Latest news from UK musical instrument and pro audio distributor.
Sound Technology Ltd is the exclusive UK distributor of AKG, BSS Audio, Crown, dbx Pro, EBS, JBL Professional, Lexicon Pro, Kurzweil, Larrivée Guitars, Nord Keyboards, Propellerhead, Randall, Solid State Logic, Soundcraft and Washburn.
Sound Technology Ltd, Nord Keyboards distributor in the UK/ROI, is pleased to confirm the new Nord Piano 2 HP - an ultra-lightweight 73-note hammer-action version of the Piano 2 - will ship in the UK by the end of May.
The Nord Piano 2 HP (Hammer-action Portable) features a 73-note fully-weighted E-E keybed, an identical feature set to the acclaimed Piano 2 HA88, and weighs just 11kg.
The Piano 2 comes loaded with a selection of amazing sounds from the Nord Piano Library - Nord's specialized library for Grand, Upright and Electric Pianos, Clavinet and Harpsichords. All the sounds have been recorded using state-of-the-art sampling techniques to capture the extraordinary nuances and unique characters of the source instruments and covers everything from brilliant, factory new Grand Pianos to detuned upright bar pianos.
Since new additions to the Piano Library can be downloaded free, the sounds in your Piano 2 can always be updated and upgraded. Replacing the sounds is simply a matter of dragging and dropping files in the Nord Sound Manager for Mac and Windows.
The Piano 2 also features a Sample Synth section compatible with the Nord Sample Library, giving access to a library of over 1000 quality sounds and the ability to add your own. This Synth section can be split and layered with the Piano Section.
Like all Nord keyboards, the Piano 2 HP is hand-built in Sweden. A Nord factory tour video is available here.
The Piano 2 HP will ship in the UK by the end of a 2013 priced at £1999 RRP inc VAT.
Free samples for the Stage 2 Series, Piano 2 Series, Wave and Electro 3/4 from an ultra rare creature with digital teeth
The Hound was a digital synthesizer module with analogue filters (VCF) developed in the late nineties by the Dutch company Cirko Electronics. Although it received good reviews when released, only 20 units were ever produced. It had a special "fatness" parameter that gave the sound more meat when applying a lot of resonance, 4-outputs and was 16-part multitimbral. Thanks to Eric van den Berk for making these samples!
Listen to some sound examples here or click, tap or teleport yourself over to the Synth section to download the sounds!
The Nord Sample Library is compatible with the Nord Electro 3/4, Nord Stage 2, Nord Wave and Nord Piano 2-series.
"With its loop slicing, mixer improvements and External MIDI Instrument device, Reason 7 is another must-get upgrade, 9/10".
Praise for the latest update to Propellerhead's DAW, Reason 7, continues in this month's Computer Music magazine where it receives the magazine's 'Performance Award' and a 9 out of 10 rating.
"Reason can now absolutely be considered a comprehensive DAW offering an immense level of power and flexibility without sacrificing its trademark ease-of-use. We barely cracked the manual with this one".
"Propellerhead Software have once again taken their own time and tact, and it pays off in Reason's unshakable stability, stellar sound and increasingly impressive feature set".
The full review can be found in the latest issue of Computer Music magazine (Issue 192, July 2013) on sale now. Propellerhead Reason 7 is also available now at £349 RRP inc VAT or as an upgrade (from any previous version of Reason) for £99 RRP inc VAT. For more information please click here.
Sound Technology Ltd, the HARMAN distributor in the UK and ROI, is pleased to provide additional sales and support services for installed audio clients thanks to the creation of Business Development Manager to work alongside technical Project Team.
The Project Team at Sound Technology was set-up four years ago provide pre and post sale support for customers and clients involved in medium to large scale audio projects. The team provides a local base of technical expertise and system design skills to work with customers and consultants on HARMAN audio system solutions for installation projects.
To allow the Project Team to focus purely on technical solutions and design work, Joe East has been promoted to a new role of Business Development Manager - Installed Audio. Joe has been at Sound Technology Ltd since the company purchased Harman Pro UK in 2008, and was at Harman Pro UK for 2 years prior to that. He comes with an immense amount of knowledge and experience of HARMAN system solutions. Together with the obvious aim of further increasing larger-scale audio project business, Joe's role is to act as liaison between all relevant parties of a project to ensure it runs smoothly.
Photo above: Joe East, Sound Technology's Business Development Manager - Installed Audio
In addition, Hugo Burnard has joined the technical project team itself, working as project engineer alongside Senior Project Engineer Ben Todd and Product Specialist Danny Kyte. Hugo is an audio engineering graduate who joins Sound Technology Ltd from TOA Corporation.
