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Arts and Entertainment
2024-12-11 06:53:26| World Wide Pro Audio Directory
Saturn Audio Visual has recently completed the installation of Audica Professional MICROseries sound systems for the new guest rooms at The Pigs in Edgefield near Holt in Norfolk, England. The award winning 17th century The Pigs establishment incorporates bar, restaurant and accommodation facilities.
For its seven new suites The Pigs wanted to create guest rooms with a real difference. Situated on the ground floor and decorated in stylish, neutral tones, each of the light and airy spa rooms comes with a private two-person sauna, dual bathing oak-clad bath and their own courtyard garden with a fire pit and modern outdoor seating. The new rooms are located off a sunny central corridor and the seven suites boast high ceilings, wooden floors, and beautiful marble bathrooms.
Technology also plays a strong part in the new rooms facilities, as Olly Smith of Saturn Audio Visual explained, Smart TVs with IR remote control play the central role in the in-room systems, each fed from a WiFi hub and a Freeview HD hub. An additional MP3 input, for the guests own phone or portable media player, links into the audio via a combiner in the feed from the TV to two linked Audica Professional MICROsystems.
The audio is fed to a MICROzone controller/amplifier in the main room. Its built in amplification is used to power two MICROdot flush-mount loudspeakers positioned below the TV, which itself is flush-mounted in a specially constructed wall. A line from the main MICROzone feeds to a second, which again powers two MICROdots one in the sauna and a second in the bathroom. The second MICROzone is fully controllable from a wall-mounted Audica Professional WMR control panel.
Whilst providing high-tech AV, the systems had to merge seamlessly with the quality, contemporary dcor, so aesthetics were key, continued Olly Smith. The Audica MICROseries provides superb audio quality, but its size and style enabled us to design and install the really discrete solution the customer wanted.
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Arts and Entertainment2024-12-11 06:53:26| World Wide Pro Audio Directory
CALABASAS, Calif. Aug 20, 2012 - One of the biggest challenges to presenting contemporary worship music is achieving professional sound quality with a staff of volunteers who may have a wide range of technical experience. Padre Serra Parish, a large Roman Catholic Church in Camarillo, California, has addressed this issue by installing the StageScape M20d visual mixing system by Line 6. StageScape M20d is a compact, touchscreen-driven live sound mixer designed to streamline and accelerate the process of getting a great mix.
With a team of volunteers experienced in working with a traditional analog mixer, moving to a brand new, high technology product might seem risky at first, but Director of Liturgy & Music Dominic MacAller explains, The thing thats really great about StageScape is that its very intuitive to use. We dont have professional engineers on staff. Our volunteers are very good, but cover a wide range of technical ability and mixing experience. StageScape has a very well designed touchscreen interface that makes you want to play with it. Its easy to create a really good mix, and there arent rows and rows of faders and knobs, which can be very intimidating.
Despite its compact size and streamlined appearance, the StageScape M20d is a powerful, full-featured digital mixing system that delivers thoroughly professional results. Its a big upgrade for us, both in terms of functionality and convenience, say MacAller. It has a full range of digital effects on board, including compressors, EQs, gates, delays, reverbs, and more, all of which you can adjust through the visual interface, or dig deeper and adjust the individual parameters. Its so much more powerful than anything we could do before, and much easier to use than having a big rack of outboard devices.
Another feature that impressed Dominic MacAller is the free iPad app, StageScape Remote. When connected via an optional USB Wi-Fi adapter, the full functionality of the StageScape mixer can be accessed via one or more iPad devices, allowing mix and effects changes to be made from anywhere in the room, such as adjusting a musicians monitor mix while standing on stage.
The iPad app is a great example of what makes this system so smart and powerful, said MacAller. It looks and acts just like the StageScape user interface, and you can hear the changes instantly as you drag your finger across the screen. The first time we used it, the bass player wanted to adjust his sound, so my wife went up on stage with her iPad, showed him his channel, and he just dragged his finger around and customized his sound without any training at all. That was a great moment.
