UK - Olympia London, the home of the PLASA Show, will undergo a £1billion transformation that will turn the exhibition centre into a 'world-leading cultural hub'.
The plans, which include two major venues and a host of arts, office and retail spaces, were approved by Hammersmith & Fulham Council on 31 January. The venue will remain open throughout the works, Olympia London has confirmed, with "no disruption to any trade show" held there. 
Peter Heath, PLASA managing director, comments: “We wholeheartedly welcome this news from Olympia and are excited to see how the classic venue evolves and expands over the next few years.
"We have seen PLASA Show rapidly grow each year since it moved to the west London venue in 2016. This announcement provides more opportunity for growth and secures the show's place in the international calendar for the long-term.”
The project, set to be carried out over the course of five years, will see upgrades to the existing spaces and the creation of a 1,500-seat theatre, a 1,000-seat performing arts venue, two hotels, a cinema, a 200,000sq.ft logistics centre and 670,000sq.ft of office space.
The scheme is financed by Olympia owners YOO Capital and Deutsche Finance International, with architects Heatherwick Studio and SPPARC leading the design and implementation.
PLASA Show returns to Olympia London from 15-17 September. For more information, please visit www.plasashow.com.

Australia - The Burdekin Theatre is the home for arts and entertainment in Burdekin, playing host to a diverse range of live performances including musicals, plays and rock concerts. The venue also hosts conferences and seminars, plus local events such as dance recitals, school award nights, and more.
The theatre features a 473-seat auditorium with proscenium arch and orchestra pit, supported by a professional technical staff. When it came time to upgrade its sound system, Clair Brothers topped the list after a competitive review of major loudspeaker brands.
David Luscombe, theatre technician, at Burdekin Theatre, explains: “As time went on, I knew our old system was reaching the end of its life expectancy. It just wasn’t keeping up with our ever-rising standards. I saw it as an opportunity to upgrade, so I took a listen to several top brands before I got the opportunity to experience an in-person demo with Wayne Grosser, the Clair Brothers’ audio and design consultant here in Australia. After hearing the system Wayne proposed, I was sold.”
The proposed configuration was an LCR system which would give the venue and its engineers total flexibility and headroom, while using Dante to drive the system from their Allen & Heath iLive console. Grosser says: “My design approach was to use the same speaker elements in all three main hangs horizontally arrayed, which fitted within the theatre’s proscenium.
“The new system’s top kiT12s on each hang are 60 x 40 degrees and the bottom kiT12s were 90 x 40 degrees. Each kiT12 is in bi-am

Russia - Since being founded 2012, the Moscow Musical Theatre has earned a considerable reputation for its original productions and unusual approaches to classic stories.
Just in time for the 2018/19 season, the Musical Theatre has made a new home for itself in the remodelled and refurbished Rossiya Theatre on Moscow's Pushkinskaya Square - one of the most frequented squares in the world. This new venue has an opportunity for the sound department to push the creative potential of the theatre to a new level by installing the first permanent theatrical installation of L-Acoustics’ L-ISA technology.
The theatre’s repertoire ranges from a rock opera production of Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment to a fusion of circus performance with operetta and musical genres in The Circus Princess, and a re-telling of Cinderella.
The new sound installation will enable the sound department to take advantage of object-based, multi-dimensional mixing, with realistic and distinct localisation of audio objects, driven natively from its DiGiCo SD10 console using Desk Link L-ISA integration.
Head of sound Maria Lenarskaya sees this new chapter as a natural evolution of the sound department's culture of innovation: "Our theatre is growing rapidly. New productions appear regularly, and every year we always try to do something new, to step forward somehow."
The challenge of specifying the PA system for the new venue was given to Stage Audio, a long-standing partner of the theatre. Along with the client's creative requirements, maximum a

