PSNE MAY 2016 Digital

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www.psneurope.comMAY 2016

Noise annoys!

Hearing protection for professionals P48Noise limiters: a good or bad thing? P50

P26SHOULDER SUPPORTIN THE STUDIO WITH NOEL

GALLAGHER COLLABORATOR

PAUL STACEY

P36ROLLING AROUNDDAVE BRACEY AND THE TEAM

BEHIND THE PHENOMENAL

ADELE LIVE 2016 TOUR

P18MAKING A POINTLINEA RESEARCH PUTS ITS

NEW POWER AMPLIFIERS

ON THE LINE

01 PSNE May 2016 v2.indd 1 22/04/2016 18:06

In creating the X Series, we brought all of the experience gained in designing the K2 to bear on a new series of reference coaxials.

Optimized design, ergonomics, acoustical performance and weight make the X Series the most advanced coaxials on the market.

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applications, the X Series offers studio monitor sound quality, compact design, consistent tonal balance, no minimum listening

distance and exceptional feedback rejection. www.l-acoustics.com

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Full Page Template.indd 1 4/11/2016 3:12:24 PM

www.psneurope.com

Zenon Schoepe died last month. In a year where we seem to be losing all

the greats, all the smart people, all the wise ones with all the knowledge:

we lost another. And to the professional audio industry, it’s a shock, it’s a

tragedy; but, more than that, it’s the departure of a vanguard of sanity.

Back in my early days on Pro Sound News Europe, Zenon was the obstinate, almost

belligerent editor of Studio Sound magazine, dealing with the serious world of studio

land: with the Neves and the SSLs and the APIs and the Plus Trentes and the MG

Sounds. He was the man who gave short shrift to the yappy-dog PR types who would

phone him up, only to be dismissed by a “Yes... yes... OK... goodbye!”, and a fatalistic

putting-down of the receiver. Brusque? Perhaps. Dealing with issues with the right

perspective? Defi nitely.

There’s an obvious reason why Resolution – the magazine born of the closing of

Studio Sound in late 2001 – didn’t wholly adopt Twitter or Facebook or other social

media tools as they emerged, because Zenon realised the value of serious, face-to-

face discussion; of sitting down with the relevant parties, and hammering out the

topics of the day. The clue’s in the title, you see: Resolution was not just about bits and

frequencies and sample rates, it was about the answer.

So, the other thing about Mr Schoepe (and I’m whispering this now): the other thing

was – and anyone who knew him knows this too – he was always bloody right. He was

always BLOODY right! He seemed to know how everything worked. About the deals,

and the deals behind the deals, and even the wheels that turned the deals behind

the deals. And despite going to press conferences or one-on-one meetings without

any visible means of recording the conversation, there would always be a full report

on the technology or of the event. How did he do it? Experience, skill, wisdom and a

propensity for warding off bullshit, I reckon.

Zen, we had some great times, at trade shows, in Japan, in Denmark, at press visits

and events... and I shall miss your counsel and your friendship. RIP sir.

PSNEUROPEP3

MAY2016WelcomeEditor

Dave Robinson

[email protected]

Group managing editorJo Ruddock

[email protected]

Content director James McKeown

[email protected]

Advertising manager Ryan O’Donnell

[email protected]

Account managerRian Zoll-Khan

[email protected]

Head of design Jat Garcha

[email protected]

Production executive Jason Dowie

[email protected]

Contributors: Kevin Hilton, Marc Maes, Dave Wiggins,

Mike Clark, Phil Ward, Erica Basnicki,

David Davies, Simon Duff

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DAVE ROBINSONEditor@PSNEurope

03 WelcomeLeader FIN.indd 1 25/04/2016 10:36

Business6 Prolight + Sound: what we saw, what you need to see!10 Vocal channel: Andy Huff er12 Movers and shakers: industry appointments16 The strategic position: Linea Research

Technology14 New products48 Noise annoys! Hearing protection advice for professionals50 Noise annoys! Noise limiters: good or bad?

Studio 18 Jon Krivit discusses the forthcoming AES Convention 22 Audiogaming: making the sound of the weather24 The Home of Jazz is back in action in Rome26 Paul Stacey and production

Broadcast30 NAB reviewed32 Unit 10 OB truck in Belgium

Live34 20 years of Optocore36 This lady is worth £85 million! Adele Live 201638 O.R.k on tour. Watch out, Gandalf...40 Turn to this page quick!42 The chief designer behind so many Yamaha winners... Dr. K!46 Another big day for AED

Installation54 Danley Labs and Pure Groove. Oh yeah....

Back pages57 Hither & dither: Frankfurt, we love you58 Dr Andreas Sennheiser on how he gets out of bed in a morning...

In this issue...

www.psneurope.com

P4MAY2016

Contents

P36EYE-EYE!THE CREW TO WATCH AT THE ADELE LIVE 2016 TOUR

P40EXPRESS DELIVERYDLIVE MIXES RADIOHEAD MAN PROJECT

P58SON OF MY FATHERDR ANDREAS SENNHEISER TALKS ABOUT THE CHANGES AT THE COMPANY

P42IT’S RIGHT AND IT’S DR. KHE’S THE TRAIN DRIVER IN THE YAMAHA ENGINE ROOM

04 Contents FIN.indd 1 25/04/2016 10:15

The LEO Family provides power and clarity for nearly every application, from intimate performance spaces to the world’s largest outdoor festivals. LEOPARD, the smallest in the family, is gaining a

following for being the most lightweight and versatile line array in its class. It’s no wonder top tours

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www.psneurope.com/business

P6MAY

2016

Show review

The much-vaunted ‘new concept’ paid

dividends for the 2016 Prolight + Sound

show. It set new exhibitor and visitor

records, with around 45,000 visitors from

121 countries making their way to Frankfurt. “This

year’s Prolight + Sound demonstrated the creative and

economic potential of event technology and was able

to exploit the positive business climate in the sector in

full. Thanks to the new concept, the fair has been able

to increase its signifi cance in many diff erent respects,

including a showroom and market place, as well as

an information and networking platform,” said Detlef

Braun, member of the board of management of Messe

Frankfurt GmbH.

Some highlights of this year show are listed below –

but beware, this is not exhaustive! (If we missed you out,

we probably have other plans for you…)

AKG debuted its C7 reference condenser vocal

microphone, featuring specially engineered circuitry

and custom-designed components. It provides a

clear, powerful sound, while preventing feedback,

handling noise and pop noise. The rugged enclosure

is engineered to withstand the most demanding

live performance environments. Additionally, the C7

eliminates handling noise through a built-in mechano-

pneumatic shock absorption system. Lastly, a multilayer

protection system prevents unwanted pop noises. The

protection system consists of three layers: the grill, a

foam layer behind the grill and a layer of mesh atop

the C7 capsule. This extensive system provides a clear,

plosive-free vocal performance.

Allen & Heath announced a new addition to its

Qu compact digital range, the Qu-SB ultra-compact

It was a newly invigorated show – and it set another record!

All change for PL+S

Mattia d’Antonio and Giacomo Previ of

18 Sound celebrate the Ciare rebranding

One of Audio Precision’s popular demonstrations was devoted to the production test of loudspeaker drivers. Sales engineer James Kelly highlighted several new features, including test parameters based on reference drivers (aka, “golden units”), input EQ, and a dedicated production test mode

6-9 Frankfurt FIN.indd 1 25/04/2016 10:05


P7MAY

2016

FLEXUS is designed & manufactured by:ASL Intercom BV, Utrecht, The Netherlands

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48 kHz / 16 bit uncompressed audio

Connection of User Stationsvia LAN with PoE switches orvia powered daisy chain lines

DIGITAL INTERCOM - CUE LIGHT CONTROL - GPO TRIGGERChannels for Cue Light Control,

GPO Trigger or Listen OnlyFull color high-resolution displays

Full duplex intercom channels

2-ch BeltpackRemote Speaker Station4-ch Master Speaker Station

4 Master Stationsmay be linked

Program audio feedsover network

Master Station serves up to24 remote stations

intelligent mixer/interface. Designed as a Stage Box

solution with all the features offered in the Qu series

but purely designed for tablet control, it has 16 XLR mic

inputs, two line inputs and 14 outputs but thanks to the

Qu-32 core inside, it can be expanded up to 32 mic input

channels and 24 outputs, enabling the mixer to connect

over a single Cat5 digital snake to AB168, AR84 and

AR2412 remote audio racks. The built-in 18-channel

Qu-Drive can record and playback multitrack and stereo

audio .wav files to a USB key or drive. Qu-SB’s 32×32,

Windows and Mac compliant USB streaming interface

also makes it the perfect recording solution for tracking,

monitoring and overdubbing in the studio.

AMS Neve unveiled the DFC3D – the latest addition

to its DFC console series. The console features new

integrated DSP processes including a sub-harmonic

synthesizer, multi-band compressor, and the return of

the RMX-16 reverb. New high-resolution 3D-enabled

metering, with spatial panner optimised for Dolby

Atmos, provide the “most efficient Atmos mixing

experience and fastest transition from conventional

mixing techniques,” says the company.

Academy and BAFTA award-winning post-production

house, Goldcrest Films – home to two DFC Gemini desks

– has already chosen a large-format DFC3D digital

film console for its new Dolby Atmos mixing theatre

in the Soho-based studios, which opens in May. The

console is a dual-engine 1000-path USP engine, with a

72-fader dual operator control surface with designed-in

integration with the Avid S6 controller.

Audio-Technica announced the release of an

improved version of its ATM350 clip-on cardioid

condenser microphone. The new ATM350a is also

now supplied with a range of instrument mounting

accessories, making it an extremely flexible, versatile

proposition for sound engineers and musicians working

on stage or in the studio. Designed for use on snare

drums, toms, strings, piano, brass and woodwind

instruments, the ATM350a features an increased

SPL handling over its predecessor, increased by

10dB to 159dB.

B&C Speakers launched the 21DS115: a 3400 watt,

99dB efficient subwoofer that utilises a four layer

aluminum voice coil. The company also launched a

new woofer from the MBX series; the 10MBX64. This

high efficiency, high output, wide bandwidth woofer

Prolight+Sound 2016 was good news for Coda,

as Japanese giant, Hibino Sound Division, placed

a substantial order for its AiRAY system. This

increased the company’s holding of Coda boxes to

over 300 (including AiRAY, TiRAY, ViRAY and others).

This is a significant win for Coda as Hibino are also

big users of Martin Audio MLA systems.

AiRAY’s power and quality allied to its lightweight,

compact profile caught the attention of Hibino

Intersound, which took a close interest in the system

based on demonstrations and recommendations

of Hibino Sound Division’s head of sound, Hiroshi

Inoue. An AiRAY system was ordered last year for

use on a tour by top Japanese artist Shogo Hamada,

and made an immediate and lasting impression,

which lead to this year’s significant order.

“We see that AiRAY achieves very high sound

resolution with good separation of each instrument,”

said Inoue. “Sound shape is maintained over a long

distance meaning that the required SPL can be

obtained using fewer cabinets. AiRAY’s functionality

is also excellent for both flown and ground stack

applications - cabinet angles can be quickly and

easily adjusted for both. When the system is flown,

the light weight of the main frame and the light,

compact cabinets combine to significantly reduce

set up times and of course reduce trucking costs.

I think AiRAY is the only system that offers such

great sound quality in combination with so many

practical advantages.”

Coda big in Japan after Hibino buy

Coda’s Sveltly Alexandrov and Paul Ward with

Hibino’s Hiroshi Inoue and Ryoichi Hashimoto

Tony Andrews and Vero

Eve Audio’s Kristen and Roland celebrated the company’s fifth anniversary (see profile, next month!) with music and a lot of wine (all consumed at this point…)



P8MAY

2016

Show review

offers an alternative that is not currently available in

the B&C Speakers range. The company also showed

the DE680TN 64mm diaphragm, 1.4” exit high

frequency driver, 12NDL88 88mm voice coil woofer,

18RBX100 subwoofer, 8NSM64 and 5NSM38 sealed

back midrange, and 3.5” and 4” broad-band woofers. In

other news, the company is now shipping the DE990TN

and DE1090TN, 1.4” exit, inside ring, super-compact

neodymium magnet compression drivers.

Cadac launched CDC Console Software V3.01 with a

range of new features and performance enhancements

for the Cadac CDC six and CDC eight production

consoles. The new version features Custom Fader

Layers, or CFL, which allows the engineer to create a

user definable layer, or group, of any mixture of inputs,

busses, VCAs and monitor faders, which can then be

accessed by faders on the right hand bank. Members of

the CFL are selected by dragging and dropping from the

relevant input, bus etc. page on the large 23.5” screen.

Access to the CFL is via the 6.5” system control screen,

and the CFL display can be viewed and edited on the

screen by assigning it to one of the user assignable

buttons. The set-up is intuitive and the Custom Fader

Layers provides a convenient and fast way to access the

users most important channels, aiding the overall work

flow. Other key features of V3.01 include the option to

create a personal library for EQ, Effects and Dynamics

settings which can be stored on the console, as well as

uploaded to a USB key.

DiGiCo revealed its new Quantum 7, which is

developed with seventh generation FPGA devices that

further expand audio processing power. To put this

advancement into perspective, the current Stealth

Digital Processing is heavily based around third

generation FPGA devices. Although not scheduled for

release until Spring 2017, visitors had the opportunity

to see an SD7 installed with Quantum 7, and experience

the enhancements it offers including Nodal Processing

Martin Audio’s new MD Dominic Harter and tech supremo Jason Baird (right) launched CDD Live, building on the phenomenal success of the Coaxial Differential Dispersion range

Nascent PA hire company RS Blu’s Luke (left) and Rob (right) flank EAW’s Rusty Waite at the demo of the new Anna system (behind) in the Festhalle


and True Solo. Quantum 7 also expands an SD7 to over 600 channels of processing

in 96kHz operation that can be connected in the outside world to approaching 3000

potential I/Os. New connectivity goes further, as the engine is also equipped with

eight newly assignable MADI connections and two DMI slots (DiGiCo Multi-Channel

Interface) for AoIP and other connectivity options from the complete family of DMI

card options. Perhaps most importantly to current DiGiCo users, Quantum 7 can also

be retro-fitted into any existing SD7.

Eighteen Sound announced the rebranding of Ciare, which it acquired late last

year and recently relaunched at Prolight + Sound in Frankfurt. The company says

the new logo and slogan “To each their own sound” represents a commitment to

continue to take note of customer and market requirements when designing ‘new

and innovative products’ for the three market segments the brand serves. It also

debuted some of its new products in Frankfurt, including the NDA1, a new 1-inch

neodymium HF compression driver; the 6M38, a 6.5-inch ceramic midrange with a

flat suspension design; and lastly the 6NCX50 6.5-inch coaxial.

Equipson was at this year’s show to display its Work Pro and Work Lifter

series. Top lifters lifters like WT 150, WT 550 and WT 700 were on display. ON

the audio side, the new SL 210 A self amplified (1,000W Class D) speaker, with

built-in a DSP and a full control panel in the rear was on display. The range of

line array lifters was allowed to lift the ARION Series line arrays – including the

Arion 10, Arion 5 and the SL 210 A. The speaker can be connected via Ethernet

and managed by any device like a tablet or smartphone. The software is the new

WorkCAD 3 with intuitive workflow.

Funktion-One launched a new, large format touring sound system called Vero.

It is a complete system, which includes speakers, amplifiers, cabling, rigging,

transport dollies, weatherproof covers and software. The Vero speaker range

features six horn-loaded loudspeakers – the V60 mid-high, V90 mid-high and

V315 mid-bass with a choice of V221, V124 or V132 bass. The V60s, V90s and

V315s all have identical dimensions, enabling them to be flown in the same

vertical array. The ground stacked V221, V124 or V132 bass enclosures offer a

choice of size and low frequency extension. Vero also features its own patent

pending Lambda flying system, which allows arrays to be deployed accurately

and efficiently. All rigging settings can be calculated using Vero’s Projection

software. Unlike most other flown arrays, Vero’s inter-cabinet splay angles can be

adjusted with the system in suspension.

Harman unveiled the latest addition to its Vi range of digital live consoles, the

Vi2000. Aimed at the live touring, install and corporate AV, the Vi2000 combines

the Vistonics-based control surface of the Vi3000, Vi5000 and Vi7000 consoles

with Soundcraft SpiderCore, an integrated DSP and I/O engine based on Studer by

HARMAN technology. The console is configurable up to 48 mic line inputs and 16

line outputs, using combinations of 16-channel XLR modules in four rear-mounted

slots, and includes two 64-channel expansion slots, allowing up to two MADI-based

Stageboxes to be connected.

Out Board showed some major new enhancements to the TiMax2 SoundHub

software just about to be released. Out Board’s PAT test joint-venture associates

Data Strategy demonstrated the PAT4 Test Processors, CAB5 Cable Testers and RCD

Test modules with their QC-Check PAT automation and logging software. Also seeing

its European debut at Frankfurt, was Out Board’s new digital RCX Smart Remote for

LV and DV Motor Controllers which was demonstrated in 16, 32 and 64 versions. The

RCX can be retrofitted to all existing LV and DV controllers and features Ethercon

interconnect, non-volatile group memories and load cell system monitoring.

