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Wednesday, February 08, 2012
Indiana Officials Issue Safety Violations For State Fair Stage Collapse
The Indiana Department of Labor today cited concert and event production company Mid-America Sound Corp. of Greenfield, IN with three safety violations in the collapse of an outdoor stage at the Indiana State Fair last August just prior to a show by the country band Sugarland. Seven people died and 58 were injured after the stage collapsed when a gust of wind toppled equipment that hung over the stage.
CBS News also reports that Mid-America Sound Corp. has been issued a $63,000 fine, being the company that provided the stage rigging and chose the workers to erect it.
“The evidence demonstrated that the Mid-America Sound Corporation was aware of the appropriate requirements and demonstrated a plain indifference to complying with those requirements,” Commissioner Lori Torres stated in the report.
The department also issued a small fine against the Indiana State Fair Commission for “failing to conduct proper safety evaluations of its concert venues,” and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 30 also came under fire, accused of five workplace violations.
Sugarland was not penalized, with the agency noting that the band didn’t employ the workers and wasn’t responsible for building the stage.
One stagehand, Nathan Byrd, was among those killed in the collapse. At least nine other union members were injured.
Further investigations are ongoing. The State Fair Commission has also hired Thornton Tomasetti, an engineering firm based in New York City, to investigate the rigging collapse, while Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels has hired Witt Associates, a public safety and crisis management consulting firm, to conduct a “comprehensive, independent analysis.”
Allen & Heath iLive For Revitalized Islington Assembly Hall In London
The reopened Islington Assembly Hall in London has selected an Allen & Heath iLive digital mixing system, comprising iDR-48 and iDR-32 MixRacks with two iLive-T112 Control Surfaces, to manage both front of house and monitors.
Originally opened in 1930, the fully refurbished 800-capacity Hall was reopened in 2010 having fallen into disuse for nearly 30 years. The venue now hosts a busy rota of live music, as well as a vast range of events from conferences and parties to vintage fashion events.
“We chose iLive for several reasons,” explains Dan Turner, events operations manager at Islington Assembly Hall. “First, it sounds great and much better than many other digital desks out there. Allen & Heath clearly spent a lot of time getting the preamps right.
“It’s also an incredibly versatile system in the way it works, and pretty much any input or output can be configured to do what you need it to do. I have mainly used analog desks in the past, and iLive almost feels like it is one as the design is more hands-on than menu driven. This helps you get to grips with the beast a lot more quickly than with other digital desks where features can be hidden in layered menus and thus almost useless in the live environment.”
The venue refurbishment plans did not include the installation of a mixing desk, and as such, no multi-core was installed.
“The beauty of this digital system is that to increase the number of available channels all we need to do is use a larger mix rack, there’s no need to dig up the floor to install a cable. Having the mix rack on stage and the control surface at the rear of the hall connected by a single Cat-5 cable was a big selling point,” continues Turner. “We needed an elegant solution to stage monitoring using as few cables and as little space as possible. Using two iLive systems connected together we have achieved this. All signals are routed to where they need to go without the need for active splits on the floor saving valuable space”
The venue also installed Electro-Voice XLE181 line arrays with additional front fills and subs, and Martin Audio monitors on stage.
“Overall, the system sounds fantastic and will enable us to meet all the challenges that our varied events calendar will throw at us!,” concludes Turner.
Tannoy Unveils VLS Series Passive Column Array Loudspeakers
Tannoy has introduced the VLS Series passive column array loudspeakers offering a balance of performance and cost, when active beam-steering may neither be required nor affordable.
The VLS Series is the first Tannoy product to incorporate FAST (Focused Asymmetrical Shaping Technology), which delivers unique acoustic performance benefits. Central to this is its asymmetrical vertical dispersion, gently shaping the acoustic coverage towards the lower quadrant of the vertical axis. By the nature of a typical application, an “ideal” column loudspeaker should be biased in the vertical plane, toward the audience and away from reflective surfaces above (like ceilings) which are detrimental to intelligibility.
FAST also facilitates quicker, easier installation with less need for tilting or specific concern for optimal mounting height. Mounting is handled via supplied wall brackets.
Tannoy has packaged this performance in a slender and narrow profile, aesthetically refined, powder-coated aluminum chassis with curvilinear aluminum grille. Each model is available in either black or white as standard, with custom RAL finishes available at additional cost and lead-time.
