For the fourth consecutive summer Christie® 3-chip DLP® projectors will be lighting up Ottawa’s famed Parliament Hill with a rich and engaging display that attracts more than 250,000 visitors annually . The gripping narrative of Canadian history via the National Capital Commission’s sound and light show, “Mosaika – Canada Through the Eyes of Its People� begins July 10 and ends September 7 this year.

Accompanied by lights, a 5.1 surround system, and audio track produced by Groupe Phaneauf, the four Christie Roadster S+20K and five Christie Roadster HD18K projectors paint a video canvas onto the 472-feet long by 246-feet tall, six story high Parliament Building Centre Block including the iconic Peace Tower in the middle. One portion features a dramatic 3D segment where the entire structure appears to move in and out in 3D space.

A Journey in Three Acts
Act One explores Canadian landscapes and our founding peoples. The journey begins at Canada’s beautiful west coast, then soars eastward, over the Rocky Mountains, through the foothills and prairies, across the Great Lakes, down the St. Lawrence River, into the Atlantic Ocean, and then northeast to modern-day Newfoundland and Labrador. From here, the audience is taken north, passing ice floes and polar bears, into Canada’s Arctic region, where the aurora borealis dances in the velvety night sky. Along the way, the audience discovers the gorgeous mosaic of natural landscapes, flora and fauna that make up Canada’s diverse natural world.

Canada’s founding peoples are also introduced in Act One, and the storyline carries the audience beyond Canada’s Confederation in 1867. ‘Mosaika’ presents how multitudes of people, ideas and voices have combined in a great discussion to create this country.

Act Two presents Canadian achievements. It begins with the railroad — the great iron link that tied the country together and encouraged westward expansion and settlement. Other achievements are explored, in war and in peace, social achievements that helped to create Canada’s rights and freedoms, as well as Canadian achievements in the arts and culture. Great Canadians are encountered, including Agnes Macphail, Tommy Douglas, Terry Fox and many others.

Act Three is a discussion of Canadian values. In the third act of ‘Mosaika,’ Canadians from across the country are seen and heard, discussing what is important to them, what it means to be Canadian, and their hopes for the future. Their encouraging and inspirational words drive ‘Mosaika’ toward its emotional climax.

From History to Projection Mapping Reality with Christie Reliability
Jean-Marc Beauvalet, manager, technical services, National Capital Commission (NCC), said the NCC used two Christie projectors for the predecessor of the current show; however, ‘Mosaika’ was one of its first forays into multi-projector use and projection mapping.

“Because of our experience with them, we were fully confident using the Christie projectors for ‘Mosaika,’� said Beauvalet. “Christie has played an important role in helping us achieve our goals with this presentation – to reflect what Canada and its history are all about.�

“We had used Christie projectors before and were fully confident of their performance – and, as the projectors play such a crucial role, that made everything else easier to deal with. After Moment Factory – the show designer – did a full pixel mapping of the buildings, our biggest challenge was how to repeat the placement of these projectors to ensure a perfect performance every night. The solution they came up with for the projectors that stayed on the hill was to have the projectors on hydraulic lifts with repeatable heights; they have a sensor that stops them at 120 inches so every performance is exact.�

Not only the production itself but also the public and media reaction impresses the NCC.

“The projection mapping creates something magical that people aren’t expecting – they don’t expect to see their Parliament Building transformed into such beautiful colors and delightful imagery. People say, ‘this is incredible. I never thought I would see anything like this in my life.’ It’s an honor to see visitors and Canadians with smiling faces telling us how wonderful the show experience was,â€� Beauvalet concluded. “With the help of Christie, we have achieved our goal with this presentation – to instill a strong feeling of pride in our country and our capital with a one-of-a-kind free nightly show. I can say that Christie and its technology are extremely reliable. They deliver exactly what they say they will.â€�

“‘Mosaika’ is an extraordinary accomplishment that presents the history of Canada in a way that is entertaining, educational, and visually compelling,� said Kathryn Cress, vice president, global and corporate marketing, Christie. “We are very proud the National Capital Commission selected Christie projectors to be part of this exceptionally innovative and memorable event.�

The Who‘s 1973 rock opera Quadrophenia—which sets the tale of teen Jimmy Cooper amidst the global sociocultural upheaval and psychological angst of the times and the rivalry between Britain’s mods and rockers—has been reprised in a multimedia display on the band’s latest outing. The 37 date tour, which began in November and runs through the end of February, celebrates the four-decade anniversary of the album’s release and marks the band’s first major North American tour in four years. Even long-departed drummer Keith Moon and bassist John Entwistle make cameo appearances, joining remaining original members Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey. Entwistle’s virtuosity and famous bass solo on “5:15″ are showcased in live footage shot at the Royal Albert Hall in 2000, which streams onscreen. They also pay tribute to the late Keith Moon; their performance of “Bell Boy” incorporates video footage of a 1974 performance, with Moon’s vocals dubbed in from the LP (one of the only times in Who history his vocals were heard on an album).

