Details

20 August 2024

Fiji - Christian Mission Fellowship International (CMFI) is a rapidly growing church headquartered in Suva, Fiji. Established in 1990, its 30,000 members and missionaries serve in 120 countries across 5,000 churches worldwide.

CMFI is headquartered in Suva at the World Harvest Centre (WHC), where an impressive, round church building hosts over 3,500 worshippers, a full band, production, and a 100-member choir.

Since its construction in 1990, the centre has installed numerous sound systems; however, none have been able to overcome the challenges of the large reverberant space and the sound quality requirements of the growing church.

Enter head pastor Suliasi Kurulo, who finally decided the time had arrived to call in the professionals and deliver the dream to its members. After many proposals and CAD models, Suliasi, his production crew and th

Details

20 August 2024

Malta - The Mediterrane Film Festival, hosted for the second consecutive year in Malta from 22-30 June, culminated with the Golden Bee Award Ceremony hosted by David Walliams at the Fort Manoel, Gżira.

Over a dozen awards were presented to international actors, directors and cinematographers across a variety of categories. The awards were interspersed with performances from artists including Mercury Prize winner, Heather Small, Britain’s Got Talent singer Calum Scott, Maltese opera singer Joseph Calleja and the Golden Bee Awards Orchestra.

BAFTA-winning writer-director Mike Leigh was awarded the career achievement award, and Maltese production coordinator Rita Galea was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award. The evening was rounded off with a speech from the President of Malta, Myriam Spiteri Debono, who emphasised the importance of

Details

20 August 2024

Spain - In the final four shows of superstar Karol G’s 62-date Mañana Será Bonito Tour, it was the “details” - even the most painstaking ones - that gave rise to some looks that enthralled the sold-out crowds at Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.

Working with a production design by Travis Shirley, lighting designer Ignacio ‘Iggy’ Rosenberg of Lightswitch artfully pixel mapped every cell of 310 Chauvet Professional Color Strike M fixtures to add an extra level of depth and continuity to the massive set.

“We did a ton of pixel mapping,” said Rosenberg. “Every cell was really used individually to get as much flexibility throughout the show. Given the overall arc of the design, we constrained the palettes we used for the first two sections of the show, so we needed all the tools we could have to create different looks.”

Details

20 August 2024

UK - Oxford’s Bodleian Libraries chose a custom LED video wall from Leyard Europe as the main display in the public area, or loggia, of the Weston Library, home to the library service’s special collections.

The Leyard Europe TVF LED video wall was delivered to replace an existing LCD video wall installed pre-pandemic during a major building-wide AV refresh, designed by AV consultants Hewshott and installed by Reflex Ltd, part of Aura. Leyard Europe was selected through an early process, consisting of comparison between five different LED brands.

As AV consultant Daniel Brooks explains, it “best met the client requirements, providing both quality and value and, thanks to Leyard’s European manufacturing facility, faster delivery than competitors. This benefitted the project timeline and reduced the environmental impact of international shipping

Details

20 August 2024

UK - Commercial audio manufacturer Optimal Audio continues to evolve and expand its ecosystem. The latest development sees the introduction of Sub 6, a passive subwoofer engineered for applications requiring increased impact and low-frequency performance from smaller Cuboid and Up loudspeaker setups.

The compact Sub 6 is suitable for installations where space is at a premium. The unit can be placed in tight spaces such as under banquette seating, mounted on walls or ceilings, or flown using integral M8 inserts. Featuring a six-inch driver with a generously sized low-frequency port to minimise air noise for a clean and powerful sound output, Sub 6 delivers 250W (AES) of power with a punchy peak SPL of 118dB.

Horizontal or vertical orientation is possible by way of low-profile rubber feet which can be fitted on two surfaces, while installation is made

Details

20 August 2024

Fake News - Donald Trump appears to have falsely implied he has Taylor Swift's endorsement, posting fake images on social media of the singer and her fans supporting him. The Republican presidential candidate posted the message "I accept!" alongside the images, which were taken from other social media accounts. Many appear to have been created using artificial intelligence. The post sparked a backlash among Swift's fans who accused Trump of spreading misinformation. The singer has not endorsed a candidate in the 2024 election but backed the Democrats in 2020 and criticised Trump while he was president.

Giving Back - An East Sussex music festival is helping people through the cost-of-living crisis by launching a 'pay what you can afford' scheme. Boundary Brighton said the scheme comes "as a ‘thank you’ for seven years of support and in re

Details

19 August 2024

UK - The grounds of Eastnor Castle in Herefordshire hosted this month’s Lakefest 2024 where, once again, all seven stages at this popular festival featured Nexo sound systems.

Total Sound Solutions crossed the border from Swansea to rig the main stage with left and right hangs of 12 x Nexo Geo M12s and eight MSUB18s, plus two separate hangs of five Geo M12s for delays and a single hang of Geo M10 for the VIP side hang. Eight RS18 subs were deployed across the front of the stage with additional MSUB18s in a cardioid formation, with Nexo’s versatile P15 point source speakers used for front-fills.

