UK - Over the last 25 years The Brook in Southampton has established itself as one of the favourite independent music venues in the south of England. The venue has developed this reputation by putting audience and artist experience as its top priorities, and this has been seen again with a completely new sound system from TW AUDiO. Opened by founder Bryn Lewis in 1994 as a 300-capacity music venue, The Brook has a long history of supporting original music and has welcomed many artists at every stage of their career to its intimate stage. The venue had sported the same second-hand sound system since its opening, even after the capacity doubled to 600 in 2004. However, after 25 years of service this system was starting to feel the strain. “It had become a little bit like running a car with a classic engine where you have to drive it carefully and look after it,” says
UK - Solotech has expanded its global operation by extending its video department into the UK and has opened new offices in central London. As part of Solotech’s expansion strategy in the UK, the company has appointed Ian Woodall as director of video, and Paul McCauley as video business development manager in the UK and European markets. Ian ‘Woody’ Woodall has worked at XL Video as sales director and has also been a freelancer, designing and building AV systems in European venues and as a touring video engineer on projects including Nile Rodgers and Chic who have been with Cher for the past year. Meanwhile, Paul ‘Macca’ McCauley has extensive experience in the both the live events and integration industries. Woody comments: “We decided that it was important to build on the huge reputation of Solotech for video in Canada and the US and theref
UK - PMC owner and chairman Peter Thomas has assumed the role of manager director, following Tim Ireland’s departure from the British loudspeaker manufacturer. “We would like to thank Tim for his endeavours and wish him well for the future,” he says. “During his two years with PMC, he has overseen some great changes and steered a steady course, keeping our objectives clearly in focus while upholding the values of our brand. “I am very pleased to be back at the helm and once again be in closer contact with our business partners around the world. It is an exciting time for PMC with the launch of globally significant professional projects and the 25i series hi-fi speakers, and we have plans for several new initiatives that will guarantee we remain at the forefront of the market for innovation, engineering and superb quality.”
USA - Alcons Audio gave the LR24 mid-size line array system its official introduction to the US touring market at Post 43, the Hollywood base of the American Legion. Inviting an array of top mixing talent to ‘test-drive’ the LR24 system and experience WYMIWYG - What You Mix Is What You Get - the system drew widespread praise. Described by its veterans as “that much more showbiz” than any other American Legion post, Post 43 was an appropriate location for the LR24 event. Two years ago, the completion of a comprehensive restoration transformed it into a 500-seat movie theatre and live venue, complete with an Alcons pro-ribbon sound system. According to Levi Joos, proprietor of installer Stay On Screen, it transformed Post 43 into “one of the best-sounding rooms in town”. The two-day LR24 event featured a system comprising eight units per side, with six BC543
Switzerland - An Allen & Heath dLive mixing system set the rink alight for ice-skating gala, Art on Ice, which celebrated its 25th anniversary this month with a series of shows taking place across Zurich, Lausanne, Basel and Davos. Combining live performances from internationally acclaimed artists, world-class dancers and figure-skaters, including the 2018 Gold Olympic medallist Alina Zagitova, Art on Ice offers “a unique and immersive storytelling experience”. Produced by Swiss AV production company, Habegger AG (and with Session Pro helping to supply gear), the full setup featured a dLive S7000 paired with a DM64 MixRack, fitted with a superMADI card for multi-track recording and a Waves V3 card for external plugins. Operated by long-time A&H user and FOH engineer, Sascha Kohl, dLive was used to handle all sources including the musici
UK - Wicked, winner of multiple Tony, Drama Desk and Grammy awards, has become a Broadway staple, poised to celebrate its 17th year on the Great White Way in October at its home at the Gershwin Theatre. The show’s nearly half-dozen licensed touring versions have drawn almost as many award accolades. The latest touring edition of the show is scheduled to hit 15 cities, from Baltimore to Vancouver. These shows put the musical’s songs through a new DiGiCo Quantum 7T console. Purchased through Milwaukee-based Clearwing Productions, the compact audio desk features DiGiCo’s sophisticated theatre software, a package designed specifically to meet the demands of theatrical workflows, with features such as an auto update system, aliases, the players tool and a VCA programming map. “We spent the better part of two years planning the upgrade for the touring show, an
