psne september 2014 digital edition

PSNEUROPETunnel vision

SEPTEMBER 2014

What now for AVB? We ask the tough questions p20

Tannoy technology finds a new fan p47

THE BUSINESS OF PROFESSIONAL AUDIO www.psneurope.com

IBC preview p16

Note perfect with Realpiano

p20

If you go down to the woods today... p32

AS I WRITE, two great female performers have taken to the stage for the first time in a while. Both are brilliant in my eyes. Clever, witty, detailed, articulate, dynamic, stylish.

But, while both know exactly what they want from the studio, when it comes to live performance, it’s a different world.

I’m talking about Kate Bush and Imogen Heap. I must say, I missed out on tickets for Kate Bush, but I was there at Imogen’s headline show at the Reverb Festival at the Roundhouse at the end of last month.

And, as I write, Kate is garnering five star reviews for her ‘gig of the decade’ theatrical experience. Then again, she’s had 35 years to get it right – the last time she played live was in 1979.

Imogen, on the other hand, wants to do so much but doesn’t know how to manage expectations. So, in short, her performance featuring the much-hyped mi.mu gloves was disjointed, apologetic, unsatisfactory. The crowd was sympathetic but when she admitted that she hadn’t soundchecked, and that she “kept changing everything”, you wondered where the real value for money was. (You should know that Tim Sherratt at Sennheiser UK did his utmost to make things work, but I feel he was stymied by Imogen’s spur-of-the-moment changes. That’s my opinion.)

Why am I telling you this? I was wondering how to precis David Davies’ piece on AVB. I see it as a midpoint between Kate and Imogen. We’ve been waiting for seven years for the technology, but, it seems, it’s still not delivering.What to do as a fan: do you stick with it, or do you say, sorry, that’s enough?

Dave Robinson

“The crowd was sympathetic, but when she admitted she hadn’t soundchecked...”

IN THIS ISSUE...

BUSINESS4 DEBUT: d&b’s new Y-Series5 DEBUT: Audio Precision sets ‘new standard for testing’6 Pro Sound Awards: how much fun are we going to have? 8 Industry appointments10 Events and expos12 PSNTraining14 New products16 Show preview: IBC2014

STUDIO20 Tickle Audio Hire premises sold to developer22 Meet the Realpiano man24 Bobonne Records and doing it old school...26 Feature: Training needs of studio and broadcast markets

BROADCAST28 4.0 surround tested for The Proms30 IPS calls for improved audibility in TV sound32 Release the Hounds relies on Lectrosonics34 Sound Devices opens European Service Centre

LIVE

36 Entec renews association with GuilFest38 Stepping out with Allen & Heath40 DJ Hardwell goes Loud42 Eclectic line up at Reggae Sundance

INSTALL

44 Furman celebrates 40th anniversary48 COVER: The Wind Tunnel Project52 Feature: Has the AVB dream lost its lustre?

BACK PAGES57 Hither & Dither58 Interview: Dave Schmoldt, Audio Precision

www.psneurope.com September 2014 l 03

welcomeEDITOR’S COMMENT

Phot

o: J

ake Y

oung

D&B AUDIOTECHNIK launched its new Y-Series of loudspeakers on the first of this month, ahead of any trade events across Europe. The system, which addresses small-to-medium sized sound reinforcement needs, follows an emerging trend for “a flexible and configurable solution” and has been the subject of speculation since spring of this year. The Y-Series completes the family of T, (Y), V and J-Series, (respectively with 6.5”, 8”, 10” and 12” low frequency drivers), for a “well-balanced toolbox”. (There’s also the Q-Series, now 11 years old, which is considered by many to be the ‘multipurpose box’ of the d&b range.)

There are six elements to the Y-Series. While the Y7P and Y10P loudspeakers cover point source duties, with the B6-SUB providing extended frequency response, two line source loudspeakers and a matched cardioid sub, the Y8, Y12 and Y-SUB, tackle line array tasks. Echoing the larger V-Series (launched in 2012) and using patented three-point rigging, the Y-Series is “all new, yet strangely familiar”, says d&b.

The Y7P and Y10P loudspeakers share the same dipolar 8” driver arrangement centred on a 1.4” compression driver fitted to a rotatable CD horn, facilitating deployment horizontally or vertically. With dispersion characteristics of 75° x 40° and 110° x 40° (H x V) respectively, the Y7P and Y10P offer a multitude of deployment options, individually as a full range system or in combination with other elements from the Y-Series, either ground-stacked or flown. A port design delivers extended LF performance down to 59Hz. The B6-SUB complements the Y7P and Y10P, with a single 18” driver built into a bass-reflex design, extending the frequency response down to 37Hz.

Utilising the same rigging design as their bigger brothers from the J and V-Series, the Y8 and Y12 boxes share the same 80° and 120° horizontal dispersion characteristics. The Y8 and Y12 can be suspended in columns of up to 24 loudspeakers with splay angles from 0º -14º with a 1º resolution.

The Y-SUB houses a forward facing 18” driver and a 12”

driver radiating towards the rear, producing a cardioid dispersion pattern. Driven by a single amplifier channel, the compact Y-SUB can be ground stacked or flown at the top of a Y8/Y12 array. Both the point source and line source loudspeakers feature two 8” drivers with neodymium magnets mounted in a dipolar arrangement around a 1.4”

compression driver. This driver configuration enables the Y8 and Y12 to offer a horizontal dispersion pattern controlled down to 500Hz. d&b says an “extensive” range of transport solutions and loudspeaker accessories will facilitate ease of setup and mobility.

A parallel Yi installation-specific range is designed for permanent applications,

differing only in cabinet construction and mounting hardware; the usual special colour and weather-resistant options are available.

The Y-Series assimilates into the d&b workflow comprising the ArrayCalc simulation software, the R1 Remote control software and d&b amplifiers; a process ensuring consistent and efficient results whenever and wherever required.

“Since the Y-Series combines both line and point source technologies, the application possibilities are endless, ranging from performing arts to conferences, religious events and live shows,” says product manager Werner ‘Vier’ Bayer.

“This has been an exciting and illuminating project; we see this series becoming the workhorse of our industry, at every end of the spectrum. From point source to line source, Y-not?” www.dbaudio.com

Premium German brand goes for “flexible and configurable” approach

GERMANY

d&b explains Y its new loudspeaker is so useful

4 l September 2014 www.psneurope.com

business

“We see this series becoming the workhorse of our industry, at every end of the spectrum” Werner ‘Vier’ Bayer

The six different cabinets in the Y-Series

business


For the latest news www.psneurope.com

By Dave Robinson

AUDIO TEST SPECIALIST Audio Precision has announced the availability of the APx555, “the culmination of 30 years of experience” that represents “the most powerful and capable audio test instrument ever developed”.

Based on the modular architecture and powerful software of other members of Audio Precision’s APx family, the 555 is said to deliver “improved measurement accuracy, speed, flexibility, automation and ease-of-use for developers of audio components, equipment and systems”, and will ship next month, October.

“The APx555 represents a lifetime of work in audio test,” says AP co-founder and chief analogue designer, Bruce Hofer. “It pushes analogue circuit design to the edge of understanding and accounts for many previously unseen anomalies, achieving real, measurable performance that exceeds any other.”

“The APx555’s capabilities address a variety of markets but examples of applications

requiring high-performance audio analysis include the design and development of high-end audio ADCs and DACs, professional audio equipment, and leading-edge consumer electronics,” says AP president, Dave Schmoldt.

With a typical residual THD+N of -120dB (conservatively specified at -117dB), the two analogue channels of the APx555 claim to achieve the lowest noise and distortion of any audio analyser ever made, allowing the most sensitive measurements to be made with assurance. Audio Precision says APx555 offers audio developers previously “unachievable “insight into the behaviour of their designs, unimpaired by noise or artifacts from the test system.

Also launched is the new APx500 v4.0 software, which provides a multi-mode user interface for the entire APx family of analysers. Developed with system flexibility in mind, the software enables easy switching between two modes. Sequence Mode is the fast and efficient menu of measurements with which APx users worldwide will be familiar. Bench Mode

has been inspired by the former AP flagship SYS-2700 series analyser and delivers real-time feedback of any selected parameters, including waveform scope, FFT spectrum, frequency, THD+N and more. Engineers may choose the mode that best suits their needs with a click of a mouse button.

“Bench Mode offers more visibility into real-time behaviours,” says Eric Cline, engineering technician chip developer, Analog Devices. “Being able to see everything at once is a huge deal: distortion, noise, and signal level on meters is incredibly important. It definitely answers my requests, offering the best of both of worlds.”

The APx series uses a modular architecture that supports a wide range of digital I/O, ensuring that as formats change APx options will be ready to support the audio industry. APx500 measurement software is under constant development, says Audio Precision, “keeping pace with new standards and methods in audio testing”. Version 4.0 is available free-of charge to existing customers.

“We are incredibly proud of

the APx555 and APx500 v4.0 software,” adds Schmoldt. “The APx family covers every audio test need from high-speed production to the most refined and demanding research and development, and it is ready for whatever changes the industry may bring.

“Only AP could deliver such an uncompromising package of world-class performance, flexibility, speed and ease-of-use for the audio professionals we serve.” www.ap.comTo read our interview with Dave Schmoldt turn to page 58.

Lowest residual THD+N in the world provides audio professionals with “unparalleled insight into their designs”, says Audio Precision

WORLD

APx555 analyser sets “new standard for testing”

The new analyser represents the culmination of 30 years’ experience

“The APx555 represents a lifetime of work in audio test” Bruce Hofer, Audo Precision

IT’S NEARLY HERE!The second outing of the Pro

Sound Awards will recognise outstanding achievement in professional audio, and takes place on 25 September at the world famous Ministry of Sound nightclub in London.

At press time, we’re really rather excited, as more sponsors have come on board. While Lab.gruppen will be co-headline sponsoring with Sennheiser, we have Martin Audio organising the pre-ceremony drinks (the Ministry is almost the company’s spiritual home...) and Meyer Sound hosting the after party. Celestion are supporting the photo-booth... and if you’ve never experienced the fun to be had in one of those, you are missing out!

We can reveal that Luciano Pavarotti’s former sound engineer and Constellation expert John Pellowe will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award on the night, while Miloco have been recognised for the Grand Prix.

The Pre-Roll is shaping up nicely, too. Monty Python producer Andre Jacquemin is lined up for a one-on-one interview with one of our guest hosts, as is Depeche Mode collaborator Ben Hillier. And we have a panel of live sound engineers rapidly taking place too... but you’ll have to wait to check online to get the full story on that...

Above and below to are just a few of the people and events that have been made it to the fi nal four. Who gets your vote? And have got your ticket yet...? Don’t delay, it’s going to be a great evening! www.prosoundawards.com

EUROPE

AWARDSPROSOUNDAWARDSDIn association with:

Thursday, 25th September 2014, Ministry Of Sound, London

Pro Sound Awards: we can’t wait!


business

LIVE/TOURING SOUNDEngineer of the Year

Reay Grant Dave Kay Sam Proctor Jonny Lucas

Best Tour Sound Production London Speaker Hire for the Connections by Le Book event SSE for Avicii’s European tour Capital Sound for British Summer Time, Hyde Park Adlib for Jack Whitehall Gets Around arena tour

Best Theatre Sound Chris Mace for I Can’t Sing SSE for Jesus Christ Superstar Clive Goodwin for Once National Theatre sound department for The Light Princess

STUDIOEngineer of the Year

James Ford Andrew Dudman Dan Cox Mike Crossey

Best Recording Production Arcade Fire – Refl ektor The 1975 – The 1975 John Newman – Love Me Again Paloma Faith – A Perfect Contradiction

Best Studio Assault and Battery (Miloco) Snap! Studios Metropolis Astar Studios

Best Sound in Post-Production Gravity X-Men: Days of Future Past Under the Skin Noah

INSTALLED SOUNDBest Permanent Installation Project

Funktion One for Electric Paris EM Acoustics/Sound by Design for the Royal Albert Hall Powersoft for Wall of Bass, Austria Stouenborg/Meyer Sound for Jyske Bank, Copenhagen

Best Temporary Installation Project PreSonus at the Phoenix Open Hole Paul Arditti/Autograph for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Source Distribution/Genelec for the Cock ’n’ Bull Gallery Powersoft/Soundart GmbH for Dortmund Supercross

Team of the Year SSE Audio Group Sound by Design (for the Royal Albert Hall) DJW Install (for HMS Alliance) TG Baker (for Waterloo station)

BROADCAST AUDIOBest Facility

dock 10, MediaCityUK Savalas, Glasgow Pinewood Studios The Farm

Broadcast Event of the Year 2014 Winter Olympics (Channel 4) Red Bull Revolutions in Sound (Delta Sound/SIS Live) Unity – A Concert for Stephen Lawrence (Red TX) War Horse live (Mixbus)

Team of the Year United Audio Project (Rowan Jennings and Karl Mainzer) The X Factor (led by sound director Robert Edwards) BBC Proms MasterChef series 10

MARKETING INITIATIVE/CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR Idea: brand launch Prism: Mic to Monitor Shure: Call for Legends Powersoft: X Series launch

THE FINALISTS...

Paloma Faith’s A Perfect Contradiction on the up Snap! Studios gets to the fi nals again this year SSE’s tour of Jesus Christ Superstar is listed

War Horse rides into the shortlist Now, that, ladies and gentlemen, is a Wall of Bass DJW ‘s installation at HMS Alliance: ship-shape!

MEYER SOUND has bolstered its team with the appointment of Mac Johnson to Constellation programme manager and Melody Parker to associate acoustic engineer. The moves are a response to growing demand for the company’s Constellation acoustic systems.

As Constellation programme manager Johnson is responsible for driving all aspects of the company’s Constellation efforts. Parker’s role is to provide project support for the

Constellation and Libra acoustic image systems.

“Our customers are adapting the system’s capabilities for new applications like meeting rooms, recording studios, classrooms and restaurants,” said Antonio Zacarias, vice president of worldwide sales for Meyer Sound. “With Mac and Melody’s wealth of experience, we’re ready to help customers from all areas fi nd the best solutions for their acoustic needs.” www.meyersound.com


industrymovers

Meyer tunes up with Melody and MacCalifornian loudspeaker company strengthens Constellation team with two appointments

JHS Pro Audio has announced the

appointment of Chris Walton to handle in-house demos and provide detailed technical advice on the fi rm’s pro-audio portfolio. Walton has worked in the pro-sound industry all around the UK for the past 22 years, facilitating both live and install audio solutions, as well as music production and design. www.jhs.co.uk

Polar Audio has promoted Liam Richards

to the role of technical support manager. Richards has been part of the company’s technical support team as an engineer since 2010 and has “played a key role in delivering a very high level of customer support across [its] extensive range of brands”. “I am confi dent that Liam will meet his new responsibilities with his customary fl air,” said managing director John Midgley.www.polaraudio.co.uk

Lee Boylan has joined the PreSonus Europe

team as a product specialist. Boylan will be demonstrating PreSonus products to dealers and distributors in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, provide technical support and generally assisting distributors in the region. www.www.presonus.com

Markus Dehmer has been appointed sales manager

of Meyer Sound Germany. Industry veteran Dehmer will have the task of supporting theatre and studio customers throughout Germany. “Our goal has always been to offer customers cutting-edge audio solutions that are best suited to their project requirements,” said Sascha Khelifa, managing director of Meyer Sound Germany. “We’re proud to welcome Markus to Meyer Sound.”www.meyersound.com

Following a break from pro audio, Sean Hames

has returned to LMC Audio. Based in Birmingham, he will initially focus on product training and growing customers’ individual businesses in the north-east of England in his Northern area business development role. Paul Hinkly, managing director of LMC Audio, said: “We’re delighted that Sean has returned to the industry and has chosen LMC Audio as his route to do so.”www.imcaudio.co.uk

Lina Tebbs, formerly head of creative and sync at

Audio Network, has been promoted to the position of head of TV, Europe at the company. The role has been expanded to include the UK and Nordic territories. The company says Tebbs’ promotion, teamed with the appointment of a new key account manager, Rebecca Thomas, “solidifi es [its] commitment to European television”. www.audionetwork.com

IBC11-16 SeptemberAmsterdam, Netherlandswww.ibc.org

PRO13-15 SeptemberBirmingham, UKwww.visitpro.co.uk

Pro Sound Awards25 SeptemberLondon, UKwww.prosoundawards.com

PLASA London5-8 OctoberLondon, UKwww.plasashow.com

137th AES Convention9-12 OctoberLos Angeles, USwww.aes.org

InfoComm MEA13-16 OctoberDubai, UAEwww.infocomm-mea.com

PLASA Focus Brussels3- 4 NovemberBrussels, Belgiumwww.plasafocus.com/brussels

28th Tonmeistertagung20-23 NovemberCologne, Germanywww.tonmeister.de

PLASA Focus Glasgow2-3 DecemberGlasgow, UKwww.plasafocus.com/glasgow

2015 International CES6-9 JanuaryLas Vegas, USwww.cesweb.org

NAMM22-25 JanuaryAnaheim, Californiawww.namm.org/thenammshow/2015

Prolight & Sound15-18 AprilFrankfurt, Germanywww.messefrankfurt.com

EVENTS Your complete calendar of expos and conferences for the months ahead

This month sees the return of the Pro Sound Awards following last year’s triumphant inaugural outing – and we’re making it bigger and better in a number of ways. This year’s headline sponsors are Sennheiser and Lab.gruppen. Martin Audio, Celestion, Sony and Meyer Sound are also supporting the event.

