ApexPro Managing Director, Justin Acers meets with Meyer Sound Director of Global Marketing, Tim Boot at Infocomm 2022, Las Vegas 2022
Last week, Meyer Sound premiered the new Panther large-format linear line array loudspeaker at it’s booth at InfoComm Show 2022, in Las Vegas.
Our managing director, Justin Acers, had the pleasure to meet with Meyer Sounds Director of Global Marketing, Tim Boot, to experience the power of the Panther firsthand!
“We are very excited to bring the Panther to the African market. No other line array comes close to matching PANTHER’s remarkable output of over 150 dB in such a compact cabinet. PANTHER delivers unrivaled linearity and headroom, only achievable with a self-powered system.” ApexPro technical director Mark Malherbe points out.
Electro-Voice X-Line Advance line arrays delivered perfect coverage across fan-shaped 3Arena for Celtic Woman homecoming show
Compact size of Electro-Voice X2 system provides ideal sightlines for filming
Front of house engineer praises X2 line array system as “sounding great”
As one of Ireland’s most successful musical exports, Celtic Woman received a rapturous welcome upon returning to Dublin for a sell-out homecoming show. As expectations ran high amongst the four piece vocal ensemble’s legion of fans, the challenge for front of house engineer Michael Manning was to achieve the best possible audio coverage within the 3Arena,. Helping him to do so was leading regional rental and events specialist Murt Whelan Sound, and the sonic superiority of X2 line-array loudspeakers from the X-Line Advance family by Electro-Voice.
“X2 is so versatile that it can be used for any kind of show”
Combining traditional Irish music with orchestral backing, Celtic Woman is currently touring the world in support of the group’s recent Billboard number one album, Voices of Angels. But with tickets sold-out for concerts across six continents, it was the special one-night only return to Dublin’s 3Arena that added a sense of pressure for the group and crew alike.
“We did a couple of days of pre-production rehearsals in the venue and then the event was recorded for DVD, so the pressure was on,” recalls Murt Whelan, founder and MD of Murt Whelan Sound. Adding more pressure was the fan-shaped configuration of the arena itself. “It’s a very wide venue which can be challenging in terms of achieving even dispersion,” explains Whelan. “We had to ensure that every seat had the same quality of sound.”
Intelligibility is vital for the Celtic Woman sound, adds Michael Manning, describing it as “big and warm, almost comforting, and there are a lot of orchestral tracks so it’s important that the vocals aren’t harsh. It’s not a rock and roll gig, in fact it probably edges more towards theatre in terms of sonic quality and precision.”
With a company ethos that emphasizes quality of service above all else, Murt Whelan is no stranger to solving the challenges of the 3Arena. Accordingly, he immediately recommended the Electro-Voice X2 line-array system.
“Using Electro-Voice X2 212/90 and 212/120 cabinets meant that we benefited from a choice of 90-degree or 120-degree dispersion angles,” he explains. “With a mixture of both we were able to get perfect coverage.”
“In total, we flew four hangs of X2. The two main hangs comprised 12 X2-212/90 loudspeaker elements plus three X2-212/120 elements per side. Then there were two out-hangs of nine X2-212/90 elements plus three X2-212/120 elements per side, acting as side-fills.” Front fills and out-fills were served by a further 12 X2 212/90, while 18 X12-128 subwoofers provided low-end extension. The system was powered by 40 Electro-Voice TG7 amplifiers fitted with RCM-28 Remote Control Modules.
“X2 is so versatile that it can be used for any kind of show,” continues Whelan. “It’s all about the compact size of the cabinets, the ease of rigging and the quality of the sound. For a concert like Celtic Woman, where the show was being filmed, it’s a huge advantage that the hangs are so unobtrusive, yet the quality and power on offer suggests a much bigger system. That combination is phenomenal.”
The Celtic Woman concert was Manning’s first experience of using X2, but he’s equally enthusiastic: “It works perfectly. It sounded great during the concert and I didn’t hear a single complaint. I found it very easy to use and to achieve the coverage we needed. I just enjoyed using it.”
With the 3Arena homecoming declared a success, Celtic Woman is now back on the road, taking 12 Electro-Voice X-Line Advance X2 enclosures with it, as well as a number of Electro-Voice XLE compact line array enclosures. “I have to say that it is still sounding great,” Manning concludes.
