LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 2008: June 27th saw a wide range of high-profile artists such as Annie Lennox, Leona Lewis, the Sugababes and Will Smith assemble in London’s Hyde Park for a concert to mark the 90th birthday of the former president of South Africa – and global icon – Nelson Mandela. And with Sennheiser on hand to continue its tradition of supplying microphones, wireless monitoring systems and full technical support, both the artists and the huge audience were assured of enjoying every vocal nuance.

Organized by 46664, Nelson Mandela’s global HIV AIDS awareness campaign, the concert was a celebration of Mr. Mandela’s 90th year and marked the 20th anniversary of the Free Nelson Mandela concert staged at Wembley in 1988. The concert also raised funds for his 46664 campaign to fight HIV and AIDS worldwide. This was the fifth 46664 concert that Sennheiser has supported, continuing a long-standing relationship with the charity.

Working in association with the event’s audio production company, Britannia Row, Sennheiser not only supplied equipment but also a high-profile technical team to the event, including Mark Saunders (UK Artists Relations Manager), Dave Hawker (UK Technical Director) and Sam Davison (UK Service Manager).

Sennheiser equipment supplied throughout the event included ew 300 G2 wireless monitoring systems, SKM 5200/EM 3532 wireless microphone and receiver systems, SKM 935/EM 550 wireless mic and receiver systems, evolution series wired microphones and Neumann wired microphones.

With such a large event and range of artists, working out the radio frequencies for both vocal mics and monitoring was a potential minefield. However, Sennheiser’s experience at these events, and its close working relationship with Britannia Row, ensured that no problems occurred.

“Having worked alongside Britannia Row on previous large-scale events such as Live 8, Live Earth and the previous four Mandela 46664 concerts, we employed a tried and tested set-up,” says Dave Hawker. “This allowed a seamless RF system that covered all the potential problems encountered with a large stage area, combined with an ever-changing bill of artists.”

“The event also allowed a coordinated working partnership between Sennheiser, Britannia Row and radio licensing company JFMG, who allowed greater control over parts of the radio spectrum, meaning that the event frequency planning was easier to calculate and manage.”

Several regular Sennheiser users performed at the show, including Annie Lennox, Leona Lewis and the Sugababes. All of the ‘visiting’ vocalists who performed with the show’s house band – including Amy Winehouse and Jamelia – used either e 935 wired or SKM 935 wireless vocal microphones.

A number of top performers, including Annie Lennox, Leona Lewis, Will Smith, Geri Halliwell and various presenters, used Sennheiser’s latest wireless transmitter, the SKM 5200, which combines the best elements of the SKM 5000 N, including use of the Neumann KK 105 S capsule, with redesigned mechanics, electronics and user interface to fulfill the most demanding requirements of prestigious live events.

“For a singer of Leona’s style, the SKM 5200 provides the perfect balance. The mic captures ever nuance of her voice and the wireless system transmits it perfectly without losing anything,” says Lewis’s front-of-house engineer Dave Wooster. “I really like Sennheiser’s mics. The Neumann capsule is the most forgiving with ambient noise, it really makes a difference because the signal I am dealing with at FOH sounds exactly as it should. It’s like being in a studio – you hear everything that she does.”

“For me there is no better option on the market. From her voice through the capsule, through the conversion and back again, it’s the best. I have carte blanche to use whatever I want for Leona’s vocal mic and the SKM 5200 is what I choose.”

SENNHEISER
Sennheiser is a world-leading manufacturer of microphones, headphones and wireless transmission systems. Established in 1945 in Wedemark, Germany, Sennheiser is now a global brand represented in 60 countries around the world with U.S. headquarters in Old Lyme, Connecticut. Sennheiser’s pioneering excellence in technology has rewarded the company with numerous awards and accolades including an Emmy, a Grammy, and the Scientific and Engineering Award of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

For more information, please visit www.sennheiserusa.com

(PHOTO CAPTION) Singer Annie Lennox (left) performed during the 46664 concert in honor of former South African President Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday in Hyde Park, London. The three-hour gig supported Mandela’s 46664 campaign against HIV/AIDS. (PHOTO CREDIT: Shaun Curry/AFP/Getty Images)

INDIANAPOLIS, IN — Auralex Acoustics, the leader in sound control solutions, recently scored an A+ from Chicago’s Flashpoint Academy when the company outfitted the College’s new Recording Arts Suites with its best-selling acoustical treatment products. more

Demonstrating the time-proven performance of JBL loudspeakers across product lines for even the most demanding house of worship environments, Westbury National Show Systems installed JBL loudspeaker systems at the Richmond Hill Chinese Community Church as well as the Scarborough Chinese Baptist Church, both located in Ontario, Canada. The installation at Richmond Hill was part of an extension to the existing facility, with the addition of a 1,600-seat worship sanctuary, while the installation at Scarborough was part of a brand-new, uniquely designed church with a sanctuary capacity of 1,000 people.

