Portugal - Arda Recorders, which opened in 2017, is located in the heart of Porto. It features five independent spaces with Van Damme cabling throughout. Studio A features a vintage Neve 8068 console and a Fazioli F278 grand piano. It has a 100sq.m live room, three iso booths and an echo chamber with variable ceiling. Studio B is suited for most modern productions, with a versatile 20m2 live room and a sound lock that doubles as an amp booth. Its control room is centred around a 32 channel Rupert Neve 5088, complemented with a great array of outboard gear. Studio C consists of a small live room and a control room for voice-over and overdubs sessions. The Mixing Room is centred around 32 channels of Avid Artist Mix faders and more than 100 channels of vintage and modern hardware. The Mastering Studio was designed with quality acoustics in mind and has ATC main sp
Saudi Arabia - When Middlesex Sound & Light (MSL) undertook a contract in Riyadh 16 months ago - to invest a new gym concept with a high octane ‘club-spec’ technical infrastructure - they little knew what was waiting around the corner. “We shipped the gear out to Riyadh in February last year, and the following month COVID struck,” recalls project manager Toby Jones. “Rather than suspend the work, they decided to press ahead.” Engaging with local crews - communicating via video calls and different programming platforms - hey finally managed to fly out to commission the system during the brief pre-Christmas break from lockdown. While this represented a joint venture between 1Rebel in the UK (represented by James Balfour and Giles Dean) and Pulse Fitness Group’s Fahad Alhagbani and Nathan Clute, there have subsequently been a number of venues open in Lon
UK - Shure has announced that its recently launched MXA710 Linear Array Microphone is now Certified for Microsoft Teams. The MXA710 joins Shure's portfolio of conferencing solutions already certified for Microsoft Teams, giving installers and end users even more options for their environments. “Shure's solutions are built for the hybrid workplace. Your customers, clients, and students will feel like they’re in the room with you when you use our market-leading array microphones,” said Paul Gunia, director of technology partnerships at Shure. “Our entire line-up of Microflex Advance array microphones is now Microsoft Teams certified.” “Microsoft Teams Certification requires products to meet the most stringent audio quality standards in the AV industry,” said Albert Kooiman, senior director of Microsoft Teams Devices Partner Engineering and Certification.
Denmark - DPA Microphones has introduced the 4466 CORE Omnidirectional and 4488 CORE Directional Headset Microphones. Based on the design of the company’s 6066 Subminiature Headsets, the new solutions feature the brand’s 5mm round microphone capsule. These latest offerings are designed for use in theatre, broadcast, worship and corporate conferencing. With a one-size-fits-all design and adjustable height and boom length, the 4466 and 4488 headsets accommodate small to large head types. A three-point gripping system (above, below and behind the ear) ensures a greater level of security, while the flexible ear hooks provide continued comfort during extended use. “Our customers have been asking us to deliver our latest small form-factor headsets with the highly regarded 5mm mic capsules,” says DPA product manager René Mørch. “With the purposeful design of our
Europe - Sennheiser and the Sonova Holding AG with headquarters in Stäfa, Switzerland, have confirmed their future cooperation under the Sennheiser brand. The global provider of medical hearing solutions will fully take over Sennheiser's Consumer Electronics business. Subject to regulatory approval, the plan is to complete the transfer of the business to Sonova by the end of 2021. Sennheiser had announced in February that it would focus on the professional business in the future while seeking a partner for the Consumer Electronics business. With the takeover of the Sennheiser Consumer business, Sonova is adding headphones and soundbars to its hearing care portfolio, which includes hearing aids and cochlear implants, among other hearing solutions. "We couldn't have asked for a better partner than Sonova for our Consumer Electronics business," says Daniel Sennheiser, c
Sweden - The first Neve 8424 console to arrive in Sweden is now up and running in a private studio belonging to artist and producer Pontus Hagberg, the man behind the popular Mr Firechild synthesiser video review channel on YouTube. Pontus chose a Neve 8424 console for his own studio because it combines analogue summing and analogue processing in one simple, easy to use and cost effective solution. “I have been using a classic ‘in the box’ studio with some hardware synthesizers for 25 years, but it was only recently that I discovered how much of an edge real analogue outboard units have over plug-ins,” he explains. “It is similar to comparing virtual instruments with real analogue synthesisers – the difference is very apparent. “Once I fell in love with analogue hardware, I started using the hardware insert feature in Pro Tools Ultimate, which led
