Ayrton announces the appointment of Q-Light, Egypt as the latest addition to its international distributor’s network. As Ayrton’s newest exclusive distributor, Q-Light will be responsible for the distribution of the full portfolio of Ayrton’s LED profile, wash, spot and effects luminaires in Egypt.
Walid Bahnasy, CEO of Q-Light, and his partners founded the company as pioneers of entertainment and architectural lighting within the Egyptian market, which is the largest market for these sectors in the region.

Left to right: Ayrton CEO Chris Ferrante and Q-Light CEO Walid Bahnasy.

Bahnasy has great experience in the lighting industry, particularly in Egypt, North Africa, and Middle East, where he was responsible for the photography and lighting of the biggest television and live shows, including Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Deal or No Deal, and the Doha Debates.
His previous position as Supervisor and Team Leader of the lighting departments in the region’s biggest TV networks – MBC, Qatar Foundation, BBC, Aljazeera media network and BeIn Group – has allowed him to build a comprehensive understanding of the lighting business across the region.

“We are extremely excited to be appointed Ayrton’s exclusive distributor in Egypt,” says Bahnasy. “Egypt is witnessing a significant sustainable development in various fields, especially in economics, architecture, culture and arts. This development has revolutionized the entertainment and leisure industry in the Egyptian market, as a result of which Q-Light has been able to add huge value to the region with Ayrton’s products which guarantee creativity, dependability, and incomparability.
In the last couple of years Ayrton has made huge improvements that have convinced lighting consultants and engineers to use Ayrton’s unique products in their projects. They are ready and waiting to see these new products in the Egyptian market now.”

Zane Cretten, International Sales for Ayrton.

Zane Cretten, International Sales for Ayrton, says: “I am looking forward to working with Walid and the team at Q-light. I am certain that Walid’s knowledge and passion for lighting will allow Ayrton to become the fixtures of choice in the Egyptian market.”

“We are very happy to welcome Q-Light into the Ayrton family,” concludes Ayrton CEO, Chris Ferrante. “Knowing that Walid, an accomplished lighting professional with many years of experience in the region, is leading Q-Light confirms that they are the perfect fit.
We are looking forward to being able to, for the first time in Egypt, give this influential territory the focus it deserves.”

More information on Ayrton and Q-Light.

Guess what? Eurovision is the world’s largest live music event – ’cause it’s broadcast worldwide and very popular, indeed. The RF wireless system deployed by Agorà and Sennheiser/Kilim included 140 wireless microphones from Sennheiser’s Digital 6000 and 9000 Series, plus 42 channels of 2000 series IEMs with a total of 196 IEM bodypacks.

The amount of technical expertise that went into the three shows was outstanding, especially as this year the contest played in two halls. As partners to the rental company Agorà, RF experts from Sennheiser and its local distributor Kilim were on site to assist with the system planning for wireless microphones and monitors, as well as frequency management and RF monitoring.

A dream come true for Duncan Laurence, winner of the 64th Eurovision Song Contest.

Israel has been a very efficient host to the 64th Eurovision Song Contest, with almost 10,000 ESC enthusiasts attending at Tel Aviv Expo, and about 180 million watching the televised live broadcast in the Eurovision countries – reaching as far as Australia.

“The main technical challenge for the ESC 2019 was the fact that it took place in two halls, with a third hall of Expo Tel Aviv hosting the press centre,” said Volker Schmitt, Director Customer Development and Application Engineering. “The main hall with the stage and its extraordinary LED wall seated 7,500 spectators. From here, the stage shows were transmitted to a second hall with the Green Room, where another 2,000 audience members watched the live shows via a huge video wall.”

The serious phase of frequency planning for Schmitt and his team began in early March with another round of frequency measurements on site. “We checked occupied frequencies inside and outside of Expo Tel Aviv, and compared the data to earlier measurements in order to have a broad basis for our frequency plan. We found quite a bit of DVB-T activity, but with the frequency efficiency of Digital 6000, we managed to find room for all mics and in-ears,” said Schmitt.
“The frequency plan also encompassed the press centre, because we wanted to avoid disturbance if a media team with wireless equipment walked over to the stage hall or the Green Room.” Local Sennheiser partner Kilim looked after all the wireless requirements of the ESC press center.

