The Netherlands - UK-based NST Audio will launch its new VMO16 16-in 16-out audio installation processor at ISE. Designed using NST second-generation DSP designs, the VMO16 brings no-compromise audio performance and system control to Dante networked audio installations, says the company. “Our D-Net control software for PC, Mac and iPad gives complete control over ethernet and wi-fi,” comments NST managing director Dan Cartman. “The VMO16 is also fully compatible with our VR1 PoE (Power over Ethernet) remote control panel for simple, flexible user control, while control via third party systems such as Crestron is available via our simple ethernet control protocol.” The VMO16 provides a total of 16 discrete inputs, and a full 16 x 16 matrix which allows any Dante network inputs to be routed to any of the 16 analogue outputs. All outputs are equipped with 16 bands
The Netherlands - Genelec will be showcasing two Smart IP loudspeaker models at the forthcoming ISE tradeshow in Amsterdam. The 4420 and 4430 loudspeakers combine “exceptional sound quality with single cable convenience, and their onboard Smart IP technology provides scalable power, audio and loudspeaker configuration, supervision and calibration features via a standard CAT cable”. Smart IP offers system designers, integrators and installers “an easy, powerful and cost-effective solution for guaranteeing enjoyable, high-quality audio across entire installations”. Having been unveiled before a select audience of specially invited Nordic integrators in Helsinki in December, the 4430 will be making its ISE debut alongside its new and even more compact 4420 sibling – with yet more Smart IP models expected to be added to the family in the future. Producing the c
Colombia - Allen & Heath’s dLive and Qu series took centre stage at the 14th edition of the Cartagena International Music Festival, set in Cartagena de Indias, with an extensive week-long programme, which saw the mixing systems deployed for FOH, monitor and broadcast duties. Year after year, nearly 25,000 spectators flock to the festival, which brings together the world’s greatest classical musicians. Held at various venues throughout the city, the festival also hosts a variety of exhibitions, musical masterclasses and educational programmes for young, aspiring artists. As per previous years, the festival turned to Colombian rental company 903pro to provide audio support across several locations and found dLive and Qu to be the perfect solution to cope with the variety and volume of events and broadcasts taking place over the week. "I've been mixing class
USA - Michael Abbott, audio coordinator for the Grammy Awards, specified 12 Austrian Audio OC818 microphones to be used as overhead microphones on the artist drum kits during the 62nd annual Grammy Awards, which was broadcast live from Staples Centre in Los Angeles on 26 January. “The broadcast music mix engineers came back to me after the broadcast, commenting on how the microphones provided additional tonal response and spatial coherence to the overall drum kit mix,” comments Abbott. Hosted by Alicia Keys, the 62nd Awards featured live performances – including Old Town Road All-Stars, which featured nominees Billy Ray Cyrus and Lil Nas X, who were joined by BTS, Diplo, Mason Ramsey, and Nas. Other artists performing on the night included first-time nominees and break-out stars Billie Eilish and Lizzo, as well as Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani. “We
Denmark - At the beginning of 2019, full-service Danish rental company Nordic Rentals experienced a growing demand from the concert touring and broadcast markets. As a result, the company opted to increase its mixing console inventory. Already a long-standing DiGiCo user having invested in the original D5 Live, D1 and, more recently, SD8s and SD9s, Nordic Rentals took the decision to add more of the manufacturer’s products to its stock. “Our work in both touring and television has increased dramatically, but we were also seeing a growing demand from international artists doing fly-in shows on festivals in Denmark and Norway,” explains Martin Nørbæk, Nordic Rentals’ senior sales & project manager. “As we operate on an international level, and part of our strategic plan is to be the leader in our business in Denmark and Norway in regards to service, support an
Singapore - Generation AV, which represents Martin Audio in the APAC countries, has recruited Tony Sawyer as senior APAC applications manager. A significant addition to the team, Sawyer spent 11 years at Bosch Communications/Electro-Voice/Dynacord, and was most recently at Vue Audiotechnik in Manila. Generation AV founder David McKinney, who has known Sawyer for 20 years, sees the appointment as a major boost to the company’s growth. “We started talks a few months ago and decided now was the right time to get him onboard,” explains McKinney. Based in the Philippines, Sawyer’s role is to work closely with all distributors in Asia Pacific, providing project design support, training on new and existing products, supporting major touring events and carrying out product/system training across the region. He will focus on bringing Martin Audio factory training events
