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
UK -The new Studiomaster Core is offered as ‘a highly versatile, self-powered hi-mid top and sub stack, suitable for high efficiency portable sound reinforcement applications, including in larger ‘medium size’ size venues where wider constant frequency coverage is required’. To achieve this wider coverage Core employs a constant curve array hi-mid cabinet, together with a powerful self-powered, active sub. Core is especially purposed for full-scale musical performance, with two variants – Core 121 and Core 151 – respectively having 5” and 8” MF drivers, rather than the 2” or smaller drivers more usually deployed in this product class. In the Core 121 these are matched with 9x 1” dome HF drivers, and 12x 1” dome tweeters in the CORE 151. This gives the two Core curvature arrays a highly accurate response across the full mid and high frequency spectrum (f
UK - Offering authentic Turkish food within a colourful upbeat space, the dining and drinking experience at Lokma restaurant in Stratford is billed as ‘both exotic and succulent.’ Combining traditional cuisine into a contemporary setting has been flooding the London restaurant scene in the last few years and thanks to technical assistance from Flipside AV, Lokma guests will enjoy musical entertainment alongside a menu deeply infused with culture and tradition. Having already designed a successful system at the Lokma restaurant in Bermondsey, Flipside were called upon once again to make the Stratford location work just as well. James Cooper, managing director at Flipside recalls: “It took a bit of planning to work out the space as a whole – being split across multiple levels, while still being quite open, it’s a slightly unusual space to work with, but I’m r
UK - Abbey Road’s Studio Three, which has been home to artists such as Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Lady Gaga, Frank Ocean, Florence + The Machine, Brockhampton and Amy Winehouse, has installed 21 Van Damme Purple Patches as part of an extensive revamp. Purple Parch is a PPE56 2x48 bantam patchbay, created as part of a two-year research and development programme to ensure that recording studios, theatres with recording facilities and broadcasting houses get the best in terms of performance, functionality and capability. Simon Campbell, head of technical services at Abbey Road Studios said: “You can tell that the team at VDC have done their research and worked very hard on creating a great product. We received 21 units straight off the production line, configured them and really put Purple Patch through its paces before we signed them off. We identified a few things tha
Philippines – October 2022 – Located 30 kilometres from the Philippine capital of Manila, Dasmariñas City has seen explosive growth in recent decades. Founded in 1990 in the Salitran neighbourhood, the Dasmariñas Church of God (COG) serves as a beacon of hope and light for both the local population and the wider Manila metropolis. Originally housed in a small rural complex, COG has seen impressive growth, which led the worship team to build a dedicated five-storey Generation Blessing Building in the heart of Dasmariñas to serve their current 15,000-plus congregation better. Church of God reaches out to parishioners and locals with an open-all-week plethora of offerings like a fitness centre and sauna, a café, a dance studio, a photography studio, music classes, and more. But the heart of COG’s ministry are the eight worship services offered every Sunday in th
UK - Heavily supported by the local City Council, Brighton & Hove Pride - a celebration of Brighton’s LGBTQ+ community, annually attracts crowds of around 250,000 people to the seaside resort. While the origins of the event date back to 1973, Capital Sound (part of the Solotech UK Group) has provided main stage sound reinforcement for the last three events. Having supplied PA and control for headliners Britney Spears and Kylie Minogue, following a break for COVID-19 they were back in the 63-acre Preston Park site for the 2022 edition which featured Christina Aguilera and Paloma Faith as headliners on the Saturday and Sunday respectively. After deploying Martin Audio’s MLA loudspeaker array for Britney Spears back in 2018, the enforced break caused by the pandemic had enabled the British manufacturer to move the ground-breaking control technology further still,
USA - Harman Professional Solutions recently partnered with the American Cancer Society to provide a powerful and dynamic JBL Professional SRX900 Series sound reinforcement system at the annual American Cancer Society Relay For Life of Santa Clarita Valley. Founded in Tacoma, Washington in 1985 by Dr. Gordon Klatt, Relay For Life is an ongoing community-based global fundraising movement in support of the American Cancer Society. With local fundraising events in thousands of communities and around the world, Relay For Life has raised approximately seven billion dollars globally since 1985 to fund cancer treatment research and provide patients with essential services. Located in Los Angeles County, the Santa Clarita Valley community has hosted a Relay For Life annually since 1999. “I’ve been involved with various Relay For Life events for ten years, first as a volun
USA - Harman Professional Solutions has introduced the JBL PRX900 Series of loudspeakers and subwoofers, which feature advanced acoustics, comprehensive DSP, power performance and complete BLE control via the JBL Pro Connect app. The line, which includes three powered two-way loudspeakers and two powered subwoofers, is built from the ground up to leverage JBL’s most advanced acoustic innovations. All-new proprietary driver systems - powered by Class D amplifiers -deliver clarity and definition even at maximum volume, with improved dispersion and beam width and smooth low-frequency extension. The PRX900 Series’ DSP package, accessible via onboard LCDs and the JBL Pro Connect app, includes 12-band parametric EQ for system tuning and nuanced tonal control, and integrated dbx Drive Rack technology, featuring live and fixed Automatic Feedback Suppression, soft system l
