UK - Burn The Floor is a fast-moving, high-intensity live dance show, which since its formation in 1997 (for Elton John’s birthday party) has performed in over 130 countries worldwide. Martin Audio partner dBS Solutions first provided sound system support for the 2019 UK tour (with a W8LM line array) but when producers Strictly Theatre Company re-engaged dBS for the 2022 tour, they upgraded to their latest acquisition - Wavefront Precision WPS optimised line array, with scalable resolution. dBS Solutions MD Chris Bogg says that having previously provided sound reinforcement for the Kevin & Karen tour, featuring Strictly dancers Kevin Clifton and Karen Hauer, this has become a genre in which they have found themselves specialising. “Burn The Floor is loud, high energy rock music, a combination of live band, vocalists and music to track,” he expla
South Korea - TechDataPS Co installed a Harman Professional Solutions audio system to create a lively and engaging space for visitors to the Paju City Civic Centre. Founded in 1994, the Centre is a public facility owned by the Paju City Facility Management Corporation, with five floors above ground and five basement floors. The public corporation utilises the centre to promote the arts, host sporting events and improve the quality of life for Paju residents. But the venue’s existing audio system presented major challenges, including inconsistent electrical work and a lack of output from the speaker amplifier, prompting organizers to commission a complete system overhaul. Additionally, the centre is an old building that isn’t structurally equipped to handle modern audio systems without additional support. After conducting a structural safety diagnosis, TechD
Canada - Adamson System Engineering has released Adamson Load Library 5.3 for its Lake Processor. This service update optimises the ease of use of both linear phase and conventional crossover settings by introducing a uniform pre-set naming scheme. Default settings for E, S, and IS-Series cabinets use linear phase crossovers with subwoofer presets using corresponding latency compensation and are time-aligned when placed equidistantly to the reference position. Additional settings for S and IS-Series point source cabinets offer 5 ms less latency by using conventional crossovers. For full flexibility, additional subwoofer presets time-aligned to conventional crossover presets are included in the subs folder. These can also be deployed when subwoofers are positioned further back from the reference position to avoid applying additional delay to line arrays or point sources
Europe - Deploying Riedel's Bolero wireless intercom system on its broadcast-camera motorcycles, Danish RF video specialist Krickhahn TV ensures seamless communications between the camera operator, driver, and production team during live coverage of cycling road races. Deployed on specially adapted motorcycles as a standalone system, the Bolero system allows the Krickhahn TV team to use a variety of headsets, and even helmets with a built-in Bluetooth headset, to maintain clear communications with high audio quality so they can bring viewers the best shots from the road. "When I was presented the idea of using Bolero for this application, I was immediately hooked - we had a proof of concept planned in just a few days where we made the configuration file and ran a test to make sure the whole system was stable over a whole day. We were very happy to verify the setup with
UK - Located on the waterfront in the North Wales seaside resort of Rhyl, the 1031-seat Pavilion Theatre hosts touring theatre productions, comedy acts and music tours, alongside playing a key role at the heart of the community, staging local cultural events and school productions. When the theatre’s technical manager Andy Hughes was tasked with replacing the existing PA with a modern, versatile system capable of handling everything from a comedy gig to a rock & roll show, one brand came immediately to mind. “I had heard a lot of systems in the theatre over the years from touring shows, including many big-named brands and Nexo always really stood out sound wise.” Andy approached entertainment technology specialists A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET), where senior audio sales executive Steve Eaton turned to the Engineering Support Team at the Nexo Campus
Slovenia - A Dicentis conference system from Bosch played a key role to ensure a structured meeting and making the EU Western Balkans summit a successful event. Two Dicentis multimedia devices, 40 Dicentis discussion devices and 18 interpreter desks from Bosch were deployed at the summit, along with six Avonic CM73 and two CM20 cameras for split view plus other peripheral equipment. The in-person summit was held in October 2021 in Brdo pri Kranju. The leaders of the EU member states met in person with the six Western Balkans partners. Slovenia took over presidency of the Council of the European Union in July 2021 and hosted this get-together, marking the highlight of their presidency. Local AV solutions company and Bosch partner Robotrade, a member of the Congress Rental Network (CRN), was commissioned with the technical execution of the two-day summit. Though many co
