The creative forces of Blue Man Group (BMG) have been working for two years to bring an all-new production to the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. This international entertainment phenomenon—one of many adaptations around the globe from Berlin to Boston—comprises a trio of blue men and an electrifying combination of music and inventive technology celebrating the more

A fixture in Washington DC live entertainment since the Second World War, George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium has hosted an eclectic mix of performers from Ingrid Bergman to Pink Floyd, along with leading world music artists, local opera and symphony companies and celebrated political dignitaries over the years.

The university recently decided to upgrade the venerable auditorium with special emphasis on the sound and lighting systems. MHA Audio, a successful local production company and integrator based in Hagerstown, MD, was tasked with installing the new audio system.

Discussing why he got involved with the project, MHA owner Mike Scarfe said, “We don’t normally do much installation work, but we have an outstanding relationship with Lisner and George Washington University based on doing live shows there for over 20 years, so this project made a lot of sense.

“It was also a perfect opportunity in terms of timing to bring Martin Audio’s new MLA Compact system into play and it all came together really well. The 1500-seat venue was the perfect size for the system. We put eight MLA Compacts per side with a center array of six DSX subs under the stage. The system was a natural choice because we’d had such a great experience with Martin Audio’s MLA touring system and this technology is definitely state-of-the-art.�

Discussing the University’s decision to modernize the sound and lighting systems, Executive Director of Lisner Auditorium and Partnership Development at GWU Maryann Lombardi explains, “We haven’t had a significant upgrade since the early forties and we needed to make the venue more competitive in terms of attracting high-profile talent.

“The environment for entertainment venues in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia has changed dramatically in the last 20 years with more venues offering increasingly sophisticated capabilities. Our job is to become more competitive within that market. We’ve held a very prominent place in the past, but we really wanted to branch into other genres and better support our world artists.�

“In addition to a new sound and lighting package,� continues Lombardi, “the facility upgrade included a complete physical upgrade in terms of a new interior, seats, painting, carpet, stage floor, hanging points in the ceiling for lighting and sound, and a new heating and cooling system.�

Since the upgrade, Lisner has presented a series of popular and well-attended world music concerts by artists such as the Brazilian singer-songwriter Gilberto Gil and Acoustic Africa, as well as the sold-out debate between Fox’s Bill O’Reilly and the Daily Show’s Jon Stewart.

Asked about her impressions of the sound system since the MLA Compact system was installed, Lombardi enthuses, “I’m thrilled. It really has made an enormous difference in the sound quality. We’ve also gotten very good reactions from legacy clients such as the Air Force Band, Gilberto Gil, the Heritage Awards and artists using the equipment for the first time.

“We are now vetting performers and looking through their contract riders as we venture into new genres and it’s really cool to say we now have this sophisticated sound system in place that they can put to good use.�

Eric Annis, Production Manager and Technical Director for Lisner, is also enthusiastic about the new MLA Compact, “We think it’s fantastic and so do all the users who have come in since the installation.

“We’ve had several televised events in a row and maintaining the sightlines within the auditorium is wonderful,� adds Annis. “The shows have run the gamut from loud electrical music to a single mic bluegrass band, and the MLA Compact system has proved to be equally articulate and clear.�

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.

AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands – Underscoring its reputation for quality and reliability in all aspects of sound, HARMAN’s AKG introduces the Discussion System CS3 – the modern, elegant, modular system offers a wide variety of different gooseneck microphone options that can be expanded up to 120 units. With a demand for a more simple solution stemming from AKG’s high-end CS5, CS3 provides users with a plug-and-play, easy-to-use professional system.

The CS3 BU is a 19-inch 2HE transmitting interface device, which controls up to 60 delegate stations. The base station can “work alone� or be remotely controlled by a PC (a feature that will be implemented later in 2013). Multiple working modes enable free or controlled speech as needed during a conference. The base unit is equipped with an extension plug to double the system size with an additional CS3 BU.

CS3 CU (chairman unit) is the system’s microphone station, with options to mute all other delegates and activate the “next in line� feature. The station has a detachable condenser cardioid microphone, available in two lengths – CS321 at 30cm and CS521 at 50cm. The station provides a built-in speaker and two 3.5mm stereo jacks for headphones.

