USA - The Audio Engineering Society (AES) has announced that David Scheirman has taken office as their new president. Scheirman has over 40 years of experience and expertise in professional audio and has been a long-time active member of the AES, having served three terms on the Board of Governors and taken up numerous roles and chair positions at AES conventions and within the AES committee system. “David has played a leading role in the past year as chair of the president’s strategic planning team,” said Alex Case, as he ends his own one-year presidential term. “David was instrumental in our development of new events and collaborations. With his broad and deep industry experience, he is uniquely prepared to lead these AES initiatives in the coming year.” Case will continue to serve on the AES Executive Committee as Past President, while also chairing the M
Poland - Tommex Żebrowscy Sp. J. has recently completed the design and installation of the audio systems for the new water sports facility - Zatoka Sportu - at the Academic Sports and Teaching Centre of the Technical University of Łódz. Tommex designed the main pool area system using EN 54-24 certified loudspeakers. Twenty-three Community R2-94Z-EN are used for the 1,700 capacity spectator grandstand, with a further five R1-66Z-EN covering the pool itself. The system’s control room houses a Dynacord CMS 1000-3 mixer and the Community DSPEC226 digital loudspeaker processor. Marcin Zimny, the commercial director of Tommex, explained the sound system: “With high humidity and difficult acoustics, we chose Community R Series loudspeakers. Their extreme all-weather ability can handle the humidity long-term and their accurate coverage patterns enabled us to design the
Czech Republic - Perhaps one of the most unusual cultural buildings in Europe, the airship at DOX Centre for Contemporary Art in Prague appears to float above the surrounding buildings. For those that venture inside it, a Yamaha audio system proves that the sound. Named after fictional traveller Gulliver, the 42m long, 120-capacity steel and wood airship features a zeppelin-shaped structure on top and is a permanent space for lectures, exhibitions, screening and other cultural events. The venue features an AV system specified and installed by Martin Vondrášek of the Prague-based AVT Group. The audio system comprises four Yamaha VXS5W speakers arrayed along each side of the ‘body’, powered by an XMV8140 multi-channel amplifier, with signal distribution and processing by an Yamaha MTX5-D matrix processor. Audio inputs come from wireless microphones, a
USA - Set against the striking backdrop of the Hollywood Hills with its famed Hollywood sign, the Hollywood Bowl is the summer home to the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The Bowl has also been the winner of 13 consecutive Pollstar Awards for Outstanding Outdoor Venue since 2004, which was coincidentally the same year that L-Acoustics was selected to help maintain the audio excellence at the venue, first with V-DOSC, then with the 2013 installation of the only K1 system currently installed in a North American venue. Just prior to the 2017 season, the Hollywood Bowl furthered its pursuit of sonic excellence with the acquisition of 18 AVB-ready L-Acoustics LA12X and 10 LA4X amplified controllers, all sold and installed by Rat Sound. With this addition of 28 new LA Series amplified controllers, the Hollywood Bowl has completely refreshed and updated its power infrastructure, fu
Sweden - Harman Professional Solutions has announced that Septon Electronic is taking over the distribution of AMX solutions in Sweden. The agreement applies to the full range of AMX product categories, with Septon Electronic set to focus on local sales and support of video control solutions while Harman Professional will concentrate on creating synergies between the audio, video and lighting segments of the business. “We are pleased about this agreement,” said Fredrik Barnö, channel manager, Harman Professional Solutions. “Septon Electronic has been the Swedish distributor of Harman Professional’s audio portfolio for many years, and with their extensive market reach and thorough industry know-how, we have a strong partner on our side.” "AMX is established in the absolute premium segment, whereas Septon Electronic as a distributor is known for our broa
UK - Allen & Heath has announced the appointment of R&D director, Rob Clark to the role of managing director, following the decision by longstanding company figurehead, Glenn Rogers, to pass on the reins to the next generation. Rob Clark joined Allen & Heath as a digital R&D engineer in 1993 and has played a key role in the development of the company’s digital mixers, becoming R&D Director in 2008. Glenn Rogers remains a director of the Audiotonix group, focusing on identifying market opportunities and helping to specify new products. Rob Clark commented, “It’s an honour to take on this new challenge. Glenn has been a trusted friend and mentor for more than 20 years, and I know we can rely on his wise counsel in the future. It’s a fantastic time to move into this role; the product range has never been stronger, we’re blessed with an
