South Africa - The technical production industry is known worldwide for its resourcefulness and determination, and the coronavirus pandemic is energising some intrepid ideas to help keep businesses rolling and communities safe and functional during the crisis. With all conferences and live entertainment work cancelled or postponed, South African rental company MGG based in Johannesburg was looking at their 32 idle vehicles - ranging from 45ft artics to small run-around vans - when owner and MD Mark Gaylard came up with the idea of offering the fleet for moving essential medical and other supplies during the crisis. Mark composed a quick Facebook post about the transport fleet which went on his own personal page and before long it had nearly 400 shares and people started talking and calling. The initial inquiries have started to become a steady trickle of work,
USA - Xytech, specialist in facility management software for media and broadcast, has launched Xytech After Dark, a podcast focussing on trends in the media and broadcasting industries. The first two episodes are now available on iTunes, Spotify and all podcasting platforms. “Xytech has hundreds of clients around the world in the media and broadcast business,” said Xytech’s Greg Dolan. “We get this super unique view of the industry from our clients and maintain a comprehensive understanding of current trends. The podcast is not a forum to sell, but instead to talk about why create the functionality in MediaPulse, and the types of things happening in our industry. “The podcast will focus on industry trends: what we are seeing and how we view the world of media. Finally, this is really fun work. There are a million easier ways to make a living, but there
France - Eurosono is a specialist events production company based in the Rhône-Alpes region, which has been serving a wide range of clients nationally and internationally for more than 18 years. Its team comprises a forward-thinking collection of industry professionals who consistently invest in innovation and new technologies to ensure that clients receive cutting-edge service. As a close and trusted member of the Coda Audio family, Eurosono were last year involved in the pre-launch trials of the company’s new ultra-compact N-Ray line array system. The feedback received by Coda Audio from the partners who took part in the trials played a significant part in the finished product that would be launched at ISE 2020 in Amsterdam. Eurosono were impressed, and having attended Coda’s pre-launch event of the system in September 2019, made an immediate investment. N-Ray was soo
UK - Britannia Row Productions recently offered a work placement to a Year 13 Production Arts student from the BRIT School. Ethan Wells (pictured) joined the audio crew to gain hands-on experience of the 2020 BRIT Awards. As a long-time rental supplier to the BRIT Awards, Brit Row agreed to select and include a student within their crew, resulting in a fully immersive end to end experience of a high-pressure technical delivery. Celebrating its 40th year in February, the 2020 BRIT Awards once again hosted the best in British and international pop music, with a series of live performances from the likes of Stormzy, Billie Eilish and Dave, broadcast live to home viewers and also enjoyed by audiences in the venue. Deploying what was undoubtedly the most complex audio system in over 20 years of partnership, including a dual L-Acoustics PA system with a 3D spatial au
Spain - Amate Audio’s CEO Juan Amate has updated the situation at his Barcelona-based operation. “Further to our statement on 20 March, the continuing emergency situation across Europe has begun to impact our production capabilities due to the disrupted supply of essential components and our ability to maintain sufficient levels of stock of these. “Together with the announcement by Spanish authorities of a further extension of the extensive lockdown measures in the country, this means that the practicalities of maintaining production at this time are no longer viable. “We are however continuing to supply our customers’ orders from stock, across our international distributor network, and are maintaining the highest possible level of service in these unparalleled circumstances. “Additionally, with the continuing escalation of the health crisis i
UK - Loudspeaker specialist EM Acoustics has decided to suspend day-to-day business. Company directors ED Kinsella and Mike Wheeler have issued the following statement: “In light of the current national and global crisis caused by the COVID-19 virus, we have taken the very difficult decision to close the factory and suspend day-to-day business as of 6pm on Friday 27 March. Without wanting to cast aside the value of our country's economy, the health and wellbeing of our staff and customers has to take priority, as well as a social responsibility to do our part to halt the spread of the virus in these difficult times. “Whilst the factory is closed and we will not be despatching any orders after Friday, our phone lines are diverted and emails will still be monitored so urgent communication can still get through to us – both for commercial matters and for technical
