USA - Former PLASA director Chris Toulmin has joined Entech Roadshow in an advisory role ahead of the first Entech USA Roadshow in April. Toulmin has over 35 years of experience in the entertainment industry. As a director of events at PLASA he was responsible for delivering the PLASA Show following the event’s relocation to London Olympia and also oversaw the the Association’s regional Focus shows. Toulmin comments: “I am delighted to be working with Entech Roadshow LLC as a consultant on the inaugural US Roadshow in 2019. This tried and tested formula in the Australia/New Zealand market is a great fit for the expansive geography of the significant North American market. It’s a refreshing new model that adds in a positive way to what has gone before and brings a new level of convenience, accessibility and networking for decision makers and industry knowledge
Thailand - Adamson Systems Engineering has established a new office in Chiang Mai to better serve its partner network and further enhance its brand profile. Ben Millson has been appointed as managing director, APAC. He will oversee sales and distribution operations across the region, working in close collaboration with Adamson’s current staff, partners, and distributors. Originally from the UK, Millson began his pro audio career over 15 years ago with Adam Hall. He has since taken key appointments with brands including AVSL Group, Studiomaster, Cadac, and most recently, d&b audiotechnik. Milson comments: “Adamson’s sales and overall presence have been steadily on the rise in the Asia-Pacific region thanks to a company-wide focus and the strengths of our distribution partners. We’re now in a position to greatly expand our profile in the territory with a ded
Japan - The Tokyo development of Roppongi Hills is a large complex that incorporates office space, apartments, shops, restaurants, cafés, cinemas, a museum, a hotel, a major TV studio, an outdoor amphitheatre and parks. Located within the development, Roppongi Hills Arena is an entertainment venue with a retractable roof that will host live entertainment as well as high-end events. In February this year, Roppongi Hills Arena underwent a major refurbishment to enable it to adapt to even more types of entertainment. With its new outdoor capability has come the imperative to decrease neighbourhood noise pollution, and thus an improved sound system and monitoring capability was required. After auditioning many loudspeaker brands, Martin Audio’s CDD series was selected. The venue requisitioned 12 cabinets which have been installed on the round shaped truss at the top of
UK - KV2 Audio Europe, the exclusive UK distributor of KV2 Audio products, has moved into a new 10,000sq.ft facility on Hornbeam Business Park in Harrogate. The new base houses larger amount of KV2 stock and is well serviced by road and rail from Leeds and York stations. A dedicated on-site demonstration facility has also opened – those who wish to request a demo should book an appointment with KV2 UK. The audio solutions manufacturer has reported growing demand for its products in a variety of markets, particularly in West End and UK touring theatre, with 20 more shows having specified KV2 products. These include Kinky Boots, Motown: The Musical UK tour and a re-imagining of Swan Lake. (Jim Evans)
UK - PSAV has appointed Nik Rudge as the company’s first managing director, international. Rudge will build upon the international business strategy to “best align teams in the UK, Europe and the Middle East to continue to improve on ways the company serves customers globally”. Rudge most recently served as CEO of GovNet Communications, a public-sector business that operates training, forum, conference and expo events. He has also led multi-country divisions for ITE Group and UBM, two market-leading tradeshow and exhibition companies. “Nik has vast international business experience in the events industry having led teams in fast-moving, complex and multicultural environments,” comments Ben Erwin, president of PSAV. “His general approach and business insight aligns very well with our purpose, mission and customer-centric culture at PSAV. We are eager to le
Spain - After appointing Spain’s VTècnics as a distributor, Clair Brothers has added another Spanish company as a rental partner, Grupo Friends. Francisco Yllana, general director of Grupo Friends, comments: “We met up with technicians from VTècnics and they told us about Clair Brothers and their reputation globally. Until recently, it was nearly impossible to find Clair Brothers in Spain, but it was at this moment, talking to VTècnics, that we began to feel we could achieve the kind of market differentiation we aim for, with an exclusive team of the highest quality.” The Spanish company purchased a C12 system and has already expanded its stage monitoring range with the Clair Brothers 1AM system. Grupo Friends also added the kiTCurve system for side-fills or, as the case may be, as a perfect mini PA for smaller spaces. To complete its Clair Brothers system, t
Croatia - HUST has installed over 1,000 Apart and Community loudspeakers as part of new audio and video systems at the Valamar Girandella Resort. The complex, located in Rabac on the Adriatic coast of northern Croatia, comprises the Girandella Family Hotel, the Girandella Maro Suites - Kinderhotel, the Girandella adult hotel, the Girandella Premium Villas, the Bellevue hotel and the Sundance Beach Club. In the system design, HUST chose Apart loudspeakers for background music zones, while Community loudspeakers were used for AV and conferencing and in the pool areas where all-weather capability was essential. To ensure maximum versatility, the complex has over 40 independent audio zones, which can be further divided into separate areas in several facilities. To provide this level of zoning, and control with ease of use, HUST installed a Biamp TesiraFORTÉ system with Tesira T
USA - My Bloody Valentine has a well-earned reputation as one of the loudest bands on the road. Faced with the problem of how to mix at the group’s excessive levels without doing long-term damage to his own hearing, FOH engineer Philip J. Harvey found a solution: Sensaphonics 3D AARO in-ears with Active Ambient technology. “The fans get free earplugs with their tickets, but I’m out there every night and definitely at risk,” notes the Amsterdam-based engineer. “I’ve tried everything, including regular IEMs and custom earplugs, but the 3D system is really the only thing that lets me do my job effectively. It’s basically replaced my headphones out at FOH.” My Bloody Valentine shows hit 110 dB and can sometimes exceed 120 dBA SPL towards the end of the show. “It’s sort of a trademark for the band, and definitely part of my job description,” says Harve
Switzerland - Powersoft amplification has been selected as a key component in the newly installed audio system at Roadhouse Luzern - a bustling venue at the heart of the city’s party scene. Roadhouse hosts jam sessions, live concerts, special events and parties. The venue originally sought a company to perform a general service on its existing audio setup, in addition to replacing a handful of defective or outdated components. After an exhaustive inventory - and with the future in mind - it became clear that a more comprehensive overhaul was the way to go. Swiss company Skuma AG - a sound reinforcement specialist with over 40 years of experience - was awarded the contract for its Dante-capable overall concept, with the Powersoft gear distributed by Go Wild AG. During the implementation period, the venue’s restaurant was to stay open seven days-a-week, with
USA - The new 200,000sq.ft Texas Live! entertainment complex features an array of dining, live music, and other entertainment options - and, next year, the first Live! by Loews boutique hotel. Backed by the Texas Rangers and City of Arlington, among others, the $250m complex recently celebrated its grand opening, an event heard loud and clear via Kara and Kiva II systems in two of its primary performance spaces networked via AVB and processed by the Lone Star State’s first installed P1 digital audio processor. The performance venues include a 5,000-capacity outdoor event pavilion, Arlington Backyard, and the Live! Arena, a 35,000sq.ft, two-level concert and festival space featuring a gourmet burger restaurant owned by Dallas Cowboys icon Troy Aikman. Both venues now sport L-Acoustics systems specified and designed by Las Vegas-based consultant Coherent Design, instal
South Korea - Merging Technologies has delivered one of the largest Ravenna/AES67 installations for its networked audio interfaces. It features 16 Horus units, 11 Hapi units and 35 8-channel Premium A/D cards and 37 Premium D/A cards. It is also the first major installation to feature Aneman Enterprise as the master control for the whole system and the list of show control and playout servers is no less impressive. There are eight Ovation systems for all zones matrix routing and processing and six Emotion systems for audio-on-demand playback which can all operate in DXD by virtue of the premium cards being fitted. Paradise City is such a huge complex and the audio network is across four buildings and features 35 zones with 69 subsidiary zones and these zones encompass four floors of a hotel, three floors of pools and spas, two conference rooms, public areas including a patio
Europe - Grammy Award-winning artist, Imogen Heap, has taken to the road for the first time in eight years on a 40-week long Mycelia world tour, accompanied by an Allen & Heath dLive system and frequently partnering with a d&b audiotechnik Soundscape, to provide an immersive 3D audio experience for concert goers. The full live set-up includes a dLive DM0 MixRack along with two DX168 expanders, purchased specifically for this tour (through Ampco-Flashlight-Sales), which are used in a multi-surface configuration to control both FOH and MON from a single MixRack. The configuration employed on the tour sees the DM0’s 128 input processing channels split to provide 64 input channels with discrete processing for both monitors and FOH. dLive Director software is utilised for monitoring system control with all musicians having access to individual iPads runni
Norway - In Tønsberg, 60 miles from Oslo, the magnificent Foynhagen has grown into one of Norway’s most important venues for concerts during the summer time. This year they presented a very impressive line-up of acts, from Röyksopp, Seigmen, Young Neils, Bo Kaspers Orkester, Cezinando, The Waterboys, Lars Winnerbäck, DumDum Boys and Åge Aleksandersen & Sambandet, among others, in a five-month run of concerts. In previous years the event has been faced with the challenge of excessive noise pollution outside the venue, with the implementation of various delay systems being used, in an attempt to achieve coverage while keeping leakage to a minimum. This year, the promoter was introduced to the force of MLA Compact. Inspired by the solution in Hyde Park at British Summer Time, where maximum off-site levels are restricted to 75 dB(A), Spekter AS, the Lillestrøm-
Latvia - In July, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the independent republic was celebrated with an event featuring a choir of 16,5000 voices. Purpose-built in 1955 the Mežaparks Great Bandstand where the event was staged is an open-air venue of unexpected dimensions. Not unlike a Roman amphitheatre, except that the curved stepped crucible is where the 16,000 plus performers are arrayed, facing onto an audience of up to 30,000. With so many voices and the presentational environment, promoter Girts Majors of Positivus Event turned to audio provider UBS to design an audio solution. “The implementation of a d&b audiotechnik system was a key component in making this event truly memorable,” says Edmunds Verners Zazerskis, MD of UBS. “UBS was founded in 1998 and we have been providing sound for different choir song festivals for many years; Nordic; Baltic
UK - London’s Tobacco Dock venue was the place to get the inside track as BBC Introducing staged its annual three-day discovery festival in November. Now in its second year, the BBC Introducing Live event again benefitted from a strong musical partnership with Yamaha. Attracting around 15,000 musicians and industry people to east London, BBC Introducing Live aims to discover unsigned and upcoming artists, as well as helping young people to gain knowledge about the music business. Presented by well-known artists, DJs, managers and A&R people, the wide-ranging programme included over 100 masterclasses and interactive sessions, practical workshops and Q&A sessions, as well as performance opportunities for all levels of talent from amateur rappers to Deadmau5. In addition to providing extensive technical support for the performance and seminar areas, Yamaha show
Portugal - NEXT-proaudio has introduced Audio Tool, a free software for speaker and amplifier systems configuration. This tool includes a database with all NEXT-proaudio passive speakers as well as the company’s digital and analogue amplifiers of the M Series, MA Series as well as Powersoft’s X Series. The databases include parameters that enables the software to calculate the optimum configuration. With Audio Tool the user can, automatically, get the best combination between speakers and amplifiers in order to get the best performance from both devices. Basically the user inputs which speaker model and how many units per amplifier channel and the software sets the recommended amplifier, according to the selected amplifier mode and technology (Stereo/Bridge and Analogue/Digital). Besides that, Audio Tool, is also capable of automatically
South Korea - For the past 13 years, Incheon, has hosted the Pentaport Rock Festival, held in the city’s Pentaport Park for three days each summer. Produced by Yescom Entertainment, it is one of the country’s biggest live music events and covers a wide variety of musical genres. This year, it featured the industrial rock of Nine Inch Nails, the moody electronica of Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda, the shifting nuances of My Bloody Valentine, and rocking performances from local favourites including Jaurim and Daybreak. For all of the diverse styles, the L-Acoustics K1 and K2 system, supplied by local rental company Seoul Sound, delivered consistency of SPL and tonal balance across the main KB Kookmin Starshop Stage’sextensive field. When Yescom Entertainment’s An Heung Chan accepted the role of production manager for the festival, he was both honoured and excited
Poland - The church of St Brygida (St Bridget) in Gdańsk recently hosted a televised concert to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s appointment. An Alcons Audio pro-ribbon audio system was the solution to tame the church’s difficult acoustics. St Brygida is a large, brick-built church, famed for its amber altar and its 1980s role as a sanctuary for the leaders of the Solidarność (Solidarity) trade union, when Poland was under martial law. Staged to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Polish national Karol Józef Wojtyła being chosen as Pope John Paul II in August 1978 - the first non-Italian Pope for 455 years - the concert featured Cappella Gedanensis, a vocal and instrumental ensemble which performs traditional music from the region around Gdańsk and represents the city all over the world. The group’s performances often include well-known s
Belgium - A designer boutique hotel in the heart of Ghent is finding value in Dante Audio IP networking from Audinate for the business and entertainment needs of its guests. Designed and integrated by Belgian systems integration firm Round Group Audiovisual Engineering, the Dante network delivers high-quality background music in the hotel's atmospheric 1898 The Post cocktail lounge, as well as delivering pristine audio to all points, including audio support for presentations, meetings and events in a large multi-function room. 1898 The Post is a new venture from Zannier Hotels in Ghent that opened this past summer. Located in the upper two floors of Ghent’s old post office building, the hotel offers 38 guest rooms and public spaces that complement the building’s late 19th century architecture. Round Group was hired to provide a “very high-end sound system” for The C
India - Munro Acoustics recently outfitted The Urban Foundry’s new location in Pune’s Kalyani Nagar neighbourhood with an end-to-end Harman audio system. With several locations in Mumbai and Pune in India’s Maharashtra state, The Urban Foundry is a bar and eatery with an industrial aesthetic that incorporates brick, metal and glass materials. The Foundry’s new location features a performance area for live music, but the highly reflective surfaces in the restaurant made it difficult to control the sound. In order to solve this challenge, management hired acoustic consultancy firm Munro Acoustics to design and install an end-to-end Harman Professional audio system comprised of JBL loudspeakers, Crown amplifiers and a Soundcraft mixer. “We wanted our new location in Pune to be different from the others, so we added a performance space for live music,” said Ki
Ireland - With a burgeoning Irish music scene and ever-increasing demand for rider-friendly consoles, Murt Whelan, owner of named Murt Whelan Sound, invested in DiGiCo. He chose an SD12 as his first console from the brand. But later also added an SD10. “Investing in DiGiCo has worked very well for us,” says Whelan. “Ever since we took delivery the SD12, it’s been our busiest console and has been pretty much constantly out on hire, either for shows we’re working on or for dry hire to other rental companies. It’s been out with Irish bands Gavin James Walking on Cars and Picture This, on the Féile Classical Festival, Independence Festival in Cork and for the Trinity Summer Series in Dublin.” As the only SD12 in Ireland, the console has proved exceptionally popular prompting Whelan to take delivery of a SD10 at the beginning of September. He cont
Italy - HK Audio has increased its presence in Italy by appointing Sisme as its exclusive distributor. Effective immediately, Sisme will add HK Audio’s portable sound product range to a portfolio already including the likes of Sony, Audio-Technica and L-Acoustics. Sisme works directly with system integrators and installers in the pro audio sector as well as partners in the AV and broadcasting fields. The distributor offers integrated solutions, technical and post-sales support, project design and product training. Claudio Bugari, president of Sisme, comments: “We are happy to be HK Audio’s new distribution partner in Italy. In recent years, HK Audio has made significant progress in its product and marketing activities. We are convinced that this brand offers a great portfolio for the Italian market.” Antonio Sciarrillo, Sisme’s national sales mana
Canada - Looking at the 50,000sq.ft complex that is Metalworks just west of downtown Toronto in Mississauga, it’s hard to imagine that it came from relatively modest roots. Starting out as a private studio, the company has now grown into a multi-faceted operation that includes a large commercial studio, production school, and live sound provider with a major investment in L-Acoustics loudspeaker systems, including its most recent addition of a full K2 system. In 2005, Metalworks Studios bought out a pair of live sound companies and launched Metalworks Production Group (MPG), a full-service production house. One of the companies that it purchased was already an L-Acoustics rental network partner, making MPG an L-Acoustics house from the very beginning. “We started with approximately 50 V-DOSC and 100 dV-DOSC right out of the gate,” says Metalworks owner Gil Moore, who i
USA - Completed in July of 2018, Flint Baptist Church’s modern, 1650-seat facility features Allen & Heath consoles at FOH and broadcast with ME-1 Personal Mixers for its band and praise singers. The rapidly growing church, located in Flint, Texas, blends contemporary and traditional worship styles with a large choir, band and praise team leading its services. Flint Baptist’s new audio and video systems were installed by Broadcast Works of Tyler, Texas. Wade Summerford, Flint Baptist’s technology/media director says: “We’re seeing many new church members each week and this growth is what threw us into the planning process. Then, I went to a conference last October and got to put my hands on a dLive and test drive it. I saw the dLive’s flexibility and usability. I can throw a volunteer on our S7000 Surface, give them a crash course and, in five minutes, they c
