The universal fit new Contour XO

L-Acoustics reinforces its mission of elevating the listening experience for professionals and audiophiles worldwide with its first offering in personal audio, Contour XO in-ear monitor powered by JH Audio.

Contour XO is born from the meeting of two pro sound icons: Jerry Harvey and Dr. Christian Heil. Both pioneered technologies that forever changed the pro audio industry: multi-driver in-ear monitors and the present-day concert PA based on the L-Acoustics line source array.

Jerry Harvey, the founder of JH Audio, is an accomplished monitor engineer who first developed a custom in-ear monitor (IEM) for drummer Alex Van Halen in the 90s.

As the band toured, word traveled and Harvey devoted his career to defining the state of the art for multi-driver in-ear monitoring catapulting him into the position of a world-leading custom in-ear monitor manufacturer.
From the Grammys to the VMAs to the Superbowl halftime show to major tours, Harvey’s innovations can be seen in the ears of artists including Aerosmith, Lady Gaga, Guns N’ Roses, Miley Cyrus, Drake, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Camilia Cabello and many more.

Christian Heil wearing JH Audio IEM and Jerry Harvey with a L-Acoustics strap. The two make a pair !

L-Acoustics, founded by Dr. Christian Heil, revolutionized the live sound industry not once, but twice, bringing the Wavefront Sculpture Technology of V-DOSC line source arrays to the masses in 1992, and then in 2016 deepened the connection between artist and audience with the first object-based mixing technology for live events, L-ISA Immersive Hyperreal Sound.

For the first time, Harvey and Heil have combined their R&D teams’ forces to reproduce the renowned L-Acoustics sonic signature frequency contour in a premium, 10-driver in-ear monitor (IEM) that elevates the standard for in-ear monitoring.

The Contour XO, probably based on the top notch but specifically tuned quad low, dual mid, quad high JH 16 V2 Pro.

Designed to reproduce the nuances, emotion and impact of live music, L-Acoustics professional sound systems have their own sonic signature. Widely viewed as the benchmark for the live music and performing arts industries, the L-Acoustics sonic signature is natural, dynamic, generous, and consistent. Contour XO provides that reference IEM on stage, at the mixing desk, in the studio or on the move.

Contour XO provides the ideal tool for engineers using the new binaural features of L-ISA Immersive Hyperreal Sound mixing software.

Furthermore, the development of Contour XO supports the upcoming release of new L-ISA binaural object-based mixing software tools currently in beta testing with a select pool of audio professionals.

“I was impressed by the jeweler-like precision with which JH Audio could tune to match our frequency contour in such a miniaturized enclosure,” comments Christian Heil of the new Contour XO. “The first time I tried the prototype, I put on my favorite playlist, and it took me 20 seconds to love them.

There’s a very generous, deep low-end contour, and a high-end extension that I’ve never heard on an IEM before. The sound is natural and powerful! We recently launched sound systems for private use via our new division, L-Acoustics Creations, allowing music lovers to ‘bring the concert home.’ This IEM extends that lifestyle philosophy further still with the concept of L-Acoustics sound wearables to bring the concert with you, anywhere.”

Jerry Harvey was pleased with the new audiophile tech fusion, “I’ve been trying to make my in-ears sound like an L-Acoustics PA for years. It wasn’t until their team challenged us that we got as close as we could. The L-Acoustics R&D team has been great to work with!”

To mimic the contour and the dynamics of a concert, Contour XO integrates Soundrive, the latest technology from JH Audio. Both bass and treble elements are a cluster of four balanced armature drivers wired in parallel allowing high power, even in the very low and very high end of the spectrum without distortion.
Freqphase is the in-ear technology that fulfills L-Acoustics credo: the best sound comes from one source. Like the Wavefront Sculpture Technology used in the L-Acoustics line sources that have revolutioned the pro-audio industry, Freqphase ensures that all frequencies reach your ear at precisely the same time, resulting in unparalleled accuracy of music reproduction.

Christophe Combet

“It was an exhilarating challenge to collaborate with the fast-paced and talented team at JH Audio on the first L-Acoustics IEM. We knew that the outcome of our joint efforts would need to fulfill criteria that are both measurable and pleasurable,” explains Christophe Combet, L-Acoustics Executive Director of Research and Development.
“The testing process was iterative and uncompromising, right up through the final review and approval from our expert ears listening committee. Contour XO achieves pocket-size portability for our sonic signature, earning the same golden logo that adorns our PAs around the world.”

Contour XO cable features a bass output control that allows the user to adjust this sonic signature from a flat response to the reference L-Acoustics sonic signature with 15 dB of contour at the 5 o’clock position.

The newly designed universal in-ear monitors bring listeners inside the music with ten balanced armature drivers and 3-way crossover in a quad low, dual mid, and quad high configuration. Contour XO offers control of the low end with bass adjustment of up to 15 dB above flat response.
Artists, musicians, sound professionals, and audiophiles alike will appreciate the individual care and attention to detail transmitted by the limited edition premium in-ear audio solution, Contour XO.

Guillaume Le Nost

Guillaume Le Nost, L-Acoustics Executive Director of Creative Technologies, elaborates on how the IEM represents a creative product fit for the company. “Object-based mixing to achieve natural, spatialized audio is the future of sound.
The success of L-ISA Immersive Hyperreal Sound technology has led us to seek ways to further streamline the production process.
L-ISA binaural software tools are scheduled to be released in early 2021. We are pleased to offer early access to this L-ISA binaural software package to first adopters of Contour XO.”

Available now via the L-Acoustics eStore, customers can choose from both universal and custom fit options of Contour XO to bring home the iconic L-Acoustics sonic signature in an innovative personal package.

The Custom Fit version of Contour XO. A bit expensive but vastly more comfortable and usually more precise in terms of audio rendition.

The universal fit model is priced at €1,620 including VAT.

Custom fit Contour XO are available for an additional €340 plus tax.

Click here to get the specification sheet of Contour XO

Click here for more info on Contour XO

Meyer Sound has officially released Spacemap® Go, an industry game changer in spatial sound design and mixing. Available October 28 as a free app for Apple iPad, Spacemap Go can transform the thousands of Meyer Sound GALAXY™ Network Platform processors in the field into powerful, flexible and user-friendly tools for spatial sound design and mixing.

Spacemap Go works with multiple GALAXY processors, and it can be controlled by a single iPad or with multiple iPads to provide a larger and more varied control surface, or to allow simultaneous control by multiple users.

Spacemap Go can be implemented with a free update to GALAXY firmware and Compass control software. Users with existing GALAXY inventory need only supply one or more iPads as appropriate for the application.

