USA - Severn School is among the largest and most august private schools in the nation. Situated midway between Baltimore and Annapolis in Maryland, Severn School was founded in 1914 as a preparatory school for the U.S. Navy. Today, it serves 800 students from kindergarten to twelfth grade. In recent years, Severn School has been updating its buildings and grounds, including new turf fields for football, field hockey, soccer, and lacrosse adjacent to the new Edward St. John Athletic Center.

For a few years after their installation, the school used a portable system for every football game, a solution that proved to be of low quality and, moreover, quite a hassle. Severn School called on Baltimore-based A/V contractor HP Electronics to design and install a permanent system. Citing their value and sound quality, HP Electronics installed an Ashly MX-206 six-channel microphone mixer

UK - The ABTT has issued a statement following the update issued by Westminster City Council into the Apollo Theatre Investigation.

"The Association of British Theatre Technicians has been leading on the development of advice to theatre owners concerning Suspended Fibrous Plaster ceilings in theatres for most of 2014. A group of experts was convened following the request for further guidance to be added to Technical Standards for Places of Entertainment.

"Now in the final stages of consultation with various stakeholders, the ABTT expects that this comprehensive guidance will be published in February 2014 in the form of a specific Guidance Note, which it understands will be adopted by the Health and Safety Executive as well as becoming a substantial addition to Technical Standards.

"The advice will call for an initial joint survey by both a structural engineer

UK - Dance music magazine DJ Mag yesterday announced the results of its Best of Britain Awards, with first place in the Best Small Club category going to Audio in Brighton, beating venues such as Stealth in Nottingham and Corsica Studios in London to the prize.

Over the course of the summer of 2014 several promoters hired in Traction rigs for events where they required a superior sound to what was already installed, and the manager Robbie Whishaw and then owner John Holland were won over by the high clarity, big bass and high SPLs achieved from very few boxes. Discussions began to have new systems installed on both floors ready for Audio's 10th Anniversary celebrations on 12 September.

Before it was Audio, the venue was called The Escape and ruled Brighton's nightlife for 20 years. It's basement saw names such as The Stone Roses, Carl Cox, Fatboy Slim and Daft Punk grac

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

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

UK - When London's Royal Opera House decided to measure the electricity consumption of the Linbury Studio's stage lighting equipment, they opted for a MeasureMyEnergy system, provided by industry consultancy :entertaining sustainability. The modular nature of the MeasureMyEnergy system proved ideal for monitoring 36 key circuits across two separately located major distribution boards to monitor - plus mains incomers at 630 Amps per phase.

Tim Atkinson, technical director at :entertaining sustainability, said: "After a site visit to establish exactly what needed measuring, we put together a package that allowed the Lighting Systems Team to monitor the electrical consumption of the Linbury Studio in real time over the internet."

A 12- or 24-channel Power Distribution Monitor (PDM) with network access sits alongside each distribution board, with current clamps feeding d

The Netherlands - Opened in 1887, Amsterdam's Koninklijk Theater Carré (Royal Theatre Carré) has played host to circuses, vaudeville, one-man shows, revues, plays, operas, operettas and musicals. Completely renovated in 2004, the venue has continued hosting a wide range of events to the present day. The ongoing demand meant a major upgrade of its audio system became necessary, with a Yamaha CL digital mixing system the chosen solution.

With a lot of main productions now running in the theatre for longer periods than before, the management wanted the flexibility to host smaller morning or afternoon productions on the front of the stage. This would allow two or more events to be run on each day - the main part of the stage containing the set for the evening's production being unused during the day.

"Koninklijk Theater Carré is one of Amsterdam's most fa

UK - One of London's most famous places of worship, St Martin-In-The-Fields, has a long history of opening its doors to people from all faiths and walks of life - or indeed no faith at all. Welcoming 750,000 visitors every year to church services, events and music performances, a Yamaha QL1 digital mixing console is at the heart of its newly-upgraded audio system.

