USA - Nearly six months into operating under its new structure, Harman Professional Solutions has announced its participation in Miami Music Week 2016. This partnership demonstrates the division's commitment to its customers in the nightclub market, along with appointing Bradley Drummond as nightlife solutions manager in October 2015. Providing solution expertise in key markets is designed to help customers, like nightclub operators, advance their businesses by providing unique experiences and improvements in quality, procurement, design support, installation, programming, commissioning and customer service.

"Nightclubs used to be about one thing only - music," said Drummond. "But today, nightclubs are driven to provide audiences with unique and memorable experiences. Every night, they must create a visual and auditory masterpiece. Not only does the audio quality have to be su

UK - Ever since the first use of a PA system beneath its domed roof, London's Royal Albert Hall has been a famously difficult gig for mixing engineers, due to its circular construction, which results in a highly reverberant space. Thanks to L-Acoustics, however, Amaluna is maintaining a grand tradition of great-sounding Cirque du Soleil shows at the venue.

Running from mid-January to early March, Amaluna marks Cirque du Soleil's 20th anniversary of Albert Hall productions. A re-telling of Shakespeare's The Tempest, female performers make up the majority of the cast and the entire accompanying band. The set is as lavish as one would expect from Cirque du Soleil, with stylised trees hanging from a central truss which, as well as supporting airborne acrobatics, also accommodates the main L-Acoustics hangs.

The production's head of sound, Fran

Germany - Wisycom will introduce its newest true diversity IEM receiver, the MPR50-IEM, at Audio Technica's booth at Prolight+Sound 2016 (Hall 4, Level 1, Booth C24). This new addition to Wisycom's extensive product line was specifically designed for professional in-ear monitoring applications.

The MPR50-IEM is based on Wisycom's MPR30-IEM, and contains a user-friendly interface that incorporates the popular features that Wisycom's clients have grown to demand. It also features a new ENS compander that now caters to music and live shows, significantly increasing the quality of audio transmission when complex data, such as full songs and instruments, is transferred. Vocal transmission, the main function of the previous system, is also much improved with the MPR50-IEM.

This new IEM receiver possesses exceptional channel switching capabilities, allowing the user to switch fro

USA - When Jennifer Lopez decided to return to her musical performance roots with a residency at Planet Hollywood's AXIS Theatre in Las Vegas, she and her team left no stone unturned in their efforts to create an outstanding show.

A key piece of the puzzle was finding the right combination of microphone and wireless system for the artist - one that would handle the hostile RF environment of a major production. They found the Shure Axient wireless with the new KSM8 Dualdyne premium dynamic capsule to be ideal.

According to Shure artist relations senior specialist Nelson Arregu

UK - Allen & Heath's dLive digital mixing system is currently being employed by front of house engineer Steve Pattison on Wet Wet Wet's UK headline tour, which recently included a date at London's O2 arena.

Supplied by SSE Hire for the tour, the flagship dLive S7000 control surface is partnered with Allen & Heath's DM64 MixRack to handle an on-stage line-up that comprises the Scottish four-piece's traditional backline, multiple vocals and horn section. As a longstanding fan of Allen & Heath's iLive system, Pattison's decision to rely on dLive for the tour was an easy one to make...

"It really feels like dLive is a step on from the iLive system that I've enjoyed using with various artists over the years," says Pattison (whose CV includes a five-year stint with Amy Winehouse, Ellie Goulding, Texas, Glasvegas and Royksopp). "It's very fast to use, despite the amount of contro

Norway Oslo Opera House frequently hosts events that need sound reinforcement - and it needs a loudspeaker system that's up to the task. To deliver the best possible listening experience for discerning audiences, the venue has installed a flexible solution from d&b audiotechnik.

With regard to acoustic excellence, buildings don't come much more impressive than the Oslo Opera House, home of the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet. The acoustics at this stunning, waterside building are so good that no amplification at all is required for opera performances. Here, the design is literally all about sound, from the interior spaces and the shapes of the walls and stage, to the materials used for construction.

