newsflash AUTUMN 2006 www.telexcommunications.com
Transcription
newsflash AUTUMN 2006 www.telexcommunications.com
RZ_englisch_aktuell_newsflash200906.qxp 21.09.2006 14:49 Uhr Seite 1 newsflash AUTUMN 2006 The magazine of TELEX / EVI Audio www.telexcommunications.com RZ_englisch_aktuell_newsflash200906.qxp 21.09.2006 15:37 Uhr Seite 2 Editorial Contents When planning this issue, the thought that first sprung to mind was to page 3 MIX News from the pro audio scene page 4-7 HIGHLIGHTS World Cup retrospective page 8/9 HIGHLIGHTS Metallica in Berlin – with TSE AG, MIDAS and EV page 10/11 HIGHLIGHTS 500,000 at Telecomcerto in Rome – with Billy Joel and Bryan Adams page 12 WORLDWIDE Simply Red / Lynryd Skynryd and 3 Doors Down page 13 WORLDWIDE Jan Smit tour / UNICEF gala in The Hague / „Neptunella“ Gdansk page 14 WORLDWIDE Jazz on the Danube – with a new system combination page 15 WORLDWIDE "Most Outstanding Players“ – Harry Witz of dB Sound Image on the production of „NCAA Final Four 2006“ page 16 SPOTLIGHT Dynacord Cobra – four new references page 17 SPOTLIGHT Party On! – Street Parade Zürich, Mayday, Bacardi Bat Club page 18/19 INSTALLATION Villa Kennedy, Frankfurt / Circus Cinicelli, St. Petersburg / Vlaams Wielercentrum, Gent / Coronet Cinema, London / daLuxe, Saragossa page 20 WORLDWIDE Open-air cinema Butzbach – with EV XLE and XLD page 21 INTERCOM G8 Summit in St. Petersburg / IBC Amsterdam/ Company news / New in the team page 22/23 INSIDE Dynacord with beyerdynamic / Bosch / New web site / Shuttelsound’s PI Academy / New in the team / EV meeting in Moscow / PLASA 2006 dedicate it entirely to the World Cup. After all, in six of the twelve stadiums in which matches were played, it was our systems delivering the announcements, the canned music, and the programme of half-time and prematch entertainment (and turning in perfect performances every time, too, with the system in the Allianz Arena during the opening celebrations coming in for special praise!); our intercom systems in most of the outside broadcast trucks sending images all round the world; and our systems – Dynacord, MIDAS, EV… – in city centres throughout Germany, where crowds gathered to follow the action on giant screens. Enough material there to fill a newsflash several times over, you might suppose. On the other hand, even during the World Cup, there was still a world elsewhere; and the last few weeks have seen a host of major productions including Metallica in Berlin, Simply Red in Heilbronn, Lynyrd Skynyrd in the USA, and Billy Joel and Brian Adams joining forces to draw a crowd of half a million in Rome. In fact, wherever thousands gathered and great teams or great bands played, we were there with our systems. And not only there, as this issue of newsflash should make clear. Cover photo (TEXIM s.r.l.): The Coliseum provided the backdrop – and EV the sound – for a spectacular concert by Billy Joel and Bryan Adams in Rome. See pp. 10/11 IMPRINT PUBLISHER EDITORIAL EVI Audio GmbH Gunther Matejka James Edlund Guy Low COORDINATION Daniel Kappla Robert Pletz Rhea Marstaller Hirschberger Ring 45 D-94315 Straubing TRANSLATION Tel: +49 (0)9421/706-0 Ewan Whyte Fax: +49 (0)9421/706-315 E-mail: Ewan.Whyte@wanadoo.fr GRAPHICS REALIZATION Sabine Bitterlich snapshot Redaktionsbüro E-mail: s.bitterlich@web.de Gunther Matejka 2 Tel: +49 (0)89/74 65 36 63 PRINT Fax: +49 (0)89/74 65 36 68 F&W Mediencenter, Kienberg E-mail: gmatejka @ t-online.de www.fw-medien.de newsflash / Autumn 2006 MIX NEWS … SNAKES ALIVE! RE27 — MOVIE STAR Featured in the new Robert Altman film, "A Prairie Home Com- At a party thrown by panion", alongside Tommy Lee Jones, Woody Harrelson and Meryl Def Jam Records at Miami's Streep are eight EV Sobe Live, the happening RE27 micropho- hip-hop label presented its nes. Says Produc- latest acts including the tion Mixer Drew toothsome Rihanna (seen Kunin: "These mi- here). Drummer Boy Sound crophones repro- was responsible for the duce the human production and deployed voice beautifully a Dynacord COBRA line as well as having array system. More on retro styling that Rihanna and the COBRA perfectly suits the on page 16. film." WYLDE IN THE COUNTRY One of the highlights of this year's AND THE WINNER IS… BIG IN RUSSIA "Club of the Year" according to The Russian studiofitters Oko TV Professional the clubbers' Bible, "Pollstar", is Video have been relying on know-how and the "House of Blues" in Chicago. systems from TELEX/RTS for a variety of diffe- Congratulations! rent projects. And to great effect : among the Muscovites' current clients are Channel 31, concert summer in the States was the traditional "Ozzfest Tour", in which EV endorser Zakk Wylde was at his dazzling best, featuring not only alongside Ozzy Osbourne in the headline act but also with his own band Black Label. GTRK, RTRK, Vesti-24 and the English-language broadcasting company "Russia Today". DISTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR During the IBC in Amsterdam, Pilote Films of France was presented with the "Distributor of the Year Award". Seen here (l. to r.) are Klaus Seitz (Director Sales Export, EVI Audio), Gilbert Pernin (Pilote Films), Nico Lewis (Sales Manager, EVI Audio) and Bettina Hülsmeyer (Pilote Films). newsflash / Autumn 2006 3 RZ_englisch_aktuell_newsflash200906.qxp 21.09.2006 15:48 Uhr Seite 4 HIGHLIGHTS WORLD CUP 2006 ONE TOURNAMENT – TWO WINNERS At the recent World Cup in Germany, the first major sporting event to be produced in HD format, over two thirds of the international broadcasters were relying on equipment from TELEX/RTS Cup. Sound systems from Electro-Voice ensured optimal audio quality for an event followed by billions all over the world. The sound at this and all subsequent matches played in the arena was the responsibility of the Munich-based production company Wilhelm & Willhalm, who took full advantage of the sound system installed, which comes from EVI Audio and is one of the glories of the Allianz Arena. Based on an Electro-Voice X-Line array, this system had already demonstrated its excellence at every home game played by the top Munich clubs, FC Bayern and TSV 1860, since the summer of 2005; and here its enormous versatility was also in evidence : not only was the level of intelligibility during the speeches delivered by FIFA President Joseph Blatter and the German President, Horst Köhler, and heard by over 67,000 spectators, exceptionally high, but the musical offerings were notable for their powerful, balanced sound. Commented Oliver Sahm, EVI Audio's Project Manager know-how; and the extent of our and Sales Manager Permanent Installation of the year. All over the world, soccer fans dedication, ingenuity, and resolve. Not Europe: "This system was conceived to followed the matches with feverish inte- simply because our audio equipment per- satisfy absolutely all the demands of the rest; and within Germany it generated fee- formed so magnificently in the stadiums of Arena – and to do more, besides. The net- lings of euphoria. There was a good deal of Munich, Berlin, Frankfurt, Hanover and work linking the pro audio system to the flag-waving; and you'll see more here too, Nuremberg – and in the distributed sound public address / voice alarm system is uni- I'm afraid, when we look back over the / voice alarm area, in Leipzig as well – but que and sets new standards in stadium four weeks from the 9th June to the 9th also because in the broadcasting centres sound reinforcement." July. This year's World Cup left its traces and OB trucks sending the images round everywhere and created a feeling of com- the world, as well as in city centres throug- munity within the host country : old and hout Germany where crowds gathered in young were one in their desire to see the front of giant screens to share the excite- national team do well; and old and young ment as a community, it was our systems celebrated and commiserated together as that set the tone – from the opening cele- the events unfolded. But great things were brations to the closing ceremony in Berlin. The World Cup was the sporting event our happening behind the scenes, too : there, 4 too, motivation, creativity and professio- World nalism were called for; and the call was Electro-Voice Cup opening gala with answered – inter alia, by systems from EVI The opening ceremony and match in Audio. For it's no exaggeration to say that Munich's Allianz Arena on the 9th June this World Cup showcased the compre- 2006 laid the foundation for what turned hensiveness of our solutions; the depth of out to be an extremely successful World newsflash / Autumn 2006 Detail of a cluster in the Allianz Arena, Munich RZ_englisch_aktuell_newsflash200906.qxp 21.09.2006 20:07 Uhr Seite 5 HIGHLIGHTS INTERVIEW WITH ALEXANDER WILHELM "TWO OUTSTANDING STADIUMS" Wilhelm & Willhalm Veranstaltungs- had been put out to tender and did not technik near really conform with the specifications. In Munich) supervised the sound equip- such cases, we often had to test several ment at the stadium venues for this times over to see whether it was even pos- year’s soccer World Cup. This was a mas- sible to satisfy the requirements with the sive undertaking, but not a daunting materials to hand: whether there were suf- one, as Managing Director Alexander ficient guarantees of operational