Live music inspires millions around the world, but while artists have been able to embrace the new possibilities afforded by social media and streaming sites in the wake of Covid-19, the talented men and women who so often stand behind them have not been so lucky. With this in mind, charitable fund Crew Nation has been created to extend a helping hand to the touring and venue crews who depend on a constant run of shows to make a living.
The fund – powered and administered by charitable 501c3 organisation, Music Forward Foundation – has been kickstarted in inspiring style by Live Nation, which has contributed an initial $5 million and committed to match the next $5 million given by artists, fans, and employees. So far superstars such as Coldplay, Miley Cyrus, Metallica, John Mayer, and many more have shown their support and donated.
Having become aware of the initiative, Italian innovator Powersoft has pledged to donate 5% of the proceeds from all of the touring amplifier platforms sold between 27th July and 15th of October, to Crew Nation. The Powersoft campaign that will follow is based on the key concept that ‘behind every show stands a great live music crew’, to underline the importance of the people behind the scenes of the shows that are so important to so many.
The campaign will be spread over several different media such as web banners, banner newsletters, social channels, and in print in the international trade media.
Francesco Fanicchi
Powersoft’s brand, communication and trade marketing manager, Francesco Fanicchi, said: “As with every person involved in the industry, we know how difficult the last months have been for professionals in the live event industry; in particular the touring and venue crew who are completely dependent on live shows to survive.
“We spent time in doing research to find the right organisation to partner with, and eventually we came to realise that Crew Nation would be the perfect channel. Although It is difficult to make any assumptions on sales levels during this period, we will use our marketing capabilities to promote this operation to industry professionals in the hope that we will raise a significant contribution to Crew Nation.”
“We greatly appreciate Powersoft extending a helping hand to the touring and venue crews who depend on shows to make a living. Their pledge will go a long way to assist Crew Nation in its mission to support and provide grants for these backstage staff who are struggling the most during these difficult times,” said Nurit Smith, executive director of the Music Forward Foundation. “Together with partners like Powersoft, Crew Nation can ensure that the live community has the support it needs.”
Left to right, Luca Giorgi and Fabrizio Romano Bolzoni.
Fabrizio Romano Bolzoni, sales manager, rack amps, added: “As an Italian company, we feel at the forefront of this unprecedented situation. We want to make ourselves engines and promoters of commendable initiatives to support the people in our sector, and we asked our worldwide sales networks to promote this initiative as much as they can, in order to raise awareness for something that is really impacting the live music industry.”
“We joined the Adamson Network in 2019 with the acquisition of an S10 system and have been incredibly impressed with its performance,” begins Broker Sound’s Founder, Leszek Sikoń. “The S10 system has excelled every time we’ve used it, in virtually any application, and lives up to the reputation that the Adamson brand carries in the market. It only made sense to expand our inventory to better serve our growing client base.”
From left to right Broker Sound Owner Leszek Sikon; ProAUDIO-AVT Product Manager Krzysztof Langowski; Broker Sound Co-Owner Jakub Sikon.
Based in the city of Poznań, Broker Sound has been providing audio, lighting, and staging solutions for live events throughout Poland for nearly 20 years. To augment its existing inventory of sub-compact S10 cabinets and companion S119 subwoofers, Broker Sound sourced 12 Adamson S7 ultra-compact full-range, two-way array enclosures though the company’s exclusive Polish distributor, ProAUDIO-AVT.
Thanks to the uniform voicing throughout the entire S-Series, the new acquisition expands Broker Sound’s ability to offer custom audio solutions for live events ranging from major open-air festivals and international tour stops to smaller community-focused initiatives.
“Broker Sound is highly esteemed for their professionalism, reliability, and consistency in action, and has been growing steadily by taking on new challenges and constantly re-investing in elite-level equipment, as they’ve done with Adamson,” offers Tomasz Kwiecień, CEO of ProAUDIO-AVT. “We’re looking forward to supporting Leszek and his team as they continue that growth by providing world-class solutions and services for their customers.”
Adamson’s Sales Director, EMEA Jasper Ravesteijn.
“We’re proud to join our partners at ProAUDIO-AVT in welcoming Broker Sound to the Adamson Network,” comments Jasper Ravesteijn, Adamson’s Sales Director, EMEA. “Partners like Broker Sound that offer the best possible service for every single client, without compromise, are critical to our success, so we’re excited to reinforce this great partnership in the ever-important Polish market.”
DiGiCo latest software update, V2.6, for its S Series consoles delivers a number of significant new features. These include control of the A164D Wall LCD and A168D Stage for networked audio in installations via the Dante 64@96 DMI, and support for the acclaimed DMI-KLANG, both of which were launched at this year’s ISE show in Amsterdam.
A164D Wall LCD and A168D Stage
A164D Wall LCD, a 16 input 4 output I/O Expander, and A168D Stage, a portable 16 input 8 output I/O Expander, delivering all the connectivity of the original A164 Wall LCD and A168 Stage, but with the additional advantage of Dante connectivity. This not only adds the flexibility and familiarity of the Dante network protocol, but also means that consultants and integrators can take advantage of existing network infrastructure to drop I/O anywhere on the network.
With a Dante DMI 64@96 card installed in an S Series console, access to 64 channels of I/O to or from the Dante network is provided. This allows control of both racks and can be set to either be in Full Control mode or Receive Only mode in the audio routing menu.
In full control mode, socket properties can be changed from the console, whereas in receive only mode, socket property values are only received from the Dante IO device, and not transmitted by the console. This can be utilised when sharing inputs with another console; one can have full control of socket properties whereas the other cannot control them, but still receives the value in order for gain tracking to be used.
DMI-KLANG
The DMI-KLANG takes KLANG:fabrik’s immersive in-ear mixing core and rebuilds with today’s latest FPGA technology to deliver immersive mixes of 64 inputs for 16 musicians. This is the highest input count of any KLANG product to date, with a processing latency of just a quarter of a millisecond.
The DMI-KLANG connects directly to DiGiCo consoles’ internal audio stream without any additional hardware I/O overhead. By adding support for the DMI-KLANG to S-Series consoles, the DMI-KLANG card enables audio to be routed from the console to the card and vice versa.
RTA on EQ View
The release of V2.6 also sees the addition of an RTA (Real Time Analyser) added to the channel EQ view of S Series consoles, which can be toggled to be shown/hidden using the button in the top bar. The RTA meters are taken post-EQ, meaning that any adjustments in EQ are reflected in the RTA’s metering.
“As with everything we do, these updates are driven by requests from our customers,” says Roger Wood, DiGiCo’s head of software. “These updates are designed to provide an even better user experience and fulfil the requirements of an increasingly sophisticated market.”
Sound engineer Mr Luo began his career at an audio rental company when, as he says, “in Taiwan there were no such thing as monitor engineers.” As the number of higher profile artists began to increase, the demand for professional monitor engineers rose. Despite retiring from the industry after a decade, his reputation meant invitations from artists tempted him to become involved with the JVR Music team and Jay Chou’s regular monitor engineer.