Italy - AEB Industriale S.r.l, the owner of the brand dBTechnologies, has said it will observe a period of temporary suspension of production activities in order to “decisively counteract a further spread of Covid-19 on the territory”. Says AEB: “AEB Industriale is prepared to support any preventive action, in the belief that the health of our employees, collaborators, customers, and their loved ones is an absolute and unavoidable priority. “We would like to remind you that all the company's activities managed by remote working will continue: dBTechnologies' users and customers may therefore get in touch with the company's contact persons via e-mail or phone. “We also wish to take this opportunity to express our deepest condolences to the families of the victims in Italy and worldwide. Our thoughts and solidarity also go to all the companies and worker
UK - Every part of the professional audio industry is currently affected by the unprecedented challenges which we all face from COVID-19. Yamaha says the most important priority is to protect the health and safety of everyone within the industry. The company is closely monitoring this fast-developing global situation and following all advice and guidelines issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) and public authorities in each region. “We have many important, long-term relationships throughout the industry, including partners, customers, many freelance technicians and clients, whose lives and livelihoods are being impacted by this unprecedented situation. Our thoughts are with all of you. We want to support you as much as possible and contribute to helping the industry get through this difficult and complex time. “Since 1990, Yamaha has been proactive in devel
UK - German manufacturer Music & Sales PE has signed an exclusive contract with UK firm Polar to distribute its HK Audio and Hughes & Kettner brands in the UK and the Republic of Ireland from April 2020. Polar will take on the entire product range for both brands, including Hughes & Kettner’s award-winning lines of electric and acoustic guitar amplifiers, and HK Audio’s comprehensive pro audio portfolio, which covers everything from portable sound systems for musicians and DJs to full-blown line array systems and professional install solutions. Tim Riley, Polar’s director, brand development, comments: “Polar is set up in a way that ideally serves all the market areas relevant to HK Audio and Hughes & Kettner, so this agreement seemed a perfect fit for us from the offset. We have divisions that directly address the retail markets, professional au
Canada - Xilica has announced the release of Xilica Designer 4.0 software, a flexible, universal, drag-and-drop platform that simplifies the design, configuration and integration of Xilica DSPs and third-party AV systems. As with previous generations, Xilica Designer 4.0 software offers integrators a single, centralised platform for project design and management. Xilica Designer software provides optimised configuration of Xilica Solaro DSPs, as well as Xilica’s XWP networked wall controls, XTouch screens, and I/O expansion devices. It also handles configuration and management of any networked Dante device, and delivers comprehensive third-party control integration. Xilica Designer 4.0 offers AV integrators more freedom to customise designs through Lua programming, a fast and powerful scripting language embedded within the software. “With Lua scripting, users can
USA - Following 12 successful years in California’s highly competitive live event production community, DJE Sound & Lighting is now set to enjoy expansion both regionally and nationally with a major investment in TW AUDiO. Based in Southern California, the full-service events specialist recently capped a year of growth by becoming the first US production company to shape its audio inventory around a full flagship TW AUDiO VERA36 system. “We realised that TW AUDiO had arrived in the United States and we decided to take full advantage of that,” explained president/CEO, Ted Tesoriero. “We previously had great success with the TW AUDiO PA-SYS-ONE multi-application, portable system and that experience left us wanting to know more about the company.” Founded in 2009, DJE Sound & Lighting rapidly developed from humble beginnings in Tesoriero’s garage
Australia - For New Year’s Eve, TDC was commissioned to design, deliver, install and operate a projection spectacular, with a focus on the sandstone pylons of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. “It wasn’t just the projection,” says TDC’s Steve Cain, who is head engineer and media server specialist. “We designed everything from the content templates for the animations through the 3D models to the control system.” TDC has worked on the Sydney New Year’s Eve spectacular for a number of years, and Cain was as anxious as the city to put on something bigger and better than ever before. He worked with colleagues Geraldine Shine, director brand strategy and AnthonyPellizzari, technical project manager at TDC from concept to completion. One area of focus was to deliver even more vibrant colours at even higher levels of brightness. To achieve this, he took the unu
USA - The Setnor School of Music is located in Crouse College on Syracuse University’s main campus. Built in 1889, Crouse College is one of the oldest buildings on campus, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. This year, the college is taking a big step into the future with three Rupert Neve Designs RMP-D8 Dante-connected microphone preamps and converters provided by Sweetwater Sound with the intention of providing high-quality recording capabilities to the entire campus. “We don’t have to worry about 200ft of analogue copper running upstairs from the closet,” says Kevin Muldoon, recording engineer at Setnor. “We can run all our microphone inputs through it, and we’ll have the ability to send signal to the live board, to the recording, to the stream, everything.” With the three RMP-D8s providing a total of 24 channels of class-A microp
Switzerland - In reaction to the current situation, pro audio and MI manufacturer Schertler has issued the following: “For the first time in all these years, we are all together facing a situation that is bigger than us and that is changing our way of living and seeing the world. “Here in Switzerland, the circumstances have already gotten serious and sadly, we’ve had to stop the production and the shipments at least until 30 March in accord with the government decision and for the safety of our employees. Nevertheless, we are still active office-wise - from our beautiful homes - and we are trying our best to answer to all your needs, support you as much as we can and prepare a lot of news for the future. “What we ask you in this difficult moment is to understand that things might be slower than the usual but, primarily, we would like to give you a message of ho
USA - Samsystems UK has announced the appointment of Texas-based RBI Music, as USA distributor for its Integral close cab miking system. Available in 10in or 12in format, Integral can be used as an innovative solution to augment or replace traditional external close cab miking techniques, in a live or studio environment. With less mike stands on stage, Integral also helps prevent overspill, feedback issues and offers quicker band set up times. Installed in minutes within cabs or combos, Integral features a circular constructed rigid frame, mounted internally between the cabinet grill and existing speaker. A super cardioid, dynamic microphone with a high/low, full range frequency response and pressure tested at extreme volumes, is housed within the central ‘pepper pot’ strategically aimed off-centre of the speaker coil, delivering the true, balanced, accurate
Italy - Loudspeaker specialist K-array has written to friends and partners. “We hope that everyone is doing well and staying safe and healthy during these unprecedented times. With things changing at such a high speed, we personally want to assure that every member of our extended family is informed on an ongoing basis. “At K-array, with the safety of our staff as the top concern, we have already been taking necessary steps to adapt our operations while remaining committed to driving business by enacting remote smart working for those who can, which has enabled us to interact with our customers and suppliers in a more safe and active way than before. “Our next action, in respect to the latest restrictions imposed by the Italian government 22 March, is to suspend all activity within the factory. Effective immediately, K-array will remain engaged and availabl
Germany - James Blunt’s concert at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg planned as one highlight in the Telekom Street Gig series was heavily affected by the spread of the coronavirus. Respecting the demands of the coronavirus outbreak, but not wanting to disappoint invited fans and viewers, Telekom and James Blunt took the decision to continue with the concert - but to perform to an empty hall and stream the concert to the public. With Telekom already commissioning Peter Brandt and his team at Remote Recording Network to mix and record the concert, the current changes meant only minor adjustments to the production. The company has been handling the sound for the Telekom Street Gigs since 2007. To ensure the recording of the concert in excellent studio quality, Peter Brandt relied on remote mixing and his Remote Mix Room in Cologne, 400 km away from Hamburg. For on-site co
UK/USA - By popular demand UK TiMax developers Out Board have announced a Spring season of ‘One-on-One for One’ online training sessions with TiMax specialists in the UK and USA. Anybody interested in developing their leading-edge skills in the rapidly growing use of TiMax immersive audio, spatial mixing and showcontrol may well want to check this out. Sessions are open to all sound designers, sound engineers and production sound techs worldwide on a first-come, first-served basis. Simply register to download TiMax SoundHub software (Mac or Windows) from outboard.co.uk and enter “1on1” into the About You section. Alternatively contact Out Board direct on software@outboard.co.uk. Out Board will respond with an invitation to select an available time and date for a personal, one-on-one, one-hour Skype screen-share trai
