Sweden - The Rival hotel in the bustling Södermalm district of Stockholm is renowned as one of the city’s favourite meeting spots. A building with lots of history, it has remained dedicated to entertainment and hospitality since its beginnings in 1937.
In 2002, the complex was purchased by Benny Andersson of ABBA along with two associates, and extensive redevelopment work began to shape the complex into what it is today – a luxury 99-room boutique hotel complete with bars, a bistro and café, modern meeting facilities and a theatre.
The latest addition is a new bar named after Benny’s faithful Jack Russell terrier; Watson’s Bar offers food and drinks in a vibrant atmosphere with music at the heart of the experience. A Genelec 4000 Series sound system ensures that the pulse never stops.
Open seven days a week from 11am – 1am except Sundays which has a Monday-morning-conscious closing time of 11pm, Watson’s Bar has rapidly become a favourite haunt for a relaxed lunch, a sneaky afternoon cocktail and of course afterwork DJ sessions.
Rival turned to Adolfsson & Partners – a Stockholm-based firm who specialise in delivering turnkey building and interiors solutions – to conceive, design and deliver the new space. AV integration specialists, Hages, were engaged to design and install a fully integrated sound system capable of delivering a high quality, relaxed music experience during the day as well as high energy DJ sessions for the evening crowd.
Genelec loudspeakers had already provided many years of reliable service in

Germany - Loudspeaker manufacturer SE Audiotechnik is expanding its sales department, with the appointments of Manfred Sumfleth and Andreas Mayerl to senior positions.
Manfred ‘Manne’ Sumfleth is now representing SE Audiotechnik in the field as sales manager for Germany. He is a long-standing industry expert and previously worked for well-known professional manufacturers of audio products.
Based in Hamburg, he will be advising sound and lighting rental companies, installation companies and system houses throughout Germany on SE audio technology sound reinforcement solutions. In addition, he will manage his own warehouse in order to be able to organise and carry out product presentations at your premises as quickly as possible.
Since February, Andreas Mayerl has been entrusted with opening up new markets and expanding existing ones as sales director export at SE Audiotechnik. Mayerl has been in the music industry since 1986, including many years with HK Audio. As head of international sales, he was responsible for building up their worldwide distribution network.
“We are very proud to have brought on-board such high-calibre sales experts,” says founder and owner Michael von Keitz, “This allows us to bring our products to the market faster and more efficiently, internationally, and to serve our existing customers even better. Especially now, I think you have to invest in the industry and be courageous - so that together we can finally overcome these very tough times.”

USA - tvONE has announced the forthcoming arrival of the ONErack Spider, a universal multi-voltage DC power solution which is the latest addition to the company’s ONErack universal rack mounting system.
“Not every rack has enough space for a full ONErack chassis, and the Spider offers the same simultaneous DC voltages but with rear or zero space racking,” says Mark Armon, global product manager at tvONE. “Everyone knows and has experienced the mess just a handful of wall-warts can cause when servicing or installing a system. The ONErack products have proven that there is a better way.”
The ONErack concept is a modular rack mount system designed to ‘vastly improve the installation and serviceability of small devices’. It allows variously-sized, externally-powered devices from any manufacturer to be converted into slide-in modules that can be designed precisely, installed quickly and serviced easily.
The ONErack Spider optimises any installation by eliminating unreliable DC wall warts and other power clutter from the rack design. At the same time, it also ensures the provision of reliable power for a choice of up to seven different voltage options - 5V, 7.5V, 9V, 12V, 13.5V, 18V, and 24V, says the company.
Available in a 1RU half-rack version (7-module capacity) or rear strip version (23-module capacity), the ONErack spider can be installed at the back or side of the rack to provide the ultimate installation flexibility.
“The Spider’s innovative, multi-voltage design will bring the award-winning power capabilities of our

