Ireland - Load cell company Broadweigh will support the Wires Crossed tightrope event in Galway, Ireland by supplying Monkey Rigging with the necessary kit to monitor the loads. The event, which was originally scheduled for August 2020, but has now been postponed due to COVID-19, is a European wide community participation project revolving around 'funambulism' - the art of tight-wire walking using a balancing pole. During the event, 400 tightrope walkers from all over Europe will cross the Galway River for a duration of 2020 minutes. Andrea Mamolenti, founder of Monkey Rigging, comments: “Monkey Rigging is working with Andrea Loreni - the only funambulist in Italy on the measurement of the tightrope walker setups. We are also collaborating with him for the technical design of the preparations for the Italian team for the event. The kind donation of the Broadweigh kit will
Denmark - For more than five decades, the Kulturcenter Limfjorden has served as a cultural hub for the people of Denmark’s Skive municipality. First opened in 1967, the facility is an example of an essential, regional multi-purpose venue; located in the historic town of Skive, it invites locals and tourists alike to enjoy a rich mixture of theatre, cinema, live music and more. As is so often the case with venues that serve a broad variety of needs, when the Kulturcenter recently began the search for a replacement for its ageing sound reinforcement system, the top priority was finding a solution capable of meeting every challenge. The choice was TW AUDiO VERA20. "The Goal for Kulturcenter Limfjorden was simple - to find the right sound system to do 99% of the shows that come through our concert hall, without the need for renting any external equipment,” explains And
France - From its inception, Lyon-based 13-2 Studio has been motivated by the need to provide innovative solutions for its customers. This drive has led the French company to create the Immersive Cylinder - a fully portable, temporary space that can host bespoke content and be used for presentations, training, entertainment, and many more applications besides. “When we created this cylinder, we had the one objective in mind; put the human back in the centre of VR technology,” comments Amaury Chevrier, owner of 13-2. “We realised that there was a lot of 3D and immersive content in the market but when you’re wearing a VR helmet, you’re on your own. We wanted to create a new kind of immersive space.” After months of research, tests, and prototypes, 13-2 Studio were led to create what has been billed as the first shared VR experience in France. The finished cyl
Belgium - Robbe Verburgh wants more EDM DJs to start streaming. So much so, that he’s created VR Stream, a complete mobile streaming solution in a van that allows DJs to do a show and get it up and running online from anywhere, even their own back yards. To promote his new service, Verburgh created a streaming marathon in his backyard, or more precisely the warehouse of the company he works for, DV Sound. To draw attention to the event, which took place 17-18 May, he lined up Gianni Foquaert (aka DJ Flavour Drop), known for his own pioneering radio concept, as host of the event. Then, to ensure that his 21-hour (over two days) stream was energised by wave after wave of supercharged looks, Verburgh retained the services of Cedric Duré. The teenage owner of Outdream, Duré obliged, creating an intense outpouring of pixel mapped movement and colour that never seemed t
Denmark - At the end of 2019, after three years constantly on the road, Danish lighting, video and set designer Peter Fisker wanted to spend a bit more time at home. Fortuitously, a part-time teaching post became available at EUC Nord in Frederikshavn, who needed a tutor for the lighting module of their well-known and respected Event Technicians course. The college administration asked if he was interested in applying, and he jumped at the chance as this would enable him to stay home part of the year whilst also retaining the flexibility of touring and lighting shows via his design company, HeCameToEat. The vocational Event Technicians course allows rental and event production companies, music, and theatre venues, etc. to take on trainee technicians who work at their companies and learn the theoretical, practical and creative skills needed to master the craft over a f
USA - When Celine Orlando in Edison, New Jersey, the city’s newest entertainment venue, was being built, they knew they could rely on local industry pro, Kevin Clouden, GC Pro’s Business Development Manager to procure a reputable sound system. Clouden has been a top seller of pro audio gear in South Florida for the past several years. Celine’s owners knew Clouden’s expertise would steer them in the right direction - sonically-speaking. Boasting a capacity of nearly 1,000 occupants, Celine Orlando is a multi-faceted entertainment space that hosts live music, corporate events, and private parties. It was created to fill the need for a centrally located, high-end entertainment complex. Celine Orlando hosts five different spaces: a Speakeasy that takes guests back to the prohibition era, complete with antique furniture, elaborate drink menus, and an attention to de
