Palm Technology : Magazine on Stage Sound, Lighting, Install Sound, Music Production, Professional Audio & DJ

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Top 50 Innovations Of 2018

Articles May-June 2018

The ART of Touring

A.R. RAHMAN - the name says it all! 2017-2018 witnessed one of the most imposing live stage tours, when Rahman, set sail on a multi-city tour in India, reliving his musical renditions over the years...... read more on Page 26

SCALING HEIGHTS

Manish Mavani, the man of few words, talks about the SNL journey to becoming one of India’s biggest sound & light rental companies...... read more on Page 38

SETTING STANDARDS with the OVERTONE note

Meet Overtone Audio - a one-stop-shop offering end-to-end recording solutions for Film, TV and the Live events industries. It is not every day that you come across an audio products dealer who has extensive experience of using the products that they distribute....... read more on Page 56

GearHouse

Building stage business requires top level music song writers, big sound, big lighting and good musicians. A lot of musicians are required on stage performing live....... read more on Page 62

Audio & Acoustics for Video

PT invited industry leading Acoustics Designer Kapil Thirwani of Munro Acoustics, a leading acoustic consultancy, specialising in the design of high-end music, film and broadcast studio facilities to write a technical article for the magazine. In this feature article, Thirwani elucidates on Audio & Acoustics for Video...... read more on Page 68

High on OPIUM

PT met Cyrus Gorimar, the man behind milestone events like Dream Theatre and One Republic. Brahma to One Republic, Gorimar has come a long way. In this interview he talks about his love for music and his long-term vision of augmenting rock and heavy metal live concerts in India through O Live OPIUM’s new music IP...... read more on Page 78

The Bose Team full of Gung-Ho

PT interviewed Vibhor Khanna, Country Manager – SAARC at Bose Professional. Khanna is an experienced business leader with over 18 years of experience in sales and business development of Audio-Video products. Since 2012, he is instrumental in setting up new Dealer Channels for Bose Professional products...... read more on Page 90

Articles Mar-April 2018

Opera House Acoustics Nirvana for Munro

Recording music in the black box tape era meant sci-fi acoustics and studios which reminded you of Stanley Kubrick, imagination of space where every sound recorded was primeval, spiritual, pure, so acoustics meant curves and waves and slanted triangular ceilings, sound absorption, double glass partitions, heavy doors and curtains and other ideas..... read more on Page 28

THE MIX MAGICIAN

Shadab Rayeen is Bollywood’s current in-demand mix engineer, with a resume boasting of numerous A-list mix credits spanning 17 years in the music industry. Apart from mixing Bollywood songs, Rayeen has worked extensively in multiple regional languages.PT met up with him at his studio in suburban Andheri in Mumbai to talk about audio, plugins, mix, music and more...... read more on Page 40

Madame Tussauds - Sight & Sound to behold

Best described as one of the most popular tourist attractions across the globe, Madame Tussauds is home to wax figures of some of the most famous and historic international personalities in every field of life, from sports to politics, movies and film characters...... read more on Page 58

Entertainment Technology Convergence at PALM 2018

Pro Audio and lighting will take center stage, as PALM expo - India’s largest gathering of the entertainment technology and music production industry heads towards its 18th consecutive edition. Here’s a prevue of what will be on show in the Mumbai expo...... read more on Page 68

IRAA 2018 gears up for a grand 12th edition as nominations continue to pour in

Honouring excellence in the domain of music recording and production is the 12th Edition of the glorious Indian Recording Arts Academy Awards (IRAA)....... read more on Page 80

Recordings to Record

In this feature PALM technology has put down a list of good studio work done in Bollywood in 2017. In trying to define the paradigm in studio recording, mixing and mastering, we chose what was popular. We have enlisted as many popular tracks as possible from Bollywood selected from a variety of studios, that made it to the top of music charts........ read more on Page 91

Articles Jan-Feb 2018

FOH - What’s in my House

Rahul Samuel is an award-winning live sound engineer and founder of LiveEnd. With over 13 years of global experience in the professional audio industry as FOH, Monitor and System Engineer, he has the privilege of working with the best. He blogs about professional audio at www.rahulsamuel.com..... read more on Page 54