security, Wilhelm explained to newsflash for example; whether in the event of an GmbH (of Dornach, emergency, the level of the voice alarm newsflash: How did you prepare for this messages would be sufficient, and so on. mammoth task? newsflash: Which were the two outstan- Alexander Wilhelm: Having a great deal ding stadiums? of experience in national and international Alexander Wilhelm: Munich and Berlin. football, this was nothing new for us. newsflash: What was special about the Naturally, in view of the fact that this was equipment installed in those two stadi- the World Cup, there were special needs ums? and requirements, but we had already Alexander Wilhelm: In Munich and “two outstanding stadiums” — the Allianz Arena in encountered these — admittedly on a far Berlin, enormous importance was attached Munich, and the Olympic Stadium in Berlin smaller scale — at the Confederations Cup to quality from the very start — and the in 2005, so we had already examined requisite funds were made available. In It's nice and reassuring to have the infor- them then in considerable depth. What Berlin, line arrays were used, in Munich, mation at your fingertips at all times and was most important in the case of the conventional systems, but very, very access, as well as to receive error reports World Cup was meticulous planning — powerful ones. From the standpoint of and be able to act on them instantly. especially where logistics were concerned: sound, I regard the stadium in Munich as There's no alternative to this technology. access authorizations, access times, cable the best in all Germany. newsflash: What kind of feedback have runs, new regulations and so on. newsflash: In your opinion, would it be you had from FIFA about your work? newsflash: How many of your people possible in the Allianz Arena for a band to Alexander Wilhelm: It was very positi- saw action during the World Cup? rely exclusively on the house system? ve. They were very, very satisfied. They Alexander Wilhelm: There were 60 of Alexander would praised the motivational level and creativi- us in all on the team. depend, of course, upon the music, but in ty of our staff, and felt that we had carried newsflash: What problems did you most cases, yes, absolutely! The additional out the entire commission in a highly pro- encounter in the course of execution? PA brought in by an outside firm for the fessional way. Who knows? Perhaps our Alexander Wilhelm: To be honest, none André Heller part of the opening festivities paths will cross again, but that's all I'm pre- whatsoever. Everything went really smoo- didn't yield any improvement at all. In fact pared to say. thly. No one fell ill, no one's car broke it had the reverse effect. The management down and the equipment never let us of II Divo, which did the official FIFA part, For more information on Wilhelm & down for an instant. insisted — after conducting exhaustive Willhalm, visit: www.wwvt.de newsflash: The stadiums are equipped listening tests — upon the use of the with different sound systems. Were there house system and the house system alone! significant differences in terms of perfor- And it worked perfectly. They told us it was mance? the best sound they had ever heard in any Alexander Wilhelm: I'd prefer to put it stadium anywhere. Alexander Wilhelm this way: two of the stadiums were outs- newsflash: What's your take on the Managing Director, tanding in this respect, and there were remotely supervised and remotely control- Wilhelm & Willhalm others that lagged behind. This is because led amps from Electro-Voice? Veranstaltungstechnik GmbH in many of the stadiums the installations Alexander Wilhelm: They're the future. Wilhelm: That newsflash / Autumn 2006 5 RZ_englisch_aktuell_newsflash200906.qxp 21.09.2006 20:07 Uhr Seite 6 HIGHLIGHTS WORLD CUP 2006 PUBLIC VIEWING WITH EVI AUDIO SYSTEMS The recent World Cup in Germany saw, if not the birth, then the incidence on a hitherto unprecedented scale of the 'public viewing' phenomenon. In almost all Germany's cities, instead of watching the matches at home on television, fans without tickets preferred, it seems, to congregate in their thousands in front of giant screens in city centres. For these 'soccer fiestas' to truly come alive, the sound had to be right; and here — as in most of the stadiums hosting the event — systems from EVI Audio played a key role "Excitement, passion, sense of commu- how seriously they were taking their res- nity" –'public viewing' fever grips ponsibilities. Germany Front PA: 72 x DYNACORD V systems (V12, V17, V28) Delay systems (decentralized): 24 x DYNACORD D12 Foldback (acc. programme): 20 x DYNACORD VM15 Loudspeaker controllers: 9 x DYNACORD DSP 244 Amps: 26 x DYNACORD L2400 Johannes Möck: "We designed the configuration with not only the live commen- 6 Football matches are events people pre- To deliver, though, production companies tary but also the accompanying program- fer to experience communally. The vast gat- had to deploy vast batteries of enclosures me of entertainment in mind. Before and herings seen all over Germany this year had, of the type, and in quantities, associated after every match, there were DJs and in the view of sports sociologist Hans-Jürgen with open air rock festivals, as the follo- bands performing live, and the Dynacord Schulke writing in FOCUS, "a whiff of anar- wing cases illustrate. systems once again demonstrated their chy — a mixture of Woodstock, the Love Freiburg/Offenburg/Achern enormous versatility." Parade and the day the Berlin Wall fell". (MK Badensound) Bielefeld (R&H Giant screens had been seen before, of cour- Renchen-based MK Badensound is one of Veranstaltungstechnik) se, at other World Cups and major events of the leading suppliers of production equip- There were up to 12,000 fans in front of other kinds, but without ever enjoying the ment for events throughout Südbaden the giant screens in the Jahnplatz, same popularity. What made the difference and Baden-Württemberg. In addition to Bielefeld, whenever the German team was at this year's World Cup was that the tech- video, lighting and rigging equipment, playing. R&H Veranstaltungstechnik was nology — especially in the area of sound — and LED screens, the company managed responsible for the sound; and the team had finally caught up with expectations. by Johannes Möck ensures that the sound led by Jochen Reineke relied exclusively on This year, you heard people remarking as at concerts, raves and screenings never the Electro-Voice XLE181; "faster setting- they said their goodbyes, reluctantly, under disappoints; and when soccer fans (not the up times, more compact installation, pro- the giant screens when the fun was over: "It most taciturn of folk) gather in great num- blem-free handling, superb projection and was just like being there — only better, bers — in Freiburg there were up to plenty of penetration," explained Reineke. because you had the commentary", and it 15,000 in front of the giant screens, in The first consideration was of particular was this — the fact of having the commen- Offenburg and Achern, 8,000 and 6,000 importance, since for three of the scree- tary, or rather, of being able to understand respectively — making the commentary nings, he and his team were allowed only the commentary — that gave these giant intelligible above the roar and hubbub an hour to build up and had to dismantle gatherings the best of both worlds: the calls for no little skill and the finest equip- the system even more swiftly as soon as atmosphere of the stadium; the information ment : Möck & Co used only Dynacord the party was over, as the Jahnplatz is an flow of the living room. systems, which gives some indication of intersection of critical importance to the newsflash / Autumn 2006 RZ_englisch_aktuell_newsflash200906.qxp 21.09.2006 20:07 Uhr Seite 7 HIGHLIGHTS SOCCER`S WORLD CUP WITH TELEX/RTS INTERCOM EQUIPMENT flow of traffic within the city. The military For the World Cup in Germany, the ked to the company’s own ADAM at its precision with which R&H performed both first major sporting event in the Miami headquarters by an RVON-8 card. operations and even more importantly the history of television to be produced Explains Manuel Brico: “Both systems were outstanding quality of the sound won prai- in High Definition format, over two connected to the trunkmaster in Miami, se not only from the clients but from the thirds of the world’s broadcasters which made intelligent communication fans themselves: "From the standpoint of relied on systems from TELEX / RTS. between the systems possible.” intelligibility, the sound was absolutely For most of the planet, the World Cup is The World Cup 2006 – media superlati- perfect. All we heard was praise," com- the sporting event that most matters, ves. This year’s World Cup in Germany was mented Jochen Reineke. which is why the world’s broadcasters one of the largest and most complex pro- Front PA: began planning with meticulous precision ductions in the history of broadcasting. 