USA - Christ Fellowship Miami has been the area’s multi-generational, multi-cultural and multi-location church for over a century. In that time, it has grown to six South Florida locations plus an online presence. Three of those sites - Palmetto Bay, Doral, and downtown Miami - have recently become showcases for L-Acoustics Kara sound systems.
The new installations, all designed and integrated by Colorado-based Summit Integrated Systems, accommodate various worship-space configurations and types, while still offering the ease of maintenance and operation, plus the consistency of audio quality of a single sound system across all three campuses.
Christ Fellowship Miami multisite production director Garrett Siljee oversees all AVL-related matters for the church, including campus technology design planning and tech staffing. “One of my primary responsibilities is crafting the weekend experiences at all of our locations, and sound is a big part of that,” he notes.
Siljee says he was first introduced to L-Acoustics at a product demo staged at South Florida’s Miccosukee Resort & Gaming venue, where the K1, K2, and Kara systems “just blew me away with their clarity, sound quality, and depth,” he says. “And I was impressed by how the sound was so much bigger than the boxes that made it. L-Acoustics seemed like a company that keeps on innovating even after it has achieved great products.”
Systems for the Palmetto Bay, Doral, and downtown Miami campuses were designed by Summit using L-Acoustics Soundvision modeling software. “The ch

Italy - On the terrace of Genoa’s San Martino Polyclinic, the Liguria region’s leading hospital, an Outline loudspeaker system amplified the reading by Italian actor/film director Sergio Castellitto to recall a year of Coronavirus.
Castellitto, accompanied by a string quintet from the Carlo Felice Theatre, read some passages of the book Una lezione da non dimenticare (A lesson not to be forgotten), written by the director of the Infectious Disease Clinic of Genoa’s San Martino Polyclinic, Matteo Bassetti, with journalist Martina Maltagliati. Participants included Governor Giovanni Toti and Genoa’s mayor Marco Bucci.
The audio set-up for the special event was supplied by Show Technologies TM from Recco (Genoa), with an Outline speaker system comprising five Vegas 12 CX point-source enclosures.
Show Technologies TM partner Sacha Bozzo explains, “The brief was to reproduce Castellitto’s speech with the utmost clarity, but without foregoing the right amount of ‘body’ on the mid-low frequencies. This is why we opted for the use of Outline Vegas 12 CX, a system that’s a real ‘problem solver’, compact but ‘full-range’ and able to ensure a remarkable SPL:feedback ratio.
“To keep a uniform overall sonic timbre we decided to field the Vegas 12 CX for both the main PA (2 systems) and artistes’ monitoring, with 3 systems. It was an intensely moving experience for us too, as we couldn’t wait to mount a real PA! There was no lack of appreciation for the quality of the sound reproduction.”

UK - In mid-December, Gorillaz returned to the stage with Song Machine Live From Kong for three separate fully live shows performed from the basement of Kong Studios, West London over the course of two days. Over a million viewers in more than 120 countries tuned in to the show via the LIVENow platform, which featured a pioneering mix of animation and live performance.
The format was fitting for the biggest virtual band on the planet, Song Machine Live From Kong saw Gorillaz deliver a full scale production blending real-time performance with Jamie Hewlett’s animation. Audio was delivered by the band’s long-time engineers Dave Guerin, at his usual monitor position, and front of house man Matt Butcher on the live steam mix, both using DiGiCo Quantum 7s provided by Entec Sound & Light.
The 14-piece Gorillaz live band saw Damon Albarn joined in the room by virtual bandmates guitarist Noodle, bassist Murdoc Niccals, drummer Russel Hobbs and frontman 2D, plus a line-up of Song Machine collaborators including Leee John, Georgia, Peter Hook, Kano, Slowthai, Slaves, Robert Smith, Matt Berry and Sweetie Irie, while the likes of Beck, Fatoumata Diawara, Elton John, Jpegmafia, Schoolboy Q and 6lack joined via a mix of blended animation and augmented reality effects.
"We used two Quantum 7s, one FOH and one for monitors," says Dan Scantlebury, head of sound for Entec. "There’s also an SD11i in the loop for playback, three SD Racks and an SD MiNi Rack located at FOH on a separate optical loop."
Entec senior sound technician Peter El