MacAller, who acts as musical director and plays piano, was immediately impressed. Im an iPad user, so the touchscreen interface feels very natural and intuitive to me. At one point, I was listening to the piano, soloed out to the headphones, and decided to tweak the sound a little bit. Normally, getting a good acoustic piano sound from scratch is pretty hard, but it was really easy to warm it up and sweeten the sound a little bit. That was really fun.
After the first week of services using the Line 6 StageScape M20d, everyone from the musicians and technical crew to the parishioners were impressed with the change. Even before we started applying effects and EQ, the whole system had improved clarity and definition, says Dominic. People commented that they could hear the individual instruments more clearly in the mix. It really sounded terrific. But what I really like about the StageScape is that it gives us really sophisticated technology, but makes everything easier instead of adding complexity. Its a perfect fit for us.
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Arts and Entertainment2024-12-11 06:53:26| World Wide Pro Audio Directory
MASI Blankets Avid With Dolby E
Company releases enhanced Dolby E suite with broad platform support
MINNETONKA, MN -- Minnetonka Audio Software, Inc., a leader in production software for motion picture, broadcast surround sound and consumer electronics applications, announced today a new 2.1 release of their SurCode for Dolby E family of software encoders and decoders. They also announced a new 2.0 release of their SurCode for Dolby E Stream Player purpose-built for Apple's Final Cut Pro.
Dolby E is the industry standard method of transporting multichannel digital audio across an asset's entire post-production life cycle, and SurCode for Dolby E is the industry's benchmark for file-based processing of Dolby E. The new version 2.1 of SurCode for Dolby E encoder and decoder now embraces all of Avid's professional applications with enhanced Dolby E capabilities, while retaining complete interoperability with legacy Dolby E hardware. Both 32 and 64 bit versions of Mac OS & Windows are supported, and SurCode for Dolby E is the only product line that addresses Dolby E workflows across virtually all of Avid's professional platforms and products.
The SurCode for Dolby E suite supports Avid's Pro Tools, Media Composer, NewsCutter and Symphony product lines, with an AudioSuite encoder/decoder and an RTAS decoder. VST 2.4 is also supported on 32 and 64 bit, surround-capable hosts including Nuendo, Fairlight and Sequoia. One license will run all versions on any platform. A new time saving Mixdown feature for Media Composer, Symphony and NewsCutter allows you to apply the RTAS decoder, in a faster-than-real time capacity, to a multichannel bus. This not only decodes the audio but automatically creates a multichannel track and prints the decoded PCM audio to that track.
SurCode for Dolby E 2.1 also acknowledges Apple's Final Cut Pro, with an Export Plug-in for FCP 6 and 7. In addition to the SurCode for Dolby E 2.1 encoder and decoder, an all new 2.0 AU version of the SurCode for Dolby E Stream Player adds support for Final Cut Pro. SurCode for Dolby E Stream Player is available separately or bundled with the full SurCode for Dolby E Encoder and Decoder. SurCode for Dolby E Stream Player, for Avid, VST and Final Cut, is the lowest cost Dolby E solution for decoding, monitoring and quality control. With easy plug and play operation, no audio output reconfiguration is required. SurCode for Dolby E Stream Player also works with Media Composer, NewsCutter and Pro Tools, as well as qualified VST hosts. This makes Dolby E decoding available to a wide range of stereo post environments.
Increased efficiency and broader platform support sums up the design goals for the 2.1 release. John Schur, President of Minnetonka Audio, was encouraged by the response from dealers and end user to the new update. "With a wealth of usability enhancements, the addition of Media Composer and NewsCutter support, and the special Stream Player version for Final Cut, I think we've delivered the strongest and most comprehensive Dolby E solution available," he said. "IBC is just around the corner and we'll be featuring SurCode for Dolby E with demos on all partner platforms."
