With the UK’s summer festival season now but a fading memory, industry expert and sales director of Azule Finance Gavin Scott offers us a unique insight into just how the sector fared in what was one of the most heavily blighted live events seasons in recent memory…

Yet another live events season has been and gone, and it seems like only yesterday that I was watching some of our nation’s most inspirational people carry the Olympic torch through the dozens of towns across the UK. If you were to ask anyone to sum up Summer 2012 in all of its action-packed glory, it would be rather unsurprising if they stamped it as one of the most memorable and exciting periods in history for British events. But whilst events like London 2012 and the Diamond Jubilee have seen most of us jump at the chance to get involved in the festivities and quite literally paint our towns red, white and blue, the rest of the live events industry didn’t experience quite the same level of record highs.

Amid a summer that saw the Team GB smashing records in all manner of sports arenas, the UK’s bustling summer live events calendar was impacted by typically British summer weather. Festival organisers will always plan for rain, but it had a particularly big impact this year. Was the wider live events slump simply down to bad weather? Or, is it something more substantial than that? Does the industry need a healthy nudge to refresh itself, as the festival marketplace becomes increasingly competitive and consumers turn away from high-priced tickets due to economic conditions?

The good, the bad and the rest

The summer months typically see the UK’s live events industry go into overdrive to meet the demands of touring artists as they hit the festival circuit, and all are more determined than the next to give audiences an unforgettable experience. Of course, this was to be an even greater ambition for production teams over the course of this summer, with huge milestones like the London 2012 and the Diamond Jubilee putting the UK on the world stage.

The Olympics was viewed as a huge success from beginning to end. It brought a welcome mini-boom of the feel-good factor that dusted away the gloomy cobwebs, and created a surge in nationwide positivity and pride. At Azule, we provided financing to a number of hire companies and production teams who needed to stock up ahead of these events, purchasing sound equipment for the Olympic torch relay, plasma screens for corporate hospitality and Radio Communications equipment for use in the main venues at the Olympics. But, with hugely successful events on a national scale, other headline events haven’t been as successful when compared to previous years.

A number of major gigs were cancelled due to bad weather, including tour dates for Kylie Minogue and the Creamfields festival. Overall festival revenue was affected by the fact that 2012 was a ‘rest year’ for Glastonbury, a festival that many in the industry, including hire companies and production companies, are heavily involved in over the summer months. Also, popular festivals such as T in the Park and Hop Farm experienced lower ticket sales this year, which was reportedly due to festival goers’ unwillingness to pay the increased price for tickets.

Summing it up

There is no doubt that bad weather put a dampener on the live events season in 2012, with some hire companies having to fork out for kit to be cleaned after wash-out gigs. But decreased revenue for this year’s live events season can’t be put down to bad weather alone. Of course this had an impact, but there is only so much rain that will stop events from taking place.

Festival organisers and their performing artists should certainly take heed when setting ticket prices and consider the sensitivity of our current economy. But lowering ticket prices too much will affect budgets and could ultimately result in poor quality shows for what have historically been some of the best gigs in the world.

What should become more notable for industry stakeholders is the competitive environment that the high season is increasingly creating. With the ‘download effect’ having a major impact on record sales, many artists are taking to the stage as much as they can to make-up for decreased album sales revenue. This is causing the same artists to reappear across the festival circuit, which means less distinction between one event and another. The UK has just undeniably proved that it is capable of putting on some of the best and most memorable live shows the world has ever seen, and so this is an excellent opportunity for our events industry, smaller gigs to large-scale festivals, to continue building on that valuable reputation.

Keep up to date with the latest developments from the world of pro audio by registering for our free daily newsletter.

The post Learning from the highs and lows of the 2012 live events season appeared first on Audio Media International.

IBC has announced that a record breaking 50,937 visitors passed through the doors of the Amsterdam RAI’s doors for this year’s conference and exhibition.

The show, which took place from September 6th-11th, reported a 0.93 per cent increase on last year’s attendance figures of 50,462; also a record breaking year at the time.

