Article

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Sennheiser Appoints Herman As Channel Partner To Distribute Integration Product Line

Herman will distribute Sennheiser's innovative evolution and installed sound series microphones, as well as its full line of conference and RF/infrared assistive-listening systems

Sennheiser Electronic Corporation announces an agreement with Herman Procurement & Logistics to be a distributor for Sennheiser integrated solutions throughout the U.S.

Herman will distribute Sennheiser’s innovative evolution and installed sound series microphones, as well as its full line of conference and RF/infrared assistive-listening systems. Herman plans to stock an extensive array of Sennheiser products in all five of its distribution facilities located in Miami, Atlanta, New Jersey, Dallas and Nevada to provide local availability and better serve Sennheiser customers.

Herman is a leading provider of connectivity and infrastructure products and services to the commercial AV and broadcast industries. In addition to being a nationally-known distributor, Herman has leveraged its 45 years of industry experience to help customers improve operational efficiencies and achieve cost savings related to the procurement and management of project materials.

“With its renowned reputation as a premier manufacturer of award-winning audio products, Sennheiser offers several unique and innovative products that will enhance our value offering to our customers,” said Jeffrey Wolf, executive vice president of Herman.

“Our partnership with Sennheiser marks another milestone as we continue to implement our growth strategy in becoming the premier solutions provider to the commercial AV industry.”

New additions to Sennheiser’s portfolio of integrated solutions include the WiCOS digital wireless conference system and evolution wireless G3. WiCOS is an advanced, flexible wireless conference system that transmits in both the license-free 2.4 and 5 GHz ranges. Driven by Sennheiser’s pioneering RF expertise, the system automatically and unnoticeably changes the transmission frequency when it detects potential sources of interference.

The evolution wireless G3 series is the third generation of Sennheiser’s successful line of wireless microphones, which are ideal for a range of installed sound applications. Key features include remarkable flexibility and range, easy set-up, outstanding audio fidelity and extreme reliability with additional protection against poor reception.

“This partnership with Herman opens Sennheiser products up to many of the industry’s leading commercial AV integrators, which will prompt greater brand exposure in many rapidly growing markets,” said Jeff Alexander, vice president of sales for professional products at Sennheiser.

“We chose Herman because of its expansive product line and unique value offering and service programs offered to the commercial AV marketplace. The Herman team will undoubtedly deliver enhanced value and benefit to the channel.”

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Meyer Sound Constellation Creates Mythical World For Cirque du Soleil’s ZED

As applied in ZED, Constellation utilizes 97 compact loudspeakers, 32 microphones, and five dedicated VRAS™ processors to afford the liberty of creating fully adaptable acoustics.

Cirque du Soleil’s ZED thrills Tokyo audiences with a soaring, acrobatics-filled musical fantasy about a mythological-comical character who reconciles earth and sky.

At Tokyo Disney Resort’s purpose-built 2,150-seat theater, the dynamic soundscape created by sound designers François Bergeron and Vikram Kirby helps entice the guests into a world of imagination, giving the show a heightened emotional texture using Meyer Sound’s Constellation electroacoustic architecture.

Part of Meyer Sound’s LCS Series, Constellation incorporates the physical acoustics of a space with powerful technology and expert services to create flexible acoustical environments.

As applied in ZED, Constellation utilizes 97 compact loudspeakers, 32 microphones, and five dedicated VRAS processors to afford the liberty of creating fully adaptable acoustics.

“Constellation can sound absolutely natural, if that’s what you want,” says Principal Sound Designer François Bergeron, who is also CFO of Burbank, Calif.-based Thinkwell Design and Production and designer for six prior Cirque du Soleil shows, “but in pure sound design it also lets you play with the laws of physics.

“You can create acoustic spaces that cannot exist in the physical world. For example, at one point, the director wanted to create the sounds of a bizarre world using only ambient sounds in the room. With Constellation, we met his request, creating room acoustics impossible to achieve with physical architecture.”

Constellation in the ZED theater is designed to work hand-in-glove with the Meyer Sound self-powered primary and surround audio systems.

Everything is linked and controlled by what may be one of the largest CueConsole modular control surface ever assembled: 14 Matrix3 processors, six fader modules, 11 meter bridges, plus transporter and editor, together giving discrete access to 192 inputs and 168 outputs.

Throughout the show, Constellation presets are recalled from a cue list and controlled using the CueConsole.

“The Meyer Sound system affords a whole different level of capabilities,” adds Kirby, “including tailoring inputs and outputs to suit the show, specifying exactly what each cue does, and configuring the control surface to the size of the booth.

“ZED was in rehearsals for five months and, by the end of that time, the LCS system felt like a musical instrument that played the spectral and spatial composition of the mix.”

