Italy - Twenty years after first opening in Italy, the complete original cast of Notre-Dame de Paris is back on stage to celebrate the anniversary. Following the success of the show in Paris, the musical made its official Italian debut at Gran Teatro of Rome in 2002, featuring the translated lyrics of Pasquale Panella. Produced in collaboration with Enzo Product Ltd, entirely curated and distributed by Vivo Concerti, and under the direction of Gilles Maheu, the 2022 tour will include over 180 shows throughout the Italian peninsula. For this 20th Anniversary production, experienced sound team members were selected, including FOH engineer Alberto Alicandro, who was part of the original crew, monitor engineer Simone ‘Zeta’ Saccomandi, and microphone technician Andrea “Niski” Stanisci. The microphone equipment is entirely DPA, with 16 headsets, consisting of 4066
South Africa - Stage Audio Works, are to host two audio workshops on 12 and 13 October at 3Ci Church in Pretoria. The sessions will be run by a team from MxU, experts in church production based in Knoxville TN, who will be flying over especially for the event. Additional support will be provided by German manufacturer, d&b audiotechnik, also strong advocates of education and furtherment. Thanks to their participation alongside that of Stage Audio Works, tickets are reasonably priced at only R750 – less than half the cost of the equivalent event in the US. Stage Audio Works CTO, Nathan Ihlenfeldt comments, “Empowering people is one of the core values that underpins everything we do at Stage Audio Works. Offering people the knowledge to operate their systems and enabling local organisations to act independently is crucial – and not just concerning the specific
Eleven Engineering has announced that Cerwin-Vega’s new CVM Series mixers incorporate SKAA/SKAA Pro technology. The series is scheduled to ship Q1 2023. “Cerwin-Vega’s recently released VEGA Series studio monitors with SKAA/SKAA Pro technology are already a hit, and so we are proud to once again incorporate these technologies in the new CVM Series mixers,” said Rex Whitehead, Eleven Engineering executive vice president – sales and marketing. “Today’s Pro DJ’s require fast and fixed very low latencies when going wireless, making SKAA the ideal solution for Cerwin-Vega’s new mixers that will satisfy these needs.” Cerwin-Vega’s CVM Series mixers communicate wirelessly via SKAA Pro Mode (super low latency) to their SKAA-compatible speakers or SKAA-compatible power amplifiers. “We are proud to present our new generation of high-technology mixers,” s
Australia - In what became a must-see highlight for a record breaking 2.58m visitors attending the 23-night Vivid Sydney 2022 Festival, Progressum at Vivid House in Darling Quarter catered for audiences up to 100 people at any one time. The collaborative 3D walk-through visual art experience and concept was created by Sydney based producer and sound system designer Des O’Neill, lighting designer Peter Rubie, and sound designer and composer Peret von Sturmer, combining art, light, sound and video to stimulate all senses. Vivid Sydney is the annual festival of Light, Music and Ideas which transforms Sydney’s CBD into a fusion of creativity, innovation and technology for 23-nights. In 2022, the renowned Light Walk stretched continuously from Sydney Opera House to Central for the first time, passing through new parts of the city including The Goods Line and Cent
World - For Dua Lipa’s current Future Nostalgia world tour, Britannia Row Productions supplied DiGiCo Quantum consoles to deliver on power and functionality. Future Nostalgia was originally scheduled to start in late 2019 but, like so many others, was repeatedly postponed until finally heading out in February 2022. It will finish in Perth, Australia in November, having visited North America, Europe, Latin America and Oceania. Both the FOH sound and on-stage mixes are being created on DiGiCo Quantum digital mixing systems, by Will Nicholson and Alex Cerutti respectively. Nicholson is in his seventh year with Dua Lipa and specified a Quantum 7 console for this tour. “The Q7 offers so much. It’s the only desk currently on the market with a dual brain, which negates the need for us to carry a spare board but gives us redundancy. That is very comforting,” he s
USA - A mecca for jam band devotees, the Peach Music Festival at Montage Mountain in Scranton, Pennsylvania is known for presenting a diverse, multi-genre array of artists most known for their free-flowing improvisation and danceable rhythms. Headliners for 2022 included Billy Strings, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, Trey Anastasio Band, and The Black Crowes, with more than 70 bands total on the bill. From an audio standpoint, the 2022 Peach Music Festival was notable as the North American major festival debut of Meyer Sound’s new Panther large-format linear line array loudspeaker. This year’s Peach Music Festival was also the first for Coatesville, Pennsylvania-based DBS Audio Systems as the principal audio provider. Company president Dave Brotman noted, “Amphitheatres with tent roofs can generate a vast amount of reflections,” notes Brotman, who served as s
Germany - Technology service provider, EBV Veranstaltungstechnik, has invested in Martin Audio’s Wavefront Precision technology, with the purchase of a WPM line array from territorial distributors, Audio Technica Deutschland. Based in Hettenleidelheim in the Rheinland-Palatinate, EBV is a family business with a long tradition. Elmar Breitwieser founded the company over 40 years ago and focused primarily on regional musical events, which he initially equipped with sound and lighting systems before adding stage technology. In 2018 Christian Breitwieser, son of the founder, took over the company and expanded the business from concert and festival events to corporate functions, conferences and more. Needing to adapt and upgrade the audio equipment to the new requirement he opted for Martin Audio, stating, "I had already been familiar with the brand for a long time.
