Comprising the XE300 (1 x 12-inch LF) and XE500 (1 x 15-inch LF), Martin Audio’s XE Series stage monitors are designed with a defined coverage pattern that allows the artist freedom of movement, while reducing overlap with adjacent monitors.

Developed in consultation with leading monitor engineers and combining sleek, low-profile enclosures with unique Coaxial Differential Dispersion technology and a patent pending third static waveguide, the XE series is partnered with Martin Audio’s new iKON four-channel amplifier.

‘The world of stage monitoring has been stagnating for far too long with much of today’s monitor technology based on decade-old solutions,’ says R&D Director, Jason Baird. ‘XE changes the game with the introduction of high performance Coaxial Differential Dispersion drivers with an additional contour-moulded static third waveguide that increases the size of the HF horn mouth to maintain pattern control over a wide frequency band and avoid spill outside the coverage area. Its rolled contour reduces diffraction and further improves pattern consistency at the lower end of the HF pass band.

‘Because you can go right up and over the monitor as well as further back without significant changes, the flexibility for an artist and engineer is greatly improved. This, coupled with the fact that the XE500 has a staggering 143dB capability makes it the definitive article in premier monitoring.’

More: www.martin-audio.com

Cologne-based indie band AnnenMayKantereit recently toured a number of Germany’s arena and theatre venues on their first major tour, playing anything from 3,000-capacity houses up to 14,000. Providing sound and control was Martin Audio partner, Complete Audio, using an MLA system.

‘This enabled us to create an authentic club atmosphere to suit their requirements, even in the large venues,’ says Complete Managing Director, André Rauhut.

Sound engineer, Andreas Krüger, was familiar with MLA and he was supported at front-of-house by system techs, Benny Franke and Julian Hoffmann. Due to the power and effectiveness of the MLX subwoofers only few were required in the smaller venues, thus saving precious space. ‘With subs from other brands, you need way more cabinets to achieve the same result,’ Rauhut says.

Accordingly, the system could be scaled to suit – in smaller venues, Complete used MLA Compact as a main PA whereas in larger venues the full MLA and MLD Downfill the main system and MLA Compact as out fill. Typically the main hang would comprise between eight and 12 MLA (with a single Downfill) and side hangs ranged from six to eight MLA Compact. Subs consisted of 11 MLX on dollys, stacked two high, with W8LM Mini as lip fills on top. The MLX were packed tightly in front of the stage, as André Rauhut explained. ‘We spread the coverage using Martin Audio’s sub array steering.’

This design met the general approval of the Production team. ‘Everyone was more than satisfied,’ he Rauhut concludes. AnnenMayKantereit are signed to Landstreicher Booking, whose artists are frequently serviced by Complete Audio.

Servicing tours with Clean Bandit, Laura Mvula and Massive Attack, CS Audio engineered for Massive Attack at their recent appearance at the BST festival in Hyde Park. The sound equipment hire company has a strong emphasis on touring control and monitor packages, and particularly IEM systems due to company MD Paul Hatt also being a monitor engineer. 

Klang:technologies 3D IEM system had been on Hatt’s radar following a discussion with Andy Huffer of HD Pro Audio, the UK distributor of Klang:technologies. Huffer had loaned a Klang:fabrik system for a short UK tour but, due to time constraints with late load-ins and no soundchecks, Hatt was unable to fully audition the system. However, he was impressed with both the overall sound and build quality of the unit.

‘It felt like a solidly engineered product, with dual redundancy and a generous amount of output mixes,’ he says. ‘Aside from the 3D possibilities of the system I could immediately see the benefit of musicians controlling their own mixes wirelessly via the Klang:app.

‘On the Massive Attack tour, we were joined by the Heritage Orchestra for the Hyde Park show and were requested to provide 16 personal monitor stations,’ he continues. ‘This was the ideal opportunity to fully prove the Klang:technologies system and two Klang:fabrik units were brought in, along with a router, 16 iPads and 16 Shure P6 hard-wire IEM systems, fully prepped and supported by HD Pro Audio’s Tom Turner.

