Spain - In a Roman Catholic ceremony to mark the beatification of Guadalupe Ortiz de Landazuri, audio rental firm Delta Sound Spain employed a Bose Professional ShowMatch DeltaQ system to provide full-bandwidth sound and exceptional audience-area coverage for the event.
Landazuri was the first lay member and the first female member of the Catholic church’s Opus Dei body to be beatified. Cardinal Angelo Becciu, prefect of the Congregation of the Causes of Saints, represented the Holy Father at the beatification ceremony.
The ceremony took place at Palacio de Vistalegre, a multipurpose venue that originated as a bullring (and therefore has a 270-degree seating aspect); the space is usually configured for 9,000 attendees, but was reconfigured to accommodate 11,000 for this special occasion. To meet the needs of the Vatican for the special event, a sacristy, chapel, press area and volunteer hosting room were specially constructed.
The multiple-array sound reinforcement system set up for the event included a total of 40 ShowMatch modules configured in two main 12-box left/right arrays supplemented by a total of 12 ShowMatch SMS118 bass modules for low frequency extension. Multiple outfill arrays were made of four additional ShowMatch modules. Additional ShowMatch loudspeakers were used as ground-based frontfills, with two modules each mounted on multiple pairs of SMS118 subs.
Jose De La Torre, CEO of Delta Sound Spain, comments: “With such a high RT60 measurement and a very reverberant space, the challenge was to achieve high intelligibility i

South Africa - Pretoria-based rental company AJR has decided on the L-Acoustics colinear Syva system to offer high-end quality audio to their corporate events. In doing so, they have become the first in South Africa to purchase Syva.
Owned by Altus van Rensburg, AJR was one of the first in the country to buy into the L-Acoustics X Series with X12 and X8. Contemplating the best way to build on his existing audio system, he came across the Syva at local distributor DWR Distribution and was sold.
“When Syva first came to the country last year, we stood around like excited school boys, listening and wondering what magic was coming out of the boxes,” Altus says. “We hoped that someone would buy the system first because we wanted to hire it from them and try it out. My initial thought was to expand on our ARCS WiFo system. We currently have six X12, six X8, six ARCS WiFo and eight SB18 subs. The Syva presents a solution to deliver the same audio quality with a one over one, and is ideal for a quick set up by a single crew member.”
AJR’s personal and professional approach has enabled them to consistently grow and provide service to longstanding clients and their marketing is solely due to excellent referrals. Altus knew that for larger events, he could hire in extra gear. For the smaller to medium sized events, Syva presented something unique to the market and Altus believed this would be a cost saving to clients and more affordable than flying a full audio system.
“For us quality has no alternative,” Altus explains. “We want to set

UK - Adlib delivered a full-service production package including lighting, audio, video and rigging for Glasgow’s TRNSMT Festival 2019, held at Glasgow Green in July. This popular event is now in its third year and headliners included Stormzy, Catfish & The Bottlemen and George Ezra.
Serviced from Adlib’s Glasgow office, it was project-managed by Chris Neary, assisted by Graham Cochrane and Craig Hamilton. The company deployed part of their large L-Acoustics inventory including K1, K2, Kara and KS28 loudspeakers, five DiGiCo SD12 digital mixing systems were used as the house desks for FOH and Monitors plus visiting consoles.
At the heart of the system was, once again, Outline’s Newton FPGA-based processor, which has become Adlib’s go-to device for interfacing multiple consoles with the PA at festivals, in addition to many other duties. James Coghlan was Adlib’s system engineer at TRNSMT and he commented, “Since using a Newton for the first time in May 2018 as a console matrix, it’s been my preferred method of getting multiple consoles into the PA system at any one time. This year at TRNSMT we stepped it up a notch and used a pair of Newtons in tandem to do all of the console matrixing and system processing.
“Taking LRSF from up to four consoles at any one point in AES3 format with an analogue backup and giving me all my PA sends plus record and programme matrices, the Newtons worked seamlessly throughout the weekend. With the latest software update including SMAART integration and the tablet mode, what was already a fantastic bit

