Projects

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The Netherlands - The 2021 Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) which took place at the Rotterdam Ahoy in The Netherlands last month, was coordinated under the direction of a team of experts with decades of experience. Among them were ESC head of broadcast sound Thijs Peters and ESC head of venue sound Jeroen ten Brinke, long-time, consistent users of the DPA brand.
The show’s design team was further supported by Ampco Flashlight, the official technical supplier for lighting, rigging and audio, which provided one-hundred 4088 Directional Headsets and 40 d:facto 4018V Vocal Microphones from DPA Microphones for all of the show’s vocal performances.
“I have over 25 years’ experience as a live sound engineer and designer, and I have been using DPA since it was B&K; the d:factos are great-sounding mics,” says ten Brinke. “It was an honour to work on Eurovision, o

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Australia - The Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra touts an impressive resume – not just due to its seven robust academic colleges of study, but because it is also connected to the Australian Government by way of its position across the river from Capital Hill, where parliament is located.
The university often hosts high-profile meetings in the Mills Room, an ornate conferencing space featuring Tasmanian blackwood woodworking and capable of hosting up to 54 people. Located in the ANU Chancelry Tower, these meetings can include high ranking members of the government, making the Mills Room a premiere location of importance on campus. Because of its design and the fact that is has served as the location of significant ANU meetings since 1964, the meeting space is deemed by the university to have heritage significance.
However, after decades in service, the

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USA - Bluegrass and orchestral music might come from vastly different places, but the two genres can happily share the same lighting rig, provided it has enough versatility designed into it. This was readily apparent on the banks of the Ohio River in Louisville this Independence Day weekend, as foot stomping shows by Greensky Bluegrass were followed by a rousing performance by the award -winning Louisville Orchestra.
Taking place at the city’s Waterfront Park, the bluegrass and orchestral shows were supported by a powerful and flexible rig anchored by 14 Maverick Storm 1 Wash and six Maverick MK3 Spot fixtures from Chauvet Professional.
Supplied by C&H Audio Visual Services (the event’s production company), the IP16 rated RGBW washes were evenly spaced across 40ft downstage truss. The high output 820-watt spot fixtures, which were rented from 4Wall Entertainmen

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USA - The Old Navy flagship store in midtown New York City was converted into a four-floor soundstage for a recent commercial shoot, and the production companies found a combination of Clear-Com wireless intercom technologies to be the right fit for covering the retailer’s closed set safely and efficiently.
The project required a mix of pre-recorded segments with employee interviews and a celebrity guest appearance. The talent was staged on separate floors when off-camera, allowing the onsite technical crews to maintain proper distancing while still experiencing high-quality communications among each other and talent, as well as the remote producers and directors who were in Los Angeles.
Gotham Sound & Communications was the lead production company for the shoot, with VP Peter Schneider managing operations remotely and independent sound engineer Ken Goodwin on-si

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USA - James Baker reflected the enduring magic of the 1972 musical Pippin recently with a neatly balanced, multi-faceted design for a production at Riverview High School, Oakmont, PA.
An all LED rig provided Baker with a level of flexibility that could never have been imagined, even on Broadway, given the technology available at the time, when the play opened. At the heart of this system were Chauvet Professional Maverick and Ovation fixtures supplied by Star Design Event Services.
Baker, who was retained by the school district to light this show, comments, “For the concept of this show, we were playing with contrasting ideas, such as light/bright and dark/shadows, to symbolize the inner conflicts faced by Pippin,” he said. “Our ensemble members assumed the role of phantoms trying to manipulate the thoughts in his head. We had this LED star curtain that we

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Namibia - The Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) is at the apex of the system of government in the Republic of Namibia. A historical building in the Namibian capital of Windhoek, OPM houses the first Cabinet Chamber and the Constitution Room, in which most of the country’s legislatures were drafted.
The government recently elected to augment the Cabinet Chamber with a sophisticated sound reinforcement and visual display system to improve the meeting experience. Gadgets Namibia Solutions – a leading ICT products and services provider - were asked to source an appropriate solution, which they did through Stage Audio Works Namibia.
“This was an interesting project as the multilevel and oval shaped seating arrangement made it impossible to implement a traditional projector and screen solution,” explains Joppie Maritz of SAW Namibia. “Furthermore, we were working