We’ll be celebrating the roar of the greasepaint and the smell of the crowd with the Best Theatre Sound gong and the achievements of the sound-to-picture world with Best Sound in Post-Production; plus, ahead of the main event, we’ll be hosting ‘The Pre-Roll’ – two hours of conversation and panel discussion with leading lights of the industry which will segue gently into the welcome drinks and then on into the awards ceremony itself. See you there!www.prosoundawards.com

EDITORIALPLANNEROCTOBER

The modern conference

Training, part 2: live

IBC review

NOVEMBER

Headphones

Small and midscale touring kit

AES review

DECEMBER

Software and plug-ins

2014 review

Iceland Airwaves5-9 NovemberReykjavik, Iceland

www.icelandairwaves.is


expos&events For the latest studio news www.psneurope.com/events

SPOTLIGHTPRO SOUND AWARDS25 SeptemberLondon, UKwww.prosoundawards.com



UNITED KINGDOM

SSL announces free Live console training at UK headquarters


PSNTraining

DIARY7-8 October

Theatre and live seminar

hosted by Bolshoi Theatre

and Salzbrenner Stagetec

Mediagroup

Where: The State Academic Bolshoi

Theatre of Russia, Moscow

www.bolshoi.ru/en

14-16 October

Martin Audio: MLA M-Tech

Training

Where: Millennium Studios,

Bedfordshire, United Kingdom

www.martinaudio-mla.com/

training-program

22 October

Understanding Digital Video

Formats – From DVI-D to

Thunderbolt and More!

Where: Online, United States

www.infocomm.org

28 October

Sennheiser – Basic Wireless

Mics and Monitoring Course

Where: Sennheiser UK,

Marlow - United Kingdom

www.sennheiser.co.uk/

soundacademy

By Harry Powell

SOLID STATE Logic has announced it will be hosting Live console operator training days at its Oxfordshire HQ. The free one-day sessions will serve as an introduction to the SSL Live console, launched last year, and will include hands-on experience for all participants. The training sessions will take place at SSL’s Begbroke facility on 17-18 September, 1-2 October and 5-6 November 2014.

SSL reminds all interested parties that although these events are completely free, numbers are strictly limited. To apply via the online application form visit: store.solidstatelogic.com/forms/live-training

Currently featuring its V2 Software, SSL Live is the company’s fi rst console for live sound production, suited to touring or installation, FOH or monitor systems for venues, arenas, houses of worship and concert halls. SSL reports that reception to the console by the industry has been extremely positive since its announcement last year.

SSL Live has already appeared on tour with The Killers, Jason Aldean and Flogging Molly as well as at various music festivals including WOMAD and Live at Edinburgh Castle.

www.solid-state-logic.com

E2S Warning Signals, a manufacturer of “high-performance audible and visual signals for commercial, industrial, marine, onshore and offshore hazardous locations” with offi ces in the UK and US, has published an educational guide that seeks to ‘de-mystify’ the dB (decibel), one of the most common units in engineering, “yet also one of the most confusing”.

“The main diffi culty in comprehending dB measurements,” says E2S, “is that it is a log-linear scale, which, while it is very useful in representing very large differences in a more user-friendly scale, also compresses the scale. Sound is defi ned as any pressure variation that can be heard by the human ear.

“The threshold of hearing is defi ned as 0dB [SPL]; the threshold of pain is around 130dB [SPL], a scale that can be readily understood. However, as the power difference between the two levels is 1013 : 1, or, to spell it out in full,

10,000,000,000,000 or 10 million million to one, expressing it in these terms suddenly gives a much better idea of the change.”

The guide is all based around the company’s products, of course, but nevertheless it’s an interesting read for the curious or the concerned. For example, the A151 disaster warning sounder is rated at 150dB SPL, the same as a jet engine at 1m. It also discusses the effect of frequency on perceived loudness and includes some rules of thumb for system designers who are specifying the output and location of warning sounders to provide the desired sound levels as part of a warning system.

www.e2s.com/soundbasics

E2S SETS THE LEVEL

By Dave Robinson

JAMES (Joint Audio Media Education Support) and PSNEurope are collaborating to fi nd out the training needs of people in all sectors of our industry with the launch of a ‘Training Survey’, created by JAMES executive director David Ward.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is vital for the future. And you, the readers, can us create up-to-date CPD by completing this survey and passing it on to others. We have tried to keep it as simple as possible, while respecting that there will be a huge range of needs and levels of knowledge.

Basic business and entrepreneurial skills are vital for work in our industry, as are up-to-date information about copyright, contracts, metadata and royalty collection procedures. We have included questions about these areas.

Several manufacturers and suppliers provide quality training and there are questions related to these and this survey will help them.

Your feedback is very important to us and the survey should only take a few minutes to do. All replies are completely anonymous, but please complete the section for your contact details, so that we can keep you updated on developments.

As a little incentive, there’s an iTunes voucher, worth £50, for one lucky respondent, picked at random, when the survey period is over (8 October 2014). Terms and conditions can be found on the survey’s intro page.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/psntjamestrainingsurvey

JAMES and PSNEurope launch ‘Training Survey’

By Tom Waterman, CTO, Audient Ltd

THE ESSENTIALS: STUDIO MANAGEMENT IN AN EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT

A range of commercial packages are available:Contact advertising manager, Ryan O’Donnell, +44 (0) 20 7354 6000, [email protected]

UNITED KINGDOM

IN AN audio education environment, one thing that we found hugely benefi cial was to expose students to a very broad spectrum of tools, people and styles. That may sound obvious, but seemingly many academic institutions spend their yearly budgets on large fl agship facilities with perhaps 50% of the budget going on one item (a large console, for example).

These fl agship rooms look great on open days and certainly give the marketing department something to write about when looking to reach next year’s recruitment targets, but do they cater to the entire student cohort? Do they promote an individual learning experience? Read the full article at www.psneurope,com/training


technologynew products

STUDIO TECHNOLOGIES

MODEL 5202/5204What is it? Two new Dante/analogue audio interfaces

Details: Model 5202 can convert two Dante-associated audio channels into headphone and balanced line-level outputs, while Model 5204 will convert a stereo analogue line-level audio signal to two channels on an associated Dante connection.

And another thing: Both units can easily interface into a Power over Ethernet-supported network.www.studio-tech.com

BLUE MICROPHONES

MO-FIWhat is it? The fi rst headphone that features a built-in audiophile amplifi er matched to high-powered, precision drivers for consistent accuracy on every device.

Details: Mo-Fi’s built-in high-powered 240 milliwatt amplifi er is perfectly matched to ultra-premium 50mm drivers, the kind that produce incredible detail, accuracy, and articulation when provided with ample power.

And another thing: Unlike bass-in-your-face headphones, Mo-Fi lets you choose your own acoustic adventure with three amp settings, On, On+, and Off. When switched to On, Mo-Fi activates the amp to deliver powerful, detailed sound.www.bluemic.com

TELEFUNKEN

THP-29What is it? Extreme Isolation headphones, designed for both the studio and live sound environments.

Details: Ultra high-fi delity, high-input 40mm speaker drivers featuring TruSound&tradel; Tonal Accuracy are integrated with 29dB of eco-friendly natural passive isolation.

And another thing: The advanced isolation capabilities eliminate extra bleed in the recording studio while giving an average of 29dB of noise reduction over a wide frequency range. The THP-29s can also be used as critical mixing headphones during post-production. www.telefunken-elektroakustik.com

PROGUARD

LIN-EAR PR10What is it? The most recent addition to ProGuard’s growing range of speciality hearing and IEM products.

Details: The Lin-Ear PR10 reduces the sound environment by about 10dB, using a newly-designed acoustic fi lter that takes the ear’s dynamic range and natural response to fl uctuating acoustic energy into account.

And another thing: The earplug fi ts deep into the ear canal, allowing users to wear headphones or other types of headwear if necessary.www.proguarduk.co.uk

B&C SPEAKERS

14CXN76 What is it? A 14” coaxial speaker, part of B&C Speakers new 13.5” range of woofer and coaxial products.

Details: The 14CXN76 features 1,800W of continuous program power capacity, a 45 -18,000 Hz frequency response, 100dB sensitivity and a single neodymium magnet assembly.

And another thing: The new range is available in a variety of standard models, including 76mm or 88mm voice coils woofers, and a 76mm voice coil coaxial that shares the same motor as B&C’s CXN series coaxial range.www.bcspeakers.com

THE FM02 all-in-one FM receiver and a new system for single frequency network

(SFN) FM networks will be launched by 2wcom at IBC.

The FM02 receiver combines FM and RDS monitoring into a single unit to deliver multiple roles of demodulation, source-switching for FM backup and FM/RDS parameter monitoring. As a demodulator, the FM02’s dual inputs can receive one FM signal for rebroadcasting and another for monitoring, or the same signal on both channels for a backup solution.

2wcom is also debuting a system that provides assured microsecond-accurate synchronisation for implementing FM SFN networks within existing

analogue transmission infrastructure. Distribution can be by E1, IP or satellite, and any one of the feeds can be selected for backup purposes, without affecting the synchronisation. It also offers automatic adjustment of runtime differences and jitter.

A new range of economic and space effi cient DAB antennae will be released by ADBL, sharing an IBC spotlight with the new VHF BIII Mask fi lter/combiner and a range of UHF and FM units and towers.

Two types of antennae have been specially produced for some of the world’s most renowned broadcasters and broadcast signal providers, in the form of the Shared Aperture FM Crossbow and the FM Spearhead.

DAB antenna elements

have been designed to be fi tted onto the existing FM antennae without disturbing installation or performance.

“Environmental considerations coupled with zoning and planning restrictions forced the BBC to seek an antenna that could be fi tted into the space occupied by existing FM units,” explained ADBL president Alex Perchevitch. “ADBL embarked on a development project to provide a solution that didn’t impact negatively on the FM antenna and met the spec for DAB.”

ADBL said the systems were range tested to optimise the RF performance of the combined DAB/FM antennas.

The AVT Magic Mux DAB multiplexer will be launched for DAB+, based on the Fraunhofer ContentServer Technology.

The company said the system offers a highly reliable professional DAB Digital Radio platform, Eureka 147 DAB, and supports all content and signalling options DAB offers.

For the integration in transmission networks, the system uses the latest IP technology, which allows a simple and cost-effi cient integration of all DAB system components such as encoders and monitoring decoders.

Also new is the Magic AE1 DAB+ Go audio encoder. AVT claims the half-rack system offers a cost-effi cient solution for smaller service providers, who offer only one programme and do not have to include the systems in a central network management.

The new Canford IP addressable Mains Distribution Units (MDUs) allow for easy power managing distribution in broadcast, IT and server racks.

A user-friendly experience via the web interface has been achieved without compromising accessibility from smartphones, tablets and PCs. Any device with an HTML browser and an internet connection can securely access the product. This means wherever you are, when an email or call comes in, you can

easily monitor and control the MDU.

One of the unique features of the Canford IP MDU is the ability to control door locks remotely. This enables off-site personnel to grant engineers or support teams access to either

server rooms or locked racks and cabinets.

Confi gurable aspects of the unit include: MDU current monitoring, MDU power monitoring (Volts, Amps, Power Factor & kWhrs), per socket control (On, Off, Time delayed and Sequential start up), per socket monitoring and environmental sensors (rack/room temperature and humidity).

The IP MDU’s feature simultaneous XML output; allowing easy integration into third-party database/SQL software for automatic logging and data processing. Automated alarms with thresholds for high/low values of each monitored component are also available. Data for all values can be sent via email and SNMP

(Simple Network Management Protocol).

The inbuilt web server (HTTP) permits web browsing across multiple platforms; including iPads and other devices, as well as SNMP for integration into building/

IBC preview part 2NETHERLANDS

showpreview IBC16 l September 2014 www.psneurope.com

Last month we brought you the eager beavers of the broadcast world. This month, a round-up of all as many products release announcement as we can get our virtual gloves on

When? 11–16 September

AVT Magic Mux DAB multiplexer

IP addressable MDUs – new from Canford


showpreviewIBC

network management tools, such as HP Open View, Aperture VISTA and more.

A new television production gallery desk system and the recently developed EditOne and SystemTwo desk series are being showcased in Hall 8.

The Module-R product range offers a mix-and-match control room furniture system. Customer Consoles said the range allows aesthetically attractive and long-life desks to be configured to meet specific shapes and dimensions from a selection of high-quality pods, base sections, 19” rack housings, worktops, end-panel modules and legs. Co-ordinated desk pods are available as single-bay sections with up 10U chassis capacity.

Developed for use in video editing suites, broadcast graphics areas and audio studio control rooms, Custom Consoles EditOne desks use sculpted MDF support panels rather than metal legs. The curved theme is carried through to the desktop and a raised monitor shelf. Integral equipment pods are provided. An auxiliary equipment pedestal with an additional 11U of rack space and an integral worktop is available. The company said the desk was designed for flat-pack delivery and can be assembled in less than an hour using the supplied Allen key and screwdriver.

SystemTwo is a multi-element furniture system designed to accommodate free-standing or pod-mounted equipment such as graphics workstations and editing terminals. The SystemTwo range includes the S2-01B desk and S2-02B shelf, both electrically adjustable in height from 660 to 1,250mm.

The new Digigram LX-IP Ravenna PCIe sound card supports up to 256 Ravenna I/O channels from multiple Ravenna streams and also offers ultra-low latency, down to one audio sample per IP packet. Digigram has also announced an optical MADI interface option for the card.

Ravenna is an AES67-compatible open technology

standard for low-latency synchronous audio distribution over IP (AoIP) infrastructures in radio facilities.

The company claims the card is ideal for high-density audio production or automation applications in radio and TV broadcast studios, as it made it easy for users to record and play up to 128 AoIP Ravenna channels simultaneously in or out of a desktop computer.

It boasts ultra-low, round-trip latency down to 3ms, interoperability with all AES67 requirements, an embedded 128 x 128 switching matrix, Grandmaster PTP clock abilities, and high redundancy assured by two Gigabit Ethernet connections.

Digigram says its hardware will enable broadcasters to maintain high performance regardless of the computational load presented by other applications running on the host system.

With the addition of an optical MADI interface option to the sound card, Digigram says the industry could migrate from synchronous audio to IP audio in the studio environment. Users could move from more expensive, less flexible proprietary equipment to standard commercial off-the-shelf IT-based systems running common media-oriented IT protocols, it added.

The new MADI option aids such a shift by supporting use of the sound card in a synchronous audio environment to stream up to 64/64 I/O MADI channels from and to the host PC and Ravenna AoIP equipment.

