Martin Audio has appointed ProAV LLC as its new distributor in Azerbaijan.

The Baku-based company is fronted by partners Elshan Aliyev and Rustam Hajiyev, who have built a strong portfolio of leading brands since opening in 2012 and approached Martin Audio MD, Dom Harter, over adding to it.

‘There were many things I liked about Martin Audio, notably the quality of the sound, the product line in general and the strength of the brand name,’ Aliyev says. ‘We also liked the fact that they are utterly dedicated to sound systems – rather than running a diverse portfolio like other manufacturers – and their pricing is reasonable. You could say we are more than happy with Martin Audio.’

ProAV sees potential for widening the company’s profile, not only in Baku but other cities such as Ganja and Sumgait.

‘For example, the second order received for [the new] WPM series came from Azerbaijan – and that will be installed in the district of Agstafa,’ he reveals.

The company has wasted no time in setting out a marketing strategy, planning a series of open days and exhibitions, and complementing this with social media and door-to-door marketing. Aliyev says their initial focus will lean heavily towards CDD, WPM and BlacklineX ranges.

‘Fixed installations will take priority to establish the quality of Martin Audio solutions – in fact there are already several installation projects pending, but we are also planning to rent out some models (such as MLA Mini) for small size events.’

ProAV are highly optimistic about Martin Audio’s prospects – particularly given the brand’s quality-to-price ratio. ‘When both quality and price are realised, customers soon start knocking on doors,’ Aliyev believes. ‘And with the depth of the Martin Audio catalogue, I am confident we will comfortably be able to meet the demands of both the rental and installation segments.’

Part of Exeter’s £12m Queen St Dining regeneration project, The Terrace is the brainchild of directors Joe Hill and Steve Keogh, who own the successful Artigiano coffee chain. A sophisticated rooftop bar/restaurant concept, the venue is fitted out Martin Audio’s new CDD and CDD-WR loudspeaker series courtesy of Old Barn Audio (OBA).

Situated in the city’s Guildhall Shopping Centre, the venue’s owners had been looking to diversify into a high-class all-day and late night operation over three floors, including a rooftop bar at the top. Knowing they also wanted to present live music and world-class DJs as part of the entertainment mix, they sought both a credible brand and a high end audio installer to fulfil these requirements.

‘We recommended Martin Audio’s CDD series, and after checking all credentials, the client chose us over the brands submitted by the other companies,’ says OBA Director, Phil Clark. He adds that the operators had ‘thoroughly done their homework’, sensing the brand’s reputation in London’s leading nightclubs. ‘In addition, their DJs also recommended Martin Audio, which pushed the decision further in our favour.’

Combining engineering innovation in the form of unique Coaxial Differential Dispersion technology within a series of distinctive curved enclosures, the CDD series was a logical choice, as it has taken the market by storm since its launch last year.

At ground floor level, the entrance/cloakroom is served by a pair of CDD5 speakers. The main action is contained on the next floor among the bling and New York loft style environment. Here six CDD10 speakers take the general background music day time feeds while the main dance floor is equipped with four powerful CDD12, two recessed CSX212 subs and a CDD10 for DJ monitoring. The upstairs fine-dining area is equipped with a further four CDD10 speakers to offer background music or higher-level DJ music, routed from the floor below, if desired. And finally, for the upstairs roof deck, four CDD5-WR (weatherised) enclosures have been specified.

The system is driven by Powersoft M-series amplifiers and routed via Symetrix Radius DSP, with custom designed touch screen control for the 18 LED moving heads (programmed in many different states).

The provision of five stereo plug-in points provides versatility for incoming iPods – and when The Terrace wishes to present live music upstairs – such as acoustic duos – the band inputs will cut the sound automatically from the rear and turn the sound rig into a conventional a LR front-facing PA. All the technology has been placed on an enclosed wi-fi network while the Symetrix also interfaces with the fire alarm system.

This elegant installation, with its intuitive, user-friendly topology, is the latest of many CDD installs carried out by OBA – and Clark also hopes the first of many they will be undertaking for The Terrace owners as they roll out the brand. ‘With a dedicated ents team they want to attract the top DJs – and they love the clarity and power of CDD,’ he concludes.

The Terrace occupies a total of 9,000-sq-ft in this restaurant-dominated building, which is owned by Aviva Investors, and trades with a 2am licence.

McNally Enterprises recently made a substantial investment in EAW loudspeakers, adding a 12 enclosure Anna Adaptive System supported by six Radius RSX218 dual 18-inch subs as well as 24 Radius RSX208L line array cabinets, six RSX12M stage monitors and four RSX12 subwoofers.



A 30-year old family-run business based in Anaheim, McNally has grown into one of the biggest scenic event companies for corporate events in California. ‘My Dad started out years ago with EAW JF80s and KF300s,’ explains McNally Enterprises Director of Events, Patrick McNally. ‘When we decided to upgrade to newer technology we checked out Anna and Radius. It was perfect, almost like coming full circle. Between both systems, we’re confident that we can provide our customers with the very best for years to come.’