Version 2.1 of SurCode for Dolby E Encoder and Decoder and version 2.0 of SurCode for Dolby E Stream Player are no-charge upgrades for existing license holders, and how-to videos are available for the Apple and Avid use cases. The latest releases will be available, as individual products and value-focused bundles, through Minnetonka Audio's international network of resellers and system integrators. For in-depth information on the SurCode for Dolby E family of products and all of Minnetonka Audio's offerings, visit minnetonkaaudio dot com on the web or call Minnetonka Audio at 1-952-449-6481 or 49-2162-1062622.
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Arts and Entertainment2024-12-11 06:53:26| World Wide Pro Audio Directory
Audio-Technica Endorser Jim Brickman Tapes Session for Long-Running Radio Show at Audio-Technicas Stow, Ohio Headquarters
STOW, OH, August 16, 2012 Audio-Technica, a leading innovator in transducer technology currently celebrating 50 Years of Passionate Listening, was proud to recently host A-T endorser Jim Brickman as he recorded segments for his radio show Your Weekend with Jim Brickman, currently celebrating its 15th year as a syndicated hit, at Audio-Technicas studio at their Stow, Ohio headquarters on August 3, 2012. A-T products used during the session included the AT4047/SV Cardioid Condenser Microphones and ATH-M50 Professional Studio Monitor Headphones.
About Jim Brickman
Jim Brickman has revolutionized the sound of solo piano with his pop-style instrumentals and star-studded vocal collaborations. A native of Cleveland, Jim Brickman began playing piano at the age of five and studied music at the prestigious Cleveland Institute of Music. Since the release of his debut album No Words in 1994, Jim Brickmans romantic piano sound has made him the best-selling solo piano artist of our time. He has established a reputation for his collaborations with many gifted musical artists: Lady Antebellum, Martina McBride, Kenny Loggins, Michael W. Smith, Carly Simon, Herb Alpert, Collin Raye, Michael Bolton, Donny Osmond, and Olivia Newton-John. His signature style has brought him six Gold and Platinum albums, 30 charted adult radio hits, and two GRAMMY nominations. He recently tied for most Number One albums on Billboards New Age chart, and he currently holds four of its Top 10 spots. Catch Jim Brickman On A Winter's Night touring this holiday season. For a complete list of tour dates and details visit jimbrickman.com.
Photo:
Jim Brickman visits Audio-Technicas Stow, Ohio headquarters to tape his radio show Your Weekend with Jim Brickman. Shown left to right: Roxanne Ricks Audio-Technica Artist Relations Manager, Jim Brickman, and Philip Cajka Audio-Technica President & CEO. Photo by RJ Lucas.
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Arts and Entertainment2024-12-11 06:53:26| World Wide Pro Audio Directory
Auralex Now Shipping UtiliTek Sound
Absorbent Panels
Based on Auralexs popular ProPanel series, UtiliTek panels
offer contractors and system integrators a cost-effective solution in
acoustical control
INDIANAPOLIS, IN, August 13, 2012 Auralex Acoustics, Inc., the worlds leading brand of acoustical treatments and soon to celebrate its 35th anniversary, is now shipping its UtiliTek sound absorbers. Designed based on input from leading contractors and system integrators, the UtiliTek panels are similar in function, performance and design to Auralexs acclaimed ProPanel series, but at an even more attractive price point that still yields top-notch aesthetics and performance. UtiliTek panels are fabric covered, acoustically absorptive panels designed to reduce unwanted room reflections and reverberation, providing a more accurate and articulate listening experience. UtiliTek panels are highly effective and lightweight, are composed of Class A fire-rated materials and feature a recycled absorbent core.
UtiliTek is available in four thicknesses and two edge profiles. The beveled-edge style is available in 2'x2'x1", 2'x4'x1" and 2'x4'x2" sizes. The square-edge style is available in a 2'x4'x3" size that is perfect for corner mounting between two walls or across wall/ceiling junctures for moderate low-frequency control.
As part of our ongoing commitment to the sound contracting/fixed installation market sectors, we wanted to offer solutions for contractors working with the tighter budgets that are common in todays economy, stated Eric Smith, Auralex Founder and President. UtiliTek panels can be employed in a wide variety of installations, including clubs, live performance venues, restaurants/bars, houses of worship, corporate, municipal and residential installations.
