World - An app designed to serve as a pocketable all-in-one toolbox for the events industry has been released. Toolbox, developed by UK lighting, rigging and previsualisation services company ETS, combines over 20 virtual tools, converters and guides in a single app. Designed to make it easier for lighting, audio, and video technicians to get on with their daily tasks, Toolbox includes DMX, power, weight/length and currency converters; vehicle, wiring and knot guides; information for over 2,600 pieces of equipment; filter and gobo libraries; beam and patch calculators; a decibel meter, and more. The app is currently only available for iOS devices through the App Store (£9.99 for a lifetime licence) but ETS is working on an Android version, to be released by September.
USA - ESTA reports that two standards have been revised, and are being offered for public review. BSR E1.6 - 1 - 202x, Powered Rigging Systems has been revised to correct errata in section 6.6, which addresses design factors for certain system elements. The public review only covers the revisions made in that section, and no comments regarding other sections are being solicited at this time. BSR E1.39 - 202x, Entertainment Technology - Selection and Use of Personal Fall Arrest Systems on Portable Structures Used in the Entertainment Industry, is a revision of ANSI E1.39-2015, which is being updated for consistency with current industry practice and technologies. This standard establishes minimum requirements for the selection and use of personal fall arrest systems (PFAS) on portable structures in the entertainment industry. In addition, the standard esta
USA - Professional camera and lighting rental companies have come together to collaborate in creating guidance documents for safely resuming rentals to the film/television/commercial production community in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The task group was assembled by the Production Equipment Rental Group (part of entertainment trade association ESTA). The objective is to provide a unified set of industry-wide guidelines that address health and safety challenges related to the rental of production equipment and ensure that any risks to production companies, studios, and customers are minimised. The task group is working with other industry groups to ensure that PERG’s recommendations address client needs and concerns and harmonize with safety protocols developed by the studios and others, while also adhering to the recommendations of the CDC, OSHA, and state and
The Audio Engineering Society has begun to announce programme details for the upcoming Virtual Vienna Convention, including three keynote lectures and the Heyser Presentation. As a result of circumstances dictating the move of the convention to an online format, the Audio Engineering Society is bringing the AES Europe Convention directly to virtual attendees around the globe, with keynotes from AES Fellow Jamie Angus (University of Salford), Marisa Hoeschele (Acoustics Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences) and Franz Zotter (Institute for Electronic Music and Acoustics, University of Arts and Music, Graz), as well as this year’s Heyser Presentation by AES Fellow Francis Rumsey (technical consultant, author). Additional details on the AES Virtual Vienna Convention Technical Programme, including topics and events, paper presentations, workshops, tutorials, posters,
Europe - Nexo’s Engineering Support Division continues its popular series of online webinars with a menu of topics which will appeal to sound engineers working with all brands of professional equipment. Nexo is using Facebook Live on its popular channel to present these e-learning sessions, part of Yamaha’s extensive Audioversity tuition resource. “We’ve carefully considered these sessions so that they will also interest engineers and venue owners/operators who may not yet be familiar with Nexo systems,” explains lead trainer Nicolas Poitrenaud. “We are confident that these Facebook Live sessions will provide skills and knowledge to enhance the business activities of many professionals, especially in these difficult times.” The latest additions include: Tuesday 5 May @ 10.00hrs: Fundamentals of Acoustics in English with Nicolas Poitrenaud <
UK - More than 25 years after they catapulted into the UK charts, and 10 since disbanding to produce solo material, British rockers Supergrass returned to touring with audio rental house Britannia Row in February and March. Describing his sound crew as being “amazing at their jobs”, production manager Adam King has, by his own admission, “loved” working with Brit Row and the Supergrass team for the band’s recent return to live music. Supergrass were ‘lucky’ in the sense that they finished their seven date UK run - which culminated in two sold out shows at London’s Alexandra Palace - prior to lockdown. FOH engineer Max Bisgrove notes: “We had two fantastic gigs in London, and as these were my last two shows for what will no doubt be quite some time, it was good to go out on such a high note.” King agrees, “The Ally Pally sound check sounded i
