3D projection mapping show heard throughout the piazza on an ARCS II system

LAS VEGAS — This past summer, The Venetian Las Vegas embraced the jaw-dropping art of 3D projection mapping during its Carnevale festival by premiering a stunning nightly show animating the façade of its clock tower, a replica of the one in Venice’s Piazza San Marco.

The show, known as “Light of Venice,” was the first of 10 short commissioned son et lumière works conceived by projection artist Ross Ashton who teamed up with London-based UnitedVisualArtists Ltd. and Tucson, Arizona’s Darling Ltd. on the creative implementation. AVDB Group of Las Vegas further supplied the technical components of the production, including a new L-ACOUSTICS ARCS II system. more

New York, NY – October 2012….. Manhattan has no shortage of Irish-themed pubs, but Tir Na Nog on 39th Street is truly a cut above. Step in out of the bustling midtown traffic and you’re instantly transported to a High Street local in Galway or Cork. The décor is at once authentic and unconventional, right down to the LED-laden 300-year-old Irish rowboat, replete with fishing net, on the ceiling.

“The owner, Tony Colbert, owns several Irish pubs and takes immense pride in the design of each of them,” explains Rich Trombitas of Cornwall, NY-based Cardone, Soloman and Associates. “He imports woodwork that’s been salvaged from churches built in Ireland in the 1700s and 1800s, then they design the individual detail to fit the space, and the woodwork is all done by master carpenters. The architecture and décor is simply magnificent – it all looks like it’s been there for centuries.”

Trombitas says the owner was adamant that equal attention be paid to the pub’s audio system, which includes a cross-section of Renkus-Heinz TRX and CFX Series loudspeakers as well as PNX and BPS subwoofers. “Tony made it clear that he wanted more than just background music,” he says. “He wanted a system that sounded consistently great no matter where you’re sitting, and blended seamlessly with the design of the place.”

The system, installed by veteran AV firm Starview Satellite of Rego Park, NY, is divided into numerous zones, with a primary focus on the main dining area and the pub’s expansive and ornate bar, bridging the space from front to back. Sound to the main dining area is handled by eight TRX81 two-way 8-inch loudspeakers. A pair of PNX112 subwoofers recessed into the walls provides extra low end punch.

The bar is divided into two zones, with five more TRX81 units and a built-in BPS12-1 sub covering the front bar area. The rear bar uses four TRX81s and another BPS12-1 sub. Powersoft amplification drives the system.

“The coverage of the TRX-Series aligns perfectly with what we needed to accomplish in this space,” says Trombitas. “The rotatable horn enabled us to mount the units either vertically or horizontally, depending on what worked better in that particular space.”

Ringing the dining area are individual booths, sporting massive 18-inch thick stone walls and burnt beams. “The design is an homage to Irish society at the height of the depression,” Trombitas explains. “The upper class gentry and the peasants can see each other, but there’s a space separating them.”

CFX41 compact 4-inch two-way coaxial boxes are mounted over the booths for added reinforcement. “Their level is down pretty low, about 8dB lower than the mains, just to fill in the mids and highs when the place is crowded,” says Trombitas.

Trombitas reports owner Tony Colbert is truly pleased with the audio quality. “He walked around the entire bar and said ‘it’s absolutely exactly the same, no matter where I go,’ and declared it the best sounding system he’d ever heard in a bar.” And Trombitas adds, “This is probably one of the most architecturally interesting and diverse pub projects I’ve ever been involved in.”

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Headquartered in Foothill Ranch, California, Renkus-Heinz, Inc. is the worldwide leader in the design and manufacture of audio operations networks, digitally steerable arrays, powered and non-powered loudspeakers, system specific electronics and fully integrated Reference Point Array systems.

NORTHRIDGE, California – Audio rental systems provider On Stage Audio has supplied JBL VRX Constant Curvature loudspeakers for use in all three presidential debates and the vice presidential debate. The presidential debates took place at the University of Denver on October 4, Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York on October 16, and Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida on October 22. Additionally, the vice presidential debate took place October 11 at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky.

