That time of the year again, when we reflect on the year gone by and plan for the year ahead!

The theme for this issue (as well as the next) is Studio! Studio theme seems an anomaly in an age where studio recorded albums aren’t on display on the shelf. Paid Digital downloads are still to gain momentum in India. A survey done last year indicated a 200 million strong streaming music market, but notwithstanding inspiring numbers, there are very few people in India who are actually ready to pay for the music.

No surprises then that project studios or home studios have gained popularity in the last decade. Big studios with big desks are few and far between and live recording floors are difficult to imagine.  There was a time when albums sold on the recording engineer’s excellence and the studio it was recorded in. Great studios had great engineers! Bombay boasted of iconic studios and great recording engineers, but today every artiste/engineer/music producer who has work has his own ‘studio’. 

Veera Desai continues to announce new music studios, the latest ones being that of the 365 day man – Shadab Rayeen who got Aditya Modi of Modi Digital and Rolins T’Roy of Rolins Arcoustics to redo his studio (New Edge Studios) and upgrade one of the rooms to a Dolby Atmos Music Room. This also happens to be India’s first Dolby Atmos Music Mixing Room. More on pg.28.

The other new facility at Veera Desai is TAG – a modern day audio institute belonging to audio engineers Jaykrishnan Nalinkumar, Omkar Tamhan and Anupam Sathe.  TAG has three studios replete with state-of-the-art gears, with one of them housing the mothership of all – the classic large format SSL Origin, which again happens to be the first Origin to be installed for educational purposes in all of Asia Pacific and currently the only one in India. More on pg.10.

Interview with ‘the’ Farhad DadyBurjor on pg.14. Enjoy! The interview was conducted before Farhad’s appointment as National Business Head – Studios, for Alphatec Audio Video - sole authorized distributor in India for major audio and AV brands. 

This issue also has the Buzz on Studio Monitors (pg.46) and Consoles (pg.26).

The Studio Showcase Pic Gallery on pg.56 is where all the action is from leading brands offering their best tech for the studio.

Next issue the theme is Studio again, and it will also feature the preview to the PALM AV-ICN Expo scheduled to take place in Mumbai from May 27 – May 29, 2021.

EMERGING AS CATALYST

Of course there still is some worry about the business and market but positive response to PALM AV-ICN 2021 is the best news in a long time! This truly means the market is inching towards normalcy. Proof is in the pudding as PALM witnessed a surge in new online registrations since the time Visitor Registration went live on 4th Feb; a record 1500 registrations within 24 hours itself!

The range of products at the show this year would definitely reflect on where the Pro Sound, AV and Lighting industry is headed post-covid! As of today it sure looks like the mid-segment of the market is currently where the industry is witnessing the most action. What visitors are going to see and experience at PALM AV-ICN is what they will buy and use. There is going to be a churn and the market will evolve, attracting more manufacturers into the fray and PALM AV-ICN is definitely emerging as the catalyst for this evolution. 

The cover story on Top 30 products in pro audio and lighting profiles new game changers, which shall work for the Indian market. All magazines and god knows how many other online portals might have their own choice, but these top 30 is what PT chose to feature on pg.34.  

IRAA 2021

I am glad to announce already, it is our privilege and pleasure to host the 15th edition of the IRAA awards on 29th May 2021 at the PALM AV-ICN Expo venue. I call upon the engineering fraternity to send in their Nominations. Music producers and recording professionals must enter recordings released during the period January 2020 – December 2020. The entry form will be available on the IRAA website till 30th April 2020, which is the last date for submission.

Hope to see you all in strength at PALM AV-ICN Expo 2021!

January-February 2021!

While we get cracking on to beginning 2021 and look back at the treacherous year gone by, the shine is evidently missing from the sound + stage. Over the years we have seen the global pro audio and lighting industry make giant strides. In India, the last few years had indeed been redeeming for the big stage which boasted of real ‘live acts’ which included U2: The Joshua Tour and the OnePlus Music Festival in 2019 and Justin Bieber, UB 40, Dream Theatre and Chainsmokers before that. The dream run continued until the dreaded “C” word reared its head. 2020 has unpredictably gone on to be one of the most uneventful (pun intended) year for the industry. An industry which was projected to achieve Rs 12,200 crores by 2022, incurred losses worth Rs 40,000 crores in the first quarter of 2020 itself, and the numbers have only risen since then.