Poland - The Culture and Reading Centre in the southern Polish town of Radlów is a local government institution that stages a range of activities and performances promoting the participation of the local community in cultural and educational pursuits. The centre organises regular activities such as workshops, theatre and fitness classes, as well as one-off events encompassing everything from festivals and exhibitions to concerts and competitions. These feature not only visiting artists but also involve local groups, some of whom are resident at the centre. Music is a very important central theme for this vibrant and busy hub. As a new establishment, the building required a high quality sound system in order to deliver the best experience for performers and audiences alike. The principal area to be covered was the centre’s ground floor Main Hall, a multi-purpose spa
Europe - Spanish AV equipment manufacturer Equipson has appointed Netherlands-based Tau Audio Solutions as its audio distributor in Benelux, with responsibility for its entire range of Work Pro products. For more than 20 years, TAU Audio Solutions has been a wholesaler and distributor of audio and communications systems. The company handles a variety of commercial and professional audio products including induction/hearing loops, microphone systems, voice alarm systems, rack and accessories. As well as selling products, Tau also provides advice and training to customers from its extensive showroom facilities in Groningen. As Equipson's Benelux distributor, Tau will be responsible for handling the company's entire range of Work Pro audio products which include loudspeakers, amplifiers, mixers, microphones and control systems, as well as an extensive range of audio acce
UK - L-Acoustics Creations has recently appointed Nick Fichte to the role of business manager. The appointment completes the existing new business team and “positions the division to make headway in key installation markets, leveraging the relationships and knowledge that Nick has forged in his 15-year career in the AV industry”. Fichte first stepped into the AV industry when he was still a student, applying to work for custom installer, Audio Vision. He was offered the position and boarded a flight to Turkey the following day to assist on technology integration for one of the world’s largest superyachts. This experience cemented a vocation and led to his career progressing at Audio Vision where he became store manager of one of their Bang & Olufsen dealerships. Nick later held sales roles at London-based custom installers Olive Audio Visual and Inspired Dwe
USA - ClearOne has been awarded a strategic new patent relating to power transmission for Power over Ethernet (PoE) systems by the US Patent and Trademark Office. Awarded on 14 April, 2020, the patent describes a simple method for providing power to multiple devices in a ‘daisy-chain’ series connection using PoE. Use of the new method can eliminate the 100m Ethernet distance constraint for power and data transmission. ClearOne’s technology disclosed in this patent brings powerful benefits for at least two important applications. First, it is useful for devices such as audio products including microphones and speakers, security and conferencing cameras, remote sensors, smart home technologies like thermostats and alarm systems, as well as computers and displays, all of which can be freely deployed anywhere within the reach of an Ethernet cable. As an exam
UK - Boutique mixer brand MasterSounds has launched a third generation of its Radius 2 and Radius 4 DJ mixers, which contain various technology enhancements. Originally launched in 2016, the two-channel Radius 2 rotary DJ mixer became an instant hit with the high-end DJ and club installation community, and was followed by the introduction of the four-channel Radius 4 mixer, two valve-based versions (the Radius Two and Four Valve), an FX unit and dedicated LinearPOWER supply accessory. "Four years on, and the brand has seen remarkable growth but the higher production costs of a premium rotary mixer rule them out for DJs on a tighter budget,” explains MasterSounds’ founder, Ryan Shaw. “Designer, Andy Rigby-Jones, and I decided to do something about it, by redesigning the compact Radius 2 and Radius 4 to make them more affordable but without compromising any of the
USA - Demonstrating creativity and resilience in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, Stampede is turning its Cleveland, Ohio Big Book of AV tour stop into a live virtual event on 14 May that will feature pre-arranged one-to-one manufacturer-reseller focused virtual sessions on Stampede’s new COVID-19 business engagement platform. “Nothing is going to get in the way of Stampede helping its resellers to succeed in this challenging business environment,” Stampede president & CEO Kevin Kelly says. “Resellers all across North America rely upon Stampede to provide them with the latest new products, business development programs and training that will enable them to take their businesses to a higher level of success. In the current environment, we are pivoting to virtual events to meet our resellers’ needs.” Cleveland will be the first of several virtua
