USA - At NAMM 2015, Sensaphonics showcased two advanced IEM systems designed specifically for hearing-impaired musicians. 3D-ME is a Music Enhancement method for those with significant hearing loss, while the 3D-CROS addresses the more profound issue of unilateral deafness. These game-changing systems are specifically designed to keep musicians on stage and employed despite mild-to-severe hearing issues, and both are based on the patented Sensaphonics 3D Active Ambient technology platform.
"These new systems demonstrate the power of Active Ambient technology," says Sensaphonics president, Dr. Michael Santucci. "Our focus has always been on musician hearing health, something that few if any other in-ear manufacturers can claim. We deliver amazing audio, and we do it
USA - ATC, the UK loudspeaker manufacturer led by Billy Woodman and renowned for building reference monitors that are "unflinchingly truthful", introduced the ATC SCM45A at NAMM 2015.
The SCM45A is a completely new design but shares many features with the highly-successful SCM25A. It fills a gap in ATC's product range for a mid-size three-way that can be used in near- or mid-field positions, has high output and extended low frequency for its size but without compromising the overall balance for which ATC is so well known.
Like the SCM25A, the new SCM45A is an active three-way with an unprecedented linear response across the critical mid-range, as well as across the rest of the audible range. In contrast to the SCM25A, the SCM45A a second woofer for deeper bass response and increased SPL capability, as well as ATC's new proprietary dual-suspension tweeter for increase
Denmark - BroaMan's Danish distributor Danmon has been providing broadcast solutions to the country's public service broadcaster TV 2 for nearly two decades.
Last year, when they decided to upgrade one of their SNG trucks (DNK-47) from SD to HD, the Odense based facility moved its commentator intercom onto a Clear-Com platform and added a BroaMan Mux22 transmission device for signal routing.
This has enabled them to transport multiple data and video signals down a single fibre in the SNG truck, including HD-SDI, RS422, Sync and Ethernet network, using Dante as their audio platform.
TV 2 project manager, Kim Hansen, explains, "For years, the truck has been a key component in our technical setup for major sporting events (such as Tour de France, Handball World Cup etc.) where it acted not only as SNG, but as a small OB truck."
This latest upgrade involved stripping
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ETC Halcyon Silent
High End Systems Halcyon Silent builds on ETC’s legacy of fanless automated fixtures by incorporating features from the highly sought-after Halcyon family. Halcyon Silent perfectly balances silent operation with brilliant output of 18,400 lumens and high-impact features.
France - Every year, Mairie de Paris (Paris City Hall) turns the square in front of the building into an ice rink for the citizens of Paris to enjoy ice skating during the winter. This year technical audiovisual specialist, Novelty Group, decided to add enhancements to the traditional Christmas animation on the ice rink, and after conducting stringent testing on the SGM G-Spot LED moving head, placing it under a shower for three days, they were convinced by the IP-rating of the luminaire.
Supported by Sonoss, SGM's local partner, this year's festive installation went very smoothly. "This is typically the kind of site where it would have been very hard and expensive to install waterproof domes to protect standard moving lights, and thus making advanced animation impossible," says Vincent Criulanscy, product & project manager at Sonoss. He further adds that domes do not
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New Touring Series by Gravity – Every Scratch Has A Story
When the stage heats up, you need equipment that can keep up without compromise. The Gravity Touring Series has been specifically designed to meet the highest demands – for rental companies, professional musicians, concert organizers, and large event venues. Premium materials, exceptional durability, and impressive longevity make these products stand out. Whether on tour, in constant use, or under the toughest conditions: the Touring Series delivers maximum reliability and performance – every day, on every stage. FIND OUT MORE >>>
USA - As it approached its hundred-year anniversary as a congregation, Highland Park Baptist Church in Columbia, Tennessee sought to revamp its four hundred-seat sanctuary. It hired Church Interiors of High Point, North Carolina to help design and organize the work, which included structural and aesthetic improvements, as well as a new Sharp/Extron video system based around three huge LED screens and a cutting-edge sound reinforcement system.
