John Kurlander Fairlight EVO - Audio Media

MEDIA MATTERSBroadcasting in Spain haswitnessed a spectacular expansionin recent years with the emergenceof new commercial operators andthe launch of digital services.The cable and satellite TV marketsare growing steadily and a freeto-airdigital terrestrial TV (DTT)service was re-launched in late2005. Spain aims to switch off theanalogue TV signal by the end ofthis year.Home-produced dramas,reality shows, and long-running‘telenovelas’ are staple fare onprimetime TV.Public radio and TV are run byRadioTelevision Espanola (RTVE),which is funded by advertisingand state subsidies. As well aspublic and commercial nationalTV networks, there are 13 regionalstations backed by regionalgovernments and many localstations.Multi-channel TV is offered bythe satellite platform Digital Plus.In spite of the proliferation ofprint and broadcast media, andtheir diverse political stances,concerns have been raisedabout political influence in themedia, and particularly in publicbroadcasting.VITAL STATISTICSFULL NAMECAPITALKingdom of SpainCanberraMAJOR LANGUAGES Spanish (Castilian),Catalan and itsvariant Valencian,Gallego (Galician),Euskera (Basque)MONETARY UNIT 1 euro = 100 centMAIN EXPORTS Transportequipment,agriculturalproductsGNI PER CAPITA US $31,960(World Bank,2008)INTERNET DOMAIN .es(.cat for Catalonia)INTERNATIONAL +34DIALLING CODEMeyer M’elodie Blends intoMadrid TheatreMadrid’s Teatros del Canal now features Meyer Sound’s self-powered M1D and M’elodie line arrayloudspeaker systemsThe Teatros del Canal,a new multi-purposeperforming arts complexin downtown Madrid,marks another triumph forrenowned Spanish architectJuan Navarro Baldeweg.The bold exterior statementof angular glass and stonecarries over into the interior,where visual aesthetics arecomplemented in the auraldomain by the performanceof Meyer Sound’s self-poweredM1D and M’elodie linearray loudspeaker systemsin the Main Theatre and theblack-box Theatre Configurable.According to RamonPérez of RPS Broadcasting,the consultant on audiovisualtechnologies for theproject, initial plans for all-Meyer Sound systems hadbeen sketched before he wascontracted as the audiovisualconsultant, and he quicklyconcurred. “I’ve worked withMeyer systems in the past,and I’ve been impressed bythe excellent size/weightto-powerratio, the precisedirectivity, and the phaseSeesound Adds XTA and OptocoreXTA Electronics has announced the appointment ofSeesound as its new distributor for Spain. Barcelona-basedSeeSound is headed up by CEO NachoAlberdi, who formed the company in 2004. Today it is theexclusive distributor for many of the top pro audio brands.Alberdi, who has more than 20 years of experience in thepro audio industry, is supported by a highly motivated andexperienced team offering a broad range of expertise insales, marketing, and technical support.Nacho Alberdi comments, “XTA is a key factor in ourcatalogue because we consider they are the best at doingwhat they do, and that is being the control part of any proaudio system.”Speaking for XTA, Sales & Marketing Director, Bill Woodsadds, “XTA is delighted to be working with SeeSound whoseother lines truly complement our existing product offering.I am very pleased to be working with Nacho and his excellentteam who already have a number of nice sales undertheir belts.”Also joining the SeeSound portfolio is Optocore.The agreement was confirmed at last year’s PLASA Showin London, where Optocore launched its new SANE (SynchronousAudio Networking plus Ethernet) protocol to theworld’s professional audio market.Nacho Alberdi not only has extensive knowledge of theOptocore system, having distributed its fibre products backcoherence between cabinetsin an array.“The architects wantedthe main arrays hidden insidestructures covered withacoustical foam,” continuesPérez. “Meyer Sound Spain’sdesign services departmentfound that M’elodies wouldfit the space. I looked at thepredictions in MAPP OnlinePro and knew that thisapproach would work.”The Main Theatre’s soundsystem includes 14 M’elodieline array loudspeakers, fourfloor-mounted 650-P subwoofers,a centre cluster ofeight M1D line array loudspeakers,and eight UPM-1Ploudspeakers for front-filland under-balcony-fill.In the Theatre Configurable,a free-form performancespace, a versatile solutionprovides a number of designoptions for various eventsand seating arrangements.“We have 32 M1D cabinetsavailable, which can be configuredas left-centre-rightfront arrays if that is desired,”notes Pérez, “or they can bebroken into as many as eightmini-arrays for placing 360degrees around the overheadcatwalk.” Four M1D-Subsubwoofers reinforce the lowend, while additional flexibilityfor music and effects isafforded by free placementof six UPJ-1P VariO and sixUPM-1P loudspeakers.Meyer Sound’s Galileoloudspeaker managementsystem is used for drive andprocessing in both venues.Each control booth has itsown pair of HD-1 studiomonitors, and each stageis equipped with six UM-1Pstage monitors. Final tuningwas accomplished with a SIM3 audio analyser. Installationcontractor for both systemswas BGL S.L.in 2001 as part of AlberdiPro, but has also worked closelywith Optocore’s recently appointed International Sales Manager,Mike Case, over the years.“Having proved to be the industry leader in audio transportthrough fibre, with the upgrade of the Optocore system,and the ability to be linked to the new SANE system,we are delighted to be working with the brand again,” saidNacho Alberdi.“Optocore is well known in Spain, and SANE is clearlydestined to be a big success in the installation market aswell as the live market. It cuts down the cost to very affordableprices, leaving an open door for future expansion of theinstallation. The beauty of SANE is that it shares the sametechnology and can be linked to the fibre Optocore system.”Mike Case added: “SeeSound’s technical expertise andknowledge of our market segments means the choice wasan easy one to make.”18AUDIO MEDIA APRIL 2010