What are Spacemaps

Spacemap creation

Spacemaps are two-dimensional graphic layouts that enable complex spatial sound distribution with easy-to-use controls.
Trajectories are programmable sound paths applied to Spacemaps to dynamically change the output mix.
Trajectories, which can be recorded, edited, reshaped, and even manipulated while playing, automate the movement of the Spacemap position, creating the illusion of sound movement.
Two basic elements are key to building Spacemaps: nodes and trisets.

Nodes and Trisets

Nodes represent loudspeakers (Speaker Nodes), groups of loudspeakers (Virtual Nodes) or silence (Silent Nodes) and are arranged in groups of three as trisets. These trisets provide the fundamental panning elements of the Spacemap and guarantee smooth crossfades. As the channel’s Spacemap position moves closer to a node, more of the signal mixes to that node and less to the other two in the triset.
Multiple adjacent trisets make up a Spacemap, creating customizable spatial contours. Audio from a specified set of Speaker Nodes can be automatically sent to designated outputs using Derived Nodes (for example, to send sound to subwoofers or an under-balcony loudspeaker).

3D Sound Control

Creating a trajectory.

Spacemap Go has a two-dimensional interface that supports three-dimensional sound control. Sound can be distributed proportionally between loudspeakers on different physical levels using two Spacemaps for each channel, or by combining overhead loudspeaker locations with lateral or surround speaker locations in a single Spacemap.

Sound can be smoothly crossfaded for the same position from one Spacemap to the other for the desired spatial mix. Spacemap Go includes a library of example Spacemaps and trajectories to assist users when starting, or users can create their own custom Spacemaps and trajectories.

Spacemap system inputs and output

Spacemap systems support up to 32 inputs. These system inputs can be sourced from Milan AVB devices, or provided by the physical analog or AES3 inputs of up to 8 GALAXY processors within the Spacemap system. Spacemap systems support all of the available GALAXY processor outputs, up to 16 processors or 256 outputs.

Spacemap Go Application Interface

Spacemap Go guides users through the process of configuring the system inputs, including Milan AVB. Projects contain all the parameters associated with a Spacemap system including the system configuration, as well as all system parameter snapshots.
Control information is organized into a set of views: Mix, Channel, Setlist, Create, and Settings. Additional system controls are available along the top of the screen.

Projects

Projects can be saved in the GALAXY processor, to the iPad, or shared via email, AirDrop, or Messages. Spacemaps and trajectories can also be imported into Projects.

Snapshots

Spacemap system parameters, organized and saved within the Project as snapshots, include:
– System Snapshots – GALAXY processor input and output processing settings, delay matrix values edited by Compass or Compass Go, and output channel gains
– Mix Snapshots – parameters of all Spacemap Go channels, plus mix level and mute
– Channel Snapshots – parameters of one or more Spacemap Go channels

Mix View

The Mix view.

The Mix view presents an Overview and channel controls for eight channels at a time. The Overview provides the big picture by showing the panning positions of all channels simultaneously. Buttons and swipe gestures at the top of the page simplify navigation.

Each input of a Spacemap System is represented by a channel. The Channel View provides all of the controls for one input channel. The routing of the channel to one or many outputs can be accomplished three different ways:

– The matrix levels associated with the channel can be adjusted directly when precise control is required.
– If one or two Spacemaps are assigned to the channel, a static spatial mix can be made by setting the position within the Spacemap with the touch of a finger and crossfading between the two Spacemaps with a slider.
– Trajectories can be assigned and scaled (changing speed, direction, rotation, size and position) using multi-touch gestures or dedicated controls to create dynamic spatial movement.

If desired, selected channels may be locked out from user control on the iPad.

Setlist View

The Channel view.

The Setlist view is used to store and recall Mix and Channel Snapshots. Mix Snapshots save the entire spatial mix for all channels and may be used to store the mix for a song, a band, or a scene in a play.
Channel Snapshots are contained within Mix Snaphots and allow changes within sections of a performance, such as a guitar solo or an individual sound effect.

The channel mix is stored automatically as either a set of matrix levels, a static position within a Spacemap, or a trajectory moving within a Spacemap. Smooth crossfades between channel mixes of any type provide ease of use for nuanced spatial orchestration.

Create View

The Lead guitar trajectory.

The Create view is used to create, edit, and test Spacemaps and trajectories. Example Spacemaps include common surround layouts as well as grids and lines of loudspeakers. Spacemaps and trajectories can also be created from the ground up. Nodes are added and linked with simple touch gestures, and trisets may be created manually or automatically.
Trajectories may be recorded by touching discrete points or moving continuously; the precise timing of segments within the trajectory may be edited and scaled after the recording is complete. Two-finger pinch and open gestures allow scaling of views.

Seamless Compatibility

Spacemap Go offers seamless compatibility with popular sound design and show control programs such as QLab. For example, a complex sound design can be assembled using QLab in the studio, perhaps initially combining all multichannel cues into a stereo rough mix for reference. When on site, the tracks can be quickly expanded into a multi-channel spatial mix using Spacemap Go’s templates for common multi-channel configurations.

The templates can be customized for a particular setup, while panning trajectories can be created with the touch of a finger and, if desired, captured for playback during performance. Although spatial trajectories can be created, edited and stored using the graphical interface, the detailed matrix remains immediately accessible for reference or direct data entry.

In addition to QLab, Spacemap Go can be automated by popular DAWs such as Ableton Live, Apple Logic Pro X, AVID Pro Tools, MOTU Digital Performer, and Reaper, taking advantage of the iPad’s multi-touch interface for effortless spatial automation. GALAXY now supports the RTTrPM protocol, allowing integration with real-time tracking systems such as BlackTrax.

Accessible and Easy

Systems are quickly and easily configured by Spacemap Go using any combination of GALAXY 408 or GALAXY 816 using Milan AVB, AES3 or analog as inputs and outputs.
Spacemap Systems can be configured for up to 32 inputs and as many outputs as are provided by the processors.

Each GALAXY provides up to 232 matrix crosspoints. Multiple iPads may be used to control a system, providing immediate access to additional channels or allowing simultaneous access to different screen views.

Steve Ellison, Meyer Sound Director, Spatial Sound.

« Every GALAXY processor incorporates a powerful digital summing matrix, which serves an important function in system optimization. » explains Steve Ellison, Meyer Sound Director, Spatial Sound. « With Spacemap Go, we have added a new creative layer over that technical layer.
All the optimization tools are still there, but now GALAXY does double duty as a powerful spatial sound mixer that can be intuitively operated in real time, programmed to follow automated cues or recall internal snapshots with smooth transitions and dynamic movement.
In terms of accessibility, scalability and intuitive ease of use, Spacemap Go is a breakthrough for sound designers and sound artists. »

More about Spacemap on the Meyer Sound website

The National Theatre of Greece (NTG) staged three acclaimed performances of Aeschylus’s The Persians (first produced in 472 BCE) in July at the ancient Epidaurus open-air amphitheatre, complete with a fully socially distanced audience – of 4,500 instead of the usual 10,000 capacity, who enjoyed the drama and energy of live performance in this classic tragedy.