While the complete industry came to a standstill overnight, disrupting the entire supply chain, the gradual ‘unlock’ process which has allowed more social, entertainment, cultural, religious and political events and weddings to take place in a regulated manner has brought at least some respite - between 10 and 20 percent, a PALM survey reveals. Nevertheless the industry is still apprehensive as all events have been forced to scale down in size, invariably at the cost of sound and lighting. The days of live stage concerts drawing in thousands of fans and the days of the big fat Indian weddings seem palpably numbered. The heat and light of the big lights and the sound from the big boxes is gone and the entire culture has shifted from live to virtual (which too cannot be a permanent solution). For the live events industry, painful as it may sound, going back to where we were, pre-Covid, is no longer an option for a long time to come.

Nonetheless, let’s Chin up and measure the change in the industry in a month from now.

PALM 2021 is up ahead. Come May and all roads lead to the Bombay Exhibition Centre in Mumbai from May 13 – May 15, 2021.

It’s time that we as an industry go by ground reality and reinvent. The PALM AV-ICN expo has a very important part to play in this and it’s time for the industry to use this platform to put the industry into active gear. Essentially PALM AV-ICN is playing catalyst role in resurgence of the industry. In 2021, PALM also has a lot of initiatives for “Make in India” which is crucial to strengthen prosound + light sector. The industry shall come together at the show. It is of paramount importance and relevance that the industry converges on a central anchor platform like PALM AV-ICN. Converging on an anchor platform in PALM AV-ICN will give us a strong voice and clear path of progress.

For obvious reasons the theme for the Nov-Dec issue which is usually Big Stage + DJ has endured an applied change this year, focusing more on install sound and theatres and auditoriums as is evident in the content for this issue. Hope you find some valuable information in there.

A big Thank You to our readers, loyal advertisers and the industry as a whole, for keeping in touch with the PT team and providing us with invaluable market insights all through this difficult year! We hope the New Year starts off on a good note for all of us.   

In our year-opening Jan-Feb issue, we will be featuring the Top 50 products and technologies of 2020. Send in your submissions real quick for consideration to mporwal@palmexpo.in or srai@palmexpo.in

 Till then wishing you all a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

November-December 2020!

2020 has hurriedly gone by from being a promising year for the events industry to being the most disastrous. Even as the pandemic continues to impact the economy, some industry sectors in India like the auto, housing, building and construction and manufacturing sectors have picked up speed. Unfortunately all our earnest hopes that the events industry, and in turn the pro audio and lighting industry would pick up by the festive and wedding season are belied.

Even the current SOPs announced by the Government this month, does little to provide a boost to the events and exhibition industry. Physical networking and people gatherings are the backbone of the events industry, however, while allowing more social, academic, sports, entertainment, cultural, religious and political events to open up, an unrealistic cap of maximum limit of 200 people has been imposed as per Unlock 5 guidelines.

We are living in uncertain times and only time will tell if the events industry will pick up by early 2021.

Notwithstanding the impediments thrust by the outbreak, as in every other industry, it has also rapidly widened the scope for innovation in the events industry. New applications for audio and light for resourceful virtual events is an evolution. In the struggle for survival, the industry has reinvented itself and redefined its event structure with imaginative virtual touch and feel shows.  One such organization which has taken to the virtual entertainment events space, like fish takes to water, is NJSM Studios and BNA Talent. Read all about how they took on the challenge of entering a relatively new domain and embraced it with great success on pg.38.

Also entering the virtual events space is Becket Tundatil’s Firefly. On pg.48 the ace lighting designer talks about the current situation and the future of lighting design in the virtual space.

PALM AV-ICN expo Preponed in May

After a period of discussion and consultation, the PALM expo management has decided to prepone the PALM expo 2021, which was earlier scheduled to take place in the last week of May. The PALM expo will now take place from May 13- May 15, 2021.

This decision of moving up the dates by two weeks was taken due to the near clash with the dates of ISE expo which is scheduled to take place in Barcelona in the first week of June.  

“PALM AV-ICN Expo is the gravity centre for product sourcing in pro audio and audiovisual. It becomes imperative to host the show on dates that don’t clash with ISE. The AV industry finds it important to be at PALM AV-ICN. ISE too increasingly attracts pro audio. Thus, preponing the show will allow all exhibitors and professionals to schedule their participation stress free,” said Anil Chopra, Founder Director of PALM expo.

PALM AV-ICN expo is readying to deliver a safe and motivated expo that will allow the pro audio, lighting and AV community to reconnect and showcase their gear to an eager audience waiting to attend the show after a year of unanticipated interruption.

Watch out for regular updates on this page.

www.palmexpo.in is also live, offering initial change of date information for exhibitors and visitors.

