Portugal - With a well-received live set at the inaugural RPMM Festival in the Portuguese city of Porto, Francesca Lombardo – famous for her individual electronic sound – gave rise to a thrilling fusion of live and pre-programmed music. At front of house was live engineer Mattia Sartori, who captured the set on one of his two JoeCo BBR1B Blackbox multi-track recorders. London-based Sartori has held senior audio engineering and project management posts across the world and regularly takes his Blackbox recorders out on the road, enjoying “a totally robust and reliable recording solution with no worries about software and compatibility issues”. He acquired his first Blackbox recorder in 2016 and since then has recorded a variety of artists, from classical singer Carly Paoli at London’s Cadogan Hall, to the percussion driven, electronic quartet Penya. With perfor
Tunisia - For this event’s thirteenth iteration, the organizers of Jazz at Carthage festival decided that the time was long overdue to upgrade the monitors on both its stages. And for that, the Clair Brothers 1AM and 1.5AM were the unanimous choices for the job. The festival theme this year revolved around the joy of celebrating springtime with music and enthusiastic artists for happiness bolstered by the notion of bunking off school and pursuing the path of musical creation. The idea being that if jazz is the underpinning of all modern music, then Jazz at Carthage brings with it a breath of fresh air alongside familiar genres and current music to crowds of youthful Tunisian fans. Mourad Mathari from Scoop Productions says, “Achieving this important vision for Tunisia and its music scene is something special and requires the best production to get t
USA - With eight locations spread across south-eastern Florida, Christ Fellowship Church is a vibrant faith community that has installed L-Acoustics sound reinforcement systems in number of its worship spaces over the years. However, when systems integrator Mankin Media was recently brought onboard to design and implement a PA at the campus in Port St. Lucie - a rapidly growing area north of Palm Beach - the approach was different at the most foundational level: it started with the specification of an L-Acoustics K2 system, which then influenced how the room would be designed. “Anyone who designs and installs audio systems for enclosed spaces knows that there are always going to be acoustic challenges that go along with the room; it’s just the nature of live audio,” says Christ Fellowship audio director Danny Dagher. “Mankin helped us turn the typical house of
UK - A special benefit concert is being held for musician and loudspeaker manufacturer, Paul MacCallum at the O2 Academy Islington, on October 29th. The popular bass player, who was diagnosed with an advanced form of Multiple System Atrophy some years ago, was not only the brainchild behind PLASA member company Wembley Loudspeaker, but also bass player with Zoot Money’s Big Roll Band, and other major names. In addition to playing their own set, Zoot will provide the rhythm section for guest musicians who will appear on the night. Affectionately known as ‘The Womble’ from his days as Uncle Bulgaria in Mike Batt’s original Wombles, MacCallum has also played in many bands during his career including those of Helen Shapiro and Billy Fury. Sadly, Paul MacCallum is now confined to a hospice, and all proceeds from the event will go towards funding his med
Europe - Community Professional Loudspeakers has announced it has completed EN54-24 certification for its compact R.35-3896-EN loudspeaker. Community’s R Series has long been a standard for stadia and other large scale, all-weather applications worldwide. The company has consistently invested in improving performance across the range, introducing new models, and meeting increasingly stringent worldwide standards. Since gaining EN54-24 certification on the larger R1, R2 and R6 models, permitting their use in voice alarm systems in venues across Europe, Community has seen demand for these certified versions building significantly year upon year. The R.35-3896-EN meets the need for a high performance compact loudspeaker for fill and supplementary areas in larger venues and for smaller venues wanting to conform to EN54 standards. The R.35-3896-EN is equally suitable for
India - K-array has confirmed the newest member of the K-family, ISD India. The newly-formed network partner will be responsible for the sales and service of the K-array brand throughout the entire country. ISD (Italian Sound Design) is a specialised distribution chain of K-array and has been conceived with the aim of servicing major markets through an independent sales development approach. The launch of ISD India follows this new strategy that was put into motion earlier this year with the establishment of K-array China and ISD Japan. ISD India is run by Sawan Nichani, Sameer Nichani and Sidharth Dham and their team and offers easy access to K-array products and services to the pro audio industry. The newly-formed, but experienced group will aim to bring the K-array brand to the forefront in India. K-array has high expectations for their partner in this larg
