Sound

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14 August 2024

Japan - The Shiki Theatre Company has been part of Japan’s entertainment scene since 1953 and has become one of the world’s largest theatre groups with 1,400 actors and team members. Sennheiser Japan has been a partner to the Shiki Theatre Company for many years. In the beginning, all their theatres were equipped with a combination of analogue Sennheiser 3000 series wireless receivers and 5000 series transmitters. After recognising the significant advantages of the Digital 6000 series, Shiki upgraded to the new audio system a few years ago.

Mr. Kaname Morishita from the sound and music department of the Shiki Theatre Company talks about how the new digital system got introduced: “The major turning point was a sound designer in the US implementing the Digital 6000 series when we were preparing to stage new international programmes at Shiki. For internat

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14 August 2024

USA - Newark Airport’s new Terminal A is now open. The one million square foot facility with 33 gates represents the largest single investment in New Jersey in the Port Authority’s history. The terminal boasts 21st-century technology, inspiring public art, world-renowned retailers, and locally inspired concessions.

Complementing the public art programme is an immersive digital journey that captivates passengers with the Garden State's renowned landmarks, art, and innovations through a series of permanent large-scale multimedia installations designed to prioritise the New Jersey sense of place that is distinct to the aesthetic and design of Terminal A.

Completed in 2023, Newark's Terminal A now joins LaGuardia's Terminal B as the only two airport terminals in North America awarded the highest Skytrax rating. The terminal served 15m passengers in i

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14 August 2024

China - Wilbur (Will) Pan, a Taiwanese American singer, songwriter, rapper, actor and entrepreneur, embarked on his 2024 Mad Love World Tour with the help of MaxTeam, one of the largest pop music performance service teams in China, and Chinese AV solutions provider EZPro, which provided the professional PA equipment at a variety of locations including Qingdao, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing, Nanchang, Hefei, Xi'an and Chengdu. This PA package included EAW ADAPTive Anya arrays and Otto subwoofers.

The Mad Love Tour kicked off earlier this year in Hangzhou, China at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Indoor Stadium, with a total of 24 EAW Anya enclosures (12 on each side) as the main PA system. The speakers were flown to a trim height of 13m, but easily covered the near and far seating using EAW’s Resolution 2 software to dictate st

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13 August 2024

UK - PLASA Show has announced the first confirmed sessions in a bumper programme of seminars, masterclasses and panels taking place throughout the show at Olympia London from 1-3 September. 

Being held in three sector-specific theatres with dedicated content streams covering lighting and production, AV and audio, and business and industry initiative, the industry-leading programme is once again sponsored by Vectorworks.

Sessions will include audio and comms specialist James Henry-Breward (‘Brew’) outlining the systems and kit deployed this year’s Wimbledon tennis championship; and Dan Crompton from Tate Galleries discussing advancements in AV technology and its impact on museums and galleries.

Other expert contributors will include visual artist Frankie Boyle who will discuss how lighting affects human behaviour; and Jon Burton present

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13 August 2024

South Africa - DWR Distribution hosted its first mini exhibition at its offices in Johannesburg on 29 and 30 July. The goal of the event was to provide an opportunity for industry professionals, system integrators, and students to meet with international suppliers, see the latest technology, and most importantly, network.

Exhibitors included: Barco, Chainmaster, DiGiCo, Doughty, DSpecialists, Fenix Stage, L-Acoustics, Layher, MA Lighting, Neutrik Group, Prolyte, Quest Engineering, RCF, Robe Lighting, Sennheiser Electronic SA, Sharp NEC, Theatrixx, RAM Mountaineering, Special Industrial Suppliers, and Visual Productions.

A new warehouse at DWR, recently secured as the new home for the DWR Workshop and Manufacturing departments, was quickly transformed into a venue to host the expo. Visitors could attend daily workshops, see demonstrations and discover

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13 August 2024

Poland - Founded over 15 years ago, I Am Music is a trusted supplier of audio, lighting and AV technology to the Polish events sector, and has worked with most major stars in the Polish music scene. The company recently made the decision to make a significant investment in its audio inventory and chose to add a Coda Audio system, supplied by Coda’s Polish distributor Tommex.
I Am Music purchased a system based on Coda Audio’s flagship AiRAY line array (16 units) supplemented by ViRAY (12 units) and SCP-F subs (12 units), complemented by two Linus T-Rack (12-channel touring rack with 3 x Linus 14D amplifiers) and a Linus M-Rack (compact four-channel touring rack with a single Linus14D amplifier). A further 4 x HOPS8T (high output point source) and Linus 12C amplifier provide excellent system expansion, completing a comprehensive solution that can cater for e

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13 August 2024

USA - When The Muny, one of America’s most iconic outdoor venues, kicked off its 106th season, patrons were treated to an enhanced and immersive audio experience featuring brand-new Meyer Sound Panther large-format linear line array loudspeakers, provided by Masque Sound, a leading theatrical sound reinforcement, installation and design company.

