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Patronaat invests in Robe TetraX luminaires
21/08/2024
Philharmonie Luxembourg Concert Hall upgrades to L-Acoustics K3 concert sound system
In the international banking quarter of Kirchberg lies the Grande-Duchesse Joséphine-Charlotte Concert Hall, commonly known as The Luxembourg Philharmonie, designed by Christian de Portzamparc and opened in 2005. The Philharmonie hosts nearly 400 performances annually, including classical, jazz, world music, and more.
The venue’s programming versatility is mirrored in its fluctuating audience capacity, encompassing three performance spaces, including the principal Grande Auditorium which can accommodate anywhere from 400 to 1,500 spectators, depending on its configuration. As the demands of contemporary performance continue to evolve, so does the need for audio technology able to reinforce the variety of performances the Philharmonie hosts throughout the year. Therefore, the venue recently upgraded to a new L-Acoustics K3 concert sound system.
The Luxembourg Philharmonie and L-Acoustics share a long-standing relationship, with the venue already featuring an L-Acoustics dV-DOSC installation. In 2022, wishing to upgrade its sound system, L-Acoustics K3 was chosen during a competitive selection process. L-Acoustics Certified Provider Distributor Babbel & Haeger supported Luxembourg-based events management service provider Pro Musik during the installation process.
The system comprises two hangs of nine L-Acoustics K3 per side, with six KS21 subwoofers providing low-end extension, covering both the main floor and the balcony seating areas without obstructing sightlines. Near-fill is accomplished with two A10 Focus and two A10 Wide. Front-fill is handled by four X8, and the entire system is powered by LA4X amplified controllers. Calibration was managed by Sebastian Wittrock and Christian Schmid from L-Acoustics.
(Photos: Die Videocrew)
Showtec- und Infinity-Beleuchtungselemente in Midden Nederland Hallen installiert
Next Venue hat vor kurzem eine Beleuchtungsinstallation in der Eingangshalle der Midden Nederland Hallen im niederländischen Barneveld fertiggestellt. Das Gewächshaus im Eingang des Veranstaltungsortes, das Teil der Floriade 2022 war, ist jetzt ein 6.000 m² großes Foyer mit einer Mischung aus natürlichem Licht, Einbauten und energieeffizienten Lösungen.
Die Installation besteht aus 100 Infinity-Raccoon-Junior-P7/4-Leuchten, die jeweils mit einem 40-Grad-Filter ausgestattet sind und strategisch im Tragwerk des gläsernen Lichthofs angebracht wurden. Im Foyer 2 wird die Beleuchtung mit einem Showtec-TR-512-Pocket-DMX-Controller gesteuert, der durch eine Showtec-Wand-Fernbedienung für TR-512 Install/Pocket ergänzt wird, welche an einem beliebigen Ort installiert werden kann. Auch das Foyer 1 und das Restaurant sind mit zwei TR-512-Pocket-DMX-Controllern ausgestattet, die mit Wand-Fernbedienungen verbunden sind.
Showtec-Booster-4-Install-DIN-Schienen-DMX-Booster wurden in den Kabelkanälen installiert, während ein Showtec-DMX-Merge im Foyer 1 für eine reibungslose Datenverarbeitung sorgt. Die Installation ist außerdem mit Kabeln von DAP ausgestattet. Die Installation wurde vom hauseigenen AV-Team von Next Venue durchgeführt.
(Fotos: Highlite/Midden Nederland Hallen)
Fabrik Potsdam investiert in Material von Elation und LSC Control Systems
Die Fabrik Potsdam - Internationales Zentrum für Tanz und Bewegungskunst - ist ein Haus für professionelle Tänzer und Tanzkompanien und generell eine Location für Tanzliebhaber. Sie schafft einen Ort für Künstler zum Arbeiten, Lernen, Lehren, Forschen, Proben, Aufführen und Austauschen.
Das Haus selbst verfügt über mehrere Bühnen und bespielt zusätzlich auch den Fabrikgarten sowie teilweise andere Bühnen in Potsdam. Mit den Potsdamer Tanztagen veranstaltet die Fabrik Potsdam außerdem eines der europaweit führenden Festivals für zeitgenössischen Tanz. Zudem finden regelmäßig Konzerte im Haus statt, etwa im Rahmen der Jazzoffensive.
Um den steigenden Ansprüchen gastierender Tanzkompanien gerecht zu werden, rüstete die Fabrik Potsdam im Frühjahr 2024 im lichttechnischen Bereich mit über 100 Scheinwerfern von Elation sowie sechs APS-Powermanagement-Systemen von LSC Control Systems nach: 32 Elation KL Profile FC, 25 Elation KL Fresnel 8 FC, vierzig Elation ArenaZoom Q7IP und sieben Elation Fuze Profile kommen seither - teilweise fest installiert, teilweise mobil - zum Einsatz.
Ralf Grüneberg, technischer Leiter der Fabrik Potsdam, erläutert: „LED-Beleuchtung ist mittlerweile eine Standardanforderung internationaler Dance Companies. Bisher haben wir die entsprechenden Lampen nach Bedarf gemietet. Mit Hilfe von Fördermitteln war es uns nun jedoch möglich, in eigenes Material zu investieren.“
Bei der Recherche und Auswahl geeigneter Scheinwerfer habe man sich auch in anderen Häusern der Stadt umgeschaut: „Wir bespielen mit den Tanztagen vier bis fünf Häuser sowie verschiedene Open-Air-Bühnen“, so Grüneberg weiter. „Daher macht es Sinn zu schauen, was die anderen einsetzen, um einerseits untereinander kompatibel zu sein und sich andererseits auch gegenseitig Material leihen zu können. Die KL Fresnel hatten wir uns beispielsweise zunächst vom Trollwerk und T-Werk geborgt und dabei gemerkt, dass sie für unsere Zwecke sehr gut geeignet sind. Flexibles Weißlicht war uns besonders wichtig.“
„Wir denken nachhaltig und suchen Partner, mit denen wir dieses Ziel erreichen können“, fährt er fort. „Die LMP-eigene Service-Werkstatt spielte also eine Rolle für unsere Kaufentscheidung. So sind wir sicher, defekte Lampen im Zweifel reparieren zu können oder sogar mal eine LED-Engine tauschen zu lassen.“
Fest verbaut sind aktuell 25 Elation KL Fresnel 8 FC (als Matrix installiert) und zwölf Elation Fuze Profile. Mit Letzteren war das Team der Fabrik Potsdam bereits vertraut, da sich schon seit längerer Zeit fünf Geräte im eigenen Bestand des Hauses befanden. „Mit dieser Installation haben wir nun Top- und Frontlicht aus einer LED-Engine, die entsprechend harmonisch wirken und problemlos an gastierende Techniker übergeben werden können“, sagt Grüneberg. „Wir wünschten uns grundsätzlich eine möglichst einheitliche Lampenphilosophie für unser Haus.“
Die 32 KL Profile FC werden ergänzend als Seitenlicht oder für Spezialaufgaben eingesetzt und immer wieder umgehängt. Die vierzig wetterfesten (IP65) LED-PARs ArenaZoom Q7IP kommen nach Bedarf mobil im Innen- und Außenbereich zum Einsatz.