Combining category leading brands of JBL, Crown, BSS, AKG, Soundcraft, Lexicon and dbx, the HARMAN portfolio provides all the components required to provide guaranteed results for installed audio projects of any scale. As UK distributor Sound Technology Ltd is committed to providing world-class local support for such projects.
"It's very approachable, instant and fun to use while at the same time providing serious tools that can help you quickly make great recordings. Crucially the Props have managed all this while keeping it friendly and efficient, which goes a long way towards getting the technology out of the way and letting you make music".
Published earlier this month on MusicTech magazine's website, the review of Propellerhead Reason 7 is now available to read in full in the magazine.
"Reason 7 brings some important and welcome new features and edges the software closer to being the serious studio tool that it has always promised it could be. It still takes a different approach to Logic, Cubase, Pro Tools et al, but this is one of its strengths and indeed part of the driving force behind many people's love for it".
The full review can be found in the latest issue of MusicTech magazine (Issue 123, June 2013) on sale now. Propellerhead Reason 7 is also available now at £349 RRP inc VAT or as an upgrade (from any previous version of Reason) for £99 RRP inc VAT. For more information please click here.
The AKG D12VR is a premium dynamic microphone for live sound and recording applications, offering performance, quality and style for every application from instruments to vocals. Audio Media give their verdict in the latest issue of the magazine.
"Between different kicks with different resonances, a wide variety of heads on the market, a multitude of beater/pad combinations, and every genre of music having different kick tonal characteristics, no one go-to kick mic is going to meet all professional needs".
"However, the D12VR does offer as much, if not more, versatility as any other single bass drum mic available. It's not a cheap microphone, but solidly designed, and - based on the longevity of other AKG kick mics I've used over the years - I think it's a wise choice for a kick drum mic".
The full review can be found in the latest issue of Audio Media magazine (Issue 270, May 2013) on sale now. The AKG D12VR is also available now at £349 RRP inc VAT.
"It's cool playing guitar in space because it floats in front of you. You don't need a strap!" Commander Chris Hadfield
Back in 2001 a Larrivée parlour acoustic guitar was delivered to the International Space Station on NASA's space shuttle Discovery mission STS-105. Since then it has completed tens of thousands orbits of the earth, making it almost certainly the world's most travelled instrument.
We posted a story last year in which Commander Chris Hadfield talked about the guitar, playing the guitar on the Space Station, and the fact that he was working on plans to showcase more music from space!
The guitar was originally delivered to the Space Station over a decade ago - the nearest equivalent today is a P-03 model. All Larrivée Guitars are hand-built in Canada and the USA, featuring stunning attention to detail and critically, all solid-wood construction using the very best tonewoods, still often sourced personally from around the world by company founder Jean Larrivée. The line-up ranges from small Parlour guitars (such as the one on the Space Station) starting at £899, to exquisite one-of-a-kind custom shop models costing multiple thousand pounds.
Crush Drums and UK distributor Sound Technology Ltd are so happy and proud to announce that Poogie Bell has joined the Crush family.
Poogie is a drumming legend that has played with Chaka Khan, Marcus Miller, Erika Badu and Roberta Flack as well as doing solo work with Poogie Bell Band. He is an amazing clinician and a fantastic addition to our already stellar lineup of artists.
Launched in 2011, Crush Drums & Percussion is a company created by drummers for drummers. Not only do we constantly look for new ways to innovate and excite through our products, we make a conscious effort to include the needs and thoughts of drummers in every step of development. In just two years, Crush has been very fortunate to have been so well received by drummers all over the world, including our ever expanding roster of amazing artists. http://www.crushdrum.com
Crush Drums are distributed in the UK and ROI by Sound Technology Ltd
"Paul Stanley's new Washburn signature is battle-scarred to perfection".
As part of the magazine's 'First Look' feature, the US Custom Shop built Washburn Time Traveler PS2012R Starfire is included in Total Guitar magazine this month.
Beautifully photographed, the article also features a short interview with Gord Miller from GM Vintage Restorations who undertakes the relic'ing process.
The June issue (issue 241) of Total Guitar magazine is on sale now. The Washburn Time Traveler PS2012R Starfire is also available now at £5999 RRP.
Introduced in 2010, Larrivée -02 Series guitars have been something of a revelation in bringing genuine value to the quality acoustic guitar market, offering as they do renowned Larrivée build quality and tone in a series of all-solid wood guitars starting at just £849 inc VAT.
