UK - The recently launched Exhibition London event space is situated in the heart of London’s White City and Westfield London, one of the capital’s premier shopping destinations. This multi-purpose venue is housed in a Grade II listed building built in 1899 and originally used as an engine house for Central London Railways. A complete renovation of the space combines sensitive architectural restoration with 21st-century technology, which features an L-Acoustics K Series loudspeaker system, to help establish the new space as a major music venue and cultural hub. The venue is a collaborative venture between Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield and Broadwick Live, operators of Printworks London, The Drumsheds, Depot Mayfield, and Magazine London, which also boasts an L-Acoustics sound system. Both Magazine and Exhibition audio systems were designed by Simon Jones of Simon Jones
Singapore - Audio conversion specialist Prism Sound has appointed SSL Asia Pte as its new distributor for Singapore, Malaysia and Myanmar, with responsibility for its entire product range including the recently launched ADA-128 modular audio conversion system and its range of audio interfaces such as Lyra, Titan and Atlas. Covering the South East Asia region, SSL Asia was originally established to represent console manufacturer SSL but now handles distribution for many other well know pro audio brands including Quested Speakers, Warm Audio, JoeCo, Antelope Audio, Konig&Meyer, AEA Ribbon Microphones and Chandler Limited. Its client base covers all section of the audio industry, from recording and broadcast through to live sound and the home studio market. The company’s headquarters in Singapore has a fully equipped demo facility where customers can try out variou
UK - Artists including Sir Elton John and Radiohead are putting pressure on the government to resolve the problems around post-Brexit EU touring. UK artists will face red tape and fees for visas to play in some EU countries. Sir Elton John told The Guardian: "Either the Brexit negotiators didn't care about musicians, or didn't think about them, or weren't prepared." But Culture Minister Caroline Dinenage said the government had "pushed" for a solution and the door was still "open". She told MPs on Monday that the government had put forward a "very straightforward" plan to allow musicians to travel without work permits, drafted "in consultation with experts from the UK to creative sectors". She added: "Quite simply the EU rejected this proposal." Brussels has previously argued the opposite, saying it was in fact the UK that turned down its offer. Mean
Europe - Genelec has confirmed the appointment of Audio-Technica France to handle the French distribution of its studio and AV loudspeaker ranges, with Gilles Pétrotey joining the Audio-Technica team to spearhead Genelec sales in the region. This new distribution partnership is effective from 1 March 2021. With Audio-Technica already handling the distribution of Genelec products in the Netherlands and Spain, this move further strengthens the relationship between both companies, which will also benefit from the three decades of pro audio experience that the highly regarded Pétrotey brings, says the company. Having held senior positions at Yamaha, Beyer, Lexicon and the TC Group, Pétrotey joined the Music Tribe organisation to oversee Western European sales - with particular responsibility for the TC Electronic, Tannoy, Lab Gruppen and Midas brands. His appointmen
UK - Guildhall School of Music & Drama has announced 15 new online courses that will run from April – July 2021. The school has transferred its most popular short courses online and created a range of new ones, working with tutors to ensure that they are “just as enriching and memorable as they would be within the building”. The courses cover music, drama, music production for young women and girls, sound design for theatre, video mapping and an introduction to game audio. Participants will have the opportunity to learn with Guildhall School staff members, as well as guest tutors, in a range of workshops all held on Zoom. In addition to these courses, Guildhall School is hoping to run several in-person Summer Schools from July - August. For a full list of in-person courses and to register your interest, you can go to the website
UK - The new Solid State Logic UF8 controller delivers ‘a new level of user focused design; insightful displays, intelligent fader and control access and function, multiple stand angles for user defined placement, and a production workflow enhancing control layout’. The high-spec touch sensitive faders, encoders, and high-resolution colour displays, compliment the premium build quality that belie this new price point for an SSL controller, says the company. Expandable to a 32 channel control surface with integration for all major DAW platforms, UF8 is suited to music creation, production and mixing, post production and webcasting. The new SSL 360° control software manages multi-controller configurations, customised user keys, and DAW switching across multiple layers, allowing for seamless switching between numerous sessions. Andy Jackson, SSL studio product manage