Auf die Frage, worauf es bei der Beleuchtung von Tanzinszenierungen grundsätzlich ankommt, antwortet Grüneberg: „Die Ansprüche an Tanzbeleuchtung sind noch höher als im Theater, denn hier stehen Körper und Körpersprache im Mittelpunkt. Mit Hilfe von Licht entstehen die Bühnenbilder, wobei man mitunter auch gekonnt Dinge ‘wegleuchten’ muss, um andere zu betonen. Tanz lebt von Beleuchtung. Deshalb haben die tourenden Tanzkompanien längst auch eigene Lichtgestalter und -techniker dabei.“
Zur Steuerung und als Sicherheit für die neu beschafften LED-Scheinwerfer entschied sich das Technik-Team der Fabrik Potsdam für sechs LSC-APS-12/16A-Stromverteilungen.
(Fotos: Fabrik Potsdam)
Renkus-Heinz modernizes sound at Toronto’s Convocation Hall
The University of Toronto’s Convocation Hall is a historic venue with a unique circular design. It hosts the annual convocation ceremonies and serves as the University’s primary venue for academic and social functions due to its seating capacity of over 1,700. Plagued by challenging acoustics, the hall’s reflective surfaces introduced significant complications, particularly for speech intelligibility.
The previous sound system in Convocation Hall, an aging column array, was no longer effective - lacking the clarity needed for speech reinforcement in such a large, reverberant space. Renkus-Heinz was identified as a choice to tackle these challenges, particularly their Iconyx line of loudspeakers, known for their advanced beam-steering technology.
“The architecture of the room creates multiple reflections and delayed arrival times, complicating the listening experience”, explains John Busza, systems designer at Global USS, the project’s integrator. “We needed a speaker solution that not only provided high intelligibility but also utilized the existing cabling and infrastructure.”
As Convocation Hall is a heritage building, any new equipment also had to blend seamlessly with its historical interior. “Renkus-Heinz’ Iconyx speakers can be custom color-matched, which we did for this project”, notes Busza. “Architects and interior designers often don’t want the speakers to be seen at all, and with Iconyx, that’s possible.”
For the Convocation Hall project, two Iconyx IC32 arrays were installed, positioned about twelve feet above the stage. Each array contains 32 custom 4-inch coaxial drivers, powered by 32 separate amplifier channels, all controlled through advanced digital signal processing (DSP). This setup allows for precise steering of sound to specific areas of the hall.
“The IC32s allow us to target specific areas, such as the main floor or the two balcony levels, without overpowering the room”, says system commissioner Arthur Skudra, who worked alongside Global USS on the project. “This precise control is key in a reverberant environment like Convocation Hall, where too much sound energy can create more problems.”
While the primary use of the Iconyx system is for spoken-word presentations, the system is also capable of providing audio for musical performances and multimedia presentations. The Iconyx IC32 arrays were integrated with Dante digital audio networking.
According to Busza, Contact Distribution, Renkus-Heinz’s local distributor, turned out to be helpful in the course of this project as well: “The Contact team was always there to support us, from design to install planning and commissioning”, he says concludes.
(Photos: Renkus-Heinz/Global USS/University of Toronto)
Tateside supports modern student living concept at Urbanest Battersea
A chain of modern student accommodations in London, Urbanest recently completed its latest development in the shadow of the Battersea Power Station. A PassivHaus construction, this sustainable, self-sufficient student living concept required a suitably smart AV solution to enhance communal spaces across the property.
Having previously worked with Urbanest on other sites across the capital, including Kings Cross and Westminster Bridge, London-based AV integrators Tateside were called upon to lead the technology integration across the Battersea project, from the initial design through to implementation along with ongoing site servicing and maintenance.
“The project represented an interesting opportunity to design and implement a lot of different AV technology, from digital signage to meeting room solutions”, says Ben Landi, Project Manager at Tateside. “Overall, the project encompasses a cinema room, gym and yoga studio, three meeting rooms, a lecture space, plus digital signage and background audio throughout.”
Students staying at Urbanest Battersea have access to a communal cinema room. To provide a big-screen experience, a 77-inch Panasonic OLED display with integrated soundbar was installed. “Students can bring their own devices, be it a PlayStation or a laptop, and plug them into the HDMI plate”, says Landi.
For the onsite gym and yoga studio, Tateside deployed three pairs of Bose DM3SE surface-mount loudspeakers in the training area and two pairs in the studio, with input through Audac Bluetooth plates. “It’s a one-touch setup”, says Landi. “Students can connect their phones and play their own music, making it feel more personal, and more like home.”
The Urbanest student experience includes a purpose-built lecture hall, where residents can hold group discussions and share presentations. Here, an Epson projector with a wide throw lens allows for large-scale visuals, with seamless content switching for user inputs via a Blustream HDMI wallplate and Blustream HDBaseT receiver. The 20,000-lumen projector overcomes the challenges of ambient lighting in the space.
A total of three meeting rooms provide videoconferencing facilities for both students and staff at Urbanest. In the two student-facing rooms, Cisco Webex Room Bars were installed to support the BYOD capability. “Using the BYOD cable, users can start a meeting on their laptop and use the built-in peripherals in the RoomBar”, says Landi. “Alternatively, if they have an existing meeting set-up, they can use the technology in the room and join on their preferred meeting platform using the on-desk Cisco Touch Panel.” In the staff meeting room, a Microsoft Teams ecosystem was requested to ensure compatibility with their preferred video conferencing platform.
Throughout Urbanest Battersea, digital signage was installed in the various communal areas, including lift lobbies and reception spaces to display community announcements and eco-statistics on sustainability achievements related to the PassivHaus standards. The signage content is managed internally by Urbanest using a Tripleplay system, whilst Tateside specified and installed the screens and managed the network infrastructure, choosing Samsung QM displays to ensure 24/7 signage without screen burn.
Upon entering the building, residents and visitors are greeted by background audio via three pairs of Bose DM5P pendant loudspeakers. “The Bose pendants matched the pendant lights in reception perfectly”, says Landi. “As with all the audio at Urbanest, these are powered by Bose PS404D amplifiers, with Dante built in to facilitate networked audio.”
