Australia - The Brisbane Broncos Rugby League Football Club, commonly referred to as the Broncos, are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, QLD. The Broncos season launch event is a mainstay of the team’s foundation for the year, giving the club an opportunity to announce new players in addition to the coach speaking to the media and fans. For this year’s season launch, the club worked with their tried and tested event technology service provider, Ikonix to deliver an intimate event bringing the team and fans safely together all under one roof at one of Australia’s leading performance venues, with Brompton processing playing an important part in the overall success. “The Brisbane Broncos launch event reinforces the club’s ethos and the team’s plans for the new season, so it’s an important date in everybody
Dubai - Pixel Artworks recently specified a TiMax SoundHub spatial audio server for a new high-profile AV experience greeting visitors arriving into Dubai International airport. The immersive installation captures the spirit and ethos of the rescheduled Expo 2020 event, now running from autumn 2021 to spring 2022. Raven AV’s Dan Roncoroni handled the highly sophisticated audio aspects of the installation, following an earlier preparatory visit to site by Out Board’s Robin Whittaker. Due to its late addition to the project, TiMax had to be retrofitted into an existing system design within very tight timescales, adding interesting challenges into what was, as Roncoroni explains it, “quite a difficult scenario”. Aside from the airport’s highly reflective environment and characteristically high level of background noise,
UK – Martin Audio has set up a new online official merchandise store to coincide with its 50th anniversary year. A comprehensive range of clothing and accessories is now available for shipment across the world. Items include executive backpacks, face masks and coverings, T-shirts and Polo shirts (with and without 50th anniversary branding), as well as hoodies, sweatshirts, bomber jackets, baseball caps and beanies, body warmers and even embroidered logo Barbour jackets. Other accessories include mugs, golf umbrella and lanyards. States marketing director James King, “Our 50th anniversary has given us the opportunity to implement an idea we’ve had for some time. Many users have requested the store over the years, and having found the right partner - which came about through our work with #WeMakeEvents - we are happy we can now offer a range of merchandise for Mart
Canada - Bluesound Professional has announced the launch of the BSP200 network streaming speaker. The BSP200 is an all-in-one PoE solution featuring the convenience of precision BluOS app control. Offered in a choice of white or black matte finish, the BSP200 is now shipping in North America and globally in July 2021. The BSP200 is powered by Power over Ethernet (PoE+) allowing a one-wire connection to the speaker for both power and audio. The player in the BSP200 speaker is based on the established BluOS platform and is capable of playing and distributing content from local network storage as well as from a large number of streaming services, including some specifically designed for commercial use, such as SoundMachine, Custom Channels, QSIC, SiriusXM Music for Business and internet radio stations. In addition to stand-alone use, a pair of BSP200’s can be used in s
Vietnam - BaSao Invest recently partnered with Harman Professional Solutions to outfit Saigon South Marina Club with JBL Professional line array loudspeakers and portable PA systems. A popular getaway destination, Saigon South Marina Club provides a range of activities and services for visitors, including catering, entertainment, private events, a playground and river rides. The club hired Pro Sound Centre Viet Nam to install a Harman event audio solution consisting of JBL BRX300 and EON Series loudspeakers supplied by BaSao Invest. BaSao Invest reported that the client required a versatile audio system for both small and large events. For the facility’s main sound system, BaSao selected JBL BRX308-LA line array loudspeakers and BRX325-SP subwoofers. For smaller events, the team included JBL EON612 self-powered PA speakers for maximum flexibility, portabilit
UK - Registration is now open for PLASA Show 2021. The London-based trade event for entertainment technology is returning to Olympia London on 5-7 September - and for one year only, the ABTT Theatre Show will be co-locating with PLASA Show, bringing two popular industry event under one roof. This year, PLASA Show is moving to Olympia’s largest space, the Grand Hall, which will allow for a more awe-inspiring show experience, wider aisles and larger social areas to ensure the safety of visitors and exhibitors. Visitors will be able to connect with leading brands from the pro audio, AV, lighting, rigging and staging sectors, whilst the free seminar programme - details of which will be revealed in the coming weeks - will offer business advice, unpack technical topics, and present the latest creative achievements. There will also be various interactive offerings includi
