Universal Dynamic Microphone Version of Industrywide Popular M80

Award-winning TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik is introducing the new M81 universal dynamic cardioid microphone at Muzikmesse 2012. The US company is known worldwide for its impeccable recreations of the classic mics of the past, as well as significant breakthroughs in modern microphone technology.

TELEFUNKEN’s new M81 has a more linear frequency response than the company’s popular M80, resulting in a microphone with the distinct clarity TELEFUNKEN has become famous for, but with a different depth and body to the tone, and less of the M80′s characteristic high-end response.

Over the past few years, the performance of TELEFUNKEN’s M80 has been likened to that of a condenser microphone and has become a staple for vocal and snare drum applications, especially in the world of touring and live performance. As an alternative to the extended top end capabilities of the TELEFUNKEN M80, the new M81 is a tool that is a bit less specialized, giving the microphone more universal application ability.

As with the M80, the new M81 features superior feedback rejection, detailed and balanced frequency response, and a smooth present sound that is never boomy. The M81′s frequency response attenuates the high end, making the mic exceptional on electric guitars, percussion instruments, rack and floor toms, as well as horns, especially the trumpet. It is also a great fit for vocals that do not benefit from the high-end response of the M80.

Finished in the same gray and “tri-chrome” styling as TELEFUNKEN’s R-F-T AR-51, the M81 is easily distinguishable from the black M80. Designed with the AR-51 in mind, the M81′s overall response is complementary to the AR-51 when recording electric guitars. The TELEFUNKEN M81 adds to the new standard for live performance microphones as the second offering in the company’s dynamic range lineup.

Designed for stage and studio use, the M81 offers exceptional performance in a rugged package capable of withstanding the rigors of the road. The package, including the microphone, mic clip and leather carrying bag, sells for $249 USD.

Hear TELEFUNKEN microphones at Muzikmesse, Booth # D97 Hall 5.1
To learn more about TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik, visit: http://www.t-funk.com

RF Management Hits the Right Note for Television’s Longest-Running Latin Music Awards

MIAMI, MARCH 5, 2012—When the Latin music world gathered to honor its biggest and brightest stars for the 24th annual “Premio Lo Nuestro” Music Awards this year at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Professional Wireless Systems (PWS), a Masque Sound Company and experts in supplying and supporting wireless systems for live and broadcast events, was backstage coordinating wireless operations and working to resolve any possible interference issues during the gala. more

KELOWNA, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA: Kelowna Christian Centre (KCC) in Kelowna, British Columbia is many things to many people. It is a contemporary, charismatic church with services that feature a full band, high-energy worship, multi-media presentations, dramatic performances, and dance. It is also a school: kindergarten through twelfth grade for attending students and the largest online school in British Columbia for remote students. Finally, by hosting numerous special events and conferences throughout the year, it is a hub of community life. KCC’s flexible, decade-old sanctuary is heavily used by the church and the school, and also for events, but until recently its multi-media infrastructure and sound reinforcement were outdated and approaching haphazard. Local A/V integrator AVcom Technical Productions designed and installed a new state-of-the-art A/V system centered on Danley Sound Labs loudspeakers and subwoofers.

The original installation had its share of problems from the more

ROSELAND, NEW JERSEY: Saints Nicholas Constantine and Helen (SNCH) Greek Orthodox Church recently completed construction of a beautiful and inspiring new building in Roseland, New Jersey. Although orthodox in religious doctrine, SNCH was open to incorporating cutting-edge technologies in order to maximize the impact of its services and events. Audio Incorporated of nearby Roselle Park, New Jersey designed and installed a sound reinforcement system centered on Ashly Audio that accommodates three simultaneous methods of control: Ashly WR Series wall mounted remotes, wireless iPad control via a Crestron interface, and Ashly’s new FR-16 network fader remote. Via a single Ethernet cable, the affordable Ashly FR-16 provides a bank of faders and push buttons that the integrator can assign to any function inside an Ashly processor.