South Korea - TechDataPS Co recently equipped the new Vans Brand showcase store in Seoul’s Gangnam district with a Harman Professional Solutions audio system spanning two floors and featuring JBL loudspeakers, Crown amplifiers and dbx zone processors. In addition to being a retail outlet for the brand’s extensive footwear and apparel line, the Gangnam store aims to immerse visitors in the company’s history and style. The first floor features a “shoppable timeline” of historical merchandise, books, vinyl records and more, as well as a DJ booth and a functioning wall of vintage loudspeakers. The second floor houses a “customisation zone” where customers can design and personalize their own shoes and apparel, as well as space for hosting weekly workshops and events. To provide balanced audio coverage for background music and special events on both levels of
USA - Renkus-Heinz has appointed Dudley McLaughlin to the position of national sales manager and Garrison Parkin to the position of western regional sales manager effective 1 February. The positions both cover the North American region. McLaughlin has been with Renkus-Heinz since he was hired as western regional sales manager in 2018. Parkin joined the company in 2019 as southwestern territory sales manager. “Dudley and Garrison are both important members of the Renkus-Heinz family,” said Harro Heinz, chairman and co-founder of Renkus-Heinz. “And while their success is well documented prior to 2020, it took commitment by everyone on our team to ensure we continued shipping product and supporting our partners over the past year. Dudley and Garrison are prime examples of that commitment. Their promotions will help us better serve our partners going into 2021 and be
UK - Martin Audio reports that the previously announced SXCF118 and SXC115 compact, high performance cardioid subwoofers are now shipping. Purpose designed to partner the WPS and WPM line arrays respectively, these additions to the product portfolio are suitable for both live sound reinforcement and fixed installations, says the company. The SXCF118, a flyable version of the SXC118, has been engineered to match the WPS optimised line array system, while the ground stack SXC115 will add low frequency extension to the WPM. The SXCF118 combines maximum low frequency output with exceptional pattern control. It features an 18” (460mm) forward facing driver and a 14” (356mm) rear facing driver, each driven independently by separate amplifier channels and DSP. Each driver has its own chamber with optimised bass reflex porting. This arrangement produces a cardioid d
Taiwan - J.studio, a commercial recording studio in the centre of Taipei, has made a Neve 8424 console the centrepiece of its main control room because it gives the facility the routing flexibility, modularity and freedom it needs to combine a modern, digital workflow with its extensive collection of analogue outboard equipment. and is now offering recording, mixing and mastering facilities to all types of musical genres including classical, jazz, EDM, and pop. “We especially love working with Taiwanese indie bands as many of the bands we have worked with have had their full creative potentAudio engineer Zhu Chiao Chen opened J.studio in 2019 ial realized in our studio space,” Zhu Chiao Chen explains. “Our approach is to bridge old school gear and apply modern techniques to achieve sonically unique results. The studio is equipped with Urei 813C main monitors and
China - Since re-opening its doors partway through 2020, the new I’m Han Night Station in Wuhan has been making international headlines thanks to more than just its lavish appointments and production technologies package. When the upscale nightspot welcomed much-hyped DJ crew Pink Panda to its stage in July, it marked the first time an international artist had performed in the city since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic - and it was a PK Sound Trinity system from Chinese distributor Polar Audio driving the high-energy party. “Our vision with I’m Han Night Station was to spare no expense and deliver the finest nightlife experience you’ll find anywhere in the world,” comments Mr. Kane Lin of Singapore’s Dyson Kane Group, which oversees the club. “The audiovisual elements are obviously a significant part of that, and PK Sound has a global reputation for technolo
Australia - South Australia’s Summer Sounds Festival was a four-week outdoor concert series offering the joy of live sound to a 2,100-capacity audience. Eighteen shows ran the whole month of January, with festival-goers safely and comfortably spaced in ‘party pods’ that accommodated four to six people each. The festival celebrated Australian artistes such as Bernard Fanning, Spiderbait, and Hayden James. Through the collaboration of Five Four Entertainment, Groove Events, and Secret Sounds, the festival promoters looked to Adelaide-based L-Acoustics rental network partner Novatech to provide that dynamic live sound festival-goers have been craving. Festival-goers could choose from VIP, gold, silver, or bronze seating packages. VIP pods occupied the first five rows and boasted an exclusive toilet block, faster drink service, and a choice of premium drinks. W