Although the acoustics at the opera house are world class, there are plenty of occasions when a loudspeaker system is needed. Often, recorded music is used in ballet produc

Spain - Amate Audio "challenges the market-leaders in compact line-arrays" with a radical new compact curvature array cabinet. The Xcellence X12CLA is an ultra-compact, self-powered, DSP controllable constant directivity array cabinet, offering "astounding levels of performance; and one that can also be deployed as a horizontal point source cluster element".

Amate Audio's first constant curvature array design, the Xcellence X12CLA was specified to fulfil a requirement for a smaller, lighter and more affordable array cabinet, below the twin 8" X208 line-array in the Xcellence series portfolio. A new waveguide was designed to achieve the required 15? constant vertical directivity, partnering a single 12" LF driver. It soon became apparent during the development programme, that the performance of the new waveguide far exceeded the initial design expectations.

Vice president a

Germany - Austrian engineering company, AV Stumpfl will bring their live event, production and rental and staging innovations to Frankfurt.

An 8K by 4K version of Wings Engine Raw will be demonstrated at the centre of the AV Stumpfl stand. Now shipping, the high-performance super media server delivers four streams of full 4K uncompressed content at 60hz - equivalent to 16K by 2K picture resolution - plus a rich array of media overlays, text generation and show control.

It is aimed at media-based installations requiring high-resolution content such as themed attractions, cinematic presentation, theatres, live events, or even planetariums.

Wings Engine Raw will be shown alongside the AV Stumpfl media server line up comprising Lite, Pro, Stage and Raw - designed to suit any budget and project size.

AV Stumpfl will use their Frankfurt trade show presence to launch the

Germany - Fohhn Audio AG will present its latest developments in digital technology, system integration and mobile sound reinforcement, as well as new design options for its loudspeakers at Prolight+Sound in Frankfurt (Hall 3.1, Stand F81).

This year's main development focus for the company is on achieving compatibility with all audio networks - and the associated increase in flexibility that this brings.

On show in Frankfurt will be the current models in Fohhn's award-winning Linea Focus series, which are now equipped with an Optocore interface. A corresponding Dante connectivity option is currently in planning.

In future, all active Fohhn loudspeakers, amplifiers and controllers will be equipped with digital, transformer-balanced AES/EBU inputs, making them compatible with any digital audio network. Within this context, Fohhn introduces the first models belonging to

UAE - The Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi), appointed live communication specialist People as the event management agency for the vast 2016 Qasr Al Hosn festival, which took place February 3 to 13, 2016 in Abu Dhabi. Manchester UK based dbn Lighting was commissioned by People, to provide lighting design and on-site lighting direction service.

The festival narrates the ongoing conservation of Abu Dhabi's most historic fort, and through a series of highly interactive elements, hosted a celebratory programme to reinstate the Qasr Al Hosn site as the cultural heart of Abu Dhabi.

Qasr Al Hosn, which has stood as the symbolic birthplace of the Emirate and home to Abu Dhabi's ruling Al Nahyan family, is undergoing a comprehensive process of preservation, restoration and rehabilitation.

Based around the historic Qasr Al Hosn Fort, the Qasr Al Hosn Festival

USA - With increasingly specialized recording programmes springing up throughout the country, Lebanon Valley College, (LVC), Annville, PA, sets itself apart by combining a traditional liberal arts based education with a "professionally oriented" Audio & Music Production Programme, a formula that has been successful for the school's students since the late 1980s.

Students in the Audio & Music Production Programme study music, studio recording, mastering, electronic music, audio for digital media, live sound, game audio, and more. Graduates have gone on to work in recording studios, live sound, broadcast, game audio, retail, and performance with leading creative companies such as The Hit Factory, DreamWorks Animation, ESPN, Insomniac Games, Sony, Universal Music Group, Disney, and even the Ringling Brother Circus.

