USA - With safety measures limiting the number of fans who can physically attend university football games, one Midwest top-ranked football team lost a major component of home field advantage - the sound of 100,000-plus fans reverberating through their massive stadium. To recover this advantage, a temporary distributed system of 66 Meyer Sound self-powered loudspeakers was deployed to reproduce the crowd with uncanny realism by applying dynamic sonic movements via the new Meyer Sound Spacemap Go spatial sound solution. “A crowd of 100,000 football fans does not produce a flat, static sound,” explains Rob Snyder of Rob Snyder Productions, one of the originators of the college stadium concept. “The sound is almost like its own living, breathing entity, something that pushes and pulls, that changes dimensions. You can’t make that happen with a typical distributed PA sys
USA - Bellevue Baptist Church, the largest house of worship in Memphis and one of the leading churches in the Southern Baptist Convention, recently finished a complete renovation of its audio systems, which also included extensive acoustical work throughout the sanctuary. The project was led by the church’s long-time systems integration partner, Springfield, Missouri-based Paragon 360, which had previously designed and installed the scenic, lighting and video systems there. The new installation, in the church’s 6,800-seat main sanctuary in the suburb of Cordova, features three Quantum7 consoles deployed at FOH, monitors, and broadcast. In addition, an SD12 console is now also deployed in the church’s fellowship hall, wrapping up what Mark Coble, audio/acoustics design & commissioning lead for Paragon 360, calls “a full DiGiCo solution for the church”.
Czech Republic - KV2 Audio has introduced D Series amplifiers with onboard control and diagnostics. The first deployment of these is at the Volksoper or People’s Opera in Vienna where 56 units are in use every day. KV2’s D Series amplifiers use a range of topologies including Class AB for high frequency response, a unique high current switching topology on low frequencies, and consistent power delivery that features toroidal transformers hand-wound in the Czech factory, specific for each model. In terms of control, the D Series amplifiers offer the option to set up gains, operate mutes, configure the limiters, or select filter, EQ and bridge modes depending on the model, whilst the diagnostics section provides information on the temperature of heatsinks, mains voltage, real-time health checking and the output levels relative to limiting. This is a crucial feature
USA - Live music has proved it will find a way despite the lockdowns on performances compelled by the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the more imaginative examples of this was the 9 October performance of Verdi’s iconic opera Rigoletto by the Tulsa Opera, which was staged at ONEOK Field, home of the Tulsa Drillers minor league baseball team and Double-A Affiliate of the LA Dodgers. Every note of the operatic repertoire of Rigoletto was heard clearly and sweetly by the 1,685 socially-distanced audience members seated in the 2,700-capacity stadium thanks to an L-Acoustics Kara PA system provided by locally-based Axiom Audio. The system consisted of 24 Kara enclosures, six SB18 subs, and three four-speaker clusters of Kiva II used as centre and side-fills, all powered by six LA12X and three LA4X amplified controllers. These components were on an Optocore fibre
Europe - In February 2020, Neutrik announced the development of Milan audio modules. Now, the launch of the first Milan-certified audio module, MINEA, has been announced. MINEA is a 2x2 stream Milan Certified audio module. It's a ready-to-go solution that allows manufacturers in the pro audio market to quickly and easily implement Milan into their products, from single loudspeakers, amplifiers, microphones, audio embedders and de-embedders, to complex multichannel mixing desks and multi-port conferencing systems. With the development of Milan audio modules, Neutrik is taking the next logical step by offering OEM customers a time- and cost-saving path towards developing and producing future audio network solutions built on the Milan protocol. “The network must now become part of the value proposition for manufacturers. It must be open for creativity to enable b
Europe - Apex has launched its new CloudPower series of remote controllable, four channel Class-D amplifiers, built on its proprietary GlidePath direct drive architecture. The first two models in the new series, the 4x 350W CP354 and the 4x 700W CP704, are shipping now, and will be joined by a pair of more powerful amplifiers in the near future. All CloudPower amplifiers include comprehensive signal and speaker processing tools and are designed for standalone or networked deployment in installations scaling from bars and hotels through to theatres and theme parks. CloudPower is the first product to benefit from Apex’s GlidePath direct drive technology, which fully integrates DSP and amplifier circuits, employing DC coupling throughout the signal path to dramatically reduce time offsets and distortion. CloudPower’s precise reproduction of high transients manages spe
