Suluko’s James Scott designs 96 award-winning battens into the scenography Lighting designer James Scott (of Suluko) specified 96 impression X4 Bar 20 battens from GLP when London-based rapper / producer AJ Tracey played two shows at Alexandra Palace recently.
@scottgarfitt
The gigs were the culmination of a long year in which Scott had been an essential part of the artist’s creative team, headed by Tawbox, as he toured first the UK academy circuit followed by the festival season, with a simple floor package. Lighting inventory for the tour had been supplied by Siyan but when it came to the Ally Pally shows production manager Joel Stanley awarded the project to Neg Earth.
@scottgarfitt
The creative for the show was devised by Tawbox, who designed the screen layout and the concept of AJ performing in the round. “This was a specific show design for Ally Pally,” confirmed Scott. “The concept of the show was in connection with the historical broadcast nature of Alexandra Palace, which ties in with AJ Tracey’s iconic tag line of ‘AJ Tracey … Live & Direct’.”
@scottgarfitt
The X4 Bars had formed an essential part of his rig and were specified to fulfil a specific purpose. “I needed a batten fixture that was capable of multi cell control and was also zoomable,” he said. “They had a very noticeable role in this design; they were positioned in a square layout to delineate the edge of the 350mm deep square stage and then mirrored in the air to echo the shape of the video box.” He says he always runs the X4 Bars in Single Pixel High Resolution Mode (89-channel), and as such it has become a regular go-to fixture for the LD.
@scottgarfitt
“They are the best moving head batten LED fixture in my opinion,” he exclaims. “If you want to edge a shape and have movement and zoom capabilities then you’re better off using an X4 Bar.” James Scott also programmed the show, while Bronski and Amber Rimell from Tawbox were the show directors. “They know what the X4 Bar can achieve and have used them on a number of their productions,” he states.
And he is unequivocal in his own assessment of GLP’s award-winning battens. “They certainly delivered 100%,” he exclaims. “The X4 Bar is a workhorse fixture that serves a purpose in a design … and serves it well!”
N-RAY a 3 way passive speaker, weighing 15 kg, handling 1000 W AES at 12 ohms and able to reach 143 dB SPL Max at a crest factor of 4 (6 dB).
CODA Audio launched a brand new ultra-compact three-way line array at ISE 2020 show in Amsterdam. N-RAY is part of CODA’s latest N-Series, a range of lightweight, compact systems with the efficiency and power to rival much larger and heavier loudspeaker systems.
The exclusive 6” DPP coaxial double driver on his waveguide.
N-RAY incorporates the very latest in driver and system design technology, delivering twice the power handling and SPL, as well as significantly more low-frequency output, when compared to other systems. It delivers high-fidelity sound with a large dynamic range and extended low- frequency with unlimited flexibility, thanks to its variable horizontal dispersion.
Key to N-RAY’s efficiency is the incorporation of a unique 6-inch double diaphragm planar wave driver (DDP), dual 6.5” neodymium ultra-low distortion low-frequency cone drivers, N-RAY insta-fit magnetic coupler sums and unique Dynamic Airflow Cooling (DAC) technology, ensuring an exceptionally high sound pressure at 143 dB SPL and low power compression.
A closer look at the DAC technology taking advantage of the Dynamic Airflow Cooling on a metal sheet to get rid of the heat generated on the voice coils. The metal is visible inside de cabinet.
N-Ray without the front grill and equipped with two 90° guides.
Offering a phase linearity similar to AiRAY, a 60Hz-22 kHz (-6dB) frequency range and high power handling of 1,000W, N-RAY outputs a power, weight and frequency response that belies its small size.
N-RAY’s companion, the SCN-F, a 15” sensor controlled low-frequency extension.
N-RAY has a variable horizontal coverage of 90°, 120° or asymmetric105°, a linear phase response for superior fidelity, variable vertical curving 0°, 1°, 2°, 3° to 12° in 1°steps. And features an integrated three-point rigging system for flown or ground stacked arrays, compatible to SCN-F – 15” sensor controlled low-frequency extension.
The line array facilitates system integration with CODA’s LINUS loudspeaker management amplifiers, while a hybrid multiplex/aluminium enclose with Polyurea coating ensures extreme durability and water protection.
N-RAY hanged and ready.
“The unique technologies contained within the N-Series, such as Dynamic Airflow Cooling, underpin the creation of these ultra-compact, ultra-powerful systems, which as part of our wider range, enable us to offer flexible solutions to perfectly cover any and every scale and type of application.”
For a closer and animated look on this system, watch the video below:
UK – Shopping in one of Llandudno’s central high streets became an immersive ‘Winter Light’ experience over the darker months as a parade of store fronts was transformed into a giant projection-mapped surface. Eighty metres of shop façade, with a canvas size of 9600 x 1920 pixels, displayed content imagining mystery, magic and myth, created by mapping duo, Illuminos. The visuals were driven by three Green Hippo Hippotizer Karst+ Media Servers, configured as a main, backup and ZooKeeper machine for control and content ingest. Five Panasonic 30k projectors were on projection duty.
“This was a relatively complex canvas, requiring powerful playback and a combination of 3D model and photo reference for line-up,” explains Rob Vale, from Illuminos. “The exact projector locations could not be determined ahead of the event meaning that flexibility from the Media Servers during line-up was key. A 9600 x 1920 pixel canvas also meant that we needed punch in the playback, and we have found the Karst+ servers to be very smooth in frame rate.”
The experience, called Golau Gaeaf, was a narrative piece – a story about the chase for the ‘Conwy Mermaid’. The illuminated buildings came alive to act as ‘time travel portals’ – windows onto the centuries and a relentless chase of the mermaid.
Stars and the Northern Lights glistened, and like a reanimated painting of colour and light, great waves of water billowed and swirled outwards, the tail of the mermaid splashing through them, as Vikings sail the oceans giving chase in their longboat.
In another transformation, as the buildings became a Victorian funfair, carousels whirring and a Big Top appearing across the architecture. The shadow of the mermaid is seen across the canvas, as ringmaster gives chase accompanied by the animas of his circus, a frantic race across the Llandudno pier. “We used SHAPE in particular, for flexibility in this case, and timeline/timecode options for sound playback,” Vale continues. “SHAPE allowed us to initially modify and adapt the C4D model both within the program and back and forth to C4D. The ability to change point positions is a benefit, and the model alignment then quickly places.
