Scandinavia - Owned by AS Tallink Grupp, the Baltic Princess cruise ferry sails between the Finnish city of Turku and the Swedish capital of Stockholm. Built at a cost of €165m in 2005, it can accommodate 2,800 passengers and was designed with luxury in mind. Audico, Finland’s largest AV company, undertook the task of supplying and installing an L-Acoustics PA for the refit of the ship’s audio system, a project that spanned two years and took in all four of the ships entertainment areas: a nightclub, pub, live entertainment venue and disco. “The first phase of the project was the ship’s main venue – The nightclub. The ship’s owners wanted to have the best possible audio system for its new, high-profile live music repertoire,” says Audico’s Pauli Molnár, who was working on the project in conjunction with consultant Tuomas Karppinen. “L-Acoustics was
World - With more than 100 rental houses worldwide now offering the STM Series modular line array, Nexo is creating a special Partner Network for customers of its flagship sound reinforcement products. Since 2014, the STM Series of high-performance configurable line array modules has achieved global acceptance. STM modules have been put into rental inventory in more than 50 countries, as well as being specified for installation in numerous theatres and auditoria, sports arenas and stadia. The arrival of the compact STM M28 main module has enabled many smaller rental companies to join the STM elite user group, and reap the benefits of the versatile modular design. Aimed at the touring and rental sector of its business, Nexo’s new Partner Network will bring STM owners and users closer together in a programme for global cooperation, with Nexo and with each other. One of
UK - As many PMSE businesses and equipment owners will already know, last year the Government and Ofcom confirmed the timetable for the clearance of the 700 MHz band to make way for mobile networks. Being evicted from the band presents two immediate concerns for those operating in the PMSE sector. First, they will lose varying degrees of their equipment’s tuning range, creating a need to replace redundant equipment. Secondly, as a result of this, there will be significant incremental costs imposed on owners. We know from the 800 MHz clearance, the financial reality of researching, purchasing, transporting, fitting, testing and utilising completely new equipment is a harsh one for businesses in the sector. Ofcom has released a consultation document laying out proposed parameters for a support scheme for affected equipment owners. Their proposals state that eligible e
Europe - Roland Professional A/V has introduced the XS-1HD, a compact multi-format matrix switcher that combines the power of the popular XS AV Matrix Series and the size and features of the V-1 video switcher series. The XS-1HD provides multi-screen output destinations for confidence monitor, main and side screens and overflow rooms. The diminutive XS-1HD features four HDMI inputs with scalers and scaled outputs all while measuring just under 13 inches x 4.5 inches x 1.4 inches in size. It is power packed with professional live production tools that include keying and picture-in-picture effects with full HD support. The XS-1HD accepts a variety of video signals from sources such as cameras, computers, and media players ideal for corporate production, worship and rental applications. The XS-1HD is equally at home in banquet venues, halls, theatres, or e-learning studio
UK - The new UK production of the classic musical 42nd Street, playing since April this year at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London's West End, has been an unmitigated success since its press night produced a swathe of five-star reviews from all the critics. Behind the scenes, the musical is also breaking new ground, with over 80 channels of Shure UHF-R wireless microphones (UR1M transmitters and UR4D receivers) in use at any one time - if not a West End record, then certainly one of the shows with the highest wireless channel counts in London theatre history. Award-winning sound designer Gareth Owen is responsible for all of the audio infrastructure on the 42nd Street revival, and has been a long-time user of Shure wireless systems. “Ever since they released the UHF-R system, we've had good results - and when I find a system that gives me good resul
Malaysia - Allen & Heath’s dLive S Class and ME personal monitoring systems were selected for the live broadcast of an annual national music competition in Malaysia. Established in 1986, the event is organised and broadcast by Malaysia’s TV3 channel. held at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Anugerah Juara Lagu, meaning ‘Champion of Songs’ comprises performances of the most popular songs released over the year from a variety of artists from different music genres. MJ Events was the PA company appointed for the show, and selected the flagship dLive S7000 Surface with DM64 MixRack together with three S5000 and DM48 systems to manage the FOH and monitoring mix. A Waves 3 network card was used for multi-track recording of the 128 channels at 96 khz. Four GigaAce cards were used to split the 128 channels for easy manipulation, and the split enabled t