UK - Cleanfeed, a collaboration tool for high definition, live audio and recording, in your browser - has announced their latest product feature - Aux Outputs, designed specifically for the TV, film and broadcast industries. The feature opens up new non-linear workflow possibilities for recording, live performances and more, says the company. It allows you to assign a unique audio output device for each remote guest connected to your studio. Now you can route your remote audio wherever you want to. Marc Bakos, founding partner, Cleanfeed, comments: “We're excited about the new possibilities Aux Outputs opens up to creatives working with remote audio, especially broadcast producers. We have already seen production houses taking advantage of this new tooling, and the results have completely blown us away.” During the lockdown, Cleanfeed Aux Outputs has helped m
Italy - RCF and Midland, a historic radio transceiver earphone systems company from Reggio Emilia, have developed a new intercom called BT Rush. RCF has brought its know-how inside the motorcycle helmet to offer ‘a custom, carefully designed and technically sophisticated project’, which the user can appreciate through parameters that are easy to spot. Features include: better defined bass, thanks to a new custom speaker, driven by power and processing; professional sound, achieved through a DPS (Digital Sound Processor); 40mm round speakers with Peek diaphragm, designed to support maximum sound clarity and definition. Ear cushions enable improved sound performance and low frequency feeling, thanks to a memory foam heart and protein leather lining. “The excellent work carried out together with the Midland team resulted in a precise fine-tuning of the
Germany - At the Department of Music (Institut für Musik – IfM) of the German Kassel University, prospective music teachers are being trained to teach at all kinds of schools. The department also has its own concert hall, which is used for concerts of all musical genres as well as lectures and examinations. Plain concrete walls and a high proportion of glass elements characterize the room - and place special demands on the sound system. After a PA workshop with Rolf Dressler - probably Kassel's "longest-serving sound engineer" in 2018 - instructors and technical assistants were enthusiastic about the sound of his Alcons system which he set up in the IfM concert hall in addition to the house system. "Whenever we switched back from the Alcons to the house system during Rolf's workshop, I kept thinking that our speakers had just been broken," says Roman Beilharz, a le
The Netherlands - The 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest at Rotterdam’s Ahoy arena, marked the first major live event to take place in the Netherlands since the pandemic. The event was powered by disguise. The official technical supplier for the contest, Faber Audiovisuals, relied on a complement of disguise vx 4, gx 2c and 4x4pro media servers to power a total of 55 scenes on a giant LED video wall and floors, used across all 39 competing performances, the opening ceremony, the flag parade and all interval acts, such as the impressive Power of Water. The six-week production period was led by ESC head of production Erwin Rintjema and head of video Hand Cromheecke. Faber’s Eurovision team included disguise workflow specialist Jo Pauly (of Visual Solutions) as media server operators for the show. The two share a long history of successful live projects power
Romania - Based in the Romanian port of Navodari, Alezzi Yacht – a 42m x 18m, 1,000-capacity catamaran - offers cruises along the Black Sea coast, complete with fine dining, cocktails and glamour along with breathtaking views of the lively beach resort of Mamaia and Constanta City. The afternoon is dedicated to an experience aimed at the whole family, whilst the evening cruise is reserved for those looking for a full-on party atmosphere. Any good party requires great audio, and Alezzi Yacht is no exception - Constanta-based AV specialists, AudioVision, were asked to design, supply and install a comprehensive AV system throughout the catamaran. AudioVision selected KV2 Audio for the project. “We were fortunate to have been involved from the early stages of construction, which made AV integration much more efficient,” observes AudioVision general manager, Vasile Ma
The Netherlands - The Grand Final of the 65th staging of the Eurovision Song Contest event took place at the Rotterdam Ahoy in May, where winners Italy triumphed over the other 25 finalists with their song Zitti E Buoni performed by Måneskin. Utrecht-based Ampco Flashlight were the ESC’s official technical supplier for audio, lighting and rigging, working with Erwin Rintjema, ESC’s head of production, who was responsible for the whole technical production this year and Jeroen ten Brinke, ESC’s head of live sound. Ampco Flashlight’s Remco Verhoek was their project manager, audio, for the event and he describes the role which Newton played in their system design: “Newton was used as matrix mixer to sum all the mixers to the PA feeds. There were two DiGiCo Quantum7's and two Yamaha CL1's, matrixed into a number of feeds outputting over Dante - on the oth
