Soundcraft Studer has announced that Mike Stock, one of television’s most successful audio engineers, will be on hand at the Harman booth (#C2619) at the NAB show on Wednesday, April 14 from 10 AM to 6 PM. NAB attendees are encouraged to visit the Harman booth to meet with Stock, and to see Soundcraft Studer’s latest product offerings for the broadcast industry. Stock’s visit is part of Soundcraft Studer’s “Mixing With Professionals” program, which centers around many of the industry’s most accomplished audio engineers and their experiences with Soundcraft and Studer consoles.
Stock has served as production sound mixer on a variety of television programs, including “Dr. Phil,” “The Doctors,” “The NFL on FOX,” “The Bachelor” and “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien,” as well as numerous live events on the TV Guide Channel.
For “Dr. Phil,” “The Doctors” and “The NFL on FOX,” Stock mixes the audio using a Studer Vista 8 console. “I love mixing on the Vista 8,” Stock says. “It has a very easy learning curve for such a sophisticated desk.”
According to Stock, the Vista 8’s flexibility is one of its most valuable assets. “I use the Vista 8 at Paramount Studios to mix ‘Dr. Phil’ Monday through Wednesday and mix ‘The Doctors’ on Thursday and Friday,” Stock says. “I don’t have to patch a thing when making the transition between the two shows, I simply change a title on the desk.”
The Studer Vista 8 combines powerful broadcast features with dynamic automation to offer a highly sophisticated and flexible multipurpose live broadcast desk. The Control Bay design offers 10 faders in a small footprint, making it ideal for both fixed install broadcast and OB van applications. In addition, a sophisticated snapshot system and dedicated mute groups make this also the perfect choice for fixed install live applications. The Vista 8 also incorporates the worldwide acclaimed Vistonics™ user interface.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Mike Stock To Appear At Harman Booth At NAB 2010
Harman Professional Concert Sound Powers Historic HAMPI UTSAV 2010 Music Festival
NORTHRIDGE, California — India started its new year in style, with one of January’s most exciting events being the Hampi Utsav 2010, taking place in the south of the country. A regular annual event in Karnataka at Hampi, a UNESCO World Heritage site, this year’s three-day Festival was held on a grand scale by uniting with the 500th anniversary celebration of the Vilayanagara emperor, Sri Krishnadevaraya’s ascendancy to the throne.
More than 300 hundred artists performed over three days on a 200 ft. x 100 ft. stage at Hampi, with performances that included various music and Indian dance forms by such leading Indian artists as Hema Malini, Mysore, Manjunath, and Pandit Jasrat, along with international performers. The audience was estimated at between 100,000-150,000 people on each of the three days.
Three sound rental companies, V&P Sound Pvt. Ltd., Sound & Light Professionals and SoundEffects.Com, collectively provided the sound system for this major event, with JBL VERTEC® line arrays chosen for use as the sound reinforcement system for the primary concert stage.
The main left and right array hangs comprised 24 JBL VerTec VT4889s and 16 VT4880A subwoofers, all powered by Crown I-Tech 5000HD, 9000HD, and 12000HD amplifiers. The system relied on JBL’s world-standard V4 DSP presets, developed specifically to take advantage of Crown’s LevelMAX™ multi-stage limiting in the I-Tech HD amps.
Additionally, 16 VerTec VT4888s were used for outfills and center fills, with eight JBL SRX 728s in place as the center-located ground based subwoofers. A dbx DriveRack 4800 handled loudspeaker output-zone processing. A Soundcraft Vi6 digital mixing console was deployed at the FOH location.
Vishnu .P, Director, V&P Sound, said, “I’ve been impressed with the Crown I-Tech HD amplifiers, and the LevelMAX processing is great. Having sophisticated three-stage limiting, including long term thermal protection, allows for higher Peak and RMS thresholds and this ultimately translates into more SPL output.”
Crown I-Tech HD amplifiers feature a user-inspired DSP engine, OMNIDRIVEHD, co-developed with BSS Audio and developed out of the heritage of one of the most storied and successful processors in tour sound. The processing engine features Linear Phase FIR filters that offer unrivaled crossover performance for sonically pure tunings.