Ed Sheeran "The Shape of the Divide World Tour" in India

Trussing and rigging are more often than not, relegated to an unassuming corner position when it comes to live stage acts, while sound, light and visuals hog the limelight. However, on some occasions they have the power to take Centre stage as was witnessed during Ed Sheeran’s Divide World Tour in Mumbai last November..... read more on Page 56

ON TOUR with Pramod Chandorkar

Being an FOH special issue, and as is the custom to feature a live sound engineer in this issue, PT caught up with yet another of the country’s top live sound engineers this year. Our readers can be forgiven for considering FOH engineers and Studio engineers as two different species, but there are some engineers who simply do not want to be limited to either discipline; one such engineer being Pramod Chandorkar, a man who is equally at home behind an FOH console as he is in a recording studio, proving how varied a career as a sound engineer can be. PT caught up with the man who has been mixing live for one of the most versatile and celebrated playback singers in the country – Sonu Nigam, since the past 14 years...... read more on Page 59

FOHrecast

This being the FOH issue, PT approached and tapped the experience of some of India’s top live sound engineers to find out key challenges faced by them while working on the new age live sound consoles and features they would like to see on future consoles...... read more on Page 72

GOING BIG WITH SMALLER BOXES

Investment into quality sound equipment and a fresh business outlook is broadening NJSM’s horizon on the festival circuit in India. In a tête-à-tête with Nixon Johnny, Sachit Subramanian and Sancheth Suvarna, PT finds out what’s new and what’s next for the rental company..... read more on Page 76

Articles Nov-Dec 2017

BELIEVING IN THE MARKET - Bose Distribution Strategy

What is your perception of the Indian Market? MJ: I was in India in 94 and didn’t quite know what to expect, but it’s been really wonderful to be here. We have a global strategy we are trying to implement across all regions, so that we have a consistent way of building distribution and growing vertical markets.... read more on Page 32

Bose Interview

The FINCH - Live Music and More

Plutusone Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. unlocked a new side to Mumbai’s entertainment scene on June 29th when they launched a chic, elegant restaurant and bar - The Finch..... read more on Page 38

Sennheiser Chronicles: Interview with Vipin Pungalia

In an interview with PALM technology, VIPIN PUNGALIA, Director Professional Segment, Sennheiser India talks about the global launch of the wired XS 1 dynamic in India, his perception of the market for Sennheiser products in India and the growth achieved by Sennheiser in the country..... read more on Page 54

BUILDING DJ TALENT

With millions of DJs in the running, reaching the top can be a daunting task. The PALM DJ Championship has been instrumental in building, promoting and nurturing this bank of upcoming DJ Talent since 2011..... read more on Page 68

A journey to discover rebirth of Linear Topology

Part 2 of the article Will The Linear Make A Real Comeback? wherein LT COL JASBIR SINGH KABERWAL, (Retd) SC hints at a futuristic emerging trend which may see a comeback of linear audio with advancements in technology offering sonic quality and advancement in size and energy efficiency to the next level..... read more on Page 36

Articles Sep-Oct 2017

AUDIOVISUAL-PROJECTION INTEGRATION

In the last couple of years, jaw-dropping visual experiences at live entertainment events and venues, courtesy 3D projection mapping, motion graphics and augmented reality have made their presence felt in India. Tailor-made three-dimensional projection mappings have altered sound stages, building facades and architecture and even human figures in real time, creating interplay between real and virtual space with the help of cutting-edge technology. The PALM Conference and Seminar 2017 witnessed Technical Evangelist – VIJAY SABHLOK, touch upon the topic of Multi-Imaging using different technologies. Conference delegates got an opportunity to learn about the tools and techniques of creating Multi-Sensational Events and Installations, while also getting insight into new interactive technologies like Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality. PALM technology presents highlights of this session. The PALM Conference & Seminar session can be viewed on the PALM expo YouTube channel.... read more on Page 42

Top end LASERS missing from Rental Portfolios

India has been witness to some astonishing laser light extravaganzas at EDM events in the recent past, however a survey done by PALM technology indicates that as a general rule, lasers are missing in action and top quality brands are not afforded by event and rental companies. Though lasers are missing in action in show business, there is a huge opportunity and potential for renting lasers given that laser use is still in its nascent stage. Smita Rai reports on the ground reality... read more on Page 40

