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Installation

Crystal-clear speech intelligibility for Lugano Cathedral with RCF speakers

Resplendent before beautiful views of Lake Lugano and the Alpine foothills, the cathedral of San Lorenzo rises above the town centre of the Swiss town of Lugano. Dating from the 11th century, it is one of Switzerland’s oldest churches. A comprehensive restoration programme begun in 2011 included the recent installation of a new audio system based around digitally steerable VSA column speakers by RCF.

The system was installed by CEM Audio & Light services based in Bellinzona. “For the audio system we installed in the cathedral of San Lorenzo in Lugano, we selected RCF’s VSA 2050 and VSA 1250 speakers, comments Virgilio Kohler, owner of CEM. “RCF column loudspeakers offer the ideal coverage pattern for difficult acoustic environments like the Cathedral of San Lorenzo,” he added.

The RCF Engineering Support Group aided the customer in realising this system, taking into account the architectural conditions and adapting to both the building restrictions as well as the electro-acoustic limitations. The installation planners decided on digitally steerable speakers to provide the best possible speech intelligibility in an environment with natural reverb tails in the speech frequency range of up to 4 seconds.

“We placed four VSA 2050 on the columns along the side aisles in a symmetrical pattern. These cover the main nave area (the operating range for each speaker being up to 15 meters), providing crystal-clear speech intelligibility and a good signal-to-noise ratio across a wide frequency range. That lets the congregation experience and participate in the mass in a very immediate way,” explain RCF technicians. “With its 20 individually steerable speakers, the VSA 2050 allows a vertical dispersion from 10° to 30° as well as vertical steering between 0° and -40°. This lets us focus the sound on the desired area and avoid unwanted reflections, guaranteeing the best possible speech intelligibility, even in environments with long natural reverb tails like this one.”

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Corporate

Come to visit RCF at ISE 2019, Amsterdam – RAI, Booth 7-N220

The RCF installation catalog extends the speaker range, assisting the architect and installer with application-focused series of high-quality speakers. Designed for voice alarm applications EN54, the ceiling installation MF33EN speaker, and the wall mount WMF33EN speaker open up a new unobtrusive design philosphy. With five models announced from 5” to 12” woofer size, the COMPACT M series is perfectly suited to every environment with sleek and neutral design, providing excellent acoustic performance for both background and foreground music.

The MR 50 / MR 40 bass reflex speakers for A/V monitoring and reliable fixed installations, both indoor and outdoor, are also available —in both black and white options. Following the success of the passive C-MAX speakers in the high powered near-field speaker segment, the high-power E-MAX 3112 and 3110 extend the flexibility in the entertainment installation market with a complete range of rigging accessories. Three RDNet compatible Vertical Steerable Array models VSA II, with improved quality for highly reverberant spaces, will be presented on the booth.

The HDL 26-A and HDL 28-A compact line array modules add to the powerful HDL family. RDNet, RCF’s on-board proprietary network control and monitoring system now in version 3.1, is featured in both the products. Broadly appreciated, and globally used as the primary portable system for on-the-go conferences, events, musicians and DJs, the EVOX self-powered speakers J8 and JMIX8 are getting global hype. The JMIX8 includes a studio-quality 8-channel digital mixer with remote control and Bluetooth audio streaming. Both the speakers are available in black and white.

The RCF TT+ line is poised to build on the no-compromise Touring & Theatre philosophy. Expanding on the TTL 6-A column array system, RCF developed a new concept of flexible arrayable speakers, the TT 4-A Series. Variable waveguides: 100° x 25°, 100 x 50° and 60° x 25° dispersion, an innovative rigging concept, RDNet, rotatable enclosure and swappable components, the TT4A will soon be known as the “MacGyver Solution” of the RCF line and features RDNet and FiRPHASE processing for 0° phase response.

On the success of the DXT 3000 platform for medium to mid sized distributed voice alarm system, RCF announces the DXT 3000 Planner, an interactive planning software which performs all the mathematical calculations for installations in low-reverberant environments with reduced background noise.

RDNet Networked Management System sees great improvement with the release of version 3.1. Real-time Air Compensation and the new Bass Shaper function will help the system engineer with tuning and correcting low frequencies while maintaining the wanted tonal balance on the entire system. Shape Designer two-dimensional system design software is also now included within RDNet.