“From the calibre of attendees we attract to the whole experience we provide, IBC is all about quality,” said Michael Crimp, IBC’s CEO as the 2012 event drew to a close on Tuesday September 11th. “That we have drawn a record audience at a time when there are still economic challenges in many parts of the world – and when broadcasters are dealing with massive events like the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and US presidential elections – clearly shows that, above all, IBC is relevant to people at every level in our industry.”

Throughout the IBC Conference, over 300 speakers addressed the audience. International pop star, producer and Intel’s director of Creative Innovation, will.i.am drew a capacity audience for his personal view of the future in a session co-host by Johan Jervøe, vice president of Sales and Marketing Group and director, Partner Marketing, Intel Corporation. Other keynote speakers included David Eun, executive vice president Global Media & CEO Advisor, Samsung Electronics, Mark Hollinger, president and CEO, Discovery Networks International and Miles Young, CEO, Ogilvy & Mather. Barbara Slater, director of Sport from the BBC reviewed the London 2012 Olympic Games, and Director James Cameron talked about his vision for 3D production.

The show has also continued to expand this year with the addition of a 14th hall and 1,400 companies taking to the exhibition floor.

The IBC show returns to Amsterdam next year on September 12th-17th.

Keep up to date with the latest developments from the world of pro audio by registering for our free daily newsletter.

The post IBC 2012 reports record attendance figures appeared first on Audio Media International.

The British Olympic Association’s (BOA) operational headquarters during the London 2012 Olympics (Team GB House) was kitted out with a full audio complement from Harman Professional brands.

Located opposite both the Olympic Park and Stratford Station, Team GB House was designed to serve as a place to relax for 550 athletes representing Great Britain at the Games, with secure access from the village.

At the core of the centre was an advanced digital communications infrastructure, designed and installed by multimedia systems integrator Netpractise, who previously provided audio visual solutions for the BOA at their London HQ.

All principal audio tools in the key areas at Stratford came courtesy of the Harman Pro brand portfolio — supplied and specified by Sound Technology in partnership with resellers CoNi. Among these components were JBL VRX line array elements and CBT constant beamwidth series, Crown amplification and BSS Soundweb London configurable DSP for audio routing and system optimisation.

In order to facilitate the substantial multicast requirement, which included feeds to 22 screens onsite, the AV specialists provided end-to-end connectivity via TCP/IP, specifying the formatting, transmission and signal routing, building on the I/O expansion offered by the BSS digital architecture.

Sound reinforcement in the Hospitality Suite was comprised of three white ceiling-mounted JBL VRX932LA enclosures, two either side of the stage, operating as a single point source with the third used as a delayed fill for the rear of the rectangular room. For LF extension a VRX 915S single 15-inch reflex subwoofer is ground mounted off stage, while an auxiliary VRX 915 is brought into action when a party atmosphere is required or when a DJ plugs into the input provided for the purpose (there is also a mini-jack plug-in for MP3 background music during the day). The main system is powered by two Crown CTs 2000 power amplifiers.

The P&G Nearest and Dearest relaxation lounge, sponsored by Procter & Gamble, which is not accessible to press or public, comprises eight JBL Control 25s that are powered by two Crown CDi 1000 amplifiers.

The Press Room features two JBL CBT70J Constant Beamwidth column line array loudspeakers, which are powered by a Crown CTs 1200. Meanwhile, there are six table microphone inputs for AKG’s C747 miniature shotgun mics — the same microphone model as installed at the lectern position in the Hospitality Suite for presentation purposes.

Netpractise also provided six channels of AKG radio microphones in total, including four AKG DMS700 wireless systems (with two DSR 700 dual receivers), two handhelds – featuring AKG’s reference D7 capsule and two belt-packs – with CK77 miniature-premium lavalier microphones.

Elsewhere, around the perimeter are 14 JBL Control 52 surface mount satellite speakers divided into two zones of eight and six respectively to ensure intelligibility throughout the area, each driven by a Crown CT875 8-channel power amplifier.

There are two main control rack positions; a local audio drive rack next to the main Reception desk and a main Comms Room, whereby four 47U racks are almost fully loaded. Installed to the AV racks are the Exterity IPTV head-end, with dual content servers and an Extron XTP HDMI matrix switcher solution, which provides centralised high definition video distribution.

