France - APG has announced its new iS range of three subwoofers, as well as the UC118i, a new subwoofer from the Uniline Compact range. All four loudspeakers will be presented on the Arbane Groupe stand at the 25th edition of the JTSE (Paris, 23–24 November 2021). The French manufacturer will also take this opportunity to unveil a new visual signature, inspired by the blue border dear to the brand since its creation in 1978, which will now act as an integrated logo on the products' grilles. New round perforated grilles that are perfectly integrated into the enclosure also complete the new visual appearance of APG loudspeakers. This new signature accompanies the launch of a new range of subwoofers: the APG iS series. Consisting of three models with a 10”, 12” and 15” driver respectively, the iS series replaces the SB series, bringing a wider bandwidth of bass th
Germany - Voice-Acoustic has introduced the Venia compact column loudspeaker series. The new series consists of two full-range models: the passive Venia-6 (4x 6.5" and 3x 1") and the bi-amped high-performance column array Venia-8 (4x 8" and 4x 1"), which offers with 140dB sound pressure at only 35kg weight. The high-frequency drivers are each coupled to a line array waveguide and produce a dispersion angle of 100° horizontally and 0°/-20° vertically via a large horn. The HF section of the Venia series provides a vertically asymmetrical sound pressure coverage with a plane wavefront. The principle of larger line arrays is transferred to the Venia loudspeakers in a compact column format: the high-frequency energy is bundled to cover longer distances and the near filed is covered by curving with a lower energy content distributed to a larger area. The result is a balan
UK - Monarchy on Chalk Farm Road in North London has re-opened its doors with a new name and a complete venue refurbishment including a total upgrade of the audio to a Void Acoustics system. Formerly known as The Monarch, and where Amy Winehouse once DJ’ed, this popular bar/pub is a stone’s throw from The Roundhouse – the noted music venue. And whilst it may have new owner operators (AB-InBev), and a fresh new look, the venue remains committed, and connected to, its music heritage. A full audio upgrade with a high-end Void Acoustics audio system was central to the re-fit. It’s not the first time that Void Acoustics has partnered with London based integrator AT&C Professional Systems to specify and install a fully integrated Void system. Alan Smith, business development manager for AT&C takes up the story. “The brief we were given was to creat
UK - Anna Valley subsidiary, Matrix UK Solutions is providing dynamic LED backdrops and innovative IMAG services for Genesis’ The Last Domino? Tour. Having sold an estimated 100m albums, Genesis is among the biggest selling recording artists of all time and has played to sold-out stadiums and arenas all over the world for decades. The Last Domino Tour marks over 13 years since Tony Banks, Phil Collins and Mike Rutherford have performed together and it is expected to be the group’s last live tour. The tour kicked off in September 2021 with 37 shows planned at venues across the UK and North America between 20 September and 16 December 2021. However, the final four performances in the UK were cancelled due to positive COVID-19 tests within the band and are now planned for March 2022. The US leg of the tour will commence on 15 November 2021. With Phil Collins remaini
Egypt - Green Hippo’s Taiga and Karst+ were the media servers of choice for Egyptian artist Mohamed Ramadan, whose recent outdoor performance on Egypt’s North Coast saw 85,000 fans gather for what the singer described as “the largest audience attendance in 2021”. To entertain the masses, the region’s largest ever scaffolding stage was erected, measuring 45m wide and 20m high, for a concert that commanded serious attention to detail, with the visuals quite literally taking centre stage among 800 lighting fixtures, pyrotechnics and special effects. The structure was built by event rental partner Hi-Lights Group, which also supplied the 900sq.m of LED video wall that displayed bespoke graphics on a 4K video display with a total of 230,400 pixels. Hi-Lights Group utilised two Hippotizer V4 Taiga and four Hippotizer V4 Karst+ Media Servers, with an output sp
South Africa - The Norwegian Settler’s Church (NSC) has a rich history; inheriting its namesake from the group of Norwegians who originally settled in Southern Natal in 1882. Since, the church has undergone various transformations, but remains the longest serving church in the region. Construction on a new auditorium kicked off in 2008, and has slowly progressed through to the current day, developing to accommodate the church’s growing congregation. Recently, Stage Audio Works (SAW) were brought in to implement the finishing touches; handling the integration of the audio aspect of the church, which, in the words of Phillip Kloppers, media and technical director at NSC, really “makes the building work”. SAW used the expertise they’ve acquired across many House of Worship projects to deliver the entire solution over the course of two weeks. Significantly, this was a
