Canada - The President and CEO of Groupe Solotech Inc. (Solotech), Martin Tremblay has announced the appointment of Mickey Curbishley as president of Solotech’s US rental division. This appointment will be effective as of 3 June. Mickey has over 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry, working with the largest and most successful global acts. In recent years, he has helped the production needs for the likes of Madonna, Prince, Lady Gaga, Roger Waters, Taylor Swift, Bon Jovi and The Eagles. Curbishley began his career in the mid 80s touring with some of the biggest bands of time. In 1994, Mickey was part of a team that proceeded to the acquisition of Light and Sound Design (LSD), where he played a strategic role in LSD’s international expansion. Following PRG’s acquisition of LSD in 1998, he filled leadership roles for PRG’s concert touring divisi
South Korea - Systems integrators Winmeditech and TechData, recently deployed a range of complete Harman Professional Solutions AV systems in the Seoul Dragon City hotel complex. Opened in October of 2017 by AccorHotels, Seoul Dragon City contains 1,700 guest rooms spread over four hotels, all within an interconnected series of skyscrapers. Billed as a lifestyle hotel-plex, the massive facility features 11 restaurants and bars, 17 meeting rooms, two multi-function grand ballrooms, and four full floors of entertainment in a Sky Bridge suspended between two of the towers. TechData and Winmeditech deployed a solution made up of 428 JBL Professional speakers, 31 Crown amplifiers, eight Soundcraft mixers, 35 BSS signal processors, 147 AKG microphones and accessories and 212 AMX control systems. “2017 has been a record-breaking year for AccorHotels in South Korea, h
Europe - Broadcast technology innovator Lawo has appointed the AVC Group as its agent for Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo and Slovenia. Prior to agreeing this new partnership, AVC had employed Lawo Nova73 routers, mc² audio mixing systems and VSM system control in a number of system integration projects at the request of the clients, proving the quality and reliability of Lawo technology and equipment - a key factor for AVC’s clients. AVC Group is a leading provider of audio, video, multimedia, lighting and telecommunication solutions in the Southeast Europe market, and has been the main supplier to the public and private broadcasting, and television stations in the area for the past 25 years. AVC - Audio Video Consulting - was founded in 1990 as a multinational group supplying and supporting the most modern au
Canada - Martin Audio has appointed Erikson Pro as the company’s exclusive distributor for Canada. Erikson Pro is a division of JAM Industries and also distributes Allen & Heath, Audient, Chauvet Professional, Martin Lighting and Illuminarc. Commenting on the new relationship, Erikson Pro vice-president Christian Bouchard says, “We’ve been looking at Martin Audio for some time and have been intent on pursuing the line because of their innovative and appealing products that have the potential to be very successful in the Canadian market. “Going to the UK and experiencing the line in person really convinced us in terms of the Martin Audio sound signature being so uniform, from the smallest point source speakers to the largest line arrays. They have unique technology like Hard Avoid™ and the capacity to control the signal over specific areas. A lot of
USA - Lawo has welcomed Browning McCollum, David Desrochers, and Stanley Pan to its growing North American team of customer support specialists. “Lawo’s growth in the U.S. and Canada just keeps accelerating,” says Sam Schauland, technical director, Americas. “More and more broadcasters and audio production professionals are realising that true standards-based audio and video routing and mixing are the only way to go. That’s awesome, for the industry and for us. We’re adding more positions all the time.” Browning McCollum joins Lawo after a successful tenure with Viacom, Nashville, where he held the position of remote engineer in charge. McCollum, a 2016 Emmy Award winner for his work on Grease Live, also holds the distinction of having installed the first two Lawo mc296 mixing consoles. His role at Lawo will be as a broadcast technology specialist.