Now, Danley Sound Labs horn-loaded loudspeakers and subwoofers deliver musical and highly intelligible sound, with power and processing supplied by rock-solid Ashly Audio amplifiers and digital signal processors. The sound system is zero compromise, exceeding Highland Park's hopes for fidelity and quality while still meeting their budgetary requirements.
"Highland Park's old sound system had an undersized sixteen-channel board and fr
UK - XL Video supplied one of its new bespoke mini-cam packages and LED screens for the latest UK and European tour by talented singer / songwriter and Brit winner Ben Howard, working with lighting and visuals designer Andy Rowe.
The tour - Howard's most comprehensive to date in terms of video production - was project managed by XL's Paul 'Macca' McCauley who commented, "We are thrilled to be involved with this fast rising star and an imaginative production design with an interesting and different slant on video."
Andy, Macca, production manager Chris Pollard and tour manager George Sewell met before the start of the tour to discuss video requirements and practicalities, and XL proposed their Pixled F-25 LED screen as a lightweight medium resolution solution that met the creative brief, together with the four mini-cams, which needed to be discreet, tourable and cost-
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AZOR® SP2 IP - Compact IP65 Spot Profile Moving Head
Compact design and IP65 protection for indoor and outdoor applications: the new AZOR® SP2 IP is the ideal solution for open-air events and outdoor theatres that require a powerful, weatherproof lighting system. An optimal partner for lighting designers and event service providers looking for a versatile LED show light in a compact housing.
AZOR® SP2 IP – the next generation of robust, weatherproof, and compact lighting for maximum creative freedom, both indoors and outdoors.
Europe - Helene Fischer's Farbenspiel tour of Germany, Austria and Switzerland in late 2014 marked the first set built by Brilliant Stages under Dark Arches Holdings ownership.
The German television presenter and singing star's sell-out tour saw her perform on a complex, multi-level stage with a large LED tree as a spectacular backdrop.
Working from a design concept by Stufish Entertainment Architects, with whom Brilliant Stages has worked on innumerable occasions, the main design realisation was driven from Brilliant Stages' drawing department, led by their chief CAD designer, Mel Welch.
Fabrication of the 22m wide x 12.5m deep x 2.1m high main 'A' stage took place at Brilliant Stages' site in Hitchin. The stage surface incorporated two 5m long travellators, a star trap and rear access steps, with the whole structure built on a rolling aluminium frame for easy deployment. T
Romania - The glittering new Club NOA (Nest of Angels) has opened in the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca following a major renovation of a well-known clubbing site on the Strada Republicii.
Oozing fashion and luxury, the club has a potent Martin Audio system based around the W8VDQ, at the heart of an advanced sound and lighting infrastructure costing 500,000 to put together, and boasting 65kW of sound.
The Sound and lighting systems were specified by Romanian installation specialists Simo Sound SRL (Disco Zone), with support from Martin Audio's Product Support Group. The 18 W8VDQ enclosures specified dominate the main room, combining line array and differential dispersion technologies to provide an advanced hybrid solution to the requirement of even coverage over wide angles and throw distances..
The owners, Kàlmàn Jozsef, Horvàth Julieta and Kàlmàn Ladislau had already
Switzerland - Navori has announced the opening of a new office in Germany to support growing interest in its digital signage solutions across the German-speaking DACH countries of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The company, which will soon unveil new branding, organizational strategy and products, has appointed Thomas Pollum to lead sales and business development from the new office, located in the City of Elmshorn.
Thomas comes to Navori with a history of success in director-level and management roles at BIS Germany (A Mood Media Company) and Samsung, among others. The Elmshorn office location will allow Thomas to drive closer customer intimacy, and develop deeper relationships with existing partners.
"The DACH region is one of the most important markets for Navori, and the establishment of a local office will increase our presence and brand awareness across German-sp
Poland - The National Theatre in Warsaw is one of the most important theatrical venues in Poland, dating back to the 18th century. So when the theatre decided to upgrade the old stage management system, Green-Go was the intercom system of choice chosen to create a party line network communication system.
Piotr Jankiewicz who is director of design and integration at Konsbud Audio, the company contracted to install the new system said, "The stage management system covers four stages located in two buildings which are separated by a street, under which is a mini stage located in the passage between the buildings. It was vital that we installed a system that guaranteed communication between all technical work stations. It had to be so much more than a straight forward intercom system."
