USA - Vanguard Audio Labs will show the V7 at NAMM 2019. The V7 features an interchangeable capsule system that is a modified version of the company's V34C ‘LOLLI’ pencil-mount capsule, which allows for different capsule styles, sizes, and voicings that can operate in any of nine selectable polar patterns. The transformer-coupled solid-state circuitry consists of combining desirable elements from several legendary circuits. The V7 is housed in a vintage bottle style body, finished with deep-gloss 'pinot noir'r colour and accented by polished chrome trim. The rear of the microphone allows for a selectable 140Hz/70Hz rolloff and -10/-20dB pad. Included is the VLSM shockmount, a padded pinewood storage box, a microfiber mic sleeve, and locking case with space for additional capsule heads. (Jim Evans)
Germany - Pro audio and broadcast audio specialist DirectOut Technologies has announced changes in the structure and leadership of the company. As of January 2019, Claudio Becker-Foss is promoted to the role of CTO and CEO of DirectOut GmbH. He takes over both positions from Stephan Flock, who will now focus on the research and development of FPGA-based interface and DSP design. As co-founder of the company, Becker-Foss has worked as product manager and software developer since its beginnings in 2008. Over recent years, he has become a networked audio specialist as DirectOut has progressively adopted network-based transmission technologies such as Ravenna, Dante and SoundGrid to its portfolio. Together with Jan Ehrlich, who has been CEO and sales director of DirectOut since 2014, Claudio Becker-Foss will be responsible for technical strategy, and preserving th
Thailand - Allen & Heath has announced the appointment of Sonos Libra as its exclusive distributor in Thailand. Sonos Libra has a strong presence as a pro audio distributor in SE Asia and already represents the Allen & Heath brand in Vietnam. With an experienced team they have quickly garnered a reputation for first-class service and customer support. Allen & Heath’s comprehensive product portfolio allows Sonos Libra to fully address a broad range of market segments, from audio installations through to the most demanding touring applications. Markus Sinsel, sales director at Allen & Heath, says: “We are very pleased to be working with the Sonos Libra team in Thailand. They are a young, dynamic company who have rapidly built an impressive standing in the region. We are looking forward to continuing to work together to further strengthen the brand.
Turkey - Harman Professional Solutions has announced a new distributor partnership with Ertekin Elektronik in Turkey. The distribution agreement entitles Ertekin Elektronik the right to distribute the full range of products offered by Harman Professional Solutions. The agreement covers the JBL Professional, AMX, Martin, Soundcraft, AKG, Crown, dbx, BSS, Lexicon, and Studer brands, providing a 360-degree solution to customers requiring audio, video, lighting and control solutions. “We are excited to partner with Ertekin Elektronik in this very important region,” said Mark Coombes, regional director, MEA at Harman Professional Solutions. “We are looking forward to our collaboration with Ertekin Elektronik to lead our iconic brands towards the future. We are confident their experience and in-depth knowledge of the Turkish market to support our customers’ needs on
Turkey - One of Istanbul’s largest nightclubs, the latest in the group of Jolly Joker venues, is making a big impact on the city’s entertainment scene, thanks to a high-specification Nexo STM Series modular line array installed by Alkor and Yamaha Music Europe Turkey. The Jolly Joker Vadistanbul has been opened by Hakan Polat, İbrahim Sayın and Ahmet Çelenk, a new addition to a collection of clubs spread all across Turkey. The 2,000-capacity club has a large stage, and plays host to a busy rota of popular Turkish artists. Installation company Alkor collaborated closely with Yamaha Music Europe Turkey to present a Nexo proposal to Hakan Polat and the Jolly Joker’s audio engineer Eren Öztürk. After a live demo, they selected the Nexo STM Series modular line array system, with Nexo’s 45 N-12 line monitors on-stage, from a competitive tender, citing the system
UK - Allen & Heath has appointed Markus Sinsel as the mixing console company’s new sales director. Sinsel joins Allen & Heath from its Germany, Spain and Great Britain distributor, Audio-Technica Europe, where he held the role of Allen & Heath brand manager. Allen & Heath’s managing director, Rob Clark commented, “Markus has been part of the Allen & Heath family for the past 17 years and has a truly exceptional understanding of both our products and our customers. I cannot imagine a more qualified individual to drive our continued growth in cooperation with our distribution partners.” Markus Sinsel added, “Allen & Heath has been a central element of my professional life, first as an audio engineer, then working with the great team at Audio-Technica Europe to develop the brand in Germany and the UK. I am looking forward to building rel
The Netherlands - Launching at ISE, the new ZoneMix from ARX Systems is a multi-channel mic/line zone mixer that has been designed to cope with the variety of audio sources found on multimedia devices today. This product is both intuitive and user friendly and features Wireless audio, USB and MiniJack inputs, 2 Mic/Line inputs, stereo line input, and Zone 1 and 2 Stereo Master level controls, says the company. Packed with inputs, outputs and control features in a compact 1RU unit, the ZoneMix offers a Wireless audio receiver, a USB connector and MiniJack inputs - each with their own individual level controls. Each Microphone channel on the ZoneMix has a Balanced low noise mic input plus individual gain and level controls. The mic input can be switched to be a Line input as required and the stereo line Iinput 3/4 has a rear panel input trim control, as well as front panel ou
USA - UK-based EM Acoustics is making its first appearance at the upcoming NAMM show in Anaheim this month. The loudspeaker manufacturer is participating in the Loudspeaker System Showcase held in the Anaheim Convention Centre Arena and can be found at Booth #18600 in the pro audio hall. “The loudspeaker system showcase – which provides attendees with the opportunity to listen to an assortment of loudspeaker systems – is the ideal venue to make our NAMM debut,” explains Ed Kinsella, director, EM Acoustics. “During the showcase we are pleased to demonstrate the ultra-compact HALO-C line array as well as the self-powered ESP Series. HALO-C has already found its way into numerous performing arts venues, theatres and churches across Europe and we are confident it will have the same impact in the States. The ESP Series is equally at home as a portable system or distribu
USA - Wireless touring professional Ike Zimbel will provide introduction and training for both Professional Wireless IAS software and the Radio Active Designs UV-1G wireless intercom system during AES@NAMM. The one-hour training sessions will be held at the Anaheim Hilton Hotel’s NAMM U Education Centre, adjacent to a brand-new pro-audio exhibit space. The RAD and IAS sessions will take place on Thursday 24 January and Saturday 26 January at the Anaheim Hilton. Professional Wireless’ Intermodulation Analysis System (IAS) software is the industry standard frequency coordination software that has been used on every major sporting and broadcast event since its inception. Radio Active Designs UV-1G wireless intercom system operates primarily in the VHF band clearing valuable UHF bandwidth for other systems. Zimbel will demonstrate the system from base station to belt p
USA - QSC has announced the expanded role of Brands on Stage as its Latin American distribution partner for the company’s Live Sound division. Brands on Stage will now manage the QSC live sound portfolio throughout Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, and Paraguay, enabling new QSC brand-growth opportunities with Latin American channel partners and their customers. “We are very excited to be part of the QSC family. Our work philosophies are 100% aligned. For many years, Brands on Stage have continually strived to keep improving ourselves and today we have our reward – the honour of carrying the flag of QSC and its representation throughout Latin America,” says Guillermo Promesti, principal of Brands on Stage. “We have plans to offer educational seminars and product presentations throughout the region for our customers, to share QSC’s amazing p
UK - Allen & Heath has made two key international appointments as part of a wider expansion of its fast-growing installation team. Based in Europe, Martijn Verkerk has been appointed as installation product manager. Tasked with ensuring Allen & Heath’s installation products meet the rapidly evolving needs of the market, Verkerk has been working with networked audio since 1999 and has extensive hands-on experience, having previously worked in technical sales for Crestron Benelux and for Allen & Heath’s Netherlands distributor, Ampco Flashlight. Working out of Allen & Heath’s US headquarters, Brian McGovern has been appointed as commercial audio business development for North America. McGovern has an extensive install and commercial audio background, having held positions at Yamaha and Roland Professional, designing and implementing audio systems.
USA - The Audio Engineering Society has announced the appointment of Colleen Harper as the Society’s executive director, effective 21 January 2019. “Our executive committee's challenge has been to find an individual with deep and broad organizational management, direct prior experience within professional membership organizations, and a unique skill set that combines operational expertise, marketing skills and team leadership capabilities,” revealed David Scheirman, the Society's president for the 2017-2018 term of office. “The Society's executive director search team has selected Colleen Harper from a field of exceptionally well-qualified candidates. Our entire AES Board of Governors looks forward to working closely with Colleen from day one in her new position at the Society's world headquarters office in New York City.” Most recently, as the Chief
UK - Martin Audio has announced its latest optimised line array, adding to the popular Wavefront Precision Series with the Longbow edition. Wavefront Precision Longbow (WPL) brings this high performance, optimisation, flexibility and control to large-scale touring and installation applications. Designed as a complete system with external iKON multi-channel amplifiers, automated DISPLAY optimisation software and VU-NET control platform, WPL provides financial accessibility to the higher echelons of touring and install sound - from stadium concert and outdoor festivals to arena and House of Worship installations. The complete system philosophy guarantees that WPL arrays perform predictably and effortlessly to their design maximum, as well as ensuring that they are Dom Harter, managing director, comments: “Martin Audio enjoyed a record sales year in 2018 and we
UAE - Protec was called upon by Envie Events to provide full AV support for Bao: The Final Frontier EDM festival at Meydan Racecourse, Dubai. Bao attracted large crowds to the theatrical display and line-up of world class DJs. Artistes included the top 2 DJs of the DJ Mag top 100 Martin Garrix, and Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike as well as heavyweights Afrojack, Don Diablo, Nervo, R3hab and more. Mel Deighton, Protec’s project manager, worked closely with other suppliers to make sure the show was delivered beyond expectation and on time. Faced with considerable challenges along the way, he credits his team on delivering under pressure. “Due to the complexity of the production we were on-site 11 days for set-up, two days for the show and we were fully loaded out two days later. It was a challenging build which required cooperation with the staging company. Ou
UK - As one of the UK’s premiere performance venues, the National Theatre (NT) presents a wide-ranging programme. In 2018 a new permanent structure for corporate and other events was added to the roof space known as The Deck. A flexible audio system based on the Yamaha MRX7-D matrix processor has been installed, thanks partly to the unit’s success in providing show relay throughout the NT’s three theatres and other spaces. Previously occupied by a pavilion-like tented structure, The Deck’s views across the River Thames to the City of London make it a popular rental space for corporate gatherings, product launches, parties and weddings. Last year, the NT redeveloped the space by installing a bespoke permanent structure with state of the art sound and lighting. The audio solution is based on the Yamaha MRX7-D, with control via an iPad running a custom-designed ProVisio
USA - Rational Acoustics, developers of the Smaart acoustic test and measurement software platform, has announced the relocation and expansion of its US headquarters. The new HQ, located at 32 Crabtree Lane in Woodstock, houses Rational’s administration, sales, product development and warehouse operations as well as a new in-house Smaart training centre. At 5,700sq.ft, the new building is nearly three times larger than Rational’s previous offices and will accommodate the company’s continuing growth in personnel, sales and training. “This is an incredibly exciting time for Rational,” comments Karen Anderson, Rational Acoustics’ CEO & co-founder. “Over the past 10 years we have grown from a little four-person start-up to a company of 11 people. We have more than doubled our personnel, tripled the number of Smaart classes we hold each year and quadruple
UK - Sennheiser has appointed Neil Watson as regional marketing manager for the UK and Ireland. Watson will be responsible for ensuring the effective implementation and execution of product launches in the UK and the overall marketing strategy set out from CC&O HQ at a tactical and operational level. Jane Craven, sales director - Enterprise Solutions Sennheiser UK, comments: “We are delighted to have Neil join our growing UK & Ireland team. His track record speaks for itself and we are certain that, with his experience, allied to our new introductions in 2019, we are going to have a fantastic year ahead marketing with our partners.” Watson joins Sennheiser from Plantronics, where he managed channel marketing communications for UK and Ireland and developed partnerships with key industry partners, such as Microsoft. “I am really looking forward to wo
