Spain - Wharfedale Pro is kicking off 2023 with the release of a fixed installation loudspeaker series, alongside a new line array solution and several updates to their popular classic loudspeakers, all of which will be on display at this year’s ISE show in Barcelona. Of particular interest is Wharfedale Pro’s Drone series. Specifically intended for the hospitality sector, this passive installation solution is designed with versatility and flexible configurations in mind. The IP56-certified Drone-G Pack is intended for outdoor use. Available in a range of colours and with ground spikes, it is specifically designed for discreet placement in a variety of environments. With Hi and Low impedance models, systems can be as large or as small as needed. Another newcomer to the Wharfedale Pro range, the WLA-210A active line array will also feature at ISE this year. This dua
UK - David Morbey has been appointed to the position of product manager for Optimal Audio. Having worked with Denon, Martin Audio, InMusic, Allen & Heath and Neutrik, David has, at various stages, specialised in the area of installed sound for the leisure and hospitality sector - experience which aligns with his new role. David Morbey comments: “I’ve maintained a close relationship with Dom Harter and James King since my Martin Audio days and very much admired the Optimal Audio launch in 2021. The disruptive marketing and clear messaging around the ecosystem isn’t let down by the product, which proved to be as simple and intuitive as it promised, so when the opportunity arose to get involved, I didn’t hesitate. It’s an exciting brand with clear objectives that’s just starting out on its journey, and as part of the Focusrite group, will have the space to grow
India - PXL Media, a specialist in large format LED screen rentals, recently forayed into the professional touring audio domain by adding Martin Audio’s Wavefront Precision (WPL) line array to its inventory. In so doing, they have become India’s first WPL users. A production house known across South India for its prowess in LED screens, PXL Media launched SXL - a division centred around providing exceptional touring audio systems to audiences. “Together with VXL (Video) and LXL (Lights) we can provide a complete solution to our customers,” says Pratheesh Michael, CEO, PXL Media. This purchase also helps Pixel Media make its mark as a significant player in the touring industry in Kerala, one of the fastest growing events and touring markets in India. “We will quickly expand into all of South India soon,” promises Pratheesh. “PXL Media believes in investing
France - Coda Audio has announced an ongoing partnership with electronic musician and composer, Jean-Michel Jarre, debuting with a series of immersive shows at the revived MIDEM exhibition in Cannes. Now MIDƐM+ 23 under the new ownership of the City of Cannes, the event is set to reinvigorate the MIDEM brand post-pandemic, with a qualitative programme of keynotes, round tables, interactive networking spaces and live music. Completely redesigned to reflect the way in which the music recording industry has developed in recent years, MIDƐM+ 23 has clearly nailed its colours to the mast under the headings of technology and innovation. It is in this context – and as one of the show’s sponsors - that Jean-Michel Jarre will partner with Coda Audio to present his new album, Oxymore in a fully immersive show at the Salon des Ambassadeurs in Cannes. The show will ut
UK - Music, dialogue and vocal incantations, in their many expressive forms, set the backdrop for the enchanting world stage premiere of My Neighbour Totoro, the Royal Shakespeare Company’s hit production of the Japanese animation classic. Such is the 1988 film’s cult status, the short season at London’s The Barbican, replacing the animation with magical puppetry, broke box office records for ticket sales in a single day. Award-winning sound designer, Tony Gayle, who specialises in musical theatre, took up the RSC’s challenge of designing the soundscape, with the often-beguiling audience sound delivered in all its component parts by a Harman JBL Professional VTX A8 dual 8in compact line array. Through this advanced speaker set up, audiences are treated to a cocktail of sounds, from a 10-piece orchestra (nestled in the stage set’s tree house) combining
UK - With the launch of its Instacube 4/Instasub 8, Studiomaster introduces a dedicated ultra-low profile, high performance, commercial audio loudspeaker system to its professional loudspeaker catalogue. The miniature Instacube 4 aluminium enclosure, measures just 145 x 156 x 143 mm, complete with its removable mounting U-bracket. With a custom designed 4” neodymium, 2-way coaxial loudspeaker, comprising a 35 mm voice coil MF and 1.3” PEEK high-performance composite film diaphragm HF driver arrangement, the Instacube 4 boasts 100 W rms / 400 W peak power handling, up to 87dB continuous SPL output, and a 100 Hz – 20 kHz (-10 dB) frequency response. The ultra-slim Instacube 8 bass reflex compact subwoofer is ceiling, wall or floor mountable, and can be positioned under furniture. Although measuring just 515mm x 200mm x 425mm, the sub features a custom design 8” l