10 x EV XLE 181 (with EV Dx 38) the logistics of their coverage of this year's The Swiss firm Infront Sports & Media was Delay (at 90 metres): event the moment the contracts were responsible for marketing the worldwide 8 x EV XLE 181 (with EV Dx 38) awarded. telecasts. In terms of magnitude, more Berlin (TSE AG) To minimize the risk of something going broadcasters covered the World Cup in If you couldn't get tickets for the Olympic wrong in the course of what was the first 2006 than ever before. According to Stadium, the place to be in Berlin was the major sporting event ever to be produced Infront: “Virtually every country on earth Waldbühne. TSE AG provided the sound in high definition format, no fewer than tuned in.” reinforcement for the screenings at this four of the seven HD outside broadcast The following outside broadcast trucks historic location. TSE's team, led by Marcel vehicles relaying the images employed equipped with TELEX / RTS systems were Fery, had already demonstrated at the intercom equipment from TELEX/RTS. hired by the Host Broadcasting Service:- Metallica gig at the beginning of June that There was a reason for this: under similar the Waldbühne — a nightmare for most circumstances at both the summer and Visions HD-1 (UK) sound reinforcement providers — held no winter Olympics as well as last year’s Visions HD-2 (UK) terrors for them, and they did so again Federation Cup, TELEX/RTS equipment VCF (France) during the World Cup, using once again had given conclusive proof of its reliability Visual (France) systems from Electro-Voice, MIDAS and and effectiveness. Media Pro (Spain) Klark Teknik. Manuel Brico, Product Manager PA: 12 x EV Xvlt , 8 x EV Xvls , TELEX/RTS Intercom EAME with EVI Audio, 16 x EV Xsub outlined the complexity of the problems Amps: EV P3000 associated with providing images of the Delay: 8 x EV Rx tournament: “Each of the outside broad- Consoles: MIDAS Siena 480 cast vehicles had to cover matches in two EQ: Klark Teknik different stadiums, shuttling to and fro from one to the other. Since at the end of each match, the systems had to be dismantled and set up again at a new venue, ease-of-use and reliability were of paramount importance.” Among the intercom equipment most in evidence at this year’s World Cup were Inside the Media Pro OB truck ADAM digital matrices, KP-32 keypanels and the new RVON-8 cards. With Univision, for example, the host broadcaster for North America’s Spanish-language stations, the ADAM in the International Broadcast Centre (IBC) in Munich was lin- newsflash / Autumn 2006 7 RZ_englisch_aktuell_newsflash200906.qxp 21.09.2006 20:07 Uhr Seite 8 HIGHLIGHTS WALDBÜHNE, BERLIN METALLICA AND NOISE ABATEMENT? pic: Marion Vogel At Metallica's only solo show in Germany (on the 6th June at the Waldbühne in Berlin), the trick was to provide the 22,000 fans with an exciting auditory experience without infringing the strict noise control regulations. 8 Berlin's Waldbühne in the suburb of sound reinforcement design proposed to only was the system tested in advance and Charlottenburg was already sold out weeks him at the ProLight+Sound show in exhaustive SPL measurements taken to before the appearance of the American Frankfurt by Marcel Fery (Chairman of TSE ensure any spillage remained strictly wit- metal kings, with fans from all over AG), having worked the venue before and hin the statutory limits, but a considerable Germany and surrounding countries fal- being well familiar with the problems degree of flexibility was also built in, so as ling over each other to get tickets for what posed by the Waldbühne. The design, to ensure the level could be lowered if was to be Metallica's only solo concert in which was the product of the TSE AG need be in the sections closest to the resi- the region. In the event, the 22,000 fans crew's many years' experience of the dential area without the rest of the audien- enjoyed not only a grandiose spectacle in venue, consisted essentially of an EV X-Line ce noticing the difference. a historic setting but also magnificent as the main PA, EV XLD line arrays for the sound. centre and outfills, and 16 additional delay This impressive and highly idiosyncratic systems distributed among the galleries. venue is one for which it is notoriously dif- Synchronizing and balancing the system ficult to provide good sound reinforce- involved the programming of over 28 dif- ment: not only is it situated in a nature ferent delay times and filter curves. To pro- reserve, but the nearest houses are a mere vide efficient and reliable management of 500 metres away. Consequently, the noise the large number of system controllers and control regulations in force at every event power amplifier channels involved, TSE AG are particularly strict; yet a way must still deployed a NetMax N8000 and P3000 be found to provide adequate coverage DSP remote-controlled power amplifiers for an audience that fans out over 270 governed centrally by IRIS-Net software. degrees and sections of which are not only "The systematic use of delay systems allo- a hundred meters from the stage but also wed us to provide optimum coverage of twenty meters above the highest loud- the audience area whilst at the same time speakers. Metallica FOH Engineer "Big taking the sensitivities of nearby residents "By the beard of the prophet…" – Big Mick Mick" Hughes immediately accepted the into account," explains Marcel Fery. Not Hughes at the controls of a Midas XL4 newsflash / Autumn 2006 RZ_englisch_aktuell_newsflash200906.qxp 21.09.2006 20:08 Uhr Seite 9 HIGHLIGHTS "The surgical use of meticulously selected components" This was the phrase Production Manager Marcel Fery used to describe the approach adopted by TSE AG: "We decided in favor of the X-Line because our past experience of the system had been unfailingly positive; and, in this location in particular, where precise directivity and homogeneity are all-important, the X-Line is the perfect system."Not only was the audience delighted with the results but so was "Big Mick" Hughes, who as Metallica's FOH man now for almost 20 years is clearly an authority Great sound guaranteed – EV's X-Line (top) on good sound: "The whole system wor- A head for heights – TSE boss Marcel Fery (r.) ked outstandingly," he told us. "There was The Waldbühne is set in a nature reserve no shortage of power in the bass or penetration in the midrange — and that was true not only at the FOH position but throughout the venue." Metallica in Berlin (6/6/2006); equipment list (extract): Main system 16 x X-Line Xvls 90° 12 x X-Line Xvlt 120° 24 x X-Line X-Sub flown 12 x X-Line X-Sub stacked 48 x EV P3000/P3000RL Sidefills 12 x EV XLC 120° line array 16 x EV P3000 amp Centre / Frontfills / Outfills 24 x EV XLD 281 line array 20 x EV CP 3000 S Delays 22 x EV Rx112/75 Distribution & Electronics 7 x Klark Teknik DN9848 1 x EV NetMax N8000 newsflash / Autumn 2006 9 RZ_englisch_aktuell_newsflash200906.qxp 21.09.2006 20:08 Uhr Seite 10 HIGHLIGHTS „TELECOMCERTO”, ROM BILLY, BRYAN, 500.000 ROMANS & EV Around half a million music fans streamed to the Coliseum in Rome on July 31st to enjoy a free concert featuring Billy Joel and Bryan Adams, sponsored by Telecom Progetto Italia and the City of Rome. A huge line-array system from Electro-Voice made sure the audience’s expectations were exceeded Billy Joel and Bryan Adams were dual Texim, official Italian distributors of the who made the final projections for the headliners at this year's Telecomcerto, the Electro-Voice, MIDAS and Klark Teknik whole system. large annual free concert organized by equipment that comprised the entire The main system comprised 56 Electro- Telecom Progetto Italia in cooperation sound reinforcement system. This year Voice X-Line enclosures (24 x Xvls + 4 x with the City of Rome. The two-for-one Texim celebrates 30 years as an Electro- Xvlt + 28 Xsub) flown from four X-Line superstar event took place on the July 31st Voice distributor, as well as 35 years in the grids. The delay systems included 112 2006, on a stage where many of the professional audio business. XLC127+ speakers suspended in the layer world’s greatest artists have performed The event location included one of the over the last three years, in front of the most famous streets in Rome – that run- Coliseum and in the magical setting of the ning from the Coliseum to the Imperial Despite difficulties posed by the climate Fori Imperiali (Imperial Forums). Forums – along which sound reinforce- (with temperatures at times reaching 35°C in total. It was a night of great music and high ment was provided for one kilometre. in the days leading up to the concert and emotion for the estimated 500,000 fans in Alessandro Galli was responsible for event 90% humidity on event day) and the attendance. The audio and lighting equip- production, with support from Diego reflective surfaces of monuments and buil- ment for both concerts was supplied by Bertuzzi. Milan-based Stage System sup- dings, the alignment and equalization of Italian company MMS srl. of Solaro plied the stage and the layer for the delay the system based on the EASE projections (Milan); Maddalena Tronchetti Provera towers. The EASE projections for the audio turned out to be perfect. This ensured that and Vittorio Quattrone of the Four One system were made by the Texim Technical the hundreds of thousands attending the Music company organized the event. Department in collaboration with Giovanni event were treated to sound of the highest Colucci and Massimo Sartirana of MMS, quality. Final fine-tuning was performed by