.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Article
Monday, May 31, 2010
Florian Hecker’s Newest Art Of Sound Exhibit Features Meyer Sound MM-4XP Loudspeakers
The miniature loudspeakers are suspended from the ceiling, with bent reflectors in front of the them to emphasize the way sounds rebound and are diverted
The latest sound installation by Florian Hecker - titled Event, Stream, Object - introduces a new dimension to the art of sound. An intersection of space, sound, and sophisticated technology, the exhibit challenges one’s ability to “describe what we hear, when, where and from whom it is heard.”
The temporary installation is open through August 22, 2010 at MMK, Frankfurt’s museum of modern art, which commissioned the exhibit.
As part of MMK’s exhibit Radical Conceptual, Hecker’s Event, Stream, Object creates an unusual listening environment to manipulate one’s perception of sound, with his multilayered composition supported by eight Meyer Sound MM-4XP loudspeakers, each conveying a sequence of synthetic sounds.
The miniature loudspeakers are suspended from the ceiling, with bent reflectors in front of the them to emphasize the way sounds rebound and are diverted, thus heightening the complexity of the experience.
“In my works, I have to place sound sources at distinct positions, where seeing them becomes a crucial aspect for the multimodal experience of these pieces,” says Hecker. “Event, Stream, Object dramatizes an uncoupling of sound sources in the space and the locations from which we perceive them to come.”
Event, Stream, Object offers an unpredictable visitor experience, and also serves as an educational experiment for the artist. “At certain moments one isn’t so sure any longer where a sound comes from,” says Hecker. “I’m interested in this exact moment where different models of auditory perception, the event, the stream and the auditory object interfere.”
Having used the Meyer Sound MM-4XP loudspeaker in the remarkable architectural pavilion The Morning Line, as well as in his recent solo shows at the Chisenhale Gallery in London and IKON Gallery in Birmingham, Hecker is familiar with the power and tight control of these four-inch-square loudspeakers.
“With the MM-4XP and MM-4XPD directional loudspeakers I found the perfect models with highly directional as well as more omnidirectional sound fields and an incredible compact design,” says Hecker. “It’s exciting to work with them in this space.”
Dr. Susanne Gaensheimer, director of MMK Museum für Moderne Kunst, says: “Florian Hecker is one of the most innovative artists of the present, because in his work, he combines the areas of fine art, music and performance in order to break down the barriers between them and open up new forms of expression and means of perception in space and time.”
Grammy Winning Producer Utilizes Lexicon PCM Native Reverb Plug-ins For Debut Album Of Jenna Andrews
Producer Andy Zulla sought a reverb that sounded full and dense, while also having a transparent, non-existent feeling
Grammy and Emmy Award winning producer Andy Zulla deployed the Lexicon PCM Native Reverb Bundle recently for the freshman album of pop singer Jenna Andrews.
With influences stemming from Hip Hop, R&B and Pop, Andrews had visions of an album with a sound combining a blend of retro-sounding, wet mixes and a contemporary, dry and tight mix. Zulla sought a reverb that sounded full and dense, while also having a transparent, non-existent feeling.
“The problem was once we went for a dense reverb, it became very clogged and heavy; very lifeless yet very apparent,” said Zulla, mixer of multiple number-one hits and more than 20 gold and platinum records for artists such as Kelly Clarkson, Jessica Simpson and Rod Stewart.
The PCM Native Reverb Bundle includes seven signature Lexicon reverbs, including Vintage Plate, Plate, Hall, Room, Random Hall, Concert Hall, and Chamber, with over 950 versatile, crafted studio presetsm including recognizable classics from Lexicon’s library of sounds.
“After purchasing every reverb plug-in available as well as libraries and libraries of impulse responses, I realized I could find nothing to replace my Lexicon 480L and 960 reverbs, until now. The new Lexicon PCM Native Reverb Bundle delivers that lush Lexicon depth and fullness that nothing else can even come close to! Back are the days of just pushing up the fader and having the reverb sound instantly great without even trying,” continued Zulla. “It has the ability to create lush spaces but at the same time allow the mix to sound dry, tight, and modern. We ended up using the PCM plug-in on everything, all over the album.”
Zulla and Andrews’ completed album, ‘The Moon And The Stars’ on Island Records, will be released in the summer of 2010. Her first single, ‘Tumbling Down’ was released May 17, 2010.
The PCM Native Reverb Plug-In Bundle is a fully functional cross-platform plug-in that is compatible with Windows XP, Vista, and 7 along with MAC OSX 10.4, 10.5, 10.6, and is available now with a suggested retail price of US $1,899. To activate a free 7-day trial of the Plug-In, a user can visit www.Lexiconpro.com for an iLok authentication key.