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Arts and Entertainment2024-12-11 06:53:26| World Wide Pro Audio Directory
Company demos new reference loudness control solution along with new product releases
MINNETONKA, MN - Minnetonka Audio Software, Incorporated, a leader in production software for motion picture, broadcast surround sound and consumer electronics applications, will be exhibiting at the upcoming International Broadcasters Convention, demonstrating new versions of several of their key products.
Updated loudness control and quality control (QC) technology for file-based audio will be featured with the 2.0 release of AudioTools Server(TM), a no-charge upgrade for AudioCare subscribers. An already mature problem solver at national and private facilities worldwide, ATS 2.0 adds load balancing and frame rate conversion plus smart MML/STL processing. Minnetonka Audio's TruCorrect(TM) smart loudness processing eliminates perceived loudness changes and degraded intelligibility associated with traditional methods of correcting content containing extreme dynamic range.
The benchmark measurement algorithm, Dolby Dialogue Intelligence(TM), has been integrated in the 2.0 AudioTools Loudness Measurement module. This industry reference measurement approach provides dialog anchoring as a dynamically chosen option within ATS workflows based on the actual content. MXF processing performance has also been enhanced, along with True Peak measurement via Accelerated TruPeak(TM), which also uses the actual content to determine whether a True Peak measurement is required.
The addition of two new utilities, a unified Queue Control and a Job Wizard client application, round out the improvements to the 2.0 release of AudioTools Server. The new Queue Control is a global administration application that allows the operator to load, execute and monitor jobs and workflows. It also eases oversight of multi-node management and load balancing. The new Job Wizard utility makes the myriad capabilities of AudioTools Server more approachable with an uncomplicated user interface. The Job Wizard significantly simplifies the creation of new jobs and job templates.
At IBC 2012, Minnetonka Audio will also feature the latest SurCode software releases, including SurCode for Dolby E Stream Player 2.0 which was purpose-built for Apple's Final Cut Pro, and SurCode for Dolby E Encoder and Decoder version 2.1. Broad support for Avid's product line, including Pro Tools, NewsCutter, Media Composer and Symphony, is a key feature of the new SurCode Encoder/Decoder release.
Minnetonka Audio will be demonstrating the new AudioTools Server and SurCode for Dolby E at the upcoming IBC convention, September 7th through the 11th. For in-depth information on all of Minnetonka Audio's encoding, measurement, QC and loudness control solutions for media production and post, visit stand #7.G43 at IBC, head to minnetonkaaudio dot com on the web, or call Minnetonka Audio at 1-952-449-6481 or 49-2162-1062622.
About Minnetonka Audio Software
An award winning solutions provider for motion picture, video, broadcast, game, and optical disc production, Minnetonka Audio Software creates essential technology for top media professionals around the world. Their SurCode, discWelder and revolutionary AudioTools Server product lines broadly support the CD, DVD, BD and DTV standards, and represent the definitive leader in OEM audio codec licensing, as well as filebased QC and loudness control. Spanning over two decades of operation and based in Minnetonka, Minnesota, Minnetonka Audio Software, Inc. has a subsidiary in Germany in addition to an international network of distributors and channel partners who share their commitment to quality and service.
AudioTools Server, ATS, Accelerated TruPeak, SurCode, discWelder and the Minnetonka Audio Software logo are trademarks of Minnetonka Audio Software, Incorporated. All other company and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.
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Arts and Entertainment2024-12-11 06:53:26| World Wide Pro Audio Directory
Sensaphonics welcomes two more audiologists into Golden Circle
Seminar series prepares audiologists to serve the unique needs of the music industry.
(Chicago IL, August 9, 2012) Sensaphonics, the in-ear monitoring technology leader, has graduated two more audiologists to its exclusive Golden Circle. The companys two-day Golden Circle seminar teaches audiologists the specific skills required to serve music industry clientele regarding hearing protection, in-ear monitors, and related topics.