‘System set-up is very straightforward and it talked to my Soundcraft Vi console via the Dante interface with no issues. I sent a stereo band mix to the Klang:fabrik, along with groups of first and second violin, viola, cello and bass, and a direct out of each string line. This allowed each orchestra member to maintain control over their own level and get the desired blend with the rest of the string sections and the band.

‘What limited time we had for soundcheck and rehearsal on the day was delayed further by heavy rainfall in the morning. The musicians were understandably reluctant to get their valuable instruments out in less than ideal weather conditions, so overall I was very impressed with the speed with which the system achieved the desired results. After a short demonstration the musicians seemed to get acquainted with the system very quickly. I didn’t see any puzzled looks in using the Klang:app. In fact I didn’t receive any requests from them at all. It’s an intuitive user interface, and we received nothing but positive comments from the users on the day.’

‘I see it as two systems in one,’ Hatt concludes. ‘It proved its worth to me as a high-end wireless personal monitor control solution, but also the 3D image processing is quite something else. I solo’d a few output mixes by selecting the corresponding Dante return on a couple of free stereo input channels on the desk during the show. At one point I hit the cue bus and immediately physically spun around to look behind me as I was certain there was a group of cellos behind me – the spatial image was so real and beyond conventional.’

An outdoor concert in Times Square saw Maximo Park bring their high-energy live show to Newcastle recently – along with a Midas Pro1 for front of house mixing duties.

‘For Maximo Park, you’ll notice that the instruments sound more analogue and the vocals a little more on the side of digital,’ says Andy Hawkins, the sound engineer responsible for all things sound for Maximo Park. ‘That’s just to get that clarity and differentiation between sounds and it all comes from the preamps and digital trim. The preamps are spectacularly good and very reminiscent of the quality of preamps in the XL3/4. This is my FOH console of choice now and it’s why I’ve purchased one – I don’t have to rely on anyone or anything else.’

Hawkins routes the Pro1 to a DL251 on stage via Cat5 cable. A Klark Teknik DN9650 is connected to a PC for virtual soundcheck and playback and a DL153 stage box is routed to some outboard equipment. ‘It’s a pretty generic setup and I try to keep it that way – as simple as possible,’ Hawkins says.

He makes good use of the phase alignment tool which delivers more presence to percussive sound for the band: ‘It works brilliantly as I have multiple mic sources all over the stage so the tool works perfectly for getting the sound tight. Getting the mics in phase always sounds better – and people comment on the improved sound quality.

‘The console has been first-class, I’ve never had a problem. I also work in the studio a lot and have an analogue desk there but this desk has given the analogue board a serious run for its money in quality terms,’ he concludes.

More: www.midasconsoles.com

As Montreux Jazz Festival marks its 50th anniversary in 2016, Meyer Sound can claim 30 years’ collaboration with one of the world’s most important music festivals.

‘Sound really mattered to Claude Nobs,’ says Meyer Sound CEO, John Meyer, of the festival’s late founder. ‘I remember distinctly when he came to me and asked how we could make the festival sound better. He had a curiosity about sound, and a real desire to create unique and extraordinary experience for both the artists and audiences.’

The 2016 MJF line-up includes Muse, Herbie Hancock, Neil Young, Santana, Quincy Jones, Robben Ford and Slayer, indicating both the variety of is content and the broad demands made of its sound systems. Meyer Sound has periodically used the event to introduce new technology – including a series of premium stage monitors named in honour of the festival, launched with the MJF-212 in 2006. This year’s news is the ‘powerful yet petite’ MJF-208, which brings the MJF technology to venues and tours where space is limited. The twin-driver design yields excellent sound quality and impressive headroom despite the small footprint.

‘Montreux Jazz Festival has played an important part in our product development history,’ says Executive VP, Helen Meyer. ‘Through our research and development in sound technology, we are able to bring the sound quality of the festival to a new level each year – and, at the same time, to receive valuable feedback from the festival professionals and artists. What I love is that the real beneficiaries of this great collaboration are the audiences who come to hear great music in one of the world’s most beautiful settings.’

Lyon and Leopard, members of Meyer Sound’s Leo Family of line arrays, power the sound at Auditorium Stravinski, Montreux Jazz Lab and Music in the Park, supporting a diverse range of artists. Nearly 500 Meyer Sound loudspeakers serve festival venues as diverse as clubs, bars and intimate shows on trains and boats.