Outline introduced its new Vegas loudspeaker series, designed for both

installation and sound reinforcement, and featuring an application-specific, super-

compact, wide dispersion under balcony loudspeaker and three compatible, custom

coaxial loaded loudspeakers. The range includes the Vegas 24, 8 CX, 12 CX and

15 CX. The ultra compact Vegas 24 is a high power, wide-dispersion, externally

powered loudspeaker, specifically designed for under balcony fill, front fill and delay

applications. The Vegas 8 CX, 12 CX and 15 CX full-range, 2-way bass reflex models

are described as versatile, with attractive pricing and first-class power handling.

VUE Audiotechnik unveiled new products in its al-Class and h-Class ranges.

The central focus will be on the addition to the al-Class line array systems.

This will extend the VUE al-Class to address large-scale applications while

showcasing VUE’s CST technology across the series. The al-12 exhibits new

component designs across the frequencies and is optimised for more demanding

applications. Also being introduced is the self-powered hs-221 with patented ACM

technology form the h-Class range. The hs-221 subwoofer is aimed at the touring

market, with the EDM market perhaps standing to benefit the most from its low-

end performance, says VUE.

Yamaha Pro Audio and Shure announced that customers using Yamaha CL and

QL series consoles will be able to control and monitor Shure ULX-D digital wireless

systems. Specifically, Dante-enabled ULXD4D dual channel digital wireless receivers

and ULXD4Q quad channel digital wireless receivers. The newly-available control

parameters will include monitoring of battery, RF reception strength, antenna

status, frequency and audio level, and full control of gain, mute, and channel name

assignment. The collaboration between the two companies began in June 2013,

when ULX-D receiver discovery patch support was introduced in the CL series

V1.6 update. More recently, the TF series consoles were introduced with optimized

QuickPro Presets for a number of microphones and instruments – including presets

for Shure microphones – in April 2015.

+ See also Linea Research, p16; Optocore, p34; Dr. K p42; AED, p46


P9MAY

2016



P10MAY

2016

Vocal channel

Some late reflections...W e’ve all been to (or

organised) a lot of

demonstrations of

loudspeaker systems over

the years, but my own personal experience is

that very few of them manage to convincingly

convey the sonic impression that the designers

and manufacturers had in mind. I’m not talking

about cosy hi-fi demos of small-scale systems,

where you can “break the sound barrier” in the

style of that Maxell tape TV ad from the 1980s.

What I’m referring to here are those events

where a theatre, arena, or production rehearsal

space has been hired, a couple of big ol’ hangs

of boxes strung up, and the phrase “game-

changer” deployed all too liberally.

Inevitably, what you end up with is a lot

more of the room coming back at you than the

loudspeakers, and any nuances that elevate

the product that you’re being shown above its

peers are drowned in a soup of late reflections.

So why not grab a plot of land where you

can make lots of noise and eliminate the room

from the equation? The great British climate

answers that one. It’s hard enough to get busy

engineers to attend an indoor session, let alone

one outdoors that has the potential to resemble

the Somme, whether it’s June or January.

Erring on the side of caution, you get yourself

a roof and some walls, and a nice hard floor,

and a potential recipe for sonic mush. A bit of

draping can help, and some venues are clearly a

lot nicer-sounding than others, but the other key

factor in gig acoustics is that huge absorbent

mass of fat, fluid, tissue and t-shirts known

as The Audience. Getting several thousand

people in off the street on a weekday morning

to accurately replicate the effect that a room full

of bodies will have on the acoustic properties

of the venue is a logistical headache that I’m

not quite ready for yet, so the next logical step

is to proudly display your game-changer on

an actual real-life gig with an actual real-life

audience. This also tackles the common request

of finding out what happens when you put a

live drum kit and vocal through it, rather than a

tasteful bit of lovingly mastered AOR.

Having got yourself one of the better-

sounding large venues, and a crowd, you’re then

presented with the final set of variables that

can consign the world’s best speaker systems

to the “where are they now?” file: musicians,

their instruments, sound engineers and mixing

consoles. If you can get a consistently good-

sounding band going through a quality console

with a decent engineer at the controls, you’re

pretty much there in terms of being able to best

demonstrate your electroacoustic masterpiece.

Now to go and find some nice big

loudspeakers to show off. Watch this space…

ANDY HUFFER is sales director of HD Pro Audio and “skateboarding is not a crime!”

10 Columniosts v1FIN.indd 1 22/04/2016 15:43

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P12MAY

2016

Movers and shakers

Former Roland man Heath assumes MD role for trade organisation

Peter perfect for prime PLASA post

PLASA, the Professional Lighting and Sound

Association, has appointed Peter Heath as

managing director.

Heath brings with him a wealth

of industry knowledge and hands-on sales and

management experience. He joins PLASA from Roland

Corporation, where he worked in various senior roles

for nearly 20 years. He made a substantial contribution

to the sustained growth of its UK music division, and

became sales director in 2009.

Commenting on his new role, Heath says: “I am

delighted to be appointed managing director and

am looking forward to working closely with PLASA

members, carrying on the great work that has been

achieved recently, along with creating new and exciting

opportunities to grow our Association.”

The selection process for the new post, which

supersedes the position of CEO, was run independently

of the PLASA executive officers and managed on

PLASA’s behalf by John Simpson, with support from

PLASA board members Peter James and Mark

Surtees, PLASA finance director Shane McGreevy and

independent HR specialist Elaine Pennell.

www.plasa.org

Exhibo Communication Systems now represents QSC professional and systems divisions as its multichannel distribution partner in Italy.

Exhibo MD Luca Maragliano Caranza says: “We feel that Exhibo is a natural partner for QSC, as we are committed to bringing them our genuine passion, know-how, professionalism and expertise in distributing their products and solutions throughout the various professional channels and other vertical markets in the Italian region.”www.exhibo.it

www.qsc.com

AV SYS has taken over the sales and support functions for the Klotz Communications product range in the broadcasting market in Greece.

“We are very happy to announce our partnership with AV SYS for the Greece market. AV SYS has a strong reputation in the broadcasting market and their technical expertise suits our products perfectly,” says Thomas Klotz, CEO of Klotz Communications.www.klotzcommunications.com

www.avsys.gr

Outline has chosen Trius Vertrieb as its new distributor for its products in Germany and Austria.

Outline CEO Giorgio Biffi comments: “We are honoured to be working with Trius. Their fantastic reputation for sales and support really fits in with our distribution objective, which is to find the best companies in each country that truly care about quality sound and quality support.”www.outlinearray.com

www.trius-audio.de

DEALER NETWORK

Renkus-Heinz has appointed Michal

Poplawski as technical sales manager, Europe. He previously worked as product manager for distributor M. Ostrowski. www.renkus-heinz.com

Previously with nascent event production outfit Amber Creative, Joe Turner has joined Turbosound Flashlight revivalist Fromidable Audio as sales director. www.formidableaudio.com

Pete McCarthy has been named sales manager, TVBEurope at NewBay Media. Prior to this he was senior account manager on sister brand Installation. www.tvbeurope.com

Steph Steaton joins Audiologic from a background in chemical distribution. Seaton will be the first point of contact for Audiologic’s customers. www.audiologic.uk

L-Acoustics has appointed Scott Wakelin as regional manager responsible for the Balkans and Central European regions, as well as Israel, Turkey, Cyprus and Malta. www.l-acoustics.com

Loren Robinson has taken up the position of director of sales, independent accounts for the Mackie and Ampeg brands at LOUD Technologies.www.loudtechinc.com

12 Movers v1JRDR.indd 1 22/04/2016 14:17

T H E N E X T L E V E L O F T O U R S O U N D


www.psneurope.com/technology

P14MAY

2016

New products

CEDARDNS 2

What is it?

A dialogue noise suppressor that is a smaller,

lighter and more portable 2-channel version of

the DNS 8 Live.

Details:

Off ers near-zero latency, and the latest DNS

algorithm with super-fast setup and control, plus

analogue (mic/mic 48V/line) and digital I/O.

And another thing…

Its 12V power input and mounting points mean

engineers can use the DNS 2 in the middle of a fi eld

as easily as in the studio or the edit suite.

www.cedaraudio.com

DYNAUDIOLYD SERIES

What is it?

Personal reference monitor series with handmade

drive units.

Details:

Includes an advanced DSP with two tuning modes,

sound balance fi lters and bass extension for

moving the bass cut-off to the preferred position.


Powered by biamped Class D amplifi ers featuring

96kHz/24-bit signal paths, the LYD Series has

plenty of power to reproduce sound faithfully.

www.dynaudio.com

RMEFIREFACE UFX+

What is it?

RME’s fi rst interface with Thunderbolt and USB

3 connectivity, which is able to handle up to 94

channels I/O.

Details:

Includes MADI I/O, taking it to 188 channels of I/O,

powerful DSP for latency-free routing, and extensive

processing of dynamics and eff ects for all channels.


RME launched three other products at Musikmesse

2016: MADIface PRO Compact audio interface; ADI-2

Pro High-end AD/DA converter, and ARC USB intuitive

control unit for TotalMix FX and Fireface UFX+.

www.rme-audio.de

DRAWMERMPA-90What is it?

A high-performance Class D stereo power amplifi er

delivering 90W per channel into 4 Ohms (50W per

channel into 8 Ohms).

Details:

Includes thermal protection, overload protection

and an output clipping indicator. Works in Stereo

and Bridge-Mono modes, and has Balanced XLR and

phono inputs.


Ideal for powering passive monitors in the studio, the

MPA-90 is equally at home as part of a hi-fi system

and is said to be the perfect pairing for a Drawmer

MC1.1 and your favourite turntable.

www.drawmer.com

14 New products 2016 v1JRDR.indd 1 22/04/2016 15:17

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P16MAY

2016

The strategic position: Linea Research

Phil Ward visits power pioneer Linea Research to discover why now is the time for its own-brand launches

Power factor correction

The three directors and co-founders of

Hertfordshire-based amp manufacturer

Linea Research are perfect examples of a

rather wonderful industry paradigm: the

regeneration of ideas in a new business context. They all

cut their teeth at BSS Audio, under Harman, and made

their move when it became apparent that Harman had a

very different view of the future.

Paul Williams is responsible for software and DSP,

“designing the algorithms from first principles”, explains

colleague Ben Ver, “so we can do things people need

as opposed to things other people have already done”.

Ver himself focuses on electronics and mechanical

design, and is based at Linea’s R&D centre in Surrey,

while Davey Smalley spearheads sales, marketing and

administration, working alongside Williams and the

majority of the team at the company HQ in Baldock.

Williams was with Harman for over 10 years, and

was “instrumental in everything BSS did in the digital

domain, particularly Soundweb and Omnidrive”,

according to Smalley. “And not forgetting Varicurve: the

first product that allowed you to adjust an EQ curve

and see it change dynamically on a screen,” adds

Williams, who recruited Ver in the mid-’90s, handing

him responsibility for hardware and electronics design

before he moved on to look after R&D for C Audio and

Soundcraft. Smalley joined the BSS team in 1996, later

taking over as sales manager.

EARTH GROUND

It was the type of solid grounding that forments – all

big corporations please take note – a brew of talent and

confidence that always spills when the management

boat is rocked.

“Harman Pro’s senior management moved from

Potters Bar, where we were based, to California –

quite a dislocation,” recounts Smalley. “There was a

frustrating focus on the US brands – logical, but tough

on all the guys who had put their hearts and souls into

groundbreaking BSS products. Our OEM progress also

worked against us, seen as offering too much help to

the competition.”

Add in the typical encroachment of management

responsibilities that displace the original customer-

focused engineering that inspires talent like this to enter

pro audio, and you have all the motivation you need for

the registration of a new company.

“We’d been there quite a long time, and it felt like our

‘era’ was over,” says Ver. “We could see opportunities

elsewhere, particularly in using DSP technology as an

integral part of Class D amplifiers rather than just for

processing audio. This combination of signal processing

and power represented the future for us and, we hoped,

the industry.” “Late one night, I think during a trade

show, Ben, Paul and I agreed we should be doing this for

ourselves,” adds Smalley.

Linea Research duly opened for business in 2003,

with a clear initial focus on the kind of OEM business

that Harman had discouraged. “It’s predictable in a

way that building your own brand is not,” says Smalley.

“OEM was the best way of getting to good sales

volumes quite quickly. It’s a not a cottage industry.”

“You build a different kind of business, too,” adds Ver. “If

you’re immediately supplying in hundreds and, soon,

thousands, you make sure the infrastructure is right for

information systems, you use reputable suppliers and

you have the efficient manufacturing processes you

need to compete at this level.”

FULL CAPACITANCE

Moving beyond exclusively OEM territory to develop

Linea Research into a brand in its own right was always

part of the business plan, reveals Smalley. “We were

always clear with our OEM partners about that,” he

confirms. “You access different parts of the market.

Not everyone is looking for a brand new, packaged

PA system, although it is going that way for high-end

touring thanks to the likes of L-Acoustics and d&b,

mainly due to the utility of having consistency as you

travel. In other markets, particularly once you get into

installations, people want highly refined solutions for

Not everyone is looking for a brand new, packaged PA system, although it is going that way for high-end touring thanks to the likes of L-Acoustics and d&bDavey Smalley

Those 44M20s in detail!

Davey Smalley (left) with sales engineer Peter Collins and a rack of the new amps, at Prolight + Sound last month

16-17 Strat pos linea research v1JRDR.indd 1 22/04/2016 15:11


P17MAY

2016

specific purposes. We can fit into a huge range of very

tailored environments.

“From a performance point of view I consider our

competition to be Lab.gruppen, Powersoft, Crown in the

States and maybe one or two others. There’s a huge

market out there and companies like Linea Research

who continually invest in the latest technology can be

very successful.”

Ver describes the advent of branded Linea Research

boxes as ‘natural’ rather than ‘strategic’. “We love the

long discussions about what this encoder does, where

to put that LED… that’s what our professional lives

are about,” he says. “But after a lot of work we knew

that our new generation of technology was a real step

forward in efficiency, and we could see that it would

give us a significant advantage in the branded amplifier

marketplace.” However, doing new things is not easy

and time must also be spent supporting existing

products and customers. As Ver says: “it did take us

rather longer to get here than we thought. I think we

ended up doing our three-year strategy over five years!”

OEM continues, meanwhile. “Working closely with

our partners is great,” Smalley explains. “We get to be

associated with fantastic brands and the brands get

to focus on what they do best in the knowledge that

Linea is working full time on keeping their electronics

state-of-the-art. It can also offer unique advantages –

one example being Brazil. It’s extremely difficult and

costly to import products into Brazil, so working with a

partner over there that has an established brand is very

effective. It’s a very good solution for both of us.”

POWER POINT

So what is this technology? The good offices of Ver and

Williams inside the semi-conductor community led to

major breakthroughs in the last few years – another

factor in the timing of this launch. “We have product

that is significantly different on the inside, and in

performance,” Ver points out, “not least because our

R&D has run in parallel with the very cutting edge of

the semi-conductor industry. We were designing with

engineering samples of the parts we wanted to use

on the promise that they would be available in volume

when we needed them some 18 months later. I have

to say that this made me very nervous, but luckily it all

came good…”

Class D and good sound quality don’t necessarily sit

together, especially if you also want very high power

and efficiency. “This is where we win,” states Ver. “We

already know how to make great-sounding Class D

amplifiers: we’ve sold many thousands of them in

the form of powered speaker modules to some of the

industry’s biggest names. Our new rackmount products

take this knowledge and combine it with an output stage

that’s about 5% to 7% more efficient than the best amps

currently out there. This might not sound like much, but

it means that our amps only need to dissipate about

half the heat of our competition. This is exactly why they

have such incredible long-term power delivery.”

But a great amplifier platform alone is not enough

for world-class product these days, points out Williams.

“You also need cutting-edge remote control and

monitoring,” he says, “to support things like AES3 and

Dante – and have all the software required to make it

easy for users to form cohesive systems. It also helps

if you can introduce some genuinely new DSP features

that solve real-world problems.”

M PEOPLE

With output powers of up to 5kW per channel

and the ability to drive that power on all channels

simultaneously, even with dense programme material,

the M Series is billed as “The New Industry Standard In

Amplification”.

The catalogue is divided so far into the 4-channel

44M series and 8-channel 48M series, each of which is

available at different power points to suit requirements.

Soon to follow are the installation-friendly 48C and

88C series that combine the same power amplifier

technology with a raft of features that make them well-

suited to the contractor market.

All the products feature extensive DSP processing,

optimised as perhaps only Linea Research could. “This

is due to all of the DSP code being hand-written in

assembler,” comments Williams. “It produces much

faster and more compact code than easier-to-use,

higher level languages such as C.”

