Orbital The Spin Spring 2015

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Return to the Forbidden Planet blasts around the UK on 25th Anniversary Tour – complete with Flare X2 compact system

From an aesthetic perspective alone, Return to the Forbidden Planet and Flare Audio's polished aluminium speakers are a match made in heaven. With Ben Harrison's sound design, the combined effect is meteoric – as the 25th anniversary tour makes its way around the UK, playing to packed houses.

For Flare Audio, this is the first major touring musical production to deploy its recently launched X2A Compact Vertical Point Source Array system. Ben first heard the X2s at a special demo last September, deciding that the project was an ideal opportunity to put them through their paces.
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This summer sees the highly acclaimed Opera North production of the hit musical return to the UK, with venues including Leeds Grand Theatre, Theatre Royal Norwich and the Edinburgh Festival Theatre.

Sound design is by Rick Clarke, the veteran of over 40 West End musicals, who is once again using the Flare Audio X2 – after deploying it for the first time during the panto season on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the Richmond Theatre, starring Jerry Hall.

MUSICAL DOUBLE BILL AS MAJOR NEW PRODUCTIONS OF THE SOUND OF MUSIC AND JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR TOUR THE UK

For sound designer Dan Samson, January and February this year disappeared in a blur with seven major shows from the Bill Kenwright Ltd stable hitting the UK touring circuit in as many weeks. For Dan and his team, it was a question of meticulous planning and careful advance preparation, especially as one of the shows was a major revival of the legendary Jesus Christ Superstar - the first time the classic has gone out on tour. Also on the schedule was a new largescale production of The Sound of Music - involving a cast of 28, a sizeable live band and multiple complements of children!

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This year's Easter "Sound Fundamentals for Theatre" training course will run from 7th-10th April at our purpose-built Brixton training facility. Over 500 students have already passed through what has become the industry's de facto theatre sound training programme, helping to prepare technical theatre and theatre sound students for careers in live entertainment.
The Sound Fundamentals for Theatre course combines essential theory with practical skills, catering for a wide cross-section of skill levels. Students are typically drawn from the UK's leading drama schools, as well as freelancers and corporate sector technicians.

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Seamless integration for production audio.

Launched at ABTT 2014 and Sound Product of the Year award winner, the Nemesis range is designed specifically for the challenging theatre and live entertainment environments. It was created to address a specific gap in the market for powerful, reliable and flexible show control and audio playback solutions.

The Nemesis design objective is to provide a fully specified and highly resilient set of control and

redundancy hardware, enabling engineers to achieve seamlessly integrated performances. The most recent addition to the line-up includes the UMT-2Di – a standalone solution for complex external control requirements of theatrical control and playback software.

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Orbital Sound has a long-standing reputation for innovation across all aspects of what we do; something we are always looking for in the brands we represent.

As users of the equipment on a daily basis in our capacity as a top class rental company, we understand the importance of seeking the best advice when it comes to investing in new kit.

We are one of very few companies in this sector that has genuine hands-on product expertise and a

team of experts with combined technical, practical and consultancy skills.

We believe that sales is much more than simply supplying boxes - our approach is to provide the knowledge that helps our customers select the right kit for their job, assist with all aspects of the installation and provide expert support into the future.

So we'd like to introduce our expert team - 12 specialists that work alongside us to bring their experience to the mix.

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Our conference and events teams' hectic schedule in February included providing the FOH speaker system and crew communications for a fundraising gala dinner, in aid of the Prince's Trust Invest in Future's programme. The event was organised by Timebased Events at the exquisite Savoy Ballroom, with HRH The Prince of Wales joining guests during a fund-raising bonanza that totalled £1.5 million on the night.

An all-star cast included hosts Sir Ben Kingsley and Samantha Bond, with entertainment provided by magician Dynamo and music from Jools Holland, performing live with Ronnie Wood and Melanie C. Starring roles on the sound system side were played by d&b audiotechnik V-12 cabinets, with E6 and E8 front and side fills- with our expert Charlie Garrick at the helm. A Clear-Com two-channel party line linked to a DX210 wireless system provided comms for the stage and production crew.



