BSS Audio® Adds Telephone Hybrid Card Option To Soundweb™ London Conferencing Solution

BSS Audio®, a Harman International Company (NYSE-HAR), today added the Soundweb™ London Telephone Hybrid Card to its conferencing portfolio. The new Soundweb London Telephone Hybrid Card complements the highly-regarded Soundweb London AEC Input Card and the two cards represent a highly-integrated, premium solution for conferencing applications.

The Soundweb London Telephone Hybrid Cards are designed to populate any of the four card slots on Soundweb London BLU-800, BLU-320, BLU-160 and BLU-120 devices. These cards enable Soundweb London devices to interface with a standard POTS (aka PSTN or Analog PBX) telephone network and feature line and parallel set connections. The members of the Soundweb London family provide the building blocks of the perfectly tailored system solution.

The Soundweb London Telephone Hybrid Cards also have two analog inputs which allow each Telephone Hybrid Card to receive two microphone or line level signals. These analog inputs offer Phantom Power, configurable per channel and software controlled analog gain in 6dB steps from 0dB to 48dB.

HiQnet™ London Architect v2.08, which provides support for the Soundweb London Telephone Hybrid, offers a fully-featured integrated dialer, speed dial presets and Auto Answer control. All important buttons and feedback from the dialer are accessible from external control and third-party control systems, without the requirement of a PC on the network.

Iain Gregory, market manager for installed sound at Harman Music Group stated, “The Soundweb London Telephone Hybrid Card complements the superbly-performing and already highly-regarded Soundweb London AEC Input Card perfectly. With the reach of Soundweb London extended into conferencing applications, contractors and system integrators are able to leverage existing infrastructure, reduce implementation time and provide a powerful and truly integrated audio solution, using a single platform.”

Harman Professional Links With Com-Net Software To Launch IDX Information Delivery Systems That Couple Harman Audio Networking And Performance With Com-Net Software’s Market-Proven Interface And Control

LAS VEGAS, Nevada — Realigning expectations for high-performance, easy to integrate communication systems, Harman Professional today announced a partnership with information display and paging specialist Com-Net Software to launch a series of new communication technologies starting with the co-branded IDX Information Delivery Systems that debuts today at InfoComm. The IDX System couples Harman’s Crown CTs, BSS London and HiQnet™ technologies on the back end with Com-Net Software ECLIPSX Flight Information Display System or ECLIPSX Transit Information Display System at the front end.  The combined result is great sounding, highly reliable audio networks with application-engineered interface and control in a versatile, cost-efficient package.

According to Van Williamson, Sales & Marketing Manager Commercial Systems, Harman Professional, working with Com-Net Software made a very attractive proposition.  “Rather than build a system from the ground up and learn paging at our customers’ expense, we have the opportunity to work with the market leader in flight information display and message delivery logic.  The new IDX System hits the ground running to deliver considerable audio networking and control without impacting the end-user interface or workflow.  It’s literally the best of both worlds!”

The IDX System delivers audio solutions integrated with signage products and provides integrators serving customers in paging and life safety for infrastructure, healthcare, transportation and government.  Featuring Com-Net software logic and interface software deployed on a database platform speaking to a BSS London and Crown CTs audio network via CobraNet and Harman HiQnet systems configuration and control protocol, the IDX System is a powerful, unified communication system.  Operators can monitor the status of every critical component of a system for status and full control over recording, playback, volume, and scheduling of audio and visual messages.

Commenting on the introduction, Chad Timms, Vice President, Product Development, Com-Net software said today, “Harman Professional deserves considerable respect for recognizing that one size does not fit all: that mission-critical paging systems require very specific feature-sets and fail-safes to the professional audio systems deployed in entertainment, sport or retail!  Because paging is a demanding market where the slightest hiccup can result in mass confusion or personal injury, customers need a proven solution developed by trusted experts — going any other route would be short-sighted and counter-intuitive.”

Underscoring Timms point, Com-Net Software and Harman have worked together closely to deploy several major transit facilities in the United States already prompting the companies to work closer together to productize their solution: The IDX Information Delivery System.  The companies have agreed to work closely together to build upon the platform and develop a range of modular paging systems and signage solutions to make airports, train stations, healthcare institutions and other large facilities safer, friendlier and more communicative.

In doing so, Harman Professional is providing its global sales and distribution teams with a range of compelling new solutions to serve new customers in paging and life safety for infrastructure, healthcare, transportation and government markets.  Harman will immediately be providing the IDX Information Delivery System to international partners.

“Harman is committed to growth and well-positioned to meet that commitment at the corporate level, the brand level, the manufacturer-rep level and the international distributor level,” Williamson concluded.  “We believe that well-directed innovation will provide more customers with better sound and we’re pleased to have partners like Com-Net in this important, exciting mission.”
Harman HiQnet is the world's first connectivity and control protocol that integrates all product categories in the signal chain for professional audio systems of all types, size, and applications. Harman HiQnet no longer requires the user to manage multiple disparate operating systems or be responsible for programming individual signal processors, speaker controllers, wireless microphone systems, and mixing consoles. HiQnet was developed by engineers from across Harman’s Professional Division and is coordinated by the System Development and Integration Group (SDIG), a team of dedicated systems specialists based in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Signature Technologies, Inc. dba Com-Net Software is a leading provider of Audio-Visual Customer Communication Systems for the transportation, retail, hospitality, education and healthcare industries. Com-Net is a market leader in providing sophisticated turnkey solutions that include hardware, software, installation, maintenance and support throughout North America.

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 11,000 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported sales of $3.2 billion for the last twelve months ended March 31, 2010.  The Company’s shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol NYSE:HAR.

Harman Professional Helps Sound The Call For The United States Pavilion at World Expo 2010 Shanghai China

JBL VRX line arrays, Control Contractor installed-sound loudspeakers and BSS Soundweb London processing systems will provide the U.S. Pavilion with world-class audio;

The U.S. Pavilion’s theme is "Rise to the Challenge,” something that Harman brands do on a daily basis when called upon for the most significant live sound applications around the world.

SHANGHAI, China — Harman (NYSE: HAR), a leading provider of branded audio and infotainment electronics for the home, the car, and sound professionals, today announced that technologies from its JBL and BSS Audio brands will form the critical core of the sound system for the United States Pavilion at the upcoming World Expo 2010 Shanghai China.  An estimated 70-plus million attendees over the course of the next six months will experience performances in the $61 million, 60,000-square-foot, glass-walled U.S. Pavilion, which will feature four separate performance spaces, which will be used for multimedia performances, with live performances taking place just outside in the plaza near the queue. Artists scheduled to perform during the opening week of Expo 2010 include the Philadelphia Orchestra, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Herbie Hancock, as well as a wide range of musical styles, including jazz, pop, ska and classical music, along with university marching bands, theater and dance troupes, and "Salutes" the American city and state partners.

The sound system’s components, installed and integrated by award-winning audio-visual company Electrosonic, include loudspeakers from JBL’s portable systems including PRX512M powered monitors in addition to VRX Series line arrays, including VRX932LAP powered 2-way line arrays and VRX918SP 18" powered subwoofers. Both the PRX and VRX Series speakers were part of the live stage equipment and run through the Harman soundboard. Other speakers used included JBL’s Application Engineered Series, such as AC2215/00 compact 2-way loudspeakers, as well as JBL’s Control 26CT and Control 25AV from the highly regarded Control Contractor Series of installed speakers. These loudspeakers are processed by BSS Audio Soundweb London BLU-160 Signal Processors configured using Soundweb London Architect software and controlled via Harman’s HiQnet™ control protocol.

“Great sound carries,” noted Michael MacDonald, Harman Professional Executive Vice President of Marketing & Sales.  “And in this instance, Harman is at once proud and also humbled that our sound systems are helping carry the spirit of American design and invention at the World Expo 2010.  We are honored that when events of this magnitude and this significance need sound technologies, systems designers the world over continue to look to Harman brands and products to make sure that sound is perfect.”