Europe - Second Warehouse is again simplifying pro AV cross rental as the service debuts on mobile and tablet. Based on a Progressive Web Application, Second Warehouse for mobile can be installed on your Apple or Android device with a single tap - no App store visit required. Now, even when you’re out on a job, Second Warehouse allows you to find and hire vital equipment within minutes while keeping your own inventory busy earning you money. Dedicated to simplifying and speeding up the essential but previously time-consuming and costly activity of equipment cross-rental between pro AV rental companies, Second Warehouse allows rental companies of all sizes to trade with one another in a safe, fast, monitored and extremely cost-effective environment. A rental company searching Second Warehouse for AV equipment will find what they need in a matter of seconds, while every item
South Africa - Alfacam SA, a leading industry supplier and operator of HD TV facilities for events and shows in the outside broadcast market in South Africa, has recently invested in a DiGiCo SD12, purchased through DWR Distribution. Alfacam is no stranger to the DiGiCo platform. In 2013, owner Greg Nefdt purchased OB16, now fondly known as OB1, with all associated equipment from Euro Media Group and founded Alfacam S.A., operating out of Bush Hill Estate AH in Randburg. Upon arrival, OB1 was kitted out with a Soundtracs DPC-II and a DiGiCo D1. These consoles had worked perfectly for many years on numerous successful gigs, but Alfacam’s Quentin Davis knew it was time for an upgrade. DWR has been dealing with Alfacam for the past year, assisting with possible DiGiCo solutions and, although Quentin had many different options available to him, his heart was set on DiGi
UK - Following its Northern Open Day held at Gateshead Sage in March, RCF has announced a similar two-day event in Guildford, Surrey. The Southern Open Days will be hosted by Yes Productions at the G Live arts centre on 4-5 June (times yet to be confirmed), with registration now open. Dean Davoile, RCF UK sales manager, comments: “We are delighted to be partnering with Tom [Chennells, Yes production director], and capitalising both on the momentum created by our Northern event and recent exhibition showings at Prolight+Sound and PLASA Focus Leeds. This will be the first opportunity for those in the southern half of the country to hear our ground-breaking new HDL 6-A and HDL 30-A in a real-world situation.” The systems will be r
Germany - The Voice in a Million charity concert drew 10,000 schoolchildren to London’s SSE Wembley Arena in mid-March for two nights of performances by the UK’s most gifted children’s choirs. With technical production on a tight timescale, an Electro-Voice X2 line array system (part of the X-Line Advance family) delivered punchy, even coverage across the arena, while Electro-Voice ND86 dynamic supercardioid vocal microphones ensured each child’s voice was captured in perfect detail. Founded in 2006 by Robert and Jo Garofalo, Voice in a Million is a charitable organisation dedicated to helping children who have been orphaned, abandoned or separated from their families at birth. Handling technical production for this year’s event was Birmingham-based DMX Productions, whose managing director, SJ Grevett, looked to front of house engineer Neal Allen
Poland - As one of Poland’s leading live production companies, Wroclaw-based PogoArt works on some of the country’s highest profile live events, from star-studded festivals and high art opera, to traditional music recitals and corporate conventions. It is also the first Polish company to invest in Yamaha’s new Rivage PM7 digital mixing system. PogoArt’s history with Yamaha goes back 20 years, when the company invested in the 02R console. Since then the company has regularly updated its inventory of Yamaha digital mixers and currently has PM5D, CL5, CL3, QL5, QL1, M7CL, 01v96 and DM2000 consoles in continual use by clients. The latest investment in a RIVAGE PM7 system brings the inventory up to date. “One of the great thing about Yamaha consoles for rental companies is that, from the 01v right through the range, they all have a very similar workflow,” says P
USA - Adam Hall North America has expanded its operations by merging with its New Jersey-based North America distributor Musical Distributors Group (MDG). The deal is hoped to enhance the Group’s presence in the USA and Canada and strengthen the presence of its brands, including LD Systems, Cameo Lighting, Gravity Stands, Palmer and Defender Cable Protection, as well as MDG’s exclusive distribution brands, such as Höfner, Ultrasone, EBS, Mad Professor and Lock-It Straps. Steven Savvides, president of the new Adam Hall North America, comments: “We are joining forces in order to further drive this growth for all the Adam Hall brands and for our other exclusively distributed brands. It will also allow us to expand into additional market segments. Combining our strategic New Jersey-based location, 32 years of industry experience, substantial resources, expert staff,