	FIRST FLARE AUDIO SEMINAR SHONE A NEW LIGHT ON LOUDSPEAKER TECHNOLOGY

	In January Orbital Sound hosted a thought-provoking seminar led by Flare Audio's Davies Roberts, presenting "The Path to Better Sound." The seminar discussed many of the issues that have affected loudspeaker performance since its invention some 90 years ago. Davies also giving a detailed technical explanation of the science behind loudspeaker design. Attended by 20 delegates, the half-day sessions focused on a mix of science and debate, with topics including the hidden distortions inside loudspeakers; the challenges behind achieving total accuracy in loudspeaker design, as well as loudspeaker behaviour and its lack of predictability.


	Region's largest new 5000 capacity, multi-use arena and velodrome.

	Two years on from laying the foundation stone, Derby Arena was officially opened to the public on Friday 20 March complete with a sizeable d&b audiotechnik T-Series sound system supplied by Orbital Sound. The new venue incorporates a 250m indoor cycle track - only the fifth of its kind to open in the UK - as well as being designed to stage large cultural events, exhibitions, product launches and conferences, with a seated capacity of up to 3500 and up to 5000 capacity seated and standing. > Read more

Ten years one from the arrival of the Yamaha PM1D and PM5D, there is a new flagship for the PM marque – the RIVAGE PM10.

Announced in late 2014, the PM10 has the DNA that made the PM series consoles such a success, alongside a new set of evolved features and performance. Watch the video here

This March Barcelona was once again the host to the biggest mobile industry show in the world, as the Mobile World Congress took over the city for four days. Attracting over 93,000 delegates, every hotel, venue and taxi was booked solid!

For Orbital Sound’s conference and events team, this year’s agenda included a high profile corporate event in the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya - situated in the Palau Nacional in the Parc de Montjuïc, occupying a breathtaking position overlooking the city. This beautiful venue was selected by the MWC’s headline sponsor, a major Chinese telecoms manufacturer, for a VIP evening’s entertainment organised by global creative agency Imagination.

The project involved over 100 performers, taking part in an extravaganza that included flamenco dancers, hip hop, a 50-piece orchestra, and a full choir across three central stages, as well as in the balcony space - performed in front of an invited audience of some 1200.

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Orbital Sound has recently completed a major installation project at the University of Wolverhampton's Arena Theatre, a 150-seat studio space, involving a CAT6 network and d&b audiotechnik E-Series system. Host to a wide variety of touring acts, as well as a series of jazz events, the Arena Theatre specified the E-Series ultra compact system after a comprehensive on-site evaluation by d&b audiotechnik, identifying it as the best match to the venue's requirement. The new system comprised d&b E12-D cabinets, combined with E15X subs and E6 delays for the main theatre, complemented by E8 speakers for the studio/rehearsal space. It was installed as part of a major refit, which included an 80-line CAT6 data network.

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The perfect blend of wireless intercom convenience, with wired intercom performance

Before we decided to stock the DX210, we scoured the market and evaluated a number of candidate systems - the DX210 won hands down and represents our strongest recommendation for a reliable, interference-free two-channel wireless intercom.

The DX210's digital design is the way to go, having repeatedly proven itself, with license-free operation in the 2.4GHz band solving the many problems of spectrum overcrowding and the sheer lack of frequencies available at some locations. The system completely avoids the intermodulation squelch issues that are commonly associated with systems operating in over-saturated VHF and UHF bands.

The DX210 offers the perfect combination of wireless intercom performance and system compatibility with wired intercom, such as installations that feature Clear-Com or RTS 2-wire systems.

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d&b audiotechnik
Y-Series arrives!

We have just taken delivery of our new Y-Series stock, joining its bigger V-Series and J-Series brothers and delivering high directivity with reduced size and weight. The new range offers an overall improved performance sonically, increased SPL headroom, full range capability, as well as updated mechanical assembly, flying hardware and a PCP cabinet finish.

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