project news

Renkus-Heinz Iconyx Clarifies the Issues at Montreal City Hall

Even in a city as renowned for its architecture as Montreal, this City Hall stands out. The city government recently decided out to modernize its conference systems, but adopted a "no compromises" policy toward the building's distinctive and historic style.

Montreal's City Hall, which was re-built in 1922 within the shell of its original walls after the original structure was destroyed by fire, is modeled after the city hall of the French city of Tours, and is designated a National Historic Site of Canada.

The two contradictory objectives were reconciled thanks to the efforts of Grant Ritchie, Mike Davidson and Mark Dunn of Contact Distribution, who demonstrated Iconyx IC7 Steerable Arrays from Renkus-Heinz to the building's engineering staff. IC7s are cost-effective self-powered linear arrays that use individual driver control to deliver precisely shaped beams of sound with factory-programmed pre-sets.

The City of Montreal has acquired six IC7's for use in the Hall of Honour, an ante-room that is used for ceremonial occasions. The IC7s have been able to deliver natural, intelligible speech and music, satisfying all concerned. The natural character of these speakers was highlighted during a visit from a Japanese delegation, which featured a performance on the koto.

"Once the microphone was in place," a City of Montreal technician reports, "we received a ‘thumbs up' from a member of the delegation. He told us that it is extremely rare to hear this instrument properly represented by a PA system."

The Historic Paramount Theatre Welcomes the 21st Century with Adamson

Paramount Center for the Performing Arts in Peekskill, NY has installed Adamson SpekTrix speakers. Originally built as a 1500-seat movie palace a subsidiary of Paramount Pictures, the Peekskill Paramount Theatre first opened its doors with great fanfare on June 27, 1930. The Inaugural program featured an overture by the Paramount Symphony Orchestra, an appearance by the village mayor, and "A Paramount All-Talking Picture", The Big Pond.

The Paramount prospered for decades despite the Depression and World War II. However, it was the advent of shopping malls and television that brought on its demise as a movie theatre. Paramount sold the building in 1973.

The Paramount's stage is a "modified thrust." The original stage was just 13 feet deep. In the late 1970's, a thrust stage was added in front of the original. A series of major renovations and a historic restoration project have been completed over the past three years. Presently the total seating sits at 1024 in two levels of orchestra seating and a balcony.

Today the nonprofit Paramount Center for the Arts operates as a year-round multidisciplinary center for the arts, with live performances, arts-in-education programs, films, and visual art exhibitions.

Technical upgrades to the theatre include a brand new speaker system and a mixing console.

The speaker systems is a flexible 2 in 1 set-up. The L and R main arrays consist of 12 Adamson SpekTrix and 2 Adamson SpekTrix Sub enclosures per side. There are also 5 Adamson CB1 near fills present. The operating options are a Stereo 4-way with near fills, and a Stereo 3-way with subs being fed by their own signal with near fills, as a secondary option. The system is powered by Lab.gruppen amplifiers and XTA DP6-i processors, a 24-channel Allen & Heath GL2400 sits at front of house.

Two Major London Venues Choose City Theatrical's SHoW DMX

Two mainstays of the London performing arts scene have upgraded to SHoW DMX. The Royal National Theatre and the English National Opera have both added extensive new SHoW DMX wireless DMX systems to their permanent lighting inventories.

The English National opera had an inventory of City Theatrical WDS Wireless Data System transmitters, receivers, personal dimmers and 15A single channel dimmers. The personal dimmers are used in smaller pieces where a full sized receiver and dimmer wouldn't fit. The equipment is moved from show to show in the rep season at the ENO. In their upgrade, the ENO purchased a new SHoW DMX transmitter and receiver and also upgraded their existing receivers and personal dimmers to SHoW DMX. "It was a very cost effective way for us to upgrade our current system to the latest in wireless dimming technology," says the ENO's senior lighting technician Gary James.

The National Theatre had a much larger WDS inventory and an additional challenge to face with their upgrade. Their existing inventory of WDS was causing interference with a newly installed WiFi/VoIP telephone system. A series of tests were performed and SHoW DMX was able to provide negligible interference even in its most most powerful settings. The National Theatre replaced all four of its transmitters, seven of its receivers and upgraded all 14 of their personal dimmers to SHoW DMX. The lighting staff now has the added ability of using RDM to monitor the signal strength of the receivers remotely via the built in web server in the transmitter. "Implementing SHoW DMX across all three theatres has allowed us to co-exist with the new building wide Wi-Fi and telephone system. Additionally it has given us a phenomenal increase in flexibility over the old WDS system, in terms of our ability to better manage the limited radio spectrum available at the NT, with the added functionality of a fully RDM compliant system," notes John McGarrigle of the Royal National Theatre.

CTI's patented SHoW DMX system synchronises the hopping pattern of the radio with the incoming DMX packet to attain levels of data fidelity previously unreachable with wireless DMX. Additionally, SHoW DMX has a range of features including adjustable output power, limited bandwidth mode, and limited burst mode that allow it to peacefully coexist with other radio signals in the busy 2.4GHz band. CTI is the only manufacturer of wireless DMX to have proven its claims with scientific data, as published in a report from an independent testing lab published on the CTI website.

SHoW DMX also is fully RDM compliant so users can change radio settings and monitor receiver strength from their laptop during the performance, as well as monitor other manufacturers' RDM gear on their production. SHoW DMX is also fully compatible with Art-Net.

Danley Loudspeakers at Historic Pathways Church in Denver

Pathways Church in Denver, Colorado is unique in many ways. The church purchased the Temple Event Center, an historic Moorish-style Synagogue built by renowned architect John Humphreys in 1899. Both a local and national historic landmark, the Temple Event Center, as it is still known, overflows with ornate and sublime beauty, including elaborate stained glass windows, intricate woodwork, vaulted ceilings, and gold leaf stenciling. Though no longer functioning, a gigantic 1911 Estey pipe organ provides an impressive backdrop for the nearly 1,000 congregants who can sit comfortably on velvet-upholstered seats.

Given the classic architecture that surrounds Pathways, it may be surprising to learn that the church delivers a decidedly contemporary service, complete with a fully-voiced rock band. In contrast, it will not be surprising to learn that the existing sound system was hardly up to that task. Coverage was spotty, output was weak, and intelligibility was fleeting, especially with the system so frequently red-lined. On a shoestring budget, Colorado-based Summit Integrated Systems replaced the existing loudspeakers with Danley loudspeakers and subwoofers, relying on Danley's efficiency to make the new system thunder using only the existing amplifiers and processors.

Rigging the loudspeakers was a tremendous challenge and Danley's relatively lightweight, efficient designs made the task less odious than it might have otherwise been. A 20-foot span above the stage gives way on both the left and right to vaulted ceilings of some 75 feet covered in precious, hand-painted stencils. The extremely wide, fan-shaped room would need to be addressed using as few rigging points as possible.

Summit selected four Danley SH-96 full-range loudspeakers to cover the main seating area. The SH-96 boasts a three-way system composed of four 15-inch, six 4-inch, and one 1.4-inch drivers all situated within one horn. Like all

Danley loudspeakers, the SH-96 provides internal, passive crossovers and thus cuts down multiplicatively on the number of amplifier channels required (no bi- or tri-amping!). What really solidified the deal was Summit's speaker demo of the Danley SH-96 showing that a single SH-96 had more output, higher intelligibility and better seating coverage than their existing SR System comprised of six tri-amped full-range boxes costing upwards of $130,000.

Flipped on their sides, the Danley SH-96 provides 90- by 60-degree pattern control that is tight enough to focus its energy fully on the seating area, keeping the sound off the Temple Event Center stage for greater gain before feedback. With judicious overlap in the patterns of adjacent speakers, Summit gave Pathways their requested stereo imaging as a pair of alternating left/right outputs. Not only was Pathways getting a massive upgrade in terms of output and fidelity, they were getting a system that would move them past the uninspired mono of their previous installation.

In addition to output, fidelity, and imaging, the good life includes a generous serving of bass, and Summit Integrated tucked two Danley TH-115 subwoofers into the stage for just that purpose. "Loudspeaker and subwoofer efficiency was paramount in this design," said Shane Beeson, sales and installation specialist at Summit Integrated Systems. "We had to rely on

Pathway's existing Yamaha DME24N processor and Yamaha PC4801N and PC9501N amplifiers. Both the Danley SH-96 and TH-115 are markedly more efficient than comparable units from other manufacturers, and that gave us the ability to deliver the high SPLs Pathways was seeking. The fact that we could do this without bi- or tri-amplification was also essential."

He continued: "Pathways is very happy with the new system. The difference between it and the old system was not subtle. As soon as we fired it up, they knew without a doubt that they had gotten their money's worth. It was a night and day difference. Now they have abundant volume that's clear and intelligible with stereo imaging on top of it all. We plan to continue working with Pathways so that as the funds become available, we can round things out with rack upgrades and a modest amount of down fills and front fills."

