Institute of Sound and Communications Engineers

Mannifest 2012

Glen Lough Campsite

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Mannifest 2012

 

Tynwald Day 2012

St Johns

Tynwald Day

 

Mannifest 2011

Glen Lough Campsite

Mannifest 2011

 

TT On The Prom 2010

Harris Promenade, Douglas

TT OTP

 

Peel Carnival

7th June 2009

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Manx Sound were asked at short notice to provide sound reinforcement for the Peel carnival, organisation for which had been picked up by Switched-On Promotions.

By all accounts the event was an unmitigated success, with over 3000 people turning up to watch the entertainment provided by Steve Colley and The Purple Helmets.

Luckily for us we catered for significant coverage of the entire area, mainly as we were unclear as to where the audience, if any, would be! As it was, every square foot was covered by a very appreciative crowd, and the commentary provided by Matt from Energy FM could be heard loud and clear in all locations.

We used twelve high powered wide dispersion horns mounted on three very long stands which were anchored to the ground. Several hundred metres of cable was required to distribute signal around the area from three amplifiers and ancillary equipment located in one of our vans.

 

The Lost Soldiers, Spaghetti Western EP

Recorded and mixed at various dates between June and September 2009

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We were delighted to be asked to record up and coming 3 piece rock band 'The Lost Soldiers'. Mark, Simon and Tony have created some excellent songs, and quite rightly are building a very strong following on the Island.

The EP was launched at 'Guys and Dolls' nightclub in Douglas, and we were also asked to provide the sound system for this very well attended event. All eyes should be on this young band as they will clearly be going from strength to strength over the next few years.

Our studio is equipped with industry standard microphones such as AKG414s and Neumann TLM149, in addition to a choice selection of valve amplifiers, keyboards and guitars. The main studio mixer is a classic TAC Scorpion, and recording is to Cubase by preference. We can quickly provide 4 discreet headphone monitor mixes and main motoring is Genelec, in addition to KRK for tracking plus the classic NS10s and Auratones.

 

Microgaming Christmas Party

Mount Murray Hotel Viscount Suite, Saturday 29th November 2008

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Microgaming, one of the most prominent software companies on the Isle of Man entrusted Manx Sound with the audio for their largest themed Christmas Party to date.

The entire room was draped and carpeted in white by Candy of Finishing Touches, and Claire from Microgaming has an eye for detail that has to be seen to be believed. The room was transformed into a winter wonderland, with table decorations, logs, fur cones, christmas trees etc placed at appropriate locations, but always subtle. It was very impressive work.

We are now quite familiar with the Viscount Suite, and have developed a system which discreetly distributes sound of the highest quality to the entire room, with no excessive loud or quiet spots.

This system was used to great effect for our client's event, where Craig, AKA The Swarovski Violinist was able to stand in the middle of the room using a wireless connection and play spectacularly over his backing tracks, surrounded by the audience. This was a totally different type of show, and Craig himself, in addition the Microgaming staff seemed to enjoy every minute of his performance, being engulfed in his sound.

Another good time duo, 'Mana' performed on the main stage to round the evening off. Manx Sound provided an electric piano for music during dinner, and a stage piano for the group to use for their main show.

Because the event was organised around a central performance area, the lighting was also very carefully planned by Manx Lighting, using a circular truss specifically bought for the occasion. See their site for further information on this aspect of the event.

 

CMI Film Quiz Night, hosted by Communicado

The Empress Hotel, Friday 17th October 2008

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Manx Sound were delighted to be able to assist Communicado Group, of Cheshire, with a quiz night for the staff of CMI.

We provided two Sanyo 42" plasma screens on 5ft supports, sound distributed along the room plus a radio microphone. The two screens, plus an in-house projector were connected together and fed from our laptop, on which was run Communicado's video quiz.

Our task for the evening was to to stop and start the playback to coincide with the quiz master's dialogue.