The event was also a great success for 10 towers, and 32 Xsubs and 12 XLC118 subs newsflash / Autumn 2006 RZ_englisch_aktuell_newsflash200906.qxp 21.09.2006 20:08 Uhr Seite 11 HIGHLIGHTS PA manager Massimo Sartirana and resi- The sound engineers of both artists dent sound engineer Domenico Carnuccio, expressed their satisfaction during both relying on the SMAART program as well as the rehearsals and the event. During Billy FOH & delay tower control racks: 12xKlark their own, highly trained, ears. The decisi- Joel's set in particular, one had the impres- Teknik DN9848 loudspeaker processors, on to suspend all the enclosures of the sion of listening to a perfect mix with a 1xKlark Teknik DN9340 Helix digital equa- main system – including the subwoofers – very high degree of intelligibility, a wide lizer, 1xKlark Teknik DN6000 Spectrum was also vindicated. dynamic range, and tremendous sound Analyser; pressure levels throughout the entire audi- 1xMidasxL4, Monitor 1xMidas H3000 ence area. (Bryan Adams); Main system (Coliseum): Equipment and personnel (extract) FOH (Bryan Adams): 24xEVxVLSx-Line 90° , 4xEVxVLTx-Line 120°, 4xEVx-Line Grid , 28xEVx-Linex-Sub , 42xEV P3000 power amps; Stereo Delay Systems (x4) (in the "Via dei Fori Imperiali"): 88xEVxLC127+, 8xEVxLC grids, 32xEVx-Linexsub, 64xEV P3000 power amps; Mono 24xEVxLC127+, Delay 3xEVxLC System: grids, 12xEVxLC118 + subwoofers, 18xEV P2000 Power Amp, 6xEV P3000 power amps; Lighting and sound: M.M.S. srl; Sound system engineers: Giovanni Colucci, Gigi Belloni; Sound design: Massimo Sartirana; System engineer FOH: Domenico Carnuccio. The concert highlight of the year? The joint appearance of Billy Joel and Bryan Adams at the "Telecomcerto" in Rome on the 31st July drew an audience of 500,000 EVI Audio systems turned in a per- pics: TEXIM fect audio performance newsflash / Autumn 2006 11 RZ_englisch_aktuell_newsflash200906.qxp 21.09.2006 20:08 Uhr Seite 12 WORLDWIDE S I M P LY R E D ON TOUR WITH SATIS & FY The commission to handle the sound reinforcement for this year's Simply Red tour of Germany gave Satis & Fy a chance to tour for the first time with their new X-Line and Tour Grade amps One of the largest companies in Germany Christoph Klemp euphoric: "The sound providing technical services in the event system was controlled perfectly: every business, Satis & Fy recently took delivery nuance of Chris de Margery's flute and Ian of an X-Line and Tour Grade amplifiers Kirkham's saxophone solos came out from Electro-Voice. They were so convin- crystal-clear above the powerful bass and ced by the performance of the new tan- drums… It was a delight to listen to – from dem at the Red Bull Air Race, Rock am Ring the first row to the last." and Rock im Park events that they had little hesitation in taking them along when Simply Red in Germany Equipment list they were given the commission to handle (extract) Simply Red's upcoming tour of Germany. Enclosures Obviously Gary Bradshaw, the group's FOH EV X-Line (16 x Xvls 90°, 6 x Xvlt 120°, 24 engineer, had worked often with Britannia x Xsub) Amps, EV Tour Grade & P series Row's X-Line in the past, and the task of (24 x TG7, 8 x P3000), Distribution & elec- satisfying – or rather, exceeding – his tronics, Klark Teknik & EV (2 x DN9848, 2 expectations this time fell to system techni- x NetMax N8000) cians Alexander Lewin, Stefan Harazd and Paul Wunderlich. It would appear they succeeded. Certainly the critics were impressed, with LY N Y R D S K Y N Y R D / 3 D O O R S D O W N “DOUBLE-TROUBLE“ ROCK WITH EV Lynyrd Skynyrd and 3 Doors Down's "Double Trouble" tour of the States this summer lasted just under a month. LD Systems provided the sound reinforcement — using equipment from EV The FOH system was an Electro-Voice X- morning, you can spend the day fine- Heritage 3000 console (3 Doors Down Line, with up to 40 Xvls, 8Xvlt and 28 Xsub tuning the other details – it all adds finesse monitor mix). enclosures deployed each evening. It was to the tour production. This tour is playing driven by 74 EV P3000RL remote control all kinds of venues, and the X-Line is pro- DSP amplifiers; and 8 EV X-Array Xn fills ving equally impressive in all of them; were also used. "As always, the X-Line rig which has really proved its flexibility." pic: Marion Vogel sounds awesome," reported Robert Ausmus 12 of LD Systems. "It’s really unmatched as a The equipment used included the rock rig. Tony Luna and his crew also love following: how quickly they can load in and tear down 40 x EV X-Line Xvls; 8 x EV X-Line Xvlt; 28 the system. X-Line deployment is heada- x EV X-Line Xsub; 8 x EV X-Array Xn; 74 x che-free. When you often have the main P3000RL Remote Control DSP amplifiers; system up and ready to go by 10:30 in the 1 x MIDAS XL88 matrix mixer; 1 x MIDAS newsflash / Autumn 2006 RZ_englisch_aktuell_newsflash200906.qxp 21.09.2006 20:08 Uhr Seite 13 WORLDWIDE UNICEF GALA,THE HAGUE JAN SMIT TOUR 2006 ONLY THE FINEST AUDIOPACKAGE At the star-studded UNICEF gala in The Hague on the 25th March, AVEQ Rental & Sales supplied the equipment and expertise Dutch rental company Triple Showtechniek recently invested in an extensive audio package including systems from Electro-Voice, Klark Teknik and MIDAS for popular Dutch singer Jan Smit’s latest tour classic hits: "We Are Family", "He's the Greatest Dancer" and "Lost in Music". The AVEQ Rental & Sales team led by Rutger Klein Kranenbarg (FOH) and Dimitri Van Dijck (Monitor) used a sophisticated Electro-Voice sound system for both the gala and the after-show party. Comments AVEQ boss, Robert van Aalst: "We put our It was the social event of the year in The Hague: the UNICEF gala on the 25th March. Celebrities from the cultural, spor- faith in the EV XLD and that faith was utter- ting and political worlds thronged the atri- awarded the commission for next year's um of the town hall and UNICEF made a gala on the spot!" Gala: stage equipment net profit of 143,500 euros it will use for 12 x EV XLD (6 per side); 4 x EV X-SUB 4 x charitable purposes. To heighten the mood EV Xi 1122 (in-fills, mounted on the X- of generosity among the guests, the UNI- SUBs, 2 per side); 2 x EV 1081 (front-fills, CEF team had organized a high-calibre stage centre); 10 x EV T221M (monito- programme that included not only Jim, ring); KT 9848, EV power amps; Midas Told U So and Frank In Person (F.I.P.) but Verona 480 Tour Pack After-show party: also the legendary disco group of the stage equipment: 4 x EV X-Array XCN; 4 x Eighties Sister Sledge, whose set included EV X-Array XCB; 4 x EV-X-Array XB; 2 x EV powerful and dynamic renderings of their DX38; 6 x EV P3000 ly vindicated. After the show, the compliments were veritably flying and we were The rental company responsible for Smit's upcoming tour of the Netherlands and Germany is Triple Showtechniek, based in Purmerend. With a view to achieving perfect acoustic results, the Dutch touring company's audio specialists launched an investment offensive, ordering an extensive package of Electro-Voice, Klark Teknik and MIDAS pro audio systems from the Dutch EV distributor, Electric Audio B.V and MIDAS Consoles Holland. The shopping list included: 18 x EV Xlc 127+, 8 x EV X-subs, 6 x EV QRx-153/75, Multiple EV CP2200, CP3000S, CP4000 amps, Klark Teknik Square One, Multiple Klark Teknik DN-9848 E system controllers, MIDAS Heritage H 2000 (FOH), MIDAS Heritage H 3000 (monitors). Rene Tielen, Triple Showtechniek's MD, commented: "For a “Neptunalia”, Danzig: THE LARGEST XLC IN POLAND tour in this category, you need the ultimate audio package. With the new systems, we Whilst students in the rest of Poland are ween them, came up with no fewer than celebrating the coming of spring, those in thirty Electro-Voice Xlc127+ cabinets to Gdansk prefer to honor Neptune; and create the largest Xlc array the country despite lousy weather, they flocked in their had ever seen. They were scarcely pouring thousands to the shipyards in mid May to oil on troubled waters either when they hear bands like The Rasmus, Clawfinger, deployed the new X-Line Very Compact Culcha Candela, Dreadzone, The Dub system alongside it — the first time Xlc Pistols, Looptroop and Superfunk at the and Xlvc systems had been combined in annual this way. Neptunalia. Anticipating the magnitude of the event, Audio Plus, EVI Other system components included Audio's distribution partner in Poland, put MIDAS consoles (Verona, Siena, Venice), 8 together a coalition of three of the coun- x Rx215 subwoofers, 2 x SxA 360 powered try’s leading sound companies — Legro, speakers, and a variety of RE and N/D JBS Marketing and Evelina — who, bet- series microphones from Electro-Voice. newsflash / Autumn 2006 can achieve the very highest standards." 