Anna made its McNally Enterprises debut at a pregame event for the NBA All Star game held on the Event Deck in the Staples Center parking lot. Like many of its jobs, the company provided the audio, staging, lighting, video and custom scenery for the occasion. ‘When we fired Anna up it sounded amazing,’ says company owner Meg McNally. ‘Our client was beyond happy and everyone involved with the event just couldn’t get over how great it sounded. Anna really hit a home run for us.’

‘EAW has proven to be a company that supports its partners, which is something we value,’ concludes Patrick McNally. ‘The training and help we have received is really impressive. We can’t wait to see what this year brings.’

Top Portuguese singers Paulo Gonzo, Diogo Piçarra, D.A.M.A, C4 Pedro and Marco Paulo were among the artists appearing at Portugal’s largest live music event – the Radio Festival Party staged at Gondomar’s Pavillion in Porto. With an audience of nearly 8,000 attending, the Mega Ensaio rental company fielded 64 Next-proaudio loudspeakers.

The Next-proaudio systems included arrays of 20 LA212x three-way enclosures for main reinforcement, with 16 Next LAs418 subwoofers stacked by pairs beneath the main arrays for low-end support. Two-way LA122A Active Line Array cabinets were deployed as both side fills, in arrays of four enclosures per side, with four LAs118A Active Subwoofers in support. The monitoring included 12 Active 14-inch stage monitors LAm114xA, while front fill comprised four LA122A. The entire set-up was powered and managed using Next-proaudio LA touring racks. Next-proaudio sent a team to the venue to offer technical support and help with the final alignment of the whole system.

Mega Ensaio has worked with Radio Festival organiser on several previous high-profile events: ‘We have been working with Radio Festival for a long time,’ says Mega Ensaio’s Antonio Fonseca. ‘As Technical Director of this event, I can consider that the system has delivered a very consistent sounding show and was close to perfect. The bands, artists and Radio Festival were really satisfied at the end of the show with the sound quality.’

The Radio Festival Party was sold out, prompting the organiser to begin planning a second event later in October.

More: www.next-proaudio.com

Presently working its way through the largest stadiums and festival sites in North America, Metallica’s summer-long WorldWired tour is carrying a massive Meyer Sound Leo Family reinforcement system capable of serving of 50,000-plus audiences. Supplied by VER Tour Sound, the system incorporates Meyer Sound’s new VLFC control element.

‘Big Mick’ Hughes has Metallica’s FOH engineer for 33 years of the band’s 35-year history. Over the past five years of intermittent tours and one-off events, he has listed the Leo systems as first among his rider preferences. ‘I love the clarity of Leo,’ he says. ‘It’s a very powerful box that produces a fantastic guitar and vocal sound. Also, having a two-way system, with the crossover point down where it is, keeps everything smooth and sweet in the mid-highs.’

San Francisco’s Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) has expanded its gallery space to 45,000-sq-ft feet to present its modern and contemporary art. Part of a three-year renovation, the gallery called on Meyer Sound to provide sound systems throughout.

A highlight of the collaboration is the redesigned 275-seat Phyllis Wattis Theater, located at the heart of the museum where the original Mario Botta-designed building integrates with the Snøhetta-designed, ten-storey addition. Here the architects turned to San Francisco-based EHDD for a Meyer Sound Constellation acoustic system. Together with Meyer Sound cinema and reinforcement systems, Constellation supports a range of public events planned for the theatre – ranging from film series, live music, and dance performances to lectures and panel discussions.

‘We consulted with the designers and acousticians at Meyer Sound, who were able to create a Constellation system perfect for the space,’ says Duncan Ballash, principal and president of EHDD. ‘Not only did Constellation ensure great acoustic results, but it gave the EHDD team the architectural freedom to design the room with a sleek and modern look, without sacrificing acoustical integrity. Ultimately, Constellation ended up inspiring and working integrally with the architectural design of the Wattis.’

Constellation allows the theatre to provide adapt its acoustics by adjusting the room’s reverberation time and strength – with a tap on an iPad. A D-Mitri digital audio platform provides the backbone for Constellation, and hosts the VRAS acoustical algorithm. This works in conjunction with 24 distributed microphones and 93 small, self-powered loudspeakers discreetly mounted on walls and ceiling.

‘As an institution, we pride ourselves on working with the very best – from artists to architects, curators to chefs,’ say Neal Benezra, Helen and Charles Schwab director of SFMOMA. ‘We’re willing to look globally for the finest, but we were so pleased to find world-class sound solutions just across the Bay at Meyer Sound. This is a collaboration that can grow along with the museum into the future.’

With the fully equipped Wattis Theater in place, SFMOMA has primed itself to be a major film venue in the Bay Area by partnering with the San Francisco Film Society to present the film series Modern Cinema. ‘Our cinema system is critical in offering an immersive experience to everyone, no matter where in the house they’re sitting,’ says Benezra. ‘This is something we’ve never been able to offer to the full extent.’