“The Carnival shows were very demanding for the hardware. There were often more than ten musicians on stage with a wide range of musical instruments, plus dancers. The musicians all wanted studio-quality sound, which can be very challenging for me as the monitor engineer. Plus, of course, we couldn’t have any equipment problems, the stability of the system was extremely important,” says Mr Luo.
The show generated around 80 input channels, with splitters sending the signals to Front of House and monitors. Mr Luo specified a Yamaha RIVAGE PM10 digital mixing system, comprising two DSP-R10 engines in mirror mode, for full DSP redundancy, and two CS-R10 control surfaces. This allowed him to concentrate on Jay Chou’s needs on one surface, while the rest of the performers were taken care of on the other. Each of the musicians had an Aviom personal mixer for their in-ear monitors, so the RIVAGE PM system had four RPio622 I/O racks, each equipped with four AVIOM16-0-YI, interface cards and HY144-D Dante audio interface cards.
The two control surfaces.
These allowed audio signals to be simultaneously transmitted to an Aviom D800 distributor with both Dante and Aviom’s proprietary A-Net for redundancy. The I/O racks were also equipped with HY-144D digital I/O cards and AIC128 Dante Accelerator audio interface cards, allowing Steinberg Nuendo Live to be used for virtual soundchecking and multitrack recording.
“From our past experience, Yamaha’s stability is beyond any doubt. The system was also highly recommended by team member Drexel Moliere,” says Mr Luo. “Yamaha let us try the system with full technical support before purchase, helping us to learn the system in a very short time. “We realised very quickly that the easy-to-understand, user-friendly control interface, networked audio with functions like 144-channel Dante I/O, 128-channel virtual sound check and multitrack recording with Nuendo Live allowed us to achieve complex tasks with straightforward hardware.”
If there’s wood, it’s the big PM10 !
Other advantages of the system for the JVR Music team were that each channel allows A/B input source selection and the convenience of the dynamic Comp/Gate/De-esser switch. Mr Luo also noted how well suited the Dynamic EQ plug-in is for vocals and the great, classic sound of the REV-X reverb.
“The sonic performance of RIVAGE PM is exceptional. All of the performance team members were very impressed by its sound quality, it’s almost identical to that heard in the recording studio and it works seamlessly with the in-ear monitoring system. Not only that, but its stability is beyond question. And there is of course the excellent service from Yamaha’s global support network,” he says.
ETC has announced the addition of Robbi Nassi as Field Project Coordinator for the Northern European territory. Based out of Amsterdam, Robbi will be responsible for providing sales support in the Benelux region.
His role will involve managing projects and supporting Regional Sales Manager Tim Stokholm in developing the customer and dealer network throughout the territory. With over 18 years of experience in the industry, his interest in the field began with a Performing Arts Technology degree at the Tshwane University of Technology where he went on to specialize in lighting.
Prior to ETC, he was at Electrosonic SA Ltd where he worked in a sales position as a Live Events Manager before moving to Sydney, Australia to pursue further career advancements as a technical sales representative for Event Communications Ltd. Robbi has worked on several large projects including installing the first ETC networking infrastructures in theatres in South Africa.
“We are thrilled to welcome Robbi to the team. He has already worked on several projects with ETC and brings a wealth of experience in the industry and knowledge of our products. I look forward to working with him and growing the business,” comments Regional Sales Manager, Tim Stokholm.
MeMo main parts : The Amp and DSP on the left and the Mover, the very same used in Powersoft pro applications.
The MeMo bundle includes a tactile shaker / transducer and a matched amplifier platform that, between them, are able to overcome the physical limitations of traditional systems to deliver sounds that extend well below sub-harmonic frequencies, to bring people into the heart of their favorite music, movie, or game.
With minimal setup required and multiple mounting options, MeMo can be secured to any gaming chair right out of the box or added to a cinephile’s favorite seat to achieve a fully immersive experience.
MeMo attached to a chair thanks to included bracket.
Any chair, once just a point of comfort, immediately and effortlessly becomes part of the action, all through the power of haptic perception.
User-friendly presets
MeMo contains three presets that are conveniently accessible from the backside of the amplifier, which will allow users to choose their favorite audio set up. For gamers, the professional Class D amplifier can be set up to reduce resonating frequencies between 20 and 40 Hz, giving enabling them to gain an advantage with more realistic and immediate feedback.
Sim racers can now feel every inch of the road under their virtual seat thanks to the mighty power of the patented moving magnet transducer. If a user is more concerned with adding extra depth to their home cinema system, MeMo can be optimized to bump the frequency around 50 Hz and enhance the subharmonic content around 25 Hz, allowing them to keep the sub’s volume down, while still delivering the full frequency spectrum.
The amp containing also a DSP. Apparently he’s stereo, with balanced and unbalanced in and out, a remote port and a LAN port…Scandicci style !
Finally, MeMo can be optimized for music and multimedia content by using a flat preset with a slight bump between 60 and 80 Hz, which will allow users to feel the kicks that they have recently been missing at live concerts.
Capable of reproducing the frequencies that become lost in translation when gaming with headphones, or watching a movie on a home theatre system, MeMo invites users to not only see and hear a story, but to truly experience it. Boasting incredible precision, MeMo has the ability to envelope users in bass-heavy cinematic sounds, without cranking up the volume and disturbing the neighbors.
MeMo unboxed. Everything is included and the bundle weighs 8 Kg. Now you know why.
Available on Amazon, shipping from Italy for the promo price of 1171€ (VAT inc.)
Dimensions: L 27.4 cm x W 21.0 cm x H 3.7 cm. Weight: 2.31 kg. Peak Power Output: 250 W @ 4 Ohm. Average Power Output: 40 W @ 4 Ohm. Signal Processing with sub-harmonics enhancements, optimized for Mover applications: Music preset – Ideal for every multimedia and music content! Movie preset – Ultra-low frequency enhanced for the best movie experience! Gaming preset – Dive yourself inside your favorite game and play with the fourth dimension!
Mover Transducer:
Dimensions: 90 mm x 90 mm x 90 mm . Weight: 2.44 kg. Piston weight: 1.2 kg. Magnet type: 0.28 kg Neodymium magnet, grade N50. Frequency Response: 5 – 500 Hz. Nominal Impedance: 4 Ohm. Nominal Bl: 32 Tm Warranty: 2 years + 1 after registration
You’ve been expecting it, here it comes! The MQ500 Stadium light desk is out now, with 15 motorized faders and software evolution under the MQ500M name. A nice gift for the lighting techies already fans of this brand, and possibly a triggering newbie for those hesitating ones, as its price is very friendly for a lighting desk now boasting 256 DMX universes.