(Photos: Tateside/Urbanest)
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Teatro Real erweitert Audioproduktion mit Lawo-IP-Infrastruktur
Das im Herzen Madrids an der Plaza de Oriente gelegene Teatro Real, das 2021 als bestes Opernhaus der Welt ausgezeichnet wurde, hat mit der Installation immersiver Audiotechnologie von Lawo unlängst ein technisches Upgrade erhalten, um den Anforderungen moderner Produktionen - Opern, Konzerte und Ballettaufführungen - gerecht zu werden.
Das Teatro Real entschied sich für AoIP-Lösungen von Lawo und erwarb mc²-Mischpulte, Stageboxen, die Home-Plattform und Routing-Einheiten des Herstellers aus Rastatt. Die Installation verantwortete Systemintegrator und Technologiepartner Telefónica, der mit einer Cisco-Lösung auch die Netzwerkinfrastruktur bereitstellte.
Zu den zentralen Audiokomponenten des neuen Equipments zählen zwei mc²56-MkIII-Pulte mit 32 Fadern und ein mc²56 MkIII mit sechzehn Fadern, deren Leistung auf sechs redundanten A_UHD-Core-Audio-Processing-Engines mit je 1.024 DSP-Kanälen basiert. Durch die nahtlose Integration eines Waves-SoundGrid-Servers bieten sie Zugriff auf die Plug-in-Bibliothek von Waves für Echtzeit-Signalverarbeitung. So können Toningenieure Reverbs, Multi-Tap-Delays, grafische Equalizer und Multiband-Kompressoren direkt über die Tastatur und den Touchscreen der Konsole steuern. Alle Plug-in-Einstellungen können gespeichert und mit den Snapshots der Konsole abgerufen werden.
Lawo A_Stage64/80-Stageboxen garantieren die Einbindung der Konsolen in die bestehende Audio-Infrastruktur. Diese Kombination und die Integration über Lawos Home-Management-Plattform für IP-basierte Medieninfrastrukturen gewährleistet die nahtlose Kommunikation und Verteilung der Audiosignale über die gesamte Infrastruktur des Teatro Real. Die Installation verfügt über Pultspiegelung und Signal Ownership.
(Fotos: Lawo AG)
Hans Otto Theater Potsdam vollzieht Umstieg auf LED-Technik mit ETC
Die Ursprünge des Hans Otto Theaters in Potsdam reichen zurück bis zum Ende des 18. Jahrhunderts. Das ehemalige „Königliche Schauspielhaus“ hat seitdem verschiedene Namen an unterschiedlichen Adressen getragen. Seit 2006 setzt nunmehr ein spektakulärer Neubau am Potsdamer Havelufer mit facettenreichem Programm unüberhörbare Akzente im deutschen Kulturbetrieb.
Das Hans Otto Theater, das ehemalige „Königliche Schauspielhaus“, dessen Ursprünge bis zum Ende des 18. Jahrhunderts zurückreichen, ist seit 2006 in einem Neubau am Potsdamer Havelufer beheimatet. Um Energie- und Scheinwerfer-Nebenkosten, etwa für Leuchtmittel und Farbfilter, zu senken, ist das Haus jetzt auf LED-Lichttechnik umgestiegen. Zur Ausstattung gehören Lichtsysteme von ETC, unter anderem Fos/4-Fresnel-X8-Scheinwerfer und Apex-Konsolen.
„Ein großes Augenmerk lag auf der Farbwiedergabe bzw. Farbechtheit“, erklärt Christian Wiesniewski, Leiter der Beleuchtungsabteilung des Hans Otto Theaters. „Außerdem sollte der Scheinwerfer so leise wie möglich sein. Mit den Fos/4 Fresnel von ETC können wir das umsetzen.“
Wiesniewski sei vor allem von der stufenlosen Einstellung von Kalt- zu Warmweiß und dem „Color Cross Fade“-Kanal der Geräte überzeugt. Letzterer „ermöglicht es uns, schnell satte bunte Farben einzusetzen, ohne mehrere Geräte einzuleuchten“, sagt er. Bezüglich des X8-Farbmischsystems fügt er hinzu: „Bei uns im Theater ist es wichtig, dass die beleuchteten Darstellenden auf der Bühne nicht fahl, blass oder gar kränklich wirken. Mit den Fos/4 können wir natürliche, lebensechte Hauttöne kreieren.“
Zum technischen Upgrade, bei dem das Haus von ETC-Vertriebspartner Trendco unterstützt wurde, gehören auch zwei ETC-Apex-Konsolen: eine Apex 5 und eine Apex 10. „Neben dem Vorteil, dass wir auf allen unseren Bühnen die gleiche Pultfamilie verwenden, ist es ein entscheidender Pluspunkt, dass wir seit der Umstellung auf die Eos-Familie nur noch mit einem USB-Stick auf Gastspielreise gehen können“, sagt Wiesniewski mit Hinweis darauf, dass viele der Spielorte ebenfalls mit der Eos-Familie arbeiten würden. Darüber hinaus wünschte sich Wiesniewski eine Konsole, die „jetzt schon für zukünftige Anforderungen in der Bühnenbeleuchtung vorbereitet und hardwaretechnisch anpassbar ist mit der Gadgetgarage.“
Auf ein Shootout vor dem Kauf der neuen Konsolen wurde im Hans Otto Theater verzichtet, da dort seit vielen Jahren mit ETC-Konsolen gearbeitet wird. „Für uns ist es wichtig, dass die Operatoren an den Pulten sicher und effektiv arbeiten können. Das funktioniert nur, wenn wir bei den Konsolen sortenrein bleiben“, so Wiesniewski abschließend.
(Fotos: Thomas M. Jauk/Prof. Dieter Leistner)
Historic Morecambe Winter Gardens reborn with audio from KV2
The Winter Gardens - located in Morecambe, Lancashire, England - was once the centrepiece of Morecambe’s illustrious entertainment scene. Opened in 1897 as a landmark of British architecture, it welcomed performances from The Who, Vera Lynn and many more, but was partly demolished in the early 1980s, leaving only the Victoria Pavillion Theatre standing.
Since 2006, the “Friends of the Winter Gardens” trust has worked to revive this Grade II listed building. In 2024, a £2.7 million restoration project was launched, funded by a grant from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. A critical part of the restoration involved installing a sound system that could support the current events programme and expand as the venue grows. For this, KV2 Audio was chosen to play a key role in the theatre’s future.
“We needed to provide a good starting system for the trust, which could scale with the changing needs and capacity of the building”, says Rob Crossland, engineering manager at Adlib, the project’s integrator. “Despite being a 2500-capacity room, the current capacity is restricted to 400 by local authorities. The trust wanted a system that could cater to their present needs but also evolve with the theatre. Our goal was to cover the entire stalls area with as few loudspeakers as possible.”