The Netherlands - Wisycom has announced the Wisycom BFL1 RF-over-fibre interface, which will debut at IBC 2022 (Stand 8.D78). A compact, easy-to-set-up module, the BFL1 is billed as ‘an entirely new way for users to support RF coverage and distribution requirements without concern for cable loss’. Expanding on Wisycom’s existing RF-over-fibre solutions, the BFL1 features selectable filters, expanded dynamic range, and a long-range Bluetooth 5 programming link. Replacing the need for larger devices that historically supported RF-over-fibre, the single-unit BFL offers the same robustness in a more compact and cost-effective package. “RF-over-fibre systems can be challenging for users in stadiums, events, large facilities and remote productions, but the Wisycom BFL1 module simplifies the process,” explains Leslie Lello, Wisycom’s Support Manager. “The BFL1 c
USA - With its roots going all the way back to 1847, the LCMS (The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod) is a traditional, confessional Lutheran denomination with 1.8m members, making it the second-largest Lutheran body in the United States. Their triennial Youth Gathering is a five-day meeting which has been staged since 1980, providing an opportunity for thousands of young adults to come together as a community of God’s people to learn about the Christian faith and their Lutheran identity. The 2022 event was held in Houston (Texas) across a number of venues, the largest being Minute Maid Park, a baseball stadium which is normally home to the Houston Astros. Special Event Services (SES) of Mocksville, NC were contracted to supply a major sound system capable of delivering live music and, most importantly, perfectly intelligible speech to a very large area contai
Japan - Founded in 1946, Ikegami Tsushinki Co is a manufacturer of high quality professional broadcast equipment, particularly known for their television cameras. Indeed, Ikegami introduced the world’s first portable hand-held TV camera which debuted in the US in 1962 when CBS used it to document the launch of NASA’s Aurora 7 crewed space flight. In 2022 the company, which is actively working on next-generation broadcasting standards with IP workflows, is celebrating its 75th anniversary – a milestone that has been marked by a comprehensive renovation of its office buildings in Tokyo, including a sophisticated new seminar room equipped with Smart IP loudspeakers from Genelec. Today the world of broadcasting is in the midst of dramatic change with the advent of Internet broadcasting with IP transmission. Ikegami is actively pursuing its development along these lin
Canada Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre Theatre (HCT) is the jewel in the crown that is the city’s famed waterfront park. Seating only 350 patrons in its normal configuration, the theatre has impressively hosted intimate performances by A-list musical artists like Celine Dion and Julio Iglesias, top theatrical performances including the musical STOMP, and its own 2001 World Leaders: A Festival of Creative Genius which featured appearances by Quincy Jones, Frank Gehry, and Stephen Sondheim. Music, dance, theatre, or spoken word, the HCT hosts it all, and now it has a sound system that can cover every base - a new L-Acoustics A15 system designed by Toronto-based Engineering Harmonics and installed in late-2021 by Solotech. The venue’s new PA typically comprises 19 L-Acoustics A Series enclosures arranged in a flown LCR configuration - seven A15 Focus for the l
UK - To facilitate students with a space for drama production and rehearsals, the Wimbledon campus of University of the Arts London has dedicated two large studio spaces to acting and performance. Currently undergoing a major site re-development, the Wimbledon college has high-end rehearsal spaces now fitted with quality audio-visual equipment, thanks to Flipside AV. Previously built for a Print and Time-Based Media programme, the Wimbledon studio spaces are spread across two floors. The downstairs space, being more enclosed, can split itself into two rooms for workshops and independent rehearsals, while the upstairs room provides an ideal performance hub the with sky light installations to let the room bring in natural light and air and church-like wood panels on the ceiling for acoustical balance. Being simple, flexible enclosures; the acting and performance students
Saudi Arabia - The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, referred to colloquially as KAUST, is a science and technology. It takes its name from the former King of Saudi Arabia, Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, who decreed its foundation, intending it to “serve the people of the Kingdom and benefit all the peoples of the world The Museum of Science & Technology in Islam (MOSTI) was created later, on campus. MOSTI seeks to highlight the plethora of contributions made by Muslim scholars to science and technology during the first Golden Age of Islam (650-1650) and demonstrate how these contributions shaped the world as we know it, laying the groundwork for modern civilisation. Interactive technology leads people through the exhibits, forming an immersive exploration of the various artefacts and relics. formula D_, an experienced design company that specialises i