13 RZ_englisch_aktuell_newsflash200906.qxp 21.09.2006 20:08 Uhr Seite 14 WORLDWIDE JAZZ ON THE DANUBE, 2006 EXQUISITE JAZZ SOUNDS AND A PREMIERE The Jazz on the Danube festival (Jazz an der Donau), which ran from July 13th-16th, offered another excellent, highlight-filled program this year. Ingo Haasch and his team were responsible for sound reinforcement, and relied on a combination of compact Electro-Voice (EV) line array systems, Dynacord PowerH power amplifiers and EV NetMax N8000 signal processors. This combination, being used here for the first time at a major event, impressed musicians, sound engineers and audiences in equal measure Above all, it was the wide range of application possibilities offered by the NetMax N8000 that most impressed the crew working FOH: the IRIS-Net nerve center is a modular digital audio signal processor with 32 inputs and 32 outputs — all accommodated in a space-saving 2U case. The N8000 is equipped with four module slots for local audio inputs and outputs, a CobraNet slot for digital audio network connection, and Ethernet, CAN-Bus and RS-232 interfaces for the purpose of control and supervision. Simply put, the system, which is equally suitable for fixed Hot rhythms, cool equipment — Juanes and the NetMax/PowerH rack were among the festival's classiest acts installations and mobile professional applications, offers FOH engineers all they 14 could wish for. The Jazz on the Danube festival, now in its used at a major event before, and the twentieth year, is one of the ten biggest results greatly impressed the musicians, Ingo Haasch commented: "The EV XLD jazz festivals in the world. It's an event cha- production personnel and audiences alike. system, like the XLE, is ultra-flexible. It's racterized by music of exceptional quality, The two EV NetMax N8000 controllers tops for small to medium-sized jazz, thea- an intimate atmosphere, excellent orga- used were of decisive importance in the trical and classical music events, but also nization and the finest equipment. This system design. The left and right sides of provides a solid foundation for medium to year's jubilee event — in which Latino star the PA (with 8 input and 24 output chan- large rock concerts. With the addition of Juanes, Randy Crawford & the Joe Sample nels each) were controlled separately. The X-sub boxes, for example, you can arrive Trio and Klaus Doldinger's Passport all deli- new FIR filters were responsible for the (with very little expenditure) at a line array vered highly acclaimed performances — equalization of the main PA and proved to system that is really something." Haasch is thoroughly lived up to what has become a be of enormous benefit. Franz Lermer, equally enthusiastic about the Dynacord great annual tradition. Manager of Digital Development with EVI PowerH amplifiers: "Ultra-virile, ultra-tight Ingo Haasch and his sound team, along Audio, and part of EVI Audio's support power amplifiers generating oodles of wat- with the state-of-the-art EV & Dynacord team at the JAD 2006, commented: "The tage. I was totally convinced by them." systems they deployed, made a considera- sound team had never worked with FIR fil- For further information, ble contribution to the success of the ters before and were highly enthusiastic visit www.jazzanderdonau.de event. right from the start.” The team found the The key elements in the sound system system design, developed by Peter design were a combination of compact Hallstein and Günter Krauss of EVI Audio line array systems from Electro-Voice (XLD using IRIS-Net software, precisely addres- 281, XLC 215), Dynacord PowerH amps, sed their needs with minimal hassle, mini- and two EV NetMax N8000 digital audio mal hardware, and requiring only minimal controllers. This set up had never been EQ tweaks in the field. newsflash / Autumn 2006 RZ_englisch_aktuell_newsflash200906.qxp 21.09.2006 20:08 Uhr Seite 15 WORLDWIDE NCAA Final Four 2006 PRODUCTION IN XXL FORMAT WITH DB SOUND This year's NCAA Final Four – the single biggest event in basketball – ran from the 1st to the 3rd April in Indianapolis, with 100,000 fans turning out for the three days of sports, music and entertainment. Harry Witz, CEO and System Designer of db Sound Image, which was commissioned to provide the sound reinforcement, talked about setting-up amid tornado warnings, pulling down, the venue, and the giant PA system his company deployed for the event Array. I wouldn't use line array here if you Equipment list (extract) gave them to me. We're using Xf ,Xf, Xf, Main P.A., Stage (facing down Meridian Xb,Xb, Xb and the reason is is that they're Street): (2) arrays of (11) EV X-Line per only 40-degrees horizontal and 20-degress side, flown. Comprised of (9) Xvls and (2) vertical, and I'm hanging three of these on Xvlt, per side; (3) stacks of (4) EV Xsubs each side of the video screen. The reason per side; Power amplification, Main P.A.: for that is that they throw very far and Each flown array powered by three racks of have a very controlled, tight pattern and amps for a total of (12) EV P-3000 per side. we want to keep them off the buildings. If Subs powered by two racks of (4) P-3000 we used a 90-degree box down those stre- each for (8) amps per side; Monitors: 24- ets with the buildings it'd be horrendous, EV Xw15 monitors; Sidefills: it'd be pinball…” X-Array (2) Xf and (2) Xb per side First Delay Tower (335’ from main stage) Harry Witz on setting up and pulling down Harry Witz on power amplification (facing down Meridian Street): "We set up the whole front-of-house, tore “Since 1979 I’ve owned hundreds of (2) hangs of EV X-Array – (3) Xf and (3) Xb it down, and then reset it up amidst torna- amplifiers from all manufacturers; I don’t per side – flanking video screen All EV P- do warnings, bad weather, etc. It had to know a lot of people who have owned 3000 amplification be done; no laziness here. Then we basi- more. Anyway, we did a test in the early Second delay tower (480’ from main cally plugged everything in and had no ‘90s when X-Array was coming out. EV stage) (facing down Meridian Street): buzzes, no problems, no nothing. It was wanted us to test EV amps. What we did (2) hangs of X-Array (2) Xf, (1) Xb, (1) Xn perfect. Then at the end of the event, was a blind test. It really was surprising, per side All EV P-3000 amplification there was a similar scenario as to when we but we all picked EV. Our initial order was came in: tornado warnings, bad weather, over 400 amps! Three years later we had- etc. However, everything considered, it n’t serviced one of them, which far surpas- went really well. ses any of my other inventory. I have EV P3000 amps currently that are going on ten Harry Witz on the X-Line and X-Array years old, have been around the world "If you point a bunch of X-Line cabinets many times, have millions of miles on straight forward they're going to sum real- them, have been through dust and dirt, ly good and they're going to throw like had fans in the racks break, and still work. hell. Of all the PAs that I've ever played Amazing. EV amps also electrically match with or tried, the EV X-Line definitely has the components in the speakers we use. the most power and throws the farthest, That’s another cool thing. An EVX-180B without a doubt. So when we're doing just about runs out of mechanical gas and these kinds of shows, it's just the thing to electrical capacity when the amplifier has use. So, we've got the main P.A. (X-Line; little juice left to deliver and we use pairs of 9xXvls + 2xXvlt per side) at the monument the 180’s on one channel of a P-3000; we pointing down Meridian Street. use four 12’s on one channel. It all mat- "At the arch we have two columns of X- ches up really well.” newsflash / Autumn 2006 15 RZ_englisch_aktuell_newsflash200906.qxp 21.09.2006 20:08 Uhr Seite 16 SPOTLIGHT DYNACORD COBRA SUCCESS ALL AREAS Whether it's rock, disco, techno, live concerts or fixed installations, the Dynacord COBRA has all it takes and more, as four case histories from the global pro audio scene amply demonstrate 16 The Spy Bar is a small club with a great and a CSR-4 LX amp rack in each of the the local production company, was taking reputation among aficiondados of the four corners made it happen with hea- no chances and opted for a rig that had Chicago scene. It offers patrons an intima- droom to spare. served it well at numerous high-profile live te club experience that is big on style and "The Cobra-4 is without a doubt the events in and around Miami: a MIDAS sound quality — largely thanks to a best conceived system that I've ever laid mixing console, Klark Teknik processors, Dynacord Cobra line array system installed my hands on,” says Robert Grimard of EV wireless mikes and monitor wedges, by Audiolines. “There’s a long line around Productions Reno, who was responsible for and a Dynacord Cobra line array. "We the block at Spy Bar every Friday night,” the sound concept. “From the quality of heard great things about the sound from reports Audiolines' Eric Dahl. “Since instal- the audio design to the simple power of all quarters," reported DBS's Harold ling the Cobra in February, their booking such a compact and complete system, I'm Cummings. "Carl Fermin, Manager at has taken off. Purefuture, the big DJ & impressed!” Sobe Live, couldn't believe how little time dance music promoter here in Chicago, No surprise, then, that it was the Cobra it took us to put up such a powerful had previously been booking their big that made the difference at the bi-annual system. Soundchecks were scheduled from name DJ nights at a mega-club that held Hookahville Jam Festival in Legend Valley, 10am to 2pm, but the rig performed so about 3000 but switched to the 300-capa- Thornville, Ohio. Formerly known as well that whatever each artist needed was city Spy Bar simply because of its new Buckeye Lake, the outdoor venue