Three models are available – VLS 7 (7 × 3.5-inch LF) designed for speech-only applications, VLS 15 (7 × 3.5-inch LF with 8 × 1-inch HF) and VLS 30 (14 × 3.5-inch LF and 16 × 1-inch HF), both of which are designed for more demanding full-range applications as well as speech.
All are IP64 rated for dust and water ingress and are salt spray and UV resistant as well as subject to rigorous high/low operational temperature and humidity testing.
Specification is aided by the addition of an exclusive Tannoy edition of EASE Focus v2.0 software, allowing systems to be designed with predictable results, along with the ability to specify VLS Series in conjunction with Tannoy’s existing column loudspeakers – including I Series and QFlex.
Hosa Technology Mogan Elite Omni Earset Microphone Now Shipping
Hosa Technology has announced that the new Mogan Elite omni earset microphone, the newest addition to the Mogan brand of subminiature microphones, is now shipping.
The Mogan Elite earset mic is outfitted with a moisture-resistant, 2.5 mm omni-directional capsule with -45 dB nominal sensitivity that is designed to be positioned farther from the user’s mouth.
Delivering full-frequency audio performance (20 Hz – 20 kHz) and high gain before feedback, this microphone provides a natural, resonant sound quality.
The new mic also offers an innovative earpiece designed to be worn comfortably for extended periods. With a fleshy ear cushion concealing its fully adjustable, sprung-steel (stainless) mechanism, the mic feels natural when worn over one’s left or right ear.
An interchangeable cable system allows connection of the mic to most popular wireless transmitters, including models from Shure, AKG, Sennheiser, and Audio Technica. Each mic ships with a detachable, Kevlar-reinforced cable with a hardwired connector.
The new Mogan Elite Omni Earset Microphone is available in either beige or black to blend with a variety of skin tones. Additionally, each unit includes a foam windscreen and a single mic clip. The entire package ships in an impact-resistant, compression-molded neoprene zippered case.
Jonathan Pusey, Hosa Technology director of sales and marketing, states, “The Mogan Elite earset microphone delivers impressive performance, enabling this microphone to be right at home in a number of high-end applications, including broadcast and theater, in which audio performance is critical. In addition to world-class audio quality, the Elite earset mic is very comfortable to wear and may be worn without distraction for hours on end.
“The earpiece is highly adjustable and the boom mechanism facilitates precise positioning of the microphone’s capsule. I am quite confident the Elite earset will be right at home in a number of demanding audio environments.”
Enter The PSW Sweepstakes To Win An Audio-Technica Microphone Or Headphones
Enter to win an Audio-Technica microphone or headphones in the first PSW Sweepstakes of 2012.
ProSoundWeb is giving away three Audio-Technica 50th Anniversary Limited Edition products each month in January, February and March.
Specifically, for each drawing, we’re giving away:
1st prize - AT4050/LE Multi-Pattern Condenser Microphone —Special 50th anniversary edition in silver-colored metallic finish with etched-on serial number and carefully crafted wooden carrying case —Transparent uppers/mids balanced by rich low-end qualities combine with advanced acoustic engineering for extensive performance capabilities and highest quality —Dual-diaphragm capsule design maintains precise polar pattern definition across the full frequency range of the microphone —The 2-micron-thick, vapor-deposited gold diaphragms undergo a five-step aging process so that the optimum characteristics achieved remain constant over years of use —Three switchable polar patterns: omni, cardioid, figure-of-eight —Transformerless circuitry virtually eliminates low-frequency distortion and provides superior correlation of high-speed transients —State-of-the-art surface-mount electronics ensure compliance with A-T’s stringent consistency and reliability standards —Switchable 80 Hz hi-pass filter and 10 dB pad —Custom shock mount provides superior isolation —Valued at $995.
2nd prize - ATM25/LE Hypercardioid Dynamic Instrument Microphone —Exclusive 50th anniversary edition in silver-colored metallic finish with serial number etched on the surface —Ideal for kick drum, toms, and other highly dynamic instruments —Handles very high SPL at close range —Big, warm low-frequency response with excellent presence —Multi-level grille and rugged construction —Offers very full sound on close-up vocals and dialogue —Corrosion-resistant contacts from gold-plated XLRM-type connector —Rugged, all-metal design and construction for years of trouble-free use —Valued at $489
3rd prize - ATH-M50s/LE Professional Studio Monitor Headphones —Special 50th anniversary edition in silver-colored metallic finish —Exceptional audio quality for professional monitoring and mixing —Collapsible design ideal for easy portability and convenient storage —Proprietary 45 mm large-aperture drivers with neodymium magnet systems —Closed-back cushioned earcup design creates an outstanding seal for maximum isolation —Adjustable padded headband for comfort during long mixing/recording sessions —Single-sided straight cable terminates to gold-plated mini-plug with screw-on 1/4-inch adapter —Valued at $209
Go here to enter the latest PSW Sweepstakes. Note that entrants are asked to register to receive the ProSoundWeb Daily e-newsletter.
