In a harmonious partnership, Splitbeam, has chosen ApexPro for their audio needs. Splitbeam is the rental company behind the scenes of the current sensation, Mamma Mia! They have raised the bar yet again by integrating top-tier equipment into their arsenal.
Building on their dedication to delivering unparalleled sound experiences, Splitbeam has recently expanded their inventory. Concurrently, they now have a selection of Sennheiser and DPA equipment supplied by ApexPro. Among the additions and 16 dual-channel EW-DX receivers, 32 packs, and 4 additional handheld microphones. Completely kitted, they are consequently able to enhance their capability to cater to large-scale productions like Mamma Mia! with ease.
Joining forces with DPA Microphone, Splitbeam has already solidified their commitment to excellence. They have acquired 35 4061 DPA lapel microphones and 4 2028DPA handheld capsules. Evidently, this is the winning combination of DPA’s precision engineering and Sennheiser’s reliability. With unmatched clarity and fidelity, it captures every note; From the infectious melodies of ‘Honey Honey’ to the anthemic choruses of ‘The Winner Takes It All’.
“These miniature marvels,” Clifford Weilich from Splitbeam says, referring about the DPA4061’s, “have seamlessly woven themselves into the fabric for most of our audio productions. Moreover, the DPA handheld capsules have now increased the variety of options available in our rental market.”
Splitbeam decided to trust us with their sound needs for Mamma Mia!. This is a testament to the unwavering quality and performance of our products. Together with Sennheiser and DPA, we are effectively setting new standards for sound excellence in musical theatre.
Dante enables network audio capability and integrates with Sennheiser equipment. This further underscores Splitbeam’s commitment to innovation and elevating the audience’s audio experience to new heights. Behind every electrifying note and heartfelt lyric of Mamma Mia! lies the meticulous attention to sound. This is all made possible by the seamless collaboration between ApexPro, Sennheiser, and DPA Microphones.
“DPA has become a household name of ours,” Clifford also remarks, “due to their transparent and natural sound reproduction. Currently, Mamma Mia is using it as a Forehand Worn Microphone Solution. As well as using the DPA 2028 Capsules for the infamous Donna and the Dynamos.”
As audiences immerse themselves in the enchanting world of Mamma Mia!, they can rest assured that ApexPro provides unparalleled quality and reliability, enhancing every moment. Together, we continue to bring the magic of musical theatre to life, one unforgettable performance at a time.
The renowned Théâtre de la Renaissance is the latest venue in France to choose ETC gear to upgrade its lighting. ETC dealer So What & Co supplied High End Systems Halcyon Titanium fixtures for the Parisian theatre.
Well-known spaces across France including the Bordeaux Opera, the Théâtre National Populaire, the Comédie Française and the Grand Théâtre de Provence have all recently selected Halcyon automated fixtures as the best solution to light their spaces. In the heart of the 10th arrondissement of Paris, the Théâtre de la Renaissance also made the same choice with the support of So What & Co.
Halcyon’s best-in-class quality, powerful output and low levels of noise were just some of the features that appealed to the Technical Director of the Théâtre de la Renaissance Éric Milleville when deciding on the right solution for the theatre. “The first thing I was looking for when deciding on the right fixtures were sources that were powerful enough to replace a 2 kW [fixture],” says Milleville. From an output of 19,000 lumens to 54,000 lumens (as well as 70,000 lumens in boost mode), ETC’s Halcyon fixtures offer a powerful range of options for users to work with alongside a matching feature set in three different varieties – Gold, Platinum and Titanium.
A member of the ASTP (Association for the Support of Private Theatres which includes approximately 50 Parisian theatres), the Théâtre de la Renaissance also considered ETC’s SolaFrame Studio fixture. “I had heard good things about this moving light,” continues Éric, “since they don’t have a fan and the zoom is very quiet. We did tests with the So What & Co team. We liked its silence but the result wasn’t right for our needs in terms of output. So What & Co then loaned us the new Halcyon Titanium, equipped with a High Fidelity engine. And it was perfect!”
Benjamin Boiffier, Director of So What & Co, comments on choosing Halcyon: “We also gave a demonstration of the fixture to lighting designer François Leneveu during the Avignon festival. He really liked it and it just so happened that he would soon be lighting the play ‘Passeport’ at the Théâtre de la Renaissance. The team at the theatre were immediately sold that Halcyon was the right choice for their venue.”