UK - Long-standing Martin Audio rental partner, Bristol-based SWG Events, has upgraded its pro audio inventory with the acquisition of 24 of the large format Wavefront Precision WPL enclosures. These form part of a Martin Audio package, along with 12 SXH218 subs and 24 XE500 floor monitors. Powering the WPL in 2-box resolution are Martin Audio iKON iK42 process-controlled, multi-channel amplifiers, part of an order for 17 iK42’s, which will also be assigned to the XE500. Stated SWG Events’ head of audio, Simon Purse, “Everything came along at the right time, with me joining the company [from Martin Audio]. This coincided with SWG looking to buy a bigger, state-of-the-art system as an upgrade for their trusty W8LC, to put us back at the top end of the touring market, with higher tier acts.” The acquisition was sanctioned by SWG managing director, Alister P
Israel - Reality TV singing competition, Rising Star, has upgraded its audio system to a flagship DiGiCo Quantum console, to take advantage of the range’s capacity and flexible architecture. The console is required to manage a challenging run of live shows featuring multiple performances, and servicing FOH and monitors demands from one surface. Between season 2 and 7, the winner was given the opportunity to represent Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest. Due to its success, the programme became a global phenomenon in the reality TV sphere with many international television stations buying the rights to produce the programme. DiGiCo is the brand of choice for the show's head of sound, Yossi Edri, who has used DiGiCo consoles in all of his recent projects, including the major live TV productions, the Israeli-hosted 2019 Eurovision Song Contest, and the annual
USA - 2022 was one of Louisiana State University’s (LSU) most successful beach volleyball seasons in programme history. With 27 regular season wins and 32 overall wins, both school records, LSU had five pairs earn AVCA honours and one player – Melia Lindner, became LSU’s first beach Elite 90 Award winner. These winning ways weren’t just on the court – they include the courts. Over the past few years, LSU has completed major upgrades unveiling a new beach volleyball venue in the heart of campus in 2019. The new stadium, formerly a tennis facility, features six competition courts with 24-inch-deep sand. The facility also features energy efficient LED lighting, seating capacity for 450 spectators, new scoreboard, and a brand new Danley Sound Labs system. “Over the years, many of our facilities have received upgrades or we’ve needed to replace systems,
USA - There is no denying the immense popularity of esports and video gaming around the world. Entire sports arenas sell out for fans to watch their favourite gaming stars compete. But what if this gaming technology could be used as a purposefully constructive educational tool for the local community? What if the technology and creativity that goes into creating a video game could be transitioned into targeted curriculum disguised as entertainment? This is the vision of the team behind Whitaker Center in in Harrisburg, PA and Ted Black, president, and CEO of Whitaker Center, for the newly created, 7,000sq.ft PNC Innovation Zone. Says Black, “We saw an opportunity within gaming for a perfect vehicle into learning.” The PNC Innovation Zone is a first in its category – a venue dedicated to experiential learning in disciplines such as science, technology, engineering
UK - Void Acoustics embraced the energy and vibe of their first major presence at Glastonbury on the 50th Anniversary edition of the festival. Glastonbury’s long-awaited return to this year’s summer calendar saw the addition of two new stages in the popular Silver Hayes area of the festival. One of these new stages was the Lonely Hearts Club – an arresting addition to this club-goers paradise. It was from the art deco styled Lonely Hearts Club stage that Void Acoustics made an impressive visual and sonic impact in this part of Glastonbury throughout the long festival weekend. NSL Productions (long-standing rental and integration partner of Void Acoustics) installed this festival stage for Team Love who were the festival production team behind Silver Hayes this year. “Although we have worked at Glastonbury previously, this was our first year workin