Bulgaria - Opened in October 1961, Varna Medical University was the response to the growing public need for highly qualified medical staff and specialised medical assistance in the country. It led to the setting up of a new facility for training, research and development purposes and its expansion urged the building of new hospitals with different specialisations. The growing importance of Varna MU as an institution in the field of education and science, duly brought the need for modernisation of the training and lecture halls, with the idea of integrating videoconference study and audio-visual distance learning, enabling lectures to be webcast via an IP network to remote locations. The final stage of the development involved the opening of the renovated Auditorium 1 in the Rectorate building, where equipment includes a video wall, displays and interactive boards, Te
Canada - Following the inauguration last year of EM Acoustics North America, the British loudspeaker manufacturer has announced the appointment of Canadian pro audio distribution specialists, Contact Distribution. Based in Toronto, Ontario, Contact covers the whole of Canada and also works closely with a number of trusted contacts in the US. EM Acoustics’ operations director, Mike Wheeler, is delighted with the new partnership. “Contact Distribution is a leading pro audio distributor in Canada with nearly 30 years of specialist pro audio knowledge and experience,” he said. “They only work with the best and have developed their product portfolio based on quality – that is both quality of the products and the quality of the relationships with the people behind the products. “Our partnership is a testament both to the quality of EM Acoustics products and Conta
Germany - In the fiscal year 2016, the Sennheiser Group generated a turnover of €658.4m. This corresponds to a decline of 3.8 percent, primarily due to placing greater focus on the core business. During the reporting year, the audio specialist exited the aviation segment and also ended relationships with third-party brands in the Professional Systems Division. In addition, the termination of governmental subsidies in Japan affected the turnover. The Group's profit before taxes rose by 15.2 percent to €34.9m compared to the same period in the previous year. Research and development were further strengthened: Sennheiser invested €54.5m, which is a total of 16 percent more than in 2015. "Coming from a very strong year in 2015, we were unable to build on the previous turnover growth in the reporting year. This was mainly due to placing strategic focus on core
USA - The USS Constitution was the third frigate of six built in 1794 to help fight Barbary pirates and saw its most famous actions during the War of 1812, where it heroically defeated five British battleships. Indeed, President George Washington named and commissioned the Constitution, and – despite the centuries between then and now – the Constitution is still an active-duty ship in the US Navy. Although it is usually berthed in the Boston Navy Yard and used for special events, free tours, and ceremonies, the ship went into dry dock in the summer of 2015 for three years of restoration activities. During that time, Audio Associates (Orleans, Massachusetts) took the opportunity to replace the Constitution’s aging loudspeakers (new versions of which are no longer manufactured in the United States) with nine new Danley Sound Labs GO-2-8CX loudspeakers, three to a m
UK - The d&b GB team has announced a new two hour installation showcase exploring the latest pro audio solutions for optimal sonic results and visually unobtrusive design. Hosted by the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (RCSSD) the presentation will run twice, first at 11:00, and again at 14:00 on Thursday 13 July at the Embassy Theatre in Swiss Cottage, London. “This is a great opportunity for anyone who would like to know more about the dedicated installation products and what can be achieved, even in the most challenging of venues,” says Steve Jones from d&b Education and Application Support. “With lots of listening we’ll experience the smart and scalable xS-Series loudspeakers – particularly the 10S, 12S and newly released 24S, alongside their counterpart subwoofers. We’ll also look at the 10D and 30D amplifiers, with their installa
South Korea - In South Korea, one of the first big events of the music season is the Green Plugged festival, attended by 45,000 people. Now in its eighth year, Green Plugged features more than 60 Korean bands and singers, including headliners Gukkasten, Dean, Junggigo and Romantic Punch. Staged in Han River Nanji Park in Seoul, the two-day festival is also a two-stage festival. In fact, the wide double main stage has become something of a trademark for Green Plugged, and a familiar challenge to regular PA provider Way Audio. One of the early adopters of Nexo’s flagship modular line array, Way Audio debuted the STM Series on the Green Plugged festival five years ago and has been using it ever since as the primary PA for the main stages, named Moon and Sky. Way Audio’s audio chief and system engineer Jordan Lee exploited the modular design of the STM Series, us