UK - Martin Audio has unveiled a series of weekly webinars aimed at helping technicians stay up to date with the latest technology during this unprecedented time for the industry. The live webinar series will begin on Wednesday 1 April with all sessions remaining available on the Martin Audio website. The live webinars will begin with Low Frequency System Design, presented by Simon Purse and will be followed by sessions on Display 2.3, EASE Focus and WPS Optimised Line Arrays. In addition to these initial sessions, the company will be adding a variety of topics over the coming weeks, covering Martin Audio’s products and software, as well as more general pro audio topics. In addition to this, in the coming months Martin Audio will also be hiring freelance industry professionals a
Spain - Barcelona-based Amate Audio’s founder and CEO Juan Amate says the company has implemented “adaptive measures” in this time of unprecedented crisis. “All of us are faced with challenges outside of our common experience, for which we are unlikely to have prior contingency,” he says. “At Amate Audio, we are moving rapidly to confront and meet those challenges. We are taking immediate action to secure the integrity of our supply and distribution chains and our clients' business, as well as our continued financial health and corporate wellbeing, throughout the course of the crisis and beyond. “To this end we are able to guarantee the continued delivery of orders to our clients during any reasonably foreseeable interruption to production, as may be required by the civil authorities. Likewise, our ability to quickly restart and achieve volume production
USA - Céline Dion recently brought the curtain down on her residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas after more than 1,100 sold-out performances and embarked on a 12-month tour in support of her Courage album. Solotech has provided sound, lighting, video and rigging - everything except the stage - for the Courage World Tour, including multiple Solid State Logic Live L550 digital mixing consoles, one at front-of-house and two at monitors. Denis Savage, who has been Dion’s tour manager and FOH engineer for several decades, began using SSL’s Live series desk at Caesars Palace in 2013. But this tour has provided the opportunity to implement some changes that have further enhanced the performance of all three consoles on the production, he says. “Just before Christmas we switched everything to 96 kHz and the difference was incredible. Everythin
UK - Event production supplier and AV integrator SFL is calling on the entertainment technology and events industries to stand by their teams as the COVID-19 outbreak threatens the liveliehoods of many industry workers. “Events of every kind have been seriously affected in a very short space of time,” comments the company’s managing director, Tom Jeffery. “As with many organisations, this is a significant part of our business, but we know we have to look to the future. At SFL, we consider our team to be our family - one that we will stand by. We have always run a financially-prudent business and we are grateful to be in a position to be able to weather this storm and put our team’s needs first in such a difficult time.” As well as looking close to home, SFL is finding ways to support positive expressions of community on a wider basis, as new ways to communi
UK - As with many businesses in the UK, loudspeaker specialist EM Acoustics is closely monitoring the current public health challenge linked to the Coronavirus, and following advice and applying procedures recommended by the WHO and Public Health England with regard to health and hygiene. Operations director Mike Wheeler reports: “Since we source very few of our components in South East Asia, our exposure to supply chain disruption from China is extremely minimal. Additionally we understand that Chinese manufacturing has resumed to near normal levels, and so we do not anticipate any significant negative effects on our supply chain. “Although restrictions on the movement of goods in Europe, and particularly Italy, is of concern, we do have considerable reserve stocks of components that will allow us to complete current production schedules without disruption.
USA - Danley Sound Labs, designer and manufacturer of unconventional loudspeakers and subwoofers, has announced that it has taken appropriate measures to work within the parameters of the new normal created by the onset of the COVID-19 virus. “At Danley, our priority has always been to create and supply unique loudspeakers coupled with dedicated and honest customer support and service,” says Jeff Pulliam, general manager at Danley Sound Labs. “We have now implemented measures to ensure the health and welfare of all our employees. However, as Danley builds its products in low-density production facilities in Georgia and North Carolina, we have the capability of providing many of our products during this unprecedented time. Our OS, GO2 and Nano lines are readily available. Wooden products will take a little longer. “As many members of our team, including our engi