was a dialled in quickly and precisely, meaning sound system. Obviously that says a lot for favourite show stop for the Grateful Dead. all three soundchecks only took an hour!" the Cobra rig!" Upcoming ‘name’ DJs on This spring, it was the turn of Ekoostik the schedule include Deep Dish, James Hookah supported by special guests inclu- Zabiela, Lee Burridge and Danny Howells. ding Blues Traveler. AA Sound supplied the "As the only vertical line array designed Cobra rig, which was used to great effect specifically for ground stacking as well as with a MIDAS Heritage 1000 FOH console flying, the Cobra is a really versatile pro- from DBS Audio. blem-solver," explains Dahl. "It has a small The AA crew deployed the Cobra in a footprint, yet pumps out huge sound into new configuration they christened the the 50 by 50 foot room. The Cobra-2 has "Cobra-10": a total of two Cobra-4 rigs the brute force of a system twice its size!" and a Cobra-2. "The rig sounded pheno- That it can work the same magic in menal," reports AA's Will Roth. "We flew clubs many times the size of the Spy Bar four Far and four Top boxes per side. That was illustrated at the Metropolis in took us all of fifteen minutes! Sixteen PWH Montreal, when the Dutch turntable titan subs took care of the low end, lined up Tiesto held 2,300 trance fans enthralled for across the front of the stage. A crew of two three and a half hours. The Metropolis can set up this PA in no time!" crowd were surrounded by 36000 watts of When you factor in its price:performan- sound from Dynacord Cobra-4 systems ce and size:power ratios, the Cobra's in a supplied by Erikson Pro. The Cobra confi- class of its own. Top Miami Beach venue guration for the evening was all about Sobe Live recently hosted a party for Def controlled coverage with tons of low end Jam Records, featuring the label's up-and- thump: Two Cobra-4 kits, a stack of four coming hip-hop stars: Christina Milian, PWH subs, two Cobra-Tops, a Cobra-Far, Lola and Rihanna. Drummer Boy Sound, newsflash / Autumn 2006 RZ_englisch_aktuell_newsflash200906.qxp 21.09.2006 20:08 Uhr Seite 17 SPOTLIGHT S T R E E T P A R A D E , M A Y D A Y, B A C A R D I B A T C L U B PARTY ON! From the Bacardi Bat Club in Kiel to the Street Parade in Zurich and 'The Mother of all Raves', Mayday, in Dortmund, production companies, we discovered, had arrived at the same conclusion: to generate the requisite buzz at a rave these days, you need a sound system of the highest professional quality. newsflash took a closer look at the challenges posed by each of these events and the solutions adopted by the pros. and 16 x 4 racks of EV P3000. For the appearance by The Prodigy, a two-point system was added consisting of 28 x EV XLine Xvls, 8 x EV X-Line Sub and 8 x EV Xlc 15" Sub. In the smaller 'Area 03', 24 x EV XLD 281 and 16 x EV X Sub provided flawless rave power. Two Klark Teknik DN 9848 E controllers, and MIDAS H3000, The Mayday with EV (left); Badensound's Johannes Möck (above) XL250 and Venice consoles, formed the nerve center of operations. Some 800,000 people braved miserable weather in Zurich this year to participate in the Street Parade. The companies responsi- Over 4,000 guests flocked to the absolutely brilliant!' Hannes Sellugga was ble for the sound at this massive event, Ostseehalle in Kiel on Saturday, May 6th, for equally enthusiastic: 'Satisfied guests, Badensound of Renchen and Flashlight of the Bacardi Bat Club Party, one of the most delighted artists, enthusiastic organizers – Zurich, deployed no fewer than 230 popular disco events in northern Germany, once again, the COBRA really showed us Dynacord V systems and 76 Dynacord the appeal of which this year was further what it's made of.' power amplifiers to flood the city with enhanced by the introduction of live music 'The Mother of all Raves', Dortmund's pulsating techno sounds and ensure that — to a program that already featured the legendary Mayday, drew 25,000 hedonists like the fine lady upon a white horse in the finest DJ sounds. To ensure even coverage from Germany and beyond this year — all nursery rhyme — the 800,000 ravers would throughout the almost 5,000 square meter hell-bent on dancing away the night from have music wherever they went. There hall with its notoriously tricky acoustics, April 20th to May 1st. A lot has changed were even two 'Lovemobiles' beside a stage Spirit Light Veranstaltungstechnik's team of since the first Mayday fifteen years ago at at the main station pumping up the volume sound specialists led by Hannes Sellugga Berlin's Weißensee. Now staged at the until, by the end, even the locomotives called in the Cobra, Dynacord's compact Westfalenhalle in Dortmund, the event has were doing the locomotion… line array: two Cobra Subs and six Cobra grown larger and more professional with- If Switzerland's leading dance event was Tops were flown each side of the stage and out sacrificing any of its charm, as this year's an even more spectacular success than a further cluster of four Cobra Subs stacked event, which spread over three differently usual this year, this may have had much to in front of it. The system was powered by sized venues, made plain. Live shows from do with Dynacord's brand-new H 5000 Dynacord L2400 and Dynacord L1600 such stars of the scene as The Prodigy and amp, which was making its first ever appea- amps, with the Dynacord CL 1600 prefer- cult DJ Westbam contributed to the unbrid- rance at the event and drew from no less an red for the nearfills and monitors. Control of led euphoria; but above all, it was the expert than Johannes Möck the predicate: the main PA, nearfills and monitors was pro- sound— provided by TSE AG Berlin — that 'Best amp for driving the system I've ever vided by the Klark Teknik DN360. 'The really set the party alight. TSE had sent out had!' In fact, the boss of the highly respec- Cobra has set the tone now for a wide its infantry, marshalled as ever by Marcel ted sound company went further, saying variety of events staged by us,' commented Fery, and they deployed Electro-Voice that 'with the H 5000, you have a sense that organizer the systems for their heavy artillery. In 'Area 01' the amplifier has a grip on the loudspeaker Ostseehalle, it came up trumps once again alone, the largest of the three halls, TSE and can make it do exactly what it wants.' and the guests loved it – the sound was used 32 x EV X-Line Xvlt, 64 x EV X-Line Sub Raphael Kammer. 'In newsflash / Autumn 2006 17 RZ_englisch_aktuell_newsflash200906.qxp 21.09.2006 20:08 Uhr Seite 18 I N STALLATION R O C C O F O R T E H O T E L V I L L A K E N N E D Y, F R A N K F U R T FIVE-STAR SYSTEMS FOR A LUXURY HOTEL The sound reinforcement equipment in the new Rocco Forte Hotel Villa Kennedy in Frankfurt am Main — a combination of Electro-Voice and Dynacord systems installed by Landau Electronic — is setting new standards, with pro sound and life safety systems working hand-in-hand, a flexible and intuitive set of user interfaces, and the systematic monitoring and supervision of all components to ensure reliable operation a complex set of requirements, it having 6 Dynacord DPM40000 digital matrix been decided in the early stages of plan- page processors, 153 supervision lines, ning that a system was needed that could and remote amplifiers from the Dynacord be used not only for announcements and ProMatrix system with a combined power voice alarm messages but also to serve the of 4,500 watts — covers the banqueting entire needs of the conference and mee- hall, conference rooms, restaurant, lob- ting area. It was further required that the bies, and the entire spa and fitness areas, system be capable of supplying different and offers enormous flexibility. In the con- areas of the hotel with a choice of audio ference area, for example, you can select programs. between local audio sources, adjust volu- The commission to install the system me levels, and decide whether or not to was awarded by Bosch Sicherheitssysteme make audio signals from one section avai- The spring of 2006 brought a notable to Landau electronic, where it was quickly lable to listeners elsewhere. addition to Frankfurt's stock of five-star realized that combining a Dynacord This complex web of audio signals is hotels with the opening of the elegant Villa ProMatrix system with Electro-Voice's new managed via CobraNet by Electro-Voice Kennedy, which is situated just off the networking digital audio matrix, NetMax NetMax N8000 controllers, which also south bank of the river Main. The new N8000, represented the ideal solution to form the audio basis for the provision of hotel, which is part of the Rocco Forte the problems posed — not least since the background music within the hotel as well chain, comprises three newly constructed same tandem had demonstrated its syner- as the entire alarm system. The controllers, buildings built around the Villa Speyer gy at a number of World Cup venues and which are programmed using Electro- (1904). Among the hotel's attractions are proved that a sound reinforcement system Voice's IRIS-Net software, contain a special the Villa Spa (comprising an indoor pool, of professional quality and a state-of-the- priority matrix governed via a software gymnasium, sauna, steambath and treat- art messaging and voice alarm system