The Netherlands - dBTechnologies has added another user to its Vio family. TSR AV - Audiovisual Interactions is the first company in the Netherlands to acquire the Vio line array system. The company has decided to purchase several elements of the VIO system. In total, TSR AV added 16x VIO L212, 12x VIO L210 and 16x VIO S218 modules to its rental inventory. Han Wassink, managing & sales director and founder of TSR AV, comments, “We see great potential for the audio system in the Dutch market. As a long-standing dB Technologies user we have great trust in the expertise and quality of the dBTechnologies brand. With the Vio system, dBTechnologies has taken an enormous step in technical development. And last but not least, we are very satisfied with the dBTechnologies R&D team.” Martijn Groot, managing and operations director adds: “One of the goals in purchas
Canada - Cast Software has released wysiwyg as a 64-bit application. Available for download from the Cast members area, the application offers noticeable stability and performance increase across all modes and can now utilise more than 4GB of memory to open files. Cast VP of product, Dino Mazza comments: “This is a special release for Cast. I am proud of the entire wysiwyg development team for getting us here, identifying the challenges along the way and finding the easy, and sometimes difficult solutions, and continuing to plug away at this project until its completion. “R43 delivers our wysiwyg in a 64-bit architecture, and along with the increased responsiveness and improved user experience, which we know the users will love. But, also included are some new features too. I know there are some happy faces around Cast, and I’m suspecting the same is true a
USA - Harman Professional Solutions has announced the new JBL Eon One Compact portable PA system. The latest addition to the JBL Eon One range of portable PA systems, the Compact is an ultra-portable, all-in-one PA system with Bluetooth that “delivers high-quality sound anywhere, for hours on end”. The swappable, rechargeable battery lasts up to 12 hours. Weighing less than 18lb with a built-in carrying handle, the Eon One Compact is easy to take anywhere. A variety of inputs for microphones, instruments and more, plus a four-channel mixer with onboard Lexicon effects and dbx EQ provides ultimate flexibility. Bluetooth connectivity makes it easy to stream music and link multiple speakers, and a handy mobile app for Android and iOS provides intuitive control. “The Eon One Compact’s impressive volume, bass output, portability, connectivity and control featu
UK - The eighth Sundown Festival, promoted by U-Live, took place at the Norfolk Showground in Norwich over August Bank Holiday weekend. It was the first at which the record crowds of 22,000 on the Saturday were treated to the optimisation technology of Martin Audio’s MLA. The company’s rental partner Capital Sound had been brought in by production company, Mark Ward’s Proper Productions, with whom they have a long-standing relationship, most notably at Hyde Park’s British Summertime season - and on this occasion the production manager was Rishi-Louis Gowry. With acts including Mabel, Jax Jones and Anne-Marie topping the bill on the Saturday and Example, Ella Eyre, Jonas Blue and Becky Hill supporting headliner Tinie Tempah on Sunday’s main stage, dance aficionados were in for a treat. Capital’s project manager Amy Newton-Smith confirmed that the event had r
UK - Occupying the site of the former Cabin Club on Bold Street, Jimmy’s is Liverpool’s newest live music venue. It opened on 1 August with a homecoming by favourite sons of the city, The Coral and has already attracted a positive wave of support from punters and press alike. Sister venue to the already-established Jimmy’s, Manchester, the venue is in the hands of George and Jimmy Craig, who have created a seven-nights-week basement live room, as well ground floor bar and first floor eatery. Fundamental to the success of any live music venue is its sound system and as pro musicians themselves, it’s something that the entrepreneurial pair took very seriously during the creation of the venue. Installer Adlib was consulted over the way forward. Given that the venue was set to attract a high proportion of signed artists, it was essential that the system carried a s
Spain - In a Roman Catholic ceremony to mark the beatification of Guadalupe Ortiz de Landazuri, audio rental firm Delta Sound Spain employed a Bose Professional ShowMatch DeltaQ system to provide full-bandwidth sound and exceptional audience-area coverage for the event. Landazuri was the first lay member and the first female member of the Catholic church’s Opus Dei body to be beatified. Cardinal Angelo Becciu, prefect of the Congregation of the Causes of Saints, represented the Holy Father at the beatification ceremony. The ceremony took place at Palacio de Vistalegre, a multipurpose venue that originated as a bullring (and therefore has a 270-degree seating aspect); the space is usually configured for 9,000 attendees, but was reconfigured to accommodate 11,000 for this special occasion. To meet the needs of the Vatican for the special event, a sacristy, chapel, pres
