UK - Martin Audio has announced the release of two new compact, high performance cardioid subwoofers, the SXCF118 and the SXC115, suitable for both live sound reinforcement and fixed installations. The SXCF118 is a flyable version of the SXC118 released last year and has been purpose designed to accompany the WPS optimised line array system, while the ground stack SXC115 is set to partner 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 dispersion pattern which maximises the front radiation, while reducing unwanted radiation behind the subwoofer. The recommended iK
UK - Celebrating a decade of terrifying people worldwide, Andy Nyman and Jeremy Dyson’s cult horror phenomenon Ghost Stories returned to the Lyric in Hammersmith last April (see LSi March for more on the audio aspects of the production). On a nationwide tour following a triumphal return to the West End in October, the new production took advantage of advances in theatrical technology to increase the tension to almost unbearable levels. Sound designer, Nick Manning remained faithful to his original choice of EM Acoustics, but this time with the addition of EM’s newest product, the Reference Series R10. “Sound is such a critical part of how stories are told,” reflects Manning. “The use of sound to
Portugal - Beauty and cosmetics giant, L’Oréal, has established L’Oréal Academies across the world to train hairdressers in the latest techniques and trends, and on how to utilise the latest L’Oréal products. One of the most recent academies is situated in the vibrant Portuguese capital of Lisbon. Thanks to integration specialists, Garrett Audiovisuais, the L’Oréal Academy, Lisbon, has become the group’s first digital academy, and the first to deploy Genelec loudspeakers throughout their training rooms. “Previously L’Oréal used to rent in equipment for all of their events,” explains Garrett’s Carlos Melo who was closely involved in the project. “However, after discussions with us, they decided that it would be better to have their own in-house solution rather than having to rely on external AV companies, as it would be cheaper in the long term
Spain - Madrid-based pro audio specialist Mastering Mansion Pro Audio has been appointed as a local distributor by UK speaker manufacturer PMC, with responsibility for selling and supporting the company’s range of professional studio monitors. Headed by mastering engineer Nick Litwin, who established the company 16 years ago, Mastering Mansion Pro Audio supplies equipment and offers technical support to all types of recording professionals, from producers and engineers to mastering and mix engineers and self-producing artists. “We are a very service-oriented company and everyone working here is an engineer with practical experience in the sound industry,” says Nick Litwin says. “If someone wants to improve the sound quality of their productions, they can talk to us and tell us how they work, what equipment they are working with, how much they want to spend an
Germany - UK-based Peerless-AV has signed a distribution agreement with Kern & Stelly Medientechnik covering Germany and Austria. As of March 2020, the AV distributor from Hamburg will offer dealers and integrators Peerless-AV’s DvLED mounting solutions for brands, such as Samsung and Absen, as well as the Xtreme High Bright Outdoor Displays and Outdoor Kiosk solutions. Kern & Stelly is one of the largest AV distributors in the German speaking area and a member of the Midwich Group. The company offers specialist trade partners in Germany and Austria a wide range of AV solutions - from projectors and professional flat screens to signal management equipment and accessories. Through the distribution agreement with Peerless-AV, Kern & Stelly is expanding its portfolio to include dvLED mounting solutions, outdoor displays and kiosks. “With strong partners li
Chile - Symetrix has chosen Audio Americas as their new sales agency throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Led by president Matthew Garfein and director of commercial division, Felipe Vargas, Audio Americas will provide technical sales support to distributors, integrators, and consultants for Symetrix. “We are thrilled to partner with a sales agency of the calibre and sophistication that Matthew and Felipe of Audio Americas bring to the table,” says international sales and operations manager, Ty Robinson. “Matthew and Felipe are highly responsive, highly engaged, and are eager to grow Symetrix in Latin America and the Caribbean. Audio Americas are a great addition to our international salesforce.” Audio Americas, based in Santiago de Chile, specialises in commercial and consumer audio/video products. Since 2003, they have represented premium, world-class
