Pharos - Leaderboard - May 2024

Sound

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USA - Justin Timberlake has again selected Montreal's Solotech as the audio provider for his "20/20 Experience" world tour. To ensure the tour's success, the sound company has in turn designated Shure as its primary wireless supplier. The 2014 tour, which began in January, is currently in its second leg with dates across North America.

Solotech RF technician Éric Marchand is currently on the road with the band. "I've been working as a touring wireless specialist for the last six years," he says. "A major tour uses so many frequencies these days, and production designs have become so demanding, you don't want to leave anything to chance."

The tour employs 10 channels of Shure Axient wireless for backing vocals and the horn section, plus four dual-channel Shure UHF-R bodypack systems on all guitars and bass. With the exception of Justin's voc

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USA - The first ever Audient ASP4816 in the South Pacific has been installed at The Analogue Café, a self-professed 'old fashioned recording studio' which prides itself on being a bit different. As the southernmost recording studio in the USA, boasting an enviable view over the Pacific Ocean from its lofty position some 1500m up the largest active volcano in the world, Mauna Loa, it's certainly that.

How did they decide on the British-made ASP4816 mixing desk? Studio owner Eric Malamud was keen to ensure that The Analogue Café lives up to its name, and his research into analogue gear led him straight to Audient. Discovering that console designer David Dearden is Audient's co-founder piqued his interest. "I already own a vintage Midas XL200, so I'm a Dearden fan by default," confesses Malamud.

General manager and in-house technician Robert Unger is happy

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India - E & E Systems (India) Pvt Ltd has designed and installed a Community loudspeaker system for the Puma Social Club in Indiranagar, Bangalore, operated by the world leading sports brand of the same name. India's third most populous city, Bangalore is the capital city of the Indian state of Karnataka, located on the Deccan Plateau in the southeastern part of Karnata

The Puma Social Club, located above the Puma store on Indiranagar's busiest street, provides the community with a unique venue incorporating restaurants, bars and artistic space for the country's most prolific DJs and artists. With indoor and outdoor spaces, the multi-storey club's open areas take full advantage of the region's climate to create an atmospheric night environment.

For the main dance and bar areas, E & E Systems chose a combination of Community VERIS 1596, two-way 15-inch and VERIS 8, two-way 8-in

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Royalties Record - Musicians in the UK earned £665.7m in royalties last year, according to PRS for Music. The organisation, which pays musicians when their songs are played on radio, or in concert, said revenues had increased 3.7% in the last year.

A rise in international demand for UK television shows and streaming services helped 2013's increase in revenue across Europe, North America and Australia. Online revenues reached £61.2m in 2013, an increase of 18.3%, which was helped by new and renewed deals with the likes of Deezer and YouTube.

The Last Time - The final Monty Python reunion show at the O2 Arena in London on 20 July will be "the last time we'll be working together", Michael Palin has said. The comedy troupe will not go on tour and will go their separate ways after 10 London performances, he said. Palin told the BBC, "20 July will b

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Belgium - Paul Van Hees, former director and founder of Apex Audio NV, has joined forces with Hendrik-Jan Gielis, an electronics engineer who was formerly in charge hardware at Apex, to create GiVa Audiovisual Technologies BVBA. The new company has purchased all the assets and IP rights of the Apex brand as well as the production facilities and all the stock, and has already started shipping.

"We created GiVa with the sole intention of continuing the Apex brand," declared Van Hees. "Whilst the collapse of Apex as a distribution/integration company was a devastating time for us all, it was no reflection on the Apex product line itself, and I really wanted to find a way to save the brand."

Apex has a 20-year history of manufacturing high quality signal processing and system control devices with the most recent being the Intelli-Series range of digital system

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USA - At NAB 2014 in Las Vegas, audio specialist Sennheiser has announced its support for the Dante multi-channel audio networking standard.

"By joining this standard, we will be able to optimally cater to our customers in the broadcasting and live sound worlds," explained Claus Menke, head of portfolio management pro for Sennheiser's Professional Division. The first product to make use of the network technology will be the company's Digital 9000 wireless microphone system. A Dante-enabled expansion card for the receiver will be launched in summer 2014.

Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG signed the Dante License Agreement with Audinate Pty Ltd at the end of March, just ahead of NAB. In 2013, Sennheiser had signed the RAVENNA Partnership Agreement with ALC NetworX GmbH, following in the footsteps of its subsidiary Georg Neumann GmbH. Sennheiser has also been a member

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UK - The POLARaudio team alongside manufacturers XTA & MC2 recently staged a very successful and well-received event at John Henry's in London, where the latest gear from Mackie, beyerdynamic, Ampeg, Gallien-Krueger, Aviom, ASL Intercom and MC2 / XTA took centre stage.

