UK - Prolyte is set to collaborate with long-standing partner Stage Electrics, one of the UK's premier Prolyte suppliers, for two exclusive campus events in Glasgow and Birmingham this January.
Prolyte and Stage Electrics invite industry professionals to join these insightful events, helmed by Prolyte's expert, Eric Laanstra. With over 23 years of expertise, Prolyte's seasoned product manager, promises a profound exploration into the intricacies of rigging, trussing, and staging.
The Glasgow event takes place 23 January 2024 at RCS Glasgow; Birmingham’s venue is MAC Birmingham on 24 January.
Both events will feature a comprehensive lecture, offering attendees profound insights into Prolyte's cutting-edge rigging solutions.
These events present an opportunity for those seeking rigging or trussing solutions for their venues or to learn more about their current Prolyte set up. Engage with industry leaders, delve into enlightening workshops, and broaden your understanding of Prolyte rigging.
Tickets cost only £10 and are available at www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/stage-electrics-19881521226
USA - The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences (CRAS) in Arizona, has installed two Solid State Logic Origin 32-channel in-line analogue mixing consoles in July. The two new consoles are installed in Studio B at the main CRAS campus in Tempe and Studio B at the satellite campus in Gilbert, where students are first introduced to the signal flow and operation of large-format recording consoles.
“Students who enter our programme have access to both consoles,” says Robert Brock, director of education at CRAS. “On any given day, we're running the same class at both locations in parallel.”
The two Origins have replaced a pair of 25-year-old consoles that were used by CRAS teaching staff to instruct students on the concepts of audio signal flow and the features and functionality of analogue consoles. With those two older consoles at the end of their serviceable life, it was time to replace them, he says. “We didn't see any need to change the core concepts of the training, so it was just about what piece of equipment helps us illustrate those concepts well, that is new and that is going to be reliable.”
The staff did their due diligence, Brock continues, evaluating all the large-format analogue consoles currently on the market. Ultimately, having been teaching on four SSL consoles, two 4000 Series and two AWS 948s, in other rooms at CRAS for many years, they selected the newest large-format console from the manufacturer. “The Origin sounds good; it's a pro-level console,” he says. “It's an SSL - whether it’s a small interface or
UK - Production Futures, the organisation founded to create opportunities for young people to learn, train, network and develop real careers in every sector of the production industries, has announced a partnership with Cheshire College - South and West.
The arrangement sees the college’s programme leader for events and technical theatre, Angie Berwick, become Production Futures’ education ambassador, a role which it is hoped will lead the way to collaborations with a variety of education institutes across the UK.
Angie is well-placed to take on the challenge, combining as she does her Programme Leader role with more than 20 years’ experience of running her own events business. She will provide expert strategic advice to Production Futures on the needs of young people in education, as well as working with education providers to raise awareness of the opportunities within the production industries, helping them to develop job-ready talent when the time is right.
Production Futures chief executive, Hannah Eakins, believes that working directly with education institutions to maintain the visibility of the industry to government, parents and young people, has never been more important.
“A better understanding of, and closer relationship with, the education sector is key to our aim of ensuring that there is a consistent pipeline of talent entering the production industry. We’ve worked informally with Cheshire College as a partner for some years, but meeting Angie in person, and enjoying a lengthy discussion about improving the connectio
UK - The University of the Arts London (UAL) recently sought to update its audio-visual systems in classrooms at three key campuses. London-based integrator, Tateside, was approached directly to work on the project.
“The project encompassed classroom refurbishment works at South London-based campuses and a full installation at a further campus in High Holborn,” explains Joby Morris, audio visual and networks specialist at Tateside.
“We selected Tateside because it was clear from the start that they really understood our vision for using NDI and Dante to create learning environments that had the flexibility of AVoIP without the vendor lock-in of other protocols,” explains Tom Lynch, technical manager at UAL. “Also, as a London-based university, working with a London-based AV Integrator is super valuable and quite rare.”
The most significant part of the project was at UAL’s High Holborn site, part of the university’s Creative Computing Institute. Here, two newly refurbished classroom spaces required AV integration to improve the learning experience for both in-person and remote students. “The team at UAL are NDI visionaries and their campus systems are based around this flexible protocol,” says Jack Cornish, technical director at Tateside. “They were also keen on using BirdDog technology, so we also incorporated this into the solution too.”