The Soundweb London fixed-format (12-in/8-out) BLU-100 processor in the comms room has had its capacity expanded via BLU-BIB break-in box (offering eight additional inputs) and BLU-BOB breakout, giving an additional eight outputs, located in the local amp rack. They have deployed a BLU-Link solution, with BSS’s high bandwidth digital audio bus providing easy connectivity, using standard Category 5e cabling, which can extend across a distance of 100m between compatible devices. This means that only two runs of CAT5 are necessary for the Hospitality area.

Also connected to BLU-Link is a BSS BLU-120 I/O Expander at the back of the press conference room which feeds a stage box with 16 x XLRs, providing a switchable line level output facility for use by broadcast company camera crews.

The Centre will operate without a sound mixer over its 18 hour daily duty cycle. Instead, an iPad with custom GUI will be used to facilitate source switching, content selection and audio volume/mute control across all zones.

Netpractise project manager Thomas Martelli, said: “We owe a lot to our principal suppliers, such as the Sound Technology project team for their professional support. For a project as high-profile and technically complex as this, we felt it was critical to its success to involve the in-house technical resources of Sound Technology and other suppliers.”

Following the conclusion of the Olympics Games, Team GB House will be handed from the BOA to the British Paralympic Association (BPA), to become Paralympics GB House for the Paralympic Games. At the conclusion of that, the site will be completely decommissioned and the technical equipment will go on to start a new life elsewhere.

In conclusion, Netpractise operations director, Ian Wilks, stated: “Having worked on previous projects for the British Olympic Association, we were delighted to be given the opportunity to deploy the AV technology for Team GB House. The client brief dictated that a robust, flexible and innovative solution was required and it was decided that the Harman Pro range of audio products were a perfect fit and complemented the video distribution components. Working closely with the Sound Technology technical team, from the initial design phase, through to installation and final commissioning enabled Netpractise to deliver ahead of time and ensure that the audio system exceeded expectations.”

Keep up to date with the latest developments from the world of pro audio by registering for our free daily newsletter.

The post Team GB House receives audio from Harman Pro brands appeared first on Audio Media International.

A raft of Allen & Heath iLive digital mixing systems were selected by two PA companies running separate Olympic events in Weymouth, where all of the sailing events were held.

Somerset-based APR Audio deployed a number of its iLive systems for the opening night at the Weymouth & Portland Beach Live Site, which hosted live entertainment, welcomed the Team GB Sailing Squad, and broadcast a live screening of the London opening ceremony.

APR employed the largest Control Surface in the series – the iLive-176 – at FOH with an iLive-T112 at monitor position, both fed from an iDR-64 MixRack. An iDR-48 with iLive-144 was also set up to mix monitors for Eliza Carty, who headlined the opening night.

Meanwhile, SXS Events managed the Bayside Festival, a major festival running alongside the Weymouth Olympic Sailing Events. Located at the end of Weymouth beach, the festival had two outdoor stages, with the company’s iLive-T80 and a T112 iLive systems used on the main stage for FOH and monitors.

"The 17 day event had a minimum of seven bands on each day, so the iLives were especially useful as they enabled us to recall settings where time restrictions meant that we were unable to do sound checks. The guest engineers also really enjoyed using it, and those engineers who normally used analogue found the transition to digital very easy," explained SXS production manager, Justin Litten. “Furthermore, the systems were presented with another challenge, as they were exposed to Atlantic winds and salt spray for a prolonged period of time but this did not pose a problem at all!”

Keep up to date with the latest developments from the world of pro audio by registering for our free daily newsletter.

The post Allen & Heath leads the way at Weymouth Olympics events appeared first on Audio Media International.

The London 2012 Olympic Games saw Community’s R-Series lead the way across a multitude of venues, including the Handball Arena, Basketball Arena, Water Polo Centre, Aquatic Centre, Outdoor Water Sports Centre and the Main Olympic Stadium.