Adlib specified two of KV2’s ESR215MkII full-range loudspeakers and an ESR3000 amplifier, ground-stacked on one-metre risers to provide front-of-house sound in a dual mono configuration. Control is managed by an Allen & Heath SQ5 console. “Despite the large space, just two ESR215MkII enclosures deliver excellent coverage, and the system’s smooth frequency response is ideal for theatre applications”, adds Crossland. “Plus, it’s future-proof - eventually, we can fly the system and add more components like subwoofers or delay speakers.”
Folk quartet Wayward Jane will be the first to test the new KV2 sound system at the Winter Gardens in November. It’s hoped that other acts will soon follow.
(Photos: KV2 Audio/Morecambe Winter Gardens)
New Robe lighting package installed at Poppodium De Bosuil
De Bosuil, a 850-capacity live music venue in Weert, southeastern Netherlands, has recently received a new Robe moving light package - sixteen Paintes, twelve LEDBeam 350s, plus eight LEDBeam 150s - which is a substantial upgrade to their previous system of older Robe moving lights fixtures. These are all still working but needed upgrading to newer tech to satisfy the string of local and international artists and lighting designers frequenting this venue.
De Bosuil has been a music venue and on this site for many years. The current building opened in 2003 and was expanded two years ago. It is generally open Fridays through Sundays and occasionally during the week. Bands playing include classic rock and pop, all the way to EDM.
“After eleven years of solid work, the previous fixtures and lighting console needed replacing”, explains Head of lighting Bart Mesman (pictured), a freelancer who has worked at De Bosuil for over fifteen years and has an engineering degree. He and the crew researched what was available during the Covid pandemic and eventually decided on equipment from Robe. While the lighting package installed back in 2013 had comprised a number of other brands, this time only Robe was chosen.
Mesman admits that when he green-lighted the Paintes, he had not actually seen them in action - as they were that new, but he “just knew” that it was the right fixture for them. “It was seriously bright - perfect for our stage”, and through working for so long with the old Robe’s DLX’s, he knew the “Painte was perfect”. LEDBeam 350s and 150s he had already used on several occasions. Essentially here he sought “a moving PAR can type of light” and with both LEDBeam 100s and LEDWash 300s already in the house, the new LEDBeam350s and LEDBeam 150s completed the picture.
There are 59 moving lights in total in the rig. Eight of the existing Robe LEDWash 300s are still active on the “new” rig for floor and side lighting, and eight of their original LEDBeam 150s are now lighting the bar area. The seven original DLX Spots are still in the venue as well, positioned above the audience and used to create ambience during changeovers, and also for crowd lighting during club and party nights and DJ sets. The lighting refit also included delivery of a new console from Controllux, Robe’s Benelux distributor.
Around half of the incoming bands will bring their own lighting engineers, and Mesman operates for any that don’t, and in addition to him, there are six regular freelancers working as lighting operators and technicians.
(Photos: Louise Stickland/Paul Clarke/Maurice Moonen)
Finland’s XO Center installs over twenty Genelec Smart IP loudspeakers
XO Center, a new sports and fitness hub located in Kerava, Finland, offers everything from personal training to padel courts, a traditional gym, group exercise, relaxation floating, massage and a restaurant and cafe. Genelec’s Smart IP networked loudspeakers are helping to motivate members in all areas of the facility.
Finnish integration company Praecom Oy was responsible for designing XO Center’s entire AV platform. “The solution covers different zones, including the padel courts, gym, spa, and individual class spaces, all of which required different audio content at different playback levels”, explains Mika Mäkelä, account director at Praecom.
Praecom chose five Genelec 4420 Smart IP loudspeakers, thirteen 4430 models and two 4435 in-ceiling loudspeakers to power different zones across the site. “The padel courts are huge rooms that posed reverberation issues, which we considered when designing the system”, says Mäkelä. “We decided to install three of the compact 4430 loudspeakers to provide clarity, uniform coverage and reduce echoing.”
Next to the padel courts is a restaurant and cafe that serves Finnish meals for post-workout nutrition. Three 4420 loudspeakers are installed here, all connected to a Crestron C2NI keypad that provides control for all the AV elements inside the store and the padel courts. Additional 4430 Smart IP models are distributed across the fitness and conference rooms, as well as in the gym and the Skill XO room.
Similar to a fitness bootcamp, Skill XO is a dynamic way to train, combining fast-paced muscle fitness with aerobic workouts using modern, high-intensity gym equipment. The 4430s deliver background music, with a Crestron C2NI used for control and an Audiophony Mi3 for mixing.
“In the spa areas we opted for two of Genelec’s in-ceiling 4435 models”, adds Mäkelä. “We could integrate them discreetly. In both the male and female changing rooms we also installed a single 4420 loudspeaker, with power, audio and management all running off a single CAT cable.”
Genelec’s Smart IP Manager software also helped Praecom to address specific system needs. From device discovery to equalisation, the software configures the system so that each individual Smart IP loudspeaker performs as desired. “This tool offers a detailed overview of the system, and it was extremely helpful in the padel courts, which posed many acoustic challenges”, says Mäkelä.
The Genelec loudspeaker system provides uniform sound across all areas of the facility, delivering dynamic soundtracks to training sessions and relaxed soundscapes post-workout.
(Photos: Genelec/XO Center Kerava)
Historic Riga Circus reopens with audio system from K-array and Kgear
The Riga Circus, the oldest fixed circus venue in Europe, recently underwent a transformative renovation that aimed to preserve its heritage whilst introducing modern amenities, notably an audio system by Italian manufacturer K-array. The project was led by local integrators RJK and supported by technology distributor Tet A Tek and architectural firm NRJA.
Two audio systems were installed to meet the venue’s specific needs: a 360-degree coverage system and a portable system, using K-array’s Mugello KH2 loudspeakers. “The modernised Riga Circus is a multi-purpose space and needed versatile audio support”, says Rudolfs Busmanis at Tet A Tek. “The portable system allows for easy reconfiguration depending on the stage’s location, with cabling running through the centre of the venue to provide power flexibility.”
For the fixed installation, Kgear’s GH12 loudspeakers were arranged in clusters, covering the venue’s spherical shape. K-array’s Kommander amplifiers power the system, which is managed via K-Framework software.
(Photos: K-array/Riga Circus/RJK)
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Stage Audio Works integrates audio, video, lighting and live streaming technology at new URCSA campus
Uniting Reform Church in Southern Africa (URCSA) recently expanded its Atteridgeville campus with a significant extension of its existing building. The goal was to boost community engagement and provide a purpose-built auditorium space for events, services and gatherings. The team at URCSA partnered with Stage Audio Works (SAW) for the project.