“It is outstanding to see that the entire range of Harman Professional products played a key role in a highly optimized sound system for this historic music event. The festival created an opportunity for three leading sound companies in the region to come together in a collaborative manner, and the benefit of premium sound performance. We congratulate all three companies on what was a highly successful event,” stated Sushil John, Harman Regional Sales Director for Central Asia.
AKG’s Perception 820 Tube Adds A Rich, Vintage Sound To GRAMMY Winning Producer/Engineer Jason Goldstein’s Recordings
Goldstein learned his craft from some of the most widely respected producers and engineers in the recording industry, including George Massenburg, Mike Schipley, Rick Ruben and more. Working with high-profile producers and GRAMMY winning musicians, Goldstein learned that having the right equipment for the right recording scenario could make the difference between a good and a great track, which is why he recently began using AKG’s Perception 820 Tube for his studio recordings.
“I just started using the Perception 820 Tube about a month ago, and it’s already starting to make a difference,” Goldstein said. “I’ve used it to record lead vocals for Bilal, and the first thing that jumped out at me was the control we had as a result of the many features that come standard on the mic. With switchable bass cut filters, nine different polar patterns, a ground lift switch, and more, we were able to get the exact sound that we needed for every track.”
The vintage tube sound that the Perception 820 Tube delivers is a result of the dual one-inch large diaphragm capsule and the ECC 83 dual-triode circuitry that emphasises even-order harmonics throughout. The switchable bass cut filter perfectly tailors frequency response for close micing, and the 20 dB attenuation pad can be used in high SPL applications, allowing up to 155 dB SPL. The nine polar patterns - which are switchable on the brush finished, anodized aluminium remote control unit – are changeable from omni to figure 8, and each microphone comes standard with a spider suspension shock-mount.
“When we first got this microphone, we ran it side by side with some tube microphones that were four or five times the cost, and the Perception 820 Tube held its own,” continued Goldstein. “This is already one of the better all-around microphones that I could find, but when you look at the affordable price, nothing else compares.”
Lexicon® Offers Free Seven Day Trial of PCM Native Reverb Plug-In Bundle
The Lexicon PCM Native Reverb Plug-In Bundle is the ultimate studio plug-in for creating professional, inspirational mixes within popular DAWs like Pro Tools, Logic, and Cubase, as well as with any other VST, Audio Unit, or RTAS compatible host.
“Since its launch the plug-in has already been used on countless new studio albums and has quickly become the premier reverb plug-in available today. All of us at Lexicon are proud to be able to deliver the same high-quality signal processing that we’ve become known for in hardware, in a software platform,” stated Paul Faby, Business Segment Director for Lexicon.
To activate a free 7-day trial of the Plug-In, a user can visit www.Lexiconpro.com for an iLok authentication key.
The PCM Native Reverb Plug-In Bundle is ideal for recording and post-production environments where unsurpassed quality is required. It is a fully functional cross-platform plug-in that is compatible with Windows XP, Vista, and 7 along with MAC OSX 10.4, 10.5, 10.6, Power PC and Intel based. It is available now with a suggested retail price of US $1899.
THE EDGE Cuts Through With Soundcraft® Si3 Console
With the variety of events in each venue and different requirements for each sound system (not to mention the large number of visiting audio engineers), THE EDGE needed a console that was easy to use with a short learning curve. “Our three main venues have different systems, so it was important to have a console that we could configure and save settings for each venue without having to reinvent the wheel each time the desk is moved,” says Production Purchasing Officer Joey Rabel.
THE EDGE found the ideal solution in the Soundcraft Si3. “The Si3 has everything accessible on the surface or at least one button push away, which enables even a rookie digital tech to quickly become familiar with operating the desk,” Rabel says.
With lots of shows with multiple acts, short sound checks and quick changeovers, the ability to save all settings and recall them instantly is highly appreciated by Senior Sound Engineer Rob Henry.
In addition, the onboard processing, dynamics and compact size of the Si3 translates into a reduction in space requirements at the mix position, meaning more audience seats are available. “That’s got to keep the bean counters happy” Rabel quips.
“The Si3’s Soundcraft pedigree meant that sound quality and reliability are non-issues and the excellent support from [Soundcraft distributor] Jands Ltd. made the decision to purchase the Si3 an easy one,” Rabel said.