We used four EM Acoustics loudspeakers for the event, and mixed the event using our new Allen and Heath Zed 420 Mixer. This is one of the new breed of units which has a USB connection - we found this interface to be much superior to the usual 'noisy headphone socket' type connections which is generally common when using laptops.

The event was very well received and we hope to work with Comminicado again in the future.

 

Isle of Man Guitar Festival 2008

Albert Lee and Hogan's Heroes. 30th August 2008

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The final event covered by Manx Sound during the Guitar Festival weekend.

Albert Lee is famous for having played with many well known names (Elvis Presley and The Everly Brothers to name but a few). Here he performed with virtuoso Steel Guitarist 'Gerry Hogan' and his band.

Manx Sound provided a detailed five way monitor mix with eight matched 15/2 monitor wedges on the stage, plus a ninth for the listen wedge. The band included two piano locations, a harmonica player and of course the steel guitar, and the monitoring requirements were very specific.

Specified but rarely supplied, we surprised Albert's touring engineer 'Trev' with two AKG C414 large diaphragm microphones, for use on the overheads! Recently purchased for use in our studio, it seemed an excellent opportunity to show off our latest toys!

Obviously the band were superb - the class of all the musicians shone through and in addition they were some of the nicest people we have ever met!

Ably supported by local group 'Stone Creation', plus a surprise support slot with Madonna's guitarist 'Clive Carroll' (who stunned everybody with his dexterity and stage craft), this was certainly a night to remember.

We should also mention and thank Jonathan Gollow, who not only skilfully shouldered the considerable organisational and financial arrangements for the entire festival, but who added a certain spark to the proceedings with his confident, off the cuff compere qualities on stage during the intervals. It was a pleasure and a privilege - here's to next year!

 

Isle of Man Guitar Festival 2008

Juan Martin at the Gaiety Theatre, Douglas. 29th August 2008

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Next in the trio of events was the acclaimed spanish guitarist Juan Martin.

With two support slots before him (locals Stepan Podobsky with Liam Carter-Hawkins, and UK based Mike Berk).

Our full bi-amped monitor system with on-stage monitor mixer was installed in advance of the event, and 12k of Nexo Touring System was used for front of house sound.

Juan specified a single AKG c300 microphone which we supplied from stock, and the event was a great success, climaxing in some huge flamenco flourishes by Juan to the delight of the audience.

Stepan and Liam put on a very good show, and Mike Berk amazed the audience with his acoustic version of Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody', including the operatic bits!

 

Isle of Man Guitar Festival 2008

The Steve Gibbons Band at the Masonic Hall, Douglas. 28th August 2008

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Jonathan Gollow, otherwise known as 'Jonno Promotions' was tasked to organise the Isle of Man Guitar Festival, Supported by the Isle of Man Arts Council.

Manx Sound were given the opportunity to provide the sound for three of the major acts in the program, namely the Steve Gibons Band, Juan Martin and Albert Lee.

Steve Gibbons performed to a full house in the Masonic Hall concert room. We provided our new 4k Martin Blackline system, which proved to be a perfect size for the room.

Lights were provided by Paul and Martin of Manx Lighting, and the full steel deck stage was provided by Charlie from Manx Staging.

The support at this event was known local group 'The Gasp', who delighed the audience with a selection of songs which brought us all back to our youths!

As part of the service we installed a permanent 32a 3 phase supply to simplify the power arangements for future events in this excellent venue.

A new addition to our team is Mark Harper, a professional musician who regularly tours Europe performing his own songs. As he is known to the band it was suggested that he might come to the Island to perform the mix and assist with the other events we were covering over the weekend. Mark proved to be a valuable asset and will certainly be visible at other larger events covered by Manx Sound in the future.

 

Tynwald Day

St John's, Isle of Man - 7th July 2008

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Manx Sound are delighted to have been trusted with the task of providing public address and technical assistance for the annual Tynwald Day ceremony hosted by the Isle of Man Government. This is the traditional and official reading of new laws in Manx and English, and is the most important day in the Manx social calendar.