The Quadrophenia tour also reunites the band with production partners Eighth Day Sound, who have worked with the iconic rockers on their last three major tours. This time out they’re carrying a pair of DiGiCo SD7 desks (each running the latest MACH III software) for FOH and band monitors, plus an SD-Rack at FOH and a d&b audiotechnik J-Series PA. The audio crew is comprised of longtime Who FOH engineer Robert Collins, Simon Higgs on monitors with support from Eighth Day’s Senior Audio Engineer Mark Brnich, and sound techs Drew Marbar and Carl Popek. [Pictured: Popek, Marbar, Collins, Higgs and Brnich.]

Collins started with the band in the late 1990s-early 2000s, and has also worked with Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend on their solo projects, trading tours with engineer Paul Ramsey in between tours with Eric Clapton and others. “Paul used to look after me; he was my systems tech on The Who. I made sure the team was put in place, you know, ‘cause an English band should have an English engineer—or British, I should say. I’m Welsh, though. So here I am back. They wanted to get me back for this, and luckily it worked out timing-wise with the schedule. It’s worked out with Eric so I can go do that as well this year.�

A relative newcomer to the SD7, Collins is certainly no stranger to DiGiCo (he’s an early D5 adopter and part of the DiGiCo family). Collins says he wouldn’t part with his trusty D5 until this tour. “She’s been really good to me. Y’know? Obviously, I’ve grown up with the D5, so I was like, ‘I’ll just stay on my D5, thank you very much.’ I wasn’t ready to go to the SD7 until I knew we had the new racks… and honestly I couldn’t justify going to an SD7 working with a four-piece (like Clapton) playing blues and such, you know? I mean, that thing can run a small country, can’t it?! But for this tour, it seemed like it was time.�

Right out of the gate, he was floored by the SD7’s sonics. “It just sounds great, doesn’t it? And the biggest thing for me personally with digital desks is, I’m old-school. I come from the old analog school. I feel like I’m a part of the band. I learned the music. I’m into the music. I do the music. I know what everybody plays, what everybody does. That’s my thing. I’m not into the technical side. I just want a bass drum to sound like a bass drum. I want the piano to sound like a piano. And if you don’t get a feeling off a desk… I find that this console is musical. I feel musical on it. I feel as if I’m doing something on it. Not to mention any names, but there are other digital desks and I don’t get anything out of them. It’s like working a laptop, for God’s sake! That’s one thing about all the boys at DiGiCo: they came from the old school. They knew what we wanted. They spoke to engineers. But they didn’t just speak to them like every other company; they listened to them.

“I think DiGiCo consoles are the best out there. What you can do with this one is way beyond me. I don’t need to go down that line. Don’t tell James [Gordon, DiGiCo’s managing director], but I’m still not using Snapshots! I still do it all myself; I like to do it myself. I want to be part of it. I want to switch the guitar on when it’s supposed to be on. I feel part of it, and that’s what I want to feel. I don’t think in the digital domain.�

Monitor engineer Simon Higgs presides over the other SD7 at stage left, managing approximately 112 inputs for IEMs and such for the nine-piece band. He’s also a veteran Who member, starting in ’98 with Townshend on his Lifehouse project. He’s a diehard DiGiCo engineer, having also used the consoles since their release a decade ago.

“It’s the only digital console that I really care to use and the only one I really like,� Higgs explains. “I used a D5 with the Los Angeles band Sparks when they did 21 albums in 21 shows back in 2007, and that was the first time I really used the D5 for an extended tour… 150-odd songs, all programmed in. The Who’s monitor mix was analog for a long time until it started getting bigger and bigger and we realized we had to move to digital. So we started using two D5s, but that filled up quick. We currently are using an analog console for Pete, who has his own operator, and I look after the rest of the band on the SD7.�

With nearly 112 channels of odds and sods, Higgs says he has a lot going on managing the band’s in-ears, a few random wedges around the stage and submixing stems for Townshend’s mix. “My desk is pretty full; 112 channels and they’re pretty much filled up. A lot of outputs. I’ve still got some floor monitors up there. I’m mixing down to the analog console as well, which is just a 16-channel desk, so I’ll mix all the drums, drum floor monitors, drum sub, floor shakers [drum thumpers] under his seat…�

Having everyone on in-ears has made his job a bit easier. “Roger decided that in order for The Who to work again, he had to get used to in-ears… he couldn’t have a half-dozen wedges all around him like he used to. So he’s gone through the whole process of getting used to in-ears. They’re all on Jerry Harveys, and that’s really enabled the band to work again. Pete’s still got conventional fill monitors; he’s got four around him, just split up, one doing vocal, a stereo pair doing something else, and there’ll be acoustic guitar in the wedge, and then a monitor behind him that has sound effects for ‘Quadrophenia’ or the loops that are in ‘Who Are You’ and ‘Baba O’Riley.’�

For effects, he’s primarily using what’s in the console, save a few outboard pieces, including a Lexicon PCM 60 for the snare drum, and a Bricasti M7 reverb for Roger’s vocal that he says “is absolutely amazing.�

‘Amazing’ is often the tone of reviews streaming in from critics and fans, not only heralding the show but also the durability of both Townshend and Daltrey. Their “My Generation� anthem notwithstanding (�I hope I die before I get old�), the founding members did just that (both are now in their late ‘60s) and if the Quadrophenia tour is any indication, they still have a lot of rockin’ left to go. As for engineer Robert Collins, it’s a full-circle homecoming of sorts, having grown up on their music.