The new system needed to be able to provide wired and wireless connection, party line
Germany - A few months ago, the walls of St Margaret's church in Munich, Germany, reverberated with "eternal light," or Lux Aeterna. Organised by Christian Bischof, organist and choir director for St Margaret's, the November event featured music from Claude Debussy, Morten Lauridsen, and Gabriel Fauré, and was accompanied by a modern light show controlled by ETC's Congo Kid lighting desk.
Prior to the event's official conceptualisation, Bischof contacted lighting designer Ludwig Hacker to discuss the look of the lighting. Says Hacker: "He wanted to make a special event where the music is supported by a live light show that emphasises the impression and understanding of the music." After Hacker saw the pristine white walls of St Margaret's, he knew it would be the perfect playground for a state of the art light show. A career long ETC control desk user,
UK - uTRAC has supported the Production Services Association (PSA) to offer its members an exclusive discount for selected workforce management packages.
Members of the live event production industry trade association PSA can now benefit from both the uTRAC Core and Core plus packages, providing a comprehensive application for managing and tracking high-volumes of labour.
Andy Lenthall, general manager of the PSA said, "It is our ongoing aim to offer membership advantages by bringing the latest resources from credible systems to benefit their businesses."
uTRAC's founder Ronan Moore said, "Following a fantastic year of new investment and exponential feature developments, we're pleased to offer PSA members our award winning solution for more streamlined crew scheduling and improved communication with their teams. Visit us at the Event Production Show for a live
UK - It is estimated that by 2017 visitors from China to the UK will spend £1bn a year; currently there are approximately 150,000 Chinese tourists who choose to visit London each year. There won't be many who don't take the opportunity to visit Trafalgar Square, feed the pigeons, gaze up at Nelson on his Column and pop into the National Gallery before exiting through Admiralty Arch to walk down towards Buckingham Palace. These iconic images of London are at the top of the 'must see' list for every visitor.
So it comes as not real surprise that Weli Media, the London-based Chinese media organisation that specialises in cross cultural events between the UK and China, chose Trafalgar Square as the setting for a Chinese TV advert. The project required recording facilities for a large group of performers singing as well as foldback to provide tracks for them to dance to. Sound
UK - Brazilian footwear brand Melissa's London store launch attracted a VIP guest list most fashion brands would dream of, so the pressure was on for the store design to impress. The 6,000sq.ft store would follow the brand's 'Galeria' concept, found currently in the flagship stores in Sao Paulo and New York, where shoes are displayed alongside art installations and sculpture.
Melissa's brief to Intevi, the digital solutions provider appointed on this project, was to blend their artistic designs with suitable technology to bring their creativity to life. Intevi knew it was going to need an impressive piece of technology to deliver on these requirements, leading them to super high resolution LED as the display choice.
Commenting on the project, Tom Scott, managing director of Intevi said, "We had previously worked with the contractors on another retail project and they knew
UK - Cinelease has appointed Steve Smith as its Managing Director for the UK. Smith brings 30 years' of industry experience with him having formerly been the Group Managing Director of AFM Lighting and more recently Worldwide Managing Director of Panalux.
Steven M Ortiz (Cinelease global VP) comments: "We are delighted to welcome someone of Steve's calibre and proven track record to Cinelease. We view his appointment as a sign of our commitment to being the leading company in the UK. Steve Smith has a proven track record over many years that clearly identified him as being the perfect choice for this important position and we are proud that he has agreed to join Cinelease".
Steve Smith said: "I am very proud to start this new challenge with Cinelease. This has been a very important decision for me and I have been very impressed with the Cinelease team and their
USA - Elation Professional has announced the launch of two new powerful luminaires in its popular Cuepix series of LED lights powered by advanced Chip On Board (COB) LED technology, the Cuepix PAR 300, a bright and versatile full colour PAR wash light; and the Cuepix Batten, an LED strip light with flexible use as a pixel bar or wash light. Both luminaires are easy-to-use solutions for adding high-impact coloured light to productions of all types.
