Sound

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13 September 2024

UK - Elation has announced that Sound Technology has been appointed as the exclusive distributor for Elation and Obsidian products in the UK and Ireland, effective now. In addition to its existing portfolio, Sound Technology will manage all aspects of Elation and Obsidian sales, service, training, and support in the region.

Located in Letchworth Garden City, north of London, Sound Technology is a leading distributor of high-profile brands in the professional audio, lighting, and MI retail sectors. The company is part of the Midwich Group, one of the largest specialist audiovisual distributors in the UK and Europe.

Marc Librecht, sales and marketing director for Elation and Obsidian in Europe, emphasised the partnership: “We are excited to have found a dedicated partner who can help us expand the Elation and Obsidian brands in this extremely importa

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13 September 2024

UK - Northern England music venue, Sage Gateshead, now rebranded as The Glasshouse International Centre for Music, underwent an audio refurbishment to coincide with its reopening, culminating in the introduction of an additional two SD12 all-purpose digital mixers to its inventory of consoles from DiGiCo.

Not only does the acquisition mark the venue’s transition to DiGiCo consoles in the two main halls but, following an overhaul of the cabling infrastructure to provide MADI across The Glasshouse’s performance spaces, the versatile SD12 models can deliver a variety of functions from various mix positions.

Located on the south bank of the River Tyne, the architectural award-winning building is one of the UK’s leading music venues, hosting a mix of high-profile classical and contemporary productions for the last 20 years, as well as a vast music-m

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13 September 2024

USA - The teams at the ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center in Hawaii and the Queen Elizabeth II Planetarium in Canada are doing their part to seek out discoveries every day. Recently, both planetariums went through retrofits to improve the facilities and the guest experience, and the teams turned to amplifiers from LEA Professional to provide the audio.

Both planetarium teams contacted George Barnett, co-founder and technical director of SSIA Technologies and their long-term technical provider, to help them improve their audio systems. The planetariums wanted a more reliable and robust system that could immerse their guests in the storytelling of the vastness of space.

“LEA won our hearts over with their first amplifiers,” said Barnett. “We just loved the engineering – it was fantastic. It had good power, a small chassis, lots of features, and a very

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13 September 2024

Portugal - Billed as a ‘destination hotel’, Immerso, Ericeira’s first five-star hotel, is a relaxed retreat away from the world’s hubbub but close to the Portuguese capital of Lisbon. Since premium audio forms a crucial part of the overall visitor experience, the Immerso team turned to Genelec’s 4000 Series installation loudspeakers.

Guests at Immerso can indulge in a range of wellness activities including sunrise and sunset yoga and pilates sessions on the beautiful wooden deck overlooking the valley.

For the audio system, the hotel owners contacted local Genelec distributor, Garrett Audiovisuais, on the recommendation of well-known music producer and composer Elvis Veiguinha, who was responsible for developing the hotel’s sound identity. “Elvis has known us for more than 30 years,” explains Garrett’s Raul Fernandes. “He introduc

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12 September 2024

Belgium - Now in its 20th year, the festival celebrating all genres of electronic music is hosted in the aptly named town of Boom in Belgium. This year, Holoplot’s X1 system was chosen to provide the sound for The Atmosphere stage, a custom-made circus-top tent featuring DJs including Amber Broos, Dyen, Ellen Allien, Olympe, Adam Beyer and others. At close to 30m high and 30m wide, it can accommodate up to five thousand techno fans. The system utilises two main arrays consisting of six X1 modules each, with six surrounds of two X1 modules each.

The key challenges to overcome were the highly reflective surfaces causing echoes in the listening area, preventing an even sweet spot to fully benefit from the immersive content played at the stage. Pieter Doms, sound engineer at Noizboyz and co-founder of stereo up-mixing solution Areal, is responsible for the sou

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12 September 2024

UK - Located in Cookstown, Northern Ireland and founded in 1970, and supplying Nexo for over 40 years, Rea Sound has grown to be one of the largest professional audio-visual distributors, installer and design companies in the country.

An expert team with over 200 years of combined experience helps customers across Northern Ireland and Ireland create better audio-visual experiences in a wide range of venues including churches, most recently the First Broughshane Presbyterian in the large County Antrim village of Broughshane.

“The First Broughshane Presbyterian has recently undergone a significant renovation and, as a beautiful, listed building, the traditional aesthetic in the church and halls has been meticulously preserved,” reports Rea sound director Roger McMullan.