USA - AVID Labs has announced the appointments of Ryan Hall and Robert Kartman as mechanical engineers. In their roles, Hall and Kartman apply their expertise in the engineering process to design and develop new products. Hall worked as principal engineer for Harris Corp, Space and Intelligence Systems in his last position, and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology from Purdue University. “I enjoy the process of coming up with new concepts and workarounds,” stated Hall, “and the people I work with at AVID.” Before joining AVID Labs, Kartman worked as senior staff engineer for Harris Corp, Space and Intelligence Systems, and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Valparaiso University. Kartman shared that he enjoys the fast-paced variety of working with AVID Lab customers and associates, and added, “
USA - At InfoComm Orlando, the d&b booth offered a quick and easy insight into the company’s systematic way of thinking. Two distinct sections – one for mobile solutions, one for installation – focused on flexible, compatible components for a world of dynamic audio demands, with application-tailored functionality and design to match. The new installation point sources 24S and 21S-SUB showcased the combined effect of style and sonic quality. With a frequency response extending from 55 Hz to 18 kHz, these flexible loudspeakers are an ideal all-in-one solution for live performance spaces, houses of worship, multipurpose centres and sports facilities. Furthermore, the elegant xC-Series columns showed integrators facing even the most challenging acoustic conditions that intelligibility is possible without compromising sensitive interiors. Alongside, the 10D instal
Singapore - The National Museum of Singapore is the nation’s oldest museum, and its exhibits are among the most progressive. Its galleries adopt cutting-edge and multi-perspective ways of representing history and culture, to redefine the conventional museum experience. The museum’s Glass Rotunda currently hosts an immersive digital art installation, titled Story of the Forest. It is inspired by the National Museum of Singapore’s prized collection, the William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings. This prized collection is brought to life through a spectacular interactive digital presentation in which visitors are transported to the natural ecology of 19th century Malaya, viewed through the eyes of artists of that time and re-imagined today through digital art and technology. In 2014, the museum closed off the Glass Rotunda, to explore new and i
UK - Newcastle-based Nitelites is the latest UK rental company to become a certified L-Acoustics K1 partner, having recently taken delivery of a full K1 system. Nitelites plans, designs and delivers events both in the UK and around Europe. It was founded in 1983 and is one of the most well-known and respected rental companies in the North of England. Nitelites’ dedication to providing a first-class service and the latest equipment has ensured steady expansion. Its investment in K1 underlines this continued commitment. “Everyone who works for Nitelites has a passion for the technical side of audio,” says the company’s Andy Magee. “This means that we want the best equipment we can get and for a large-scale line array, that means K1.” “The K1 network in the United Kingdom is already top flight,” affirms Paul McMullan, regional sales manager at L-Aco
Europe - Popular Australian progressive rock band, Northlane, is currently travelling the European festival circuit with an ultra-compact dLive system from Allen & Heath to manage both FOH and monitor sound. “I’ve come straight over from two years on a dLive S Class S5000/DM64 system on monitors with Bring me the Horizon, and wanted to keep the same workflow with Northlane,” explains engineer, Jared Daly. “As the band are from Australia, their gear is nearly always in a fly-in configuration; everything is in custom wooden racks that slot into fly-able pelican cases that all weigh 32KG. For this reason, the band decided to purchase the C1500 Surface and DM48 MixRack to manage both FOH & monitors.” The C1500 is equipped with a Waves network card to allow virtual sound-checks and live recordings of all the band’s performances. “The dLive surfac
UK - Having successfully produced Edinburgh’s first open air dance festival for the Fly Club in the city centre’s Princes Street Gardens last Autumn, alongside sister company Creation Live, Martin Audio partners VME moved to the outskirts of the Scottish capital, and the spectacular 6500-acre Hopetoun House Estate overlooking the River Forth, for the second Fly Open Air Festival. Unlike the fixed Princes Street bandstand a festival infrastructure needed to be created in the grounds of the 17th century mansion and sound levels closely observed - a challenge that Martin Audio’s award-winning MLA Multi-cellular Loudspeaker Array was more than equal to. “The scaffolding structure didn't help us - we couldn't get the height we wanted, which created a number of physical challenges,” admitted VME head of sound, Mark Cleator. “This required some late changes to the