The Sennheiser ESC team (L-R): Gerhard Spyra, Christian Almer Frederiksen and Volker Schmitt, then Jonas Næsby, Kevin Jungk, Ian Kim and Meir Kilim (not pictured are Renata Lima and Vincent Tilgenkamp).

Setting up the system

When installing the RF wireless infrastructure on site, special attention – as always – was paid to the positioning of the receiver and transmitting antennas. Asked about the biggest challenge in this field, Schmitt mentioned the video wall in the Green Room.
“Unlike the fantastic stage LED wall, this smaller video wall emitted a lot of RF noise, so special care was required in positioning the antennas to circumvent the disturbances. For the Green Room interviews between artists and hosts, we deployed two A 2003 receiver antennas plus two A 5000-CP for transmitting the monitoring signals.”

So as not to be shielded by the metal dress, the host’s SK 6000 was attached to a belt that was added especially.

“Another challenge that popped up shortly before one of the live shows was the dress that one of the hosts was going to wear,” said Schmitt.
“This dress was mainly made of metal threads – underneath it, the transmitter was more or less perfectly shielded! Meir briefly spoke with production and the dressing team, and convinced them that the transmitter should be worn above the dress. Together, we quickly came up with the idea of a sort of belt for the dress, to which we could attach the two transmitters for the host.”

“When something like this happens shortly before a show, it really gets exciting. Generally speaking, a production should be ‘boring’ for the team on site – because this means that you have done a good job in preparing the event, and that everything was tried and tested and running smoothly before you installed the infrastructure on site.”

Spectrum monitoring and show extras

RF World accommodated 44 two-channel microphone receivers and 21 two-channel in-ear monitoring transmitters.

Of course, a frequency plan needs to be closely monitored and protected on site. Despite an armada of warning signs saying that non-approved wireless gear must not be used anywhere on the ESC grounds, a total of 39 unauthorised wireless users were located and “caught” before their gear could disturb any of the dress rehearsals, semi-finals, jury final and or grand finale.

While the Sennheiser wireless system for the stage and the Green Room was supplied by Agorà and the press centre system by Kilim, the Sennheiser ESC team brought some last-minute extras with them to cater for special requests.
“We had specially-made headsets for the lady hosts, who also got IE 500 PRO in-ear phones instead of the standard IE 40 PROs. Another extra option on hand was a pair of SKM 9000 for the Russian participants, who needed silver microphones. For the same reason, the hosts were switched to SKM 9000s, too.”

With the rehearsals starting almost four weeks before the finale, the Sennheiser RF team on site included eight RF wireless experts. “This enabled us to rotate the team members,” said Schmitt.
“Actually, our team was almost as international as the song contest itself: one person from the Netherlands – who was a very happy guy after the finale – two Danish guys, one Brazilian, one Korean, and three Germans. We were extremely pleased with the excellent cooperation within the entire production team, and in particular with the Agorà team.”

Dare to Dream

The Eurovision Song Contest was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for four young patients of the Ruth Rappaport Children’s Hospital.

For the past few years, the Sennheiser ESC team has made a personal commitment to support charities in the host cities of the Eurovision Song Contest.
This year, they were additionally supported by Kilim, with the result that their charitable food stand could not only offer the usual great coffee but also some home-baked pastry from the Kilim family.

The small food stand was open to the entire production team, who all donated generously to the Ruth Rappaport Children’s Hospital in Rambam. The sum collected – 3,300 shekel – will be tripled by the Sennheiser ESC team and by Kilim. In addition, four hospitalized children accompanied by their parents were invited to the first semi-final and a once-in-a-lifetime experience behind the scenes of the Eurovision Song Contest.

More information on Sennheiser.

As FOH engineer for best-selling rapper, singer and songwriter Post Malone, Joe Hellow takes pride in capturing the artist’s feelings and emotions during live performances.
Getting a rich and warm sound in hip-hop can sometimes be a challenge, with a lot of artists cupping the mic and losing the high end, but when Hellow brought DPA Microphones’ d:facto™ 4018VL Vocal Microphone into the mix, he asserts he did not have to make any compromises and appreciated the results, read below.