Audio Technology From Harman Professional For Sundance Institute Feature Film & Composers Lab
Harman providing seven pairs of JBL LSR2300 monitors, three Soundcraft M12 mixers and three M8 mixers for the summer-long program
Harman Professional is once again providing audio technology for this season’s Sundance Institute Labs Feature Film Program, which takes place from June through September at the Sundance Institute in Provo, Utah.
This year - the program’s 12th season - Harman Professional will provide seven pairs of JBL LSR2300 monitors, three Soundcraft M12 mixers and three Soundcraft M8 mixers for use in the program’s film editing and scoring projects.
HP Marketing of Centennial, Colorado, the Harman Professional regional manufacturer’s representative and a long-time supporter of Sundance, facilitated the equipment’s delivery to Sundance.
Each year, the program nurtures a select group of aspiring filmmakers in a workshop environment where they are mentored by some of the best minds on the film industry.
The Feature Film Program, which also includes the Film Composers Lab in which young music scoring talent is cultivated, takes place in the hills of Utah, far from the high-tech sound stages of Hollywood.
“The Sundance Institute Feature Film and Composers Programs are extraordinary undertakings,” states Ian Calderon, Director of Digital Initiatives. “Our visiting filmmakers, composers and creative advisors expect to use the best technology resources while at Sundance. JBL and Soundcraft have consistently met those expectations and we are grateful for their continued support.”
Scott Johnson, Technical Director for the Sundance Institute Film Composers Lab Program, details that the JBL and Soundcraft equipment are used throughout the summer, for all the editing work and for the Film Composers Labs working first on documentaries and then on narrative features later in the summer.
Now in his 11th year with the program, Johnson says JBL and Soundcraft have been an integral part of the initiative for as long as he can remember. “The equipment is great – it really helps raise the technical and creative bar at the Labs,” he adds. “Working with this kind of quality equipment in this remote environment gives the students an incredible advantage, one that I’m sure will stay with them for the rest of their careers.”
Commenting on the initiative, Michael MacDonald, Harman Professional Executive Vice President of Marketing and Sales, notes, “Innovation comes in many shapes and forms. Organizationally, Harman is deeply committed to creative and technological innovation in our culture and in the community. The Sundance Institute shares this commitment to innovation and education, which is why support for the Institute labs is a natural step for Harman.”
SIA Acoustics Selects Outline Butterfly Arrays For Healing Place Church In Baton Rouge
Loudspeaker arrangement permits the most consistent alignment between components, while minimizing sightline obstructions and extending full-range impact to the most distant seats
The new 3,000-seat worship sanctuary of Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, offers a sound reinforcement system headed by Outline Butterfly loudspeakers as well as other Outline components.
Both the sound and acoustical design on the project were provided by SIA Acoustics, which has offices in New York City, Los Angeles, and most recently, India.
The main sound system is comprised of 42 C.D.H. 483 “Butterfly” loudspeakers, divided into three arrays (two of 13 elements and one of 16) to cover the floor seating area, with 10 Outline Subtech 218 SP for low-frequency reproduction and 11 Outline Micra II SP loudspeakers for front fill.
The raised seating area is served by six delay arrays, each composed of six Outline Mini-COM.P.A.S.S. elements and two Outline C.D.L. 1815 cardioid “Low Packs: connected via a custom-built spreader bar to suspend the subwoofers directly behind the full-range arrays.
This arrangement permitted the most consistent alignment between components and minimized sightline obstructions, while extending full-range impact to the most distant seats.
Regarding the sound system design, Adam Shulman, Consultant and System Designer with SIA Acoustics explains, “It was extremely important to the Church that the worship experience was consistent across all 3,000 seats in the space.
“Sonically, this meant very careful sound system design and judicious use of acoustical treatments. Visually, it was critical that sightlines from every location were preserved to the entire stage and projection screens.
“Though the ability of the system to ‘throw’ was not such a concern, utilizing main and delay loudspeakers allowed us to hide the substantial arrays in the ceiling structure while preserving the needed pattern control and consistency,” Shulman continues.
“And since opening, the church leadership has received compliments about the sound and overall experience from what might, in other facilities, be considered the ‘nosebleeds’ – but not here. We worked hard to ensure that there are no ‘cheap seats’ in this facility.”
The decision to specify Outline products was the result of a market-wide survey of many manufacturers and products.
SIA Acoustics first measured the performance of each product individually to assess critical acoustical issues such as off-axis consistency and the effectiveness of special pattern-control techniques.
Based upon this, SIA met extensively with Outline staff in Italy to fully understand the R&D process and manufacturing facilities, as well as Outline’s plans for meeting the church production requirements and providing continued customer support.