USA - Cadac USA director of operations Ron Lorman is steering the British live mixing console and audio networking company into LDI following appearances at WFX and the AES. Cadac is exhibiting in LDI Amplify (booth # 3177), the indoor audio pavilion focusing on professional audio equipment and solutions. There, the company is promoting its CDC consoles and MegaCOMMS network. “The Cadac CDC audio system offers an industry leading mixing and networking solution, dedicated to the highest audio quality and performance requirements of live sound production; with significantly lower signal latency and discernibly higher audio quality than competing solutions,” says Lorman. “CDC MegaCOMMS is a dedicated live production network solution that ensures the superlative audio performance of CDC six and CDC seven series mixing consoles across a complete network.” Both
UK - Live sound hire company Capital Sound has added a second SSL L500 and an Avid Venue S6L to its console inventory in a recent purchase from professional audio specialist HD Pro Audio. "We purchased our first SSL L500 and L200 consoles earlier this year and have been pleased with their performance in every respect," said Paul Timmins, operations and development director at Capital Sound. “We buy high-end consoles for specific projects to form a solid foundation and the L500 is out on long-term hire with The Killers. “The L200 is really interesting in that it meets the needs for our medium price console inventory, at the same time allowing many more clients the opportunity to experience the work flow, high-end performance and sound quality of SSL. Our decision to add the L200 has worked well with it proving very popular for shorter tours and enquiries have been s
Italy - Leading Technologies recently deployed a JBL by Harman VTX A12 tour sound solution at Umbria Jazz Festival. Held annually in Perugia and surrounding cities since 1973, Umbria Jazz Festival has hosted some of the biggest names in jazz and pop, including Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Chick Corea, Prince, Alicia Keys, Santana, Elton John and many more. Continuing the tradition of excellence, the 2017 festival hosted performances by Kraftwerk, Brian Wilson, Christian McBride, Wayne Shorter and many others. In order to ensure sound quality for the diverse line-up of artists on the main stage, Italian audio provider Leading Technologies deployed a complete JBL VTX A12 tour sound system. “This is the first time we’ve deployed the new VTX A12 line arrays at the festival,” said Giovanni Bugari, manager, Leading Technologies. “The festival’s
USA - A portable church setup designed to go in and out of a middle school gym every weekend, Preston Trail McKinney required streamlined equipment for its audio, video, lighting, staging and furniture setups. Martin Audio Wavefront Precision Mini (WPM) was specified to address the venue’s limitations. As described by Clark senior design consultant Peter Fitton: “The church is transported into a middle school gymnasium with a 16ft. x 32ft. stage, a 40ft. rear lighting truss upstage and lighting trusses on both sides of the auditorium about midway through the house that provide front light for the stage and house lighting for the audience area. The video system includes a video playback server, a switcher, an 11ft. tall x 14ft. wide screen in the centre and a 13,000-lumen projector in the back of the room. The school provides seating for 300-350 congregants. “For
UK - Plenty of exciting activities await visitors to the Institute of Acoustics conference, Reproduced Sound, even before it opens next Wednesday, 22 November, and closes at 6pm on Thursday, 24 November. At 6.30pm on 21 November there is a coach trip to the Entertainment Engineering subject group at the University of Derby that will include demos of 3D audio. Immediately after the conference, in the nearby Crowne Plaza Hotel, Philip Newell will be hosting a workshop on creating the 1970s sound. On Friday morning, 25 November, there’ll be a visit to Green’s Mill - a working 19th century windmill and science centre once owned by physicist George Green (of Green Function fame). Other highlights include an after-dinner demonstration on the use of VR in theatre at 7.30pm on Wednesday 22, and a workshop on applications of numerical modelling methods in audio by Patrick M
UK - Brighton-based band Fickle Friends is using a DiGiCo console on their current tour. The band, who have been making waves across the UK since 2013, were signed by Polydor without even releasing a full-length album yet. FOH engineer Calum Mordue of Patchwork London, who supplies the audio equipment for the tour, has been working with the band for the past 17 months and has picked the DiGiCo S21 console. “I chose the S21 because of the compact size, channel count and processing power,” he says. “Being able to get 48 input channels across 16 stereo outputs from a console which is less than a meter wide is phenomenal. More importantly, it sounds like a DiGiGo; as good as a big boy SD7 The FX are great, too.” Calum has really been able to put the S21 through its paces with Fickle Friends, as their requirements change from show to show. “We r