Canada - Adamson Systems Engineering has introduced a range of new products available immediately for the installation market, including an extension to its IS-Series of installation loudspeakers and a suite of improved and updated design tools for architects, integrators, and sound designers. With the introduction of the IS-Series Weatherized line, Adamson offers AV professionals a loudspeaker family purpose-built to ‘withstand the most extreme climates in the world’. Weatherized are suitable for marine and coastal venues, outdoor stadiums, open-air performance spaces, and other permanent outdoor installations. “Adamson loudspeakers have always been known for their durability and sonic performance, both on the road and in permanent installations,” says Adamson’s head of product and technology Brian Fraser. “With the Weatherized line, we’ve added corrosio
USA - The Rooftop by JG at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills recently installed a trellis structure with retractable rain coverings and radiant heaters along with a complete renovation of the Meyer Sound foreground music system. “The owners were acutely aware of the importance of sound in the overall customer experience, and they already were familiar with the quality of Meyer Sound products from other installations there since opening,” says John Swan of Las Vegas-based Technology West Group, who was design engineer and project manager for the upgrade. “This was an opportunity to raise the bar for audio even higher in this area.” Comprising 17 UP‑4slim full-range loudspeakers and six MM‑10XP miniature subwoofers, the new rooftop system augments the total of 92 additional Meyer Sound self-powered loudspeakers that already were installed in five other public
UK - With the popularity of Bring Your Own Devices (BYOD) to virtual and hybrid meetings, the ability to provide quality meeting audio is more important than before. Shure and Barco are working together to help ensure customers achieve “a revolutionary workplace experience”. The Shure Audio Ecosystem now pairs seamlessly with Barco ClickShare Conference, allowing customers to combine audio for remote communication with easy-to-use wireless in any meeting space. “Customers can rely on powerful and certified solutions with Shure networked audio solutions and our ClickShare Conference products,” said David Fitzgerald, vice president, global alliances at Barco. “This offers customers an engaging videoconferencing experience with high quality audio and easy, seamless wireless conferencing. Hybrid collaboration has never been easier and is just one click away.
Poland - ESS Audio, TJT Music and Master-Ton recently deployed a complete Harman Professional Solutions live sound reinforcement system at the fifth annual Psalms of David Festival. Held in September 2020 in the small Polish town of Kolbuszowa, the fifth annual Psalms of David Festival was a celebration of Jewish and Christian scriptures set to a soundtrack of live orchestral music. The open-air event, which was hosted at Kolbuszowa’s sports stadium, saw performances from Poland’s largest youth symphony orchestra, the Beethoven Academy Orchestra, as well as dozens of individual performers and soloists. To ensure every note rang clear among the audience at the event, which had to adhere to COVID-19 social distancing rules, the organisers needed an appropriate cound system. To accomplish their goal, they hired ESS Audio to design and deploy a powerful Harman sound re
South Korea - A wide range of PMC professional studio monitors have been installed at Busan Sound Stage, a new audio post-production facility in South Korea that has been established to help the region develop its film industry. Located in Busan City’s Haeundae-gu area, the new facility is owned and operated by the Busan Film Commission and has five studios including a Dolby Atmos ADR/Re-recording room that is equipped with PMC system comprising twotwo.8, result6 and twotwo sub2 monitors. Three of the four remaining rooms, which are dedicated to foley, editing, mastering and education, also feature PMC result6 and twotwo sub2 monitors, all supplied by PMC’s South Korean distributor Music Metro. “PMC monitors were chosen for this facility because they offer very high resolution audio that allows us to hear elaborate sound in perfect clarity,” says Brandon Han,
Japan - The May Theatre, also known as the Suita City Cultural Hall, in Osaka is a venerable performing centre that has been on the Sound Engineers & Artists Society of Japan’s list of the Top 100 Best Halls by Acousticians, since it was opened in 1985. The cultural centre includes a 1,400-seat large performance hall, a medium sized hall, a reception hall and an exhibition space. The multi-faceted venue hosts concerts, operas and classical Japanese theatre, as well as social gatherings and art exhibitions. In July 2019, the May Theatre began a thorough renovation project, including an update to the point source sound system in the large performance hall, which was well over 20 years old. “The previous point source speakers were placed inside a speaker box, which made it impossible to deliver uniform sound quality throughout the auditorium, explains Satoshi Tanio, so
