ps july aug13 web

March / April 2013 R35.00

July / August 2013 R35.00

AV SyStem IntegrAtIon | InStAllAtIonS | lIVe eVentS | StudIo & BroAdcASt AudIoSOUTHERN AFRICA

medIAtech AfrIcA Show report

dolBy AtmoS feAture

guIde to SyStem IntegrAtIon

KIngS of chAoS Sound engIneer InterVIew

InnIBoS concert report

rhemA AudIo InStAllAtIon

HougHton Mosque InstallatIon

Cover Story

viva afrikaViva Afrika Sound and Light (Pty) Ltd

Unit 2, 2 Drakensburg RoadLongmeadow Business Park West, West� eld

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

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

Performance beyond it’s price

Hybrid+ 4.1High power class D amplifi er

Frequency Response:

20~24 000Hz (1W +/- 0.5dB)

Maximum Rate Power (RMS):

at 4 ohm: 2 200W/channel x 4 channels


Signal to noise ratio: 103dB (A-weighted)

Weight: 12.5Kg

Dimensions mm:

489mm(W) x 88mm(H) x 502mm(D)


Frequency Response:

20~24 000Hz (1W +/- 0.5dB)





Weight: 7.7Kg

Dimensions mm:

489mm(W) x 88mm(H) x352mm(D)

LA212Line source speaker system For audiences up to 50 000

Frequency Response (+/- 6dB):

50~18 000Hz

Maximum SPL /1m (Calculated):

134dB Continuous

137dB Program

LF Driver: 2 x 12” CELTO ACOUSTIQUE

Ferrite magnet, 3” In/Out voice coil

Power Rating: 900W RMS LF + 200W HF

Weight: 63Kg gross

Dimensions mm:

960mm(W) x 377mm(H) x 488mm(D)


Frequency Response:

20~24 000Hz (1W +/- 0.5dB)





Weight: 11.7Kg

Dimensions mm:

489mm(W) x 88mm(H) x 480mm(D)

EXS218 LF SubwooferSuitable for indoor and outdoor live performances

Frequency Response (+/- 6dB):

30~1 100Hz

Maximum SPL /1m (Calculated):

136dB Continuous

139dB Program

LF Driver: 18” CELTO ACOUSTIQUE

Ferrite magnet, 4.5” In/Out voice coil

Power Rating: 3 000W RMS

Weight: 96Kg gross

Dimensions mm:

1 080mm(W) x 580mm(H) x 780mm(D)

Great sound with brains to match!!

All you need from one system

EXS218 LA212LA212

With built-in digital signal processor controlled using Windows 7 or 8. Android 4 & iPad IOS 6. Wi-Fi control software for laptop or tablet included.

Digital Signal Processor Features: • Input delay up to 100m

• 31 Band graphic EQ with fl at top response

• 8 Band parametric EQ with band-pass

• High-pass, low-pass, notch and shelving

• User confi gurable look ahead limiter

• Crossover with selectable slope of 6, 12, 24 or 48dB/octave and L-R,

Butterworth or Bessel slopes

• Input matrix confi gurable • Output delay up to 15m

• 30 User presets

Great sound with brains to match!!Great sound with brains to match!!

Viva afrika – Hybrid+

2

In thIS ISSue

Ladies and gentleman, as the new deputy editor of this publication, I present to you the July/August issue of Pro Systems News. Needless to say, the magazine you have before you emerged out of a

whirlwind of activity following the resounding success of Mediatech Africa 2013, which exposed the ever apparent growth of the audio visual, pro audio, lighting and staging industries here in South Africa. We are, as always, proud to deliver it as comprehensively as we can for your reading pleasure with a post-show report, interviews with international visitors, a review of the outdoor live sound demos, and an interview with Florian Camerer, the EBU 128 loudness guru.

The passion and drive of our team has made the effort fantastically worthwhile while the warmth and camaraderie of the industry that has embraced us really is a testament to the special people involved in a community that is steadily marching to the forefront of an increasing technological prowess. Well done to you all! Supplementing the Mediatech report this issue features an AV systems integration guide white paper, courtesy of AMX USA, and integration stories spanning from Durban to Maputo. International stories are always a valuable part of what we try to bring to the magazine so you’ll find coverage of Bruce Springsteen at Wembley Stadium and a look at a festival called Chillfest in the UK, organised by a production company – the first of its kind.

Also, Eddie “el Brujo” Caipo, the sound engineer and production manager for Kings of Chaos who recently visited our shores spills the beans on his career. I hope you enjoy this issue as much as we enjoyed putting it together.

Regardsgreg Bester

Deputy eDitor

Contributors

Contents

Claire Badenhorst | Industry expert with eight years experience in event management, PR, marketing and advertising within the professional audio, video, lighting and staging sector. Claire has played an integral role in the development of the concept and content creation of Pro Systems and works closely with our advertisers and readers.

Chanelle ellaya | A Journalism graduate from the University of Johannesburg. Chanelle has experience in both the magazine and television industry. She has a keen interest in the Media in various capacities, as well as in music and technology.

louise stickland | Professional journalist and photographer with huge passion and enthusiasm for technology and the production industry. Louise initially worked and toured as a lighting designer after graduating from university. She has many years experience in the music and live event sector, and works closely with leading international designers, production companies and technology manufacturers.

Paul Watson | After touring professionally with several bands in the UK and then the US, Paul went on to open his own commercial recording and rehearsal facility, where he was resident producer/engineer for six years. For the last five years, he has been a regular contributor for a number of UK titles, covering live sound, studio sound, lighting, video, broadcast and post-production. He is also European Editor for one of the major US trade music publications.

greg Bester | Musician and audio engineer – proficient in both the analogue and digital domains and has extensive experience mixing live music, setting up and configuring loudspeaker systems, monitoring and general stage management. He has mixed hundreds of events and is comfortable on large and small-format mixing consoles.

Publisher & editor | Simon Robinson | [email protected] dePuty editor | Greg Bester | [email protected] in-house Journalist | Chanelle Ellaya | [email protected] sub-editor | Tina Heron

advertising sales | Simone de Beer | [email protected] design | Trevor Ou Tim | [email protected] subscriPtions | Albertina Tserere | [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.za

neWs

Wild and Marr acquire RTW ............................3

Robert Juliat appoints DWR ............................3

Electrosonic distributes Green Hippo ...........3

‘Virtual’ first sale for Tadco ..............................3

Splitbeam supplies Starlight Express ...............4

PENMAC nominated for Business Day ..........4

FBT Audio joins Sound & Light City stable .....4

Electrosonic aquires Milos agency ................6

Prosound named exclusive distributor of

Audio-Technica in South Africa......................6

DWR relocates to Laserpark ...........................6

MGG chooses Christie .....................................6

Electra Partners acquires Allen & Heath .......8

Stage roof made from genie towers collapses

in North Carolina ..............................................8

Eric Lawrenson joins Questek Group .............8

PLASA 2013 features new exhibitors ..............8

systeM IntegratIon

Smart up your home ......................................10

Connecting communication in Mozambique

12

Digital Signage –

the greener alternative: Part 2 .....................14

Classroom projector comparison ................16

Guide to system integration .........................18

InstallatIons

Dolby Atmos –

the future in surround is now ........................24

Listen up – Jacaranda has moved ..............28

Houghton Mosque installation .....................30

Rhema acquires new sound ........................32

lIVe eVents

Mixing ‘The Boss’ ............................................34

Trevor Peters profile ........................................38

Just chillin’ at Chillfest ....................................39

A ‘sorcerer’ among kings ..............................42

Steering Innibos music festival to record

crowds .............................................................46

MeDIateCH rePort

Mediatech Africa –

casting a global footprint .............................50

Mediatech Africa –

global leader interviews ................................52

Florian Camerer interview .............................56

Sounding out the Big 5 ..................................60

stuDIo & BroaDCast

Allen & Heath Qu-16 review .........................62

Recording and mixing drums in the modern

DAW: Part 2 – Finding the right spot ............64

Gavan Eckhart profile ...................................66

soCIal

Seen at Mediatech Africa 2013 ...................67

Mediatech Africa 2013

Platinum Stand Award Winners ....................68

CEDIA Evening ................................................68

Digico Training ................................................68

3

Wild and Marr (Pty) Ltd is proud to announce

the addition of RTW GmbH & Co. KG as one

of their premium equipment suppliers.

RTW, based in Cologne, was founded in

1965 as a specialist service provider of audio

equipment. RTW’s innovations include

instruments and technologies for visual audio

metering in broadcast, production,

post-production and quality control.

It is no coincidence that the very first

African Loudness Summit, which was held

recently at MediaTech South Africa,

accompanied the confirmation of the

strategic partnership between Wild and Marr

and RTW.

It was announced at the summit that

South African broadcasters would be

adopting the EBU R-128 standard and RTW

with their state-of-the-art systems were Wild

and Marr’s first choice with their audio

metering, loudness metering and signal

monitoring products, technology and

software.

Robert Juliat is happy to announce that,

DWR Distribution cc has joined the Robert

Juliat distributor family.

From 1 June 2013 DWR has assumed

responsibility for sales activity across South

Africa, promoting and supporting the full

range of Robert Juliat lighting equipments.

“It is a privilege for us to be associated

with Robert Juliat and the fantastic people

who make up their team,” comments

Duncan Riley from DWR Distribution. “This

appointment allows us to offer one of the

best brands in the entertainment industry to

our clients.”

The Robert Juliat followspots were officially

launched by DWR at Mediatech Africa

in July.

These followspots were also used on a

followspot seminar course titled The Art of

Followspotting, during Mediatech, which

was held daily at the expo.

UK Pioneers in real-time video manipulation

Green Hippo are pleased to announce

Electrosonic SA cc as their new distributor in

South Africa.

With over 12 years of experience in

developing software and hardware

platforms, Green Hippo has developed

leading solutions to pixel mapping and

video mapping, and the integration of such

into entertainment shows and installations.

Green Hippo is focused on ensuring these

shows run daily, on tour, on Broadway or

television.

Electrosonic SA, a leading supplier of

stage, theatre and entertainment lighting for

over 21 years, has similar ideals and the same

newS

Wild and Marr acquire RTW agency ‘Virtual’ first sale for Tadco

rtW building in Cologne

DWr Distribution team and clients viewing the lancelot, robert Juliat’s largest fixture

Bruce schwartz of electrosonic south africa and tom etra of green Hippo. Photo courtesy Plasa Media

Virtual Productions

recently took delivery of a

new Coda ViRAY system

and are the first to

purchase a ViRAY sound

system from Tadco.

Virtual Productions was

started in 2007 with the

assistance of individuals dedicated and passionate

about perfection in their endeavours and all aspects

of events and its facets. In the past year the company

have assisted with technical support in numerous

noteworthy events such as The PRISA Prism Awards, The

Traditional South African Music Awards, Massbuild

Conference, ABSA gala dinner, MTV Base Hunters

Oasis tour, Banyana Banyana Sponsorship

Confirmation and product launches such as the

Cherry J3 and Mahindra, to name a few.

Mel Pellissier, sales manager at Virtual Production

comments: “The ViRAY system is light and easy to use

as it takes mere minutes to rig and is simple to manage.

The output combined with the clarity from the system is

amazing and always leaves attendants to an event

with the WOW factor that we strive for. The influence

and support from Tadco pre and after sale was a

major influence in the decision to go with the Coda

system.

“Virtual Productions’ mission statement includes

building long standing relationships with suppliers,

clients and partners in the industry to deliver on

consistently successful events time and time again. The

Tadco team has been and proves to be a great

partner in achieving this,” concludes Mel.

Virtual Productions strives to be a dominant force in

the events and function industry, they may not be the

biggest in the industry but they strive to be the best.

The Coda ViRay system embodies this goal perfectly

and assists in delivering the dream.

Robert Juliat appoints DWR

Electrosonic distributes Green Hippo

Coda Viray system

passion as Green Hippo. It sees this partnership as an

exciting extension to the range of world class brands

that it represents, such as Martin Professional, CM

Loadstar, ADB, Compulite Litec and Milos Structural

Systems.

Entertainment Lighting Manager Bruce Schwartz

says: “We are really honoured to represent Green

Hippo and predict tighter integration and increased

growth between video and lighting with this

partnership. We look forward to offering the backup,

service and knowledge that Electrosonic is

renowned for, with the entire range of Green Hippo

products and growing the world-wide rental

network.”

4

newS FBT Audio joins Sound & Light City stableSound & Light City have recently entered into

a partnership with FBT Audio to distribute

their brand within South Africa.

FBT products are designed and

manufactured in Italy. The factory is a single

comprehensive structure that includes

everything from the research and design lab,

the electronic sector, the injection moulding

department, carpentry shop, mechanical

workshop, paint shop and test department.

’Innovation in tradition‘ is FBT’s secret.

Extensive knowledge built up over the years,

highly specialised engineering and an

impulse for the discovery of new important

frontiers in audio enable FBT to

conceptualise and develop top quality

professional audio systems.

FBT is driven by ongoing renewal, constant

evolution that never forgets tradition and

their original starting point: a passion for

music.

Gregory De Villiers, marketing manager at

Sound & Light City says: “It has been a long

time coming and we are finally realising an

ambition we have been working hard at for

months now. FBT has always had huge

potential and we believe we are the best

local distributors to realise this potential.”

production for that matter, without the

support and help of the Splitbeam team –

thank you guys.”

Gearhouse Splitbeam was the theatre

lighting supplier of choice for the South

African production of Andrew Lloyd

Webber’s Starlight Express at The Mandela,

Joburg Theatre in Johannesburg.

According to Splitbeam’s Managing

Director, Alistair Kilbee, Starlight has always

been a larger-than-life kind of production

and the scale on the South African version

lives up to expectations.

The Splitbeam team worked closely with

UK-based Declan Randall, a professional

lighting designer who, Kilbee says: “loves to

push the limits of theatre design.”

“For me, the key motif in the show is

movement,” explains Randall, “I tried to

recreate the sense of constant movement

and speed through lighting, using the

physical movement of light

beams and changes in

colour and light intensity.

We also designed some

custom ‘train track’ gobos

for the VL3500s which were

used in the races and at

other key moments to

reinforce this idea.”

“Declan’s style is very

distinctive. His rigs are large

and complex and he uses

more programmed cues

than most,” says Kilbee.

“At the same time, his

planning is at the highest level and his

paperwork is flawless – every detail is

outlined on the plan.”

“The guys at Splitbeam really understand

the nature of theatrical design and the role

of the designer. They were extremely helpful

and supportive and did everything possible

to help me achieve the vision for the show,”

says Randall.

It seems the choice of Splitbeam as

supplier worked out well for Randall. “The

gear arrived all well-prepped and ready to

be rigged. Fittings and fixtures were all in a

great condition which made for an easy

fit-up. The team was very supportive and

willing to assist and nothing was ever too

much trouble. I simply cannot imagine doing

a large-scale musical, or any other

Splitbeam supplies Starlight Express

PENMAC Audio Visual is nominated for a

Small Business Award in the 2013 Business Day

BASA (Business and Arts South Africa) Awards

and they couldn’t be more ecstatic: “It was

during the Mediatech Exhibition that

PENMAC received the unexpected news of

being nominated as finalist in the annual

BASA awards supported by Anglo America,”

says Malcolm Finlay, Director at PENMAC

Audio Visual.

“We feel very privileged to be part of this

national award which has been made

possible through our involvement over the

past year with the Johannesburg Youth Ballet

Company. The enthusiasm of this young cast

under the direction of Mark Hawkins has

been inspirational to us all as we watched

passion advance way beyond reward.

WATCHOUT is used in the production to

provide visual stage backdrops as well as

stream all audio content,” comments Finlay.

Other nominees include the

Johannesburg Stock Exchange for its work

with the Three2Six School for Refugee

Children, which has seen it nominated for an

Increasing Access to the Arts Award; Rand

Merchant Bank, which in 2013 has earned

nominations in the Long Term Partnership

Award category for the Johannesburg Youth

Orchestra Company’s Instrumental Training and

Development project; as well as two nods in the

Youth Development Award category for the

Durban Music School and the Dance XChange

Project. The spectrum of business and arts

partnerships celebrated by this year’s Business

Day BASA nominations is impressive.

“What we are clearly seeing with the

nominations for several big and medium sized

enterprises is the ROI that partnering with an arts

project can bring,” comments Michelle Constant,

CEO of Business and Arts South Africa. “This is a

strong signal to South African business that

working with an arts project is far more than a feel

good exercise but brings shared value.”

Chairperson of the judging panel, Dr Andrew

Human, notes the evolution in the range and

quality of entries this year. “There is definitely far

more recognition of the mutual benefit and value

that arts can lend to business, as opposed to

seeing a partnership with the arts as a charitable

sponsorship.”

A total of 12 categories were open for entry in

the 16th annual Business Day BASA Awards.

PENMAC nominated for Business Day

Phot

o co

urte

sy J

obur

g th

eatre

Malcom Finlay

starlight express stage at the Mandela, Joburg theatre

SA Dealers: Jasco +27 11 266 1500 | Visual Impact +27 11 788 9879 | SBSS +27 21 425 6337 | Protea +27 11 719 5700Sony Broadcast & Professional +27 11 690 3200 | www.pro.sony.eu/mea

sony

6

newS

Milos Structural Systems has appointed

Electrosonic SA as its new distributor in South

Africa.

Since 1994 Milos Structural Systems has

specialised in aluminium structural systems.

Milos offers a wide range of applications

from small truss display booths, to giant

outdoor stages including lighting and PA

trusses for large events. Milos’s production

facilities span across 90 000 square feet and

manufacturing processes include the latest

semi-automated welding processes and

CNC technology.

Electrosonic SA has been a leading

supplier of stage, theatre and entertainment

lighting for more than 21 years. When Milos

Structural Systems took Litec into its stable,

Electrosonic saw the opportunity to offer the

entire Milos range as a perfect complement

to its existing product range of world class

brands.

Bruce Schwartz, Electrosonic SA’s

entertainment lighting manager says: “Our

customers rely on us to provide top class

solutions but at competitive prices. With Milos

in our stable we are able to deliver on this

mandate. We are honoured to represent

Milos Structural Systems and see their large

range of products as a natural extension of

our business. We look forward to growing the

Milos brand in South Africa.”

Prosound is pleased to announce its new role

as exclusive distribution partner in South

Africa for Audio-Technica. Prosound will

distribute the full range of Audio-Technica’s

professional audio products.

“We are very pleased to have Prosound as

our new South African distributor,” says

Matthias Exner, business development

Director EMEA of Audio-Technica. “They

have a long history of success within the

industry and solid relationships with

customers. Audio-Technica’s commitment

on delivering excellence in its products is

shared by Prosound and we are excited that

they are representing Audio-Technica’s

professional products in South Africa.”

“We are extremely delighted to become a

member of the Audio-Technica family and

the opportunities this partnership provides

us,” says Terry Acres, Chairman of Prosound.

“The addition of Audio-Technica as a

leading manufacturer in microphones and

headphones to our portfolio enables us to

serve our client base even more efficiently by

providing leading brands for the complete

signal chain.”

DWR Distribution has relocated to Laserpark,

Honeydew. The larger premises enable all

departments from stores to demonstration

and training facilities, to operate under one

roof.

“A big thank you to MJ Event Gear, Dream

Sets and Pan Tilt for allowing us to use their

trucks to help with the move,” comments

Duncan Riley from DWR. “ Also, thank you to

my team who have kept a great attitude

and have been amazing during this hectic

time.”

A few delays from building suppliers have

held up the process. “That said, we will be

pleased to see any visitors if you don’t mind

stepping over a few boxes!” laughs Riley.

DWR’s new address is Block C, Unit 1

Kimbult Industrial Park, 9 Zeiss Road,

Lasperpark, Honeydew. Their office

telephone number is 011 794 5023.

MGG chooses Christie

Christie®, a global visual technologies

company, recently announced a deal with

MGG, one of the largest rental staging

companies in South Africa, for four Christie

Roadster HD20K-J 3-chip DLP® purpose-built,

event-staging projectors. These will be the

first of the new J-Series projectors to be

deployed in Africa.

The Roadster HD20K-J DLP projector

enables customers to create visually

compelling Pro-AV shows with Xenon

colour-rich, high definition images.

MGG has been steadily increasing their

investment in Christie Pro-AV systems, starting

with LCD and 1-chip DLP, moving to 3-chip

DLP, UHP illuminated M-Series and now onto

the J-Series digital projectors. Mark Gaylard,

owner of MGG, says: “Over the past couple

of years we have purchased a number of

Christie products and have been particularly

impressed with their quality and reliability, so

when we were looking for projectors that

could enhance our capabilities and

offerings, they had to be Christie.”

Gustav Barnard, Technical and Education

Manager at Stage Audio Works, adds: “We

are delighted to have MGG, a true pioneer

in the event technology rental sector, on

board as the first owners of the Christie

Roadster HD20K-J digital projector on the

continent to meet the growing demands of

the African market. Congratulations to Mark

on his investment.”

“We have been building a strong

relationship with MGG via our partner Stage

Audio Works over the past two years, so we

are particularly pleased that they have

chosen our Roadster HD20K-J projectors to

enhance their rental staging offerings,”

comments Phil Lord, Christie’s territory

manager for Africa.

Prosound named exclusive distributor of Audio-Technica in South Africa

DWR relocates to Laserpark

Electrosonic aquires Milos agency

Phil lord, Mark gaylard and gustav Barnard

Bruce schwartz, electrosonic sa’s entertainment lighting manager

the new DWr premises laserpark

gearhouse

8

newS

Electra Partners has announced the

acquisition of mixing console manufacturer,

Allen & Heath, from D&M Holdings. £43

million of equity and debt has been

provided by Electra Private Equity PLC and

Allen & Heath’s management.

Founded in 1969, Allen & Heath designs

and manufactures audio mixing consoles for

live sound, such as concerts, theatres and

houses of worship.

Commenting on this acquisition, Alex

Fortescue, Chief Investment Partner at

Electra Partners says: “The ability to invest

across the capital structure, in this case

funding both the equity and debt

instruments, is a great example of Electra’s

flexible investment mandate being put to

work to ensure a swift completion for the

vendor and a straightforward structure for

the business to capitalise on both organic

and acquisitive growth opportunities.”

Charles Elkington, Investment Partner at

Electra Partners adds: “We believe that Allen

& Heath has a bright future and we will be

looking to work with Glenn Rogers and his

team to grow the business through further

investment in new product development,

improved marketing and distribution and

through acquisition.”

Glenn Rogers, Managing Director at Allen

& Heath, says: “We are very excited about

working with Electra Partners and the

opportunities it presents for the next phase of

Allen & Heath’s growth. We have an

excellent catalogue of existing products and

a number of exciting prospects in

development. We see opportunity for

expansion into new areas and look forward

to building Allen & Heath’s long-term future

alongside Electra Partners.”

A staging structure in Charlotte, North

Carolina collapsed due to circumstances

that are still under dispute on Saturday, 10

August. The event, part of the American

Legion’s World Series concerts was set to be

the platform for MercyMe, a popular

Christian Band in the region, to perform in

front of more than 10 000 fans leading up the

famous World Series baseball tournament

that runs from 16 to 20 August in Shelby, North

Carolina.