UK - FIX8Group is responding to the surge in demand for virtual events by partnering with the spatial visualisation and collaboration tool Cavrnus to enhance its event design and delivery solutions. The move reflects the unprecedented challenges faced presently by the event industry, as more global events transfer to the digital domain and require true collaborative, online planning. Cavrnus enables event designers to build and share immersive and interactive 3D virtual environments, such as conference rooms, exhibitions and stores. FIX8Group says that adding Cavrnus to its stable will facilitate enhanced options for anyone needing innovative technical delivery of online or hybrid events as the industry re-emerges. “We're always looking at how we can use best-of-breed technology to help us produce world-class events,” comments Neil Trenell, creative director
UK - The city of Liverpool has a long-standing history for its vibrant nightlife and club scene. And so the opening of the refurbished Mansion nightclub was met with eager anticipation and much hype by locals and tourists alike in early Autumn 2020. Owners Dean Jones, along with DJ’s David Whelan and Mike Di Scala (better known and DJ duo Camelphat) are familiar with making sure they match, or, more often exceed the expectations of their audiences, and so their discerning choice of sound system for the refurb was made with an enormous amount of input and plenty of consideration. “As DJs one of the favourite sound systems we perform with are Void systems and so we wouldn’t have chosen any other brand for our own club,” confirms Mike. Mansion is a house and tech house nightclub, with a capacity (in usual times) of 1,000. It has been designed as a multi-purpose v
UK - Neutrik has announced that with the recent version 5.6 firmware update for its CL/QL digital mixing console series, Yamaha has added preamp remote control options for Neutrik’s new NA2-IO-DPRO Dante audio network device. “There’s no doubt that the future within the Pro AV market is based on interoperability between different devices within an application. We have found the perfect partner with Yamaha to enable this feature for better ease of use and enhanced customer experience,” says Florian Frick, product manager for Neutrik. With the CL/QL firmware update Yamaha added this specific support for Neutrik’s small but powerful I/O solution, adding more flexibility in a network setup for Line, MIC and AES signals. “Yamaha is delighted to have been able to integrate control of the NA2-IO-DPRO into the CL/QL series with the release of our V5.6 firmwar
France - Based in Ris-Orangis and owned by Communauté d’Agglomeration Grand Paris Sud, Le Plan opened in 1984, with a new venue built in 2014, and was recently awarded the prestigious contemporary music scenes label (SMAC) by the French Ministry of Culture. A hub for Parisian music lovers and a reference venue for first-class sound quality, Le Plan’s audio system has recently been upgraded with L-Acoustics K and X Series delivered by Audiolive, replacing its previous 17-year-old system. Le Plan hosts a varied national and international programme covering the entire spectrum of contemporary music genres from hip hop to pop, rock, and more. Le Plan’s audio team also has a mission of raising awareness of key developments within the contemporary music scene, and hosts specialist courses in live sound recording and mixing for students from EMC University. The venue
Ireland - When the Irish National Opera first started production of Least Like the Other, they had plans to tour the show around Ireland in August 2020. While the pandemic threatened to halt the production and performances, innovation through d&b Soundscape means that the show will go on - in a different form. Least Like the Other, Searching for Rosemary Kennedy is a thought-provoking work of experimental music theatre created by Brian Irvine and Netia Jones. The show traces events in the life of Rosemary, eldest daughter of Joe and Rose Kennedy, sister of JFK, using redacted archive materials only recently pieced together. The show’s original operatic production featured 15 live musicians including, a string quartet, keyboards, wind, brass and an improvisational ensemble. In March of 2020, with growing concerns about COVID-19, the show’s product
USA/Denmark - DPA Microphones co-founder Jens-Jørn Stokholm and R&D manager Ole Moesmann will soon be bestowed with an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Technical Achievement Award for the innovative development of the brand’s high-performance, miniature lavalier microphone technology. The pair’s accomplishment is among 17 scientific and technical achievements to be honoured by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in a virtual Scientific and Technical Awards presentation on Saturday, 13 February. The ceremony will be available on the Oscars website starting at 1pm PT. The Academy’s Scientific and Technical Awards honour those whose discoveries and innovations have contributed in significant and lasting ways to motion pictures. First developed by Stokholm in 1996, DPA’s 4060 Omnidirectional Miniature Microphone continues to be a popu