“For the AV side of the project, our primary goal was to modernise our audio, visual and lighting systems to enhance the worship experience”, says Sekgwari Matsena, Technical Team Coordinator at URCSA Atteridgeville. “We needed technology that would be easy for volunteers to use whilst ensuring professional-level sound, visual quality and lighting control for services, events and live streaming. We wanted to create an immersive, distraction-free environment.”
SAW was engaged early on in the project’s design phase. Alongside the design and integration of audio, video, lighting and live streaming technology for the new auditorium, SAW also provided training for the church’s volunteer technical team, equipping them to manage and maintain the new technology efficiently.
When it came to designing the audio system, SAW opted for a distributed system throughout the space rather than a classic L/C/R solution. “It wasn’t clear whether acoustic treatment of the new building would form part of Phase 1 building works - so in case it was planned for Phase 2, we chose a distributed system to ensure focused coverage of the two-tier auditorium”, explains Kieran Hempel, Project Lead at SAW. “This approach minimizes reflections on untreated walls and improves gain before feedback on stage. The pastors wanted to use lapel mics, so gain before feedback was an important consideration.”
The main PA system is mounted on a catwalk trussing system, built directly above the stage. Here, five Plus Audio CPH212 3-way passive dual 12-inch loudspeakers are secured at specific angles to ensure consistent audio across both the front of the auditorium seating and part of the upper-level balcony. Four on-stage monitors and two subwoofers, placed under the stage, complete the main PA.
Thirteen smaller form-factor Plus Audio CPU105 5-inch coaxial loudspeakers serve as under-balcony fill to cover the back of the room. Front fill, mounted directly around the front of the stage, consists of a further six CPU105 loudspeakers. Upstairs in the balcony seating, a ring of seven CPU9 9-inch coaxial loudspeakers provide coverage to areas not reached by the main PA system.
Plus Audio’s own A204D and A044D Dante amplifiers power the system, featuring built-in DSP and FIR filters. A Yamaha TF3 digital mixer and Tio stage boxes provide system control. “We designed this distributed PA system to minimise excessive echo”, remarks Hempel. “It includes the flexibility to deactivate the balcony loudspeakers when the area is unoccupied, reducing unwanted reflections and helping the venue to be as efficient as possible.”
Whilst the audio system represented an important focus of the installation, a full stage lighting and video streaming system was also required. For on-stage visuals, two Appotronics HD laser projectors allow for services to be accompanied by video content, displayed on two screens on either side of the stage. The lighting is PC-controlled, consisting of Cameo Auro Spot 200 moving lighting, which decorates the stage with customisable coloured lights, and Stage Plus LED Fresnel lights, mounted on the overhead truss.
Aida PTZ cameras, a Blackmagic Design video switching system and a Kiloview streaming encoder facilitate live streaming of services with control via a Stream Deck unit. “The PTZ cameras offer a significant advantage as there is no need for someone to manually operate them”, says Hempel. “They can be controlled remotely from the production booth.”
Sennheiser EW-D wireless microphones provide communication and greater freedom for on-stage speakers and performers. SAW also supplied the IT infrastructure required for the new system, including business-grade WiFi and wireless access points around the venue.
(Photos: Stage Audio Works/URCSA)
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Musis Arnhem concert hall upgrades with L-Acoustics
Musis Arnhem, one of the Netherlands’ oldest concert halls, has completed a major audio upgrade to meet the evolving needs of its diverse programming. The venue, hosting over 100 concerts annually across various genres, has installed an L-Acoustics L Series loudspeaker system in the Parkzaal.
L-Acoustics Certified Partner Fairlight spearheaded the design and implementation of the new system. Among the challenges the project presented were the need to accommodate the 2,000-capacity Parkzaal’s diverse range of events (from classical to contemporary), and its distinctive 16 by 11-metre glass back wall overlooking the Musis park.
The new sound system had to deliver high sound pressure levels with uniformity across all listener positions while maintaining a low noise floor for classical concerts and corporate events. The system needed to adapt to the hall’s adjustable acoustics, including reflective oak walls and 400 sound-absorbing panels, while minimising visual impact in the venue. Additionally, the team had to address the complex acoustic environment created by the balcony design.
They utilised L-Acoustics Soundvision software to overcome these challenges during the design process. This tool allowed them to test and refine various configurations virtually, ensuring optimal coverage and performance before the physical installation began.
The system design includes a main PA of one L2 and one L2D per side, plus four KS21 per side, complemented by eight KS21 subwoofers for low-end reinforcement. Four A10 Wide speakers serve as in-fills, with three 5XT providing front-fill coverage. The system is powered by four LA7.16i, and two LA12X and LA2Xi amplified controllers, with processing handled by the P1 processor and networked via LS10 Milan-AVB switches.
(Photos: Rene van der Linden/L-Acoustics/Musis Arnhem)
The Star Theatre Singapore invests in Ayrton Huracán
The Star Theatre, the main venue at The Star Performing Arts Centre in Singapore, has invested in a quantity of Ayrton Huracán Wash fixtures supplied by Ayrton’s exclusive distributor for the region, Total Solution Marketing. The Huracán Wash units will become a fixed installation as part of the permanent lighting rig, and mark the second investment in Ayrton for the venue.
The Star Theatre is a 5000-seat capacity space that features a traditional horseshoe shape auditorium with plush seating. Forty Huracán Wash fixtures were installed at the request of The Star Theatre’s Head of Lighting, Mohamad Azhar Bin Mazlan. “The Wash fixtures will be used to complement our existing sixty Khamsin Profiles which were purchased for the Theatre in 2020”, he says.
“Most of them are rigged as part of our default in-house rig and perform over throw distances ranging from 10-25 m”, he adds. “They will be used for lighting our anchor tenant, New Creation Church, at weekly Sunday services, and put to full use at the many concerts, conferences and dance performances held at the venue.”
(Photos: Mohamad Azhar Bin Mazlan/The Star Theatre)
Area15 utilizes Holoplot X1 to transport visitors through space and time
Area15 is an immersive entertainment district just moments from the Las Vegas Strip. Already equipped with a Holoplot X1 system, it includes the Illuminarium, an experience located in the Area15 District. Now following suit in upgrading their audio experience with an X1 Matrix Array sound system is The Portal, a multi-use venue and key element of Area15’s type of experiential entertainment. It offers experiences for the whole family, including rides and VR, live performances, DJs, and food.
The Portal can be used for private dining, all-night DJ sets, and everything in between. At Halloween, for example, the “Rocky Horror Picture Show” is projection-mapped on all four walls of the venue and supported by live actors, but it has also been home to fine art shows and corporate events.