Italy - The facade of Palazzo Madama in Rome has been lit up in the colours of the Italian flag from18 March until the end of the COVID-19 medical emergency. Audio-Luci-Store, an online division of the company Il Microfono, took care of the lighting set-up. Sabino Coppolecchia, owner of Il Microfono, said: “At the end of 2019, Audio-Luci-Store received a request from the technical staff of the Italian Senate. Our task was to provide a lighting system for the imposing facade of Palazzo Madama, in order to illuminate the building on very special occasions, like the International Day for the elimination of violence against women or Telethon. “Basic requirements were for a quick and simple installation, so that the internal staff of the Senate could be able to interact with the fixtures in complete autonomy, without need of technical support.” According to the
USA - One year ago, Focusrite officially launched the Focusrite Pro Podcast. In the nearly 25 episodes that have been posted since the series’ inception, show host and producer Daniel Hughley (Focusrite marketing manager) has guided discussions offering insights into the technology behind current audio trends. Topics have included Dolby Atmos and Audio-over-IP, podcasting basics, the future of the Audio Engineering Society, the production of Live from Darryl’s House, advice on evolving one’s career in audio and much more. On the occasion of the one-year anniversary, Hughley is taking the opportunity to reflect on the show’s journey over the last 12 months. He notes: “The evolution of the Focusrite Pro Podcast is very close to my heart. We started with just a crazy idea
UK - When Amate Audio’s UK distributor Stage Concepts was commissioned by Ice Tech to design, supply and install custom trussing with PA and lighting for its new build Cambridge Ice Arena, it turned to the power and performance of the new Nítid N15 active point source system. The brief for the €6.3m leisure facility specified a striking appearance and the capability to easily add more lighting, and offer natural positioning for the PA. Working together closely, Stage Concepts and Amate Audio designed a system offering the minimum of complexity while providing highly consistent sound pressure levels throughout the whole arena. Six Amate Audio Nítid N15 active point source systems were flown in each of two double layer hex design trusses positioned above the ice. Precise positioning of the N15s, to achieve optimum coverage, was determined using Amate Audio’
USA - Production company Toucan Productions has started to livestream weekly DJ sets from its facility in Oklahoma City using a festival-worthy setup that includes nearly 100% Elation lighting gear. Dubbed Secret Shop and hosted on Twitch TV, the livestream broadcasts feature multiple 45-minute DJ sets and run every Wednesday from 8:00 pm to midnight Central Daylight Time in the U.S. Arvol Dingess and Parker Shore, both of Toucan, have been instrumental in getting the Secret Shop livestreams up and running, an idea that emerged from Covid-era downtime. “Sometime in May, Arvol, our video lead at Toucan, hit me up with the idea to do a streaming show from the Toucan shop and I jumped on it,” said Shore, an Oklahoma City native who has been a lighting specialist at Toucan for the past five years. “We did some cocktail napkin sketches of the rig, built it an
UK - This summer, Guildhall School of Music & Drama’s opera double bill has been transformed from the physical to the digital stage, with the creative team and artists from across the School bringing the productions to life from their homes using digital technology. It is now available to stream for free until Wednesday 1 July 2020. A 20th-century reimagining of one of the earliest English operas Dido and Aeneas - Purcell’s tragic love story featuring the famous aria Dido’s Lament - is contrasted with Respighi’s La bella dormente nel bosco, a witty take on the Sleeping Beauty story. The School’s production would have been the UK premiere of Respighi’s rarely performed work. All students, staff and guest artists have been working from wherever they have been living during the lockdown, across at least 14 countries and four con
Norway - When multiple Norwegian Grammy-winner Emilie Nicolas played two shows in one day at the Oslo Opera House in late 2019, an Alcons Audio pro-ribbon solution was specified. Emilie’s pop anthems and atmospheric ballads have a very wide dynamic range, from the quietest, nuanced vocal to the power of her up-tempo songs. Making sure that every detail was enjoyed by the sold-out audiences, front of house engineer Stian Sagholen only had one PA system in mind. “Stian contacted us after a show at Nidarosdomen (Nidaros Cathedral), Trondheim in May and said there was no other option than an Alcons system for the Oslo Opera House shows,” says Arnstein Fossvik of audio production company Trondheim Lyd. Trondheim Lyd supplied an Alcons LR18 compact line array system comprising 36 LR18, four VR12 mid-size versatile monitors and four LR7 micro line arrays for fills