We collected a bunch of infos from Ugo Knaff, Marketing Head at Sonoss, the French distributor for Chamsys. This new lighting desk uses the same software as the previous version, and this piece of brainwork will evolve for both versions in the future, except of course for the functions dedicated to the motorized faders operable only for the 500M. Chamsys keeps a perfect compatibility between all OS and all software versions. This new function allows a quick reassignment of the playbacks between the compact models and the forthcoming Stadium series, still under development
Video presentation
15 motorized faders
On the MQ500M the 15 playbacks all have a motorized fader. Hence when changing your playback page the faders will automatically, visually and physically position themselves at the level of the active playbacks or at the programmed level if you turn on the option of “automated playbacks at page change”. A brand new Bank function extends the page system: each playback page contains 6 Banks of 30 playbacks, corresponding to the 15 playbacks on motorized faders and to the 15 playbacks on encoders, and you can fly through the different banks by a long press on the page change buttons.
The motorized faders.
The motorization of the faders allows the ChamSys to offer other playbacks operation modes, as they can be changed on the fly as well: a control mode of the intensity of each fixture, another mode for the intensity level of each group, and a mode for the level of each DMX channel.
These modes operate at the programmer level and you can navigate between different machines / groups / channels using the page buttons. You can choose to use these modes on the whole patch or only on the current selection. Two other modes allow you to assign the Intensity Masters automatically for each machine or for each group.
To use the different modes or banks, you must by default make a long press on a physical key, then a second touch on the screen, but it is for example possible to directly assign the desired mode to one of the 12 physical buttons of the Execute keypad, which was already part of the MQ500. You can therefore change the function of the playbacks on the fly, thanks to the motorized faders which can suddenly adapt at the same time physically the level from the one they’re already on, and go from a level sent by a playback to an intensity level sent by a group… A gift for all desk operators. 15 playbacks on potentiometers
The new potentiometers relating to the Flash buttons
The new potentiometers attached to the flash buttons.
Above this row of 15 faders, as on the older version, are situated 15 additional playbacks. Each of these now has a potentiometer, where the previous version simply offered a flash button. It is therefore now possible to control the level of attributes sent for these playbacks.
New functions make it possible to exploit these new potentiometers, for example to control the amplitude or the speed of the effects recorded in a particular playback as well as in all the playbacks of the page or the bank.
Backlit faders and new touchbuttons
The motorized faders come as RGB backlit models in the 500M with the ability of choosing the color for each fader. It is the same for the new potentiometers situated above the playbacks. Other functions could be included in the future, like adjusting the parameters of the console so that each potentiometer indicator shows the color that the corresponding projector is showing in its very beam, to ease up the identification of the playbacks.
The buttons now have a new look and a softer feel. The button pads are also redesigned in a less dense way, and this is no extra luxury as it was difficult, unless you were a virtuoso, to instinctively find the key in the block of 15 buttons crammed together without looking for it visually. Blocks of 6 buttons will be easier to spot only (or mainly) by simple finger touch. The flash buttons also benefit from more “modern” touchbuttons.
Backlighting the console
Backlighting the console.
All the touchbuttons now include a white backlighting to gain more visibility in the darkness, and a red backlighting showing when a function or a page is active.
The Magix MQ500M also includes a plan view and a viewer, a timeline with audio functions, a color-picker adaptable to all color mixing systems. The 3D palette system and support for external XYZ trackers allow you to use innovative features to quickly set multiple projectors on lines, or track artists and moving objects.
The free software on PC
A new mode is now part of the software to solve the limitation problem of only 64 universes on PC which caused problems when pre-encoding a show intended to be later controlled by an MQ500. With 64 universes available on PC against 200 on the MQ500, to encode a big show on PC you had no other solution than to buy a dongle. This new “Stadium” mode in the software will allow you to pre-encode 256 universes by disabling the network outputs of the software. This will allow Stadium users to pre-encode in the software without being then blocked in the field by a universes number limitation.
Remember that the basic software allows you to output 64 ArtNet or sACN universes and convert them to DMX using any node, Luminex for example, and this is quite generous for a free software. For more physical control, of course Chamsys offers wings…
A new MQ500M Wing
The MQ500M Stadium alongside the MQ500M Wing.
To extend the control surface of the 500M, Chamsys is now launching the MQ500M Wing. It proposes 15 motorized faders and 15 potentiometers as well as a 15-inch touchscreen, just like in the MQ500M. Its 4 additional DMX outputs allow the MQ500M to use directly 8 DMX outputs.
The MQ500M Stadium alongside the MQ500M Wing
Unlike the old Stadium Wing from which it is an evolution, and which could be used with the MQ80 or a MagicQ PC, its use is reserved for the MQ500M. A kit to upgrade a MQ500 to a 500M. Chamsys does not leave the many owners of the MQ500 on the sidelines by offering them the possibility of upgrading their console to MQ500M. This upgrade kit includes the replacement of all electronics and PCBs located directly below the control surface as well as a new storage system. This will require a return to your local distributor, in this case (in France) Sonoss.
Up to five additional touchscreens can be connected to the system comprising a MQ500M and its MQ500M Wing, which makes an impressive total of 8 screens.
The console will therefore be boosted to 256 universes. Its look will be a little different from that of the new model to avoid replacing all of the front panels, but the functions will be identical. Existing flight cases can therefore be used the same as before. Up to five additional touchscreens can be connected to the system comprising a MQ500M and its MQ500M Wing, which makes an impressive total of 8 screens.
Keep cool and confident, Chamsys will maintain its policy of continuous improvement, whether software or hardware in this specific case, avoiding as much as possible technological breakthroughs that could prevent users from switching from one desk to another. Chris Kennedy is still at the helm of Chamsys with strong ideas at this (high) level.
List price:
– MQ500 M: 26,550 € HT – MQ500M Wing: 8,340 € HT – Kit faders motorisés: 6,450 € HT all inclusive global changeover from a MQ500 to a MQ500, including manwork and shipping costs back to you from Chamsys factory.
The MQ500 will be scratched from the Chamsys list of products in the forthcoming months but it will always keep the compatibility of the software and will benefit from the new functions to come, except of course those only devoted to the motorized potentiometers. Availability : first deliveries September 2020.
The event coincides with France’s National Day (on July 14). And having scaled new heights last year with the unique solutions and I/O capacity provided by the two German partner brands—creating an immersive environment for Radio France, with 152 Optocore preamps and MUX22 IVT / MADI connectivity—this year technology contractors GB4D went even further.
Many X6R, 16 ultra high quality mic preamps each.
Working once again for Radio France, they set up an elaborate optical broadcast network topography on the Champ de Mars in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, but with the location eerily empty other than for technicians.
“Playing without an audience due to COVID 19 was certainly weird,” stated GB4D owner, Gilles Bouvard. “We felt really alone without the 500,000 spectators!” Bouvard was clear in what the challenge represented, and it was essentially to produce an advance multi-format broadcast signal flow to the Radio France and France TV OB trucks from the FOH and monitor positions, as well as from the pyrotechnics position.
“We had to provide Radio France’s sound engineers with all the necessary tools,” he confirmed. And this year that again included 144 Optocore microphone preamps (both X6RFX and TP) as well as MADI stream connectivity between the LAWO, Yamaha and Studer consoles, via BroaMan MUX22 MADI and Optocore M12 and DD2FR-FX devices.
