UK - More d&b audiotechnik loudspeakers than ever before delivered the strums, beats and vocals of Glastonbury this year, as KSL made its debut on The Other Stage and Y- and V-Series graced The Acoustic Stage. Glastonbury veteran, Skan - which has been providing PA systems for the festival’s second stage since 1989 - supplied the d&b KSL System for The Other Stage, where headliners included Tame Impala, Chemical Brothers and Christine and the Queens. “The stage size and technical demands increase every year, and we have increased the spec and system requirements alongside this growth,” says Skan senior designer Matt Vickers. “We beta-tested the GSL System at Glastonbury in 2017 and that experience has contributed to the stunning results we can get from both GSL and KSL Systems. “‘Punchy, tight and so clean’ were words thrown around by vario
UK - Brompton Technology has announced the expansion of its customer facing team with the additions of Dries Vermeulen as business development manager (Europe), and Chris Grandin as technical support manager. Vermeulen, a familiar face in the LED industry from his days at Barco, VER and ROE Visual, brings a wealth of experience in a technical and commercial capacity. He will be based in Belgium, positioning him to be in close contact with Brompton customers throughout Europe. Grandin, who has relocated from South Africa, has most recently held the positions of group technical advisor for the Gearhouse Group of companies and technical services supervisor at Christie Digital Systems. He brings over two decades of expertise in the field of live entertainment and events, providing technical solutions and backup for creative staging ideas at events reaching audiences from u
UK - Audio Evolution has announced the appointment of Peter Russell to the position of audio project manager. The recently launched sister-company to global video specialists pixl evolution will benefit from Russell’s experience of the corporate and theatre markets. During a 20-year career with another major supplier, he has worked on a host of high-profile musical theatre tours, as well project managing major events across the UK, European and the US. Company director Guy Vellacott comments: “Peter is exactly the right person to take on the project management role at audio evolution. We’ve made significant investments in high quality hardware, including d&b, Shure, Denon, Yamaha and Clear-Com and we couldn’t be placing it in safer hands. Peter has an impressive track record managing all aspects of audio in high-profile, high pressure environments and his skills
USA - Audinate has announced version 1.1 of Dante Domain Manager. This update to Dante Domain Manager brings key improvements and new features to users and integrators: new flexible installation options, improved email alerts and notifications, support for SMPTE 2110 devices and secure access to LDAP and SMTP servers, says the company. Dante Domain Manager is software that gives integrators, AV specialists and IT managers the ability to better manage Dante AV networks by creating groupings of Dante devices called ‘domains’ - which are zones of products. It enables administrators to secure their systems with user level authentication by domain and to scale their installations by supporting Dante audio across routed IP networks with multiple subnets. Administrators looking to route audio between studios, buildings or even across entire campuses may now do so regardless of
Hungary - This year’s annual seven-day-long Sziget Festival on Hajógyári Island, north of Budapest, was the event’s biggest yet, breaking attendance records on the day that Ed Sheeran appeared. Capital Sound, the event’s long-standing main stage sound reinforcement supplier, now has the logistics down to a fine art, hauling Martin Audio’s MLA loudspeaker array family across Europe in a two-truck arrangement and ‘topping up’ with assistance from Hungarian-based MLA partner, BG Event. The latter, in turn, provided its own Martin Audio inventory for two dedicated EDM dance stages. Both partners were equal to the demands of this event which last year alone saw an aggregated 565,000 visit the picturesque location on the Danube. Capital account manager Robin Conway comments: “This year, we made changes to the field delays on main stage and upgraded the
Belgium - Throughout the summer Pioneer Pro Audio XY-Series systems have appeared at a host of festivals across Europe. For the most part the systems have been used at leading electronic music events but from time to time, XY Series has stepped outside the traditional festival model into something completely different. As well as an immersive three-day arts and music event, the Horst Festival extends to a two-month long exhibition which features in-situ art installations in public spaces. This year the exhibition was based on the ASIAT site in Vilvoorde, north of Brussels, a former military base complete with six hectares of urban space, 20 warehouses within a maze of corridors and two huge cooling towers. It was inside one of these towers that artist Emeka Ogboh placed his renowned installation The Way Earthly Things Are Going and KAGE Audio deployed Pioneer Pro Audi
Canada - Hit reality TV Show Big Brother Canada wrapped up its seventh season in early May, with an Allen & Heath dLive mixing system handling audio for the live studio audience segments. For this season, the production team turned to AV and entertainment technology company, Solotech, to assist in upgrading the audio console. Working with Allen & Heath’s Canadian partners Erikson Pro, Solotech’s full set-up featured a dLive S5000 surface, paired with a DM64 MixRack, fitted with superMADI and Dante networking cards. “For the past few years, we’d been using an older model console that had a larger footprint and less features, so this year provided a good opportunity to upgrade to dLive,” adds Phil Hornung (audio technical advisor - live productions at Solotech). “Erikson Pro, a division of Jam Industries, provided support that exceeded expect
UK - Carnival UK has selected Point Source Audio microphones as their new fleet-wide standard for all their onboard productions, supplied by Point Source Audio’s UK distributor, Autograph Sales & Installations. The decision to standardise on Point Source Audio (PSA) was led by Dave Cowell, lead sound designer and programmer for Carnival UK. Point Source Audio’s body-worn microphones will support the fleet’s performance venues which are in use a standard 15-hours a day, 365 days a year. Carnival UK (which incorporates Cunard Cruise Line and P&O Cruises UK) is part of Carnival Corporation & plc, the world’s largest leisure travel company, with a cruise fleet of 102 ships operating in North America, England, Europe and Australia. “The cruising industry is one of the harshest environments for product delivery I have worked in. When microphones
UK - The historic headquarters of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has completed a full AV system upgrade, with 10 channels of Shure’s ULX-D Digital Wireless installed and deployed, along with a selection of Shure’s high-end headset, lapel and gooseneck microphones. This first phase is part of an ambitious four-year plan to improve the overall audio at RIBA, commenced with the expandable 284-400-seat auditorium and took three months to complete. Established in 1834, RIBA is situated at 66 Portland Place, Marylebone, London, which is a Grade II listed building. The organisation is the professional body for UK architects, founded for the advancement of architecture, supporting its members and introducing new people to the world of creative architectural design. Work on the project began with consultation between RIBA’s in-house AV team, AV sp
UK - Having long relied on a HK Audio sound system in Record Junkee, a bustling vinyl heaven and gig venue situated above his Music Junkee equipment shop in the heart of Sheffield, HK Audio was once again the go to brand when Martin Leverton was looking for a rig for his new venture, a second and substantially larger city centre venue. With its home on the first floor of the DINA Arts Centre complex on Cambridge Street, Martin’s new venture, Network, is a fully rigged venue that caters for both local and touring acts. Leverton explains: "Our venue in Earl Street has seen us bring some great national and international acts including IDLES, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, Fat White Family and Viagra Boys. However, with capacity of only 150 it restricted our ambitions to continue attracting big names. Our collaboration with DINA Arts Centre is delivering a new li
Mongolia - ITC Solutions recently installed a Harman Professional Solutions system including JBL Professional and AKG at the Fat Cat Jazz Club to deliver clear, detailed sound for live music performances, special events and more. The Fat Cat Jazz Club is an intimate, underground jazz club located in the heart of Ulaanbaatar. Founded in August 2018, the Fat Cat hosts nightly live music performances and poetry readings by local and visiting talent. In order to deliver world-class sound throughout the entire venue, the Fat Cat hired ITC Solutions, Mongolia's leading distributor, to install a custom JBL Professional audio system with AKG microphones. “The client requested a compact, powerful audio system that could evenly distribute even and consistent sound coverage throughout the venue so that everyone in the audience can experience the true acoustic depth of the perfo
South Korea - Amadeus installed over 200 of its speakers in the Paradise Fun City entertainment complex in Incheon. The installation was part of a wider multi-media infrastructure overhaul overseen by C2 Artechnolozy. C2 was involved in the design phase of the newly-opened Paradise-City phase 1-2 project which includes Chroma, the largest club in East Asia which encompasses three separate nightclubs, Wonder Box - a carnival-inspired indoor amusement park - and boutique hotel Art Paradiso. The complex also features the Art Garden and the Paradise Walk areas. C2 was responsible for designing and supervising the resort's audio, video, and lighting systems; it also designed, developed and supervised the EBGM System (Enhanced Background Music), and was responsible for the design and construction of both the Chroma staging system and the audio, video, and lighting systems fo
UK - Martin Audio has confirmed that its new WPS, the fourth model in the Wavefront Precision optimised line array series, will be shipping with effect from early September. Dom Harter, managing director, states: “We were delighted with the response we received from the market when WPS was first announced and are pleased to have been able to bring it to market on time.” The latest addition to the Wavefront Precision range can achieve a peak SPL of 133dB and is perfect for applications that require a high output array with reduced weight and footprint. This makes it ideal for live sound reinforcement and installations in theatres, concert halls and Houses of Worship, while rental companies will see scope in deploying WPS arrays as front-fill, delay or side-hang support for larger Wavefront Precision systems. For extended low frequency performance, WPS is de
Ukraine - Loudspeaker manufacturer MAG Audio will launch the MAG MUST, a scalable line-array based system, at an event at the NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kyiv on 6 September (Friday). MAG MUST (Multiple Uniform Sound Technology) creates a uniform sound dispersion in a hall or arena of any size, says the company. It is based on MAG Audio’s Wasp tour-grade line array and benefits from an amplification solution provided by Powersoft. MAG’s CEO Alexander Khasin comments: “Today’s sound rental companies often have a diverse clientele with diverse needs, forcing them to have a wide variety of speakers and arrays to fit varying event sizes and spaces. They have to have in stock a multiplicity of products to serve their client’s needs. With MAG MUST, you have a one-stop line and array that can serve the needs of any client, regardless of the event’s demands. MAG MUS
Germany - Every year the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra performs two free open-air concerts in the German city’s main park, the Rosental. The popular Klassik airleben concerts this year attracted more than 60,000. The shows play an important part in Leipzig culture, bringing orchestral music to many who are presumed to rarely attend concerts in the Gewandhaus concert hall. Conducted by musical director Andris Nelsons, this year’s shows featured soloists Kristin Opolais (soprano) and Thomas Hampson (baritone) in a programme of works by Italian composers Rossini, Verdi and Puccini. The show’s production company is Leipzig-based Frontsound Veranstaltungstechnik GmbH, headed by Gunnar Gosch and Christian Arnold. They chose Yamaha QL5 and CL5 digital consoles to mix the show, with two Rio3224-D2 and two Rio1608-D I/O racks, on a redundant Dante network. "A
USA - As the world celebrates the 50th anniversary of the moon landing in 1969, a new play endeavours to recreate the thrill of this event with an immersive theatrical experience. Apollo 11 tells the story of the 400,000 men and women who worked to accomplish this extraordinary mission. Told through the eyes of a retired NASA aerospace engineer as he recounts the story to his teenaged granddaughter, Apollo 11 is staged in a, purpose-built venue that plays host to 20 actors, 40,000sq.ft of 360-degree video projection, a life-sized rocket and a powerful KV2 Audio sound system designed by Broadway and West End theatre sound designer, Bobby Aitken, and supplied by Stage Sound Services in Cardiff. The first run has just finished in Pasadena, CA, with the next shows scheduled in Houston, TX in December. “This was a very interesting production to work on as
Europe - Medialon, specialist provider of show control solutions, has hired Robert Chong as product specialist to service customers and installation sites across the EMEA region. Chong brings more than 27 years of experience working with the Medialon brand and product range as engineer, consultant and integrator. His career includes sales and technical leadership roles for a range of AV companies across Europe and Australasia including Barco, Gibson International, Atea and ZKM. Eric Cantrell, VP of business operations for Medialon, comments: “At Medialon, we are committed to ongoing to the support of customers and installations - both existing and new. Robert has worked closely with our team, customers and product line for many years and in his new role, will allow us to carefully consider the needs of all projects - developing and delivering the very best show con
Mexico - Castelein Audiovisual Services of Mexico City has upgraded its audio equipment with the Bose Professional ShowMatch DeltaQ Array system. Castelein has more than 15 years’ experience in renting audio, video and lighting equipment to corporate events and live shows. The company’s clients range from top event planners, PR and promotion agencies, production companies to AV rental companies; it services small conferences as well as live shows in 1000-seat venues. The Bose system recently acquired by Castelein includes 16 ShowMatch line array modules, eight SMS118 subwoofers, suspension accessories, and four compatible Powersoft X4 amplifiers. With this ShowMatch DeltaQ system, Castelein can deliver the intelligibility and coverage that the voice of a presenter needs to get a message through, the audio clarity required to enhance the experience from a corporate