GatesAir’s Intraplex LiveLook, dynamic software that improves analysis and troubleshooting for IP transport, has been launched.

A realtime interactive monitoring solution that works in conjunction with Intraplex IP Link codecs, LiveLook optimises performance for mission-critical audio contribution and distribution networks.

GatesAir explains that LiveLook will provide time-based graphical analysis

of network statistics, including burst packets and other performance-related measurements that adversely affect IP signal transport. Built-in data mining algorithms automate packet analysis and subsequent report generation, recommending optimal techniques for error reduction. The company claims this streamlines the setup, configuration and optimisation of IP networks to reduce complexity and improve overall network performance.

The company is positioning LiveLook as a value-added complement to reliability techniques already built into IP Link codecs, including dynamic stream splicing, an application that provides hitless recovery of dropped packets via seamless convergence of main and backup streams. GatesAir said this and other integrated redundancy measures, ensure IP Link codecs match the performance reliability of traditional T1/E1 circuits, while significant lowering total cost of ownership.

Glensound has launched a range of USB interface units, comprising the Cub iPhone/Smartphone interface and two versions of the GS-GC5/USB commentary mixer with USB interface – one for PC and one for tablets.

All units offer XLR inputs, compressor/limiters, jack sockets for headphones and a digital USB interface to the PC, notepad or phone. Battery operated, they have on-air buttons, can adjust volume levels, and are in sturdy cases designed for outside broadcast use.

The Cub is a two-input, two-output digital mixer, with a USB audio interface for the iPhone or other smart devices. The iPhone connects to the Cub via a top panel mounted A-type USB plug. Adaptors for Apple Lightning Connector and 30-pin Apple interface leads are included. There is also a mini USB for connection to other smartphones, notepads, laptops or PCs.

The GS-GC5/USB has four inputs (mic/line/48V) and four independent headphone outputs. It is low profile with a flat top, making it a convenient base for laptop computer. All controls sit at the front of the PC, allowing users to access their mic on/off and gain controls. Each user also has

their own two-input headphone mixer. One input is a mix of the incoming audio, the other is the return cue audio. Large lithium-ion batteries keep the GS-GC5/USB running for over seven hours of operation.

A new A-D and D-A combination board for Hapi and Horus has been released by Merging Technologies that will instantly double the quantity of analogue I/O available on the networked audio interfaces.

This brings the analogue I/O count up to 48 in/48 out on Horus, while Hapi is now capable of 16 in/16 out or 8 in/8 out with MADI.

Despite the extra component density, Merging said the performance of the new ADA8 A-D and D-A option card is

virtually identical to the AD8 and DA8 components that are still in the range, and thus could be mixed and matched to form a huge range of I/O combinations.

New versions of Pyramix, Ovation and VCube are being launched following the introduction of new 64-bit versions of the software.

Major enhancements for the Pyramix virtual studio relate to virtual transport improvements, archiving metadata workflows and digital album publishing for DSD/DXD multichannel releases.

Pluxbox will exhibit a full suite of multimedia applications for making, managing and broadcasting radio. Pluxbox’s Visual Radio range is fully integrated with websites, apps

A box about Cox

Professor Brian Cox, the world-renowned physicist and multiple award-winning broadcaster, is to speak at IBC2014. Cox will take part in the IBC Conference keynote session ‘Television’s Expanding Universe’ on Sunday 14 September. Originally inspired to become a physicist by the landmark TV series Cosmos, today Cox is motivating a new generation of inquiring minds through

the multiplatform world of television, social media and the internet.

“I’m very much looking forward to speaking at IBC2014,” he says.

“Television programmes like Carl Sagan’s Cosmos and James Burke’s Connections had a great influence on me when I was younger, and it’s my view that television is still the most powerful and direct way of inspiring a new generations of viewers. Integrating television with social media and the internet enhances that potential. But of course power comes with responsibility, and while we celebrate our continuing success, we must also take our responsibility to educate, inform and influence seriously. Can we still strive to be Reithian in today’s multi-platform, multichannel world? We’d better try if we want to remain relevant, influential, and successful.”

...and again

Digigram...

Glensound

Merging Technologies

showpreview IBC18 l September 2014 www.psneurope.com

When? 11–16 September

and other points of user access, which the company claims will help create multimedia radio experiences to grow and interact with audiences. These can be accessed on TV, via internet streaming, on RadioVIS, using DAB streams, on-demand and as slideshows.

Among the tools on display is

Pluxbox Radio manager which enables programme makers and presenters to create visual slideshows for digital radio through DAB+ and RadioVIS. Controllable at the push of a button, these are effectively apps for weather, amber alerts, traffic information and so on made with HTML5, CSS3 and Javascript. With the ability to contain dynamic data and be automatically generated in real time, Pluxbox said they allow the presenter to develop a rich interactive relationship with the listeners.

Prism Sound’s Multichannel audio interfaces Titan and Atlas, produced are making

their European debut at IBC. Via a USB interface Titan

and Atlas offer analogue and digital I/O for Mac or Windows at sample rates up to 192kHz. In addition, both units feature the new MDIO interface expansion slot, which can be used to expand its connectivity, for example by adding a direct connection to Pro Tools HDX systems.

Titan has four microphone inputs, while Atlas has eight and is aimed at multitrack recording applications. Each offers eight analogue output channels, up to 10 digital output channels and stereo headphone outputs, to play 20 different channels.

For low-latency fold back or monitoring to headphones or main outputs, each output pair can optionally be driven from the built-in DSP mixer with an individual local mix of any selection of inputs through the supplied controller applet.

Both Atlas and Titan are designed with Prism Sound’s latest CleverClox clocking technology, designed to remove jitter from any reference sync source before it is used as a conversion timebase.

Prism Sound shall showcase the latest upgrade to the SADiE 6 audio recorder and editor software.

The new version of SADiE 6 now caters for engineers who want to work with Broadcast WAV (BWF) files, which incorporate ISRC data. An ISRC in BWF feature is included in SADiE’s WAV Master option and is in the SADIE version 6.1 update as part of the Mastering Suite and Sound Suite packs.

SADiE also features enhanced video support for BlackMagic Design Decklink cards, as well as timecode support on SADiE native systems, where the ASIO audio hardware used supports timecode functionality.

RTW’s standard-format DAW plug-in is the first in a new monitoring product line, initially in VST 2.4 format for Windows and RTAS for Mac OS. Full VST, RTAS and native AAX64 support on both platforms will follow.

Each RTW Loudness Tools Masterclass PlugIn visually depicts audio with all relevant level and loudness values as specified by international standards. It conforms to the EBU R128 loudness standard, as well as SPL, ITU-R BS.1770-3/1771-1, ATSC A/85, ARIB, and custom (to set OP-59, AGCOM). The company said it provides essential loudness metering without strangling the normal audio processing capability of the workstation.

The instruments provide graphical/numerical, as well as bargraph views, and can be freely rearranged and scaled. Various function parameters, such as integration time, operational range and tolerance, along with a number of viewing options for metering data and

scales, offer extra flexibility. RTW said the plug-in was

also a handy tool for quality control, offering the precision and ease of use required to ensure compliance with custom specifications. Operation of the plug-in is highly intuitive, claimed the company, stating that even users without a great deal of experience in monitoring loudness can use it effectively.

New features for MADI-Bridge, the MADI to Dante IP audio network interface, have been released. They include bidirectional 44.1kHAz/48kHz/ 88.2kHz/96kHz sample rate conversion and a new split mode.

Part of SSL’s new Network I/O Range, MADI-Bridge is the industry’s first fully broadcast-ready interface between MADI and Dante, according to the company.

With 64 channels per Bridge at 48kHz, or 32 channels at 96kHz, as well as redundant MADI, IP network ports and PSU, SSL said the Bridge is built for uninterrupted, fully-redundant operation.

In addition to the built-in clock redundancy in Dante controller, the MADI-Bridge includes a pair of sync inputs for use as a self-redundant Dante Grand Master clock. The unit can synchronise to video sync, tri-level or black and burst, word clock, MADI or PTP Network sync.

MADI-Bridge also features a front panel headphone socket with rotary level control, as well as built-in headphone monitor routing. The company said the bridge could replace traditional patch bay routing and fault-finding functionality with equivalents in the IP audio domain. GPIO connections allow for transfer of tally info and switching functions across the network with the audio.

New PLUS versions of the SSL C100 and C10 broadcast consoles are being showcased for the European market, accompanied by a bundle of Production Assistant software.

The new C100 HD PLUS large-format console is designed to offer a complete production solution for news and sports in a single, standard, high-power configuration.

It offers redundant Blackrock

Pluxbox Radio manager


showpreviewIBC

Processor cards in a compact 2U rack, to process 588 audio mix paths with 256 channels of six-band EQ and 284 channels of dynamics with 512 channels of integrated MADI I/O.

With frame sizes from 16 to 48 faders, SSL said the compact, self-contained and fanless C10 HD PLUS console can be built into vans for ENG operations, specified for network-scale sports productions or positioned for all-round production demands in mid-scale broadcast facilities.

Integrated into the C10 HD PLUS, the Blackrock Processor card offers 216 audio paths with 160 channels of six-band EQ and 188 channels of dynamics with 512 channels of integrated MADI I/O. The console also features a redesigned fader panel colour scheme, while the button-driven surface is intended to make life easy for

new operators. The new Studer A-Link

digital audio interface system will be on display in Amsterdam. The system is designed to connect the huge number of audio channels supported by the Infinity Core DSP of the new Vista X console. The company has also announced that Evertz now includes A-Link as a standard direct interface into its range of router products.

The A-Link interface uses

standard SFP (Small Form-factor Pluggable) optical interfaces. These are widely used in the telecommunications industry and a huge range of compatible modules are available, offering multimode and single mode operations with wavelengths from 800nm to 1,600nm and distances of up to 80km without repeaters.

The new Studer Infinity Core DSP engine offers 12 of the new A-Link ports on a PCI-express card, capable of over 5,000

inputs and 5,000 outputs for the huge I/O interface counts required of the new processing engine. A newly designed, D23m high-density I/O system is used to break out these A-Link connections to standard analogue, digital and video interfaces.

New A-Link DSP cards are available for the Studer SCore Live DSP engine and can be retrofitted to existing systems.

The A-Link interface also provides direct connection to the MediorNet distributed router, allowing multiple Infinity Cores to be connected together.

The new WinPublish module is able to streamline content publishing on RDS using the UECP protocol, as well as on social networks. Available now for WinMedia Radio, advanced scenarios offer a wide array of setup options, including live text display. An integrated workflow engine automates processes in the background to assist distribution.

WinPublish also adds a new interactive dimension to radio programmes by managing social media content; it is able to easily select users’ posts to be used on the station website.

The MAM-based WinMedia Radio covers the entire news and music production chain and offers fast content delivery to multiple devices.

The new WinSales platform from the company can also be fully integrated with WinMedia Radio, boosting business management and real-time online ad booking. www.2wcom.comwww.uk-dab.infowww.canford.co.ukwww.customconsoles.co.ukwww.digigram.comwww.gatesair.comwww.glensound.co.ukwww.ibc.orgwww.merging.comwww.pluxbox.comwww.prismsound.comwww.rtw.comwww.solid-state-logic.comwww.studer.ch

SSL MADI-Bridge

SSL C series

Avid has announced that Robert Rodriguez and his team at Troublemaker Studios used Avid Everywhere to create the 3D feature film Sin City: A Dame To Kill For. “Rodriguez’s vision for his latest feature was brought to life by the Avid MediaCentral Platform, using solutions from the Avid Artist Suite (including Pro Tools sound editing and mixing) and Avid Storage Suite, to power fast, efficient and collaborative workflows,” says the solution developer. www.avid.com

Westlake Pro has launched its new and redesigned website along with a full-featured online store. To celebrate the launch, the company is hosting a sweepstakes throughout September and will be giving away 30 prizes from a host of top pro-audio brands. The new website features a clean interface that is built for speed and allows customers to search for gear by brand or category, find studio services and access the blog for valuable technical and educational content all within a few clicks.The September Sweepstakes are now open. www.westlakepro.com

The new Instrument Development Toolkit for Rack Extensions is now available from Propellerhead . The toolkit is said to make it easy for sample library producers and instrument designers to build and sell Rack Extensions for the Reason platform as well as enabling developers to create instruments and bring them to market with minimum effort.www.propellerheads.se

DAD AX32 converters captured the audio during a recording of a recent concert with José van Dam & YOU in Brussels. The recording was made at the city’s largest cultural venue, the Palais des Beaux-Arts, for the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel. Other performers included the National Orchestra of Belgium and soloists. The concert was streamed directly over the web using low-latency uncompressed audio-over-Ethernet networking.www.digitalaudio.dk

SOUNDBITES


Studio For the latest studio news www.psneurope.com/studio

JERRY EVANS and Tad Barker, co-founders of the ‘Tickle’ equipment hire outfit (now Tickle Audio Hire) have sold their business premises to a property developer. The Old Dairy complex in Queen’s Park, London, where Tickle has been based for the past 20 years, has been sold on behalf of the partnership by global property advisor Colliers International to Westminster Housing Association for £4,950,000 (freehold).

“We held on longer than

most,” Evans told PSNEurope, reflecting on the number of studios sold for residential redevelopment in the last few years, “but the pressure to sell got too much.”

The Old Dairy is a “10,500sqft complex comprising attractive brick-built buildings set across 0.24 acres, including two residential apartments and 12 parking spaces”, according to a press release issued by Colliers; it has already “experienced high levels of interest from a number of parties”.

“We have 13 rooms here,” detailed Evans. “We gave everyone loads of notice and have tried to help everyone find somewhere else to go.”

MPG and Brit Award-winning producer duo Flood and Alan Moulder used to have a room on the premises, where they worked with U2, among others. Evans said that Beethoven Street Studios, also owned by him and Barker and just down the road from Tickle, had been lying empty since Paul Epworth left to take up residence at the Church

in Crouch End – until Mark Ralph’s recent arrival. Picking up a seven-year lease, producer Ralph (Clean Bandit, Hot Chip) has reinvigorated the SSL room and is planning further production rooms at the site.

Evans noted that he and Barker had leased the property back from the new owner until December, while they look at “options and property”. “At this point,” he added, “we have every intention of continuing Tickle Audio Hire.” www.ticklemusichire.com

UNITED KINGDOM

North London premises have been sold to developer for £4.95 million, writes Dave Robinson

Tickle Audio Hire to vacate Old Dairy yard

Tickle is selling its home of the past 20 years


studioUNITED KINGDOM

TWO YEARS ago, Jonathan Dodd met with friend and Incognito keyboardist Matt Cooper for lunch and a chat about a grand piano – a purchase Dodd was considering. When the conversation turned to work Cooper had recently completed using Yamaha’s Disklavier range (a hybrid digital/analogue piano with MIDI input and storage capabilities), it, if you will, struck a chord with Dodd.

“Matt said he had done a session in Malaysia and was able to correct the file afterwards; they had sent him the MIDI file, he corrected it and sent it back. I thought I could offer a service like that as well, and so the idea of Realpiano was born.”

Realpiano turns its clients’ MIDI files into a high-quality audio recording of – what else – a real piano. Specifically, a 7ft hand-built Yamaha DS6M4PRO Disklavier grand piano. Having worked with producers and musicians throughout his career, Dodd was well aware of the cost and potential problems piano recording can involve.

As he explains, the idea behind Realpiano is “to provide a really high-end piano recording facility without any of those problems we had

encountered previously, and at an affordable price. A full session in a good recording studio with a good piano is going to cost around £1,000 a day once you’ve paid for piano tuning, engineers and session musicians. So for you to be able to send your MIDI file, and for me to edit a couple of things if necessary and then send you back a real grand piano version of your piece – at a fraction of that price – is a pretty cool thing.”

Just last month Dodd moved his studio to its new location in Farnham Common, Buckinghamshire, not too far from Pinewood Studios. The facility is also available for hire, but it’s Realpiano’s remote work that had Dodd and Yamaha working closely together to bring the business to life.

