USA - Professional Solutions has added 18 free Live Workshops available for registration through the company’s Learning Sessions programme in conjunction with Harman Professional University. Available workshops scheduled for the remainder of May feature lighting or audio experts who have extensive industry knowledge and experience working with various artists including Alicia Keys, Arctic Monkeys, Halsey, Jimmy Eat World, Josh Groban, The Killers, Maroon 5, OneRepublic, Prince, Rage Against the Machine, Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band, Weezer and many others. More than a dozen Live Workshops conducted earlier this month are now available at Harman Professional University’s YouTube channel. Workshops include Loudspeaker Design for Airports
USA - With over 3,000 students, nearly 1,000 of which are in seminary, Andrews University is the flagship institution in the expansive Seventh-day Adventist school system. It is located in Berrien Springs, Michigan. Pioneer Memorial Church is situated on the Andrews University campus and serves a vital role in the school’s spiritual and social life. Its congregants are diverse, young, and fired up. Global technology solutions provider, New Era Technology (Mishawaka-branch), recently revitalised the sound reinforcement in the church with Danley Sound Labs SBH10 and SBH20 columnar loudspeakers, Danley TH212 tapped-horn subwoofers, and Danley DNA amplifiers with integrated DSP using Danley model pre-sets. The audio engineering experts at New Era Technology discovered Pioneer’s old system was sorely lacking evenness and coverage. “It was a cluster of units placed 50f
Denmark/USA - Everything from broadcasts, webinars, classes and interviews to worship sermons, theatrical performances and musical concerts are now being streamed to (and from) living rooms. As a result, production organisers are quickly developing new ways to provide valuable replacements for everyday communication and entertainment. In light of these latest trends, DPA Microphones has seen a rapid surge in popularity for its MMA-A Digital Audio Interface. Touted as a “sound engineer in your pocket”, DPA’s MMA-A pre-amp was designed for live and mobile productions. In recent weeks, this has expanded to those working from home due to social distancing. Compatible with any iOS device, Mac or PC computer, the MMA-A, combined with any DPA microphone, can broadcast and record crystal clear audio to, and from, anywhere in the world. An exclusive DPA app, available f
USA - As part of Meyer Sound’s ongoing webinar education programme, today (15 May), company president & CEO John Meyer will present From Apocalypse Now to Bluehorn at 9:00 PST (16:00 GMT). The one-hour presentation traces Meyer Sound’s innovative development path in the world of cinema, post-production and residential from the company’s early days collaborating with Francis Ford Coppola to today’s Bluehorn System. “Education has always been a pillar of the holistic Meyer Sound core brand philosophy of sharing knowledge. Recent events have put the spotlight on the importance of offering our public training not just with in-person seminars but via online platforms,” comments John McMahon, Meyer Sound senior vice president of sales and marketing. “Our global team was quick to respond to the need by curating an informative and engaging programme.
UK - Technical entertainment charity Backup will be holding a virtual pub quiz on Friday 15 May to raise money for the charity. Backup provides financial support to industry technical professionals working in live events, theatre, TV and film who have fallen ill, been injured or are suffering from mental health problems. The charity provides a range of services including financial support, advice and re-training, and the organisation is working harder than ever to support those in need during the COVID-19 crisis. Tom Wilkes of Collaborative Creations will be hosting the quiz at 8pm on Friday 15 May, which will be taking place via Zoom, and all industry members, friends and family are welcome to take part and compete for some fantastic prizes. Backup Trustee Lee Dennison said: “Unfortunately due to the coronavirus outbreak our annual fundraising extravaganza
USA/Europe - Wireless microphone developer Q5X and Shure have announced a collaboration to combine their expertise to provide “superior sound quality and security that today’s sports broadcasts require”. Together, Q5X and Shure have developed specialised Axient Digital-Enabled Q5X Wireless Transmitters that deliver the latest wireless digital technology “with unparalleled RF stability, encryption, and spectral efficiency”. “With the combination of Q5X and Shure, this is really the best of both worlds,” said Jens Rothenburger, director of pro audio marketing at Shure. “The new Axient Digital-Enabled Q5X Wireless Transmitters provide sound engineers and the sports industry with a complete solution in a superior, already-established form factor.” For more than a decade, Q5X has worked closely with professional sports leagues (like the NBA, NHL, NFL, MLB,
