New Zealand - Jands, the Harman Professional audio distributors in New Zealand, recently launched JBL’s new medium to large format line array at the ASB Theatre in Auckland. The JBL VTX A12 is a dual 12" three-way line array element purpose-built for mid to large-size touring applications and high-end fixed installations. “We wanted our guests to understand the philosophy behind the technology of the VTX A12 and then to experience first-hand the innovative new features such as the ease of set up due to the redesigned rigging system,” says Jands tour sound manager Tim Robertson. “We then gave each person the opportunity to conduct their own listening tests on the system.” The listening tests had some varying responses from guests. “I've never tested anything so uniformly flat both on and off axis in the HF range, and they have heaps of detail there,”
Thailand - Adamson Systems Engineering has named Sonos Libra as its new Thai distributor. Sonos Libra was founded by managing partners Alfonso Martin and Vanessa Chompoo, who have helped to establish several pro audio brands in the Southeast Asian market in previous roles. James Ritter, Adamson’s sales manager for the Asia-Pacific, says: “We’re very happy to have Sonos Libra join the Adamson Network as our new distributor for Thailand. Vanessa and Alfonso are highly respected in the pro audio community in Southeast Asia and we look forward to supporting them and their customers as we continue to develop this important and growing market.” Martin adds: “When we founded our own company, we thought very carefully about which brands to represent and found a very special partner in Adamson. These products have a truly pristine sonic signature that I
USA - FWF (F*ck Yeah Fest), a major summer music festival in Los Angeles, California, recently used an Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW) Anya system to reinforce the lawn stage. Camarillo, California-based Rat Sound Systems provided sound reinforcement for five of the six stages at FYF. Ivan Ortiz, Rat Sound’s crew chief for the festival, specified the EAW Anya system for the lawn stage which is located next to the Natural History Museum on the Memorial Coliseum grounds. “One of the many reasons we decided to use our Anya system was the location of the lawn stage,” explains Ortiz. “With the museum to the left of the stage, we needed to avoid sound slapping against the building’s walls and bouncing back over the audience.” The lawn stage system was two single column arrays, each made up of nine Anya enclosures, hung to the left and right of the 80ft
UK - Bringing together an array of Bollywood’s biggest stars including megastar Salman Khan, Da-Bangg The Tour visited the Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham and The O2 arena, London; hosted by Lyca and brought to the UK by Farhath Hussain and Think Events. Managed, scripted and directed by Sohail Khan Entertainment and JA Events LLP, the shows brought the music, dance and show-stopping entertainment of Bollywood movies to the live stage. Working with lighting and video designer Elton D’Souza, PRG XL Video supplied a complex moving lighting rig and multi-section moving LED screen, creating a vibrant set for the high-energy performances. PRG director of music video, Stefaan Michels supplied a full package of live video technology including LED screens, media servers, camera and IMAG projection system, and experienced crew. Over 300 tiles of ROE Visual MC-7
UK - Houses of worship can be tricky spaces to install sound reinforcement systems, especially in historic structures. But in Reading, UK, a different challenge presented itself when Lifespring Church wanted to add an extra space to its home in a converted cinema, but one which could also be combined with the main space on demand. A Yamaha MTX3 matrix processor has provided an elegant solution. Built in the 1920s, The Pavilion was originally Reading’s first public cinema. Later converted into a snooker hall, Lifespring Church restored it in 2013, with a layout close to the original. It is now Lifespring’s permanent home, hosting weekly worship services, youth events, meetings and other activities. For the first three years of the building’s new life, Lifespring used the former auditorium as its main space, But last year it added an extension on the balcony to pro
USA - FOH engineer Dani Munoz is using the new SSL Live L300 console during Ricardo Arjona’s latest stadium and arena tour across North and South America. Arjona, one of the most successful Latin American artists of all time, is known for large-scale, theatrical live shows, taking in a new theme each time he goes out. The current tour is based around the new album Circo Soledad (Solitude Circus), and comes with aerial dance, clowns, and lots of circus scenery, and huge video and lighting rig. From the stage the show runs to around 64 live inputs though SSL ML 32.32 SuperAnalogue stageboxes via an SSL BL II.D Blacklight II concentrator. The band consists of drums, percussion, bass, two guitars, and three multi-instrumentalists on strings, saxophone, and synthesisers. "It's a challenge in the sense that there are a lot of acoustic instruments," says Munoz