USA - The 2022 Latin Billboard Awards celebrated both the classic icons and modern-day hit-makers of Latinx music using versatile JBL Professional VTX Series speakers, supplied by Reflections Productions. Held in the University of Miami Watsco Centre in Miami and broadcast live on Telemundo, 2022’s Latin Billboard Awards featured performances by an eclectic roster of artists; honorary achievement awards for Chayanne, José Feliciano and Christina Aguilera; and a tribute to legendary singer Raphael. With a record-breaking 23 nominations, Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny took home eight awards including Tour of the Year, which used Martin MAC Series fixtures. Like all televised award shows filmed live with an audience, the Latin Billboards required an audio rig that provided full-scale live sound for the audience and accommodated both the performers and presenters with
Europe - Yamaha has announced that its VXC and VC series ceiling speakers are now compatible with the EASE Address software calculating tool, making the simulation of ceiling speaker placement and sound pressure levels quicker and more flexible for system designers. VXC and VC series ceiling speakers are suitable for corporate, education and commercial spaces. Already supported by Yamaha’s Commercial Installation Solutions Speaker Calculator (CISSCA) and Nexo's NS-1 system configuration software, the new compatibility with AFMG Technologies’ EASE Address significantly expands the range of calculators available to engineers. EASE Address is very simple to use. After drawing a top view of the facility, the user chooses the speaker models and the placement is automatically calculated, taking into account sound pressure levels. Manual operation of the software is also
Spain - ISE 2023 is shaping up to be a busy one for KV2 Audio with four new product debuts across three different product ranges. The first of those concerns the ESR Series which sees the addition of the ESR106 and its dedicated ESR2600D amplifier based on KV2 Audio proprietary SLA technology. The ESR Series was developed for a particular niche in the market requiring an all-in-one box to provide clear, detailed reproduction over a wide area. Typical applications include theatres, houses of worship, cultural/performance centres and concert halls where they are likely to be used vertically. When mounted horizontally, ESR Series loudspeakers provide excellent coverage over a tiered seating area for stadium or grandstand type applications. Like its siblings, ESR212, ESR215MkII and ESR215S, the new slimline ESR106 is an active-driven 3-way system. It deploys a column arra
USA - Wilderado is a three-piece indie folk band from Oklahoma with a loyal and ever-expanding fan-base. The beginning of the year saw them complete of a sold-out US headline tour and announce their first UK tour as special guests on alt-J’s The Dream Tour, ending this autumn with their own headline leg. Despite their solid success, not everything was perfect in the Wilderado-camp. Struggling with monitor wedges and inconsistent set ups on stage, they knew something needed to change. When audio engineer, Davis McCoy, joined them at the beginning of the year, he recommended KLANG immersive in-ear monitors. They have not looked back since. “As we started building longer sets and were doing more and more dates, I found I just couldn’t sing through the show,” says lead singer and guitarist, Max Rainer. “It was too taxing trying to project and to hear myself in th
USA - To ensure clear, impactful live sound with wide, even coverage for the Long Beach Jazz Festival, AV integrator Flag Systems deployed a dynamic selection of JBL Professional solutions. Featuring headliners Robert Glasper, Ledisi and Sergio Mendes, 2022’s Long Beach Jazz Festival took place at Rainbow Lagoon Park for waterside views as fans enjoyed a mix of jazz, soul and R&B. While the location was a pristine setting for a weekend of laid-back jazz, the stage needed an audio rig with enough coverage to reach audiences on both sides of the lagoon, while also considering the stage’s limited height and space. To meet these requirements, Flag Systems designed a sound reinforcement system exclusively featuring JBL VTX and VRX Series solutions. “If you’ve ever seen the site, you know one of the main challenges is that there’s a lake right behind the front-
Spain - EM Acoustics returns to ISE for the first time since 2020 after a strong year that has seen significant growth. Celebrating 20 years in business, the full management team will be present as the company looks to actively forge new links across Europe and worldwide as well as continue to build on current relationships. Visitors to the stand will be able to see a representative selection of EM’s ubiquitous EMS Series that offers a wide range of products for a variety of applications, both fixed and mobile, plus the full range of award-winning Reference Series point source loudspeakers. This widely successful product family - currently comprising the compact R8, the mid-sized R10 and the large format R12 - has found favour in theatres and performance venues thanks to its quality sound reinforcement in a versatile, low profile package. This includes the most recen