“Building on our long-standing relationship with the church, we were

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12 September 2024

UK - The Lyric Hammersmith Theatre is making waves in the West End with its UK premiere of Fangirls, an award-winning Australian musical that has taken the theatre world by storm. This groundbreaking production features an L-Acoustics sound system that delivers exceptional audio quality to this major West End debut.

Written by Yve Blake, Fangirls explores the passionate world of teen fandom through the story of a 14-year-old girl infatuated with the lead singer of a world-famous boy band. The show, which blends hilarity with powerful messages about feminism and the often-underestimated capabilities of teenage girls, demanded an extraordinary audio system capable of recreating the electrifying atmosphere of a large-scale pop concert within the intimate setting of the Lyric.

To meet this unique challenge, award-winning sound designer

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12 September 2024

Germany - The 6K United 2024 You are Precious tour took place recently at some of Germany’s foremost arena venues, including the Munich Olympic Hall and the Hamburg Barclay Arena. This music project, which has run for a number of years, brought together the voices of six thousand children, who after months of independently rehearsing material specially created for them, came together as one to sing an entire concert repertoire for spellbound audiences.

Accompanied by a 16-piece backing band, the choir delivered a wide range of musical styles prepared under the guidance of Professor Fabian Sennholz of Frankfurt University of Music.

Audio technology is clearly an essential element of an undertaking of this size and scale, and this year saw new standards set by specialists Melodus, a company created in 2023 by the merger of expert practitione

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11 September 2024

UK - Audio specialist tube uk helped design sound, as well as specify and implement an innovative system to deliver Where to Begin, the opening event of the 2024 Edinburgh International Festival (EIF), working closely with creative agency Pinwheel under the artistic direction of Katy Fuller and composer Roma Yagnik.

Yagnik created the musical highlight for an immersive pre-show experience followed by a large projection spectacular, with video content produced by Yeast Culture, which was mapped and beamed by Graymatter Video onto the north façade of George Heriot School, founded in 1628, which is overlooked by Edinburgh Castle.

The ticketed event kicked off the 2024 EIF with great flair. It ran over three evenings and was enjoyed by 3,000 people each night, celebrating the energy, vibrance and spirit of the city and the alchemy of invention

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11 September 2024

UK - 30 years after Oasis' debut album Definitely Maybe first made waves, Liam Gallagher set out to recreate that magic for a new generation.

To meet the challenge, Skan PA Hire, a Clair Global company, was tasked with crafting a professional sound system capable of unleashing the raw energy and nuances of Gallagher's performances.

"We needed a system with serious muscle, but also finesse," explains Sam Parker, front of house engineer for the tour. "L-Acoustics was the obvious choice to meet those demands."

Rising to the challenge, systems engineer Mark Pantlin designed a comprehensive concert touring system centred around renowned K Series line array speakers from L-Acoustics.

The setup features main hangs of 16 K1 over four K2 per side, complemented by side-hangs of 10 K1 over six K2 per side. Low-end reinforcement is deliv

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11 September 2024

Spain - 50 minutes of total immersion – that is the aim of Lumina Catedral de Toledo. Since December 2023, visitors have been able to experience the multimedia production in the Gothic cathedral of Toledo in the centre of Spain. The main components are large-scale project mapping, precise surround sound, and a lighting design that makes the architecture of the cathedral appear even more impressive.

As the technical service provider, Meraki Cultura Audiovisual SL relied on a combination of LD Systems Curv 500 array systems for the sound and Cameo lights from the Zenit, Opus, and Evos series for the lighting of the temporary installation.

“Lumina Catedral de Toledo is a globally unique multimedia and cultural experience,” explains project director Alfonso López Rivera, managing director of Meraki Cultura Audiovisual SL. “The

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10 September 2024

UK - Martin Audio and Solotech UK (formerly as Capital Sound) have been permanent incumbents at BST Hyde Park since AEG Presents took over the Hyde Park lease in 2013, and Martin Audio PAs feature site wide.

But this year, Solotech were represented by a different system engineer in Rayne Ramsden. And while he was working to the same offsite sound level thresholds (75dBA) as set out by acoustic consultants Vanguardia, he was nevertheless able to squeeze out a couple of extra dB at FOH, giving them a potential of 101dB(A) without breaching offsite limits.