Hellow’s collaboration with his sound team began with a rigorous brainstorming session and testing. “We built a signal chain that is strong on all fronts, truly bringing the studio to the stage,” says Hellow.(no pun intended, Ed.)
“Pre-show efforts begin well before hitting the stage, track programming and pre-mixing album stems for live, playback design, as well as the vocal presets and tools to capture Post Malone’s sound. This process, with tools like DPA’s d:facto 4018VL, gives us the advantage and capability to rework the live show to sound authentic to the album.

Other microphone manufacturers say that they are studio quality but all you hear with them is crowd noise or a lot of proximity effect because competing capsules pick up way too much ambient sounds.
With the d:facto 4018VL, you can have a loud stage with controllable crowd bleed. You can also add a Rupert Neve 5045 Primary Source Enhancer to have fully isolated studio sound.”

Hellow notes that in Post Malone’s case, there is a guitar on stage so the mic does a great job of isolating while also getting the warmth and crispness of the high end that is wanted from a vocal mic.
He also has more control over EQing with DPA and is able to take away frequencies since all the healthy ones present to the ear are already there.

“There’s no other mic like the d:facto 4018VL,” adds Hellow. “I use this transducer to capture Post Malone’s dynamic, high-impact voice. When using the d:facto 4018VL, most of the artists I work with notice right away that they’re on something superior to what they have used previously.”

Post Malone recently performed “Rockstar” and “Stay” with his d:facto 4018VL mic at the 2019 Grammys, before joining Red Hot Chili Peppers for “Dark Necessities.”

Malone is currently on a world tour, which has stops in Manchester, Birmingham, Berlin, Glasgow and London’s O2 Arena throughout the summer.

More information on DPA microphones.

Ayrton and Lightpower are excited to announce that, from the 1st July 2019, Lightpower will take over the exclusive distribution of Ayrton in Germany.
Throughout the past years Ayrton has increasingly established itself on the market as a major force with its product solutions and can currently be found in numerous renowned projects worldwide.

From to right: Philipp Wezorke (Lightpower), Herbert Marx (Lightpower), Michael Althaus (Ayrton), Manfred Lütkemeyer (Lightpower).

“We are looking forward to working with Ayrton,” states Herbert Marx, Sales Director of Lightpower. “Ayrton is an extremely dynamic brand with innovative, market-leading products of the highest quality. Ayrton’s high-quality standards and product and portfolio strategy are a perfect match for Lightpower.”

“It is a big step for Ayrton to join forces with Lightpower,” comments Michael Althaus, Ayrton’s Global Sales Director. “A short four years after introducing Ayrton to the German market, it is now time for the next distribution level.
To have a broader sales approach, to develop new markets and to also offer convincing service on the after sales side.”

With Lightpower, Ayrton has the strongest German partner by its side, excelling through market proximity, comprehensive service and support and over 40 years of experience.

More information on Ayrton products and on Lightpower GmbH.

Drawing more than 40,000 attendees each year, InfoComm ranks as North America’s largest dedicated pro-AV exhibition and frequently serves as one of DiGiCo’s primary global launch sites for new products. This year promises to be no exception, as DiGiCo will be showcasing a variety of exciting new offerings as well as upgrades to its current lineup on stand 6081 from June 12 to 14.

The SD12 96 and SD10+ software upgrades bring expanded channel counts to their respective consoles.

New software upgrades for the SD12 and SD10, which take both consoles to new levels, will each be seen at InfoComm as well. With the SD12 96 upgrade, users can beef up their SD12 desks, expanding them from 72 to 96 channels and from 36 to 48 aux/sub groups. Aside from the SD12 96 chargeable upgrade, the new SD10+ upgrade comes free of charge.
Only available for Core 2 consoles, SD10+ expands the already powerful SD10 from 132 to 144 input channels. The two upgrade packages continue DiGiCo’s commitment to providing additional value on clients’ original console investments, and both are now currently available from the DiGiCo online shop.

DiGiCo’s new DMI-Dante 64@96 card.

Fans of Audinate’s popular Dante protocol will be pleased to learn that DiGiCo will be showing the new DMI-Dante 64@96 card in Orlando for its 4REA4, S-Series and select SD-Range consoles (SD12 and SD7 Quantum).
Providing 64 input and 64 output channels at both 48kHz and 96kHz, the new DMI (DiGiCo Multichannel Interface) card is equipped with Primary and Secondary (backup) Gigabit Ethernet ports for connection and uniquely offers a Sample Rate Conversion feature. Natively allowing DiGiCo products to communicate with other devices on a Dante network, the DMI-Dante 64@96 effectively doubles the previous DMI Dante card’s I/O channel count at the higher 96kHz resolution.

