USA - ENCO, a specialist in automated workflow solutions for radio, television and professional AV systems, has appointed Shane Finch as sales director, effective immediately. Reporting to ENCO president Ken Frommert, Shane will focus on global sales and business development across all markets and product lines, and introduce ENCO’s automated workflow innovations into new business verticals. Shane comes to ENCO with more than 40 years in the broadcast industry, including 35 years with broadcast groups in the Midwest and Florida, where he currently resides. His experience has mainly focused on radio operations, balancing a mix of on-air personality and director-level management roles throughout his career. He later transitioned into the technology space as vice president, business relations for MusicMaster, ENCO’s longtime music scheduling partner, where he spent seven su
Asia Pacific - Harman Professional Solutions has introduced the JBL Professional BRX300 Series of modular line array systems for small- to mid-size applications in the APAC, China and India markets, only. The series, which includes the BRX308-LA Line Array Element, BRX325SP powered subwoofer with DSP, BRX308-ACC Transport Kit, BRX308-AF Array Frame and BRX308-PM Pole Mount and Adapter Kit, provides versatile sound reinforcement solutions for bands, DJs, A/V rental firms, houses of worship and anyone who requires pro-grade fidelity, class-leading output and seamless front-to-back coverage in a simple, scalable sound system. “Every day, the world’s leading concert venues and touring productions rely on the power and clarity of JBL Professional line array technology,” said Sunil Karanjikar, Cinema product manager, Harman Professional Solutions. “With the BRX300 S
UK/Canada - Neutrik has announced availability of its new speakON XX-receptacle (two- and four-pole) series of the company’s connector design. speakON XX is the first Neutrik speakON chassis line to come to market compliant with the new IEC 62368-1 materials safety regulation, requiring any materials used in potential ignition sources to have a V-O vertical burn classification. Compliance for devices using existing horizontal burn (HB) rated materials in connector components will require enclosure of these, necessitating potentially expensive, time consuming modifications to connectivity components within devices such as amplifiers, mixing consoles and loudspeakers; potentially making them bulkier and less likely to be accommodated within the constraints of existing circuit layouts. Simply using certified receptacle components, using UL 94 V-O materials, enables devi
UK - As global professional sports teams emerge into new COVID-restricted league and tournament seasons, TiMax Crowdscape has been created to restore an element obviously lacking that normally helps drive their endeavours - the crowd. TiMax Crowdscape provides a live and interactive sonic cocoon of sound that immerses the players in realistic and responsive spectator reactions to the game. Studies have shown that player engagement, motivation and performance are hugely influenced by the crowd, and currently, of course, the lack of it. Comments such as “a game without fans is a game without soul” have appeared in the press alongside emotive assertions about “that ecstatic communion between players and spectators.” Fans have begun to notice and there has been a growing demand from teams and players themselves to fill that void. The Crowdscape system utilise
USA - Glenn Becker, the Entertainment Services and Technology Association (ESTA)’s first president, passed away on 19 June aged 70. “Glenn’s vision was about bringing the industry together to make it a better industry”, says ESTA. “He thought that competitors could come together and share ideas and solutions to make business easier and more successful for everyone. Because of that vision and Glenn’s hard work, the Theatrical Dealers Association (TDA) was born.” Becker organised its founding meeting in 1987 and served as the first president from 1987 to 1991. In 1994, when the decision was made to form ESTA, the TDA board turned to Becker to chair the committee that rewrote the bylaws and set up the new organisational structure. The board would continue to turn to him over the years to take on special projects. He became involved in theatre in high
UK - With social distancing still in place and lockdown restrictions continuing to cause tension for many, London-based artist Marcus Lyall and not-for-profit arts organisation Illuminate Productions have transformed a soon-to-be-demolished office block in London Bridge into an interactive public artwork powered by sound. In this new site-specific work, Lyall invites interested parties to join a Zoom call where they can scream or otherwise vocalise their feelings, with a light installation instantly illuminating the building in response to the voice. “The louder and longer your outburst, the bigger the response from the building,” say organisers. “The building interprets every voice and scream differently, to create a unique response for each guest. You can participate using any device that supports the Zoom app. Please scream responsibility.” Screams will be p
