May 2015 www.audiomediainternational.com

International

TECHNOLOGY AND TRENDS FOR THE PRO-AUDIO PROFESSIONAL

STUDIO PROFILEUnlike its former home, all is well at Windmill Lane Recording p20

REVIEWMergings Hapi gets the test treatment p34

INTERVIEWStar Trek sound designer Frank Sera ne p42

With virtual reality and mobile technology enabling new and exciting experiences for users, we explore the latest developments in immersive audio p22

SOUND ALL AROUND

Iknow I spent most of last months Leader blathering on about Prolight + Sound and what we could expect to see, but with arguably the biggest talking point this time being the

future of the event itself, rather than the latest ashy console from Company X although there was plenty of that too, it has to be said it would be wrong not to revisit the 2015 Frankfurt fair again here, at least for a moment.

Its fair to say the industry is still digesting the news that 2016 will bring separate dates for Prolight and Musikmesse and an entirely dierent layout, with PL+S moving from its usual Hall 8 to Halls 1, 3, 4 and 5 (see bit.ly/1CVjzcn if youre late to the party) and Messe Frankfurt probably needs to clarify matters before decisions are made about whether the changes should be welcomed, as a few questions remain: How will the audio exhibitors be divided across the four halls? Will they get to keep similar stand positions? Those are just a couple of the concerns Ive heard raised,

but its certainly made things interesting, and good luck to the organisers.

But enough about that, what have we got for you in this issue? Well, Im pleased to say weve got a ne feature on immersive audio, and no, its not just another piece on Dolby Atmos. As brilliant as the technology is, we know youre probably fed up with hearing about it, so weve gone for something a bit dierent. Turn to Page 22 if that piques your interest (it should!).

Also, you may have seen our online story last month about the demolition of the old Windmill Lane Studios building in Dublin, where U2 recorded The Joshua Tree, and Van Morrison was also a familiar face. Although Im no U2 fan, I, like many, was saddened to see it go, but I was also surprised to see so many other news publications seemingly reporting that the studio is now gone for good. It isnt. Windmill Lane actually moved to a new facility decades ago and has been growing ever since. To prove the studios alive and well, we spoke to the team to nd out whether its still a strong attraction.

Weve also been chatting to a couple of pro-audio veterans this month Im sure they wont mind me calling them that in studio design expert Carl Tatz and Hollywood sound design legend Frank Serane, on Page 28 and 42, respectively, so if youd rather read some real words of wisdom, you should look there.

May 2015 3

WELCOMEwww.audiomediainternational.com

Adam Savage EditorAudio Media International

Eddy Brixen is a the owner and senior consultant at EBB-consult, as well as an audio specialist at DPA.

Dr Adam Hillis a lecturer in Audio Engineering at the University of Derby in the UK, and a live sound engineer for Gand Concert Sound.

Jerry Ibbotsenhas worked in pro audio for more than 20 years, rst as a BBC radio journalist and then as a sound designer in the games industry. Hes now a freelance audio producer and writer.

Carl TatzIs an award-winning studio designer as well as an ex-engineer, producer and studio owner. He is also is the creator of the PhantomFocus System

EDITORAdam Savageasavage@nbmedia.com

MANAGING EDITOR Jo Ruddockjruddock@nbmedia.com

STAFF WRITER Matt Fellowsmfellows@nbmedia.com

ADVERTISING MANAGERRyan ODonnellrodonnell@nbmedia.com

COMMERCIAL DIRECTORDarrell Carterdcarter@nbmedia.com

ACCOUNT MANAGER Rian Zoll-Khanrzoll-kahn@nbmedia.com

HEAD OF DESIGNJat Garchajgarcha@nbmedia.com

PRODUCTION ASSISTANTGeorgia Blakegblake@nbmedia.com

Press releases to:ukpressreleases@nbmedia.com

NewBay Media 2015. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior permission of the copyright owners.

Audio Media International is published by NewBay Media, 1st Floor, Suncourt House, 18-26 Essex Road, London N1 8LN, England.

Editorial tel: +44 (0)20 7354 6002 Sales tel: +44 (0)20 7354 6000

Audio Media InternationalISSN number: ISSN 2057-5165 (Print)

Circulation & Subscription enquiries Tel: +44 (0)1580 883848 email: audiomedia.subscriptions@c-cms.comPrinted by Pensord Press Ltd

Front Cover: Iosono for Bjrks Black Lake Room (credit: The Living)

Experts in the issue CHANGES AFOOT

May 20154

CONTENTS www.audiomediainternational.com

PRODUCT NEWS

PEOPLE

6 PreSonus shows Studio 192 interface

7 Audio-Technica strengthens mic line-up

8 Allen & Heath adds to GLD line

9 Yamaha unveils TF series consoles

12 OPINION Dr Adam Hill advises on how to get the most from your subs

14 Jerry Ibbotson investigates the evolution of recording equipment for news gathering

16 Jeremy Borum discusses the importance of time management

42 INTERVIEW Frank Serane talks Star Trek, Tron and educating the next generation

ALSO INSIDE10 SHOW PREVIEW: PLASA North: What to look out for in Leeds

18 GEO FOCUS: SOUTHEAST ASIA We speak to rms in Thailand, SIngapore and Indonesia about the state of their market

26 BROADCAST FOCUS: DPA explains why its bodyworn mics are performing strongly at present

FEATURES20 STUDIO FOCUS: We visit Dublins Windmill Lane and discover how it continues to thrive

22 IMMERSIVE AUDIO: VR and mobile are encouraging immersive experiences but standards are lagging behind, nds Erica Basnicki

TECHNOLOGY28 HOW TO Studio designer Carl Tatz delivers his monitoring recommendations

30 EXPERT WITNESS Nathan Barrios highlights what you need to know when specifying small-format PA systems for schools

31 AMI RECOMMENDED Small-format PA

REVIEWS34 Merging Technologies Hapi36 SSL Live L30037 Waves Butch Vig Vocals38 Sennheiser ew D140 JBL LSR308

20 42

37

May 20156

PRODUCT NEWS www.audiomediainternational.com

Avid has introduced the Avid VENUE S6L live sound mixing system, featuring a touch-based interface designed to enable audio professionals to easily handle the largest tours and events.

Integrated with Pro Tools, Avid VENUE S6L functions as a front-end to the companys MediaCentral Platform for media management and distribution.

The S6L is a fully modular, scalable live sound mixing system. It features the VENUE E6L live sound engine and delivers processing at 96Hz and support for higher sample rates.

The system aims to enable professionals to achieve bett er sounding mixes with greater speed and e ciency, thanks to the consoles touchscreen work ows, ergonomics and

visual feedback. The S6L was created to provide greater onboard plug-in processing than previously available, providing engineers with the same sound processors used in recording studios, fully integrated to deliver responsive control.

Pro Tools integration provides recording and playback functionality without the need for a separate audio interface. Furthermore, the S6L is a networked system and can be customised to meet the needs and budget of professional productions.

www.avid.com

AVID ANNOUNCES VENUE S6L

Sennheiser introduced its AVX wireless microphone systems for video cameras at NAB 2015.

AVX operates in the licence-free 1.9GHz frequency range. The compact receiver plugs directly into the cameras XLR, where it switches on using the phantom powering of the camera and automatically pairs with the transmitt er. The system immediately sets the correct audio level, matching it to the cameras input sensitivity and selects a free frequency. If a source of interference appears, AVX will inaudibly shift to a new frequency.

The system is equipped with adaptive transmitt ing power, so it always uses the power that is required to maintain a reliable connection between the mic and the camera receiver. This not only ensures a stable link, it also reduces batt ery power consumption as does the automatic on/o function.

Power is supplied by lithium-ion batt eries, which can be recharged via a USB port, and for DSLRs with a jack audio input the AVX systems include an XLR-3/mini-jack adapter cable and the mounting accessories needed to att ach the receiver to the camera hotshoe.

NAB also saw the launch of new digital clip-on microphone models from

Sennheiser and Apogee, the ClipMic digital and its professional counterpart, the MKE 2 digital.

The new range comes just months aft er both manufacturers rst announced their partnership at NAMM.

ClipMic digital and MKE 2 digital promise optimum sound quality for recording, while both microphones feature a Lightning connector for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Apogees mic preamp and A/D conversion circuitry are built into both models designed to provide maximum gain with minimal noise while the A/D converter provides a resolution of up to 24bit/96kHz.

www.sennheiser.com

NEW AVX SYSTEMS FROM SENNHEISER

The new 26 x 32 Studio 192 USB 3.0 interface from PreSonus records at up to 192kHz and combines eight digitally controlled XMAX Class A solid-state mic preamps and Burr-Brown converters with StudioLive Fat Channel signal processing.

PreSonus UC Surface touch-ready control soft ware for Mac, Windows and iPad is included, for management of all Studio 192 functions and creation of eight stereo monitor mixes with full Fat Channel processing on every analogue input, plus reverb and delay.