UK - A petition has been launched urging the UK government to offer economic assistance to the events industry during the on-going COVID-19 pandemic. Instigated by Matt Rakowski of DBpixelhouse, the petition’s aim is: “For the UK government to provide economic assistance to businesses and staff employed in the events industry, who are suffering unforeseen financial challenges that could have a profound effect on hundreds of thousands of people employed in the sector.” To-date, the petition has been signed over 131,000 times – surpassing the 100,000-signature threshold required for the issue to be considered for debate in parliament. Rakowski comments: “The response has been phenomenal so far, we’re at just over 131,000 – whic
World - Huntly Christie, CEO of Christie Lites, has released the following statement in light of the current COVID-19 pandemic: “Like every other company in our business, Christie Lites is not immune and at the end of last week I enacted some difficult measures to counter the effects of the ‘shock-stop’ the industry has endured as a result of the COVID-19 virus. Sadly, this included laying off approximately 200 staff globally. This has definitely been the most difficult situation I have experienced in the company’s 35yr history. We’ve worked extremely hard to build and assemble a great global team and it was a really painful process to see some of our people lose their jobs.” He continues: “As such, I feel it is important to speak about this publicly and this past week have taken several interviews with mainstream media outlets in North America. I have given an
USA - The team at Point Source Audio has grown again with three new additions across the education and customer service teams. Joe Cota has joined the manufacturer as customer education specialist while Justin Hall becomes key account manager and Mitchell Ho is named as account manager, Western US. Cota brings with him a background as a worship pastor and vocalist. “I’m a professional singer and musician by trade so I can relate to many of the challenges our customers face out in the field,” he explains. “I really enjoy the education component of what I do and the ability I have to help customers solve their audio challenges.” Hall is a seasoned account manager. “I have serviced customers, managed projects, and dealt with international distributors for a great deal of my career,” he reflects. “I enjoy helping people, so the best thing about dealing with
Spain - Following the initial introduction of its all-new LMS series loudspeaker management processor in Q4 2019, with the LMS206 dual input / six output device, Amate Audio has launched the more extensive and powerful LMS608. A completely new and robust loudspeaker management processor platform employing a 64-bit DSP architecture, LMS provides continuous ‘round the clock’ operation and uncompromising performance in the most adverse application environments. Fully configurable, each input is assignable to any output; with two crossovers - with selectable Butterworth, Linkwitz-Riley and Bessel filtering – and independent compressor/ limiter settings available on each output. With four analogue inputs, a two channel AES/EBU digital input, and eight analogue outputs, all on balanced XLRs, the 1U 19” rackmount LMS608 offers advanced system configuration capabiliti
The Netherlands - Audio consultants and system designers, Noizboyz, chose TiMax SoundHub to add an immersive extra dimension to the live sound profile of Dutch Indie band, Kensington, for three recent sell-out gigs at Amsterdam’s 17,000-capacity Ziggo Dome. Noizboyz have been Kensington’s designers for four years, working with them in the Ziggo Dome and Johan Cruijf ArenA. Following a demonstration with Phlippo Productions for client, Friendly Fire as well as Kensington, Noizboyz Pieter Doms and Thomas Van Hoepen, together with Nathan Leenders from Phlippo (Friendly Fire’s preferred supplier) were given ‘carte blanche’ to create an audio system for the gigs. Showcasing the dramatic difference in aural effect between stereo output and an immersive spatial mix set up, created as an A/B (stereo mix/immersive mix) macro built on a Digico desk, Noizboyz convinced
USA - The award-winning Blue Man Group has taken to the road, and is taking immersive sound along with it for the first time. The group’s current North American Tour officially opened this past September at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles, after developing the production at Fayetteville, Arkansas’ Walton Arts Centre. The Pantages show marked the first of more than 50 cities across the continent that will ultimately welcome the tour in its first season. Showgoers will also experience L-ISA, L-Acoustics’ immersive-sound technology which Blue Man Group North American Tour sound designer Tony Pittsley says literally puts the audience onstage with the show’s three ironically comic and palpably percussive performers. “With L-ISA, the sounds of the show can move around the stage and the room and appear to come from where they’re supposed to originate from,
Germany - The Federal Joint Committee health agency has chosen Shure Microflex Complete for its Berlin headquarters. Tasked with implementing health reform bills and directives across Germany, the Federal Joint Committee required a comprehensive and flexible conferencing solution for a range of large and small meeting and conference spaces at its new headquarters, which is located near Berlin’s Tiergarten. The contract for the installation was put out to public tender and awarded to Berlin-based AV professionals PIK AG, with German touch technology and digital signage specialist MMT Network providing engineering plus planning services and support. “In the process of moving to our new headquarters, we had to merge the conference facilities from the two buildings we used previously. We decided to migrate from older analogue technology to a new digital system,
Norway - Originally built in 1816 and located in the Norwegian city of Trondheim, Trøndelag Teater is the oldest theatre in Scandinavia in continuous use. In September 1997, it underwent refurbishment and re-opened as part of a modern complex incorporating the old auditorium, supplemented by four new stages of various shapes and sizes. More recently, the decision was made to update the theatre’s incumbent console and invest in a desk that would provide it with a more flexible, powerful system, choosing a DiGiCo Quantum7T with dual Quantum engines. Siril Gaare, Trøndelag’s head of sound, has worked at the theatre since 1998, first on a freelance basis, then making it her full-time home in 2008, before taking up her current role in 2011. “In 2018 we knew it was time to change our main stage console,” she says. “We were looking for a more mobile and fl
South Africa - As South Africa declares a national state of disaster in light of the current global pandemic caused by the coronavirus, DWR Distribution has issued the following: “The measures that government has implemented, including preventing gatherings of more than 100 people, has enormous implications for the eventing industry in South Africa and across the world. It is fair to assume that the events industry will be hard-hit by the current situation - but it is important to remember that this is temporary, and we are not alone as every industry, sector and market will be under pressure due to the knock-on effects of the pandemic and our world governments are mobilising plans to mitigate these effects - South Africa included. “What sets the eventing industry apart is that we are resilient, we are not afraid of hard work and most importantly, we look after
Europe - Following the launch of the company late last year, punQtum B.V. has unveiled its first product - the Q110 Beltpack is the first element of a larger networked intercom system that offers up to 32 party lines via standard IP networks and infrastructures. Designed for easy, plug’n’play use on a digital platform that is as easy to use as analogue intercom, the Q110 provides ‘all the features you need to help crews communicate better’. All functionality is designed to be instantly accessible thanks to ergonomically designed buttons and an easy-to-read colour display. In a stand-alone capacity the Q110 offers instant access to two channels of party line intercom, and besides being powered via standard PoE switches, the Q110 Beltpack offers the option to daisy-chain up to eight units on a single wire. The feature set also allows for any missed comms to be replaye
USA - In a city renowned worldwide for its music, live production companies need something extra special to highlight their status. Based in Memphis, Tennessee, ProductionOne has achieved this with the purchase of two Alcons Audio pro-ribbon systems. As company owner Kiley Butler says, “We love hearing people rave about how beautiful music sounds through them. The power with 90% less distortion than other systems creates a clarity unparalleled in professional audio.” Having invested in both LR18 compact mid-size line-array and LR16 compact line array systems, the LR18 was quickly put to work on shows by multiple Grammy winner Alison Krauss. “It felt like we were in a studio with 3,000 other people,” says Kiley. ProductionOne was founded almost 20 years ago, working on youth and non-profit events. The company has grown steadily into a full-service production co
USA - Real-time media playback solutions heavyweight Green Hippo deployed its range of Hippotizer Media Servers to fight for world-class visuals with the season premieres of WWE Monday Night Raw and WWE Friday Night SmackDown television shows. Fourteen Hippotizer Media Servers braved the WWE road: made up of Karst, Karst+ and Boreal+ machines. In total, more than 20,000 individual clips were processed during each performance, with pre-made content mixed with effects generated within Hippotizer V4.5. The global entertainment company WWE - known for its audience-grabbing, in-ring energetic theatrical drama - wowed crowds across the US, Middle East and Europe with big name appearances and new staging augmented with mammoth LED screens and visuals. “The team used a custom 4.5.2 build of the Hippotizer software, the biggest reason being so we could uti