UK - Celestion has released a library of videos on the CelestionUK YouTube channel offering demonstrations, user tips, reviews, and expert advice, enabling players and producers alike to gain maximum tonal benefit from using the extensive family of Celestion Impulse Responses. Celestion’s collection of guitar and bass speaker IR tones are suited to artists, musicians, engineers, players and producers who are working at home right now, and are available for audition and download at CelestionPlus.com. Celestion IRs (impulse responses) are accurate digital representations of the company’s speakers, available for download. They allow users to closely simulate by digital means, the tone that one would get from playing a guitar (or bass) through one of Celestion’s physical speakers. Th
USA - Michigan-bred and Nashville-based Asher Postman is an electronic music specialist. On top of crafting his own songs, he has remixed artists from Riley Clemmons to The Chainsmokers. His tutorials garner six-figure YouTube views. Postman keeps his setup simple - he works in software on a single desk - but he recently got a game-changing upgrade: a pair of Adam Audio A7X active nearfield studio monitors. “I first heard the Adam monitors when a friend from Detroit and I went on a writing retreat,” recounts Postman. “His name is David Chapdelaine and his artist project is called Augest, with an ‘e’. We had a cabin on Torch Lake in Michigan and his A7Xs were the speakers we brought. I was in the market for new monitors and was immediately impressed. I decided I had to get my own.” Postman explains what impressed him first: “We were travelling light and br
Australia - After 35 years of manufacturing professional audio products, including its popular blue boxes, Melbourne-based pro audio manufacturer ARX Systems has decided the time is right for a cosmetic upgrade across their rack mountable range. Starting with the ZoneMIX multimedia zone mixer, now shipping globally, ARX signal processing products will be manufactured with a stylish grey front panel with blue screen print. “It was a big decision for us to make this change, but it makes sense for us to keep evolving as a company. We are continually upgrading what’s inside the box but until now have not looked at the cosmetics. The new look makes the front panel lighter and the controls are clearer - especially for installations where light or view is limited,” comments Colin Park, managing director and co-founder of ARX Systems. Designed to cope with the va
UK - Playing a role in keeping its listeners connected during the coronavirus lockdown, community radio station, East Leeds FM’s newly created remote broadcasting setup has an Allen & Heath SQ-5 at its heart. Although created as an Internet broadcaster, East Leeds FM identified a need to provide information, advice and company over FM radio to vulnerable older residents without Internet access. The station quickly secured a temporary FM licence and created a new daily show, Keeping A Distance, Staying Close. With presenters and technicians unable to access the station’s regular home at the Chapel FM arts centre in Leeds, UK since March, it fell to volunteer and former BBC sound engineer, Phil Driscoll to devise a solution for recording and broadcasting the show. Phil’s office has become the nerve centre of the organisation, handling the live broa
USA - The Orpheum Theatre is a 1,364-seat performance space located in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. Opened in 1929, the ornate, elaborate construction of the Orpheum was adorned within by magnificent murals and mouldings that set the stage for Vaudeville and motion pictures. As Vaudeville died out, movies became the primary use - Paramount purchased the facility in the 1940s and used it as one of its motion picture houses through the 1960s. The Nederlander Organisation then purchased the building to host travelling Broadway performances. In the 1970s a local family bought the location and hosted, primarily, Spanish-language performances and films. In the 1980s the venue branched out to live performance - and acts such as The Ramones, Metallica, Nirvana and REM played the venue as part of their tours. It was then, in the 80s, when folks started to notice the venue h
Europe - Shure worked with Southby Productions to supply Icelandic singer, songwriter and music producer, Bjork, on her concert tour and first theatrical production, Cornucopia. The production is a theatrical experience which toured arenas across Europe, including London’s The O2, and took up residency in New York City’s The Shed and Mexico City’s Parque Bicentenario. The show, described as Bjork’s most elaborate stage concert yet, included a 50-piece Icelandic choir, a live band including a seven-piece flute ensemble, a harpist, a percussion section, water drums, a magnetic harp and a number of bespoke instruments which were implemented in the immersive sound stage design. The show was devised and rehearsed at an Icelandic lighthouse and the Backstage Centre production facility in Essex. With the show evolving daily, the crew were required to work close
