Italy - Making its first appearance in many years, Nexo has returned to the Rimini trade show in some style, presenting three different line arrays systems on the expo’s live music stages. Having seen attendance dwindle at the long-established entertainment technology exhibition, this year’s Music Inside Rimini saw a cooperative effort from rental companies and equipment distributors to revitalise the event and bring back the crowds. Alongside the traditional show halls, the new Live You Play initiative took over four halls at the exhibition centre, each set up with three stages equipped with a wide variety of audio, lighting and video systems. With the same band in each hall moving around to play on each of the three stages, the event offered a chance to audition different branded systems in a true live environment. Under the supervision of Nexo distributor
UK - Celebrating PLASA Focus Leeds’ 10th anniversary at the start of May, Current RMS was back at the popular show, exhibiting new features of its cloud-based rental management software to stand visitors. In between catching up with their customers and demonstrating their software to new faces, the show proved an opportunity to showcase its new and highly-anticipated feature, Deal Pricing. Requested directly by Current users via their online wishlist, Deal Pricing allows users to apply an agreed deal price straight to a job. This overrides the charge total and can either be applied as a blanket figure to all items on the job, or to individual groups, for example, audio or conference room sub-labels. Handy for providing clients with friendlier quotations and charging a neat deal price for a job, feedback at the show was “overwhelmingly positive”. As with all
USA - At this year’s InfoComm, Martin Audio will be introducing Sound Adventures, a 3D sound experience in cooperation with its partner Astro Spatial Audio. Immersive audio is becoming an important new trend across multiple applications, bringing with it an exciting and differentiated experience for the audience. Martin Audio managing director, Dom Harter, comments: “There are many solutions now appearing in the market, but we believe that Sound Adventures, which combines our sound quality and dispersion control alongside the absolute 3D sound immersion of Astro Spatial Audio, is unrivalled. “Martin Audio loudspeakers with Astro Spatial Audio processing is utilising nearly 30 patents to unite the audience in a fully 3D immersive sound field. Moreover, it does so without audible artefacts and provides a solution that is more realistic for the audience. Our c
UK - Adlib helped bring all the drama, excitement and glamour of the massively popular CMT TV series Nashville to the stage as Nashville in Concert returned to the UK for a second run of sold out arena shows following the success of last year’s tour. The Liverpool based production specialist was asked to provide full production - lighting, audio and video. Adlib this year provided the key disciplines of lighting and sound plus the IMAG video package. The format was as before, a tight house band supporting a selection of cast from the series including Jonathan Jackson, Chris Carmack, Clare Bowen, Charles Esten and Sam Palladio. Adlib’s Dave Eldridge co-ordinated all the lighting and video elements. This year, Adlib was also asked to create a production lighting design after receiving a brief from the production team led by Betsega and Mike
Greece - Saint Panteleimon Monastery is a Russian Orthodox monastery built on the southwest side of the peninsula of Mount Athos in Macedonia, northern Greece. Hhome to around 70 resident monks and many pilgrims every year, a Yamaha audio system has recently been installed to help scripture reading be clearly heard. The monastery was founded in the 11th Century, with much of the present complex built on a nearby site, closer to the sea, between 1812 and 1821. Today, it is the largest monastery on the Mount Athos peninsula, its multi-storied buildings and tall cupolas giving the impression of a city in miniature. Its Cenobitic tradition follows the monastic practise of regulated community life. A key part of this is mealtimes where, after prayers in church, monks and pilgrims gather in the refectory to eat, while being read scripture from the Bible. Ensuring that everyb
UK - Hire and events company SLX has announced the successful applicants for its 2018 bursary scheme, which sees the company supporting five students enrolled on production courses with £3000 of hire equipment as well as networking and development opportunities. Spanning the UK, the students attend different institutions and are enrolled on a variety of technical production focussed courses. Third year students and graduating this year are Ashley Holdom (Rose Bruford) and Ryan Searle (Bristol Old Vic) and the 2nd year students receiving the bursary are Alex Silvester (University of Bolton – Backstage Academy), Georgia Wren - LIPA and Ben Linwood (Guildford School of Acting). As well as receiving the £3000 bursary to support a project of the student’s choosing, the five applicants were also welcomed into SLX Avonmouth, spending two full days in May with the SLX
