UK - When the Stereophonics decided to requisition a second acoustic stage accessed via a long thrust from the main performance area, on their latest tour, it provided a conundrum for the band’s long time technical crew, FOH engineer Dave Roden, and rental/production company Capital Sound Hire. With lead singer/guitarist Kelly Jones - exclusively on in-ears for the first time - Capital Project Manager Robin Conway set about reworking the traditional broadside cardioid array of Martin Audio MLX subwoofers into something that accommodated these new parameters. The solution was a central dual cluster in a cardioid design. “Dave [Roden] is used to us producing even coverage with Martin Audio systems, but I knew that if we went for conventional left and right stacks we ran the risk of lobing. So, with a combination of modelling and experimentation I came up with a solu
UK - HD Pro Audio is to host the Avid Expanded S6L Range on Monday, 21 May at the Hospital Club in London’s Covent Garden. The workshop will run from 11:00 to 16:00 and will provide one of the UK’s first opportunities to see and experience Avid's expanded range of VENUE | S6L live audio mixing consoles. The company’s Live Sound team, including FOH Robb Allan will be on hand to take attendees through the range. HD Pro Audio’s sales director Andy Huffer comments: “With the new 48 fader S6L-48D, the ‘Profile replacement’ S6L-24C and the compact S6L-16C all available for some hands-on experience, alongside the new E6L-112 engine, this will be an extremely popular event. Entry is free, but numbers are limited, so anyone wishing to attend should email info@hdproaudio.co.uk or book online [
USA - Presented annually by the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, the Youth Evangelism Conference (YEC) recently celebrated its 50th anniversary during a two-day live event that draws in students and youth leaders from across Tennessee. Wanting a production design to match the occasion, event organisers worked with Atlanta-based Stacked Heart Productions who brought in designer Justin Kitchenman, Align Design Group, programmer Gavin Lake, and production partner Elite Multimedia who provided an expansive audio, lighting, LED video and live IMAG video design. Kent Shingleton, YEC executive producer, comments: “Throughout our history, we have produced the event in six different venues and each year we try to bring something new. I have been wanting to implement LED video into our design for a few years now, and when I spoke with Elite Multimedia they put together a grea
UK - All aspects of electroacoustics will be explored at Reproduced Sound 2018, which takes place 27-29 November at the Bristol Hotel, Princes Street, Bristol. Offers of papers on any electroacoustics topic will be considered for the programme. Authors are encouraged to include practical elements in their presentations and could be allocated extra time if required. Potential topics include: Live Sound, Acoustics in Rooms, Audio System Design, Loudspeakers and Microphones, Intelligibility, Measurement & Evaluation, Cinema Sound. Case Studies are also welcome. Organisers urge those interested to send a 150-word abstract for papers plus a short biography of up to 150 words to linda.canty@ioa.org.uk by Friday, 11 May. Final written papers for the proceedings must be submitted by Friday, 28 September. (Jim Evans)
Italy - As the cornerstone of the Audio Engineering Society’s (AES) mission to promote the science and practice of audio, each AES convention features a wide array of presentations on research topics presented by leading engineers, scientists and students in the field of audio engineering, and the AES Milan convention, coming up 23-26 May at the NH Hotel Milano Congress Centre in Milan, Italy, is no exception. Brought together by AES Milan papers co-chairs Ville Pulkki and Sascha Spors, the Convention’s Technical Programme will feature research papers, engineering briefs and poster sessions by over 100 authors. Day one of AES Milan kicks off with a series of presentations on loudspeakers, followed by a poster presentation session on transducers. Audio quality, a hot-topic at this year’s convention, will then be delved into in two full sessions of paper presentat
Germany - Crest Audio’s Versarray PRO powered line array made its entrance at ProLight + Sound 2018. Comprising the Versarray PRO VR112 line array element and the VR-PRO 215 sub, Versarray PRO is designed for all mid-sized line array applications including live entertainment, theatres, houses of worship and more. The VR112 benefits from Crest Audio’s latest-generation Mark III ribbon drivers and proprietary Clear Form Waveguide for crystalline high end reproduction. The low end is served by the 12” NEO Black Widow neodymium loudspeaker with dual 4” voice coils which works in conjunction with Crest’s Ram Air Cooling (RAC) design for even greater efficiency and power handling. The compact, flyable VR-PRO 215 sub, also with RAC design, features dual 15” Black Widow Low Rider drivers and delivers full power down to 35 Hz and a peak SPL of 135dB. Both elements benefi