The ZED theater is designed to be an acoustically dry room, which tends to keep the audience from perceiving themselves to be part of a crowd. According to Tim Younghans, head of audio for ZED, Constellation’s early reverberation provides an effective solution to this problem.

“Dynamic mixing with Constellation enables me to evoke a greater response from the audience, allowing a burst of applause, or of ‘oohs’ and ‘aaahs’, to spread across the theater,” says Younghans.

“You could say Constellation is the bridge between the show and the audience.”

The main audio system comprises main left and right hangs of five M’elodie line array loudspeakers each, in addition to an unusual arrangement of a center array of five matrixed and cross-firing SB-2 sound beams.

Arranged in an upstage arc, they anchor the sound to the stage while maintaining a uniform L-C-R image at all seats. Thundering bass descends from ten flown 700-HP subwoofers, while intimacy is maintained at more distant seats by delay systems of 12 CQ-1, 11 UPJ-1P VariO, and 16 MM-4 loudspeakers.

Surround effects envelop the audience with 81 additional UPM-1P, UPJ-1P, CQ-1, and Stella-8C loudspeakers, the latter models recessed into pony walls behind the audience.

For Bergeron, the main system provides the primary instrument for carrying the performance, but it’s Constellation that allows him to play the room acoustics for emotional effect.

“Constellation allows us to transport the audience from one specific room to multiple environments,” he relates. “It’s like an audio zoom-in and zoom-out.

“When you zoom in, the theater sounds dry and closed in, but when you zoom out it feels spacious and lush. It becomes part of the emotional roller-coaster for the audience.”

The Meyer Sound audio systems were provided by SC Alliance, with support from ATL, Inc., Meyer Sound’s Japanese distributor; installation was by Yamaha YST. The theater’s striking, circus-tent-inspired design is the work of Canadian architects Saucier + Perrotte. The hosting company for the production is Oriental Land
Company, Ltd., with planning cooperation from Disney.

Meyer Sound

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Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Furman Power Conditioners Keep The Thrill Alive At B.B. King Museum And Delta Interpretive Center

The power conditioners/sequencers protect sensitive components in the museum's multimedia exhibits, while at the same time enhancing audio and video performance for an optimal visitor experience

The exhibit technology team at Bowen Technovation recently chose to install Furman Sound PS-PRO II power conditioner/sequencers and AC-215 power conditioners at the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center in Indianola, Mississippi.

The units protect sensitive components in the museum’s multimedia exhibits, while at the same time enhancing audio and video performance for an optimal visitor experience. At any museum, the last thing visitors want to see is an “out of order” sign on a multimedia exhibit.

Opened in September 2008, the 20,000-square-foot museum traces B.B. King’s roots in the Mississippi Delta to international fame as the King of Blues. It blends traditional artifacts from his 60-year career with graphics and interactive media to celebrate his unique legacy and the rich musical history of the Delta.

“For its exhibits, the B.B. King Museum incorporates a large number of audio and video servers, interactive computers, a sophisticated master show control system, and audio amplifiers,” said Jeff Norris, project manager for Bowen Technovation, an Indianapolis-based provider of A/V, lighting, control, and production solutions.

“To protect these sensitive components and ensure maximum performance, it was essential that the supplied power be filtered and corrected, and that all equipment be turned on and off in the correct order.

“To meet this need, we chose Furman’s PS-PRO II. Seven of the power conditioner/sequencers are wired to one central keyswitch, which automates the power up and power down daily.”

The 20-A PS-PRO II contains six sequenced rear panel outlets to power up a rack full of equipment in a three-step delayed sequence and power equipment down by reversing the sequence.

Five PS-PRO II units are located in the museum’s main equipment room, with one in the secondary equipment room and another in the theater’s roll-around cart, which is used by presenters and musical groups.

In addition, Furman’s AC-215 power conditioner is being utilized in the Guitar Studio interactive exhibit, which features Gibson guitars fitted with LED lights, allowing visitors to play along with B.B. while wearing headphones.

The AC-215 comes in a compact 1.75” x 5” x 8.5” design and weighs only three pounds. The unit’s low-profile design makes it ideal for mounting to the back of a flat-screen television, or anywhere that discretely located remote power protection, and purification are needed.

The PS-PRO II and AC-215 both offer Furman’s proprietary Series Multi-Stage Protection (SMP) for comprehensive, non-sacrificial surge/spike protection; Extreme Voltage Shutdown (EVS) to protect equipment from dangerous extreme voltage conditions; and Linear Filtering Technology (LiFT) to reduce AC line noise.

“Since the opening of the museum, the Furman equipment has performed flawlessly; there have been no failures at all. Furthermore, the PS-PRO II and AC-215 have protected connected components from some major power-related damage,” added Norris.