A combination of live demonstrations and product training sessions presented those in attendance with the perfect opportunity to experience the full potential of new audio technology from across the range of POLARaudio's industry-leading brands. Using the facilities of a rehearsal studio environment, the sessions focussed on a hands-on, detailed exploration of the products, for the benefit of POLARaudio's MI and hire and rental customers.

Education and training is seen by POLARaudio as an important element in driving sales. A thorough understanding of the products on offer is key to the success of sales teams in

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USA - Professional Wireless Systems (PWS), a Masque Sound Company and experts in supplying and supporting wireless systems for live and broadcast events, has announced that Evan Hall has been hired as project manager. Hall will oversee and coordinate frequencies for a variety of PWS events that require the expert frequency coordination and management needed in today's congested RF landscape. He will be an integral part of the development of future plans focusing on all PWS' business divisions.

"Evan's wealth of industry knowledge and experience in managing audio and wireless for large events will be a great asset to PWS," says PWS general manager Jim Van Winkle. "Evan will be called upon to make a positive impact on our business, as well as help grow and maintain PWS' standing as an industry leader. We are pleased to welcome him to the team."

Hall brings mo

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UK - Orbital Sound will be showcasing its world-class portfolio of sound and communication systems on Stand No: RD14-15 at PLASA Focus, taking place at The Royal Armouries in Leeds, from 29-30 April. Among the "firsts" on show for 2014 will be Flare Audio's new SM15 Stage Monitor and X5 Vertical Point Source Array system, part of the company's innovative range of loudspeaker designs based on Waveform Integrity.

As a long-standing d&b audiotechnik UK Sales and Installation Partner, Orbital is spotlighting the new high-power high-density D80 amplifier, designed for both mobile and installation applications. Also on show will be other examples from the innovative Black & White product series, which include the T-Series small line array, the B4 Passive cardioid subwoofer, and a wide cross-section of solutions for professional touring and fixed installations.

Other innova

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Japan - New Year time is always busy in Japan, since adopting the Julian calendar every city sees bustling streets and busy shoppers; it makes for quite some noise. Yet this year Japan just got a little bit louder.

"Here at MSI we have had a strong investment in d&b audiotechnik loudspeaker systems for some time," said Shuzo Fujii, CEO of MSI Japan. "We had been eagerly awaiting the new D80 amplifier having attended initial trials at the d&b headquarters in Germany. So we ordered the first twenty amplifiers to arrive in Japan and set them immediately to work."

MSI put the D80s onto a very specific live show environment. "It was theTokyo Dome," as their chief systems technician Yuki Natori explained. "The D80 is designed to drive all the different d&b loudspeaker Series. An unbelievably efficient amplifier, the level of improvements it brings

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UK - Liverpool-based Adlib's Sales division has been appointed a UK distributor for Coda Audio's ViRAY and TiRAY product ranges.

The audio rental specialist and technical solutions provider has backed and invested heavily in the German owned Coda brand since its launch, and was an early adopter of Coda's large and medium format line arrays for its rental stock.

Adlib was also instrumental in shaping the ViRAY series, brought to the market in late 2012. Their team worked closely alongside Coda's R&D and technical departments during the Beta testing program for the product, adding knowledge and expertise.

This helped ensure that the product was road-ready for the touring, practical to rig and transport as well as a highly versatile system that sounds fantastic in multiple applications.

Becoming a distribution partner is the next logical step in cementing an already highly pr

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UK - Shure wireless microphone and in-ear monitoring systems featured heavily at the Wembley Stadium-based Rugby Union showdown between Saracens and Harlequins on 22 March. The Saracens decisively beating the Harlequins 39 to 17 was the perfect end to a full afternoon of entertainment that included four tribute acts (to Elvis, Elton John, Whitney Houston and Oasis respectively) and performances from the 1600-strong Rock Choir.

Richard Nowell Sound Services (RNSS), together with renowned live sound consultant Roger Lindsay, was responsible for the live sound before and during the match. Lindsay was the audio consultant for the Saracens when they commissioned a high-performance music system for the East Stand at their new ground at Allianz Park, London, a few years ago, and brought in RNSS at that time to carry out the installation. Consequently, when the Saracens wanted to improv

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Switzerland - The town of Montreux in the Swiss Riviera has been welcoming visitors from around the world for over a century and its reputation for staging international cultural events is unsurpassed. The famous Montreux Jazz Festival and the Septembre Musical, staged at the equally well known Montreux Music and Convention Centre (M2C2) draw music lovers in their thousands each year.

