The Netherlands - Located on the banks of the Zaan river in the city of Zaandam, a few kilometres north-west of Amsterdam, Filmtheater De Fabriek (The Factory) is a popular cinema. The cinema has recently added a new 30 seat theatre and, at the same time, updated the audio in its existing 90 and 64-seat theatres, all with Alcons Audio pro-ribbon systems.
Filmtheater De Fabriek offers an in-depth movie experience, each month offering introductions, after-talks or panel discussions about its programme of films. These provide more context for the films and the viewer with food for thought. This approach to providing a more complete experience includes the sound.
De Fabriek occupies a 100-year-old former school building, which has seen many changes over the years. A recent refurbishment saw original details being preserved and, at the same time, the cinema being brought ri

Australia - Sydney Theatre Company (STC) has reopened its home venue, The Wharf, at Walsh Bay in Sydney, following a two-year closure for a total renovation. A highlight of the complete technical upgrade was the installation of 32 new Meyer Sound loudspeakers, largely drawn from the company’s new Ultra-X series.
The system was designed by Bob McCarthy and Josh Dorn-Fehrmann to implement Spacemap Go, Meyer Sound’s new tool for spatial sound design and live mixing. When it opened in late February, STC’s production of Playing Beatie Bow became one of the world’s first theatrical productions to use dynamic spatial effects provided by the new technology based on the Galaxy 816 Network Platform utilising Milan and a new iPad user interface.
For the theatre’s sound & video manager Ben Lightowlers, selection of the right solution was critical, so the venue

Switzerland - The Andermatt Concert Hall, located in the village of Andermatt in the Ursern Valley of the Swiss Alps, opened its doors in 2019 to rave reviews by hosting the Berlin Philharmonic, bringing world-class classical music performance to the alpine wonderland (see LSi Jan-Feb 2021).
The concert hall is a beautiful venue with seating for up to 650 and offers an up-close and intimate atmosphere with enough room for a 75-piece orchestra. The hall's stage and lower level are below ground level, and the space features a high ceiling with upper-level walls of glass, wood-finished ceilings, and a wrap-around balcony. Studio Seilern Architects created a captivating space, int

USA - XXXX Audio Systems recently outfitted MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa with a Harman networked audio system.
MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa is a casino hotel in Stateline, Nevada owned by Bally’s Corporation. Originally constructed in 1978 and known as Caesars Tahoe until 2006, MontBleu includes a 48,456sq.ft casino and 438-room hotel along with multiple restaurants and shops.
MontBleu needed to upgrade its aging audio system and hired XXXX Audio Systems to replace its existing system with a networked audio system consisting of JBL Professional, Crown and BSS solutions.
“Our overall goal was to create a vibrant sound experience for our guests from the minute they arrive to the time they’re playing their favourite slot machine or table game,” said Marimille Dacia, director of marketing, entertainment and retail, MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa.

Austria - As historic churches strive to serve their existing congregations and expand their reach using new technology, inevitably they find themselves balancing their needs for quality audio systems with the desire to maintain the aesthetic beauty and singular atmosphere integral to the worship experience.
That’s of particular concern in historically important spaces like Eisenstadt, Austria’s Dom St. Martin, which recently deployed a low profile, high fidelity Adamson Systems Engineering PA to improve speech intelligibility and reinforce small, contemporary musical ensembles with clarity and depth.
Previously known as St. Martin's Church, the Gothic cathedral was completed in 1522 and features a pipe organ created to the specific instructions of Austrian composer and ‘Father of the Symphony and String Quartet,’ Franz Joseph Haydn. Over time, it’s been dama

UK - The 2021 BRIT Awards made history on 11 May as 4,000 audience members gathered at London’s O2 Arena for the UK’s first indoor live music concert in 14 months.
In celebration of the best in British and international pop music, The BRIT Awards audience - made up by primarily of NHS key workers - brought hope back to live music crews.
The test show was a momentous return to multi-artist, large scale productions, and although the limited numbers presented challenges, the Britannia Row team was happy to take up the mantle.
Safety was paramount, as crew chief Steve Donovan explains: “The BRITs were very different this year in terms of crew logistics and, in particular, the Covid-19 testing of every individual onsite. Crew were tested every 72 hours minimum throughout the course of the build and show. It was critical to ensure we didn’t have positive tests