Users of PreSonus Studio One DAW will nd full preamp control and zero-latency monitor-mix functions integrated into their recording environment. Studio Ones hybrid Fat Channel plug-in runs on the computers processor and switches to the Studio 192 DSP. This allows the user to monitor with Fat Channel EQ and

dynamics while switching between playback and recording.

Mixes and the onboard talkback mic can be routed to any output, including the two headphone outputs. The outputs can be used for monitor mixing or for speaker switching, and onboard Dim/Mute and Mono options are included.

Studio 192 o ers two front-panel mic/instrument inputs and six rear-panel mic/line inputs; 16-channel ADAT Optical In and Out (eight channels at 88.1 or 96kHz); coaxial, stereo S/PDIF I/O; and BNC word-clock I/O. The unit features eight balanced TRS outputs, balanced stereo Main outputs, and two headphone ampli ers with independent outputs and level controls, while Burr-Brown A/D-D/A converters o er 118dB of dynamic range.

www.presonus.com

PRESONUS SHOWS STUDIO 192 INTERFACE

Alcons Audio announced the LR28 larger format pro-ribbon line array for the concert touring and large-scale installation markets at Prolight + Sound in Frankfurt.

Based on the LR24 line-array, the LR28 promises an increase in HF and LF output over its predecessor, combining HiFi-grade sound quality with the highest SPL capabilities. Featuring Alcons proprietary pro-ribbon technology for mid and high frequencies, the LR28 o ers very fast impulse response with full-dynamics, and up-to-90% less distortion under the lowest power-compression.

The LR28 also features the proprietary RBN1404rsr 14in pro-ribbon driver, quad slot-loaded 6.5in mid-range transducers and double, purpose-customised 14in woofers. In addition, the all-natural (Isophasic) cylindrical wavefront of the pro-ribbon HF

transducer enables patt ern control, without any distortion-inducing horn constructions.

The LR28 is one element of a complete application-con gurable package, including the LB28 bass array-extension, BC543 triple 18in cardioid subwoofer system, Sentinel ampli ed loudspeaker controller with ALControl remote-control application, ARC 3D-simulation tool and system connection and transport logistics.

Until now, this high level of precision in sound quality was not obtainable in sound reinforcement, especially not at these sound pressure levels, commented Philip de Haan, head of Alcons R&D.www.alconsaudio.com

ALCONS LAUNCHES LR28 LINE ARRAY

May 2015 7

PRODUCT NEWSwww.audiomediainternational.com

ATH-M70x ATH-R70x

www.audio-technica.com

Open & Closed The new agship studio headphones

ATH-M70x PROFESSIONAL MONITOR HEADPHONES ATH-R70x PROFESSIONAL OPEN-BACK REFERENCE HEADPHONES

Audio-Technica introduces the new leaders in studio

headphones: ATH-M70x and ATH-R70x. Both models

offer extremely accurate audio reproduction along

with the comfort, durability and convenient features

that are bound to make them studio mainstays. So

whether you prefer the sound isolation of the M70x or

the spacious sound of the R70x, deciding on your next

pair of studio headphones is an open and closed case.

Prolight + Sound 2015 was chosen as the setting for Audio-Technica to reveal its new BP40 large-diaphragm dynamic microphone (pictured) and AT2020USBi USB condenser mic.

The BP40 is a dynamic vocal microphone with natural condenser-like sound for a variety of applications including radio, overdubs and post-production. Its hypercardioid polar pattern provides isolation of the desired sound source and o-axis rejection when working in close production environments.

The mics 37mm diaphragm features patented oating-edge construction that promises to maximise diaphragm surface area and overall diaphragm performance, while the humbucking voice coil prevents electromagnetic interference (from video monitors, AC power, etc).

The microphone also comes with a switchable 100Hz high-pass lter to provide further pop protection.

Combining high-resolution audio with increased connectivity options,

the AT2020USBi, modelled after the AT2020, features an A/D converter with a 24-bit/96kHz sampling rate to deliver high-resolution articulation and intelligibility suitable for home studio recording, eld recording, podcasting and voiceover use.

The AT2020USBi works with both USB and Lightning cables (included), so users can employ it straight from the box to digitally capture audio on the device of their choice PC, Mac or iOS. The integrated gain control adds the ability for users to adjust the input level directly on the microphone.

www.audio-technica.com

A-T STRENGTHENS MIC LINE-UP STUDIOMASTER DISPLAYS DIGILIVE DESKStudiomaster launched digiLiVE, a new ultra-compact digital audio mixer at this years Musikmesse and Prolight + Sound simultaneously.

digiLiVE 16 is a 16-input, 16-bus, eight-output digital audio mixer sporting a control surface integrating a 7in Android-driven high-resolution touchscreen and eight motorised 100mm fader operation, alongside fully remote (iOS and Android) tablet operation.

The 16 inputs include 12 professional mic input channels; A/D-D/A conversion is 24-bit/192kHz and there are up to eight internal eects busses with reverb, delay, 15-band EQ and modulation. The eight smart XLR analogue outputs are assignable, and outputs also include digital AES/EBU ands SPDIF. Two USB interfaces are included (front and rear panel) supporting playback and recording, scene storage and system updating,

while WiFi and Bluetooth wireless connectivity are supported.

www.studiomaster.com

May 20158

PRODUCT NEWS www.audiomediainternational.com

Demonstrated at Prolight + Sound in Frankfurt this year, the Lake Controller v6.4 soft ware program brings a number of features designed to facilitate faster and more accurate optimisation of complex, large-scale sound reinforcement systems.

Speci cally, v6.4 adds new elements to preset and EQ handling with the introduction of Recallable EQ Overlays.

Additionally, when an EQ Overlay is either stored or recalled to a Module or Group, the store/recall path is also stored in the actual Overlay for the module. This feature

allows users to switch between di erent EQ Overlays with the same type of compensation. A speaker manufacturer or rental company can pre-de ne these paths for distribution inside the Lake LoadLibrary.

The new soft ware release also includes updated butt on placement for the MESA EQ section, in addition to a number of other new features that provide loudspeaker manufacturer partners with an expanded toolbox for protecting and distributing their Lake-related presets and contents.

www.labgruppen.com

LAKE UPDATES CONTROLLER SOFTWARE

L-Acoustics launched the X Series line of coaxial speakers for the installation and rental markets at Prolight + Sound.

The new models o er high-excursion neodymium drivers, ellipsoid directivity, laminar vented ports and up to 30% weight reduction.

The live monitor of the X Series, the X8 promises pristine sound, a high SPL and extended bandwidth for operation at FOH position or in control rooms. Its wide conical directivity patt ern imparts a sense of spatialisation, with no minimum listening distance.

The X12 is designed to cover

multiple applications in rental and installation. An ellipsoid directivity of 90 x 60 makes it adaptable to FOH application.

The X15 is the powerhouse of the series, o fering high power in beamwidth and acoustic isolation. Its 40 x 60 directivity is designed to provide immunity to feedback.

The L-Acoustics X Series is set to ship in Q4 2015.

www.l-acoustics.com

L-ACOUSTICS EXHIBITS X SERIES

RME unveiled its new 24-channel 192 kHz bus-powered Babyface Pro compact audio interface at Musikmesse/Prolight + Sound 2015.

The unit features a redesigned XLR socket as the main I/O, integrated into the housing to save space. The two headphone outputs, o ering TRS and mini-jack sockets in parallel, have separate driver stages to match low and high impedance headphones, promising sonic results no matt er what type of headphone is used.

The user interface of the Babyface Pro is designed to be informative and clearly laid out, aiming to make access to every feature and con guration mode of the Babyface Pro intuitive. Even in stand-alone mode, routing and mixing of the inputs to outputs directly

on the device opens a whole world of possible applications.

Its two digitally-controlled preamps provide individually switchable 48V phantom power and feature a gain range of 71dB, adjustable in steps of 3dB, plus a relay-driven PAD, designed for EIN (Equivalent Input Noise) performance as well as line overload protection with enough gain for the low level mics.

www.rme-audio.com

RME REVEALS BABYFACE PRO

A&H ADDS TO GLD LINEAllen & Heath has released Chrome Edition models of its GLD series mixers with new features and FX.

GLD Chrome rmware introduces auto mic mixing capability and further additions to the processing suite, including new FX and channel-based compressor emulations.

The automatic mic mixer (AMM) can be con gured to work across all 44 microphone sources, allowing the user to select which inputs should be auto-mixed without the usual restrictions of a 16-channel insert-based system. The AMM can be set to work in two modes D-Classic dynamic gain sharing for a quick set-up, and Number of Open Microphones (NOM) logic gate technology for a more exible and sophisticated auto mix. A best mic lock system detects cross talk between di erent sources and limits open microphones.

GLD Chrome rmware includes a new plug-in architecture that allows users to select from a number of di erent processing units on every input and mix channel as well. Two new RMS-VCA inspired compressor

models, the 16T and 16VU, are included. Integrated within the mixers channel processing, all six compressor models can be selected on any of the input and mix channels on the y, without burning valuable FX slots or adding latency.