As it has for numerous prestigious performance spaces around the world, Harman continues to provide the ultimate in sonic quality and reliability for critical event spaces.  Harman systems are deployed widely at major sporting events, support the music industry’s most successful tours and are installed in many of the world’s most prestigious and ambitious architectural venues.

Harman HiQnet™ is the world's first connectivity and control protocol that integrates all product categories in the signal chain for professional audio systems of all types, size, and applications. Harman HiQnet no longer requires the user to manage multiple disparate operating systems or be responsible for programming individual signal processors, speaker controllers, wireless microphone systems, and mixing consoles. HiQnet was developed by engineers from across Harman’s Professional Division and is coordinated by the System Development and Integration Group (SDIG), a team of dedicated systems specialists based in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Harman International Industries, Incorporated (www.harman.com), designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment products for the automotive, consumer and professional markets. Harman International maintains a strong presence in the Americas, Europe and Asia, and employs more than 11,000 people worldwide. The Harman International family of brands includes AKG®, Becker®, BSS®, Crown®, dbx®, DigiTech®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson®, Revel®, Soundcraft® and Studer®. Harman International’s stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “NYSE: HAR.”

Harman Professional Shows Its World-Class Capabilities At Spectacular Opening Ceremony For Expo 2010 Shanghai China

Harman brands BSS Audio, Crown Audio JBL, Soundcraft and Studer will support the theme of the world’s largest-ever world’s trade fair, “Better City – Better Life”, with the advantage that Harman Professional technology brings to everything application: “Better Sound”

SHANGHAI, China — Underscoring its leadership in audio technology design and manufacturing, Harman (NYSE: HAR), a leading provider of branded audio and infotainment electronics for the home, the car, and sound professionals, today announced that key Harman products will play a crucial role in the Opening Ceremony for Expo 2010 Shanghai China, which takes place on April 30, 2010, in Shanghai.

The ceremonies, which will inaugurate the world’s largest-ever trade fair, where an anticipated 70 to 100 million attendees will view exhibits from over 200 countries during the event’s 6-month duration, will be dramatic, including music, vocalists, dancers and pyrotechnics.   The World Expo Opening ceremony, produced by DAE, will be an ambitious, highly coordinated multi-site spectacle with synchronized indoor programs at both the Expo Center and Performance Center and outdoor programs at the Celebration Square and along the Huangpu River.  An audience of 40,000 is expected to view these magnificent presentations. To assure that the ceremony will have the absolute best sound possible, the event planners have turned to BSS Audio and Crown Audio, JBL, Soundcraft and Studer to provide the most reliable and advanced audio technology in the world.

The technical scale of World Expo 2010 Shanghai is stunning and vast: the sound will need to cover over 3.2 million square feet of event space; 440 channels of Crown amplification totaling 350,000 watts of power as well as nearly 40 miles of fiber-optic cabling will be deployed – its total length can encircle the Tiananmen Square in Beijing 23 times! To meet these enormous requirements, the highly sophisticated Studer Route 6000 audio router’s 1728x1728 I/O capability is more than sufficient to address the 536 I/Os the audio systems will require, including 24 channels of stereo upmixed to 5.1 and 5.1 surround audio downmixed to stereo for the broadcast portions of the shows. The audio will be processed using 165 BSS Audio BLU 160 signal processors, creating a matrix of 660 channels of EQ, delay and dynamics processing. The audio will be delivered to the massive crowds though a number of JBL systems which will include a large distributed system utilizing Control 29AV two-way loudspeakers.  The primary loudspeaker system for Celebration Square will include Vertec VT-4889 and VT4880A line array clusters.  VRX Series will also be used in some select areas for the ceremonies.

“The scale of these ceremonies will be truly astounding,” explained Michael MacDonald, Harman Professional executive vice president of marketing & sales, noting that it will take a small army of 80 technicians 40 days to put all of the systems in place. “The scale, performance and reliability that an event like this demands can only be provided by a family of companies that are found within Harman. We’re extremely pleased to be working with Expo 2010 Shanghai China and show producer DAE to assure that these opening ceremonies will be the most amazing ever seen.”

Harman HiQnet™ is the world's first connectivity and control protocol that integrates all product categories in the signal chain for professional audio systems of all types, size, and applications. Harman HiQnet no longer requires the user to manage multiple disparate operating systems or be responsible for programming individual signal processors, speaker controllers, wireless microphone systems, and mixing consoles. HiQnet was developed by engineers from across Harman’s Professional Division and is coordinated by the System Development and Integration Group (SDIG), a team of dedicated systems specialists based in Salt Lake City, Utah.

On Stage Audio Deploys World’s First Professional-Grade Application Of AVB Transfer Protocol Using HiQnet™-Enabled Harman Technologies From Crown Audio, BSS Audio and dbx

HiQnet™-enabled Crown Audio CTs Series amplifiers with USP4AVB cards, dbx SC 32 Digital Matrix Processor, BSS Audio / NETGEAR® AVB bridges, and HiQnet System Architect™ were employed by On Stage Audio to create a topography for the future of A/V at the Compuware national sales meeting.

NORTHRIDGE, California — In a highly advanced, yet-remarkably simple audio system design that points to the future of professional-grade integration, On Stage Audio (OSA) this month deployed the world’s first real-world test of the IEEE 802.1 AVB Bridging protocol.  OSA’s team, led by Jim Risgin, Vice President, configured and controlled a Crown Audio, dbx, and BSS Audio A/V system using Harman HiQnet for the Compuware national sales meeting in Detroit, Michigan and ran audio using Ethernet AVB standards.  The event, which took place at the Masonic Theater in downtown Detroit, allowed a crowd of 1,500 attendees to enjoy pristine digital audio and let the audio systems crew experience the future of A/V systems configuration, one in which everything works, all the time, and in which simplicity, not complexity, is the norm.

This watershed event marked the first time that AVB — the only standard transport protocol that allows time-synchronized, super-low-latency streaming audio and video over IEEE 802 Ethernet networks – was used as the primary audio transport for a major professional system.  Harman is a leader in the AVB initiative, chairing and editing the IEEE P1722 Committee and editing the IEEE P802.1Qat Committee and the company is also a pioneer in AVB switching and product development, via the groundbreaking efforts of the Harman Corporate Technology Group and System Development and Integration Group (SDIG). Their dedication to the development of AVB is signified by their membership in the AVnu Alliance; the industry forum dedicated to promoting the adoption of the IEEE 802.1 AVB and related IEEE 1722 and IEEE 1733 standards over various networking link-layers for the advancement of professional quality audio video.

At the core of Risgin’s design are 24 Crown CTs 3000  power amplifiers fitted with USP4/AVB cards, four 24-port BSS Audio / NETGEAR AVB bridges as well as four dbx SC 32 Digital Matrix Processors which were used as the AVB “on ramps” for the system processing.  The entire system (DSP and AVB) was controlled using Harman’s HiQnet protocol and System Architect software.

Jim Risgin, himself an early and active contributor to the AVB movement, assembled the Compuware AVB system working closely with SDIG.  Using the intuitive and customizable HiQnet System Architect drag-and-drop design interface to design his system, Risgin configured and programmed the dbx SC 32 Digital Matrix Processor for processing and using the AVB network as the matrix automatically instructed groups of Ethernet AVB amplifier channels associated with each physical zone to switch to that networked audio signal.

The dbx SC 32’s were deployed as the ‘on ramps’ were used to convert the incoming analog audio to digital AVB streams.  Fourteen audio streams were then routed via HiQnet System Architect to the 24 Crown CTs amplifiers with Crown USP4 4th generation DSP-based PIP™ (Programmable Input Processor) input modules connecting the amplifiers to the Ethernet network.  This enabled real-time transport of digital audio via Ethernet AVB and also allowed the CTs amplifiers to be remotely controlled and monitored via HiQnet System Architect.