Bringing Life through Lights

Highly experienced lighting designer Roosevelt D’Souza is rarely restricted in his art. Best known for his work on Music Concerts and festivals, Roosevelt is actually a full service special event lighting professional, also specializing in designing & executing light effects for theatre production, brand launches, music concerts & festivals, fashion shows, film shoots, award ceremonies & ambience lighting. In this interview, he talks to PALM technology about his journey to becoming the “Master of Special Event Lighting.”.... read more on Page 66

AMPLIFICATION TOPOLOGY

First proposed in 1958, Class D amplifiers started gaining increased popularity and acceptance in the early 21st century, with this technology ruling since over a decade, overriding the demand for bulky & energy inefficient linear amps. In this article LT COL JASBIR SINGH KABERWAL, (Retd) SC hints at a futuristic emerging trend which may see a comeback of linear audio with advancements in technology offering sonic quality and advancement in size and energy efficiency to the next level... read more on Page 24

Articles Jul-Aug 2017

AV Today’s Trend in Hospitality

As AV sets new standards beyond traditional applications, ICT-AV-Security-Consultant - Mr. A.R. Chandrashekhar, touches on the topic of the latest trends in AV installations for the Hospitality segment with LED screens, displays and interactive video now contributing to the overall interior design of the hotel... read more on Page 84

Playboy Delhi gets a taste of TW Audio

After a high magnitude success with its first superclub in Mumbai, the city of glamour, the Playboy club is now rocking the country’s capital, New Delhi. The city’s party animals got a major reason to rejoice with the opening.... read more on Page 88

Sumi Baptist Church integration scales heights

Painted in blue and white, the Sumi Baptist Church - Zuneheboto is situated in Nagaland, bordering onto China, and is 212km from Dimapur Airport. Situated on the highest point in...read more on Page 30

The Big Stage by AKhil Varma – Project Head, PALM Expo

More than 50% of India’s population is below the age of 25 and more than 65% below the age of 35. It is expected...read more on Page 84

Articles May-Jun 2017

Justin Bieber Sound Reinforcement

The Justin Bieber Concert motivated our editorial team to learn, how it is going to be done. The sheer capacity of deployment and state of the art delivery would mean the audio system engineering would have been ingenious and display of the classic Indian Jugaad, which in this instance would need to be disapproved. PALM technology met Warren D’Souza who presented with complete confidence planning, design, technique and expertise in setting up a world-class professional turnkey audio system. This issue being a LIVE Issue and stage sound being all about alignments and calibration, Warren’s role as a Systems Engineer, for the show has been highlighted. His acumen together with Co-Systems Engineer Sunil Karanjikar’s expertise has ensured smooth execution of the massive project. Somya Kedia reports.read more on Page 36

The TOP 10 EVENT COMPANIES

The Event Management industry has grown exponentially over the last decade with a host of varied events encompassing festivals, concerts, conference, corporate events and even marathons. This issue being the “Live” issue, we highlight the top 10 Event companies conceptualizing and executing the biggest live entertainment shows in the country. We have left out some of the bigger event companies whose focus is more into corporate or sports events and have highliighted only the ones organising the live entertainment and music events.read more on Page 50

The Fountainhead of superlative experiences

In a career spanning nearly 22 years, the quality of Neale’s wins have been exceptional. With the vision of building brands he creates delightful experiences with events. In an exclusive with PALM technology, Neale talks about his journey and work and truly believes that the core essence lies in valuing the right talent! Smita Rai and Somya Kedia report. read more on Page 60

Top 35 Rental Companies

PALM Technology has done a crucial exercise of surveying the market for identifying these top 35 audio/video/lighting rental companies who are investing into product and inventory and offering the latest technology thereby driving the market and rental business with sizable inventory. This is not an audited list and is intended as a guide. read more on Page 76

People at PALM

PALM 2017 engages expertise of eminent personalities who have accomplished knowledge in their field of activity. Their valuable involvement in PALM, act as a driving force towards PALM’s intellect and dynamism which leads Indian entertainment professional landscape to a higher paradigm. read more on Page 88

Articles Jan-Feb 2017

Top FOH Engineers in India

There are the mixing masters behind the audio console who strengthen the core essence of live performances. Showcasing aptitude to blend instruments with vocals and attain a flawlessly balance sound, Front of House engineers are effective and confident technical experts who know every inch of the gear. read more on Page 46...