This year the event was attended by Princess Anne, and as one might expect, it was extremely well attended, despite the poor weather conditions.

We serviced the main seating area with twenty two Inter-M column loudspeakers, strapped to the flagpoles which flank the central walkway in pairs using custom hardware.

In addition we used four Atlas Copco constant directivity horns on an extended winch stand, 6 metres above ground - aimed towards an additional seating area not normally used for the ceremony but brought in to satisfy demand. All cables were dug in and as such this was a very tidy install, as expected by our client.

The different areas of the field were zoned to allow flexibility in controlling the levels, and the five 100v amplifiers and graphic equalisers were housed in our commentary box, well protected from the inclement weather.

 

Tynwald Day Homecomers Marquee

St John's, Isle of Man - 7th July 2008

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In addition to the main Tynwald event, we were also tasked with providing a PA system for the School Battle of the Bands in the Homecomers Marquee.

Equipment for this event could only be installed in a 30 minute window after other events.

Our team jumped to and quickly installed our brand new 4k Martin Blackline system. This system was put together to achieve high quality and high power with minimum fuss, and it did us proud. Powered by lightweight QSC amplifiers in a custom rack, and fed from a Yamaha MG32/8 mixer with built in effects, we were able to install this system and rock the tent in a remarkably short time.

We also provided all the backline - a Pearl BLX drum kit, and three Peavey Amplifiers.

Unfortunately, after all the effort only one band turned up - so they were the winners!

 

Purple Helmets - Motorcyle Stunt Team

Onchan Park Stadium, Isle of Man. 1st June 2008

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Mad Sunday!

During TT Week every year, local heroes The Purple Helmets put on the show to end all shows. A spectacular event of comedy motorcyle stunts, this is a forever popular show which sells out every time.

Manx Sound have provided public address for this event for the last five years. Using 8k of Nexo TS2400s sitting on scaffolding towers in the centre or the field, the announcements can be heard all over Onchan, Douglas and on a calm day, probably Morecambe!

 

James Toseland with 'Crash'

Sulby, Isle of Man. 25th May 2008

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International biking star James Toseland performed with his rock band 'Crash' at a number of events during the TT fortnight on the Isle of Man in 2008.

Manx Sound provided sound for a private performance in a large garden, where the band prepared for a larger gig later the same day in the Villa Marina.

Four JBL Eon G2s were used for front of house and monitors. Though relatively small, these units provide a quick and economic solution to events which require a quality result in intimate surroundings.

It was a privilege to work with this high quality act; both James and his band are first class musicians and as such were a joy to engineer for.

 

Microgaming - Charity Poker Evening

Microgaming HQ, 11th March 2008

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Manx Sound were very pleased to be asked to provide a full audio and visual solution for this poker event staged by Microgaming, which generated £11,000 distributed among various Manx charities.

In addition to three of our now familiar EM Acoustics high quality speakers, we provided our custom aluminium lectern and half moon podium, plus two 42" Plasma displays, mounted five foot in the air on our custom designed floor standing mounts.

These displays are an ideal solution when looking for a video solution in unusual locations.

 

AXA Equity and Law - Staff Awards

Mount Murray Country Club Viscount Suite, 18th January 2008

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And another AXA event! This time the staff awards for the year 2007. MD Kevin Dean put together a very detailed program to be adhered to, combining management talks with various acts.

In the daytime, the acts performed one or two songs between management speaking sessions, the event culminating in a full evening of entertainment. The headline act for the day was the Counterfeit Beatles, and very convincing they were too!

In addition to the main PA and monitors, Manx Sound provided the entire backline, Drums, three Guitar amps, a Trace Elliot 4x10 Bass Amp plus an electric piano for use by the various bands plus a Gibson J45 acoustic for use on 'Yesterday'!

In order to provide the highest quality reproduction for the various speakers, Manx Sound invested in five DPA4067f head set microphones, for use with our existing Shure belt packs and receivers.

