USA -bStudio Technologies has announced two new party-line (PL) intercom kits that utilise Dante Audio-over-IP networking. These new kits allow customers to purchase a bundle of Studio Technologies intercom products at a reduced price point. The Party-Line Intercom Kit 1 (DPL-KIT-01) includes a Model 5421 Dante Intercom Audio Engine and four Model 372A Intercom Beltpacks. Party-Line Intercom Kit 2 (DPL-KIT-02) again includes a Model 5421 Dante Intercom Audio Engine but with four Model 373A Intercom Beltpacks. These new offerings enable personnel to easily implement a high-performance, Dante-enabled PL intercom system in fixed and mobile broadcast facilities, post-production studios, commercial and educational theatre environments, industrial, and general entertainment applications. “We’re pleased to offer our customers a cost-effective means of implementing a small
Israel - The city of Ashdod, one of Israel’s largest international cruise and cargo ports and southern Israel’s only outlet to the Mediterranean, through which much of the country’s citrus crop is exported, hosts a number of industries and a petrol refinery, but excavations have traced this vibrant city’s roots back to the 17th century BC. Funded by the city’s municipality, Ashdod recently launched Ashdod Lights, a tour enabling visitors to walk round five key locations hosting high-impact AV art installations, including video art projections on buildings and water screens, projection mapping, lighting and laser effects and holograms. Tel Aviv-headquartered pro audio company Gidron Levitan, Italian manufacturer Outline’s Israeli distributor, was commissioned to provide the audio systems for this high-profile project and company owner, sound engineer and mu
UK - Amplifier manufacturer Marshall has built a recording studio next to their Milton Keynes factory in the UK. “This has been a passion project for the Marshall crew,” said commercial director Alex Coombes, “our ambition was to build a versatile and flexible commercial multimedia facility to serve the modern entertainment market, and at the same time to promote young talent and give something back to the artist and producer community.” The spacious new-build facility is on the site of an old theatre, adjacent to the Marshall factory. The live room has a stage with lighting and PA, along with an artist green room, bar and reception area – with the large recording control room featuring a 40-channel vintage Neve 8048 console. The self-contained studio has the benefit of ample parking in front and a ready supply of Marshall amps and Natal drums. Producer Chri
USA - As the coronavirus pandemic took hold in Southern California in early 2020, spatial audio pioneer Herbert Waltl relocated his mediaHyperium operation to a disused music school, where he has outfitted a former recital room with an 18-speaker Neumann KH Line studio monitor system. The system flexibly switches between Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 Reality Audio immersive music formats without the need to reposition any speakers by combining a 7.1 layout with nine height and three floor-level speakers. Waltl, an award-winning producer, musician and technology evangelist who founded mediaHyperium in 1996, had been planning to build a new studio before the pandemic. For years he had mostly been working at Skywalker Sound in the Bay Area, for the last five years in partnership with Eric Schilling, a recording engineer and broadcast audio mixer with a long list of Grammy and
USA - After crashing onto the music scene in 2012 and gaining popularity among indie rock enthusiasts, Lord Huron recently released the group’s fourth album, Long Lost. Recorded at Whispering Pines Studios, near downtown Los Angeles, the band has also been working on a live streaming show, Alive From Whispering Pines, also produced at Whispering Pines, and has spent the last four months hyper-focused on its music. In order to ensure its hard work and musical talent was showcased properly on the album and during its live show, the group turned to DPA Microphones. According to Mark Barry, drummer and engineer for Lord Huron, he and other members of the group, which includes founder Ben Schneider (lead singer and guitarist); Tom Renaud (guitarist) and Miguel Briseño (bassist and keyboardist), have long been fans of the quality and performance the DPA micr
USA - Birds in the Moon, a provocative new chamber opera with music by composer Mark Grey, has launched a national tour based on a revolutionary staging concept: the entire production is housed in a 20ft shipping container that can be quickly set up for outdoor performances at essentially any location. To simplify audio production while also offering an extended horizontal soundscape, the production utilises 12 Meyer Sound self-powered loudspeakers mounted on the container and on fold-out wings. The show is mixed on an iPad with Meyer Sound’s Spacemap Go spatial sound design and live mixing software. The “containerized” opera debuted at Domino Park in Brooklyn in early May as part of the New York Philharmonic’s free, city-wide Bandwagon 2 programme. From the outset, Mark Grey created Birds in the Moon with flexibility and portability in mind