In the larger of the two classrooms, the main display comprises a pair of Panasonic PT-VMZ71 Series projectors with Supernova Core 120” projection screens. A custom lectern from To
UK - The ALPD has announced that applications are now open for the Lumière Scheme 2024.
Established by the ALPD in 2015, the Lumière Scheme is a professional development programme that provides pathways into the industry for emerging lighting practitioners and designers.
The ALPD will partner with Glyndebourne on this scheme for the third year running and announces that this year they can also offer a second scheme: The Production Lumière Scheme.
A pathway scheme for emerging lighting designers, the Design Lumière Scheme gives the successful candidate valuable experience of working professionally as an assistant lighting designer for six months. For the first three months, the Lumière will be placed at Glyndebourne, assisting visiting lighting designers within the lighting and AV department.
Danny Vavrečka, the 2023 Design Lumière, wrote of his time with the team at Glyndebourne: “I’m so grateful for their support and all the combined knowledge they have generously shared with me.”
In the second stage, the Design Lumière will be matched with a number of established lighting designers and will spend a total of three months assisting them, travelling around the country. The Production Lumiere will spend four weeks at Regent’s Park Theatre and a further two weeks at Lamp & Pencil.
Alongside this, each Lumière will receive a bespoke package of mentoring and support. The Design Lumière may have the opportunity to take on associate lighting designer roles toward the end of their attachments. Previous Design Lum
UK - Rycote is set to partner with the University of Southampton. This partnership is an extension of the vision of the late John Gozzard, the original founder of Rycote, who left a substantial donation in his will to pave the way for opportunities in audio engineering. Rycote, honouring Gozzard's legacy, aims to foster a diverse community of new talents in sound engineering through this collaborative initiative.
Gozzard, recognising the university's long-standing reputation of excellence in acoustics, aimed to invest in new generations to foster innovation and attract a diverse community of budding audio engineers. His legacy lives on through this collaboration, which has already seen the university renovate its anechoic chamber, providing students with state-of-the-art facilities for their studies and research.
The facility, used almost daily by students, researchers, and consultancy clients, is a testament to the university's commitment to providing high-quality, practical resources for its students. The chamber plays a crucial role in various measurements and research, which covers a vast range of applications, from identifying noisy components on trains to measuring the frequency response of loudspeakers and microphones.
Simon Beesley, sales & business development director at Rycote, comments: "Our collaboration with the University of Southampton aims to support students as well as opening the door to new game-changers in the industry. This partnership bridges the gap between academia and our industry, allowing us to see the real-world impa
Europe - Obsidian Control Systems recently conducted back-to-back training sessions at its European headquarters in Kerkrade, aimed at training its European distributors on the specifics of the intuitive Onyx lighting control platform. The sessions were specifically designed to springboard an Obsidian awareness campaign starting with a programme to Train the Trainers.
Koy Neminathan, Elation director of business development, who helped lead the sessions, commented, “Nothing is perfect until you have mastered it, and that is why we are investing our resources into educating our network of distributors and resellers. In turn, they will be available to train those who want to learn more about the ONYX software. These sessions have been received positively by those who attended our first course and this is just the start.”
Obsidian partners across the world are being offered the Train the Trainer sessions alongside Obsidian’s current three-day Onyx course, which also includes an in-depth look at the Netron line of data distribution products. Participants complete a programme in which learning techniques are explained and practical tests are delivered with the aim of equipping individuals with the skills and knowledge needed to effectively train others in the powerful features that lay within the easy-to-learn platform.
Nineteen attendees from nine countries were the first to participate in the Train the Trainer sessions with more planned in the coming weeks. “The ultimate goal is to create a knowledgeable team of trainers around the globe who c
South Africa - Jade Manicom from DWR Distribution recently delivered comprehensive Vectorworks Spotlight training over a two week period in Johannesburg and Durban. With the live events industry in the midst of a busy season, the classes were small but allowed her to provide personalised one-on-one training.
