues, ACME

entertainment lighting, controlled by a Hog

system was installed. LDR Fresnels were

installed for key lighting, powered by Leviton

dimmers. All the lights are suspended from

TFL trussing which is manufactured by Stage

Audio Works in Johannesburg according to

TFL certification.

For the sound re-enforcement, Audac

TCX12 tops and 18” subs were installed,

complemented by TCX8 loudspeakers for

delays further down the venue. The TCX’s

are powered by Audac SMQ750 amplifiers.

Mixing is done via Behringer’s

X32 digital mixer receiving

audio from the S16 stagebox.

Video projection is

accomplished via Christie’s

LHD700 Full HD projector with

a wide lens. The screen is a

Da-Lite 4m wide motorised

screen. In all conference

venues worldwide – the

BYOD (Bring Your Own

Device) method of

conferencing is growing

rapidly. Christie’s Brio Team

makes this possible and

allows for effortless wireless

projection from PC, IOS as well as

Android devices.

When the venue is divided into smaller

rooms, projection is done via Christie’s

LWU501i WXGA projector onto Da-Lite 3m

Motorised screens. On the audio side,

Audac’s Celo range of ceiling speakers,

powered by an Audac low impedance

amplifier is installed. Each of these rooms also

has their own Christie Brio Team devices for

presentations.

In all three venues, as well as the main

auditorium, seamless video switching is

achieved using Analog Way’s QuickVU

150-3G switcher. This also provides SDI inputs

distributed throughout the venue for 3G-HD

Camera feeds to the projectors.

Alpha LED DALI controlled downlights are

installed throughout the venue, being

controlled by a Leviton system. Each of the

smaller rooms has a dedicated keypad to

control lighting for the specific room. From

the Auditorium control, lighting for all three

rooms are controlled from a single keypad.

Although all the technical systems in such

a venue can be a handful, simplicity for the

operators was an important aspect for the

owner. A Neets Zulu controller, controlled

from an Android touch screen conveniently

located in each room, took care of this.

Controlled from the touch screen, by the

press of a button, the projectors and quick

VU are switched on, screen is dropped and

input selection is done on the video switcher.

The downlights and audio level is also

controlled from the touch screen.

Sennheiser microphones, antenna

distribution systems and Radial DI boxes were

supplied to accommodate the input

requirements to the auditorium’s main

PA system.

In the foyer area surrounding the

conference venue, Audac DW5066 wall

panels allows for local audio input and

volume control for the Audac CS660 ceiling

speakers. This provides relaxing background

music while taking a break outside the

venue. An Audac M2 audio matrix is used

for audio distribution in the foyer and allows

for control from the wall panels. A dedicated

Sennheiser wireless microphone with

Sennheiser antenna system is provided for

announcements in the foyer.

They also received a mobile PA system

consisting of Yamaha MGP mixer, DXR

powered speakers, DSR powered

subwoofers, Sennheiser antennas and

StagePlus cabling. K&M mic and speakers

stands were provided as quality equipment

needs to be supported by quality stands

which can handle the abuse they will

inevitably face within time. All of this

equipment is protected by StagePlus

protective bags, custom flight cases and

road trunks.

RocknRoller joins TV Audio family

Switching on in Lusaka

10

medIAtech AfrIcA 2015 REPORT

Crestron made quite an impact at

Mediatech, with their first direct

representation and their own stand at this

year’s show.

According to Vincent Philippo, Regional

Director, as a result, this year’s show was very

different for them.

“Mediatech has grown significantly over

the last few years and this year we saw a

great deal more Professional AV stands,

which is a very good indication of the

potential for the South African market,” he

said. “The market may double, or even triple,

in the next couple of years, which is

very promising.”

Philippo emphasised that Crestron wanted

to focus on establishing itself as an

independent brand. With their own official

office in South Africa, Crestron will not work

through any other distributors, and they will

be able to provide various extra services

directly to their customers, with their own

training centre and display area too.

“We are always launching new products,

but for now, we would like to let people know

that we are here.”

Rupert Denoon, Regional Manager, said

that Crestron also focussed on showcasing

the Pyng System for the first time in South

Africa.

“The Pyng System is a concept rather than

a product. It simplifies home automation,

tailored to anyone’s personal lifestyle. Pyng

provides the ability for system programming

in as little as two hours, eliminating

unnecessary expenses and time

consumption,” he said. “This system is

available on multiple platforms, including

iOS and Android and can be accessed from

any personal device. Once it is installed, you

can easily update and create lifestyle

scenes, schedule events, and set automated

actions right from the app on your tablet. It’s

quick and easy, and all settings are saved in

the cloud, so you can’t lose or break

anything.”

the crestron stand

DWR impressed with their stand at

Mediatech, setting the bar high and

allowing for a lot of interaction with visitors.

According to Duncan Riley, Director of DWR,

they always try to recreate an international

show experience in their stands.

“First impressions count and we wanted to

create a lasting first impression at Mediatech

2015. We wanted visitors to feel that they are

attending an international show and with all

the different manufacturer’s incredible

stands and the international visitors who

attended this year, I feel we succeeded in

that. The wonderful thing about Mediatech is

that it’s creating a platform where end users

can greet CEOs and owners of great,

national and international companies,

which is an amazing thing,” he said.

When asked about two of their brands,

Robe Lighting and Clay Paky, having their

own stands at the show this year,

Riley said that he did not see this as a

competitive scenario.

“It is great to see these brands doing their

own thing and because we are all situated in

roughly the same spot at the

show, I do not feel that any

one stand is taking away from

the others. DWR has got quite

a lot of brands and we are

focussing on DWR’s services,

rather than on specific

products. These brands

showcase some incredible

products and it gives us all the

opportunity to focus on

specific areas and products.”

As a separate attraction,

DWR, together with Michael Broderick

Lighting Design, also displayed a short

performance show, named ‘1 Man 1 Light’,

that featured four times a day throughout

the show’s duration. The performance was

done using just one single Robe BMFL Blade

luminaire with a ‘back-to-basics’ creative

starting point.

DWR stand impresses

Crestron shows independence

Mediatech africa 2015, the largest media and entertainment technology trade show in southern africa, recently showcased many of the world’s most impressive new technologies in the industry, placing emphasis on the global move to media over ip and many innovations in professional sound, lighting and display.

the show took place at the ticketpro dome in northgate, from 15 to 17 July and featured a variety of exhibitors in the broadcast, film, live event and aV system integration industries.

this year’s show was the largest and most successful to date, on all levels. in all there were a total of 145 exhibiting companies, representing over 700 local and international brands. a record number of 7 404 unique visitors visited the completely sold-out show, which also showed clear growth in the pro-aV and live event industries, since these dominated floor space in comparison to the broadcast and media production side of the show.

in addition to the success of the show indicated by its sold-out status, feedback from the industry players has been overwhelmingly positive. Many distributors attested to the professional standards of the event, remarking that it was in line with comparable events around the world.

11

REPORT medIAtech AfrIcA 2015

During Mediatech Africa 2015, Acer made

their appearance for the first time at this

biennial, media and entertainment

technology trade show, the largest of its kind

in southern Africa.

According to Product Manager

Charmaine van Niekerk, the show was

amazing and jam-packed with cutting edge

technology.

“This is the first year we are here and it is

definitely the place we need to be, as we

have been a predominantly IT brand until

now and we are currently breaking into the

AV market,” she said. “We experienced

Mediatech 2015 as very impressive, with very

high standards. Of the other manufacturers

exhibiting this year, everyone brought

their A-game.”

Van Niekerk said that the main focus for

Acer at this year’s Mediatech was their

projectors, since Acer wants people to know

that they produce everything from 1 inch to

100 inch products.

“We literally have a product to fill the need

in any production and not many people

know that we have the highest market share

in South Africa,” Van Niekerk said.

“According to our data we finished on 33%

market share in the last quarter.”

One of the Acer products on display, that

also proved to be the star of the show, was

the K137i. This portable DLP projector is

wireless, both Windows and Mac PC

compatible, 3D compatible and has two

internal speakers with a stereo output mode.

“We have had a lot of positive feedback

about the K137i, which is one of our smaller

projectors, but people seem to like the idea

that it is wireless. Due to its size, people seem

very impressed with its potential.”

Alpha Technologies was

one of the few

manufacturers who

attended Mediatech for

the first time this year.

Joseph Milan,

Director, said that the

focus for Alpha

Technologies this year

was establishing the

company within the

market.

“Rather than

presenting any specific

products or product

ranges, we are here to put a face to the

name and build relationships with our end

users and dealers,” Milan said.

“We want people to know that we provide

everything under one roof, also allowing

dealers to bring the end users to our office.

We also want people to be aware of the fact

that we are the sole distributor for Sony

Projector and Video Conference.”

According to Spencer Thomas, Smartbus

Technical and Sales, Mediatech Africa 2015

was everything Alpha Technologies

expected from a media and entertainment

technology trade show.

“We have been at Decorex and

Homemakers Expo before and for me, this

show is top notch. It is state of the art and the

organisation is brilliant.”

Though Alpha Technologies has been

formed very recently to service the

professional AV market, with brands

including Grandview, Powerlite, PTN, Evoko,

Sony and WePresent WIPG, they do offer

everything under one roof.

Portable Acer projector steals show

Getting to know Alpha Technologies

alpha technologies team

Mordecai Matomana and Marco de lemos

Christie this year celebrated their tenth year at

Mediatech, with a brilliant display of projector

technology. Phil Lord, former Territory Manager

Africa, said that the visible growth over the past two

shows has been amazing and that the professional

AV exhibitors have invested a lot more in Mediatech

Africa 2015.

“There has been a major shift from shell schemes

to whole stands and many of the other exhibitors

have used this to their advantage. I have also

noticed a lot more European manufacturers at the

show this time, which is a very good sign,” he said.

“This is a one-of-a-kind show in South Africa and

though we attend various trade shows globally,

Mediatech is the only South African trade show that

Christie attends.”

Lord noted that the foot traffic had been very well

regulated at this year’s show, making the general

experience less chaotic at the stand and allowing

for more time spent with visitors.

“There were also a lot more exhibitors at the show

this year, which made it well worthwhile for visitors

and gave it an international air.”

At the show this year, Christie focussed on their

mid-range LCD and DLP projectors, as well as flat

panels, which is a new market for them.

“Not many people are aware that we also

provide flat panels and we are currently working to

inform people,” Lord said. “We have recently

launched the Boxer 4K30, a powerhouse projector

with impressive, unrivalled brightness, which makes it

perfectly designed for high-impact rental staging

and large venue events. It’s the brightest, lightest

and smartest 30 000 lumen projector and the most

cost-effective professional projector on the market

today,” he said.

Boxer 4K30 projector main focus for Christie

helmut protte, chris grandin, Miles donovan, phil lord, harry gladow and Monsi cottrell

12


electrosonic held a lighting designer competition, in conjunction with Martin professional, lighthouse holland and Mediatech 2015, on thursday 16 July, during the Mediatech africa 2015 show.

As part of an innovative idea to promote up

and coming, as well as established

designers, Electrosonic presented

contestants with a competition pack with all

the needed software and information (at no

cost) months before the show. The top five

contestants’ show files were played at the

competition, with a song or compilation of

their choice.

According to Bruce Schwartz, Lighting

Division Manager of Electrosonic, they

decided to have entrants design their own

show to their own music and then to actually

play this in front of a live audience.

“A fixed rig of 4 x Martin MAC Quantum

Profiles, 6 x Martin MAC Quantum Washes, 6

x Martin MAC 101s, 3 x Martin Atomic Strobes,

6 x Martin Rush MH3 Beams all under a Milos

8x6 Arc Roof made for an exciting

competition night attended by around 200

industry spectators. The event was a huge

drawcard for both the spectators and the

contestants alike. The winners took home a

fantastic range of prizes,” he said. “Martin

Professional held a lighting contest to

showcase their lighting design software a

few years ago. The format was to take a

design with a pre-determined piece of

music and submit a video of your design

and then be judged.”

Electrosonic in South Africa decided to

take this to the next level and have entrants

design their own show to their own music

and then to play this in front of the

live audience.

“So a year ago we sat down with Simon

and Claire from Mediatech and pitched our

idea. This was well received and proved to

be a draw card for people to attend the

Mediatech show in 2015.”

A judging panel consisting of

independent lighting designers, Denis Hutch

and Christopher Bolton, Mediatech

Organiser Simon Robinson and Peter Dahlin

from Martin Professional Denmark judged

the entries on site.

Gary Sam won the first prize worth

R50 000, consisting of a Martin M2PC

Console and a 1 Year Martin Showdesigner

License.

“This all came as such a surprise. I would

like to give a big thanks for this opportunity

and for the support and help throughout this

year,” Sam said.

According to Martin

Professional, the Martin

M-Touch is a powerful,

yet simple control surface

for the Martin M-Series

controllers, the most

affordable professional

lighting solutions on the

market. Fully compatible

with all M-Series

consoles and M-PC

software, the Martin

M-Touch is a plug-and-

play solution with an

innovative control surface like no other

lighting console. 14 FSR faders allow control

of playbacks and fixture parameters while 20

velocity-controlled pads allow for new types

of effects. Additional programming buttons

such as record, edit, update, load and clear

are accessible directly from the control

panel. Martin M-Touch comes with one DMX

512 Universe for direct control of any

compatible DMX device.

Second prize winner, Kurt du Preez, won a

Martin M-Touch Console and a 1 Year

Subscription of a Martin Showdesigner Pro

License worth R14 000. The winner of the third

prize, a Martin M-Touch Console worth

R6 000 was Blessing Vilakazi. Fourth place

went to Matthew Mitchell and fifth place to

Victor Hatega. The prizes were presented by

Bruce Schwartz and

Peter Dahlin.

“We intend making this a bi-annual event

in conjunction with Mediatech and next time

we hope to grow it even bigger,”

said Schwartz.

Lighting Designer Competition raging success at MediatechBy Elaine Strauss

peter dahlin, winner gary sam and Bruce schwartz and the winning routine (above)

14


A member of The British Academy of Film

and Television Arts, The Society of British

Theatre Designers, The Society of Television

Lighting and Design, The Association of

Lighting Designers and Equity and is an

Honorary Fellow of Rose Bruford College,

Marenghi has designed the lighting for a

wide variety of theatre, opera, dance, trade,

concert, live event, heritage and television

productions worldwide and is the first British

lighting designer to have lit the Opening and

Closing Ceremonies of an Olympic Games.

The first stadium he had been invited to

light was at the World Student Games

opening ceremony at Sheffield Stadium in

1991, which he spoke about during his

presentation.

“The lighting budget for the event was

very small, so we hung some trosses full of

malfi flood lights with scrollers under the main

canopy, so that we could introduce some

colour for the point of view for the VIP

audience and the main cameras,” he said.

“We discovered if we put one colour in

four adjacent frames and rolled the scrollers

continuously back and forth we could make

the colour last for nearly ten minutes. We still

had to light the stadium with very little

budget and I decided to place colour filter

in front of the existing four stadium lighting

tours and we manufactured standoff frames,

which came to a total cost of around

R40 000 including rigging.”

According to him, they used one corner

tower in white, one in yellow, one in amber

and one in red and as the evening

progressed they proceeded to turn off one

by one, brightest first, until the fireworks finale

was lid with just the red light.

“A very basic approach to controlling

stadium lighting, but certainly cost effective

and the TV director was quite happy with the

results,” he said.

Marenghi also designed the lighting for

the Winter Olympics and Paralympics

Opening and Closing Ceremonies in Turin

2006 where he became the first British

Lighting Designer to illuminate an Olympic

event, where the ceremonies were

broadcast to two Billion viewers.

He also illuminated the London 2012

Handover at the Beijing Olympic and

Paralympic Games and the Winter

Paralympics Opening and Closing

Ceremonies in Sochi 2014.

He discussed most of these events, each

with their unique challenges and rewards,

during the presentation, focussing on how

the approach to stadium lighting has

become more theatrical over recent years.

“Today, with the development of LED

lighting replacement for stadium footlights,

we have the increasing ability to at least

control the houselights. There are several

television lighting directors already

introducing theatrical lighting to sport events

and pioneering this approach,” he said.

Quoting one of the leading experts of this

area, he said: “The business of lighting and

televising sporting events is moving on very

quickly and I predict that the standard white

light approach is now in decline, giving way

to more imaginative methods of lighting

events and a show-lighting philosophy will be

the way forward.”