The Delegate units, CS3DU 30 and CS3DU 50 have the same basic features, without the priority and next in line function.

“Over the years, we’ve had phenomenal success in CS5 installations across the globe,� stated Thomas Giczy, Business Development Manager, Tour Sound, AKG. “The CS3 system provides the smaller venues with an affordable and reliable conferencing system, with the promise of quality and robust audio ability. CS3 has been tested with great attention to detail and will surely be a focus point as smaller companies revamp their conferencing needs.�

For more information about AKG, please visit http://www.akg.com and http://www.youtube.com/AKGacoustics.

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.

After three years of intense work, UK studio design consultancy White Mark Ltd has completed a massive project in Moscow that involved designing and building a new, state of the art film sound facility for Russian company CineLab Ltd.

The new complex has 14 studios including three dubbing theatres built and accredited to Dolby Premier License criteria and a 5.1 mixing room for pre-mixes and TV/DVD work. It also features multiple edit and pre-production suites, sound design rooms and a large orchestral studio.

All three dubbing studios and the orchestral studio are equipped with Euphonix System 5 consoles. The 5.1 mixing room is equipped with an Avid Icon Pro Control console. Pro Tools technology is available throughout and every room in the facility is linked via a central audio and video storage server, which is backed up and configured to the highest security standards. This makes it possible for projects to be worked on in multiple studios concurrently.

CineLab is putting the finishing touches to an extensive and highly specified Foley suite and orchestral studio, which will be completed by summer 2013. Designed to accommodate traditional working methods where the sound engineer is located in a separate control room, as well as more current working methods where the engineer works alongside the artists in the recording/performance space, this studio will have a wide selection of indoor and outdoor props and surfaces. It will also have comprehensive facilities for working with water, all domestic environments, car interiors and controllable variable acoustics.

White Mark was commissioned to handle the entire project on the basis of its international reputation for designing and delivering world-class audio facilities.

Cinelab’s Managing Director Vadim Nerukov says: “We did a great deal of research before allocating this contract and in our view White Mark was the best acoustic design company on the market. Our faith in the company has been more than satisfied by the work they have done. We are delighted with the new facility and with the way in which White Mark helped us overcome numerous technical issues during the construction stage to achieve the results we wanted.�

David Bell, managing director of White Mark, adds: “This was a marathon project that involved the complete renovation of a former cold store building on the banks of the Moskva River in Moscow. The entire three-storey building was totally gutted so that every studio in the new complex could be built without compromise. We had some interesting structural issues to overcome as the existing roof needed to be raised and various floor pillars removed. The builders also had to contend with the extreme cold of Russian winters, which made pouring concrete into the foundations difficult – a problem they eventually overcame by using 400kW of heating to create the correct conditions for the materials to set.�

Bell adds that the floating isolation shells needed for the main dubbing studios and the music recording studio were so large that steel structural frames had to be erected to support them. These, in turn, were so big that they had to be lifted into place with a crane.

“The weight of the lifting equipment couldn’t be supported by the rubber isolation mounts if the floor was laid first,� he explains. “We got round this by erecting the frame before the roof above it was closed. The crane was taken out in pieces through an opening we had left in the building for this purpose. Once the building was closed to the elements, we were able to lift the steel frame using jacks and place the isolation mounts underneath so that they weren’t be affected by the extremely cold temperatures outside.�

As the project’s acoustic designers, White Mark worked closely with local architects and builders to achieve the results CineLab wanted.

“Having designed audio facilities all over the world, we have developed a working method and drawing system that allows multi-lingual work forces to build accurately from our documentation,� David Bell adds. “We successfully applied these methods to this project and the results speak for themselves. CineLab is one of the biggest projects we have ever undertaken and we are very proud of what has been achieved.�

The CineLab Group already owns a number of companies involved in the film industry, including Digital Intermediate facilities (digital colour grading, preview theatres, edit suites etc), a VFX studio, a front-end and bulk printing laboratory, a lighting/grip equipment rental house, a data delivery department (DCP mastering, KDM, content delivery via satellite to 430+ cinema sites in Russia and CIS with a reach of 1000+ screens, etc), a logistics company and a film production company.