Photo Thomas Daskalakis

Lighting designer Christina Thanasoula chose Robe LEDBeam 150s to add flexibility and multiple options to her design, placing 10 of the versatile little fixtures in the footlights position around the front of the stage floor.

All three shows, directed by Dimitris Lignadis (artistic director for the NTG), were fully sold out, and the second night’s performance was live-streamed worldwide with support from the Greek Ministry of Culture in partnership with Google Greece as part of the 2020 Athens and Epidaurus Festival. Over 100,000 tuned in to catch the action which was widely applauded by press, critics, and the public.

Photo Thomas Daskalakis

This was the first production by the Greek National Theatre since the initial pandemic lockdown ended and outdoor shows were permitted again in Greece from the 17th of July. They lost no time in sating the public’s appetite for live entertainment, scheduling these landmark performances for the end of the month.
Christina first worked in the Epidaurus venue two years ago, designing lighting for Electra, directed by Thanos Papakonstantinou, also for the National Theatre of Greece, where she used Robe BMFL Wash Beam fixtures. Before then, she has utilised Robe moving lights for numerous event and theatre designs.

She added the LEDBeam 150s supplied by MSH-Europe because it is a low profile and quiet running fixture with no fan noise, imperative as they were positioned just 2 metres from the first row of the audience.
“Small size and quietness were top of my checklist, I wouldn’t have been able to further consider using these Robe luminaires, without ‘ticking’ these two boxes first,” explained the designer.

She also likes the “excellent dimming” curve which is “a great asset for those extremely slow theatre fades.”
Additionally, “this small fixture offers a great colour palette and some very special tints / shades of white, with an excellent zoom (3.8 – 60 degrees) allowing it to cover many lighting needs from general wash palettes to a tight spot for ‘specials’.”

Photo Thomas Daskalakis

She also considered the simultaneous presence of different lighting sources for the broadcasting cameras carefully. It was a scenario where tungsten, HMI lamps and LED all had to work together harmoniously and create a solid visual on-camera look.

The LEDBeam 150’s colour palette and the high CRI made it straightforward for Christina to match the different colour temperatures and create well-balanced scenes. The creative team’s raw, emotional, and minimalistic scenography integrated fully with the venue’s natural environment.

“We didn’t want to obstruct the wonderful view by adding truss towers or any other huge structures at the back,” explained Christina. The set designed by Alegia Papageorgiou comprised an elegant row of church seating and the absence of other physical set elements onstage demanded “humble” use of lighting fixtures, that would not create any “visual noise”.
In Epidaurus, because of the very steep viewing angle, the floor of the stage is always visible, and it becomes by default an incidental backdrop to the action. So, it had to be neat and clear of any clutter! Lighting for both live and streaming audiences added extra challenges and all the lighting decisions were made with this in mind. Live streaming also made it imperative there were no dark moments whilst live.

Photo Thomas Daskalakis

“The LED Beam 150s served dramaturgically as the main lighting fixture for the chorus parts and also were a safety-net for the live cameras in case we needed to raise intensity levels or sneakily illuminate specific areas of the stage that looked slightly underlit on the camera monitors,” underlines Christina, who was delighted with the results.
MSH-Europe is one of the biggest audio-visual equipment providers in Greece.

Christina described the company where her account was handled by Charalambos Economopoulos as “really helpful” in keeping a close eye on their needs and seeing that all the Robe equipment was well prepped and in good condition, including spare units. They also offered 24hour phone support if needed to the National Theatre’s lighting crew.
“Their professional attitude definitely facilitated our work during the long night shifts at Epidaurus,” she adds.

For more info on Robe lighting, check the Robe website

The Vienna State Opera has replaced its 20-year-old Amptown Washlights with 70 SolaWash 1000 High CRI from High End Systems. The exchange was a challenge, as the new LED spotlights must be able to reproduce the characteristic old-fashioned light qualities of their predecessors and illuminate new productions in a contemporary way.
The State Opera House has almost 200 repertoire pieces in its program and the spotlights are in use for almost every piece.

Robert Eisenstein, Vice-Director of Lighting at the Vienna State Opera, speaks about the decision: “We had the pleasure of getting our hands on the first SolaWash 1000 in Austria. Together with Preworks and ETC, we were able to realize this project professionally, by implementing our own program. Many companies presented us with a spotlight and offered to make the necessary changes by hand. With almost 200 performances and no rehearsal days available, this would have been an impossible undertaking in terms of time”.

The solution was developed together. Eisenstein explains: “Over the past year and a half, we worked with Preworks and ETC to write a great program that gives the new SolaWash 1000 the exact data of the old Amptown Washlight. It must mix color values in the same way as its 20-year-old predecessor. We determined values, color values and position values.

Of course, we also had to reduce the intensity because the new spotlight is much brighter, in spite of its far lower power consumption thanks to LED technology. The biggest challenge was reproducing the color mix of the old fixture in the new fixture. We are talking about countless parameters that have to be processed.
The tests went very well! We are convinced that we have found the best solution and hope that everything works as we envisioned it. If new productions are on the program, we will of course use the fixture with all the functions it offers”.

Meyer Sound has announced the promotion of Katrin Rawks to Director of Loudspeaker Engineering and the hiring of Ianina Canalis as Application Architect, Spatial Audio Specialist in charge of the spatial sound design and mixing tool Spacemap Go.

Katrin Rawks, Meyer Sound Director of Loudspeaker Engineering.

Starting at Meyer Sound as a student intern in 2003, Katrin Rawks has steadily taken on increasing responsibilities over the years, culminating in her recent appointment as Director of Loudspeaker Engineering. In her new role, she reports directly to Vice President of R&D Marc Chutczer.

In prior positions in mechanical engineering and transducer engineering, Rawks worked directly with company President & CEO John Meyer and Vice President and Chief Loudspeaker Designer Pablo Espinosa on the mechanical and acoustical designs of 23 Meyer Sound products, including LEO® Family line array loudspeakers, the new ULTRA-X point source loudspeakers and the breakthrough Bluehorn® System. She is co-holder of the technology patent associated with LEOPARD® line array loudspeakers as well as five design patents related to Ashby, Amie® and LEOPARD.