USA - NBC Sports has selected Calrec to provide remote audio workflows for its production of the XXIV Olympic Winter Games from Beijing. The announcement was made by Karl Malone, director, sound design, NBC Sports and NBC Olympics, and Dave Letson, VP of sales, Calrec Audio. NBCUniversal is providing coverage of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games until 20 February, featuring a Winter Olympics-record 2,800+ hours of coverage across NBC, Peacock, USA Network, CNBC, NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app. For the first time ever, NBC Sports is employing fully remote audio workflows for all its production of the Winter Games, with no audio consoles physically on-site at the event. NBC Sports will have four Calrec RP1 Remote Production cores in the International Broadcast Centre (IBC) in Beijing to cover numerous studios. Full control for the IBC remote production cores will b
Australia - Harman Professional Solutions recently partnered with Prestige Group and MadisonAV to outfit Cali Beach Club on the Gold Coast with weather-resistant audio solutions for “top-notch sound in outdoor conditions”. Cali Beach Club is a $10m Ibiza-inspired beach club in the heart of Surfers Paradise. Surrounded by residential development, the venue showcases a new type of beach club with pools, open-air spaces, outdoor deck areas and cabanas overlooking the picturesque Gold Coast beach. In order to deliver immersive audio experiences for its guests while minimising noise pollution for its neighbours, Cali Beach hired MadisonAV and the Prestige Group to design and install a complete Harman audio distribution system consisting of JBL Professional loudspeakers and Crown amplifiers. “Cali Beach is the first of its kind,” said Matthew Keegan, partner, A
Germany - The vision of founder Ariel Schiff, the Amano Group of hotels, bars and restaurants relies on sound design as the basis to transport interior design, bar and culinary concepts. This recognition that sound plays a key role in curating a memorable customer experience in a hospitality setting is evidenced by the fact that the group has its own sound designer on staff. When the group first approached experienced German AV technology specialists Raum+Schall to design and install a sound system in the soon-to-open restaurant of the prestigious Hotel Amano East Side in Berlin, CTO Markus Lienhart knew that he wanted to use the Nexo ID Series. “When I first saw and heard the Nexo ID24, I thought, wow, this is installation loudspeakers v2.0. In terms of design, performance and the versatility of its HF directivity, it gives us the tools we need to realise a whole new leve
USA - Super Bowl LVI attracted 70,000 fans at LA’s SoFi Stadium, with more than 100 million TV viewers tuning in from around the world. The event’s RF coordinators, referees and performers relied on Shure gear. The line-up featured the Axient Digital Wireless System which captured uninterrupted audio from the game’s most meaningful moments, including the pre-game show, key parts of the half-time performance, and crucial fourth-quarter referee decisions. Off the field, Shure technology was counted on to bring memorable events to life, including Budweiser’s Super Bowl Music Fest and NFL Honours broadcast. “Shure Axient Digital microphones have been a key part of our Super Bowl wireless system for the last five years,” comments Gary Trenda, lead RF technician for Professional Wireless Systems (PWS), which was hired by ATK Audiotek to handle wireless microphon
Belgium - Installation and touring loudspeaker manufacturer Audiofocus has announced two senior additions to its international sales team. Håkan Sjöö has been appointed to the position of EMEA sales manager, with responsibility for developing and expanding the brand’s distribution partnerships. Luc Haubursin has also joined the team as commercial business development manager, with a specific focus on sales growth in Africa and the Benelux countries. Håkan brings international sales experience with pro audio brands including Powersoft, Renkus-Heinz, and Holoplot. Luc also has a proven track record in the pro AV industry, with business development experience at Chauvet Europe and with AED Distribution. “We are delighted to welcome Håkan and Luc to the Audiofocus family,” says managing director, Ann Leroy. “As part of our Audiofocus 2.0 journey, we a
USA - LEA Professional supplied the owners of a large residential property in Houston with network-based audio through the company's Connect Series amplifiers. A long-time customer of Texas-based AV integration company Sound Lab Designs, the homeowners were looking for an entire new AV system across their six-bedroom home which is set over five acres of land in the middle of Houston. Sound Lab Designs designed and installed a new system from scratch to cover the interior and exterior of the large property. For Ernie Blumenthal, owner at Sound Lab Designs, this project was different from other residential installations he’s worked on because, for the first time, he used LEA Professional amplifiers. Blumenthal mapped over 20 audio zones in the property, many of which were external zones including the pool, patio, front and near lawns and balconies. Initially for Blumen
Germany - Large-scale tradeshows have been profoundly affected by the pandemic since 2020, many having to be cancelled or postponed, or rely on hybrid formats of attendance. For Automechanika Digital Plus and Hypermotion 2021 in Frankfurt, live events and technology companies Gahrens + Battermann and Freaksound implemented a communications solution to enable both live and virtual elements of the shows. Clear-Com’s HelixNet Digital Network Partyline, LQ Series of IP Interfaces, Agent-IC Mobile App, and the new Station-IC Virtual Desktop Client assisted with event management and live streaming at the events. The first independent shows of their kind in Germany, Automechanika and Hypermotion brought together numerous players from the automotive, transport and logistics industries to discuss the future of the mobility industry as the world trends toward digitalization an
China - DJ Wengweng, well-known electronic musician, the main founder of Acupuncture Records and the Lantern Club, has recently opened Solo, a new electronic music room in Bejing, with the help of Van Damme Cable. Measured at only 18sq.m, the music space will be used to record live sets of or other artists, and make their musical talents and ideas better known through the internet. The key aim is to establish increasingly strong relationships with domestic artists, labels and club operators, start discussions around the development of electronic music culture in China and create development opportunities together. Despite its size, the sound, lighting, DJ and acoustic processing equipment are all professional standard. Installation was achieved with the help of Phoenix Audio, Van Damme’s Chinese distributor. The audio configuration uses Funktion-One seri
UK - Solotech UK has announced the appointment of Rich Rowley to the role of general manager for its Redditch facility. Rowley joins Solotech with 30 years’ experience in the live productions Industry. Reporting to UK MD Bryce Jewell, Rowley will oversee operations supporting the live productions, sales and systems integration business for Solotech’s UK companies, including SSE Audio, Wigwam, Capital Sound and BCS Audio. Rowley previously held roles as director at XL Video and as chief sales officer for PRG in the UK. Most recently, he has been general manager at Adlib, where he helped oversee the company’s transition from an audio supplier to a full 360 audio, lighting and video service provider. Rich is no stranger to the Solotech family, having been hire manager in Redditch for SSE Audio between 2004 and 2006. During his time at SSE, he worked on many projects
UK - Optimal Audio has announced an addition to its range in the shape of the Up 6O, a 6” two-way passive, full range open back ceiling speaker. Delivering a consistent conical 110° coverage pattern, Up 6O features a 6” low frequency driver paired with a 0.7” metal dome tweeter, and is supplied without a back can for ceilings with a minimum cavity depth. An integral fixing system achieves a simple and clean installation. Up 6O is suitable for both high quality speech and music reproduction in a wide range of cost-conscious commercial environments, from hotels and concourses to retail outlets, bars and restaurants, says Optimal. Each Up 6O can be run on a series of 70V or 100V taps or at low impedance, and with a 16Ohm setting allows up to four units to be connected to each amplifier channel at low impedance for an efficient install. Up 6O joins Optimal Au
UK - Audio consultancy and networking experts RH Consulting (RHC) has been counting networked audio products and licensees since 2013 in an effort to chart the adoption of audio networking in the pro audio, AV and broadcast markets. The latest report, available here, covers all the major protocols and, for the first time, networked video and control products that use AES70, SDVoE and ST 2110 among others. The last 12 months have seen a complete overhaul in the way RHC conducts its research and even closer collaboration with relevant industry trade associations and manufacturers. Consequently, the 10th edition of the report is the most comprehensive and accurate to date. The statistics show that quite clearly that the number of networked AV products contin
Slovakia - Martin Audio’s long-term Czech and Slovakian distributor Rock Centrum has sold a Wavefront Precision line array to local rental company, AudiologicPRO. A relatively young company from the city of Martin, AudiologicPRO has had experience of Martin Audio technology and has been growing rapidly, with its reputation spreading throughout both the Czech and Slovak markets, in all performance sectors. According to Rock Centrum’s Peter Foldvari, joint partners, Branislav Gombarský and Tomáš Hruška, wanted the manufacturer’s latest line array series as they believed Martin Audio’s optimised line array technology to be the best available. “We conducted a few demos at our Czech base in Prague and invited them,” he reports. “We then had long discussions about which system they needed, as they already had experience with legendary systems such as W8, W
UK - In a career spanning more than 40 years, professional audio veteran Danny Kitainik has seen, done and heard it all, providing sound engineering services at countless high-profile festivals, events, tours and West End theatre shows, alongside running a successful AV installation, hire and events technology business. When the time came to invest in a new rental sound system at UK-based Serenityaudio, the company’s owner knew exactly what he wanted. “For us, it’s all about delivering big festival sound and production values at smaller, often community-based events” says Kitainik. “The decision to go with Nexo was a combination of build and sound quality, reliability, aftersales support, performance, ease of operation and cost. There are so many benefits that it was an easy decision to make. We didn't even try to A-B systems before we committed to take the Nexo r
UK - Green Hippo has welcomed Midwich as a new distributor for Green Hippo products, particularly the full range of Hippotizer media servers, across the UK and Ireland. Frithjof Becker, EMEA sales director, Green Hippo by tvONE, comments: “We are excited to announce our relationship with Midwich for fixed installation projects in the UK and Ireland. Our goal is to continue developing the growth of Green Hippo product lines within the install market. With an award-winning solutions provider like Midwich, we can’t wait to see the next set of impressive projects.” Robert Phillips, video processing specialist at Midwich, adds: “Midwich are delighted to partner with Green Hippo to offer their leading range or media servers to customers looking to incorporate real-time media playback, 3D mapping and visualisation into their projects. Green Hippo works perfectly with
UK - Hypervsn is launching a new platform called Hypervsn SmartV. It has onboard HDMI, which allows SmartV to connect with the wider ecosystem of products involved in the pro AV and digital signage markets. The inclusion of the HDMI also means that SmartV can now be used to display both 2D and 3D content, says Hypervsn. A larger, but lighter 3,000-nit Hypervsn SmartV model is launching, alongside an ultra-fine pixel pitch (0.65mm) medium-sized solution. These new solutions will successfully complement Hypervisn’s current range, whilst addressing a wider scope of customer needs. Kiryl Chykeyuk, Hypervsn co-founder, comments: “We’ve spent the last three years completely redesigning the previous generation of Hypervsn technology. We have developed proprietary accessories to enable new, exciting interactive features and various installation options SmartV technology
USA - Just north of San Francisco, on a rural 10acre ranch in the heart of Sonoma County wine country, Prairie Sun Recording Studios has been steadily recording some of the biggest names in music since 1980. From The Grateful Dead, Carlos Santana and Journey to Nine Inch Nails, Wu Tang Clan and Tom Waits, numerous Grammy Award-winning records have been tracked, mixed, and mastered at this former chicken hatchery repurposed four decades ago by Mark ‘Mooka’ Rennick as a recording complex comprising three well-appointed studios. For 10 years, this same site has also served as the headquarters of Prairie Sun Live, a live sound reinforcement and rental company that Mooka has led with the same passion, expertise, and commitment to great gear that has made his recording business a success. First started in 2012 with an Adamson Y10 line array and Lab.Gruppen PLM amps purc
USA - Any production sound professional is familiar with the range and reception challenges of car-to-car recording. Rob Smith, however, may be the only mixer to take on helicopter-to-helicopter audio and achieve high-flying results. Smith, whose credits include Preacher, Queen of the South, and Duck Dynasty, faced this task while filming Starting Strong. Produced by Ricky Schroeder’s Old Post Films beginning in 2014, the series looks behind the scenes at careers in the U.S. Army. To make his mission possible, he relied on Lectrosonics Digital Hybrid Wireless - specifically UCR411a receivers paired with SMV and SMQV transmitters and HMa plug-ons for booms, plus R1A receivers for producers’ and directors’ IFB monitoring. “Cairns Army Airfield at Fort Rucker is where aspiring young pilots train to fly helicopters,” begins Smith. “T
USA - When Bon Iver’s album, Bon Iver, Bon Iver, dropped 10 years ago, it was widely praised by music critics, debuting at the number two spot on the Billboard 200 US chart and earning the group Grammy Awards for both Best Alternative Music Album and Best New Artist. To celebrate the anniversary of this milestone release, frontman Justin Vernon and his band brought the album to life in its entirety, plus additional material, with a pair of immersive live shows dubbed Sincerely Grateful at the new YouTube Theatre at Hollywood Park, Los Angeles, using L-ISA technology. The two-day event marked the first concerts that the group had performed in more than a year and a half, and also represented the first official worldwide deployment of the new L-Acoustics L-ISA Processor II. Using this 3D audio processing engine, FOH engineer Xandy Whitesel mixed two shows that g