“The training went very well,” said Jade Manicom. “People were engaged and were asking questions. Having chatted with them afterwards, I could tell they had gained something from it. In Durban, only one delegate had used Vectorworks before, while the others were new to it. They were impressed with what it could do.”
The Johannesburg session took place from 28 August to 1 September at DWR, offering a range of training levels from basic to advanced. The curriculum encompassed various subjects such as layouts and palettes, basic tools, classes and layers, Spotlight tools, Renderworks, intermediate tools, worksheets and reports, 3D modelling, resource management, and file import and export.
The Durban training took place on 4-5 September at the Durban Jewish Club, where each delegate acquired proficiency in 2D drafting skills, 3D modelling, and the ability to create venue plans.
Jade believes that a 3D programme is something people should consider, particularly when in the process of planning the intricate details of their events, including fixture counts and related elements. Importantly it allows clients to see the concept come to life visually, making it more engaging than just a verbal description.
“With Vectorworks Spot
South Africa - DWR Distribution and MA Lighting are to present a workshop tailored for technical crew and volunteers based at Houses of Worship. Australian lighting designer Jarrad Donovan, consultant for Hillsong Australia, and MA Lighting's Luke Chikkala will take part.
Attendance is completely free, but booking is essential. The dates are 22 October in Johannesburg, Durban (25) and Cape Town (27).
Born into a Christian family, Jarrad attended the Salvation Army in Sydney, Australia, where he managed lighting setups for a diverse array of events, including camps, conferences, and youth gatherings, utilizing equipment ranging from parcan rigs to moving lights. His journey continued when he joined the Hillsong Hills Campus in
“This is my first visit to South Africa and I am very excited,” says Jarrad. “I have a passion for lighting and production in churches and using my skills and gifts to create an atmosphere to best suite that particular church. I want to empower churches to make the right decision for their venues and use my experiences to help guide them as best I can.”
Luke Chikkala serves as technical support with MA Lighting. Also a Christian, he understands the technical requirements in Houses of Worship, while possessing extensive technical expertise. Luke is renowned for delivering intensive training sessions to top lighting designers worldwide.
Delegates attending the workshop can look forward to exploring practical case studies involving churches of various sizes and will be provided with insight into how Hillsong e
USA - ClearOne has announced an updated line-up of online training courses. Open to participants worldwide, the ClearOne University October 2023 training schedule is now open for registration here.
“As the AV industry continues to evolve through ground-breaking product developments and research, it’s crucial for manufacturers and AV professionals to prioritise ongoing education to remain at the forefront of innovation and expertise,” said Terry Mathis, technical trainer at ClearOne. “We’re proud to deliver an array of professional development and learning opportunities to our partners through ClearOne University, which builds on our investment in AV channel networks and business channels.”
ClearOne University serves as a central hub where integrators can elevate their product knowledge, dive deeper into advanced AV concepts, and acquire hands-on experience with ClearOne solutions. It offers integrators, regardless of location, the opportunity to engage in real-time learning and collaboration with ClearOne's team of product experts.
In October, ClearOne will offer five certification courses that award AVIXA RUs for CTS certification. Integrators can also register for in-depth product training courses, including a designated session for ClearOne’s award-winning DIALOG UVHF wireless microphone.
UAE - The Adam Hall Group reports a successful LD Systems day in Dubai. Together with the LD Systems sales partner Pro Lab, the global event technology manufacturer staged a one-day partner and customer event at the Pro Lab headquarters on 7 September. The highlight was the first hands-on demonstration of the LD Systems MAILA system in the United Arab Emirates.
After an introduction of the Adam Hall Group and its long history in the field of event technology, Viktor Wiesner, senior product manager, pro audio, guided the numerous attendees through the constantly growing LD Systems portfolio, followed by a detailed product demonstration of the MAILA (Modular All-Round Intelligent Line-Array) system by LD Systems field application engineer Jens Kleinhuis.
In general, LD Systems and Pro Lab placed a lot of emphasis on the intensive exchange between existing customers and potential interested parties and the LD Systems team from product management, product development and technical support.
