Morocco - The Mix restaurant and club located in the city of Marrakech features a DJ booth in the centre of the restaurant delivering music via a Nexo P+ Series system. With a vision for a restaurant with music in its DNA, owners of the venue approached Casablanca-based sound, light and video technology specialists Smart AV to design and install a sound system that could shift gears seamlessly from background music to powerful, floor-filling sound when the DJs take over. Working in collaboration with Nexo’s Engineering Support Team, a Nexo P+ Series point source system was configured using Nexo NS-1 software to predict coverage in the venue. Four P12 loudspeakers and four L15 subs are installed in the main room, with amplification from Nexo NXAMP4X1MK2 powered controllers. The centrally located bar is equipped with two Nexo P8s. “P12 is the perfect system for
USA - Pliant Technologies will showcase its CCU-08 CrewCom Control Unit at LDI 2022 (Booth 406). The CCU-08 is the latest addition to the CrewCom system and gives users the ability to use up to eight 4-Wire ports while retaining all the same features of the current companion CCU-22 and CCU-44 products. Like the current Control Units, the CCU-08 Control Unit contains no radio and is frequency agnostic and can therefore control and monitor any device across CrewNet regardless of radio frequency bands being utilised. With the combination of CrewCom Radio Transceivers, the new CCU-08 supports up to 82 Radio Packs, 18 in Normal mode and 64 in the recently released High Density mode, across all RF bands. Up to four CCU Control Units can be used in one system for larger user counts. “The new CCU-08 is designed for applications that need additional I/O but do not require 2-w
UK - Beabadoobee, the first full band show at Electric Group’s NX Newcastle, and similarly sold-out turns by localist Andrew Cushin, Liverpool hitmakers the Wombats and London post-punkers Black Midi, amplify the new venue’s accessibility, standard-setting sightlines, sound and provision. Up the stairs into the main room, via Instagrammable city colours décor and the NX logo, ticketholders are met with a full, unmitigated view of the stage. The sound system features Encore’s d&b J Series PA, driven by Allen & Heath desks. John Tinline, managing director at Encore Sounds, says: “We spec’d the PA by committee, working with Electric Group and the architect, developing the original want for a ‘facsimile of the system in Electric Brixton’, which works so well, to accommodate the tiers at NX. It’s a great sounding room.” The 1,550 str
USA - Thunder Audio recently powered Pitbull’s Can’t Stop Us Now tour with JBL Professional VTX line array systems and Crown amplifiers in stadiums and amphitheatres across North America. Following the success of his I Feel Good Tour in 2021, Pitbull’s Can’t Stop Us Now 2022 Tour is presented by Live Nation and features performances by Iggy Azalea and Sirius XM’s Globalization DJs in addition to the Cuban-American superstar himself. The 50+ date North American tour began in Raleigh, North Carolina in July and concluded in Hollywood, Florida on 19 October. Pitbull’s veteran front-of-house engineer Will Madera and production manager Victor Martinez hired Thunder Audio to supply a complete stadium-ready JBL VTX system for the three-month tour. With the help of system engineer Nick Turner, the audio team selected and designed a touring sound solu
Hungary - The long-standing relationship between Capital Sound (part of the Solotech UK Group) and the major week-long Hungarian Sziget Festival, resumed this year after the two-year hiatus. This six-day event on the Danube - situated on the remote Hajógyári Island (Óbudai-sziget), north of Budapest - draws between 500,000-600,000 visitors, and always pulls a major list of global superstars across its stages. This year was no exception, with Dua Lipa, Arctic Monkeys, Stromae, Kings of Leon, Lewis Capaldi, Tame Impala, Nina Kravitz and Sam Fender among the many familiar faces. The technical infrastructure included Martin Audio’s MLA loudspeaker array, which has been a regular and reassuring sight for audiences and visiting sound crews alike on main stage since 2015. According to Robin Conway, Solotech senior technical advisor, the main stage sound design cont
Germany - The State Theatre on Gärtnerplatz, commonly known as the Gärtnerplatztheater, was opened in 1865 and its late-classical façade still characterises the ambience of the square in the centre of Munich that gives it its name. Last year, the theatre was converted to digital microphone technology from Sennheiser. The repertoire of the Gärtnerplatztheater includes performances from all areas of musical theatre, from musicals and modern operettas to revues. The main performance venue is the grand auditorium, which is designed as a classical tiered theatre (balcony with a central box and three galleries) and can accommodate an audience of just under 900 people. Dirk Buttgereit has been head of the sound department at the Gärtnerplatztheater since 2003. “We’ve been using Sennheiser wireless solutions for many years,” Buttgereit reports. “Even back in the 1