“It’s easier today to get good performance from the

DSP chips,” reflects Smalley, “but if you’ve learned

your trade – like Paul did – when resources were

very meagre, it brings insight and efficiency to the

designs that you won’t get from people who’ve learned

these techniques in the last 10 years. We’re at a point

now when our people, knowledge, componentry

and techniques have come together. Developing

these products was a real team effort and a huge

undertaking… but now is their time.”

www.linea-research.co.uk

Mute each of the four channels from the facia

The photography just keeps getting sexier…

16-17 Strat pos linea research v1JRDR.indd 2 22/04/2016 15:12

www.psneurope.com/studio

P18MAY

2016

Studio

Mel Lambert catches up with current AES president John Krivit to learn more about his focus on audio education as the society prepares for its Paris Convention in early June

An educator at the helm

A life-long educator, John Krivit is an

associate professor of audio & media

technology at New England Institute of Art,

Brookline, MA, and a faculty member at Bay

State College, Boston, and at Emerson College, Boston. He

is the founder of the Boston Area Defi nitive Audio Student

Summit (…that’s BADASS, of course!), an annual AES event

for New England students, educators, practitioners and

professionals. “My goal as an educator has always been to

align the academic with the professional worlds in a way

that serves the greater interests of both,” he states. “I live

at the intersection of audio, education and industry.”

Since assuming offi ce as AES president last

November, what has been your primary focus?

I’ve had a lot on my plate in my fi rst six months as

president, but my big focus this year has been to do

everything I can to keep building an engaged community

of audio professionals, academics, researchers,

practitioners and students. For six years, I served the

Society as the Education Chair and feel proud of the

vibrant mix of students and educators that have found

their way to the AES. I understand how benefi cial this

AES connection is to one’s career development; I’ve

seen students and young professionals use their AES

experience to leverage great careers. As an educator,

I’ve learned so much about curriculum, facilities and

pedagogy from other professors at AES conventions,

conferences and local events.

What do you plan to achieve as president during the

coming six months?

I’ve been pushing the AES to take a hard look at how

we use our resources. We’ve got to make some hard

choices about the best ways to perform our functions.

Social media has changed the landscape of how we all

communicate, learn and market what we do. There is

no question that the AES needs to make better use of

21st century tools to reach our members in a more

timely manner.

A lot of people already know me from the Facebook

group that I’ve been moderating called “Hey Audio

Student”’; in a short time, it’s become a place where

students can connect to the narrative of what it is to

be a modern student of professional audio. Of course,

an essential part of that narrative is participation in

the AES. There are so many events and opportunities

to take advantage of, including local section meetings,

regional AES student summits, conferences and

conventions.

John Krivit in the anechoic chamber at Akademia Górniczo-Hutnicza,

Krakow, Poland, the city’s main technical university

If student membership, participation and enthusiasm are a measure of how we are doing in Europe, then I am not worriedJohn Krivit

18-20 JonKrivit v1JRDR CHECK.indd 1 22/04/2016 15:20

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P20MAY

2016

Studio

You are well respected as an educator and futurist.

What specific vision do you bring to the job of AES

president?

There are many places on the internet where one

can find information about technology and science,

but the AES is really the gold standard for that.

Our peer-reviewed journal and our E-Library are

essential to academic research and discovery. Why

not peer-reviewed video where academics can receive

institutional credit for such work? We have so many

great communicators coming from the academic and the

professional worlds and this is something I’d like to get

off the ground.

The European Community has gone through a

number of recent changes. How can the AES

assist that membership?

If student membership, participation and enthusiasm

are a measure of how we are doing in Europe, then I

am not worried. We have exciting student chapters in

each country and our commercial partners have taken

note that this is the next generation of industry leaders

and decision makers. We’re not just talking about

kids who want to make beats: we‘re talking about the

student scientists who are developing new technologies.

We’re talking about the next generation of top-level

broadcasters and studio engineers.

Were you involved in plans for the upcoming

Paris convention?

AES 140th Convention chair Mike Williams has been a

dynamic force in crafting a terrific programme; I really

have to give Mike and his committee all of the credit for

their tireless work. There have been so many proposals

for workshops and tutorials that we’ve had to take

on more space at the Palais des Congrès. I’m looking

forward to hearing all of the technical expertise that

drives our science and practical application. Author and

educator Alex Case, who is also the AES president-elect,

has been selected to give the keynote address. He is a

brilliant speaker with a great sense of humour.

How has exhibitor response been to the

Paris convention?

There are bigger shows out there but none have the

engagement or gravitas of an AES Convention. Size isn’t

really important; reaching the right audience is. Unlike

some bigger events, the AES Convention has soul. The

AES convention is about learning and friendship and a

true collective celebration of the science and practice of

audio. In a world where we must embrace the concept of

life-long learning, the workshops, tutorials, exhibitions,

etc. are all essential for the audiophile who needs to stay

well ahead of the curve.

During recent years the AES has increased the

number of specialist conferences. Is that a

development you favour?

Every subject and topic of audio brings with it its own

unique community of experts. Automotive Audio, Audio

Forensics, Audio for Games, Audio Education, Audio

Networking, Music-Induced Hearing Disorders… all

have their critical issues that change rapidly. My job as

AES president is to make sure that these communities

feel welcome and supported under the umbrella of

the AES. Each year, we’ll have about four conferences

on these diverse topics. I made a trip in January to

the US Library of Congress National Audio-Visual

Conservation Center, which hopefully will lead to a

2018 AES Conference on Audio Archiving

and Restoration.

What do conferences offer that a regular

AES Convention might not?

One new idea we are trying for the first time is to

co-locate an AES Conference on Audio for Virtual and

Augmented Reality at our 141st Convention in Los

Angeles this coming September. It’s an interesting plan

that we’ve never done before. Conference co-chairs

Andres Mayo and Linda Gedemer are in the process

of working out all of the logistical details of how the

two events can complement each other and will work

simultaneously.

What three achievements would you like

to be remembered for at the conclusion of

your term as president?

AES presidents get rotated through pretty quickly

so I’ll probably get some undeserved credit for the

great things that my predecessor Andres Mayo did as

president! Andres put in place a Financial Planning

Committee headed by AES vice president Bill Foster.

My first goal is to do everything I can as AES president

to enable Bill to find ways of optimising our financial

systems. I’m also working with our AES Standards

chair Bruce Olson and AES Standards manager Mark

Yonge to develop a new funding mechanism that gives

participating companies a bigger stake in the work

that we do to promote technical interoperability.

Finally, I’m a big fan of the late poet Maya Angelou,

who famously said: “I’ve learned that people will

forget what you said, people will forget what you did,

but people will never forget how you made them

feel.” I want to make sure that when people think of

the AES, they smile and feel smart and valued and

important and listened to, and they come back

every year.

+ The 140th International AES Convention will be held

at Palais des Congrès, Paris, from 4- 7 June 2016

Krivit with students and faculty from the University of Hartford, Connecticut

Student Delegate Assembly officers at the Berlin Wall

18-20 JonKrivit v1JRDR CHECK.indd 2 22/04/2016 15:21


FRANCE


P22MAY

2016

Studio

From car engines to wind and rain, French developer AudioGaming is making the sounds for the next generation of games. Mike Hillier listens in

And now: the weather

Just like the Marvel superhero, Storm,

Amaury La Burthe can control the weather.

Showers and squalls, gales and gusts: La Burth

brings them all. Except, where the character of

Storm can fl y, La Burthe has his feet on the ground. In fact,

he generates footsteps…

None of it’s real, of course. AudioGaming (AG) is a

Toulouse-based software developer specialising in sound

design tools for game audio. The company started in 2009

when La Burthe, one of AG’s founders alongside Guillaume Le

Nost and Damien Henry, was working at Sony. “I have a dual

profile. Before founding AudioGaming I worked first in audio

research (Ircam, Sony) and then in the video game industry

(Ubisoft). At some point I realised I needed some tools that did

not exist. So I decided to create the tools I felt were missing.”

The fi rst of these tools was AudioWeather, a plug-in

which synthesises wind and rain sounds. Sound design

for games presents a unique challenge, as the audio has

to respond to the players actions. Traditional sampling

techniques present a fi xed sound, which can be altered

in some ways with eff ects, such as fi lters and reverbs.

However, AG’s plug-ins use acoustic modelling to generate

sounds in realtime, presenting the sound designer with

complete control over the sound, and enabling them to

generate the sound procedurally in response to elements of

the gameplay. “As soon as you start modelling behaviours,

you end up with much more control over the generated

sound,” says La Burthe. “You are mixing and layering, you

are generating in a sound driven by physical properties that

can be completely controlled over time. It’s more than real-

time, it is ‘interactive time’. Everything can change according

to what’s happening in the game. It is also a great tool to

quickly create new soundscapes with believable, physically-

inspired behaviours.” As well as games, AudioWeather has

been utilised by fi lm sound designers, most notably Harry

Cohen on Django Unchained.

Modelling the audio properties of weather was only

the starting point for AudioGaming, the company now

has a portfolio of sound generation plug-ins dedicated

towards diff erent frequently used game audio sounds

– AudioSteps for instance, as alluded to earlier, for the

sound of characters walking or running. The most recent

is AudioMotors, which uses recordings of car engines as

the source, analysing them to automatically determine the

RPM of the recording. This recording is then processed

through the realtime synthesis engine to generate new

sounds which responds to the RPM of the car in the game in

real-time. As the user ‘revs’ the engine hotter, so the sound

changes in response. This tool has already been used on

Ubisoft’s driving title, Trackmania Turbo.

These plug-ins are available for the common host

formats (VST, AAX and AU) in addition to a dedicated

implementation inside the game audio middleware solution

FMOD Studio, which provides a procedural audio solution

inside many of the top game engines, including Unity, Unreal

and Valve Software’s Source engine.

While innovations in gaming hardware are often

seen as pushing the graphics side, the audio side too

gets to enjoy the benefi ts of additional memory and

processing bandwidth. La Burthe believes this provides

game developers with opportunities not only to use more

interesting and believable sounds, but also to create

better narratives in the games. “We have great tools, lots

of memory and bandwidth to do very interesting things.

We need to focus on how we use those tools to better tell

stories: things like interactive mixing depending on game

states, sound focus, give us a lot of control, so we need to be

creative on how we use them, not for the sake of technology,

but to help tell stories in a more powerful way.”

Probably the most exciting new area in gaming is the

emergence of virtual reality. Again, the technological shift

focuses on the graphic side, but La Burthe sees VR as an

important leap for game audio. “Sound designers don’t

need to be convinced about the impact of audio, but it is

defi nitely helping all the others realise this impact. VR is

interactive audio with pictures! It really helps to show how

much the audio can be used as a directing tool, much like a

camera. Interactive mixing (which is not specifi cally linked to

VR) for example is really the camera of the sound designer.

You can choose whatever you want to focus on depending

on multiple parameters in real-time.”

This freedom to tell stories using VR was put to use on

the film Notes On Blindness, which was created alongside a

VR immersive experience ‘Note On Blindness: Into Darkness’,

of which La Burthe was the executive producer. “We took

enormous care to produce immersive soundscapes,” he

says. “They have a very high dynamic, like in real-life. They

are composed of lots of different 3D placed individual sounds,

with lots of variety to avoid pre-rendered monotonous

looping background files. Doing this we obtain a very credible

environment, always evolving, and never really repeating. We

later added the visual, but this precise audio landscape really

helps to create an immersive and emotional experience.”

Watch out for the forthcoming AudioSpace. La Burthe’s

superpowers are not limited to this planet, puny mortals…

lesound.io

Amaury La Burthe at the AudioGaming offi ces in Toulouse, France

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ITALY


P24MAY

2016

Studio

Four top sound engineers have upgraded a Rome jazz venue’s recording set-up. Mike Clark went along for a chat

A House is a home

La Casa del Jazz (the House of Jazz), built in

the 1930s, is located in Villa Osio in Rome. Its

three constituent buildings stand in a beautiful

six-acre park which also hosts concerts

during the spring and summer months.

CdJ’s main building features a multifunctional

150-seat auditorium, an AV archive and a library of

rare publications, while its smaller premises reveal

rehearsal, recording and accommodation facilities, and

a restaurant.

Recently, before being restored by Zètema Progetto

Cultura, the villa was confiscated from the boss of one

of Rome’s most infamous criminal gangs. (In fact, there

is a commemorative plaque at the entrance with the

names of mafia victims.)

As well as concerts by top international artists, the

150-seat CdJ auditorium is a true home for cultural

activities in the Eternal City. Seminars and listening

sessions, press conferences and presentations

by record companies and publishers, educational

activity by top music schools, readings – all have been

undertaken in the auditorium.

Management and operation of the recording facilities’

were recently taken over by four top Italian sound

engineers – Ascanio Cusella, Simone Saccomandi,

Stefano Del Vecchio and Roberto Lioli – who upgraded

and overhauled the entire set-up.

Saccomandi explains: “Ascanio has been at CdJ

since it opened and I joined a couple of years later as

his assistant. We suggested to (CdJ technical manager)

Marcello Fagnani the idea of managing the studios

with two sound engineer friends and, since the initial

trial period, the four of us have recorded numerous top

Italian artists and international names there.”

Based in L’Aquila, Cusella has worked with a

comprehensive list of artists during his lengthy career

as a live and studio sound engineer, but he has also

found time to work as a recording studio designer and

production manager on live events. His CV includes top

jazz festivals such as Umbria and Lugano, and work

with international stars including Ornette Coleman, Pat

Metheny, Jan Garbarek and countless others in the jazz,

pop, classical, ballet and dance worlds.

He explains: “When we began work, the venue had

a single control room, with an Audient ASP8024 desk,

some outboard units, a Pro Tools 7 HD2 system and

three recording rooms. Thanks to Fagnani, the PT

system was upgraded to HDX and Simone redesigned

the set-up, which now features more recording rooms

and – alongside the existing Audient analogue suite – a

digital control room, which is also used for mastering

and, if necessary, as a further recording room.”

As well as his lengthy experience as FOH engineer,

system engineer and FOH manager on festivals and

with a multitude of national and international artists

mainly in jazz and classical music, Rome-based

Saccomandi also has considerable experience with

Rock and Electronic artists (see O.R.k story, p40).

He says: “Taking pride of place in the analogue

control room is the 36-fader/72-channel ASP8024

console. The audio team can follow every nuance of the

mainly acoustic recordings thanks to Quested 3208 and

sub, Yamaha NS10 and sub, Genelec 1030, Dynaudio

BM6, Tivoli Audio and Meyer Sound HD-1 monitors.”

Nominated in 2012 as Italy’s best jazz sound engineer

by Jazzit magazine, Roberto Lioli has served as a sound

engineer for years with pianist Stefano Bollani. In 2015,

he founded the Encore Jazz label, for which he also

works as producer.

Lioli says: “The CdJ venue is now able to count

on three control rooms – the third is used in the

auditorium for recordings – and up to seven recording

rooms, including the auditorium, all fully cabled and

interconnected via AV.” As well as the main 8 x 6m

room and 4 x 3m grand piano room (both with variable

reflection panels) there is a 4 x 3m absorbent drum

room, a 4 x 3m reflective room with variable reflection

panels and a 4 x 2m multipurpose room.

Del Vecchio has in-depth experience on live events

(including a considerable number of musicals), in studio

and on television broadcasts. His recording work has

included a Nino Rota tribute by the London Symphony

Orchestra and the Fabrizio Bosso quartet recorded at

London’s Air Studios. Del Vecchio is in charge of audio

at Icarus Music School in his home town of L’Aquila and

technical manager and personal sound engineer for

several top Italian artists.

He explains: “We fitted out the rooms, adding

personal mixers and CCTV and carrying out an in-depth

overhaul of the existing equipment. We now also

have two external Pro Tools systems and, pooling our

resources, put a really incredible range of microphones

as artists’ disposal. The digital control room hosts a

Digidesign Control 24 control surface and monitors are

Meyer Sound 833 plus subs, Genelec 1030, Dynaudio

BM6, Tivoli Audio and Meyer Sound HD-1.”

As well as an impressive array of outboards in

the control rooms, thanks to an agreement with

longstanding Rome MI retailer Ciampi, CdJ also has a

beautiful Yamaha C7 grand piano in the studio, a C6 in

the auditorium and, when necessary, a Steinway and a

Fazioli grand concert piano.

Close collaboration with backline rental firms,

through the foursome’s live contacts, and with CD

duplication companies, now enables CdJ to follow the

entire creative process, from start to finish. It’s not just a

house for jazz – it’s a home.

www.casajazz.it

(L-R): Stefano Del Vecchio, Roberto Lioli, Ascanio Cusella and Simone Saccomandi

24 Italy casa del jazz v1FIN.indd 1 22/04/2016 16:11



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2016

Studio

Producer and musician Paul Stacey, found a free moment in his schedule to chat with Mike Hillier about production, psychology and art

Flying high

Paul Stacey is best known for his work with

Oasis. With producer Mark ‘Spike’ Stent, Paul

engineered Standing On The Shoulder Of

Giants, eventually recording various parts on

the album. This led to a long career working with the band

and, after their demise, with Noel Gallagher on his solo

albums.

This relationship also led to Stacey working with Chris

Robinson, and later The Black Crowes themselves. His

twin-brother, Jeremy Stacey, is also a successful session

musician, having performed with Sheryl Crow, Ryan

Adams and – of course – Noel Gallagher’s High Flying

Birds.

How did you get into producing?