UAE - LarMac Projects worked in collaboration with creatives and technical teams to deliver 49th UAE National Day, Seeds of the Union.
LarMac Projects was contracted to produce the 2020 live event production during some of the industry’s - and the world’s - most testing times. The show at Abu Dhabi’s Jubail Island saw the creative vision of artistic director & designer Es Devlin brought to life by long-term LarMac production suppliers including PRG, Auditoria, Wonder Works, SKYMAGIC and Groupe F.
A kinetic illuminated sculpture designed by Devlin took centre stage as the key visual storyteller. The 15m x 15m rotating cube portrayed projections depicting the UAE’s history.
Due to the restrictions on mass gatherings, for the first time in its history, the UAE National Day celebration event took place with a very small, socially distanced audience, and to ensure the public felt included in the celebration, the production was broadcast live.
The LarMac team was headed up by Ian Greenway and Jo MacKay, with support from Laura Hall, Siobhan Shaw and Zoe Gillespie, and from the outset, until its culmination, COVID-19 was a determining factor in how the show would be undertaken.
Planning for the project began only months beforehand, with all advancing, design and production design taking place virtually.
LarMac’s Jo MacKay says: “Not having seen the site until we arrived in the UAE was difficult, especially with the ground works required. There have been thousands of hours on Zoom from every department to get to a place

UK - Bill Harkin, designer of Glastonbury Festival’s iconic Pyramid Stage, passed away on Sunday 7th March. He was 83. 
Harkin grew up in Liverpool, attending secondary school in Sefton Park before embarking on painting and 3D construction studies, “with the occasional lunch time Beatles gig for 1 shilling at the Cavern.” Soon, Harkin was showing his work at The Liverpool Academy’s shows at the Walker Art Gallery as well as in art and architecture exhibitions for Liverpool University and The John Moores Painting Prize. “Then, somewhat briefly, I started a course in architecture,” he revealed in memoirs on the Pyramid Stage Glastonbury Festival website. “The tedium of course work was more than I could take, I was much more excited by the theatre and the new fabric structures of Frei Otto in Stuffgart.”
Having purchased two of Harkin’s constructions, choreographer and director Bill Harpe invited him to design the stage set, lighting and projection for a production of Stravinsky’s The Soldiers Tale at Liverpool’s Bluecoat arts centre. He went on to work with Graham Frood on Merseyside Unity Theatre’s in-the-round production of Boulevard Durand at St George’s Hall.
Harkin then “left Liverpool for London and the world” before returning to England in 1970 where a moment of meditation whilst helping a friend relocate to Swanage lead him to Glastonbury Tor. There he met a group of kindred spirits, including Tony Andrews (now of Funktion

UK - The Void Acoustics team has announced the expansion of their marketing team with the addition of Sacha Hodges as marketing assistant. Sacha, an audio engineer, joins Amy Harvey who has recently been promoted to marketing manager.
Sacha is a singer-songwriter and recently graduated from dBs Music - the Sound and Music Institute in Bristol with a degree in Audio Production and Sound Engineering.
“My passion for music and sonics was nurtured from an early age, as I grew up in a musical household with my parents introducing me to an eclectic and diverse musical range. This helped develop my love of singing and I have been a vocalist and songwriter for nearly five years. So it was a natural decision to go down the audio route with my studies,” she says.
Sacha’s role will be focussed on the continuing development and expansion of Void Acoustics’ audience and customer base, increasing a greater brand awareness and global recognition for the company.

Switzerland - Event production specialist EMME recently made its first investment in Green-GO digital intercom technology, to manage the complex intercom requirements for a corporate event for fashion brand Guess. The event, a presentation of the company’s latest clothing ranges, was live-streamed to 600 sales people worldwide.
Founder and director of EMME, Michele Alvarez, says, “In the past we used combinations of partyline systems, but the quality was not the same, and it was not so flexible. We could only assign certain body packs to certain connections, and it would be very complicated to make changes during a show.”
Looking for a better solution, Alvarez turned to ZAP Audio, Green-GO’s Swiss distributor, who arranged a demonstration of the award-winning technology. “We saw that it was very smart, very powerful and the best solution for the price and performance,” he says. “We needed only one test, to say ‘Okay, this is the right system for us’.”
The presentation was staged across two levels of the Padiglione Conza Convention Centre in Lugano. One level was used to enable adequate distancing between dressers, models, cameras and catwalk, while the second level housed the technical infrastructure, including multiple PCs connected to the Zoom video-conferencing platform. Such a distanced setup made the need for flexible and reliable intercom even more essential. “It was very important for us to have the Green-GO system because it gives us so much flexibility,” says Alvarez.
The EMME team deployed a combination of bot

