South Africa - New Beginnings Christian Fellowship Church (NBCFC) in Boksburg, Johannesburg, started out with a congregation of just 30 members in 2004. Today, it hosts over 1,000 in its auditorium for Sunday services, and has upgraded its audio system to become one of the first in South Africa to enjoy an installation comprising a KLANG:vokal immersive in-ear mixing processor, along with seven KLANG:kontroller personal monitor mixers, and two DiGiCo SD9 mixing consoles.
Audio consultant, Victor Vermaak, worked closely with suppliers DWR Distribution to come up with a solution that would provide reliability and quality sound for years to come. “The existing audio equipment was outdated, not serving the needs of the church nor covering the venue properly, and was starting to break down,” explains Victor. Having worked with the NBCFC over the past seven years, he lent the

Germany - Hagius in Berlin is staffed by young professionals that offer classes for various disciplines such as yoga and boxing with the intention of strengthening and conditioning both body and mind, incorporating the spectrum of senses in neuro-athletic training.
Hagius has chosen a complete Genelec loudspeaker solution, supplied by local distributor Audio Pro and integrated by the Berlin acoustic design studio, Studio SPC.
"We wanted to create a space in Berlin where we could offer a different kind of training experience," explains co-founder Timothy Hagius. "Physical performance starts in the mind. Movement is regulated by the central nervous system and sensory input plays a significant role in this process."
For this reason, staff opt to work primarily with smaller groups, placing more of the emphasis on the individual’s multi-sensory journey, following t

Europe - The Sennheiser Group has acquired Merging Technologies. Under the agreement, the Swiss digital audio recording systems specialist will partner with studio sound business Neumann.Berlin as part of a growth strategy.
The first product of the partnership will be an audio interface that enables integration of Neumann products into a digital infrastructure. The existing portfolio of the two companies will remain unchanged.
All Merging Technologies staff will continue to be located at the company’s Puidoux, Switzerland site.
Ralf Oehl, CEO of Georg Neumann GmbH, comments: “We plan to strengthen Neumann's offering, particularly in the area of digital workstreams, in order to provide our customers with holistic audio solutions in studio quality. Merging Technologies' products and solutions are an excellent complement to the Neumann product portfolio. We are

South Africa - Technological Innovations Group (TIG), which has over 120 dedicated Crestron sales professionals and offices including Experience Spaces in London, Brussels, Paris, Madrid, Milan, Frankfurt, Dubai, Oslo and Johannesburg, has appointed Wikus Botha as its new regional sales manager for Crestron's residential solutions in South Africa.
Reporting to Steven Dullaert, director residential sales EMEA, Wikus has worked in IT, AV and home automation since the age of 17, and will bring his experience, industry knowledge and skills to the newly-created role.
On his appointment, Wikus comments: "The best thing you can do in life is make the most of your skills and talents. I want to bring the very best version of myself to the best technology company in the world and assist our clients and partners to be the most successful they can be too."

USA - Loudspeaker manufacturer 1 Sound has appointed Leonardo Dani and Leonardo D’Andrea to its team as sales executives focusing on Europe, Middle East, and Africa.
1 Sound was founded in 2019 by designer Lou Mannarino and has spent the last three years growing its business in the US pro-audio market and developing its product catalogue.
Dani and D’Andrea will work together in developing 1 Sound’s global network of distributors as well as handling 1 Sound sales for EMEA, taking the US brand international.
Leonardo Dani has 15 years of experience in developing and leading international markets and distribution networks with high expertise in building and implementing market strategies. Dani has spent the last three years as Chief Sales Officer for Pequod Acoustics where he developed their international network of sales and marketing. “I am very excited

Germany - When Doering creative agency contacted LEDcave about their ambitious plans to create alternative visuals for German singer, rapper, songwriter and producer Clueso’s new music video Mond (Moon) where he sings together with German-Turkish musician Elif, LEDcave had a stellar solution in mind.
“We have been in conversations with Doering’s team for the past two years about various creative opportunities at our LEDcave studios across Germany,” says LEDcave’s CEO Thilo Strack. “When this music video project came up there was no time for ‘star gazing’ - we knew our Berlin studio would be perfect, both creatively and technologically, for what the teams had in mind,”
As LEDcave’s most advanced VP studio, the 2,500m2 Berlin space features a giant LED volume comprising a curved LED wall measuring 40m wide by 6.5m high made up of LEDitg

