UK - Hawthorn has been newly appointed as the in-house technical production partner at Victoria Warehouse, Manchester’s historic landmark venue. As part of a long-term partnership agreement that started on 1 September 2018, Hawthorn will provide exclusive in-house rigging services and will be the preferred technical production supplier for corporate events across Victoria Warehouse’s diverse event spaces. Renowned for its highly flexible event spaces with an industrial vibe and situated in the heart of Manchester, Victoria Warehouse offers event spaces for a huge range of corporate events, from conferences and exhibitions, to gala dinners, award ceremonies, brand activations and parties. James Cohen, owner of Victoria Warehouse, comments: “I’m delighted to welcome Hawthorn to the team. Victoria Warehouse is a unique, iconic and carefully restored industri
Thailand - Mahajak Development and Baan Rig recently deployed a complete Harman Professional Solutions audio system featuring JBL, Soundcraft, Crown and BSS solutions at Rajamangala National Stadium. Home to Thailand’s national football team, Rajamangala is a 65,000-seat sports and entertainment venue that also hosts international events such as the AFC Asian Cup, pop concerts and political rallies. Rajamangala’s management recently decided to upgrade to a high-impact audio system that could deliver even coverage and intelligible sound to every seat, while also streamlining and simplifying production requirements. They hired audio integrators Mahajak Development and rigging experts Baan Rig to deploy an array of JBL Precision Directivity loudspeakers along the roof of the stadium. The system also includes a robust network of Crown DCi Series amplifiers, Soundcraft
Located on a picturesque bend of the Brda river in Bydgoszcz, Opera Nova is one of Poland’s leading opera houses, and it has recently upgraded the audio installations for its two main performance halls with Allen & Heath dLive digital mixing systems. With a world-class repertoire including The Nutcracker, Orpheus in the Underworld, Swan Lake and Madame Butterfly, Opera Nova opened in 2006 and completed its latest audio installation last year. Supplied by Konsbud Audio, the new dLive systems were installed in two locations. The Main Hall features a dLive S5000 surface, alongside a DM32 MixRack, a DX32 Expander and a Dante card. While the Chamber Hall has a dLive S3000 surface and a DM48 MixRack combined with another Dante card. Adrian Michalski (head of the acoustics department and main sound engineer for Opera Nova), comments; "I’
UK - Troxy has joined forces with DICE to become a mobile-only, and “now tout-proof venue”. The move to digital will put fans first by implementing DICE’s mobile-only tickets to stop reselling, as well as selling tickets through the night and allowing refunds up to moments before an event starts. The secondary ticketing market continues to be a nightmare for music fans, and this partnership ensures that touts are locked out of Troxy for good, says the venue. Adam Webb, campaign manager for FanFair Alliance, comments: "DICE have been long-time supporters of the FanFair campaign, and this is another welcome step forward to ensure ticket resale works for fans and not touts. Recent legislative and regulatory changes are helping reshape the market, but some of the most exciting developments will involve adoption of new technology that improve the gig-going expe
UK - Academy Music Group Limited (AMG) has announced a new lease agreement with Manchester-based live entertainment venue Victoria Warehouse. Situated in the heart of the city, the venue was originally the Liverpool Warehousing Company, two huge warehouses built in 1925 and 1936. Their monumental scale and exuberant architectural style dominated the canal-side, and Victoria Warehouse is now one of the only surviving warehouses of its kind; retaining its classic internal structure of cast-iron columns, supporting wooden beams and joists. Victoria Warehouse was renovated in 2009 to become a premier events and hospitality venue, with multiple rooms, formats and configurations. The main auditorium capacity is 3,500. Graham Walters, chief operating officer, Academy Music Group, says: “Manchester’s warehouses are so important to the history of the city. They give
Germany - Hamburg-based theatre producer, Stage Entertainment brings nearly four million visitors a year to its musical theatres and is recognised as a market leader for live entertainment in Germany. The company is well-known for showcasing productions such as Mary Poppins, The Lion King and Aladdin. The celebrated musicals, run by the Dutch Stage Entertainment group are typically programmed by an Eos console from ETC. Andy Peistrup, lighting coordinator at Stage Entertainment confirmed that the Eos consoles are regularly in use at the establishment in Hamburg. Shows on New York's Broadway or London's West End are frequently produced by ETC consoles. Peistrup comments: “When the production changes, the console moves with the show. We are very satisfied with Eos desks; it makes our work easy and straight forward as there is already a show file a