UK - Phil Wright has enjoyed a 25-year career in the pro audio industry, specialising as a live sound designer and mix engineer for large scale classical, concert, broadcast, dance, cinema and operatic productions. Trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, he spent the early part of his career at Sound by Design, during which time he handled the Royal Albert Hall in-house sound contract, including taking responsibility for the BBC Proms live requirements. In 2012, Phil went freelance, creating Phil Wright Sound Limited and has since worked on a very wide range of projects. The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has been keenly felt throughout the industry, but creative solutions for audio conundrums are never far from Phil’s mind, as was the case recently when his friend Jaap Pronk of TM Audio in the Netherlands, reached out for help. At the beginning of
USA - North American Spanish-language television network Univision has been working with Orlando-based Professional Wireless Systems (PWS) to handle their production and broadcast wireless needs for more than 20 years. “I started working with Professional Wireless when James Stoffo first started out and was lugging around gear in cardboard boxes,” explains Mike Karsch, Univision technical manage for events. “They have been my go-to wireless services partner for large and small broadcast events ever since.” The list of annual projects is long starting off with PWS providing RF coordination, products and services for Premio Lo Nuestro, the awards show established by the network to honour the previous year's top artists in Latin music followed by Premios Juventud, a viewer-decided awards show honouring Hispanics and Latinos in film, music, sports, fa
UK - Martin Audio’s first virtual tradeshow takes place on Wednesday 20 May, with registration slots throughout the day filling up fast. Much like Martin Audio’s Open Days, the virtual tradeshow will offer an overview of the portfolio suitable for end users, distributors, rental companies and integrators. The event will be webinar-based across three time slots on Wednesday 20 May to ensure that people in different time zones can come together for the show. Each session will last for 90 minutes with the first starting at 7.30am BST, followed by a second at 10.00am BST and a final session beginning at 5.00pm BST. “We’ve been delighted with the response so far,” says Dom Harter, managing director at Martin Audio. “With over 500 registrants to date this is fast becoming an excellent opportunity for us to guide people through our portfolio and to help attendees
UK - Simon Thomas has been utilising an SSL Fusion while out on the road with American singer-songwriter, Halsey, to complement her vocal-driven production. The Fusion is a permanent feature on her vocal buss. Thomas started out in the industry as a lighting operator in the world of amateur dramatics, and because 'no-one wanted to do sound' he volunteered, soon moving into professional theatre and hospital radio, and eventually joining Britannia Row in the '90s as one of the then 'new school' engineers. He worked as a monitor engineer initially – and for a number of A-list artists including Lighthouse Family, Moby, and Machine Head. Further down the road, he moved onto FOH, and has been working at the very top level ever since. After completing Ariana Grande's recent Dangerous Woman tour, he got the call to do Halsey. “I was only going to do it for three months, bu
USA - As online resources become a more important part of today’s workflow, Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW) has users covered with its education-based website. Located at www.education.eaw.com, customers can find detailed training, tutorials, FAQ’s and knowledge-based support twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. “The goal of the EAW Education site is to empower the pro audio industry by providing the information necessary to understand, operate and design EAW sound systems,” says EAW president, T.J. Smith. EAW’s training section allows audio pros to stay up-to-date with the latest EAW technology. The section features the Intro to ADAPTive Training series, which prepares individuals for the level 1 certification test. Level 1 certification means users are well versed in the basics of ADAPTive technology and system deployment. EAW’s Tutorial
Austria - New online showcase, StreamAustria is helping Austrian fans to get their live music fix in isolation, with a little support from Allen & Heath’s dLive mixing systems. Broadcast via Twitch from the chic Gӧsserhalle venue, a former beer warehouse in downtown Vienna, StreamAustria has hosted several live music performances and interviews each week since early April, including sets from Ina Regen, Josh, Nathan Trent and Wiener Wahnsinn. StreamAustria is a not-for-profit venture, with all donations from viewers going to the bands’ chosen charities. The audio setup for StreamAustria was devised by co-founder, Richard Redl, whose day job is head of sound with leading live events specialist, Habegger. The main broadcast mix system is centred on a dLive S5000 surface, operated by Richard, which shares a DM32 MixRack in multi-surface mode over gigaACE with mon
