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25 February 2025

South Africa - For three weeks in November, Time Square’s 8,500-capacity SunBet Arena in Pretoria is home to Afrikaans is Groot, a series of performances devoted to Afrikaans music and culture. 2023 was the first outing with DiGiCo Quantum consoles and in 2024 the audio team increased their capacity with a Quantum 338 and Quantum 326 Pulse at Front of House and Quantum 338 at the monitor position.

The 2024 edition was Afrikaans is Groot’s biggest year yet, boasting nine shows over two weekends, with over 70,000 people enjoying the experience. Kyle Freemantle is head of audio for the production and has overseen the growth over the last decade. He offers his insight into why DiGiCo continues to be Afrikaans is Groot’s console of choice.

“DiGiCo consoles are at the top of my list because of their flexibility regarding Optocore

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24 February 2025

UK - Dear Evan Hansen brought an aesthetic focus on social anxiety to Broadway and West End stages, vividly and musically. In doing so, the theatrical production received considerable critical acclaim, nominated for nine Tony Awards and winning six.

The arrival of Fourier Audio’s transform.engine, and especially its recent v1.2 software enhancement, which adds features like Cuelists that can snapshot the entire state of all currently loaded plugins and MIDI control to fire Cues, has played a key role.

“Finally, a proper bona fide solution to plugins on a DiGiCo console,” says Tom Marshall, the sound designer for the current UK touring edition of Dear Evan Hansen, now in the midst of its 29-city run. “I put the transform.engine on my list as soon as I knew it was out there and working and as soon as I knew that the v1.2 updat

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24 February 2025

Canada - SFM has announced an improved comprehensive range of professional services designed to empower channel partners with the best AV solutions, under the new Plus branding.

SFM, which is now part of the international AV distribution operator Midwich Group, was instrumental in the initial development of the Plus global professional services offering.

Plus offers a range of services tailored to meet the different needs of each project.

“The launch of Plus is a significant step in our commitment to supporting our channel partners consistently across the globe. With SFM’s unique expertise, we're able to offer a level of support and services that truly sets us apart in the market,” says Randal Tucker, CEO and president at SFM.

“Whether it's a complex stadium project or a streamlined meeting room setup, Plus ensures our partner

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24 February 2025

Philippines - ARX Systems has announced the appointment of Manila-based Yupangco Electronics Corporation as its distributor for the Philippines.

ARX managing director Colin Park says: "The YEC Team has expressed their excitement about introducing our USB DI Series of interfaces, MSX series of signal distribution products, and AudioBox series of audio toolbox essentials to their pro audio, installation, and broadcast clients and market players in the Philippines industry.

"YEC are one of the leading music, professional audio and related products companies in the Philippines where their customer and brand support is renowned.”

In addition to ARX, YEC represents a variety of leading brands, including Harman Professional Solutions.

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24 February 2025

UK - Fabric London has unveiled the long-anticipated update to its Room 1 Bodykinetic dancefloor, marking the final stage of its Room 1 sound system renovation project. Completing a renovation that began in 2024 as part of the club’s extensive fabric25 celebrations, the all-new Bodykinetic dancefloor – the first upgrade to the floor since Fabric opened in 1999 – features 36 units of Powersoft’s moving-magnet transducer, Mover, reimagining how audiences connect with sound and vibration.

“The original sound design for Room 1 featured a groundbreaking and advanced dance floor, incorporating Bodysonic transducers. These transducers resonated the floor with silent subharmonics that travelled through the body,” recalls Matt Smith, technical manager for Fabric London.

“Combined with a quadraphonic speaker setup and impeccable audio pr

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24 February 2025

USA - Alto Professional has announced the launch of the TX4 Series of powered loudspeakers and subwoofers. Engineered for reliability, power, and simplicity, the TX4 Series is purpose-built to meet the diverse needs of live sound professionals, musicians, DJs, and business owners alike. The series is designed for a variety of applications, including weddings, restaurants, gyms, DJ booths, rehearsal spaces, and small-to-medium venue setups. Each model in the series is precision-tuned in the USA, providing consistent performance in any environment, says Alto.

“The TX4 Series is the culmination of Alto Professional’s commitment to creating reliable, high-quality audio solutions for professionals at every level,” said John Boudreau, director of product management at Alto Professional. “Whether it’s a mobile DJ set, a gig or rehearsal, or a restaurant i

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21 February 2025

Italy - Powersoft has announced the signing of a binding investment agreement to acquire from H.P. Sound Equipment 51% of the share capital of K-array. The agreement also envisages the mutual granting of call and put options in favour of Powersoft and HP Sound, respectively, on the remaining 49% of K-array’s share capital. The closing of the transaction is, to date, expected by March 2025.