More: www.meyersound.com

The revival of the Isle of Wight Festival also saw the debut of a new Meyer Sound Leo Family system to serve its main stage.

Supplied by Wigwam Acoustics, the new system powered served The Who, Faithless, Stereophonics, and Queen + Adam Lambert for crowds of up to 60,000. Key to the system’s selection’ its linear characteristics and precise directional control kept the festival grounds alive while significantly reducing bleed into nearby residential areas.

Vanguardia Consulting was responsible for assuring adherence to festival licence conditions: ‘Isle of Wight has been quite tough over the past few years due to the close proximity of noise-sensitive properties,’ says Vanguardia’s Warren King. ‘We did seem to get better results this year, and I think the main difference was that the system sounded subjectively louder than in previous years, which meant that although we started around 96dB at the start of the day, almost every engineer was happy with that as a level and could easily stay within the given limits.’

Eds John, FOH engineer for headliners Richard Ashcroft and Busted, was suitably impressed by the system’s performance: ‘Leo was stunning in the festival format,’ he reports. ‘Even when the wind was blowing strongly, the guitars were cutting through and staying smooth. That’s what you really need at a festival, as all too often your mix gets blown away by the slightest breeze.’

‘The clarity and detail were amazing,’ he continues. ‘With Richard you have a huge vocal sound, lots of guitars and massive strings to fit in your mix. It could get a little messy, but with Leo everything easily found its place. I pushed 

up my mix at the start, sat back, and really enjoyed the gig. Also, I was impressed by the fact that there were only 14 cabinets per side in the main hangs. It definitely felt like there were more boxes than that.’

The reaction was welcomed by Joel Perry of Wigwam Acoustics: ‘As is the case with all of our shows, our aim is to provide the best sound reinforcement available. Judging by the comments received from our guest engineers, we achieved that goal here with deployment of the Meyer Sound Leo Family system.’

The main stage hangs of Leo-M line array loudspeakers were bolstered in sub-bass by 24 1100-LFC and 12 900-LFC low frequency control elements. Front and out fill systems comprised 24 Leopard line array loudspeakers, 32 Lyon linear loudspeakers as delays. A Galileo Callisto loudspeaker management system, running over an Optocore distribution network, used a total of 11 Galileo Callisto 616 and three Galileo Callisto 616 AES array processors.

The Wigwam team on site was headed by systems tech Bill Laing and crew boss Geoff Muir, with Jonathan Digby and Jon Brooks assisting at FOH.

The design and performance of the REM Ribbon Emulation Manifold Waveguide (Perrin Meyer/Meyer Sound)

Please click here to download

Midas has announced the M8000 192kHz, eight-channel A/D converter.

‘Our Manchester [UK] Innovation team spent more than three years and close to US$1m to develop what we believe is the world’s best-sounding A/D converter,’ says Midas Enterprise & Entertainment Division Senoir VP, Andy Trott. ‘Based on advanced multi-bit delta-sigma architecture and a revolutionary high-speed TDM interface, the converter’s performance delivers close to 120dB of dynamic range with sampling rates up to 216kHz.

‘We are especially proud of the M8000’s audio performance, which industry standard components could not achieve. Pushing the envelope has always been at the heart of Midas and for decades, has been focusing on designing the world’s best mic preamps. For the first time in our history we now have found the perfect match between our preamps and an A/D converter that is able to capture every nuance of the microphone preamp and convert it into the digital domain. The audio results and sonic performance are simply astounding and have exceeded all our expectations.’

Midas will converting its mixing consoles to the new M8000 chip by end of 2016, and is considering upgrade kits for existing customers.

More: www.midasconsoles.com

Country superstar Kenny Chesney has taken two Midas Pro X digital mixing consoles on the road as part of his 2016 Spread the Love Tour, which visits 14 major US city stadia. The consoles are serving the band’s monitoring, along with four DL431 Mic Splitters and two DL451 Stage Boxes.