The audio system for each event remained consistent across the different locations, with JBL VRX932LA portable line arrays arranged in clusters of two each in left-center-right configurations, with two additional delay fills of two VRX932LA loudspeakers each. Crown I-Tech 4x3500HD amplifiers powered the system, with processing handled by a dbx SC32.

Larry Estrin served as Audio and Production Communications Director for the Commission on Presidential Debates, overseeing the audio/video systems for each event. “High-profile events such as the presidential and vice presidential debates leave zero margin for error when it comes to the audio reinforcement system—it is imperative that the system performs flawlessly,� Estrin said. “As was the case during the debates four years ago, the JBL loudspeakers once again delivered high-quality, reliable sound.�

While On Stage Audio’s Chicago-based facility provided similar audio system packages for each of these three locations, JBL’s ability to provide a variety of loudspeakers for different needs helped overcome any acoustical challenges that may have arose in each venue.

“The combination of JBL VRX loudspeakers, Crown amplifiers and dbx processing gave us a high-performing and consistent audio system that we were able to deploy in several different environments,� said Jim Risgin, Vice President of On Stage Audio.

On Stage Audio’s Chicago-area rental services facility can be reached in Wood Dale, IL at (630) 227-1008 or on the web at http://www.osacorp.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 20 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 sales of $4.4 billion for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2012.

When Discovery Channel’s MythBusters set out to test the claim that subaudible low-frequency sounds near 19 Hz can instill feelings of discomfort, dread, and even outright terror, they turned to Meyer Sound and Dr. Roger Schwenke, the company’s staff scientist and honorary MythBuster, for assistance.

Filming for the “fear frequency” segment took place in and around four abandoned cabins at a secluded forest resort in Northern California. To test the theory, the show enlisted 10 volunteers to spend time in the cabins.

“One cabin was subjected to infrasonic sound while the other control cabins had no sound,” says Schwenke. “Although the cabins were essentially identical, the idea was to ask the participants if one cabin seemed more eerie or frightening than the others.”

Unbeknownst to the subjects, a U-shaped array of nine modified Meyer Sound 1100-LFC low-frequency control elements was hidden behind one of the cabins to create the ultra-low sounds.

“We used the U-shape to get the 1100-LFCs as close together as possible,” explains Schwenke, “and to direct any higher overtones away from the cabin so we could get the infrasonic level as high as possible without anything being audible.”

It turns out that nine of the potent 1100-LFC low-frequency control elements were more than needed. “We had to be careful with the level because, at around 95 dB, we started rattling the cabin walls,” recalls Schwenke. “That would have been a dead giveaway.”

Did the MythBusters debunk or confirm the myth? Schwenke isn’t saying: “I did feel a sense of unease. You could tell when it was on even though you couldn’t hear anything. It was more of a whole-body, change-in-the-air sensation, an undefined ominous feeling.”

To find out if the myth was officially confirmed, busted, or deemed merely plausible, tune in to the Discovery Channel on October 28 at 8 PM. The 2012 Halloween edition marks Schwenke’s seventh appearance on the phenomenally popular TV series. In previous episodes, Schwenke applied his expertise and Meyer Sound technical resources to urban myths associated with movie gunshots and explosions, extinguishing flames with sound, the echo of a duck’s call, a human voice breaking glass, and the infamous “brown note.”

www.meyersound.com/news

At the ultimate beach party in Florida, DeLuna Fest, Blackhawk Audio demonstrated how its brand new Meyer Sound LEO system delivered what it was built for: to carry a whole new level of musical fidelity and impact for long distances.

Featuring Clint Aull, production manager of DeLuna, and Rick Shimer and Jamie Nixon of Nashville-based Blackhawk Audio, this first LEO video explains the linearity philosophy behind LEO, and how LEO has raised the bar for large-scale sound reinforcement.

The LEO system at DeLuna included the LEO-M line array loudspeaker, MICA line array loudspeaker, 1100-LFC low-frequency control element, and the Galileo Callisto loudspeaker management system. Artists who played on the LEO system included Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Zac Brown Band, The Gaslight Anthem, The Joy Formidable, Fitz and The Tantrums, and The Wallflowers.