interface by the Dynacord DPM4000 pro- ment rooms), a 330 square meter ball- could interact and complement one ano- cessors. The system also supports the fully room with its own entrance and lobby, ther without the multiplicity of possibilities bi-directional exchange of system status and superior facilities with the latest tech- thus generated becoming as daunting as data and error messages as well as the per- nology for meetings and special events to preclude operation of the combined manent supervision of all components. including multiple conference rooms that system by untrained personnel. can be used individually or combined. The sound system was designed to satisfy The system — which includes 6 ElectroVoice NetMax N8000 network controllers, EV AT THE CIRCUS Ruton S, EVI Audio's Russian distributor, has just delivered an extensive package of equipment (12 x XLD281; 12 x Xlc215; 4 x Xsub; 4 x SxA100+; 15 x CP3000; 4 x DX38; 5 x RE2-N7; 12 x Zx5) to the Zirkus Cinizelli in St. Petersburg, whose colourful live shows, blending music, acrobatics and magic, attract around 2,000 visitors daily. The response was immediate, with Fontanka, the city's largest newspaper remarking that "the Circus Cinizelli offers the best sound in all St Petersburg : velvety and powerful at the same time." 18 newsflash / Autumn 2006 RZ_englisch_aktuell_newsflash200906.qxp 21.09.2006 20:08 Uhr Seite 19 I N STALLATION VLAAMS WIELERCENTRUM EDDY MERCKX, GENT A.PRÉVOST EQUIPS BELGIAN VELODROME With the new Vlaams Wielercentrum Eddy Merckx indoor cycling hall in Ghent, Belgium is not only honoring its greatest sports hero but also providing the next generation of Belgian cyclists with one of the most modern and technically innovative velodromes in the world in which to compete and train. EVI Audio's partners in Belgium, A.Prévost, installed the sound system Minister of Sport, Bert Anciaux, as well as supervised remotely. "This amp and spea- the legendary cyclist himself. The sound ker combination offers not only excellent equipment was installed by the Zaventem- sound quality but also the ultimate in based EVI Audio partner A.Prévost, whose terms of ease-of-use, - maintenance and - team, led by MD Walter Geerts, opted for supervision," explained Geerts. "There are top level loudspeakers specially designed no compromises here: it's a set-up that for highly reverberant halls: "The louds- satisfies the highest expectations." peakers we installed guarantee 1A bandwidth and directivity control and high The systems installed include: The new Vlaams Wielercentrum Eddy sound pressure levels even in halls with 2 x EV P900 RL and 4 x EV P1200 RL Merckx indoor cycling hall in Ghent is one problematic acoustics," says Walter Geerts Precision of the most modern and technically inno- of the EV FRX+ 660 and EV FRX+940 Dynacord CMS 1000 mixing console; vative velodromes in the world. Over enclosures making up the central cluster. A Klark Teknik DN 320 double 16-band pre- 4,000 people attended the official opening key role in the installation is played by set EQ; 1 x EV FRX + 660; 11 x EV FRX on the 17th February including numerous DSP-controlled amplifiers from Electro- +940 Belgian politicians, such as the Flemish Voice's RL series, which are controlled and CAFE DALUXE, SARAGOSSA CORONET CINEMA, LONDON Series remote amplifiers; Having started out as a theatre in the early 19th century before becoming a cinema in 1910, the Coronet has a happy knack, it seems, of reinventing itself every 100 years, with Simon Parkes, the man who rescued the derelict Brixton Academy in the 1980s, the midwife to this latest rebirth. Parkes has placed live music at the core of the Coronet's new business plan, and wants to put the venue firmly on the touring circuit. So far, the club has hosted Franz Ferdinand, The Orb and Macy Gray, and is nurturing a commitment to showcasing new bands and avant-garde events. The permanent sound system, designed by Bernard Mani of Systems Etc, features hangs of eight Xlc 127+ cabinets and In the short months since its opening, the two Xlc 118 subwoofers flown either side of the proscenium, with a further four X-Subs Café daLuxe in the Plaza del Pilar, and eight Xlc 118 subwoofers beneath the stage — all from Electro-Voice. The system is Saragossa (Sp. Zaragoza), has developed controlled by one of the first EV NetMax N8000 processors in the UK, which was instal- into one of the hot spots of the Aragonese led by Shuttlesound and cho- capital, thanks to its exotic drinks and sen by Mani because "it com- varied and exciting program of live enter- pletely integrates the system: tainment. A high priority, therefore, when all the profiles of the EV cabi- installing the sound systems, was to mini- nets are easily accessed and mize the spillage of sound from one sec- managed via NetMax, giving tion into another — a problem EV's Spanish you a global picture instead partner, Auprosa, solved with ease using of the jigsaw you'd get with the following formula: 18 x ZX1i + 2 x ZX1 several + 2 x SX-300 + 2 x EVID 4.2 + 5 x Q66. controllers." smaller individual newsflash / Autumn 2006 19 RZ_englisch_aktuell_newsflash200906.qxp 21.09.2006 20:08 Uhr Seite 20 WORLDWIDE OPEN-AIR CINEMA, BUTZBACH CINEMA IN XXL — WITH EV XLE AND XLD The Landgrave’s Residence in the German town of Butzbach, Germany, recently provided the setting for the largest open-air cinema in the Federal Republic. Ultra-compact line array systems from Electro-Voice reconciled the interests of cinemagoers and local residents, helping secure the future of the event, now in its eighth year. (centre) — a set-up that, feature films, the dynamic range is very according Gregor great. Quiet passages of dialogue are follo- Sauer, provided not only wed by what are often very loud action very even distribution of sequences — and this in a noise-filled envi- the sound but also "outs- ronment. tanding more cinemagoers to be able to hear every The intelligibility". enclosures If you want all the 2,000 or were word of the dialogue, there is a certain positioned alongside and level beneath which you cannot go." above the screen since, Nonetheless, the sound during the action as explained: scenes was never excessive; and the balan- However idyllic the Landgrave's "this was the only way of ensuring that the ce, in the view of Sauer, was "absolutely Residence in Butzbach may seem as a coherence of the waveform was not distur- perfect". venue, it poses awkward problems for pro- bed by the screen". The length of the array Ute Wieland, the director of the film "FC duction companies; as the palace, built was also important: "The longer the array, Venus" which was screened in Butzbach on 700 years ago by Landgrave Philipp of the greater the control you have over the the 3rd August, was of the same opinion. Hessen-Butzbach, is situated plumb in the sound dispersion — even at lower frequen- "She was really enthusiastic about the middle of the town. In fact, two years ago, cies. Since a film soundtrack consists pri- sound quality," says Sauer: "In fact, she the future of the open-air film festival for marily of dialogue, the directivity of the told me that she had attended screenings which the Residence provides the setting system needs to be pronounced all the of her film at a number of other open-air seemed in doubt after local residents way down to 500 Hz," says Gregor Sauer, cinemas, but none could touch Butzbach expressed their concern about noise emis- "with the region between 1 kHz and 4 kHz in terms of the intelligibility, and evenness sions, and a way had therefore to be found especially critical as regards noise levels." of distribution, of the sound." of focussing the sound radiation from the The final problem was to ensure the uni- speakers upon the cinemagoers to avoid formity of the frequency response and The equipment used included the disturbing the 25,000 residents of the sound pressure levels throughout the enti- following: 18 x EV XLE181; 11 x EV town. Comments Gregor Sauer, the festi- re audience area, which was around 60 x XLD281; 4 x EV X-Sub; 8 x Dynacord val's Sound Consultant: "Reflections from 50 metres in extent. For this purpose, Cobra PWH; 4 x EV CP3000S; 4 x the surrounding buildings pose an enor- numerous simulations were conducted Dynacord LX2200; 2 x EV P2000; 1 x EV mous acoustic challenge at this venue, but using EASE and EV's own Line Array P3000; 5 x EV Dx38; the team led by Ingo Haasch and Matthias Prediction System (or LAPS). "The configu- The signal source was a Dolby® CP500 Zörb managed to eliminate them with ration we opted for proved highly effi- cinema processor ease. In fact, the film theatre, host, local cient, since both the vertical and the hori- residents and people of Butzbach were zontal dispersion angles were very precise- unanimous in their praise for the way the ly delimited," reports Matthias Zörb, sound reinforcement problems were hand- whose company, Zörb Acoustic GmbH, led in 2006." was responsible for the installation and To focus the sound pressure on the up 20 to Haasch operation of the sound equipment. to 2,400 cinemagoers, Haasch & Co opted The problems posed by open-air cinema for a combination of Electro-Voice line productions were described by Ralf Bartel, arrays — XLE (left and right) and XLD the organizer of