Explaining the company’s decision to invest in this new facility, CineLab’s CEO Denis Glinsky says: “CineLab’s existing companies already attract national and international work, including Russian language dubbing of Western feature films. The new complex allows us to provide a comprehensive facility for the creation of original production sound tracks in all current coding formats including Dolby SR, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital EX and Dolby Atmos (from Spring 2013).

“We can now offer facilities for the entire sound recording process – from recording on set to overdubbing, mixing and encryption of the final soundtrack. This significantly expands our remit and we believe that the combination of a unique location and state of the art facilities will appeal to Western film producers, encouraging them to move their projects to Moscow at a much earlier stage in the production process.�

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About White Mark:

Established in 1997 by David Bell, John Dunnill, Derek Buckingham and Alan Cundell, White Mark Ltd specialises in production facilities for music recording and the film and television industries. Over the last fifteen years it has designed and supervised the construction of over 500 production suites worldwide. The company’s impressive client list encompasses some of the world’s most famous music recording facilities including Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios in the UK, Germano Studios in New York, Hit Factory/Criteria Recording Studios in Miami, Strongroom in London and private studios for producers and musicians such as William Orbit and Damon Albarn. In the area of audio post production, White Mark has completed over 140 audio studios and many broadcast and video editing facilities for more than 60 companies in Soho alone. The list of clients includes Grand Central, Hackenbacker, Envy, De Lane Lea, Scramble, Lipsync, Molinare, DeLuxe, 750mph, NBC/Universal, Wave, Unit and Boom. Advertising agency clients include worldwide facilities for Hogarth International and AMV/BBDO on four continents. www.whitemark.com

Jakarta-based cable television and Internet provider PT Link Net has chosen Jünger Audio’s internationally acclaimed Loudness control technology to manage the audio across 80 television channels.

Link Net is a major player in the Indonesian market, offering 110 Standard Definition and 30 High Definition channels, including one 3D channel. As well as providing cable television services, Link Net also offers Broadband Internet and OTT services to customers in Jakarta Surabaya and Bali. Its parent company, PT First Media, delivers 4G wireless and Media Production services and is currently in the process of implementing DVB-T2 and DVB-S2 services.

With numerous content streams to contend with, Link Net needed a reliable and consistent solution that would allow it to automatically adjust audio levels from incoming content sources.

Desmond Poon, Link Net’s Chief Technology Officer, says: “Different content providers have different incoming audio levels and the audio levels within some channels also vary significantly. As a result, our customers were experiencing varying audio levels when switching between channels and, quite understandably, they were finding this very annoying.�

To solve this problem, Link Net has installed five Jünger Audio C8000 Digital Audio Modular Processing systems, which comprise multiple DSP, I/O interface cards and frames that can easily be configured to provide broadcasters with a customised system to suit their specific requirements. Each C8000 system incorporates Jünger Audio’s renowned Level Magic™ II algorithm, which is compliant with all current broadcast audio loudness recommendations including ITU 1770 (versions 1 and 2), ATSC A/85, ARIB TR-B32 and EBU R128. Based on a simultaneous combination of an AGC, a Transient Processor for fast changes and a “look ahead� Peak Limiter for continuous unattended control of any programme material, regardless of its original source, Level Magic™ II can easily and automatically adjust audio levels from any source at any time, with no pumping, breathing or distortion.

“The Jünger Audio C8000 systems have been installed at our new Cable TV Headend in Berita Satu Plaza, Jakarta, where they are now levelling audio across 80 of our channels,� Desmond Poon adds. “The new Headend was commissioned in January and so far the Jünger Audio units are performing as specified, with the result that audio levels between all 80 channels are now properly aligned. We are continuing to monitor their performance but to date are very happy with the results we are achieving.�

Peter Poers, managing Director of Jünger Audio, adds: “Maintaining loudness consistency has now become a major issue for the broadcast industry and one that particularly affects playout facilities. We are delighted that Link Net has successfully solved its audio leveling issues using our Loudness control technology.�

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About Jünger Audio
Established in Berlin in 1990, Jünger Audio specialises in the design and manufacture of high-quality digital audio dynamics processors. It has developed a unique range of digital processors that are designed to meet the demands of the professional audio market. All of its products are easy to operate and are developed and manufactured in-house, ensuring that the highest standards are maintained throughout. Its customers include many of the world’s top radio and TV broadcasters, IPTV providers, music recording studios and audio post production facilities. www.junger-audio.com

Christie® has published and released The Book of Shapes – a “coffee table” style book showcasing projects around the globe that are redefining the use of display technology in everything from retail stores to museums and corporate spaces.