South Africa - Pretoria-based rental company AJR has decided on the L-Acoustics colinear Syva system to offer high-end quality audio to their corporate events. In doing so, they have become the first in South Africa to purchase Syva. Owned by Altus van Rensburg, AJR was one of the first in the country to buy into the L-Acoustics X Series with X12 and X8. Contemplating the best way to build on his existing audio system, he came across the Syva at local distributor DWR Distribution and was sold. “When Syva first came to the country last year, we stood around like excited school boys, listening and wondering what magic was coming out of the boxes,” Altus says. “We hoped that someone would buy the system first because we wanted to hire it from them and try it out. My initial thought was to expand on our ARCS WiFo system. We currently have six X12, six X8, six ARCS W
UK - Adlib delivered a full-service production package including lighting, audio, video and rigging for Glasgow’s TRNSMT Festival 2019, held at Glasgow Green in July. This popular event is now in its third year and headliners included Stormzy, Catfish & The Bottlemen and George Ezra. Serviced from Adlib’s Glasgow office, it was project-managed by Chris Neary, assisted by Graham Cochrane and Craig Hamilton. The company deployed part of their large L-Acoustics inventory including K1, K2, Kara and KS28 loudspeakers, five DiGiCo SD12 digital mixing systems were used as the house desks for FOH and Monitors plus visiting consoles. At the heart of the system was, once again, Outline’s Newton FPGA-based processor, which has become Adlib’s go-to device for interfacing multiple consoles with the PA at festivals, in addition to many other duties. James Coghlan was Adl
The Netherlandsd - Amate Audio Benelux / Imagination AV is holding a two-day showcase in Rotterdam this month. On 10 October, the company will run a comprehensive demo of its new X212AF line array at Onderzeebootloods, a 5,000 capacity venue on the former site of the EDM Submarine Wharf. Amate Audio Xperience will demo the new X2121AF line array and X218WF sub systems, with vice-president and chief technical officer Joan Amate giving an overview presentation of the systems. On 12 October, attendees will be taken to the Dagvlinder Festival, where the same system provides the Main Stage sound, with a second system of eight-a-side NÍTID N208 line array elements and 12x N18W subs on the Jack’s House stage. More details on attending are available from the company's Face
Switzerland - The Fête des Vignerons is held once every 20 years at a temporary stadium at the edge of Lake Geneva. The celebration, which features a vast troupe of performers donning elaborate costumes, as well as animals and vehicles, is held every day for a month to honour the winegrowers of the region, which stretches from Lavaux to Chablais in Switzerland. Organised by the official Brotherhood of Winegrowers - la Confrérie des Vignerons - the show represents a year in the life of the vineyard through 21 action-packed scenes. This year’s event also received a technological boost in the form of a gargantuan LED floor from Absen subsidiary VISS Display, provided by rental house, Alabama. As two decades have passed since the last Fête took place, the 200-strong technical team had to ensure that the 2019 edition lived up to expectations, as well as demonstr
UK - Allen & Heath has revealed its new 96kHz digital mixer, Avantis, the third to be based on the company's XCVI FPGA engine. Avantis puts Allen & Heath's technology in a 64 channel / 42 configurable bus console, with twin full HD touchscreens, extensive I/O options and processing from the company's flagship dLive mixing system. "Joining dLive and SQ, Avantis completes our trilogy of next-gen 96kHz consoles," says Rob Clark, Allen & Heath's managing director. "Avantis takes many of the features that have made SQ and dLive so popular, putting them in a standalone 64-channel mixer that offers a new UI experience, connectivity with our Everything I/O ecosystem, and the dPack option which gives you access to our advanced dLive processing options if and when you need them. "On top of that, we've taken a new approach with the industrial design, coming up with a
UK - Celebrating its 16th year at its familiar Clapham Common site, South West Four is a familiar August Bank Holiday destination for London’s clubbers. This year it again welcomed the House of Commons Festival, curated by Madness, onto two of its stages for Bank Holiday Monday itself. Returning after two years, the giants of ska were accompanied by artists including Ziggy Marley and Jimmy Cliff. The event’s long-serving sound production company, Capital Sound, were again brought in by promoters Lock ‘N’ Load Events, with whom they have a long relationship, and of the five stages they equipped, Martin Audio PA systems dominated the first four. The event again drew some of the world’s leading exponents of electronic dance music, including Martin Garrix, Tinie Tempah, Plan B, Pendulum Trinity and Chase & Status, while under canvas Sigma and Craig David were