Furman Sound
B.B. King Museum And Delta Interpretive Center

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WorxAudio Technologies Debuts New Instructional Video Series

Streamlined access to vital support information

WorxAudio Technologies has unveiled the first few offerings in an expanding series of instructional high definition videos.

Intended for existing and prospective customers alike, the new videos are available online both the WorxAudio (www.worxaudio.com) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/worxaudio) websites and provide answers to commonly encountered questions regarding the use and functionality of WorxAudio’s various products.

Produced in 1080i HD (High Definition) for exceptional image clarity, each video averages 5 – 6 minutes in duration. In addition to being readily available for instant download, WorxAudio Technologies also makes the videos available on DVD by request.

Further, the WorxAudio site includes links for downloadable versions of these videos for portable devices such as Apple’s iPhone, iPod Touch, iPod, and similar smartphones and media players – enabling audio professionals to readily access these support materials should they encounter questions while in the field.

The first available WorxAudio videos include a technical presentation for pro touring rigging and another such video for installation rigging. These materials present a clear, concise look at the differences between flying a concert system as opposed to a permanent installation that makes use of the company’s TrueAim Grid.

There is also a training video for use with WorxAudio ‘s PMD Series power amplifiers that shows the proper procedure for powering the system up, changing program settings, determining current draw, as well as a look at the connectors and various functions available.

Equally significant, WorxAudio Technologies has a technical video that documents how to assemble and test a particular product, such as a TrueLine V8 line array. This informative video examines basic service and maintenance issues that audio professionals may encounter during regular use of the products.

In addition to the aforementioned video presentations, WorxAudio will soon introduce several “technology overview” videos that feature the company’s various products. These materials will present an up-close look, for example, of how a TrueLine V-Series line array (V8 or V10) operates, its various design considerations, basic operation, and how the loudspeaker system relates to competing products.

Similar materials are also scheduled for the WorxAudio TrueLine X-Series, and the company’s highly acclaimed Super Sub with its long excursion, 18-inch design.

Hugh Sarvis, WorxAudio Technologies’ CEO and Director of Engineering, notes, “The new WorxAudio video materials present a look at many of the most commonly asked questions our technical and customer service groups encounter. By making these videos easily accessible, existing and prospective customers can visit the WorxAudio Technologies or YouTube websites and quickly get the information they require.

“Since we’re also making these materials available for portable media players, our customers can even view these videos while they’re in the midst of assembling a system should they encounter questions. Our new video production and photo suite enables us to respond to customer requests with informative information that provides our customers a truly ‘hands-on feel’ for the information they require. I’m confident these materials well prove very beneficial.”

The new WorxAudio Technologies videos are readily available and are posted on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/worxaudio), with links from the WorxAudio site.

WorxAudio Technologies Website

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Apogee Announces Snow Leopard Compatibility For Symphony 32

Updated Symphony 32 software is available immediate from the Apogee website

Apogee Electronics is pleased to announce Snow Leopard compatibility for Symphony 32. the updated software is available immediate from the Apogee website.

New Symphony 32 software features include:

Snow Leopard compatibility A single version of Maestro is now compatible with all Apogee products Symphony Mobile now compatible with SBus

Apogee Electronics

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API Releases 527 Compressor Module

The 527 features comprehensive controls including variable attack, release, ratio, and output gain controls. The unit also includes API's patented 'Thrust' circuit, first offered on the 2500 Stereo Bus Compressor. A 10 segment LED meter is switchable between gain reduction and output level.

API has introduced the 527 compressor, a single channel module based on API’s 225L discreet channel compressor.

The 527 features comprehensive controls including variable attack, release, ratio, and output gain controls. The unit also includes API’s patented ‘Thrust’ circuit, first offered on the 2500 Stereo Bus Compressor. A 10 segment LED meter is switchable between gain reduction and output level.

“Anyone who has used the 225L compressor found in API consoles has expressed a longing for the same kind of flexibility and control in the 500 Series for some time” said Larry Droppa, President of API. “We’re delighted to now offer the 527 to complement our vintage 525 compressor, which has been many engineers’ favorite compressor over the years.

The API 527 made its debut at the 127th AES show in New York, October 9-12, at its introductory price of $995.00.

API

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DiGiCo & MC2 Showcase Latest Hardware & Software At WFX Worship Facilities and Conference Expo

Get Expert Advice From DiGiCo and MC2 Technical Staff On Products Including SD8-35, SD8-24, SD8 & Overdrive Software, SD7, SD7 MACH II Software & MC2 Ti Series Breakout Boxes

The Worship Facilities and Conference Expo will feature the latest hardware and software offerings from DiGiCo and MC2. WFX, presented by Church Production and Worship Facilities magazines, will offer 60+ updated conference sessions on everything from architectural design and fundraising, to mixing sound and social networking, an expo hall with 200+ exhibitors, plus tours of nearby churches.