The new version 1.5 Chrome rmware also features several additions to Allen & Heaths on-board FX suite, including a new Stereo Tap Delay, with 2.7-second maximum delay time, split LR beat fraction control, millisecond mode and Tap Tempo functions.

www.allen-heath.com

Prolight + Sound provided an opportunity to view the new family of low-pro le, high-output loudspeakers for the installation and commercial markets from Nexo, which also used the show to announce Orbital Sound as its principal dealer and rental partner in the UK.

At launch, the ID (InSpace De nition) Series comprises three products, the ID24 full-range compact speaker using twin 4in drivers in a V formation combined with an HF compression driver o ering two preset directivity options and two low-pro le subs, ID S110 (1 x 10in) and ID S210 (2 x 10in).

Nexo has created three versions: ID24i for installation, ID24t for touring and AV applications, and ID24c or the a la carte version, which allows the customer to custom-con gure the speaker to match their requirements.

www.nexo.fr

NEXO INTRODUCES ID SERIES

May 2015 9

PRODUCT NEWSwww.audiomediainternational.com

d&b audiotechnik unveiled two new products and a major soft ware update at Prolight + Sound.

The announcements keep d&b at the forefront of the touring and installation markets, according to the manufacturer.

The new arrivals include the D20 (pictured), the latest addition to the companys four-channel ampli er family, and the MAX2, a exible 15in stage monitor. The soft ware upgrade is a new ArrayCalc feature for d&bs line array systems.

The only way leading companies such as d&b can retain their market position is through constant innovation, meeting the demands of the market and more importantly the satisfaction of their customers, said Sabina Berlo a, director of marketing and product management at d&b audiotechnik.

Visitors were also able to explore the d&b work ow, comprising the new ArrayCalc simulation soft ware and d&b R1 Remote control soft ware.

www.dbaudio.com

D&B RELEASES D20 AMPLIFIER

Prolight + Sound 2015 saw the launch of Yamahas TF series digital consoles designed for small to medium-scale mixing requirements.

The TF series comprises three compact Yamaha digital mixing consoles. The TF5, TF3 and TF1 respectively feature 33, 25 or 17 motor faders, along with 32, 24 or 16 rear-panel analogue inputs, which feature recallable Yamaha D-PRE preampli ers for the rst time in a digital console.

There are a total of 48 inputs on the TF5 and TF3, with 40 on the TF1, including dual stereo analogue/USB digital inputs and dual returns. Live recording features include up to 34 x 34 channel recording and playback via USB 2.0 and 2 x 2 with a USB storage device. All of this, plus operation with I/O racks, is said to make the TF series suitable for a wide range of applications.

TouchFlow Operation is a new approach to console operation that combines elements of Yamahas user interfaces with an advanced touch panel system, allowing users to respond to the music and artists on stage with unprecedented speed and freedom.

One-knob COMP and one-knob EQ features allow users to dial in the ideal sound via a single rotary control on inputs for adjusting individual sources and on outputs for overall

sound control. A GainFinder feature facilitates gain setup for individual input signals.

Also provided is a range of input and output channel presets created in co-operation with microphone manufacturers such as Audio-Technica, Sennheiser and Shure, made to match a range of musical instruments and voices, covering parameters such as head amp (HA) gain, EQ, dynamics and more.

www.yamahaproaudio.com

YAMAHA UNVEILS TF SERIES CONSOLES

AKG has introduced its C314 dual-diaphragm condenser microphone (pictured) and D112 MKII kick drum mic.

The C314 promises best-in-class self-noise and dynamic range, with a at, high linear frequency response and neutral sound, suitable for a variety of di erent environments.

The new model features a dual-diaphragm capsule with four selectable polar patt erns. Each of the diaphragms is designed for the highest polar patt ern accuracy, with the same C414 XLS gold-plated membrane for high linearity and neutral sound. An Overload LED Detection Display indicates overly high sound pressure levels, allowing the user to make adjustments to the microphone setup rather than in the recorded track.

Integrated capsule suspension aims to reduce mechanical noise and resonances, while a double-mesh, all-metal grille protects the capsule and promises high RF immunity without a ecting the microphones acoustical performance. A 20dB att enuation pad and bass-cut lter is also featured, enabling close-up recording and the reduction of the proximity e ect.

The D112 MKII builds upon its predecessor with a new integrated exible mount, while the cardioid dynamic mic can handle more than 160dB SPL without distortion. Its large diaphragm is designed for very low resonance frequency to deliver a solid response below 100Hz. A narrow-band presence boost at 4kHz is also featured, alongside an integrated hum-compensation coil, which aims to keep noise to a minimum.

www.akg.com

AKG EXPANDS STUDIO MIC RANGE

Genelec used both the NAB Show and Prolight + Sound to showcase its new 7040A ultra-compact subwoofer.

Designed to complement the 8010, 8020 and M030 active monitors, the 7040A promises accurate sound reproduction and monitoring of low-frequency content.

With a compact form factor, the 7040A is built for music creation and sound design applications, as well as audio and video production work in small rooms and improvised monitoring environments.

The 7040A features Genelecs Laminar Spiral Enclosure (LSE) technology, made from a spiral-shaped strip of steel to provide mechanical stability for the large pressures generated inside the subwoofer. The spiral forms the bass re ex port as well, enabling linear air ow at high SPL outputs. This construction provides extended low frequency capacity and low distortion for accurate bass articulation.

The 7040A produces 100dB SPL using a 6.5in woofer and a Genelec-designed Class D ampli er. At the lowest frequencies this SPL is radiated from the bass re ex port by channelling large volumes of air movement through it.

Calibration of the Genelec 7040A subwoofer to the listening environment is done using DIP switches located on the subwoofer connector panel. These controls address typical monitoring placement con gurations.

With external dimensions of 410mm x 350mm x 205mm, the Genelec 7040A has a footprint that is smaller than that of your average small practice guitar ampli er and is narrow enough to t in a 19in rack, weighing 11.3kg (25lb). An optional carry bag allows professionals to work on the move, with portable recording devices and in non- purpose-built monitoring environments with an accurate and exible monitoring tool.

www.genelec.com

GENELEC DEBUTS 7040A SUBWOOFER

PLASA Focus: Leeds returns this month, bringing a host of new products, networking opportunities and a robust programme of seminars,

product demonstrations and training sessions to the Royal Armouries on 12-13 May.

Funktion-One, which is exhibiting for the rst time at the show, will highlight its new SB210A model, an active bass unit with two spare channels for a pair of satellite speakers. And, in a UK exhibition debut, its Evo 6E will also be on show. This high-intensity loudspeaker combines horn-loaded 15in mid-bass, 10in Funktion-One signature mid-range and a 1.4in compression driver into a compact enclosure.

Sennheiser will be out in force at the event, showcasing its AVX wireless microphone system for video cameras (see Page 6 for more information); the evolution wireless D1 (reviewed on Page 38), a range of digital wireless microphone systems that promises to let bands go wireless the easy way, and the SpeechLine Digital Wireless, a model claiming to be the worlds rst digital microphone designed exclusively for speech applications.

Alongside Sennheisers own gear are a selection of products from the brands it distributes in the UK, including K-arrays Khameleon loudspeaker wraps and Aparts Mask 12 loudspeaker.

Source Distribution will be showing products from a range of its distributed brands, including the rst-ever UK demo of the PreSonus StudioLive AI digital mixer linked via AVB to an RM series rack mixer.

The StudioLive AI active PA loudspeakers will also be on show. Promising studio monitor accuracy on stage, wireless or wired remote control and iPad/laptop monitoring, the full-range series comprises 312AI, 328AI and 351AI congurations with a matching 18sAI powered subwoofer.

The distributor will also spotlight the WorxAudio V5 Compact Line

Array, a two-way line array loudspeaker designed to deliver music and speech in portable and xed applications. The TrueLine X115 sub, which boasts a direct radiating 15in 1,000W continuous power handling cone driver, and brand new Universal Audio Apollo interfaces featuring A/D and D/A conversion, will also feature.

Orbital Sound will be focusing attention on the Nexo Geo M6 all-purpose AV and musical theatre system, in addition to showcasing products from Shures wireless range, Clear-Com/HMEs wired and wireless intercom solutions, and Yamahas QL series of digital mixing consoles plus advance information on the Rivage PM10 desk.

Dynacord will present a range of its products at the show, including the AXM 12A, a 12in-coax powered monitor, which features a max SPL of 128dB and an integrated DSP to deliver performance on loud stages.

Also in Leeds will be the PM 502 mixing desk, which includes ve mic/line inputs and three stereo inputs, as well as a master section with three Master Outputs each with an individual seven-band EQ.

Finally, the manufacturers Vertical Array Systems, a loudspeaker system

comprising the TS 400 full-range vertical array cabinet, PSD 25/218 powered subwoofers and PSE 215/218 passive subwoofers will be on the stand. It is designed to provide smooth and even coverage in mobile and xed applications, in full-range or in active two-way systems.