Going Live with Sunil Karanjikar

Sunil Karanjikar has worn many a hats in his career as a Live Sound FOH engineer. He reveals his aces and talks about the secrets and tricks to his success, his journey, along with the key challenges he faces during the course. “Live sound does not have an ‘Undo’ Button” he shares in his insights with PALM Technology magazine.read more on Page 54...

Live Bands - Musical Escape

Commercial music in India has been mostly synonymous with film soundtracks. The fact however is that the music scene in India is constantly evolving and is only going to get bigger with more and more stage acts from independent music bands energizing the business, and by Indian music we also mean languages other than Hindi. In this feature we catch the action on stage from 10 Top live bands who have managed to post a huge-win. The bands have gained a lot of stage attention giving impetus to the entire business in India. read more on Page 64

Articles Nov-Dec 2016

GOING BIG WITH PLAYBOY

The Playboy Club founded by media baron Hugh Hefner, first opened its doors in the 1960s in downtown Chicago and instantly became successful as a read more on Page 22

DJs Scratching on Favourites

2017 is set to be another fun-filled action-packed year in clubland! Somya Kedia tracks the trend and highlights the toolkit of some of the top DJs in the country.read more on Page 32

Global Citizen Festival India

Looked up to as a beacon of hope, Global Citizen Festival India held in Mumbai on 19 November, 2016 proved to be a monumental day as India asserted its solidarity with the world in fighting extreme poverty. read more on Page 44

Electric Daisy Carnival debuts in India

Originating in Las Vegas Nevada, the Electric Daisy Carnival over the years has asserted itself as a hub for EDM fans across the globe, as a result of its fantastic on-stage music programming, enchanting stage designs, read more on Page 46

Product Specialists Driven by Passion

A professionally qualified sound engineer from SAE in Chennai, Tuhin is also a sought after DJ who has immense experience of playing at various clubs. A sharp understanding of the technical aspects behind sound production and immense knowledge of equipment, gained him the position of a product specialist for Pioneer DJ India and his areas of expertise lies in club equipment, samplers and remix stations. read more on Page 48

“Indian DJs are tech savvy” - Reji, Director, PALM DJ Championship

Growing DJ Industry

DJ industry is expanding exponentially and the growth rate has been phenomenal. Talking about the industry expansion, Reji observes that as the industry continues to evolve, the demands for technology, equipments, expertise and specific services have also witnessed a

Articles Jul-Aug 2016

I-Kandy gets K-Rigged

I-Kandy nightclub at Le Meridian hotel in Gurgaon was recently in need of an upgrade for its indoor sound system. Located at the Sector 26, Le Meridian Gurgaon, I-Kandy oozes sophistication. The luxurious pool club and European styled designed lounge boasts 2 bars across a sparkling 85 feet swimming pool...

Sound Design for Night Clubs and RestoBars

The focus of Milind’s presentation was ‘Sound Design for Nightclubs and Restobars: A field view’, wherein he spoke about the technicalities of sound engineering to formulate a great night club or a restaurant bar. Milind who is an Electronics Engineer from the CCSRR-Mumbai University, has invested years into sound engineering, setting up different clubs and bars. He has to his credit venues such as Triology - Mumbai, F Bar Mumbai & Chennai, Privy @ Le Meridian Delhi, Club Nyex, Goa, The Good Wife – Mumbai and many more...

AG Acoustics strikes the right chord with KV2 Audio’s ES Series

Conveniently located in the Outer Circle, near KG Marg, New Delhi is a new café in town - FLYP@MTV. Viacom18 Consumer Products - the consumer products arm of Viacom18 has extended Viacom’s flagship property “MTV”, to an on-ground experience by introducing this unique ‘MTV-style’ hangout in association with Funbars Hospitality Pvt. Ltd.