In order to meet the demands of training students for a diver

Finland - When the Finnish National Opera (FNO) was given the rare opportunity to stage a completely original production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera, it took the opportunity to stage a show that wowed audiences with its sheer scale. However, the audio system installed at the Helsinki Opera House could not match sound designers Sakke Kiiskis and Stanley L

USA - Florida State University (FSU) in Tallahassee has installed one of the largest Meyer Sound Leopard linear sound reinforcement systems to date in its 12,500-seat Donald L. Tucker Civic Centre. Known to locals as 'The Tuck', the multipurpose arena serves as the home court for the FSU Seminoles men's and women's basketball teams, and also hosts a yearlong schedule of other sports, convocations, concerts, special events, and graduation ceremonies.

"Overall, there's been a tremendous improvement in intelligibility," says Bruce Jones, FSU's sound engineer for the venue. "Leopard handles speech and music far better than the old system, by leaps and bounds. I've heard nothing but compliments from announcers, coaches, and officials at the scoring table. And after the last commencement, I was told the sound was the best it's ever been."

FSU officials found a solution to the po

UK - The Theatres Trust has welcomed changes to the Permitted Development Order (England) as developers now need to address noise impacts before undertaking an office to residential conversion near an existing theatre or live music venue.

From 06 April 2016 local planning authorities will have to consider noise impacts on new residents from existing businesses, under an amended permitted development right that allows offices to be converted to residential use, without the need to obtain planning permission.

The amended Order means developers will now need to seek prior approval from the local planning authority that any noise mitigation measures proposed are suitable to ensure that nearby theatres are protected before a change of use from an office to residential building can be carried out.

Theatres Trust said, "The Trust welcomes the changes to the Permitted Developm

Germany - Proel will launch its new compact line array system at Prolight+Sound in Frankfurt on booth 3.1G90. Featuring two 8-inch low frequency drivers and a 1.4-inch high frequency compression driver in a lightweight moulded polypropylene enclosure, the two-way AX800A is sure become a vital component of many rental companies' inventory due to its stylish design, ease of setup, and simplicity of operation.

It is designed for many different sound reinforcement situations - such as medium sized indoor and outdoor events, small festivals, corporate events, and even as delays or out-fills on larger shows. In the permanently installed sound system sector, the AX800A is ideal for theatre, houses of worship, live music venues and small clubs, theme parks, leisure and sports facilities, and retail spaces.

The Class D amplifier is a tried and tested DA series module used in many o

UK - Northumbrian folk experimentalists The Unthanks have been using DPA microphones in their live performances after being introduced to the company's product range by their engineer, Joel Borkin. For capturing The Unthanks' performances, Borkin likes to use DPA's d:vote Instrument Microphones, d:dicate 4011 Cardioid Microphones, d:dicate 2011C Microphones and d:facto Handheld Microphones.

Working under the title jBsound, Borkin is front of house and monitor engineer for various artists around the UK. "We recently used a selection of DPA microphones on The Unthanks' headline showcase collaboration with Lau at the Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow's Royal Concert Hall," says Borkin. "The microphones were a joy to work with. Nothing comes close to the precision and clarity of DPA; they are a must for this band."

Well-known for juxtaposing traditional, folkloric storyte

UK - Pulse PA in Poole, Total Sound Solutions in Swansea and Fabtronic in Northampton are now taking delivery of new Nexo STM modular line array systems for their rental inventories.

Together with Sound of Music in Derby, the rental houses have identified the new STM M28 'omnipurpose' cabinet as a game-changer for their own businesses, as well as enabling a cross-hire network that allows each STM owner to service projects ranging from 500 people at a club event to medium-sized festivals by pooling Nexo STM resources.

At Pulse PA in Poole, Ralph Walsh says that the arrival of the all-purpose two-way M28 cabinet has delivered new benefits for his rental business, starting with time-saving.