Munich based fibre network specialists, Optocore and BroaMan, have announced the promotion of Dawid Somló, with the company since 2015, to International Sales & Distribution Manager for both brands. Dawid has been with the company for 5 years and during that period has managed relationships with existing distributors as well as significantly expanding the distribution network worldwide.
Dawid Somlo
Stepping up to management level, and tasked with overall international sales and network responsibility, he states, “I am delighted to take up this new position and relish the challenge ahead, as nowadays technology allows us to make incredibly smart solutions with high bandwidths using all kinds of signal for different applications.
I am honoured to be a part of this technological change on the board of such important companies as Optocore and BroaMan who can make this possible by utilising the optical fiber environment. More and more customers are starting to realise that thanks to our partners all over the world.”
Added Tine Helmle from the board of directors, “Dawid’s promotion to this new position was a logical decision. He is a great person to work with and has grown our distribution network considerably in recent years. I am very happy to have him on our team.”
In order to give a full-service event from a production company and enhanced ability to highlight client brands for the best impact. Winkler Livecom of Switzerland has added 200 Elation Professional KL Fresnel™ series luminaires to its inventory.
Winkler, based in Wohlen, near Zürich, is one of the largest full service companies in Switzerland, handling virtually all aspects of exhibition, corporate and public events from initial idea to execution. Since it established in 1996, Winkler regularly employed Elation lighting in its broad portfolio of projects, but the KL Fresnel acquisition is noticeable by the fact that it’s the the company’s first purchase of Elation gear.
Frank Burghardt, Reto Engler and Roni Huber of Winkler
“We continue to replace our bulb-based static lights with LED versions and invited several distributors to a shoot out here at our facility,” recounts Frank Burghardt, Head of Sourcing at Winkler Livecom. “Elation’s Swiss distributor Cast came with the KL Fresnel 4™ and Kl Fresnel 6™ and in the end it was the price vs performance ratio of the KL series that was the best.” The KL Fresnel Series is a line of warm-white or cold-white LED Fresnel lights available in 50W, 150W and 350W models. Winkler acquired the 50W KL Fresnel 4 CW™ (50) and 150W KL Fresnel 6 CW™ (150), cold-white LED Fresnel lights with a 5,600K Cool White LED engine. Both luminaires include manual zoom, manual and DMX controlled dimming, and silent operation mode. Barn doors and gel frame holder are also included.
“We decided to invest in the cold-white version and then we can add full CTO or half CTO filters when we need a warmer look. It was a smart solution and gives us the flexibility to cover a wider color temperature range,” states Burghardt, adding that they also preferred the KL Fresnel’s manual dimmer knob on the back of the fixture, which was important as it allows Winkler to employ them more easily as a stand-alone light.
Useful for a variety of purposes including keylight, washes and front light, Burghardt says the quality of light was also impressive. “The output was excellent and the light was very homogeneous, also at the sides of the beam where it appeared very uniform and without a green or red tint. I should also mention the build quality. When you handle the lamp, you can feel that it is solidly built. There was really nothing on it that we would have changed.”
The arrival of the new console from Midas is drawing all the attention at the start of 2020. The Heritage-D made a breakthrough entry at the JTSE exhibition in Paris by completing the Pro series and even topping it. Among many other features, it provides an even more practical and ergonomic surface, which adapts to every user’s working method.
But without further ado here is a presentation made by Yann Matté, product and technical support manager for EVI Audio France.
The Heritage-D combines 144 inputs to 120 mixing buses distributed in 24 matrixes, 4 Master buses and 96 auxiliary sends. These can be used as simple aux sends or as “Flexi-Aux” to be able to send an Aux into an Aux. This allows you to take a set of inputs and transform an Aux into a group. This group can then be redistributed in an Aux to a reverb or a personal monitor without having to use a matrix. The power of the console increases from 8 population groups (the famous Pop Groups) to 24 populations. There are also 24 DCA, 24 talk groups and 12 mute groups.
On each of the inputs, on can benefit from the dyanmic processing and EQ specific to Midas desks, but also 24 engines. Each can generate one to four effects simultaneously, up to 96 effects! Beyond these 24 engines, I will be able to have 96 additional premium dynamic processings, 96 multi-band compressors and 32 dynamic equalizers with the possibility of inserting them on input voices but also all output buses. The algorithms are diverse and there will also be one or several TC6000 from the Lake brand, as well as processings.
This new mixing console approach incorporates an improved touch screen in addition to an ultra-compact format allowing transport and easy use on tours or in theaters sometimes crammed. The Heritage-D finally stands out for its power as well as its number of inputs and outputs.
Compatible with all of the brand’s racks like the DL151 and DL252 as well as with splitter racks like the DL 251, the Heritage-D has been designed to fit easily in rental inventories. True to the Midas sound, it ensures the continuity of what has been set up before because the preamps remain the same for inputs and outputs, thus ensuring the same audio quality.
Its ergonomics will allow you to work at FOH or for monitors. For more flexibility, at the back of the console, additional HDMI sockets allow you to connect a second synchronized touch screen and thus make it possible for use by two operators.
Far from being an ‘uncool relic from the 1970s’, Haken, a multinational six-piece recently returned from a European tour mixed on a Yamaha RIVAGE PM7 digital mixing system. Front of House engineer Adam Bonner knew it was “the perfect fit for this tour”.
Adam Bonner with his good sounding toy !
Haken’s most recent album, Vector, took the band into harder-edged ‘progressive metal’ territory. Getting the heaviness of the music across, while ensuring audiences also hear the intricate musical phrasing, needs an audio system that puts equal emphasis on exceptional audio quality and high end features. Front of House engineer Adam Bonner has used Yamaha digital mixing consoles for 15 years, mixing the band’s last three tours in Europe and the US on a CL5.