“The systems performed flawlessly,” says Risgin, who notes that AVB-induced latency was less than 500 microseconds for all devices, and that delay from input to output maintained the <2ms specified by the AVB protocol. “Harman has done a wonderful job of making a complex process far more simple,” he states. “Everything on the network was completely transparent – troubleshooting was simple because we were able to verify that all the signal paths were correct, and there was instant metering available as soon as an AVB stream was connected to the network.  The Crown amplifiers’ load-monitoring capability verified that each speaker was working and with the correct loading, and the drag-and-drop audio routing really streamlined our workflow process.”

Comparing his AVB experience with traditional system design and routing, Risgin identified what has made the establishment of the AVB protocol so critical. “We would have been working with either analog audio signals on twisted-pair copper cabling, with the potential for failure increasing as the number of signal paths increased or other IP based transport solutions that would increase the complexity immensely” he explains. “With analog we’d have had to deal with interference, hum, and noise rejection issues while other IP solutions would have required an IT technician— in short, we’d have been working in a different age. Even with the existing networked audio protocols, AVB improved the simplicity of coordinating the system and organization of the components. Ethernet AVB has changed everything – for the better.”

Echoing this sentiment, Adam Holladay, Market Manager for SDIG notes, “Where HiQnet simplifies and enables complex programming, monitoring and control, AVB simplifies and enables complex multichannel audio and video transport.  The elegance and performance of the HiQnet and System Architect pairing is matched only by the comprehensive integration that is provided by AVB networking.  The commitment of the AVnu Alliance to advance AVB as the universal standard for audio and video transport  — indicated by the ever-increasing company membership —  really shows that we truly can expect significant industry-wide benefits to many members of the professional A/V community in the not-too-distant future.”

Harman HiQnet is the world's first connectivity and control protocol that integrates all product categories in the signal chain for professional audio systems of all types, size, and applications. Harman HiQnet no longer requires the user to manage multiple disparate operating systems or be responsible for programming individual signal processors, speaker controllers, wireless microphone systems, and mixing consoles. HiQnet was developed by engineers from across Harman’s Professional Division and is coordinated by the System Development and Integration Group (SDIG), a team of dedicated systems specialists based in Salt Lake City, Utah.

About On Stage Audio (OSA):

On Stage Audio (a division of OSA International, Inc.), one of North America's leading audio production organizations, With operations in Chicago and Las Vegas, On Stage Audio can be reached by contacting  Jim Risgin (630-227-1008, ext. 410, jrisgin@osacorp.com) or  Carmen Educate (702-458-0445, ext. 219, ceducate@osacorp.com).

For additional contact information see the OSA website at www.osacorp.com.

About Harman:

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 11,000 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported sales of $3.2 billion for the last twelve months ended March 31, 2010.  The Company’s shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol NYSE:HAR.

###

BSS Audio™ Provides Sound Processing and Control For Burj Khalifa, The World’s Tallest Building

The family of advanced Soundweb™ processors from BSS Audio™ has been used extensively by one of Dubai’s most progressive system integrators, Bond Communications, to provide end-to-end networking at the Burj Khalifa (formerly Burj Dubai). This project, six years in the making, is the largest ever undertaken by the company — and the tallest building in the world.

Harman Professional distributors GSL Professional LLC provided the BSS Audio devices to Bond Communications. These advanced audio tools function on most of the Tower’s 164 floors, and GSL’s Marketing & PR Manager, Glen Kershaw, states, “We were selling these products to Bond pretty much up until the day of the opening — and I anticipate that the after-sales support will be ongoing following the opening.”

Located in the Downtown district — and constructed on a 500-acre plot widely described as “the most prestigious square kilometer on earth” — the building itself boasts some amazing statistics.

The Burj forms a vibrant community for thousands of residents, employees, hotel guests and tourists, with up to 12,000 people living, working and playing inside a building that stands at more than 800 metres / 2,625 ft. The piéce de rèsistance is the tower’s 124th floor observation deck, ‘At the Top, Burj Khalifa’, which offers 360-degree views of the city and is open to the public.

When construction work was at its most intense, more than 12,000 people from over 100 countries were working every day at the Burj Khalifa site, which took 22 million man-hours to build.

Bond Communications AV package manager, Omar Chataw, confirms that his company was asked to provide an integrated, fully-redundant A/V system and the scope of work included networking, cabling, security, home automation, AV conferencing, two-way radio system and master control system.

Chataw knew that the design specification called for a CobraNet™ backbone, which would allow any input to be routed to any output over standard Ethernet.

His introduction to BSS Audio’s catalogue came when he was asked to trial the scalable DSP system on a nearby satellite project — the Lake Hotel.  “GSL Professional provided really good support in terms of both knowledge and service,” he said. “The BSS Audio specification was excellent — in particular the newer Soundweb London products with the digital audio bus, which also offered four times the processing capability.”

Chataw’s team constructed the network around large quantities of the newer Soundweb London family members, launched in January 2008. These include the BLU-800, BLU-320, BLU-160 and BLU-120 — products which feature a 256-channel, low-latency, fault tolerant bus. It works on Cat 5e or Cat 6 cable and allows a direct connection between devices over distances of up to 100 meters. This provided Omar Chataw with another compelling reason for adopting the BSS Audio platform.

The building contains seven separate control rooms (and a master), each with a number of Soundweb London products (18 of the newer devices are used in total).  As there was a requirement for the audio to run over a standard Ethernet network between the control rooms, CobraNet had been the obvious choice, and thus a BLU-800 is located in each of the control rooms as the main configurable hub.

This transmits the CobraNet bundle direct to CobraNet-equipped amplifiers, ensuring that the signal is kept in the digital domain throughout.

The Soundweb London digital audio bus is used throughout, allowing each zone to have its own fault tolerance.  The central control room uses 2 x BLU-800, 2 x BLU-160 and 5 x BLU-120 devices to handle a matrix of over 100 inputs and 100 outputs, taking feeds from the main music server and local line inputs.

Each of the other control areas house either two or three amp/processor racks — giving a total of between 22 and 25 for the entire construction.  Only the newer Soundweb London products could create a matrix of this size due to the combination of abundant processing capability and the high channel counts involved with the individual devices.

An AMX control system is employed in various zones throughout the system which interfaces seamlessly with the Soundweb London devices via RS-232 to allow quick and full control of the audio system.

As a result each area is able to listen to the same centralized source or to a source different than the others without any interference. The music system covers all the public areas including corridors, lift lobbies, terraces, reception areas — as well as a number of fine dining rooms and bars inside the world-first Armani Hotel Dubai, which are equipped with local source select and volume controls.

At the same time meeting rooms are provided with complete audio visual solutions for presentations and conferencing, with high-definition capabilities.

Summarized Omar Chataw, “The DSP processing power of the newer BSS Audio products and the digital audio bus provided us with a perfect opportunity. But although we have a strong technical team, we wouldn’t have gone down this route unless we knew we would get full programming, technical and integration support from both BSS Audio and GSL Professional.”

BSS Audio® BLU-100 Provides Upgraded Signal Processing To Soundweb™ London Series

BSS Audio®, a Harman International Company (NYSE-HAR), today added a cost-effective signal processor to its acclaimed Soundweb™ London family of digital signal processors. The new Soundweb London BLU-100 represents a premium, open-architecture solution in the form of a highly flexible, cost-effective and scalable package.

The BLU-100 offers a fixed configuration of 12 inputs and eight outputs, configurable signal processing, logic processing and a fault tolerant digital audio bus. The configurable signal processing capability offered by the BLU-100 is roughly twice that of the Soundweb London BLU-80 and BLU-16 devices.

The analog inputs of the BLU-100 provide software configurable gain in 6dB steps up to +48dB per channel and software selectable Phantom Power per channel. Phantom Power, Signal Present and Clip information per channel is easily accessible, without the requirement for a PC, from clear front panel LED indication.