Rat Sound Deploys L-Acoustics KARAi At Orange County’s Galaxy Theatre
Orange County’s 40-year-old Galaxy Theatre changed ownership back in August and has now undergone a significant metamorphosis into two separate live performance spaces: the intimate 350-capacity Constellation Room and much larger Observatory, which can accommodate an audience of over 1,000.
One of the primary improvements made to the venue in the process was the installation of L-Acoustics KARAi line source arrays provided by Certified Provider Rat Sound Systems of Camarillo, California.
Jon Reiser, along with business partner Courtney Michaelis and a third silent partner, are the team behind transforming the Galaxy from a lackluster aging venue into an edgy hipster hangout that consistently attracts some of the brightest up-and-coming acts like Foster the People, Crystal Castles, The Naked and Famous, Young the Giant, Tyga and Warpaint. Reiser is no stranger to SoCal’s indie music scene having previously spent five years as a partner and talent buyer for Costa Mesa’s Detroit Bar.
Shortly after purchasing the Galaxy, Reiser brought in L.A.‘s Foster the People to play the newly dubbed Observatory. Knowing that the club’s pre-existing PA system wouldn’t be adequate to cover the crowd for such a popular band, he turned to Rat Sound to provide a temporary dV-DOSC rig while simultaneously initiating the design process to permanently integrate a new KARAi system.
Today, the Observatory features left and right arrays each comprised of six KARAi elements flown adjacent to two SB18i subs. Four SB28 subs are also located down on the floor—two housed in bunkers inside the stage plus one on each side of the stage.
A custom enclosure built across the front of the stage houses four coaxial 8XT front-fill speakers, while a single 115XT HiQ flown in the center of the house two feet downstage of the stage lip serves as a downfill. All systems are powered and processed by LA8 amplified controllers housed in racks at the monitor mix position.
Rat Sound provided not only the installation of the L-Acoustics arrays, but the rest of the venue’s sound and lighting systems and acoustic treatments as a full turnkey package.
Rat Sound director of installations David Myers notes that the rental dV-DOSC system helped minimize the venue’s downtime to only two nights despite the significant amount of remodeling and equipment upgrades.
“With the new acoustic treatments and KARAi system in place, the Observatory sounds phenomenal,” says Myers. “KARAi is extremely coherent; it’s like having the artist right in front of you in a studio environment. And the bands, engineers, promoters and audiences are all loving the sound. The Naked and Famous recently played the room and their front-of-house engineer told us after the show that we had totally spoiled him for the rest of the dates on their tour.”
Reiser adds, “The Naked and Famous immediately booked another show with us for March and I know that a big part of that was because of how impressed they were with the system and production level. We’ve had a lot of really great shows in here lately—including Scott Weiland, two nights with Young the Giant, and an epic New Year’s weekend with ATB and Tiesto—and everyone’s walked away at the end of the night being very happy with the house sound.”
Revolabs Enhances HD Control Panel For Entire HD Line Of Wireless Microphone Systems
Revolabs has announced that the company’s Windows-based HD Control Panel software has been enhanced to support the entire HD line of wireless microphone systems, bringing the monitoring and configuration tools found on the Executive HD to the HD Single/Dual Channel and the HD Venue systems.
In addition, based upon customer feedback, Revolabs has created several new features for the HD line, including a DIP switch display, mute groups for Executive HD systems, and an expanded control system API.
With the HD Control Panel, users can monitor and control networked HD wireless microphone systems from a single PC software program with an intuitive graphical user interface.
The HD Control Panel allows users to control the mute status and gain of each microphone, and to lock out presenters from using the mute button.
The software also provides the ability to monitor each microphone closely for its real-time status, such as battery level.
The monitor tab of the HD Control Panel has been enhanced to provide the DIP switch status for each system, eliminating the need to look on the back of the system to see which switches are active.
