Sound

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10 October 2024

USA - Rock titans Metallica roared into North America this autumn for the latest leg of their juggernaut M72 World Tour, now elevated by the power and precision of Meyer Sound’s 2100-LFC low-frequency control elements.

The tour, which began in April 2023, stops for two nights in each city, presenting two sets on ‘no repeat weekends’. Fans experience a stereo mix in every seat, one that’s faithful to 40 years of studio recordings, explains FOH engineer Greg Price. “Our goal was to bring that intimate environment into a stadium.”

Staged in the round, the tour is supported by a staggering 522 Meyer Sound loudspeakers, including 288 Panther large-format linear line array loudspeakers, 96 2100-LFC low-frequency control elements, 48 VLFC very low‑frequency control elements, 16 1100-LFC low-frequency control elements, 22 Ultra-X40 com

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10 October 2024

USA - 3G Productions LLC (3G) has announced that it has received a strategic investment from Chimney Rock Equity Partners (Chimney Rock), a private equity firm focused on lower-middle-market industrial investments. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Chimney Rock’s investment in 3G was made with the intent ‘to leverage the company’s longstanding reputation in live event production and systems integration services to grow into a national brand, both organically and via acquisitions’. With Chimney Rock’s partnership, 3G expects to actively seek to add new locations and customers and increase its already strong market share.

Under the terms of the agreement, the 3G management team, consisting of CEO Keith Conrad, CFO Andrew Ross, executive VP Jay Curiel, and VP of production Andy Ruiz, will remain in place, and all current employee

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10 October 2024

Europe - This past summer, K-array featured in several high-profile festivals around the globe – ranging from intimate gatherings in historic Italian towns to large-scale beachfront festivals in Sweden.

The Festival of the Sun, an exclusive two-day event held in a small town near Siena, Italy, was shrouded in secrecy until its launch on 21 June. Masterminded by record executive and producer, Rick Rubin, the festival was spread across multiple locations, including a historic church, a town square and a nearby castle. The mix of performances required an audio solution that could adapt to each setting whilst delivering a consistent audience experience.

A performance by singer-songwriter, James Blake, in a centuries-old church posed a significant acoustic challenge. A Pinnacle KR402 system, supplemented by Pinnacle KR102 as delay and Kayman KY

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10 October 2024

UK - With six gym locations across East Anglia, the New Revolution fitness chain offers members 24-hour access and a wide range of classes from spinning to Boxfit and yoga each week. The company’s newest facility in Lowestoft recently underwent a significant renovation and upgrade programme, extending to the gym’s audio system.

Responsible for the AV aspects of the project, Norwich-based Hughes Electrical was tasked with addressing specific concerns with the existing audio offering. Hughes ultimately specified an array of Optimal Audio products to significantly improve performance, as the company’s Karl Topley explains.

“We’ve been working with New Revolution for around five years and as part of our contract review, we asked for feedback on the previous audio system at the Lowestoft venue. With customer expectations growing as far as audio

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09 October 2024

Italy - RCF has confirmed details of its Sound Engineering University Course 2024/2025 with enrolment now open. The objective of the course is to provide fundamental theoretical knowledge for the comprehension, analysis and design of modern sound diffusion systems.

Such knowledge ranges from the fundamental principles of acoustics, to transducers and speakers, electronic amplifying systems and digital sound filtering, and also soundproofing systems.

Main topics include: Acoustics in open air and indoor spaces including design and simulation methods; Transducers and speaker systems including clusters, arrays and point source configurations; Electronics including circuit analysis, filters, amplifiers and DSP and Sound system design including practical experience in measurements, listening tests and tuning.

This university course features techni

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09 October 2024

USA - Plainfield Public Schools, located in Plainfield, New Jersey, recently hosted a ribbon cutting for its $4m renovation of the Plainfield High School auditorium, new eSports gaming arena, and black box theatre. PureTek Group, of nearby Boonton, New Jersey, designed and installed Electro-Voice sound reinforcement systems for each venue.   

“The auditorium was completely refurbished to serve as a hub for school performances, community events and assemblies,” explains Dan Litvin, president of PureTek Group. “We outfitted the auditorium, which seats 1,525 people, with left-right Electro-Voice EVA line arrays to cover the main seating area and EVC loudspeakers for balcony fill.”

