South Africa - Saint Thomas Church in Linden sought to upgrade its sound, with a quality solution that would not detract from the church’s looks and not break the bank. They got their solution from DWR Distribution in the form of Quest Audio and Audix microphones. “We didn’t want it to look out of place and we did need to get better sound,” says Gift Chanza the head of Sound Ministry at Saint Thomas, “The Quest loudspeakers were exactly what we needed”. Three HPI Quest speakers were installed in the main hall. The left and right being handled by two Quest HPI8i two-way passive loudspeakers hidden within the Churches woodwork and the centre speaker, a Quest HPI111 compact loudspeaker, hangs from the middle of the ceiling. An additional White HPI5 high output loudspeaker sits in the room adjacent main hall. These speakers have the church fully covered for sou
UAE - Martin Professional Middle East (MPME) recently outfitted the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi with a Martin by Harman exterior lighting solution. Located in the United Arab Emirates capital of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is an imposing structure with a 262ft main dome and four minaret towers rising to a height of 351ft. As the largest mosque in the UAE and the third largest in the world, Grand Mosque accommodates up to 40,000 visitors. The mosque recently opened a new three-story visitor’s centre bookended by two glass dome entrances. Abu Dhabi officials hired MPME to install an exterior lighting solution that would visually emphasize the new visitor’s centre and glass domes. In order to overcome the challenge of outfitting the dome’s curved surfaces, MPME installed 2,556 Martin Professional Exterior PixLine 10 fixtures. “Installing
Russia - When Moscow’s Zaryadye concert hall opened it became one of the most technologically advanced venues in Russia. It features a large complement of Claypaky lighting fixtures in its 1,600-seat philharmonic auditorium and the smaller, 400-seat theatre. Zaryadye is part of a new park adjacent to Red Square and next to the Kremlin walls. Its Philharmonic auditorium is equipped with stage machinery, precisely chosen lighting gear and integrated engineering technologies that allow it to host different types of productions from classical music concerts and theatrical performances to international conferences and shows. Claypaky fixtures selected for the hall include 54 A.leda K-EYE K20s, 12 Scenius spots, 12 Scenius profiles and 30 Show Batten LED linear lights. The K-EYEs were chosen for their quiet operation, notes Vasily Litvin, Lighting Director of the DOK
UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) has supplied the Acorn Theatre in Penzance with a Prolights LED lighting upgrade. For over 40 years, the Acorn has hosted a wide range of arts practitioners and art forms, including live music, theatre, poetry readings, story-telling, dance, film, lectures and the visual arts. These acts can scale all the way from international tours down to school plays. Looking to upgrade their house lighting rig to LED, theatre manager at the Acorn, Richie Cawley, researched all his options and found that the extensive Prolights range best met both their needs and their budget. Andy Mahaffey, external sales at AC-ET, visited the Acorn to discuss their requirements and show the Prolights fixtures that would be best suited to their venue. Impressed by the quality of the LED fixtures, and their ease of use, Acorn invested in a number
UK - The White Rock Theatre on the Hastings seafront is a historically significant cultural landmark in East Sussex, with origins dating back to 1927. As one of the region’s largest receiving houses, the theatre accommodates 1,066 seated and nearly 1,700 standing. Marquee AV recently installed an EM Acoustics EMS Series point source system to bring the audio up to the standards demanded by modern audiences. Adam Harkin, the venue’s technical and building manager says: “Sound is everything - without sound, there’s no show. Our new EM Acoustics system stands head and shoulders over what we had before which was old and no longer fit for purpose by modern standards. What we have now is simply amazing - it’s a proper theatre system and has made a huge difference - everyone can hear everything regardless of where they are sat in the venue.” When the decisio
USA - The Brooklyn Tabernacle, designed in 1918 by Thomas Lamb, the architect of the original Madison Square Garden across the East River in Manhattan, flourished for years as the Lowe’s Metropolitan, one of the leading vaudeville theatres of its day. Today, after being rescued from disrepair by the church, the building resonates with the uplifting energy of Pastor Jim Cymbala’s Sunday services, special events throughout the week, and performances by the six-time Grammy winning Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, which is directed by the pastor’s wife, Carol. Supporting these activities are immersive lighting and video displays that would have been impossible to imagine back in the building’s vaudeville theatre days. Running the lighting and video system is a ChamSys MagicQ MQ500 Stadium, installed in early 2019 by lighting designer Abner Torres of Out of Darkness Desi
