The Netherlands - Podium Victorie in Alkmaar has been a well-known venue for many years, hosting a wide range of classic and contemporary bands from all over the world. Though very successful at its original location, Victorie recently moved, its operators opting for an exciting relocation into the city of Alkmaar. With an upgrade in venue, owners of the club decided this was a logical opportunity to upgrade their entire sound system. After reviewing numerous competitive demos, it was the Clair Brothers system demonstrated by The Audio Specialists that rose to the top. The key in the new venue was to find the right balance to deliver a level of acoustic quality concertgoers and performers alike would appreciate as something truly special. The Clair Brothers demo made the decision easy because of the way it achieved acoustic balance in the new room from the start.
USA - For the past 15 years, Ken Travis has been impressing theatre audiences with his innovative sound designs for some of Broadway’s biggest productions and national tours. With a distinguished Broadway resume that includes Newsies, Jekyll & Hyde, Scandalous, A Christmas Story, Memphis, Barefoot in the Park and Steel Magnolias, Travis continues to rely on a selection of microphones from DPA. Travis was first introduced to DPA by an industry colleague in 2002. Since then, he’s used a variety of DPA mics - including the company’s d:screet 4061 Miniature Omnidirectional Microphones and/or d:fine 4066 Omnidirectional Headset Microphones - for every Broadway show he’s designed. When Travis was chosen to design the sound for Broadway hit Aladdin, he once again turned to DPA - he relies on DPA’s d:screet
UK - dLive specialist reseller A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) is hosting free certified training on Allen & Heath's digital mixing consoles range in April. Taking place on 24 April (Wednesday) at AC-ET's office in Leeds, attendees will learn how to harness the full power of the dLive range from qualified engineers assisted by AC-ET's dedicated audio sales division - and will end the day with certified dLive engineer status. The training session will provide a hands-on introduction to the full range for audio professionals working in touring, broadcast, prestige installations, theatres and corporate events. The event begins at 9:30am with tea/coffee, gets underway at 10:00am, and finishes at approximately 3:00pm. A buffet lunch will be provided, plus a tour of AC-ET's facilities. Registration details at www.ac-et.com/audio. (Jim Evans)
The Netherlands - Owned by a consortium including Dutch television host Arie Boomsma, VondelGym is an expanding chain of fitness clubs in Amsterdam. Thanks to the success of the Yamaha audio system installed in VondelGym Oost, the latest VondelGym Zuid has also been equipped with Yamaha. The first facility, VondelGym West, opened in 2015, with VondelGym Oost opening a year later. A third facility - VondelGym Zuid - has recently opened in the city’s Zuidas district, an area that is seeing rapid expansion Stan van Ettikhoven of Rock 'n’ Roll Engineering installed a Yamaha audio system based on the MTX3 matrix processor and VXS series surface-mounted loudspeakers at VondelGym Oost. He designed a scaled-up system for the new, larger gym. Divided into eight zones, it comprises 14 VXS8, 16 VXS5 and four VXS1 loudspeakers, plus an HS8 subwoofer. The system is powered by X
South Korea - When old and outdated amplifiers began to cause frequent errors at South Korea’s Yeouido Full Gospel Church, an upgrade was imperative. Audio specialists and Powersoft distributors, Dasan SR, presented the winning specification, proposing Powersoft’s X Series amplifier platforms to manage the high channel count and the complexity of the church’s sound system. The church claims the country’s largest Pentecostal Christian congregation of over 800,000 members. Dasan SR’s technical manager, Changyu Choi, specified seven of Powersoft’s eight-channel X Series tour-grade amplification systems to drive the powerful PA comprised of EAW KF750 full system three-way cabinets and associated KF755 down fill array modules. The extensive PA is comprised of main front of house speakers including downfill, front fill and under balcony speakers, as well as the delay s
Germany - d&b audiotechnik heads full steam to this year’s Prolight +Sound in Frankfurt featuring both their SL Series - GSL and KSL Systems - and the d&b Soundscape. d&b is also bringing with them “new products and enabling technologies, proving it’s not just the big things that matter”. PL+S is a first for the small B8-SUB/ Bi8-SUB. At a mere 170mm tall the subwoofer’s low profile belies a high performance to size ratio. It’s designed for tight spaces, be they fixed installation or mobile production environments, reproducing frequencies from 43 Hz to 170 Hz. It’s a little wonder. Supporting system designers in mobile and fixed applications the d&b ArrayCalc Exchange SketchUp plugin enables users to generate an ArrayCalc compatible venue file (*.dbacv) and load it into ArrayCalc. Prolight + Sound also provides a chance to learn more about