It was David Halford, Yamaha’s business development manager for acoustic pianos who initially picked up on the idea, says Dodd. “I got in touch with Yamaha and they were amazed because they hadn’t thought of the Disklavier piano being used to provide musicians and creative people with real piano versions of their tracks.”

The conversation led to a meeting with Charles Bozon, sales and marketing director at

Yamaha Music, who arranged for Dodd to purchase the newest of the Disklavier series, the E3. Unforutnately, as Dodd explains, “it’s true to say it had software problems”.

After eight months of sending files back and forth between Dodd, Yamaha UK and engineers at the company’s Japanese headquarters, both Dodd and Yamaha had to agree that the E3 wasn’t the right fit for Realpiano – at least, not at that time.

“David and Charles both

picked it up and ran with it, almost against the odds,” says Dodd. “When it was clear that the first piano wasn’t living up to expectations, they could’ve gone ‘well, we’re really sorry but it’s not going to work’, but they went out on a limb because they knew how hard I tried to make it work.”

A minor miracle enabled Bozon to secure the DS6M4PRO for Dodd. EU Trading standards had prohibited any further sale of the higher-end models, which featured more sophisticated software, within Europe. It just so happened a school in the UK had returned one they recently purchased – the last M4PRO in the country – as it was too complex for their needs. But it was perfect for Realpiano, and just as PSNEurope was going to press, Dodd received a new software upgrade, too.

“It’s really exciting because it has taken many months and embraces so many of the factors that we brought to their attention,” he adds. What’s more, Yamaha has since also given its E3 software a full upgrade.

As for the rest of Realpiano’s recording chain, it starts with a pair of Brauner microphones – the VMX pure cardioid and

Valvet. The signal then runs into a Prism Sound Orpheus, which is a relatively new purchase for Dodd. Unsure of which model to buy, he called up Prism Sound and ended up discussing the business with a “very supportive” Graham Boswell, Prism Sound’s founder.

“A couple of days later this truck arrived with five or six Prism Sound units, all fantastic pieces of kit, I sat in the studio and thought ‘how am I going to choose?’ It’s like having the whole series of Ferraris to choose from!”

For a different flavour of mic pre, a GP Electronics PML200E is also available. Monitoring is provided by a pair of Dynaudio BM6 monitors, and Mackie HR626 and HRS120 monitors, and files are recorded into either Logic Pro or MOTU’s Digital Performer 7.

Aside from work for the production music, TV and film industry, Realpiano has also contributed to recordings from artists globally: Canada, Israel, Australia, Brazil, France… even a remote island north of Norway in the Bering Sea. “That’s very often the most exciting thing to be involved in because you’re part of something that’s purely creative,” says Dodd. www.realpiano.co.uk

A new remote piano recording service says it’s “proud to have played a part” in music made around the world, writes Erica Basnicki

The Realpiano manJonathan Dodd

The Realpiano set-up also includes kit from Prism Sound, Dynaudio and Mackie

The Disklavier, rigged up with Brauner mics


studioBELGIUM

LOCATED IN the outskirts of Antwerp, Bobonne Records was launched as a platform for young artists to release their own material. The plan to open a recording studio came when founder Guido Op de Beeck finished recording tracks with his band Matt Watts & The Calicos. “It had to be an analogue studio; I knew there was a market for it,” Op de Beeck says. “The idea of working without overdubs, no safety nets, capturing the full spontaneity on tape, requiring 100% concentration during the process…”

Op de Beeck teamed up with sound engineer Joan Gimenez, who, with a two-year education in audio engineering in Barcelona, shared the same preference for the analogue domain.

The whole project became a reality in March, with the ground floor of Op de Beeck’s late grandmother’s house (“grandma” is bobonne in Flemish) becoming a recording studio.

Built around a genuine Studer A80 eight-track recorder and a D&R Triton 24-channel, eight-bus mixing desk, Bobonne Records’ studio projects a pure vintage atmosphere. The original looks of the house were left intact; a 25cm-thick acoustic glass wall separates the control room from the live room. The latter is equipped with adjustable Auralex and Vicoustic acoustic panels, but Op de Beeck is convinced that preserving the original acoustics adds to the value of the recording.

“The Triton console sounds extremely transparent, with excellent EQs and plenty of headroom,” comments Gimenez. “The desk includes the original [Triton] Floating Subgroup System (FSS), allowing [us] to route any input signal to an unlimited number of outputs. We replaced the original patch bay ourselves, but it’s nice to know that the guy who designed the console is just

at the other end of the phone,” In addition to peripherals like

a Summit Audio TLA-100A valve (tube) leveler, a Kendrick spring reverb tank, two Heritage Audio 1073 preamps, a Drawmer 1960 stereo preamp/valve compressor and ART valve preamps, Bobonne uses a MOTU 986 eight-channel A-D converter to bring the analogue sounds into the 21st century. “For vinyl recordings, we handle the whole process,” explains Op de Beeck. “We use the 986 interface at the end of the recording process so that clients can export their recordings to platforms like iTunes.”

Staf Verbeeck, the former owner of Jet Studio in Brussels, takes on the mastering of Bobonne’s tape material. “I’m a fan of what Bobonne does – recording on tape requires full focus from everybody involved,” says Verbeeck, who, as well as teaching tape technology at Brussels SAE, works in his hybrid mix studio in Antwerp. “Sound-wise, tape offers advantages in terms of saturation, low-end bump and smoother high end.”

“Staf was very helpful in getting the studio started,” comments Op de Beeck. “He’s a true Studer expert and assisted in calibrating the A80 – quite important because we want to have masters directly from tape.”

Bobonne studios’ microphone collection, which includes Shure’s SM and SH series, Oktava, Electro-Voice, Neumann KU 100 and Sennheiser MD 421 mics, is topped by a vintage RCA Type 77-D ribbon microphone. “Rather than vintage, I would say [these mics are] ‘high quality’,” says Gimenez. “The combination of microphones and reverbs urges our clients to make choices before the actual recording sessions start – not easy but the result is so much better.”

JBL 4312 nearfields, Yamaha NS-10s and ’70s Auratone monitors complete Bobonne Records’ studio configuration. All of the cabling – some 800m altogether – was soldered and

installed by the two audio engineers. The studio further offers an impressive backline and music inventory, their “pride and joy” ranging from 1960s Gibson and Fender guitars to 1930s gypsy guitars, Hammond and Fender Rhodes 88 MkI keyboards and Ampeg, Fender and Vox amplifiers.

Guido and Joan are aware that, for upcoming talent, recording in analogue is not evident – in the first months after opening, the studio mainly attracted established bands such as folk rock trio

Laïs, who came to record vocal sessions at Bobonne.

“The main prejudice we’re dealing with is that young bands think recording in analogue makes the whole much more expensive,” concludes Op de Beeck. “In that respect, artists like Jack White are the perfect advocates for analogue recording. He’s well known with the younger bands, and demonstrates that the complexity of his sound is perfectly captured on analogue equipment.” www.bobonnerecords.com

It’s not all digital these days – some bands appreciate the challenge of analogue recording, says Marc Maes

Grandma’s recipe for Bobonne Records

“The main prejudice we’re dealing with is that young bands think recording in analogue makes the whole much more expensive” Guido Op de Beeck

Guido Op de Beeck and Joan Gimenez in the Bobonne control room

Op de Beeck loading up the Studer A80


feature

EARLIER THIS year, the Labour Party in the UK commented on the “rising tide of insecurity” in the wider British job market, which is seeing temporary and ‘zero-hours’ contracts becoming more widespread. It’s a similar story throughout continental Europe: as Ilan Brat and Giada Zampano, journalists from Madrid and Rome, respectively, wrote in the Wall Street Journal last month, “[M]any younger Europeans can hope for little more than poorly paid, short-term contracts […] Employers in many countries are reluctant to hire on permanent contracts because of rigid labour rules and sky-high payroll taxes that go to funding the huge pension bill of their parents.”

Nathan Lively, a US-based sound designer/engineer and founder of the blog Sound Design Live, echoes those sentiments with regards to the state of the professional audio market: “Training and education in pro audio is extremely important – not just because technology is continually changing, but because contract and freelance labour is the way of the future, requiring a new attitude of business development. Audio professionals need to think and act like entrepreneurs. This is not a meritocracy.”

Lively rebuffs the widely repeated truism that it is harder than ever to break into the industry, instead pointing to a sense of entitlement among the next generation of sound engineers. “My experience is that the industry has not changed much, but people have,” he comments. “The barriers to entry are not any higher now, but people expect that the unique and valuable skills they have

been developing should launch their career like a rocket – ignoring networking, marketing and sales until they are burned out, blaming their failure on a lack of opportunity.”

But at a time when much of the Western world has record numbers of graduates and no one to employ them, does everyone working in studio sound need to be educated to such a high level? Mick Olesh, co-founder of Tel Aviv-headquartered plug-in developer Waves Audio, isn’t so sure.

“There are several market segments that have a strong need for education and others that do very well with basic-to-none,” Olesh says. “[For example], we have witnessed the growth of the EDM market – a segment that is the largest single profi t achiever for the last several years [but where] many of the top ‘artists’ create their work with no formal education. The industry provides them with tools that are ‘no-brainers’ – ‘one-knob’ audio enhancers that enable them to use their talent [and make] go/no-go decisions, all within the surrounding of their comfort zone [and] working space.

“On the other hand, you fi nd the top-ranking, inspiring engineers and producers who have thousands of followers [and] need to know every little bit of info in order to present their masterpieces to the audience. So, do we need education? Yes, very much so – however, not everyone needs it!”

Olesh agrees with Lively that pro audio is no harder to break into than the secluded world of “100 [or so] guys walking to the APRS or AES 20+ years ago”. “It’s way more competitive – in a very good sense – than it was before,” he says. “The

opportunities today are greater than ever, and they keep on expanding. You don’t need to hold on for years to get a break in the industry – it’s way easier now to wake up to the challenge and do your own thing. There’s no need for the million-dollar control room – although that’s not a bad thing to have…

“Yes, it is way more competitive… although I do not believe it is harder; it’s just very different, in that your exposure nowadays is instant. The rise and fall of a track or performer is within a twitch of a ‘like’!”

Christian Huant, principal of international audio college Alchemea, naturally has an interest in seeing his recent graduates do well – but suggests that experienced studio hands willing to go the extra mile still possess the advantage over the throngs of fresh-faced university alumni. “There are literally thousands of college and university graduates out there – and some with no training at all, actually – falling over themselves to make it in the industry,” he comments, “[which] often means doing work for free to get a foot on the ladder and make contacts. But how can established professionals compete with that?

“The answer is through the quality of their work. Something done quickly by a beginner with limited access to equipment

cannot rival what a seasoned professional will achieve with (hopefully) higher-grade equipment, so, in my opinion, it is all about the quality of the work being done – [something] many clients sadly may not embrace when contemplating the fi nancial implications.”

“I was lucky enough to secure a job straight after my degree,” says Elliott Whyte, applications engineer at Prism Sound, “but I know many people who have had to do unpaid internships before they even get a look at an interview for a paid job.” The ubiquity of the internship – particularly in the creative industries – is another symptom of the oversaturated European jobs market, and 2013 graduate Whyte is keen to stress the importance of making oneself attractive to employers beyond simple qualifi cations: “There are lots of people who want to [work

in pro audio] because it is an interesting and enjoyable area, so the key thing is to make sure you stand out – go above and beyond what is required for your training.”

One area in which recent graduates may have the edge is in the rise of newer technologies like hybrid systems and IT-based networking. David Ward, executive director of Joint Audio Media Education Support (JAMES), which offers course accreditation for audio recording/music production, music composition and audio post-production for fi lm and TV, suggests that studio and broadcast engineers should be looking outside professional audio as a means of keeping up with the latest developments.

“The keywords here are integration and integrated systems,” he says. “It is vital that people working in our

As the industry continues to become ever-more competitive, a consensus is increasingly emerging on the need for more comprehensive pro-audio education and training. In the fi rst of two parts, Jon Chapple cornered audio professionals and training providers for their take

Making the grade in studio/broadcast

Teaching post-production and game sound at Alchemea College, London

PSNTRAINING

PSNEurope launched PSNTraining, our dedicated online training section, editorial page and fortnightly newsletter, in June.

As our three-way vehicle to bring you the latest dispatches from the pro-audio training world, PSNTraining highlights courses, projects, online packages, demo days and teaching seminars and hosts videos, white papers and a diary to keep you up to date with training days and events.

If you think you can contribute, drop PSNEurope editor Dave Robinson a line on [email protected]/training

“The opportunities today are greater than ever, and they keep on expanding. You don’t need to hold on for years to get a break in the industry – it’s way easier now to wake up to the challenge and do your own thing” Mick Olesh, Waves

industry have not only up-to-date knowledge of technological developments in our own sector, but also knowledge of other sectors…”

Huant also emphasises the value of ‘going above and beyond’ in an industry he says is “at its most competitive now”. Pointing to the ever-changing nature of technology in the studio and broadcast environments, he states that employers no longer have time to teach employees “everything they need from the ground up” and that “a certain amount of

basic knowledge is expected”.“That basic knowledge is

actually not [that] basic,” he explains. “It is not simply about knowing what button to press on the software in order to record or rename something. An applicant [for a studio/broadcast role] would be expected to have an understanding of not just how things are done, but why.

“Good workflows, avoiding basic errors, a good work ethic, making regular backups and, above all, proficiency that leads to speed are the skills that are really required – and these

can’t necessarily be picked up in a book, but [have to be learned] through training with professionals who know the bigger picture and can teach techniques by putting them in context.”

Huant believes ‘upskilling’ – that is, an established professional learning new skills – is also essential: “Professionals who understand their tools fully can also adapt when the inevitable changes come. Some changes are profound, but, usually, it’s just a different skin with an improved algorithm… The tasks remain fundamentally the same.”

Obviously, there’s no such thing as a free lunch, but in David Ward’s opinion, individuals and organisations “have to start to see training as an investment and not a cost”. “Many of our trade organisations have made a brave effort to structure continuing professional development (CPD),” he comments, “but the time has now come when all [these] organisations have to come together, put aside their political differences and work towards creating cohesive industry-wide training. Our industry has to do this for itself, but relying on government funding and the various bodies is too convoluted to meet urgent needs.”

feature


“Professionals who understand their tools fully can adapt when the inevitable changes come. Some changes are profound, but usually it’s just a different skin with an improved algorithm” Christian Huant, Alchemea

TRAINING DIRECTORY

ACM@MetropolisThe Academy of Contemporary Music is continuing its educational partnership with the Metropolis Group, owner of the studio of the same name, with two new Music Industry Qualification (IQ) courses which will run from the west London studios from January 2015.

The two confirmed IQ courses – in contemporary songwriting and artist development; and music production – will run over a 26-week period, during which time music production students will have access to ACM@Metropolis’s facilities, including the Metropolis recording studios and networking opportunities at ACM’s Guildford campus.www.acm.ac.uk/metropolis

AlchemeaAlchemea, one of the world’s leading audio colleges, offers both full-time courses for beginners and short courses aimed at established industry professionals wanting to keep up-to-date with evolving technologies.

“Our short courses department is Avid’s premier European Pro Tools training centre,” explains principal Christian Huant. “We also offer Apple Logic, Ableton Live and FMOD training; recording, mixing and mastering weekend masterclasses; courses in music composition, music business and practical audio electronics; and an advanced short course about mixing in 5.1 surround.”

The 5.1 course includes up-to-date information and workflows regarding recent broadcast loudness legislation and is currently eligible for a number of Skillset bursaries – meaning audio professionals can attend at highly subsidised rates. “Enough to cater to most people’s needs,” says Haunt, “although if we’ve missed something, we also offer bespoke training – so do give us a ring!”www.alchemea.com

CEDAR AudioBritish audio restoration company CEDAR unveiled a brand-new training facility at its Cambridge headquarters in May. Up to four students at a time are able to take advantage of hands-on product training that the company says will equip them to tackle audio restoration for remastering, archives and libraries; problem solving in post and broadcast; and forensic casework.Courses are currently being offered on an irregular, ad hoc basis. www.cedar-audio.com

Nathan LivelyAmerican sound designer and engineer Lively’s first coaching programme for sound engineers, From Surviving to Thriving, launched with “six highly-motivated professionals” in August.