Revolabs has also added several commands to the HD systems’ API, allowing A/V control systems to send global commands, turn off microphones, and even initiate pairing, all from the convenience of a room’s touch panel.
Finally, Revolabs has bolstered the Executive HD with the ability to assign systems to mute groups. This allows all systems in a building to be bussed together without muting each other, unless they are assigned to the same group.
“We are pleased to bring the capabilities of the HD Control Panel to users of our HD Single/Dual Channel and HD Venue systems, in addition to offering powerful new features across our entire HD line,” says JP Carney, CEO of Revolabs. “We take pride in listening to our customers as we continually strive to meet their evolving needs. New features, such as those released today, are a direct result of customer feedback.”
The enhanced HD Control Panel and new features are available through a firmware update (version 2.6.1) to both the base station and microphones. The update is available now at www.revolabs.com/downloads.
New feature enhancements require a Gold unlock code provided as part of a Revolabs service plan. Any system that has previously been unlocked will automatically receive the new features upon completion of the firmware upgrade..
QSC Audio Products has announced the addition of two new members to its professional team, with the appointments of Joe Peavey to the position of product manager, software and Steve Spittle to the position of business development manager.
Peavey will be working with the Q-Sys team to identify and define improvements and additions to Q-Sys software functionality as well as providing high-level technical support. He has a lengthy background in the installed sound market by his work with the family business, Peavey Electronics, specifically working in manufacturing, tech support and finally product manager of the MediaMatrix line of DSP products.
Since leaving Peavey Electronics in 2006, Peavey has focused on creating hardware and software solutions for various audio manufacturers and consulting services for integrators in the U.S. and Canada.
“In the many months since my first interactions with the company, QSC continually amazes me with their attention to the market, their workforce and quality,” says Peavey. “I am proud to join forces with an organization of their caliber and reputation on a product at the top of its game.”
Spittle, in his new role at business development manager, will focus on expanding opportunities for growth in the company’s integrated systems business. He was previously western U.S. sales manager at Avid, and a vice president/owner at Millar Electronics, a manufacturers’ rep firm located in the southeastern U.S.
“QSC makes great products and cares about its customers,” he says. “I’m looking forward to working with this dynamic team to continue to build on this foundation for growth.”
Spittle is located in QSC’s Costa Mesa headquarters, while Peavey is located in the company’s satellite offices in Boulder, CO.
Meyer Sound Promotes Miguel Lourtie To European Technical Services Manager
Meyer Sound has announced Miguel Lourtie as its new European technical services manager, where he will supervise the company’s technical support team in Europe and assume primary responsibility for sales support and design services in the region.
“Customer support is paramount at Meyer Sound,” says John Monitto, Meyer Sound’s director of technical support worldwide. “Our customers expect an extremely high level of technical expertise and customer service. With his outstanding technical skills, customer rapport, experience in the field, and fluency in several languages, Miguel is a great fit to lead our technical group in Europe.”
Lourtie joined Meyer Sound European technical services in 2007, and has played a vital role in supporting a number of major Meyer Sound projects across the continent, including the Mantziusgården Culture Center, Montreux Jazz Festival, and the Grimaldi Forum. He also serves as a seminar instructor as part of Meyer Sound’s extensive education program.
Prior to joining Meyer Sound, Lourtie founded Lourisom, an audio consulting and distribution business in Portugal and previously a Meyer Sound distributor.
“To ensure a seamless show, high-quality audio tools and the person driving the system are equally crucial,” says Lourtie. “The Meyer Sound tech support network has some of the best sound engineers in the industry, and I look forward to working even more closely with them to help our customers get the best out of their Meyer Sound equipment.”
Lourtie will continue to be based in Lisbon, Portugal.
ESS Audio Outfits Stadion Miejski With System Headlined By Harman Components For Euro 2012 Champ
Polish technology company ESS Audio is midway through an intensive development program that will see the completion of several world-class football stadia by the time Poland co-hosts the UEFA Euro 2012 Championship (along with Ukraine) next summer.
Earlier this year, ESS Audio commissioned an integrated Harman Pro audio components in the new PGE Arena in Gdansk, before turning its attention to Stadion Miejski in Wroclaw, the highest Category 4 Municipal Stadium in the country.
The ESS technical team engaged in a similar fast-fit installation for the rebuilding of the 42,000-capacity stadium, again sourcing most of the equipment from the Harman Pro portfolio.