South Africa - A demonstration featuring L-Acoustic’s L-ISA Immersive Hyperreal Technology and Klang:technologies, highlighted how a show could translate into a memorable experience for a live audience and those watching the broadcast from home via a live streaming platform.
Presented by Immersive Show Technology, MGG and DWR Distribution, the four-day session held at the MGG studios in Johannesburg, opened a conversation of the possibilities that will take events to a level never seen nor heard in South Africa, solutions that should make corporates wanting to establish brand identity, stop and take notice.
While Immersive Show Technology (IST) is a newly formed company, it is represented by respected industry players, director and team leader Chris de Lancey, audio engineer Adriaan van der Walt and audio-visual master mind Adrian du Preez. IST owns a pair of L-ISA processors as well as a full Modulo-Pi media server solution; live tracking of objects on-stage being the common thread which brings both technologies together, resulting in both sound and visuals moving as the object moves around on stage.
MGG in turn is one of the largest technical suppliers in South Africa, who very early during the COVID-19 lockdown period in 2020, extended their services to develop studios on their premises to cater for online events. “In the age that we find ourselves in, it has been interesting to work together with Chris de Lancey and his team to explore new possibilities and ways to do things,” said Mark Gaylard, owner of MGG.
“MGG has grown our s

Europe - Performance systems integrator Pro Media Audio Video is entering the European market with industry veteran Eddie Thomas charged with developing global business for new entity Pro Media Audio Video EU, Thomas brings 30 years of industry knowledge to the role.
Headquartered in Lititz, Pennsylvania, Pro Media Audio Video joined the Clair Global group of companies in 2019. The new EU office will establish a local presence from Britannia Row Productions’ Twickenham base.
Pro Media Audio Video has long established connections in live sports the company enjoys strong relationships with Major League teams in the US.
Pro Media Audio Video general manager, Ted Leamy, comments: “Each of the companies has the same working culture. Eddie shares our values and he is the person chosen to carry this global standard into Europe. Eddie is incredibly well-connected and as we begin this expansion, he is backed up by a very experienced team worldwide. Our presence in the UK will further add to our global information sharing, ultimately as one set of resources.”
Thomas says: “I enjoy working with designers and consultants to create workable solutions and I’m very excited about this new opportunity in such an impressive global business.
“There will be undoubted challenges in the UK and Europe as Brexit unfolds,” Thomas continues. “Yet I am looking forward to developing and working on a range of challenging technical projects. I really enjoy pushing the boundaries of what is expected from an integrator, and it’s a great feeling to

UK - disguise has announced that global investment firm The Carlyle Group will take a majority stake in the company, with US video games developer Epic Games taking a minority stake.
disguise employees will also retain a “significant” minority share, with founder Ash Nehru the largest shareholder. Existing private equity partner Livingbridge will also reinvest in the transaction.
The partnership with Carlyle will accelerate disguise’s growth plan, focusing on international expansion, continued innovation, and enhanced support and product offerings for its customers. Meanwhile, Epic Games has bolstered its position with this latest transaction, having last year backed disguise with an undisclosed grant to enable its technology to be a native platform for the delivery of Unreal Engine content in xR projects.
disguise CEO Fernando Kufer says: “We’re proud of the journey that we have been on with our customers and are excited by what the future holds. We’re delighted to work alongside Carlyle, who understand our vision for growth, in this next phase of the disguise story, and are excited to keep driving innovation in virtual production and xR stages with Epic. In partnering with Carlyle, the future is very bright for disguise, its customers, and its community.”
Michael Wand, MD and co-head of the Carlyle Europe Technology, comments: “The virtual production market is forecast to grow substantially, and we believe that disguise is uniquely placed to benefit from the accelerated demand for LED-based visual experiences and capture furt

UK - The British Entertainment Industry Radio Group (BEIRG) will push into 2021 with a new logo and website, but “the same determination to ensure that the UK entertainment industry has access to enough quantity and quality of spectrum to maintain its position as a world leader,” says the organisation.
At the end of 2020, the steering group was bolstered with the return to the group of industry veteran John Steven, who had served on the steering group from 2006 until 2015; Jonathan Edwards from Terry Tew Sound & Light; and Phillip Brown from the Society of London Theatre. Meanwhile, familiar industry faces and BEIRG veterans Duncan Bell, Tuomo Tolonen and Andy Lillywhite remain steadfast in their drive on the steering group, and Anna Wolffe of Ranelagh provides support and expert strategic political guidance as she has done for nearly 10 years.
The group has expanded with representation from PLASA, who were closely involved with the steering group in the beginning of the political lobbying process and have retained close ties ever since, and ABTT (Association of British Theatre Technicians) who have also been major BEIRG supporters.
Commenting on the new relationship, PLASA MD Peter Heath states: “PLASA has supported BEIRG from the beginning and on behalf of PLASA members would like to recognise the significant contribution BEIRG has made in ensuring the Live Events industry’s continued access to spectrum over many years. Now is absolutely the right time to formalise that relationship with more direct input from us and our colleagues at