UK - The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) has recently benefited from the implementation of a K-array Anakonda and Kobra loudspeaker system supplied by UK distributor 2B Heard. Following a K-array demonstration and training day conducted by 2B Heard directors Dave Wooster and Sam Nankivell, the audio staff at LIPA were impressed with the range of solutions that the Italian loudspeaker brand offers, and decided to take the opportunity for third year live sound students to use K-array systems on a production of <IRomeo and Juliet in the 400-seat Paul McCartney Auditorium. Students were given a strict brief to minimise the visual impact of the sound system, while at the same time delivering clarity and consistency throughout the audience area at an SPL appropriate for the dance-based nature of the show. “The sound system had to be as discreet as possibl
Australia - As a long-term user of DPA microphones, the Sydney Theatre Company (STC) has been quick to adopt the Danish manufacturer’s Core by DPA amplifier technology, which has now been successfully incorporated into DPA d:screet Miniature, d:fine headset and d:vote instrument microphones. Already the owner of a substantial amount of DPA stock, STC recently added 75 d:screet CORE 4061 Miniature Omnidirectional Microphones to its inventory and is putting them to good use on a number of productions, including a new version of Tennessee Williams’ classic Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. Ben Lightowlers, STC’s head of sound and audio visual, says: “Once the new Core technology arrived, I was keen to put it through the rigours of a regular season at STC. The goal for us in theatre is to not distract the audience with an obviously mic’d tonality but rather aim for a
UK - A Void Acoustics sound system has been installed in Mrs Fogg’s Maritime Club & Distillery. Located in the heart of London, Mrs Fogg’s is the sixth venue in the Mr Fogg’s collection, inspired by Aouda, Phileas Fogg’s Indian wife, in Jules Verne’s classic adventure novel, Around The World in 80 Days. Styled as if aboard a Victorian steamer ship, guests enter the ground floor through the Maritime Club. Sound in this large bar and dining space is powered by six black Void Acoustics Air 8 passive, two-way, eight-inch surface mount loudspeakers and two Venu Bass low frequency enclosures. The adjoining Rangoon Steamer room boasts luxurious chandeliers, plush dining seating and decorative curtained windows, all built to size to replicate the steamer Phileas and Aouda travelled on. Four white Cyclone 55 dual five-inch, passive, surface mount loudspeake
UK - Promising a “modern day pub experience built on traditional values”, The East London Pub Company has brought fresh inspiration to two equally historic but radically different London venues, The Lock Tavern in Camden and The Gun in Spitalfields. Famous as the home of early gigs by the likes of Adele, Amy Winehouse and Franz Ferdinand amongst others, The Lock Tavern is counted among the British capital’s best loved grassroots music venues. Meanwhile, sitting in the heart of the East End market district of Spitalfields, The Gun is a local institution that first opened its doors in 1929. Both venues are now enjoying a renaissance courtesy of London-based sound installation specialist Flipside, and sound reinforcement systems by TW AUDiO. “The Lock Tavern is a great venue - one of my favourites out of the whole group,” says East London Pub Co. co-founder, Bra
USA - The Pablo Centre at the Confluence is a fine arts centre with grand aspirations. Situated at the confluence of the Chippewa and Eau Claire Rivers in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, the 143,000sq.ft space includes a 1,200-seat proscenium theatre, the 400-seat JAMF black-box theatre, five flexible rehearsal rooms & galleries, and a light, sound, and video production lab, among many other rooms. One publication described The Pablo Centre at the Confluence as the centre of gravity for a growing orbit of arts and cultural institutions in the northwestern Wisconsin city of 65,000 residents and home to the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire. AV integration firm Camera Corner Connecting Point (CCCP) of Green Bay, Wisconsin assisted in the design and installation of the centre’s audio and video systems, which include over sixty Danley Sound Labs loudspeakers and subwoofers pow