Theatre lighting for stadium events

durham Marenghi

durham Marenghi, whose visit

was sponsored by clay paky,

gave a detailed presentation

about theatre lighting for

stadium events at the lighting

design sessions at Mediatech this

year. Marenghi drew on his

experiences in turin, Beijing and

sochi and explained the

techniques he uses to achieve

the apparently impossible in

bringing theatrical lighting to

stadium events such as

the olympics.

By Elaine Strauss

During Mediatech Africa 2015, Stage Audio Works celebrated 15

years of supplying the industry with complete technology solutions.

“Our stand this year was built by industry people for industry

people. It was a realisation of our maxim of supplying complete

solutions. The stand appealed to our customers from all of our key

market sectors – rental and staging, houses of worship and systems

integration,” said Technical Manager Nathan Ihlenfeldt. “Apart from

the products we showcased, the stand was also a reflection of our

inhouse design, installation and manufacturing capability. All of the

products we showcased were also live and working and our team

was available to demonstrate our complete feature set. ”

During Mediatech 2015, Stage Audio Works’ stand emphasised the

African launch of the Yamaha Rivage PM10 mixing consoles, the

African launch of the Sennheiser Digital 9000, AVX and Evolution D1

Digital Radio Microphone Systems, the trade show debut of TFL OV40

trussing, manufactured in South Africa by Stage Plus under license

from TFL UK and the debut of many local innovations from Stage Plus

including a new clamp, EasyClad stage decks, ProStep staircases,

Stage Plus cases and new adjustable legs for the Stage Plus

deck range.

Apart from these, Stage Audio Works also showcased the latest

products from d&b audiotechnik, as well as the complete software

workflow including ArrayCalc V8 with Array Processing. New

products from integration-targeted audio product manufacturer

Audac were also on display, alongside video equipment from

Analog Way, DVIGear and Blackmagic Design. The complete

technology solution offering was completed by a range of lighting

solutions from ACME, High End Systems, Visual Productions, LDR and

Wireless DMX and hoisted from Liftket.

This year, Stage Audio Works also emphasised its commitment to

the House of Worship market by hosting a dedicated pavilion for this

customer base. Located alongside their main booth, customers were

able to get hands on experience of relevant solutions such as Digital

Audio Labs’ Livemix, Renewed Vision ProPresenter 6 and

ProVideoPlayer 2 among others.

15

Stage Audio Works’ stand built by industry people, for industry people

stage audio Works stand at Mediatech

16


the tV audio stand

Electrosonic’s Lighting Division Manager,

Bruce Schwartz, has described this year’s

Mediatech as a world-class exhibition on par

with international exhibitions.

“The market is maturing and customers

are shopping, asking more educated

questions, and making decisions. It is good to

see the top manufacturers pushing the limit

and competing in a healthy way at this

year’s show,” he said. “We have placed our

focus on projection mapping this year and

displayed most of our brands, but picked

what is topical at the moment. Everyone is

focussing on what is current, which are

networks and they seem to be the future of

this industry.”

According to Abrie du Plooy, Electrosonic’s

NEC and Galaxy Product Manager, this

year’s show was mainly LED display focussed.

“It is fun to be a part of Electrosonic’s team

this year and the stand is incredible. It is just

unbelievable that we have not even

recovered from creating such a brilliant

stand, but we will already be taking it down

again soon,” he said.

Jason Johnstone, Kramer Product

Manager for Electrosonic, agreed, saying

that most of the stands in general were of

international standards.

“South Africa can be proud of what they

have achieved in Mediatech 2015. The show

is very impressive. All of the big players are

here and from what I can tell, not only are

the stands better, but in terms of space and

planning, the show has definitely improved

remarkably this year. The quality of the show

in general really stands out,” he said. “It is

amazing to see so much in such a relatively

small stage. All the genres are mixed here, so

visitors get to see so much. It offers a broad

spectrum of what is happening in all these

industries.”

Matrix Sound made history at Mediatech,

when they made sales at their stand – the first

time in all their years at the show. According to

Trevor Peters, the owner of Matrix Sound, their

stand had a tremendous amount of high

quality attendance at this year’s show.

“The show has always been well organised,

but this year it had a more international feel.

We are very pleased with what we got out of

the show, the interest and exposure. We have

also had a lot of queries from international

visitors,” he said.

According to Peters, the quality of the show

is on par with most international shows.

“We decided to have three separate stands

this year, in order to create a larger presence

at the show; therefore we had an individual

stand each for Galaxy Audio and Dynacord.”

All three stands were located in the same

area and all three did very well with regards to

visitors, said Peters.

Alcons Audio’s ground-breaking Sentinel

amplifier was recently launched by Matrix

Sound and according to Peters, drew a lot of

people to the stand.

“We have had a lot of visitors who were

specifically interested in the Sentinel. It is an

incredible amplifier with networking

capabilities, which gives the user the ability to

monitor the PA system from their location.”

According to Alcons Audio, the proprietary

designed and developed Sentinel Amplified

Loudspeaker Controllers are the 'engine'

behind every Alcons system and are designed

to get the absolute maximum performance

out of the pro-ribbon systems. The ALC Sentinel

features a powerful 4-channel DPS-based

controller with ClassD amplifier stages. The four

individually addressable inputs accept

analogue or up to 192kHz digital AES3 signals,

that are up/down sampled to 96sskHz.by the

custom high-end sample

rate converters.

A stage for projection mapping Show on par with international standards

Mario Bentley and trevor peters

Jason Johnstone, abrie du plooy, terry Bourquin and Bruce schwartz

TV Audio

celebrated their

return to Mediatech

with two stands

this year.

According to

owner Peter Berry,

he was pleasantly

surprised with the

quality of

Mediatech Africa

2015, remarking on

how much the

show had changed

since the last time they attended, roughly six

years ago.

“Mediatech was as good as any show in

the world and weeare thrilled with the

attendance,” he sayd. “All the exhibitors

went out of their way to make their stands

special, going the extra mile in making it

memorable.”

TV Audio has two stands at this year’s

show, namely one for their new brand

Alustage and one for their Beamz brand.

“Both stand were hugely successful, with

the one stand focussed on the staging and

trussing brand, Alustage, who we have had

on our name card for roughly a year, and

one for Beamz, a lighting brand from

Holland, who we have been representing for

about two years,” Berry sayd.

According to him, their suppliers from both

brands also attended the show and they

were very impressed.

“We would like to see actual musical

instrument manufacturers at future shows, as

this industry would fit into what we feel

Mediatech aims to provide to

manufacturers,” he added.

TV Audio returns with double stand

By any measure, the Mediatech Africa 2015 Advanced Technology Trade

Show was an outstanding success for Audiosure. With four stands and six

distinct areas, showcasing more than 18 brands, hosting seven

international suppliers and presenting their flagship and new products to

thousands of enthusiastic visitors, it was nothing short of a great success

for them.

Highlights included their Martin Audio demo room, which was custom

made to be especially sound proof to properly demo the stunning Martin

Audio CDD range as well as the Omniline, MLA Mini and DD series.

The South African company also drew large appreciative crowds to

see its extensive collection of audio and AV products as well as lighting

from CHAUVET Professional and CHAUVET DJ.

However, beyond being drawn by the opportunity to get their hands

on some of the latest gear, show visitors were stopped in their tracks by an

eye-popping lightshow Audiosure created using a collection of CHAUVET

Professional fixtures.

Designed by Sean Crawley with the assistance of Stefan Van Der Walt,

the show at the Audiosure stand drew on the intense output of

16 pixel-mapped Nexus 4x4 LED panels to display blinding breakout

patterns and stunningly bright text. Adding to the visual feast was the

sweeping light from 30 ultra-fast Rogue moving fixtures. The new Strike 4

blinder pumped up the intensity level even higher, as did four Next NXT-1

moving LED panels flown on the rig’s truss. A group of eight COLORado

2-Quad Zoom IP fixtures washed the booth in a rich array of colours

during the show.

“The lightshow at the Audiosure stand was really quite special,” said .

“It really showed how lighting can transform a space, especially when

in the hands of talents like Sean and Stefan. We’ve always believed that

the best way for anyone to appreciate what our lights can accomplish is

to see them in action. This enthusiastic response to the show at the

Audiosure stand certainly proved this point.”

PENMAC returned to Mediatech this year with a larger stand and two

feature products on display.

According to Malcolm Finlay, Director, this year’s show was, again, very

good and upheld the same (high) standard as the previous show.

“We had a bigger stand this year, so we were a bit busier than last

time, but we had a lot of interest and we made many new contacts,

which was great for us,” he said. “This year we focussed on two of our

leading products, namely Lightware and WATCHOUT.”

Dataton WATCHOUT is a production and playback system for

multi-display applications, from staging to digital signage, to events and

fixed installations. With Dataton WATCHOUT you orchestrate stills,

animations, graphics, video, sound and live feeds in a single impressive

show across multiple display areas.

Lightware Visual Engineering is a leading manufacturer of

DVI-, HDMI- and DP matrix switchers and accessories for professional AV

market. Their goal is to recognise industry needs and develop highest

quality and performance-rich products by continuously consulting with

integrators, rental technician, and design engineers. 17

Audiosure and CHAUVET Professional dazzle visitors

the audiosure stand

Bigger, better stand for PENMAC

18


Constable focussed her presentation on

explaining the way she decides to take on a

project, then emphasising what light does in

each story, what the light is like and how to

watch and edit the light in the most

effective way.

“I often feel alienated from the bold kit

based way of using light. To me, light is more

precious. It’s not about the amount, but it’s

about the quality; it’s not about beams in the

air, it’s about imperceptible shifts in the

space. It’s not about lighting so much as

darkness,” she said during her introduction.

“My real obsession is storytelling, how to bring

words and stories to life. I think that muscular,

taut drive is something common to all of my

best work. It’s informed, driven,

dramaturgical. It comes of a process and it’s

this I want to try to share a little of. To try to

explain how I make the decisions I make.”

According to her, the most important part

of taking on a project, is establishing what it

can offer her and vice versa.

“One of the biggest fears for us all in

lighting design is the sense of not knowing;

not being able to see if it will work before we

try it. So the very least I can do for myself is

know why I’m here, why I am making

something.”

It is always important to ask what the

nature of the light is in each individual piece,

explained Constable.

“Having read the thing, listened to it,

engaged with it and heard the brief, the

question becomes what is light doing in the

room. Why is it there? What is the landscape

for light in the piece?”

For this discussion, she used Die Entführung

aus dem Serail presented at the

Glyndebourne as example, explaining her

steps to define a place and time with the

front cloth, then moving on to the

architectural space. Sunlight needed to be

recreated for this particular piece. She

further emphasised that this particular

design was based on the idea of layers and

that the light and sight being allowed in and

being closed off, added to the idea of

seeing through to other layers and secret

hidden spaces.

“So the function of light is to be naturalistic,

alive, hot, directional, brutal and present in

every picture,” she said.

After this, Constable explained how she

established what the light for this piece

was like.

“The sunlight needed to be slightly

buttermilk warm to work with the stonework

and the quality of light that would be

bouncing around a space like this, with the

sky beyond, and the sea. Making them tend

slightly to the greener blues makes for a more

period feel. And that contrasts in a very alive

way with the warmth of the stone,” she said.

“From this I end up with light that comes into

the space; it knows why it’s there and what it

looks like. It has a sense of purpose and it

knows how to move. The final step of

preparation is to work this into a structure.”

In conclusion, Constable highlighted the

importance of working deftly and quickly,

but also to not trying to solve problems in

the moment.

“If in doubt, go to black and start again.

We so often get stuck with too much light –

go back to the essence of the idea. One

simple idea is so much better than 20

half-baked ones.”

The art of lighting design

paule constable

By Elaine Strauss

during the lighting design sessions at this year’s Mediatech, paule constable, whose visit was sponsored by clay paky, gave an in-depth presentation about the art in lighting design. the multiple award winning, British lighting designer and an associate director of the national theatre in london talked about her design process and how this is reflected in works such as Die Entführung aus dem Serail and Warhorse.

19


+27 11 791 7009 [email protected] www.tadco.co.za

96kHz as standard 24 mic line inputs 12 analogue outs 2 AES I/O (mono) Word Clock I/O 1 GPI and 1 GPO DVI out (for an external monitor) 2 DMI Card slots (up to 64 I/O per slot) 2 Ethernet connections for Networking 2 x 24 segment master/solo meters Touch sensitive rotaries with integrated switch & HTL

2 x multi-touch screens 21 x touch sensitive moving faders 4 x layers of banks of 10 faders Customisable bank and channel layout Snapshots Integrated USB2 Audio I/O interface for recording and playback of up to 48 channels

40 x Input fl ex-channels Mono/Stereo (equivalent of 80 DSP channels)

46 busses: 16 x fl exi-busses Mono/Stereo (equivalent of 32 DSP busses), Stereo Master (2), Solo busses (2 stereo, 4 total), and 10 x 8 Matrix (8)

10 x Control Groups

1 x Compressor per channel and buss 1 x Gate per channel and buss (switch-able to ducker, or compressor with side chain access)

16 x assignable 32 band Graphic EQs 8 x FX engines (reverbs, delays, w/modulation and enhancer)

4 x assignable DiGiTuBes 4 x assignable Multiband Comps User defi nable Macros An extremely high power headphone amplifi er with 1/4 inch and mini jack socket

Specifi cations

DiGiCo UK Ltd. Unit 10 Silverglade Business Park, Leatherhead Road, Chessington, Surrey KT9 2QL. Tel: +44 (0) 1372 845600

www.digico.biz

Rewriting the rule book

Clay Paky had their own stand at Mediatech

this year, separate to local distributors DWR,

where they placed great focus on their

Mythos advanced hybrid light.

According to Area Sales Manager

Massimo Bolandrina, with regard to the

stand quality of other manufacturers at

Mediatech 2015, it has remained similar in

standard to the previous show in 2013.

“We are positively impressed with this

year’s show. There is so much to do and see,

and everything is well organised,” he said.

“We have also seen a lot of people from

outside South Africa visiting this year’s show,

especially movie directors and people from

large churches in Africa. We have also been

privileged to have some of our clients from

across South Africa make the trip to be here

and that has been great for us.”

Bolandrina said he was also impressed

with the quality of this year’s show, stating

that the quality over quantity approach,

seemingly taken by the organisers, has

ensured more visitors to Clay Paky’s stand.

Clay Paky’s stand was adjacent to DWR’s

at Mediatech this year, but according to

both, this did not take away from either

stand, but rather allowed each to highlight

different aspects of their products and

services individually.

“This year we are presenting some new

products which are all still under

development, mostly to get some client

feedback. However, our main focus for the

show has been our Mythos light We have

been running a very successful campaign for

the Mythos for about six months now.”

The Mythos is a highly advanced form of

hybrid light. It is an excellent 470 watt-lamp

spotlight, which produces an outstanding

large light beam and features a zoom that

ranges from 4° to 50°.

Clay Paky shows off Mythos

giovanni Zucchinali and Massimo Bolandrina

20


Robe was right at the centre of the buzz,

taking its own stand space for the first time

alongside that of distributor DWR, at this

year’s Mediatech.

Robe’s CEO Josef Valchar commented:

“We have enjoyed great success in South

Africa working closely with DWR, and this

year, we felt it was time to further endorse

the show and underline the importance of

the African market generally with our own

stand.”

Josef was joined by a full complement of

Robe’s International team including

International Sales Director Harry von den

Stemmen, Marketing Manager Jiri Baros,

Exhibition Co-Ordinator Ales Gill, Technical

Specialist Ondrej Hegar and LD and Lighting

& Media Designer Nathan Wan.

Product demos were running throughout

the show with the latest DL4 range fixtures

and the PARFect S1 (single chip), optimised

for theatre, concert and performance

environments and applications.

Robe’s architectural and LED sister

company, Anolis, had its own section of the

stand allowing Director John Saunders to

meet new and potential clients and discuss

upcoming projects.

“This exhibition is very much on the up,”

commented Harry, “We made the right

decision to have our own booth which had a

lot of impact and enabled us to interact with

a constant stream of interested high quality

people. I was very impressed with the

amount of visitors from across the African

continent and also much further afield.”

Adjacent to the DWR stand was a

separate ‘black box’ demonstration area for

'One Man One Light', where top SA theatre

LD Michael Broderick demonstrated the

immense range of very subtle, beautiful and

dramatic effects that can be produced

using just one single Robe BMFL Blade

luminaire with a ‘back-to-basics’ creative

starting point.

He created the show assisted by

performance artist Belinda Henwood (the

‘man’) and choreographer David Gouldie.