USA - Founded in 1983, Seven Rivers Church, a large and growing congregation in Lecanto, Florida, has adopted a KLANG immersive in-ear mixing solution for all of its stage monitoring needs.
Installed as part of a full sound system upgrade completed last August by Louisville, Colorado-based Summit Integrated Systems, the church’s new KLANG setup is comprised of a DiGiCo Orange Box equipped with a DMI-KLANG card, which is capable of processing up to 64 inputs for 16 immersive in-ear mixes. The recent system retrofit project also saw the church install a new L-Acoustics A15-based PA system in its 1,000-seat auditorium, built in 2003.
Seven Rivers Church had been using IEMs for monitoring for a number of years prior to the upgrade, using a system that Seven Rivers Church director of worship Adam Hill describes as “serviceable” but lacking in sonic quality and functionality. While attending an InfoComm Show in nearby Orlando nearly five years ago, he encountered what was then a new brand for in-ear monitoring solutions in the US.
“I saw the KLANG booth at the show and decided to check it out,” he recalls. “We were already on IEMs, but I wasn’t thrilled with the setup we had, and I had already been researching alternative systems for several years by then. KLANG’s use of the iPad and their idea of immersive sound was interesting, but I was skeptical - I figured it was just glorified stereo. But they gave me a demo of the KLANG:fabrik and I was stunned. It sounded fantastic and its features were incredible.”
At the following InfoCom

USA - When Jennifer Lopez performed a moving medley of This Land Is Your Land and America Is Beautiful at President Biden’s inauguration ceremony, few of the millions of people watching would have realised that British technology played a key role in shaping the sound they were hearing.
Behind the scenes, in the run up to the inauguration ceremony, Kevin Teasley, JLo’s Pro Tools programmer, music producer and musical director for her It’s My Party World Tour, used a comprehensive selection of Neve recording equipment to prepare the pre-recorded music that was vital to ensuring the success of her performance.
“The elevation of the final audio was superb and there is absolutely no doubt that Neve equipment helped us achieve the results we wanted,” Kevin says. “Neve is indeed a real go-to when I work in live, TV, film, records, trailers, promos, broadcast, etc. Basically just about anything that I work on. Neve is included in my workflow on every single project from recording, mixing, and mastering.”
Based in Los Angeles, Kevin Teasley is a composer, producer, sound designer, programmer and musical director, and also the owner and composer of TONIC Music + Creative, a trailer and TV production music company.
Kevin’s involvement in President Biden’s inauguration ceremony came about because of his close working relationship with JLo. When she was asked to perform, her music team immediately got together to help her conceptualise and execute her vision.
“An important part of my role entailed working w

Italy - Powersoft is now able to offer system integrators (SIs) the ability to scale inputs and zones conveniently and efficiently with the dynamic routing capabilities embedded on its fixed install amplifier platforms.
This ability makes it simple to share variable music sources locally and/or between different zones in small- / medium-sized venues, independently from the source location, and carry control signals in an automated fashion – all without the need of a centralised DSP. With dynamic routing all inputs can be shared over the network as Dante signal.
Moreover, user interfaces (UI) will allow integrators to obtain control of the entirety of the system in background and foreground dynamic music distribution applications; an ability that is useful in verticals such as bar and restaurant, hospitality, retail, and fitness.
As well as saving integrators configuration and installation time and client’s budget, Powersoft’s suite of hardware, software, and additional tools, such as the soon-to-be-launched WM Touch, can all be targeted at specific applications, providing an intuitive system and low learning curve.
Powersoft amplifier platforms allow SIs to replace most of the outboard required to manage, shape, and share audio sources throughout the various zones in a variety of dynamic music distribution applications by merging a routing matrix, networking capabilities, and digital signal processing between multiple amplifiers in different locations.
The dynamic routing capability on Powersoft amplifiers enables advanced routi