By choosing the High Fidelity version of the fixture, Éric Milleville has chosen a beautiful light, with a TM-30 Rf of 91 and Rg of 98. Add the two rotating gobo wheels, an animation wheel, the three frosts with the Trifusion system for a perfect transition between the different diffusions, four full-curtain shutters on a 180° rotating module… Finally, the next-gen gradient color mixing dichroics create smooth and even colors, both in and out of focus, with a mixing curve that gives incredible control of light tints through to intense saturates.
Find out more about Halcyon from your local dealer or sales representatives, or visit etcconnect.com/Halcyon/.
About ETC
A global leader in the manufacturing of lighting and rigging technology, ETC employs over 1200 people in 14 corporate offices around the world. ETC is proud of its industry reputation for unmatched technical and customer service, 24/7/365. And with a family of over 300 authorized service centers throughout the world, staffed by hundreds of certified technicians, customers are never far from an ETC resource with a face and a name.
We develop professional tools and make them accessible to everyone. Our products are found in small and large venues worldwide, such as theatres, churches, restaurants, hotels, schools, television studios, casinos, theme parks, and opera houses.etcconnect.com
Sound Designer Kai Harada Credited on Two Nominees for Best Musical
New York, New York – The Company | Paul Kolnik
The 76th annual Tony Awards celebration, presented by The Broadway League and the American Theater Wing, will be held on June 11 at the historic United Palace in the Washington Heights district of New York. Two productions nominated for Best Musical — New York, New York and Kimberly Akimbo — employ main reinforcement systems of Meyer Sound loudspeakers. Both systems are the work of noted sound designer Kai Harada, and his personal contribution to New York, New York is recognized by a nomination for Best Sound Design of a Musical, an award he garnered in 2018 for A Band’s Visit.
New York, New York – The Company | Paul Kolnik
Two productions receiving Best Sound Design of a Play nominations, Life of Pi and Prima Facie, also benefit from an audio system predominantly from Meyer Sound. The respective Sound Designer nominees are Carolyn Downing and Ben & Max Ringham.
The two Tony-nominated musicals with systems designed by Harada share similarities despite significant differences in both the venue sizes and the content of the productions. To craft the ideal balance of coverage, power, and bandwidth for each show, Harada was able to draw on a broad palette of 15 different Meyer Sound loudspeakers, both current and legacy models, with nine of those models specified for both productions.
Kimberly Akimbo: Victoria Clark, Justin Cooley, Michael Iskander, Olivia Hardy, Nina White, and Fernell Hogan | Joan Marcus
“Kimberly Akimbo is playing at the Booth Theater, a relatively small Broadway house seating around 800, while New York, New York is at the larger St. James, with a capacity of over 1700,” says Harada. “Kimberly is more of a chamber musical, with a smaller cast and smaller orchestra, but still the show’s score still requires a big dynamic range so there are a lot of loudspeakers in the space. I scaled up the same approach for New York, New York, which is a bigger and brassier dance-oriented show. Although the orchestra is in an uncovered pit — a rarity these days! — it was important to me to have a system that gave me a lot of dynamic range and complete coverage for all seating sections.”
When selecting loudspeakers for his designs, Harada places a high value on consistency. “When I spec Meyer Sound cabinets for my main PA, I know what to expect with the sound quality and coverage,” he says. “We had done Kimberly Akimbo off-Broadway at the Atlantic Theatre — also with a Meyer Sound system — so we knew what the show was, musically speaking, and had a sonic goal in mind. For New York, New York, we had done only one workshop of the show, so there were a lot more unknowns. In that case, I needed to know that the system I specified was going to sound good so that I could concentrate on all the other variables.”
Current Meyer Sound products used in both productions include the LINA® very compact linear line array, ULTRA-X40™ compact loudspeaker, and UPM-1P™ ultra-compact loudspeaker. Legacy loudspeakers used for both include M1D™ line arrays, UPQ-1P™, UPA-2P™, UPJ-1P™, UPJunior™, and MM-4™ loudspeakers as well as the 500-HP™ subwoofer.