“It’s been inspiring to work with Katrin over the years, and watching her develop her considerable talents as a key member of our loudspeaker engineering team,” comments John Meyer.
“What I really appreciate about Meyer Sound, and why I’ve chosen to make my career here, is the scientific integrity that underscores all we do,” says Rawks. “It’s inspiring to be surrounded by people who are extremely knowledgeable and who are as enthusiastic about what they do as I am.”
Rawks received her Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley in 2003 and has completed graduate level courses in acoustics through Penn State Distance Learning. She is based at Meyer Sound’s Berkeley headquarters.

Ianina Canalis, Meyer Sound Application Architect, Spatial Audio Specialist, at Bewake Berlin Studios bewakemusic.com

Joining Meyer Sound early in 2020, Canalis already is contributing her unique expertise to the final development stages of Spacemap® Go, Meyer Sound’s breakthrough spatial sound design and mixing tool.
Prior to joining Meyer Sound, she held posts as a lecturer in live sound technology at universities in both the United Kingdom and her native Argentina. During this time, she continued to develop and demonstrate her own software for multichannel live sound production she calls ISSP, or Immersive Sound System Panning.

Canalis initially developed ISSP while earning her Master of Science in Audio Engineering from Leeds Beckett University. She also holds dual bachelor’s degrees (Audiovisual Technology, Sound and Recording) from the National University of Lanús in Argentina.

Meyer Sound discovered her exceptional talents when she applied ISSP to several live events sponsored by SoundGirls, first at sound:check Xpo 2019 in Mexico City and later that year at the AES convention in New York. Canalis is based in Berlin, Germany and reports to Vice President of R&D Marc Chutczer.

“It is wonderful to be part of the Spacemap Go global development team,” says Canalis. “Each member comes with a spectacular background, which enhances the exchanges among us. We are refining this software together, continually improving the tool as we strive to increase the creative possibilities.”

“We continue to be amazed and gratified by the talents of the people we attract to Meyer Sound, and also those we’ve been able to retain for years while they develop their skills,” says Executive Vice President Helen Meyer. “With Ianina and Katrin, we are also proud to continue our industry leadership in promoting gender balance in top-level positions.”

More information on the Meyer Sound website

©Lucia Hunziker

The Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland, south of Basel, is an exceptional building in every respect. Its massive walls, resembling a monumental bunker from the outside, house the General Anthroposophical Society, the University of Humanities as well as a festival hall and theater seating around 1,000.

left: Nils Frischknecht (Management Board), right: Klaus Suppan (Lighting), ©François Michel Croissant.

Named after Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the first performance of the uncut Faust took place here in 1938.
In 2020 the Goetheanum continued to write this story, bringing Goethe’s opus magnum on the 16 meter wide stage for two consecutive evenings in July (followed by another show in october), supported by Cameo OPUS SP5 FC Profile Moving Heads and other Cameo spotlights.

“The Goetheanum is one of the few theaters with more than 1,000 seats that does not use acoustic amplification for its in-house productions,” says Klaus Suppan, lighting technician and lighting designer at the Goetheanum.

The Spot Profile SP5 FC uses a 300 W full color RGBAL LED motor, a 6 ° – 44 ° zoom, a 4-knife module, two gobo wheels (fixed and rotating), an animation wheel, etc. IRC > 90.

“To ensure that the actors can be heard throughout the hall, all spotlights must be able to work almost silently. For the Faust staging, the Goetheanum invested, among others, in two Cameo OPUS SP5 FC, which are used in the secondary backlight at a height of 10.6 m for either wash lighting or as a focused backlight spot in a conventional 3-point lighting system.

“The stage design for Faust has been kept quite minimalist,” continues Suppan. “For this reason, spotlights are needed that are capable of creating precisely contoured light zones.
At the same time, all of our fixtures must have a very good TM-30 rating to ensure that not only the stage floor but also the costumes by Julia Strahl are illuminated in subtle shades of color”.

©Lucia Hunziker

In addition to the OPUS SP5 FC, Klaus Suppan and his team also rely on the Cameo PIXBAR 650 CPRO LED Bars to illuminate the backdrop foil from behind. INSTANT HAZER 1500 T PRO provide the required ambience and atmosphere.

Colors have always played a key role at the Goetheanum. Created by the founder of anthroposophy, Rudolf Steiner, the basic lighting consisted of six colors from the very beginning, continuing in the ceiling paintings, the stained glass windows as well as on the stage floor, whose gray was mixed from different colors and therefore reacts particularly well to the colored light.

“Colors are the heart and soul of the theater,” says Klaus Suppan summing up and since this year, the Cameo SP5 FC also plays its part.

©Lucia Hunziker

More Information on:

– The Faust website
– The Cameo website
– The Adam Hall website
– The Adam Hall Blog
– The Event Tech website

Inside the expansive auditorium section of Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris, Bruno Madec Technical Director of Prodster, recently installed 14 Chauvet Professional Maverick Silens 2 Profile fixtures for their silent operation
The 560W fanless projector operates in complete silence, making it well-suited for this intimiate venue, according to Bruno Madec, Technical Director of Prodster.

“We manage several cultural and institutional venues in Paris, including Louis Vuitton Foundation” said Madec. “For several years we have been wanting a silent LED spotlight projector of a resonable size and weight. Considering the shows we host including classical, dance and jazz performances we want to create an environment that is as silent as possible.“

Delivered to Louis Vuitton Foundation in June, the Maverick units are arranged on three different front stage positions. From here they can cover the entire stage, in addition to highlighting the architectural features of the room during a vernissage or cocktail party.

“Beyond their silent operation, the Maverick projectors have the qualities we wanted,” said Madec.
“The Chauvet engineers added 16-bit graduation with tungsten emulation, a perfect color spread, and a 10:1 linear zoom, which make the units very versatile for us.
It is important for us to be able to reformat our stage in two hours, because of the variety of functions and shows that take place in this room.”

“The programming here is very rich and eclectic,” continued Madec. “This requires having a particularly flexible and adaptable lighting system to go from a piano recital, to a jazz scene, to a reception, for example. Therefore, it is very desirable for us to have motorized moving heads that allow us to make adjustments, while also providing very fast and very sharp lighting.”

More information on the Chauvet Professional website

A pretty busy Cheshire Fairgrounds drive-in music venue.

New England audio production company, Paddle Out Productions is in the middle of a 16-week contract with M.E. Productions at the Cheshire Fairgrounds drive-in music venue, a huge open field, allowing up to 425 cars parked in every other space hosting performances from the likes of Guster and Grace Potter.
To ensure every spectator could enjoy the live performances, Paddle Out Productions deployed its recently expanded Martin Audio WPM system.

Small yet able to perform as a long-throw box, the 12 Martin WPM at work.

Organising such an event in a large and socially distanced space has had its challenges for the events team, and Ryan Burhans of Paddle Out Productions admits that in a space like Cheshire Fairground, sound quality and audience coverage were his top priorities.

