Australia - Jands, Australia’s largest theatre and audio visual technology distribution company, celebrates 50 years of continual ownership on Friday, 27 November, capping five decades that closely tracks the history of live production and indeed, Australian rock’n’roll. Starting with some psychedelic lights in the basement of their parents’ home, Brothers David and Paul Mulholland were soon joined by school friend, (the late) Eric Robinson and went on to buy the fledgling J and S Research Electronics on 27 November 1970. The business took off as live music boomed from the straight-laced 1960s and solid state technology took hold, allowing louder, larger amplifiers. Column PA systems gave way to horn loaded systems derived from cinemas while swirling psychedelic liquid lightshows were replaced with stage lighting systems. Jands built all their equipment - incl
USA - Like many churches adapting to conditions around COVID-19, Winter Garden, Florida’s Mosaic Church has had to limit the number of, and attendance at, its Sunday gatherings. However, the pandemic has not muted the church’s sizable and enthusiastic music complement for those services. Twice each Sunday, as many as 12 musicians and vocalists assemble on stage for an authentic worship experience before those seated, socially distanced, in the 1,500-seat auditorium. In December 2017, following the renovation of a 78,000sq.ft former big-box store into its new main sanctuary, Mosaic Church acquired its first KLANG:fabrik immersive in-ear mixing solution, installed by Altamonte Springs-based integrator AVnew. Much more recently, Mosaic Church has now added a second KLANG:fabrik unit, further expanding what those performers on stage can accomplish and substantially lig
Germany - Located on the river Rhine, the town of Oestrich-Winkel is perhaps best known for being at the heart of the Rheingau wine-growing region and its annual Rheingau Musik Festival. But in a quiet residential street, Studio 22 owner and audio engineer Stephan Weber is at the cutting edge of live and recorded sound with Yamaha Rivage PM5 and Nuage systems. Stephan started as a professional IT networking specialist but, like so many who graduate to the audio industry, worked as a musician in his spare time. A small home studio and mixing local bands led to more audio work, including mixing musical theatre and events at the Kurhaus resort, casino and conference complex in Baden-Baden. A request by cruise company Hapag-Lloyd for his IT skills led to Stephan being asked to assist with his entertainment technology knowledge, leading to the creation of Studio 22. Since t
France - In a positive sign for the French exhibition and conference industry, the Savoie Expo has completed a sizeable investment in Nexo sound reinforcement systems for its new auditorium, anticipating a return to large-scale live events in 2021. Savoie Expo is located in Chambéry, in the Alpine heart of France’s second tourist region. Strategically placed to take advantage of close links to Lyon and Geneva, as well as both winter sports and summer recreation, the venue organises a range of trade fairs and exhibitions and hosts major seminar and conference events. Hall E was opened earlier this year, a substantial and versatile auditorium which can offer 2000sq.m of exhibition area, conference facilities for 1000 people, or accommodate 1200 people for a formal dinner. Equipped with retractable seating, the auditorium required an audio system that would adapt to it
Australia – Property developers, Cavcorp, recently completed the luxurious 15-storey Le Bain apartment complex, in the Brisbane suburb of Newstead. Described as an immersive experience that delivers a sub-tropical poolside lifestyle, it is redolent of the beaches of Southern France. Crowned by eight Penthouses and a private rooftop pool, it also includes a heated pool, music streaming, temperature-controlled spa baths, private dining room, sun deck with sunbeds, sauna, Technogym, barbeque and an alfresco dining area. To service this, the developers engaged AV integrators, Ampd to create a customized, reliable and robust audio visual system. And they turned to Martin Audio’s CDD series for the audio component. Commenting on the selection, Ampd’s Matt Hayes, said, “The stylish and discreet design, coupled with the consistent audio coverage, made the CDD ra
UK - Polar has announced the addition of AtlasIED to its portfolio. Based in the USA, AtlasIED is a global electronics manufacturer, providing comprehensive audio solutions for commercial business environments. The company manufactures mass notification, life safety, VoIP and speech privacy systems which interface with, existing and future analogue and IT-based infrastructures. AtlasIED offers around 2000 specialist products for every application in commercial premises, education, public transport hubs, sports arenas, hospitals, hotels and retail settings. Stuart Leader, director of Polar’s Integrated Services division comments: “AtlasIED offer an incredibly wide range of innovative, high-quality products, to which our customers will have full access. Their recently launched, award-winning Atmosphere️ signal processing platform, is a fine example of the seamless