Spain - ISE 2023 sees the K-array group present their new roadmap dedicated to the AV market sector. Today, the K-array group comprises three brands – K-array, KGEAR and KSCAPE. Together, these brands offer solutions for AV spaces or applications – large or small, complex or not. According to K-array president Alessandro Tatini, the time has come to consolidate the company’s offering for the AV market to make it easy for integrators, consultants and architects to specify the products they need for their projects. K-array group products offer solutions for applications including corporate, education, hospitality, retail, public spaces, visitor attractions, marine and venues. “We are passionate about sound and have been pioneering unique audio solutions for live events for over 30 years,” explains Tatini. “We wanted to bring that experience to the installed A
Spain - Allen & Heath will be showing their full range of audio install solutions, including audio matrix processors, touchscreen controllers, Dante I/O, and the newly released Custom Control V1.3 software, at the upcoming ISE show in Barcelona. The complete AHM series will be on display including the Inavation Awards finalist AHM-32, plus the AHM-64 and AHM-16. Designed to excel in corporate, retail, hospitality and education environments, AHM is a family of powerful Audio Matrix Processors which allow integrators to quickly create systems that build from a single boardroom to a complete campus with emphasis on simplicity of programming and control. Allen & Heath’s range of install-focused hardware controllers will be present at the booth including the CC-7 and CC-10 touch panels in addition to the IP1, IP6 and IP8 controllers. A comprehensive selec
UK - A new audio rental company - 22live – has launched, with the announcement that key industry professionals Spencer Beard and Alex Penn have joined the management team. 22live is the UK’s newest pro-audio service provider, initially focused on providing hire services to the touring production market. Founded in early 2022 by Paul Timmins, with the initial business name derived purely from the year the company was established, 22live quickly became the favoured choice of name for its simplicity, availability and focus as a brand. Paul Timmins comments: “22 just works. It can fit on anything and it’s snappy. We’re really pleased with the brand we are creating and it looks great on all the kit.” In mid-2022 Stefan Phillips and Simon Gladstone joined the company as directors, to establish operations, based in the Midlands. Ti
USA - Some 33 years after it was founded, the 550-seat CupOJoy live music venue in Green Bay, Wisconsin, has taken delivery of its first permanently installed sound system in the larger space within the two-auditorium venue to which it relocated two years ago (having successively occupied two previous locations). Part of a complete audio-visual fit-out masterminded by local system integrators CCCP (Camera Corner), a Martin Audio Wavefront Precision WPS line array was specified after careful evaluation. Since the facility - whose mission is to be a family-friendly venue, offering ‘music that inspires’ - is a non-profit organisation run by volunteers, the two-year fund-raising programme, leading up to the investment, required an outcome that would please operators and donors alike. And the WPS has certainly delivered. CupOJoy’s technical director, Mark Berg c
USA - After relying on a venerable Meyer Sound system since first opening at its current location in 1997, Yoshi’s jazz club in Oakland, California recently upgraded to a new system incorporating the latest technologies from the same company. Supplied by Advanced Systems Group (ASG) based nearby in Emeryville, the new Meyer Sound installation has earned praise from management, artists, guest engineers, and patrons alike. “Every artist that has come in here has been blown away,” says Yoshi’s production manager Marcel Quiroz. “Haley Reinhart’s engineer told me it was the best house system he’d ever heard, and the engineer for Dave Weckl said that hands down we now have the best-sounding room in the Bay Area. After his set, Freddy Jackson came up, gave me a hug, and said, ‘Thank you!’” The prior system had served Yoshi’s well, reinforcing the music o
Finland - To complement its growing global network of physical Experience Centres, Genelec has introduced its online virtual showroom, where visitors can explore a wide range of active loudspeaker systems and technologies in a set of stunningly realistic room settings. This allows customers across the Studio, AV, and Home Audio segments to instantly access valuable Genelec information and resources in a visually engaging interactive environment. Hosted on the Genelec website, visitors to the virtual showroom can experience the latest in VR technology to navigate separate and distinct areas for professional audio monitoring, AV installation and home audio, which showcase both stereo and immersive systems that comprise a carefully selected range of key loudspeaker and subwoofer models. Visitors can then access detailed product information, video content and valuable learning r
