Europe - Yamaha Corporation has joined the SDVoE Alliance, a non-profit consortium of technology providers, which is collaborating to standardise the adoption of ethernet for transporting AV signals in professional AV environments. Yamaha has been manufacturing network equipment in Japan for more than 25 years. In 1987, the company introduced its first large-scale integrated circuit (LSIC) for communication, based on its digital audio processing technology, and went on to develop its own network devices. Adopted in a range of applications, including offices and retail stores, Yamaha network switches quickly became renowned for their reliability. More recently, the company has developed network switches for the professional audio industry, which are chosen for their stable, multi-channel transmission over distance. Software Defined Video over Ethernet (SDVoE) is
USA - Haim’s current Women in Music Pt. III tour - in support of their Grammy-nominated 2020 album of the same name - is the second international headlining jaunt by the California trio of sisters. The tour began in Las Vegas in April and will take them to more than two-dozen scheduled stops across the US and then onto Canada and Europe. The full rig for the tour, sourced by the Production Resource Group’s (PRG) Los Angeles office, encompasses 32 K2 enclosures, flown 16 per side, with 12 Kara per side as out-fills. Eight more Kara line the stage lip as front-fills, with four ARCS II boxes on hand as utility fills as needed. Meanwhile, 16 KS28 subs are deployed to reinforce the K2 with added low-end extension. Everything is powered by 36 LA12X amplified controllers running on an AVB network through a pair of L-Acoustics P1 AVB processors. But not every
USA - FOH engineer John Buitrago and monitor engineer Robin Barrera recently chose the Waves eMotion LV1 Live Mixer and Waves plugins for Colombian artist Karol G, winner of the 2018 Latin Grammy Award for Best New Artist, who performed at the main stage of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. “We did a very successful, solid and consistent U.S. tour, using the LV1 in 2021 with Karol G,” notes FOH John Buitrago. “Everyone was very happy with the mixer’s performance, so we continued using the LV1 throughout 2022 and for the Coachella show as well. There is no other console on the market which sounds bigger, punchier and more wide open than the eMotion LV1. “I started my career as a recording and mixing sound engineer. In the studio, we all produce and mix with Waves plugins, including the artists I work for. So, when I’m mixing on a big PA, eMotio
Ireland - Lighting designer Liam McCarthy utilised 100 Robe moving lights for a spectacular special performance of ABBA Orchestral at Dublin’s 3 Arena, featuring the Waterloo Concert Orchestra and conductor and arranger, Andy O’Callaghan. The set was a fully live reprise of ABBA’s numerous greatest hits, which Liam notes instinctually returned to his subconscious as he ran the show, mainly improv style, utilising pre-sets and palettes programmed and set up to work in this fashion. “It’s a very exciting and satisfying way to operate,” he comments. Liam has worked with the concert’s promoters on several other projects and was delighted to be back on this one that was postponed last year due to COVID. Just Lites was the lighting supplier, a Dublin-based rental and technical production specialist with whom Liam works closely. A major obje
Italy - Located on a hillside in the Italian city of Fondi, Villa Paola is a prestigious restaurant, wedding and events venue created by owner Gianmaria Magni. Guests enjoy the food, beautiful interiors, majestic views, and a sound system installed in the restaurant and dancefloor areas by local event production services and technology specialists Remix Sound. More recently, Sig. Magni contacted the De Simone brothers at Remix once again, this time with a brief to extend the high-quality sonic experience outside to a spectacular pool area surrounded by large gazebos with luxurious sofas. Riccardo De Simone takes up the story. “We needed a slim and elegant speaker with the high power necessary to cover a large outside space. We’ve worked with Nexo for over two decades so were eager to try the new ID84 in this application. We know column speakers, and it was immediat
USA - Waves Audio has announced Waves V14, the latest version of Waves plug-ins. Waves V14 enables faster load time, new Trim & Mix knobs in Waves’ most popular compressors, and quick new pre-set workflows. With V14, Waves users can now control and fine-tune dynamics faster than ever, with brand new trim and mix knobs added to Waves’ most popular compressors: the API 2500, the CLA-2A, CLA-3A and CLA-76 Compressor/Limiters, the Renaissance Compressor and the SSL-G Master Buss Compressor. These new features allow users to stay creative, quickly balancing volume and creating parallel compressions in seconds, directly from the plug-ins. V14 offers faster loading times for plug-ins, pre-sets and sessions in your DAW and enhanced quick drag-and-drop pre-set workflow. V14 also features new ‘ultra-sharp’ HiDPI graphics for select Waves plug-ins: Abbey Road TG
