Norway - Second Warehouse, a web-based service that can simplify cross-rental of pro AV gear, has been launched. The platform unites AV suppliers and rental companies in one place where they can organise sub-hire of equipment, make safe payments, arrange transport and trade with minimal or no commission. Stuart Kerrison, founder of Second Warehouse, says: “I know how important cross-rental is and also what a time-wasting drag it can be, because I’ve been the guy spending hours on the phone, calling friends in the hope of finding that one bit of gear I need for a show. Second Warehouse solves those headaches and lost hours, while making sure that your equipment is always out being used and earning you money.” Second Warehouse includes a wealth of features. Users can quickly and simply expand their cross-hire network, get quotes, negotiate prices and organis
The Netherlands - One of the most unusual sound reinforcement applications in Nexo memory has been completed in Holland. The Sauna Theatre Thermen Soesterberg, one of Europe’s top venues for the curious art of Aufguss, has been equipped with Nexo’s super-compact ID Series loudspeakers. How are these robust little cabinets dealing with temperatures of more than 150°F? One of the host venues for the 2017 Aufguss world championship, the Sauna Theatre of Soesterberg can accommodate 150 people. The Aufguss (also called "gettata di vapore" - “Steam blow” in Italy) is a wellness / purification / entertainment ritual which is performed in the sauna, either by an employee of the wellness-centre or by an authorised guest called aufgussmeister (Steam Master). The rite revolves around the centre stove, where attendants pour water mixed with essential oils on the hot ston
Singapore - The Production People (TPP) has recently invested in an Alcons Audio system. TPP services a wide range of events and clients throughout Asia and owner Sheldon Gooi is always looking for equipment which can improve the experience of the company’s clients. Eugene Tay (of Alcons Singapore representative Creator’s Solutions) invited Sheldon to listen to Alcons products at the company’s off-site demo during the ProLight+Sound show in Frankfurt, an experience which left Sheldon very impressed. "The Alcons demo really caught my attention," says Sheldon. "The sound quality was of a higher standard than our existing systems and I saw a brand that is actively pursuing perfection with its designs and technology. Discovering something that could outperform our existing inventory made me want to invest in some Alcons products to push our boundaries further."
UK - Track specialist Triple E has stepped into the breech born of Hall Stage’s demise by supplying Tab Hooks & Twin Hooks to the theatre industry, acquiring the original tooling and improving the hooks’ strength and durability in the process. Triple E brand Tab Hooks & Twin Hooks are compatible with its own runners, existing Hall Stage systems and many other track ranges. The company is currently considering other innovative solutions to fill the void left by Hall Stage. Triple E managing director, David Edelstein, comments: “Customers asked us to take these products on. They’re now British-made, it’s a proven design that lasts and with rebranded tooling we have given the hooks a greater degree of elasticity to withstand inevitable knocks and rough handling.” Launched in 1984, Triple E supplies the entertainment industry with standa
Europe - Kinly, the new brand identity resulting from the merger of visual collaboration specialists Viju and VisionsConnected, celebrated a successful launch at ISE 2018 in Amsterdam. Headquartered in Amsterdam, the combined company today serves corporate and public customers in over 120 countries from established office locations throughout EMEA, the USA and APAC. The new brand’s management team optimizes the expertise and experience of both companies with former Viju CEO, Odd Sverre Østlie taking the helm as Kinly CEO whilst his opposite number at VisionsConnected, founder and CEO Raymond Alves, will be spearheading Kinly’s solutions and services development in his new role as CSO (Chief Solutions Officer). “Our new venture is intensely exciting,” says Odd Sverre Østlie. “The opportunity to create a world-leading global visual collaboration speci
South Korea - The Medals Plaza stage within the Pyeongchang Olympic Plaza is home to cultural performances and video displays of the competition during the day and Olympic medal ceremonies in the evening. The experience is reinforced by EAW Adaptive System provided by Seoul-based Dasan SR. The one-floor Medal Plaza - 1,267sq.m in size - features a wide, domed stage and an audience area wider than it is deep. The challenge was to blanket the outdoor area with clean, high-quality sound while providing the flexibility the different forms of entertainment require. To accomplish this, Dasan SR specified left-right columns of four Anna modules hung above the stage video screens (covered by scrim to match the dome). Scaffolding towers were erected further left and right of the stage for the main PA, which was made up of 20 Anya modules. Two columns of five Anya modules hang
