USA - British breakout band Bastille burst onto the American scene less than a year ago, and has grown from a band with one hit single to a certified concert headliner due largely to its electrifying live shows. The Virgin Records-signed group began its first headlining North American tour this spring, and Thunder Audio Inc. has been an integral part of the production since before it even touched down on US soil.

The band's production team met with Thunder Audio pre-tour to discuss the challenges that they'd face in bringing the exact same show to Bastille fans every night, despite tight load in- and out- times and a varied list of venues - from sports arenas to intimate theatres - with the resulting mix of gear rigging restrictions and sonic differences. As a result, the touring sound company specified a portion of its newly acquired L-Acoustics K1 complement - including 24 K1

The Netherlands - Jurjen Hesseling - founder of Dutch technical design and production company Jurlights - and Tom Back, co-founder of Alcons Audio, both have a single-minded 'no compromise' attitude towards delivering audio excellence in any live situation. 2014 was the third year that Jurlights deployed Alcons systems on the annual Haarlem Jazz Festival, with both companies keen to continue tweaking the systems to deliver the ultimate in outdoor audio quality.

The festival takes place over three days in August, with a main outdoor stage in the town's central market square, the Grote Markt. Smaller outdoor stages are housed at nearby Klokhuisplein (Clock House Square), Oude Groenmarkt (Old Greenmarket) and Nieuwekerksplein (New Church Place). This year's edition featured artists like Oleta Adams, VanVelzen and Eva Simons.

Jurlights supplies and manages the technical production

UK - Featuring original songs by David Bryan, co-founder of Bon Jovi, and a storyline from Joe DiPietro, Memphis recently opened at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London's West End, complete with sound design by Gareth Owen. The show stars the Queen of British soul, Beverley Knight, opposite West End star Killian Donnelly, in a compelling show that is set in the 1950s underground nightclubs of Memphis, Tennessee, with a storyline about the racial challenges of the era and a great musical mix of rock'n'roll, blues and gospel.

At the heart of the sound system is a pair of Avid Venue control surfaces, Gareth's regular mixer of choice, while the sizeable sound system is an all-d&b audiotechnik affair. V-Series forms the core proscenium system (V8 and V12 cabinets), complemented by V and J-Infra Subs, and a T-Series centre cluster.

Overall, the complete system totals some 120 sp

UK - The Societe Generale is France's third largest bank and has had a presence in London since 1871. Occupying locations at St James' Square and Tower Hill, Soc Gen owes its history to a ceaseless programme of innovation which is applied across every part of its operation. The constant adapting and refining of its approach in an ever-changing world has seen Soc Gen perform strongly even in the most sluggish of environments. Recently, POLARaudio and installers ProAV were invited to address a very demanding brief.

Societe Generale wanted to revolutionise its existing provision by combining the functions of a conferencing system with those of a public address system. It required a system capable of allowing communications to flow across multiple locations in two different buildings. The system was to be flexible and easy to use whilst at the same time offering very high quality, c

USA - Metric Halo has announced the immediate availability of version 2 of its Production Bundle plug-ins. The new plug-ins provide a comprehensive set of tools offering Metric Halo's signature sound quality at a compelling price.

The full Production Bundle includes eight plug-ins that provide engineers, producers, musicians and sound designers with the tools they need to create world-class mixes and productions. Starting with the ChannelStrip, the Production Bundle adds TransientControl, Character, HaloVerb, Dirty Delay, Multiband Dynamics, Multiband Expander, and the Precision DeEsser.

Dirty Delay is a visceral, gritty, fantastic-sounding musical feedback delay processor with integrated Character and filters in the delay path. It can create awesome vintage echo and tape-delay style sounds as well as lush and subtle spaces in a mix. New users are already finding that it is mo

Singapore - Singapore's award-winning Music Matters Live with HP brings together the music and entertainment industry of the region in one place. With over 60 bands, 18 countries, and 170 shows the event is a global platform that connects the music industry with fans through a strong line-up of local and international bands. Emerging and established bands from Asia and around the world took to the main Fountain Stage over the course of the festival, where D.A.S. Audio professional sound systems delivered superior sound that wowed the crowds.

Music Matters Live was broadcast live on YouTube from the event's main Fountain Stage in Clarke Quay, an entertainment hotspot on Singapore's waterfront. Yet the massive event also required the collaboration of other venues around the city, including two Timbre Group locales which are no strangers to D.A.S. Audio: both are fitted out with a

Spain - HK Audio's Elements system has been called upon to soundtrack events at Barcelona's historic Sant Pau Recinte Modernista World Heritage Site.