Multiple conference and meeting rooms throughout the new building also feature Meyer Sound solutions to provide intelligibility and sonic flexibility for a wide range of needs. Three sleek CAL column array loudspeakers with advanced beam-steering technology provide sound for various pop-up events in the Haas Jr atrium.

An unusual, double-height event and performance space, the Gina and Stuart Peterson White Box will use a UPJunior VariO loudspeaker system for events spanning live performance to site specific commissions. Further UPJunior-XP VariO, UP-4XP, and Stella-8C installation loudspeakers with MM-10XP subwoofers provide sound for K-12 programming in the Koret Education Center. The 4,800-sq-ft space, featuring a resource library and two classrooms, will serve 55,000 K-12 school children and a new series of adult education classes annually.

All Meyer Sound systems in SFMOMA were provided and installed by integrator BBI Engineering of San Francisco. Acoustical engineering firm Arup of San Francisco consulted on the project.

The revival of the Isle of Wight Festival also saw the debut of a new Meyer Sound Leo Family system to serve its main stage.

Supplied by Wigwam Acoustics, the new system powered served The Who, Faithless, Stereophonics, and Queen + Adam Lambert for crowds of up to 60,000. Key to the system’s selection’ its linear characteristics and precise directional control kept the festival grounds alive while significantly reducing bleed into nearby residential areas.

Vanguardia Consulting was responsible for assuring adherence to festival licence conditions: ‘Isle of Wight has been quite tough over the past few years due to the close proximity of noise-sensitive properties,’ says Vanguardia’s Warren King. ‘We did seem to get better results this year, and I think the main difference was that the system sounded subjectively louder than in previous years, which meant that although we started around 96dB at the start of the day, almost every engineer was happy with that as a level and could easily stay within the given limits.’

Eds John, FOH engineer for headliners Richard Ashcroft and Busted, was suitably impressed by the system’s performance: ‘Leo was stunning in the festival format,’ he reports. ‘Even when the wind was blowing strongly, the guitars were cutting through and staying smooth. That’s what you really need at a festival, as all too often your mix gets blown away by the slightest breeze.’

‘The clarity and detail were amazing,’ he continues. ‘With Richard you have a huge vocal sound, lots of guitars and massive strings to fit in your mix. It could get a little messy, but with Leo everything easily found its place. I pushed 

up my mix at the start, sat back, and really enjoyed the gig. Also, I was impressed by the fact that there were only 14 cabinets per side in the main hangs. It definitely felt like there were more boxes than that.’

The reaction was welcomed by Joel Perry of Wigwam Acoustics: ‘As is the case with all of our shows, our aim is to provide the best sound reinforcement available. Judging by the comments received from our guest engineers, we achieved that goal here with deployment of the Meyer Sound Leo Family system.’

The main stage hangs of Leo-M line array loudspeakers were bolstered in sub-bass by 24 1100-LFC and 12 900-LFC low frequency control elements. Front and out fill systems comprised 24 Leopard line array loudspeakers, 32 Lyon linear loudspeakers as delays. A Galileo Callisto loudspeaker management system, running over an Optocore distribution network, used a total of 11 Galileo Callisto 616 and three Galileo Callisto 616 AES array processors.

The Wigwam team on site was headed by systems tech Bill Laing and crew boss Geoff Muir, with Jonathan Digby and Jon Brooks assisting at FOH.

Making their first visit to China, Meyer Sound co-founders John and Helen Meyer will attend the Palm China 2016 Expo in Beijing to promote the company’s activities in the Asia-Pacific region. In addition, company CEO John Meyer will address the annual conference of the China Entertainment Technology Association on 31 August.

The visit reflects use of Meyer Sound systems in high-profile installations throughout China. ‘China has become the world leader in creating imaginative, large-scale entertainment spectaculars,’ says John Meyer. ‘These are among the largest and most sophisticated audio systems anywhere, and we’re proud that Meyer Sound technologies are at the core of so many of them.’

Extensive loudspeaker systems and networked D-Mitri digital audio platforms have been installed for the Dai Show in Xishuangbanna, the Han Show in Wuhan, and the 5-D Castle Theater at the Chimelong International Ocean Resort in Zhuhai. ‘China has been the driving force of our continuing growth in the region,’ says Helen Meyer, Executive VP of the company. ‘For this reason, we are greatly expanding our presence here in design support, technical support, service and sales, beginning with the addition of new full time staff exclusively to serve this region.’

Meyer Sound is exhibiting in partnership with Shanghai Broad Future Electro Technology, recently appointed as the company’s exclusive distributor for China and Macau. The stand will feature several products that debuted this year, including the MJF-208 compact stage monitor and the Galileo Galaxy network platform. Also featured will be the Leopard compact linear line array and its companion 900-LFC low frequency control unit, the newest and smallest members of the Leo Family.

The Meyers will be available to meet with key customers, consultants, experts and the audio trade press.