This state-of-the-art Panther system was specified by resident co-sound designers John Shivers and David Patridge, bringing their creative visions to life with unprecedented clarity and impact.

“Over the course of 10 years as resident co-sound designers at The Muny, John (Shivers) and I had made all of the possible improvements with the audio package we could think of,” says Patridge. “Thankfully, Masque Sound has been an amazing partner and has allowed us to improve loudspeakers, consoles, radios and

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13 August 2024

Finland - Established in 2015 in the thriving city of Kuopio in Central Finland, Lumit is the country’s premier performing arts school. In 2022, Lumit - now numbering around 600 students from across Finland - moved into a new, state-of-the-art building with high-tech facilities dedicated to the learning and practice of the performing arts. Earlier this year, the building witnessed a further upgrade, this time to its sound system with a range of Genelec smart active loudspeakers, which power the facility’s four music classrooms and studio.

Ville Heikkinen is a music lecturer and coordinator of the music studies department at Lumit, teaching band playing, music technology, music production, staging and lighting. He is responsible for the maintenance of these spaces and works closely with the school’s in-house AV engineer on the upkeep of the three stages

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13 August 2024

Australia - Specialising in bespoke audio solutions for unique functions, the team at Monitor City were recently entrusted with deploying and driving the audio for the 2024 St Kilda Film Festival launch night. Held within Melbourne’s iconic Astor Theatre, the event was said to be the festival’s largest opening night in recent memory. Monitor City chose cabinets from Nexo’s Geo M12 line array system, deployed with the aid of acoustic modelling software, to ensure the highest standards of sonic performance possible within the venue. Additional solutions from Nexo’s P+ Series and ID Series were used to provide fill and maintain complete coverage within the theatre.

Tasked with providing an audio system suited to both premium 3.1 channel playback for film, and sound reinforcement for speeches, Monitor City’s Daniel O’Callaghan explains that a careful

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13 August 2024

Germany - The Friedrichstadt-Palast has been a leading hub for cultural and artistic excellence in the heart of Berlin, with a history that dates back to 1919. One of the largest and most prominent theatres in the capital, its latest production Falling | In Love is a fantasy tale filled with colour, exuberant costumes and an ensemble of 100 artists. Visual design and technology studio, Bright! played a pivotal role in enabling lighting and audio technology befitting such a grand production.

“The Friedrichstadt-Palast team were searching for a tracking solution that could manage both the sound and light tracking needs for their newest Grand Show Falling | In Love,” recalls Philip Neyses, head of the technical department at Bright! “This was the first time the theatre had considered a tracking solution.”

The key requirement wa

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13 August 2024

UK - When Yes Events’ Tom Chennells became the first customer for the TT+ Audio GTX line array back in the spring, it was precisely with shows such as the Waddesdon Manor summer concerts that he had in mind.

The Victorian venue - a French Renaissance-style château in Buckinghamshire - provided the perfect backdrop for four nights of concerts featuring various tribute acts. Yes Events provided not only the premium sound, but the complete technical infrastructure, including lighting, video, all rigging and staging, barriers, as well as booking the acts, in what was a total turnkey operation.

TT+ Audio is from the home of Italian loudspeaker giant RCF, with whom Chennells has enjoyed a long relationship.

When GTX, the flagship of the new brand, was demoed earlier in the year he recognised that the smaller GTX 10 would be the perfect replaceme

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12 August 2024

UK - Visitors to this year’s PLASA Show (1-3 September, Olympia London) can once again get up close to vintage technology used by iconic recording artists and theatre productions, courtesy of lighting designer and LSi journalist Rob Halliday, and Chris Hewitt of CH Vintage Audio.

In a special area of the show named after the popular, long-running LSi column, archive equipment will be showcased via a display of vintage consoles and fixtures. Additionally, a range of guest experts set to join Halliday and Hewitt on-stand throughout the event to share memories of tech-gone-by.

Kit set to be displayed includes:

• The custom Cadac mixing console created for Starlight Express in 1984, which pioneered the computer-controlled VCA mixing approach followed by all theatre shows since.
• The Strand Galaxy lighting console, which i

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12 August 2024

Tunisia - Placed second in the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest with her song Voilà, French singer-songwriter Barbara Pravi performed a special concert in the magnificent gardens of the Résidence de France Dar El Kamila in the La Marsa suburb of the Tunisian capital Tunis for the Franco-Tounsi festival on 12 July.