The BLU-100 features a low latency, fault tolerant digital audio bus of 48 channels which uses standard Category 5e cabling giving a distance of 100m between compatible devices. Fiber media converters can be used to increase the distance between devices to over 10km (6.2 miles) using single mode fiber.

The BLU-100 is configured, controlled and monitored from HiQnet™ London Architect and is compatible with other members of the Soundweb London family. Its 48 channel digital audio bus represents channels 1-48 of the larger 256 channel digital audio bus when integrated with the BLU-800, BLU-320, BLU-160, BLU-120 and BLU-BOB devices. Up to 60 digital audio bus compatible devices can share channels on a single bus.

As with other Soundweb London devices, 12 Control Inputs and six Logic Outputs allow the BLU-100 to be integrated with GPIO compatible devices.

Iain Gregory, market manager for installed sound at Harman Music Group stated, “The BLU-100 is an example of where user feedback, combined with the leveraging of Soundweb London’s technology, functionality and flexibility has resulted in the development of a truly game-changing product. The BLU-100 broadens the reach of Soundweb London and makes a solution strongly associated with high-profile projects available to many more applications.”

The BLU-100 and the other members of the Soundweb London family provide the building blocks of the perfectly tailored system solution.

BSS Audio® Adds Telephone Hybrid Card Option To Soundweb™ London Conferencing Solution

BSS Audio®, a Harman International Company (NYSE-HAR), today added the Soundweb™ London Telephone Hybrid Card to its conferencing portfolio. The new Soundweb London Telephone Hybrid Card complements the highly-regarded Soundweb London AEC Input Card and the two cards represent a highly-integrated, premium solution for conferencing applications.

The Soundweb London Telephone Hybrid Cards are designed to populate any of the four card slots on Soundweb London BLU-800, BLU-320, BLU-160 and BLU-120 devices. These cards enable Soundweb London devices to interface with a standard POTS (aka PSTN or Analog PBX) telephone network and feature line and parallel set connections. The members of the Soundweb London family provide the building blocks of the perfectly tailored system solution.

The Soundweb London Telephone Hybrid Cards also have two analog inputs which allow each Telephone Hybrid Card to receive two microphone or line level signals. These analog inputs offer Phantom Power, configurable per channel and software controlled analog gain in 6dB steps from 0dB to 48dB.

HiQnet™ London Architect v2.08, which provides support for the Soundweb London Telephone Hybrid, offers a fully-featured integrated dialer, speed dial presets and Auto Answer control. All important buttons and feedback from the dialer are accessible from external control and third-party control systems, without the requirement of a PC on the network.

Iain Gregory, market manager for installed sound at Harman Music Group stated, “The Soundweb London Telephone Hybrid Card complements the superbly-performing and already highly-regarded Soundweb London AEC Input Card perfectly. With the reach of Soundweb London extended into conferencing applications, contractors and system integrators are able to leverage existing infrastructure, reduce implementation time and provide a powerful and truly integrated audio solution, using a single platform.”

BSS Audio® Adds Telephone Hybrid Card Option To Soundweb™ London Conferencing Solution

BSS Audio®, a Harman International Company (NYSE-HAR), today added the Soundweb™ London Telephone Hybrid Card to its conferencing portfolio. The new Soundweb London Telephone Hybrid Card complements the highly-regarded Soundweb London AEC Input Card and the two cards represent a highly-integrated, premium solution for conferencing applications.

The Soundweb London Telephone Hybrid Cards are designed to populate any of the four card slots on Soundweb London BLU-800, BLU-320, BLU-160 and BLU-120 devices. These cards enable Soundweb London devices to interface with a standard POTS (aka PSTN or Analog PBX) telephone network and feature line and parallel set connections. The members of the Soundweb London family provide the building blocks of the perfectly tailored system solution.

The Soundweb London Telephone Hybrid Cards also have two analog inputs which allow each Telephone Hybrid Card to receive two microphone or line level signals. These analog inputs offer Phantom Power, configurable per channel and software controlled analog gain in 6dB steps from 0dB to 48dB.

HiQnet™ London Architect v2.08, which provides support for the Soundweb London Telephone Hybrid, offers a fully-featured integrated dialer, speed dial presets and Auto Answer control. All important buttons and feedback from the dialer are accessible from external control and third-party control systems, without the requirement of a PC on the network.

Iain Gregory, market manager for installed sound at Harman Music Group stated, “The Soundweb London Telephone Hybrid Card complements the superbly-performing and already highly-regarded Soundweb London AEC Input Card perfectly. With the reach of Soundweb London extended into conferencing applications, contractors and system integrators are able to leverage existing infrastructure, reduce implementation time and provide a powerful and truly integrated audio solution, using a single platform.”

BSS Audio® BLU-100 Provides Upgraded Signal Processing To Soundweb™ London Series

BSS Audio®, a Harman International Company (NYSE-HAR), today added a cost-effective signal processor to its acclaimed Soundweb™ London family of digital signal processors. The new Soundweb London BLU-100 represents a premium, open-architecture solution in the form of a highly flexible, cost-effective and scalable package.

The BLU-100 offers a fixed configuration of 12 inputs and eight outputs, configurable signal processing, logic processing and a fault tolerant digital audio bus. The configurable signal processing capability offered by the BLU-100 is roughly twice that of the Soundweb London BLU-80 and BLU-16 devices.

The analog inputs of the BLU-100 provide software configurable gain in 6dB steps up to +48dB per channel and software selectable Phantom Power per channel. Phantom Power, Signal Present and Clip information per channel is easily accessible, without the requirement for a PC, from clear front panel LED indication.

The BLU-100 features a low latency, fault tolerant digital audio bus of 48 channels which uses standard Category 5e cabling giving a distance of 100m between compatible devices. Fiber media converters can be used to increase the distance between devices to over 10km (6.2 miles) using single mode fiber.

The BLU-100 is configured, controlled and monitored from HiQnet™ London Architect and is compatible with other members of the Soundweb London family. Its 48 channel digital audio bus represents channels 1-48 of the larger 256 channel digital audio bus when integrated with the BLU-800, BLU-320, BLU-160, BLU-120 and BLU-BOB devices. Up to 60 digital audio bus compatible devices can share channels on a single bus.

As with other Soundweb London devices, 12 Control Inputs and six Logic Outputs allow the BLU-100 to be integrated with GPIO compatible devices.

Iain Gregory, market manager for installed sound at Harman Music Group stated, “The BLU-100 is an example of where user feedback, combined with the leveraging of Soundweb London’s technology, functionality and flexibility has resulted in the development of a truly game-changing product. The BLU-100 broadens the reach of Soundweb London and makes a solution strongly associated with high-profile projects available to many more applications.”

The BLU-100 and the other members of the Soundweb London family provide the building blocks of the perfectly tailored system solution.

Harman Professional Launches New And Improved HiQnet System Architect™ 2.1 For Faster, More Comprehensive HiQnet™ Support

Building on the new workflow principles and operational paradigms offered with its HiQnet System Architect™ 2.0, Harman Professional recently made its new System Architect 2.1 available to HiQnet™ users worldwide. The upgrade, which was made live on Thursday, December 17th, allows System Architect to automate many of the more time consuming system design tasks based on the application’s greater, embedded understanding of how a user constructs a system.

System Architect 2.1 has been upgraded to allow greater compatibility between HiQnet devices from Harman Professional’s legendary brands, including Crown, JBL, dbx, AKG and BSS Audio.

New with version 2.1 is the support of the new Crown PIP-USP4/CN Card and control of the AKG DMS 700 digital wireless system via the HUB 4000 Q.  Frequency coordination of DMS 700 wireless systems can be performed with 1 Click Setup from AKG’s plugin. ‘1-Click Setup’ calculates discrete, inter-modulation-free frequencies for the entire wireless system on the fly with just a single click.

