UK - PLASA, the lead association for the entertainment technology industry, is running a free webinar on Wednesday 24 February to help attendees better understand the basics of the new UKCA marking which is now required for certain products being placed on the market in Great Britain.
Following on from a series of webinars covering business, trade and HR, this session will explore terms and definitions that relate to the new UKCA and CE UKNI markings. PLASA will be joined by expert host Rob Hine, head of commercial partnerships at BSI (an approved body for UKCA), who will break down what these terms mean in the context of UKCA and what this means for those placing products on the market. Rob will also take the time to answer any questions.
This webinar will prove essential for both UK and international businesses who sell products in the UK. Following the session, att

UK – Martin Audio has unveiled its first constant curvature array, Torus, alongside new 3D prediction and optimisation software, Display 3. Both were formally showcased for the first time online at a recent ‘virtual’ launch event.
For applications that typically require a throw between 15-30m (50-100ft), a full-blown line array is not always practical, optimal or affordable. Conversely, a point source solution may not be sufficient in coverage and SPL. “Torus is a constant curvature array designed to fill that gap,” says Martin Audio, “combining optimised coverage, SPL profile and cost efficiency.”
However, Dom Harter, managing director, adds: “It is much more than just another constant curvature array. Torus was in development for three years in an exhaustive bid to further the acoustic concept and performance achievable.
“Typically, constant

UK - To mark the centenary of Stephen Joseph’s birth and the 60th anniversary of the founding of ABTT, the ABTT Stephen Joseph Committee has announced an award to commemorate the life and work of the influential theatre practitioner and pioneer of theatre in-the-round.
A statement from the ABTT says: “Stephen Joseph was one of the most influential theatre practitioners of the last century. He was one of the founders of the ABTT and the Society of Theatre Consultants, now the Institute of Theatre Consultants. He promoted new writing, architectural standards and technical excellence, and was an inspiring university teacher. His pioneering work has given rise to the use of myriad forms of theatre and open staging in current practice. At the heart of his philosophy was the close and fundamental relationship between performer and audience. Above all, he established theatre-i

USA - 12Stone Church, a thriving multi-site congregation serving the Atlanta metro area, is radically rethinking worship for not only the COVID-19 crisis but also into the post-pandemic era. The church’s innovative ‘12Stone Home’ initiative is a creative fusion of remote streaming and in-person worship, with the dynamic power and flexibility of a new Meyer Sound Leopard reinforcement system playing a key role in the success of the concept.
The new system is flown inside the main worship auditorium at 12Stone’s Sugarloaf campus, where a rapid renovation last summer reconfigured the 900-capacity room to serve as a hybrid combination of live worship space and video production studio. With the old point-source system already slated for replacement, a new Leopard-based solution was the odds-on favourite as Leopard arrays already had been installed at four other 12Stone ca

Europe - With musicians in mind, KLANG has announced the release of its new KLANG:kontroller, a hardware controller that is compatible with all KLANG immersive in-ear mixing processors.
“This is the first hardware product designed specifically for the musicians,” says KLANG founder and CMO, Pascal Dietrich. “While many of our users love the KLANG:app, we had received many requests for a standalone hardware controller that offers the same mixing functionality, combined with a powerful, studio-grade Dante headphone amp.”
KLANG:kontroller does just that. It delivers fast tactile user control of channels, groups and immersive mixing via an intuitive interface. “KLANG:kontroller is really simple to use, even for absolutely non-technical musicians,” adds Dietrich. “The displays provide clear colour coding and channel names which makes handwritten and mostly out

USA - We are sad to report that Rupert Neve, an innovator and business owner whose analogue audio equipment designs have become an essential component in music recording, live sound production and home hi-fi systems, passed away on February 12, 2021 in Wimberley, Texas, due to non-Covid pneumonia and heart failure. He was 94.
A statement from Rupert Neve Designs reads: “Rupert Neve’s impact on the audio industry can hardly be overstated. It’s no exaggeration to say that millions of people worldwide listen to music every day that was produced using equipment incorporating Rupert’s designs somewhere in the process, from the vocal recording to the final mix, if not from beginning to end.
His designs, ranging from large-format mixing consoles to compact 500 series modules, are ubiquitous, and may be found anywhere from the largest production facilities to the most

