UK - Based in London’s Fitzrovia, Epic Games’ London Innovation Lab is a hub for the creative community, offering creators across industries a platform to produce real-time content and immersive virtual experiences, using Epic’s Unreal Engine (UE) software. The new curved LED Volume, recently installed at the Lab and running on Brompton Technology processing, is a testament to the company’s continuous commitment to empower new ways of content creation using the latest technology advances. Whilst UE has been at the forefront of Virtual Production (VP) since the first workflows began to emerge, it is the first time that the company has introduced its state-of-the-art virtual studio, working with partners such as Brompton Technology, ARRI and creative technical production company 80six, ‘to bring the magic of virtual production to life’. “Our initial convers
UK - Events and creative industry professionals Mark Davies, Jerry Cleary and Edwin Higgins have joined forces to launch a new event production company, JEM LIVE. The new venture combines a physical event production offering with services such as live streaming, extended reality (xR) and social media amplification to enable organisers and agencies to expand the reach of their event. “We wanted to create a company which was fluent in virtual event technologies while not forgetting the importance of more classic elements of event production,” comments Davies. “High quality design, lighting, sound, staging etc. remain at the heart of live events but in the COVID-19 era we have to be willing to integrate virtual elements too.” Davies has more than 25 years’ experience in live events and entertainment architecture and is responsible for the commercial and
Germany - Looking to provide guests an improved live sound experience, Konzerthaus Dortmund collaborated with Audio Pro and integrators B+B Event Technology to upgrade its sound system with a Harman Professional audio solution. One of the leading concert and event halls in Germany, Konzerthaus Dortmund hosts hundreds of shows each year and can accommodate up to 1,550 guests. With acts ranging from classical music and piano recitals to pop and rock-and-roll concerts, mixed with an increased demand for loudspeaker-supported events, the venue decided to invest in a new audio system that delivers pristine sound for all types of genres and performances. Originally planning for the install to take place towards the end of 2020, a halt in events and gatherings due to COVID-19 sped up the timeline. During the break in action, Konzerthaus used the time to upgrade from its previ
Australia - Green Hippo has added two new distribution specialists to its international sales network. Representing the brand in Australia and New Zealand is Melbourne-based Corsair Solutions. Established in 2009, Corsair imports and distributes professional and commercial AV equipment and has established itself as a trusted partner of AV system integrators, pro audio and video equipment resellers and equipment rental companies throughout Australia and New Zealand. Corsair also distributes Green Hippo’s sister brand within Spitfire Creative Technologies, tvONE. Meanwhile, Wholestage has been appointed to represent Green Hippo in Latin America and the Caribbean. Founded in Venezuela in 1998, Wholestage is today based in Miami, Florida, with offices in Colombia, Dominican Republic, Panama, Chile and Spain. It specializes in the distribution of pro video, audio, riggin
UK - 7thSense has promoted Jack Dowd to the position of product manager of the Delta Media Server range. After joining the company in 2013 as systems engineer within the production department, Jack was promoted to technical sales and systems engineer as a key member of the 7thSense sales team in 2019 - providing technical support to customers, as well as the commissioning of systems on-site. “Jack’s promotion is incredibly well-deserved, and a reflection of his vast understanding of, and contribution to, our Delta Media Server line of products,” notes Richard Brown, 7thSense CTO. “Jack has been instrumental in the development of new product features over the years, ensuring that our customers always receive the highest standard of service and support. We look forward to the next chapter with him as a new member of our expanding product management team.”