Australia - Sydney-based DJW Projects has become the first company in the Southern Hemisphere to install Powersoft’s new Quattrocanali 4-channel amplifiers. The company installed four Quattrocanali 4804 (1200W pc/8 ohms) that power 16 channels of the 12” Void Venu 12 system subwoofers at the new Prince Hotel in Kirrawee, southern Sydney, for the Feros Group. The amplifiers were supplied by distributors PAVT (Production Audio Video Technology). Launched at ISE this year, Quattrocanali 4804 features the patented SRM (Smart Rails Management) technology, allowing the efficiency of the system to be maximised and power consumption to be drastically reduced at any load and usage condition. Quattrocanali features the lowest thermal dissipation in the industry, reducing the need for external cooling devices. It certainly ticked all the boxes for DJW Projects designer,
Germany - Lawo, German manufacturer of audio, video and control solutions, has launched a new online product training for its Lawo Academy. In its first course, the Academy is providing a free mc² audio console tutorial. “In this video-based tutorial, new users can learn how to operate a Lawo mc²56 console. And as the workflows of all Lawo mc² consoles are very similar, this course will also help operators to work with any mc²36, mc²66 or mc²96 console,” says Christian Struck, senior product manager audio production at Lawo. The course is structured into six chapters, with the full course taking up to four hours to complete and participants allowed to interrupt their lessons at any time and continue later. To enhance the learning experience, every chapter is followed by a short test. At the end of the tutorial, participants can pass an exam and get a c
Australia - Point Source Audio (PSA) has appointed Australia-based ISL Systems to distribute its SEries8 and Embrace microphones as well as the CM-i series of patented in-ear headsets, in Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia. ISL Systems, based in Queensland, Australia, is headed by Wayne Grosser, who has a long-established reputation in Australia and throughout Southeast Asia. “Wayne has strong roots in the pro audio business in this region where he has been representing Clair Brothers in Australia for more than a decade,” said James Lamb, president of Point Source Audio. “We knew immediately ISL Systems would be a natural fit with our brand.” Wayne Grosser, director of ISL Systems, elaborated on why Point Source Audio microphones are a fitting addition to ISL’s product portfolio: “The sub-miniature style microphones and patented lavalier mounting sys
Spain - Green Hippo has appointed Earpro as its distributor in Portugal and Spain. With offices in Barcelona and Madrid, Earpro is a specialist audio and visual distributor with experience in pro markets. The company was acquired by Midwich Group and has financial backing valued at over £400m. Commenting on the new partnership James Roth, head of sales and marketing at Green Hippo, said: “This alliance is great news for visual creatives across Portugal and Spain. Earpro knows these markets inside and out, and our line of real-time video technology continues to grow in not just model choices, but also in its ease-of-use and technological talents.” Miguel Mezquita, managing director of Earpro, commented: “We are delighted to team with Green Hippo. We are already very familiar with, and admirers of, its impressive product line and we can’t wait to play our
UK - Set in the north east of England, Kingston Park Stadium recently underwent a complete upgrade of its main sound system, transforming the match day experience for visitors. Although billed as a multipurpose stadium, its main focus is rugby, and the 10,200-capacity facility is the home ground for both Aviva Premiership Rugby Union side Newcastle Falcons, and League side Newcastle Thunder. A complete new RCF Acustica P-series weatherproof, purpose-designed stadium system has replaced an ageing PA that was not IP-rated, and no longer fit for purpose, as the North, South and West stands were systematically developed. Part of a complete RCF solution, the equipment was supplied by Ed Gamble at local RCF partner Nitelites, who also assisted with the design, with installation carried out by the R&B Group under the project management of Steve Brown. AV specialists
The Netherlands - As society evolves, the uses for historic buildings also change and, sometimes, disappear. Some of these buildings are replaced, others stand empty before submitting to nature or demolition contractors. However, happily some are restored and enjoy a whole new lease of life. This is the case at Ons Koningsoord, a former Trappist abbey and monastery, where a major Yamaha audio system has helped it to become the vibrant new heart of the Dutch village of Berkel-Enschot. Located near the city of Tilburg, the impressive Ons Koningsoord (translated as Our King’s Place) building was not allowed to decay when its days as a monastery came to an end. An ambitious plan was made to renovate, modernise and extend it, to provide apartments for both ‘starters’ and the over-55s, plus facilities including a community and cultural centre, library, youth club, nursery, s
USA - When Milwaukee-based Clearwing Productions took on the job of designing a new audio system for the Minneapolis Convention Centre, it was even more of a blank slate than a typical install. The nature of the space itself and the wide range of events it hosts demanded an extreme level of flexibility, and that’s before taking into account the complications inherent in any government job. To meet the often-conflicting audio and production needs and stay within a very tight budget, Clearwing turned to a large system centred on Kara and Kiva enclosures from L-Acoustics. “While the system was spec’d specifically for the main auditorium, we knew from the beginning that pieces of the main system would be in a near-constant state of motion between the venue’s meeting rooms and ballrooms, in addition to the auditorium,” says Clearwing’s Kerry Miller, who w
USA - Audio-Technica supplied more than 140 vocal and instrument microphones for the 51st Annual Country Music Association (CMA) Awards, presented Wednesday, 8 November 2017, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Broadcast live in 5.1-channel surround sound on the ABC Television Network, the awards show featured an extensive selection of Audio-Technica hard-wired microphones, plus Artist Elite 5000 Series UHF Wireless Systems with AEW-T6100a Hypercardioid Dynamic Handheld Microphone/Transmitter. Audio-Technica microphones were chosen for their ability to provide clear and consistent audio quality for live broadcast. The CMA Awards presentation is recognised as Country Music’s Biggest Night and represents the pinnacle of achievement for those involved in country music. The team of industry veterans responsible for the audio at this year’s CMA’s again included
Italy - Powersoft will present two sessions of its new advanced level training course for Certified Technology Specialist Renewal Unit training in Asia in December. The first session, with distributor EZ Pro, will take place on 13 December from 9am to 7pm in Hong Kong, 5/F, Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel, Harbour City, Hong Kong Jade Room, 6/F. This will be followed by a session in Singapore with E&E to be held on 15 December at Vault@289, 289 Outram Road, Singapore 169071 from 9:30am to 7:30pm. The course entitled Advanced Install-Armonìa Program will be delivered by Powersoft’s business development manager, fixed install, Marc Kocks, and grants four Renewal Units (RU) towards Avixa Certified Technology Specialist (CTS) credential, on successful completion of the eight-hour training session. Marc Kocks will coach attendees in the set up and design of a
USA - A Danley audio system has been specified for the First Baptist Church in Ashland, Virginia. Audio/video integration firm RTW Media designed and installed a Danley Sound Labs system that satisfied the sonic and visual objectives by minimizing the number of speakers that were required to provide precise, intelligible coverage. Walsh Hinnant, account manager at RTW Media, says: “First Baptist of Ashland is revitalising its sound and image to appeal not just to older, established church members, but also to the younger and more diverse generation. The church leaders are working with Arrabon to broaden First Baptist’s appeal and to diversify its congregation, and David Bailey, Arrabon president recommended that they speak with us about a new sound reinforcement system.” Hinnant continues: “Their old system had ten loudspeakers just for the mains. It didn
UK - HD Pro Audio is holding a technology showcase in November featuring DiGiCo’s SD12 digital mixing console and the latest developments from KLANG:technologies’ 3D binaural IEM mixing system. The event, which takes place on Monday 20 November from 12:00PM to 5PM at The Hospital Club in Covent Garden, will offer an overview of the SD12 console and an in-depth session on KLANG:technologies’ latest KOS 3.0 software. There will also be a preview of the new DiGiCo remote feature of KLANG and the KLANG:vektor motion tracker. HD Pro Audio will also have the L-Acoustics Syva loudspeaker system available for evaluation. Numbers for this free event are limited, so HD Pro Audio are urging anyone wishing to attend to contact them as soon as possible. Bookings can be made on-line at https://goo.gl/sDQP5E (Jim Evans)
Mongolia - ITC Solutions has installed a complete audio system by Harman Professional Solutions at Holiday Inn Ulaanbaatar. The newly opened four-star Holiday Inn Ulaanbaatar hired ITC Solutions to install an end-to-end Harman audio solution made up of solutions by JBL, Crown, Soundcraft, dbx and AKG. Ramesh Jayaraman, VP & GM, Harman Professional Solutions, APAC, said: “Harman Professional Solutions is privileged to be a part of Holiday Inn Ulaanbaatar. We’re thrilled to see our solutions integrated in the first and only IHG hotel in Mongolia. We thank our partner ITC Solutions for their faith in Harman and dedication to customer service.” ITC Solutions faced a major challenge during the installation as building construction had begun before the audio system was designed. Fortunately, Harman offered a comprehensive variety of flexible solutions to acc