USA - Events United helped Fortune 1000 company Connection create a memorable setting for its annual kick-off meeting in Manchester NH, despite the limited space and unusual room dimensions at the site where the event was held. The meeting, which was live streamed to Connection offices throughout the US, took place in the Armory, a venue in the Radisson Hotel near the corporation’s headquarters. Although the room presents some striking images with its steel beams and sloping ceilings, it also poses serious design obstacles for anyone hoping to create a professional lighting, video and audio presentation within its confines. Events United met these challenges to create a stunning panorama at the kick-off event with a clever design plan and help from over 100 Chauvet Professional fixtures. “Our client gave us a few initial concept ideas that included projection and
USA - The Savannah Music Festival, the largest musical arts event in Georgia, features more than 100 productions over its 17-day run each spring. And at all four of the major venues at the festival, which this year runs from 29 March to 14 April and features artists including the Pat Martino Quintet, Rhonda Vincent & The Rage, and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, there is a DiGiCo desk at both front of house and monitors. For nearly a decade, as long as Atlanta-based Rock N Road Audio has been the festival’s audio systems provider, DiGiCo consoles have grown to become the primary mixing engines of this world-renowned event. This year, at the 1,200-seat Lucas Theatre, an SD12 is at front of house and an SD10 is being used for monitors at the side of the stage. The semi-enclosed, 700-seat North Garden Assembly Room at Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum uses one SD9 co
UK - Due to open in January 2019, Illuminate will be a dedicated, purpose-built conference and events venue spread across the top two floors of the Science Museum. It will offer flexible contemporary spaces with state-of-the-art production. White Light has been appointed as Illuminate’s production partner, meaning the company will be tasked with designing, integrating and operating a world-class technical installation within the various spaces. Ben Lheureux, head of catering and events at the Science Museum Group, states: “We spent a great deal of time developing the identity of our new dedicated events space to ensure we created something that is not only synonymous with the Science Museum Group and our brand values, but that resonates with the forward-thinking events industry. It was therefore essential that we chose trusted partners to help enhance our clients’ expe
Germany - Loudspeaker and amplifier manufacturer d&b audiotechnik has announced a series of landmark integrations between Soundscape’s central DS100 Signal Engine and digital mixing consoles from leading manufacturers DiGiCo , Avid and Lawo. The announcement was made at live mixing sessions showing the console workflows & mixing live multitrack recordings at a large-scale demonstration venue at Prolight + Sound in Frankfurt. This follows earlier announcements of integration partnerships with QLab show control systems, TTA Stagetracker and VST plugin formats. The newly announced collaborations open up bi-directional interoperability between the DS100 via plug-ins operating on the Open Sound Control (OSC) protocol. The plug-in allows engineers to work with their existing sound console and DAW workflows yet have access to a whole new world of creative potential
Germany - Adamson Systems Engineering has announced a new partnership with United Brands GmbH, as it takes the position of exclusive distribution partner for the German market. Based in Düsseldorf, the team at United Brands brings decades of expertise in the German pro audio market in addition to a well-established infrastructure and technical staff to support the Adamson brand. “We’ve enjoyed five strong years of growth both in Europe and around the world,” says Jochen Sommer, managing director of Adamson Europe. “With the addition of United Brands to the Adamson Network, we have the best opportunity to share the excitement growing around the brand with the German market. There are many stakeholders committed to building a lasting foundation and support structure geared to the highly skilled user base in Germany.” This partnership was made possible by
USA - An Allen & Heath dLive S Class S5000 with DM64 MixRack played a leading role on the tech crew for the Million Dollar Quartet’s recent North American tour. Part theatre, part rock-and-roll concert, the show tells the story of the day in 1956 when Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Elvis Presley performed together at Sam Phillips’ Sun Records studio. Chris Wilson mixes both FOH and monitors on the tour. Wilson says, “I’ve mixed theatre and I’ve mixed rock-and-roll. But, this show is different because it goes from theatrical dialog to full rock-and-roll. So, I have to marry the two for the audience while I manage monitors for the cast.” Wilson requested the dLive for this tour from equipment provider Epicenter Productions of Bedford, Texas. “I ran three big metal stages with dLives at the 2017 NAMM,” he said. “They outperformed any