An all-Nexo sound system was deployed by Tunis-based event production specialists Sybel and comprised main left and right hangs of six each compact STM 2 x 8-inch line array elements with LF extension from ground-stacked STM B112 and S118 subs across the front of the stage. Nexo PS15s were deployed as out-fills with P15 cabinets from Nexo’s latest P+ Series point-source loudspeaker range used for font-fills and returns.

Two days later the Sybel team was in action again, this time with a Nexo Geo M system at the 14 July Nat

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12 August 2024

USA - All-female Mexican vocal groups, Pandora and Flans recently undertook a 17-city theatre and arena tour of the US, mostly visiting the Southern States.

The Inesperado (‘Unexpected’) tour was supported by a large inventory of Martin Audio WPL line array, provided by New Mexico-based rental partner, High End-RG Productions. The high-energy show combined the two legendary groups in one spectacular event.

Martin Audio’s successful Wavefront Precision PA was deployed; 12 boxes per side for the group’s FOH sound engineer, Luis Quiñones. High End-RG Productions president, Enrique Ortiz, confirmed that the PA setup had been designed in collaboration with system engineer, Orlando Calzada, with the 12 SXH218 subwoofers set in an L/R cardioid configuration, six enclosures per side, providing the LF extension.

Responsible for outfi

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12 August 2024

UK - "L-Acoustics was specifically requested for this tour. It's the system I feel most comfortable with after years of working with it, mixing for other artists," shares Philip Harvey, FOH engineer for Keane. Celebrating the 20th anniversary of their album Hopes and Fears, Keane embarked on a triumphant UK arena tour that presented a unique set of acoustic challenges. The tour, spanning six arenas for seven shows, including two nights at London's O2 Arena, demanded a concert sound system to deliver both whisper-quiet moments and full-on, high-energy peaks with equal clarity and power.

"While Keane are known for their melodic ballads, their live performances demand a very dynamic sound," explains Harvey. "Our goal was to deliver a powerful rock show that ranges from the intimate moments to thunderous crescendos, all while ensuring every seat in the

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09 August 2024

UK - International production practice Wonder Works has launched WowAxis, a custom design and fabrication service intended to enhance the efficiency of live event productions. Born out of a growing demand from Wonder Works' clients for bespoke design and fabrication work, WowAxis is dedicated to providing safe, innovative, and intuitive solutions for touring equipment and productions worldwide, the company says.

Led by industry experts Piers Shepperd, Jeremy Lloyd, and Dave Williams, the WowAxis team boasts over 75 years of combined experience in live events. Piers Shepperd, director of WowAxis, says: "WowAxis was created to address the evolving needs of our clients and the industry as a whole. We saw an opportunity to provide a one-stop solution for design, fabrication, and assembly, allowing us to deliver high-quality products that enhance the efficiency a

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09 August 2024

UK - RCF UK partner JPS Sound & Light fielded 108 RCF loudspeaker enclosures at the recent Zimfest Live 2024 festival in Hertfordshire - now celebrating its 25th year.

Involved with this event for the past five years, John Southee’s company has watched the event ­- a celebration of Zimbabwean music, culture and music - mature from its old Colesdale Farm site near Potters Bar to the premium Hertfordshire County Show Ground outside St. Albans, where up to 10,000 people from across the UK congregate over the two days.

JPS was tasked with providing a complete technical infrastructure (sound, lighting and video as well as camera crew) - populating two stages, the enlarged main stage and a six-pole Big Top. “The SmartStage180 provided a massive 15m x 12m stage area, with a 10m high roof. This offered an impressive 20-tonne weight-loading and addit

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09 August 2024

Austria ­- High in the Austrian Alps, nestled amidst breathtaking scenery, lies Onkel Willy's Hutte. This Alpine restaurant and ski hut is more than just a venue for traditional Austrian food and stunning views, it’s also a party haven. The sound system was crucial to achieve their goal of the best view, culinary and music experience, which is why they chose Void Acoustics.

The venue needed a powerful sound system capable of filling the outdoor space and withstanding the harsh Alpine climate. Freezing winter temperatures presented unique installation challenges for the speakers in the outdoor dining areas, as did the limited electrical supply up in the mountains.

Alongside the outdoor speaker challenge, the venue’s indoor spaces also needed a sound system capable of creating the perfect atmosphere for diners.  