Canada - Opened in 2015, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre (PAC) is a cultural and education facility, located in the Canadian city of St Catharines. It includes the Film House Screen & Stage, a 199-seat digital movie screening room which features an Alcons Audio pro-ribbon CRMS Cinema Reference Monitor System. As well as the Film House Screen & Stage, PAC features two large theatres and a studio theatre. Situated next to the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, part of the city’s Brock University, PAC attracts 125,000 visitors every year and 500 university students daily, many of whom attend lectures in the Film House Screen & Stage. As it is used for both public screenings and education, high audio quality in the Film House was a key requirement. The audio system was designed by Connecticut-based acoustic consultants Jaffe Holden and
UK - For over a quarter of a century, The BRIT School for Performing Arts & Technology, has been giving its pupils a grounding in the performing arts and the technology surrounding them. To this end, one of its latest investments is the DiGiCo SD12 consoles chosen, says Andrew Smith (technical manager at the school), because they offer a platform that not only makes sense for the range and requirements of the school’s performances, but also because they offer the most relevant experience for students that will soon be looking for a job in the industry. Situated in Croydon, South London, The Brit School is a state-funded school for ages 14 to 18 and is dedicated to ‘Education and vocational training for the performing arts, media, art and design, and the technologies that make performance possible’, as well as providing a core GCSE study programme. It boasts a
UK - TV production company and music venue, Epic Studios – whose clientele has included shows such as Top Gear and WWE Wrestling – has embarked on a major audio upgrade of its Norwich, UK premises, with Allen & Heath dLive and SQ mixing systems. “I’d been hearing many positive comments about the dLive and SQ series on social media and after seeing them in use on major world tours and appearing on technical riders, I was very keen to try one out,” comments Matt Rabong (technical manager at Epic Studios). “I used to work exclusively on another desk, however after getting my hands on a dLive S7000 at InfoComm, I knew this was the perfect desk for us. dLive has integrated seamlessly with our workflow and my engineers love it! It was extremely easy to train everybody on its features.” As well as Epic’s TV productions, the facility is fully
UK - Illuminate is a progressive new venue at London’s Science Museum, designed to both anticipate and surpass the needs of the events industry. Technical solutions specialist White Light (WL) has been appointed as the venue’s production partner and chose a Yamaha QL1 digital mixing console for the space’s flexible audio system. Situated on Levels 4 and 5 of the Science Museum, Illuminate couples the latest technology with flexible spaces and stunning views of the City. Thanks to its long-standing relationship with the Science Museum and reputation for managing similar venues across London, WL was trusted with designing and installing the technical infrastructure. The installation was overseen by WL’s project manager Jason Larcombe. “The Science Museum came to us with their vision for the space and what they wanted to achieve,” he says. “They wanted an in
USA - Meyer Sound has announced four new hires and a key promotion. Rob Cowles has been appointed to the newly created position of director, product marketing. Reporting directly to senior vice president of marketing John McMahon, Cowles will take on leadership and responsibilities in the areas of competitive marketing, vertical market strategies, digital initiatives, and customer relations management. Cowles previously held marketing positions at THX Ltd., LucasArts, CNET and AOL Time Warner. Daniel Rivera, with Meyer Sound since 2016, has been promoted to business development specialist. Based in Southern California, he will assume a broad strategic role in connecting Meyer Sound to new and existing customers by working closely with architects, consultants and end users across multiple vertical markets. Taking Rivera’s prior position as business development H
UK - Allen & Heath has announced the appointment of Jamie Ward as sales director APAC. Reporting to the company’s recently appointed sales director, Markus Sinsel, Ward will be travelling extensively to support and develop Allen & Heath’s APAC distribution partners, working closely with them to grow sales opportunities across multiple vertical markets, from touring sound to installed audio solutions. Having held international sales positions with The Stanton Group, Harman and most recently, Community Professional, Ward also has extensive history with Allen & Heath, having previously been with the company from 2000-2007. “I cut my teeth at Allen & Heath, so in many ways this feels like returning home,” says Ward. “Over recent years, I’ve watched the brand growing and growing and feel incredibly excited to be able to bring my experience