Side-fill duties on the main stage were performed by a Nexo live sound veteran. “Artists and engineers were so pleased to see our Alpha E system on the stage,” reports Total Sound CEO Chris Hooke. “The fact that it’s 25 years old and still welcome

Details

19 August 2024

Poland - From 26 to 28 July, rental company Gondek Sound provided the audio infrastructure for the Łódź Summer Festival, held in the heart of the country. As one of Poland's largest festivals, it attracted an estimated 500,000 attendees, according to the organisers.

The massive crowd gathered to enjoy performances by both international and local stars, including Placebo, Milky Chance, Błażej Król, Smolasty, White 2115, Kukon, Krzysztof Zalewski, PRO8L3M, Beata and BAJM, Kizo, Young Leosia, and Röyksopp.

To meet the demands of this large and challenging gathering, Gondek Sound deployed a comprehensive array of Outline equipment. The FOH system featured 15 GTO line-source enclosures and two GTO-DF (down-fill) modules per side.

The setup also included three delay towers: the first was equipped with nine GTO enclosures per side, while the

Details

19 August 2024

UK - Work was recently completed on an ambitious project to provide a revitalised and upgraded learning environment for those studying a range of further education courses at Barrow Sixth Form College.

Made possible by funding from the Brilliant Barrow Town Deal, a grant from the Government’s Further Education Capital Transformation Fund, and investment from parent establishment, Furness College, the scheme included the renovation of existing classrooms as well as a refurbishment of the College’s 160-capacity theatre.

Colne-based audio-visual supply and installation specialist, SoVeryAPT, was engaged by architects and project managers HPA Chartered Architects of Lancaster, to deliver quality, robust AV systems for the theatre, which could comfortably cater for a wide range of campus events. SoVeryAPT had worked with HPA in the past on a number of

Details

19 August 2024

Denmark - Roskilde Festival, one of Europe’s longest-running music festivals, is known for pushing creative boundaries, made possible through collaboration with sound provider, Meyer Sound.

In 2024, Roskilde included a performance by Nordic experimental folk collective Heilung, powered by Meyer Sound’s Spacemap Go spatial sound design and mixing tool. Heilung draws from ancestral cultures dating back to the Iron Age. Performances evoke ancient pagan rituals, combining throat singing, field recordings, and instruments crafted from stones, animal skins, and bones to create the otherworldly music the group describes as “Amplified History”.

“Heilung is an immersive experience in terms of a sort of shamanistic ritual that already immerses the audience in a spiritual way,” says bandleader Christopher Juul. “What we wanted to do here was to br

Details

19 August 2024

UK - Union Audio has announced a new partnership with DJ and PA equipment reseller, Westend DJ, who will stock the company’s growing range of audio products.

Union Audio’s growing portfolio of own brand products include the orbit.6 six-channel rack-mounted analogue rotary mixer, compact linear four-channel elara.4, eq.xfader, phoebe phono preamp and lisann headphone amplifier.

Effective immediately, Westend DJ will display, demo and sell Union’s orbit and elara mixers and accessories, as well as any future product releases in its London stores and online.

"Westend DJ is a leading DJ equipment reseller in the UK and with two stores in the capital, provides a rare opportunity for customers to get hands-on with products. This makes them the perfect partner for Union Audio, as it gives our customers and followers a chance to see and hear th

Details

19 August 2024

The Netherlands - Pliant Technologies will highlight a variety of its new solutions at IBC 2024 (Stand 10.C53). This includes the brand’s award-winning CRP-C12 Compact Radio Pack, a newly designed compact Radio Pack (RP) that was created specifically for use with any CrewCom or CrewCom CB2 system.

Additionally, Pliant will present its new CrewWare 2.0 software update, along with its updated SmartBoom LITE Headset, the new PHS-IEHU miniature in-ear style headset and a new PAC-RTM-SMU Universal Single RT Mounting Bracket. 

The CRP-C12 is one of the industry’s smallest, fully featured, wireless professional intercom belt packs, measuring approximately 3.5” x 3.5” (9cm x 9cm), while weighing just under 9oz/255g. The new compact RP is available in 2.4GHz (worldwide) and 900MHz (where legal).

It is fully compatible with both the CrewCom an

Details

19 August 2024

UK - The broad skillset developed by Alfie King, during his time in the pro audio industry, will stand him in good stead for the diverse role he will now be undertaking in his new position at RCF UK.

Joining a small team, and reporting to head of RCF UK, Dean Davoile, his duties will vary from behind-the-scenes admin, accounts and marketing, to front-line sales and customer support in the south of England.

Alfie King has already enjoyed a long career in music and production. Starting out playing guitar and harmonica in local bands around Aylesbury in his teens he soon graduated to helping out behind the sound desk at a local arts centre. He has worked previously at Leisuretec Distribution and Amber Sound.

Welcoming Alfie to the company, Dean Davoile said, “Alfie will be a great addition to the team and I look forward to introducing him to o

Details

16 August 2024

Switzerland - The 58th Montreux Jazz Festival returned to the shores of Lake Geneva from 5-20 July. Since its beginnings in 1967, the festival has drawn legends of soul, jazz, and blues along with rock stars, rappers, and emerging artists of every genre.

