USA - The annual Red Wing Roots Music Festival in Mt. Solon, VA’s Natural Chimneys Park, offers the best of roots, bluegrass and string band music from Virginia and beyond. Martin Audio rental partners, Southard Audio, have been providing audio services at this five-stage event since it began in 2013 (providing technical support for the four stages). The festival, which is attended by around 4,500 people, is a collaboration between Black Bear Productions LLC and The Steel Wheels - the latter a nationally touring band, who perform throughout the US, with many of the members living nearby in the Shenandoah Valley. Southard Audio have a long relationship with Martin Audio systems, and business partner, Jason Misterka, was in no doubts why he wanted to redeploy the large, scalable Wavefront Precision line array system that had proved such a success last year. “When we
UK - Part of University College London (UCL), The Bloomsbury Theatre works with students and researchers to ‘bring ground-breaking discoveries to the stage’. In 2018, 50 years after its first performance, the landmark Brutalist building reopened its doors following a major renovation project to update its main auditorium which now boasts more than 500 luxurious seats. The final part of the renovation was the installation and commissioning of a significant EM Acoustics HALO-C PA system by theatre specialists, Autograph Sound. Autograph’s Adam Broom explains: “There’s a bit of a back story here given that we in fact supplied the system before the renovation. As it made no sense to replace a system that had only just been replaced, it went into storage. Julian Brooks was appointed technical manager of The Bloomsbury in 2019 and he soon realised that the system n
USA - To provide quality sound for the high-profile 2021 Billboard Music Awards, ATK Audiotek recently deployed a range of Harman Professional sound reinforcement solutions for indoor and outdoor stages at the Microsoft Theatre in Hollywood. Since 1990, the Billboard Music Awards show (BBMAs) has honoured the music industry’s highest-charting artists, with this year featuring live performances by the Weeknd, Doja Cat, P!nk and Twenty One Pilots among many others. Following an audience-free ceremony in 2020, this year’s BBMAs welcomed a crowd of more than 500 in the plaza outside of the Microsoft Theatre - one of the largest awards show audiences of the year thus far. Musical acts performed on a stage in front of the crowd, while nominees sat by the main awards stage nearby. Additionally, several performances took place inside the theatre. Dick Clark Producti
UK - The programme for PLASA Show 2021 has been unveiled, bringing a rich line-up of seminars and training sessions to the trade event that takes place on 5-7 September at Olympia London. Sponsored by Vectorworks, the programme is set to deliver in-depth content on the future of live production, immersive product experiences and plenty of practical training, bringing skills and knowledge to the forefront of the show experience. All sessions are free for pre-registered attendees (you can get your free entry pass by 31 August - find out more here), with details of the schedule available on the show website. More content will be added over the coming weeks, say the or
UKThe Skylark Collective has announced Shure as headline partners for this year’s inaugural International Women’s Podcast Awards. The IWPA is an event ‘celebrating the very best female-led moments in podcasting of the last year, where recognition will be given to women in podcasting, both behind the mic and behind the scenes, who have created incredible audio moments and intimate listening experiences’. Naomi Mellor, founder of the International Women’s Podcast Awards, said: “I am so excited to announce Shure as our headline partners for the awards. Their passion for creating great microphones and audio electronics has been recognised by podcasters the world over, making them a staple of the podcasting community. Their support for women and non-binary podcasters at the International Women’s Podcast Awards helps us provide an opportunity for women from all over
USA - The $85m Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, the new outdoor home of the San Diego Symphony, is located on the edge of San Diego Bay and in the heart of the city’s downtown. Designed to complement the sails of the nearby San Diego Convention Centre, the concert shell is wrapped in a translucent flexible material that covers a generous 13,000sq.ft performance space for accommodating the full orchestra and guest artists. Depending on the event, audience capacities and setups are able to vary widely, from intimate two- and four-person table seating arrangements to standing crowds of up to 10,000. ‘The Shell’, as it has come to be known, features an immersive L-Acoustics PA system designed in Soundvision by Françcois ‘Frankie’ Desjardins of Solotech. Working in tandem with sound consultant Shawn Murphy, Solotech integrated the venue’s full AVL system. “It
USA - Electro-Voice is expanding its portfolio of sound solutions for stadiums and sports venues with the global introduction of the MTS series of full-range, high-output, long-throw, point-source loudspeaker systems. Each MTS model is equipped with four 15" woofers and dual coaxial mid/high frequency compression drivers. The system is capable of generating more than 151 dB peak SPL with exact directivity for very-long-throw applications. The MTS series includes 16 different models. These are based on two standard three-way configurations (MTS-4153) with 60° x 40° or 40° x 30° coverage, and two cardioid configurations (MTS-6154) that provide the same coverage patterns with enhanced low-frequency directional control. The 60° x 40° models can deliver extremely high SPLs: 151dB peak (music) and 154dB peak (speech) down to 55Hz at -10 dB; the 40 x 30 models are capab