The Netherlandsd - Amate Audio Benelux / Imagination AV is holding a two-day showcase in Rotterdam this month.
On 10 October, the company will run a comprehensive demo of its new X212AF line array at Onderzeebootloods, a 5,000 capacity venue on the former site of the EDM Submarine Wharf. Amate Audio Xperience will demo the new X2121AF line array and X218WF sub systems, with vice-president and chief technical officer Joan Amate giving an overview presentation of the systems.
On 12 October, attendees will be taken to the Dagvlinder Festival, where the same system provides the Main Stage sound, with a second system of eight-a-side NÍTID N208 line array elements and 12x N18W subs on the Jack’s House stage. More details on attending are available from the company's Facebook page.
The X2121AF line array has V-shape geometry, totally phase linear line array, with a 2x 12”, 4x 6” MF and dual 3” HF transducer configuration and proprietary acoustic design features - including the ABS mid-phase plugs, all-new HF waveguide and sonically transparent 1.5mm speaker grille - the X212AF incorporates discrete 3-way power channels with independent limiters (with differing time constants), and multi-channel DSP system management via Amate Audio’s Active+ integrated power and control platform.
The X218WF is a matched 5000 W X218WF sub system, loaded with 2 x 18” LF neodymium drivers with 4” double-layer voice coils in a compact bass reflex de

Switzerland - The Fête des Vignerons is held once every 20 years at a temporary stadium at the edge of Lake Geneva. The celebration, which features a vast troupe of performers donning elaborate costumes, as well as animals and vehicles, is held every day for a month to honour the winegrowers of the region, which stretches from Lavaux to Chablais in Switzerland.
Organised by the official Brotherhood of Winegrowers - la Confrérie des Vignerons - the show represents a year in the life of the vineyard through 21 action-packed scenes. This year’s event also received a technological boost in the form of a gargantuan LED floor from Absen subsidiary VISS Display, provided by rental house, Alabama.
As two decades have passed since the last Fête took place, the 200-strong technical team had to ensure that the 2019 edition lived up to expectations, as well as demonstrating the best of the last 20 years in live event technology.
With this in mind, a temporary 20,000-person arena was constructed in the Swiss town of Vevey to house more than 5,500 volunteer performers and 900 singers and musicians from the area.
“I grew up in the area and everybody around this region knows about the Fête des Vignerons because it is unique,” says the Fête des Vignerons technical director, Francois Mottier.
After the installation of the first technical elements in May 2019, the project evolved for budgetary reasons as well as from a creative perspective to guarantee it was in line with the vision of artistic director, Daniele Finzi Pasca - th

UK - Allen & Heath has revealed its new 96kHz digital mixer, Avantis, the third to be based on the company's XCVI FPGA engine. Avantis puts Allen & Heath's technology in a 64 channel / 42 configurable bus console, with twin full HD touchscreens, extensive I/O options and processing from the company's flagship dLive mixing system.
"Joining dLive and SQ, Avantis completes our trilogy of next-gen 96kHz consoles," says Rob Clark, Allen & Heath's managing director. "Avantis takes many of the features that have made SQ and dLive so popular, putting them in a standalone 64-channel mixer that offers a new UI experience, connectivity with our Everything I/O ecosystem, and the dPack option which gives you access to our advanced dLive processing options if and when you need them.
"On top of that, we've taken a new approach with the industrial design, coming up with a full metal chassis that’s super-strong, lightweight and looks fantastic."
Encased in its alloy shell and tubular frame, the Avantis control surface is centred on the two full HD touchscreens and their corresponding rotary controls.
"Having two touchscreens isn't a new concept, but we realised we could use it to unlock exciting new possibilities, which led us to develop Continuity UI," says Andy Bell, Allen & Heath's R&D director.
"Within seconds of getting hands-on with Avantis, engineers are going to appreciate the seamless flow between the physical controls and the on-screen software. You can work gains and pans on the rotaries, then at the touch of a soft key

UK - Celebrating its 16th year at its familiar Clapham Common site, South West Four is a familiar August Bank Holiday destination for London’s clubbers. This year it again welcomed the House of Commons Festival, curated by Madness, onto two of its stages for Bank Holiday Monday itself. Returning after two years, the giants of ska were accompanied by artists including Ziggy Marley and Jimmy Cliff.
The event’s long-serving sound production company, Capital Sound, were again brought in by promoters Lock ‘N’ Load Events, with whom they have a long relationship, and of the five stages they equipped, Martin Audio PA systems dominated the first four.
The event again drew some of the world’s leading exponents of electronic dance music, including Martin Garrix, Tinie Tempah, Plan B, Pendulum Trinity and Chase & Status, while under canvas Sigma and Craig David were among the Stage 2 headliners, in the vast 55m x 75m, 10,000 capacity space.
For Capital account manager Martin Connolly and Lock ‘N’ Load’s Andrew Mattle the event is all about improving the customer experience year on year - particularly with regard to the audio - and this year was no exception. Capital upgraded Stage 3 from MLA Compact last year to the full MLA, flying eight elements (plus an MLD Downfill box) on either side of the stage. “Although the speaker complement was roughly the same as before we needed more horse power to deal with reflections at the back of the tent,” says Connolly, explaining the reasons for the change.
The Capital FM main stage saw 13 MLA