Close to the France television van, a MUX22.
In all, GB4D created a distribution universe of more than 600 audio streams between the FOH and monitor consoles, and broadcast facilities for Radio France and France TV.
Additionally, GB4D provided MADI audio streams for virtual soundchecks to radio technicians in charge of HF control for the soloists. “This made it possible from the Wavetool software to conduct MADI monitoring of the 155 pickup microphone preamps,” explained Bouvard. Finally GB4D constructed a BroaMan link for the spectacular firework finale which was once again produced by Groupe F.
Gilles Bouvard
Explaining this final deployment, Gilles Bouvard said, “The request was to retrieve the audio streams from the firework soundtrack, to give the pyrotechnician a video stream from the France TV finale, and to link everyone together with an intercom network for orders.”
This connection was achieved via a pair of BroaMan MUX22 IVT/IC444, a device that combines different formats of Video, Audio, IP, Intercom and other data on fiber distribution system. The sound of the fireworks was wired to the four line inputs that populate the MUX22, wired with other Optocore audio interfaces in a redundant optical loop. All audio streams were shared throughout the Optocore network.
The Groupe F in action !
The cable distance between the two MUX22s stationed at the Eiffel Tower and the France TV OB van was approximately 450 metres, with SDI signals passed between the fireworks base and France TV control room for the grand finale, with the four IC444 audio line inputs, and LAN for the IP intercom.
From the fireworks control room under the Eiffel Tower, the audio signals for the soundtrack had to be connected. For this, two Apple computers were equipped with sound cards, which were connected to the four line-level audio ports of the MUX22.
An SDI output, connected to a 32 “screen, broadcast the final image of the France TV production. The pyro technician wanted to have the image direct from the OB van in order to avoid the six-to-eight seconds delay from the satellite.
Thanks to the MUX22 LAN, we were also able to create an order network between the fireworks technician and the France TV script manager,” continued Bouvard. “This GreenGo IP order network consisted of a portable station on the pyro side and a 4-wire box for the interface with the France TV communication grid.”
Le Concert de Paris busy stage.
“The choice of MUX22 for this application was simple,” stated Bouvard. “Everything I needed, in terms of format transmission, was contained in one box!” Le Concert de Paris, for which Radio France is co-producer, is the largest classical music concert broadcast live on television and radio in more than 31 countries, and representing approximately 41 million viewers.
The artistic performance was produced by the National Orchestra of France, the Grand Choeur de Radio France, as well as the Maitrise de Radio France. Founded after the Second World War, and intended for children aged nine and over, this high level musical training is one of the first experiments in the so called ‘half-time educational system’, combining general education and musical training.
“We are delighted to have been able to collaborate on this landmark event once again this summer, with a more prestigious solution than ever,” said the GB4D owner in conclusion. He was supported by GB4D team members, Diane Hivert (Distribution Manager, France) and Titou Victor (GB4D Optocore Technician).
The American style venue harbours a ten-lane bowling alley, which also includes a bar, creating a vibrant experience with the help of a modern audio system. Audioserv, who have also provided audio systems for over 15 of Roxy Ball Room’s locations, took on the task of providing and installing audio equipment for the venue, with support from Powersoft audio distributor CUK.
“We’ve been working with Roxy Ball Room since the beginning of the brand in 2013,” explained Pete Rollinson, technical director of Audioserv. “For the Birmingham venue, we designed a system to give consistent coverage across the whole space, with an added impact in certain areas of the venue, like we did for the other Roxy Ball Room locations.”
In order to create a system capable of meeting these requirements, Audioserv, together with Roxy Leisure’s Matt Jones, designed a high-quality sound system that had the ability to sound like a club system when required, but also could provide balanced, quality background music. The system was created using Turbosound loudspeakers, Powersoft amplifiers and Audac enclosures.
On the top left, a TCS 122 from Turbosound.
In order to create a directional sound system from the back, upstairs part of the ball room to the end of the bowling lanes, the placement of the equipment was carefully considered. Mounted horizontally on the back wall upstairs of the venue, five Turbosound TCS 122 loudspeaker cabinets are paired with two NuQ118B subwoofers.
“It would have been tempting to use smaller boxes, but they would have started to sound thin in such a large volume of space,” explained Rollinson. Above the bar, ten Turbosound NuQ82 loudspeakers are mounted to provide coverage for this area, with another five Turbosound TCS 122 loudspeakers and two NuQ118B subwoofers to cover the area between the bar and the bowling lanes.
To support this equipment, Audioserv selected 3 Powersoft’s Quattrocanali 4804 and 2404 fixed install amplifiers, which Rollinson speaks highly of. “We have been using Powersoft amplifiers for years. In many of our installations, we use multiple channels of audio for either the number of loudspeakers we use, or the amount of different time alignment delays. Having a huge number of channels of conventional amplifiers would take up a massive amount of room in what is usually a small office,” said Rollinson.
“We have supplied amplifiers from Powersoft’s installation range to Roxy Ball Room on different projects before, as well as a number of other clients. They sound excellent, they are extremely small physically and their power consumption is exceptionally low.”
The Quattrocanali series has been designed with small to medium sized installation projects in mind. The series can operate with Lo-Z (from 2 Ω) and 70V/100V distributed lines, or any mix of the two, and features the patented SRM (Smart Rails Management) technology which allows it to maximise the efficiency of the system and drastically reduce power consumption. It also features the lowest thermal dissipation in the industry, minimising the need for external cooling systems. In particular, Quattrocanali 4804 boasts the legendary Powersoft switch mode power supply – up to 400VAC tolerant with Power Factor Correction.
“Overall, we were pleased with the outcome of the project,” Rollinson concluded. “And with careful adjustments of the different areas, we managed to minimise the potential sound reverb which is always a concern for large venues like this one.”
Since its launch as an independent business in 2013, DiGiGrid has established itself as a benchmark for advanced audio interfaces. A collaboration between DiGiCo, manufacturers of the world’s leading professional mixing consoles, and Waves, the world’s leading developer of audio plugins, DiGiGrid’s range of scalable and modular advanced audio interfaces provides users with everything they need to record, produce and mix sessions in the studio and on the road, with unlimited freedom.
Since any semblance of order in the music industry has been thrown into turmoil by the global Coronavirus pandemic, lockdown has challenged an industry primarily run by freelancers to be resilient and creative – qualities which they have demonstrated in abundance. DiGiGrid has seen demand for its products remain solid, as artists and technical staff strive to keep working.
Dan Page
Dan Page, Brand Manager at DiGiGrid is as aware as anyone of the serious difficulties faced by the sector, but believes that its natural resourcefulness will help in the struggle to survive the most testing of circumstances: “Whilst every industry has been affected to a greater or lesser extent by the pandemic, our sector was probably the first to close and will most likely be the last to reopen in a ‘normal’ way.