South Africa - Rental and technical production company Blond Productions invested in its first Astera products - Titan Tubes and AX3 Lightdrops - for the first series of reality dating show Love Island France. This was filmed earlier in the year at a luxury villa on the Lothian wine estate in Elgin Valley, on the banks of the Palmiet River about an hour’s drive from Cape Town. Paris-based director of photography (Florian Sinopoli works worldwide on various TV shows and series, and last year also lit Celebrity Love Island in South Africa for producers ITV Studios. He initially specified the Asteras, although Blond Productions’ owner Christiaan Ballot was already considering making an investment in the brand after numerous recommendations, “It was really just a question of awaiting the right moment,” he explained. The Asteras were supplied by Joha
China - Shanghai ACE, a branch of ACE (International) Co, recently installed an end-to-end Harman Professional Solutions networked audio system at the National Exhibition and Convention Centre complex. At 15.8m sq.ft, the NECC in Shanghai is the largest convention facility of its kind in the world. The massive complex has a four-leaf-clover shape, with four main exhibit halls branching off from a central plaza. In preparation for the inaugural China International Import Expo, an international trade fair proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, the facility underwent extensive renovations. The NECC hired Harman distributor Shanghai ACE to upgrade the facility with a complete Harman networked audio solution including JBL loudspeakers, Crown amplifiers, dbx and BSS signal processors and Soundcraft mixers. “Due to the rigid security of state leader conferences, t
The Netherlands - Production company Spectrum AV has created a blank canvas studio in its warehouse that it is renting out to promotors who wish to host virtual dance festivals during the coronavirus lockdown. Featuring an impressive lighting rig, comprised of 68 ADJ fixtures, it allows the atmosphere of a high-energy DJ set to be captured and live-streamed for fans to watch in the safety of their own homes. Established for over 15 years, Spectrum AV is a full-service lighting, video, audio and effects rental and production company based in the village of Udenhout, which is located between Tilburg and ‘s-Hertogenbosch in The Netherlands. Although the company supplies a wide range of clients spanning across the entertainment and business worlds, it has developed a particular niche in the EDM festival market. With a business model designed to make life as easy as possi
Austria - Starnacht (Star Night) is one of the more popular televised live music programmes in German-speaking countries. Broadcast from Austria since 2000, the programme has several editions and is known for its diverse mix of national and international artists who perform amid a festival-like atmosphere against majestic backdrops like the Giant Ferris Wheel in Vienna or the spectacular peaks of the Alps. Austrian-based full-service event technology supplier Droneberger Showtechnik specialises in television productions and has been lighting Starnacht shows since 2005/2006. The company, which operates from the town of Klagenfurt, sought a flexible luminaire to enhance the Starnacht stage in colour and effect and last summer purchased Elation Professional Paladin multi-effect lights to use on Starnacht am Wörthersee, Starnacht aus der Wa
USA - Like much else in bluegrass country, there is a tranquil beauty to Saint Joseph Hospital in Lexington, KY. With its gently curved inlayed stone outer walls, multi-level windowed surfaces, and soaring main tower, the 433-bed medical centre on the outskirts of this picturesque town, projects a sense of serenity and calmness. It is a sense that has reassured Kentuckians through good times and bad since 1877, when the hospital was founded by the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. In 2020, this modern medical facility came to the aid of its community in another crisis by serving at the centre of the region’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This June, Saint Josephs showed its gratitude to the hospital’s health care heroes and its support for families that have been impacted by the virus with two successive week-long lighting displays created by Studio46 Media, usin
Finland - Åbo Svenska Teater, a Swedish-speaking theatre in the heart of Turku, is the oldest still functioning theatre in Finland. Exuding 19th century glamour, the venue is known for hosting plays and musicals such as Les Misérables, Hair, and The Rocky Horror Show. This April, the theatre’s audio system was brought up-to-date with the installation of L-Acoustics Syva, which has solved the theatre’s complex acoustical challenges. The system was delivered in March and originally scheduled for installation in May. However, when the theatre was shut and all performances cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was decided to use the hiatus to install the system ahead of time, made possible by the theatre’s team performing the installation themselves. Pauli Molnár of L-Acoustics certified provider distributor, Audico, has a long history w