Luca Lastrucci, CEO of Powersoft comments: "We are excited to announce this acquisition, a significant strategic step for our company and the professional audio market. This transaction arises from a successful partnership between two companies that have been collaborating for many years now, with a strong territorial proximity and sharing a creative and innovative spirit, both convinced of the potential to create important product and technological synergies.

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21 February 2025

Poland - Renkus-Heinz has announced a new distribution partnership with Aplauz Audio, a well-established Polish distributor.

Founded in 2003, Aplauz Audio has built a reputation as a trusted distributor of premium audio solutions. The company initially started with audio and video cabling and high-quality connectors, but over the years, Aplauz has grown into a key player in the Polish audio market, offering solutions from renowned manufacturers such as Sennheiser, Neumann, Merging Technologies and more. 

“Renkus-Heinz is a well-known and recognised brand, producing high-quality products,” says Grzegorz Fotek, president and managing director of Aplauz Audio. “When choosing brands and products for the Polish market, we prioritise quality. Renkus-Heinz fits perfectly into our portfolio and complements our other brands.

“With Renkus-Hein

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21 February 2025

USA - Sennheiser was the choice for several winners and nominees at the Grammy Awards, while the Sennheiser Group pledged commitment to the music industry by supporting the Recording Academy to bolster MusiCares’ Los Angeles fire relief efforts.

The night featured performances by The Weeknd, Shakira, Lady Gaga, Janelle Monáe, Cynthia Erivo, and Shaboozey – whose teams all chose Sennheiser and Neumann to amplify their voices, including Sennheiser’s Digital 6000 wireless system.

The ceremony looked very different this year as it was reworked to shift the focus towards the devastating situation in Los Angeles and raise funds to support those impacted by the unprecedented fires across the city that so many artists and creatives call home.

Throughout the Grammy weekend broadcasts, the Recording Academy raised over $24m for fire relief effor

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21 February 2025

USA - LEA Professional has announced its partnership with Thousand Oaks-based manufacturer’s representative, AV Partners. This partnership brings LEA’s technology catalogue to Southern California residential market customers.

This partnership will enable AV Partners to offer LEA Professional’s award-winning Network Connect series of professional amplifiers and companion Dante Connect series featuring Dante and AES67 connectivity. These series allow integrators to utilise cloud-based remote control, monitoring, notifications, and more from any internet-enabled device, allowing them to stay connected anywhere in the world.

"We always aim to offer our customers a full and complete experience when they work with us. As part of that package, LEA Professional has the ability to enhance their AV experiences,” said Eric Leicht, president of AV Partne

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21 February 2025

Cambodia - With the new partnership between LD Systems and Kfour Group Co, the Anny 10 mobile Bluetooth PA speaker with integrated battery and mixer is now available from the retailer. In addition to the Anny 10, Kfour's portfolio also includes the LD Systems Maui, Stinger, Icoa and Curv 500 series.

"LD Systems has been one of the leading pro audio brands in Cambodia for over 10 years," says Bunarong Kit, executive director of Kfour Group. "With the column speakers, we have broken new ground and created previously non-existent demand. The Anny series will also perfectly meet the growing demands of our customers and offer innovative solutions."

Markus Jahnel, COO of Adam Hall Group, adds: "We are delighted to further expand our collaboration with Kfour Group. Kfour is an experienced and trustworthy specialist retail partner that can optimally address

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21 February 2025

USA - When British electronic music composer and producer, Tipper, played his first theatre events since before the pandemic at the Orion Amphitheatre in Huntsville Alabama, Philadelphia’s One-Source Productions provided the audio for the shows. Owner and CEO Joe Adkins deployed a Funktion-One system comprising 20 x Funktion-One Vero for mains, 12 x F124 and 12 x F221 subwoofers, and Funktion-One Evo for in-fills and out-fills.

One-Source Productions has been delivering sound for Tipper for almost decade, having first worked together at a small show in Boston. A mutual commitment to precise and clear audio quality has driven the relationship ever since.