I got a guitar and my brother got drums and we just

made a racket at school when we were 11 or 12. We

slowly found a friend who played bass. Punk was just

starting to break, so we started a punk band, listening

to the Damned and The Sex Pistols. I went from that

to a ’70s-style hard-rock band, and then got into jazz,

rehearsing with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra. I was

never a jazz snob though, I always liked pop and rock.

When I was about 16, my brother did a job that meant

we were able to afford a Portastudio, and that was the

start of the recording lark. It was amazing to be able

to record at home and make demos. I started getting

bands down and recording them too.

I’ve been working with Noel on and off for about 17

years and through that, I ended up doing a few solo

albums with Chris Robinson when The Black Crowes

were on hiatus, and when they got back together it was

natural for me to get back involved. I mixed a couple of

records, and then produced three for them. I don’t know

how I ended up producing, but that’s how it is.

What does production mean to you?

For me a producer is your trusted friend. Everybody

needs a sounding board, if you don’t have one you

can easily become too caught up in the details. It’s a

psychological job, sometimes it has little to do with the

music.

Like the director of a film, you have to know about all

the stages involved. A director knows about cameras,

angles, the storyboard, actors, how the actors are

feeling, egos. And a producer has to do the same,

understanding all the aspects of the music and the artist.

A producer should be a musician, should understand

music theory, engineering, microphones, mic positioning,

mixing and how the whole thing comes together.

What console are you using?

When I came back from touring with Oasis

in ’97, I bought a Neotek desk and an MCI

24-track tape machine. I was working on

that for a while, and eventually I started

working in studios in America, on Neves

and APIs, and I realised there was a

reason why people want to work on these.

So I got a Trident A-Range. It’s a very rare

desk, there were only 14 or 15 made. Mine

was the desk from Chipping Norton and

it’s in a video with Gerry Rafferty, it was used on Baker

Street. It went from there to America, to Henry Hirsch,

Lenny Kravitz’s producer, then from there it went to

Japan before coming back here.

And monitors?

For speakers, I was using a mixture of ProAcs with a

Bryston amp, and NS10s. The ProAcs are a little soft,

and the Brystons a little hard so they’re a good combo.

I pondered the idea of getting a sub, but I never got

on with one. When I was doing Warpaint for the Black

Crowes, I tried ATC 150s in a studio in Woodstock, New

York, and I was a little worried about using them too

much, because they have such a big sound. But when

I came home I felt I could hear into the recordings, so I

started to realise I needed some big speakers.

I was thinking about getting 150s but I couldn’t work

out how to fit them in my room. I went to Belgium to

do a record and a mastering engineer friend of mine,

Stefan, introduced me to the Guzauski-Swist, which has

the ATC dome. I felt this was important for me, because

it sits in the middle and stops you from having to listen

to guitars on tweeters. I spent two weeks tracking on the

Guzauski-Swist monitors and they sounded a lot like the

ATC 150s, and they fit on my desk. So I now use those

and the ProAcs.

Do you use any plug-ins, or are you all

outboard?

I mainly use outboard, but I do use the UAD plug-ins, that

was the first stuff to really surprise me. I have quite a lot

of the originals, like the 33609, and there’s something it

does with the gain, which the UAD plug-in also does. I’ve

got a few different 1176s, and they all sound different.

And the UAD models all have similar qualities. If you

don’t own the originals they’re great. If I went all in the

box, I’d get two octo UAD cards. I just wish they did a few

more bits that I use all the time like the Inovonics 201

and the Spectra Sonics 610.

Do you heavily edit performances, and tune

vocals?

I don’t really care for AutoTune. I have used it though, as

anyone other than maybe Glyn Johns has…

If you tune a vocal, and listen to the original a few

years later, when you’ve come out of the process, you

realise you’ve lost something, the very thing you get

on the old recordings. The imperfections are what you

remember. The more you flatten it out and perfect

it the more dull it becomes. It’s a strange thing. As

an artist you want it to be in tune, to feel good. At the

time it feels amazing that everything is in tune and

in time. It instantly make you go “wow”, but actually

it’s the emotion and the vibe that’s important. Some

people can make pictures when they sing and you get

completely invested in the vocal, the words, the melody

and the rhythm. So when you start flattening it with

compression and tuning. If you keep everything fixed

and set and you edit the timing and make it all perfect, it

becomes mind-numbingly boring.

If you listen to Frank Sinatra, one of my favourite

singers of all time, it’s not about the tuning, he’s not in

tune all the time, but his phrasing is remarkable. What

you get when he sings those words is his depth, his

knowledge comes through, it’s like poetry.

You’ve heard Paul Stacey play on many of Noel Gallagher’s songs

Stacey owns a rare Trident A-Range desk – it was used to record Baker Street

26 Paul stacey FIN.indd 1 22/04/2016 17:20

INTRODUCING THE NEWAKG K52, K72 & K92

FIND OUT MORE AT WWW.AKG.COM

CLOSED-BACK HEADPHONES

K72K52 K92


SD7 SD10SD5

S21

Digital Mixing Consoles for Live Sound, Theatre and Broadcast

DiGiCo’s digital evolution really began with the release of the D5 Live – a breakthrough console that turned the pro-audio world on its head, and raised eyebrows across the industry. A super-powerful and slick piece of kit, with a massive feature set, which would set the standard for years to come.

Fast-forward 5 years, and the first of the SD Series was born – another real trend setter, combining a quick and intuitive user interface, and

sonic capabilities that are still yet to be beaten. Each console in the range retains that classic analogue feel, with the ultimate in digital

processing.

The SD Series raised the bar in many ways: not only in terms of power and flexibility, but

creativity; never before had engineers

DPS Template.indd 1 4/22/2016 10:13:53 AM

SD8 SD9 SD11

www.digico.biz

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

experienced Super FPGA technology, which allowed for massive I/O capabilities, and the ultimate dynamic toolbox, easily accessible at the press of a button or via the touch screen.

From the rackmount SD11, all the way up to the flagship SD7, and everything in between, there is an SD console suited to every possible audio application - and they all pack a similar punch. Be it a bar or club gig, a stadium world tour, or a massive broadcast event such as The Grammys or The Oscars, the SD Series is so often the go-to.

But it doesn’t end there.

DiGiCo has made quite a statement with its latest console, the S21. It’s a baby SD7, at first glance – and the two actually have a lot in common: the same core engine, the same dynamic processing, and even multiple touch screens. S21 packs all the power of its big brothers into a super-compact shell, and and keeps DiGiCo right on the cutting edge of the pro-audio industry.

Also, the release of Stealth Core 2™ processing takes the SD series to yet another unsurpassed level of channels, busses and processing power.

Stand Number: C11510

DPS Template.indd 2 4/22/2016 10:18:14 AM

www.psneurope.com/broadcast

P30MAY

2016

Broadcast: Show report

A round-up of releases and more from the broadcast show in the Nevada desert...

Dabbling at NAB

The National Association of Broadcasters

(NAB) Show returned to the Las Vegas

Convention Center on the 16-21 of April for

its annual showcase of the latest media

technologies, which this year included virtual reality,

cloud media and – you guessed it – drones.

Here’s some of what happened on the audio side…

The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) made its

industry debut in Vegas. The trade alliance prepared a

full schedule of events throughout the show as it looks

to promote open standards and interoperability-based

transition to media production over IP.

Interoperability demonstrations featured on a variety

of members’ booths; AIMS now spans 22 manufacturers,

consultants, service providers, media content producers

and distributors, and is growing all the time.

At the show, AIMS showcased its Roadmap for the

adoption and standardisation of open protocols in the

transition to a fully IP-based workflow, as well as the

alliance’s alignment with the multiple associations and

standards bodies, whose work and proposals the AIMS

Roadmap endorses.

Product-wise, the pro-audio highlight of the show

seemed to be Calrec Audio’s compact desk, the Brio.

At less than a metre wide, Brio’s 36 dual-layer fader

surface provides more faders in a given footprint than

any other audio console, claims Calrec. It takes up the

position of being, the smallest in Calrec’s FPGA-driven

Bluefin2 family of devices.

Calrec’s VP of sales Dave Letson, said: “Brio provides

something unique at this price-point – a mixing console

completely focused on the needs of broadcasters and

broadcast infrastructures. This amount of scalable and

managed I/O, comprehensive monitoring, surround

sound, and high bus quantities provides a degree of

dedicated broadcast functionality that has never been

available at this level.

“As the market calls for more and more audio

mixes to support online content, smaller consoles that

possess pure live-broadcast features are increasingly

desirable,” continued Letson. “Products in this sector

have traditionally had basic capabilities and are not

ideally suited to broadcast environments. Brio is the

first application-specific alternative for broadcasters

who operate in this environment and provides dedicated

broadcast features at a very aggressive price point.

Brio is entirely self-contained, with analogue and digital

I/O and GPIO built into the surface. Additional expansion

I/O slots allow for further I/O integration, while fitting an

available Hydra2 module makes it possible to connect to

and share audio over Calrec’s Hydra2 network.

Calrec also unveiled a number of networking

interfaces, including a 1U Ravenna/AES67 interface

that can transport 256 channels of audio on a single

connection, and the RP1 remote production engine, a 2U

core that contains integrated, FPGA-based DSP, enabling

a console surface at another facility to control all mixing

functionality.

Also showcasing Ravenna and AES67 standard was

Digigram, presented its IP codecs, primarily highlighting

the IQOYA call remote-broadcasting AoIP.

Digigram provided a live demonstration of

audio networking interoperability that featured 27

networked-audio products employing audio networking

technologies such as Dante, Livewire, and Ravenna

audio-over-IP protocols.

Digigram also presented its LX-IP PCIe sound card,

which, according to the company, facilitates a smooth

migration to IP while ensuring secure content delivery

with the same latency as digital audio, as well as

interoperability with other audio protocols.

ENCO demonstrated its ‘Visual Radio’ solution for

broadcasters. The platform uses ENCO’s DAD radio

automation and presenter management interface to

deliver a ‘complete multimedia experience’ to web and

mobile audiences.

A Visual Radio exhibit at the ENCO booth showcased

how operators can create a manual or automated

workflow to deliver professional video feeds. The

demonstration emphasised the speed of the learning

curve for live camera switching, and the display of

graphical elements including lower-thirds, network

bugs, social media feeds and breaking news crawls.

Aaton-Digital presented its CantarX3 digital sound

recorder package, including the new Cantarem2 and

recorder accessories.

According to Aaton, the CantarX3 recorder has

already made a ‘huge impact’ on the sound recording

sector for cinematography, broadcast, drama, and

orchestral work.

Complimenting this was the launch of the new

Cantaress advanced mixing surface. Aaton-Digital

claims the Cantaress presents an ‘extraordinary feel’

even when using gloves, and offers high durability for

the intensive user.

Jünger Audio focused on Smart Audio – a new

concept aimed at helping broadcasters embrace

automated audio production, particularly in live

environments.

Jünger’s D*AP range is designed to deliver a Smart

Audio experience, and has been equipped with the

industry standard Ember+ remote protocol, allowing

integration of audio processing equipment with both

playout automation systems and logging and monitoring

processes.

The crowds poured into Las Vegas, like the rain generally doesn’t in that part of the world

Here’s the full X3 package from Aaton-Digital

30-31 NAB v1JRFIN.indd 1 22/04/2016 16:28


P31MAY

2016

The range includes natural sounding products

for loudness control, audio monitoring, metadata

management and Dolby decoding, encoding and

transcoding.

Showcased were the D*AP8 MAP Edition surround

monitoring audio processor; the D*AP8 Codec Edition

processor that provides a replacement for any

discontinued legacy Dolby hardware processor; the

D*AP4 VAP Edition two-channel voice audio processor,

and the flagship D*AP8 TAP edition television audio

processor, which is designed to ensure consistency

of loudness and sonic ‘character’ across multiple

programme sources.

Nugen Audio demonstrated the latest updates to its

family of post-production and broadcast audio tools,

include significant changes to the company’s upmixing,

batch processing and offline loudness tools.

It unveiled an all-new option for Halo Upmix, the

company’s solution for upmixing stereo audio to

surround. The 9.1 option allows the introduction of

vertical positioning into the upmix, generating a 7.1.2

bed track-compatible upmix.

Several updates are immediately available for the

Loudness Management Batch (LMB) Processor’s

extensions, designed to help clients stay ahead of

industry requirements for automated loudness analysis

and correction. These updates include improved LRA

correction speed for the DynApt extension and wider

file format support for the ProRes extension, which now

supports .MOV files using version 2 descriptors and

those with the LPCM format flag.

Sound Devices released its firmware version 3.00

update for its 688 mixer/recorder in Vegas, which will

include Dan Dugan Sound Design automatic mic mixing.

The addition of the Dugan Speech System is in

keeping with Sound Devices’ ongoing commitment to

providing sound mixers with the tools they need to mix

in an increasingly complex production environment.

According to Sound Devices, the addition makes the

688 the ‘go-to’ automixing tool for field production

applications, says the company.

Sonnet Technologies showcased its Fusion

Thunderbolt 3 PCIe Flash Drive, a pocket-sized

SSD storage device with Thunderbolt 3 interface. It

possesses 512GB of flash storage, leveraging the

40Gbps bandwidth of Thunderbolt 3 to deliver data

transfer speeds up to 2,100Mbps.

“With its blazing-fast Thunderbolt 3 interface, the

Fusion Thunderbolt 3 PCIe Flash Drive can sustain the

ultra-high file transfer speeds required for just about

any 4K workflow – whether users need an ultra-fast

shuttle drive or a take-anywhere scratch drive for

editing high frame rate 4K video at offsite shoots,” said

Robert Farnsworth, CEO of Sonnet Technologies.

Solid State Logic (SSL) gave the US debut to System

T at NAB: this is a fully networked broadcast audio

production environment designed to provide the users

with the power to handle large-scale production in a

‘multi-platform delivery driven future’.

The Tempest processor engine is the heart of System

T and uses SSL’s patented Optimal Core Processing

for real-time, 64-bit CPU-based, floating point mixing

and processing. Each processor engine can handle

up to 3,072 inputs and outputs and provides 800 fully

configurable processing paths.

According to SSL, System T can fit anywhere,

including in existing traditional TDM-based routing

infrastructures, allowing broadcasters to manage their

migration to network-based audio transport and routing

without dismantling existing provision and without

compromising on audio quality.

Netia demonstrated the Media Assist digital audio

software suite, which includes radio automation,

media asset management and workflow management

solutions.

The company is highlighting new product features

designed to enhance the flexibility and reliability of

multichannel FM radio and Web radio.

It is also presented the AirPlayList 2.0 module,

which is fully integrated into the Media Assist software

suite to facilitate automated playout of multiple radio

channels simultaneously. The new module is designed

to streamline and simplify the playout workflow to make

it easier to launch and maintain new Web radio services.

Finally in our inexhaustive round-up, RTW debuted

its new audio processor hardware, APRO-CLC01, for

Continuous Loudness Control (CLC).

The hardware is designed to enable engineers to use

the company’s processing algorithm for continuous

loudness and dynamic control of a live signal in their

professional audio equipment.

“We have created the APRO-CLC01 as a platform that

will enable integrators or processor manufacturers to

use RTW’s OEM-PCB within their hardware, as well as

console manufacturers and others,” explained Michael

Kahsnitz, head of product management at RTW.

“With this new introduction, it will be up to the

integrator to define the way a user can control and read

back information from our processor.”

Over to the integrators for more, then…

Calrec Audio’s Brio is the “most powerful and compact

digital broadcast audio console in its class”

Netia showed off its AirPlayList 2.0 module

30-31 NAB v1JRFIN.indd 2 22/04/2016 16:28

Belgium


P32MAY

2016

Broadcast

With its brand new Unit 10 OB vehicle, Belgian audiovisual company DB Video is setting a new standard, combining state of the art technology with working space comfort, notes Marc Maes

DB Video counts

DB Broadcast is a steady player on the local

and international market when it comes

to providing broadcast, post-production or

events facilities, and has been for 20 years.

Located between Brussels and Antwerp, DB now owns

the newly commissioned Unit 10 OB vehicle, which

enables the company to expand its current mobile

capacity from 10 to 16 cameras. In the same move, DB

Video has concluded a partnership with Riedel while

building on its commitment to Lawo consoles and

routers.

“The key issue with this new van is the space inside,”

says Yves Bunneghem, head of sound with DB Video.

The operation currently has three other trucks in service

(Units 9, 8 and 6, in fact). “Unit 10 is different to anything

on the market. Many trucks have the technical capacity

but no room for clients. With productions becoming

more complex, OB vans should offer room for the

production team, the editors and supervisors, alongside

the technical crew. That’s why we decided to invest in a

space-saving yet spacious, big expandable truck, with

plenty of seating and working space.”

Bunneghem says this decision also required maximal

efficiency during the technical integration and cabling of

the van. “The people at Moeyersons, experts in OB vans

and customised coaches, were prepared to go that extra

mile towards innovation and have succeeded. Flying

working desks and the critical decision to separate

the audio from the video department resulted in a

very spacious inside. It takes away the feeling of being

crammed together in a dark room,” he enthuses.