UK - During UK Friday night primetime television, disguise showcased its xR technology on Channel 5’s The Gadget Show, highlighting how extended reality offers virtual production and performance in immersive real-time video environments. The Gadget Show presenter Georgie Barrat was treated to an all-encompassing xR experience, taking in the disguise London HQ and filming a series of one-to-one interviews about the origins and ambitions of xR technology with disguise’s executive leadership team, including CSO Tom Rockhill and CTO Ed Plowman. The show was also taken across town to experience a cross-location meeting on disguise certified solutions provider White Light’s SmartStage at London’s Science Museum. White Light technical solutions director Andy Hook said, “It was fantastic to see xR and our SmartStage solution getting such a great reacti
UK - Created in conjunction with parent company Clair Global, Britannia Row Production’s Virtual Live Audience (VLA) platform represents the latest in interactional and remote entertainment experiences (watch out for a feature on the new solution in the upcoming LSi December, out next week). Like video conferencing, music fans and TV audience members utilise a propriety browser-based video platform to experience a live performance or be part of a TV filming production – from the comfort of their home. However, the VLA experience has been created with real time engagement in mind. The VLA system allows for the performance artist or TV host / panellists to both interact and reconnect with confidence during Covid-19 audience restrictions. Viewers at home also benefit from multi-camera broadcast feeds and can watch the entertainment remotely while feel
France - Celebrating all things glamorous, sensual and flamboyant, Folies Bergère is one of Paris’ most revered nightspots. Originally a cabaret music hall and variety-entertainment theatre, The Folies made its mark during the Belle Epoque of the late 1800s with its music hall revues featuring stunning dancers. More recently returning to its musical production roots, the Folies Bergère stage has been graced by famous artists from Charlie Chaplin, Ella Fitzgerald, Marcel Marceau, Frank Sinatra, Charles Aznavour through to Elton John. This year, the theatre’s impressive programme has been matched with equally impressive audio technology when the Folies Bergère became the first performing arts centre in France to permanently install L-Acoustics L-ISA Hyperreal Sound technology. The venue’s operating contract is handled by specialist live sound company Potar Hurl
USA - NY-based Sound Co-op began in 2015 as a conversation between freelance production sound mixers Jon Moore and Phil Shipman. Their co-operative is a sustainable business model to increase career security and bolster clients’ confidence at the same time. To standardise wireless and other equipment across their team, they chose Lectrosonics Digital Hybrid Wireless gear, including the SMV and SMQV transmitters and SRc receivers, supported by pairings of the T4 and R1a for IFB applications. They shared how their Co-op model has helped them thrive and work safely during the coronavirus pandemic - and the supporting role Lectrosonics equipment has played. “Our Co-op is a legal structure,” says chief financial officer Shipman. “It’s just like how some apartment buildings and food stores are co-ops. We’re not only worker-owned, but democratically controlled. In a for
UK - Technical entertainment charity Backup has announced Round 2 of applications for its Hardship Fund is now open. The fund was launched in October with the aim to provide limited financial assistance to production crew and those working in the technical supply chain across the UK entertainment sector. Set up just ahead of the then-concluding Self-Employment Income Support and Job Retention schemes, it originally targeted those in the community who had been unable to receive any state or charitable assistance. But Round 2 will be open to workers who have been awarded up to £5,000 in funding between 1 April and 30 November. “The application uptake for Round 1 of the Hardship Fund reaffirmed to us how dire it is financially and that this help could not come soon enough for many or our colleagues,” comments Backup chairman John Simpson. “It has been heart
USA - The deep history of Bridgewater Church of the Brethren in Bridgewater, Virginia stretches back into the late 1700s, when the first Europeans migrated into the area. Centuries of branching and growth led to the construction of the church’s current sanctuary in 1998. The fan-shaped room seats approximately 500 people and is open, inviting, and sympathetically appointed. However, its existing sound reinforcement system (as old as the sanctuary itself) was broken and behind the times. The church's property is on the campus of Bridgewater College, a facility that earlier in 2020 received a Danley upgrade for their chapel. A member of the church was very impressed and excited about bringing local integrator RTW Media, of Orville, Virginia, into Church of the Brethren to transform their old system. RTW replaced the previous system with a Danley Sound Labs point source