“I was nervous with the size of the field that we weren’t going to fill those ‘Rock and Roll’ shoes that are expected now and again,” he explained. “For example, we had a louder band, Blue Oyster Cult, who were due to perform and I was worried if we would hit the right SPL the guys were expecting. But we were cruising from the beginning.”

Martin WPM

Paddle Out Productions equipped the venue with 12 Martin Audio WPM speakers per side, powered by two iKON amplifiers using a two-box resolution for the main PA.
In addition to this, hangs of W8LM were used for the delay towers at around 250 feet, of the 650-foot-long field.

“All our concerts right now are long-throw because of the cars and spacing but we nailed it with two amps for the whole PA, 12 per side, and we were rockin’,” says Burhans.

8 channels, a lot of DSP, meet iKON iK81, WPM best companion.

Having originally bought 16 WPM cabinets, Burhans was so impressed with the quality and the clarity of the boxes, he committed to purchasing an extra eight.
“Because originally I only had eight per side, those extras have been awesome for this event. We almost didn’t need the delay tower. Their sight lines are all clean, and they are super speech friendly because the clarity is so clean.”

Budget is a high priority for any company, and adding COVID-19 into the mix has made it all the more pertinent within the entertainment industry. Fortunately, the ability of the Wavefront Precision family to be deployed in different resolutions provided a cost-effective solution for Paddle Out Productions without compromising on quality.

“I would have liked to have gone to one box and that is where we were at with the 16 boxes, but it was nice to be able to know that I could add more speakers without buying more amps,” reflects Burhans. This flexibility was key to the company’s initial purchase of WPM. “It can be pulled apart into smaller systems. You can still work big without having a lot of big cases to move around.”

The company is hopeful for the future and believe they have impressed both the resident team at Cheshire Fairground and the artists with both the quality of sound and its impressive visual presence.

More information on the Martin Audio website

Last year Spanish lighting designer Juanjo Llorens compiled his design for Circo de Hielo 2 (Ice circus), the latest winter show from Madrid-based Productores de Sonrisas (Smile Producers), creators of large scale multidisciplined extravaganzas like Circo de Los Horrores and many others.
The newest arena show, directed by Suso Silva, played in a bespoke 1800-capacity circular tent that was erected for the run of shows at IFEMA Madrid that combined premium ice skating with acrobatics, breath-taking stunts including a skater fighting with a violinist playing live and heaped with theatricality, pumping live music and incredible visuals!

Photo Pepe Castro

Juanjo chose 40 x Robe LEDBeam 150s, 24 x MegaPointe and 24 x Spiider moving lights to be central to his lighting rig, and these were purchased for the run of shows by Productores de Sonrisas.

Juanjo has worked on several previous Productores de Sonrisas productions, a challenge he always enjoys, and his first ice show for them was in 2016. The new tented venue for this one was also designed to provide more precise rigging positions to accommodate the various technical disciplines lighting, audio, video and scenics – which made it a hugely exciting space in which to work.

The story is set on a frozen planet filled with mountains, glaciers, igloos and northern lights and based around an Inuit Eskimo village, so the two big environmental elements that needed emulating were the constant cold, the long nights, the magical quality of light that permeated the landscape … and all encompassing sunsets!

Photo Pepe Castro

For the latter, they had assistance from a large upstage LED screen and the team at Romero Studio projections! The ice, a 16-metre diameter circular track, also helped evoke the overriding feeling of cold and the ‘special being’ of the show was a giant puppet – Dundu – completed with hundreds of LEDs operated manually by five people!

Photo Pepe Castro

Juanjo used all the Robe moving lights fully for this show and chose them “to have the endless possibilities that I needed at my fingertips to animate and finesse an already highly visual show.”
Some of the LEDBeam 150s and all of the Spiiders and MegaPointes were rigged on a box truss flown 12 metres above the circular ice track ice, where they produced washes and general lighting to complement the more specific spotlighting, highlighting and key lighting.
The other LEDBeam 150s were on three trusses further off stage, and together with the MegaPointes, they provided the front light.

As well as general light, Juanjo was able to use the distinct quality of the LEDBeam 150s luminance to soften the cast’s faces without losing brightness, and to make their constant motion even more dynamic and exciting. With it being a circular tent, sold 270 degrees, another goal was to achieve similar lighting looks from all viewing angles.

Photo Pepe Castro

The Spiiders give the ‘kick’ and intensity needed to bathe the ice in so many colours and textures, and at times it was transformed into a massive cyclorama. “The power of both these fixtures (LEDBeam 150 and Spiider) means they can work from all over these high trims without losing power,” he commented.

The MegaPointes on the outer sections of the box truss were used for creating effects and ratcheting up the drama, combined with practical lights in the set pieces. They offered plenty of diversity and the brightness enabling Juanjo’s ‘lightcraft’ to stand out even when competing with the imposing 15 x 8 metre rear LED screen and the track cyclorama.

Juanjo has been a loyal Robe user for some years. For him, the brand is ideal for the range of performance he covers – including a fair amount of circus-style shows plus musicals and circus cabaret. He enjoys the contrasts and variety of working across all these genres: “I think it’s really interesting to be able to ‘crossover’ and cross-reference between different styles and disciplines.”

Major challenges in tackling a show like Circo de Hielo 2 were dealing with light and dark and making lighting and video work harmoniously whilst building the visual architecture of the piece. “You have to adapt your approach and be flexible about the way you program lights to deal with scenarios like very bright and obvious ‘hot spots’ in the picture – in this case, the LED screen and the ice!”

With the ice being a reflective and prominent surface not unlike a projection screen, “you have to be constantly diligent about unwanted spillage and light pollution in the wrong places.” At other times, it was finding a happy balance between intensities screen and lighting to the point of sometimes switching off the screen and relying totally on lighting for some scenes.
Juanjo as always enjoyed working with the Gonzalez family Manuel, Rafa and María who are Productores de Sonrisas, and is continually impressed with their “ongoing commitment to quality and high production values.”

Photo Pepe Castro

His programmer, friend, and right-hand person on this was Pablo Zamora, and the show’s technical production team was managed by Mario Ortega, owner of Smart Fussion, the company taking care of all the technical elements.
Rubén Franco was chief LX, assisted by Alba González and Sebas García de Alveniz, while Marco Monteiro and Flavio Bañuelos from Productores de Sonrisas maintained the tent infrastructure and skating track, ensuring that everything remained in perfect condition. LED screens were supplied by Smart Fussion.

Right now, the producers, creative team, technicians, and cast are anxiously awaiting a possible announcement of dates for 2021, when this mega production can hopefully be reprised after its original run from November 2019 to February 2020.