“Our evaluation process takes us through all of a manufacturer’s disciplines in detail – including not only a thorough look at the technical performance of the product, but also their ability to fully support the customer before, during and particularly after installation,” explains Steve Sockey, partner at SIA Acoustics.
“Out of the manufacturers we surveyed, Outline best fulfilled the needs of the church for this project. We are thrilled about the outcome.”
For components that are not already self-powered, Outline T7 amplifiers were installed adjacent to each loudspeaker array, suspended adjacent to the catwalk (a total of 33 were used).
All T7 amplifiers (powering C.D.H. 483 and C.D.L. 1815 loudspeakers), as well as every Mini-COM.P.A.S.S. loudspeaker contains DSP and is networked for control and monitoring.
“We are confident that this system and supporting infrastructure will fully meet the church’s technical needs, as well as those of any guest worship groups that they host, for the foreseeable future. The entire Healing Place Church team – including pastors and worship leaders, musicians, technicians and administrators – already operated at a very high level,” concludes Shulman.
“Since moving into their new worship facility, however, they now have the opportunity to really grow without technical restriction. We are very excited to see where they go in the coming years.”
Healing Place Church has been named “One of America’s Most Innovative Churches” by Outreach magazine.
Nady Systems Introduces New 100-Channel UHF Wireless System
100 frequencies per 24 MHz wide band, manually selectable or by autoscan feature
Nady Systems has debuted the UWS-100, a new 100-channel select UHF wireless system with 100 frequencies per 24 MHz wide band, manually selectable or by autoscan feature.
The UWS-100 offers state-of-the-art PLL UHF performance with 120 dB dynamic range and operation up to 500 feet, line-of-sight.
Other features include:
—ASC (Auto-Sync Channels) download, which sends selected GROUP/CHANNEL information to transmitter via IR sender for easy frequency synchronization —Tone Squelch circuitry for protection from RF interference —Front Panel Touch control buttons for ease of channel selection and ASC operation —DigiTRU Diversity for maximum range and dropout protection
The UWS-100 receiver features rugged all-metal housing.
Transmitter options include UHT-100 handheld or UBT-100 bodypack with choice of three input select modes - LT for lavalier mic use, HM for headmic use, or GT for instrument use.
All transmitter options provide 100 easily selectable channels via ASC IR download of selected channel for easy synchronization with receiver.
Ken Blecher Named VP & Director Of Business Development For Powersoft U.S.
"We hired Ken Blecher because his expertise and relationships will greatly benefit our existing and new customers in the touring, installation and amplifier module markets." - Claudio Lastrucci, Powersoft Managing Director
Ken Blecher has been named Vice President and Director of Business Development for the U.S. operation of Powersoft Advanced Technologies. The announcement was made by Powersoft Managing Director Claudio Lastrucci.
With more than 25 years of experience in the manufacturing, contracting and consulting segments of pro AV integration and tour sound, Blecher will be teaming up with Tom Bensen, U.S. Vice President and Director of Operations, at Powersoft’s U.S. facilities in Farmingdale, NY.
Blecher will be at InfoComm 2010 (Booth C7798), June 9 to 11, at the Las Vegas Convention Center, to meet with clients.
“Tom Bensen has enabled us to lay the groundwork in the U.S. and his commitment and efforts have resulted in rapid growth and increasing demand for Powersoft amplifiers in the region,” says Lastrucci.
“To enhance these efforts,” he continues, “we hired Ken Blecher because his expertise and relationships will greatly benefit our existing and new customers in the touring, installation and amplifier module markets, bringing the Powersoft brand to a new level of recognition. Ken’s presence demonstrates our strong and continued commitment to the North American marketplace.”
“I look forward to working with the entire Powersoft team to continue growing the infrastructure in the U.S.,” confirms Blecher. “Powersoft has a rich history of developing and implementing unique new technologies. My immediate attention will be to increase the exposure of these technologies thereby raising awareness within the professional audio community of the values and benefits of Powersoft amplifiers on all levels.”
“Ken coming on board adds a new dimension to our market presence,” says Bensen. “I look forward to working side-by-side with him to continue to grow Powersoft’s support chain. This is a major step in the company’s expansion and in the strengthening of the Powersoft brand within the U.S.”
The Powersoft U.S. and Global team, left to right: Ken Blecher, VP/Director of Business Development U.S.; Tom Bensen, VP/Director of Operations U.S.; Luca Giorgi, Sales Manager; Luca Lastrucci, MD Mobility Division; Thomas Mittelmann, Business Development Manager; Claudio Lastrucci, MD R&D; Carlo Lastrucci, President; and Antonio Peruch, MD Production.