UK - RH Consulting has become an official reseller of Dante Domain Manager. Dante Domain Manager is a new package designed to monitor and secure Dante audio networks for ease of install and management of networked audio systems. RH Consulting founder Roland Hemming says: “Dante Domain Manager is another great tool in our armoury to help integrators provide the best audio networking solution to customers. We are pleased to be able to offer this to our customers and have more exciting audio networking announcements coming soon.” RH Consulting has a DDM demonstration system to show clients the benefits of working with Dante Domain Manager. The Royal Tunbridge Wells-based consultancy also provides network audio planning advice, DDM config, switch set-up, DSP configuration and plugin development. (Jim Evans)
Finland - Green Hippo has appointed Msonic as its distributor for Finland. Effective immediately, Msonic will distribute Green Hippo’s line of scenic video technology throughout the Republic of Finland. Founded in 2012 in Vantaa, Msonic specialises in the import and distribution of premium professional AV and lighting products. James Roth, head of sales and marketing at Green Hippo, says: “I have been aware of the growth of Msonic’s business activities over a number of years and for us, the recent move to their new offices and some changes in the structure of the Finnish market that has meant Johan West can join the team was just too good an opportunity to let go. Bringing together such a fine commercial operation with Msonic, one of the word’s real experts on Hippotizer Media Servers in Johan and our global market-leading brand means that we now have an unbea
Slovenia - Slovenian rental company Intralite has become one of the first companies in the country to invest in MegaPointes, having purchased 12 units from distributor MK Light Sound. In the last 18 months Intralite has also invested in a total of 24 Spiiders as well as MMX WashBeams, all of which have been added to their existing Robe rental stock. The launch of the MegaPointe was great timing for Intralite as Ales was looking for some multi-purpose fixtures to cover the diversity of events they service. He attended the demo staged by MK Light Sound for the new light and placed his order shortly afterwards. “I needed a hybrid that I could use in any location and for any type of event – a wide application fixture is important for smaller markets like Slovenia, (the total population is just over 2 million) and this can be a beam, a spot or a wash, and is al
South Africa - Rental company owners Theo Papenfus from Stage Effects and Marius van Rooyen from Unlimited Events teamed up to purchase 400 Absen D2V 2.9mm panels from DWR Distribution. “Our market is here and it was time,” says Theo. “Marius and I decided on a joint venture to bring in many panels of the same batch bearing in mind that quantity is always a big issue for us.” For the past two years, Theo had his eye on the 3.9mm, a familiar product to the South African market. “We wanted to go through a reputable company, and chose Absen to enable us to have the service DWR typically provides,” says Marius. “It’s a much better option for us as to know we have support locally. In addition, we are able to tap into the base of existing Absen users in South Africa.” Duncan Riley of DWR comments: “The DWR workshop is able to do repairs on th
Plastic Ban - Plastic bottles could be banned from next year's Glastonbury Festival, organiser Emily Eavis has said. Ms Eavis, the daughter of founder Michael Eavis, told Radio 6 Music the ban was "the big project" for 2019. A Glastonbury spokesman confirmed the plans were in the pipeline but said it was "a bit early to put any flesh on the bones" regarding details. He said: "It's a massive thing which everyone at the festival is working on." The festival, held in Pilton, Somerset, since 1970, is having a fallow year in 2018 to allow the ground to recover. It is due to return in 2019. At the NME music awards in London on Tuesday, Ms Eavis told BBC 6 Music: "There's lots going on at the moment. We're working on banning plastic bottles... which is an enormous project and it's taking a lot of time to tackle it with all the different people we work with.” When asked how
UK - Rental production company Neg Earth Lights has added the Chroma-Q Color Force II LED cyc, wash & effects light to its stockholding and is supplying the fixture for a number of high-profile concert tours, live music events and TV shows. Lighting designer Tim Routledge approached Neg Earth looking for a LED washlight for a particular project, and was impressed by the Chroma-Q Color Force II. In recent months, he has utilised the fixture on a variety of projects. These include using nearly 60 Color Force II to powerfully illuminate the entire room as a single surface for a show by a leading British pop artist inside one of The Tanks - huge concrete, circular underground rooms at the Tate Modern measuring over 30m across and 7m high. In addition, Tim has utilised nearly 40 fixtures to provide different floor lighting packages for performers during six shows in th