A free download as an interactive iPad app, PDF, or hard copy, the book explores how Christie® MicroTiles® — groundbreaking, modular video building blocks — have allowed architects and designers to introduce inventive, irregular shapes into projects where video, motion graphics and interactive content are applied.

The release of “The Book of Shapes: International Design Inspirations Featuring Christie MicroTiles� coincides with Christie’s large presence at the Integrated Systems Europe trade show in Amsterdam Jan. 29-31, and comes on the third anniversary of the market release of Christie MicroTiles.

The Book of Shapes app features MicroTiles installations from around the world since the product’s launch – with visuals, embedded video and detailed narratives on how the display technology is being used, and the results achieved. The app also includes location maps, reference materials and an integrated version of MicroTiles Designerâ„¢ 2.0, a Web-based tool that allows designers and architects to visually plan and specify MicroTiles-driven projects.

iPad users can locate and download The Book of Shapes app free from Apple’s App Store. A non-interactive PDF is also available free of charge, allowing all the showcases and supporting material to be readily viewed on other tablet devices and conventional PCs and laptops.

Designed To Inform and Inspire
“The Book of Shapes is designed to inform and inspire people charged with integrating display technology into projects, and help them think about how having a digital canvas can energize and transform a space, or solve a business challenge, in interesting new ways,� explained Kathryn Cress, vice president, global & corporate marketing, Christie.
.

“We’ve been amazed how architects, retail designers, pro AV and interactive experts have all taken advantage of the opportunity to introduce shapes into design concepts,� added Cress. “They’ve gone so far beyond a display world that was defined forever by rectangles, and the remarkable thing is we’ve likely had just a taste of what’s possible.�

The Book of Shapes celebrates projects across several continents, and is sorted by vertical categories: Retail Environments, Museums & Entertainment, Broadcast Television, Events & Shows, Higher Education and Corporate Spaces.

Among the featured projects is a virtual mountain range at the History Colorado Center in Denver, massive sweeps of MicroTiles in corporate spaces like Deutsche Bank’s Asia-Pacific headquarters in Hong Kong and the Telstra experience centre in Melbourne, Australia. Portable and easily configured, MicroTiles have also been used extensively at temporary exhibits such as global expos, trade shows and fashion events.

Exploring Possibilities
The Book of Shapes explores possibilities – projects where MicroTiles have been “disappearedâ€� into walls, built into furniture, and radically transformed retail and lobby environments. The technology has prompted a re-think on the approach to visual messaging and marketing in public or shared spaces.

One of the most ambitious projects featured in The Book of Shapes involves the London Stock Exchange’s main office in Paternoster Square, where several multimedia canvases totaling 508 MicroTiles envelop the space. The project powerfully reflects the kinetic energy of the financial markets, and is used as a compelling visual backdrop for ceremonies welcoming newly listed companies.

That project is also explored in detail in a different, dedicated digital publication, “The Blue Book: How MicroTiles Helped Make an Impact at the London Stock Exchange.� A free copy can be downloaded inside the Book of Shapes app or from Christie by visiting this web page: http://www.microtiles.co.uk/moreinformation.php?tab=bluebook

The launch of Christie MicroTiles three years ago represented a revolution in display technology. Some 30,000 units are now in use globally, and new projects are steadily switching on. During the recent holiday season, for example, 425 MicroTiles were set into the street front windows of the Barneys New York flagship store for an “Electric Holiday� done in partnership with The Walt Disney Company.

Flexible, Modular Display Technology
With their modular design, Christie MicroTiles can be arranged into virtually any shape or scale of display wall. The lightweight and compact rear projection modules measure 16 inches across by 12 inches tall, by 10 inches deep and fit perfectly in retail settings, corporate offices, museums, airports, broadcast sets, indoor sports stadiums, control rooms and numerous other applications.