RCF will have an active role on the ISE educational program AudioForum, organized in partnership with Audio Engineering Society. The seminar, held by Andrea Capra, RCF R&D Engineer, will introduce the FiRPHASE technology and the RCF approach to digital filtering. ISE 2019, Amsterdam – RAI, Booth 7-N220

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Corporate

The Loudspeaker System Showcase to Debut at The 2019 NAMM Show

RCF will be participating in the inaugural NAMM Loudspeaker System Showcase (as well as our usual booth #18310). Held Thursday – Saturday at the annual Show (January 24-27, 2019) and under the guidance of the team from Live Sound International magazine, the systems showcase will take place inside the Anaheim Convention Center arena, giving participants the opportunity to demonstrate both their flown and portable systems in a real-world setting to a mix of industry professionals.

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En vedette

Stories

Corporate

Wilding sound adds RCF HDL 6-A to rental fleet

London-based Wilding Sound has introduced RCF to its rental fleet for the first time.

It has made an initial purchase of eight HDL 6-A composite line array enclosures, with four SUB 8004-AS single 18” subwoofers, along with flyware and pole mount accessories. They swiftly followed this up by adding a further four HDL 6-A.

At the same time Wilding Sound purchased flight cases to hold three HDL 6-A per case to allow ease of dry hire, with space for fly-ware in the back.

“This will give us many options and permutations,” said director, Matt Stolton. Among them is the ability to fly the HDL 6-As and deploy the subs in a mono centre spaced array with the aid of their winch stands and truss.

Although this is their first foray into RCF’s cutting-edge line array technology, Wilding Sound’s own history dates back to the 1970s, installing everything from bus station voice alarms to pubs — and retail.

When they were ready to upgrade to a small format line array box they embarked on a journey that would lead them to RCF. “Our old FOH system just wasn’t cutting it,” said Stolton, “and was too small to cope with the larger events we were trying to run it on. Whatever we chose needed to offer flexibility and value for money and provide a solution for every job — from small festival stages, as much as corporate conference work and events catering for up to 500-600 people.” They saw the HDL 6-A at PLASA 2018 and were immediately impressed. “The more I looked at it, the more I realised it was a perfect fit,” he continued. “And once we had heard it, it was a done deal.

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Installation

Crystal-clear speech intelligibility for Lugano Cathedral with RCF speakers

Resplendent before beautiful views of Lake Lugano and the Alpine foothills, the cathedral of San Lorenzo rises above the town centre of the Swiss town of Lugano. Dating from the 11th century, it is one of Switzerland’s oldest churches. A comprehensive restoration programme begun in 2011 included the recent installation of a new audio system based around digitally steerable VSA column speakers by RCF.

The system was installed by CEM Audio & Light services based in Bellinzona. “For the audio system we installed in the cathedral of San Lorenzo in Lugano, we selected RCF’s VSA 2050 and VSA 1250 speakers, comments Virgilio Kohler, owner of CEM. “RCF column loudspeakers offer the ideal coverage pattern for difficult acoustic environments like the Cathedral of San Lorenzo,” he added.

The RCF Engineering Support Group aided the customer in realising this system, taking into account the architectural conditions and adapting to both the building restrictions as well as the electro-acoustic limitations. The installation planners decided on digitally steerable speakers to provide the best possible speech intelligibility in an environment with natural reverb tails in the speech frequency range of up to 4 seconds.

“We placed four VSA 2050 on the columns along the side aisles in a symmetrical pattern. These cover the main nave area (the operating range for each speaker being up to 15 meters), providing crystal-clear speech intelligibility and a good signal-to-noise ratio across a wide frequency range. That lets the congregation experience and participate in the mass in a very immediate way,” explain RCF technicians. “With its 20 individually steerable speakers, the VSA 2050 allows a vertical dispersion from 10° to 30° as well as vertical steering between 0° and -40°. This lets us focus the sound on the desired area and avoid unwanted reflections, guaranteeing the best possible speech intelligibility, even in environments with long natural reverb tails like this one.”

Lire plus

Corporate

Come to visit RCF at ISE 2019, Amsterdam – RAI, Booth 7-N220

The RCF installation catalog extends the speaker range, assisting the architect and installer with application-focused series of high-quality speakers. Designed for voice alarm applications EN54, the ceiling installation MF33EN speaker, and the wall mount WMF33EN speaker open up a new unobtrusive design philosphy. With five models announced from 5” to 12” woofer size, the COMPACT M series is perfectly suited to every environment with sleek and neutral design, providing excellent acoustic performance for both background and foreground music.

The MR 50 / MR 40 bass reflex speakers for A/V monitoring and reliable fixed installations, both indoor and outdoor, are also available —in both black and white options. Following the success of the passive C-MAX speakers in the high powered near-field speaker segment, the high-power E-MAX 3112 and 3110 extend the flexibility in the entertainment installation market with a complete range of rigging accessories. Three RDNet compatible Vertical Steerable Array models VSA II, with improved quality for highly reverberant spaces, will be presented on the booth.