The audiologists gaining Golden Circle certification at the seminar, held July 28-29 at Sensaphonics headquarters in Chicago, include: Stelios Dokianakis, Au.D., of Holland Doctors of Audiology in Holland, Michigan, and Jennifer Dionne, Au.D., of Comprehensive Otolaryngology & Audiology, serving Portsmouth and Exeter, New Hampshire.
The Golden Circle seminar is taught by Dr. Michael Santucci, Sensaphonics president and founder, along with the companys audio engineering consultant, Joe Tessone. Participants are taught the basics of concert sound systems, with specific emphasis on in-ear monitoring. The personalized, hands-on seminars include instruction on in-ear products, backstage etiquette, taking proper ear impression. Unique, high technology hearing solutions for musicians, including the Sensaphonics 3D Active Ambient IEM System and dB Check in-ear sound level analyzer, are presented in detail. The highlight of this seminar was a hands-on lab session working with a live band, The Missing Chums, at Tessones studio/rehearsal facility, Mystery Street Recording Company in Chicago.
Sensaphonics founder and president, Dr. Michael Santucci, initiated the seminar series to help audiologists better serve the music industry. Musicians are very different from the typical audiology client, he notes. Its important that audiologists elevate themselves beyond simply taking ear impressions and offer musicians the knowledge and expertise to use in-ear monitors safely and preserve their hearing. Our Golden Circle members are among the few who have the specialized training to serve these clients properly, whether in the office or backstage. Artists and engineers can be confident of getting professional service that is appropriate to their needs and lifestyle when seeing a Golden Circle audiologist.
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Arts and Entertainment2024-12-11 06:53:26| World Wide Pro Audio Directory
Audio-Technica U.S. Appoints Javier Tiburcio as Training & Sales Support Specialist for Mexico and Central America
STOW, OH, August 8, 2012 Audio-Technica U.S. announces the appointment of Javier Tiburcio as Training & Sales Support Specialist for the territories of Mexico and Central America. He will be responsible for providing product training and sales support to Audio-Technica distributors and customers in Mexico, Central America and South America, as he works as part of the team to grow the A-T brand and increase sales within these regions. The announcement was made by Philip Cajka, Audio-Technica U.S. President and CEO, and reflects A-Ts commitment to ongoing growth in the Latin American market.
Tiburcio has extensive and broad experience in microphone sales and training. A native of Acapulco, he has lived and worked his entire career in Mexico, and will continue to be based there. His previous positions at Hermes Music and Grupo Imis have included sales and marketing responsibilities for the A-T brand in Mexico.
An experienced musician and audio engineer, Tiburcio studied music at the School of SUTUM, and digital audio and audio for broadcasting at CECAT, gaining expertise in microphone placement for live sound and recording. He has visited music industry dealers throughout Mexico and conducted clinics and training seminars at a variety of music expos with musicians like Moderatto Drummer Elohim Corona.
Javier is a tremendous asset for us to expand our sales and training strategies in Mexico, Central America and South America, said Cajka. He comes to Audio-Technica with a wealth of experience, and we look forward to all of the great things we can accomplish together.
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Arts and Entertainment2024-12-11 06:53:26| World Wide Pro Audio Directory
Philadelphia, PA, August 2012: The recently completed expansion of the Pennsylvania Convention Center (PCC) in downtown Philadelphia is, to date, the largest public works project in Pennsylvania history. The Convention Center, first opened in 1993, was expanded by four full city blocks as part of a 20-year plan to renew Philadelphia's downtown City Center District, a once-struggling area that has seen tremendous economic growth in the two decades since the revitalization efforts began.
The expansion has earned PCC a ranking as one of the ten largest convention properties in the country. It now spans a massive 2.3 million square feet - 20 acres in the heart of downtown Philadelphia - and features two large ballrooms and seven exhibit halls, ample space to hold two major conventions and several smaller events simultaneously.