The dispute is whether shoddy

construction or bad weather was the cause

of the stage collapse at the Cleveland

County fairgrounds, the chosen venue for

the event. The collapse occurred at about

4pm during the band’s sound check with no

reported injuries. The audience had not yet

arrived. Eddie Holbrook, co-chair of the

local American Legion World Series

committee comments:

“We knew we were going to get what

looked like scattered showers and nothing

real bad,” Holbrook said. “Then all of a

sudden, within a five-minute span, the winds

shifted and immediately there was a severe

weather storm alert.”

Despite L&N Productions, the company

that built the stage, being highly reputable,

others have pointed blame at the

production company as it has been alleged

that the structure fell well before the 70mph

storm hit. Other irregularities have also been

claimed such as the genies lacking

outriggers, truck straps being employed to

secure certain parts of the structure and the

roof being picked incorrectly with spansets.

Incidents like this might well be good

cause for our local production companies to

reassess their safety practices and ensure

they are following adequate safety

guidelines.

Electra Partners acquires Allen & Heath

Stage roof made from genie towers collapses in North Carolina

Eric Lawrenson joins Questek Group

PLASA 2013 features new exhibitors

Eric Lawrenson, a

Broadcast Systems

Engineer, has recently

joined Questek

Advanced Technologies.

Eric has been in the

industry for 30 years

working for

broadcasters, facilities companies and

resellers. Prior to joining the Questek Group,

Eric spent eight years with Spescom/Jasco.

Eric’s experience includes system design

of studios, control rooms, transmission centres

and in recent years has completed projects

for the Namibian Broadcast Corporation,

Swazi TV, the Free State Department of

Health, SABC and M-Net SuperSport.

George van Gils, Questek Director, says

that Eric’s knowledge and expertise within

the industry as a broadcast specialist will

add great value to Questek’s product

offering. ‘Eric knows his way around the

industry and his extensive experience will

enhance our capabilities as a leading

supplier of broadcast technologies.’

PLASA London 2013 will feature more than 30

companies that did not exhibit in 2012,

including Pioneer, Samsung and Sony, while

many existing exhibitors have taken bigger

stand space than last year. PLASA London

takes place at the ExCeL Centre, London

from 6 to 9 October 2013.

Jennie Barratt, show manager, PLASA

London 2013 explains: “PLASA London

delivers an attractive proposition to exhibitors

with over 12 000 high quality visitors who are in a

position of purchasing influence. ”

Alex Barrand, Audio Specialist at Pioneer,

says: “We are returning to PLASA after a few

years’ hiatus as it is the ideal platform from

which to launch our new professional audio

business. We’re also delighted to present the first

public showcase of our club speakers at PLASA.”

Pioneer will demonstrate its new speakers in

PLASA London’s new AudioLab pro audio

arena, theatre and interactive lab.

Other new exhibitors for 2013 include

Samsung, Sony, Creative Technology, Aspen

Media, PRG, Pyrojunkies and Sound Network.

Companies including Shure, Martin Audio,

Roland, SSE Audio and Harman have increased

their stand space this year. PLASA London

features over 250 exhibitors.

glenn rogers, Managing Director at allen & Heath

eric lawrenson

Johannesburg+27 11 974 0633

[email protected]

Cape Town+27 21 787 [email protected]

Durban+27 31 573 7400

[email protected]

define Legendary Performance.

Wild & Marr

10

SyStem IntegrAtIon HoMe AutoMAtion

Smart up your home

We’ve covered a lot of corporate and institutional aV installations here in Pro Systems which, by and large, are always impressive given the gravitas of most these organisations. But one forgets that there’s a whole other market out there for aV and automation systems in what has become known as ‘smart homes’: up-market, modern and sophisticated dwellings that make most of what we live in look like mere shacks.

Of course, much of the same components you’ll find in a corporate

AV installation are found in smart homes, too: projectors, screens,

control systems, advanced networks, tablet and PC control, touch

panels, and remote system management, etc. The list goes on; the

only difference being that these installations are almost always more

aesthetically pleasing because homes are meant to be lived in and

enjoyed when you’re trying to forget about the boardroom!

Mod ‘n Sound based in Umhlanga Ridge, KZN has been doing this

sort of work for about 30 years, specialising in such areas as high end

stereo systems, home theatres, distributed audio, AV systems, control

and automation. In fact, they have over 100 years’ experience in

those areas collectively. I recently had the pleasure of meeting up

with Andre Hoareau, owner of Mod ‘n Sound, to show me around a

recent installation they performed in a home at the Hawaan Forest

Estate, a seaside lifestyle complex of homes on KZN’s North Coast.

Let’s take a gander.

the brief

The brief from the customer was to design, supply and install a state of

the art automation system for a new domestic residence in the

up-market Hawaan Forest Estate in Umhlanga. To this end Mod ‘n

Sound chose the Elan G system for control and AV distribution. For the

lighting and switch gear the new QS Lutron din rail mount products

were the preferred choice and speaker systems spec’d were Bose

and Paradigm. The home was to be fully automated and had to

include the following:

1. security: The ability to view individual CCTV cameras from

anywhere in the world, open doors, open and close curtains

and blinds was required along with arming and disarming the

alarm system from mobile devices, nine colour touch screens

and three wireless hand held colour touch screen remotes.

2. lighting: All in all 66 circuits including exterior, pool, wall,

vanity and general lighting (both incandescent and

florescent) and the installation of an optic-fibre ’star light’

ceiling system for the kids’ bedroom. All lighting was to be

controlled from backlit keypads, colour touch screens and

mobile devices.

3. Water features: Three water features with lighting and pool

pump control.

4. Climate: Multi-zone Dakin VRV with independent control of

temp and fan speed in all zones.

5. Blinds and curtains: Independent and global control.

6. audio & video: 12 independent zones of audio and video

were spec’d including a complete 7.1 home theater system

with automated screen and projector lift with the inclusion of

music and video servers with the ability for the customer to

access their entire music and video collection with cover art

By Greg Bester

11

HoMe AutoMAtion SyStem IntegrAtIon

from TV screen or remote controls, iPhone, iPad or Android

devices. Ability to control all media from mobile devices, nine

colour touch screens and three wireless handheld colour

touch screen remotes was required.

7. Fireplaces: Control of two gas fireplaces.

8. Intercom: The ability to page the entire house from any

phone. The ability to view the intercom door station hi-

resolution camera from hand held remotes and mobile

devices. The client can phone the system and leave

messages to be retrieved from the main lounge touch panel

by anyone in the house.

The entire house falls under the control of one Elan G system. The

project took about 12 months to complete, from in house CAD

drawings to final installation and programming and due to the

complexity of the project, Mod ‘n Sound had to project-manage and

liaise with all the relevant subcontractors.

First impressions

As I walked into the home, hosted by Mr. Hoareau, I was immediately

impressed by its clean lines and slick, modern look and subsequently

the high tech installation. This is a dream home for most. The

architectural design was performed by Patrick Ferguson of Stefan

Antoni Olmesdahl Truen Architects.

Mr. Hoareau proceeded to give me a demonstration of some of

the automation features of the home and I was taken aback at how

simple and intuitive each component was. Quite simply put,

EVERYTHING is under control in this home. From the projector that

descends via from a cavity in the ceiling, to the water features, to the

lighting, to the fireplaces, to the aircon and fans, to security; the entire

house is covered through the Elan G system and its peripherals. What

amazed me the most is that every single automation and control

feature of the house can be controlled remotely via iPhone, iPad or

Android.

Mr. Hoareau comments as he demonstrates the audio system:

“Now, you could be in China doing what I’m doing now. It’s irrelevant

where you are because it’s all done over the internet. So if he’s in

China and someone comes to the door, he can pick up and they

might think he’s in the house.”

This has obvious security advantages because along with CCTV

surveillance being available over the

internet, the owner can monitor the house

at all times and give the impression he’s not

away.

The audio system in the home has 16

independent zones. This enables the

dwellers to listen to different music in any

area mutually exclusive of the others. Now

the kids can listen to Justin Beiber upstairs

while mom and dad listen to Bublè

downstairs.

the kit

lIgHtIng8 x LUTRON LQSE-4A-D DIN-RAIL adaptive power module

9 x LUTRON LQSE=-4510D DIN-RAIL relay module

1 x LUTRON Ethernet/RS232 interface

1 x LUTRON HW1-CC1input/output devices

1 x LUTRON HPS-CE processor

13 x LUTRON FT-6BRL-W keypads

150m x LUTRON CSPCREST cable

aIrCon1 x COOLMASTER 1000 aircon interface

1 x LUTRON RS-232/485 converter

auDIo & VIDeo & Control1 x ELAN HC12 system controller

3 x ELAN GPASL licenses

1 x ELAN DT22 dual Fm tuner

2 x ELAN S86a zone controller/amplifiers

1 x ELAN C2 communications controller

2 x ELAN DSF3 door stations with Hi-Rez camera

8 x ELAN TS2 wall-mount colour touch screens

1 x ELAN TS10 wall-mount colour touch screen

3 x ELAN HR2 wireless colour touch screen remote controls

1 x INTEGRA DTR 40.4 home theatre receiver

1 x INTEGRA DBS 30.3 Blu Ray player

3 x PARADIGM AMS150R-30 in ceiling speakers

4 x PARADIGM CS60 ceiling mount speakers

14 x PARADIGM CS80 ceiling mount speakers

2 x PARADIGM CS60 SM stereo in ceiling speakers

2 x PARADIGM DSP3100 subwoofers

2 x BOSE AM5 speaker systems

76m PLANETWAVES cable

100 x PLANETWAVES RCA interconnects

1200m CAT6 data cable

1600m TITAN 14 gauge speaker cable

400m RG179 video cable

200m MYLAR cable

1 x AXIS 24IQ composite to IP convertor

1 x PANASONIC PT-AE100E High Def projector

1 x MOTORISED SCREEN 2500 x 1400

1 x MEDE8ER 500x media server

1 x 19-inch 46u equipment rack

1 x 1KVA online UPS

1 x CLEARLINE surge protector

the wrap

Mod ‘n Sound obviously knows what they’re doing in the

world of home automation and AV systems. The smart

home shown to me at the Hawaan Forest Estate was

masterfully installed with all the bells and whistles – to use

an old adage – that one could ever want or imagine

and sets the bar high in terms of what is available and

what is doable in smart home technology today.

12

SyStem IntegrAtIon pArAstAtAl instAllAtion

12

Connecting communication in Mozambique

Where there’s growth there’s investment opportunity and the mobile

market in Mozambique has experienced huge strides with companies

like Vodacom moving in to compete with mCel, the mobile subsidiary

of the national telecommunications parastatal, Telecomunicações

de Moçambique (TDM).

Plus immediately after the Mozambican Civil War the government

also embarked upon telecommunications reform. While the

government has been reluctant to privatise the TDM, all other

telecommunications sectors are open season pending licensing from

the industry regulator, the Instituto Nacional das Comunicações de

Moçambique (INCM).

The Instituto Nacional das Comunicações de Moçambique, like

any regulatory body, is necessary for a robust market. Being as such,

it is imperative that their internal mechanisms are as streamlined as

possible so decisions can be made quickly and decisively to combat

an economic climate and a market that is otherwise challenging.

The INCM recently performed an upgrade of their AV infrastructure,

commissioning local integrators Converged Connectivity to perform

the installation, led by Kevin McMillan Craig, a long time industry

player and AV convergence expert. Converged Connectivity has an

Africa-wide footprint with a presence in countries like Mozambique,

Kenya, Zambia, Ghana and Tanzania.

the brief

The brief from the INCM was procurement of a solution to unify the

audio and video components of their AV infra-structure as well as

data sharing and collaboration into one unified network. All in all the

system was specified to supply VOIP (Voice Over IP), AV monitoring

and emergency systems over one comprehensive backbone.

Craig comments: “The INCM has multiple offices. In these offices

they’ve deployed a unified communications system that’s Microsoft

Lync compatible. So they’ve got audio conferencing and video

conferencing all running through that server which allows them

permanent access to contacts. Now what they want to do is they

want to be able to share the content of their meetings.”

In summation, the installation of AV systems consisted of the

convergence of four different areas in the INCM campus on one

network:

1. Auditorium AV control

2. Boardroom AV control

3. Meeting room AV control

4. Unified audio in public areas

The areas are managed from a single central processing rack, with

local control in the venues.

the network

Over and above an extensive LAN infrastructure already installed,

and a Crestron Network Control Infrastructure, there exists a third

network: The EPSON EasyMP and MeetingMate network.

The EPSON network ensures that smart and mobile devices, tablets

and notebook computers are able to connect to display devices

anytime and anywhere, ensuring fast and efficient collaboration.

From an interactivity and connectivity standpoint, the EPSON

MeetingMate compliments a Unified Communications network well.

It allows interaction and connectivity between spaces in the same

building, same city or vast geographic locations using WAN

technology. The EPSON projectors in the venues are EasyMP and

MeetingMate enabled enabling visual communication between the

auditorium and boardroom as an example.

This component is crucial to the interoperability of devices and

methods of communication.

the auditorium

The auditorium AV systems centres around a Crestron MC3 3-series

control system, with local control via a Crestron iSys wireless

touchpanel and two Crestron wall-mountable touch panels.

Additionally, many other Creston peripherals were integrated to

facilitate media and lighting control. A Creston 8x8 digital media

switcher fitted with a four Digital Media 8G+ input cards and a 4 DM

8G+ w/2 HDMI output card was also installed and is the central hub

from where all media is matrixed and distributed. For lighting, a

Crestron SP12 12-channel dimmer pack was installed to handled

lighting control up to 27KVA.

Auditorium AV components feature around an Epson Z-Series

pojector with an Epson lens kit. The Epson projector, via the iProjector

app for tablet and smart devices, enables the user to share

presentations, images and video via their device simply by logging

onto the EPSON WiFi network, either peer-to-peer or in infrastructure

modes.

Audio systems centre around a Biamp Nexia CS digital sound

processor, two Bittner power amplifiers, two Bose Panaray

loudspeakers and four Bose DS100Se surface mount speakers. Further

inputs are accommodated through a custom input panel installed

into the audio control room.

By Greg Bester

the republic of Mozambique is a country with a tumultuous past filled with war and struggle. Indeed, since the end of the Mozambican Civil War in 1992, the country still faces many challenges and continues to be one of the world’s most underdeveloped and poorest countries.

13

electrosonic

the boardrooms

In the boardroom we see Crestron’s Digital Media presentation system

which essentially routes signals via the local network for control and

content management. It integrates the control system, multimedia

matrix switcher, microphone mixer, audio DSP, amplifier and

DigitalMedia distribution centre snuggly into a single 3u rack space.

Input peripherals are courtesy of Kramer electronics centred on

several TBUS-1 table-mount multi-connection systems with termination

input points for VGA, mini-jack audio, USB, HDMI and RG45 instet

modules. Lighting control is facilitated by a Crestron DIN-PWS50 50W

Crestnet power supply and a DIN-1DIM-4 universal dimmer.

AV hardware installed in the boardrooms include two Kramer VGA/

audio switches, eight Bose Freespace 3 satellite speakers, two Bose

Freespace 3II bass modules, two Yamaha Integrated amplifiers and

two Yamaha CD/DVD players.

the meeting rooms

Unified control components installed in the meeting rooms include

two Crestron BPCI8 basic presentation controllers and, similar to the

boardroom, Kramer input peripherals including VGA, mini-jack audio,

RG45, HDMI and USB terminating at TBUS-1A table-mount recepticles.

AV components included two Elite Screens Electric84H and two

Epson EB-1945W projectors with mounting kits, and four Bose DS16

ceiling mount speakers powered by a Kramer Tools stereo amplifier

with RS-232 control.

the public address system

The INCM public address system is handled by a networked Biamp

Vocia system. The features of this system include distributed

processing and page routing, VIOP paging, system-level monitoring,

logging and control, and it works over standard IP networks and the

Cobranet AoE protocol.

A VA-8600c multi-channel amplifier was installed with six AM-600c

amplifier module cards. The VA-8600c offers eight channels of

modular amplification with up to 2400W of power per unit. The

VA-600c modules offer 600W of continuous and support 4Ohm,

6Ohm, 8Ohm, 70V or 100V loads. The VA-8600c is certified for use in

an EN 54-16 life safety system. Further Biamp equipment installed

includes two Vocia VA4030 30W per channel amplifiers, nine Vocia

EWS-4 wall-mount paging stations, ten Vocia WR-1 wall-mount IP POE

control panels, an LSI-16 Vocia life safety interface and one Vocia CI-1

control interface.

The Vocia system feeds 125 Bosch LBH0606 ceiling speakers

installed throughout their facilities connected by a massive 1.4km of

screened speaker cable.

Microphones used are all Beyerdynamic including the Quinta

Delegate microphones and a single Quinta Chairman’s microphone,

all powered by a Quinta power supply unit.

the wrap

Given the installation performed by Converged Connectivity and

their partership with EPSON Visual Instruments at the Instituto

Nacional das Comunicações de Moçambique, it is clear that their

internal processes are streamlined and effective to the point of

being state of the art. Despite the challenges Mozambique has

faced throughout the last few decades, the fact that their

telecommunications regulator has spent so much time and

expense integrating a system of this calibre, one can only

genuinely hope that it helps to bolster their market competition

through decisive and efficient decision making.

14

SyStem IntegrAtIon DiGitAl siGnAGe

Digital Signage – the greener alternative: Part 2

striking the right balance

The Screen Forum, an independent working group focused on

sharing best practices in the digital signage industry, has released a

list of one dozen steps aimed at ensuring digital signage networks

deliver the maximum impact with the minimum affect on the

environment.

The steps, available on a popular news portal (http://www. prweb.

com/releases/2010/05/prweb3948684.htm), are a well-reasoned list of

prescriptions for minimizing the impact of digital signage networks on

the environment. While the list is publicly available on the Web and

self-explanatory, one aspect of the Screen Forum’s 12 steps is

particularly fascinating and worthy of consideration.

Achieving balance underpins much of the list —the balance

between environmental impact and performance; the balance

between achieving communications goals and doing so in a way

that does not diminish, or is sympathetic to, nearby landmarks; and

the balance between fulfilling its main purpose as digital signage and

giving back to the community by promoting environmental

awareness.

Balancing performance and environmental impact touches many

phases of digital signage network rollout and operations. The

concept laid out in the steps seems to focus on drawing a distinction

between saturation and sufficiency. Many of the steps advocate

doing no more than is necessary to accomplish the desired mission of

communications. Limiting the number of computer components, the

size of the network and number of displays therein as well as the

power requirements of the network seeks to balance the task at hand

with the environmental cost of accomplishing it.

Achieving equilibrium in terms of digital signage performance and

placement vis-à-vis nearby landmarks gets at the most basic of

environmental concerns, namely impacting the locale in which the

sign hangs. The concept is akin to the stark contrast between states

that have outlawed or restricted placement of billboards along

highways and driving down the Las Vegas Strip. The Screen Forum’s

admonition balances the legitimate desire to communicate

important messages via digital signs with the need to appreciate the

surroundings of the signs and minimise whenever and however

possible the likelihood of the sign’s detracting from their local

environment.

Acknowledging the opportunity to use the network —if even only

on a periodic basis— to raise the awareness of the public about

environmental concerns is particularly fascinating

because it recognises there’s far more to a digital

signage network than hardware and software. In fact,

the reason for being of any digital signage network is to

communicate messages —often finely defined,

narrowcast communications. Balancing that mission

with the unrelated goal of communicating to the public

about environmental concerns recognises that there’s

more to communicating successfully than a well-

defined message. It’s almost as if the Screen Forum

transplanted the concept of public service

announcements from the television medium to the

arena of digital signage, except digital signage

networks have no government mandated public

service obligation to fulfill.

Digital signage: a green machine

Without question, few people would commit to digital signage as a

communications medium solely on the basis of its environmental

impact. Digital signs must fulfil their primary function, namely effective

communications, or they are of little use to marketers, advertisers and

other professional communicators. That being said, there is no reason

why their environmental friendly status shouldn’t be considered as

another strong reason to consider replacing traditional printed signs

where appropriate.

The green nature of digital signs offer communicators an

opportunity to shrink the amount of plastic, ink and chemical

coatings introduced into the environment, a way to reduce the

number of trees cut for paper products, and eliminate the

transportation emissions associated with the entire workflow chain

from producing to displaying and ultimately replacing printed signs.

Beyond these benefits to the environment, going green via digital

signage also positions communicators to realise cost savings,

enhance productivity, improve responsiveness to changing

communications requirements and make more efficient use of

display space. This synergy between the environmental and business

benefits of digital signs contributes to a healthier world and a more

profitable bottom line.

However, simply replacing printed signs with their digital

equivalents isn’t enough to reap these benefits. Digital signs have their

own set of environmental concerns, such as power consumption and

the use of certain toxic or greenhouse gas producing chemicals in

the production of displays and electronic components. However, with

proper planning electrical consumption can be diminished, and

industry efforts to remove elements like arsenic and cadmium from

computer components are reducing the release of these chemicals

in landfills.

Often businesses and their employees seek ways to be greener as

they pursue their objectives but find it difficult to identify concrete

steps they can take. For professional communicators, however, there

is a greener way to disseminate vital information. That means is digital

signage —a powerful medium that’s also environmentally friendly.

The following is reprinted with permission from the Digital

Screenmedia Association (DSA). For more information, go

to http://www.digitalscreenmedia.org.

this white paper was reprinted with permission from the Digital screenmedia association . For more information go to www.digitalscreenmedia.org

Learn more at www.pansolutions.co.zaJohan Oosthuizen: (011) 313 1615; [email protected]

65-inch TH-65PB2W / 50-inch TH-50PB2WEasy Start-up and Unique Features

Wireless Compatibility

Superb Visibility

Smooth Natural Writing

Interactive Displays

For Engaging Discussions And Dynamic Presentations

Pansolutions

16

SyStem IntegrAtIon proJeCtor rounD-up

Classroom projector comparison

Panasonic Pt-DZ770ul WuXga DlP Projector

Panasonic’s new

PT-DZ770UL twin lamp,

single chip DLP projector is

a high brightness (7 000

lumen rating), high

resolution (WUXGA – 1920

X 1200) projector that also

delivers a super sharp

image. As you would

expect, the PT-DZ770UL

has a complete set of

connection options for a

PC, Mac and other video

sources, including the

traditional VGA cable,

DVI-D, HDMI, 5-BNC

component video, S-video

and composite video.

There is also serial control

and pass through

capability.

specs:

technology: DLP

native resolution: WUXGA (1920 x 1200)

Brightness: 7 000 lumens

Contrast: 2500:1

aspect ratio: Native 16:10

Zoom ratio: 1.7 – 2.4:1

lamp life: 2 000 hours

Dimensions: 19.59”W x 18.34”D x 6.875”H

InFocus In114 DlP Multimedia Projector

The InFocus IN114 is an

ultra portable projector

that packs a lot of

power into a pretty

small package. Of

course there are

smaller projectors on

the market, but the

IN114 has a really low

MSRP of $399 and its

performance proved

to be quite impressive.

