- USA - Specialist mobile business fabricator Cruising Kitchens has created a custom food truck for the Raising Cane’s chicken finger restaurant chain, which was designed ‘not only to deliver delicious food but also to get the party started’. The fully functioning mobile kitchen also features a custom-designed pop-up DJ booth on the roof, which is surrounded on three sides by ADJ weatherproof LED video panels. Already operating from over 500 restaurants in 29 states and territories, they are moving into more areas, thanks to a pair of custom food trucks. The trucks were delivered at the end of 2020, as a surprise for the company’s founder, Todd Graves, from his co-CEO, AJ Kumaran, to celebrate the brand’s 25th anniversary. They are now making their way across the US, as part of the Cane’s Across America campaign, visiting areas not yet served by a Raising Cane
UK - Panasonic has announced a solution for realtime tracking projection mapping that ‘expands the creative possibilities for the entertainment and production industries to merge digital and physical realities with stunning results’. Different visual effects can be achieved by projecting images in real-time, with accuracy, onto fast moving objects using the Real-Time Tracking Software Development Kit (ET-SWR10) for the Panasonic PT-RQ35K projector. The projector, in combination with an infrared emitter, camera, marker and a content server, creates a Real-Time Tracking Projection Mapping System that is designed for use by production companies and at live entertainment events, theme parks, museums and Esports. The kit enables the 30,500lm, 3-chip DLP laser projector to accept and output 240Hz HD signals delivering enhanced images with a latency of just 5ms[1] and the
Finland - Tomi Björck is one of Finland’s best-known chefs and restaurateurs. With 10 restaurants and two bakeries already to his name across Finland, Sweden and Australia, Björck with his wife Minka and three other associates embarked on their latest project in Spring 2020. Lily Lee, in the heart of the Finnish capital of Helsinki, offers a range of dishes inspired by Taiwanese cuisine, Hong Kong’s street kitchens and classical Cantonese cooking. Finnish AV integrator, 4Business Oy, installed a Genelec loudspeaker system in the environmentally friendly RAW aluminium finish to enhance the dark, sultry interior with an audio experience that blends into the lush surroundings. In fact, Björck contacted Genelec directly for his latest project. 4Business’s Janne Lankinen was unsurprised by Björck’s choice. “Music and atmosphere are crucial elements for Tomi at
USA - As with many things over the past year, the world of sports saw significant disruption to its regular routine. From halted or delayed seasons to little or no live audiences at the arenas, sporting events around the world had to operate differently. With no ambient sounds to enhance the broadcasts, television networks also had to find alternative ways to replicate the at-home viewers’ experience. In response, Fred Vogler launched Sonofans, an immersive sports crowd performance system. The sound library was created using recordings captured with DPA Microphones’ 4091 Omni Condenser Mic, 4560 Binaural Mic and MMA-A Digital Audio Interface. Touted as a performance-based enhancement tool for empty stadiums or those with limited attendance restrictions, Sonofans provides live, dynamic crowd response with a library of reactions that have been mined and curated over
Argentina - Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades is the largest stadium in the province of Santiago del Estero with a capacity of 29,000. Completed in October 2020, the stadium will host matches for upcoming editions of the Copa America and the Supercopa Argentina. To meet the project’s deadline, the AV integration firm working on the stadium, Equaphon Sistemas de Sonido SRL, found a way to integrate the stadium’s audio system while still adhering to all health and safety restrictions in place due to COVID-19 - all thanks to the trust they put in Audinate’s Dante audio network platform. “Dante saves on costs and ensures the stadium can expand and scale the system as needed,” explains Francisco Maiocchi, member of the Equaphon Engineering Department. “Dante also offers many great audio control and management benefits. Dante was always part of our integration plan
Tajikistan - To provide sound reinforcement for worship and events at Dushanbe Central Mosque, A&T Trade designed and installed a Harman Professional networked audio system featuring 170 JBL loudspeakers powered by AXYS, BSS and Soundcraft solutions. Constructed over 10 years at a cost of $93m, Dushanbe Central Mosque is the largest mosque in Tajikistan and one of the largest in Central Asia. The mosque and surrounding areas boast a maximum capacity of 120,000 for large events, with the mosque itself able to accommodate around 25,000. The complex features several prayer halls, a library, a museum, an outdoor courtyard and four minarets towering nearly 250ft high. Located in one of the warmest climates on the planet - where temperatures have been known to peak at 42°C during summer months - Dushanbe Central Mosque needed a sound system that could not only deliver c