Both the Cuepix PAR 300 and Cuepix Batten house 30W 3-in-1 RGB COB LEDs for a broad selection of colours and smooth color mixing with no pixelated rainbow shadows. COB LEDs offer higher-density output and more even light distribution for superior all-around performance. Furthermore, each COB module is individually controllable for greater design possibilities. Both luminaires include variable dimming curve modes, as well as strobe and
UK - Rose Bruford College students, staff and guests gathered for Sir Richard Eyre's annual President's Talk on Wednesday 21 January 2015 at the College's Rose Theatre.
Sir Richard, who has been the President of Rose Bruford College since 2010 and was director of Great Britain's National Theatre for a decade from 1987 to 1997, is currently working on a number of theatre and television projects, including an adaption for BBC 2 of Ronald Harwood's play the The Dresser, that stars two great theatrical knights--Sir Anthony Hopkins and Sir Ian McKellen.
The talk centred around readings from Sir Richard's latest book What Do I Know? People, Politics and the Arts (Nick Hern books) and was followed by questions from the audience.
Personal stories of Judi Dench, John Mortimer, Alan Bennett, Margaret Thatcher and Mary Soames (Winston Churchill's daughter) kept the audien
Israel - Top Israeli technical production and rental specialist Argaman Systems from Rosh Hayain lost no time in investing in Robe's new BMFL Spot multifunctional moving lights, taking delivery of their first batch of 60 units to service a variety of ongoing and upcoming projects - one of which was the recent Israeli tour of Michael Flatley's Lord of The Dance's Dangerous Games show.
Dangerous Games started off at London's Dominion Theatre with a lighting design by Paul Normandale - well known for this inventive and out-of-the-box creative vision - before embarking on an extensive European tour which is still ongoing, as the mesmeric magic of Irish music and dance continues to enthrall audiences worldwide.
It played 12 sold out shows in four Israeli cities - Haifa, Beersheeba, Jerusalem - at the brand new 11,00 seater Arena - and Tel Aviv, where it played the 10,
UK - At BVE 2015 in London next month, HHB Communications will feature the latest audio and video technologies on Stand J43.
Prominently located on the show's central aisle with Soho audio post specialists Scrub and co-exhibitors Nugen Audio, HHB will show the latest loudness tools, audio networking technology and Pro Tools systems for broadcasters, audio post engineers and systems integrators.
HHB's Avid specialists will demonstrate the full features of the Avid S6 and S3 control surfaces alongside Pro Tools with the latest plug-ins and NUGEN loudness software.
The newest Dante Audio over IP developments including RedNet from Focusrite will also be on show. This is in addition to cutting-edge adaptive loudness processing from TC Electronic, plus the latest TouchMonitor metering platform developments and the new LCn Loudness Correction Plug-in and App. Broadcast media specia
Poland - The biggest live event in Polish Mixed Martial Arts history, KSW 29: Reload, took place this month at Krakow Arena in front of over 16,000 audience members, with thousands more around the globe tuning into the live broadcast in Pay per View. Lighting designer and director Pawel "Spider" Pajak therefore chose the power and effects of the Clay Paky Sharpy, SuperSharpy and A.leda B-EYE K20 to ensure the tournament packed a serious punch.
Pajak's company Fish Eye was also responsible for the whole technical coordination of the event, with Marcin Szczakiel working as programmer and operator and Tomasz Szwelicki leading the technical department.
Organised by one of the leading MMA promotions in Europe KSW Federation, Pajak specified 40 x SuperSharpys, 32 x Sharpys and 24 x B-EYE K20 fixtures from prominent rental operation Transcolor for the event.
UK - Germany-based Aimline will show the first models of its ALX-Series in Amsterdam, representing a new generation of digitally steerable column loudspeaker that can be integrated into existing networks using DANTE connectivity. Using DANTE, no audio signal conversion is necessary, allowing the audio to remain in the digital domain throughout.
The series consists of the ALX-8, which can be cascaded in up to six units in horizontal and vertical directions.
Main features include DANTE audio input and output, multibeam technology for horizontal and vertical beam control, strong SPL, analogue and digital inputs, networking-over-IP protocol, heavy-duty aluminium enclosure in a slim design.
The ALX-Series will be available in versions tailored for both the installation and rental markets.
Aimline, headed by Tobias Schulte, consists of a team of professional audio engineers and