the Butzbach event: "With newsflash / Autumn 2006 RZ_englisch_aktuell_newsflash200906.qxp 21.09.2006 20:08 Uhr Seite 21 INTERCOM G 8 S U M M I T I N S T. P E T E R S B U R G RELIES ON TELEX/RTS G8 Summits, annual meetings of the leaders of eight of the world's leading industrial nations, which are hosted by the country holding the rotating year-long presidency, require an enormous logistical and technological expenditure The G8 summit in St Petersburg The mere task of translating the numerous that live interviews, press conferences and This solution proved a great success and speeches, press conferences and communi- other events could be made available in the the customers were highly satisfied. qués into the requisite number of langua- languages required by the world's media Comments Igor Naum of VGTRK: "The ges involves a huge team of translators and swiftly and efficiently. However the sound quality was truly excellent and the interpreters working under considerable distances between these venues were such complete system is highly flexible. It's an time pressure for long hours. as to render the establishment of 4-wire intercom solution that is extremely conve- connections problematic. nient and user-friendly as well as offering For this year's summit in St Petersburg, the decision was taken to employ a Voice- For this reason, Okno TV decided to use Over-IP system — the first time one had the two RVON cards to link St. Petersburg an excellent price-performance ratio." No sooner was the summit over than a been used at a G8. Two of the Advanced via Voice-Over-IP to the Moscow system. further RVON-IO unit was installed in ano- Digital Audio Matrices (ADAMs) in Moscow Each of the various venues in St Petersburg ther of VGTRK's buildings in Moscow — a were expanded with the addition of RVON- was then equipped with 3 RVON-IO units clear sign of customer satisfaction — with a 8 cards, and translation stations, connected with 18 keypanels each in order to obtain view to making a comprehensive intercom by intercom systems, established by VGTRK the necessary capacity. solution available there too. in various parts of St Petersburg to ensure TELEX/RTS AT THE IBC 2006 "Once again, we saw an increase in the held on the TELEX/RTS stand on the 8th volume of interest from visitors, and the September, with the new RVON family, quality of the enquiries was very high," was based on the RVON-C card, proving the TELEX/RTS Product Manager CCS EAME main focus of attention. "No wonder," Manuel Brico's assessment of this year's comments Brico. "After all, what we are International Broadcasting Convention offering here is pioneering Voice-over-IP (IBC). The greatest increase was seen in technology. We are way ahead in this field." enquiries from England and Ireland, with eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East not far behind. Another success was the level of attendance at the press conference NEW DISTRIBUTOR NEW IN OUR TEAM Darko Bujanovic Sales Engineer CCS East Europe Phone +385 12059325 darko.bujanovic@de.telex.com Our new Distributor for Audiocom in Uk is Amber Sound: www.ambersound.co.uk. newsflash / Autumn 2006 21 RZ_englisch_aktuell_newsflash200906.qxp 21.09.2006 20:08 Uhr Seite 22 INSIDE CHANGE OF UK DISTRIBUTOR DYNACORD AND BEYERDYNAMIC UK WORKING TOGETHER As part of a worldwide brand-refocusing programme, Dynacord has appointed beyerdynamic UK to handle its products in Great Britain and Northern Ireland The change follows similar refocusing audio markets, we felt a change of orienta- Dynacord have a very strong brand name exercises in North America, Asia and other tion was needed. In beyerdynamic UK, we and their product strength in the touring European countries that have brought a have found a partner that is outstandingly market is complemented by some won- marked increase in Dynacord receipts, well established, excellently structured and derful new MI products, like the D-Lite accompanied by a slight rise or else no convinced of the merits of our products. speaker series and PowerMate range of change in those of Electro-Voice, and is The fact that the product portfolios of our mixers, which are currently the best selling intended both to make use of beyerdyna- two companies are complementary and powered mixers in the UK.” mic’s proven abilities selling complemen- that their philosophies are in harmony, tary product ranges in the UK and to free combined with a thoroughly convincing up Shuttlesound, Dynacord’s previous UK business plan, made the decision in favour distributor, to maximize its already excel- of beyerdynamic UK an easy one." lent performance with Dynacord’s sister Lutz Berneke, brand, Electro-Voice. Welcoming his company’s appoint- Managing Director, EVI Audio ment, John Midgley, Managing Director of Comments EVI Audio Managing beyerdynamic UK, said: “The ethos and Director, Lutz Berneke: "We are aiming to precision of engineering that German sharpen the profile of our various brands; manufacturers like Dynacord bring to their and to do this in Great Britain, which is products dovetails well with beyerdynamic one of the world's most important pro and the other lines we represent. BOSCH: ACQUISITION OF TELEX COMMUNICATIONS APPROVED NEW: www.PROMATRIX.de Organizational assignment to Bosch Security Systems At www.promatrix.de, you will find a wealth of informati- The Dynacord ProMatrix system now has its new web site! STUTTGART/MINNEAPOLIS-The Bosch Group has been gran- on about the system — all presented in a clear and user-fri- ted the necessary approvals to acquire 100% of the shares in endly way — divided into seven sections: Products, News, Telex Communications Holding, Inc., Minneapolis/USA, as of Reference, Service, Contact, Downloads and Links. (August 31, 2006), Telex will be integrated into the Bosch To permit members of the ProMatrix communication to Security Systems division. Telex is a leading manufacturer and exchange ideas, there is also a Members section. supplier of professional audio, wireless, life safety and communi- The ProMatrix system offers an individually configurable cation systems. In 2005, the company generated sales of 308 mil- sound distribution system and problem solver for the voice lion U.S. dollars. alarm, pro sound, audio networking and media equipment Bosch Security Systems provides comprehensive security and segments of the market. Since its introduction in 1998, it communication systems. With the acquisition, Bosch can impro- has been used with ve ist worldwide market position and significantly expand its success, and proved communications systems product offerings. reliable, in more than 7,000 installations world-wide. 22 newsflash / Autumn 2006 RZ_englisch_aktuell_newsflash200906.qxp 21.09.2006 14:50 Uhr Seite 23 INSIDE TELEX ACADEMY WITH SHUTTLESOUND Twenty audio specialists from all over ples of acoustic electronics followed by a Great Britain attended the first Permanent detailed guide to the complex subject of Installation by installation as well as an introduction to Shuttlesound in London in May. The two- the wide Telex range. So enthusiastic was day training event focussed on the requi- the response that Shuttlesound decided rements of the modern fixed installation on the spot to offer their Permanent market as well as the technology underly- Installation Academy to a wider group, ing the latest products from Electro-Voice, including dealers and consumers. MI aca- Dynacord, MIDAS and Klark Teknik. demies and more specialized courses with Shuttlesound specialists John Ellis, Jason titles like 'Networking Audio' are also plan- Kelly and David Howe offered attendees a ned. For more information, visit refresher course in the fundamental princi- www.shuttlesound.com Academy hosted BRAND-ORIENTED PRESENTATION AT PLASA 2006 At this year's PLASA show in London's Earl's Services Europe. "It also gave us a lot more Court (10th-13th Sept), the Telex brands space to work with, thereby raising our were split between three different booths, collective profile." This year, four MIDAS so the latest products from Klark Teknik XL8 digital consoles proved particularly and MIDAS (TELEX Communications (UK) powerful magnets for visitors. Ltd), Dynacord (BeyerDynamic UK Ltd), and Electro-Voice (Shuttlesound (UK) Ltd) were featured on different stands. "This is part of the new, more brand-oriented marketing strategy," explained Robert Pletz, Coordination Manager, Marketing EV-MEETING IN MOSCOW NEW TEAM MEMBER In mid-May, the annual Electro-Voice Since June 2006, Tony Sawyer has Dealers' Meeting took place in Moscow. been strengthening TELEX/EVI Audio's Around 40 dealers and rental companies team in the Middle East and Africa. from the Russian pro audio sector reuni- Tony's remit includes the provision of ted to witness the presentation of new EV technical support to customers in systems and attend workshops and both the touring and fixed installation demos. The main focus of attention at segments of the market. the event, which was organized by Ruton contact: Anthony.Sawyer@de.telex.com S and Walter Reh (Export, EVI Audio) were the new Xlc and ZX series from Tony Sawyer Electro-Voice as well as a number of concert sound systems. newsflash / Autumn 2006 23 RZ_englisch_aktuell_newsflash200906.qxp 21.09.2006 14:50 Uhr Seite 24