Tucked behind legendary industrial boot manufacturer’s prominent new store in Camden Market, Dr Marten’s Boot Room is a new live venue supporting emerging talent, bands and DJs. Common to all is the Martin Audio CDD PA, installed by NoiseBoys Technologies.

As a freelance engineer, NoiseBoys Director, Phill Beynon had been familiar with Martin Audio technology and was happy to extend the relationship after NoiseBoys was set up nine years ago. With the store’s aim of becoming a cultural hub and upholding the musical heritage of Camden Town, the store’s shopfitter – retail design company Closed Sundays – called on Benyon to equip the 8m x 8m room with a complete staging infrastructure. NoiseBoys had no hesitation in specifying CDD – a solution already proven through the HOW and cruise ship sectors in which they have worked.

The first challenge they faced was that the store was set within The Stables, a 19^th century, Grade II listed building at the hub of Camden Market. ‘This meant we had to fly the speakers off ground supported box truss rather than from the ceiling,’ he says. ‘Therefore, aside from CDD’s excellent dispersion pattern, weight and size were a further consideration.’

NoiseBoys have flown a pair of the compact CDD10Coaxial Differential Dispersion speakers on each PA wing along with a CSX112 subwoofer. When the venue is opened out to the overflow area in the main store via the stable door, crowds at the back are serviced by four of the tiny CDD6 satellite speakers, on a separate control circuit.

The installation needed to be as discreet as possible: ‘As this is a flexible room, used as a shop during the day, it was important that customers could roam freely without the risk of tripping over cable and so on,’ he says. ‘We wanted the installation to be compact and serve the space well but at the same time respect that proper bands would be coming through with their sound engineers, and so we needed a recognisable brand.’ He knew that CDD10, with its 110° (max) horizontal, 60° vertical dispersion pattern would tick all the boxes. ‘This is exactly why we went for it.’

Beynon adds that he had been eager to keep the design concept as ‘British’ as possible from the outset – an ideal discussed with Closed Sundays. ‘Not only is DM’s an iconic British brand, but the Boot Room is actually full of famous Doc wearers’ band memorabilia. The Clash used to rehearse just over the road,’ he says. ‘And so we are delighted to have Martin Audio as part of the set-up.’

‘The sound system has met and exceeded our expectations and delivers exceptional quality across all our activities,’ Dr Martens UK Marketing Manager, Daniel Freeland, reports. ‘NoiseBoys were immense partners throughout the speccing out of the DM’s Boot Room and we now very much see this exciting new store and cultural space becoming a hub for the brand, its fans and Camden. We’ve already welcomed the likes of Mykki Blanco, Warpaint plus a host of other live acts and DJs.’

EAW has announced the Radius RSX12M stage monitor.

The RSX12M adds to the Radius line of loudspeakers, which was introduced mid-2016, and is equipped with onboard bi-amplified electronics (500W/channel) featuring Focusing and DynO. A 12-inch vented cone with 2.5-inch voice coil drives the low end while a 1-inch exit, 1.77-inch voice coil compression driver handles HF, orientated in a coaxial configuration. The RSX12M offers a uniform coverage pattern of 105° x 105°. Additionally, system latency is 2.6ms for transparency in vocal monitoring applications.

‘The RSX12M brings even more value to the Radius family,’ says Director of Marketing & Application Engineering, Adam Shulman. ‘The addition of a dedicated floor monitor model takes the family even further in terms of delivering an integrated, complete solution. Now customers can deploy a comprehensive system comprised entirely of Radius components, including mains, fills, subwoofers and monitors.’

Available free via iTunes, EAWMosaic delivers system prediction, control and monitoring of the entire Radius system, including the RSX12M, within a single application running on an iPad. Four predefined voicings provide a variety of tonal starting points that accommodate most applications. It also features integrated Dante networking (with loop-thru).