The Netherlands - Italian amplifier manufacturer Powersoft will celebrate its 25th year in business at the upcoming ISE 2020. Over the course of its history, Powersoft has been credited with a number of technological innovations and industry firsts. Just a year into its life, in 1996, the company had already mastered designing and developing the then first commercially-viable Class D amplifier, which was able to deliver consistently reliable, high-power levels. This technological breakthrough on switch mode amplification also helped the company earn a coveted reputation on green power and efficiency, making it Powersoft’s trademark to this day. In the intervening years, the company continued to push the envelope, always conscious of making consistent, efficient, and intuitive products. This resulted in a number of new products and technologies that have since become
USA - Wayne State College is a mid-sized public school in rural Wayne, Nebraska. The college’s theatre arts degree programme provides its students with three performance venues housed in the Lied Performing Arts Centre. At 675 seats, the Ramsey Theatre is the largest of the three, but until recently, the quality of its sound reinforcement system was not commensurate with the quality of the programme. Local AV integration company Adams Production Services recently designed and installed a Danley Sound Labs system that delivers “vastly superior intelligibility and impact at a fraction of the former system’s size”. “Last year, I updated the PA system in Wayne State College’s gymnasium with six Danley OS80 loudspeakers, and they loved the improvement,” explains Brian Adams, owner of Adams Production Services. “They showed me the system in the Ramsey Theatr
UK - Music producer George Moorey likes to weave a little historical magic into his recordings, by taking his mobile setup - which now includes an Audient iD14 audio interface - into some of the ancient buildings of his adopted home. Capturing the spirit of the city in the form of samples, he showcases them in a surprising variety of genres including choral, classical, folk, hip-hop, electronica, grime and rock. His most recent project is a prolific songwriting collaboration with fellow musician and lyricist, Shane Young, called The Powdered Earth. The first single Hold Your Breath is released on 31 January and incorporates piano samples he’s been recording all around the city. Moorey says: “Piano is crucial to the sound of The Powdered Earth. The parts are simple and repetitive, so I record them as MIDI using
UK - Established over 60 years ago, Belfast-based Niavac has grown steadily to become one of Northern Ireland’s most successful systems integrators, covering the corporate, healthcare, hospitality and education sectors. The acquisition of audio company Loft Sound in 2016 expanded Niavac’s portfolio into the live event industry, a business which is proving every bit as successful. The company has invested in a Yamaha Rivage PM7 digital mixing system to continue its commitment to high quality service and it has already been out on tour. “We used Yamaha digital mixers from the beginning,” says Loft Sound’s Steve Corr, who became Niavac events manager at the time of the acquisition. “Our first mixer was an LS9 and our inventory went on to include M7CL, PM5D, all three CL series mixers and smaller analogue boards for conference work.” He continues: “We
USA - The ninth annual iHeart Radio Music Festival landed in the Nevada desert with stars including Alicia Keys, Miley Cyrus and Green Day. The event, held at the T-Mobile arena, was broadcast live on FOX, complete with energetic sets and an array of musical talent. Green Hippo was at the iHeart of all things visual, with Boreal+ Media Servers powering pre-made content. Jason Rudolph was at the helm as screens producer, using the in-built Hippotizer toolkit to manipulate content to fit each artist’s performance, in front of two ‘SuperWall’ LED screens, one on each side of the stage. “We used four Boreal+ servers, as two redundant systems - an A and a B system for the A and B screens,” explains Rudolph. “Each main server was doing four outputs to drive all the content for the show. Everything feeds into two linked E2 frames to get onto the screen and allow
Thailand - Since their debut album in 2001, Potato have steadily grown to become one of the most admired Thai rock bands, attracting a strong following among teenagers in South East Asia. Their latest two Potato Magic Hours concerts were a testament to their popularity, with thousands of fans coming together to enjoy the band’s performances at the Impact Arena, Muang Thong Thani, with an L-Acoustics K1/K2 system helping to bring the magic to life and ‘kick out the jams’ at the second largest exhibition and convention venue in Asia. For Potato Magic Hours, Thai AV rental partner MediaVision (1994) Co was chosen to deploy the PA system. The venue presented the team with challenges from the outset. “Even though the venue is very popular with concerts and live shows, the acoustics were our major concern,” says MediaVision chief system engine