For freelancers particularly, that makes things extremely tough. Lost income, combined with the worry about when any kind of ‘normal’ will return, places huge stresses on people, but throughout lockdown we’ve seen plenty of ingenuity as the industry seeks to focus on as many positive actions as it can.”
As simple and as good as it gets, the M. Two inputs and outputs plus an all analogue headphones amp.
At DiGiGrid, staff have been adapting to this new enforced way of life, learning new skills and brushing up on every aspect of what they do. Its team is involved in a constant dialogue with its user-base, offering guidance and support, whilst taking close account of the way in which this technically adroit community is adapting to the circumstances, and applying DiGiGrid hardware to support a wide range of imaginative projects.
Dan continues: “Whilst we all miss the human interactions of a busy office or the excitement of a live gig, the wonders of technology keep us connected. In the first few weeks of lockdown, we all adapted to our new environments – kitchen and dining tables, home offices, garden sheds – and soon got into the routine of the now ubiquitous video call.
It didn’t take long before there was a shift towards demand for higher production values across the board. Sales of pop-up green screens and lights rocketed as we all tried to hide the clutter of home. Video hardware, camera and capture products became increasingly difficult to source. Home-based audio interface sales have followed a similar trend…
Four inputs and 6 outputs, meet DiGiGrid D !
“Whether for the enhancement of our daily communications or for the production of content for live or replayed viewing and listening, poor audio simply doesn’t cut it. That’s certainly the case now for our new world of constant online communication with friends and family, so when it comes to musicians and producers, it’s unthinkable to settle for anything less than pristine audio.”
Computers offer ample processing power and there is a wide choice of available recording software, but additional audio capture is needed and demand for the company’s ‘D’ and ‘M’ interfaces, ‘Q’ headphone amplifier interface and ‘S’ PoE-capable SoundGrid switches, have remained strong.
Dan concludes: “In no way should we underplay the severity of the crisis in our industry – many people are struggling, and the return of any sort of live events can’t come soon enough – but the creation of music remains central to so many areas of our industry. We use it to raise awareness, to raise money, it pays wages and it lifts spirits. Our industry has proved to be adaptable and ingenious, and the novel deployment of technology to meet the profoundly difficult circumstances we face gives us more than a little hope for the future. At DiGiGrid we can’t wait to get back out into the wide world – for now we do what we can on the home front!”
Italian pro audio manufacturer dBTechnologies is ready to launch the newly born member of VIO family: a compact 3-way active line array system equipped with 2×10” woofers and 1 coaxial MF/LF compression driver. A compact PA system able to deliver ashtonishing power and impressive SPL alongside with the most harmonious and consistent audio performance.
Some characteristics
– 3-way active line array system – 1600 W RMS total DIGIPRO G4 Amp – Impressive SPL up to 141 dB per module – State-of-the-art 3-way symmetric acoustic design – Neodymium components – 2×10” woofers – 1 coaxial MF+ HF compression driver mounted on waveguide – Low latency DSP – Linear phase FIR Filters – Consistent dispersion pattern – Full remote control via Aurora Net – Modular slot for network and digital audio expansion cards – NFC + front led identification system – Integrated 3-point smart rigging system – Wooden enclosure with polyurea coating – Magnetic rubber raincover – On-board system test and real time impendance control
STATE OF THE ART 3-WAY SYMMETRIC ACOUSTIC DESIGN
VIO L1610 is a three way active line array system, entirely equipped with neodymium components: 2×10″ woofers (2.5” v.c.), providing an extended LF reproduction, interact with a coaxial neodymium component (4” v.c MF plus a 2,5” v.c. HF compression driver) mounted on an exclusively designed waveguide.
The L1610 showing the two 10”. The coaxial planar drive is hidden by the waveguide.
This unique coaxial symmetric acoustic design results into the most accurate transient reproduction, which enables VIO L1610 to deliver the most detailed and homogeneous audio performance. In facts, the coaxial component not only allows an extended low end reproduction of the MF, but guarantees a perfect off-axis coherence alongside with all the benefits coming from woofer’s direct radiation, much to the advantage of the system’s headroom.
UTMOST AMP TECHNOLOGY
Each VIO L1610 acoustic engine is driven by a Digipro G4® Class-D amplifier module featuring 1600 W RMS along with the utmost acquisitions in dBT’s amp technology. In facts, the system takes advantage of a one-of-a-kind low latency processing resulting from its powerful DSP featuring linear phase FIR filters.
Digipro G4 amp comes with a modular slot for expansion cards: as a default, VIO L1610 is equipped with dBTechnologies RD-Net card for real time remote control via Aurora Net software. Nevertheless, the system is ready for upgrades with Audinate Dante™ protocol for digital audio stream as well as well as real time control purposes.
As a support for networking purposes, each VIO L1610 cabinet is equipped with Near Field Communication (NFC™) system and a frontal LED used to recognize each single module within the remote control software Aurora Net. On-board controls (2 rotary encoders) allows DSP presets for Speaker Coupling and High Frequencies compensation.
The back of the Digipro 4th generation module called G4. The modular slot say it all, the future is near !
Moreover, the amp’s power supply is equipped with PFC (Power Factor Corrector) technology, a feature allowing a very stable and consistent performance of the system, regardless of the quality of the mains and power fluctuations. PFC also grants a worldwide compatibility of the power supply (from 90V to 265V 50/60Hz) and limits power consumption. Furthermore, the PSU is 380V resistant, so the final amplifiers will be switched off in case of undesired strike of 380V current, saving them from any damage. Last but not least, Digipro G4’s pre-amp module also features a special floating audio input allowing a digital optical isolation, resulting in the most even, interference-free input signal.
Exclusive technology of Digipro G4 amplifier is IPOS (Intelligent Power-On Sequence), a circuit that controls the sequence in which the main power supplies of all units within an array ramp up. As a result, each module is switched on in a different time frame, keeping the overall system’s inrush current low, even in very big PA system deployments.
The amp also allows users to run a test on electronics and transducers before, during and after use: the most useful system test ensuring real time control over the entire PA’s health and tour-grade reliability. Each VIO L1610 cabinet is enabled to any future firmware upgrades.
VIO’S RIGGING SYSTEM
The DRK-210 frame to be used with the existing L210 and the new L1610.
VIO L1610 comes with VIO series’ peculiar 3-point rigging system allowing a smooth and fast set up of the system. The 2 front links easily connect the modules. The back central rigging strand is equipped with a ring type link allowing user to set the relative splay angles ranging from 1° to 10° thanks to 1 single pin.
Splay angles can be set directly in the dedicated transport cart DT-VIOL210L which houses 4 modules. While lifting up the array, the rigging strand will automatically block the preset angles with no heavy lifting required. The flying frame DRK-210 allows smooth flying operations and system lifting.
VIO COMPATIBILITY
Eight VIO L1610.
Just like any member of VIO family, VIO L1610 has been designed keeping in mind compatibility among VIO systems. Although its remarkable audio performance makes VIO L1610 a powerful yet compact main PA system, both its acoustic and mechanical design makes it the perfect downfill for large VIO L212 systems. TF-VIO2 adaptor allows to easily rig VIO L1610 modules under a VIO L212 array.