Electro-Voice is set to bring a varied oering of loudspeakers to the show, including the EKX and ETX portable systems. Promising performance and reliability in a compact package, the EKX features single-knob QuickSmartDSP digital signal processing control, Signal Synchronized Transducers waveguide design, and Cardioid Control Technology for subwoofers.

The ETX portable loudspeakers are said to oer versatility with a number of options, available in two-way models (10in, 12in and 15in with HF titanium compression drivers), a three-way model (15in with a 6.5in MF driver and HF titanium compression driver) and subs (15in and 18in drivers).

A LOT TO LEARN The show also hosts a Professional Development Programme, with speakers addressing topics across the audio, lighting, video and rigging sectors.

This years sessions to watch include Sound intelligibility, quality and impact design, verication and operation at 1.15pm on Tuesday 12 May, presented by Funktion-Ones John Newsham and Jim Cousins of Sound Improvement Services.

The session will oer an introduction to room impulse response measurement to verify as-installed performance parameters such as intelligibility compliance, clarity and bass ratio, in addition to maintaining attention-grabbing bandwidth, dynamics and impact by using sensible sound check procedures for a bold and uncluttered mix.

Also worth looking out for is How to get the best from a live female vocal, hosted by Justin Grealy of Soulsound, who will demonstrate the creative use of reverb, delay and compression with a live singer on stage.

In addition, Martin Audios Robin Dibble will present The shape of things to come, a discussion of brand new patent-pending technology that promises to deliver superior coverage and performance.

EDUCATING YORKSHIREPLASA has been planning another packed Professional Development Programme for the 2015 Focus: Leeds event, but theres also plenty of new product to look forward to once again.

May 201510

SHOW NEWS: PLASA FOCUS

www.plasafocus.com/leeds

www.audiomediainternational.com

Whether its a body-shaking live sound system, a dance-inducing club PA or an all-immersive home

theatre, we crave bass. Theres no such thing as a one-size-ts-

all method for tuning subwoofer systems. Unlike with high frequencies, low-frequency sound reproduction is equally if not more aected by room acoustics as it is by the loudspeakers.

Without a good understanding of the loudspeaker-room interaction, it is dicult to get the most out of your subs. Well take a quick look here of the basics to deliver intestine-churning, but tasteful low-end to an audience, or whatever experience youre targeting.

Home theatreIn small spaces like home theatres, room modes are king. These are standing wave patterns at various frequencies, dependent on the room dimensions, that cause severe seat-to-seat variations in the frequency response, as well as unwelcome transient smearing.

While room modes exist throughout most of the audible frequency range, they are only perceptible below the Schroeder frequency, which is calculated based on reverb time and volume. In small rooms, this comes to around 200Hz.

So how can we reduce the negative eects of room modes to provide a

consistent listening experience across a room?

Most home theatre systems come with a measurement mic and an automatic calibration procedure. These methods typically employ an inverse-lter, based on a single measurement to give a at frequency response. These achieve precisely that, but only at the measurement location. In terms of bass coverage, they provide no benet whatsoever. The same goes for spatially averaged measurements. You cannot EQ away room modes. Something dierent is required.

A good rst step is subwoofer positioning. Sticking a subwoofer in a corner excites all room modes, resulting in a boomy bass response as well as severe seat-to-seat variations. If you have one subwoofer, try moving it to a wall midpoint. This prevents certain modes from being excited and gives a less boomy sound with more even coverage. If you can get away with it, get a second subwoofer and place the two at opposite wall midpoints. This further improves the situation. In essence, the more subwoofers you have, the less room mode issues youll encounter.

Live soundLow-frequency reproduction in live sound is a dierent beast than in small rooms. In venues we typically work in, the Schroeder frequency is usually below 20Hz, therefore room modes are not an issue. So what are the challenges in live sound?

Instead of room modes causing the issue, its comb-ltering between subwoofers and early reections (for indoor venues) that is the culprit.

When you send the same signal to spaced loudspeakers, the signals recombine constructively or destructively, depending on the phase relationship between the arriving sounds at a given location. When subs are deployed as left and right stacks, this causes dead spots in o-centre areas of the audience and a power-alley down the centre. This means the FOH engineer receives more bass, which can result in a bass-light mix for o-centre areas of the audience.

To avoid this, it is fairly well known that spacing your subs across the front of the stage gives more even coverage due to the small phase dierences from the arriving waves. Typically, you want to aim for no more than wavelength spacing of your subs (two metres @ 85Hz).

Without any other DSP, this gives even coverage across an audience that is between the horizontal array of subs, with a gradual roll-o of energy outside of this area. To widen this coverage, you apply delay to the outside stacks. To narrow the coverage, delay the inside stacks.

If using cardioid subs, it is essential to give adequate free space behind the units at least two metres or so. Weve found at Gand that if you dont have this, you lose system eciency as well as the cardioid pattern.

If you want to further reduce comb ltering, you must nd a way to decorrelate the signals from each subwoofer. Based on my experience, I see more and more system techs conguring PAs so the subs are fed by a mono aux. This means that the signals coming from all subs are highly correlated and will therefore cause severe comb ltering.

Cinema soundIn cinema, there are similar issues to live sound. What Ive found, though, is that cinema is lagging behind live sound in its subwoofer calibration methods. They rely largely on single or spatially-averaged measurements to tune their systems, which, as Ive mentioned, does nothing to improve consistency of bass coverage.

Cinemas have the benet of speakers surrounding an audience. The system naturally exhibits a degree of decorrelation, but comb ltering is still a serious issue, much more so than room modes theyre only a problem below around 35Hz.

While its possible to use an optimisation routine, requiring precise measurements and signal processing, Im developing a method of automatically decorrelating the low-frequency signals feeding the loudspeakers a method known as Diuse Signal Processing.

This technique applies an imperceptible, low-level noise-like decay onto source signals, which when applied correctly avoids signicant comb ltering. This requires no on-site calibration.

Although work is ongoing to perfect this method, I see applications not only in cinema sound, but also in live sound and home theatres.

The ultimate goal is to deliver an equal listening experience to all. Clearly, the challenges at low frequencies are very dierent from those at high frequencies.

While this article only scratches the surface of the tools available, I hope it gets you thinking about simple xes you can apply to whatever system you work with to give the best possible listening experience to as many people as possible.

GETTING THE MOST FROM YOUR SUBSDr Adam Hill, sound engineer and lecturer in Audio Engineering at the University of Derby, delivers his low-end theory.

DR ADAM HILL

Dr Adam Hill is a lecturer in Audio Engineering at the University of Derby in the UK, and a live sound engineer for Gand Concert Sound.

May 201512

OPINION www.audiomediainternational.com

Boom festival photo: esw

eb

Next time youre watching the TV news and you see someone being interviewed by the press pack take a good look at the recording

equipment being thrust into peoples faces. As well as the ENG mics and windshields bobbing about at the bottom of the screen (much to the annoyance of the cameramen) youll see an increasing number of devices that many audio pros will not consider proper recording gear mobile phones.

I realise this is sacrilege to many of those reading this magazine but smartphones are now more and more likely to be part of a radio journalists arsenal. From reel-to-reel recorders or Marantz cassette machines, through Minidisc and more lately all-in-ones like the HHB FlashMic or Nagra Ares, weve come a long way. But phones?

Actually, if you listen to the radio and to news in particular, youll have been hearing actuality captured on a phone for a couple of years now. BBC radio reporters are issued with iPhones as standard kit. An old friend of mine, Nick Garnett at BBC Radio 5 Live, is a pioneer of this and uses his iPhone and a range of apps including Luci Live (reviewed in Audio Media a couple of years ago) and Voddio to record and share all his material.

Its the s word share that is important here. As Nick has told me (a relative Luddite in this eld) before: its

no good if you have the best audio in the world if you cant get it to air. And thats where phones (and tablets to a certain degree) come in. Having recorded interviews using the surprisingly good microphone on an iPhone, its a doddle to then le that material back to base for broadcast. Email will do the job in many circumstances but specialist apps are also available and better for larger les.

The BBC has its own software, PNG, which combines recording and editing with the ability to drop the sound les directly onto the corporations own servers. You can conceivably have material on air in minutes without recourse to a big expensive satellite truck or radio car.

Ive used PNG myself, recording a succession of radio interviews at the scene of a developing story and ling each one back to the studio while I walked to the next. By the time I arrived home at the newsroom, each interview had already been edited and put to air. And all of this was done with a piece of hardware with a fruity-sounding name.

Its not just a ash in the pan. Ive spoken to a well-known manufacturer of portable recorders that was looking at how to commercially answer the increasing need for capture and forward technology recording and getting on air. The conclusion we came to was that if the software doing the le transfer was kept separate from the recorder (i.e. on a phone) it would be easier to update and modify.

A while later I spotted a machine from Olympus, which does a pretty good range of portable audio machines that take a rst step in this direction.

The DM-901 actually sits not in the Olympus Audio Recorder range but among its business hardware. Its a voice recorder a 21st century dictating machine. It sits in the palm of your hand and is meant for note-taking, interviewing for non-broadcast and business presentations. Not the usual review fare for Audio Media International but bear with me.