One-Source powered the Funktion-One Vero at the Orion shows with amplifiers by UK manufacturer XTA, pairing the company’s DPA and DNA series amplifiers with the Vero system for the first time. Joe

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20 February 2025

Poland - In a bold fusion of cultural heritage and cutting-edge technology, the renowned Mazowsze National Folk Song and Dance Ensemble has transformed its 600-seat concert hall into a fully immersive 360-degree performance space, Poland’s first to combine L-ISA technology with L-Acoustics’ newest L Series progressive ultra-dense line array loudspeakers.

The transformation, themed ‘New Sound of Tradition’, centres on the installation of an L-Acoustics L-ISA Immersive Hyperreal Sound system - a sophisticated solution that surrounds audiences with sound from every direction, including overhead, creating an unprecedented three-dimensional acoustic experience that brings Poland's rich musical traditions to life with extraordinary clarity and depth.

Founded in 1949 and celebrated globally as an ambassador for Polish culture, Mazowsze has consisten

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20 February 2025

USA - The Snohomish people have inhabited the Port Gardner Peninsula for thousands of years, but the city of Everett, Wash., was not founded on it until 1893. While many of its 110,000 residents commute daily 25 miles south to Seattle, Everett itself is a burgeoning community that opened a small airport in 2019 and is home to a large Boeing manufacturing facility, as well as the 10,000-seat Angel of the Winds Arena.

Opened in 2003, Angel of the Winds Arena houses three venues that host sporting events (especially hockey games), trade shows, music concerts, school functions, and a variety of other programs. From its opening, the audio system in Angel of the Winds Arena has been built around JBL Professional loudspeakers, but after 20 years the original system was aging and dirty and no longer met the needs of the venue’s event schedule.

“We just d

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20 February 2025

Saudi Arabia - Riyadh is home to the biggest outdoor festival in the Middle East - SoundStorm.

Created by entertainment company MDLBeast, in December 2024, the event welcomed over 450,000 fans and 200 international artists - including Clair Global touring clients Eminem, Muse and Linkin Park as headliners, boasting an eclectic mix of genres.

Clair Global's contribution required coordination from multiple warehouses across four time zones, utilizing 150 worldwide crew from group partners Eighth Day Sound, ATK and AudioRent Clair. The audio team was led by Clair KSA regional manager Stuart Wright, and Eighth Day Sound's Owen Orzack, while Ethan Quint and Carlos Elizondo from the Clair Data Services team, led the IT, comms, and radio deployments for the entirety of the production site.

Reflecting on the festival’s most ambitious event yet, Stu

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20 February 2025

France - Le Collectif La Bringue’s recent Kick-Start My Heart event was not only its biggest party of the year, but also its largest to date. Featuring a wealth of DJ talent, including Aykan, Cassie Raptor, Cera Khin, Øtta, Slam, and Somewhen, the French techno collective’s end-of-year celebration welcomed 6,000 guests to Parc des Expositions d'Angers in western France.

Kick-Start My Heart was produced by La Bringue, with support and supervision from 99dB. Combeuil Audio was chosen to handle the sound design, delivering its largest Funktion-One deployment to date and the biggest sound system La Bringue has ever had at one of its events.

“We have relied on Funktion-One systems since the beginning,” says 99dB’s Arnaud Bouillon. “The brand perfectly aligns with the style of music we play. Its reputation in electronic music

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20 February 2025

UK - Marquee AV has partnered with Davys to deliver a high-quality, multizone sound system for Vintners Lanes, a new boutique bowling alley in Greenwich.

Housed within a former Victorian brewery, now owned and utilised by Davy's of London as part of their wine merchants' operations, Vintners Lanes retains many original features, blending industrial chic décor with grand period furniture and vintage timber wine barrels. The venue features six bowling lanes and plans to offer a range of additional entertainment, including live music, cocktail-making classes, and private event hire.

Vintners Lanes approached Marquee AV to provide a high-performing sound system to enhance the vibrant atmosphere, support various events, and manage the noise from the bowling lanes.

Marquee AV's special projects team led the audio installation, selecting a range of

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20 February 2025

USA - For the fourth consecutive year, ProductionOne was selected as the AV provider for the ESPN-televised AutoZone Liberty Bowl Halftime Show in Miami Beach. Leveraging the power of the dBTechnologies VIO line array, featuring L1610 arrays and S218 subwoofers, the team sound quality and performance to thousands of fans in attendance.

ProductionOne is recognised for its ability to deliver seamless audio experiences in challenging environments. This year, the company introduced their newly acquired VIO system, which provided quality audio throughout the pre-game ceremonies and halftime entertainment.