Europe - It is with great sadness that Nexo has announced the death of Sergio Caprara, sales manager in Italy and a long-time employee of the company. Sergio started working as the exclusive distributor for Nexo in Italy in 1982, just three years after the company was founded, and he quickly became a key player in the young loudspeaker manufacturing business. A former front-of-house engineer who discovered he preferred the commercial environment of equipment sales, he was able to bring real-world influence to his collaborations with Nexo’s charismatic technical director Eric Vincenot. In 2002, he moved into a full-time role managing sales in Italy, Slovenia, Croatia and Albania. One of his first dealership appointments for Nexo Italy was Audio Rent, the rental and sales company run by his great friend Gianni Fantini. “I’ve known Sergio for 40 years, and he never
USA - Two key players in the conferencing audio market have joined forces. Shure has acquired California-based Midas Technology, also known as Stem Audio, which specialises in providing a suite of products including table, ceiling and wall microphones as well as loudspeakers, control interfaces and hubs. With the acquisition of Stem Audio, Shure will be able to further expand and diversify its solution offering for organisations of all sizes, while Stem Audio will benefit from the global infrastructure and support capabilities that Shure provides. “We both believe in ecosystems. Working together, we aim to provide customers with better options to deploy great audio in more spaces, more cost effectively, and more quickly,” said Chris Schyvnick, president and CEO, Shure. “Shure and Stem Audio understand the importance of good quality audio and taking care of custom
Germany - Top executives from d&b audiotechnik, the Royal Albert Hall, Audiotonix and Live Nation recently came together to address the future of shared entertainment experiences at the ‘Horizons Summit: Entertainment, Technology and Beyond.’ The virtual panel discussed the effect the pandemic has had on the live events industry and how shared entertainment experiences might look in the future. The discussion, led by journalist and author, Dan Daley, included Amnon Harman, Group CEO d&b audiotechnik; Jackie Wilgar, senior vice-president Live Nation; Craig Hassall, CEO Royal Albert Hall, and James Gordon, CEO Audiotonix. The Summit addressed common partner and customer concerns as well as industry trends including: the pivots required to keep live entertainment companies alive; the future of drive-in and virtual concerts; government support during the
Italy - Powersoft, has introduced a new care plan for its rack amplifier customers, which will be available via the company’s MyPowersoft portal as of 20 November 2020. The plan – which has been introduced so Powersoft customers can have increased certainty over their investments in these uncertain times – includes two distinct services; Warranty Extension and Service Shield, both of which can be purchased separately. Powersoft has always ensured that it builds products to the highest quality standards, and this no-compromise approach is what has consolidated the company’s reputation as a manufacturer of reliable, durable, and dependable machines, used by the world’s top live sound crews and system integrators. Despite this strength, the company has come to acknowledge that, in certain cases, products might be subject to strenuous conditions that coul
South Africa - The newly refurbished Seabrooke’s Theatre at Durban High School (DHS) is making waves and delighting audiences with one successful comedy after the next. After a seven-month entertainment famine, the theatre was launched with Sylvia, presented by KickstArt Theatre Company, which ran from 23 October to 1 November. Seabrooke’s Theatre is a 100-seater auditorium used by the schools Dramatic Arts Department as well as by amateur and professional companies and groups. Thanks to a generous contribution by DHS old boy and theatre lover, Chris Seabrooke, a much-needed renovation and equipment upgrade was made possible and commenced at the start of the Covid-19 South African lockdown. The theatre has been repainted, seats reupholstered, a green room/dressing room is currently being built, and on the technical side, a lighting and audio system has been suppli
Serbia - ARX Systems has announced that Player Music Shops will distribute the full portfolio of ARX professional USB audio interfaces and signal processing solutions in Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Slovenia, Macedonia and Albania. As one of the more long-established companies in this region, Player represents over 50 brands covering professional audio, DJ, studio, hi-fi, lighting and MI, with five stores as well as a successful online presence. Executive director of Player, Predrag Malinovic, has been key in growing the network of clients so that the company now can offer turnkey solutions for applications from musicians to government contracts. The addition of the ARX product range gives Player flexibility in what they can offer across all applications from broadcast, live events and installations, as well as for musicians. ARX managing director Colin