DiGiCo Offerings: SD8-24: The power, finesse and clarity of DiGiCo digital mixing with Stealth Digital Processing. Featuring 60 channels mono or stereo (equivalent to 120 channels of DSP), 24 busses mono or stereo + Master +12 Matrix and Dual Solo Busses, now featuring LCR with Overdrive (equivalent to 67 Busses of DSP), Large 15” touch screen for fast control, Remote Stage Rack + local I/O, 16 x 12 Output Matrix (with Overdrive), snapshot control with relative update & offline facility, onboard effects and Graphic EQs, Script/Laptop tray & second MADI I/O for open platform recording, and 25 touch sensitive faders for instant control with Full Size Metering.

SD7 MACH 2 Software: The new Mach 2 software suite is free to all existing SD7 owners and adds numerous new features to the board, including Digi-Tube, the world’s first Super FPGA preamp tube emulation, with full drive and bias control; dynamic EQ available on all 256 processing paths and on all four EQ bands; Multiband Compressor, also available on all 256 paths, and adding an extra two compressors per path giving a further 512 dynamics to the console; 16 floating point stereo Super FPGA Stealth digital reverbs and 32 floating point stereo effects and a talk-to-buss with dim function.

SD7 Overdrive Software: Overdrive includes the following new advancements: 8 stereo FX units have been imported from SD7 MACH2 effects, including the floating-point reverbs and time-based FX, Dynamic EQ available on any 8 channels, mono or stereo, and on any 8 input and output paths. This is equivalent to 64 Dynamic EQs in DSP processing.

They are individually switchable and can be easily monitored via the gain reduction/expansion meter, Multiband Compression also available on any 8 channels, mono or stereo, or on any 8 input and output paths. This is equivalent to 48 Multi Band Compressors in DSP processing, and 24x32 bands of Graphic EQ available, which has been increased from 12x32 bands.

MC2 Ti Series/BoB Series Breakout Boxes: With formats and configurations to suit all live and installation needs, the Ti Series breakout boxes provide high quality fully balanced analogue outputs from any of the three most popular network audio protocols. 8-channel versions are available in either XLR or Phoenix format, with a 16-channel version also being available in Phoenix only.

All versions feature front panel metering and remote control over output gains along with muting, when used in conjunction with ICORE – the software package for managing all the components. A failsafe override input is provided for use in voice evacuation applications. The programmable GPI port can be used to monitor and control other Ti Series components on the network, with RS485 bridging via the network audio link to all parts of the system.

Alternatively, the unit may be used independently just as an audio breakout, straight from the box. 24 bit DACs and careful attention to output drivers ensures a professional performance, with a dynamic range of 111dB unweighted and 96kHz sample rate compatibility (network dependant).

DiGiCo Consoles
MC2

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Coverage Of The Worship Facilities Conference & Expo (WFX) In Charlotte

The latest news, education, product developments and more

Be sure to check in regularly as we present coverage of the Worship Facilities Conference & Expo (WFX) in Charlotte scheduled to take place later this week (October 27-30, 2009) at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

We’ll be providing all of the notable news from the show as well as all of the new audio products and technology developments.

Below is the start of our coverage, and again, be sure to check this page regularly in the coming days for the latest from WFX Charlotte.

Worship Facilities Conference & Expo Announces Top Tier Sponsors For WFX Charlotte

Dynamic Lineup Of Expo Features At WFX Charlotte

Best-Selling Author, Lead Pastor Mark Batterson In Exclusive Book At WFX Charlotte

Solomon Awards Entrants Highlighting House Of Worship Projects

New Product Awards Entrants At WFX Charlotte

Hands-On Technical Training In Audio, Video & Lighting For Churches At WFX Charlotte

2009 Conference Program for WFX Charlotte

.
Keynote Presenters For WFX Charlotte

New/Featured Products:

DiGiCo & MC2 Showcase Latest Hardware & Software

Also see our show report from WFX Long Beach held earlier this year.

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Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Texas-Sized Sound For “America’s Team” At New Dallas Cowboys Stadium

Copious quantities of line arrays, cabling, system control, amplification and more for the NFL’s largest enclosed stadium

Between Dallas and Forth Worth, next to Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas. the new Cowboys Stadium is three times larger than the NFL team’s previous home at Texas Stadium in nearby Irving.

At $1.2 billion, it’s the league’s most expensive stadium to date, although that price tag is due to be eclipsed by the Jets-Giants new $1.6 billion stadium next year.

The entire Statue of Liberty and its base would fit inside the stadium with the roof closed, as would the American Airlines Center arena in Dallas. At 104 million cubic feet – Houston’s Reliant Stadium in is 90 MCF – the Cowboys new home is the NFL’s largest enclosed stadium.