Lebanon - Heralded for its atmosphere, setting and ambiance, Iris Lebanono is an open-air city retreat in the New Waterfront district in Beirut. One of the most-visited rooftops given its amazing city views especially at sunset, the nightclub demanded excellent sound coverage able to provide pulsating dance music and to accommodate live performances including professional DJ sets without spilling over to other downtown buildings and without compromising the design of the venue. After experiencing success in the club's Bahrain location with K-array, it became the clear choice again as the audio solution to the club management. The installation was completed with 22 compact coaxial 12" Dragon-KX12 point sources arranged in an array configuration powered by 3 Thunder-KMT218 self-powered and ultra-light dual 18” subwoofers and 2 Thunder-KMT21 I high-power 21” sub
USA - Orlando-headquartered Professional Wireless Systems (PWS) has opened an office in New York to support its expanding customer base in the region. The announcement was made by general manager Jim Van Winkle. “PWS has been very active in New York City since we opened our doors,” explains Van Winkle. “We have a tremendous customer base that continues to grow exponentially. Being able to provide local support and service with a trained, experienced professional is going to be a win for everyone involved.” The New York office is headed up by RF technician Don Kuser, who has been working as an RF coordinator since 2012. His experience includes TV studio projects throughout Manhattan, working on area awards shows and in the fashion production industry. “This is a very exciting opportunity as I have been a huge fan of Professional Wireless Systems since I
China - Alongside Chinese New Year, the legal formalities associated with the establishment of the new d&b audiotechnik subsidiary in Greater China were completed. On 31 January 2019, 44 co-workers in Hong Kong, Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai officially joined the newly established d&b audiotechnik Greater China Group. The three-member advisory board has also been completed. Daniel Chan, managing director (CEO) of d&b audiotechnik Greater China Ltd. says: "As the setup has been completed officially, we are all pleased to be able to support the d&b Greater China partners and customers even better in their quest for best professional audio solutions." d&b Greater China, the ninth subsidiary in the global d&b family, has been active in the market since 6 December 2018. The co-workers and management of the new venture are already well versed in the
UK - HD Pro Audio’s next technology workshop, takes place in the Oak Room of the h Club in London’s Covent Garden on Monday, 25 March. Presentations on the day will include KLANG:technologies’ immersive IEM mix engine, plus the Waves eMotion LV1 live mixing console, based on SoundGrid technology with Waves plug-ins. This compact and customisable software-based mixer will be complemented by the latest Rupert Neve Designs RMP-D8 8ch preamp with Dante audio networking and remote control. The Green Go networked digital intercom system, offers “exceptional flexibility and routing, using a traditional network infrastructure”. The event will also provide the opportunity to evaluate the increasingly popular 10EaZy sound level monitoring and logging system, designed for venues and events of all shapes and sizes. HD Pro Audio staff and manufacturers' representati
South Africa - For the past 14 years, Blackmotion Productions has provided technical solutions to live events ranging from concerts, theatre attractions, and television studio work to smaller gatherings like birthdays, bar mitzvahs and weddings. Recently, the company invested in an L-Acoustics Kara modular line source array system, which has already been put to the test. The Kara system was used by Blackmotion Production in the Nelson Mandela Foundation’s event, Is’thunzi Sabafazi (Dignity of a Woman) hosted at the University of Johannesburg’s Soweto campus. The event celebrated women and spoke out against the systemic injustices that many women face. The speakers included Oprah Winfrey. The system didn’t rest as it was used again at the Nelson Mandela Tribute to honour the former president and his legacy, five years after his passing. The event w
Germany - DPA Microphones will use the Prolight + Sound 2019 platform to show artists and performers its new and unobtrusive d:fine CORE 6066 Subminiature Headset Microphone. Forming part of its recently introduced 6000 Series of tiny, high-end pro audio microphone capsules, the d:fine CORE 6066 is an attractive headset that is comfortable to wear and so easy to fit that even the most inexperienced artist or performer can mount it themselves. Measuring just three millimetres (0.12 inches) in diameter, 6000 series capsules are 60% smaller than the company’s existing 4000 series, but equally as powerful because they all incorporate CORE by DPA microphone amplification technology that reduces distortion and increases dynamic range. The 6000 Series also includes the d:screet CORE 6060 and 6061 Subminiature Microphones that can be fitted to clothes in the form of a virtua