In picture: four Danley SH-96 full-range loudspeakers cover the main seating area under the vaulted ceiling in the Moorish-style Pathways Church, Denver, Colorado.

Martin Visual Solutions Enhance Cruise Experience on World's Largest Luxury Liner

With more than 15 years of experience in partnering with the world's largest cruise lines, Martin Professional has become the preferred visual solutions supplier to the cruise ship industry. That fact is clearly evident on the world's largest cruise liner, Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas, which recently set sail with a multitude of Martin Professional dynamic lighting and smoke solutions.

Oasis of the Seas, built at the STX shipyard in Finland, is a world-class mixed-use entertainment cruise liner that surpasses anything that has come before it. Sailing from its homeport of Port Everglades, Florida Oasis is 360 meters long with room for 5,400 passengers and a crew of 3,000. Its final cost is put at $1.4 billion.

Because of the harsh environment and demanding constraints of the ocean environment - constant motion, exposure to salt water, humidity, high temperatures, etc, high technology products like advanced visual systems must be extremely reliable, as well as compact and easy to service. Specification, supply and installation of the Martin systems were completed to a highly professional and technical standard by entertainment systems integration firm FUNA.

Responsible for the specification and system design of all venues and spaces carrying entertainment systems onboard Oasis is Christopher Vlassopulos, head of entertainment technology for Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises. In addition, Vlassopulos served as technical director for the Opal Theater's "Hairspray" show.

Michael Riotto Design was show lighting consultant for several areas of the ship, using Martin lighting in Jazz on 4, Blaze, Boleros, Dazzle, and Viking Crown lounges. In addition, MRD was responsible for the programming of all entertainment lighting for public spaces as well as commissioning the architectural lighting and dimming systems throughout the ship.

Principal Michael Riotto comments: "We use lighting to support the environments of which we collaboratively create with the architects and the Royal Caribbean entertainment team. We aim to offer solutions which are unique, clever, and creative given the parameters and challenges that we consistently face. With Oasis, we were tasked at creating simple yet effective spaces with maximum bang for the buck while being reasonable and maintenance-conscious."

Addressing important criteria to consider with regard to lighting gear on a ship, Riotto states: "It is imperative to specify equipment which can withstand the harsh electrical environments found onboard marine vessels. Equipment must be simple to operate and maintain while not compromising the quality or ambiance of a space. We have specified Martin equipment on several marine projects and we find the equipment to hold up well while being an affordable solution for the client. In addition, our client, Christopher Vlassopulos of Royal Caribbean, has always had a great relationship with Martin and choosing Martin was a collective win-win for everyone involved."

Oasis of the Seas features a new neighborhood concept of seven distinct themed areas with Martin visual solutions to be experienced across the ship.

Royal Promenade: Twice as wide as the promenades on its other ships, Oasis' Royal Promenade is the ship's central meeting place where shopping and eating combine with entertainment and fun. Along the football pitch length of the Promenade, Martin visuals blend atmospheric and show lighting throughout the day and night.

Opal Theater: One of the ship's many diverse entertainment offerings is the Tony award-winning Broadway musical "Hairspray," one of two productions that take place in the ship's grand Opal Theater beneath a large rig of Martin gear.

AquaTheater: A truly one-of-a-kind venue is the outdoor 700-seat AquaTheater with large pool that stretches across the stern of the ship. It features several shows that include divers, swimmers and acrobats performing to a spectacle of music and Martin lights, as well as choreographed fountain shows programmed to music and lighting effects.

Studio B: The multi-configurable Studio B and ice rink, which can be transformed into a television studio or used for exhibits, fashion shows and concerts, features a professional ice show 'Frozen in Time,' featuring the writings of Hans Christian Anderson. The Studio B rig consists of Martin MAC moving heads, LED battens and Jem smoke effects.

A host of additional clubs, lounges and bars for adults including Blaze nightclub, the Latin-themed Boleros nightclub, the On-Air Karaoke Bar, and the adults-only Solarium, feature Martin visual solutions, as do social spots for teens and kids.

Martin is also supplying an identical equipment package to the Oasis' upcoming sister ship, Allure of the Seas, deploying from the STX shipyard in November 2010. Martin has supplied all Royal Caribbean ships fleet-wide including Freedom of the Seas and Independence of the Seas.

 

Meyer Sound Cinema System Installed in First Cinemas in US

Meyer Sound has announced the first installation of a Meyer Sound Cinema Experience system in two US-based commercial theatres, located in Gulf Breeze and Pace, Fla. Both systems, at The Breeze and The Ridge Cinemas, will be used for the first time during the opening of ‘Alice in Wonderland' on March 5. Delivering rich, immersive sound, Cinema Experience will enhance audience's experience of the much-anticipated 3-D movie.

"Until now, cinema owners and audiences have accepted mediocre audio even as they demanded exceptional visuals," says Brian Smith of Advanced Media Design Systems, which installed the cinema system. "Not only was the retrofit relatively painless but the results take cinema sound to a whole new level. Audiences will definitely now have a superior sound experience that will bring them back to the movies."

Based on the Acheron screen channel loudspeakers, the Meyer Sound Cinema Experience system that was installed by Advanced Media Design Systems is part of an integrated line of scaleable cinema systems. From sound design rooms to re-recording stages to movie theatres, this complete line of self-powered loudspeakers provides remarkable headroom with low-distortion, and is designed for accurate translation to standard cinema systems. With Meyer Sound's Cinema Experience soundtracks can be reproduced exactly as they were intended to be heard-which is exactly how today's audiences want to experience.

Robert Juliat Topaze at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago

Robert Juliat USA has supplied two of its customized RJE Topaze 1200W followspots to the recently renovated Oceanarium exhibit at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.

Known as The World's Aquarium, the John G. Shedd Aquarium is situated on the shores of Lake Michigan where it first opened its doors to the public in 1930. It has recently undergone major refurbishment with the complete renovation of the Oceanarium and Marine Mammal amphitheater.

Robert Juliat's dealer in Illinois, Intelligent Lighting Creations (ILC) was the installation contractor for the project with the charge to transform the space into more of a theatre environment. The result is a ‘reimagined space' which plays host to the Aquarium's new show entitled Fantasea.

ILC specified the Robert Juliat Topazes as front of house followspots, in conjunction with Lighting Designers John Featherstone, Tammy Smith and Avraham Mor of Lightswitch Chicago.

"The size of the venue did not warrant anything larger than a 1200W fixture and the space and weight restrictions were quite a challenge," says ILC's Matt Pearlman. "The Robert Juliat Topaze RJE is only 75lbs including the ballast and it was possible to pole-mount it so it would fit into the limited space available. It is a compact unit with a small footprint, a stunning light output and a great field - all the things we like about Robert Juliat lights!"

Pearlman also chose the Topaze RJE for its electronic ballast since there is a high video element within the show. "The upstage ‘cyc' wall of the new theatre is a 500ft wide glass wall looking out over Lake Michigan. It has roman shades that can be brought across to act as a projection backdrop for the video projection. Flicker free followspots are therefore imperative - and, fortunately, what the RJE adaptations offer!"

The Topaze RJE fixture was originally created for Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band's Magic Tour in 2008 which toured with six units, and with eight units on his Working on a Dream tour in 2009.They are assembled in the US from the standard Topaze head and an electronic power supply, manufactured by Morpheus Lights of Las Vegas, NV, in place of the standard magnetic power supply. "The result is a single unit that suited the Shedd Aquarium installation very well and proved to be a good solution in terms of performance and physical dimensions," continues Pearlman.

"A final, significant reason for choosing Robert Juliat is the experience the company has of putting followspots into this challenging kind of environment, having done so on numerous water-orientated Vegas spectaculars. Robert Juliat fixtures have a proven track record of performing successfully in an environment of high humidity in proximity to both chlorinated and salt water, and are backed with a two-year warranty.

"The choice has been a popular one and the operators really enjoy the smoothness of the controls."

photo: Joby Benoit

www.robertjuliatamerica.com

Soundfield SPS200 Goes Native in Surround Thanks to SEA

SoundField SPS200 software controlled microphone, supplied by German SoundField distributor SEA, has been used to capture audio for a unique sound installation at a Zurich cultural museum. NONAM, Switzerland's North American Native Museum, is constructing a permanent exhibition representing five of the main geographical regions of North American Native culture. The new audio installation evokes the culture of the northwest coast of the continent, playing quadraphonic sounds and audio textures captured on the west coast of British Columbia on a permanent loop inside an acoustically treated chamber.

The engineer responsible for capturing the sounds was Hein Schoer, a German PhD researcher working at the Fontys School of Arts in the Netherlands, and accredited by the University of Maastricht. Schoer recorded the sounds and textures during a three-week trip to Canada's west coast last autumn, in collaboration with the U'Mista Cultural Centre in Alert Bay, British Columbia. "The idea was to create an evocation in sound of life in each of these cultural regions, by presenting the sounds of the local weather, animals, and the activities of the indigenous people of the region," he explained. "We had previously put together an audio montage from DAT recordings to represent life in Nunavut for an earlier exhibition, and as a

recording engineer, I wanted to see whether I could improve the quality of the recordings from the northwest region."