Finland - Green Hippo has announced that the Finnish National Opera & Ballet (FNOB) has upgraded its stock of Green Hippo media servers with the company’s latest Hippotizer V4 systems.
The new equipment, supplied by Green Hippo’s exclusive Finnish distributor Msonic Oy, comprises seven Hippotizer Karst+ DVI, two Hippotizer Boreal+ DP and six Hippotizer Montane+ RTX servers - all with dual SDI input cards.
The new servers were specified by Johan West, video product manager at Msonic. A long-standing Hippotizer user, West has enjoyed a close relationship with the FNOB since specifying their very first Green Hippo systems back in 2008. Since then, he has been responsible for training the opera house crew, as well as advising on the use of Hippotizer on many productions. He also provides all Green Hippo training and support for the FNOB team.
“A series of new pieces are premiering and the designer wanted to use Notch and live camera feeds mixed together with content, in realtime,” West explains. “This gave us some things to think about: camera feed latency, latency of LED/video projector processing/signal distribution. Everything specified had to meet some rules: latency had to be kept as low as possible, it had to be flexible and it needed to work with existing signal distribution formats.”
He adds: “Hippotizer’s 3D toolkit, SHAPE, also plays a big role here. The opera house uses moving projection surfaces that are mapped using SHAPE. Also, some of the automation is pinned using automation objects in SHAPE.”
The new se

UK - KV2 Audio has announced a partnership with RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art) to support the training of young students in theatre sound production. KV2 has provided a range of EX Series loudspeakers to equip RADA’s Jerwood Vanbrugh and Gielgud theatres, and will also offer masterclasses on sound design and the use of point source technology in a theatre environment.
Steve Mayo, RADA’s head of sound, comments: “These partnerships are the life-blood of hands-on training for our students. I am very eager for our sound students to have the opportunity, not only to work with high quality, modern equipment, but also to meet the people behind it. The support we’ve had from KV2 has been invaluable in paving the way for this partnership, from our initial conversations at ABTT in June through to them organising for all our students to have a proper demo of the full KV2 range at PLASA last month.”
Mayo recalls that his decision to approach KV2 was sparked initially by well-known theatre sound designer, Richard Brooker, when he came in to talk to the students about working on musicals and mentioned that KV2 had become an important part of his designs. He was further prompted by the fact that Autograph Sound (with whom RADA already has a close relationship) are an important KV2 user, a fact endorsed by Autograph sound designer, Avgoustas Psillas.
“We were lucky enough to get Avgoustos in to mentor to our sound design students when we were preparing for our musical production during the last summer term, and he was very complimentary about KV

USA - Sound and lighting specialist, Infinity Sound, has completed the design and installation of live and background music sound systems for FireHouse Gastro Park (FHGP) in Grand Prairie, Texas.
Within the original buildings of a 20th century fire station, FHGP is now a diverse hang-out-and-eat location. The venue has been created by owners Jason and Carlee Smith, in collaboration with Rouch Architecture. The FireHouse aesthetic and philosophy was inspired by the Smith’s roots in southern California, their passion for the historic building rehab revolution, and Grand Prairie’s commitment to preservation and economic development. The original fire station remains at the heart of the FHGP and the sprawling and evolving space now features indoor and outdoor dining, a secret garden bar, a family-friendly green-space, coffee shop and a smoke house.
Music is a key element of FHGP, particularly live music. In an outdoor area, a shipping container has been converted into a live stage for use by FHGP guest performers and groups, and to provide a local concert venue. Infinity Sound designed and installed the performance audio for the live stage, as well as interior and exterior background music and paging systems.
Jerry Tidwell, Infinity Sound’s project manager, explained, “Biamp’s Community loudspeakers were our first choice in providing a quality outdoor array that would meet our client’s desire for complete coverage with a system that could handle diverse applications. Flown with IV6 GlidePoint array frames, the system has two arrays each comp