UK - Sound designers for Beautiful: the Carole King Musical deployed a Harman Professional Solutions audio system. The 2020 U.K. production features an eight-member pit orchestra to back up the cast, plus live piano performed by Daisy-Wood Davis, who plays the role of King. To faithfully reproduce the timeless music of King in a musical theatre context, the show’s producers hired sound designer Brian Ronan and associate sound designer Tony Gayle to design a world-class touring sound system. In charge of specifying equipment for the tour, Gayle selected JBL Professional VTX A-Series loudspeakers, Crown amplifiers, AKG microphones and BSS DI boxes. “The biggest challenge was reproducing the beautiful orchestrations that were written for the show, the details of the instrumentation and the vocals,” said Gayle. “Anyone can put speakers up, put up a mi
UK - The annual Innovation In Music conference is an international music event that brings together music industry researchers and professionals. The event welcomes academics, artists, producers, engineers, and manufacturers to come together and hear presentations and discussions on a wide range of topics. The most recent conference was held at the University of West London’s Ealing Campus and covered a number of topics including music production, performance and composition, studio technology innovation, and platforms for music sale, streaming and broadcast, to name a few. Dr. Paul Ferguson, associate professor of audio engineering from Edinburgh Napier University, has been exploring the potential of long-distance creative collaboration over IP networks. This year’s conference keynote was sponsored by Dante licensee, Focusrite Pro, who was very interested in explo
USA - Harman Professional Solutions has introduced the JBL Cinema Expansion Series sound systems for small to medium-size commercial theatres. The line, which includes JBL 3153 and 4253 3-way screen-channel loudspeakers, 3181F and 4281F subwoofers and 8102 surrounds is designed to cover rooms up to 85ft deep and up to 40ft wide. Harman has also debuted the two-channel, 1,300W Crown XLC 21300 amplifier, which supports Cinema Series speakers in a range of system configurations. “When we created the Cinema Expansion Series, we wanted to offer flexible solutions for cost-conscious theatre owners looking to provide a premium audio experience in every seat while maximizing their investment,” said Sunil Karanjikar, cinema product manager, Harman Professional Solutions. “Now, whether a theatre offers traditional 5.1 or more complex multichannel sound, it can offer the fi
Spain - The G7 from Amate Audio is the first in a new family of premium installation / integrator loudspeaker cabinets, designed to ‘provide compact high performance solutions, where looks and sound are everything’, in retail, hospitality, recreation, enterprise and culture application environments. A two-way system within an EN54-24 certifiable, hexagonal-form, reinforced ABS plastic enclosure, the G7 offers power handling capabilities rated at 120 W, providing for 112 dB SPL. So a lesser number of cabinets is required for any installation, operating well within their range of capability, leaving sufficient headroom for instances where higher output may be required. In addition to its Amate Audio cabinet design, features include the high-performance 6.5” carbon-fibre woofer and 1” titanium dome, neodymium tweeter, aluminium grille and hardware, outdoor ready c
UK/France - Assistive listening specialists Contacta Systems has announced an exclusive distribution partnership with French manufacturer and distributor of evacuation, voice alarm and PA systems, Archean Technologies. The deal will introduce the complete Contacta range of hearing loops, RF, IR and speech transfer systems to Archean’s customers in France. Archean Technologies, with offices in Paris, Montauban and Lisbon, has over 15-year history of manufacturing, installing and supplying key sectors in France. The company specialises in supplying customers and projects in the transport and public sectors throughout France. Archean managing director Xavier Aumont comments: “We have always seen our supplier partnerships as a key foundation of our business. Some of our partnerships span 15 years so we select our brands carefully. Contacta’s product range is so
Sweden - Game shows have been a staple of worldwide TV entertainment for decades. More than 60 years after the first game show appeared on American TV, audiences and contestants are still as enthusiastic as ever to participate in and consume every kind of format. Recognising the passion that the public has for this type of entertainment, On Air opened its first game show bar in Stockholm, replicating the TV experience for groups of friends and colleagues in a fun, relaxed atmosphere. The concept was successful and after a second On Air opened in the capital, Pitcher’s, a multi-activity entertainments hub in the Swedish City of Örebo, opened the first On Air franchise. Pitcher’s features a number of attractions including bowling, shuffleboard, arcades and a casino, and the opening of On Air has seen part of its extensive ground floor area carefully engineered to r