More: http://eaw.com

Pittsburgh-based R&R Audio Services has expanded its sound reinforcement inventory with the purchase of an EAW Radius system, for use at outdoor festivals and summer shows.

From a line-up comprising point source, line source, stage monitor and subwoofer loudspeakers, R&R Audio Services has chosen eight RSX208L line array modules with plans to add the RSX18 subwoofer in readiness for the 2017 the summer festival season.

‘Radius is a true line array with features not found on similar systems on the market,’ explains comapny owner, Ron Perchinsky. ‘Between the EAWmosaic app and the easy-to-use DSP on the rear panel, it takes all of the guess work out of set-up.

‘EAWmosaic software, which provides prediction, control and monitoring of the system, is very user friendly,’ he continues. ‘For larger events, it can be used with Dante, or we can use all of the controls available through the back of the box for smaller set-ups. It seriously cuts down on set-up time, letting us know the heights and angles each venue requires.’

All Radius models are active and use Dante networking for single-cable audio and control. Additionally, the Radius RSX208L includes OptiLogic, which reduces set-up and tuning time when assembling arrays through a combination of integrated infrared transceivers and tilt sensors in the line array module. With OptiLogic, each module knows its position and splay angle within the array, allowing the system to pre-optimise its acoustical output.

‘We have nothing but positive feedback from our customers since we have started using Radius,’ Perchinsky reports. ‘This will be our go-to system for the upcoming summer festival season.’

Eighteen Sound is the latest transducer specialist to adopt Powersoft’s IPAL technology, a low frequency-dedicated system that integrates an 8.5kW switch mode amplifier module (IpalMod) with ultra-high motor force electro-dynamic transducers.

Eighteen Sound has designed its new iD Series transducers (18iD and 21iD) to couple with Powersoft’s Differential Pressure Control technology. This is the core technology of the IPAL (Integrated Powered Adaptive Loudspeaker).

In order to implement the technology, Eighteen Sound has used Powersoft’s IpalMod amplifier hardware module, overcoming the limitations of traditional transducers by featuring a zero latency pressure-sensor feedback, applying real-time correction to maximise Eighteen Sound high efficiency 18-inch and 21-inch transducers.

In taking the decision, Eighteen Sound recognised that despite the improvements made in design, materials and manufacturing process in the field of low-frequency reproduction, the traditional amplifier/loudspeaker approach still leaves major issues unaddressed: transducers come with physical limitations and uncertainties are caused as a result of loudspeakers’ intrinsically nonlinear behaviour.

‘We at Eighteen Sound always work towards superb sound quality, even in today’s most demanding sound reinforcement applications,’ say Sales & Marketing Director, Giacomo Previ. ‘Powersoft’s IPAL technology allows system designers to achieve an apparently impossible mission – the transducers and amplifier module performances, enhanced by the equally stunning integration of each component via the IPAL real-time feedback control, makes for an amazing sound.’

Both IPAL-compatible transducers have a nominal 2Ω impedance. In order to integrate them into the IPAL system, and optimise performance, a pair of either model should be connected in parallel when matched to an IpalMod amplifier module.

‘Eighteen Sound is the second major driver company to buy into our patented technology, says Powersoft Brand & Communication Director, Francesco Fanicchi. ‘iPAL-based amplifier/loudspeaker systems offer unprecedented acoustic performance and complete control of the system’s sound reproduction – and we are delighted that Eighteen Sound has joined the family of users. IPAL and the IpalMod bring many benefits, dramatically improving the electroacoustic efficiency in terms of high SPL and sonic performance.

‘On top of that, the IPAL system ensures consistent transducer performance over its entire life cycle and balances transducer differentials in every subwoofer application.’

EM Acoustics has announced the ESP Series of compact, self-powered, multipurpose loudspeakers.

Targetting a variety of live sound reinforcement applications, the range currently comprises the ESP-8 and ESP-12 loudspeakers, both with coaxial designs for true point-source performance, and the ESP-15S compact reflex subwoofer.