For more info, check the Robe website

First established in 1936 as Glad Tidings Church, Good News Church, located atop the hill at 75th and Hickory in Omaha, Nebraska, eventually chose to modernize its name to better reflect the language of current times.
Much more recently, that same impetus to remain fresh and relevant also prompted the church to modernize its sound system with the addition of a DiGiCo SD12 mixing console and KLANG:fabrik immersive IEM mixing solution, both supplied by the local office of Conference Technologies, Inc.

Good News Church’s worship team during a service.

According to Good News Band Leader Aaron Ott, who has also served as the lead keyboard player there for the past 13 years, the church took on an extensive update of its audio facilities, upgrading everything except the loudspeaker system of its 750-seat auditorium, which was built in 1975 following the destruction of the previous worship space by one of the worst tornadoes in Omaha’s recorded history.

Good News Band Leader Aaron Ott with the three KLANG:fabrik units during the system’s pre-staging prior to the final installation.

“Our monitor world, in particular, was actually quite behind the times,” he shares. “We’ve used in-ear monitors for a dozen years, but we were using mono mixes directly from our old mixing console.
We really needed additional monitor mixes for our team, and we knew we needed stereo, at least, but we had never been sold on other personal monitoring solutions due to their limited channel counts and extra clutter they brought to the stage.”

Having read about KLANG:technologies online, Ott mentioned to Greg Peteler, the church’s sound engineer, that he was interested in learning more, feeling that “it stood out as a truly unique and flexible system.” Upon learning that Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas used a KLANG system, the two reached out to coordinate a visit during a weekend service to experience their system and see how they were using it.

The three KLANG:fabriks permanently reside in the church’s equipment rack.

Both Ott and Peteler were duly impressed and quickly contacted Ben Shipman at AVA Reps, who supplied Good News with a DiGiCo SD12 and KLANG:fabrik for a few days of testing, solidifying that this combination was the right solution for moving forward.
“We needed eight to ten discrete monitor mixes with 48 input channels,” Peteler says. “Considering the DSP-to-channel count balance in the KLANG system, mixing 48 channels with surround processing allowed each fabrik to deliver four fully immersive monitor mixes, requiring three fabriks to meet our minimum with a few extra mixes.”

Good News Church’s new SD12 is paired with MADI and Dante audio networks, three KLANG:fabrik units for 12 immersive monitor mixes, and a Dante based multitrack recording system. Audio arrives at the SD12 via the MADI SD-Rack or via Dante. The console then pushes out 48 monitor channels via MADI to the daisy-chained KLANG:fabriks.

The church’s own tech team pre-staged most of the new system in a second location to build the network, test the signal chain, and configure all the routings. “Lifting and shifting” into the auditorium was then seamlessly accomplished mid-week between services.
Like many of today’s other churches, the Good News worship team performs a wide variety of musical styles, including modern pop-rock, contemporary Christian, gospel, electronic, acoustic, and jazz, and occasionally brings in additional instrumentalists, violin, cello, saxophone, and more for special events.

Prior to the pandemic, the church also regularly hosted a diverse 40-voice gospel choir that Ott describes as “a huge part of our culture,” which has now been temporarily replaced with smaller vocal ensembles.

KLANG:app running at the church’s mix position.

Each musician and vocalist has a dedicated iPad for managing their monitor mix during rehearsals as well as for displaying chord charts or lyrics during the services. Ott additionally has the KLANG:app running on his keys rig computer, while Peteler also has the same app on his computer at the front-of-house mix position if assistance is needed.

“Moving to the new setup, I figured it might take us a while to fine-tune everything, but the transition was quite fast and painless,” the band leader notes. “Over the first few weeks as we rehearsed with it and adjusted to mixing in surround, trying different configurations, our confidence quickly grew.

Each musician and vocalist has a dedicated iPad running KLANG:app for managing their monitor mix. Seen the level of the “Lead 2 female” track, guess whose iPad is ?

The KLANG system is so good! Looking back, it was clearly the best decision we could have made, and the difference in quality and separation is astounding.”
“Most of my sound design and keyboard work is prepared in my own studio,” he continues. “I had built such a habit of eliminating most high frequencies and cutting certain mids in every sound I designed.
With the new DiGiCo/KLANG system, my sound design elements translate directly to the system as they should sound beautiful and enveloping. No more weird ‘for the system’ adjustments.”

The rest of the worship team has wholeheartedly embraced the new setup as well. “KLANG has helped me to play inspired again,” enthuses Eric Klebba, one of the electric guitarists.
“I’ve been able to find that motivation and excitement in playing live guitar that I hadn’t realized how much had been missing. Now, I’m not only able to hone in on my own tone and technique more precisely, but also narrow in on the nuances of what all of my other fellow musicians are producing.”

John Lawman, another electric guitarist, agrees: “Having the capability to place every instrument in the area I want, to give myself full surround sound, is extremely beneficial. I can much more easily distinguish every other musician and hear if I am playing overly similar or conflicting parts, which helps me know that I should play something different.”

Good News Church doesn’t have a separate monitor console, but, as Peteler points out, “With as easy as the KLANG system is, it’s not a position we would consider necessary at this point. Even if we have new vocalists or entry-level musicians join the worship team that don’t know how to dial in a good monitor mix, we find that recalling presets from the lead instrumentalists provides them with a great place to start. It’s all very intuitive.”

And, as Good News Church Worship Director Carissa Carter sums, “I absolutely love being able to feel the music every instrument and vocal all around me. It helps us each perform our very best and has been such a tremendous blessing for both the worship team and our congregation.”

– For more information on Good News Church, visit the Good News Church
– Conference Technologies can similarly be found at conferencetech.com
– For more details on the manufacturer, visit the KLANG website

One of Austria’s more iconic live event venues, Arena Wien, sought to upgrade its storied performance stage with a new profile luminaire and chose Elation’s high-value Fuze Profile LED framing moving head for the job.

Arena, Vienna’s top alt-music venue, grew to prominence in the 70’s and 80’s as a platform for cultural and social activities and is still an important center for Viennese youth and alternative culture today. Located in a former slaughterhouse and possessing an old industrial charm, the venue houses a large hall for concerts, as well as two smaller rooms for events of all types.

Elation partner AVL-Medientechnik (avl-medientechnik.at) of Traiskirchen, located just south of Vienna, has been supplying consumables to Arena Wien for years so it was only natural that they were contacted about the lighting upgrade.

“Together with the lighting technicians at Arena, we looked for a suitable full-color lighting fixture that met the requirements of the location and one that had a good price-performance ratio,” stated AVL-Medientechnik CEO Christian Walter, who says he learned about the Fuze Profile from Elation sales representative for Austria Karl Lager.

“After thoroughly looking at the luminaire, Arena Wien decided on 12 units as it was the best fixture and in the right price range.” Another important selling point, according to Walter, was AVL-Medientechnik’s in-house service workshop in which they fully service lighting equipment with personal, individualized service and no worries for the client.