Europe - Prior to the recent lock down period in Europe, Japanese ‘android diva’ Hatsune Miku toured Europe again with production company Proper Productions and Capital Sound providing sound reinforcement with Martin Audio’s MLA loudspeaker array. Hatsune Miku had previously toured Europe for the first time back in late 2018. The three European dates covered venues (including London Olympia) that were completely diverse in size and dimension, and the ‘Vocaloid’ music sensation, using a computer generated voicebank developed by Crypton Future Media, performed a shrill, high octane ‘thrash’ metal repertoire to an adoring set of fans. Developed in 2007, Hatsune Miku is actually a 16-year-old blue haired virtual persona, who is seen onstage as a 3D hologram projection. Yet such is the Japanese fixation with anime culture she has over 2.5m followers on social
Europe - Sennheiser’s #DontStopTheEducation series continues with two Crew Call panel discussions. A session taking place today, 23 June from 17:00 Berlin time / 16:00 London / 11:00 New York / 15:00 UTC will feature the live touring team of singer-songwriter Mahalia, whilst on 30 June, the team from Harford Sound will discuss how their production company adapted to the COVID-19 situation. Also coming up in June is a new edition of the live RF Expert Round Table, as well as live webinars on pro headphones, multi-zone antenna systems and 8D audio. In today’s session, Sennheiser hosts Andy Egerton and Tim Moore welcome members from the touring team of singer-songwriter Mahalia, nominee for Best Female Solo Artist at the 2020 BRIT Awards. Guests include Mahalia’s musical director and touring bass player Charlie Fowler, tour manager Carl Lewis, front-o
France - Ranked the second most popular theme park in France (behind Disneyland Paris) Puy du Fou is spread over 500 hectares at Les Epesses in the heart of Pays de La Loire region. When it came to specifying a site-wide digital comms upgrade recently, the facility’s long-term head of technology (and resident sound engineer), Samuel Briand, was clear that an expansive Optocore fibre ring solution would best serve the park’s requirements. He explained that previously they had worked mostly in analogue but this has now been replaced with parallel Optocore, Dante and AVB networks. “The first consideration was the vast distance,” he said, explaining the background to the specification. “The park is very large, requiring several hundred kilometers of cable length, and it was essential that we could pass the signals without loss of quality and without length constr
UK - PLASA has announced the two winners of the Stage to Studio competition for the best mix, which launched following the Stage to Studio live mixing session at PLASA Show 2019. Antonio Pannese from Italy has won Best Original Mix whilst Andrew Mansell from the UK was chosen as the winner of Best Alternative Mix. Marc Henshall from Shure comments: “Antonio Pannese demonstrated the best use of dynamics, space, and frequency balance while also applying creative effects for a personal touch. As an alternative mix, few demonstrated the same creativity as Andrew Mansell, who successfully transformed the mix into a spectacular dub-delay style piece.” VC Pines, the artist whose single Indigo was mixed for the competition, paired the two winners at random with their pro audio prize in a video posted on social media. It was revealed that Antonio won the Gene
USA - Great Bridge Baptist Church in Chesapeake, Virginia’s contemporary-style services lift spirits with music provided by an orchestra, a choir, and a praise band. It’s a big production, but until recently, all of that effort only partially connected because the existing sound reinforcement system’s coverage of Great Bridge Baptist Church’s 1,500-plus seats was far from ideal. Regional AV integration firm RTW Media, based in Richmond – serving the Virginia/DC/Maryland areas – designed and installed a big-impact, small-footprint sound reinforcement system centred on Danley Sound Lab’s point-source products. The Danley boxes give Great Bridge Baptist Church even coverage from front to back and from side to side, in the balconies, under the balconies, and even on the stage and in the orchestra pit. “The sound system at Great Bridge Baptist Church was old
Italy - Outline has announced that on 24 June it will hold a free webinar in English on its (patent pending) WFIRs, the ‘warped’ filters featured in Outline’s Newton processors. WFIR Filtering Technology goes live via Zoom on 24 June at 9:00 am and 6.00pm (Rome time). Fernando Rey Méndez, who will host both sessions with the support of Paolo Calza, states: “The WFIR webinar will be an in-depth event, following the numerous requests from system engineers and audio technicians all over the world, from the ‘live’ industry, but also and perhaps even more from the broadcast, studio and permanent installation sectors. “What are WFIR filters? How do they differ from FIR filters? But, above all, can the difference be heard and to what extent? How much computing power do WFIR filters require? Is there an ideal ecosystem on which this technology’s