ESS Audio worked within an innovative architectural concept—devised by JSK Architekci and built by German company, Max Boegl—in which the building is covered by glass fiber mesh coated with a Teflon fiber net façade. As with the successful PGE Arena design, the company used EASE predictions for system optimization, dividing the stadium stands into 14 separate zones, and assigning a zone each to the ancillary UEFA, VIP and Incentive boxes.
ESS Audio has equipped the main bowl and stands with JBL PD Series loudspeakers, with rotated horns, specifying a total of 59 PD5200/95-WRX (90 x 50 degrees) and 28 x PD5200/43-WRX (40 x 30 degrees) weatherized speakers, along with 56 PD5125-WRX weatherized subwoofers. These have mainly been mounted in clusters of five, comprising two PD5200/43-WRX, one PD5200/95-WRX and two PD5125-WRX weatherized speakers.
A further three single PD5200/95’s fire onto the field, with two single clusters playing in front of the LED screens, aiming 90 degrees down to the lower seating. Two additional clusters, comprising a pair of PD5200/95-WRX and PD5125-WRX, are set behind the LED screens for mid and high seat coverage.
With the wind factor a major area for consideration, ESS prepared custom brackets for the PD enclosures, and as a further precaution, secured each PD loudspeaker in the cluster with a steel line covered in polymer.
Powering the rig are 47 Crown CTs3000 amplifiers, fitted with PIP USP4 processor modules, and interfaced with a BSS Soundweb London DSP environment—allowing distribution over CobraNet, and for the system to be remotely controlled and monitored via Harman HiQnet System Architect.
The stadium is divided into a number of dedicated zones, including 20 VIP boxes,10 further Incentive Boxes (and UEFA boxes), a Business Club, a general esplanade / concourse, a fan shop, team zones (including indoor swimming pool) and media zone. In the UEFA, Incentive and VIP areas, a further 90 JBL Control Contractor 8128 ceiling speakers have been specified—powered by Crown CTs600 amplification.
Amp racks are stationed in the four corners of the stadium (each containing a BSS Soundweb London BLU-80 DSP), while an additional BLU-800 processor is located in the Skybox. All five processors are equipped with Input/Output cards.
Each rack also contains an automatic amp changeover (in the unlikely event of amplifier failure), an Edimax switch along with several Moxa optical-Ethernet converters/switches, making the system fully redundant. This is easily interfaced with the stadium’s voice evacuation and fire alarm system via Soundweb London.
Up in the Skybox is the technical control room where a Soundcraft GB4-16 console, a pair of JBL LSR2325P studio monitors, a rack with AKG DMS 700 wireless mic systems, various line devices (players and recorders) and Soundcraft redundant console power supply are located.
From the Skybox music is broadcast and live announcements made, with an adjacent room for evacuation procedures, complete with fireman’s switch.
The installation meets all required standards (including an STI of 0.5). ESS provided full training including use of the Skybox equipment, System Architect software and general problem solving. They will be able to log on and carry out regular health checks under strict safety rules.
According to ESS Audio project manager Witold Karalow, this stadium project has been one of the most challenging the company has undertaken.
Aside from Karalow, the ESS Audio project team in Wroclaw comprised system designer Wojciech Zielinski and BSS Soundweb programmer Konrad Fengler, with Wojciech Kopytek handling system setup and Dariusz Kuta serving as project coordinator.
Full Compass Systems Appoints Jim Ripp As Assistance Sales Manager
Full Compass Systems has named Jim Ripp as its new assistant sales manager, bringing a wide range of music industry related sales and management experience to the role.
Ripp studied at the University of Wisconsin - School of Music with a dual degree in Piano Performance and K-12 Music Education. While there, he began working at Forbes-Meagher Music Company as a sales/general manager, and also served as director of education.
In addition to handling sales and accounting functions at Forbes, Ripp managed a team of 18 and developed music training programs for youth and seniors.
In 1993, Ripp began working concurrently for Falcetti Music Co. as a store manager, sales representative and teacher, which had him managing a team of employees and teachers while gaining experience in sales, customer service and technical support.
Roxanne Wenzel, vice president of sales and marketing for Full Compass states, “Jim is a great fit for our organization. His skills and experience will greatly complement the sales management we already have in place and help us continue our double-digit growth.”