The concept was such a success that they

have already been booked for a slot at the

Hilton Arts Festival near Durban in

September.

BMFL Series centre stage at Robe stand

New product brands at Peripheral Vision

John saunders, ondrej hegar, Jiri Baroš, nathan Wan, harry von den stemmen and aleš gill

According to Wynand Langenhoven, CEO of

Peripheral Vision, this year’s Mediatech show

has been noticeably busier than the

previous show.

“The quality of the show has definitely

improved and besides the normal visitors, we

have also been seeing a lot of end users

attending the show this year. To me, this is

further evidence of the growth of Mediatech

through the years,” he said.

Langenhoven said that there has also

been a definite increase in the presence of

professional AV users, which he was very

happy about.

“It is very positive to see how many of the

manufacturers at this show, has shifted to

more professional AV, which again, just

shows how far Mediatech has come the last

few years and it will be very interesting to see

where the next show will take this market.”

At this year’s Mediatech, Peripheral Vision

focussed on some of their new product

agencies and brands, like Bosch, SVSi by

Harman, Da-Lite and Chief. They have also

recently welcomed a new member to the

Peripheral Vision team, which they are

delighted about.

“We are especially proud to have

welcomed Elaine O’Gorman to our team.

She has been synonymous with Bosch and is

very well-known in the industry. We look

forward to a future working closely with her,”

he said.

Harman International announced in June

this year that they had acquired SVSi, the

leading maker of networked AV products,

and Peripheral Vision showcased some of

their incredible products at this

year’s Mediatech.

peripheral Vision stand at Mediatech

SUPERHERO ID

MYTHOS

THE MOST ADVANCED FORMOF HYBRID LIGHT

Name

BORN

SPECIALFEATURES

LAMPOPTICS

SPOTBEAM

FOCUSWASH

COLORS GOBOSEFFECTSPRISMSDESIGN

470W, 7800K discharge lamp - 150,000 lux at 20m Large 160mm Ø front lens4°- 50° electronic zoom (Spotlight mode)2.5° aperture and “pipe” effect (Beam mode)Perfectly sharp focusing along the entire beam lengthFrost filter for soft-edge projection (Wash mode)CMY color mixing + 14 colors on 3 wheels6 HQ dichroic rotating gobos and 18 fixed metal gobosAdvanced visual effect disc (animation disc)2 indexable rotating prisms (8-facet and linear 4-facet)Patented Italian Design

is ALREADY LEGEND

ww

w.t

heprojectors.it

EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTOR FOR SOUTH AFRICA:

DWR DISTRIBUTIONIt’s all about the People

Block C, Unit 1Kimbult Industrial Park, 9Zeiss Road, Laser ParkHoneydew, 2170, Johannesburg

Tel: +27117935066Fax:[email protected]

ProSystem_A4_EN.indd 1 18/03/15 12:04

22


Marketing Manager at TID, Tiaan Hoogstad,

said that the first day of this year’s show was

the busiest that TID has ever experienced at

Mediatech, and he commented on the role,

he believed, social marketing played in the

show’s success.

“All in all, the quality of this year’s show has

remained on the standard we have come to

expect form media and entertainment

technology shows across the globe. But the

show has definitely improved from previous

years, with the amount of African visitors

continuing to build every time. Though South

Africa remains a big part in this show, the

African part continues to grow, which means

that the show is becoming more important

to the continent, not just to South Africa,” he

said. “We have also seen a lot of

international visitors this year and I believe a

lot of people are seeing the value of

Mediatech Africa, seeing the growth and

potential for further growth, for the show

in future.”

According to him, TID’s focus for

Mediatech Africa 2015 was Adamson

Systems Engineering, which they launched in

South Africa this year. TID was announced as

the exclusive South African distributor of

Adamson Systems Engineering products, at

the Prolight + Sound show in Frankfurt,

Germany, earlier this year.

“Adamson Systems Engineering and its

products are well-known and respected

throughout the world, and we are honoured

to be bringing the brand to South Africa for

the first time,” Hoogstad said.

Besides Adamson Systems Engineering, TID

focussed on their other new brand, LD

Systems, during Mediatech Africa 2015.

Along with Adamson Systems and LD

Systems, the TID stand also placed emphasis

on Beyerdynamic, BARIX and BIAMP Systems

at this year’s show.

TID showcases new brands

tid stand at Mediatech

23


GOLDENSEAFor more information and appointment with our sales, please emails us at [email protected] www.terbly.com

CREATE THE BEAUTY AND ART OF LIGHTGOLDEN SEA

Beam, Spot, Wash 3 in 1 Moving Head

G9 HYBRID

LED Moving Head OK370Z-RⅡ

Beam Head PT189B

Mediatech 2015 was yet another

successful trade show for Tadco. The

company not only showcased a variety

of new products but also used the event

as the African debut for their Digico S21

Digital Console with Stealth Digital

Processing.

There was a lot of buzz around the S21

digital console because it promises the

quality that’s synonymous with Digico’s

range, but for a lower price point. Prior to

the launch of the S21, DiGiCo’s belief in

audio quality and road worthy

mechanical design had limited their

ability to release an affordable

introductory product. These values have

required the same pioneering approach

to design, not to follow the trend but to

deliver the flagship for a price point

– and change expectations.

DiGiCo’s S21 does exactly that. By using

new, lower cost FPGA components

programmed with the same audio

algorithms, and combined with a new form

of control processor, DiGiCo is able to deliver

the S21 with the fundamental technological

values at its core. Running in harmony with

the FPGA core is a new ARM QuadCore RISC

processor. Delivering faster processing with

lower power consumption, this efficient tool,

combined with the audio core, has allowed

the development of a cost effective console

worthy of carrying the DiGiCo brand to

existing and new owners and users.

Tadco debuts Digico S21 at Mediatech

24


For Viva Afrika, Mediatech Africa 2015 was

yet another successful exhibition. The

tradeshow saw the company showcasing a

variety of innovative audio products on their

indoor stand and their outside sound

demo area.

“We had a full range of products,

showcasing all of the brands that we offer,

some in a small way and others more

elaborately. We had our 'NUMARK corridor'

again between our two stands, which was

once again a huge hit with the DJ

enthusiasts,” says Nelson Mendes, Marketing

Manager. “On the one side of the 'NUMARK

corridor', we designated totally for our brand

Audiocenter, which had a whole lot of brand

new product ranges to hit the South African

market including the TS Series, PL Series and

the band new KLA210 DSP and KLA28 DSP

active line array systems.”

On the opposite side of the NUMARK

corridor, the company showcased their

in-house brands – Hybrid and Hybrid+. Here,

visitors could experience the brand new

Hybrid+ A Series active range speaker and

subwoofer range as well as the Hybrid+

A10LA active line array system. Speaking

about the most popular products on their

stand Mendes says: “The Hybrid+ A10LA

active line array was one of the best

received products showcased at Mediatech

Africa 2015. It was displayed at the outdoor

demos to some amazing feedback.”

“The Audiocenter KLA210 DSP active line

array system also got great responses from

the outdoor demos, as well as the Numark

Mixtrack Pro 3 controller, displayed in the

NUMARK corridor.”

The company is confident that these

products will make a strong and positive

impact on the South African and wider

African markets.

Viva Afrika’s sound presence at Mediatech

Wild & Marr focussed on redesigning their

stand at this year’s Mediatech show.

According to Andrew Sorrill, Sales and

Marketing Manager, Wild & Marr’s stand was

very busy this year, with a lot of traffic and

interested visitors.

“All the exhibitors at Mediatech have

been going from strength to strength, which

has made this another successful Mediatech.

This year, for our own area we have focussed

on redesigning our stand, to make it a bit

more clear what we have to offer,” he says.

“We divided the stand up into four

sections, in order to highlight the company

and the solutions we offer, rather than the

products. Our first section was Broadcast

which has generated a lot of interest from

visitors. The second section was our Retail

corner and the third section was our Systems

Integration wall focussed on AV integration,

which had a flowchart to highlight our

product solutions. Lastly we had our Pro

corner, which focussed on high-end

professional equipment.”

Some of the products Wild & Marr

showcased during Mediatech included the

Shure Microflex Wireless, the Soundcraft

Vi5000, the Studer Vista X, the Soundcraft Ui

and the Soundcraft Impact, which was

launched in July.

“The new Soundcraft Impact features an

impressive 40 inputs, a 32-in/32-out USB

Interface, iPad Control, 26 motorised fader

and FaderGlow technology,” Sorrill says.

“Designed to be an affordable all-in-one

console, the Si Impact can be used on the

road, in the recording studio, in the rehearsal

space and everywhere in between, which

translates to significant savings in cost

and time.”

A new look for Wild & Marr

gustav teitge, dave Budge (harman), cecilia van der Vent, andrew sorrill and chicco hiranandani (shure)

the Viva afrika stand

Viva Afrika Sound and Light (Pty) Ltd45 Lake Road, Longmeadow

Longmeadow North Business ParkPO Box 4709, Rivonia, 2128, South Africa

Tel: 011 250-3280, Fax: 011 [email protected], www.vivaafrika.co.za

viva afrika

K-LA28 DSP Dual 8” 3 Way Active Line Array

Frequency Response (+/- 6dB anechoic chamber): 60 – 20 000Hz

Drivers: Beyma customised drivers

Signal Input/Output Connector: Female XRL Input, Male XLR Output

Power Input/Output Connector: Powercon NAC3MPA / NAC3MPB

Power Rating (AES): 1600W

Amplifi er: Class D

Weight: 24Kg

Dimensions mm: 590(W) x 236(H) x 436(D)

K-LA 218 DSP Dual 18” Active Bass Bin

Frequency Response (+/- 6dB anechoic chamber): 32 – 300Hz

Drivers: Customised Audiocenter drivers, Ferrite, 4” voice coil

Signal Input/Output Connector: Female XRL Input, Male XLR Output

Power Input/Output Connector: Powercon NAC3MPA / NAC3MPB


Amplifi er: Class D

Weight: 95Kg


K-LA Series – powerfully ACTIVE

DSP Features

• K-LA Line Array Systems features maximum

simplicity in Set up and Operation.

• A compact portable touring, rental and installation

system that brings Line-Array technology to an

accessible ease of use and price point

• A dynamic sound well packed in a compact size,

for the right price , this is KLA Series

NEW

PRODUCT

Weight: 24Kg


K-LA 218 DSP Active Bass Bin

Frequency Response (+/- 6dB anechoic chamber):

Drivers:

Signal Input/Output Connector:

Power Input/Output Connector:

Power Rating (AES):

Amplifi er:

Weight:

Dimensions mm:

2 x K-LA 218 DSP

K-LA 28 DSP Frame

4 x K-LA 28 DSP

10000 Watts




2 x K-LA 218 DSP

K-LA 28 DSP Frame

4 x K-LA 28 DSP


26

Infocomm SHOW REPORT

Held from 13 to 19 June in Orlando Florida, the annual InfoComm

conference and exhibition provided AV professionals with the

ultimate show experience that features the latest technology and

engaging education sessions.

The trade show attracted 950 exhibitors this year and occupied a

record 515 000 square feet of exhibition and special events space. On

the attendance front, this year was another remarkable year for

InfoComm, which saw 39 105 professionals walk through its trade

show gates and representing 108 countries. This represents a 5.6

percent increase in attendance over last year’s event that was held in

Las Vegas.

Commenting on this year’s show, David Labuskes, CTS, RCDD,

Executive Director and CEO, InfoComm International, says –

“InfoComm is the ideal place to make AV purchasing decisions,

AV pros flock to InfoComm 2015

orlando may be known as the theme park capital of the world, but in June the city was transformed into a mecca for professional audiovisual buyers and sellers alike that is better known as infocomm.

27

SHOW REPORT InFOCOMM

connect with contacts and learn principles that will boost your

effectiveness.”

“The marketplace strongly supports the InfoComm show, and we

are grateful for the attendee support and for the innovative exhibitors

who are committed to making InfoComm a can’t-miss event on the

industry calendar.”

Surge in certification

InfoComm is world renowned for its diverse courses on topics ranging

from acoustics to videoconferencing, and stepped the course

offerings up a notch this year. There were more than 5 600

attendees that joined the InfoComm University sessions, which

provided practical training and attracted the industry’s

brightest instructors and students, while over 200 professionals

sought out the new advanced class series.

This year’s popular courses included Future Trends, Large

Scale Projection Mapping, How to Build an App and Designing

Classrooms that Deliver Exceptional Experiences. For

technology managers, InfoComm’s Solutions Summits on UCC

and Digital Signage was a hot ticket that attracted more than

1 300 delegates.

28


harMan’s JBl professional introduced its new PD500 Series loudspeakers. An

extension of the highly successful, world-class PD Series loudspeakers, which are found

in the most prestigious stadiums and arenas around the world, the PD500 Series will

feature five new models and will offer the high power, excellent pattern control and

smooth coverage found in all PD Series loudspeakers. The PD500 Series can be used in

a variety of applications including sports facilities, performance spaces, auditoriums,

or houses of worship. The full-range PD500 systems utilise the same high-frequency

drivers as the hugely popular PD6000 Series, making them ideal for use together in

large systems where multiple loudspeakers are required for even coverage and like

voicing throughout the space.

Distributed by: www.wildandmarr.co.za

harMan’s Martin professional showcased the RUSH FiberSource 1, a powerful

automated colour-changing luminaire that can illuminate up to 300 1 mm fiber optic

cables. With a new 78 W LED engine, the RUSH FiberSource boasts improved efficiency

and reliability while retaining all the key features of its predecessor. It comes backed by

a colour wheel with nine interchangeable colours and a twinkle wheel for variable-

speed sparkling effects. The luminaire also features smooth, full-range (0-100 percent)

electronic dimming.

Distributed by: www.electrosonic.co.za

The new neXo id series was on display at Yamaha’s stand. A new Space A category of

products, the ID Series is intended for use as problem solvers in toolkits of system

designers and installers within the professional audio industry. The NEXO ID Series

loudspeaker cabinet is a very compact, low profile, small format, yet high output single

speaker for use under balcony, for front fill and side fill applications, and is the perfect

accompaniment to NEXO line arrays in acoustically challenging spaces. Using a variety

of mounting options, the ID24 compact cabinet can fit into almost any environment,

offering high SPL output with variable directivities enabling it to ‘beam’ sound into

difficult spaces.

Distributed by: www.tadco.co.za

Biamp systems announced the release of Vocia 1.7, the newest

addition to its award-winning public address and evacuation system.

With its decentralised architecture, Vocia is designed with no single

point of system failure for reliable public address and paging

applications in healthcare, corporate office, convention space and

high-volume transportation environments. Vocia 1.7 is equipped with

new 2RU amplifiers, passive end-of-line monitoring devices (PLDs)

supporting a wide range of speakers, as well as enhancements such

as live inter-world paging, increased recorded message times of up to

30 minutes, and the flexibility to have multiple Life Safety Interface

(LSI-16) devices.

Distributed by: www.tidistribution.co.za

Product showcase par excellencethe real meat of every infocomm show is the huge range of cutting edge products and brands on offer. the showcase runs the gamut of the professional aV industry, incorporating high-tech controllers and it integration equipment, to speakers, mixing consoles, lighting and everything in between. here are some highlights:

Com

plet

e Te

chno

logy

Solu

tions

www.

stage

audio

work

s.com

elation professional launched EMOTION™, a ground breaking new

digital moving head luminaire. A joint project between Elation

Professional and High End Systems, the EMOTION™ is a compact yet

powerful moving head digital luminaire that brings to the market the

latest in next generation digital lighting technology, pioneered and

proven by High End Systems. This ground-breaking new product is an

exclusive offering from Elation Professional and features the

patented, high quality software and hardware technology that High

End Systems is known for while bringing the ultimate creative lighting

tool to the market at a price to performance ratio never seen before.

The highlight at the alcons booth was the LR28 larger format

pro-ribbon line array for concert touring and large-scale installation.

The LR28 larger-format line-array is the result of five years’

development, with the last two years dedicated to beta testing for

the proof of concept. Together with continued extensive R&D, which

has led to another two patents pending in addition to the existing

four, user-input from the world’s top engineers has produced the

LR28’s final design. This flagship system marks an important advance

for the company within the concert touring and large-scale

installation market, featuring the unique 14” extreme-power

pro-ribbon transducer.

Distributed by: www.matrixsound.co.za

29

30


yamaha also unleashed its Rivage PM10 Digital Mixing Console.