“Our design started with Ashly’s ne24.24M signal processor,” explained Mike Sinclair, president and owner of Audio Incorporated. “The reliability more

SAFETY HARBOR, FLORIDA: When The Kills went on a tidy fifteen-show tour of North America in support of Blood Pressures (Domino Records), culminating in their ten year anniversary show in New York City, they brought along trusted FOH and recording engineer Philip Harvey (Modest Mouse, White Stripes). In addition to delivering the tuneful and carefully-crafted lo-fi of The Kills to the fans who flocked to see the duo in the flesh, Harvey was also charged with the task of recording the shows. On loan from the Amsterdam Recording Company, where he serves as head engineer, Harvey crossed the ocean with his trusted Metric Halo interfaces and the confidence that they would capture the musical soul of the band’s performance night after night.

Harvey was introduced to Metric Halo gear and software during his seven-year tenure as the FOH engineer with Medeski Martin & Wood. “It was around 2000 when the folks from Metric Halo approached the band,” he explained. “They showed me the Metric Halo Mobile I/O 2882, which was their top-of-the-line interface at the time. I was amazed to learn that I could reliably record twenty-four tracks with my Macintosh G3 laptop and three 2882s. The thing had something like 256 MB of RAM, and with all the processing taken care of by the Mobile I/Os, Metric Halo could always coax an incredible performance out of it.” At the same time, Metric Halo demonstrated its SpectraFoo sound analysis software to Harvey. “Since then, I’ve used all the other programs, including a few quirky iPad apps, but nothing compares to the smooth, musical performance of SpectraFoo,” he said. “I’ve come to trust the tight correspondence between the reality of what I’m hearing and its visual representation in SpectraFoo.”

Because The Kills only had a trailer for gear on this tour, Harvey had to keep his rig as light and compact as possible. A Digidesign SC48 digital console fit the bill and still afforded him plenty of flexibility. He installed a XO16 output card into the SC48 to feed sixteen channels or groups to his Metric Halo ULN-8. In addition, he tracked both the mix output from the board and a M/S pair of AKG 414s as audience microphones with his Metric Halo Mobile I/O 2882. In all, he recorded twenty inputs of every performance using Metric Halo’s rock-solid MIO Console software to the custom installed internal hybrid hard drive on his 2011 MacBook Pro. After doing some experiments in rehearsals, Harvey determined that the whole rig sounded significantly better if he let the Metric Halo ULN-8 serve as the master clock.

“Since I’ve been working with Metric Halo equipment for over a decade, I’ve come to appreciate the company’s extreme commitment to ensuring that everything it sells is future-proof,” said Harvey. “It is the exact opposite of the ‘planned obsolescence’ business model that pervades the industry. I bought the MIO 2882 I use today in 2000, and then a couple of years ago they sold me a 2d card for a fraction of the price of a new interface… it increased its processing power by a factor of five! What other company is that serious? And then, of course, you have the ULN-8, which sounds absolutely amazing. Between the pre-amps, converters and clocking, I use it when recording, mixing, and mastering. It reveals things in the mix that other interfaces completely smear over.”

Harvey used the fifth input on the Metric Halo 2882 to feed an Earthworks TC40k omni-directional mic to the Metric Halo SpectraFoo sound analysis software that was constantly up and running on his MacBook Pro. “It’s all the routine stuff that SpectraFoo makes easy,” he said. “I adjusted the soundcheck mix to compensate for all the bodies present at the show. I watched for frequency buildups. I watched my volume by calibrating the volume to an SPL meter, which is a simple thing to do with SpectraFoo. I even used it to identify the precise delay time between the board and the ambient mics, which is crucial when going back to mix these live recordings.” When not on the road, Harvey uses SpectraFoo at the Amsterdam Recording Company to analyze the recording and control rooms and to deliver consistent, error-free mixes.

Harvey has logged many hours of live recording with his Metric Halo interfaces, notably, he recorded Under The Great White Northern Lights while on tour with The White Stripes in 2008. Although the fate of these particular recordings is not yet determined, it’s a good bet that they’ll find their way to fans in many forms. Recordings from previous tours have been available on The Kills’ website, on live videos, and as promotions on other websites.