The Richmond Hill Chinese Community Church features a main PA system that includes a center cluster of three JBL PD5322/43 loudspeakers, which are hung above the main stage area and include a JBL PD5322/64 loudspeaker on each side. Westbury also installed two JBL VPSB7118 subwoofers in the stage. There are eight AC2212/64 loudspeakers installed in the over balcony area and eight MS28 loudspeakers installed in the under balcony area. The system is complimented with a choir fill system containing three JBL AC2212 loudspeakers that are located behind the main center cluster.

The driving forces behind this extensive JBL system are Crown CTs series amplifiers. Three CTs2000 amplifiers are driving the high fills while five CTs3000 amplifiers are driving low fills. Four Crown CTs1200 amplifiers drive each of the over- and under-balcony loudspeakers respectively. Two CTs6000 amps power the high fills for the choir and two CTs1200 amps power the low fill. The audio distribution is done from the front of house console through four BSS Soundweb BLU 80’s and three BLU 32’s.

David VanVeldhuisen, CTS, project manager of Westbury National Show Systems, states, “The PD Series loudspeaker is a great product and the Crown amps were a great match. We get very good quality of sound from PD series loudspeakers and they’re easy to install.�

One of the main challenges faced in the design of the sanctuary was its circular shape. VanVeldhuisen continues by stating, “It’s a unique church in that it’s a circular. There’s a point of origin at the stage and it spreads out in a circular fashion from there.�

The brand-new Scarborough Chinese Baptist Church is a uniquely designed church with a long stage and four seating sections that accommodate a total of 1,000 people. Westbury National Show Systems installed an audio system featuring a left/right setup containing two JBL VP7315/64 loudspeakers and one VP7215/95 loudspeaker on each side. Each cluster also includes one VP7212/64 for stage fill and two SB7118 subwoofers that is hung from the ceiling.

The Scarborough Chinese Baptist Church also features six JBL EON10 loudspeakers as stage monitors, while the lobby area and the nursery include JBL Control 26CT loudspeakers and two EON10 stage monitors. Westbury also installed a BSS Soundweb BLU 80 and BLU 32 system for DSP functions. A Crown CTS600 drives the lobby. The chapel has two AC2212/64 speakers, two EON10 stage monitors and a Crown
CTS600 amplifier.

According to VanVeldhuisen, the installation at Scarborough Chinese Baptist Church was a success. “The church loves the sound, we achieved great coverage from the system,� he said. “The onboard power of the VP Series made the project much more convenient, because we had limited space for racks. It greatly simplifies the installation process and it’s a nice box that’s easy to address.�

For more information on Westbury National Show Systems, please visit www.westbury.com.

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Demonstrating the weather durability and output capability of JBL Professional’s Precision Directivity (PD) Series and Application Engineered (AE) Series loudspeakers, systems integrator C.V. Lloyde Music Center utilized WRX weather resistant versions of these speakers in a new scoreboard loudspeaker system at the University of Illinois Memorial Stadium. Home to the University of Illinois football team, Memorial Stadium now holds more than 65,000 fans after renovations over the past few years.

With the goal of providing a high-impact loudspeaker system to augment the existing sound system, C.V. Lloyde Music Center chose JBL loudspeakers for their weather-resistant durability and sonic accuracy. “We have used JBL loudspeakers for more than 12 years and have always been impressed with their weatherproofing,� said C.V. Lloyde. “The loudspeakers also needed to be aesthetically discreet and not visually interfere with the scoreboard itself. Plus, I felt comfortable installing JBL speakers above the main scoreboard at Memorial Stadium, which is such a vulnerable position because of the weather.�

To that end, C.V. Lloyde Music Center installed two JBL PD5200/43-WRX loudspeakers (one on each side of the scoreboard), two PD5200/95-WRX loudspeakers, and three AM6212/64-WRX loudspeakers across the front of the scoreboard, mounted to the roof. All loudspeakers are located above the new scoreboard, which measures 60 x 10 feet in size.

“I have been a JBL dealer since 1969, and JBL is like family to me,� Lloyde said. “I always have a lot of confidence in their loudspeakers, whether it’s a church, a sports facility or a performance space. Our installation of JBL PD Series and AE Series loudspeakers at Memorial Stadium is a great example of JBL’s ability to provide loudspeakers that work harmoniously across product lines.�

“As more stadiums are undergoing renovations and upgrades to their physical structures as well as their communication technology, system integrators are adopting a JBL solution,� said Jon Sager, Director of Market Development, Installed Sound for JBL Professional. “The installation of JBL PD and AE Series loudspeakers at the University of Illinois not only demonstrates C.V. Lloyde’s professional expertise, but also exemplifies the worldwide recognition of JBL’s ability to provide clear, powerful and easy-to-install loudspeaker systems for these applications. Whether it be a complete loudspeaker system or a few additional loudspeakers to improve coverage in newly renovated or added spaces JBL has a solution.�

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