Canada - The Montréal International Jazz Festival roared back to life in 2022, reinforcing its distinction as the largest jazz festival in the world. With 350 concerts scheduled over 10 days - two-thirds of them free - the festival once again drew audiences numbering in the hundreds of thousands to downtown Montréal, where AVL supplier Solotech had equipped eight indoor and outdoor stages - including the Scène TD main stage - with Meyer Sound reinforcement systems. The resounding success of audio at this year’s festival can be credited to the work of festival technical coordinator Dan Meier and his team from L’Equipe Spectra. Meyer Sound and Solotech worked closely with Meier and his team to develop and deploy the sonic experiences at the festival. The enthusiastic response came as no surprise to director of R&D and technological solutions David Brazeau, who
USA - Recently, the Student Services Department of the Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences travelled to southern California on behalf of its current and future students. “We sent members of our staff to the greater Los Angeles area for the purpose of visiting studios and companies that CRAS has had long standing relationships with, and additionally open up new doors for future students and graduates,” explained Kirt Hamm, CRAS administrator. “These visits help place our students in their mandatory internships prior to graduation, and then open potential graduate job placement opportunities. All of this helps our current and future students get a leg up when positioning themselves near or after graduation in some of the industry’s best available pro audio environments.” During the visit, CRAS staff met with personnel from Touring Video, VSI TV, Everg
Europe - The Rolling Stones Sixty tour is utilising Austrian Audio microphones. On 15 July, The Stones rocked Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium. “It was an unbelievable experience,” says Austrian Audio’s CEO, Martin Seidl. “Of course, I’m probably The Stones’ biggest fan, so just seeing them live again was really cool. But hearing our mics on stage - that was unreal.” That the concert took place in Austrian Audio’s hometown made it an even more unforgettable evening. “It doesn’t get bigger than this,” Seidl says. For Sixty, Dave Natale, the front of house engineer, is working once again with The Stones to make sure their sound is as excellent as their fans expect. Natale is known for his work with Prince, Tina Turner, Stevie Nicks, Yes, Motley Crue, Fleetwood Mac, Van Halen, and many more A-list artists. Natale specifically chose to use the O
UK - The new Matches Sports Bar, located 60 miles south of London, in Elwick Place in Ashford, opened its doors in the summer of 2021, and has been a live sports and entertainment destination hot spot ever since. Critical to the bar's rapid success was a sharp focus on designing and installing a very flexible, high-quality, easy-to-use sound system to deliver audio to Matches' large and small spaces for public and private events. The team developed a comprehensive networked audio system with a set of Dante-connected, multi-channel amplifiers at its core. Matches owner, Jon Shephard, explained that the concept for the 250-capacity venue is to bring together all the best elements of bars he has visited into a single place, and create the ultimate sports bar experience with excellent AV entertainment that appeals to a wide range of sports enthusiasts. With this goal in mind, au
Zimbabwe - Celebration Ministries is one of the most powerful and far-reaching Christian organisations in Zimbabwe and across Southern Africa. Founded in 1982 by Pastors Tom and Bonnie Deuschle with just six people in their living room, today Celebration Ministries numbers over 80 churches worldwide. The headquarters of Celebration Church International is a building in Borrowdale, Harare, called Celebration Centre. Finally opened in 2004 after a marathon 14-year build process, Celebration Centre is now a significant Zimbabwean landmark. Stage Audio Works has recently completed a comprehensive audio systems upgrade for the main 3,800-seat auditorium based on a d&b PA system and Yamaha consoles with Dante networking. The decision to upgrade their audio systems was taken in 2019 just before the COVID pandemic. Pastor Bonnie Deuschle, who leads the praise and worship
Belgium - Located close to Antwerp’s historic city centre, Trix hosts a network of artists, music lovers, art and youth organisations, seeking to stimulate creation and discovery for a diverse audience - it also strives to be an ally for artists, helping them to develop their talent from an open-minded culture. The venue presents music from all genres, but the programme mainly consists of rock and metal, hiphop, soul and jazz with little commercial material. It is also a multifunctional facility with spaces for live performance, recording / production, workshops, rehearsals and a 700-capacity club room which has recently been upgraded with the addition of a new DiGiCo Quantum 225 console, complete with MQ-Rack. “Dominik loves to work on an SD console and owns an S21 himself,” comments David Liebens of supplier and integrator Amptec. “When the Q225 came to the m
