USA - To better serve its customers in the New York City and New Jersey area, Renkus-Heinz has announced manufacturers’ representative Audio Associates will be taking over the key territory. Audio Associates has been a leading manufacturers’ representative firm in the AV, professional audio, system integration, sports and government market sectors since its founding in 1981. Audio Associates has been representing Renkus-Heinz in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, including Washington D.C., Maryland, Eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, and Virginia, since 2020. “After being a part of Renkus-Heinz’s success over the past two years in the Mid-Atlantic, I believe we are well positioned to take on the New York Metro territory,” said Joe Blacker, owner of Audio Associates. “We have always enjoyed our established relationships within the consulta
Europe - The AG08 is a new all-in-one, multi-purpose live streaming mixer and audio interface from Yamaha. As the flagship model of the company’s second generation AG series, it combines all the essential functionality of the AG range with practical new, intuitive functions for a powerful streaming solution. By integrating more flexible I/O and USB routing options, additional DSP effects, expanded functionality and improved internal circuitry, the AG08 supports an impressive depth of streaming applications, including speech, instrument, playback, gaming and ASMR, as well as offline audio content creation, all with class-leading sound quality. But while it’s packed with useful features, the AG08 is very flexible and simple to use. Eight input channels are provided, all with assignable faders and mute switches for instant, hands-on control of sound levels. A range o
Italy -Two events - Legend 375 and Christmas Night - staged at the Coccia Theatre in Novara marked the Italian debut of the Adamson Fletcher Machine the immersive audio processor designed and created by Adamson. On stage was the musical project written by Claudio Mazzucchelli - co-founder of the orchestra and director of the two shows - and interpreted by the 50-piece CM Orchestra Rhythms & Drums directed by Maestro Andrea Pollione. A story in music, through which the director wanted to relive the soundtrack of his life, together with the audience, where everyone can recognize passages of their own. An exciting choral play of sound, light, and color designed to immerse and excite. Claudio Mazzucchelli, artistic director and concert technician said, “With the CM Orchestra we looked for an audio system that was capable of interpreting the skill
Iceland - Known for their ethereal sound, frontman Jónsi's falsetto vocals sung in Icelandic and non-linguistic vocalisations, as well as their use of bowed guitar, Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós have recently completed their first world tour in nearly five years, delivering 70 shows across 28 countries. The band’s monitor engineer, Throstur Albertsson, deployed KLANG’s immersive in-ear monitor mixing solution, using a DMI-KLANG card-equipped DiGiCo SD12 96 digital mixing console, supplied by new UK pro-audio equipment rental and support provider, 22live. Albertsson was recommended to Sigur Rós in mid-2021, as they were starting to plan their 2022 tour. “As the tour was going out for many months, I had a few meetings with the band to make sure the fit would be a good one, both for them and me,” recalls Albertsson. “At the time, my mixing abilities wer
Spain - DirectOut has added a new module to the Prodigy Series: the MADI2.SFP.IO. The new module comes with the housing and form factor of the Prodigy Audio Network modules and hosts two SFP cages that can be equipped with Optical or Coaxial MADI SFP transceivers. Each port on the module supports 64 audio channels expanding the MADI capabilities of both Prodigy.MP and Prodigy.MC mainframes to respectively 384 and 256 MADI channels when operating at 1FS. MADI2.SFP.IO also offers the possibility to perform HD SRC on MADI, a feature which was already available for Dante, Ravenna/AES67 and SoundGrid, and which provides an alternative to the FastSRCTM. It is equipped with FPGA-based state-of-the-art sample rate conversion which enables asynchronous operation between the module and the Prodigy mainframe, independently from the configured reference clock of the device
Spain - Sennheiser will unveil the newest addition to the TeamConnect family, amongst other new products and features Sennheiser’s ISE 2023 stand will once again feature two live demonstration rooms. In one room, the newest TeamConnect Family member will be demonstrated for the first time publicly. Visitors will have the opportunity to see its sleek design, while experiencing the trusted audio quality one has come to expect from Sennheiser. The other demo room will feature the multiple award-winning and readily available TeamConnect Ceiling 2 (TCC 2), where it will again showcase its beamforming tracking capability with Sennheiser partner Q-SYS’ cameras. The TCC 2 demo will replicate a real-world meeting environment, allowing visitors the opportunity to experience the audibly superior ceiling microphone already trusted by thousands of our customers around the world