Spain - During a two-day summit, at the end of May, held in and around Amate Audio’s HQ facilities in Terrassa, outside of Barcelona, members of the company’s worldwide distributor network were introduced to a range of new products and technological developments. A highlight of the second day was a dramatic change of location. High in the mountains of the Catalonian countryside, at the Masia Restaurant Torre del Conill, splendid isolation, an extensive terrace and brilliant sunshine provided an idyllic location to audition a line-up of the very latest and yet to be released Amate Audio speaker systems. Alongside new additions to its latest NÍTID plug & play ultra-compact, ‘smart’ loudspeaker series, the company unveiled an all new flagship line array system; the latest addition to Amate Audio’s top of the range Xcellence series. The X212AF is a 2x
UK - Martin Audio capitalised on its successful marketing formula by hosting three open days (split into five two-hour presentation sessions) at their HQ in High Wycombe, to coincide with this year’s PLASA Show in London. “The timing was perfect,” said MD Dom Harter. “Not only were many of our partners and customers already in town but it gave us the perfect opportunity to showcase, and in some cases give world premieres to nine new products.” Harter himself kicked off proceedings, introducing all four models in the new high-performance VIA amplifier range - designed to partner all Martin Audio systems beneath the Wavefront Precision line arrays, and in particular the new ADORN series as well as CDD and O-Line. Attendees didn't have long to wait before sampling Martin Audio’s signature sound, in the shape of the ADORN on-wall speakers. “The market
Thailand - Rental house Media Vision Co has recently taken delivery of the region’s first L-Acoustics K1 KX Standard system, which includes the recently shipped P1 processor, KS28, and LA-RAK II. Managing director Thanaruch Hongskule, aka Joe, cites the acquisition as the best choice for long-term investment for the company. “Media Vision already holds an extensive range of loudspeakers, but with business increasing it needed to expand on this,” explains Tanapat ‘Tony’ Mongkolkosol from Vision One, L-Acoustics’ certified provider distributor for the region. “To maintain its position as the number one rental provider for the region, a solution that matches international artists’ riders and can meet the demands of Thailand’s burgeoning EDM market was required. K1 fulfils both these requirements and would allow Media Vision to service the shows that comes thro
UK - PLASA has said the 2018 edition of the PLASA Show has been ‘the busiest and most vibrant’ show since it moved to London Olympia in 2016. PLASA 2018, which took place on 16-18 September, saw a 4% increase in visitors with a palpable atmosphere that was reminiscent of its popular Earls Court days. The show welcomed a stream of exhibitors and attendees from around the world, primed to explore the leading edge of live entertainment technology. The expo also confirmed its importance for networking and trade, with 63% of visitors being final decision makers or specifiers, and a quarter being business owners, managers and directors. Jonathan Walters, UK sales and purchasing director from A.C Entertainment Technologies comments: “This third year back in West London has really confirmed PLASA’s decision to relocate to Olympia, each show here has worked consi
UK - Technical manager and vision engineer John Steele has joined Blitz, a GES company, as technical director. Prior to joining Blitz, Steele specialised in providing engineering support, planning and technical solutions for large-scale, multi-camera mobile broadcasts. Steele has engineered and managed in most areas of the video industry, including corporate presentations, concert tours and international sports coverage. Steele is responsible for running the Blitz technical teams, including video, sound, lighting and set and staging, as well as the project management team. In this role, Steele is part of the Blitz senior leadership team and reports to Blitz managing director Mike Phillipson. Phillipson commented, “As Blitz grows, we need to bring in the very best talent and John Steele certainly fits that bill. His wide-ranging technical experience an
UK - Data Strategy says its stand was ‘buzzing with activity’ as it exhibited at PLASA 2018. The company’s new VeriCal, which verifies that the Out Board PAT-4 testers are within their operational specifications, received particular attention. VeriCal is the latest Data Strategy product to combine hardware with intelligent software. The new product ensures the appliance test units within the QC-Check Workstation produce verified and accurate results. Data Strategy MD, Iain Roche, comments: “We had a very busy show, seeing a combination of existing customers, contacts who have shown protracted interest and brand-new prospects. VeriCal attracted much interest especially from potential oversees customers who perceived its purpose, which is to ensure the Pat-4 remains in its operational specifications. “Power-Check, the QC-Check distro test module, also a