Finland - Genelec has appointed Kati Pajukallio as AV business manager and Sami Mäkinen as AV sales manager for Finland. These new appointments will bring Genelec even closer to its key customers and help drive continued growth in both international and domestic AV markets, says the company. Pajukallio joined Genelec last year, bringing with her a wealth of AV industry experience, having previously worked in marketing communications roles for Electrosonic and Audico Systems, both highly regarded integrators. As AV business manager, she will now lead Genelec’s global AV Installation business, helping to develop the company’s international presence by developing its AV portfolio and partner network. As well as strengthening Genelec’s reach and relationships with customers, Pajukallio’s strong marketing background will be fundamental in helping to shape the company’s
Germany - d&b audiotechnik has announced the appointment of Jan Biermann, head of research and development at d&b, to the Board of Directors of the Open Control Architecture (OCA) Alliance. The OCA Alliance is a non-profit corporation formed to promote and support the AES70 standard for Open Control Architecture as a system control standard for professional applications. The Alliance, which was founded in 2011, supports the development and evolution of the AES70 standard and promotes its adoption through marketing, education and training. In addition, the Alliance develops new AES70 revisions and related materials to increase the value and usability of AES70 as an interoperability tool for the media systems industry. “d&b has been a supporter of the Alliance since its founding. Hence I am very excited for the opportunity to join the OCA Board of Directors
Portugal - Contacta Systems is hoping to increase sales in Portugal through a new partnership with established distributor, NAUTA. Founded in 1992, NAUTA is well-known for its portfolio of security solutions and fire safety products, as well as its audio systems, and represents many major brands. With Portugal having recently become a member of CENELEC, the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation, EN 17210 accessibility standards now apply to public buildings in the country and demand for assistive listening products is predicted to increase. Head of business development at Contacta, Ran Meyrav, said; “This new partnership will enable us to meet the needs of installers and specifiers across Portugal, looking to meet the accessibility standards. In NAUTA we have found an ideal partner with great technical understanding and the right channels to
China - Hangzhou Esports Centre, the first professional esports venue in China, recently opened its doors to esports professionals. The starship-shaped venue is a suitable fit for the futuristic and science-fiction feel of esports, but due to the large event space with a long reverberation time, it was a challenge to find an audio system that could achieve the extremely high requirements for esports competitions. Tasked with providing the overall solution for the Hangzhou Esports Centre project, Zhejiang Dafeng Industry Co, along with AV distributor and provider, EZPro, designed and delivered a comprehensive PA system utilising a range of products from Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW). The venue’s new PA system consists of 36 EAW KF810P line array systems, 12 EAW SB818P|F single 18-inch subwoofers, six EAW SB180zP compact high-output subwoofers, and fill speakers from E
Finland - A zactrack SMART real time tracking system has been installed on the Main Stage at the Tampere Workers’ Theatre (Tampereen Työväen Teatteri - TTT) in Tampere, Finland, where it is being utilised by both the audio and lighting departments. The building housing this 800-capacity stage was completed in 1985, its 20m width making it the second largest stage in Finland. The Theatre’s repertory programme presents Finnish plays, world literature classics and a diverse and vibrant range of musicals. In 2020, they invested in L-Acoustics L-ISA immersive audio technology which brought the requirement for a leading-edge tracking product that would work for both audio and lightin,g explained Pauli Molnar, sales manager from zactrack’s Finnish distributor, Intersonic based in Espoo. In the initial months of using L-ISA, it soon became apparent that accurate,
USA - Nestled in the small-town charm of Greenville, Mississippi’s historic downtown, St. Joseph Catholic Church is rich with culture and community. Every week, parishioners come together under the high ceilings and stately archways of the nave, where light from stained-glass windows floods into the sanctuary. While the stunning architecture suits the sacred music of the parish choir, the space’s design led to difficulties with spoken word intelligibility. The old sound system was unable to compensate for the demands of the space, but a generous donation allowed St. Joseph Catholic to meet the community’s needs with an audio upgrade: a new Iconyx sound system from Renkus-Heinz. Church leadership consulted Allen Cotton, solutions architect with Mississippi-based integrator Sound & Communications, to design a new system that would cover the entire sanctuary –