UK - DiGiCo has announced the appointment of James Baker as senior international sales manager, and long-standing DiGiCo team members Jaap Pronk and Tom Williams from their present roles to international sales managers. Baker previously served as a business development manager and international sales manager. “I wanted a new challenge where I could leverage everything I’ve learned over the years,” he explains. “I’m looking forward to making a longstanding contribution to DiGiCo, bringing my flair for communication and relationship building to my new position and to being part of the amazing pool of talent the company already embodies.” Pronk and Williams, meanwhile, are familiar DiGiCo faces and have been part of the DiGiCo family for many years. Both are well known for their expertise, reliability and excellent customer-facing skills. Pronk’s assoc
USA - Nestled in a wooded setting just north of Chicago, Philharmonic Studios is a new, full-service recording studio that offers five-star, private experiences. This upscale, multi-room facility was built from the ground up, intending to meet the highest technical standards and set new benchmarks in design and performance. The facility has hosted many diverse clients and provides a unique, concierge-level experience to projects, such as solo piano, brass, strings and choral ensembles. To complement the facility’s esteemed recording spaces, Philharmonic Studios relies on multiple vocal and instrument mics from DPA Microphones for ‘pristine audio and excellent transient response’. “I am relatively new to DPA,” says Philharmonic Studios owner and recording engineer Greg Miner, “but I immediately recognised that the company has elegant and practical solutions
Serbia - As the frontman and founder of the band Balkanopolis, Slobodan Trkulja has collaborated and performed with renowned jazz and symphonic orchestras including the Grammy Award winning Metropole Orchestra from Holland, Belgrade Philharmonic, Jazz Orchestra of Concertgebouw, and Eddy Martinez Latin Big Band, as well as artists like Mariza (Portugal), Oleta Adams (USA), and Babba Maal (Senegal), to name just a few. DiGiCo’s authorised distributor in Serbia, AVL Projekt, created the sound system comprising of DiGiCo SD11 and SD12 consoles and a KLANG:fabrik immersive in-ear monitor system, empowering Slobodan Trkulja & Balkanopolis to deliver the sound for the band’s sonorous and emotional performances. Trkulja can play up to 20 instruments including clarinet, bagpipes, kaval, acoustic guitar, flute, Cretan lyre and Cretan lute, various types of tambourines,
USA - Renkus-Heinz has announced the appointment of test engineer Joel Enkhorn. Enkhorn joins Renkus-Heinz with an extensive and impressive work history. Most recently, he worked for SpaceX in the Space Simulation Lab where he was a part of Avionics flight hardware and software testing. Enkhorn performed root cause analysis on failure modes and product defects utilizing Python scripting and hardware measurements. Before his employment at SpaceX, Enkhorn gained experience acquiring, deploying and diagnosing issues with hardware and software across various platforms at Western Digital as a Cloud Server Quality Assurance Engineer. Here, Enkhorn worked to develop and troubleshoot automation scripts to assist with flashing product firmware. “As a guitar nerd, I grew up with a love for music and the live audio atmosphere. It was an easy decision to be able to combin
UK - STS Touring Productions has chosen Van Damme as a key partner to help deliver the many live music and sporting events it has become known for. Founded 25 years ago, STS Touring has long provided complete technical and logistical solutions to large-scale live and entertainment events. Its bread and butter is backline – essentially all the necessary gear, including guitars bass and keyboard amplifiers, drums, microphone stands and cables. Portfolio clients include Midge Ure, Mott The Hoople, Frankie Vallie, plus many world class sporting events and major music festivals. With a constantly full diary of challenging and high-profile projects, STS Touring needs to ensure that every element of its kit will stand up to rigorous use. Will Hurn, senior audio systems engineer at STS Touring, commented: “Van Damme is a key part of our offering because its cables
UK - Bradford-based Pro Audio Systems has announced the recruitment of Martin Bailey to the post of projects director. Martin has enjoyed an international career that has encompassed every aspect of project and production management, system design engineering and integration. From apprentice scenic painter at Bristol Old Vic, to live and studio freelancer, Martin graduated in 3D Design (Theatre) from Wimbledon School of Art. Further stints as a sound engineer at Good Earth and Sound Design studios in London (and regular work as theatre technician in the West End) preceded a move into the live sound arena working for a diverse range of artists including Motörhead, Fela Kuti, Nick Cave and Squeeze. Leaving the road to take up the Technical Manager’s position at Phoenix Arts Centre in Leicester, Martin enjoyed a seven-year tenure, with responsibility for an extensive