USA - Clear-Com was a first-time sponsor of the popular annual AVIXA Women’s Council Breakfast at the InfoComm 2022 trade show. A long-time supporter of Rise, a group promoting gender diversity within the broadcast and media technology industry, Clear-Com is now adding their support to the AVIXA Women’s Council, focused on supporting women in the professional AV industry. “We have always supported raising the profile of women in the industries we serve, and we were pleased to be part of the AVIXA Women’s Council Breakfast this year,” remarks Clear-Com CEO Mitzi Dominguez. “Attracting, supporting and retaining more women in Pro AV opens opportunities for the next generations.” Clear-Com’s recent involvement with Rise includes corporate sponsorship as well as active, hands-on involvement in the Rise Up Academy, Rise Up Summer School and Rise Awards. The R
USA - The hot real estate market in Southern California has spawned an equally hot Netflix TV series, Selling Sunset, now in its fifth season, as well as an upcoming spin-off, Selling the OC. Audio supervisor Marcos Contreras, CAS, captures sound for these fast and often unpredictable reality shows with the help of his arsenal of Lectrosonics wireless systems, including SMWB and SMDWB miniature wideband bodypack, SMQV belt-pack and Hma plug-on transmitters, as well as SRc portable and DSQD digital receivers. “Selling Sunset is one of the most popular shows on Netflix,” Contreras explains. “The show demands a lot. The wireless must be reliable every time. Lectrosonics is up to the task - no dropouts or interference even over big, open spaces.” Selling Sunset has a cast of 10, while the upcoming OC show’s cast numbers to
USA - Since its grand opening in October 2021, Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena has set its sights on becoming the most progressive, responsible and sustainable arena in the world, with a net-zero carbon status, no single-use plastic, water conservation, and zero waste as some of its initial ambitions. The arena, reinvigorated thanks to $1.15bn of private investment, has been designed to host a number of sports, including hockey and basketball, and live concerts and events, providing with a capacity of up to 18,100 guests. David Battershell - senior consultant at Idibri, a Salas O’Brien Company - was the AV design consultant for the arena’s new construction, with Idibri acting as the AV component of a larger Populous design machine. Designed to replace an existing venue, KeyArena, “that was too small and outdated” as Battershell explains, “the [original
UK - The Guildhall School of Music and Drama will host short courses on sound design and video projection at the end of July. Taking place concurrently from 25-29 July, Sound Design for Theatre and Introduction to Video Projection Mapping are available to anyone aged 16 or over for a fee of £525 (£1,035 inclusive of accommodation). Teaching will take place daily and the training will be given in person only. Led by Video Design lecturer Angeline Ferguson, Introduction to Video Projection Mapping is aimed at beginners. Learners will find out how to prepare and project video onto a 3D structure using industry standard video projection software Resolume Arena 7 and Adobe After Effects. They will also be introduced to the basic principles and techniques of digital video mapping, including designing concepts for projection mapping, creating content a
USA - Brompton Technology revealed its latest solutions for video processing during InfoComm 2022. The company showcased its LED processing solutions for live events, broadcast, and virtual production. During the show, Brompton was also recognised with an InfoComm 2022 Best of Show Award in the AV Technology category for its Tessera v3.3 software. This release introduced new calibration features such as PureTone and Operating Modes, which enable rental companies and studios to have more flexibility and scalability with their stock, and also added support for the ACEScg colour gamut and the ability to display tracking markers for the Mo-Sys StarTracker camera tracking system. Additionally during InfoComm, Rob Fowler, director of business development at Brompton, addressed AV professionals in a session about how virtual production has affected design trends in LED panels
USA - Early June saw Yamaha return to the NAMM Show in California, and leave with a Best In Show award for the new AG01 combined condenser microphone and mixer. Launched in April, the AG01 is a studio-quality USB-C microphone, combined with a high-performance mixer that features DSP effects, loopback functionality and flexible connections for stress-free streaming. Available in black or white, it’s compact enough to be placed on a desk or mounted on a desk arm, is powered via USB or battery pack and can transform almost any environment into a fully-functioning streaming station. During the NAMM show's first two days, hundreds of products, services and technologies were carefully reviewed by leading industry experts, moderated by Frank Alkyer, publisher of Music, Inc. and UpBeat Daily magazines. The AG01 was awarded a Best in Show ‘Gotta Stock It’ award, highlig