"One of the important elements of the expansion project was the installation of a professional quality audio system that would deliver evenly distributed, clear and natural sounding music and speech reproduction throughout these large spaces," explained Larry McIntyre, senior consultant at Acentech, the award-winning acoustics, audiovisual, and vibration consulting firm who designed PCC's new audio system.
The sound system, installed by the Philadelphia offices of AVI-SPL, is used not just for delivering music and general announcements, but also to deliver emergency voice notifications. This makes system integrity a critical aspect.
As McIntyre explains: "We incorporated Community's CLOUD12 Loudspeakers into the system design because of their reputation for outstanding quality and sound reproduction. The fact that they are locally produced was an added benefit."
Acentech's audiovisual consultants designed a highly flexible network-based digital audio system utilizing more than 400 Community CLOUD Series 1266, 1266T, and 1299T loudspeakers. Audio distribution throughout the expansion is provided via a CobraNet-based network that also interfaces with the main building's analogue audio system. Biamp AudiaFusion amplification powers the expansion system.
"We designed the sound system with various controllable zones which we kept small so that any zone failure wouldn't prevent delivery of the emergency voice notification," reports McIntyre. "Each zone consists of an amplifier output circuit, wiring and an assortment of Community CLOUD Loudspeakers. Each amplifier is also monitored and fully redundant."
"AVI-SPL is honoured to have played such a critical role in the largest public works project in Pennsylvania history," added Tom Kelley, AVI-SPL's General Manager. "Working with valued partners like Community and Biamp Systems, our team implemented a multifaceted audio system that delivers music, general announcements, and emergency notifications, all while maintaining complete system integrity."
"We're very pleased with the end result. The system provides the control and monitoring we need with great sound quality," McIntyre says.
Apparently, the project has made its intended impact on the local economy. Convention bookings and attendance have increased more than 25% since the completion of the convention center's expansion.
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Arts and Entertainment2024-12-11 06:53:26| World Wide Pro Audio Directory
Genelec 8240A Monitors and 7270A Subwoofer Make the Music at the New Jazz Space at New Orleans Former U.S. Mint Sound Like a Million Bucks
Jazz Theater performance venue on the top floor of a historic building in Americas Capital City of Jazz includes a recording studio that uses Genelec DSP monitoring
NATICK, MA, August 7, 2012 The Jazz Theater on the top floor of the Old U.S. Mint Building in New Orleans is designed around the music itself: the small (120-seat) rectangular room is intimate and acoustically pristine, fitted with complex movable panels that provide both diffusion and absorption while offering variable acoustics as they slide into place as needed for different types of jazz artists. As part of the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park, the Jazz Theater is part of a larger museum that incorporates the State Museum's already substantial collection of jazz artifacts, a collection that includes sheet music, manuscripts, photographs, records (including what is thought to be the first jazz recording, from 1917) and instruments such as Louis Armstrong's first cornet.
The theater is a modular 4,000-square-foot performance space with a stage that can be configured multiple ways to accommodate any type of jazz genre. The venue has hosted several great performances since it opened in late 2011, and its recorded many of them via its state-of-the-art recording studio at the rear of the space, where reference speakers from Genelec, the worlds longstanding pioneer in active monitoring, serve as the monitor of choice. A pair of Genelec 8240A Bi-Amplified DSP Monitors, featuring Genelec Directivity Control Waveguide (DCW) and the rounded edges and gently curved front and sides of the Minimum Diffraction Enclosure (MDE), provide uncolored and utterly accurate imaging. A Genelec 7270A Active DSP Subwoofer provides additional low end, creating the ultimate stereo-and-sub monitoring system for music as nuanced as jazz.
The Genelecs work amazingly well in this studio their imaging and accuracy are the best, says Sam Brandt, AV Designer on the project and a Senior Consultant with Akustiks, the South Norwalk, Connecticut firm that designed the Jazz Theaters acoustics and AV systems. Brandt says the Genelec monitors are connected using their onboard AES digital inputs in combination with a digital-thru connection. The ease of their setup and the way they sound are equally remarkable, says Brandt. They are impressive.
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