USA - Alcons Audio has appointed On The Road Marketing as its representative in the New York / New England region. Based in Rivervale, a short distance north of New York City, On The Road Marketing was originally established as a musical instrument distributor, quickly expanding its portfolio into the live sound, pro audio and AV contracting markets. In 2015, current principal Mark Meding brought 20 years’ experience of professional audio, AV and manufacturer representation to the company. It was his friendships with leading Broadway sound designer Nevin Steinberg and David Strang at PRG which introduced him to Alcons pro-ribbon solutions. “Alcons is a perfect fit for our customers, because the pro-ribbon drivers are the best on the market today. They are some of the most efficient drivers I have ever heard, able to get to extremely high output levels withou
Europe - Live shows may be postponed, but sound reinforcement solutions manufacturer Electro-Voice (E-V) wants musicians to keep performing. To facilitate this, the company is aiming to book 15 artists from any genre to play 15 concerts in May on the Electro-Voice Facebook page for the #EVOpenMic series. The concert series will see artists from around the world perform in one of three time slots to a global audience over five days at the end of May. The 15 selected artists will receive a $300 performance fee, as well as one Electro-Voice Evolve 30M column system and two Electro-Voice performance mics. The auditions are now open and will run until 6 May. Virtual auditions will take place from 7-18 May, and the concerts are scheduled to take place between 26-30 May. Performers can apply now at
Italy - Florence-based loudspeaker specialist K-array is set to restart manufacturing operations next week. A statement from co-founders Alessandro and Massimo says: “Regarding the recent health protocols issued by the Italian government, K-array's production and warehouse in San Piero a Sieve (Florence) will resume operating Monday through Thursday at 8:30am to 1:00pm and 2:00pm to 5:00pm starting from Monday, 4 May. With the well-being of our staff at the forefront, K-array has implemented all the safety and health regulations required for all its employees to reopen at this time. “Furthermore, we’d like to inform you that our administrative office and several departments will continue to operate remotely to provide customer care as well as design and technical consulting. We remain committed to keeping you informed on our company activity and we thank you for
India - Harman Professional Solutions has appointed ARK Infosolutions as its nationwide master dealer for the recording and broadcast segment in India. ARK will also be Harman’s partner for the PA and retail segment for the North Indian region. The collaboration is aimed at facilitating channel penetration for Harman products to meet the increasing demand in various segments such as broadcast, production, post-production studios, rental companies, cinematographers, musicians, film fraternity, and more. “Collaboration and partnership are essential parts of any organization when aiming for success. ARK Infosolutions’ approach towards customer preference matches our own,” comments Aditya Todi, senior director of sales and marketing, Harman Professional Solutions, India and SAARC. “Collaborating with them will not only allow our partners and customers in N
UK - University of South Wales (USW) Music & Sound students have been working hard to transform what was originally planned to be a series of live gigs in various local venues around Cardiff, into a realtime event of multiple livestreams taking place over the next few days, until 3 May. In partnership with Keep Cardiff Live and Dazed, the USW students had to quickly adapt when the Covid19 pandemic brought with it a unique set of circumstances where those plans were no longer possible. Overcoming many technical challenges, the students will be hosting the festival online, featuring genres that are popular in live music events in Cardiff. The festival will include indie, hip-hop, house, metal and drum’n’bass nights along with interviews with subjects including USW graduate and Grammy nominee, Romesh Dodangoda, Lacertilla and Tidy Records. USW student Lewis
UK - Music Support has launched weekly online support group meetings to allow the music industry’s 12 Step recovery community to continue to connect during the Covid-19 lockdown. Meetings will take place every Monday 18:00-19:00 GMT from 27 April to 28 September 2020. Available to any music industry peers throughout the summer, Music Support will provide a confidential and non-judgemental space for people to share and encourage one another on the journey of recovery. Music Support Services Officer, Joanne Croxford, states: “It might be that someone is in need of a secure virtual space to share their experiences, while others may want to take part in these meetings simply by listening in and feeling accepted and connected during isolation. Music Support will offer strength and hope as we all na