The newly installed Holoplot X1 system consists of two arrays of two MD96 Audio Modules, topped with two MD80-S each, positioned left and right at a height of 25 feet at one end of the room. Acting as a sandbox for any experience imaginable, The Portal is a vast grey concrete cuboid, with a seamless 360-degree projection-mapping across the walls and floor.
Using Panasonic projectors, the visual elements were as desired, but JD Bouck, Director of Production, found that the original sound system was never able to keep up, owing to acoustics akin to a giant fish tank and highly reflective, smooth walls. “The Portal was one of the biggest concerns we had”, he says. “It is a 7,000 square foot, completely blank canvas - not built like any other real venue that I’ve ever been to. There is nothing to soften it, no balcony or mezzanine, just hard surfaces.”
“It was the reflective surfaces that we were really trying to tackle with the Holoplot system”, Bouck continues. “The 3D Audio-Beamforming technology allowed us to focus so that we could cut the reflections off the walls and make sure the people at the back of the room were getting the same audio picture as the people at the front of the room. All without having to run a ton of delays or having a bunch of loudspeakers in front of the projection surfaces.”
The Holoplot team supported Bouck throughout the whole process, from system planning to providing room calculations until final commissioning and tuning. “Loud isn’t always good. Good is good!”, explains Mark Stutzman, CTO at Area15. “We now have great audio quality without it having to scream in your face. The Holoplot team really worked with us, listening to our ideas and taking it all into consideration. Our DJ shows can be up to five or six hours long. The guests can come and go, but the staff - our technicians, security, and bartenders - are here all night, and we have a duty of care to them, to ensure they’re comfortable. We didn’t want the ear fatigue you usually get from really loud festivals.”
(Photos: Holoplot/Area15)
Patronaat invests in Robe TetraX luminaires
Patronaat, a live music venue in Haarlem, the Netherlands, just outside capital city Amsterdam, stages over 300 shows a year in its two live performance halls and a small stage/club operating over weekend nights, offering rock and pop shows, club nights and music-based festival events.
The venue has featured a Robe moving light rig in-house since 2012, which has been upgraded in recent years to include some of the newest Robe technologies. The most recent addition to the inventory (which also includes 36 Esprites, together with Spiider LED wash beams and ParFect 150s) is 36 units of TetraX 360-degree rotating LED battens, primarily being used in the 950-capacity main hall.
Head of lighting Robin van der Plas says they were initially looking at LEDBeam 350s, but then saw the TetraXs and thought they would be “something different, especially with the individual pixel control”. Twenty-four fixtures were initially ordered, but quickly upped to 36 - now 24 are rigged in the roof above the main stage, with another six flown above the audience and six more available as part of a floor package. The six “floating” fixtures are also often used in the second hall.
The TetraXs have been in use extensively since the start of the year as part of the main hall production lighting design created by Dimitri de Wal, who created the house lighting schemes for all three of Patronaat’s performance spaces. A technical crew of twelve covers all departments - lighting, audio, and video. The TetraXs were delivered by Robe’s Benelux distributor Controllux.
Pictured: The band Feuerengel on stage. (Photos: Louise Stickland/Paul Clarke)
Music producer Jose Luis “Pepe” Pagan chooses KRK
Music producer, TV/film/musicals creator, songwriter, and guitarist Jose Luis “Pepe” Pagan has had an ear for music from a young age. He was born in Argentina, where he first began his career in the music industry before moving to the United States 25 years ago. He has since worked with artists such as Marc Anthony, J.Lo, Chayanne, Thalia, and Sarah Lenore, among others.
In addition to being a music producer, Pagan also works in the TV, film, and musicals industries and is the creator and music producer of the Amazon Prime show “Melody”. He is also the co-producer for an upcoming musical about the life of Latin American artist Sandro. For these projects, Pagan splits his time between his home studio and locations in Miami and Argentina, where he always has a combination of KRK solutions available. Included among these are the V-Series V4 Powered Studio Monitors and an S10.4 Powered Studio Subwoofer, as well as the Rokit 5 Generation 4 Powered Studio Monitors and 10S Subwoofer.
“I use the V4s a lot, basically for everything: when mixing, during the recording, and for completing all my music”, he says. “When I go to Argentina again for my next musical, I will bring these speakers with me. I travel everywhere with them because I like to always have the ability to reference on the spot.”
As a producer, Pagan previously found it difficult to get just the right level of vocals for his mixes, but the V4s have solved this problem. A longtime KRK user, Pagan first started with the brand’s Rokit monitors. He also entrusts his KRK subwoofers to deliver quality sound at his home studio. “I use the subwoofers to make sure everything is balanced. I have one in the center, which is an old KRK 10S Sub, and I have another one a little bit to the side, which is the new 10.4.”
(Photos: KRK)
Martin Audio WPM for Fiji’s World Harvest Centre
Christian Mission Fellowship International (CMFI), established in 1990, is a church headquartered at The World Harvest Centre (WHC) in Suva, Fiji. The round church building hosts over 3,500 worshippers, a full band, production, and a 100-member choir. Head Pastor Suliasi Kurulo, his production crew and the committee recently decided it was time to upgrade the sound system.
They awarded the project to Carey Leghorn from CVAV Australia, based on a Martin Audio solution. Leghorn, together with Anthony Russo from Technical Audio Group, Martin Audio’s Australian representative, made several visits to WHC to evaluate the scale of the project and create a design that would meet the brief’s requirements.
“This project was one of the most difficult I had ever worked on”, shares Leghorn. “We faced several challenges, from working at 15 m heights for PA rigging to custom steel fabrication on site. Additionally, we had to install several kilometres of cables through a complex roof structure. Also, much of the fabrication had to be done in Australia with no room for error once the project was containerised and sea freighted.” According to Leghorn, choosing the final speaker design involved hundreds of hours of modelling, with the final decision to use a Martin Audio Wavefront Precision line array system.
The services are major concert events with 3,000-plus people singing, supported by a full band and choir. Therefore, the system had to achieve SPLs generally associated with an international touring act. Martin Audio’s Display prediction software was used to design a 56-cabinet WPM system, which proved the optimal solution. The main hang consists of a 32-cabinet left and right system in two-box resolution, along with a 10-a-side WPM operating in one-box resolution mode.
The system is underpinned with two stacks of six Martin Audio SX218 subwoofers per side, each individually processed. Despite the challenges posed by the rigging and structural steelwork, the CVAV crew achieved the feat of hanging a centre cluster and allowing beam steering of the sub-cluster. “Once I saw it hang together in place, it was a dream moment for me”, says Anthony Russo. “It’s extremely rare to get subs in that position in churches, where projectors, sightlines and roof weight loadings often constrain you. This results in compromised split left and right subs and the inevitable power alley and off-axis cancellations.”