More: www.palmexpo.net

The design and performance of the REM Ribbon Emulation Manifold Waveguide (Perrin Meyer/Meyer Sound)

Please click here to download

Recently staged at Fulong Beach in Taipei, the Hohaiyan Rock Festival saw its first use of Martin Audio’s MLA loudspeaker array – the system’s open-air debut in Taiwan.

Having previously used indoors by MSI Japan Taiwan, the system served many of Taipei’s most popular artists at the beachside location. The main hangs comprised 19 MLA boxes and a MLD Downfill on each side, and side fills were formed of six MLA elements and two and MLD. Six MLX subs were flown and three ground-stacked MLX in a cardioid pattern were staggered in three positions on each side of the stage, making a total of 18 cabinets.

‘First of all, we had to set the speakers at the lowest level we could, to prevent the sea wind,’ says Mr Watanabe from MSI Japan Taiwan, who operated the event. ‘Though temperature was variable, between daytime and after sunset, we needed to set the parameters to keep MLA’s performance sustainable – and thanks to its adaptive properties, there was no effect from the weather at all.

‘We arranged the audience area 200m from main stage, but the organisers also requested that the entrance gate, which is located 400m from the stage, also needed sound coverage. It was a simple and easy mission for MLA, but we were concerned that the sound would spill onto the second stage, and might interfere with the show. So, we set a “hard avoid” [preset in Display software] and solved the problem immediately.’

At first, the local crew was concerned with the idea of designing the sound system without a delay tower. ‘But once it was set up they were really surprised by the high performance, and also the effectiveness of the hard-avoid settings. The festival resulted in a grand success, and MLA is already being spoken about for next year’s event.’

Staged over two days at London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Stadium ahead of the Rio Olympics, the annual Müller Anniversary Games saw, RG Jones field Martin Audio’s MLA Compact and MLX subwoofers to supplement the house PA. This provided additional coverage and impact to the lower tiers of the Olympic Stadium and at the same time enhanced the low frequencies.

Having worked the event for the past three years along with British Athletics’ Birmingham Diamond League at Alexander Stadium, this was the first use of the MLA platform.

‘MLA Compacts were ground-stacked on a single MLX sub – we were able to hit the back of the lower tier with a help from [Martin Audio’s] Display software, which was great both for LF optimisation and the ability to adjust MLA Compact’s coverage,’ says RG Jones Project Engineer Jack Bowcher. ‘In addition, production took advantage of Martin Audio’s Differential Dispersion technology by placing several DD6s in the conference and VIP suites.

RG Jones again rolled out its Dante based audio system: ‘Utsing a combination of Yamaha QL5, Rio 1608-D racks and Lake LM44’s we were able to receive and distribute audio throughout the stadium. In addition, our recently purchased single mode fibre gave us the capability to integrate into the house fibre infrastructure. The radio mic system is vital for the presentation. We favour the Sennheiser EM-3732 for the infield presenters, allowing them the flexibility to address the audience and liaise with the show caller from the same source. Our RF Venue Optix RFoF kit works across all corners of the site, and we were able to hear them loud and clear,’ Bowcher states.

But there were plenty of other challenges for the sound team. RG Jones needed to work discreetly to ensure their technology did not interfere with the athletes, working with camera and audience site lines, and multiple PA positions, which were not set equidistant from the audience. Consequently, MLA system tech, Mark Edwards, had to create different optimisations for each individual stack as distances between the MLA and audience changed as they worked to obtain clear sight lines for the benefit of the BBC.

Source feeds included Commentators’ mics, Infield Presenters, VT playback, music, stings (to signal the start of all track and field events) and other playback, with RG Jones also providing feeds for the BBC and CT Video OB. All were distributed over single-mode fibre via a new Dante-based audio system.

The sound engineer responsible for mixing all this, and building the atmosphere leading up to events, was Peter Key: ‘We tend to choose appropriate tracks depending on the events and also use sound effects to enhance selected field events, such as javelin whooshes – triggered live to the action.

‘The Anniversary Games is a multi-sports meeting and various factors can affect the scheduled start of events. It is therefore vital that the audio playback equipment is sufficiently flexible to cope with such demands. A large amount of redundancy is built into the system so should something fail a back up option is available.’

‘MLA gave us improved coverage and high impact audio thanks to the MLX subs, and was more compact than the previous system,’ adds Bowcher.

Major Events Director was Terry Colton, while RG Jones’ project manager was Matt Sussex and account manager was RG Jones Director, Andrew Williamson.

Manchester-based service provider VME and sister event company Creation Live recently supplied sound reinforcement for Edinburgh’s first outdoor dance festival – the Fly Open Air Festival.

Staged at the prime Ross Bandstand – with Edinburgh’ Castle providing a dramatic backdrop – the 3,000-capacity semi-circular amphitheatre saw local house and techno party organiser Fly Club take the party out of doors – calling on VME’s Martin Audio MLA system to comply with offsite noise restrictions imposed by the council. ‘Given the fact that this was the first outdoor electronic dance promotion, operating between midday and 10pm, the event was highly sensitive,’ agrees VME Head of Sound, Mark Cleator. ‘We needed a system that was guaranteed to pass all propagation tests.’