Italy - Audio engineer Paolo Calza has joined Outline in the role of pro applications engineer and Outline array trainer. Calza graduated from Rome’s Saint Louis College of Music as a sound engineer and MIDI programmer and later from the University of Ferrara as a technician specialised in acoustics. He has collaborated with numerous companies in the pro-audio sector as a technical consultant. Over the last 10 years, he has also concentrated on the acoustic design of loudspeaker systems. Calza has considerable experience in the live music field, working regularly on large events and national and international festivals. He states: “I consider every new venture as a steep path to be ‘climbed’ to achieve new goals. I hope to be able to offer my support and experience to Outline, its distributors and its clients worldwide, and manage to communicate them with
South Korea - In common with many older houses of worship, modern expectations have meant that the audio quality of sermons in the 1936-built Changsin Church in the Gangnam district of Seoul, South Korea was no longer good enough. A replacement sound reinforcement system was needed and, after a direct comparison with systems from other major manufacturers, an Alcons Audio LR14 pro-ribbon system was chosen by the church. The church formed a committee which appointed Jang Young-wook, a church sound engineer and executive director of the Korean Church Acoustics Association, as the project consultant. He contacted the representatives of eight leading audio system manufacturers and asked them to participate in a briefing to be held at the church. The companies included audio contractor Sky Sound, based in the city of Daegu, which had previously worked with Alcons Audio’s
South Africa - DWR will host Hippotizer training and workshop on 17 and 18 March in Johannesburg. Hosted by Dylan Jones, the course will cover a range of topics including Hippolauncher, Output Manager, Media Manager, Visualizer, Pinbridge, Multi-Controller, DMX control, Timeline, Videomapper, Pixelmapper and Shape. Attendees are requested to bring a Green Hippo Server or Play Software on PC, Server Accessories and a valid ID. The course will be held at DWR, C1, Kimbult Industrial Park, 9 Zeiss Road, Laserpark, Honeydew. The cost is R1,800 and includes a light lunch and refreshments. To book, please visit this website.
USA - This week at Los Angeles’ Ahmanson Theatre, Sting takes centre stage to bring his musical, The Last Ship, to the West Coast deploying a d&b Soundscape immersive sound system. The show tells the story of two childhood sweethearts set to the backdrop of the collapse of the shipbuilding industry and features an original Tony-nominated score with music and lyrics by Sting, who will also perform for the month-long duration of the show’s LA residency. Providing the sound experience to create the various scenes and acoustic moods for the performance is a system designed by Sebastian Frost and supplied by Stage Sound Services. It continues to utilise d&b En-Scene object-based mixing and En-Space room emulation software running on the DS100 system processor and a comprehensive d&b A-Series loudspeaker system. Frost has been associated with the produ
UK - The International Convention Centre Wales (ICC Wales) is a joint venture partnership between the Welsh Government and Celtic Manor Resort. The centre provides 26,000sq.m of floor space for up to 5,000 delegates, which includes an auditorium with tiered seating for 1,500, a 4,000sq.m pillar-free space that can be divided into six sections creating up to 25 different configurations, and an additional 15 flexible meeting rooms. Architecturally, it is a refreshing departure from standard conference centre fare, with a triple height atrium at its entrance and a light and airy feel throughout. It has been designed to engender a feeling of well-being, and many of its spaces have impressive views out across the adjoining woodland. This open, progressive approach has also been applied to the centre’s AV design integration, and installation processes, which gave technica
UK - AV solutions distributor Tukans has been acquired by CUK Audio, a specialist solutions distributor serving the AV, installation, live and MI markets. Tukans will continue to operate as an independent company from its base in York, whilst logistics, accounting and IT for the group will be consolidated at CUK Audio’s East Kilbride headquarters. The operational change will enable the best use of resources throughout the group and enable both teams to better support their client base. Stuart Thomson, managing director, CUK Audio, comments: “A few years ago, as CUK Audio started its transition into supplying video products, I realised that Tukans would be a great fit with us, and I’m are delighted that Yvonne [Womersley] and Andrew [Popely] shared my vision and could see how this acquisition would benefit both companies. “The acquisition substantially enh