It can record in .wav format at 48kHz 16-bit or as MP3 and has a decent range of options to choose from, including a

Low Cut Filter and a mic zoom. As well as the built-in capsules it also has a 3.5mm minijack input for a separate microphone reminiscent of the MiniDiscs of the mid to late 1990s and earlier 2000s. In fact I think I still have a minijack-to-XLR lead rattling around somewhere. I played around with various controls and did some test recordings with the onboard mics and the results were perfectly acceptable; certainly no worse than a lot of smartphones.

But what had drawn my attention to the Olympus was not the hardware but the software. There is a separate Audio Controller app for both iOS and Android phones that hooks up directly to the DM-901 via WiFi. I downloaded it from Google Play to a Motorola Moto G phone and after a bit of jiggery-pockery, synched the phone to the recorder.

One tip: make sure the WiFi on the Olympus is actually activated before you start cursing and swearing. And make sure your phone is disconnected from your usual WiFi source as well.

What you have in the app is a remote control for the DM-901 that lets you stop and start recording. This could be useful at press conferences, where the controller has to sit at the front of the event while the reporter loiters at the back. You can index recorders and even add images to them if necessary.

But the real trick up the Audio Controllers sleeve is its ability to upload recordings from the recorder, via the smartphone to Dropbox. It can only do this with MP3 recordings at 128kbps but the procedure is pretty straightforward.

The downside is that it only works with Dropbox, which is great if thats your Cloud storage of choice but less so if it isnt. To me, its a case of so close but no cigar. I have to admire Olympus for taking this rst step down the transfer road. But when I can download a free voice recorder app for my phone that lets me use Androids range of Share options, then the bar is set quite high.

Also why use WiFi? Thats what my phone should be using to upload the audio, but it cant if its hooked up to the recorder. Why not use Bluetooth for the phone/recorder link instead?

Those things aside, at least someones actually made the rst move. The Olympus Audio app and hardware may be awed but they have to be saluted for getting the ball rolling.

WHATS NEXT FOR NEWSGATHERING GEAR?Jerry Ibbotson reveals how smartphones are becoming an increasingly popular choice for radio news recording, and why manufacturers need to catch up.

JERRY IBBOTSON

Jerry Ibbotsonhas worked in pro audio for more than 20 years, rst as a BBC radio journalist and then as a sound designer in the games industry. Hes now a freelance audio producer and writer.

May 201514

OPINION www.audiomediainternational.com

Find out more www.soundcraft.comSoundcraft T: +44 (0)1707 665000 E: soundcraft@harman.com

Soundcraft US T: 888-251-8352 E: soundcraft-USA@harman.com

Powerful digital mixing with the legendary British sound of SoundcraftFully motorised faders with Soundcraft FaderGlowStudio-grade effects and dynamics from BSS, Lexicon and dbx32-in/32-out USB recording and playback interface - Ableton Live 9 Lite includedBuilt-in Stagebox Connectivity for I/O ExpansionRemote mixing via iPad with Visi remote app

Designed to be as simple as an analog mixer, but offer radical workflow enhancements like our unique Soundcraft FaderGlow system, massive DSP power, and a pristine 32-in/32-out USB audio interface, Si Impact delivers digital live sound mixing and recording for those who refuse to compromise on audio quality.

Laptop not included

As technologies for hardware and software become less expensive and more productive, schedules get shorter and

expectations grow higher. As a result, time management skills become a very important part of creative productivity.

Creative people usually have a particular context and mindset in which they can be at their most creative, but most have to handle a vast number of other tasks and responsibilities that pull them out of that space. Time is free but in limited supply. When the pressure is on you need to take conscious and concrete steps to make sure that every minute is used well.

Our experience of time is very subjective, just like art is subjective, and every person has a certain perception of time that helps to put them into a creative zone. When you are in that zone you have the right feelings, energy and state of mind to go about your artistic work eectively. A feeling of urgency is helpful for some and stressful for others. Some are early birds and others night owls. Seeing continuous evidence of productivity is important to some and others want slow reection. Some composers write in long blocks and others in short sprints. Before

sitting down to write, one person needs quiet and another needs stimulus. Your mindset can greatly aect the quality of your work, and the ideal context will be dierent for everybody.

When the workload is daunting and the schedule is pressing down on you, remember that you have just as much time in the day as Oprah, or the President of the United States, or any other inuential gure you care to substitute. Whatever workload you have doesnt compare to theirs, and its completely possible for you to succeed in a way that makes you feel happy, healthy and fullled. Oprah found ways to maximise her time and has done it continuously for years. Thats why everybody knows who she is. She has probably always had a very intuitive understanding of how to manage her time. Time management is just as important to success as passion, intelligence and opportunity.

Plan Your AttackWhen you begin a gig you usually have a deadline and a top-level schedule. As soon as the contract has been signed, you should immediately begin to detail your schedule. Knowing that you need to deliver a hard drive full of recordings in a couple of months isnt a precise enough goal to direct your daily work well. It doesnt make much sense to dive in and start working until you know your short-term goals. Everybody does this in dierent ways, but there are some common threads in how the successful ones approach their schedules.

The most common approach is to schedule backwards, because the most predictable time commitments are often towards the end of the process. For example, if youre writing a lm score then with a little experience its not hard to guess how much music youll record in each session, how many sessions youll need, and how much time youll need for editing, mixing, mastering and

delivery prep. Put all of your wrap-up time commitments into your schedule, and then look at the time that remains. That is your block of time for creative work and planning, and it will have to work no matter how long or short it is.

Manage Time TacticallyA core time management principle is that you need to assign times to things that have importance. Because creative people are usually self-employed and often work from home, they can very easily fall into a free-form routine of unstructured work. That can lead to doing the tasks that feel urgent rather than the ones that are actually more important. Scheduling time in which you focus only on important things is critical if you want to stay on target.

Although it may seem like a good idea, writing a to-do list is not a time management solution. A composers to-do list is about a million miles long, and writing a score is an endless pile of details. Some of them are creative and subjective like the phrasing of an instrument, and some of them are dry and calculated like determining the cost of paper for sheet music. To-do lists are nothing but a reminder of what is unnished. They have

nothing to do with time management and wont help you meet your goals in a more timely fashion.

A list that will help is a priority list, and that is something very dierent. A priority list is a battle plan. Priorities dene your most important tasks, but more importantly, they help you say no to all the distractions that pull you away from those things. If your goal is to write six minutes of music every day and you know that youre going to crash and burn if you dont pull it o, then you must focus on those six minutes before all else. Priorities are about focus, and when you set your sights on one thing, the others move to the periphery. Saying no is not an intuitive skill for most people, and needs to be learned and practiced. Successful people say no to a lot of things. Very successful people say no to almost everything.

SURVIVING PERFORMANCE AND SCHEDULE PRESSURESWorking in this industry can be stressful at the best of times, so what can you do when the workload gets too much? Composer and author/producer of Guerrilla Film Scoring Jeremy Borum shares some of the tips hes picked up over time, which pro-audio professionals should also take on board.

JEREMY BORUM

Jeremy Borum is author/producer of Guerrilla Film Scoring: Practical Advice from Hollywood Composers. Both a book and a documentary, it helps composers at all levels to create the best-sounding scores quickly and cost eectively without jeopardising their art. www.guerrillalmscoring.com

May 201516

OPINION www.audiomediainternational.com

EASTERN PROMISE

Another up-and-coming region in the industry, Southeast Asia is drawing more and more interest from some of the biggest international players in pro-audio. Matt Fellows investigates the markets in Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia to nd out why.

May 201518

GEO FOCUS: SOUTHEAST ASIA

There have been more than a few shake-ups in the industry with new managerial and directorial appointments in the

Southeast Asia region recently, as companies appear keen to mine a sleeping potential in the area. The cluster of countries is increasingly catching the gaze of some of the industrys big names; so what exactly is the situation in the region that makes it such a focal point of interest?

First and foremost, Singapore reports stability, according to Joe Fong, deputy managing director at distributor Electronics & Engineering: Being a mature state, Singapore has good infrastructure that has been developed and established over the past two decades. We are seeing a shift from mass-market experiences and are now heading more towards a higher quality, technology-driven business environment. The demand for AV/IT is the forerunner to deliver media to audiences. Consumers

will still ourish but in a de ned technology-driven direction, particularly as a leader in the IT-driven environment where Singapore strives to position itself.

But with multiple markets, each with their own climate, the wider focus may not be as straightforward as simple market prosperity. Andy Yulianto Jahya, consultant at HEAR Pro-Audio Consultants of Indonesia, puts it simply: At the moment the pro-audio market in Indonesia is still not too good.

Fellow Indonesian Rudy Winarto, director of Melodia Sound & Lighting Systems, explains: A lot of Chinese manufacturing is coming to Indonesia, and there are also a lot of copy/fake products in the market. Digital mixers are now very a ordable as a number of manufacturers are developing new digital consoles. Speakers are also becoming more a ordable, with more variety in model/type from each brand, so people can choose according to their needs, budget and expectation.