CABINET DESIGN
Each VIO L1610’s wooden cabinet is coated with a black polyurea anti-scratch finish. The amp module is protected by a magnetic rubber raincover (included) designed to provide weather proofing even when mounted in steep angle as downfill.
An impressive power/size ratio keeps the cabinet to a 31.3 kg (69 lbs) overall weight. Side and rear handles (2 per side) have been designed to furtherly ease transport, set up and dismantling operations.
Billed as Switzerland’s first open-air streaming festival, SummAIR featured a tight programme of live bands mixed on an advanced Allen & Heath dLive setup. SummAIR was held on June 18th in the town of Hochdorf, where a small, socially distanced audience was joined by an online crowd to enjoy five performances by prominent home-grown artists, including Veronica Fusaro, ZiBBZ and Marc Amacher.
Simon Münger with the dLive systems prepped before the SummAIR festival.
With five bands performing on a single stage and just a few minutes for each changeover, the key challenge for Simon Münger from MSL Eventtechnik GmbH was to provide a high quality, unbroken livestream mix throughout the evening. Reinforcing his own Allen & Heath inventory with a pair of dLive systems hired in through the dLive Rental Network, Simon devised an integrated mixing system spanning FOH, monitors, livestream and mastering matrix duties.
Simon mixed monitors from an S5000 Surface and DM48 MixRack, setting the gain structure for the whole system. Another S5000 and DM48 pairing at FOH was supplemented by an eight fader IP8 remote controller, allowing FOH engineer, Tim Werner to access presenter channels and master levels when guest engineers were mixing on the main Surface. Oliver Deiss managed the livestream mix, adding final compression and level adjustments from a third S5000, together with a CDM32 MixRack.
Oliver Herzog took care of the mastering matrix using a 19” C1500 Surface and CDM32, adding ambient mics and handling transitions between presenters, video playback and the live mix. The FOH and monitor mixers were connected over gigaACE, with Waves3 cards allowing sharing of individual channels between the monitor and livestream setups.
The view of the stage from the dLive S5000 on monitors at the SummAIR festival.
Four portable DX168 I/O expanders were deployed on drum risers to facilitate the rapid changeovers between artists, allowing the crew to feed all the mixers by plugging in a single Cat cable. A fifth DX168 was used for additional I/O between the livestream mix and the mastering matrix.
Latency was another big consideration, as Simon explains, “The artists were performing in front of a videowall, so there was no room for unwanted delay on the audio and video signals. The speed of the dLive system was brilliant. Being able to send all 128 channels without unnecessary AD/DA conversion and latency of under 0.7ms from input to output was a great benefit. The routing is fantastic; it doesn’t matter how many groups you’re using, it doesn’t add any latency.” Thanks to careful planning and an excellent crew on the ground, SummAIR 2020 went without a hitch, as Simon confirms, “I am proud of the way the whole crew pulled together to overcome all the challenges. At every dLive position, our focus was always to have the best possible livestream, and I’m happy we achieved that.”
Many of the leading live events trade bodies and businesses across the UK have joined together to bring attention to the dire straits the live events industry, and its entire supply chain is facing; the sector includes manufacturers, audio, lighting and video specialists, logistics, transportation, rigging and many more.
The industry is now issuing a ‘Red Alert’ with many organisations, businesses and live events staff coming together on the 11th of August to shed light on an industry set to collapse, unless the government provides the right support.
Redundancies have started with research conducted last week indicating 10% of companies planning issuing notices by the end of July, with an additional 15% in August, and 70% plan to make redundancies by end of 2020 with a fifth expecting to lose 70% of staff.
People involved in the production of a typical Arena show.
The UK is regarded as a global leader in delivering large, complex events and without financial support from the government, the UK’s art and culture sector is at risk of closing for good and potentially losing over £100Bn contribution to the UK GDP to European and US production companies, some of whom are receiving government support. Over a million estimated members of staff, freelancers and businesses will experience unachievable loan repayments, loss of furlough payments, and bailout funding will go directly to venues instead of the staff.
Peter Heath, MD of leading trade body PLASA, comments: “The live events industry supply chain that contributes to every single event in the UK is set to completely collapse, social distancing prohibits mass events, and even if this stopped now, long- term planning for events won’t enable a return until around March 2021. Now the whole industry is coming together to initiate a Red Alert. We have been campaigning for financial support from the government using #WeMakeEvents because the sector is on its last legs.”
James Gordon, CEO of Audiotonix.
James Gordon, CEO of Audiotonix, the UK’s largest Pro Audio manufacturer and a key supplier to the events industry, adds: “As the first industry to stop working back in early March, we will also be the last to get our businesses working again, with ongoing social distancing making it impossible to open up live event venues to allow capacities that are commercially viable for all. Without an ongoing sector specific furlough scheme which other European countries have introduced, and other financial measures that will help our freelance workers who make up 72% of this sectors workforce, we cannot secure the long term future of the UK’s leading, internationally respected and commercially contributing events industry.”
While all the premium lighting manufacturers have high-power, white LED spot / profile fixtures in their catalogues, Robe had not yet really made its mark in this area, preferring to concentrate on additive synthesis using color sources.
Now, the Czech manufacturer has introduced the Esprite, an intermediate-power white source and CMY mixing, and equipped with an interchangeable LED module. Robe Esprite is, to my knowledge, the first fixture to propose this concept of renewability and is a potential window on the evolution of LEDs to come.
The renowned 650 W detachable LED module with its electronics and NFC antenna for data communication.
Overview and source concept
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Esprite is physically a very compact spotlight with a slim, streamlined head. It weighs 28 kg. Robe’s design here is, once again, particularly successful. The usual handles on the base, the pan and tilt locks make the unit really easy to handle. The fixture draws 860 W. The concept of the Esprite is based on a module of 73 white (6500 K) Osram LEDs with a total power of 650 W, providing a flux of approximately 24,000 lumens when cold and 22,000 after derating.
The range of the beam angle, from a tiny iris to a fully open zoom.
The CRI of 68 obtained by this LED engine, called “Performance”, is not very high. Robe has indeed chosen this level of luminous flux for concert applications. Let’s note that an effect wheel in the machine allows for an increase in CRI up to 85, at the cost of a few percent of flux. Robe is working with Osram on a “Studio” LED module, with an intrinsic CRI of 93 and the same color temperature as the “Performance” module fitted as standard on Esprite. It will soon be available as an option.
This renowned LED module consists of a complete block that comprises the LED circuit mounted on a heat pipe/heat sink dissipation system, which is easily replaceable and allows the unit to be restored to its original characteristics – both in terms of luminosity and colorimetry – at any time and at a very reasonable cost. As everything is a question of proportions and references, the LED module is guaranteed for four years and Robe declares less than 30% loss of flux over 20,000 hours. I’ll let you compare that to a discharge lamp, which, depending on the model, would run for between 400 and 700 hours before being completely knackered…
The luminosity sensor, located on the front of the head.