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Ecuador - Cinema chain Multicines has just opened a new multiplex in the city of Guayaquil in which all 11 screens are fully equipped with Christie RGB pure laser projectors. The installation was carried out by CES+ (Cinema Equipment & Supplies).
The multiplex is located in the Mall del Río shopping centre in Guayaquil, the country’s main port and largest city. “The 11-screen multiplex is equipped with leading-edge technology and with a totally innovative industrial design, unique in the country,” explained Gonzalo López, general manager of Multicines.
The multiplex includes a 4D E-Motion theatre with seating equipped with vibration and motion systems, as well as wind, water effects and scents. It also has a premium large format (PLF) theatre called Multicines Xtreme (MCX) with Dolby Atmos sound, premium seating and a giant screen measuring almost 200 squar

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USA - Illuminarium Experiences opened its first Illuminarium in Atlanta, Georgia, with its debut spectacle, Wild: A Safari Experience. The immersive 8,000sq.ft entertainment complex on the Atlanta BeltLine will showcase the beauty and splendour of Africa’s most exotic animals in their natural habitats.
Through a convergence of technologies, Illuminarium’s immersive venues ‘will transport millions of visitors to places that they previously could only dream of experiencing’. By enabling audiences to see, hear, feel, smell and even personally affect an experience, Illuminarium places the guest ‘inside’ the narrative using techniques from traditional motion picture production and virtual reality combined with interactive features that facilitate the experience of the real world. In essence, Illuminarium exemplifies a “VR, without the glasses” experience.
W

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USA - Nearly 750 Martin Audio components have been specified and fitted as part of a complete AV integration at the new $700m Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia.
The 510,000sq.ft Cordish Companies development is set in the City’s Stadium District. The audio-visual design and implementation was managed by ECI (Entertainment Consulting International) as are all the entertainment complexes and sports arenas within the estate of their parent company.
Audio-visual requirements in the multi-zone space, incorporating a collection of sports bars and diverse restaurants, were specified by consultants, Las Vegas-based Coherent Design, with integration company, Metinteractive, providing the successful bid for the fit-out.
At the business end, the work was overseen by Dan Defendorf, Director of A/V & Corporate Music Programmer for 130 or so Cordish Companies propert

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Canada - Montreal-based SoftBox Integration - a specialist in integration, custom LED manufacture and AV equipment rental - is the latest company to invest in Robe’s Transferable Engine LED luminaire, the Forte (see LSi July 2021 for a review of the fixture) .
The company works across all sectors and creative communities, supplying equipment for television productions, sporting events, corporates, theatre and the performing arts, immersive experiences and is a market leader in Quebec.
This latest investment was driven by strategic “business development” explains CEO Michèle Pelletier.
The decision to purchase these, the first Robe products for SoftBox Integration, followed extensive comparati

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Germany - Located on the banks of the Danube in central southern Germany, the city of Ulm is an economic centre for eastern Baden-Württemberg and western Bavaria. Recently a new audio system was installed at Congress Centrum Ulm (CCU), the main city centre venue for corporate events and entertainment, with a Yamaha solution chosen for mixing and control.
Attached to the Maritim Hotel, Congress Centrum Ulm (CCU) features two main auditoriums, Einstein Saal and the smaller Kepler Saal, both with adjacent foyers, plus the outdoor Gartensaal. Einstein Saal can host gatherings of up to 1,500 people, with Einsteinfoyer able to accommodate a similar number for stand-up receptions.
The upgrade to the audio system took place during a short pause in Germany’s COVID-19 lockdown, which made straightforward installation and programming of the system a priority. Karlsruhe-based f

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UAE - Creative Technology Middle East (CTME) has recently delivered a complete L-Acoustics touring system at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi ahead of their first large live event.
CTME is an Approved Calibration Centre (ACC) and certified partner integrations (CPI) for L-Acoustics.
CTME worked closely with L-Acoustics during the modelling of the system based on CAD drawings supplied by the arena. As the venue will be hosting a wide range of events, the design had to consider multiple configurations to suit various productions from indoor concerts to sporting events and much more.
Craig Harvey, CT’s systems integration project manager, explains, “CT delivered the L-Acoustics system on behalf of the arena, verified, tested, installed and calibrated the equipment, making sure the system was responding as per the design.”
As part of the L-Acoustics system,