Bumps in the roadAnd the situation is not all that di erent across the sea in Thailand, as Fuzion Far Easts director Siri Wongkamolchun remarks: Thailand has been stuck in a political situation for a long time. The atmosphere has been unstable. However, I would say the Thai pro-AV market is doing OK despite those problems. These issues, entirely extraneous from the industry, are pervasive throughout the region, and sti e development that could otherwise ourish.

Our market has su ered from nancial problems and political issues. Last year is just another bump in the road, Wongkamolchun continues. Our domestic demand went down, trade and tourism shrank and so on. Our market seems to react and bounce back quicker than before. In the end, everyone is trying to move forward.

Thailand isnt the only market in the region su ering as a result of issues unrelated to the industry. Indonesias pro-audio sector is feeling the e ects

of uncertain political turmoil according to Jahya, creating an economy where disposable income is at a premium.

People are looking for a ordable products as economic growth in Indonesia is not yet stable due to the political conditions in the country, adds Winarto. It still seems unpredictable even now; we have our new president, but there are still lots of internal political con icts all over Indonesia.

These struggles could be further att ributed to a gradual move into the global lens. Juggling the duress of political uncertainty, Indonesias move into the global market is further exacerbated by exchange rate woes.

The exchange rate of USD to Rupiah went up a few months ago, which makes it di cult to market US products in Indonesia, explains Winarto. Fortunately the exchange rate of Euro to Rupiah seems a litt le bit lower and more stable, so that brings advantages for European products in the Indonesian market compared to US products, but still, the economic

Picture: Alter

Population:618 million

May 2015 19

www.audiomediainternational.com

GEO FOCUS: SOUTHEAST ASIA

situation in the country does not yet support it due to political issues.

Singapore, however, appears to be enjoying much greater stability.

We have been able to balance serving the masses and a ending to quality, while not forge ing to keep updated with future trends, notes Fong. The climate is healthy as long as the company is equipped with technology-savvy human resources. Products can be purchased anywhere but the need to design, build and maintain these sophisticated systems are very much still in demand.

A rising stormThailand has sought to legitimise itself within the global frame by a empting to reproduce the successes of established western markets, as Wongkamolchun explains: Our industry has been infl uenced by developed countries such as the UK, US and many countries in Europe. We see more and more specialists/consultants from abroad, but it will take time before our industry is going to get more mature.

But such a fi xation on the developed world has led to a unique atmosphere in the a empt to imitate it, cultivating a culture of competition. And in a culture of competition, companies have to be prepared to fi ght if they want to be le standing.

Developing industries in Indonesia and around the world are all competing to be the best, and that is unique in the Indonesian market because of the diversity of cultures that demand very diverse treatment, comments Jahya. My companys fate is at a stage of survival in the face of competition from increasingly fi erce audio business in the country.

In the face of stiff competition, diff erentiation is vital. Wongkamolchun argues that, in Thailand, those key diff erentiators are quality of both technical

support and service: Even though there are many good products available in our market, our technical support and service seems to be our key to diff erentiating us from other competitors, he states.

Markets are wavering across the region as it makes its shaky steps over to the global playing fi eld, but industry professionals believe things are set to get worse before they get be er, with competition heating up as pro-audio companies fi ght for a leading position in the developing climate.

In the next fi ve years the market will be more diffi cult, because a lot of its competition is becoming increasingly extensive and rigorous, Jahya notes. My strategy would be to have a superior product that is of good quality with a price that is very aff ordable for marketing in Indonesia.

Fong believes that not only will competition increase, but so will technological development and demand: Cloud-based media management and delivery will change the demand for native isolated content archives. Virtual, wireless or digital transportation of media will change the business environment in such a way that some products will become obsolete.

unique solutionsAs each market looks to the future, their distinctive strategies are indicative of the problems that each country faces across the region.

I think there are a few things that we need to keep working hard on. We need to keep our standard on technical support, system knowledge and a er-sales service, suggests Wongkamolchun. Our relationship with the client is also important. We spend a long time building trust and relationships with them we have to keep it that way. We are going to keep exploring

new markets in our territory; there will always be new opportunities and new people.

In Indonesia, future business must carefully account for the political climate. Our strategy is to keep progressing with innovation and expansion of the business while keeping an eye on the progress of the political issues in the country, comments Winarto. At the same time we do believe that we have to maintain our a er-sales service because that is the most important key to successful sales.

Finally, Fong believes that technological development, not just for Singapore but the entire region, is the key to achieving global aspirations.

Maintaining a good team of talent across all aspects of the organisation to establish teams catering to the cultural and business needs across the region is the only way to go. Singapore does not have the sheer mass, but the region does. The technological development for the SEA region has a good two decades to go of major infrastructure development to cater to the growth of the mass-to-middle income. The growth of China and India into developed or mature economies will demand for not just entry-level goods and services, but ones with quality.

A unique, complex and multi-faceted climate slumbers in Southeast Asia; a site of simmering competition, symptomatic of a developing market. It is li le wonder it has piqued a entions around the world; it is fertile ground, but there are challenges to overcome before its potential can be reaped.

Annual GDP growth, 2013 (%)

Thailand

1% 2% 3% 4% 5% 6%

Singapore

Indonesia

18-19 Geo focus v3ASJR.indd 2 30/04/2015 14:23

May 201520

STUDIO PROFILE

Upon hearing the news in April that the old home of Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin, the facility where U2 recorded their debut

album Boy as well as The Joshua Tree, had been demolished, much of the industry realised it had lost another prized relic from an increasingly distant age of recording.

It was put together by myself in 1978 along with three business partners; James Morris, Russ Russell and Meiert Avis, explains original owner Brian Masterson. Those three were already successful lm editors. I was establishing a name for myself working as a freelance engineer in various Dublin studios. The decision was made to build a studio that would appeal to international clients, and John Storyk

from New York was retained to design the studio.

But thats not the whole story. While it did indeed witness key moments of music history, the site that is now to be made into multipurpose oce, retail and residential blocks has not been the site of Windmill Lane Recording since 1989.

The partners wanted to devote their time and energy to launching Irelands rst and only commercial TV channel, Masterson explains. I acquired the name and the equipment and went into partnership with Andrew Boland who then ran Ringsend Road Studios.

Relocating to Dublins Ringsend Road but keeping the Windmill Lane name, Masterson found that the studio stood to benet from the advantages of the new location: The new premises were much bigger than what was available at

the original location. This did give scope for expansion and diversication.

Over the years the studio has gone on to see acts such as The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Metallica, Norah Jones and Lady Gaga cross its threshold; it still stands there today, now staed by an entirely new team.

Current studio manager Niall McMonagle saw the move as an easy one to make: We took over Windmill Lane about seven years ago. If we hadnt, I dont know what the future would have held. The previous owner and one of the engineers/producers approached us to say, wed love for you guys to take it over. Youre the right people to do it, because we owned, and still do own, another studio o Camden Street, another area of Dublin where the company had grown and had reached

bursting capacity. So we were looking to move and then Windmill Lane came up and it was a no-brainer really. Wed dreamed about it for some time, and then the opportunity presented itself.

So what has been their secret to success and longevity when so many studios of the same generation have been forced to close their doors? Like any studio manager, McMonagle is keen to talk rst and foremost about layout and quality equipment.

On the ground oor, weve got two studios: Studio Two and Studio Three. Studio Two is a typical band-style, rock n roll size; there are a couple of live rooms and a couple of vocal booths with a standard size control room with the SSL G+ Series in it. Studio 3 is a 5.1 surround sound room, which is used more for mixing, mastering and post-

A TRIP DOWN WINDMILL LANE

Its former dwelling known locally as the U2 Studio may have been reduced to rubble last month, but Matt Fellows nds that Windmill Lane Recording in Dublin remains alive and well in its not-so-new location.

a clean, comfortable room to set up all their gear in and relax. The large live area is thunderous for drum kits and we love nothing more than setting up a big drum kit and shaking the building.

Id like to say I had a way of working but it tends to change from week to week, he continues. Trying a new technique or a new piece of equipment or I hear somebody elses song and think, lets try and do that. Trying to change it as regularly as we can is important but the common denominator for us is that we try to get it right in the room as much as we can, working with the band to get them polished, whether its just rehearsals or a bit of pre-production before we hit the record button.

But even when youre as well equipped as all that, it cant hurt to have some secret weapons when it

comes to survival in the studio sector. And Windmill Lane Recording certainly attributes the stability it enjoys today to these key dierentiators and auxiliary avenues of business.

Profitable partnershipsWithout doubt our involvement in education has been a huge part of the company for quite some time, McMonagle remarks. As well as the usual recording and mixing, we are also heavily involved in education with Pulse College. We have a range of courses from certicate up to Masters level covering areas such as Music Production, Sound Engineering, Film Production, Game Development and Animation. The college has helped the studio and having facilities like we have here has also helped the college.