The need for music and connection between the artist and its audience is greater than ever - and Roisin Murphy chose this moment in time to get the band together for an emotional livestream from PRG’s Live Space! Rhianna Kenny-Wybrow, Roisin Murphy’s manager said: “For Roisin to build a show inside such an incredible space, that usually would be a hive of activity during the autumn touring season, felt very poignant. Roisin, her band and crew have been hugely restricted this year due to COVID-19. Live shows have been such a massive and enjoyable part of our team for so long; connecting with audiences around the world and working and traveling together as a family. This Mixcloud performance almost feels like an ode to what we have all missed out on. Working with PRG and Squire has been an absolute pleasure and we are incredibly happy to have collectively pulled this of
The Netherlands - PPDS has announced the appointment of marketing specialist, Marion Chaignon, as its new marketing campaign manager, EMEA. Part of PPDS’ continued recruitment and team strengthening across the European business, Marion brings a wealth of marketing experience to this important role, having executed major campaigns for some of the world’s most recognised technology brands, including Samsung Electronics, Asus, Nikon, HP, Lenovo and Logitech during her flourishing 12-year career. Bilingual in French and English, and university-educated in business and business marketing, Marion joins PPDS from Red Pimiento, where she spent almost six years under various EMEA roles, including account director, project director and team manager. Her roles have providing extensive marketing experience in promoting a wide range of specific industries, including reta
USA - Audio Precision has announced the APx517B acoustic analyser, specifically designed, configured and built for the production-line testing of speakers, microphones, headphones, headsets and the wide range of consumer electronics incorporating speakers and microphones. With the introduction of the APx517B acoustic analyser, manufacturers can deploy an integrated acoustic test system that brings the renowned quality, reliability and robustness of Audio Precision’s lab-oriented analysers to their production lines, says the company. On a production line, any time spent setting up a new test system, calibrating a system for a new shift, or reconfiguring a system for a change in DUT (device under test), is effectively a ‘line down’ situation. As an integrated system combining audio analyser (signal generation and acquisition), power amplifier, headphone amplifier,
UK - adidas recently opened the doors to a new flagship store on London’s Carnaby Street. As well as housing the latest Originals products, the store creates space for London’s creatives to come together, whilst retaining a cultural aesthetic and design true to the heart of Soho. With London’s creativity front and centre, the store features installations inspired and designed by local creatives, including one-off pieces of furniture and art, as well as a studio for the use of its consumers. Reinforcing the brand’s commitment to sustainability, the store has been created with BREEAM-certified materials. In order to support the look and ambience of the concept, as well to provide high-quality audio for background music and frequent event performances, adidas’s creative team engaged Pioneer Pro Audio to supply a bespoke sound system to meet its retro-style requi
New Zealand - disguise has added Streamliner Productions in New Zealand to its worldwide partner network. Streamliner are now a disguise xR creative & rental partner. The disguise partner network consists of over 200 partners specialising in the disguise workflow and hardware, enabling end-customers to source the best equipment as well as technical and creative talent to help bring live and virtual experiences to life. Streamliner has recently invested in disguise’s award-winning vx4 as well as the newly-released rx hosting platform for third-party render engines - a key component of the xR solution, engineered for the future of virtual production. The technical production house has also undergone specialist training in the disguise workflows and xR technology to achieve the partner status and accreditation, also becoming the only official partner in the country
China - Harman Professional Solutions has announced the new AKG CS300 Digital Conference System Series, offering highly scalable configurations and features to support the specific needs of a variety of customers in the China market. The AKG CS300 Digital Conference System Series is a hand-in-hand, wired premium digital conference system that is designed for convention centres, conference centres, hotel meeting rooms, corporate enterprises and government buildings. The system includes three components: the CS300MU Main Control Unit, CS300CU Chairman Unit with Redundancy and CS300DU Delegate Unit with Redundancy. “Modern conference rooms require state-of-the-art communication systems that deliver rock-solid reliability, pristine audio quality and superior flexibility,” said Daryl Wong, Harman Professional Solutions director, China product development. “The CS300 D