The new flagship console significantly increases the quality and

versatility necessary in a live sound environment, and inherits

features from the renowned PM Series Consoles. Evolved

features and performance define yet another milestone for

Yamaha sound reinforcement consoles. The PM10 system is

comprised of the CS-R10 control surface, DSP-R10 DSP engine,

RPio622 I/O rack, three types of RY cards, and two types of HY

cards which provide the flexibility to configure and ideally

match the scale and functional requirements

of any application.

Distributed by: www.stageaudioworks.com

harMan’s lexicon introduced its QLI-32 Quantum Logic Immersion cinema processor, designed to deliver up to 32 channels of surround sound

in professional cinema applications. The new QLI-32 interfaces with a theatre’s media source and existing cinema processor to provide a

multi-dimensional listening experience with left, centre, right, surround, rear and height channels, all via HARMAN’s proprietary Quantum Logic

Immersion surround-processing technology. In doing so, the QLI-32 provides theatres with a cost-efficient and easily deployed upgrade path to

significantly-improved immersive cinematic sound.


Martin audio flaunted their new major dedicated installation

loudspeaker range – the CDD™ Series Combining distinctive curved

enclosures with unique Coaxial Differential Dispersion™ technology.

The series is designed to deliver class-leading performance, fidelity

and coverage consistency to venues that demand the ultimate in

cutting-edge technology and style. Whether it’s a bar, house of

worship or a prestige nightclub, the CDD Series has it covered for any

type of AV installation. CDD has been conceived as a one stop

solution; six two-way full-range coaxial systems—from the micro CDD5

to the powerful CDD15, complemented by high-performance

subwoofers – cover the majority of installation applications.

Distributed by: www.audiosure.co.za

harMan’s JBl commercial demonstrated the

Commercial Series Amplifiers (CSA) and Commercial Series

Mixers (CSM). The CSA and CSM line-up combines

outstanding value and performance and fills the need for

small, affordable, easy to use sound reinforcement for

applications such as restaurants, coffee ships, fitness

facilities, bars and other spaces where an elaborate A/V

installation isn’t required. All CSA products are ENERGY

STAR certified.


harMan’s aMX previewed the release of a control panel like no other, the AMX 10” Modero X

Series G5 Retractable. Majestically rising out of the table, it stands tall, ready to command the

room as only a Modero X G5 can. Featuring unique and unmatched AMX functionality, this

head turner saves space while freeing meetings of distractions. The Modero X Series G5

Retractable is the latest example in this long line of ingenuity. Its precision-glide motorised

mount raises and retracts with the press of a button. It’s just as easily activated via NetLinx

control – triggered directly, through macros or via room occupancy.

Distributed by: www.peripheralvision.co.za

32

InFOCOMM SHOW REPORT

Dataton showcased the new version of its award-winning WATCHOUT

multi-display software. Just released, WATCHOUT version 6 adds an

unrivalled feature-set for advanced projection mapping, multiple-

source video playback, 3D media, modelling and pre-visualisation – all

with a re-designed user interface. WATCHOUT 6 is the most significant

upgrade in the 15-year history of the software and bursts at the seams

with powerful new features for show creators. WATCHOUT version 6 offers

new creative tools and smoother workflow for 3D projection and

complicated mapping.

Distributed by: www.penmac.co.za

Kramer unveiled its newest ProScale™ Presentation Digital

Scaler/Switcher at InfoComm 2015. The Kramer VP-444 features

12 inputs with fast and clean fade-thru-black switching. The

cost-effective VP-444 is designed for large classrooms,

conference rooms and hotel event spaces and includes 10 HDMI

and two computer graphics video inputs. The VP-444 offers

unbalanced stereo inputs for each video input and embedded

audio for its HDMI inputs. Level control is available for the outputs

as well as for each individual input. It scales the video, embeds

the audio, and outputs the signal to two HDMI outputs (up to

1080p). The product includes 22 output resolutions.

Distributed by: www.electrosonic.co.za

Amongst the top innovations showcased by AV Stumpfl were the VarioClip Duplex projection screens. VarioClip

Duplex projection screens maximise projection canvas

by using both back and front as projection screens.

VarioClip is the world’s first mobile projection screen

featuring a clean white profile without studs or press

snaps. Screen surface tension can be adjusted to suit

with maximum flexibility and accuracy.

Arthur Holm used Infocomm to launch DynamicShare – a high

definition signal selection and distribution system, integrating

control of Arthur Holm products. It consists of a set of Arthur Holm

monitors connected in a HDMI closed daisy chain loop, so that

any user can send a HDMI signal to all other participants, and to

other large displays or projectors which might be in the meeting

room, or display their own local sources in the monitor without

interfering with the shared signal in other monitors. Signals for

controlling the monitors are embedded into the HDMI signal, so

there is no need to have additional control cabling.

Distributed by: www.peripheralvision.co.za

www.rocknrollercart.com

THE FASTEST, EASIEST, CHEAPESTWAY TO MOVE EQUIPMENT

Bose professional expanded its

portable P.A. offerings with the

introduction of the F1 Model 812

Flexible Array Loudspeaker and F1

Subwoofer. Designed to serve an

even broader set of applications than

L1 systems, F1 Model 812 is the first

powered portable loudspeaker that

lets users optimise sound by creating

up to four different vertical coverage

patterns. Offering exceptional power

and clarity, the F1 system provides

versatility for a wide range of

applications and venues, easy setup,

aesthetically pleasing design, and

rugged durability. The F1 system is an

ideal choice for live music, DJ,

corporate AV, house-of-worship, AV

rental and general PA applications.

audio-technica exhibited its ATND8677 Microphone Desk Stand with

Dante™ Network Output alongside the ground-breaking ATND971

Cardioid Condenser Boundary Network Microphone. The ATND8677

Microphone Desk Stand fits gooseneck microphones with standard

XLRM-type outputs, offering installers previously unavailable simplicity

in adding gooseneck microphones to Dante audio networks. The

ATND971 Cardioid Condenser Boundary Network Microphone was

the first to bridge the gap between audio and IT as the first wired

microphone that transmits audio and control data together over

Audinate’s Dante network protocol. A simple Ethernet connection

allows the ATND971 Network Microphone to communicate across an

existing network of Dante-enabled devices and, with the

microphone’s programmable user switch, control any of those

devices at the push of a button.

Distributed by: www.prosound.co.za

33

34


panasonic showed off the PT-RQ13KU, the company’s first beyond 4K

screen resolution projector. With 4K+ screen resolution (5,120 X 3,200)

and Quad Pixel Drive technology, the PT-RQ13KU is the most compact

and lightweight 4K+ 3-chip DLP laser projector in the world. The

projector boasts an impressive 10,000 lm of brightness and a contrast

ratio of 20,000:1 using laser light, delivering extremely detailed, film-like,

4K+ image quality. The projector’s pixel is shifted both horizontally and

vertically at a high frame rate of 240 Hz, physically creating four

different pixels from a single pixel, effectively quadrupling the pixel

density of the image and creating an extraordinary picture quality. To

optimise for fluid, detailed, high-contrast images, the PT-RQ13KU

leverages a next-generation Detail Clarity Processor that analyses

pixel information.

Distributed by: www.pansolutions.co.za

Merging technologies announced that Ovation 6 now brings the power

of an integrated 3D rendering engine, for use with both replayed sounds

and an almost limitless number of live inputs. This addition is now matched

with the feature set that has made it famous and seen it used on some of

the world’s most important events, and that has created an unbeatable

combination. The 3D engine now in Ovation is set to completely change

the way AV installers and live events production staff will plan their coming

projects. Flexible, enormously powerful and incredibly affordable is a

combination never seen before in 3D and immersive sound for the

AV industries.

Distributed by: www.penmac.co.za

The patent-pending Meyer sound LEOPARD line

array loudspeaker and its accompanying 900-LFC

low-frequency control element made their US

debut at InfoComm. The smallest and most

versatile members of the flagship LEO Family, the

new system was demonstrated live during the

show, along with a range of other high-

performance loudspeakers for installations and

touring. Boasting tremendous power-to-size ratio

with ultra-low distortion, LEOPARD and the

900-LFC element offer an unprecedented level of

clarity, power, precision and ease of use.

Distributed by: www.prosound.co.za

powersoft announced the expansion of the successful

Ottocanali Series, with the addition of three new high-

performance 8-channel power amplifiers – under the series

Ottocanali DSP+D. The Ottocanali Series DSP+D offers a wide

range of system control and monitoring functions as well as

sound shaping options, a total of up to 12 000W output power

at 4ohms over 8 channels for lo-Z or distributed line systems – all

neatly packed into a double rack unit. As with former versions

of Ottocanali, the new DSP+D versions feature switchable main

and aux signal inputs per channel, adequate GPIO, alarms,

Lo-Z and Hi-Z output connections as well as mono-bridgeable

channel pairs.

Distributed by: www.surgesound.co.za

36

comPAny ProfIle

Audiosure – professional brands in good hands

Brendan Venteralison tamangreg payne

audiosure are one of the largest and most recognisable professional audio and lighting distributors in the south african market. owned by the first technology group, they exemplify the market-leading approach to excellence for which the niched and focused technology companies within the group are recognised.

By James Sey

37

comPAny ProfIle

Operating on a strictly wholesale basis they supply a diverse offering

of class-leading brands to a network of specialist dealers around the

country. At heart Audiosure are passionate about the industry, proud

of their reputation, and committed to constructive and proactive

growth for all of their brands.

Home to many of the industry’s market-leading brands, the team

have worked hard to reposition the Audiosure brand and focus the

business for growth. ProSystems News spoke to the management

team to get further insight into this prominent South African company.

the team

alison taman (at), the company’s General Manager, has been

with the First Technology Group for 20 years. The past 15 years of those

have been at Audiosure, initially as the Operations Manager and for

the past three years in her current role. She has focused strongly on

the development of the team and on driving the changes necessary

to steer the company to its current position and gear it for growth.

greg payne (gp), Johannesburg Branch Manager & Sales Manager

has been with the company for 14 years. He joined the team in

Johannesburg as a salesperson in 2001 and later moved into a

marketing role. In 2007 Greg opened Audiosure’s Durban branch and

took up the position of Branch Manager in that territory. He moved

back to Johannesburg in 2012 where he was appointed as Sales

Manager, and also joined the executive management team. He has

since taken on the responsibility for the Johannesburg Branch as a

whole and continues to lead the sales team.

Brendan Venter (BV), Audiosure’s Technical Manager joined the

team five years ago, at first as a member of the then commercial

solutions team responsible for project management as well as the

design and commissioning of systems. He later took on the role of

Brand Manager responsible for the company’s premium brands and,

in early 2015, joined the executive team in his current role. Brendan

started out in the live sound industry doing FOH mixing, later changing

focus to system design and system technician duties. He is well-versed

in design, measurement and optimisation procedures and is EASE

Level 2 certified through two measurement platforms.

Brendan Venter

Wharfedale pro line array

samson rsXM12

Martin audio cdd series

38

comPAny ProfIle

at: Audiosure, as you know, is part of the First Technology Group, the

backing of which has enabled us to develop a national footprint with

warehousing and sales capabilities in the major centres. We distribute

our brands into the professional touring, production and install

markets, as well as an extensive retail market. We focus on category-

leading brands and take pride in providing excellent service to our

customers. Vendor relationships are key to our business and all three

of us, together with our team of brand managers, focus very strongly

on maintaining great relationships with our suppliers.

gp: Audiosure historically focused on mid-level products for retail

markets. In recent years we’ve diversified and now also focus quite

extensively on premium products such as Martin Audio, Allen & Heath,

AKG, MC2, XTA and Vivitek. This means our back-up and service

needed to be at the highest level, which in turn requires a focus on

advancing our technical skill. We’ve had to restructure the business to

achieve this, to actively grow and support our premium product set.

at: Amongst other things, this required the addition of a technically

driven individual to our management team to complement Greg’s

sales focus and my operations background. Brendan was the obvious

choice for us and joined the management team earlier this year to

focus on ensuring that we are technically able to provide and

exceed the service levels that our customers expect of us.

dlive s5000

apa amp

chauvet rh1 hybrid

39

BV: I am responsible for overseeing all technical aspects of the

business both in relation to our vendors and our customers. I assist in

vetting new products and ensuring that they meet our requirements

technically and engage with our vendors in this regard. I also ensure

that our sales team are equipped with the necessary skills to

recommend the correct product for the required application. In

addition, I oversee our service team ensuring that our customers

receive efficient and high-quality after-sales service.

at: As GM, I co-ordinate the global strategy for the business, guide

and support the senior managers, and ensure that operations and

logistics are efficient, effective and well supported. We have a strong

corporate backbone, including a solid ERP system, and we control

and manage our own warehousing and distribution operations. As a

result, the desirability of our brands is backed by the reliability of our

supply chain. The heart of our business though, is our people, many of

whom have been with the company for ten years and longer. Our

pride and passion for our products ensures that we are providers of a

quality distribution service, and emphatically not box droppers.

gp: As Johannesburg branch manager and sales manager I have to

focus on our key differentiators. There’s a lot of competitive product

out there at similar prices, so I have to make sure we differentiate

through our sales support, our technical skills and expertise, and

ensure that our stock is competitively priced and always readily

available. Our marketing also needs to be effective. We focus on

digital and social media marketing, building profile and reputation for

each of our brands. We have many aspects to the operation that are

compelling to our customers – we have reputable account managers

with a high-level skill set. These individuals are our face to our markets,

so they have to be the best out there. The Audiosure brand is

well-liked and respected for its comprehensive product portfolio and

longevity, and for the ease of doing business with us, especially when

it comes to delivery and support.

at: That’s right – our goal is to be our customers’ first-choice supplier

because of our unique combination of products, people, skills,

support, and consistent, reliable stock-holding.

BV: We operate in a market where many of the customers we deal

with are skilled professionals. If they invest in our brands they need to

know that we have the necessary skill and expertise to support them.

To that end we have a strong focus on training. We have a dedicated

training facility on site at our Johannesburg Head Office where we

carry out training both internally, to ensure the skill level of our own

team, as well as externally to provide our customers with a

comprehensive understanding of the functionality of our products.

at: The disciplines that we foster and develop in Johannesburg are

mirrored across the country where our three branch managers drive

the same ethos within their branches. In Cape Town, long-time

branch manager Clinton Fabian leads the team. In addition to his

responsibilities as branch manager, Clinton also actively participates

at a management team level in brand and product decisions and

strategy development. The Durban branch is headed up by Roland

Naicker and the Bloemfontein branch by Francois du Plessis.

Distributed system with separate MixRack and SurfaceDEEP processing embedded plugins

Redundant hot swappable power supply standard across the rangeRedundant connections throughout

814 system inputs and 824 outputs maxUp to 5 audio networking cards - Dante, Waves SG, ACE, MADI

DLIVE.ALLEN-HEATH.COMALLEN&HEATH

www.audiosure.co.za011 790 4600 | [email protected]

The phenomenally powerful XCVI Core puts dLive at the heart of tomorrow’s sophisticated live audio systems, while its class-leadinguser interface keeps the engineer focused on mixing in the moment.

Design for Live

audiosure

40

comPAny ProfIle

at: We have worked really hard over the past few years to focus our

business and attract and retain the best possible players for our team.

We are a tightly knit team who have worked together for many years

and we understand and respect one another and work to each of

our strengths. Although we take our business very seriously we also

have a lot of fun together and are fortunate enough to work in an

industry that excites us.

What stands out in talking to the executive team at Audiosure is that

they are young, passionate and geared for growth. The company is

successfully combining a corporate business approach with the

passion and obsessive enthusiasm that characterises the industry and

its brands. More success beckons.

Brand portfolio

Audiosure is home to a wide range of respected brands

addressing both the premium end of the professional

touring, rental and install markets as well as the broader

mid-tier market.

As of the 1st of July 2015 Audiosure are proud to add AKG

Professional, Akai Professional and Alesis to their portfolio.

The brand portfolio now includes: Allen & Heath, Martin

Audio, AKG Professional, Vivitek, MC2, XTA, Chauvet Pro,

Chauvet DJ, Wharfedale Pro, Samson Audio, Denon DJ,

Gemini, Allen & Heath Xone, Akai Professional, Alesis, Stagg,

TrussT, EWI, SFAT, DSPPA, JD Media, Taiden, Senrun, Quad

Industrial, and QBit.

