South Korea - TechDataPS Co installed a Harman Professional Solutions audio system to create a lively and engaging space for visitors to the Paju City Civic Centre.
Founded in 1994, the Centre is a public facility owned by the Paju City Facility Management Corporation, with five floors above ground and five basement floors. The public corporation utilises the centre to promote the arts, host sporting events and improve the quality of life for Paju residents.
But the venue’s existing audio system presented major challenges, including inconsistent electrical work and a lack of output from the speaker amplifier, prompting organizers to commission a complete system overhaul. Additionally, the centre is an old building that isn’t structurally equipped to handle modern audio systems without additional support.
After conducting a structural safety diagnosis, TechDataPS Co overcame these challenges by designing and installing a new audio system using flexible piping and JBL Professional, Crown and Soundcraft audio solutions.
The installation team utilised JBL VTX V20 professional loudspeakers and S25 compact high-output line array subwoofers to deliver full dynamics, wide coverage and clear sound throughout the venue. JBL SRX712 stage monitors provide equally clear and distortion-free sound for onstage performers.
Crown I-Tech 4x3500HD amplifiers with Omnidrive HD Processing and the LevelMAX Limiter Suite efficiently power the speakers, and the Soundcraft Vi2000 digital audio console and Vi Stagebox offer mixing power and input flexibility

UK - Located on the waterfront in the North Wales seaside resort of Rhyl, the 1031-seat Pavilion Theatre hosts touring theatre productions, comedy acts and music tours, alongside playing a key role at the heart of the community, staging local cultural events and school productions.
When the theatre’s technical manager Andy Hughes was tasked with replacing the existing PA with a modern, versatile system capable of handling everything from a comedy gig to a rock & roll show, one brand came immediately to mind. “I had heard a lot of systems in the theatre over the years from touring shows, including many big-named brands and Nexo always really stood out sound wise.”
Andy approached entertainment technology specialists A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET), where senior audio sales executive Steve Eaton turned to the Engineering Support Team at the Nexo Campus in France to design the system. With an extensive history in theatre sound, Nexo Engineering Support manager Bertrand Billon took on the task.
“Designing a ground-stacked system for a multi-level theatre is always a challenge,” says Bertrand. “It’s important to strike the right balance between long-throw and not overpowering the audience at the front. At the Pavilion Theatre, we took advantage of stacking Geo M10 on top of the MSUB18s, giving us the extra height required to avoid creating a hot spot in the front rows. The removable directivity flanges helped us to achieve this soft spot at the front, changing the horizontal directivity from 90° to 120° without requiring a com

Australia - Harman Professional Solutions recently partnered with Prestige Group and MadisonAV to outfit Cali Beach Club on the Gold Coast with weather-resistant audio solutions for “top-notch sound in outdoor conditions”.
Cali Beach Club is a $10m Ibiza-inspired beach club in the heart of Surfers Paradise. Surrounded by residential development, the venue showcases a new type of beach club with pools, open-air spaces, outdoor deck areas and cabanas overlooking the picturesque Gold Coast beach.
In order to deliver immersive audio experiences for its guests while minimising noise pollution for its neighbours, Cali Beach hired MadisonAV and the Prestige Group to design and install a complete Harman audio distribution system consisting of JBL Professional loudspeakers and Crown amplifiers.
“Cali Beach is the first of its kind,” said Matthew Keegan, partner, Artesian Hospitality. “It offers multiple restaurant options, a beach volleyball court, an outdoor cinema and more. The club has neighbours right next door, and there are no walls or roofs to assist in managing noise levels. We needed a sound system that would mitigate unwanted dispersion while maximizing the quality of the sound within the venue. We’ve been very happy with the JBL system. It’s been an extremely smooth experience working with both Prestige and MadisonAV. They faced a challenging task, and we’re very happy with the results.”
Prestige Group and MadisonAV designed an open-air audio setup that included 80 loudspeakers, including many in nearfield positions to mini

Italy - The new Harley Davidson Bergamo building extends 2,000sq.m, with showrooms, offices, rental spaces, and a customer service shop. The style of the new structure includes architectural elements that combine steel details with wooden elements, giving it an exceptionally bright atmosphere.
The new headquarters building also features a spacious relaxation area that is available to its customers. Shared spaces and the showroom feature new RCF audio systems, with over 20 high-power speakers installed in the ceiling. All speakers, part of the RCF Business Music Series, are two-way wooden cabinets with 10-inch woofers in white, perfectly discreet, and suitable for the style of the environment.
“A brand like Harley Davidson trusts RCF when it comes to power and acoustic detail,” comments Yuri Casi, RCF Installed Sound Italy sales manager. “With our range of options, we can now offer products suitable for all types of commercial environments. From music systems for background up to high-power concert sound systems, our new Business Music line always satisfies our clients.”