Designed by the celebrated Catalan architect Lluis Domènech i Montaner, the Sant Pau Recinte Modernista is a complex of buildings erected in 1902 in what is today downtown Barcelona. The fully restored Modernista pavilions, designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997, now house the historic archives of Hospital de la Santa Creu, a former infirmary dating back to 1401, a health info center, and an arts center that hosts all kinds of events from conferences and training to presentations and corporate parties.

The most handsome room in the Sant Pau Recinte Modernista administration pavilion is named after its architect Lluis Domènech i Montaner. Featuring plush appointments in period style, the 170 m² venue may be rented f

UK - Capital Sound fielded its full MLA system for the first time at the Royal Albert Hall to honour a special one-off performance by Paul Rodgers and his authentic Memphis R&B band; this comprised musicians who had worked on his album The Royal Sessions, recorded at the start of the year.

But Capital went a step further. In order to extract the optimum performance from the 14 MLA enclosures (plus down-fill) that formed the main front facing PA, and 14 MLA Compact (out-fills) on either flank of the historically difficult venue, earlier in the week their technical manager Ian Colville had undertaken a site survey and re-evaluation.

He explained, "As this was our first combined MLA/MLA-C show at the Royal Albert Hall, it seemed a good opportunity to check the architectural data to ensure that we had the most accurate information to enter into the [dedicated Martin Au

Band Aid - One Direction, Ed Sheeran and Elbow are among the acts who will take part in a fourth version of the Band Aid charity single, Do They Know It's Christmas. Announcing the project, Bob Geldof and Midge Ure said the song's lyrics would be changed to reflect the Ebola crisis. The original was released in 1984. It sold 3.7m copies and raised £8m for famine relief in Ethiopia. The new version will be recorded this Saturday and should be available for download on Monday morning. "It's not a bad line-up so far," said Midge Ure. "As long as Bob and I stay off the vocals, we'll be fine."

Germany Calling - The first European edition of US music festival Lollapalooza is to be held in Berlin next year, organisers have announced. The main event, held in Chicago since 1991, will land in the city's Tempelhof airport site in September 2015. Foun

Singapore - Expo AV-Insync (EAI) were chosen to provide full technical production for the first ever FREQ'ender dance festival in Singapore - and the company wasted no time in specifying its Martin Audio MLA system for the two day event.

The event was held at Infinite Studios and promoted by Limited Edition Concepts (Singapore), with 4,500 people attending over the weekend.

The festival was split into two distinct days - the first (in conjunction with Hallowe'en) was named Freq'show, and this made way on Day 2 for Mekanika, produced by international Trance Festival brand, Godskitchen

EAI managing director, Gerard Rodrigues, confirms that the MLA system had been recommended by his company. "The end result was that everyone, including the promoters, really felt the music and were amazed at the audio quality. They were really blown away. The MLX subs also became a talking

UK - DiGiCo has announced the release of the SD App, which is now available through the Apple App Store.

The DiGiCo SD App is compatible with all consoles in the SD Range and allows users to take advantage of both Apple and DiGiCo's touch screen technology.

The advent of the DiGiCo SD App means that your iPad becomes a remote control surface and also an expansion of the control surface. This application takes the existing feature set and presents it in a new way to take advantage of the extra screen. This allows engineers to implement very specific functions dedicated for FOH or Monitors.

Aimed at installation and touring applications, the DiGiCo SD App includes a number of dedicated screens that open up the iPad surface to a selection of the consoles' functionality. For example, there are eight macros available on the hardware buttons of an SD9, but by connecting the iPad v

USA - The Audio Engineering Society is set to host its 57th International Conference on 6-8 March 2015, in the Hollywood neighbourhood of Los Angeles, at the renowned TCL Chinese 6 Theatres in Hollywood, with hotel accommodations across the street at the historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.

With the participation of industry partner SMPTE - the Society of Motion and Television Engineers - and following on the heels of the highly-successful Sound for Picture programme track at the recent AES137 International Convention in L.A., the 57th Conference is positioned to set yet another milestone for the AES. With a direct focus on the Future of Audio Entertainment Technology, this conference will explore the latest issues facing audio professionals today in regards to cinema, television, online content and more, and is being co-chaired by Brian McCarty and Dr. Sean Olive.