What the projector

might lack in features, it

makes up for in image

quality.

specs:

technology: BrilliantColor™

native resolution: 1024 x 768 XGA


Contrast: 4000:1

aspect ratio: Native 4:3

Zoom ratio: 1.1:1



Mitsubishi Wl7200u WXga lCD Projector

The Mitsubishi WL7200U is

a high brightness (5 500

lumen rating), WXGA

(1280x800) LCD projector

that is targeted for use in

a large venue like an

auditorium. The WL7200U

has a complete set of

connection options for a

PC, Mac and other video

sources, including the

traditional VGA cable,

DVI-D, HDMI, 5-BNC

component video,

S-video and composite

video.

specs:

technology: 3LCD

native resolution: WXGA (1280 x 800)


Contrast: 2000:1

aspect ratio: Native widescreen

Zoom ratio: 1.8:1


Dimensions: 18.9”W x 6.8”H x 16.5”D

Christie lWu501i lCD Projector

The Christie LWU501i is a

feature-rich, 3LCD

projector that offers 5 000

ANSI lumens at 3000:1

contrast ratio for bold,

detailed images. The

optional lens suite

includes a selection of

zoom lenses with

repeatable position

recall. The Christie

LWU501i has an intuitive

LCD menu for easy set up

and maintenance. With

the projector’s USB port,

presenters can use

wireless devices to

present their data. The

Christie LWU501i also has

a text message function

that is ideal for displaying

emergency or

evacuation messages.

specs:

technology: 3LCD

native resolution: 1920 x 1200 WUXGA

Brightness: 5 000 ANSI lumens

Contrast: 3000:1

aspect ratio: Widescreen

Zoom ratio: 0.8:1

lamp life: 3 000 hrs


Brightest longest lamp life

17

proJeCtor rounD-up SyStem IntegrAtIon

Canon realis WX6000 WXga+ lCos Projector

The Canon REALiS

WX6000 is a high

brightness (5 700 lumen

rating), medium-high

resolution (WXGA+ – 1440

X 900) projector that is

aimed at projection

venues where there is

usually (if not always) a

fair amount of ambient

light. As you would

expect of a projector at

this price point (about $4

000), the WX6000 has a

full set of features,

including power zoom,

focus and lens shift.

Connection options are

fairly minimal for a

projector of this type, with

inputs for only three video

types (RGB, DVI-I and

HDMI). There is also serial

control and audio in/out.

specs:

technology: LCOS

native resolution: WXGA+ (1440 x 900)


Contrast: 1000:1

aspect ratio: 16:10

Zoom ratio: 1.5:1


Dimensions: 15”W x 16.9”D x 6.69”H

epson Brightlink 436Wi Interactive lCD Projector

Epson has once again

released a very well

thought out 3 000 lumen

projector. With the

educator in mind, Epson

has created a

collaborative projector

that is extremely feature

rich, produces an

excellent image and

doesn’t break budgets.

The Epson 436Wi is an

interactive projector that

uses software to help

make educating fun and

more engaging. All this

interaction takes place

with the use of a special

pen. The unit comes with

only one pen but you can

purchase another so that

you can annotate on the

board simultaneously with

a student or other

collaborator.

specs:

technology: 3LCD

native resolution: WXGA (1280 x 800)

Brightness: 3 000 ANSI lumens

Contrast: 3000:1

aspect ratio: 16:10

Zoom ratio: 1.0 – 1.35:1



sony VPl-sW536C Projector

Sony’s VPL-SW500 Series

data projectors achieve

large-screen projection

from very short distances,

thanks to an

ultra-powerful short-throw

lens. These powerful

projectors also deliver

installation flexibility with

an optical zoom and lens

shift capability. VPL-

SW500 Series projectors

are economically

designed for optimum

energy efficiency, thanks

to their auto power-

saving function, picture

muting function with

lamp control technology,

long-lasting lamp, and

low power consumption.

Additionally a variety of

network functions such as

Web Control and

Network Presentation.

Rich inputs and outputs

are provided.

specs:

technology: 3LCD

native resolution: UXGA 1600 x 1200 dots


Contrast: 2500:1

aspect ratio: 16:10

Zoom ratio: 1.05:1

lamp life: 4 500 Hours

Dimensions: W 384.4 x H 122.5 x D 423.4 mm

neC nP-M311X Xga lCD Multimedia Projector

The NEC M311X is a

compact, XGA (1024 X

768) LCD projector with a

feature set that should be

appealing to both

educational and business

presenters. In addition to

network and PC-free

presentation capabilities,

the M311X features a

10-watt speaker, quick on

and off, DICOM SIM

mode and the ability to

project an image from an

angle. The M311X can be

connected to a

computer or video source

via a standard VGA

cable, composite and

S-video, HDMI, USB and

wired or wireless (with

optional module) 802.11

b/g/n. It can also present

directly from a USB thumb

drive.

specs:

technology: 3LCD

native resolution: XGA (1024 x 768)


Contrast: 3000:1

aspect ratio: 4:3 (XGA)

Zoom ratio: 1.7:1



editor’s choice Best bang for buck

18

SyStem IntegrAtIon WHite pAper

Guide to system integrationIntroduction

Computer technology has advanced to the point

where an incomprehensible amount of processing

power exists in a microchip the size of a grain of rice. This

has in turn advanced audio and video technologies to

the point where we are on the verge of delivering true 3D images

and true full-bandwidth audio – with an ever-diminishing level of

distortion – on devices that be carried in one hand, using delivery

systems developed in the IT world.

The merging of the computing and audio visual worlds creates a

synergy that magnifies the potential of each. It also creates new

opportunities for everyone involved. To maximise the benefits of this

convergence, knowledge must be shared between the worlds of pro

audio, AV, broadcast, IT and other technologically related fields.

Collaboration requires a common language. It also requires that

professionals in each of these fields acknowledge the special

expertise that they bring to the table, and abandon the attitude that

one field is bound to ‘prevail’ over another.

AV technologies can enhance a myriad of business and

communications objectives. For the user and the technology

manager, all of these technologies converge in the areas of

decision-making, budgeting and practices.

this guide is intended to:1. Demystify technology behind AV

2. Provide building blocks to achieving AV best practices

3. Help users communicate with professional AV systems suppliers

the design and implementation team

AV systems have long ago advanced beyond the portable systems

that were simply rolled into the room on a cart when needed, and

returned after use. Installed AV systems have become an integral part

of a building’s infrastructure, like HVAC, lighting, and furnishings.

Because of this, users rely on AV consultants, systems integrators and

professionals from other disciplines involved in the AV system design

and installation process if a successful outcome is to be anticipated.

These include architects, engineers, general contractors,

subcontractors, facility managers, and other specialty consultants. In

this section we will describe the functions various professionals serve in

the design and implementation of an AV system.

architects

When a system is critical to overall business operations and being

designed into a new structure, an architect and other specialists may

be involved in system design. The architect is ultimately responsible for

helping users translate their vision into a physical reality. That ‘big

picture’ is too often lost on the AV/IT integrator, whose focus is on the

relative minutia (e.g., projectors, loudspeakers and floor-box

locations, etc).

A successful outcome requires that all parties pay attention to

these areas:

CommunicationMake sure you have established open lines of communication with

the architect, and that they understand your goals for the systems.

Learn about their methodology for delivery of information (in

documents and drawings). Set a schedule for regular communication

with the architect and the client.

ConsultationWhile standardised systems are appropriate in many cases, each

project has its unique aspects. The key to working with architects is to

listen. Approaching a project with understanding and empathy builds

camaraderie. Speaking with perspective and candour shows

honesty and integrity. Express your creativity with the language of

possibility.

CollaborationCommit yourself and your team to the success of the project.

Successful and creative solutions come from joint exploration of

potentials. Exploring alternatives, demonstrating out-of-the-box

thinking, and respecting creative ideas that can come from

non-technical sources can be equally valuable to the end result and

will build stronger relationships.

(Some of the preceding content originally appeared in an article

by Craig Park AIA, Systems Contractor News.)

+27 (0)11 791 5761 www.matrixsound.co.za

For more information, visit www.alconsaudio.com or www.wymiwyg.info

questek

20

SyStem IntegrAtIon WHite pApergeneral contractorsOne of the general contractor’s (GC) concerns is the successful

coordination and installation of all ‘architecturally integrated

equipment’. From the AV standpoint, this includes items such as front

and rear projection screens, projectors, monitor and loudspeaker

cluster mounts, and motorised window shades. These may be

designed and/or provided by the AV designer or integrator, but they

are often actually installed by the GC or one of its subcontractors.

Since the GC has the overall responsibility for the installation,

significant coordination with the AV contractor is required.

In addition, other fundamental issues need to be addressed. The

first is whether the AV is subcontracted to the GC. The second involves

how the GC controls the installation schedules. Since the GC and

their project managers determine who works, at what time in the

schedule they’ll work, and priorities for work completion, there is an

impact on the AV installation sequencing. Sequencing issues include

the timing of cable pulls, and determining which areas will be ready

for AV equipment installation. It’s important to keep in constant

communication with the building project’s general contractor and

communicate all potential concerns about the sequencing of AV

equipment installation in the overall construction process.

• Interior designer: Responsible for furnishings and the aesthetic

appearance of the building’s interior spaces. The location of

necessarily visible equipment (like screens, loudspeakers,

displays, etc.) is a common topic of interesting dialog with the

interior designer.

• Mechanical consultant: Primarily responsible for systems such

as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC),

especially as they related to heat producing AV equipment

and its location within a building.

• electrical consultant: Designs the high voltage power

distribution systems, and as well as conduit and cable tray

layouts to support low voltage systems. For AV systems, the

electrical consultant may also be involved with transient

voltage and surge suppression (TVSS) systems, uninterruptible

power sources (UPS), and an isolated ground system for AV

gear.

• Plumbing consultant: Needs to communicate and work with

AV designers in the routing and location of hidden

infrastructure such as water pipes and gas lines as they relate

to AV and electrical infrastructure.

• structural consultant: Fundamental decisions and knowledge

of building load capacities are important since large audio

and video systems require significant structural support. The

structural consultant provides these perspectives, and may

also play a role when building structural members could

potentially interfere in issues related to sightlines.

• lighting consultant: Responsible for required lighting and

specialised lighting control in spaces where AV systems are

used.

• Network/data/telecom Consultant: Since AV systems have

become integrally tied to IT systems, consultants in these areas

play a key role in the overall functionality of the successful AV

project.

• acoustical consultant: Analyses the effect of building

materials and interior design on the acoustical environment

and determines treatments or building plan alterations that

best address any potentially negative acoustic conditions.

• security consultant: Responsible for equipment such as

cameras, microphones, video recording equipment and

displays that may be used in security systems design and

share infrastructure such as network access.

• life safety consultant: Life safety issues typically involve audio

and/or visual alert systems, which may be tied into operating

AV systems.

Managing user expectations

A common problem in any user/service provider relationship is when

the user doesn’t believe that they got what they paid for. This

probably happens more often when the product or service is

technology-based, since so many users have little understanding of

exactly what it is that they are paying for.

Every user comes to the table with a set of expectations of what

they would like the provider to deliver. The problem happens when

communication – the intersection of the message delivered and the

message received – is less than perfect. In the attempt to

communicate AV needs and expectations, the user is limited by lack

of knowledge of what is technically possible. They may also have

grandiose expectations of what modern AV systems can deliver.

AV professionals will help to educate your users on the true

capabilities of the technologies they offer. Their emphasis needs to be

about what can – and cannot – actually be delivered. There must be

discussion of what is not possible. It will minimise misunderstandings

and potential litigation.

tips to manage user expectations:•Understandneedsanddevelopaplantodemonstratereturnon

investment.

•Presentsolutionstotheircommunicationsproblemsorchallenges.

•Intheearlystages,domorelisteningmorethantalking.

•Developacompleteunderstandingoftheuserenvironmentin

which the AV/IT will operate.

Managing the project

There are three ‘generic’ roles that are important in any AV/IT

integration project.

•Theprojectmanager•Thedesigners•Theinstallers

the project managerThe Project Management Institute (www.pmi.org), a professional

association that creates standards and practices for project

management, has developed a body of knowledge (PMBOK) that

formalises the functions of project management. The eleven functions

are classified into three groups: General PM processes, Basic PM

functions, and integrative PM functions.

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WHite pAper SyStem IntegrAtIon

WATCHOUT PREMIUM PARTNERSOUTH AFRICA

PENMACPhone: +27 11 4762066

[email protected]

Photo

: © EP

H Pr

oduc

tions

Penmac

the designersThe designer has technical expertise to assess the user’s needs and

translates them into documents that convey the design intent to the

installers, usually in the form of drawings and specifications. Designers

exist in almost all trades. The designer may work with a separate

project manager or may serve as the project manager for their

organisation.

the installersInstallers are responsible for interpreting the design intent depicted in

the documentation created by the designer, and assembling the

item or system in the manner described. By law, the installer may

need to be certified or licensed, and may or may not be part of a

labour union, which may affect how some projects are constructed in

certain localities.

the project teamAny AV/IT project necessarily involves the combined efforts of multiple

teams who may have different perspectives and interests in the

overall project.

(The balance of this section references highlights from InfoComm’s

Best Practices book.)

owner teamThis is the entity or entities that are the actual ‘buyers’ of the AV/IT

systems. The owner team may include several groups who participate

in the project process:

•End-user •Facilitymanager

•AVtechnologymanager •Buildingcommittee

•Buyer,purchasingagent,orcontractrepresentative

Design teamThis group designs the building and the systems and may include the

following groups or individuals:

•Architect •AVdesigner

•Interiordesigner •Mechanicalconsultant

•Electricalconsultant •Plumbingconsultant

•Structuralconsultant •Lightingconsultant

•Data/telecomconsultant •Acousticalconsultant

•Securityconsultant •Lifesafetyconsultant

•Otherindustryortrade-specificconsultants

Installation teamThis group provides construction and installation services and may

include the following groups or individuals:

•Generalcontractor •AVintegrator

•Mechanicalcontractor •Electricalcontractor

•Plumbingcontractor •Structuralcontractor

•Lightingcontractor •Data/telecomcontractor

•Acousticalcontractor •Securitycontractor

•Lifesafetycontractor •Othertrade-specific

contractors

Management teamThis group provides management services on the project and is

usually associated with, or represents, the owner in some way:

•Developer •Constructionsmanager

•Buildingmanagementagency •Moveconsultant

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SyStem IntegrAtIon WHite pAper

the programme phaseDuring the programme phase, the architect, AV/IT professionals, and

other design team members discover the end-user’s needs by

examining the required application(s), the tasks and functions that

support the application, and the wishes and desires of the end-user.

All of the information gathered in the programme phase is interpreted

and presented in a written programme report. Once this document is

distributed, reviewed, and approved, it becomes the basis for the

design phase.

the design phaseThe design phase translates programme information into drawings

and specifications. It also includes two interrelated parallel processes,

one for infrastructure involving the entire building design team and

one involving primarily the AV designer for the electronic systems.

the construction phaseThis phase is focused on three key processes: coordination,

procurement and installation. Prepared designs are finally translated

into physical form and the systems are brought into functionality. The

major steps for the AV/IT professional in this phase include:

1. The construction kick-off meeting

2. Preparing the submittals

3. Procuring the AV/IT equipment

4. Preparing the site

5. Pre-assembling and testing the AV system

6. Site installation

7. Finalising the documentation

During the construction phase, project managers need to coordinate

the on-site activities of the various contractors to avoid potential

conflicts. All trade should be aware of the activities of each of the

others at the various stages of construction.

Commissioning and trainingNo integration project is fully complete until the system has been

commissioned and the owners (and sometimes end-users) have

been trained on its operation. System commissioning plays a pivotal

role in the overall AV/IT integration project. The commissioning agent

(usually the AV consultant or system integrator) ensures that the

standards have been followed, verifies that all contractual obligations

have been met and checks that the system is ready to perform

properly in its intended use. All aspects of the system are tested,

adjusted and optimised. After the commissioning process is complete,

training is the next step to complete the handoff to the owner/

end-users.

Project documentationProjects documentation falls into three major categories:

1. Contract documents

2. Project drawings

3. Project specifications

Contract documentsThese documents describe and define the business issues associated

with the project. They typically include scope of work, contractor

performance requirements, proof of insurance, description of building

issues, duration and deadlines for each project element, and

exclusions to the contact. Although the building owner creates them,

the AV designer may have input regarding some of these documents

(e.g. descriptions of the AV systems elements and performance

requirements).

Some of the specific documents included in the contract

documentation include:

liability/insurance bonding: AV/IT system integrators carry typical

business insurance, including worker’s compensation insurance,

comprehensive general or commercial liability insurance, business

automobile liability insurance, and employer’s liability insurance.

Installers in particular may be required to post performance bonds

and payment binds, assuring the owner that performance work will

be covered as well as any payments due to subcontractors.

letter of transmittal: This form is used whenever documents,

drawings, samples, or submittals are sent. It clearly indicates the

addressee sender, contact information, a list of what is sent (including

date or revision number), and any action expected to be taken by

the receiving party. This form is used whether the items are sent by

mail, courier, overnight carrier, or fax.

request for interpretation (rFI): As the project progresses, questions

inevitably arise about the project. They generally revolve around

three basic types of issues:

•Designissue•Siteissue•Ownerchangeorrequest

The structure normally set in place for this process is the request for

interpretation (RFI). This process is usually based on a paper or

electronic form established for the project and that includes the RFI

originator, the RFI receiver and a space to enter the question and the

response.

Some RFIs are simply resolved by a clarification from the recipient

of the RFI without a change in anyone’s contract. Others may need

resolution through a change in the construction contract. In the latter

case, other structured communications, such as a change order, may

be generated.

request for change (rFC): A request for change (RFC) is submitted

(ultimately to be approved by the owner) if the integrator or

consultant wants to change contractual obligations, equipment

models or specifications, or system design. When an RFC is generated

(or answered) by the integrator, pricing and impact throughout the

project must be included.

Issues that can trigger an RFC are:

•Changeinintendeduseofthesystem

•Discontinuedproduct

•Architectural,mechanicalormillworkchanges

•Discoveryofsystemorproductincompatibilitiesorfunction

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WHite pAper SyStem IntegrAtIon

Any member of the project team can submit the RFC, although on an

AV project, the integrator or consultant most commonly creates the

document. An approved RFC then becomes a change order.

Change orders (Co): Despite extensive due diligence during the

design and bidding processes to ensure an appropriate system

design, design and contract changes, requested with a change

order (CO), may be needed as the project unfolds. Because of its

ability to change the contract scope and pricing, this is arguably the

most important form used during the construction phase. A few of the

many reasons for AV system COs are:

•Changesorclarificationsinanticipatedusebyend-user

personnel

•Architectural,millwork,finish,orotherphysicalchangestothe

installation site

•Designconflicts,omissionsorerrors

•Changeinproductavailabilityorspecifications

•Availabilityofnewproductsortechnologies

•Discoveryofhiddensiteconditions

•Budgetadjustments

•Schedulechangesanddelaysbyothers

Punch lists: The punch list is a key element in the project process,

because it becomes the final checklist for a complete installation and

contract closeout. Depending on the contract language and

relationships, the punch list may be created by the AV consultant, the

owner’s AV project manager or the AV integrator’s project manager

or other internal personnel.

The preliminary punch list may be internal to the integrator under

many design-build projects, but is usually required for distribution to

various design and owner team members under most other methods.

The final punch list generated after the final commissioning test and

alignment is usually distributed to the designated project team

stakeholders under any method.

During the preliminary checkout, a preliminary punch list that

includes all of the discovered system deficiencies, along with the

possible resolution of each deficiency and the party responsible for

each item, should be developed. This punch list should be distributed

to the responsible parties for completion and should include due

dates for completion of each item.

Each punch list is unique to the project for which it is generated, but

some typical items that may appear on a punch list are:

•PoorAVconnectorterminations

•Damagedwiring

•Workmanshipissueswithequipmentinstallationoraesthetic

components of the work such as damaged wall finishes,

undesirable cable management, and other problems that are

visibly objectionable

•Physicalinstallationissuessuchasprojectorpositioning,

loudspeaker locations, and alignment and integration of

devices into furniture

•DelaysindeliveryofAVequipment

•AVequipmentfailures

•Slowdeliveryornodeliveryofgoodsbynon-AVservice

providers (e.g. millwork, electrical, and other contractors)

•SlowornodeliveryofOFEorcommunicationsandnetwork

services

While some items are the direct responsibility of the integrator, some

are caused by delay in work by other parties. To resolve these issues,

the AV integrator must play an active role in seeking timely solutions

from the other parties. Proper planning, documentation and

communication are crucial.

Project drawings

architectural drawings Architectural drawings are used by contractors to determine how

to build all of the structure elements. Small jobs may have only one

or two drawings; bigger jobs have entire sets divided into different

groups based on the construction process. Architectural drawings

provide a technical illustration of all construction details including:

•Sitework •Foundation •Structure

•Electrical •Mechanical •Finishes

•Details

aV facilities drawingsAV plans describe how the AV system components are

interconnected. These plans provide the equipment placement,

interconnection schematics and rack elevation drawings. The

drawings used most often by an AV project team are:

•Floorplan •Reflectedceiling •Electrical

•Elevation •Riser

aV systems drawingsTypical components of the AV design drawings package include:

1. Title page and index

2. Typical power, grounding and signal wiring details

3. Floor and reflected ceiling plans showingdevice locations

4. Rack elevations

5. Custom plate and panel details

6. Miscellaneous details and elevations, including:

•Speakingaiminginfo

•Largescaleplans,suchasequipmentorcontrolroomplans

•ArchitecturalelevationsshowingAVdevices,theirlocation,

and relationship to other items on the walls

•Custom-enclosureormountingdetailsforprojectors,

microphones, loudspeakers, media players, etc

•Furnitureintegrationdetails

•Anyspecialcircumstancesordetailthatmayberequired

for the installer to properly understand the design intent

Project specificationsMost construction projects in North America use the document

format produced by the Construction Specifications Institute

called MasterFormat. MasterFormat is a specifications-writing

standard for commercial building design and construction

projects. It lists titles and section numbers for organising data

about construction requirements, products and activities. By

standardising such information, MasterFormat facilitates

communication among architects, specifiers, contractors and

suppliers, which help them to meet building owners’

requirements, timelines and budgets.

(Some content from this chapter originally app eared in the

AV Design Reference Manual, published by InfoComm/BICSI.

this white paper was used by permission from aMX. For more information go to www.amx.com.

24

InStAllAtIonS CineMA surrounD sounD

Dolby Atmos – the future in surround is now

…a little history.

Dolby Laboratories first appeared as a company in 1965, founded by

Ray Dolby, an American engineer and inventor who devised the

famed noise reduction system known as Dolby NR. He is also

responsible for the co-invention of video tape recording in

collaboration with Ampex. Dolby is the winner of multiple technical

awards and is a fellow and past president of the AES (Audio

Engineering Society) not to mention a billionaire with a place on the

Fortune 400.

As mentioned, Dolby’s first pursuit was noise reduction, starting with

the Dolby 301 unit which included Type-A Dolby NR. This was a

‘compander’ (a compressor and expander combination) based

system and was intended originally for use in recording studios.

Dolby continued with noise reduction development through their B,

C, S, SR and HX Pro ranges for the tape recording world and Dolby FM

for radio until they eventually started seeking to improve film sound.

The first film to use Dolby noise reduction on all pre-mixes and masters

was Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange in 1971. In 1972 Dolby

introduced the X-Curve (eXtended Curve), which replaced the

long-standing Academy Curve, an equalisation standard for cinema

sound stemming from the thirties.