USA - Clifford Antone was all about the blues. The son of Lebanese immigrants harboured a love for that strain of Americana and ended up building an empire around it, including its crown jewel: Antone’s, one of the seminal establishments of Austin, Texas’ famed 6th Street music-club row.
The current 400-capacity iteration of the venue, which originally opened in 1975 and has long been a regular host site for the annual SXSW music festival, is now a block away on 5th Street, but its audio technology took a leap forward in February with the installation of a DiGiCo Quantum225 console that serves both front-of-house and monitor duties.
Myles Fontaine Crosby, head of audio for the club, has been part of the Antone’s family for the entire seven years that it’s been in this location and for six years more at its previous address. He oversaw the installation and use o

The Netherlands - From September 2021 through to the end of 2022, Dutch girl band the Dolly Dots is saying a final farewell to its loyal fanbase, performing an array of hits and bringing back memories of their 1980s heyday to enthusiastic, sold-out audiences throughout the Netherlands. A Yamaha Rivage PM5 digital mixing system is helping them to roll back the years.
Dolly Dots enjoyed a number of European dance/pop hits throughout the 1980s, a television series and a starring role in feature film Dutch Treat. Having gone their separate ways in 1988, the band members performed occasional reunion shows until the death of founder member Ria Brieffies in 2009. Now the remaining five - Angela Groothuizen, Angéla Kramers, Anita Heilker, Esther Oosterbeek and Patty Zomer, all now in their 60s - have come back together for one last tour.
Backed by a five-piece band, le

Australia - Optimal Audio has appointed Audio Brands as its exclusive distributor in Australia.
Based in Sydney, Audio Brands is focused on the installation and production markets and specialises in commercial audio and AV solutions, supplying Australia through a wide network of dealers and integration partners. With exclusive distribution for a number of leading global brands, Audio Brands has developed a strong reputation for customer service.
Don McConnell, director of Audio Brands Australia, comments: “We’re thrilled to be representing such an innovative range of products. The experienced team behind Optimal Audio truly understand the requirements of the commercial audio market, and it’s refreshing to see a focus on the user interface. The Optimal Audio range complements our existing brands perfectly and we’re looking forward to introducing the Optimal Audi

UK - DiGiCo has announced the release of its latest Version 3.0 software update, increasing the processing power of its small footprint S-Series consoles. Version 3.0 offers an optional software expansion that significantly increases the channel count from 48 to 60 flexi channels and 24 flexi busses, turning S-Series consoles into an S21+ or an S31+.
V3.0 includes two new Master Buss configurations: LCR (Left Centre Right) or LRM (Left Right Mono), providing additional control on the channels over the LCR blend or the LRM Mono Gain. LCR or LRM are ideal for running an expanded speaker setup or sending out a mono mix alongside your stereo mix. And increasing the Master Buss size doesn’t introduce any compromises: you still have access to all your busses and channels.
Software version 2.2 introduced OSC Control of Snapshots. Version 3.0 extends the OSC control capabi

USA - Dead & Company are back on the road for their 2022 summer tour which kicked off in mid-June at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The tour is powered by a system featuring Meyer Sound’s new Panther large-format linear line array loudspeaker.
The band further augmented its repertoire of tunes while UltraSound - decades-long audio provider for the Grateful Dead and successor ensembles - assembled the largest system of Panther loudspeakers in North America, and the first to roll out on a USA tour.
To cover expansive audience areas in a mix of sports stadiums and larger sheds, UltraSound is carrying a Panther inventory that allows reconfiguration for venue size. For stadiums, a typical deployment is four identical arrays - two main front and two side - each comprising 14 Panther loudspeakers, with four Panther-W wide coverage versions flown under 12 Panther-L long-

Spain - After postponing many of its scheduled 2020 dates due to the pandemic, this year Spanish artist Pablo López's Unikornio tour finally resumed and is enjoying great successes. Spanish full-service company, Ilusovi, is in charge of supplying sound and lighting equipment for the tour, which is one of the first in Spain to deploy a DiGiCo Quantum338 console.
Although Lopez has increasingly played bigger venues, one console is used for both FOH and monitors. Max Miglin, the artist's trusted sound technician, manages both mixes and explains why he has chosen to use a DiGiCo Quantum338 for this latest tour.
“Ilusovi had recently acquired a Quantum338, and I was able to get to know it up close on a course organised by the DiGiCo’s Spanish distributor, RMS Proaudio, at their facility,” says Miglin. “The Quantum338 has great processing power, so I’m delighted t

