USA - American Music Theatre in Lancaster hosts both touring concerts and original shows. Housing a 1,600-seat room that welcomes over 250,000 attendees a year, this popular venue hosts more than 300 live performances annually. Clair Brothers was selected by American Music Theatre to provide the first (and to this day only) loudspeaker system in the venue. Now, 22 years later, the company has been called on again for the upgrade to its C8-TrueFit loudspeaker system. Jim Martin, executive director at American Music Theatre, comments: “22 years ago, we installed a top-of-the-line audio system from Clair Brothers that has served us well. When we were first told about C8-TrueFit technology, we were hopeful about what it could mean for our room. We already trust Clair Brothers, so it wasn’t a huge leap of faith to know they would deliver on the promise that the custom-t
UK - Adlib has had a busy summer after making substantial investments in touring and rental video in the first half of 2018. The major purchase has been the addition of Unilumin’s UpadIII H5 5mm indoor/outdoor LED screen, which has been designed for quick and safe assembly with the demands of touring and concert style events in mind. Other new purchases include new broadcast quality camera channels, PPUs and Green Hippo KARST media servers, allowing Adlib to offer large scale video production options to all its clients, as well as versatile single solution technical packages for those wanting to source video lighting and sound equipment and expertise from one supplier. BBC Music's Biggest Weekend, the event which generally kicks off the UK festival season was expanded to multiple sites this year, Adlib supplied sound and lighting to both stages at Scone Palace
Germany - Café Luzia in the busy Kreuzberg district of Berlin has just installed a Genelec sound system to enhance the music experience of what is a relaxed café by day and trendy lounge bar by night. Weekend DJ spots provide a distinctly electronic edge to the warm, candlelit atmosphere, attracting a crowd who expect nothing less than excellent audio. The owner decided that the time was right to invest in a studio-quality sound solution in order to keep pace with customer expectations and maintain his reputation as one of Berlin’s coolest café bars. He turned to Studio SPC, an acoustic design studio in the heart of Berlin, who recommended Genelec as the answer to his requirements. “As soon as the client told me that he specifically wanted studio-grade sound quality in his bar, I recommended Genelec straight away,” says Kenan Jan Ibar, owner and founder of St
UK - Adam Rhodes has been FOH engineer for folk-rock duo Angus and Julia Stone for the past 10 years. He is also a long time L‑Acoustics user, favouring the French manufacturer’s K Series systems for his general touring rig. This June, UK and European production supplier for the Stones, Britannia Row Productions, gave Rhodes the opportunity to expand his audio horizons by trying out L‑ISA Hyperreal Sound technology. Not only was he to take on this new experience with little time to learn the L‑ISA system, he was to do it at the notoriously challenging Royal Albert Hall, a venue he had never worked in before. It was, he says, “a revelation”. “I was offered the chance a few months before the show,” says Rhodes. “Brit Row’s Lez Dwight told me that there would be an L-ISA system in place for the Classic Brits at the RAH and, if I wanted to use the syste
Denmark - Supplier of pro audio amplifier electronics Pascal has unveiled a redesigned website that represents “a major upgrade of the look, functionality and content of its online presence”. A new design aesthetic is allied to enhanced functionality, providing for improved navigation of a greater breadth and depth of content. Much of that content has been revised and repurposed, to provide the company’s roster of leading pro audio industry clients with better tools to match their development projects with Pascal’s expanding range of ultra-compact, high performance amplifier modules. In addition to essential technical references, the website provides extensive background and insights into the origins, growth, and organisational values of a company that, in just over 10 years, has risen to be among the top 0.07% highest performing companies in Denmark, the world
USA - Audinate has announced a new version of Dante Domain Manager, with additional features and enhancements. For larger Dante installations, customers can purchase expansion packs for the Platinum Edition to support up to 1,050 devices per instance of Dante Domain Manager. The automatic device discovery service that customers have grown accustomed to with 4.0 firmware devices, has now been extended to legacy (pre-v4.0) devices. This makes it easier to for products with and without the 4.0 firmware to co-exist in Dante Domain Manager. Designed to accelerate setup, configuration and troubleshooting, the Network Diagnostics Report provides instant visibility of basic network configuration via connectivity, DHCP, DNS and Internet reachability tests. Available in the Network & Security settings, it is now just a single click to quickly establish if there