USA - American Music Theatre in Lancaster hosts both touring concerts and original shows. Housing a 1,600-seat room that welcomes over 250,000 attendees a year, this popular venue hosts more than 300 live performances annually. Clair Brothers was selected by American Music Theatre to provide the first (and to this day only) loudspeaker system in the venue. Now, 22 years later, the company has been called on again for the upgrade to its C8-TrueFit loudspeaker system. Jim Martin, executive director at American Music Theatre, comments: “22 years ago, we installed a top-of-the-line audio system from Clair Brothers that has served us well. When we were first told about C8-TrueFit technology, we were hopeful about what it could mean for our room. We already trust Clair Brothers, so it wasn’t a huge leap of faith to know they would deliver on the promise that the custom-t
USA - Inspired by Blake Shelton’s hit Ol’ Red, Ryman Hospitality Properties Ole Red entertainment venue and restaurants can be found in Tishomingo, Oklahoma and Nashville. A third location in Gatlinburg, Tennessee will open in spring of 2019 with others to follow. The five-story Nashville location features a main stage on the first floor, two levels of dining, a large private rental space - The Hall at Ole Red - and a rooftop with stunning Broadway views. During the rehabbing of the 100+ year-old building, preferred AVL integration firm, Clair Solutions, was hired to design and install all of Ole Red Nashville’s audio, video and lighting systems. Clair Solutions was given the task of integrating a concert-level performance experience into the heart of the venue’s main dining spaces. “We have a long history with Clair Solutions and have completed a lot
USA - Sacred Heart Cathedral served as the cathedral for the Diocese of Knoxville from 1988 until it was recently superseded by the new 1,300-plus seat Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, built on the same property for $30.8m. With assistance from McCrery Architects, local architects BarberMcMurry designed the space, while Georgia-based AV integration firm TSAV worked closely with all parties involved on the acoustics and to install a sound reinforcement system. Musical content is conveyed by a Danley Sound Labs J3-64 Jericho Horn and four Danley SM80 loudspeakers for fill. “We’ve completed several successful projects with the Catholic Church including two recent sound reinforcement systems at churches in Georgia,” explains Keith Reardigan, TSAV VP of technology & standards and senior systems architect. “That, together with several successful proj
New Zealand - When administrators at the Baycourt Community and Arts Centre in Tauranga decided to replace the loudspeaker system at the Addison Theatre, they opted for IS-Series from Adamson Systems Engineering. “The brief from the client stipulated a number of criteria, such as suitability for both musical theatre and touring bands, excellent clarity while retaining a warm sound, and even coverage throughout the entire venue,” says Mike Hughes of Intec Systems Ltd., an Auckland-based firm specialising in the design, sale, and installation of commercial audio, lighting, and video systems. “From our previous experience with Adamson and the IS-Series products, we knew those criteria would be perfectly met and exceeded.” The Addison Theatre features tiered seating for 582 patrons and an expansive stage measuring 46 ft. (14m) wide by 36 ft. (11m) deep. Throughout
Austria - Salzburger Festspiele has recently invested in a multi-surface dLive system for the performance of medieval play Jedermann, which has taken place every year since 1923 at the Domplatz (Cathedral Square) in Salzburg. With almost 700 performances in just under a century, the play is a central element of the festival’s identity and takes place throughout the summer. This year, the organisers have acquired an Allen & Heath dLive mixing system through suppliers, ATEC Pro Audio, which was purchased especially for the performance and are planning to acquire further dLive systems for their six other locations. Dr. Edwin Pfanzagl-Cardone (head of the sound engineering and acoustics for the Salzburger Festspielfonds) had considered several digital mixers prior to choosing dLive. He comments: “Having heard only good things about Allen & Heath from co
Norway - Klubben i Røverstaden is a new venue in Oslo offering a broad range of concerts and club concepts. With its 750-capacity it has an intimate atmosphere, but at the same time caters for major touring acts, both national and international. Earlier this year, it took delivery of the first DiGiCo SD12 system to be installed in a Norwegian club, supplied by DiGiCo’s Norwegian distributor Scandec. Røverstaden, which directly translated into English means ‘city of outlaws’, is situated in the basement of a three-storey building in the city centre, in what used to be the slum of Oslo, an area that was famous for moonshine and brothels and where outlaws ruled. Its proximity to the royal castle prompted the demolition of the entire area, but in the 1960s it became a bohemian hang-out and the building housed Club7, followed by Sardine's. These were iconic venues and fro