"I've configured my system in four ground-stacks, set up on four dollies each with a STM S118 sub-bass cabinet, a STM B112 bass unit and two STM M28 main modules. Prepped in the wareho

USA - Following a "rapid increase" in demand for Void Acoustics products in North America, the British sound system manufacturer has set up a base of operations in the USA. The move follows the recent signing of a network of system integrators and distributors throughout North America who will now be able to receive stock almost immediately.

Void Acoustics is in the process of implementing strategic international expansion plans and is rapidly expanding its global distribution network as there is significant worldwide demand for both their touring and installation products. Void has also hired long-time ally, sound engineer and system integrator Nathan Short to oversee all things technical in North America.

"After representing Void in North America and some exotic places around the globe for eight years now, this is a natural and beneficial move for everyone," says Short.

Germany - Making the future of audio technology tangible - that is audio specialist Sennheiser's aim at Prolight+Sound. The centrepiece of the Sennheiser and Neumann.Berlin stand is the Sound Experience Room, which offers listening sessions with the Sennheiser HE 1 headphones, Sennheiser AMBEO 3D audio, and stereo and surround-sound demonstrations with Neumann loudspeakers.

As part of the AMBEO demonstrations, tonmeister Gregor Zielinsky will not only play original 9.1 recordings but also upmix stereo material generated using his own special algorithm to show the full potential of the reproduction format. His reference set-up consists of Neumann KH 310 at all front positions, KH 120 for the four rear speakers and a KH 870 as a subwoofer.

Musicians can expect to find a wide-ranging portfolio of wired and wireless microphones from the evolution to the 2000 series on show, wh

UK - Hungry Horse pub and family value restaurant chain, operating more than 200 family value pubs in the UK, recently chose Bolton based AV integration company TVC Technology Solutions to provide a complete audio visual solution for its Rotherham Riverside public house in readiness for the UEFA Euro 2016 football tournament in France, starting in the Summer of 2016.

To encourage patrons to stay longer and enjoy the summer experience, Hungry Horse has invested in a number of large LED screen solutions alongside a distributed audio system to allow zonal control of the audio and visual systems, including the provision of screens and audio in dining booths and outside in the garden/patio areas.

TVC Technology Solutions, a family business established in the mid 90's by Jim Brown and his two sons Matthew and Daniel is part of the TVD Group. Growing rapidly and with the agility

Singapore - Renowned Singaporean PA company, The Production People (TPP), recently took delivery of Allen & Heath's dLive digital mixing system. Supplied through distributor, Electronics & Engineering (E&E), the system comprised an S5000 Control Surface with a DM48 MixRack, which will be joining TPP's existing iLive system.

"In terms of the features and speed, dLive is amazing, and it is future proof as the expansion options are huge. It was a no-brainer to add dLive to our inventory," says Sheldon Gooi, director of TPP.

Following the launch of dLive last year, E&E hosted a product seminar in Singapore providing an in depth run through of the system. TPP attended the event and placed their order shortly afterwards.

"Coupled with the excellent back-up and support from E&E, it was easy to go ahead with this purchase. We are confident that we will be able to maximise its

Germany - The Prolight+Sound show in Frankfurt will see the official debut of the Alcons LR18 pro-ribbon line-array. The three-way, "compact-mid-size" format line-source sound system, combining the highest sound quality possible with very high SPL capabilities and throw.

By implementing Alcons' multiple-patented pro-ribbon technology for mid and high frequencies, a super-fast impulse response with up-to-90% less distortion is achieved. This enables the LR18 to offer a fully intuitive linear response, with very high intelligibility and non-compressed identical tonal balance at any SPL.

The all-natural cylindrical wavefront of the purpose-designed RBN702rs 7" pro-ribbon transducer and the acoustically and electronically symmetrical component configuration bring a remarkable pattern control in both the vertical as well as the horizontal plane, without any distortion-inducing

Latest Issue. . .