UK - Sound Control Technologies (SCT), the Connecticut, USA based manufacturer best known for their camera extension solutions has appointed CUK Group to distribute their products in the UK where distribution was previously handled by ScanSource. The addition of SCT to the CUK Group portfolio significantly strengthens the company’s video products offering which has grown through the recent addition of several brands and the purchase of York based distributor, Tukans. “SCT products are renowned in our industry not only for the problems that they solve for AV integrators but their rock-solid reliability.” states Stuart Thomson, managing director at CUK Group. “Our focus is to make sure that these products are backed with great customer service, technical support and of course fast delivery from our East Kilbride distribution centre.” Peter Nice, SCT’s b
Ecuador - Martin Audio has appointed Quito-based Mejor Sonido as its new distributor for Ecuador - the first time the British brand has had direct representation in this South American country. The move was confirmed by Berenice Gutierrez, director of Pro Active Latin America and Latam Sales for Martin Audio, who handle all Martin Audio’s sales activity on the continent. “This is the first official distribution partner in the country and I’m proud to get them on board, and into the LATAM Distributor Partnership,” she said. She said the groundswell of interest had been building in the country for some time. “Martin Audio had been approached by several system integrators, rental companies and major distributors due to the wider product catalogue and solutions that the brand has developed in recent years, covering markets such as installation, rental / touring,
UAE - Sennheiser has introduced a free firmware update for its Team Connect Ceiling 2 microphone solution for conferencing audio in business and distance learning applications “We have many happy TeamConnect Ceiling 2 users across the globe, and we asked ourselves: What if they could use their existing tech for even more?” says Jens Werner, portfolio manager in Sennheiser’s Business Communication division. “This was the starting point for designing the latest software update which adds the TruVoicelift functionality to TeamConnect Ceiling 2. It endows the mic array with many innovative features for perfect audio all the way to the back row.” For existing TeamConnect Ceiling 2 (TCC2) implementations, users can now add the TruVoicelift functionality simply by installing the free firmware update (1.6.4) via the new version of the Sennheiser Control Cockpit app (
USA - When Valley Presbyterian Church in Paradise Valley, Arizona decided to renovate its 50-year-old sanctuary, a principal goal was to hold both traditional and contemporary worship services in this one space - but without compromising the music programme for either. At the same time, the church wanted to enhance the acoustical flexibility of the 600-seat sanctuary in order to host a range of special concerts and even classical music recording sessions “We have a very spacious campus, with our sanctuary for traditional worship at one end and a multi-purpose space where we held contemporary services at the other end,” explains Russ Henzel, who served for 15 years as the church’s volunteer AV technician. “Because of the distance between, we had a split congregation with little interaction between the two groups during social hour. Our goal was to bring the contempora
USA - Michael von Keitz has acquired 100% ownership of the loudspeaker company VUE Audiotechnik he co-founded in 2012. Says a statement, “The integration of the entire value-added chain with the group’s significant engineering and manufacturing resources will drive the pace of growth of the brand’s renowned range of industry leading products and technologies. Customers will enjoy a greater competitiveness, a quicker time to market and an early extension of the product portfolio into installed applications. The integration of the sales and marketing departments will lead to greatly enhanced communications and increase the quality of customer support.” The brands now combined under one roof include VUE Audiotechnik, SE Audiotechnik and the high-fidelity product line mivoc. As part of that family Vue will enjoy “enhanced production capacities, larger R&D tea
Thailand - In the current pandemic circumstances, it is rare to hear of the successful staging of a live music festival. But, despite health and safety restrictions, the determination of promoter Mooban Wonder has enabled the Wonderfruit Festival to present most of the events in its December schedule. Audio company Mr Team Productions has been supplying Nexo STM sound reinforcement systems to Wonderfruit since 2014. For the latest edition of the five-week festival, held at the Siam Country Club in Pattaya, Pok Sutat Kohkiat and his staff had to adapt their designs to suit a reduced audience area and smaller attendance. “Wonderfruit attracts an elite international audience,” says Pok, “visitors come from all over south-east Asia for this event, because of the quality of the performers and the diversity of the entertainment, which includes arts, crafts, cooking and