Spain - Genelec will be further expanding its Smart IP family of networked loudspeaker systems at ISE with the introduction of the 4435A in-ceiling and 4436A pendant models. The two new additions join the existing 4410, 4420 and 4430 on-wall Smart IP models to provide an even wider range of loudspeaker solutions – packing all the convenience, ease of installation and scalability of Smart IP’s single-cable networked technology into two popular new form factors. Originally launched in 2019, the Smart IP loudspeaker range provides flexible power, audio and management features via a standard CAT cable. All models can be freely combined on a network, and are compatible with both Dante and AES67 streams, deriving power via PoE or PoE+ Power-over-Ethernet formats. As well as receiving both power and audio-over-IP, the 4435A and 4436A both feature a rear panel RJ45 connect
Europe - Clear-Com has announced the appointment of Richard Palmer to the role of sales director for the EMEA region, following the retirement of Nicki Fisher. Richard’s prior experience includes over 10 years at Clear-Com, managing sales for Southern Europe and Africa, as well as several roles in sales for other leading industry manufacturers, including Audio-Technica and Solid State Logic. In his early career he spent time as a lecturer of music technology at various institutions, as well as serving as a recording engineer for CTS Studios. Chris Willis, senior VP of worldwide sales, comments, “Richard’s deep understanding of the audio industry and his track record of growing even well-established channels made him a natural choice for this critical role, further strengthened by his strong interpersonal skills and wicked sense of humour.” Richard’s ap
Spain - ISE 2023 is set to be a busy show for the Merging Technologies team, who will be demonstrating their extensive portfolio of audio solutions with a wide range of use cases including visitor attractions and events. Highlights to look out for at this year’s trade show include updated integration with SPAT Revolution, an immersive audio rendering software from FLUX:: Immersive. Developed at the French audio institute IRCAM, this real-time immersive audio mix engine follows decades of research. SPAT Revolution is designed to integrate into virtually any workflow and with full automation of the spatialization parameters. SPAT Revolution offers a wide range of possibilities, empowering artists, sound designers and sound engineers with virtually unlimited possibilities to design, create and mix an outstandingly immersive experience. New offerings from Merging Technol
Spain - KGEAR by K-array has reinforced its GF family of ultra-compact column loudspeakers with the addition of two new models: GF42 (4 x 2") and GF162 (16 x 2"). Also highlighted at the show is the GM44 analogue audio matrix for straightforward multi-zone audio distribution. Both models feature the same 2-inch drivers deployed in the existing GF22 and GF82, plus the same robust build quality and flawless sound characteristics, while offering different throw and dispersion angle options. Taking the versatility of the range a step further KGEAR has announced the release of active versions of three models (GF22A, GF42A, GF82A) featuring a built-in amplifier with auto ON-OFF and the possibility to drive a passive speaker, plus 70/100V versions (GF42T, GF82T, GF162T) for large scale loudspeaker deployments. The whole line (including GF82 and GF22) comes with a totall
UAE - The UAE’s National Day celebrations are always delivered on an impressively large scale and 2022 did not disappoint. The high-profile event staged in a purpose-built 100m long enclosed arena with seating along both sides, took the audience on a generational journey of the UAE’s inspiring pioneers. Viewers were transported from sea to space through the media of stunning projection-mapped visuals, supported by transformational spatial audio effects delivered by TiMax SoundHub, the trusted spatial audio engine for precision-positioning of complex and dynamic audioscapes. TiMax SoundHub spatial processing was specified by event sound designer Scott Willsallen for its ability to control and place the show’s many diverse audio sources, which included live orchestra, music playback as well as spatialised soundfield effect elements, to support the action provided by proje
UK - George Ezra completed his third album Gold Rush Kid in July last year, swiftly followed by a UK arena tour from September to November. DiGiCo Quantum 338 consoles took up both the front of house and monitor positions, offering monitor engineer Oliver Weeks and FOH Mike Timm a user-friendly interface, complete channel freedom and faster processing speeds. Both Weeks and Timm have worked with the singer for a number of years, with Timm joining in 2015, halfway through Ezra’s first album campaign, and Weeks mixing monitors since early 2018, around the start of Staying at Tamara’s, Ezra’s second studio album. Previously using an SD10 on monitors and SD12-96 at FOH, the setup worked well until Timm started running short of channels. Both he and Weeks knew they would need to up the ante for the new album campaign. “This new album cycle was t