Germany - Lawo’s exhibition setup at this year’s Prolight + Sound booth will focus on IP-based products and solutions for theatre and live applications. In a hands-on environment, visitors can experience Lawo mc²audio consoles and Lawo IP routing systems as well as Lawo’s video processing units and audio-over-IP interfaces, including A - stage, the new members of the A-line family of WAN-capable stageboxes. On show in Frankfurt will be an IP-based, 48-fader mc²56 audio production console of the third generation. This mixing system is optimized for today’s IP-video production environment, designed from the ground up for networking in complex production infrastructures, with full native support for SMPTE 2110, AES67 / RAVENNA, Dante and MADI audio streams. Also on display in Frankfurt will be Lawo’s mc²36 all-in-one live mixing desk in a 24-fader frame, with
Germany - Since the laying of the foundation stone in 1953, Stadthalle Schmallenberg has been able to accommodate various events, such as concerts, readings, shooting festivals (popular in that party of the country) and more, with up to 1500 participants per event. An extensive refurbishment of the Stadthalle was completed in early March 2019, and this included the renewal of sound and lighting technology. The complete planning and implementation were realised by Event Active, a company from Schmallenberg. Noel Büchte and Event Active's Sascha Deussen created the concept and implemented the PA system with loudspeakers from Martin Audio. "We have already owned an MLA Mini System for several years, which has often been used in the Stadthalle. The result was always convincing - both for the customer and for us - no matter if it was for theatre, a big party or with
USA - Yvonne Ho and James Lamb, longtime partners in Point Source Audio, have announced the formation of Wider Pro, a new company to support their distributed lines that serve the broadcast industry. Based in Petaluma, California, Wider Pro will be the company to represent North American distribution of Digigram, AuviTran and other brands to be announced. Point Source Audio will continue to handle all facets - manufacturing, distribution, sales, marketing as well as service - of its microphone and headset products for all markets including the broadcast sector. Point Source president James Lamb comments, “I have worked with the teams at both Digigram and AuviTran for almost two decades, and with the pending announcements of new products from both companies, we will be equipped to move into the next phase of growth under the Wider Pro company.” Yvonne Ho adds,
Germany - Adamson Systems Engineering is set to expand its S-Series, a line of sub-compact, tour-proven loudspeakers, with several new solutions at this year’s edition of Prolight + Sound in Frankfurt. The latest additions include the S7 ultra-compact two-way, full-range line array enclosure and complementary S118 subwoofer, plus the S7p and S10p two-way, full-range point source cabinets. Together, they offer a substantial increase in configuration options for standalone S-Series systems in corporate, theatre, worship, and live music applications or, thanks to Adamson’s uniform voicing between product families, deployments supporting the flagship large-format E-Series. “The S-Series family changed the face of Adamson, transforming it from a manufacturer of performance loudspeakers to a provider of complete system solutions,” shares James Oliver, director of mar
USA - Dante will be demonstrating how networked audio can revolutionise conferencing and collaboration at Enterprise Connect 2019 in Orlando later this month. The inaugural Dante AV Networking Pavilion will showcase how Dante-enabled products from Bose, Sennheiser and SoundTube can transform enterprise conferencing and collaboration. In addition, Zoom Video Conferencing will be demonstrating how Dante networking can bring unprecedented flexibility and audio quality to conference spaces with a Dante-enable Zoom Room demonstration in their booth. In the Dante AV Networking Pavilion, Bose will be showing the new Dante-integrated PowerShare amps and expanded ControlSpace EX line of DSPs. Sennheiser will demonstrate the new Dante-enabled TeamConnect 2 beam forming ceiling microphone, and SoundTube will display their revised lineup of Dante-enabled PoE powered loudspeaker s
South Korea - 3.15 Art Centre in Changwon recently collaborated with TechData Co and Harman Professional Solutions to upgrade their concert hall with a JBL audio system for events, live performances and more. 3.15 Art Centre is a multi-purpose venue dedicated to enhancing the creativity and diversity of the performing arts. In order to provide suitable sound quality for live performances in their 1,100-seat concert hall, 3.15 Art Centre recently decided to upgrade their existing sound system. Together with TechData Co, 3.15 Art Centre outfitted their concert hall with JBL VTX V20 line-array loudspeakers, VTX S25 subwoofers, SRX812P powered speakers and Crown I-Tech 4x3500HD amplifiers. “3.15 Art Centre asked us to deploy an audio solution capable of outputting high sound pressure levels with a flat frequency response,” said Jonathan Choi, tech lab engineer, TechDat