ABOUT METRIC HALO Now based in the sunny city of Safety Harbor, Florida, Metric Halo provides the world with high-resolution metering, analysis, recording and processing solutions with award-winning software and future-proof hardware. www.mhlabs.com

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA: When Late Night with Jimmy Fallon took over the Hilbert Circle Theater in Indianapolis during the week leading up to Super Bowl XLVI, the city fell head over heels for the undeniably charming host. In turn, Fallon helped the nation fall in love with Indianapolis, a city in need of a morale boost (the bitter irony of hosting professional football’s greatest event after the Colts finished an abysmal 2-14 season was a bit much to take). The show hired Wireless First/Clair Global to deliver technically flawless audio, as well as frequency coordination in an airspace that was saturated in the week leading up to the Super Bowl. True to form, Wireless First/Clair Global came through – both for the prerecorded shows and Super Bowl Sunday’s live-to-air show – using state-of-the-art proprietary technologies, including the new Clair Global CF 1090 Fractal Antenna and more

Peavey is offering specially fitted protective covers to match the Peavey® PR® 12 and PR 15 loudspeaker enclosures when customers purchase a pair of either of these best-selling Peavey PR models.

Customers who purchase a pair of Peavey PR 12 or PR 15 loudspeaker enclosures can qualify to receive the enclosure covers by rebate. This offer is valid for purchases made between March 1, 2012, and April 30, 2012, from authorized Peavey retailers in the U.S. and Canada (excluding Quebec).

Visit www.peavey.com/rebates/PRenclosures for complete rules and to download the official rebate form. Some restrictions apply.

The two-way Peavey PR 12 and PR 15 passive enclosures deliver superior sound quality, durability and high-power handling—400W program and 800W peak—by utilizing the most advanced materials. PR Series enclosures incorporate an RX14™ 1.4-inch titanium diaphragm compression driver with high-frequency tweeter protection and 1-inch exit for crisp, clear highs; a premium 12-inch woofer (PR 12) or 15-inch woofer (PR 15) with 2-3/8-inch voice coil; a heavy-duty crossover for reliable operation at high power levels; and a constant directivity horn with consistent sound distribution.

The Peavey PR 12 and PR 15 are both housed in lightweight, road-worthy molded polypropylene enclosures with durable steel grilles. Molded-in pole mounts and top and bottom flying inserts provide ultimate versatility.

The protective covers for the Peavey PR 12 and PR 15 are made of strong nylon, and feature a draw string at the bottom to hold the cover in place and a Velcro® flap that helps keep out moisture.

The Peavey PR 12 ($249.99 U.S. MSRP) and PR 15 ($349.99 U.S. MSRP) are available now from authorized Peavey retailers. Please visit www.peavey.com/dealerlocator to find the Peavey dealer nearest you.

About Peavey®
Founded in 1965, Peavey® is one of the world’s largest manufacturers and suppliers of musical instruments and professional sound equipment. Peavey has earned more than 180 patents and distributes to more than 130 countries. Peavey and its MediaMatrix®, Architectural Acoustics®, Crest Audio®, Composite Acoustics® and Trace Elliot® brands and affiliates can be found on concert stages and in more than 10,000 airports, stadiums, theme parks and other venues around the world. To find out more, visit www.peavey.com.
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Los Angeles, California, March 1, 2012: This year’s Grammy Awards event, hosted by LL Cool J, celebrating music’s biggest night, went down in history as the second highest rated telecast since the show’s inception in 1959. It was a phenomenal undertaking showcasing nearly thirty diverse musical performances on multiple indoor and outdoor stages, along with a very last minute tribute celebrating the late Whitney Houston. So when Sennheiser artists took the stage, their engineers knew they had to have Sennheiser microphones to assure their performances would go off without a hitch.

Adele, the big winner of the evening, tied the record, set two years ago by Beyoncé, for the most awards won by a female artist in one year. The 23-year-old pop-soul singer won the night’s most prestigious awards, including Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for 21, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Short Form Music Video for the single “Rolling in the Deep,” and Best Pop Solo Performance for “Someone Like You.”