PAVIRO is the first of a new breed of Public Address and Evacuation Systems. Not only does it provide Professional Quality Sound, it makes specification and installation faster, simpler and more efficient than ever before. Consultants will save time and define a complete system with just a few parameters. Installers will avoid unexpected costs thanks to the system’s extreme flexibility. Building owners will benefit from the low power consumption resulting in lower energy costs and fewer and less expensive batteries. Find out how you can take advantage, contact your nearest Bosch representative today or visit: www.boschsecurity.com

PAVIRO Public Address and Voice Evacuation System with Professional Sound QualityFlexibility right from the start

130616_Bosch_Paviro_Advert_210x297mm_DEF_KEYVISUAL_NEW_01-06-2015.indd 1 01-06-15 10:48

audiosure hQ, Johannesburg

PAVIRO is the first of a new breed of Public Address and Evacuation Systems. Not only does it provide Professional Quality Sound, it makes specification and installation faster, simpler and more efficient than ever before. Consultants will save time and define a complete system with just a few parameters. Installers will avoid unexpected costs thanks to the system’s extreme flexibility. Building owners will benefit from the low power consumption resulting in lower energy costs and fewer and less expensive batteries. Find out how you can take advantage, contact your nearest Bosch representative today or visit: www.boschsecurity.com

PAVIRO Public Address and Voice Evacuation System with Professional Sound QualityFlexibility right from the start

130616_Bosch_Paviro_Advert_210x297mm_DEF_KEYVISUAL_NEW_01-06-2015.indd 1 01-06-15 10:48

42

IntegrAtIon & InStAllAtIon REPORT

AV solutions and the education experience

Interactive and visualisation audio visual systems are stimulating

students’ minds in new ways, and allowing new concepts to be

discovered. AV makes reaching new students anywhere in the world

possible with distance learning technologies. Professors, teachers,

and students can now connect and collaborate anywhere anytime.

Audience response systems are increasing knowledge retention, and

ensuring concepts are understood.

At school level, communicating messages clearly across the

campus or in the school hall can make dramatic differences to a

student’s career. With education budgets the world over growing

smaller, institutions are under increased pressure to extend the life of

existing AV investments already made, and to adapt new

technologies within the current infrastructure. Technologies for video

conferencing, digital signage, breakaway rooms, intelligible sound

across the campus, can all make serious differences to the quality of

learning and the lives of students and learners. These and other

technologies are playing a leading role in the classroom, with all

institutions embracing them as a means of improving academic

achievement. Sadly, too many educational institutions are forced to

the education sector is undergoing rapid change and growth under the influence of the new wave of aV technologies. educational institutions have complex needs for their aV systems, but these technologies are undoubtedly changing the way people learn and teach; shifting traditional passive learning environments into rich media connected classrooms. there is no question that aV is changing the way we learn.

43

REPORT IntegrAtIon & InStAllAtIon

rely on outdated audiovisual (AV) equipment because of a lack of

budget; while others are using equipment that is poorly configured or

that is not a good fit for their needs.

Provided an educational institution chooses a solution that is

rugged, easy to install, and simple to maintain, it can drive great

academic results from AV products.

Here are five ways that an AV installation, paired with interactive

technologies such as electronic whiteboards, can pay for itself in a

school or university.

reach students with rich, interactive content

Today’s learners and students are growing up with technology—

something that is increasingly true even of those from poorer

backgrounds. Rich, interactive content is an important way of

engaging children and students who use smartphones, tablets, and

gaming consoles at home. They expect content in the classroom to

be visual and interactive, just like the content they explore when

they’re not at school.

Make use of video and distance learning resources

There are many schools, especially in South Africa, that lack teachers

in key subjects such as maths and science. A good AV system, paired

with videoconferencing, can help bring a remote teacher into the

classroom to teach children and take their questions. There is no

substitute for a flesh-and-blood teacher, but the technology can help

plug the gap where teachers are unavailable.

It’s also great for students and schoolchildren to be able to interact

with peers and teachers from other parts of the world. The

technology can expose them to new possibilities by bringing the

world into the classroom. Videos and electronic materials,

meanwhile, can help supplement the teacher’s efforts by reinforcing

and complementing what children learn in formal class sessions.

accommodate different teaching and learning styles

A good AV setup and interactive electronic whiteboards provide

flexibility in the classroom. They’re excellent for demonstrations and

adaptable to a range of teaching methods and materials. They’re

also able to accommodate different types of learning – from the

child that likes to learn in a tactile, practical way by scribbling on a

board to those that are good at absorbing auditory or

visual information.

a cleaner classroom environment

When using electronic whiteboards or screens, teachers and lecturers

no longer need to clean up messy chalk dust or distribute paper

handouts. This helps to keep classrooms and lecture halls tidy, and

can also help to save money on stationery and sundries.

More harmonious and integrated use of classroom technology

Technology has started to creep into classrooms, but it’s often not

used in a coordinated manner that promotes collaboration and

sharing. Many classrooms have students using a range of devices,

many of them old. An AV solution or a corporate whiteboard has the

advantage that everyone is looking at the same screen and the

same materials at the same time. This promotes group interaction and

group learning. A whiteboard can also be handy for schools with a

limited budget. With just one computer, teachers can still use IT as a

teaching aid that serves multiple children.

In the following special section of Prosystems Africa News, we take

an overview of the secor and delve into some case studies and

initiatives in what is a particularly important use of AV technology for

the benefit of the future of the country. Despite being a growth

market, the use and application of AV in the sector still needs to be

effective for its benefits to be apparent. Our spotight on solutions and

case studies in education that follows demonstrates the possibilities

and the potential.

By James Sey and Stefan Mayer, managing director of Corporate AV Integration

44


The University of Pretoria (UP) has recently unveiled a unique new

installation in their state of the art Kumba Virtual Reality Centre for

Mine Design. The VR Centre is the jewel in the crown of new

developments in the University’s Department of Mining Engineering,

which will make it highly competitive both in the education sphere

and in the private sector as a training and simulation facility.

A brainchild of the mining industry, and in particular Anglo-

Platinum, the project was planned for some years and part-funded

by Anglo-Plat. While the VR Centre is the central focus, it is part of a

larger Mining Industry Study Centre which features seating for 600

students, and smart-enabled breakaway rooms with facilities to

screen models and simulations on dedicated monitors. The VR Centre

itself is built around the unique screening and projection facilities.

There are two of these. The first is a VR Room for mining engineering

planning teams, where simulations and mine designs are projected

through two Panasonic DZ 870 projectors, with short thread lenses,

onto a flat screen 8m wide X 2.5m high. These can project in

full-screen 3D or 2D, and can also project on a normal 4X3m

screen in the middle of the full surface. Here, in full 3D

stereoscopic vision, mining companies and students alike can,

through separate computers linked to the projection system,

update mine designs and simulations in real time, including

linking simulation designs with spreadsheets in order to update

operational impacts on the financial outlook of mine

development.

The real jewel in the crown, however, is the immersive VR

environment built in the round with a curved screen around its

perimeter. This is a full 3D stereoscopic theatre which can

accommodate almost 50 people. Its screen is the largest of its

kind in Africa at over 30m in circumference, 4m high and 10m in

diameter. The simulations are projected onto this monster screen

through five suspended Panasonic projectors, also DZ 870s.

Virtual Reality Centre revolutionises mine design By James Sey

the university of pretoria recently launched the Kumba Virtual reality centre for Mine design, a unique installation illustrating the power of aV technology for education purposes.

45


the future of mine design

‘The VR Centre,’ comments Johann Louw, manager of the entire

facility at UP, ‘is pitched at various different levels and can be used for

many different audiences and customers. Firstly, of course, it’s aimed

for use by students, especially those in their final year of studies for the

B.Sc in Mining Engineering. These students have a mine design

project as part of their studies, for which the VR theatre will be

invaluable as a teaching and learning environment.’

But UP’s vision for the Centre is wider than a teaching aid. As Louw

points out, there are many applications for this innovative new

technology environment: ‘Apart from the educational benefits to the

University’s students, the environment will be very useful for short

refresher courses to industry, and as a demonstration tool for private

companies. One of the key aspects of the technology environment is

that we can simulate the entire life of a mine over 30 years, all without

drilling one physical hole in the ground, and all at a fraction of

the cost.’

An interesting new possibility that the VR Centre provides is the

ability to plan impact scenarios far beyond the design of the mine

itself. In the contemporary South African economic and political

landscape, meeting environmental and job-creation requirements

has become almost as important as ensuring mine operations are

planned profitably. Louw elaborates: ‘we can also go beyond mine

design and scenario planning simulations to forecast how mine

operations will impact on any residential settlements around the

mine. This means there is a far more holistic planning process, for

example on acid mine drainage and waste disposal planning for

residential areas in the vicinity.’

‘Making vision visible’

The building and installation of this unique environment, including the

hardware and software systems, was achieved by John Petrie and his

company Sonic Factory. ‘The project was a very interesting and

rewarding one,’ says Petrie, whose company was responsible for the

entire design and installation of the environment. ‘The screen design

in the immersive projection room was a very demanding set of

specifications. The dry-walling for the projection surface has the

system’s speakers built into it, and covered – the system is controlled

by an Extron controller, and power monitoring for the critical systems

by a UPS. We chose the Panasonic DZ870 projectors for their cost

effectiveness for the active 3D projections, as well as their

adaptability and the brightness of the short-thread lens in projecting

on both the curved screen and the flat screen in the adjacent room.

The trickiest part of the installation was the custom-built trussing frame

which suspends the five projectors in the 360 degree space. The

design of this structure relative to the screen height and

circumference had to be very precise. Luckily we had no problems at

all with the installation,’ concludes Petrie.

Johann Louw looks forward to the VR Centre becoming a

benchmark institution not only in South Africa, but for the regional and

global mining industry. ‘It’s a truly visionary facility on many different

levels,’ he concludes. ‘It catapults mine design in South Africa into

the future.’

+27 11 840 0860 [email protected] www.peripheralvision.co.zaComplete range of AMX boardroom products available from Peripheral Vision

Think BIG with AMX by thinking SMALL! AMX Digital Switching and Control in a small / medium boardroom

AMX Massio ControlPad Unbelievable POWER,

unbelievable PRICE!

AMX SDX 5x1 Digital / Analogue Switcher Unbelievable POWER, unbelievable PRICE!

46


Academy of Sound Engineering launches a higher state of learning

the new ase campus exterior is designed to resemble the profile of a sound frequency wavelength

the academy of sound engineering (ase) is south africa’s best known sound engineering school, established in 1997 by revered sound fundi george hattingh snr. it has recently moved into an impressive custom-built studio and lecturing space in close proximity to its existing studio/learning spaces at the saBc. Pro-Systems got a sneak preview of the almost-completed facility.

47


For a long time housed in teaching studios at the SABC, South Africa’s broadcast hub, and the centre of Africa’s technical audio industry, ASE is well-known in the industry as the local flagship for the training of potential audio professionals. ASE students are directly exposed to the entertainment industry from their first day on campus. Daily interaction with industry professionals through their presence at the national broadcaster is almost unavoidable, and students are immediately exposed to the professional broadcast environment.

It is no coincidence that ASE is owned and run by the team of individuals that pioneered sound engineering education in South Africa. The ASE team launched and ran the first (and largest) national network of sound engineering schools in the country and is directly responsible for the qualification of thousands of qualified sound engineers. Many of the graduates taught by ASE’s management hold premier sound engineering posts all over the world, including Australia, the USA and the United Kingdom. This talented team, through the establishment of ASE, has now brought South Africa into a new era of audio training: an era in which sound engineering training is made more focused, more professional and more practical for the serious student of the field.

The new ASE flagship campus, in Richmond Avenue in Auckland Park, Johannesburg, is a custom made building that is the expression of the ASE’s development and progress. Connected to its SABC studios through a Dante-enabled audio router system, the design of the exterior of the building, its infrastructure and interiors, and the recording equipment are all state of the art. The exterior design, down to the laser-profiled steel gates, resembles the oscillating bars of a frequency spectrum output. Built into the steep slope of the road, the chill out space on the roof offers magnificent views of the Johannesburg skyline for further student inspiration after a hard day’s studio mixing and recording.

The campus offers a self-contained set of four recording studio rooms, which double as teaching environments, and include a foley room for soundtrack recording. Each tiny component of the infrastructure of the building is geared towards the highest possible quality sound recording environment; from decisions on wooden vs foam-filled sub-structures for the floors, to specially designed multi-layered wooden doors between the studio rooms which offer unique sound occlusion properties.

Each lecture theatre/recording environment is filled with top-line professional audio equipment, and each is a carefully modulated space that has bass-trap acoustical properties. The kit-list for the institution is similarly impressive, with the 96-seat main lecture area dominated by Harman, with Crown amps, JBL M2 reference speakers and an Avid S6 console among the equipment installed throughout the space to connect on the Dante-enabled network.

The students in the new facility will soon be able to work towards a full BSc in Sound Engineering as the ASE expands the range and quality of its programmes and accreditation. They will remember their campus fondly as they work all over the world as professional sound engineers.

the ase builds its state of the art studio lecture hall

48


Prosound in the education sector

The Prosound business model is being followed in that the AV division

is solutions or end-user sector based. So the division offers services

across all relevant client markets: houses of worship, hospitality,

corporate, education as well as design and sub-consultation services

to the consulting community. To back up the consulting and solutions

offerings in the space, Prosound offers in-house AV products, namely

Key Digital and Cuanbo. Both of these address video distribution,

switching and control, but also leverage off the local importers to

strengthen the offering and give the client the best solution at their

available budget.

The education sector is one in which Prosound has a long history,

installing systems and solutions in colleges, schools and universities all

over Southern Africa. With a dedicated AV business offering, this

growing and important market can be properly catered for, and

solutions provided for institutions that may not have large budgets,

but can put modern AV technology to good use for their students

and learners.

These case studies in the sector indicates the broad range of

solutions available for educational institutions, and the results that

cleverly installed AV can achieve.

At UNISA’s Florida campus, Prosound was responsible for

connecting 30 teaching venues to a single point of ‘broadcast’ for

teaching materials to be communicated and lectures to be

disseminated. A ‘plug and play’ solution was set up in

each classroom enabling a lecture environment with a

single motorised screen and pop up A/V point for

projections. Optoma ultra-short throw projector and

100-inch motorised screen from Grand View were used

while larger learning labs have 55-inch LG LCD screens

and Electro-Voice and SoundTube audio reinforcement.

Kramer distribution amps, Extron switchers and TV One

converters make up the A/V control. In the medical labs

on the campus, Barco HD surgical LCDs and Panasonic

medical cameras and recorders are combined to create

a customised mobile teaching-aid that can show what

the lecturer is dissecting on multiple screens around the lab. In a

distributed teaching environment such as this one, AV makes all the

difference to the quality of the learning that can be achieved.

At the University of Botswana in Gaborone, Prosound fitted the

multipurpose Recreation Hall in the University with a Barco C11

scoreboard, driven by TV One processing, which is used in sports

games as well as for general video applications. Three classrooms at

the university were also given standard audio and video facilities.

Also in Botswana, Botho College in Gaborone, an independent

university, required AV upgrades for four 200-seater lecture rooms.

Through a partnership with Six Dots Media, a solution including EV

ceiling speakers, Rane processors, Electro-Voice amplifiers and

Audio-Technica microphones was installed by Prosound. Panasonic

projectors and TV One processing and video distribution completed

the system, using Question controllers. A second portion of Botho

College that needed AV development was the 1,000-seater

multi-purpose hall, for which 7 Panasonic projectors and TV One

switching and distribution controls were used.

Prosound’s experience in the sector is crucial in making the right

equipment and product choices to enable the education institution’s

goals to be met – reaching more students with more efficient and

cost-effective AV solutions.

prosound has a long track record of installations in the education sector. the prosound business model has been to integrate aV on specific projects, where and as required by the project. now the business has moved to create a division specifically focused on aV.

prosound's installation of a Barco c11 scoreboard in the recreation hall of the university of Botswana

49


Education first for the LETPC

The two-and-a-half-day conference was a South

African Roadies Association (SARA) initiative, and

was supported by the Department of Arts and

Culture as anchor sponsor. The Minister of Arts and

Culture, The Honourable Mr Nathi Mthethwa,

delivered the keynote address at the event.

The main purpose of the conference was to

bring transformation to the live events technical

and production sector, focusing on the need for a

critical upgrade of skills development, sector

training and skills interventions in the field. SARA,

along with conference organisers, gathered

relevant stakeholders, professionals, practitioners

and international market leaders in the events,

technical, production and education sectors to

discuss the way forward, brainstorming how to

bring about a change in the sector. Currently, the

sector’s skill qualification is only at matriculation

level, and urgently needs to increase to at least NQF

5 in order to match international standards.