Sound produc

Thailand - One Systems Global are looking forward to the grand opening of their new premises this month, but already the building is being used to facilitate new services to customers throughout Thailand. The first official d&b audiotechnik training seminars have recently taken place there, attracting enthusiastic plaudits from all concerned.

Chief operations officer, Alfonso Martín, explains the rationale behind delivering d&b specific training: "The structure and content of the training sessions created by d&b audiotechnik makes them accessible to all our customers - both current and prospective. The participants were a real mix of people with different skill levels and different reasons for attending: from some of the most respected and senior sound engineers in the country to audio guys just starting their careers at local rental companies. We also welcomed a good numb

Italy - American sound artist Bill Fontana has partnered with Meyer Sound in the creation of Sonic Mappings, a permanent sound art installation for Rome's MAXXI Museum. Fontana's musical landscape pays tribute to Rome's Acqua Vergine, the ancient waterway that is at the heart and soul of Roman civilization. Sonic Mappings is the centrepiece of Open Museum Open City, the museum's latest exhibition dedicated to sound, which MAXXI artistic director Hou Hanru describes as "the most radical and experimental aspect of contemporary art."

Undertaking an ambitious artistic journey, Fontana travelled the path of the Acqua Vergine from the source springs at Salone to the ancient tunnels still in existence under the streets of Rome. By using microphones, hydrophones, and accelerometers - some placed in the water flow and some imbedded into walls - Fontana captured th

France - Rising Star is the latest reality TV singing competition to take France by storm. Currently aired live every Thursday night on M6, France's most profitable private national TV channel, the show is derived from an Israeli concept where it was a massive success. In contrast to other TV singing competitions which feature a panel of celebrity judges, Rising Star features a panel of celebrity experts who offer opinions and commentary, but candidates rely almost exclusively on viewer votes in real time via a free smartphone app to determine whether or not they achieve the next stage.

From a technical point of view, the show breaks new ground. The same is true backstage where Euro Media, the European leader in the provision of broadcast services who are responsible for bringing Rising Star to French TV screens, decided to call on Paris-based company Yasta

Germany - With headquarters in Kassel and branches in Hamburg, Berlin and Frankfurt, Ambion GmbH is one of Germany's leading technical event providers. The company has been using Coda Audio systems for several years and recently made another major investment in its products, via German distributor Audiovation GmbH.

The previous experience that Ambion's Jesko Purmann and Michael 'Miwe' Wengerter had with Coda systems meant they were already convinced of the sound and manufacturing quality, rigging flexibility and simple operation of even the largest Coda systems. So when the company introduced its new Linus amplification and control platform at this year's ProLight+Sound, Ambion approached Audiovation about making a further major investment in Coda technology, to utilize the benefits of the new Linus platform.

"Ambion wanted to significantly expand its inventory of Coda lo

UK - David Ferreira has joined Pioneer Pro Audio as technical sales specialist, adding to the growing team responsible for sales and installation of the brand's sound systems for clubs, bars and restaurants. David brings with him seven years of pro audio experience, most recently as UK sales executive for Martin Audio. Prior to that he worked at Loud Technologies as European service supervisor and technical support specialist.

"It's an exciting time to be joining Pioneer Pro Audio," says David. "With Pioneer DJ's legacy of innovation and Pioneer/TAD's heritage in speakers, I'm looking forward to helping to develop and expand the Pioneer Pro Audio brand."

Alex Barrand, Pioneer Pro Audio manager comments, "We're delighted to have David on board. His experience and understanding of the pro audio market will be invaluable in taking our versatile sound syst

UK - Midas has announced the G2.5 firmware release for the PRO Series digital live performance consoles and select DL15x and DL25x fixed-format I/O devices. The new firmware adds an array of new features, and provides more than 100 significant performance enhancements.

New features included in the comprehensive upgrade include: Solo Follow Select on the PRO1; the ability to disable automation buttons on the control surface; user can now turn bulkhead fans off and restart automatically; the ability to flatten the GEQ from the surface; 48k capability for DL15x and DL25x Series I/O devices plus compatibility with ver. 2.09, or higher M32 console firmware. Support has also been added for the DL155 and DL231, and the user can now update all I/O via AES50 on all consoles. A recovery system is now available for all PRO Series consoles and the "patching" page can be locked to

USA - When playwright Sarah Ruhl's latest play, The Oldest Boy, made its debut at Lincoln Centre Theater's Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre, sound designer Darron L West once again turned to Masque Sound, a leading theatrical sound reinforcement, installation and design company, to supply a custom audio equipment package for the much-anticipated production.