South Korea - Looking to add improved sound to its sermons and special events, Dongil Church hired TechDataPS Co to design and install a Harman Professional audio solution throughout the property. Originally located in Dangjin, Chungcheong-do, Dongil Church was established in 1996. In 2020, the church relocated and built a new 600-seat temple in Dongdaesin-dong, which is in the Seo-gu district of Busan. In addition to offering sermons and contributing to the development of the community in various ways, the church helps pastors of the Protestant church become missionaries in India. Wanting to bolster its facility and offer guests enhanced experiences during services and events, Dongil required a new audio system that delivers quality sound and speech intelligibility. Meeting those acoustical requirements, TechDataPS equipped Dongil with a Harman Professional audio solu
Finland - Ilmatar Windpower is dedicated to the supply of clean and affordable wind power as part of the drive to transition to renewable energy sources. The company has recently made their own transition to new headquarters in Helsinki, designed according to sustainable practices with the aim of achieving optimum efficiency and wellbeing. AV solutions experts 4Business Oy were called in to design and implement all the AV technologies for the new premises, which included a Smart IP audio solution from Genelec. One of the biggest issues to be addressed from an audio point of view was auditory comfort in Ilmatar’s open workspaces - an integral part of any modern, activity-based office today. However, one of the inherent problems of any open plan workspace is a lack of privacy and disruptive noise coming from elsewhere in the environment. Ilmatar was determined to create the
UK - Creative Technology supported the live broadcast of a ‘secret’ event from one of the UK’s leading motor racing circuits. The event would be streamed to a small number of top clients for the manufacturer, with security of the broadcast being of utmost importance. CT proposed the use of its Eden platform which enabled two-factor authentication for the invited attendees to maintain a high level of security, ensuring confidentiality of the product. CT were on hand to collaborate with the end client’s IT department and Sprout, throughout the production process, to ensure that all protocols were observed and minimise any issues on the day for the invited audience. CT’s involvement with the project further extended into the ‘live’ environment following Sprout’s decision to broadcast the event on-demand over the weekend of 13-14 March. The on-site e
USA - When the Seattle Symphony orchestra wanted to explore the realms of music through audio and visual representation, they envisioned creation of a space that would immerse the audience into ‘a music experience unlike any other’. The Octave 9: Raisbeck Music Centre is named after Seattle philanthropists James and Sherry Raisbeck, who donated $2m on top of the various public and private donations to transform the former Soundbridge Seattle Symphony Music Discovery Centre into a musical experience to remember. Fusing music and technology, Octave 9 was designed to stretch the boundaries of creative possibility and immerse the viewer in new worlds created with the orchestra’s music. With this in mind, the technology implemented in this immersive space needed to be fully adaptable to match the variety of genres and eras recreated by the orchestra, and able to chan
UAE - Bla Bla Dubai - which boasts 20 Bars, three Restaurants, and a Beach Club all in one venue - was created to offer a full day-to-night experience for visitors, all with views of Bluewaters Island and Ain Dubai, the world’s largest observation wheel. Located at The Beach opposite JBR, Bla Bla Dubai is set to be at the forefront of the city’s bustling social scene, and as a result every area of the venue required an audio system to match - or even exceed - the region’s high standards. Pulse Middle East was trusted with the job of integrating this system after Bla Bla Dubai’s management was impressed by Pulse’s extensive portfolio of work with other venues across the city including Nikki Beach Club, White Beach at Atlantis, LSB, Brass Monkey, and Wavehouse. Pulse opted for a complex three-zone audio configuration driven by Powersoft amplifier platfo
USA - Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW) has successfully begun assembling its MKD speaker line in-house at its Whitinsville, Massachusetts headquarters. The new dedicated assembly space began operation in November 2020 and has not stopped since, with production of the new MKD1200 Series and customisation of existing products, such as the QX and MK lines. With two stations for assembly, the 2,400sq.ft space is in full operation. “EAW is proud to once again be assembling product in the US and is looking at additional lines that would be a good fit for the new assembly space,” says TJ Smith, president, EAW. “Many of EAW’s products are offered with configurable options, such as multiple horn patterns, rotatable horns and/or transformers all in black, white and weather protected cabinets. Conducting final assembly of these products in Whitinsville allows us to respond