UK - Orbital Sound has returned to work with performances with audiences, with Hairspray leading the way. The Coliseum’s Edwardian auditorium celebrated the end of quarantine, with Michael Ball reprising his Olivier Award-winning role as Edna Turnblad. Sound designer Andrew Keister, representing original Broadway designer Steve Kennedy, flew in for the project but had to quarantine prior to arrival in the theatre. In the meantime, Hairspray’s UK sound team - Josh Richardson, Callum Wills, Simon France, Robbie Barclay and Larry Golland - were hard at work along with the Orbital team led by Henry Pierce, ensuring everything was set up in advance at the Coliseum. Andrew has high praise for the whole team saying, “It would have been amazing to be back in any theatre again after so many months of the industry being shut down, but to be back in the Coliseum, in
Israel - Israeli Opera is both the principal opera company and busiest hall in the country, producing top quality operas and playing host to some of the most prestigious artists from around the world. Located at the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Centre and owned by the municipality of Tel-Aviv, Israeli Opera is also home to regular shows by local orchestras and ensembles, delighting performing arts lovers with a multitude of first-rate productions. Over the years, as the venue began to expand its music programme, it became clear that the existing in-house PA was not capable of covering the diverse spectrum of productions and had to be augmented with rental equipment. Recently, venue management decided to perform a significant audio upgrade, choosing to install the new L-Acoustics K3 line array. With the building closed due to the pandemic, Eyal Levi, head of light & sou
Spain - Creative Technology (CT) returned to support GSMA with delivery of the 24-hour news channel, Mobile World Live TV (MWLTV), providing continuous coverage to local and remote delegates from a central news and information hub for the entirety of the event. This year marked the fifth of CT UK delivering this event for GSMA. However, the 2021 event was postponed from February to June due to the pandemic but still went ahead as an in-person exhibition in Barcelona. Due to restrictions on UK travel, CT Spain assisted in delivering the local requirements while the UK team provided a remote production system and support. CT’s UK team worked closely with CT Spain in Barcelona to provide onsite cameras and audio for a small studio space, as well as two roving 4G/LTE cameras gathering beauty shots and interviews across the site. These signals were all bea
Japan - Located northwest of Kyoto, which is known as the city of culture, Ritsumeikan University’s Kinugasa Campus recently installed a Martin Audio CDD system in two of its halls. Ritsumeikan is a historical university founded in 1900 by Kojuro Nakagawa, originating from former prime minister Saionji Kinmochi's private school. Surrounded by famous temples, its quiet atmosphere makes it suited for academic and research. It was in the Igakukan (Institute of medical learning), located within Kinugasa Campus, that the upgrade took place in the two halls. The building itself contains various classrooms, common rooms and offices, as well as a cafeteria and a multipurpose hall. CDD12 was adopted as the main speaker due to its wide coverage and clear sound which can be heard even directly in front of the stage. Several Adorn ACS-55T ceiling speakers were installed u
France - Gaetan Byk is now the principal and majority shareholder in charge of Amadeus, the Paris-based manufacturer of high-end audio equipment. Michel Deluc, who co-founded the original Amadeus brand with Bernard Byk 30 years ago, has created many of the company’s speaker designs and remains at Amadeus to lead specific design and manufacturing projects. “For many years, my mission has been to find a space for Amadeus, a unique place where technological innovations with arts and crafts, combine and complement each other,” states Gaetan Byk. “I think we need to go where our main competitors cannot, do not know how to, or do not want to go. Designing tailor-made solutions, responding to existing architectural, acoustic, and technical constraints have been our areas of expression for a long time. Over the past few years, some rather out-of-the-norm products were bor
USA - LEA Professional has announced new 802.1X security protocol for the company’s range of Connect Series amplifiers. 802.1X is an IEEE Standard for Port-Based Network Access Control that provides protected authentication for devices on the network and provides secure network access. 802.1X is the gold standard of network authentication security and defines authentication controls for any user or device trying to access a LAN or WLAN. This new feature further protects data and equipment from a cyberattack, while also preventing rogue devices from connecting to the local network and releasing viruses, malware, or allowing man-in-the-middle attacks. According to Bradley Drummond, director of application engineering & consultant relations at LEA Professional, the new protocol ensures that the Connect Series amplifiers are more secure than ever. “Sec
USA - Clear-Com has announced the Arcadia Central Station, a scalable IP platform which integrates all wired and wireless partyline systems, including the FreeSpeak family of digital wireless solutions and HelixNet Digital Partyline. The system can license up to 96 IP ports in a single RU device, with further licensing add-ons anticipated in the future, making Arcadia the intercom centre-piece for a wide range of applications best served by partyline workflows. Designed with input from Clear-Com’s extensive global live sound user base, Arcadia represents the next evolution in partyline workflows, combining digital, analogue and AoIP intercom technologies into a single integrated system. From the Broadway stage to a growing community congregation to the largest and most complex live events, Arcadia is suited for a wide variety of applications, in part due to its flexible li
USA - Dallas Theatre Centre has selected the CO-8WD waterproof headset microphones from Point Source Audio for its challenging outdoor production of Working: A Musical, based on Studs Terkel’s bestselling book and with original songs by Stephen Schwartz (Wicked!), Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton, In the Heights), James Taylor and others. Staged at the start of July, the production was Dallas Theatre Centre’s first to a live audience since March 2020. Working showcases the voices of teachers, waiters, truck drivers, and other essential workers, so the production sound quality needed to be befitting in recognition of their vital service day in and day out. Away from the sound quality, one of the main considerations behind the choice for the CO-8WD was the setting for the production. “This show is outdoors, in Texas, in the middle of
South Africa - Founded in 1998 in Witbank, Heritage of Faith Ministries International (HOFMI) started out as a slab of concrete, four walls and a tin roof. The intervening years have seen the church grow and develop into an auditorium that can seat up to 500 people, and more recently implement technology solutions to enable broadcast capture and playout. Stage Audio Works has been a key partner in the technological development of HOFMI for the last several years, the most recent being the implementation of a StreamWorks end-to-end streaming solution to allow direct communication with HOFMI’s associate church in Fort Worth, TX, USA. The experience was completed with a 5760mm x 3360mm Pixel Plus Xcell-i LED wall which forms an impressive backdrop to the stage. HOFMI technical director Matt Ratcliffe reports, “Our first engagement with Stage Audio Works was when we up
UK - As the official technology supplier-sound for Ascot Racecourse, Bose Professional technology was part of this year’s Royal Ascot meeting. The audio solution is bespoke, consisting of almost 1,000 surface-mount and in-ceiling loudspeakers throughout the racecourse, promenade and other public areas, including 250 private boxes. Founded on a bedrock of tradition more than 300 years in the making, racing first took place in 1711 at the behest of Queen Anne in the Berkshire countryside approximately six miles from Windsor Castle. With more than 600,000 visitors each year during the usual 26 days of racing, Ascot Racecourse reimagined what a world-class race day experience should be. “Bose innovation has allowed us to take people on a journey,” stated Craig Staddon, head of sales at Ascot. “Since we began working with Bose, our guests repeatedly tell us the audi
Gibraltar - Pixel Artworks’ recently completed, immersive visitor experience at St Michael’s Cave on the Rock of Gibraltar, features a TiMax SoundHub-controlled spatial audio solution to complement the intricate projection-mapped visual show. The spectacular mixed-media show, created deep within the caves themselves, vividly charts the formation of Gibraltar, for visitors to the country’s most distinguishing feature, the rock itself. The ambitious project was commissioned by WrightTech Media, a local digital marketing solutions company. Viewing the final project before the attraction’s June opening, WrightTech Media director, Christian Wright, underlined the vital dimension audio adds to the visual element of the project, commenting, “The lighting is amazing, the projection is incredible, but the audio takes it to another level. There has never been a
Norway - Pixotope has appointed Sam Leadsom as its VP for global business development in sports. A senior executive with 30 years’ experience in delivering editorial and commercial success across the media industry, Sam’s career is deep rooted in sports broadcasting. His previous roles have included positions at IMG, Fox Sports, and Sky Sports. Most recently, Sam acted as broadcast director at Sail GP, where he oversaw the media strategy and commercialisation of the sports championship, leading broadcast content, sales and distribution operation. At Pixotope, Sam will be responsible for driving global and integrated new business opportunities in the sports broadcasting marketplace, working closely with sector leads and partners to further improve the delivery of Pixotope’s services across the live sports industry. He says, “This new role opens up a whole new b
USA - Shuttered since March 2020, Greenfield Lake Amphitheatre in Wilmington, NC enjoyed a spectacular reopening on 29 June 2021, with the first performance of Florida-based blues rock band, the Tedeschi Trucks Band. Martin Audio MLA Compact PA was selected by the artists themselves for its control technology, that would afford the capability of avoiding slap-back from the highly reflective building fascia behind the FOH mix position. This was supplied by Martin Audio rental partner RMB Audio, based in Raleigh, NC. The 1200-cap amphitheatre seating rises 11.6ft above the stage and at a distance of 95ft is the cinema booth, situated directly behind the audio engineer. Reflections from behind generally impair the engineer’s assessment of the mix. However, Martin Audio’s Display predictive software was employed from the stage position, the audience start and el
Spain - Higher education institutions had to rethink their education model and adapt to hybrid learning during the past year as COVID-19 pandemic hit the world. Pompeu Fabra University (UPF- Universidad Pompeu Fabra), selected Shure’s Microflex Ecosystem products as the best solution across campus to meet the needs and requirements of a successful hybrid learning concept. The UPF, established in 1990 and awarded as the 10th Best Young University in the world in the Times Higher Education World University listings, required a complete overhaul of the old AV system, which had only held physical classes. The adoption of hybrid learning across the Pompeu Fabra campus now means that all lessons are catered for by a cutting-edge AV system that exceeds audio requirements and provides the best possible learning experience for academics and students alike. For the ambitious
Japan - Yokohama Stadium has selected RCF as its sound reinforcement system for both sports and entertainment events. The stadium is one of the venues of the Summer Olympics and one of the leading sports facilities in Japan. It is primarily used for baseball as the home field of the Yokohama DeNA BayStars. International artists who have performed at the stadium include Santana, David Bowie, Madonna, and Michael Jackson. Yokohama Stadium started in 1876 as a cricket ground. In 1929, it was reconstructed as a baseball stadium with 15,000 seats to host the country's most popular participatory and spectator sport. Then in 1978, Yokohama Stadium was rebuilt as the first multi-purpose stadium in Japan, officially named Yokohama Stadium. After a complete renovation started in 2018, Yokohama Stadium was selected as the venue for 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, postponed
Korea - TechDataPS Co and Yeong Sound recently collaborated to equip Joodasan Church’s newest location with a high-quality, easy-to-operate live sound system featuring JBL Professional, Crown and Soundcraft audio solutions. Built in 2014, the chapel at Hwaseong-si in Gyeonggi-do province is the third facility constructed by Joodasan Church. With around 2,200 seats, including two-story balcony sections, the 1,500sq.m worship space regularly hosts a wide variety of spiritual events, in addition to musical performances and youth Sunday school. In order to accommodate the large space and growing community, the church needed a high-quality and easy-to-use sound reinforcement system capable of projecting consistently clear audio throughout the worship space. To meet these goals, TechDataPS partnered with Yeong Sound to design and install a complete Harman Professional aud
Italy - RCF has added three models to the NX Series portable audio system series. RCF engineers have merged purpose-designed transducers, a constant directivity waveguide, FiRPHASE processing, and newly-added Bass Motion Control algorithms, all driven by a powerful amplifier with 2100 Watts Class-D technology. Durably built in a rugged wooden enclosure, NX 9 is tour-ready, and delivers ‘remarkable audio performance and versatility to any professional audio application’, says RCF. Now 50% more powerful than previous models, NX 9 manages high sound pressure levels, says RCF. The amplifier is energy-efficient so there is no need for a cooling fan. The circuit is attached to a solid aluminium heat exchanger in the back of the unit with no moving parts. Performance improvements are enabled by the new 1.75" compression driver with Polyimide-Kapton dome featuring a new bondin
USA - A new addition to the San Diego skyline, The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park was built to host open-air concerts by the San Diego Symphony. The sheer size of the bayside structure - 57ft high, 92ft wide at stage front - makes it amenable to hosting large productions while enabling orchestra musicians to hear and respond to one other as well as they would in a top-tier concert hall. To create an optimum acoustical listening environment that can be fine-tuned for various performances, a Meyer Sound Constellation system has been installed inside the shell - making it the first Constellation system designed for stage acoustics in an outdoor venue. The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park opens 6 August. Pre-opening rehearsals and online concerts have elicited effusive praise from orchestra principals. “The sound onstage is unbelievable,” San Diego Symphony music director Ra