France - Modulo Pi has announced the immediate availability of Modulo Kinetic version 4. With this release, the fully integrated media server solution offers a revamped user interface, improved 3D engine, and new extensive capabilities dedicated to virtual productions.
Introduced in 2016, Modulo Kinetic makes a major step forward in its development with a variety of new features and improvements. The Modulo Kinetic Designer offers a revamped user interface with new icons, optimised views, toolbars, timelines, nodal programming editor, and more.
Special attention was paid to the 3D scene viewer to offer users a smooth navigation and polished experience with the software.
Version 4 includes the support of Notch Block, 10-bit Apple ProRes, and 10-bit GoPro Cineform. Modulo Kinetic also supports LUT format, allowing creative filters and real-time colour grading.

USA - Established in 2001, Oaks Christian School (OCS) in Westlake Village has quickly flourished over the past two decades to become one of the most sought-after private middle/high schools in the West Los Angeles area. With a number of the school’s events now being held outdoors on its 25-acre Conejo Valley campus per current health and safety protocols, OCS recently purchased a portable sound reinforcement system that is being piloted via an S21 digital mixing console from DiGiCo.
David Alexander is Oaks Christian School’s technical director as well as the facility manager for the Bedrosian Pavilion, the campus’ 30,000sq.ft multipurpose performing arts centre that opened in 2007. “We have a large-format desk as our mainstage console at the pavilion, but it’s far too big to move quickly and deploy easily as an outdoor desk for mid-size events,” he says. “We n

USA - Ridgeland High School in Jasper County, South Carolina, is an school of about 700 students focused on preparing young adults for successful college and career paths. When faculty at the school decided they needed to modernise and upgrade their gymnasium sound system, local installer, Sound Systems and More recommended LEA Professional amplifiers.
Ronnie Carroll, the lead installation technician at South Systems and More, explained that the Ridgeland High School had a sound system in place that was out of date, limited in its functionality and connectivity, and only half functional. The gymnasium seats a little over 200 and the old system had poor sound quality and coverage and was difficult to use.
"Ridgeland had many issues with their previous sound system, and their top requests for a new system were for excellent system quality, flexibility and usability," sai

South Korea - Daelim Musical, Amate Audio’s long time exclusive distribution partner in South Korea, has been installing Amate Audio line array systems extensively in churches throughout the country. Over the previous 14 months the company has installed Amate Audio systems in more than nine churches.
The largest of these, in the First Presbyterian Church in Wonju city, comprises 16x Nitíd N208 1500 W active, self-powered line array cabinets and two 2500 W N18W sub bass cabinets, flown in L – R strings. A majority of the installations, however, have deployed Amate Audio’s Xcellence series X12CLA ultra-compact constant curvature array.
Since March 2020 Daelim, has designed and installed five sound systems in churches featuring the X12CLA array together with the X18T active sub; with left and right flown strings comprising an X18T sub and four X12CLAs: Seo Won Chur

USA - Costa Mesa-based manufacturer, QSC, will present Mental Health Amplified, a special virtual fundraising event to celebrate the healing power of music. This live, 90-minute musical event, to be held on 27 May from 4pm to 5:30 pm (PST,) will celebrate the magical power of music to transform peoples’ lives and enhance our mental, physical and emotional well-being.
All proceeds support The Priority Centre of Orange County California, whose mission is to deliver life-changing programmes to assist people in crisis by giving them the tools and support necessary to end the generational cycle of trauma- including prevention of child abuse and neglect, through early intervention and mental health services and advocacy.
Headlining the event are three of today’s top up-and-coming artists – singer/songwriter Lee Coulter, R&B artist Cedrice and Latin soul artist Andy

UK - Brompton Technology has collaborated with White Light (WL) to showcase the new functionality of its latest Tessera V3.1 software release.
The software’s new features, such as Frame Remapping and High Frame Rate+, have unlocked a number of virtual production opportunities. Frame Remapping within White Light’s SmartStage LED studio enables multiple cameras and shooting modes to each see their own render perspective. It also means that a live feed can be captured, fully utilising the benefits of XR technology, including reflections and bespoke lighting, while adding the capability to simultaneously shoot against a green screen to give options in post-production.
Dynamic chroma key adjustments can be made, allowing any 24-bit RGB colour to be specified. For events with remote participants in different countries, the technology allows outputs to be tailored and reg