In 1975 Dolby Stereo, a Left, Center, Right and Surround cinema

standard, was released and in less than ten years 6 000 cinemas

around the world were equipped with a Dolby Stereo system. This

By Greg Bester

When one thinks of Dolby the immediate reaction in the mind is the phrase ’surround sound’. Despite being pioneers in other areas such as noise reduction, Dolby is probably most famous for their contribution to multichannel theatre and home cinema sound and they continue to push the limits in that arena to bring the movie goer’s experience as close as possible to actually being in the scene. now, with Dolby atmos, a newly developed 64-speaker theatre surround sound system, the movie goer is put in a virtual 3D realm of aural excitement. let’s explore what Dolby atmos is and the technology behind it. But first, to find out where we’re going we need to know were we came from, so…

ileD

technology later evolved into Dolby Surround for home use and

eventually into Dolby Pro Logic, which is the consumer market

equivalent of Dolby Stereo for cinema.

Eventually the digital age rolled around and Dolby started to foray

into compression codecs for cinema sound. Dolby Stereo Digital (now

called Dolby Digital) appeared in 1992 and was first featured in the

film Batman Returns. It was later introduced into the home market as

Dolby AC-3 in 1995 with the laserdisc release of Clear and Present

Danger starring Harrison Ford. Despite initial unpopularity due to the

requirement of additional hardware it was eventually adopted as

part of the DVD specification. Dolby Digital is now a household name

that is found worldwide in HDTV, DVD players and satellite – and

cable-TV receivers.

In 2010, Dolby Surround 7.1 was released and set up in theatres

across the planet. Toy Story 3 was the first film to debut with this

format and a further 50 releases followed suit thereafter, culminating

in over 3 600 Dolby Surround 7.1 theatres around the globe. Building

on this success, Dolby Atmos was released in April 2012 which is a new

cinematic audio technology and the focus of this article. There are

currently over 100 theatres around the world that have this new

technology, including one at the Ster Kinekor Gateway cinema

complex in Durban, and the first movie mixed for the format was

Pixar’s Brave.

overview

Dolby Atmos takes the current limit in multi-channel surround

technology and traditional approaches to cinema surround sound

and throws them out of the window; the basic idea being to surround

the audience in as many speakers as possible, eliminate traditional

surround ‘zones’ and to deliver discrete, multichannel audio to the

speakers through positional metadata. The ’Dolby Atmos Cinema

Processor CP850‘, the first generation Atmos cinema hardware,

supports up to 128 discrete audio tracks and up to an incredible 64

unique speakers feeds.

Because there can be up to 64 discrete speakers placed

throughout the theatre, sounds originating from overhead can now

be experienced along with sounds emanating from discrete point

sources throughout, including above the audience. These are the

two main aspects that differentiate Dolby Atmos from previous

surround formats in that they enable the sound designer or mix

engineer to individually place sounds at any point source speaker or

array of speakers behind the screen, to the side walls, the rear walls or

overhead; the goal being to further immerse the audience within the

scene.

It also enables panning of elements creatively into the upper

hemisphere instead of just along the horizontal plane which negates

the brain from having to construct an artificial phantom image.

Feasibly, a missle could be launched from the rear of the theatre and

it’s travel experienced and accurately followed overhead until it

detonates on the screen. Also, now because of discrete feeds to the

speaker arrays, if actors react to sounds happening at a specific point

outside the screen, the sounds can now placed exactly where they

are looking, instead of in a general surround zone as would be the

case with 5.1 and 7.1.

Another step forward with the Dolby Atmos system is improved

audio quality and timbre matching. In past surround systems that use

‘zones’ instead of discrete point sources inclined to deteriorate the

quality of some sounds due to speaker array phase distortion. The

ability to place these sounds in discrete speakers greatly increases

their perceived localisation and eliminates any array phase artifacts.

Additionally, Dolby Atmos includes improved system equalization to

combat acoustical problems and surround sound bass management

so that the mixer can address each speaker directly without being

worried about tonal differences. Furthermore, accurate level

26

InStAllAtIonS CineMA surrounD sounD

calibration between the speaker arrays means that there are no level

discrepancies when performing pans and precisely angled speakers

closer to either side of the screen assure smooth transitional pans for

audio events emanating from and entering the side of the screen.

Beds + objects = Dolby atmos

Given the relative complexity of Dolby Atmos compared to past

formats, the way soundtracks are produced, mixed and played back

has been changed through the implementation of audio objects and

positional data in the form of metadata. But what are audio objects

and beds?

Audio objects can be thought of as individual sounds or groups of

sounds, such as tracks in a session, that occupied the same location in

the theatre. These objects can be stationary or can be panned and

panning automation is analogous to positional metadata. This

metadata instructs the decoding hardware – the Dolby Atmos

Cinema Processor – where the object should be at any point in time.

When these objects are played back, they are manifested according

to this positional metadata depending on what speakers are present,

as opposed to being fed to a specific channel. This is a dramatic shift

in approach compared to how soundtracks are currently produced

but the upshoot is that it integrates well with the workflow of audio

workstations.

All that being said, channel-based workflows are still retained. This

is where ‘beds’ come in. Beds are simply channel-based stems or

submixes that can be delivered for final playback either by

combining several into a single bed or individually. They can be

created in several exisiting formats such as 5.1, 7.1 or even 9.1. beds

create the desired effect based on the mix of the submix and the

perceptual field depth and movement within the submix.

The last noteworthy element of Dolby Atmos that it is backwards

compatible and boasts simplified delivery. This means that the final

mix in 64.2 (Atmos mix), and a number of other format such as 22.2,

11.1, 9.1, 7.1, and 5.1 can be delivered in a single file wrapped in the

industry standard MXF (Material Exchange Format) format which is

then received by the digital cinema packaging facility where it is

validated before packaged into the DCP (Digital Cinema Package).

Theworkflowconcept

As mentioned, Dolby Atmos allows up to 128 tracks to be delivered

within the DCP, which consists of a combination of beds and objects.

These beds and objects are mixed in the same manner as in previous

formats and object audio and metadata, panning automation, etc,

are recorded within the session in preparation for the dubbing theatre

pre and final mix.

This metadata is integrated into the mixing console, allowing full

control over the processing of both objects and beds and can be

edited either by using the console surface or the workstation GUI.

Monitoring is reflected in the Dolby Rendering and Mastering Unit

(RMU). All metadata and the associated audio data are recorded

during mastering which results in a ‘print master’ which includes the

Atmos mix along with other formats before wrapping, as described in

the previous section.

Within the single DCP framework which is delivered the cinema, the

main audio mix comprises the main audio track file while the Atmos

mix is part of an additional track file. This track file is ignored by

systems that can not support it thus allowing the Dolby Atmos

packaging scheme to be deliverable to any theatre regardless if it is

equipped with Dolby Atmos hardware as it is identified as a

compatible package.

Personal experience

I had the chance to see Man of Steel in Theatre 1 of the Ster Kinekor

complex at Gateway Mall in Durban, which is the only theatre in

Africa installed with a Dolby Atmos system. My first impression was:

“Wow, that’s a lot of speakers”.

The first thing I noticed was that the film’s mixers did not depart too

much from the traditional approach in film mixing by getting overly

creative with the surround speaker arrays. Most of the dialogue and

music was for the most part up front, which kept my attention

anchored at the screen and minimised distraction. This approach is

very sensible because it keeps the focus on the scene and the main

elements of the film.

What I did notice, however, was that the ambience of the film was

very dimensional and certain beds and effect elements were more

immersive, ie. they pulled you into the scene a bit more by discrete

use of the speakers within the cinema. Only the big moving audio

effects moving into and out of the screen were tracked through the

surround arrays and the movement was immediately perceivable

and accurately followed. At one point I had to duck because it felt

like a missle was flying right above my head!

As our auditory senses have evolved, humans are primarily attuned

to aural perception in the horizonal plane. That is a result of most of

our predators back in prehistoric times being in front, to the sides, or

behind us and is why the focus of the evolution of our localisation

awareness was in that plane. Our ear/brain complex is not very good

at perceiving localisation above our head in the upper hemisphere,

which is why when something wizzes over your head, like a low flying

aircraft, you get a big fright. This is also why you don’t perceive it until

the last minute. This makes the inclusion of overhead speakers a very

exciting element. It is something that takes our brain by surprise. Very

cool, indeed!

the wrap

Dolby Atmos is the multichannel cinema audio delivery format of

the future, which is here, by the way. There’s not much more to

conclude about it than that. After all, surround sound has come a

long way since Disney’s Fantasia in the forties and it’s difficult to

imagine what engineers and system designers may come up with

next. They certainly have a lot to top with Dolby Atmos around.

27

samsungProviding flexible, cost-effective disPlay solutionsAn integrated platform for digital signage that eliminates the need for external media players and streamlines the deployment process, saving time and money for integrators and businesses.

Mediatech Africa 2013 showcased the strength of the large format displays (LFDs) market in South Africa, but with so many options out there, how does a company go about selecting solutions that fit their budg-ets and that are easy to use? This is especially important considering that LFDs are used to not only drive corporate communication, but draw attention to the brand and position it in the hearts and minds of customers.

Moreover, companies need flexible solutions that let them focus on managing their con-tent easily while worrying less about wires, media boxes, and unwieldy software.

Using a manufacturer like Samsung who has a trusted brand name in the market is one way to approach it. Yet, the solutions being offered need to be able to support that trust and provide an effective way of reducing the total cost of ownership of LFDs.

To see the value proposition that Samsung offers one only needs to look at how a traditional digital signage network runs. Normally, a separate media player running its own operating system is attached behind the screen. Both devices require power and cabling to link them. This not only uses more electricity, but the additional cabling is often unsightly. Having said that, this has been the only way to effectively manage digital displays – until now!

The recently announced Samsung Smart Signage Platform incorporates a media play-er as a system-on-chip on the same board as the display chipset, eliminating the need

to have external media players for custom-ised content. This means that fewer cables are required, installation is virtually plug and play, and the point of network failure is significantly reduced.

With the Smart Signage Platform, more impactful messages can be delivered to cus-tomers in real-time irrespective of the display being viewed. Through innovation such as this, Samsung is showing its commitment to minimising equipment and installation costs for customers and let them better manage their operational costs.

An added enhancement is the Samsung MagicInfo S authoring solution for content management. It ships as an open source development kit to enable partners to provide expanded software services to business users.

Naturally, we believe in letting our custom-ers experience the solutions first-hand to see them in action. At Mediatech, Sam-sung Electronics South Africa showcased a 75-inch whiteboard on display that is ideally suited to board rooms and schools. This is especially relevant given the importance of education in South Africa. The Samsung

e-Board combines the simplicity of a white board with the power of a computer to create a more interactive learning environ-ment through technology.

Ultimately, Samsung is focused on providing solutions that meet the unique needs of the South African market. Cost-effectiveness and flexibility are two components inte-gral to our design philosophy. We believe in offering a design for businesses that bring our client’s vision to life on the big screen.

Manoj BhoolaBusiness Leader for B2BSamsung Electronics South Africa

www.samsung.com

“Cost-effectiveness and flexibility are two components integral to our design philosophy”

Media Tech Advertorial_29July.indd 1 2013/07/30 9:57 AM

AdVertorIAl

28

InStAllAtIonS rADio stAtion

Listen up – Jacaranda has moved

One radio station that’s stood the test of time is Jacaranda FM,

previously known as Jacaranda 94.2. They have been broadcasting

English and Afrikaans programmes in Gauteng, Limpopo,

Mpumalanga and the Northwest Province since 1986 and now boast

an audience of more than 2 million, which is nothing to sniff at and is

very important to Gauteng, the nation’s most competitive radio

market. Equally impressive, they are the number one station among

Afrikaans home listeners and South Africa’s number one independent

radio station.

While other radio station’s listenership figures have been dwindling,

Jacaranda’s figures are on the rise with an estimated May 2013

audience census of 1 855 000 which is almost 100 000 more than last

years’ June figures. Given this state of rising popularity it only made

sense that after many years at their studios in Centurion they

announced the development of a new studio location in 2012. This

location is now revealed as their newly built facility on 14th Road,

Midrand next to the M1 highway. Of course, new premises call for an

overhaul and often a complete replacement of studio equipment.

This is exactly what was done.

out with the old, in with the new

Upon entering the new studios, it is clear that Jacaranda’s new facility

was designed to be slick, modern and state of the art. All of the right

trimmings are in the right places with all the current amenities that

one would expect along with some you wouldn’t: fingerprint access,

a broadcast technology museum, funky music-related wallpaper, a

gym and even a health spa. The reception area is brightly lit with

natural light and if you had to glance up you would see the words

’LEKKER TO BE HERE‘ on an upper wall. For those that work there, I

could see how that might be the case.

Andrew Pike, Technical and IT Manager at Jacaranda FM, was kind

enough to show me around the studios and all the new gear installed

there. Andrew was responsible for procuring and commissioning the

installation of the new equipment and is incredibly knowledgeable in

radio technology.

Built from the ground up, planning for all the new equipment to be

installed at the new Jacaranda FM occurred from the very beginning.

There are two on-air studios; one for the breakfast show and

afternoon drive and another for the mid-day shows.

The core system at Jacaranda is based around a Telos Systems

Axia system interconnected via network over an AoE protocol called

Livewire. Telos Systems is a world leader in broadcast equipment

technology and its Omnia division is found throughout most

By Greg Bester

radio will never die, if the past is anything to go by. It seems it is as immortal as it is ubiquitous and there is little doubt whether our existence here on planet earth would have turned out the same without it. the first automobile, the first air flight, the russian revolution, both World Wars, the neon light, the helicopter and instant coffee; the radio was there to broadcast it all. simply put, the radio has shaped our lives in an immeasurable way and we owe a lot to it.

Jacaranda FM’s new premises in Midrand

29

aVC – audio Visual Centre

commercial radio stations worldwide. They are also the progenitors

of the Livewire protocol for radio station applications.

“The heart of how the studios work is based around the Axia

equipment,” says Pike. “It’s all IP-based so if I’ve got mic one open, it’s

got an IP stream number so it’s available anywhere in the building. I

can route it or I can move it around on the desk. One of the great

features of having the Axia system is V-Mix. You can mix sources

together, route them so basically what we do is take the two studios,

mix them together virtually and send them to the broadcast

processor.”

In terms of specific Telos hardware, Axia Powerstation Console

Engines along with Element control surfaces were installed. The

Powerstation is the ‘brain’ of the on-air mixing system that provides a

multiple of inputs in both the analogue and digital domains and

connects to the control surface via one six-pin cable. In the case of

Jacaranda FM, each studio receives two Powerstations for complete

redundancy in case of failure and all of them are connected over the

Livewire network.

Playout and scheduling duties are handled by RCS GSelector and

Zetta software running on 12 server PCs running Intel i7 chips, 16GB of

RAM and Microsoft’s SQL server platform.

Pike comments: “Really what we see here is just the GUI interface.

There is a server where all the audio is all stored and plays out from.

So if I log in from this studio, what I look at is just a picture of what’s

happening on the server.”

As mentioned, all audio and play out material is stored on a server

which turned out to be housed in a very well air-conditioned

glass-cased room a little down the hall from the studio we were

standing in. This room also contains some very big racks that house all

the broadcast processing required to get a station on the air.

However, since Jacaranda FM broadcasts to multiple regions, there

are multiple processors employed to handle each region. First, each

region is fed via a Telos Zephyr XSTREAM ISDN transceiver over Telkom

ISDN lines. The main transmitter is then paired with an Orban 8600S,

which is their flagship processor and all other regional transmitters are

paired with Orban 3500 processors. The main transmitter is a Rohde &

Shwarz NR8200 10KW FM.

the wrap

The radio world, like any audio platform, has changed

dramatically in the past 20 years. It too has experienced the ebb

and flow of change from the days of analogue right through into

the convenience and power of digital. Jacaranda FM’s new

facility is certainly testament to this necessary adaptation that

many studios have had to go through and given the technology

at this level it is easy to see that they are secure in transmitting into

the near future and beyond.

radio DJ Barney simon in the studio

30

InStAllAtIonS Houses oF WorsHip

Houghton mosque installation

Having never been into a Mosque before I was quite intrigued as to

what was in store. After a brief introduction by Lee, we were led to

the rear of the building and entered a small air conditioned room

where the recording equipment, amplifiers and effects equipment

are kept.

Impressively, audio streaming is also part of the service as was

explained to me by Yaseen, one of the technical personnel at the

mosque: “What we’ve done is, with the audio streaming, we’re

pushing more kilobits. Instead of 32kbps we’re streaming at 128kbps.

All this month we have a prayer that goes on for about two hours and

the listeners love it. The clarity they’re getting; they love it. We’ve got

between 230 to 270 people streaming the prayer every night and we

haven’t advertised or promoted it. We’ve even got four radio stations

in the US pulling the audio stream as well.”

In the rack there are a number of units that perform different

functions around the Mosque. Starting at the top, there is a Tascam

CD-RW901SL CD recorder

that is used to make

recordings of prayer services.

Next there is a TC Electronic

M-One XL dual effects

processor that is used to

apply voice effects. What

interesting about this setup is

that it is paired to a MIDI

Solutions F8 eight-input MIDI

footswitch controller which is used to change the patch from a switch

panel in an alcove in the main prayer area.

All audio distribution is handled by an EV NetMax N8000 digital

matrix controller. This unit supplies 32 channel routing and matrixing

and incorporates a massive range of 48-bit filters, EQ, dynamics and

delay DSP. The N8000 is also fitted with an AO-1 eight-channel

analogue output card which feeds the specific zones throughout the

Mosque and an MI-1 module; the eight channel mic/line input card

that features programmable preamp gain and phantom power.

In terms of microphones, two DPA4080-F lapel mics were supplied,

each with a DAD6030 adapter unit for the EV WTU-2 body pack

transmitters that were employed. The body packs transmit to two EV

RE2 Pro receivers. There are also three EV PC-Plus-18 gooseneck

microphones placed throughout the Mosque for further address: two

in the alcove in the main prayer area and one in the minber, a pulpit

where the imam gives a noonday prayer on Fridays and holidays.

Also found in the alcove is a

four-channel snake head that

the three gooseneck

microphones plug into. This

snake is then connected to

the MI-1 input module in the

N8000.

Finally, there are five EV

CPS4.5 four-channel class-D

amplifiers that power the

By Greg Bester

the house of worship market is indeed diverse. no matter what your faith may be, the need to get the message across in a clear and concise way will always be of paramount importance. to that end, the Houghton Mosque on West street is no different. a new Mosque in the area, they commissioned industry veterans Prosound to handle the installation of their loudspeaker and recording systems. I met lee thomson, technical sales consultant at Prosound, at Houghton Mosque to take a look at the new building and to check out the installation.

31

aVC – audio Visual Centrespecific zones throughout the mosque. These 2000W (500W x 4) amps

are commercial installation grade and can be configured per

channel to output at 2/4Ohms or 70/100V for distributed systems.

After we had checked out the amp room I was led into the mosque

itself which is beautifully crafted inside and out. It is customary to take

your shoes off when entering the courtyard, so I obliged and stored

them away in the provided receptacle shelves. The main courtyard is

a wonderful, naturally lit space with thick, comfortable carpet perfect

for walking shoeless.

For the courtyard system there are four One System 103IM outdoor

loudspeakers which were chosen for their ruggedness. These

two-way speakers feature 3.5-inch low frequency driver and a high

frequency driver coupled to an elliptical constant-directivity horn

which provides a coverage pattern or 100 degrees. They have a

frequency response of 85Hz to 20kHz.

Throughout the rest of the mosque including the main prayer area

there are a variety of speakers. 13 Martin Logan Ticket loudspeakers

were spec’d and placed strategically throughout. These are wall

mount-type speakers that are recessed into the internal pillars and

archways and feature dual four-inch aluminium low frequency drivers

coupled to a one-inch neodymium tweeter with a 75Hz to 20kHz

frequency response. A further 13 EV EVID C4.2 ceiling-mount

speakers were also employed that employ 4-inch coaxial drivers with

a .75-inch Titanium mylar laminate dome with a 65Hz to 20kHz

frequency response.

the wrap

Not knowing what to expect when entering the mosque it became

immediately evident that the distributed audio system was

designed to fit as seamlessly and as discretely as possible within

aesthetic of the building. However, that does not mean that it is

lacking technology in any way. The inclusion of the MIDI switch to

change FX patches on the M-One was a surprising twist that

brought a modern edge to an ancient tradition, which, I’m sure,

further enhances the message. The overall topology of the system,

while relatively simple, is powerful and streamlined and I’m sure will

serve the mosque for many years to come.

www.ptn-electronics.com

on all PTN Electronics products5 Year Warranty

32

InStAllAtIonS Houses oF WorsHip

Rhema acquires new sound

Considering its constant growth and evolution, getting Rhema’s

message out to the congregation in a clear and fidelitous way is of

paramount importance. For this reason a comprehensive and

‘first-of-its-kind in Africa’ upgrade of their audio systems was recently

performed, helped in no small part by local audio equipment

distributors Wild and Marr and Cristo Hattingh of Sound GP.

If you have ever had the chance to step inside the Rhema

sanctuary in Randburg you’ll know that it is simply cavernous. A rough

semi-circle in shape with a sloping floor, it, like many indoor venues,

presents the difficulty of coverage. Not to mention the fact that the

church has got an existing broadcast infra-structure to interface with

so signal routing and splitting was also an important consideration. I

had a chance to meet Cristo Hattingh and Darren Durbach from Wild

and Marr at the Rhema church to take a look at the system, get a feel

for the equipment installed there and what makes it significant.

the core system

The core system installed at Rhema centres around JBL’s brand new

VTX line array, supplied by Wild and Marr. There are 24 VTX V25s

arranged in four hangs of six and in addition to that there are two

Vertec 4886 downfills on each hang, totalling eight. The VTX range is

a brand new series in the JBL line and is a ’full size, three-way,

high-directivity line array element‘.

Each box features two 2000W 15” Differential Drive woofers fixed in

die-cast aluminium baffles with four 8” Differential Drive midrange

drivers and three of JBL’s new D2 dual-diaphragm, dual voice-coil

compression drivers coupled to a 3rd-generation waveguide. This

new HF system also includes a newly patented RBI (Radiation

Boundary Integrator) assembly.

While we’re talking about the HF component of the system it might

be worthwhile to mention the D2 driver. The D2 is a revolutionary new

HF component. As mentioned, it is a dual voice-coil compression

driver which JBL claims overcomes the drawbacks of conventional

compression driver technology. The two main hurdles when

designing a compression driver is the mass of the diaphragm and

voice coil which limits high frequency extension and distortion that

occurs due to breakup modes of the dome, traditionally titanium.

The D2 combines two compression drivers into a single unit with a

combined acoustical output. Each of the dual voice-coils are

comprised of their own separate, lightweight polymer annular ring

diaphragm, their own magnet and their own patented phase plug.

The purpose of the phase plugs is to combine the two drivers into a

single output by feeding their energies to a single exit point.

There are six JBL VTX S28 subwoofers in cardioid configuration.

These subwoofers feature dual differential drive 2269H 18” drivers and

the cabinets are designed to be used in cardioid configuration due

to their cabinet design. When asked about whether six subwoofers

are enough to cover the needs of the large Rhema sanctuary,

Hattingh says: “They more than compensate for this venue. I actually

had to remove ceiling tiles that were falling out. It’s quite

Greg Bester

rhema, the celebrated ministry that caters for

thousands of people each sunday over multiple

services, is one of south africa’s most established

churches. Founded in 1979 and revelling in over

40 years of longevity, it has grown from strength

to strength over the expanse of its lifetime in such

areas as music, television ministry, social work

and constantly evolving administration to cater

for its ever-growing fellowship.