Designed for high intelligibility speech and music coverage of vast audience areas, the all-weather R-Series is in regular demand for all manner of track and arena venues, such as motor sports, from F1 and NASCAR, to international stadia, and many previous summer and winter Olympic games.

The 22 models that make up the R-Series aim to offer a comprehensive choice of throw distances and coverage patterns and are used both outdoors and indoors, from theme parks such as Disneyland to the flood warning system of the city of Venice, and at large convention centres and airports.

The five models deployed at the London 2012 Olympic venues were the R2, R1, R.5, R.5COAX and R.25, configured with a variety of dispersion patterns to provide the requisite coverage. The long-throw R2 is a three-way system, comprising dual 12-inch LF drivers, two-inch M200 midrange drivers and a high compression one-inch HF. The medium/long throw R1 is a two-way system, comprising a 12-inch driver and high compression one-inch HF. The R.5, R.5COAX and R.25 are compact systems, while the R.5 and R.5COAX are two-way 12-inch units, while the R.25 serves as a two-way eight-inch system.

Keep up to date with the latest developments from the world of pro audio by registering for our free daily newsletter.

The post 2012 Olympics sees Community R-Series in use across multiple venues appeared first on Audio Media International.

Audio production specialist Sound Devices has seen its 788T digital audio recorder deployed at the London 2012 Olympics to capture the sounds of athletes in action for Beat 2012, a new documentary detailing Mark Ronson’s creation of Coca-Cola’s anthem for the 2012 Summer Games.

Ronson, along with location sound recordist Diego Sanchez, utilised the 788T to record the sounds of the five different athletes from five different countries and five different disciplines chosen for the film.

Sanchez travelled with Ronson and a crew of five people to Singapore to meet an archer, Moscow to meet a 400-m runner, Mexico to meet a Tae Kwon Do fighter, Denver to meet a 110-m hurdler and London to meet a table-tennis player. While the crew observed the athletes’ individual routines in the arena and at home, Ronson listened to the principal sounds of each sport. And with the technical support of sound designer Henning Köphnel and location recording advice from Sanchez, Ronson recorded the sounds of each athlete’s performance.

“We decided to record the sport sounds to two linked Sound Devices 788T digital recorders, as we anticipated a multitude of different microphones in each situation,” said Sanchez. “We opted for Sound Devices for several reasons. First, I have used these recorders for years, and being the only member of the sound crew with location experience, it seemed logical to stick to them. Second, their small size meant a small package for a 16-track recorder, allowing the crew to relocate and reset, while filming with ease. Also, the amazing headphone monitoring and track routings of the 788T allowed crew members to each listen to a different mic or mix, while still recording all of them.”

Sanchez also claims that the 788T’s reliability was another key consideration in selecting the Sound Devices recorder for the project. “From shooting outdoors in Singapore in the middle of summer to dealing with a 20-degree temperature change in the weather from day to night in Denver, not once did the 788T experience a crash, a file corruption or a failed recording. Also, the simplicity of the device’s L-style batteries meant we could have many of them and recharge them anywhere, even in the car. And the backup recording to compact flash cards meant an easy format for DITS in four different languages to load.”

With eight full-featured inputs and recording to up to 12 tracks, the 788T accepts either microphone or line-level signals. It also provides 48-V phantom power for condenser microphones, offers peak limiters for microphone inputs and features fully adjustable high-pass filters. Its routing flexibility is designed to allow each input to be routed to left/right mixed tracks, isolated tracks or aux tracks. The 788T has several options for recording media; an internal 160-GB SATA hard drive (256-GB SSD in the 788T-SSD), CompactFlash media with UDMA support, an external FireWire hard drive or DVD-RAM (with bus powering) – all of which can be used simultaneously.

To capture dialogue, Sanchez recorded to another 788T, using the Sound Devices CL-8 controller to mix. While he didn’t have the luxury of a boom operator while recording multi-tracks, he did need a mix for the edit, and therefore had to mix with one hand, which he claims was simple with the CL-8.

“Thanks to the reliability and advanced capabilities of the Sound Devices equipment, we were able to capture some amazing audio,” concluded Sanchez. “The final documentary is a beautiful, inspiring and a very aurally rich 60-minute piece.”