The ESP-8 is an 8-inch, two-way coaxial loudspeaker delivering a uniform 100° conical dispersion with smooth off-axis response free from the parallax effects of separate HF and LF drive units. The result is a compact, fully self-contained loudspeaker system suited to duties ranging from small FOH to speech reinforcement, front fill or compact stage monitoring.

The ESP-12 is the bigger brother to the ESP-8, sporting the same coaxial design in a compact, lightweight, multi-angle enclosure. Both enclosures benefit use onboard class-D amplification technology and DSP processing, as well as reliable limiting. The amplifier power supply is a universal voltage design, meaning that ESP-8 and ESP-12 will operate across the globe. Four built-in presets are available for different applications: stand-alone use; flat response; use with a subwoofer; and stage monitoring. A number of intuitive rigging options are available for swift and easy set up.

The ESP-15S compact reflex subwoofer that extends the low frequency performance of the ESP Series down to 45Hz. The ESP-15S claims a very high power-to-size ratio, as do the ESP-8 and ESP-12. Integral handles, a polemount fixing and optional castors make the ESP-15 easy to deploy in a wide range of applications, while four presets each use a different low-pass filter.

More: www.emacoustics.com

After a successful run at London’s Chocolate Factory, John Doyle’s The Color Purple set up at the Bernard B Jacobs theatre on Broadway in late 2015. Rather removed from the flamboyant 2005 original, both the London and Broadway shows are pared-down productions, leaving more room for performance and emotion.

As he did for the London production, Doyle turned to sound designer Gregory Clarke to create a clean, powerful sound design that would accurately reflect the extraordinary passion of Alice Walker’s tale of black female oppression and emancipation in the American south.‘I deployed EM Acoustics boxes on the original London version of the show in 2013 and they performed spectacularly well,’ Clarke explains. ‘I specified a complete EM vocal system for the Broadway version, and all those who bid for the job were very happy to proceed without questioning the loudspeaker spec. This seems to be proof positive of EM Acoustics’ growing reputation in the US.

‘Masque Sound, who were finally awarded the contract to supply all the audio for the show, were perfectly happy to make what was a significant investment in new kit from the UK; they had, of course, already heard the demo system and loved it.’

The key component of Clarke’s design is the Halo-C line array system, which he describes as ‘truly outstanding’. Not being a fan of line array systems in general, the advantages of which in terms of scalability and flexibility he often sees as compromised by some ‘very, very dodgy physics at the design stage,’ Clarke regards Halo-C as the exception to the rule.

‘It has all the physical advantages in abundance, but critically it sounds simply tremendous,’ he says. ‘The system is transparent, honest, interesting, involving and ridiculously powerful for its size. It just needs a touch of EQ, dependent on the number of elements and it’s ready to go, unlike some other systems I could mention that require hours of fiddling with proprietary software and radical processing to achieve a barely passable result.’

The smaller boxes that make up the rest of the system on The Color Purple are, according to Clarke, no less critical than the array. There are 24 EMS-51 and 20 EMS-61 ultra-compact and compact passive loudspeakers handling delay, side and front fill, complemented by a handful of EMS-122s and EMS-81s. ‘In my opinion the 51s and 61s are simply the best small speakers on the face of the planet,’ he says. ‘The consistency of the voicing between elements is staggering; there is very little difference in overall personality no matter what loudspeaker the audience is listening to. This is hugely beneficial to the overall design and a major factor in my equipment choice.

‘Indeed, the system has drawn consistently positive comments, not least from my New York-based audio team during production as well as from the audience because we are delivering exceptionally high levels of intelligibility to the entire auditorium. As far as I am concerned, the quietly brilliant equipment that EM develops remains a standout choice for me and I’m delighted with the results I have been able to achieve with the system on Broadway.’