Sweden - Created to meet the surge in demand for livestreaming services resulting from the Covid 19 pandemic, Swedish production company, QTECH, has launched a new streaming division, QTECH Live, with help from an Allen & Heath dLive mixing system. Reacting to changing circumstances, on the day after Sweden announced restrictions on live performances in March, founder Timmy Qvarnström and CEO, Kevin Qvarnström began the transformation of the QTECH warehouse near Gothenburg into a dedicated streaming facility. Although QTECH already possessed most of the equipment required for the new venture, it needed a mixing system with the versatility and ease of use to handle tight setup times and a diverse programme of interviews, presentations and performances across three separate studio spaces. In a move that typifies the community spirit shown by the professional
Germany - With the slogan Autokultur – from Hannover for Hannover, an unusual series of events is helping to keep the entertainment scene in Northern Germany buzzing. Every evening, up to a thousand vehicles converge on Hannover’s Schützenplatz fairground, where they tune in their UHF radios – just like in a drive-in cinema – to listen to stage performances, from concerts to comedy. It’s all a welcome distraction from life during lockdown, and an optimistic ray of light in a time when typical live events have all been cancelled. Among the highlights of the early summer concert series were two sold-out performances by German rapper Sido. The artist used a Sennheiser SKM 6000 to wow the crowds on 11 and 12 May 2020. With its bright red, high-gloss finish, the handheld transmitter proved to be a real eye catcher and was the centre of attention during clo
USA - After introducing a successful webinar series this spring, the Meyer Sound education team is launching a refreshed comprehensive summer webinar programme today, Monday, 22 June. The webinar content offers a natural progression of subject matter, including project case studies and specialty tools that cover a diverse set of solutions across all industry verticals. “We have received overwhelmingly positive feedback to our webinar programme over the past few months,” John McMahon, Meyer Sound’s senior vice president, said. “It has been exciting to engage with our global network online while we are unable to connect in person, so we look forward to continuing the momentum this summer.” While the programme follows the same schedule as the spring season with English language webinars hosted Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and Spanish language webinars Tuesday a
UK - Audiologic has announced a new selection of products from Shure that will provide systems integrators and AV professionals with a complete conferencing audio ecosystem. As video conferencing moves towards the top agendas, the expanded range of Microflex Advance products - with complementary software for design, management, and control - offers expanded possibilities for systems integrators to deploy Shure’s premium audio capabilities into more types of meeting and collaboration environments. These products are all natively designed to work seamlessly with each other and provide the market with a fast and efficient means to deploy premium audio, with IntelliMix audio signal processing in either device-based or software formats. Shure’s conferencing audio ecosystem comprises various options including ceiling array, table and linear array microphones, a networke
Germany - d&b audiotechnik has introduced a set of performance-enhancing capabilities for its Soundscape audio platform. The latest feature updates include: Scenes, hardware-based scene memory capabilities within the DS100 Signal Engine and for the Soundscape software platform; two new room signatures within En-Space; and a configurable ‘Spread factor’ for function groups in En-Scene. Scenes enables snapshots of all DS100 and Soundscape parameters (Matrix / En Scene & En Space) to be stored within the DS100 hardware memory. En-Space room emulation software is an in-line technology, meaning to generate or expand the acoustic environment it does not use microphone feedback loops. Its outstanding simple setup and operation, make access to some of the world's most acoustically renowned performance spaces a reality for installation and touring both indoors
Denmark - For more than five decades, the Kulturcenter Limfjorden has served as a cultural hub for the people of Denmark’s Skive municipality. First opened in 1967, the facility is an example of an essential, regional multi-purpose venue; located in the historic town of Skive, it invites locals and tourists alike to enjoy a rich mixture of theatre, cinema, live music and more. As is so often the case with venues that serve a broad variety of needs, when the Kulturcenter recently began the search for a replacement for its ageing sound reinforcement system, the top priority was finding a solution capable of meeting every challenge. The choice was TW AUDiO VERA20. "The Goal for Kulturcenter Limfjorden was simple - to find the right sound system to do 99% of the shows that come through our concert hall, without the need for renting any external equipment,” explains And