USA - California based pro-AV technology distributor Allied ProTech has appointed Jeff Miranda to the role of sales manager. Miranda brings near 15 years of experience in the professional audio industry having previously run his own integration company, and having worked in positions at TOA Electronics, Adobe systems, and most recently at Pacific AV as vice president of sales. Previous roles have included product management, applications engineering, system design, system sales, Miranda also has nearly two decades of experience as a live sound engineer mixing at many worship and entertainment venues. “Jeff’s broad experience, not just in professional AV sales, but also as an integrator, design engineer and mixing engineer, makes him the perfect choice to join us in this new role,” explains Rik Kirby, founder of Allied ProTech. “Over the last two years our busin
The Netherlands - Highlite International BV will be present during Integrated Systems Europe 2019, hall 7, stand Y190. At the Highlite stand various installation solutions from DAP Audio, visuals from DMT Premiere LED screens, effect lighting from Showtec and Infinity with the Furion and Signature series will be showcased. DAP Audio supplies an array of installation mixers equipped for zone control with multiple inputs. Amplifiers, like the analogue HP-series, the digital QI-Series or the 100V PA- or ZA-series offer possibilities for multi-roomed venues. In combination with the Celestion-powered new XI-MKII installation speaker series are ideal for fixed installations. Infinity will show the Furion Series, very fast and powerful LED-based moving heads, equipped with Wireless DMX. The Infinity washlight iW-720, the pixel controlled washlight iW-1915 Pixel RGBW Wash and
The Netherlands - At this year's ISE show in Amsterdam, Kramer Electronics will its software-centric ecosystem, management solutions, intuitive meeting space automation, elevated audio and connectivity solutions, and more. Kramer Platforms consist of hardware devices that are software-driven so one box serves multiple functions. It’s an innovative new way to lead AV designs with software and maximizing return on investment and customization options. With Kramer Platforms, AV professionals can combine best-in-class solutions, such as Kramer’s VIA collaboration system with a Kramer Control brain. On display at ISE will be next-generation Kramer Control, a code-free, cloud-based control platform. Kramer Network 3.0, an enterprise management platform enables IT/AV professionals to easily configure and manage their entire Kramer product range, Dante devices and
The Netherlands - Bose Professional is expanding its line of PowerShare adaptable power amplifiers with two new models: the Dante-integrated PS404D and PS604D, joining the recently introduced models with AmpLink connectivity, the PS404A and PS604A. With the release of PowerShare adaptable power amplifiers in 2016, Bose Professional armed installers with a powerful new advantage - the freedom to put amplifier power where it’s needed and waste less of an amplifier’s drive potential where it’s not. “The notion of a multi-channel amplifier that breaks free from the fixed-power-per-channel architecture has been well received,” reports Bose amplifier product line manager Ashraf Elghamrawi. “Integrators told us that ‘power-sharing’ makes their projects more responsive, and they asked for digital input options for even more flexibility.” Answering the call, Bose P
USA - QSC has started shipping its recently announced Premium Business Music Solutions - the MP-M Series paging and music mixers, including wall mount controllers and smart device apps, the MP-A Series multi-channel amplifiers, and AcousticDesign Series SUB/SAT loudspeakers. These components offer a complete end-to-end audio solution for background and foreground music reinforcement in retail, restaurant, hospitality and other commercial spaces. “QSC Premium Business Music Solutions represent a blend of QSC’s long history of quality and product leadership across amplification, processing, mixing, control and loudspeaker technologies,” says David Fuller, senior director of product management - live sound, QSC. “We set out to reimagine the business music category by dramatically simplifying the configuration and installation process, providing flexible control options
France - Arena Pays d'Aix is a modern, multi-purpose venue which can house audiences of up to 8500. Designed to host a wide range of events, a Yamaha and Nexo audio system delivers quality, flexible audio throughout the arena complex. Located close to the southern French city of Aix-en-Provence, the outside of Arena Pays d'Aix presents a futuristic vision, its clean, sweeping lines contrasting with the surrounding countryside of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It has quickly become a popular destination for sport and entertainment from throughout the region, including nearby Marseille, France’s third largest city. Designed by architect Christophe Gulizzi, the vision of the future continues inside, where a modular format allows the 4000m2 interior space to offer 17 different configurations, depending on the type of event being hosted. The main space (Grande Salle,
UK - Late 2018 saw the return of electronic pioneer Gary Numan on his epic orchestral tour, featuring six UK shows – including one at the Royal Albert Hall (see LSi January) – accompanied by the 16-piece Skaparis Orchestra and an Allen & Heath dLive system handling monitor world. dLive’s ability to allow simultaneous connections of multiple control devices, from full console surfaces to PCs, iPads and IP controllers, proved indispensable in facilitating both monitor mixing duties and communications between the engineers and performers. “We chose the Allen & Heath dLive S7000 as our monitor console because it’s great at allowing multiple operators. It’s not just the core of the monitor system,