Meyer Sound Appoints Philippos Nakas As New Distributor For Greece
Company has established a strong sales distribution network with experience in the theatre, nightclub, and hotel markets, as well as AV integration
Meyer Sound has announced Philippos Nakas as the company’s new distributor, providing technical support, product servicing, and coordination of educational programs for the Greek professional audio market.
The publicly listed Philippos Nakas (ATH:NAKAS) has been supplying musical instruments and professional audio equipment in Greece since 1937. Today, the Athens company distributes for manufacturers including ROBE lighting, Sennheiser, KLOTZ, and Neumann, in addition to Meyer Sound.
“We have been looking for a big name in loudspeakers for a long time now, and are very excited to add Meyer Sound to our offerings,” says Konstantinos Nakas, managing director of Philippos Nakas. “The current economic state is driving a wave of new sound rental companies to the market and these companies are demanding quality equipment like Meyer Sound.”
Philippos Nakas has established a strong sales distribution network with experience in the theatre, nightclub, and hotel markets, as well as AV integration in other tourist destinations. Education is highlighted as a priority for the company, which organizes more than 200 concerts, master classes, and other cultural events every year through its music institution, Philippos Nakas Conservatory. This emphasis on education makes Meyer Sound a natural partner for the market.
“Meyer Sound is a strong believer in transferring our experience and knowledge to audio practitioners on the field,” says Scott Gledhill, international sales manager at Meyer Sound. “By working with Philippos Nakas, we hope to drive the sound quality in Greece’s live events to the next level by providing both sophisticated audio solutions and high-level technical training and support.”
Meyer Sound’s first joint education program with Philippos Nakas will be a seminar entitled “Fundamentals of System Design, Implementation, and Optimization” taught by Meyer Sound instructor Mauricio Ramírez on June 14 - 15, 2010. For more information and to register, please visit: http://www.meyersound.com/events/seminars/calendar.php
Philippos Nakas is run by Konstantinos Ph. Nakas, managing director; George Nakas, vice president; and Kostas Giokas, marketing and sales general manager. Other key staff members include Alexandros Drossos, head of professional audio; Vassilis Drimouras, head of projects; Panagiotis Kostalas head of digital systems; and Victor Dikis, a member of the pro audio team and Meyer Sound specialist.
d&b audiotechnik Releases New Version 6 of ArrayCalc Simulation Software
Increased number of listening planes, arrays and subwoofers, as well as expansion of SubArray calculations
d&b audiotechnik now updated its ArrayCalc simulation software for its line arrays and subwoofer arrays, which includes expansion of the sophisticated SubArray calculations time alignment feature that was first introduced in 2009 in ArrayCalc Version 5.
ArrayCalc v6 provides many other new features, such as increased number of listening planes, arrays and subwoofers.
Included in these is a selection of different excitation signals, sine, 1/3-octave filtered noise or pink noise, for the simulation of the sound level distribution and absolute sound pressure level. This simulation includes frequency, temperature and humidity dependent air absorption.
Every loudspeaker type is now an exact model of the real system, with all available settings such as Line/Arc, CUT, HFC or INFRA. For all arrays and their individual elements the system headroom before gain reduction (GR) is calculated to obtain realistic and reproducible results.
The 3D Plot SPL level mapping calculates and displays the energy level summation of all activated arrays at chosen frequency bands for all selected listening areas, with an optional complex summation (showing interference) in the LF band.
The mapping diagram offers isometric views and can be zoomed. An autocalculate function restarts the simulation with every acoustic relevant system design change, displaying a low resolution result almost immediately, then refreshing with increasing resolution until the calculation is complete.
This new functionality minimizes waiting time, speeding up the design process.
The innovative Align Tab offers a new alignment procedure that allows the various arrays, fills, delays and ground stacks to be time aligned at a selectable test point. The autoscale function of the arrival time display helps the precision of the alignment of the array arrivals.
This page also displays the SubArray alignment, with its own test point in order to visualize all changes occurring during the alignment process.
ArrayCalc v6 3D Plot page
ArrayCalc v6 Alignment page
ArrayCalc v6 Arrays page
The new ArrayCalc V6 is now available for download from the Support/Downloads section at www.dbaudio.com.
Profile: Meeting Unusual System Coverage Challenges At Covenant Family Church
An "essential truth" of audio is addressed with an innovative system design by AGI for a large Texas house of worship
In evaluating the success or failure of every house of worship sound reinforcement system, two requirements stand out: coverage and intelligibility.
Does the system provide completely smooth and consistent coverage throughout the entire space? And, can every syllable of every word (and every note of every song) be heard and understood - and even further - within their intended context?
This is the heart of the matter. If a system can’t be heard due to substandard coverage to certain areas, or can’t be understood due to lack of intelligibility, then all other aspects go for naught.
This essential truth of audio most certainly played the starring role in a recent sound system project at Covenant Family Church in College Station, Texas, as well as a sound system for its new sister worship facility located in nearby Bryan, Texas.