The new Mustard Dynamics screen for DiGiCo’s SD7 Quantum desk.

InfoComm 2019 also sees DiGiCo reveal Mustard, a new set of algorithms and options for SD7 Quantum channel strip processing that offer enhanced flexibility and choice when extra control and creative adjustment is needed within a mix.
Making full use of the Quantum engine’s new seventh-generation FPGA infrastructure, the Mustard channel can be used in conjunction with the standard SD processing to add pre-amps, filters, EQ, gate and a selection of compressor types to any existing channel strip.

The Mustard Tube options include a fully controllable Pre-Amp Modeler, which gives users access to every aspect of their front-end drive, while the Mustard Dynamics include Vintage VCA and Optical compressor types that emulate some of the best-known devices available. All of this will enable users to add classic character and new textures to drums, bass, vocals and guitars.

DiGiCo General Manager Austin Freshwater.

DiGiCo will furthermore be revealing the Spice Rack, which delivers additional new processors that can be freely inserted on any channel type in any position.
Controlled from the Master screen and its worksurface controls, the first addition to the Spice Rack will be a six-band compressor, which includes two floating bands and allows complete, detailed control of envelope shaping for definable frequency bands.

“DiGiCo continually invests a huge amount of its R&D resources to ensure that customers get the absolute maximum ROI on their purchases,” says DiGiCo General Manager Austin Freshwater.
“This year’s InfoComm show will really underscore that commitment. From new SD-Range software and DMI card updates that massively increase channel counts to the SD7 Quantum’s new processing algorithms that bring even better flexibility and performance, DiGiCo is proving once again that it is dedicated to not only designing and manufacturing the industry’s best products, but also ensuring that they remain the best products for years to come.”

For personal demos of these and other late-breaking new product launches, you may visit DiGiCo in person at InfoComm 2019 on stand 6081 from June 12 to 14.

More information on DiGiCo consoles and products.

Continuing the 40+ year tradition of strong company leadership, the ETC board of directors has appointed Dick Titus as President/CEO of ETC.

Dick Titus, new ETC CEO.

“It’s an honor to lead the executive staff,” Titus says. “Together we have a vast amount of experience serving the people of ETC and our customers. We have a unique culture, and I’m committed to building that for years to come. We have always been a company built on a model of personal responsibility.
Our path of consistent growth continues to come from the wide variety of talents of our dedicated staff around the world.”

The late Fred Foster.

The company is dedicated to maintaining the legacy of its co-founder Fred Foster who passed away earlier this year. As ETC continues to grow and develop, Fred’s people-focused and high quality leadership perseveres.
The company remains privately held with an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) that helps to secure the business as an independent company for the future.

ETC’s objective to continue providing the most innovative products, services and solutions to its markets remains upheld with its new President/CEO.
Titus has led the management team at ETC for 17 years as President and five years before that as COO. He started with the company in 1990.

With a diverse market from architectural to entertainment and rigging systems, ETC achieved stellar revenue growth between 2014 and 2018… In 2017 ETC acquired entertainment lighting company, High End Systems.
In 2018 they grew their commercial sales division by completing the acquisition of EchoFlex Solutions and earlier this year, they increased their presence in France when they acquired former partner, Avab Transtechnik France and added a corporate office in Paris.
This summer, distribution of the ArcSystem, BluesSystem, and CueSystem products completes the acquisition of these product lines from the UK-based company, GDS.

More about Dick Titus and the growth of ETC.

As we all know, Dante is a powerful audio network standard, but difficult to trace or listen to, whenever needed. Setting up and configuring new DANTE audio networks is now much easier thanks to Nixer Pro Audio’s PD Dante, a handheld portable audio monitoring tool that has been specifically designed for this task.
It provides engineers with an effective tool for managing live or production systems. Its compact design and functionality makes it exceptionally valuable as an operational monitoring device.

PD Dante presents up to 64 channels of audio for instant monitoring via the built-in speakers, headphones or external monitors; either individually, as a stereo pair or contributing to a mix of selected sources. Each touchscreen selector includes a guide bargraph meter to assist in selecting the right signal with the option of routing that signal to the left, right or both monitoring outputs.