The prestigious Stravinski Auditorium underwent a complete refurbishment in 2011, followed in 2013 by an overhaul of the venue's wiring, including a new, state of the art intercom system and Green-Go, from ELC Lighting was the provider of choice.

Technical infrastructure and event manager, M2C2, Pierre-Yves Nussbaum said, "As part of the initial upgrade of the Auditorium Stravinski in 2011, we set up a universal wiring system based on RJ45 connectors and fibre optics. So when, in 2013, the w

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Canada - The multiplatinum-selling pop-rock band Hedley is in the midst of their cross-continent Wild Live tour of Canada supported by a Meyer Sound Leo linear large-scale sound reinforcement system. Supplied by Richmond, BC-based KiAN Concert Sound Services, the flexible LEO system adapts to venues of all shapes and sizes, from theatres up to arenas in Montreal and Toronto.

"Leo has been dynamite for every show," says Russ Giroux, FOH engineer and tour manager for Hedley. "I can get a clean, tight pop mix out of Leo in difficult arenas. Even when the roof level is different from one side to the other, or with very steep 200 levels, I still get solid, uniform coverage. It's a super-versatile system that helps a lot in unconventional rooms."

The typical configuration for the smaller venues is 12 Leo-M line array loudspeakers per side, which is increas

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UK - Allen & Heath has announced the appointment of Christian Luecke as its new sales and marketing director. Christian has 15 years' experience in the consumer electronics market where he managed European B2C business for Sony and Samsung.

Joining the board of directors, which already comprises managing director, Glenn Rogers, finance director, Dave Jones, operations director, Tony Williams, and R&D director, Rob Clark, Christian will oversee Allen & Heath's global sales and marketing operations.

"I am excited to be joining the pro audio industry, and specifically the Allen & Heath team. My initial impressions of the company are that it is very passionate about audio design and innovation, two areas which are paramount in its product development process. With so many great products already on the market and many more in the pipeline, I am arriving at a very exciting time

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Australia - Lighting and staging tradeshow, Entech Connect has secured two audio themed presentations from stand-out, industry speakers for the event taking place 23-24 July at the Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton Melbourne.

Recent press reports called it a 'triumph' and claimed that the redeveloped Adelaide Oval will 'define the city'. The venue hosted what was reported as arguably the biggest sporting event held in the city recently, the historic local AFL derby between Port Adelaide and the Adelaide Crows. It was a win for Port Adelaide and a win for the revamped venue.

Attend this case study and learn all about the installation of a stadium system, capable of supporting the needs of the cricket and AFL codes that are the primary users of the new look Adelaide Oval - while being sympathetic to the heritage elements of this iconic facility.

The session, titled Deliver

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USA - Atlanta musician Ian Schumacher professes to be a performer by trade, but it's clear that he has a bit of organiser/promoter in his DNA as well. Nothing else explains how he pulled together a cool weekly venue, a state-of-the-art Line 6 StageScape M20d digital mixer, multiple sponsorships including Guitar Centre Atlanta, and Atlanta's diverse music community, to create the Tin Roof Acoustic Showdown competition.

"Atlanta has a huge music scene, but it's spread out in different neighborhoods and we all gig on the same nights, so no one ever gets to experience what's happening in other parts of the community," explains Schumacher. "I wanted to create something that would draw musicians together from all over town."

The result was the Tin Roof Acoustic Showdown, a weekly competition held at the Tin Roof Cantina - a longtime hangout for local musicians. E

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Germany - Yamaha's CL1 digital console has proved itself a winner in regional and municipal venues, where space is at a premium, but the flexibility and facilities of the CL system means venues can exceed audience expectations. A prime example of such an installation is in the German town of Vöhringen.

The Bavarian town's biggest global claim to fame is probably as the birthplace of Charles Fey, inventor of the one-armed bandit. However the Wolfgang-Eychmüller-Haus, its modern cultural centre and venue for many events, undoubtedly attracts a lot of attention from across southern Germany.

Opened in 1993, the building replaced the deteriorating auditorium of the town's Eagles Hall, sympathetically married to the restored former venue's listed main building. The result is a state-of-the-art venue which bridges the modern and historic and is the social and cultural centre of the

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UK - 12 gigs in 19 days is hectic by any measure; arena productions and their schedules don't just fall together. Yet front of house engineer Mark Kennedy was his usual self, completely at ease, following the opening shows of Tinie Tempah's latest tour. "We just played two nights at Wolverhampton Civic and it was great. Most of the venues we play are ten thousand plus capacity, but these first two, Wolverhampton and Manchester Apollo are smaller so we are playing two nights in each.