Germany - The vision of founder Ariel Schiff, the Amano Group of hotels, bars and restaurants relies on sound design as the basis to transport interior design, bar and culinary concepts. This recognition that sound plays a key role in curating a memorable customer experience in a hospitality setting is evidenced by the fact that the group has its own sound designer on staff.
When the group first approached experienced German AV technology specialists Raum+Schall to design and install a sound system in the soon-to-open restaurant of the prestigious Hotel Amano East Side in Berlin, CTO Markus Lienhart knew that he wanted to use the Nexo ID Series. “When I first saw and heard the Nexo ID24, I thought, wow, this is installation loudspeakers v2.0. In terms of design, performance and the versatility of its HF directivity, it gives us the tools we need to realise a whole new level of performance in a high-end hospitality setting.”
A shoot-out with other systems was arranged at the nearby Hotel Amano Grand Central, with the group’s owner and key management present. “As soon as we fired up the ID Series system, I got goose bumps” continues Lienhart. Requests quickly followed to install Nexo systems in three other Amano Group properties in the city.
“We started at the Hotel Amano East Side, using eight ID24s with a pair of IDS110 subs in both the restaurant and rooftop bar, with power and processing from Nexo DTD/DTDAMPs,” reports Lienhart. “The systems sounded fantastic throughout, with no dead edges. Critically, the systems are able to accom

China - DJ Wengweng, well-known electronic musician, the main founder of Acupuncture Records and the Lantern Club, has recently opened Solo, a new electronic music room in Bejing, with the help of Van Damme Cable.
Measured at only 18sq.m, the music space will be used to record live sets of or other artists, and make their musical talents and ideas better known through the internet.
The key aim is to establish increasingly strong relationships with domestic artists, labels and club operators, start discussions around the development of electronic music culture in China and create development opportunities together.
Despite its size, the sound, lighting, DJ and acoustic processing equipment are all professional standard. Installation was achieved with the help of Phoenix Audio, Van Damme’s Chinese distributor.
The audio configuration uses Funktion-One series: two R1 full-frequency main amplifiers and two F101 supplementary speakers. One BR218 double 18’’ bass. Van Damme Tour Grade Classic XKE starquad microphone cable, Black Series Tour Grade 8 pair multicore and Black Series Tour Grade 4 x 4.00mm multicore were also used in the Solo Club install.
Herpreet Kaur Singh, commercial director at VDC Trading, comments: “We’re delighted that we were able to support Phoenix Audio with this install. It’s a privilege to be involved with Solo, a space linked to such a high-profile artist and one of the important personalities in the development of Chinese electronic music culture.”
Chris Zhang, director of Phoenix Audio, adds:

UK - London venue Troxy has announced the appointment of Jools Butterfield as operations manager. With over 25 years of experience within the event industry and 20+ years in managerial roles, Jools will be providing insight and invaluable experience from the ground up.
Jools will be making the transition from his most recent role as senior festivals manager Vision Nine His responsibilities included event manager for the NASS festival, assistant event manager for Boardmasters festival and the overall creation of the strategy and approach of all Vision Nine events.
In previous roles, he spent 15 years as Lovebox founder and festival manager, latterly being part of Live Nation where he was instrumental in the ongoing success of Citadel and Wilderness Festivals.
Simon Eaton, head of live at Troxy, comments: “Having spent many years working alongside Jools at MAMA & Company I couldn't be more thrilled to welcome him into the Troxy fold. He is a wonderful asset to our venue family.”
Julian Butterfield adds: “I am absolutely delighted to be joining a venue with the rich cultural history of Troxy. Going back numerous decades to the early 20th century, Troxy is interwoven into the fabric of London, a connection I am thrilled to be maintaining and expanding on.”