PD Dante is quick to deploy, needing only a single cable for both audio and power (PoE). Its start-up time is just 15 seconds and users can directly select audio channels from all the Dante sources on the network by using the touchscreen.

The PD Dante can be via PoE (13W) or alternatively be powered via USB (1.5A) by a computer USB port, USB mains adaptor or USB battery pack. Firmware updates of the PD Dante are achieved via a dedicated USB microAB connector.

Anthony Wilkins, Sales Manager at Aspen Media, UK distributor for this interesting tool, comments: “PD Dante is supremely convenient. It removes the need for engineers or operators to carry that slow-to-boot and bulky laptop computer to select sources for monitoring.
With this unit, all the tools necessary for line-checking, troubleshooting or operator and talent monitoring are readily available in a single portable device.”

Wilkins added that PD Dante also integrates easily to the comms system via the combined headphone and mic connection common on most smart phones. “This allows the operator to monitor show comms or production talkback, with the option to talkback to FOH or the gallery via the Dante network,” he says.

PD Dante includes extensive reporting of the network status and is compatible with Dante Domain Manager for larger multi-subnet installations. PD Dante’s usability improves with the addition of the optional desktop stand, IO cables to connect to local devices or systems and a durable carrycase to protect the complete kit while in transit.

The 2U 19inch rack mounted version named RD Dante is basically the same, but comprising all the bells and whistles of the RD, plus extra ease of use in a permanent or semi-permanent installation. It also offers logically more space for the inbuilt 75mm full range speakers which are mounted in optimised ported cabinets.
The speakers are automatically muted when a headphone jack is inserted. Simultaneous outputs are also available in the form of the stereo balanced line outputs and AES output accessed via XLR connectors on the rear of the RD Dante.

Front view of the PD DANTE, with Nixer leaders (L-R): Philip Jones – CTO, and Nick Fletcher – Founder and CEO.

More information on Nixer Pro Audio Website.

Immersive audio for the masses, with a (french) touch of sheer creativity and reliable innovation: Amadeus has been involved in the installation of over 180 of their speakers in the 10,000-square meter space of the Beijing National Indoor Stadium used for ‘The Long Gone Dinosaur’ project to be opened in 2019, and featuring state of the art technologies.

Rows of Amadeus speakers hung for immersive sound.

The gigantic show – which plans to be open to the public for the next 15 years – has been designed for and constructed within the Beijing stadium, part of the Olympic Park constructed for the 2008 Summer Olympics.

The ‘The Long Gone Dinosaur’ show was created as an educational event for children and adults to tell the story of the rise and fall of the dinosaurs 65-million years ago. It is one of the most technically advanced and largest shows ever created and includes forests, a lake, a mountain, rain, immersive sound, and life-size robot dinosaurs that move around the stadium space on a hidden rail system.
In addition to the three-dimensional ‘realistic’ indoor landscape, a massive, curved 150-meter wide by 30-meter high screen running at 12K resolution adds to the sense of being in the time of the dinosaurs and their environment.

Prestigious French technical and musical team

Hot party going on in 3D with Amadeus system.

Amadeus worked closely with sound engineers, sound designers, and artists connected with prestigious French musical, theatrical and research institutions including Théâtre National de Chaillot, La Gaîté Lyrique, and STMS Lab (Sciences et Technologies de la Musique et du Son), located in Paris, and supported by CNRS (National Center for Scientific Research), Sorbonne University, French Ministry of Culture, and IRCAM (Institut de Recherche et de Coordination Acoustique/Musique).

“The success of this project cannot be separated from the teams who designed, imagined, implemented, created, and composed using the products and technologies that we installed. This project is a great joint and global success, a shining example of the rare ‘savoir-faire’ and technical skills that we have in France,” said Gaetan Byk, Marketing Manager at Amadeus.

“From the beginning of the project, we decided to create a strong team, including people with complementary talents, sensibilities, experiences, and careers.
Most of them coming from prestigious French institutions, including Marc Piera (Théâtre National de Chaillot), Jean-Marc Harel (La Gaîté Lyrique), Guillaume Jacquemin (Buzzing Light), Johan Lescure, Clément Vallon, and Thierry Coduys – who has acted as the sound engineer for some of the most acclaimed modern composers including Pascal Dusapin, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Philip Glass, Steve Reich, and Luciano Berio among many others,” added Byk.