After the MAILA live sound and touring solution, the focus was on LD Integrated Systems products for the AV fixed installation sector. In addition to the Questra planning and management software, visitors were given a detailed overview of the constantly growing LD Systems Install portfolio of loudspeakers, mixing amplifiers and matrix processors. The LD Systems Day was rounded off by the accompanying audio tools and stand solutions from Palmer and Gravity.
"The LD Systems day was a complete success," says Markus Jahnel, COO Adam Hall Group. "Together with our s
UK - Robe received two more PLASA Awards for Innovation - for its Footsie and iForte LTX products - at the 2023 PLASA entertainment technology expo staged in London last week, capping off another busy three days for the Czech moving light and LED manufacturer.
Robe also celebrated its acquisition of leading lighting console manufacturer, Avolites, now officially ‘A Robe Business’ and premiered its new expo live show Power of Imagination that will run through 2023-24, designed to show off Robe’s newest technologies in situ in a high energy live performance spectacle.
Two other major new products were officially launched at the expo in addition to the iForte LTX - the Forte Fresnel and Forte PC - while a range of other popular and current luminaires featured in the show were demoed in two closed studio spaces filled with people and interest throughout.
Also previewed were a couple of very cool looking brand-new products - the HolyPatt and the MolyPatt - both new additions to Robe’s scenic Patt range of luminaires, and these attracted substantial interest. People loved the classic design and the warm incandescent glow of the squirrel bulbs.
The Robe stand was as busy as always, the visitor quality was high with industry practitioners from a wide range of different sectors checking out the great vibes of the show which had expanded from last year with the full floorspace occupied by exhibitors.
The Robe UK sales team commented generally that people spent meaningful time on the stand, which resulted in many orders taken and
UK - In step with the welcome return of the British summer, PLASA Show made a triumphant return to the Grand Hall of Olympia London from 3-5 September, spanning a third more floor space with a striking 28% increase in visitors.
Lee House, operations director for Ambersphere Solutions, says: “I was struck by a sense of nostalgia and excitement - PLASA Show has made a triumphant return! The hall was bustling with a diverse array of exhibitors and, most importantly, visitors who were eager to engage in meaningful conversations about their technological needs for the present and future. It was a jam-packed, unforgettable three days that left us eagerly anticipating what next year will bring."
Tom Mowat, hire account manager for Encore, concurs: “PLASA Show 2023 was absolutely incredible. It was fantastic to see the whole of the hall used by exhibitors. The attendance along with the quality of conversation is testament to just how important this event is in our calendar.”
Well over a third of visitors were final decision makers, and one in five were business owners or directors. Additional key job roles included technicians and programmers (one in ten), followed closely by sound engineers, lighting designers, technical directors and consultants. Half of the attendees work across concert touring, theatre, and live events, with a further 20% hailing from AV, broadcast and corporate sectors. Notably, this year saw a 9% increase in international visitors, with 17 more countries in attendance compared to 2022.
Adam Ironside, marketing manager for
UK - Orbital Sound’s dedicated education division, Training Plus, recently put 40 aspiring sound engineers through their paces during an intensive hands-on learning experience in Edinburgh, just ahead of this year’s Fringe Festival.
Training Plus created a special course, Fringe Fundamentals for Sound, designed to provide an immersive learning experience for participants keen to hone their sound engineering skills. The majority of the trainees immediately went on to join the enormous cast for the challenging Fringe Festival, involving over 50,000 performers in 3,000 different shows staged in more than 250 venues.
Fringe Fundamentals for Sound caters for students seeking a comprehensive understanding of Fringe Theatre sound production, setup and operation. Over a total of four days, the class of 2023 were guided through hands-on workshops, theoretical classes, and real-world scenarios, guided by a team of industry-leading mentors and instructors, covering the intricacies of live theatre and performance sound, from setting up sound systems to fine-tuning acoustics.
Speaking about the success of the courses, Mike Thacker – head of education & advanced technologies, expressed his satisfaction with the turnout and enthusiasm of the participants. "We're thrilled to have had the opportunity to nurture the talents of these young sound engineers in the heart of Edinburgh. The combination of practical knowledge and creative exploration is what sets our courses apart, and seeing these budding engineers embrace that spirit has been truly
Hungary - Lightware Visual Engineering has announced the launch of Lightware Academy, its new free certified e-learning resource for students and professionals at every level who have a thirst in specialising in the AV market, and gaining or advancing their knowledge of the entire industry.