Sweden - Göteborg’s Folkteatern was built in the 1950s by an association of trade unions and other organisations for the Swedish working classes to enjoy cultural experiences such as the theatre. Still funded by regional government, a premium-quality experience is still the order of the day.
Folkteatern has recently invested in TiMax TrackerD4 precision stagetracking automation so that, as in-house sound engineer, Allan Antilla, explains, “the audience can keep track of who´s voice they are hearing when we use microphones.”
Allan specified TiMax TrackerD4 for the venue’s main proscenium theatre because, as longstanding beneficiaries of TiMax tracker-controlled spatial audio, Allan and the sound team at Folkteatern appreciate the time and effort that is saved whilst achieving significant improvements in sound quality and balance from the actors’ radio mics. In Allan’s opinion, “that time and effort can now be used to enhance the audience’s experience of the artistic performance.”
The TiMax TrackerD4 controls a Soundscape system which as Allan explains, “really needed a tracking system to do what we wanted it to do, so TiMax Tracker D4 was the obvious choice”.
Folkteatern’s alternative black box performance space has a TiMax SoundHub processor automated by a prior first-generation TiMax Tracker acquisition, thereby ensuring a spatially-enhanced immersive experience for Folkteatern’s audiences across both venues.
Allan states that he’s “very pleased” with the improvements brought about by the introducti

Australia - Martin Audio’s MLA Mini loudspeaker array has been specified at a new leisure development in Rosenthal Park, Lane Cove - a suburb of Sydney.
The technology was specified by integration company Xcite Audio Visual, who tendered the successful bid, with the system supplied and supported by the manufacturer’s Australian distributor, Technical Audio Group (TAG).
“There was a performance specification written but no brands specified,” explains TAG’s system sales manager, Ewan McDonald. “Xcite came to us at tender stage wanting to look at a Martin Audio solution and TAG’s SSE (System Solutions & Engineering) team assisted them in providing a proof of concept based around the MLA Mini system.”
MLA Mini provides sound reinforcement on a bandstand stage, which is the centrepiece of the new development, known as The Canopy.
Lane Cove Council earmarked the development on the site of a former car park which was no longer fit for purpose. They decided to convert this into a new 500-space underground car park and construct the community precinct on top. This new feature includes a park with village green and children’s playground, a pedestrian concourse, the performance stage, a restaurant / café precinct and retail (including supermarkets).
But the new high premium, high-rise apartments flanking the site brought its own potential problems with regard to sound escape from the stage.
TAG first supported the acoustic design with EASE measurements and later produced the DISPLAY optimisation files in the proprietar

USA - It’s had multiple names since it first opened in June of 1992, but the Phoenix Suns Arena - formerly America West Arena, US Airways Centre, Talking Stick Resort Arena, and PHX Arena - has been the home of the NBA Phoenix Suns since day one.
What has changed recently is how the venue sounds, with a new L-Acoustics Kara II loudspeaker system in place just in time for the 2021 NBA season, which began with a Suns win over the Dallas Mavericks on 23 December, 2020.
Designed by AV consultants at WJHW and installed by Pro Sound & Video, a Solotech company, the new Kara II system is part of the $230m Project 201: PHX Reimagined, designed to convert the nearly 30-year-old arena into a state-of-the-art sports entertainment venue for Phoenix Suns and WNBA Phoenix Mercury fans.
According to Pro Sound & Video, the arena’s management specifically requested an L-Acoustics PA system as part of the ongoing and extensive venue renovation, including new distributed sound systems for the arena’s concourses and back-of-house areas. “The venue’s management has had positive experiences with L-Acoustics in other locations in the past, and the brand has become widely accepted by NBA arenas,” says Pro Sound.
The integrator points out that Kara II was chosen for its light weight and powerful output capability. “We had to stay within certain weight limits on the steel for this project, especially since the system is designed to be pulled up and out of the way, potentially, when touring shows come through with their own sound systems,” they e