USA - When Orlando’s Discovery Church set out to build a new main broadcast campus, the overriding goal was to create a space that was comfortable and inspiring for in-person worship but also technically optimized for streaming of Sunday services and other special events. Audio was a critical component in achieving the technical goals, and a keystone element of the solution is a reinforcement system based around Meyer Sound Leopard line array loudspeakers. “We were looking for a major step up from the aging point source system at our old broadcast campus,” says Zack Howes, technical director at the new Sand Lake campus. “We wanted a system with higher output and greater intelligibility, and also rider-friendly. We wanted to up our own game at weekend services but also be ready for high-profile special events.” Long before “groundbreaking” on the new
Australia - When the family-owned Millett Group hospitality and tourism group opened Salty’s restaurant and bar, owner and operator Christian Millett wanted to create a venue that paid tribute to the history of surfing culture in Australia and Bondi Beach in particular. Millett’s vision called for a more relaxed and fun environment with a serious PA system capable of handling it’s various audio needs. Millett turned to Pro Audio Video Technology (PAVT) who designed a custom audio system from Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW) for the venue. The Millett Group and PAVT have a long-standing history with EAW having installed EAW PA systems in the company’s various venues around the region for the past 10 years. “I have always been impressed with the quality and durability of EAW’s equipment,” says Millett. “Our venues operate seven days a week, year-round and our
USA - Laudio Technology recently outfitted the newly-opened Voodoo Bayou restaurant in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, with JBL Professional, Crown and BSS audio solutions. Presented by True Grit Hospitality Group, the organisation behind the successful Calaveras Cantina, Voodoo Bayou serves southern Cajun cuisine and cocktails in a vibrant atmosphere reminiscent of classic Louisiana architecture. The restaurant consists of a main first-floor dining room with a bar and stage for live performances, as well as a mezzanine level with a second bar overlooking the main dining area. Voodoo Bayou required a sophisticated audio system with a simple, portable control interface. To achieve this, Laudio Technology equipped the restaurant with an assortment of JBL loudspeakers powered by Crown amplifiers and a BSS signal processor with the HiQnet Motion Control app for convenient iP
Austria - Austrian Audio has announced two new microphones that bring their studio-quality microphone experience and technology to new handheld vocal mics that are designed for live performance. The OC707 is a rugged vocal microphone with a die-cast body and true condenser technology for superior sound on stage. Developed and built in Vienna, the OC707 contains a small-diaphragm condenser capsule with a frequency response optimized for the human voice. The capsule is handmade in Austrian Audio’s facilities in Vienna. Its combination of low self-noise (19 dB SPL) and high sound pressure level (150 dB SPL) results in an impressive dynamic range, creating a vocal microphone that has all the important characteristics of a studio mic but can withstand the rigors of everyday stage use. The OD505 is an active dynamic microphone that combines the advantages of a dynamic st
UK - ‘Sorry, was trying to find the mute button’ is a phrase heard all too often in meetings when users are unsure if the mute button is on the screen or microphone. To help resolve this persistent frustration, Shure is introducing its Microflex A400MB, a touch-sensitive Mute Button accessory that adds convenient audio mute functionality to the Microflex MX395-LED low-profile boundary microphones and MX405, MX410, and MX415 modular gooseneck microphones. The A400MB installs like a washer between the microphone body and the table or lectern surface, hiding the circuitry underneath the surface. The mute function is easily programmed with onboard switches to provide complete flexibility and can be configured as momentary (push-to-talk or push-to-mute) or toggled (push-on, push-off). The A400MB Mute Button includes local mode as well as remote mode, making it easier for use
Japan - Berry Goodman’s Wedding Tour 2021 saw the one-man show visit wedding halls across Japan; these were seen as the appropriate settings for the release of his latest love song, There Can Be No Other Life. The plan was to move around 13 prefectures in a one-box van, loaded with musical instruments and PA equipment. Therefore, the artist’s production management office, Arigato Music, set out to purchase a small PA, both for this purpose and for use as their own equipment. The criteria, was that the PA rig needed to be easy to carry and fast to set up in any venue, so that Goodman could go live immediately. Since it also had to take into account the space constraints of each venue, a self-powered loudspeaker system, which displayed great sound quality, was the obvious solution. After reviewing their options, Martin Audio's Blackline XP12 was chosen.