Germany - Bosch has announced a new software release for Praesensa, its IP-based public address and voice alarm system. The new software, v1.50, features an improved user experience and enhanced connectivity, especially for large installations requiring multiple controllers and subsystems, along with more options for system redundancy. System designers will receive more flexibility designing large system networks with this release. It is now possible to better use and directly assign multiple controllers in large networks with subnets, which is very often indispensable in typical projects like airports or oil/gas industrial applications. Up to 3,000 networked devices and 10,000 audio zones can be managed by a total of up to 20 system controllers, while both master controllers and subsystem controllers can be optionally utilised for controller redundancy. The seamless
UK - Following recent contract wins at three of the UK’s leading event venues, AV and entertainment technology company Anna Valley has promoted Dan Orchard to the role of venue director. The newly created position sees Orchard assuming responsibility for both commercial and operational aspects at all the venues where Anna Valley is the preferred audio-visual partner, reporting directly to the board. Over the last 18 months, Anna Valley has established itself as a significant service provider to the UK’s venue sector. The company signed a preferred partnership agreement with ExCel London in December 2020, was appointed by Tobacco Dock as their new AV service partner in June 2021 and expanded their existing AV maintenance contract with The NEC Group to help deliver events at the venue as part of their Preferred Supplier Programme in January 2022. Anna Valley is also the i
Germany - Manufacturer of professional 3D audio technology Holoplot has announced that its X1 Matrix Array loudspeaker has taken home Best in Show awards from both ISE 2022 and InfoComm 2022. These events marked the first public unveiling of the X1 Matrix Array following two years of delays and cancellations of industry trade shows due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Holoplot also picked up the 2022 Stand Design Award - organised by Exhibitor magazine, with Illuminarium winning Best Multipurpose Venue at the Mondo Awards for its Atlanta location, where X1 is an integral part of delivering next immersive experiences. Thomas Barker-Harrold, head of marketing at Holoplot said: “We couldn’t be happier with the validation X1 received from our peers in the AV industry. Picking up not just one but two Best-in show awards at ISE and InfoComm is an enormous sta
Canada - Over the last 20 years, Montreal-based Productions Headroom has built its reputation as an innovative broadcast rental company that can deliver solutions for reality TV productions. Its latest innovation called on Point Source Audio microphones to create a robust solution that delivers pristine sound quality all while disguised as a necklace. The ‘always-on’ nature of reality TV filming meant that the cost of repairing or replacing microphones would quickly add up and this led to the team looking for more robust solutions. “The breakage we were having was at the element and it was due to manipulation - the cast would manipulate the microphones every day three or four times a day getting in and out of the pool - which is always hard on the equipment,” recalls Jean-Sébastien Roy, founder of Productions Headroom. “I was using Point Source Audio waterp
UK - After a two-year postponement, Craig David commenced his UK tour in April, initially visiting 13 arenas across the country with a large-scale production based around DiGiCo’s Quantum console range. The tour will continue into the summer with festival appearances, formatted as either full live band sets or the artist’s TS5 boutique DJ shows. To ensure seamless audio quality across the range of performances, the sound team specified consoles from DiGiCo’s portfolio. Entitled Hold That Thought, the tour celebrates 20 years since the release of David’s critically acclaimed Born To Do It debut album, which established him as one of the UK’s best loved artists. The tour encompasses new tracks from his forthcoming album as well as his early music, and elements of his TS5 project, named after the Tower Suite 5 apartment in Miami, where he used to host hou
UK - There is a new name in the UK’s AV installation market - Flipside AV. The new brand is a result of the changing business model for the London-based systems integrator, Flipside Soundsystem, which has seen the company close its rental business to focus purely on installed AV projects. “This name change has not happened overnight, it is the result of a gradual shift in our priorities at Flipside,” explains Flipside AV MD, James Cooper. “As we have evolved as a company, the AV installation side of the business has gone from strength to strength and become the main driver for where we see our future.” Alongside the name change, Flipside AV has also completely redesigned its website to provide a clear focus on what the company does. The redesign covers the services Flipside AV offers, as well as the solutions it can provide and the venues that it will typical