PEL Services Limited upgrades evacuation and public address systems for legendary Celtic FC with phased stadium installation
Electro-Voice pro audio EVF and EVH series loudspeakers provide improved coverage and clarity as part of integrated digital audio network
Bosch Praesideo meets all voice alarm and communication needs, networking interfaces with legacy loudspeakers and new sound system
Celtic Football Club in Glasgow boasts Scotland’s largest football stadium and some of its most ardent fans. When the club took on the task of upgrading the stadium experience, it engaged PEL Services Limited, an electronics engineering firm based in Northolt, northwest London, to design and install upgrades to the public address and emergency sound systems in 60,000-seat Celtic Park.
“Fully networked sound reinforcement for one of the loudest stadiums ever”
With a strong stadium-wide IT network and existing public address infrastructure already in place, PEL advised the selection of Bosch Praesideo digital Public Address and Emergency Sound System with Electro-Voice pro audio loudspeakers to improve coverage, clarity and fidelity within the main bowl area of the stadium. Because both systems can be interfaced to the Dante™ networking standard, both the Bosch Praesideo system and all Electro-Voice loudspeakers are monitored and controlled remotely via Electro-Voice N8000 NetMax digital matrix controllers.
“Celtic Park is an awesome stadium, and one of the loudest places I’ve ever been for a match,” notes Vic Swain, Engineering Director for PEL. “The club wanted a state-of-the-art emergency notification system, and wanted to integrate that with an audio system that would provide clear sound for every seat in the house. It’s a challenging project, but the combined solution of Bosch and Electro-Voice works perfectly.”
The first phase of the operation was the installation of the Bosch Praesideo public address and emergency sound system, serving what Swain refers to as the “back of house” area: the internal portions of the stadium, including concourses, turnstiles, restrooms, and offices. Its open architecture and high level of redundancy makes Praesideo a scalable, reliable solution that exceeds safety standards while offering complete communications flexibility.
The stadium system is based on dual Praesideo network controllers with an audio expander interface and six strategically placed call stations. The 100V audio system utilizes legacy installed loudspeakers, all of which were tested and upgraded with Bosch line supervision sets. This enables Praesideo to check all speakers for proper line operation. The system is powered by 22 Bosch power amplifiers with onboard DSP modules.
PEL engaged Acoustics Plus, an independent acoustic consultant based in Croydon, to advise on proper deployment of the Electro-Voice loudspeakers. Research included recording SPL levels throughout a game, documenting the sonic requirements and using computer modeling to map optimal locations and dispersion patterns for full coverage. Aimed down from beneath the roof, the system uses a mix of frontloaded EVF-1152D and horn-loaded EVH-1152D, both full-range, weatherized loudspeakers from the EV-Innovation family.
“Celtic always wants to do the very best for their fans – in addition to meeting the evacuation system legal standard for Speech Transmission Index,” notes Swain, “they also wanted it to sound just as good when the place is really rocking during a big match. These EV speakers accomplish that with ease, even in problem areas. We had structural engineers and riggers working closely with the acoustic consultant to make final adjustments. A lot of preparation, but on the day the speakers were hung and aimed, it was extremely quick and accurate.”
As part of the process, Electro-Voice CPS series power amplifiers, two N8000 NetMax DSP matrix units, and a redundant fiber ring were installed as infrastructure support for the full stadium system. To date, the new loudspeakers are in place above the north stands and adjacent corner areas. Future phases will complete the installation above the south stands, adjacent corner areas, and west and east stands behind the goals.
“The integration of Bosch Praesideo in the back of house with Electro-Voice loudspeakers aiming at the area above the seats, all working together in a centrally controlled network, represents a real commitment to the safety and comfort of the fans,” he says. “It’s great to help a legendary organization like Celtic F.C. to achieve their goals.”
The LB 20 series is the latest member of the Bosch family of compact loud-speakers for installed applications. Every aspect of the LB 20 series has been designed from the ground up to ensure efficient installation for the contractor and excellent results for the end-user. The series includes 4-inch, 5.25-inch, and 8-inch 2-way models with a matching dual-10-inch subwoofer, making it easy to select a suitable model a specific space – a new go-to solution for distributed sound systems.
All LB 20 models offer Bosch-engineered components for superior sound quality, low- profile looks and robust reliability for a wide range of indoor and outdoor applications. These include retail environments, hospitality settings, such as bars, lounges, patios, pool areas and restaurants. Conference and meeting rooms, fitness clubs, performing arts and sports venues and houses of worship. The series offers true weatherproof construction for outdoor spac-es, confirmed by extensive and rigorous testing above and beyond industry norms. All models are paintable, and IP54 certified for weather resistance; an IP65 weatherproof version is available for the 5.25-inch loudspeaker cabinet and the subwoofer models.