USA - A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away . . . or, to be more accurate, rather recently in Denver, the Colorado Symphony performed Oscar-winning composer John Williams’ full score for Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back while accompanying the film’s screening at the 1STBANK Centre in Broomfield. What elevated this cinematic performance from other popular orchestra/movie pairings - including the Colorado Symphony’s own accompaniment of Star Wars: A New Hope last year - was Clearwing Productions’ deployment of L-ISA Hyperreal Sound technology, which delivered a different experience for those in attendance. Clearwing is no stranger to L-ISA, having been the first North American company to utilise the system, initially for an outdoor Santa Barbara Bowl show with ODESZA, then later at the same venue with Bon Iver. However, this event marked the f
Belgium - The Cathedral of St Michael and St Gudula is one of the oldest and most beautiful cathedrals in Belgium. It originated as a chapel to honour St. Michael and was built on the Treurenberg hill in the ninth century. In the 11th century, it was replaced by a Romanesque church and in the 13th century, they added two round towers to the church. In total it took about 300 years to complete the entire church and it was finished in 1519 just before the reign of the emperor Charles V. Since 1962, the church is given the status of cathedral. The towers are each 64m high and the Cathedral is built of stone from the Gobertange quarry, which is located 45km southeast of the city. Because of the versatile character of the church there was a need for a complete, new audio system that can be used during these different types of events. It was important that there
Australia - The Pavilion, a multifunctional event space right in the heart of the Arts Centre Melbourne, offers panoramic views of the leafy green surrounding Arts Precinct nestling between the Yarra River and the Royal Botanical Gardens. It’s a vibrant hub for a diversity of cultural and creative activities, accommodating anything from around 280 - 300 people for dinner, 450 for a concert set up and 500+ for a cocktails or standing event. A new lighting rig of Robe VIVA CMY Spots, ParFect 150s and LEDWash 300s, six of each, has recently been installed which has dramatically changed the way in which the space can be used for many events. Arts Centre Melbourne’s technical manager for corporate events Jason Fordham explained that, in addition to the pre-existing generic rig, the new lights have expanded the capacity to stage multiple daily events in the Pavili
USA - Since 1975, the Houston Chinese Church has established a voice within Houston’s vibrant Southwest District, offering weekly worship services in English, Mandarin and Cantonese. As the church grew, serving more worshippers in its diverse community, its leaders realised they needed a more flexible lighting system that would allow them to create a more modern, welcoming environment inside their sanctuary. Vincent Ng, CEO of Ving Media LLC, was called in to improve the lighting system and make it more flexible to meet the church’s growing needs. “The church wanted to upgrade their lighting system for good reason,” says Ng. “The fixtures they were using were over 30 years old, and all the coloured lights were already dead. They decided a switch to new LEDs would not only illuminate worship better, but be more eco-friendly by consuming less power.”
UK - Middlesex University is among the latest educational establishments to invest in an Allen & Heath dLive digital mixing system, recently installing an S3000 surface in the TV production facilities at its Faculty of Arts and Creative Industries in Hendon, north London. The university’s Sony-designed facilities were created to give students as close to a real-world learning and working environment as possible. Boasting a double-height main studio and separate main, VT and sound galleries, they are equipped to a standard comparable to commercial studios and see a diverse range of programme creation - including a significant amount of live music production - throughout the academic year. “When we were looking to replace our existing audio desk, I was considering very ‘broadcast-specific’ options,” Aidan Delaney (technical manager at the faculty) explains
Mexico - Auditorio Citibanamex is a live music venue located in Monterrey that has emerged as one of the country’s top concert venues since undergoing an extensive renovation and redesign several years ago. Located in the heart of Monterrey’s Fundidora Park, the venue has a capacity of 8,000 and attracts both national and international artists. Despite the renovation, the venue stood somewhat unobtrusive in a brush of static white light until last summer when it received a radiant outdoor wash of colour courtesy of company Adimsa, Elation’s long-time partner in Mexico and one of the country’s leading lighting providers. Adimsa installed weatherproof Elation Professional SixPar and SixBar series luminaires across the outside of the building, high-power, single-lens Pars and battens with RGBWA+UV LED chips that provide an exceptionally broad palette of colours.