USA - As Cuba’s oldest brewery, Cerveceria La Tropical dates to the year 1888 when La Tropical founded the Cuban beer industry. The business thrived until the arrival of the Cuban revolution when the company’s assets were seized. Fast forward 50 years, which includes relocation of the founding family to Miami, and Cerveceria La Tropical has a new home. Cuba’s oldest brewery is now one of Miami’s youngest, and this new business has DAS Audio loudspeakers installed throughout the complex.
Sound Investment Audio, a design / build AV integration and live event production firm with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, and Las Vegas, was contracted to handle the audio system design and installation at Cerveceria La Tropical.
Jon Raymond, Sound Investment’s Chicago‐based national project manager, is involved in many aspects of the company’s projects

USA - For the past year, the world has been preoccupied with Zoom meetings. Disguise has been looking at a very different type of zoom. Instead of video meetings, disguise allows its users to zoom in and out of a virtual world on camera.
disguise’s extended reality (xR) workflow, released to the general public in April 2021 through its new r18 software, includes this new feature which extends the virtual scene to allow cameras to zoom in and out of each scene. With these capabilities, the community of disguise users can now build even more exciting and elaborate scenes than ever before.
xR pioneers and disguise partners, XR Studios, were among the first to incorporate the new feature into their current workflow and explore its full potential. Their first project using virtual zoom was with singer Katy Perry. For what is now the third collaboration with Perry, XR St

Canada - For Global Kingdom, the mid-pandemic upgrade to their audio systems is all about staying ahead of the curve and expanding the reach of the message they preach. While Coronavirus restrictions hastened the Toronto-based church’s efforts to enhance their ministry, using cutting-edge technology to do just that has always been an important driver for the growth of their congregation.
Realising that during this challenging time, their ministry is more critical than ever for those who depend on their support, inspiration, and community, Global Kingdom pivoted according to the needs of the moment. Working closely with Apex Sound & Light and GerrAudio Distribution, they adopted a solution that serves the needs of today and tomorrow with the addition of a DiGiCo Q338 mixing console and KLANG immersive mixing platform.
Tom Lodu, manager of operations & special

Germany - Expansive performances have been transforming the building and outdoor spaces at radialsystem, a former pumping station in Berlin-Friedrichshain on the banks of the river Spree, into a stage since 2006.
As a creative production and event venue for the development of new artistic programmes and event formats, radialsystem also hosts numerous conferences, meetings and trade fairs, which often deal with innovation and futuristic topics. The large number and variety of events, with their associated demand for quality, means it is part of the radial DNA to constantly develop and challenge itself technically, and the venue is the first in Germany to boast a permanently installed L-ISA Immersive Hyperreal Sound System.
In total, radialsystem has around 2,500sq.m of usable event space spread over five floors. The L-ISA Immersive Hyperreal Sound System has been desig

UK - The complex audio system for the 2021 BRIT Awards once again was designed, provided and operated by Britannia Row Productions. As in 2020, a Newton processor was specified to deal with a number of mission-critical tasks at the very core of the system.
The 2021 BRITs was notable as one of the UK's first major indoor live music events in more than a year, following the impact of COVID-19. The event was staged with a limited live audience as part of a test by the UK government to trial the idea of crowds with no social distancing, along with the FA Cup final and World Snooker Championship final as events that would feature larger crowds than allowed by law at the time.
The BRP show team included two system techs, Laurie Fradley and Adam Smith, system engineer Sergiy Zhytnikov and system designer / FOH engineer Josh Lloyd.
“The Newton was used to handle the ma

South Africa - After many years of holding congregations in houses, school halls and tents, South African Christian church, Capital City Church International (3Ci), has realised their dream of inhabiting their own space.
The client brought in Stage Audio Works (SAW) to provide audio-visual solutions for their new base in Pretoria. Involved in the process from the early stages, SAW played a large part in the planning and execution of the project - delivering a comprehensive PA system based on state-of-the-art d&b line array speakers, as well as a turnkey house lighting system and building-wide BGM and control.
One of the primary considerations was audio clarity in the main auditorium, a large space with a maximum capacity of 2,500. Ensuring sound constancy in such a large space proved challenging, but the collaboration between SAW, 3Ci, the architect, Ferdi Le Gra