The most highly anticipated performance of the evening finally arrived when Adele took the stage to perform “Rolling in the Deep.” Her favorite nickel-finish Sennheiser SKM 2000-XP wireless handheld transmitter with MMK 965-1 capsule conveyed her beautiful voice to the adoring crowd. Dave McDonald, Adele’s front-of-house engineer, said, “It’s a great microphone. We started using it just after the Brit Awards in February of last year, and she’s loved it ever since.” He adds, “Ninety-nine-point-nine percent of the equipment we use is Sennheiser – and the point-one percent is Neumann.” Her performance brought the Grammy audience to its feet for the longest standing ovation of the evening.

Foo Fighters, nominated in a total of six categories, swept the entire rock category, winning awards for Rock Song and Rock Performance for “Walk,” Rock Album for Wasting Light, Hard Rock/Metal Performance for “White Limo,” and Best Long Form Music Video for “Foo Fighters: Back and Forth.”

The band rocked the stage twice during the Grammy broadcast, performing “Walk” from a tent on Nokia Plaza, adjacent to the Staples Center, then returning to play “Rope” during the electronic dance music segment with David Guetta, Chris Brown, Lil’ Wayne, and deadmau5. Frontman Dave Grohl made use of his usual Sennheiser MD 431 II vocal mic on both songs. Ian Beveridge, Foo Fighters’ longtime monitor engineer, spoke highly of Dave’s vocal mic: “I love that microphone to death. That microphone is so unbelievably flat in the high-end, and incredibly stable with moisture and temperature. During their shows, we used to have terrible instability problems with other microphones, and I was going through maybe four, five or six microphones a show with Dave, swapping them out. Now, I keep the 431 for the whole show. I can’t remember the last time there was any feedback during Foo Fighters’ show. And these Grammy performances were no exception.”

Bruno Mars, channeling James Brown with his energetic, throwback performance of “Runaway”, had the singer using an SKM 2000-XP with MMD 945-1 capsule. James Berry, monitor engineer for Mars shared, “Sennheiser products have great sound and reliability. We could not have done it without Sennheiser. I’m always grateful for their gear and support in making it happen under the stress of a live event like the Grammys.”

Other Sennheiser users got to shine during the show, too, including the evening’s host, LL Cool J, who made use of an SKM 5200. Alicia Keys sang a duet with Bonnie Raitt in memory of Etta James through her SKM 5200-II vocal mic with MD 5235 capsule. Katy Perry made a memorable entrance, descending in a glass box with her baby blue hair and her SKM 5200-II/MD 5235 combination to perform her new post-divorce song, “Part of Me.” During a medley honoring and featuring Glen Campbell, Blake Shelton performed the songwriter’s “Southern Nights” using his SKM 5200-II /MD 5235 vocal mic. Tony Bennett, in a duet with Carrie Underwood on “It Had to Be You,” also used an SKM 5200-II.

(Photo Credit: © 2012 FilmMagic)

New York, NY––A New Year’s Eve celebration for the ages, this 3-day event put on by the legendary 4-story, 30,000 square foot night club Pacha New York featured world renowned DJ, remixer and producer Avicii backed by a Martin Audio system from Advanced Audio Technology.

Avicii, whose real name is Tim Bergling, had a Top 20 hit in 2010 with his debut single, “Bromance.” He followed that in 2011 with “Levels” which became a Top 10 single throughout Europe, Australia, and the UK. That same year, he was ranked 6th in the Top 100 DJs list by DJ Magazine.

Held at Pier 94, the event was attended by over 45,000 club goers dancing to over 60 straight hours of non-stop earth-shaking house/electronic music from Avicii, Victor Calderone, Cazzette, Boris Benassi and others without a break.

Asked to describe specific audio challenges during the event, Advanced Audio’s Jason Ojeda responded, “I designed the system with Mark Ramsay to be played at 125dB for a 60 hour run with very little stress on drivers and amplifiers. We’re happy to report that there were no failures. If we needed to get a little more out of the W8LCs at certain points, we had no problems doing that. All of the artists walked into the space and couldn’t believe the Martin Audio rig they were hearing because the detail in the upper frequency range was outstanding.”

Based on a DISPLAY modeling software design, the mammoth Martin Audio system was comprised of 48 W8LC enclosures, 10 flown WLX subs, 28 ground-stacked WSX subs, 12 WS218X subs and six W8VDQ differential dispersion loudspeakers, all driven by Lab Gruppen PLM 20,000Q and PLM 10,000Qs. The Advanced Audio crew included Jason Ojeda (FOH), Angelo Poulos (Monitors) and system techs Craig Allen, Aaron Kovachik and Jonathan Snyder.

Summing up his reactions about how the system worked for the event, Ojeda said, “We chose Martin Audio because of its amazing audio detail and rock solid bass. With electronic music playback, you need a ton of bottom end. Between the WSX And flown WLX the street was vibrating all the way down to 42nd St And 11th Avenues. Since the event was on the pier of the West Wide highway and 58th St., I think Martin accomplished that goal for us!”

For more about Martin Audio, please click to www.martin-audio.com.

About Martin Audio®
Founded by audio engineer David Martin in 1971, Martin Audio pioneered the use of all-horn-loaded bass designs in world-class touring loudspeaker systems for groups such as Pink Floyd, ELP and Supertramp. Located outside of London, Martin Audio now embodies a sophisticated mix of acoustic design, research, mathematical modeling and software engineering for a wide range of products in the installation, cinema and touring sound markets.

––W8LCi Line Array Installed At Duycker––

Martin Audio has taken the lead in equipping premier concert venues in the Amsterdam region in partnership with their Dutch distributors, TM Audio.

Following landmark installations in the iconic clubs Paradiso and Melkweg in the past few years, a Martin Audio W8LCi compact line array system has now been installed in Duycker, the latest Amsterdam rock venue and cultural center.

Owned by the local government, and situated near Schiphol Airport in the affluent town of Hoofddorp, the complex is comprised of two live rooms and a café bar, where sound reinforcement is provided by Martin Audio’s stylish AQ architectural line.

The Martin Audio W8LCi solution was chosen for installation in the large, 850-capacity room after the line array approach had been compared with modular systems by experienced freelance sound engineer, Gerald Chermin, who was brought in as technical director to streamline the routing and optimize the system.

With a large balcony affecting both sightlines and coverage patterns posing a problem, Chermin used all the experience he had gained working with companies such as Ampco to assemble some of the market leading systems in a competitive shoot-out.

“We assembled a panel of different sound engineers, with one person tuning all the systems. We realized the line array approach would overcome both balcony coverage sightline issues, whereas going modular would have required too many boxes.”

The system has been specifically designed to provide plenty of headroom, and is based around seven W8LCi enclosures per side, with one W8LCDi Downfill at the base. Six Martin Audio WS218X subs are stacked, three a side, to provide LF extension.

The main system is run three way, but driven in four separate parts by a combination of Martin Audio MA6.8Q and Powersoft K8/K10 amplifiers, processed via XTA DC1048 4-in/8-out DSP. Three DiGiCo SD8’s have been provided for FOH, monitor (and portable) duties.

“We have definitely made the right choice with the Martin Audio system, which is proving popular with incoming production crews,” stated Gerald. “We chose the system not only because it represented excellent value for money but the fact that it could be divided up into four separate sections.

“We also knew we could depend on excellent back-up from TM Audio and [sister company] Lightco, who have provided the lighting.”

Meanwhile in the café bar, music sourced from a DJ or computer and mixed via an Allen & Heath GR2 9-input, 4-output analog zone mixer, is played out through four Martin Audio AQ8’s, two AQ6’s and an AQ210 (2 x 10) sub, managed by a dedicated AQX system controller.

The arrival of Vari-Lites in the near future will place the final piece in the lighting jigsaw—operating under the control of Lightco-supplied Avolites desks. But the local population already has a leading destination venue—with a cutting edge technical infrastructure and live entertainment package—to kick-start their weekends.

Photos: The main room at Duycker, viewed from the auditorium and from the stage

For more about Martin Audio, please click to www.martin-audio.com.

About Martin Audio®
Founded by audio engineer David Martin in 1971, Martin Audio pioneered the use of all-horn-loaded bass designs in world-class touring loudspeaker systems for groups such as Pink Floyd, ELP and Supertramp. Located outside of London, Martin Audio now embodies a sophisticated mix of acoustic design, research, mathematical modeling and software engineering for a wide range of products in the installation, cinema and touring sound markets.