The roof is supported by two 35- by15-foot arched box trusses that are 1,300 feet long – more than twice the length of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis – making it the longest clear-span structure in the world. Back-to-back 72- by 160-foot high-definition video screens – the largest in the world – stretch between the 20-yard lines.

Seating capacity is 80,000, but with additional ticketed seating and standing room in the end zone plazas, total capacity can swell to 100,000.

Cowboys Stadium is also now the world’s largest Electro-Voice installation, including virtually every type EV line array backed by an intensive NetMax control system.

Sound system designer was Kevin Day of consultant firm Wrightson, Johnson, Haddon & Williams (WJHW) of Dallas, which counts major league stadiums as one of its specialties, and installation and custom engineering services were supplied by San Francisco Bay-area vendor ProMedia/UltraSound, with Demetrius Palavos serving as project manager. The EV team also provided technical support on the project.

“I decided early-on that the stadium required a line array solution,” Day remarks. “I had used EV line arrays in other projects and heard them in several touring productions. I was quite pleased with the sound and impressed with the accuracy of the performance data. Not all line array products out there have accurate data for predicting system performance. The fact that these systems could also be integrated with a system control platform as powerful as IRIS-Net and NetMax made EV the strongest choice.”

The stadium’s audio control room on the upper suite level employs a Yamaha M7CL-48, chosen for its straightforward single layer design, fitted with a pair of AES MY cards for digital inputs from playback devices next door in Video Control.

Local audio inputs include a Tascam CD player, recorder and tuner, Sony multi-disc CD and DVD changers, a Mackenzie Labs message repeater, and a Click Effects ProAudio PC playback system for “Rock and Roll, Part 2” and other crowd-rousers. The announcer’s mike so far has been a Shure SM58 on a Symetrix AirTools vocal processor.

Another pair of MY cards feed the M7CL to back-of-house locations and accepts remote inputs via CobraNet, including an SKB rolling rack with a Whirlwind ES2 16 x 16 digital snake chassis for inputs and outputs on the field. Four Shure PSM 600 IEM systems are available for entertainment and the “anthem” wireless mics are Shure UHF-R with Beta 87A capsules.

The M7CL’s main output feeds a 1RU Oxmoor RMX-44 mixing matrix to accept changeover from fire alarm alarms, then goes to an Aphex Dominator to provide absolute peak limiting, before being delivered to the BSS London BLU-800 that’s the mix position’s gateway to the system’s CobraNet fiber backbone.

“I use CobraNet for its ease of interoperability between various manufacturers’ equipment,” Day notes, adding, “In a venue of this size, digital latency isn’t a big factor, as it would be in other types of audio systems.”

At each of the four corners of the stadium, between the uppermost seating and the catwalks, are the “engine rooms” that power the overhead line arrays. BSS London BLU-320 interfaces deliver signals to an EV N8000 NetMax digital matrix controller, whose FIR filter technology combines crossover and EQ correction in a single filter to provide linear phase optimization for EV loudspeakers.

The main loudspeaker arrays are powered by 228 of EV’s new class H Tour Grade amplifiers, with RCM-26 DSP modules. TG5’s power all high frequency drivers and TG7s power the rest.

In addition to providing AES inputs as the final link in a digital signal chain, RCM-26 modules in the TG amps provide remote control and monitoring, including one-button system check over IRIS-Net, as well as additional FIR-filters and speaker protection.

“We needed to be able to critically supervise each piece of equipment to prevent expensive repairs or driver replacements from being necessary,” Day adds. “Load monitoring is a critical feature when your speakers are 200 feet off the ground at the end of a quarter-mile of cable.

Between the TG amps, IRIS-Net, and NetMax, the range of control and monitoring features this system has gives us the assurance that won’t be an issue.”

Those familiar with Los Angeles’ Staples center and its triple row of glass-fronted luxury suites recognize one problem faced at Cowboys Stadium on a larger scale. A 30- foot high glass wall for the suites separates the lower bowl of the stadium from the upper-most seating area – the 400 sections.

The main loudspeaker system is comprised of three sub-systems, each constructed from a different EV line array product. Immediately apparent are three large-format 15-box X-Line XLV arrays on each side of the field that cover the lower bowl with an angle that approaches horizontal. Additionally, two 7-box XLV arrays cover the lower bowl’s end zones.

Due to the compression placed on the enclosures at such a radical angle, plus the fact that it’s a permanent installation, ProMedia designed custom “sleds” to hold these arrays.

These were rigged by John Bleich’s ProRig of Dallas using SkyClimber wire-rope winches, typically used for skyscraper window washing.