The upgrade means that System Architect takes multiple like-devices within rack and arrays and automatically groups these into master panels.  These are then made accessible from icons associated with the relevant racks or arrays directly in the Venue. Additionally, user-defined panels can also be assigned to racks, arrays and areas, putting access to control exactly where it makes sense and where it should be.

“With this new upgrade to System Architect, Harman Professional  offers its customers the ability to manage all the products within a HiQnet system with remarkable efficiency,” said Adam Holladay, Market Manager, System Development and Integration Group. “With the operational and performance optimizations that come with the new upgrade, each HiQnet product can effectively work towards providing a more unified system, together reaching a greater potential than alone and with minimal work from the engineer.”

Additional features added to System Architect 2.1 include the ability to readdress devices directly in the venue, both online and offline; the ability to reorder devices in racks and arrays by address and a new region indicator control for use in advanced Custom Panel design. The user interface was upgraded to include a file load progress bar, and also provides enhancements to the intelligent Network Troubleshooter to assist with solving network complications.

“System Architect 2.1 continues our goal of offering users the greatest functionality with the least amount of labor,” continued Holladay. “With System Architect ‘generation 2’, Harman Professional is effectively providing engineers with a helping hand to make the even the most complex audio designs as simple to configure as possible.”

Massive Harman Professional Audio System Provides Fitting Platform For China’s National Day Spectacular

In a compelling demonstration of the high performance and depth of integration of Harman Professional audio components, Hong Kong-based ACE Professional Sound and Lighting, deployed an extremely large integrated audio system featuring components from JBL Professional, Soundcraft, Crown Audio and BSS Audio and configured using Harman HiQnet System Architect™ to support China’s National Day celebrations.  Held October 1– the 60th anniversary of the 1949 revolution — this year’s celebrations featured 200,000 participants, an array of large, festive floats representing cultural, sporting and national successes and culminated in a 60,000-person evening rendition of “I Love China” in Tiananmen Square accompanied by a 300,000-shell fireworks display.

Overall sound design was delegated to Radio Film and TV Design Institute of the China Media Group, with the bulk of audio-specific systems integration shouldered by Hong Kong-based ACE Professional Sound and Lighting.  Although the sheer magnitude of audio logistics outstripped the capabilities of any single supplier, ACE contributed the lion’s share – roughly 80% – of all audio gear deployed in and around Tiananmen Square, with near universal reliance on highly integrated systems from Harman Professional.  All told, equipment supplied by ACE included nearly 700 JBL loudspeakers plus more than 480 Crown amplifiers, 57 BSS Audio DSP units, and 46 Soundcraft analogue and digital mixing desks.

“We’d also supplied systems for the 50th anniversary in 1999,” says ACE Vice President Bingo Tso, “but this year’s project was perhaps ten times as large.  The size of the systems, along with newer technologies – line arrays, digital consoles and DSP amplifiers – made it extremely important to have everything working together.  Fortunately, using HiQnet System Architect™, all the Harman Professional equipment integrated perfectly.”

During the parade, the total street frontage requiring audio coverage measured nearly 10 km.  Coverage would have been a simple task, except that the stands adjoined a 17 m wide moat.  To cover the broad expanse, ACE configured fourteen short arrays, each with two JBL VerTec VT4888 3-way cabinets atop a VT4882 subwoofer, with each combination driven by three Crown I-Tech 4000 amplifiers.  The array produced ample power to cross the water, while the “short stack” configuration remained discreetly out of TV camera view.  Two larger but well-disguised arrays, each with eight JBL VerTec VT4888 and four VerTec VT4882, covered the gate tower structure, with augmentation on the VIP balcony from 56 JBL MS26 cabinets on the floor and additional JBL AC16 cabinets mounted overhead, again powered by Crown I-Tech 4000 amplifiers.

For broadcast sound, the discrete live sources, numerous submixes, and prerecorded material converged on a 96-input Soundcraft Vi6 digital console.  Activity at the primary live sound control room (located at the gate stands) revolved around dual Vi6 desks, one with 96 inputs and a second with 64.  A second audio control position (equipped with the same combination of Vi6 desks plus a 48-input Vi4) was set up in Tiananmen Square specifically for the mammoth orchestra and chorus.

“The snapshot memories and internal processing on the Vi6 desks proved extremely useful,” notes Tso.  “As we had so many different signal sources at various distances up to a kilometer or more away. We used the on-board processing for EQ and to time-align sources to a common zero point.”

The live mixes were either delivered directly to the BSS London loudspeaker drive processors, or, for the longer hauls, first distributed through a fiber optic matrixing and distribution network.  In most cases, analog cables paralleled the digital or fiber optic ones as a safety net.  “We had signal redundancy at nearly all levels,” notes Ben Lui, ACE’s assistant general manager for pro sound.  “For example, the new Crown I-Tech HD Series amplifiers have built-in signal sensing with automatic switching.  If the digital signal had failed for any reason – though it never did – then the amplifiers would have instantly switched to the analog inputs.”

The many other distributed main loudspeaker systems and monitoring systems spread through the expansive site would require a small book to catalogue in detail.  However, in brief, we can note that much of the street-side coverage was provided via custom-made (in China) column speakers designed specifically to blend with the ornate lampposts on which they were mounted.  Low-mid drivers were domestically manufactured, with the 4”-diaphragm HF drivers supplied by JBL. The complement of approximately 100 lamppost speakers was powered by racks of Crown I-Tech 5000HD amplifiers mounted in the Great Hall of the People, adjacent to the Square.  Hundreds of additional loudspeakers – drawn from JBL’s PRX, SRX, VRX and Control Series – were assigned duties along the avenues, in VIP rooms, at entrances and exits, around parade marshalling points, and for monitoring in performance areas.

Dozens of supplemental audio mixing points were required as well.  For the parade, 22 small analog mixers (mainly Soundcraft GB2R) were placed along the parade route to, picking up ambient sound and routing into the Nexus fiber optic snake system.  Additional compact digital consoles (Soundcraft Si2 and Si3) were at the hub of smaller indoor and outdoor systems for the various parties and meetings surrounding the main celebrations.

Harman Professional HiQnet™ Audio System Scores Highly At English Premiership Side Burnley F.C. Stadium

Designed by AMS Acoustics and installed by ETA Sound, new audio system is world’s
first deployment of Harman HiQnet™ System Architect V 2.0.

As Burnley F.C. gain promotion to England’s elite, new fully integrated PA/VA compliant
Harman Professional public address system puts Turf Moor system in the same league
as Europe’s greatest stadium systems.

BURNLEY, England —  Harman International Industries (NYSE: HAR), a leading provider of branded audio and infotainment electronics for the home, the car, and sound professionals, today announced the successful completion of an advanced networked audio system at Turf Moor, the stadium of English Premiership football club, Burnley F.C. Having recently gained promotion to English football’s top tier for the first time in 33 years, it was fitting that Burnley F.C’s first clash would be with reigning champions, Manchester United and with such a seeming-massive challenge in hand, Burnley F.C.’s managers sought to effect a 12th man home advantage at Turf Moor.  They engaged acoustic consultants, AMS Acoustics and integrators ETA Sound to design and install a fully integrated PA/VA compliant public address system that would put Turf Moor system in the same league as Europe’s greatest stadium systems.  The resulting system, designed and controlled using Harman HiQnet System Architect™ and featuring components from Harman Professional brands including JBL, Crown and BSS Audio, received a rousing reception, was covered widely in the local press and, most importantly, a famous David vs. Goliath victory was recorded.

AMS Acoustics had already implemented an earlier first phase upgrade last season to bring three stands into VA compliance. During the course of this exercise the capture of a full range of measurements was required and the resultant data, after analysis, was used as the cornerstone for an entirely new design the following year.  During the short closed season, AMS returned with ETA Sound to implant a complete Harman Pro solution, using a fiber-based signal network that would extend to the three main stands — the North (James Hargreaves) stand, the East (Jimmy McIlroy) stand and South (Bob Lord) stand.

