Author: elynagenav

AUSTRALIA:  Technical Audio Group is now making carbon neutral deliveries around Sydney with an all-electric, solar charged eight-tonne truck.

Having long wanted to improve the certainty of local deliveries particularly those direct to work sites where access is limited and where timing needs to be flexible and reliable Team TAG researched the options and settled on the SEA 300 EV.

“As a service to our customers we want to guarantee deliveries and we were finding that local couriers just don’t have the flexibility to wait and make sure difficult deliveries are completed,” said TAG warehouse manager, Shane Linfoot. “You can’t blame them they’re on a tight schedule and have to complete their runs, but it doesn’t work when one of our deliveries is critical and that’s why we made the decision to take control of those sort of deliveries ourselves.”

“On paper an eight-tonne electric truck is an eye-watering investment that doesn’t make financial sense,” stated TAG CFO Craig Durrant. “If it was purely a business decision, we wouldn’t have taken the leap but there are much bigger factors at play here, like the environment and the condition of the planet we pass onto the next generation. Every time tag|zero hits the road it serves as a powerful reminder that a carbon neutral solution is not only possible but in fact a serious and viable option. And the lack of exhaust emissions is something everyone out in traffic can enjoy immediately.”

It took 18 months for TAG’s SEA 300 EV to be delivered. The SEA 300 EV utilises a Hino chassis with the diesel engine and gearbox replaced by a SEA-Drive electric power system plus batteries sufficient for a 220km range. The company manufactures around five electric trucks every week at its Dandenong, Victoria facility.

With a 108Kw solar array on its Kings Park warehouse roof, tag|zero is charged directly from the sun. “There’s something beautiful and compelling about turning sunlight into local deliveries.” said Linfoot. “We’re working our solar array pretty hard now with nine electric warehouse vehicles, the odd EV charging up and now tag|zero. Nonetheless if you’re passing by, you’re still very welcome to drop in for some free juice, and if you see tag|zero on the road please give us a wave.”

As Chris Bogg woke up to photos of his sound equipment across social media, it occurred to him that more than 20 years had elapsed since he set up his fledgling pro-audio business from scratch, in his dad’s garage. This would duly lead, in 2005, to the formation of dBS Solutions—but not before undergoing a mazy journey.

Reflecting on the Matt Goss show at the Royal Albert Hall that had piqued his reaction, he said, “While it’s not the first time we’d been in there with a tour it was certainly a special moment. Another was our first arena tour last year [with kids Nickelodeon TV stars PAW Patrol Live!]”

His tenet of supporting British suppliers—initially loudspeakers and industrial looking amplifiers from McGregor, on his doorstep in Warrington—was preserved when nearly 15 years ago he became a member of the Martin Audio family. This is a relationship which has been carefully nurtured, and from which he has never looked back.

dBS Solutions’ inventory has evolved through the product generations to the manufacturer’s current state-of-the-art Wavefront Precision (WPM, WPS and WPC) series, cardioid subs and TORUS constant curvature array. In explanation, he says, “I learnt to buy the best kit you can afford early on—and although what I can afford has changed considerably over the years, that philosophy has never done me wrong.” He has a similar philosophy towards borrowing, and notes that the only loan he ever had was from his father.

The Matt Goss tour is a perfect example of winning tours by reputation and relationship building, since dBS Solutions’ MD had previously worked with FOH engineer Simon Allen and production company IBB Media on theTubular Bellstour. “Simon was so pleased with our crew and the Martin Audio rig, which he was using for the first time, that we were invited back. Beingpredominantly a studio guy he likes the PA to be ruler flat and it’s well on the way to doing that with the predictions from DISPLAY.” As with bothTubular BellsandPAW Patrol Live!the task of PA optimisation was in the capable hands of system tech, Danny Clare.

Now backwind to the 1990s. While still at high school, a 14-year-old Chris started deejaying. With seed capital from his dad, including the purchase of a van, he acquired some McGregor speakers for local college work. But a major sea change came about when he was able to pick up some work experience at the 1998 Reading Festival, thanks to his cousin working for promoters the Mean Fiddler Group, as well as with lighting rental specialists, Art of Darkness. “There I was as a 15-year-old on a tour bus with rock and roll lampies.” And that’s when the realisation hit him that he could do this for a living rather than be an eternal DJ.

Chris did a two-year BTEC in Performing Arts, covering backstage disciplines, but his big academic break came when he secured a place at the prestigious LIPA (Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts) between 2001-2003 from which he emerged with a BA (Hons) degree in Theatre & Performance Design & Technology.