USA - Fantasia Barrino won the third season of American Idol in 2004, standing out from some tough competition, and has since established herself as an R&B singer in the front ranks. A Grammy Award winner for Best Female Vocal Performance on her single Bittersweet, Fantasia has sold almost three million albums in her native USA alone. During a career that has produced seven albums, she has starred on Broadway twice, receiving a Theatre World Award for her part as Celie in the Color Purple. On her recent Sketchbook Tour, this consummate performer demonstrated that she remains a force to be reckoned with, wowing audiences and critics alike with exceptional vocals and a stage presence to match. Writing in The Buffalo Times, Ben Siegel described a “riveting” performance “in full command of her production.” Part of that production for the 29-date tour was an ult
UK - Harman Professional Solutions and UK distributor Sound Technology have announced immediate availability of the new AKG K371-BT professional studio headphones. The AKG K371-BT joins the previously announced AKG K361-BT headphones in the range. AKG K361-BT and K371-BT headphones are designed for mobile artists, engineers, podcasters and beatmakers who want the flexibility of wired or wireless connectivity combined with studio-quality sound. The K361-BT and K371-BT feature an over-ear, closed-back design that is precision-engineered to reproduce natural, balanced audio in exceptional detail, so users can make more confident decisions when mixing and editing. With a frequency response of 15 Hz to 28 kHz in the K361-BT and 5 Hz to 40 kHz in the K371-BT, they deliver “the deepest bass and highest highs in their class”. Both models offer the convenience of swit
Europe - BroaMan has announced that it will now offer its Multipurpose Fibre Extender for video, audio and intercom (MUX22) with 12G-SDI interfaces - to support greater resolution, frame rates and colour fidelity. The 12G addition to the existing 3G support means that BroaMan will not only continue to support 4K SDI transport formats but also routing and transport of high bandwidth data streams, such as 10G IP traffic for SMPTE 2110. Uniquely, the company offers not only single-mode but also multi-mode options for 12G fibre transport. BroaMan technical sales manager Maciek Janiszewski comments: "12G migration is our step into the future. Our customers have been asking about 12G and IP technologies, and the new hardware upgrade will allow us to meet all modern requirements; it means we can offer pure 12G-SDI, pure IP or a mixed 12G-SDI and IP transport solution.”
USA - Emmy Award-winning camera operator George Prince III has worked on his fair share of high-profile events. With credits including the Oscars, American Idol and the Superbowl, plus a whole host more, he has proven himself in some of the most watched and most demanding live productions. Clear communication has been vital to the success he has experienced, and this is aided by his use of Point Source Audio’s CM-i5 in-ear intercom headset. “When I first became a camera operator, an engineer gave me a headset and said, ‘don’t lose it, it’s like a plumber showing up without a wrench’. That stuck with me, so I have always had my own headset,” recalls Prince. While initially owning his own equipment was due to good practice, this choice has become even more important in the current climate. “The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted that you should have yo
The Netherlands - Highlite International has unveiled the new logo of audio brand DAP, to mark its ongoing development. A new dedicated DAP catalogue accompanies the new look and feel of DAP. “The audio-branch of Highlite, DAP, has grown and it is still growing,” says Highlite. “Over the years, DAP has become a household name for various artists, small stages, venues and events. Even for offices, shopping malls and fitness areas DAP offers the fitting audio solutions. With this growth a new image was necessary. Clean, crisp, clear and embodying the quality DAP is known for.”
Europe - ALC NetworX, developer of the the Ravenna technology, has announced Weigl Control as the latest Ravenna partner. Based near Linz, Austria, Weigl s known around the world as Weigl Control, a specialist in high performance hardware and software solutions for show control. Weigl Control provides interactive and multi-media electronic controllers for theme parks, museums, sauna & spas, retail and more. Created with a focus on embedded playback for animatronics and motion control, Weigl has expanded their hardware and cross-platform software offerings over the past decade to include large scale lighting, media and logic capabilities to support the production of some of the world’s best themed entertainment examples. “I’m happy to be a Ravenna partner,” says Manfred Weigl. “The ProCommander X Series, which we developed in celebration of our compa