The HDL 26-A and HDL 28-A compact line array modules add to the powerful HDL family. RDNet, RCF’s on-board proprietary network control and monitoring system now in version 3.1, is featured in both the products. Broadly appreciated, and globally used as the primary portable system for on-the-go conferences, events, musicians and DJs, the EVOX self-powered speakers J8 and JMIX8 are getting global hype. The JMIX8 includes a studio-quality 8-channel digital mixer with remote control and Bluetooth audio streaming. Both the speakers are available in black and white.

The RCF TT+ line is poised to build on the no-compromise Touring & Theatre philosophy. Expanding on the TTL 6-A column array system, RCF developed a new concept of flexible arrayable speakers, the TT 4-A Series. Variable waveguides: 100° x 25°, 100 x 50° and 60° x 25° dispersion, an innovative rigging concept, RDNet, rotatable enclosure and swappable components, the TT4A will soon be known as the “MacGyver Solution” of the RCF line and features RDNet and FiRPHASE processing for 0° phase response.

On the success of the DXT 3000 platform for medium to mid sized distributed voice alarm system, RCF announces the DXT 3000 Planner, an interactive planning software which performs all the mathematical calculations for installations in low-reverberant environments with reduced background noise.

RDNet Networked Management System sees great improvement with the release of version 3.1. Real-time Air Compensation and the new Bass Shaper function will help the system engineer with tuning and correcting low frequencies while maintaining the wanted tonal balance on the entire system. Shape Designer two-dimensional system design software is also now included within RDNet.

RCF will have an active role on the ISE educational program AudioForum, organized in partnership with Audio Engineering Society. The seminar, held by Andrea Capra, RCF R&D Engineer, will introduce the FiRPHASE technology and the RCF approach to digital filtering. ISE 2019, Amsterdam – RAI, Booth 7-N220

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Event

RCF vibe on Vibration Tour

Vibration Tour 2018, the summer tour of free concerts, was a success for Vibration Radio, a private French music radio station born in 1981. Four free concerts in the Center-Val de Loire region, provided an opportunity to bring together the artists of the moment, along with more than 72,000 people in the Center-Val de Loire region: Tours, Blois, Le Mans, Orléans, and Châteauroux. Different cities, different atmospheres, different artists such as Amir, Bob Sinclar, Boostee, Tal, Emmanuel Moire, Dadju, Kendji Girac, Soprano, Jeremy Frerot, Joyce Jonathan, Boulevard des Airs, Kungs and many others.

Vibration renewed its trust in XCPH Organization, the event company behind the tour, who were in charge of the whole management and technical production. With 30 years of experience, a vast fleet of trucks and 2000 square meters of warehouses full of first-class equipment, XCPH is not a traditional rental company.

“I have worked with RCF France since the beginning of this project, more than four years ago, and the choice of RCF was rather obvious. XPC is primarily an event company, so it does not have to answer to technical riders as a classical rental company; we can make our own choices based on our needs,” states Nicolas Fournier, technical director of XCPH Organization “I needed an excellent sound system, with effective networked control and a practical rigging system that only RCF could provide … not to mention the unbeatable price versus quality ratio.”

The touring package comprised two clusters of 12 HDL 30-A, 10 SUB 9006-AS in different configurations depending on location - cardioid mode or end-fire (which allows the bass to be opened a little more on the outside and projected in front), two delays with four HDL 30-A, four HDL 6-A as front-fills and two outfills with TT5-A. This was all managed through the CR16 (CONTROL8 and DX1616 matrix).

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Installation

Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts Opts for RCF PA

Founded in the nineteenth century, Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts has it all – a rich history, a leading position among institutes of its kind, and a reputation for excellence in the performing arts. It offers more than 20 music, theater and dance programs attended by over 900 students.

The university recently put out a tender for a public address system to be installed in its foyer. Speech and music figure prominently at a college for the performing arts, so the prospective PA would have to satisfy some very lofty expectations. The foyer was to be covered from three angles with a directional system designed to the given architectural specifications. This PA would also have to tame the complex acoustics of a room with ceilings of different heights, a two-storey auditorium, and coverage zones with depths ranging from 15 to 25 meters. This client had some very specific ideas about size, looks and placement. Cabinets were to have a height of around 115 centimeters and be placed at a relatively flat angle so as not to jut out from the walls.