IRAA 2020 goes Virtual

IRAA 2020 was a high point for the PALM expo. For the first time ever, the IRAA Awards took place as a virtual event on Sunday, 11 October. Following the ceremony’s postponement in May, due to the cancellation of the much-awaited PALM expo, the IRAA committee and Jury Members, motivated by IRAA’s spirit in recognizing excellence and discovering best work and talent in the studio domain, decided to continue with the awards in its digital avatar. It was indeed a Sound (pun intended) decision as the event was a huge success with studio sound engineers and music industry professionals from across India gathering in strength to watch the event on the virtual platform. The awards ceremony was streamed simultaneously on the PALM expo Facebook and YouTube channels. IRAA announced winners across 42 categories selected from over 1000+ nominations received from across India. This year the awards enjoyed the support of HARMAN Professional Solutions India, a brand known for its extensive bouquet of signature products for the studio. The credit for the Concept and Production of the event went to NJSM Studios and BNA Talent, who ensured outstanding delivery and a smooth viewing experience. Turn to pg.16 for an extensive review of the event and a detailed list of the nominees and winners.  

The fraternity of sound engineers in India doing great work has been exploding each year and  the IRAA awards which is a tribute to all these sound engineers is very ambitious, as we envision this community of sound engineers growing exponentially in the near future. In years to come, IRAA hopes to enroll 1lakh sound engineers working on soundtrack and music for television, film, music, radio, live etc. as eligible voting members.

IRAA will be back in 2021, on the sidelines of the PALM expo which will take place once again at the Bombay Exhibition Centre in Goregaon, Mumbai in mid-May.

Till then get all relevant updates in PALM technology magazine.

Happy Reading!

September-October 2020!

Recent reports by EEMA indicate that the Indian events industry (including exhibitions) will take a Rs 1 lakh crore hit this quarter. As the Events industry, completely smashed, grapples with the turmoil caused by the novel Coronavirus, nearly all professional sound and lighting brands and rental companies have been directly impacted.

With outdoor as well as indoor entertainment events, including the Wedding Industry (which has multiplied multifold in the past few years to become an approx. $50 billion industry), coming to an absolute standstill, all the inventory has been rendered illiquid.

All large and small events and festivities, in urban as well as rural India have come to an unexpected halt, disrupting the entire ecosystem, with every last consumption of light and sound equipment seized since March this year.

While we can argue for months on end about the economic value and significance of the Events Industry to the GDP of our country, it was the Events Industry to first come under the axe, with the outbreak of the virus. Whether we like it or not, events are major vehicles for transmission of the virus.

Experiences that connect people directly in a very physical and tangible manner is the very core of our sound and light industry, so the overbearing question on everybody’s mind is “HOW and WHEN”.

Our regular columnist Viraf Pocha puts it aptly. “Social distancing is the opposite of what events are designed for. To date online events don’t work. We have to reinvent the format. Create the tech to allow group interaction,” he says. Read how Pocha inspires young entertainment technicians to find a spark within them on pg.51.

Warren D’souza too provides valuable insight on what the industry needs to do to survive rather than complain about the system on pg.35.

Many elements will play a part in the “come back to normal”. We need the events industry to start again and we can expect this to happen once the malls, cinemas, metros and public transport open full swing. On a timeline, we can probably expect this to happen by November after which we could reevaluate the scene and the status of the industry.

As we see it now, there would be a lot of investment into manufacturing in India, across sectors like never seen before.

Recently, in an effort to boost manufacturing, the government made it clear that importing from China is not acceptable. BIS OF INDIA production is the mantra.

The signals are very clear.  The sound and light industry needs to move the needle in Indian manufacturing? The entire ecosystem is poised for a significant change as the government relentlessly pushes to relocate all manufacturing to India. There is zero tech hurdles in India and there is no reason why sound and light production cannot be localized. As with other industries, those who start early will establish their “Brand Names” first.

THE SHOW MUST GO ON

PALM expo’s concern to ensure safety from ongoing pandemic mandated cancelation of the 2020 edition of PALM expo. Keeping the PALM flag high is the Indian Recording Arts Academy Awards (IRAA) 2020 which continues into its 14th edition and will once again recognize work of distinction and exceptional achievements in the field of Sound Recording and Engineering.

Winners will be announced across 51 categories by the IRAA Committee and Jury, from the Sound Ideaz Studio in Andheri on 20th September, 2020 at 5:00 PM. The event will be streamed live on PALM Social media platforms.

Backing the initiative and demonstrating their unflinching support to the sound recording fraternity in India is HARMAN PROFESSIONAL SOLUTIONS INDIA. Aditya Todi, Senior Director of Sales and Marketing at HARMAN said that HARMAN was pleased to support IRAA and recognize the talent of studios and engineers in the country.

Anil Chopra, Founder & Chairman of Indian Recording Arts Academy (IRAA) Awards who believes that “THE FINAL MIX IS AN ART” is determined to campaign for Royalty for the final mix.  Read all about IRAA and the campaign for Royalty on pg.49.