Ukraine - Within the vast sound production called upon for this year’s Eurovision 2017 in Kyiv, a pair of TiMax SoundHub audio delay matrix units were supplied by Black Box Music (BBM) to manage multi-zone PA level and delay alignment between Main and B-stage performance areas. The setup revisits a technique pioneered for Adele’s recent record-breaking world-wide arena tour. The TiMax SoundHub-S16 systems were inserted between Digico SD7’s and Lake master system processing feeding the amps, which in turn fed multiple distributed L’Acoustics line array hangs, subs and fills. As the performance switched between the two stages, the TiMax dynamic delay-matrix delivered all mix outputs from main and backup console/system processor chains via onboard 96KHz SRC’s, to seamlessly re-align and focus all PA elements onto the current stage. The power and versati
Iberia - For Ricky Martin’s monitor engineer, Steve May, DiGiCo consoles hold two big advantages: their I/O capacity - which means he never worries about running out of inputs or outputs - and the ability to switch seamlessly between consoles in the range. Both have made life easier as he and Front of House engineer Chris ‘Privet’ Hedge travel round Spain and Portugal on the current leg of Ricky Martin’s tour. The tour has taken in many of the major cities in Spain, including Madrid, Granada, Valencia, Seville, Barcelona, as well as the Portuguese capital of Lisbon, and finishes in Bilbao. Three rental companies are supplying equipment, with PRG Spain and Llusovi each handling six shows and Fluge two. The equipment inventory varies from company to company and although Steve specifies an SD7, depending on availability, he has used both this and an SD5 as his monitor
Poland - One of the top PA companies in Poland, GMB Pro Sound, selected two of Allen & Heath’s flagship dLive S Class mixing systems from its hire stock to manage monitors at the Polsat SuperHit Festival in Sopot. Polsat SuperHit Festival is one of the biggest and most popular festivals in Poland, and features performances from the biggest stars of the Polish pop music scene. This year, more than 30 artists performed including T.Love, Kortez and Sarsa. Comprising S7000 Surfaces and DM64 MixRacks, the dual dLive system managed all the monitor requirements for the multiple acts over the weekend. The event was also broadcast on national TV, with viewing figures reaching 2.43m. “When managing such a big event, it is essential that equipment is reliable, intuitive and fast. These features are easily achieved by the dLive S Class,” comments Marcin del Fidali
USA - Every four years, audio producer/engineer Tom Lazarus heads to Fort Worth, TX to begin working on one of his favourite projects, the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. With much of the classical music world focused on the prestigious event, Lazarus turns to DPA Microphones' d:dicate 4006 Omnidirectional Microphone to showcase the competitors’ amazing piano playing talents. Lazarus has been a long-time DPA user and considers the d:dicate 4006 to be his microphone of choice for piano. “The d:dicate 4006 has the clarity needed for an event that features multiple pianos like this one,” says Lazarus. “The 30 contestants from all over the world that make it to Texas have a choice of one of three Steinways to perform on. The d:dicate 4006 grabs the character of the various pianos exceptionally well. It is a flat and honest microphone that suits this situatio
Australia - RÜFÜS is quickly becoming one of Australia’s most in-demand live acts, and for their most recent tour, the band scaled up its audio quality with an Adamson E-Series loudspeaker system provided by Eighth Day Sound Australia. Following no less than five 2016 ARIA Award nominations (Australia’s Grammys), RÜFÜS embarked on their Full Bloom Australian tour in early 2017, hitting 13 markets they missed during their last sold-out run through the country. Wanting to make a statement with a show that reflects their growing stature, the band brought out the Adamson E-Series solution. Systems tech Chris ‘Chopper’ Morrison, who works with top touring acts including The Who, had encountered Adamson’s E15 three-way, true line source loudspeakers at some of the bigger music festivals around the globe and was thoroughly impressed by their performance.
USA - This month, new and classic stars are performing at the iHeartSummer ’17 Weekend at Fontainebleau, Miami Beach, culminating in a TV special and live, two-day national broadcast across 130+ iHeartRadio stations, websites, and apps. Integral to the show lighting’s networking and data distribution are four ProPlex GBS Gigabit switches. “We have four GBS switches on the job - Two at FOH and two at pits backstage,” explains show lighting director and programmer, Michael Appel. “We have an A/B network set up at FOH with A side switch and processing for the main show. B side is a full back-up to an A/B Cat 5switch that feeds down the fibre net to various sACN nodes.” Appel adds: “We have used ProPlex GBS on massive shows including Kids Choice Awards, Teen Choice and the iHeartRadio Festival in Las Vegas. The switches are very robust and we trust them to ha