Europe - API has confirmed the order of the next Legacy AXS recording console for the European market. The new 15IPS Studios in Croatia will be taking delivery of a 32 channel AXS console, which is being displayed at Musikmesse in Frankfurt this week and shipped to the new facility in July. This is the thirteenth AXS to be delivered since the product's launch approximately one year ago. With an expanded and powerful feature set, the new AXS console continues API's commitment to an all-analogue signal path. Console frames range from 32 to 80 channels, with each channel offering dual input capability and access to two API 200 Series module slots. Previous deliveries include Made In Memphis Entertainment in Memphis, TN and the all new Studio Tanta, the first new studio construction in Tokyo in many years. “The AXS builds on the success of the Legacy Series consol
Denmark - Neets will be introducing four additional front cover colours for the Neets Sound Bar. From its release, the Neets Sound Bar has been available in classic black. However, as the product has become increasingly more popular, Neets has experienced a sharp increase in customer demand for front covers in different colours. “Many of our customers consider more than projectors, whiteboards, and chairs when they design their meeting rooms. They want a meeting room that is not only functional but also communicates the company culture. And sometimes adding a splash of color can change the entire atmosphere of a meeting room,” says Neets product designer Niels Sylvester Rasmussen. “So, we answered our customers’ request for different colour front covers and have made the cover available in the most wanted colours.” In addition to the option of a black f
Germany - Clair Brothers has introduced the 10SPOT – designed as an “ultimate hybrid loudspeaker” that combines Clair Brothers Curved Array Technology together with their One Series coaxial horn technology. The result is a unique form factor loudspeaker that occupies little visual space while covering listening areas more coherently than your average conventional point sources. With a frequency response of 90Hz – 20,000Hz it is offered as a solution for when articulate speech and music reproduction is key. Because of its form factor, dispersion characteristics, and its four integral mounting points, the 10SPOT is well-suited for installation near ceiling to wall intersections in a variety of applications – hotel/club bar areas, performing arts centers, houses of worship, arenas and auditoriums, nightclubs, cruise ship venues and A/V systems support. (Jim Eva
UK - A new venue in London’s East End is reinvigorating UK clubland with a refined focus on technical perfection and substantive musical experiences. Blazing onto the capital’s live electronic music scene at the beginning of 2018 with a 27-hour New Year’s Eve launch party, E1 blends simple industrial minimalism with cutting-edge technology to provide the perfect backdrop for a quintessential clubbing experience. Occupying a two-room converted warehouse space, E1 is a location-turned-destination. The brainchild of Yuval Hen and Oren Arush, the venue is an evolution of the founders’ existing Studio Spaces facility – an events and high-production photo shoot destination catering to global brands and the biggest names in fashion and film. Having already run a series of successful warehouse style parties over the past few years, the team wanted to hone their offe
FaitalPRO, renowned Italian manufacturer of professional loudspeakers, officially launches three new models in Frankfurt this week), all designed specifically for the professional audio market. They are three cone speakers, namely two 6" drivers for medium and low-medium frequencies, and an 18" super woofer dedicated to the reproduction of the lowest frequencies. Also introduced is the new 6PR160 mid-range driver. Flavio Naggi, commercial director of FaitalPRO explains: "The 6PR160 mid-range was created solely for the range of voice reproduction where it plays an important role. It has remarkable weight characteristics, given the neodymium magnet structure and the aluminum basket. It is a mid-range of the highest level, both for tonal characteristics and performance." There are two new products that FaitalPRO is launching dedicated to mid-frequencies. When compared to t
Germany - Prolight + Sound 2018 has seen the launch of the d&b audiotechnik SL-Series, GSL System, a new loudspeaker system sitting right at the top of the company product portfolio. The GSL System is a complete solution created specifically for the largest sound reinforcement applications in significantly sized arenas, stadiums and festivals, to accurately deliver any performance style or musical genre. Werner ‘Vier’ Bayer from d&b product management reports, “We listened carefully to what people using systems said, as well as noting what they did with them. We then coupled this with our own experiences to arrive at a vision of what a future system should achieve. To hit those exacting targets, we first thought the entire d&b architecture would be turned on its head, but Matthias Christner and his R&D team methodically worked through the technic