The solution was to set two zoned ground stacks of four MLA and three MLX subwoofers per side (since there were no rigging points) to meet the requirements of German house exponents Booka Shade, and other acts such as Theo Kottis, Detroit Swindle City Drum Ensemble and Harri + Domenic. ‘We were given 95dB (Leq at 15 minutes) at FOH – measured at the back of the dance area – and a 75dB threshold offsite,’ said Mark. ‘And we ran comfortably under.’

VME and Creation Live, represented by Live Events Director Tom Whittle, are no strangers to working with Fly Club promoter Tom Ketley, having joined forces in 2011 when the latter promoted a sell-out Afro Jack and Pete Tong show: ‘I was impressed, and was keen to use them again,’ Whittle says. ‘I also knew that the company was a stockist of Martin Audio MLA. To me the sound on an event such as this is one of the most important factors for audience enjoyment and I wanted to ensure the sound was top notch. The local authority had recommended I use the Martin Audio MLA, but this was new territory for themselves and for me.’

MLA was equal to the challenge despite buffeting winds on rig day (which saw the VME gazebo blown high up into a tree. ‘It was so windy at one point they threatened to call the event off, but fortunately it died down and MLA is a? sufficiently powerful box to cut through,’ says Cleator. ‘Because of the width of the coverage required, having MLA, with its 90° (±6dB) horizontal constant directivity, pattern control was a bonus, particularly knowing that it was usable out to 120°.’

Achieving even coverage posed no problem whatsoever, as Cleator tuned and programmed MLA using Display software and the Merlin Controller: ‘I mapped out the area and locked the preset, and then adjusted the non-audience area to make sure it was firing where I wanted. I walked the site a couple of times to check and then handed over to our FOH engineer, Oliver Fallon.

‘The ability to control the audio and keep it within the audience area and still provide smooth even coverage which is essential to electronic dance music, meant I had no concern over any off site complaints. There is no better system for this and everyone has come away impressed with its audio quality and it’s technical capabilities.’

VME also provided Pioneer and Allen & Heath DJ playback, as well as all lighting, big screen and production. ‘Many people commented on how good it all sounded and how impressive the achieved level was considering our location,’ Ketley  reports. ‘The Martin Audio MLA certainly worked very well to give the audience a memorable day.’

‘MLA really delivered, we use it on a whole host of different events and I have always been so impressed with it, not just from a sound propagation point of view but also the overall quality of the audio,’ Whittle confirms.

With plans to make Fly Open Air Festival a regular annual fixture on the Edinburgh clubbing calendar, the promoters promise aim to develop the event to be ‘bigger and better’.

Deep in the countryside of Montana, the Tippet Rise Art Center regards art, music, architecture and nature as being inextricably linked in the human experience. Opened in 2016, the venue’s centrepiece is the Olivier Barn, which features an Alcons Audio LR14 ultra-compact line-array system.

Set on a 10,260-acre working sheep and cattle ranch, Tippet Rise is the brainchild of Cathy and Peter Halstead. Inspired by their careers in the creative arts and education, it features both indoor and outdoor performance spaces, as well as large-scale sculptures and stunning scenery. While the barn resembles a traditional timber agricultural building from outside, however, it is furnished with a stage, Alcons LR14 system and HD digital film projection. Sustainable technology ensures that its environmental impact is negligible.

When designs for the Olivier Music Barn’s audio system were being considered, Kevin Hodgson of K2 Consulting was approached by Mickey Houlihan, who has worked with the Halsteads for many years, as well as with Hodgson on other projects.

‘Mickey thought I was the right person to design the system for the Olivier Music Barn from end to end,’ Hodgson says. ‘I met Peter and Cathy, who are very committed to classical music, so I knew that the system would need to sound very natural and not amplified. They also wanted something that was versatile, because the venue would host other performances and film screenings.’

Peter really liked an Alcons system installed at eTown Hall – a multipurpose live venue, recording studio and community centre in Boulder, which is home to the eTown broadcast, multimedia and production company. ‘Peter was impressed at Alcons being such an open, musical sounding system,’ Hodgson says. ‘eTown hosts a range of music styles, including folk, bluegrass, country and some rock, so we knew Alcons would have the flexibility that we wanted. I also have colleagues who have specified Alcons and they all said that I would really like it.’

To ensure the right choice was made, different manufacturers’ systems were auditioned, but ultimately none of them had the same audio quality and versatility that Alcons delivers. Supplied by Wind Over the Earth, the chosen system comprised eight LR14/90, two LR14/120 and four BF151 compact subwoofers, all powered and controlled by two Sentinel10 amplified loudspeaker controllers.