UK - The Backstage Centre will host open days on 1-2 March, inviting visitors to discover and demo new products from leading professional brands including JTS, FBT, ADJ, Allen & Heath, DuraTruss, Elation Lighting, 5 Star Cases, JTS Microphones and Titan Power. Sat in Purfleet’s High House Production Park 11 miles east of London City Airport, the Backstage Centre has quickly garnered a reputation as one of the UK’s best-equipped production and rehearsal destinations. Taking place within the facility’s sound stage, The Backstage Event will feature demonstrations of a wealth of FBT audio solutions. Rental companies and live engineers will hear why the dual 10” Muse line array, twinned with the Mitus 218SA, has already proven itself in more than 4,000 projects worldwide. Installers will have the chance to test the weather resistance of FBT’s IP55-rated
Hong Kong - Audica has played a key role in the on-going development and testing of a surround-sound solution designed specifically for hospitality, retail and spa treatment rooms. Audica’s specialist speakers have been selected as the reference specification for the Musicstyling COLLABORATE + platform, a new application that provides 4.1 surround-sound from an iOS app. COLLABORATE + is a collaboration between Musicstyling, the specialist supplier of bespoke playlists, and custom content providers, including Tom Middleton. The application allows spas, wellness centres and other businesses within the retail and hospitality sectors to deliver various soundscapes designed to induce optimal physiological, psychological and emotional responses. “Immersive bioharmonic soundscapes from Tom Middleton encourage slow and deep yogic respiration, lowered heart rate and stress
UK - CUK Audio has become ClearOne distributor for the UK and Ireland. Salt Lake City-based ClearOne is a global provider of advanced conferencing, collaboration, network streaming and signage solutions for voice and visual communications. CUK Audio MD Stuart Thomson comments: “CUK Audio’s business has transformed over the last few years as we have put in place a number of initiatives to better serve the market and the brands we represent. Distributors can’t simply content themselves with just supplying products any more - we have to offer solutions, support and advice throughout the duration of the project and beyond. “We have put in place a number of expert, vertical channel managers whose mission is exactly that – to provide effective, well thought-out end-to-end solutions wherever possible from the wide range of brands available in his or her market
UK - DeltaLive has taken delivery of a substantial stock of Riedel’s range of products, which it has immediately added to its hire stock inventory. “We have had a specialist in-house communication department for over 20 years now,” says Delta’s Paul Keating. “As live events communications have grown and clients’ needs and expectations have changed, we have anticipated their requirements and adapted and invested accordingly. Investing in Riedel is part of that process. It’s a great fit for us and we’re really looking forward to supporting both existing and potential Riedel users around the world. “We’re also excited about getting behind the product range on our own projects and to developing our relationship with Riedel. The company is ahead of the technology curve and produces some really interesting and important products for our industry, inclu
USA - The XLNT CyberHoist IITM system by CyberMotion recently finished the US leg of Fall Out Boy’s Mania tour. Sixteen CyberHoist II Intelligent, variable-speed chain hoists and one MotionCue 3D console, plus two hoists spare and one console spare were rented to Fall Out Boy management for the 2017 autumn tour. The hoists were used to float a B and C stage above the crowd with artists on top of them. The B-Stage consisted of a double layer, where the top was raised to reveal a secondary B-Stage with drum set and drummer on top. This bottom, or secondary B-Stage, would then grab onto the video skirt surrounding the B-Stage to lift the whole thing above the crowd. The C-Stage was used as a three-sided iMag screen throughout the show and it landed during the show to create the C-Stage for the lead singer and bassist. This stage then raised over the crowd so the
Canada - The PA Shop Productions recently bolstered its rental inventory with an investment in Adamson Systems Engineering’s E-Series and S-Series loudspeakers. The system saw plenty of action on major tours and music festivals in the latter half of 2017 and now, The PA Shop is ready for a jam-packed 2018, which includes the delivery of Adamson’s Applied Certification training at its headquarters from 26-27 February. “We’d been back-and-forth with Jeremiah Karni, application engineer with Adamson, examining our options and putting several products through their paces in real-world applications,” shares The PA Shop’s vice president and production manager, Kyle Schroeyens. “Needless to say, we were blown away by their performance, but also by the care and service we received from the team at Adamson. That made it even clearer that we’d made the right deci