UK - Evolutionary Arts Hackney (EartH) will become the first European venue to install L-Acoustics’ L-ISA hyperreal sound system. The project, a multi-purpose arts hub to launch in the restored Savoy cinema in Dalston in September, has been created by the team behind Village Underground in Shoreditch, founded by Auro Foxcroft. EartH will be curated to span art forms and a multitude of genres and voices encompassing an international live music programme, performance art, special talks and debates, comedy, and film. The venue’s theatre has installed the L-ISA system to offer audiences enhanced clarity, more natural sound, and a wider sound panorama. The L-ISA set up comprises a frontal system of five hangs of seven Kara flown equidistantly across the front of the stage, with a central sub system of four KS28 flown in end fire configuration in front and above
UK - Signify reports its successful collaboration with the National Theatre’s River Stage Festival. The River Stage, which provides a diverse range of free entertainment over a five-week summer season, once again benefitted from an array of the latest stage lighting products from the Philips Vari-Lite brand, including the new VL800 BeamLine. Built outside the National Theatre on London’s South Bank, the River Stage presents diverse entertainment from visiting companies including Sadler’s Wells, HOME Manchester and music experimentalists, Nonclassical. Using the latest fixtures from the Philips Vari-Lite and Showline brands, lighting designer Huw Llewellyn was able to provide rich and varied lighting designs for the wide variety of performance styles. “Without Signify’s support, we couldn’t do what we do with River Stage,” says Llewellyn. “Acts ra
UK - Theatres Trust has extended the booking period for our Early Bird offer so you now have until Friday 24 August to take advantage of the discounted rate ( http://bit.ly/Adaptandthrive ). Titled 'Adapt and Thrive', the conference, which takes place on 16 October at the Lyric Hammersmith, looks at new models for theatre buildings and new ways of funding. Through a mixture of inspiring plenaries and lively breakout sessions, the conference w
The Netherlands - After theatre De Blauwe Kei decided to move to a new purpose-built 650-capacity facility in the CHV Noordkade venue in Veghel, the theatre’s owners decided to be the first 100% LED theatre in the country. Central to achieving this goal was an exclusively Chauvet Professional Ovation rig consisting of 20x Ovation E-260WW, 36x Ovation E-910FC, 4x Ovation F-265WW and 40x Ovation F-915FC fixtures supplied and installed by Stagelight. “For the new location, the theatre was questioning whether it was still necessary to invest in traditional incandescent ellipsoidal and Fresnel fixtures,” says Robert Frijns from Stagelight. “We tried looking at what other theatres in the region had installed, but it turned out there were no 100% LED theatres yet in The Netherlands. De Blauwe Kei decided to go all in, and the results have been quite astonishing.”
UK - Academy Music Group enlisted the support of Liverpool based Adlib to co-design and deliver a touring specification audio system for its 2,000-capacity O2 Academy in Newcastle, one of the most active and vibrant live music venues on the UK touring scene. This project was led by Academy Music Group’s divisional manager Steve Hoyland and O2 Academy Newcastle’s technical manager Nile Lines, with Adlib’s Andy Dockerty and Rob Crossland, who, together specified the Coda Audio PA system. The main auditorium has a large space in front of the stage, with a raised bar area on the ground floor mid-way, that is situated underneath a balcony at the rear. One of the main goals of the new system was to ensure it provided a level of sonic experience to satisfy touring artists, offering a viable and attractive choice to bringing in their own productions. For this ve
USA - Federal Hill Commons, a 6.5-acre multi-use site just north of Indianapolis in Noblesville, Indiana, recently opened a community amphitheatre designed to hold any and every type of outdoor event. Professional production company and Elation dealer Stage Tech, Inc. of Indianapolis was commissioned to handle everything lighting on the project from concept and design to installation and programming and turned to Elation’s leading line of IP65-rated luminaires to realise the task. “The nature of this installation demanded weatherproof fixtures so the IP rating was the first and most important criterion when compiling a list of options,” says Mike Trotta, owner of Stage Tech, Inc. “Elation has a wide range of IP-rated fixtures, so we were able to weigh the benefits of various fixture types and feature sets, knowing that any of them would be appropriate for the outdoo