‘The Olivier Music Barn was designed mainly as a classical music venue, so it’s very live. There are no variable acoustics, so we knew we had to be very mindful of how we excite the room with the system,’ Hodgson says. ‘Of course when amplifying sound in a classical music venue, you also want it to sound as natural as possible. The intelligibility of the LR14 is so high and there is almost no distortion. It doesn’t need to be turned up as loud as other systems to get the intelligibility.’

The physical characteristics of the LR14 system were also superior to the other systems that were considered. ‘We didn’t want to detract from the barn’s architecture and the compact size of the LR14 makes it as visually unobtrusive as possible. This was helped by the rigging and hardware, which provides so much adjustment flexibility,’ he continues. ‘I particularly like the stepless flying angle adjuster, which adjusts the angle of the cabinets if you want to raise the system.’

David Rahn of Alcons US was available to provide information and, with Hodgson sunavailable while the system was being installed, visited the site to help with flying and tuning of the system.

‘You can have a pretty good idea about how a system will sound, but you don’t know for sure until you set foot in there and listen to it,’ Hodgson says. ‘The LR14 exceeded my expectations, it sounds absolutely great. The staff at Tippet Rise are also really happy with it, it’s a really valuable addition to the space.’

More: www.alconsaudio.com

Having played a critical role in launching the careers of countless artists on the New York music scene of the 1970s and 1980s, My Father’s Place has reopened in Roslyn – close to its original site on Long Island just outside the New York City limits – and is relying on a Danley Sound Labs sound reinforcement system.

The new My Father’s Place is located in the ballroom of the Roslyn Hotel, set up as a 200-seat supper club. Original owner, Michael ‘Eppy’ Epstein, is joined in the venture by two other music industry veterans, Alex Ewen and Dan Kellachan, as co-principals. Between the three, there is scarcely a modern musical act of national or international stature that they haven’t worked with.

‘We’re not your average club owners,’ Ewen says. ‘We were very systematic about getting the perfect sound reinforcement system for our new room. Its acoustics are excellent, so we were really looking for a system that would complement the room. We didn’t need a system that would fix problems.’

The trio invited numerous loudspeaker manufacturers and system integrators to demonstrate products and discuss ideas for making them work in the space. ‘We kept getting offered line arrays and zone systems,’ Ewen recalls. ‘I rejected both approaches. Line arrays have all kinds of interference between the boxes that sounds terrible and makes it impossible to provide consistent EQ across the entire room. A zoned system isn’t appropriate for a live music venue. I wanted something horn-loaded because horn-loaded boxes have consistent sound and tight pattern control, but I wasn’t aware of any manufacturers who were making horn-loaded loudspeakers that sounded hi-fi.’

Frustrated with the answers they were getting, they looked to Ewen’s sound man of 40-plus years, Alan Thompson, co-founder of MetroSound.

‘Eppy is obviously old-school and was not looking for super processing to fix problems,’ Thompson says. ‘He just wanted a great sounding speaker. Tom Danley is a true genius who has developed horn-based systems that do not sound like horns but have an audiophile quality you rarely find with touring systems.

‘The Danley SH69 has two 12-inch woofers and six -inch mids that wrap around the horn, and a 1-inch driver at the horn throat, so it is a new twist on an old concept.’

To offer proof-of-concept, Thompson contacted Bill Danilczyk at Eastern Stage Productions in Long Island to help demo a Danley system with program music, a live female vocalist, and a live guitarist. ‘It was a full day of testing,’ Thompson says. ‘Bill also brought other gear as well, so we could do a direct comparison with other manufacturers.’

‘It was clear that the room wanted the Danley speakers,’ Ewen adds.

To offer a uniform SPL from front to back, Thompson had the unconventional idea of putting a Danley SH69 in each corner of the room. ‘Over 90 per cent of the room is sweet spot, and my friend and producer David Eng commented it sounded as intimate as headphones in the centre of the room.’

A single Danley SH95 provides front fill, and two Danley CS30 subwoofers round out the low-end from cavities within the stage. Given the bass boost afforded the full-range SH69s from their corner-mounted positions, the CS30s provide a musical low-end accent. A pair of four-channel Danley DNA 10k4 amplifiers with integrated DSP power the boxes.

‘The new system sounds fantastic,’ Ewen says. ‘The room’s natural reverb works with the sound, and there is no comb filtering and no dead spots. For me, this is not about nostalgia, it is about unfinished business on my part. There are great young bands and singer-songwriters out there who need a place to play, and the music industry is broken. Kids are scrambling trying to find a way to get noticed, but you still need to play live in a good club. I want to be there for this generation – and the next one too.’

More: www.danleysoundlabs.com

Hosting the Nanta (Cookin’) comedy show, the Nanta Theatre – on South Korea’s Jeju island – is using a new sound reinforcement system based on a range of loudspeakers from French manufacturer APG.

A non-verbal comedy show that incorporates traditional Korean percussion, Nanta premiered in Seoul in 1997 and has since been staged in 18 countries – including a run on Broadway. Run by PMC Production, the show is also performed daily in four Seoul theatres, making it the longest-running show in Korea’s theatre history.

