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UK - Creative vision can often be frustrated by the limitations of technology, yet ever so quietly, UB40, with some help from Grant Hickey, Oli Metcalfe, Video Design, and the latest Notch effects software are revealing to their UK audiences that at least one technological barrier has been crossed. “Astro and Ali said to Grant, their production designer, that they wanted to ‘step it up a bit’ as far as this year’s tour was concerned; they wanted something that set it apart from other recent outings.”
As Metcalfe comments: “This was a case of right place, right time. It was an opportunity to try out some ideas I’ve been having about generative video and being creative in real-time.”
Metcalfe is video director for the tour, called in by Hickey on that ‘step-up’ initiative from Ali and Astro. “Grant and I have worked together many times before; he h

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UK & Ireland - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) has been appointed as the exclusive UK distributor for PureLink's IPAV Pro series of 10Gb AV over IP transmission, switching and signal processing solutions. AC-ET sister company A.C. Entertainment Technologies Ireland will handle distribution in the Republic of Ireland.
With the Pro AV industry currently transitioning to AV distribution over IP, to create entirely new user experiences with 4K+ video content, there is a growing demand for technologies which meet tomorrow's as well as today's video performance needs. In addition, companies are seeking products which utilise a widely adopted VOIP protocol, such as SDVoE (Software Defined Video Over Ethernet).
The IPAV Pro series combines 10Gb Ethernet over IP switching technology with a toughened chassis custom made for the rigours of rental and staging. Utilisin

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EMEA - Production Resource Group (PRG) is integrating its global research and development efforts into a new operating group, PRG Innovation.
Joining under PRG Innovation will be PRG Projects, PRG Research and Development, and the VER product development initiatives. The new operating group will encompass operations in Belgium, China and the USA, which include facilities in Dallas, New Windsor, New York and Los Angeles.
Jere Harris, chairman and CEO of PRG, comments: “PRG Innovation brings all of our talent focused on product development into a single, global team, allowing us to anticipate market trends, move with agility and align product development with our larger strategic objectives. I believe that our investment and performance in market-driven innovation is one of the most powerful points of difference separating our brands from the competition. Now, that adv

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USA - Tour provider Clair Global, has invested in two of SSL's newly-launched Live L550 consoles.
“We are thrilled to offer the new L550 to our clients, who are putting out some of the most demanding tours on the road today,” says Clair's account executive, Justin Weaver. “As we continue to invest in our global inventory to keep it fresh and up-to-date, adding the latest SSL consoles to our arsenal was a positive step in that direction.”
The L550s are already out with two major international acts - Childish Gambino's This Is America tour and Nick Mason of Pink Floyd's North American Saucerful of Secrets leg.
The L550 enhances SSL's previous L500 console, and boasts increased system power delivering accelerated screen responsiveness, a total of 288 processing paths, 36 Matrix outputs, and 48 VCAs. To ensure current L500 customers continue t

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UK - A Martin Audio WPM loudspeaker system has taken pride of place in the local community-owned and operated Festival Drayton Centre in Market Drayton. The installation was carried out by long-standing specialists, B.S.B. (Sound) Ltd - set up 50 years ago by Elwyn Bickley and two partners. Today one of the largest outdoor PA contractors of its type in the UK, the company also undertakes pro audio installations.
“We had been looking forward to getting involved with Martin Audio for a long time and when this project arose, we knew the brand would be a strong contender,” stated director Martin Bickley. And with the assistance of Martin Audio product support engineer, Robin Dibble, with whom they had already developed a close relationship, the new design was brought to fruition.
B.S.B. (Sound) Ltd has been involved with the venue for many years, engineering their liv

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Europe - Shure has introduced version 3.1 of SystemOn Audio Asset Management Software, empowering AV/IT managers and system integrators to “stay one step ahead when overseeing large scale installs”. Because AV/IT managers and system integrators can’t be everywhere at once, SystemOn 3.1 provides users a 360-degree view of inventory.
The software constantly monitors device health and history to help ensure events run smoothly and seamlessly (tracking network connectivity, low battery status, RF performance, audio levels, etc.). Users have access to additional Shure products supported through the latest version of the management software to solve problems proactively.
“SystemOn is like a virtual system tech for AV/IT professionals,” said Chad Wiggins, senior category director for networked audio systems at Shure. “Version 3.1 adds support for our latest networ