Japan - A&A Co, Vectorworks distributor in Japan, received a 2018 BCN Award in the CAD software. The BCN Awards, organised by BCN Inc., aims to reward the best-selling vendors throughout the year for PC/digital consumer electronic products. The winners are selected based on the BCN ranking, which is calculated from daily POS data gathered from volume sellers in Japan. A&A received the award for its 37.6 percent Japanese market share. Vectorworks outranked software providers Lilac System (27.3 percent market share) and Photron Limited (20.9 percent market share). Market share is based on statistics accumulated from 2,608 stores of 23 companies providing sales reports to BCN Co. For 19 years, BCN Co. has collected the sales data of major domestic electric appliance mass merchandisers, personal computer specialty shops and net shops in Japan. Based on these
Ireland - Avolites has appointed A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) as its exclusive distributor in Ireland for its range of lighting control and dimming products. AC-ET will be running a series of Avolites product demonstrations, road shows and hands-on training sessions in Ireland. They will also hold stock of core Avolites products ready for immediate despatch from their UK warehouses. Aaron Cripps, AC-ET’s regional sales representative for Ireland, says: “Taking on the exclusive distribution of Avolites' lighting control & dimming solutions in this territory gives us the opportunity to focus further on providing first-class sales, service and support to what is a fantastic range of products. “We’ve recently supplied Avolites consoles to venues such as INEC Killarney and the Cork Opera house, where their versatility and ease of operation means
The Netherlands - At the recent ISE show Work Pro unveiled the first devices to allow extensive app-based control over Bluetooth: updated versions of the company’s PA 100 MX installation amplifier and MD 82 AX auto-mixer. The PA 100 MX is Work Pro’s half-rack, three-input 100W installation amplifier with two-line inputs and one mic input, a built-in feedback destroyer and a switchable low-impedance (4/8Ω) or 70/100V output. As well as adding Bluetooth control, the new PA 200 MX being showcased at ISE doubles the power output of the PA 100 MX to 200W while offering all of the features of the original. The MD 82 AX MkII also retains all the functions of the original auto-mixer (auto-mixing with a selectable Target level and switchable phantom power for up to eight mic channels with full bass, mid and treble EQ, a four-level automatic feedback destroyer function, and
Italy - The Audio Engineering Society has announced the membership of the organising committee for the 144th International AES Convention and Exposition, taking place in Milan, Italy, 23-26 May at the NH Hotel Milano Congress Centre. Embracing this year’s theme - The Power of Sound - the convention will be co-chaired by Alberto Pinto (professor - CESMA, NUCT University, Stanford University) and Nadja Wallaszkovits (chief audio engineer - Phonogrammarchiv, Austrian Academy of Sciences and AES President-Elect), who have assembled a team of leading audio professionals to organize the events and presentations for Europe’s largest professional audio education, networking and gear exhibition of the year. “Throughout their 70-year history,” says Wallaskovits, “AES conventions have gathered the foremost minds in audio to educate and connect with attendees. A
The Netherlands - The largest and busiest Integrated Systems Europe in its 15-year history drew record numbers of exhibitors and attendees from around the world for four days of business, education and networking at the RAI Amsterdam between 6-9 February. The number of exhibitors totalled 1,296, of which 294 were exhibiting at ISE for the first time. Combined, they filled 53,000sq.m of exhibition floor space. Floor space already confirmed for ISE 2019 currently stands at 103% of the total booked for ISE 2018. The number of registered visitors by the end of the show had reached 80,923, an increase of 10.3% on the 2017 edition. Over 30% of the total attendees were visiting ISE for the first time. Mike Blackman, Integrated Systems Events managing director, comments: “It’s been a great show that has delivered on all fronts. I’m delighted to report that visito
New Zealand - New Zealand distributor of professional audio products Jands has announced that the company will continue to support and distribute the Harman Professional Solutions brands in the New Zealand territory. The announcement follows some confusion in the region following the decision by Jands Australia to no longer represent Harman in the Australian territory. Bruce Gray, managing director for Jands NZ, says: “There has always been great synergy with the two companies - indeed, Jands New Zealand was created 30 years ago in partnership with Paul Mulholland of Jands (Pty) Ltd Australia, to sell audio products in the New Zealand market. However, that partnership was dissolved 28 years ago, whilst the Jands name was retained.” Since then Jands NZ has built a legacy in New Zealand, becoming specialists in sound system design, supplying leading audio bran
