Audio Pro International Issue 26 February 2010

www.audioprointernational.com

Issue 26 • February 2010

MIDAS BUYOUT • RED SQUARE AUDIO • ISE PREVIEW • MODERN WORLD STUDIOS

LIVE • COMMERCIAL • RECORDING • BROADCAST

INSIDE OUTSIDE

Sound Forms brings indoor acoustics to the outdoor stage

EBONY SERIES VALVE MIXERSCLASSIC SERIESIVORY 2 SERIES

EMI Music Publishing London with VTC 48 channel console

EVENTSISE PREVIEW • 11The latest news from the industry’s fastest

growing show

NAMM REVIEW • 15What went down in the California sun

MODERN WORLD • 29Tetbury UK’s state-of-the-art recording

complex

NEVE 2254 R REVIEW • 32Wes Maebe reviews the classic reissue

WAM • 34An organisation devoted to getting more

women involved in audio engineering

STUDIO/BROADCAST

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MIDAS BUYOUT • 16An exclusive chat with Uli Behringer and Midas

MD John Oakley on the recent aquisition

RED SQUARE AUDIO • 24Interview with industry veteran Paul Nicholson

COVER FEATUREMAPS • 26A new stage construction devised to bring indoor

acoustics to the outdoors

LIVE SOUND/INSTALLATION

> Regulars: Behind the Board 33 In Session 38 People 40 Products 42 Marketplace 45 Mixdown 48

> IN THIS ISSSUE

CONTENTSISSUE 26 February 2010

Contacts for Audio Pro InternationalEditorial: +44 (0)1992 535646 Ads: +44 (0)1992 535647

Fax: +44 (0) 1992 535648

Editor: Andrew Low

[email protected]

Deputy Editor: Rob Hughes

[email protected]

Advertising Manager: Darrell Carter

[email protected]

Editorial Production: Helen French

[email protected]

Ad Production: Rosie McKeown

[email protected]

Subscriptions Manager: Hannah Short

[email protected]

Designer: Claire Brocklesby

[email protected]

Managing Editor: Andy Barrett

[email protected]

Publisher: Dave Roberts

[email protected]

The big news of the month,

or even the year, was

Behringer’s purchase of

British live console mainstay

MIdas from Bosch.

While some had a field day on

our website making speculations

on the future Midas’ desks as a

result of the MI manufacturer’s

history of producing entry level, Chinese-made kit,

Midas was sitting quiet and revelling in the fact that

being backed by a company with a huge bank roll

and massive buying power means more resources

and cheaper raw materials. If Uli Behringer is smart

he will support the legendary brand and history

and leave things as they are. See a full exclusive

interview on pages 16 to 18.

We were lucky enough to make a trip out to the

Cotswolds to check out Nick Cowan’s Modern

World Studios (pg 29). Cowan’s hidden complex is

Tetbury UK’s one and only rock n roll recording

studio, fully equipped with a SSL Duality and a

guitar collection like you have never seen. Modern

World reminded us of the luxuries and positive

working environment that a well-planned studio

can offer, while still remaining competitive enough

to keep its doors open.

This month we focus on the history and gear at

Modern World, but we had a good chat with

producer Greg Haver and engineer Clint Murphy

during our visit about recording techniques and

trends, and that will appear in a later issue.

San Francisco’s Women’s Audio Mission (pg 34)

is an inspiring group of people who have rallied

together to get more women involved in audio

engineering. Led by Terri Winston, WAM has a fully

kitted-out recording studio with gear donated

from generous manufacturers who share its feeling

that more women should be given the opportunity

and encouragement to get involved in pro audio.

Finally, Europe’s biggest show for AV system

integration, ISE happens this month. It will be a

true indicator of what’s in store for 2010 and we’ll

be scouring the floor to bring you a full report on

the gossip, news and hot new products at the RAI.

Andrew Low - [email protected]

mobile.audioprointernational.com

A bookmark us in your phone

EDITORIAL

RSG EUROPE • 4Restructuring of RSG’s European operations

AKG GRAMMY • 4Mic firm honoured for contribution to the arts

AMPCO BELGIUM GOES INDY • 5Belgian pro audio firms part company from

Ampco Flashlight

AINLAY & MASSENBURG 6Legendary US engineers host masterclasses

NEWS

Roland Europe restructures

> NEWS

RSG restructures brands and merges Edirol Europe operations and the European Roland JV subsidiaries

THE ROLAND Corporation hasannounced a restructure of its brandsand a merger of its Edirol Europeoperations and the European Roland JVsubsidiaries in order to ‘give more focusand strength to its distributionthroughout the UK and other keymarkets in Europe’, according to astatement from the company.

In the UK, the Edirol sales andmarketing operation in Chiswick willnow merge with and be run by RolandUK in Swansea, effective from January1st, 2010.

The Edirol brand will focus on itsvideo products and field recorders. Itwill become fully integrated with RolandSystems Group’s audiovisual solutionproducts alongside Roland’s award-winning RSS Digital Snake and V-Mixerrange, based on the Roland EthernetAudio Communication protocol.

Edirol Europe started 11 years ago inLondon as the sole distributor inEurope for Edirol branded productsmanufactured by Roland and wasspecifically designed to address newmarkets in the fields of audio and videorecording, editing and mixing. Thecompany premiered many pioneeringproducts in various areas such as USBand FireWire audio capture interfaces,hand-held field recording products,video editing suites, vision mixers andvisual effects processors.

The statement explained that theRoland and Boss brands will still leadthe way in the musical instrument

sector, while the Cakewalk by Rolandbrand will be focused on computermusic hardware and software products,effectively becoming Roland’s desktopmusic production brand. Roland’sdesktop music products will therefore bebranded Cakewalk by Roland.

“We are extraordinarily proud ofwhat we have achieved in Europe withEdirol over the last 11 years,” said EdirolEurope’s founder and managing

director, Massimo Barbini. “We havemanaged to enter completely newmarkets from scratch and build someamazing success stories along the way byworking very closely with key partners inthe industry. The merger of operationswith existing Roland JV companies willguarantee the continuity of this successstory and allow Roland to focus on itsbrands with a whole new level of co-ordinated efforts inside the group.

“I would like to thank all of mycolleagues for having spent many greatyears together and for all of their hardwork in making Edirol what it is today.”

This merger of operations will takeplace in all territories where bothRoland and Edirol Europe currentlyoperate and will result in a morestreamlined distribution networkthroughout Europe with Roland. > rolandsystemsgroup.net

4 audioPRO February 2010 www.audioprointernational.com

EvenTech Scotland postponedRecession suspends Scotland’s 2010 show

EVENTECH SCOTLAND, thesound and light trade show thatwas to be held in Glasgow thismonth, has been postponed.

Show organiser ScatteredMedia has attributed the move tothe recession. An officialstatement read: “Following adetailed review of themarketplace and taking intoconsideration the currenteconomic climate and the strainthis is having on manycompanies' budgets at present,the decision has been taken topostpone the upcoming editionof evenTech Scotland.”

The show was due to takeplace at the Thistle hotel fromFebruary 10th to 11th next year.Following the postponement ofthe event, Scattered Media hasassured concerned parties that it

is currently considering potentialdates later in the year and willmake an announcement as soonas a suitable time slot can beconfirmed. The company willcontact exhibitors to discuss thematter in more detail.> eventech-scotland.com

AKG to receive Technical

Grammy from NARASAKG HAS received a TechnicalGrammy Award from the NationalAcademy of Recording Arts &Sciences (NARAS).

The award has been given inhonour of the company’scontribution to the artand science of musicrecording andperformance, as it isrecognised as amicrophone andheadphone innovator.

The award, whichwas presented atGrammy Week in LosAngeles in January 2010,represents an historic first inAKG’s history.

From The Beatles’ watershedperformances in Shea Stadium in1967 to Aerosmith, the RollingStones, Frank Sinatra, and today’s

most progressive and successful artistslike Jay Z, Missy Elliot and KayneWest, AKG microphones andheadphones have provided greatsounding technologies to support

some of the most demandingand creative projects.

AKG is in goodcompany, with this year'sonly other GrammyTechnical Awardpresentedposthumously toThomas Edison,

inventor of thephonograph, early motion

picture technologies, and theincandescent light bulb.

Harman's JBL brand also earned aGrammy Technical Award in 2005, thefirst and only loudspeakermanufacturer to be so honoured. > akg.com

Barbini (left) will be moving to France to launch RSS, while Edirol in the UK comes under Tim Walter’s jurisdiction

NEWS <

www.audioprointernational.com audioPRO February 2010 5

Midas buyout

PAGE 16Installation special

PAGE 20Red Square Audio

PAGE 24

RADIO MICROPHONE and in-earspecialist Hand Held Audio hasannounced an investment plan thatwill allow it to fulfil clients’requirements through the changeoverfrom radio mic Channel 69 toChannel 38. The plan includesoffering systems from AKG,Sennheiser, Shure and Trantec.

After settling into its new HQ inEnfield, UK, Hand Held Audio hasspent some time re-organising itswireless rental stock. The object hasbeen not only to anticipate the coming

changes in spectrum availability, butalso to offer more choice to rentalcustomers in terms of price and brand.

Ofcom recently announced thatfrom January 4th this year Channel 38would be available for users (withregional restrictions) for radio mic usein the same way as Channel 69 was.This was done to smooth the path tothe loss of Channel 69 on January 1st2012 (resulting from the Ofcomspectrum sell-off, which follows theDigital Switchover). > handheldaudio.co.uk

HHA adapts tospectrum changesInvestment plan in place to aid in switchover

THE MPG (UK) has announced theshortlist for its 2010 Awards, whichtakes place at London’s Cafe de Parison February 11th 2010. The finalistsare as follows:

Producer of the Year:Jim AbbissPaul EpworthEthan JohnsSteve Lillywhite

Recording Engineer of the Year:Haydn Bendall Mick GlossopTony Platt

Best Mix Engineer:Flood (Mark Ellis)Mark ‘Spike’ StentCenzo Townsend

Best Mastering Engineer: Tony Cousins; Ray Staff; Tim Young

Best Live Album:Buena Vista Social Club – AtCarnegie HallEric Clapton and Steve Winwood –Live at Madison Square GardenVan Morrison – Astral Weeks Live atthe Hollywood Bowl

UK Album of the Year 09:Dizzee Rascal – Tongue N CheekFlorence & The Machine – LungsMuse – The Resistance

UK Single of the Year 09:Bat For Lashes – DanielFlorence & The Machine – Rabbit HeartMuse – Uprising

Best Re-mixer:Simian Mobile Disco SixToesSkream (Oliver Jones)The Go! Team

The Joe Meek Award:Les Paul

Best Breakthrough Producer:Carl BownJason BoshoffPaul Savage

Best Breakthrough Engineer:Mark RankinJimmy RobertsonPaul Savage

Best Studio:AIR LyndhurstBritish Grove StudiosKore StudioLivingston Studios

Best International Producer of theYear:T-Bone BurnettBrendan O’BrienRick Rubin> mpg.org.uk

THE BELGIUM-BASED salescompanies Ampco Belgium andCandela, which specialise in thedistribution, supply and installationof professional audio and lightingequipment to the Belgian market,have become fully independent fromthe Ampco Flashlight Group.

Both companies will continueunder the direction of managingdirector Karel de Piere, who hasacquired the ownership of AmpcoBelgium and Candela from AmpcoFlashlight, left the Ampco FlashlightGroup and sold his shares in theAmpco Flashlight Group. The newlyindependent companies will focusexclusively on sales activities and willnot operate in the rental market.

Co-operation between AmpcoBelgium and Candela and the AmpcoFlashlight Group will continue asbefore, with all arrangements betweenthem remaining in place to serve thebest interests of clients, manufacturersand both parties.

Karel de Piere commented:“Although I’ve had many fantasticyears at Ampco Flashlight, it was timefor me to face a new challenge. As Istarted Ampco Belgium in 1992, andlater expanded with Candela, it is agreat feeling for me to take a stepforward by returning to my roots.

“I am happy to have the support ofthe key team members of AmpcoBelgium and Candela, as theirsupport is crucial to me in taking thisstep. We’ll continue to support theexisting brand portfolio as usual andour clients can count on the servicethat they are used to.”

Dick van Berkum, chairman andCEO of the Ampco Flashlight Group,added: “We are sorry to see Karelleaving our group, as he has made alarge contribution to the growth ofAmpco Flashlight over the past 17years. Since he knows AmpcoBelgium and Candela so well, we areconfident he is the right man for thefuture of these companies, their

clients and manufacturers. We wishKarel all the best with the furtherdevelopment of these businesses.”

In related news, Synco, the pan-European alliance of audio rentalcompanies established by AmpcoFlashlight founder, Fred Heuves, has

announced the appointment ofMarcel Albers (pictured) as its newcommercial director.

Albers is a well-knownentrepreneur in the Dutch musicand entertainment industry.> ampcobelgium.com

MPG Awards announces shortlist Steve Lillywhite and Rick Rubin among the list

Ampco Belgium and Candela go independentBelgian pro audio firms split from Ampco Flashlight as Marcel Albers arrives to oversee Synco operations

Marcel Albers will oversee Synco operations from the Ampco HQ


> NEWS

CHUCK AINLAY and GeorgeMassenburg, the Grammy Award-winning US producer/engineersand founding members ofMetalliance, are to jointly host tworecording masterclass seminars inLondon this May.

Scheduled to take placeimmediately after the forthcomingAES convention, the two-daysessions will be held at theprestigious British Grove Studios inWest London on May 26th. Theywill cover all aspects of therecording process, includingpreproduction session planning,studio set-up for tracking, micplacement, overdubs, mixing,delivery and archiving. They willalso cover effective use of tools suchas microphones, analog and digitalequipment, outboard effects andplugins, in-the-box as well as analogconsole mixing, plus detailed stereo

and innovative multichannelmixing techniques.

The seminars will be open to allbut delegate numbers will be strictlylimited. For studio owners,engineers, producers, recordingmusicians and audio engineeringstudents, this will be anextraordinary opportunity to studythe workings of a world-class facilityunder the tutelage of two of themost respected and admiredproducers in the world.

There will be a charge forattending these events, but theorganiser hopes to to keep this to aminimum. Those interested inattending the seminars shouldregister their details online atwww.sablemarketing.co.uk/sessions.Those who register will becontacted with further information,including the attendance fee.> sablemarketing.co.uk

UK MANUFACTURERGreenHalse Electronics haslaunched the Mute16 – amulti-channel, rack-mountedaudio mute system, designedto allow safety systems to beheard clearly in the event ofan emergency or a criticalpublic announcement.

The product is alreadymaking headway, as Preston-based electronicsdistributor CPC, andNottingham’s CIE-Group

have signed on as suppliers ofthe Mute 16.

The Mute16 uses voltage-controlled amplifiers (VCAs)to simultaneously mute up to16 channels of balanced, linelevel audio. The control inputis an optically isolated,normally closed signal. Whenthe control signal becomesopen-circuit, the audiooutputs are all quickly muted.When the control signal isrestored, the audio output

level gradually rises back tonormal over a period ofapproximately two seconds.

Typical applications of theMute16 are muting of soundsystems during emergencyannouncements, such as thoseat discos, theatres, nightclubs,festivals and any publicentertainment venue. It canalso be used as part of anautomated venue soundpressure level control system.> greenhalse.co.uk

GreenHalse launches

Mute16, strikes distro deals

Ainlay and Massenburgto host London seminarsLegendary US engineers will head recording

masterclasses at London’s British Grove studios

Audio-Technica announcesUpgrade for UHF switchover

AUDIO-TECHNICA HASrecently introduced theUpgrade Pass programme toaid customers through the2012 UHF band switchoverby offering 55 per cent offthe price of new equivalentreplacement systems.

The company has statedthat Ofcom’s decision toauction off the sections ofthe UHF band currentlyutilised by wirelessmicrophones to theInternational MobileTelecommunications (IMT)industry for the provision ofwireless broadband serviceshas made it very difficult forits customers in need of newwireless systems, as they willbe made redundant after theswitchover.

The upgrade passprogramme is valid on themajority of its wirelesssystems from January 1st2010 until December 31st2011. The offer givescustomers the opportunityto ‘trade in’ any eligible

Audio-Technica wirelesssystem in exchange for a newequivalent system.

The changes proposed bythe 2012 switchover willaffect the frequencies 854-862 MHz (TV channel 69),which is currently availablein the UK nationwide on alight licence and professionallicence basis and used bynearly 80 per cent of thewireless microphone systemscurrently in use.