Built for Nanta performances exclusively, the 659-seat Jeju Theatre has welcomed over a million visitors since opening in 2008, and recently completed an upgrade of its sound facilities. Korean integrator Soundplace was appointed to refurbish the theatre auditorium, selecting a full APG set-up:

‘For the Nanta shows, the traditional samul nori music is performed with improvised instruments such as cutting boards, water canisters and kitchen knives, so sound is at the very heart of this hugely popular musical,’ says Soundplace CEO, Sangwoo Do. ‘PMC Production wanted to immerse the audience in the show in order to rejuvenate the experience.’

Soundplace installed LR line arrays each comprising two APG UL115B bass speakers, five UL210 top speakers and one TB218S subwoofer. Multipurpose DX15 coaxial speakers cover as fill on each side of the stage, while a further two ultra-compact MX0 coaxial loudspeakers reinforce first ranks as front fill.

‘Soundplace successfully achieved an efficient sound design and great tuning despite a big challenge,’ says APG Marketing & Business Development Director, Grégory Dapsanse. ‘In such a mid-size venue, the system has to be compact and discrete while providing enough SLP with large headroom to reflect the huge dynamic range from the percussion. Because of the nearby walls, the Uniline directivity control was critical to avoid reflections and ensure high intelligibility and sonic precision all the way to the last row.’

‘We have been working with APG since 2014 and we have consistently been impressed by the capacity of their speakers to reproduce a pure sound that truly represents the vocals and instruments. The Uniline range is particularly interesting as it provides great sound control within a compact size’, Sangwoo Do observes.

NEP UK is providing technical Host Broadcast Services to The Championships, Wimbledon – the first time that the event will be broadcast using fully-redundant SMPTE ST 2110 compliant IP technology, and believed to be the world’s largest fully-IP sports production.

NEP UK has installed a distributed routing system, connected by main and back-up MTP fibre-optic cable, to serve on- and off-site domestic and international broadcasters. In partnership with Wimbledon Broadcast Services (WBS), NEP UK is covering all the courts for the first time using a team of more than 250 technical crew to record and replay every ball that is played.

Continuing its 35-year relationship with The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), NEP UK is delivering IP technical facilities for its in-house production of the championship as part of WBS. By deploying its new IP-based outside broadcast trucks, NEP UK can offer increased flexibility compared to coaxial cable connections and significantly reducing the expense and use of unsightly cabling throughout the grounds. Furthermore, the latest OB vehicles can expand its capacity and facilities exponentially via modular connection with multiple IP fly-packs.

‘Both the scale and range of requirements for this project are immense,’ comments NEP UK Technical Project Manager, Richard Lancaster. ‘Our coverage has grown considerably from previous years – from distributing directly to rights holders own MCRs, the Central Content Store, the World Feed, the Wimbledon Channel and now a transmission, distribution and quality control area, as well as an additional two courts. We have also joined forces with Fletcher to provide coverage for the remaining seven courts, bringing full coverage to all courts.’

Since 2014, NEP UK has provided both host and domestic coverage of the championship. This year, the number of custom-built galleries has almost doubled with 21 control rooms for the host broadcaster plus three for the Wimbledon Channel to serve the World Feed and archive. To support the broadcast, NEP will have more than 118 camera positions and more than 4 EVS servers, plus three major OB units and a large fly-pack core.

‘NEP UK’s experience, knowledge and expertise has ensured that Wimbledon has remained at the cutting edge of broadcast innovation throughout our partnership,’ says AELTC Head of Broadcast & Production, Paul Davies. ‘This is the first year Wimbledon Broadcast Services comes into operation, and we are delighted to continue to partner with NEP for a further four years and are very excited to be covering Centre Court in 4K HDR’

‘Our deep understanding of Wimbledon, the sport, the venue and its broadcast requirements has enabled NEP UK to work seamlessly with the AELTC to broadcast in SMPTE 2110 for the first time,’ adds NEP UK Engineering & Technical Director, Rob Newton. ‘Our new IP modular system will enable flexibility and scalability, whilst ensuring the highest standards of broadcast coverage. Following Wimbledon, NEP UK will split the IP system into four separate structures for smaller-scale live events.’

More: www.nepgroup.co.uk

Audio rental and production company Neuro Tech Asia is currently providing some of the most successful and comprehensive A/V solutions and designs for projects and events across China and the Asia-Pacific region. With offices in Singapore, Shanghai and Beijing, the company has diversified into technical consultancy, A/V design implementation and permanent installation. Part of this ambition extends to a partnership with Chao GanGuan that has seen it add DAS Audio professional loudspeaker systems to its inventory – including the first full Aero 40A Advanced Line Array System (ALAS) in China.

In addition to 24 of these powered line array systems (which feature remote monitoring and control with the DASnet audio management system), Neuro Tech Asia has purchased 16 compact Aero 20A, an ‘all-purpose’ systems that also incorporate ALAS.