“The event has had a long gestation,”

comments Freddie Nyathela, SARA President and

the prime mover behind the initiative. “but I

believe it’s of crucial importance to the industry.

Not just in terms of developing skills to make the

sector more competitive, but to do so in a way

that transforms the sector at the same time. What

we really wanted to debate and try to achieve

from the conference was the following:

• To increase skills qualifications to NQF level 5

• To organise a live event technical and

production sector skills-need analysis forecast.

• To increase integration and transformation in

the Industry.

• To establish a South African Live Event Technical

and Production Backstage Academy.

“The academy model was presented at the

conference by Dr. Adrian Brooks, who runs the

Backstage Academy in the UK. This is crucial for us

because there is no accredited on-the-job training

in SA, and we need to be able to benchmark our own industry

technical training standards against the rest of the world.”

Brooks himself was impressed by the inaugural event: “I was both

delighted and honoured to be a part of the first LETPC,” he said. “The

mood at this conference was very upbeat with all the delegates keen

and excited about the prospect of a structured professional training

programme being established in South Africa.”

Nyathela is quick to praise the support received from the

organisations which helped put the event together, especially

Minister Mthethwa and his department. “While the initiative would not

have been possible without the support of all these stakeholders – for

example – all the speakers gave of their time and knowledge at no

cost – it’s key that we sensitise the industry players to the importance

of the process of professionalising our approach to skills development.

South Africa is a major regional destination for all sorts of events, and

that market is growing. We really need the right skills and the right kind

of technical support for the new technologies in the sector.”

After the success of this inaugural event, Nyathela is already

looking forward: “If we can meet international benchmarks through

accredited training programmes, we can upgrade the entire sector,

and feed into bilateral political and trade agreements – things like the

SA-UK and SA-France sessions. The skills interventions and exchanges

that can happen through this, as well as internship programmes,

would be invaluable for young trainees in our industry. In the short

term, however, we will have an LETPC next year, and we all remain

optimistic that transformation is coming to our sector.”

honourable Minister nathi Mthethwa delivers the keynote address

dignitaries at letpc l r John Botham oBe, honourable Minister nathi Mthethwa, freddie nyathela and dr adrian Brooks.

By James Sey

the first ever south african live event technical and production conference (letpc) was held at the sunnyside park hotel in Johannesburg in May.

50


Wild & Marr brings new voice to Newlands

Peter Schnetler of Sound Sure, who has managed the AV aspects of

the stadium for many years, brought respected sound designer

Stephen Hoy from Wild & Marr into the mix to advise on design and to

supply the stadium with a complete set of JBL PD6322 speakers as

part of the total refurbishment of the stadium’s sound system.

“The installation was scheduled between December last year and

February this year, during which time we had to remove six kilometres

of cabling and hundreds of speakers from the stands,” says Schnetler.

“We also had to make guesstimates on sound levels by and large,

because we debuted the new system in front of 45 000 people at a

live game – the Bulls vs the Stormers on 25 April! Definitely not the

same as testing levels in an empty stadium!”

Hoy explains the choice of the JBLs as the front end of the system:

“The banked seating and different structure of the stands around the

stadium means that even sound coverage is challenging – but the JBL

PD6322s were excellent in giving an even sound field across the

seating. We took SPL readings at random seating points when

we tested the system, and there was never more than a 3dB

variance anywhere.”

“Another big win for us,” continues Schnetler, “was the intelligent

bracket design for the speaker installation. This meant we could

adapt to the lack of uniformity in the stadium roof trusses, and do

away with the extra cabling and hoisting.”

designed for sport

“Our goal for the overall sound design,” says Hoy, “was not to be able

to distinguish the source of the sound – to have a uniform sound

source on each of the four stands, as well as to have a uniform

sound intelligibility.”

Schnetler expands on the point: “the stadium is an old one, and the

stands are not uniformly built – one is open to the elements, another

newlands is one of the cathedrals of south african rugby. an iconic venue for the sport around the world, it remains a ‘traditional’ stadium in design terms, despite being the first major professional rugby stadium in the country to boast private suites inside the ground. the sound system for the stadium was in need of an upgrade, however. enter Wild & Marr…

51


roofed, and so on. Our challenge was to get sound

intelligibility as uniform as possible, by sticking to the

design diagrams for throw patterns. It’s worked out

incredibly well.”

The sound system is now so good, in fact, that the

entire match-day set-up is of broadcast quality. The

control room features a fully digital Studer control

desk with dynamic switching, and the microphones

used for all stadium announcements are Shure

broadcast mics. All of the sound requirements

around big televised matches not directly covered

by the broadcast feed – such as the referee’s mic, or

the amplification of the national anthems – is now

handled so professionally that it can input into the

Outside Broadcast feed.

The system allows for a degree of flexibility also,

and private suites can still have their own control over

levels, except in the case of emergency

announcements. Power for the entire system has now

been centralised to one generator on the Jan

Pickard stand, which offers better control over the

whole system in the event of outages or emergency.

Schnetler concludes, “I’m very proud to have

been part of the installation team on this system. I

really believe it has the best audio intelligence and

quality of any stadium in the country, and it’s been a

pleasure to work with Stephen and the rest of the

Wild & Marr team on the project.”

52

IntegrAtIon & InStAllAtIon REPORTph

oto

by a

brie

du

ploo

y

53


Media 24 installs giant screen

The plan to install digital signage on the wall of the media giant’s flagship

headquarters goes back many years. Avicom, the videoconferencing

and AV specialist, had been consulted on the project’s possibility,

having had a longstanding relationship with Media 24’s holding

company Naspers.

The plan to refurbish the building coincided with the recent installing

of Cape Town as the World Design Capital. Naspers ran a competition to

invite designs to modernise the exterior of the Media 24 building with a

giant advertising video screen, while retaining the unique character of

Cape Town’s historic foreshore district in the CBD. Ultimately, five designs

were shortlisted, with the final design for the building, including the

cladding on which the screen would be mounted, was split across the

different designs. Michael Scholtz, MD of Avicom, takes up the story. “We

were called in by Naspers to advise on available technology for the

installation of the screen, and finding out about local distribution. After

we had made the decision to go with an LED screen we were able to

look at viable options from manufacturers. In parallel to the sourcing

process we were involved in the sanctioning process with the City

authorities – there was some sensitivity about traffic safety if there was

live video on the screen during peak hours, and also concern about

spoiling the city’s nature beauty, with tourism being such an important

industry in Cape Town. Once we had decided to go with LED screens,

NEC became the natural choice. A big factor in the decision to go with

NEC LED was their industry-standard energy efficiency – in the event the

screen required no additional energy sources from the building

to function.”

Abrie du Plooy, who takes care of NEC products at their South African

distributor Electrosonic, comments, “we’ve dealt very productively with

Michael and Avicom for some time, so we were very pleased that

they asked us to supply NEC for the Media 24 screen.

The tricky part for us was awaiting final

approval from the city

before we

could co-ordinate supply from overseas. After about a five month

waiting period, we got the go-ahead, and the entire order was

transported in one shipment! This equated to 1000 crates of sensitive LED

equipment in three 40 foot and one 20 foot equivalent container units.

At Electrosonic we are known for the technical support we offer our

customers for all our products, and this was no different. In this case we

worked closely with installers Eyecom, and are still on standby for any

technical or warranty support needed for this impressive installation”

screen dreams

Avicom brought in specialised screen installers Eyecom, who could boast

a famous reference site in the landmark Odeon outdoor screen in

Leicester Square in London. MD of Eyecom Paul Bowling provides the

technical perspective. “The wall comprises 20 frames, each populated

by LED cubes, with a total of 896 cubes comprising the entire screen. The

screen is the highest resolution video display of its size in the world, and

the largest in the Cape. That also makes it one of the biggest LED walls in

Africa! The installation was an incredibly delicate operation, with the

Eyecom team undertaking onsite fabrication of the entire structure,

which took four weeks. We put the screen up in sections from the bottom

up, reaching its highest point at 30m off the ground. The trickiest part of

the installation was the very small standoff distance from the wall – only a

few millimetres for cabling and so on. This meant we had to ensure the

screen system could be serviced from the front, and that the installation

accommodated the undulations in the wall structure itself. Add to that

the notorious Cape Town weather blowing our riggers and cranes

around while they were hoisting some delicate LED panelling, and we

had an interesting time!”

Despite the challenges, Paul’s team installed the entirety of the wall in

just seven days. The team are all very happy with the result. “It’s a new

landmark for the Cape Town CBD,” says du Plooy. “And a really effective

way, along with the redesign of the building façade, to transform the

Media 24 HQ completely!”

By James Sey

naspers officially turned 100 years old on the 22nd of July this year, and in order to celebrate appropriately the company decided to refurbish their Media 24 headquarters on cape town’s foreshore. at the centre of the renovation is a giant video screen on the side of the building, the largest such screen in the province.

54

lIVe eVentS REPORT

Not many sound engineers manage to work successfully in both the

studio and live domains, but only 15 years into his professional career

Jason Thomas seems to have achieved this feat with aplomb. After

spending a large part of his teenage years playing guitar in a

sequence of ill-fated bands, Thomas decided that a life on the other

side of the console might constitute a more productive career-path.

For the next decade he worked mainly in the studio, establishing his

own facility and label along the way, before opting to change tack

to concentrate on live sound.

The beneficiary of a one-year contract with London-based touring

giant Britannia Row Productions in 2013, Thomas has toured with Noel

Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Florence & the Machine, Andrea Bocelli,

and five-piece harmony group The Overtones, to name just a few. But

in conversation with Pro Systems News, Thomas first turned his mind

back to those formative early days treading the boards at various

venues in the south-east of England…

how did you begin working in live sound?Jason thomas: I started out as a musician at a really young age,

primarily playing guitar, and was involved in a long line of bands up

until I was 17 or 18. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find anyone else who was

as diligent about rehearsals, and who wanted to make a real career

out of it. So eventually I started to think about other options in the

music industry and went to study sound engineering and production

at Reading University.

Over the next ten years, I worked primarily in studios, which led to

the start of my own studio and label. Getting to work with some

up-and-coming acts did result in some touring work at this point,

and I had some great times working with acts such as I Dream In

Colour, The View and Jarvis Cocker. I also struck up a friendship with

Chris Kimsey [celebrated producer/engineer probably best-known

for his work on several 1980s’ Rolling Stones albums], whose

enthusiasm for some live recordings I made of a band called

Deadwax helped give me the confidence to push on with what I

was doing and trust my ears.

What prompted the more concerted move into the live world?Jt: I was getting more and more fed up with studio life. Money was a

bit more limited, and I found myself recording less music that I actually

liked! It started to feel like a cage, so I began to seek out more live

work. It was at this point that I fully discovered that the skills required

aren’t necessarily the same – for example, I didn’t know enough

about room acoustics and some of the equipment was unfamiliar.

Classic guitar bands should get in touch…!

after ten years spent primarily as a studio-based engineer, Jason thomas hit the road in earnest in 2013 and hasn’t looked back since; with noel gallagher’s high flying Birds, Warpaint, andrea Bocelli and florence & the Machine among his big-name clients. david davies spoke to him about career-changes, classic outboard, and the allure of iconic guitar bands.

Jason thomas

Let’s turn SOUTH AFRICA

upside down

MAC Quantum™ Profile

Share your #Lensview

SA_ad_profile.indd 1 01/07/15 14:44

so how did you go about filling those gaps in your knowledge?Jt: I went to Brit Row’s training school in Twickenham, London, and

ended up coming top of the course – resulting in a one-year contract

with the company. That was the beginning of this whole phase of my

career as they got me out on the road very quickly with Florence &

the Machine and Belle & Sebastian. In fact, one of my first proper gigs

for Brit Row was at the Warsaw Arena with 65,000 people… a bit of a

reality shock and quite daunting, but a great start for me.

Who have you most enjoyed working with so far?Jt: I would probably nominate Noel Gallagher. He has always been a

hero of mine; Oasis was very much my era as I loved Britpop music. It

was just terrific to listen to him and his band play through the PA every

evening. Noel is also a really lovely guy and everyone was so well

looked-after on that tour.

do you have a favourite console? and what about must-have outboard?Jt: I still love analogue desks, but the new generation of digital Midas

consoles, such as the PRO6 and PRO9, sound great. I’ve also been

very impressed by my experiences with the new SSL console [the SSL

Live, the manufacturer’s first major foray into live sound]. More and

more I am finding that onboard effects are sufficient for live work,

perhaps in part because you don’t require the range of effects you

need for studio work. But there is some great outboard that I continue

to utilise, for example Avalon compressors, the Empirical Labs

Distressor that I used as FOH tech with Florence, TC M6000 FX units,

and some really nice Line 6 delay units.

to what extent do you think that conditions for live sound engineers have become more challenging in recent times?Jt: Difficult to say as I have been fortunate to work with a lot of larger

bands for whom budgets aren’t so limited. But there is no doubt that it

remains very hard work – on this current tour [with The Overtones] I

am averaging about 16.5-hour days and getting by on 5 hours’ sleep,

with a day off every 4 days or so. It’s not for everyone!

finally… what of your forthcoming plans, and who is on your wish-list for the future?Jt: I still have my studio, in Hampton [south-west London], and at

some point I would like to create one in the garden of my house,

having just moved. But although I do tend to do some studio work in

the quieter winter months of January to March, the main emphasis

will be on getting more FOH engineer jobs; recently I have been

doing a lot of work as monitor engineer or system tech.

Level 42 is among the acts booked for next year. In terms of future

projects, I would love to work with The National and The Maccabees

– both brilliant bands – and Radiohead would be a dream come

true. So my message is that classic guitar bands are very welcome to

get in touch…!

55

“One of my first proper gigs for Brit

Row was at the Warsaw Arena

with 65,000 people… a bit of a

reality shock and quite daunting,

but a great start for me.” – Jason thomas

56

lIVe eVentS INTERVIEW

Tim Dunn – the ethics of designtim dunn is one of south africa’s best-known and most respected concept and production designers.

phot

o by

lou

ise

stic

kla

nd

57

INTERVIEW lIVe eVentS

Tim Dunn – the ethics of design

Much-travelled, but originally from Sheffield in the UK, Tim has worked

his way up from the bottom of the live events ladder to become a

world authority in designing and staging beautiful and innovative

events – ranging from designing visual environments for a diversity of

shows and events such as opening and closing ceremonies, live

performances of all types, worldwide live telecasts, visual

spectaculars, TV and fashion shows, beauty pageants (including five

Miss Worlds), awards shows, exhibition stands and corporate

presentations. One of the highlights of his lighting design work is the

acclaimed Closing Ceremony of the 2010 FIFA World Cup at Soccer

City Stadium in Soweto.

He has designed lighting, set and video for South Africa’s largest

corporate events, for a host of major sporting and music events and

concerts, and counts as one of his own personal highlights being

asked to design the memorial service for the late great Nelson

Mandela. Over much of the last two decades he has been

instrumental in helping Gearhouse South Africa become a major

player in the Southern Hemisphere, and he has worked throughout

Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

His early career still marks his personality and professional attitude.

He toured Europe and the US extensively, with a number of bands,

and rates working on live music as the best formative experience he

could have as a designer, after working his way through the ranks as

a projectionist, rigger, lighting technician and finally a

Lighting Designer.

Tim is well known for an innovative, imaginative and lateral

approach to his creative work, and for the integration of video,

projection and scenic elements into his design concepts. His wealth of

experience at all levels of the event industry makes it worthwhile to

listen to and learn from his design philosophy. ProSystems News

recently did just that.

“Concept and design work is all about defining the event itself,”

says Dunn. "The designer has to have the experience to ask the right

questions, to build a feeling for the event. You can’t pluck designs and

concepts out of the air, and it’s not about one size fitting all. The

design process is about longevity, going beyond the event itself –

there has to be a focus on the downstream value of it, the value for

the client. There isn’t enough focus on generating that value in

my opinion.”

With his background in staging music events and designing for

bands and musicians, Dunn uses music as his golden design thread.

capturing the emotion

“I always wanted the feeling I got from music to be the lead-in for my

design concepts. For me, a good design and concept is about the

audience experiencing that emotion, and about lighting and

designing what’s on stage instead of depending on technology to

visualise it. With that kind of approach the client always wins, and the

event is usually successful.”

Dunn has a similar sense of responsibility in his approach when it

comes to cutting edge technology in the design process. “There’s a

time to stop developing technology and use it,” he says. “My

approach to a lighting desk, for example, has to be asking questions

like ‘how can I create what I need for the design concept using this

desk?’ So there’s a defining distinction between technology and the

design – the technology is there to enable, and the designer has to

be able to use the kit. The advances in technology in our industry are

amazing, but ultimately the client is paying us for the concept and its

successful execution, not for the technical potential of the kit.”