More: www.emacoustics.co.uk

Adlib supplied the sound system, rigging and crew for the UK and European leg of Scottish singer/songwriter Emeli Sandé’s Long Live the Angels tour. The Liverpool-based company was recruited by production manager Steve Martin (Tourhouse Productions) to work with FOH engineer Max Bisgrove and monitor man Andrew Williamson.

The itinerary featured a mix of venues covering academies, town halls and arenas, for which Adlib toured a selection of L-Acoustics K1, K2 and Kara loudspeakers in support of an Avid S6L FOH console with Waves external servers, and a Pro Tools rig for virtual soundchecks.

Staged for world leaders alongside the China G20 Summit and directed by Zhang Yimou, the public debut of Enduring Memories of Hangzhou took place at the West Lake in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province where it retained much original programme content and added a new audio system.

A cultural fusion of East and West, the production features a symphony orchestra and gala on water, and is a unique outdoor concert in a natural setting. Through a significant feat of engineering, the stage platform lies centimetres below the West Lake’s surface. To the audience, the actors appear to be performing on the surface of the water, which also creates a reflection of the performance and lighting.

Equipson has added the SL 210 A to its range of line array loudspeaker systems.

The SL 210 A is an active speaker, using 1kW class-D amplification built-in a DSP and a full control pannel on the rear for configurations and set-up. Presets can be selected via a multipurpose menu (temperature, IP address, mode, mute, filter parameters, protection or shutdown), to suit a wide variety of professional applications. The speaker can also be connected via Ethernet to be managed by a tablet or smartphone using WorkCAD 3 software.

The speaker is composed of two 10-inch transducers and a 1.75-inch compression driver, providing a frequency response of 84Hz to 18kHz (±3dB ) and delivering a 129dB maximum SPL (135dB peak).

More: www.workproaudio.com

In a three-way technical collaboration, Fairlight, DTS and the University of Salford have devised a new means for sound engineers to manage live sports productions – the Spatial Automated Live Sports Audio (Salsa).

Salsa solution is a real-time automated mixing process that identifies the location of specific sound events from a grid of pitch microphones. The algorithm – developed by the University of Salford – identifies the type of sound event, its 3D location, and its duration, and automatically drives console fader movements to open the relevant mic(s). This became a real-world solution when Salsa was combined with the object-based audio live production system co-developed by DTS and Fairlight.

Leaving pitch microphones at a fixed level can result in off-pitch crowd noise masking on-pitch sounds in the broadcast mix. With the introduction of even more mics and immersive object-based audio, it will become even more challenging to manually create the best possible mix. Salsa helps address this problem by allowing different game sounds, such as ball kicks and referee whistles, to be processed automatically by the mixing console. Salsa can be adapted to search for different sounds, allowing the automated mixing to be applied to different sports.

By choosing to use the open object-based audio standard MDA (ETSI 103-223: Multi-Dimensional Audio), Salsa was able to easily be integrated by Fairlight into their next-generation live production systems, supporting both conventional and object-based broadcasts.

‘By combining cutting-edge technology from our three organisations, the Salsa Project automatically translates pitch mics into 3D audio objects,’ says Tino Fibaek, Chief Technical Officer at Fairlight. ‘This allows broadcast mix engineers to focus on the overall mix, whilst the system does the hard labour of extracting the best possible sound from the pitch for sports aficionados.’

‘We believe our Salsa software will bring a step-change in the quality of broadcast audio for sports and we’re excited to be working with Fairlight and DTS to showcase its capabilities in a practical workflow,’ adds Dr Rob Oldfield, Audio Research Consultant at the University of Salford.

German manufacturer Ferrofish has announced its A32 Dante interface, offering 368-channel capacity with support for AD/DA Dante, Madi and Adat formats.

