Philippines - Renkus-Heinz today has announced its partnership with AV distributor Qorsys AV Technologies to bring the Sound Solution to the Philippines. Established in 2019 and based in Manila, Qorsys is a respected AV distributor that works to bring well-known AV brands to its customers throughout the Philippines. “The Qorsys - Renkus-Heinz partnership is a natural fit, given our goal of becoming a well-rounded AV-centric distributor,” said Qorsys general manager, Ramon Borja. “Renkus-Heinz complements the other brands that we offer and allows us to enter into the high-performance and acoustically-sensitive environment markets. “We view Renkus-Heinz as the leader in beam-steering technology, which no other brand can equal in terms of performance and reliability. “Qorsys is purely a distribution organisation. This allows us to work with various
UK - Tateside, provider of technology solutions, has announced the launch of its Managed Services solution, which will offer ‘AV as a service’ (AVaaS) to businesses across various sectors. With a focus on optimising the client experience whilst meeting evolving market demands, Managed Services will provide both new and existing clients with comprehensive technology packages that cover the entire system lifecycle, from design and deployment through to long-term maintenance. AV and IT as a service have gained significant traction in recent years. These services allow clients to purchase hardware, software, and support on a contract-based service, often minimising or eliminating upfront costs. Tateside’s Managed Services include full system design, installation, and maintenance by the London-based support team throughout the duration of an agreed contract term, which can
Italy - Meet Music Festival is an annual musical artists competition created by DJ producer, Luca Guerrieri who is also founder of Claps Records and DVS Records. Luca created Meet Music Festival with the goal of giving the opportunity for young talents, DJs, and some not yet established artists to perform in a real professional experience. This year’s two-day event was held in Follonica at Casello Hydraulico and had six sponsors including Red Bull, Sounder, and premium loudspeaker brand, 1 Sound. At this year’s Meet Music Festival, there were four contests in collaboration with Red Bull, Grey Cat Jazz Festival, Claps Records & Tartara and Higher Sound & Follsonica that highlighted four different genres of music, from deep house to Hip Hop and Trap. The jury was made up of professionals such as Renato Tanchis (A&R Sony Music) and Pierangelo Mauri (histor
USA - Martin Audio US has announced a two-day training workshop, specifically designed to familiarise customers and partners with the art of line array optimisation. This is achieved using its proprietary DISPLAY system design and prediction software, and associated Vu-Net control and monitoring software first introduced to provide advanced and unique control of its MLA multi-cellular PA. The event will take place at the HQ of event technology specialists, Alford Media, 296 Freeport Pkwy, Coppell, TX 75019 on 3-4 August. Supporting both MLA, the latest Wavefront Precision optimised line array systems and Torus constant curvature arrays, the course is aimed at everyone involved in design or deploying these systems. Attendees are promised in-depth training in system design, optimisation software, rigging and control - as well as refreshments throughout. According t
USA - Kentucky is bourbon country, and no one takes that more to heart than the people behind Maker’s Mark. Their distillery on Star Hill Farm features an AV system driven by Connect Series amplifiers from LEA Professional. The Maker’s Mark staff wanted to ensure their facilities reflect the world-class quality of the bourbon they produce. When retrofitting an employee break room next to the bottling lines, they contacted Alex Peake, project manager for JCA Media, to help equip the room’s AV system. “Their goal was to have background music playing all the time, except during meetings and presentations,” said Peake. “They wanted to be able to walk in, plug in their laptop, hit the presentation preset on the touchscreen, and go. Then hit a different pre-set at the end of the meeting to reset the room. And that’s exactly what we did.” The background music
France - The Festival d'Avignon, an established international event for contemporary performing arts, has chosen Holophonix and Amadeus to re-equip the main presentation area at the festival, the Courtyard of Honour at the Palace of the Popes. A UNESCO World Heritage Site and a venue for the Festival d'Avignon since 1947, the Courtyard of Honour had a major stage upgrade including technical infrastructure, a new 2000-seat bleacher area, a new stage, and new audio, video, and lighting equipment installed in 2021 - only the sixth renovation project since the Festival was founded decades ago. “Under the growing influence of cinema, the work of actors on theatre stages has evolved considerably over the past 50 or 60 years. But if the actors are now almost always equipped with microphones, are we - as spectators - obliged to suffer the sound of voices whose depth, and sp