Singapore - DPA Microphones has appointed Acoustic & Lighting Systems to handle the distribution of its entire product range in Singapore and Thailand. DPA has also appointed Arcadia Tech as a direct dealer in Singapore. Ken Kimura, managing director of DPA’s APAC office, says: “We are excited to have both companies looking after DPA and are confident this move will benefit more professional users in the regional audio community as our upgraded mics with the CORE by DPA Technology is being introduced in both territories.” Headquartered in Malaysia and with offices in Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand, Acoustic & Lighting Systems is one of the most prominent audio visual and lighting companies in South East Asia. Established in 1993 as a live sound company, A&L has expanded over the years to encompass broadcast and, more recently, the corporate AV sec
China - A large number of top international DJs, including Hardwell, W&W, Slander, NGHTMRE, Brohug, Kill The Buzz and Maurice West took to the stage at the Creamfields Festival 2018 in Changsha, China. Creamfields Tour Changsha took place at the International Convention and Exhibition Centre in Changsha on 1 May. Creamfields Festival is one of the world's leading dance music festival. Originating in the UK and boasting more than 20 years history, it has travelled across 22 countries. In China, Real Music Acoustics, the local distributor for NEXT-proaudio, provided the festival’s technical needs. The FOH complete system comprised 24 x LA212x and 24 x LAs418. The entire setup was powered and managed via LA Powersoft touring racks with X8 Amplifiers. “The main system, NEXT LA212x, delivered a premium sound at Creamfields 2018 Changsha to all spec
Europe - Cymatic Audio, specialists in audio recording and playback for live performance solutions, participated in the recent Eurovision Song Contest in partnership with data storage specialists Angelbird Technologies. Multiple Cymatic Audio uTrack24 systems loaded with the Angelbird SSD2GO PKT 512GB SSD card and Cymatic Audio’s optional MADI card were chosen to act as Line ID systems for the commentary system at ESC. Cymatic Audio CEO, Arie van den Broek, comments: “From a broadcast perspective, the Eurovision Song Contest is one of biggest live events of the year, and so reliability is of paramount importance. Just as the show itself is live, so therefore is the commentary with all the commentators broadcasting live to their own countries. “The Cymatic Audio/Angelbird solution was used to set up, identify and test the commentary circuits prior to the eve
Vietnam - Ba Sao Audio recently deployed complete Harman Professional Solutions audio and lighting systems at the Rock Island Club at the Nam Nghi Resort. Located on a small private island offshore from Phu Quoc island, the Rock Island Club is an outdoor eating, drinking and dancing venue that offers a 360-degree panorama of Phu Quoc’s beautiful coastline and a mesmerizing ocean view. The club is renowned for its team of mixologists and chefs, who craft innovative cocktails and provide a contemporary culinary experience. Management recently decided to upgrade the sound and lighting with the intention of turning the Rock Island Club into an international party destination. To achieve this goal, management hired Ba Sao Audio to design and install a complete Harman audio and lighting system made up of JBL, Crown, BSS, Soundcraft and Martin solutions. “Club and
Italy - Claudio Lastrucci, Powersoft co-founder, is set to present a case study entitled Mains to Acoustic Efficiency at the Audio Engineering Society (AES) International Convention in Milan later this month. The AES event, which alternates between a US and European location each year and is in its 144th edition, will take place this year at the NH Hotel Milano Congress Centre. In his case study, Lastrucci will demonstrate how the power requirements to feed a subwoofer are defined. Standardised and programme audio signals will be applied and results directly measured on real devices. Measurements on true power input, true power output, and overall efficiency in the amplification chain will be addressed including different amplification topologies. This will reveal surprisingly high overall mains input to acoustic output chain efficiency in the specific, usable,
Japan - Having expanded from its flagship venue in New York City, 1Oak, which stands for 1 Of A Kind, has recently opened a three-floor, 1000-capacity venue at the base of Roppongi Hills in Tokyo. Sacha Robertson reports, “At the heart of the 1Oak approach is a focus on differentiation through design and function, capturing and curating the energy in each club. Interior design and lighting combine to play a major part, but ultimately that energy has its origin in sound.” When it came to choices for the Tokyo venue, the interior design process was led by New York-based contemporary artist Roy Nachum, who was Grammy-nominated in 2016 for his cover artwork on Rihanna’s Anti album. With the club interior complete and the opening date fast approaching, 1Oak engaged the local d&b team to design and implement the all-important sound system. 1Oak owner S
Europe/USA - Yamaha and Audinate are teaming up to present a free webinar titled Audio Networking For Houses Of Worship, Colleges and Universities on 23 May (Wednesday). The webinar, to be broadcast on ProSoundWeb.com, will examine Dante-enabled solutions for system design, implementation and management for carrying large numbers of audio channels around an auditorium and for distributing audio throughout a campus. Andy Cooper (manager, pro audio application engineering, Yamaha R&D Centre London) and Karl Christmas (technical marketing manager, Yamaha R&D Centre London) will feature alongside Kieran Walsh (Audinate director of application engineering, EMEA). The webinar runs from 6pm CET / 5pm BST / 12pm Eastern Time and 9am US Pacific Time.