Austria - The Bregenz Festival attracts more than 200.000 visitors every year. In the months of July and August culture lovers from all over the world can enjoy more than 80 performances. Due to COVID-19 no shows could take place. The festival returned this year for its75th anniversary and to experience the revival of Guiseppe Verdi's Rigoletto on the lake stage. For many years, the Bregenz Festival has placed emphasis on the latest technologies, on the one hand to meet the high technical and structural requirements, and on the other hand to provide its audience with a unique experience through maximum system stability and quality. Just in time for the start of the new season, key components of the existing audio system were completely renewed and extended for average monitoring. Two Prodigy.MP from DirectOut, configured in MirrorMode (redundantly to each other
UK - DJs from around the globe assembled at Chelmsford City Racecourse recently for the second edition of Clockstock Festival. Staged by Clockwork Orange (Danny Gould and Andy Manston), the 12-hour dance party was designed to recreate the spirit of the nationwide recognised names in the 90s clubbing scene, complete with VJ’s, special effect flame throwers, CO2 jets and dancers. The event attracted an audience of 15,000 ‘old school ravers’, who had cut their teeth on the dance genre of the mid-90s. Paul Galley, who runs locally based Event Sound & Light Ltd (ESL), deployed his front-line Martin Audio MLA Compact PA to equip the two main stages, with a Wavefront Precision (WPC and WPS) occupying the ‘Olds Kool’ big top, where there was also an early outing for Martin Audio’s latest baby, Torus. This stage was supported by Martin Audio product support engi
The Netherlands - Founded in 1313, Petruskerk van Leens is one of Holland’s oldest churches and home to its famous, recently restored organ, which has been treasured by parishioners for generations. Once churchgoers were faced with stay-at-home orders due to COVID-19, the church decided to introduce live streaming services to bring mass, and their beloved organ’s music, into the homes of the parish. To help the church design its AV set-up, it called on Bart Hof, owner of HOF AV. Based on his previous use of the mics in live music applications, Hof recommended DPA Microphones to support the audio needs of the church. “In my opinion, when it comes to the equipment, the simpler and more straightforward way that you approach music is actually the best way to handle audio in a natural way,” Bart explains. “With DPA mics, it’s just a matter of connecting it, and
USA - The U.S. Department of Commerce has awarded Cloud Microphones the 2021 President’s E Star Award for Exports. Cloud Microphones designs and manufactures ribbon microphones and microphone preamplifiers. The company’s patented Cloudlifter Microphone Activator has garnered several industry awards and is used by audio professionals in recording studios, on concert stages, in broadcast booths, in podcasts and for livestream audio. "Cloud Microphones has demonstrated a sustained commitment to export expansion. The E Awards committee was very impressed with Cloud Microphones’ extensive marketing through trade events, podcasts, social media, and other advertising. The company’s development of innovative products with export markets in mind was also particularly notable. Cloud Microphones’ achievements have undoubtedly contributed to national export expansion eff
UK - Leading musical theatre sound designer, Tony Gayle, has chosen HARMAN’s JBL Professional VTX A8 next-generation line array as his preferred PA system for the new production of Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical. A total of 24 JBL VTX A8 enclosures and 10 accompanying JBL VTX B18 single 18” subs have been rigged at the Lyric Theatre in London’s West End. Produced by Playful Productions, Stage Play and Cedella Marley, the production celebrates the life of the Jamaican global superstar, played by Arinzé Kene, and Gayle wanted to ensure that the sound produced by the nine musicians was as authentic as possible. “The whole show is performed by a live band from a platform in the wings, with no pre-records,” he confirms. “Part of the creative brief was not to produce it as pure ‘musical theatre’ as that format wouldn’t work for this show.