South Africa - Sennheiser South Africa recently concluded a series of successful technology workshops across South Africa and Namibia. The workshops took place in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Windhoek and aimed to educate customers and end-users about the transition from analogue to digital systems whilst highlighting the latest product developments from Sennheiser's digital wireless range. The workshops catered to a broad audience, including rental and staging companies, sound engineers, theatre designers, production companies and AV professionals from the house of worship, higher education, corporate and hospitality sectors. The events, led by industry expert and Sennheiser GmbH technical application engineer, Jonas Næsby, provided hands-on experience with Sennheiser products and a chance to connect with other industry professionals from across the region. Further, a
UK - Midwich has published its pre-close trading statement for the six months ended 30 June 2023, which includes the announcement of the acquisition of HHB Communications Holdings (HHB), a long-established supplier of specialist professional audio equipment, content creation products, and music technology. Representing manufacturers such as RØDE, Genelec, and AVID from its three London locations, HHB joining the Group further develops Midwich’s offering in the strategically important broadcast, media, and entertainment markets. Founded in 1976 and with 55 employees, HHB has built a name for itself in the broadcasting, media and entertainment market and has supported many notable postproduction facilities, film, gaming, recording studios, and broadcasters with its products used by the likes of Warner Brothers, BBC, Sky and Pinewood Studios. Mark Lowe, managing
UK - Clear-Com has announced the appointment of Anthony Wilkins as business development manager for industrial and critical communications in the EMEA region. Anthony will work with Clear-Com’s current partners and develop new channels for the company to expand in sectors where communication is critical to success and safety, such as marine/offshore, medical, public safety, transportation, and more. Anthony brings over 40 years of experience in professional audio systems. He has expertise in distribution and partner management for companies including Sony, DTS, Linear Acoustic and Junger Audio, and directly prior to joining Clear-Com, he was responsible for managing EMEA distribution for Focusrite. “Anthony’s wealth of experience in both the technical engineering and the sales and business development areas of the communications industry made him the perfect can
Europe - TT+ Audio’s new GTX Line Array System begins with a forward-thinking external amplifier concept and adds innovations in electronics, transducer design, cabling and rigging hardware. The result is a line array system that addresses the full range of challenges faced by touring sound professionals and large-venue system installers while offering ground-breaking performance and sound quality, says the company. Unlike other TT+ Audio products, the new GTX system separates the power amplification from the loudspeaker enclosure, moving it to newly designed touring racks, each with up to three XPS 16K 4-channel DSP amplifiers and including AC power, signal routing and network connections. One rugged, waterproof power connector provides streamlined cabling from the rack to system modules. This augmented philosophy in power management seamlessly integrates self- and extern
China - Part of the Park Sports Complex in the Chengyang district of the Chinese city of Qingdao, the Qingchun Football Stadium was designed by the China Southwest Architecture Design and Research Institute and built by China Construction Eighth Engineering Bureau. With seating for 55,000 spectators, the stadium constitutes a major development for international football in China. With ambitions to stage the Asian Cup and World Cup tournaments in the future, the Stadium needed to conform to the stringent standards of the game’s worldwide governing body, FIFA, as set out in its Stadium Technical Recommendations and Requirements. The fully-roofed, two-tier construction ‘provides for every requirement of players, officials, media representatives, VIPs and fans to international standards’, while a multifunctional training hall, swimming pool, two further grass pitches
UK - Could advances in Bluetooth technology have benefits for the live music industry? Jonny McClintock, commercial director at Antennaware, CEO of Audio Codecs and advisor to Virscient, Segotia and Sonical, explores the issue . . . McClintock: “Almost to the day, it’s been 12 months since I resigned my role in Qualcomm having looked after aptX for almost 30 years. In that time, I’d been on a journey that took aptX into over 12billion devices in the professional and consumer electronic audio sectors. The resignation was in part down to post-COVID, in part approaching 57 years old and an interest to see if I could ‘go again’, but mostly just a sense of frustration about wireless audio. This frustration was almost wholly around Bluetooth and how it really wasn’t delivering on its potential. “When APT Licensing Limited was acquired by CSR in 2010, Bluetooth