“No matter where you went, the LEO was in your face. The fidelity of the system is just incredible.” – Jamie Nixon, Blackhawk Audio

Video: Blackhawk Audio Unveils Its New Meyer Sound LEO at Beach Festival

Learn more about the Meyer Sound LEO at www.meyersound.com/leo.

Tiny speaker system nets its first award for best debuting sound product

LAS VEGAS — L-ACOUSTICS is proud to announce that its new 5XT ultra-compact coaxial enclosure recently took home LDI 2012′s sole Debuting Product Award in the category of Sound. Presented to the manufacturer on Saturday, October 20 at the Live Design stand on the LVCC show floor, the award was bestowed as part of LDI’s 25th anniversary celebration.

“We’re honored that LDI’s panel of industry professionals selected our 5XT as the most significant sound product launched at the show,” says L-ACOUSTICS Marketing Director Stéphane Ecalle. “Although it is an extremely small product — essentially a six-inch cube with a five-inch coaxial driver — its performance is anything but tiny, and we expect that it will soon be extremely popular in rentals and fixed installations.” more

BUENA PARK, Calif.—Hosted by Katie Couric with performances by Tony Bennett and his quartet with a special guest performance by Sting, the annual Exploring the Arts (ETA) fundraiser held October 4 at Cipriani’s mid-town in New York City raised $1.2 million. A star-studded red carpet affair, benefactors attending included Alec Baldwin, Jon Bon Jovi, Bryant Gumbel, Donna Karan, Lorraine Bracco, former New York Governor Mario Cuomo, Nancy Pelosi, Barbara Walters, and NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

ETA is a nonprofit organization founded in 1999 by Tony Bennett and his wife, Susan Benedetto. The organization’s mission is to strengthen the role of the arts in public high school education. ETA currently supports 14 partner schools in all five boroughs of New York City and reaches more than 10,000 public school students, the majority of who live below the poverty line. ETA’s flagship school, the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts located in Astoria, Queens (the birthplace of Mr. Bennett), was founded by the Bennetts and opened in 2001.

Bennett is set to release VIVA DUETS on October 22, a CD featuring Latin recording artists, and The ZEN OF BENNETT, which was created and conceived by son Danny with a theatrical opening in NYC on October 24 (LA, SF, Chicago on November 2). In November, Bennett’s latest book “Life Is A Gift� will be released.

Audio production for the gala was provided by ACIR Professional (Egg Harbor Township, NJ), and included a Yamaha CL5 digital audio console with two RIO 3224-D remote I/Os used at front of house, a Yamaha PM5D-RH used for monitors, and Yamaha T3n amplifiers for monitor wedges. Additional products brought in by ACIR included Shure, A-T, Heil, Neuman and Sennheiser microphones and wireless monitor systems. The company also provided all of the backline instruments. Bennett LD, Ron Farino, designed the lighting for the event.

Long-time Bennett front of house engineer, production manager for the event, and co-owner of ACIR professional had his first opportunity to mix the show on the new Yamaha CL5. An avid fan of the Yamaha PM1D and PM5D, Young said using the CL5 for its compactness certainly made sense based on the footprint allocated for FOH in the Cipriani room. “I was quite pleased about the performance of the CL5 and how well it sounded,� states Young. “The console is very easy to navigate.�

For more information on Exploring the Arts, visit www.exploringthearts.org.

For more information on ACIR Professional, visit www.acirpro.com.

For more information on the Yamaha CL5, visit www.yamahaca.com.

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PHOTO ID: Tom Young, Bennett’s front of house engineer and production manager

PHOTO CREDIT: Digital Warmth

About Yamaha Commercial Audio Systems, Inc.:
Celebrating 125 years of Passion and Performance, and 25 years in the manufacturer of high quality digital audio consoles, Yamaha Commercial Audio Systems, Inc. (YCAS) provides a full line of integrated professional audio products offering complete systems solutions for the broadcast, sound reinforcement/installed sound, touring, commercial recording, and post production markets. With the addition of NEXO to the product line, the company remains the official U.S. and Canadian distributor for all NEXO speaker models. YCAS offers comprehensive in-house and field product training for its customers, a dedicated dealer network, and 24/7 technical support.