France - Arbane Groupe has hired Alain Boone as its new international sales manager. Boone will oversee the development of a distribution network for Arbane Groupe and its brands APG and Active Audio, as well as maintaining existing relationships with the company’s historical partners worldwide. An industry veteran, Boone has been active in the pro audio industry for more than 30 years. He made the shift from concert touring and system engineering to work as a product / sales manager in the Benelux region for audio distributor EML / AudioXL, before going on to serve as Nexo’s EMEA sales manager for six years. “I’ve spent many years maintaining and optimising relationships between distributors and manufacturers, all while integrating products into customers’ projects to ensure that they are carried out as efficiently as possible,” comments Boone. “My engi
USA - Orlando-headquartered Professional Wireless Systems (PWS) has announced the debut of the Omega-16 multizone receive antenna distribution system. The announcement was made by general manager Jim Van Winkle. “We are excited to announce the second product in the Omega Series,” explains Van Winkle. “Similar to the Omega-8, the Omega-16 provides a more efficient architecture and smaller footprint than its DB Series predecessor. It’s a powerful solution offered at a very competitive price point.” The Omega-16 has four sets of diversity antenna inputs (eight total) and 16 sets of diversity outputs (32 total). Available in both UHF and VHF, the RF bandpass filtering for the UHF unit is at 470-616MHz, while the VHF unit is set at 169-217MHz. The Omega-16 offers adjustable attenuation from 0 to -40dB and selectable bias for each antenna input. Dual redunda
USA - When the University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM) School of Visual and Performing Arts was looking to update its existing wireless intercom system, the task of finding the right equipment was left in the hands of the programme’s veteran technical director Steven Burnside. He found the solution he was looking for with Pliant Technologies’ CrewCom wireless intercom system. Burnside’s primary goal in upgrading the equipment at ULM School of Visual and Performing Arts was ensuring complete coverage throughout the entire building. “Our main auditorium was built in 1931 and made out of steel and concrete, so we really wanted to make sure we had a solid signal throughout,” says Burnside. “We were able to secure a CrewCom demo and we were really impressed, right off the bat. “With just one Radio Transceiver (RT), we pretty much covered the entire building. To t
USA - The Victory Worship Centre, a multi-campus community church in Arizona, created a special Christmas service for its limited-capacity congregations in December. As a backdrop for the music and sermons, a stage-wide picture window setpiece framed wintery vistas, displayed in ultra-high definition on a 30ft x 10ft LED videowall. Faithfully delivering the visual content, day after day, was a Hippotizer Karst+ Media Server from Green Hippo. A recent purchase by the Victory Worship Centre, the Karst+ Media Server was used for the very first time on this show. Production designer Alex Fuller, of Fuller Lights LLC, was familiar with Hippotizer from previous projects and was able to link the Karst+ unit to the grandMA3 lighting console at the heart of the Victory Center’s control booth. Situated in a separate video control suite, the Karst+ was fibre-linked to the MA3,
USA - Home to the Colorado Eagles of the American Hockey League, the Budweiser Events Centre (BEC) at The Ranch Events Complex in Loveland, Colorado is a 7,200-capacity multi-purpose arena that hosts everything from hockey, basketball and indoor football to concerts, rodeo, family shows and more. Less than an hour drive from both Denver and Cheyenne, Wyoming, BEC has become the focal point for sports and entertainment in Northern Colorado, offering approximately 200 events each year, including the 2021 NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Loveland Regional Tournament held there in late March. Larimer County, which owns the Spectra-managed venue, recently took advantage of the COVID-mandated downtime to make several notable renovations to the arena. The most significant of these was integrating a new L-Acoustics A Series loudspeaker system, which was designed and installe
USA - Point Source Audio has expanded its sales team with the addition of Forrest Breese as account manager for the Western U.S. Breese has been a familiar face around California’s pro audio industry for many years and brings with him considerable experience from previous roles with manufacturers, distributors, integrators - and on stage as a musician. Starting his professional career as a manufacturer’s rep, Breese has worked across just about every aspect of the industry from sales to integration, and has extensive experience working with a number of microphone brands. “I know the competition very well, they all make good products, but I’ve found that Point Source Audio has some advantages in tonal qualities and features, and it was that innovative quality that attracted me to the company,” says Breese. “I’ve always been a multi-brand rep, so I’m exci
France - The Crestron sales team has added Kevin Marchelidon as its new sales engineer in France. Reporting to Alain Solomon, Crestron’s regional sales director in South West Europe, Marchelidon will be the go-to technical expert for customers, and will support the regional sales team. “We're excited to welcome Kevin, who will be a great asset to our team in France,” comments Solomon. “He has been providing technical input for AV projects for many years and has a proven, excellent track record of customer service, project management and quality assurance.” Marchelidon adds: “I am really looking forward to meeting all my colleagues and customers, and I am ready to provide my best assistance for all your technical requirements.”