USA - Roger Waters' Us + Them tour has utilised a DiGiCo SD7 console. Monitor engineer Matt Napier started working with Waters last year for his shows in Mexico and Desert Trip following the passing of Waters’ previous engineer Ian Newton few years ago. “I felt a lot of responsibility to do Ian’s memory justice, and make the gig work as smoothly as possible,” Napier says. “We didn’t have a lot of rehearsal time, so it was intense, but the shows went really well. You just have to do this music justice.” The production for Us + Them is down to a strong emphasis on the synergy between the music and the aural/visual experience. “The surround system installed in each venue makes the aural experience very immersive for the audience, and the visuals are absolutely stunning,” Napier explains. “Roger really is the captain of the sh
UK - Allen & Heath has added the 16 channel ME-500 personal mixer to its ME personal mixing system. ME-500 is designed as an accessible personal monitoring solution for houses of worship, rental companies and orchestras, allowing musicians to quickly and independently build and control their own monitor mixes from 16 stereo or mono sources. The new mixer inherits the same compact format as its sibling, the 40 channel ME-1, but with simplified setup and controls. The ME system is plug ‘n’ play compatible with Allen & Heath’s digital mixer range and can be used with third party digital consoles via the ME-U hub. ME-500 features a crisp, dimmable display, 16 backlit select keys, mute and solo buttons, master level with limiter and EQ, plus a single rotary encoder for all main navigation and control. Each ME-500 can store and recall eight user presets for dif
Keeping Music Live - Campaigners fighting to preserve Cardiff’s live music scene have heralded a breakthrough after plans to develop flats in the heart of the city’s entertainment district were withdrawn. A campaign to protect the city's grassroots music scene has been underway since the start of this year, with campaigners fighting in particular to preserve the entertainment venues on Womanby Street, which is home to several live music venues but has seen a string of closures in recent times. The campaign attracted thousands of signatures, and calls on Cardiff Council to protect the area as a cultural hub. Venue owners and music fans also condemned a planning application to create a hotel to be built above a Wetherspoon’s pub on Womanby Street. Plans for a residential housing development comprising six flats had been submitted for the street, however these
UK - Penton UK is introducing an extensive range of electronics covering Public Address / Voice Alarm (PA/VA) and Audio over IP products to complement their range of PA/VA Loudspeakers. The addition of these products will allow Penton UK to offer a fully integrated service across PA/VA and Audio over IP. The flexibility of products will also give Penton clients a greater opportunity to obtain both product and systems from one source. Penton’s management team said: “We are delighted to bring this range of ATEΪS and Terracom products under our UK wing. The products have shown to be of very high quality and allow us the flexibility to now offer an all in one solution for our customers.” The new range is available now and will be stocked and serviced from the UK, ensuring shorter lead times, better availability and technical support. Notable site referen
UK - Bose Professional is now shipping its EdgeMax in-ceiling premium loudspeakers. The loudspeakers feature proprietary Bose PhaseGuide technology, which provides ‘room-filling coverage’ while improving overall sound quality compared to the performance of conventional ceiling loudspeakers. Designed for mounting near wall boundaries, EdgeMax loudspeakers project high-frequency sound throughout rooms up to 65ft (20 m) wide using only perimeter mounting locations, and can effectively cover an area that would require up to four conventional conical-coverage models. EdgeMax loudspeakers can eliminate the need for conventional ceiling speakers mounted in the centre of rooms, or surface-mount loudspeakers mounted on walls. Their design and consistent coverage pattern reduces the total number of in-ceiling loudspeakers required, enabling installers to move efficien
UK - HD Pro Audio is staging a one-day technology showcase event, featuring a selection of its premium brands and products. Taking place from 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm on Thursday 19 October at John Henry's Studio 3, London N7, the event will include the SSL Live L200 console with Dante stagebox system, L'Acoustics Syva loudspeakers, KLANG:technologies 3D binaural IEM mixing system and Green Go digital intercom, including wireless. Manufacturers' representatives will be on hand to give a detailed overview of each technology, as well as hands-on demonstrations. Numbers are limited, so anyone wishing to attend should call HD Pro Audio on 01784 433687 or email info@hdproaudio.co.uk as soon as possible. Bookings can also be made on-line at https://goo.gl/R2uoei (Jim Evans)
UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) has supplied Allen & Heath's dLive S7000 digital mixing console to Aberdeen-based production company Granite City Events for use on live music events, festivals and theatre productions. Granite City Events is one of the premium production companies in Aberdeen and the Scottish Highlands and, with over 20 years of industry experience, puts on events ranging from concerts and live shows through to weddings and corporate functions. The sale, which also included an Allen & Heath DM48 mix rack, was handled by Steve Eaton, sales executive in the company's dedicated audio sales division. Barry Sherriffs, Granite City director, comments: “After various discussions with, plus help and advice from Steve, we decided the dLive was the way forward. The versatility of dLive, plus the speed of the system, made it perfect fo
UK - dBS Solutions has adopted a Martin Audio theatre system for the newly opened Legally Blonde The Musical. dBS Solutions purchased Martin Audio’s XD/WS218X model, deploying the larger XD15 unit for the production, as the 15” LF drive unit and 1.4” neodymium HF compression driver has reduced weight and several pairs can be mounted up the vertical proscenium truss to the rotatable horns. Musical theatre and panto specialists UK Productions contacted dBS Solutions based on the audio company’s past success with their flagship Christmas pantomime in Sunderland. dBS Solutions sound designer Chris Bogg recognised that this latest challenge would not be an easy one. “The show’s American girl-heavy production numbers have a tendency to sound ‘squeaky’ to me so the main aim was to make the sound less shrill and much warmer,” he said. “We h
USA- A 32-channel AXS console has been commissioned in Studio A at Made In Memphis Entertainment (MIME). The new music venture opened its doors this past April, and serves not only as a studio, but also a music label, production company, and publishing group. Kerry Kernan, chief engineer at MIME says, "The AXS has been a fantastic addition to our studio and has been a joy to track and mix on. I really like the way the AXS has remained truly analogue, yet the automation features can still integrate well with the modern DAW workflow. We are still discovering all of its capabilities." MIME's CEO David Porter adds: "The legendary API sound combined with the AXS's feature set made for an unbeatable combination for Studio A. We couldn't be happier with our new console." (Jim Evans)
UK - Audio-visual consulting company Consultancy Team UK has appointed a PR manager and a technical specialist. Amy Harker has become business public relations manager and will manage the company’s public relations and marketing as well as contributing to their business development strategies. With 20 years’ experience in the media industry, Amy comments, “Consultancy Team UK are strongly committed to continue to offer a full spectrum of highly regarded audio-visual consulting, design and installation services and I look forward to driving forward global growth whilst maintaining a strong history of high standards.” Emrys Jones has been appointed as technical specialist and will be overseeing all elements of design, installation and production for numerous projects within the company’s portfolio. With 20 years industry experience Emrys has led many key accoun
USA - Out Board will exhibit its TiMax spatial audio and showcontrol products on the booth of its US distributor 1602 Group at this year’s New York AES 2017 show to be held on 18-21 October 2017 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center (booth 451). TiMax SoundHub and TiMax Tracker will be demonstrated, combining adaptive object-based spatial reinforcement techniques for live vocal, instrument imaging and immersive audio with precision performer stage-tracking for automated vocal mic localisation. Out Board’s Dave Haydon and Robin Whittaker will introduce the new dimensionally-aware StageSpace intelligent object programming interface for TiMax. This adaptive spatial audio rendering resource automatically configures fully-editable delay-matrix localisation objects for TiMax SoundHub spatial audio processor and TiMax Tracker automation. Also showcased is the new TiMax
Italy - An Allen & Heath dLive S Class mixing system was selected for a recent large scale classical music production at Mandela Forum, Florence, which saw over 460 musicians and choristers perform a selection of works to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Florence Foundation. La Piazza Incantata included members of the Choir of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino with the soloists of the May Academy, the Orchestra of the Conservatorio Cherubini, the Italian Youth Orchestra of the Music School of Fiesole and the Orchestra of Tuscany. Production company ABC srl Rome was responsible for the audio for the event, which required 148 mic inputs, over six stereo matrix, and multiple Aux groups for monitor mixes. To achieve this, ABC used a dLive S7000 surface, with a DM64 mix rack and three fully-loaded DX32 I/O expanders to handle both FOH and monitor mixing.