Other frequency rangesaffected – mostly used byprofessionals in the rentaland broadcast media on aprofessional licensed basis –are 550-606 MHz (TVchannels 31-37) and 790-854MHz (TV channels 61-68).

The impact of this meansthat, by law, anyone whooperates a wireless system inthese bands will have toupdate or upgrade theirproducts in order to complywith the new situation.> atupgradepass.com

Compensation programme offers

discounted replacement wireless systemsCPC and CIE-Group sign on for new audio mute system


HHB’S DISTRIBUTION division,Source Distribution, will debut Genelec’sbrand new 8260A three-way active DSPmonitors at next month’s BroadcastVideo Expo (BVE) at Earl's Court 2 fromFebruary 16th to 18th.

The 8260As will be on permanentdemonstration on Source’s booth(H42) and, as sponsor of the BVEAudio Room, HHB will be supplying afull 5.1 Genelec DSP system.

The Genelec 8260A is the latestaddition to the TEC Award-winning8200 series and sits alongside theexisting 8240A and 8250A models,with a corresponding larger enclosuresize that ensures that the 8260A offersa wider frequency response of 29Hz to21kHz, with a maximum SPL of120dB. The 8260A also featuresGenelec’s MDC (Minimum DiffractionCoaxial) mid/high driver technology.

Like all models in the 8200 series, the8260A features internal Genelec DSPsignal processing responsible for allloudspeaker functions, such as thecrossover filters, driver equalisers, driverposition alignment, room responsealignment, calibration and equalisationrelated filters, as well as distance

compensating delays. The Genelecloudspeaker manager (GLM) softwaremanages all these functions, allowing the8260A to be used together with other8200 series DSP monitors and 7200Series subwoofers in the same setup. TheGenelec AutoCal fully automated roomcalibration and sound system alignmentmethod provides consistent and accurate frequency response for amultichannel audio system in widelyvarying room environments.

The 8260A accepts standard line levelanalogue inputs as well as all AES/EBUdigital formats and is equipped with threedriver units, all powered via internalmatching power amplifiers. The ten-inchLF unit is complemented by a five-inchMF unit and a quarter-inch HF unit, withthe MF/HF units combined in the newMDC coaxial driver. This helps ensurethat the drivers are coupled coherentlyover their full operating bandwidth, aswell as creating coincident mid-frequency/high-frequency point source.This coaxial driver design provides veryaccurate imaging and improved soundquality both on the acoustical axis as wellas off-axis.> hhb.co.uk

HHB to introduce Genelec 8260Athree-way DSP monitors at BVE

THOUSANDS OF blood-thirsty fansflocked to Manchester’s MEN Arena lastmonth for the Ultimate FightingChampionship (UFC).

FOH engineer Ant Standring chose aYamaha PM5D-RH console for the event,which was broadcast around the globe.

“With the number of channels I wasusing, theoretically I could have used oneof a number of mixing consoles,” said Ant.”But when you bear in mind it was beingbroadcast live to something like 90countries worldwide, I needed somethingthat I would be 100 per cent certain wasn'tgoing to let me down. That’s the mainreason I chose the PM5D-RH."

Supplied, along with the rest of theaudio system, by London-based CapitalSound Hire, the PM5D had around 32input channels, made up of VT feeds,commentators and the event’s MC.

“Some VT is broadcast live, some onlyto the arena and some a combination ofboth,” said Ant. “At any one time I couldbe listening to up to four different commsfeeds for various camera and programdirectors. I was mixing partly for the liveaudience and partly for the main OB truck,so it was actually a strange show to mix.”> yamahacommercialaudio

THE FIRST live network broadcast of anevent in 7.1 surround sound was madeduring the Belmont Stakes TV broadcast.

Viewers were granted the full 7.1monitoring capability in their home-theatre setups as a result of ABC seniortechnical audio producer Kevin Clearyemploying DTS’s Neural Audio codec, thesame one used to process an LT/RT 5.1surround broadcast. This was modifiedwith two additional side ‘presence’channels joining the LCR array and tworear surround channels.

The highly-watched BelmontStakes is a 1.5-mile (2.4 km)thoroughbred horse race,which is the third and final legof the Triple Crown, followingthe Kentucky Derby and thePreakness Stakes. Cleary statedthat the broadcast went offwithout a hitch, perhaps signalingthe next shift in broadcast audio sincestereo began coexisting with 5.1.

The sources for the additional sidepresence channels were a pair ofSennheiser MKH-416 short shotgunmicrophones placed one on either side ofthe grandstand. “This opened up the

spatial relationshipand added a dimension

between the crowd andthe track,” Cleary explained.

In addition, the DTS NeuralSurround proprietary 5.1 microphoneCleary uses on 5.1 broadcast mixes wasbeefed up by DTS to a 7.1-channelversion with the addition of two moremicrophones. The additional microphones

required their spacing apart to be reducedto 51 degrees from the 5.1 ratio of 72degrees. This puts microphones in front,two very nearly to the side, and two in theleft-back and right-back position, Jim (JJ)Johnston, chief scientist at DTS Neural,explained: “This captures both time andamplitude cues in a way that gives you awide listening area, a very strong sense ofimage for direct sounds.”

Cleary used the 7.1 microphone as thebasis for the 7.1 and 5.1 mixes. Themicrophones, the same ones used for 5.1and made for DTS by an original-equipment manufacturer, have ahypercardioid pattern that is a bit tighterthan a standard hypercardioid, with a bitmore negative rear lobe. “The intendedamplitude panning pattern is by degrees,not by the angle-to-next-channel,”Johnson explained.

Cleary said he alerted his productionand operations team to the 7.1 mix,although he didn’t need to specificallyseek additional support from either ABCor ESPN. “We wanted to keep this projectclose since it was an experiment andwanted see if it would translate withoutadditional support,” he explained. Thepoint, he said, was to illustrate that a 7.1mix can be done concurrent with a 5.1mix with no impact at any point in thebroadcast-distribution chain until itreaches a 7.1-capable receiver. About 66per cent of consumer AV receiversshipping this year will be 7.1-capable,according to figures from the ConsumerElectronics Association. > dts.com

Yamaha throws down

for Ultimate Fighting

Championship

PM5D console used for

international broadcast

Belmont raises the stakes to 7.1First 7.1 broadcast brings added dimension to Triple Crown race with additional channels joining the LCR array

THIS MONTH IN BROADCAST<

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Latest addition to the TEC Award-winning 8200 series boasts even more DSP

February 2nd to 4th RAI, Amsterdam


the show along with the new VQseries. Designed to overcomeintelligibility problems associated withhighly reverberant surroundings,QFlex are suited for use in airportsand other transportation hubs,

shopping centres, conferencefacilities, museums, houses of worshipand many other locations withproblematic acoustics.

Tannoy will also demo its line of in-ceiling and in-wall loudspeakertechnology, including the compactCVS4 Micro and the CMS 401DCe

‘eyeball’, along with surface-mountproducts including Designer Installand i9VP Vandal Proof and theDefinition Install range, which isaimed at the medium to high-endhome cinema market. > tannoy.com

ALCONS AUDIO 1J123 Alcons Audio will introduce thethree-way CRMS reference systemdesigned for AV projects, high-endscreening rooms and home theatreinstallations. CRMS Unique has adesign which provides an MHFsection that acts both as MHF sectionfor the main/front system, as well asfull-range surround system.

The company will also be pushingthe LR7 micro pro-ribbon line-arraysystem, the latest and smallestmember of Alcons’ pro-ribbon line-arrays, which features a single 6.5-inch woofer and the Alcons RBN401four-inch pro-ribbon driver in a 15-degree vertical projection

ISE 2010 is set to jump start the year as AV companies from around the world show off their latest and

greatest gear for systems integrators. Andrew Low takes a sneak peak at what’s on offer…

In recent years, the IntegratedSystems Europe (ISE) trade showhas skyrocketed to the top of the

heap in the systems integration sector, and is now taking a top spot asone of the leading pro audio events inthe business.

This year’s show, held atAmsterdam’s RAI ConventionCentre from February 2nd to 4th, willfeature an additional 100 exhibitors,which is 20 per cent up from last year and raises the show record to500-plus companies. New pro audiofaces to grace the floor will be L-Acoustics, HK Audio, Sonus, Ateïs,Out Board/TiMax, Baldwin Boxall,Seeburg, Cloud Electronics andXTA/MC2.

Despite bad snow that closed downall of the UK’s airports, last year’sevent hosted over 24,000 visitors, a number that the organisers hope toexceed in 2010.

Mike Blackman, managing directorof Integrated Systems Events,

explains: “No trade show can thrivewithout bringing new customers andnew markets to its exhibitors. Rightfrom its first showing in Geneva in2004, this is something ISE hasproved it can do.

“AV manufacturers are turning toISE as a platform from which tolaunch their products and servicesinto new and emerging sectors, andthat is one reason why we are hostingso many new exhibitors inAmsterdam in February.”

TANNOY 5N110Steadfast brands in the installationmarket, like Tannoy, will be amongthe slew of newcomers at the event.The Scotland-based company will beexhibiting an extensive range of itsloudspeakers, ranging from digitallysteerable arrays through to high-endhome cinema audio systems.

The QFlex range of self-powereddigital beam-steering arrayloudspeakers will take centre stage at

The Dutch connection

“No trade show canthrive without bringing

new customers andmarkets to its exibitors.

Mike Blackman

Integrated System Events

ISE EVENT PREVIEW <

> EVENT PREVIEW ISE


These highperformance,two-way activeloudspeakershave beendesigned forindoorcommercial andprofessionalinstallations andhave many newconnectivity andinstallation featuresaimed to benefitsystems integrators.

Both of the modelsin the new 4000 seriesare fitted with‘Phoenix’ screwterminals and the 4000series’ integratedamplifier. In-builtprotection circuitry hasalso been used toenhance the reliability ofthe loudspeaker system in alloperating conditions and to ensurethat drivers are electronicallyprotected from signal peaks andmisuse of the system.> genelec.com

XTA/MC2 3A116XTA and MC2 will show a new rangeof products for the AV integrator.XTA will show its DC1048 integratedaudio management system, whichprovides matrix mixing with full DSPfunctions and the DCBob8/16network breakout boxes, while MC2will be demonstrating the Ti seriessystem and associated iCore Windowssoftware interface.> xta.uk.com> mc2-audio.co.uk

AUDIO TECHNICA 1L112Audio Technica has over 40 years ofexperience in the production of highperformance stage, studio, broadcast,film sound, installation sound andwireless microphone systems.

This history has produced what thecompany is calling unique, market-leading innovations in the fields oftransducer and wireless transmissiontechnology.

The new ATCS-60 infrared systemconference will take a strong positionon the company’s stand.> audio-technica.com

SINOLIGHT 3A127As ISE is a systems integration show,a raft of lighting companies willnaturally be showcasing their latestAV solutions for systems integrators.Among them will be LEDmanufacturer Sinolight, which will beintroducing a new LED display seriesdesigned for the rental and stagingmarket and fixed installationsapplications. Its design provides hotswap capability that offers a

convenient solution for tile changingthat will ensure a spectacular event.

This new platform was designed toprovide an enhanced display, whichoffers high quality moving images ofadvertising messages that can betargeted to a location, time or date.Sinolight will also have its full rangeof LED display solutions at its booth.> szsinolight.com

LAB.GRUPPEN 5O108Lab.gruppen will be showing its fullline of C Series installation poweramplifiers, the FP+ series amps fortouring sound and the PLM Series of powered loudspeaker management systems.

The PLM series combines highpower amplification with Lake digitalspeaker processing in addition tocontinuous monitoring.

The LM 26 Lake digital audioloudspeaker management system andaccompanying Lake Controllersoftware will be fully demonstrated forthe first time in Europe.

Lab.gruppen has also teamed upwith a number of pro audiomanufacturers to provide a specialtraining seminar on Audinate’s Dantenetworking solution.> labgruppen.com

YAMAHA 1I79Yamaha Commercial will show itslatest audio networking technology atthe show, with a focus on CommercialInstall Sound and Engineered InstallSound and Broadcasting.

The MY Card for Dante and thenew MY8-SDI-ED interface card willbe on display, in addition to thedemonstration of audio integrationwith many different digital audioformats and the integration of MediaControl systems. > yamahacommercialaudio.com> iseurope.org

configuration. Its 16 Ohmsimpedance and a choice of 90-degreeor 120-degree horizontal projectionmake the LR7 suited for AV projects,where very compact form factor withoptimised line-array throw andimaging are required.

A selection of other Alconsproducts, including the QR36 pro-ribbon column array system and theV-series, will be on the booth. It willalso hold low-SPL demonstrations tohighlight the benefits of its VR8monitors and BF151 subwoofers.> alconsaudio.com

DIGICO 1J113Digico will be showing its full range ofdigital mixing consoles andaccessories, including the SD7 andSD8, in addition to the new SD8-24and the new EX-007 expander unit.

Designed with a smaller footprint forthe corporate events sector, the SD8-24 features the same functionality andnumber of inputs and outputs as theSD8 console with the same fixedarchitecture, while employing thesame smaller Super FPGA (FieldProgrammable Gate Array).

The EX-007 expander unit wasdesigned to substantially increase thenumber of faders and channels thatcan be simultaneously controlled byan SD7. The EX-007 can be set up ata distance of up to 100 metres via aCat5 cable connection.> digico.org

ALLEN & HEATHAllen & Heath will make theEuropean debut of its new iDR-16MixRack and the iLive-R72rackmountable Control Surface in

Amsterdam.The fixed I/O iDR-16MixRack features 16 mic/line inputsand eight XLR outputs in a 3U frame,with a further eight-in/eight-outavailable locally at the iLive-R72surface. All MixRacks, including thenew iDR-16, feature the same 64x32RackExtra DSP mix engine,providing processing for 64 channels,32 mixes, and eight stereo FXprocessors. The latest dualcore DSPtechnology handles all the FX andmixing along with the full dynamics,

eq and delay for all inputs andoutputs simultaneously.

The iLive-R72 surface can be fittedin a universal 19-inch rack, andfeatures a similar iLive fader striplayout with 12 faders in two banksand six layers, providing a total of 72colour assignable channel ID controlstrips. A built-in touchscreenprovides swift access to theprocessing, memories and systemconfiguration.> allen-heath.co.uk

HARMAN INTERNATIONAL1I105Harman International will feature itsrange of professional products, which

form the complete signalchain from microphone to

loudspeaker, includingAKG microphones andwireless systems, dbxsignal processing andzoning systems, BSSAudio digitalprogrammableprocessing systems,Lexicon effectsprocessors,Soundcraft mixingconsoles, Crownpower amplifiers, JBLceiling andloudspeakers andcinema systemcomponents fromRevel, JBL Synthesis,Mark Levinson andLexicon.> harmanpro.comGENELEC 1K73, 1L72 Genelec will previewthe compact 4020A and4030A loudspeakers at

ISE.

“Allen & Heath willmake the European

debut of its new iDR-16 MixRack and

the iLive-R72rackmountable

Control Surface at theAmsterdam show.

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give you the best deals so you can make the most out of your investment now and in the

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See the latest in AV technologies, spot the newest integration trends, take advantage of unrivalled education opportunities, and network with business contacts old and new. ISE is the AV tradeshow that doesn’t know how to stop growing.

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Find out why ISE 2010 will deliver more value to your business than ever. Visit:

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Meanwhile, Focusrite unveiled theOctoPre MkII Dynamic with – youguessed it – eight channels ofFocusrite’s mic preamplification andnew single-dial, VCA-basedcompressors derived from the recentlydiscontinued Focusrite Red 3 on each.

When desiging the circuitry,Focusrite tuned the compressor by earto ensure that its ‘knee’ matched thatof the Red 3 exactly. It can be used toprovide a clean, controlled sound, or,using the new ‘more’ switch, it’s

possible to transform the behavior ofthe VCA, doubling the ratio to deliveran invigorated effect compressor.

Elesewhere, Universal Audio prickedup a few ears with the latest generationof its UAD-2 plugins, for which thefirm has teamed up with Harman Pro,and Shure attracted interest both atthe show and on our very own websitefor its newest in-ear monitoring system,the PSM 900. Set for release in latespring 2010, the system promises awide stereo field with exceptional L/Rseparation for enhanced detail andclarity usually lost in an in-earmonitoring system. The PSM 900transpires to be a highly anticipatedsystem, with one observer noting: “As auser of Shure ear systems for the last 12years, I can’t wait to test the new PSM900. As a monitor mixer I need asystem I can trust night after night.”> namm.org

Those fortunate enough to flee the UK’s icy weather for Anaheim found that the 2010 NAMM show had

more to offer the audio enthusiast than ever before. Rob Hughes brings you this report…

The name ‘Winter NAMM’ is justnot a fair reflection of what ishappening in Anaheim right now

as I type in the genuinely wintry townof Hertford.