USA - Clear-Com has announced the appointment of Calvin Long to the company’s applications engineering team. Based in the South Eastern region of the US, Calvin brings industry experience and knowledge with a focus on both remote and hybrid broadcast operations from his time at Black News Channel (BNC) as broadcast manager of operations for the live news channel.
Calvin was a first-hand Clear-Com user in his previous role, configuring the intercom system to enable remote and hybrid broadcast workflows for the anchors, production team and engineers.
“With our customers increasingly moving to an IP-based workflow with both hybrid and remote operations, it’s especially important to bring on board Applications Engineers who have the kind of real-world AoIP experience that Calvin brings to the role,” remarks Justin Emge, applications engineer manager. “Calvin’s

Germany - Optocore has appointed RadhaMohan Rajani, who joins the technical sales support team and will work across both Optocore and sister company, BroaMan.
After studying Visual Communications, Rajani joined Warren Dsouza’s Mumbai-based rental company Sound.com in 2014, where he first started using Optocore devices. This was specifically on the large stadium events and opening/closing games ceremonies in which Sound.com specialises.
In 2016, he relocated to Poland to work for Fotis Sound (another Optocore client) -working on festivals, tours and concert set-up prior to the pandemic. In 2019, he underwent his full Optocore Certification Training (OCT) at company HQ in Munich.
As a member of the Tech Support team, he will focus on client communications and relations with a particular emphasis on building BroaMan’s presence in the market.
BroaMan MD Ti

Singapore - Theatre consultancy Theatreplan is providing the technical know-how for the upgrade of the cabling infrastructure from the analogue tie-lines system to a digital IP-based network to serve sound, video, communications and lighting across all venues, plus new facilities for digital media at Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay in Singapore.
Opened in 2002, Esplanade is a major centre for the performing arts, located at Marina Bay, on the bank of the Singapore River. The centre consists of a concert hall for 1,600 people, a theatre with a 1,950-seat capacity, a recital studio for 245 people, and a theatre studio accommodating up to 220.
Having been appointed in 2019, Theatreplan’s work has continued throughout the pandemic and is on-going. The scope of work includes a feasibility study, a detailed site survey, technical design recommendations and development of a

Thailand - Country Group Development collaborated with Mahajak Development to equip its Capella Bangkok hotel with a suite of Harman Professional networked AV, lighting and control solutions.
Capella Bangkok is a five-star hotel situated on a 13.8-acre lot overlooking the Chao Phraya River. In addition to its 101 guest rooms, suites and luxury villas, the hotel features three restaurants, a tearoom, greenhouse, grand ballroom and four multipurpose “atelier” specialty function rooms.
“We were responsible for the audio, visual, lighting and control systems design for the ballroom, specialty function rooms and four areas of the background music system,” said Eric Wong, AV Consultant of Katakan Consulting Co, as reported by Mahajak. “The client wanted a versatile system capable of delivering sharp, clear sound without distortion for a variety of functions like se

China - With over 10 years of experience in advertising, photography, film and television production, the Shanghai MuShang Advertising Co is familiar with the use of technologies to enhance customer experiences. Its latest brainchild, MuShang XR stage, uses cutting-edge technology including Brompton Technology LED processing, ROE Visual screens, Mark Roberts Motion Control cinebots, Unreal Engine and disguise media server hardware, to deliver visual creativity and high-quality productions.
“We’ve been working in the creative industries for over a decade and know all too well the complexities associated with large-scale, outdoor production settings,” explains Henry Sha, the founder of Shanghai MuShang Ad CO. “From manpower to lighting equipment, to tons of things in between, we wanted to bring a more efficient and cost-effective way of doing productions to our clients

USA - The Dollar Loan Centre in Henderson, Nevada is home to the Henderson Silver Knights of the American Hockey League and the Vegas Knight Hawks of the Indoor Football League, seating over 5,500 fans for those sports. In addition, the Big West Conference announced last year that the NCAA Division I men’s and women’s basketball championships would be held there starting with the West Coast teams of the March Madness series.
The $80m-plus arena officially opened on 8 March this year as Covid began slowly releasing its grip on live events. AV systems designer and consultancy Anthony James Partners specified a DiGiCo S31 as the new arena’s front-of-house audio mix console, which was installed and integrated by C.V. Lloyde Audiovisual.
“I’d like to say it’s just cost, but the fact is that DiGiCo consoles deliver for both the budget and sonic quality,” says J