Open Air Abba - Mamma Mia! is to perform outside at the Scarborough Open Air Theatre next year to celebrate 24 years since the show premiered in London in April 1999. The show will run at Scarborough Open Air Theatre, the largest open-air concert arena in the UK, from 14-18 June 2023, as part of the show’s UK & International Tour. It marks the return of theatre to the venue, which has hosted music acts in recent years. More than 30,000 tickets are on sale for the six performances. Creator and producer Judy Craymer said: “We are so excited to be bringing Mamma Mia! to Scarborough Open Air Theatre next summer. With its heart-warming story told through the wonderful music of ABBA, Mamma Mia! lends itself perfectly to the outdoors.” Closure Threat - The future of a Manchester music venue which has hosted bands such as Wet Leg, Elbow and the Arctic M
UK - Britannia Row Productions has announced that one of its longest-serving employees, Mike Lowe, is celebrating 35 years with the company. Lowe joined Brit Row in 1987, originally handling accounts for household names such as Culture Club; Kool & the Gang; Jethro Tull; Soft Cell; Joni Mitchell; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; Frank Sinatra; and Iron Maiden to name but a few. “I’d known of Brit Row since it was formed in 1975 and had come together with Bryan Grant on a number of projects since the early 70s,” says Lowe. “When he found out I was handing in my notice at my previous company, he invited me to discuss joining Brit Row with his then business partner, Robbie Williams. It seemed an easy decision for us all to make, and I came on board.” Lowe has been involved in some of Brit Row’s biggest and most prestigious events over the last thre
USA - Earlier this month, Danley Sound Labs and their marketing agency Forum Communications were recognised by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts’ 17th Annual w3 Awards. The partners earned a gold w3 Award for the redesign of their website www.danleysoundlabs.com. “Our focus on Danley’s new website was to improve the user experience and simplify access to product information,” said Nick Kastner, director of brand and digital strategy at Forum Communications. “The requirements for the design were to simplify access to products and to showcase the many impressive applications and installations of Danley products.” Forum’s process for the design focused primarily on recategorisation of product information, simplification of the site’s architecture, and full implementation of Danley’s brand. “At Danley, the only true way to understand the
Portugal - Independent audio-visual project Porta 253 has been utilising the Audient iD14 MKII audio interface to produce artistic films on YouTube for a while. Recently, Portuguese TV network, Canal180 approached them to televise a curated selection of its audio-visual pieces, each of which is recorded around the city of Braga. Founded by Joana Jorge, the concept of Porta 253 is to promote Portuguese music by filming 20-minute intimate concerts and interviews with local and international artists in unusual surroundings. She is the creative mind behind the project, often choosing the venue - which could be anywhere from an ice cream shop to a railway station - as well as handling the video direction and editing of each performance. Joana’s boyfriend, producer João Figueiredo looks after all things audio. Since the arrival of his iD14 MKII, he has put the Audient a
Italy - Vasco Rossi is known for selling 225,173 tickets, the highest number ever to a single show, in his home region of Modena in 2017. After the success of his last stadium tour, Vasco Non Stop Live 019, and in anticipation of his upcoming album Siamo qui this November, Vasco has marked his return to the live stage by playing 11 sold out concerts. Supplied by Italian rental company, Agorà, DiGiCo consoles took up both the front of house and monitor positions, with Vasco’s long-time sound engineer, Andrea Corsellini, utilising a pair of Quantum 338s at FOH. For this tour, alongside the Quantum 338s, the set up included five DiGiCo SD-Racks on stage - two for monitors, two for the FoH and one for effects, all connected via an Optocore optical loop. “In a show like this, redundancy is a ‘must’ and the use of Optocore guaranteed that reliability an
UK - With a frequent presence at the Glastonbury Festival site at Worthy Farm, where they service a number of stages, SWG Events also provide technical support for Pilton Party. Although lesser known, it occupies the same site as the popular John Peel Stage - and features equally prominent headliners. This year it was the turn of Elbow, supported by Easy Life to take the stage at Pilton Party 2022, where the same PA system that graced the Pyramid stage this year -Martin Audio’s WPL Wavefront Precision line array - was in position again, and Pyramid production manager Emma Reynolds-Taylor repeated her role. Both bands had turned in stunning performances on Pyramid stage this year, and Pilton Party saw a reprise. Besides that, SWG Events provided sound reinforcement for Easy Life when they played the BBC Music Introducing stage at Glastonbury in 2019. The confide