“I got a good memory on me,� he laughs. “It’s very short. But The Who have been part of my musical thing. Them, the Beatles, the Stones, the Kinks—that’s what I grew up on. In fact, I was pissed off at them, actually. As a teen, I queued up in the top rank in Swansea in Wales to see The Who, and they didn’t fucking turn up! I was pissed off. They had a fight or something. This was the ‘60s. But it’s kind of funny… Who’d have thought that when I was growing up trying to play in little bands and not very good, listening to all these great singers, that I’d end up engineering for many of them?�

UK manufacturer DiGiCo held the coveted position as console provider for the second year in a row at the annual GRAMMY® Awards this year. The 55th installment of “Music’s Biggest Night” was overall a bigger show musically, with 20 acts on the schedule, up from 2012′s 18. As the show’s live performances have expanded, so has its audio footprint. With audio production facilitated by ATK AudioTek (and consoles provided by Hi-Tech Audio), the digital desk count handing both music and production included five DiGiCo SD Series desks: four SD7s (an upgrade from last year’s SD10s) and the addition of an SD5, as well as 11 SD Racks (up from last year’s six).

At the MusiCares event the Friday night preceding the GRAMMYs, engineer George Squires manned a DiGiCo SD7 with four DigiRacks at monitors to provide 170 inputs to 28 stereo ear mixes and 30 wedge mixes. Delicate Productions handled the audio production. On the 85th installation of the prestigious Academy Awards, ATK provided audio production with a Peterson-designed system comprised of three SD Racks, an SD5 at FOH helmed by Pat Baltzel and an SD10 run by Mike Parker. Hi-Tech Audio provided console support for all these events.

The GRAMMY and Oscar systems were both designed by ATK’s FOH Tech Jeff Peterson. On the GRAMMY event, Peterson also served as the system tech with assistance from Andrew “Fletch” Fletcher. The GRAMMY audio team again included consultant Ron Reaves mixing all of the live performance elements at FOH on an SD7, and ATK’s VP of Special Events Mikael Stewart on an SD5 managing all the nonmusical production assets. At stage right (“A”) and left (“B”), respectively, Tom Pesa and Mike Parker facilitated artist monitor mixes using a pair of SD7s (with an additional “guest” rig used for sets by Justin Timberlake and Bruno Mars). [Pictured LtoR: ATK FOH Tech Jeff Peterson; Leslie Anne Jones, The Recording Academy®, Producers & Engineers Wing®; Production Mixer Mikael Stewart, ATK; Andrew “Fletchâ€� Fletcher, Audio Consultant; FOH music mixer Ron Reaves (seated).]

“Overall, we have a massive total of 276 mic preamps and 176 outputs distributed between five consoles and 11 DiGiCo SD Racks,” explains Peterson. “Those four consoles, plus eight SD Racks, are on one optical loop, each connected to one of ATK’s 56-pair splitters. The guest monitor SD7 console is on its own optical loop, with three more SD racks. Also new is JBL’s newest line array, the Pro VTX V25 3-way system (powered by Crown ITech 1200 HD amps).

“In addition, we have more than 50 wireless microphones this year,” he adds, “which take up an entire splitter. We have almost an entire splitter dedicated to what we call high-level items, which are things like playback from the truck, Pro Tools lines, all of the production elements, and the podium mics (that are not for use with a band) are down the fourth splitter. The first two splitters are dedicated just for band inputs, one for stage right and one for stage left. This year we’re using AES outputs directly from SD racks in three locations to drive the amplifiers to the PA system. So it’s a whole digital system path again. What we eliminated was a second optical loop just to do the amplifiers. So everything is on one optical loop, with the SD Racks and the consoles.”

The transformer splits themselves are where the copper stops, Peterson explains, and are the dividing line between the live PA side with the DiGiCo SD racks and the trucks. From the ATK splitters, the signals go on to all of the different head amps: one to the two recording M3/Music Mix Mobile trucks, one to the main Denali broadcast truck, and one to the head amps for the DiGiCo consoles. “From there, it’s all various flavors of fiber, whether it’s Optocore to us or MADI to the M3 truck, or Hydra to the Denali. Once it leaves the transformer split, it’s pre-amped and converted to digital from there on. So the inputs come from the stage and then they are split up and sent to multiple destinations. The broadcast truck gets all of the raw microphones the same way we do. They do their mix, package it together with the broadcast items, the show elements and the production elements and send it out for broadcast. They also generate a lot of signals that we take out here: all of the videotaped packages, all of the music play-ons and play-offs, any band’s Pro Tools backing tracks—all of those are generated and routed from the truck through another splitter system to the rest of our consoles.”