But it’s okay, because luckily for us,the Audio Pro correspondents currentlyposted in California are exhibitingsufficient willpower to steer clear ofpools and bars, and instead, are sniffingout and relaying all the big news storiesto back to the UK.

And with the biggest audiocontingent in some years, 2010’s‘winter’ NAMM show generated anabundance of the kind of news thattickles our audio fancy. Nearly everyunveiling was an upgrade orenhancement of something that hadgone before. Nevertheless, there wasstill plenty to see.

The Allen & Heath stand in Hall Awas an immediate draw, where the

Cornwall-based firm was debuting theiDR-16 MixRack and the iLive-R72rackmountable control surface. TheiDR-16 and iLive-R72 connect usingAllen & Heath’s proprietary ACE(Audio Control Ethernet) link, whichallows long distance point-to-pointcontrol and audio communication overa single CAT5 cable up to 120m.

The fixed I/O iDR-16 MixRackfeatures 16 mic/line inputs and eightXLR outputs in a 3U frame, with afurther eight I/O available locally at theiLive-R72 surface. All MixRacks,including the new iDR-16, feature thesame 64x32 RackExtra DSP mixengine, providing processing for 64channels, 32 mixes, and eight stereoFX processors. The latest dualcoreDSP technology handles all the FX andmixing along with the full dynamics, eqand delay for all inputs and outputs simultaneously.

January 14th to 17th Anaheim

NAMM EVENT REVIEW <

“The 2010 NAMMshow featured an

abundance of notablepro audio news and

new products.

Winter? Really?

Uli Behringer (of Behringer) and John Oakley (of Midas/KT)while they were travelling in the Far East, the two make itclear that they feel this is absolutely the case…

How did you hear about the sale? Was it an approach fromBosch or did you make the approach?Uli Behringer: That is one of life’s secrets, I’m afraid. Howthis sort of deal gets started is a key commercial advantage, sowhy would we share this with our competitors?

I’ll be happy to tell you 20 years from now, although thismight happen sooner if we were to share a few bottles of goodred wine – then I might spill the beans.

On face value, it seems that Behringer can gain a lot moreout of this purchase than Midas/KT. What qualities orassets do you think Behringer can bring to the deal? Whatsort of money will you be injecting into Midas/KT?UB: Before I answer this question, allow me to zoom out for amoment. When you acquire a company, what do you reallybuy? Finished goods, raw material, some IP, a building? 20years of experience in the business have taught me that acompany is only about people, who are the only real asset.

So before you go out and acquire a company, you have toask whether this potential marriage will work. Does theculture fit, do people want to work together and doeseveryone believe in the new vision? History has demonstratedthat only ten per cent of all mergers and acquisitions work outand our industry is no exception.

There’s no question that Behringer is a massive successstory at the MI end of the industry. Its products areincredibly popular among audio ‘prosumers’, doubtless

because they offer them, at least in terms of practicalfunctionality, ample bang for their bucks.

Ultimately, however, the bottom line in the pro audioindustry is – or should be – sound quality and Behringer’sslogan ‘Just listen’ is considered ironic by many. It was littlesurprise then, when last month, a large chunk of the industryimmediately denounced Behringer’s acquisition of Midas andKlark Teknik under the guise of a holding company named TheMusic Group. According to comments left on various pro audiowebsites, it seemed most thought that, simply because thecompanies involved were the antithesis of each other, thismarked the beginning of the end for Midas and Klark Teknik.

But a handful of pensive observers were a little moreoptimistic in their response, reserving condemnation andevaluating the acquisition on its business merits alone,independently of each company’s predispositions. Oneastutely pointed out that Uli Behringer has proven himself aconsummate businessman and would not be so foolish as todo anything other than inject Midas with the financial shot inthe arm that it needs to develop.

Taken on this premise, it’s a little easier to believe thatBehringer might just have what it takes to foster continuedgrowth and success from Midas. Are some of us letting elitistideas stop us from seeing the potential of this newrelationship? In the following interview, held remotely with

> INTERVIEW BEHRINGER


Negative reactions to The Music Group’s acquisition of Midas were to be expected,

given Behringer’s less than enviable reputation in some parts of the industry. But

were the dismal forecasts made in haste? In a rare interview, Uli Behringer and

John Oakley tell Audio Pro that the Behringer touch is just what Midas needs…

Just listen

”Before you go

out and acquire a

company, you

have to ask

whether this

potential marriage

will work.Uli Behringer

JO: Both parties will get a great deal out of this. Uli hasspent a fortune on sophisticated management systems toincrease efficiency, which I would refer to as the ‘totally leanenterprise system’ and I am blown away by it. Midas/KlarkTeknik themselves have been using lean manufacturingtechniques for several years now with remarkably good results.Being able to leverage off Uli’s approach will take us to a newlevel of performance in the areas of the business, which no-one ever sees and this will translate into more Midas and KTproducts in a shorter timeframe. And the extra financialinvestment will help, too.

Does the Music Group have any plans to expand, orsignificantly invest in, Midas/Klark Teknik?UB: Yes, of course. Midas/Klark Teknik have been restrictedin the investments needed to achieve its ambitious productplans. This has been a particular problem in terms ofrecruiting extra staff, which is often faced by small operatingunits in large corporations.

We have already asked John to revise his 2010 business planto include recruiting the key staff he’s needed for some time.The plan is to build a centre of excellence which includes ahigh-tech R&D team in the UK. We know there is a largepool of world-class engineers out there and we welcomeeveryone to apply. Since Midas already has plans for a fullrange of digital mixers, it’s now the Music Group’s goal to helpbring these products to market as quickly as possible. We aredetermined to enhance the leading role of Midas/KlarkTeknik, which also means investing substantially in researchof new technologies and user interfaces.

Do you think the Music Group’s ownership of Midas/KlarkTeknik can improve the brands in any way? JO: Strangely I would say yes, despite the fact thatMidas/Klark Teknik are already at the very pinnacle of branddesirability. The really important thing is that we are part ofthe Music Group. We have not been ‘bought by Behringer’ assome of the more colourful postings to web forums wouldhave you believe. We have chosen the Music Group.

UB: John makes a very important point. The Music Groupis a corporation with two very separate operational structures.

On one side we have what you can call ‘commonoperational assets’ such as sourcing, high volumemanufacturing, engineering services, logistics andwarehousing, information technology and infrastructureservices, system development, finance, back office operationssuch as graphic, technical authoring, internet and legalservices, etc. Those are functions which benefit from ‘scaleand critical mass’ and by design are provided through separatecompanies employing best industry practice and technology.They are wholly owned by the group and are there to provide,strictly where applicable, a shared services resource.

On the other side we have the brands such as Midas, KlarkTeknik, Behringer and Bugera. Those are distinct and separatecompanies with their own identities and intrinsic criticalinfrastructure such as management, R&D, sales, marketing,channel distribution and even medium scale manufacturingwhich all goes towards making them who they are.

This separation is essential as the brand values are differentand the intended use of the products is in very differentmarket segments. This kind of operational frameworkprovides all our brands with a competitive advantage andtremendous operational efficiencies which would be otherwiseunattainable economically within each entity.

JO: This is extremely important to us and to grow we needmore infrastructure and resources. The funds we hadoriginally allocated to building our own services can now beredirected to research and product development. I’ve nowhad a chance to see most Music Group offices and services. Ihave never seen such a lean and efficient enterprise. But whatexcited me the most is the level of passion and engagementamong the employees who truly enjoy what they are doing.People have no idea what’s under the Behringer hood and Ihope this interview will begin to dispel some myths.

Will we be seeing Midas/Klark Teknik technology inBehringer products in the future?

With Midas/Klark Teknik, it is even more about people, asthey truly live for their brands.John Oakley: During the first meeting I was honestly quitesceptical. Uli didn’t bring any corporate presentations withhim and just said: “Why don’t you come and visit us? I wantto show you the real Behringer.”

He told me to leave my tie and suit at home and when Iarrived in Willich he left me alone with the people so I couldfreely interact. Going behind the scenes was a true eye-openeras it fundamentally changed my perception about Behringer.Many of the employees in Behringer have stayed for up to 16years with the company, which tells you a lot about the culture.

UB: Michael and I always said that the real test would be tomeet the people in Kidderminster and see if they were truly

excited about the idea to join the Music Group. We wouldnever acquire a company if the people didn’t

welcome the idea.JO: There were several potential buyers forMidas/Klark Teknik and indeed both Uli

and Michael Deeb (CEO, Music Group)asked me many times how our peoplefelt about this potential acquisition. Ican wholeheartedly say that we havechosen the Music Group to partnerwith us as we feel that there is a greatfit with both Uli’s and Michael’svision. Also no one else could offer usthe opportunity to pursue the dreamswe always had in Midas/Klark Teknik.

UB: Over the last few months, I hadthe pleasure of really getting to know John

and his team. These are the most amazingand passionate people I have ever met. It is a

great honour for us to work with this world-class team and we will provide them with all the

resources needed to enhance their position asdominant player in the high-end audio arena.

There is no doubt that Midas/Klark Teknikare the undisputed leaders in terms of soundquality, reliability, innovation and cutting-edgetechnology – we will make sure this remains.

We see this acquisition as a marriage,which is all about give and take. Once thehoneymoon is over, the real work starts andwe will help to provide all needed resources

and infrastructure to Midas/Klark Teknik toallow them to pursue the execution of their

technology and products. Let me quote Michael Deeb: “Midas/Klark Teknik

will have full access to the group’s extensive resourcesand advanced automated system platforms in areas such

as product development and lifecycle management, supplychain, logistics, decision support and finance.”

Building effective and highly efficient business systems is apassion for us at the Music Group. We have invested over $25min building what we believe to be the most advanced system inthe industry. Midas/Klark Teknik will be able to make use ofthis system to greatly streamline business practices. In additionto that, we have probably more buying power than anyone elsein our market for the premium components required byMidas/Klark Teknik. Also, both Michael and I are bothmusicians who understand and use pro-audio equipmentpersonally. That means we can bring a passion for the productsto the management mix as well as financial muscle.

On the other hand, Midas/Klark Teknik will give the MusicGroup brands access to cutting-edge experience and thetechnology Midas/Klark Teknik have developed in the past 35years. This comes at a perfect time, as Behringer is now equallyheavily investing in technology to reach the next level. Ourengineers are excited to learn from Midas/Klark Teknik.


BEHRINGER INTERVIEW<

> INTERVIEW BEHRINGER


UB: Since we now have products at the ultimate high end ofperformance and the ‘prosumer’ level it would be natural toadd ‘in-between’ products where there is market space forthem. Midas/Klark Teknik already have plans in this area andwe will continue with this strategy.

Many sound engineers – particularly American engineerswho are traditionally big fans of Midas – think that thismarks the beginning of the end for the brand. How do youintend to prove them wrong?JO: I have had a chance to speak with a large number of ourloyal customers and end users and have had zero bad reactionto this acquisition. Once I explained the advantages forMidas/Klark Teknik they have become excited at thepossibilities going forward. For those that I or my team have nothad chance to speak to personally, please listen to Uli’s words inthis interview and join in my excitement for the future.

Do you think Behringer’s purchase of the firm mightchange the demographic of Midas and Klark Tekinik users?UB: Behringer is a sister company to Midas/Klark Teknik andboth are owned by the parent, the Music Group. The existingMidas product strategy will extend the demographic anyway.Access to the Music Group resources will accelerateexecution and time to market. Nevertheless, Midas/KlarkTeknik will expand within the parameters of its own distinctmarket segment.

Which company do you think will benefit more from theacquisition, Midas and KT, or Behringer?JO: I recently visited the Music Group’s R&D andmanufacturing facilities. I was amazed at the incrediblyadvanced business and R&D management systems that it’sdeveloped and deployed. These will give Midas/Klark Teknika whole new competitive advantage. Equally, at Midas/KlarkTeknik we have some world-class capabilities which can bedeployed to help the Music Group’s other brands.

We’ve seen it many times before, when corporates buysmaller companies and promise ‘no change’ and autonomy forthe company bought. This never lasts long and the brandsinvariably get sucked into the corporate structure andeffectively disappear as autonomous entities.

Are you guaranteeing that M/KT will remain autonomous?If so, how do you think you will succeed where others have failed.UB: I can guarantee that Midas/Klark Teknik will remainautonomous under the leadership of John Oakley and his team.

JO: I have been part of a number of substantialcorporations such as Harman and Bosch in the past. But Ihave never seen anything like the way the Music Group isorganised and managed. I am entirely confident thatMidas/Klark Teknik will not only remain autonomous, but willbe significantly enhanced by this acquisition.

UB: In specific cases there is that opportunity, such as withthe AES50 based audio networking technology pioneered byMidas/Klark Teknik, which we believe is so sophisticated thatit should become a leading standard in the industry.

There won’t be a ‘free-for-all’ transfer of technologybetween brands, but Behringer and other Music Group Brands will be given access to learn best practice fromMidas/Klark Teknik.

JO: To reinforce that, we will not be seeing, for example,original Midas mic pres or eqs in Behringer products. IP thatis so closely related with the brands will remain with thebrands, but Midas will help Behringer to further improve itsdesigns and provide tailor-made solutions.

How will the Music Group’s purchase of Midas/Klark Teknikaffect the actual products made under the two brands? UB: The brands will keep their current brand values andpositioning. There will be absolutely no change in this. Whatwould be the point of changing? Midas, Klark Teknik andBehringer are all brand leaders in their respective markets. Wewould be crazy to change a winning formula.

If you do intend to change anything about the overalloperation of the firm, what are your reasons for makingthese changes?UB: I am completely blown away by the technology in theMidas XL8 and PRO6 digital mixers and the way the R&Dteam developed these mixers in such an incredibly short time.We intend to expand the current R&D team to a cutting-edge‘centre of excellence’ for digital mixing and networkingtechnology. With value-adding products, I am convinced thatcustomers will see this as a positive step.

There is talk of the buying power that Behringer has andthe potential reduction in Midas/Klark Teknik’smanufacturing costs as a result. Is this an accurateobservation? Will this affect products and customers?UB: Midas/Klark Teknik will continue to use all thespecialised high performance parts that they’re currently usingin products with absolutely no change. Where these parts aresupplied from the same vendors and used by other parts toMusic Group companies, there will obviously be increasedbuying power and cost benefits.

But I like to strongly emphasise that, rather than loweringthe prices of the products, we will be using the profits to re-invest in R&D. In the long run this will translate into aclear advantage to Midas/Klark Teknik customers and alsoenhance the brand equity and resale value of the products.

Would you like to add to the Midas/Klark Teknik productranges in any way? For example, smaller format or lessadvanced products that bridge the gap somewhat betweenthe current crop of products and the ‘prosumer’ categoryof gear offered by Behringer?

”I am entirely

confident that

Midas/Klark

Teknik will remain

autonomous.John Oakley

Behringer and Oakley

claim the Midas name and

reputation will be upheld

what is possible when it comes to system integration.At any rate, AV customers are becoming much more ‘system

savvy’. They know what they want from their installations andwill no longer be impressed by the simple fact that it works – ithas to be invisible wherever possible or, at the very least,discreet. Slick and streamlined go without saying and installerswho think that these things are a trade-off against performancewon’t be long in business.

And there’ll be a queue of contractors waiting to step intotheir shoes because the installation industry is nothing short ofburgeoning. It has its very own show now of course – IntegratedSystems Europe – which is set to take place this month. And I’llbet you that it’ll be substantially bigger than the last, just as ithas been every consecutive year since it began in 2004.

ISE was launched on the back of a need for a pan-Europeanforum for what were then emerging markets of professional AVand electronic systems integration. It has grown so rapidlybecause AV systems have become an absolutely integral part ofmodern buildings and the show’s audience is constantlyexpanding to include architects, interior designers, propertydevelopers and project managers, as well as the regular audioand visual boffins.

For more information on what’s going on at this year’s ISE,turn to page 11 – but not before you’ve checked out thefollowing examples of installation gold…

BUDDHA BAR, BEIRUTElie and Maya Louaizi, owners of Beirut-based SPL-SoundPressure Level, recently specified and installed an Alconsloudspeaker system at the Lebanese capital’s latest hip nightspot,Buddha Bar. Built on three levels and adorned with exotic red

Over the Christmas period, I went round to my aunt’shouse to try and get her television working, but sadly itproved to be another lifeless cathode ray box that would

no doubt sit outside her house and be ignored by the wasteoperatives for seven weeks.