Adamson Subwoofer Technology Chosen For German Science Experiments
The professorship of Mechatronics at the Helmut-Schmidt University and University of the German Federal Armed Forces in Hamburg has chosen 16 Adamson Systems B-118 subwoofers for a new sound reinforcement system used as the primary sound projection source with an aircraft passenger cabin model.
This experimental loudspeaker rig will be used for studying the effects of noise emissions of the controversial propfan engines inside of the cabin, and the effectiveness of active noise cancelling measures.
The B-118 subwoofers are utilized to re-create a specific acoustic signature of the engine at realistic sound pressure levels.
The department, headed by Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Delf Sachau, is internationally respected as a leading research institute for cabin acoustics and active noise cancellation technologies and has multiple partnerships with global players in the commercial aerospace industry.
The new system was installed by Adamson Europe’s Jochen Sommer, in cooperation with Dr.-Ing. Oliver Pabst and Dipl.-Ing. Kai Simanowski.
The B-118 subs were chosen to meet the project’s needs for compact, powerful low-frequency loudspeakers with a frequency range of 40 to 400 Hz, along with extended high-pass characteristics.
Further, the subs needed to be cost effective, as a greater number of units was needed in order to achieve increased flexibility in respect to pattern control through physical placement of each cabinet, and individual processing.
The subwoofers are driven by two Lab.gruppen C48:4 amplifiers and controlled by a single Xilica XA-2040 processor.
The B-118 employs a single AW18 driver, which has an 18-inch woven Kevlar diaphragm driver. With its extremely high stiffness to mass ratio, Kevlar helps eliminate the effects of cone fatigue while providing enhanced long term reliability.
The AW18 continues to be used in a variety of Adamson loudspeakers, including as the LF extension in the Y18 cabinet, as well as in the SpekTrix Sub enclosure.
“The Adamson speakers met our specifications and demands in terms of output, reliability, and acoustic focusing. Further positive effects of the controlled low frequency radiation are greater energy efficiency, and reduced spill towards neighboring test rigs. Flexibility and control of this system offers new possibilities for our acoustic research projects,” states Dipl.-Ing. Kai Simanoswki.
Community Delivers Sound Throughout New Salvation Army Kroc Center (Includes Video)
McDonald’s founders Ray and Joan Kroc were known for supporting a variety of charitable causes, and their legacy continues with a multi-billion dollar donation to the Salvation Army for the construction of several community centers in cities across America.
The latest Kroc Center, recently opened in North Philadelphia, is one of the largest facilities of its kind on the East Coast, with 130,000 square feet that includes a world-class aquatics center, fitness center, worship and performing arts facilities, café and culinary education center, as well as a wide range of programs for kids, adults and senior citizens.
Quality sound reinforcement was also a big part of the plan for the facility, explains Joe Zamborsky of RTS Unified Communications, which specified a selection of Community Professional Loudspeakers for the project, including R-Series, WET-Series and CLOUD6 in-ceiling systems to cover the pool areas, worship center, fitness center gymnasium and numerous other areas.
“In any major project like this one, there are a number of challenges,” says Zamborsky. Clearly, the project’s tight six-month schedule was a demanding one, as was the need to be exceptionally flexible in the face of numerous logistical challenges.
“On more than one occasion, plans had to be altered due to unforeseen surprises during the construction process. “The number one most important thing is communication,” he observes. “We maintained a daily, ongoing dialogue with everyone involved in the project, and that was key to our ability to keep things moving.”
The Community loudspeakers fit the bill on multiple levels, says Zamborsky, “particularly in the pool areas, which combined a tremendously reverberant environment with an exceptionally high humidity, the R-Series was the only choice. Not only do they look great, but they sound terrific.”
The competition pool area offered up additional challenges as well. “Aside from having to cover the pool area itself, we were tasked with creating a separate system to cover the stands, which are tucked away in their own alcove,” Zamborsky adds. “We chose the Community WET Series to cover that area, because they provided both a tight, focused coverage pattern and a high degree of intelligibility.”
Dynamics Of Product Procurement In The Commercial Electronic Systems Industry
The latest Market Intelligence Briefing (MIB) report from the National Systems Contractors Association (NSCA), Channel Trends and Issues: Dynamics of Product Procurement in the Low Voltage Commercial Electronic Systems Industry, examines the continually evolving product procurement opportunities many systems integrators face in today’s way of conducting business.
The report provides a distinct difference in the varying methods – including sales representatives to two-step distributors – and outlines the trends of purchasing, product sourcing, dealer business programs, and how systems integrators evaluate their supplier sources.