USA - LED processor manufacturer, Brompton Technology, will be showcasing its HDR solution on booth 2335 at this year’s LDI Show in Las Vegas from 19-21 November. Brompton HDR, or High Dynamic Range, has applications across multiple sectors due to its ability to deliver images with better contrast, higher brightness levels and a wider colour palette, with details preserved in the darkest and brightest areas of a picture along with more accurate reproduction of colours. Brompton’s Hydra system which will also be in display on the stand, is an all-in-one industrial solution that incorporates all the measurement instruments and processing required for panel measurements to enable Dynamic Calibration. Additionally, visitors will be able to see Brompton’s range of Tessera LED processors, including ideal rental workhorse S8 and the flagship SX40, with the all-im
Europe - The Microflex Complete Wireless Conference System (MXCW) from Shure now features a Handsfree Mode. The feature allows participants’ microphones to be voice-activated automatically without the need to press a physical button. Likewise, when a participant stops talking, their mic shuts off. To accommodate various styles and dynamics of meetings, MXCW users can toggle between handsfree, manual, or remote microphone activation to best suit the style of conversation, from casual discussions to formal proceedings. In Handsfree Mode, each conference unit evaluates the level, spectral content, and signal-to-noise ratio of the audio at its microphone to determine when speech is present. The conference unit sends a “Request to Speak” signal to the MXCW’s Access Point Transceiver (MXCWAPT). Next, the MXCWAPT assigns it a transmission channel and adds its audio t
UK - Audiologic, in partnership with Handy AV, has delivered a new audio system for GAMA Healthcare’s new office space, from concept and design through to completion. GAMA Healthcare, founded in 2004, is a supplier of disinfectant products to hospitals around the world. In order to support their rapid growth, GAMA has recently invested in an office space, known as their new ‘Infection Prevention Solution Super Hub’ headquarters, located in the centre of Hemel Hempstead’s business district. The space has been designed from the ground up with modern working in mind, utilising the latest in AV technology. Handy AV, an audio-visual equipment supplier, was approached by GAMA Healthcare about the project, commissioning them to design and install audio visual equipment for their entire new office space. Audiologic was asked to look at the spatial and audio des
USA - Tulsa-based Church on the Move, established in 1987 with a mere 163 worshipers, now has over 7,000 members worshiping at three campuses surrounding a 2,200-seat main sanctuary. Recently, that primary location underwent a major systems renovation that included the installation of a new K2 loudspeaker system, designed and installed by Oklahoma City-based Skylark AV, an L-Acoustics certified provider, install. “The church knew what they wanted, and they wanted L-Acoustics right out of the gate,” says Steele ‘Ninja’ Beaty, project manager at Skylark AV. “The only question we had to decide was: which L-Acoustics speakers would work best?” K2 was chosen based on three things, says Skylark AV’s Todd ‘Linchpin’ Cromwell: “Performance, musicality, and SPL. Church on the Move is very much a contemporary worship church when it comes to music, and it can
USA - Studio Technologies is now shipping the StudioComm system with Dante support, consisting of the Model 792 central controller and the Model 793 control console. With the variety of audio formats and channel counts used in modern production workflows, audio personnel have a heightened need for specialized source selection and level control equipment. “While Dante has found wide acceptance in professional applications, analogue signals continue to play an important role in audio workflows,” says Gordon Kapes, president of Studio Technologies. “That fact, combined with the range of audio formats, can make monitoring a challenge. We’re excited to offer our customers a high-performance yet easy-to-use solution with our newest StudioComm system.” The StudioComm system incorporates an internal 16-channel architecture, providing direct support for a range of sur
UK - Earlier this month Creative Technology (CT) supported delivery of the first-ever Earthshot Prize awards ceremony which took place at Alexandra Palace in London. This event was introduced by HRH Prince William and hosted by Clara Amfo and Dermot O’Leary with Sir David Attenborough joining as special guest. The ceremony also featured music performances from artists such as Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, KSI and Yemi Alade, and Shawn Mendes. Coldplay’s performance, from outside of Alexandra Palace, used energy powered by 60 cyclists. Working for long-standing client BBC Studios Events alongside The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, CT provided a circular, gloss LED floor to the exact design specific by the client, working with them to bring their vision to life with stunning results. The high-resolution LED floor which was made up of 446 t
UK - Situated at Boxpark Wembley, a 20,000sq.ft events space described as ‘the ultimate fan park destination’, Pop Golf combines crazy golf with 21st century pop music in a brightly coloured environment. This unusual playground is built on the belief that nothing brings people together like music and play. Based on a concept devised by Smith & Devil, the venue features a course of nine pop-themed holes paired with a high-octane Martin Audio sound system, provided by partners, Middlesex Sound & Light (MSL). Director and project manager Darrel Olivier looked no further than the company’s CDD6 / SX112 subwoofer combination, as he has many times in the past. From Drake’s Hotline Bling to retro 80’s boomboxes and suspended cassette tapes, each hole is different and has been designed to offer the experience of stepping straight into a music vi
Turkey - The first and only university in Turkey to focus purely on music education, Ankara Music University has invested in a 24-channel Audient ASP8024-HE console for its Music Technology department. Head of Music Technology, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Abdurrahman Tarikçi specified the desk and states, “Audient products makes the end user feel secure with their accomplished team and technical service. It is a great advantage that Audient can offer products with similar performance to their competitors, for users with a more modest budget.” With each studio doubling up as a classroom, Dr Tarikçi needed to be confident that the desk would be of good quality and durable, as well as suitable for educational applications. “One of the most important features for us is definitely the integrated patchbay system. Thanks to this, we can explain the signal flow chain in great det
China - Hangzhou is more than 9,000km from the shores of Lake Geneva, yet for four days in October the first Montreux Jazz Festival China successfully bridged both distance and cultural differences with the universal language of music. Also, to ensure the same sound experienced for 35 years on the shores of Lake Geneva, Montreux Jazz Festival China collaborated with Meyer Sound. The festival was held from 5-8 October at the Sofitel Westlake Hotel, with the main stage outdoors on the terrace and a special immersive experience installed in the lobby bar. The live performances featured artists from six countries, though all currently reside in China, with musical styles ranging from jazz to pop, folk and R&B. Although prudently limited in scope due to continuing COVID-19 concerns, MJF China’s first edition proved a success in terms of both audience satisfaction and
UK - Mike Oldfield’s magnum opus Tubular Bells was performed live at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in London this summer, in a series of performances forming a prelude to the celebration of the album’s 50th anniversary in 2023. Tubular Bells – Live In Concert, with musical direction from Oldfield’s long-time collaborator Robin A. Smith, featured a nine-piece live band, with actor Samuel West replacing the late Vivian Stanshall as master of ceremonies. The music was brought to life on stage through a visual interpretation by the Circa Contemporary Circus, led by artistic director Yaron Lifschitz, with 10 acrobats presenting Oldfield’s work in its physical form, their movement woven together to reflect the music. DiGiCo SD7 front-of-house and monitor consoles, plus an additional array of equipment, were provided by RNSS Ltd, the productio
South Africa - Located in Bedfordview, an affluent area within Johannesburg, the newly opened Body Action Gym is a six-star wellness facility which provides access to fitness equipment, personalised nutritional guidance and a lifestyle environment. The gym boasts 5000 sq.m of cardio and weight training space; an array of dedicated aerobic, yoga, Pilates, HIIT and spinning studios; an open-air basketball court, boxing ring’ 50m sprint track and outdoor elite fitness training area—plus a kids area, in-house cafe and apparel shop. Key focus was given to the various entertainment systems which needed to seamlessly integrate into the gym’s overall vision for the facility. And this was highlighted by a Martin Audio BlacklineX PA system. John Greaves, audio specialist at Audiosure, the Martin Audio distributor, explained the various factors which led to the elabor
Australia - Codec specialist Tieline, based in Perth, Western Australia, have become the latest manufacturer to join the Ravenna community; a move which follows hard on the heels of the announcement of a new firmware release that adds Ravenna support to their Gateway family of codecs. Tieline codecs specialises in streaming low latency, high quality audio over a range of wired and wireless IP transports and facilitate the integration of compressed and uncompressed IP audio streams around the broadcast plant. “Ever since the days of POTS and ISDN, Tieline has always advocated for interoperability of equipment from different manufacturers,” said Charlie Gawley, Tieline’s VP Sales APAC/EMEA. “The world of IP is no different. It’s why our Gateway platform is AES67, ST 2110-30, NMOS and now Ravenna compliant, allowing devices using different AoIP protocols to con
Japan - Based in Shinjuku, Paddy Field is a rental company which supplies audio, video and recording solutions to a wide range of small-to-medium sized performing arts productions. When company founder Ryodai Tanaka was looking for a compact front of house system that would deliver quality sound, he turned to Alcons Audio’s pro-ribbon technology. Ryodai founded Paddy Field in 2019, after 10 years as a freelance sound engineer. He was introduced to Alcons Audio pro-ribbon systems in July 2020, at a demonstration event held by Alcons’ Japanese distributor E’Spec Inc. Ryodai was immediately impressed. “The sound quality was excellent and, even at high volume, the high frequencies made the listening experience much more comfortable. At the same time, the bass sounded very tight,” he says. Ryodai was looking to invest in a compact line array FoH system for Paddy