UK/USA - Celebrating World Pride in New York on the 50-year anniversary of the Stonewall riots, Autograph’s special events department was charged with providing the inflight sound system on Virgin Atlantic’s celebratory Pride Flight (VS69) from London to New York. Neutrik’s Xirium Pro made it all possible. Revellers, celebrities, DJs, drag queens and assorted entertainers aboard an Airbus A330 at 35,000ft was a special event which presented some very special challenges - to be met by head of special events Andrew Hedges, who headed up the project design, and David Prosser and Adam ‘Fabulous’ Taylor who engineered the event in the air. “Production company One Green Bean approached Autograph to facilitate DJs and other entertainment onboard the flight,” says Hedges. “The brief was for ‘a big party atmosphere’. At the same time Virgin Atlantic’s engi
Russia - d&b audiotechnik has appointed Anna Kovyza as country manager for Russia, as the German pro audio manufacturer prepares to open a new office in the country this year. Kovyza is a former head of sales and marketing for A&T Trade’s professional audio and lighting division. She will be based in Moscow and will focus on developing d&b sales in Russia and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) whilst also working closely with Aris Pro, d&b’s Russian distributor. Amnon Harman, d&b Group CEO, comments: “The Eastern European region and in particular Russia are important markets for d&b audiotechnik. With Anna Kovyza, we are preparing for the next phase of growth in these markets. Anna’s appointment is part of our strategic growth plan to build strong teams across the globe and being close to our partners and customers with sales and
South Africa - DWR Distribution presented an exclusive demo of L-Acoustics’ L-ISA sound technology to over 100 representatives from rental companies and TV studios in Johannesburg. The system, which was used in South Africa for the first time during the live edition of The Voice South Africa 2019, was demo’d at the Mosaïek Teatro in Fairlands, where the TV show took place. The demo was presented by Tim McCall, regional sales manager and Tony Szabo, head of touring applications at L-Acoustics, along with Chris Pugh, technical support at DWR Distribution and Adriaan van der Walt, audio engineer at Multi-Media who specified L-ISA technology for The Voice. “I think it’s awesome that L-Acoustics have invested so much into South Africa,” comments Duncan Riley of DWR. “We are one of their smaller markets, yet they treat us no differently to th
UK - Cadac’s CDC six mixing console was used FOH this year at the Glade Stage, partnering Funktion-One’s Vero system making its Glastonbury debut. Sound rental company and long term Funktion-One partner Audio Plus deployed a Cadac console for the second year running, at the behest of Funktion-One co-founder Tony Andrews. “It was at the personal request of Tony Andrews that there should be a Cadac CDC console front of house,” explains Audio Plus tech, Dan Hull, who is part of the company’s onsite team. “He especially wanted it paired with the Vero, because of his love of its pre-amps and its sound quality, and his familiarity with the console and what he knows he can achieve with the Vero, mixing on the Cadac.” The CDC six was the principal FOH console with a DiGiCo SD10 on standby for engineers using show files, with the latest DSP-enabled XTA MX36 consol
Spain - Holidaymakers staying at SMY Costa del Sol will now be able to enjoy music throughout the hotel's public areas thanks to the installation of a new sound system that has Equipson's Work Pro products at its heart. Located opposite Los Alamos beach in Torremolinos, SMY Costa del Sol wanted a superior system that reflected the quality ethos of its accommodation and facilities. The system also needed to be powerful enough to cover a large area including the lobby, restaurant, restrooms and outdoor terrace. Malaga-based installation company Servicios Integrales M3 was chosen for the project on the basis of its extensive AV knowledge and its reputation for delivering exceptional results. The company specified a large selection of Work Pro speakers, amplifiers, control and multiplayer units because it had previous experience of Equipson's Work Pro range and had always
UK - Over 10,000 people attended the inaugural Abingdon Summer Fireworks Festival which saw four showcase firework displays choreographed to music, culminating with a spectacular performance from the evenings’ hosts, double British Firework champions, Illusion Fireworks. Quality audio plays a key role in the success of the event, so Illusion turned to AV productions specialists, Surrey-based Sound Solutions who provided a significant Halo-C line array system from EM Acoustics. Sound Solutions’ James Richardson explained that Illusion came to them having been impressed by the clarity of the audio on other fireworks and pyrotechnics shows that both companies had supplied. “They know that we do a good job, and they wanted the same audio quality for Abingdon - for shows like this, what you hear is almost as important as what you see, so it had to be absolutely top qu