UK - Adlib supplied full technical production to the 2019 Vitality Netball World Cup staged at the 11,000 capacity M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool.
Adlib’s rental departments implemented a fully integrated video, lighting and audio package linking in with broadcast elements for BBC and Sky. The spectacle took place over 10 glorious days of top sporting action which delivered world class netball to an international TV audience and many thousands packing into the court-side seats which were sold out for the duration.
This quadrennial event featured two distinctive criteria. First, a spectacular opening ceremony which wowed the crowds and got everyone in the mood for the sports to follow.
Adlib’s technical team worked closely with curators of the ceremony Culture Liverpool and Iluminos. Adlib provided six Panasonic RZ21K 20,000 lumen laser projectors mounted vertically to project the visuals created by Iluminos onto the courts below. Lighting and video effects combined to produce the spectacle enjoyed by the live audience and TV viewers alike.
On-court drama followed, produced by Sport Presentation specialists Red Sky at Night Events Ltd, this saw 16 nations compete for the coveted Vitality Netball World Cup 2019 trophy.
Adlib’s overall project manager was Dave Eldridge. He worked with a highly talented and experienced crew onsite, and closely with host broadcasters Televideo and several other contractors to ensure seamlessly delivery of a world class sporting event to a hugely enthusiastic audience worldwide.
Working with R

Poland - Warsaw-based AVI Media has been appointed to distribute DAS Audio’s professional audio products in Poland.
AVI Media’s Michal Zelman comments: “During my time working in the PA/AV market I was involved in projects and events with DAS Audio products and I always had a very good impression of their performance and reliability. My goal now is to expand this brand’s excellent reputation throughout Poland and participate in larger projects with AV integrators, designers and sound engineers, providing the best customer service.”
Ignacio Chuliá, executive sales representative for DAS Audio in Europe, adds: “AVI Media is the perfect partner for the Polish market. DAS Audio has been working with Michal for quite some time and we look forward to sharing this new project with him.
“We are positive that our cooperation with Michal will consolidate our position and our growth within the Polish market”, continues Chuliá. “We can count on Michal´s broad experience in the industry. We have been working with him for years and have always had an exceptional relationship which have resulted in outstanding service for our customers. We are delighted to partner with AVI Media and we welcome them to the family.”
(Jim Evans)

Germany - Over 250 guests were in attendance throughout the nine-day Ambion Digital Jungle open-house event. Attendees enjoyed an hour-long sensory journey of innovative installations focused on tracking, immersive interactivity, sensor technology, realtime control and reactive, generative content using BlackTrax, disguise and Notch.
Ambion is a full-service provider that plans and produces technology for concerts, sports events, trade shows and congresses around the globe.
The company recently held open house days where they invited selected clients, partners, innovation agencies and event planners to attend. The Digital Jungle demonstrations focused on technology and its application in a live event scenario.
OBJ.Studio the Ambion design department has been trying some interesting light and media tech projects in Berlin. The last one was a smart installation with curved LEDs. It was a collaboration with another design studio and 22 digital artists from all over the world.
“Ambion has a BlackTrax Lab. Here employees from different departments come together and experimenting with the system. So, we build knowledge together and find creative new ways and solutions for clients and upcoming projects,” says Jo Rychlik, creative director & head of OBJ.Studio Berlin.
Ambion received their training directly from CAST Software at their headquarters in Kaufungen. They purchased their own system as well, going along with their brand of owning their own equipment to have ownership over their projects.
The plans for Amb

Germany - Hooke Audio Verse is a binaural recording device comprising a microphone/headset combination and a dedicated app. 3D audio is recorded wirelessly, via Bluetooth at 16-bit 48 KHz, or wired, using the included adaptor. The system is compatible with Android, iPhone, Go Pro, Field Recorders, DSLRs and Computers and has a continuous-record battery-life of nine hours. A proprietary codec delivers almost zero latency - 4.3 microseconds - so any associated video is in perfect sync.
Hooke Verse has been available in the USA for two years and has established an extensive customer base of musicians, podcasters, vloggers, producers and sound engineers. Grammy-winning producer Tchad Blake and System of a Down’s Serj Tankian are among its advocates. Now Hooke Verse is available in Europe via distributor Mega Audio.
Burkhard Elsner, CEO at Mega Audio, comments: “I first experienced Hooke Audio Verse at Winter NAMM and was really impressed with the sound - both wired and wireless. It works with a wide variety of recording media and is very affordable. There is already a large and talented Hooke Verse community out there, sharing 3D audio experiences online. Please do check-out the links on the Hooke Audio website”.”
(Jim Evans)