So I returned the next day whereupon she presented me witha new-fangled flatscreen LCD model that I proceeded to mounton her wall for her. Now I’m not completely useless with a drilland spirit level, but if there’s one thing I cannot do, it’s wire atelevision into the wall.

Before you lose interest, my point is this: even my long-since-retired aunt is having a flat screen TV mounted to her wall,albeit in a rudimentary and slightly precarious way. Then there’smy mother, also into her 60s, who has spent the last year on amission to achieve the ‘minimalist look’, which has largelyinvolved the customary hiding of wires and throwing out ofanything with a whiff of analog.

I might be wrong, but it seems that, these days, folk who arehappy to stuff cables behind a TV stand or use some other kindof furniture to conceal them are in the minority. Now if that’s anexaggeration, it can’t be light years from the truth, because thetransit van with ‘home integration’ listed among the services onthe side is a common sight down our street these days. No oneknew what home integration was five years ago.

And unlike many areas of technology, it seems that thedomestic end of the market is driving things forward, as opposedto the other way round. I can only speculate, but maybe thisoriginates in the current obsession for an ‘ultra modern’ interiorwith all the wireless and wall-mounted trimmings. This, in turn,educates your average householder – including those whocommission commercial AV installations for a living – on just

> SECTOR SPOTLIGHT INSTALLATION


It’s the industry that doesn’t know how to stop growing and if ISE doesn’t smash its footfall figures again

this month, we’ll eat our collective hat. On that note, Rob Hughes and Andrew Low bring you a selection

of truly mesmerising installations…

Installation gold

”AV systems have

become an

absolutely

integral part of

modern buildings

and shows like

ISE have an

audience that is

constantly

expanding.

“We have been selling a lot of the LD systems speakersthough the shop and have used them in smaller installations, soI had them down for a demo and they were really impressed.The speakers feature very high-level components at a veryreasonable price that can be passed onto the customer.

“They already had a couple of demos of equal qualityinstallation speakers, and after they heard the LD speakers theysaid that if we could get Rock Bar to sound like our demo roomthey then they would go for it.”

As such, Pro Sound equipped the bar with LD boxesthroughout all the rooms in the venue. The main systemsfeature two LD VAPS-215s for LF, in addition to five of the 12-inch LDV12s. The bar’s VIP area is also utilising numerousLDV-8s and LD Sat 62s for peripherals.

“We were really impressed with the amplification provided bythe LDSP4K and LDSP6Ks,” West continues. “They are verypowerful, sound great and do not get too hot, while remaining.powerful and efficient in an appropriate way. They are also veryreasonably priced.

“The LD speakers are very versatile, which means that clubcan be used for DJ nights, while the VIP area doubles as a stagearea with the addition of some monitors and a small mixer.”

ST. CAROLUS BORROMEUS CHURCH, BELGIUMWhen Ohm Benelux’s Willy van de Velde was awarded the jobof installing a new sound system in the St. Carolus BorromeusChurch he needed to design an installation scheme that wouldprovide proper coverage for the vast venue that also fit with thechurch’s 17th century architecture.

Built by the Jesuits between 1615 and 1621 and decorated bythe Flemish painter Rubens, Borromeus’ interior could not beobstructed by big bulky speakers. As such, Willy van de Veldechose Ohm’s dual eight-inch BR-8s and six-inch KS-1sloudspeakers for the church.

The Ohm BR-8s were designed with two eight-inch expandedenvelope drivers, with a two-inch voice coil and a one-inchcompression driver fitted to a proprietary diffraction horn, thusproviding the venue with 160-degree horizontal dispersion. TheBR8s were designed for optimised vocal intelligibility, and theircompact size also allows them to be unobtrusive as possiblewhile providing an equally distributed sound to all parts of thelarge church.

PALAZZINA DI CACCIA DI STUPINIGI, ITALYRCF has provided the audio system for the Palazzina di Cacciadi Stupinigi, one of the residences of the Royal House of Savoy,built by architect Filippo Juvarra in 1731. The building is locatedin the of Stupinigi near Turin, and has been added to the WorldHeritage List by Unesco.

Designed by the RCF Project Design Office, based on theoriginal design made by Mr Sergio Berno from the ELEngineering Service of Turin, Orion Gesta completed theinstallation under the supervision of engineer Ivan Catellani.

The main audio system is the RX4000, a completelyintegrated system for voice evacuation, paging and background

and gold décor, the venue features an open plan design with a15-metre ceiling height. Among the challenges that had to beovercome were the ceiling height, architectural restrictions, thematerial used in the construction, décor and the venue’sintended use.

“The major challenge for us was the huge volume of space tocover and none of the areas of the venue being separated fromeach other. Another factor was that there was nothing to absorbthe sound on the walls,” says Maya Louaizi. “The potential forthe sound dissipating in the space was very real, so we had tochoose speakers which were powerful enough to cope with this,but not driven so hard that they were distorting. Buddha Barfunctions as a restaurant and pub, but later in the evenings itbecomes a 2,500-capacity nightclub. Both functions have to beserved by the same loudspeaker system.”

The system designed and installed by SPL features 16 AlconsTS3 single 6.5-inch loudspeakers covering the ground floorrestaurant, ceiling mounted to point down towards the diners.Three VR8 eight-inch pro-ribbon loudspeakers are mounted onwall brackets in the reception bar area, while 18 ceiling-mounted VR8s and six floor-mounted BF302 twin 15-inch subscover the mezzanine. Two further VR8s are installed in the DJbooth as monitors and the whole system is powered by ten

ALC2ST amplifiers with SDP processing.“Alcons speakers were an excellent choice for the

distribution pattern we designed,” added ElieLouaizi. “We thought that aiming the

speakers from the outside, in, was the bestsolution to prevent sound interference

between floors and to ensure thataudio was only targeted at thedesired areas.”

ROCK BAR, LEEDS, UKAfter the last record has beenspun and the Ibiza summer ends,weary UK dance heads travel backto England with their heads downlonging for next year’s parties.

Fortunately for the kids in Leeds,ex-footballer Dominic Matteo has

opened the Rock Bar to bring a bit ofthe Balearic feel to the city. Pro Sound, a well known DJ retailer

and supplier in the area, was asked to supply a system that would stand up to the

high-end audio systems that Ibiza is known for. ProSound’s Clive West explains: “The promoters whopartnered with Matteo on Rock Bar have beendoing events in Ibiza for years, so they completelyunderstand the difference between a good systemand one that is merely passable. The success ofsuper clubs in Ibiza comes down to the sound

systems and they were looking for something ofcomparable quality that would give it a simliar feel.


INSTALLATION SECTOR SPOTLIGHT<

> SECTOR SPOTLIGHT INSTALLATION XXXXXX


UC SANTA BARBARA EVENTS CENTER,CALIFORNIAThe UC Santa Barbara Events Center, a5,600-seat, indoor multi-purpose stadium alsoknown as The Thunderdome, recentlyupgraded its sound system to meet theincreased audio demands of sporting andentertainment events. Project designer AcousticDimensions specified a distributed EAWloudspeaker system, powered by super-efficientPowersoft amplifiers to meet with the installation’sphysical and electrical restrictions.

“The hurdles the UC Santa Barbara Events Centerinstallation presented were three-fold regarding poweramplifiers,” says Vance Breshears, LEED accredited designconsultant for Acoustic Dimensions and veteran of over 500installations worldwide. “We were dealing with a very limitedpre-existing rack space for the installation, yet still had toprovide the wattage necessary to do the job. The amplifier roomwas passively vented and not AC cooled, so amplifier heatgeneration was a big consideration. Also, the electric service tothe amp room was limited, so current draw was a factor.”

The Events Center, which hosts basketball, boxing, wrestlingand entertainment events, was serviced by an aging end ofstadium cluster setup that was limited by directional coverageand hot spots, with reduced clarity and volume at the other endof the stadium. The new Acoustic Dimensions specified system,installed by AMT Systems, employs nine Powersoft K6amplifiers driving the distributed EAW MK2364 and MK2396speakers. This design approach yields greater clarity andconsistent volume throughout the stadium.

SOUTHLANDS CHURCH, CALIFORNIASouthlands Church in Brea, California recently installed a newsound system following its relocation from a temporary to apermanent facility, selecting an Allen & Heath iLive digitalsystem as its centre point.

It hired Paul Dexter of 7k Audio, a Grammy-nominatedstudio mixer. Dexter has earned quite a reputation in the area,as he has designed systems for some of the best-soundingchurches in Orange County.

“While I’m a record producer first, I’ve managed a few rockand roll church installs in the area, and word gets around,” notesDexter. “My job was to give the church the sound it wanted andthe knowledge it needed, while working within a pretty modestbudget. One of the keys to making that happen was choosing anAllen & Heath iLive-112 system as the main mixing console.”

The new facility is actually an industrial space that has beenconverted for worship use. The room was gutted and dividedinto a worship space, with other areas reserved for future

music, which is EN 60849 CEI 100-55 compliant.The main control unit manages two more units, located in

other parts of the building and connected to the first throughCAT 5e UTP cable. All three units are equipped with boards forthe diagnostic of the amplifiers, and the speaker line (ground,short circuit, etc) and microphone consoles. The two slave unitsare also equipped with EOL boards to check the connectionwith the main central unit, while the central unit controls thethree different banks of recorded messages.

The audio system has been divided into 11 zones, managedentirely by the main unit, CP4100, that processes and sends allthe standard paging an emergency calls that come directly fromthe fire alarm system.

The microphone consoles are BM 4716s with an LCD displayto control the system, which manages the announcements andthe background music for all the 11 zones, and a fireman’spaging console.

For the big oval shaped manor hall, which represents the coreof the palace, DP1TG sound projectors have been installed,which were chosen for their directivity and high-quality audio,in order to offer the best coverage for the hall’s largereverberating spaces.

Thanks to their compact size, high quality, controlleddispersion and very good frequency response in vocalreproduction, MQ80P have also been installed in the main hall.To amplify the sound in the four corridors that start from themain hall, DU100X have been used.

SANTA PARK, FINLAND Loudspeaker manufacturer dBTechnologies’ wirelessmicrophone and loudspeaker systems were installed at this year’sSantaPark, Finland’s festive theme park, by newly appointedFinnish distributor Live Nation.

The project involved upgrading the stage entertainmentarena at the underground attraction, where dB Technologies’Opera 410D speakers and PU920 series wireless microphonesystems were installed.

Jori Asikainen of Live Nation says, “It was an easy decisionwhen specifying the sound equipment for this project; bothsystems we used were exactly what we needed. The install wentsmoothly and it is proving to be reliable even in Finland’s Arctictemperatures.”

The digitally controlled 16-channel PU920 wirelessmicrophone system features extensive working range, longbattery life and a newly-developed digital squelch control,offering extremely high operating reliability.

The Opera 410D is part of the newest Opera Digital range,which boasts digital bi-amping, dual active limiter, digital soundprocessor and asymmetrical horn design, all packed into arugged yet lightweight polypropolene housing.

”My job was to

give the church

the sound it

wanted and the

knowledge it

needed, while

working within a

pretty modest

budget.Paul Dexter on

Southlands Church

development. To create a reasonable sonic footprint in this steel and concretespace, the floor was carpeted and the ceiling covered.

During the design of the sound system, Paul Dexter needed to find aconsole that could fit into the budget without compromising on either soundquality or functionality. He eventually selected an Allen & Heath iLivesystem, comprising an iDR10 MixRack and iLive-112 Control Surface.

Southlands’ iLive handles both FOH and monitor duties and is set up with32 input channels and 16 outputs in the iDR10 MixRack, which is locatedbehind the stage and connected to the iLive-112 Control Surface via a singleCAT5 cable.

“The band is on wedges currently, but the system is wired up for in-ears inthe future. They also plan to have a Pro Tools recording studio in the future,so we left room for expansion.”

The main PA outputs feed a SymNet system for processing before going tothe speakers. As the room is wider than it is deep, Dexter opted for a stereopoint source approach, with a pair of EAW speakers hung on each side,reinforced by three subwoofers in the centre, all powered by QSC amplifiers.

“The new system is simply brilliant,” says Southland’s Dudley Rogers. “Witha good speaker system and a new building, we expected it to sound good butthis is so clean, it sounds like a CD! We pushed for digital because we wantedthe flexibility and ability to save our settings. Of course, the iLive does all thatbut what surprised us was how easy it was to learn for the volunteers.

AUDI TERMINAL, DENMARKAudi’s newest facility, the 10,200 square-metre ‘Terminal’ in Fredericia,Denmark, opened recently following a sound system installation by AVC(Audio Visuelt Centrum), one of Denmark’s leading AV installationcompanies with more than 40 years of industry experience.

The building is one of the first of its kind in the world, with cutting edgearchitectural features, and boasts a 360 square-metre event space, which canserve as a function area for presentations and launches. The client had somespecific requirements for a sound system that could deliver high SPLs withoutcompromising the clarity of audio content. Equally, the installed system had tobe discreet in order to avoid any impact on the architectural design of thespace – effectively, the speakers had to be heard and not seen.

Following a demonstration of Tannoy’s CMS12 TDC large format speaker(featuring a single 12-inch Dual Concentric driver), the Audi project managerand appointed acoustic consultant gave the nod for 12 of the loudspeakers tobe installed in the main space. The final specification included a broad mix ofproducts including the compact shallow-back can CVS4 Micro, CMS501 DC,CMS 601DC and CMS 801DC speakers for use in various acoustically trickyareas around the showroom. CMS110 SR subwoofers provide ample lowfrequency response, which means that the system can be driven at highvolumes if necessary.

The entire audio system is powered by a relatively compact rack ofLab.gruppen’s installation dedicated C Series amplifiers, with just seven unitsin total, comprising five models, ranging from the four-channel C 10:4X to theeight-channel C 20:8X.


INSTALLATION SECTOR SPOTLIGHT<

Gear Source, which will give them the funds to invest in somenew kit. People want new equipment because it is exciting. Itis like driving a new car – it gives you a buzz and a lift andthat is what you want to offer your customers. You have to

work with them to give them something thatenhances their business and gives a return

on their investment. “A few years ago we would have

been selling a lot more of everythingbecause the industry was verybuoyant and finances were easilyavailable. Interest rates are veryhigh now and the banks aren’tlending. We are working veryhard to keep the ball rolling andthe energy going.

“I took on the Eclipse consolebecause it is different and very

cool. It’s extremely compact andhas 96 faders that can be

configured for any function, plus ithas the option for a built-in 64-track

recorder. It sounds wonderful and there isnothing on the market like it. Now that Lawo

has a majority share holding, the company is very healthyfinancially. It really didn’t do itself any favours with its pastrepresentation in the UK, but we are picking up the reins andmaking it happen. The same is true for Tannoy’s VQ Live

Having been formed at the beginning of the recession inNovember of 2008, Red Square Audio (RSA) is nowdetermined to beat the current bad financial times by

offering the most interesting and relevant products.Combined with a new partnership with used gear resellerGear Source Europe, RSA is confident it has thekind of service to help it trade strongly throughthese trying times.

Although RSA is a young company,owner Paul Nicholson is no rookie to thebusiness. He has 20 years’ experience asthe owner of pro audio sales, rental andinstallation company Midas Pro Soundand another ten years with the Frenchspeaker maker L-Acoustics.

Nicholson feels that the key to RSA’scontinued success is offering innovativeproducts and being creative.

“I am selling the Innovason Eclipse,which is a fantastic console that I chosebecause it is the best,” he says. “We moved acouple post-PLASA and we will definitely sellmore in 2010 by being creative, but not by offeringdiscounts. People will buy it for the right reasons at theright price because it is a high-quality product. We can alsooffer people buy-backs through our relationship with GearSource. If someone has an analog or digital console that theywant to exchange for an Eclipse I can move it on through

> INTERVIEW RED SQUARE AUDIO


Red Square Audio founder Paul Nicholson is looking forward to a big year. With exciting lines and an

unmatchable enthusiasm, he expects that RSA will soon become a major player in pro audio. Andrew Lowtalks to the Audio Pro Award winner for Best New Company about being creative in challenging times…

All the right angles

”People are

listening and

excited about

what we are

doing for all the

right reasons. Paul Nicholson

line. I was instrumental in redesigning the install version and bringingit to the live market. Apex is also a brilliant company that we took onbecause it was struggling with its market profile in the UK. In addition,we have a strategic partner for Lab.gruppen, so having an associationwith the TC Group and working with Tannoy is a big advantage for us.”