–Adagio Pro Provides Design Support For Geometrically Challenging Main Hall–

The Congress Palace (Ciudad de Oviedo) recently opened in the heart of Spain’s Asturian capital and has already become the newest symbol for its spectacular architecture.

Designed by Valencia-born architect Santiago Calatrava, this visually stunning exhibition and convention center has left its own indelible footprint on the local landscape.

Set on three floors, and elliptical in shape, the 50, 951 square foot Congress Palace consists of several different function room and exhibition spaces — but without doubt the most spectacular is the main auditorium. This unusually shaped 8,202 square ft. hall has a seating capacity of 2,144 seats, with a height of 149.6 feet up to the dome.

With the complex geometry (and high reverberation time) of the room, the choice of sound system was critical—and after an extensive study of electro-acoustic systems the decision was taken to specify an OmniLine® micro array system from Martin Audio.

According to Marc Rovira, product manager at Adagio Pro, the Martin Audio distributor in Spain, given these challenging conditions, it was logical to propose a system with a large coverage control pattern, especially in the vertical plane, to achieve optimum intelligibility.

Thus two hangs of 24 OmniLine elements, with a 9.25 ft. drop have been flown on either side of the stage.

Rovira and the project manager of Adagio Pro, Bernat Camacho, knew that given the micro size of OmniLine, the array would provide a perfect and discreet solution. Each module measures just 9.6 x 4.5 x 7.8 inches and weighs just 9.9 lbs., with drivers and mechanical alignment techniques purpose designed by Martin Audio for this product. Up to 32 modules can be interconnected and in many cases just one amplifier channel per array is required, while the system achieves high levels of SPL and delivers unprecedented vertical accuracy.

However, in this instance the installers MEDIACOM 95 and GMI preferred to divide each column of the array into three zones or channels of amplification to produce a higher level of control in the audience. Processing was carried out in a Martin Audio DX2 4 in/8 out DSP environment, which manages the different levels and equalization of each column.

Camacho, supported the installation every step of the way, initially presenting a 2D model using OmniLine’s own software, before constructing a 3D visualization using EASE software, in order to study the coverage throughout the room and the predicted levels of intelligibility.

The full integration of the audiovisual systems was implemented by MEDIACOM 95 and GMI with the final tuning and commissioning carried out with the engineering team of Adagio Pro. The result is a loudspeaker solution of high quality, which is impressively discreet at the same time.

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

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.

San Francisco, CA––At the 133rd AES Convention, ADAM Audio is introducing the F Series professional monitors with signature tweeter technology that provides unsurpassed performance at the most accessible prices in the company’s history.

The new F Series consists of the F5 and F7 nearfield monitors and SubF dedicated subwoofer. Both the F5 and F7 employ the company’s new ART tweeter that provides performance similar to ADAM’s acclaimed X-ART tweeter in a smaller size to fit the new form factor with the same pristine clarity and unique resolution as its predecessor and slightly less efficiency and maximum SPLs.

The F5
Designed for smaller rooms, the compact F5 features the new ART tweeter, which is powered by a 25W (rms) A/B amplifier, and a 5� midwoofer also powered by a 25W (rms) A/B amplifier.

The F7
The F7 continues ADAM’s most popular configuration using technology that makes it affordable to the widest range of users. It is equipped with the new ART tweeter, driven by a 40 watt A/B amplifier for the unsurpassed clarity and precision ADAM is known for worldwide. Its 7� woofer and a 60W (rms) A/B amplifier produce an exceptionally low and tightly defined bass response.