UK - More Accurate Audio Solutions, a studio in Offenbach am Main, Germany, is run by audio expert Robert Hauck. The studio offers a wide range of services from production to mixing and mastering, as well as delivering training seminars that cover all aspects of studio craft.
With two studio spaces - one for production and training in modular synth setups, and the other for mastering, Robert was looking for an integrated solution to provide deep routing and audio resource sharing. After careful research it was decided that a DiGiGrid system could achieve all routing possibilities he required to connect every part, analogue and digital, of his studio infrastructure.
With Robert providing a permanent DiGiGrid training and demonstration facility, an education partnership was formed and a full DiGiGrid setup was installed, including an IOS-XL as well as IOX, IOC, MGO, D Desktop and S switch units; everything needed to show the power of DiGiGrid and the SoundGrid network.
Robert Hauck comments: “The new numerous and intuitive routing options created an intuitive studio world. Sound-wise, especially regarding details and resolution, The DiGiGrid interfaces and their converters are top notch. Recordings, whether from our modular system or from the FX rack are in a sonically new dimension and we’re happy to have joined the DiGiGrid family and are proud to represent them.” The first scheduled event at More Accurate took place on 28 September.
(Jim Evans)

Australia - The discreet design of DPA’s Core 6066 Subminiature Headset Microphone, combined with the fact that it is quick and easy to fit, helped secure an order for 18 units from Australian sound design, equipment hire and production services company LSS Productions.
Based in Melbourne, LSS Productions initially wanted the headsets for a recent production of Stephen Sondheim’s 1984 musical, Sunday in the Park with George. However, now that the units are part of the company’s permanent stock it is already deploying them on other productions including the Australian premier of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Ben Elton’s musical The Beautiful Game.
Bringing high quality sound to musical theatre and events is a key reason why Marcello Lo Ricco established LSS Productions in 2001. With his background as a performer and musician, plus 20 years’ experience as a sound designer for Broadway style shows with orchestras and large casts using radio microphones, Lo Ricco immediately understood the advantages DPA’s new 6066 Subminiature Headset Microphones offered and placed an order with DPA’s Australian distributor, Amber Technology.
“The 6066 headset is a lot more discreet than earlier DPA headsets, which is why I felt it could work well for Sunday in the Park with George,” he explains. “We wouldn’t get away with the look of using a bulky headset, and on top of that the new gold colour of the 6066 mic boom blended really nicely into light or dark skin tones. Also, the new 6066 headset has a detachable cable, which is a gr

France - Amadeus has announced the installation of their Holophonix sound processor along with a variety of Amadeus speakers and subwoofers creating a new re-imagined immersive sound system at the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier in Paris. Built in the heart of the Saint-Germain-des-Prés Parisian district, the theatre hosts at least four productions each season involving classical or contemporary texts, presented in a series from September to the beginning of July.
In 1993 the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier became the second theatre for the Comédie Française. originally created in 1913 by Jacques Copeau. Threatened with closure, the theatre was bought by the French government in 1986, becoming the second Comédie Française hall in 1993.
In recent months, the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier has undergone an in-depth renovation of its stage infrastructure. The electro-acoustical system was also completely redesigned too, in close collaboration with the theatre's technical manager Philippe Lagrue, along with Dominique Bataille, a sound engineer, and composer, who has worked over the few last years at the venue.
The electro-acoustical system designed by Amadeus and Dominique Bataille is now built around a Holophonix spatial sound processor, developed by Amadeus, in collaboration with the STMS (Sciences et Technologies de la Musique et du Son), a laboratory founded in 1995 and hosted in the IRCAM premises, association of CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Ministère de la Culture and Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique.
The main sound syst