Russia - Audac has partnered with AV-Centre as the new exclusive distributor of their audio solutions in Russia. They will be managing the sales, distribution and service of the complete Audac product line in Russia from their offices in St. Petersburg and Moscow. AVC provides a wide range of audio equipment which will now be supported by Audac’s experience and products. “We are excited to introduce the Audac family of audio products to the Russian market,” remarks Tatiana Schurova, managing director of AVC. “Their vision has always been focused on providing the right product for the customer.” “Now Audac can add value to the customer experience in Russia with our complete line of products,” says Bart Vandermot sales executive at Audac. “These high quality products have proved to be a reliable solution around the world, and with this partnership in Ru
Germany - Prolight+Sound will not be held in 2020. A statement from Messe Frankfurt, the show’s organisers reads: “On 12 March, the Hessian Ministry for Social Affairs and Integration issued general decrees prohibiting large-scale events expected to attract more than 1,000 visitors. At the present time, it cannot be assumed that the current situation will have changed by the time the postponed event was to have been held. Therefore, Messe Frankfurt has decided to cancel the event.” The event was originally scheduled to take place 31 March - 3 April but was postponed to May due to the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). Detlef Braun, a member of the executive board of Messe Frankfurt, comments: “We did everything we could to hold Prolight+Sound 2020 as soon as possible after the original dates and would like to extend our thanks to the response and support from n
Europe - ACME Lighting and Highlite International are the latest companies to announce that they will no longer be exhibiting at the postponed Prolight+Sound in Frankfurt this May, due to the health risks posed by Coronavirus (COVID-19). “At this moment, the entire entertainment industry is experiencing huge challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the response to the virus,” says Marco Galli, EMEA sales director at ACME Lighting. “We take the health of our staff and customers very seriously. Well-being and containment of COVID-19 is our duty and priority, and therefore, regretfully, we are forced to cancel plans to participate in Prolight+Sound 2020.” Meanwhile, a statement from Highlite reads: “We have decided not to participate in Prolight+Sound 2020. The new dates after the postponement of the fair do not fit within our plans and vision of the industr
USA - Under the direction of New York state governor Andrew Cuomo, Broadway shows in New York City will suspend all performances immediately in support of the health and well-being of the theatre-going public, as well as those who work in the theatre industry, in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Performances will commence the week of April 13, 2020. "Our top priority has been and will continue to be the health and well-being of Broadway theatregoers and the thousands of people who work in the theatre industry every day, including actors, musicians, stagehands, ushers, and many other dedicated professionals," said Charlotte St. Martin, president of the Broadway League. "Broadway has the power to inspire, enrich, and entertain, and together we are committed to making that vital spirit a reality. Once our stages are lit again, we will welcome fans back with open arms so th
UK - Silent Conference supported the live-to-vinyl recording event by Record Store Day 2020 ambassadors The Big Moon at Metropolis Studios, London. Ahead of Record Store Day – which takes place this year on 18 April – The Big Moon recorded their Record Store Day release live in front of an audience at Metropolis Studios on 5 March. Metropolis Studios recreated the experience of recording live to vinyl, a process that was once used regularly by musicians. The attending audience, comprised of music industry personnel and fans of The Big Moon, used wireless headphones provided by Silent Conference to listen to each individual track as it was performed and recorded live. Through the headphones, attendees also heard conversation between the band members (Juliette Jackson, Soph Nathan, Celia Archer and Fern Ford) and studio engineers throughout the recording process, as
Taiwan - HK Audio has increased its presence in Taiwan by appointing Winly Corporation as its exclusive distributor in the state. As of January 2020, Winly is responsible for the entire HK Audio product catalogue in Taiwan, covering everything from portable sound products such as Premium PR:O, all the way through to professional – like the Cosmo integrative line array – and install solutions. Founded over 40 years ago and based in Taipei, Taiwan’s capital, Winly has grown from a small office with only two desks into a corporation with over 50 employees covering sales and distribution as well as system integration and production services. Andy Chen, CEO of Winly, said: “We were looking for a line of high quality speaker cabinets and HK Audio offers exactly what we wanted. Designed and manufactured in Germany to the highest quality standards, HK Audio’s p
