Ireland - Stage Electrics has won a £2m contract for the Grangegorman campus East Quad at TU Dublin, Ireland’s first Technological University. The new campus, part of a wider development at TU Dublin, will provide learning and teaching facilities as well as dedicated space for research technology. The East Quad buildings include the schools of art, design and printing, conservatory of music and drama, and media. Stage Electrics is supplying full lighting, sound communication and audio-visual systems to a 400-seat rehearsal hall, a recital hall, a performance hall, a black box theatre, TV studios, and post-production studios throughout the building. Work will commence on site shortly and is expected to be completed by late spring 2020. (Jim Evans)
USA - disguise has announced a partnership with Evolve Media Group as the latest rental and sales partner in the US. Evolve is a technology-focused company that provides its suite of services exclusively to the live event industry. The US-based company offers three key services comprised of rental, sales and education through their Academy. “We are thrilled to welcome Evolve to the disguise global partner network as our newest rental and sales partner in the US. We are looking forward to working with them as they offer training in their Orlando and Las Vegas locations and help their existing customers to better understand how the disguise workflow can streamline their content management needs,” says Grif Palmer, VP sales and general manager for disguise Americas. Evolve CEO Tyler Mayne adds: “disguise media servers are not just requested but required by ma
Finland - Genelec has announced the availability of the new 4430 two-way active installation loudspeaker, the first model to incorporate the company’s Smart IP technology, combining sound quality with single cable convenience. Smart IP provides scalable power, audio and loudspeaker configuration, supervision and calibration features via a standard Cat cable, offering integrators power, flexibility, cost-effectiveness and simplicity of installation. The 4430 is a compact design that accepts both Dante and AES67 IP audio streams, and derives power via both PoE and PoE+ Power-over-Ethernet formats, with the 4430’s proprietary internal power supply helping to deliver an impressive 104 dB of short term SPL, via two integral 50W Class D amplification stages feeding the woofer and tweeter. As well as receiving both power and audio-over-IP, the 4430’s single rear panel
USA - The 53rd Annual Country Music Association (CMA) Awards, broadcast live from Bridgestone Arena, saw the biggest names in country music come together once again for an evening of live music and industry recognition. Millions of viewers tuned in to see performances from both breakthrough artists and established acts. Throughout the evening, Sennheiser delivered the audio through its new Digital 6000 wireless system. Early in the evening, Female Vocalist of the Year nominee Kelsea Ballerini took the stage to deliver a stripped-down version of Homecoming Queen, the leading single off her latest album. Every detail of her intimate vocal performance was captured through a Sennheiser SKM 6000 handheld transmitter, coupled with an MD 9235 capsule. Ballerini’s microphone, adorned with dozens of black Swarovski crystals, faithfully rendered the raw emotion of her
UK - The aptly-named GreenHouse at Manchester’s MediaCityUK was the chosen setting for a Green-GO training workshop presented by audio, video and broadcast solutions specialist Canford. As the UK and Ireland’s distributor for the scalable, digital comms system since 2016, Canford has seen demand rise sharply in festivals, live events and broadcast applications. “The Canford team regularly delivers bespoke, on-site product demonstrations, both for new clients taking their first look at Green-GO, and for those who are already regular users but want to further explore the system’s more advanced possibilities,” explains Erika Dobie, BDM and Green-GO commercial manager at Canford. “Now, with Green-GO experiencing record-breaking demand, the time was right to host the very first UK Workshop event.” Held on 5 November, the packed workshop session attracted renta
Hungary - Supernova Techno presents The Boris Brejcha Showcase is how the event at Budapest’s 12,000-capacity László Papp Sports Arena (aka Budapest Arena) on 5 October billed itself. The DJ was supported by Deniz Bul, Ann Clue & Theydream. Once again, the German DJ / producer, who performs in a Joker’s mask, delivered a powerful three-hour set through Martin Audio’s MLA PA, provided by Hungarian partner, BG Event. The set-up featured a main PA comprising 15 MLA elements (and one MLD down-fill enclosure) on each flank of the stage, with a first delay line comprising eight MLA per side and the second delay position with eight MLA Compact per side. Some 24 MLX enclosures were placed in a sub array, eight stacks of three, with the bottom box in each flipped to cardioid. In addition, 2x6 W8LS rigged subs were set up in end fire configuration behind one side of