Italy - Once again this year Visarno Arena, in Florence’s Parco delle Cascine, hosted Decibel Open Air, following the success of the 2018 event. The show, organised by Decibel Eventi, has become an important reference point among international music events. Over 30 performers from the international EDM scene performed on the two stages, with Holland’s Armin Van Buuren as the headliner.
To ensure the thousands of fans a memorable sonic experience, Tuscan rental company Emporio On Stage from Scandicci equipped the two large stages with Outline GTO sound systems.
The hurdles to be overcome to achieve the results requested included ensuring the highest possible sound pressure in the chosen area, while reducing sound spill outside that zone, and Giancarlo Paladini (the PA man and system engineer responsible for the rigs) explains: “This is done by means of a correct positioning and aiming of the enclosures. This sometimes jeopardizes perfect even coverage of the zone in question, but not in this case, thanks to the precise directivity control of the Outline systems installed.
“As far as headroom was concerned the sound pressure reproduced by both rigs was more than sufficient. At previous editions of this festival, a larger number of enclosures were deployed. In spite of that, this year the sound was ‘soft’ and without the slightest trace of distortion.”
Armin Van Buuren had two personal technicians, who arrived the day before the artiste’s show to check out the equipment and cables and exchange information with the team on site. <

Japan - As one of Japan’s host venues for the Rugby World Cup, the Toyota Stadium in Toyota City, is gaining a high international profile for its newly-installed Nexo Geo S12-ST line array sound system.
With a capacity of around 44,400, the Toyota Stadium in Aichi Prefecture is one of the largest football stadiums in Japan, and is also used for rugby. A major upgrade of its sound system was undertaken in preparation for the 2019 World Cup, equipping it with a world-class installation of Nexo loudspeakers and amplifiers, and Yamaha electronics. M&H Laboratory undertook design and sound consulting for the project, working closely with Yamaha Sound Systems (YSS) and the Nexo engineering support team.
The loudspeakers in the new system, primarily featuring Nexo’s high-spec Geo S12-ST line array modules, are discreetly installed amongst the steel beams of the stadium structure, ensuring ultra-low visibility. They are used for music at half-time, for the stadium DJ, for venue announcements and to play sound to accompany the big video screens. It is also used to amplify the pitchside interviews, so speech clarity was an absolute priority for the designers, as well as high SPL to provide the volume needed to handle loud cheering and applause.
Yoshiteru Mimura, president of M&H Laboratory, says: “This is an environment with a large amount of reverberation and echo. That makes it difficult to ensure clarity with even volume and sound quality. Before the upgrade, we took measurements in listening tests, and there were several areas in the stands

UAE - SSL has appointed Provision AVL as its live sound product distributor in the UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain.
Formed in 2014, Provision AVL have grown their reputation as a leading sales and distribution company in the Middle East, representing premium brands including Prolyte Group, Chauvet Lighting, Clair Brothers Audio Systems, Admiral Staging, and Le Maitre.
Provision AVL’s MD, Kevin Boujikian comments: “Back in my college days, the first and foremost audio console brand discussed around our Audio Engineering classes was Solid State Logic. Twelve years on, it was vital for us at Provision AVL to add a leading audio console brand alongside the exciting portfolio of lighting, staging and trussing products we already represent - hence the simple decision to go with Solid State Logic. The Live series compliments what we already offer in terms of audio systems. Our immediate priority now, will be to increase sales, exposure, and support across the region alongside the SSL team led by Philippe.”
Philippe Guerinet, SSL director of international sales, comments: “We have worked with Provision AVL previously on our core music creation products, such as SiX, and Fusion. As part of our strategy to further develop our Live presence in the region, expanding Provision AVL’s portfolio to include the SSL Live range is a natural progression to achieve our goals. Starting with the forthcoming PL&S show in Dubai, we look forward to growing our customer base in the region.”
(Jim Evans)

USA - Powersoft has appointed industry veteran Tom Knesel to the position of general manager, North America. Knesel, who will be located at the company’s US headquarters in Kearny, NJ and who will start on 7 October, will report directly to Luca Giorgi, sales & business development director, Powersoft. The announcement follows the successful relocation of Powersoft’s North American headquarters two years ago, and coincides with the company’s increased focus on the systems integration market and launch of the Mezzo amplifier platform earlier this year.
“We are very pleased to welcome Tom into the Powersoft family,” commented Luca Giorgi. “Two years ago, we began a significant restructuring of our U.S. operations, which included relocating our headquarters to the east coast, hiring new operational and sales staff, and realigning our entire North American sales rep network. Having successfully completed these tasks, we are perfectly positioned in this region for sustained growth and net new revenue opportunities.”
Before joining Powersoft, Knesel was regional business development manager, Americas, for MUSIC Tribe and responsible for driving revenue and managing the Americas for the company’s commercial audio brands - including Midas, Klark Teknik, Lake, Lab Gruppen, TC Electronics, Tannoy and Turbosound. Prior to that, Knesel spent several years in the manufacturer, design and systems integration markets
Luca Giorgi, who has served in a dual role for Powersoft as GM, North America and sales & business development director for