Despite hosting big brands, Nicholson knows that he is not dealingwith steadfast names in the UK’s live music market. “Tannoy does nothave a history in high-end pro audio, so I am trying to bring a newproduct to the market – and that is tricky even at the best of times, butwe know that we have a stunning and cost-effective product and I thinkwe will do really well with VQ this year,” he explains. “There isn’t a readymarket for many of our products and we started RSA in a recession, butthe message is getting out and there is a real feel good factor about whatwe are doing. People are listening and excited about what we are doing forall the right reasons.”

While the engineer used to be the one speccing the latest desks andcabinets to take on the road, Nicholsen is finding that such is not the caseany longer and the companies that have to buy the gear themselves don’thave the money they used to. He is working around this problem byoffering the right products at the right price and through his associationwith Gear Source. “We already have cost-effective gear to start with, butwe can make it even easier for companies to buy with our trade-in deal,”he points out. “You can buy a new VQ Live system without spending anymoney. You end up with a smaller and more powerful system that takes upless room in the truck and the warehouse, and it’s much greener to runbecause the power consumption is so low. It just makes sense.

“Last week a client called in who wants to trade in his old system and itwon’t cost him a thing; actually, we might end up giving him some moneyback. He had a look at the VQ Live and realised that not only did itsound amazing, but it will take up far less space in the van and thewarehouse and save him money.

“The same is true with the Eclipse, because it has an integratedrecording system, two onboard PCs and it’s smaller than a Yamaha M7CL.It’s modular, no outboard or recording racks are required and it’s fullyMADI compatible. The hard drive can be taken out at the end of a gigand given to a studio engineer for mixing. You can also use it for virtualsound checks and drop in live channels via the cue buttons.”

Having a long legacy in the business and a history as Toyah Willcox’sFOH engineer is another big bonus for RSA, as Nicholson will be takingthe Eclipse on tour with The Humans this February, a band that featuresWillcox, her husband, Robert Fripp of King Crimson and Bill Rieflin ofREM. He will also be using the Eclipse’s MARS systems to record all therehearsals and shows.

With the help of Nicholson’s wife, Hilary, Andy Reeves and DavidBaker, RSA is making its name known in the industry. “2010 is bigyear for us and we need to help get the feelgood factor back into theindustry,” he concludes. “Unfortunately, we can’t control the economyor exchange rates, but we can control a lot of other factors and it’s allgoing in the right direction for us. We are a very stable groupfinancially and we are here for the long term.” > redsquareaudio.co.uk


RED SQUARE AUDIO INTERVIEW<

Red Square’s partnership with Gear Source gives it an edge over others

Performance Shell (MAPS), as it is known, has been fullydesigned, modelled and tested, and the team’s company,Sound Forms, is currently raising two million pounds underthe Government’s Enterprise Investment Scheme to build thefirst full-size prototype.

The quandary to which the quest for a solution became thedriving force behind MAPS is that, since the musicians atoutdoor events are typically surrounded by nothing more than

a traditional tented structure, the sound wavesthey create are not reflected and therefore

travel upwards and behind them asfrequently as they do towards the

crowd. This is a double-edged swordfor acoustic acts, because they also

struggle to hear themselves,which leads to problems withtiming, tuning and themultitude of intricacies thatlead to a great performance.

MAPS has been designed toprovide three majoradvantages over a standard,tented rock and roll stage. By

including sound reflectingpanelling above and to the side

of the orchestra, a stage acousticcan be created that will assist the

musicians to hear themselves andeach other, motivating them and

promoting better performances. Mikingrequirements, either for amplification or

broadcast, will be less complex and yield better resultswithout signal processing and finally, by extending the shell infront of the platform edge, sound is projected out of the shelland redirected onto the audience area, thereby increasing thedirect sound level.

“The profiling shape means that sonic energy hits theceiling and most goes forward, but some goes back onto themusicians, so you do get a stage acoustic,” explains Arup’s IanKnowles. “It’s not very live, but it’s not like playing outdoors

Let’s face it, while we probably wouldn’t choose our tiledbathrooms to mix a major label album in, if there is oneplace that convinces us that a rendition of New York,

New York is a good idea, the bathroom is it.This notion certainly isn’t lost on Mark Stephenson and,

ten years ago, when he began to get downright fed up oflacklustre outdoor orchestral performances, he wouldprobably have preferred a suitably-sized bathroom over anacoustically inert tent for conducting themusicians in his orchestra.

“You only need to sing in the bath toknow that it sounds much better andit feels much better and, because ofthat, you just want to carry onsinging,” enthuses Stephenson.“Well, a musician operates thesame way. It doesn’t matter ifhe’s got a Stradivarius violin,if he’s playing in bad acousticconditions, it’s not veryrewarding, so he doesn’t playso well. He can’t hear hiscolleagues properly either, sothe overall quality of theperformance is third rate.”

Now before you get excited, Ihave you tell you that the idea ofusing a bathroom as an outdoor stagenever came to fruition. You see, as livelysounding as they are, a bathroom’sacoustics aren’t always ideal, and furthermore,an orchestral-sized bathroom would probably be alittle on the cumbersome side for the very mobile world of liveoutdoor performance.

Happily, Stephenson anticipated this and, rather than wastehis time designing a very large portable bathroom, theorised amuch more bespoke solution. A decade on and after teamingup top architect Jason Flanagan and consulting with ArupAcoustics’ Ian Knowles, his concept is on the cusp ofbecoming a functional reality. The Mobile Acoustic

> COMPANY PROFILE MAPS


”As a classical

musician, the

idea that half of

the sound I make

isn’t going to just

disappear off the

back of this

thing is fantastic.Mark Stephenson

MAPS

Shell ShockFrustrated with the acoustic problems of outdoor

performances, acclaimed classical music conductor

Mark Stephenson garnered a team of experts and

devised the Mobile Acoustic Performance Shell. RobHughes catches up with Stephenson as the concept

gathers momentum…


MAPS COMPANY PROFILE<

where there’s no support, no reverberance at all. Theintention was to improve the acoustic conditions on theplatform and by doing so improve the performance, but we’vetaken that a stage further by introducing an extension of theshell forwards. We call that the ‘peak’ and that extends thereflected sound onto the audience. We looked at optimisingthe height and shape of the platform, the angle of the peakand the extension of the peak, and the patent that has beenlodged actually deals with the ratios involved. We’ve modelledit in Odeon (acoustic software) so we know the subjectiveimprovements it makes and the support figures we’re gettingon the platform – a measure of how much energy is reflectedback to individual musicians – are comparable to those of agood quality concert hall.”

“From my point of view, as a classical musician, the ideathat half of the sound I make isn’t going to just disappear offthe back of this thing is fantastic,” adds Stephenson. “It’s aterribly obvious principal, but it’s just not been done before,other than in permanent structures such as the HollywoodBowl. The premier league orchestras in the States have gotquite good outdoor summer versions, but the second leagueorchestras such as Pittsburgh, which are huge, still havenothing. Even New York Philharmonic, which is already veryinterested in MAPS, doesn’t have a quality outdoorperformance shell yet.

“I want the top-class, premier league orchestras to beprepared to go and play outside and at the moment quitehonestly, they’re not. I was a cellist in the Philharmonia forten years and I put up, as we all did, with the conditions ofplaying outside and felt that the audiences were gettingsecond best. We’ve had the BBC’s chief acoustician look atMAPS, because at the moment what you’ve got is thewonderful Royal Albert Hall for the Last Night of the Promswith that great big resonant sound, then you zoom up toGlasgow and you hear this farting French Horn in a tent. Andhowever hard the BBC tries – and its brilliant, still the bestbroadcaster in my mind – it can’t mitigate that.”

Exciting stuff, but what about the traditional values of amusic stage? What about speed and ease of setup and,moreover, how many people would have the need or desire to

make a serious investment in a platform thatwas exclusively for the use of orchestras andother acoustic performers? Well, on the firstpoint, remarkably, Olly Watts from the ESGroup, which will construct the full-sizeshells, has predicted that they will come inon the standard orbit installation anddismantling times, which can be considereda great achievement given the sophisticatedacoustic panelling process used to constructthe mobile stage. This brings us to the secondquestion, which could be bluntly summarised as:what about good old rock n roll acts? Well, itseems they’re catered for too.

“No-one in their right mind woulddesign something purely for orchestralmusic,” Knowles astutely points out.“If you were the operator of a venueor a festival, you would want to puton a mixture of different types ofmusic from one day to the next, oreven consecutively. To this end, allthe acoustic panels are easilydemountable and you’re left withessentially a rock n roll stage, whichis suitable for amplified stuff. And I’msure that there’s a halfway house. Forexample if you were doing some jazzstuff, maybe you’d want to leave some ofthem in place. It’s up to the operator howthey use the different acoustic conditions thatthe platform can provide.

“But one of the greatest benefits of what we’ve created,is that you won’t need 40 or 50 sets of microphones and anenormous console to try and make head and tail of it all. Notonly will this make rigging a lot easier, but the pickup soundquality will be better. You’ll get a better performance, bettersound quality, easier rigging, less processing and, overall, abetter product.”> soundforms.co.uk

By including sound reflecting

panelling above and to the side

of the orchestra, MAPS creates

a stage acoustic to assist

musicians in hearing

themselves

A very sophisticated

acoustic panelling process

is used to construct MAPS

Inside and out, the new I-TECH HD is one of the most technologically advanced

professional touring amplifiers on the market today. Building on the decades of

innovation, invention, and insight Crown is known for, the I-TECH HD features five

new patents – three on the power supply alone – giving you an amp that goes

well beyond the expected.

At the heart of the new I-TECH HD is the BSS OMNIDRIVEHD processing engine.

Four times faster than its predecessor and featuring Linear Phase FIR filters and

LevelMAX™ limiters, OMNIDRIVEHD provides unmatched clarity and sonically pure

signal processing.

All this, plus the versatility of System Architect software, combine to make

the new I-TECH HD truly bad to the bone.

Learn more at itechhd.com or call your local Crown representative.


MODERN WORLD STUDIO COMPANY PROFILE <

Modern World Studio is hidden in an industrial estate in the quaint country town of Tetbury, UK. White

Mark designed the rooms and owner Nick Cowan picked a raft of key gear that has made it commercially

successful and busy since day one. Cowan explains to Andrew Low how it’s entirely possible to

accidentally start a successful recording studio….

Everything in its right place

With an average age of 70, Tetbury, where ModernWorld Studio is based, is not the place to go to if youare looking to party and rub elbows with industry

reps. Nick Cowan, the owner of Modern World Studio,laughs: “We have these Scottish metal bands coming to townfor the studio and they ask us where all the chicks are, and wehave to say: ‘There aren’t any, it’s Tetbury’.”

Despite the absence of nightclubs and rock venues, Cowanassures us that the studio is a great place to get bands to focuson their record. This is also one of the reasons why producerGreg Haver (Manic Street Preachers, Super Furry Animals,Catatonia, Lost Prophets and Bullet For My Valentine) hastaken residence in the studio for almost three years.

Modern World was not started as a commercial venture,rather a place for Cowan to work on his own music and filmscoring. After 20 years of living a hectic London life, Cowangave it all up and began building his ultimate studio in the heartof Tetbury’s countryside. Fronted by an SSL Duality console,prime outboard from API, Chandler, Emperical Labs,Thermionic Culture and Lexicon and an Exigy 5.1 surroundmonitoring system with Quested S7 nearfield, Cowan workedwith White Mark to develop a high-end project studio thatsoon took on a life of its own. He comments: “It began as ashitty room with holes in the roof. We stripped it back to a shelland White Mark took care of the live and control rooms.

“We really wanted to use the height of the industrial building.You go to a lot of London studios and you are in the basementwith no windows and restricted head height, which I alwaysfind weird because you just don’t feel like you want to be there.

“I wanted to finally have a go at recording some of my ownstuff and record film scores and advert jingles – that was the

original logic behind it. In the planning stages, White Markasked if I was every going to rent it out commercially, and Isaid ‘absolutely no way’. The guys at the firm explained that ifI ever was going to make it a commercial space that I shouldstart thinking about it then, rather than in two years’ time,and consider things like health and safety guidelines andinstalling a wheelchair ramp.”

MAKING A MARKWhite Mark designed the studio’s main live room as 460 sq ftof open plan recording space. The room’s large size, oakflooring, oak diffusers (16 in total), and fabric walls arecomplemented by natural daylight from windows andoverhead skylights. Acoustic screens are also provided forseparation during live recordings. It includes a full eight-channel Aviom mixing system for headphone balance, withrecording and foldback via Quested S8s. Cowan comments:“The room sounds great and we also have all sorts of moodlighting, like LEDS in the diffusers that are nice little WhiteMark touches.

“When I started to think about using it as a commercialspace, I also changed my mind about the desk I wanted.Originally I had a SSL AWS 900 coming, which was only 24tracks, but I thought that a 48-track desk would cover all thebases if it was a commercial studio and could also gave me alot of flexibility with my own work.

“Mike Banks of SSL sold me the desk and said that I shouldcall in a few producers to test it to get some feedback andHaver was one of them. From him, the client base just keptgrowing and to this day, three years later, I still haven’t been inmy own studio. It is an accidental recording studio.”

”It began as a

shitty room with

holes in the roof.

We stripped it

back to a shell

and White Mark

took care of it.Nick Cowan

Modern World Studio

“We get 90 per cent unsigned bands here, which means it istheir money and they want to work hard and use the time.Haver drives them hard and they leave with an amazingproduct. We have a day rate of £500 with freeaccommodation. You can leave at midnight and get back inhere at nine am and it is still the same price.

“Client attention to detail is my main priority. I really wantto look after the client, because I think that’s really

what’s been missing from this industry.”

BUT DON’T JUST TAKE THEOWNER’S WORD FOR IT

Producer Greg Haver and engineerClint Murphy have been usingModern World for three years as ahome away from home. Aftertravelling all over the globe usingstudios in New Zealand, Ireland andLatvia, the pair found ModernWorld and have booked it out in

monthly blocks ever since. “When the studio I regularly used in

Cardiff was bought by the Manic StreetPreachers, it became private and I could

only work around the band’s sessions,”Haver says. “We used to spend four months in

the UK and then four in New Zealand. The idea ofbeing based somewhere so we could see our wives seemed

like a good idea and it is a great place to work. “I love the desk and the monitoring. We get a good price

and in return we bring in a huge amount of business andpractically live here. Due to the amount of work we bring tothe studio, Cowan was prepared to make some changes for usand acquire some gear that we wanted to use. It is a two-waystreet: Modern World Studio gets a large amount of work and

Modern World maintains an exclusive 24-hour lockedpolicy for the bands. It also features an edit suite with a ProTools HD system, a collection of vintage and high-end guitars,amps that would make any musician fall to their knees and alounge with a widescreen TV, kitchen and a pinball machine.

Cowan’s space seems the perfect model for a modernstudio: self owned, built from the ground up and just bigenough to fit a live band and orchestra withoutbeing too big or expensive, thus fitting inwith the budgets of self-financed bandsand independent labels. As such, thestudio is fully booked throughout theyear. Despite its great successCowan is leery of getting too big.He states: “Six months ago Iwould have said that I wanted toexpand. If I could do anythinghere it would be to open anexpanded edit suite, somethingthat complements the studio. Idon’t want bands to lose thatpriceless exclusivity.

“I wouldn’t buy the building nextdoor and spend another three quartersof a million quid building another studio,because on paper it doesn’t add up. I builtthis studio for myself and it has becomeprofitable, which is great, but when I look at otherstudios, especially those in the heart of London, I can’t figureout how they are turning a profit – and the answer has to bethat they aren’t. This building cost £100,000. The guys inLondon who don’t own the freehold are paying £30,000 to£40,000 a year on rent alone. I don’t know how they make itwork, because unless you have orchestras or are really high-end it must be really hard to keep the rooms full every month.

> COMPANY PROFILE MODERN WORLD STUDIO


”We get a good

price and in

return we bring

in a huge amount

of business and

practically live

here.Greg Haver

Producer

Nick Cowan (third right) and

company love the accidental

studio that is Modern World

we get a studio that is comfortable towork in.”

Murphy explains: “Bands don’t seem tomind travelling here because it is only an hour fromLondon and lots of them come over from New Zealandbecause the conversion rate is in their favour. At the moment,the pound is so much weaker than everything else. ModernWorld throws in accommodation as part of the studio price, sohaving a band over with free accommodation for a four-weeksession is a big savings.

“When we first started coming here and it was new, therewere a lot of new products. We soon got used to the rooms.And eventually Cowan started buying some gear that we wereafter too.

“The main room is a very dry and dead drum sound, whichis good for an AC/DC drum sound. We suggested using the


MODERN WORLD STUDIO COMPANY PROFILE <

studio’s gym because it is quite splashy, and it actually soundsreally cool. And now we get some of the best drum sounds in there.

