Audio will have a near equal billing with lighting in 2012
Balancing act
typical AV show is more ‘V’ than ‘A’. However, the organiser of this year’s ABTT insists there
UNITED KINGDOM
For every lighting manufacturer, there’s an audio exhibitor to maintain the equilibrium, says the promoter of this year’s Theatre Show in London E1
ABTT 2012
is a near-equal billing between audio and lighting exhibitors. A cross-section of international
and home-grown audio specialists will be setting out their stands in a new venue for the 34th ABTT Theatre Show on the 13-14 June at the Old Truman Brewery in London E1. There are two seminar sessions on audio subjects – one on each day – and this year they are conveniently located within the exhibition area. Several brands are using ABTT to launch new products. The “teenyweeny” E4 and E5 from the d&b audiotechnik Black range are powerful two- way passive loudspeakers. Both are coaxial with 100° dispersion and are commonly used for delay, in-fill and surround sound. The comparably sized 4S and 5S from the xS-Series of the White range exhibit almost identical performance data and, like their Black counterparts, can reach 115dB SPL and 117dB SPL respectively. Orbital Sound is planning a “compelling” product line-up of brands including the first UK showing of the Clear-Com HelixNet all-digital intercom platform. The new Yamaha CL Series mixers, the d&b V-Series loudspeakers, and the Shure Axient radio microphone system will also be on show. MT Pro is launching a compact mid/high speaker cabinet designed for use in theatres and conferences. The TP52R is fitted with a pair of 5” neodymium drivers and a ribbon tweeter. Sensitivity is 102.5dB with a max SPL of 123.4dB. The TP52R has seven flying points with a wall bracket and pole adaptor also available. Also on show will be the German-built DNP26 processor. It has analogue and digital inputs, six outputs and runs at 96K sample rate. For riggers, there’s the launch
of the new ‘Atom’ 35mm speaker stand clamp on the Doughty Engineering stand. The smallest of Doughty’s clamp range, Atom
clamps are slotted to hold captive a nut or bolt head, have a SWL of 100kg and are suitable for lightweight truss as well as the majority of stands. Metool Reeling Products is launching the Twisterband contactless cable reel. Twisterband eliminates slip-rings for cables feeding moving equipment, and has been designed for DMX, Ethernet, audio, video, control and energy signals used in live entertainment. Users of live event
communications will see the Green-GO Ethernet digital intercom system on the Cartey & Co and the Stage Electrics stands. Green-GO outstations simply plug in to any existing PoE Ethernet network to provide wide-area digital communications between users. A new exhibitor at ABTT is
Klotz, the German audio interface systems company, which specialises in cable systems for audio, video and multimedia applications in a variety of sectors. The ABTT 2012 Theatre Show will also welcome the Association of Sound Designers (ASD): the professional body has already grown to 170 members since its launch last September. The ASD’s function is to connect the “widely dispersed sound design community, to educate and promote high standards”; there will be a members meeting on Thursday 14 June at 13:30. Finally: audio and the classroom.
For those wanting to learn more about the blend of physics and magic, Steve Jones from d&b audiotechnik’s GB Education and Application Support department will be presenting ‘Can you hear me at the back?’ on 13 June at 16:00. Orbital Sound presents a seminar entitled ‘Click Tracks, Sound Effects, and Control: What are the big shows doing?’ on 14 June at 14:30. www.abtttheatreshow.org.uk