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USA - With fewer hands-on-deck in the newsroom, manufacturers have also had to pivot their R&D approach to support newscasters’ evolving needs for remote control. Broadcasters are seeking solutions that are quick and easy to implement, to simplify and expedite remote command and control over production capabilities and create seamless workflows.
In response to its customers changing requirements, TSL Products’ Flex Control Network continues to be adopted by broadcasters and station groups across the U.S. to streamline operation in the modern-day newsroom.
At the beginning of the COVID pandemic, senior technology management at one of North America’s leading television station groups identified a pressing requirement to replace “weak link” news playout systems across multiple stations with more streamlined control room workflows. The station’s MOS Rundown

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USA - Studio 9 at Porches Inn in North Adams, Massachusetts was originally conceived as a dining and event venue. However, with installation of Meyer Sound Constellation active acoustics in 2019, it was transformed into an intimate live performance and recording space. With the addition of the Spacemap Go spatial sound design and live mixing tool earlier this year, Studio 9 has fully evolved into ‘a one-of-a-kind laboratory for musical innovation’.
The principal partner in Studio 9 venture is FreshGrass Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to preserving, supporting and creating innovative grassroots music. Studio 9 is already proving a valuable adjunct to the FreshGrass Festivals - staged at nearby MASS MoCA since 2011 and now also in Bentonville, Arkansas - in developing and promoting new generations of roots music artists.
“There is a shared vision and a shared e

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USA - Last month, Kyle Bell was tasked with lighting shows by the multi-platinum band Warrant and their fellow metal-mashers, Firehouse at the Lava Cantina-The Colony live music venue in Dallas.
“It was a last-minute type of thing,” said Bell. “I had very little time to programme. I did create some scenes, but most of the two shows were busked. Good thing for me that I was a long-time fan of both bands. That helped with the FX part of my show, which was very important.”
Familiarity with the two bands wasn’t the only thing Bell had going for him on that hot summer evening. He could also rely on the intuitive, user-friendly features of his ChamSys QuickQ 20.
“I have been working on ChamSys consoles since 2012, so I know I can count on them,” he said. “For this project, the QuickQ 20 was the perfect choice, because the FOH footprint at this venue is

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UK - Digital agency Dept has partnered with Extended Reality (xR) pioneers disguise and games developer Epic Games to launch an xR experience helping brands better understand how the metaverse can transform the way people play, shop, interact and consume media.
Hosted by Isabel Perry, director of technology at marketing technology agency Byte (part of Dept), and held on disguise's xR stage in London, the real-time xR experience took exclusive attendees on a journey through the metaverse to show marketers how xR can create ‘truly spectacular live brand experiences and ultra-efficient production capabilities’. Dept co-hosted the event with disguise.
Perry took viewers on a journey, opening the experience in a seemingly simple Zoom call which soon transformed into a fantastical xR world featuring stunning interstellar spaces, waterfalls, gravity-defying cars, a fash

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Belgium - Although Antwerp’s Olympisch Stadion was built as the main location of 1920’s Summer Olympics, it remains one of the city’s landmarks today, thanks to its status as the home base for local football team, K.Beerschot V.A. When the stadium’s management came to a point where they could no longer continue with their outdated sound system, they called on audio experts PFL and Face Projects to assist.
“PFL – one of our preferred dealers – came to us for advice on their design and budget in reference to renewing the stadium’s existing sound system, which was about 25 years old at the time,” said Steven Kemland, manager at Face Projects. “Beerschot wanted to have an installation to improve quality of speech and to be able to play a good ambient sound; the latter of which was not really possible with the old system.
“From the first design we wer

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Europe - An illuminated trail of 105 x Astera AX3 ‘beacons’ fitted with custom firmware from the manufacturer was set up along a 58-kilometre stretch of the Danish / German border as part of Genforeningen 2020, a series of events celebrating the centenary of the reunification of Southern Jutland with the kingdom of Denmark. This took place following a referendum in 1920.
The event was captured on film and camera by various drones, aircraft and ground-based photographers, videographers and members of the public along the way, whose images were hash-tagged and posted on social media raising awareness and excitement of the event.
Technical production and rental specialist All Stage ApS, based in Varde was approached by the Barbara Simonsen Theatre in Aarhus to assist in the realisation of this ambitious and fun lighting installation project. The border of beacons was