“I really wanted to see what we could achieve with the FoH mix when using Yamaha’s flagship system, effectively removing any processing limitations. I knew that RIVAGE PM7 was the perfect fit for this tour,” he says. Adam contacted Steve Davies at London-based Subfrantic Production Services, who supplied the system including an RPio622 I/O unit, and provided the company’s new rehearsal facilities for Adam’s tour pre-production.
Haken performing at the Roundhouse with Adam at FoH.
“Having everything under one roof was a huge help, saving time and money on the logistics of transporting the control package from supplier to rehearsal space and so on. It also allowed me to relax and ensure that I didn’t forget anything,“ says Adam. “Walking up to the PM7 for the first time didn’t feel daunting at all. I started with some multitracks from a previous tour, converted my CL5 file to give me a starting point for input EQ and channel naming. Everything felt familiar and I didn’t have to search for anything. It was easy to get a decent mix going quickly,” he says.
“The biggest difference is that, due to the frame size and the amount of dedicated encoders on the surface, you find yourself moving away from the more touchscreen-based mixing of other consoles and back to a more analogue style workflow.” Impressed by the many high end features included as standard on the RIVAGE PM7 system, Adam found the DaNSe noise suppression a particular help.
DaNSe is part of the V3 release of the PM7.
“It’s an amazing plugin, with no amps on stage, the only noise coming from there is drums and DaNSe really helped me to tame cymbal spill into the lead vocal and drummers backing microphones. It meant I could happily leave the microphones open, even when not in use. It’s so simple to set up and most of the time it only requires an adjustment to the threshold to achieve the desired result,” he says.
“The delay compensation was also very useful. I use a fair bit of parallel compression, so never having to worry about whether everything was in phase when hitting the master bus was really great, no matter how many plugins I was using in the signal chain.” Above all, though, it was the sonic quality of the system that stood out for Adam.
“Everything was so clean, clear and transparent. It’s a totally effortless console to mix on. And that’s coupled with the endless choice of high quality EQ, compressors, FX and more I/O than you’d ever want,” he says. “I believe that it was the best tour for me sonically and several fans commented that it was another step up in the quality of the live sound. This was largely down to RIVAGE PM7.” He is also very complimentary about Subfrantic and their commitment to supporting him and their Yamaha systems. “They were fantastic. Everyone is friendly, helpful and Steve worked hard to give me the package I wanted within budget,“ he says. “It’s been a pleasure working with them on this tour.”
Haken end of show !
He continues, “I love the RIVAGE PM7 system. I’d love to use it on the band’s US and Canada shows in February and March. As long as space is available at FoH and the budget allows, I would happily spec it for every show I do from now on. I just wish there was a small version that I could take on fly-in shows!”
Nicolas de Villiers and the team from Puy de Fou with lighting designer Koert Vermeulen from Belgian creative visual practice, ACTLD, directed and created an epic night-time immersive spectacular “El Sueño de Toledo” (The Dream of Toledo) at the award-winning independent French theme park, Puy du Fou, in Toledo Spain.
At the heart of Koert’s lighting spec we can find 74 x Robe BMFL WashBeam and 20 x MegaPointe moving lights. “El Sueño de Toledo” takes spectators on a hi-octane condensed one-hour journey through history – from the Reign of Ricaredo in the 6th century to the arrival of the railways – touching on the battle of Navas de Tolosa and the discovery of America along the way! The 1500 years of history is represented by 185 actors and a plethora of special effects. Koert and Nicolas already worked together on several previous full-tilt, seat-edge Puy du Fou live shows and projects in France. The company is famous for its commitment to high production values and creating the very best guest experiences, so Koert was happy to work in Spain with Nicolas and the team.
The show is set up outdoors on a performance space approximately 125 metres wide by 100 metres deep, rising up towards the back. The set comprehend several permanent buildings and structures and a large lake, with the action taking place both on, in front of, and behind the water. Nicolas told Koert about the historical narrative and Koert thought of a lighting concept for the show which is played out by the large cast to a special soundtrack composed by Nathan Stornetta.
“The show’s essence was similar to some of those we have created in the French park, so some of the base principles and style needed to reflect a continuity, but it’s a fresh, new and completely unique dramatic tour de force which needed a lot of attention to detail” explained Koert. One of the key Puy du Fou requirements was that the show was elegant and refined as well as providing lots of excitement. All of this had to be delivered in a classy collage of lighting, projection-mapped scenery and SFX. With over 1000 lighting fixtures in total on the show, the 75 x BMFL WashBeams are undoubtedly the workhorses confirmed Koert together with some LED wash lights. Taking on this role, they needed to stand out from all the action and be a truly multi-functional tool.
Due to the site topography and the fact that no sky rigging was available for overheads, most of the lighting is shooting in from the sides, with some fixtures at the back and others scattered around the suite at ground level plus numerous smaller concealed luminaires and footlights. Koert auditioned several products in a shootout for the job – initially in 2016 when the project was first confirmed and budgeted – and from this extensive trial, the BMFL WashBeam emerged as “easily the best choice”, especially for the 40 – 100 metre throw distances for which they needed something with serious power! Another shoot out to find the best lights for aerial effects was won by Robe’s MegaPointe. “It’s the nicest beam I have seen for a long time,” commented Koert. The BMFLs are positioned mainly at the sides of the performance area with a few around the front, while the MegaPointes are all hidden in the hills at the back.
The MegaPointes blast out into the night sky from behind set pieces, slicing through the haze, fog and general natural atmosphere with their piercingly bright beams. They are rigged at different heights to give a variety of positions and some interesting angles.
With any show of this scale, lighting is a smart combination of creating mood and ambience and lots of big statements as well as with highlighting and accentuating story-related details and complexities. Koert worked on the general environmental lighting treatments first, and then on illuminating more specific performers and action. He worked closely with the PDF video team and with video content creators, Cosmo AV, so that lighting elements merged seamlessly and harmoniously with video-mapped onto some of the buildings adding a further layer of texture to the bigger picture. He found the BMFL’s frost options helpful in blending lighting into the projections.