UK - To mark International Women’s day this year, sound design and music production facility String and Tins has announced the launch of the second iteration of its female-led programme No Fixed Mix. Aiming to improve the gender balance in technical sound roles, the music company will conduct a series of workshops, arming participants with tips, tools and resources to help them pursue a career in sound.
The inaugural programme of No Fixed Mix, held in 2019, welcomed five aspiring sound engineers into String and Tins’ studios. Created by String and Tins’ audio post production manager Eimear Ní Ghuaire, the programme included three workshops that focused on the audio industry - production, sound design and music - and was aimed at any woman seeking a career in sound design.
This year, String and Tins is expanding the programme to reflect the growing variety of projects that the studio is working on, incorporating foley, field recording and longform into the updated course curriculum. In addition to this, an extended list of assignments will be available, in order to help participants develop their showreels, as well as a wider variety of lecturers/hosts.
Mike Bamford, co-founder of String and Tins says: “No Fixed Mix’s inaugural programme was a bigger success than we could have hoped for and the response to our call out for applicants was huge - it just shows that it’s not just men who want to apply for these roles and pursue these careers. We held three workshops on the industry, sound design and music which helped candidates develop pie

USA - Renkus-Heinz has announced the latest product in its C Series line: the CA/CX121M – a compact stage monitor suitable for a multitude of applications.
“The CA/CX121M is the culmination of extensive customer and market feedback,” said Brandon Heinz, product manager at Renkus-Heinz. “The addition of the CX/CA121M supports the totality of the C series as an innovative stage monitor, delivering exceptional performance and consistent coverage at a very attractive price point.” The monitor is available in both passive (CX121M) and powered (CA121M) models.
Designed not only as a stage monitor, the CA/CX121M is also suitable for portable and installed PA functions. It can be used as a pole-mounted side-fill – using the optional pole adapter – or sound reinforcement system without the need to rotate or reconfigure the drive unit. Also, the UBRKT/CT121M mounting yoke is available to facilitate permanent installation configurations.
The CA/CX121M utilizes a 12” (300mm) high-efficiency coaxial transducer mounted in a compact and sturdy, black or white durable plywood cabinet.
Ergonomic and discreet recessed handles – along with the optional pole adapter – make portable use easy and practical. Further, the unit’s robust perforated steel grill is designed to withstand the rigors of the road and provide driver protection.
The optional SA625 power amplifier precisely matches the power needs of the CA121M, providing optimised processing for performance and protection. The integral amp eliminates the need for additional rack spa

USA - The production teams behind the sound, video, lighting and broadcast facilities at The Potter’s House in Dallas have long sought out the best technologies with which to deliver the message of the church’s founder, televangelist Bishop T.D. Jakes, to his 30,000-strong congregation.
Most recently, the audio system has undergone a significant upgrade with the installation of three Dante-networked Solid State Logic Live L550 digital mixing consoles, positioned at front-of-house, monitors and in the church’s broadcast centre.
“As our ministry has grown over the years and we’ve started to do a lot of stuff that’s outside of the norm, we started to run into walls because we just couldn’t do it with our previous consoles. We have 160 or 170 inputs at times, and we were starting to run into input challenges,” says production manager and front-of-house engineer William B. Barnett. “So, as we’ve grown, and our technical prowess has grown, we decided we wanted a console that could do a little more, that sounds amazing and has more inputs.”
The three SSL Live L550 desks offer a noticeable improvement both in operational capabilities and in the system’s sound quality compared to the previous consoles, says Barnett. “If you have to have a bunch of plug-ins to make your console sound decent then that’s an issue. So we said, let’s look at a console that sounds incredible, operates at 96 kHz, has mic preamps with great gain, and is a fairly easy platform to use but has expansive programming.”
The 191,000sq.ft main sanctuary

Spain - Amate Audio is marking International Women’s Day, celebrating the ever-increasing number of women working in and performing key roles in entertainment technology. Their increasing presence, a powerful force for improvement in our industry; in manufacturing and supply, on-stage, backstage, behind the scenes, or front-of-house.
In a statement the company says, “On International Women’s Day, we are celebrating the role of women working throughout our industry, alongside the particular achievements and importance of women at Amate Audio. Women fulfil some of the most critical roles in our company – in design engineering, production, marketing and administration. Their talents, skills and creativity are integral to our endeavour.”
Currently women make up 37% of the Amate workforce and hold many key positions. These include the company’s chief acoustics engineer and graphic designer, as well personnel in Assembly and Electronics, Customer Service, Purchasing and Accounting.
“Our HR strategy is not only to continue to increase the proportion of women on our staff, but to increasingly recruit them into high skill positions within the company,” states founder and CEO Juan Amate.