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USA - Kramer Electronics will be showcasing its VS-34FD, a 34-port modular 8K multi format digital matrix switcher with interchangeable inputs & outputs, at InfoComm Orlando.
Getting its US show debut, VS-34FD from Kramer supports HDMI, HDBaseT, DGkat, fibre optic, DVI, VGA HD-SDI as well as analogue and digital audio. The VS-34FD chassis is backwards compatible with all existing cards (with the addition of an adapter) and futureproofs AV installations with an 8K ready chassis for upcoming 8K cards. Furthermore, all ports can be used interchangeably as either inputs or outputs, according to installation requirements.
VS-34FD has an independent audio matrix in addition to the audio features of the installed cards, a built-in Ethernet switch for use with any card that has an Ethernet port, and redundant hot swappable power supplies. All cards can also be hot swapped

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UK - Fresh from its international launch at the recent PL+S 2019 in Frankfurt, KV2 Audio will unveil the most compact loudspeaker yet in its range at PLASA Focus Leeds.
The ESD Cube is a passive 5" loudspeaker that utilises a trans-coil design for superior vocal reproduction, extended high frequency response, increased dynamic range and low distortion. The Cube will be demonstrated alongside other KV2 products in KV2’s exclusive demo room at the show.
KV2’s exclusive trans-coil AIC (Active Impedance Control) technology, already deployed in a number of KV2 products, has been taken to a whole new level in the Cube.
According to KV2’s founder and chief engineer, George Krampera, the ESD Cube’s design makes it stand out from the crowd sonically, even though physically it is designed to blend seamlessly into its environment. “What sets the Cube apart from s

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USA - Drawing more than 2.5m visitors to Houston’s NRG Stadium over its three-week run, this year’s RodeoHouston was a record-breaking success on multiple counts.
Featuring daily double-bills of spirited rodeo action and major concert events hosted by the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (HLSR), attendance records for the event were topped no less than three times in 2019: when Cardi B performed for an audience of 75,580 fans; when Los Tigres del Norte slightly overtook the lead with a crowd of 75,586; and finally on March 17, when George Strait packed in an all-time NRG Stadium record attendance of 80,108 for his 30th Rodeo performance.
Keeping this many music lovers happily singing along with their favourite artists required a massive concert sound system, and Houston-based LD Systems once again took the bull by the horns and deployed 360 L-Acoustics loudspeaker

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Europe - Although North American audiences were justifiably disappointed when Nicki Minaj cancelled her fall 2018 tour after deciding to "re-evaluate elements of production” and devote more time to rehearsals before hitting the road, her overseas fans recently got the chance to reap the benefits of a solid show.
Teaming up with Juice WRLD on the aptly named Nicki WRLD tour in support of Queen, her fourth and most recent album, the latest trek stopped at 22 arenas throughout Europe and the UK from 21 February to 28 March.
Cleveland-based Eighth Day Sound supplied the tour’s PA and control package, which featured DiGiCo SD5 consoles for both FOH and monitors, paired with five SD-Racks and an SD-Mini Rack, all on an Optocore loop.
“We used a traditional splitter for some inputs, but also shared inputs via the loop,” describes FOH engineer Kevin Brown, who ha

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Spain - K-array has announced a partnership that sees Metrica Sound as exclusive K-array distributor for the Spanish island of Ibiza.
Metrica Recording Studio was developed by Javier Ferrer in 2018 with the aim to produce the first professional studio in Ibiza capable of working with the highest standards of quality and technology within the audio industry. The studio focuses on 3D and Binaural recording and is also one of the first recording studios in the world to use the Sfëar Technology in a professional environment.
“We have a selection of the best tools available on the market and we are a group of professionals with more than 15 years in the sound and music industry,” says Ferrer. “We take care of the entire recording process, from the production to the recording of voices and bands as well as the art of mixing and mastering. And now we can offer the fin

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UK - Audiologic has been appointed as a UK distributor for USA-based AV connectivity specialists Attero Tech of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Founded in 2005 by a group of engineers, Attero Tech has grown into a global provider of audio networking I/O endpoints and AV connectivity solutions, including networked AV wall plates, small form factor network AV interfaces, Bluetooth for Pro-AV, IP paging and audio monitoring products.
Adding Attero Tech to its portfolio complements Audiologic’s distribution of QSC Systems. Attero Tech’s AES 67 and Dante-enabled products are designed for compatibility with QSC Q-SYS Core DSP solutions and it has also developed control plugins for Q-SYS Designer DSP software.
Managing director at Audiologic Andy Lewis comments, “Attero Tech’s AES67 products have been specifically designed to be compatible with QSC solutions and thus constitute