Lively says he’s “expecting great things from this group” on the 12-week course, which aims to combine the “best training content on career advice, job search, technical training, creative expression, self promotion, health and nutrition with valuable industry knowledge […] in a business coaching programme designed to help sound engineers, sound designers and AV technicians reach new levels of fun and cashflow in their careers”.

Portuguese From Surviving to Thriving participant Martim Cunha Rego says Lively’s coaching programme is “having a very positive outcome on my career and personal life”. www.nathanlively.com

TRAINING DIRECTORY

Prism SoundIn addition to private group or one-to-one training sessions and regular webinars, studio equipment specialist Prism Sound is known for its Mic to Monitor roadshows. Now in their sixth year, Mic to Monitor events consist of technical talks from various pro-audio manufacturers followed by a talk from a prominent mixing or mastering engineer on their experiences, tips and advice.

On the test and measurement side, Prism Sound also offers Design Workshop LIVE sessions, which follow a similar structure but “are more focused on the underlying technology and design process”.www.prismsound.com

SAE InstituteThe erstwhile School of Audio Engineering, with some 54 facilities in 26 countries, is the daddy of post-secondary audio colleges. In addition to its flagship BA/BSc (Hons) audio production degree, SAE offers a six-month electronic music production course and degree-level qualification in music business, as well as other degrees covering film- and games-making and web development.www.sae.edu

Waves AudioAlthough, in the words of co-founder Mick Olesh, not everyone needs Waves’ training (or indeed any at all), for those who do, the plug-in company’s educational offerings comprise two editions of its Waves Certification Program (WPC): Waves Certification Program A and the upgraded Waves Gold Certification Program.

“In broad strokes, [WCP A] contains a Waves-branded USB drive preloaded with the PDF textbook, plug-in installer [RenEQ, RenComp, RenVerb, compression plug-in C1 and delay plug-in SuperTap 2-Tap are the included licences], demo material and a certification test opportunity,” explains Olesh.

WCP A – available as a package for each student with a discount for the university – can either be integrated into an existing class using the included demo sessions or used as a standalone offering. Upon completion of the instructor-led course, the students, who now own the five plug-ins, are offered the certification test through the Waves website. www.waves.com

Alchemea’s SSL Duality console


French broadcaster NRJ TV has purchased a Studer Vista 1 digital console for its Ethernet-based television control room. The facility manages the production of its NRJ 12 channels, Chérie 25 and NRJ Hits. “We have a variety of programming that takes place here at NRJ 12 and Chérie 25, so we need equipment that provides a high level of versatility to meet our varying needs,” says technical manager Cédric Drapeau. www.studer.ch

Warsaw-based post-production studio Dreamsound has become the first post-production house in Poland licensed to produce film soundtracks using Dolby Atmos. The Dolby Atmos JBL and Crown system is installed in a new 280sqft, 15-seat screening room. It employs a total of 32 JBL loudspeakers including ScreenArray 3731-T 3-way tri-amplified loudspeakers and 4642 dual-18” subwoofers. The loudspeakers are driven by a complement of Crown DSi 1000 and XLS 2500, XLS 2000, XLS 1500 and XLS 1000 amplifiers. www.harman.com

The newly completed ITV Cymru Wales broadcast production facility features an SSL C10 Compact Broadcast Console as the centrepiece for audio production. Having moved from its long-time location in Culverhouse Cross, the new building includes a news studio, production and sound galleries and editing, voice-over and dubbing suites. Technical systems integration for the project was handled by TSL Systems. The C10 is being used for live news programming, including the station’s main news programme Wales at Six.www.solid-state-logic.com

BFBS radio in Buckinghamshire has purchesed four Gefell M930 large-diaphragm condenser microphones, complete with EH93-P suspensions and matching Håkan P110 Pop Killers for its radio studio, as part of the complete refurbishment of its studio complex. www.microtechgefell.de

SOUNDBITES UNITED KINGDOM

THE BBC Proms are the epitome of British tradition - with Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory on the Last Night – but the concert season, broadcast on BBC TV and Radio 3, has become a showcase for innovation, not just with experimental and modern music but also new technologies to bring the atmosphere of the Royal Albert Hall to the listener and viewer.

To enhance the listening experience this year the BBC is testing 4.0 surround sound over the internet. The intention is for people around the world to be able to receive the live online transmissions using a standard connection, “a suitable web browser”, a surround sound card or HDMI output and a loudspeaker set-up with at least four speakers.

The experiment is being run by Radio 3 and BBC R&D and is, comments Rupert Brun, head of technology for BBC Radio, a continuation of the broadcaster’s aim to “bring the listener at home an exciting, immersive experience when listening to live concerts”. This, he says, began in 1958 with stereo, followed in the ’70s by quadraphonic sound and in recent years “wide dynamic range high-quality stereo (HD Sound)”.

The 4.0 online broadcasts are based on HTML5, which includes an Audio API (application programming interface) that enables web browsers to play surround sound without the need to download and install special software. Brun explains that because HTML5 also features the Mediasource API the MPEG-DASH (Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP) media delivery

standard, which is able to adjust the bit stream according to the available bandwidth, can be used to carry the data.

Brun says not all web browsers currently support HTML5 – and the Mediasource API in particular – but that tests proved Chrome on Windows 7 and Mac OSX did work. According to the frequently asked questions section of the BBC R&D site on this subject, Internet Explorer 11 will run it on Windows 8.1 only, while Safari, Opera and Firefox “do not support one or more of the

required features at this time”.To create the surround mix

additional microphones have been placed in the Albert Hall to supplement those already used for the standard Radio 3 stereo broadcast and the 5.1/stereo set-up for BBC Television. These extra mics are, explains Brun, “to offer a sense of the space and acoustic”. The stereo and surround mixes are made in BBC Radio Resources outside broadcast truck Sound 3, which is equipped with a 40-fader Stagetec Aurus digital console.

Brun says the 4.0 format was

chosen because the existing operational set-up is based on stereo. He adds that people do not need to worry about the centre or LFE channels as audio is not being sent to them but that some systems with small loudspeakers will run all the bass through the subwoofer, meaning it must be connected.

BBC R&D is encouraging reaction to the surround sound Proms on its blog and Twitter feed. www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/radio3/posts/BBC-Proms-in-Surround-Sound

The annual Promenade concerts feature extra sound coverage this year, as Kevin Hilton reports

BBC Radio 3 and R&D test 4.0 surround for The Proms

broadcastFor the latest studio news

www.psneurope.com/broadcast

Laura Mvula was the star of one of the Late Night Proms this yearPicture credit: Helen Aitchison

30 l September 2014

broadcast

UNITED KINGDOM

AUDIO IS A common cause of viewer complaints about television. In 2011 the BBC admitted that “bad sound” was the second most complained about topic on its website. This spring the BBC Academy, the broadcaster’s training and development department, put a fi gure of 22% on the level of protests on the subject. It is also the biggest cause of concern about TV broadcasting among members of the Voice of the Listener and Viewer (VLV), which campaigns on issues affecting public service broadcasting and for quality and diversity programming.

But Jamaica Inn, the BBC’s big drama production screened last Easter, created what sound recordist and chairman of the Institute of Professional Sound (IPS), Simon Bishop, describes as a “perfect storm”, involving a number of different elements. The fi rst episode of the three-part adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s novel had viewers contacting the BBC to say they did not understand much of what was being said in the programme.

Initially the BBC blamed this on “issues with the sound levels” and said these would be addressed for the remaining two episodes. When this did not solve the problem, with more than 1,000 complaints received over the three-night run, the broadcaster was forced to concede that a “variety of factors” was possibly responsible. Attention, both on social media and topical comedy shows such as Have I Got News for You, turned to the performance of Sean Harris as wreckers leader Joss Merlyn, whose Cornish accent and

mumbling delivery were deemed often incomprehensible.

Ben Stephenson, controller of BBC Drama Commissioning, later commented: “We have thoroughly looked into what caused the sound problems but there isn’t one explanation to single out alone. However, it has highlighted a range of problems that can occur with sound in drama and we would like to reassure audiences that we will learn from this to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”

There are strong industry rumours that the BBC is compiling a further report on the Jamaica Inn affair but a spokeswoman for the broadcaster said the matter had been looked into by Stephenson and his team and there would be no further statement from him, although the intention was to improve the situation.

There is some incredulity that this situation happened at all, given that the BBC Academy published guidance on best practice for recording and mixing sound in 2011. This was largely prompted by the results of a TV Audibility Survey requested by the VLV in 2007 but also followed another high-profi le row over sound.

Also in 2011 early episodes of science series Wonders of the Universe received 118 complaints about music drowning out the narration of Professor Brian Cox, who defended the production by saying it was designed as a “cinematic experience... not a lecture”. Despite this explanation later programmes were remixed and the BBC, working with the VLV and the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB), drew up

The furore earlier this year over sound intelligibility and mumbling actors following the BBC’s Jamaica Inn could lead to a change in attitude to how audio is handled on set and in post production, as Kevin Hilton reports

IPS calls for better audibility in TV sound


broadcast

guidelines for production staff on how to get the best audio for different types of programme.

Colin Browne, chairman of the VLV, says he is “disappointed” that the guidance was not followed in some cases. “The BBC was presented with this initiative in 2001 so I am concerned that the issue seems to be carrying on. It can’t be in anybody’s interest for a programme not to be understood,” he comments.

The IPS, which assisted in assessing the results of the TV Audibility Survey, has issued a statement on the subject in the wake of Jamaica Inn, or ‘Jamumble Inn’ as some in the sound industry are now calling it. This points out that in 1993, when the Corporation was being restructured on more free market lines by then director-general John Birt, the authority to reject a programme before transmission was transferred from operational and technical staff to the producer of the show concerned. Also at this time many full-time operations personnel left the BBC and were employed on a freelance basis.

Because of this, says the IPS, audio freelancers “may suggest alterations to a sound mix, can encourage directors to move to a quieter location, request a louder/clearer performance from artists, ask that the level of incident music or sound effects be lowered but... have no authority to insist it is done”. It adds that because of this some audio professionals have been cautious about “pushing their client too far”.

Simon Bishop observes that no one notices TV sound “until there is something wrong”. He adds that the IPS has heard of sound recordists using recent events to assert themselves when there is a problem with audio, and a re-take or other action is necessary, by warning directors, “You don’t want this to turn out like Jamaica Inn, do you?” As maligned as that production now is, Bishop concludes that it could serve a higher purpose: “I think Jamaica Inn will prove to be a good thing in TV because it will make people think more about sound than they did before.” www.ips.org.uk

Simon Bishop: “I think Jamaica Inn will prove to be a good thing in TV..


broadcastUNITED KINGDOM

RICHARD MEREDITH is in the enviable position of owning his own hire company as well as being an accomplished sound recordist. He was able to choose the right gear for the job when faced with recording a new reality game show with some demanding circumstances: Release the Hounds is set in a forest. A sometimes dense forest. At night.

Given the green light following a successful pilot in late 2013, Release the Hounds consolidates elements from other formats: a game show with the feel of Crystal Maze (remember that) meets Fear (a

US paranormal show) meets the Bush Tucker Trials – with cash prizes. The first series, presented by Reggie Yates, will be unleashed on ITV2. Meredith was contracted as sound supervisor in charge of audio recording for the show.

The Hounds set is a huge open forest several miles west of London with games happening all over it. After lengthy discussions, it was decided that the shoot would be done in studio style, with the director in a central gallery and all video feeds and audio incoming, as opposed to shooting ‘in camera’. The location was spread so far

and wide that managing media changes out in the field was deemed unrealistic – and bearing in mind the added complication of it being shot at night and the terrain on site was, in patches, so dense and inaccessible, making cable runs impossible. (Two galleries were needed in the end to make it possible!)

Meredith’s team initially considered the option of recording out in the field and sending a monitor mix to the director. However there were so many other elements that required the sound mixer to be near the production in the gallery that it was decided to run an audio gallery too – this came courtesy of the Ethos Audio truck.

Then, with such great distances involved, fibre runs were required in one form or another for the radio mic system. The method agreed was to run a receiver rack locally at the game and bring the audio back to the

Richard Meredith tells Dave Robinson that Lectrosonics was the only realistic choice for a specific set of criteria on forthcoming TV project Release The Hounds

Doggedly dependable “With the games designers coming up with ideas faster than Usain Bolt in the 100m – a lot of them involving several other artistes to be mic’d in addition to the main game contributors – I could see that flexibility would be the key” Richard Meredith

Reggie Yates hosts the forthcoming show


broadcast

truck over fibre (Ethos already a fibre infrastructure in place). The Studer Vista 5 console in Ethos could also run a redundant back-up fibre simultaneously alongside the main one, meaning that if the main fibre got damaged mid-game, then the console would invisibly switch to the spare.

Distances and durability determined the radio mic arrangement: Meredith plumped for five Lectrosonics “rack”-style receivers, easily portable and at times able to run off a 12V supply in some locations. The Lectrosonics systems were supplied by broadcast hire specialist The Audio Dept of west London.

Meredith explained: “With

the games designers coming up with ideas faster than Usain Bolt in the 100m, and a lot of them involving several other artistes to be mic’d in addition to the main game contributors, I could see that flexibility would be the key. Each Venue rack was loaded with nominally five receiver modules but we had the ability to increase or decrease as and when necessary if required. We generally ended up with 6/5/5/5/4.”

With a split crew running the operation – one set on nights filming the games and a second on days re-rigging for the next set of games, the sound team imposed a strict patching scenario. The fibre interface units at each game were all

given a thorough treatment of white labelling tape and each input and output on every end box was always allocated the same job, therefore any pair of fibres plugged into the truck always had the same inputs and outputs derived from the same place, irrespective of location of game. As there was no time to test individual feeds during the daytime rig, this consistency was essential to quickly fault find any missing feeds or returns to the game, during the short re-set period between every game on the night.

Meredith added: “We quickly established a routine and the nightcrew game-rigger, Bal Rayat, would potter about with a Venue rack tucked under one arm if extra receive channels were required at short notice – a very lightweight solution to moving six channels of radio mic receiver around.”

The other factor driving the choice of Lectrosonics was the transmitter. Production wanted as little interference as

possible with the game players to maximise a solitary feel, and sustain battery life. That, coupled with compact form factor, was perfect for the Lectrosonics SMDBs.

The whole system worked “amazingly well”, reports Meredith. Huge range was achieved in the forest using ALP650 active shark fins, identical performance from the SMDBs and the WM kit in all conditions and were able to react instantly with minimal disruption if plans

for radio mics changed late in the day, (which it did on several occasions) as additional receiver capacity was very easily deployed on a push-bike.

The last word from Richard Meredith: “One final Lectrosonics plus point was the ability to remotely alter the transmission gain, invaluable for all the barking dogs. Watch Release the Hounds on ITV2 to fully understand…” www.audiodept.co.ukwww.ethosaudio.co.ukwww.lectrosonics.co.uk

The crew prepare the props in the daylight, ready for late night scares

Richard Meredith at work in the twilight….


broadcastGERMANY

By Dave Robinson

LOCATION SOUND recording equipment manufacturer Sound Devices has created a service and repair facility in Berlin Adlershof, Germany’s principal science and technology park. The European Service Centre (ESC) is headed by Ginetta Fassio, an accomplished Tonmeister (the soubriquet for ‘qualified sound engineer’ in Germany) and Sound Devices product user for more than a decade.

Benefits to European customers should be obvious: shorter turnaround times and lower shipping costs. In addition, local users will also have closer contact with Sound Devices technicians. The facility is stocked with a full inventory of parts and features state-of-the-art repair equipment and Sound Devices factory-customised test stands.

“This new Service Centre is a big step for us and a testament to our commitment to our international customers,” says Matt Anderson, president of Sound Devices. “We are not only committed to creating the finest video and audio products, but also providing unrivalled

service to our customers. It is further proof of our continued growth and evolution as a company.”