Responsibility first

Dunn speaks passionately about the responsibilities of his role in the

industry. “I really want to foster a mentoring environment, help people

through in the industry in a way that I didn’t have the benefit of. And a

huge part of that mentoring process is about respect and

responsibility – both for the craft and vision of the design process, and

for the client’s needs. For me the fundamental approach to the

concept and design work I do is to have that respect for the client

and the audience – it’s about enhancing their experience and

making the event a pleasure and profitable for them.

“Concept and design work is all about defining the event itself. ‘The

designer has to have the experience to ask the right questions, to build a

feeling for the event. You can’t pluck designs and concepts out of the air,

and it’s not about one size fitting all. The design process is about longevity,

going beyond the event itself." – tim dunn

58

lIVe eVentS REVIEW

SGM G-Spot – IP rated moving fixture

The G-Spot is an LED powered moving head fixture designed

specifically for use in humid and wet conditions, so next time you

want to throw a rave in a tropical jungle it’s probably the new go-to

fixture. The LED source is RGBY and rated to an expected life of 50,000

hours. Photometric bragging rights include 17,000 lumen output, and

an efficacy rating of 15.5lm/W. CRI ranges sits at or above 80-85

depending on colour temperature. That’s not real high, but then as

I’ve mentioned in previous issues it’s possible for a great LED fixture to

yield lousy CRI scores due to the way in which CRI is measured. I’m

disregarding the CRI score on the basis that I don’t care if the fixture

does or doesn’t satisfy a largely irrelevant spec. If you’re really worried

don’t put it in a TV studio – not that you probably would anyway.

The G-Spot weighs in at a staggering 52kg and took two of us to

move. Not only is it heavy, but physically quite big – still at least that

makes it easy to find. But here’s the kicker – G-Spot is IP65 rated. It’s

dust tight, and protected against ingress of water jets from any angle.

Read up on IP ratings for further details, or just watch the video we

made to see this in action. Amazingly, you can mount it in any

orientation and the rating is maintained. For a thing full of electronics,

heat and moving parts that’s nothing short of impressive. All the

cooling, motors, and cabling needs to be up to task to achieve this, so

you can understand why quite a bit more weight might be necessary.

Not only is it good in the wet, SGM has thought about sunshine too

and built the enclosure to be UV resistant. Power input is Neutrik

powerCON TRUE1 connector, and DMX is via 5 pin Neutrik HD XLR.

Mounting is dual Omega clamps.

Added to the IP rating is a long list of beam features similar to what

you could reasonably expect from any modern moving head. Pan

– 540 degrees. Tilt – 270 degrees. 2 rotating gobo wheels (5 positions

+ open). 1-50Hz strobe. Active cooling. Operating temperature from

-10 to +40 degrees C (not such a common feature, but definitely a

good one). 8 to 43 degree zoom, 4 facet prism, and variable frost

from 0 to 100%. Obviously with an RGBY engine you can pick any

colour you like too. Add in to this LumenRadio wireless DMX with RDM

By Jimmy Den-Ouden

“not for household use”, “suitable for wet locations”, and “risk of fire”. three warning labels that instantly tell you this is going to be an interesting review…

59

REVIEW lIVe eVentS

support. DMX control requires 24 or 36 channels.

So that’s the tech side of things, now onto the opinions. Once we

got the G-Spot into the studio and wrangled it onto a bench I took the

time to have a long hard look at it. I’ve got to hand it to SGM, they

really do have a high level of build quality. The rubberized buttons,

OLED menu display and general level of finish are all excellent. The

little touches haven’t been forgotten either – the dual handles on the

base and yoke, as well as the handle recesses into which the DMX

cables slot for storage. It just feels nice. I played with the fixture

before I discovered the price – I was expecting north of $20K and

pleasingly I was wrong.

I fired up the fixture in test mode to start with and was taken aback

by the output and optic quality of the beam. Test mode seems to use

all the LED engine colours which produces a pinkish white, but using

an actual lighting controller this is not a problem. My fixture profile

defaulted to the pink white, but dialing the colour temp channel up

and down gave me a wide range of believable white – I put the

pinkish hue down to a slightly incorrect library file. Beam edges are

generally sharp, with a very slight colour fringing noted when a gobo

was combined with the prism. Focus is responsive as is pan/tilt

movement, while gobo rotation is a little “steppy” at extremely low

speed. Putting my hand into the beam provided a rapid explanation

of the “>0.3m minimum distance to combustible materials” spec.

There’s quite a bit of beam heat at close range for an LED fixture, but

then there’s quite a lot of light there too.

All the features worked exactly the way I expected, and all that

remained was to check what happened when it got wet. I took the

G-Spot out to our loading dock, turned it on, then sprayed it with a

hose for a while. I made sure to get plenty of water into the cooling

ports too. The fixture ignored the water pounding at it from all angles

and just kept doing its thing. Honestly I reckon I probably pushed the

limits of the IP rating friendship and I just couldn’t fault the G-Spot.

Perhaps the only comment I would make is to dry off the area around

the power connector before disconnecting it – powerCON TRUE1 is

IP65 rated when mated.

Short of perhaps the “House of the dancing waters” show, I don’t

think we’re likely to see the G-Spot on stages much simply because

there are cheaper ways to light an indoor stage (even if the price

difference is pretty marginal). As I see it, the G-Spot is designed to

safely and reliably deliver kick arse lighting in wet, and on that note it

sure hits the spot. With festivals such as Sydney’s Vivid and the

Brisbane Santos City of Lights gaining momentum every year, the

future for the G-Spot certainly looks pretty bright.

Brand: SGM

Model: G-Spot

RRP: R 171 192 ex Vat

Price correct at time of print and subject to change

Product Info: www.sgmlight.com

Distributor: www.setafrica.co.za

60

lIVe eVentS REVIEW

Powersoft X8 – Brawn & brains

the X series from italian company powersoft includes two models – the X4 and the one we tested, the X8. X8 is effectively double an X4. in a time when everything is switchmode and lightweight, the X8 seems heavy by comparison to every other amp around. not as heavy as an aM1600, but next to anything contemporary it’s quite, er, meaty. you’d expect it to do something amazing for all the weight, and the good news is that it does.

By Jimmy Den-Ouden

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

南非 92mmx277mm(改）.pdf 1 2015-6-29 14:28:10

Let’s start by talking output power. The X8 is specified to produce

1600W into 8 ohms, or 3000W into 4 ohms, or a staggering 5200W into

2 ohms. Per channel. That’s 41kW all up, which is just ever so slightly

unhinged. It’s the highest output rating I can ever remember seeing

on an amp. By a lot.

Astoundingly I didn’t manage to test the X8 to its full capacity.

I didn’t have 16x dual 18” subs floating around the office, nor a

swimming pool filled with dummy loads. I’ll give Powersoft the

benefit of my trust here, and choose to believe the spec.

I guess the brutish power output explains the unique power supply

options. The X8 can be run directly from 3 phase power. Or bi-phase.

Or single phase. At anything from 85 to 440 Volts. The amp knows

exactly what kind of supply is connected, and just works accordingly.

The X8 doesn’t require a neutral when operating on 3 phase. Single

and bi-phase operation require linking of various pins on the power

supply connector, and presumably the amp identifies this. When

running from three phase, the amp automatically balances the

power load across the three phases. I love that because it’s so

damn clever.

The back panel of the X8 is crowded as could reasonably be

expected. There’s an NL4 for each output pair, XLR for each of the 8

analogue and 4 AES inputs, and a pair of EtherCon sockets for

network connectivity. Our test unit also included Dante support.

There are two fan grilles and a power connector stuffed in there as

well, but even so the layout is tidy.

The X8 has a crazy powerful DSP inside which supports dual Dante

streams, full channel routing from anything to anything, 4 sec input

delay and 200mS output delay. Input & output EQ choices include

raised cosine, custom FIR, parametric IIR, peaking, hi/lo shelving,

all-pass, band pass, and band stop. Yay for choice!

The front panel of the X8 features 11 buttons and that’s it. No

labels, no words, just buttons. The big one in the middle controls

power, the next four either side of it activate channel mute and

indicate input signal. To the left of these is the WiFi on/off button.

Push this and the X8 generates its own wireless network, which you

can then join using your iPhone or iPad. The amp has an internal

webserver which generates an interface from which you can monitor

audio levels, impedance and temperatures, as well as make basic

control adjustments such as channel mute and matrix mixing.

For more advanced control, use the Armonia PC software from the

Powersoft website. Install the software then plug the amp and your

PC into a network router. Run Armonia and use the auto-discover

function to find then add the X8 to your workspace. Once this is

done, you’ve got control over every aspect of the amp including the

plethora of filters, delays, and four different types of output limiter too.

Armonia has a “damping” tab which lets you calculate cable

attenuation too – it’s very clever.

Really, “very clever” is probably quite a good summary of the X8 in

general. Its flexible powering and configuration options mean it can

be deployed into most applications with ease. The exhaustive

feature-set and “dollars per watt” factor make the X8 a very

attractive value proposition indeed.

Brand: Powersoft

Model: X8

RRP: Retail Price EXCL VAT is as follows:

• Powersoft X8 + ETH is R 190 000.00

• Powersoft X8 + Dante is R 210 000.00

• Powersoft X4 + ETH is R 120 000.00

• Powersoft X4 + Dante is R 140 000.00

Price correct at time of print and subject to change

Product Info: www.powersoft-audio.com

Distributor: www.surgesound.co.za 61

62

lIVe eVentS REPORT

Topping the technicals for Madame Zingara

The unique Madame Zingara travelling theatrical experience is

reinventing itself in bigger, better and more opulent surroundings than

ever before. The installation of the custom built, triple storey

speigelpaleis, or mirror theatre, known as the “Queen of Flanders” on

Cape Town’s Grand Parade offers the creative energies of the

Madame Zingara team even more scope to dazzle and astound their

audiences. The new show, entitled “The Celebration” is the

culmination of 15 years of the dinner cirque’s fantastical journey and is

living up to every bit of hype around it.

The theatre itself is crucial to the ambience and the experience of

the Madame Zingara event. Deriving from a long European tradition

of travelling, tented entertainment venues, the Queen of Flanders is

part conventional circus, part opulent nightclub, part luxury

restaurant, and part entertainment citadel, spreading out over the

Grand Parade with several bars, chill rooms, red carpet entrance, and

the central entertainment dinner theatre itself, a spectacle of glitter,

decadent crimson hangings, mirrors and state of the art AV systems

throughout.

Taking the Madame Zingara experience to new heights has meant

enhancing the AV technological theatrics of the production in line

with its attention to design, entertainment and culinary detail. Who

better to accomplish the stringent installation requirements than

theatre rental specialist Gearhouse Splitbeam. Griffin brought

Splitbeam and lighting designer Mannie Manim, legendary for his role

Madame Zingara is one of the most recognisable entertainment brands in south africa. Built from an original cape town restaurant by food fanatic and flamboyant entertainment entrepreneur richard griffin, it has run the gamut of major success and liquidation, rising from the ashes of the latter to become the premier local food entertainment experience.

www.alustage.euwww.alustage.eu

63

64

lIVe eVentS REPORT

as one of the driving forces of the Market Theatre complex for many

years, together with the Zingara team to add the requisite zing to the

production…and then some!

Splitbeam, part of the Gearhouse Group of companies, provides

equipment-rental packages specifically priced for longer term hire on

theatrical productions and is, as a result, the perfect fit to supply both

Lighting and Audio for this production.

With the dual objectives of raising the roof on the sensory

experience whilst keeping the technical elements themselves

inconspicuous, the choice of equipment was carefully considered.

Splitbeam supplied a compact PA system comprising of 12 Meyer

Sound M1D loudspeakers along with Meyer Sound UPM’s, UPJ’s and

UP Juniors to create even coverage with professional audio quality.

Making use of a combination of Sennheiser radio mic systems, DPA

d:fine 66 Headset microphones and a Pioneer Nexus DJ system

guaranteed quality sound in keeping with Madame Zingara’s style.

Splitbeam is using a Midas Pro1 Mixing console to control the system.

The stage design has the dining audience in the round, with

performers working both on the stage and above it. This presents the

challenge of lighting the performers for maximum effect without

blinding the audience or performers. The lighting was rigged as high

as possible over the stage in sections to help meet this requirement

and the use of profile fixtures with variable beam size like the VL 2500

spots and Robe Pointes, supported by VL2500 washes and Robe 600s,

overcame the challenge along with the clever lighting design.

Manim requested Martin MH4 beam lights and Rush LED Zoom

pars as under-stage uplighters. Both were essential to the feel

required and the Splitbeam team purchased the fixtures

specifically to fill these requirements. The lighting was

programmed on a MA2 Lite by Glen Duncan and JP Willson and

the show is run by a MA on PC with command wing.

Moving a technical installation into a brand new venue meant

that the technical team were discovering the space they would

be working in as it was built. “The process involved many different

elements coming together at the same time with a certain degree

of fluidity. We needed mutual co-operation and a ‘big picture’

approach to the delivery” says Helen Surgeson, Splitbeam’s Key

Account Manager. “We have worked closely with the Madame

Zingara team and our Cape Town-based lighting distributor to

bring everything together. It has been a magical journey and the

results are simply breathtaking.”

The Celebration opened in Cape Town on the 7th of July 2015 on

the Grand Parade. Cape Town audiences have been

experiencing a thrilling sensory experience to top anything they

have seen from the Madame before. The production opens at

Montecasino in Johannesburg on 4 November, in time for the

festive season. All booking is via 0861623263. Age restriction is 16+.

Americas n Europe n Asia

www.etcconnect.comwww.prosound.co.za

FIX ZOOM

CYC FRESNEL

ETC Source Four LED Series 2 system One light engine, unlimited possibilities

You can transform your Source Four® LED Series 2 into the right tool for any application, simply by attaching a Source Four LED CYC or Fresnel adapter,

a zoom or fixed-focus lens tube, or an accessory.

See the possibilities at www.etcconnect.com/S4LEDSystemand live at MediaTech, 15-17 July, Johannesburg, Stand K22

66

StudIo Pro AudIo INDuSTRY EXPERT

Sound and Motion Studios – the Director’s Cut!sound and Motion studios, under head audio engineer simon ratcliffe, recently opened a world-class dolby approved final mix and cinema dubbing facility in a converted church in cape town. James sey spoke to simon about the project.

Over the last year we have been focused on setting up a new Dolby

approved final mix and dubbing facility in Cape Town. This is

something we wanted to do for quite some time but with the

introduction of Atmos technology and the move away from 35mm

film, the time was finally right. A while ago we purchased a small

church near Cape Town, built in 1933, with the aim of moving our

studios from the CBD into the new building. After various trips, work

shadows and internships in the UK and Hollywood I decided to follow

a life-long dream of having a proper cinema.

The result has been a dub stage built with constant consultation with

the wonderful people at Dolby Labs in Soho, including multiple trips to

visit James Seddon and Robert Karlsson in London. These two

geniuses have a whole raft of major cinema credits to their names,

and they were there to make sure we’re not only getting it right but

paving the way for the new technologies as they develop. This was a

key element as we quite literally would build walls where they advised

us to! Their help has been invaluable and I completely geeked out at

the new Atmos standard!

As well as the dubbing theatre, we have a dedicated Foley stage.

This was designed and operated by Hollywood legend Michael

Broomberg, whose own cinema resume is hugely impressive as a

foley artist, and we have a modest but beautiful scoring stage. We

are able to mix in 5.1, 7.1 and currently Atmos premix. We will soon be

one of the few Dolby approved Theatrical Dub Rooms on the African

continent, which is very exciting indeed!

the design team

The studio build was managed by Toni Van Vuuren of SMF Designs,

who also implemented our build in the CBD. We’ve been working

with them since the beginning of the company, which was in 2002.

The cinema was designed mostly by James Olivier from our

Johannesburg branch, although I had some input. James worked

under the expert step by step guidance of James Seddon. I then

designed the live room and Michael Broomberg the Foley room.

The whole cinema system, both A-chain and B-chain, was

designed by Maldwyn Greenwood of Wild & Marr, in conjunction with

Gustav Triege and his colleagues. We wanted the system to be really

modern and, as far as one can plan such an approach, “future

proof.” Because we are not only dubbing but recording with the

cinema as well, sometimes with quite high channel counts with the

scoring room being the home to our South African Film Orchestra, the

system was actually a lot more complicated that one would expect.