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The Netherlands - Zodiac The Musical is a new musical produced by Peet Nieuwenhuijsen, directed by William Spaaij and staged at the Koepelgevangenis, a former prison in Breda, which provides the backdrop to this entertaining piece set in 2031 and focussed on a number of human, political and environmental issues.
Lighting designer Marc Heinz was among a team working under the technical production umbrella of Unlimited Productions – also based in Breda – helping to deliver this new work.
He and technical production manager Michiel van der Zijde – representing Unlimited Productions together with Jeffrey Kranen and Luc Huisman – also designed the set, and Marc specified 32 of Robe’s recently launched new T2 Profile fixture for the project, together with 50 x Robe Spiider LED wash beams and assorted other lighting fixtures.
Marc and his assistant de

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USA - As the Times Square ball drop is for New Year’s Eve, and The Tournament of Roses Parade for New Year’s Day, the Boston Pops 4th July Spectacular has become an indelible part of Independence Day celebrations across the USA. Even a temporary change of venue couldn’t diminish the power of this association.
Although it was moved 130 miles from its traditional home at the Hatch Memorial Shell on the banks of the Charles River to the Koussevitzky Music Shed in Tanglewood this year as a safety precaution against COVID, the nationally televised concert was as rousing as ever, as it helped millions across the country celebrate the American spirit past, present, and future.
Contributing to the experience for those in attendance at Tanglewood, and the millions more watching on television and via livestream was a lighting design by Michael Berger, anchored by over 270

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Switzerland - The Montreux Jazz Festival has launched its 55th edition which runs until 17 July, with Meyer Sound returning for its 35th year as a strategic partner and official sound provider. Although scaled back with fewer venues and lower capacities to meet local health and safety guidelines, the long-established Swiss festival nevertheless promises a new audience experience as the principal venue moves outdoors to the scenic shoreline of Lake Geneva.
“This year we reimagined the festival to adapt to the times,” says Marco Güntensperger, production manager for the festival. “It was a major challenge, so it was great to again collaborate with our long-time partner, Meyer Sound. Their team was instrumental in finding the best audio solutions, such as at the new Lake Stage, to ensure a great experience for artists and fans alike.”
The Meyer Sound system at th

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Belgium - Jonas Weyn of Art & Yes and his team demonstrated recently created a new lighting and set design for Campus Cup, a popular game show that has teams of college students match wits and knowledge against one another.
Now in its third series, Campus Cup has moved from Canvas TV to the more highly watched Eén channel. To mark the move, production company Woestijnvis asked Arf & Yes, which has worked on the show from the beginning, to come up with a new look while keeping a consistent theme with previous seasons.
Weyn and the Arf & Yes team, which includes lighting director Dirk Declercq and lighting operator Jarmo De Blaeij, obliged with a design featuring Chauvet Professional ÉPIX fixtures.
Last season, they created a stunning back drop for the show by arranging 140 ÉPIX Strip Tour and 19 ÉPIX Strip Tour 50 RGB linear lights in

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Guatemala - The Universidad Francisco Marroquín in Guatemala City, also known by its abbreviated name UFM, is one of the top universities in Latin America. For 50 years, UFM has been ardently following its mission of teaching and disseminating the ethical, legal and economic principles of a society of free and responsible individuals. The university is the original founder of the ITA scholarship programme which identifies the most highly qualified and motivated students among Guatemala’s poorest and makes it possible for them to earn a life-changing UFM degree.
Recently, the university’s IT and AV team worked with installer Farei to deploy Sennheiser TeamConnect Ceiling 2 (TCC2) microphones in 52 of its classrooms and various faculty auditoriums.
Whilst the plans for getting a new professional audio system had been in place for several years, the pandemic acted as

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Australia - Location sound recordist Christopher MacGregor became the first customer to embrace Point Source Audio's Lavalier Switch Kit, a two-in-one lavalier and on-ear miking tool kit. Its value became instantly apparent with the included Embrace earmount put straight to work miking an active TV host of an Australian gardening show.
"The gardening host I work with is often performing quite physical tasks so for some years, I've been concealing the microphone into his mop of curly hair using wig and hair clips," explains MacGregor. "This takes time and often requires readjusting throughout the shoot. So when the Point Source Audio Lavalier Switch Kit became available, I thought, 'that's going to make life so much easier.' I've probably got a dozen different methods of mounting lav mics and this has added another great option."
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