Hungary - Madách Theatre (or Madách Színház), one of the most popular musical theatres in Budapest, has recently undergone a major audio upgrade with several Allen & Heath dLive digital mixing systems.
The 800-seat venue holds around 350 performances a year, in front of approximately 500,000 visitors and stages some of the biggest international musicals, including works by Andrew Lloyd Webber, and is currently premiering dLive’s capabilities in Lloyd Webber’s School of Rock production.
Supplied by Allen & Heath’s Hungarian distributors, Audmax, the installation features three dLive Surfaces, three MixRacks, eight Expanders and several ME Personal Monitoring systems, which allow for the independent mixing of vocals, orchestra and IEM / stage monitors.
“The requirements of this installation were quite complex. Madách needed a system that allowed for four independent mixing systems, which could also work together. This meant we needed something with a very high level of flexibility, a large number of channels and a common “language” for inter-connections. Allen & Heath’s dLive system has so many options which allow for a flexible and easy workflow, it was the perfect solution,” comments Krisztian Varga, system designer and managing director at Audmax.
FOH comprises two dLive S7000s; one controlling sound for the orchestra and the other handling vocals and additional musical performers. Tamás Ditzmann (leading sound engineer at Madách) adds: “dLive was chosen for many reasons. The ability to have a l

The Netherlands - Fifty years ago, ‘t Spant was established as the first theatre in Bussum, a town 30km from Amsterdam. The venue now hosts a wide range of theatre, live music and television productions, as well as conventions and other corporate events. One of the few unsubsidised theatres in the Netherlands, it is celebrating its golden anniversary with a new, completely updated Yamaha digital mixing system.
‘t Spant was built in 1969 as a home for local music, theatre and operetta associations. This was replaced by a new building in 1980, which was further refurbished and renamed simply Spant in the 2000s, before the venue was bought by its managing director Paul Haighton and financial director Bert Dijkstra.
Spant has two theatres, the 780-seat Podium 1 and 275-seat podium 2. It hosts around 100 theatre performances and 200 conferences and other events each year. These include many well-known Dutch productions and corporate events for local, national and international businesses.
Most productions use Spant’s own technical inventory. For many years, the sound in Podium 1 was mixed on a Yamaha M7CL digital mixing console and on an 01V96 in Podium 2. Both were always very reliable so, when upgrading the audio system was planned for the end of 2018, Spant technical manager Marcel Scheewe and head of sound Jan-Willem van Vorst had no hesitation in choosing Yamaha again.
Marcel, Jan and sound engineer Frans Grollé looked at a number of options, choosing a system of two Yamaha QL5s and a QL1, two Rio1608-D2 and one Rio3224-D2 I/O units an

USA - California rental company Rat Sound Systems has decided to purchase some Newton 16+8, Outline’s FPGA-based processing platform.
Jon Monson, project manager at Rat Sound Systems states: "Rat Sound has been searching for several years for a solution to drive our festival sound systems and Outline has met the challenge with an elegant solution. With the Newton we can combine consoles and drive outputs in a multitude of popular formats, and we appreciate all the various clocking options.
“Our system engineers instantly appreciated the intuitive, easy to use software control. Rat has immediately started deploying Newtons on a multitude of festivals, and we plan on utilising them on all our festival events in 2019 and beyond."
Top bands, performers and venues serviced by the company from Camarillo, including Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, R.E.M., Warped Tour, Weezer, Queens of the Stone Age, Jack Johnson, Coachella, Ben Harper, Bryan Adams, Jimmy Eat World, Paramount Studios, Macy’s and The Pomona Fox Theater.
(Jim Evans)

UK - Adlib’s installation division are part of a team which has helped to deliver Europe’s first installed L-Acoustics L-ISA Immersive Hyperreal Sound system at EartH (Evolutionary Arts Hackney), a vibrant new arts centre for live music, mixed arts, and performance located in the former Savoy cinema in Dalston, east London.
Adlib worked closely with client Auro Foxcroft and his team, with support from L-Acoustics’ sales manager, Paul McMullan and applications engineers, Jeff Woodford (installation) and Sergey Becker (touring) to specify and install the 360° L-ISA system with the aim of delivering an all-round audio experience for audiences and artists alike.
EartH is the brainchild of Auro, champion of Hackney nightlife and founder of Shoreditch venue Village Underground, a commercially successful, sustainable and community driven initiative that also provides affordable workspaces for artists and creatives.
Adlib director John Hughes comments: “When we first made contact with Auro, we were looking at a standard left-right configuration for both upstairs and downstairs spaces”. However, when Auro met Paul and Jeff from L-Acoustics on site, they highlighted how perfect the venue was for an L-ISA configuration.
Having an exceptional sound system was always central to Auro’s plan to reinvent the building as he understands the importance of sonic excellence and in making a performance something truly memorable rather than just a show, a gig or a night out!
“After a visit to hear L-ISA in action in Highgate, the EartH team w