Recommended and supplied by Ian MacDonald of Ivy Sound in Salisbury, we are delighted with these latest additions to our ever increasing hire stock, which were used to great effect on the major presenters, in combination with a number of hand held Shure Beta 58 radios handed by Kevin to various guests such as the Ex Chief Minister, Sir Miles Walker, OBE.

Extensive intelligent lighting was provided by local company Event Lighting Services, and the entire event was managed by Island Event Services.

 

AXA Equity and Law - Christmas Party

Mount Murray Country Club, Viscount Suite, 30th November 2007

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Every year, AXA provide a spectacular Christmas Party for their staff. This year was no exception and the audience were treated to a top notch act from the West End, performing songs from Phantom of the Opera, followed by the ever popular local band Starfish Captains (or Phantoms, as they preferred for this gig!)

Manx Sound were again asked to provide the sound for this event, with a specific request that the PA system must be as small as possible whilst maintaining the highest fidelity to ensure that the professional acts were well covered.

For the main PA we used six EM Acoustics EMS 81s, five QSC3602 amplifiers and a Tannoy TDX1 arcitectural delay unit to evenly distribute sound up the room. This solution was extremely well received by all at the event, and we expect this high quality compact system to see much more action in the corporate events on the Island due to it's phenomenal ability to project first class audio with seemingly limitless headroom, whilst being of diminutive appearance. A wolf in sheep's clothing in fact!

 

Care for the Family - Charity Talk

Before and after work, 25th October 2007

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Care for the Family is a national charity which aims to promote strong family life and to help those hurting because of family breakdown.

For the second year running Manx Sound has provided sound, and this year basic lighting for their small event in the Sefton Hotel.

Again we used a pair of our new EMS81 speakers, and in addition made some basic lighting bars available to add a splash of colour the the small stage.

Two wireless lapel microphones and a handheld wireless mic were used by the various presenters.

 

Manx Telecom 'Nortel' seminar

11th October 2007

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Local telecommunications provider 'Manx Telecom' hold regular seminars to keep their substantial customer base up to date with the latest developments in the world of communications. Manx Sound are regularly entrusted with the wireless audio required by the expert presenters to get their messages across.

This particular event required two of our wireless lapel microphones - we can provide up to six of these directly from stock.

This was also the first outing for two of our six new EMS81 8" loudspeakers, which are ideally suited to high quality presentations, where discreet but perfect sound is expected.

 

'Caarjyn Cooidjagh' - Manx Gaelic Choir recording

Third session dated 30th September 2007

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Caarjyn Cooidjagh are a group of singers based in the Isle of Man. They perform a selection of traditional and contemporary Manx songs, usually sung in Manx Gaelic, arranged by the group leader Anne Kissack.

Charles Guard of the Manx Heritage Foundation was commissioned to record thier third album - as usual Manx Sound provided additional equipment and technical support for all of this choirs recordings, as with most M.H.F. projects.

 

'Bashtonbury' - John Cleator's Summer Gig

8th September 2007 (Steph Joyce, Little Rock, Port Erin, Anna Goldsmith and Rob Cross, Tate!, YoYo

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In very close co-operation with Charlie Dillon of Manx Staging, Manx Sound provided 8k of Nexo for this private party in the country.

Manx Staging built a superb fully covered professional stage and spectacular stage lighting was provided and run by crew from both companies. We also used our new lightweight QSC amplifier rack, replacing our aging Hills. We have recently purchased eleven of these superb amplifiers (the PLX3602) and are proud to announce that we now only use QSC amplification.

Eight acts performed from 4pm to 1am, and the event was very well received.

Sadly for us, this was the last gig for a long time that Ian Comish, a valued member of our crew will be working with us on. He has moved to London in the hope that the streets are paved with gold. Ian held the front of house mix together for the entire show and he will be much missed by those he leaves behind!

Finally, Tate! played at this gig with their new guitarist, Paul Rogers. Tate is the musical outlet for Mark from Manx Sound, and it was the first time he had ever played through his own rig! The new album "Love and War" was performed (Chas, shown left, played some sax on the album), followed by the infamous 'Goblin Opera'. See "www.myspace.tatetherockband" for more info!