“Rather than simply cut and paste from last year, I suggested tilting the delay PAs a degree or two to gain a bit more coverage and an extra 1-2dB out in the field –knowing I could use the Hard Avoid [feature in the control software] to shave it off if necessary. Those extra degrees on the top ang

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10 September 2024

Germany - The Hamburg Congress Centre (CCH), one of Europe's most historic convention facilities, has completed a five-year renovation that marries the latest technology with sustainability. Central to this transformation is the installation of the L Series line source array from L-Acoustics.

Built in 1973 and protected as a historic landmark, the CCH has long been a cornerstone of the European convention scene. The recent renovation, led by consultants Graner + Partner, aimed to modernise the facility while preserving its rich heritage. "It makes a huge difference to be able to deliver the very highest quality to our clients – from the architecture to the audio," says Dominik Schenke of Graner + Partner. "The L-Acoustics L Series breathes new life into the building and opens up endless possibilities for its future."

The installation of the L-Acous

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10 September 2024

Sweden - Broadcast Service Provider NEP Sweden unveiled three Remote Operation Centres (ROCs) in 2023. For the audio workflow, DirectOut is the main supplier of audio systems. The strategic decision to integrate DirectOut’s hardware and software solutions, including an extensive deployment of Prodigy.MP and Prodigy.MC units, have enabled NEP Sweden to significantly enhance its production infrastructure while minimising reliance on traditional audio hardware. These new ROCs expand NEP Sweden’s production capabilities and address the logistical challenges posed by the country’s vast geography.

The centres are equipped to handle a wide range of production formats, from HD to UHD/HDR. Central to this operation is the SMPTE 2110 standard, which facilitates dynamic, format-specific scaling and ensures seamless interconnectivity with other NEP facilities worl

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10 September 2024

UK - All the stars aligned for RCF UK at this year’s PLASA Show in London, resulting in what head of the UK operation, Dean Davoile, described as “our best PLASA showing ever”.

As one of only two companies to occupy a dedicated sound demo room, RCF was able to drive traffic upstairs from their ground floor booth – and this was certainly a winning formula. “Whether it was a stroke of absolute genius or pure luck, everything just worked, and often visitors were struggling to get into the demo room,” he said.

Once inside, they were able to sample RCF’s new NXL14-A with SUB15-AX 15in bass reflex cab and NX 932-A active full range speaker and SUB18-AX (portable 18in) combinations, and also specifically the new TT+ Audio GTX10, paired for the first time with the new GTS 19G (1 x 19in) ground-stackable subwoofer.

Demonstrations took pl

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10 September 2024

UK - Fourier Audio is thrilled to announce that it has been honoured with the prestigious 2024 PLASA Award for Innovation for its transform.engine. Launched earlier this year, the transform.engine has made a significant impact in the industry, propelling Fourier Audio to the forefront of innovation.

The 2024 PLASA Innovation Awards saw a record-breaking 44 products vying for recognition, with only eight being selected by the esteemed panel of judges. The judges commended the Fourier Audio transform.engine for being “an elegant solution for the integration of studio technologies in live events with reliability and functionality at its core.”

During the recent three-day PLASA Show London, the winners were revealed, and Fourier Audio’s co-founders, Pete Bridgman, Henry Harrod, and Gareth Owen, proudly accepted the award on behalf of the company. S

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10 September 2024

Europe - Follow-Me has announced the appointment of Thijs Bruins as global sales manager. Bruins will oversee the Follow-Me global sales network, aligning existing partners, expanding the network to improve customer experience and providing a strong base for the company’s future growth.

“We are really happy Thijs is joining Follow-Me,” Marc van der Wel, managing director says. “He brings lots of technical and commercial knowledge, industry experience and enthusiasm to our growing company.”

Bruins has a wealth of technical expertise. Starting out at a young age as a lighting technician and continuing to juggle this freelance work and training, his early experience underpins his deep understanding of the live events, theatrical and AV industries.

After years of freelancing, Bruins moved on to the role of manager of special projects at

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09 September 2024

UK - Pearl Jam’s Dark Matter World Tour called on Britannia Row for an L-Acoustics delivery. The Seattle rockers, fronted by Eddie Vedder, possess a FOH team pairing trust and dedication to great live sound. FOH mixer Greg Nelson and systems engineer Andrew Gilchrest are a duo that work in impressive unity.

Nelson begins: “Andrew and I have a similar ear; he hears what I hear, and I hear what he hears, so I trust him implicitly to run anywhere around the arena. I don't have to double check.”