"Britrow have given me L-Acoustics K1 for the arenas but I must admit I was surprised when they turned up with K2 for these first two; I thought I'd be getting V-dosc, that's what I'd spec'd."

"We were always going to provide the smaller K2 for side hangs at the larger venues," explained Britannia Row Productions' client liaison, Lez Dwight. "Putting them on the truck

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Germany - The Pulsar speaker series, remarkably popular since its late 2013 release, has been extended with a compact variant called PL 110 FA. It is loaded with a 10" woofer.

Like its larger siblings, the PL 112 FA and PL 115 FA, this enclosures also houses a 1,000-watt, bi-amped power system that delivers 650 watts to the woofer and 350 watts to the tweeter. An intelligent multi-band limiter tames spiking bass signals to ensure the audio image remains stable even at high volumes. This unit also features four combinable filter settings that voice the speaker array's frequency response to suit the given application.

Deployed as a stand-alone solution, the PL 110 FA is an designed for all live situations where the natural sound of the human voice and acoustic instruments are to be rendered in high-definition audio. Various 2.1, half-stack and full-stack systems may be conf

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UK - The first ever Brighton Music Conference hosts some of the world's most exciting electronic artists as well as over 150 luminary industry speakers, and is slated as being the 'UK's answer to the Miami Winter Music Conference'.

Sennheiser UK is both a sponsor and exhibitor and will be showcasing its new range of DJ headphones and HD 25 headphones as well as a variety of its wireless microphones, plus Neumann monitor loudspeakers, Rane's acclaimed DJ interfaces and mixers, plus the new LimitEar HDM Pro - a Sennheiser Solutions product which integrates HDM Pro technology into HD 25 headphones, delivering the most audible, safe hearing experience possible.

Designed for the most demanding users and punishing pro environments, the new HD8 DJ, HD7 DJ and the HD6 MIX DJ headphones have been developed in conjunction with some of the world's top DJs.

Another highlighted will be t

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UK - Shure Distribution UK (SDUK) has announced the promotion of Kirsty Lamport to UK head of marketing. Kirsty joined Shure Distribution in 2007 as marketing communications manager, the function of which she retained when taking on her next title of marketing manager - systems & broadcast. This position saw her play an important part in the communication and delivery of the company's new selective distribution structure, which heralded the restructuring of the sales function into three divisions: Music Retail, Pro Audio & Systems.

In her new role, Kirsty takes overall responsibility for the marketing needs of the company and its full portfolio of brands. She will have a key focus on managing the internal team to drive cohesive and innovative marketing programmes across each of the three sales divisions, and assist with the integration of these across the wider European market.

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UK - Congratulations to the winners of the Lighting, Sound and Set Design categories at this year's Olivier Awards, which were presented at The Royal Opera House last night. The White Light Award for Best Lighting was won jointly by two lighting design teams - Paul Pyant and Jon Driscoll for Charlie & the Chocolate Factory at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, and Tim Lutkin and Finn Ross for Chimerica at the Almeida Theatre and the Harold Pinter Theatre.

The Best Sound Design Award also saw two winners - Carolyn Downing for Chimerica and Gareth Owen (on his third Olivier nomination) for Merrily We Roll Along at the Harold Pinter Theatre.

For the XL Video Award for Best Set Design, Es Devlin collected her second Olivier Award, for Chimerica.

Congratulations also to lighting designer Michael Hulls who was awarded for Outstanding Achievement in Da

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UK - Maidstone-based production and dry hire specialists, Phonophobia, have made a further investment in the Harman Professional brand portfolio - spearheaded by a Soundcraft Vi1 mixing console.

This is in addition to the slew of Soundcraft products already in inventory. The purchase of an Si Compact 32 was quickly followed by another (to keep up with demand). Then came a Compact Stage Box, a 16-channel Si Compact and a Mini Stage Box.

"These Soundcraft systems have literally been flying out the door," says Phonophobia owner, Mark Chant.

He has now added a 64-input Vi rack to accommodate the increasing capacity requirements, and at the same time is in the process of replacing his wireless mic stock with AKG's frequency agile and securely encrypted DMS700 digital system.

Mark has been running Phonophobia for around 15 years, developing two large warehouses of hire

  1. The Week in Lighting & Sound
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  3. Yamaha QL5 has firm hold on Hairspray
  4. EarPeace raising money for The Amy Winehouse Foundation
  5. Midas XL48 praised by Wigwam Acoustics
  6. JBL recycled for Turramurra bar
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