The Sound Chamber at NONAM is an acoustically treated four-meter square cube designed to contain up to seven people at a time. Inside, light is excluded by black drapes and sound-absorbent foam removes most of the acoustic reflectivity of the chamber, rendering it almost anechoic and allowing the quadraphonic speaker array to immerse the occupant in the sounds of North America's northwest. Schoer wanted to make true quadraphonic recordings for use in the chamber but without resorting to a cumbersome multi-microphone array, and would have had no way of transporting such a complex rig in rural Canada anyway. "My original idea was to use a couple of stereo mics to make simultaneous recordings on separate stereo recorders and sync them in post-production to create quad soundscapes. However, this idea fell through. I contacted SEA and they suggested that I think about taking the SoundField SPS200 instead. It turned out to be the best thing that could have happened. Synchronizing two stereo recordings made on separate recorders could have been very hit and miss and time-consuming, but the SPS200 allowed me to capture the audio independently of the output format with one microphone."

The audio captured by the SPS200 can be decoded later in post-production using the SPS200 Surround Zone plug-in, which is supplied free of charge with the microphone. As with SoundField's other multi-capsule microphones, the output from the SPS200 may be converted to a variety of output formats including phase-coherent mono, stereo, quad, or 5.1 surround, without any phase artifacts. "The sound installation for NONAM is in quadraphonic, but this is also my PhD project, and I intend to make radio presentations in stereo from the recordings," explains Schoer. "So the ability of the SPS200 to output audio in different formats is very useful to me. All I have to do is change some settings in the SoundField decoding software on my laptop."

Schoer made over seventeen hours of recordings with the SPS200 in its custom-made Zephyx windshield kit, including the sounds of the wildlife, birds and lakes of the region, wind passing through the trees over a nature reserve, everyday life, Native artists at work, classes at the local school, and a number of musical performances by the Native American people of the region. He supplemented the recordings made with the SPS200 and his eight-channel digital Sound Devices 788T recorder with mono and stereo recordings made to a Tascam DR100 with a Beyerdynamic shotgun mic and a stereo pair of Oktava microphones respectively. The completed twenty-minute quadraphonic composition is being installed at NONAM in Zurich this spring, following selection and decoding of the recordings by Hein Schoer, quadraphonic pre-mixing sessions in the surround studios at the School of Audio Engineering in Frankfurt, and Schoer's final mixdown inside NONAM's sound chamber itself. The plan is to create similar 'immersive' audio installations for all five regions represented at NONAM, and thereby develop guidelines for the future creation and presentation of such cultural soundscapes in years to come.

In picture: Hein Schoer recording in British Columbia, Canada, with the SPS200 in Zephyx Kit.

Hard Rockers Rock the Boat With L-Acoustics

Hailed as "the ultimate rock and roll vacation and backstage pass", ShipRocked recently put Queensrÿche, Tesla, Ratt, Skid Row and half a dozen other bands together with nearly 1500 fans onboard the luxurious MSC Poesia cruise ship for an intimate five-day music festival and party.

At the request of famed tour/production manager Larry Morand, ShipRocked's concert sound systems were supplied and manned by Cincinnati-based Loud & Clear Inc., which exclusively used L-Acoustics amplifiers and loudspeakers for all three stages on the vessel.

The floating festival's primary performance venue was the 1250-seat art deco Carlo Felice Theatre, which was equipped with five L-Acoustics Kudo enclosures positioned over three SB218 subwoofers per side. Two dV-DOSC were deployed as front fills, while two eight-inch coaxials were used for balcony fill. On stage, a dozen 115XT HiQ wedges served as monitors, with an ARCS and SB28 per side for sidefill and LF fill. Monitors were driven by 10 LA8 amplified controllers and main/fill enclosures were powered by other LA Series systems.

A second stage near the outdoor pool on the Foscolo Deck sported six dV-DOSC stacked on four SB218 per side complemented by six 115XT HiQ stage wedges. The Pigalle Lounge, a third venue in the lower aft of the ship, featured a smaller system consisting of three dV-DOSC stacked on two dV-SUB per side, a single dV-DOSC per side for fill, and six more 115XT HiQ monitors on stage. Power for both of these smaller stages came from a combination of LA8 and other LA models.

"Kudo's adjustable vanes were very instrumental in eliminating some potential audio challenges in the main theater," notes Loud & Clear's Matt Fish, who served as the FOH tech for the Carlo Felice Theatre. "Using Soundvision, we were able to appropriately tailor the dispersion patterns and keep as much of the sound off of the theatre's side walls and push it to where it needed to be."

"We used a really wide variety of L-Acoustics boxes on this cruise - from our Kudo enclosures all the way down to our smallest coaxials - and everything performed perfectly," adds Loud & Clear President Bill Deavers. "There was plenty of horsepower and volume to satisfy the bands, engineers and fans, and the sound quality and coverage was never anything less than exceptional, which is exactly what we've come to expect from L-Acoustics."

Loud & Clear's Norm Stout and Chuck Smith served as the FOH techs for the Foscolo and Pigalle stages, respectfully, with Steve Lagemann on-hand as L&C's supervisor and Nate Schneider as the production manager.

Departing from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with stops made in Jamaica and Grand Cayman, ShipRocked featured an impressive roster of artists, including Queensrÿche, Tesla, Ratt, Skid Row, Broken Teeth, EndeverafteR, Lynam, Niki Barr Band, Stereoside, StoneRider and even the Kansas City School Of Rock. 

Musicality Comes Naturally with Cascade Theatre's Meyer Sound JM-1P

The recent installation of six Meyer Sound JM-1P arrayable loudspeakers made a dramatic improvement to the listening experience at the Cascade Theatre in Redding, Calif., a 997-seat performance space previously fraught with acoustical challenges.

Like other refurbished movie palaces, Cascade Theatre's live acoustics could only be minimally damped without modifying the historic aesthetics; and the theatre prohibited the use of flown arrays.

"One look at our gorgeous ceiling murals and you'll understand why we decided against hang points," says Jeff Darling, the venue's general manager. "Our donors paid a lot of money to restore that artwork. We didn't want to blemish or conceal it in any way."

Ground stacking was the only option, but the theatre's architecture presented yet another hurdle. Limited proscenium width-with every inch of stage needed for dance events-dictated loudspeaker locations far to the outside, making uniform coverage difficult without also splashing sound off hard walls a few feet away.

George Relles of Eugene, Ore.-based Relles Sound, was confident that the horizontal control of the Meyer Sound JM-1P arrayable loudspeakers would solve this conundrum. At a Joan Osborne concert, he proved his point using tight-packed horizontal arrays of three JM-1P loudspeakers per side. "The JM-1P lets me create just the right pattern for uniform room coverage, while a steep dropoff at the specified limit keeps sound off the walls and off the stage," says Relles.

The JM-1P point source system utilizes Meyer Sound's patented REM? technology to create a precise 20-degree horizontal by 60-degree vertical pattern. Relles's three-loudspeaker array projected seamless 60- by 60-degree coverage throughout the main floor and balcony.

"As soon as I heard it," says Darling, "I knew it would achieve the power and the coverage we wanted for our wide variety of concerts and events. It's great for sight lines as well. It's powerful, but hardly a giant box."

The permanently installed system comprises three JM-1P loudspeakers a side, each atop a 700-HP subwoofer, plus two UPJ-1P VariO? loudspeakers as balcony fill. Drive and processing is provided by a Galileo loudspeaker management system with a Galileo 408 processor. The system was tuned using a SIM 3 audio analyzer.

The Cascade Theatre's new JM-1P system was recently used for a benefit concert by country legend Merle Haggard, a stand-up comedian, an Elvis tribute show, a church service, and a high-definition video presentation of the San Francisco Opera's Samson and Delilah.

"The new JM-1Ps have been superb for every event," says Darling. "For the comedian, the vocal clarity was far greater than we'd ever heard before in this room. And for the opera, the transparency of the system made it seem completely natural. I've never heard a system that sounds more musical and more transparent than this one."

For Relles, who keeps a stock of JM-1P loudspeakers in his rental inventory, the success was hardly surprising. "The JM-1P is a whole new generation of Meyer technology. It's articulate, refined, and with an astonishing level of detail," he observes. "It instantly became one of my favorite loudspeakers."

Eastman's Kodak Hall Ready for "All That Jazz" with Meyer Sound MICA

As the principal performance venue for the prestigious Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, Kodak Hall at the Eastman Theatre regularly hosts classical music concerts by the conservatory's celebrated orchestras and ensembles. With the recent installation of a new Meyer Sound MICA line array loudspeaker system, the 2,326-seat hall is now much better equipped to support another musical genre-jazz.