South Africa - Rivers Church is one of the fastest-growing congregations in South Africa. Starting with a humble attendance of only 70 people in 1992, Ps Andre and Wilma Olivier have grown the church into a faith of thousands, with multiple campuses located in Sandton, Kyalami, Centurion, Durban North and Ballito. Self-described as a ‘dynamic church’, Rivers offers inspirational messages and community to all age groups, with their online streaming service further widening their reach, particularly amidst the pandemic.  
The church is dynamic in terms of adapting and integrating audio-visual technology to enrich their services, resource sharing between campuses and streaming online. “We started working with Stage Audio Works (SAW) in 2011 at the most basic level, but they are now our principal supplier and integrator for audio and video,” explains Andrew Illgner, head of audio at Rivers Church. “We’ve worked with a lot of suppliers over the years but SAW goes the extra mile as they bring knowledge and expertise that we don’t have. They have an extremely knowledgeable team; for example, it was Nathan [Ihlenfeldt, SAW technical director] who got us on the path of digital audio networking.”
For the most recent project, SAW specified and supplied two flagship Yamaha Rivage PM7s to replace four existing CL-series mixing consoles at Rivers’ main campus in Sandton.  
 Two Yamaha PM7s will now serve as the primary mixing consoles in the Sandton campus, covering the main auditorium, which hosts a maximum capacity of 3,000. One co

USA - The Christ Fellowship Churches in South Florida are enjoying new visions during services at five locations this year, following a major investment in Hippotizer media servers to playback pre-made content and drive LED pixel strips with swathes of colour.
Three of Christ Fellowship’s largest locations, in Palm Beach, Royal Palm Beach and Port St. Lucie are now enjoying the user-friendly, visual impact of Hippotizer Taiga, Karst and Boreal Media Servers respectively. They were specified by the church’s technical director, Neil Zimmerman.
“We were previously using a tired, software-based visuals solution but found that the graphics cards within our computers had major limitations and required constant updates,” says Zimmerman. “I was aware of the power and intuitive interface that Hippotizer offers, and as the church grew, I knew this was the best option. Other churches in the US are using them, and I’ve experienced Hippotizer first-hand.”
Zimmerman approached Tim Corder at Hippotizer dealer, Diversified, who suggested media server solutions from a number of brands. “Tim was phenomenally helpful, and we knew Hippotizer was the best fit for us,” Zimmerman continues. “Knowing that the dedicated Hippotizer hardware is designed to support our needs was a big plus. We’re working with some fairly large pixel spaces, so we needed hardware that could do the heavy lifting, and we also needed a solution that scaled across multiple locations and sizes. We love that we can leverage clean sustainable workflows for Sunday services, but wh

Italy - Loft01 in Prato is a former warehouse, newly converted into a lounge, restaurant and cocktail club in the heart of the Italian city of Prato. With a capacity of 90 (seated), it can be hired out for any type of event, from birthdays, weddings, art exhibitions and dance parties, customised to suit. In addition, clients benefit from a full technical infrastructure, including a Martin Audio Wavefront Precision Mini (WPM) PA, installed by dealers CLS Service.
This is used for special events like the opening night party, where more SPL was required. Well known DJ / producer Nicola Zucchi was at full tilt playing through WPM - stacked, four elements per side - above a pair of SX218 subs, run in two-box resolution from Martin Audio’s iKON amplifiers. In addition, an LE100 wedge monitor provided his reference sound.
In permanent installation at the venue is a Martin Audio Blackline X10 and S15 subwoofer set-up, which is used for all other occasions.
The technical infrastructure is also extremely flexible and reconfigurable, since by implementing the control app they can change the system parameters, and Loft01 can transform from a restaurant into a club. All signals runs on a Dante network so that the mixing console can be set anywhere to suit the event.
CLS Service founder Duccio Mitola was awarded the contract to meet this criteria by owner Jonny Gerges Saad. “I first met him when he was playing as a DJ at an event at the Castle Filattiera, playing through a [Martin Audio] ICT300 and WS18X sub. A few days later he joined the large family