UK - A K-array loudspeaker solution has been deployed at London’s Royal Society as part of a major upgrade of its AV systems. Supplied by UK distributor 2B Heard and installed by Whitwam AV Integration, the loudspeaker system provides uniform audio coverage of the Society’s multi-purpose lecture theatre while blending discreetly into the venue’s environment. The Royal Society is the world's oldest independent scientific academy, dedicated to promoting excellence in science. Founded in 1660, it was granted a royal charter by King Charles II and today fulfils a number of key roles: promoting science and its benefits, providing scientific advice for policy, and fostering international and global co-operation. Many of the Society’s events take place in the main lecture theatre, a 180sq.m multi-use space which they felt was in need of modernisation. The existing so
Austria - For more than 20 years, Allen & Heath has provided audio support to Viennese rockers, Wiener Wahnsinn, who perform around 120 gigs each year from local shows to some of the biggest open-air festivals across Europe. Freshly equipped with a dLive C3500 and an SQ-6 for FOH and monitor duties, Wiener Wahnsinn have recently wrapped up their latest Doppelt oder Nix (Double or Nothing) tour, where the new systems were deployed for the first time. Having previously toured with an iLive T112, technical director and FOH engineer, Tom Deimbacher adds, “The band decided to stay in the A&H family as the mixers are just the easiest things to use. The dLive user interface is so well designed, and I love being able to route whatever I want to wherever I want. Plus, they sound amazing.” Supplied by Allen & Heath’s Austrian distributor, ATEC Pro, the ba
South Africa - Rental company MGG, one of the earliest Clear-Com FreeSpeak users in South Africa, has invested in an additional six FreeSpeak II Digital Wireless Beltpacks from DWR Distribution to cater for the technical communication at last year’s Afrikaans is Groot, a large-scale music production hosted at Time Square’s Sun Arena in Pretoria. MGG also upgraded its Clear-Com licence and is now able to run 25 comms on a single base station. Mark Gaylard, owner of MGG, recalls buying his first comms system some 15 years ago. “We bought six Prosound Commpac beltpacks and they are still working and doing gigs,” he states. Gaylard started investing in Clear-Com six years ago. “The gear is reliable, robust and a game changer. The greatest advantage is the wireless system which enables everyone to move around freely and talk to each other as often as needed, no c
USA - Sound Decision Productions (SDP) Event has recently added a Coda Audio AiRAY system to its inventory. The Muskego-based company has taken delivery of 20 AiRAY boxes and 12 SCP subs, reports Coda Audio USA. SDP Event has been in business for more than 25 years, servicing regional clients in Milwaukee, Illinois and Michigan, as well as undertaking national tours in support of a wide variety of artists. Mark Hartzell, CEO and head of systems engineering, first experienced Coda when he trialled a HOPS8 system on a handful shows in October. He then witnessed AiRAY for the first time at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago on the Fantasia tour in November. Hartzell then took the opportunity to trial six AiRAY enclosures and four SCV subs, as he describes: “We were hopeful that what we were going to hear lived up to the science that appeared so impressive on paper. It made
USA - Harman Professional Solutions will present two masterclasses at The REACH campus at the John F. Kennedy Centre for Performing Arts in Washington DC on 12 February. The programme is sponsored by JBL Professional and Soundcraft in cooperation with the Kennedy Centre. FOH engineer Brad ‘fixintogetmixin’ Divens will speak at both events. In addition to currently working as FOH engineer for Enrique Iglesias, he has also engineered for Linkin Park, Garbage, Cyndi Lauper, HIM, Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band, Mötley Crüe, Jane's Addiction and more. During his Building the Mix masterclass, Divens will discuss and demonstrate his approach to putting together a live mix, including technical topics such as the basics of input gain, EQ, compression, plugins and routing, as well as creative concepts regarding the audience and the artist. He will deconstruc
Czech Republic - Klub Letka, a multi-purpose venue in Prague, recently installed a Martin Audio BlacklineX powered system as it sets out to host a programme of live theatre and music, movie nights and more. According to Jirka (Jiri) Hes, programme manager at the venue, the site was formerly a dedicated puppet theatre and later turned into a acting school theatre. “But we wanted to deliver a broader scope of performance and arts, including folk, alternative and jazz, to a wider public, so refurbishing the place and installing a professional sound system was essential.” The BlacklineX Powered system, comprising four Blackline XP12 loudspeakers and a single Blackline XP118 subwoofer, fitted their budget and immediately exceeded their expectations. They had been introduced to the platform by Larson Haakenstad, who has been assisting Martin Audio as a consultan