Finland - Green Hippo has announced that the Finnish National Opera & Ballet (FNOB) has upgraded its stock of Green Hippo media servers with the company’s latest Hippotizer V4 systems. The new equipment, supplied by Green Hippo’s exclusive Finnish distributor Msonic Oy, comprises seven Hippotizer Karst+ DVI, two Hippotizer Boreal+ DP and six Hippotizer Montane+ RTX servers - all with dual SDI input cards. The new servers were specified by Johan West, video product manager at Msonic. A long-standing Hippotizer user, West has enjoyed a close relationship with the FNOB since specifying their very first Green Hippo systems back in 2008. Since then, he has been responsible for training the opera house crew, as well as advising on the use of Hippotizer on many productions. He also provides all Green Hippo training and support for the FNOB team. “A series of n
UK - KV2 Audio has announced a partnership with RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art) to support the training of young students in theatre sound production. KV2 has provided a range of EX Series loudspeakers to equip RADA’s Jerwood Vanbrugh and Gielgud theatres, and will also offer masterclasses on sound design and the use of point source technology in a theatre environment. Steve Mayo, RADA’s head of sound, comments: “These partnerships are the life-blood of hands-on training for our students. I am very eager for our sound students to have the opportunity, not only to work with high quality, modern equipment, but also to meet the people behind it. The support we’ve had from KV2 has been invaluable in paving the way for this partnership, from our initial conversations at ABTT in June through to them organising for all our students to have a proper demo of the full KV
USA - Sound and lighting specialist, Infinity Sound, has completed the design and installation of live and background music sound systems for FireHouse Gastro Park (FHGP) in Grand Prairie, Texas. Within the original buildings of a 20th century fire station, FHGP is now a diverse hang-out-and-eat location. The venue has been created by owners Jason and Carlee Smith, in collaboration with Rouch Architecture. The FireHouse aesthetic and philosophy was inspired by the Smith’s roots in southern California, their passion for the historic building rehab revolution, and Grand Prairie’s commitment to preservation and economic development. The original fire station remains at the heart of the FHGP and the sprawling and evolving space now features indoor and outdoor dining, a secret garden bar, a family-friendly green-space, coffee shop and a smoke house. Music is a key eleme
UK - Adlib supplied full technical production to the 2019 Vitality Netball World Cup staged at the 11,000 capacity M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool. Adlib’s rental departments implemented a fully integrated video, lighting and audio package linking in with broadcast elements for BBC and Sky. The spectacle took place over 10 glorious days of top sporting action which delivered world class netball to an international TV audience and many thousands packing into the court-side seats which were sold out for the duration. This quadrennial event featured two distinctive criteria. First, a spectacular opening ceremony which wowed the crowds and got everyone in the mood for the sports to follow. Adlib’s technical team worked closely with curators of the ceremony Culture Liverpool and Iluminos. Adlib provided six Panasonic RZ21K 20,000 lumen laser projectors mounted v
Poland - Warsaw-based AVI Media has been appointed to distribute DAS Audio’s professional audio products in Poland. AVI Media’s Michal Zelman comments: “During my time working in the PA/AV market I was involved in projects and events with DAS Audio products and I always had a very good impression of their performance and reliability. My goal now is to expand this brand’s excellent reputation throughout Poland and participate in larger projects with AV integrators, designers and sound engineers, providing the best customer service.” Ignacio Chuliá, executive sales representative for DAS Audio in Europe, adds: “AVI Media is the perfect partner for the Polish market. DAS Audio has been working with Michal for quite some time and we look forward to sharing this new project with him. “We are positive that our cooperation with Michal will consolidate our
Germany - Over 250 guests were in attendance throughout the nine-day Ambion Digital Jungle open-house event. Attendees enjoyed an hour-long sensory journey of innovative installations focused on tracking, immersive interactivity, sensor technology, realtime control and reactive, generative content using BlackTrax, disguise and Notch. Ambion is a full-service provider that plans and produces technology for concerts, sports events, trade shows and congresses around the globe. The company recently held open house days where they invited selected clients, partners, innovation agencies and event planners to attend. The Digital Jungle demonstrations focused on technology and its application in a live event scenario. OBJ.Studio the Ambion design department has been trying some interesting light and media tech projects in Berlin. The last one was a smart