"In addition to the school's own jazz events, the hall hosts the headline concerts for the Rochester International Jazz Festival each summer," explains system designer Anthony Nittoli of consulting firm Akustiks LLC of South Norwalk, Conn. "With the old system, coverage was spotty at best, and it simply didn't have enough power for louder contemporary jazz. The festival had to bring in temporary systems, and they were often not well matched to the room."

For a permanent solution, Nittoli used the Meyer Sound MAPP Online Pro? acoustical prediction program to plot a LCR system with a center array of 11 MICA line array loudspeakers. Side arrays comprise four MSL-4 and two CQ-1 loudspeakers each. The Meyer Sound complement also includes four 700-HP subwoofers, UPA-1P and UPM-1P fill loudspeakers, and a Galileo loudspeaker management system with a Galileo 616 processor. The Meyer Sound system was supplied by Go Media, with supporting infrastructure installed by AV Solutions, both of Rochester.

According to Ron Stackman, stage operations manager at the Eastman Theatre for 15 years, the audio upgrade was long overdue. "The difference is night and day," he says. "I've been pushing for a first-quality sound system since I've been here. It's thrilling to see it come to fruition. Even for spoken word, which is part of nearly every event, including symphony concerts, the new system is so much clearer and more articulate."

For the venue's staff audio engineer, Jules Corcimiglia, approving a Meyer Sound solution was a no-brainer. "My opinion from the start was that the only acceptable option was a full Meyer system," he says. "And now that we have it, the improvement is remarkable. The vocal intelligibility is astonishing, as is the imaging. With musical accompaniment coming from left and right, the center MICA array and UPM-1P front fills draw you into a field of sound coming right from center stage."

One of the first major concerts using the new system was a benefit featuring Eastman alumnus Chuck Mangione honoring saxophonist Gerry Niewood, another alum (and member of Magione's band) killed in a 2009 plane crash. "Of course we had many Eastman faculty in the audience, and they are all very critical and refined listeners," recalls Corcimiglia. "They were coming out with smiles on their faces, saying the sound was absolutely transparent. Some asked me if the system was really turned on! I assured them it was."

The school eagerly anticipates the 2010 Rochester International Jazz Festival, when headliners Gladys Knight, Herbie Hancock, and Jeff Beck will perform with the Meyer Sound system. "So far, we haven't turned it up that loud," he admits. "But we can't wait."

Danley Loudspeakers - Today's Gold Standard at a Bargain Price Point

After spending more than a decade with the drib-drab sounds of passionless loudspeakers clamped to the rafters, the students and faculty at Eldorado High School in Las Vegas were happy to hear that the school district had approved an audio retrofit for their gymnasium - the site not only of sporting events, but also of speeches and pep rallies.

The new system, which centers on Danley SH-100 full-range loudspeakers and a muscular TH-115 subwoofer, catapults the school from the technological dark ages to the bold new future of intelligibility, fidelity, and thump that few schools have yet to enter. And at a better value than few would imagine.

Robert Sims, systems engineer at Las Vegas-based Communication Electronic Systems (CES), designed and installed the new eight-ohm system as an adjunct to the company's longstanding expertise in low-voltage systems - from phones to fire alarms to distributed audio. He used six Danley SH-100 full-range loudspeakers, with 100-degree beam widths, to cover the court and the bleachers, using proximity and the Haas Effect to simultaneously deliver clarity and imaging. With the Danley TH-115 subwoofer time-aligned to the image-source speakers, the system communicates low-end with authority.

Two of the SH-100s reside above center-court, providing both the primary coverage for the court itself and the image-source for the entire system. With bleachers on both sides of the court, Sims added two SH-100s per side in front of the bleachers. The forward clusters are delayed a few milliseconds behind the center cluster so that the listeners perceive the image at center-court, but with volume and clarity conveyed by the nearer speakers. The Danley TH-115 subwoofer, also located center-court, is time-aligned to the center cluster. The low-end responses on all the SH-100s are rolled off slightly so that all the bass in the room originates just with the TH-115, just at one location. That provides tremendous clarity for speech, while still delivering a musical response that is anything but anemic.

"I had heard a lot about Danley loudspeakers, but this was my first project that involved them," said Sims. "I read all the published specs, and thought, as I do with all specs, that they had some loose affiliation with reality. But I really needed to hear things for myself. It turns out that the Danley numbers hold up! I was especially amazed to hear the drop-off outside the prescribed beam-width. That tight pattern control keeps a lot of energy off the walls so that the system sounds more like an auditorium than a gymnasium. The low end power of the TH-115 sub really adds a new dimension to pep rallies, where the kids like to crank hip-hop and other bass-heavy music."

Surprisingly, the high-fidelity Danley system had a lower price tag than similar designs involving other manufacturers allowing funds for higher quality components and added wireless gear at the head-end, according to Sims. Because they are highly efficient, Sims was able to bring the overall number of units down without sacrificing coverage or SPL. Perhaps more importantly, Danley loudspeakers require only one amp channel per speaker (no bi- or tri-amplification), so that he was able to keep the number of QSC amps to a minimum, with a modest Biamp Nexia process to kick it all off. A Rane mixer provides a simple user interface.

With the new school year in full swing, Eldorado faculty are capitalizing on the upgrade to reinvigorate school spirit, and the students are capitalizing on the 1/8-inch iPod jack and bumping bass CES provided to make that school spirit their own!

In picture: school spirit soars at Las Vegas' El Dorado High School as students and guests enjoy the intelligibility and musicality of the Danley Sound Labs speakers installed by Communication Electronic Systems (CES) in the new gym audio retrofit.

Optocore Connects at Vancouver Winter Olympics

The 2010 Winter Olympics, which opened in Vancouver on February 12, combine leading edge technology in the three divisions of live, broadcast and recording production; and Optocore is the network of choice for the service providers responsible for making the audio transmission a guaranteed success.

As the host broadcaster supporting 14 international networks, CTV's Olympic Post Sound Supervisor Mike Nunan has continued his use of Optocore in critical International Broadcast Centre applications by creating a 100-plus channel routing network at the International Broadcast Centre between his edit suites and his post sound control room, utilising DD4ME MADI interfaces, DD32E AES network devices, X Series remote preamp/converters and YG/YS interface cards. Additional signal transport and remote control via Optocore is the interfacing of numerous Neumann Solution D digital microphones.

For the opening and closing ceremonies at Vancouver's BC Place, Norwest Productions, Australia's largest audio company, were tasked with various responsibilities including remote preamps for FOH, monitors and East, West and Centre stage positions. Consoles chosen this time around included a Digico D5 at FOH and a PM1D for monitors, receiving a mix of AES and MADI signals. In addition to those five positions stadium locations, the eight-node ring was completed with Broadcast, Communication and FOH analogue patch network addresses.

Specifically an Optocore DD4ME MADI interface was used with the D5, Optocore YG/YS cards for the Yamaha PM1D DIO8 rack, and six distributed Optocore DD32E AES-capable network devices with combinations of X6 Series Optocore A/D converter modules.

Le Studio Mobile, considered one of North America's best mobile recording units, was awarded the challenge of capturing the always astounding opening and closing productions. Effortless integration was accomplished via a single DD4ME dual channel MADI interface with BNC connection.

In preparation for hosting all the Olympic hockey events, the17,000 seat Canada Hockey Place (GM Place) arena, located next door to BC Place, recently underwent a complete audio refit based on an extensive Optocore network that included their expanded broadcast facilities. The innovative design circling the building carries audio, video, intercom and data for all DSP-based products such as signal processing and wireless microphones.

The reconfigurable network allows staff to effortlessly position their Soundcraft Vi6 console at one of three mix positions around the building with instant connection to the remote preamps located in central patch at ice level, offering their clients flexible set-ups.

In picture: the Canada Hockey Place (GM Place) arena.

Village Baptist Church Resounds with Innovason

Village Baptist Church near Portland, OR, has recently taken delivery of a 72-input/16-output Innovason Sy48 digital mixing console with DioCore stagebox following the opening of their brand new worship center in September 2009. The new building provides 43,695 square feet (just over 4000 square metres) of space spread over three floors and includes nurseries, a toddler care room, five multi-use classrooms, lounge/coffee bar areas, and a 1000-seat Sanctuary.

With the new build came a new sound system, at the heart of which is an Innovason Sy48 with a DioCore complete with the onboard VB-Audio FX package and a 16 x 2 Aviom A-Net card. Positioned at FoH in the Sanctuary, the Sy48 handles both the FoH mix and monitors, while additional feeds are used for recording purposes and for distribution throughout the rest of the building.