‘Morris has been a longtime supporter of Midas, so when they introduced the Pro X, upgrading seven of our Midas consoles was a natural choice for us,’ says Danny Rosenbalm, CEO of the production company handling the Love Tour. ‘As we aim to provide our clients with the best technology available, the increased channel count and upgraded Neutron DSP make the Midas Pro X console update a solid investment for our company.’

‘I’ve been mixing on Midas Pro Series consoles for more than eight year,s and have fallen in love with the sound they produce,’ says sound engineer and designer, Bryan ‘Opie’ Baxley. ‘The Neutron DSP system upgrade on the Pro X has made the console even more stable, and the 144 inputs satisfy my needs on Kenny Chesney’s tour for years to come.’

‘Midas is one of the easiest consoles to get around on, and I love the pop groups,’ adds monitor engineer, Phill ‘Sidephill’ Robinson. ‘The sound is great from the analogue preamp to the digital processing and back out.’

Along with Kenny Chesney, Morris clients Grace Potter, kd lang and Eli Young Band are also currently touring using Midas Pro X mixing consoles.

The Opening Ceremony for Malaysia’s 2016 Sukma Games – claimed to be as ‘one of the most excellent ceremonies in the history of Sukma’ by Youth and Sports Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin – was staged in Kuching’s Sarawak Stadium infront of 45,000 sports fans. The display involved 3,000 performers, and was broadcast live on Malaysia’s TV1.

The even also saw Midas Pro9 audio consoles used by Premier Echo Sound & Lighting for FOH live sound and monitor mixing. At FOH, the console was connected to a DL371 audio engine via a 300m fibre-optic cable with inputs from a DL451 I/O stagebox, which was configured in 16 analogue inputs and eight analogue outputs.

For monitoring, the second Pro9 consoles served a 13-piece band – providing 12 wedge mixes for the band, six stereo IEM mixes, four mono IEM mixes for the singers and as well as a violinist. Using a DL371 linked to the FOH DL471 via Cat5e, inter-console soft patching of bidirectional signal routing was enabled for three-way talkback between stage, monitor and FOH.

‘Myself and Premier Echo are long-time Midas console users,’ says monitor engineer, Desmond Lee. ‘With as little as a Cat5e cable and a DL451, we can route absolutely anything to anywhere we want. Additionally the work flow on the Midas surface is straight forward and it produces a unique sound.’

Premier Echo Sound & Lighting is a major contractor for the Malaysian Government national events, and has served the Rainforest World Music Festival and Penang World Music Festival among other events.

More: www.midasconsoles.com

Midas has further expanded its Pro Series of mixing systems with the Neutron-NB Network Bridge expansion module.

Compatible with the Neutron audio system engine for the Pro X digital console, the Network Bridge provides a multichannel interface between two third-party digital audio networks and point-to-point interfaces. Adding the Neutron-NB expansion module to the Pro X Neutron engine enables interfacing of up to 64 additional bidirectional channels between two independently=clocked domains, which can operate at different sample rates. Featuring a ten-port AES50 interface, the Neutron -NB provides an additional 240 bi-directional channels at 96kHz sample rate. These AES50 ports can be freely routed to provide further network expansion for the Neutron audio system engine.

With two industry-standard expansion slots on the module, the system architecture will retain compatibility with all new and evolving digital audio networking technologies from Klark Teknik available via additional network modules such as KT-AES50, KT-Dante64, KT-Madi and KT-USB.

The Neutron-NB Network Bridge is shupping now at a suggested list price of US$ 3,449.

More: www.midasconsoles.com

The Midas Parametric Equaliser 512 is a compact 500 Series four-band fully parametric equaliser based on the channel strip from the Heritage 3000 mixing console.

The four overlapping frequency bands can be cut or boosted across an adjustable bandwidth (Q). The frequency bands address the bass (20Hz-400Hz), low mid (10Hz-2kHz), upper mid Mid (400Hz-8kHz) and treble (1kHz to 20kHz) bands, offering cut/gain of ±15dB using stacked dual concentric controls –gain on inner and frequency on the outer ring.