Germany - Hooke Audio Verse is a binaural recording device comprising a microphone/headset combination and a dedicated app. 3D audio is recorded wirelessly, via Bluetooth at 16-bit 48 KHz, or wired, using the included adaptor. The system is compatible with Android, iPhone, Go Pro, Field Recorders, DSLRs and Computers and has a continuous-record battery-life of nine hours. A proprietary codec delivers almost zero latency - 4.3 microseconds - so any associated video is in perfect sync. Hooke Verse has been available in the USA for two years and has established an extensive customer base of musicians, podcasters, vloggers, producers and sound engineers. Grammy-winning producer Tchad Blake and System of a Down’s Serj Tankian are among its advocates. Now Hooke Verse is available in Europe via distributor Mega Audio. Burkhard Elsner, CEO at Mega Audio, comments: “I first
UK - More Accurate Audio Solutions, a studio in Offenbach am Main, Germany, is run by audio expert Robert Hauck. The studio offers a wide range of services from production to mixing and mastering, as well as delivering training seminars that cover all aspects of studio craft. With two studio spaces - one for production and training in modular synth setups, and the other for mastering, Robert was looking for an integrated solution to provide deep routing and audio resource sharing. After careful research it was decided that a DiGiGrid system could achieve all routing possibilities he required to connect every part, analogue and digital, of his studio infrastructure. With Robert providing a permanent DiGiGrid training and demonstration facility, an education partnership was formed and a full DiGiGrid setup was installed, including an IOS-XL as well as IOX, IOC, MGO, D De
Australia - The discreet design of DPA’s Core 6066 Subminiature Headset Microphone, combined with the fact that it is quick and easy to fit, helped secure an order for 18 units from Australian sound design, equipment hire and production services company LSS Productions. Based in Melbourne, LSS Productions initially wanted the headsets for a recent production of Stephen Sondheim’s 1984 musical, Sunday in the Park with George. However, now that the units are part of the company’s permanent stock it is already deploying them on other productions including the Australian premier of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Ben Elton’s musical The Beautiful Game. Bringing high quality sound to musical theatre and events is a key reason why Marcello Lo Ricco established LSS Productions in 2001. With his background as a performer and musician, plus 20 years’ experience
France - Amadeus has announced the installation of their Holophonix sound processor along with a variety of Amadeus speakers and subwoofers creating a new re-imagined immersive sound system at the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier in Paris. Built in the heart of the Saint-Germain-des-Prés Parisian district, the theatre hosts at least four productions each season involving classical or contemporary texts, presented in a series from September to the beginning of July. In 1993 the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier became the second theatre for the Comédie Française. originally created in 1913 by Jacques Copeau. Threatened with closure, the theatre was bought by the French government in 1986, becoming the second Comédie Française hall in 1993. In recent months, the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier has undergone an in-depth renovation of its stage infrastructure. The electro-acousti
Italy - Once again this year Visarno Arena, in Florence’s Parco delle Cascine, hosted Decibel Open Air, following the success of the 2018 event. The show, organised by Decibel Eventi, has become an important reference point among international music events. Over 30 performers from the international EDM scene performed on the two stages, with Holland’s Armin Van Buuren as the headliner. To ensure the thousands of fans a memorable sonic experience, Tuscan rental company Emporio On Stage from Scandicci equipped the two large stages with Outline GTO sound systems. The hurdles to be overcome to achieve the results requested included ensuring the highest possible sound pressure in the chosen area, while reducing sound spill outside that zone, and Giancarlo Paladini (the PA man and system engineer responsible for the rigs) explains: “This is done by means of a correct p
Japan - As one of Japan’s host venues for the Rugby World Cup, the Toyota Stadium in Toyota City, is gaining a high international profile for its newly-installed Nexo Geo S12-ST line array sound system. With a capacity of around 44,400, the Toyota Stadium in Aichi Prefecture is one of the largest football stadiums in Japan, and is also used for rugby. A major upgrade of its sound system was undertaken in preparation for the 2019 World Cup, equipping it with a world-class installation of Nexo loudspeakers and amplifiers, and Yamaha electronics. M&H Laboratory undertook design and sound consulting for the project, working closely with Yamaha Sound Systems (YSS) and the Nexo engineering support team. The loudspeakers in the new system, primarily featuring Nexo’s high-spec Geo S12-ST line array modules, are discreetly installed amongst the steel beams of the stadiu