UK - Martin Audio partner Old Barn Audio (OBA) has completed its second major VR installation, in which an immersive environment is created with stereoscopic 3D headsets coupled with a mixed-reality sound system. Designed by MagicBeans and commissioned by MXT Reality, it combines open-backed binaural headphones with a full procedural 3D speaker environment, fulfilled by a Martin Audio CDD system. Two years after creating an immersive theatre for SOMNAI at Clerkenwell, in central London, OBA partnered with the same immersive audio production house, now known as MagicBeans, to deliver a similar environment for the simulation and training of Highways England personnel - in order to give them real-world exposure to motorway scenarios. The installation was carried out in a repurposed 30m x 8m long rectangular office space in one of their warehouses, at a new distribution c
The Netherlands - AVL Rent of Wervershoof chose a range of Pioneer Pro Audio systems to meet the needs of multiple applications at Oscar Romero school in Hoorn. The school recently underwent extensive renovation and refurbishment to provide its students with state-of-the-art facilities. With a focus on sustainability, increased space and improved resources, the project was completed in November 2020. Improvements to the school’s audio provision were considered essential, and its management team engaged with local installation specialists AVL to deliver new systems for twelve different spaces across the building. The systems required by Oscar Romero needed to meet a diverse set of requirements. Where two gymnasiums would require powerful solutions that could fill large spaces, the lecture hall would require crystal clear reinforcement for speech, music and film audio.
China - Ge’s Fairy Village Resort, located in Shangrao, Jiangxi, has long been a tourist hotspot famous for its religious culture and natural scenery. In order to keep the resort as attractive as possible, the administrators have undertaken construction of a new attraction, known as Lingbao Fairyland. To ensure that the audio infrastructure lived up to the scale of the attraction itself, Chinese company EZPro was hired to design and install an impressive sound system powered by 20 Powersoft amplifier platforms from across the company’s extensive fixed install range. A total of 160 loudspeakers were deployed across Lingbao Fairyland, made up of 136 Hi-Z and 24 Lo-Z systems. To drive this, EZPro used three Powersoft Duecanali 1604 DSP+D, four Duecanali 804 DSP+D, six Mezzo 602AD, two Quattrocanali 1204 DSP+D, and five X4 DSP+D, all Dante enabled. “The origin
USA - Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW) has announced the appointment of pro audio veteran Michael Palmer as its director of US sales. In his new role at EAW, Palmer is overseeing all aspects of sales throughout the US, working closely with manufacturer’s sales reps and regional sales managers. He will liaise with EAW’s installation and touring applications teams as well as consultants, contractors and concert/event production companies. “We reached a point where it was crucial to strengthen our sales leadership to guide our talented sales team to the next level,” says Marco Breda, chief executive officer of EAW. “Palmer’s stellar reputation, knowledge and relationships with key decision makers in our industry make him the ideal candidate to catapult us to the next level.” With over 30 years of experience in the audio industry, Palmer comes to EAW from
UK - Audiologic has announced that Rob Davies has joined the team as national account manager. Davis joins Audiologic with a career background in audio which spans multiple sectors, including high-end car audio, hi-fi, home cinema, home automation and, for the last six years, pro audio. His experience covers retailers and installation companies but mainly account management for UK distributors, which is where he feels most at home. He has been involved with projects as diverse as theatres, town halls, sports halls, night clubs and cruise ships. Andy Lewis, managing director, Audiologic, comments: “We are proud to welcome Rob Davies into a role that we have been keen to develop for some time. Due to an increase in larger and more demanding projects, we are keen to ensure that every one of our customers has access to the full suite of services we can provide. Rob will
Germany - Neumann.Berlin has introduced the MA 1, an integrated hard/software tool for acoustic calibration and room correction, tailor-made for Neumann studio monitors. Calibration algorithms, jointly developed with the Fraunhofer IIS, ensure best possible monitoring quality in any environment - from acoustically untreated bedroom studios to professional control rooms, says the company. The system consists of an individually calibrated Neumann measurement microphone and the corresponding software for Mac and PC. “The Neumann studio monitor portfolio is experiencing an enormous increase in demand; in some cases more than 60% compared to the previous year,” explains Ralf Oehl, CEO of Neumann.Berlin. “According to user feedback, one of the main reasons is that our monitors have the highest acoustic consistency on the market; different models deliver identica