Germany - As part of a plan to increase its presence in Europe, Valencia-based DAS Audio is set to open a new subsidiary office in Germany on 1 June 2021. Currently celebrating its 50th anniversary, the manufacturer has branches in the USA, South America and Asia. DAS Audio GmbH will be in charge of sales, marketing and customer service of DAS Audio Germany under the direction of managing director and partner Arne Deterts. Deterts was the head of the German branch of dBTechnologies for more than 20 years, including as the managing director for the last eight and until he left the company. “I came across DAS Audio relatively early on, not really knowing a lot about them,” comments Deterts. “But the more I dealt with DAS Audio, the more enthusiastic I became and the more I realised how well all this fitted together. Great company, great products, great people
USA - After more than 30 years with console manufacturer API, Dan Zimbelman has moved to loudspeaker manufacturer PMC where he is now senior export business development manager. Based in the US, Dan will be working closely with PMC partners and resellers around the world to ensure that they have all the training and support they need to grow sales in their local markets and understand new formats such as Dolby Atmos for music mixing. In a career spanning nearly 50 years, Dan has held many key positions within the professional sound industry, including recording engineer and recording studio owner. During the mid-1980s, he spent three years helping Rupert Neve launch the Focusrite brand of signal processing equipment in the USA, before moving to console manufacturer API where, as director of sales for nearly 30 years, he consistently exceeded sales targets and helped AP
UK - Shure Incorporated has announced the appointment of Duncan Bell, founder of Wideband Consulting, as a consultant on spectrum and advocacy affairs. Bell is a founding member of the BEIRG (British Entertainment Industry Radio Group) organisation and the former financial director of the Autograph group in the UK. He is also a senior member and political team leader of the #WeMakeEvents campaign, formed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Shure has been the leader in spectrum advocacy on behalf of the audio industry and continues to devote significant investments to secure its future,” comments Ahren Hartman, VP of quality at Shure. “We look forward to joining forces with Duncan to secure and protect spectrum for the wireless microphone user community.” “Duncan’s 36-year career in live sound production and industry relations makes him uniquely suited t
USA - Audinate and Analog Devices have collaborated to introduce the availability of Dante Embedded Platform (DEP) for ADI’s SHARC audio digital signal processors (DSPs). The collaboration is made possible by Audinate’s introduction of DEP - which offers Dante audio-over-IP as on-chip software. By adding DEP to a powerful, compact, audio feature-rich, and multi-core application processor - such as the SHARC ADSP-SC5xx - manufacturers ensure they deliver Dante connectivity with high performance, low latency, and deterministic audio processing. The result is a single-chip solution with ‘impressive system design versatility’. “Audinate sees a shared opportunity as the AV industry migrates to products running on standard computing architectures,” comments Bob Ehlers, vice president of product management at Audinate. “The Analog Devices ADSP-SC5xx processors e
World - Green Hippo has released a major upgrade to its Hippotizer software which introduces a new design, pre-programming and content delivery workflow. Version 4.6 builds on the familiar flexibility of Hippotizer’s realtime media manipulation system with planning, visualization and timeline control architecture. “Version 4.6 is the result of some incredible work by our R&D team who have worked their trademark Hippo magic to implement a host of powerful, simple-to-use, project-enhancing features designed with the end user firmly in mind,” says Green Hippo’s product and development director Ryan Brown. “Hippotizer has always been the ‘pocket knife’ of media servers, delivering multiple solutions from a single box. Now, version 4.6 adds so much more. “Version 4.6 combines Hippotizer’s familiar content and design practices with a redesigned, realtim
USA - Now in its ninth season, the Hallmark Channel’s Home & Family showcases crafting, cooking, home improvement, car repair, and all things DIY. Multiple cast members interact with celebrity guests throughout the many rooms of a full-sized house set. This makes the need for many wireless channels and glitch-free reception a top priority, which is why the show recently upgraded to Lectrosonics all-digital D Squared wireless mic system. It comprises four DSQD four-channel receivers, 16 DBu belt-pack transmitters, a DHu handheld mic, and six ALP690 high-performance antennas. “We had been using three Lectrosonics Venue racks and SM-series transmitters since the show started in 2012,” says audio supervisor Mike Dooley, whose CV includes The Biggest Loser and The Price Is Right. “I loved how well supported they were. But when we changed re