 

Mickey and Jan Rooney - 'Lets Have A Show'

Gaiety Theatre, 4th September 2007

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Manx Sound are very proud to have been asked to provide on stage monitors for this show. Four of our custom built Bi-Amped 15/2 wedged were supplied, fed from 4 mixes through QSC Amplification. An additional matching wedge was supplied to conceal the autoque! Finally, Passive Martin 10 wedges provided sidefills for Mrs Rooney's voice with specific reverb requirements. Our Spirit 8 Desk was used to provide the mixes, feeding the aux sends into channels routed to the groups - a neat side step to turn a front of house desk into a monitor console! Equalisation was care of BSS FCS 960s.

The lavalier microphones were traditionally very awkward to equalise for monitoring, but the star act, Mickey Rooney seemed perfectly happy with the result. Not bad for 85 years in show business! We would love to see the Rooneys return to the Island very soon, as attendance on this night was unjustifiably poor.

 

Back Door Slam

The Gaiety Theatre, 9th June 2007

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Less than a month before their tour of the States, up and coming blues band Back Door Slam were in full swing at the Gaiety Theatre. Once again Manx Sound were asked to support the band by providing a full PA and Monitor Rig. In addition we provided separate a 24 track digital recording, to accompany the video footage recorded by DAM Productions.

The band played a brilliant set to a full house, culminating in a standing ovation. The event was considered a huge success and this band is expected to clean up in America!

 

TT on the Prom

June 2007

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With the centenery of the TT Races, the usual venue for the "TT on the Prom" was relocated to right outside the Villa Marina on Central Promenade, Douglas. An audiece of 10,000 people per night was expected, and achieved, to view the various stunt shows, displays and bizarre attractions organised for the biking visitors. Manx Sound were asked by Duke to install and operate a large speaker system.

In fact we installed two, One provided by the Villa Marina and the other from our own stock. The two systems had to be carefully situated and commissioned to prevent imbalances in the sound distribution and excessive echos, in addition to the power distribution challenge that an event over such a large area poses.

Four hand held radio microphones were provided for the various compares.

Programme material was fed from an O/B van to our system, married with the images for the two Large screens provided by The ADI Group.

 

2007 Graduation Party

King Williams College, 26th May 2007

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The grounds of King William's College made the perfect venue for the 2007 Graduation party, as it has for many years previously. Evening entertainment was organised in the form of a live band - Clem Curtis and the Foundations.

Manx Sound were asked to provide background music for the dinner party and then full sound support, including backline, for the band that had been flown in for the occasion.

Keyboards, Bass and Guitar amplifiers and the Drum Kit were all sourced and supplied by Manx Sound in accordance with the band's technical rider.

 

The Medical Association Charity Ball

Empress Hotel, February 2007

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Manx Sound provides Sound Systems of all shapes and sizes.

A regular event for us is the 'lookalike' shows hosted by Brian Keenan at the Empress Hotel in Douglas. In February of 2007 we simply used 2 modern JBL Eon G2s with a small mixer, professional Mini Disc player and a radio microphone to provide a professional system for a Cher soundalike. These events are always well attended and popular.

At these events, space is a premium. We realised that the DJ's were bringing their own sound equipment also so we now ensure that the various DJs used are aware that they can connect to our system, reducing the amount of equipment required for the night to proceed.

 

AXA Staff Awards

Mount Murray Viscount Suite, January 2007

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This year's award ceremonies were themed around the West End Experience, using professional dancers from the West End shows. Interspersed throughout the various speeches were excellent video productions by DAM Productions, and songs from the shows sung live by the dancing girls (and boys), complete with feathers!

Over ten channels of wireless microphones were employed on the dancers, in addition to a number of radio lapel systems for the delegates and directors.