Larrivée and UK distributor Sound Technology Ltd are pleased to announce an expansion to the range with -02E electro versions in the same three body shapes plus a new cutaway model. Acoustic magazine review the Larrivée OM-02E this month awarding a 4.5 out of 5 rating in all test result categories (Build Quality, Sound Quality and Value for Money).
"For all the talk of this guitar being a budget Larrivée, to think of the OM-02E as such would be a crime. Granted, there's no fancy decoration or rare materials worked into this guitar, but instead there's a sense of graceful minimalism that is a sight to behold in its own right".
"You even get a DVD showing extra insight into the manufacturing process and a picture of the tree your slice of spruce was taken from. It's a really nice touch and immediately gets you scanning the rest of the guitar to revel in the quality of its construction".
"The OM-02E's tones are classic orchestra, with a distinctive mid-range response and a tighter bottom-end than you would find on a larger bodied instrument. String to string balance is very good indeed, making lead runs and chords alike shine with crystal clarity and singing harmonics".
"Close your eyes and you can almost hear the notes bouncing and reacting off the different tonewoods, gaining depth and a real woody character from the sapele, partnered with the complexity and sparkle of that quality spruce top".
"There can be little doubt that the OM-02E is a spectacularly good guitar for the money. Finding such immaculate, all-solid construction and shimmering, detailed tones for under a grand is not an easy thing to do, but Larrivée has managed to do it. This guitar is deliriously close to perfection".
KT Tunstall is the cover star of this month's Acoustic magazine. In her interview she talks about her newly acquired Washburn R314KK parlour guitar.
"When Tunstall delivers the new songs on her summer and autumn dates, she'll be doing so with the tried and trusted assistance of her Elvis-style Gibson acoustic, plus a newcomer, she says. 'I'm very fond of my Gibson and I'm definitely still using it, but I've also acquired a beautiful little Washburn R314KK parlour guitar, which I'll be using a lot on tour as well. I'm going to be doing a lot of solo stuff, where I really want to get back to the performance being all about songs. A while back I got really into production and really into band sounds, and the chaos of as much as possible. I really enjoyed that, but I've definitely come back to just wanting to present a song in its simplest from. It will be more about getting a great sound with a couple of guitars'".
"Tunstall will also be braving the acoustic/amp/feedback combo this time. 'I'll definitely take the Gibson and the Washburn out and do a bit of experimenting with putting them through an amp', she says. 'It's always tricky to get a good sound that way, but I have faith!'"
The full interview can be found in latest issue of Acoustic magazine (Issue 79, June 2013) on sale now. The Washburn R314KK parlour guitar is also available now at £379 RRP inc VAT.
"It's very approachable, instant and fun to use while at the same time providing serious tools that can help you quickly make great recordings. Crucially the Props have managed all this while keeping it friendly and efficient, which goes a long way towards getting the technology out of the way and letting you make music".
Reason 7 is also reviewed on MusicTech magazine's website this month where the latest update to Propellerhead's DAW is awarded a 10 out of 10 rating.
"Reason 7 brings some important and welcome new features and edges the software closer to being the serious studio tool that it has always promised it could be. It still takes a different approach to Logic, Cubase, Pro Tools et al, but this is one of its strengths and indeed part of the driving force behind many people's love for it".
Propellerhead Reason 7 is available now at £349 RRP inc VAT or as an upgrade (from any previous version of Reason) for £99 RRP inc VAT. For more information please click here.
"Thanks to some well-placed tweaks and deeper features, this is the most refined and powerful version of Reason we've seen yet".
MusicRadar this month review the latest version of Propellerhead's DAW, Reason 7, where it is awarded a 4.5 out of 5 MusicRadar rating.
"There's the long-requested addition of MIDI Out, deeper editing of audio recordings, the ability to convert recordings to REX files, a number of mixer tweaks and the new Audiomatic Retro Transformer effect".
"...dive in and what you'll find is by far the slickest, most refined and most outright usable version of Reason so far".
"Reason's audio engine handles the whole process impeccably too. We drastically retimed bass parts, synth lines and vocal samples and the results were some of the smoothest, most artefact-free we've heard from any DAW".
"It's all a brilliantly smooth and simple process, and one that really opens Reason up to handling audio recording and manipulation tasks that a lot users may well have turned to other DAWs or plugins for in the past".
"Since it was introduced with version 6, the well-modelled and beautifully designed SSL-styled mixer has quickly become one of the best features of Reason - and it's here that we find version 7's trump card. There have been a number of subtle refinements to it that genuinely enhance workflow".
"Reason has always been known for its stability and it comes into its own here; in our test we created multiple parallels of each element of our track, routed everything to busses and even created parallels of our busses. The DAW barely flinched".
"While many of the additions in Reason 7 may appear minor at first glance, they all add up to one of the most enjoyable music making experiences you're likely to find as a computer musician. Everything we've always loved about Reason is still here — it's stable, the audio engine sounds great, it looks brilliant and, while there are no new instruments in this version, Reason still packs some of the best-sounding built-in synths of any DAW".
"The new additions make it more complete than ever. Between the new audio capabilities, MIDI Out and the refined mixer, Reason suddenly feels like a hugely capable bit of production software...there are now more reasons than ever to consider using Propellerhead's DAW as your main music making platform".
Propellerhead Reason 7 is available now at £349 RRP inc VAT or as an upgrade (from any previous version of Reason) for £99 RRP inc VAT. For more information please click here.
Propellerhead and UK distributor Sound Technology Ltd will be showcasing Reason 7 at two events in May. (Whilst both these events are distinctly "South West", be assured we are currently planning many more events throughout the UK over the summer and beyond!)
Reason 7 showcase event at Absolute Music, Poole
Thursday 16th May
Reason 7 will be showcased at Absolute Music's fantastic new store in Poole on Thursday 16th May (7 - 9pm). Propellerhead's own Mattias Häggström Gerdt together with mix engineer Gary Bromham will present the new version and highlight numerous production hints and tips. If you think you know Reason, think again, as Mattias and Gary demonstrate why Reason has rack for mixing, a rack for instruments and a rack for inspiration.
Mattias and Gary will also be at the Analogue To Digital Expo in Exeter on Saturday 18th May. The highly regarded show, at the Exeter Phoenix, brings hundreds of visitors and an impressive exhibitor and guest speaker line-up.
"Jamie Borden dives into a carton of Crush Sublime E3 drums and emerges smiling."
The latest issue of iDrum magazine, published online this week, includes a superb review of the new Crush Drums Sublime E3 kit, the new 100% American Maple kit from Crush.
In his video review, Jamie Borden is clearly impressed by the maple quality and construction, the consistency and look of the green fade sparkle finish.
"The finish is impeccable, consistent with any high end drum company that I've ever seen ... the sparkle is very fine and it's very consistently faded. It really is beautiful, it's stunning."
Jamie is also impressed by numerous elements of the hardware. Namely Crush's unique four -point suspension mount system on the rack tom which keeps the tom fully isolated, the "exceptional" kick drum spurs system and the sturdy leg clamping system of the floor toms.
And in terms of how it sounds, this too impresses Jamie. The video demonstrates the recorded results from a straight out of the box kit to which Jamie concludes, "Looking how easy it was to set-up, tune-up, mic-up and record this kit I am absolutely amazed at how this kit sounds in the studio, it's very impressive."
iDrums's conclusion reads, "Jamie is clearly enamoured with Crush's Sublime series drums and right from the outset Crush's attention to detail and quality control impressed greatly, with Jamie finding an ease with set-up, tune-up, mic-up and recording, all producing great results. Crush's consistent quality across the boar makes the Sublime series a very viable option, delivering full and warm tones similar to that of sought after vintage drums but with the advantages of modern shell hardware design."
The Crush Sublime Maple E3 kit begins shipping in the UK in July 2013 via new distributor Sound Technology Ltd and is expected to retail for under £1000 inc VAT.
Plus new Audiomatic Retro Transformer effect adds instant personality to any track or song
Propellerhead released for sale today Reason 7 and Reason Essentials 2, major updates to its award-winning music software line. The latest versions inspire musicians to create more and better music with deep, streamlined mixing and a complete rack for all types of instruments.
Reason’s renowned music-centric design focuses around a virtual rack of software instruments, effects and processors connected to a world-class mixing console. Users can go from ideas to music, literally in minutes, designing the studio of the dreams in the process while never stopping their creative flow. Now, version 7 offers integration of all instruments—in and out of the “box”—with MIDI out. Automatic audio slicing and audio quantize enable quick fixes or style changes of recorded performances—even conversion of those recordings into REX loops for further creative possibilities in the rack. For mixing, Propellerhead adds a spectrum analyzer with visual EQ controls to “see” the audio and tweak equalization settings of any tracks in mixer. One-click group and parallel mix channels go beyond what is possible in physical large format mixers—instantly exposing the world of modern parallel effects and automation. And to inspire, Reason 7 makes importing audio from users’ music libraries and the web with support for mp3, aac, wma and more a snap. An enhanced Factory Sound Bank comes with tons of new loops and drum kits supplying the latest sounds ready to be thrown into tracks.
Audiomatic Retro Transformer takes its place alongside over 100 third-party instrument, effect and utility Rack Extensions (RE) already available for Reason. Designed for use on any instrument, channel or even group mix, Audiomatic oozes character to the sound. Inspired by retro phone apps, Audiomatic, with 16 snapshots going from Vinyl and VHS tape to PVC pipe and Gadget, immediately evokes an auditory mood, place or time. The RE is included free in Reason version 7 but is available to owners of Reason 6.5 and Reason Essentials too, as a separate purchase. As with any Rack Extension, all users can try a fully functional version free for 30 days.
Pricing & availability
Reason 7 & Reason Essentials 2 are now available at the following suggested retail pricing:
Formed in 1994, Propellerhead Software is a privately owned company based in Stockholm, Sweden. Renowned for its musician-centric approach, Propellerhead has created some of the world's most innovative music software applications, interfaces and technology standards. Musicians, producers and the media have praised Reason and ReCycle software, Balance audio interface, as well as ReBirth and Figure mobile apps for being fun and inspiring, great sounding and of superior quality. Technologies such as ReWire and the REX file format are de-facto industry standards, implemented in all major music software. Today, Propellerhead’s products are used all over the world by millions of professionals and enthusiasts for all kinds of music making. www.propellerheads.se
"Clavia's updated Electro range prove that if you need top-quality staple keyboard sounds, playability and simplicity, Nords still lead."
The May issue of Sound On Sound magazine features a review of the new Nord Electro 4 Series keyboards; the Nord Electro 4D SW61, Electro 4 SW73 and Electro 4 HP.
"When Clavia introduced the Nord C2D, they upgraded its Hammond organ model and improved its rotary speaker effect. I reviewed the C2D in 2012, and concluded that its Hammond emulation was Clavia's best yet, and arguably the most realistic available. Happily, all of these improvements have been incorporated into the Electro 4 series".
"The other major new facility that's common to all the models is MIDI over USB".
"There's a trend for light, manageable keyboards that sound great, and the Electro 4s - resplendent in Clavaia's signature red livery - satisfy all of these criteria".
"I don't think there's currently a better source of piano and organ emulations than a Nord...whichever model you choose, it will sound great".
"...if your need is for pianos and organs, and playability and simplicity are sought, there's currently no other manufacturer that caters quite as well to your needs".
The full review can be found in the new issue (May 2013, Vol. 28, Issue 7) of Sound On Sound Magazine on sale now. The Nord Electro 4D (£1649 RRP inc. VAT), Nord Electro 4 SW73 (£1749 RRP inc. VAT) and Nord Electro 4 HP (£2149 RRP inc. VAT) are also available now.
Solid State Logic and UK distributor Sound Technology Ltd are pleased to announce a showcase event of the latest SSL workstation products, including the UK launch of the new SSL Sigma SuperAnalogue summing engine, at Tileyard Studios London on Friday 10th May.
Designed for the DAW user that seeks the legendary big sound of an SSL console while retaining the convenience of working in the box, Sigma is a unique DAW automated SuperAnalogue summing engine.
Sigma delivers the sonic benefits of SSL SuperAnalogue mixing with in-the-box automation. Using proprietary MDAC control technology first featured in our Duality and AWS studio consoles, Sigma's 100% analogue summing engine can be driven by automation data created within your DAW of choice.
JBL's CBT line array columns prove their performance and versatility for live sound as well as installation applications
JBL’s CBT Constant Beamwidth technology really came into its own at the inaugural ‘Sound:Check presents Music for ChildHope’ fundraiser, held recently at St John at Hackney Church, London. All profits from the event, which included a guest appearance by Willie Nelson, went towards helping the work of ChildHope, a charity preventing child abuse and exploitation in Africa, Asia and South America.
The Sound:Check concept itself was created by producer Marie-Claire Denyer and singer-songwriter Stac Dowdeswell. Sound Technology, the Harman Professional distributors, were brought in to boost the technology infrastructure by Kristina Riddington, production manager at KOKO (with whom they have a close relationship). She, in turn, was introduced to the project by One Taste Choir, who have worked at the club.
The task facing Ben Todd from Sound Technology’s Project Team, was to provide even pattern control in a large cavernous, square-shaped church (built to hold 2,000 people) that was “pretty epic in its reverberation time.”
Artists, who were given the opportunity to work alongside the all-female One Taste Choir, a small string section and the church organ, included Zimbabwean born Eska, alternative four-piece group Hejira, Mara Carlyle and special guest Willie Nelson. The choir was led by Sound:Check’s Stac.
Also heavily involved was Eduardo Puhl, one of KOKO’s sound engineers, who mixed the show for the first time through a Soundcraft Si Performer. “The desk was great to work with — very straightforward, with a clear menu,” he appraised.
But the real stars were the JBL CBT column arrays, which reinforced the live acoustic gig. These were chosen not only their pattern control in the difficult space, but also their ability to handle both full range, high power music and speech applications with spectacular levels of fidelity, as Ben Todd recalled.
“St John at Hackney is a particularly difficult acoustic space for intelligibility, with an extremely long and lively reverb. It sounds magical for choirs and so on but for everything else it can be extremely challenging.”
He designed the system with CBT70J+E full-length columns as the main Left/Right front PA, with a further pair of CBT70J delayed just 7.5m down the audience to maintain strong direct to reverberant field ratios throughout.
“Because of the way the CBT’s work, with JBL’s Patented Constant Beamwidth Technology, the 25° vertical coverage combined with 150 degree horizontal of the CBT70 guaranteed a wide coverage beamed narrowly through the audience at ear-height with very consistent frequency behaviour throughout. The advantages brought by CBT's true line-array design ensured minimal changes in direct sound level across the audience area. The system could throw without bouncing excessively off other surfaces, providing a thin wave of unadulterated sound for everyone on axis.”
Four floor-stacked VRX918s subs supplemented the system — augmenting the low end and giving some drama to the performance.
In addition a JBL AC28 was deployed as fill for each of the two balcony levels. Explained Ben Todd, “These balconies have a more controlled acoustic so we went for a nice install speaker.”
Crown XTi 6002 was assigned to drive the FOH system, with an XTI 4002 handling the balcony fills and XTi 2002 the delays — with delay times and tuning set in the amplification’s onboard DSP.
Eduardo Puhl was certainly impressed. “In spite of the church’s natural reverb the CBT’s suited the environment because it was just so directional. The system hardly needed any EQ and I used the Soundcraft preamp’s with condensers, mostly AKG C451s, on almost everything, which was perfect.”
Sound:Check’s Stac Dowdeswell concludes, “We were provided with the most incredible sound for our first Sound:Check event. The design was flawless and met with many a compliment from artists and audience members alike..”
Video: Performance by Stac at the event, with the JBL CBT speakers and PRX monitors visible
When St. Andrew’s C of E Church in the Gloucester village of Churchdown decided to reorientate its interior through 90° to better accommodate its growing congregation, it presented a real audio challenge for Kelly Gibson’s locally-based integration company Revolution Multimedia. And it was one he was able to meet with a Harman Professional solution.
Long established in both the education and HoW sectors, he has worked with this church for many years. Despite the complexity of this latest project, and the fact that the committee had invited much larger audio companies to tender, his bid was comfortably the most competitive and he was awarded the contract.
“The church is growing at an enormous rate,” he confirmed. “The building is extremely wide, with what are almost transepts on the side, so they decided to tear out and replace the floor, using under-floor heating as part of a complete interior makeover, and turn the seating through 90°. This has given them an enlarged capacity of 360 seats instead of the former 210.
Kelly has worked with Sound Technology Ltd, the Harman Professional UK & Eire distributors, for many years — but as a one man band this is the largest project he has undertaken. Having Sound Technology’s support was a major factor in the successful implementation. “They always have good stock levels and the beauty is I can get almost everything I need from a single source.”
Sound Technology’s Project Support Team assisted with computer simulations. “With the congregation now facing the long wall we knew the speakers would need to be wide dispersion. And so Sound Technology recommended the JBL CBT70J [Constant Beamwidth Column Array], as they would be discreet, with no visible cables and brackets.
JBL CBT Constant Beamwidth Technology columns are specifically designed for difficult acoustic spaces. Unlike traditional columns, JBL CBT use a true line array design combined with patented, passive technology to produce a very narrow vertical pattern (switchable between 45 and 25 degrees) which by ensuring fewer unwanted reflections off hard surfaces such as floors and ceilings delivers exceptional intelligibility. The CBT70J model features sixteen 1" HF drivers and four 5" LF drivers delivering even projection of full-range audio across a wide and deep audience area. All this is achieved using a cost-effective and entirely passive design, without the need for complex, and expensive, digital electronics. The end result is an affordable, simple to install range of loudspeakers that deliver powerful, full-range and highly intelligible audio in even the most taxing acoustic environments.
Three CBT70J’s in white are wall mounted at intervals high up on the long wall above the vaulted windows, while the fourth column speaker is a black CBT50LA, which is concealed up in the vaults high up among the dark beams. Two floor-standing JBL ASB 6112 1000W single 12in subs provide LF extension.
The system is matched with the Crown XTi 4002 amps (driving the tops) and XTi 2002 (for the sub bass) amps. These amps have their own built-in DSP, and accompanied by a dbx DriveRack 260 Kelly Gibson again consulted with Sound Technology’s project team to see how he could best maximise the presets, with the DriveRack providing full bandpass and crossover configurations as well as independent output processing. Like everything else, the set-up is intuitive and the church was immediately impressed with the configurability of this loudspeaker management system.
The seating has been covered in cloth, providing a deadening effect to the room’s inherent reflections, and Kelly is able to run the system with very little EQ. “You can tune these speakers for either voice or music — and I opted for ‘music’ ”, he said.
“The feedback from the church has been fantastic — their jaws dropped when they heard it for the first time; it’s so much better than the old system they had in before and the music can be heard a lot more clearly.”
Revolution Multimedia also supplied various AKG mics including three AKG WMS 470 UHF wireless systems - a handheld condenser and two bodypack transmitters with HC 577 L invisible headworn mics.
To mix the mics and any line inputs the church itself opted for a Soundcraft Si Compact 24 digital mixer, which combines all the benefits of digital with an intuitive analogue feel. “The musicians play in different band configurations so this enables them to save a scene and then recall it,” says Kelly. “They also like the fact that it can be password protected and particular profiles set up for designated users.
The conversion has been a complete success, enabling St. Andrew’s to be able to add a further 150 seats.
For further information contact Sound Technology Ltd on 01462 480000 or visit www.soundtech.co.uk.
For more information on Revolution Multimedia please call Kelly Gibson on 07985 583373 and www.revolutionmultimedia.co.uk
Kurzweil and UK distributor Sound Technology Ltd are pleased to announce significant price reductions on the Kurzweil PC3LE Series. The PC3LE is based on the award-winning PC3 Series and, whilst it doesn't offer the depth of editing of its big brother, it does offers a phenomenally comprehensive feature specification combined, critically, with incredible sound quality.
With 64 voices of polyphony and a sleek easy-to-navigate front panel, the PC3LE combines many of the PC3's best sounds and features with our friendliest user interface to date, along with a new, streamlined sound category system.
The PC3LE features 16 independent full-featured arpeggiators and up to 16 simultaneous riffs, all of which can be triggered and manipulated by keystrokes or a host of real-time controllers. For real-time controllers, the PC3LE offers 8 backlit impact and continuous force-sensitive drum pads, two wheels, 5 assignable knobs and 6 assignable switches in addition to 4 switch pedals and one CC pedal.
The PC3LE Series features over 1000 presets, the PC3's stunning V.A.S.T. synth architecture and sample set, KB3 organ emulation and world class effects.
The PC3LE also provides USB Master capabilities, thumb-drive storage and seamlessly integrates into any studio or live stage setup.
Three choices for keyboard action are offered - the PC3LE8 88-note hammer weighted, PC3LE7 76-note semi-weighted and PC3LE6 61-note semi-weighted.
The Kurzweil PC3LE8 now has an RRP of just £1299 inc VAT, the PC3LE7 is £1149 inc VAT, the PC3LE6 is now just £929 RRP inc VAT.
The latest edition of T3 sees terrific coverage for Propellerhead. A brilliant shot of Reason 7 in action, sitting next to Balance, opens the Tech Life section, and the latest version of the award-winning software claims 'Tech Life Gadget of the Month' status.
"Helping producers record and warp beats since 2000, Propellerhead Reason takes the studio-in-a-box to new heights, with control via the Balance … Headline updates are - at last! - MIDI, super-intelligent auto-slicing of your tracks into individual phrases and notes for tweaking, quantising and, as Sir George Martin always used to sat, "general f**king up". Reason's superb mixer section is also better than ever, letting you summon up a Spector-esque wall of sound with parallel processing and effects galore."
Reason 7 ships on 30th April 2013. Balance is available now.
Propellerhead is distributed in the UK/ROI by Sound Technology Ltd - for more information please visit www.soundtech.co.uk/propellerhead
T3 is licensed in 21 countries with over a million-strong European reach, while its UK readership alone is over 250,000 potential customers every month. It has become a world leading authority on all things gadget related, bringing all the latest developments, in-depth reviews, incisive features and a respected buyer’s guide.
Grainger Communication’s CBT70J’s appear to be floating in mid-air above the sanctuary
The congregation of Church of Our Lady Queen of Peace in Kilwee, in the suburbs of Belfast, has been presented with something of a phenomenon. Through the unusual omega-shaped sculpture — suspended from the ultra-high vaulted ceiling and hovering over the sanctuary — four JBL CBT70J column loudspeaker arrays now appear to float, as if defying the laws of gravity.
Not the miracle they were perhaps hoping for since these are hung on near imperceptible steel wire pairs — an ingenious solution conceived by Martin Grainger, of Co. Tyrone based Grainger Communication Ltd to give extra design swagger to a modern church which was only built at the turn of the millennium.
The acoustician has been involved with the unusual conical-shaped church, with its extraordinarily high ceiling for many years and is entirely familiar with its acoustic quirks and reverberant interior.
“Although we didn’t carry out the original [sound system] installation we have undertaken a lot of work at the church since and we have watched the incremental changes that have taken place,” says Grainger.
The incumbent priest, Fr. Colm McBride, was far from happy with the sound quality, and the installers felt that a lot of his misgivings would disappear with the installation of JBL’s Constant Beamwidth column arrays, correctly aligned.
These passive speakers use JBL's breakthrough Constant Beamwidth technology to produce a column speaker with incredibly balanced projection across a large area — making it perfect for large, challenging rooms such as this. Using an array of four 5" LF drivers and 16 x 1" HF drivers, the result is consistent, natural sound coverage — both horizontally and vertically.
To optimise the sound for the 300 or so congregation, the acoustician noted that downlighters were recessed into the horseshoe-shape feature, with the seating arranged in a semi-circle to contour the shape. Instead of the existing speakers, mounted on the sculpture, he proposed that four of the JBL loudspeakers be suspended from this horseshoe, correctly angled to achieve even dispersion (and at the same time avoiding the downlighting).
“I told Fr. McBride he was going to have to trust me on this,” said Martin Grainger, “and if he was not happy we would take them back out again. We suspended the speakers 1.5-2.0 metres from the horseshoe on two very fine steel wires using them as the conductors rather than conventional cable.”
After conducting measurements, Grainger Communication fabricated their own brackets to ensure they could achieve 100% accuracy with the tilt angle towards the congregation. The result gives the impression that these speakers are defying the laws of gravity and floating in mid-air.
Taking inputs from AKG GN155 and GN30 gooseneck mics, processed with the pre-existing Soundweb Lite 3088 DSP, the result is far beyond expectations.
Summing up, Martin Grainger said, “We have received many comments [from members of the congregation] that this is the best sound system they have ever had. Fr. McBride was initially sceptical because this solution hadn't been attempted before — but he’s delighted. After all, why not dispense with cables in favour of two steel wires and at the same time minimise the mess!”
Harman Professional brands — including JBL, AKG and BSS — are distributed in the UK and Ireland by Sound Technology Ltd.
In this Micro Tutorial we take a look at audio slice markers in Reason 7. Whether you're quantizing your audio tracks for flawless timing, adjusting individual notes to re-imagine your phrasing, or just looking to experiment into unknown realms Audio Slice Markers are a powerful tool. And the best part? Thanks to Reason's legendary time stretch, it sounds amazing.
The compact all-in-one HARMAN Studer Vista 1 console is now available in an even more compact 22-fader version, measuring just over 1 metre in width, and perfectly suited to small spaces such as found in OB vans. For smaller vans where the audio console fits into the cab area, the Vista 1 provides a comprehensive solution requiring no additional racks, including integral I/O, DSP and surround sound management including up and down-mixing. The low weight advantages of the new desk are immediately obvious.
The Vista 1 is based largely on the Vista 5, so existing Vista users will be immediately familiar with all the functionality of the Vistonics™ user interface plus features such as true broadcast monitoring, talkback, red light control, GPIO, N-x (Mix Minus) busses, snapshot automation and DAW control.
With an integral DSP engine of 96 channels, the Vista 1 can handle mono, stereo and 5.1 inputs with ease, and is provided with 32 mic/line inputs, 16 line outputs and four pairs of AES inputs and outputs on rear panel connections.
I/O can be expanded using the standard Studer D21m card slot on the rear, to allow MADI, AES, AoIP, ADAT, TDIF, CobraNet, Dolby E/Digital, SDI connections etc. A MADI link can connect to any of the Studer Stagebox range for XLR connectivity as well as other formats.
New to the Vista 1 is an integral jingle player, played from audio files on a USB jingle stick (such as station ID or background FX), and triggered by a series of eight dedicated keys in the master section.
The Studer Vista 1 also features a redundant PSU for peace of mind, and RELINK integration with other Studer Vista and OnAir consoles means the Vista 1 can easily share signals across an entire console network.
Studer Vista 1 is distributed in the UK/ROI by Sound Technology Ltd. For more information please visit www.soundtech.co.uk/soundcraft or call 01462 480000.