PT spoke to Vipin Pungalia - Director, Professional Segment, Sennheiser India, on the milestone occasion of the 75th anniversary of the foundation of Sennheiser. Read all about the company’s growth, technology and vision for the Indian market on pg.40.

In this Install Special issue, we have brought you some interesting projects spanning cruise ships, hospitality, studio facility and house of worship; leaf through the pages for complete details.

Our Sept-Oct issue will be “The Lighting issue”. I look forward to presenting some more interesting lighting install projects and a rich collection of latest technology and product news, and insights from people who make it work.

July-August 2020!

PALM has always lived up to expectations and always delivered a fantastic expo, which has acted as a catalyst for growth of the industry in its glorious run of 20 consecutive, successive years. But as you have it, this glorious run has been unpredictably hit by a virus lockdown, bringing to naught all preparations. PALM was on the verge of completing two magnificent decades when the catastrophe struck. The utter disappointment of hosting a fantastic celebration on the exhibit floor of India’s great pro sound and light industry is unfathomable.

This decision forced by the government, as per effective laws, for safety of exhibitors and visitors, has caused insurmountable losses for PALM expo organisers, as much as it has for the exhibitors, stakeholders and the industry as a whole. Considerable investments made by organisers on venue, marketing, media ads, admin, utilities, arrangements with fabricators, vendors etc., has been swallowed up by the COVID monster. Ongoing preparations and investments to bring back the much-awaited Outdoor Line Array is also washed away (pun intended) into oblivion.

Of course, there isn’t an industry contributing to PALM AV-ICN expo which has not been impacted - hospitality, weddings, MICE - especially the Media, Event & Entertainment industry. This Event industry, which is all about people, huge gatherings and entertainment, has been decimated to say the least.   

An EEMA survey indicates that over 50% of the media companies have lost 90% of their business since March 2020. As per FICCI reports, the Indian Media and Entertainment sector, which was expected to cross US$34 billion by 2022, at a CAGR of 10%, pre Covid-19, is now expected to reduce by 16% to Rs 1.3 lakh crore in the current financial year.

However, it’s time we all stand together and cross the bridge to future anew. Recovery from the virus will require flexibility, with the industry needing to advance some existing trends while also creating new solutions and business models. As an industry, I believe we have shown time and again that we are spirited in difficult times.

PALM Expo’s support to the market, industry trade and professionals is unstinting. We are all in the same boat and we are committed to remerge stronger than before. Our best response would be to stay together as an exigent unit.

 THE DIGITAL AVTAAR

Since normalcy seems to be in the distant future, the next couple of issues of PT too will have to be circulated as eMagazine. It has become increasingly evident that digital media has become a force to be reckoned with, and this shift has never been more valid than it is right now. Once we are ensured that dispatch of print magazines can be executed without any hiccups, we will resume the print edition, but until then PT will re-focus its energies on Digital pdf avtaar. 

People across the world have re-aligned and altered their consumption behavior, so this Digital offering will present the biggest opportunities for companies wanting to maintain operations and be seen as active in the face of the new coronavirus situation.

We therefore encourage companies to optimize marketing efforts and utilize PT digital platforms to stay relevant and active in the months going forward.

BACK TO THE STUDIOS

We have a feature-rich, combined Mar-Apr and May-June Digital mag with the main theme being “STUDIO”.

We are so happy that we could get some meaningful insights from three-time National Award winner Bishwadeep Chatterjee. Read his interview on pg.30.

Also in this issue is an Interview with another award winning Indian Sound Engineer, reputed film mix engineer, Sreejesh Nair on pg.51.

We feature Shankar Mahadevan’s new studio – Lambodara, designed by Didier Weiss and his team at Sound Wizard on pg.46. Unfortunately, we could not get pics of this brand new studio due to the lockdown but we will feature the same in PT July-August eMagazine.

On pg.59 is a look at Mrinal N’s  Stained Class Productions, a new Bangalore based studio  designed by Rahul Samuel of LiveEnd.

PT also touched base with indie Music Producers Keshav Dhar, Jehangir Jehangir, Ayan De, Vivek Thomas and Rohan Ramanna to find out more about their recording approaches and technology. Turn to pg.56.

In a six-part educational series, Rahul Sharma of Menura Acoustic Labs in collaboration with Sound Wizard will outline “Acoustic and Audio System Design for Small Rooms”; part 1 on pg.68.

While Viraf Pocha talks about how the virus has affected the events industry and steps to take to set the ‘New Normal’ on pg.83, Kapil Thirwani of Munro Acoustics outlines a sequence of steps for Studio Owners to follow post the lockdown on pg.74.