The church also occupies a special place in broadcast history, having made the very first religious broadcast, and it continues to broadcast to people around the world. Working with a knowledgeable partner to upgrade the church's audio system is essential to ensure such a variety of audiences are able to fully share in the church's mission. This is why, when the church put the project for a new audio system out to tender, SFL Group's extensive portfolio of worship installations meant that the company was a natural invi

USA - Emmanuel Baptist Pastor Wade Burleson described the results of Paragon 360's recent renovation project at his church in Enid, Oklahoma - by saying "Paragon hit a homerun with this one". To extend the baseball analogy a step further, one impressive result of that renovation is that Emmanuel Baptist can now make the transition from a traditional service with a choir to a band-led contemporary service in about the same time it takes Major League teams to complete one innings of play.

Springfield, MO-based Paragon 360 accomplished this feat at the 35-year old-church by adding new architectural elements and upgrading the audio, video and rigging system, in addition to installing an impressive collection of lighting fixtures from Chauvet Professional. As a result of these changes (and the hard work of church staff) Emmanuel Baptist is now able to change its sanctuary s

Australia - Video services and expertise from TDC (Technical Direction Company) wowed audiences across the world in Visions of Vienna - a multi-media artistic collaboration between the Vienna Tourist Board and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

The Sydney Symphony Orchestra live in concert was combined with visuals celebrating the artistic and musical heritage of Vienna from Ample Projects and projected onto the roof or "sails" of the Sydney Opera House and broadcast to music lovers across the world in a live web-stream. The event took place on Wednesday, 4 February 2015.

"Having worked with Michael Hassett and his expert projection design team already back in the 90's we knew we could turn to TDC again for another unforgettable visual spectacular. TDC are a dream-team to work with," enthused Astrid Mulholland-Licht, director of the Austrian National Tou

UK - Theatre consultancy, Theatreplan has been appointed as the theatre consultant on the major redevelopment project at Glasgow's historic Citizens Theatre. Built in 1878, the Grade II listed theatre has seen a number of small-scale refurbishments and extensions, but the current scheme is the most comprehensive in its history.

The project has been earmarked for funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Glasgow City Council, Creative Scotland and Historic Scotland that go a long way towards financing the transformations, which are far-reaching.

Mathew Smethurst-Evans, who is leading the Theatreplan team, explained, "This is a major project that incorporates significant improvements to the environment for both visitors and staff. Visitors will benefit from much improved public spaces to create a venue where they can experience much more than a theatre show. There will be pur

Russia - Black Cat Music recently installed a Diva Acoustical Shell system in Moscow's Nazarov Musical Theatre.

In a competitive tender, Black Cat Music's Berlin based team won the contract in the face of tough international competition. Originally built for the Moscow Olympic Games of 1980, the Nazarov Musical Theatre has recently undergone a major refurbishment. The revival in fortunes for the theatre, located within the Olympic Games legacy site, began when it became part of the Moscow State Philharmony in 2014. A requirement of the building overhaul was an upgrade for the auditorium acoustics, with an acoustic shell being specified by Moscow State Philharmony.

With the contract awarded, the Berlin based project team of Paula Ulrich and Tim Ehrlich worked to increasingly tight time scales while also accommodating client changes to the final dimensions of the Diva shell. Tha

The Netherlands - Tannoy is introducing two additions to the the QFlex range, specifically engineered to offer fully optimised solutions for life safety applications.

Tannoy has developed the new QFlex Life Safety (LS) models as a cost effective solution for critical, life safety applications, a solution that balances complex power consumption needs with the high performance and intelligibility that is the core of the proven QFlex range. The new models have an optimised driver placement and improved current draw, making them suitable for applications where emergency voice alarms or communications may be required.