UK - In January, DiGiCo announced New Year New Hope, giving three lucky winners three great gifts - a DiGiGrid MGB MADI to SoundGrid Interface; the first of the newly launched KLANG:kontrollers - Serial Number 1; and a DiGiCo Quantum Range console.
What those entering did not know at the time was that this was an opportunity to own one of the first Quantum225 consoles, designed to ‘bring the Quantum Processing power and features in a compact and robust worksurface’.
Sensitive to the hiatus in the large-scale, live touring market, DiGiCo has designed the Quantum225 to be agile and flexible allowing the system to adapt to the demands of our changing world. Specified with the new DQ-Rack with integrated Dante and you have a system for AV installation and the demands of an AoIP networking environment. Alternatively specify with the MQ-Rack and get the familiar MADI con

USA - When Caitlin Visel joined Uvalde Grand Opera House as manager in September 2019, she was immediately tasked with replacing the nearly 40-year old wired intercom system. As the second oldest theatre in Texas, Visel needed to find a comms system that would cover the entire building with its thick, concrete walls.
When she realised that repairing the outdated system was beyond her budget, she began the search for a replacement. Through some online research, Visel was immediately intrigued by Pliant Technologies’ MicroCom M digital wireless intercom system.
“I was instantly drawn to Pliant’s intercom offerings for its wireless capabilities,” says Visel. “Having a wireless intercom system has been a massive benefit as we can communicate with staff members throughout the entire building. Whether they’re with talent backstage, in the lobby collecting ticket

Europe - OCA Alliance member, DeusO GmbH, has created a control implementation that requires minimal processing and can be implemented in as little as a 1kB solution. This is significant development as it puts AES70 control solutions within the reach of any and all who wish to implement it, says the alliance.
AES70 is a device control standard that offers a flexible, cost-effective approach to system control. It offers interoperable, standards-based control that is not tied to any particular control system or user interface and works alongside any audio and video networking control protocol.
“One of the fundamental design goals of AES70 and OCA (Open Control Architecture) was to allow scalability, both upwards and downwards. The initial implementations and systems using the standard tended towards larger and more complex systems, so the standard was perceived in some

UK - Xvive has added two new items to its range, the battery driven, 12/48 volt P1 Portable Phantom Power Supply and MD1 Bluetooth MIDI adapter.
The battery-driven Xvive P1 delivers a full 12V or 48V of clean phantom power for perfect sound and noise-free performance. Xvive P1 can be used with any condenser microphone, between audio mixers, processors or recording units that do not host phantom power, or as a stand-alone power source – making it suitable for studio applications, live performances, video shoots and podcasts.
Compact and weighing a mere 145g, the Xvive P1 is totally portable, with enough power from its internal lithium battery to run any high-current condenser microphone for up to 40 hours, from a three-hour charge from any 5 volt USB power source.
Also new from Xvive is the MD1 Bluetooth MIDI adapter which allows ‘fast and stable, point-to-poi

USA - Marshall Electronics has reintroduced its AR-DM61-BT multichannel digital audio monitor, now available with Dante capabilities. The AR-DM61-BT-64DT also includes built-in live video monitoring and can operate as an audio/video QC solution for a range of applications including TV stations, broadcast trucks, transfer stations and house of worship facilities.
The AR-DM61-BT-64DT provides versatile audio analysis functions, and professional QC monitoring of analogue, digital and networked audio sources. As the first audio rack unit with an intuitive 10-inch-wide LCD touchscreen, the AR-DM61-BT-64DT can display up to 64 audio channels or isolate any pair for detailed, 96-step analysis. Its slim 1RU design includes powerful stereo speakers with volume control so they can be adjusted in quiet and loud environments along with multiple convenient display modes.
“The AR-

UK - Shure is the sound system of choice for a multi-million pound restoration project at St John at Hackney Church. The project was supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund in collaboration with designer John Pawson (Abbey of our Lady of Nový Dvůr/Design Museum), visual artist Es Devlin and architects Thomas Ford & Partners.
A noted landmark, St John at Hackney Church was established in 1275 and has been part of the East London community ever since. A church in the traditional sense, since 2010 has welcomed major artists such as Robbie Williams, Florence Welch, Jamie XX, Benjamin Clementine, Bloc Party, Ed Sheeran and Emeli Sandé. As a Music Venue’s Trust and Independent Venue Week affiliated venue, Hackney Church looks forward to hosting some of the world’s finest creators and innovators whilst supporting local artistic endeavour in its Grade II* listed