33

Houses oF WorsHip InStAllAtIonS

33

phenomenal to hear what they do. The distortion ratio is so low that

your perception of the low end is totally different to what you’ve ever

heard before. It’s really clean low end and the power behind it is

amazing.”

Speaking of power, 23 Crown IT-12000HD power amplifiers drive the

entire system, which is obviously passive. This includes the delay

system which is comprised of eight two-way, passive JBL STX815s,

strategically placed at the rear of the room to cover the rear alcoves.

Cristo comments on the coverage of the system.

“The main cluster covers the floor and the delays get a full mix with

a high pass filter for speech enhancement. So with what you see,

we’re covering this room as close to 100% as we can. We’re not hitting

the back wall (with the main clusters) on purpose. In other words,

we’re hitting the third last row accurately so the last two rows are a

little bit in the shade to control the slap back of the esses and the

tees.”

An interesting aspect of the setup of the system is that the

out-hangs are running in reverse stereo. In other words, the left

out-hang gets the right signal from a stereo source, the left in-hang

gets the left signal, the right in-hang gets the right signal and the right

out-hang gets the left signal. This results in 70% of the audience

getting an accurate stereo signal, albeit flipped on the left-hand side

of the venue. This works very well since the audience is largely

stationary and therefore can benefit from the textural depth of the

stereo field.

In terms of consoles, Soundcraft was the preferred vendor, also

supplied by Wild and Marr. A Vi6 control surface with a local rack was

selected for FOH control along with two Vi1s for on-stage monitoring

and broadcast. Two stage boxes, one full size and one compact

were spec’d; the compact stage box receiving an Aviom card for the

personal monitoring systems employed. The system is entirely digital

and uses MADI as the primary audio transport protocol to bus audio

to and from the stage boxes and throughout the routing and matrix

systems.

A noteworthy and, as mentioned, first-of-its-kind aspect of the

system is the implementation of a Direct Out Technologies M.1k2

MADI routing system. The M.1k2 offers 16 MADI ports for a total of

1 024 channels.

“The M.1k2 can handle channel matrixing and not just port

matrixing,” says Hattingh. “So you’ve got your 16 I/O ports which

enables you to patch port A to port B but it also goes as far as

enabling you to patch individual channels across to any port. For

example, we play iPods from FOH, obviously there’s click tracks and

stems running for the band and in the back there’s VT running for

broadcast. So what we’ve done is, we plug the VT into the Vi1, the

iPod, etc, into the other Vi1 and the playback into FOH and then on

the M.1k2 we’ve dedicated certain MADI channels as tie lines

between us. So, It’s like having a digital version of the old school

patch leads but much more flexible and extensive.”

There are a total of 96 channels coming into the FOH Vi6 from the

full size and compact ViSi racks and there are 64 channels fed to the

Vi1s since they can only handle a maximum of 64 channels. Any

further channels are sent from FOH via the MADI bridge as tie lines.

System processing is all run on-board the amplifiers, managed by

JBL HiQnet Performance Manager. Performance manager is a hybrid

piece of software that combines system architect and line array

calculator facilities into a graphic user interface. What is interesting is

that any real time changes are purposefully lagged in order to

prevent sudden tonal changes. Power shading, system configuration,

delays and all other system processing options are available through

Performance Manager in real time.

the sound and a walkaround

After I arrived and spent a good deal of time talking to Hattingh and

Durbach about the system, a variety of playback material was

showcased so we could take a listen to the performance of the VTX

system in the room.

My initial impression standing at FOH was the immediately

noticeable smoothness of the top end due, I assume, to the D2

compression drivers in the VTX V25 boxes. The tonal balance was

clear and unobtrusive. Having had experience mixing on the

previous Vertec range, I knew that they could sound a little ‘bitey’ in

the upper midrange, which makes it a good system for rock and

which is why the Vertec range has seen huge success in that arena.

However the VTX gave me the sense of higher fidelity and a top end

that seemed to dance around my ears instead of pierce into them.

The midrange proper was also very polite and seemed to glow or

emanate from the arrays. Granted, this was a very large room and

from FOH, which is for better or worse in the centre of the room, we

were getting a bit of supplementary reflection but it was easy to hear

that the fundamental ranges of the instrumentation and vocals were

very well reproduced.

The low end was surprisingly full, even from FOH and I was greatly

surprised at the power of the six subwoofers that were commissioned

to handle low end duties. It wasn’t by any means large bass as you

would find in a dance club but they supported the mid/high system

just right and added to the feeling of a proper tonal balance. Now,

the coverage.

After being encouraged to walk the horizontal and vertical planes

by Darren Durbach, I started a semi-circle walkabout towards stage

right starting from FOH and following more or less the middle row.

Attempting to take note of coverage seams between the coverage

of the hangs I only perceived a slight hand-off as I was out of direct

line of the HF waveguide of the right in-hang. The right out-hang then

took over without much of a drop in level. As usual, I am always

interested in hearing what the last person in the last row is going to

hear and I am glad to report that there was no loss in fidelity from that

position.

What is remarkable about this system is that the bass is consistent

from end to end of the venue, possibly only dropping a dB or two

from the front to the back. Walking from the extreme right of the

venue towards the subwoofers I was also quite surprised to hear a

consistent tonal balance not just in the mid/high ranges but also in

bass. The bass simply did not get overpowering the closer you got to

the subwoofer clusters. The 4 886 downfills covered the front rows

perfectly as well.

the wrap

Quite clearly, the VTX system installed by Cristo Hattingh and Wild

and Marr at Rhema is a masterfully executed job. Cristo has a long

track record of producing quality work for many high profile acts

and productions and along with Wild and Marr’s turnkey approach

they have really come together in a powerful symbiosis to produce

a system that I’m sure Rhema Church will be happy with for years to

come.

Christo Hattingh

34

lIVe eVentS ConCert report

Mixing ‘The Boss’

PW: so, four hands are better than two, then? tM: [laughs] I guess so! We are completely independent of each other

though; we each get our own splits and we each have our own set of

stage racks and Waves servers.

MC: Yeah, with 18 people on stage, it’s pretty involved; and with

Bruce, you never know: he does a set list but he doesn’t follow it, ever,

so we’re always on our toes!

tM: They’ve actually always had two monitor engineers; Monty’s

been here a lot longer, but I have been here since 2000. It’s actually

the way they’ve always liked it for 20 plus years, but we can do a lot

more now due to the technology advancements.

troy Milner and Monty Carlo have worked seamlessly side by side for more than 10 years, riding the faders for Bruce springsteen and his 17-piece e-street band at stage left and stage right respectively – and they wouldn’t have it any other way. Paul Watson reports from london’s Wembley stadium during springsteen’s Wrecking Ball world tour...

Monty Carlo and troy Milner

the Boss rocking the crowd

35

electrosonic – Martin lighting

How does your partnership work, exactly?tM: Well, I take care of the drummer, the violin player, the guitarist, the

bassist and the keyboard player who is right here next to me; then I

deal with various wedges that are located around the stage for some

solos for Bruce.

and what about you, Monty? MC: Pretty much everybody else, really. We each have a lot going on

and there are a lot of cues for each song; and again, as Bruce

doesn’t follow the set list, well....

I can’t see any wedges on stage – where are you hiding them, exactly?MC: [smiles] There are a number of proprietary Solotech wedges

imbedded in the stage: there’s a mixture of double 12s, single 12s and

single 15s; and we’re using JBL 4888s for the side fills. The rest of the

band has in-ear systems, but Bruce is completely old school.

What in-ear systems are you running, and do you have any rF issues?tM: We use Shure kit: the PSM1000s and the Axient mic system, which

we like a lot; and these boxes underneath are Albatross headphone

amps which I use for the drummer; he is hard wired, so when he sits

down he plugs right into his seat on his left side and he never moves,

so he doesn’t need to be wireless.

MC: We have 70 channels of RF between backline and me and

Troy, and although here (in the UK) it’s not too bad, when we’re in

Italy... well, it’s notorious for RF issues! Thankfully, the kit we are using

makes life a whole lot easier than it could be!

and what does Bruce like to hear in his wedges? MC: He’s got a little bit of everything – it’s so tough as each musician

has their own wants and needs, but with Bruce I just kind of fill it up

around him between the side fills and the floor wedges so that he

hears everything, and I have everything panned to make it feel more

‘live’: the piano is coming from his left and the organ from the right –

the same with the horns, just to kind of open things up, and so he

knows where it’s all coming from.

Imbedded monitor wedges

36


after all these years, Bruce is still on a classic wireless shure sM58...MC: Absolutely – it still does the job great; we’ve tried a few different

things, but it’s still the best sounding and most reliable solution. Also,

when it rains and Bruce is out running through the crowd, we don’t

have to worry about it falling apart. You can build a house with it!

tM: Yep – it’s super-reliable. And like Monty says, if it’s raining, he’s

100% gonna be out in it! The SM58 is extremely robust, that’s for sure.

you both use DigiCo sD7s. Is it essential that you’re on the same console?tM: For our setup, absolutely. We have snapshots for all of the songs,

and I’m up to 205! There are some songs that I know Bruce won’t do,

but everyone is programmed for me on the snapshots. I couldn’t do

that without the SD7.

MC: Yeah, on the whole, the SD7 has been really flexible. It’s also

great for moving stuff around. Troy double-assigns the drums so the

drummer has his own set of drum inputs and the rest of the band has

their own set too, so in terms of tailoring things quickly, everything’s just

so easy to do on this desk.

tM: That’s right – the drummer is a little more demanding, so I kind

of mix him old school; the control groups are pretty static for him. I’ll

hammer him with certain parts that he just wants to hear: for

example, he might want two bars of the opening riff from the guitar

player, then he wants to get rid of it, so I have to be very hands-on.

Monty’s obviously got different stuff that he handles, too.

so on one hand you’re mixing dynamically, yet you’re also relying on hundreds of snapshots... What happens if he throws you a curveball, so to speak?tM: Oh it can get pretty crazy, that’s for sure! Although the SD7 is

pretty much instant access with regard to recalling snapshots,

because Bruce has so many songs, it does slow the process down a

little: for example, 27 of his songs start with the letter ‘S’, so it can still

take me a second to locate them even with the shortcut buttons!

In fact, I recently asked one of the software guys at DiGiCo if he

could give me the first two or three letters rather than just one to

search snapshots as that would be perfect, and he was like: “You guys

are worse than Broadway!” [laughs]

How advantageous is it having banks of 12 faders on the console rather than eight? tM: Oh, very – and for drums especially. Also, having 12 in the centre

for the control groups is a real bonus: I have a bank for mixing control

groups and another bank for mute groups and that works really, really

well. Additionally, the console’s assignable rotaries are perfect for me

on my drum bank; I’m always writing thresholds on the gates for the

drums because he is so dynamic, and so that I always know when I

am in the drum bank – it’s just a visual thing. These functions save me

huge amounts of time.

What are your mix counts?tM: With all the reverbs, tech mixes and crew mixes, we’re at 60

outputs; and there’s two of us, remember! I scratch my head and

think ‘how did I get to 60?’ But I have a lot of sends that I use and the

keyboard player has his own mixer, so instead of doing direct outs I

just send 16 stem mixes to his mixer, then he sends his mix back to me

so I can broadcast it wirelessly for him.

Is there much digital processing in Bruce’s vocal chain, or is this also old school?tM: Personally, I’m real simple on it, because Monty is doing Bruce’s

monitor mix; I take care of the vocal for everybody else, so I can tailor

it a little more and control it as he is so dynamic and all over the

place, which is awesome.

But again, it means you have to ride the fader? tM: That’s right. I am feeding Bruce’s vocals to the six people I take

care of; I run the multiband compressor, which is just great, and then I

use a little bit of EQ before running it through the Waves Blue 76 just as

an overall ‘grab’.

How are you finding the Waves soundgrid?tM: It’s been great, but obviously the stuff in the desk has been great

too. We do have some guitar amp sims and distortions though – Bruce

plays the harp through his vocal mic and it sounds like a distorted

miced amp which we’re using a Waves guitar simulator for.

you’ve got two DigiCo sD racks each...tM: Yes. In my world, I am running old school copper snakes from

Monty and Monty is basically ‘control central’.

MC: That’s right, I have all the splits of everything and we split

copper to Troy, copper to me and then copper to FOH. We have

talked about sharing racks between us; we haven’t done it yet, but

maybe down the road it’s something we can do.

Communication between the two of you during a show must be crucial – how vocal are you, exactly?tM: Well, it depends – but we do have a great talkback system. I

basically have a stereo mix of all the talkbacks that I send to a matrix,

then I send whatever I am cueing to that same matrix to my wireless

cue system, so no matter what I am listening to, the talkbacks are also

there too.

MC: Exactly, so if there’s a problem on my side I can say: ‘hey we’re

gonna switch this’. We always make sure we have direct

communication, as it’s another tool to keep us ahead of the band.

Some shows we’re more vocal than others, but we’re always on top of

things.

sounds like you’ve got the perfect setup going on... tM: Unless we’re in Italy...

MC: [laughs] Yep, we’re all good until we go to Italy!

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38

lIVe eVentS inDustry eXpert

How did you get involved in the sound industry? Was it always the plan?trevor: I never really had a plan when I left school, the one thing I was

interested in was music, and I played in a band. One day one of the

engineers that was mixing our band on an event asked me if I was

interested in coming to work with him and that’s basically how it

started. I got into that company and learnt a tremendous amount in

my time there. At that point I was hooked, my studies fell by the

wayside and this became my career, seven years later I left the

company and started Matrix Sound. So you could say I am a musician

turned sound engineer, and more recently I spend my time doing

sound design for theatre shows and large corporate events.

out of interest, what was the name of your band and what instrument did you play?trevor: The band was called Cherry Fox and I played the drums, so I

wasn’t a real musician (laughs).

you’ve designed sound in various productions around the world. What has been the highlight of your career so far?trevor: Opening the musical Umoja at the Shaftesbury Theatre in the

West End of London. That was my single most nerve wracking and

most amazing experience so far. We received a standing ovation for

nearly three minutes at the end of the show. It was also the first time

that I was working in the West End with an international supply

company where I designed the sound.

What excites you the most about sound engineering? What is it that keeps you interested?trevor: Well the situation currently is that I spend more time in my

office running the company than behind the sound desk, but when I

do get an opportunity to get behind the desk I consider myself

another member of the band. So connecting with the band and

creating music and sound with them is what I find most exciting. A

sound engineer needs to actually be a part of the music, immersed in

the music, to actually understand and complement the music from

behind the desk. When you make that connection with the band,

where mixing becomes almost second nature, that for me is really

awesome.

on that note, would you say that your musical background has given you an advantage in this industry?trevor: Yes, I definitely think it has given me an advantage. It would

have given me more of an advantage had I played a real instrument

like the piano or guitar (laughs), but yes understanding the music and

the sound from a musician’s point of view is a huge advantage.

What do you feel is the greatest audio invention of the past few years?trevor: Oooh, that’s a tough one. I would say the greatest advance in

audio is the switch to digital mixing consoles; user friendly digital

mixing consoles. Digital mixers have been around for many years, in

1996 we designed a musical at Victory Theatre using two digital

mixing consoles and it was a very cumbersome and difficult process.

The new generation of digital mixers in my opinion, have taken sound

to a new level entirely. They give you untold power compared to what

we had with analogue desks many years ago.

What have you not yet achieved in your career that you still wish to?trevor: The one thing that I haven’t done is toured with a band, where

I’m mixing and we’re going from city to city or country to country

performing. I’ve done a huge amount of corporate events, I’ve done

theatre shows, I’ve done some studio work, I’ve done a lot of

television work but I have never been on the road with the band

concentrating on good old fashioned rock ‘n roll night after night.

That is something I will do before I retire…at a very young age

(laughs).

What is your personal favourite gadget that you use daily?trevor: Mmm, to be perfectly honest, that would be my iPhone. It

allows me to run my office from anywhere at all times.

Trevor Peters

trevor Peters started as an Industrial Psychology student at the university of Witwatersrand, but his love for music drew him into the world of sound engineering and sound design. as the founder of Matrix Corporate & theatre sound, a partner in Pan tilt lighting and a partner in Fogtech Video, trevor has designed sound for theatre shows and corporate events both locally and internationally. Pro Systems journalist Chanelle ellaya caught up with trevor to discuss how it all started and what’s still to come.

39

ConCert report lIVe eVentS

Just chillin’ at Chillfest

Steve Butcher of Universal Event Productions (UEP) – a technical

solutions provider working primarily on high end corporate and live

events – was enjoying an evening with some of his regular crew and

friends, reflecting on a busy year at the end of 2012, and looking

forward to the company’s 15th anniversary year in 2013.

Butcher, a keen music fan, wanted to do something special,

different and unique to celebrate this landmark and lobbed into the

conversation that he’d always fancied actually staging a festival. It

was met with unanimous agreement that this would be a very cool

thing to do.

A couple of days later, the conversation cropped up again, this

time while completely sober and in the office. The seed was planted!

Over Christmas, Butcher discussed the concept more seriously with

his wife Gina, and particularly the fact that to do it properly, he’d

have to commit and risk around 250K of his own / UEP’s money! That’s

a big deal!

By 2 January the decision was made. Chilfest – the first music

festival in the UK ever to be promoted by an industry technical

production company – was to be a reality.

“From that moment on I never doubted myself or looked back at

all,” he comments. “It was heads down and let’s make this work!”

Six months of serious graft began – finding the venue – Pendley

Activity Meadow, adjacent to the luxury Pendley Manor country

hotel; applying for the license, analysing the demographic of the

area, being realistic about the acts they wanted, could afford and

were likely to be popular; scouting the available talent; creating a

brand from scratch; establishing social media and advertising outlets;

dealing with the press; setting up ticketing infrastructures getting

concessions on-board; forging a relationship with the local police,

and so on. All things that Butcher – not being a regular concert

promoter – had never had to deal with before.

“It was an absolutely massive learning curve,” says Butcher, “But

that was also part of the entire experience.” He adds that some things

were a lot more straightforward than others!

The one thing that presented absolutely no challenges at all was

the full technical production, because that’s what UEP does.

However because of this, Butcher set his own dizzily high personal

goals of delivering production values and an overall design that

would be the best and to the highest standards. The whole ‘tech

production scenario’ galvanized into a fantastic showcase for the

creative skills and technical services that UEP could achieve.

All the people he worked with on the production side he had

the first ever two-day Chilfest event, staged in picturesque tring in Hertfordshire, uK started off – like many inspirational moments – in the pub!

aided by a flow of alcohol and animated discussion, real lively social interaction continued to liberate a gazillion thoughts, ideas and dreams … many of which stay right there!

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little Mix performing Friday night at Chilfest

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known for several years and most of them are also close friends. This

meant a large amount of mutual respect and a dream team already

used to working seamlessly on large shows and events together.

Formatting the programme, he decided on a pop night on the

Friday as there are a lot of families with pre – and early teen children

in the area.

Being in his mid-forties, an eighties night on the Saturday was a bit

of a no-brainer for the adults to remember the heady – and as they

like to say ‘not so distant’ – days of their yoof! With an excellent array

of top level artists from the era available a very strong line up was

soon assembled.

The pop themed night was headlined by Little Mix who were joined

by The Lovable Rogues, Heather Small, Tich and others. On Saturday,

some of the best of the eighties was reincarnated by Tony Hadley,

Rick Astley, Howard Jones, Midge Ure, Hazel O’Connor and Carol

Decker.

Negotiating and booking all of these required a degree of

brinkmanship, especially as it was a new event with no track record

– a characteristic that Butcher doesn’t lack as a seasoned industry

professional – and something he soon learned to lay on the table!

On the first weekend of July, glorious weather – the start of an

unprecedented run of sunny and warm summer weather unseen in

the UK for many years – a line-up which included some world class

musicians, the novelty of it being the first event of its kind in the area

and a fantastic atmosphere … helped attract nearly 5 000 people

the first day, and fully sold out the Pendley Activity Meadow venue to

its 7 000 capacity on the second night.

This was all enjoyed with the scrupulously high production values so

close to UEP’s hearts – with technical and design standards rarely

seen in festivals of this size, let alone an event in its infancy.

Butcher was “completely blown away” with the response and the

outcome.

The personal feedback was incredible and the social media

channels were bursting with positive comments and messages.

“I sat at the back of the stage on Saturday with everyone, it was

well into Tony Hadley’s set,” (which closed the event) he recalls: “The

field was rammed with people all jumping up and down and having

fun .. and I thought we created this – it was the most incredible

feeling, and I felt very, very emotional,” admits the usually unfazed

Butcher.

He expands: “I have always known my crew are fantastic, I am

really lucky, but they all absolutely excelled themselves in every way,

and although I should not be surprised, I was truly humbled by what

we did as a company and as a team.”

staging Chilfest

The low rise 15-metre wide Orbit stage supplied by Trust Events tucked

neatly into the corner of the Pendley Activity Meadow site

inconspicuously hugging the tree line. Blending sympathetically into

the surrounding countryside was always fundamental to the site

design.

UEP supplied all lighting equipment and visuals – LED screen,

cameras and IMAG mix – and asked HPSS from Hull on-board to look

after the PA system.

Ben Cash and Dave Amos of Flare Lighting – a London based visual

design duo – were commissioned by Butcher to create an overall

adaptable and dynamic production design that could cover the

range of acts playing and accommodate any last minute requests.

They sub hung two trusses from the Orbit which were shaped to the

roof curvature to maximise all the available height and ensured it

looked super neat, while a further upstage truss was installed to fly five

columns of UEP’s Glux 12 LED screen.

Cash ran the lighting. The moving lights were primarily Robe

products including 12 brand new Robe ROBIN Pointe fixtures just

purchased by UEP and doing their first gig.

Robe ROBIN LEDBeam 100s were arranged in vertical columns at

the back between the strips of LED screen, looking highly effective,

together with Robe LEDWash 600s and 300s which were dotted all

over the stage together with a few ColorSpot 1200E ATs.

In addition to these, six Clay Paky Shot Lights were used on the floor

as fillers down both sides of the stage; 24 x Showtech Sunstrips framed

the LED columns and outlined the front truss; and two Novalight High

Grounds were placed at the downstage edges for big bold effects

shooting right into the audience. A couple of six lamp PAR bars were

used for basic stage washes from the front truss.

Four Robert Juliat Korrigan follow spots were stationed at FOH.

Flare lighting provided the control package. A grandMA full size ran

the lighting and a grandMA light triggered their Catalyst media server

storing and playing back all the video content, which was specially

compiled for the show by Dave Amos. This appeared on the onstage

column screens, making a vibrant backdrop for all the acts, most of

which took to the stage in daylight. It was a smart move by Butcher to

get Flare involved and they brought a great sense of visual harmony

to the picture.

Two Glux 12 side screens were supplied by UEP together with six

cameras – five Sonys – two at FOH, a hand-held onstage, one in the

pit on track and one locked off side-stage – and a GoPro remote

behind the drum position for reverse shots.

These were directed by another regular UEP face, Mike Kane, who

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tich in full song

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worked with Jay Martinez on the IMAG side of the video.

The sound system was designed and specified by a combination of

stage manager Andy Nurse, who is one of UEP’s regular sound

engineers, Steve Bull who looked after FOH for the event and Steve

Butcher.