The ESC aims to provide all levels of repair for the full Sound Devices and sister-brand Video Devices product ranges. The facility is in direct contact with all European distributors, further ensuring timely delivery of service. Customers should contact their local distributor directly if they need any repairs undertaken, the company advises.

Prior to the opening of the centre, repairs were either handled by a number of local distributors or the products were shipped back to the US.

Fassio’s technician team comprises qualified German electrical engineers both of whom have received special training at the Sound Devices corporate headquarters in Reedsburg, Wisconsin.

“Our doors are officially open and we are ready to begin handling any repairs needed in the area,” says Fassio.

Sound Devices LLC celebrated its 15th anniversary of operation in 2013. www.sounddevices.comwww.videodevices.com

Berlin facility is “testament to commitment to customers”

Sound Devices opens European Service Centre Sven Roederer, left, and Axel

Wilhelm with Tonmeister Ginetta Fassio


Southampton-based live hire company BCS replaced all of its wireless in-ear monitoring on James Arthur’s recent European tour with Shure’s PSM1000 system. The move came following on-going problems experienced by monitor engineer Matt Williams during the early dates with the artist’s previous IEM system. For the remaining tour dates, Arthur and his live band used 10 channels of PSM1000 with five dual-channel transmitters and 10 bodypack receivers. www.shuredistribution.co.uk

Events specialist satis&fy AG chose an L-Acoustics K1 system for this year’s Rock im Park and Rock am Ring festivals. The systems were tailored to meet the very different coverage requirements and production constraints of each venue. “There are other good systems out there, but I have always preferred the L-Acoustics stuff for its reliability, flexibility, and guaranteed even coverage,” says Arnd Wagner, sound designer for Rock am Ring.www.l-acoustics.com

Swiss rental and event production company show-concept.ch has recently purchased a JBL VTX V20 line array system and additional Crown amplifiers from Harman Professional distributors Dr. W.A. Guenther Audio Systems AG with the aim of broadening the range of services they offer. They are the first company in Switzerland to invest in JBL’s new generation, smaller format VTX system. www.harman.com

Adlib supplied technical solutions, system design/infrastructure, audio, lighting, AV and equipment for the 2014 International Festival for Business (IFB). Adlib invested around £250,000 in new equipment to provide a world-class setup for the event, which took place throughout Liverpool in June and July. The scope of Adlib’s work included helping to create the IFB’s Trade and Investment Hub and nerve centre inside the Merseytravel building on Mann Island and providing technical services and equipment for around 150 main festival events.www.adlib.co.ukwww.ifb2014.com

SOUNDBITES

live For the latest studio news www.psneurope.com/live

EUNITED KINGDOM

ENTEC SOUND & LIGHT, one of the UK’s longest established rental houses, has renewed its association with the three-day GuilFest music festival in Surrey, supplying sound design and equipment to the Main Stage in Stoke Park, central Guildford.

GuilFest ran for 21 years until it was declared insolvent with debts of £300,000 in 2012. Founder Tony Scott was granted permission to resurrect the event for 2014.

The rebirth of the festival marks a parallel rejuvenation for Entec, as Mark ‘Magic’ Ellis-Cope completes his three-month move into the role of head of sound following the retirement of industry veteran Dick Hayes.

Magic, who has worked with Entec on a freelance basis for over a dozen years, is evidently pleased with his new position. “It’s great!” he says. “[We’re] busy – very busy, which is a good thing. And getting busier. It’s nice to breathe new life into the company and move it forward.”

Magic says through the contacts he’s established he aims to bring new people (“clients and freelancers”) into the Entec fold – “and a slightly different outlook”.

“We’ve always stayed at the forefront as regards systems, processing and digital desks,” he explains. “Now it’s making sure we stay at the front: we need to futureproof ourselves and keep up with the times. Everything’s ever changing in this industry, but I’m hoping my tech-savviness can be used to our advantage.”

Ellis-Cope served as crew chief and RF tech at GuilFest, working alongside production

manager Paul Warner, which saw Entec deploy a d&b system design based on a concept developed by sound engineer Liam Halpin: nine d&b J-Series large-format line array speakers plus the distributed bass array across the front of the stage.

Two Avid Profile consoles, in a flip-flop arrangement, were the default for bands who didn’t bring their own desk, with a Midas PRO1 for mixing the compere and switching between the two Avid Profile FOH consoles.

At the stage end, Entec provided two Yamaha PM5Ds on monitor duty.

The biggest challenge of the weekend was managing the radio frequencies, the rental house reports. With the Guildford Transmitter in close proximity and the site also falling into the coverage catchment area of Crystal Palace, the RF spectrum is very busy.

“It can be a little fun at times but we didn’t experience any issues, and with careful planning the show again went off very smoothly,” says Magic.

Although rental jobs such as

GuilFest are very much Entec’s forte, this is not where Magic wants to grow the business. “We’d like to do more in the touring market,” he says. “We

do a lot of one-off events, and through that we’ve lost our way a little. We’re set up to do it – so yes, more touring!” www.entec-soundandlight.com

The veteran rental house renews its association with the reborn Surrey festival, writes Dave Robinson

GuilFest returns as Magic steps into major Entec role

Kool and the Gangat GuilFest

Bob Geldof performed with the Boomtown Rats

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liveUNITED KINGDOM

AS THE famed choreographer Merce Cunningham once said about one of his events, it was “not so much an evening of dances as the experience of dance”. Behind London’s Southbank Centre in a building not even a year old, esteemed ballet company Rambert recently held a series of four dance “events” inspired by Cunningham’s work, the last of which was performed in July 2014.

The event featured costumes and sets based on artworks by internationally renown painter Gerhard Richter, and music composed and performed live by Radiohead drummer Philip Selway, Adem Ilhan, and Quinta (Katherine Mann).

Set in two separate studios inside Rambert’s new rehearsal space, the event allowed audiences to roam from one room to another. The musicians also rotated between both spaces, incorporating a visual element to the music.

Central to their performance was a Xylosynth by Wernick (a MIDI mallet percussion controller) that Selway had purchased specifically for this project. “We just wanted to be able to generate quite a large sound between the three of us,” says Selway. “So it came down to deconstructing a lot of samples and then playing them as a piece. It’s an extension of putting a piece together on an MPC.”

Acoustic instruments were often played with an unconventional twist, including bowing a vibraphone and adding metal objects to a piano’s soundboard. Unseen but definitely heard were on-the-fly manipulations of the live music using Ableton Live.

“From the outset, when I was initially talking to Jeannie Steele, former Cunningham dancer and Rambert

event director and choreographer who staged the event, she wanted to have the whole experience integrated so that the musicians would be there as part of the whole performance rather than being hidden away in an orchestra pit or something like that,” explains Selway.

“She wanted it to be – as Cunningham events have always been – a different experience for people coming to this particular event. That sense of being able to get up that close to dancers, or to be able to move around and see what the musicians are actually doing... it broke down the normal performance barriers I think, and it just made for a very immersive experience.”

It also had all the makings of a technical nightmare: not only were there two live sound events happening simultaneously, they were on two different floors of the building.

Fortunately for the event’s sound designer and engineer Gavin McComb (who regularly tours with Radiohead), Rambert’s new home has been designed and built with a state-of-the-art technical infrastructure that connects three of the five studios to a central control room with viewing windows to two of the studios making the sound design easier to achieve technically.

“The control room is very interesting; although it’s in the centre of the building, it’s fed by natural light from both studios on either side, so you can see the outside through the studios, it makes for a very ergonomic environment,” says Jonathan Clarence, Rambert’s sound engineer. “There’s five studios altogether. Three of the studios have patch panels in the walls that include Ethernet, video, microphone tie lines and speakers lines, and they all

British dance company Rambert teamed up with Philip Selway to create a “moving” dance event that put audiences in the middle of the action. Erica Basnicki finds out why an Allen & Heath system made the perfect dance partner…

Mallets and ME

The audience gets up close and personal with Rambert dancers

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run back to the central control room. You can patch anything you want from one room to another, which enables a great deal of technical flexibility and control over the studios.”

With an excellent base on which to design his sound system, McComb turned to an Allen & Heath iLive setup “not only because he’s fairly familiar with it and it’s very compact, but also because he realised it was going to be one of those interactive performances where the musicians needed some control over the sound themselves as well as being able to monitor what’s going on,” explains Allen & Heath product

manager Léon Phillips.“He could see a way of using

our ME-1 personal listening stations with our regular iLive system to provide something which they could rehearse with off-site, and then bring it in and tie it into the building’s infrastructure.”

The ME personal mixing system comprised a ME-U hub and several ME-1s, which Selway says “gave us the versatility between the two rooms and the hands-on control of all the different musical stations around the performance area and that was brilliant. Generally when you’re performing, if you’re on stage

you would have a very different musical experience from what is going on in the auditorium, whereas this one, because we’re right in the middle of the performance area, we were able to just lose ourselves in what was coming back from the PA.

“Musically, I think we had a very similar experience to the audience but there were points where we would need to hone in on certain details and actually, that system was brilliant for it.”

Perhaps the only people not moving around the space were McComb, Clarence and Alan Russell, music technology technician for Selway. The iLive’s compact footprint and

remote control capabilities allowed them the option to contemplate being part of the performance, but as Clarence explains, “because the performances are really close, and there’s a lot of interaction between the musicians and the dancers, if we were in the room we would be an intrusion”.

“The dancers are sometimes less than three feet away, so if you had another technician in the studios it would distract from what they are trying to achieve. That’s why this (system) works quite well.”

Remote control of the live sound was made possible using an iLive-R72 rackmount

surface, PL6 controller and the iLive MixPad app. All the sources and zoning, EQ, delays and SFX were handled by Allen & Heath’s Dante-enabled iDR-32 MixRack.

The Cunnigham Events weren’t the first public performances to be held at the new Rambert space. After the ceiling collapse at the Apollo Theatre, the building hosted a touring version of The Curious Incident of the Dog In the Night-Time. Yet despite its brilliant technical infrastructure, there was never any intention to turn the new facility into a performance venue. This makes the success of pulling off a complex show like this that much sweeter for Clarence:

“This is the first time they’re really using the studios in such a complex way) and we are really pleased with the buildings design and technical infrastructure that has served us really well.” www.allen-heath.comwww.rambert.org.uk

Philip Selway, Adem Ilhan, and Quinta bow a vibraphone during the performance

(L-R): Alan Russell, Jon Clarence and Léon Phillips with Allen & Heath’s iLive


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ITALY

RIMINI’S ALTRO Mondo Studios, Italy’s fi rst mega-disco, has been a trendsetting venue since it opened in 1967. Owners Enrico Galli and Piero Bevitori recently organised the fi rst edition of the Too Loud Festival, taking the name from Rome’s Loud Professional, the event’s audio contractors and manufacturers of the club’s sound systems.

Headliner DJ Hardwell from the Netherlands, crowned World’s No.1 DJ in the 2013 DJ Mag Top 100 DJs Poll (and recently in Forbes’ list of top earning DJs) has such a large following that an alternative venue had to be found. The impressive sound system – over 140,000W RMS from the main system alone – was installed in one of Rimini Expo Centre’s huge halls.

The rig included two additions to Loud Professional’s range on their fi rst outing: the VH Layer212H and Smart FocusEight, the fi rst of a new series of compact line arrays.

The former is a horn-loaded three-way line-array element designed for large-scale events (the hall was almost 200m long and about 60m wide).

The main system comprised a left and right hang, each with eight VH Layer212H elements (the bottom two in each processed as downfi lls), plus 32 VH Sub121H, which allowed the bottom end to be extended

down to 30Hz. The subs were fl oor-installed in groups of four along the front of the stage and, with the exclusion of the two external groups, a pair of VH SM12 enclosures was installed as nearfi ll on top of each group of subs.

Two delay towers each had an array with six VH Layer 112H+EMD elements and three VH Sub218R.

The Smart FocusEight, a two-way line array element featuring compact dimensions, low weight and high power handling capacity, was used on monitor duty with two VH Sub218R subwoofers.

Simone ‘Zeta’ Saccomandi (systems engineer, FOH sound engineer for the support DJs and assistant for Hardwell’s sound engineer, Bas Rijsdijk), also had to consider a reverb in the 50-200Hz range of approximately 12 seconds with an empty room.

He says: “We also had to ensure plenty of low frequencies for the EDM sounds spun by Hardwell, and the VH Sub121H subs, which have a horn-loaded part that makes them really ‘fast’ and effi cient, were spaced suffi ciently far apart to avoid the frequencies around 40Hz being summed together and were processed in a 90º electronic arc delay confi guration.”

The signals from the stage were fed to an Avid SC48

console, then on to a Meyer Sound Galileo 616 processor. Power was generated by Lab.gruppen FP 14000 and Powersoft DIGAM 7000 amplifi ers. XTA DP 448 audio management units were also deployed for the job.

After the show, Saccomandi enthused: “I was amazed by the system’s power and effi ciency. I normally work in jazz and classical music situations and was astonished to be able to work on a show with peaks of 108dB SPL with really high sound quality – and no need for earplugs!”

Although a relatively new addition to the international pro-audio market, Rome-based Loud Professional has built up considerable well-proven experience in the pro sound reinforcement sector since its creation.

Founder and general manager Valerio Cherubini explains: “We began designing and experimenting speaker systems over 15 years ago – the brand was actually registered almost 20 years ago – and through the years saw that our systems were attracting increasing attention, thanks to the results achieved with in-the-fi eld applications, in the rental sector, for example. We presented our range – which now has about 30 models – to the international market [at the Frankfurt Musikmesse [for the fi rst time] fi ve years ago.

“Our design process, supervised by a team of specialised professionals using cutting-edge technology and sophisticated simulation and measurement systems, enables us turn out innovative products with high performance – sensational sonic impact, high intelligibility and crisp clear sound,” continues Cherubini. “Moreover, our relationship with Lab.gruppen and Lake

has enabled us to exploit our systems’ potential to the full.”

Cherubini notes that Loud Professional’s simple but stylish lines and black and white livery make its products “interesting for permanent installations where aesthetics play a key role”.

Loud Professional is distributed in the UK by Yes Audio and also has a distributor in Hanoi. www.loud.it

Italian audio manufacturer powers a world number one, reports Mike Clark

The 26-year-old DJ Hardwell (Robbert van de Corput to his mum) thrills the Rimini crowd

Loud and hard for DJ Hardwell

$13mHardwell’s estimated

earnings over the last 12 months

(Source: Forbes)

Loud Professional VH Sub121Hs lined up in front of the stage – 32 of them


liveNETHERLANDS

THE IDEA to combine reggae and classical music has been nourished by the organisers of the Dutch reggae festival for many years. “From Day One, we wanted to strive for the highest quality in all aspects of the project”, explains Peter Senders, organiser of the festival. With the London Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra in attendance, that classical aspect was well covered. “The orchestra enjoys worldwide name and fame. Our stage lay out offers room for 24 musicians, including grand piano, harp, brass and violins.”

The search for a backing band reading sheet music resulted in Desi Jones’s Jamaican ‘Skool Band’. “Reggae saxophone legend Dean Fraser joined the line-up and played a crucial role in the communication between the classical orchestra and the backing band,” adds Senders. “And Jamaican musician/composer Peter Ashbourne agreed to take on the conducting.”

Vocalists Luciano, John Holt and UB40’s Ali Campbell and Astro Wilson completed the never-seen before line-up on the festival’s main stage, on 9 August.

René Kuipers of KO Sound has been the festival’s audio and lighting provider since the firs festival in 1995. “KO Sound entered the frame for the classical-reggae combination some six months ago,” explains Kuipers. “We met the orchestra’s management in London to see what the requirements were. The Royal Philharmonic have quite some experience in such projects: they’re very structured and rehearsed the August performance.”

With a backing band sharing the stage of the orchestra, Kuipers used a

collection of DPA 4099 microphones for close miking of the instruments. “The combined signal of the orchestra is routed to a DiGiCo SD8 console for a pre-mix, and then channelled to the main desk, a Midas Heritage 3000,” continues Kuipers. “We also provided an extra feed back to the stage for the Sennheiser EW-300 in-ears of the vocalists and four extra F10 monitors for the electric reggae band.”