Russia - On its inauguration in 2007, the Toratau Congress Hall became an instant architectural icon. Encompassing 14 multifunctional conference rooms, three VIP meeting rooms, a concert hall, a massive, 4000sq.m exhibition space, and three restaurants, each of the facilities matched the innovative design of the building itself. As time went by, Toratau Congress Hall attracted an increasingly international roster of events and artists, which in turn presented more demanding technical requirements. Venue management realised that the main auditorium would require a new high-end, multifunctional sound reinforcement system. A brief that was fulfilled by L-Acoustics K Series and X Series.
Situated in the city of Ufa, the capital and largest city of Russia's most populated Republic of Bashkortostan, Toratau Congress Hall was designed to cater for events ranging from regional civil conferences to touring artists and international summits: most notably the BRICS summit - a gathering of five major emerging economies, comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - and the 2015 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
The audio system in the principal concert hall was lacking in sound quality, capacity and flexibility, prompting the venue to enlist the help of Moscow-based experts, Theatre Techniques and Technologies and L-Acoustics certified provider distributor for Russia, Sonoruss. The two companies were jointly appointed to manage the installation of a new audio system, from modelling, specification and design through to installation of the equipment

Taiwan - A thriving hub for the arts in the capital city of Taipei, the Taiwan Traditional Theatre Centre is now the permanent home to the Guoguang Opera Company and the National Chinese Orchestra while also hosting a wide variety of other events on a rental basis.
With the recent installation of a Constellation acoustic system - the first in Taiwan - the centre has enhanced the audience experience across all musical genres while at the same time reducing operating expenses and often eliminating costly down time between performances.
The impetus behind the eventual installation of Constellation stems from the original concept behind the centre’s main 1,055-seat performance hall, as explained by technical director Huai-min Jen.
“When the centre was first proposed nearly 10 years ago, the resident opera company was transitioning to the use of wireless reinforcement for the singers,” he says. “The hall was designed with a relatively dry acoustic to accommodate amplification, which meant that a large and very cumbersome stage shell had to be erected to support orchestral performances. It required a crew of 10 or 15 to bring up from the basement as well as an entire day to set up and then take down, which cut into rental availability.”
Operating costs aside, the physical shell also introduced acoustical compromises. “The shell was not optimum for all performances,” Jen continues. “You can’t adjust it to provide the perfect environment for all performances. But now, with Constellation, we can instantly optimize for every performanc

Spain - On 17 January, the Art Nouveau jewel in Barcelona’s theatrical crown, the Palau de la Música Catalana, played host to the inaugural ESLAND awards gala. Billed as the ‘Grammys for streamers’ in the Spanish-speaking world, and hosted by streaming star of YouTube and Twitch TheGrefg, the three-hour gala, celebrating the best in content creation and streaming in 2021 throughout Spain and Latin America, was itself streamed live on its own Twitch channel.
Sound reinforcement for the event in the historic auditorium was provided by just four of Amate Audio’s latest Xcellence series X102FD self-powered point source systems and four accompanying X18T compact subs; with a couple of Nítid series N26 systems as front-fills.
An advanced performance compact two 10” design, the X102FD is capable of continuous output levels of up to136dB SPL - equivalent to four compact line array elements. Its onboard next generation Active+ digital power and control platform provides a 2-channel 3000 W continuous programme power source.
Active+ also provides Dante audio networking and full Ethernet remote control (with the company’s DSP Studio 3 software) via dual Ethernet ports; Wi-Fi remote control is enabled with the CWK-D Wireless Communication Kit.

USA - It’s been a difficult and challenging two years for concert and event spaces during the COVID pandemic, but what’s emerging at the other end of a long, gloomy tunnel is a new, more sonically shaped generation of venues. The Factory, which anchors a new entertainment and dining destination known as The District in the St. Louis suburb of Chesterfield, is an example of that dynamic.
The recently-opened 52,000sq.ft venue can hold between 2,350 and 3,400 concertgoers or event attendees in flexible dance floor and fixed-seating configurations that face a huge 60ft-wide stage. But what sets The Factory further apart is the scale of its L-Acoustics PA system, which provides complete coverage for every audience member no matter where they are seated or standing in the large performance hall.
“The Factory is built on the most valuable real estate in the region and there is no wasted or extra space anywhere in the building. So we had to create a sound system that no one could ever say no to,” observes Chip Self, president and CEO of Logic Systems Sound & Lighting, The St. Louis area-based systems design and integration firm that supplied the new L-Acoustics system.
It’s also a system from which no one can say they’ve missed a note or a word with one dozen K2 loudspeaker enclosures atop two Kara II down-fills comprising the left and right main array hangs. These are buttressed by two A Series enclosures per side as in-fill and out-fill, respectively; six eight-inch coaxials used for front-fills; and four A10i Wide speakers for delay.