Finland - Casino Tampere is a far cry from the glitz and bling-bling of Las Vegas. Located at Tampere’s Nokia Arena, it’s only the second casino in Finland and is owned and operated by the Finnish state-owned company Veikkaus. Casino Tampere operates a responsible gaming policy with tools in place to enable players to self-regulate as well as mandatory loss limits on slot machines. Exuding Finnish style with lots of natural wood and greenery, Casino Tampere combines Nordic design with advanced casino concepts. Over 100 Genelec Smart IP loudspeakers contribute to a complete sensory experience. Digital AV solutions experts, Craneworks Oy, won an open tender to design and supply all of the digital AV solutions for the new casino thanks to their imaginative, ideas-driven approach combined with solid technical expertise. As Craneworks managing director, Sami Käyhkö de
Spain - Clear-Com returns to Barcelona for ISE 2023, where the company will showcase a broad range of intercom applications on Stand 5G820 in Hall 5. Offering innovative voice communications solutions for live events and performance venues, motorsports, theme parks, marine offshore, corporate communications production, and more. Visitors will be invited to explore the company’s diverse portfolio of intercom systems at the stand, including the award-winning Arcadia Central Station with HelixNet Digital Network Partyline integration, the new V-Series IrisX IP Panel, and a range of virtual intercom clients including the Agent-IC mobile app and Station-IC desktop client. A popular choice for the largest and most complex live events, Arcadia is a scalable IP intercom platform bringing together HelixNet, FreeSpeak, Encore, other 2W/4W endpoints, and third-party Dante devic
Spain - Renkus-Heinz will make its return to Integrated Systems Europe at the Fira Barcelona Gran Via venue in Barcelona. ISE 2023 attendees will have the opportunity to experience ‘The Sound Solution’ in person at booth #7F680 where Renkus-Heinz will exhibit various systems including the award-winning UBX Series of passive column loudspeakers and Iconyx Compact Series digitally steerable arrays. Members of the global Renkus-Heinz team including president Monika Smetona, CTO Ralph Heinz and many more look forward to meeting with attendees and answering any questions about the company’s latest projects and developments. “ISE is a great opportunity for Renkus-Heinz to exhibit the progress we have made in the past year as well as strengthen the relationships we’ve made previously,” said Smetona. “We’re bringing our best and most exciting lineup of products
China - Located in China’s most populated urban area, Shanghai New York University (NYU) is China’s first Sino-US research university. Founded in 2012 by NYU and East China Normal University with the support of the city of Shanghai and the district of Pudong, the university offers 19 majors and teaches entirely in English. One of three universities in the NYU Global Network, NYU Shanghai chose Audinate’s Dante audio network platform managed by Dante Domain Manager software to deliver upon its mission to offer its teaching, research and public service. At the start of 2020, the pandemic forced educational leaders around the world to transition from in-person to remote learning, including the administration at NYU Shanghai. This presented many challenges for the University leaders and its almost 2000 students, including improving the audio setup in 57 lecture hall-
Canada - The Girardin Sports Centre in Drummondville, Quebec, is the city’s first indoor multisport complex. Opened in 2021 at a cost of $21.7m, the centre is helping to alleviate a shortage in hockey facilities in the area for the city’s 68,000 residents. The centre’s project team chose AtlasIED’s systems to provide audio entertainment and communications for the nearly 5,000 weekly visitors. The 73,000sq.ft facility needed an audio system to cover key spaces including the ice rink, indoor soccer field which is overhung by a 250m running track, and the 16 rooms including conference rooms, offices, and locker rooms in the complex. One challenge was controlling different music playlists for different zones of the facility with a range of acoustical qualities. The centre chose AtlasIED’s AtmosphereAudio Processing and Control Platform and IPX loudspeakers and endpoint
Ireland - An Audient ASP8024 Heritage Edition console was installed as part of a full studio upgrade at Dublin’s Dun Laoghaire Further Education Institute (DFEi) this academic year, which has already sparked great interest from students. Patrick Wall, course coordinator of the Music and Sound Engineering programmes explains, “We offer students the chance to undertake supervised studio time outside of class hours to work on their own projects. There has been really great uptake this year, and I am sure that the new console and studio improvements have played a part.” The studio setup consists of a control room, main live room, drum room and smaller booth. The control room houses the Audient console, Genelec monitoring, Mac Mini M1 running ProTools and an outboard rack with various processors and effects. “As well as the new Audient console, we installed bespoke