At the heart of the audio capability is a Lawo mc² 56

desk, together with a Lawo Nova Compact router with

16 MADI ports and 192 channels of DSP. “We installed

an mc² 56 in our Unit 8 van two years ago. Many of

our engineers have been working with Lawo in earlier

projects and know the advantages of the system,”

explains Arno Dens, project manager with DB Video.

“Today, many projects simply require Lawo, because

it’s the standard. The step towards Lawo is a double

investment: for our technical staff and as a door-opener

for new projects.”

“We went all the way with Lawo, we had good

working experience with them before, the equipment is

100% reliable and we enjoy excellent service from local

distributor LDM,” continues Bunneghem. “In addition

to the console and router, we included two external

Lawo Dallis stage boxes with cabling for direct input/

Yves Bunneghem, head of sound, and the Lawo mc² 56

32 33 DB VIdeo v1DR FIN.indd 1 22/04/2016 18:19


P33MAY

2016

s to 10output. It’s one huge system, controlled by Lawo VSM

software.”

Also a first with this vehicle is the partnership

with Riedel Communications, allowing DB Video to

implement the most advanced functionalities in a

Mediornet environment. “We’re looking at a long time

collaboration with Riedel: their Artist platform is in

all our cars and mobile broadcast units. The new car

is equipped with a Riedel Artist 64 frame with MADI

connection and 1100-series panels. A new feature,

premiered at the April NAB, is a decentralised video

routing system with an integrated audio router with

multiviewer option.

The Lawo is connected through multiple MADI ports

with the video router allowing us to connect all of the

audio, video and intercom and control it via the Lawo

VSM. The Riedel application will be fully IP-ready for

remote production. And when necessary, the truck is

upgradable to 4K.”

Bunneghem adds that the unique partnership with

Riedel, initially as a beta-test for the Unit 10 build,

includes weekly communication with Riedel’s HQ in

Wuppertal. “Today we have the full Mediornet router

operation with 18 Micron frames, 2 Metron fibre

network router frames and 4 Mediornet frames for in/

out,” Bunneghem says. “Dirk Sykora, of Belgian Lawo

distributor LDM followed our viewpoint in channelling

all of the intercom communication through the Lawo

router and effected the programming and processing of

the intercom signals. This makes the Lawo router, with

four separate submixers, the actual core of the Unit 10.”

Unit 10 is further equipped with a Waves SoundGrid

Server One for outboard effects, mastering and 128

channels of multitrack recording capacity.

“Because of the glass walls in the car we had to

be very careful with acoustics in the audio room,”

says Bunneghem. “That’s why we opted for Genelec

SAM series digital monitors. With the Genelec GLM

software we have been able to optimise the set up of

a 5.1 monitoring system, and fully adapt it to the audio

control room’s acoustic specifications.”

Bunneghem adds that, as a result of the Unit 10

implementation, DB has upgraded to Genelec SAM-

ready monitors throughout its facilities (22 speakers

in total).

The new OB van will be first used at sports

events and during the upcoming European Football

Championships in France, where the Belgian team’s

games will be covered for (public broadcaster) VRT

and RTBF. Next are summer events and festivals, like

the popular Tomorrowland. “The big difference this

year will be that instead of having to build a complete

container village housing the central control rooms

we will now be able to channel the signal from our TV

cars next to the stages directly to the Unit 10 car, which

will then also serve as central hub for TV, streams

and radio,” says Bunneghem. “The car will be parked

backstage with no building time required…”

www.dbvideo.tv

www.ldm-systems.eu

One Key to Unit 10 is ample interior space

DB Broadcast has extended its fleet with this shiny new truck

32 33 DB VIdeo v1DR FIN.indd 2 22/04/2016 18:20


P34MAY

2016

Technology feature

Twenty years ago the first Optocore products were released and a networking technology odyssey began in earnest. David Davies invited key personnel Marc Brunke and Tine Helmle to take a trip down memory lane

Rings around the world

W e are where we hoped we would

be… it just took a little longer than I

expected,” laughs Optocore founder

Marc Brunke. “But when you are

young you think that everything can happen quickly…

I thought maybe I could do this in three years then go

back to studying music again. It’s the folly of youth!”

But while Brunke still performs “every once in a

while”, it is clear that music’s loss has been pro-audio’s

gain – although it was his former life that provided the

impetus for the entire Optocore project. Observing the

challenges that a mixing engineer encountered with

copper snakes when he was playing saxophone with

his then-band led Brunke to wonder whether fibre optic

might provide an effective replacement.

The initial 1993 patent was “really quite basic – just

establishing the basics of the technology”, but a mere

three years later the first Optocore products were ready

to be brought to the market. The 8-channel A-D and

D-A converter modules dubbed the ‘Brunke Modules’

were the first audio network systems to feature multiple

nodes, with the first sales made to Polish Broadcast in

advance of a Papal visit.

The decision to base Optocore products on

established open standards (AES3 and AES10 AKA

MADI) undoubtedly contributed to the technology’s

growth over the ensuing seven years as the Germany-

based team began to spread the word about its ability

to provide transport, routing and format conversion, as

well as distribution of audio, video and control data with

management and diagnostic capabilities.

The LX4A stage unit was “among the first products

to really put Optocore on the map,” suggests Brunke,

although the next few years played host to a series of

notable launches. These included the X6P 16-channel

converters and – “entering the digital world” as the new

millennium got underway – the DD32 I/O device.

The first “digital-only device in the range”, the DD32

could be used in conjunction with Optocore’s analogue

X6 modules, as well as any other connector, console

or third-party equipment. The 1U unit – which was

equipped with a dual 1Gbps full-bandwidth optical

interface – quickly became a bestselling item in the

Optocore range and ensured that the technology

developer was well-placed to make a significant

contribution to the then-nascent digital audio revolution.

INCORPORATION & IMPLEMENTATION

By this time, the scope of the Optocore technology

to “help with touring and remove the need to move

masses of copper cabling around in trucks” meant that

it had begun to establish a particularly notable niche in

live sound. But two key developments in the 2002/03

period would serve to ramp up the entire Optocore

project significantly. Firstly, mixing console giant DiGiCo

decided to implement the native Optocore protocol for

audio and control in their consoles and racks, making it

possible to offer combined console and network in their

systems. Secondly, the incorporation of Optocore GmbH

Marc Brunke at Prolight + Sound in Frankfurt explaining fibre technology in 1996

The deal with Fohhn, sealed at this year’s PL+S. (L-R) Rüdiger Bormann, Optocore senior developer;

Ulli Haug, Fohhn VP sales & marketing; Marc Brunke; Oliver Mack, Fohhn planning engineer

I thought maybe I could [complete the Optocore project in] three years then go back to studying music again. It’s the folly of youth! Marc Brunke

34-35 Optocore v1JRDR One check.indd 1 22/04/2016 16:23


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2016

took place, ushering in a more regimented approach to

organisation and growth.

“The production aspect did not change much as that

had always taken place in and around Munich, and

continues to do so today,” says Tine Helmle, who was

Optocore GmbH VP of sales and marketing from 2001

to 2012 and is now managing director of broadcast-

oriented sister company BroaMan. “But we did secure

some new investors as a result and were able to start

building proper departments for marketing and sales,

and overall the whole organisation of the company

moved up to the next level.”

Subsequent years saw further refi nement of the

Optocore philosophy with introductions such as the

R-Series hardware platform in 2009, which – among

other improvements – led to a doubling of Optocore

network capacity to 2GB. The company also continued

to add new OEM clients, not least Clear-Com, with whom

Optocore commenced a fruitful relationship when the

US-based manufacturer elected to integrate Optocore

technology into its ProGrid fi bre-based infrastructure

system.

With the technology now fi rmly established

throughout live entertainment sectors, the team

also acknowledged its appeal to a broadcast market

evermore in thrall to the rock-solid nature of MADI

connectivity with the creation of an entirely separate

company, BroaMan.

“Our [existing] distributors were geared towards

theatre and live sound, and the broadcast world is

quite diff erent, so it made sense to establish a separate

company to cater to the demands of that network –

something that we fi nally did in 2012,” says Brunke.

GET YOUR KICKS

While the 20th anniversary has occasioned some

well-earned refl ection upon

two decades of sustained

growth, it is destined to be

a very brief interlude given

that the pace of R&D work

continues to accelerate.

Accordingly, Optocore/

BroaMan’s presence at

Prolight + Sound 2016

played host to several major

product launches.

The upgraded Route66

video router from BroaMan

– which now features Auto Routing and an intelligent

fi bre patchbay – has already found an inaugural

customer in UK-based live sound provider Wigwam

Acoustics, with Coldplay set to become the fi rst user of

the system when the European leg of its current world

tour begins in Nice on 24 May. Underlining the diversity

of the Optocore remit, Route66 is suitable for broadcast

and installation as well as live events.

A new module, SANE-FX, was also highlighted with

regard to its incorporation into speaker manufacturer

Fohhn’s Linea Focus series. A SANE-FX module is

mounted directly inside the Linea Focus housing,

enabling direct fi bre connection to the speaker.

The number of high-profi le OEM clients to be

announced has increased noticeably in recent years,

and Brunke confi rms that “adding more OEMs – really

expanding our relationships in that area” remains an

integral part of Optocore strategy. But he also draws

attention to the organisation’s continued educational

eff orts and its ability to support clients on a 24/7 basis.

While Brunke takes a light-hearted approach to

PSNEurope’s question about whether the reality of today

matches the expectations of 20 years ago, he concurs

eagerly with Helmle’s more measured response. “I

think we are in a great position now,” she says. “We have

great partners, clients and projects worldwide. On the

broadcast side, we have so many strong relationships

– NBC and BBC to name just two – while our business

in live sound remains strong and we continue to see

installations in all manner of settings, from theatres to

cruise ships.

“There is no doubt in my mind that we owe a lot

of the success to the fact that the technology is so

rock-solid and user-friendly. The products we make are

also long-lasting and green thanks to their low power

consumption; that’s a very important consideration.

And whilst I feel that we do give something important

to the industry, it is clear that the industry gives back to

us too.”

www.optocore.com

www.broadcastmanufactur.com

Brunke and Helmle: 20 years at PL+S this year

LX4AP: the ‘Brunke Module’ with Optocore GmbH muscle! It’s a stage unit with 48 channels and network compatibility

The ‘Brunke Module’, the fi rst product ever with Optocore Technology inside

34-35 Optocore v1JRDR One check.indd 2 22/04/2016 16:23

www.psneurope.com/live

P36MAY

2016

Live

Adele has embarked on her third tour: 100 dates until November. She’s rolling with the best gear and the best team around, says Dave Robinson

There’s a fire…

Don’t underestimate the things that I will do”,

sang Adele Adkins on her gospel-tinged pop

stormer Rolling in the Deep in 2010. Six years

later, those words more than ring true. At press

time, she was reported as being worth £85 million, the most

successful British female ever. She’s conquered the world,

practically.

Her bank balance has been topped up by sell-out show

after sell-out show on her current tour, which will run till

November and encompasses over 100 performances in

Europe and North America.

But, as the lady says, don’t underestimate the things that

she, and her team, will do. For instance, Adele Live 2016

has taken the unusual step (in the UK, at least) of engaging

Berlin’s Black Box Music for PA supply. What’s more, the

singer has been won over by Sennheiser’s D9000 wireless

system for the first time.

At FOH for the next few months is the familiar, smiling

face of Dave Bracey and his trusty SD7. PSNEurope first

encounted the Australian native working a D5Live for

Robbie Williams in 2003. Since those early days, he’s

become a dyed-in-the-wool DiGiCo fan. “It’s the only

properly engineer-friendly console that you can really mix

on,” he says. “I just don’t consider the facilities on any of their

competitors sufficient to do what I like to do. It’s the best

sounding console as well, so why would you even consider

using anything else?”There is no greater endorsement!

Recently, Bracey has been mixing for Pink and Cher;

PSNEurope last bumped into him mixing Björk at the

Wilderness Festival last summer – on his own SD7 on that

occasion. We point out that he seems to have an affiliation

with single-named female artists. He says he hadn’t

noticed...

Bracey, and his monitor engineer Joe Campbell, are both

using SD7 desks, sharing a rack at 96kHz resolution. (It’s the

first time DiGiCo technology has been used by Adele, a fact

the console company is rather proud of.)

The crew are also using the Sennheiser Digital 9000

system for the first time on this tour. Adele used a SKM

2000-XP wireless handheld transmitter with MMK 965-1

capsule last time she toured four years ago, reports Bracey.

“We listened to the old mic she used, we compared [it] to the

9000, and it sounded twice as good,” says Bracey, speaking

in the 02 ahead of tonight’s final soundcheck. “We were

moving from something that she and I liked – an analogue

mic with a dynamic capsule – to such a leap forward,

straight away, that we thought it was obvious [to use it].

Its whole sonic character is amazing. Just listening to her

speaking through it in rehearsals…”

There’s none of that messing about with companding

at the transmission stage, suggests Bracey. “It was always

the case that the cable system sounded better than the

radio anyway,” he opines. “Now there’s a radio system that

sounds as good as or better than any cable system I’ve

heard. That was a pretty cool thing to lay your ears across.”

The 9000 wasn’t around when Bracey finished his Pink

tenure and started working with Cher: “It would have been a

contender for either of those,” he suggests.

The admiration continues: “We started off using it

analogue out. Then we did a quick A/B AES out, and that

Adele Adkins personal fortune has been estimated at £85 million

The 02 Arena ahead of the show: this image of Adele’s closed eyes moves ever so slightly. It’s quite eerie…

36-37 85 AdeleFIn.indd 1 22/04/2016 18:58


was a superior sound again. Now it runs from the mic

capsule all the way to the amps flown in the roof, via AES. It

doesn’t hit anything analogue between the capsule and the

amp, which is everything, so it’s a pretty clean path.”

When it came to Adele’s audition of the new system,

the star was hesitant. “Joe, me and all the band thought

9000 Series was the best. She was unsure,” reveals Bracey.

“It’s a strange thing with singers, because their voice is so

personal to them: the better the resolution of the mic, the

more they can hear [themselves]. So whereas we’re always

after quality, the singer will often be a little taken aback by

an extra level of quality.” Fortunately: “There was an element

of that, but she hasn’t looked back.”

HELLO! IT’S THE D9000!

“She’s singing incredibly. Her voice sounds beautiful,”

gushes Bracey. “I’ve never heard anything like it.”

When it comes to the mix, he says: “There’s a Wave

MaxxBCL across the mix that I quite often use and it’s very

useful on this show. It holds the mix at a really nice level

as the louder songs start to build.” He almost can’t help

himself with praise: “The tour has been fantastic. It’s one

of the best sounding shows I’ve ever mixed, if not the best,

probably by a long way, and I started in 1978.”

Joe Campbell – the some-time Prodigy monitor

engineer, who works from a technical base constructed

under the Adele stage, because there is no ‘stage left’ in

this arrangement – doesn’t mince words either: “9000

series sounds great. It’s the best sounding radio mic we’ve

ever used and, moreover, Adele likes it. She’s got a very

good ear and she really likes it.”

System tech for the tour is freelance Ulf Oeckel, who has

worked with Bracey on the Pink and Cher tours.

“I was asked to design the system, which was a

challenge because of some unusual requirements in the

set-up, including the position of FOH (positioned stage

right, side on at the edge of the auditorium). There is a very

clean and organised look for the main stage for sight lines.”

That’s no subs on the floors, nothing blocking the stage for

the projectors, nothing out of place.

What’s more, Adele moves from a standard arena stage

(A), at one end, to a central ‘in the round’ stage (B). She

moves back and forth between these three times during

the show: and the challenge for Oeckel was to achieve a

design that transitioned between the stages, seamlessly

and naturally, as does the artist. The engineers among you

will realise, this sets up sticky issues with delay times.

“She starts on the B stage, but the musicians play on the

A stage. After a while, she walks to the main stage and we

fade audio all the way. It’s not hear-able everywhere, it’s not

possible to make that happen, but all the audience between

the systems clearly hear a fade. We have to consider the

delay times as well. It’s easy to add delay in one direction,

but not in the other because we’re fighting against the time

– the audio trigger is already in, so we’re going against the

time, which creates some little artefacts, but we can hide it

pretty nicely in some fades and movements with the help

of a Timax Soundhub which was the only thing that had

enough capability to make this smooth…”

L-Acoustics K2 was a real asset in the transition factor

and the aesthetic requirement. “Usually we would see large

scale systems covering much bigger areas, but we can’t

do this here,” says Oeckel. The powerful but lightweight

L-Acoustics box does the job. “That was the main criteria

for choosing K2,” he says.

The tour is travelling with 150 of Black Box Music’s K2.

Oeckel describes the boxes as “comfortable”, among other

things. “Just with the size of the arrays, we can create a

tremendous amount of low end and good body impact

which means we can work without any floor subs.”

Spoiler alert! There are subs under the stage: eight

stacks of three cardioid SB28, with the middle one reversed

for appropriate cancellation.

“It was a bit of a hassle to get them in,” says Oeckel.

“[But] there’s nothing to see apart from six little X8 white

cabinets on the edge of the stage. Thank god we’ve got

them!” he begins… “We looked for the smallest speaker with

the highest output and we ended up with X Series, which is

fantastic, a really impressive speaker. It’s the first time it’s

been used on a tour.”