USA - Formerly known as the Tribeca Grand Hotel, the Roxy Hotel is a 201-room property in the heart of Manhattan's Tribeca neighbourhood. Amenities include an in-room pet goldfish (on request) and free loaner bicycles - and multiple bars offer regular live music, including a jazz club and cocktail lounge. The newest amenity is a cocktail and dining area under the hotel’s marquee, designed for a bite and sip in a pandemic-safe environment. But the hotel didn’t skimp on sound: a pair of Genelec 4430A Smart IP Installation Speakers were installed there over the summer by integrator Essential Communications, which had earlier installed and then updated the hotel’s distributed sound system. “The Roxy is all about music and all about great sound,” says David Schwartz, president of Essential Communications, which specialises in AV for hospitality clients, among oth
USA - Nobu Hotels blend modern luxury and minimal Japanese tradition into the concept of a lifestyle hotel - which is exactly what Robert De Niro, chef Nobu Matsuhisa, and Meir Teper wanted when they decided to open a property in Chicago. The development team sourced architects, designers, GCs, suppliers, and hospitality experts for the 115-room hotel, restaurant and rooftop scene, complete with an indoor lounge and outdoor terrace. Technology had to contribute to the guest experience, and sound was no exception. Nobu wanted a team of experts to come in and run with audio-visual and structured cabling and to own the entire project. Encompass AV gave the team an opportunity to flex their design, acoustics, infrastructure, and overall hospitality strengths. Encompass AV plugged in with the developers early, ‘rethinking the entire buildscape for more efficient str
UK - Having sat through one too many ‘tin-pot’ live performances during lockdown, a group of live event professionals have got together to create audio and video production service, AfterLive Music. Inspired to help bands, performers, record labels and promoters to present live performances in a way that provides audiences with an authentic and captivating ‘in the room’ viewing experience (whilst keeping within COVID-19 guidelines) performances are recorded, mixed and mastered with the help of Audient gear. “It was our love of live music that brought us together, and drives us and this project forward,” says Adam Bonner, who along with Jamie Tinsley looks after all things audio. “We didn’t feel that early lockdown live performances were representing the artist in a good way at all. Poor audio quality was my biggest issue.” Adam has spent his last five year
Thailand - Powersoft has appointed M.I. Engineering as distributor for Thailand. Established in 1994, M.I. Engineering offers a wide range of audio solutions to a variety of projects, from home cinema to fixed installations. The company is a member of the Mahajak Group, a full service importer of sound system products. “We pride ourselves in providing excellent service and quality audio products to our customers, which drives us to always be aware of the best solutions available on the market,” comments Attapol Praisri, M.I. Engineering’s product manager - professional audio division. “Everything that we have in our arsenal, not only suits our philosophy, but also the systems our customers want to build. Having Powersoft added to our portfolio is going to strengthen this position.” M.I. Engineering was introduced to Powersoft last January by Arthur Soh, Power
Spain - Amate Audio is launching the X102FD, a high output point source active 2x 10” system, developed to offer a higher performance, higher efficiency alternative to line arrays, in medium and smaller size application environments. In any application, fewer X102FD systems will always be required than with other cabinets, says the company. Weighing just 32 kg, the cabinets can be deployed and rigged by just one or two people; without the infrastructure, man-hours and effort required to fly a line array. The X102FD can be deployed both vertically and horizontally, due to its rotatable horn with a simple “no tools required” pull, turn and release mechanism. In vertical FOH applications, the horn provides 80° x 60° (HxV) dispersion (in its default position). In the horizontal plane – for applications such as front-fills within a large-scale line array system,
Germany - Last year the Bremen-based service provider AVM Veranstaltungstechnik, chose to make a significant investment in Coda Audio systems. The company, led by managing director, Jens Wiegandt, took delivery of a range of sound reinforcement, including the compact arena line array AiRAY system, SCP-F subwoofers, APS (Arrayable Point Source), APS-SUBs, as well as LINUS DSP loudspeaker management amplifiers. In the months before the Coronavirus pandemic struck, the systems had provided sound at top events such as the Summertime@Norderney and Tabularazza festivals, as well as at a host of concerts and corporate events. “In the first instance, we chose Coda because we consider them to be a very technically innovative company. We were impressed by the excellent sound characteristics and high output they achieve from such compact and lightweight systems,” commented Ma
USA - The Meyer Sound education team is returning with a series of Spacemap Go roundtable discussions in November and December. Each session will welcome questions from attendees and be answered by a team of panellists. The roundtables will also focus on different features of Meyer Sound’s new Spacemap Go spatial sound design and mixing tool. Roundtable 1, What is Spacemap Go: Getting started quickly and programming offline (4 November) will explain how to get started, the components of a Spacemap Go system, the concepts of a Spacemap as well as provide a general application overview. Roundtable 2, Implementing Spacemap Go into your workflow: System example and saving your work (11 November) will explore building multiple Spacemaps for a simple loudspeaker configuration, plus saving projects and snapshots. Regardless of a system’s size, Spacemap conce
