USA - Business development specialist Jeff Meyer has joined AV solutions integrator OSA International (OSA). An industry veteran, Meyer has 35 years of experience in live sound and video for corporate events. Based at OSA’s Las Vegas office, he will be responsible for developing new business relationships and expanding sales of LED technology. Meyer joins from Video Equipment Rentals (VER), where he worked business development and account management since 2010. Prior to that, he spent over 23 years at Creative Technology (formerly Media Control). Meyer joined Media Control as a sound engineer and warehouse technician in 1987. He then became a project manager in 1990 and went on to take up the roles of operations manager and subsequently, general manager. (Jim Evans)
USA - Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the Atlanta Falcons and host of this year’s Super Bowl between the victorious New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams, features a challenging upper bowl devoid of acoustic treatments. Nevertheless, a total of 58 Danley Sound Labs’ point-source SH96 Synergy Horn loudspeakers rocked the upper bowl with Danley’s characteristic fidelity and cliff-edge pattern control. In addition, VIPs enjoyed the musicality of 60 Danley GO-2-8CX loudspeakers installed in the luxury suites overlooking the game. For the 20-second year running, national AV integration and production firm ATK Audiotek handled all of the sound for this annual event. “We’ve been doing this for so many years that we are very comfortable with how our on-field carts and temporary loudspeakers will perform,” explains Kirk Powell, sound designer with ATK Audiot
USA - Leisure World Seal Beach (LWSB) offers all the amenities of a small town in a resort-style setting for people aged 55 and over. A short freeway ride to Los Angeles and Orange County, LWSB spans 542 acres and boasts a nine-hole golf course, swimming facilities, fitness and exercise rooms and six club houses. An impressive feature of LWSB is its 2,500-seat outdoor amphitheatre, where the Clair Brothers kiTCurve12 loudspeaker system was recently installed by Tim Metzger of TMAV Consulting & Integration and Ben Frederick of Production Access Group. Frederick explains: “Tim and I chose the kiTCurve12 because we had both heard them before and knew what they could do sonically for the size of box. Based on existing lifts at the venue, we had a set horizontal position that was quite wide, but after placing them in EASE Focus, we were pleasantly surprised at the eve
South Africa - It’s all about the training for the South African State Theatre in Pretoria. Having invested in a DiGiCo SD12 at the end of last year, technicians from the theatre received a practical training course presented by DWR Distribution’s Kyle Robson in January. This was followed by dot2 training and a theatre lighting workshop. The DiGiCo SD12 is currently being used in the 1,300-seat opera theatre, the largest venue at the State Theatre. The console has already been set to work for the 11th annual Mzansi Fela Community Arts Festival starring artists such as Thandiswa Mazwai, Dr Tumi, Ringo Madlingozi, Kwesta, Sjava, and Lebo Sekgobela. “We initially decided on the SD12 as we wanted a mixer that could handle large productions without having to compromise on channels and Aux/Group busses,” explains Tshiamo Mokgadi, an audio technician at the Stat
Europe - Work Pro Audio, the installation and pro audio division of Equipson, unveiled an array of sound reinforcement products at ISE 2019, including two new outdoor projector speakers and a new multichannel amplifier. For external applications such as theme parks, aquaparks, shopping malls, stadium and train stations, Work Pro Audio showed the WSF 500 CX and WSF 10 CX PLUS passive two-way, full range projector speakers, which offer the ultimate in voice intelligibility and musical clarity. The WFS 500 CX and 10 CX PLUS (1000W and 300W respectively), both incorporate horn-loaded 10” diameter transducers and 2.5” voice coils in a bass reflex enclosure. The high frequencies are reproduced by a 1” exit compression driver, a 1.75” voice coil and an 80° horizontal x 60° vertical horn, which delivers consistent coverage across the entire vocal range. Desig
USA - One of the most elegant fixed sound system installations now graces the 400-seat sanctuary of the Valley Life Centre in Dallas. Nexo’s compact Geo M6 line array has been delivered by local audio specialists Alpha Sound, as the front end of a digital system featuring a Yamaha QL5 mixing console, and personal in-ear monitoring facilities. “The 400-seat, intergenerational congregation sanctuary previously had a mono centre cluster of horns enclosed in a fabric cloud and a simple analogue console with a few wedges for monitors,” says Devin Sheets, head engineer at Alpha Sound. Now, two Nexo M6 line arrays cover the 180° room evenly with added localisation from low profile out-fills. Along with the subwoofers, the speaker system naturally delivers a "modern" sound that is fitting for contemporary worship styles. “The new system will serve this church communit