AGI Inc., a full-service systems design and integration firm based in Eugene, Oregon, provided complete system and acoustical design services for both venues, utilizing its deep well of collective experience while working closely with church staff in meeting all of their specific goals.
AGI is coming up on the celebration of its seventh anniversary, but the heritage and expertise of the organization goes back a lot further than that.
It’s actually an amalgamation of several veteran Northwestern U.S. firms of various production specialties that decided to unite into a single seamless entity brought together by Kyle Anderson and Steve Diamond. As a result, AGI provides a true turn-key, full-service A/V system design and integration operation to its growing customer base.
“We realized that while we all performed our respective specialties very well, there was a lot of sense in coming together to provide customers with a truly seamless resource to meet all of their system needs,” explains Anderson, adding that the company now has more than 15 full-time staff members and is experiencing very strong growth in providing lighting, video, acoustics, and information technology (IT) design and installation in addition to sound systems for every application.
AGI specializes in working with the church market, which rates as the company’s largest customer base. However, AGI also serves a wide range of other markets, such as business offices, classrooms, restaurants and performing arts centers, with a system project for the 2,500-seat Hult Center for the Performing Arts in Eugene serving as a recent example of the latter.
Anderson notes that AGI receives most of its business referrals via word of mouth and networking, with the Covenant Family Church project proved no exception. While sponsoring and staffing a company booth at a regional “Team Church” conference in Tacoma a couple of years ago, they found themselves engaged in a general system discussion with staff members from the church.
Later, church staff contacted AGI about going forward with their systems projects for the worship center in College Station and a new second worship center project being constructed in a former furniture store in Bryan.
Additionally, Covenant Family was looking for assistance with acoustics, lighting, and video as well as sound for the two facilities.
“We flew to Texas for further discussions and to get a first-hand view of the facilities, and recognized some things that were going to be challenging,” states Diamond. “We ended up in a partnership with them to upgrade the technical systems and acoustical situation in College Station as well as supply the Bryan room with new systems and help with issues like room shaping from the outset.”
One of the primary members of the church staff interfacing with AGI on the project was Jarrod Green, who has the hands-on role with the technical side of the ministry. Green notes that the systems company proved exceptional in handling every aspect of the project.
“AGI anticipated every need and covered every base, bringing so much insight to the table. From our perspective, it was a painless process,” Green says.
The College Station worship facility had started out years ago as a much smaller room, with subsequent expansion efforts helping to create and exacerbate some rather dire acoustical problems.
The expanded room now measures about 60 feet wide and 130 feet deep, with a large platform at one “end” of the rectangle.
The majority of the 800 seats are located on the main floor, which is followed by grandstand seating and then a tiered balcony level. The peaked roof retains a constant height from front to back.
Specifically, both the growth and remodeling of the 800-seat room had created three disjointed areas from a sound reinforcement perspective - main floor, grandstand, and balcony - each with its own unique problems.
AGI studied the problem, and then utilizing detailed modeling and analysis in design, they followed up with implementation of proper acoustic treatments that went a long way in forming a singular sonic space.
For example, the tiered balcony extends up to just eight feet or so below the ceiling. Ceiling panels had been installed above this region to help insulate against the hot Texas sun, but these particular panels were very absorptive, to the point of hampering congregational worship in this area.
AGI replaced the ceiling panels with highly diffusive panels, keeping worship alive, and also worked with the audio system to create a more natural space that blended smoothly with the rest of the sonic environment.
Covenant Family Church worship services are very contemporary, bordering on a rock ‘n’ roll style that’s quite loud and dynamic. Worship leaders “love the kick” - in other words, the impact of low-frequency energy to enhance the emotion of the worship.
This aspect of the former system had proven problematic, with low-frequency energy transference resonating with the building’s beam structure to the point where it was disturbing residences more than 80 feet away from the church.
AGI recommended vaults made of concrete be built under the platform, where the subwoofers reside, in order to cut the resonance, and this approach has proven to solve the problem exceptionally well.
The previous sound system had reached the end of its usefulness in terms of meeting the church’s needs for a dynamic presentation combined with solid, seamless coverage throughout the listening area. Utilizing their extensive experience, combined with an assist from Soundvision and other modeling programs, AGI first addressed the issue of loudspeaker location, configuration, and selection.
“There wasn’t a high level of rocket science in terms of what we needed to do here with respect to the loudspeakers,” Anderson notes. “We could see fairly quickly what would result in optimum coverage, and then it was just a matter of addressing the details with as much precision as possible.”
“It’s not a true LCR design, because the center loudspeaker here is not intended to cover the entire room by itself,” he explains. “Rather, this arrangement provides even overall coverage and a way to smoothly attain the sound pressure levels desired by the church.