USA/Europe - While the live music scene has been on pause for the past year, two live sound innovators, Dr. Christian Heil, president and founder of L-Acoustics, and Jerry Harvey, president and founder of JH Audio, came up with the idea to combine their technologies into Contour XO in-ear headphones.
Following an initial meeting in which Jerry Harvey travelled to Paris to meet Christian Heil, the two companies’ teams collaborated remotely to build Contour XO, which incorporates the massive L-Acoustics line array sound into JH Audio's multi-driver portable in-ear monitors (IEMs).
The design of Contour XO incorporates 10 drivers and covers the full frequency spectrum down to 10Hz. They also feature bass adjustment of up to 15 dB so you can control how much low end you need.
Contour XO was given a crucial role at the inauguration of the 46th President of the Unit

USA - Audinate has announced the immediate availability of the Dante AVIO Bluetooth adapter. This addition to the popular Dante AVIO family allows mobile devices and computers to wirelessly connect to any Dante audio network for playout or recording.
The Dante AVIO family of adapters allow users to easily use non-networked audio equipment on a Dante audio networkDante AVIO is available in 1- or 2-channel analogue input or output configurations as well as AES3/EBU, USB and now Bluetooth versions.
The Dante AVIO Bluetooth adapter brings Bluetooth 5.0 performance, delivering high-quality audio from phones, tablets and computers to any audio devices on a Dante network, says the company. Pairing devices is simple and straightforward, allowing for automatic connections to paired devices when in range. Dante AVIO Bluetooth is ideal for playback to larger sound systems, and fo

Italy - Powersoft is set to release BIM models for each of its rack mount amplifier platforms, as well as Mover and Deva HD.
The BIM files can be inserted into building information modelling software to inform other specialists involved in a project of each product’s particular characteristics. Common examples of existing products that already have BIM are lighting fixtures, fire alarms, and even some furniture and telecommunications equipment.
These new models have been created to help a prospective architect and / or consultant to specify Powersoft products in their BIM project and to keep all parties informed of their operational characteristics. Associated data parameters - such as its physical dimensions, connections, thermal dissipation, current draw, wattage, and nominal AC voltage - will be embedded within each Powersoft product’s BIM file, along with a de

USA - The Stillery, a Nashville-based restaurant and live music venue, recently expanded its concept with a new location in Chandler, Arizona. Co-owner Steve Kovach turned to Backstage Backyards, an exterior design and installation company, to design, integrate and install the venue’s stage and sound system. Backstage Backyards was created by music industry veteran Joe Denim to employ music industry touring professionals who are out of work due to the pandemic.
Denim working alongside Jim Brentlinger selected the RSX Series PA system from Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW) for this project. The main goal was to ensure that the space had even coverage at lower volumes during the dinner rush with the ability to crank up the system later in the night and for special events.
“The space has a low ceiling with a raised stage so we needed a compact array that could deliver equa

UK - Multinational giant Siemens partnered with Evoke Studios and disguise to host 8,000 customers from 90 countries at their Digital Enterprise SPS Dialog. The event offered customers engaging virtual content and introduced the new Siemens virtual showroom which showcased innovative 3D visualisations and tours using disguise xR.
The disguise xR workflow, implemented by Evoke Studios, powered the virtual showroom, which featured 56 exhibits in 12 topic areas, more than 130 product presentations and three real factory showcases. In addition, there were 21 stage presentations with 38 top-level industry speakers. A total of 8,000 customers from 90 countries connected to the event.
During five weeks of production Evoke Studios were charged with providing a high-end xR platform to help provide engaging content for the virtual showroom, allowing clients to interact with indi

UK - Loudspeaker pioneer PMC is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, marking three decades of ‘Best of British’ loudspeaker design and manufacture for both the international professional music production and audiophile markets.
Peter Thomas, PMC founder and owner, comments on the occasion: “When I started the company with my friend and colleague, Adrian Loader, I had no idea that our audio knowledge and passion for music would one day end up with our small company designing and building universally respected loudspeakers for audiophiles and for some of the biggest artists, producers and audio facilities in the world.”
PMC was established in 1991 by Thomas who was then a BBC engineer, and FWO Bauch engineer Adrian Loader, in response to requirements from the BBC for a monitor speaker that could handle the high sound levels required for pop and rock monito