The new QFlex 16LS and QFlex 32LS column loudspeakers are designed primarily for large transportation hubs as part of a PA/VA system where speech is the main audio source, either from live announcements or via pre-recorded message. These new QFlex life safety models a

UK - PRS for Music, the organisation that represents over 100,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers, has chosen PMC loudspeakers for the listening room in its new offices in Kings Cross, London.

PRS for Music relocated to Two Pancras Square at the end of 2014. Moving to this prestigious new building gave the organisation the opportunity to create a working environment that was ideally suited to its needs. Part of that process involved installing a dedicated listening room that could be used for any critical listening tasks, including judging entries for the annual Ivor Novello Awards, which celebrate the best British music writing.

PRS for Music director and Music Producers Guild Chairman Steve Levine was responsible for the listening room project and for the choice of PMC monitors. As a multi-platinum music producer, Levine has crafted hits for artists such as The B

France - Sono 64 Événements, the NEXT-proaudio's distributor in France, recently designed the sound system for Discotheque Les Vôutes, located in Paris.

The sound system was needed to achieve high sound pressure levels, high quality sound to join the concept of Les Vôutes, an intimate club inspired on the ancestral and historical cellars with exposed stone walls.

The club has a long dancefloor atmosphere, several rooms under the arches welcoming conformable booths and tables. The Sono 64 Événements team designed the system using the X-Line, MA series, LMS Series and DP Series from NEXT-proaudio, comprising four X15, 10 X10, four X8, six XH18, and two Xs15. The whole system is powered by MA3200 and MA3800. The whole system is controlled by four NEXT DP240 and fourLMS-242.

(Jim Evans)

USA - Electrosonic provided video, audio and control equipment and integration for the new Carol J. and Barney Barnett Learning Centre at The Florida Aquarium in Tampa. The new facility builds on Electrosonic's strong relationship with the aquarium, which includes earlier extensive refurbishing of a portion of the aquarium.

The Learning Centre features a circular main hub area with the lab room, toddlers' room, ocean room, coastal room and green room, branching off of it. The Hub Scenic, part of an introductory experience and presentation for visiting students, is at the core of the hub area. This scenic element, along with architectural detailing, special lighting and other embellishments, create the immersive experience of an ocean laboratory.

"A narrative about finding a missing turtle sets the stage for the story of the ocean lab," says Electrosonic project manag

UK - School Stage, the performing arts installation company offering exclusive provision to schools, colleges and universities, recently completed a project using Chauvet Professional fixtures to add colour and 'wow' factor to a multi-functional assembly hall in the newly built Lees Brook Community School in Derby.

The new school building was commissioned by the Education Funding Agency (EFA) because the school buildings were in poor shape, but no provision had been included for sound and lighting systems. Sensing this was a real opportunity to create the hall as a spectacular performance space, the school's former head teacher came out of retirement to project-manage the rebuild for the school.

Having sourced quotations and designs from other companies, the school governors awarded the contract to School Stage, who scrutinised the proposals and made sweeping changes to the bu

Turkey - When Konya was under consideration as one of the host cities for a future European Championships to be held in Turkey, construction of a brand new UEFA-compliant stadium was proposed.

While original plans set a capacity of around 33,000 seats, this was later upgraded to 42,276 seats - divided over two tiers, with an additional 50 VIP boxes - and the new facility, based in Selçuklu, will now provide the club Konyaspor KR with a state-of-the-art stadium for home matches.

Asimetrik, the Turkish-based distributors and AV system integrators, were awarded the contract to provide a network-based professional grandstand PA system, as well as broadcast infrastructure system, not only compatible with UEFA requirements (but also FIFA and IAFF). They also designed and supplied a PA/VA emergency evacuation system, C.I.S. infrastructure as well as full conference and visual presen

UK - Of all the buildings set within the historic cloisters of Oxford, one that really stands out is the Chapel at All Souls College - one of the city's oldest, whose origins date back to 1438-1442. Built by master mason Richard Chevynton, the original structure of the carved reredos (screen altarpiece) dates from around 1447 but the Chapel was almost completely rebuilt following its destruction by Puritans, followed later by a mid-19th century renovation, heavily influenced by Victorian design ideals.