Clear, audible and intelligible sound

One of the many Amadeus hidden – and aligned! – stacks.

Jean-Marc Harel from Paris-based Theater La Gaîté Lyrique was in charge of managing the on-site installation of the Amadeus speaker systems, in terms of rigging, safety rules, audio simulations, and calculations. Marc Piera from Paris-based Théâtre National de Chaillot was in charge of aligning the whole speaker system, using EQ and other techniques.

“Offering the audience a clear, audible and intelligible sound has been our biggest challenge, considering the high reverberation time of the venue (which is about 4.0 seconds without an audience), the large quantity of reflective surfaces, and the different types of speaker technology; including point source speakers, line array speakers, horn-loaded subwoofers.
We mainly worked with the dispersion properties of the speakers, rather than the EQs. Optimizing the positions in the X, Y and Z axis, as well as aiming the speakers in order to minimize the reflections have been a major part of the whole system alignment,” stated Marc Piera.

Amadeus also worked closely with its Chinese distributor, Guangzhou SignKing ET Co., Ltd. “Besides the history of dinosaurs, the experience of seeing the show is also designed to help the public find their love of nature and the world itself, ” said Wymen Wong, Executive Director of the Guangzhou SignKing ET Co., Ltd.

More than 180 Amadeus speakers

Here’s woofing at you, kids.

The speaker system is based on two main frontal ‘speaker antennas’ working on the WFS (Wave Field Synthesis) principles. The upper one features 8 clusters, each including 4 DIVA XL line array systems paired with 1 DIVA XL SUB.

The bottom antenna features 13 clusters, each one including five DIVA XS line array systems paired with one DIVA XS SUB. The left and right side surround zones are covered by four arrays (2 per side) each one including four DIVA XL line array systems paired with one DIVA XL SUB. In addition, 32 ‘UDX 15’ point source speakers are used as top surround loudspeakers.

A quantity of 12 MAESTRO II horn-loaded subwoofers is used for low-frequency effects (LFE). The Amadeus MAESTRO II subwoofer takes a revolutionary step forward in subwoofer technology and design with a unique combination of both low-power handling capacity and ultra-high-efficiency with dual high-linear excursion 15-inch horn-loaded speakers mounted in a push-pull mode.
At the Beijing Stadium, only 12 subwoofers are paired with 2 Lab Gruppen C88:4 amplifiers offering a maximum SPL 155 dB at 25 Hz. The MAESTRO is the brainchild of Amadeus working with entertainment technology providers to minimize overall costs while maximizing the sonic quality and the tonal balance homogeneity for long throw and sound pressure level less than 50 Hz.

Eight Guinness World Records

No teething problem for the Amadeus installation. Colorful indeed!

The nine life-size dinosaurs represented include two each of Brachiosaurus, Tyrannosaurus Rex, Triceratops, Quetzalcoatlus, and one Deinosuchus.
The dinosaur robots were built over a 3-year period in a shipyard equipped to handle the size of the mechanical beasts, the Brachiosaurus is 13-meters – over 40 feet – tall. The design team included engineers from Germany, Greece, and China.

The show was produced by Mr. HE LiDe and his wife Mrs. HE Qin Xiaomei, who are renowned in China for creating the landscape spectacle ‘Impression Liu Sanjie’ as well as the ‘Shaolin Temple Kung Fu’ show which has toured the world for over 10 years.
“The Long Gone Dinosaur is a very important project in China, the Chinese government is boosting the cultural industry by supporting exhibits and shows like The Long Gone Dinosaur,” said Mr. HE LiDe.

“So many companies are making huge investments in the cultural industry. Just a few decades ago it was difficult to even see a movie in China, but now it is easy, and there are many entertainment choices everywhere.
The Long Gone Dinosaur show brings us a focus on creation and innovation, using high technology–all while selecting companies from around the world to work with such as Amadeus from France. We accomplish so much working together,” adds Mr. HE LiDe.

One of the many Amadeus hidden stacks.

“The project broke eight Guinness World Records with the technology we installed and the scene settings themselves, the huge projection screen, life-size robot dinosaurs, and several landscape features,” adds Wymen Wong.