Village technical director and sound engineer, Jerry Keifer, explained that he went through a rigorous selection process before settling on the Sy48. "A biggie for me is sound quality," he stated. "I don't care how many features can be crammed into a console if it sounds bad. I mean, we all like these digital boards for their versatility and processing power, but what good is any of that if the preamps make everything sound like garbage? With the Sy48 I get the same richness as a good analog console, but I have the recall and processing power of digital."

"Another thing that really drew me to the Sy48 was the layout of the console, or, rather, the lack thereof," continued Jerry. "That I could design the console using the Personal Console Builder and put everything where I want it was a huge draw. Add to that the wonderful functionality of the Xfads, and I have the ability to mix the way I want to mix; I'm not limited to the way some design engineer thought a console should be used."

To illustrate his point, Jerry described his first configuration of the board: "I had a split of each channel onto virtual faders which were for my monitor mixes, so I was literally able to mix monitors and FOH independently of one another while still keeping my channels divided into groups via the Xfads...it was a bit ambitious for my introduction to a digital system, and I need a little more time to get used to it before I use that configuration in a live situation. But my point is that the Sy48 is able to do just about anything an engineer can imagine; the only real limitation is the engineer him or herself."

Danley SH-50s Provide Stunning Pattern Control and Articulation for St. John Baptist Church

St. John Baptist Church (SJBC) in Columbia, Maryland recently completed construction of a wonderful new sanctuary on a recently-acquired 40 acre tract of land. The new building sits just over a mile from SJBC's previous location and contains all of the amenities that the church has longed for in its nearly 40 year journey from start-up to establishment. Included in that wish list is a wonderfully articulated sound system centred on four Danley SH-50 full-range loudspeakers that evenly blanket the fan-shaped room without appreciably exciting the walls or ceiling. Neil Shade of Acoustical Design Collaborative designed the system, and Baltimore's HP Electronics installed it, with oversight from Joe Schwartz.

Shade designed SJBC's new system as an exploded cluster of four separate hangs. Room treatments, including wall and ceiling panels, helped tone down the sonic effect of the drywall that formed the basic structure of the walls, but its low-frequency effects were minimal. Because the two outside hangs were to be adjacent to the sidewalls, low-frequency pattern control was critical.

The original design had specified a different loudspeaker manufacturer, but as the architectural plans materialised (no pun intended), Schwartz and his co-workers pressed the case for Danley loudspeakers. "We used these speakers in a local church expo for a gospel performance and they sounded fantastic," said Schwartz. "So we knew that from a purely sonic standpoint, they were an excellent choice. But we also knew that Danley loudspeakers have a reputation for tight pattern control, even down to low frequencies where other manufacturers are effectively omni-directional. SJBC seemed like an excellent venue to put that claim to the test."

The HP Electronics crew was happy to discover that installing the Danley SH-50s was exceptionally easy. Each speaker uses a three-point hang. The SH-50s were used to provide the long throw. "There was nothing to it," laughed Schwartz. "It was definitely one of the easier installations we've had."

A modest but mighty rack of Lab.Gruppen C-series amplifiers power the loudspeakers, as well as three low-profile subwoofers hidden beneath the stage. A Biamp Nexia processor conditions the system. "The Danley SH-50s needed very little adjusting," said Schwartz. "We have a handful of filters on each one, but they are modest and subtle. Importantly, the hype about Danley's pattern control is all true! The drop-off at the wall is impressive, and the pattern from each speaker mates seamlessly with its neighbour's. Coverage throughout the sanctuary is smooth and uninterrupted."

Tight timelines led the church to retain its beloved Mackie CR-1604. "In fact, they got a MixerMixer and another CR-1604," said Schwartz. "They didn't want to have to train on something else just as everything else was going live in the new facility. Moving forward, we will eventually switch them over to a Roland V-Mix system or a Yamaha M7. It sounds fantastic now, but with either of those items in place, the system will truly shine."

In picture: Danley SH-50s full-range loudspeakers in an exploded cluster of four separate hangs were selected for their tight pattern control covering the fan-shaped sanctuary of St. John Baptist Church in Columbia, Maryland.

Community Provides Quality Sound to Complement Quality Beer at Pennsylvania Microbrewery

As the owners of Victory Brewing Company are fond of pointing out, American beer has long been the butt of many a European joke. Since starting out 12 years ago, the Downingtown, Pennsylvania-based company has made great strides toward refuting that stereotype, with more than 15 of the company's acclaimed brews garnering rave reviews and a reputation far beyond that of a typical microbrewery.

The newly-renovated Victory Brew Pub serves up the company's regular and seasonal beers, along with a full lunch, dinner and barbecue menu. While a wide range of sporting events are always available on the Pub's multiple large-screen TVs, there's a distinctive family-oriented design to the place, with two main dining areas and a conference room adjoining the large bar area and great sound coming from the high-end audio system featuring Community Professional Loudspeakers.

The brewery owners had a pretty clear idea of what they wanted, a sound system that delivered good sound and even coverage across the entire venue. The bar area is very open, with plenty of background noise and there are some areas with high ceilings and lots of reflective surfaces, while others with carpeting and finished ceilings. A distributed system based on twenty four Community VERIS6 full-range, two-way loudspeakers provide exceptionally even coverage and hi-fidelity sound for both music and voice. The conference room and arcade areas, all of which have a more finished, dropped ceiling look, are served by CLOUD6 ceiling speakers.

Ashly Amplifiers Anchor Hastings Middle School Auditorium Audio/Video

Just a half hour outside of the Twin Cities near the confluence of the St. Croix and Mississippi Rivers, Hastings, Minnesota blends the best of near-urban, suburban, and rural living. Hastings Middle School (HMS) has helped foster a uniquely engaged student body, with over 75% of students participating in the performing arts. Ironically, the school's 700-seat auditorium - an inheritance from the building's former life as the high school - balanced at the brink of disuse

for years because aging audio/video and lighting components were failing on a regular basis. Resuscitation and intervention kept it limping along. However, all of that changed at the beginning of academic year 2009-2010, after Burnsville, Minnesota A/V design/install firm Intermedia Systems Group (ISG), replaced everything that had been terrible and flighty with equipment that was transparent and rock-solid, right down to the amp rack, which now gleams with the 24/7-reliability of Ashly PE-Series amplifiers.

"There were a number of things that caused the undoing of the old sound system, not the least of which was a broken sprinkler pipe that deposited some 'moisture' on top of the old rack," deadpanned Joel Evermann, ISGproject consultant. ISG is a cutting-edge audio/visual design and implementation contractor that services the commercial, house-of-worship, corporate, and educational communities in the greater Minnesota five-state region. "The school held the system together for a while with a lot of service calls. To make matters worse, the speakers were inappropriate for the space even when they were new - overlapping coverage patterns led to hot and cold spots all over the seating area. Something needed to be done."

The goals for the new system were tripartite, yet simple. First, ISG had to build something that was remarkably reliable, the polar opposite of everything the school had dealt with previously. Second, it had to be flexible enough to handle not just the middle school's musical, dramatic, and variety productions, but also those of the community and of numerous private renters. Third, and finally, it had to sound excellent, a goal that would be largely accomplished with even a modest improvement in speaker design and placement.

After the school's unrelenting nightmare of service calls, Evermann knew he had to deliver the most reliable amp rack he could, and that led him to Ashly. "The capabilities of Ashly's PE-Series were spot-on for what we needed in this application," he said. "We had used Ashly PE- and NE-Series amps in many previous installations, and they have been trouble-free. That, combined with their tremendous value for dollar, recommended their use at Hastings Middle School." Two Ashly PE 1800 (two-channel, 900W per channel @ 4 ohms) and one Ashly PE 3000 (two-channel, 1500W per channel @ 4 ohms) now grace the equipment rack.

The new amps power a complement of speakers that now cover the space perfectly, a far cry from the audible dips and peaks that used to characterize it. Yamaha Installation Series IS 2112 loudspeakers cover most of the seating, backed up from below by IS 1215 subwoofers. A delay ring of RCF loudspeakers covers the back third of the seats, an excellent sonic complement to the Yamaha units.

A Biamp Nexia DSP provides a modest amount of processing downstream from a 32-channel Yamaha LS9 console. "The LS9 provides auditorium manager Anne Blessing with some peace of mind," said Evermann. "Since the space gets used by so many entities, some of them directly connected to the school and some not, the fact that it's digital with complete scene recall makes transitions between users vastly simpler than it used to be. In addition, the new console has access management, so Anne can give users an appropriate level of access, but no more."

In conjunction with the audio overhaul, Intermedia, in a cooperative effort with SECOA, a theatrical lighting design contractor, revamped the auditorium's lighting system, which had also been at the cusp of crashing for a different set of reasons. They gutted the dimmer rack, rewired

everything, and installed a modern complement of ETC theatrical controls and Source Four lighting fixtures.

After a few months to tool-up their version of Schoolhouse Rock Live, HMS recently hosted its inaugural event in their glorious new auditorium. "Everyone was thrilled! It was the sort of improvement that even folks with no A/V interest at all find obvious," said Evermann. "I attended and received unabashed compliments from Anne, the school's musical director, Kathy Warren, and the Hastings Middle School principal, Mark Zuzek. For my part, I was impressed by the overall sound and how well they managed their new technology."