For 38 years, sound for the Montreux Jazz Festival has been provided by Meyer Sound, innovation and strategic partner of the festival. “Our decades-spanning collaboration with the Montreux Jazz Festival is about a shared commitment to sonic excellence,” says Andy Davies, Meyer Sound’s director of product & services. “As the festival strives to provide the best concert experiences, it needs a partner that can deliver the best sonic experiences. We’re thrilled to be an integral part of the journey.”

For the first time, events took place entirely outside the Montreux Music and Convention

Details

16 August 2024

Croatia - Over 200 Robe moving lights graced the stage in a lighting scheme designed by Sven Kučinić of LumiLas LLC for a show by Serbian superstar Milica Pavlović at the Zagreb Arena.

Sven was asked to light the high-profile concert after Pavlović’s show producers saw his lightshow for Croatian artist Gibonni - the previous year at Belgrade Arena - and decided they wanted to work with him. They talked to the artist who also checked out Sven’s work for herself and was suitably impressed.

Sven, who has a busy schedule combining working as a commercial pilot with designing creative lightshows, was also contacted by the local show producers Ivan Jurić-Kaćunić, Katijan Knok and Goran Hucaluk, with whom he’s worked on other projects and was able to slot this one into his diary.

His starting point for the production lighting design was

Details

16 August 2024

UK - In another creative bid to engage young people with the production industries, Production Futures recently staged a brand activation at Bludfest, which took place at Milton Keynes Bowl on 11 August. The lineup, curated by singer-songwriter, Yungblud, attracted a diverse range of fans, including many young people for whom the Production Futures pop-up provided insights into possible careers in the production sector.

The Production Futures stand was located in the fan-zone entrance, and as well as providing information about the organisation’s upcoming On Tour shows, ran a series of popular competitions designed to attract the interest of young people with limited knowledge of the wide range of opportunities in the sector.

Representatives from some of Production Futures’ brand partners not only helped construct the stand but also made themselv

Details

16 August 2024

USA - The World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) brand is a global behemoth, with loyal fans in over one billion households throughout 180 countries. That’s largely because its events are among the most electrifying experiences in live entertainment, taking over the biggest and best-known sporting venues the world over and packing them to capacity on a weekly basis.

On occasion, WWE brings private events home to its new Stamford, Connecticut-based corporate headquarters, where it seeks to deliver the energy and excitement of a sold-out stadium bout at its sunlit atrium for a few hundred select invitees. That’s why the world leader in sports entertainment called in the team at OSA International to design and install a PK Sound T10 robotic line array system for the space. ACT Entertainment is the exclusive North American distributor of PK Sound products.

Details

16 August 2024

USA - Bandit Lites is supporting country music rising star Megan Moroney, who was recently named New Female Artist of the year at the 59th ACM Awards.

Bandit Lites founder Michael T. Strickland witnessed the raw potential and passion for music early in Moroney’s career saying, “I first saw Megan when she was just out of college and was not even a club act. After one show, you knew she had it. There are very few entertainers that have that magical combination of talent, songwriting, charm and charisma and they instantly draw you into their soul.”

Lighting designer Tim Keller crafted a supplemental package that would meet the size limitations of the truck pack, utilising Martin MAC Vipers and Cyc FX fixtures. With venue sizes ranging from intimate theatres to massive stadiums, simplicity has been the key to consistency.

I

Details

16 August 2024

UK - At this year’s PLASA Show at the Olympia Exhibition Centre in London, the Adam Hall Group will be presenting the latest products from Cameo and LD Systems at stand B13.

The focus will be on event technology highlights such as the pioneering Cameo Oron H2 IP65 hybrid moving-head with phosphor-laser engine and the battery-powered ANNY PA systems from LD Systems. In addition, the Adam Hall Integrated Systems team will also be presenting the audio and lighting installation solutions developed under the Cameo and LD Systems brands to AV visitors.

From the portable ANNY 8 Bluetooth PA speaker and the scalable Maila sound reinforcement system, to the compact Azor SP2 Spot Profile Moving Head and the new Cameo top model Opus X4 Profile with 1,400W white-light LED - the range of event technology solutions with which the Adam Hall Group travels to the P

Details

15 August 2024

USA - Before heading out on the road with Metallica for the M72 World Tour, live sound monitor engineers and technicians Mike ‘Mic’ Bollella and Robert ‘Bob’ Cowan looked to expand the band’s RF coverage with a full-spectrum solution that could be used worldwide.

Bollella and Cowan continually look for solutions that provide the best live experiences for artists and fans alike. To achieve this for the M72 tour, which is performed in the round, Bollella and Cowan worked with RF tech Stacey Handley to select Wisycom MTK982 Dual Wideband Transmitters.

“We needed to expand on the RF spectrum that we could use, and we also needed a solid RF-over-fibre system,” explains Bollella, who first discovered Wisycom through colleagues in the industry. “We came to the realisation that the Wisycom gear was really the next step forwa