The SubF
A small yet powerful subwoofer, the SubF features a robust 8″ woofer with driven by a 150W (rms) PWM (pulse width modulation) power amplifier. The amp stays cool while handling maximum power levels, even when sustained. Several controls to adjust the subwoofer are located on the rear panel: a volume knob (-∞ to +6 dB), a control for the crossover frequency, and a phase switch. The SubF is an ideal match for both the F5 and the F7 monitors wherever a deeper and more powerful bass response is required.

Inputs & Controls
Several controls provided to adjust the F5 and F7 monitors to the environment are located on the rear panel: 2 room EQs for the high (>5kHz) and the low (<300Hz) frequencies as well as a volume knob (-∞ to +6 dB). In addition, there is an 85Hz high pass filter to facilitate the use of a subwoofer. There are both XLR combo (jack) and RCA connectors on the rear panel as well.

All F Series products will be available in the United States in January 2013.

MSRP for F Series is:
F5: $249.99 each — $499.98 a pair
F7: $399.99 each — $799.98 a pair
SubF: $399.99

For more information about ADAM Audio USA, please stop by booth #749 at the Moscone Center, call us at 516.681.0690, or click to www.adam-audio.com

About ADAM Audio: Combining extensive experience and research in the field of speaker systems with their revolutionary ART and X-ART tweeter designs, physicist Klaus Heinz founded ADAM Audio in 1999. Based in Berlin, Germany, ADAM designs and builds professional monitor systems for leading recording studios around the world as well as sophisticated hi-fi and multi-channel loudspeaker systems for the home and residential installation markets.

Long Island City, NY, October 2012… New York is the city that never sleeps, and the tiny island of Manhattan has never been able to contain the city’s buzz. Just across the river, hip new neighborhoods spring up like dandelions – once-gritty enclaves like Williamsburg and Bedford-Stuyvesant are now home to the trendy elite. As locals are fond of pointing out, these areas have one thing Manhattan lacks: breathtaking views of the Manhattan skyline.

New York’s newest peripheral gem is Long Island City. Just a subway stop away in Queens, this aging warehouse district is now abuzz with nightlife, eateries, and fashionable hotels.

And the Z Hotel is a prime example: within months of its grand opening, the hotel boasts a 90 per cent occupancy. This former factory has been redesigned from the ground up, with chic décor from its airy rooftop bar to the intimate basement lounge and restaurant. Both venues feature sleek sound systems designed and installed by El Media Group, a Manhattan-based company that provides high-end boutique hotels and restaurants with both custom music and the sound systems to accompany it.

The rooftop lounge area is served by more than a dozen Community WET Series W2-218 all-weather two-way systems. “We opted for the WET Series mainly for their weather resistance,” explains El Media’s Andrew Mitchel. “But we were pleased to find that they have a nice tight coverage pattern as well. Even though the rooftop is 20 stories up and there are not a lot of immediate neighbors, we wanted to make sure that there wasn’t a lot of sound spilling over into the neighborhood.” Lab Gruppen C-Series amplifiers power the system.

Community’s VERIS Series covers the downstairs restaurant and lounge. The basement venue is outfitted with a distributed system featuring Community VERIS 26 two-way, dual 6-inch full-range systems, with VERIS 212S dual 12-inch subwoofers for added low-end punch. The loudspeakers are powered by Lab Gruppen C- and FP-Series amplification, with Symetrix Jupiter DSP providing system drive and processing.

“It’s a pretty nice sounding space,” says Mitchel. “It’s not very wide, but the room is pretty friendly – not a lot of parallel walls or reflective surfaces, plenty of soft seating and cushions, and the ceiling’s not too low like a lot of basement spaces. It’s a nice looking place too – they’ve opened up a large part of the space to the level above, so they’ve got a lot of natural light coming in. It’s a really nice room, and the VERIS speakers sound great in there.”

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Community Professional Loudspeakers is a manufacturer and supplier of professional audio equipment.  Since 1968, Community has led the pro-audio industry with technological innovations which have become industry standards. Today, Community offers over 150 professional loudspeaker products, including installed loudspeaker systems, weather-resistant outdoor loudspeaker systems, ceiling loudspeakers, high level voice paging systems, and portable entertainment systems.  Visit www.communitypro.com for more information.