It was an L-ACOUSTICs system which filled the gently raked

auditorium perfectly. The main hangs were 12 boxes of dv-DOSC, a

side complete with seven SB28 and four dv subs a side, with four ARCS

for in-fills.

The FOH Yamaha PM5D console was spec’d by Saturday’s house

band, Blueprint, who backed up all the main performers and spent

several days rehearsing with them before the gig.

Some bands brought in their own engineers and those who didn’t

were mixed by Steve Bull. Howard Jones played with his own band

plus their full monitor system and video package.

At the stage end of the action the monitors were L-ACOUSTICS Hi-Q

wedges with ARCS/SB28 side fills and a couple of SB18 drum subs – all

powered by LA8 amps together with the main stacks. The monitor

console was a Yamaha M7 with two external cards boosting the

outputs to 32 channels.

Shure and Sennheiser wireless systems were supplied, plus a full

mics-and-stands package, primarily comprising these two brands.

Andy Nurse shared stage managing duties with Mike Lindsey,

James Fickling was the overall site manager and Charlotte Jackson

took care of all the health and safety and dealt with the concessions.

The backline was supplied by John Henry and the generators from

Charles Wilson – two 350 KVA synched sets behind the stage and

another at the back of the arena to power all the site lighting and

concessions. Power distribution and infrastructure was sorted out by

UEP with some kit from DPL Lighting.

The excellent security by London-based EMS, with whom UEP works

on many high profile corporate, impressed everyone with their

discreet presence and attentive attitude that cut a note with the

whole Chilfest vibe.

Steve adds: “Thanks also to Rob Merrilees at Dry High Lighting for

providing the six Clay Paky Shot Lights and some additional Robe

LEDWash 600s and big thanks also to my old mate Darren Parker at

DPL for supplying 12 Robe ColorSpot 1200E ATs along with the four

follow spots, mains distro and dimming.”

With 12 000 Chilfest fans flooding into Tring to enjoy a show stopping

weekend and not a single crime reported, the police were also

extremely impressed with the results.

Butcher has also been inundated with complements from the

artists on how well organised everything was and what a good time

they had.

So …. Looking to the future, the pressure is now well and truly on for

him to make it an annual event!

Although one part of Butcher wants to go for it, he had to do some

hard thinking about it while he was on holiday in August.

He needs to also assess the impact – if any – it had on UEPs core

business. The company is very busy anyway and Chilfest consumed

copious extra amounts of his energy in the first six months of the year.

There’s also the fact that it was a ‘special’ event to mark an

important landmark – their 15th anniversary. It was a resounding

success and in some ways to leave it there retains the magic and truly

exclusive nature of what he set out to do!

Many things are buzzing around Butcher’s brain right now –

including the fact that he feels he’s established a brand, with the

possibility of attracting sponsorship.

“My heart says ‘yes’, continue and do it every year,” he says,

however this month, he’ll be engaging in some straight discussions

before making any hasty decisions!


A ‘sorcerer’ among kings

there isn’t a lot of information online about you, eddie, but I did see that you’re from lima, Peru. How did a young man from lima get into doing sound for top acts?Everyone in my dad’s family are musicians. He owned a night club

restaurant and there were always like five or six acts a night so I was

the guy in charge of sound. Also any time he had gigs anywhere else

I would do sound, back when there were still knobs instead of faders!

So that’s kind of what I did. I have cousins that are artists, engineers

and producers in Peru as well as my brother producer/songwriter/

drummer Juan Caipo in San Francisco. I just followed the same path.

When did you move to the united states?Well, I was born in Los Angeles but when I was five years old my

parents moved us back to Peru. Then I came back to the States when

I was 18. I started working for a jingle house doing jingles and

voiceovers for the Latin market and that was around 1991.

so you’ve been a professional sound engineer since then?Yeah, I was doing mostly studio stuff back then but later when I

moved to San Francisco I started doing sound at famous venues there

like Slims, Paradise Lounge, Yoshi’s, the Fillmore, etc; just working the

club scene at night and doing studio stuff during the day.

42

Kings of Chaos, a super band consisting of members of arena rock groups guns n’ roses, Collective soul, Deep Purple and Velvet revolver visited south african shores recently to deliver an otherwise once-off collaborative concert, helped in no small part by their touring FoH engineer and Production Manager, eddie ‘el Brujo’ Caipo.

Peruvian and therefore spanish-speaking by birth, ’el Brujo‘ translates to ’the sorcerer‘, a fitting pseudonym for a man with a big smile, a twinkle in his eye and a sensibility for BIg, magical sound. throughout his career, eddie has worked with such top names as enrique Iglesias, smash Mouth and tears for Fears and is a veteran of the industry not only in the live sound arena but in studio work as well. Pro Systems journalist greg Bester caught up with eddie in the super Bowl at sun City to find out more.

eddie ‘el Brujo’ Caipo at the mixing desk for Kings of Chaos

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ConCert report lIVe eVentS

sound Harmonics

they call you ’el Brujo‘, which means ’the sorcerer‘. Why do they call you that?I was in a band with my brother and my cousin. Before I was in the

band I was their sound engineer and of course back then they were

just starting out so they were playing in really crappy bars and the

sound was really bad. Sometimes they couldn’t even get it to work.

So they would always ask me to help them with that and it didn’t

matter how bad the PA was, or how badly wired it was, I would

somehow make it work. The singer gave me the nickname ’el Brujo‘.

He said: “You’re like a warlock!” It just kind of stuck and when credits

came around people started using it.

you have album credits on allmusic.com for el rey, avance, Cell Block Five, Conga Club and skull Funk tribe. Have you worked on a lot of latin music in the past?Yeah, as far as the records go, a lot of them are Mexican punk rock,

funk, metal and ska records. At one point I was producing every

Spanish rock band in the Bay area in San Francisco. I was kind of like

the go-to guy for that.

so it wasn’t like the more traditional Buena Vista social Club-type of latin jazz?No, I was more on the rock/alternative side but I have done records

like that. That’s something that I really like and I’m really happy to

have worked in a lot of genres. I did do a record with Karl Perazzo and

Raul Rekow from Santana. That was an amazing experience,

recording and mixing two of the best percussionist in the world.

so making the transition to King of Chaos was quite easy for you in terms of the rock approach?Oh yeah, I’ve always done all kinds of music. Like I was saying earlier,

doing the club scene and working the Bay area in Berkley Square,

which was another place, you really get your feet wet a lot because

it’s like four bands a night, always with different backline. One day it

could be all death metal, the next day it could be all punk rock, the

next day it’s pop or Latin, etc, which made me find good things about

all styles of music. Music is music, after all. I’m very lucky to be able to

handle all styles.

Do you play an instrument?I play a little of everything but I always like to play percussion.

Do you think it’s important to have a musical ear in order to be a good engineer?Absolutely, I think it’s very important. If I had to choose a guy to sub

for me, I would go for the musical guy as opposed to a guy who’s

purely technical. Of course you have to have the technical

knowledge but ultimately the people listening to it don’t know about

that. So if it’s pleasant to them they’ll go: “The band was great!” So I

would say you have to be musical when you mix. It’s not always a

technical problem. Sometimes it’s just a balance issue. I think having

a musical background has helped me a lot and I think it would help

any engineer, even if it’s a love for music or knowing the differences

between the instruments. Everything starts at the source so therefore

it’s very useful to know what an instrument is supposed to sound like.

Kings of Chaos rocking the crowd at sun City super Bowl

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so you would say the technical aspects are incidental to purveying the music?Yes, absolutely.

I noticed that a lot of your subs are flown. Is that something you usually do?No. I don’t normally but that’s just kind of how this setup came about.

I have mixed experiences when the subs are flown. They actually just

brought me more today because we were having issues with

covering holes so now we’ve got 20-something subs strewn all over

the place not for volume but for coverage. Plus, those flown subs are

part of the PA.

I noticed the Pa is a d&b J series. Is that your go-to Pa?No, I’m usually an L-Acoustics guy. I love the V-Dosc and K1 systems

but I like d&b too. In Cape Town they provided a Vertec system,

which is very good for rock. d&b is a bit smoother so you have to push

it a little bit more.

I’ve heard through the grapevine that you’re a big avid Venue guy. you spec them for FoH and monitors on all your shows. However, I’ve seen on some of your pictures that you’re standing in front of big analogue consoles. Do you miss those days?No, not really. Those were old pictures and I was probably thinner, too

(laughs). Analogue consoles are amazing but to be honest I don’t

miss them too much. What we’re able to do with digital consoles

today is pretty amazing. My preference has always been the VENUE

Profile, pretty much since they came out.

What about the Venue consoles drew you to them?The flexibility, the sound and of course the biggest thing, which most

people say, is the fact that you can use your plugins. Coming from

the recording world, that’s a big thing. The fact that I can use my

favourite processors without lugging around racks and racks of gear is

great. All the good stuff that digital consoles bring; Avid is just really

good at that. It’s also super stable. I did a tour with Julio Iglesias a few

years ago in Syria where it was about 120 degrees outdoors and it was

flawless. It didn’t even budge.

What are some of your favourite plugins?I like the Bomb Factory 1176 and the Fairchild emulations. I like the SSL

bundle as well, especially with Enrique. He likes the compression on

his vocals. I like the Waves C6 multiband as well. I try to use the stock

stuff a lot of the times for when we’re travelling to keep show file

compatibility consistent. We use the Crane Song Phoenix tape

saturation a lot and I often ask for the Eventide Harmonizer stuff for

doubles.

you have a fantastic drum sound and your kick drum is fat and present without getting in your ear. How do you process your drums?I have two stereo sub-groups where I apply parallel compression. On

one I have the Avid Smack! plugin doing some heavy squashing on

the Opto setting and the other one is wide open so the blend of that

makes the drums sound in your face. However I do have separate

processing that do at the channel level, but just with the on-board

stuff. As far as the kick goes, I’ve put a lot of top on the kick for metal

but this is hard rock so it doesn’t really apply here. I also go for more of

the mid part of it like around 1kHz to 2.5kHz. There’s a bit of top end

on the kick too but just enough to get clarity. Of course, we have two

mics on each kick drum.

What mics are you using for the drums?There’s a SM91 and D12V on each kick. Matt Sorum is endorsed by

AKG so all the mics are AKG except for the snare where I’m using a

Beta57 on top and an SM57 underneath. I was pleasantly surprised

with the tom mics, which are AKG C518M. I used to dislike the

previous model but this new model is pretty good. Great top end and

the new mounts are way superior than the previous version. For

overheads we used AKG 414XLII. I really like them. It allows me to use

them in any form. Sometimes I used them for the whole kit and

sometimes just for cymbals and with the pattern options it makes it an

easy choice for me.

What about guitars?I’m using Shure SM57s and KSM32s. I like to put them together on one

speaker. I listen to the cabinet until I find a good spot and then I put

them together until the phase is correct. Sometimes I’ll pan them or

sometimes I’ll be crazy and delay one of them, depending on the

situation. It just allows me to separate and manipulate the guitars

without EQing.

the bass guitar is quite growly and distorted for the most part. How are you handling that?He’s got a pedal. He’s also a hard hitter so the way I route the bass is, I

go from the bass to the DI, from the DI to the pedal and from the

pedal to the amp. That way I have one clean sound and a distorted

sound coming from the amp, which is mic’ed. It allows me to

balance it depending on what the song requires.

What do you do on your time off?I play video games (laughs)! Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is my favourite

while on the road. Also, hanging with the family and getting some

quality time with them is also important to me. And maybe having a

glass of Scotch.

Being from Peru, have you ever been to nazca?I never made it to Nazca or Cuzco. I’m actually planning a trip for the

family to go to there so I’m looking forward to that.

segma –adam Hall

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Steering Innibos music festival to record crowds

Considering Afrikaans only makes up about 10% of South Africa’s

speaking language, the festival numbers at Innibos are even more

impressive – on the Saturday night alone, 54 000 people were in

attendance.

And it was an impressive billing this year, featuring the likes of Bok

van Blerk, Oros in ‘n Lang glas, Die Tuindwergies, Karen Zoid, Frankie

Fire, Bittereinder and VanFokKingTasties; and there was also a flea

market, various works of art on show and even a fairground thrown in

for good measure.

Sound Headquarters provided the lighting and audio for the main

stage, the latter of which centred on EAW’s new KF Series: 28 KF760s

made up the main PA; 12 KF740s were provided for the delays; and 24

KF730s were chosen for side fills. In addition, 18 SB1000 and 12 SB2001

subwoofers provided low-end reinforcement and 14 Microwedges

were deployed for fold back.

In terms of control, two Soundcraft Vi1s did the trick at FOH and

monitor position respectively, and the microphone setup constituted

a dozen Shure BETA 58s, each with its own ULX-D receiver.

The main stage lighting rig was designed by Johan Ferreira at JSF

Productions and was predominantly Robe-centric: a full-size

GrandMA console was in command of 24 Robin Washes; 12 Robin 600

Beams; and six Robin 600 Spots made up the core, which was

complemented by 24 Clay Paky Sharpys, 12 2K Fresnels and 24 Briteq

LED banks.

It also required a sizeable amount of LED – enter long-term AV

specialist, EPH Productions, which provided 250-square metres of LED

via its own 7, 12 and 16mm resolution Top Vision screens. Company

owner, Leon Pheiffer, brought in trusted colleague Penmac’s Malcolm

Finlay to lend a helping hand.

“I brought in Malcolm about six months prior to the event, We’ve

worked together many times on projects like this, but none are ever

quite the same,” Pheiffer says. “The whole stage was run with

(Dataton) Watchout graphics and video, which is Malcolm’s

speciality.”

Finlay used Watchout to cater for seven sources including two outer

Innibos is south africa’s largest afrikaans annual music festival. the four-day event attracted 106 000 people to nelspruit this year from 26 to 29June, where 48 bands took to five main music stages as punters went through 22 000 litres of beer, almost 25 000 pancakes and a rather alarming 8 646 rolls of toilet paper!

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screens, two huge towers (one at each side of the stage), two square

blocks in front of the drum risers and the back panels.

“We started with the drawing of the stage, then took every panel

and mapped it to the logical video resolution – basically, each one

had its own resolution; and then we put all of those panels together as

they needed to make up one composite image as viewed by the

audience,” Finlay reveals. “In addition to that, we were feeding all of

the music tracks for the band and click tracks out of Watchout.

Furthermore, although not spec’ed initially, later on we put live

camera feed onto the surface as well, across the whole stage or onto

individual panels as required.”

Despite being somewhat of an old hand when it comes to these

kind of events, Finlay insists that every one retains a uniqueness that

doesn’t allow him to even consider going on ‘auto-pilot’.

“We break up the stage and design every panel and feed, and

when we know what that is, we put the content together,” he

explains. “The amount of planning for this job was huge due to the

fact that what we’re really doing is creating a big music video that

runs across the whole surface for the duration of the show; all of those

screens were produced into one huge video which we mapped

initially and then had our content creator make background videos

to fit all the panels as if they were one surface – we then split them up

into separates.

“Like any job, you have to look out for certain things that could go

wrong, but because we’ve been doing it a long time, we know what

we’re looking out for, so we’re never coming in cold, so to speak – for

example, if we’re spacing the LED panels apart, we know that we

need to allow for gaps in-between and thankfully we can do all of

that very easily on Watchout.”

The EHP and Penmac partnership is impressive for a number of

reasons, not least the level of detail that went into certain elements of

the pre-production work for Innibos.

“Because you’ve got four different artists on the main stage each

night, there are never any repeats, which means we’ve got to study

what they’re all going to do,” says Pheiffer. “For this reason, we had

them send us their music videos, which enabled us to then

incorporate their respective look and feel on stage using a

click track.”

Resolution has come on leaps and bounds in the world of LED,

especially in the last few years, which is why it’s such major talking

point in the live industry. But isn’t a 5mm or 7mm screen overkill for an

outdoor event?

“Oh, the 5mm screen is awesome even for Powerpoint,” says

Pheiffer, with a smile. “But the benefits of the higher quality screens

are huge across the board. With an LED screen, you’ve got a

much stronger power lamp life, and for these kinds of events you

don’t get washed by the stage lighting, so if you’re doing a show

for a client on a hi-res screen on stage, you can see everything

perfectly, and it’s as bright as you can imagine. Nowadays clients

really like that.

“I’ll give you an example: we did an outdoor event in Durban

with a 70-piece orchestra and 40-piece choir and covered the PA

towers with 7mm LED as video walls, and although the audience

were only four metres from the stage, from where they were

standing it looked absolutely awesome, so there are certainly

major advantages in using these higher resolution screens.”

EPH also provided kit for several other stages: for the MK stage, a

Eurotruss roof structure was deployed along with a 12mm LED

screen centre stage and two 16mm screens for the sides; two

hangs of 12 JBL VerTec made up the main PA system with a

Soundcraft Vi4 at FOH and Vi1 on monitors; and lighting came

courtesy of 60 Martin Professional fixtures.

For the more modest Huletts and Arts stages, smaller JBL VerTec

setups were provided along with 16 Martin Professional fixtures

respectively.

According to Pheiffer, the event was a major success, and

although EPH is firmly established as one of the leading

companies in its field, he’ll never take his eye off the ball.

“Ourselves and Penmac are certainly pushing the envelope

when it comes to LED setups, and also, Watchout itself is pushing it

too in South Africa,” he states. “EPH is always trying new designs

and coming up with new ideas to keep us ahead of the game, so

as a company we are always evolving; that’s why we’re one of

the frontrunners in the country.”

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50

medIAtech AfrIcA sHoW report

Mediatech Africa – casting a global footprintOver 130 leading exhibiting companies introduced ground-breaking

innovations, services and products at Mediatech Africa 2013 to an

increased visitor attendance of media and entertainment

professionals with concrete buying interest.

This year saw a record-breaking 6 924 feet through the door

attracting crowds from all over South Africa including 424

international visitors of which 197 were from Africa.

The presentation zones were extremely well attended and

provided expert advice and captivating information for visitors

wanting to gain knowledge on film, broadcast and production as

well as pro AV, sound and lighting. Beyond a generous scope of

dynamic products and services, Mediatech 2013 saw an increase in

events, informative workshops, training as well as pertinent

conferences that initiated significant industry conversations for

planning and development.

SACIA hosted two member networking breakfasts that were fully

booked. “It was an extremely positive experience, with great

feedback from our members and a lot of interest from the broader

industry,” remarks Kevan Jones, executive director of SACIA.

Asikhule proudly introduced the first African Loudness Summit at

Mediatech and director Duncan Todd, was impressed with its

significant success, affording Asikhule the opportunity to meet all the

Summit objectives, which included: initiating a conversation between

distribution and production around the prickly topic of loudness

fluctuations in broadcast material.

“The Summit was full to capacity, thanks in no small part to the

efforts by the Mediatech event organisers to promote attendance to

If there is any speculation as to the level of

growth in media and entertainment

technology on the african continent,

Mediatech has proven that there is

unlimited potential, delivering another

successful show in 2013. With exhibitors

and visitors still overwhelmed with the

widespread industry relevant turn out, an

increased african interest and an on-going

trajectory of valuable business leads and

brand exposure, the biennial trade show

has earned its place as the continent’s

largest and most successful advanced

technology exhibition.

51

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their Africa-wide audience. Our delegates valued the convenience

of attending our Summit and being able to visit the continent’s largest

broadcast and production tech exhibition at a single venue.

“In addition, the Meditech-facilitated opportunity to present on this

important loudness content to the delegates of the SABA Digital

Broadcasting Infrastructure Platform Workshop that was held in

parallel with the Africa Loudness Summit, was extremely valuable

and, according to formal presentation assessment feedback

received, very well-received by delegates from all over Africa who

attended the SABA event,” says Todd.

The outdoor sound demonstrations proved once again, to be a

show achievement, with top sound specialists showing off the latest

audio sound, amplifiers and line array systems. Bernard Pienaar,

director of Viva Afrika, said: “Our experience at the outdoor demo

area was very positive and one of the highlights for us and the dealers

who visited us at the show.”

Matrix Sound was able to showcase the Alcons LR24 system for the

first time at Mediatech and Trevor Peters believes it was a risk that

paid off. He says: “We were congratulated by so many people who

heard the system that it felt like we had won an award on Friday. We

had nothing but positive remarks about the Alcons Audio LR24s from

competitors, engineers, company owners and the general public. It

was very rewarding.”

Without a doubt, 2013 saw a huge jump in the number of attending

international manufacturers and principles, increasing to 178, who

had an engaging and worthwhile experience at Mediatech.

Key players in content creation and live event technology were

able to participate in a unique platform for cutting edge technology,

ample industry networking and product engagement with a relevant

audience. Exhibitors across a number of different industry divisions

agreed that this year’s exhibition was a monumental and beneficial

event.

“Mediatech 2013 really was an experience for us on another level,

we knew we would have a high amount of client visits but didn’t

expect the amount we got, there was stages we couldn’t fit enough

people on a huge stand of 90sqm which is fairly big as it is. There was

definitely an increased African presence this year which became

evident when we were going through our leads and more than 40%

were from African countries.” – Maldwyn greenwood, Ceo, segMa“Overall, we received very good exposure, good publicity and

found Mediatech to be a worthwhile event for PENMAC and Dataton.

It is very much at an International standard with very impressive

participation from the local community.” – Malcolm Finley, Director at PenMaC audio Visual

“Mediatech was a definite step up this year, it certainly

felt that of an international trade show, I always got

great service and lively smiles out of the organisers and

exhibitors, and had a fantastic feel for the event in

general. A true Benchmark for Mediatech with

recognisable growth from 2011›s rendition.” – shaun Xavier, Marketing Manager, stage audio Works

“We are absolutely ecstatic with the overall standard of the

exhibition, with the international quality stands and the professional

approach that the exhibitors took in leveraging their involvement at

the exhibition. We are delighted with the attendance figures and the

increase in African delegates. The amount of international

manufacturers who made the trip out to support their local

distributors was also fantastic. This made for a truly intercontinental

show.” – show director, simon robinsonThe next Mediatech Africa will take place at the Coca-Cola Dome

from 15 – 17 July 2015.

52


Vale re Huart-gyors (export Manager)ayrton

Vale re shared with us

that it was his first time

at Mediatech and his

first time in South

Africa. “Mediatech is a

very professional trade

show, I have to remind

myself that we are in

Africa because in

terms of organisation,

product presentation

and quality of visitors

there is no difference in

comparison to trade

shows in Europe,” he says.

Ayrton displayed their entire range of products at Mediatech 2013

but most notably and new to their product line are magic panels.

“Magic panels are the new flagship of Ayrton in terms of innovation,”

says Huart-Gyors.

“Magic panels can be used in groups of 2, 4, 6, 8 and so on. They

provide an endless rotation in both span and tilt movements, you can

display video with them, and they can be used as a luminaire radio

wireless receiver. If you have a large number of magic panels they

can be used as a moving giant screen that provides 3D without the

need for glasses,” explains Huart-Gyors.

On Ayrton’s partnership with Sound Harmonics, he says: “We have

a new exclusive distribution partnership with Sound Harmonics here in

South Africa for two months now. They are a really great, proactive

team with a good knowledge of our products so we are very happy

to be working with them.”

anthony Harrison (Middle east and africa sales Manager)Calrec audio ltd

This was Anthony

Harrison’s second time

at Mediatech:

“Mediatech 2013 has

been really good for us

this year; the show

seems much busier,

there are lots of very

established customers

and lots of students

which is great because

it gives us a chance to

inspire the next

generation of audio engineers.”