The 512’s Q controls are non-functional while in traditional Midas shelving mode, which is the default (Bell switches disengaged). When the Bell switches are pressed and illuminated, the Bass and Treble Width controls provide parametric operation. The Lo Mid and Hi Mid frequency bands are always in parametric operating mode – when both Bell switches are engaged, all four Width controls provide fully variable parametric equalisation.

The input stage of the 512 is second to none with its low noise performance, which boasts an enviable Common Mode Rejection Ratio (CMRR) of -70dB @1kHz.

More: www.midasconsoles.com

The largest of America’s pops orchestras, the 65-piece Philly POPS recently opened the show at Wawa Welcome America, Philadelphia’s Fourth of July celebrations. With a repertoire of songs from Colonial times to the current charts, the orchestra used Midas’ the Pro X flagship mixing console for FOH duties.

Against the backdrop of Independence Hall, the POPS worked through a lively programme of well-known tunes to an audience that has grown over the past eight years to number more than 100,000. Andre Houser, chief engineer of Houser Audio, has overseen the sound design throughout, and served as FOH engineer for The Philly POPS.

‘The PRro X is the perfect solution for the Philly POPS,’ he says. ‘In choosing a console I looked at preamps, input count, and functionality – the Pro X gives me a great preamp that makes the strings very warm and lush and gives an unamplified feel to the orchestra. The 168 inputs allows me to touch every instrument, and the functionality allows me get to any one of those inputs quickly. It was the natural choice.’

True Memoirs of an International Assassin stars Kevin James as an accountant who writes a book about a fictional killer-for-hire – which his publisher mistakenly prints and sells as a true story, thrusting him into a life of danger and hiding.

Necessarily, this involves helicopter and car chase scenes – often difficult for audio capture. For True Memoirs, the production team turned to DPA Microphones’ d:screet 4098 Supercardiod Microphone.

When German singer Mine staged a special orchestral concert recently, it was with an Allen & Heath dLive S Class mixing system as the central hub for the monitor mix and signal routing.

The setting was Berlin’sHuxleys Neue Welt music club, where Mine was accompanied by a 12-piece orchestra, 15-voice choir, DJs plus various guest vocalists and rappers. With more than 90 microphones and inputs to accommodate, the show’s Technical Director, Dennis Kopacz, chose a dLive S5000 Surface and DM48 MixRack expanded to 108 inputs to manage mixing and routing.

‘The S5000 is the heart of the whole production and is not only used as a monitor desk but also for routing the signals via Madi to the FOH desk and the Pro Tools rig, which records the whole show,’ he explains. ‘Since space was tight but we needed a compact desk which is still able to handle lots of inputs and mixes, and allows complex routings. dLive delivers in every aspect.’

Recording orchestral instruments on the crowded stage was another challenge for Kopacz, since no acoustic separation could be used. All string instruments are miked separately using Audio-Technica ATM350s: ‘Not only do the ATM350s sound great on all kind of string instruments, they are also very easy to handle by classical musicians who don’t have much experience in using microphones.’

Kopacz has previously used dLive for other music and TV productions, including the German TV show, Sing My Song, and an unplugged show for Austrian singer, Andreas Gabalier. ‘dLive is my first choice when I need to route a huge number of signals in an easy but flexible way,’ he says. ‘New features, like DCA spill, let me also handle large mixes on a relatively small surface.

‘Also, the system is absolutely reliable and simply sounds very good. Last but not least, the user interface is laid out very well and it’s easy to use; even engineers who have never worked on the desk before can get up to speed in no time and deliver great mixes.’

More: www.allen-heath.com

Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood and Israeli composer Shye Ben Tzur recently staged the first full UK performance of their new project, Junun, at the London Barbican. Gavin McComb took on the FOH mixing duties with Allen & Heath’s dLive system to meet the show’s very diverse audio requirements.

Heralded as ‘a powerful coming together of Eastern and Western musical traditions’, Junun comprises compositions performed by Ben Tzur and the nine-piece Rajasthan Express band, with Greenwood adding electronic elements.

‘Having used iLive for many years, this was my first opportunity to use A&H’s new dLive system,’ McComb explains. ‘The Junun act is a big sound with Indian drums, brass, guitars, harmonium, percussion and lots of vocals. For this gig there were 11 musicians on stage with a lot of open mics. There was a fantastic range of instrumentation to manage but these guys can seriously play, they are so tight as an ensemble. I also have complete confidence in the audio capabilities of A&H. Very little EQ was required for the instruments apart from having to contain the room a little where the overall GEQ couldn’t without destroying large chunks of the sound.’