USA - Wisycom has appointed John B. Anthony Company as its new manufacturers’ representative for the north-eastern United States. John B. Anthony Company will represent Wisycom’s entire suite of products, including its new MTP61 Miniature Multiband Transmitter, as well as its new LBC61 4+4 Battery Charger and its versatile new MTK982 dual-wideband stereo IEM/IFB transmitter, among other solutions. “For over 50 years, we have had a proven track record of generating new business and growing companies, and we are very excited to add Wisycom to our portfolio of brands,” says Angelo Fecci, president and treasurer of John B. Anthony Company. “Our hope is that through our services, we will provide Wisycom with the representation they need, and will prove to be strong assets to their team.” “Expanding our market is important to us and working with the Joh
USA - Moving lighting fixtures around at a festival often requires some careful logistics. Moving crews around calls for considerable skill too. George Cannon got a first-hand view of both recently when he was hired by Harford Sound to be the house LD at the That Tent at Bonnaroo. “Harford Sound was responsible for the That Tent and the This stage at the festival,” said Cannon. “They had morning and night shift crews that would tag off around 6-7 PM. We stayed at an Airbnb about 30 minutes away from site. So logistics alone for all those crew was a lot. Harford Sound and Rock the House AV did a great job making this project rock. The job everyone involved did was amazing.” Tasked with providing audio, lighting and full staffing for both stages from 8am to 3am daily, Harford Sound broke the project into two shifts. With a crew 18 deep, the company furn
UK - Occupying the stunning Tudor courtyard, the two-week Hampton Court Palace Music Festival returned recently to this Grade I royal palace setting, dating back to the early 16th century and once home to Henry VIII. Working within constraints of heritage buildings and tasked with creating a technical infrastructure for the event in recent years has been SWG Events. A major investment in the manufacturer’s technology has enabled them to field an end-to-end solution (the latest acquisitions being further Torus T1215 speakers and SXC118 single 18in cardioid subwoofers). This is in support of their flagship WPL Wavefront Precision line array which was deployed as the main PA hangs. All of which has this year delighted the many visiting sound engineers accompanying artists ranging from Gladys Knight, Kaiser Chiefs, Soft Cell, Kool & The Gang and Tom Jones, who
Lebanon - LEA Professional has announced a distribution partnership with Technosound of Beirut to support its customer base in the Middle East. This partnership allows LEA Professional to increase support for its existing customers in the region, as well as further develop new opportunities in the market. Technosound has more than 50 years of experience in the audio industry and is a trusted distributor in the Lebanese high-end pro audio industry, dedicated to providing customers with customised quality solutions. The company will represent the full range of amplifier solutions from LEA Professional. “We are always seeking new, dynamic partners to complete our offering,” said Georges Bitar, CEO of Technosound. “LEA Professional is a game-changer in this industry and we are proud to work with an innovative partner that is always looking to make things better, easi
USA - Ed Sheeran’s Mathematics tour has entertained more than 4.5m fans across three continents since it launched in Dublin on 23 April of last year. Additionally, the tour has been a valuable proving ground for advanced sound reinforcement technologies. The tour was the first to carry Milan AVB networked signals from FOH mix through to the individual loudspeaker boxes - in this case, 212 Panther large-format linear line array loudspeakers from Major Tom. The tour also has been a test bench for Meyer Sound’s new Nebra software platform for network configuration and system monitoring, while MAPP 3D prediction software has streamlined the task of realigning coverage for varying stadium shapes and sizes. “The network has been rock solid, and we’ve used Milan AVB as our primary input since early in the European leg,” says system engineer Adam Wells. “Wit
Japan - Formed in 2008, the three-piece Japanese rock band My Hair is Bad recently wrapped up the Ultimate Homerun Tour with final arena series concerts in the Osaka-Jo Hall and in a Tokyo arena. The tour, which began in the middle of 2022 as Japan’s pandemic restrictions on entertainment began to ease, culminated with these two arena concerts that featured a special immersive audio experience. The band’s sound engineer, Hironori Ochi had first learned of L-ISA technology from Masaaki Nagayasu, systems engineer at L-Acoustics certified rental agent Hibino Sound, who hosted Mr. Ochi to an L-ISA workshop in his personal studio. On discovering the capabilities of L-ISA, Mr. Ochi began working on the design of an L-ISA Hyperreal Sound system for the 10,000-capacity Osaka-Jo Hall arena concert. “I received L-ISA training with L-Acoustics in the spring of 2022. The im
