“A bumpy ride for the AES; a kick in the teeth for Earls Court; a knock-down blow for Sibelius”
DECEMBER ALREADY. Where did that year go? I’m not sure 2012 will be remembered as the greatest year ever for the wider pro-audio community. Certainly, it’s been a victorious 12 months for Brit Row Productions, with the company’s magnificent contributions to both the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations, and the Olympic Ceremonies (more of which, inevitably, on p14). DiGiCo was there too, and this in the year of the digital desk maker’s 10th anniversary. What a birthday present! In fact, I would like to think everyone and every brand involved with the ‘summer of sport’, as the press releases kept laughingly referring to it, gained a degree of benefit from the Games – even if they had to wait until afterwards to talk about it.
But it’s been changeable fortunes for many in our
Cover note: Cover image: Ben Forster as Jesus and Melanie Chisholm as Mary Magdaline in Jesus Christ Superstar.
world: AED’s warehouses hit by fire (as PSNEurope revealed online); festivals cancelled or hampered by weather and economic conditions; the BBC in a right old state (even as I write); and Avid’s share price crumbling. A bumpy ride for the AES; a kick in the teeth for Earls Court; a knock-down blow for Sibelius. We lost a few good men, too: notably, veteran engineer Keith Grant, who was remembered by the APRS at the Sound Fellowship Awards last month. Still, there’s a New Year on the way, and at PSNEurope, we’re feeling fitter than ever. And you, dear reader, could be welcoming 2013 with a shiny new pair of AKG headphones if you go to p49... Meanwhile, from all of the team, have a great Christmas! Pour yourself a large one!
Dave Robinson Twitter: @psneurope IN THIS ISSUE...
NEWS 4 Yamaha Commercial Audio and Steinberg 5 Joe Bull’s 12 Days of Christmas 6 Industry appointments 8 Key expos and events
TECHNOLOGY 10 Review: Universal Audio UAD-2 Octo PCIe card 12 New products
Review of the year
BROADCAST 24 Strong showing for BVE North 26 Ofcom reveals new spectrum plans 27 HE-AAC – the sound for TV and mobile 28 Feature: DSP, FPGAs and chips galore
LIVE 30 Orbital opens in the US 32 FOH Roger Lindsay on Jesus Christ Superstar 35 Alphacompany goes back to basics 36 Meyer Sound’s LEO on Michael Jackson tour 41 Feature: Touring amps
INSTALLATION 44 More OCA Alliance partners announced 45 QSC stars in Jena 46 ISE celebrates its 10th edition
BACK PAGES 49 Hither & Dither: WIN AKG K167 headphones! 50 Interview: Sound Fellow Joe Boyd
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STUDIO 17 Miloco Group revives Livingston 18 Show review: AES 2012 20 Alchemea College turns 20 21 Highlights of the APRS Sound Fellowship Lunch 23 Scott Walker’s producer Peter Walsh