In picture: three Ashly PE-Series amplifiers deliver 24/7 reliability and great sound to the 700-seat Hastings Middle School Auditorium in Hastings, Minnesota.

Tannoy and Lab.gruppen on Ballroom Floor of Grand Hyatt New York

"The results are spectacular! The new sound system provides highly intelligible, conversation-level sound quality throughout the entire ballroom areas," says Matt Adams, Grand Hyatt New York's VP/managing director.

A recent renovation of Grand Hyatt New York's elegant Empire Ballroom placed a strong emphasis on flexible, high-fidelity sound, with the addition of Tannoy QFlex digitally steerable arrays and CMS in-ceiling loudspeakers, plus various lobby speakers powered by Lab.gruppen C Series amplifiers. "Our existing sound system didn't offer the quality of playback that we need for guests using our landmark ballroom on 42nd Street in the heart of Manhattan," says Matt Adams, the hotel's VP and managing director. An elegant setting that has hosted dinners and special events for Presidents and other heads of states, The Empire Ballroom recently underwent a $12 million renovation.

The Empire Ballroom comprises six interlinked areas that together can host events for between 100 and 1,700 patrons. The larger ballrooms B, C and D are laid out in a row with dividing air walls, while ballrooms A and E plus the West Ballroom serve as satellite areas with interconnected AV systems. "Previously, Grand Hyatt has brought in music-playback and AV systems to cover a wide range of events," recalls John Bangs from AV/COM Integrators, the Severn, MD-based firm that was contracted by Dyami Architecture as a member of the Empire Ballroom design team. Later, AV Com completed the installation of new sound and video-system components for Structure Tone, the general contractor.

"The hotel management wanted to reduce load-in time and hide all the ugly wiring by adding a permanent, state-of-the-art system. For the larger B, C and D ballrooms, we first considered down-firing ceiling speakers, but soon realized that glass and lighting in the elegant ceiling would cause refraction and reflection problems. So we decided on Tannoy's self-powered QFlex speakers and subwoofers that we ordered in custom colours to fully blend in with the décor." For ballrooms A and E and the West Ballroom, which are smaller and have less elaborate ceilings, AV/COM opted for Tannoy CMS 601BM ceiling-mounted speakers.

"We also needed to provide a background-music and paging system in the foyer hallway that runs alongside ballrooms B thru D and which connects into the other areas," Bangs continues. "Here, we specified Meyer Sound MM-4 speakers powered by Lab.gruppen C Series amplifiers; an additional C Series amp also powers the 24 CMS 601 ceiling speakers we specified for ballrooms A and E. Because of the C Series' high efficiency and packing density we needed just a pair of rack-mounted units to power the foyer and ceiling speakers - they are a great-sounding space saver!" AV Com also supplied PA systems for the companion West Ballroom, which leads directly off ballroom E.

"We love Tannoy products," the installer enthuses. "They sound superb and are easy to install. The six QFlex 32 digitally steerable array loudspeakers that we installed in the three main halls - two per space, mounted in the wall corners [facing the entrances] close to the ceiling - provide complete coverage across the floor areas. The QFlex 32s measure just 54 inches tall, with a 7-by-7-inch cross section, and produce wonderful fidelity. And when the ballroom spaces are combined, the speakers couple perfectly to provide high-precision sound throughout the entire area. We also installed six Tannoy CMS-110TB active ceiling-mounted subwoofers to augment the low-end; they integrate seamlessly by using standard AC vent covers as a speaker grille." The CMS' long-excursion, 10-inch LF transducer is powered by an integral 200W amplifier.

"The QFlex 32 is an outstanding, fully-programmable product," Bangs says. "QFlex uses full-range beam steering that offers an outstanding performance for both vocal and musical applications. Clients love them for the intelligibility and musical fidelity they offer in the most acoustically challenging spaces."

"The Tannoy array loudspeakers focus the acoustical output in the target directions where it's needed," Bangs continues, "and provide better speech intelligibility in reverberant spaces" - in other words, they increase the "Hall Radius" beyond which the reverberant sound becomes dominant. "QFlex can achieve even coverage and SPL across the listening plane, and create an asymmetrical pattern that provides similar SPLs both in the near- and far-field. The user can configure the beam away from surfaces that cause reflections to frequencies beyond 12 kHz, a capability that makes QFlex the first digitally-steerable array to maintain music-quality coverage over the targeted area."

The first eight-channel C Series 20:8X amplifier powers eight foyer speakers via 8-ohm connections, while the second handles the remaining MM-4s and the Tannoy ceiling speakers. "These Lab.gruppen C Series amplifiers are amazing," Bangs considers. "With the 20:8X you get eight, 250W channels in a 2U chassis that weights just 20 pounds; eight amps pack into a half rack - it's an amazingly efficient, very green package. Heat dissipation is never a problem because these amplifiers run pretty cool." The sound systems are controlled from two Biamp AudiaFLEX multichannel digital controllers that provide centralized EQ and dynamics control of all signals, plus distributed wall panels for local level settings. Tie lines and multi-way panels in each hall accommodate transportable equipment.

"Dealing with TC Group Americas, who distribute Tannoy and Lab.gruppen products, is an easy, one-stop process," Bangs concludes. "It makes ordering simple, with one PO; we know that these amplifiers and speakers will work together flawlessly. And the company couldn't be more responsive. Originally, we ordered QFlex loudspeakers in white, but it turned out that four of them had to be another colour. Within just eight short days, Tannoy took care of it and shipped us replacement units direct from Scotland, custom-painted in the desired colour. I don't know of any other company that would have done that!"

"The results are spectacular," Grand Hyatt's Adams exclaims. "Our new Tannoy and Lab.gruppen sound system provides highly intelligible, conversation-level sound quality throughout the entire ballroom areas, from right in front of the stage area to the far corners."

www.tannoy.com

Martin MAC Luminaires Illuminate an LA Icon

The exterior of the Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles was awash in color and patterns recently for the LA Philharmonic's Annual Gala. In concert with the energy of music director Gustavo Dudamel, lighting designer Raymond Thompson (Images by Lighting) created vibrant color and pattern combinations using Martin MAC III Profile luminaires to give the iconic concert hall a glowing effect.

Thompson's lighting rig, supplied and operated by Kinetic Lighting of Los Angeles, consisted entirely of new luminaries including the MAC III Profile, LED sources, and other automated lights. Thompson sought a rig that featured LED, but also needed a luminaire that could handle the long throw distance and challenging surface of the building and turned to the MAC III.

Thompson comments: "We had to project color and patterns from the east side of Grand Ave, across the street, onto the east facing facade of the Walt Disney Concert Hall. In addition to the distance, the surface of the building is highly reflective and curved. Output was critical. The MAC III Profile layered pattern projection on top of the color wash and were used to add a color layer to the other fixtures."

Lighting fixtures were mounted on lifts that were spaced down the east side of Grand Ave with the MAC III effects an integral part of each scene. The rig was programmed by Dave Mollner.

"The output of the MAC III was very impressive," Thompson says. "They also have a great selection of stock patterns. The gobo rotation, which we programmed at one of the slowest settings, was smooth and that is really important when dealing with such a projection throw."

According to David Rosen of Kinetic Lighting, each MAC III worked perfectly out of the flight case with no problems. "The fixtures performed according to plan with no performance issues," he says. "The colors blended really well with the other automated lights so some scenes were entirely color wash while other scenes had patterns layered on top of color."

Christie Tour of World's Airshows in the Future A350

Following the Le Bourget Airshow in June 2009 and the Dubai Airshow in November, eight Christie 3-chip DLP HD10 projectors will give visitors at prestigious airshows around the world an insight into the Airbus history books and the lowdown on its future A350 wide-body jet. A four-minute immersive experience designed and produced by Master Image Films will be staged at the Singapore Airshow in February 2010, followed by Berlin, Hamburg and Farnborough. The film will breathe life into an aircraft that has only ever been modelled in 3D using computer-generated graphics.

The project began in March 2009 when Master Image Films (Toulouse), an Airbus partner for 20 years, was asked to design a system to allow Airbus to spread the word about its future A350 wide-body jet and use the world's largest airshows as a platform to announce the start of production. To design and complete the project in record-breaking time - less than three months - the brief facing the Airbus teams was to put the innovation and eye-catching appeal into the simple idea of a 1:1 scale model of the interior of the aircraft. In response to this real challenge, Master Image Films instantly came up with the idea of transforming the aircraft's interior into an immersive movie theatre.

Given the project's narrow timeframe, Bernard Birebent, CEO of Master Image Films, gambled on Christie's responsiveness to provide eight Roaster HD10 projectors. "Not only did Christie supply the eight Roadster HD10 projectors at the drop of a hat, but they also delivered flawless technical support and competitive equipment in terms of performance and price," explains Master Image Films' CEO. "We knew that Christie would provide reliable equipment capable of running non-stop at each show."