The big challenge on this project was the time
Koert and his own programming team of Christopher Bolton and Luc de Climmer had three weeks on site overall to get everything into the grandMA3 console, but out of that there was only one complete week of lighting programming. Construction was ongoing for the whole period, adding extra pressure on all technical departments. While the basic building blocks can be visualized to some extent, real time in situ is vital to focus on more complicated cues like the proper illumination of Olivier Beriot’s impressive costumes. all resulting in a truly breath-taking show for the public who are flocking to see it.
The show is currently breaking for the winter and will be back in full force in April to be enjoyed by thousands of visitors through 2020.
East Eventz, reached Pawel ‘Spider’ Pajak, and PERCEPTO [LAB] to design and deliver creative solutions for a one-off concert and they chose Ayrton MagicPanel-FX and Khamsin-S fixtures to provide contemporary, densely-coloured and dramatic effects for this special evening.
The two-artist featured were singer Dawid Podsiadlo and rapper Taco Hemingway, and was the polish gig featured was sold out with an attendance of 60,000 people.
Spider tells us why he choses to use Ayrton’s technology for this event: “This is not the first time I’ve used Ayrton products – I’ve been using them successfully for quite a few years. I first started with MagicBlade-R then moved to the FX versions, and have also used MiniPanel-FX, MiniBurst and MagicPanel-FX.
I have also adopted Ayrton’s range of more classic, but still distinctive, moving lights, starting first with Ghibli, and this year added one of the latest releases, Khamsin-S, and I want the brand to become even more available in the Polish market.
“I really like multifunctional fixtures with maximum pixel control options so I can use them, not only as lighting fixtures, but also as part of low-resolution video surfaces. I always use them in the highest mode for the maximum creativity. I’ve been able to rely on Ayrton fixtures for several years on so many different productions, from club tours and special events, right up to large scale stadium shows.”
The lighting was supplied by Transcolor and included 64 MagicPanel-FX and 44 Khamsin-S fixtures. Spider tell us more about his design and how he preferred to use the fixtures: “The MagicPanel-FXs were hung in four groups of 16 pieces each on separate truss structures run by Kinesys motors. Each structure consists of three trusses joined together as one structure, corresponding with the whole stage and multimedia design. The MagicPanel-FX were used for various truss looks, both as lighting effects and in combination with the video content as low-res screens.
“The Khamsin-S fixtures were rigged on four straight trusses above the stage and also powered by Kinesys motors. Each truss consists of 8 Khamsin-S which were used to produce numerous beam and stage lighting looks based on different truss positions above stage.
“Another 12 Khamsin-S fixtures were positioned on the upstage floor to create key looks from behind the band and with the effects being highly visible throughout the show. They also produced some beautiful silhouettes. “Khamsin-S fixtures are definitely top of my list these days when considering powerful and effective LED based spot luminaires.”
Spider stated his preferred uses and features in the Ayrton fixtures for this concert: “I really liked the moments when the banks of MagicPanel-FX fly in and out, and transform rapidly from lighting fixtures in one moment, into moving low-resolution screens that run content alongside the video screens. The whole set up of 64 MagicPanel-FXs on four separate truss elements gave me a lot of creativity and were fun to use.
“I find the pixel mapping features very attractive and useful. With a matrix of 25 pixels you can really create many different looks, and by using groups of pixels for different purposes during a song, you have a lot of options. The variable zoom is very useful, particularly on a single pixel, as you can have a nice single, strong, beam of light or an eye-catching diffused point of light, both of which also work well in a group.”
Spider was also happy about the reliability and usability of the Ayrton units. “I can’t complain! They are extremely reliable and most definitely worthy of touring. Some of the on-board macros are very useful, especially when time is at a premium. Ayrton products are one of my first choices and have been for some time. There are so many fixtures on the market and you need to choose the ones that can help you shape the show according to the creative concept and be effective and attractive at all times. The MagicPanels are one of those tools that give me a lot of creative possibilities and lighting tools like the MagicBursts are still unique on the market.”
A delighted Spider stated, “I’m very happy with the performance of all the Ayrton fixtures that I’ve used for this show. They were very important for the whole lighting design and helped to create the very spectacular and vivid stage looks throughout.”
PERCEPTO [LAB] can be contacted at Perceptolab website, Instagram: @percepto_lab and Facebook: @PerceptoLab
L-Acoustics launches LA2Xi, its first adaptable, bridgeable, 4 x 4 channel install-specific amplified controller at ISE 2020. Rated at 4 x 630 W, he drives a wide variety of loudspeakers. Milan-certified, LA2Xi offers analog, AES and AVB inputs with seamless redundancy. Recognizing that the increasingly robust installation market demands scalable, economical amplification, L-Acoustics launches its first install-specific amplified controller at ISE.
Primarily designed to power L-Acoustics compact loudspeakers, the bridgeable 4 x 4 channel LA2Xi offers anywhere from one to four outputs, allowing it to also drive medium and large format loudspeakers, in full or reduced SPL, for various types of applications. LA2Xi is the ideal choice to power background music in leisure installations, distributed fill systems in performing arts centers, studio monitors, private auditoriums and more.
LA2Xi adapts to the needs of various applications, allowing the choice of a four-, three-, two- or one-output channel configuration. In 4 x 4 single-ended mode, it can drive up to 16 X4i or 5XT compact coaxial loudspeakers. In residential applications where maximum SPL is not required, LA2Xi powers a stereo pair of elegant Syva and Syva Low colinear source loudspeakers. Bridge LA2Xi to 4 x 2 mode and it handily powers A10i and A15i medium-throw line sources or KS21i subwoofers with a robust 1260 W per channel. In 4 x 3 configurations, it can drive a pair of X8 reference monitors with a SB15m subwoofer. Bridging all channels in 4 x 1 mode powers one KS28 reference subwoofer with an impressive 2550 W.
The rear install-oriented of LA2Xi and interestingly busy.
Packaged in a 1U chassis for optimized rack space, LA2Xi was tailor-made for integration applications. Underneath the streamlined front panel lies the same DSP engine as the flagship touring LA12X amplified controller, including features for loudspeaker management, protection and monitoring as well as a comprehensive set of tools for system adjustment and calibration. Milan-certified, LA2Xi offers analog and AES inputs as well as AVB with seamless redundancy. The rear panel contains terminal connectors for AES and analog inputs, loudspeaker outputs as well as four GPIO and a 24 V DC backup power for the DSP card, enabling external control and monitoring, and ensuring fast recovery in case of power loss.