The main stage’s FOH system consisted of 24 JBL VTX25 array cabinets plus 24 JBL S28 sub speakers, powerd by eight Crown 4x3500 HD amp racks. “We have been using the JBL VTX 25 in the past – their wide coverage can be challenging in, for instance, a tent, but is a bonus at an open air festival like this.

Another advantage for a reggae festival is the fact that even the VTX25 line array can produce low frequencies almost like a subwoofer,” adds Kuipers.

On stage, KO Sound installed 20 custom made F15 monitors, controlled by a Yamaha PM5D console.

For the festival’s second stage, René Kuipers supplied a Midas XL3 as FOH console and a DiGiCo SD9 as monitor desk. A Stage Accompany array and KO Sound’s F15 monitor speakers completed the set-up.

On 10 August, the second festival day, a rain storm damaged part of the second stage’s tent infrastructure, urging a partial change of the programme.

The 15th Reggae Sundance festival featured DJs and artists such as Shaggy, Dillinger and attracted over 8,000 people. www.reggaesundance.nlhttp://www.kosound.com/

On the occasion of the 15th edition of the Reggae Sundance festival (8-10 August), a unique combination of reggae artists and a philharmonic orchestra took the stage, reports Marc Maes

Classical reggae at Sundance festival

UB40’s Ali (right) and Astro

KO Sound’s René Kuipers adjusts microphones


Royal Caribbean International has announced details of its latest ship, Quantum of the Seas. The vessel will use L-S-B’s Virtual Studio Manager as the overall on-board broadcast control system, which has been installed by the Finnish company TV Tools Oy. The on-board media systems feature HD technology in both video and audio signalling. The system is driven by a Riedel MediorNet signal routing system with a 30-node specification. Having an on-board broadcast centre means that all of the vessel’s broadcast systems can be controlled from one place, allowing operators to work on two different productions simultaneously.www.l-s-b.de

Danish distributor MAVT DK recently installed K-array’s Italian designed and created audio set-up at Norway’s popular open-air family show Herliland in Kristiansand Dyreparken.The performance positioned next to the Dyreparken lake is watched by 1,500 spectators and features acrobatic performances, singing and dancing. Performers combine the use of the stage and the water to create an engaging fantasy show of drama and comedy. K-array speakers were the Herliland organisers’ first choice down to their weatherproof, slim and unobtrusive design which creates a greater focus on the show itself. www.k-array.com

Peavey Electronics is to close its UK distribution facility in Corby in an exercise that will reduce costs and restructure international operations in order to make the brand more competitive. The move comes as the company approaches its 50th anniversary. Peavey’s European marketing manager Andy Rust told PSNEurope that distribution partners and the Peavey Italia manufacturing and design centre remain “untouched at present”.Peavey will be announcing more details of the restructure over the coming months – including arrangements for ongoing product support.peaveycommercialaudio.com

SOUNDBITES

installationFor the latest studio news

www.psneurope.com/installation

WORLD

“WE ARE A funny little animal,” laughs latterday director of power and accessories, John Benz, when reflecting upon Furman’s complex manufacturing history. Diverse it might be, but in its gradual zeroing-in on one fundamental building block – power and the improvement in quality thereof – the company has skilfully ensured its continued prosperity in a sector that is hardly lacking in burn-outs or might-have-beens.

Seven years after its acquisition by Panamax and subsequent integration into Core Brands, Furman maintains a busy product release schedule that, in 2014, has so far included the M-8S and PS-8R E III Power Conditioner and Sequencer models, and the F 1500-UPS E Uninterruptible Power Supply, Battery Backup and Power Conditioner for 230V regions. Celebratory events at trade shows such as ISE and InfoComm aside, the

anniversary year has prompted “a certain amount of internal reflection about how we got to this point – and, of course, about where we might be going in the future.”

More of which anon, but first let’s set a course for San Francisco in the early 1970s and the earliest stirrings of a manufacturing enterprise that had the humblest of origins.

SAN FRANCISCO BAY BLUESAs the cradle of creation for bands including Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and Big Brother and the Holding Company – the last-named group the first to give full flight to a promising young singer named Janis Joplin – San Francisco’s rock credentials

were already well-established by the early 1970s. But for many locally, and certainly those on a global level, the scene was identified with one band above all others: the Grateful Dead.

Media coverage of the Dead has tended to fixate on their penchant for chemical experimentation, but they were every bit as enthusiastic about pushing the sonic envelope. Their so-called Wall of Sound PA – created chiefly by audio engineer Owsley ‘Bear’ Stanley – was genuinely groundbreaking in its day, while another member of their sound team was frequently inspired to knock together his own bespoke outboard gear.

“Jim Furman was a gearhead to the nth degree, and if he couldn’t find a reverb or signal processor to do the job he would build it himself, bring it to the band, and they would add it to their racks,” says Benz. “And that is how Furman started: as Furman Sound Service, a garage enterprise providing repairs, modifications and bits of

This year sees power conditioning and signal processing specialist Furman celebrating its 40th anniversary. As David Davies discovers, it’s been a long, strange trip since founder Jim Furman decided to turn his ad hoc design work for bands like the Grateful Dead into a fully-fledged business…

They’ve got the power!

“A lot of people come to us after something bad happens and they realise that they have to do more to protect their equipment.” John Benz, Furman (Core Brands)

Core Brands’ HQ in Petaluma, California, where Furman is now based

John Benz, Furman

installation


equipment for Bay Area bands that gradually became a proper manufacturing operation.”

In reality, the business remained fairly small-scale until 1983 when Furman crystallised the concept of a simple rack-mountable surge protector in the form of the original PL-8. Notes Benz: “That was really the product that kickstarted the development of Furman, taking us more and more into the power conditioning category as well as allowing the further development of our signal processing interests.”

CREATING YOUR OWN CATEGORYPower conditioning didn’t exist as a category per se in the early 1980s; and even now, notes Benz, Furman’s principal competitor is “the wall outlet! Just your basic approach of plugging in to the wall and not using anything for power conditioning.” So with products like the PL-8 Power Conditioner – now in its latest incarnation, the PL-8C featuring Furman SMP (Series Multi-Stage Protection), Linear Filter Technology (LiFT) and Extreme Voltage Shutdown (EVS) technologies – Furman both created and took ownership of a new category.

Today, the company’s power products span rack-mount models including the PL-PRO DMC E power conditioner, P-1400 AR E voltage regulator and CN-3600S power conditioner/sequencer, alongside compact power conditioners such as the AC-210A E. The role of the power conditioner in the high-stakes pro-audio environment is now assured, but that isn’t to say that a fresh wave of education isn’t required for each new generation coming into the industry.

“Far and away the most important aspect [of our marketing efforts] is getting education out there about the benefits of these products,” confirms Benz. “A lot of people come to us after something bad happens and they realise that they have to do more to protect their equipment. For example, line noise in Europe or noise on the grid can destroy the performance of equipment, especially digital systems. You might describe it as a silent killer because it’s something people don’t see happening, but once you explain the difference in performance in power conditioned systems versus

non-power conditioned ones, it is evident that you have a compelling case.”

Now, as the industry moves firmly into the cloud era, Furman has introduced more power management solutions with remote operation capabilities to sit alongside its stalwart conditioning products. “An IP-based platform such as our BlueBOLT cloud has numerous benefits for an integrator who has a large client

base; for example, they don’t have to be at the facility to affect a change or undertake a reboot,” says Benz. “Simultaneously, there are growing concerns about energy consumption and some relevant regulatory changes – like the California Energy Commission Appliance Efficiency Regulations, which came into force in January – and with IP operation there is the opportunity to tie all these things together.”

WHAT WOULD JERRY DO?One element that is conspicuously absent from the Furman range is the stand-alone signal processor, the company having discontinued its last model in this area – the HR Signal Processing Remote Station Headphone – in 2013. But the company is “in the midst of updating its pro-audio and MI products”, so 40 years on it’s clear that there would still be plenty to pique the

interest of one of Furman’s earliest advocates – the Grateful Dead’s much-missed leader and guitarist, Jerry Garcia.

“Power conditioning is our core business, and it’s great for us as a company that power will always be there,” says Benz. “But often when we are working on a new product, we do wonder ‘what would Jerry think?’ It remains a good barometer for us.” www.furmansound.com

installation


PSNEUROPE IS standing amid the blades of an enormous turbine, listening to the sound of World War II bombers. It’s quite a sensation for both eyes and ears – and might be terrifying in other circumstances. But the propeller hasn’t spun for decades, and the approaching aircraft are merely a vintage recording. Welcome to the Wind Tunnel Project.

Located on the Farnborough Airport base, the Wind Tunnel Project ran for six weeks ahead of and during this year’s International Airshow. Saved by the FAST trust as a Grade 1 listed site, but too expensive to re-open, arts producer Artliner devised an imaginative plan to temporarily re-open these aerodynamic test and research buildings adjacent to the airfield, as cultural arts spaces. These listed premises have stood dormant and unused since the 1990s – buit in 1935, they were to

be made accessible to the public for the first time in 2014.

Artliner, in turn, commissioned artist and sound designer Thor McIntyre-Burnie (aswarm.com) to create something suitable for the space. Sponsors including Canadian aerospace Bombardier and Breitling lent financial support to the endeavour.

The Project was spread between two buildings, and it’s in the first, Q121, that McIntyre-Burnie’s vision for the space was realised with true dynamism and grandeur of scale. Q121 is a massive purpose-built wind tunnel, with a 24-foot (7.5m) propeller that sucks air around a return tunnel 40 feet (12m) high by 300 feet (91.5m) long. It was here that planes, cars, bikes and other items were suspended for aerodynamic testing back in the day. “Its a fascinating place for sound,” says McIntyre-Burnie, a composer and artist

of some standing who has won commissions for sound design and music, for arts projects and dance events, across Europe. “It is all architecturally designed to funnel air around as efficiently as possible and reduce any turbulence and this does very interesting things with the passage of sound.”

McIntyre-Burnie worked onsite for about a month, playing with both equipment and sound design, experimenting with the recordings of John Taverner’s vocal works and suchlike to see the effect on the space. For the finished installation, the sound designer built a suspended sculptural rig where the test subject would sit, projecting sound and focus back into the tunnel (using both a gramophone horn with unbranded driver and Tannoys VX12 drivers, driven by Lab.gruppen amps). This then interplayed with speakers (three

Tannoy VX8 Actives) hidden within the tunnel’s wind veins. While the scale of the propeller is more than enough food for the imagination, the choice of programme material could not be more fitting.

McIntyre-Burnie was able to obtain a 1942 BBC recording made in the garden of cellist Beatrice Harrison, who had noticed that the resident nightingales accompanied her whenever she played her instrument there. The live broadcast of the recording was cut short because it accidentally picked up the sound of a bombing raid heading to Mannheim – and at the time this was deemed a risk to British security. Nonetheless, the BBC sound engineer at the time had the foresight to complete the sound recording for posterity. Obtaining this unique and historical ‘soundtrack’, McIntyre-Burnie set about

For several weeks during the summer, Farnborough Airport was invaded by nightingales and starlings. Don’t worry, the avian guests Thor McIntyre-Burnie brought to the Wind Tunnel Project didn’t damage any aircraft. Dave Robinson went to investigate

Propeller head

“I wanted to get an interplay between the sound of war and an answer to that, from human voices coming from an unknown space.” Thor McIntyre-Burnie

Phot

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The enormous fan, the centrepiece of the wind tunnel in building Q121. Custom Tannoy drivers are installed in the ‘engine’ units, top left and right


installation

creating a ‘response’ to the drones of the Lancasters and Wellingtons. “I wanted to get an interplay between the sound of war and an answer to that from human voices coming from

an unknown space.” Enlisting the help of a male voice choir comprised of 10 men most of whom who used to work at the site, he assembled them in the return tunnel and recorded their

wordless singing, inspired by, and partly emulating, the arch of aircraft noise, and exploiting the resonant notes of the space. McBurnie used a stereo pair of AT3032s to record the voices in the vastness of the tunnel, with reflections captured via a Sennheiser MKH60 and a split distant pair of Sennheiser MKH 406s. So to the finished installation. Once entering building Q121 – having discarded their shoes (“almost as an act of reverence to respect the space,” says the composer) – visitors are treated to the sound of

nightingales overlapping with the bombers, fading back to the nightingales and then the cycle repeats but this time with the choir recording emanating from the return tunnel but permeating the whole structure, thanks to the acoustic qualities of the building. A Tascam HD24 was used to playback the multi-tracked looped performance.

McIntyre-Burnie’s ’work is hypnotic and absorbing, solemn and forbidding in the drone passages but brightened by the birdsong: a juxtaposition of times of peace and terror. It

completely transformed and filled the space – and all with only (effectively) six speakers and no subs. Why did the artist approach Tannoy to get involved? The answer is clear as you leave Q121: vintage Tannoy horns still adorn the building, and were evidently part of the working PA for the facility back in the day.

The second building houses the rest of the project. Entering R52, you are met with an unsettling, denser composition, based in and around a wooden tunnel used for aerodynamic

Vintage Tannoy PA speakers are still clearly visible in Q121 – and inspired the artist to approach the brand

The drone beetle installation in R52 represents the darker side of flight


installation

testing on a smaller, ‘model’ scale. Within this, McIntyre-Burnie created a four-channel mix using Tannoy Precision 6.4s (“with their lovely bottom end”) video projection and a three-channel exterior atmosphere.

Film material featured a loop of a drone beetle fl ying, slowed down to a fraction of its normal rate. The music McIntyre-Burnie composed (featuring breath

of the male voice choir and a recording of a bass player from FSO playing his 5th string, down to 30Hz, within the Q121 wind tunnel) suggests the study of fl ight can lead to darker paths. There are no nightingales to ease this journey of the mind.

Emerging into the third main space, the visitor is met with four tallboy-sized Tannoy speakers from the Prestige range - high-

end and somewhat expensive Canterbury and Kensington GR models (“60kg a piece!”) – stood atop original wooden aeroplane inspection towers. These were arranged so they “deliberately disrupt the quadrophonic circle and instead encourage people to listen through the architecture”, says McBurnie. “I wanted people to explore how sound moves off walls and bounces off windows,

as opposed to standing at one sweet spot.”

The piece used recordings the sound designer made at Brighton’s West Pier concert hall with veteran sound recordist Chris Watson (formerly of Cabaret Voltaire and latterly David Attenborough’s sound man) using an array of Sennheiser 406 and 416s and a pair of vintage 110 mics. Prior to its collapse into the sea, the pier was a massive roost for starlings, says McIntyre-Burnie.

“Studying their murmuration fl ight and morphing this with a sonic study of its sister pier’s

rollercoaster, we asked the question, do birds ever fl y simply for the thrill of it?” The result, as PSNEurope moved around and through the space, was as if to take wing with the swooping and soaring of the birds – or was it the rattling and screaming of the coaster and its passengers? It was certainly a dynamic and thrilling ride for the senses which deserves to be re-housed and enjoyed elsewhere. Here’s hoping another sponsor jumps onboard soon. www.aswarm.comwww.thewindtunnelproject.comwww.reggaesundance.nlwww.kosound.com

The view from inside the massive propeller

In the fi nal room, rollercoaster meets starling swoops through

premium Tannoy cabinets

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In addition to spectacular coverage, Otto also provides users with the ability to easily balance their goals – including active rejection in non-audience areas, consistency and SPL. Otto is the first subwoofer that allows users to define the coverage they want and then provides them with the best solution to achieve it.

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For more information about Otto and Adaptive Performance, visit EAW.com.


installation

NO ONE actively described AVB (Audio/Video Bridging) as the panacea to the networking problem at the time the AVnu Alliance – the organisation established to promote the technology – made its debut in 2009, but there is no denying that it has often appeared to have attained that status during the past five years. Backed by companies active throughout the manufacturing chain from silicon to speaker, the AVB project of achieving low latency, fully interoperable streaming through IEEE 802 networks appeared – initially at least – to be essentially unstoppable.