Thierry Coduys along with Guillaume Jacquemin, Johan Lescure, and Clément Vallon visited China several times to create the sound design in accordance with the scenographer and producer’s demands, as well as for mixing and spatializing the whole audio content. The team combined classical music with hundreds of sound effects including rain, thunder, wind, storms, meteor strikes, waves, and many other sounds.

“We decided from the beginning to work with our own sound materials, which are based on our own original recordings, and then we enhanced them using different modular synthesis systems. A few parts of the sound material was recorded using Ambisonics recording techniques,” said Thierry Coduys.

Amadeus’ 3D spatial sound processor HOLOPHONIX mix

Amadeus Holophonix processor.

“We have been using Amadeus’ spatial sound processor HOLOPHONIX to mix and reverberate sound material, played from a Pro Tool HD sequencer, using highly advanced 2D and 3D sound algorithms designed at IRCAM-based STMS Lab.

The HOLOPHONIX setup featured a combination of six spatialization buses, each one running one of the different sound algorithms available, including Higher-Order Ambisonics (2D, 3D), Vector-Base Amplitude Panning (2D), and Wave Field Synthesis,” added Coduys.

The input/output matrix of the HOLOPHONIX processor allows the user to choose the rendering mode for each of the incoming channels. It natively handles 128 inputs and 128 outputs in 24-bit/96kHz resolution, but can be extended to 256 or 384 inputs and outputs.
The processor is structured around a powerful multichannel algorithmic reverberation engine. It allows users to combine several different artificial reverberations, homogeneously combining sound materials and fine-tuning the perceived sound depth. Reflection calculators allow the user to create several virtual sound spaces.

“The HOLOPHONIX processor creates an extremely advanced platform which is able to mix, reverberate and spatialize sound contents played from various devices using several different spatialization techniques in two or three dimensions,” concludes Thierry Coduys, Chief Technology Officer who was intimately involved in the creation of the HOLOPHONIX processor.
The graphical open-source sequencer IanniX was used to design and write spatial trajectories in a 3D space with direct manipulation of the sound and music score. The audio creation was encoded using HOLOPHONIX and then recorded on a 64-channel digital multitrack recorder/player from Tascam.

More information about ‘The Long Gone Dinosaur’ and on Amadeus products.

Technika Kubacki is a full-service live event and production firm based in Krzepice in the northwestern corner of Lesser Poland. Earlier this year, the company expanded its Adamson Systems Engineering inventory to better serve its wide and diverse customer base, which includes many of Poland’s best-known live acts and music events.

Technika Kubacki’s Damian Kubacki & ProAUDIO-AVT’s Tomasz Kwiecień

Technika Kubacki initially joined the Adamson Network in August 2017, sourcing a sizeable S-Series system from ProAUDIO-AVT, the manufacturer’s exclusive Polish distributor. That initial package included 24 S10 two-way, full-range line array cabinets and 12 complementary S119 subwoofers.

Adamson S10 stack of 4.

“After a long and detailed analysis of what was available, we chose to invest in Adamson. They have excellent products and the brand is respected all over the world,” begins Damian Kubacki, Owner.
“We’ve had our system out on all kinds of applications in all kinds of conditions with great results every time. The sub-compact S10 fits our needs perfectly.”

In early 2019, the company significantly boosted its inventory in order to deploy larger and more versatile systems for a myriad of applications.
Now, Technika Kubacki boasts 40 S10 and 16 narrow-dispersion S10n cabinets in addition to 16 S119 and 8 E219 subwoofers, plus a complement of Adamson E-Racks with Lab.gruppen PLM 12K44 and PLM 20000Q amplifiers with onboard Lake processing.

Adamson Blueprint AV software.

Kubacki cites Adamson’s Blueprint AV design and simulation software solution as another major selling point. “Blueprint is just so intuitive and easy to use, making system design and deployment very straightforward. The results are always crystal clear and translate seamlessly to the real world,” he says.

Headquartered in Krzepice, Poland, Technika Kubacki has been providing turnkey live event solutions for nearly 20 years both at home and abroad. Their experienced team prides itself on approaching each and every project with the utmost professionalism, from design to implementation.