Genio Kronauer
“We are proud to expand our amplified controller range, which is renowned for high performance and efficient amplification, to the installation market,” explains Genio Kronauer, Director of Electronics Development at L-Acoustics. “From the blank page through to launch, the LA2Xi has been honed to meet the needs and specifications of our installation partners. Its flexible input/output architecture makes it a powerful addition to our line-up.” LA2Xi is a versatile, robust new tool in the arsenal of L-Acoustics products that allows AV professionals to design and deliver impressive installation projects to clients of all size and variety.
LA2Xi ships in September 2020 and can be seen at ISE at booth 7-X200 (hall 7).
At ISE 2020 in Amsterdam, Meyer Sound is introducing two new compact, self-powered loudspeakers ULTRA-X20 and USW-112P that leverage a new generation of technologies to provide exceptional versatility for covering a wide range of installed and portable applications.
ULTRA-X20 Compact Point Source Loudspeaker
The ULTRA-X20.
The new ULTRA-X20 compact point source loudspeaker is a junior-sized version of the award winning ULTRA-X40 loudspeaker introduced at last year’s ISE show. It offers the same revolutionary design principles and advanced technologies but employs smaller drivers in a lighter and more compact package, a design that is new to Meyer Sound. The ULTRA-X20 incorporates two 5” cone drivers, one 2” diaphragm compression driver and a rotatable 110°x 50° horn in a coaxial configuration.
Power comes from a highly efficient three-channel Class D amplifier with sophisticated DSP, with everything fitted inside a compact cabinet that measures a mere 7.5” / 19.5 cm wide by 19.04” / 48.4 cm high by 8.6” / 21.8 cm deep and weighs only 26 pounds / 11.8 kg.
Preliminary performance specifications give an operating frequency range of 60 Hz to 18 kHz, phase response of ±45° (100 Hz – 16 kHz) and linear peak SPL of 123.5 dB measured with M-Noise.
Meyer’s chief loudspeaker designer Pablo Espinosa.
“The ULTRA-X20 is a breakthrough in power-to-size ratio,” says Pablo Espinosa, Meyer Sound’s vice president and chief loudspeaker designer. “It is 30 percent smaller and 7 percent lighter than our UPJunior loudspeaker yet it offers equivalent output power and thanks to the new coaxial design much more consistent pattern control below the crossover point.”
The ULTRA-X20 may be ordered with any one of three connector panel options. The two AC powered versions both have looping Powercon® connectors with choice of 3-pin XLR for audio or 5-pin XLR for audio and RMS remote monitoring. Another version is offered for integration in IntelligentDC™ systems (audio and remote DC powering on a single cable) with a 5-pin Phoenix connector.
Two additional variants are offered, identical except for the patterns of the rotatable horn: ULTRA-X22 (80°x 50°) and ULTRA-X23 (110°x 110°).Transport, mounting and rigging options are offered for every conceivable application. A carry handle is standard but easily removable. Two integral M8 rigging points on each end enable use of a pole mount, single point hang, wall or ceiling mounting, or yoke mount in horizontal or vertical orientation at any angle. Four additional M6 points on the heatsink are compatible with most industry-standard wall mount brackets. A weather protected version is available with sealed connectors that eliminate the need for rain hoods. For extended low frequency power, the ULTRA-X20 may be paired with the new USW-112P subwoofer, the 750-LFC low-frequency control element or USW-210P subwoofer. The ULTRA-X20 is natively aligned with the 750-LFC to maximize ease of use in portable applications to allow rapid deployment with minimal effort.
USW-112P Subwoofer
The USW-112P compact subwoofer packs robust low frequency performance into a slender, self-powered package measuring less than 12” / 30 cm deep. The slanted connector panel allows placement flush to walls, in vertical or horizontal orientation, making the USW-112P an ideal choice when stage or installation space is limited.
The USW-112P.
The USW-112P houses a single 12” long-excursion driver along with a highly efficient class D amplifier and advanced digital signal processing. The cabinet design features a low velocity port, based on the USW-210P, with optimized tuning for linear response and low distortion.
Preliminary performance specifications include a linear peak output (measured with M-Noise signal) of 123 dB SPL across an operating frequency range of 35 Hz to 140 Hz. Phase response measures ±30° from 45 Hz to 120 Hz. The USW-112P subwoofer measures: 23.50” / 59 cm high by 13.50” / 34.3 cm wide x 11.95” / 30 cm deep. Weight is 47 pounds / 21.3 kg.
Versions of the USW-112P are offered with either direct AC powering or for integration into systems using IntelligentDC, Meyer Sound’s exclusive technology for supplying both DC power and audio from a remote, rack-mount unit over a single cable. The USW-112XP is the most powerful subwoofer offered with IntelligentDC. Optional facilities also are offered for Meyer Sound’s RMS system for comprehensive remote monitoring.
The USW-112P is supplied standard with a removable carry handle and M8 rigging points on the top and bottom. A side-mounted, 35mm/M20 thread pole mount receptacle is available as an option. Using an M20 to M8 thread adapter, the USW-112P can be flown from a single eyebolt. An optional U-bracket facilitates mounting to a truss, ceiling or wall. A weather protected version uses sealed connectors (IP-X4 or higher rating), eliminating the need for rain hoods.
“The USW-112P is an extraordinarily versatile subwoofer,” says Pablo Espinosa. “With its shallow footprint and light weight, it can go anywhere and fit anywhere, from churches and clubs to restaurants and small theatres.”
d&b today announced the appointment of Anand Narayanan to serve as Territory Manager Asia Pacific and President, d&b audiotechnik Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. effective January 1, 2020. Narayanan succeeds Michael Case, who is taking another strategic role within the d&b group.
Anand Narayanan
Narayanan will be responsible for d&b’s business in Asia Pacific, which includes strategic business development, sales&services, expansion of d&b’s brand positioning, and general management. Narayanan succeeds Michael Case, who is taking another strategic role within the d&b group.