Germany - Following the realignment of the company with a focus on the professional audio business, the Sennheiser Group is entering 2023 with a newly formed management team. The audio specialist’s new executive management board includes representatives from the three business units Pro Audio, Business Communication and Neumann, as well as Supply Chain, Corporate Functions and Development. Together with Co-CEOs Daniel and Andreas Sennheiser, the board members will implement the strategic goals of the Sennheiser Group. As of 1 January 2023, the operational business of the Sennheiser Group will be managed by a team of six: Greg Beebe (executive vice president professional audio), Ron Holtdijk (executive vice president business communication), Ralf Oehl (CEO Georg Neumann GmbH), Steffen Heise (CFO), Dr. Andreas Fischer (COO) and Markus Redelstab (CTO). Peter Claussen and Thom
UK - Audio-Technica has announced a new distribution agreement with Massachusetts-based RF Venue, which will see the company represent the wireless essentials brand across EMEA from 31 January 2023. Offering a wide variety of wireless mic and IEM antenna, combiner and band-pass filter products, RF Venue is relied on for everything from HOW and fixed installations to touring and other event applications, with a reputation built on more than 10 000 projects since its inception in 2011. Alexandra Bischof, Audio-Technica marketing manager EMEA commercial audio said, “We’re delighted to be representing RF Venue throughout EMEA – the company’s portfolio allows us to offer customers an increasing range of wireless solutions alongside our own systems. Their track record of delivering excellent value, efficient problem-solving technology is a great fit for Audio-Technic
UK - Martin Audio has announced its partnership with the recently-formed 22live pro-audio service provider. In so doing it reunites the company with hire director, Paul Timmins - part of an experienced team that also includes MD Spencer Beard and commercial director, Alex Penn. They are joined by technical director, Simon Gladstone, operations director, Stefan Phillips and finance director, Ian Bidmead. Driven by Timmins, who has enjoyed a long relationship with Martin Audio, the company has confirmed a large investment in Martin Audio’s advanced control and array technology. This enabled them to make an immediate impact in 2022, supporting the Sigur Rós global tour with the manufacturer’s Wavefront Precision system and Torus scaled for arenas, and the Australian Pink Floyd Show UK, with Wavefront Precision and Torus scaled for theatres up to small arenas. Both ba
UK - HH Electronics has announced the launch of TNi WPRO Installation Loudspeakers. There are two versions available - the 12-inch TNi-W12PRO and 8-inch TNi-W8PRO. Suitable for a wide range of small to medium sized applications, both models are available in black or white, and have rotatable waveguides for vertical or horizontal dispersion with 90° x 60° coverage, to enable precise control of sound field. The TNi-W12PRO features a 12-inch high-power HH low frequency driver with 2.5-inch voice coil, and a 1.4-inch Celestion CDX1-1445 high frequency driver, while its smaller counterpart features an 8-inch high power HH low frequency driver with 2-inch voice coil, and a 1-inch Celestion CDX1-1070 high frequency driver. TNi-WPRO are all-wood enclosures with a hard-wearing finish that offer versatile input connection options via either M4 barrier strip or Euroblock. Mount
Italy - Located in the heart of ancient Rome, within the historic Palazzo Roccagiovine, FOROF is an exhibition space which combines the archaeology of the ancient city with contemporary art. The venue is right in front of Trajan’s Column and is a two-level space which features subterranean rooms that allow visual access to coloured marbles and the flooring of the Basilica Ulpia, in addition to the remains of the eastern apse. It was created by, and is managed by, Giovanna Caruso Fendi and its inaugural exhibition (Lovotic) took place in the first half of 2022. Lovotic illustrates the blending of human and machine, with narrative voices intersecting and being reprocessed by an algorithm, resulting in a composite and unprecedented language somewhere between human and robotic. The event relied on an immersive sound installation created by New York based Soundwalk Collective
Spain - DiGiCo and KLANG return to Barcelona for ISE 2023 to give visitors another opportunity to experience the power of DiGiCo’s Quantum range of consoles, its 4REA4 installation system and KLANG’s innovative immersive in-ear mixing systems. The DiGiCo Quantum 7 features 600 channels of processing in 96kHz operation, eight assignable MADI connections and two DMI slots (DiGiCo Multi-Channel Interface) for AoIP along with other connectivity options from the complete family of DMI card options. Other powerful enhancements include Nodal Processing and True Solo. The Quantum 338 provides power and connectivity in a remarkably compact format. It includes 128 input channels with 64 busses and a 24 x 24 matrix, all with full channel processing. There is a new look and feel dark mode application and three 17-inch, 1000 nit high brightness multitouch screens, allowing both