Based on Lightware’s core principles of openness and knowledge-sharing, Lightware Academy is open to everyone - customers or not - and provides industry-leading content curated by a breadth of seasoned professionals in the area.
Participants can enrol in more than 10 courses, organised into three core categories:
Traditional AV: Focused on the use of hardware components, such as audio and video cables, switchers, and matrixes, to transmit and switch audio and video signals between devices.
AV-over-IP: It involves the processes behind sending audio, video, and other signals over LAN or WAN networks, the Internet, or both.
Room Automation and AV Integration: To cover the seamless integration of Lightware products with industry-leading 3rd party devices from network switchers to USB webcams, audio systems and other AV or IT infrastructures.
Each course includes immersive learning experiences, on-demand videos accessible anytime and anywhere, and downloadable materials in PDF and PPT. There are three levels, based on the proficiency and needs of every participant:
On completion, professionals can validate their knowledge with a comprehensive quiz and receive a prestigious certificate as a testament to their achievement.
"Lightware's
USA - ESTA has announced a team of nine ETCP recognised trainers as the recipients of the Frank Stewart Volunteer of the Year Award for service in both 2022 and 2023:
Bennett Brian (Reed Rigging, Inc.), Tyler DeLong (DeLong Rigging Solutions), Brent "Mickey" Henry (ETC), Shane Kelly (DePaul University), Rebecca Knipfer (ETC), Ed Leahy (The Chicago Flyhouse, Inc.), Verda Beth Martell (DLR Group), Tracy Nunnally (Vertigo), and Patrick Stewart (ETC), whose father is the award's namesake. These trainers tirelessly volunteered around their busy schedules to plan, design, and deliver a curriculum for the Midwest Rigging Intensive (MRI) two years in a row.
“Being recognised by ESTA for doing MRI is one of the highlights of my career thus far,” said DeLong, whose company, DeLong Rigging Solutions, is a sponsor. “I support MRI because it is a unique event driven by a group of world-class trainers who are allowed the freedom to create an all-encompassing curriculum of their choosing. We are passionate about our material, and it shows. I lovingly refer to MRI as the geekiest weekend in rigging, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.”
The Volunteer of the Year Award was originally created by ESTA to honour Frank Stewart's incomparable service over the 18 years he served as its treasurer and the additional 20 years he served as bookkeeper. This award recognises extraordinary effort by a volunteer or group of volunteers and may be awarded for work on a specific project. The Volunteer of the Year Award is not presented every year, but only when there ar
UK - PLASA Show once again returns to Olympia London to showcase the future of live entertainment technology. From 3-5 September, the expanded show will set the stage for 239 brands, 112 educational sessions, and the meeting of thousands of industry professionals. Free tickets are available until 31 August, after which the price will increase to £15, then £20 on the door.
Lighting professionals can look forward to meeting Artistic Licence, Astera, Ayrton, Chauvet Professional, Claypaky, Elation, ETC, GDS, GLP, MA Lighting, Martin, Robert Juliat, ROXX, SGM, TMB, Vari-Lite and more leading brands. Plus, headline sponsor Robe will run impressive live demonstrations on its stand throughout the show.
Pro audio professionals can connect with brands such as Allen & Heath, AED Audio, BishopSound, d&b audiotechnik, DiGiCo, EM Acoustics, FBT Audio, Glensound, KV2 Audio, JBL, L-Acoustics, Midas, Nexo, Omega Pro Audio, OutBoard, Peavey, RCF, Sennheiser, Shure, Tannoy, Yamaha and more. Plenty of AV brands will be in attendance too, such as Canford Audio, Clear-Com, Epson, Green Hippo, Luminex, PSCo, Rosco and Tight AV.
Those who work with staging and rigging technology can shake hands with the likes of Area Four Industries, BroadWeigh, ChainMaster, CM-ET, Dirty Rigger, Doughty Engineering, Harlequin, Holotronica, J&C Joel, Lift Turn Move, Next Truss, Rigging Services, Steeldeck industries, Total Solutions Group, UK Rigging and
Denmark - Since opening in 2010, Sonic College, which is part of University College South Denmark, has provided a state-of-the-art hub for students looking to embark on a career in sound design to hone their craft and discover the full range of opportunities that exists in the art form.