Narayanan brings a strong background in operations and technology, coming to d&b from Danfoss Industries, where he was the Asia Pacific Regional Director. Narayanan also previously served as the Regional Commercial Leader of Projects for Korea and Japan at General Electric. Narayanan is an ambitious leader with an affinity for technology, engineered products, and music.
Narayanan’s appointment underscores d&b’s commitment to drive new growth in the APAC territories and successfully strengthen its regional partner network. He brings a depth of knowledge and a track record of successfully driving strategy, sales and marketing and business development in his previous roles.
“After a successful expansion in APAC under the leadership of Michael Case, Anand will play a central role in the next phase of d&b’s development in the region,” stated Amnon Harman, CEO, d&b audiotechnik Group. “His proven capability to define and execute on long-term growth strategies and strong leadership experience will be invaluable as we continue to invest in additional infrastructure and resources to support our customers and partners in Asia Pacific.”
LEA Pro, the emerging heavyweight in amplifier introduces 4 new four-channel models ranging from 1,500 to 3,000 watts and available in Network Connect and Dante Connect iterations providing power performance and IoT connectivity to address large scale installations.
In another comprehensive industry-first, LEA Professional, the emerging heavyweight in amplifier and systems design today launched four new IoT-enabled high-power amplifiers that set a new standard in performance, connectivity and ease of deployment. The new LEA Connect Series amplifiers are available in four-channel configurations ranging from 1,500 to 3,000 watts and in Network Connect and Dante Connect iterations. According to Blake Augsburger, Founder and CEO of LEA Professional, the new additions make LEA a strong consideration for any large-format application and a must-see at ISE 2020 in Amsterdam.
“We’ve been told that LEA Professional punches much higher than our weight when compared to legacy brands in this space. The new Connect Series amplifiers do exactly that providing power performance and IoT connectivity to address large scale installations such as stadiums and arenas.” Augsburger said today. “We’ve worked very hard to deliver on our early promises and now we’re taking a step further with four new amplifiers that consultants, contractors and end-users have been asking for!”
The range includes four new four-channel models available in configurations ranging from 1,500 to 3,000 watts (into 2, 4, and 8 ohms and also 70Vrms and 100Vrms). The new lineup is available in Network Connect and Dante Connect version, which adds Dante and AES 67 connectivity options. All models provide three different methods of network connection using the amplifiers built-in WiFi Access Point, connecting to an existing WiFi network or using a Local Area Network Ethernet connection. Designed and engineered to optimize configuration capabilities and control for commercial integrators, the Connect Series amplifiers also feature advanced DSP with FIR Linear Phase and IIR Crossovers. The new models also feature LEA Professional’s proprietary Smart Power Bridge, universal switch mode power supply with power factor correction and direct LoZ and HiZ selectable per channel in a two-rack-unit chassis.
Unique to any other professional amplifier manufacturer, the new Connect Series models also leverage the built-in Amazon Web Services (AWS) IoT Core. The platform allows integrators to monitor multiple critical operational data points including fan speed, thermal temperatures, and system faults remotely.
The capability delivers greater visibility to potential issues, easier trouble shooting and fewer on-site maintenance requirements, in addition to allowing integrators the tools they need to provide an additional recurring revenue stream to their existing service contracts leveraging the IoT capabilities built into the Connect Series.
“Our new high-power Connect Series amplifiers meet the strong demand from integrators to bring the same level of performance and connectivity they have only been able to achieve with LEA Professional amplifiers to address a much broader range of applications,” Augsburger added. The new Connect Series models are compatible with the LEA Professional Web UI and via the cloud from leaprofessional.com for control and monitoring. Neither interface requires a software download and provides control and monitoring capability from any mobile device, tablet or desktop computer.
The University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli in Napoli is turning to a unique use of immersive audio technology thanks to Martin Audio’s Sound Adventures featuring Martin Adorn A55 two-way passive speakers, SX110 slimline subs and the Astro Spatial Audio Sara II Engine.
The lab during the audio integration. The shot benefits from an ultrawide lens. The actual room is smaller.
The University Luigi Vanvitelli is exploring the relationship between temperature, audio and visuals, and to do this in a scientific way, the researchers required a space where each element could be precisely controlled. To achieve this control from an audio standpoint, the researchers turned to Martin Audio’s Sound Adventures.
The new lab has been purpose-built as a small, dedicated space within a historic building. Radiant heating panels on the walls and the floor and air conditioning system allow for the room’s temperature to be raised or lowered, while the intelligent lighting system allows for the management of this element. The Sound Adventures solution controlling the sonic environment resulted in the installation of 26 Martin Audio Adorn A55 two-way passive speakers and a pair of SX110 slimline subwoofers, all controlled via the Astro Spatial Audio Sara II Premium Rendering Engine.
The lab ready to roar.
“The university was specifically looking for a high-end wave field synthesis-based solution which could offer natural features such as depth experience, making Sara II the obvious choice,” explained Astro Spatial Audio Managing Director, Bjorn Van Munster. “The wide, even dispersion of the A55 over the frequency range was a major reason for selecting these cabinets.” With the components selected, designing the solution became the next part of the project. “One of the major initial challenges was to create the proper layout for the loudspeakers in such a small space,” recalled Van Munster. “We also had to provide a level of flexibility with the system that would allow the researchers to test different elements in the future that have not been thought of yet.”
The two layers of A55s fed by the Astro.
The resulting system design sees two layers of Adorn’s wall mounted around the room as well as four installed on the roof to provide the ceiling channels. Low frequencies are catered to via the two floor-mounted SX110s on either side of the room.
Reflecting on this innovative use of the technology Van Munster is pleased to have found a new vertical for Sound Adventures. “The work we have done with researchers in the past has been focused purely on musical studies, so having Sound Adventures used in a different setting like this is very interesting. I am happy with the result and the system sounds great. However, in this case we have just provided the toolkit, it will be up to how the researchers use the system and the breakthroughs that they make which will determine if the project has been a success.”
“Research plays a vital role in everything we do at Martin Audio, so it is nice to see someone else using our products as the tools that will help develop their research,” added Martin Audio Managing Director, Dom Harter. “The A55s were the perfect choice for this project as their compact footprint and premium sound quality met the physical and research needs of the lab. Being part of a unique scientific project like this is real praise for the capabilities of Sound Adventures, I’m sure the system will help the researchers expand what we understand about the relationships between temperature, audio and visuals.”