Singapore - SurgeX has appointed Generation AV as its sales agency in the Asia Pacific region. The agreement will see Generation AV staff based in Asia providing a full service, encompassing sales, training and technical support for the brand in pro audio, residential and pro AV markets.
“We’re very happy to be working with Generation AV, which has the specialist expertise and regional market understanding that we need to help grow our presence in APAC,” comments Justin Peyton, director of sales EMEA and APAC at SurgeX. “Generation AV has an excellent record of delivering for brands, and we’re excited to work with them to further establish ourselves in this territory with our extensive range of power management solutions.
“This deal will also be of huge benefit to our existing partners in the region, who will now have access to a team able to provide local

Jez Butterworth’s Jerusalem has returned to the West End 11 years after its last record-breaking, sell-out run. Mark Rylance reprises his role as the ebulliently irresponsible, anarchic Johnny ‘Rooster’ Byron, ably supported by the rest of the cast. The play is back at its West End home of the Apollo Theatre with a sound design from Autograph’s Ian Dickinson, this time featuring Reference Series loudspeakers from EM Acoustics.
“I did the show the first time around when it was at the Royal Court, followed by its subsequent West End iterations, so I knew exactly what was required,” explains Dickinson. “The Apollo is a beautiful theatre on four levels so, as ever, the priority was flawless coverage across all seats in the auditorium. The actors don’t wear microphones, so the PA system is there to deliver clear playback of the music and numerous effects used in t

UK - Severine Anvoner is Martin Audio’s new HR manager. Born and brought up in France, she has lived in the UK since 2001 and now considers both the country and the area of Bucks where she resides as home.
Anvoner has considerable experience in the corporate world including at Coca-Cola Enterprises and more recently at Seagate Technology. “But I realised that a new industry would provide a different challenge and I also wanted to move away from the big corporate world,” she admits. “Although there are many positives about big corporations, the downside is there are many layers of management, and I wanted to interact more, and become closer [to the workforce]. This industry is dynamic and exciting.
Unlike her previous trans-EMEA roles, at Martin Audio her challenge will be more UK-based, offering more flexibility and versatility than she has experienced previous

USA - Markus Burger, coordinator of music technology at California’s Fullerton College has recently overseen the recording of a string ensemble library album by LA Philharmonic with composer/director Yuval Schrem, using a portable recording rig which included 32 channels of Audient mic pres.
Comprising two ASP880s and two ASP800 eight-channel units alongside an interface, this rig is used for a range of applications. This particular recording is currently being mixed and is due to be released at the end of the year.
“We took a mixture of Audient and Neve preamps with us this time so we had a variety of recordings to choose from,” explains Markus, confirming that the recording went without a hitch. “The Audient mic presets are bullet-proof. We’ve never had any issues with them in all the years that we have had them.”
A consistent champion of Audient,

UK - Educational roadshows led by BlackTrax specialist Tom Boucher have been outlining to students the creative possibilities BlackTrax offers to live event professionals. Students have been bringing their ideas to life by using CAST’s innovative technology.
“Taking BlackTrax into an educational environment has introduced students to technology that they will come across in the workforce. It has given students the ability to create scenarios, ask questions and really get to grips with BlackTrax as a system and the numerous integration possibilities,” says Tom Boucher.
Many questions were answered, and the system was put to the test, right down to students calibrating a BlackTrax Real system themselves and learning how to get their educational wysiwyg license.
“I really enjoyed using the BlackTrax system, I thought it was intuitive and relatively easy,”

Poland - Cavatina Hall, which opened at the beginning of the year in the city of Bielsko-Biała, is the first concert hall in the country to be built and managed entirely from private funds.
This multi-functional building, combining office and cultural spaces, is set over six storeys on more than 9,000sq.m and includes a recording studio as well as a 1,000-seat concert hall.
Its AV infrastructure is woven into a sophisticated digital/analogue network, designed around an Optocore backbone, feeding a multiplicity of signals to an L-Acoustics L-ISA Immersive Hyperreal sound system from a pair of roving DiGiCo Quantum 338 consoles, operating from four different locations.
These were specified and delivered by system integrators Audio Plus, along with the latest stage mechanics and AV technologies, including sound and light tracking, variable acoustics and visual inf

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