“What really brought me here was the desk and themonitoring. Especially for mixing – the SSL Duality is great towork on because you have the digital control surfacecombined with the analog side as well. I still mix the old wayon the desk, so it is nice to be hands on.

GETTING TO KNOW YOU“The more I get to know the SSL,” Murphy continues, “themore I have enjoyed tracking on it. I grew up as a Neve manand a fan of that classic punchy sound, but the SSL has avariable harmonic function that you can wind in on thesecond or third order harmonics to get a valve transistorsound, and it actually makes quite a difference. I usuallyrecord strings on Neves, but I have really liked recording themon the Duality and using the third harmonic function.”

“It has almost become our home studio, albeit a veryexpensive one,” Haver explains. “The Duality is designedreally well and is compact. I always worked a lot on E and Gseries and this board is similar – the monitor section is a digitalinterface, but the channel strips are essentially the same.

“These days records have to be financially transparent. Youshouldn’t be able to listen to a recording and be able to

figure out how much is cost to make. Every recordhas got to sound like it took a million bucks to

make it. You can’t say that you just didn’thave enough money – that is not an excuse.

It is our job as a producer and engineer tomake the record sound as good aspossibly can, so you find the facilities todo that.

“Why would we want to be in ourbedrooms at home doing that? Wehave seen a lot of producers set up astudio in their homes to try and savemoney and the quality of their work

suffers. We spend nearly every single dayof our lives in here. The other good thing

is that bands like being upstairs and itkeeps them out of my hair.” Murphy laughs: “Although sometimes it can

be quite hard to get the bands into the controlroom, because they are in the middle of their Halo game

or Guitar Hero.”Haver continues: “I do get a bit down on them when they

are playing Guitar Hero rather than learning their guitar parts.They will be whizzing through the game and then they comedown here and they don’t know their parts, and it’s like, ‘youhave just been playing Guitar Hero for ten hours’.

“We really love being at Modern World Studio – it is a greatfacility. It has all worked out well for everybody. We have thislittle Kiwi enclave in Tetbury and it is all down to Cowanbuilding the studio here – we have lowered the average age ofTetbury by about ten years.”> modernworldstudios.com

”The more I get to

know the SSL,

the more I enjoy

tracking on it.Clint Murphy

Engineer


> PRODUCT REVIEW AMS NEVE 2254 R COMPRESSOR

I’m writing this review on a hotnight in Montserrat, where the firstever mixing desk to be installed was

the Neve, designed by Rupert Neveand Geoff Emerick and custom-builtfor Air Studios. Sadly, the studio isnow inaccessible as it’s in the exclusionzone, but the Montserratians havevery fond memories of its days as oneof the pre-eminent internationalrecording facilities.

I remember being amazed by thesonic quality and vintage smoothnessof the original 1970’s 2254, years agowhen mixing Zero Cipher’s Diary OfA Sadist. It was one of thoseexperiences all we audio junkies gothrough from time to time when wefind ourselves thinking, “Wow, I’dreally love to have one of those in myrack.” So, when the guys at Neveasked me to review the 2254 Re-issue, I jumped at the opportunity.

NEW-BORN VINTAGEThe day before we flew toMontserrat, Jules Dickens fromAbstract Source came over to havehis latest track mixed and I put the2254/R through its paces.

One of the coolest and newestfeatures of the outboard range is TotalRecall. The installation procedure forthe Total Recall Software wasextremely straightforward.

Before even getting into mixing, Iwanted to acquaint myself with the

software side of the unit. The 2254/Rconnects to your computer via a USBconnection and the Total Recallsoftware package stores and recallsany settings you want. You can storethe settings for up to 16 units. All thesoft switches will recall at the press ofa button and all the rotary encodersare recalled manually, referring to theon-screen graphical representation.And while on the subject of thegraphics, they’ve been well-thoughtthrough and look fantastic.

The 2254/R’s comprehensiveprogramme meter section is operatedby a drive circuit with rapid attackand slow decay times, correspondingto the typical PPM characteristics.There’s a green LED to the top right-hand side of the meter that will lightat a threshold of about -10dBu. ThisLED turns red when the programmereaches a level of +25dBu, indicatingimminent clipping. The meter can beset to display either the input signallevel (in), output signal level (out) orthe amount of gain reduction(control) by adjusting the adjacentmeter knob.

Next to the meter section is thepower button, whose Neve N logolights up bright red. The ‘in’ switchwill be yellow once the 2254/R is putinto the chain, regardless of thelimiter or the compressor beingactive. If the unit is in by-pass theinput is sent straight to the output.

The compressor section features aratio knob, ranging from 1.5:1 to 6:1.

The 2254/R compressioncharacteristic is smooth and theactual ratio value is reached withinthe first five to ten dB above thethreshold. Following the ratio are thethreshold, gain make-up and recoveryknobs. Finally, there is the limitersection with its limit level, limitrecovery, fast attack switch and fastattack time controls.

THE NEVE 2254/R IN ACTIONAs the Abstract Source material ismainly electronically generated, Itend to mix it as much out of the boxas possible. Listening to the pre-production of the song, we decidedthe kick and the vocals would benefitthe most from being processed by the 2254/R.

The unit brought the kick drum tolife instantaneously. Apart fromproviding an overall level of control,it also brought out a lovely tonalquality and made it a lot snappier.Equally, the vocals got bouncier andmuch rounder.

The Neve 2254/R is a versatilemachine, capable of dealing with awide range of source material. Even ifyou haven’t come across the original,this unit is going to blow your mind.It’s a solid piece of gear that canhandle everything you throw at it.The 2254/R sounds amazing. Evenwhen it is not compressing or limitingand is just inserted in the chain, itwill add that delightful Neve soundwe all know and love.

VOLCANO ATE MY HOMEWORKWe’ve had ash falls and power cuts.I’ve learned all sorts of new words, likepyroclastic flow and partial domecollapse and lapilli. I’ve swept enoughash to make a new mountain, gazedin awe at the glowing dome atmidnight on a clear night and seen anexplosion send clouds of super-heatedgas, ash and debris thousands of feetinto the sky. The flow almost reachedAir Studios this time. It’s good to knowthat Neve is still making world-beatinganalog gear, embracing the digital era,thirty years on.> ams-neve.com

Back to the futureWes Maebe has a go with AMS Neve’s 2254/R compressor on the volcanically active island of Montserrat...


BEHIND THE BOARD WITH… PHIL HARDING

From a Christmas number one to a spot of birdwatching, former PWL man Phil Harding reveals all…

Which band/project are you

currently working on?

Mixing the single Beautiful DangerousPeople by new artist Ellis.

Where are you at the moment?

In my home project studio at thebottom of my garden, surrounded bythe snow.

What audio console are you

utilising? And how many channels?

Yamaha Digital 01V (originalversion) – 16 analog/eight digital viaADAT optical optional I/O card.The Yamaha is supplemented by myNautilus Nemo DMC-8 preamp,which acts as a high quality masterchannel strip with three externalstereo inputs that have individualgain controls for A/B comparisons.The Nemo also has stereo VU metersand a wonderfully large monitor potas the control room master for achoice of two sets of speakers.

What decision process was behind

the choice of this audio console?

I needed a good compact consolethat allowed me to do everything Iwanted at the time of purchase, to gowith my first Pro Tools system,especially with the very useful digital

I/O option card. The Nautilus Nemopreamp has completely changed mytypical DAW system into somethingthat feels like a classic 1970s studiowith a high quality discrete Class-Aresolution technology.

Do you utilise any outboard

effects/eq, and if so, what are they

used on and why?

Yes, I still use my AMSRMX 16 digital reverbfor the classic drumambience setting.

Favourite console?

SSL

Favourite PA or

monitoring system?

ATCs, Genelecs or JBLcontrol 1s with SB1passive sub.

Favourite venue/festival/studio?

London’s Strongroom Studios andthe Latitude Festival

What’s been your worst

professional experience to date?

Trying to mix Matt Bianco at TheMontreaux Jazz Festival in 1985 – afrightening experience.

What has been

your career

highlight?

Having my co-production of East 17’s

Stay Another Day hitChristmas number one in 1994 andstay for a five-week run.

What really pisses you off?

Bad singers and cocky andincompetent engineers.

With hindsight, what job would you

have chosen for yourself?

Therapist.

And if you weren't working now,

you'd be?

Birdwatching, though it’s little chillyfor that today. Otherwise, maybereading an enlightening book, suchas something from Vladimir Megre’sAnastasia series.

Harding has recently published a

book entitled PWL – From the

Factory Floor. The memoir

provides an insight into SAW/PWL

recording and mixing techniques. It

is available for a mere £10 from

Harding’s website,

www.philharding.com..

make,” she says laughing. “As with any art form, if they love itthen it doesn’t matter.”

In addition to getting the word out to young girls, WAM hasalso established many programmes to help women alreadyestablished in the industry. Winston states: “We are doingadvanced lectures for established engineers and bringing in moreguest speakers. We just did an in-depth tour at Meyer Soundthat was excellent, which was for both the established engineersand student members. We are about to do another one with alocal TV and radio station. We have also been trying to focus onfemale students who may need extra training.

“Our recording studio is open for use by engineers andartists. It is very well staffed and the rates are extremely lowfor women who are WAM-certified, so that is the otherbenefit – bands get a great deal, women earn album credits,and once our students get out of school they can use a studiowith excellent gear.”

WAM began off the back of Winston’s successfulrecruitment of women students while teaching at The CityCollege of San Francisco. “I got the enrolment of the schoolup to 50 per cent female and decided, rather than travellingto schools everywhere, to get more girls involved and get all ofthe best practices together in one place, and from there it justkind of exploded. I didn’t expect it to mushroom so quickly.The industry has been great.”

From its inception, Women’s Audio Mission’s (WAM)main goal has been to increase the number of womenworking in the recording industry. But the fact is that

women only represent five per cent of the business. WAM founder Terri Winston believes that it is more to do

with a lack of familiarity and the way women are socialisedaround technology from a young age than sexism. Sheexplains: “WAM doesn’t tend to focus on the sexism aspectbecause you are going to find some kind of ‘ism’ anywhere yougo. The industry has been really supportive of us. We are moretrying to pick apart why women don’t naturally pick up asoldering iron or get excited about recording technology and Itend to think it is down to familiarity. My father is atraditional engineer and my mother comes from a biologybackground, so I was familiar with technology because I wasaround it all the time and now we use that model for WAM. Ifwe can introduce women to audio engineering, it hopefullygets them over that hump so that they can grow moreinterested and comfortable with it.

“The bulk of what we are doing is training, all the waydown to girls aged nine to 16. When you go into middleschool, the girls have no idea that audio engineering exists,but when you show it to them they go crazy and are amazedthat you can make a living doing it. Although I do tell themthat I don’t know how much money they are actually going to

> COMPANY PROFILE WOMEN’S AUDIO MISSION


San Francisco-based Women’s Audio Mission is an organisation dedicated to training and supporting

women interested in audio engineering. Its web seminars, hands-on training and studio have already

helped hundreds of women get ahead in an otherwise male-dominated world. Andrew Low talks to

founder Terri Winston about getting more women behind the board…

”When you go

into schools, the

girls have no idea

that audio

engineering

exists – then they

are amazed.Terri Winston

Women’s Audio

Mission

In it for women

Support from the industryhas come in the form of donatedequipment for WAM’s trainingstudio. As such, it is equipped with aPro Tools HD2 system with two 192 I/Os,Pro Control, and Sound Workshop 34 C andSony DMX-R100 consoles. It also features Barefootmonitors, mics from Audio Technica, Heil, Mojave, THE andShure, as well as high-end outboard gear from Daking, Lavry,Universal Audio, Millennia, A Designs, TL Audio, Great River,Purple Audio, Urei and Lexicon.

“All of the gear was donated from the industry. They wantedto see women using it and they want to see women gettingcredit on records and films. I have seen a lot of panels aboutgetting more women into studio work, but to me the mostimportant thing is getting them familiar with the gear and itsapplications, and the manufacturers have been very supportiveof that.”

Although the studio and hands-on training is only availablein the Bay Area, WAM members from around the world canbenefit from the web-based training materials and read andwatch interactive modules and videos to familiarise themselveswith the gear and processes. Winston explains: “The onlinetraining materials were developed from a college training coursethat I developed. They are intense science-based trainingmaterials, which will serve everyone, not just women.

“The web materials are not intended to replace hands-ontraining, but they are very helpful for people in rural areas, orthose who don’t have access to this kind of gear. We havemembers from all over the world. For instance, women in thePhilippines have told us that they don’t have anywhere to go touse the gear, so even though they don’t have access to the


WOMEN’S AUDIO MISSION COMPANY PROFILE <

equipment, they can watch theprocesses and see where to

plug a microphone cable.This way they get to learnabout the theory, scienceand concepts behind theprocesses used in arecording studio.”

The success rate of theprogrammes has beenvery high and WAMgraduates have beenplaced in varying

capacities throughout the industry.“One of the first women I

placed had been hired as aright-hand person at Barefoot

monitors,” Winston states.“Barefoot then donated a beautiful

set of monitors that she designed. Wehave also placed a few people with Tracy

Chapman. The last person did all the liverecordings on her last tour. Then there is someone else at

Pixar and most the studios in the Bay Area have worked withour women in some form. One of our graduates has recordedaudio for the Discovery Channel, as well as Animal Planetand Comedy Central.”

Despite enjoying several success stories, Winston admitsthat it is still very challenging to train women as audioengineers, mostly because of the way they are socialisedaround technology. “When I get some that are good theyreally latch onto it, but that is a rare person.” She continues:“But I find that’s true with men as well. You see the samesuccess rate, percentage wise. I think this is changing, but it isstill a challenging area.”

As for the future, Winston believes that expanding onlineoptions is key to cultivating WAM’s internationalmembership and keeping members informed on the latest itcan offer. “We just started doing our member meetings onlineonly. We have 850 to 900 women all over the world andonline conferencing has been a great thing for us. Womenfrom Canada, England, Texas and NJ are getting involved,and we are now more connected as a community.

“Our big focus is this online training, because we have avery high-quality product that is revolutionary in the way thatit is presented. We are really excited about men and womenhaving access to these kind of materials.”> womensaudiomission.com

”It’s important to

get women

familiar with the

gear and the

manufacturers

have been very

supportive.Terri Winston

Women’s Audio

Mission

Above: WAM helps to

get more women

interested in audio

Inset: Terri Winston

buy now: tickets available for the music producers guild awards 2010

The MPG Awards ceremony will see the UK music industry coming togetherin one room to celebrate with the shortlisted candidates and sponsorcompanies. Starting with a champagne reception for all guests, the awardsceremony will be hosted by BBC 6’s Nemone Metaxes. After the awardspresentation will be the after party till 1am, along with a charity raffle. TheMPG is supporting the RNID’s Don’t Lose the Music campaign.

There will be a limited amount of tables available on the night to sell and individualseats on these will be sold on a first come first serve basis. Balcony tables andstanding tickets will also be sold – all provide a great view of the ceremony andinclude the champagne reception, some free drinks, food and entertainment.

Early Bird Discount (until December 23rd) and Full MPG Membership costs are:• Seated Downstairs - £125.00 - SOLD OUT• Balcony Standing - £60• Balcony Seated - £85

The Café De Paris, is located in the heart of London andaccommodation can be found in many local hotels.To buy tickets visit www.mpgawards.co.uk.To reserve a ticket please email [email protected]

headline sponsors

media partners media supporters sponsors

sponsored charity

SARAH YULE OPINION <

initial purchase. As a software user, keeping up-to-date withsoftware is hard too. Being left with a DAW that doesn’t workbecause of version incompatibility between your software/plugins/OS is a nightmare.

Wouldn’t it be great to not have to spend hours installingnew software, going through Challenge/Response and iLokcomplications and be able to access a session anywhere in theworld, from any computer with the internet?

This could be a winner all round. Software companies couldattract a steadier income stream by offering a ‘lite’ version forfree/demo, then a pro version either by utility type usage orvia subscription fee. You could have features where you canaccess plugins in real time with a ‘trial or buy’ functionality.

As internet speeds increase and it becomes more accessibleworldwide, this technology will get even better. Imaginemusicians working on a session in five different parts of theworld simultaneously, linked via an online cloud session; youcould join the cloud and start comping and editing files readyto mix down the track in your studio later on. A finishedtrack in a day, recorded with musicians from around the worldwithout any travel expenses. It also will make recording andproduction software available to anyone with an internetconnection – this alone could tremendously diversify thecreative output into the music world.