Meyer Sound’s discreet LINA line arrays are major contributors to the sound for both productions. “The LINAs just sound good, and they are small,” summarizes Harada. “That makes it easy to collaborate with the visual designers to get good speaker locations because they don’t take up much space — but I still get a lot of granular control.”
His most recent favourite is the ULTRA-X40 compact loudspeaker. “It’s such a smooth-sounding box that requires so little EQ. I can’t imagine doing a show without ULTRA-X40s anymore!”
The system for Kimberly Akimbo encompasses a total of 77 full-range loudspeakers plus nine subwoofers. A total of 108 full-range loudspeakers and seven subwoofers are deployed for New York, New York. The complete audio systems for these two productions were supplied by Masque Sound of East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Other productions currently running in New York deploying Meyer Sound loudspeakers as their main systems include Tina, Monsoon Wedding, A Transparent Musical, Dancin,’ Once Upon a One More Time, and Gatsby. Major tours with Meyer Sound Systems include 1776 and Les Miserables. All of these systems were supplied by Sound Associates of Yonkers, New York.
DPA Microphones has launched the DDK4000, the company’s first-ever Drum Microphone Kit, to help deliver a clear and natural reproduction of the low-frequency, high SPL instrument. Comprised of the brand’s acclaimed 4055 Kick Drum Mic, as well as the new 2012 Cardioid and a stereo pair of the new 2015 Wide Cardioid, the kit also features three of the brand’s renowned 4099 CORE Instrument Mics. With consideration for durability at the forefront of this solution, the kit has been rigorously tested to perform flawlessly for all types of music genres and is designed to withstand the demands of life on the road.
“We are ecstatic to offer sound engineers a perfect drum miking solution with the DDK4000 Drum Microphone Kit, comprised of several instrument mics with similar sonic characteristics that allows users to capture a uniform, uncolored sound of the entire drum setup,”
– Bo Brinck, Product Specialist/Sound Engineer, DPA Microphones.
“Every mic in the kit is designed with linear on- and off-axis response, which helps the sound designer keep the natural direct sound as well as the organic bleed between the drums and cymbals. Beginning with the clear, true sound of the entire kit gives engineers the best starting point to shape the sound. We are very excited for the creative possibilities and high-quality sound that this microphone kit will provide to the industry.”
With an intentional use for kick drum-specific applications, the 4055 Kick Drum Microphone offers a very tight, natural, well-defined sound that is not pre-tailored like traditional kick mics. Also, unlike other kick drum mics, the DPA 4055 will provide different sounds depending on its placement relative to the kick drum. Owing to its condenser mic capabilities, the 4055 produces a tight, fast and clean sound even at very high SPL (max SPL is 164 dB). Additionally, its asymmetric design is easy to position both inside and outside the kick drum, making it quick and effortless to find the ideal placement. Its large housing and wind-damping foam in front of the capsule, behind the grille, help minimize the pick-up of the air turbulence in front of the hole in the kick drum.
The 2012 Compact Cardioid Microphone acts as a reliable, all-around, generalist pencil mic that can capture crystal clear, single-instrument pickup with ease. Unlike dynamic mics, the 2012 combines a robust design with intricate sound pickup, extended frequency range and flat frequency response in a small-form-factor for accurate close miking on any live stage setup. The exceptional transient response of the 2012 allows it to cope with high SPLs while also capturing the most delicate of sounds.
Designed for use as an overhead stereo pair on drum kits, the 2015 Compact Wide Cardioid Microphone features uniform, wide cardioid directionality and a linear frequency response. This stereo pair can be positioned closer to the drum kit than normal and captures the balanced sound of the entire instrument with less bleed from the stage. Additionally, the compact design of the 2015 allows for unobtrusive placement at venues of any size, while its durable, reinforced construction means it will last from stage to stage. Both the 2012 and 2015 are pre-polarized condenser mics, each with a specifically designed 17mm (0.67-inch) capsule that is perfectly tailored for its intended application.