Keep up to date with the latest developments from the world of pro audio by registering for our free daily newsletter.

The post London 2012 Olympics captured by Sound Devices for Summer Games film appeared first on Audio Media International.

More than 50 Lawo systems have been put to use during the 2012 London Olympics, with a host of international broadcasters utilising the German company’s technology.

As a key factor of the 2012 Olympics’ media exposure, broadcaster from across the globe carry feeds that reach TVs, radio systems and streaming internet programmes around the world, with a substantial portion of these signals originating in control rooms from international Lawo customers.

From Danny Boyle’s opening ceremony, to a host of sporting events, including basketball, football, athletics, badminton, handball, gymnastics, table tennis, canoeing/kayaking, cycling and beach volleyball, Lawo mc²56, mc²66, mc²90, crystal, and sapphire consoles, as well as Nova73 HD routing systems have each played a key role behind the scenes.

A number of Lawo systems can be found in use throughout the European broadcast community. German public broadcasters ARD and ZDF both deliver from the control room in the IBC (International Broadcast Centre) and rely on Lawo technology. Audio is mixed in ARD and ZDF’s Mobile Production Unit on a mc²90 and a mc²56 and added to the broadcast output in the HD control room. A redundantly designed Nova73 HD also serves as the router.

ARD Radio’s equipment arsenal comprises an mc²56 mixing console and three crystals. Meanwhile, Finnish broadcaster YLE and Swedish national broadcaster SVT, are also equipped with Lawo, utilising an mc²66MKII console, various sapphire radio and production consoles, and a Nova73 HD. Sapphires and crystals are also used in the London control rooms of Estonian broadcaster ERR. Similarly, Austria’s ORF is in London, putting a mc²66 MKII mixing console through its paces.

Lawo systems are also in use throughout Asia, North America, and Australia. Asian customers who integrated mc² consoles in their broadcast activities include Korea’s KBS. Furthermore, Australian Channel 9/Foxtel is using various mc²66 and sapphire consoles as part of its efforts. CTV from Canada is also utilising sapphires for parts of their sports coverage.

The vast majority of OB vans in use at the venues for production of national and international feeds are also equipped with Lawo mc²66 consoles.

Lawo CEO Philipp Lawo commented on the company’s work in London: “As always with big sporting events, we are on site to support our customers in the best possible way. We’re very proud of the fact that among our various customers, there are more than 50 Lawo consoles in the UK and that customers from Europe, Asia, Australia, and North America are utilising Lawo technology as part of their broadcast operations. We feel tremendous pride knowing that our consoles have been in use over the past years in many of the most important and biggest international sports events.”

Keep up to date with the latest developments from the world of pro audio by registering for our free daily newsletter.

The post 2012 OLYMPICS: Over 50 Lawo systems used for international broadcast appeared first on Audio Media International.

With a capacity of 80,000, over 100 Electro-Voice EVH hornloaded co-axial speakers from the company’s Innovation Series have been installed in the Olympic Stadium.

The EVH series is a dedicated installed sound solution that builds on the company’s FRX/FRX+ series. Designed to deiliver optimal performance in venues of all sizes, the range’s mid-sized 15-inch two-way cabinets feature a coaxial hornloaded designs. Meanwhile, a 400-W SMX2151 woofer provides the EVH’s deep lows, as horn loading extends directivity control down to 500 Hz.

High frequencies are handled by a pure titanium compression driver – a standard two-inch (S models) -protected by a fourthorder crossover network. Six coverage patterns (ranging from 40° by 30° to 90° by 90°) on Rotatable Constantdirectivity waveguides are also designed to offer optimum versatility.

Keep up to date with the latest developments from the world of pro audio by registering for our free daily newsletter.

The post 2012 OLYMPICS: Electro-Voice EVH Series installed at Olympic Stadium appeared first on Audio Media International.

RG Jones has today (May 23rd) announced that it will provide Martin Audio MLA loudspeaker systems for the London 2012 Coca Cola Olympic torch relay concerts.