With its Dante networking capability and support for Madi and Adat formats, the Ferrofish A32 Dante is designed for use in complex A/V installations and live sound productions. Its design eliminates the masses of cable often associated with large sound installations through uncompressed, multichannel digital media networking with near-zero latency and synchronisation. Dante replaces heavy, expensive analogue or multicore cabling, with affordable Cat5e, Cat6 or fibre-optic cable for a clean and lightweight solution over a single, standard IP network

The A32 Dante supports 64 channels of Madi I/O, 32 channels of Adat optical I/O and 32 channels of analogue I/O, making it plug-and-play, format agnostic conversion system. Any Adat optical connector can be used alternatively as an S/PDIF or AES/EBU interface. With its AD/DA capacity, the A32 Dante is able to convert audio in groups of eight among any connected device. Further, the unit provides four TFT screens that permit complete control of levels and adjustments on the equipment – including extensive routing possibilities that enable intuitive operation and greater control.

The unit employs high-grade 192kHz, 24-bit high-quality converters, with analogue gain switches. The gain of each channel can be separately adjusted in 0.5dB steps, and the standard levels are switches in the analogue domain – ensuring the full analogue performance of the converter is preserved.

‘The A32 Dante is a game-changer when it comes the way interface devices interact,’ says Mathias von Heydekampf, Ferrofish distributor. ‘The A32 Dante is able to gracefully handle even the most complex conversion applications, while providing unrivalled sound quality, reliability and ease of integration.’

The Ferrofish A32 Dante is now shipping, and carries an MSRP of US$3,799.

More: www.ferrofish.de

Among the largest owners of DiGiCo audio consoles in the South Africa rental market, Festival Sound has increased its investment with an SD11 and a further SD9 to its inventory.

The young and vibrant company bought its first SD9 with two fully populated D-Rack and Little Red Boxes in 2012. Since then, its complement of DiGiCo products has grown with an SD11 and another SD9 added at the end of 2016. ‘The addition of the second SD9 made it possible for Festival Sound to supply two 96 channels consoles for FOH and monitor land,’ says Jaco Beaukes from South African distributor DWR Distribution, which supplied the consoles. ‘This was a big step forward with serious benefits for them as they often supply gear for shows that demand high channel count consoles.’

April 2017 marked another big advance with the addition of a Waves Server-One and a Waves upgrade kit to one of the SD9s. Festival Sound owner Petru Palmer loves the sound of DiGiCo, with the preamps being one of his favourite aspects of the brand. ‘Being able to add world renowned plugins to his mix, with very low latency, is like giving an artist a new set of paint brushes and a vast arrangement of exciting colours to paint with,’ he says.

Palmer will be using his newly equipped SD9 for the first time at the Gospel Spectacular show, hosted at the Joburg Theatre, and is anticipating many further projects throughout the rest of 2017.

US production company Firehouse Productions added 96 JBL VTX V25-II line array elements, 96 JBL VTX V20 line array elements, and 24 Crown I-Tech HD amplifiers to its inventory – giving a total of 140 V25-II elements shared between the company’s New York and Las Vegas offices.

Firehouse Productions has long relied on JBL loudspeakers for events including the NBA All-Star Game and the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony: ‘We started working with a JBL VerTec 4889 rig almost 15 years ago and it became an important foundation of our business,’ says Firehouse Lead Design & Integration Engineer, Mark Dittmar. ‘When we heard a demonstration of the VTX V25-II, we were blown away by the sound quality. It’s the most accurate loudspeaker I’ve ever heard.’

The VTX V25-II is a full size three-way high-directivity line array element that includes a fourth-generation waveguide for improved long throw performance and wavefront control. The system’s D2 Dual Diaphragm Dual Voice Coil Compression Driver improves the sound and performance of high frequencies, providing an output advantage over conventional systems with significantly higher array power, reduced distortion, double the number of voice coils and more than double the power handling. This results in an increase in high-frequency sound pressure levels in the same physical footprint, with a 30 per cent reduction in weight. The V25-II waveguide provides better acoustic loading conditions for the D2 driver giving 10dB greater sensitivity above 10kHz.