The 400-level seats in the upper bowl are covered with seven mid-sized 8-box XLC arrays on each side of the field. Additional coverage of the field’s perimeter to the first couple rows of seats comes from six compact 5-box XLE arrays, three on each end of the overhead video screen.

In total, the line array spec includes 104 X-Line (Xvls & Xvlt) large-format line array elements, 108 XLCi127DVX medium-format line array elements, and 30 XLE181 compact line array elements.

The stadium’s sheer size required cable runs of 1,000 to 1,600 feet for the overhead clusters, using 12-gauge multi-conductor Belden wire for mids and highs, and 10-gauge for the lows. Since the stadium’s roof opens to expose the arrays to the elements, the X-Line cabinets were special-ordered with blue polyester Meltric PN12 multi-pin connectors rated for weather exposure.

Two days before the first Cowboys pre-season game, Paul McCartney performed for a sold-out crowd, and I ran across this anecdote: “During the “Na na na na” portion of main set-closer ‘Hey Jude’, McCartney asked various sections to sing the parts for him. They did, although when he called out on the top section to sing it for him, it seemed that they were refusing. McCartney, on stage, looked confused. Then, maybe two seconds later, the sound of their voices finally reached him on stage. That’s how big this stadium is, folks.” – Pete Freedman, Dallas Observer

Mark Frink is Associate Editor for Live Sound International.

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Product Review: Sennheiser 2000 Series Wireless Microphone System

A look at one of the newer wireless mic systems to hit the market

Wireless microphone systems have become ubiquitous in church sound applications, and there is a mind-boggling number of choices when it comes to systems.

While cost is an issue, it certainly isn’t the only one, with performance and reliability imperative.

Sennheiser recently rolled out the new 2000 Series UHF wireless system, and in the October issue of Church Production magazine, Loren Alldrin provides an in-depth product review.

A choice of two receivers (single- and dual-channel models) are available in the 2000 Series, and it is fully backwards-compatible with all of Sennheiser’s Evolution wireless systems (G1, G2 and G3), so you can mix-and-match 2000 Series as well as Sennheiser evolution equipment.

Other members of the series include the SKM 2000 handheld microphone transmitter, which offers six interchangeable capsules, and the SK 2000 instrument/mic bodypack transmitter designed for instrument, lavalier or head-worn mic applications.

How does the 2000 Series does check out overall? Is is a viable option for your church sound system?

Loren provides all of the details here.

Also, be sure to have a look at the roster of online articles from the October, 2009 issue of Church Production.

Other recent Church Production reviews:
Astatic Continuously-Variable Pattern Overhead Microphones
Aviom Network Audio Systems
Peavey Sanctuary S-32 Console
DiGiCo SD8 Digital Console
Sony UWP Wireless System
JBL EON 515 Loudspeaker
Audio-Technica AT2020USB Microphone

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Bosch Announces Integration Of Security & Communications Systems Divisions

Organization designed for improved customer experience

Bosch Security Systems will realign its sales, marketing, and customer service and support organizations in a move that will combine the Security Systems and Communications Systems Divisions in the Americas.

Effective January 1, 2010, the changes will result in a fully integrated organization that makes it easier for customers to do business with Bosch.

The senior leadership team of the combined organization will incorporate key executives from both Security Systems and Communications Systems. This structure ensures the strengths of each division will be leveraged in the organization’s unified approach to the market.

Heading the team, Jeremy Hockham, president of sales for the Americas, will lead sales, marketing, business development, technical and project support and customer service for the combined organization in North and South America. Christopher Gerace will continue in his role as president.

Eric Cechak, Franck Fabry, Daniel Nix and Kelly Priest will head the four U.S. sales regions as vice presidents. Robert Drob will lead sales of major projects. Robert Loacker and Norm Hoefler will lead all sales and marketing activities in Latin America and Canada respectively. 

Thomas Hansen, who previously held the position of vice president, Americas for the Communications Systems Division, will now serve as vice president of key accounts.

“With unified sales and account management teams, it will be easier for our security and communications customers to expand their current product offerings to include other systems from our broad portfolio,” expressed Hansen. “With the new structure, we will be better positioned to help our customers achieve greater profitability and expand their businesses.”

Nick Valente will continue as vice president of business development, and Daniel Gundlach will maintain his role as vice president of marketing for the Americas. Jim Musshafen will serve as director of training, technical and project support, and Paul Loughridge will head customer service.

“The integration will enable us to provide customers with a more cohesive and streamlined experience in the future – whether they are collaborating with sales to win business, participating in training courses or utilizing our support services,” said Hockham.

Bosch Security Systems Website

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Soundcraft Si3 Console Centerpiece Of System At New Mapleview Community Church

Systems integrator AV Communications recently installed a Soundcraft Si3 console as the centerpiece for its audio system design at the new Mapleview Community Church in Barrie, Ontario, Canada. 