Since very few physical components of the aircraft were available, the model of the A350's interior was created using 3D data from Airbus. The aim is to give visitors an unrivalled immersive experience complete with archive images and CGI representations of the interior of the fuselage. In the centre of the projection space, the visual field is surrounded by four projection surfaces on the front, sides and ceiling. An image can therefore be projected onto the front screen and developed towards the spectator using the side and upper projection surfaces, making the image appear to move and giving the sensation of speed in a world combining real and 3D images screened and calculated by Master Image Films. Basically, it provides a journey inside the fuselage of the future Airbus, alternately in the air and on the ground.

Master Image Films, a company specialising in the creation of event-based and institutional content, was in charge of creating the entire corporate film in high definition using a Red camera and the graphical environment. In addition to the overall implementation of the life-size model, Airbus called on Master Image Films' expertise to assess the feasibility of the project and carry out the technical study for the sound and visual environment, right down to creating the fixtures and fittings inside the model.

The eight Christie Roadster HD10 projectors were used with very short focal lenses to suit the projection environment. Thanks to the illumination power and compact design of the Christie HD10 projectors, mirrors were used to conceal the projectors flat on the floor beneath glass plates. All the images were stored on clusters of rackable PCs and modified Macintosh Minis. The model's "hostesses" are responsible for launching the immersive show from a touch-sensitive panel controlling the Flex-programmed automation (Adobe Integrated Runtime). This application is connected to a network gateway custom-designed by Avant-Garde Imaging and communicates with a Dataton Watchout system comprising over 20 clusters.

Atlanta's Lovett School Ups the Multipurpose Room Paradigm with Danley

Established in 1926 in midtown Atlanta by forward-thinking educator Ms. Eva Edwards Lovett, the Lovett School continues a tradition of excellence with over 99% of its students going on to attend four-year colleges. The private school has some 1,400 students in kindergarten through twelfth grade at any one time. A recent "75th Anniversary Campaign" raised over $55 million in funds to expand facilities, most notably for the addition of a new middle school. The centerpiece of the middle school project is a 500-seat multipurpose room, serving as an assembly space for the entire middle school body and as an indoor recreation facility. The new multipurpose room relies on Danley loudspeakers to deliver crisp, intelligible audio for both music and spoken word in an acoustical environment that more like a gym than a theater.

Lovett hired local engineering powerhouse, Newcomb & Boyd, to design an audiovisual system that would integrate nicely into the flexible space. Josef H. Henschen, Lovett alumnus and audiovisual engineer in the Special Technologies Group at Newcomb & Boyd, led the effort. "The multipurpose room is a pretty decent compromise between a gym and a performance space," said Henschen. "But still, we were presented with an acoustical challenge. It has a hardwood floor. One sidewall is plain concrete block. Another is ceramic brick. The third is treated with acoustical block, while the fourth is mostly obscured by retractable bleachers. The ceiling is covered with perforated paneling. Even with the treatment, the space still sounds much more like a gym than it does a theater."

The heart and soul of the new system are the Danley loudspeakers and subwoofers that bring so much clarity to the gym-like acoustics... acoustics that are normally considered something of a lost cause for decent sound reinforcement. Two flown Danley SH-50s provide the bulk of the main coverage. A pair of Danley SH-95s hang below the SH-50s for front-fill and down-fill. A single Danley TH-50 subwoofer resides directly behind the cluster with its grill facing downward to provide a deep low-end atypical of such systems.

Feeding the Danleys are ten wired mic inputs and two wireless mics, all of which are mixed and processed by a pair of ClearOne Converge SR 1212 automated digital mixers, before being sent to a modest bank of Crown CTS amplifiers. The video side of the system includes three laptop inputs, a multimedia lectern with a document camera, and a Blu-Ray player to accommodate all of the scenarios that the school anticipated. A Digital Projections 10,000 lumens projector hits a 240-inch screen for spectacular display of prerecorded material.

"I had read a lot about Danley's history in the trade magazines and knew they had a reputation for designing uniquely functional loudspeakers," said Henschen. "In addition to the desire to support a local Georgia business, I was curious to hear these Danley boxes in action for myself! So we went with the Danleys." It turned out to be a fortuitous decision because Danley's patented Synergy Horn technology results in particularly well-defined beam widths - just the sort of thing necessary to keep energy on the good students of Lovett and off of the overly reflective walls.

With the school year just underway, everyone is immensely pleased with the new middle school, and as the central venue that brings all of the middle-schoolers together, the multipurpose room and its unusually intelligible sound system are a hit. "I am impressed by how even the coverage is, despite the challenging acoustical environment," said Henschen. "It's not the sort of thing I'm used to hearing in a system like this. The entire audio spectrum is incredibly smooth across the space. And those Danley boxes are efficient! During the inspection, I had to turn attenuate

the downfill to keep from blowing the first few rows away!" The only down side to all of this, of course, is that the middle-schoolers will grow accustomed to high-fidelity audio during their assemblies, and so their matriculation to the high-school facility may come with a slightly less inspiring pep rally! Perhaps the high school facility will receive an upgrade of its own in the not-so-distant future?

In picture: Atlanta's Newcomb & Boyd chose Danley SH-50 and SH-95 loudspeakers, backed by a single Danley TH-50 subwoofer, to handle the acoustically challenging multipurpose room at Lovett Middle School.

Bosch DCN Conferencing System for County of Hawaii Council Chambers

A new Bosch DCN-NG (Digital Congress Network - Next Generation) installation is providing a perfect balance of form and functionality at the renovated County of Hawaii Council Chambers in Hilo, Hawaii. Featuring Bosch's unique DCN flush-mounted desktop consoles and accessories, the system provides the county's lawmakers with user-friendly flexibility for communication and voting at council meetings, all with software-controlled display monitor interfacing and videoconferencing capability. Hawaii-based AV specialists The Audio Visual Company (AVCO) integrated the system, which was designed and specified by D.L. Adams Associates.

The Bosch system's low-profile hardware compliments the newly renovated space perfectly. 10 positions are equipped with DCN flush-mounted units mounted to a custom Koa wood counter on a dais (for eight delegates, one chairman and one clerk), with two additional discussion units (one for the assistant, one for the witness). All eight delegate positions are equipped with a loudspeaker, a microphone with on/off switch, and a voting unit.

"This installation was primarily about adding functionality and enhancing ergonomics," says Warren Miyake of AVCO, "and the Bosch systems stand alone on those terms. For example, instead of arranging all the devices in a single row, we split the installation into two rows of modules, with the speaker and microphone module flush-mounted behind the voting control module. This modularity made it easier to free-up valuable space on the work surface, and the modules' compact size meant installing them was less invasive to the custom Koa laminate. Though they have a wide range of features on hand, it's all presented in this clean, user-friendly configuration."

This high degree of flexibility was also present in the specification process. Miyake adds, "From the very beginning, when the specification was assessed, through to the final revisions of the system design, the itemized hardware and software lists Bosch provided were very helpful - it was relatively easy to reconfigure the system design and equipment combinations to more precisely address the customer's needs or make any changes. Also, the Bosch team was hands-on in helping us assess and re-assess the technical requirements and the additional equipment needed to fulfill the installation, including the upgrade of the software from the classic to the new DCN-SWSMV conference control software."

Beyond the eight delegate positions, the chairman's position has additional features, including a priority button to mute active microphones temporarily or permanently. The clerk's system is the same as a delegate's, but does not have voting capabilities. Instead, the clerk is responsible for controlling the system via the DCN-SWSMV software on his or her laptop. Tasks include initiating voting (voting results are then displayed in real time in PowerPoint on the desktop monitors and displays in the chamber), turning delegates mics on or off if necessary, and managing the DCN-MR (meeting recorder software). The software also allows the clerk to transfer all these responsibilities to another workstation.

"The council members are very pleased with the new system and how easy it is to use," Miyake continues, "along with the customer service they've received. A Bosch Conferencing specialist even flew over from Minneapolis to train them and show them how to get the most out of the system. For example, in addition to learning how the DCN software can help them more effectively manage their voting, they also learned how to record each council session using the Bosch DCN-MR (Meeting Recorder) software. The Bosch software is powerful, but it's very simple to use. These recorded files are then flagged to reflect which microphones were 'on' at any given moment. These digital recordings can be more efficiently archived (and accessed via a private LAN) and will also make it much easier for their staff to provide transcriptions - they used to rely upon analog video recordings.

"The customer is very pleased with their new system," Miyake adds. "Bosch provided a level of technical and sales support that helped everyone involved in this installation exceed their expectations."