UK - London-based electronics engineering company PEL Services was commissioned to design and install upgrades to the public address and emergency sound systems at Celtic FC’s 60,000-seat stadium Celtic Park. With a stadium-wide IT network and existing public address infrastructure already in place, PEL advised the selection of Bosch Praesideo digital Public Address and Emergency Sound System with Electro-Voice pro audio loudspeakers to improve coverage, clarity and fidelity within the main bowl area of the stadium. Because both systems can be interfaced to the Dante networking standard, the Bosch Praesideo system and all Electro-Voice loudspeakers are monitored and controlled remotely via Electro-Voice N8000 NetMax digital matrix controllers. Vic Swain, engineering director for PEL, says: “The club wanted a state-of-the-art emergency notification system, an
Japan - Martin Audio Japan recently launched the British manufacturer’s latest range of products at the Nakano Zero Theatre in Tokyo. This was the first territorial exposé of the new suite which received its global premier earlier this year at Frankfurt’s Prolight+Sound Show. Supporting the Tokyo event was Martin Audio R&D director, Jason Baird. He first introduced the LE and XE floor monitors before turning to the Wavefront Precision WPM and WPC line arrays after the intermission. Developed in consultation with leading monitor engineers and combining sleek, low-profile enclosures with unique Coaxial Differential Dispersion technology, the XE300 (1 x 12” LF) and XE500 (1 x 15” LF) are designed to deliver perfect monitor sound with a defined coverage pattern that allows the artist freedom of movement, while reducing overlap with adjacent monitors. The LE100
South Korea - Sungeun Church in Uijeongbu has selected a Qu-32 compact digital mixer, two AB168 remote IO racks, and a ME personal monitoring system from Allen & Heath as part of a new digitally-based AV system upgrade to its main chapel. The new system needed to manage live sound reinforcement for services and events, multi-track recording for web streaming content, and personal monitoring for the musicians. “The Qu-32 is intuitive, with plenty of outputs, great handling and quality faders and rotaries. The touchscreen is a good size and sensitivity, and gives a great overview as well as enabling fine control with a screen-dedicated rotary. And thanks to the custom layer function, you can assign fader strips as you want. I also really like the GEQ. Unlike other consoles, I can apply GEQ on every output channel, and there are 4 different EQ models in the library
The Netherlands - The latest AV and display tech were deployed at the Canon of The Netherlands exhibition which opened at the Netherlands Open Air Museum in Arnhem in September. The exhibition, which covers the highlights and low lights of Dutch history since the Stone Age, combines historical objects on loan from collections throughout the Netherlands with deployments of the latest audio-visual and display technologies. Working in intimate collaboration with exhibition architects Kossmann.dejong and a multi-disciplinary team of film, animation and interactive designers, Rapenburg Plaza of Amsterdam were engaged to implement the lighting, show control and audiovisual technologies for the exhibition. “We work in parallel with Rapenburg Plaza in most of our projects and they help bring our ideas to life. They have an expert, specialist team who work t
UK - While the overarching memory of BBC Radio 2’s big weekend in Hyde Park was of James Blunt crowd-surfing in a dinghy at the end of his set, for Capital Sound it was just another monumental production, successfully deploying their Martin Audio MLA PA to bring the summer season to a close. Radio 2 Festival in a Day followed BBC Proms in the Park. Sir Ray Davies headlined the first day, designed to coincide with the Last Night of the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, joined by Steps and Sir Bryn Terfel, while Take That and Shania Twain were the headline acts on the Sunday, bringing the curtain down on another wonderful Weekend in the Park for the BBC, despite the weather. With PA control and set up in the capable hands of system tech Toby Donovan production standards again met and exceeded the requirements of promoters, Festival Republic, and thei
Sweden - Adamson Systems Engineering and Benum Sweden have announced a strategic new distribution agreement for the Swedish market, which finds the two companies working in tandem with previous distributor Stonehouse Show Technologies AB to build the premium loudspeaker brand’s sales and profile in Scandinavia’s largest economy. In the new arrangement, Benum will oversee Swedish distribution while Stonehouse will maintain its strong focus on AV installations as an Adamson integration partner. Stonehouse’s sister production rental company Soundforce Scandinavian AB will remain a key Adamson rental account and provide senior consultancy and demo support across the country, especially for larger and higher-profile projects. “Our partnership with Adamson is built on a shared set of values and has been very successful in Norway,” begins Peter Engström, CEO of Ben