USA - To provide Alice Cooper with impactful and dynamic audio for his 2022 US tour, SLS Production Services implemented a diverse selection of JBL Professional audio solutions. Cooper is perhaps best known for his onstage persona and visuals inspired by horror films, injecting a sense of camp and theatricality in rock music that still inspires artists to this day. For his latest US tour, Cooper and his band performed onstage with gravestones, skeletons and a platform that doubles as a medieval castle wall. As a result, the band did not use amps onstage to accommodate the set design, meaning that the tour required live sound that provided impact and clarity for both the band and audience while also accounting for the budget, personnel and gear limitations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. To meet these requirements, SLS equipped the tour with a selection of JBL VTX Se
USA - The Lucky Day Tequila & Mezcal House in Las Vegas is a 3,000sq.ft, 100-person capacity bar filled with Mexican art and artifacts, colour, and an explosion of light and sound. A canopy of 15,000 colourful, programmable LED lights of all shapes and sizes dance above patrons as they sample cocktails and enjoy the music. Local Las Vegas restaurant and bar development firm, Corner Bar Management, opened the Lucky Day Tequila & Mezcal House in early 2020. Corner Bar Management focuses almost exclusively on creating spaces within the artistic Freemont district of Las Vegas. Lucky Day was the company’s sixth project at the time, and two more restaurants have been opened since. A foundation of all Corner Bar Management projects is a well-equipped, high-quality sound system. “Most all our venues are very dance forward. We create DJ-driven environments, and we
Canada - 64 Audio has announced the promotion of Stewart Millager to senior executive officer. Millager has been with 64 Audio since 2017, most recently as chief operating officer, and prior to that he led the company’s R&D team. “Since its founding in 2010, 64 Audio has become the leader in the custom and universal fit in-ear monitor market, and that’s due to both our people and our product,” said Millager. “Our founder and chief sound designer Vitaliy Belonozhko is the real creative force behind the company and its products. As I take on the senior executive officer role, it will allow him to have more opportunity to work on new products, patents, and inventions while I take on more responsibility for the day-to-day and overall operations.” “As a results-driven professional with an impressive resume in the consumer and Pro A/V markets, Stewart has p
UK - Britannia Row Productions, a Clair Global company, has acquired fellow UK-based sound reinforcement provider Skan to offer an even more comprehensive level of service and support to both firms’ existing and future clients. The transaction was finalised in September. “Since its inception, Skan has evolved to become recognised internationally for its passion for providing the very best service, equipment, packaging, and people to its clients,” states Nicola Amoruso, managing director at Britannia Row. “Skan and Britannia Row have maintained a relationship of friendly competition and mutual respect throughout this time and both parties see this partnership as a logical step forward.” Founded in the ‘70s, Skan is based in Newbury in the South of England and offers sound reinforcement services for tours, festivals, and large-scale events with an impressive
UK - Britannia Row Productions has a long-standing relationship with the WOMAD (World of Music, Arts and Dance) international arts festival, having been involved in several editions since the very first in 1982. The 2022 festival saw Brit Row provide skilled crew and audio packages for all four stages, catering to a diverse line-up of musical acts and performers. “We love the festival, particularly because of its ethos to bring in these wonderfully diverse artists to headline,” says Brit Row director, Bryan Grant. “Another great aspect is that our engineers often mix bands, so it’s excellent experience for them. There are also roles on the crew for relative newcomers, whom the festival always encourages to get stuck in. Our freelancers line up to work at WOMAD!” Audio crew chief Alex Hore had worked on the festival many times over the years, but this was his
USA - Audinate Group Limited reports that Dante Brooklyn 3 audio networking module is now shipping to customers. Announced in June at InfoComm 22, the new module is a pin-compatible replacement for one of Audinate’s most popular products, Dante Brooklyn 2, which has been redesigned to ensure continuous availability while delivering support for current and future Dante features. The Dante Brooklyn module family is the most widely deployed implementation of Dante and is used in hundreds of products including mixing consoles, DSPs, and amplifiers. The new Dante Brooklyn 3 audio module is available in 8x8 to 64x64 channel SKUs, delivering ultra-low latency networked audio in a complete module supporting the complete suite of Dante audio features. “With the arrival of Brooklyn 3, we’re delivering a new design that will help original design manufacturers address