UK - Hot on the heels of their latest studio release Holy Hell, British metalcore act, Architects, have recently completed their UK and European tour accompanied by an Allen & Heath dLive system. The tour included some of the band’s biggest headline shows to date - finishing off at the SSE Arena in Wembley, London to an audience of 12,500 fans. “After touring with a variety of consoles over the last few years I decided to make the switch to dLive after having them recommended to me by fellow users Ben Hammond and Jared Daly”, comments FOH engineer, Jonny Burgan. “I am a big fan of how modular the dLive systems are, being able to scale down surface size without sacrificing audio quality and compromising on processing power is something that not enough manufacturers have tried to address, yet Allen & Heath have managed to perfect it.” Supplied by
UK - The heady mix of highly tuned bikes, screaming engines, screeching tyres and brakes and supernatural speed races meshed with the breath-taking daring of motorcycle stunt acrobatics… indoor Motocross racing and Freestyle MX all rolled into a single adrenaline fuelled night of seat-edge action complete with pumping soundscape . . . and you have the heartbeat of Producers and organisers Arena Sports Live presented Arenacross (AX in three of the UK’s leading arena venues – Belfast, Birmingham and Sheffield – for their 2019 AX tour, with HSL supplying a full production package – lighting, video and rigging – plus sound in partnership with Nitelites. Additional venue ‘sports lighting’ was also provided by HSL for the two Birmingham shows at the Resorts World Arena (NEC). HSL’s project manager was Ben Perrin. He and the team were delighted to be
UK - Technical theatre students at the Guildford School of Acting recently benefitted from hands-on experience creating dynamic soundscapes and source-oriented vocal localisation for their stage musical production of 9 to 5. Cambridge-based immersive audio pioneers, Out Board, provided the school with a TiMax spatial delay-matrix, complete with TiMax Tracker, for students to experience the creation of a sound design pushed beyond the usual boundaries of intelligibility, balance and audience immersion. After the student production, course tutor Sam Digny and guest mentor sound designer Justin Teasdale held a seminar insight day showcasing their experience and success with the advanced immersive TiMax technology. A wider audience of invited industry professionals comprised local hire companies, production managers, sound engineers and students old and new. O
UK - The Bodyguard stage musical is an ambitious show, with a large cast, orchestra, and crew required to bring the classic, soulful song list to life alongside Alexander Dinelaris’ acclaimed libretto. Since its successful West End run, the show has toured the world and now has a second UK tour underway, with Alexandra Burke taking the lead as singer Rachel Marron. It is also proving to be a showcase first outing for the new Sennheiser SK 6212 mini-bodypack transmitter, supplied by Autograph Sound. From the start of this run, sound designer for the show Richard Brooker was sold on using a digital wireless system, having already used Sennheiser’s Digital 9000 system on Bend it Like Beckham and Dreamgirls. “Moving to digital gave a new sound that is much more open and clear,” he recalls. “It isn’t compromised by the companding process...
UK - During his four years in the company, Martin Audio’s Richard Van Nairn has steadily broadened his remit, and with the recent restructure of Martin Audio’s sales force, it has opened the door further for Van Nairn to bring even more territories under his management. The restructure, which has seen Bradley Watson promoted to the new role of international sales director, meant many of the countries under his management has moved to Van Nairn. Already in charge of Cyprus, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Slovenia, Estonia and the PALOPS block, Van Nairn now has responsibility for a further swathe of territories across Central and Eastern Europe, as well as the Middle East (including Israel and Jordan). He also has responsibility for the whole of Africa (apart from South Africa), including Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco. “I feel privileged to be entrusted with so much res
UK - Edinburgh Castle and the medieval Old Town offered a magnificent backdrop to Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebration for thousands of revellers who welcomed the new year immersed in a city centre-wide high quality pro audio installation. In collaboration with the sound designer Dan Jones, Catalyst Event Production Services was tasked with specifying, installing and operating a sound solution for much of the event that would envelope partygoers, leading them to "a complete d&b audiotechnik loudspeaker, amplification and R1 control software solution". UK-based live entertainment company Underbelly, which has produced the event on behalf of the City of Edinburgh Council since 2017, bills Edinburgh’s Hogmanay as “one of the biggest celebrations in the world”. The famed Street Party showcased Scottish and European musicians, street theatre artists, dancers, choir