“Calrec is doing pretty well at the moment in South Africa as our

consoles have just been picked up by SuperSport and the SABC. Our

consoles are on the higher end of the market and I think we are

definitely penetrating this market, but we do still have some work to

do,” says Harrison.

Calrec brought some cutting-edge audio technology to

Mediatech: “The Hydra is our audio networking technology, what this

allows is stage boxes to be distributed around a facility; multiple

consoles linked together which allows you to switch productions

between control rooms, in other words broadcast flexibility. It is a

proprietary network protocol developed entirely by Calrec. Bluefin

was the first audio DSP based on FPGA designs and we’ve expanded

on that. With the Artemis console there’s Bluefin2 which, with the latest

silicone technology, means it is more powerful. So in terms of

innovation we’ve expanded on existing products in terms of energy

efficiency and space saving,” explains Harrison.

On Calrec’s partnership with Tru-Fi he says: “Tru-Fi Electronics are

one of our longest standing distributors in the world, we’ve been with

them for over 15 years now and they represent us really well.”

stephane gressier (International sales Director)Chauvet lighting

It was Stephane

Gressier’s first time at

Mediatech. “We’ve

had a wonderful

experience at

Mediatech. A lot of

people inquiring about

our product line,

especially our

professional range

which is being

launched here in South

Africa for the first time. I

think Mediatech is

definitely on an international level, I visited a few other regional shows

in the Middle East and this show is a notch up in my books,” says

Gressier.

Chauvet Lighting has been in partnership with Audio Sure for 10

years and Gressiercommented that the Audio Shure team are great

to work with.

Ian staddon (Vice President of sales)DigiCo

“It’s my first time at

Mediatech and I

wasn’t sure what to

expect, but I was really

pleasantly surprised by

the quality of the

Mediatech Africa – global leader interviews

Clean, suppor t ive d is t r ibu t ion.

t ( + 2 7 ) 11 7 9 1 70 0 9 w w w w. t adc o . c o . z a e s a l e s @ t ad c o . c o . z a

yamaha

tadco

54


stands, the presentations and more especially by the number of

international representatives that have come down to South Africa for

the show. The quality of the attendees here at Mediatech has been

my personal highlight,” says Ian Staddon.

DiGiCo manufactures a range of digital mixing consoles, Staddon

explains: “Our main focus is live sound. The beauty of our consoles is

that the platforms remain the same all the way through so if you learn

how to use one console you can operate all of them. We use a

different technology called FPGA (field-programmable gate array),

which allows us to have all of the features working all of the time

whether we’re working at 48kHz or 96kHz, and we can also add

additional features to the software such as broadcast features which

allow us to enhance the software in a number of ways.”

Staddon adds that Tadco has been the DiGiCo distributor for a

quite a few years: “DiGiCo is a small independent brand; we still

manufacture everything in the UK. What we try to do when finding a

distributor is not necessarily choosing the biggest distributor in the

region but the most passionate about the industry, and we found that

in Tadco.”

anthony Wilkins (International sales Manager)Jünger audio

It was Anthony Wilkins’

first time at Mediatech

as well as his first time in

South Africa.

“Mediatech is

extremely busy! I go to

many trade shows

around the world and

personal experience

usually shows that the

attendance is getting

less and less. It’s crazy

how busy Mediatech

has been, it’s fantastic!

I wish every trade show was like this, Mediatech definitely holds its

head up with the best of them,” says Wilkins.

Jünger is a German company specialising in audio processing. The

big focus for them at the moment is products to manage loudness,

especially for television transmission. Jünger has numerous solutions to

help broadcasters both measure and metre loudness to ensure that

the viewer receives a consistent experience.

Michael strathmann (technical sales)Ma lighting

This is MA Lighting’s

second time at

Mediatech, Michael

deals with technical

sales and expressed to

us that he loved South

Africa and its people so

much that when the

opportunity arose to

return to the country

and Mediatech for a

second time, he took

it immediately.

“There are more people here, and much more to see, definitely of

a higher frequency. It is a good mixture from sound, video, broadcast

and lighting, and you don’t find that very often. So in that sense

Mediatech is quite unique,” says Strathmann.

MA Lighting brought with them their random gMA2 range of

consoles, live software versions for video servers, 3D simulation and

their new fader wing and command wing.

On MA Lighting’s partnership with DWR, Strathmann says: “They are

a fantastic team. They always know exactly what is going on, you

never get the answer: ‘I don’t know’.”

Christian latzelsberger (Head of sales & Director Business Development)rMe

“It’s my first time at

Mediatech and I’m

very excited. The show

has exceeded my

expectations; there are

a lot of quality

attendants and a

variety of interests,”

says Christian

Latzelsberger.

RME have always

been innovation

leaders in the audio

industry, Latzelsberger

told us a bit more about their latest innovations: “Here at Mediatech

we have the world’s first OctaMic XTC, it has eight microphone

channel ins and four instrument ins, and in addition we also

implemented ADAT, MADI and AES, so now it also functions as a router

and a converter allowing you to use it for multiple applications.”

“We also have the world’s first USB 3 sound card, the MADI XT; it is

intended to have three MADI streams in. If you have a digital mixing

console or other digital ins you can bring them in, and it also has two

microphone ins. On the other side it has USB 3, and PCI express

connectivity. So it is a very versatile and powerful unit which will be

arriving in South Africa in two to three months,” explains Latzelsberger.

Freddy sicko (sales Manager)shure europe

While it wasn’t Freddy

Sicko’s first time in

South Africa, it was his

first time at Mediatech:

“I’ve been really

surprised by the size of

the show. We have

made a lot of very

interesting and

valuable contacts

here. It’s a nice mixture

between end

customers, professional

users and companies. I have no doubt that Mediatech will continue

to grow.”

55

sHoW report medIAtech AfrIcA

tadco

Shure brought their new retail wireless systems; PG, SM and Beta

digital and analogue wireless microphone systems to Mediatech

2013. In recent research they discovered that their end customers are

really microphone-centric: “All they really want is a quality

microphone without a cable,” says Sicko.

We asked him about his longstanding relationship with Wild and

Marr: “We have been in a partnership with Wild and Marr for over 18

years. We have a very professional partner in them. They are able to

offer any kind of solution or service, and besides the hard facts it is

truly fun, the guys are wonderful and we have a very close

relationship with them.”

According to Sicko, Mediatech is of an international standard:

“Besides the size of the show, I sense no major difference in

comparison to international trade shows. Regarding the booths, the

products and the quality of the visitors, I think that Mediatech is just as

good as any international trade show.”

thomas ValtertC electronic

“I’m really enjoying Mediatech, it is such a broad trade show covering

everything from musical instruments, to production, to broadcast;

there’s something for everyone. I’m truly surprised by the amount of

guests at the show. It stands up to other international trade shows, the

quality of the show is just the same,” says Thomas Valter.

TC Electronic is part

of the TC Group. TC

Electronic recently

came out with a new

model in their Dual

Parameter Equalizer

(DPE) Series, the DPM

50, these speakers are

angled.

TC Electronic is

heavily involved with

the loudness debate:

“We have been

contributing for

many years to the

development of

new loudness

standards. We are working hard to integrate those standards into

our products and to actually get them out into the market,”

explains Valter.

The latest TC Electronic product launched is also a new

technology platform for them – the DB6. The DB6 is a television and

mobile television transmission processor that can handle loudness

metering at the input and output stages, up or down conversion,

loudness processing, on-line lip-sync delay and logging of all

relevant loudness statistics all in one process.

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

Distributed by

56


Florian Camerer interview

Florian, what drew you to audio?Very early on I started to play instruments, sing in choirs, playing in

bands and stuff like that so I was always really keen on music. Most

audio engineers come from the music side but I was always interested

in sound in general. So when I looked at a career path I didn’t look at

broadcasting specifically but it was high on the list so I started with

electrical engineering for a technical background and then I did

some sound engineer courses too. So the combination of the music

side, the sound side and the technical side of it kind of led me to job

opportunities in broadcast. ORF was the first employer I had and still

my only employer. I then realised what universe lay ahead of me and

I’ve never looked back. I am audio to the core.

so when you started out was the digital age starting to take over?Well, yes, it was slowly happening. It was the beginning so we were

still on analogue components in TV. DAT recorders started appearing

in 1993 so it was the beginning of the transition period.

and you were the first to mix surround sound for a documentary about the russian artic?Yes, at that time it was matrixed surround – so Dolby Surround –

because we only transmitted two channels. But I was also pushing

discrete surround sound very heavily around the company which

resulted in the ORF becoming the first public broadcaster in Europe to

transmit surround sound in 2003 with the New Years’ concert. It was

also the first European 5.1 live concert transmission ever. So we are

pioneers in surround sound and continue to be. We followed two

years’ later with our main cultural programme broadcast on satellite

radio with around 20 5.1 concerts per month.

so working back in those days did you start picking up a loudness problem at that time?(Laughs) Well who hasn’t? Everybody knows from the consumer side

starting 15 years ago the loudness differences due to hyper-

compression. The effects started becoming more noticeable.

Mediatech 2013 saw the emergence of a three-day seminar entitled ’the african loudness summit’, organised by partners asikhule, training professionals in the pro audio and broadcast industries; the issue at hand the grossly fluctuating levels between channel programming.

We all know the frustration of having to lunge for the volume control every time there is an ad break and this is what the loudness seminar aimed to address, helped in no small part by its guest speaker, Florian Camerer. Camerer is a member and chairman of the european Broadcasting union’s PlouD (eBu group on loudness) and architect of the proposed solution to the problem: the eBu r128. Pro systems journalist greg Bester caught up with Mr Camerer to talk about the summit and what it means for broadcasters in south africa.

By Greg Bester

Florian Camerer

audiosure – Chauvet

58


I’m aware of problems on the music side called the ‘loudness wars’ but also in broadcast?Yes, absolutely. Of course, it was always the ads that we blamed;

commercials too loud, promos too loud. That was the generic

crystallisation stone where we could point blame. But it wasn’t only

the ads and commercials; others used hyper compression as well to

crank it up such as hyper compressed documentaries. So the

loudness war, while not to the extent that it reached the music world,

still reached the broadcasting world to a very noticeable and

annoying level. It was listening complaint number one for many

years.

Why do you think that was – a lack of education or of production sensibility?You know, it’s kind of a hen and egg problem. We had a certain

modulation scheme in the analogue days when still transmitted in FM,

which I’ve learned is still happening in South Africa. We had this

meter called the ’quasi-peak programme meter’ where you don’t

see everything including all the nice peaks that contribute the

openness of a mix. This still allowed transmission, however, because of

analogue headroom. At one point in time which is entirely impossible

to trace, the modulation paradigm; having a certain studio level with

headroom and translating that to the frequency modulation side with

a certain reference deviation and maximum deviation to provide

that headroom, was violated. The reference level in the studio has

been attached to the maximum deviation and that meant that all

the headroom vanished. So all these nice transients of the original

content had to be cut off with limiters and the result was the station

then appeared a few dB louder than the rest but all the headroom

was gone so it sounded more compressed.

so do you think they saw that as an advantage?Absolutely! The louder station wins. If you zap through the dial, that

was the idea. This is slowly turning around but at least that was the

paradigm and how it started. And so, other broadcasters were kind

of forced to follow because they couldn’t afford to be the softest

station. It was all about advertising revenue and management

asking you why it was the case.

Do you feel that the processing employed by many broadcasters is almost like a band aid or fix for a problem that shouldn’t be there in the first place?Yes, absolutely. Because you get more or less compressed material

that in the world of peak level normalisation leads to higher or lower

loudness. In order to counteract that, processors were put into place

that levelled out these things with compressing the more dynamic

material. That was a solution that can only be a band aid solution

because it’s the worst of both worlds. It destroys the dynamics and it’s

not a systematic solution to the problem.

tell me about PlouD.PLOUD is a group within the EBU that has initiated all this loudness

work. I have tried to get such a group going in the EBU for quite some

time and after two years or so the EBU agreed, ok, you get your group

but you have to chair it. So I slipped into that role. The ‘P’ comes from

an old structure in the EBU where it was divided into the Production

Management Committee and the Network Management

Committee so we were originally P/LOUD. Eventually there was a

restructuring and we got rid of the slash.

Please tell me a bit about your involvement in the r128 standard.Because I have been the coordinator and chair of PLOUD and

a sound engineer myself, I have contributed some of the

figures and hard facts that went into R128. For instance the

400ms momentary time window is my initiative. There’s some

background behind it but it certainly came from my side. My

main role has been political in that I have driven to

synchronise manufacturers and users so that our standard is as

open and neutral as possible with no proprietary technology

in that all the measures are totally signal agnostic; the lowest

common denominator and a standard that will work

anywhere.

and by keeping is simple.Yes, keeping it really simple. R128 is in essence one page.

However, keeping it simple is usually the hardest work. We

really thought about every single word in R128 and we’re

pretty happy with it.

you mentioned K-weighting in your talk. Is that related to Bob Katz’s K-system?No, it’s a misunderstanding and is not related to Bob Katz.

That’s why I’m not entirely happy with the letter K. The ITU guys

had no clue about Katz’s K-System which is related to

dynamics and loudness. He has a set of different numbers for

listening levels which forces one to mix more or less

dynamically. But it doesn’t have anything to do with the

K-weighting filter. Although, Bob Katz is very aware of it and he

will love the day when he can master to our R128 specs. He is

actually a member of a sub-group of PLOUD together with

Bob Ludwig and Thomas Lund from TC Electronic. They are a

small group called the Music Loudness Alliance.

Being here in south africa have you had a chance to talk to any broadcasters?Yes, I have been to M-NET twice and talked to the guys there,

which was highly encouraging. It was very good; they know

their stuff. It looks like R128 is going to happen there. I also

spent two days talking at the SABA conference talking to

African delegates from all over the continent to acquaint

them with the idea of what this is all about. Many guys from

production houses also ask questions, so it’s looking very good.

you said we’re in transition phase because we have a lot of analogue broadcasting going on. Do you think this is our biggest hurdle?You know, there are ways to combine both worlds. It comes

down to the receiver manufacturers that levels coming out of

the digital and analogue decoders match. That’s entirely

doable. Coming from one source feeding both analogue

and digital chains with the same R128 compliant material

ensures deviation and demodulation levels match.

so it’s a calibration issue?Yes, it’s a calibration issue. So if the calibration that is in place

now is set up properly it shouldn’t be impossible at all to match

both worlds. Of course, if analogue is phased out completely

there’s less room for error. Viva Afrika Sound and Light (Pty) Ltd

Unit 2, 2 Drakensburg RoadLongmeadow Business Park West, West� eld

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

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

viva afrika

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Passive X-over Frequency: 450Hz / 2.2kHz Passive

Weight: 19Kg

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

K-LA Series

SW Series

Core TechnologyThe K-LA series is primarily used for fi xed installation

and touring systems. The result of in-depth research,

the Audiocenter R&D team has developed the unique

PTVTM technology which combines phase and

waveguide engineering together seamlessly.

A perfect match for all Audiocenter full

range speakers.

Viva Afrika Sound and Light (Pty) LtdUnit 2, 2 Drakensburg Road

Longmeadow Business Park West, West� eldPO Box 4709, Rivonia, 2128, South Africa

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

viva afrika

SW218 Dual 18” Subwoofer

Frequency Response (+/- 6dB): 30 – 100Hz


Driver: Customised Beyma 18” LF driver,

Neodymium magnet 4” voice coil

Connectors: Heavy duty NEUTRIK Speakon NLT4M

Power Rating (AES): 2 400W RMS / 8 000W Program / 9 600W Peak

Weight: 80Kg

Dimensions mm: 580(W) x 1 150(H) x 750(D)

K-LA28 Dual 8” 2 Way Passive Line Array



Driver: Customised Beyma and Faital driver

Connectors: 2 x NEUTRIK Speakon NI4MP

Power Rating (AES): LF 200 + MF 200 + HF 50W

Passive X-over Frequency: 450Hz / 2.2kHz Passive

Weight: 19Kg


K-LA Series

SW Series

Core TechnologyThe K-LA series is primarily used for fi xed installation

and touring systems. The result of in-depth research,

the Audiocenter R&D team has developed the unique

PTVTM technology which combines phase and

waveguide engineering together seamlessly.

A perfect match for all Audiocenter full

range speakers.

Viva afrika – audiocentre

60


Sounding out the Big 5one of my favourite parts of Mediatech africa,

whether as a visitor in previous years or as a journalist,

is the outdoor sound demos. It’s a rare opportunity to

be able to listen to almost all of the major loudspeaker

systems available in our market in one area in order to

get a bird’s eye view of their performance and overall

sound quality.

However, to extract an effective comparison in

these kinds of demonstrations it is of paramount

importance to listen to the same programme material

at the same perceived loudness, otherwise the ear will

be easily tricked into thinking a system is better when

in fact it is just louder. Well, that is exactly what was

done this year. In the intro sessions, a pre-mixed track

of three sample recordings was given to each

distributor to play back through each system at

85dBsPl so that the listeners may form an objective

opinion. I was there to listen to multiple sessions

throughout the three-day ordeal and this review

outlines my top 5 contenders for the best sounding

systems showcased at Mediatech.

alcons audio lr24

Truth be told, the Alcons LR24 is

not available in South Africa yet

but has been in the pipeline for

release for quite a while and

has left many fans of the

Netherlands-based company

waiting eagerly with bated

breath.

The LR24 is a dual 12-inch

medium format line array

system that features a 14-inch

tall high frequency ribbon

driver, which is the secret to its

sound. Alcons Audio, unlike

many other manufacturers using dome compression drivers through

specially designed waveguides, opted instead to develop the

Pro-RBN driver because, as they claim, it produces a ’naturally

cylindrical wave front‘ which is essentially the goal of any line source

system. Alcons also claims that due to the inherent agility of ribbon

drivers, transient response is increased dramatically and colouration

due to compression driver distortion is basically eliminated.

At Mediatech Africa 2013 we almost had to give up hope in

hearing the LR24 since there was a problem with the plane that was

set to deliver the system to our shores via SA distributors Matrix Sound.

However, luckily for us it arrived the on the last day and we were

finally able to hear what all the fuss is about. From the first note it was

clear that the claims made by Alcons were more or less true. I was

instantly impressed by the clarity and ‘quickness’ of the top end. The

midrange seemed smooth and natural and because of the

increased top end intelligibility, the stereo image danced around my

ears in an ethereal way. I like. I like a lot.

JBl VtX V25

The VTX V25 is JBL’s latest offering in

line source technology. Following on

the success of their previous Vertec

systems, the VTX brings a slew of new

technologies and patents the table

and a heightened sense of quality

that is immediately evident when

hearing the system.

The V25 is a full-size three-way

high-directivity line array element. It

features dual 15” differential drive woofers coming in at 2000W each,

mounted in die-cast aluminium baffles. Probably the most interesting

aspect of this system is the inclusion of the new D2 driver, a dual

diaphragm compression driver that includes many innovations like

specialised phase plugs and dramatically decreased distortion at

higher levels. The VTX as a whole boasts many new patents in its

design.

After hearing the VTX at the Rhema church in Randburg thanks to

SA distributors Wild and Marr, I knew exactly what to expect. These

speakers seem to ‘glow’ audio and have a fantastic tonal balance.

The top end is dramatically different from the Vertec series and seems

to have smoothed out quite a bit while the midrange is clear and

unobtrusive. Of course, coupled to the S28 subwoofers they make an

immensely powerful system with a lot of headroom and an even

coverage.

nexo stM

The STM system

concept is to

provide three

different modules

that can be assembled into their rigging system to create smaller or

larger systems based on the application. The three modules include:

The STM M46 main module, the STM B112 bass module and the STM

S118 sub module. The main module incorporates four 6.5” LF/MF

drivers and four HF compression drivers with a max peak SPL coming

in at a gargantuan 145dB. The bass module includes a single 3000W

+/ – 3cm excursion 12” LF driver with a max SPL of 141dB. The sub

module includes a single 18” LF driver with a peak SPL of 143dB.

The system assembled at Mediatech by SA distributors Tadco was

three main, three bass, and three sub modules per side in ground

stack configuration. Firstly, for the size of the system, the sound was

simply huge. I and others could not believe the amount of bass that

we were hearing from six single-18” drivers. However, because the

arrays were ground stacked the HF waveguides were pointed directly

at my head so the top end sounded a little bit hyped. I assume that if

the arrays were flown we would get a lot better impression.

By Greg Bester

61

sHoW report medIAtech AfrIcA

- High Performance HDX-powered - Pro Tools AAX Plug ins

- Simple, reliable network with AVB- 64 Channel Pro Tools Recording

- VENUE Software

- High Performance HDX-powered - Pro Tools AAX Plug ins

- Simple, reliable network with AVB- 64 Channel Pro Tools Recording

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segma – avid

Martin audio W8lM

Martin Audio is gathering a huge

following worldwide thanks the

success of their ground breaking

MLA series. At this years’

Mediatech SA distributors

Audiosure rigged up the W8LM, a dual-8” mini three-way line array

system. The enclosure features an eight-inch LF frequency driver, an

eight-inch MF driver and twin one-inch HF drivers fed into Martin

Audio’s proprietary constant directivity horn as seen on their W8L

Longbow and W8LC line arrays.

The W8LM impressed me immensely on the day with its fantastic

transient response and overall clarity. Given its small size it is quite

astonishing what big sound this system can produce and I was left

wanting very little from it in terms of tonal balance and stereo

imaging which, by the way, was fantastic. The localisation cues were

going off like fireworks in my brain and it just immersed me into the

sound further. My only complaint was that the second day I heard

the system it seemed to sound a little different but that just could have

been me!

dB technologies DVa t4

I love underdog systems that deliver the goods when everyone least

expects it. dB Technologies, distributed in South Africa by Viva Afrika,

showcased their DVA T4 system among others at Mediatech Africa

this year and gave the competitors costing much more a big run for

their money.

The DVA T4 is an active three-way line array system that combines

an eight-inch LF driver, a 6.5-inch MF driver and dual one-inch HF

compression drivers in an active

line source enclosure. The built-in

Class-D amplifier delivers a total of

420W RMS to the drivers in 100W(HF)

x100W(MF)x220W(LF) configuration.

The on-board processing includes

24-bit/48kHz DSP and a dual active limiter for

multiband RMS/peak limiting and thermal protection.

After hearing three other high end contenders before the DVA T4

the bar was indeed high and expectations were low. But this little line

array held its ground and turned out to be one of the favourites of the

day, delivering an astonishing tonal balance across the spectrum.

Paired with a ground-stacked end-fire array of DVA S30N dual-18”

subwoofers, the sound was full and chest pounding. However the

impression was not heightened solely because of the bass. The top

end was sparkly and clean with little perceivable distortion while the

midrange retained the clarity and warmth expected from a high end

system. Given the price of this little system, power, clarity and

sweetness were delivered effectively.

the wrap

One thing that the outdoor sound demos showed me this year

is that there are many good line arrays on the market today,

irrespective of price. In fact, I don’t envy the person who has to

choose one between them all to add to their arsenal. There

were others not mentioned in this review that also impressed

me which made it even more difficult to pick five that I liked.

The margin of quality is narrowing in this arena which, I

suppose, is a good thing for the listener!