Belgium - Lighting and visual design practice Painting with Light (PWL) was commissioned by interactive media and attractions specialist Alterface to light the new Popcorn Revenge dark ride at the Walibi Belgium theme park. This showcases Alterface’s new innovative ‘erratic ride’ concept, an environment combining multiple projection techniques, spectacular HD video, 3D mapping and 3D shooting plus special effects in a ride that follows a non-linear path. Wireless-controlled ride cars are routed ‘randomly’ through a selection of different rooms over their three-minute journey, allowing guests to return to Popcorn Revenge multiple times and receive a completely different and equally exciting visual and sensory experience each time. Luc Peumans and the PWL team including principal designer Iiris Roskou and project managers Peter Vandenbosh and Céline Cuypers co
UK - Stage Electrics has supplied the Lyric Theatre in Carmarthen, Wales, with a lighting control upgrade alongside additional staging. The theatre, part of the Carmarthen Theatres Group, was seeking a lighting control solution that offered professional grade programming power, along with the ability to integrate into other systems, making transitioning between desks simple. “ETC’s Ion Xe was the obvious choice for the Lyric Theatre,” comments Neal Tomlinson, technical sales consultant at Stage Electrics. “We sought out a solution that offered flexibility, whilst being able to work coherently with the grade of fixtures coming through the venue. This theatre hosts a number of touring shows, so compatibility was a must.” Looking to further expand their offerings to touring shows, in terms of space, the theatre has invested in a Prolyte LiteDeck staging
USA - After outgrowing its long-time location in Tustin, California, Calvary Chapel Tustin (CCT) moved to nearby Santa Ana in 2015 leasing the main sanctuary from the First Church of the Nazarene. The two churches co-exist on the property with CCT occupying the 700-seat main sanctuary and First Nazarene holding services in the recently remodelled chapel. Based on the success of BESA-Bowls Engineering Sound & Acoustics’ recent sound system upgrades at Wildwood Calvary Chapel in Yucaipa, California, CCT contracted the design-build firm in early 2018 to facilitate much needed audio upgrades. BESA founder and senior sound designer, Darren Bowls, worked through a sound design that addressed the extremely high ceilings, split-block wall surfaces, and the voluminous nature of the room. Bowls felt CCT would benefit from a similar equipment combination he first implemented at W
USA - Sprint Centre, a flexible arena in downtown Kansas City, has recently reached out to local integrator Digital Sound Systems, Inc. (DSS) to explore options for updating its arena sound system used for sporting events. DSS was tasked with updating portions of the arena’s control room, as well as audio and video facilities. After thorough research and consideration, DSS was able to provide Sprint Centre with an entirely new front-line sound system, including new speakers, subs and amplifiers, thanks to the powerful and cost-effective solutions provided by L-Acoustics Kara(i) loudspeakers, SB18i subwoofers, and LA4X amplified controllers. “Sprint Centre consistently ranks as one of the top venues in the US, so it was important for us to make sure that we were advising them on the best plan of action for years to come,” says DSS CEO Jeremy Dixon. “A simple am
France - As part of the Viparis group of event sites, the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles exhibition park is the largest in France and hosts over 120 tradeshows, including some of the French capital’s most prestigious occasions such as the Paris Motor Show, the Foire de Paris, the International Agriculture Show, Viva Technology and Who’s Next. With such a diverse, high-profile array of exhibitions to cater for, the venue’s sound system needed to be of an equally high standard. When the venue’s largest pavilion - the 7,000sq.m Hall 1 - required an audio upgrade, APG’s Uniline Compact was chosen as the key component. The audio system in the venue was specified as a result of an electro-acoustic study undertaken by LM Ingénierie Audiovisuel (LMI AV), while the equipment itself was supplied and integrated by Belgian company Inytium. Partner and project mana
Japan - It’s impossible to walk through the prefecture of Gion and not be swept up in its vibrant pace of life. The most celebrated geisha district in a city that is itself the cultural heart of Japan, the neighbourhood is renowned for its dining and entertainment attractions. Both of these offerings are found in the Kyoto Sushi Theatre, a lively venue that serves up a culinary and artistic feast for its customers. Creating a colourful and engaging backdrop for this dual experience is an Andy Hinago-designed lightshow that features a collection of Chauvet Professional fixtures, supplied by PRG Japan. Given that the ‘theatre side’ of Kyoto Sushi Theatre features not only traditional Kabuki, but also more modern, western-style Shingeki performances, Andy (who owns GOTTA, Inc.) placed an emphasis on versatility when putting together his rig for the venue. This led
UK - Islington’s Grade II-listed Assembly Hall has committed to an investment in its technical infrastructure, including the first UK installation of Harman’s new JBL VTX A8 line array system at front of house. Inspired by the experienced management team of Lucinda Brown and technical manager Tom Watt, the council-owned building, part of Islington Town Hall complex, can now build on a reputation that has seen Ed Sheeran, Rag’n’Bone Man and Snow Patrol play there in the past. Following a competitive tender, the Islington Assembly Hall team chose JBL’s new flagship VTX A-Series, comprising A8 and B18 elements. The installation was undertaken by SSE Audio Group, who were also responsible for the new JBL VTX A12 installation (with VTX A8 acting as delays and front-fills) at London’s Troxy - coincidentally another Grade II-listed art deco building like the