UK - Temporary power specialist Midas will take the UK’s first rental LPG genset into Kew Gardens this month as part of its low emission package that will drive Christmas at Kew from 20 November to 5 January. A premier dealer with Himoinsa, multi-award-winning manufacturer at the vanguard of developing gas generator sets, Midas is the only power supplier in the country with these engines in its fleet. Fully EU Stage V emission standard compliant, they feature a three-way catalyst which slashes CO, CO2 and NOx emissions. Appointed to Christmas at Kew on a multi-year deal, Midas will also provide Stage 3A machines, and HVO fuel, to the contract - all of which it will monitor remotely via DSE Gateway and Livelink to ensure optimum performance. Dáire Basra, head of event operations at Kew Gardens, comments: “Midas’ innovative approach to power g
USA - To create a natural and immersive sound environment for The Rose Tattoo in Broadway’s American Airlines theatre, associate sound designer Bradlee Ward specified a TiMax SoundHub 2 audio spatialisation engine to create localisation of the actors’ voices as they moved around the multimedia-adorned set of Tennessee Williams musical drama. TiMax was also used to spatialise the evocative music and redolent sound effects created by sound designer Fitz Patton. Ward says: “I knew I needed some kind of movement tracking for the actors. I’ve always wanted to use TiMax on one of my shows and based on prior work with Robin (Whittaker, director of TiMax developers Out Board) I felt this was the perfect solution.” The audio creative team included Sun Hee Kil, also associate sound designer, working with sound designer and composer Fitz Patton. This same sound t
UK - Yorkshire-based speaker specialist BishopSound has launched its first line array speaker system and opened a demo facility in the Midlands. The company’s Delta Dual 8" passive line array (BLA208) comprises four Dual 8" boxes and comes complete in a purpose-built plywood made to measure flight case. Each of the four boxes contains two 8" BishopSound Neo Drivers with 2.5" voice coils and two 1.34 HF units with titanium diaphragms; Kevlar speaker cones are used throughout. Each box delivers 600W RMS and operates at 65~20kHZ. Designed to perform at maximum efficiency and minimum weight each plywood box only weighs 18kg. BishopSound's Andrew Bishop says: “The live music scene is getting increasingly competitive and the needs of our industry have changed. Promoters are driving rental companies into the ground by offering less money for the sound at even
France - The French Open tennis tournament is held in Paris at Roland Garros Stadium, a complex of three main courts with a total capacity of over 30,000 spectators. The largest of the courts, Court Philippe-Chatrier, was rebuilt between the 2018 and 2019 tournaments and now accommodates over 15,000 spectators. For the 2019 tournament, two Danley J3-94 Jericho Horn supported by four Danley THmini15 subwoofers covered Court Philippe-Chatrier’s seating cleanly and with unprecedented intelligibility. “The sound reinforcement system at Roland Garros is used mainly for speech reinforcement for the referee, players and organizers, as well as for advertising and the national anthem,” explained Etienne Bérard, director of Demoa, a French AV distribution company. The AV consultant on the project, Creaprag, asked Demoa to find an efficient, high-intelligibility sound re
South Africa - Olive Tree Church in Florida Road, Berea, established in 2008, has a vision not to build a big church, but to pastor a big city and they have various branches scattered throughout Durban. The church recently invested in a DiGiCo SD9 with D2 rack and an Orange Box, purchased from DWR Distribution. Stephen Bagwell, technical director at Olive Tree has been with the church since 2014. Kyle Robson of DWR recalls “When I started working at DWR Distribution in 2016, we did our first DiGiCo training sessions around the country and Stephen was there. He was so determined that he would one day have a DiGiCo console, and now his dream has become a reality.” The new gear, consisting of an SD9, D2 rack and Orange Box, was initially sent down to Durban, where DWR’s Nicholas Barnes got the system up and running. It was followed up with training by Kyle.