The innovative, new wall-mount system makes installation literally “as easy as 1-2-3” – quicker and easier than ever before: Attach the wall-mount (a built-in bubble level saves time) and terminate the cables inside, apply the paint cover to protect the wall- mount until construction is completed (when the cover can be removed), and then simply slide the pre-wired speaker with adjustable arm onto the wall-mount and lock into place.
Electro-Voice celebrates 90 years and starts off the New Year with a LOUD & CLEAR message at NAMM 2017
Electro-Voice kicked off its 90th birthday year with a LOUD & CLEAR pledge to portable speaker customers at this year’s NAMM show in Anaheim, California: Big wattage is fine, but clarity is key – whatever sound you make, sound your best with EV.
Under the LOUD & CLEAR banner, EV’s new NAMM booth served as a live performance venue to showcase talent playing through models from EV’s best-selling family of portable loudspeakers (ZLX, ELX, EKX, ETX) and new ND Series microphones. Nine different artists spanning a broad scope of genres performed at the booth over the course of the four-day show, allowing visitors to hear EV sound quality for themselves. Multiple product experience areas gave guests a chance to compare and contrast the various features each loudspeaker series offers to suit a range of portable applications and budgets. A mic display with listening stations showcased the ND Series, with members of the popular PL and RE series also on hand.
EV also launched the new #EVsound social media campaign at the show – EV users can post/tag music they’ve made with EV gear to be featured on the #EVsound webpage and entered into monthly drawings for EV-branded merchandise. Entries will also be in the running to be featured as soundtracks on new EV videos.
New series includes two powered full-range cabinets and two subwoofer options.
P.Audio has introduced the VIA line array, made up of the VIA-8 and VIA-12 full-range cabinets joined by the VIA-SUB cardioid subwoofer and the SB-218 subwoofer. The new system was on display at the NAMM show in Anaheim.
All VIA models are self-powered. VIA-8 and VIA-12 enclosures both are specified with 15-degree vertical dispersion, differing only in terms of horizontal dispersion (80 and 120 degrees). Both models are rated to provide a maximum continuous SPL of 126 dB (and maximum peak SPL of 132 dB).
They’re loaded with dual 8-inch woofers and a 3-inch large-format compression driver. The woofers have a neodymium motor structure with aluminum shorting rings for reduced distortion, and the cone pulp is optimized to provide accurate mid-bass reproduction while remaining linear, even at high drive levels. The compression driver has a Mylar surround for more linear performance around 1 kHz, where diaphragm displacement is higher.
The VIA-SUB cardioid subwoofer utilizes a rear-facing 12-inch woofer to effectively cancel the sound radiation behind the cabinet and to control low frequency feedback issues. The newly designed, forward-facing 18-inch woofer uses double neodymium magnets for high flux density to provide more impact from a relatively small cabinet.
The SB-218 is recommended for applications that require high levels of low frequency reproduction, loaded with two 18-inch neodymium woofers utilizing two neodymium magnets that allow a long winding length to be used without sacrificing BL product.
Onboard amplification in each enclosure provides 1,500 watts of RSM power (3,000 watts peak) and is matched to the remote controllable DSP with AD-DA converters operating at 96 kHz. The DSP makes use of the latest FIR technology to help ensure linear system phase.
An onboard RS-485 connector in each component facilitates remote control with the included software, designed to allow easy editing of single cabinet parameters. The software allows adjustment of graphic EQ, delay times and gain, along with real-time monitoring of amplifier health.
The rigging for the VIA series is designed to support up to 16 VIA-8 or VIA-12 cabinets or 8 VIA-SUB cabinets. The 3-point rigging design allows for simple setup with minimal effort. The side and rear rigging is made from 6061 T6 extruded aluminum with pins made from hardened steel and stainless steel. The rigging design allows inter cabinet array angles of up to 14 degrees.
Subwoofer rigging is fixed at 0 degrees splay angle, as the delay in each cabinet is available to create different radiation patterns as needed.
As one of Ireland’s most successful musical exports, Celtic Woman received a rapturous welcome upon returning to Dublin for a sell-out homecoming show. As expectations ran high amongst the four piece vocal ensemble’s legion of fans, the challenge for front of house engineer Michael Manning was to achieve the best possible audio coverage within the 3Arena,. Helping him to do so was leading regional rental and events specialist Murt Whelan Sound, and the sonic superiority of X2 line-array loudspeakers from the X-Line Advance family by Electro-Voice.
P.Audio has introduced the VIA line array, made up of the VIA-8 and VIA-12 full-range cabinets joined by the VIA-SUB cardioid subwoofer and the SB-218 subwoofer. The new system was on display at the NAMM show in Anaheim.