USA - Sitting in the heart of downtown Minneapolis, Target Field is home to Major League Baseball's Minnesota Twins, and accommodates more than 39,000 eager spectators ready to cheer on their team. Though designed as a baseball venue, it also hosts football, soccer, and a wide range of outdoor concerts and various non-sports-based corporate events. Target Field is a large venue with multiple areas around the facility that require high-quality audio support. This includes distributing audio out to various areas as well as pulling signals back to the control room for mixing and processing. For example, live bands perform before ball games and during breaks, and stadium managers must be sure the audio is pleasantly experienced throughout the stadium. Technicians needed a way to easily and inexpensively expand the number of inputs and outputs to the stadium's main console
UK - Xerocon London 2018 brought together accountants, bookkeepers, ecosystem partners and industry leaders. Hawthorn was chosen by agency Taylor Bennett Partners to deliver the full technical production for the two-day event held at ExCel London on 14- 15 November. Over 3,300 delegates gathered to find out the latest news and updates from Xero, a cloud-based accounting software company. Led by group creative director Pete Harding, Hawthorn was tasked to bring Taylor Bennett’s impressive vision to life, delivering full technical production for the main conference plenary, exhibition space, break-out sessions and evening party. Featuring three technical installations including a mammoth custom-made LED sculpture and an indoor zip wire, Xerocon London 2018 proved it wasn’t a typical accounting conference. The Xerocon main stage cut an impressive figure. Measuring 57m
USA - As both the co-founder of the rock band Linkin Park and a solo artist in his own right, Mike Shinoda is one very busy performer. He’s currently approaching the end of the current leg of his Post Traumatic Tour, which will resume in early 2019 when it picks up in Europe. Shinoda’s night after night tour schedule demands equipment that maintains sonic consistency and reliability throughout - and to ensure the best audio performance at monitor world, Shinoda and monitor engineer Kevin ‘Tater’ McCarthy rely on the performance of DAS Audio Event-121A powered subwoofers and Road 12A powered stage monitors. Based in Detroit, MI, McCarthy delivers audio to Shinoda and the other band members on stage via a combination of in-ear monitors and conventional loudspeakers. McCarthy recently began using DAS Audio loudspeakers and has been very impressed. He shared
USA - Garth Brooks headlined at the Notre Dame stadium in South Bend, Indiana in front of 84,000 fans at the sold-out, first ever concert at the venue. Dan Heins, FOH engineer for Garth since 1989, reports: “By four o’clock in the afternoon, just hours before the show, because of the bad weather conditions, we still didn’t know if the concert would go on. We ended up doing soundcheck with the PA on the ground. The wind finally let up, so we were able to raise the speakers. Sound reinforcement was through Brooks’ custom-designed Clair Brothers PA. Part of the show’s magic was the star-shaped stage with a 360° rotating centre-stage on which Brooks and his band performed - a theatre-in-the-round concept where Garth moves freestyle around the periphery playing to each side of the stadium. According to Heins, “The Clair Brothers PA consistently sounds gr
Ireland - Nestled within the capacious surroundings of Curraghmore House in County Waterford, the inaugural All Together Now (ATN) festival may, on paper, have appeared an event of two halves. A family friendly bandstand perched alongside comedy and spoken word stages, dotted the foreground of the stately home itself. Whilst a field away, separated by woodlands, the ATN Stage played host to the likes of Underworld, Mura Masa, Chaka Khan and Fleet Foxes. In fact, linked by the centrally positioned spectacle of Arcadia’s Afterburner installation - returning to Ireland to mark their own 10-year anniversary - the various elements of All Together Now blended seamlessly. The eclectic line up brought together by renowned Irish promoter John Reynolds of POD Concerts, drew a sell-out crowd keen to explore the diversity of talent on offer from Will Self to Thundercat, Mogwai to Sug
Czech Republic - Czech sound engineer Jiri Jehlar was one of the first front of house engineers in the country to use digital mixers. He was so impressed with the Yamaha Rivage PM7 digital mixing system that he has invested in one. Jiri is a long-term user of the Yamaha CL5 digital mixing console and Nexo loudspeaker systems, highlighting his commitment to delivering the best FOH mixes. When local Yamaha dealer and Nexo distributor MusicData demonstrated the Rivage PM7 digital mixing system earlier this year, the well-respected engineer chose to purchase a PM7 console and an RPio622 I/O rack. “I really liked the quality of the A/D converters, the Rupert Neve Sound Designs SILK processing, the effects and the high capacity of the system, thanks to the innovative TWINLANe network,” he says. “As soon as I heard the system in action, I did not hesitate to invest.”
Austria - Lawo reports that its new Lawo mc²96 console was installed in Bregenz, to support sound reinforcement and directional listening systems for a sold-out run of Georges Bizet’s Carmen at the annual summer Bregenz Festival, taking place on the floating stage at Lake Constance. The previously installed Lawo systems simplified an upgrade of the production console, which plays an important part in the production’s remarkable use of sound as a complement of the on-stage performance. Sound designer Alwin Bösch and sound engineer Gernot Gögele shifted from the Lawo mc²66 production console they had used at the Bregenz Festival since 2005 to a new IP-based Lawo mc²96 grand production console, which was installed just prior to this year’s live opera performances. Although memorizing the new operating sequences took a few days, Bösch and Gögele were up
USA - Playing three-hour shows with 30-plus songs and setlists that change with each performance, Pearl Jam is well known for giving audiences their money’s worth. But on the band’s most recent stadium run, there was another group that received an even more tangible financial benefit: Seattle’s homeless population. Following Pearl Jam’s two sold-out Safeco Field Home Shows - the band’s first hometown Emerald City concerts in five years - the band donated $868,189 from ticket and merch sales to a variety of King County homeless-related organisations and service providers. Furthermore, this outpouring of generosity helped prompt philanthropic donations from other organisations ultimately totalling $10.8m, according to The Seattle Times. Pearl Jam’s pair of Seattle shows followed tour legs in South America and Europe this spring and summer, and s
USA - Audio-Technica supplied nearly 100 vocal and instrument microphones for the 52nd Annual Country Music Association (CMA) Awards, presented Wednesday, November 14, 2018, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Broadcast live in 5.1-channel surround sound on the ABC Television Network, the awards show featured an extensive selection of Audio-Technica hard-wired microphones, plus Artist Elite 5000 Series UHF Wireless Systems with ATW-C6100 Hypercardioid Dynamic Microphone Capsule. Audio-Technica microphones were chosen for their ability to provide clear and consistent audio quality for live broadcast. The team of industry veterans responsible for the audio at this year’s CMA’s again included a who’s-who of broadcast audio. Tom Davis served as audio producer; Kevin Sanford served as audio coordinator; ATK/Audiotek provided the sound system with FOH mixers Patrick Ba
UK - Adlib has moved to a new Liverpool headquarters in Knowsley. Located just off junction 4 of the M57, the new hub offers 83,600sq.ft of space including a large pre-production area, a training suite, a comprehensive showroom, dedicated service facilities and a huge contemporary open plan office. After a long search, Andy Dockerty and the team are pleased to announce the move, which will take Adlib into a new era with more advanced levels of operation, service and efficiency. John Hughes, Adlib’s director, comments: “Following an extensive four-year search, we are delighted to announce the relocation to our new home. We’re sad to be leaving the old site in Speke in some ways, as it’s a place where we’ve nurtured and grown the foundations of the business. “The new premises, however, allow us to expand and develop in other - and new - areas. Thi
UK - North American entertainment technology supplier Solotech has acquired UK-based audio services company SSE Audio Group, thus forming one of the largest AV companies in the world. SSE Audio’s founder John Penn will continue to head the organisation in the UK. The established brands of SSE Audio, Capital Sound, Wigwam and Sigma Products will also be maintained. Martin Tremblay, president and CEO of Groupe Solotech Inc, comments: “This is the most important transaction in Solotech’s history. With the addition of SSE Audio, Solotech becomes one of the world’s largest AV and entertainment technology companies. The acquisition will generate growth opportunities and expand the services available to current and future clients on both sides of the Atlantic.” Tremblay adds: “We are thrilled that SSE is joining the Solotech team, especially their well-known
USA - The 52nd Annual Country Music Association Awards ceremony, held on 14 November at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena and hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, recognised the best in country music released during the CMA’s annual eligibility period. Winners included Entertainer of the Year Keith Urban and Song of the Year Broken Halos by Chris Stapleton, who also garnered the Male Vocalist of the Year award. Everyone who heard the show’s 22 music performances and awards introductions by those artists and others listened to them through a pair of DiGiCo SD-Range consoles: an SD7 helmed by Blackhawk Audio president Rick Shimer at FOH for the event’s music performances, and an SD5, which mixed the evening’s production audio, piloted by ATK Audiotek principal Pat Baltzell. The house audio was played through a JBL PA using a combination of VerTec 4889 and
France - L-Acoustics has acquired HGP - a manufacturer of precision sheet metal, based in Amboise, France – and its sister entity API, specialist in powder coating. "This operation represents a new and extremely positive step in augmenting our R&D and production capabilities,” says Hervé Guillaume, managing director of L-Acoustics. “This alliance will allow us to improve our technical skill set and market intelligence regarding precision sheet metal, a vital technology in our professional audio solutions. HGP’s expertise and savoir-faire are highly complementary to our own, enabling us to better comprehend the constraints and specificities of the trade at every stage, from conception to production.” Bertrand Bounoure, president and commercial director of HGP, comments: "This constitutes a natural extension of a decade-long, successful supplier/client relation
UK - In 2012, Sound Space Vision beat all competition to become the theatre design and acoustics consultant for David Chipperfield Architects’ master plan to unite the Royal Academy of Arts’ 18th century Burlington House with its neighbour, Burlington Gardens, and transform the interiors throughout. SSV’s brief was to modernise and equip Burlington Gardens’ 19th-century lecture theatre for 21st century presentation and performance, and this was later expanded to include acoustics advice on the new gallery spaces and the learning centre, as well as mechanical systems. In collaboration with the architectural teams, SSV facilitated a design with minimal impact on the heritage features of the Grade II* listed building, yet provides a future-proofed technical design for the Academy’s planned lectures, debates, panel discussions, conferences, recitals, and hires. <
UK - Experiment Intrinsic provides ambient all-night adventures in electronic music, exploring the spaces created with sound. They formulate alcohol-free, limited capacity events in intimate and spiritual spaces where all the senses are catered to. The quality of sound is of utmost importance, and for this reason a TiMax SoundHub spatial processor is always at the heart of the immersive sound system. Experiment Intrinsic’s sound system is curated by George Yankov of Sova Audio. Though every event’s immersive audio setup in terms of speaker and electronics configurations is dependent on the venue layout, budget and application, Yankov explains, “TiMax is central for spatial audio control.” Before using TiMax, Yankov claims nothing “ticked all the boxes for reliability, supreme audio quality, ease of use, Dante plus a combination of analogue and digital inputs
USA - Lighting industry veterans Joe Saprito and Jon Zorrilla have re-joined the team at Stage Equipment and Lighting (SEAL), a Pro Sound & Video company. Saprito will serve as rental manager in Orlando while Zorrilla takes on the director of operations role in Miami. Each is a former SEAL employee who’s spent well over a decade working with the company’s highest profile clients. Each also brings a wealth of outside experience and contacts to the organization with his return. Saprito has spent the last several years working outside of the entertainment industry, focusing instead on commercial lighting. Zorrilla recently lead his own production and integration company. “We couldn’t be more pleased with these hires,” explains SEAL president Rick Rudolph. “Having worked with both Joe and Jon, we know the level of excellence they’re committed to an
Canada - Paul Tytaneck has been appointed director of design and estimating at Solotech. One of the founding members of Solotech’s Toronto office, Tytaneck was appointed director of operations at its creation in 2014. In this new role, he will “actively contribute to the growth of Solotech’s sales and integration division by ensuring that its numerous and complex projects are professionally designed and meticulously estimated to the satisfaction of our clients, consultants and suppliers”. “In addition to his outstanding contribution over the years, Paul will play a vital role in our next expansion phase in the GTA. His understanding of technology, his strong leadership skills and his knowledge of the Toronto market made him a natural fit to lead the design and estimating department, which is essential to our growth” says Philip Giffard, president, sales and integ
UK - Autograph Sales & Installations has recently supplied a number of EM Acoustics EMS-61 loudspeakers and mounting hardware along with a DiGiCo SD9T digital mixing system to Theatre Royal Stratford East. The Grade II listed Victorian theatre’s beautiful crimson and gold interior is redolent of the era in which it was built, while much of the handsome exterior stands out amid the modern outlines of an area which has been under redevelopment (including massive investment for the 2012 Olympics) since the late 1960s. The theatre is now an acclaimed contemporary producing house with a capacity of 460 on three levels and focused on new writing and community engagement. “n a producing venue like Stratford East, the quality and fidelity of the audio system that we’re able to offer to designers is key,” says Jeremy George, head of sound at Theatre Royal Stratford