“And I’ve learned what he's looking for, what ‘good’ sound is from him,” explains Gilchrest. “As a system engineer, I spend quite a bit of time walking around the venue making sure Greg’s mix is being translated to the rest of the crowd. It can sometimes be difficult, but I love the challenge and the fact that I can help make sure eac

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09 September 2024

France - Located at the confluence of the Vienne and Goire rivers, Confolens is a commune in southwestern France with a permanent population of around 3,000 people. But each summer this small town welcomes almost 150,000 visitors for the Festival de Confolens, when 600 artists gather for one of France’s largest celebrations of world music, dance and folklore.

Originally founded in 1957, the week-long festival is organised and operated by a group of 350 volunteers and takes place at various locations in the town, from the mainstage at the Théâtre des Ribières to the Place Henri Coursaget, taking in the church of St Maxime, the Guinguette and the Halles.

The event service provider Blackline Event, located in Fouquebrune La Couronne, deployed line arrays of six Nexo Geo S12 per side for the mainstage, supplemented by two Nexo PS15 out-fills, two PS

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09 September 2024

Italy - Studio and live sound engineer Andrea Pellegrini recently worked with the Peter Erskine Quartet in Italy, delivering quality sound thanks to a selection of microphones from DPA Microphones for 22 live performances.

The engineer deployed a combination of DPA 4099 Instrument Mics on the piano, saxophone, double bass and snare drum, along with 4011 Cardioid Condensers as overhead mics and a 4055 for the kick drum.

The Peter Erskine Quartet, led by drummer Peter Erskine and featuring George Garzone on saxophone, Alan Pasqua on piano and Darek Oles on double bass, delivered unforgettable performances throughout the tour. Pellegrini’s use of DPA microphones played a pivotal role in enhancing the live experience for both the musicians and the audience.

A Florence native, Pellegrini was thrilled to join the quartet in his home country. “B

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06 September 2024

France - L-Acoustics, experiencing record-breaking growth, has announced a strategic restructuring and significant expansion of its Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) sales team. This move, led by recently appointed director of sales EMEA, Tim Völker, introduces a new 'head of sales' management position and key hires designed to meet the increasing sophistication and scale of projects in the region.

This restructuring reflects L-Acoustics' commitment to meeting evolving market needs. The company's increased investment in personnel over the past two years has been strategically directed towards enhancing client support, improving service quality, and providing closer account management. This client-centric approach has been well received across all market sectors, as evidenced by strong sales performance and growing market acceptance of L-Acoustics solut

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06 September 2024

UK - Following a “resounding success and sell-out event” in Bristol earlier this year, Stage Electrics has announced that their showcase is hitting the road. The first destination is Brighton, promising an opportunity for people interested in entertainment technology to connect, explore, and experience the newest products from leading brands.

On confirming the next Showcase location, Dave Coull, Group CEO, said: "We are excited to bring the Stage Electrics Showcase to Brighton. This is a chance to connect with our valued customers and demonstrate many of the market-leading products and services we provide.

“But the Showcase isn't just about the latest technology; it's about building relationships, sharing knowledge, and helping our clients find the right solutions for their performance spaces and venues. Showcasing the innovation and expertise

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06 September 2024

Denmark - Hotel Cecil, a well-known venue in Copenhagen, has recently completed an audio renovation project. This enhancement with a Midas HD96 –24-CC at the centre of the upgrade aims to better serve the diverse range of events hosted at the 350-capacity venue, which includes music shows across various genres including rock, pop, metal, jazz, and stand-up comedy.

On Fridays and Saturdays, the venue transitions into the nightclub Cecil AM, featuring curated lineups of local and international DJs. Managed by Bremen Teater, Hotel Cecil is known for its outstanding acoustics and art deco-inspired interior design, providing a unique atmosphere for its events.

The venue’s broad event schedule presented significant challenges in maintaining a consistent and functional front of house setup. The audio system needed to be versatile enough to accommodate t

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06 September 2024

Europe - Lawo, the Ravenna audio-over-IP technology developer, has welcomed Jünger Audio to the Ravenna community. A manufacturer of audio processing, conversion and authoring solutions, Jünger Audio creates channel-based audio and object-based next-generation audio formats for the broadcast industry. 

Jünger Audio has been partnering with the Ravenna team for a while to ensure compatibility for its audio-over-IP interface. Based on SMPTE ST2110, AES67 and other format standards, the next major release version will add the final components to fully comply with the Ravenna standard. 

“With Ravenna being one of the major players in the broadcast world, it was no question that we would join the family,” says Friedemann Kootz, co-CEO of Jünger Audio. “While we have been serving our Ravenna-based customers with AES67 effective