UK - Crest Audio is set to present its Versarray PRO powered line array for the first time in the UK at PLASA 2018 (stand U60). Comprising the Versarray PRO VR112 line array element and the VR-PRO 215 sub, Versarray PRO is suitable for all mid-sized line array applications including live entertainment, theatres, houses of worship and more. With integrated Dante audio networking, built-in DSP, innovative flying hardware and world class components, the Versarray PRO powered line array delivers quality audio in a versatile, easy-to-set-up, networkable package. The VR112 benefits from Crest Audio’s latest-generation Mark III ribbon drivers and proprietary CLEAR FORM Waveguide for crystalline high-end reproduction. The low end is served by the 12” NEO Black Widow neodymium loudspeaker with dual 4” voice coils which works in conjunction with Crest’s patented Ram Air Coolin
UK - Ofcom has published its long-awaited response to the consultation on the 700MHz compensation scheme, to which the British Entertainment Industry Radio Group (BEIRG) - an independent and non-profit association, working for the benefit of all those who use radio spectrum - has released the following statement: "The original proposals [from Ofcom] fell short, and since submitting our consultation response, BEIRG has been lobbying hard to ensure that PMSE is treated fairly. Our contact with Ofcom, DCMS and Treasury has been frequent and we have a host of new supporters in Parliament. BEIRG has briefed the Labour, Liberal Democrat and SNP Culture spokesmen who have been vocal in their backing for our campaign. BEIRG would l
Germany - Adam Hall Group has announced further expansion to its international sales team. Markus Jahnel, COO and managing director, will assume responsibility for the Group’s global business development with immediate effect. Bodo Falkenried, who has headed that department since 2013, is retiring and will complete the handover to Jahnel by the end of September. Jahnel comments: “The long-term development of new business areas and partnerships and the development and personal maintenance of our global networks are important priorities for the immediate future. I am looking forward to being even closer to our marketplace expansion.” He adds: “We would like to thank Bodo for his great work and wish him all the best for the new chapter in his life. He was a valued employee who was greatly appreciated by the entire team.” Marcel Mieger will be Adam
UK - The Eden Project in Cornwall has been wowing families during their summer holidays by hosting what they describe as “the ultimate space adventure holiday”, starring a mission to Mars, mini-golf on Mercury and a daring slide down the surface of a moon. Running for six weeks, Expedition Space is an all-new programme of intergalactic activities that has been taking place across Eden, giving visitors “an extra-terrestrial holiday of a lifetime” including planet-hopping, meeting alien friends and enjoying out-of-this-world fun such as moon buggy driving and virtual reality experiences. Space explorers have even been able to climb aboard a rocket and blast into orbit while enjoying spectacular views of the Moon. Enhancing the sonic realism of this trip around the Solar System has been a series of Martin Audio’s CDD-WR (Coaxial Differential Dispersion)
UAE - Dubai-based producer, organiser and promoter Envie Events connected more than 400,000 music lovers on 28 July, as revellers in du Forum, Yas Island were linked up via a live satellite connection to Belgium and beyond when the global EDM festival UNITE With Tomorrowland returned to the UAE. Six other locations across the globe were also connected to the Tomorrowland main stage in Belgium, with Italy, Malta, Spain, Taiwan, Mexico and Lebanon also enjoying dance extravaganza. The Abu Dhabi event featured live local and international DJs including the duo Lucas & Steve, SmokinGroove, Marcus Santoro, Regi, Barry Fore, Omar Basaad, D.O.D and Ummet Ozcan. Protec were called on by Envie Events to deliver audio, lighting, video, scenic, staging and rigging solutions. Having successfully delivered the technical production for the festival held in Dubai
Spain - A number of headliners - including Depeche Mode, Queens of the Stone Age, Kasabian, Portugal The Man, and Underworld - at the recent MadCool Festival 2018 in Madrid came with SSL Live consoles, while the main live console for Stage 2 was an SSL L500 Plus. The three-day event saw 80,000 music fans watch a packed line-up including some of the biggest currently touring bands in the world. Event company PRG, provided the technical services for all three stages, and chose an L500 Plus for FOH on Stage 2, connected via SSL's Blacklight II MADI concentrator technology to two ML32.32 stage boxes. The L500 Plus features a versatile user interface. Any channel or path can be assigned anywhere on the three independent fader tiles, which are navigated in a convenient layer & bank system. This means the console can be set up quickly and simply to suit the user. New pa