Denmark - Continuing its accelerating pace of expansion, Pascal, the provider of pro audio amplifier electronics, has announced the appointment of industry veteran Michael Munch to the newly created position of product manager. Munch’s extensive and diverse career in professional audio spans more than 30 years, encompassing sound engineering and international touring, production management, product management and business development. He has held product management leadership roles at TC Electronics, Lab.gruppen, Tannoy, TC Group and Dynaudio, and brings a wealth of experience, industry knowledge and personal contacts to his new role at Pascal. (Jim Evans)
USA - The Bomb Factory, a 4,000-plus-capacity music club in Dallas’ hip downtown Deep Ellum district and site of shows by artists like Hardwell, Don Henley, Ms. Lauryn Hill, and Jack White, has been through a few iterations. Originally built as an automobile assembly plant for Henry Ford over a century ago, it later housed a WWII munitions factory, from which it derives its current name. As Dallas’ downtown grew into an arts district in recent years, the 48,000sq.ft brick building was the perfect home for a live music venue, which opened in 2015. Only one thing might have held it back: a sound system that struggled to keep up with the needs of contemporary touring artists, many of whom brought in their own PA systems or rented them for shows. That’s all changed as of last October when The Bomb Factory joined the ranks of rider-ready leading venues globally with t
USA - The film La La Land was the surprise hit of 2016, swept the Golden Globes, won six Oscars, and made a net profit of about $65m. Starting in 2017 and heading into 2018, the film has emerged from the cinemas and hit the road for a series of events known as La La Land in Concert, encompassing screenings of the film that incorporate a live orchestra, jazz ensemble and choir. The tour’s primary mix engineer, Troy Choi, has been “hands on faders” for 90 percent of the run, including shows on every continent, all using local orchestras and choirs as well as, in most cases, local musicians for the jazz band that is so crucial to the film’s sound and story. And when he has been in the FOH captain’s chair, he has insisted on having a DiGiCo SD7 or SD10 desk in front of him. “Basically, we play the movie from the beginning, the same as a normal mov
Italy - The Primo Maggio Concert is an all-day music festival organised annually on the 1 May to celebrate Italy's Labour Day. Set in Piazza San Giovanni in Rome and broadcast live on public television, this popular national event is also referred to as the Concertone or Big Concert due to the duration of the musical marathon which begins in the afternoon and ends late at night due to the sheer number of artists and audience. For its 28th edition, stage managers Antonio Soddu and Alessio Martino from ALTO Stage Management entrusted the audio domain entirely to K-array to provide high quality sound for the 50-plus performances, including international artist Fat Boy Slim, and the 500,000 people present. Product specialist and system designer Klaus Hausherr, together with Roberto Marchesi from distributor Exhibo, developed a powerful, versatile main s
USA - The University of North Georgia (UNG) recently built a 3,600-seat Convocation Centre with the goal of making it the focal point of campus life for the community. When it came to sound reinforcement, the university called upon Dallas-based Idibri who designed an Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW) system that would be suitable for the various ways the venue would be used. “The convocation centre is a multi-purpose facility that hosts student and community activities and academics while also being home to UNG Nighthawk basketball games,” explains Ben Boeshans, consultant for Idibri. “The EAW QX 300 Series loudspeakers are superb for speech and music and offer exceptional control. The distributed system works extremely well in an arena setting.” The seating area is covered by 14 clusters hung in a ring around the edge of the basketball court. Twelve of the two-box
UK - Manchester-based audio specialist tube uk became the first UK production company to take delivery of Yamaha’s new Rivage PM7 digital mixing system, and the company was also the first to use it on a UK show. “Rivage PM7 has many excellent features, the inclusion of the Rupert Neve Designs transformer circuitry and SILK processing through Yamaha’s Virtual Circuit Modelling shows that there is no compromise in quality,” says tube uk managing director Melvyn Coote. “The extensive i/o count also means it is properly multi-purpose and will fit a wide range of audio scenarios. All-in-all it is a great quality system at a good price and, of course, it is underlined by Yamaha’s rock-solid reputation for reliability.” Following Yamaha’s hands-on Rivage system demo day at London’s Abbey Road Studios, tube and Yamaha presented a similar hands-on worksh
Thailand - Mahajak Development recently installed a complete audio system by Harman Professional Solutions at Mitr Phol Stadium. The 10,000-seat soccer stadium in Huai Phai, Thailand is the official home field of Thai Premier League team Ratchaburi Mitr Phol FC. Completed in 2016 and constructed to FIFA standards at the cost of over $9m, Mitr Phol Stadium is a world-class soccer facility, equipped with sufficient parking lots, pressrooms, locker rooms and souvenir shops. Ratchaburi Mitr Phol FC hired Mahajak Development to perform its first stadium audio installation. Mahajak rose to the challenge, selecting a complete Harman system for audio quality, reliability and powerful performance. “We required a customised audio solution for the new stadium that would deliver consistent coverage and vocal clarity for announcements and music performances,” said Tanaw