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UK - Penn Elcom has launched UltraFlite, a new 100% recyclable flightcase panel material.
Utilising this in a building project will dramatically reduce the weight of flightcases, adding to all the positive consequences this brings in a tough and highly durable solution, says the company.
The UltraFlite has been developed after two years of extensive R ‘n’ D coupled with Penn’s considerable experience in the field.
Around 80% lighter than traditional wood-ply flightcase panels - approximately 1.6kg per square metre - it will be of interest to anyone in the rental, staging, installation and venue sectors who has kit needing to be flightcased for touring or transportation as well as for installations where (light) weight is crucial.
The UltraFlite panel’s skin features a honeycomb structure that makes it tough, light, durable and resistant to liquids a

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USA - Taking in a Utica Comets hockey game at the Adirondack Bank Centre at the Utica Memorial Auditorium (the Aud) in Utica, New York is not only an enjoyable experience in its own right, but also an opportunity to experience a watershed moment in the history of architecture.
The 3,800-plus seat auditorium relies on the world’s first cable roof system, forerunner to other such structures like Madison Square Garden. Lev Zetlin designed the Aud in the 1950s using two-inch steel cables as circular spokes that support the roof, and its place in history is remembered with a permanent display at NYC’s Museum of Modern Art and recognition as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. Pittsburgh-based sound contracting firm Edward Simon & Co. LLC recently installed a Danley Sound Labs loudspeaker and amp/DSP system at the Aud.
“From a fan’s perspective, the a

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Indonesia - Widely known for its lively, contemporary services, IFGF Semarang recently built a new main campus in Semarang, Central Java, to better serve its dynamic weekly congregation of over 650 worshippers. The main auditorium boasts a new audio system built around the install-focused IS-Series from Adamson Systems Engineering, which was selected to enhance the church’s musically-rich services and maximize community engagement.
IFGF Semarang administrators invited five manufacturers to demo their solutions in the previous auditorium. The IS-Series system, supplied by longtime Adamson Network partner Big Knob Audio, was the clear winner.
“We heard the other four systems first, and none had the clarity or impact of the Adamson IS-Series,” says Dibya Krisnanda, IFGF Semarang’s senior engineer. “As soon as we heard it, we knew we’d found what we were look

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USA - Freestyle Event Services (FES) is one of Central California’s largest full-service event production and AV rental companies. Their growth continues with the recent decision to join the global network of companies that provide Clair Brothers loudspeaker systems.
Jared Perry, partner at FES commentss, “It became clear that Clair Brothers was the right choice after visiting the Clair Brothers facility in Pennsylvania. It wasn’t just hearing the extraordinary sound quality of their C8 and C12 systems but witnessing the various stages of manufacturing and discussing the engineering that goes into their designs and realizing that if we had questions, we’d be talking directly to the people that design these speakers.”
“When we witnessed the precision, detail, passion and tradition built into their award-winning product,” Joe Sorensen, operations manager at

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UK - The Green-GO digital intercom system was recently employed to simultaneously manage multiple locations for a corporate event spanning 10 sites across the globe. Manchester-based sound specialist Audio Alliance, working for Media 1 Productions, required dependable, quality communications to seamlessly connect venues in Japan, India, China, Poland, Sweden, Canada, the USA and the UK.
“We needed a reliable, managed talkback system that would work over our own VPN IP infrastructure,” says Oliver Driver, managing director of Audio Alliance. “Multiple Green-GO bridges were deployed worldwide, with each site a ‘spoke’ from our European data hub. The Green-GO system allowed us to manage all the comms channels at each of the remote sites from our central hub.”
The system implemented by Audio Alliance comprised more than 100 Green-GO devices, all of which were d

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World - Yamaha is launching a new series of webinars in mid-May.
The webinars, part of the company’s Audioversity training initiative, are aimed at professional audio engineers, systems integrators and venue technicians. Each webinar will run twice, at 10am and at 5pm UTC+1, to ensure that as many participants as possible from across Europe, the Americas, Russia, Africa and the Middle East can take part. Participants must register for their preferred time slot - see links below.
The first session, to be hosted on 15 May (Wednesday) by product specialists Andy Cooper and Karl Christmas, will focus on system design using CL and QL series digital mixing consoles.
The series will continue at monthly intervals and cover a wide range of pro-level topics aimed at the live production, hospitality, house of worship, corporate installation and broadcast markets.
F