‘JBL has been producing top-quality products for seven decades, and the VTX V25-II is another amazing step forward,’ Dittmar says. ‘The dB increase makes an enormous difference. The great sound quality and coverage we can now achieve in an arena or stadium really gives the big spaces an intimate feel.’

The company recently used its new VTX system at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas, iHeartRadio Country Festival in Austin and the BET Hip Hop Awards in Atlanta.

More: www.firehouseproductions.com

Ranking among Spain’s most prolific A/V rental companies, Fluge Audiovisual also boasts one of the country’s largest inventories of DiGiCo mixing consoles. This has recently been expanded by the purchase of a further two SD10s.

Fluge first began investing in DiGiCo when the company launched its D5 Live console in 2002: ‘When the D5 arrived here, it surprised us,’ says Fluge Technical Director, Raúl Mendez. ‘It was easier and faster to use than other digital consoles on the market in those days, and it had a really good sound that was very close to that of the big analogue consoles.’

Mendez is convinced that working with DiGiCo has helped Fluge to become a reference in Spanish live audio, theatre productions and installations. This year alone, the company has worked on an extremely impressive list of projects that includes tours for Alejandro Sanz, Manolo Grazia, Malu, Migue Bosé, musicals such as Mamma Mia and Priscilla Queen of the Desert and a raft of festivals from SOS, Viñarock, Festival de Les Arts, Azquena, BBK Festival and Vitoria Jazz Festival to FIB (Festival Internacional de Benicàssim).

‘We have every console that DiGiCo currently manufactures in our inventory from the S21 to SD7,’ Mendez says. ‘We work on events that go from 16 inputs and eight outputs to musical or broadcast productions with 128 inputs or more and 64 outputs, using HMA fibre connectors, Madi, Cat5, in fact everything you can think of.

‘We have taken delivery of the two additional SD10s because, here in Spain, it is the most popular touring console and we need to have more. We have a stock of more than 25 DiGiCo consoles, and are really satisfied with them.

‘One of the main reason that Fluge has this huge stock from DiGiCo is the great service we always have from Rafael Jimenez and his company Meyer Sound España, DiGiCo’s Spanish distributor, and its entire team.’

More: www.digico.org

Featuring a tuned, circumaural (closed-back) design and high quality 40mm dynamic diaphragm, the new Fostex TH7 Series of Monitor Headphones follow the TH7B and TH7W models with in a new appearance in four colour options.

The TH7 Series has a frequency response of 10Hz to 35kHz, and 100mW power handling capacity with 100dB sensitivity. With these specs, it the headphones are intended for applications ranging from live sound monitoring to critical listening in studios and at home. High-grade leatherette ear pads reduce the stress of long-term listening and its 1.2m cable with gold plated 3.5mm stereo plug provides corrosion-free connection.

The TH7 Series will debut at NAMM 2017 and ship in March at a MAP of $99.99.

The first Alfa Ecoustics electronic acoustic enhancement system has been installed in the Tøjhuset (the Armoury), a live venue in Fredericia, Denmark. The installation has been carried out by pro audio distributor/dealer/solutions provider, Alfa Audio. The installation includes 30 EM Acoustics EMS-51 loudspeakers, a TC Electronic ‘brain’ and a number of DPA microphones, and represents the first formal adoption of the Alfa Ecoustics system conceived by Alfa Audio’s Lars Frederiksen.

An EM Acoustics distributor since 2009, Alfa Audio sought to add reverberation to the room following its recent conversion from a dedicated classical music venue into a live music venue for all genres. The acoustics were deliberately damped to suit the purposes of rock club, which meant that the acoustics were no longer suited to classical music. Since the city council has no plans to build a new classical concert hall and there are no other suitable venues, a solution was sought.