Each EVA line array comprises three EVA-2082S/906, two EVA-2082S/1220 loudspeaker elements and two EVA-2151D subwoofers. EVA’s efficient crossover and driver desi

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09 October 2024

USA - At AES New York, Austrian Audio introduced Hi-X20 – the latest entry in the brand’s family of professional, closed-back headphones. Designed to ‘offer detailed, high-precision sound in a compact, affordable package built for audio professionals, content creators, and discerning music lovers alike’, Hi-X20 is available now.

​Designed following customer feedback and using the same proprietary Hi-X drivers that power all Austrian Audio professional headphones, the Hi-X20 offers high-precision sound that is balanced in middle and high frequencies with a powerful, but not overdrawn bass-response.

Hi-X20 is built to last, with metal hinges and a metal headband. Its foldable design allows for easy storage and transport in a rucksack or bag. ​

“The development of Hi-X20 was very much a collaborative effort with our customers who o

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09 October 2024

USA - Renkus-Heinz is set to return to one of the largest events in the worship market, Church Facilities Expo (CFX). Taking place at the Chattanooga Convention Center in Tennessee from 21-23 October, the show will spotlight technology innovations, including Renkus-Heinz’s OmniBeam software, designed to transform live audio experiences in houses of worship.

Previously hosted in Dallas, Texas, CFX 2024 will feature a loudspeaker demo experience where attendees can hear OmniBeam in action against industry competitors. Taking place in ballrooms I & J, the round-robin demos offer an opportunity to directly compare solutions from leading manufacturers in a controlled acoustic setting.

Renkus-Heinz’s flagship IC Live X Series of modular, beam-steerable loudspeakers will take centre stage – in both a large flown array and a portable ground-stacked

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09 October 2024

Germany - Sommer cable has announced changes to its management team, effective from 1 October. Maximilian Blanck and Marie-Kathrin Huber have joined the management of the Straubenhardt-based company. They will succeed Friedhelm Sommer, the co-founder and long-standing managing director, who is taking his retirement.

As the children of Rainer Blanck, the co-founder and CEO of Sommer cable, both have had a direct relation to the company since their childhood. Among other things, Maximilian developed the SYSBOXX configurator in the course of his studies. Since October 2023, he has been supporting Sommer cable's entrepreneurship, sales and product management as well as the IT management and was co-responsible for the new website of the company's online shop.

Marie-Kathrin Huber (née Blanck) also joined the company in August 2023. Following her years of

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08 October 2024

Brazil - In 2024, Rock in Rio celebrated its 40th anniversary. For nearly 15 years, Outline’s audio systems have made a notable impact on the event’s sound reinforcement, with São Paulo-based Gabisom Audio Equipment taking on the sound reinforcement role for Rock in Rio, aligning with the festival's stature and demands.

This year, Outline’s GTO, GTO C-12, Superfly, and Mantas 28 models, driven by Outline power amplifiers, were deployed across three of the festival's key stages: New Dance Order, Global Village, and Supernova. Gabisom has made significant investments in Outline audio technology in 2023 and 2024, following earlier purchases that included a substantial GTO C-12 system and Newton processors in 2020.

In 2020, Gabisom became the world’s largest owner of Newton inventory, utilising these [patented] FPGA-based proce

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08 October 2024

New Zealand - Produced by Semmel Exhibitions, Marvel: Earth’s Mightiest Exhibition, offers a fresh perspective on Marvel’s rich 80+ year history. With its world premiere having taken place in Wellington, the exhibition gives a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the creation of some of popular culture’s most famous stories and characters – enhanced by an immersive soundscape from Genelec.

The audio for the project was a collaboration between Sebastian M. Purfürst of Berlin-based LEM Studios and acoustic scenographer, Markus ‘Hossi’ Hossack. Commissioned to realise the artistic and technical concept of the immersive sound installation, they developed a soundscape that guides guests into the world of Marvel.

“As composers, media artists and engineers, we like to call the development of the sonic layers of the exhibition experience 'a

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07 October 2024

UK - Production company, RG Jones Sound Engineering, needed to pull out all the stops when RG Live and Merlin Entertainment staged a mixed programme of four back-to-back concerts within the medieval setting of Warwick Castle. It was the perfect ‘picnic on the lawn’ scenario, and an occasion which challenged the Martin Audio MLA loudspeaker array to the maximum.

Opening with The Music of Hans Zimmer vs John Williams – an epic showdown between the film composers – the programme journeyed via Ministry of Sound Classical to McFly, before soaring further into the atmosphere with Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds as a finale. As a bonus for the audience, joining Gallagher were Smiths’ guitarist Johnny Marr and The Waeve, featuring Blur’s Graham Coxon and ex-Pipette Rose Elinor Dougall.