Tasked with supplying a voice alarm-compliant system with high STI (Speech Transmission Index), AMS Acoustics’ project designer Helen Goddard made her product selection with care. Her design enabled the voice evacuation system to double up to meet on-pitch entertainment requirements.  The company needed to achieve peak level in an emergency scenario, related to crowd noise. “We knew the system would have to achieve a maximum of 102-105dB(A) and this meant we needed to use loudspeakers that would be able to achieve these kind of levels without going into compression,” Goddard explained.

First, the JBL loudspeakers were set a number of challenges — including a performance evaluation in AMS Acoustics’ anechoic chamber, even to the point of a destruction test. This was supported by Sound Technology, the Harman Professional distributors, who provided all the necessary back-up.  The acousticians then set about designing the control, signal path and zoning matrix, opting for an integrated Harman Professional package based on system optimization and cost-efficiency. “As the budget was quite tight this was the logical way to go,” stated Goddard.

Crown CTs amplifiers, fitted PIP-USP3 speaker processing units, BSS Audio Soundweb London DSP devices, with BLU-link, running on a fiber backbone — and independent HP ProCurve network switches across all rack locations — form the system architecture. Media converters are provided for the BLU-link data and HP GBICS-LC, providing fiber interfacing on the HP ProCurve switches, and the infrastructure provides one dual redundant Ethernet network as well as an independent ring for the BSS AUDIO BLU-Link audio transport.

In this fully-redundant design, UPS systems provide all the power conditioning and mains support in the event of a power failure.  The installation was also notable for the advanced DSP programming skills of ID Networks’ Martin Barbour, using the attributes of Harman Professional’s new System Architect v2.00 software — the first use anywhere in the world.  “Given that this was a fast fit job it saved me huge amounts of time,” Barbour said.

Eddie Thomas of ETA Sound worked closely with Tom Williams, Sound Technology’s acoustician. In fact the latter had been closely involved from the outset of the project — taking part in the initial concept discussions with AMS Acoustics, supporting the equipment testing and measurement procedures, setting up the load monitoring — and finally assisting with system commissioning.

In total 16 JBL AM6315/95 (90° x 50°) full range loudspeakers with rotatable horn and 12 AM6200/95 mid-high loudspeakers have been used. In the South Stand JBL AM6315’s have been deployed, mounted horizontally to counteract sightline restrictions, with the horn rotated. Covering the East stand are three clusters, each with JBL AM6315/95 in the vertical plane and JBL AM6200/64 covering the lower raked seating (90°x 50°).  In the North stand there are five similar clusters of the same, with the JBL AM6315/95 mounted at the top in the vertical plane, and JBL AM6200/64 bolted under to cover the lower rake.  An additional four JBL AM6200/64s (60°x40°) are also suspended on the north stand, specifically to provide pitch coverage.

Each of the three equipment rack locations features two HP ProCurve switches, two BSS Audio Soundweb London BLU-160 DSP’s and Socomec UPS in each room (as well as the two fiber converter interfaces for BLU-Link). Says Barbour: “Two BLU-160s in each location gives us more than enough DSP — they are hugely powerful devices.”

The network services a total of 23 PA zones although these are logically broken down into stands, concourses and turnstile areas. The BSS AUDIO Ausio Soundweb London devices are configured for a maximum of 72 outputs and between 24 inputs.

Barbour explains, “Originally this was to have been a CAT5 installation but when the client moved the rack locations this took us outside the Ethernet 100m range — so we suddenly had to rethink the networking aspect.” Eddie Thomas’s team then designed and arranged a fiber network to be provided and installed within two weeks.

“Installing BLU-Link at this stage provides us with the audio routing headroom we need when the expansion works commence,” Barbour says. “The channel count and ease of use made it an obvious decision.”

The majority of London Architect’s Logic programming is dedicated to the graphical user interface and voice evacuation autonomy, which is permanently monitored. This allows any of the evacuation messages or microphones to be routed to any of the PA zones, while in each rack location there are also local access microphones as a final tier of security.  Each output has its own independent gains and EQ with three volume settings — low (dropping the system down to 85dB), match day level (which runs at 100dB) and the emergency maximum level (of 102-105dBA).

Martin Barbour says that running both the new London Architect v2.06 and Harman HiQnet System Architect v2 software offered huge advantages.  A notable feature of the new Soundweb system designer is the Wire Tags feature. “This feature comes into its own with complex and vast DSP or Logic designs. It enables me to keep the design tidy, easy to follow, and when used in combination with macros, easily expandable.

“And in terms of stability and performance you don’t get any more pressure than a visit from Manchester United FC on your opening home game, with the world’s first System Architect v2.0 install! The system performed flawlessly, and thanks to the time saving attributes of both software applications, we were able to fit the demands to the very tight deadlines.”

His adoption of the new System Architect software was particularly inspired and was the result of having been engaged as a Harman Pro developer partner for the past 12 months. “So we knew well ahead of time what SDIG was planning with its upcoming version of System Architect,” he states.

However, it wasn’t until final beta testing during June / July, where he saw their work in a tangible form, that it became obvious how suited this major update would be for an upcoming stadium project which had an extremely tight time scale.

“I presented the idea of using System Architect v2.0 on the Burnley FC project to Adam Holladay at SDIG who helped by providing an interface with the R&D team as we ironed out some small issues,” he recalls. “As the driving force behind the new workflow based approach to System Architect, Adam was best placed to translate my observations and comments in to some last-minute enhancements ready for the final release.

“During the design stage, my first impressions were that the user interface was more refined and it was obvious that a great deal of thought had been put into how the software would be used. The new layout guides you through a number of basic steps in much the same way that a software configuration wizard could but without the restrictions often associated with multiple choice Q&A based setup guides.

“With the new workflow-based design approach of System Architect v2.0 we can associate the amplifier channels with physical and logical areas within the venue. This allows the software to automatically create default control panels for each logical zone, which would otherwise have had to be built manually.”

System Architect was used to configure the CTs amplifiers across three rack rooms covering three stands and the pitch. Each stand is divided into a number of zones depending upon its size and we were able to quickly build up a collection of panels for either complete stand or zoned control to aid with system setup and commissioning. Multi-parameter assignments and filtering controls allowed us to implement global buttons to activate each of the fault monitoring status reports which was far quicker than going in to each amplifier and activating these controls manually.

What this provided was a topographical view of the venue in a logical form with direct access to a simple user control panel for every area of the venue. Devices are contained in representations of the real rack rooms and individual DSP or amplifier channels are associated with the correct parts of the venue, all without manually building any control panels or links. “This approach basically takes away lots of the legwork required to achieve simple and consistent room control for distributed audio systems,” he says.

Many other features, already found in prior releases of System Architect, have also been reworked — including the ability to associate many parameters with custom controls. This has been made more user friendly through easy access to all devices and new filtering controls.

“We now have a great starting point upon which we can build as the stadium develops further over the next 12-24 months,” says Martin Barbour.

“The exciting thing about System Architect v2 is not just what they have now, but what they have laid the foundations for in the future,” he continues. “System Architect v2 approaches system design with a new perspective, it replaces the need to manually translate physical devices to logical areas. It subtly guides you to a common starting point where you have full access to the critical controls for your venue. It makes the creation of more complete and user friendly control interfaces faster and more efficient.

“In fact if Harman Pro continue to make such significant time saving upgrades in each major release, I’m going to have to start finding more projects to keep me busy….”

Harman International Industries, Incorporated (www.harman.com), designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment products for the automotive, consumer and professional markets. Harman International maintains a strong presence in the Americas, Europe and Asia, and employs more than 11,000 people worldwide. The Harman International family of brands includes AKG®, Audioaccess®, Becker®, BSS AUDIO®, Crown®, dbx®, DigiTech®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson®, Revel®, QNX®, Soundcraft® and Studer®. Harman International’s stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “NYSE: HAR.”