Christie MicroTiles automatically self-calibrate for color and brightness and have built-in sensors that monitor each LED’s performance. Each tile detects its neighbor and adjusts its image to optimize the overall display. With tiny seams between tiles, Christie MicroTiles produce a virtually seamless canvas with an unlimited number of super-fine pixels. With robust screens that are cool to the touch and high resolution images that are crisp and clear even close up, Christie MicroTiles are perfect for interactive displays.

ANAHEIM, California – Showcasing performances by some of rock and roll’s most iconic artists, the AUDIENCE Network’s “Guitar Center Sessions� television series has been a hit since first airing in 2010. To ensure that world-class audio is delivered to the live audience and the artists on stage, HARMAN’s JBL Professional PRX612M powered loudspeakers highlight the live sound system for the performances.

Held at the Vintage Room at Guitar Center’s Hollywood location, “Guitar Center Sessions� is hosted by Nic Harcourt and features the artists playing selections from their catalogs and discussing their careers and influences. A high-quality original music program that focuses on conversations and themes pertinent to the artist’s craft and creative process, “Guitar Center Sessions� provides artists with a highly credible platform to expose their music and stories to a large audience and furthers Guitar Center’s commitment to helping artists be heard in an ever-changing, uncertain music business. This season’s “Guitar Center Sessions� has included performances by Hoobastank, Papa Roach, Ben Folds Five, Meiko and Joe Walsh, with a performance by Jimmy Cliff scheduled to air on January 25.

“With such talented artists appearing on ‘Sessions’, it is crucial that they be supported on stage with world-class audio technology,� said Andy Flint, Senior Manager, Portable PA Marketing, JBL Professional. “We have seen the PRX612M adopted by countless successful musicians for their tours and installed in some of the world’s most prestigious live music venues. The PRX612M provides ‘Sessions’ with a level of sound quality that the program’s artists require and we are thrilled to be a part of this unique project!�

Utilizing tour-tested JBL Differential Drive® speaker technology, dbx Type IV™ limiting circuitry and Crown award-winning class-D amplifiers, the PRX612M delivers uncompromised performance in a package that is light, small and professional in both function and appearance. At the core of the PRX612M is a fully integrated DSP input section providing mic/line level input, selectable system EQ and a premium A/D converter for a maximum signal-to-noise ratio.

For more information on “Guitar Center Sessions� please visit gc.guitarcenter.com/sessions/

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.

ANAHEIM, California – Gabriel “The Gun� Gonzalez is a trumpeter, percussionist, producer and arranger who co-founded No Doubt with Gwen Stefani in 1986 and was instrumental in the development of the third-wave ska movement of the 1980s. Gabriel The Gun is currently with the BackBeat Brawlers, a Reggae/Ska band with Jazz and Soul influences. Conducting an extensive amount of his work from his home studio, Gonzalez has become a convert to HARMAN’s Lexicon MX400XL 4-In/4-Out Reverb/Effects Processor and I-O FW810S 10-Input/12-Output FireWire Audio Interface.

“When I started looking at hardware upgrades recently, I was attracted to the Lexicon products because of their reputation, bulletproof construction, ease of plug-and-play use and especially their sound quality,� explained Gonzalez.

Gonzalez and his musical partner, Mel Scott of Blue Room Studios, have recorded close to 200 TV and film scores and have a keen understanding for the sound that Gonzalez could get in his home studio. “When we installed the Lexicon MX400XL and I-O FW810S, the difference in sound quality was immediately apparent not just to me but to everyone present. The sounds we could achieve became cleaner, crisper and more refined – in a word, stunning,� added Gonzalez.

Currently working on his new BackBeat Brawlers album, Gonzalez explains Lexicon components have become an integral part of its production. “I’ve also done several film submissions recently. Over the years, I’ve tried a huge amount of outboard processing gear and the reverbs, effects, delays and dynamic capabilities of Lexicon MX400XL and I-O FW810S hands-down blow everything else out of the water,� stated Gonzalez.

“There are tons of AD/DA recording interfaces out there but only Lexicon has that trademark monitoring reverb that lets you monitor the performance with reverb while it’s being recorded. This really helps artists feel more comfortable and very often we’ll get a better take. Also, the built-in dbx compression and EQ has proven to be invaluable. For my work this means that we can slightly compress and EQ the tracks while recording to get that sound we want instead of using all kinds of additional gear and effects afterward. In a project studio, it might be the reverse of how a lot of people do it but for me it makes recording easier and faster,� stated Gonzalez.