UK - The Royal Society of Chemistry has upgraded its audio-visual systems at its Burlington House headquarters with the addition of a K-array loudspeaker system supplied by 2B Heard and installed by the Torpedo Factory Group, enabling the Society to offer better quality sound and vision as a leading central London venue for its many rental clients. Key to the library’s attraction as a venue - prized by users for seminars, conferences, lectures, award ceremonies, fine dining and private functions – is its integrated audio-visual facilities and, taking an opportunity to benefit from the latest technological advancements, the RSC decided this year to upgrade its audio systems in order to provide better coverage and improved intelligibility to meet the growing requirements of its corporate clients. In consultation with the Torpedo Factory Group (TFG) and following an o
France - As Culturespaces opens the world’s largest digital art centre, the cultural operator continues its successful collaboration with Modulo Pi. Opened on June 10, 2020, the Bassins de Lumières (The Ponds of Lights) in Bordeaux relies on 30 Modulo Kinetic media servers to provide an outstanding immersive art experience. Culturespaces Digital turned to Modulo Pi and chose the Modulo Kinetic media server solution in 2018, when it created the first digital art centre in Paris, the Atelier des Lumières. Opened in April 2018, the Atelier des Lumières already welcomed more than 2m visitors eager to experience a new immersive approach to the work of famous artists such as Klimt, Van Gogh, Monet, and more. Since the opening of the Atelier des Lumières, Modulo Kinetic has become the exclusive media server for each existing or new digital art centre by Culturespaces
Russia - A recent upgrade of AV systems in the central conference hall at the Moscow head offices of the Mosenergosbyt AO energy company – the largest wholesale energy company in the Russian Federation – saw the installation of an Amate Audio Xcellence X208 line array, providing the complete audio reinforcement for the 180 seat auditorium. Charged with bringing the company’s principal conference facility into the 21st century, system integrator Atanor group – an Amate Audio authorised distributor in the Russian Federation – opted to ensure even distribution of high intelligibility audio signals throughout the auditorium by means of a line array. The X208 was chosen as providing a highly efficient, effective and compact solution by virtue of its novel coupling of X208A active and X208P passive array elements, where power and DSP loudspeaker system management i
USA - When the live music industry screeched to a halt March due to COVID-19, Sidewalk Prophets, a Christian music band knew they still wanted to reach out to people with a message of love and positivity. Their tour was revamped for a virtual audience, and rather than stream one show, the band has twelve performances scheduled for free access, if you live within the region of the show, with different set lists played live. “With COVID-19 having such a massive effect on the industry, it was unclear how long it would be before we would play live shows again,” said production manager Robert Mays. “After one phone call with Mike Golden, I knew I had the full support of Bandit and that this show would no doubt be a success.” “The vision of this project is to find a unique way to connect with our audience through the medium of live stream concerts,” said rhythm
USA - Anticipation was high for Kayzo’s Unleashed Tour when it was announced in January. Scheduled to begin 27 March in Denver with stops across the USA, before wrapping up 9 May in Seattle, the tour represented the next step in the former Insomniac Discovery Project winner’s impressive musical ascent. Then, the COVID-19 outbreak brought plans for the tour to a halt, just as it was about to begin. But Kayzo refused to allow a pandemic to box him in. Determined to reach fans despite the lockdown, he teamed up with 4Wall Entertainment to livestream the Unleashed Tour. Reflecting the intensity of the star’s two-hour performance, which was hosted by Insomniac, was a 16-universe Dallas Gasper-designed lightshow that featured Chauvet Professional Maverick MK3 Wash fixtures and Cloud 9 low lying foggers. “Our team was gearing up to start this tour when the entir
Brazil - When rental company Maxi Audio had to close the doors on the planned in-store Maxi Academy training programme, it was determined not to let its customers down and swiftly set up an alternative, online programme. Broadcast and Front of House engineer, Renato Carneiro, Audio Systems' DiGiCo support, a regular supporter of the Maxi Academy and long-time DiGiCo user, delivered the first session, based on the mix he had done for popular Brazilian duo Bruno & Marrone’s first live YouTube performance. “Maxi's training programme is 100% free and open to the market,” says Carneiro. “The idea of my original, face-to-face session was to have a quick description of an SD12 and rebuild the actual session used in Bruno & Marrone live shows - remember those shows we used to do on a proper stage, with an audience? - using the multitrack show recordings. We ha