It was the making of him. “I had done more lighting than sound when I went to LIPA, but it was here that sound caught my eye and I realised that as a designer could try out all the risky stuff here. I designed and mixed a lot of theatre shows while at the same time still working with local PA companies.” In particular he came under the influence of new tutor Chris Layton, who also ran monitors for bands such as the Afro-Celt Sound System. In fact, Theatre Sound Design remains to this day one of Chris Bogg’s core specialities.

Graduating from LIPA he had to make a career decision and quickly realised the ‘buy to hire’ model (initially securing kit via eBay) was potentially more lucrative and sustainable.

He initially turned to another supplier on his doorstep—Knutsford based OHM—and with the purchase of six stacks of PA he was forced out of his dad’s garage and into his own premises two miles up the road. But there was a secondary reason: “After the gigs we would arrive back at my parents in the middle of the night and have to unload a van whilst trying to be remain deathly quiet. We got a lot of neighbours curtain twitching and it quickly got to the stage where I knew not only did we need more space, but it had to be somewhere more industrial.”

Meanwhile he was continuing to earn good money working with local wedding band Black Velvet before taking a permanent salaried job at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall, spending two years looking after their sound department. This introduced him to a number of touring American bands but more important globally famous orchestras such as the Halle and BBC Philharmonic, whose demands raised his standards and would set him off on another path.

“After two years I realised venues weren’t for me, and Miriam Stone, who was my tech manager, and an excellent boss, said she was surprised I’d stayed so long!”

When audio-visual specialists ITI Systems installed a sound system at the new B/SPOKE Studio in South Boston, MA recently it was their fourth such integration for founder Mark Partin’s cycling concept—and all four feature Martin Audio CDDs and subwoofers.

The Beltsville, MD based integrators originally came onto Partin’s radar after he visited a club in New York that they had fitted out, and was impressed with the sound quality. He knew what he wanted when it came to equipping his new boutique fitness studio concept, specialising in Indoor Cycling, Strength, and YOGA classes.

“ITI has now had the privilege of installing Martin Audio at all four locations over the past nine years, starting with B/SPOKE Downtown,” said system designer and project manager, Eugene Yi. Once again, he specified a combination of Martin Audio mission critical solutions, focusing mainly on the hugely popular CDD series, in a fast-moving concept that continues to evolve.

“MARTIN AUDIO’S CDD SPEAKER LINE PROVIDES THE PERFECT BALANCE OF PERFORMANCE AT AN ATTAINABLE COST FOR SMALL BUSINESSES LIKE OUR OWN”.

“Mark Partin had wanted a high quality, clean yet loud PA,” he explained, outlining the reason for his product selection. “I have been working with Martin Audio products since the late 2000s and first heard the CDD series while equipping a different venue, and was immediately impressed.” The price / performance ratio offered by CDD ticks all the boxes, he said. As a result, he selected a blend of CDD12, CDD8 and CDD6, underpinned by SX218, SX118 subwoofers. To this he added ceiling and ADORN speakers from the British manufacturer’s catalogue for a venue he describes as “the latest and greatest” of all the B/SPOKES.

B/SPOKE Studio South Boston operates on 8,000 sq.ft over two floors, and boasts 56 bikes and 26 mats for classes, with a personal training area. In terms of audio feeds, both the yoga/strength and cycling rooms broadcast audio via instructor laptops with separate mic feeds for the instructors themselves. Small parties or vendor shows are also hosted in their studios.

To give the spaces the versatility and sound coverage required, Yi took advantage of CDD’s flexible mounting brackets since the speaker locations became the biggest challenge due to the relatively low ceilings and an array of lighting/HVAC hardware he had to work around.

Mark Partin had nothing but praise for the installation’s audio component. “Music is a big part of our programme and brand identity, and we believe the quality of playback can completely change the client experience, leading to better retention over time,” he said. “Martin Audio’s CDD speaker line provides the perfect balance of performance at an attainable cost for small businesses like our own.We now use them in all our studios, in all workout rooms and common area spaces.

“Clients and competitors always comment how our studio sound is one of the best in the industry and we have Martin Audio to thank for that.”

Since its launch in 2015, Martin Audio’s best-selling CDD series has found a ready home in gyms, fitness and wellness clubs, dance studios and sports facilities, such as B/SPOKE—right across the globe.

Maidstone’s MuMu nightclub, known for its vibrant and energetic atmosphere, recently underwent a major refurbishment after a significant fire in 2021. The nightclub, which has been a popular destination for party-goers in the region, had to shut down for several months to carry out repairs and refurbishment. However, with the recent installation of a state-of-the-art Martin Audio stereo monitoring solution by Middlesex Sound and Lighting, the chic lounge and bar is now back and ready to deliver the ultimate night out.