Poland - KLANG:technologies has announced the appointment of Konsbud Audio as its exclusive distributor for Poland. Konsbud Audio is a leading pro audio distributor with a portfolio that includes, among others, d&b audiotechnik, Allen & Heath, Audio-Technica, Avid, Genelec, Neutrik and Cordial. Started in 1989, at the beginning of the free market in Poland, Konsbud Audio began with distribution of audio and music equipment. Today, in addition to distribution of pro audio products, the company offers complete audio solutions for rental, recording and post-production studios, theatres, cultural centres, broadcast and AV companies. Konsbud Audio also supports its clients with industry leading technical support and service. Jarosław Kierkowski, Konsbud Audio’s commercial director comments, “We had previously seen KLANG at PL+S in Frankfurt and, at a meeting wi
UK - EM Acoustics chose PLASA Focus Leeds for the first ever showing of the latest addition to its EMS Series loudspeakers - the ultra-compact EMS-41. The most bijou EMS Series loudspeaker yet according to the manufacturer, the EMS-41 is designed for a variety of nearfield monitoring and background music applications, particularly where a compact, discreet solution is required for intelligible audio distribution over wide areas. It’s also ideal for theatrical spot effects, fill, delay as well as background sound or indeed corporate and AV use. Thanks to its space-saving coaxial design, high SPL capability, extremely compact dimensions and sober appearance, EMS-41 blends easily into any environment. “The EMS Series is quite simply our best-selling range ever,” says EM Acoustic operations director Mike Wheeler. “Featuring our signature passive crossover design,
UK - Established 20 years ago and set in the heart of rural Essex, the Magic Mushroom restaurant offers contemporary fine dining in relaxed modern surroundings. A recent extension and upgrade has added high quality audio, thanks to Yamaha loudspeakers and amplifiers. With a growing number of customers, for 2018 Magic Mushroom’s owner decided that an extension to the restaurant was needed, along with a new sound system. The restaurant prides itself on sourcing its products locally and has continued this ethos with the new audio system, approaching technical production company Spotlight Sound - based in nearby Chelmsford - to specify and install it. The new extension is designed to allow certain parts of the restaurant to be closed off for private functions and exclusive dining for larger parties. This meant that the new audio system needed to work in different ways, a
UK - Liverpool-based Adlib Audio has invested in Outline’s Newton advanced multi-source audio processor. Combining new ‘WFIR’ (patent pending) filter technology, multi-format audio signal routing, simultaneous multiple standard conversion and digital signal synchronisation in a single 1RU chassis, Newton represents the next generation of networked audio system control, claims Outline. Ian Nelson, Adlib’s senior engineer commented, “I heard some chatter about Newton on social media, then investigated further on the Outline website and subsequently contacted James Lawford at CUK. “The Newton’s 18×16 matrix and its huge amount of I/O possibilities are the major factors that attracted us to the unit, but the ASRC and SRC on each matrix input is also a big advantage. This, coupled with the multiple levels of input redundancy, is something we had been se
USA - Tools from Waves Audio were employed by sound engineers for a variety of performers in diverse set-ups and consoles throughout Coachella 2018 – from Avid Venue S6L (Kygo) and Avid Venue Profile (The Weeknd), to DiGiCo SD10’s (Vince Staples), to SSL Live (Portugal. The Man) and Waves’ own eMotion LV1 Live Mixer (MØ). Prominent FOH engineers provided a peek under the hood of their productions, relaying which tools help them create a tight, spectacular-sounding show under demanding festival conditions. Vince Staples’ FOH engineer Robbie Barr has been touring with DiGiCo SD-series consoles nonstop for five years, mixing such acts as M83, Foster the People and Banks. His setup for Staples at Coachella consisted of a DiGiCo SD10 console, two Waves SoundGrid Extreme Servers (one for redundancy) and the Waves MultiRack plugin host. “Running Waves plugins on
Malaysia - Goldenduck International recently outfitted the newly-opened MBO The Starling Mall with end-to-end cinema surround audio systems by Harman Professional Solutions. Founded in 2005, MBO Cinemas operates 27 complexes across Malaysia, making it the third-largest chain of movie theatres in the nation. The new state-of-the-art facility at The Starling Mall in the Kuala Lumpur suburb of Petaling Jaya offers a wide range of movie-going experiences, with revolutionary theatre formats such as MBO Big Screen, MBO Premier, MBO MX4D and MBO Kecil. In order to ensure pristine surround sound reproduction, MBO Cinemas hired cinema sound integrator Goldenduck International to outfit MBO The Starling’s ten theatre rooms with premium cinema audio systems. Goldenduck selected a complete cinema audio solution comprised of JBL ScreenArray Series cinema speakers and Crown amplif