About ID Networks
ID Networks was formed in 2006 to cater for the growing demand for highly professional design services in the DSP and Networked Audio markets. With a strong background covering many of the leading DSP and Amplifier products as well as networked audio transports, ID Networks has cemented itself as a leading provider for networked audio system design through some of the most iconic venues across the World including Wembley National Stadium, London’s O2 Arena and the Atlantis Hotel and Resort in Dubai. Based in the United Kingdom and handling projects all across Europe and the Middle East, ID Networks is set to tackle the largest and most complex Systems Integration and Programming projects.”

Harman Pro Backs Festinho Festival

Boutique fund raiser for Jimmy Page’s Action for Brazil’s Children
EAST ANGLIA, United Kingdom — Take a charity founded by Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, the expanding Festinho 2009 weekend fund-raising celebration of Brazilian music to support it, and sponsorship from Harman Professional, and you have a recipe for a highly successful event.

The festival was established five years ago by Rupert Barksfield and Lynda Colborne —as a garden party in a country home attended by 400 people. Since then it has changed its name from the Mini Chill (allied to the larger and long-established Big Chill Festival), and also its site to Kentwell Hall in East Anglia. As a result, this year they were able to cap their attendance at 3,000 (with acts like Jon Kennedy, The Cuban Bros and Penguin Café Orchestra headlining, along with James Yuill and Tom Eno).

In its quest to provide aid for Brazil’s street children, Barksfield says the Festinho management team hse been indebted to Harman for its continued support on an increasing basis. After running an early Soundcraft Vi6™ (along with JBL PA and monitor rig) three years ago, this time around monitor engineer Pete Fletcher also had a Soundcraft Vi4™, while his Studiocare colleague, John Holmes, handled most of the FOH mixes on the Soundcraft Vi6.

But Soundcraft was not the only brand to grace the main stage. Also helping the event to swell the funds of the ABC Trust (Action for Brazil’s Children) were again JBL, which provided a VRX system (VRX932LA’s and SRX718S subs) and SRX712M stage monitors, along with Crown, who powered the system with I-Tech IT-6000 amplifiers. The inventory also included classic AKG C414 condenser mics and BSS AR-133 active DI boxes — with all equipment supplied by Studiocare Professional Audio.

Now operating as the event’s Technical Production Manager, Rupert Barksfield (a full time production manager by day) has served his time as a FOH sound engineer and is well aware of the attributes of the Soundcraft Vi6.

“We are very proud of the support we have received from Soundcraft in different capacities over the last three years; they have gone to the ends of the earth to help us from the very beginning,” he says.

“The latest version of the Vi6 is unbelievable — it’s a breath of fresh air in the digital console world. Any guest engineer who has not used it before requires just a 5-minute walk-through.”

With very few bands bringing their own engineers, John Holmes and Rupert Barksfield developed a master template on the FOH desk. “We would have a meeting each evening and early the following morning we would programme scenes from the input list and then tweak them as fast as possible during each act’s line-check.”

The speed of access, via the desk’s intuitive Vistonics™ II GUI, is essential in a festival context, they note. “Although we had 20-25 minutes turnaround time between acts, that time can soon disappear with a 12-piece band. It was unbelievable how much quicker using the Vi6 was — it’s not like going through every channel on an analogue desk.”

To illustrate how far production values have evolved in five years, acts were able to perform under the main stage Wango's purple canopy, while the event’s second stage (The Harvest Stage) was set up by Big Chill Festival founder, Pete Lawrence — illustrating the bridge between Festinho and the Big Chill’s community.

Reflecting on a thoroughly satisfying weekend, Rupert Barksfield commented, “We have always been able to reply on 100% support from Harman Pro. We were privileged to have the full VRX system and SRX monitors this year, while also at the stage end we were able to use a Soundcraft Vi4 on monitors for the first time — I had not considered a digital desk for monitors previously.

“We also had a WiFi network running — and to see Pete Fletcher, who was also system teching, being able to check the EQ on a Netbook at front of stage, was a brilliant sight.”

Top London Nightclub Fabric Upgrades To BSS Audio Soundweb™ London

Succeeding in a fixed installation that provides a major upgrade to the quality of its networked audio, London nightclub Fabric has chosen to upgrade its three legendary dance rooms with BSS Audio Soundweb London devices. The system was sold through Harman’s UK distributor Sound Technology Ltd.

“The original Soundweb devices gave us great service but we realized that the available technology had become far more advanced. Processing speed is a lot faster, and the new devices have a much greater capacity,” stated Sanjeev Bhardwaj, head of technology for Fabric.

The new system consists of a BLU-160 and pair of BLU-120 devices in the two main rooms along with a pair of BLU-BOB output boxes, and a BLU-160 and single BLU-120 in the third room. All three rooms are fitted with password-protected BLU-10 programmable touch screen remotes for local control.

“Anything I can do on my laptop I can do on the BLU-10. We have set up separate gain controls for each individual speaker and have reset the crossovers with the result that the system provides us with amazing performance like we’ve never heard it before,” stated Bhardwaj.

The I/O configuration of the Soundweb London system was also a key factor. While the BLU-160 devices handle all the processing and are configured either 12x4 or 16x0, all the BLU-120 devices are configured for outputs and programmed 0x16.

“We have maintained the highest standards in each room and with so much more processing power available the system is no longer straining. We are also able to run it quieter than we did before — and yet it sounds better. Our regular DJs have been quick to remark on the improved sound,” stated Bhardwaj.

Although other options were considered for the upgrade, Bhardwaj believes Soundweb is still the most efficient and powerful system available. “The idea of the new Soundweb London and its digital audio bus was to future proof the club. I have so many spare outputs and we are still only using 56% of the processing power in Room 2. In fact it’s the best money I’ve spent in the last three years and I probably won’t need to look at processing again for the next decade.” stated Bhardwaj.

For more information on Sound Technology visit http://www.soundtech.co.uk

Norwegian Parliament Upgrades to BSS Audio Soundweb London

The Norwegian parliament in Oslo is using a large number of BSS Audio Soundweb devices for different applications, covering meeting rooms, hearing rooms and the main parliament assembly auditorium.

The plenary chamber recently saw a major upgrade to a Soundweb London system, relieving the older Soundweb Original system from its duties, which it has been performing since 2002.

The new system, installed during the Easter recess by Norwegian BSS Audio distributor, LydRommet AS, includes four BLU-320 break-in / out devices in an 8 x 8 configuration, and eight BLU-160 devices, all configured with four analog inputs, four digital outputs and eight analog outputs. Two BLU-10 touch screen remotes control the system locally, and the package includes a BLU-80 device located in the offices of the technical department for surveillance and monitoring of the entire system.

All 12 devices share the same control network and design file, but in terms of functionality there are two identical systems divided in separate Digital Audio Bus rings for full redundancy.

The matched configuration of the devices also serves as an additional back-up, enabling devices to be swapped easily if required.

The BLU-320 devices serve as microphone preamps and CobraNet™ interfaces, while all processing and distribution routing and management is taken care of by the BLU-160 devices. In addition to the sound reinforcement system in the auditorium there are more than 120 destinations including broadcast applications.

The new system replaces eight Soundweb sw9088iis devices and four high quality eight-channel microphone preamps. While the old system was utilizing close to 100% in DSP processing power, the new system is idling at around 20%.

In addition, the Soundweb London system introduces great improvement in signal-to-noise ratio, and the overall sound quality has been raised to a higher level.

TSI-Global Hits It Out of The Park With Crown and BSS Audio At New Citi Field

Succeeding in a challenging and historic fixed sound installation, TSI-Global installed a battery of Crown CTs amplifiers and BSS Audio Soundweb London processors as well as advanced audio networking via Harman’s HiQnet™ configuration and control protocol for the new Citi Field in Queens, NY. Home to the New York Mets of Major League Baseball, Citi Field officially opened on April 14, 2009 to a capacity crowd of 42,000 spectators.