Italy - AV technology specialist Peerless-AV has announced a distribution agreement with Milan-based AV distributor AGMultivision for the manufacturer’s complete portfolio, including outdoor displays, indoor kiosks, mounts, trolleys and stands, and accessories. Under the new agreement, AGMultivision will be responsible for sales, marketing, customer support and distribution in Italy. Melinda Von Horvath, vice president of sales and marketing - EMEA, Peerless-AV, comments: “AGMultivision is a perfect partner to help grow our brand awareness, promote our products and expand our customer base throughout Italy. They are a trusted and highly respected distributor with strong sales and support competencies that are fundamental to contributing significant growth for us as a company.” Guido Villa, managing director of AGMultivision, adds: “We are looking for lon
Vietnam - Ba Sao Investment recently equipped International School Ho Chi Minh City with a complete networked AV and lighting solution by Harman Professional Solutions. Founded in 1993, International School Hi Chi Minh City (ISHCMC) is Ho Chi Minh City’s most established international school. In addition to the campus’s modern classrooms, collaborative learning spaces and dedicated study areas, ISHCMC recently constructed a brand new 350-seat theatre and hired Ba Sao Investment to outfit the new facility with premium audio, lighting and control solutions. Ba Sao Investment installed a complete Harman networked AV system made up of solutions by JBL, Crown, AKG, BSS, Martin and AMX. “As a committed International Baccalaureate school, ISHCMC encourages a balance between academic achievement and holistic development,” says a ISHCMC spokesperson. “There are seve
USA - Mid South Audio of Georgetown, Delaware, has made a major investment in Nexo’s STM Series modular line array, ordering 98 cabinets in the largest single audio purchase in the company’s history. “We made the decision about a year ago that we needed to add a new line array to our inventory,” states Kevin Short, director of business development, Mid South Audio. “We had been cross renting, and with our business growing, it was time to expand our inventory.” Short said the company started looking closely at five line array manufacturers, receiving live demos and listening to all five rigs. “We were given the opportunity to demo the rigs on gigs before we narrowed the decision down to two. This was going to be the largest single audio purchase in our company’s 29-year history, so we were really serious about what we wanted to come away with. The sound
Greece - Asproulis Experience has become K-array’s distributor in Greece. The Thessaloniki-based company specialises in acoustic measurements, services and installations. It was formed in late 2017 by industry veteran Christos Asproulis. Asproulis comments: “From day one, I sought to work with K-array and become their point of reference in Greece. "K-array’s design and quality sound is something that no one can refute. Our goal is to offer high-end solutions and procure installations all over the Greek territory. With our close relations with our large network of dealers, we will be able to supply K-array in every part of the country.” (Jim Evans)
USA - Austrian AV technology manufacturer AV Stumpfl has announced the launch of a US subsidiary - AV Stumpfl Inc. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, the office will be helmed by managing director Todd Liedahl and supported by a network of distributors, dealers and technology specialists. Fabian Stumpfl, AV Stumpfl GmbH CEO, comments: " The establishment of AV Stumpfl Inc. is a new chapter in our company’s history. Todd is without doubt the perfect choice for the role of managing director. Although our products are already well known in the US market, we feel that there is still a lot of growth potential for both our projection screen and media server systems. He adds: “The USA is obviously of major importance as a trend-setter territory. Professionals from all over the world look to the US for the latest technological trends in the AV and entertainment ind
USA - Ashly Audio has appointed Noel Larson to serve as vice-president of marketing and business development. With over two decades of experience in the industry, Larson will work with Ashly engineers and strategic partners on new product development and will report to Ashly CEO Jim Mack. Larson most recently served as Harman Professional’s global director of retail solutions - signal processing, mics, and connected PA. At various points, Larson had oversight of the dbx, Lexicon, BSS, Digitech, AKG, and Soundcraft brands during his seven years there Larson said. “I was looking for an opportunity where I could make a real impact at a company that’s ready to grow fast and that has a management team that fully supports that vision. Ashly has CEO Jim Mack and a cast of talented people, and Jim has successfully piloted rapid company growth in his past endeavours and n