UK - In mid-September a small piece of Japan appeared in West London for three days - and it proved a real talking point as Yamaha and Nexo exhibited at PLASA 2018. This year’s stand was the brainchild of Chris Irvine, Yamaha Commercial Audio (UK and RoI) marketing manager, and Gareth Collyer, Nexo sales manager (UK and RoI). PLASA London tends to attract a high number of students and, with a shrewd eye to making the most of any free publicity generated by the ‘Instagram generation’, they created a stand themed as a Japanese garden. Yamaha highlighted the long-term success of the company’s digital mixing consoles by showcasing the latest Rivage PM7 system next to a PM5D, one of its most famous products. Loaned for the show by Britannia Row Productions, it featured along an information panel about the number of high profile artists that particular console has wo
Belgium - Tomorrowland, the Belgium electronic dance music festival, this year revealed the Atmosphere Stage, a new futuristic tent where L-Acoustics’ L-ISA Immersive Hyperreal Sound delivered deeply vibrant beats as festival goers bathed in stunning visuals for a unprecedented musical experience. L-Acoustics has collaborated with the festival alongside Noizboyz, designers of Tomorrowland audio systems, since 2011. This year was no different, with over 600 L-Acoustics cabinets supplied by Phlippo Productions deployed on six stages, including the massive 115m wide Story of Planaxis Main Stage, across the vast festival site. With the Atmosphere Stage, We Are One World set out to elevate the concert experience with a festival tent stage like no other. Recognising the impact of L-ISA in creating powerful shared connections between artists and audiences,
UK - Manchester-based technical production supplier Sterling Event Group has invested in Sennheiser’s Digital 6000 series to enhance its audio offering. The investment, including EM 6000 digital 2-channel receivers, SKM 6000 handheld transmitters with MD 9235 capsules, SK 6000 beltpacks and L 6000 charging stations, will allow Sterling to “future-proof its inventory and offer clients a digital solution”. Sterling has also added additional Sennheiser 2000 Series IEMs to its stock. Ben Marshall, head of audio at Sterling, comments: “With increased restrictions on available spectrum for radio microphones and in ear monitors we needed a solution to give us the channels we require even in the most challenging RF environments. By utilising Sennheiser Digital 6000 which is intermodulation free we can place frequencies in an equidistant frequency grid to maximise chan
USA - Justin Timberlake’s The Man of the Woods tour, which is scheduled to run through to early 2019, is arguably his most expansive yet from an audio perspective. Taking place over two legs of North America whilst also visiting Europe, the in-the-round production boasts winding walkways thrusted out from main stage to two satellite stages. FOH engineer Andy Meyer, who has been working with Timberlake since 2005, chose an Optocore fibre network solution to handle the complex D/A conversion necessitated by this. The sound engineer had earlier spent considerable time exploring different platforms, along with system tech Justin Lenards and fellow engineer Ozzy Giron. But having had previous experience with the Optocore environment via DiGiCo consoles, he wasted little time in venturing down this path for his signal transport. “The solution was obvious to me rig
World - American indie rock band The War on Drugs is currently on a world tour following the release of the band's Grammy-winning fourth studio album A Deeper Understanding. The six-piece band is known for a comprehensive on-stage presence, with lots of instruments and backline to keep the sound engineers busy. To cope with over 80 inputs, often complex and dynamic material, and a tendency to take tracks to unexpected places, monitor engineer Laurence Eaves (Beirut, Local Natives) and Front of House engineer Bob Strakele (Avenged Sevenfold, Papa Roach, James) both chose Solid State Logic L500 Plus consoles, supplied by touring and systems integration company LMG. From the inception of the tour, the intention was always to go big and make sure the band's full potential was realised. "For this tour, we decided to shoot for the stars and go with what we really want
UK - The Great North Star performance in Newcastle was the culmination to the Great Exhibition of the North. Televised on the BBC, this ambitious outdoor performance celebrated pioneering woman through sporting history. The event took place outside The Sage Gateshead, with the Tyne and cityscape providing the backdrop to the night time performance. IPS provided all the lighting and sound production, along with the production structures for a long-standing client, with Andy Marshall heading up the IPS onsite team, working with production manager Nigel Mousley and director Bradley Hemmings. Over 400 lighting fixtures were used on the production, almost all of them from the IP-rated range of the IPS hire inventory. A 100m running track provided the performance area for the event, with scenic specialist Stage One suppling the stage structure and impressive set pieces (incl