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UK - Troldtekt 100% wood wool acoustic panels have been used at London’s Open Air Theatre in Regents Park. The rehearsal building, designed by architects Reed Watt, comprises a double-height dance and rehearsal studio in its centre encircled by offices, kitchen and green room. The details of the structure have been designed to reinforce the magic of the setting in which trees, plants and sky surround the visitor.
The walls are clad with dark stained larch which helps to blur the distinction between building and landscape while creating a natural extension to the existing buildings along the edge of the site. Inside, Troldtekt wood wall panelling in natural grey also complement the natural setting while helping to dampen and keep reverberated sound to a minimum. The rehearsal studio has been acoustically rated so that the maximum noise level that can happen in the studio be

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Croatia - City pool Pula-Pola, a new leisure complex in Croatia, has invested in a high-tech Work Pro audio system for its swimming pool area to ensure that customers can enjoy music while they swim and - more importantly - clearly hear any public safety announcements.
Located in the city of Pula, the pool is a focal point for the local community and regularly hosts events such as swimming lessons, competitions, aquarobics and swimming parties for children. As speech intelligibility was a key requirement of the new audio system, installation company Iskatrade had no hesitation in specifying products from Work Pro, the installation, pro audio and lighting division of Equipson.
“Wall to wall tiling and other hard materials make swimming pools one of the most challenging acoustic environments for an installation company to deal with,” says Robert Wolf, CEO of Rijeka-b

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USA - Grammy-nominated American metal band August Burns Red have recently completed their US headline tour accompanied by an Allen & Heath dLive Wings mixing system, handling FOH and monitor duties.
In early 2018, sound engineer Chris Pollock, introduced August Burns Red (ABR) to the world of dLive, which instantly led to the band purchasing their own Wings system, comprising a dLive C1500 surface, DM32 MixRack and two Waves V3 cards – used for virtual soundcheck and playback.
Pollock comments, “I actually heard about dLive for the first time in early 2017, after reading a magazine article about Jared Daly and his dLive setup for Northlane and it really peaked my interest. Later that year I did a club tour with a hip-hop artist and Clair Global was gracious enough to purchase a C1500 for me to try out. I immediately fell in love and ended up taking the system o

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Australia - Major theatre productions often have lives involving multiple productions in multiple countries, which provides an opportunity for the production team to assess the equipment they are using and make changes to benefit from advances in technology. This was exactly the situation multi-award-winning sound designer Gareth Fry found himself in, opening Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in Melbourne, Australia after its success in London and New York.
“DPA’s d:screet 4061 Miniature Microphones have long been theatre stalwarts because they sound great, are very tough and are small enough to hide on cast members,” Fry explains. “I’ve been using the legacy version of these microphones for years, and we typically hide them in the hairline, on the forehead, so they are not visible to the audience.”
In 2017, a year after the play opened in London, a

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Vietnam - Epizode is a popular music and arts festival, held annually on Vietnam’s biggest island Phu Quoc. It’s aim is to bring the latest global trends in electronic music to Asia, whilst at the same time showcasing the best regional talents. East meets West at this winter hub of party goers, travellers and industry personalities and the latest edition attracted more than 10,000 people from 79 countries.
The festival hosted more than 140 international and regional DJ superstars across four stages spread along a beautiful beachfront, delivering non-stop performance 24 hours a day for 11 days. One significant new addition to the 2018/9 line-up was Pioneer Pro Audio’s XY-3B system, which took care of the Egg stage. The general consensus was that this renewal had seen a marked improvement in the festival’s audio provision, compared to the previous year and XY-3B played

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UK - The Make A Difference Trust (MAD Trust) is producing its spectacular West End Eurovision show next month and AV and event production company Blitz is providing the sound support.
Taking place at the Adelphi Theatre on 28 April (Sunday), the interactive event will raise money for MAD Trust, which fundraises for HIV and AIDS projects that build awareness and provide care, support and education in the UK and Sub-Saharan Africa.
The show will feature eight casts from West End Musicals competing against each other by singing original Eurovision song contest songs to win text votes from the audience and the approval of a panel of judges.
Martyn Hunt, theatre & sound project development manager at Blitz, says: “Blitz prides itself on its sound technical support for all of our clients, so we feel honoured to be able to provide equipment for such an impo
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