An evolving distribution channel is causing systems integrators to make decisions on product procurement, providing challenges to the traditional marketplace in the low voltage systems channel.
As businesses streamline and become more efficient, the number of brands of products carried and installed has become more specific, driving the relationships between suppliers and integrators to become an important factor of the distribution model.
The relationship between these suppliers, be it from manufacturers (nearly 50 percent of the respondents purchased gear directly from 6-25 manufacturers) or distributors, (76 percent of integrators purchase from 3-10 distributors), is becoming more important.
However, in 2007, integrators purchased an average of 38 percent of their equipment/supplies through two-step distributors, and in 2011 only 34 percent of total equipment/supplies purchased came from distributors.
Interestingly, smaller firms who procure more products from distributors cannot compete with minimum order and annual purchase requirements, allowing two-step distributors to pave a way for smaller firms to be viable and competitive.
Further, the report shows that some integrators have purchased equipment from distributors to gain advantages such as special pricing, reduced or free freight and other incentives despite having dealer relationships.
Understanding the benefits of a dealer business program are critical to the relationship regardless of which distribution model you choose. Of most importance to the integrators were product/technical training and support and “live” customer service (aka, talking to a real person).
Price also proved to be an important factor, but training and customer service remain the top two factors when determining your partners and providers in business. A strategy applied to all factors of your business from sale to installation to maintenance.
Beyond the business programs, integrators were asked to rate their favorite suppliers, and while there were similar responses, the highly rated distributors featured easy access to “people;” a warranty tied with products, technical training, support; system design assistance tied with a good return policy; and finally sales/training support.
Of least importance were incentives, mobile apps with technical data and coop advertising or “key city money” programs.
The report also shows a majority of integrators prefer field sales reps for audio equipment and for control and interface, security and life safety, telephony, racks, mounts, furniture, accessories, lighting and lighting controls equipment a more direct link to the manufacturers is preferred. Two-step distributors ranked higher in data cabling, security and life safety, telephony and other accessories.
Of other importance is the difference from 2007 to today in the ratings of both local sales reps and distributors in general. Reps in general were rated higher in 2011, and while the ratings for distributors also were higher in 2011 than in 2007, sales representative still ranked higher than distributors.
More detailed information is included in the report showing the important factors used in rating the various distribution models, dealer business programs, how suppliers are chosen and the preferences of product procurement.
NSCA’s MIB reports provide members with current data on key industry issues complete with statistical results, interpretation, implications, market knowledge and implementation goals. NSCA members can access the full report at www.nsca.org/mib.
PreSonus Adds New Control Options To StudioLive Mixers
PreSonus has announced new updates to its StudioLive Series digital mixers, including a number of features not found on any other digital mixer from any manufacturer.
New features include:
QMix. Up to 10 musicians can simultaneously control their PreSonus StudioLive monitor (aux) mixes using an iPhone or iPod touch and PreSonus’ QMix app, a free download from the Apple App Store. QMix/VSL is the only solution that allows multiple users to each control their own aux from separate iPhones.
Smaart Engine Technology. PreSonus has begun incorporating Rational Acoustics Smaart Measurement Technology for sound-system analysis and optimization directly into PreSonus Virtual StudioLive remote-control/editor/librarian software.
With Smaart technology and VSL, you’ll be able to precisely identify nasty feedback frequencies and get your loudspeakers to play nicer with the room-all without having a degree in acoustical engineering.
The first version of VSL to incorporate Smaart technology will be part of PreSonus Universal Control 1.6, which is expected to be available later this spring.
Universal Control 1.5.3 and StudioLive Remote 1.2. Universal Control 1.5.3 features an improved version of Virtual StudioLive that supports the new QMix iPhone app, including QMix permissions (so that each user controls only one specified aux mix) and the ability to name aux buses.
Universal Control 1.5.3 also adds VSL features that work with PreSonus StudioLive Remote 1.2 for iPad to enable SL Remote permissions so that iPad users can only control front-of-house mixer features or a specified aux. Tap tempo has been added to both VSL and StudioLive Remote.
VSL adds the ability to copy and load channels, copy main mix to aux mix (and aux to aux), link channel faders so that they can move together, and make your StudioLive mixer default to Fader Locate Mode once a fader has been adjusted in VSL or in StudioLive Remote for iPad.
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.