“The SD system worked flawlessly,” sums up FOH production mixer Mikael Stewart. “The flexibility of the SD5 and SD7 are exactly what is needed for a show like the GRAMMY Awards.”

“I have continued my love affair with the DiGiCo console,” adds Ron Reaves, “having done quite a few gigs this last year on both the SD10 and the SD7. We started using these last year, and decided that this is all we wanted to use moving forward. This year, both monitor mixers switched from SD10s to SD7s, and that worked out great. The SD7 continues to be the best tool for my particular job at the GRAMMYs, and helped contribute to another great-sounding show out at FOH. I’ve particularly enjoyed the new dynamics package, and feel that between the new de-essers, and the dynamic EQ (a gift from the sound gods), that there’s no vocal ‘problem’ that can’t be tamed with this console. I’ve enjoyed some of the best vocal sounds I’ve ever gotten, too, thanks to this console.

“This year, there was a bit of extra pressure put on us at FOH to get mixes together faster in soundcheck,” Ron continues. “The demand has grown to have the first pass of a song be as close to the full band sound as possible and the console has helped me to accomplish this with the use of presets. I use a lot of presets and pre-dial pretty much everything so I’m never starting from scratch when we start rehearsing a band. That’s been a very helpful tool to have. The addition of the “presentation performances,” where a performer does a song and then introduces another performer, was also tricky and another place where the console excelled. I wrote separate snapshots in order to switch between these segments instantaneously and that worked great. For example, Hunter Hayes performed out on that dish stage in the middle of audience. When he finished, he immediately introduced Carrie Underwood—and bang, snapshot change. The console did what we hoped it would do with no glitches in the audio. In the time it took the audience to applaud, the console had already switched and we were ready to rock on the next act. It was really cool. That was a great example of how quickly this console can switch snapshots and turn on a dime.”

After two years of working on a DiGiCo SD10, the process of building snapshots was made much easier for engineer Tom Pesa, who handled the inner monitor workings on an SD7 this year on the A-Stage at stage right. “It begins with a strong template,” he explains, “a snapshot that is laid out to accommodate anything that comes down the pike with 10 A-stage acts to soundcheck. The common functionality between the DiGiCo platforms means that session structuring, labeling, grouping, building macros, etc., is all very familiar. I had only two days to dive into my SD7 on-site and plan a basic template based on the volumes of band info. Each act provided input lists, band plots, monitor layouts and in-ear requirements. Once my fellow monitor crew created the plan on monitor wedge quantities and in-ear assignments, I added that info to the input list to create the snapshot for that band. Each act is so different when it comes to instrumentation, microphone type, mono mixes and stereo mixes, but the ability to truly customize each snapshot with every parameter being specific to that act means that almost any request can be satisfied. If time permits I try and get ahead of the game by focusing on individual processing for each input, high-passing, EQ and compression as well as FX presets and mix content. The availability of powerful processing onboard the SD7, including the dynamic EQ and multiband compression, allows me to keep things well contained and sonically tight, which is important, especially when creating smooth, coherent in-ear mixes. There is no doubt how good the dynamic range is with the new generation of DiGiCo consoles. I knew how good mixes sounded on SD10 and the SD7 continues this experience for me, just on a much larger and customizable platform.

“Once again this year at GRAMMYs, the entire FOH and monitor consoles were on an Optocore loop utilizing shared head amps. Monitors were in charge of band input gain and FOH was in charge of RF vocal and production mics as well as Pro Tools inputs. We have worked hard the last two years to create a system of trust when trimming each other’s gain while soundchecking, and it has worked well. Once everyone is happy with where the individual inputs of gain are, we switch to digital trim and can fine-tune our own inputs and not affect anyone else. This whole symbiotic relationship of all the mixers at the GRAMMY Awards is why session saving, snapshot updating and recall scope is so important, and all of us have done well in making sure everything is as it should be through soundchecks, dress rehearsal and show. All in all, the use of the DiGiCo systems at GRAMMYs continues to be a leap forward in how everyone’s mixes sound and the sheer utility of how they create those mixes.”

“Honestly, no other console is touching what DiGiCo can do right now,” declares Peterson, who, since last year’s GRAMMYs, has also worked extensively on SD5s and SD7s for a host of award and music shows, from the Oscars to The X Factor. “You can’t network the other consoles the way you can the DiGiCos, so there’s really no other game in town. On shows like these, half the engineers coming in that we work with are jealous that they don’t have a DiGiCo, and the other half come in and are thankful that we’re using them now.”

Photographs courtesy of The Recording Academy®/Wireimage.com © 2013.