Ireland - Early last year the INEC Killarney venue, the largest music and multi-purpose venue in Ireland outside Dublin, worked with AC Entertainment Technologies to fit a complete new lighting rig which featured a full fixtures range, cabling infrastructure and lighting control console.
Since Gavin James, the first artist to use the rig, many other big names have played at the INEC. Snow Patrol, Nathan Carter, Una Healy (the Saturdays), Jimmy Carr, Walking on Cars and Jake Carter have all subsequently performed at the INEC, with their production teams enjoying the benefits of a full existing rig at their disposal.
Mark Egan, director of corporate and leisure events at INEC says: “The lighting rig has been incredibly well received. The feedback we’ve had from LDs has been fantastic.”
The Prolights fixtures form the cornerstone of the rig, which uses a variety of moving lights including Pixie Wash and Diamond 19 RGBW LED wash lights, Luma 1500 LED profiles and Ruby discharge beam lights. These were supplemented with StudioCOB FC full-colour LED pars and Solar IP65-rated LED wash lights.
AC-ET supplied all lighting fixtures, complete with flight cases, clamps, safety bonds and replacement lamps, plus the lighting control console - an Avolites Arena - and DMX signal distributors. Power and DMX signal cabling was supplied by Tourflex Cabling, AC-ET’s in-house cable manufacturing service.
(Jim Evans)

UK - As one of the UK’s premiere performance venues, the National Theatre (NT) presents a wide-ranging programme. In 2018 a new permanent structure for corporate and other events was added to the roof space known as The Deck. A flexible audio system based on the Yamaha MRX7-D matrix processor has been installed, thanks partly to the unit’s success in providing show relay throughout the NT’s three theatres and other spaces.
Previously occupied by a pavilion-like tented structure, The Deck’s views across the River Thames to the City of London make it a popular rental space for corporate gatherings, product launches, parties and weddings. Last year, the NT redeveloped the space by installing a bespoke permanent structure with state of the art sound and lighting. The audio solution is based on the Yamaha MRX7-D, with control via an iPad running a custom-designed ProVisionaire Touch interface.
The NT has relied on Yamaha equipment for audio processing and routing for many years. Ten years after they were first installed, several DME series digital mixing engines are still reliably working at various locations, while MRX7-Ds on a Dante network play a key role in show relay and audio routing throughout the NT’s complex of three theatres, studios, foyer, bookshop, restaurants and bars.
“There is an MRX7-D in the central control room and one each in the Olivier, Lyttelton and Dorfman theatres, all installed to provide a flexible and reliable system for show relay,” says Dom Bilkey, the NT’s head of sound and video.
Controlled by both iP

France - Arena Pays d'Aix is a modern, multi-purpose venue which can house audiences of up to 8500. Designed to host a wide range of events, a Yamaha and Nexo audio system delivers quality, flexible audio throughout the arena complex.
Located close to the southern French city of Aix-en-Provence, the outside of Arena Pays d'Aix presents a futuristic vision, its clean, sweeping lines contrasting with the surrounding countryside of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It has quickly become a popular destination for sport and entertainment from throughout the region, including nearby Marseille, France’s third largest city.
Designed by architect Christophe Gulizzi, the vision of the future continues inside, where a modular format allows the 4000m2 interior space to offer 17 different configurations, depending on the type of event being hosted.
The main space (Grande Salle, unofficially nicknamed The Cauldron) is the home of the Pays d'Aix University handball club, which competes in Division 1 of the Ligue Nationale de Handball. Featuring an audience capacity of up to 7000, it can be configured to host a wide range of other events, including tennis, wrestling, indoor motocross, live concerts, ballet and much more.
Arena Pays d'Aix also features a secondary arena (Salle Annex) with room for up to 1500 spectators, as well as three exhibition / event spaces which can hold up to 450 people each, bars / concessions and a press room. The main concourse (La Coursive) can also be used to host events, with a capacity of 1,800 people.
The venue’s interior d