But somehow, somewhere along the way the industry perception of the AVB/AVnu project has undergone a revision. The bridge and endpoint certification scheme created by AVnu to guarantee interoperability between devices has yielded only a few certified primary products and derivatives to date; the video product part

of the programme is still under development and won’t be ready for some time yet. Despite the best efforts of AVnu chairman & president Rick Kreifeldt, the organisation’s public profile appears lower than it was a few years ago when then-marketing work group chair Lee Minich was such an evangelical advocate for the project… and all the while, other approaches are continuing to experience impressive rates of adoption.

In its defence, AVB has already achieved significant traction in the automotive market, with manufacturers including BMW and General Motors signing up to the

Alliance. The purpose of this article, then, is to extrapolate five (easy) pieces from the puzzle to ascertain whether AVB still has a credible future in pro-AV – a market that, maintains Kreifeldt, is still “crucial” to its roadmap – or whether it now runs the risk of being overshadowed by other approaches.

1. MEMBERSHIPThis is one area in which the AVnu Alliance case looks watertight. From a five-strong founding membership of Broadcom, Cisco, Harman, Intel and Xilinx, the Association has steadily added members to achieve a total of 55 as of May

2013. The fact that this has risen to 80 in the last 16 months confirms that this writer’s perception of a slowdown in membership was off the mark.

“We are on an upturn as far as membership goes,” confirms Kreifeldt, who is also vice president of research and innovation at Harman International. Perhaps the misperception is due to AVnu waiting to group multiple additions into one announcement, for Kreifeldt confirms no fewer

than eight additions in recent months, namely: Coveloz, a provider of embedded and fully programmable media transport solutions; Imagination Technologies, a leader in multimedia, processor, communication and cloud technologies; IntoPIX, which provides compression, cryptographic and video transport FPGA IP-cores, reference design and software tools; networking specialist Ixia; wireless microphone and PA systems maker MIPRO; secure connection solutions provider NXP Semiconductors; personal audio mixer and networked audio solution developer Pivitec; and HD video, audio, conference and VoIP applications and products maker Xavtel.

Collectively, says Kreifeldt, these announcements demonstrate coverage of “all parts of the ecosystem – from people like Imagination Technologies building licensable silicon to connective silicon expert NXP Semiconductors, through to MIPRO and Xavtel making professional equipment for different markets.”

2. CERTIFICATIONThe situation with regard to certification of AVB products is more complex. The reason for AVnu’s decision to launch a certification programme – to guarantee interoperability of AVB products – requires little explanation. But the impartial observer might wonder about the fact that, as of September 2014, it has yielded little in the

way of actual certified product.Joining forces with esteemed

test house the University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL), AVnu Alliance formally initiated certification for AVB bridges in February 2013 and audio endpoints two months later. To date, however, only two certified primary products (and, it should be noted, related derivatives) have completed the admittedly demanding schedule: Extreme Networks’ Summit X440 Series Switches and the Crown DCi

Two years ago with an eagerly-awaited certification programme about to commence, AVB (Audio/Video Bridging) looked like it might be the definitive solution to the networking problem. Now, with a perceived loss of momentum and something of an image problem, its future status appears less secure – so what happens next, asks David Davies?

Has the AVB dream lost its lustre?

“There was a lot of interest [in AVB] four years ago, but it has gradually fallen away, particularly over the last 18 months.” Lee Ellison, Audinate

“I think that anyone who works on any kind of technology probably looks back and realises that if they had made a few turns differently, they could probably [have got there more quickly].” Rick Kreifeldt, AVnu Alliance

The AVnu Alliance has maintained a presence at many

trade shows

54 l September 2014

installation

Network Display series amps.With regard to the pace of

the scheme’s output to date, Kreifeldt says “the first ones are always the hardest” – but he admits that the programme has perhaps progressed more slowly than might have been hoped. “I think that anyone who works on any kind of technology [project]

probably looks back and realises that if they had made a few turns differently, they could probably [have got there more quickly],” he says.

Kreifeldt reveals that “a number” of other products are currently in the midst of certification, although only Audio Science, Harman and Meyer Sound had given their approval to specific mentions at press time. Additionally, new member Pivitec’s CEO, Tom Knesel, tells PSNEurope that the company “plans to submit its e64i/o MADI-to-AVB bridge for certification this year”.

But what of a certification programme for professional video endpoints? Well, the Alliance confirms that it has now completed the Market Requirement Document (MRD)

to define a set of profiles for video transport via pro-video equipment utilising the IEEE 802.1 and 1722 family of AVB standards. The next stage is for the MRD to go to AVnu Alliance’s Technical Work Group (TWG), where the group will compose the certification tests based on the MRD.

Certification testing for AVB-enabled professional video endpoints is not expected to commence until mid-2015. This might seem a long way off, but it’s hard not to feel sympathy for the group responsible when the current emerging requirements – chiefly the much-trumpeted and technically demanding Ultra High Definition (UHD) format – are taken into account. “We really have to ensure that the scheme is future-proof and that we are dealing with 4K and all that is coming through in the future,” says Kreifeldt.

3. SWITCHESOne of the abiding obstacles facing the project has been the need for dedicated switches to make AVB networks operate. This has appeared to threaten the scheme’s prospects in a fashion that has not confronted technologies such as Ravenna, which can operate via existing switches.

With only the aforementioned Extreme Networks’ switches having completed the certification process, industry consultant Roland Hemming’s claim that “the gear is simply not there” is not without foundation. Putting aside the issues of certification and availability, the challenge of implementing AVB-enabled switches is obviously far from negligible.

Hemming says that while “the companies within AVnu normally do great marketing”, he is “astonished at their ineptness with promoting AVB”, adding: “Even their use of language has been somewhat arrogant. AVnu talk about [replacement of] ‘legacy’ switches, when they mean every switch in the world except around 20 models. A kinder way might have been for them to talk about ‘future switches’.”

Speaking on behalf of network specialist and AVnu Alliance member Arista Networks, vice president of sales, Warren Belkin, says: “Arista has brought AVB to off-the-shelf Ethernet switches with web scale economies, and it isn’t true that these are ‘expensive’ compared to non-AVB Ethernet switches.

However, Hemming raises the point that even with AVB switch availability the vast majority of audio installations are refurbishments where the building switches may not be changed, preventing faster adoption of AVB anyway.

Greater availability will surely push down price-points eventually – but in the meantime, it is clear that, at least, there is a ‘legacy’ perception problem that the AVnu Alliance would do well to address.

4. LAYERSInextricably interlinked with the switch issue is the topic of utilising existing network infrastructures and increased convergence with IT. One of the ways in which Audinate’s Dante media networking technology has benefited, says CEO Lee Ellison, is in its ability to operate over existing networks. “The challenge is to make sure that existing products will work together without the need to put in separate networks. The convergence with IT can only occur if you are leveraging that infrastructure,” he says.

Dante’s case to market has been further strengthened in recent months by the introduction of Dante HC – which supports up to 512 x 512 redundant bidirectional uncompressed audio channels on

a single Xilinx FPGA – and the Dante Via software application. The ability of Ravenna, too, to operate via existing switches has served it well in a competitive marketplace. Meanwhile, the arrival of AES67 – which both Dante and Ravenna will support – gives standards reinforcement to Layer 3 RTP transport. In time, AES67’s ‘case’ may be further boosted by the introduction of the network control-oriented AES-X210, which is likely to be published in late 2014.

“Enquiries about AVB?” says Ellison, who notes that Audinate remains an active member of the AVnu Alliance. “Well, there was a lot of interest four years ago, but it has gradually fallen away, particularly over the past 18 months. By contrast, there has been a rise in enquiries regarding AES67.”

The question inevitably arises, then, of whether a Layer 3 version of AVB is needed to complement its existing, Layer 2-centric incarnation. Hemming notes: “Layer 3 is important, but it has also become a buzzword which has perhaps unfairly hindered AVB against its competition. Not that many projects actually need Layer 3, but it’s become something that seems important and AVB doesn’t currently offer that comfort. Like it or not a Layer 3 version of AVB is needed.”

5. PERCEPTIONWhatever the strength of the AVB case, anonymous opinion related to PSNEurope in preparation for this article confirms that many end-users remain uncertain about its advantages or the extent to which it will eventually become a day-to-day working reality.

For sure, the AVnu Alliance has maintained a presence at many of the leading trade shows – although it is not exhibiting in its own right at IBC this month – and there has been a steady flow of op-ed-style pieces about the project’s objectives. But the opinion voiced by Hemming – that there hasn’t been a properly open debate about the role of AVB – is hardly an isolated one.

“Their message was ‘AVB is coming, get used to it,’ not ‘what do you think?’, ‘how would you like us to use it’ or ‘what is important to you?’” he says. “I was the first to go public with the

belief that AVB may not work out for pro audio. A leading AVnu company replied that ‘my opinion was against the views of 50 major companies’ – that’s really not much of a debate.”

WHERE NEXT?Hemming’s viewpoint on the prospects for AVB – that it will retain a part of networking future, but possibly in a fairly niche capacity – is underlined by his own 2013 research revealing that “even when counting generously AVB was 5% of all available networked products. And I am confident that will have declined further by the time we complete same research this year.”

With a few protocols now being AES67 compliant and more expected to be in the next few months, it is possible to see the industry drifting further away from AVB. And yet, and yet… it is clear that the Alliance retains an admirably ambitious vision for the future of AVB. For one, broadcast is more firmly in the Alliance’s sights than ever before (does this bring AVB more firmly into competition with Ravenna? “I guess so,” admits Kreifeldt); to this effect, Jan Eveleens, CEO of Axon Digital, presented a two-hour session on AVB for Broadcast at the European Broadcast Union Network Technology Seminar in June. Meanwhile, in automotive, there are a number of ongoing schemes relating to AVB deployment via infotainment and driver assistance cameras – projects that, at the very least, promise to bring the technology to a broad consumer audience.

The sheer number of companies behind AVB and the considerable investment already made in related products strongly suggest that the project will not come to an ignominious conclusion. But as this article has demonstrated, direct and specific questions persist that must be addressed clearly, comprehensively – and above all, publicly – if AVB is to achieve the kind of mainstream success originally envisaged. www.alcnetworx.dewww.audinate.comwww.avnu.orgwww.harmanpro.comwww.pivitec.comrhconsulting.eu/blog/files/EveryNetworkedProduct.htmlwww.xavtel.com

Roland Hemming

Xavtel recently became an AVnu Alliance member

Riedel showed this AVB-ready unit at ISE earlier this year, but it is yet to be certified

These Crown amps are one of only a handful of products to be AVB certified

Thursday 25th September, Ministry of Sound



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Printing by Pensord Press, Tram Road, Pontlanfraith, Blackwood NP12 2YA Sound designer Thor McIntyre-Burnie tests his own aerodynamic design at the Wind Tunnel Project amid the sound of starlings and a Brighton rollercoaster

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58 l September 2014

industrytalk

Testing timesAs Audio Precision celebrates 30 years of business in Beaverton, Oregon, does president Dave Schmoldt talk to Dave Robinson? Precisely that

BEFORE WORKING at Audio Precision, Dave Schmoldt was part of a team at Tektronix that, through what he calls a “collaborative spirit”, turned a declining business unit into one of growth and success. He was then recruited to Audio Precision (AP), also located in Beaverton, Oregon, and served seven years as CFO before taking over as president in 2007. Collaboration is one of Schmoldt’s key principles, one he feels is practiced by his team at the leading audio analyser manufacturer in the world.

How did you migrate to Audio Precision?At the time AP was beginning to make its transition from founder management, I was recruited as CFO, just ahead of Al Miksch being hired as president. Al led AP for over six years, but unfortunately passed away. He and I had worked closely on all the major decisions at AP, and so the board thought I should step into his role, which I did in the latter part of 2007. It’s been a great experience in which I’ve learned a lot. I’m very proud to see how we have grown as a team that practices cross-functional collaboration, particularly when building and implementing a product road map.

Do you like to bring people and ideas together, both inside and outside the company?Most definitely. We’ve strengthened our own internal collaboration at AP, and actively work in the marketplace as well. Interviewing customers

regarding feature development – to determine exactly what their needs are – is a prime example of such work.

That must be a very important part of developing new products: you can only test for parameters within the scope of your own experience. To paraphrase a former politician, you don’t know about the ‘unknown unknowns’.Yes, absolutely. We love customer feedback and we’re very fortunate to have a customer base that gets in touch with us regularly and often. We treat that like gold. Definitely one of our challenges is that there are more opportunities to address than we can do at one time. Prioritisation is key in determining what we are going to address in the near term.

You try to identify and address the greatest need, among a sea of suggestions?It’s true. Fortunately, our products are very flexible so there is usually a way to do what the customer wants. The real question is: can we simplify that? A great tool in our APx arsenal is the derived measurement, where you can perform further mathematical computations on acquired data.

How else is the collaboration thing working for you?We can express that in terms of partnership. For instance we’re partners with G.R.A.S., headquartered in Denmark, as we expand into the electro-acoustic testing market. They give us access to the accessories

that are an important part of the test methodology for electro-acoustics. For example: measurement microphones, artificial ears, head and torso simulators – those kind of things. That’s a very good relationship for us.

More people are interested in precision testing, then?Yes, interest keeps growing. Audio is proliferating into more consumer and professional products, so you have engineers who have a specialty in another area coming to us to learn how to test audio.

We’ve also seen that people require an ever-expanding amount of digital connections to their devices, and they need to have tests that are relevant to those formats. Ensuring that our analyser can seamlessly interpret, and work with, those formats is key to enabling the success of our customers’ designs. Of equal importance is organising the software in such a way that the data makes a lot more sense and gets people to their desired end results quickly and with a minimum degree of error. That’s a major push in the way the APx software’s Sequence Mode works – it’s really designed to take people down a tried and trusted path to getting accurate measurements without having to worry about setting up all the individual parameters.

Which particular segments are you focused on at the moment?We’ve always done electronic audio testing, and now we’ve

expanded into electro-acoustic test. Additionally, we are pursuing the design and production testing of hearing aids, which is really kind of an electro-acoustic subset as well. Where do we see more testing needed? We are winning more and more business in contract manufacturing in China. And a lot of our introductions over the years are tackling new segments. We have an excellent PDM module – capable of both generating and analysing PDM streams – and the PDM microphone manufacturers are taking advantage of that. We have a lot of things going on simultaneously.

What about territories? AP is the de facto industry standard and the global market leader in performance and portfolio breadth. Focusing on Europe for a moment, we’re seeing growth in consumer electronics and medical applications; while geographically speaking, the UK, the Netherlands, Scandinavia and Germany are a few of the noteworthy areas.

Which is AP’s principal area of interest in testing ‘trends’, if there is such a thing?This idea of convergence in audio tests. What we’ve been pursuing with APx is a strategy where the analyser is able to extend well outside the bounds of the test bench, and is able to cover all audio aspects of the design of a modern product. So by building up our APx line, we have a really comprehensive

set of audio I/O that’s fully aligned with those found within a device. This means you can use a single analyser to accurately cover everything: the analogue stages, the digital processing and handling of digital signals and formats, the design of the power amp, the electro-mechanical behaviour of the driver speakers, and the enclosure. In short, test the entire thing. Nobody else out there is making a product that can cover all of that.

And, we can get all that data captured in a single format that’s totally transferable between APx products, up and down the platform, and has a totally consistent methodology and report. So the value to manufacturers is substantial: they can trust they’ve tested the entire device, if you will, and identified all the areas that are affecting the performance in a single, unified way. On the production line, you can configure all your test systems the same [as the lab systems], keeping all of your test formatting the same and so on.

That’s really what we’ve been chasing.

How ‘precise’ is Dave Schmoldt?Well, you know – I’ve been told I’m very precise.

I was worried if I was late for this interview, I might get in trouble.I’m more interested in the precision of the data. [Laughs] Doing something right from the outset, so you don’t waste time later, that – and quality – is what we strive for here. www.ap.com

psne september 2014 digital edition

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