Being quite a complicated and critical setup, Manx Sound provided a time corrected system using three pairs of JBL Eons and a Peavey architectural delay unit, enhanced with a Nexo sub bass system. This setup ensured clear speech and impressive sound over the entire room, whilst never seeming too loud at any point. Every microphone channel was connected to a separate graphic equaliser which guaranteed precise control over every aspect of the sound.

Mark and Ian shared mixing duties through the different parts of the show, which worked well for keeping a focus on every aspect of what was a quite long and detailed production.

 

AXA Christmas Party

Mount Murray Viscount Suite, December 2006

AXA held their Staff Christmas Party at The Mount Murray Country Club.

Popular local artists Anna Goldsmith, Davy Knowles (Back Door Slam) and the Starfish Captains entertained along with respected folk singer Christine Callister.

Manx Sound provided an 8K Nexo sound system with a 4 channel bi-amped monitor system, ensuring both bands and audience were well catered for.

 

Manx Worthies Book Launch

King Williams College, October 2006

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Manx Sound works closely with The Manx Heritage Foundation, who launched the Manx Worthies hard back book in the Barovian Hall at King William's College.

The event featured various types of entertainment, the highlight being a short comedy sketch by the Caine brothers.

Manx Sound provided wireless head set microphones for Chris and Howard, with a delayed speaker system to reduce the echo effects from the

extremely reverberant hall.

Charles Guard from the foundation played the piano, and Dollin Kelly made a short speech to the assembly of interested parties.

 

Rick Wakeman

Nunnery Gardens, September 2006

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andy from A3 Marquees organised an exclusive night with Rick Wakeman.

Staged in one of A3's many quality Marquees, assembled in the spectacular Nunnery gardens, Rick performed his extensive solo repertoire on a superb electric grand piano provided by Ken Mitchell of Peter Norris Music.

The night was a big hit with the audience, a memorable moment being the inimitable 'Nursery Rhyme Concerto' - not to be missed!

Justin from ELS provided lighting, and Manx Sound provided a quality Nexo 8k rig to reinforce the amazing piano work from Rick,

one of the biggest names in Rock'n'Roll history.

 

Party In The Park 2006

Mooragh Park, Ramsey

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The 15th of July saw Ramsey come alive with the first Party in the Park.

The event was a huge success and is expected to be repeated next year and for may years to come.

Manx Sound was asked to provide a complete sound system for the event.

 

Tommy Clucas Fundraising Event

Peel AFC Grounds

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Another fundraising event for the Tommy Clucas Memorial Fund provided the ideal opportunity to put on a live band night with 5 top local acts.

Manx Sound were asked to provide sound services for the event.

 

Viking Festival 2006

Peel Beach

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The 'land mark' Peel Viking Festival took place in 2006 on Peel Beach. The production, put together by Street Heritage Entertainment featured 7 top tribute bands to artists such as Queen, Status Quo, Dire Straits, Elton John, Abba and the BeeGees.

This phenomenally popular event (over 4000 people attended) was made possible using Manx Sound's 40k Nexo Touring System. All sound equipment off and on the stage, including the instrument amplifiers and keyboards were provided by Manx Sound and we are proud to have been associated with this spectacular set of shows.

 

The Manx Staging Showcase

Foxdale Studios, November 2005

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Manx Sound was pleased to be asked to contribute sound services for the very impressive stage built by Manx Staging in November 2005. This showcase event was organised by Charlie Dillon of Manx Staging, and the spectacular lighting was provided by Justin McMullin of Event Lighting Services.

We supplied 16K of Nexo Touring System, plus full monitoring and front of house facilities, in addition to extensive power distribution - this being an essential and critical aspect of larger events that we specialise in.

The night kicked off with the amazingly talented Davy Knowles of Back Door Slam playing solo, followed by the seasoned and professional act that is The Gasp. After a few hard hitting words from Charlie to attract the interest of local promoters and the Tourist Board, the event was rounded off by the phenomenal 'Pigs on the Wing' local Pink Floyd tribute band.

Everybody agreed that this event could be the start of something very special for the Isle of Man. Let's hope so!