TSI-Global deployed 160 CTs 3000 amplifiers, along with 61 CTs 1200 and 19 CTs 2000 amps with PIP-Lite Modules to power all main bowl speakers, club areas, suites, concession stands, bathrooms and entrances. “CTs amplifiers were recommended by the design consultant WJHW. For a large fixed installation such as this one, they gave us great flexibility for the various areas in the stadium,” stated Paul Murdick, vice president at TSI-Global.

All CTs series amplifiers offer integration with HiQnet System Architect and CobraNet™. “With Harman components, the ability to control and configure your audio system with HiQnet is a major advantage. When you are dealing with a project of this size, the ability to have your amplifiers perform efficiently while networked is invaluable,” added Murdick.

BSS Audio Soundweb London processors were also deployed in the Citi Field installation. Twenty BLU-120, 14 BLU-160, 10 BLU-80, and eight BLU-800 devices handled control of all stadium audio. “When you look at sound systems at stadiums across the country you’ll find BSS Audio is a name that will continue to appear. With the Soundweb London products you get great quality and value. Plus they are incredibility easy to program and that is essential in a large venue,” stated Murdick. Soundweb London devices also offer configurable I/O, CobraNet audio, and fully configurable signal processing.

Overall, Murdick pointed to the great relationship TSI-Global maintains with Harman. “In any major fixed installation such as this one there are challenges,” he said. We were fortunate enough to start with a great design through our consultant and great equipment. “The service and on-site support we received from Harman was second to none and helped make this project as seamless as possible.”

TSI-Global group president Troy Bost added that this will be one of many large-scale projects that TSI will be taking on. “We plan on forging ahead with many strategic large venue projects and their success will be reliant not only on our talented team but the successful partnerships with companies such as Harman.”

For more information on TSI-Global visit their website at www.tsi-global.com .

Kimmel Center’s Verizon Hall For Performing Arts Upgrades To BSS™ Audio Soundweb™ London

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — In a fixed installation that raises the bar for audio signal processing and distribution, The Kimmel Center’s Verizon Hall in Philadelphia, one of the premier performing arts centers on the East Coast, commissioned sound integration firm Acme Professional to install a BSS Audio Soundweb London system.

Verizon Hall is a 2,800-seat grand performance hall that serves as the home of the world-renowned Philadelphia Orchestra, Philly Pops, and also hosts many high-profile music artists spanning all spectrums of music. Many technical systems including automated acoustical elements accommodate a wide range of events, including major performances, HD television program production and awards shows.

The aging audio signal processing and distribution system in Verizon Hall was replaced with a BSS Audio Soundweb London system as a means to significantly improve audio performance for a modest cost. “We wanted to deploy a system that would significantly improve audio quality in the hall, and provide a more robust network,” remarked Pete Cosmos, president of Acme Professional.

The new BSS Audio system consists of three Soundweb London BLU-80 and two BLU-32 devices, and one BLU-10 touch-screen programmable controller. The house audio system consists of multiple house mix drive-line inputs and (32) output stems to drive the installed loudspeaker systems and many fill loudspeakers located throughout the four tiers of seating areas. Working with David Conner, director of house audio at the Kimmel Center, Acme developed a design that allowed a seamless switchover to the new Soundweb London system. “The upgrade to Soundweb London exceeded our expectations and is highly recommended where multiple, aligned speaker systems are required in a critical audio environment. A big improvement in fidelity was achieved at a modest cost,” stated Conner.

Flexibility was another primary reason to choose Soundweb London. A BLU-10 programmable controller provides many modes of audio system operation required for the various types of events produced by the Kimmel Center. “Since the hall is used for unamplified major orchestral concerts, the motorized loudspeaker cluster can disappear, raising up into the tech attic via motorized doors located in the main acoustical canopy over the stage. A concealed announcement system is still required for such events, which involves complete re-timing of all concealed loudspeakers. This was easily achieved with the Soundweb London system and the BLU-10 touch-screen controller,” added Cosmos.

“Even the timing and phase improvements of the new processing and audio network were immediately noticeable,” added Conner.

“With announcements, musicians in the Philadelphia Orchestra commented they thought a completely new audio system was installed, even while sitting on the stage behind the systems,” stated Cosmos.

“The new Soundweb London devices provide us a new degree of flexibility and reliability in what is a demanding performance environment,” said David Thiele, vice president at the Kimmel Center.

BSS Audio® Introduces Cost-Effective Break-Out Box To Soundweb™ London Family

FRANKFURT, Germany — BSS Audio®, a Harman International Company (NYSE-HAR), today added a cost-effective break-out box to its acclaimed Soundweb™ London family of digital signal processors. The new BLU-BOB output expander compliments the seven other members of the Soundweb London™ family and represents an inexpensive solution to increasing the number of outputs in a Harman HiQnet™ networked system.

The BLU-BOB features eight analog audio outputs on standard terminal block connectors and the 256-channel, low latency, fault tolerant digital audio bus, also found on the BLU-800, BLU-320, BLU-160 and BLU-120 devices. In addition to providing a backbone for the transportation of multiple channels, this bus also facilitates the creation of large, fault-tolerant, centralized matrices containing multiple devices. The digital audio bus uses standard, inexpensive Cat 5e or Cat 6 cable, which enables a distance of 100 meters between devices. The BSS Audio MC-1 fiber optic media converter can be used to increase the distance between devices to over 10km (6.2 miles) using single mode fiber.


A series of DIP switches on the rear of the BLU-BOB device allow consecutive channels, in groups of eight, to be selected from the digital audio bus. Multiple BLU-BOB devices can be configured to receive the same or different eight channel ranges. Signal present and power status are clearly displayed by front panel LED indicators for monitoring and troubleshooting. The BLU-BOB devices are powered by an external 24VDC power supply such as the BSS Audio 999-PSU.

Two chassis styles are available, the first (BLU-BOB1) is a half rack width, desk or wall mounted version and the second (BLU-BOB2) is a 19” single rack space version with mounting ears for equipment racks. Front panel indication and rear panel connections are identical on both versions.

Each of the eight different Soundweb London devices offer a different mix of signal processing, CobraNet™ and digital audio bus functionality, making a Soundweb London system the perfect match for any application.

BSS Audio Provides Ultimate Control For Extravagant Atlantis Hotel In Dubai

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — In what is considered to be the largest fixed sound installation project in the region, BSS Audio provided sound control in the brand new Atlantis Hotel in Dubai. The sound system covers all hotel restaurants, lobbies, corridors, visitor attractions, and retail outlets within the venue.

For the installation, 31 Soundweb London BLU-80 units, 10 BLU-32s, and six BLU-16s were utilized. All of these Soundweb London units offers configurable I/O, configurable signal processing and CobraNet audio and has open architecture which is fully configurable through HiQnet™ London Architect. The system also features 17 BLU-10s, 12 BLU-3s, and seven BLU-6s.

According to Stacey Lewis, sales and marketing manager for GSL Professional, the regional distributor for Harman products in the UAE, the Atlantis Hotel had very specific needs for the sound system. “The system needed to be easy to operate, with a common operating environment in terms of control in local zones and areas. Additionally, they needed a central system control with monitoring, scalability and flexibility, to accommodate potential future expansion plans or requirements.”

Additional Harman products that were utilized included Crown amplifiers. Thirty-five CTs 8200, eight CTs 4200 and 11 CTs 600 amplifiers were installed throughout the hotel. The amplifiers are networked and monitored on the same system as the Soundweb DSP system.

Dave Wilts, senior associate at Shen Milsom & Wilke, an acoustic consulting firm, explained the decision to specify BSS products for the Atlantis Hotel. “A large resort such as the Atlantis typically has extensive AV requirements. We wanted to provide the hotel operations staff with the most "easily managed" AV systems as possible. The BSS line provided a reliable architecture we could leverage for resort-wide, meta-level control of the BGM (background music) systems. For our completely IP-based AV systems, the IP tools and products from BSS offered the best solution, and support, for the project."