Financed by Azule Finance, RG Jones was able to purchase the highly specialised audio equipment and provide a tailored system for the pre-Olympic events.

The Martin Audio MLA speaker system is a large-scale concert PA system that is designed to generate a wave front that can focus the output on particular areas of the crowd. Reducing noise levels outside of those spaces, the MLA system has enabled RG Jones to provide a solution that is aimed at giving the audience an optimum concert experience, whilst complying with noise control regulations in residential areas, where a number of the concerts are set to take place.

John Carroll, director of RG Jones, explained: “Thanks to the finance from Azule, the MLA speaker system was ready for action, and made its debut last week at the closing ceremony of the Sainsbury’s UK School Games in the Olympic Park. In the build-up to London 2012, this investment will ensure we are best positioned to meet some very specific requirements for the summer festival season.”

Meanwhile, Gavin Scott, sales director at Azule Finance, also added: “RG Jones has a solid heritage within the industry and the investment in the MLA speaker system is set to build on this even further. This deal demonstrates the company’s on-going commitment to providing exceptional service for its clients and delivering a superior experience for the concert-going public throughout the London 2012 celebrations.”

The Torch Relay Concerts in Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds and Birmingham will feature artists such as Mark Ronson, Eliza Dolittle and The Wanted, and are part of whole host of celebrations in the run up to the Games which start on July 27th.

Keep up to date with the latest developments from the world of pro audio by registering for our free daily newsletter.

The post RG Jones provides MLA systems for London 2012 Coca Cola Olympic torch concerts appeared first on Audio Media International.

This year sees Audio-Technica celebrate its 50th anniversary, and to mark the occasion, the company has released six limited edition microphones and a pair of professional headphones.

To herald ‘50 Years of Passionate Listening’ the company introduces the AT4050URUSHI and AT4050/LE multi-pattern condensers, AE6100/LE hypercardioid dynamic, AE5400/LE cardioid condenser, AE4100/LE cardioid dynamic and ATM25/LE hypercardioid dynamic microphones, as well as the ATH-M50/LE and ATH-PRO700Mk2ANV headphones, all of which feature 50th Anniversary design and colour schemes, with the AE5400/LE and 4050 models being supplied in hand-crafted wooden carrying cases.

The LE models come with a silvered metallic ‘Anniversary’ finish with blue accents, while the AT4050URUSHI is possesses a traditional Japanese Urushi lacquer finish with hand-painted maple leaves. The DJ-specific PRO700Mk2ANV features a black-and-gold finish for its Anniversary incarnation.

Furthermore, the ATM25/LE, a re-emergence of the ATM25 hypercardioid dynamic mic, was brought back as a special edition following direct input from end-users and dealers. The new ATM25/LE is intended for use with kick drums, toms and other dynamic instruments. It is also designed to handle very high SPL at close range and to provide warm, low frequency response. It is also aimed at offering a full sound on close-up vocals and dialogue, and features a multi-level grille and rugged construction.

Founded by Hideo Matsushita in 1962, Audio-Technica garnered a reputation for producing award-winning phono cartridges for some of Japan’s leading electronics companies. In the 70s and 80s, the company broadened its line-up to include products such as its VM Series dual-magnet phono cartridges, its ATH Series high-fidelity headphones, its first professional microphones and a host other innovations.

The 90s saw Audio-Technica continue to develop its product range, as well as introduce its 40 Series microphones, which continue to be used by some of the world’s leading producers and engineers. This philosophy of continually developing and refining its products is something that has carried through to the present day, with Audio-Technica seen as the first choice for a variety of high-profile artists, including Gwen Stefani, Justin Timberlake, Metallica, Linkin Park and Evanescence to name but a few.

Furthermore, the company’s products are regularly used across the globe in a number of professional applications, such as live concert tours, broadcast and recording studios, corporate, government and house-of-worship venues, as well as at high-profile events, such as the presidential debates, the Grammy Awards, CMA Awards and the Summer and Winter Olympic Games.

The post Audio-Technica marks 50th anniversary with limited edition microphones and headphones appeared first on Audio Media International.