Sennheiser for Community of Christ Temple

Completed in 1994 and located just minutes from downtown Kansas City, Missouri, the breathtaking Community of Christ Temple is part of the church's international headquarters. The Temple features a 1,600-seat worship sanctuary and a number of smaller lecture halls and classrooms. The "Auditorium" located next door to the Temple facility houses a 5,700-seat auditorium and other smaller assembly halls, dining rooms and meeting rooms. Not surprisingly, the A/V systems that power the Temple are top-of-the-line in form and function and include new Sennheiser 2000 Series wireless systems throughout. The church bought the microphones from Harvest Productions both to take advantage of the 2000 Series' auto-programming functionality and to comply with new FCC RF regulations.

Consistent with the grandeur of its design and the scope of the Community of Christ's mission, the headquarters complex serves not just the needs of the church but those of the community as well. The main auditorium features an immense pipe organ and the ability to accommodate everything from a fully-featured Sunday service to concerts to theater-in-the-round to more than twenty graduation ceremonies each year. When Kansas City Chiefs' owner and American Football League founder Lamar Hunt passed away in 2006, The Auditorium hosted his memorial service. As part of its yearly routine, The Auditorium and Temple are the venue for Christmas and Easter performances, concerts, plays, and conferences. And they rival many public venues in both scope and magnitude.

"If they can think it up, we are here to support it," laughed Bob Haworth, CTS-certified electronic media systems engineer for Community of Christ. Haworth heads up the Event Media team that not only operates the facility's equipment, but also designs and installs it. They handle projection, sound reinforcement, real-time translation, and live Internet streaming. Haworth summarized, "If there's a medium out there, we're involved in it on a professional level."

When FCC regulation changes made the frequencies of TV stations 68 and 69 no longer usable, Haworth went to work ensuring the new system would not only meet the new regulations but also make daily operations at Community of Christ much smoother. He placed eighteen dual-channel Sennheiser EM 2050 receivers in fixed positions in six different rooms throughout the facility. Those are matched by 16 Sennheiser SK 2000 beltpacks with HSP 2 headworn microphones and MKE Series lavalier microphones, as well as eight Sennheiser SKM 2000 handheld transmitter microphones with multiple Sennheiser evolution series capsules to accommodate various acoustical situations.

The Event Media Support Team of two full time and 14 freelance staff handle many simultaneous technical needs. "The auto-programming functionality of Sennheiser's new 2000 Series is immensely practical," said Haworth. "Our tech team gets it immediately. We leave all of the fixed receivers on pre-established channels that don't conflict with the outside RF world or each other. Then, as wireless equipment is needed in various application and rooms, the operators can simply take the transmitter over to the receiver and 'zap' the proper frequency. It even works as groups move from room to room in breakout sessions. Nothing could be simpler or more robust!"

In addition, the variety of transmitters and microphone styles gave the church the flexibility to meet their many and varied needs. "We love the HSP 2 headworn microphones," said Haworth. "We use those most often for spoken word. The lavs are nice too; a natural extension of the units our video crew had been using. With the handhelds, we have the ability to switch out any Sennheiser evolution wireless series capsule. That means we can use cardioid or hyper-cardioid as the needs of a service, program or event change."

To welcome the diversity in their community, Community of Christ provides real-time translation services. Haworth is currently in the process of drafting a final design detail that involves Sennheiser IR transmitters and receivers, a reflection of the great experience we have with Sennheiser's RF wireless equipment.

"My job is to provide sound reinforcement that is not noticed, and the Sennheiser wireless system helps my team provide quality sound for worship services and community programs," concluded Haworth.

In picture: the engineering crew at the international headquarters of Community of Christ Temple in Independence, Missouri selected the new Sennheiser 2000 Series wireless systems for its auto programming functions, compliance with FCC RF regulations, rock-solid performance and stellar sound

photo Dave Wheaton

Renkus-Heinz the Sound of Legends in New York City

If location is important to a leisure venue's success, then you couldn't do much better than owner Frank Dwyer's latest New York City venture, Legends 33. The upscale sports bar and restaurant is right across the street from the Empire State Building, and customers dine to music from a discretely distributed Renkus-Heinz loudspeaker system.

Legends 33 - named for both its featured sporting icons and its West 33rd Street location - is pitched at both the local office lunch / dinner market and tourists looking for a top quality all-American dining experience. It combines three floors of plush, finely detailed old-world ambience with the sports bar mix of screens showing every available sports channel, along with background music to accompany gourmet burgers, steaks, pasta and traditional Irish fish'n'chips. Meanwhile, a VJ booth on a balcony level sets the party scene for Friday and Saturday nights.

The systems integrators were Starview Satellite, which has been designing and installing AV systems for Dwyer's locations for some 10 years. Starview President John Paturno comments: "Frank is really happy with the system here, and with Renkus-Heinz equipment. He's knows exactly what he wants to achieve with each location and how to make it work."

Richard Trombitas, of Renkus-Heinz's New York area rep firm Cardone Solomon Associates, comments: "The sound system had to provide high quality background and foreground music, as well as serve video DJ applications and live music - but without intruding on the architecture of the space."

To deliver the right sonic ambience the firm specified a substantial distributed audio system, designed, Paturno says, "to create high quality background music during the day, but capable of really moving the house when the VJ's playing and the place is rocking at weekends."

Background sources during daytime are typically iPod, video, satellite TV and satellite music. along with the video DJ booth and live band facilities.

A total of 14 wall-mounted TRX81 compact two-way cabinets, with 120 x 60 degree dispersion horns, are distributed throughout the space, matched with three BPS/12-2 and a single BPS/12-1 low frequency cabinets.

The balcony bar housing the VJ booth is covered by a pair of the higher powered TRX-82/12 units while the basement level is fitted with 14 compact CFX-61 cabinets and several flush-mounted ceiling subwoofers. Trombitas comments: "This was the first time Starview Satellite had utilized the TRX61 as a distributed speaker. They were very impressed and want to feature them in future installations." Powering the entire system is a basement-located rack of QSC RMX4050 amplifiers with a minimum power of 300W RMS allocated to each speaker.

"Since it opened the place has done fantastic business," says John Paturno, "and they've been overwhelmed at the response. The system delivers as designed and the client, video DJs and everyone have been very happy with."

Robe Specified for Shenzhen Water Park Show

One-hundred-and-fifty-two Robe moving lights are in action at the spectacular new nightly show that has just opened at the Water Park, Shenzhen, China.

The Water Park is one element of a 9 square kilometer resort development on the outskirts of Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, by the company OTC, which includes mountains, waterfalls, lakes, nature trails, complete towns, hotels and luxury residential accommodation.

The show's lighting designer is Mr Qi Lu and the colourful highly choreographed visual extravaganza is directed by Mr Xia Dao. The Robe fixtures were originally specified by UK based lighting designer Durham Marenghi, who was involved in the early stages of the project. Qi Lu was recommended to design and programme lighting by leading Chinese lighting designer Mr Sha XiaoLan, who's Beijing-based practice Feng Shang Shiji completed the design consultancy and installation before the attraction opened in October. Robe's Chinese distributor Leifull supplied all the fixtures to Feng Shang Shiji.

The Robes are a mix of ColorSpot and ColorWash 2500E ATs - Robe's brightest and most powerful moving lights. They were chosen for their extreme brightness, dynamic colour mixing system and comprehensive features and effects to be the lighting stars of a show that also utilizes several hundred other lightsources, large LED screens, pyro and flame effects. The fixtures also needed to withstand a tough, damp environment, another area where the Robe brand excels.

The hour long show - in which OTC has invested 20 million Euros - is a high-octane, water-based multimedia mix of music, choreographed dance, thrilling stunts and breathtaking aerial performance, staged in an exciting visual environment. The three-chapter storyline is underlined by a strong environmental message about how humanity needs to educate itself to the dangers of industrial excess and engage with nature to preserve the fast disappearing natural resources of the planet.

The Robes are rigged in two rows running along the top lip of the main seating stand, and are used to reach all positions across the lake and extensively light the large forestage area. This is permeated by a sophisticated water jet system and is where most of the action takes place.

The Robes are worked hard throughout the show, which features lots of precise colour and gobo work, floor and water projections plus general washing of the forestage and lake throughout the animated multicolour show, which has an amazing array of costumes and props.

Qi Lu?s principal objective was to design a lightshow to reinforce the story, illuminating the cast and creating a natural synergy between lighting and performers, all the time adding drama and expression to the overall experience that enthralls audiences of up to 8,000 each night.

"I have plenty of options with the Robes - they give me all the effects, looks and colour combinations I need - and I still have plenty of headroom for more," he confirms. He programmed and runs the show on a grandMA console with a second for backup.

From the installation angle, Mr Ma JieBo of Feng Shang Shiji adds: "The reliability of the Robes continues to impress us - and that's a vitally important factor. We've used them on many of our projects are very happy they were spec'd onto this one".

He also mentions that the service and support they receive from Leifull is "second to none."

www.robe.cz

HEADLINES

news archive

search stories