Oeckel has worked with Black Box Music for some time.

The rental outfit is well-known within Germany, but has

rarely reached the pages of PSNEurope, despite being in

business since 1992 and taking on major international tours

for the likes of Mark Knoplfer. Oeckel resists being drawn

on saying too much about the supplier, but he can’t help

but be a little praiseworthy: “They try to deliver German

engineering,” he says. “The rig is customised by Black Box

with a flyable frame and specific cable lengths, so that it all

plugs together really quickly and easily and is a very neat

and tidy solution.

“The prep work in Berlin is fantastic. What I appreciate

is that they really try to make it happen and they do it in

house. Black Box Music was the only company that could

fulfill exactly what I had specified.”

D9000, K2, SD7, Bracey, Campbell and Oeckel – and

Black Box Music. “We could have had it all,” sings Adele in

Rolling in the Deep. Lady, you’ve got it all on this tour.

Long-time DiGiCo fan Dave Bracey is mixing the tour Monitor engineer uses CCTV and other tricks to see the

musicians, as he’s hidden under the triangular stage

System tech is Ulf Oeckel – he’s very

impressed with PA hire outfit Black Box Music

P37MAY

2016

It’s one of the best sounding shows I’ve ever mixed, if not the best, probably by a long way, and I started in 1978Dave Bracey

The star accepts a Brit Award… using the Sennheiser D9000 system

36-37 85 AdeleFIn.indd 2 22/04/2016 18:59


P38MAY

2016

Live

The Junun journey

When Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood

and Israeli composer Shye Ben Tzur

got together for their new project

Junun, they concocted a powerful

blend of Eastern and Western musical traditions. The

album released late last year, produced by Radiohead

producer Nigel Godrich received wide critical acclaim. In

March, the duo were reunited with the Rajasthan Express

– the group of Indian musicians they recorded the album

with – for a one-off show at London’s Barbican. The job

of mixing this wild and exotic array of instruments fell

to Gavin McComb (Simple Minds, Love and Money, Gaz

Coombes) and the A&H dLive – and it wasn’t without its

challenges…

What do you prefer – a good solid rock tour

or these kind of one-off special events – and

why?

That’s not an easy question. I suppose my answer

would be tour. It doesn’t need to be a ‘solid rock’ tour,

though, I’m just as happy on a good solid folk tour…

With touring you get to learn all the subtleties of an

artist’s/band’s performances and improve your mix

with every show. Obviously, these days, with the power

of digital, any subtle improvements can be stored

electronically, not just cerebrally. However, it can be a

lot of fun tackling a one-off show as it keeps you on

your toes.

You started off in studios (CaVa in particular)

and then became a live engineer – was that

out of choice or necessity?

Ah, the halcyon days of analogue recording with REAL

TAPE! My apprenticeship at CaVa studios began in

1986, at the tender age of 17. I learned so much so

quickly and moved up the ranks to one of four or fi ve

in-house engineers. I worked with a wide range of

music and musicians and that has, most defi nitely,

helped my career.

Becoming a live engineer was both a choice and a

necessity. Having left the safety of the recording studio

to experience the world of stage performance and then

touring as a backline tech and tour manager, I let it be

known that I was a sound engineer, but had not actually

mixed a live gig before. The fi rst band I mixed was The

Daisies, back in 1996. I quickly learned that there is a

massive diff erence between studio and live. That show

was bloody awful. Luckily, they forgave me and let me

have another go the next night. I haven’t looked back.

When did you come to Allen & Heath for the

fi rst time – and why?

I had been working with Supergrass on and off for a

while. During the last days of the band, Gaz and Danny

formed a duo called the Hot Rats. They had recorded

an album of covers with producer Nigel Godrich and

wanted to take this on tour.

It was just Gaz (vocals, guitar) and Danny (vocals,

drums) with a backing track, and it quickly became clear

that this was not a tour we could do without our own

digital mixing system – one with a small footprint. We

approached several digital manufacturers and the only

ones interested in helping out were Allen & Heath.

The iLive system was fairly new at the time. A&H’s

Leon Philips brought one along to give us a tutorial, and I

was blown away by the quality of sound and ease of use.

They let us take an iLive80 and an iDR10 for the tour. I

really got to play with the system and fell in love with it.

I’ve been using iLive since.

What was the FOH set up at

the Junun gig?

This was my fi rst opportunity to use the new

A&H dLive system. I had the surface and brain for

the two days of rehearsals prior to the Barbican

show. Unfortunately, there wasn’t the space in the

rehearsal room to rig up any kind of PA so I was using

headphones. It was more a programming and ‘getting

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McComb has “complete confi dence in Allen & Heath systems”

Dave Robinson discusses blending genres and traditions with FOH engineer Gavin McComb and his new dLive desk A

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38-39 Junun FIN.indd 1 22/04/2016 18:18


P39MAY

2016

familiar with’ time for me.

For the show we used the Barbican’s system, with its

Meyer Galileo processor. Left and right each consisted of

1 x M3D sub, 1 x Meyer Milo 60, 4 X Meyer Milo 90s and 2

x Meyer Milo 120s.

There was a separate mono floor-stacked sub control,

consisting of 2 x HP700 subs a side with 2 x UPJs

stacked on top for side fills and 4 x Meyer M1D front ills

along the down stage edge. A centre cluster made up of

8 x Meyer M’Elodies competed the PA. I had separate mix

control for each sets of boxes.

The main left and right hang was a bit far apart for

my liking, but that is the nature of the Barbican, so I

felt I had to use the centre cluster more than I would

have preferred to fill the space. Unfortunately, this

compromises any stereo imaging.

There were a lot of exotic instruments on

the stage. Were there any issues with mic

placement?

The Junun act is a big sound with Indian drums, brass,

guitars, harmonium, percussion and lots of vocals. For

this gig there were fewer performers than in previous

shows, but we still had 11 musicians on stage with a

lot of open mics.

We used more or less the same mics during

rehearsals as the show, so any placement issues were

sorted prior to show day. On saying that, we were using a

lot of old industry standards that I am well versed in from

my old studio days in the 80s. There is still no reason not

to use Shure SM57s/58s and Sennheiser 421s.

What about controlling that extraordinary

bottom end on the larger drums?

I had some issue during sound check with the bottom

end of the dholak drum. This is a double-ended

drum with both ends being played. At first sight and

hearing you wouldn’t think it could produce much low

frequency; but it does.

The main trouble I had was that the frequencies

that it sounded best at were the frequencies that

the Barbican theatre resonates at. With an empty

auditorium, I struggled to make it work. Thankfully, the

old saying “it’ll sound better when the punters are in”

was a truism.

How do you approach combining these Indian

instruments with traditional rock ‘n’ roll

guitar?

To be honest, I didn’t have any special approach to this.

If an instrument is played well and the musicians work

as an ensemble then that is where the magic happens

and everything gels together at source. Also, I have

complete confidence in the audio capabilities of the

A&H digital systems. Very little EQ was required for the

instruments.

What’s next on the agenda – and will you be

taking an A&H system with you?

As a jobbing tour chap, I don’t always do FOH .

My next gig will be guitar and drum tech for Air.

Interestingly, Dave Macdonald, who has been Air’s

engineer for donkey’s years, is also an A&H champion.

When I do get my next FOH gig, I will most certainly

be wanting to use the A&H dLive system. It has all the

best of the iLive and GLD systems and sounds even

better. I’ll let you know where and when.

www.allen-heath.com

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Gavin McComb says becoming a live engineer was a “choice and a necessity”

38-39 Junun FIN.indd 2 22/04/2016 18:18

ITALY


P40MAY

2016

Live

Prog rock supergroup O.R.k use innovative microphone set-up on club promo tour. Well, as long as you’ve got your elf, says Mike Clark

From a whisper to a scream

O .R.k. is a prog rock band comprised of

drummer Pat Mastelotto (King Crimson),

bass player Colin Edwin (Porcupine Tree)

and two Italian artists: Lorenzo Esposito

Fornasari aka LEF (vocals, keyboards and electronics)

and guitarist Carmelo Pipitone.

While embarking on a European club tour promoting

the new Infl amed Rides album, O.R.k’s LEF and sound

engineer Simone “Zeta” Saccomandi gave an insight

on the gear taken on the road, particularly the mic

set-up chosen for vocals, a key element of the band’s

distinctive sound, as well as for drums and bass.

For the tour which, as well as Italy, visited Holland,

Belgium, Germany, UK and Switzerland, the band to

travelled light, using in-house PAs and monitors, and

the rest was supplied by Michele Pitoscia’s West Service

rental fi rm from Bojano in the southern central Italy.

Saccomandi explains: “I was involved in the tour by

LEF, with whom I’ve worked for some time on other

projects, such as Berserk!, another band he fronts.

“Although he more or less gives me carte blanche,

he’s very proactive as far as selecting the sound gear

is concerned, and it’s great to have a very competent

person on board (he produced the album) to help make

the fi nal choices for the mix. We met at my studio and

tested various models of top microphone brands on the

record’s mix minus vocals.

“In the studio, I make regular use of various DPA

mics, such are the 4021 and 4099, as well as the d:facto

II, which we chose for LEF. With the DIV4S (a quartet

of Italian sopranos who perform regularly with tenor

Andrea Bocelli), I use four d:facto and fi eld 4099 on the

cellos and double basses, and I’m very happy with the

results. The choice was also based on the particular

timbre that LEF wanted and with the DPA d:facto, I’ve

always got the vocals ‘nailed in the mix!’

“I defy anyone to use a supercardioid condenser

mic on a club stage without feedback or sound spill

problems... and above all obtain great up-front vocals

into the bargain,” challenges Saccomandi. “Another

peculiarity that no other mic has is the fact that you

obtain exactly the same identical sound if the mic is

used off -axis as when it’s on-axis.”

After choosing the d:facto with an MMC4018VL

supercardioid capsule, Saccomandi concentrated on the

type of compressor to use (valve units or not), then tried

out some preamps to obtain a slightly ‘fresher’ sound,

as LEF requested. After more tests, the choice fell on a

Telefunken V672 .

“On insert, a Focusrite ISA430 was used for EQ and

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Infl amed Rides at the Bronson in Ravenna

Saccomandi at FOH desk at the Bronson

40-41 ORK v1JRDR ONE thing.indd 1 22/04/2016 15:37


P41MAY

2016

compression, and I then added my trusty BSS DPR901

multiband EQ (which allows frequency-selective

compression and expansion) to the chain.”

LEF continues: “Although Simone and I tested

something like ten microphones among the best brands

before making our fi nal decision.

“To be honest, it was an easy choice, as the d:facto

II outshone the others during the testing sessions and,

during the whole tour, it was basically my best ‘friend’,

helping my voice sound naturally deep and brilliant.

“My vocals range from low-tuned intimate parts to

very loud shouted phrases, but the d:facto II respects

the dynamics and works incredibly well with any kind

of vocals. One of the major issues with this type of

microphone, when the stage is packed, the guitar amp

roaring from behind and the drummers hitting the

crashes as hard as he can – is that it’s really diffi cult

for the sound engineer to mix the vocals. Nevertheless,

we handled diff erent kinds of situations and stages and

Simone sorted out a perfect mix every time, receiving

many compliments, in particular for the sound of my

voice. It’s defi nitely my current and future choice for live

performances.”

Saccomandi mixed a total of 32 channels on an Allen

& Heath live T112 surface with iDR48. Outboard units

were SPL Transient Designer (drums), Yamaha SPX990

(reverb on vocals), TL Audio C1 in insert on the master,

Apogee Rosetta200 master A-D/D-A conversion and

Novacoustic HD8000 digital matrix speaker controller

for optimising the clubs’ house PAs.

The engineer also took painstaking care with

drummer Mastelotto’s sound, and the kit’s mic set-up

featured a Shure B52 and AKG D112 on the kick drum,

AKG C414 ULS, Sennheiser MD 421 and Schertler A-Dyn

on the snare, a Beyerdynamic Opus 53 on the high-hat,

four Sennheiser e604 on the toms, three Joemeek JM37

on cymbals and an overhead Sennheiser MD 421.

Other sonic “tricks” included a radio ham mic used by

LEF with a passive DI box for eff ects and a Shure SM 58

in the refl ex duct of the bass cabinet (off -stage).

In keeping with its interactive, spontaneous nature,

the band decided to release a limited edition of the CD

that included the winning version of a remix contest held

for one of the tracks (Jellyfi sh) for its fans, who received

a set of audio stems for the track to use as elements for

their own remix.

Enthusiastic with the results obtained, Saccomandi

concluded: “I’ll be on the road again this summer

with O.R.k., for a series of Italian dates and a South

American tour.”

www.orkband.com

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LEF on vocals leads the call to arms...

40-41 ORK v1JRDR ONE thing.indd 2 22/04/2016 15:43


P42MAY

2016

Live

From the VL1 modelling synthesiser to the RIVAGE PM10 console, Toshifumi Kunimoto – affectionately known as Dr. K – has been a pivotal participant in many of Yamaha’s most important audio innovations. In a PSNEurope exclusive, he spoke to David Davies about nearly four decades of groundbreaking R&D

Dreams and designs from the life of Dr. K

The word ‘legend’ is much overused, and not

just in the world of audio (and let’s not even

get started on ‘genius’). But in the case of

Toshifumi Kunimoto – known to his many

friends and colleagues as Dr. K – it seems genuinely

appropriate, such is his sustained track-record of

involvement in historic product development projects at

Yamaha’s labs in Japan.

Amid the hustle and bustle of an edition of Prolight

+ Sound that saw Yamaha highlight its “one stop

shop” pro-audio capabilities with developments

including the compact RPio222 I/O rack, software

upgrades for multiple current mixing console ranges

and the new EMX2 portable mixer, PSNEurope was

given a rare audience with the great innovator – and

thus an opportunity to hear about his 35-year-and-

counting odyssey “to understand and provide what

the audio professional needs both now and in the

future”.

As with so many of the leading lights in pro-audio

R&D, Kunimoto’s first full engagement with sound

technology arrived through formative experiences

as an amateur musician. “In high school I would

play keyboards, and in conjunction with my brother

I began to experiment

with audio technology –

putting together simple

mixers and so on,” he

recalls of his youth

in Sapporo, capital of

the beautiful northern

Japanese island of

Hokkaido.

Determining that

his future lay in audio

engineering rather than

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42-45 Dr K FIN.indd 1 22/04/2016 18:26


P43MONTH

2016

performance, Kunimoto attended Hokkaido University before

joining Yamaha in the early 1980s. The initial phase of his time

with the company saw him working in LSI design for some

seminal electronic and music synthesiser products, including

the VL1, AN1x, EX5 and Motif series.

“Developing ways to recreate analogue processes

in a digital format”, as Kunimoto concisely describes it,

soon became the underlying theme of his life’s work. Not

surprisingly, it’s clear that he has fond memories of a period

that saw synth technologies become increasingly refined and

accessible to a broader base of end-users.

“There was so much exciting work going on to perfect

the recreation of traditional sounds,” he recalls. “The top

management were giving directions to provide high-quality

products for our sales side, and [the result was a very

effective] collaboration between both sides of the business.”

VCM AND BEYOND

By 1987 Kunimoto’s technological foresight had been

recognised to the extent that he was heading up his own R&D

team, dubbed ‘K’s Lab’. During the ensuing 15 years he and his

team would work to perfect their ideas about the recreation of

analogue sounds in the digital domain, culminating in the VCM

(Virtual Circuit Modelling) project. The VCM software made it

possible not just to replicate hardware effects, but also provide

software solutions at the component level.

“VCM was really a big breakthrough for us,” confirms

Kunimoto, noting that VCM has been incorporated into

numerous flagship digital mixing desks, ranging from the

DM1000 to the more recent likes of the CL and QL series.

The evolution of the VCM technology continues to bear fruit

today, not least in the form of the RIVAGE PM10. In this large-

format desk – which provided another talking point for Yamaha

« Scan here to learn more.

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Toshifumi Kunimoto – AKA Dr. K – in his ‘lab’, holding

the revolutionary Yamaha VL-1 modelling synth

Dr. K pilots the RIVAGE PM10 large-format desk at a recent trade event

42-45 Dr K FIN.indd 2 22/04/2016 18:26



P45MAY

2016

at PL+S 2016 – the latest iteration of VCM is used to recreate the characteristics of

Rupert Neve Designs transformer circuitry and SILK processing.

“As with all of the developments [relating to the VCM technology] the aim has

been to achieve the general reality of the sound, as well as its ‘behaviour’,” says

Kunimoto.

Indication that Dr. K’s A-to-D mission has reached a new level is offered by one

of the first users of the PM10, FOH engineer Kirk ‘Eek’ Schreiner. Having recently

taken the desk on tour with Carrie Underwood through the auspices of Clair Bros –

who purchased the first two PM10s in the US – Schreiner describes the console as

“the first digital desk that sounds analogue to me”.