Europe - DirectOut named Audiosales (Italy) as Distributor of the Year during the company’s recent Insider event. DirectOut also recognised the exceptional performances of tm stagetec systems (Australia) with the award Rookie of the Year award, while Lawo BVBA (Netherlands) took the Prodigy of the Year accolade. Jan Ehrlich, CEO of DirectOut, states: “Our cooperation with Audiosales has constantly developed over the past 10 years and we appreciate Audiosales’ professional performance in service and support across the pro audio and broadcast segments in Italy. It’s another success story and this award expresses a well-deserved acknowledgement for their great job.” Marco Alterini, sales director of Audiosales adds, “Receiving this award is of great satisfaction for us, not only because of a great year, but also because it is the tangible proof of what kind of
Finland - The Finnish Sports Museum housed at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki has recently re-opened to the public with a completely revitalised permanent exhibition after extensive renovations closed the venue for five years. The new exhibitions celebrate Finnish sport using the best of what modern technology has to offer, including a Genelec Smart IP audio solution. All audio, video and control technology was supplied by AV integration specialists Studiotec Oy, with AV and sound design by building services engineering experts, Granlund Oy. Granlund’s Aki Päivärinne and Timo Muurinen were responsible for the AV design. “Our aim was to put the visitor in the middle of the action, to make them feel as if they are really there,” says Päivärinne. “It’s hard to think of any sport where sound is not a crucial part of the experience. Sounds from various sports
USA - LEA Professional has announced a partnership with Polaris Controls to serve the company’s growing customer base in Latin America and the Caribbean. With both organisations led by teams of recognised industry veterans, the partnership will seek to further enhance LEA Professional’s growing customer base in these international markets. Polaris Controls has been operating in the pro audio industry for over a decade. Co-founder Ariel Enrique Gutiérrez comments, “The AV industry across all verticals is changing and it is imperative that companies move with that change. LEA Professional is agile and dynamic and can easily respond to the changes in the market, not to mention their solutions are intuitive, easy to use and built with integrators in mind. “LEA understands the importance of customer care and engaging with your audience via digital tools. They are n
UK - Polar has been appointed as the UK and Ireland distributor for AMX, a part of Harman Professional Solutions. AMX is dedicated to integrating AV solutions for an IT World, solving the complexity of managing technology ‘with reliable, consistent and scalable systems comprising control and automation, system-wide switching and AV signal distribution, digital signage and technology management’. AMX systems are deployed worldwide in conference rooms, homes, classrooms, network operation/command centres, hotels, entertainment venues and broadcast facilities. AMX is dedicated to integrating AV solutions for an IT World, solving the complexity of managing technology with ‘reliable, consistent and scalable systems comprising control and automation, system-wide switching and AV signal distribution, digital signage and technology management’. AMX systems are deployed
UK - #WeMakeEvents, the campaign to support the live entertainment sector during the COVID crisis, is hosting an online Speakeasy from Monday 30 November to Friday 8 January. This new virtual space will deliver skills workshops, support sessions for finance and wellbeing, ‘fireside chats’ with some of the industry’s greats, and plenty of entertainment. All industry professionals are invited to join in and connect with colleagues during what will likely be a difficult festive period for many. The Speakeasy will run regular quizzes, webinars, Q&A clinics and training sessions, and will host a forum on Discord which will be open at all hours for people to seek and share advice. On the agenda is a highly anticipated live conversation between former Cirque du Soleil artists Laura-Ann Chong and Andy Buchanan, advice on motivation through these difficult times, pl
UK - South London studio Belly of the Beast has become the first facility in the UK to install a Neve 8424 console. The studio pre-ordered the desk prior to its release in June, following an in-depth demo that highlighted its full range of features. Designed to offer a centralised platform between the worlds of analogue and digital, this small format console delivers the large format sound of the Neve 80-series console range and is well suited to studios like Belly of the Beast where esoteric and vintage outboard equipment play a significant role in the facility’s workflow. “For studios like ours where you have a large and varied collection of preamps, EQs and interesting bits of outboard gear, this desk is ideal because it provides a very logical system to bring all of those elements together,” says producer, mix engineer and studio manager James Rand. “We no