Housed in a former sports arena, Mapleview Community Church currently seats up to 900 people, and is part of a much larger campus that eventually will include sports facilities, a daycare center and other recreational areas.

In addition to the requirements for customary SPL, dynamics, and Percentage of Articulation Loss of Consonants, there were two requirements for this installation: It needed to fit within the designated budget and it needed to include a digital console.

The console needed to handle 32 channels of mixing and a dozen auxes, and it had to be flexible enough to handle day-to-day presentations by members of the church, in addition to presentations by other members of the community who had already rented out the facility in advance.

“Not only did the Si3 fit all of the requirements for the project, but the learning curve was so short that we knew the sound crew would be up and running in short order,” said Gerry Harbridge, President of AV Communications. “After a short rehearsal, we were ready to go much faster than we would have been if we had just dropped in an analog desk.

“Our client was just elated with the finished design,” continued Harbridge. “Top to bottom, the system is exemplary, and they are thrilled and actually amazed that we pulled it off within their budget, which we wouldn’t have been able to do without the Si3.”

Soundcraft Website
Harman Pro Website

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d&b audiotechnik Releases New Version (v1.8) Of R1 Remote Control Software

Incorporates several new features; available for download from company website

d&b audiotechnik has released the latest version of its R1 Remote control software, v1.8, allowing a system design to be created, its performance predicted with d&b ArrayCalc, and the final system configuration applied either offline or onsite within R1 and then manipulated remotely.

The whole menu of DSP control can be applied down to an individual d&b amplifier channel, groups of loudspeakers or the complete system. At the touch of a button, the System Check device diagnostics enable detailed monitoring as and when required, before, during, or after a show.

Within installation projects, system integrators can configure R1 Remote control software to offer different levels of control, simplified functionality for daily use and more complex functionality when multiple applications of a room are required.

In low light indoor environments a darker screen design can be used or this can be switched to a brighter design for outdoor situations in daylight.

Further, the new version incorporates templates, which consist of a group of pre-configured elements that can be dragged and dropped into the workspace.

Templates provided by d&b are included in the R1 file while the user can also pre-configure a group of elements to create their own templates. For example, they can include the descriptions and range settings that can be saved and made available across all R1 project files and shared with other users.

After dragging and dropping a template into the workspace, the complete template can be assigned to a group of amplifier channels. This was one of the biggest user requests for enhancements to R1 as it enables significantly quicker creation of R1 project files.

R1 Remote control software v1.8 is available for download from www.dbaudio.com

d&b audiotechnik Website

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Worship Facilities Conference & Expo Announces Top Tier Sponsors for WFX Charlotte

Sponsors enhance overall show experience for attendees

Worship Facilities Conference & Expo (WFX) announces its lineup of top tier sponsors for WFX Charlotte, scheduled to take place later this week (October 27-30, 2009) at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“We are proud to have the endorsement and support of these revered companies in the house of worship market,” said Jim Wagner, General Manger of EH Events. “Their participation in WFX Charlotte will enhance the overall show experience for our attendees, and we look forward to welcoming them next week in Charlotte.”

WFX Event Sponsors include:
* Founding Sponsor: Lawson Group Architects
* Contributing Sponsors: Automatic Devices Company, Lightronics, Mantel Teter Architects
* Exhibit Hall Sponsor: J.H. Batten, Inc.
* Conference Program Sponsor: Ziegler Capital Markets
* Technology Sponsor: ChurchTextPro
* Reality 09 Concert Sponsor: Audio Ethics
* Social Media Lounge Sponsor: Full Compass
* Conference Bag Sponsor: Bank of the West
* Association Sponsors: National Association of Church Design Builders (NACDB), National Association of Church Facilities Managers (NACFM), XPastor.org
* Official Media Co-Sponsors: Church Production magazine, Worship Facilities magazine, ChurchCentral.com, Digital Signage Association, DigitalSignageToday.com, Sound and Video Contractor magazine

Several companies are also involved with the production of the five dynamic keynote presentations.

Keynote Sponsors include:
* Keynote Production Sponsor: Audio Ethics
* Lighting Providers: A.C. Lighting, Elation Professional, Vari-Lite
* Lighting Direction: Vivid Illumination
* Video Projection Provider: Christie Digital Systems
* Video Screen Provider: Stewart Filmscreen
* Computer Graphics Supplier: Renewed Vision
* Stage Design: Atomic Design
* Technical Director: Elevation Church

Now in its fifth year, WFX is hosted by Church Production and Worship Facilities magazines and EH Events. The event brings together over 3,500 church and industry leaders and over 220 exhibitors to guide facilities and technology investments and opportunities for houses of worship.