UK - Stage Electrics has announced it has won a £2m contract for the supply and installation of specialist production lighting and audio-visual infrastructure for Riverside Studios, Hammersmith.
The broadcast, arts and entertainment venue closed in 2014 for demolition and redevelopment and is scheduled to fully reopen its doors again in 2019. The new 90,000 sq. ft. Riverside Studios will comprise three studios, small, medium and large, as well as public and community spaces including a two-screen cinema, rehearsal space and a number of restaurants and bars.
The design of the medium studio is particularly flexible allowing for the easy alternation between theatre, music, events and television. During the consultancy phase of the project, Stage Electrics advised on the supporting infrastructure to allow it to function as a multipurpose space. The smaller studio is intended to be mainly used as a theatrical space, with broadcast facilities being integrated into the audio-visual facility panels.
The package also includes a high-quality PA system for the public areas of the building, rigging systems for the smaller studio & the Cinema.
Starting on site in early 2019, working for main contractor, Mount Anvil, Stage Electrics’ work will facilitate the installations of the broadcast systems integrator, ATG Danmon and TV lighting hoist integrator, DeSisti.
(Jim Evans)

The Netherlands - Blumano, engineering consultancy for design and safety in the entertainment Industry is expanding its operation with the announcement of Blumano Netherlands. This prime west European base will work in close collaboration with the existing offices of Blumano in the UK and in Italy.
Michiel van der Zijde is joining the ever-expanding organisation, who in addition to his extensive knowledge of stage machinery, brings a background in project management to the dynamic equation. He is an industry professional and has an impressive track record in production design and product development spanning over 20 years with experience working as a technical producer with industry leading brands.
“We share the same core values - a commitment to excellence, a passion for what we do and a dedication to making our industry a safe working environment. It’s the art of finding the optimum balance between creativity and pushing the envelope in safe and practical scenarios” commented Michiel.
The team worked with Michiel on several projects including the 2018 Beyoncé and Jay-Z On the Run II tour, which is where they noticed his erudite approach to project management and substantial knowledge of technical co-ordination, calm character, and the ability to source cost-efficient engineering solutions that do not compromise on safety.
Blumano is specialised in atypical technical frameworks - all of the areas that standard engineering companies might choose not to handle. This often includes dealing with performer flying, moving elements above aud

USA - Named after local businessman and philanthropist Jerry Scheidegger, the J. Scheidegger Centre for the Arts on the campus of St. Charles, Missouri’s Lindenwood University, is a $32m educational and performing arts complex.
The 138,000sq.ft facility’s main theatre, the 1,200-seat Lindenwood Theatre, can be a challenging acoustical space, with its high interior and ceiling weight load restrictions. The school’s ambitious theatre programme also adds its own specialised requirements. An L-Acoustics Kara sound system recently installed there by St Louis-based Logic Systems addresses both the acoustic and artistic requirements with ease.
According to Logic Systems president Chip Self, the Kara system was both the venue’s choice as well as his recommendation. “We have a long-time relationship with the school as their rental systems vendor, so we’ve been able to show them a number of different systems in the theatre over the years,” he explains. “When they heard the Kara, they knew that was the one they wanted to go with.”
The new system consists of a LCR front array, with nine Kara enclosures topped by three SB18 subs for the left and right hangs, and six Kara topped by a pair of SB18 in the centre, all powered by five LA8 amplified controllers. The PA, which is designed to be a 5.1 system, also has two pairs of self-powered, coaxial 112P speakers as left and right surrounds for the balcony and the main floor areas, while ultra-compact 5XT speakers are used as front fills and are powered by an LA4 amplified controller.
Brian B

USA - Covenant Presbyterian Church in Monroe, Louisiana had a welcome problem: its congregation had outgrown the 175-seat sanctuary that had served as its home for over 60 years years. The church is philosophically opposed to holding multiple services every weekend because that solution would sever many of the community connections that come with a single service attended by the entire congregation.
Overflow into the Fellowship Hall served as a stopgap measure, but it would not engender the right kinds of connections and togetherness in the long run. Thus, Covenant’s new 400-seat sanctuary solves its most pressing problem, but the new sanctuary’s generous reverb created another potential problem: intelligibility.
The AV integration division of Matt’s Music, also of Monroe, solved that potential problem by using Danley Sound Labs loudspeakers.
“Covenant wanted a cathedral-type space with a lot of ambience that would match the aesthetics of its older, smaller sanctuary,” explains Tony Cortellini, manager of the contracting division at Matt’s Music. “There was going to be a lot of stone, brick, and wood, which was going to look amazing. However, I was concerned that the space was going to be too reverberant. The church opted not to bring in an acoustical engineer and they declined my suggestions for acoustical treatments in favour of the visual aesthetic. In the end, we agreed to do the best we could without any adjustments to the acoustics, and we could revisit the issue if the best wasn’t good enough.”
Cortellini continues:

South Korea - Seoul Dragon City is Seoul features upscale accommodations, fine dining and world-class entertainment. The hotel complex wanted its luxurious facilities to benefit from a new lighting solution suitable for a wide range of upscale events.
To achieve this, Seoul Dragon City hired lighting specialists Hansam System, who deployed a comprehensive Martin lighting solution comprised of RUSH MH 5 Profile, RUSH MH 6 Wash, RUSH PAR 2 CT Zoom, RUSH PAR 2 RBGW Zoom, MAC Aura XB, MAC Quantum Profile, MAC Quantum Wash and MAC Axiom Hybrid fixtures.
“Seoul Dragon City wanted to build their facilities with cutting-edge LED fixtures to create more versatile and dynamic lighting effects,” says Sun-Gyun Kim, sales manager at Hansam System. “The biggest challenge was protecting the Mac Axiom Hybrid and Quantum Wash fixtures on the Sky Beach’s rooftop lounge from external weather conditions - we had to install a specialised dome housing for their performance outside.”
Hansam System outfitted both ballrooms at the Seoul Dragon City with RUSH PAR 2 CT Zoom and RUSH PAR 2 RBGW Zoom fixtures capable of creating bright, colorful lighting displays with minimal heat output. New MAC Aura XB fixtures were installed for their superior colour mixing and tight, powerful beams. MAC Quantum Profile fixtures provide fast, smooth CMY color mixing, crisp gobo projection and unique beam animations for creating immersive lighting effects.
Hansam System equipped the top-floor Sky Kingdom facilities with MAC Aura XB and MAC Quantum Profile fixtures, as well as

Japan - Japan’s Imperial Theatre, located in central Tokyo along with a host of important facilities such as the Imperial Palace and the Congress, was built in 1911 and gained popularity as the first European style theatre in Japan. During the summer, as part of a refurbishment project, the theatre’s audio system was upgraded and now includes DiGiCo SD7T and SD10T consoles.
The theatre sees famous Japanese actors and actresses performing in original shows, West End productions such as Les Miserables and Miss Saigon and Broadway musicals. Known locally as ‘Teigeki’, the theatre is now owned by Toho Co., a Japanese film, theatre, production and distribution company.
Last July, Teigeki finished its refurbishment, which included the installation of the DiGiCo SD10T, SD-Rack, SD-MINI Rack and SD-Nano Rack with new 32Bit ADC/ DAC cards, which were supplied by DiGiCo’s Japanese distributor Hibino Intersound Corporation and added to the existing SD7T and SD8 system.
Akiyama, an engineer from flicpro co., ltd. to which Teigeki entrusts its audio operation, comments: “DiGiCo consoles and the theatre version software are essential for our work in musical theatre.
“In musicals, it is common for more than two actors to play the same role. Before we had the DiGiCo theatre specific software, we used to look at the cast lists to check which role was performed by whom, and then recall a library to set up EQ and so on and so on. Now, we don’t have to go through this process because the Players function allows us to set up EQ, co

UK - White Light recently supplied a range of ETC ColourSource Spots to the Capitol Theatre as part of the venue’s ongoing lighting upgrade.
The Capitol Theatre is a multi-purpose arts venue in Horsham, West Sussex. Originally built in 1923, its art deco style auditorium features more than 410 seats on two raised levels.
The day-to-day running of the venue is overseen by operations manager Matthew Effemey, who is also the production manager for the venue’s in-house productions. He comments: “Part of my role at The Capitol is to ensure the equipment we have is industry-standard, offering shows as many options as possible. This was the biggest criteria when we were looking to upgrade the lighting equipment in our main theatre space.”
Matthew approached WL regarding the upgrade and worked closely with WL’s Antony Vine who visited The Capitol to demonstrate a range of fixtures he felt were most suitable. Matthew explains: “For the purchase to be beneficial, I knew what we needed had to achieve a full stage wash, which was around 14 units. As the theatre is run by the council, we also have to be aware of budgets and ensure we spend sensibly whilst also obtaining equipment that fulfils its artistic purpose.”
Having been shown a variety of products, Matthew decided to invest in the ETC ColourSource Profiles. He comments: “Alongside the Profiles being great value for money, they are also an extremely versatile unit. The colour range is a huge benefit for the variety of big, bright shows we host at the Capitol, including our annual pan