Described as an audio graveyard for sound designers, the ballroom at the Novotel Hammersmith presented no such pitfalls for Manchester-based VME when they were asked to provide sound reinforcement for the recent 2013 TPi (Total Production International) Awards.

“Everyone has had a crack at it, and this time it was our turn,� said VME director Dion Davie. “We knew that performing in front of all our industry peers would be challenging.�

VME were early adopters of Martin Audio’s MLA platform, and turned to an MLA Compact solution for the main arena, rigging six elements on either side of the stage which were used in tandem with an additional four providing a central hang to ensure good, even coverage over a very wide area. This arced out into the banquet room, where Lauren Laverne presented this year’s awards.

The array was underpinned by four DSX subs, while Martin Audio X12+’s were used as outfills, discreetly hidden behind the LED screens that formed the set to provide coverage at the tables that fell slightly off-axis from the arrays. Martin Audio DD6’s were used as stage front fills and foldback due to their compact size and innovative differential dispersion horn.

There was also a low-level area at the rear for which VME also provided reinforcement. “The trick was to get the two MLA Compact arrays and distributed systems syncing up seamlessly with each other,� said Davie. Fortunately three Martin Audio DX2 (4-in 8-out) dedicated management systems provided all DSP necessary. System tech Mark Edwards used Smaart software to time align the entire system; when the presenter moved from the main stage to the smaller B stage, an alternative snapshot was recalled from the DX2’s to reconfigure the system.

“We knew the MLA Compact would cover the main area, and mapped the room on the MLA [Display v2.1] software to achieve the optimization,� said Dion Davie.

VME’s Ben Hyman project managed the event, Steve Brierley mixed the sound and Martin Shaw, assisted by Mark Edwards and Martin Audio’s Nigel Meddemmen, were system techs.

Hyman stated, “The two main requirements for the system were coverage and clarity — particularly at the back — ensuring that every person, no matter where they were sat, could hear the audio at the right level. And we certainly achieved that.�

Dion Davie added, “Guests were absolutely gob smacked by the sound quality for the first time in the history of the event. Judging from the number of calls it was an outstanding success and we feel we have set a benchmark.�

Ben Chadwick, Event Manager at organizers, Mondiale Publishing, agreed. “We got the sound absolutely right this year. Because of ceiling height variations it’s a tricky room to provide even coverage with high intelligibility, but we completely nailed it.â€�

For more about Martin Audio, please click to www.martin-audio.com.

About MLAâ„¢ (Multi-cellular Loudspeaker Array)
The result of many years of intensive R&D, MLA’s methodology replaces trial-and-error array design with intelligent numerical optimization of the array’s output based on a highly accurate acoustic model. The multi-cellular format has six individual cells in each enclosure, each with its own DSP and amplification.

With up to 24 enclosures, each MLA array has up to 144 cells — too great a number to optimize manually, or by ear. Instead, Martin Audio’s proprietary Display2â„¢ system design software automatically calculates FIR DSP filters for each cell and a redundant-ring audio network (U-NETâ„¢) downloads the settings into each array enclosure. Martin Audio’s VU-NETâ„¢ software provides real-time control and monitoring of the system.

MLA delivers a frequency response and SPL consistency never before achievable; a very high system output (140dB peak, per cabinet @1m); Automatic optimization of the array, both physically (splay angles) and electronically (DSP); Computer control and monitoring of the entire system, and total control of sound system balance for engineers and sound technicians.

MLA is fully integrated, with Class D amplification, DSP and U-NET digital audio
network built into each enclosure. MLA complete systems are ready-to-use, with MLA, MLD and MLX enclosures, flying hardware, software, cabling and training all supplied. Everything needed is included. All ancillary items—from tablet PC and Merlin™ controller to network interconnects and mains distro—are also included in the complete system package. This ensures full compatibility worldwide, down to cabling and accessories.

Additional features include 90° x 7.5° dispersion; a compact size (1136mm wide x 372mm high x 675mm deep), one-box-fits-all (festivals to theaters) application range and a global voltage, power factor corrected power supply.

MLA’s compact size and very high output allows it to be shipped using smaller trucks, offering considerable savings and reduced carbon footprint. The system also includes the MLX powered, flyable subwoofer capable of an unprecedented measured peak output of 150dB @ 1m; MLD downfill cabinet, and Merlin 4-in/10-out system controller and network hub. Audio input is via analog, AES3 or U-NET.

By adopting these principles and system components MLA is optimized for every member of the audience — from a 2,000 capacity theater, to a 20,000-seat arena, to a 100,000-person festival site. It will deliver the engineer’s exact mix to every seat (up to over 150 meters) with precision, exceptional power and clarity.

About Martin Audio®
Founded by audio engineer David Martin in 1971, Martin Audio pioneered the use of all-horn-loaded bass designs in world-class touring loudspeaker systems for groups such as Pink Floyd, ELP and Supertramp. Located outside of London, Martin Audio now embodies a sophisticated mix of acoustic design, research, mathematical modeling and software engineering for a wide range of products in the installation, cinema and touring sound markets.