Poland - Tommex Żebrowscy Sp. J. (Tommex) has been appointed Polish distributor for RCF’s installed sound, commercial audio and voice alarm EN54 product lines. Tommex’ commercial director, Marcin Zimny, explains that the move resulted from changes in the ownership structure and distribution strategy of their existing long-term loudspeaker partner. “This meant we were looking for a new partner with a high-quality installation range, that could complement our portfolio; RCF provided a great opportunity and was an exact match. “The combination of 70 years of RCF history with 30 years of Tommex provided a compelling partnership”, he adds. RCF international sales manager, Luca Ombrati, comments: “We were one of the few brands able to fill all the missing product lines in Tommex’s product portfolio. After negotiation I accepted their proposal because
Europe - At ISE 2020, Void Acoustics showcased the latest additions to the Bias and Air ranges. The Bias Q1 joins the Bias family of Void Acoustics amplifiers. It is a four channel DSP+Dante amplifier and has been adapted with smaller dimensions and is lighter in weight than the Bias Q5. Whilst operating from the same amplifier platform the Bias Q1 is still durable and maintains the impressive sound quality which end users have come to expect from Void Acoustics. It is multi-application and designed for use in bars, clubs, for corporate and live music venues as well as large-scale outdoor events and touring. The Airten V3 release is the latest addition to the Void Acoustics Air Series. Having made significant enhancements to the futuristic-styled composite loudspeaker, the Airten V3 offers improved performance and is built for the exacting demands of high-end venue op
Germany - Kings of Floyd are a Pink Floyd tribute band based in Germany. Led by Brit, Mark Gillespie, this assembly of international musicians has earned a reputation for presenting an accurate and atmospheric representation of the supergroup. The band regularly undertake national tours, playing popular theatre venues to sold out audiences. In order to replicate and do justice to the magic and majesty of Pink Floyd, Kings of Floyd and their experienced crew place audio quality high on their list of priorities. FOH engineer Howard Heckers, notable for his work with Supertramp co-founder Roger Hodgson amongst others, is the band’s audio lynchpin and his work in helping to produce the authentic Floyd sound is essential. Central to his setup for Kings of Floyd is a DiGiGrid IOS unit, as he explains: “I’ve been a DiGiGrid user for a while now, having started touring
USA - RØDE Microphones has announced that the doors to the RØDE House have opened. The RØDE House is live music and performance space within the Momentary, a new contemporary art space in Bentonville, Arkansas which officially opened to the public on Saturday 22 February. The Momentary was founded by the Walton Family, based on the vision of Tom, Olivia, and Steuart Walton. The Walton Family Foundation is supporting the project as a way to enhance the quality of life in Northwest Arkansas. Occupying a decommissioned 63,000sq.ft cheese factory in Bentonville, Arkansas, the Momentary is a satellite to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, founded by Alice Walton. The RØDE House is a multidisciplinary performance space within the old Milk Intake Room of the factory. In 2018, RØDE founder and chairman Peter Freedman became a founding funder of the Momentary alongsid
Indonesia - The Voices recently equipped the Karnaval SCTV stage with a JBL by Harman audio system to deliver powerful sound with balanced coverage for a variety of musical acts. Karnaval SCTV is a popular variety show on Surya Citra Televisi (SCTV) that is broadcast live from several major cities throughout Indonesia each month. The shows feature a star-studded cast of celebrity guest appearances as well as live musical performances. To commemorate the 18th anniversary of the city of Lubuklinggau, Karnaval SCTV broadcast live from Silampari Sports Park, welcoming a host of celebrities including musicians, television personalities and soap opera stars to the stage. “The client required a powerful sound system that could reach every member of the audience,” comments Liauw Wu Shen, owner, The Voices. “The system had to be dynamic and ada
Europe - Several key exhibitors have pulled out of the postponed Prolight+Sound (PL+S) exhibition due to scheduling clashes and health concerns. Companies including Adamson, Allen & Heath, d&b audiotechnik, Robe Lighting, ETC and High End Systems and L-Acoustics have formally withdrawn from the trade event due to scheduling conflicts or health concerns. The annual Frankfurt-based tradeshow was set to take place at the end of March but was pushed back to 26-29 May due to the coronavirus outbreak. The new dates have however prompted exhibitors to reassess their plans for the fair. d&b audiotechnik announced its withdrawal in a
USA - Harman Professional Solutions has announced new six-year extended warranties on all new Crown product sales in 2020. All Crown products sold between 1 January 1 and 31 December 2020 will automatically receive an extended six-year warranty. This warranty extension applies to all markets globally, excluding Brazil, India, Russia, and China. “Audio professionals rely on Crown amplifiers to deliver clean, stable and reliable power every day,” says Karam Kaul, vice-president, audio, Harman Professional Solutions. “We stand by the quality and workmanship of our award-winning products and back them with some of the best warranties in the business. Now, for a limited time, when customers purchase any Crown product, we’ll extend their warranty to six years at no additional cost. We think your customers will be excited to learn that they can now enjoy unprecedented
USA - Italian luxury brand Bulgari, known for its shimmering diamonds and daring design, recently held the B.zero1 Rock event to roll out the brand’s newest rendition of its B.zero1 collection, with Brompton Technology’s LED processing ensuring captivating visual experiences at the event. Hosted by group CEO Jean-Christophe Babin, the party brought Rome’s sensual and exuberant style to the heart of New York Fashion Week. Full-service event-technology and video-production company Essay Video, that was subcontracted by KCD.INC for to run the production side of the event, chose Brompton Technology’s Tessera SX40 LED processor and two XD 10G data distribution units to deliver Bulgari’s vision on LED screens. Held at Duggal Greenhouse in Brooklyn, guests were led through an entrance tunnel and into a featured concept room entitled ‘Exuberance Room’ where 36 R
Albania - Tirana recently welcomed a new two-tier leisure venue, with the restaurant and night club Lost hosting live bands and DJs, and Tema Lounge - occupying a separate space in the same building - providing background music by day, notching up to foreground music after dark. The sound in both venues (along with control and production lighting) is reinforced by a Martin Audio BlacklineX system, specified and installed by Prosound, the manufacturer’s Albanian distributor. The company’s audio system installer, Armand Dosti, was entirely comfortable specifying Blackline, having earlier introduced other high-profile venues to the same solution. Furthermore, Prosound already had a relationship with Lost/Tema owner Filip Fermanis from earlier projects. Surveying the two spaces - the former holding 200 people and the latter with a slightly reduced capacity - the
USA - Every week for the past seven years, Jimmy Fallon steps onstage in Studio 6B at Rockefeller Centre in midtown Manhattan and leads a viewing audience of over 2.4m through an hour of comedy, talk, and music, always opening and closing the show with Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey, the show’s jazzy/funky theme song, composed and performed by The Roots, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’s Grammy Award-winning house band. Sound is managed through the show’s three DiGiCo SD7 consoles paired with five SD-Racks. Artless Poole, Jr. has been with The Roots for 20 years, mixing the band’s live shows as their front-of-house engineer, and is there for them on The Tonight Show as the house mixer for the band, as well as the show’s diverse guest artists, and everything else that happens on that stage. It all goes through Poole’s SD7 console, supported by a Di
USA - From its humble, garage-based beginnings in 1992 as a mobile DJ service, Technotrix has grown over the decades into one of Chicago’s leading event services providers, supplying audio, lighting and staging systems for everything from relatively modest productions to arena-sized concerts, large festivals and major corporate events. Technotrix has now become an L-Acoustics certified provider for the rental market (CPr) and expanding its equipment inventory with its first L-Acoustics purchase, a K Standard Kara package. The company’s new gear complement is primarily comprised of two-dozen Kara enclosures paired with eight KS28 and eight SB18 subs. Four coaxial X8 enclosures flexibly serve both monitoring and short-throw PA applications, and a new P1 audio processor brings powerful processing and AVB compatibility to the full rig. Two LA-RAK II - each loaded with
USA - Increasing its presence in the US, Solotech has announced the acquisition of Pro Sound, Inc., an audio, video, lighting and broadcast integration company, headquartered in Miami, Florida with offices and warehouses in Orlando, Pensacola and Los Angeles. Solotech has also acquired Pro Sound, Inc.’s Stage Equipment and Lighting (SEAL) brand as well as affiliates Pro Sound CA, Inc., and Show Systems, Inc. “Pro Sound Inc. and its divisions have an incredibly strong reputation in the North American marketplace. Under the leadership of Rod Sintow, CEO, who has built a well-respected management and operational team, the company has been trusted to work in some of the most renowned venues throughout the United States,” states Martin Tremblay, president and CEO of Groupe Solotech. “Rod and his team share our unwavering dedication to quality work, innovative