The unique venue, which includes a traditional Irish pub, a speakeasy, a hidden laundromat room, an eatery and dining restaurant, a newly refurbished cabaret bar, and a basement club area, presented a challenging but exciting opportunity for the team at Middlesex Sound and Lighting who were tasked with bringing back the ‘wow factor.’

“IT’S REALLY MADE A DIFFERENCE TO THE SOUND QUALITY AND THEIR STAFF GUESTS HAVE ALREADY NOTICED THE DIFFERENCE.”

“The whole space is like a labyrinth!,” recalled Darrel Olivier, Director of Middlesex Sound and Lighting. “The main room is accessed via a small corridor which leads upstairs and along the way, there are these washing machines with quirky content displayed in the centre of them, spinning around. On the upper level, there’s an eatery and dining restaurant with a newly refurbished cabaret bar, and then downstairs in the basement is a new club area, which we were involved in creating.”

The AV crew had to pay attention to the aesthetics, such as using more compact enclosures in the booth seating areas, concealed subwoofers, and a clean finish from both the lighting and audio perspectives. For audio, the crew went with Martin Audio boxes throughout the venue, with an emphasis on coverage and quality of sound to ensure a vibrant customer experience.

It is the ADORN family that greets guests, with ACS-55TS ceiling speakers covering the entrance lobby, customer routes and toilets. In the club itself the main dancefloor is covered by Blackline X12s with low end support from a pair of Blackline X118 single 18” subs. The Blackline family is also in the DJ booth with Blackline X10s serving as stereo monitors. Supplementing the dancefloor system in the booths and peripheral areas are CDD6 cabinets with SX110 10” slimline subs conceiled within the banquette seating.

The amplification is driven by Powersoft and controlled by a Symetrix Prism DSP and controller in the DJ booth. They also have full zoning control and have included pre-sets for the venue’s staff, as they plan to use the space for brunch and lunch events in addition to operating as a nightclub. “It was a solid team effort and I think the final result speaks for itself – it looks and sounds fantastic!” Olivier added.

Reflecting on the install, and the results that MuMu has seen, Olivier stated: “They are thrilled to have the new Martin Audio system installed at the club. It’s really made a difference to the sound quality and their staff guests have already noticed the difference.”

Seaworld’s new Leviathan rollercoaster takes AV theming to the next level.

Photos: ULA Group

Rollercoaster influencers: they’re a real thing and they were out in force when the Leviathan launched. Of course, they were actively invited in by owners Village Roadshow for the occasion of the unleashing of its new rollercoasting beast at Seaworld on the Gold Coast, in the hope they’d be wow’ed and spread the word. 

Turns out, they were impressed. This is a brand new wooden rollercoaster that not only provides the requisite on-ride thrills but amps up the anticipation via a full-blown immersive AV experience while you’re in the queue and boarding the ride.

NEXT LEVEL THEMING

The theming and AV is next-level. The biggest ticket items of the install is the VuePix Infiled display technology that does justice to the amazing animations, while the multi-channel QSC Audio loudspeaker system in the boarding zone takes care of the audio from the Pixera media server.

Cameron Crawford, Project Manager at Village Roadshow Theme Parks sets the scene:

“Leviathan is our new signature ride at The New Atlantis precinct, which opened in December 2022. We have many different rides throughout our parks. But this is something that has never been done before in terms of a timber roller coaster and an immersive precinct themed in such a big way.”

The Prestige Group and Run By Media were responsible for the AV integration. The Prestige Group, ably led by General Manager, Nathan Wright, is a highly credentialed Gold Coast-based integrator, which took care of the installation, while Run By Media (with Chris Jenkins running point) is somewhat of a theme park specialist, ensuring the content was running and triggering properly. It also took care of the themed lighting installation. Earthstory Productions imagined the theming while Cutting Edge created the content.

VISUALLY LED

There are eight VuePix Infiled MV series screens installed, all of them of 2.9mm pixel pitch, totalling over 12.3 million pixels. All of the displays are an irregular shape, with the largest one (11 x 3m) installed overhead in the main area of the rollercoaster load zone.

“The VuePix Infiled screens were mainly chosen for their superb reliability, great durability in this kind of environment and local product support,” comments Nathan Wright. “There has also been a high level of customisation involved in this project, due to the excess salt air in this location. A double coating of silicon has been applied to all the screens to help them withstand the harsh elements in this environment.”

The complex control solution is run by NovaStar H2 processor, with a Pixera media server triggering all the content via various motion sensors and ride controllers in certain parts of the coaster.

The recent concert at Medi Caps University featuring the talented Darshan Raval was an absolute spectacle. With a footfall of over 12,000 attendees, the concert was one of the biggest events the university has ever hosted. The concert was made even more special by the use of the Martin Audio system WPL for the music system.

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