UK - Thomas Heatherwick’s Materials House was commissioned by the Science Museum in London as an exhibit to show “everything that anything can be made of” for the Challenge of Materials gallery. The idea was that, instead of prioritising any one material to make the house from, and then exhibiting small samples of all the other materials within it, the studio chose to make the house itself from all of the materials.
The result - six-metre-high pieces of each material bonded together into a single element of many strata was built in situ on the first floor of the museum in 1999 and remained a centrepiece of the gallery until December 2021, when Unusual Rigging was called upon to help the museum remove the exhibit from its long-time home, and lower it to the ground floor, ready for transportation to be held in storage.
Robin Elias, director at Unusual Rigging explained: “Materials House is a fantastic artwork made of 213 materials, bonded together in over 2000 individually shaped pieces sourced from more than eighty suppliers and sponsors. Measuring 7m x 4m x 1.5m, it had been welded to substantial steel foundations beneath the floorboards at the museum. It was displayed at a jaunty angle and restrained by attachment to an overhead beam, but it had no useful fixing points and was of indeterminate weight but estimated to be between 4-8 tons.”
In order to be able to move Materials House in one piece, Unusual needed to remedy this - it was vital to know the exact weight of the exhibit and design and install a system to allow the team to move it

USA - The Music Centre at Strathmore, Washington DC, is a modern glass-and-steel multidisciplinary arts space. Well-appointed with excellent acoustics, it is like many other performance venues in American suburbs. But last month, this fairly typical space became, in the words of one critic, “a heavenly place to be”.
That happened when Sarah Brightman walked onto its stage as part of her A Christmas Symphony tour. The classical/crossover soprano brought her magic to Strathmore and 16 other venues across the US during the tour, mixing an array of music from Puccini to John Lennon into her two-hour (plus an intermission) show.
Supporting her was lighting and show design by Nathan Taylor. The timecoded lightshow was programmed by Plymouth, UK-based LD Jason Hyne using the suite at NEG Earth, and run during the US tour by Austin, Texas-based LD Ruby Leigh of Allume Live Productions.
Travelling with the team on the tour was the ChamSys MagicQ 250M Stadium. “Portability was critically important in light of the travel schedule,” said Hyne. “I visited ChamSys in the UK for a demo of the 250M in late July 21. Right away, I knew that this is the desk for me. I have used the Chamsys 250M desk over the autumn in the UK with the Kaiser Chiefs festival shows and Roger Taylor’s The Outsider tour, and it has been a revelation to me the power this compact desk can give whilst programming and operating shows.”
Hyne is quick to point out, however, that portability could not come at the expense of performance on the Brightman tour. In this respec

Japan - Located in the east end of the Tokyo metropolis, opened in 1992, Katsushika Symphony Hills cultural centre serves the ward with a range of cultural programmes. The centre consists of two halls. The main 1,318-seat Mozart Hall, which was named in honour of the ward’s friendship city agreement with the Floridsdorf district of Vienna. The hall boasts some of the best acoustics among Japan’s numerous concert halls. Its smaller companion, the 298-seat Iris Hall, takes its name from the symbolic flower of Katsushika ward.
Both spaces offer classical and pop music concerts by Japanese and international artists. Along with dance, theatrical and art performances, the centre also offers a diverse range of events for people of all ages since its opening in 1992.
As the centre’s 30th anniversary approached, and in response to audience feedback regarding the quality of the venue’s existing audio system, the management team decided to upgrade the sound systems in both performance halls, while simultaneously renovating the building’s architecture. Requiring a flexible and easy-to-use system that could reinforce sound for the various types of content in the halls, several providers were invited to demonstrate solutions for review by a team that included an acoustic consultant and a facility construction company. Following the comparative demo, the team chose an L-Acoustics Kara II system from Tokyo-based L-Acoustics certified provider Bestec Audio.
The system design in the Mozart Hall - which possesses a similar shoebox interior architecture as th