The college, which moved into a new purpose-built campus last September, enables students to explore an array of options and technologies relating to film, TV, gaming, and more. Lars Tirsbæk, a verified audio expert and lecturer at Sonic College, discusses trends in sound design, education, and the rise of immersive audio. An increasing number of Dolby Atmos projects passes through the college doors, and Merging Technologies equipment is used to streamline the production process.
“As a teenager, I dreamt of being a keyboard player in a band, so my background is in music,” shares Tirsbæk. “I had taken some pre-conservatory courses, and when I applied to join the conservatory, I began to think about what I really wanted to do. I love playing music, but I also enjoyed working with synthesisers and creating sounds with things like vocal processing on stage.”
Therefore, between 2011 and 2015, he completed a programme in sound design at Sonic College. Afterwards, the programme head contacted him and asked if he wanted to teach on the same course, marking the start of his teaching career. He began as a guest lecturer in recording technologies and music production and progressed into a full-time position. When the Sonic College moved to the new campus, Tirsbæk wa
USA - Sound Devices has announced that they will be holding a free wireless training event at the Group One headquarters in Chatsworth, CA on Wednesday, 30 August from 10am PST to 3pm PST.
The event will be hosted by Sound Devices’ RF applications engineer Gary Trenda and technical specialist Cody Heimann and will cover a range of both basic and advanced topics in wireless operation across a variety of use case scenarios.
The wireless workshop is divided into two sections - Basic Wireless and Advanced Wireless. Basic Wireless will focus on core foundations of wireless operation while Advanced Wireless will approach common challenges found in the field and tips and tricks for getting the most out of your wireless workflow.
Attendees will have the opportunity to explore wireless gear close up, including the Sound Devices Astral Series A20-Nexus and A20-Nexus Go true diversity multichannel wireless receivers and A20-TX wireless transmitters, as well as products from other partners in the Audiotonix group such as Solid State Logic and Calrec.
"As applications for wireless continue to expand within the film/TV production, live event, and fixed installation worlds, it is more important than ever before to share information that optimises best practices within the industry," said Trenda. "We're pleased to offer this workshop and share our knowledge with both aspiring and veteran sound professionals within the Los Angeles area."
South Africa - d&b audiotechnik recently concluded a workshop tour in South Africa in collaboration with local distributor, Stage Audio Works. The workshops were led by Janko Ramuscak, senior application, training and support consultant at d&b audiotechnik, Germany. The event aimed to equip audio engineers and system technicians with advanced knowledge and practical skills related to the deployment and optimisation of d&b line-array systems.
The workshops took place in Cape Town and Johannesburg, where attendees had the opportunity to engage with industry expert Janko Ramuscak and gain insights into the intricacies of d&b’s systems. The participants were able to enhance their understanding of electroacoustics, line-array configuration and ArrayCalc software through comprehensive theoretical sessions and valuable time spent hands-on with the products.
"Our workshops were tailored to address the needs of regular users of our line-array systems,” explains Janko Ramuscak. “We explored the physical design of loudspeaker cabinets and the underlying principles of line-arrays, helping demystify common misconceptions along the way. The sessions also focused on subwoofer deployment and emphasised the importance of robust sound system planning, especially in line-array setups. Our software ecosystem, featuring ArrayCalc for planning and R1 for remote control, significantly streamlines this process, and it is important for us to share these technologies with our users."
The workshops were attended by audio engineers and system technicians
World - Wharfedale Pro has recently hosted a range of training and education courses aimed at its global network of distributors. With partnerships in 88 countries worldwide, Wharfedale Pro believes in the importance of offering these trainings to ensure brand consistency and promote better deployment of its system solutions.
Over the past six months, along with many remote online sessions Wharfedale Pro has hosted in-person distributor training events in Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, UAE, the Netherlands and Japan.