Europe - Sennheiser is bringing the sound of its MD 9235 capsule to a wired vocal microphone. “With the MD 435 cardioid high-end microphone, even soft voices will effortlessly assert themselves,” says Kai Lange, senior product manager with Sennheiser. “Singers will not only cut through the mix, their voices will also retain that natural quality and detail that the MD 9235 is so famous for.” The MD 435’s lightweight aluminium-copper voice coil ensures fast transient response, resulting in a very detailed, nuanced and transparent sound, especially in the treble. The large-diaphragm microphone features very wide dynamics of 146 dB(A) and can handle sound pressure levels of up to 163 dB/1 kHz. The acoustics come with a mechanical design created to take on the rigors of life on tour: The MD 435 features a metal casing and has a shock-mounted capsule to protect it
UK - Orbital Sound has launched a new product stream with its food & beverage (F&B) delivery platform OrderBoard - building on its success in the drive-In market with the Car-Link Retail wireless in-car audio and information system. OrderBoard, part of the Car-Link Technology suite of products, is designed to address the limitations of remote location infrastructures, handling contactless payments, F&B kitchen orders, delivery, stock control and reporting in ‘a fast, reliable and powerful data-efficient package’. As the live events industry focuses on re-inventing itself in the current environment, OrderBoard provides a novel solution to F&B delivery, directly addressing the all-important Covid compliance and secure socially-distanced operation, says the company. MD Chris Headlam comments: “The addition of the OrderBoard software takes the
Portugal - Grupo Renascença Multimedia is among the largest players in Portuguese radio. The firm operates three major stations: Rádio Renascença - known colloquially as 'RR' - Mega Hits, and RFM - which constantly rates as the highest listened-to station in the country. Across its entire portfolio, Grupo Renascença Multimedia provides everything from news, sports, music and other entertainment. The stations also include a bit of religious programming as the primary owner of the radio group is the Catholic Church. “We actually have a chapel in the building,” said José Loureiro, assistant manager at the Radio Innovation & Technical Unit for the stations. “And even the chapel is connected to our audio system, because once in a while, we do use it for broadcasting religious events. But really, as unique as that is, it’s not that crazy or difficult to include it
Canada - 7thSense’s Medialon Showmaster LE show control solution has been installed by Production Resource Group (PRG) at the at heart of the new Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit in Toronto. The five-storey immersive show brings the Dutch master's paintings to life using light, sound and movement. The Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit has become the world’s first immersive drive-in art experience after producers adapted the digital art show for the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. Before its public launch in July, the exhibition’s artistic director, Massimiliano Siccardi debuted his plans to make the experience COVID-friendly by designing space for up to 40 cars to visit the exhibit at any one time, as well as welcoming visitors on foot with social distancing circles in place once lockdown restrictions had been eased. The experience features a 35-minute show that showcases 40 pie
Germany - Martin Audio's German rental partner, Kotsch-Showtechnik from Nessetal near Gotha, recently supplied a sound reinforcement solution for the faithful reproduction of classical music at the Schlosshofkonzert 2020. In order to meet the COVID-19 requirements, the Gotha Thuringia Philharmonic Orchestra moved for three evenings into the courtyard of the baroque Friedenstein Castle in the City. Here, taking into account the rules of distance, a baroque evening, an operetta gala and a concert with violin and grand piano were able to take place in front of an audience of 400. Torsten Kotsch, owner of Kotsch Showtechnik, implemented the sound and lighting design with his team and explained the special features required of classical music reinforcement: "The dynamic range of a classical concert is far greater than at many rock concerts,” he said. “Since the concert
Finland - Nestled between two lakes, Näsijärvi and Pyhäjärvi, Tampere is listed on MoveHub’s world’s most popular hipster spots and, with the most saunas in one city, is considered the sauna capital of the world. The city is also home to the Tampereen Työväen Teatteri (Tampere Workers’ Theatre), fondly referred to by locals as the TTT-Theatre. This is one of the county’s main theatres and its recently updated sound system features L-ISA Immersive Hyperreal Sound technology, chosen both with audio excellence and the future in mind, as well as to address historic localisation issues caused by the venue’s extremely wide stage. Originally, a standard L-C-R system had been specified for the theatre’s major audio overhaul, until Pauli Molnár, sales manager at L-Acoustics certified provider distributor, Audico Systems Oy, introduced them to the concept of L