Neuro Tech Asia further drew on the Aero Series 2 to match the line arrays with 12 LX-218CA.net and eight LX-118A subwoofer systems, and has accompanied these with two DASnet-Rack 26 and DASnet-Rack 48 amplifier racks, and DSP-2060A and DSP-4080 digital signal processors.

With international clients including Mercedes-Benz, Rolls Royce, Air France and JP Morgan Chase, Neuro Tech Asia also sought to expand its systems for corporate events by adding a number of DAS Audio’s full-range loudspeakers to its inventory. The company invested in 16 Vantec 12A compact and lightweight multi-purpose systems along with eight Artec 506A powered two-way systems and four Artec S15A powered subwoofer systems from the Artec 500 Series.

This new investment will enable Neuro Tech Asia and DAS Audio’s network in China to serve a packed calendar of events: ‘By renewing our inventory, we wanted to standardise our audio systems using one single brand and also be able to cover all kind of events, from small easy corporate events to those which require everything we have’, says Paolo Filippini, Technical Director at Neuro Tech. ‘After a long analysis of the market, which included some quality tests and looking at the catalog range, the final decision was made based on the long-term collaboration provided by DAS and the very competitive balance between quality and price’.

More: www.dasaudio.com

Seeking to reconcile the contrasting sound demands of drama with those of amplified classical and acoustic music, a historic theatre in the Netherlands has installed a Yamaha AFC3 acoustic enhancement system.

Nicknamed The Old Lady, the 102-year-old Parkgebouw in Rijssen, is well established as a venue for drama and amplified live music. But the venue’s management (headed by MD Jolanda Agteresch) was keen for the 420-seat venue to become truly multi-purpose, hosting classical music performances and, in particular, local choirs who rehearse and perform in other venues, such as the town’s churches.

Having provided technical production services to the events industry since 1985 and bult longstanding relationships with a multitude of engineers, UK company SWG Events has recently invested in two DiGiCo S21 digital mixing consoles.

‘A lot of the freelancers and tours we work with have seen the benefits of DiGiCo consoles and we’ve hired them in previously,’ says the Bristol-based company’s Mark Bott. ‘But we had an opening in the fleet for a small size console, with the level of functionality of a much larger console and we wanted to minimise the weight on our transport. Having the S21 adds a great brand name to our inventory. There only a handful of pro audio brands that if you say they are going to be at either end of the multicore everyone is going to be happy.’

The day after the desks were delivered, they went out on a store launch for a large DIY chain and then on to Glastonbury for the BBC Introducing stage, along with SD10s on the Park Stage. ‘This was our first Glastonbury rolling out DiGiCo,’ Bott says. ‘The guys from DiGiCo came and supported – it was brilliant to have that backup.’

Since then, the consoles have been to CarFest, both north and south, The Just for London comedy festival in Russel Square and a tribute event to Eric Brown, reputedly the greatest test pilot that every lived, at RNAS Yeovilton and Countryfile live.

‘We have several corporate events and small scale music events that they’ll be used on during the rest of the year,’ Bott concludes. ‘The next stage is establishing a good dry hire market for them as well. We’re very happy with our investment. Any product that can spend more time out of the warehouse than in is a very good thing.’

With its 100,000-seat capacity, the new RCF Arena is now the largest outdoor arena in Italy.

‘RCF was born in 1949 in Reggio Emilia. From here we brought the excellence of Italian sound throughout the globe and today we are among the major players in the market’, says RCF Group CEO, Arturo Vicari. ‘Giving our name to RCF Arena is a source of pride for us, but also a mission and a commitment. We have a strong bond with this region and we intend to treat it in the best possible way. With this wonderful project, we will bring our innovation and technology to our back yard, in Reggio Emilia.’ It is a prestigious signature that fully reveals RCF’s devotion and commitment in the continuous search for sound quality in this new Music Valley.

The venue will be ready and operational by September 2020 with an opening concert by Ligabue. Ifeatures a flexible capacity of 10,000 to 100,000 people, and a raked audience floor to ensure optimal visibility and acoustics. The stage is placed in the lower part of the arena in a central position, and with a maximum viewing angle of 110°.

It is is equipped with the most modern technologies for the best concert performance. It will also include a permanently installed RCF TT+ array line system for live events, with ten additional distributed systems (delays) in fixed steel structures, also used as supports for video/lighting equipment. At the same time, the orientation of the system will be optimised to ensure the lowest noise impact towards the surrounding residential areas of the city.

‘RCF audio systems have amplified the music of national and international artists in every corner of the globe, and in some wonderful arenas,’ continues Vicari. ‘The RCF sound is based on the expertise and reliability of a company made up of people and passion. We have just turned 70 and we still want to play.’

In 2015 Ligabue established a European record when a paying audience of 150,000 – the most for a single artist – delivered with an RCF audio system. Thee return of major international acts is also anticipated, following the 146,000 for U2. The RCF Arena is a place that will have no equal in Italy in terms of capacity, communication routes and accommodation services.

More: www. rcf.it