UK - The Northern School of Art is one step closer to realising its vision of establishing a major film and TV production facility in the North East.
A planning application has been submitted for The Northern Studios - a Hartlepool-based, 30,000sq.ft film and TV studio and production facility designed in partnership with Logic Architecture.
The new development would provide the North East with its first dedicated production facility capable of housing large-scale film and TV production. It will support specialist technical and skills training for undergraduates on a range of creative degree programmes available at The Northern School of Art, but will also be available for commercial studio use, allowing business users to take advantage of the specialised technical equipment for stage, screen and events production.
Pat Chapman, vice-principal (employability and external relations) at The Northern School of Art, comments: “As the specialist provider of education and training for the creative industries in the region, we are delighted to have taken this important next step in bringing about a new chapter of ambition and regeneration for the North East. The Northern School of Art has a clear role in championing the growing creative sector in the region and taking positive steps to help it grow in value and employment.
“The Northern School of Art is a long-established provider of degree programmes in the screen and stage industries, if approved, the development of the new studios will provide much-needed commercial studio space to accommodate

USA - For the past 15 years, the Infinite Energy Arena has served the greater Atlanta, Georgia area as a state-of-the-art venue for concerts, graduations, and sporting events of all types, from basketball to ice hockey to professional lacrosse. Depending on the nature of the event, the arena holds between 11,000 and 13,000 people.
After its original sound reinforcement system fell out of date and beyond repair, the Infinite Energy Arena management chose AV integration firm Logic Systems Sound & Lighting, of St. Louis, Missouri, to install a cost-effective Danley Sound Labs system. The Danley system reuses existing wiring & rigging and far exceeds the design criteria for fidelity and sound pressure level, all while simultaneously slashing the system’s energy budget in half.
“The old system relied on obsolete technology and discontinued products,” explains Chip Self, president of Logic Systems Sound & Lighting. “Components were failing and there was no way to repair them. The arena needed a new sound reinforcement system. Instead of hiring someone to design and spec a system for bid, the management team took a different approach. They specified the performance criteria - such as maximum SPL, maximum SPL variation from seat to seat, frequency response, and intelligibility - and then allowed the integrators to bid on design/installs that would meet those criteria.
“In an arena, a lot of the money goes to rigging and pulling speaker cable - stuff that no one cares about. But those are also the components that don’t go bad . . . in

USA - Tirso Lighting has installed an all-LED Elation lighting package for another Wahi Group club opening in northern Manhattan, this time Bar 151, an upscale lounge and performance space in the neighbourhood of Inwood, a quieter and more affordable enclave of New York City that has become increasingly popular of late.
Tirso Lighting has been around since 2009 and has been using Elation lighting since its inception. Nevertheless, Bar 151 was the design and integration company’s first all LED lighting project. “I was really looking forward to doing an all LED project and this was a good chance to realize that,” says Tirso Lighting owner Tirso Pelaez, who served as lighting designer on the project and suggested the green approach to the client. “Elation’s choice of products allowed us to put together an all LED lighting package for Bar 151 that can stand on its own.”
Bar 151 is an intimate venue with a capacity of about 300. Because it is tucked in a narrow space, Pelaez says it was important to keep patrons moving away from the entrance once they enter the club. His design therefore sought to draw people to the back of the club where the stage is, which doubles as a VIP area.
“We wanted to attract guests to the back, near the stage, and then fill the club in backwards from there,” the designer said. “We covered the stage and the area in front of the stage, which is the dance floor, with lighting to entice people to move deeper into the club and avoid congestion near the door.” As the ceiling height in the back of the club is high

Nigeria - Based in Port Harcourt, Chicoco Studios is housed in The Shed, a community space built by the young residents of the city’s waterfront slums. The studio was designed and installed by the Collaborative Media Advocacy Platform (CMAP) in conjunction with the musicians from Chicoco Collective and is home to both recording and radio broadcast spaces.
Directed by ex-BBC engineer Ana Bonaldo, with technical mentoring and support from another ex-BBC engineer Colin Neal, Chicoco Radio is powered by a pair of Allen & Heath XB-14-2 compact broadcast mixers chosen, according to Neal for their “incomparable value and versatility. We found no other desk at this price point which features broadcast functions such as TELCO channels with clean feed, talkback and remote starts for playout channels.”
While Chicoco Radio was devised to give the residents of Port Harcourt’s waterfront their own voice, the studio and live performance area of The Shed offer a creative outlet for local singers, DJs and musicians. Both feature Allen & Heath digital mixing set-ups, with a Qu-16 model at the heart of the recording set-up and Qu-24 mixer and AR2412 AudioRack for live use.
“The Qu-16 was the first Allen & Heath desk we installed,” says Neal, “and I found it to be really well thought out and I liked the amount of facilities that it offered - the on-board effects, gates and compressors and so on. To get all these things in something so small and portable is impressive.
“The guys using the Chicoco music studio were soon quite at home