USA - When Highland Park United Methodist Church (HPUMC), based in Dallas, TX, wanted to stage a large-scale Easter Sunday service at a 32,000-capacity stadium, it presented Martin Audio partner Alford Media with some different challenges.
The stadium sits on a university’s campus and while Alford Media has provided audio reinforcement for a number of routine graduation ceremonies at the stadium, the emphasis this time was on providing premium audio - particularly with 600 socially distanced chairs set out for family groups on the field itself - according to Alford’s audio services manager, Ben MacKinney.
Alford Media holds a considerable inventory of Martin Audio systems and MacKinney set about combining two - Wavefront Precision Compact (WPC) for on field coverage, and MLA Compact for the bleachers and stands. This provided the optimum outcome for a congregation

Germany - Coda Audio has announced the expansion of its HOPS (high output point source) range with the addition of the new HOPS12i. A high output, three-way point source, HOPS12i incorporates high performance 12” neodymium cone drivers with 4” voice coils adapted from those found in Coda Audio’s flagship line-array, AiRAY, delivering ‘power with clarity’.
Versatility is key to the HOPS12i. As well as Coda’s latest DAC (Dynamic Airflow Cooling) technology, it features exchangeable and rotatable waveguides that provide various options for adjusting directivity, but unlike loudspeakers that ‘only’ steer high frequency – the HOPS12i waveguides control all the way down to 300Hz.
90º x 60º and 60º x 40º waveguides are available, and both are rotatable, giving four directivity options. The impressive low end of the full-range HOPS12i means that in many

Canada - Following Audio-Technica Canada’s recent announcement of its decision to streamline processes for its professional audio distribution operation, ATCA has revealed further consolidation with a move to new office facilities. This coincides with the appointment of permanent general manager, Kenji Yamabe.
Yamabe – who comes from Audio-Technica Europe – takes over from Susanne Seidel, a business consultant who has been acting GM since June 2019.
Commenting on her time at ATCA, Seidel states, “It has been my absolute pleasure to serve as ATCA’s interim GM; overseeing the development of a proficient organization that is ready for the next step of business growth”.
She continues, “Although the circumstances created by Covid have not been ideal for anyone, I am proud of what we have accomplished as a team and delighted to be able to leave the comp

UK - Welsh rental house, Magnum PA has recently purchased a number of Powersoft’s T Series touring amplifier platforms after a consultation with partner – and Powersoft distributor – CUK Audio. The company initially ordered four T604 and four T602, though it soon added another T604 and has since revealed plans to add another three T602 in order to complete its inventory.
“I’ve known of Powersoft for years and was well aware of their famous high power per rack unit reputation,” said Philip Hughes, managing director Magnum PA. “We had been looking for an option to streamline our main system racks for a while, but it was difficult to find an option that also met our requirements for Dante connectivity and failover. Although we didn’t quite have the need for the power of the X4, as soon as we saw the T Series we knew we had found the perfect solution.”
H

Spain - The town of Altafulla on Catalunya’s Costa Dorada, in Tarragona province, is the spectacular seafront setting for the Pleamar Vintage Market.
As well as a host of stalls selling all manner of vintage clothing, antique furnishings and other second-hand goods, the market hosts an entertainment stage, featuring live music, DJs and a programme of events, alongside a children’s area and numerous terrace restaurants and bars.
Local event AV hire company Solucions so i il·luminació SCP provided various sound reinforcement systems for the annual two-day event in April, exclusively from Amate Audio’s contemporary Nitíd self-powered loudspeaker series.
The entertainment stage FOH system comprised eight N208 line array cabinets and two N218 subs, with eight N12 2-way systems for front-fills and stage monitors. N12 systems provided the audio in various othe

Canada - Powersoft’s Ottocanali amplifier platforms have been chosen by Solotech as one of the cornerstones of the new audio system at Canadian casino and hotel resort, Caesars Windsor.
The venue – part of the Caesars Entertainment empire – had its original audio system installed in 2008, but with the supplier having sent an end-of-life notice in 2018 and Caesars Corporate changing its minimum standards, it had to act decisively.
“As well as the end-of-life notice, we soon realised that we couldn’t upgrade the Windows portion of the old system without upgrading the hardware to match,” said Brian Drouillard, manager audio visual at Caesars Windsor.
Drouillard had already been working with compatriot company Solotech on upgrading the audio systems in hotel ballrooms and meeting rooms, and so spoke with its on-site technicians first to determine if they

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