Featuring the company’s renowned CORE by DPA amplification technology, the award-winning 4099 CORE Instrument Mics are designed to minimize distortion and increase dynamic range ― from the highest of highs to the lowest of the lows. The kit features the 4099 CORE “Extreme SPL” (109 dB dynamic range) version, which is perfect for drum miking applications. Known for its discreet size and versatile mounting/clip options, this longstanding member of the DPA microphone lineup is a great fit for a variety of applications ranging from the studio and theatre to live performances. Like most DPA solutions, the DDK4000 Drum Microphone Kit comes in a sturdy Peli case, which includes microphone holders and adapters. Additional accessories, such as a stereo boom, gooseneck mount and corresponding shock mounts, are also available.
ApexPro is the sole distributor of DPA Microphones in Southern Africa. Contact Us to find out more.
ETC has sold millions of Source Four incandescent fixtures over the past 30 years. In many cases, these fixtures are still running strong and revered as the workhorses of their school auditoriums, houses of worship, and theatres. When it comes to upgrading from incandescent to LED, throwing out fixtures that are still in good working condition can, understandably, be a difficult decision.
Source 4WRD Color II makes this decision easy. Upcycle any existing ETC incandescent Source Four fixture to an RGBA LED fixture in minutes and use only a quarter of the power. This non-destructive retrofit maintains the majority of the Source Four incandescent fixture and reduces overall waste. Bring the flexibility of additive color mixing, saturated washes, and quick color changes to any venue with upgraded technology while staying within budget.
Compared to the previous generation of Source 4WRD Color, the addition of the new snap in reflector and the significantly brighter red emitter provide a notable intensity increase of 36% in warm whites and dramatically improves color rendering performance. Rich, saturated colors, pastel hues, and cool toning blues loved by theatre designers worldwide also see remarkable improvements.
This second generation of Source 4WRD Color is not only an incredible retrofit but also can be a full spot profile, a full PAR, or full PARNel fixture. With 12 built-in color presets and 5 built-in sequences, stand-alone operation is intuitive. Maintain the most-loved features of Source Four, including crisp shutter cuts, beautiful pattern projection, field peak-to-flat adjustment, and a full library of Source Four lens tubes.
Source 4WRD Color II includes ETC’s industry leading 5-year fixture, 10-year array warranty.
Specialized, professional condenser microphones can take complex sound from the live stage to the next level. The trick is choosing mics that seamlessly combine to capture the true sound of the stage. That’s where the 2012 Compact Cardioidand the2015 Wide Cardioid Microphones come into play. Use them together, blending natural-sounding instrument close miking with amazing overhead ambient pick up to broaden and enrich the full sound picture.
The 2012 and 2015 are designed specifically for live stage applications. They are designed to help the sound engineer work efficiently with strict deadlines, physical limitations and challenging environments, while at the same time embracing the passion and spontaneity of the artists.
Both mics combine durable, reinforced construction with natural and precise sound reproduction – important characteristics for the live stage. In addition, DPA offers a wide range of mics optimized for live stage use, all of which capture natural sound that can be blended together easily.
2012 Compact Cardioid Microphone
The 2012 Compact Cardioid Microphone is an all-around generalist pencil mic that guarantees excellent results on any instrument on a live stage.
Durable, reinforced construction
Excellent transient response
Uniform cardioid directionality
Outstanding SPL handling
Natural and precise sound reproduction
The 2012 Compact Cardioid Mic is the best all-around, generalist mic that you can find to cover a wide range of close-miking needs on the live stage. It is a robust and reliable condenser mic, best for single instrument pickup. Its specifically powerful characteristics make it an extremely flexible mic that will shine on many instruments, particularly those in the high-frequency range.
2015 Wide Cardioid Microphone
The 2015 Compact Wide Cardioid Microphone is for ambient pick up of a drum kit or other instrument groups.
Durable, reinforced construction
Uniform wide cardioid directionality
Spacious sound due to a wide cardioid pick-up pattern
Natural and precise sound reproduction
Compact design for unobtrusive placement on stage
In a live situation when a conventional cardioid pattern isn’t quite open enough, choose a pair of 2015 Compact Wide Cardioids. They work ideally as overheads to capture a balanced sound of the entire group of instruments, like a drum kit. Also, when recording instrument groups with complex radiation patterns, the wide cardioid (also known as hemispheric, subcardioid or hypocardioid) design covers a greater sound angle and is an excellent choice.