“That said,” he continues, “the sound operators can mix any way they like. So if they want to put more vocal emphasis in the center, which is one of the strengths of an LCR approach, they certainly can do so. What our approach provides is complete coverage with enhanced flexibility.”
The project also proved an ideal application for AGI to implement Tannoy VQ Series loudspeakers, which they had first noticed at a trade show and then tested at their headquarters, with impressive results.
“We like the overall design of these loudspeakers, they’re a large-format system with exceptional smoothness at the top end, and with high-frequency output that lasts for days,” Anderson says. “They’re also very efficient, with excellent coherence and balance, and the coverage pattern is very even. When you look at our specific coverage and dynamic goals for this project, the VQ Series is an outstanding fit.”
To attain the desired coverage on this project, AIG specified three VQ100 loudspeakers, one each for left, center and right. The VQ100 offers a precision 100-degree horizontal beamwidth, combined with a three-way full-range design that utilizes dual 12-inch woofers for low-frequency reproduction combined with Tannoy’s lauded Dual Concentric transducer approach for mid and high frequencies.
The VQ100 loudspeakers were mounted in a straight line above the platform, attached to a steel beam grid with Tannoy’s VQ Series flying hardware. From this position, they’re able to provide full side-to-side coverage as well as extended reach to the top portion of the grandstand seats.
The extreme side areas of the front platform, occupied by the band and other participants in services, receive additional coverage from Tannoy V12HP premium quality installation loudspeakers that also feature constant directivity Dual Concentric drive units. These are subtly placed, mounted on walls utilizing Tannoy hardware.
Meanwhile, additional mid/high-frequency energy to the very front region of the platform is supplied by single Tannoy VQ DF loudspeakers mounted to the bottom of the left and right main VQ100 loudspeakers.
The VQ DF is specifically designed to seamlessly integrate with the VQ full range models, matching their exact footprint, and with a down-firing configuration that allows them to be tight packed without the need for complex flyware.
“The Tannoy loudspeakers are just outstanding - crystal clear and so present,” states Green. “The voices pop out beautifully, the instruments sound warm and clean. It’s amazing.”
Finally, two more loudspeakers, this time compact Tannoy V8 units also time delayed, extend mid/high reach to the top of the balcony.
“These delay loudspeakers blend exceptionally well with the mains,” Anderson notes. “The conical pattern doesn’t lend itself to a point-source-type effect that can be distracting to the listeners. Rather, what you get is very smooth, very subtle, and solidly present. When we first fired up the loudspeakers for the client after installation, the side-to-side and front-to-back coverage of this entire loudspeaker literally took their breath away.”
Four new subwoofers - 18-inch-loaded EAW SB1000e - are positioned in the new concrete vaults under the platform. These are positioned equidistantly to further enhance the distribution of the low-end.
BSS Audio London BLU digital signal processing ties the entire loudspeaker and subwoofer set together, with a BLU-120 unit and a BLU-160 unit combined to supply all delay and other optimization settings.
These reside with the system’s QSC Audio PLX Series power amplifiers in a room adjacent to the rear of the platform. Video system equipment also specified by AGI is also located here.
“We decided not to provide additional monitoring and control of these devices at this time, even though its available,” Diamond adds. “One of the worst things we can do as systems integrators is to add unnecessary levels of complication that actually get in the way of a church sound team’s goals.
“We also find that newer staff members in particular can get caught up in watching computer screens too much rather than paying attention to what’s sonically happening with the system.
“All of that said,” he continues, “there is certainly the capability to add the additional monitoring and control capability at a future date if they like.”
There are many upsides to this digital board, according to Diamond, including straightforward operation, plentiful channel count, and an onboard quality effects package that eliminates the need for outboard effects gear. In fact, the M7CL is able to accommodate both main and monitor mixing requirements for this client.
“A big plus is that it’s a digital solution, so with multiple services every Sunday, the sound team has the ability to store settings and then instantly recall them, providing a great starting point for sound at each service, rather than having to start all over again each time,” he adds.
The same console model was also specified and installed for the new system at the Bryant facility, making it much easier for the sound team to transition between the two systems.
Another staple at both locations are Sennheiser wireless systems, with EW-365 handheld microphones provided for singers, two SKM5200 transmitters for others speaking, and 3000 Series bodypack transmitters with Countryman E6 headset microphones for pastors.
“We use these systems on a lot of our projects. They’re quite reliable,” Anderson says. “We also like the metal bodypacks, because they don’t break when folks accidentally sit on them.” AGI outfitted both facilities with 3000 Series wireless receivers, so pastors can leave their transmitters attached and be immediately ready to go when transferring on Sunday morning from one church to the other.