Austria - Designed by noted Viennese architects Fellner and Helmer, the Salzburg State Theatre was completed in 1893 and is today the leading venue for performing arts in the historic Austrian city. This 700-seat theatre stages around 400 productions per season, encompassing drama, opera, ballet and youth theatre. For the project of renovating the stage facilities and installing new sound and lighting systems, the theatre turned to experienced stage technology solutions consultants BWKI located in Bayreuth, Germany, with the very specific instruction that no loudspeakers should be visible in the historic hall. BWKI system planner Jürgen Meyer, himself an experienced sound engineer, reports: “To replace the existing line array, we worked with Nexo to design a system based around four ID84/84L cabinets coupled to create a single, 4m column that was just 150mm wide, so
Germany - Holoplot has announced the launch of its latest product innovation: X2. Wrapped in a more compact hardware design, Holoplot’s newly conceived X2 embraces the same core technologies of 3D Audio-Beamforming and Wave Field Synthesis as the multi-award winning X1, making it more accessible for integration projects across a variety of sectors. The X2 is optimised for speech applications and builds on achievements from Holoplot’s formative years, when tests of a technology prototype resulted in some of the highest Speech Transmission Index (STI) measurements ever recorded on a train station platform. The Modul 30 (MD30) is a Matrix Array loudspeaker, incorporating 30 full-range drivers in a single layered matrix arrangement. X2 taps into intelligent software-based optimisation of sound system design and performance, as well as guaranteeing seamless and customiz
UK - For the past 15 years, associate sound designer Hyder Khalil has been crafting the audio that brings the long-running London stage musical Wicked to life. Working alongside sound designer Tony Meola, Khalil abides by Meola’s philosophy when micing shows: whether you’re working with instruments or cast members, get the mic in the correct place without being intrusive, and then get the sound as perfect as possible. With these goals in mind, microphones designed to provide authentic audio were the obvious choice when upgrading the theatre’s sound system. DPA Microphones fits all of the sound needs for Wicked. After initially integrating the DPA 6061 Subminiature Lavalier Microphones, the theatre added the brand’s 2011 Twin Diaphragm Cardioid, 4055 Kick Drum and 4099 Instrument Mics to its lineup. “As a whole, DPA makes things easier,”
Europe - Touring in support of their ninth studio album, Will Of The People, Muse are back on the road with long time audio vendor, Skan PA Hire. Building on two decades of trust between the bespoke audio rental company and one of Britain’s most intriguing and progressive bands, the Will Of The People tour delivers with impact. The band have entrusted their nuanced repertoire to FOH Engineer Marc Carolan since 2001. “I’ve only missed one show since,” confirms Carolan. “It’s been incredibly satisfying working with them, and to hear their evolution; nothing has ever stagnated, and they consistently perform at the highest level. “As musicians, they are very good at expressing specifics, so working out the audio brief for the tour is always an efficient process.” Carolan, who is supported by FOH Tech Eddie O’Brien, has used Skan PA Hir
India - Jaipur’s Suntech Sound recently invested in their first L-Acoustics system comprising of Kara II and KS28 high-power subwoofers. With the aim to exceed their clients’ expectations, Vaibhav Goel, founder of Suntech Sound strategically planned the company’s future with L-Acoustics. The purchase was done through Hi-Tech Audio & Image who are L-Acoustics official India distributor and have been associated with the brand for a decade. The move marks a significant milestone for Suntech Sound as it expands its product portfolio and further solidifies its position in the audio rental industry. Vaibhav Goel comments: “L-Acoustics sets a new benchmark in audio reinforcement with their cutting-edge loudspeaker technology and advanced sound design solutions. Their precise and immersive sound reproduction, coupled with their extensive range of scalable sy
USA - The 2023 AES International Conference on Audio Archiving, Preservation & Restoration, held at The Library of Congress Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation in Culpeper, Virginia, concluded ‘with resounding success’. Over the course of three days, nearly 200 researchers and practitioners from around the world gathered to discuss critical preservation issues and explore strategies that foster collaboration and interoperability between the industry and the preservation, restoration, and archiving communities. The conference, which took place from 1-3 June, provided an opportunity for experts in the field to come together and share their knowledge and insights. The event's focus on audio archiving, preservation, and restoration emphasized the importance of safeguarding our sonic heritage and ensuring its accessibility for future generations. Part