Germany - Allen & Heath has unveiled new PRIME I/O modules for its flagship dLive mixing system. Using the latest converter and component technology, PRIME Input and Output modules are designed to harness the full potential of the dLive’s 96kHz XCVI FPGA core, delivering next-level audio quality for critical live, broadcast and studio applications. Allen & Heath’s managing director, Rob Clark explained, “For the PRIME project, we asked ourselves a simple question: ‘How do we take a class-leading digital mixer to the next level?’” The answer, and the decision to develop new I/O modules, was inspired by dLive users who work with internationally renowned classical musicians, vocalists and virtuoso instrumentalists and who are passionate about capturing every nuance of a performance in incredible detail. “As our XCVI core is a defacto 96kH
Germany - Prolight + Sound 2018 sees DiGiCo showcase the working debut of its new Quantum 7 processing, as well as the new 32bit DAC, the 4REA4 digital audio networking system, L-ISA Source Control, and significant new features for DiGiCo SD consoles. Quantum 7 has been developed with seventh generation FPGA devices that further expand audio processing power, and ultimately allows DiGiCo to provide its users with an unrivalled amount of flexibility. It expands an SD7 to over 600 channels of processing in 96kHz operation that can be connected in the outside world to approaching 3000 potential I/Os. The engine is also equipped with eight newly assignable MADI connections and two DMI slots (DiGiCo Multi-Channel Interface) for AoIP and other connectivity options from the complete family of DMI card options. There are other powerful enhancements, too, including Nodal Processing
Germany - In the realm of event productions, the equipment required to pull off a successful event is as important as the event itself. Careful consideration is given to every aspect so that they harmonize and do not detract from the look and layout of the occasion. Providing a niche audio solution for the event productions market, the K-array Event line offers complete audio kits for this visually-driven segment. The Event-KREV102 is composed of a Kobra-KK102 loudspeaker featuring Pure Array Technology to provide uniform coverage and a Thunder-KMT12 subwoofer to deliver a big sound in the low range. The pole that connects the two elements is designed to create a continuous discreet line and to hide cables at the same time. The kit also comes with four Anakonda-KAN200+ loudspeakers for an alternative solution to the Kobra for easy integration in spatially-challenging applica
UK - This month sees one of Audient’s USB audio interfaces, iD14-LE take to the stage in the capable hands of theatre sound designer, Kenan Trevien who is working on Pericles, Prince de Tyr at the Barbican. This Cheek By Jowl production is an adaptation of a rarely seen Shakespeare play directed by award-winning Declan Donnellan in collaboration with Nick Ormerod, and performed in French with English subtitles. Kenan explains the setup he’s used in the run up to this latest production: “I have one laptop dedicated to the cues on the PA, and the iD14-LE is plugged into the laptop I keep for designing new sounds. As the monitor outputs and the main outputs are independent, I can easily choose to work quietly with my headphones or to test new sounds on the PA whilst the actors on stage.” The play follows the hero, Pericles on a journey involving pirates, m
UK - The Harrogate Convention Centre has been evolving as a conference and events venue since what was then the Spa Rooms hosted the British Medical Association in 1884. The first purpose-built halls were added in 1959, and today HCC is recognized as one of the country’s leading multi-use venues with 147,000 sq ft (13,700 sq m) of completely modular exhibition/event space across nine flat-floored, interconnected halls. In order to bring the venue fully into line with modern standards and expectations, HCC has recently invested in a brand new distributed, networked audio system with a Symetrix DSP backbone and Dante audio networking supplied by CUK Audio and installed by Acoustic Solutions. “We clearly needed to replace our old system which was becoming unreliable,” explained HCC’s technical manager, Ross Simpson. “The site has grown considerably over the year
Germany - France-based Amadeus has debuted a new hardware processor system, Holophonix, designed for live sound spatialization and immersive experiences. The Holophonix processor brings together several different spatialization techniques including Wave Field Synthesis, High-Order Ambisonics, Distance-Based Amplitude Panning, and more, enabling intuitive placement and movement of sources in a 2D and/or 3D space, says the company. "Development of the Holophonox system is undoubtedly the most ambitious and the most exciting project we have initiated for a very a long time," comments Michel Deluc, Amadeus' R&D manager. The new system allows the user to select and control a series of highly advanced 2D and 3D sound algorithms designed at IRCAM-based STMS Lab (Sciences et Technologies de la Musique et du Son), located in Paris, and supported by CNRS (National Cent