USA - A 3D stage production featured at the Red Rocks amphitheatre in late September for Rowdytown X, the 10th anniversary edition of Big Gigantic’s flagship party. Lighting and production designer, Justin Casey of Helms Projects and the production team created a deep and evocative stage presence that made it easy for fans to feel like they were entering a 3D space as they watch performances by the event’s hosts, as well as guests Joyryde, Mitis, Jantsen, and INZO. A variety of design elements, from a curved set that wrapped around the artists on stage, to blow-through video walls with generative content, were seamlessly fused to create this immersive panorama. Contributing to the overall effect was a collection of 40 Chauvet Professional fixtures supplied by Helms Projects and Brown Note Productions. “This production took a village to complete, so big thanks to
USA - The organisers of Downtown Napa’s Oxbow RiverStage along with Sound Image Productions, who provided the complete audio, lighting and staging package for the concert series, decided on a PA system from EAW’s ADAPTive line, including its Anya Loudspeakers and Otto Subwoofers. This year’s event featured Brandi Carlile, Lovers and Strangers, a-ha, Trombone Shorty’s Voodoo Threauxdown, Third Eye Blind, Robert Plant and Allison Krauss, and Widespread Panic. In all, Oxbow RiverStage utilised nine Anya’s flown inside and three Otto subs on each side of the stage. “We worked with the City of Napa this year to deal with concerns we’d had in past seasons with bleed into neighbouring communities,” says Mike Brown, head of audio, Sound Image Productions. “Turning the stage around and moving it to the other side of the venue helped, but EAW’s Anya ADAPTive
France - Amadeus has collaborated on a new artistic work with South African artist, performer, and director William Kentridge to create the immersive sound for his latest multi-sensorial installation, titled More Sweetly Play The Dance and hosted by France’s renowned cultural centre Les Champs Libres. The new Kentridge exhibition is designed to be ‘open, festive, poetic, and generous but also contemplative, gruff, and militant. It intends to evoke the concept of celebration in its broadest sense, by uniting artistical practices from all horizons’. This work surrounds the spectators in a seemingly endless parade of characters. A genuine dancing procession of cartoons and videos, the 35m-long frieze of moving images and sound invites attendees to enter a macabre dance while providing the opportunity to reflect on notions of injustice and inhumanity.
Europe - Shure supported Louis Tomlinson on his worldwide debut album campaign with 12 channels of PSM 1000 in ear monitors and two channels of Axient Digital AD2 handheld microphones with KSM9 capsules. The world tour was rescheduled due to the 2020 pandemic and as a result, some shows were booked into larger venues with more production added. Show designer, Tom Taylor/TANCK came up with a new concept for the large outdoor European shows which allowed for a full width catwalk in front of the IMAG video screens, allowing Louis to walk and perform along the full width of stage and the catwalk, which was around 60m wide. This presented the concerns that his IEMs and radio mic wouldn’t have sufficient RF coverage behind the antennas at stage left. Jack Drury and Stuart Stephens suggested a passive split of the IEM transmitting antennas, running our usual helical setup
UK - Now 11 years old, Chris Evans’ popular CarFests show no signs of running out of gas, as some 50,000 people again took to Laverstoke Park Farm near Overton, Hampshire - owned by 1979 Formula One World Champion, Jody Scheckter - for CarFest South. Inaugurated by Evans back in 2011, the event raises funds for Children in Need. The event is a regular client of Martin Audio partner SWG Events, the south-west-based production company, who provided a full sound and light package. This included their Martin Audio WPL line array, which provided sound reinforcement for a broad range of artists. These included Kaiser Chiefs, Rag 'n' Bone Man, Tom Odell, Sophie Ellis Bextor, Faithless Soundsystem, James Blunt, Judge Jules, Bob Marley Revival and Rick Parfitt Jnr, Paloma Faith and Steps. The fast-moving performance area is built around three differently configured stages, fl
EMEA - Martin Professional continues their expansion with the appointment of Chris Munn as account manager for UK & Ireland. With almost twenty years of experience in the industry, he brings extensive knowledge and in-depth experience to the team. His passion for Martin products evident, particularly in his lighting design work, Munn joins Martin from working as an energy zone manager on the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, leaving early to grasp this opportunity. Munn previously worked across many roles in various venues, including technical manager of various producing and receiving regional venues. Also, a qualified electrician, he brings with him a wide range of skills gained from working on events, festivals and tours in every discipline; along with his already proven can-do attitude and hands-on approach! Munn comments, “I am excited to be part of the
USA - Renkus-Heinz, industry-leading loudspeaker manufacturer, will showcase a range of sound solution products fit for the House of Worship market at the Church Facilities Conference & Expo (CFX) at The Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Centre this week in Dallas, Texas. At CFX, Renkus-Heinz will feature its latest loudspeaker technology including the ICLX of the ICLive X Series, the PCX8 of the all-new PCX Series and two S Series subwoofers. In addition to experiencing Renkus-Heinz products, attendees will have the chance to speak directly with Renkus-Heinz CTO Ralph Heinz, product manager Brandon Heinz and Western regional sales manager Garrison Parkin at Booth F. "Houses of worship often pose unique acoustic challenges," said Parkin. "Large contemporary houses of worship might require a high-output system that doesn't compromise on sound quality while more tradit