62

StudIo & BroAdcASt proDuCt reVieW

Allen & Heath Qu-16 review By Greg Bester

Following the success of their glD

range, allen & Heath once again

brings a versatility and power together

into a compact package with the

qu-16, their latest digital console

offering. But this little beast is so much

more than merely a mixer. It boasts a

fantastic array of features across

multiple applications, sealed up nicely

into a slick, modern package.

Allen & Heath, the British audio company famous for their warm

sounding analogue consoles and fantastic EQs, have evolved like

any front leading audio equipment manufacturer, starting with the

custom MOD1 quadraphonic console built for Pink Floyd in the early

1970s, and culminating in their flagship iLive digital console series

today.

Their name can also be found on a number of studio mixer/audio

interfaces in the ZED range and their GS-R24M is an innovative mix of

a high quality analogue console, a Firewire audio interface and a

DAW control surface. Given this wide range of digital and analogue

technologies A&H has under its belt, it is no wonder that the Qu-16

was born, filling the gap between the GLD-80 and ZED ranges and

bringing their technologies together.

Features

Allen & Heath describes the Qu-16 as a: ’rack mountable digital mixer

for live, studio and installation’. The goal here was obviously compact

versatility. Basically, to cut to the chase, the Qu-16 is three things: a

digital mixer, an audio interface, and a DAW controller. But it doesn’t

end there. It has a few more tricks up its sleeve that we’ll talk about

shortly. First, the main I/O features.

The Qu-16 has got 16 local mono inputs (mic/line, XLR and TRS), a

dedicated talkback input, three stereo inputs (TRS), four stereo FX

returns, 16 busses, 12 mix outputs (LR, Mono, Mix 1-4, Stereo Mix 1 – 3),

four stereo FX engines, an Alt out, a 2TRK out, and one AES3 digital

63

proDuCt reVieW StudIo & BroAdcASt

output. The Alt, AES3 and 2TRK outputs can be individually assigned in

the mixer routing facility to be fed from a variety of sources.

Considering its size, this is already impressive. Also, there is a dSNAKE

remote audio port for connecting to A&H’s GLD-AR2412 or GLD-AR84

remote stage boxes and a network port for connecting to a

computer for MIDI over TCP/IP control or to a wireless router for live

mixing control via the Qu-Pad app. I’m told that when using the

24-channel GLD-AR2412 only the first 16 inputs are available.

Each input channel is driven by A&H’s recallable AnaLOGIQ

preamps. This means that you get total recall with every scene

change without having to physically adjust each preamp again. Of

course, you can’t have total recall without motorised faders and the

Qu-16 is no exception. Every fader moves.

As mentioned, the Qu-16 is also a multi-track audio interface. A USB

port on the rear of the console enables users to connect to their Mac

for instant, 24x22 Core Audio-compliant multi-track recording. This

disappointed me a little bit; however, as this means that it does not

work with a Windows PC. Hopefully A&H will decide to add PC drivers

in future updates. In any case, using the Qu-Drive direct multi-track

recording feature, it is possible to record and playback multi-track

audio directly from USB drives plugged into the console. Nice!

The usual suspects that one would expect to get on any digital

mixer are all there. There’s trim, polarity, HPF, gate, insert, 4-band PEQ,

compressor and delay for all inputs; inserts, 1/3 octave GEQ,

compressor and delay on the main LR and mono mix outputs; and

inserts, 4-band PEQ, compressor and delay on stereo mix outputs.

There are four stereo iLive FX engines as well, and along with the

built-in signal generator and RTA with peak band indication, you’ll

never need to lug an external rack again. Rack? What’s that?

Additionally, all features are nicely indicated and navigable in the

800x480 full colour touchscreen display.

Still, there’s more. The Qu-16, as mentioned, is a DAW controller.

When connected as a USB audio interface, control data will be

streamed concurrently to and from your DAW. All that is required is to

assign it in your DAW. What protocol this data is carried by, exactly, is

not clear from the A&H documentation.

Now, there’s one thing to know about the Qu-16 in terms of its

firmware. V1.0 does not support the following features:

• USB key transfer of scenes and mixer setup user assignable

custom layer

• Qu-Pad wireless remote app for iPad

• dSNAKE port for remote audio connection

• Compatible with ME personal mixing system

• User permissions to restrict operator access

Apparently these features will be added to the V2.0 firmware in the

summer of 2013.

In use

Unpacking the Qu-16 from its box I was immediately impressed by its

sleek construction. It looks somewhat similar to a serifed ‘L’ on its side,

which brings a very modern twist to the whole package. This makes

the enclosure very thin and lightweight, which of course belies the

true power of this little mixer.

First thing I did was put it next to my home studio setup, plug in the

USB cable to the Mac, plug my studio monitors into the Alt outs, and

turn it on. Sure enough, it was instantly recognised by the Audio and

Midi Setup dialogue of OS X. Since I only had a couple of days with

the Qu-16 and didn’t really have a gig to use it on at that point in time,

I decided to take the route of using it as an audio interface and feed

it some audio from the computer to get a feel for its facilities and

processing.

I must admit it took me a little while to understand how to assign the

incoming audio streams from the computer as, of course, I didn’t read

the manual first and kind of just took an approach of happenstance

discovery. Turns out the USB functionality has to be switched from

Qu-Drive to USB-B Streaming in the USB setup dialogue and the USB

button in the preamp section of each channel turned on. Once all

was assigned properly I was getting clear audio on every and any

channel from the computer.

I then chose to feed an un-mastered mix of previous material I had

recorded to get a feel for the on-board processing. I enabled all the

FX channels and fed the audio into the first stereo input channel in

order to link the stereo processing I was about to apply.

First thing I did was play around with the EQ and compression. I

found the EQ was typically smooth, which is to be expected of Allen &

Heath. Boosts and cuts sounded great and even at extreme settings,

there was minimal phase shift and brittleness. I found the compressor

to be very effective and it fattened things up nicely. This particular

mix was a live mix directly off of the stereo bus of a console so it had a

lot of snare and lacked bass. Setting the compressor to a fast attack

with a medium release quelled the snare a bit and caused the bass

to step forward a little due to the decreased dynamic range.

I then turned my attention to the FX engines to see if I could add a

bit of space to the otherwise dry and tightly focussed recording. I set

the first FX engine to an EMT plate reverb and, to my ears, it was just

luscious. It really gave the mix the space it was lacking and I was sold.

What I liked about the FX is that the graphic representation of the

processor changes through the categories to look ‘retro’, for want of a

better word. To me this just makes the process a bit more pleasant

than looking at a sterile GUI.

the wrap

I had a chance to check out the Qu-16 at Prolight and Sound

2013 in Frankfurt and was instantly impressed by its features. I

found it easy to navigate and a joy to mix on, which added to its

allure. Being such a small footprint mixer it’s actually quite

amazing how many features they’ve been able to pack in and

personally I can’t think of any other product in its class that can

accomplish the same things, never mind with equal precision,

but even at all! Well done, A&H, you’ve hit this one out of the

park.

64

StudIo & BroAdcASt stuDio tips

Finding the right spot to put the close mikes is a similar exercise which

sometimes requires an assistant. The fact of the matter is that there is

no way you can merely eyeball where and how to place your close

drum mics. It’s just not humanly possible. You may get lucky. That’s

entirely possible. But the only way to truly know is to move them

around the relevant drum until you capture the right tone and the

least amount of bleed. Every room and drum set setup is differently so

they will come with their own set of variables. These cannot be

circumvented by speculation so it is wise to always find that sweet

spot before pressing record.

So, once we have assembled the best possible components we

can in our recording chain, placed the drummer in a comfortable

position in the room that sounds best to our ears, it is time to start

miking.

these are generally the types of mics I tend to use for each drum:

Kick/Inside – aKg D112: I use the AKG D112 because it is a large diaphragm dynamic

microphone that can handle the low end and high SPL of a kick drum

whilst allowing for a clear attack and chunky mids. I also like the

Sennheiser e602 or the Audix D6 for a more tailored or scooped

sound. Nowadays I would say the D112 and the Shure Beta 52 are the

most common mics that I see for this application. The D112 is known

for being more on the ‘thuddy’ side whilst the Beta 52 has more of a

tailored, ‘pillowy’ sound. Other notable mentions to handle this duty

are the EV RE20, the Audio Technica AE2500, the AKG D12, or the

Beyerdynamic M88.

Kick/outside – rode ntK: Or any other quality large diaphragm tube condenser. This is a large

diaphragm tube condenser from the Australian microphone

company, Rode. I use this mic to give a little extra low end and a more

air to the kick drum to round out the isolated and sterile sound of the

inside mic. Most LDCs will handle this duty well because most of them

can handle high SPL very well. The Neumann U47 was the professional

standard for this application for many years and if you have one

available, use it!

snare/top – shure sM57 (or Beta 57 for a brighter sound): An industry standard. If you’re looking for more attack from your snare

but want to attain that naturally (without EQ), try the Shure Beta 57

Recording and mixing drums in the modern DAW: Part 2 – Finding the right spot

greg Bester discusses choices and placement of mics around a drumkit in a studio recording situation.

I The fact of the matter is that there is no way you can merely eyeball where and how to place your close drum mics. It’s just not humanly possible. You may get lucky. That’s entirely possible.

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65

stuDio tips StudIo & BroAdcASt

because it has a more pronounced upper mid-range presence peak

than the SM57. Dynamic mics are mostly selected for drums because

they handle the transients better as a result of their rugged and slower

moving elements and can also take high doses of sound pressure.

However that doesn’t mean a condenser microphone can’t do a

great job. There are millions of other options out there that would work

just as well on snare drum but what I would suggest is start with the

SM57 to gain a reference and move on from there as it has been used

on countless albums and is tried and tested.

snare/Bottom – (or beta 57 for a brighter sound): The main purpose of this mic is to pick up the sound of the strainer on

the bottom of the snare drum. I like to use the same mic as the top as I

find that when you flip the polarity, a more even sound is produced.

But that’s just my personal taste. Other engineers may prefer another

mic. This is a matter of taste so you may find you need either a brighter

or a darker sound and will have to choose a mic accordingly. That

will provide that sound. This is one of those things that cannot be

taught and comes by experiencing different microphones.

nB. As far as the snare mics go, generally the bottom mic’s polarity

is flipped in relation to the top mic and is blended accordingly to mix

in the sound of the strainers. This is because the bottom mic, being

that it’s pointed up at the bottom head underneath the snare drum,

will naturally be opposite in polarity to the top mic. This occurs as a

result of the diaphragm’s movement being directly analogous to the

movement of the drum skin when struck. When the top head is

caused to depress by being struck by the drumstick, the bottom head

reacts oppositely in relation to the axis of the bottom mic and is

captured as such.

In short, the bottom microphone is capturing the opposite motion

of the bottom head in relation to the top head, i.e. the reverse polarity

of the pressure wave created by the striking the top head. This will

usually cause certan phase cancellations when combined with the

top mic so initiating a polarity reversal by way of your mixers’ channel

polarity switch will bring both signals back into phase. However, this

does not mean that it will sound best for the material so check to see if

the polarity reversal will supply the sound you are looking for. Once

again, let your ears decide.

Hi Hat – aKg c418 mini-condensor: This is a mini condenser that was originally created by AKG for

percussion instruments. Being as such, the microphones’ response is

bright with a presence peak in the high upper midrange and a gentle

bass roll-off starting at around 500Hz at a 6dB/oct slope. This, to me,

makes it a perfect candidate for miking hi hat as it’s nice and bright

with an unobtrusive midrange and a nicely rolled off low-end. This

supplies me with a good sound before it hits the tape that never

needs to be EQed. Alternatively, any other decent small diaphragm

condenser will work such as Shure SM81 or an AKG 451.

toms – sennheiser MKII 421: These microphones have been the industry standard for miking toms

for decades although any good quality cardioid dynamic

microphone will work as well. SM57s will handle these duties just fine

and so will some large diaphragm condensers (some engineers use

U87s!), which is fine, but I prefer dynamic mics for rock/pop because

they are more directional and therefore tamer when it comes to

cymbal bleed. What makes the 421’s so nice is that they are clean,

punchy, and focused while supplying a great deal of top end

rejection from the outward extremes which makes them perfect in

the battle of minimising cymbal bleed when recording drums. This is

because at the upper frequencies the polar response of the

microphone becomes narrower so cymbal bleed is minimized while

the on-axis sound, ie. the tom, is maximised.

overheads – neumann tlM 103 matched pair: I prefer large diaphragm condensers for the overheads but any

matched pair of small diaphragm condensers (as best quality as

possible, of course) will work fine as well, especially if you’re using an

X/Y configuration, which is the method of aligning the capsules of

two microphones vertically at around 90 degrees. This results in a

focused stereo image that collapses well into mono. To me, the

overheads are the most important in the drum kit miking process, so

careful attention must be paid to their position and the quality of their

capture.

A quick note on overhead mics is that, for me, this is where the

sound of the drumset starts. Early on, it was a major revelation to me

when I realized that the overheads are not there to merely capture

the cymbals. In fact, I would say that starting with a great overhead

sound that captures a balanced image of the entire kit (as always, to

match your production goals) is probably the best approach. This

forces you to, firstly, get the drums themselves sounding as best as

possible and, secondly, to get a good sound with just two mics.

Finally, when it comes to choosing overhead microphones, the

options are myriad and varied. Would I recommend dynamic mics as

overheads or even a single mic, i,e, a mono overhead? Sure, if it fits

the vision of the production. I do think it’s safe to say that the options

are open. In my experience, the most common choice of

microphone when it comes to overhead miking is the condenser or

capacitor variety followed in close second by ribbon mics. Notable

mentions for overhead applications are: AKG C12V, AKG 414, Royer

Ribbons, Neumann U67/87, RCA 77 and many others, including worry

free stereo microphones.

The overall placement of the microphones all comes down to

knowing their polar responses and placing them in order to capture

what you want and to reject what you don’t. This can be a tricky

exercise, especially when dealing with a drummer who sets his kit up

very tightly so getting a mic in there proves to be almost impossible. In

my experience, a seasoned studio drummer who is aware of the

basics of studio recording will be able to adapt his kit slightly to

accommodate microphones. All drummers should know that failure

to compromise might mean a compromise in sound quality if the

engineer cannot capture what is necessary to suit the material. So,

after you get the guy to move his splash over a few inches, the

tracking can begin.

“In my experience, a seasoned studio drummer who is aware of the basics of studio recording will be able to adapt his kit slightly to accommodate microphones. All drummers should know that failure to compromise might mean a compromise in sound quality if the engineer cannot capture what is necessary to suit the material.”

66

StudIo & BroAdcASt inDustry eXpert

Mar

ius M

arais

tell me how you got into sound.I got into sound because it was easier than music, or so I thought. Or

rather, playing music as an instrumental skill. I had grown up around

music and always sought out to be a musician. I went to music

lessons from the age of five and music was always in the family.

yes, your father is the famous saxophonist eckie eckhart, isn’t he?Yes, he bestowed upon me a great many gifts he got from working at

a music shop like harmonicas and drums and recorders. And not just

recorders but nice recorders like Yamahas, etc. From recorder it was

piano and from piano it was the saxophone. I then tried drums for a

while and then tried bass after carrying around drums. I then got a

massive bass amp which made me not want to play bass anymore!

(laughs).

When did audio come into the equation?Well one day I happened to walk by a jazz club when my dad was

looking for a gig and the owner was in need of a sound engineer. Of

course, before that I was throwing rave parties with my friends and

since my father owned a PA, I was always roped into being the sound

provider for these no budget, teenage jaunts which would include

things like procuring electricity from lamp poles at Zoo Lake. Then I

learned very quickly about electricity and how it hurts! So I already

had a bit of grounding in audio, which prepared me for working at

the Bassline in Melville, which was my first real gig.

How did the Bassline help develop your skills?Well, I got a lot of guidance along the way from some very good

teachers, one of whom was Ian Osrin who suggested I bypass the EQ

at the Bassline, which I wasn’t allowed to touch being a junior

engineer, and which subsequently made the system sound like a real

sound system.

so that was your first encounter with Mr osrin?It was indeed. That was my first foray into sound as it should be as a

basic philosophy. Because we become so involved with the process

we often don’t look at the basics and go back to the principles of the

fundamentals. Any adjustments you make should be well considered

because often the best thing to do is nothing at all as opposed to

over complicated smoke and mirrors. I generally try to maintain a

neutral profile as a conduit between the material and audience.

Did you study audio at all?Well while I was working at the Bassline I went further with my audio

studies at In House Audio College which had a supplementary effect

in that I then started understanding the peripheral, fundamental and

theoretical approach to audio. Of course, I had already had a very

hands-on experience at the Bassline which pulled it all together. As

time went on my position at the Bassline became tenuous and that is

where Ian Osrin, who owns a studio, came into the picture again.

What did you learn from Mr osrin?Well, Ian is multi-faceted. He does a lot of broadcast recordings,

studio work and multi-track live recordings so those are the three main

branches of the audio world that I got exposed to, along with some

really interesting clients.

Did you find that an easy transition? Did you get more inspired by the studio?At the time as a budding young engineer I was able to buy myself a

PC at great expense along with some software which allowed me to

produce music in my bedroom on PC speakers. I initially started

recording live performances at the Bassline on a Roland VS880, would

dump them into Cubase one at a time and then line them up

manually. The point is that I was learning all the time and attempting

to achieve certain things without much guidance. I also had friends

who were interested in the same thing so that helped.

tell me about your work with Miriam Makeba.By the time I started working at the Digital Cupboard I wasn’t

completely oblivious to what was going on so it wasn’t long before I

had progressed from basic tea boy and tracking guy to a little bit

more in control. Often projects would begin with me as tea boy and

end with me mastering them and Miriam Makeba’s Reflections

album, on which I was only supposed to work on the pre-production,

was one of them. That was the first album I really started functioning

on and I ended up being nominated for Best Engineer at the SAMAs.

all this time were you still working in live sound?I think it initially started when I subbed for Dave Seagull because he

was unavailable and because I was more available than the other

guys I got a chance to do a lot of touring with bands like Stimela and

Marcus Wyatt. At the time there were a lot of opportunities in the live

music festival scene. There were big festivals happening every

weekend so it was quite lucrative to be a studio engineer during the

week and then a live engineer on the weekend.

Gavan EckhartGavan Eckhart is one of South Africa’s top Sound Engineers that rules under the radar. He is a virtual expert in almost every area of audio including but not limited to recording, mixing, live sound, post-production, mastering and broadcast audio.

Quite simply, he can handle anything you throw at him. Look-ing at his client list, the mind boggles: Miriam Makeba, Stimela, William Kentridge, Freshlyground, Lucky Dube, Marcus Wyatt and Phillip Miller, to name a few, which gives testament to his output of excellent work and steadfast production ethics.

He’s recorded orchestras, mixed film scores, recorded and mixed a plethora of artists and bands, handled location record-ing for top local TV shows and toured the world as a live sound engineer, representing the cream of the crop of our local profes-sional community.

Pro-Systems journalist Greg Bester caught up with Gavan at his studio to learn more about him and get his perspective on all things audio. Here’s what he had to say.

gavan eckhart

67

SocIAl

Marcus Bowes and Jubulani Khoza

Chanti raven, Matt raven, timothy Hamman and Carl nicholl

James garden, quentin Barkhuizen and Michael Hall

Basey nchoe, gladwin letsoalo, Denzil Francke and Dennis Msimango

newton stanford, steve goldberg, Paula Zapata, lauren Badenhorst and Pieter Badenhorst

andre Bragard-de naeyer, robbi nassi, suren lutchman, Mags schoeman, linda swart and grant olivier

Dennis Herold and shaun Kerr

tagwireyi rungano and allan Chiweshe

Zane Cretten, Harry gladow, george van gills, Mark geldoff, Jaoao Martins Bastos, remco van Kuilenberg, Helmut Protte and Kevan Jones

Jess goedhals, Johan Chandler, Bryan Deuchar and gordan Hiles

Melanie robinson, simon robinson, Chanelle ellaya, greg Bester, Ida achiume, Carly Barnes, Jessica neumann, Claire Badenhorst and simone de Beer

Bernard Pienaar and luis Madeira

shaun de Ponte, Marius van straaten, stephen nell and Werner uys

gianluca Dalessandro and oscar Brinkman

tumelo Zulu and teboho Monare

atul Joshi and Khalid Kachawa

Mark Hull, gustav teitge and anton van Wyk

Chris Vermaak and sarel Hlungwani

Seen at Mediatech Africa 2013 – Coca-Cola Dome, Johannesburg

68

SocIAl

Ivan Potter (iled), richard Jowett (aV Designs) and Bruce Kinnear (iled)

Pieter Venter (aV gurus), Kyle White (radionics Distribution) and Justin Fothergill (radionics Distribution)

a training session in progress

Justin Mamulis (iled) and Bartho erasmus (elite tech)

Dean tapuch (Integrated Homes) and Wendy griffiths (CeDIa)

supersport’s refilowe Kotsedi and sanele gumede with tadco’s Kyle robson

Perry elias (tadco)

Darren salkow (Élan), oren Prato (Intello Home), sebastian Maritz (iled), Justin Mamulis (iled) and Warren Hunter (Intello Home)

Christian Beukes (sphere Custom Design), geoff Meads (Presto aV), Matt Dodd (CeDIa) and Kevin Bishton (KMB Digital)

CEDIA Evening – Black Eagle Conference Centre, Roodekrans

Digico Training – Tadco offices, Jhb

Prosound: Francois lotter, grant scott and terry acres

Concilium: andrew Cole and steve alves

DWr Distribution: Joshua Cutts, Bruce riley, nick Britz, robert Izzett and Duncan riley

Christie: Dale Miller, Brant eckett, Phil lord and annalise Hodgson

VIva afrika: luis Madeira and Bernard Pienaar

Inala: Viwe gantsho, Colin Wainer, Zak shaikh, Hanli reinecke, leander serrao, anton van staden and goodman siwela

Mediatech Africa 2013 Platinum Stand award winners – Coca-Cola Dome, Jhb

3-Way ActiveLine Array Model


3-Way Active

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DVA T12 3 Way Active Line Array Module with DSP processing


Max SPL: 136dB

HF Driver: 3 x 1” Neodymium Compression Driver

MF Driver: 2 x 6.5” Neodymium Compression Driver

LF Driver: 12” Neodymium Compression Driver

Power Rating (RMS): LF 710 + MF 350 + HF 350W

Weight: 29.9Kg


DVA T8 3 Way Active Line Array Module with DSP processing


Max SPL: 132dB

HF Driver: 2 x 1” Neodymium Compression Driver

MF Driver: 1 x 6.5” Neodymium Compression Driver

LF Driver: 8” Neodymium Compression Driver

Power Rating (RMS): LF 350 + MF 175 + HF 175W

Weight: 14.2Kg


Full of Technology

Viva Afrika Sound and Light (Pty) LtdUnit 2, 2 Drakensburg Road

Longmeadow Business Park West, West� eldPO Box 4709, Rivonia, 2128, South Africa

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

viva afrika

Viva afrika – Hybrid

Block C, Unit 1, Kimbult Industrial Park

9 Zeiss Road, Laserpark, Honeydew, 2170

Tel: +27 11 794 5023 Fax: + 27 11 794 5702

[email protected] www.dwrdistribution.co.za

DWr

ps july aug13 web

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