Europe - This year, Sennheiser will mark its 75th anniversary with a range of events and initiatives and limited editions. During the year, Sennheiser will be “giving voice to the people that make magic sound moments happen, while saying thank you to all Sennheiser fans with exciting promotions, competitions and special editions”. “We are very happy to celebrate our anniversary this year. It is a celebration of our 75-year history, which has not only been shaped by exceptional ideas and innovations, by taking on challenging projects and achieving numerous successes - above all, we are celebrating an enduring passion for great sound”, comments Dr. Andreas Sennheiser, co-CEO of Sennheiser, who alongside his brother Daniel Sennheiser is the third generation of the family to lead the company. “This passion still drives us today. We are constantly innovating new t
UK - Solid State Logic (SSL) and UK distributor Sound Technology have announced that the new SSL 2 and SSL 2+ USB audio interfaces are now shipping in the UK. SSL has been designing mixing consoles and processing tools for the world's recording studios for over four decades, and the new SSL 2 and SSL 2+ interfaces takes this technology and know-how, and places it in the hands of today’s creatives and aspiring professionals. “When SSL's founder, Colin Sanders set about making his first mixing console in the early 70s, he did so because every other console at the time fell short of his expectations and needs,” comments SSL director of new products, Niall Feldman. “Fast-forward 40 years, that same philosophy has inspired the team to create the SSL 2 and SSL 2+ for the personal studio market, and share some of that amazing technology in a new format.” The 2
Norway - Sound engineer Tom Meyer has built up a large collection of DPA microphones over the years and has always been very happy with the results they deliver. He is now spreading the word to artists he works with and has recently persuaded pop singer Lisa Skoglund to switch to one of the company’s new 2028 Vocal Microphones. “As soon as the 2028 Vocal Microphone was released, I ordered one for Lisa and she is so happy with it that she takes it with her wherever she is singing,” Meyer says. “I take a selection of DPA microphones with me on every gig I do because they make my job much easier - and they are popular with my clients, as well.” Based in Bardu in northern Norway, Tom Meyer has been tackling live sound engineering projects since 1990 and now runs his own company, TM Tour Production. He first became aware of DPA through the 4011 Cardioid Microphone
Australia - The J Noosa opened its doors in October 2006 and quickly became a functionally and versatile youth and commercial event space for the Noosa Community and the Sunshine Coast. Positioned in the heart of Noosa, The J offers flexible meeting spaces, conference rooms and facilities for hire, complimented by covered outdoor decks and stylish open foyers. The centre’s J Theatre, a multi-use auditorium and theatre space has installed a Clair Brothers kiTCurve12 system. The project was commissioned and designed by Wayne Grosser, Clair Brothers’ expert audio consultant in Australia, who worked directly with preferred integrator Jason Howley from Distinct Audio & Production for the install. The complete upgraded system in the theatre’s 338-seat main floor and its 64-seat mezzanine section consists of four kiTCurve12s on the left and four on the right a
Germany - Mega Audio is to take on the exclusive distribution of Point Source Audio’s products for Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The distributor had been looking to add a miniature microphone brand to its portfolio having previously experienced success with this type of product and was keen to find a company that had the potential to grow substantially. “I had heard of Point Source Audio as one of the top miniature microphone manufacturers in the USA and one of the major US brands in the theatre market,” says Burkhard Elsner, CEO at Mega Audio. “When we took a closer look at their product range, we found them to be very interesting and exciting. I am very happy and proud to be able to offer this brand and its fine products as our new distribution line, it means we can now offer some new and unique products to the market. “We believe that Point Sourc
UK - AVer Europe has launched its professional conferencing system, the VC520 Pro, in the UK. The VC520 Pro has been developed by AVer Europe as a solution for various meeting room sizes, alleviating the challenges that teams face on conference calls. The VC520 Pro has an audio pickup range of 15ft and the ability to daisy-chain two additional speakerphones to reach up to 45ft, offering “ultra-clear unparalleled audio even throughout large meeting rooms”. With Sony True WDR capability, AVer Europe’s VC520 Pro offers clear and high-quality imaging even in high contrast backlit environments. With up to 1080p and 60fps even in poor lighting, the conferencing system’s 12X optical zoom with precise detail enables teams to showcase items such as products or documents live in the room on camera. The VC520 Pro’s SmartFrame technology uses face recognition to a