The sold-out gig reunited the musicians for the first time since they recorded the album last year in India with Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich.

‘I will most certainly be wanting to use the A&H dLive system on my next tour,’ McComb says. ‘It has all the best qualities required of a high-end console, and sounds even better.’

More: www.allen-heath.com

Manchester-based service provider VME and sister event company Creation Live recently supplied sound reinforcement for Edinburgh’s first outdoor dance festival – the Fly Open Air Festival.

Staged at the prime Ross Bandstand – with Edinburgh’ Castle providing a dramatic backdrop – the 3,000-capacity semi-circular amphitheatre saw local house and techno party organiser Fly Club take the party out of doors – calling on VME’s Martin Audio MLA system to comply with offsite noise restrictions imposed by the council. ‘Given the fact that this was the first outdoor electronic dance promotion, operating between midday and 10pm, the event was highly sensitive,’ agrees VME Head of Sound, Mark Cleator. ‘We needed a system that was guaranteed to pass all propagation tests.’

The solution was to set two zoned ground stacks of four MLA and three MLX subwoofers per side (since there were no rigging points) to meet the requirements of German house exponents Booka Shade, and other acts such as Theo Kottis, Detroit Swindle City Drum Ensemble and Harri + Domenic. ‘We were given 95dB (Leq at 15 minutes) at FOH – measured at the back of the dance area – and a 75dB threshold offsite,’ said Mark. ‘And we ran comfortably under.’

VME and Creation Live, represented by Live Events Director Tom Whittle, are no strangers to working with Fly Club promoter Tom Ketley, having joined forces in 2011 when the latter promoted a sell-out Afro Jack and Pete Tong show: ‘I was impressed, and was keen to use them again,’ Whittle says. ‘I also knew that the company was a stockist of Martin Audio MLA. To me the sound on an event such as this is one of the most important factors for audience enjoyment and I wanted to ensure the sound was top notch. The local authority had recommended I use the Martin Audio MLA, but this was new territory for themselves and for me.’

MLA was equal to the challenge despite buffeting winds on rig day (which saw the VME gazebo blown high up into a tree. ‘It was so windy at one point they threatened to call the event off, but fortunately it died down and MLA is a? sufficiently powerful box to cut through,’ says Cleator. ‘Because of the width of the coverage required, having MLA, with its 90° (±6dB) horizontal constant directivity, pattern control was a bonus, particularly knowing that it was usable out to 120°.’

Achieving even coverage posed no problem whatsoever, as Cleator tuned and programmed MLA using Display software and the Merlin Controller: ‘I mapped out the area and locked the preset, and then adjusted the non-audience area to make sure it was firing where I wanted. I walked the site a couple of times to check and then handed over to our FOH engineer, Oliver Fallon.

‘The ability to control the audio and keep it within the audience area and still provide smooth even coverage which is essential to electronic dance music, meant I had no concern over any off site complaints. There is no better system for this and everyone has come away impressed with its audio quality and it’s technical capabilities.’

VME also provided Pioneer and Allen & Heath DJ playback, as well as all lighting, big screen and production. ‘Many people commented on how good it all sounded and how impressive the achieved level was considering our location,’ Ketley  reports. ‘The Martin Audio MLA certainly worked very well to give the audience a memorable day.’

‘MLA really delivered, we use it on a whole host of different events and I have always been so impressed with it, not just from a sound propagation point of view but also the overall quality of the audio,’ Whittle confirms.

With plans to make Fly Open Air Festival a regular annual fixture on the Edinburgh clubbing calendar, the promoters promise aim to develop the event to be ‘bigger and better’.

The main recording studio control room at Morley College London is now home to a new Solid State Logic AWS 924 δelta SuperAnalogue hybrid console.

‘Morley’s ethos is to offer education to everyone, regardless of age and means,’ says Camilo Salazar – Programme Manager and Music Technology & Studio Manager. ‘You can learn anything from ceramics to music production for a very small amount of money compared to other institutions. A 12-week course of weekly, two or three-hour session for £200, for example.’