UK - TiMax spatial audio and showcontrol manufacturer, Out Board, has announced a strategic relocation of its distribution partnership through Poland, in alliance with the strategic growth plan of its long-standing distributor, Polsound. Following many successful years with Polsound who have supported and developed the market in Poland, the TiMax range of products including TiMax SoundHub and TiMax Tracker will be managed through ESS Audio. The strategic coordination leverages the additional solutions-based project resources within ESS Audio, which operates across the full spectrum of TiMax's core live event and theatre markets, as well as the rapidly-growing presentation and experiential sectors where the unique immersive audio technology adds notable benefit and value. Out Board director, Dave Haydon, commented, “We have always had tremendous synergy with the
UK - Four years in development, Orbit.6 has been unveiled by mixer designer, Andy Rigby-Jones, and his new venture, Union Audio. The six-channel rack-mounted analogue rotary mixer has been engineered “to meet the aspirations of audiophile DJ and vinyl lovers.” Since forming in 2014, Union Audio has been collaborating with leading names in the DJ and sound reproduction field, including Ritchie Hawtin’s Play differently, MasterSounds Audio and TPI, so the release of the first own brand product is a major milestone in the company’s journey from garden shed to manufacturing stronghold. “It has long been my dream to launch Union Audio’s own product line, and we’ve been working on orbit.6 for the last four years, so it’s incredibly exciting to see all this effort finally come to fruition,” said Rigby-Jones. “What better way to start a new product range t
USA - In preparation for Thomas Rhett’s just-concluded Bring the Bar to You Tour, a 30-date US trek, FOH engineer Trey Smith and monitor engineer Jimmy Nicholson had plotted out much of the tour’s sonic complexity during a series of extensive rehearsals leading up to it. During these, while the band, musical director and Smith arranged keyboard and guitar-amplifier modelling patches, Nicholson perfected what Rhett himself would hear in his IEMs while allowing each performance to be both true to the recordings and fitted perfectly to each successive venue. The only way to accomplish that, according to the audio engineers, was via DiGiCo’s Quantum7 console - times two. Rented through Nashville-based Spectrum Sound, the identical control desks reportedly made all the difference in terms of being able to reliably execute a complicated show night after night.
Spain - El Madrileño is one of the most successful Spanish album premiers, generating more than 5m downloads on Spotify in a single day. It is the third studio album from Spanish rapper and singer-songwriter Antón Álvarez Alfaro, better known as C. Tangana, and was co-produced with fellow recording artist, Alizzz. With the album peaking atop the Spanish music charts and bringing C. Tangana his first Latin Grammy nomination as a performer, a concert tour in support of El Madrileño, Sin Cantar ni Afinar Tour, was announced. The first date in Málaga earlier this year sold-out almost instantly, with over 30 shows taking place around Europe since. Providing powerful processing and stability are DiGiCo Quantum 7 and SD7 consoles, supplied by audiovisual equipment rental company Fluge Audiovisuales. FOH engineer Felipe Lara has been mixing for C. Tangana f
UK - It’s been a busy summer for Blackbeam, the popup cinema and event projection specialists based in Barnstaple on the north coast of Devon. The company provides popup cinema hire services to a range of customers including Exeter Phoenix, Seaton Outdoor Cinema and the National Trust, in addition to organising its own Blackbeam Cinematic events. A graduate of the Royal College of Art with a history of working in the events services industry, Blackbeam owner Alastair Leslie knows that powerful, full range cinematic sound is every bit as important as a great picture in creating a thrilling and truly immersive outdoor movie experience. So Blackbeam audiences are wowed by the punch and clarity of a compact Nexo line array system comprising two hangs of six Geo M6 boxes with a pair of LS18 subs on the floor, with amplification and processing from a pair of NXAMP4X2MK2 powered
UK - Funktion-One has introduced what many will view as its most versatile loudspeaker to date. Evo X is a significant development of the full range, completely horn-loaded loudspeaker. Utilising the latest Funktion-One waveguide technology, it provides 90° horizontal dispersion and high SPL. Evo X's advanced driver technology delivers outstanding clarity, resolution and detail across 90° horizontal dispersion, making it an excellent choice for live venues, small clubs and theatres. It is capable of high SPL from a relatively compact speaker and can be deployed as a one per side or four-point system. While Evo X’s horizontal dispersion delivers even coverage across a wide area, its focused 15° vertical dispersion ensures the sound is concentrated on the audience, minimising reflections and room excitement. The result is clear and involving sound. Funktion