Also featured in this issue on pg.48, is the impressive Bose Professional install at the world’s largest cricket stadium, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium in Motera.

The next issue of PT is the Install special issue and we hope to bring to our readers details of more of such remarkable installs  across various verticals.

Until then Cheers and Happy Reading!

March - June 2020!

The news from China hasn’t been too encouraging. With factories shuttered down in the country to contain the coronavirus outbreak, disruption of component supplies and potential supply-chain problems is looming large over several industries, including the the global pro audio and lighting industry.

Make In India

This is a stark wakeup call to localise production and manufacture, so that needs of the market is not affected. There is no technology or market demand hurdle in India and the government is supporting local “Made in India” manufacturing more than necessary. The government has especially shown sensitivity towards the needs of the MSME sector and is committed to support growth with various schemes and initiatives.

Indian manufacturing is reputed to be of high quality for many products across industries and furthermore its geographical location gives manufacturers a competitive export advantage. Therefore, there is no reason why production cannot be localised.

Infact the listing of Top 50 products in this issue (pg.46) without any embarrassment features several “Made in India” products. Innovative solutions are no longer the prerogative of European countries alone and companies like Ahuja and Sonodyne are prime examples of leading brands boasting of manufacturing facilities with in-house R&D labs churning out quality products with exports to major nations. The pro audio and lighting industry has been transformed by wave after wave of remarkable innovations and the Top 50 features some remarkable products, which were launched in 2019.

Sister publication - AV-ICNx magazine which focuses on Audiovisual equipment, technology & solutions also spotlights top 25 AV hardware in its Jan-Feb issue. The magazine, which is a year old is now gaining ground in the Indian AV industry and continues to evolve with every successive edition. Log on to http://www.av-icnx.com/magazine to access the latest audio visual and systems integration news from across the country.

Another innovative product featured in this issue is STONEWATER Audio Labs’ Full Spectrum (FSS) Sound System, which debuted at Sunburn Goa’s Psychedelic stage in December last year. Reportedly, it is the first time ever, in India, that one could experience the entire spectrum of the human auditory potential, from 20Hz to 20 KHz, at a major mainstream outdoor event. More on pg.33.

By far the most exciting development in the past decade is the size and scale of stages. Most live events in India boast of creative stage setups complemented by an evolved rental industry, which is adopting best technology in sound and lighting and advancing its inventory. Nevertheless, it was U2’s unparalleled live setup in Mumbai that showed India what the future of stage production looks like.

Stage Production reigns supreme

BookMyShow, finally got U2 to perform their first-ever concert in India and the musical extravaganza marked several firsts, which included the world’s biggest, high-res LED screen ever used in a live touring show globally coming to the country, usage of Clair Brothers’ sound system and production elements that had never been seen before in India. Every piece of equipment was flown in and set up with uncompromised clinical precision.

In his column in this issue, aptly titled Backstage Fun, Viraf Pocha perfectly summarizes what transpired back stage; “Each complex part was assembled perfectly and slotted in so easily. Each piece of set was designed to be piled or lifted into or onto each other so cleverly, it seemed organic and elementary.  Simple logic delivered with extreme engineering, “he says. PT caught up with BookMyShow Live’s Kunal Khambhati and Vinay Agarwal to know more (pg. 62).

Supporting U2’s production team was a cast of some of the finest local stage hands - SNL Pro provided specialized sound crew while Star Dimensions provided specialized light crew, Natura provided professional riggers and climbers and Spectrum provided specialized crew for LED setup.

The international shows up the scale, else stage production is predictably LED and lighting on trussing. Roger Drego, the pioneer of stage sound in India ventured to deliver stage automation a year ago at the Filmfare awards (coverage in PT May-June 2019 issue). Large rental companies need to reimagine their inventory. Wifi enabled lighting opens new vistas in lighting design. Future opportunities are exciting indeed. Stay attentive to the light shining from PT on new products. Future of wifi lighting coming your way soon!  

Speaking of new tech, Michael Menezes Chairman of Showtime and Founder President of EEMA who championed ‘Technology at Events’ more than two decades ago, passed away on February 13 2020; Warren Dsouza pays rich tribute on pg.80.

The forthcoming Mar-Apr issue is the “Studio” special issue and we expect to feature some great music recording, as well as postproduction studios in this issue.

Cheers!

January February 2020!

The international ‘Big Stage’ acts hit the tour circuits of Mumbai, Benguluru, Delhi, Goa and Pune from November to February. The live stage is roaring with India’s entertainment season at its peak; India is a great example of a musical market that is evolving in line with demand from local audiences. Music aficionados are spoilt for choice with so many acts on offer.