Without the education side of it I dont know how the studio would be getting on, he says. Like for any other big studio around the world, its been dicult. For us luckily weve been getting bigger and bigger. The request for the studio is still as big as ever.

The studio has also embraced online distribution with its Windmill Lane Sessions, a series of live performances and interviews hosted on independent.ie, Irelands most visited website.

Were all big fans of music here, and we love live music, McMonagle explains. Studio One is so big it seems a shame when its not being used for a session. Why not put on a gig? Weve got so many lm students here and lm equipment we thought why dont we lm it? Wed

had various ideas of doing music shows and approaching TV stations. We did one or two pilots and roped in favours from everyone we knew in the industry, and then independent.ie actually came to us and said Hey listen, we want to do this music series, and we said You know, its funny, that so do we! We showed them the pilot stu that wed done and they loved it, and it pretty much just hit the ground running.

The idea is that we can give all sorts of artists, from young, never-before-seen bands to old stalwarts whove been around the scene for a long time, another platform and another route to market, he continues. Its generally a two- or three-hour session. We set them up, they record two songs, they do an interview, and out the door again, so its nice and quick and snappy, so even bands who are doing a gig in the evening can pop in on the morning and do a session.

We were trying to put together a show that was quality musicians doing their thing live. We record, we lm it, we dont do any of the studio magic theres no Pro Tools editing or Autotune or any of that studio trickery. Well mix it and tart it up a bit, but what goes into the box comes out. So the bands have to up their game. They get two or three takes, but theres no editing between takes, theres no comping. The emphasis for us is on the bands doing their thing, which is the way we love to record. Its been going great for the past few months and well be looking to up the level and try to attract more high-prole artists.

While the importance of quality and breadth of service cannot be understated, Windmill Lane has shown over the years that the true key for studios hoping to make a stable leap to the current generation is reinvention.

For Masterson, the spirit of the original Windmill Lane is still very much alive: Speaking as someone who now uses the studio whenever possible, I think the same ethos of providing wonderful facilities with a great bunch of talented engineers and assistants is something that hasnt changed. And that fantastic Neve VR is still going strong and sounding as warm and musical as ever.

May 2015 21

STUDIO PROFILEwww.audiomediainternational.com

production projects. And the entire top oor is devoted to Studio One, which has a big control room and a huge live room it can hold between a 70- and 80-piece orchestra. Its got a Steinway in there, harmoniums and Hammond organs; the Neve VR is the centrepiece of Studio One and is a thing of beauty! We also have some lovely outboard, the usual classic stu like UREI 1176s, distressors, Summit EQs and we also have a lovely EMT Plate Reverb.

Apart from the equipment, which you can nd in other big studios, our recording space is fantastic. As with a lot of studios some rooms just work, and this one is right up there. Its just a lovely room. Obviously acoustically theres no parallel walls and theres nice absorption and dispersion but also aesthetically. A lot of bands want to come in and have

www.windmilllanerecording.com

Niall McMonagle

The Neve VR is the centrepiece of Studio One

May 201522

FEATURE: IMMERSIVE AUDIO

Experiments in immersive audio have been around since the early 1930s, when Alan Blumlein gured out that listening to two audio

channels was much better than one. Yet it has taken the better part of a century for it to capture the imagination, and the ears, of the masses.

Before we continue, a point of order: dening immersive audio. For now, and for the sake of this article, immersive audio includes object-based, channel-based and scene-based audio. In other words, sound in space regardless of how thats achieved. The denition itself hasnt slowed its adoption. A lack of a technical standard, however, has (but more on that later).

The confusion is partly born of a heated competition for surround sound supremacy in the cinemas between

Dolby Atmos, Auro 3D and the recently released DTS-X. At least, the cinema experience is probably the one most associated with surround sound technology. Where the actual demand for immersive audio is increasing is, according to many, from another entertainment sector entirely.

Both Google and Facebook have plunged headrst into the world of virtual reality (VR). The former with Google Cardboard, the latter having acquired Oculus in 2014. With two media giants heavily invested in its success, an explosion in VR entertainment isnt far o.

A lot has changed since virtual reality became a thing, all thanks to Oculus for that, explains Varun Nair, founder and VP of products at Two Big Ears. All of a sudden immersive audio stopped being a technology that existed for the sake of

it existing, or adding a bit of something extra to an experience. It became something that is ultimately very crucial: youve got great 3D visuals creating a sense of realism, and the audio needs to match up to it.

Two Big Ears was founded in 2013 by Nair and CEO Abesh Thakur. The company designs immersive and interactive audio tools, among them the real-time 3D audio and environmental modelling engine 3Dception.

Designed with VR and game audio applications in mind, 3Dception recently powered the audio for Bjrks groundbreaking video for Stonemilker. Its the rst ocial single from her most recent release, Vulnicura, shot on a desolate beach in Iceland using a 360 camera. In order to see the video, you would have had to attend one of the Rough Trade launches held in New

York and London, or the exhibition at the MoMa PS1 in Long Island City.

3Dception is also in place for the ongoing retrospective of Bjrks (mid-) career held at the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan, Songlines. As part of the exhibition, Songlines presents an avant-guard audio tour of sorts; a location-based augmented audio experience that runs o an iPod touch.

Its a great opportunity to show o what our technology can do, says Nair. We created all this spacialised audio o an iPod Touch, which isnt exactly the most powerful device out there.

Back on this side of the Atlantic, Heaven 17s Martyn Ware has been in the business of immersive audio for the past 15 years. In 2000 he and former Erasure keyboardist Vince Clarke formed Illustrious, and along with it developed their own three dimensional

SOUND ALL AROUND

Virtual reality and mobile technology are leading the way for immersive sound experiences, but a lack of standard might be holding widespread adoption back, writes Erica Basnicki.

Bjrks Black Lake Room at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City

Picture: The Living

Tino Fibaek

sound technology, the 3D AudioScape surround-sound system.

As Ware explains, demand for their work remained steady until the hugely successful Tales of the Bridge in 2012, which transformed Londons Millennium Bridge into one giant 3D sound installation.

Since then, interest in Illustrious work has risen, and Ware is particularly excited about an upcoming project in Liverpool. From 15 May until 5 July, the Liverpool ONE shopping centre on South John Street will surround visitors with the sounds that recall the special relationship between Liverpool and New York, in celebration of the 175th anniversary of the rst Cunard transatlantic sailing.

Its a world rst for outdoor shopping centres. As Ware explains: This is a commercial opportunity, which is for the general public. This is what turns me on more than anything else; its not done for an art audience or a music audience.

The exciting thing for me is that this is commissioned by a commercial entity. Now that we have this as an exemplar, it takes away the risk for a lot of other commercial organisations who might wonder Will this work for the general public? Proof: it does work for the general public.

As both a successful music producer, and a 3D sound enthusiast, Ware is in a somewhat unique position to assess the potential of immersive audio to cross over to the wider music industry. Bjrks VR experiments aside, can we expect more immersion from our music?

I believe in 3D sound, and it wouldnt be terribly dicult for us to release something in a binaural format. But youve got to look at it from the point of view of what is the actual benet to Heaven 17. Yes, people might say yeah, thats cool but really it needs a whole swathe of people, or somebody much more popular than us to do it. Otherwise its just a curio, says Ware.

Even when Pink Floyd released stu in the 70s in quadraphonic, nobody bought that. And thats when people were buying stu! From an artistic point of view, denitely interested. With Illustrious, we had two albums over a decade ago that were released in binaural on Mute records. I dont remember getting any emails saying

Youve done those two albums, please put some more out in that format. Its about creating a snowball eect. It would need somebody with a lot of marketing resources or huge popularity worldwide to make this happen, I think.

Tool of an emerging tradeAs early adopters of the new medium,

May 2015 23

FEATURE: IMMERSIVE AUDIOwww.audiomediainternational.com

Fairlight 3DAW 3D audio workspace adds immersive sound capability to existing DAWs

May 201524

both Two Big Ears and Illustrious have had to develop the immersive audio technology in-house. This is becoming less of an issue for content creators as major DAW manufacturers recognise the need for such tools.

Last year, Fairlight launched 3DAW, the companys 3D audio workspace. Designed for lm and television post-production markets, 3DAW supports object-orientated audio such as Dolby Atmos and DTS MDA, as well as xed bus formats from 5.1, Auro-3D all the way up to NHKs 22.2 format.

Its a large number of formats to embrace. Surely wed be better o with just one?

Complicated question, says Fairlight CTO Tino Fibaek. Fixed bussing is possibly easier to get to grips with and to deliver, but object-oriented has clear advantages in speaker exibility and being somewhat future-proofed in that it will support speaker formats that are yet to be dened.

Fibaek is focused on the silver lining of so many competing formats demand for immersive audio is strong, and growing stronger: We expect the next segment to grow will be home cinema, with at least four strong delivery formats in the running. Following that we believe demand will come from live broadcast. This will be a combination of object-oriented and immersive features, oering the viewer a better sound experience with more control. Finally, we think that the 3D technology created for the above segments will begin to nd home in performing arts; opera, theatre and concerts.