Morley College is an Adult Education provider established as a charitable organisation in 1889, now with a history of inspiring and educating mature students, helped by support from the UK’s Skills Funding Agency and the European Union Social Fund. Its Music Technology and Production department sits within the School of Music and Performing Arts and runs a variety of both non-accredited short courses alongside a one-year Diploma and a two-year Higher Diploma.

The main recording studio has a mid-sized live room plus the 5.1 control room with Adam monitoring and the new SSL AWS 924 δelta console. There are two further live spaces available – a concert hall where they regularly record orchestral performances, and a medium-sized concert space suitable for big bands and smaller ensembles.

‘The SSL is a big upgrade for us and the studio,’ explains Salazar. ‘Before that we had an older DAW controller. Now we can teach students proper signal flow, we can EQ what we’re tracking, and so on – all the important skills. We’ve had feedback from students that have gone to other studios and suddenly understood the console they have found there – the flow of the studio. The console is helping to prepare them for real-life scenarios.

‘And having the ability to immediately switch between analogue faders and DAW control and automation. That’s the one thing we didn’t want to lose from our old DAW controller set-up.’

Through any one year, Morley College hosts more than 2,000 students across its classical music, Jazz, pop, vocal studies and music technology programmes. The studio also takes on a number of commercial bookings, and has recently completed an album recording with the college’s Artist in Residence, Bill Laurance, who is the keyboard player with Brooklyn jazz fusion jam band Snarky Puppy.

This, says Salazar, alongside the upgraded, professional-level recording studio, offers many opportunities for Students: ‘We definitely take advantage of that. Students get something unique. Those doing a one-year diploma will leave having recorded a full orchestra, a big band, jazz bands, rock bands, and so on. The variety of experience we can now provide is brilliant.’

More: www.solidstatelogic.com

Loud Technologies Inc and MPI Electronic SRL (MPI) have announced a distribution agreement giving MPI distribution of the Mackie brand in Italy.

‘Distribution of the Mackie brand is a dream that becomes a reality,’ says MPI Pro Division MD, Marco Mazzi. ‘Since we entered this industry, Mackie has been a landmark, and leading brand. We are confident that our access to new markets and new customers, will help us gain further market share in Italy.’

All Mackie sales, marketing, customer service and warranties will be carried out by MPI from 11 October 2016. The entire Mackie catalogue will be available from MPI’s warehousing near Milan.

‘We look forward to our new re-focused distribution strategy in Italy and we are very pleased to welcome MPI onboard with Mackie,’ says Mackie EMEA Director of Sales, Tony Williams. ‘The legendary Ampeg bass amplifier brand will continue distribution through M Casale Bauer SPA, who are and will remain, an excellent partner for us.’

3D in-ear monitoring specialist Klang:technologies has made its Klang:fabrik and Klang:vier systems available in Finland through msonic.

The technology offered by Klang:technologies provides a new and unique monitoring experience for musicians, both in the studio or live on stage. With its free Klang:app, available for iOS, Android, Mac and PC, each musician can control their own mix. Alternatively, monitor engineers can easily take over and mix for the whole band

 ‘We want to ease the work of musicians and improve their performance by heading towards a perfect in-ear monitor sound,’ says Klang:technologies’founder and Marketing Director, Dr Pascal Dietrich. ‘We are happy to announce that msonic is taking on distribution for Finland. Their excellent technical knowledge and customer support, combined with their outstanding reputation in the pro-audio market, makes them the perfect sales partner for Klang.’

‘Klang products are the perfect addition to our top brands, Avid and d&b audiotechnik,’ says msonic MD, Mikko Palomäki. ‘We are proud to offer our customers the latest technologies revolutionising the current pro audio market. Klang:fabrik clearly raises any in-ear monitoring to the next level.’

‘It was great to find a manufacturer that has truly created something new,’ adds msonic Product Manager, Tero Hölttä. ‘The complete software and hardware combination it offers the audio industry is unprecedented. Klang’s technical implementation and the quality of work are fully convincing.’