“The quality of the preamps in both Lexicon units is also outstanding, as is the built-in Type IV dbx D/A conversion and bundled Pantheon™ II reverb plug-in. I think Lexicon makes the best gear out there – period.�

The Gun is looking forward to more touring with the BackBeat Brawlers and creating more music with the Lexicon MX400L and I-O FW810S.

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.

Christie® technology took audiences inside the human brain at TEDxCaltech 2013 with its award-winning projection display solutions under the show’s theme, “The Brain.� Digital artist Jon 9, owner of Holonyne Corporation, produced immersive and stimulating backdrops and content related to the brain experts’ presentations that made the audience feel they were “inside� the brain of the conference itself. He also provided improvisational video mixing as accompaniment to musical performers David Torn and Moira Smiley.

Christie solutions included the Christie HD10K-M and Christie Roadster HD20K-J 3-chip DLP® projectors, as well as the multiple award-winning Christie® MicroTiles®, all controlled by the Christie Spyder video processor. Christie MicroTiles were featured on-stage as a free-standing “brick� configuration, its content synchronized with the projected images on three screens behind the performers, utilizing the curved walls of the auditorium to provide a fully immersive experience.

“Throughout my long career in the display industry, I have always looked up to Christie as a market leader that combines technical innovation with robust engineering and an expansive line of products,� said Jon 9. “I was extremely happy to be working with them on this project.�

Jon 9 said he is very grateful for the support from Christie. “Christie enabled us to bring professional display technology into the academic arena at a level that demonstrated the effectiveness of immersive, interactive digital environments within a scientific conference setting. By combining Christie’s high-powered 10K and 20K projectors with an on-stage MicroTiles video wall, and with the flexibility and power of the Christie Spyder, we created an environment that was both highly functional and visually stunning.�

Dr. Michael Roukes, Robert M. Abbey Professor of Physics, Applied Physics, and Bioengineering, and co-director of the Kavli Nanoscience Institute at Caltech, who was co-organizer of the event, added, “We were very pleased to have Christie as a sponsor of TEDxCaltech. Their visual display products produced absolutely gorgeous visualizations and were vital to helping us provide a fully immersive experience for our audiences.�

Recognized worldwide for its exceptional programs, the Caltech faculty, members of which spoke at the event, have won hundreds of awards over the years, including multiple Nobel Prizes as well as medals of science and technologies.

Acoustics First has conjured up yet another video demonstration. As the fourth in a series designed to help explain common acoustic principles, this video briefly reveals what is necessary to provide vibration isolation.

VIBRATION ISOLATION DEMONSTRATION: Controlling Mechanical Sound Transmission

As the quandary of vibration isolation can quickly prove to be obtuse and relatively difficult to understand. Common problems like footfall from upstairs neighbors, industrial noise from machinery and HVAC equipment or isolating speakers and scientific devices can require completely different approaches. Most often, an on site assessment should be completed by a qualified engineering professional to determine an appropriate acoustic solution. In many cases the solution will require a modification to the structure and implement more than a single strategy.

This simple vibration demonstration challenges to provide a basic understanding of how acoustical materials may be used to prevent the spread of mechanical noise and vibration through existing structures like walls, floors and ceilings.

In this acoustic demonstration, a surface mounted piezo transducer connected to an analog meter will register levels of sound vibrations transmitted to the table. A vibrating device placed directly on the surface will transmit sound vibrations and resonate loudly throughout the table. These vibrations will register on the analog meter. By inserting isolation materials between the device and the surface, the mechanical sound transmission is reduced and sound no longer registers on the meter.

VIBRATION ISOLATION DEMONSTRATION: Controlling Mechanical Sound Transmission

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Acoustics First Corporation supplies acoustical panels and soundproofing materials to control sound and eliminate noise in commercial, residential, government, and institutional applications worldwide. Products include the patented Art Diffusor®, sound absorbers, noise barriers, acoustical fabrics and accessories. Acoustics First® products are sold for O.E.M applications, direct, and through dealers. For more information on acoustical materials and their application, please visit www.AcousticsFirst.com or call Toll Free 1-888-765-2900 (US & Canada).