DJ + Big Stage (theme of this issue) rocks with Trending Tech and focus on DJ Consoles, Headphones and Platters. Meghna Porwal, the newest member of the PALM technology edit team finds out the gear top DJs use on pg.40.

This year has been rather redeeming for the big stage. Heartening to see that live music is not dependent on DJ acts. India can boast of the ‘real’ live acts too. The recently concluded U2: The Joshua Tree Tour 2019 and the OnePlus Music Festival was a good measure of the quality of music in demand as well as the quality of technology being used at large scale live events in India. Both the shows demonstrated how latest technologies can go a long way in delivering the wow factor.

The action from 2019 is promising enough to warrant major purchase of the best and latest in line array, sound-reinforcement, lighting, trussing. The scale of live events in India today, demands a huge investment from rental companies while also offering them a fantastic opportunity. As big stage live events grow, all eyes are on those rental companies who can deliver.

The rental market is on a major upswing and poised for further growth, on the back of entertainment events and other stage activity, which includes corporate, devotional and government events. Grow it will in 2020, and sharply at 40% is what PT predicts. The persistent drive to deliver something bigger, better, more spectacular and unparalleled has resulted in event companies pushing the envelope.

The OnePlus Music Festival witnessed large-scale production with many standout elements showcased. There was cutting-edge sound deployment of top-notch brands like L-Acoustics, DiGiCo and AVID, creative staging and rigging, life size mannequins and magnificent pyrotechnics, all of which was taken care of Manish Mavani and his team at SNL Pro (full story on pg 28). The Festival also featured a 7000 sq.ft. LED. deployed by Ulhas Sahasrabuddhe’s SSL Media.

Talking about LEDs at live events, the U2 concert in Mumbai boasted of a 200 ft. x 45 ft. with 8K resolution LED screen, considered to be the largest ever for a live concert in India, which the U2 production team got along with them from their original suppliers. Full story in Jan-Feb 2020 issue.

Guideline for the future from Manish Mavani, Head Honcho of SNL Pro; with Anil Chopra, Content Chief and Smita Rai, Content Anchor

The big stage season accounts for a big chunk of ticketed live events with one of India’s biggest electronic music extravaganza Sunburn leading the entourage with an array of genres from Drum n Bass to Trap music, House, Electronic, Trance, Hardstyle and Techno! December kick started the Sunburn Arena tour bringing to India legendary British-born Norwegian artist and record producer Alan Walker as part of the first leg of his much-awaited Aviation Tour in South Asia. Now with Sunburn back to its birthplace – GOA, the music festival gears up for a massive homecoming celebration in the last week of December, featuring a line-up of over 100 DJs across the four Big Stages. The Main Stage will see DJ Martin Garrix, The Chainsmokers, along with acts like Australian record producer, music programmer and Grammy award winner DJ FLUME, young Belgian prodigy Lost Frequencies and many more. SOLARIS, a new underground music venture featuring underground international and home-grown house and techno acts will feature on two dedicated stages.

New and innovative solutions for BIG sound are in abundance and offered by both big product brands and local rental companies. The gamut of sound reinforcement includes line arrays and all line arrays sell, of course to respective markets, for relevant shows, at affordable costs.

According to Warren Dsouza of India’s premiere rental company Sound.com, the industry will have access to better gear at lower prices in the coming year. He hints at weaker margins for rental companies though.

Manish Mavani also agrees that the market is poised for further growth but rues that infrastructure and government policies are a hindrance to growth. “Market is growing, but we need more venues and better infrastructure which is severely lacking. Also, certain State and Central government policies to do with obtaining permissions for events need to change,” he says.

Having steadily grown in size, DEV Electronics comprises a team of dedicated, hardworking and creative people ensuring that the company continues to be one of the largest single-window product-source for rental companies and DJs alike. Story on pg.44.

I hope you are receiving the bi-weekly PT digital newsletter and are enjoying getting all latest info right into your inbox. You can click on the link below for access to the newsletter archive: http://palmtechnology.in/Newsletter_Archive.aspx

The January 2020 issue is the FOH special issue and will as always list the TOP 50 products of 2019. We compile the product for tech innovation and business sense each year so be sure to send in details of your best audio and lighting tech launched in 2019.

We plan to make 2020 even better and reader’s feedback is awaited and appreciated, till then wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

November December 2019!

2019 promises to take the stage lighting frenzy to another level with the music festival circuit witnessing some serious activity, courtesy the Sunburns, Nh7s, pop and electronics acts and innumerable smaller gigs lined up till January 2020. This of course is good news for the rental guys and the lighting majors eyeing the Indian market as the next horizon.