To optimise sound coverage and efficiency, ProductionOne configured the VIO system on six custom carts, each featuring L1610 three-way tops stacked over S218 subwoofers. These mobile systems were rolled onto the field for the national anthem and

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20 February 2025

Canada - Adamson has announced the release of the FletcherMachine V2.3. This update introduces several new features and improvements to enhance the user experience and expand its capabilities. This update includes remote software, engine firmware, Virtual software and Plug-In.

Key Features and Improvements in V2.3 include improved network connectivity, particularly on computers with multiple network adapters. With User-Selectable Initial Sync Direction, users can now choose the direction of initial sync between the remote and engine. Preferences from previous remote versions can be imported seamlessly.

The FletcherMachine is recognised for its simple and efficient sound spatialisation tools, offering versatility across various loudspeaker setups from frontal to complex 3D surround applications. It is designed for small or large-scale venues, touring,

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19 February 2025

UK - PLASA Focus Leeds returns to the Royal Armouries on 13-14 May 2025, bringing together the latest innovations and the brightest minds in live events, installation, and entertainment technology. The show will celebrate the people behind the industry, providing a unique platform for learning, networking, and hands-on exploration of cutting-edge technology.

With over 175 leading brands spanning audio, AV, lighting, rigging, and staging, the show floor will be brimming with groundbreaking technology and industry-first launches. Attendees can get hands-on with the latest products, connect directly with brand specialists, and build lasting relationships with industry peers.

Lighting professionals can explore leading brands including headline sponsor Ambersphere, alongside Avolites, ChamSys, Chauvet Europe, Entedi, ETC, GLP UK, Prolight, Robe UK, TMB, a

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19 February 2025

USA - RF spectrum is the lifeblood of all wireless communication systems like TV broadcasting, mobile networks, satellite systems, and wireless microphones. These wireless communication systems are all competing for this scarce vital resource. 

Shure Incorporated is forming the Wireless Microphone Spectrum Alliance (WMSA), a coalition of stakeholders who are committed to ensuring access to RF spectrum for wireless microphones. This alliance will include end users, content creators, live production service providers, equipment manufacturers and other stakeholders.

The goal of this alliance is to advocate for access to the RF spectrum that allows events to operate using wireless microphones. Whether it is on a global stage or a community platform, the importance of preserving spectrum is vital for many reasons. Diverse industries rely on spectrum to s

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19 February 2025

China - Audinate Group and Beijing Film Academy (BFA) have announced that they have signed a memorandum of understanding to integrate Dante Certified Training into the curriculum of BFA’s Sound School department.

As part of the agreement, the two organisations established a Dante Certified Training Centre at the BFA campus to expand education of IP-based audio and video systems and applications. Through the Dante Training Centre, the Chinese film industry will offer a comprehensive series of training opportunities for Dante AVoIP technology and cloud-based applications to expand students’ knowledge and prepare them for future career opportunities.

The BFA is the largest film academy in Asia and China’s premiere educational film production academy. Founded in 1950, BFA developed a multilevel, multidisciplinary cultivation system that embraces th

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19 February 2025

Germany - A HK Audio Cosmo line array system was called into action to support performances on the main stage at the annual Winterleuchten Oelde. The solution for the event was provided by local rental partner MA Holtewert Eventconcept and designed to cover the large audience area in the town’s main square.

Located in the North Rhine-Westphalia region in the west of Germany, Oelde is a small town with a long history. It holds an annual winter lights festival designed to bring locals and tourists alike into the town centre to shop and be entertained. The focal point for this is the town square where the main stage hosts a variety of performances from choral singers to magicians.

The most recent event was headlined by Dutch rock band Enorm, meaning the stage PA needed to deliver high SPLs in a controlled manner.

The main stage for the festiva

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19 February 2025

Hungary - Vibe, a newly opened Budapest nightclub from the Costes Group, offers dining, cocktails and music.

Resident DJs from the Hungarian capital and South America combine with Colombian dancers, artists and even circus performers to create a carnival atmosphere, all powered by a Nexo sound system designed and installed by local lighting and sound specialists Lisys-Project Kft.

The most spectacular elements of a visually exciting venue include trees made of columns, in the branches of which the Lisys-Project team has built LED strips controlled via the DMX control network.

“In addition to the Yamaha DM3 mixer, the Pioneer CD-3000 DJ multiplayers, the Pioneer DJM-A9 digital mixer and the Shure and Sennheiser microphones, the Vibe sound system is based on products from Nexo,” reports Péter Tatarek of Lisys-Project. “The seven P10 full