Auditions were held; the NXL 24-A came out on top. Made by the Italian vendor RCF, the NXL 24-A is an active line source speaker equipped with four custom-developed 6" RCF transducers, a compression driver with a 2.5" voice coil, and an asymmetrical horn with -25° / + 5° vertical and 100° horizontal directivity.

To meet Germany’s very strict fire safety regulations for public venues, RCF worked with the general contractor to develop a passive version of this speaker, with power amps housed in a remote central rack placed around 40 meters from the speakers.

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Corporate

The Loudspeaker System Showcase to Debut at The 2019 NAMM Show

RCF will be participating in the inaugural NAMM Loudspeaker System Showcase (as well as our usual booth #18310). Held Thursday – Saturday at the annual Show (January 24-27, 2019) and under the guidance of the team from Live Sound International magazine, the systems showcase will take place inside the Anaheim Convention Center arena, giving participants the opportunity to demonstrate both their flown and portable systems in a real-world setting to a mix of industry professionals.

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Event

RCF rocks record setting Eastern States Exposition

The Eastern States Exposition, known as “The Big E,” set another attendance record this year with over 1.5-million visitors. It’s the only event in the country with a state fair-like structure in the nation where more than one state participates (six New England states partake). The 17 day event features daily Mardi Gras parades, a big top circus spectacular, 4-H and agriculture exposition, giant midway, car shows and daily entertainment on five stages.

All-in-all, the Big E schedule included over 200 shows on those stages. Massachusetts-based SCL Sound Systems has been providing production at The Big E for almost two decades. This year, owner and Production Manager Scott LaRochelle made the decision to use RCF powered speakers across all of the fair’s major stages. To accomplish this task, LaRochelle reached out to AudionX, a Vermont-based company and RCF partner who maintains a large inventory of cabinets.

“There is a variety of music on the stages,” said LaRochelle. “We can go from a classic rock act to hip-hop to pop in a matter of hours. I wanted to deploy rigs that sounded good and would handle the demands of the acts. I also wanted to get some time with the large format HDL50 rig,” And upon doing so, “All I can say is it was impressive. This was a good choice and certainly something the touring engineers were happy with.”

“Anytime you have a large event and a seasoned company like SCL trying something new, you always want to do everything you can to make sure things go right,” said AudionX owner Chris LaRocque. “RCF has always been a great partner and as usual their support team was available to us. They even brought in their worldwide support specialist Oscar Mora to assist us.”

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Corporate

RCF OPEN DAYS 2018

More than 200 distributors and dealers from 120 countries joined the RCF ground-breaking Open Days 2018. Four days full of professional updates, new products showcase with Product Managers and Indoor/Outdoor product demos, to test and understand RCF’s extensive catalog. Above all, the event focused on many upcoming products, the growing HDL System, the passive short-throw E MAX, and the new mixing consoles.

Introduced one year ago to wide appreciation, the RCF FiRPHASE algorithm is ubiquitous among RCF active speakers. In addition to the smooth 0° phase response, FiRPHASE harmonizes the RCF signature sound among the RCF catalog and simplifies the match between speakers, allowing a coherent sum on all frequencies without any loss of quality. Line arrays such as HDL 50-A, HDL 30-A, and the new HDL 28-A are thoroughly compatible, so there is no more need for all-pass filters or other intricate tweaks; the system can now be deployed and tuned faster than ever. The new HD 15” series of HD 15-A, HD-35, and HDM 45-A point source speakers, with a modern and sleek full-grille design, and the new TT 08-A II, TT 10-A and TT 20 CXA TT+ range speakers are FiRPHASE compatible as well.

The general timbre of the system can then be adapted to the sound engineer’s taste thanks to the RDNet networked monitoring and version 3.1 management software, launched during the Open Days and soon available. The internal High Pass Filter on each RDNet-equipped cabinet’s DSP can now be modified, allowing better phase/frequency precision, while the new Bass Shaper algorithms let the system engineer achieve the favorite timbre on low frequencies, maintaining the desired tonal balance.

Showcased and promoted as a reliable and good-sounding mixer, the F series mixing consoles suits a wide range of applications. The advanced DSP technology and thoughtful design, inspired by the E Series professional mixing consoles, features a fully balanced analog path and amazing routing capabilities. Introduced first in the M18 digital mixing console and now available in the E series analog mixers, the Z.CORE DSP is now broadly acknowledged among sound engineers as one of the most effective DSPs for both analog and digital mixers. This technology inspires the FX section of the F Series and will be the solid ground for new exciting developments in RCF digital products.