Globally too, live music events and concerts are projected as major drivers for growth. As per industry reports, globally, the specialty lighting market is projected to reach USD 7.2 billion by 2024 at a CAGR of 5.9% from 2019 to 2024 with entertainment lighting leading the specialty lighting segment and Asia Pacific projected to grow at the highest CAGR between 2019 and 2024. Within the entertainment lighting segment, stage lighting accounts for the largest pie, with certain reports indicating a market value of US$2.29 bn by 2026

With increasing number of stage events and even the Government backing investments into professional lighting, sound, 3D projection mapping and augmented reality in major tourist destinations, the future certainly looks bright and lighted for the industry in India.

This Sept-Oct issue is as always focused on lighting and on this cover, we have the Light & Sound show at the Jyotisar Tirth executed by Modern Stage Service Projects. The Kurukshetra Development Board included a new multi-sensory light and sound show for devotees and tourists, recreating episodes from the epic Mahabharata with lights, sound, laser projectors and MSS World Projects transforming the vision into reality. PT reports on pg.40

The cover also features the Monitor Mixing Summit organized by EvenTech Academy, an initiative by Sound.com. One could feel the energy of the industry as sound engineers and event techs from across the country congregated at the Mumbai Event pg.55

Anil Chopra, Founder Director of PALM expo; Ulhas Sahasrabuddhe, Lighting Design Showcase Producer and Smita Rai, Project Head – Features, PALM expo, conceptualizing the lighting design showcase 2019

Lighting is a subtle art, where good lighting “disappears”, and bad lighting is what you notice. Talented lighting designers are able to make light seemingly disappear, in the sense that the entire choreography is subtle and enhances the stage. PALM on its part takes great pride in producing a remarkable Lighting showcase, aimed at providing a platform to lighting designers from across India to present their talent.

There was so much vigor on display at the 2019 showcase with Ulhas Sahasrabuddhe and his team at SSL Media producing the PALM Lighting Design showcase for the third consecutive year, with a one of its kind remarkable and ingenious Spider lighting rig. PALM reinvented the lighting showcase this year by converting it into an open house platform with an aim to make it more interactive giving young lighting engineers a fantastic opportunity to be creative. More on pg.28.

New product launches and introduction of latest upgrades by leading manufacturers is what drives the stage lighting market globally and the product feature section on pg.82 lines up some state-of-art products launched in the last one year, boasting features such as compact design, ease of usage, high brightness level etc.

Viraf Pocha our die-hard columnist on lighting sums it up perfectly as he underlines that Stage Lighting is one of the widest of bridges between Technology and Art. “There are so many bits of equipment reviewed and advertised. I hope you will go through them carefully and seek out which ones you feel can enhance your ideas. And then get to work,” is his advice on pg.84.

We continue with the “PALM Sound & Light Awards – Know the Winners” feature, introduced in the previous July-August 2019 issue. In this issue, PT highlights the achievements of Naveen Deshpande, winner of PSL Award for Lighting Designer of the Year, pg.37; Sound Emporium, winner of PSL Award for Excellence in Lighting Integration, pg.68 and Clay Paky Sharpy Plus winner of PSL Award for Outstanding Lighting Product Innovation, pg.58.

With Unequal Music we have a hardcore music review column, penned by Abhimanyu Gupta, Music Producer, The Sonic Arts Co., providing insights on recording, mixing and mastering of albums and the studios churning out the music. The focus in this issue is Divine’s debut 8 track album, Kohinoor pg.64. Keep reading this column. All Music labels, Sound engineers and Music Studios, are also welcome to send us information about your latest album release for review to unequalmusic@palmexpo.in

The Nov-Dec issue is the Big Stage DJ issue. Stay tuned for some exciting news on this front.

September October 2019!

The 19^th PALM expo rocked like never before. India’s mega convention of the pro light + sound and AV industry once again flocked to experience the latest and finest technology on display. The show covered 11 halls across the venue, encompassing exhibits, demos and experiential events, spread across over 27,000 sqm., and hosted 325 exhibitors, with total footfall across the three days reached a staggering 30,949 of which 23,241 were unique visitors.

The expo scaled new heights with an expansion into a dedicated exhibition on AV integrated systems - AV-ICNx Expo 2019 was launched in Hall 3 along with the 19th edition of the PALM Expo. One could feel energy of the industry at the largest show ever, with so much vigour and pride in producing large well-designed booths with a range of equipment on display.

The July-August issue is the annual PALM post-show review issue, however, this time we decided to do things a little differently. The report on the recently concluded PALM AV-ICNx Expo 2019 has been compiled into a separate brochure accompanying the main PT magazine. This brochure has all the juice, replete with information on products on the floor, conferences and other highlight features, as well as trade and visitor analysis of the 23,241 participants with succinct pie charts and graphs of 19th PALM-AV-ICNx Expo.