“It is important that we share our experience as a manufacturer and create an open and trusting relationship with customers,” explains Alex Lane, applications & solutions manager at Wharfedale Pro. “Training seminars are a fantastic platform to build relationships and learn from each other, as well as a tool for inspiring creative ideas.”
The topics covered in the training are catered to the specific market and distributor needs, although the full course covers topics including brand knowledge, product knowledge, amplifier and DSP fundamentals, loudspeaker system fundamentals and software.
“The most in-demand subjects are currently acoustic simulation, line-array tuning and amplifier and DSP fundamentals,” confirms Lane. “We’ve certainly moved away from the slideshow seminars of yesteryear and now focus on offering our distributors more interactive sessions.”
Wharfedale Pro’s approach to distributor training mirrors its brand values, as Lane explains: “Our core values are to be uncomplicated and of
UK - HIVE has forged a strategic partnership with live experience and entertainment campus, Production Park. This partnership is based on the shared future visions of HIVE and Production Park - innovative technology with a reduced carbon footprint that is disruptive to the marketplace. Additionally, through this partnership, HIVE now has access to capital to support its growth and product roadmap.
HIVE and Production Park’s partnership will continue to strengthen through the sponsorship of HIVE products within Production Park studios & classrooms, whilst Kane Sargent, an ex-student of Backstage Academy at Production Park, has joined the HIVE team as a full-time support engineer.
“Production Park is where the industry comes together, and we’re thrilled that our technology has a place there,” remarks Mark Calvert, co-founder at HIVE. “It’s also important to us that the people around us are aligned on our core values, such as innovation, education and sustainability, and the expertise and experience at Production Park is rooted solidly in these foundations.”
‘HIVE stands for all we believe in here at Production Park; innovation, sustainability and a dedication to transferring the tools and the knowledge to the next generation of live experience professionals,” says Lee Brooks, CEO at Production Park. “We’re delighted to be able to support their exciting growth story.”
South Africa - Sennheiser South Africa recently concluded a series of successful technology workshops across South Africa and Namibia. The workshops took place in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Windhoek and aimed to educate customers and end-users about the transition from analogue to digital systems whilst highlighting the latest product developments from Sennheiser's digital wireless range.
The workshops catered to a broad audience, including rental and staging companies, sound engineers, theatre designers, production companies and AV professionals from the house of worship, higher education, corporate and hospitality sectors.
The events, led by industry expert and Sennheiser GmbH technical application engineer, Jonas Næsby, provided hands-on experience with Sennheiser products and a chance to connect with other industry professionals from across the region. Further, attendees had the opportunity to learn about the benefits of digital technology and alleviate concerns associated with the transition from analogue to digital, a critical topic due to the recent change in radio frequency band allocation across South Africa. “All three sessions were great,” confirms Næsby. “The participants were all engaged, asked great questions, and were hands-on with the equipment.”
Highlighted products included the recently released EW-D, EW-DX, and EW-DP, all part of Sennheiser's Digital Wireless Series which recently became available to the local markets. These products seamlessly integrate within a single ecosystem, providing scalability and flexibility f
USA - Martin Audio US has announced a two-day training workshop, specifically designed to familiarise customers and partners with the art of line array optimisation. This is achieved using its proprietary DISPLAY system design and prediction software, and associated Vu-Net control and monitoring software first introduced to provide advanced and unique control of its MLA multi-cellular PA.
The event will take place at the HQ of event technology specialists, Alford Media, 296 Freeport Pkwy, Coppell, TX 75019 on 3-4 August.
Supporting both MLA, the latest Wavefront Precision optimised line array systems and Torus constant curvature arrays, the course is aimed at everyone involved in design or deploying these systems. Attendees are promised in-depth training in system design, optimisation software, rigging and control - as well as refreshments throughout.
According to Lee Stein, Martin Audio VP North America, the original idea had come from Alford Media themselves. “We received a request from Alford to conduct optimisation training for their own employees, but also for other potential users.
“It is our mutual goal to increase the level of knowledge in the market and the number of knowledgeable users as we often get requests from our partners for ‘certified’ engineers to support our systems, especially as we have seen very strong adoption of Wavefront Precision as a solution in both the production and installation markets.”
Added Brad Stephens, director, strategic projects & consultant relations: “Alford, like most production