UK - Founded in 1830 in London, the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) is the leading centre for geographers and geographical learning. With over 16,500 members, the venue is home to a collection of more than two million historical items including maps, photographs, books, documents, paintings and artefacts. The Society recently decided to upgrade its 750-seat Ondaatje Theatre. Luciano Figueira, business development manager at the RGS, comments: “When we voted to invest in the theatre revamp, the sound system became our first priority. Most of the events we host are conferences, speeches and lectures, so we needed a solution that would help the speakers deliver their insights and bring the best in audio clarity, regardless of where the audience is seated in the theatre.” The RGS commissioned integrator Plus 4 Audio to tackle the brief and the two organisations
China - Top Plot International has landed a trio of nightclub audio installations in China, all featuring the Nexo STM Series modular line array system. The projects use the STM Series modular line array, sets of M46 mains and B112 bass modules together with S118 subs. The STM Series main PA is supplemented by a secondary PS10 and PS15 system, and both are powered by racks of NXAMP4x4 amplifiers. In Guangzhou, in Guangdong Province, The One Club is a large dance club in a warehouse-style setting that blends the appeal of a high-energy nightclub with a modern lounge. Meeting the technical specifications and other requirements to invite top DJs, The One Club has played host to world-class names like DJ Slushii, Adam Trigger, Wolfpack, Diego Miranda, Rehab, JP Candella, Tujamo, Tommy Walker and Timmy, with more slated to come. The main dancefloor system uses thre
USA - Effects Unlimited has recently completed the design and installation of a new sound system based around Community E Series column line source and point source loudspeaker systems for St. Nicholas Church in Wilkes-Barre. St. Nicholas has been a landmark of the Wyoming Valley since the 1850s and the current neo-gothic church with its high vaulted ceilings and reflective surfaces was completed in 1887. St. Nicholas turned to audio specialist Effects Unlimited to design a system that would deliver high intelligibility and complete coverage in the acoustically challenging space. Specialising in installation, as well as rental and live production services, Effects Unlimited is one of the largest providers of audio visual systems in the region. Effects Unlimited designed the system using Community E Series loudspeakers, chosen for their audio quality, reliability
India - Munro Acoustics recently deployed an end-to-end Harman Professional Solutions audio system at the Flea Bazaar Café in the Lower Parel district of Mumbai. Owned and operated by Impresario Group, the 7,000sq.ft café features 13 separate restaurants, a marketplace for local lifestyle brands and a bar that serves local beers and craft cocktails. The Flea Bazaar Café also includes a community performance venue that hosts stand-up comedy, plays, DJs and live music, and more. The space features a customised pulley mechanism that can quickly lift the tables and chairs to the ceiling and create extra space for audiences, as well as a van that serves as the DJ booth. Impresario Group hired long-time audio partner Munro Acoustics to design an audio system that would complement the aesthetic of the Flea Bazaar Café and deliver even sound coverage in the highly reverbe
Australia - With soaring ceilings, cavernous naves, and smooth surfaces of stone or stained glass, cathedrals can present unique acoustics challenges. St John's Cathedral in Brisbane, Australia is no exception, having been bestowed the distinction of having one of the longest reverb times for a chapel in the southern hemisphere, ringing in at a whopping 7.2 seconds - delightful for Gregorian chants or pealing bells, but a sound reinforcement conundrum. The solution was an L-Acoustics distributed 5XT system, installed in November 2017, which has since been providing the congregation with crystal-clear audio at the renowned Brisbane landmark, while preserving the architectural integrity and beauty of the heritage-listed structure. St John’s Cathedral is the mother church of the Diocese of Brisbane, which was created in 1859. Built as a mixture of French and English Vic
France - Paris cabaret venue Moulin Rouge has invested in two DiGiCo S21s purchased through DiGiCo’s French distributor DV2. The historic venue, based in Paris’ Pigalle district, opened on 6 October 1889 boasting chic interiors, large dance floor and picturesque garden resplendent with a large elephant statue. In the spring of 2018, Paris sales and installation company Synoptic Broadcast provided the S21s - one as the main console and one as a backup - at the request of Moulin Rouge sound engineer, Bruno Ravary, who wanted to replace the existing desks with a compact format console that would fit into the amount of space available. “I decided to change to DiGiCo simply because I went to a concert where a friend was using an SD10 and I liked the sound,” explains Ravary. “But we’ve also worked with the SD9 and SD11 for the recording of a TV Show, so we