Fighting for industry rights and business at PALM Summit 2019 (from L-R) Smita Rai, Milind Raorane, Mohamed Morani, Pramod Chandorkar, Sushma Gaikwad and Anil Chopra.

The fact that the show has visibly grown, was reflected in the growing number of new exhibitors as also the floor space occupied by all the exhibitors. Lighting accounted for 17%, Stage Sound accounted for 35%, Install Sound for 26%, AV accounted for 15% and Studio/Audio Recording & Production for 7% of all exhibits.

One of the pleasures of being at the PALM expo is meeting new, determined young companies whose fortunes looks certain to rise and there were plenty on the show floor as well as at the indoor line array demo.

The mantra today is ‘Make in India’. High technology is the first signal for most sound and light products proliferating and rocking the business today. This was evident on the show floor, as among a plethora of ‘Made in India’ products, was also pro audio giant YAMAHA Corporation adding a new dimension to their hall with ‘Made-in-India products. YAMAHA launched its first Made in India product - the PSR-I500 keyboard, on day one of the PALM expo. This launch event was attended and covered by over 30 media publication houses. YAMAHA Corporation of Japan has opened its first factory in India with a view to make it an export hub eventually. The first phase involved an investment of 380 crores, with the company producing portable keyboards, to be followed by acoustic guitars and pro-audio speakers.

The statistics in the pie charts and graphs also throw light on the burgeoning live music industry and install sound industry in India. Production pros and Systems Integrators today are, if anything, more practical about the equipment they buy or use. Now that the festival season is well and truly upon us, you will get reports of rental companies stocking up inventories with latest and state-of-the-art. Log on to www.palmtechnology.in for all the dope.

While we are on the subject of Live stage rental business, Chinese smartphone manufacturer OnePlus is hosting a music festival in India this year. OnePlus will be organising a huge music concert in Mumbai in November 2019 and the upcoming music festival is expected to host several international as well as local music artists. The live events sector grows with each circle of new event organizers. As number of events grow and diversify, so too does rental audio inventory.

PALM is the protector fighting for industry rights and business

The most vicious impediment in the current atmosphere remains – live music entertainment being banned for crossing both time and noise limits. PALM Sound & Light Conference Summit played a leadership role bringing a panel discussion on Noise Pollution Control Killing Music. Milind Raorane, Electro Acoustic Engineer, Pramod Chandorkar, FOH Engineer, Sushma Gaikwad and Mohamed Morani, event organisers were the esteemed speakers who imparted knowledge on noise and decibel levels at live stage events. Discussions put in perspective - woes of small sound rental companies unable to survive activists’ and pseudo objections against any kind of music entertainment as being noise.

Anil Chopra, Director of the PALM Expo & Conference and Chief Editor of this magazine, despite desertions from industry associations was determined this  session sends out a loud shout on protecting rental companies’ business; announced that session will be a permanent fixture at the PALM Summit every year, and the White paper transcript of the entire session will be used by industry to find a resolution. Download to learn panel’s hard work and PALM’s standing strong in supporting pro sound industry: http://palmtechnology.in/Noise_Pollution_Control_Killing_Music.aspx

Making the situation worse for stage sound and light business is few shows and fewer venues. Announcement by the Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL) to make Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) the first airport in India to host a world-class concert arena within its premises is more than welcome news.

PALM Sound & Light Awards [PSLA] recognition to those behind the stage, in its 9th consecutive edition has grown stature and global attention. World’s leading Pro audio and lighting companies acknowledge PSL Awards. “PALM Sound & Light Awards – Know the Winners” will feature in PT mag as providing readers an insight to winners’ achievements which marked their growth trajectory, that brought them on the PSL Awards stage. Turn to pg52 and pg58.

PT focuses on Install sound in this issue, so while we are busy trying to get material and information, some companies respond immediately while most other ask for extensions and / or cite concerns about Non-Disclosure Bonds. Those who painstakingly sent information naturally get featured. Read how Bose Professional Hits the Right Notes at The Piano Project, Indore pg56. and Touchwood Automations Invigorated Pune’s Party Scene with CINCO pg45.

Our next issue [Sept-Oct] focus is on Lighting. The year-end issue [Nov-Dec] focuses on DJ gear. Six focus issues bi-monthly!! To guide the market product segment wise. Attempt is to highlight products and technologies in each segment.

Before signing off, a big shout-out to Warren Dsouza for the recently concluded Monitor Mixing Summit 2019 by EvenTech Academy, an initiative by SOUND.COM, which witnessed enthusiastic participation from the live sound industry in India as 190 delegates from across India congregated in Mumbai. Report on pg26. Stay tuned for more on this in the Sept-Oct 2019 issue.

July August 2019 Issue!