USA - To accommodate the MTV Movie and TV Awards’ stage layout and the inherent acoustical challenges of the venue, ATK Audiotek creatively implemented JBL Professional loudspeakers to provide clear audio and even coverage. After having no show in 2020, the MTV Movie and TV Awards welcomed a small audience back to the Hollywood Palladium for its 29th edition this past May. Hosted by comedian Leslie Jones, this year’s show featured an intimate, lounge-style layout, with the stage branching out to a centre platform surrounded by the 50-person audience. With Snoop Dogg as the DJ and sole musical act, the show primarily consisted of speeches and film clips, which required a versatile sound system with high dynamic range. However, the venue’s shape, low ceiling height and unusual stage layout created the potential for acoustical issues and left minimal room for speak
USA - In 2018, the historic Rialto Theatre in Loveland, Colorado chose an Alcons Audio LR7 pro-ribbon micro line array system to deliver audio, while preserving the ambience of its protected 1920s decor. At the time its existing subwoofers had to be used, but the theatre has now been upgraded with Alcons subwoofers, bringing the audio system to its full potential. Since 1996 the restored Rialto has thrived as a combined movie house, live arts venue, and community centre. When the city-owned venue’s sound reinforcement system was updated three years ago, it was a challenge to find a system which could deliver powerful, high-quality sound in a space with a lot of hard, flat surfaces. Not only that, but it now hosted a much broader range of events than the venue was designed for. The solution was an Alcons system comprising eight 6.5” LR7/90 micro line array modules p
USA - After a long period of hiatus and cancellations, concerts, productions and performances are starting to ramp back up as both artists and patrons slowly venture back into the world. As Sound Image was preparing to stage the weekend-long WE Fest country music festival, at the Soo Pass Ranch in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, they turned to Optocore to simplify the show’s signal distribution and implemented a pair of Optocore Festival Boxes to create a format agnostic fibre tunnel for all the guest acts. When he began to put the show together, Sound Image system engineer, Timothy ‘Ziggy’ Ziegler, elected to deploy one of Sound Image’s fibre PA drive systems that’s based on a set of Optocore X6R-FX units, used to distribute both AES and LAN. The X6R at FOH, configured to accept 16 AES inputs, sends digital audio over redundant fiber optic cables to the dr
UK - The Doctor Who canon has recently become the basis for one of London’s most talked-about new immersive experiences, Doctor Who: Time Fracture (see LSi July 2021 for a full production report). Chief creative officer for the project (and producer at Immersive Everywhere), Brian Hook, has been on board since the first meetings with the BBC nearly two years ago, and continues with the production to this day. “My team generated the brief for the show, which was to create a Doctor Who experience unlike any other,” he said. “Eventually, that took the form of immersive theatre that placed the audience in the beating heart of the story.” As well as finding the right creative teams to
USA - L-Acoustics Creations has appointed Mike Sumner to the position of business manager, based in L-Acoustics Americas headquarters in Westlake Village, California. In this newly created role, Sumner spearheads the growth of the L-Acoustics Creations brand throughout the United States and Canada, reporting to L-Acoustics Creations global business manager Nick Fichte, based in London, UK. Sumner’s remit includes exploring new business opportunities, developing sales targets and strategies, gathering and sharing market intelligence, building and supporting the brand’s Certified Integrator network, and collaborating with the manufacturer’s application and communications teams, among other duties. Sumner brings over a decade of experience in residential audio to L-Acoustics Creations. He spent nearly eight years with Harman International’s Luxury Audio/Lifestyle
USA - When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, television and radio stations across the country scrambled to find ways to keep delivering the news while maintaining the health and safety of its employees. For Philadelphia’s NBC10 WCAU, that meant having their staff work from home. With this change in location, the station’s legendary meteorologist, Bill Henley, had to find an audio solution capable of delivering studio quality sound for his much-needed weather reports. Henley found the solution he needed for live weather broadcasts in the 6060 CORE Subminiature Lavalier and MMA-A Digital Audio Interface from DPA Microphones. As vaccinations became readily available and the country began to return to some semblance of normalcy, Henley was eager to find out how his DPA gear would perform back in the studio setting. “I was excited to get back into the studio and see my cowor
Indonesia - To provide premium sound for the performing arts, PT Inti Megah Swara recently equipped British School Jakarta’s theatre with a comprehensive array of Harman Professional audio solutions. Established by the British Embassy in 1973, the British School Jakarta (BSJ) is an international school in Greater Jakarta that educates children from around the world. Because the performing arts are an important part of the school’s culture, BSJ required a dedicated audio system for its theatre. BSJ hired PT Inti Megah Swara (IMS) to install a complete Harman Professional Solutions sound reinforcement system. For sound reinforcement in the school’s main theatre, IMS outfitted the left and right sides of the stage with JBL JRX215 loudspeakers. IMS equipped the stage with JBL IRX112BT powered speakers to provide clear and accurate monitoring for performers. Additiona
UK - Six the Musical, has taken up residence at The Lyric Theatre in London’s West End. Currently running until the end of August, it follows the tale of the six wives of Henry VIII, with Tudor Queens and Pop Princesses ‘remixing 500 years of historical heartbreak into an 80-minute celebration of 21st century girl power’. Long-time DiGiCo user and sound designer on all previous productions of the show, Paul Gatehouse, has chosen a Quantum 7T, supplied by Stage Sound Services, as the backbone of his audio design. “I think I was one of the first people to programme and mix a major musical on the SD7 with Theatre software,” recalls Gatehouse. “Not many people know, but Love Never Dies (sound designed by Mick Potter), which opened in London in 2010 and on which I was associate designer, was one of the first in the world to use this console, so I
UK - Shure is launching its new Microflex MX415 Dual Cartridge Gooseneck Microphone, to provide ‘maximum versatility and a streamlined appearance for applications where great sound and great looks go hand-in-hand’. Mounted to a single, flexible gooseneck, the sleek, low-profile dual cartridge housing ensures every word is captured simultaneously by two cardioid cartridges, each to a separate output preamp - ensuring reliable, multi-feed audio with a streamlined appearance for major broadcast events, corporate presentations, and all other critical use cases. “The Microflex MX415 Dual Cartridge Gooseneck Microphone provides the same legendary audio quality customers have come to expect from the Shure Microflex wired line, delivering reliable, high-quality audio for high-stake moments,” said John Born, associate director, global product management, at Shure. “W
UK - Audient is offering a promotion to aspiring console owners in the UK who wish to upgrade their setup with one of the company’s ASP Series consoles. The offer is valid between now and the end of October, and Audient has teamed up with finance company Azule to provide bespoke financial packages to buyers of Audient consoles. In addition to the finance, those who already own a mixing desk from any manufacturer can trade it in in order to bring the monthly payments for a new ASP4816 or ASP8024-HE down to a manageable level. The financial deals have the possibility of being underwritten by the UK Government Recovery Loan Scheme. UK sales manager Bryn Wildish explains: “We want to assist the ongoing recovery of the audio industry by giving studios a helping hand. Being able to upgrade to your own Audient console for a relatively small monthly fee, means studio owner
South Korea - TechDataPS Co has installed audio systems from Harman Professional Solutions in its new showroom which aims to showcase the latest in audio technology to customers and visitors. To demonstrate how Harman Professional’s audio technologies meet the needs of various spaces and events, from bars to major concert venues, TechDataPS decided to create a dedicated showroom facility. Opened in November, 2020, the showroom offers an immersive tour of Harman's audio, video and control brands such as AKG, JBL and AMX. With more than 200 products on display, including loudspeakers, microphones, audio mixers and more, the centrehouses the largest collection of audio technology products in South Korea. The showroom is divided into several zones, each highlighting a different range of solutions. TechDataPS equipped the Performing Zone with JBL Intellivox Series, VTX