All played out through Martin Audio’s flagship PA, whi

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07 October 2024

Portugal - Europalco has announced a new phase of expansion and innovation with its transformation into a group of companies: the Empowerment Ecosystem. This move aims to consolidate Europalco as the central brand of a dynamic ecosystem, with new companies strengthening its portfolio: New Audiovisuais, Rise, and Av Tech.

At the heart of this new system is Europalco, which takes on the role of empowering all the companies in the group. The Empowerment Ecosystem is built on a differentiated systemic narrative, where Europalco drives the growth and expansion of its companies, always focusing on the people who are part of this universe.

“The creation of the Empowerment Ecosystem is a natural step in Europalco’s evolution. We believe the synergies between New Audiovisuais, Rise, and Av Tech, backed by Europalco’s expertise, will ensure sustainable g

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07 October 2024

USA - The expertise of live sound engineers Malcolm Gil and Ben Rothstein converged at Lollapalooza this summer, where they were part of the team supporting US breakout pop star Chappell Roan.

At Full Sail University, Rothstein built a solid foundation in audio engineering and pursued a position at Clair Brothers. "I've been with them for almost 18 years, starting as a PA tech and working my way up through various roles," he shares. His career-defining moment came in 2018 when he was entrusted with mixing monitors for Queen.

After gaining experience at Third Encore in Burbank, Gil took a leap into touring with a West Coast reggae band, Rebelution, in 2017, and has been on the road ever since. He now mixes for artists including Ice Spice, Khalid, Labrinth, and now Chappell Roan.

At Lollapalooza, Gil, serving as both monitor engineer and stage

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07 October 2024

USA - Merging Technologies has announced that Pyramix 15 will be unveiled at the upcoming AES Show in New York from 8-10 October.

This latest version of Pyramix comes with a fresh, modern redesign and an enhanced user experience, making it more intuitive and easier to use. It boasts an advanced real-time editor, versatile fade editor, complete mixing and mastering functionalities, and immersive workflows, including support for the Dolby Atmos ADM format. Pyramix 15 introduces a number of new features and enhancements.

Members of the Merging Technologies software team, led by Dominique Brulhart (head of application software) and Maurice Engler (product owner - Software Solutions), will be on hand to demonstrate Pyramix 15 at AES New York.  

“It is with great pleasure and excitement that we present the newest version of Pyramix 15 to the No

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04 October 2024

UAE - HH Audio, part of the UK Headstock Group of companies, has officially announced the appointment of Sound Factory FZCO, based in the UAE, as an official HH distribution partner in the GCC including the Middle East, CIS and parts of Northern Africa.

Sound Factory’s BD manager Fara Azari states: “At Sound Factory, we're excited to kick off this new partnership with the HH brand. Their history, strong reputation for quality, and customer focus align perfectly with our values, and we’re confident this will lead to growth and success in the territories we've been entrusted with. We truly appreciate the opportunity to team up and are eager to explore what’s ahead for HH Audio. Here’s to a successful and rewarding partnership as we work together to take the brand forward.”

Ian Wright, Headstock’s director of global sales adds: “I am ver

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04 October 2024

Mexico - Guadalajara-based production house Star Producciones deployed its Nexo STM modular line array system at a major corporate event at the Arena Ciudad de Mexico.

Multinational nutritional and cosmetic products company Omnilife took over the large arena in Mexico City on 7 September for its annual leadership meeting, which is held in a different country each year.

Under the guidance of local production manager Juan Pablo Dominguez, the Star team rigged a total of 180 boxes from the STM system.

The setup at the Arena Ciudad de Mexico comprised main left and right hangs of 18 x STM M46/B112 with three M28 down-fills, and out-fill hangs of 12 x STM M46/B112 with three M28s. The main sub arrays featured 18 x STM S118 in cardioid mode with separate stacks of six S118 per side, also in cardioid mode.

Nexo’s industry-standard PS15R2 p

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04 October 2024

USA - LEA Professional has announced its partnership with Elite 3 Pro. This partnership will bring LEA’s technology catalogue to customers in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas.

Elite 3 Pro originated in 2006 in response to the growing need for support in the constantly changing technology industry. Elite 3 Pro will provide LEA Professional’s award-winning Network Connect series of professional amplifiers and companion Dante Connect series, featuring Dante and AES67 connectivity. These series enable integrators to utilise cloud-based remote control, monitoring, notifications, and more from any internet-enabled device, allowing them to stay connected anywhere in the world.