The choir stalls are covered with eight individually amplified and processed CDD12 two-way cabinets from Martin’s coaxial CDD range. The main console provides a tailored mix send depending on the choir’s requirements. An eight-cabinet Blackline X12 delay system was installed to complement the main PA. This enhances the overall experience for the rear congregation and optimises the coverage of the main arrays to the main seating area.
Three CDD10 speakers across the stage apron supplement the front rows to complete the main system. The stage is covered by a foldback system comprising six LE100 wedge monitors.
(Photos: CVAV Australia/Martin Audio/World Harvest Centre)
Shoreline City Church upgraded with ROE Visual
Denver, Colorado-based Summit Integrated Systems, specialists in audio, video, and lighting systems for churches nationwide, brought ROE Visual in while they were helping serve Shoreline City Church in Dallas, Texas. This installation enhances the worship experience by delivering visuals that complement the church’s services, as well as improving coverage and resolving sightline issues for those on the second floor.
For the original White Rock campus in 2018, Summit installed 90 ROE Visual Carbon 3 (CB3) panels for the center stage. As the church grew and moved to their new main Dallas campus in December 2023, Summit moved the 90 panels from White Rock, and installed an additional 70 Graphite 2.6 (GP2.6) and 96 GP3.1 panels, forming a large halo-shaped LED screen above stage with two large side screens.
The vertical IMAG screens on either side of the stage help to extend content, and they allow the use of the current CB3 for traditional 16 x 9 content display as well as integrating the halo and vertical IMAG screens for worship and teaching segments.
(Photos: ROE Visual/Shoreline City Church/Summit Integrated Systems)
Tom Kenny debuts Elation’s Pulse Panel FX for NHL Draft at Las Vegas Sphere
When veteran lighting designer Tom Kenny was called on to light a reimagined NHL Draft at the Las Vegas Sphere - the first ever live TV broadcast from that space - he chose Pulse Panel FX lights from Elation for the main frame television shot.
“The NHL Draft at the Sphere was just amazing and out of this world”, says Kenny. “This was really a historical show and we needed a modern look for this new way to hold a draft. I wanted something that was epic and futuristic looking in that main television shot, and even though you’re up against the biggest backlight in the world with its amazing content, the Pulse looked beautiful.”
Supplied for the NHL Draft by Fuse Technical Group, the Pulse Panel FX fixtures generated 100,000 lumens, though Kenny only needed to use them at a fraction of that output. “We didn’t have the chance to show them off as much as we could have”, he says, referring to their multi-functional strobe/blinder/wash light/eye candy capability, “but with that amount of power, I can see it being used on big events, tours, and stadium/arena type shows.”
“Especially in TV, the backgrounds are very important so I was happy to get a new product in that upstage position, right in the main frame where it can be seen and make an impact”, he adds. Kenny placed fourteen Pulse Panel FX fixtures upstage in a semi-circle, prominently displayed throughout the two-day event for “subtle eye-candy bling” in camera shots. Additionally, he created more energetic looks for camera shots when players were drafted.
“Whenever there was a pick, programmers Scott Cunningham and Han Heinz gave us some great ballyhoo looks for the in-house audience”, explains Kenny, noting that it wasn’t visible on camera as they cut away to the draft pick. “But it looked great in-house and cut through the heavy lumens of the giant screen, which is very difficult.” Due to the high demand for the Sphere, which runs a “Sphere Experience: Postcard from Earth” show multiple times a day, the crew had to load in and out twice daily.
Working alongside Tom Kenny and Lighting Director Pickles were: Brian Carico (Gaffer/Crew Chief); Daniel Fly (Best Boy); Scott Cunningham and Han Heinz (Lighting Programmers); Christian Reyes (Production Manager, Fuse); Eric Schlobohm and Eric Hainchek (Project Managers, Fuse); Kyle Glaser (Head of Lighting Systems, Sphere); Steve Meyers, Bob Chesterman, and John Bochiaro (Heads of Production, NHL); Brett Ostro (Vice President of Production, NHL); Dan O’Neill (Vice President, Arena and Event Operations, NHL); Spud Murphy (NHL Tech); and Chris Dowling (Technical Director, BaAM).
(Photos: Brian Carico)
Tascam TM-95GN microphones selected for First Judicial District of Pennsylvania
The First Judicial District is the judicial body governing the county of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It consists of the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County and the Philadelphia Municipal Court. To improve speech intelligibility in its various spaces, the court recently elected to deploy new microphones.
Houser Audio of Aston, PA, founded by audio engineer Andre Houser (pictured), was contracted to design and deploy a microphone setup throughout the courthouse. Houser selected several hundred Tascam TM-95GN podium, board room and conferencing microphones.
“With this being a courthouse, speech intelligibility was a crucial consideration on this project”, explains Houser. “The need to have all dialog be clear and easy to understand is imperative in an environment where important legal decisions are made. We selected the Tascam microphones, which are primarily used for sound reinforcement throughout the various courtrooms.”
“We installed six microphones in each of the 65 courtrooms: one for the judge, one for the witness, one for the prosecutor, one for the defendant, and two for the jury booth”, he continues. “In addition to installing the mics throughout all the courtrooms, we also deployed the microphones in one Jury Assembly room. The microphones are being used with phantom power supplied by an Alfatron matrix mixer.”
Reflecting on the Tascam TM-95GN characteristics, Houser says: “The On/Off switch on the microphone’s base allows for cleaner recordings and reduces feedback by enabling one to disable any unused mics. Equally notable, Judges like the ability to switch the mic off for sidebar conversations. I also appreciate the fact that the microphone comes with an XLR cable, which saved us quite a bit since it eliminated a considerable amount of cable that needed to be factored into the project.”
The installation at The First Judicial District in Philadelphia took place in April 2024 and the equipment was placed into service immediately thereafter. “The court system has experimented with various microphone brands over the years, but they now (with this installation) are exclusively using Tascam”, concludes Houser.
(Photo: Houser Audio/Tascam)
Ayrton Kyalami celebrated by Planetworld at South African launch event
Within a stone’s throw of the Formula One Grand Prix circuit after which it was named, Ayrton’s laser-sourced IP65-rated Kyalami fixture was celebrated with a South African launch party on July 3, 2024, at the Johannesburg premises of Planetworld, Ayrton’s South African distribution partner.
Over eighty guests attended from across the country, all of whom were gifted with Ayrton beanies and scarves to keep out the chill of a South African winter’s night. Representatives from rental and staging companies, houses of worship and lighting designers gathered to discover more about Ayrton’s new fixture in a convivial and informal evening, which was themed to honour F1 racing driver Ayrton Senna, the constant source of inspiration for Ayrton’s founder Yvan Péard.