Kunimoto agrees that the PM10 is an important milestone for Yamaha,

describing it as a “flagship product for us… The technology has reached a new point

of refinement.” Despite his long track-record of achievement, though, it is clear that

the spark of inspiration that prompted his initial creations in the 1980s remains

undimmed. “The desire to do even better by the engineer and end-user remains

strong,” he confirms, suggesting that there will be plenty more innovations to

emerge from Dr. K’s lab in the years to come.

www.yamahaproaudio.com

DM2000, launched 2001 – another design from Dr. K’s team

The 02R96V was another bar-setting digital mixer

42-45 Dr K FIN.indd 3 22/04/2016 18:26

GERMANY/BELGIUM


P46MAY

2016

Live

AED looks forward, looks back

In the slipstream of L-Acoustics’ launch of the new

KS28 subwoofer and LA12X amplified controller,

Glenn Roggemann’s AED group has become the

the first outfit to place a substantial order for both

products.

Over the years, AED group has constantly grown its

L-Acoustics gear inventory – currently, the company

has a total stock, across its various European bases, of

some 4,000 L-Acoustics speakers.

The announcement, at this year’s Prolight + Sound,

of an additional commitment to L-Acoustics latest kit

follows the investment, earlier this year, in some 700

L-Acoustics X-series (X8, X12 and X15) monitors and

100 K2.

“All this is part of our role as a certified L-Acoustics

provider,” explains Koen Conaerts, sound engineer/

account manager with AED Rent. “At AED, the

equipment is handled and used according to

L-Acoustics’ quality standards, which is a guarantee for

AV professionals who pick up L-Acoustics equipment

with us when they need additional kit.”

AED group’s recent purchase includes 300 KS28

subwoofer cabinets and 150 LA12X amplifiers. “The

big advantage is the amplifier’s compatibility with all

of L-Acoustics’ systems like K1 and K2,” Conaerts says.

“Both the LA12X, with an output capacity of 4x 3,300

watts, and the KS28 speakers are for use on bigger

events and festivals. We expect a first shipment before

the end of May, just in time for the festival season.” Of

the 150 amps in the order, 120 will be integrated into

L-Acoustics LA-RAK II racks for practical applications.

Conaerts adds that L-Acoustics is highly in demand

with Benelux AV companies, but that the brand is

rapidly growing as part of AED group’s pan-European

rental operations. “From the very moment L-Acoustics

launches a new product, the story is ready to go – both

on the technical side with presets and amplifiers

worked out in every detail as well as in marketing and

communication, so the end-users are aware of the

specifications of the new products.”

“AED has a long history of investing in and providing

the latest and yet most proven technology,” concludes

Jochen Frohn, director of business development for

L-Acoustics. “Their rapid investment in a substantial

purchase of KS28 and LA12X shows their trust in the

L-Acoustics brand and commitment to continuing

their strategy of offering the highest quality and most

efficient audio products on the market.”

L-Acoustics equipment makes out the bulk of AED

group’s audio rental inventory, with JBL/ Harman

accounting for some 10% of stock. With its range of

QSC systems, AED targets smaller and budget-related

requirements.

In a separate development, last month saw the

preview of the long-awaited ‘AED Museum’. Located

in the spacious AED Studios, AED group CEO (and

inveterate showman)

Glenn Roggeman marked the occasion of the

third anniversary of the purchase of the Lint-

based multiplex (and his own birthday) to invite AV

professionals and friends for a first glimpse behind the

glass walls of the museum.

The visitors were welcomed in the huge ‘foyer’ bar.

The foyer has two walls decorated with audio and

lighting consoles. One of the most remarkable vintage

pieces was the original Midas console used during the

1990 live rendition of Pink Floyd’s The Wall in Berlin.

The sound system in the foyers consists of two of

Roggeman’s first self-assembled PA speakers… But

the best had yet to come.

Inside the museum, to be officially opened in

December, the AED team has put together an

impressive collection of legendary audio and lighting

equipment. “The oldest speaker in the museum

is an original 1944 manufactured Altec ‘Voice of

the Theatre’ enclosure,” enthuses Roggeman, “The

most recent speaker model is a JBL VTX series S.28

subwoofer cabinet. It would be impossible to display

all the speakers in the AV business, what we did was

compile a selection of groundbreaking live sound

speakers. Visitors can click the computer displays on

the windows to learn more about the history of the

speakers.”

Roggeman says AED are setting up a similar display

system for the numerous other items in the exhibition

such as mixing consoles, processors and DJ gear, and

a vast collection of lighting gear and controllers.

www.aedgroup.eu

www.l-acoustics.com

Roggeman and L-Acoustics’ Jochen Frohn in playful

mood after the agreed sale of subs and amps at PL+S

Always making the news, Roggeman’s AED outfit tops up with 300 subs and 150 amps at PL+S, ahead of opening its own museum of rental equipment

Roggeman welcomes guests to AED’s foyer bar

Picture: Aadhoc Media Thomas Rohwedder

Inside the AED Museum

46 AED DR.indd 1 22/04/2016 18:22



P48MAY

2016

Technology feature: Noise annoys!

Dr Annie Jamieson talks to Dave Wiggins about hearing damage, loss, protection and best practice for those who work in live sound - and that doesn’t just mean audio engineers…

Don’t lose the music

Dr Annie Jamieson is a postdoctoral

researcher at the School of Philosophy,

Religion and History of Science at the

University of Leeds, whose research into

hearing risk and its history focuses specifically on the

live music industry.

She also conducts regular seminars on the subject,

the next of which is part of the educational programme

at PLASA Focus in Leeds on May 11th at 2pm.

Do you feel that the level of awareness of

potential for hearing damage is better in pro-

audio now than, say, ten years ago?

Going by my experience, and on reports from those

working in the industry, awareness is improving.

Certainly, in terms of press and social media coverage

it seems to have increased in the last year or two

following some highly-publicised concerns about MIHD

(Music-Induced Hearing Damage) in young people

through sustained headphone use. In late 2014 I

carried out an online survey of 230 audio professionals;

the vast majority (some 98%) are aware of the risk,

though almost 20% still never use hearing protection.

Somewhat worryingly, the group least likely to use

hearing protection are the under 21-year-olds, where

only 65% use protection compared with 80+% in all

other age groups.

What early signs of hearing damage should

those working in live sound look out for?

You won’t know until it happens – temporary threshold

shift or TTS (that muffled effect you sometimes get

after a loud show) and short-term tinnitus are warnings

that you are being overexposed. If you experience either

of these problems on even a semi-regular basis, then

you are definitely at risk and should consider taking

precautions. You might also notice high frequency loss,

specifically frequencies from around 8kHz upwards.

This will not show up on most standard hearing tests,

which only go up to 6-8kHz, but it’s not uncommon

in people regularly exposed to high levels of sound.

Hearing loss at such high frequencies doesn’t make

a difference to perception of speech and everyday

activities but can be problematic for sound engineers. I

would also advise anyone to take an honest look at their

exposure levels – both SPL (sound pressure level) and

duration – and assume that if you are regularly exposed

above safe levels you need to take precautions whether

you notice any effect on your hearing or not.

What should their first action be if they do

suspect hearing loss or damage?

If you have any reason at all to suspect hearing damage

then take professional advice immediately, preferably

from an audiologist who specialises in working with

sound professionals. It might be something that’s

relatively easily dealt with, such as wax build-up, but if it

is something more serious then the sooner you identify

the problem, the better. For example, ear infections can

have permanent effects on your hearing if not treated

early and effectively. It’s important, though, not to leave

it until you have problems – I’d recommend annual

hearing tests for anyone who works in live sound, then

be sure to ask the audiologist for a copy of your results

and keep them safe. This will allow you to compare

results year-on-year and see how your hearing is

holding up over time and to identify whether your

protection strategies are working. I’d also emphasise

that it’s never too late to preserve what’s left. It’s not

unusual for people in the industry to think, ‘The damage

is already done, so there’s no point in worrying about it

now’, but MIHD is progressive so it’s important to save

as much as you can, even if you’ve already sustained

some damage.

Can music-induced hearing loss be treated or

repaired?

No, not at present. There is a great deal of research into

new treatments but nothing proven as yet, so for now

if your hearing is damaged you’ll just have to live with

it. Hearing aids are advancing all the time and can be

incredibly effective in improving speech perception but

remember that even the best hearing aids are not like

spectacles – they will not restore your hearing to exactly

what it was before the damage and especially not for

critical listening. If you do suffer MIHD, though, there are

Audio professionals need to protect themselves when things get loud, too

Dr Annie Jameson: “Awareness is improving”

48 49 AKJ FIN v2.indd 1 22/04/2016 18:46


P49MAYWW

2016

solutions and strategies that can help you to continue to

work successfully, with specialist advice.

Can you recommend any specific types or

designs of hearing protection that would be

particularly applicable to audio engineers?

It’s important to be aware of the full range of available

hearing protection and to consider what works best for

an individual’s applications. I would stress that people

shouldn’t be put off using hearing protection just

because the first type they try doesn’t work for them –

you have to be prepared to experiment to find what’s

right for you and your situation. The best type to use

depends on the kind of work and environment:

* Anything that involves critical listening really

requires custom moulded earplugs, with attenuating

filters to suit the noise levels encountered. Remember

too that, if you’ve never used earplugs, they take a little

while to get used to so don’t write them off after one

night!

* Also consider protecting yourself when not mixing:

engineers I’ve interviewed use a wide variety, for

example noise-cancelling headphones when travelling,

industrial ear-defenders during load-ins etc. And

remember that you can be exposed to risky levels

outside of work too: DIY, sports events, even mundane

things like dropping glass in the recycling bin can all

be really loud…

What information or education is available to

engineers concerning hearing protection and

maintenance?

This is a bit of a problem because of the largely

freelance nature of the industry which makes it hard

to target information – it is out there but you have to

find it for yourself. Also a lot of the (generally very

good) information available on the internet [such as

the Action on Hearing Loss website, formerly the RNID

– Ed] is aimed at audiences and doesn’t always take

into account the specialist needs of professionals in

audio. There are some good resources though: some

of the hearing protection makers have good advice

on their websites and specialist audiologists can give

top quality advice on an individual basis. One of the

most comprehensive, specialist sources is the HSE’s

Sound Advice guide which can be found at http://www.

soundadvice.info

If you had to summarise the most practical and

relevant part(s) of your research with regard

to mixing live sound, what would it / they be?

Several key issues really stand out, firstly the issue of

critical listening: the ability to hear fine detail in the mix

is essential for an audio engineer and, understandably,

some feel that they can’t work to their best ability

whilst using hearing protection (others, of course,

can and do mix successfully with earplugs). This is

a professional judgment that only the individual can

make. The most thoughtful and practical engineers

I’ve talked to have made themselves fully aware of

the risks and of what solutions are available and even

if they don’t feel they can actually mix with hearing

protection, they protect themselves the rest of the time

and only expose themselves to full volume when they

think it’s absolutely necessary.

Secondly, ’keeping it safe’ for the audience: it’s quite

commonly argued that you shouldn’t need hearing

protection if you mix at safe levels for the audience,

and this came up in my survey too. It’s great that

engineers are aware and caring for their audiences in

this way, and we shouldn’t mix louder than we need to,

but I think there are two important points to consider.

Firstly, it’s not always possible to keep levels ‘safe’

(e.g. 94dB for one hour or 91dB for two) for a number

of reasons: for example, it’s not always entirely the

FOH engineer’s call as there might well be strong

pressure from the band or management to mix much

louder; crowd noise alone can easily exceed 90dB, and

there are also audience expectations. High volume is

an essential part of the live experience for many gig-

goers, and part of what they are paying for. Secondly,

whilst a typical gig-goer might only be exposed to

high levels on a relatively infrequent basis, audio

professionals might be exposed to the same levels far

more often so the risk is generally greater for them.

A final word of advice for all of us?

Just be aware of your specific risks and of the

solutions available and protect yourself as much as

you can, as often as you can. It might be that, as an

industry, we need to accept that completely safe levels

in live music are not always practical – and that’s why

awareness and hearing protection are so important.

www.audibleconcerns.leeds.ac.uk

[email protected]

+44 (0)208 238 7800

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48 49 AKJ FIN v2.indd 2 22/04/2016 18:46


P50MAY

2016

Technology feature: Noise annoys!

Gig goers do not want their enjoyment of live music spoiled but the people living next door to venues do not want to hear it thumping through their walls. Kevin Hilton looks at both sides of a tricky issue, in which technology is both a good and a bad thing

Know your limits

A petition is usually a good indicator of the

strength of people’s feelings. And live

music is something a great many people

have strong feelings about. Right now

in the UK, two petitions are active online highlighting

the problem of sound levels and the impact on both

the people in the venues and those living nearby. Both

situations have potential solutions in acoustic and audio

technology but it is these that are causing concern

among musicians, fans, venue operators, residents and

property developers.

The initial inspiration for this feature was the petition

Ban Installation of Sound Limiters in all Wedding

Venues (or increase the limit). This contends that “more

and more venues are fitting (or are being forced to fit)

sound limiters in a bid to appease local council noise

restrictions”. The petitioner, identified on the form as a

Shaun Cumming, although there is no contact for him

or details of his affiliations, explains that “whilst this can

be good news for local residents living near the venue, it

can wreak havoc on a live band’s performance”.

While ‘wreaking havoc’ seems a little hyperbolic, a

supporter of the petition does highlight the problems

bands can face playing live. Alex Wayt, lead vocalist,

bass player and songwriter of Glasgow-based party/

wedding band The Lockhearts, has created a Facebook

page laying out some of the issues. He says he has

seen “a gradual increase” in the use of sound limiters

at wedding venues in Scotland over the last four to five

years. This technology, he states, can force musicians

to play too quietly, which makes creating a party

atmosphere difficult because the group is not playing to

its full potential.

If the band does exceed the set level for even a

few seconds, he continues, the power to the stage

equipment is cut “causing the speakers and amps

to suddenly switch off and potentially damaging the

equipment”. Wayt acknowledges that some venues are

close to residential areas, meaning sound levels are

a concern. “But it is a problem,” he comments. “There

are bands like us that are rockier and trying to create a

party vibe and people pay a lot of money for that. Don’t

Don’t get me wrong, we do work with some limiters that are set to a reasonable level but there are others that are too lowAlex Wayt, The Lockhearts

Is music at weddings too loud? Really? REALLY?!

The Lockhearts report there has been a gradual

increase in the use of sound limiters at party venues

50-52 NOISE v1FIN.indd 1 22/04/2016 16:25


P51MAY

2016

get me wrong, we do work with some limiters that are

set to a reasonable level but there are others that are

too low.”

WIRED FOR SILENCE

Essentially there are two types of limiter used to control

sound levels in live situations. One is the type described

by Wayt; a basic device that is wired into the electrical

system powering the stage. A sensor microphone picks

up the general noise level, which is measured by the

limiter and displayed in real time. If a pre-set decibel

figure is exceeded the electricity powering the band’s

equipment is switched off. The other kind of limiter

is more sophisticated and is otherwise known as an

automatic volume controller (AVC). It also works with

a mic in the room and is configured to a specific level.

If the output goes over that the device automatically

reduces the volume until it is within predetermined

parameters.

Lime Technologies produces both a power cut noise

limiter, the NLX, and an AVC, the VCX. The company’s

technical manager, Morgan Crockett, observes that

many new venues are now installing some form of

limiting technology as part of the licensing process laid

down by the local authority. Regulations and legislation

covering noise emissions fall into two categories:

nuisance, which is when sound levels annoy the nearby

residents; and health and safety rules, which are

intended to protect the people working in a venue from

hearing damage.

Crockett says Lime Technologies’ main area is

nuisance noise: “Our equipment is used by people who

are forced to install noise controllers by the council

to keep the neighbours happy. But a limiter should

always be used with some form of soundproofing. If a

controller is set lower, making the output of a band too

quiet, the only way they can be louder is to increase

the insulation.”

The factory setting on Lime Technologies’ branded

equipment is 90dB. Crockett describes the NLX

as being for situations where DJs or performers

bring in their own equipment into a venue. “It has a

segmented LED, with green, amber and red lights,” he

explains. “If the level goes into the red then the band

has 10-seconds to reduce the volume before power

is switched off to the sound equipment.” Crockett

calls the VCX an “elegant solution” for permanent

sound installations: “It monitors the sound system

and if the output goes above the maximum it almost

imperceptivity reduces the level. But you can’t really

use it for live bands because you’d need one for each

instrument.”

SENTRY ON DUTY

Formula Sound also produces a cut-off limiter,

the Sentry, and a volume controller, the AVC 2. Ian

McDonald, the company’s technical manager, says the

benefit of the Sentry is that it switches off the mains

rather than the signal. In terms of bands’ fears that such

equipment affects sound quality, he comments that

there is no denigration of the output. As for damaging

the gear when the power goes, he adds, “It’s not like a

power cut. The only problem comes when putting the

mains back on because there could be a power surge or

problems with automatic re-sets.”

John Lamb, commercial manager at Drawmer,

comments that the issue of high sound levels in venues

can be trivialised, saying that they can have a “trickle

impact” over a long time. He adds that bands and DJs in

clubs and gig pubs are the groups most noise limiting is

aimed at, while wedding parties tend to be self-policing.

“If there are older relatives at a party they want to talk

and don’t want the music banging out,” he says.