The new Maverick MK3 Profile spotlight with an 820 W LED source is entering into a highly competitive market niche to meet the needs of lighting designers and lighting companies who are looking to replace their lamp-based fixtures.
Here, Chauvet demonstrates its ability to deliver a professional product in line with the times and perfectly equipped to provide beautiful light.
The machine is impressive and attractive. Its matte, even satin, finish with a slightly grey “rubberized” coating is very nice and makes it look good. The design is angular and ridged, with a clean appearance. [private]
This lovely baby weighs in at almost 35 kg, and stands 77 cm tall when fully upright. It’s crowded inside. The base is compact and the bottom of it is designed to accept two omega brackets and the safety cable. The unit can be moved using two large, comfortable handles. The pan and tilt locks use large catches located at the bottom of the movement axes.
The measurements
The derating curve.
We start with the derating, turning the fixture on at full power to assess the attenuation of the light output as the source heats up. The luminous flux stabilizes in 5 minutes with 9% attenuation, which is quite good.
Tightest sharp-focus beam
Once the the light output has stabilized, with the zoom set to the tightest sharp-focus beam of 7.7°, we measure an illuminance at the center of 48,030 lux after derating (52,900 lux when cold), which translates into a flux of 15,710 lumens (17,300 lm when cold). The luminous intensity curve is smooth with a small hot spot in the center.
20° beam
With a 20° beam, the optimal flux reaches 24,000 lumens after derating (26,430 when cold) which is quite respectable, thanks to an 820 W array of white LEDs. The nominal CRI is 73, but a filter can increase this to 93 (at the cost of a little luminous flux). The white has a color temperature of 7400 K. The luminous intensity curve is, again, characterized by this slight hot spot in the center.
Widest sharp-focus beam
With the beam opened up to 56°, the flux remains practically unchanged from that of a 20° beam: 22,350 lumens after derating (24,620 lumens when cold).
The framing module
The framing module.
The Maverick MK3 Profile has a framing module with four shutter blades, each of which can be pivoted on two axes, fully closed and the entire module can be rotated through 90°. We get a sharply focused edge on a single blade and the more the blade is closed, the more difficult it is to get a sharp edge. This won’t bother those people – and there are many of them – who use frost to soften the edges of the beam. But if you want sharp, clean profiling, you’ll have to make a few compromises, which will be more or less significant depending on the angle at which you’re working.
The framing module in action.
The focus and zoom
The zoom has a very wide range, and is linear and fast. It goes from 6° up to 57° measured in full field, ranging precisely from 7.6° to 56° with a sharp focus. This zoom is very effective. If you add the iris to certain effects, you can get a fantastic movement. Both frosts are effective and quite “heavy”, even if one is lighter than the other. They provide a lovely diffusion of the light and allow for very subtle beam overlaps. It works very well with the framing shutters. With gobos, it offers very impressive airy textures.
The zoom range.
A tiny iris.
The two frosts can also be combined, which enhances the effect even more, if necessary. The level of frost can be varied on the two different filters, with a surprising and rare consistency. The only drawback of these frosts is that they can only be made to act on a beam with a minimum angle of 11°. On a smaller beam, the activation of the frosts sends the zoom/focus lens carriage to a certain minimum position to allow the insertion of the filters… It’s a bit of a shame.
The effects of the frosts.
The colors
The CMY side of the effects module.
The MK3’s color mixing generates beautiful, rich colors. Apart from the green, which lacks a bit (just a little) of punch, overall, the hues are balanced. Even the red, which tends a little bit towards orange, is quite dense and provides quite satisfactory intensity.
The progressive CTO is fairly mild but very pretty. It complements the CMY very well. The additional color wheel has six saturated hues, including a very dense and deep red, a bright and vibrant green, a royal blue and a lemon yellow. Of course, all this can be livened up by the infinite rotation of the wheel to create flashy “rainbow” effects.
The fixture emits light with a nominal CRI of 73. A CRI filter allows this to be increased to 93 for lovely color rendering that will appeal to cinematographers.
The native white beam on the left, and with the filter that raises the CRI to 93.
Some original gobos!
The gobo side of the effects module.
The gobo set of the MK3 is really nice. A significant number of them are original and are either already seen and re-seen, or happily reinvent some of the classics of the genre. They are very interesting, both for beam and aerial effects, and also for projection. There is also enough choice to allow the use of gobo textures without compromising the flux of the fixture. The first wheel has seven indexable rotating gobos with the option of a shake effect. Six of them, most of them very different and new, provide really nice beam sculpting effects, as they are optimized for rotation. A revamped striped cone mixed with the central point (which was a classic in the early heyday of moving lights in France) creates an effect that has never been seen before.
The rotating gobos.
Various interlaced geometrical contours are included as well as an uneven bar. In short, there are some really attractive and new effects. A classic multi-layer transparent glass gobo completes them skillfully and will allow textural mixes with prisms or other effect wheels.
Some combined gobo effects.
The second wheel features nine static gobos, also with a “shake” effect. Here again, there are some very nice original gobos, interspersed with a few classics like a break-up, a fine colander and even some small foliage. The only thing that puzzles me is the presence of a gobo “dot” (a simulation of a rather tight iris) on a fixture with a very fast iris. An animation wheel, with traditional vertical scrolling, completes the graphic effects.
The static gobos.
The prisms
There are two prisms for multiplying the beam: one radial and the other linear, both with five facets. They are indexable and limitlessly rotatable in either direction. They can also be combined to multiply the projections even more.
Le radial prism with gobos.
The linear prism.
Unfortunately, when the prisms are engaged on a very tight beam, the zoom/focus lenses move back (opening the beam if it was very tight) to allow the prisms to be inserted… These two prisms are very effective and permit very nice beam mixes for texture projections, or very nice aerial effects.
Disassembling the fixture
The heat pipe and radiating vanes of the cooling system for the LED circuit.