"We take pride in providing our customers with the best products and continuously listening to their needs to ensure that we meet their evolving requirements," stated Dale

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04 October 2024

Canada - PK Sound has augmented the feature set of PK .dynamics, its proprietary robotic line source system design, control and monitoring software, with the release of v1.5 for Windows and macOS. Combining every stage of the modern live sound workflow in a single solution, .dynamics lets users take their designs from conception to the real world with the flexibility of real-time coverage adjustments even after the system is flown.  

New features for v1.5 include the implementation of PK Sound’s incoming Tx14 and Tx26 intelligent point-source modules, which enable users to design and control complete system solutions for a myriad of mobile and permanent applications. Additionally, a new auto-save feature automatically backs up files every 15 minutes for enhanced user security and confidence.  

“.dynamics is the core of PK Sound’s technologi

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03 October 2024

Malaysia - The Hilton Kuala Lumpur hotel’s grand and junior ballroom, as well as its meeting room, have replaced their audio system with a cost-saving new setup powered by Powersoft’s Mezzo, Duecanali and Quattrocanali amplifiers.

The hotel, located in the Malaysian capital’s transportation hub in the vibrant Kuala Lumpur Sentral area, wanted to refresh the sound system in order to have high-quality and clear-sounding audio in its newly renovated function spaces.

After winning the tender, Concept Audio chose Powersoft’s Mezzo, Duecanali and Quattrocanali amplifiers to play a central role in the audio overhaul, selected to meet the diverse requirements of each venue within the hotel. “We chose Powersoft due to the amplifier flexibility and enhanced efficiency, as well as the seamless integration they provide,” says Castrit Lim Lit Seong, m

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03 October 2024

Japan - At FUL Kyoto, a restaurant, bar, and lounge in the Kawaramachi district, customers are surrounded by a collection of greenery from South and Central America and gentle sounds to create an appropriate ambiance.

FUL is a ‘sound forest’ where you can savour natural wines and cocktails while immersing yourself in music that flows like forest rain. FUL’s ‘sound forest’ concept was inspired by 1 Sound’s American-made loudspeakers.

Sound forest is the brainchild of multidisciplinary producer Tomoyuki Tanaka, better known as Fantastic Plastic Machine. As a DJ, he has performed at Coachella and the Reading & Leeds Festival in 1999. As a music producer, his songs are featured in an Austin Powers movie (1999), the British sitcom Spaced and recently, he earned acclaim as the music director for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

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03 October 2024

UK - Polar will be exhibiting at the forthcoming Hospitality Tech Expo at ExCel London, which takes place on 15-16 October.

An example of the innovative technologies which Polar represents is the management platform Ask UMA, which can significantly enhance the operations of cafes, hotels, bars, and restaurants by optimising space management, integrating smart building systems, personalising guest experiences, and streamlining staffing. Polar’s team of experts will be on hand to explain how the platform automates energy use, improves comfort, and supports health and safety compliance, as well as providing data insights for better decision-making.

Ask UMA delivers sustainable solutions for the hospitality sector by supporting eco-friendly practices, social responsibility, and good governance. Minimising environmental impact, creating positive experie

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02 October 2024

UK - Leisuretec Distribution has been appointed UK distributor of Shure Microphones. With a 30-year legacy of delivering quality audio equipment, Leisuretec will now offer Shure’s wired microphones, wireless systems, conferencing solutions, and audio products to its customers in AV hire production, systems integration, and AV installation.

“We are thrilled to become a distributor and stocking partner of Shure products,” says Wayne Juggins, commercial manager at Leisuretec. “They manufacture world-class wired mics and wireless mic systems and we’re very excited to offer these solutions to our customers, along with everything you expect from Leisuretec: friendly and helpful service backed by strong stock holding, speedy delivery, competitive trade pricing and knowledgeable technical support.”

“Partnering with Leisuretec to become part of

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02 October 2024

Germany - Audiofocus has announced the signing of an exclusive distribution agreement for Germany with United Brands. This latest distribution agreement for the Belgian loudspeaker specialist follows similar appointments in Italy and France, marking a significant expansion of Audiofocus’ coverage in western Europe.

“This partnership with United Brands marks another important milestone in the reinforcement of the Audiofocus distribution network,” comments Audiofocus CEO and founder, Ann Leroy. “For customers to invest in a loudspeaker brand requires a lot of trust, not just in the products, but in the people behind them.

“From our first meeting we have been impressed by the wealth of real-world pro audio experience within the United Brands team. This is a company with the proven credentials and connections to support and grow our customer ba