‘Several experts were called in and proposals from a number of suppliers were examined but, in the end, they chose ours,’ Frederiksen says. ‘I’m sure it helped that we had already installed the PA for the rock club and we have a good relationship with the venue’s management team, but ultimately it was because our solution produced the best results.

‘We have used the very finest components available for every link of the chain, including EM Acoustics whose speakers are a key part of the system,’ he explains. ‘I have spent a long time researching and refining the system, and I am confident that the package we have created is of the highest possible quality. We named it Alfa Ecoustics.

The idea came from Frederiksen’s work with the concert hall in Aarhus where the acoustic was a little too dry for classical music: ‘We experimented over several years with placing speakers around and above the audience and feeding the speakers with reverb signals picked up by the microphones above the orchestra,’ he says. ‘We learned that to make it sound natural, we needed a fairly large number of loudspeakers and that they should all be de-correlated so that the sound appears to be all around you. Gain before feedback is always a challenge in these situations but we address it by choosing high quality equipment with minimum coloration. The EM Acoustics speakers are a perfect choice thanks to their high-quality components and completely natural, transparent sound.’

At the heart of the system are three TC Electronic System 6000 reverb and signal processing platforms, which receive audio from several DPA 4015ES compact, wide cardioid microphones via a DAD AX32 AD/DA converter. The processed feeds are then delivered to 32 channels of d&b audiotechnik amplification and output to 30 EM Acoustics EMS-51 ultra-compact passive fill speakers and two i-8 subs. The speakers are distributed over and around the audience area, flown from the wooden beams that form part of the structure of the original building, while the rest of the equipment (apart from the microphones) is in a rack locked away behind the stage. A panel at the side of the stage offers basic system control and preset selection.

‘The system is delivered tuned with a number of fixed presets for different applications,’ Frederiksen explains. ‘The user simply has to select the appropriate preset by the touch of a single button, and it’s good to go. I’m pleased to say that it’s been a huge success. The system creates a uniform, highly complex yet totally natural sounding reverb, which sounds fantastic when played out through the EMS-51s. The musicians are thrilled with the results and pleased to be playing the venue again – and, of course, the audiences are delighted too.’

S Group has expanded its mixing console inventory with the purchase of two Solid State Logic Live L200 consoles.

S Group is a touring and events rental and systems integration specialist based in Alès, in the South of France. Founded by current CEO Leon Van Empel in 2001, the company has built an impressive portfolio of tours and festivals, supplying everything from core sound and light systems to screens, rigging, and staging systems and support. The company took the audio lead back in 2013 when it invested in two SSL Live L500 consoles, initially for front of house and monitors duties on French R&B artist Amel Bent’s tour. Since then, the L500s have been popular choices, being used on prestigious events such as the epic Les Prodiges and Musiques en Fête.

Most recently, it has taken the lead again by adding a pair of L200s, with the first outing going to Ivan Herceg, FOH engineer for the successful French-Israeli singer and songwriter, Amir.

‘It became obvious that just having the two L500 consoles was too limiting,’ says Van Empel. ‘We wanted to keep that high-end solution for our most demanding customers, but were also under constant budget pressure from many others. When SSL came to me with the L200 concept I was instantly convinced this was the perfect solution: An SSL console, with the reliability, the pedigree, and the sonic signature we already trust, fully compatible with the others in the range, with Dante integration, and at a price that makes it much more affordable for the many mid-range tours that were already asking for SSL.

‘We quickly made the decision to order two L200s, and Ivan Herceg was immediately very enthusiastic about using an L200 at FOH for Amir. It’s quite a demanding show for sonic performance, and Ivan had previously used an SSL L300 on Lilly Wood and the Prick’s tour, so already he knew what might be possible.’

Herceg had already taken an L300 on an 18-month tour, so the move to the L200 was a natural one: ‘Having an in-built Dante port, and having 36 faders aligned for FOH is just great,’ he notes. ‘Especially when using Super Query to develop sub-mixes or feeds to a mix.’ SSL Live consoles can now manage the routing across a Dante Network.