Stage sound levels are always a concern, because too much sound coming from the stage can have very detrimental effects on sound going to the congregation.
Anderson notes that the church made a very wise choice in choosing Aviom A-16II personal mixers with in-ear monitors for all musicians, with the added bonus of allowing musicians to tailor their own mixes. Instruments are also on Radial DI (direct input) boxes, further cutting stage noise.
And, this is furthered with the church’s decision to utilize electronic drums.
“We’re delighted to work with a client that is so smart as to understand just how bad too much sound from the stage can be, and further, that they were willing to invest wisely to eliminate the problem,” Anderson says.
“The drummers also deserve a lot of credit for going electronic, because so many won’t do it. It shows real concern and putting of your self aside to adapt to a non-typical instrument to serve your congregation.
“We also love acoustic drums, but in some circumstances the congregation is better served with an electronic kit.”
The interconnect capability on the platform was enhanced for more options and flexibility. While the existing copper lines were re-deployed for audio input and microphone snakes, new copper lines were run to all loudspeakers.
Following system installation, AGI performed a thorough tuning and optimization process, with the Rational Acoustics Smaart platform utilized to help verify certain criteria. Going the extra mile, they actually performed the full process twice - once with the room empty and the other with a full house.
“It’s our view that optimization must be done when a room is both empty and full,” Diamond states. “A room full of people can change everything, so we must account for the dramatic differences.”
The overall result is a new sound reinforcement system that has exceeded the client’s expectations for Sunday services, and one that is also capable of supporting full-fledged concerts.
“We were highly pleased with the dynamics and coverage, but the client is even more pleased,” Anderson adds. “They’ve happily settled in, making it work exactly to their needs. The church is in a very good place with this system.”
The perspective of the church team echoes this sentiment, according to Green. “The audience is responding so positively - the difference is unmistakable,” he concludes. “It’s so much more satisfying now, where everyone can pick out the vocals, or a particular instrument, or whatever they like, while also hear it all blend together so beautifully.
“The new system is helping us present praise, worship, and music better than at any time in our history as a church.”
The Ray and Joan Kroc Community Center is a community resource and outreach center.
The newly opened Kroc Center (also known as the Ray and Joan Kroc Community Center) is one of thirty-one planned community centers now built or proposed for construction across the United States.
Operated by The Salvation Army and funded by a $1.5 billion donation from the estate of the late Joan Kroc (widow of McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc), the Kroc Center is a community center where children and families are to be exposed to different people, activities, and arts that would otherwise be beyond their reach.
As part of the audio-visual / sound reinforcement infrastructure that enables community center staffers and others to communicate with those who participate in the facility’s various programs, the Dayton Kroc Center is equipped with wireless microphone technology from Lectrosonics.
Dayton, OH based Copp Systems, Inc was contracted to provide audio-visual / sound reinforcement capability at the new facility. Copp Systems’ Scott Morgan, AV Systems Design Engineer oversaw the design, project management, installation, and end-user training of the Kroc Center’s new audio-visual equipment, and described the project’s challenges.
“The Kroc Center is a community resource and outreach center,” said Morgan. “Serving the lower income segments of the Dayton community, the center serves as a conference, recreational, educational, and general religious facility.”
“In order to support a wide range of activities in the center’s sanctuary, we decided to equip the building with wireless microphones so that users would have the freedom to move about without being encumbered by cables. Equally significant, the Kroc Center is located in a congested RF area, so we needed to find a wireless system capable of functioning well in this type of environment that also conformed to the FCC’s new requirements for wireless communications.”
Morgan selected a 14-channel wireless microphone system consisting of three Lectrosonics VRMWB receiver chassis containing Lectrosonics VRS receiver modules. This setup takes up only three rack spaces while offering expandability. Two Lectrosonics ALP500 directional antennas boost reception capabilities.
For transmitters, the Dayton Kroc Center is equipped with eight Lectrosonics LMa beltpack transmitters and six HM series plug-on transmitters. This combination of products affords users the opportunity to work with lavaliere or earset microphones in addition to having six handheld microphones.
The Dayton Kroc Center broke ground in late 2008 and opened its doors early this year. Morgan offered the following, in rergards to the projects completion.
“The Lectrosonics wireless microphone setup is an unparalleled system when it comes to functionality, quality, and ease of use. Our customer is extremely pleased, and I’m happy to report that a number of additions to the system are currently in the installation phase.”
“These additions will further enhance the overall capability of their system. The bottom line is this: they couldn’t be happier with its performance.”
Q: I’ve been working with a band for a few years and I think I’m starting to get the hang of live sound.
However, we’re starting to play some larger venues and I keep hearing people talk about sidefill monitors.