France - Anolis Ambiane pure white and RGBW LED lighting fixtures have been installed at the 420-seat Auditorium du Louvre, an oak-panelled performance and presentation space designed by world-famous architect IM Pei within the Musée du Louvre complex in Paris.
The multi-purpose venue is used for a diversity of events like chamber concerts, spoken word performances, lectures, film screenings and numerous others.
A team from Anolis France was led by architectural lighting specialist Bruno Francois who worked closely with Anolis HQ in the Czech Republic, the venue’s technical / stage manager Didier Degros and installers / systems integrators Satelec to find a solution.
The project involved the replacement of accent lighting above the seats with 26 x Ambiane HP111 PW (3000K) fixtures and custom hangers and upgrading of the previous PAR 56 wall lighting fixtures around the room, with 67 x Ambiane HP111 RGBWs with bespoke collars and brackets.
The wish to replace the original fixtures with more modern and energy efficient options had been ongoing for some time and the environment presented several challenges.
The Auditorium fixtures are extremely difficult to reach due to sections of the roof being completely inaccessible. It’s also a heritage listed building, so a complex set of rules must be followed for any work undertaken or any aspects that are changed.
This was also part of a wider lighting upgrade being applied – section-by-section – throughout the Louvre complex. As part of that, in 2020 Robe France supplied six T1 P

USA - Orchestra Hall, home to the Minnesota Orchestra, is a landmark both without and within. Its modernist architectural design and expansive glass façade are intended to symbolically present classical music as more widely accessible. Inside, it’s an acoustical dreamworld: 114 large cubes, forming a symmetrical “falling rock” pattern on the auditorium’s ceiling and the stage’s back wall, act, along with the three balconies above and along the sides of the main floor, as a massive diffusion system. The result is an aural experience for the 2,089 patrons seated inside.
That experience has been enhanced with the installation over last August and September of a suite of DiGiCo systems, creating a renewed audio infrastructure for the venue and its ensemble, who were named the Gramophone Classical Music Awards 2021 Orchestra of the Year. This includes a Quantum338 as the front-of-house console, an SD12 96 used as the console for mixing orchestral and other performances for Minnesota Public Radio’s broadcasts, and an SD11i as an auxiliary mixer able to be deployed as needed.
The consoles are supported by three SD-Racks found at stage left, stage right and broadcast, plus two SD-MiNi Racks, one of which is located in the concert hall’s attic where it’s used to mix the hanging audience microphones. Together the SD-Racks make 32-bit mic preamps available virtually anywhere in the venue. A DiGiCo 4REA4 processor is used to distribute audio throughout the entire facility to as many as four customizable event spaces such as the lobby.
Further,

USA - When it comes to the lights in his rig, Dominic Lopenzo doesn’t hesitate to say that he is completely partial to beam fixtures, or more specifically the beam function in Chauvet Professional’s Rogue RH1 Hybrid.
“Beams have become my favourite, because they add so much energy to a room,” he said. “I find myself going to them often.”
Partiality to beams might not be unusual in a concert/touring designer, but Lopenzo is speaking as technical director of Grace City Church, a 750-seat house of worship with a distinctly modern touch located in Lakeland, Florida..
“Many people have described our services as being like a concert, and to our worship team and me that’s a huge compliment,” said Lopenzo, who comes from a concert background and still works at the House of Blues in Orlando in addition to doing his lighting duties at the church. “We pull a lot of ideas from concert lighting and apply them to a worship environment to create something that we feel is unique and engaging.”
Positioned on the stage deck, next to the drum and keyboard risers, the Rogue RH1 Hybrids in the church’s rig (between two and six depending on the service or event) are used to accent key moments on stage and to engage worshippers by directing crisp tight beams across the room.
“I used the beams extensively because of their impact,” said Lopenzo. “Our stage is approximately 60ft wide, and the width of the room expands considerably as it goes out. The beams fill space beautifully. We only have one floor, so I am able to point a lot

Bulgaria - The new International Congress Centre Burgas (ICCB) on the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria has installed an Elation lighting system in its largest event space designed and delivered by Elation Professional’s Bulgarian distributor, ProAudio.
The city of Burgas is an industrial, transport, cultural and tourist centre, and a natural location for an international conference centre. ICCB with its variety of event spaces, transportation access and nearby first-class hotels, fulfills that role. The modernly equipped complex houses six different spaces including three main event halls used for conferences, exhibitions, concerts, television broadcasts, gala dinners and more.
Building designers ATM Architects chose distributor, ProAudio to develop audio, video and stage lighting solutions for the venue. In the centre’s largest space, the 500-capacity Chernomorie Hall, ProAudio designed a lighting system that was not only flexible to cover the great variety of events the centre hosts, but also one that projects a high quality of light, a standard reflective of the venue and especially helpful when broadcast cameras are involved.
ProAudio chose and delivered a package of Elation white light and color-changing luminaires, and also handled system integration. The system was created in collaboration with production company SEG, a leading company in the Bulgarian event technology industry who often use the congress centre when organising services for clients.
The Chernomorie Hall lighting system includes warm-white LED Fresnels from Elation’s K