USA - Super Bowl, the highlight of the NFL American football season, makes global headlines - both about the game and the half-time entertainment. National and international broadcasters also cover many of the lead-up events throughout the preceding week. For Super Bowl LII, Alcons Audio delivered a winning solution for celebrated events on both sides of the Atlantic. Super Bowl LII took place at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where Philadelphia Eagles beat the reigning champions New England Patriots. For the week before the game, the ballroom at the Minneapolis Hilton hotel hosted a range of events which generated huge US media interest. An audio system that could deliver speech and music of equal high quality over a large area was vital - just the task for the Alcons LR7 pro-ribbon micro line-array. Packed with reporters, one of the highest profile even
Denmark - MCH Group recently installed a complete audio and lighting solution from Harman Professional Solutions in the newly built visitor’s foyer at Jyske Bank Boxen Arena in Herning, Denmark. The Jyske Bank Boxen is a 15,000-seat indoor arena that hosts sporting events such as ice hockey and basketball, as well as concert events with international artists. Jyske Bank Boxen is part of the MCH Messecenter Herning exhibition centre. In preparation for the 2018 International Ice Hockey Foundation (IIHF) World Championships, the MCH Messecenter Herning opened a new visitor foyer, featuring a dynamic façade designed to direct visitors to the arena, exhibition halls and other areas of the complex. In order to deliver a memorable experience for guests at the area, MCH installed a complete audio and lighting solution from Harman, made up of Martin, JBL, BSS and Crown.
UK - Sennheiser is making a return to Brighton’s The Great Escape Festival from 17-19 May, where it will be celebrating 20 years of its Evolution wired microphones. To mark the occasion, Sennheiser is taking its 20 Years of Evolution tour bus to the festival where it will be inviting artists to talk to Sennheiser representatives and discuss their equipment and audio requirements. Festival-goers can also experience the sound of Sennheiser microphones - which are also being used throughout the festival - and enter competitions to win Sennheiser headphones. Sennheiser’s SpeechLine Digital Wireless range will also feature in the festival’s conference meeting rooms. The tour bus will be located on New Road and will also host the first Sennheiser Sessions outside the bus on the Thursday (17 May) and Friday (18 May) at 5.30pm. (Jim Evans)
UK - The Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies in Nottingham has selected Nexo’s Geo M6 compact line array system, with LS18 subbass cabinets, as the hands-on training inventory for its pioneering degree courses in Live and Technical Events. In September 2018, that GEO M6 PA system, along with Confetti and all its music and events students, will be relocating to a new £4m Contemporary Music and Live Events Hub in the centre of Nottingham. This summer, Confetti turns out the first BSc (Hons) graduates from its pioneering Live and Technical Events courses. With less than five such certified courses available in the UK, there is great demand for such practical learning and students go on to work in a variety of jobs from live sound engineers to video technicians. Now part of Nottingham Trent University, Confetti has equipped an all-purpose teaching space with the
UK - Since 2000, the Teenage Cancer Trust (TCT) and its patron, The Who's Roger Daltrey, have been bringing the greatest global music and comedy talents to the Royal Albert Hall for an annual week of shows devised to raise money for young people affected by cancer. Befitting its 18th birthday celebrations, the 2018 series showcased one of the strongest line-ups to date, with UB40 (featuring Ali, Astro and Mickey), Nile Rodgers & CHIC, The Courteneers, Kasabian, Def Leppard, comedian Russell Howard and Daltrey himself as headliners. In previous years, performances by artists including Noel Gallagher and The Who have gone on to yield acclaimed live album and DVD/Blu-ray releases, so recording shows for posterity in the highest-possible audio quality has always been important. Given the charitable nature of the concert series, and the fact that shows are often recorde