“Working with our Adamson system is a pure pleasure, which is important because it’s been in such high demand,” says Kubacki in closing.
“We get pristine and impactful sound and even coverage from a lightweight cabinet that’s incredibly easy to rig. It looks great in the air and we get all kinds of compliments from satisfied customers, artists, and the general public.”

“We’re delighted to count Technika Kabucki as a great partner and strong ambassador for the Adamson brand,” concludes ProAUDIO-AVT CEO Tomasz Kwiecień. “We look forward to supporting them as they continue to grow their business with their newly-expanded Adamson inventory.”

More products information on Adamson Website.

With increasing demand for concert-level audio in sports arenas to elevate the live sports experience, L-Acoustics products have evolved to incorporate greater levels of control and integration as well as weatherization to match outdoor installation requirements.
In tandem with these product developments, the L-Acoustics team supporting this thriving market sector has also evolved, as recently evidenced by the appointment of Gino Pellicano to the new post of Application Manager for Sports Facilities and Consultant Outreach.

Newly-hired L-Acoustics Application Manager for Sports Facilities and Consultant Outreach Gino Pellicano (left) with newly-promoted L-Acoustics Business Development Manager, Sports Facilities – USA and Canada Dan Palmer (right).

To create the L-Acoustics Sports team, Dan Palmer has been promoted to Business Development Manager, Sports Facilities – USA and Canada, after 10 years with the L-Acoustics Application team. He will be working in tandem with Pellicano, who is also based in the manufacturer’s Westlake Village, California office and now oversees all technical support for L-Acoustics’ sports facility vertical market and its client base.

Gino’s background suited to fit the L-Acoustics install application team

Gino Pellicano, Application Manager for Sports Facilities and Consultant Outreach, L-Acoustics.

Pellicano is also tasked with leading the company’s outreach to major sound design consulting and integration firms across North America, both to educate and learn from this key community of sound design experts.
Pellicano joins L-Acoustics from Powersoft, where he served as the amplifier manufacturer’s market development and applications manager for North America.

Prior to that, he worked as a project engineer for Burbank-based Electrosonic, following several years spent as an applications engineer for Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW). Pellicano has also previously held design/consultant positions at both Technomedia Solutions and SIA Acoustics.

“Having worked for manufacturers of both loudspeakers and electronics as well as several leading systems integration and consulting firms, Gino’s background is uniquely suited to fit the L-Acoustics install application team,” explains Laurent Vaissié, L-Acoustics CEO – USA and Canada, who announced Pellicano’s appointment. “His technical acumen combined with organization and communication skills as well as his strong dedication are the perfect match to manage our technical support for the booming sports entertainment market.”

New role for Palmer

Dan Palmer, Development Manager, Sports Facilities – USA and Canada, L-Acoustics.

“Dan Palmer, in his new role, will be running in stride with Gino to manage all aspects of this vertical market for L-Acoustics moving forward,” Vaissié adds. “Dan has been instrumental in supporting system integrators, end users, and consulting firms over the past decade.
As a direct result of Dan’s work, L-Acoustics is now recognized as a major provider of audio solutions for sports entertainment. Dan and Gino will lead the way towards an even greater outreach and support for major sports facilities in the US and Canada.”

L-Acoustics Director of Application, Installations Cédric Montrezor shares Vaissié’s enthusiasm for this new “sports team” of Pellicano and Palmer. “Dan has been with L-Acoustics for over ten years as a respected colleague and leader in opening new markets for the company,” notes Montrezor.
“As his technical counterpart, Gino is well positioned to serve the needs of our current sports facilities clients, and to reach out to the broader consultant community.
With the widespread adoption of AVB for audio and the popularity of our P1 AVB processor, Gino’s electronics expertise constitutes a valuable asset to helping our end users and clients optimize networking and interoperability for their projects.”

InfoComm Seminar

At InfoComm 2019 in Orlando, Pellicano and Palmer will both be involved on a vendor-neutral seminar titled “Players and Perspectives in Sports Venue Sound System Integration,” which will be held in Orange County Convention Center room W414C starting at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 12.
This panel session will present the perspectives of various designers, integrators, manufacturers, and end users involved in major sports stadia worldwide and allow attendees to learn about the opportunities and challenges for sound system integration driven by rising expectations for immersive, AV-rich experiences.

For more details, click on this “Browse Education Session” link.