Elation Fuze Profile

Elation’s Fuze series has found a niche in the market whenever outstanding price:value ratio is an important factor like at Arena Wien. The Fuze Profile, with its 305W RGBMA LED engine and high CRI, is loaded with features:
two gobo wheels, animation wheel, a full blackout framing system, 7° to 42° zoom, variable frost, prism, iris and more, and also provides color manipulation features like virtual color temperature and Magenta / Green adjustment plus CMY emulation. Output is over 10,000 lumens.

“It’s a very high-value series of lights and one that appeals to many clients,” Walter says. “You get a full range of features and at a quality and price that is hard to beat.”

AVL-Medientechnik handled the complete upgrade project, including installation of the Fuze fixtures. The new lighting does not have a fixed position in the Arena rig but moves about as required by the variety of happenings the classic venue hosts from concerts by world-renowned bands and musical legends to festivals and a host of other live events.

For more information check the Elation website

Badensound Event company has worked out a new concert concept that uses existing infrastructure to host performances complying with the local COVID regulations. This concept led to a partnership with Edeka Südwest supermarkets to create the “Shopping Cart Festival.”

The Shopping Cart Festival fully complying with the COVID regulations and still rocking !

Taking place from August 31 until September 5 in Offenburg, Germany, the festival featured famous German artists performing in front of 500 people, the maximum number of people currently allowed for large gatherings, in the parking lot of an Edeka supermarket. Shopping carts were used as social distancing tools to adhere to the COVID regulations.

The new Dynacord mix matrix MXE5.

On the technical side, Badensound used the festival to give Dynacord’s new MXE5 matrix mix engine its German debut.

“Now is exactly the right time to organize an attractive festival in the region, to offer artists a platform and to support the Corona-impacted event industry,” says Rainer Huber of Edeka Südwest, describing the idea behind the new festival.

The Electro-Voice X2 line-array system being lifted up. Notice also a cardioid stack of X12-128 subwoofers.

Badensound deployed an Electro-Voice X2 line-array system to ensure powerful main PA sound for the festival, featuring two hangs of 12 X2-212 elements per side, with low-frequency support from 16 X12-128 subwoofers.

12 Electro-Voice MFX multi-functional loudspeakers were used as stage fills and stage monitors, complemented by Dynacord V17 subs and Cobra cabinets as drum fills. Near and out fills consisted of an additional 24 Electro-Voice XLE compact line-array elements.

State-of-the-art Dynacord amplifiers powered the entire sound system. A dozen TGX20 four-channel and three IPX 10:8 eight-channel amps delivered a stunning total of 270 kW. The MXE5 matrix mix engine served as the system head.

All electronics have OMNEO IP architecture on board, allowing the entire sound system to be run flawlessly on Dante audio without the need of retrofitting. System setup, tuning and monitoring was handled by SONICUE sound system software.

The monitor position with an A&H iLive T112, 10 years old and still up and rocking. Notice on the right racks quite a lot of TGX20 and IPX 10:8 amps.

The line-up of well-known German artists included among others Michael Schulte, Christina Stürmer, Kelvin Jones & Jeremias, Glasperlenspiel and Laith Al-Deen.
All performers were very keen to return to performing live on stage, and after the budget was released by EDEKA, it took Badensound’s company owner Johannes Moeck only four weeks to make the whole event happen.
“We are extremely pleased with the positive response to the idea of the Edeka shopping cart festival. The success proves to us that we have hit the right tone with this event,” adds Florian Heinzmann of Edeka Southwest.

“In hindsight, the event turned out to be a blast,” reflects Moeck. “I’m very thankful to be back to work, even limited by the current restrictions. Everyone had a wonderful time, the audience, the artists and the Edeka officials.

Our sound equipment from EV and Dynacord proved once again to be the best choice to guarantee a flawless event. I have already been approached regarding a repeat of this event. Thanks to Dynacord’s support, I was privileged to work with the MXE5 for the very first time and I can only tell you that it will revolutionize the business!”

More information on:

– The Electro Voice website
– The Dynacord website
– The Baden Sound website

Digital Projection today announced the launch of a bright single chip DLP laser phosphor projector : the 23,000 Lumen M-Vision 23000.
The Digital Projection M-Vision 23000 WU boasts 23,000 lumens output and 10,000:1 contrast ratio, to bring budget-sensitive applications a large-screen imaging solution and near 3-Chip performance at a 1-Chip price point.

The new lamp-free, laser-phosphor projector is charged with ColorBoost + Red Laser technology to provide realistic and saturated colours at previously unreachable luminance levels. Venues needing powerful, yet budget-conscious, large-format imagery without sacrificing colour accuracy, as well as those contending with ambient light, will directly benefit from the M-Vision 23000’s market leading light output, contrast ratio and colourimetry.

Its DisplayPort accepts frame rates up to 60 Hz and HDMI 1.4b for Side by Side, Frame Packing & Top Bottom 3D formats. Motorised shift, zoom and focus across the whole lens range offer extra flexibility and ease of setup. The 0.96” DarkChip DMD, teamed with blue and red lasers and a four-segment colour wheel produce unrivalled image quality and brightness in the single chip projector market.

For complete versatility, Edge Blend and Geometric Correction are standard features of the M-Vision 23000, including the ability to blend stereoscopic images. A complete suite of professional lenses offers throw ratios from 0.9:1 to 7:00:1, all featuring motorised shift, zoom and lens memory.

Commenting on this product launch, Chris Axford, Digital Projection’s international sales and marketing director said “The introduction of the M-Vision 23000 is another leap forward in single-chip technology. Digital Projection established itself as the leader in this growing segment with the introduction of the world’s first large venue Laser Phosphor product in 2014. Our latest development demonstrates our continued commitment to providing cost effective projectors without compromise across our full product range.”

The M-Vision 2300 will be shipping in November 2020.

More information on the Digital projection

From esports to awards nights and live music, Studio45 provides a state-of-the-art setting for event professionals to continue producing and hosting live events which are streamed worldwide. Created by Australian audiovisual supplier WooHah Productions, the space features top of the range equipment, including Brompton Technology’s Tessera SX40 LED processors.

The idea for Studio45 came to WooHah Productions just days after the country was forced into lockdown in March. The team wanted to offer a safe yet creative environment as an alternative to traditional live event settings. By investing in the world’s best equipment and people, WooHah has ensured that Studio 45 is now the largest, ready to use studio space in Melbourne.

“Within one week of shutdown, we were able to build the physical studio in our new 2,000m2 warehouse and build the complete video backend through our Studio45.live website,” says WooHah Productions and Studio45 MD, Arosh Fernando. “We were also able to add a Pay Per View Online Ticketing Platform, which enabled our first customer to make revenue on their live stream event.”