USA - The web forum formerly known as Gearslutz has unveiled its new name - Gearspace - repositioning the brand to be more inclusive. As an established resource for audio engineers, music producers, audio schools and organisations, the forum will continue to be an open platform for discussing and learning about audio recording gear and best practices. “After nearly two decades, it feels great to move forward with a more progressive and inclusive name,” says founder Jules Standen. “We’re certain our new name, Gearspace, will stand the test of time and provide a more all-encompassing platform for the pro audio industry. The change will affect the forum’s name, logo and URL. Gearspace will continue to offer the same audio-focused content and will strive to be the best online community possible for people of all genders and cultures. “This change has been in t
Lithuania - Sonus Exsertus, based in Vilnius, is a specialist in stage technologies with a 20-year history of providing turnkey solutions for a wide range of venues, from theatres and houses of worship to cinemas, arts centres and retail settings. The company also acts as a distributor for many leading brands across Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia and Georgia, offering comprehensive sales and servicing. For the last five years, Sonus has been distributing DiGiGrid products in the region, and has overseen a steadily upward trajectory in sales during that time. Whilst recent world events have seen turbulent times across the industry, Sonus has adapted to circumstances and continued to perform well. Its sales of DiGiGrid units continued to grow strongly throughout last year, something that head of sales Ramunas Alenskas attributes to a combination of factors: “As fa
South Korea - Harman Professional Solutions recently partnered with MIX Media and TechDataPS Coto upgrade Seongnam Arts Centre’s AV system with AMX networked video solutions. Seongnam Arts Centre is the largest venue for cultural arts in the city of Seongnam. The facility features a 1,804-seat opera house, a concert hall, ensemble theatre for smaller performances, two visual art galleries and an outdoor amphitheatre with seating for 11,000 people. The centre hired MIX Media to upgrade its video infrastructure with a HARMAN networked VoIP solution consisting of AMX encoders, decoders and controllers supplied by TechDataPS. To provide a scalable AV control platform with intuitive operation, network security and backward compatibility, MIX Media selected the AMX NX-3200 NetLinx NX Integrated Controller as the core of the AV infrastructure. For transmitting and rec
Germany - The CLW in Bonn-Bad Godesberg is a protestant free church and open to believers of all nationalities and generations. The parish has a church with an adjoining kindergarten and offers, among other things, services for the whole family every Sunday at 10.00 am. The Living Word (CLW) is an acronym for Centrum für Lebendiges Wort) is the focus of the services, in the form of sermons and musical contributions. The live music component in the church has grown steadily in recent years, so an upgrade of the sound system was necessary. Julian Betker, trainee pastor and vicar at the CLW, states: "We have been working on a new sound reinforcement solution to meet our many requirements for a while. On the one hand, we wanted to use our existing technology, including mixing consoles, microphones and subwoofers. “Our church lives through, and with, live music - which c
Australia - Cutting Edge has been a leading provider of sound and picture post production for the advertising, features and television industries, both in Australia and internationally, for almost three decades. The company recently announced Edge Lab, its newest venture in Virtual Production (VP) based in Brisbane, Queensland. The facility is a research and development (R&D) hub for production industry professionals, developed in partnership with Big Picture, part of the NEP Worldwide Network, and motion caption integrator Logemas. Brompton Technology processing is used for the main LED screen as well as ambient reflection and lighting walls. Cutting Edge is able to facilitate all its clients’ needs across commercial, television and feature film productions. Now, the company can also tap into the latest technical innovations in VP with its Unreal Engine po