Austria - 4youreye and Rezac employed Pixera media servers for this year’s most anticipated charity fund raising event in Austria, Austria for Life, which involved complex media playout and advanced projection mapping setups. The Stephansdom Cathedral in Vienna, was beaming not just with the enthusiasm of the countless helpers on the 28 May, but also due to the impressive usage of modern media playout display technologies. The 90-minute-long live TV charity fundraising show was broadcast on ORF 2 and Krone.tv. The project, which had been initiated by the LIFE+ chairman Gery Keszler, supports the aid organisations Caritas, Diakonie, Hilfswerk, Red Cross, Samariterbund and Volkshilfe. LIFE+ itself supports socially relevant projects that fight epidemic diseases and helps people impacted by them. A variety of well-known Austrian artists invited the Austria
China - Following the success of the 1 June online event, LED manufacturer Absen has extended the availability of its virtual booth showcasing its product portfolio and its online event, accessible to anyone who wishes to attend. The online experience stages Absen’s products, all within a fully interactive and free-to-navigate virtual booth. The online event covered the advantages of LED in immersive experiences and featured a live Q&A for audiences across the globe. The booth, split into sections such as corporate, virtual studios, retail and MicroLED, enables visitors to see Absen’s products up close and personal from the comfort of their homes. Each section of the booth features a voiceover explaining the section for visitors, and features Absen’s latest products, such as the AbseniCon3.0, Aurora Series and Jade Dragon series, for each market. The products
USA - A mad scientist locks his daughter in a garden full of beautiful but deadly flowers. An earnest medical student spies her and falls in love, but her surroundings have made her poisonous to the touch. Will their romance bloom or wilt? This is the question posed by La Hija de Rappaccini, a contemporary opera based on a Nathaniel Hawthorne story composed by Daniel Catán and live-streamed by the Chicago Opera Theatre this past April. Drawing on Mexican musical influences, the performance streamed from the Field Museum of Natural History in keeping with the botanical theme. Chicago Opera Theatre’s audio and video production partner Valhalla Media teamed with location audio experts Second City Sound on A/V support, choosing Lectrosonics’ D Squared line of digital wireless. DBSMD transmitter-recorders fitted to the cast members were picked up by a pair of DSQD fo
USA - The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a non-profit organisation founded in the United States that helps to fulfill the wishes of children with a critical illness between the ages of two and a half and 18 years. Towards the end of last year, when Becci Smith of the Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area Chapter in Northern California received five-year-old Valeria’s wish to sing on a big stage, she decided to contact the team at the Concord Pavilion. Operated by Live Nation and owned by the City of Concord, the venue has a capacity of 12,500. What followed was a display of cooperation between entertainment technology professionals that not only made Valeria’s wish come true, but reminded everyone involved just how much they’d missed the shows that are the lifeblood of the industry. Against the backdrop of the Coronavirus pandemic where access to venues was naturally difficult, the
USA - The Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Mobile, Alabama had long struggled with inadequate sound system performance due to the cathedral’s high curved ceilings, large stained-glass windows, wooden pews and other acoustically challenging design features. An upgrade to the sound system became a necessity, but to preserve the beauty and historical nature of the cathedral’s large sanctuary, the ministry leadership decided against acoustic treatment. Instead, they trusted a high-performance sound system backed by Renkus-Heinz loudspeakers. The cathedral’s sanctuary was plagued by a great deal of acoustic shadowing due to the building’s columns, with sound sources out of the sightline of the congregation, which significantly diminished levels and effective coverage. The previous attempt to redesign the sound system over-compensated with pairs of
France - Powersoft has appointed Sidev as its new distributor for France, working alongside Powersoft’s other French distributor, DV2. Founded in 1991 and based near Lyon, Sidev has been a key player in providing audio-visual solutions in France for over 30 years. In that time, the company has grown to offer the largest sales and pre-sales team in the French market, as well as two showrooms in Paris and Lyon, and a yearly turnover of over €60 million in 2020. Sidev is, since 2010, part of the Midwich Group. More recently, the company developed its market footprint and audio-visual offer on the French market with the purchase in 2019 of Perfect Sound, an audio specialist distributor. “Powersoft is a recognised and renowned brand on the AV Market, with a strong line-up to address both the staging and corporate markets,” explains Lionel Roudil, general man
Germany - Frankfurt Opera is one of the most renowned opera stages in Europe, having paved the way for many successful operatic careers. Recently, with an extensive d&b audio system already installed, the venue chose to enrich its audiences’ sound experience with d&b Soundscape technology. A d&b DS100 Signal engine was duly purchased in time for the 2019/2020 season and the staging of a world premiere at the Bockenheimer Depot - Frankfurt Opera’s second venue. "It was a spatially complex work, with moving actors and an orchestra spread across the stage” explains sound engineer, Margit Baruschka. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic the production was postponed to 2021. The decision was then made to move the entire Soundscape system to the Frankfurt Opera. Here it could be used to adapt some of the regular programme to allow for social distancing
USA - Xytech has announced Tanya Kelly as managing director for APAC. This appointment follows the closing of Xytech’s acquisition of ScheduALL from Net Insight in April. Kelly’s appointment is effective immediately. For over six years, Kelly served as a sales and solution consultant for ScheduALL’s broadcast and broadcast service provider customers in the ANZ region. Her background includes technical operations, where she spent nine years as head of studio operations at Fox Sports Australia, as well as a stint at Deluxe as head of bookings “Tanya has an understanding of the industry and region and has ties to Xytech and ScheduALL reaching back through the years,” comments Greg Dolan, CCO of Xytech. “APAC is critical for Xytech as we move forward to the next phase in our growth. We know with Tanya at the helm our customers are in great hands and her strateg
South Korea - TechDataPS Cocollaborated with All That Sound to equip YeonCheon Sureul Art Hall with a Harman Professional audio solution. Located in Yeoncheon-gun, Gyeonggi-do, Yeoncheon Sureul Art Hall is a cultural facility that offers a variety of performances, including small plays, musicals and solo concerts. The venue houses both a 580-seat grand concert hall and a smaller 166-capacity concert hall. Organisers wanted an audio system that evenly transmitted sound, achieved a sound pressure deviation of +/- 3dB for over 90% of the audience and provided impactful performances for shows of all genres. To supplement the venue’s existing JBL VT4887A line array loudspeakers, the installation team equipped the venue with a range of JBL solutions including VTX V20 and VTX S25 line array speakers, VTX M20 stage monitors, AC18 two-way speakers, 308P MkII studio monitors,
USA - Avinext and Shalleck Collaborative recently equipped 10 learning spaces in Texas A&M University’s new Learning Classroom Building with Harman networked AV systems featuring AMX, JBL and Soundcraft solutions. Serving more than 71,000 students, Texas A&M University is one of the largest college campuses in the country. In response to increasing enrolment and population growth in the state, Texas A&M University recently launched a large-scale campus expansion project, which included a new Innovative Learning Classroom Building (ILCB). The new facility houses 10 different learning spaces suited for different applications, with capacities ranging from 72 to 605 students. The spaces include small, medium and large in-the-round arena-style lecture halls, a fan-shaped lecture hall, an egg-shaped classroom, three-tiered learning spaces and two smaller learn
UK - Christie’s London has announced a digital companion piece to Leonardo da Vinci’s penetrating study Head of a Bear, via a collaboration with digital artists Hackatao, an artist duo born in Milan and who have been pioneering the crypto art space since 2018. To be offered in the Exceptional Sale in London this July, Hackatao have created a work inspired by this Old Master drawing, bringing the bear majestically to life. This specially commissioned digital work will be unveiled at Christie’s King Street from 3 July, as part of the Classic Week view, visible via the Aria AR app. The digital work has been donated to The Museum of Crypto Art where it will subsequently appear. Hackatao’s response to the masterpiece Head of a Bear by da Vinci is based on the concept of the continuum; a continuous sequence in which adjacent elements are not perceptibl
Gibraltar - Pixel Artworks has created an immersive light and sound installation within St Michael’s Cave on the Rock of Gibraltar. The Gibraltar Government awarded the project to WrightTech Media, a local digital marketing solutions company with extensive knowledge of the site. Pixel Artworks collaborated with WrightTech Media on the pitch as well as the design and delivery of the complex show, which is scheduled to open to the public on 20 June 2021. While the project sought to enhance the current Gibraltar Upper Rock Nature Reserve visitor experience, there was no specific site in mind. WrightTech Media and Pixel Artworks showed how St Michael’s Cave could be used in a unique way to take the audience on an unforgettable journey through Gibraltar’s natural history, using projection mapping technology, lighting design and immersive audio. Christian Wright, dire