Maldwyn managed to put together a really slick system based

completely on network-based audio. It’s really cutting edge and on

the brink of what the tech is able to deliver, and has ruled out a lot of

unnecessary cabling and difficulty in terms of installing cabling and

so on. I am absolutely thrilled with the design! It’s really super slick.

the technology lowdown

In terms of sound equipment for the studios, for us running JBL

speakers and Crown amps was a total no-brainer. I›m pretty sure if

one was to take an inventory of sound systems for the world›s screens,

JBL would likely have the lion’s share of the market place on the

consumer end. The driving purpose of setting up a world-class

cinema is quite literally that: to make it world class. I wanted to be

sure that whatever system we went with, that it would equate to the

real world of cinema and pretty much remove the guess work. When

I discovered through Stephen Hoy at Wild & Marr that the JBL rig was

the reference version, and that the drivers were matched for the

higher end demands of post-production, I was even more thrilled.

Added to this, the fact that Dolby Labs use JBL in their own Atmos

demo cinema while being adamantly brand-neutral helped! It›s

actually quite funny, but my mindset at first was that while the JBL

system was going to be a really great cinema dubbing rig, it wasn›t

going to be on the same scale of fidelity that I›ve come to expect

simon ratcliffe

the live room soundproofing at sound and Motion studios

67

INDuSTRY EXPERT StudIo Pro AudIo

from my lovely studio monitors. In fact we were all expecting a really

great representation of a cinema with loads of grunt, but a rather

flattened depth of field. I›ve been proven quite wrong. I›m not sure if

it›s because the speakers are so well referenced or the crazy

headroom we›re running or a combination of quality components,

but it sounds just fantastic. Orchestral film score mixes that I›d mixed

on our studio reference monitoring system in 5.1 translated incredibly

well, with an astounding amount of detail.

So we never really considered another option seriously. Regarding

choosing the Crown amps, I›ve been a huge fan of the brand for

years, they are brilliant. I actually thought they would be just insanely

expensive and out of our league, and let’s face it, they›re not exactly

cheap, but when Maldwyn put me onto the new developments on

the digital processing side I was absolutely amazed. In fact, the DSP is

so powerful that the way we›ve implemented the system would

simply not be possible without them.

Coming up with a sound equipment design that was easily

switchable to the various formats was hard. Since we need to run the

cinema in 5.1, 7.1 and Atmos, a matrix and switching system needed

to be designed that could incorporate the speakers into, for

example, either single discrete speaker channels for Atmos, or a

group for the other formats. We played around with various

analogue and digital options, including incorporating a CP750,

converter units for the various formats, different audio i/o...it was a

tricky one. Once I had a pretty good handle on the requirements

through my meetings with Dolby, Maldwyn and I bounced around

ideas for a while before he came up with the really slick all-digital

system that allows us to set everything up on DSP and then flip

through them using an audio architect program, also developed by

Wild & Marr. So we›re in really good shape.

"The sheer flexibility of the Crown DSP is

formidable. The ability of the B-chain to talk to

the rest of the rig, and for the control system to

be available on an iPad right on the mixing

console, is a life saver. Our design hinges on

those babies."

The whole Wild & Marr team has just been absolutely fantastic in

getting us set up. I›ve been a fan and long-time user of a lot of brands

in the Harman stable, but as great as that gear is, when it comes to a

complex setup like this it’s actually about the people. Gustav,

Maldwyn and of course cinema sound genius Stephen Hoy have

really gone out of their way to make this happen – and the fact that

they’re round the corner doesn’t hurt!

the equipment that makes up sound & Motion studio’s dolby 5.1, 7.1 and atmos premix is:

B chain

• LCR Main speakers: 3731 JBL 3 ways

• SUB/LFE: 4642A Dual 18”

• Surround Speakers: 8340A

• AMPS: Crown DCI-8X600ND’s

a chain (all digigrid)

• Digico|Digigrid DLI (Converts from Avid HDX)

• 2 IOX Network i/o

• 1 IOC Control Room unit

console and control surfaces:

• 24 channel Digidesign -Command

• JL Cooper Panner

• Avid Artist Mix (For Nuendo)

• Avid Artist Transport (For Nuendo)

daW

• Pro Tools HDX

• Nuendo

• + Dolby Media Meter & Source Connect

simon ratcliffe at the cinema mixing desk at sound and Motion studios

68

StudIo Pro AudIo

Howard Audio goes state of the art

Having operated as a smaller studio for a long time, Howard Music

(now Howard Audio) decided to build a much bigger and highly

professional studio facility to cater for its ever-growing portfolio and

clientele. The studio, now located at 4 Anslow Lane in Bryanston, is not

only a stroke of genius but an inspiringly beautiful space for

any creative.

Owner of the studio Adam Howard, an award-winning music

stalwart with over two decades’ experience in music production,

contracted top pro audio company Benjamin Pro Audio to drive the

upgrade, from project management to design and construction, as

well as gear supply. An important aspect of the brief was to create a

spacious, multifunctional studio that would allow musicians, engineers

and clients to work effectively while enjoying unprecedented

acoustic superiority and comfortability.

The studio occupies a total of 250 m2. It is divided into three control

rooms (which can work concurrently), one live room and two vocal

booths. The main control room occupies 36m2 of the studio space. To

increase efficiency, the vocal booths can be linked to the live room

and main control room or to either of the two smaller control rooms.

This provides a flexible design that enables engineers to effortlessly

tackle multiple projects at the same time and to streamline the

studio’s resources for large tracking sessions. The studio has the

capacity to accommodate big album projects of up to 20 musicians

at the same time.

Special emphasis was put on the acoustics. The walls of the studio

account for 10% of the entire studio space, providing a highly

effective soundproofed environment. The structure of the wall

comprises massive layers of a complex combination of SoundBloc

Plus, steel and cavity insulation. Steel structures were used for all of the

outer and inner frames and the drywall applied to that. To

complement the heavy weight of the walls the doors are made of

multiple MFD layers and they weigh 95 kgs each. The architecture of

the interior spaces is designed to deflect all audio to the back of a

room and then diffuse it before returning to be further absorbed by

the room. The result is a very balanced and neutral space with even

decay times across the spectrum, even in the smaller rooms.

According to Jacob van der Westhuizen, head of Benjamin Pro

Audio, “The rooms don’t experience any first reflection points. The

initial image you receive of the audio is very tight and controlled with

a great stereo image.”

The ceiling clouds in the main rooms are strategically mounted not

only to be acoustically correct but also to contribute to the overall

sleek look of the studio, particularly in the main control room. To

ensure easy visual communication throughout the studio, van der

Westhuizen created glass spaces in each room. Clients are able to

see artists in all rooms at all times and the artists in the various

recording booths can also see each other as well as the digital visuals

during the recording process. Adam Howard wanted a sleek main

desk so they designed a desk for his needs using laminated MDF,

ensuring a desirable acoustic transparency level of the desk.

the newly-revamped howard audio studio, located in the northern part of Johannesburg,

might easily be the best studio of its kind in south africa, writes eddie hatitye.

the control room of the new howard audio studio

69

StudIo Pro AudIo

top equipment

Thanks to a powerful combination of good design and high-end

equipment the studio offers the ability to mix in Dolby 5.1. As part of

the upgrade, Benjamin Pro Audio installed a wide array of world-class

equipment including recording, processing, metering and analysis

gear. One notable improvement is in the soundcard/converter

department where new Metric Halo LIO-8’s AD and DA converters

are used. The delicate sound monitoring system comprises top Unity

Audio monitors, namely the Boulder MKI, and Rock MK2, which are

supported by a heavy Unity Audio Avalanche Sealed 12” Subwoofer.

The mics used are a mix of Neumann U87’s, AKG C414 ULB’s, Sure

SM57’s and Rode NT5’s. A stunning white Yamaha GC2 Grand Piano is

available in the main live room. In terms of software the studio

employs a combination of Logic 9, Logix X, Pro Tools 10 and a wide

array of plugins, including the likes of Waves, Izotope, Native

Instruments and Spectrasonics. The main control room uses a 12 Core

Mac Pro machine with 12GB Ram. All systems are networked and

centrally backed up nightly to ensure all data is secure. Additionally

each control rooms runs off its own UPS system that feeds its own DB

board to ensure reliable power to each room seperately.

not an easy task

The stunning look of the studio completely belies the challenges that

van der Westhuizen and his team faced in the design and building

process. One notable challenge was that the main building had two

structural pillars that could not be removed. The teams had to find an

innovative way to incorporate them in their design withought

compromising the real needs of the studio. One pillar was carefully

incorporated in the structure of the live room and the other in one of

the small vocal booths. Time was also a major obstacle because they

only had a few months to finish the whole build. What made it even

more challenging was that the client needed to be able to use a

control room within one month of the project. To overcome this van

der Westhuizen set up small teams to work on various aspects of the

build concurrently. There was a drywall team, a team for the doors, a

flooring team and an offsite bamboo contractor, responsible for

manufacturing the frames, skirtings, panels and diffusers. Finally, van

der Westhuizen’s core team of five technicians focused mainly on

technical installations.

The whole project took a period of nine months to complete,

although the whole facility was fully functional after only 5 months.

The studio was officially opened on 1 August 2014. As part of the new

look the Studio also introduced a brand new corporate identity that is

deeply rooted in cymatics, a method of visualising sound through

everyday materials. In the process Howard hired a team of experts to

experiment with sound’s effect on various granular materials. The

results were then incorporated on the new logo design, which visually

reflects the company’s serious focus on everything audio.

Since the re-launch Howard Audio has completed numerous

projects for a range of top artists and brands in South Africa, including

South African Tourism, 1 Life Insurance, Vodacom and Castle Milk

Stout. The world-renowned Soweto Gospel Choir is on a long list of top

acts that are set to use the studio in the next few months, and

advertising agencies constantly use Howard for everything audio –

including final mix, original music, musical direction and library

music clearance.

“The rooms don’t experience any first reflection points. The initial image you receive of the audio is very tight and controlled with a great stereo image.” – Jacob van der Westhuizen

adam howard and studio sound engineer lebo Maboa relax in the new studio space

Bose: dave tudor, chris liebenberg, Bhans sheomangal, shaun phillpott and simon robinson

inala technologies: hanli reinecke, Zak shaikh, anton van staden, leander serrao, antony Bijsters, colin Wainer and simon robinson

sony: the sony team

70

SocIAl

stephan preuss from glux Visual effect tech, philipp reitinger from aV stumpfl gmbh and Jennifer Jeffrey from system solutions

dylan finlay from penmac, with ronald pillay from picture Mafia, Malcolm finlay from penmac, david Jones and Jozsef szvetnyik from lightware and penny finlay and iain alexander from penmac

raymond goodwin from Bc el;ectronics with Brendon Murphy, aidan Wolhuter, rishaad hoosen and preshaun Khiali from tV audio

Bruce riley, nick Britz, Koy neminathan, duncan riley, Keith pugin and schalk Botha from dWr

natalie delport, itumeleng swartz and phaki fokane from sabido eacademy

duncan riley from dWr and greg Bester from pro-direct

devon swart and tammy pretorius from cape audio college with Matt hill from sae institutre south africa

dWr: Bruce riley, nick Britz, duncan riley, simon robinson and robert izzett

steve schafer from concilium technologies, with nino herr and dirk harding from Malapati productions

christie digital: richard nye, simon robinson and phil lord

claire Badenhorst from Mediatech africa, with george van gils and andrew King from Questek

Wael yasi from createctrl ag, with Wolfgang peters from aVt, alex Mathaba from soundfusion and Wilfried hecht from audio Video technology

Mediatech Africa 2015 – The Dome, Northgate, JhbST

AND

WIN

NERS

71

SocIAl

Benoit Brismontier from angenieux, with petros Motha from Movie Mart, thomas Binsert from arri and colin Benade from Movie Mart

helmut protte, chris grandin, Miles donovan, phil lord, harry gladow, Monsi cottrell from christie

Meshack Motlhabedi, Karabo Moshane, Mpho Manne and Moabi tagane from glory computers

Jochen sommer from adamson systems engineering, elmira Moraveji from Beyerdynamic, tiaan hoogstad from tid, domenico gambino from BariX and dave nazir from BiaMp systems

Mediatech's simon robinson, shevaun Mccready, claire Badenhorst and nicola du plooy with pro-systems' James sey

fred van der Merwe, abesh dhevalall, Wynand langenhoven, piet strydom, elaine o’gorman, hugh Barker and dudley fourie from peripheral Vision

Jason Johnstone, abrie du plooy, terry Bourquin and Bruce schwartz from electrosonic

John saunders, ondrej hegar, Jiri Baroš, nathan Wan, harry von den stemmen and aleš gill from robe

Margu esterhuizen, Bronwyn Mathias, Mike theunissen, gregg Mccaffrey and danelle strydom from pixel displays

rodwann van rensburg, Michael pienaar, spencer thomas, Joseph Milan, donovan Badenhorst and dwain Jones from aplha technologies

Victor hatega, Matthew Mitchell, gary sam, Kurt du preez and Blessing Vilikazi, finalists for the electrosonic ld competition

Mediatech Africa 2015 – The Dome, Northgate, Jhb

gustav teitge from Wild & Marr, with dave Budge from harman, cecilia van der Vent and andrew sorrill from Wild & Marr and chicco hiranandani from shure

72

SocIAl

the electrosonic team, after the electrosonic ld competition

Bruce genricks from electrosonic, peter dahlin from Martin professional and Bruce schwartz from electrosonic

greg payne, alison taman and Brendan Venter from audiosure

Josef Valchar from robe, with Belinda henwood and Michael Broderick from the one Man one light show

denis hutchinson from dhc, simon robinson from Mediatech africa, peter dahlin from Martin professional and chris Bolton fron Keystone productions judged the electrosonic ld competition

Mediatech Africa 2015 – The Dome, Northgate, Jhb

sarah cox from d3 technologies, george van gils from Questek and Martin Wood from Barco

Mario Bentley and trevor peters from Matrix sound

giovanni Zucchinali and Massimo Bolandrina from clay paky

rakesh gupta, rakhi gupta and Manish Misra from Mac africa

Mordecai Matomana and Marco de lemos from acer

shaun Xavier, craig harvey and nathan ilhenfeldt from stage audio Works

Vincent philippo and rupert denoon from crestron

Weilang Wu from laikesi, lena ting from unilumin and huiyun Wu from laikesi

stephan guldenpfenning, langa Mbili and andrew Bartlett from silvercam

Mairi pringle and Justin nel from proaudio

Viva Afrika Sound and Light (Pty) Ltd45 Lake Road, Longmeadow

Longmeadow North Business ParkPO Box 4709, Rivonia, 2128, South Africa

Tel: 011 250-3280, Fax: 011 [email protected], www.vivaafrika.co.za

viva afrika

K-LA210 DSP Dual 10” 2 Way Active Line Array

Frequency Response (+/- 6dB anechoic chamber):

57Hz – 20 000Hz

Drivers: HF Driver: BEYMA, 1.4” exit, 1.75” voice coil

LF/MF Driver: BEYMA, 2.5” voice coil

Signal Input/Output Connector: Female XRL Input,

Male XLR Output

Power Input/Output Connector:

Powercon NAC3MPA / NAC3MPB


Maximum calculated SPL/M

(Continuous/Program/Peak): 125dB/128dB/131dB

Amplifi er: Class D

Processor: 48KHz signal sampling, 56bit

Weight: 38.5Kg


K-LA Series – powerfully ACTIVE

NEW

PRODUCT

Series – powerfully ACTIVE

DSP Features

• K-LA Line Array Systems

features maximum simplicity in

Set up and Operation.

• A compact portable touring,

rental and installation system

that brings Line-Array

technology to an accessible

ease of use and price point

• A dynamic sound well packed

in a compact size, for the right

price , this is KLA Series

3 x K-LA 218 DSP

K-LA 210 DSP Frame

6 x K-LA 210 DSP

18900 Watts




3 x K-LA 218 DSP

K-LA 210 DSP Frame

6 x K-LA 210 DSP


ExclusivE Distributor for south AfricA:DWr DistributioN block c, unit 1, Kimbult industrial Park, 9 Zeiss road, laserpark, honeydew, 2170, JohannesburgIt’s all about the people tel: +27 11 794 5023 | fax: + 27 11 794 5702 | [email protected] | www.dwrdistribution.co.za

Pro Systems July-August 2015

Documents

Transcript of Pro Systems July-August 2015