Musikuss Tonkultur, Void'

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09 August 2024

World - Initially billed as a “reunion tour”, Blink-182’s World Tour 2023/2024 marks the band’s 30th anniversary and first tour with original singer and guitarist, Tom DeLonge, since 2014. Given the significance of the tour, front-of-house sound engineer Charles Izzo and monitor engineer Ray Jeffrey knew there would be high expectations for quality audio during performances from both the band and its audiences around the globe. Pulling from their past experiences with the brand, the duo set their sights on a variety of DPA Microphones vocal and instrument mics.

To ensure the band delivers unbeatable sound on stage throughout the North American and European legs of the World Tour, together Izzo and Jeffrey selected DPA’s d:facto 4018VL vocal microphones for singer/guitarist Tom DeLonge and bass guitarist Mark Hoppus. They also deploy DPA mi

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09 August 2024

Taiwan - 1 Sound, an American-made premium loudspeaker brand, celebrated its launch in Taiwan with a demo event, organised by official distributor Seapower Technology. Held at the New Taipei City Government’s conference room, a mid-sized theatre with tiered seating for about 330 people, the venue offered a perfect space to showcase the impressive capabilities of a whole range of 1 Sound speakers. The demo presentations were given by 1 Sound’s APAC sales executive, Leonardo Dani and Seapower Technology CEO, Douglas Chang.

“The audience consisted of mostly systems integrators who had nothing but positive things to say. 1 Sound, though a relatively new brand with just two years in the global market, left a strong impression,” explained Chang.

“Taiwan, known as the global hub for high-tech industries with giants like Taiwan Semiconductor Compan

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08 August 2024

UK - Fabric London has extended its relationship with Martin Audio, dating back nearly a quarter of a century, by announcing a substantial upgrade to its flagship Room One.

Since the installation of Martin Audio W8C, Blacklines and WSX subwoofers at the start of the new millennium, the club has never looked back, having gone through several generations of Martin Audio systems - maintaining its faith in the state-of-the-art sound systems offered to its roster of world-class DJs.

But when it came to the latest refresh, technical manager Matt Smith decided to follow a different path. Nervous at the prospect of losing what he describes as “that distinctive Room 1 sound”, he asked Martin Audio if they would overhaul the existing 20-year-old W8L line array by fitting it with new drivers. The High Wycombe manufacturer was happy to oblige.

Howeve

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08 August 2024

USA - When OC Local acquired the long-established The Pizza Store in Laguna Hills, they engaged Dan Burdett of locally-based dB Media Services to provide a new audio system that would deliver premium quality at a competitive price. dB had previously tidied up a third-party install at one of the restaurant group’s other venues and OC Local were keen to achieve the same audio standards for their remodelled new venue. Burdett recommended, designed and installed an Optimal Audio system for The Pizza Store.

“Optimal Audio was a great option for this project because of its high performance/low cost ratio. Restaurants don’t always have the required budget available for media technology, so the Optimal Audio product matched the needs of the budget without any audio compromise, as well as meeting the high-performance standards expected by dB Media,” explains

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08 August 2024

UK - High-quality audio systems specialist Glensound will introduce several new products at PLASA Show 2024 (1-3 September, Olympia London).

New to PLASA is the Greater Divine Intelligent Network Audio Monitor. Glensound launched the original Divine in 2019, which has proven very popular after winning a prestigious PLASA Innovation Award in 2021. The Greater Divine is a larger two-way speaker unit that shares many features of the original Divine, but incorporates several innovations. This extremely versatile active monitor delivers 30 watts and is designed to be powered via PoE+ or a local DC input, with the audio connected to a Dante network. It features eight customisable Dante input channels, up from four in the original model, and includes a local analogue audio input. Unusually, a headphone socket is also provided, and the neat package

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08 August 2024

Germany - Sommer Cable has launched the SYSCAT4 family. It enables the simultaneous and reliable transmission of up to four analogue or eight digital AES/EBU or DMX signals over distances of up to 100 metres via stage-compatible CAT cables.

The core element of the SYSCAT4 family is a splice adapter consisting of the compact and robust Hi-Housing metal enclosure with integrated EtherCON RJ45 full metal panel jack and a sturdy cable gland, split into a 50cm long four-fold splice made from the flexible and resistant SC-Semicolon 2 digital patch cable in combination with Neutrik or Hicon XLR connectors (three- or five-pin, male or female). The channel numbers are clearly marked - in Sommer style - on the connectors: Channel 1 = pin 4+5; Channel 2 = pin 3+6; Channel 3 = pin 1+2; Channel 4 = pin 7+8.

The SYSCAT4 family also includes matching floor stage bo