UK - Free registration is now open for PLASA Focus Leeds, PLASA has reported. The sold-out event, taking place at Leeds' Royal Armouries Museum on 14-15 May, will feature 120 exhibitors and is ideal for professionals working across live events, concert touring, production, performing arts and installation. Present will be lighting companies including Elation, Robe and Philips Entertainment Lighting; pro audio firms including d&b audiotechnik, Funktion-One and Shure; and rigging, staging and production specialists including Area Four Industries, Gerriets, Hawthorn and J&C Joel. The trade show will also welcome several new exhibitors, including loudspeaker manufacturer Wharfdale Pro Audio and US sound masking company, Cambridge S
The Netherlands - De Effenaar is a music venue with an illustrious history spanning almost 50 years. Nestled in Eindhoven, the technology capital of the Netherlands, its two impressive performance spaces have played host to an array of major artists including The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Florence+The Machine, Editors, Nelly, Stromae, Queens of the Stone Age, The Ramones, Pearl Jam, R.E.M. and The Cure. Towards the end of 2018, De Effenaar needed to upgrade its audio inventory, and the technical team engaged in an extensive evaluation of all live sound consoles on the market. At ISE 2019, the team confirmed an order for four SSL Live L200s, one SSL L100, and a massive 348 channels of SSL SuperAnalogue mic preamps. According to Effenaar’s senior audio engineer, Sven de Hoog, the team of engineers had individually scored the four shortlisted brands in nine different categ
Poland - On 14 October last year, at Warsaw's PGE National Stadium, confectionary giant Kinder celebrated its 50th anniversary in style. The all-day event culminated in the Koncert Pełen Marzeń (Concert Full of Dreams) - a free event that featured Polish pop artists David Kwiatkowski, Natalia Szroeder, and Grzegorz Hyże, as well as musical star Katarzyna Łaska (Frozen, High School Musical, Enchanted) and a full symphony orchestra. TSE Grupa was responsible for technical services at this huge show, which included everything from stage construction to an ambitious multimedia, lighting, and sound production. L-Acoustics components were used exclusively for sound reinforcement, with almost 200 loudspeaker cabinets deployed around the stadium. TSE Grupa, founded by Łukasz Kubiak and Piotr Basek, is not new to large, complex events, with a portfolio
UK - With less than two weeks until ISCEx 2019, the Institute of Sound and Communications Engineers has announced a number of new exhibitors, including Shure UK, Sennheiser, Sound Network, Ambient System and Source Distribution, have signed up to the event alongside the 31 manufacturers and distributors who had already confirmed their presence. This means this will be the event with the highest number of exhibitors yet, says ISCE. Taking place on Wednesday, 6 Marchat Coombe Abbey Hotel, Binley, Warwickshire, ISCEx 2019 provides networking and learning opportunities. Leading audio manufacturers and distributors are on hand in the exhibition zone, whilst a programme of informative seminars is held in separate conference rooms throughout the day. ISCEx 2019 is open to members and non-members of the ISCE. Entry is completely free of charge and promises to be an opportunity
USA - Now outfitted with a pair of Allen & Heath dLive S7000 mixing systems at front of house and onstage for monitors, plus an S5000 standing-in for broadcast needs, Wave Church’s Great Neck Campus in Virginia Beach, Virginia, recently completed a major audio upgrade. Engineered and implemented by Virginia Beach-based S&S Productions, the system improvements bring new levels of control and flexibility to the campus. Future-proofing the system was addressed in the upgrade, as was the need to provide the volunteer staff with gear that was intuitively easy to use. “Even if you’ve never seen them before, Allen & Heath dLive control surfaces have an air of familiarity,” relates S&S Productions’ Cory Sprenkle. “A world of control opens up on the touchscreens that’s as simple as the smartphones we use every day. Our volunteer operators were up-and-ru
UK - Audio-Technica, the UK distributor for Apart Audio, has announced a series of UK dates as part of its Apart Innovation Tour roadshow. The Apart Innovation Tour comes to England and Scotland in March, and Northern Ireland and Eire in June. The seminars are aimed at pro-audio resellers, consultants, designers and integrators and will showcase new Apart Audio products including the Mask and Kubo series speakers and Prezone preamp/mixers. Also covered in the sessions will be a look at using EASE (Enhanced Acoustic Simulator for Engineers) software in designing and creating fixed installation audio solutions for clients. Each of the free-to-attend Apart Innovation Tour sessions run between 10am and 2pm and include drinks and refreshments. Places are limited so booking is essential - registration for the UK tour dates is available at