Drawmer has been producing a loudspeaker

Nuisance is not just bass thudding through a wall

at two in the morning. It can also be the higher

frequencies of vocals from a festival or concert in a

field some way away. Mapping programs to predict

the propagation of sound, so it can be controlled, are

not new but d&b audiotechnik recently introduced

a package designed specifically for line array

loudspeaker systems.

NoizCalc was developed in conjunction with

German noise consultancy and software developer

SoundPLAN. It is a modelling program for open air

events using line and subwoofer arrays, plus delay

systems. While d&b’s established ArrayCalc system

predicts sound dispersion to the audience, NoizCalc

is concerned with emissions going further afield, into

unwanted zones – what d&b calls ‘immission’.

Hendrik Ahrens, market segment manager for

rental and touring at d&b, says the new software was

developed because existing packages only work on

point source models. “Those don’t show line array

systems,” he explains, “so they are not really reliable.

SoundPLAN has been producing noise calculation

software for about 25 years. We worked with them,

putting our data into their software to make a

crossover point.”

While NoizCalc is designed for planning outdoor

gigs, 10EaZy is intended as a mixing and limiting tool

for live sound engineers to ensure that the levels

keep everyone happy.

System developer Jacob Navne van Vliet explains

that it works with the dynamics of the music while

staying within set sound level limits. “Once you have

a clear meter at the mixing console, the audience

will notice and, if they thought the show was too

loud or not sounding to their liking, will accept that

it is under control. The same applies to neighbour

complaints. If the venue communicates that the

events are being monitored to a certain limit to

reduce the nuisance, neighbours accept that it is

under control even if they would prefer the event to

not be there at all.”

Predicting the levels for outdoor gigs

10EaZy in action at a particularly boisterous gig

Detail of the NoizCalc software map in action.

The grey squares are buildings

50-52 NOISE v1FIN.indd 2 22/04/2016 16:25


P52MAY

2016

Technology feature:

protector, the SP2120, since 2003. This can be used for

sound limiting but the company’s specific product for

the job is the SL22. Originally designed as a headphone

limiter for radio presenters, this unit has been revised

and aimed at the live sound market for approximately

the last 12 months. Lamb says it is used for a variety

of situations, including by aerobics instructors who, he

explains, might otherwise get carried away with their

voice mic and backing music. The SL22 has also been

sold into the Netherlands and Belgium; Lamb claims

that “just about every venue in Brussels” is equipped

with the box.

Stage Gear is a UK distributor and specialist in sound

limiters but has also sold units in mainland Europe.

General manager Peter Humber says the last two years

have seen the firm busy with sales of limiting systems

into either new venues, where having the technology

is part of the licensing process, or those renewing

an existing licence. “We’re not seeing so many being

bought right now, so that petition is a little late because

installations have already happened or are happening,”

he comments. “But the rest of Europe is stricter on the

rules and limits than here. We handle the Spanish MRC

system, which has data logging facilities and can send

alerts to the venue manager about any problems.”

TEMERITY IN TENERIFE?

Three MRC units were supplied by Stage Gear for

installations in Paris, while another is being used in

Canterbury. Manuel Rubio of MRC Audio comments that

“regulation of sound pressure control using limiters

began “timidly” in Spain around 1990-92, which is when

the company built its first products. “At this time many

European countries did not have the requirements

in their laws but since 2000 we started to have a

great demand from France, where there are specific

regulations on the characteristics of these devices.”

Rubio continues that the UK implemented similar

rules in 2007, followed by Germany in 2010, Portugal

from 2011 and Croatia in 2013, with Italy now bringing in

measures. Spain is now moving ahead again, with MRC

developing a new control system called SICREL. This is

designed to be run over the internet, giving access to

visualised sound levels plus email alerts and reports as

downloadable PDFs.

An earlier noise limiter was the Electronic Orange, a

version of which is still produced today. It was originally

developed in the 1970s by Peter Bull of the Castle Group

for installation at the Odeon cinema in Leicester Square.

The company is now run by Bull’s son, managing

director Simon Bull, and primarily develops noise

measuring equipment and offers consultancy services.

Bull says nuisance noise continues

to be a contentious issue, which

has as much a detrimental effect

on the live music sector as it does

for people who live near venues.

“Where we are in Scarborough

[a seaside town in North Yorkshire,

England] there are no nightclubs

any more because they’ve all

moved out of the town centre,”

Bull comments. While this drastic

action gets most loud music

away from residential areas, Bull

observes that it does not deal with

the fundamental problem; that the

majority of venues are not designed

with the right acoustic insulation to

stop noise escaping.

This issue ties in with the second

petition currently in circulation. It

calls for adoption of the Agent of

Change principle, which states that

if a developer wants to build a new residential building

– or convert an existing premises – that is next to a

music venue, they should be responsible for installing

and paying for sound insulation. As Dani Fiumicelli,

technical director for acoustics with the Temple Group

consultancy, points out, this gets into tricky areas of the

law relating to nuisance. He explains that there is the

established principle of someone moving to a nuisance,

which states that they are still entitled to a reasonable

standard of living despite the activities already going on

in the vicinity.

Fiumicelli also sees comprehensive acoustic

treatments as the best way to deal with noise levels.

“Having a noise limiter doesn’t necessarily solve the

problem,” he says. “I know of a case that went to the

High Court in which a venue operator was arguing

at they were complying with regulations because

there was a limiting unit on the premises. They hadn’t

installed it but it was there.”

As Fiumicelli concludes, there are also the more

serious issues of agreeing thresholds and having

units properly calibrated, which means they are not

necessarily a panacea. Despite that, and the objections

of musicians and fans, the situation looks unlikely to be

resolved, especially as the petition calling for a ban on

limiters has attracted only 820 signatures.

www.castlegroup.co.uk

www.dbaudio.com

www.drawmer.com

formula-sound.co.uk

www.limetechnologies.co.uk

www.thelockheartsband.com

www.mrcaudio.com

www.stage-gear.co.uk

www.templegroup.co.uk

www.10eazy.com

MRC’s LD500

Drawmer’s SL22 tamper plate

50-52 NOISE v1FIN.indd 3 22/04/2016 16:25

Connecting Ideas, Transforming Business

#IBCShow

addition to the RAI, Hall 9 and discover our reimagined conference streams in the best IBC yet!

Meet 1,600+ potential business partnersLearn from 300+ thought-leading speakersNetwork with our 55,000+ strong communityDiscover emerging technologies with our themed feature areasCelebrate the future of collaboration with our innovation awards

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Conference 8 – 12 September : Exhibition 9 – 13 SeptemberRAI, Amsterdam


www.psneurope.com/installation

P54MAY

2016

Installation

Pure Groove Systems and Tom Danley create new high-power dance music loudspeaker systems. Rob Speight grooves along

Orange is the new stack

In the world of club systems, one would think that

brightly-coloured boxes are a pre-requisite. Think

purple from Funktion-One, crimson from Void

Acoustics… and now to add to the palette, Pure

Groove’s orange offering.

However, it’s not just the paintjob that’s unique when it

comes to the new PG range. The systems, designed by Tom

Danley of Danley Sound Labs – arguably best known for

equipping sports arenas and the like in the US – have a high

power-to-size ratio and therefore are also ‘green’, according

to Pure Groove, requiring less amplification and processing.

But what makes these boxes any better for dance music

than some of the more established and loved brands?

“Our boxes feature 3-way Synergy Horn technology,”

explains Damian Murphy, founder of Los Angeles-based

Pure Groove Systems. “They are full-range, point-source

designs that utilise multiple drivers of different bandwidths

in a single horn that is phase accurate, and consistent in

response over the entire coverage area.

“Our systems deliver superior clarity, power and

definition, with warm analogue bass that immerses and

energises the crowd. As a veteran promoter, I have used

many sound systems over the last 27 years and I can

honestly say that I’ve never heard anything that comes

close to their hi-fi quality.” He would say that, of course:

but DJs including John Digweed and Jody Wisternoff

(Way Out West) have supplied glowing testimonials

regarding the sound, too.

Tom Danley himself enthuses about the collaboration:

“The project with Pure Groove has been particularly

exciting due in large part to their foresight and imagination.

Taking our patented systems designed for the country’s

largest sports arenas and fine-tuning them for the musical

complexity of EDM is an exciting new direction.”

Is so-called ‘Electronic Dance Music’ really that

musically complex to reproduce? “EDM is made up of

many layers and sonic elements blended together, so as

you rightly point out, on most systems, it can sound very

loud and bass heavy with screaming hi-frequencies,”

says Murphy. “However, with our Synergy Horn

technology, you can actually hear every detail and texture

in the music, particularly in the mid-range frequencies

that get lost on most systems.”

The PG range, which currently consists of the PGJ-94

– a 90º x 40º dispersion mid-high box loaded with 18

drivers (6 x 12” and 8 x 6.5” drivers coupled with 4 x 1.4”

compression drivers) can deliver an output

of 142dB SPL continuous (band dependent)

and weighs in at 420lbs (190kg) – as well

as the BC218 sub-bass which is loaded

with 4 x 18” drivers onto two horns, sharing

a single exit port, and capable of providing 148dB SPL and

a frequency response of 26-150Hz.

One challenge to any loudspeaker manufacturer,

especially one based in the United States, is how to be

competitive in the European marketplace with the added

costs of shipping and fluctuating exchange rates. Murphy

confidently tackles this concern head on: “Although

international shipping does add to the cost, there are

many customers who don’t mind spending the additional

money because they want to have, in their opinion, the

best sound system in their country. We are also currently

in discussions about manufacturing outside of the USA.”

As if to prove a point, the new system was demo’d in

Salisbury, UK in March by Danley UK.

The boxes can be combined into either a ground-stacked

or flown system and are suitable for install or touring –

though weight may become an issue. “In a permanent

install, there are 3/8” fly points all over the cabinet,” details

Murphy. “For portable applications there is L track on the

sides which can be used in a couple of different ways-

depending on how the user wants to do it. You can attach

directly to the L track with fly points or the L-track can

attach to a bumper bar and hung from a single motor.”

The eye-catching boxes have already found a home in

venues including the Opera Nightclub (Atlanta, US), Clash

Club (São Paolo) and De Marktkantine (Amsterdam).

To power the system, Pure Groove recommends its

Danley DNA amplifiers (a Linea Research OEM), released

last year and incorporating all the DSP (crossover and

limiting etc) to get the best from the PG system.

Ultimately, how can Pure Groove really make

headway into this already busy market place? “There

are many choices when it comes to sound systems,

and even though there are some with impressive looks

and cleverly packaged features, it’s basically the same

technology that’s been used for decades,” says Murphy.

“When it comes to pure audio quality, our Synergy Horn

technology is in a league of its own and we would gladly

go side by side with any other system to prove it because

the difference is clear.”

Like any other orange, you’re just going to have to

suck it and see.

puregroovesystems.com

www.danleysoundlabs.com

It’s too orangey for crows: Pure Groove Systems, ready to go

There are already several systems installed around the world

54 DanLey PGS FIN.indd 1 25/04/2016 10:08

A joint venture partnership of


Join us June 4th – 7th, 2016 at the Palais des Congrès, Paris

Experience the world’s leading audio products. Network with industry experts. Meet the designers,

engineers and producers of the future. Learn what it takes to make it in the industry at our Project

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programs and events, all under one roof.

If it’s about Audio, it’s at AES!

• Music Recording • Broadcast

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For more information visit our website at: w w w.aeseurope.org

Facebook.com/AESorg#AESorg

41 AES_140th_RadioWorldFrance-FP-PRINT.indd 1 23/02/2016 15:58

www.psneurope.com

P57MAY

2016

It’s not everyday you see a woman dressed as a giant yellow fruit. Thanks, Pop-Up People of Leeds!

Hither & banana

The new standard in live mixing,now available for rent from DEE Digital.

www.dee-digital.com - www.solidstatelogic.com

audio

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Please send all contributions for possible publication to [email protected]

AED does like to throw a party… this

time at PL+S. Hats off to them!

That’s right, it’s a woman playing a toy

xylophone, dressed as a large Fyffe

Spotted this chap in a pub near

the O2 the night PSNEurope

interviewed the Adele team. Did

he work for Black Box Music

too? No, he’s Gary the truck

driver, working on the Mariah

Carey tour, which started the

following night!

Riedel founder

Thomas Riedel

turned heads at

NAB 2016 as he

announced the

death of traditional

networking... by

taking a chainsaw to

a wooden model of a

router. (Martin Traut:

did he get this idea

from you?)

Meanwhile, in Hall 9.0, this

man was still tuning his

piano as the show was in full

swing. Ahem…

57 Hither v1.indd 1 22/04/2016 18:57

www.psneurope.com

P58MAY

2016

Backtalk

The co-CEO talks to Dave Robinson about 3D sound, THOSE expensive headphones and how he gets out of bed in a morningDr Andreas Sennheiser

D r Andreas Sennheiser took over the

running of his family business with his

brother in May of 2013. In the two years

since, the company has released some

notable technology – but there have been some serious

changes at the company along the way…

Let’s begin with AMBEO, your 3D, immersive

audio concept.

What we showed with the AMBEO brand at CES [and PL+S] is

just the starting point of something we will develop with our

customers. We are positioning ourselves to take advantage of

whatever 3D format emerges, [but we’re seeking] something

with a higher emotional impact. Many artists have said to

us, the only way to really connect with the audience the way

they want to is to play live – but if they had a format that

captured that, so that users at home could listen to it in a way

similar to actually being there, then they would have a higher

engagement with the listeners. That’s when we got serious

about bringing something to the market.

What about Orpheus, the HE -1, the ‘world’s most

expensive headphone’?

Orpheus for us is a product, a statement, and an indication of

our innovation culture, to a certain extent. We could have said,

we still have the Orpheus from 1992, it’s still considered the

best headphone in the world, why do something better? But

part of our culture is to not be happy with anything that exists

[now], regardless of whether we invented it or not. About 10

years ago, we decided it was time for the world to experience

the next level. On one hand, it’s beyond commercial reason.

But, on the other, by being so intensively on the limits of

physics, we learn so much for other applications..

You make it sound like the space programme…

Yes, exactly, and this pushes the entire Sennheiser culture

into new ways. Think about the [eff ect] this has at the

company when a group of people bring out a fl agship that

will be there for another couple of decades: that has a

huge motivational impact on the other employees.

I’ve heard them. They make sound ‘visceral’, I

would suggest.

People have ‘seen’ things, heard things which they haven’t

heard before, or been able to describe.

Do you think they are worth $50,000?

[Immediately]. Absolutely. No doubt.

The original Orpheus had a run of some 300.

When HE -1 ships later this year, will that be

limited to 300 too?

We are not planning any limitation this time: but it is

limited by the price and the capacity – making one per

day – and the level of customisation. We have signifi cant

requests for customised versions.

How successful has the D9000 digital wireless

system been?

It’s a huge success, especially in the last year where the

‘Digital Dividend’ [spectrum sell-off ] in Japan gave us extra

demand and business.

D9000 is successful beyond our initial imagination for a

simple reason: we positioned and developed it as a device

to be used on stage for singers and touring, because it

was so fl exible. But the corporate world has discovered it,

because of its high encryption [parameters] and fl exibility

in use. There’s a huge market there.

Since you and your brother Daniel became joint

CEOs you’ve restructured the company. I get the

impression, some of that has been easy, and

some of it has been hard. Is that correct?

We went from a territorial approach to a sales channel

approach. In Europe, sales channels don’t really matter.

There’s no borders for commerce. Consumer is one part,

professional is another, and so on.

In a reorganisation like that, you always have a working

assumption. Sometimes you assume, sometimes you just

hope for [the best]. The reorganisation was a great success,

especially with the feedback we got from our customers.

Did everything work out like we planned? No, defi nitely not.

With a change of that magnitude, we discovered things we

had to fi ne-tune. That was a learning experience.

Do you ever feel the burden of the family legacy,

though? When you wake up, do you ever think, [in

panicked voice] ‘Oh god, I’m running Sennheiser!’…?

[Smiling broadly] With great responsibility comes a

certain weight. You have to think about what is good

for the company, the customer, the employees. There

are moments of doubt and pressure, but all-in-all, what

makes me so confi dent of getting up in the morning is

that I’m not alone here, there are 2,700 people who are

highly committed and enjoy what they do. It’s not on my

shoulders, it’s on 2,700 pairs of shoulders making their

own destiny.

Sennheiser seems to think about what it’s going to

do, thinks some more, and then makes its move.

That approach can be positive – but negative too.

If 80% of our decisions are well-thought through and

strategically directed, that’s exactly what we need. In

hindsight, some of the decisions, we could have taken

earlier. On the other – and I refer to it as ‘German

engineering and thinking’ – that takes time. What our next

challenge will be, is to preserve the thoroughness of where

we want to go, but add an element of ‘start-up’ activity.

Finally, the factory is on fi re – you run in and grab

something – what?

The D9000.

Not a classic microphone or headphone?

D9000 is a statement of innovation, and is ‘classic’ at the

same time. It’s one of a kind. It’s an icon. It shows all the

competency that’s in this company.

www.sennheiser.com

+ The full version of this interview can be found at www.

psneurope.com

58 Backpage FIN.indd 1 22/04/2016 18:48


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PSNE MAY 2016 Digital