WFX offers over 60 Conference sessions in five tracks, a packed Expo Floor, five dynamic keynote presentations, two exclusive behind-the-scenes church tours, Hands-On and Exhibitor Offered Training Sessions, Tech Director Retreat, Pastors Programming, and invaluable networking opportunities.

Advance registration savings are available for the Conference Program through October 27. Complete information is available online at www.wfxweb.com or by calling 800-598-6031.

For exhibiting information, contact Patrick Shaughnessy at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 508-663-1500 x267.

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Monday, October 26, 2009

A Friend & Colleague’s Tribute To The Late John Vrtacic

"The industry has lost a pillar"

An ELDER is gone.

I have never been one to think too much in terms of chapters closing because my attitude has always been, let’s go to the next chapter.

But when the world of music and the recording industry lost John Vrtacic to cancer in August, the industry lost a pillar.

I became aware of this man from Europe in 1976 when I became the General Manager of The Little Mountain Sound Studios; taking over from Jeff and Jeannie Turner, who interestingly enough were taking over the studio I built in 1972 with Creative House on Homer Street in downtown Vancouver.

Crazy business!

I knew that I needed a cracker jack tech whiz as my first and most important employee.

A friend said that I needed to check out this new fellow in Toronto by the name of John Vrtacic. I did, and the conversations began, first to convince John to even talk to me and then to convince him that Vancouver and Little Mountain Studios were where he should be.

It took an Air Canada ticket to get him out to Vancouver to check us out and I will never forget sitting with John and Roger Monk, my senior engineer, at the Salmon Restaurant on Burrard Inlet on a perfect late August evening.

Still, the situation required more persuading phone calls, including some serious conversations with his wonderful wife, Alice, to convince them that Vancouver was indeed their destiny. Two more tickets waiting at Toronto International, and finally, cautious John and Alice arrived in Vancouver.

And our amazing 33-year journey began.

I’ve been asked many times following the extraordinary success track of Little Mountain Studios who I credited most if all those hits and acclaim. It was always expected that I would name people like Bob Rock or Mike Fraser; and truly their role in the fame of the studio is known by everyone.

But my answer was always swift and emphatic - John Vrtacic was the “key man” to that success.

John sought perfection. He was the stickler for pre-maintenance (he actually believed in warding off Murphy’s Law before it struck!), and always kept an eye toward making everything work better every time and all the time.

Little Mountain was one of the first studios in the world to work with the then-new Sony 3402 (tape machines, if you can remember back that far) and then there was all of the blood, sweat, and tears (what a name for a band!) that we went through with software glitches and anything else that could go wrong.

The phone and Telex (remember those?) bills went through the roof as John conversed with Sony about the software glitches, and he’d work crazy hours with no extra compensation to get those machines to perform as they were designed to do - working optimally in the “real” world that we lived in every day.

John beat down the problems and made those machines cook!

One day, my receptionist called to say that there were some gentlemen in the foyer. A lot of them. And they were all Japanese.

Sure enough, they were from Sony and they were in Vancouver at Little Mountain Studios not to see me, but John Vrtacic. (By the way, the Japanese pronunciation of “Vrtacic” was priceless - I really wish I’d recorded it.)

What a meeting as they finally greeted the man that had saved Sony’s technical buns. They expressed over and over their gratitude to John and to us for allowing him to actually work for Sony, and showed their gratitude by virtually giving us three $75,000 machines for next to nothing.

And John, just the way he always was, couldn’t figure out what the fuss was all about. He was just doing what he thought he was supposed to do - make everything work perfectly.

John was always so gentle and quiet; a true gentleman in every sense. But he always knew when he was right and when he was right, there was no argument. End of debate… he was right.

The only time I remember John speaking up emphatically was at A&M Studios in LA. We’d flown down to re-do a disco (remember those days?) bass track. The producer insisted that he wanted the “black box” that John had designed.

Today’s generation will scratch their heads but there WAS a day when there were no “active” direct boxes, and John designed one of the first ones in the mid 1970s. We were going to attempt to patent it but our lawyers said forget it, just use the box as long as we could and stop even thinking about protecting it. This broke John’s heart as he knew he had created a piece of magic.

The A&M engineer plugged in John’s box, the session began, and I’ll never forget the engineer’s exclamation as he heard the sounds coming out of that box - no EQ, no FX, nothing - just straight up and flat.

“What’s in that box?” the engineer asked, to which John replied, “well, I could show you but then I would have to kill you!” It was the only time I ever heard John make a threat when I actually thought he was serious.

After his passing, when so many of us recently gathered to honor John and be with his family, there was a general feeling expressed by many at the event, including the young generation, that a chapter had closed.

An elder brother has gone on and the world of technical excellence will never quite be the same again.

John… we will miss you.

Bob Brooks,

(Read more about John here.)

Bob Brooks
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

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