Based at WooHah Productions HQ in Braeside, Melbourne, Studio45’s broadcast space includes 14m wide LED video wall. The space has been designed to be agile and dynamic, with fast turnarounds and impressive results for any client.

“We have ROE Diamond 2.6 panels running from the Tessera SX40, with almost 50m2 of 2mm used as the backdrop for the stage. We are mainly displaying 4K content, as the screen has two 4K inputs running via a Barco E2 processing system,” explains Fernando.
Additionally, the team is using four of Brompton’s Tessera XD 10G data distribution units to reduce the complexity of mass cabling down to a bare minimum and be able to run fibre to the large LED display system.

According to Fernando, the colour reproduction on the screens has made Studio45 stand out from other offerings on the market. “Brompton’s products have a proven history of being used for live events and on camera, and we made a promise at WooHah to ensure any LED screen we buy must have Brompton as the backbone.
Simple things like being able to quickly adjust the colour of the panels, match the refresh rate of the broadcast cameras, or easily fault-find has made a big difference to the workflow and significantly reduces set-up times,” he adds.

What WooHah’s customers say also speaks volumes, with numerous event producers and technical directors telling them that the quality of their screen is simply the best. “The screen’s high resolution together with Brompton processing makes these great looking events possible,” states Fernando.

Australian Arnold Body Building Championship, an Easter Sunday church service, livestream service at funerals, Australian True Crime Podcast, as well as multiple product launches, fashion roadshows, music live streams and news bulletins are among the projects that the team has successfully delivered despite the current uncertainty.

“It’s been super tough, and it doesn’t matter which corner of the world you live in, the events industry as a whole has suffered in a dramatic way,” says Fernando. “In Melbourne, it has been harder than the rest of Australia and the second lockdown has hurt the business even further. But we wanted to show our industry that we are not down and out.
This is not the end of events. If we are willing to listen to our customers, innovate and come up with new ideas, or keep on improving the product, then we can survive through this period.”

WooHah continues to deliver innovation and create new features or products within its existing offering to help clients communicate with their customers or their internal staff. Brompton has always been a vital part of the journey.

“To us, Brompton Technology is a world leader in what they do; their products and 24/7 technical service is the best in the industry. That’s why we had made a promise to only buy Brompton for our hire/rental stock,” Fernando concludes.
“Brompton’s Tessera SX40 amplifies the virtual experience and helps us make that all-important human connection. This what we all miss the most about live events such as concerts. Studio45 makes things more ‘human’ thanks to genuine, true-to-life image quality, and that is thanks to Brompton.”

More on the Brompton Technology website

Situated in the Melbourne’s east, the community at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church was being crowded out by a suburb fast-tracked for urban growth. Needing to relocate to a quieter location with room to expand, they became aware that a short distance down the road the St. James Uniting Church, with its striking mid-century early modern architecture, was looking to sell.

A view of the renovated St.Paul’s Lutheran Church with the beautiful work done by the acoustic engineer Andrew Nicol with his reflective diffusers meant to bring back some live reverberance, the all time signature of any church.

It looked a perfect fit. A deal was done which duly led to a full-blown renovation of the church, including a sensitive, high quality audio visual fitout in the heritage-listed building. This included a Martin Audio O-Line as the sound reinforcement system.
St. Paul’s Lutheran found an integrator in Mozaix that really understood house of worship requirements, and director Paul Tucker immediately struck up a rapport with the Church’s building committee.

Paradoxically, the original St James space had been too acoustically ‘dead’ which is an almost unique problem to find in a church building. Due to its carpeted floors and construction of the vaulted ceiling, in its previous unrenovated form it didn’t suit St Paul’s style of ‘call and response’ congregational worship.

The stage left array of 12 O-Line.

Acoustic engineer, Andrew Nicol, thus applied acoustic treatment in the form of an array of signature reflective diffusers for the front wall and behind the band stage, as well as hard stone tile flooring, acoustic panels on the rear wall and acoustic absorption on the balcony fascia.
The result is an acoustically lively but controlled space that suits congregational involvement and accommodates high SPL sound reinforcement.

Nicol briefed the AV system designers Hanson Associates and their consultant Mark Thompson noted that given the acoustic design and in order to enable the church to benefit from this live reverberance the loudspeaker system best suited to meet all requirements was a Martin Audio O-Line.

This, he felt, would provide a properly engineered speech reinforcement solution and the decision to specify 12 elements per side was based on Hanson’s acoustic modelling process. Both Paul Tucker and Hanson Associates have worked on previous jobs involving the sleek Martin Audio O-Line micro-array, and all participants were confident it would deliver the goods for the St Paul’s fitout.

The O-Line without the front element. Two 3.5” LF drivers and 5 soft dome tweeters. Once the 12 elements array set, the sensitivity reaches 99 dB SPL, the Max SPL 131 dB and the lows a theoretical continous 104 dB at 76 Hz. Plenty enough for having fun !

The technology certainly suggested that it would. Every element of the Martin Audio O-Line PA is individually addressed by its own amplifier channel and processing, allowing the array to be beam steered, thereby keeping energy out of the ceiling space and the pipe organ loft.

Unlike many DSP-steered columns, an O-Line array does not produce unwanted vertical sidelobes in the audio band. This is critical in reverberant environments, since sidelobes, firing above and below the array, simply adds to the reverberant energy, impacting negatively on intelligibility. O-Line’s ability to reproduce very high frequencies without sidelobes makes it ideal for both full range speech and music reproduction in Houses of Worship.

“It’s a very transparent PA, it’s not lumpy in the bottom end,” noted Paul Tucker. “It really connects to the room nicely. Hanson Associates took care of the final tuning of the PA and it’s come up nicely. “We had a consecration service featuring a fantastic viola player, and the sound of that instrument was beautiful really stunning.”

An Allen & Heath mixing environment (over Dante) is complemented by Q-Sys signal processing. The AV booth is also the control hub of all the video and streaming capabilities (St Paul’s has been recording and broadcasting services since well before the Covid-19 pandemic). As for operation, it couldn’t be simpler: a church volunteer can fire up both the PA and the projectors with a couple of clicks of the iPad.

The Church’s tech booth with, on the left, the A&H mixer.

Finished in neutral light grey, to blend in with the architecture, the slimline, discreet and architecturally sympathetic O-Line arrays set the tone for the install. The video projection and architectural lighting sources are equally discreet, and so when it comes to technology, transparency has been the watchword.

“We’re very pleased with the results,” proclaimed David Pietsch, who heads the church’s strategic property group, in summary.

Martin Audio systems are distributed in Australia by Technical Audio Group (TAG).

And more information on the Martin Audio website