Live immersive audio is an area global technology company Barco is keen to develop further. As the drivers of Auro

11.1 technology, the company upped its immersive game with the acquisition of 3D audio experts Iosono in late October 2014. Prior to the acquisition, Iosonos spatial audio processor had already been central to the worlds rst 3D opera, Neither, as well as Kraftwerks Catalogue 12345678 2013 concert series in Tate Moderns Turbine Hall.

The company also had a hand in MoMAs Bjrk, where another video Black Lake used the Iosono CORE audio processor and 49 speakers by Bowers & Wilkins to engulf a specially built room with sound.

Despite its success with live immersive sound, Brian Claypool, Barcos senior director of strategic business development, sees momentum building in mobile technology.

How many times have you watched movies, TV shows or played games on your smartphone or tablet in the past month? Is this dierent than ve years ago? Of course! Consumers are more demanding of having their content where and when they want it. This presents a great opportunity to take certain innovations in audio technology and create more value to the way consumers receive and view their content.

The Standard IssueWhile companies such as Fairlight see competing formats as a sign of healthy demand, others see a lack of an open standardised format as an anchor holding back a widespread adoption of immersive audio.

We are actually expecting the introduction of such a standard by the Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers (SMPTE) this year and Barco is ready for it, says Claypool.

This will put an increased focus on quality of content, so that audiences understand the full potential of what immersive sound can be. Also, content creators will be able to focus on one workow rather than making sacrices to create multiple versions of one mix. The arrival of a true standard in the marketplace will help achieve this.

In terms of mobile entertainment, that standard has already arrived. In March of this year, the Audio Engineering Society established the AES69-2015 standard which, according to the website, provides an important framework for the growing binaural and 3D personal audio industries.

The question of a cinema standard was also addressed at the 57th AES Conference on the future of audio entertainment technology, which included a discussion chaired by SMPTEs Brian Vessa.

While there are many commercial solutions being oered to movie theatres, the loudspeaker layouts dier and it is believed that a common interchange format will enable cinemas to invest in immersive audio more securely, whatever the system they employ, while being able to receive content in one format that can easily be mapped to the system in question, explains Francis Rumsey, chair of the AES Technical Council. A lot depends on the specication of suitable renderers that can map audio to the loudspeaker layout in question.

An August 2014 SMPTE newsletter notes that Peter Lud, chair of the SMPTE Working Group on Immersive Sound, is hopeful a standard will be ready or close to ready for publishing before late 2015.

We dont know what the actual, nal standard will be yet, of course, because the work is still in progress. But the expectation is that it will be a relatively minor change from [the technology] that is in the eld today. I think, for the most part, people are envisioning relatively minor software upgrades to get them from their current status to the new standard when the time comes. Everyone feels it is worth the time and expense to get to a single interoperable immersive format; that is the main reason this process is moving forward.

Back to the FutureExpect to hear a lot more about immersive audio over the next few weeks, as the BBC is holding an event at Broadcasting House on 19 and 20 May called Sound: Now & Next. Over the course of the two days, those lucky enough to be in attendance will hear talks from industry leaders about new directions in sound production and technology. Nair is among the conrmed speakers covering the dedicated section on the art and technology of immersive sound for headphones and loudspeakers.

There are no more tickets available for the event but we aim to put some content online afterwards, explains Chris Pike, senior scientist audio at BBC R&D. A 3D audio specialist, Pike was responsible for mixing VR audio for Bjrks Stonemilker video, working closely with Nair and Two Big Ears.

At BBC R&D we are working on immersive audio technology and its application to broadcasting. We work in partnership with academics and industry bodies to advance what is possible with the technology and ensure that appropriate standards are in place for the future. We also work with BBC content creators on production experiments, which when possible are made available to the audience for feedback.

Audio Media International will have its ear to the ground, with details and further thoughts on the event available in our June issue.

FEATURE: IMMERSIVE AUDIO

www.aes.orgwww.bbc.co.uk/rd/events/sound2015www.fairlight.com.auwww.illustriouscompany.co.ukwww.iosono-sound.comwww.smpte.orgwww.twobigears.com

We expect the next segment to grow will be home cinema,

with at least four strong delivery formats in the running. Following

that we believe demand will come from live broadcast.Tino Fibaek, Fairlight

Incredible sound and contemporary design.

Pioneer Pro Audios versatile XY Series club speakers are

now available in premium white at no extra cost. Whether

in a club or presidential suite, the XY range delivers a pure,

powerful sound that exhilarates. Pioneerproaudio

May 201526

BROADCAST FOCUS

Perhaps its because theyre designed to be heard but not seen, but body-worn mics can hardly be considered sexy equipment.

These delicate little devices might not have the visual appeal of an expensive vintage ribbon microphone, and unlike the live mic market you never hear about famous actors, broadcasters or reality TV stars signing lucrative endorsements with their manufacturers over these products, but try telling DPA that body-worn microphones are not important and theyll have something to say about it. And thats because its become one of the most crucial areas of business for the Danish rm.

So how did that happen? Well, it seems the manufacturer has been a leader in this eld for decades, as DPAs audio specialist Eddy Brixen explains.

The 4060 was the rst miniature microphone that was developed by DPA, and when it was introduced in the late 1990s it was rather amazing because it was much, much better than what else was on the market.

But nowadays there is so much more television being produced than at that time, and we now have all those reality shows, so were seeing quite a lot of consumption of these microphones.

As well as oering the best possible sound quality a fairly obvious requirement for virtually any audio product, not just microphones, of course todays body-worn mics need to be capable of withstanding more than a little bit of rough treatment.

They were developed to be less sensitive to humidity, for instance, and making them so it is possible to clean them up once water gets into them, Brixen continues. We also knew that they had to survive hard handling sometimes, which is why we introduced heavy-duty versions.

BRANCHING OUTNow thats it been around 20 years since its rst models were introduced, how has the technology progressed since the early days of DPAs body-worn mics? Although some features have remained largely unchanged the phrase if it aint broke, dont x it springs to mind there is now a solution to suit a myriad of scenarios.

The basic capsule design is more or less the same but there has been a need for optimisation since then, Brixen says. When the rst ones were designed it was essential to achieve as high a sensitivity as possible to get as much out of the microphone as you could, but then we found out that some kinds of pocket transmitters will not accept such a high output from a microphone, so we had to make microphones with dierent sensitivities.

Basically, the microphone has been developed due to the demands and the requirements for the dierent applications that you now have.

What would Brixen say are the most popular models in the body-worn range at the moment, then, and why does he think that is?

The d:ne headsets because they are so easy to wear you barely feel them when you have them on and they oer great sound and come in many dierent lengths. We have to oer lots

of sizes as some people have very big necks! Theres no one size ts all.

Another thing that sets body-worns apart from other kinds of mics is the method of positioning. Whereas most types are designed to be placed as close as possible to the source, these products often need to deliver results from a distance and thats not the only complication.

The 4071 compensates for being positioned on the chest, and for the loss you get through clothing, so on a lmset it can be used hidden under costumes, Brixen adds. We have put a lot of eort into making these linear microphones fulll whatever the needs may be when placing a microphone on a person. We have dierent kinds of ttings for hiding the microphone, which is especially useful for the lm and TV people.

If you have a microphone that is not compensated and you put it on the chest of a person you lose something like 10dB in the range of 2-4kHz so its really important for the intelligibility, he continues. Very often these mics are not compensated we still see a lot of that.

Also, you have to think about wind noise when doing outside recording its not just the sound going into the microphone that you have to consider.

Thats an issue that DPA has been continuing to tackle with many of its latest lines not just the body-worns and the brand new d:facto Interview Microphone is a good example.

And if the new d:screet Necklace Microphone (reviewed in the November 2014 issue of Audio Media) which is simplicity itself but doesnt skimp on sound quality is anything to go by, it wouldnt be too much of a surprise to see the company come up with some more inspired ideas within this sector of the market in the near future.

BODY BUILDING

www.dpamicrophones.com

Eddy Brixen

Despite making signicant additions to its handheld and install lines recently, DPA has identied body-worn mics as one its main focuses at the moment, but what are the reasons for this? Lets take a look.

Whats the most important element to consider when creating a control room? A console

equipped with the latest features? As much outboard equipment as you can a ord? According to award-winning studio designer Carl Tatz, its accurate monitoring.

As well as building spaces for a variety of clients, the ex-engineer, producer and studio owner he sold his facility to none other than Sheryl Crow in 2003 before heading into the design business is the creator of the PhantomFocus System, a custom turnkey solution designed to o er high-level monitoring accuracy, no matt er what the users choice of monitors may be. The system has been praised by renowned engineers Ken Scott (The Beatles), Elliot Scheiner (The Eagles) and many more.

He knows what hes talking about then, so what are his main recommendations when it comes to sett ing up a monitoring system? Start o by working out the listening position and where the speakers should go, according to Tatz.

You want to nd a way of calculating the modes in your room (see diagram, right) and then catch the