Each LED module is equipped with a microchip that stores all the relevant data about its operation. The intensity, number of operating hours, serial number, the fixtures on which it has been mounted and how long it has been on each of them, the temperatures to which it has been subjected, etc. – all this information is stored in the memory of the LED module. It is therefore possible to have “traceability” of the use of the module when it is returned from rental.
For example, this is useful if you rent out fixtures with LED modules that show 100 hours of operation on their way out of the warehouse and 5,000 hours of use when they are returned. And monitoring is instantaneous, thanks to the Robe Com application for smart phones. Even if this sort of thing is fortunately not very common, it has actually happened before with lamps… All this information is visible on any smartphone (IOS or Android) via a small NFC antenna integrated into the LED module. Simply bring the phone near, as with contactless payment, to get total traceability of the LED module’s life. At the same time, the Esprite also delivers a complete history of the status of the fixture and its encounters with different LED modules.
The software also allows you to monitor the intensity data stored in the modules of the individual units in a rig from a console, via a DMX channel, and to quickly calibrate the rig to the intensity of the weakest unit in the system. In a lighting package that, for example, mixes new fixtures with supplementary ones that have been rented and emit a reduced flux, this is a real time-saver.
The animation wheel, and morphing between animation and gobo wheels.
Measurements
The derating curve of Esprite.
We start our measurements with the derating. With the fixture switched on at full power, we measure the illuminance at the centre of the target 30 seconds later, in order to avoid the power spike. The illuminance stabilizes in less than five minutes, with an attenuation of 7.83%. We can then start the photometric measurements.
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20° beam
A 20° beam divergence is our reference measurement, the one that allows us to compare different fixtures. With the unit cold, the illuminance measured at the center is 10,100 lux (9300 lx after derating). The flux reaches 23,900 lumens (22,000 when heated). The very flat and regular light intensity curve indicates a very uniform beam.
Wide beam
At the widest zoom setting that allows for sharp projection, an angle of 49.6°, we obtain 1,780 lux with the unit cold (1,641 lux after derating) and the flux increases to 24,100 lumens (22,200 lumens when heated). The flux is optimized at large apertures, as is normal, and the light is remarkably uniform.
Tight beam
The tightest sharp beam corresponds to an angle of 5.9° and, at a distance of five meters, gives us a center illuminance of 77,880 lux with the unit cold (71,800 lx when heated). The flux is therefore 14,480 lumens (13,300 lm when hot).
Disassembly
Just a single Phillips-head screwdriver is needed to completely disassemble all parts of the unit that require maintenance (cleaning, changing gobos, etc). For more extensive maintenance, other tools are required. The head of the Esprite is disassembled by removing the two halves of the cowling, each held by two captive, quarter-turn Phillips screws, and a small safety cable, itself held by a quarter-turn screw.
The first system of optical condensers, attached to the sources.
Inside the head, the rear is occupied by the LED module and its cooling system. It is protected by a curved plate that forms the bottom of the head, and is removed by means of four Phillips screws. The LED circuit is mounted on a copper plate that is integral with the heat pipe/heat sink system. The assembly is held by four large Phillips-head screws, and is connected via two connectors. The module is positioned between two sets of three large fans (three extracting and three aspirating).
The LED circuit is precisely fitted to a first plate of 73 collimators (one per LED). Immediately following this is the CMY mixing system, followed by a large optical condenser. Unusually sandwiched between the two condenser systems, the CMY mixing system acts directly at the root of the LED beams, which improves the uniformity of the colors.
The light output (post-CMY) and color wheels (including the 4-color effect).
On the other hand, the CMY filters are difficult to access for maintenance, but the inside of the head, between the light sources and the light output, is completely closed, without any ventilation or venting. There is therefore no reason for dust or any external pollutants to get in. With the exception of condensation and what it may cause, nothing should be able to foul the color filters, gobos or effects. This is a real plus as far as maintenance is concerned.
After the second optical condenser, the two subsequent color wheels are fixed in the unit and not in a removable module. The large trapezoidal glass filters are attached to each other and promise very smooth transitions and superb two-color beams.
CMY + CTO.
The first wheel features five dichroic filters in highly saturated colors. The second one has two CRI filters, allowing for an increase in the CRI of the beam to 70 and 85 (at the cost of a little flux), and two full colors. Finally, there is an combination of four bright color filters (magenta / cyan / orange / yellow) arranged in a square. Although this multicolor filter looks rather “disco” at first glance, it turns out to be capable of generating formidable effects, sharp as well as soft, depending on the way it is used.
Some CMY color mixes.
Next come two extractable modules: the first one is a the gobo wheel module, and then the one that houses the framing system and the iris. These can be removed by taking out two screws per module, and disconnecting a connector between the motors and the small circuit board for the various internal components.
Gobos
The gobo module is equipped with two wheels, one with nine static gobos and the other with seven indexable rotating gobos. They are made of glass and can be clipped on with a simple movement of your fingers. The brackets facing the light output are covered with matt black paint to avoid any stray reflections. In addition to these two wheels, there is an animation wheel – a grooved disc that can be inserted into the beam and then rotate infinitely.
The static gobos.
The rotating gobos.
Couteaux
The framing module.
In the second module, the four thin framing shutters can be inclined ±60° in each direction (so through a total of 120°) and their focal planes are close enough to allow for a slightly higher degree of sharpness than we see with the usual compromises. The iris is located at the heart of this fixture. It is a classic model, a 20-blade diaphragm and as fast as any (up to 3 Hz).
The framing shutters in action.
lens
The optical path with the modules removed. You can see the color wheels, the prism and the two frosts mounted on the zoom/focus carriages.
Now we’ve gone through the modules. Then the beam comes into a good-sized lens mounted on a motorized barrel. Together with the one located further away, just in front of the exit, this lens forms the zoom/focus assembly that determines the aperture of the beam and the focusing of the effects. In between, the prism and the two frosts are mounted on the same carriage as the lenses.
Left: without prism. Right: with prism.
The rotating and indexable prism is a 6-facet type. The two frosts are on a boom, which allows them to be inserted progressively into the beam. The first one is a light frost (1°), which allows you to soften the edges of the beam. The second, 5°, diffuses the beam more. It is mounted on a magnetic support, allowing you to replace it with another, optional 10° filter.
No frost / 1° frost / 5° frost.
At different focusing positions, the two zoom lenses could technically come into conflict with these effects. But overall, most required fields can be obtained with all possible combinations.
The yoke and the base
The arms are constructed in a very conventional way, and can be opened by removing two side covers that are held by four captive Phillips-head screws. The motors are located at the bottom of the arms, near the base, and are fitted with belt drive systems. The eventual replacement of the tilt belt would be simple because there are no cables passing through the axis on this side, but it would require the disassembly of a reinforcement of the arm to free the pulley. Tensioning is achieved by means of a movable pulley, the inclination of which can be adjusted to achieve the ideal tension.
The connection panel.