UK - White Light has recently held a series of open days across the UK to showcase and demo its latest technology. The company’s Audio KnoWLedge Day was held last month at WL’s Studio15. Working alongside some of the biggest audio manufacturers including Shure, Riedel, DPA Microphones, Yamaha, d&b audiotechnik, K-array and Astro Spatial Audio, WL hosted a day in which students could get hands-on with the latest audio technology, take part in Q&A forums as well as have one-on-one sessions with industry professionals. The day was organised by WL’s head of audio Lee Dennison who comments: “With the KnoWLedge Day, we wanted to offer students something which would prove invaluable yet which they wouldn’t receive anywhere else. It’s not often they get the opportunity to speak to industry leaders about their products so this was their own ‘audio trade s
Italy - Audio solutions manufacturer Outline has appointed Audio Effetti as the exclusive distributor of its products in Italy. With 20 years’ experience, Genoa-based Audio Effetti is a leading distributor of professional equipment dedicated to the theatre audio, video and lighting sectors, as well as accessories, lasers and special effects in general, also providing consultancy for the design of professional and special systems and after-sales assistance, with the aim of combining important creative and implementation experience built up in the entertainment and live event fields. Audio Effetti MD Marco Medica comments: "We’re particularly proud of having acquired the distribution of this historic Italian brand, which continues to make Italian-made products a rightful source of pride. As well as the well-known loudspeaker and line array systems, for which Outline is re
UK - German broadcast manufacturer Lawo has opened a subsidiary in the UK. Pre-sales and systems engineer Kadhim Boyd, solution architect James Walker and sales managers Olivier Hough and Devin Workman will form the core of the UK team. “Lawo is investing heavily in the UK as part of a drive to keep up with increasing activity and opportunity in the area of IP processing and distribution, and management of IP-based media workflows,” explains Craig Newbury, director of sales and operations, UK & Ireland, who is heading the new team. With his roots in IT development engineering, engineer Kadhim Boyd has extensive experience at Snell, including responsibility for management of and training for larger projects involving control and monitoring systems across the world. Before taking up his new role of solution architect at Lawo, James Walker worked as
Germany - The history of the Z-Bau Nuremberg, a former barracks, dates back to 1937. In the 1990s, the site was used by the US Army - its hall acting as an officers' casino and entertainments venue - before later becoming an arts and culture centre. Recently, the site was completely renovated to include a new stage, improved acoustics, electrics and lighting and sound technology. The company into>noise (Andreas Zeh and Tobias Förster) from Munich was responsible for sound reinforcement technology and relied on products from Coda Audio. The gallery, red salon and artists studios at the venue had been modernised two years ago during the first phase of renovation and Coda’s RX40, G712 and HOPS8 loudspeakers as well as U4 and G18-SUB were installed in these areas. The newly installed main system, serving a 1000-capacity space, consists of 2 x 9 ViRAY, 8 x SCP sensor-
China - The historic city of Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, is preparing to host the 2022 Asian Games in the largest Olympic sports centre of its kind in China. The Tennis Centre, which belongs to this complex, has recently been inaugurated with the experience and support of DAS Audio systems. The sound system was put to the test at the official inauguration of the stadium for the 14th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) held from 11-16 December 2018. The team at DAS Audio China worked closely with the local engineering contractor and both sides collaborated in the design and completion of the installation, which has been specially tailored for this multi-sport stadium. The HQ series speakers with IP54 certification were chosen for the installation. The HQ series are specially designed for medium to large size installations offering tightly control
USA - Penn State’s Nittany Lion athletics programme is fiercely competitive and well-supported by the school and its alumni. In that tradition, the Penn State men and women’s lacrosse teams now practice and compete in Panzer Stadium, a new multimillion-dollar, state-of-the-art facility. Its 1,300 seats are close to the action, and the entire facility is wired for modern broadcasting, which will allow Penn State to host high-profile NCAA and Big Ten championship games. Pennsylvania-based AV design and integration firm Clair Solutions handled the broadcast infrastructure and sound reinforcement at Panzer Stadium, earning the job based in part on the proposal of Jim Devenney, Clair Solutions’ senior systems designer and in part on the successful completion of numerous other projects at Penn State. “We originally got involved because we’ve done a lot of other wor