South Africa - As a direct response to the new pressures faced by businesses in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Johannesburg-based AV technology solutions provider, Stage Audio Works, has announced StreamWorks, an end-to-end live streaming service. “COVID-19 has changed the way we work forever,” says SAW’s group CTO, Nathan Ihlenfeldt. “Participation in virtual events and remote meetings via the internet has become the norm for most of us, and even when the world finally starts to open up again, will remain an important part of our everyday lives. However, public streaming platforms and the internet in general has come under increasing pressure, with embarrassing consequences to the host organizations. “With vast experience in delivering video reliably to internet users, especially in Africa, we decided to take things a step further and launched StreamWork
Spain - Optocore has appointed RMS Proaudio as its new Spanish distributor. Miguel Ángel Jiménez, CEO of the Seville-based company, comments: “We have known Optocore particularly from the relationship with DiGiCo, which we have distributed for more than 15 years, and we consider their technology to be excellent. For that reason we approached them, and it is an honour to now be able to provide solutions based around their advanced technology in our Spanish market. We know their products to be extremely reliable, and offer flexible audio communication solutions.” Optocore sales distribution manager, Dawid Somló, is equally upbeat. “It is gratifying that such a serious and experienced company as RMS Proaudio has entered into this cooperation with us, and an honour for us to be an important part of their high level portfolio,” he says. “With Optocore solutions
Italy - Outline has announced that its FPGA-based Newton processor has been awarded an Italian Patent. The company has also filed the appropriate application for an international patent. Newton was introduced to the global pro-audio industry at Frankfurt MusikMesse in 2017. It has subsequently been adopted by a number of leading audio hire operations and system engineers “It’s well-known that our company has been making a name for itself since the 1970s as a manufacturer of innovative audio electronics including modular mixers, parametric equalisers, encoders, tuners, crossovers, limiters, amplifiers and more,” says the company. “Latterly we have developed DSP and digital matrices, as well as futuristic embedded solutions connected with signal processing, including the outstanding ‘iMode’ technology that won a PLASA Award for Innovation at the London show i
USA - Towards the end of 2020, the new leadership at Houston’s Sagemont Church, which was established in 1966 and is associated with the Southern Baptist Convention, introduced a contemporary worship music service to appeal to a younger congregation. To meet the demands of the new modern service, the church upgraded the aging sound system in its 2,500-seat sanctuary, installing a SSL Live L350 digital mixing console and replacing the PA speakers. Lead audio engineer Evan Warren says, “We have a new pastor, a new worship leader and a whole new direction, and we wanted to do modern contemporary rock ‘n’ roll-style worship music. But our PA and console were pushing 10 years old and falling apart. The faders on our old console were moving on their own and the old PA just wasn’t cutting it.” Having already spent a lot of time dreaming about equipment as a
USA - Meyer Sound will be offering hands-on, interactive demos of its Spacemap Go spatial sound design and live mixing tool at FILO Chicago, a hybrid in-person and live-streamed event for technical artists serving local churches on 11-12 May. The demo sessions will take place between breakout sessions in the spacious lobby area at the host venue, Willow Creek Community Church in the Chicago suburb of South Barrington, Illinois. “Spacemap Go is the perfect spatial and immersive sound solution for churches,” says Meyer Sound sales manager, west Daniel Rivera. “It is adaptable and flexible and it’s highly intuitive with a short learning curve. It’s also extremely cost-effective, particularly for churches with newer Meyer Sound systems as it leverages the power of their existing Galaxy processors. All they need is an iPad loaded with the Spacemap Go app.” FILO
UK - Leisuretec, distributor of professional and commercial audio, lighting and video equipment, has unveiled a new corporate brand identity that consists of a new logo, website and style. The new logo is at the core of the transformation, the company opting for one with a modern look and feel to replace the old emblem. The logo device represents the ‘L’ from Leisuretec, with the levels and waves within it reflecting the company’s passion for audio, lighting and video technology. Meanwhile, the four bars stand for the company’s core values of experience, choice, value and service. “We are very excited to launch our new logo and corporate brand identity, which consists of a refreshed style, website and refined summary of our company vision, mission and value proposition,” comments Charlie Henden, marketing manager at Leisuretec. “Our previous log