The chapel contains 40 stalls, for the 40 Fellows of the original foundation and a high chapel roof - but the difference in reverberation times, and therefore audibility, between a full chapel scenario to an empty one was palpable. And this was causing major concern.

And so the facility's regular service specialists, City AV, were brought in to assist. The company, which has pro

The Netherlands - Apex has introduced its new, all-in-one conference room control system, Liviau R, which debuted at ISE 2015 and was named Best in Show by Installation magazine. Featuring a sleek, yet robust design Liviau R offers instant access to content and full control over your presentation as well as complete room control including lighting, video, audio and other automated services, all fully integrated and managed from the same platform.

Liviau's designers have focused on simplicity in addition to powerful functionality. The 10.1" touch interface is purposely limited to the information you require during meetings and presentations for as uncluttered a look as possible and thus minimum distraction during your event. The guided menu takes you easily through your meeting/presentation offering everything you need at your fingertips. Furthermore, the touch interf

Israel / The Netherlands - Kramer Electronics has announced its exclusive global distribution agreement with cyber-security manufacturer HighSecLabs (HSL). The migration to secure switching solutions in areas such as healthcare, finance, government, and command and control was a key theme for Kramer at ISE 2015.

The agreement lets Kramer incorporate HSL's secure signal-extending products in combination with Kramer's extensive AV switching product line. All products are backed by Kramer's seven-year warranty.

"Security is fast becoming a requirement for our global customers," said Aviv Ron, vice president of business development and strategy at Kramer. "With the HSL agreement, Kramer raises the bar in switching solutions, providing the ultimate in security, accuracy and reliability. This exclusive global distribution agreement with a fantastic innovator like HSL

UK - The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) has confirmed the quality and standards of provision at Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance following its review in November 2014.

A team of QAA reviewers visited Rose Bruford College and judged that its academic standards, the quality and enhancement of its student learning opportunities, and the quality of information about its learning opportunities all meet UK expectations.

The review identified a number of examples of good practice. These include the excellent arrangements for students to engage in professional practice, and the support given to staff in developing reflection and scholarship in their academic practice.

The review also highlighted the development and integration of learning technologies within the curriculum.

The review made a recommendation for improvement: for the College to imp

UK - The National Theatre's newly transformed Dorfman Theatre opened for the first time in its seated format last month with Tom Stoppard's The Hard Problem. More seats than ever before are available for the show, following the regeneration of the theatre by architects Haworth Tompkins and theatre consultants Charcoalblue.

The improvements mean that an extra 27,000 people each year can gain access to what are often sold-out performances in the Dorfman, formerly the Cottesloe. In total, up to 130 more seats are available for each performance of The Hard Problem thanks to innovative seat designs and layout changes developed by Charcoalblue.

"By placing each row of the pit seating on an individual elevator, we have reinstated the original shallow rake format and made it possible to change from this to steep rake or flat floor quickly", says Alex Wardle from Charc

UK - Award winning theatre designer Lucy Osborne and lighting designer Emma Chapman of Studio Three Sixty, will join James Grieve, joint artistic director of Paines Plough, and Gavin Green of Charcoalblue theatre consultancy at the UK Theatre's Touring Symposium 2015 to discuss Paines Plough's award winning, pop-up Roundabout Theatre.

Commissioned by Paines Plough's artistic directors James Grieve and George Perrin, Roundabout is an intimate, dynamic and socially democratic space. Conceived as a portable venue, Roundabout enables the forward-looking theatre company to take their own brand of production anywhere they want and maintain their own strong production values without a large technical staff.

Designed and delivered by a collective headed up by Osborne and Chapman alongside special effects and lighting designer Howard Eaton, the technical and space planning consultation

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