USA - Located in Marietta, Georgia, North Metro Church is an inclusive house of worship where a dynamic array of music is a key part of its services. Ranging from quiet background ambience to full on praise rock, the installation of a sound reinforcement system that could reproduce music at all volumes with equal high quality was key.
AV specialist Austin Sound Design, based in Auburn, Georgia, has installed audio systems in many houses of worship and knew that an Alcons pro-ribbon solution was the best way to cover the large width, depth and height of the North Metro Church auditorium.
“I attended a demo hosted by Alcons’ David Rahn and Scott Hough a few years ago,” says Austin Sound founder Chris Austin. “I have always appreciated ribbon technology and was immediately drawn to the superior performance of the Alcons pro-ribbon systems. After years of listening to various premium systems, in both install and live music applications, I knew that Alcons was next generation technology and I wanted to be a part of it.”
The brief from North Metro Church was for a high dynamic range, low distortion system with good coverage, clarity and articulation. “The church was open to new ideas and brands. Once they experienced a demo of the Alcons 6.5” LR7 micro line-array system installed at the Greater Atlanta Christian Church in nearby Norcross, they were more than happy to invest in their own Alcons installation,” says Chris.
Chris and his team installed 18 dual 8” bi-amplified high-output LR18/90 compact line-array modules, four triple

UK - Theatreplan has welcomed five new members of staff, just prior to and during the pandemic, to assist the company in meeting the demands of current and future projects.
Andy Josephs joined Theatreplan at the end of 2019 from the Bridge Theatre where he had been head of sound, and part of the small technical team that created and opened the theatre in 2017. Prior to this Andy worked as a sound technician at London's Almeida Theatre, Young Vic Theatre, and the St James Theatre, London. Since joining Theatreplan, Andy has been engaged on designing and specifying sound systems for a large school theatre in China and is also an integral part of the team working on the major upgrading project at Sydney Opera House Concert Hall.
Peter Crockett joined Theatreplan as junior stage engineer in summer 2021. Peter graduated in 2019 with an MEng in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Bristol. He subsequently worked with the Cotswold Canals Trust and was involved in Project Velocity Research Lab at the University of Bristol, which is researching into optimisation of chain drives for the British Olympic Cycling Team.
Andrea Sinigaglia and Anthony Grieveson both joined in 2020 to further deepen the BIM expertise within the company. Both had significant experience working for commercial architecture practices, but also had an abiding interest in theatre design. Anthony graduated in Architecture from Liverpool University and his MA dissertation focused on auditorium acoustics. Andrea studied architecture at Universita’ di Firenze and a Master’s degre

South Africa - The Norwegian Settler’s Church (NSC) has a rich history; inheriting its namesake from the group of Norwegians who originally settled in Southern Natal in 1882. Since, the church has undergone various transformations, but remains the longest serving church in the region. Construction on a new auditorium kicked off in 2008, and has slowly progressed through to the current day, developing to accommodate the church’s growing congregation.
Recently, Stage Audio Works (SAW) were brought in to implement the finishing touches; handling the integration of the audio aspect of the church, which, in the words of Phillip Kloppers, media and technical director at NSC, really “makes the building work”. SAW used the expertise they’ve acquired across many House of Worship projects to deliver the entire solution over the course of two weeks. Significantly, this was a chance to showcase the capabilities of the company’s new Plus Audio offering, which delivers ‘professional grade audio performance at an affordable price point’.
However, the project was not without its challenges - the team was confronted with an extremely problematic acoustic environment. The main auditorium’s ceiling is 17m high, and the space is large enough to seat almost 1500 attendees and on top of this, there is a large hole in the centre of the room leading to an underground car park, resulting in further sound leakage. In Kloppers’ own words, “We were looking at a reverb time of around 7.5-8 seconds. It was appalling.”
On SAW’s recommendation, NSC brough