France - La Seine Musicale is a venue in Paris that resides on a small island in the middle of the Seine. From its inception, there was a desire to have studio recording and rehearsing space facilities integrated as a permanent part of the building that hosts concerts, musicals, ballets, comedy and corporate events.
It quickly became clear that the best way to ensure easy connectivity from every potential recording space to the control room would be to install a building-wide network of Ethernet cables and connection ports. It was simply the ideal way to route high counts of audio channels between locations. An IP Audio solution was a must - and following careful considerations, the team decided to go for Audinate’s Dante protocol.
Arnaud Kalmes, the head engineer at the Riffx Studios in the La Seine Musicale building comments: “The implementation of a Dante Network was decided upon as soon as the building was conceptualized in full. All studios, rooms and concert halls needed to be linked through Ethernet.
“The Dante protocol simply seemed to be the ideal solution, as it would allow us to record in any room or concert hall in the building via a single Ethernet cable. If we had chosen a fully analog configuration, it would not only have been much harder, but also more expensive to be able to offer the same possibilities for our clients.”
To support this completely networked infrastructure, two rolling racks were put together, each holding a DAD AX32 and XLR connector panels, virtually making each rack a portable stagebox with high-qua

USA - Located in Melborne, Florida, Church at Viera holds four modern worship services in two different venues each week using Allen & Heath dLive, GLD and SQ Series mixers for FOH and streaming broadcast and a ME-1 Personal Mixing System for monitoring.
Production director Eli Higginbotham, alongside technical director Brock West, leads Church at Viera’s production team. “We had an older digital mixer with reliability issues,” says Brock. “So, when I came on board, I looked for a replacement. We considered several brands but there wasn’t another console in the same class and price range as the dLive.”
The church has standardised on Allen & Heath digital mixers for FOH, broadcast and their Youth Centre. “The architecture is very similar so it’s easy to train a volunteer to mix in one space and then move them to another,” says Eli.
Church at Viera’s dLive includes an S7000 Surface and DM64 MixRack both located at FOH. Two DX168 Expanders accept sources on stage. Wireless mic receivers, audio from video and Ableton Live tracks connect to the DM64 at FOH. An SQ-6 Digital Mixer serves the church’s Youth Centre supplemented by an AR2412 AudioRack. A GLD-112 Digital Mixer mixes streaming broadcast for the church’s website. Dante cards in each mixer implement audio networking throughout the church’s systems.
Twelve ME-1 Personal Mixers with a ME-U Hub are what Brock and Eli describe as “a killer rig” monitoring system. Six ME-1s, located backstage, feed wireless IEM’s for vocalists who can adjust their mix du

UK - River Audio has installed a new Martin Audio WPM line array in the main hall at Plymouth University.
The university wanted to replace its small vocal PA in this location with an upgraded system that would be suitable not only for speech but also music and drama performance. When a delegation of the University’s AV technicians attended a live sound training course with the local Base Sound, to improve their mixing capabilities, they were introduced to Martin Audio’s signature sound, and were immediately impressed.
After reviewing various systems they opted for the WPM line array and chose Base Sound sister company, River Audio, to supply and install six of the WPM tops, flown each side of the proscenium, with and a pair of WX218 subs on the ground, all running from a pair of Martin Audio iKon 8-channel amps.
As the two clusters are trimmed around 6m from the ground, they have also installed five Martin Audio CDD6’s, running in mono, on the front of the stage, to deliver infill clarity for those sat underneath the main clusters.
According to River Audio’s owner, Howard Williams, it had been an easy decision to recommend Martin Audio. “I have used their equipment since 1995 both for live events and on installs and have always liked their
broad range of live and installation products. I also use Martin Audio to teach live sound engineering on, and it has now become my speaker of choice for installations. “
The university is delighted with the sound quality and coverage of the system and is enjoying using if for both pres