There are so many possibilities with cloud computing – let’ssee who from our industry will be the first to harness it.

The advancement in computer-based hard disk recording,software integration, digital live consoles and affordablepro-sumer recording and mixing equipment over the

last ten years has been substantial. Looking at the way technology and trends are moving in

other industries, there is one very sensible progression I seecoming to the world of audio in the very near future: cloudcomputing. Google is doing it, Microsoft is doing it, they’re allworking towards it. When global corporations are championinga technology, you know it is just a matter of time before it isemployed into business practise and then home computing, too.

For those who have not seen the many articles on thesubject, cloud technology basically enables you to store andshare data in a dedicated virtual (online) ‘cloud’ space andaccess hosted services and software via the internet.

Within the audio world, this could be very interesting.Although there are already some provisions for online musicmaking and sharing data, they can still be a little clunky andthere are no official services from the main audio softwaregiants like Digidesign Pro Tools, Steinberg Cubase/Nuendo,Apple Logic, Propellerhead or Ableton.

With the current economy driving the change of businessmodels, it could be a perfect time to adapt to a way of workingthat would benefit both the manufacturer and the consumer.

As a software manufacturer, you suffer from software piracyand it’s tough to attract a constant, steady income beyond an

Sky high

audioAUTHOR BIO: Sarah Yule is anexperienced audioengineer andLiverpool Institutefor Performing Arts(LIPA) graduate.After graduation,Yule became one ofthe first sales stafffor Dolphin Music.She currently worksfor TL Audio whereshe was recentlypromoted to theposition of salesdirector, which ispartially due to thesuccess of herconceptual designof the Fat Track TubeProduction Suite.

Sarah Yule examines how pro audio companies could move into cloud computing...

> IN SESSION


Angelic, Northants

Telephone: +44 (0) 207 232 0008 Web: www.miloco.co.uk/angelic

Omnisound, Nashville

Rooms: Studios A and B, mix/overdub suites A and B

Consoles: API Legacy, Focusrite Control 24, Digidesign D Command

Mics: Neumann, AKG, Coles, B&K, Royer, EV

Outboard: GML, Alan Smart, Tube-Tech, Joe Meek, Universal Audio, Urei

Monitoring: Genelec, Yamaha, Mackie

Telephone: +1 615 482 1511 Web: www.omnisoundstudios.com

ONE OF the top recording studios on

Nashville’s ‘music row’, Omnisound

specialises in helping to create top-

quality recordings for independent

artists and songwriters. The company

will co-ordinate and organise entire

projects, from tracking and overdubs,

to mixing and mastering in a simple

one-stop process.

To help achieve this, the studio has

close ties with some of the

finest Nashville session

players, engineers, hit

songwriters and major

label producers. The

studio has recorded

projects for Warner

Bros, Sony Music,

BMG, Capitol Records

and many Independent

labels and publishers

throughout the world, in

places as far flung as South

Africa, Puerto Rico, Australia,

France, Norway, Iceland and Japan.

Fast approaching its 25th birthday,

Omnisound Studios has not only

survived, but thrived during its quarter

of a century in business, by

consistently adding new services and

re-evaluating its business model. As

well as the typical services you would

expect from a studio, Omnisound also

offers artist development and

consulting to help customers achieve

various goals within the music industry.

The company recently purchased

the studio complex next door to

Omnisound at 1808 Division Street.

This became its newest studio, the Icon

A Mix, named after the Digidesign

control surface, which forms its

centrepiece. It has since proved to be

one of the best ProTools Mix Suites in

Nashville, with a HD3 system, a

plethora of top plugins and some

prestigious analog gear.

Studio A, meanwhile, will

appeal to analog tape fans

with its onsite Studer

A800 Mark III 24-track

machine. Studio A also

offers a sizeable array

of analog outboard

gear, alongside an

enticing selection of

instruments of the less

portable kind – pianists

and fans of keys in general

will appreciate the Yamaha C-7

concert grand, Hammond C3 with

Leslie 122, Wurlitzer electric piano and

Fender Rhodes complete with speakers

in the live room.

Omnisound has seen its fair share of

hitmakers through the doors – acts such

as Joan Osborne, Natalie Imbruglia and

Art Garfunkel have all recorded there,

while visiting engineers have included

Chuck Ainlay and Chip Matthews. The

studio has also worked on special

projects for the likes of Pixar.

THE MILOCO studio group has kicked

off 2010 with the launch of yet another

world-class residential. The firm has

formed a new partnership with

producer and former Jamiroquai

keyboardist/songwriter, Toby Smith, to

develop the studio, which was

completed last year. Hidden away in

the heart of rural England, Angelic is

designed to provide artists with an

exclusive and idyllic setting to record

in. It is constructed within two

charming farm buildings, which have

been converted and refurbished to

uncompromising standards.

The studio is built around a large and

spacious Sam Toyashima control room

featuring a SSL SL8072 G+ console

with Total Recall and Ultimaton; the

same desk which used to live in

Townhouse Studio 2. It is

complemented by a top-rate selection

of monitors: ATC SCM200s, Barefoot

MicroMain 27s and the obligatory

Yamaha NS10Ms, powered by Quad

and ATC amps. The outboard rack is

extensive, with too much to list here,

but the vintage Neve mic pres – four

1084s, six 1100s and eight 33114s – are

of note. Recording is done on a

Protools HD3 rig with three 192

interfaces and two Apogee converters,

providing 48 inputs and 56 outputs.

The first of two recording rooms

features a high gabled roof, grand oak

floor and three tall stone walls, which

result in bright and lively acoustics.

There are two very large windows

looking out to the country

surroundings that saturate the space

with daylight. Drawing the large

curtains will dampen the acoustics to

achieve a more controlled sound.

There is also a large selection of

absorbers and screens to vary the

acoustics. The room houses a drum kit

and a stunning and tuned white

Yamaha G3 grand piano.

The second live room is a guitarist's

dream, filled with countless beautifully

maintained models by the likes of

Fender and Rickenbacker, and amps by

Ampeg, Fender, Marshall and Vox, plus

an equally impressive pedal and FX

collection. Synth keyboard players are

also well catered for. The second live

room offers something different to the

first – there is a large carpet and

several acoustic panels for a more

controlled sound. However, it still

features the building's original stone

walls and high ceiling.

Miloco has formed a new partnership with producer and

former Jamiroquai keyboardist/songwriter Toby Smith,

to develop the studio

Studios:

Rooms: Control room, two live rooms

Consoles: Solid State Logic SL8072 G+

Mics: Neumann, Coles, Royer, AKG, AEA, Schoeps, B&K

Outboard: Summit, Tube-Tech, Chandler, API, Neve, Valley People, GML

Monitoring: ATC, Barefoot, Yamaha, Quad, Auratone

People and equipment behind studios

in the UK and around the world...

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Finnvox, HelsinkiFOUNDED IN 1965 with just one room

and four-track capability, Helsinki’s

Finnvox was the first studio in Finland

to be designed and built specifically for

music recording. Since then, it has

maintained a unique position in the

Finnish music industry, with a client list

that reads like a ‘who’s who’ of popular

music in the country. Today, Finnvox is

a complete, state-of-the-art music

production facility, increasingly

attracting artists and producers from

outside Finland.

The facility currently comprises

seven studios (appropriately named A

to G). What is now studio A was

originally Finnvox in its entirety, but

today it serves as a roomy and well-

appointed mixdown environment. The

facility’s principal studio is now Studio

B, which boasts its largest live room at

almost 2,000 square feet of hardwood

flooring. This is the room for general

recording, since, as it verges on an

orchestral-sized space, even the

largest bands will have plenty of room

to breathe. The firm notes that it is

especially suited to music that needs to

shift a lot of air. An array of rotatable

wall elements and a selection of

movable room-height screens allow

for the tweaking of acoustics. For

vocals, two glassed isolation booths

run along one side and to the back of

the studio.

Studio B’s control room is well

equipped with an SSL AWS 900

console and Neve 1081 preamps. This

will more then suffice for most tracking

requirements, but for those who

require a bigger console, Studio C has

the answer. Housing a Solid State Logic

4040 G console, the studio was

originally built in 1980 and has since

been modified extensively. Studio C is

usually manned by celebrated Finnish

engineer Mikko Karmilla and comes

complete with a 22 by 16-foot live

room and a separate, windowed

isolation booth.

Finnvox also offers a mastering

service, which a great deal of metal

bands have taken advantage of. Most of

the mastering work is carried out by Mika

Jussila, who, to date, has mastered over

3000 records at the studio. These have

included notable Finnish acts such as

Sonata Arctica, Nightwish, Finntroll, HIM,

Moonsorrow, Holy Knights, and Ram-

Zet. Nightwish has also had albums

recorded and engineered at Finnvox by

Aksu Hanttu.

Rooms: Studios A to G with live rooms and iso booths

Consoles: SSL 4040 G, SSL AWS 900, Digidesign

Mics: Neumann, AKG, B&K, EV, Beyer

Outboard: Urei, Tube-Tech, API, AMS Neve, Eventide, Lexicon

Monitoring: Genelec, Yamaha, Auratone

Telephone: +358 20 755 9291 Web: www.finnvox.fi

Founded in 1965 with just one room and four-track

capability, Finnvox was the first studio in Finland to be

designed and built specifically for music recording

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

To have your studio featured in this section, please send all details to:

[email protected] or call +44 1992 535646

DIGITAL ARCHIVING isubiquitous in preserving recordsand documents. When olderformats of recording and logginginformation reach the limit of theirshelf life, digital archivingtechnology takes over. Thesepriceless artifacts can then bestored and restored for many moregenerations without risk of furtherdegradation, as long as the digitaldata is correctly managed. Oncethe recording is in the digitaldomain, it can be duplicated andbacked up with bit for bit accuracywith no further generation loss.

Digital technology also allowsnon-destructive editing and DigitalSignal Processing (DSP) to be triedwithout risk. Old audio specimenswill have many flaws, but theoriginal media is delicate and thismeans repeated playback is out ofthe question. However, once in thedigital domain it is possible toeffortlessly apply audio equalisation,click removal, de-hissing and otherprocessing without worrying aboutdamaging the master. There mayalso be an advantage here in havinga multi-channel device whendigitising old masters, even monomedia, as different channels can beset up with different inputconfigurations (different pickups,using different gain levels or usingdifferent microphones with non-electronic playback devices and soon) so that the master only needsto be played once and themaximum information is availablefor post processing.

Some say that the character ofanalog can never be accuratelycaptured digitally. Basic physicsconfirms this is true, but it is aquestion of degree. The boundariesof digital recording performancecontinue to be pushed back tolevels unimaginable only a fewyears ago.

Despite the subjective appeal ofvintage tape machines andprocessing devices, such equipmenthas significant technicallimitations. The tape recorder,

loved for itstape compression,was a significantlimiting factor. It introduced noiseand distortion in addition tocompression effects that would beutterly unacceptable in an A/Dconverter today.

However, sometimes an analogdevice might seem to do exactlythe job required. Using a good A/Dand D/A converter system, analogprocessing can be used today withdigital archive media, allowingaudio recordings to be restored andre-mastered for a more enjoyablelistening experience.

Whether using analog signalprocessing or not, faithfullytransferring from analog to digital isof the utmost importance duringthe transfer. Traditional soundrecording may allow some

colouration during the conversionprocess; however audio archivingdemands that the digital recordingis as faithful to the original aspossible. Audio archivists look forthe highest quality andtransparency in audio converterssuch as Prism Sound’s ADA-8XRor Orpheus. This means thefrequency response must be flat,dynamic range must be large, andthe clock must be super stable.

During the remaster of theBeatles original catalogue, greatcare was taken to digitise theoriginal analog tapes using thePrism Sound ADA-8XR and Pro-Tools. SADiE was used along withCEDAR to remove noise, pops andclicks but still maintain breaths andcoughs so ambience and originalityand authenticity was maintained.

Prism Sound’s Jody Thorne on

why digital looks after analog

The boundaries of

digital recording

performance continue

to be pushed back to

levels unimaginable

only a few years ago.Jody Thorne

Jody Thorne holds the position of sales and marketing manager for Prism

Sound Group. He has worked for the company for the past 12 years and is

a graduate of Salford University. Prior to joining Prism Sound, he worked

for renowned producer, songwriter and musical director Mike Stevens.

Friendly formats

www.audioprointernational.com To contact Prism Sound Tel: +44 1353 648888 Email: [email protected] www.prismsound.com


Harman Music Group names new group VP

THE HARMAN Music Group hasannounced that Craig Paller has beenpromoted to the role of group-widevice president, worldwide sales.

The promotion will see Pallerresponsible for strategic planning andsales initiatives at the brand, market,and dealer level for BSS Audio, dbxProfessional, DigiTech, as well asLexicon Professional.

Rob Urry, President of the HarmanMusic Group, commented: “CraigPaller is an outstanding sales executivewith a proven understanding of themarkets Harman Music Group servesand deep empathy for the needs ofour dealers and customers. In this newrole, his experience, enthusiasm, and

leadership skills will benefit all of ourbrands in growing and strengtheningin each of their specific markets.”

Paller joined Harman Music Groupin November 2005 as vice president ofworldwide sales for BSS Audio & dbxprofessional. Prior to joining, he wasthe director of US sales for Shure.

Commenting on his new position,Paller stated: “I’m excited about theopportunity to lead our worldwide salesteam and continue to build eachbrand’s presence in established as wellas emerging markets. I want ourcustomers and dealers to know we havea great team in place that will continueto develop strong relationships.”> harmanpro.com

John Booth to head Roland’sEuropean operations Tim Walter promoted to MD of Roland UK

> PEOPLE

RADIAN AUDIO Engineering

has recently appointed industry

veteran Mark Pinske as its new

executive director of sales

and marketing.

Pinske has over 20 years of

experience in the pro audio

industry and is well known for

his seven-year association with

Frank Zappa as his

chief recording

engineer.

Based in

Southern

California,

Radian is a

manufacturer

of loudspeaker

systems and

speaker components

for permanently installed and

touring live sound applications.

Pinske joins Radian Audio

from Peavey Electronics, where

he was general manager of

Media Matrix, Crest Audio and

Architectural Acoustics for

nearly a decade.

> radianaudio.com

KLAUS HANSEN has been

appointed as Meyer Sound’s

business development

representative, Scandinavia, in

response to an expanding

customer base in Denmark,

Sweden and Finland.

Prior to joining Meyer

Sound, Hansen was

in the sales force

for several

renowned

Scandinavian

rental and

installation

companies, and

founded

Copenhagen Sound

Production in 1995. He is the

sound engineer for The Olson

Brothers, a winner of the

Eurovision Song Contest in

2000, and the systems

engineer at the annual Roskilde

Festival in Denmark.

Hansen’s appointment is

part of an effort to bring Meyer

Sound even closer to the

Scandinavian market.

> meyersound.com

BEXEL HAS announced that

Helen Carr will take on the role

of pro audio sales manager. Carr

joined the company in 2003

following a 20-year career in

broadcasting, having worked for

Quantel and Snell & Wilcox.

> bexel.com

IN BRIEF

Craig Paller promoted to worldwide, group-wide sales role for several brands

RTW HAS appointed JochenWainwright to position ofinternational sales manager.

Wainwright’s appointmentcomes as RTW looks to expandits operations worldwide. He haspreviously served as head ofaudio production at Wige-Mediain Cologne, where he wasresponsible for large-scale TVproductions, such as FormulaOne and Champions Leaguefootball broadcasts, as well asnetworking the company’s OBvans and planning anddesigning activities for itstelevision studios.

For the 2006 FIFA WorldCup championship in Germany,he co-designed the switchedcountry-wide fibre audionetwork for host broadcasterHBS and Deutsche Telekom.

Before joining RTW,Wainwright worked as a productmanager for Riedel inWuppertal, where he wasresponsible for most of theRiedel product range.

“We are very happy to haveJochen Wainwright join us,” saidAndreas Tweitmann, CEO. > rtw.de

PALLER: Now leading strategic sales

RTW appoints

Jochen Wainright

AS OF January 1st 2010, John Booth(pictured), the current managingdirector at Roland UK, begins a newjob within the global Roland group,assuming the title of director ofEuropean operations, and TimWalter, currently Roland UK’scommercial director, will assume therole of managing director for the UKoperation. Booth will continue torepresent Roland UK as chairman.

Since 2007, following Booth’sappointment to the main board of

directors at the Roland Corporation,Japan, his time has been splitbetween the UK, Japan and,increasingly, Europe. The creation ofthis pan-European role is RolandCorp’s recognition of theimportance of a collaborativeapproach between the Europeanjoint venture companies and that thegrowing needs of these businessesare identified and developed.