I don’t mean to sound silly, but what exactly are sidefill monitors? Aren’t they just mains pointed at the band or something?
A: This is an area that’s still widely debated by live sound engineers, but here’s our take: It is sometimes thought that sidefill monitors should be used to duplicate the FOH (Front of House) mix.
This actually contributes to more bleed into open mics and results in the band playing even louder. Also, cranking the sidefills can ruin the FOH mix by virtue of phase cancellation and general muddiness created by too much sound pressure on stage.
From our perspective, the proper usage of sidefills is to create what is called a cross-stage monitor system or X-stage mix.
True X-stage mixes separate the stage in half. Everything from the center of the stage to the right is mixed into the left X-stage system, and everything from center stage to the left is mixed into the right X-Stage system.
This results in a more intimate sound field on the stage, similar to playing on much smaller stages. If a guitar player and bass player are standing next to each other, they can hear each other’s backline amplifier and don’t need more of these instruments blaring at them from a sidefill.
However they may not hear the piano player on the opposite side of the stage. The piano player can hear his/her amp, but may need to hear the bass player and guitar.
The cross-stage mix solves this problem. Usually some drums and lead vocals are mixed equally into both X-stage mixes.
Hope Channel Production Center Installs Solid State Logic C10 HD
The C10 HD was chosen for its audio quality and ease of use.
The Hope Channel Production Center, owned and operated by Seventh Day Adventist Church for the Hope Channel, has recently installed a Solid State Logic 32x8 C10 HD console in its new HD production annex.
“We were most impressed with the way the C10 HD gives us a very sophisticated platform to address the audio production operations for our intense programming schedule,” said Joe Sloan, operations and production manager for Hope Channel Production Center.
“We looked at all of the other major boards out there and decided the C10 HD was the most modern, had the most straightforward interface and matched our needs most directly.”
Hope Channel operates an expanding network that currently includes eight global channels available on satellite and cable, and three Internet channels with more coming on line this year.
Hope Channel affiliates with or owns over 40 studios around the world where it is able to provide a rich variety of culturally relevant programs that appeal to all ages. The Hope Channel has several offices, television studios and uplink centers in places such as Brazil, Germany, South Africa, and the U.S.
“We produce shows that are live to air, live to tape or live to the edit bay covering news, interview programs, talk shows, preaching programs, large music productions or you name it, and we will use the C10 HD for the entire range,” continued Sloan.
“A big deal for us in choosing the C10 HD was the ability to control how much access people will have to console functions as we have many freelance and part time engineers that will use the C10 HD to meet our production schedule.”
“It is very useful to us that we can set up the console so that a novice user can operate the board without the fear, on everyone’s behalf, that the more permanent settings on the board could inadvertently become unraveled.”
“We use the ‘Dialogue Automix’ extensively,” states Sloan. “Every program that we’ve done has used it and it works incredibly well. We have used up to five mics simultaneously for our productions and riding all those levels manually is very difficult and stressful for our engineers.”
“This one feature has increased the quality of the audio and lowered the audio operator’s work load at the same time. We are very happy with the C10 HD.”
Sennheiser UK Appoints Dave Wooster As Live Sound Specialist
Offering up-to-date field experience to the company's customers
Sennheiser UK has appointed veteran Front of House Engineer Dave Wooster to the role of live sound specialist, a newly formed position that will bring up-to-date field experience to the company’s customers.
“My aim is to demonstrate Sennheiser UK’s live sound solutions, provide ongoing support and backup and further develop how this range of products’ fit in the current marketplace,” says Wooster, whose live sound engineering credits include Van Morrison, Gary Moore and, most recently, Leona Lewis.
“Sennheiser’s own products are well known for their excellent quality and the third party brands it distributes have been carefully chosen to compliment this,” he continues. “D.A.S. loudspeakers, for example, have some extremely innovative features and sit at a great price point, K-Array’s ultra-compact solutions offer something completely different to the market and APart products, in conjunction with Rane’s signal processing units, fully satisfy any fixed installation project. This comprehensive combination of product lines presents some interesting opportunities and I’m looking forward to exploring them.”
“When you’re working in a live sound scenario, you need to be able to talk to someone that instantly understands what you require and can explain things in practical, rather than text book, terms,” adds Sennheiser UK General Manager Phil Massey.
“The Sennheiser ethos is to identify the quality and relevance of each of the brands within our portfolio. By doing that, we can make our client’s lives as easy as possible and provide a service that is of real value. Dave is ideally placed to help us fulfil this.”
Wooster will also continue with his engineering work.
Quote meon an estimate et non interruptus stadium. Sic tempus fugit esperanto hiccup estrogen. Glorious baklava ex librus hup hey ad infinitum. Non sequitur condominium facile et geranium incognito.