UnUsUal Productions Fields New JBL VERTEC® System In Singapore’s Indoor Stadium for A-Mei’s 2010 World Tour
Born Gulilai Amit, Huimei has been a number-one recording artist since her first album, Sisters, in 1996, developing a huge fan base for her pop star character, “A-Mei.” She has since released 17 albums throughout the past 12 years. Her current tour is astonishing fans throughout Southeast Asia with a lavish stage production and planned showcases in Malaysia, Hong Kong and other major Asian centers.
Responsible to fulfill the audience’s high expectations for the artist, UnUsUal elected to use the high-profile A-Mei concerts as one of the first major events to showcase its new JBL rental sound inventory, deploying VERTEC line arrays and Crown amplifiers as the main sound reinforcement system for the Singapore arena shows. VERTEC line arrays were suspended from a height of 18 meters (59 feet) above the ground for optimal sound dispersion and audience coverage. Thirty-six JBL VT4888 midsize line array elements were used as the main concert speakers, with 20 JBL VT4888 cabinets assigned as side fill arrays. Twenty-four JBL VT4880 full-size arrayable subwoofers were used for extra low-frequency support, with 16 hung and eight stacked at the front of the stage. Crown I-T5000 HD amplifiers powered the VT4888 line arrays, while the VT4880 subs were powered by I-T12000 HDs. The system was configured using Harman‘s HiQnet™ System Architect™ software platform for remote control and monitoring.
“We needed a system that would accommodate one of China’s most adored talents, making sure every beautiful note played and vocalized was fully enjoyed,” said Johnny Ong, Owner of UnUsUal Productions. “The sound quality that JBL VERTEC can produce not only allowed us to construct such a successful hit production, but will also help us continue growing our events and business throughout Southeast Asia.”
With operations and staff located throughout Southeast Asia, UnUsUal Productions provides a broad range of live-event production services. “As one of Asia’s leading concert sound and production companies, with multiple service facilities, Johnny Ong and his team are uniquely positioned with this significant new audio equipment investment to leverage the increasing demand for high-quality live shows in the region,” noted David Scheirman, Vice President, Tour Sound, JBL Professional. “JBL is pleased to welcome this veteran, top-tier rental sound service provider to the worldwide VERTEC owners’ group.”
More information on UnUsUal Productions can be found at http://unusual.com.sg.
Monday, April 5, 2010
BSS Audio™ Provides Sound Processing and Control For Burj Khalifa, The World’s Tallest Building
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.”
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Crown Begins Shipping Highly Anticipated XLS Series Amplifiers
The XLS series amplifiers implement a flexible PureBand™ Crossover System. A user can select crossover points from 50 Hz to 3 kHz, allowing for precise matching of specified crossover points on most bi-amplified loudspeakers. Increased control is also highlighted by the three selectable channel modes and clip limiters designed to protect loudspeakers that can be turned on and off by channel.
“Today we are extremely proud and excited that our XLS Series amplifiers are now available to our customers,” said Matt Bush, Vice President of Sales for Crown. “The development of this amplifier represents the values we feel strongest about: industry leading technology, quality, reliability, and the most competitive pricing. Since the amplifier’s introduction at Winter NAMM we have received an outstanding response and are confident it will exceed our customers expectations.”
PeakX™ limiters allow higher output levels than conventional analog limiting while providing assured driver protection, and deploy algorithms derived from the extensive research and development of the OmniDrive HD loudspeaker processing in Crown’s flagship I-Tech HD Series.
In another major advance, the new XLS series amplifiers feature Integrated DriveCore™ Technology. Regardless of AC Line sag or distortion due to other equipment such as backline or lighting gear, the user will consistently have the highest level of performance as though there is a power conditioner built directly into the amplifier. It also provides fast recovery on peaks, accurate reproduction of low-level detail, and precise tracking of low-frequencies at high power levels for maximum subwoofer output.
The new XLS Series amplifiers are housed in a new premium industrial design chassis, featuring a cast front panel for durability. They also feature integrated rack handles and weigh under 11lbs, making the XLS Series the ultimate portable amplifier.
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