USA - Harman Professional Solutions has announced the addition of 10 free Live Workshops available for registration. From musicians and performers to designers and programmers, upcoming workshops feature audio and lighting experts who have extensive industry knowledge and experience. Collectively, the presenters have worked with various artists including Bob Dylan, Carrie Underwood, Green Day, Janet Jackson, John Mellencamp, Kenny Rogers, Lionel Richie, Lou Reed, Marilyn Manson, Michael Jackson, Natalie Cole, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Styx, The Rolling Stones, Tina Turner, U2, Van Halen and many more. The workshops open for registration include: The Art of Perfect Playback in Lighting Design with Michael Keller (27 October), A Brief User’s Manual For A Lighting Career with Benny Kirkham (28 October), The ABC's of Awesome Lighting Technology with Brad Schiller (2
USA - For more than four decades, the Dee Events Centre (DEC) on the campus of Weber State University (WSU) in Ogden, Utah has served as the home court of the NCAA Division I WSU Wildcats men’s and women’s basketball teams and played host to many Big Sky Conference championship games. This summer, the domed arena welcomed its newest ‘player’ - a new L-Acoustics Kara(i) loudspeaker system designed and installed by Salt Lake City’s Poll Sound. Capable of seating nearly 11,600 spectators in its circular bowl, the Dee Events Centre is a multipurpose venue. It has also hosted its share of other college and professional sports, major touring concerts, commencements, religious and community events, and much more. Although the school has continually invested in various upgrades to the venue over the years, one thing that has remained unchanged for more than a quarter centu
Portugal - NEXT-proaudio has opened a new logistics centre that will operate as an extension to the company’s factory in Porto. Utilising three new automatic logistics software programmes (online interactive platform, Internal logistic software NXT and an automatic packing optimisation software) all based on the 4.0 technology, the new centre will significantly increase the available space, flexibility and efficiency of the company’s warehousing and all domestic and international operations, says NEXT. The new logistics centre provides 1000sq.m of floor space for warehousing and logistics, as well as office space for sales, marketing and logistics control. The centre is located in Porto, 10km away from the main port and airport, making transport and logistics “easy and convenient”. The centre is already in operation and gearing up for the launch of NEXT Audioco
South Africa - Making a decision to swim rather than sink, Sound HQ Solutions along with production manager Sharif Baker, who is also the chairman of TPSA and spokesperson for #LightSAred, have survived the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa with fewer bumps and bruises than many other companies during this tough time. They recently launched their new Festival Studio in Muldersdrift, Johannesburg, a hybrid and virtual facility which includes outdoor stages, and are confident that they are able to pull off a variety of festivals and events for their niche gospel, jazz and music markets. Alvin Bruinders, the owner of technical supply company Sound HQ Solutions, started working with Sharif Baker some 20 years ago on MY Joyous Celebration, a gospel powerhouse formed in 1996 to celebrate the political change in South Africa and the peaceful transition into democracy.
UK - Orbital Sound reports “an outstanding summer season” for its Car-Link wireless in-car speaker series, designed specifically to address the drive-in sector’s demand for a high quality, reliable solution. Car-Link was created to address the challenges of delivering consistently excellent in-car audio, overcoming the myriad issues associated with reproducing modern movie soundtracks and live music performances without compromise in the growing drive-in market, says Orbital. MD Chris Headlam expands: “Car radios fitted to vehicles are all different. Some have big bass speakers, and others just tiny tweeters. None really sound very good, and none are designed for accurate sound reproduction. As a result, it is totally impossible to relay clear and fair sound equally to everybody via the vehicle manufacturers’ car installation. Add to this a raft of other issues - i
South Korea - Located in the city of Paju, South Korea, CGV Paju Yadang is the latest movie theatre in South Korea opened by CJ CGV - the country’s largest multiplex cinema chain and the fifth largest in the world. Opened at the end of July 2020, it has five auditoriums, all with recliner chairs and Barco laser projectors. The main auditorium features an Alcons pro-ribbon system, specified and supplied by specialist cinema company Yuyukorea Co, based in Seoul. It was installed by the company’s head engineer, Mr Kang. “We helped the customer with A/B demonstrations of different systems,” he says. “They were very satisfied with the Alcons Audio demo, saying ‘We love the HF from the pro-ribbon tweeter and could definitely hear a cleaner sound than from other systems’. They made an instant decision after the demo to choose the Alcons system.” The syst
USA - Spanning 14 floors and featuring dining options, a gym, more than 3,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, and a rooftop pool with a terrace bar, cabanas, and a fire pit, the Canopy by Hilton Downtown is a boutique lifestyle hotel in Tempe, AZ, USA. To provide sound reproduction throughout the venue, management invested in the installation of a healthy assortment of loudspeaker systems drawn from catalogue of Valencia, Spain-based DAS Audio. Skinny’ Greg Gilman, who is involved in a wide range of music and sound endeavours, including both work as a DJ and as an AV installation professional, was contracted to manage the Canopy’s sound system installation. Working in conjunction with Oakland Park, FL-based TM Sound, an AV design/build firm, the combined team deployed an assortment of DAS loudspeakers that drew from the company’s Quantum, Ovi, and WR Series catalogues.
USA - Combo’s modern approach to hostelling has materialised into an ambitious architectural and urban redevelopment project that has already opened its doors in Venice, Milan and Turin and is scheduled to extend to other Italian cities very soon. Here, travellers are greeted by airy common spaces, a trendy bar and eatery, and relaxed workspaces with several dedicated event, exposition and meeting spaces. There is also music throughout most of the common areas, thanks to a Genelec sound system. Far more than the hostels of old, Combo bills itself as a cultural hub for citizens of the world, combining hospitality with music. The hostels in Turin and Milan boast their own radio booths, which broadcast full time in the hostels and online, and all sites offer rooms equipped with AV technology to host talks, screenings, live sets, listening sessions, art workshops and more. The
Romania Two luxury hotels from an eventual complex of three have just been opened by Romanian-based Phoenicia Hotels Group in the popular coastal resort of Olimp / Mangalia. Operating under the Phoenicia Blue View brand, the first two - Belvedere and Panoramic - which will flank the Amfiteatru Hotel when it opens next year, have been equipped with Martin Audio’s Adorn loudspeaker series. These were supplied by Martin Audio’s long-term partner, Paradigma Teknik, who were awarded the contract. Traditionally a popular tourist destination, the hotels had been closed for more than 20 years and became derelict until the Phoenicia Group purchased and rebuilt the original structures, investing €35m (a figure that is expected to rise to €50m by the end of 2021). Paradigma have called on the powerful Adorn A55T several times on projects since its launch early
Europe - Shure has unveiled DuraPlex, the company’s new subminiature (5 mm) omnidirectional lavalier and headset microphone. Designed to stand up to the toughest conditions, DuraPlex boasts Shure’s first IP57 certification rating, keeping dirt, dust, water, and perspiration from upstaging the audio. The minimalistic form factor features the same cable durability of TwinPlex – Shure’s premium line of lavalier and headset microphones. DuraPlex was developed ‘with input from esteemed audio professionals and supports the diverse needs of film and television, theatre, broadcast, and corporate presentations’. DuraPlex consists of the DL4 Omnidirectional Waterproof Lavalier Microphone and the DH5 Omnidirectional Waterproof Headset Microphone. “In developing DuraPlex, we wanted to provide a simple, consistent, reliable solution, ready to tackle any environm
USA - Foo Fighters recently played the #SOSFest livestream with Brit Row providing the virtual remote mixing solution. Performing at West Hollywood’s Troubadour, the gig was streamed to fans on 18 October as part of a collective action weekend in support of independent US-based music venues. A total of 35 artists - including Miley Cyrus, The Roots, Major Lazer and Leon Bridges - played in multiple venues in cities across the US and joined the Foo Fighters in raising awareness and funds to keep North America’s cherished independent concert venues from closing indefinitely. Named #SOSFest, the three-day virtual music festival was created to support the Save Our Stages initiative and America’s National Independent Venues Association’s (NIVA) Emergency Relief Fund. NIVA’s YouTube hosted the festival, with individual sets also aired on artist channels. Pri
USA - Harman Professional Solutions has introduced the JBL IRX115S powered subwoofer. The JBL IRX115S powered subwoofer, the newest member of the JBL IRX Series, draws from JBL’s top professional touring technologies and offers 128 dB of low-frequency coverage in a rugged, compact cabinet weighing just 65.3 pounds. “With our IRX Series, we’ve drawn from 70 years of JBL innovation to design a portable PA that’s lightweight, powerful and doesn’t take a lot of work to sound great,” says Craig Lambrecht, director, portable PAs, Harman Professional Solutions. “JBL IRX Series loudspeakers already deliver stunning sound in an incredibly compact footprint. By adding the IRX115S subwoofer, users can enhance their systems with room-shaking bass, without breaking anyone’s budget - or back.” Inside, a 15” woofer with 3” voice coil produces powerful bas