NORTHRIDGE, California – Named for John Mariucci, the “Godfather of Minnesota hockey,� Mariucci Arena is home to the Golden Gophers, the University of Minnesota’s men’s hockey team. The 10,000-seat facility opened in 1993, and after almost 20 years its audio system wasn’t sounding so golden anymore. Enter Parsons Electric of Minneapolis, Minnesota, who along with Richmond, Virginia-based A/V and architectural services firm Anthony James Partners renovated the sound system with HARMAN’s JBL PD (Precision Directivity™) Series loudspeakers.

“Mariucci Arena was a challenging environment because we had a reverberation time of about eight seconds, and there is nothing in the way of acoustical treatment,� said Tim Habedank, System Specialist for Parsons Electric. “The rink acts as a big, perfectly flat reflector so all the sounds the players make on the ice are bouncing up into all areas of the arena. Combine that with crowd noise during games, which can reach over 100 dBA, and overcoming the sheer volume of the space was a challenge.�

Parsons Electric installed 28 PD5322/95 and PD5322/64 loudspeakers in 12 clusters, flown from the ceiling and aimed throughout the arena. Four corner clusters contain three PD5322/64 loudspeakers each, while the other eight clusters each include one PD5322/64 and one PD5322/95. In addition, four PD5322/95 loudspeakers are used as floor fill.

“The best thing about the PD5000 Series loudspeakers is their pattern control and directivity,� Habedank noted. “A big box is required to achieve this level of control, but the PD boxes are not too big to the point of being distracting. They give us the performance we need, they provide high fidelity and high output but most importantly, the pattern control is terrific.�

Complementing the PD loudspeakers are 12 JBL ASB6128 subwoofers hung in four arrays of three subs each, while 14 JBL Control 25 loudspeakers provide under-balcony fill. “It’s a pretty big arena, but those subs can really shake this place,� Habedank said.

In addition, 13 JBL CBT70J-1 Constant Beamwidth Technology™ column speakers are used to fill the press box and upper suite areas. “The CBT’s worked perfectly, enabling us to achieve tremendous clarity and intelligibility in the upper areas of the arena by focusing the coverage into the narrow seating area,� Habedank pointed out. “They also have a pretty wide coverage pattern so we can space them out pretty far from each other.�

“The system at Mariucci Arena demonstrates the excellent pattern control of PD Series loudspeakers and their ability to create relatively small but powerful arrays,� said Brad Ricks, Senior Application Engineer, JBL Professional, who was instrumental in the system design.

“The JBL system rocks,� Habedank concluded. “They get as loud as we need them to be, and we could even drive them harder if we had to. There are not too many other loudspeakers we can trust in such a challenging acoustic environment.�

For more information on Parsons Electric, please visit www.parsonscorp.com

HARMAN (www.HARMAN.com) designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional markets — supported by 15 leading brands, including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon® and Mark Levinson®. The Company is admired by audiophiles across multiple generations and supports leading professional entertainers and the venues where they perform. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment systems. HARMAN has a workforce of about 13,400 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported net sales of $4.4 billion for the twelve months ending June 30, 2012.

In 2012, a DiGiCo SD7 was installed in Jiguchon Church in the South Korea’s Bundang New City. Such was its success that four more of the company’s mixers have now been installed in another church in the city, demonstrating how DiGiCo mixing consoles are making significant inroads into the country’s house of worship market.

Featuring a state-of-the-art technical specification, the new Manna Methodist Church has a seating capacity of 4,000, with around 10,000 worshippers attending each week. Services feature a live band, choir, organ and orchestra, so the audio system needed a high input channel count, as well as facilities to mix live audio for broadcast on its own Internet channel.

The church consulted DiGiCo’s South Korean distributor Soundus Corporation, who supplied and installed an SD7 console at Front of House, with four SD-Racks and an SD8-24 to take care of the live broadcast mix. In addition, Soundus supplied an SD9 for a mobile audio system and an SD11 for the church video editing suite.

“The decision to use DiGiCo consoles was based on the SD7’s ability to handle more than 200 input channels, the dual engine offering stability, reliable redundancy and excellent sound quality,� says Soundus sales manager Byung Chul Park. “The church also needed additional mixing consoles and it was an obvious decision to stay with the same manufacturer.�

Utilising an Optocore fibre optic network, this solution made for a seamless solution throughout the church.

“The system is very versatile and is easily expandable for any future requirements,� concludes Byung Chul. “The church is very happy with it.�

Audio hire specialist RG Jones specified a wide selection of DPA microphones for a recent series of concerts by Katherine Jenkins, a multi-platinum selling mezzo soprano and one of Britain’s best loved singers.

For two weeks at the end of 2012 Katherine Jenkins sold out venues around the UK and Ireland, including London’s Royal Albert Hall. During the tour she was supported by the National Symphony Orchestra and London Philharmonic Choir, conducted by Anthony Inglis. She was also joined by guests such as The Boy Choristers of St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle and The Band of the Welsh Guards.