Designing the sound system for The Oldest Boy posed its own set of challenges; the first of which was the design of the stage itself. "The stage is a really beautiful, wooden formal circle in the middle of the theatre, and in designing the sound I wanted to be able to create layers from the centre out," says West. "We placed an enormous amount of speakers in the theatre to accomplish this, which gave us the added ability of being able to move the majority of the sounds around the room with ease. It was a

Ukraine - 1+1 Media Group is one of the largest media conglomerates in Ukraine. It is comprised of eight Ukrainian TV channels and also includes a fully-fledged production company. 1+1 Media recently installed an ANDIAMO.XT AES/MADI converter and two powerful M.1k2 MADI routing systems from DirectOut as the audio core in their new eight-floor TV Centre, plus a number of ANDIAMO.XT AES/MADI converters in two of their OB vans which have been converted to full HD facilities.

"This is the first time we have worked with DirectOut, and they couldn't have been more helpful," affirmed Aleksey Marko, head of procurement for 1+1 Media. "It's rather a long story and of course our political situation has not helped matters, but the short version is, that having purchased an Evertz video router for the new TV centre, we needed a solution to be able to combine all of our audio

USA - MGM Resorts International and Live Nation teamed up this fall to produce the inaugural Route 91 Harvest country music festival on the Las Vegas Strip over October's first weekend. Staged on a huge lot across the famed boulevard from MGM's Luxor, the three-day event featured some of the biggest names in country music, including nightly headliners Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert and Jason Aldean, plus more than two dozen other classic artists and fast-rising newcomers.

Route 91 Harvest was a big show, but true to Las Vegas' larger-than-life philosophy, it was only one of four huge music fests held there within a single month's time. The iHeart Radio festival (21 September) saw pop stars Iggy Azalea, Neon Trees, 5 Seconds of Summer and Fences take the stage; on 27 September the first iteration of the Boulevard Brew Fest brought rockers Kings of Leon, Young the Giant and Kongos

UK - With new exhibitors and new speakers being announced every week, there will be plenty for visitors to see at the Glasgow SECC for the inaugural PLASA Focus Glasgow event, which takes place on 2-3 December 2014.

New exhibitors announced this week include Adlib Audio and HDPro Audio, Orbital Sound and FBT Audio UK, who will join the all-star list of exhibitors already at the show - including Robe, Ambersphere, White Light, Avolites, Chauvet, AED, Sennheiser, Bosch, NL Productions, JHS ProAudio, Warehouse Sound, LMC Audio, Polar Audio, Black Light, Trusslite, Total Solutions Group, UK Rigging, TMB and many more.

PLASA's Professional Development Programme will deliver two days of presentations, technical demonstrations and panel discussions, all designed to help visitors build their industry knowledge and improve their skill set. This year's programme focusses on the hot topi

World - Monitor engineer Travis Walat recently completed the European and North American legs of the Joss Stone Total World tour with an Allen & Heath iLive T-112 Surface and a 48 input / 24 output iDR-48 MixRack.

The ultimate aim of the tour is for the 26 year old soul singer-songwriter to play a show in every country on the planet, so with performances widely spread across the globe the audio crew was travelling light. To ensure that the band's monitors were consistent wherever in the world they were, Walat looked for a mixing solution that offered full functionality in a compact footprint, finally settling on the iLive system after trying it out in rehearsals.

Twenty-one shows and 18 countries later, Walat enthused: "The iLive is an excellent sounding desk. Several band members commented on how nice things sounded, and it is also lightweight, compact and powerful, with

UK - The Shure Academy European Audio Network has announced the fourth Wireless Mastered workshop of 2014, to be held at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in Central London on 24 November. Presented by Tuomo Tolonen, Shure Distribution UK's Pro Audio Group manager and RF specialist, the session will take place in the Jerwood Vanbrugh Theatre at RADA between 9.30am and 3pm, with a break for light refreshments.

As with the previous highly successful Wireless Mastered sessions, this masterclass is aimed at all event production staff, and anyone that regularly uses wireless technology. The session covers all aspects of RF technology and wireless microphone operation, including discussions of the changing availability of RF spectrum use for live events.

Shure wireless technology will be used as a practical reference, including PSM900/PSM1000 in-ear monitoring, UHF-R, ULX-D a

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