QUBE CINEMA TECHNOLOGIES AND UFO MOVIEZ TO MERGE

Published 9 November, 2017

The Boards of Directors of UFO Moviez India Limited and Qube Cinema Technologies Private Limited approved a Composite Scheme of Arrangement and Amalgamation, amongst UFO, Qube, Qube Digital Cinema Private Limited (“Qube Digital”), Moviebuff Private Limited (“Moviebuff”) and PJSA Technosoft Private Limited (“PJSA”). Qube, Qube Digital and Moviebuff are part of the Qube group whereas PJSA is a wholly owned subsidiary of UFO.

The proposed transaction is being carried pursuant to the Scheme on the basis of which Qube’s business of providing technology solutions and services in the film, video and audio domains, including digital cinema advertising will be first demerged into Qube Digital and then subsequently merged with UFO pursuant to certain intermediate steps as approved by the Boards of Directors of the aforementioned companies. The merger ratio based on relative Valuation stands at 63.6% for UFO and 36.4% for Qube Digital.

One of the intermediate steps mentioned above will include ICICI Venture along with UFO purchasing a stake in Qube Digital from certain private equity investors who have been shareholders of Qube for several years. Qube Digital’s shares purchased by UFO will stand cancelled post-merger. The proposed transaction is expected to further solidify the merged entity’s position in India’s digital cinema distribution and in-cinema advertising industry.

Merger, Advantages & Development

Considering the existing entertainment and advertising market dynamics, the proposed merger of the two companies will lead to robust growth opportunities in India and globally and will create greater value for their respective shareholders. With UFO MPEG4 & Qube MPEG2 technology used for the transmission of content into e-Cinema, it is expected that the combined entity will develop and deploy both D-Cinema and e-Cinema systems, that incorporate the best features of the multiple technologies available to the company.

Both UFO, with 4,000 advertising screens, and Qube, with 3,300 advertising screens, have large advertising networks. And because of the strong geographical strengths the merged business will be able to offer a pan India in-cinema advertising network covering over 7,300 screens, significantly improving the overall value proposition for clients. The two companies also have complementary strengths in terms of client base, presenting attractive cross-sell opportunities.

Further, the proposed merger would bring about synergies of operations and benefits of scale by minimizing the duplication of administrative functions, combining some infrastructural requirements and unifying legal and regulatory compliances.

In addition, Qube has developed Qube Wire, which is a self-service, single-window system for global theatrical distribution. With a simple but comprehensive user interface, distributors can manage their DCP assets, assign territorial rights and have their content and keys delivered to any theatre in the world. Theatres can manage their own digital cinema system details and access their Universal Inbox on the Qube Wire service as well. This service is currently in the process of commercialization but is already in operation on a limited-scale serving select clients. UFO, along with its screen network in India, also has a network of screens overseas. The combined network, post-amalgamation, will allow faster monetization of Qube Wire and other IP based Qube products, both within India and internationally.

The combined entity is also expected to leverage ICICI Venture’s significant prior experience as a private equity investor in new age businesses, including media and technology.

Comments from Founders & Management Team

Sanjay Gaikwad, Founder and Managing Director of UFO Moviez India Ltd., said, “We are excited to combine our business with such a strong partner. Qube has not only built a strong digital cinema and in-cinema advertising network in India but has also developed interesting technology products relating to film business for global application. The combined Company would have a stronger position in India’s digital cinema distribution and in-cinema advertising industry. The combination will bring together capabilities, talent, strong processes of both Companies and we together look forward to creating value for the entire Cinema value chain.”

Senthil Kumar, Co-founder of Qube Cinema Technologies Pvt. Ltd., said, “We are excited to partner with UFO and believe that the combination of the proven business models of the two companies would be extremely beneficial. Together, we will create a robust network offering digital cinema and in-cinema advertising services. UFO’s strengths combined with Qube’s strong technology focus would position the combined entity to deliver long-term growth at a faster pace. With extraordinary reach and execution capabilities, we are bringing together two world-class organizations to deliver much more, thus maximizing value for all stakeholders.”

Prashant Purker, Managing Director & CEO of ICICI Venture., said, “We believe the combination of UFO and Qube would be synergistic and value accretive for all stakeholders. We are pleased to have acted as a catalyst in this transaction as a partner and financial investor in the combined entity.”

Click here for PALM Show Magazine 2018