Europe - Following nearly three seasons of extensive prototype testing of Audio-Technica’s 8.0 Microphone Concept at MotoGP, the Grand Prix motorcycle racing Championship, commercial rights holder Dorna Sports S.L. has moved to make the 8.0 microphone a core audio component of its future programme broadcasting which includes ambitious plans towards remote production. Located at Dorna Sports’ Barcelona, facility, the extensive remote production suite, which is planned to be phased in through the 2024 Season, will include a custom-built 7.1.4 / 5.1.4 dedicated audio control room to mix immersive audio received from the track in real time. Audio-Technica 8.0 Microphones are to be located at the podium, parc fermé, pit lane and key positions around the racetrack. While the audio control room will remain static, audio acquisition at the track needs to capture the compl
USA - While the COVID pandemic compelled performing arts companies to stretch their horizons to reach audiences, Michigan Opera Theatre went further than many during the period, presenting programmes in the Detroit Opera House parking garage, among other non-traditional venues for opera. Then, for one weekend in September, Blue, a contemporary American opera by Jeanine Tesori and Tazewell Thompson, was staged at the city's open-air Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre, a mostly pop-music venue where recent shows included performances by Chaka Khan, Machine Gun Kelly, Erykah Badu, and UB40. Awarded Best New Opera of 2020 by the Music Critics Association of North America, Blue is about a young Black couple raising a son in modern-day Harlem and their struggles with police brutality. With its all-black cast, the opera is a celebration, tragedy, and timely and highly
Czech Republic - Optimal Audio has announced the appointment of well-established audio and lighting specialists Rock Centrum as its exclusive distribution partner for the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Optimal Audio, part of the Focusrite Group, manufactures a one-stop solution of control, amplification and loudspeakers for small to medium sized commercial installations, with a focus on supporting multi-zoned venues. Established in 1992, with bases in Martin, Slovakia and Prague in the Czech Republic, Rock Centrum has evolved to become a highly-respected company working in the sale and distribution of professional and commercial audio and lighting, as well as in the field of system design and installation. Rock Centrum exclusively represents a number of global brands. Peter Foldvári, managing director at Rock Centrum comments: “Our company focuses on distributin
Gremany - Prolight + Sound 2022 will offer ‘a new, interactive experience zone for companies and visitors from the fields of audio production, DJing and digital live performance’. From 26-29 April 2022, the Performance + Production Hub will feature product presentations, demos, live performances and workshops with artists and experts from well-known brands. There will also be live visual showcases. The area is being created in cooperation with the makers of the Sample Music Festival. “With extensive new offerings, we are strengthening the audio section as a mainstay of Prolight + Sound,” says Mira Wölfel, director Prolight + Sound. “We are thus underlining our commitment to making the event a hotspot for sound professionals from all fields of application: from live sound reinforcement to recording, mixing, mastering and DJing. “The premiere of the Pe
UK - Martin Audio has announced that its Wavefront Precision optimised line array system, WPS, is now available in white, as a made-to-order option, and is also accompanied by its cardioid subwoofer partner, SXC118. Martin Audio originally announced WPS in 2019 - the fourth model in the Wavefront Precision series - and it has since gone on to be a firm favourite by owners and users alike. Dom Harter, Martin Audio MD, explains: “With WPS it was a ground up product development. We wanted to overcome the deficiencies and compromises of other 8” line arrays available on the market. That’s why we believe we have more drivers in WPS than anything else in its class, with spacing, waveguide and crossover point engineered to deliver in particular optimum HF performance with exemplary mid and high frequency pattern control, even at higher SPL. And our rental partners, FOH
World - To support first-time and indie filmmakers through the height of the pandemic, DPA Microphones partnered with Rycote on a Pay-it-Forward giveaway in late 2020 from which three lucky winners acquired a full cinema mics kit from the brands. The contest’s prizes included DPA’s 4097 Micro Shotgun, 4017 Shotgun and 6060 Core Subminiature microphones - along with virtual mentoring sessions, an array of Rycote accessories and other equipment loaners. The recipients, Lijie Cheng of Singapore, Jacob Deming of the United States and Sergey Martynyuk of Austria, have been hard at work putting their new gear, and skills, to the test. Singapore-based production sound mixer Lijie Cheng was excited to upgrade his microphone arsenal upon winning the competition and has already utilised them for an upcoming web mini-series, Maybe Marriage, and a short film, A Man
UK - White Light (WL) has joined d&b solutions, a service-focused business offering end-to-end expertise in the areas of project development, manufacturing, system planning, installation and maintenance. The move has been described as a “natural next step” for WL, which recently celebrated its 50th anniversary (see more on this story in LSi December, out now), and will strengthen the development of the company’s production and venues solutions. One particular area of focus for d&b solutions is WL’s SmartStage technology, which, in combination with d&b’s Soundscape immersive audio platform, is set to “open new market potential for immersive audiovisual, lighting and media solutions”.
Israel - Named after Frank Zappa and founded in 2004, Israel’s Zappa Group is a live show chain of clubs with an ethos of respect for music, musicians and listeners. From its first venue in Tel Aviv, it has grown to include clubs and outdoor venues in Herzliya, Jerusalem, Haifa ,Beer Sheba, Zappa Amphi Shuni and Zappa live Park, and hosts top Israeli and international music acts. Following a change of ownership, a new technical manager was appointed to supervise the venues and raise their technical standards. Having worked as technical producer on large-scale concerts, he recognised their ubiquitous use of DiGiCo consoles. This prompted the start of a major move for all Zappa venues to install DiGiCo. Supplied by Israeli distribution company, Gidron Levitan, the main Tel Aviv venue now boasts a DiGiCo Quantum 338, with Herzliya and Haifa upgrading to Quantum 225s, an
Belarus - For over a decade, Minsk Arena has been the epicentre for all things sports and culture in the Belarus capital. The venue’s main space is an ice arena dedicated to hockey and skating which can also be converted to host other sports events, as well as concerts, conferences, and forums Minsk Arena hosts some of the most notable sports tournaments, including IIHF World Championship and SU World Junior Figure Skating Championships, as well as musicians like Elton John, Sting, and Shakira. In September this year, the facility completed a large-scale renovation which included a tour-grade audio system from L-Acoustics, installed by BelCultProject. Known for its contemporary design, Minsk Arena also prides itself on implementing the latest technology, including being the first arena to install a cable roof system capable of withstanding loads of up to 120 tonnes,
UK - Between April and August, Foals played a number of festival shows, which saw live engineer Nigel Pepper using a Yamaha Rivage PM7 digital mixing system for the first time. Supplied by Adlib, the experience was so positive that he has already specified it for the band’s 2022 UK and European shows. “I had reached the point where I was ready to change from the system I was using,” he says. “On paper the Rivage PM series seemed attractive and the specifications would fit my workflow. I tried different systems, which included using Rivage PM7 in rehearsals, and quickly found it was the one for me. It really fitted the way my brain works.” Nigel was introduced to Yamaha’s Tom Rundle, who visited Foals production rehearsals and talked Nigel through the system. “I wanted to really see what I could get from it and make sure I wasn’t missing anything,
USA - UK-based Audiologic has announced its collaboration with Technically Creative, to deliver an immersive experience at the Harry Potter Flagship Store, New York. Technically Creative, specialists in creating immersive audio-visual solutions, worked together with Audiologic to deliver an exciting brief to bring to life the magic of Harry Potter, in an immersive in-store experience. The experience store is billed as 21,000sq.ft of magic, housing the world’s largest collection of Harry Potter merchandise. The main aim of the project was to deliver a store-wide sound system with visuals and special effects. Due to differing styles of room and ceiling spaces, Technically Creative and Audiologic needed to be mindful of the carefully curated aesthetics adopted for visually discrete speakers. The entire site is run on the Q-SYS ecosystem, namely the Core 110f pro
UK - With his repertoire of music blended with comedy, Tim Minchin’s UK tour, which began back in 2019, resumed after lockdown with a further eight-week stint. Titled Back . . . Encore, this took him through a number of sold-out UK theatre shows, interspersed with a handful of arena dates. The Australian was supported onstage by a seven-piece band - three brass players, bass, guitar, drums and percussion. Masterminding the sound production was Martin Audio’s rental partner, Capital Sound, with Dave Roden mixing once again to his favoured Wavefront Precision WPS. Capital drew on their inventory of 32 WPS line array enclosures, but purchased six additional multi-channel, Dante-supporting iKON amplifiers for the tour, enabling the system to be driven in the optimum one-box resolution. Explaining the need for the expanded WPS inventory this time around,
UK - Overcoming the somewhat inauspicious climate created by the global pandemic, Legoland Windsor Resort has continued to invest in its infrastructure. Part of that investment has included the upgrade of their 4D cinema as well as the implementation of a new ride, the UK’s first Flying Theatre attraction, Ride of the Sky Lion. The new attraction forms part of Legoland’s most recent development, Mythica, an area that was inaugurated for the park’s reopening in early 2021. The Legoland production team overseeing the design and installation of the new ride called on their long-term audio supplier and consultant, Dave Shepherd of D.S. Audio to ensure the audio experience was the best possible. Shepherd specified a system based on EM Acoustics’ new flagship Reference Series R10 system. Shepherd’s brief was straightforward enough – to design a world class
UK - Like many public events, the outlook for the Edinburgh International Festival in 2021 was a little different. With restrictions limiting the use of indoor venues, the festival looked to d&b Soundscape - and its acoustic shell - to unite the disparate worlds of classical music and sound reinforcement; to recreate the comfort and quality of the concert hall in a temporary open-air environment. On the grounds of Edinburgh’s Junior Academy and the city’s Old College Quad, two custom built pavilions, a hundred metres long, were installed like giant bubbles, roofed, but open sided for free-flowing fresh air. Striking in scale and appearance and, as it turns out, entirely capable of the intimacy and focus essential to the arts. Knowing they had a long-standing reputation for delivering exceptional classical performances, Edinburgh International Festival initiate
Indonesia - A major new development at Universitas Katolik Parahyangan (Parahyangan Catholic University) in Bandung, West Java, has seen the inclusion of a high specification, multipurpose auditorium for choir performances, presentations and lectures. An Alcons Audio system has been chosen for sound reinforcement. The university tasked design and build contractor PT Esa Sinergi Selaras Indonesia (PT ESSI) with delivering the audio in the new auditorium. PT ESSI also chose Alcons knowing that the company’s pro-ribbon technology would ensure minimal ear fatigue for audiences. Jakarta-based KC Sound - Alcons Indonesian representative - would also be on hand to offer full support, including tuning the system to deliver its full potential. The chosen system for the 1000-seat auditorium comprises compact hangs of two single 12” VR12/90 mid-size versatile monitors
Canada - Before any entertainer ever sets foot on its stage, Club Regent Event Centre is already equipped to put on a show with its computer-automated flexible seating system, which can adapt in minutes into over a dozen seating configurations for any kind of show: theatrical, concert, meetings, and more. This 1,400-seat venue in Winnipeg, Manitoba, which is part of the larger Club Regent Casino features a new L-Acoustics K3-based sound system. “This is a fairly complex sound system for a very flexible environment,” explains Martin Van Djik, senior consultant and partner at Toronto-based Engineering Harmonics, which designed the Solotech-integrated system. The system comprises L/R hangs of eight K3 loudspeaker enclosures each, with six 12 KS21 subs per side, eight arrays of three Kiva II as delays, eight coaxial X8 frontfills, two larger X12 out-fills, four A
Australia - ARX Systems has recently supplied a large quantity of their USB Ultra I/O audio interfaces to multiple campuses of the Australian Catholic University (ACU). The USB Ultra I/O was chosen by the ACU as part of a series of campus wide AV upgrades designed to facilitate remote and blended learning from each lecture room. David Prentice, audio visual systems administrator for ACU, along with colleague Douglas Simpson, headed up the project. “What we wanted to achieve at ACU, which most other unis are also doing, is being able to use Teams/Zoom in our existing lecture rooms, to facilitate remote/mixed teaching. We are using the ARX DI Boxes to take microphone audio out of the Crestron DMPS (Digital Media Presentation System) and feed it to the PC, so that Teams/Zoom and other software can utilise the microphones in the space.’ The ARX USB I/O range has been a
Germany - DirectOut has named Australian company tm stagetec systems its distributor of the year for 2020, while SeeSound (Spain) and ITR Engineering (Russia) receive the outstanding sales performance and Prodigy of the year awards. Jan Ehrlich, CEO of DirectOut, states, “tm stagetec has demonstrated a very deep knowledge of our entire portfolio during the recent years. At the same time they used this to consult the clients at best and reached out to every single opportunity the market presented. Even though our relationship is still quite young, we are a well-coordinated team with the same customer-oriented understanding.” SeeSound has been the distributor of DirectOut products for the Iberian peninsula for a few years and the relationship between the two companies has been very positive since day one. After a kick-off year in 2018 and a constant growth in 2019, 2
Germany - The Riedel Group has announced an expanded management structure. Starting 1 January 2022, the Wuppertal-based company will be organised into three main divisions: The product division and managed technology business units will have Rik Hoerée and Lutz Rathmann as their respective new CEOs, with Riedel Networks and its managing director and CEO, Michael Martens, forming the group's third division. This move allows Riedel Group CEO Thomas Riedel to devote his attention to driving business development and expanding global partnerships and networks. Together with group chief financial officer Frank Eischet, who is responsible for finance, HR and IT, Thomas will form the spearhead of the Riedel Group. "The last year has given us time to take a deep breath and reflect on our setup. We realised that we would have to change some things to sustain the rapid expansion
The Netherlands - Located in the eastern Dutch town of Hengelo, the Metropool is a long-established live music venue featuring a wide range of acts and genres. It moved to its present home in 2009 and at that point its console stock was updated to include three DiGiCo SD8s and a large-format analogue desk, covering all its audio mixing needs across its Jupiler and Jack Daniels halls. They were one of the first Dutch venues to invest in DiGiCo technology as Teun Zekhuis, their Head Technician recalls: “We chose the SD8 for its sound, interface, workflow and overall look and feel. Being one of the first stages in the Netherlands with this first series of SD8s we were really pioneering in a new world of digital audio. The SD8s proved to be a great choice and served us very well.” Fast forward nine years to 2018 and through a series of events, Metropool found itself ta
Japan - Kobe Port Museum, is a new cultural complex in the Japanese city, consisting of an aquarium, food hall, and bridal desk. The space on the ground floor is a ‘next-generation food hall’ typified by the well-known Kobe restaurant brand, Tooth Tooth which has recently installed a Martin Audio system with background music produced by Fish Four. Based in Kobe, the president Yutaka Okano says: "High-quality BGM is an indispensable element for restaurants and cafes. We choose music suitable for both daytime and nighttime and develop the atmosphere of the place. We have enjoyed a long relationship with Martin Audio and have used the brand in several facilities to date. With confidence in the quality of Martin Audio's speakers, we again requested them without hesitation." A total of 29 CDD6TX cabinets have been installed on several pillars, covering a wide area of th
UK - Sound Technology has announced the addition of Solid State Logic SSL Live consoles and Network I/O devices to its live sound distribution portfolio, with a focus on installed applications including theatre, music venues and educational facilities. "Sound Technology has had a successful long-standing relationship with Solid State Logic distributing its music production tools portfolio in the UK,” comments David Marshall, MD Sound Technology. “We're proud to have the opportunity to expand our partnership with the addition of the SSL Live range of consoles in market sectors in which we also have proven technical and commercial expertise." Responsibility for SSL Live consoles at Sound Technology will sit within its pro audio application team for specification and support, with consoles installed in Sound Technology's pro audio and lighting demo facility at its Let
UK - Audiologic has announced that as of the 1 December 2021, it has been appointed as exclusive UK distributor for LEA Professional, manufacturer of pro-audio amplifiers with cloud and IoT-based technologies. LEA Professional, founded in 2019 by CEO Blake Augsburger. The LEA portfolio of products is made of the Connect Series smart amplifiers, with both a standard and Dante format available. As the rest of the signal chain has continued to grow with smart connectivity with IoT integration, LEA have bought amplifiers right up to the forefront of the technology race. The Connect Series has full cloud connectivity and monitoring allowing for real time visibility of your entire roster of amplifiers worldwide. David Budge, founder and managing director at Blue5 Technology, LEA’s representative in the UK & Ireland, comments: “LEA Professional has seen exponen
Canada - Brompton Technology recently helped the VFX team at Pixomondo bring Star Trek: Discovery into a new era using virtual production. The new season of the Paramount+ streaming hit leveraged virtual production for the first time, filming on Pixomondo’s large volume LED stage in Toronto, Canada. Pixomondo’s Toronto stage is a 70’ x 30’ horseshoe-shaped volume equipped with ROE Visual Black Pearl 2.8mm (BP2) LED panels for the walls and ROE Visual Carbon Series 5.77mm (CB5) panels for the ceiling, each with Brompton Tessera SX40 4K LED video processors. The volume also features OptiTrack motion capture cameras to handle multi-camera tracking, and the LED walls are fed CG content in real time from Epic Games’ Unreal Engine. The Tessera SX40 offers support for full 4K screens at 60Hz with 12 bits per colour output, as well as a zero-latency up/down s