UK - The University of Northampton has deployed a network of interconnected Harman Professional AV solutions to facilitate a cutting-edge collaborative learning environment at their new Waterside campus.
The university leadership decided to build a new, centralised campus in Northampton’s Waterside district. The project allowed the school to completely rethink how to best serve their students, resulting in a radically different approach that eschewed traditional lecture halls in favour of flexible, collaborative learning spaces.
In order to achieve these goals, AV distributer Midwich supplied the university with a range of AMX, JBL, Crown, BSS and AKG solutions to accommodate the complex technical demands of the ultra-modern campus. The comprehensive Harman solution was designed and deployed by Kinly, a service-led integrator specializing in the design, implementation & support of best in class collaboration solutions globally.
“It became obvious to us that we needed to teach in a more 21st century way, so we've adopted a new approach called Active Blended Learning,” said Andrew Taylor, digital services manager, University of Northampton. “I like to refer to it as almost the democratisation of learning, because it's not one person standing above everyone else and talking down to them anymore.”
The backbone of Waterside’s new digital infrastructure is a campus-wide matrix of networked AV equipment. Thirty-three AMX SVSI N-series encoder and decoder units stream 4k video to 116 flexible teaching spaces, 24 collaborative spaces,

Italy - RTS is well established as a go-to intercom choice for sports broadcasters all over the world. RTS equipment continues to be standard issue in OB trucks covering international competitions at every level.
A recent example is Global Production’s OB coverage of the European Under-21 football championships in Italy. The Turin-based company deployed its OB-8 truck to cover the tournament - the largest and most recently-equipped member of its fleet. In addition to this, OB-8 is also Global Production’s first truck to feature RTS intercoms.
“We have two other vehicles that use different systems,” recalls Luca Manfredi, OB manager at Global Production. “But when we came to making the technical choices for OB-8, we could see that the RTS system was superior.”
As a result of this decision, the large and modern production environment of OB-8 features an Adam intercom matrix with 50 KP-series keypanels optimized for use with powerful Omneo IP-networking technology - 35 KP-5032 and 15 KP-4016.
The full-sized Adam matrix supports up to 272 ports. It can be configured to form multi-frame systems of up to 880 ports and supports the widest variety of audio interface cards in the industry. “We opted for the Adam matrix due to the power of the available ports and the compatibility with Dante and AES 67,” explains Manfredi.
The next generation of European football talents was on show for the world to see, as Spain claimed a fifth title by beating Germany 2-1 in the final in Udine. Thanks to the work of Global Production and the capa

Austria - For the fourth year in a row, Austrian multi-percussionist Martin Grubinger and his Percussive Planet Ensemble, supported by the St. Florianer Sängerknaben boys’ choir, performed outside Linz Cathedral during the annual classical concert series, Klassik am Dom.
Both outside and inside the cathedral, Grubinger, the professor of percussion at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg and his ensemble delivered a combination of pop and classical music spanning the history of music. In addition to the audience on site, thousands of listeners followed the performance on TV, courtesy of a live broadcast by Austria’s public station ORF2. Lawo mc² mixing consoles were used for both the FOH mix and the audio mix for the telecast.
The 20 musicians of the Percussive Planet Ensemble - nine horns, bass, guitar, drums, keyboard, piano, five percussionists and Grubinger himself - used 80 channels, which were connected via a Lawo stagebox to a 40-fader mc²36 as the FOH console and to an mc²66 in the TVN OB truck. For this purpose, the instruments, picked up mainly with Schoeps microphones, were connected to a DALLIS rack with 96 inputs as well as 16 analogue and 16 AES outputs using 150m of fibre cabling.
Inside the cathedral, 30 channels were used for the performance by the children's choir and a smaller version of the ensemble. The related microphones were connected to a Lawo Compact I/O stagebox. The mc²36 console was connected via Ravenna and two MADI lines in one-to-one signal patch-through fashion. The monitor split went via Rmio MADI/Dante conv