USA - Inspired by Blake Shelton’s hit Ol’ Red, Ryman Hospitality Properties Ole Red entertainment venue and restaurants can be found in Tishomingo, Oklahoma and Nashville. A third location in Gatlinburg, Tennessee will open in spring of 2019 with others to follow. The five-story Nashville location features a main stage on the first floor, two levels of dining, a large private rental space - The Hall at Ole Red - and a rooftop with stunning Broadway views. During the rehabbing of the 100+ year-old building, preferred AVL integration firm, Clair Solutions, was hired to design and install all of Ole Red Nashville’s audio, video and lighting systems. Clair Solutions was given the task of integrating a concert-level performance experience into the heart of the venue’s main dining spaces. “We have a long history with Clair Solutions and have completed a lot
Japan - API reports the sale of a 64-channel AXS console to the prestigious Tokyo College of Music in the Toshima area of Tokyo. The AXS will be part of a new studio designed by Sam Toyoshima. This is the second AXS placed in Japan, with the previous console having been installed at the new Studio Tanta, also in Tokyo. Placement of both of these AXS consoles was facilitated by API's Japanese distributor Mix Wave, headed by Hiro Saika. Although Tokyo College of Music will be the first academic institution to install an AXS console, it is preceded by a long list of higher education facilities, including Berklee College of Music, New York University, Abbey Road Institute, and Full Sail University, that integrate API's Legacy Plus, Vision, and 1608 consoles into their curriculums. "We’re excited to see how the pro audio community of studios, engineers, and producers in
USA - Sacred Heart Cathedral served as the cathedral for the Diocese of Knoxville from 1988 until it was recently superseded by the new 1,300-plus seat Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, built on the same property for $30.8m. With assistance from McCrery Architects, local architects BarberMcMurry designed the space, while Georgia-based AV integration firm TSAV worked closely with all parties involved on the acoustics and to install a sound reinforcement system. Musical content is conveyed by a Danley Sound Labs J3-64 Jericho Horn and four Danley SM80 loudspeakers for fill. “We’ve completed several successful projects with the Catholic Church including two recent sound reinforcement systems at churches in Georgia,” explains Keith Reardigan, TSAV VP of technology & standards and senior systems architect. “That, together with several successful proj
New Zealand - When administrators at the Baycourt Community and Arts Centre in Tauranga decided to replace the loudspeaker system at the Addison Theatre, they opted for IS-Series from Adamson Systems Engineering. “The brief from the client stipulated a number of criteria, such as suitability for both musical theatre and touring bands, excellent clarity while retaining a warm sound, and even coverage throughout the entire venue,” says Mike Hughes of Intec Systems Ltd., an Auckland-based firm specialising in the design, sale, and installation of commercial audio, lighting, and video systems. “From our previous experience with Adamson and the IS-Series products, we knew those criteria would be perfectly met and exceeded.” The Addison Theatre features tiered seating for 582 patrons and an expansive stage measuring 46 ft. (14m) wide by 36 ft. (11m) deep. Throughout
Austria - Salzburger Festspiele has recently invested in a multi-surface dLive system for the performance of medieval play Jedermann, which has taken place every year since 1923 at the Domplatz (Cathedral Square) in Salzburg. With almost 700 performances in just under a century, the play is a central element of the festival’s identity and takes place throughout the summer. This year, the organisers have acquired an Allen & Heath dLive mixing system through suppliers, ATEC Pro Audio, which was purchased especially for the performance and are planning to acquire further dLive systems for their six other locations. Dr. Edwin Pfanzagl-Cardone (head of the sound engineering and acoustics for the Salzburger Festspielfonds) had considered several digital mixers prior to choosing dLive. He comments: “Having heard only good things about Allen & Heath from co
UK - At PLASA London (stand S61), UK immersive audio and showcontrol specialists Out Board will demonstrate the new TiMax 500S software for TiMax SoundHub, featuring StageSpace spatial rendering tools which instantly auto-calculate multiple adaptive delay-matrix localisation objects using 3D data imported from CAD files or entered directly. TiMax spatial objects can be rendered and adapted for a wide variety of stage, audience and sound system configurations, and fine-tuned in rehearsal by the user, because, as Out Board maintains “experienced sound designers will tell you its the last millisecond or dB of adjustment that really make the spatialisation work”. TiMax 500S integrated TimeLine and PanSpace resources allow quick and easy intensive programming and control of multi-layered immersive soundscapes, with intuitive and versatile task-based workflows tailored f