UK - Warner Leisure Hotels owns a chain of 14 rural and costal hotels around the UK. It boasts luxury breaks in Grade I & II listed manors with bespoke packages that include famous faces from the stage, screen and radio in West End-quality performances at Warner’s venues. With increasingly bigger productions, Warner’s focus is on providing an outstanding guest experience. To this end, it recently undertook a major upgrade to the sound system in the ballroom at its Cricket St. Thomas Manor Hotel in Somerset – reputed haunt of Lord Nelson and Lady Hamilton and the setting for much of 1980s TV comedy To The Manor Born - selecting an L-Acoustics Kiva II system to improve audio coverage and fulfil rider expectations for the venue’s busy entertainment programme. “Billy Ocean, Aswad, 10CC and Jane McDonald have previously performed here, and we have an e
Canada - Coda Audio has announced the appointment of SC Media Canada as its exclusive distributor in the territory. An influential presence in the Canadian market for 35 years, SC Media represents industry-leading manufacturers and has built its success on a combination of close customer relationships and the expertise of its strong technical support team. Paul Ward, director of global business development for Coda Audio International, comments: "We're delighted to be partnering with SC Media in what is a large and very important market. The rapidly increasing global demand for our products reflects the growing awareness of the very real advantages they bring to the live and installed sectors. Our distribution partners play a vital part in communicating this message and SC Media’s strong core values and obvious passion for audio gives us great confidence in their ability
The Netherlands - AV solutions manufacturer Peerless-AV has announced the opening of a new warehouse in Weert. This is the latest step in the company’s European expansion and Brexit strategy. Located on the Netherlands and Belgium border, Weert is strategically positioned with sea and land transport links. “The opening of our new warehouse in Weert means we can continue to exceed customer service levels with reduced delivery times and increased flexibility to fulfil the continued growth and demand we are seeing for our products in Europe,” comments Keith Dutch, managing director for EMEA at Peerless-AV. “There will be no change to the operation of our UK warehouse. We’re pleased to say that both the warehouse in UK and Jebel Ali Freezone in Dubai have been stocked heavily this year owing to ongoing growth across EMEA generally.” (Jim Evans)
UK - Void Acoustics has added two additions to its touring audio catalogue in ArcM 12 and ArcM 15, part of the Arcline series. ArcM 12 is a lightweight, versatile monitor, with multiple working angles, allowing use as either a near field booth monitor or conventional stage wedge. The aesthetically-pleasing low profile design creates cleaner stage lines and a more visually appealing view for the audience. In addition, pole mounting or wall mounting is possible for front-of-house purposes. Acoustically, FEA analysis has significantly reduced port noise and air distortion, says Void. The 12” ArcM 12 is unpowered, allowing it to integrate with touring operators’ existing infrastructure. With a frequency response of 60Hz - 18kHz ± 3dB, the maximum continuous output is 130dB, reaching 133dB peak output. In terms of mobility, measures have been taken to reduce wei
UK - When John Legend and his 11-piece band performed at this year’s BluesFest for his only UK show of 2019, it was through a Martin Audio MLA loudspeaker array provided by Capital Sound at the O2 Arena. Introduced to the event by production manager Neil McDonald in 2017, Capital’s crew won plaudits both from Legend’s own production manager, Chris Stinebrink, and FOH engineer, Paul Klimson (Theory One Productions). “The MLA system caught my attention from the instant [system tech] Ben Turnbull started the tuning,” he explains. “Both he and [FOH tech] Dave Preston made me feel right at home, and even before Ben dug into the tuning, I noticed that the MLA rig was forward sounding. It didn’t sound like we were in the O2 but at an outdoor festival and I could only surmise that all the energy was coming out of the front of the array with very little spill off
Germany - At the eighth Electro Magnetic open air festival , almost 60 DJs and live-acts performed on different floors in the UNESCO World Heritage Völklinger Ironworks, a large industrial compound, developed at the end of the 19th century. In 2019 and for the first time the Electro Magnetic Festival celebrated two nights at Völklinger Ironworks. RCF audio-systems were used on all floors. German event company Triacs was responsible for the technical implementation of the main floor and implemented a RCF HDL 50-A system. Triacs used several RCF modules on the main floor. Two 10 HDL 50-A line array modules (hanging) together with 16 SUB 9007 (Sub Arc Cardioid) were in place as the main PA. Additionally eight HDL 30-A were used as near-fill. Four TT 1-A covered the VIP zone. TT 052-A modules in combination with In-Ear acted as the monitoring for the control rooms (light
USA - Chris Hoff, FOH engineer for rock band Styx, relies on JBL 7 Series Master Reference Monitors to help him dial in studio-quality sound during live performances. Styx released The Mission, their 16th studio album and first original release in over 10 years in 2017. When the band began touring to support the new record, they enlisted the help Chris Hoff. In order to deliver consistent sound in a wide range of venues, including some with less-than-desirable mix positions, Hoff relies on JBL 7 Series Monitors to make sure his live mixes stack up to Styx’s studio recordings. “We multi-track every show and I needed a way to compare the live mix I’m doing to the albums,” says Hoff. “The only way to really replicate what's going to be coming out of a PA is to have reference monitors in front of you. It makes it easier for me to bounce back and forth betw
Europe - Alan Parsons is probably one of the most demanding artists. In the late '60s / early' 70s, he worked as a sound engineer on milestones in music history, including the Beatles albums Abbey Road and Let it be, as well as on Pink Floyd's Atom Heart Mother and Dark Side of the Moon. As a musician he experienced in the 80's the highlight of his career with his Alan Parsons Project. At that time, however, he barely performed live, as the technology at that time was unable to reproduce the sound of his songs as he had produced them in the studio. Meanwhile, professional audio technology has caught up, and so dared Alan Parsons to tour again with his recent album The Secret. PM Blue from Hamburg was responsible for the eight-day tour of the musician through Germany. The lighting concept was realised in cooperation with AVM from Schwanewede
Indonesia - Guns N’ Roses, continue on their Not in This Lifetime tour – the third highest grossing tour of all time. The 48,000 fans at their GBK Stadium show in Jakarta were treated to a set of new and classic songs from the band’s extensive library. The crowd was also treated to the clarity of the Clair Brothers i218 speaker system, which was the first choice for sound reinforcement and also happens to be the largest format system available in Indonesia. Clair Brothers’ audio consultant in the region, Wayne Grosser reports: “The i218 system has been the first choice for touring artists in the GBK Stadium - it’s been a great success for many of the local promotors and production companies. I would particularly like to thank Indonesian production company and Clair Brothers rental partner, Total Audio, and its sound director, Sadat Effendy, along wi
Columbia - RCF has appointed the newly-created RCF LATAM as its distributor for Central America, Colombia and the Caribbean. The company has strong roots in the professional audio industry, boasting more than 20 years’ experience. Although RCF LATAM’s main office is located in Miami, collaboration with new commercial partners in Colombia will now ensure full availability of inventory. RCF LATAM director, Jose M. Gonzalez, comments: “Our company is fully committed to the distribution and positioning of RCF as a leading brand within the designated markets. The owners of RCF LATAM have successfully distributed the RCF brand for several years, and their aim is to develop the brand in the weakest markets and support its presence generally in Latin America.” RCF export sales manager, Luca Agazzi adds: “We wanted a new company focused 100% on RCF, that
UK - Adlib supplied a full production package incorporating lighting, video, sound and rigging for the recent UK leg of comedian Russell Howard’s Respite stand-up tour, performed in-the-round. The Liverpool UK-based production and rental specialist had previously presented Howard performing in the same format in 2017. Neil McDonald from Clockwork Productions oversaw production and brought Adlib on board, having worked together on many previous projects. Kumar Kamalagharan was again Howard’s tour manager working closely with on-the-road production manager Andy Grey from Clockwork Productions. The lighting was designed by Adlib’s Tom Webber, while the kit and logistics were coordinated by Dave Eldridge. The technical infrastructure included a circular stage that was located centrally in the venue with four trusses just off the stage to fly the LED scr
UK - Will Young’s new show An Evening with Will Young visited 21 cities around the UK throughout October, with a complete audio infrastructure provided by London-based Capital Sound Hire. Young released his seventh studio album Lexicon in June of this year, the latest milestone in a career which started with his win in the inaugural series of Pop Idol in 2002. Since then he has won two Brit Awards and achieved global sales in excess of eight million albums, several of which have achieved multi-platinum status in the process. Young is also an author and actor, having appeared in film, in television and on stage. Shortly after the final date Martin Connolly, senior project manager at Capital remarks: “The Will Young tour has just completed and the Superfly system we supplied was faultless throughout. Will Young proved he is a consummate performer
China - Solid German engineering and innovative IP technology are behind the Suzhou Municipal Government’s selection of a Lawo mc²36 mixing desk and three Compact I/O stageboxes for the Suzhou Folk Orchestra’s new concert hall. The Lawo systems were installed by Chinese partner SWS, who acted as the main contractor for the new facility in Suzhou, close to Shanghai, handling the system integration and infrastructure design. The choice of the Lawo systems alongside d&b audiotechnik loudspeakers and amplifiers gives the installation a strong German sound, as well as an assurance of quality. It is also the first installation of a Lawo mc²36 audio mixing console in a concert hall in China. The 40-fader, 192-crosspoint and 192-DSP-channel console with three Lawo Compact I/O stageboxes is accompanied by Waves SoundGrid integration. Lawo has established a very