Switzerland - Audio Performance has introduced the compact DLA3 mini line array & MX15HD-Amp Series. Two new ‘solution-solving loudspeaker systems’ developed and manufactured in Echallens, the DLA3 and MX Series ‘deliver a complete sound reinforcement solution to fulfil the highest demands of audio professionals for both the fixed installation and rental production markets. They both deliver ultimate sonic performance in a compact, lightweight and multi-purpose package’. The DLA3 Compact Micro line array loudspeaker is a light, simple and versatile product designed to deliver great sound into small and even large venues. The DLA3 is a one-way full range line array consisting of two 3” full range cone drivers. Its specific conception enables the DLA3 to reach down to 150 Hz with a flat frequency response of up to 18kHz+/- 3dB). The versatility
Germany - Heavy metal heroes Accept rely on Allen & Heath’s dLive system for FOH and monitor duties on their current worldwide Rise of Chaos tour. Founded in 1968, Accept are a pioneer of the German heavy metal scene and landed their first major international success in the early ‘80s. After a 10-year hiatus, they reformed in 2009 with a new lead singer and since then have achieved multiple Top 10 chart entries and regularly perform across Europe and America. For the current tour the band decided to use an Allen & Heath dLive system for the first time. “As we mostly travel by plane to all our international shows, the complete monitor and FOH set-up needs to be extremely compact and light,” explains Oliver Tschotow (the main sound engineer for the tour). Tschotow’s full set-up includes a dLive C1500 Surface with Waves card, a CDM32 MixRack
USA - Former PLASA director Chris Toulmin has joined Entech Roadshow in an advisory role ahead of the first Entech USA Roadshow in April. Toulmin has over 35 years of experience in the entertainment industry. As a director of events at PLASA he was responsible for delivering the PLASA Show following the event’s relocation to London Olympia and also oversaw the the Association’s regional Focus shows. Toulmin comments: “I am delighted to be working with Entech Roadshow LLC as a consultant on the inaugural US Roadshow in 2019. This tried and tested formula in the Australia/New Zealand market is a great fit for the expansive geography of the significant North American market. It’s a refreshing new model that adds in a positive way to what has gone before and brings a new level of convenience, accessibility and networking for decision makers and industry knowledge
Thailand - Adamson Systems Engineering has established a new office in Chiang Mai to better serve its partner network and further enhance its brand profile. Ben Millson has been appointed as managing director, APAC. He will oversee sales and distribution operations across the region, working in close collaboration with Adamson’s current staff, partners, and distributors. Originally from the UK, Millson began his pro audio career over 15 years ago with Adam Hall. He has since taken key appointments with brands including AVSL Group, Studiomaster, Cadac, and most recently, d&b audiotechnik. Milson comments: “Adamson’s sales and overall presence have been steadily on the rise in the Asia-Pacific region thanks to a company-wide focus and the strengths of our distribution partners. We’re now in a position to greatly expand our profile in the territory with a ded
Japan - The Tokyo development of Roppongi Hills is a large complex that incorporates office space, apartments, shops, restaurants, cafés, cinemas, a museum, a hotel, a major TV studio, an outdoor amphitheatre and parks. Located within the development, Roppongi Hills Arena is an entertainment venue with a retractable roof that will host live entertainment as well as high-end events. In February this year, Roppongi Hills Arena underwent a major refurbishment to enable it to adapt to even more types of entertainment. With its new outdoor capability has come the imperative to decrease neighbourhood noise pollution, and thus an improved sound system and monitoring capability was required. After auditioning many loudspeaker brands, Martin Audio’s CDD series was selected. The venue requisitioned 12 cabinets which have been installed on the round shaped truss at the top of
UK - KV2 Audio Europe, the exclusive UK distributor of KV2 Audio products, has moved into a new 10,000sq.ft facility on Hornbeam Business Park in Harrogate. The new base houses larger amount of KV2 stock and is well serviced by road and rail from Leeds and York stations. A dedicated on-site demonstration facility has also opened – those who wish to request a demo should book an appointment with KV2 UK. The audio solutions manufacturer has reported growing demand for its products in a variety of markets, particularly in West End and UK touring theatre, with 20 more shows having specified KV2 products. These include Kinky Boots, Motown: The Musical UK tour and a re-imagining of Swan Lake. (Jim Evans)