The base can be opened by removing two covers held by five small screws, allowing a small access to the electronics it contains. Inside, there are two power supply modules: one for one part of the LEDs, and the other for the other part of the LEDs and the motors. Two fans extract the internal heat. The connector panel features the True1 power supply socket with fuse holder, 5-pin and 3-pin XLR in and out sockets, and an RJ45 Ethernet connector.
The touchscreen display.
On the display side, the screen is touch-sensitive but also has four keys on the side. It’s always ridiculous not to be able to use a fixture because of a screen that has taken a bad knock or a failure of the touch screen. Software updates go through the RJ45 socket, but new options should arrive that will allow the use of the USB port, right next to the screen. Coming soon… Underneath the base are the attachment points for the two omega brackets. Unfortunately, they do not allow for any offset in case of conflict with a truss junction or a spacer. This is a real pity.
The quality of light and effects
The light of the Esprite is splendid, with a color temperature of 6550 K. The luminous flux is absolutely on par with the fixtures in its class, with nice optimization of the beam at wide zoom settings. The very uniform light delivers a crystal clear beam and ensures impeccable projections. The choice of the gobo kit is remarkable. It will satisfy just about every user, whether in the theater, live performance or for events. They are diversified, make good use of the light output, and many are original for effective and versatile aerial effects, but also for very interesting projections. It’s one of the smartest gobo kits that I know of, to use both sharp and blurred.
The colors are also quite remarkable. The color mixing is very effective. The subtle variations offer beautiful pastel shades.
While slight variations can be seen on the edges of the first meter of the beam, this phenomenon is much less noticeable than on many competing units. This is probably due to the position of the CMY filters before the second condensing lens. The linear CTO is superb, offering a nice amber hue, just the way I like it. In any case, it’s really very clean.
The color palette.
The 4-color filter, together with some projected effects.
I would also like to point out that the color wheels are particularly successful and provide striking effects, including the noteworthy “4-color” filter that produces very colorful projections, or even subtly colored projections in combination with the CMY mixing. The filters in the color wheel are well positioned in relation to each other for sublime two-color split beams.
Gobos + color wheels + prism + Esprite projection quality = exceptional results.. Frankly I love it!
Some projection effects combining gobos, prism, color wheels and CMY.
Dimmer
The dimmer is exemplary. We measured the curve in “square law” mode and, even if the first percent is a bit steep, it doesn’t show to the eye.
A plot of the dimming curve from 0 to 100 %.
A plot of the dimming curve from 0 to 10 %.
Functions and DMX.
I won’t linger on all the options contained in the menu, they are numerous and quite conventional for a fixture of this type. It has excellent accessibility, and the menus are very logical. The touch screen allows you to navigate freely between the technical options, calibrations and addresses. It’s ultra-clean. There are two DMX control modes to choose from. The standard 49-channel mode controls most of the functions at 16 bits. The 42-channel mode reduces almost all functions except pan and tilt to an 8-bit control resolution. The control of certain functions is sometimes a little complicated, especially when it comes to the interaction between multiple channels of the same effect that change the operating mode, and in particular when you have the misfortune of switching to a macro value and you no longer understand why you lose control of certain parameters.
The grouping of progressive functions and effects (especially the frosts) seems somewhat misguided to me because they prevent certain transitions from being made without going through values reserved for effects. As a result, in the middle of a smooth fade, effects macros can be activated. In the same way, for the rotating gobo wheel, there is one selection for the index and another selection for the rotation. It’s quite tricky when you have to tinker with your libraries rather quickly. Anyway, it’s sometimes a bit complicated for no great reason, but I’m being a bit fussy here… because this unit responds very well.
Conclusion
The power is there, it fully meets the market expectations for a fixture in this category and the completeness of its features is absolutely excellent. Furthermore, it opens the way to a new approach in terms of the market of moving heads, a new reflection on investment, and a concept that promises to let you plan your inventory of equipment with new serenity in the face of constant evolution, if in the next five years the efficiency of LEDs of this size increases. So this excellent machine has very big assets in its portfolio and should very quickly find its way into inventories (more than 300 units are already in France…). I can’t wait!
Despite constraining regulations on its production processes, NEXO is ready to unveil a ground-breaking new point source speaker, taking its own reputation for impressive power:size ratios to a new level. The smallest loudspeaker design in the company’s 40-year history, the new ID14, and its S108 partner subbass, are the latest additions to the acclaimed ID Series of high-power compact cabinets. Like the larger ID24, the ID14 is lightweight, versatile and truly outdoor resistant.
Made entirely in France, the ID14 is a tiny 5”-cubed Polyurethane enclosure containing a high-powered point source, capable of 116dB (peak) with a frequency response of 120Hz – 20kHz.
Measuring 130mm x 130mm x 120mm, and weighing in at 1.7kg, the dual concentric design features a coaxial 4” LF driver with 1.3” voice coil, and a 1.4” diaphragm for the HF. ID14 is offered with two directivity options: a 100°x100° horn as standard, with an asymmetric alternative offering 90°x140° dispersion.
This super-compact speaker provides an extremely powerful point source that can be used standalone or in a distributed system, for front fill, infill or delays. Available in black, white or any RAL colour, ID14 will be of especial interest to the installation sector.
A Rubik’s RAL ID14.
It is a creative tool for those solving architectural challenges in historic buildings, or those with a need for unobtrusive high-power performance, such as houses of worship, airports, hotels and the hospitality industry. The ID14 is also expected to prove popular for surround sound and FX applications, and is the perfect tool for creating thrilling and immersive audio in even the most complex environments.
There are two versions of the ID14, which share the same acoustic components. The Installation version features an acoustic fabric fitted front grille, and there is a cable gland with 2-core cable for audio input, offering IP55 protection. The Touring version of the ID14 uses a Magnelis steel grille, and the back plate holds two Speakon connectors.
An ID S118 topped by a ID14, a very clever 3 way bi-amped speaker!
The ID S108 is the purpose-designed companion subbass cabinet for the ID14, creating an extremely compact high-power 3-way system, ideal for small clubs and bars. Using a high efficiency bass-reflex design, the ID S108 features a long excursion 8″ Neodymium driver precisely tuned to match the frequency response of the ID14. Like the ID14, the ID S108 is available in touring or installation versions, in black, white or custom colours on request.
There is a comprehensive range of accessories to allow use of the ID14 in a wide variety of applications. The ID14 has a dedicated U bracket, but it can also be installed on a microphone stand. On the rear of the speaker, two M6 inserts (73mm pitch) are ready for the NEXO accessories for wall-mount applications. Because ID14 has a fully symmetric design, there are no left or right versions: every unit in rental inventory can be the same.
A pair of subs ID S108.
The recommended amplification solution is the NXAMP4x1Mk2 Powered TDController, which can power up to 4x ID14s per channel. A dedicated set-up for each directivity is available on the NXAMP, ensuring perfect coverage at any frequency. Additionally, the DTDAMP4x0.7, paired with a DTDcontroller, can power up to 2x ID14s per channel.
What we like:
What we don’t like:
