Spain - The town of Altafulla on Catalunya’s Costa Dorada, in Tarragona province, is the spectacular seafront setting for the Pleamar Vintage Market. As well as a host of stalls selling all manner of vintage clothing, antique furnishings and other second-hand goods, the market hosts an entertainment stage, featuring live music, DJs and a programme of events, alongside a children’s area and numerous terrace restaurants and bars. Local event AV hire company Solucions so i il·luminació SCP provided various sound reinforcement systems for the annual two-day event in April, exclusively from Amate Audio’s contemporary Nitíd self-powered loudspeaker series. The entertainment stage FOH system comprised eight N208 line array cabinets and two N218 subs, with eight N12 2-way systems for front-fills and stage monitors. N12 systems provided the audio in various othe
Canada - Powersoft’s Ottocanali amplifier platforms have been chosen by Solotech as one of the cornerstones of the new audio system at Canadian casino and hotel resort, Caesars Windsor. The venue – part of the Caesars Entertainment empire – had its original audio system installed in 2008, but with the supplier having sent an end-of-life notice in 2018 and Caesars Corporate changing its minimum standards, it had to act decisively. “As well as the end-of-life notice, we soon realised that we couldn’t upgrade the Windows portion of the old system without upgrading the hardware to match,” said Brian Drouillard, manager audio visual at Caesars Windsor. Drouillard had already been working with compatriot company Solotech on upgrading the audio systems in hotel ballrooms and meeting rooms, and so spoke with its on-site technicians first to determine if they
UK - Austrian Audio and UK distributor Sound Technology have announced availability of the new Hi-X65 headphones. Building on the popularity of their Hi-X55, the Hi-X65 headphones are designed as professional monitoring headphones for mixing and mastering, the open over-ear design and the high excursion driver ensure transparent sound for sound engineers and audiophiles alike. The development of the Hi-X (High Excursion) technology results from “decades of experience and today’s state-of-the-art technologies”, and it’s the key to the detailed sound of the Hi-X65 headphones. All Austrian Audio Hi-X headphones feature a 44 mm driver and a ring magnet system. This design allows for improved airflow and includes the strongest magnetic field in its class. The ring magnet, combined with a copper-clad aluminium voice coil, reduces the weight of the membrane and the vo
Lithuania - Held annually in March, the Golden Stage Cross Awards is a night celebrating World Theatre Day by recognising the most significant productions, authors and professional artists in what has become Lithuania’s most anticipated performing arts awards. Due to the health and safety regulations, no spectators were allowed at the event this year, with the awards ceremony presented and broadcast live on Lithuanian national television, LRT. NGR Service worked with show organisers to provide the sound system, deploying a DiGiCo SD12 96-channel console with D-Rack and D2-Rack to broadcast the audio “as it should sound”. Traditionally held in a different theatre every year, it was decided to host this year’s awards in the same venue as last year, at the spectacular Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre (LNOBT), the largest theatre in the country. Most of
France - PRG and MADO XR has launched Virtual Production Studio-xR, a 360-° LED facility powered by Brompton Technology Tessera SX40 4K LED processing. The space “brings the power of virtual production to any type of pre-recorded or live production” and features ROE Visual LED panels, with multiple Tessera LED processors running the entire set-up. “Situated on the outskirts of Paris at the historic TSF Studios, we designed a modular studio of approximately 800m2 to provide full control over both the lighting and the filmed scenes in a realtime recording environment. We have put a team together that is fully dedicated to the studio and is composed of PRG and MADO XR staff who will be able to advise and guide you in the realisation of your projects,” comments Thierry Kra, managing director of PRG France. Louis De Castro, CEO and co-founder of MADO XR, utilised o
Thailand - Over the last five years, owner Mr. Nicha Uengkhao has built Jab Pae Chon Kae restaurant into a success by providing a fun, modern dining experience alongside live music entertainment that varies from pop and rock to EDM. Recently, when the lease expired on the Bangkok-area location, he took the opportunity to relocate to a new location in a high-traffic area adjacent to a popular community mall. The move proved to also be the perfect moment to upgrade the restaurant’s sound system, to provide patrons a better, more dynamic entertainment experience. A live music enthusiast, Mr. Nicha had been admiring the L-Acoustics sound at live events and festivals around Bangkok for years. In 2016, when he first opened Jab Pae Chon Kae in the original location, he had hoped to install L-Acoustics Kara, but was not yet able to make that dream a reality. But he kept in t
UK - Preevue and Race Furniture have announced a strategic partnership, bringing together Race’s decades of experience in theatre seating design and Preevue’s venue scanning and sightline analysis technologies. While the two companies will remain separate, they will collaborate closely on future projects where skills and resources can be shared, with Preevue services being integrated into Race’s offering to new and existing clients. Lucy Stokes, managing director of Race Furniture comments: “I am thrilled to announce this key partnership between Race and Preevue. Race has over 75 years heritage within theatre and venue seating and continues to grow. We view this partnership with Preevue as a major step forward not only in Race’s evolution but the evolution of the entire industry - for the first time ever seating design, layout and manufacturing expertise wil
USA - Founded in 1842, Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, is the oldest university in the Western United States. With nearly 2,200 students, it offers a range of undergraduate and graduate courses in the arts and sciences, and post-graduate schools of business and law. When the pandemic hit last year, Willamette University looked for ways to expand and improve its remote learning capabilities. The school's 120-seat Paulus Lecture Hall in the College of Law needed a sound system upgrade to facilitate better remote and limited in-person lectures and discussions. Kyle House, the audio video specialist for Willamette University, worked with Cascade Sound in Salem, Oregon, to upgrade the lecture hall's sound system with loudspeakers from Renkus-Heinz. “Before we implemented the new system, we were using a pretty rudimentary pair of trapezoid box speakers which were
UK - AV and entertainment technology company Anna Valley has acquired event technical support provider Production Plus. The purchase will provide Anna Valley with additional staff and technical capabilities to support the company’s portfolio of venue clients. Production Plus has provided technical services to the events, hospitality, corporate and private markets since 1985. The company supplies video, audio, lighting, rigging and set design, build and staging services and equipment from a 20,000sq.ft facility in Hertfordshire and is the preferred supplier to a number of five-star hotels and venues. Like many suppliers in the sector, it has recently experienced difficult trading conditions due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Over the last 12 months, the owners were forced to reduce the company’s full-time staff and re-evaluate the business, ultimately deciding to approac
Russia - Fulcrum Acoustic, creators of professional loudspeaker technologies, has appointed Pro Audio & Light Systems as its distributor for Russia. “Pro Audio & Light Systems has an extensive network and first-rate technical expertise,” explains Fulcrum Acoustic president and co-founder Stephen Siegel. “We are happy to have their support as we continue to expand our presence internationally.” “We have been looking for an installation-focused loudspeaker brand for some time now,” says Elena Korovina at Pro Audio & Light Systems. “The technology behind the Fulcrum Acoustic product line is impressive and allows us to provide innovative solutions to our markets.”
UK - Christie has announced a new UK partnership with Visualization. The UK-based company will be joining Christie as the UK’s technical distribution partner, offering a full system design, build and supply of services and products, to the integration and dealer channel. Visualization is an associate company of AV Rack Build and is able to draw on a long-established relationship with Christie and its products. The new arrangement gives integrators a one-stop-shop for system pricing, orders, and an opportunity to take advantage of additional AV engineering services and technical expertise each step of the way. “Christie products are respected across the AV world and their reputation speaks for itself,” comments Nick Pidgeon, managing director at Visualization and AV Rack Build. “We have enjoyed an excellent working relationship with Christie since early days wit
USA - As part of Better Hearing Month, 64 Audio, is promoting the importance of its hearing health initiative by offering free custom earplugs and all four apex modules (mX; m15, m20, m26) with the purchase of a custom 64 Audio IEM throughout May. “As a musician, your ears are arguably your most important asset,” says Vitaliy Belonozhko, 64 Audio founder and chief sound designer. “You spend hours rehearsing to perfect that riff, master that drum solo, or hit that high note. Your ears are your guide, your biggest fan, and your harshest critic. As such, ear protection and being mindful of your environment can help combat noise-induced hearing loss. There's no better time than the present to start protecting your hearing so you can enjoy and play music for years to come.” 64 Audio’s Air Pressure Exchange (apex) is a pneumatically interactive vent that releases a
Europe - DirectOut Technologies has further expanded the capabilities of its recently released Ravenna/MADI converter Exbox.Rav adding NMOS IS-04 and IS-05 support. NMOS (Networked Media Open Specifications) is a suite of specifications for stream discovery and connection management developed and maintained by the AMWA filling a gap left open by the AES67 and SMPTE ST 2110 standards. IS-04 handles device discovery and registration to support automation in setting up networked systems, while IS-05 covers the connection management between devices to allow creation and removal of flows between senders and receivers on the network. “We are seeing a lot of AES67 and ST 2110 projects coming up with requests and requirements for NMOS,” comments Claudio Becker-Foss, CTO and CEO of DirectOut. “NMOS is a public specification, which fits well with the open approach of
Italy - K-array has launched a new pro audio brand, Kgear, which aims ‘to bring the latest technologies and top-level performance into a sleek design, easy-approach package, with a special attention to budget-sensitive yet demanding applications’. Kgear’s product portfolio is divided into two main areas - high performance and installed sound - and comprises column systems, line-arrays, ceiling and wall mount speakers, subwoofers and amplifiers for applications ranging from large venues and commercial buildings to room-sized, residential environments. “Over the past two years we took the chance to re-focus ourselves and start dreaming and designing in a different, challenging perspective to draw the very essence of K-array and apply it to create a more accessible product line without sacrificing the quality and performance we have been worldwide known for,” sa
Europe - LED manufacturer Absen is set to hold three online round table panels on immersive LED experiences. The sessions will cover immersive LED in virtual studios, retail spaces, and corporate spaces, with each round table session hosting a variety of expert brands in each sector. Hosting all the roundtables will be Jessica Golding, Absen’s European brand manager. The first roundtable, upcoming on 19 May, will discuss the impact and rise of virtual studios on the AV industry over the last year. With a panel of the industry’s virtual studio experts, including Christian Czimny, Absen’s industry product director, the panel will discuss what virtual means in the industry, where virtual studios can be used, and what the benefits are of using LED over traditional ‘green screens’. The event will provide a multitude of perspectives, from end user to integrator, on the r
USA - Shure Incorporated is entering its 96th year in audio technology and is planning a number of celebrations of company landmarks throughout the next 12 months. S.N. Shure started the audio company in downtown Chicago in 1925, selling radio parts kits. Since then, the company has grown into a global player, offering a diverse portfolio of wired and wireless microphones, personal and professional listening products, and conferencing and meeting solutions. Shure products are now sold in more than 120 countries, and through the decades, they have been trusted and used around the world by such luminaries as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Elvis Presley, Pope Francis, Nelson Mandela, The Beatles, and every United States President since Franklin D. Roosevelt. “While our 95th year provided several challenges as it relates to the pandemic, we continued with our superior pro
France - The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), based in Paris is an international organisation made up of 37 member countries that works to build better policies for better lives. More than 1,000 conferences are organised annually in the OECD conference centres (La Muette and Boulogne), including around 30 conferences and major events. The OECD Conference Centre offers 3,000sq.m of modern and modular conference rooms and a range of facilities. Currently, OECD manages around 250 daily web conferences. Most high-level meetings offer interpretation in at least both official languages of the OECD and rely on collaboration, meaning interactions are dynamic amongst participants. Audio visual services (audio, video and web conferencing) have been used for several years in OECD, but with the significant increase in remote participation requests in
Iceland - Harpa is a venue in the heart of Reykjavik, housing a concert hall and conference centre. According to technical director Andri Guðmundsson, the venue is “a one stop shop” with premier facilities, sound, lighting, video, and catering. Due to COVID-19, Harpa has pivoted to virtual events using an advanced, Dante-based audio environment. To maintain precise Dante timing Guðmundsson and his team turned to the Model 5401A Dante Leader Clock from Studio Technologies. “Throughout the pandemic, we have been shifting our infrastructure to Dante to meet the demand for the surge in virtual and streamed events,” said Guðmundsson. “The Model 5401A Leader Clock from Studio Technologies has provided us with a solid master clock to support all timing needs with our Dante operations.” The Model 5401A Leader Clock provides precise timing signals for appli
South Korea - Harman Professional Solutions recently collaborated with TechDataPS to equip Geumsan Daragwon with new audio systems. Geumsan Daragwon is a culture and welfare centre featuring literary, cultural, education, sports and health centres, as well as a large concert hall and small performance theatre to host plays, musicals and concerts. In order to ensure premium sound quality at these events, Geumsan Daragwon required modern audio solutions in each room. To achieve this, venue operators hired TechDataPS to equip the performance spaces with sound reinforcement systems provided by Harman. TechDataPS reports that a combination of good acoustics and robust system design from Harman helped them deliver quality sounding and reliable audio solutions that complement the architectural aesthetics of each space. The JBL VTX A8 loudspeakers and VTX B18 subwoofers provi
Italy - Powersoft has launched a new training programme on its website, which provides two new free training sections for users: Webinars, where all Powersoft’s recent webinars are uploaded, and E-Learning, where the live sound and install courses are available online now for anyone who wishes to take them. The OEM course will be released in the coming weeks. The E-Learning platform is designed to be a one-stop destination for online training. The courses are designed to provide sound engineers, integrators, and AV technicians the advantage to learn directly from Powersoft’s experts and gain certification upon completion. “Created by our in-house experts, these courses are for anyone working in the professional audio market, so they can operate with specialist understanding on audio systems, and gain an expert’s insight into our audio products,” said Marc Koc
South Africa - DWR Distribution’s Jaco Beukes welcomed nine delegates who attended the two-day DiGiCo S-Series training workshop hosted in May. The course was held at the DWR offices in Johannesburg. “The training went exceptionally well,” said Beukes, who presented the workshop. “It was exciting and good to recap everything on the S Consoles. We went through a lot of interesting topics and everybody seemed to enjoy it. Even the more senior guys learned new things.” The group of delegates included freelancers, technicians from rental companies and technical crew from a local church. “Some of the delegates have used the console for years while others have only started audio more recently, so it was a diverse group,” said Jaco. “Thank you very much to everyone who joined us.” The training included a demonstration of the DiGiCo S-Series digit
Hungary – Rental and installation company, G-Sound, was founded in 2014 by József Gricz, an experienced engineer who previously worked for the country’s National Radio. Recently, the company decided to add L-Acoustics K Series to its inventory, elevating its own standing within the Hungarian market and strengthening the country’s K2 alliance. The system was supplied by Audmax, an L-Acoustics certified provider distributor for Hungary, whose CEO, Krisztian Varga, recalls G-Sound’s decision process for choosing K2. “In 2019, József was looking to take the next step in event technology and started to dive into the L-Acoustics world,” Varga says. “In December of that year, I offered him a visit to the L-Acoustics corporate office in Marcoussis. Both József and his system engineer Zsolt Balogh were impressed with what they saw. We spent a fantastic day with sales
UK - Organisations from across the UK’s arts, entertainment and technology industries including Digital Catapult, the Warner Music Group and O2 are collaborating to create the first hybrid 5G festival. The 5G Festival will be ‘a showcase of creative talent blended with the power of advanced digital technologies, and broadcast live directly to audiences at remote locations from world-leading venues, as well as producing novel immersive in-venue experiences’. The collaboration is led by 5G specialist Digital and brings together global music company Warner Music Group ; live arts venue and culture organisation Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival working with Brighton 5G testbed partner Wired Sussex; telecommunications service provider and sponsor of The O2 and O2 Academy venues O2 ; Metropolis Studios, Sonosphere and Audiotonix and digital technology companies Ma
Australia - ARX has introduced the USB Ultra I/O VSR Broadcast, a 24 bit high resolution plug and play USB 2 channel play and record digital/analogue pro audio interface. The USB Ultra I/O VSR Broadcast removes the need to use any existing sound card outputs, with their inherent noisy environment and problematic grounding. Designed for interfacing USB equipped computers with the balanced inputs and outputs of professional sound systems, the full transformer balanced Inputs and Outputs on the USB Ultra I/O VSR Broadcast provide the isolation required to eliminate earth loops / ground hum and other extraneous interaction noise and distortion. The USB Ultra I/O VSR Broadcast offers analogue style recording headroom with Analog 0dB In converting to –18dB and FS Digital providing Analog style headroom when recording in the digital domain. The -18dB Digital signal reverts