The head cowls can be removed by means of six captive Phillips screws (12 in total for the two halves of the cowling). A plastic gasket, which ensures against light leaks between the two parts, comes off. You have to be careful if you open the head on a truss, as you risk watching this fall down onto the stage… Don’t worry, it’s very light and harmless, but it’s not very practical. The cowls are perfectly fitted and fit together very well.
And the fans.
Inside, the entire rear section is occupied, as usual, by the LED engine, with a serious cooling system consisting of heat-pipes with fan-cooled heat sink vanes. You can see the output lens of the optical block that concentrates the flux from the LED engine.
The output of the LED engine.
Then comes the color and effects module (which includes CMY, CTO, CRI, color wheel, the two gobo wheels, and the animation wheel), followed by the framing module. The forward section is dedicated to the travel of the zoom and focus lenses, running on their motorized carriage. Surrounding these lenses, the two prisms and the two frost filters wait to be inserted into the beam, negotiating their passage under certain conditions, as mentioned above.
The insertion mechanisms of the prisms and frosts.
Assembly is simple and the construction is very sound. It’s beautifully crafted. It’s just that this fixture is not particularly designed to be serviced on the road. No captive quarter-turn screws or other quick fastening systems… To take out the modules, you really have to remove a whole bunch of small screws, and sometimes even parts.
To remove the gobo/color/effect module, you have to unscrew and remove a plate with the ventilation of the source, in order to allow the passage of the whole assembly. It is therefore preferable to consider maintenance in the shop. The advantage is that everything can be dismantled with a simple Phillips screwdriver without the need for special tools – a good point.
Once the screws have been removed – and marked, to avoid mixing everything up – the modules can be removed fairly easily, and the assemblies are straightforward and precise. Cleaning the dichroic color flags is tricky because, as I mentioned above, the module that carries the CMY, the filters, and the color wheel, also contains all the effects (gobos, animation wheel, etc.). It is therefore very densely packed. It’s a meticulous job, so it’s best to clean it in the workshop.
Inside the arms, the individual covers of which are held by means of four screws, as is customary, on one side there is the tilt drive, with the motor and the transmission by means of a large belt that is tensioned by means of spring-loaded pulleys.
The tilt drive mechanism inside one of the yoke arms.
The pan drive system inside the other.
Changing the belt requires removing all the wiring harnesses that run in the pulley axis on this side, and cutting all the plastic cable ties that go to the modules (and then replacing them) because there are no connectors to ensure easy disassembly… It’s a tedious job, in fact… In the other arm, there are some electronics, and the pan rotation motor.
The touch display.
The display, a large, fully touch-sensitive color screen, allows you to navigate through the fixture’s menu. For the sake of security, it is surrounded by six small control keys if the touchscreen fails, or if one prefers to use keys… On the other side, the connector panel has a True-1 power input, a large on/off switch and a mains fuse holder, dual XLR3 and XLR5 DMX inputs and outputs, and two RJ45 sockets for network input and output. Above the connectors, a folding antenna allows WDMX operation.
The very complete connection panel.
The menu is very friendly. It provides access to several sub-menus in which you can access most of the fixture’s settings as well as the information needed for maintenance or operational monitoring.
– The “Address” menu permits DMX addressing. Addressing is very quick, thanks to the small numerical keypad on the touch screen. No more waiting on the arrows, no more scrolling to the desired address 400 channels away; just type in the desired number and bang! Efficient and practical! Well thought out, in any case. Addressing can be done using either of two control modes – 38 or 54 channels – from the “Personality” menu. – The “Settings” menu allows you to choose between the different protocols used to control the fixture (DMX/WDMX/ArtNet/sACN) as well as all the possible options on the functions of the fixture (calibrations, pan/tilt angles, possible inversions, etc.). – The “Information” menu provides the global status of the machine, its software version, the total operating hours… including very precise details on the fan speeds, what is happening inside the unit in terms of DMX channel reception, possible error messages, etc. In short, this menu, keeps you very well informed! – The “Network Setup” menu allows you to configure all the network parameters. – The “Test” menu allows you to launch a standalone test or to manually test each of the functions.
A simple, efficient, easy-to-read and logical menu. I like it!
Okay, so how does it work?
Well, it works great! Let’s start with the movements. They are capable of quite a respectable speed for a mover of this size. The fixture is lively, and its movements can be fast. When moving very slowly, one can notice some irregularities in the diagonals but it’s just a bit of a wiggle, as the movement is generally clean.
The dimmer is impeccable. We have an almost exemplary curve in the “Square” mode.
The “square” dimmer curve from 0 to 10%.
The “square” dimmer curve from 0 to 100%.
The light is beautiful, the beam is super clean, the focusing provides a beam with perfectly sharp and precise edges. As for focusing, except for the animation wheel, which can’t be focused at all distances and all zoom settings, the two gobo wheels have no problems. You can even focus very close, down to less than a meter from the source. This is really interesting when you have to project onto a backdrop curtain or a cyclorama, for example. The zoom is excellent, its 7° to 56° range is very effective.
The beam from the smallest to the largest sharp-focus setting.
The effects possible with the gobos are very attractive. They are original and really useful (which is not always the case), mixing them can create some very beautiful things. Each one of them (with the exception of only the “point”, the point of which escapes me, but which must have its reason for existing that I haven’t grasped) will allow you to sculpt very impressive beams. The colors are lovely and the color mixing responds very well, both in progressive insertion for very slow fades, and for almost instantaneous changes. The CTO is excellent.
The CMY and CTO.
The color wheel helps to compensate for the green that may lack a bit of punch in a CMY mix, or the red that may seem a bit orange. The overall result is that this fixture – other than a congo saturated with UV (as with most LED fixtures) – doesn’t have any problems whatever the color.
The color wheel.
The frosts are very good and allow for finesse in working with well measured blurs. We can also say that all its motors are very quiet; the pan, tilt and internal mechanical movements are smooth, nothing rattles and nothing squeaks.
Conclusion
This fixture rounds out the range of spot/profile units equipped with an 820 Watt source. It is not necessarily a revolution in terms of its light and features, but it does a very good job and will certainly prove its worth on stages and at events. Lighting companies and lighting designers should appreciate this fixture, which offers some very nice possibilities.
What we liked:
What we disliked:
