Trantec – it's behind you!

Trantec Systems have been enjoying a record pantomime season, with rental distributors and production companies reporting unprecedented use of S5000 UHF radio systems in use on stages around the country. Heading the list are sound company Orbital, who had no fewer than 130 Trantec units on hire over the Christmas period. Included in this number were almost 60 of the UHF S5000 systems, which were being used on productions of Dick Whittington, Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Snow White. The Cheltenham Everyman Theatre production of Robin Hood specified a 10-channel system, complete with remote computer monitoring, while Orbital also had six channels of S5000 hand-held radio out on Christmas hires.

Explained Orbital's Chris Headlam: "These highly-regarded multi-frequency units were purchased for the recent MTV awards at Alexandra Palace, where they proved so popular that a sneaky thief saw the opportunity to not return them!" As a result, Orbital immediately went out and purchased another set.

Meanwhile, over at PMI, Pete Maciuk reports that nine systems are out on Dick Whittington at The Harlequin Theatre, Redhill while the Montrose Entertainments production of Jack & The Beanstalk at the Pavilion Theatre, Weymouth, boasts a further six. Maciuk's company PMI, who sub-hires many of his systems, presently holds 16 S5000 lapels and six of the recently launched handhelds.

Trantec Systems. (Contact Details)

Martin breaks China

The reputation of Martin Audio's Wavefront 8s is spreading far and wide. The company's Hong Kong distributors, PowerSonic (Asia) Ltd, report several major outdoor events using stacks of their newly-launched PA rig. Pictured is the stadium set up for the recent concert by Aaron Kwok, in Jiangmen, China, with sound reinforcement provided through 18 Wavefront 8s, with a medley of other Martin Audio enclosures — VRS1000s, FSXs, F1s, and LE400 wedge monitors — in support. PowerSonic's Eddie Lee reports that over the same period, W8s and W3s joined forces with Martin LE350 and LE400 stage monitors in Guangzhou for the Export Trade Fair Variety Show.

Prior to that — in Changchun, China — the venue had again been an open-air football stadium when PowerSonic fielded 20 Martin W8s and subs, supported by VRS1000s and 16 LE400 stage monitors, for the 3rd China Changchun Film Festival. A film festival in a football stadium?

I love the fact that any event in China draws audiences in thousands. By way of example, I understand that one Tupperware party last year needed relocating from one unfortunate woman's front room to the local opera house, similarly any scout camp requires forest space at least the size of Wiltshire.

Martin Audio. (Contact Details)

Broadway hits the road

Soundcraft has shipped a Broadway console to NRK Broadcasting in Norway. Soundcraft Broadway is an innovative new digitally-controlled analogue desk, which is designed to suit the needs of theatre sound designers and engineers. A typical theatre console would normally take up the space of some 20 or so seats in a venue; the Broadway can be housed in as little as the space of six — bearing in mind (for example) that a typical London theatre seat is worth some £12,000 to £15,000 in revenue a year there is already 'considerable interest' in the console from sound designers and theatre owners/producers alike.

The first console has been in a London venue for some time now, undergoing testing with a theatre sound company, with a view to use on a musical production. Ironically, the second Broadway console is going to be installed in an Outside Broadcast vehicle, which tours extensively in Norway, covering live concerts and events — an application that is also ideally suited to the desk's compact design.

Soundcraft. (Contact Details)

GPA joins 'top flight'

Gary Young's Orpington-based PA company, GPA, are making a major challenge for the rental premiership following the acquisition of a top flight PA rig from Marquee Audio. This month Gary (pictured right with Marquee's Spencer Brooks) collected from the supplier's Shepperton Studios HQ a 48-channel Yamaha PM3500, for front-of-house mixing duty, and a Soundcraft SM24 for monitor mixing. He also bought QSC Powerlight amps to drive his Turbosound Floodlight system, also recently acquired from Marquee Audio.

Sixteen stacks of Floodlight, with Turbosound TFM 350 wedges, have just returned from the Leftfield tour, on which GPA were the audio production company, while other recent work for the company includes sound production for World Dance, the TT Races, and the Kiss main stage at the Notting Hill Carnival.

Said Gary: "We buy what the market is looking for... and have been doing so with Marquee since March. In the new year, we will be adding a new 16-ton truck, which will enable us to offer a complete package."

Marquee Audio. (Contact Details)

Brit Row's grand slam

Britannia Row came a step nearer realising their ambition of conquering every one of the Five Nations rugby football stadia, when they recently supplemented the PA at the new look Twickenham for the celebrations of 125 years (and the demise?) of the Rugby Football Union. The entertainment took place immediately prior to the recent England v New Zealand Barbarians match, featuring the HM Band of the Royal Marines, traditional singing, and the flying in of a ceremonial ball.

Brittannia Row Director Mike Lowe had been contacted by production company, Tony Ball Associates, with whom they have co-operated in staging blue chip conferences in the past. "Over the years, we've worked at Cardiff Arms Park and Lansdowne Road in Dublin, but it was tremendous to be able to supplement the stadium system inside the newly-revamped Twickenham," he said.

Britannia Row provided a ring of sound on the outside of the pitch, facing up into the stand, to augment the installed PA system. Continued Mike: "It's a first for putting a heavy PA into Twickenham."

How heavy? Well, actually 48 pairs of Turbosound Flashlight, including wides and underhungs. The sound was miked through half a dozen AKG radios and four Sennheiser rifles, and mixed through a Soundcraft Venue console, which was also fed by various playback machines.

"Now we only need Murayfield to fall to have worked in all the British national rugby stadia," quipped Mike. A spokesman for Murayfield sports complex reported that he would rather 'swallow his own bagpipes' than use an English rental company.

Britannia Raw Productions. (Contact Details)

EV, big choir

Mikam Sound are the first purchasers of Electro-Voice's new upgraded DeltaMax DMS speaker system in the British Isles. The Dublin-based company, who are already supplying their original DeltaMax rig for Riverdance, took delivery from UK distributor PAG Direct. Their new rig was on duty immediately for Eire's renowned Choir of a Thousand Voices, a two week extravaganza with a thousand children at the Point in Dublin.

Mick O'Gorman, Head of The Mikam Sound and an audio designer himself, explained what led him to order the system: "I was visiting Mark IV Pro Audio Group's facility in Buchanan, Michigan in May and heard the new DeltaMax DMS Series demonstrated. I was highly impressed by their excellent dispersion and output, coupled with particular smoothness in the critical vocal frequency range."

The rig consists of eight DeltaMax DMS 1152 speakers (a two-way 15-inch configuration), and four of the new DMC 1152x electronic controllers. Mikam have been using EV P1200 and P3000 amps to power the system.

PAG Direct. (Contact Details)

Cadac double up for Superstar

The latest West End show to open with a Cadac console is Jesus Christ Superstar at The Lyceum Theatre — featuring a double act of a J-Type and an F-Type console, working together for the first time. Sound design is by Richard Ryan, with the sound equipment supplied and installed by TP Sound Services, supported by Production Engineer Mike Walker.

Pictured below is the show's Sound Operator, Davy Ogilvy looking rather pleased with himself, and who wouldn't being kept company by a Cadac J-Type and F-Type console?

Clive Green & Co Ltd. (Contact Details)

KT ready sooner for later

Marquee Audio has recently supplied hire company John Henry Enterprises with four Klark Teknik DN800 active crossovers, configurable for stereo four-way, stereo three-way or four-channel two-way speaker systems. The units were used by Engineer Aden Gregory on the BBC's Later With Jools Holland to provide 16 mixes of the bi-amp system driving wedge monitors for the musicians.

Gregory commented: "The BBC expect the best, and on Jools' show, there are no second chances. The DN800 has set the standard other manufacturers aspire to, and they are phenomenally reliable; not one unit has gone down in all the years I've been using them."

PAG Direct. (Contact Details)