France - From its inception, Lyon-based 13-2 Studio has been motivated by the need to provide innovative solutions for its customers. This drive has led the French company to create the Immersive Cylinder - a fully portable, temporary space that can host bespoke content and be used for presentations, training, entertainment, and many more applications besides. “When we created this cylinder, we had the one objective in mind; put the human back in the centre of VR technology,” comments Amaury Chevrier, owner of 13-2. “We realised that there was a lot of 3D and immersive content in the market but when you’re wearing a VR helmet, you’re on your own. We wanted to create a new kind of immersive space.” After months of research, tests, and prototypes, 13-2 Studio were led to create what has been billed as the first shared VR experience in France. The finished cyl
USA - When Celine Orlando in Edison, New Jersey, the city’s newest entertainment venue, was being built, they knew they could rely on local industry pro, Kevin Clouden, GC Pro’s Business Development Manager to procure a reputable sound system. Clouden has been a top seller of pro audio gear in South Florida for the past several years. Celine’s owners knew Clouden’s expertise would steer them in the right direction - sonically-speaking. Boasting a capacity of nearly 1,000 occupants, Celine Orlando is a multi-faceted entertainment space that hosts live music, corporate events, and private parties. It was created to fill the need for a centrally located, high-end entertainment complex. Celine Orlando hosts five different spaces: a Speakeasy that takes guests back to the prohibition era, complete with antique furniture, elaborate drink menus, and an attention to de
Australia - ATEN Australia and New Zealand has announced a new partnership with Exertis Pro AV Australia. The lKVM manufacturer has signed a distribution contract with Exertis Pro AV Australia with the strategic aim to expand its AV market share in Australia and New Zealand. Exertis ProAV Australia is owned by Stampede and parent company DCC Technology, which is one of Europe’s largest AV distributors. Exertis Pro AV Australia will distribute ATEN’s broad range of AV products, including their advanced video distribution, collaboration technology and control systems. “This partnership with Exertis Pro AV Australia is one of the key steps in our expanding strategy in the Australia and New Zealand AV market,” says Wesley Wong, director of ATEN Australia and New Zealand. “Exertis ProAV Australia is a new name in the local market but we believe with the st
UK - Immersive audio specialist Sonosphere has announced that commercial director Jamie Gosney and creative director Henrik Oppermann have been appointed to the company’s board of directors. Sonosphere was formed in 2019 and specialises in all aspects of immersive audio from content creation, system design, consultancy through to installation. Find out more about the company in LSi's May/June 2020 issue. Sonosphere also provides education, having developed an Ambisonics Workflow for Immersive Content Production training course. The course has recently been taken online to ensure continuity while face-to-face training is unavailable. Jamie has over 40 years’
UK - The damage across the UK culture, media, sports and digital sectors caused by the coronavirus outbreak has been laid bare in a government survey published this week. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has released the results of its Business Survey, showing the impact of coronavirus on organisations across the four sectors. The survey received 3,936 responses submitted between 23 April and 22 May. Headline findings reveal the devastating impact of the pandemic on businesses, with more than a third (1,646) of respondents reporting their revenue has decreased by 100% year-on-year, whilst just 97 have seen an increase during the period. In terms of how long businesses can continue to operate viably, the majority (1,156) of respondents selected ‘up to six months’, whilst 1,102 indicated that they could stay afloat beyond six month
Europe - The new Microflex MXN5-C Networked Loudspeaker from Shure provides speech reproduction for AV conferencing applications. PoE-enabled with an onboard amplifier housed in a low- profile design, this networkable loudspeaker is optimized for easy installation in drop-ceiling configurations. It integrates seamlessly with the company’s conferencing audio ecosystem of networked hardware and software for a complete audio solution. The MXN5-C features pre-tuned frequency response optimized for voice intelligibility in AV conferencing applications. Its low-profile, shallow-can design is compatible with most drop-ceiling installations and includes two Dante inputs and one Dante output. The clean design elements allow for a subtle blend into drop-ceiling environments with a removable and paintable grille. “This new loudspeaker is part of a complete solution from