USA - On The Run II. marks the first world tour together in four years for Beyoncé and Jay-Z. In that time, the music has become more complex and so has the stage show. The two stars are backed by a sizable combination of their individual bands, including an entire horn section, as well as backup vocalists and dancers, all of whom wear in-ear monitors, as well as wireless microphones for every vocalist. All of these elements are connected via an Optocore HMA fibre loop between two DiGiCo SD7 consoles for the FOH mix (one primary console and a second for use by supporting acts on the tour) feeding a d&b audiotechnik J-Series PA system, while four more SD7 desks are assigned to the monitor mixes. In addition, another SD7 is on the tour to mix full-band rehearsals as set lists change and new songs or new arrangements are added (the duo’s hit album, Everyt
Europe - Audio-Technica has agreed to distribute Martin Audio in Germany, effective 1 October. The audio brand’s official distributor will be Audio Technica Germany, which also distributes Allen & Heath and Clear-Com. The new distributor will be responsible for sales in both the installation and rental staging channels. It has appointed Tobi Franzgrothe, who has long experience with Martin Audio after working with the manufacturer’s previous distributor, as brand manager. Matthias ‘Mex’ Exner, general manager of Audio-Technica Germany, comments: “It’s a case of two great brands joining forces to create an outstanding offering in both these sectors. Martin Audio comfortably bridges the gap between our great mics and wireless systems, through the A&H consoles, to the audience’s ears.” Bradley Watson, Martin Audio EMEA sales manager, adds:
UK - Holoplot’s ORION sound system was awarded a PLASA Award for Innovation. The judges were convinced by the technology and the product, which allows a radical new approach to sound reinforcement and provides audio engineers with a versatile tool for their work. On the first two days of the PLASA Show, the judges visited the 47 nominated companies to learn more about the innovative products. Demonstrations were given, use cases were discussed, and functionality for rigging, maintenance, and installation was explained. The Holoplot stand attracted many of the jury members a second or third time. In their eyes, “a system with such precise beam steering capabilities and flexibility in how audio can be projected, demonstrates a paradigm shift in the industry”. Roman Sick, Holoplot’s CEO, comments: “The conventional speaker technologies are very establishe
UK - At this year’s PLASA Show, UK immersive audio and showcontrol specialists Out Board demonstrated the new StageSpace object-based spatial environment auto-rendering tool within the new TiMax 500S software. The stand featured a miniature booth-sized demo of TiMax’s ‘orchestral hugeness experience’, which has been trialled on some arena-scale and festival-sized stages across Europe this summer. Out Board co-owner Dave Haydon comments: “Even under the slightly challenging conditions of a busy tradeshow floor, people were overwhelmed by the realistic spatial enhancement that StageSpace added to multitrack classical and jazz music playback. Of particular note was the adaptive nature of the StageSpace rendering that allows quick delivery of full immersion for audience members while using relatively minimal and flexible speaker system topologies.” Haydo
USA - Miami-based AVER Productions has invested in an Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW) Radius sound reinforcement system to further its business. AVER Productions is a full service event production company that provides audio, video, lighting, staging, and special effects equipment throughout the country and the Caribbean Islands. “We create experiential events for corporations, designed to advertise or market products,” explains Eddie Bernal, owner of AVER Productions. “The Radius system has been in use since it arrived. It was deployed on a five-stop Jack Daniels marketing tour and is currently in use with the Starz hit television series Power and EFFEN Vodka tour - bringing the show’s Truth Nightclub to warehouses all over the country.” For the pop-up EFFEN Vodka events, the AVER team transforms empty warehouses into the show’s Power nightclub. Customers are
Australia - Melbourne production and install company Monitor City has joined the Adamson network with an investment in a new E-Series and S-Series audio systems. Sourced through CMI Music and Audio, Adamson’s exclusive Australian distributor, the new package allows Monitor City to cover most venues across Australia while also offering the flexibility to break into smaller or distributed systems as required. Monitor City co-founders Adrian Barnard and Matt Dufty, who each boast over 30 years of experience in professional audio, carefully evaluated all the major players in the PA market before deciding on Adamson for their purchase. "We looked at factors such as the speed of deployment, the logic of the system, its capabilities, and sonic performance," relates Dufty. "Adamson stood out as the best choice. It's rider friendly and acceptable to touring professionals, an