‘The new v4 software brings many improvements to the whole range,’ he continues. ‘For me, particular highlights are the XY routing and the new Submonix plug-in for the internal FX Rack.’ Submonix generates up to four independently filtered bands, each transposed to one octave below the original signal and mixed back in to underline and enhance elements like kick drum and bass instruments.

‘The L200 matches the L300 and L500 for sonic quality,’ he says. ‘There’s an amazing depth of definition, and headroom as excellent as any analogue benchmark. The feeling is fantastic, and the FOH mix sounds absolutely great on any system – even small ones.’

S Group’s new SSL consoles already made their mark for the company: ‘We were very proud to be the first SSL Live adopters in France in 2013, and once again to be the first adopters for the SSL L200 in 2017,’ says Van Empel.

More: www.solidstatelogic.com

Polish PA company FS Audio has invested in an Allen & Heath dLive digital mixing system to manage its busy summer events schedule.

Comprising a S5000 Control Surface with DM64 MixRack, the new system was first employed on monitors at Krakow’s renowned Wianki festival. Staged in Krakow’s main square, the festival traditionally celebrates the Summer Solstice, attracting approximately 160,000 people to watch performances by dozens of popular national artists.

‘dLive is a great desk for every monitor engineer,’ says FS Audio’s monitor engineer for the event, Erwin Legutko. ‘It has a really well designed, clear patching system, which makes it easy to react quickly under difficult conditions. As a previous iLive user, I have to admit that dLive has made huge progress. I highly recommend it.’

More: www.allen-heath.com

Fulcrum Acoustic has introduced the CS118 Subcardioid Subwoofer module, designed for permanent installation in a wide range of applications and venues, including performing arts centres, houses of worship, sporting facilities and nightclubs.

Featuring a single, high-power 18-inch direct radiating woofer in a rugged, compact enclosure, the CS118 uses Fulcrum's patent-pending Passive Cardioid Technology to reduce excessive rear low frequency radiation by up to 10dB without the need for additional drivers, amplifiers or signal processing. Its subcardioid pattern is created via a highly refined acoustical circuit balancing the LF driver’s position with the enclosure's depth and volume, as well as rear ports incorporating a calibrated resistive element.

The CS118 combines Fulcrum's proprietary TQ processing with innovative acoustical circuitry to deliver exacting pattern control, high performance and precision transient response, even at very high SPLs.

More: www.fulcrum-acoustic.com

Fulcrum Acoustic has launched its Cardioid Subwoofers, designed with patent-pending Passive Cardioid Technology to overcome excessive rear low frequency radiation.

Fulcrum’s Passive Cardioid Technology (introduced in the FL283 and FLS115 line array products) is the basis for a line of Cardioid Subwoofers that includes that CS118 18-inch and CS121 21-inch models. These are tailored to eliminate excessive rear LF radiation without any of the additional requirements of active cardioid systems, using a single passive cardioid speaker performing as an active cardioid array. By achieving LF directional control without additional amplifiers, drivers or signal processors in less than half the space required for active cardioid array systems, Cardioid Subwoofers allow the use of cardioid arrays in applications that might not otherwise have the budget or space to accommodate them.

This subcardioid behaviour is produced by a acoustical circuit, which balances the position of the low-frequency driver, the enclosure depth and volume, and rear-mounted ports that include a calibrated resistive element. By opting for a subcardioid pattern as opposed to a pure, hyper or super cardioid pattern, the rear rejection increases when the modules are deployed in an array.

‘Passive Cardioid Technology evolved from listening to our customers’ needs and directing our efforts toward satisfying those needs,’ says Fulcrum co-founder and Lead Product Designer, David Gunness. ‘We see this technology as potentially game changing for the pro audio industry, and as something we will continue to develop into new applications going forward.’

More: www.fulcrum-acoustic.com