UK - AV technology provider BUK Solutions (formerly Brähler ICS UK) has announced an expanded product range, which now provides its customers with access to thousands of products from leading brands including Crestron AV, Polycom, Sony and BlackMagic. Simon Sainsbury, managing director of BUK Solutions, comments: “This exciting development brings us increased flexibility, enabling us to explore a wider variety of solutions that meet our customers’ exact AV requirements, no matter how complex, while providing more cost-effective solutions for customers.” Business development manager, Duncan Conway, adds: “It’s a win-win for all of our customers – not only do they have access to a vast range of excellent audio-visual solutions, but they’ll also benefit from all of our industry-leading expertise which we have built up over 30 years. We have recognised a d
Australia - Established in 1983 as Emmanuel Catholic School, with classes ranging from year one to year seven, the school went through a renewal process and changed its name to Emmanuel College in 1990. Then in 1995, a second renewal led to its discontinuation, but in its place two schools were formed: Emmanuel Catholic Primary School for students, year seven and under and Holy Spirit College for students in years eight through 12. As it works with so many schools, the sports hall at Holy Spirit holds more than just sports matches. The hall hosts numerous assemblies, from college band and choir performances to special ceremonies that include ANZAC Day, college mass, fashion shows, graduations, career expos, and much more. Greg Duncan, business manager at Holy Spirit College, explains: “Each of these events have their own requirements but the common thread to all is the ne
UK - FOH engineer Jim Ebdon (Maroon 5, Annie Lennox, Sting, Prince) is currently on a world tour with Sam Smith following the release of Smith’s new album, The Thrill of It All. To accompany him on the tour, Ebdon has chosen the Solid State Logic L200 console, supplied by Capital Sound, London. "A lot of the new album was recorded onto 16-track analogue, and then moved onto Pro Tools." says Ebdon. "I love the feel of the album, and I love the sound of it, and I wanted to recreate that. So the SSL was a no-brainer... It sounds like an analogue console, and it has a Save button!" The show itself has unusual staging, with the main stage projecting quite a way out into the auditorium, and PA system set up 'in-the-round' rather than as a traditional left-right system. Ebdon’s FOH mix position is to one side of the stage, facing a single line of d&b speakers,
Japan - Martin Audio Japan has been featuring the MLA loudspeaker array at Rock in Japan for eight years, and it has now become an essential item on the four principal stages. For the 19th edition of the festival, which took place in Hitachinaka Seaside Park over two consecutive weekends in August, MLA was again seen on the largest Grass Stage, the second Lake Stage, Park Stage, and Sound of Forest. From new, cutting edge performers to veterans, more than 200 artists appeared on these stages over the four days, enhancing the Japanese music scene, with tickets once again sold out in a matter of minutes. “It was back in 2011 when we first introduced MLA on the Lake Stage,” reports Shuzo Fujii, president of MSI Japan. “This is now the eighth year that the system has been adopted, and its high degree of control has become essential for the festival.
USA - Electro-acoustics specialist Audio Precision (AP) has announced the passing of its co-founder and former president Bob Metzler, aged 84. Metzler founded AP in 1984 alongside Dr Richard Cabot, Bruce Hofer and Robert Wright. He served as the organisation’s president until his retirement in 1999 and was the face of the company in its early days, taking up marketing and sales duties as well as travelling internationally to engage with customers. His legacy includes authoring the Audio Measurement Handbook in 1993, which was widely read throughout the audio community and was used as a text in university-level courses. Metzler also wrote numerous magazine articles and application notes, edited AP’s newsletter, Audio.TST, and conducted seminars and
Australia - Out Board has announced tm stagetec systems as exclusive Australian distributor and support specialist for its immersive spatial audio and showcontrol products TiMax SoundHub and TiMax Tracker. As a result of the deal, tm stagetec systems staff have undertaken training for TiMax products in Sydney from Out Board director Dave Haydon. Mark Lownds, general manager at tm stagetec systems, comments: “We are thrilled to welcome TiMax into the tm stagetec systems’ suite of brands. The fit between our technology-driven ethos and the leading edge, high-quality technology offered by TiMax products is a perfect match.” (Jim Evans)