RCF’s legendary hospitality was highly appreciated, thanks to the comfortable new premises and the availability and professionalism of the product managers, product specialists and the combined effort of RCF USA, RCF Germany, RCF France, RCF Austria, RCF Benelux, RCF UK, and RCF Spain international offices. The success of the Open Day 2018 couldn’t have happened without the solid relationship of RCF’s partners all over the world, and that deserves a big thanks from the entire RCF team.

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Installation

RCF is right on target at Place des Oliviers

Lille-Lesquin (France) - Place des Oliviers is a place both authentic and modern. It is an ideal place to spend a moment of relaxation, offering a culinary experience, with exquisite French flavours of the south and a lounge area to enjoy tapas and appetizer boards. There is also access to a bowling alley to practice petanque with nine tracks—the summer-sport par excellence.

The chosen speaker series - RCF MEDIA - are the optimal sound for distributed acoustic coverage both for ambient music and party events. Controlled by an RCF DX1616 digital matrix and installed by Sonodistrib of Lesquin, the sound system develops into multiple areas with separated controls and practical mute functions easily managed from the ad-hoc map interface on the iOS control App.

A total of 32 RCF speakers have been installed, both outdoors and indoors, with six M801 plus 16 M601 for the internal spaces, and four S5012 subs. Six additional weatherproof MQ80P speakers service the petanque lawn—outside on the top of building roof! The entire system is powered by 11 RCF IPS 700 /1700 amplifiers and managed by a DX1616 matrix.

Aurelien Senaffe of Sonodistrib designed a dedicated interface with volume, zoning and mutes on iPad, to manage and gain secure control of the DX1616 via WiFi.

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Event

Yes events top the 200 speaker mark with RCF hire fleet

When Tom Chennells merged his previous company Wavelength Entertainments into Yes Events back in 2011, he brought with him a clutch of RCF 905AS and ART 722AS loudspeakers. But he could little have realised that seven years later he would be operating three divisions from a 13,000 sq. ft purpose industrial unit, housing £2m of sound, lighting, staging, rigging, video and power equipment — including more than 200 loudspeakers from RCF (his sole speaker supplier).

Yes’s recent addition of 24x HDL 6-A composite line array enclosures is the latest stage on a journey that took them from those early ART boxes to TT+ (TT25-A, TTS-28-A, TT 08-A lightweight monitors), and into the new technology of the Bluetooth enabled EVOX JMIX8.

With the company now split into three sections — Yes Events, Yes Production and Yes Hire — Chennells realises the value of having access to a product catalogue that covers all bases, and meets all budget requirements.

With a background in high-end DJ work he also sensed the value of being able to offer a turnkey infrastructure, while his love for RCF had blossomed during those earlier days when he was running pole-mounted ART series speakers with his roadshow.

Once he had merged Wavelength with Nick Ratcliffe’s Yes Events he was soon buying bigger TT+ systems, such as the TTL33-A, and today points to client requirements for more sophisticated production as the reason for his 20-30% growth in turnover during the past three years to a multimillion pound annual operation.

Why such a large RCF inventory? “You start by purchasing a few pieces of a certain product, and when you see such great results it’s an easy decision to keep adding further stock. Every box has a purpose — from the simpler standalone point and shoot boxes such as HD10-A, HD12-A and the very cost effective ART3 and EVOX ranges which make a great choice for wedding and rental customers.

“The rental stock extends through to a large amount of the premium industry leading TT+ and HDL. We should give special mention to the little TT052-A. It is so discreet that it is easy to hide away on corporate events at places such as The Shard and equally at home as lip fill in large shows.”

In the corporate world Yes Events has had the privilege to work with many A-list acts, Elton John, Beverley Knight, Duran Duran, Tony Hadley to name a few, along with corporate giants such as Disney, while they have provided PA for many sporting events right across outdoor venues and arenas the UK.

Aside from budget considerations, and RCF’s legendary matched componentry of their active systems, what other compelling reasons are there? “Simple,” says Tom. “You don’t need to do much to the systems on set up. 99% of the time you just plug in, stand back and it sounds great.

With limited set-up times at some shows this is a massive attribute. There is also a good rental network of RCF users now and great support from RCF UK … it’s a nice relationship.” Anyone who attended the recent RCF Open Day at G-Live in Guildford will have noted how Tom Chennells evangelised the HDL6-A (hence Yes’s recent investment). “The cost and weight are amazing for what it can deliver and it’s a great way to get people into a focused sound system with so much control over directivity. At G-Live we put up eight [elements] with a flybar per side; this system comfortably throws 50 metres and yet it weighs less than 100kg a side, which is amazing.”

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