UK - Sound design and music production studio String and Tins has announced that Rachel Hough, who joined as EP in summer 2020, has stepped up to the position of managing director and award-winning sound designer and composer Culum Simpson also joins the team.
With over a decade of experience, Culum Simpson has worked in advertising, long form, feature film and video games, procuring a long list of loyal clients spanning agencies, production companies, and developers on both independent and global scales.
“Having worked with Mike at Jungle many years ago,” says Simpson. “I feel like I've always had an eye on String and Tins’ success. It's been amazing to see the studio gaining traction over the years, growing from its humble beginnings to the creative powerhouse it is today. Having the opportunity to work alongside Mike, Will and the rest of the team here is ve

USA - When the live music industry ground to a halt in early 2020, rock band Styx quickly pivoted away from their planned tour to focus on direct engagement with their more than one million fans who are members of the online Styx Lounge. As the band increasingly made remote collaboration and fan outreach a daily practice, bassist and self-described gearhead Ricky Phillips noticed that one component in his Austin, Texas home studio was limiting the experience: a barebones webcam.
“Music is my life, and video communication has brought artists and fans closer together than ever before” Phillips says. “From websites where we can share or post videos, music ‘magazines’ that host performances, online video fan clubs, the ability to record master classes and more, video has become a crucial tool for musicians to connect with fans and create new opportunities. My $100 stor

Thailand - Mahajak Development Co recently equipped Naresuan University’s new multi-purpose building with Harman Professional Solutions AV system.
Located in the heart of Phitsanulok province, Naresuan University is one of the top government universities in Thailand. Originally established as a College of Education in 1967, the school was later renamed the Phitsanulok Campus of Srinakharinwirot University in 1974, and again in 1990 to Naresuan University, in celebration of the 400th anniversary of King Naresuan’s ascension to the throne.
Recently, The university completed construction on a massive 3,200sq.m facility than can function as a single 4,000-capacity hall or be split into two smaller rooms. To deliver audio and video quality for seminars and exhibitions in their new multipurpose educational facility, Naresuan University hired Mahajak Development Co to i

UK - Technical production and LED screen hire company, iMAG, has recently pioneered a mobile Virtual Production facility, offering a 360° workflow, from in-house drawing team and rigging, to full LED set up controlled by Brompton Technology Tessera processing.
iMAG has joined forces with film production company Treehouse Digital, which works with major episodic streaming companies such as Netflix and Amazon, as well as on films and commercials, for the project, combining their extensive experience in filmmaking with iMAG’s hardware, knowledge and expertise gained through years of working in high pressure live environments.
“The true-to-life colour accuracy and image bit depth of High Dynamic Range (HDR) is becoming extremely popular, particularly within virtual production,” says iMAG MD and technical director, Alex Strachan. “We had already invested in ROE Vis

UK - AV integrator Torpedo Factory Group has installed a new K-array loudspeaker system at the City of London Academy, elevating audio performance to be capable of the largest theatrical productions while remaining visually minimalist.
Opened in 2003, City of London Academy is one of four City of London Corporation sponsored academies and moved to its present location in the south-east London borough of Southwark in 2005.
The Academy’s main auditorium is a large purpose-built hall with raked seating designed for speech and music, assemblies, lectures and large-scale theatrical productions. In order to meet the demands of these multiple and diverse functions, Torpedo Factory Group (TFG) proposed a full range, high SPL solution in the form of K-array Kobra line array elements complemented by Thunder subwoofers, and supplied by the Italian manufacturer’s UK distributo

Finland - Helsinki’s Visual Monkeys design agency ramped up the visuals for Finland’s popular The Masked Singer TV show using Hippotizer Montane+ RTX and Karst+ Media Servers in December.
Visual Monkeys' founder Mikko ‘Bob’ Enäkoski, who says he is on a mission to bring stadium looks to Finnish TV, designed the show’s set and visual set up and was looking for a solution to create what he likes to call ‘a kick ass show’. This passion led him to the Hippotizer Media Servers.
“We are a team of around 20 people at Visual Monkeys and we like to deliver,” says Enäkoski. “For this season of Finland’s The Masked Singer, we went all-out, with pyrotechnics and scaled-up video content. Some of the biggest challenges we face are getting the balance right with the lights and the video, and ensuring the focus stays on the performer, backed up by

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