UK - The Immersive Experience Network has held its inaugural Live Experience Summit, bringing together over 150 creators of immersive and interactive experiences to debate the future of the sector. The Immersive Experience Network has been established to support creators making new work, developing audiences and growing financially sustainable companies. The Network’s strategy is centred around encouraging collaboration by building a community of creators, facilitating knowledge-sharing and undertaking research to grow the sector. The community includes genres from across the immersive sector, including immersive theatre, scare attractions, escape rooms, Location based VR/AR, experiential art, immersive audio, Live Action Role Play (Larp), themed attractions, Alternate Reality Games (ARG) and transmedia experiences The inaugural summit, held on 31 May, includ
North America - Britannia Row Productions has provided audio support for singer, songwriter, and producer, Chelsea Cutler, whose When I Close My Eyes tour kicked off in Austin, Texas in March. The tour - which marks the start of the young artist’s relationship with Brit Row - was followed by her Coachella debut in April and saw her play The Governors Ball stage in June. The tour is running under the care of New York based Mutual Friends, an artist management company. “I’d never worked with Brit Row until now,” comments production manager, Alex Slohm. “The overall service has been excellent, and the gear has been immaculate. I heard from our account manager, Marc Soame, after the first couple of shows to check in but all I had to say was how pleased I was with everything.” One of the major advantages for Slohm was the ability to alleviate some o
Indonesia - Since the first Java Jazz Festival more than 15 years ago, the event has become an annual fixture in the Indonesian entertainment calendar, attended either for work or pleasure by all the most influential music and sound industry professionals in the region. Like so many events around the world, the festival took a COVID-enforced hiatus over the past couple of years but returned in celebratory style to the Jakarta International Expo Kemayoran over the weekend on 27-29 May, with bands and musicians performing on a total of nine stages. One of the more challenging acoustic environments at the festival was the GRAB Hall, a former aircraft hangar in which local rental company DSS Sound Systems deployed a Nexo Geo M12 line array, with support from the technical team at local distributor Yamaha Music Indonesia Distributor (YMID). “With no acoustic treatme
USA - The Meyer Sound stand at InfoComm in Las Vegas pulled steady crowds throughout the show. “This was our first major trade show presence since early 2020 and it was a great feeling to welcome back all the dealers, customers, and associates we’ve known over the years,” says director of global marketing, Tim Boot. “When the live event industry suffered setbacks during COVID, the installation market remained surprisingly strong for us, and we were happy to show our appreciation with hospitality through the show.” Making its major trade show debut at InfoComm was Meyer Sound’s new Panther large-format linear line array loudspeaker. A major focus at InfoComm was Meyer Sound’s exclusive IntelligentDC technology, which uniquely combines the installation advantages of low voltage distributed systems with a level of performance possible only with self-p
USA - CP Communications has established itself as a full-service production equipment provider for live events, attracting opportunities from Fox Sports, MLB Network, the NFL, and others. The company offers a range of Dante workflow solutions with multiple products from Studio Technologies, manufacturer of high-quality audio, video, and fibre-optic solutions. “We have a few hundred Studio Technologies products in our Dante ecosystem that we use for all of our events,” says Brian Ready, account executive & systems engineer at CP Communications. “The ease of use and durability of Studio Technologies’ products allow us to augment our Dante workflow depending on the client’s needs and the scope of the project.” According to Ready, CP uses “a little bit of everything” from Studio Technologies, including beltpacks, intercom interfaces, and audio engines.
USA - Hotel Figueroa, one of the longest-standing hotels in downtown LA, has been a part of the area for nearly a century. Following a two-year restoration inspired by its original 1926 Spanish architecture, the hotel re-opened for guests in 2021. However, its legacy audio systems were encountering issues and needed an upgrade from the systems integration team at Drp, who relied on audio amplifiers from LEA Professional to power the historic venue, its restaurants, and other spaces. With 268 rooms and suites spread over 14 floors and a pool nestled within a botanical oasis, Hotel Figueroa, part of the Hyatt group, is renowned for its style and close proximity to the Crypto.com Arena and LA Live, formerly known as Staples Centre. When the hotel decided they needed to upgrade the entire audio system, Drp was brought in to create a system that met their new standar