RG Jones supplied all of the audio equipment for the tour and specified DPA microphones for the orchestra. A total of 14 DPA 4061 miniature microphones were used to capture the sound of the strings, while the low strings and the brass section were miked using 10 DPA d:voteâ„¢ 4099 Instrument Microphones.

Steve Carr, who was the front of house sound engineer, says: “We chose the DPA 4061 omni miniature microphones for the strings because these are a tried and tested method for achieving high quality close miking. The DPA d:vote 4099 Instrument Microphones give you all the benefits of the 4061, but with a super cardiod pattern. In the middle of a loud orchestra this is very useful for isolating the sources. Although we close mike the orchestra, we try to also get a rounded, open orchestral sound by blending reverb effects and ambient mics with the close mic sounds.�

RG Jones carries a large stock of DPA Microphones, all of which were supplied by DPA’s UK distributor Sound Network. Carr adds that he was delighted with the results the DPA microphones achieved during the Katherine Jenkins tour.

“I’ve been using DPA microphones for many years now and am always very happy with the sound they deliver,� he says.

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Editors’ information:
DPA Microphones is the leading Danish Professional Audio manufacturer of high quality condenser microphones and microphone solutions for professional applications in studio, broadcast, theatre, video/film and sound reinforcement environments. All DPA microphones and components are manufactured at the company’s purpose-built factory in Denmark.
For more information on DPA Microphones, please visit www.dpamicrophones.com

SAN FRANCISCO, California — Engineer Michael Jackson of BPIAudio recently used a HARMAN Soundcraft Vi6 digital mixing console for Salesforce.com’s annual meeting at DreamForce 2012 in San Francisco.

Salesforce.com is a leading enterprise cloud computing company that offers social and mobile cloud technologies that enable companies to connect with customers in entirely new ways. The company made a big splash at DreamForce 2012, the world’s largest vendor technology conference—its annual meeting, billed as “The Cloud Computing Industry Event of the Year,� was held at DreamForce 2012 in the entire South Hall of San Francisco’s Moscone Center.

Jackson handled the front of house mixing for the meeting and chose a Soundcraft Vi6 console supplied by the Los Angeles office of multinational sound contractor Creative Technology. Maurice Dozal of Creative Technology served as the audio lead for the event.

“This event was more like a theatrical production or rock concert than a typical sales meeting with a bunch of people in a ballroom,� Jackson said. “The South Hall of the Moscone Center takes up a city block. The Salesforce.com event was staged in the round and held 14,000 people. The activities included everything from intimate conversations where the speakers used lavalier and head microphones, to motivational speakers, to DJs, dancers and hip-hop artists where the volume exceeded 105dB.�

Jackson used the Soundcraft Vi6 for all front of house duties, which included mixing the audio for a number of presentations, interactive Internet demos and other activities. “This was one of the most varied and challenging programs I’ve ever had to mix, and I had to get ready for it on a very short installation and preparation schedule,� Jackson said.

Not only was Jackson faced with a hectic program schedule, but he also had no room for error. “The Soundcraft Vi6 was a great choice for such a major sales event, where the client had one chance to make a big impression,� he said. “The Vi6 was extremely flexible and its large number of inputs and outputs were able to accommodate the extremely demanding requirements of DreamForce 2012.�

“The Vi6 sounded wonderful and performed perfectly,� Jackson concluded.

HARMAN (www.harman.com) designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional markets — supported by 15 leading brands, including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon® and Mark Levinson®. The Company is admired by audiophiles across multiple generations and supports leading professional entertainers and the venues where they perform. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment systems. HARMAN has a workforce of about 13,900 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported net sales of $4.4 billion for year ended June 30, 2012.

While the spotlight was on President Obama during the public ceremony of his second inauguration held on Monday, January 21st at the U.S. Capitol, there were many private parties, celebrations and events at other high profile institutions in and around D.C. for several days preceding the official event. To support the many festivities, K-array loudspeakers, distributed by Sennheiser, were enlisted to deliver powerful audio.

For All Stage & Sound, Inc., a Laytonsville, MD-based full-service event production company, the presidential inauguration brings with it a packed schedule of high profile corporate events every four years. This year was no exception, as the firm handled staging and production for activities held at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, the United States Institute of Peace, The Italian Embassy, Cafe Milano and others.

“We had equipment out everywhere, and it was all being used around the clock at different venues throughout the city,” says Richard O. Benning of All Stage & Sound. The primary loudspeaker systems the company relied on were from Italian manufacturer K-array, which specializes in speakers featuring the best possible sound quality in an extremely small footprint. K-array is a fantastic solution for the kind of work that we do because these speakers are not only stealth and look great, but they sound fantastic as well.”