“I am delighted to be widening myrole at a European level,representing the RolandCorporation, Japan,” commented

Booth. “My main focus will nowbe helping Roland

Corporation improve andharmonise our operationsacross Europe, although Iwill remain as chairman ofRoland UK.”

Walter, having joinedRoland in 1996, quickly

progressed from a juniorposition in Roland UK’seducation department,spending time in a variety ofroles in the business beforejoining Roland UK’s board of

directors in 2003. Morerecently, his roles have included

sales and marketing director and,since 2008, the role of

commercial director,responsible for all UKoperations.

Walter has spentover 20 years in themusic business,during which heserved retail anddistribution roles. > roland.com


DISTRIBUTION <

MIDAS AND Klark Teknik’sdistribution is to remain unaltered,according to a press release issued thismonth, following the news of theBehringer purchase from BoschCommunications. To avoid confusionin the purchase, Uli Behringer and

Michael Deeb created a new holdingcompany, the Music Group.

Midas and Klark Teknik hasacknowledged the questions regardingthe deal and looked to reassure itscustomers by stressing that its ‘carefullychosen and highly focused distribution

companies worldwide will remain inplace and the brands will not beavailable through other channels’.

“Over the last five years we havesecured the industry’s leadingprofessional audio distributionchannels to ensure that Midas and

Klark Teknik customers in eachterritory get the same standard ofsupport that our award-winning teamprovides in the UK,” commentedDavid Cooper, sales and marketingdirector for Midas.> midasconsoles.com

Midas and Klark Teknik maintain distribution

XTA Electronics takes on newexclusive distributor for SpainSeeSound adds another big pro audio brand

XTA ELECTRONICS has recentlyannounced the appointment ofSeeSound as its new exclusivedistributor for Spain.

CEO Nacho Alberdi, whoformed the company in 2004, headsup Barcelona-based SeeSound.Today it is the exclusive distributorof many top pro audio brands suchas DPA and Optocore. Alberdi, whohas more than twenty years’experience in the industry, issupported by a team that offers abroad range of expertise in sales,marketing and technical support.Alberdi commented: “XTA is a key

factor in our catalogue because weconsider that it is the best at doingwhat it does – and that is being thecontrol part of any modern proaudio system.”

Speaking for XTA, sales andmarketing director Bill Woodsadded: “XTA is delighted to beworking with SeeSound, whoseother lines truly complement ourexisting product offering. I am verypleased to be working with Nachoand his excellent team, who alreadyhave a number of nice sales undertheir belts.”> xta.uk.com

Companies answer customer questions regarding distribution channels after Music Group purchase

dB Technologies appoints

Intellimix for Canada

INTELLIMIX CORP has recentlybeen named the exclusive Canadiandistributor for dB Technologies.

Intellimix handles audio productsfor the arena, club, theatre, restaurantand DJ markets out of its office inMontreal. It has continued to expandinto other areas with a strongemphasis on customer service.

Intellimix president StephenKosters commented: “With retail andsmall rental companies, the Operaseries fits the bill; whereas we arefinding the larger touring, install andcontractor markets are well servedwith the line array.”

Harald von Falkenstein, dBTechnologies’ international sales

manager, agreed. He said: “Workingwith Intellimix Corp, which has avariety of pro MI and pro audioproducts in its portfolio, means dBTechnologies can now reach a farwider range of customer groups inthis territory.”

“I am very proud to be the newdistributor in Canada,” Kosterscontinued. “The sound and pricepoints for dB Technologies areincredible. The people at dBTechnologies have been professionaland fun to work with. We lookforward to a long and prosperouspartnership for all.”> dbtechnologies.com> intellimix.com

Delighted: XTA feels that SeeSound’s lines are a complement to its own

Montreal-based company secures exclusive deal

THEY SAY: Powerful performances and

easy handling for full-range applications.

SPECIFICATIONS: The Stinger speaker

series is powered by Eminence drivers

and features BMS compression drivers,

available in passive and active models.

The active models feature Bang &

Olufsen Ice power amp, line I/O, mic in,

volume control, ground lift, two-band eq,

birch ply box with black textured finish.

LDEB82 passive: Multi-functional

loudspeaker with eight-inch custom

made speaker and BMS one-inch

compression driver. 18mm plywood

cabinet structure, highly durable

textured lacquer finish, integrated

speaker stand receptacle.

LDEB82A active: As above with B&O

amp and Speakon passive output

allowing the connection of a passive

speaker. Its speaker also features the

new Volex power plug.

> ld-systems.com

LD Systems Stingerseries speakers

THEY SAY: It features major advances in

audio driver technology in a

sophisticated enclosure design.

SPECIFICATIONS: The 8260A three-

way DSP monitoring system features

the Minimum Diffraction Coaxial Mid/

High driver technology for improved

imaging and sound quality both on the

acoustical axis as well as off-axis.

The 8260A combines a coaxial driver

(MDC) with a modern waveguide

technology (DCW), ensuring drivers

couple coherently over their full

operating bandwidth, as well as

creating coincident mid-frequency/

high frequency point source.

The 8260A features Genelec DSP

signal processing for loudspeaker

functions such as the crossover filters,

driver eqs, room response alignment,

calibration, and equalisation related filters

as well as distance compensating delays.

> genelec.com

Genelec 8260A 3-wayDSP Monitoring System

THEY SAY: A problem solver for many

hard-to-reach miking applications,

including choir, plays, and orchestra.

SPECIFICATIONS: The MicroBoom is a

50-inch (1,270 mm) carbon fibre rod

that can be utilised with any of the

condenser microphones in the Micros

series. It was designed to be lightweight

and attach to any microphone stand.

It can be used with a choice of

capsules in the Micros series. A high

quality shielded cable is used internally

to insure the cleanest audio signal path

between the microphone and the

bottom of the boom, which terminates

in a mini-XLR male connector. Its stand

adapter allows for control over the

angle, rotation, and position of the

carbon fiber rod. The final angle and

position of the microphone can be

controlled using the flexible metal

gooseneck just below the microphone.

> audixusa.com

Audix MicroBoom

THEY SAY: The 527 is based on API’s

225L discreet channel compressor and

measures just half the size of a Vi6.

SPECIFICATIONS: API’s 527 compressor

is a single channel module that features

controls including variable attack,

release, ratio, and output gain controls.

The unit also includes API’s patented

‘Thrust’ circuit, first offered on the 2500

Stereo Bus Compressor. A ten-segment

LED meter is switchable between gain

reduction and output level.

“Anyone who has used the 225L

compressor found in API consoles has

expressed a longing for the same kind

of flexibility and control in the 500

Series for some time,” said Larry Droppa,

president of API. “We’re delighted to

now offer the 527 to complement our

vintage 525 compressor, which has

been many engineers’ favourite

compressor over the years.”

> apiaudio.com

API 527 Compressor

THEY SAY: Mute 16 is suited for the

silencing of sound systems during

emergency announcements and as an

automated venue SPL control system.

SPECIFICATIONS: A compact 2U high

multi-channel audio mute system,

using voltage controlled amplifiers to

mute up to 16 channels of balanced,

line level audio. Its control input is an

optically isolated, normally closed

signal that is connected to a ground

during normal operation. When the

control signal becomes open-circuit,

the audio outputs are all quickly muted.

When the control input is restored, the

audio output level rises back to normal

over approximately two seconds.

A control signal from an emergency

system is connected via a two-pin

Camden plugin screw terminal. On the

front panel, indicators are included on

channels for signal in/out and mute status.

> greenhalse.co.uk

GreenHalse Mute 16


> PRODUCT

THEY SAY: The V47 gives users a great

microphone with legendary U47 sound.

SPECIFICATIONS: The first in the JZ

Vintage series, the V47 features a

unique double capsule and optimised

smart shock-mounting system.

The mic also features an original

design in a flask shape, a built-in shock-

mounting system, swivel mount for

multiple positioning options, and

golden drops sputtering technology on

capsule. The mic also comes with a

five-year warranty.

Its frequency range is 20Hz to 20

kHz. It features a cardioid polar pattern

and an output impedance of 50 Ohms.

> jzmic.com

THEY SAY: The R22 shines with a ruler-

flat frequency response out to 50 kHz.

SPECIFICATIONS: The R22 is a two-

channel, rack-mount compressor with

linkable stereo operation that uses true

RMS power summing, a patented Thrust

circuit for low-end and intuitive

parameter control.

The R22 interconnects with both

balanced XLR and quarter-inch inputs

and outputs. LED indicators and

switchable analog metering of the

output level and gain reduction provides

an optimised gain structure. It also

features switchable hard- or soft-knee

compression, combined with variable

threshold, ratio, and make-up gain

controls. It offers the same inline

compressor formerly found only in

Paragon consoles

> jdkaudio.com

>> Recent releases in audio technology

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8

NEW GEAR

JZ Vintage series – V47JDK Audio R22compressor

THEY SAY: World’s first battery and

remote powered digital snake added to

V-Mixing system.

SPECIFICATIONS: The S-0808 is an

eight-in/eight-out compact digital

snake that supports multiple power

options, including battery power,

embedded power over REAC and

power over Ethernet (PoE), which can

stream from multiple REAC units back

to RSS M-400 and M-380 V-Mixers. The

inputs offer remote controllable

preamps, phantom-power, 24-bit

96kHz A/D conversion and choices of

XLR, TRS line and even Hi-Z capability

to reduce the need for DI boxes.

Audio and power can be transferred

over Cat5e cable using the RSS S-

4000D Splitter and Power Distributor or

the new S-4000M REAC Merge Unit.

The S-4000M can power up to four

S-0808 units.

> rolandsg.co.uk

RSS S-0808 Digital Snake

1


PRODUCT <

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3

65

4

2

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When you hand your precious music project over toWes at the GHQ Sonic Cuisine you can relax, knowingyou have chosen an experienced and passionate soundengineer who will care about getting it right for you.

With a tried and tested combination of classic production values andcontemporary technology, Wes will deliver a finished master you can beproud of. You won’t have to pay double the price to attend the sessioneither, nor will you be charged exorbitant prices for reference copies.

If you can’t attend the session, everything can be done on-line via Wes’swebsite. If you do attend, you can expect a warm welcome, excellentcoffee and lashings of Belgian chocolate - well, he is Belgian after all.Which means he speaks Dutch, German, French and English fluently.

Book your first mastering session quoting SAFEHANDS09and get a 10% discount on the total cost of your job.

E-mail your name and address to [email protected] and enterWes’s monthly draw to win a box of the best chocolates in Belgium!

Wes MaebeThe GHQ Sonic Cuisine, West London

Freelance recording,mixing,mastering and live engineer.

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www.wesonator.co.ukPhoto by Stefan Lubo. www.stefanlubo.com

“ It’s great to knowthat your masteringjob is in a really safepair of hands.”

STUDIO


The Music Producers Guild (MPG) UK is to honour IslandRecords founder Chris Blackwell with an award forOutstanding Contribution to UK Music. This will bepresented on February 11th at the Music Producers Guild 2010Awards at the Café de Paris in London.

During the1970s, Island signed many more reggae mastersincluding Toots and the Maytals, Third World, Black Uhuru,Burning Spear, and Sly & Robbie. Blackwell also maintainedhis interest in progressive rock by signing artists such as RoxyMusic, Brian Eno, John Cale, and Marianne Faithfull, and healso extended Island’s influence into punk and New Wave withsignings such as U2, the Cranberries, Melissa Etheridge andTom Waits.

The last word in Audio Pro

The Audio Pro paparazzi is infiltrating all audio events, snapping away for our

monthly Mixdown, which features friendly faces of people in the business and

shots from industry events. If you have any pictures from an event that you

would like us to include, please send them to [email protected].

PICS OF THE MONTH

MAN IN BLACK In preparation for President Barack Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize ceremony,Oslo City Hall, Norway went through an overhaul of its sound system,including the installation of Allen & Heath digital mixing and audiodistribution systems. It also installed Allen & Heath’s iLive digital mixingsystem to manage live events,

The ceremony was attended by the Norwegian royal family andcelebrities, including actor Will Smith.

MATTER OF FACTAs Carl Cox wowed the gathered punters during his five-hour Room-One set at Matter London’s first birthday party, he made the most ofthe 3D room sound effects created by a TiMax audio delay matrix andtriggered live via an M Audio Oxygen8 MIDI keyboard. TiMax isintrinsic to the sound system design in the Thameside superclub andis the key to the ‘tight’ but spatial soundfield achieved in the very largeand industrial, high-ceilinged Room-One space.

>>www.audioprointernational.com audioPRO February 2010 49

HIT MAKER

Award-winning UK musicwriter/producer Fraser T Smith,the man behind multiple hitsongs for artists such as TinchyStryder, Pixie Lott, JamesMorrison and Taio Cruz, hasbecome the latest high-profilecustomer to begin using one ofPrism Sound’s ADA-8XRmultichannel converter.

With four number ones underhis belt, 2009 has been a highlysuccessful year for Smith, but2010 will see him working withWilloe, Clare Maguire, Adele anda follow up with Tinchy Stryder.

AUDIO ARCHETYPES

JAY REATARD 1980 - 2010We learned of the unfortunate passing of Jay Reatard thismonth. The 29-year-old garage and punk rock innovatorrecorded hundreds of songs in his rudimentary homestudio set up.

He said of his recording process: “It’s like a Polaroidpicture. I’m just trying to get the idea out before theinspiration is gone. Everything I do is motivated by thefear of running out of time. I’m not trying to be lowfidelity,” he added. “I’m trying to be handmade.”

The Minotaure Complex, France

We at Audio Pro love nothing more than a good old empty room and its soundsystem. This month we thank Outline’s Michele Noselli for this exciting image of

France’s Minotaure Complex, complete with its new Mini-COMPASS system.

EMPTY ROOM OF THE MONTH

SOLID STATE LOGIC G SERIESWe’re not going to get pernickety about particular models – that’s a debate for the geeks on Gearslutz.com.If someone gave us the opportunity to mix on one of these, we wouldn’t have the cheek to question which

model it was. Except maybe out of pure interest.And we’re not alone, because when ‘gangsta rapper’ The Game talks about legendary producer Dr Dre

being sat behind one in his track, Dreams, he doesn’t care to mention which model it was either. And thistells us just how far the G Series has wormed its way into popular culture, because The Game tends to stay

on the other side of the control room window, yet he knows full well what a G Series is, as does nearlyanyone with even a passing interest in recording.

SSL claims that the G Series – and if we must be specific, the 4000 – has been the mixer behind moreplatinum selling albums than all other consoles combined. It’s a bold claim, but one that is somewhat

supported by statistics. The 1996 Billboard Studio Action Chart showed that over 83 per cent of the year’snumber one hit singles were produced on SSL consoles.

> solid-state-logic.com


To discuss advertising contact Darrell Carter on 01992 535647 [email protected] editorial enquiries email Andrew Low [email protected] or call 01992 535646

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A>>

HAYDN BENDALL ONTHE NEVE 88RI suppose with my sort of backgroundmany people would expect me to waxlyrical about some of those mixers and bitsof equipment that we had at Abbey Road. Well,no, I’m afraid. I’m not and never was an aficionado of the TGMixers that seem to attract crazily high prices now. There aremany, many things that I loved about Abbey Road and manythings that I love now, but those mixers are just not on the list.

My mixer of choice is one that constantly amazes and surprisesme even after all these years. What we have to do as engineersand producers is to try and help make good sounding records.This mixer sounds fantastic and there has not been one occasionwhere I wished I was using a different mixer when utilising oneof these beauties.

Is it a coincidence that my favourite studios, Abbey Road, AIR,British Grove and Forward Studios, house one of these mixers?Actually, I think it is, but what a glorious choice these incrediblestudios have made.

My desert island desk (or anywhere else desk) is the Neve 88R.

THEM CROOKED CULTURE VULTURESJosh Homme, renowned producer and frontman for supergroupThem Crooked Vultures, was presented with his very own limitededition Thermionic Culture Culture Vulture (try reading this after afew beers) at Reading festival. Homme used the processor extensivelyon the last Queens of the Stone Age album, Era Vulgaris.

Adam Hall’s purchasing manager, Lee Barnaby pulled this

20 lb+ Common Carp from a syndicate lake in Essex in the

middle of the night. While Barnaby’s fish looks impressive,

it is a few hairs short of the 94 pounder recently caught by

Angler Martin. Send pictues of your big catch to:

[email protected]

AUDIO FISH OF THE MONTH

Documents

Audio Pro International Issue 26 February 2010