All Stage & Sound recently fortified its arsenal of K-array systems, anticipating the increased demand for this year’s inaugural activities, says Benning. “We already owned five sets of KR 200s, a pair of KR 400s and a pair of KR 100s. To supplement this for the inauguration, we bought two pairs of the new KR 202s, another pair of the new KR 402s and another pair of the new KR 102s. Everything was being used non-stop.”

The remarkable events included the Italian Embassy, which occurred on Sunday, January 20th and featured singer Cindy Lauper providing the entertainment through a pair of K-array KR 402s. “Everyone was thrilled that there were Italian speakers in the Italian Embassy, yet there was some initial trepidation about the speakers’ small size,” Benning recalls. “By the end of the performance, there were smiles on the faces of all concerned. They said the sound was perfect, and of course the sightlines were outstanding because there was just nothing in the way!”

For the Cyndi Lauper show, All Stage & Sound had set up KR 402s at the left and right of the stage, reinforced by a pair of KR 102s farther down the room, flanked left and right. In environments like the Italian Embassy, or the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Benning says that it is about aesthetics from the very beginning — and this is precisely where the K-array solution shines. From an acoustic perspective, K-array speakers provide optimal gain before feedback and help disperse the sound accurately in difficult acoustic environments.

“Because the K-array speakers have such a wide dispersion pattern, we can put them in corners of rooms and face them inward,” explains Benning. “With the KR 402s, you have a light that gives you a visual indication of where the dispersion begins and ends. You can stand it right in front of a lectern and when you rotate it just slightly, it rejects feedback beautifully.”

“A big portion of what we do is speech, so feedback rejection is a really important consideration,” he continues. “If a CEO or some other dignitary is speaking at an inaugural party or other high profile event, the sound must be absolutely clear and there can be no exception. K-array delivers for us on this level, time and time again.”

Benning also appreciates the portability and ease of set-up in the K-arrays, which saves not only labor costs, but also space requirements: “You can go in with a single truck and throw in a set of KR 202s with only a couple of guys.” Benning also says the K-arrays have smaller power distribution requirements compared to larger, less efficient systems, helping reduce trucking and manpower requirements. “They go in faster and also look cleaner,” he says.

After a live try-out of DPA’s d:facto™ Vocal Microphone at London’s Royal Festival Hall, sound production and rental company RNSS was so impressed with their performance that it has placed an order for six of the new d:facto II Vocal Microphones.

RNSS specified DPA d:facto Vocal Microphones as part of the audio equipment for the London Jazz Festival, an annual event produced in association with BBC Radio 3. Hailed as the capital’s biggest pan-city music festival, The London Jazz Festival featured artists such as Herbie Hancock and Lucinda Williams.

Richard Nowell, director of RNSS, says: “We have had a long association with DPA Microphones and already carry a large stock of the company’s products. I was intrigued by the new d:facto Vocal Microphone and was keen to try it out. The Jazz Festival gave us the perfect opportunity to put it through its paces. We borrowed two d:factos from DPA’s UK distributor Sound Network and used them as high end alternatives to our usual vocal mics. They performed flawlessly and delivered exceptional sound that was much appreciated by the artists and the sound crew.

“Their ability to filter out unwanted noise meant that we could safely use them for singers who were performing in front of an orchestra without the risk of their vocals being drowned out.”

One of the artists who used DPA’s d:facto Vocal Microphone was Kris Kristofferson who performed at the Royal Festival Hall shortly after the Jazz Festival.

“We had hung onto the microphones because we liked them so much and wanted to use them for Kris’s concert,” Nowell says. “Kris is interested in sound and is always open to trying something new. He really liked the structure and tonal quality of the d:facto and was very happy with the results it delivered.”

Equally at home in sound reinforcement and recording applications, DPA’s new d:facto II Vocal microphone offers an extraordinarily natural sound, high separation and extreme SPL handling, giving users unlimited possibilities for their performances. In addition to use with the new wired DPA handle, the d:facto provides singers and engineers with the added benefit of a state-of-the-art adapter system that allows for seamless integration with many professional wireless systems including Sony, Lectrosonics, Shure, Wisycom and Sennheiser. The d:facto provides improved audio performance as it is superbly linear in frequency and phase, both on- and off-axis, while its impressive definition and accuracy reproduces a singer’s voice effortlessly.

RNSS will be taking delivery of its new DPA d:facto Vocal Microphones in a few weeks time and is already anticipating plenty of interest.

“We have decided to buy six of the new d:facto II microphones so that we can use them with our existing wireless systems,” Richard Nowell adds. “We see huge potential for these microphones as rental items because they are so versatile. The adapter system will give our customers plenty of options as they can either use a wired DPA handle or the professional wireless system of their choosing, with no loss in the sound quality.”

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Editors’ information:
DPA Microphones is the leading Danish Professional Audio manufacturer of high quality condenser microphones and microphone solutions for professional applications in studio, broadcast, theatre, video/film and sound reinforcement environments. All DPA microphones and components are manufactured at the company’s purpose-built factory in Denmark.
For more information on DPA Microphones, please visit www.dpamicrophones.com