Ayrton’s Nikolay Berenok and Markus Kowalewsky flew in from France and Germany to support the event and make the official presentation of Kyalami. This was then followed by a time-coded show featuring 24 Kyalami fixtures, supported by Ayrton Rivale, Cobra and Argo 6 luminaires. The show was designed and programmed by Planetworld lighting designer Keegan Adams.
“The event was really well-received and well-attended”, states Planetworld’s live pro business development manager Mike Summerfield. “We couldn’t be happier with the way the evening went.” Nikolay Berenok adds: “The South African launch event for Kaylami was very nicely prepared. With dates at the Kyalami race track unavailable, we chose to host the event at the Planetworld facility which worked brilliantly.”
(Photos: Punkystarfish)
Lumit performing arts school turns to Genelec for sound system upgrade
Established in 2015 in Kuopio, Finland, Lumit is the country’s premier performing arts school. In 2022, Lumit - now numbering around 600 students from all across Finland - moved into a new building with high-tech facilities dedicated to the learning and practice of the performing arts. Earlier this year, the building witnessed a further upgrade, this time to its sound system with a range of Genelec smart active loudspeakers, which power the facility’s four music classrooms and studio.
Ville Heikkinen is a music lecturer and coordinator of the music studies department at Lumit, teaching band playing, music technology, music production, staging and lighting. He is responsible for the maintenance of these spaces and also works closely with the school’s in-house AV engineer on the upkeep of the three stages in the school. Heikkinen was Lumit’s planning lead for the music classes, studio and stages during the development of the new building.
“We were looking for an audio system that would provide high quality listening and also act as a great band PA”, he explains. “I knew of Genelec, but only in a studio context. Following discussions with Henri Ulmanen from Genelec about what I hoped to achieve, he offered to provide us with a pair of S360s and a subwoofer for testing in our band class - so that we could properly evaluate their performance as a band PA system.”
Heikkinen and his students were able to test the system for an entire month with numerous bands and musical styles. “It worked out great across all genres”, he says. “Initially I was a bit nervous about the short-term max SPL of 118 dB for the band - but in reality, even pushing it as hard as we could during our rehearsals, we couldn’t make it peak out - and we tried pretty hard.”
Heikkinen and his colleagues opted for a pair of S360 two-way loudspeakers plus a 7380 subwoofer in both the band rehearsal class and the largest music classroom. In both instances the S360s are wall-mounted, while the subwoofer is in its own designated position on the floor beneath the wall furniture. In the main band room, they are connected to the rackmount mixer and to a desktop mixing console in the second rehearsal space.
In the other two music rooms that are more dedicated to listening - rather than playing and performance - there is a combination of wall-mounted 8330s and the slightly larger 8340 two-way loudspeakers, complemented by a 7370 subwoofer in each room. Finally, in the studio, Heikkinen selected a pair of 8361 three-way coaxial studio loudspeakers, flagships of “The Ones” range, combined with a 7380 subwoofer.
Henri Ulmanen calibrated all of the loudspeakers via Genelec’s GLM software.
(Photos: Genelec)
Masque Sound installs Meyer Sound Panther loudspeaker system at The Muny
When The Muny, one of the nation’s most iconic outdoor venues, located in St. Louis, Missouri, kicked off its 106th season, patrons were treated to an enhanced and immersive audio experience featuring new Meyer Sound Panther large-format linear line array loudspeakers that were provided by Masque Sound, a theatrical sound reinforcement, installation and design company.
The Panther system was specified by resident co-sound designers John Shivers and David Patridge. “Over the course of ten years as resident co-sound designers at The Muny, John and I had made all of the possible improvements with the audio package we could think of”, says Patridge. “Masque Sound has allowed us to improve loudspeakers, consoles, radios and infrastructure, year after year. Various stages of new construction on the venue campus have allowed us to go to a 100 percent AoIP network using a fiber backbone. We were also able to include better rigging for flying the line arrays and this led to being able to enlarge the main arrays for an even wider coverage area.”
Up until last season, the designers were using Meyer Sound Lyon loudspeakers together with Leopard compact linear line array loudspeakers for the venue. “We wanted to eliminate relying on two different cabinets, so I approached Scott Kalata at Masque Sound to discuss replacing the Leopard part of the system by increasing the count of Lyon”, says Patridge. “At the same time, Meyer Sound had been getting rave reviews for Panther and it made sense to consider a wholesale change rather than asking Masque to acquire a larger inventory of the Lyon, which was nearing end of life.”
With the Panther loudspeakers, the designers can provide spectators in the free seats at the very back and the people all along the side coverage area with the same sound quality that is heard in the premium box seats closer to the stage. Shivers and Patridge have also been able to leverage the venue’s AoIP infrastructure to send outputs from the DiGiCo Quantum SD7 console to the Meyer Sound Galileo Galaxy 816 network platforms and onto the arrays via AVB (Audio, Video, Bridging) networking.
“So many people came together to make this happen, from our Associate Sound Designer Kevin Kennedy and Josh Hummel, our Production Sound Engineer, to the season mixers, the entire audio crew at The Muny, The Muny Technical Director Todd Moore, as well as the other Muny departments heads and the entire house crew, whom all deserve a major thanks”, concludes Patridge. “I also want to give a shoutout to Bob McCarthy and the team at Meyer Sound’s Technical Services department for the advice that they offered on the project.” He also acknowledges his collaboration with Masque Sound, including Scott Kalata and Masque Sound Project Manager Leslie Stong.
(Photo: Phillip Hamer)
Stage Audio Works integrates AV-over-IP conferencing solution at Bank of Namibia headquarters in Windhoek
The Bank of Namibia’s headquarters, located in the heart of the Namibian capital, Windhoek, recently upgraded the AV system in its main auditorium, used for on-site events and virtual conferences. Stage Audio Works Namibia, specialists in AV technology integration and supply, were chosen to lead the project.
“Following the acceptance of our proposal by the Bank of Namibia, we began working closely with the in-house facilities and maintenance and engineering teams to design and implement the auditorium upgrade”, explains Emce Smit, Technical Manager at Stage Audio Works Namibia. “The focus of the project was to enhance the overall experience for users, including upgrading the capabilities for streaming live events and improving the quality of the video conferencing technology, especially for delegates joining meetings remotely.”
The scope comprised the integration of audio, visual and control technologies, plus solutions to enable seamless bring-your-own-device (BYOD) connectivity. For video presentations, the system includes a Crestron AirMedia Receiver with Wi-Fi connectivity. The video capture setup comprises two Crestron PTZ cameras paired with a Fortinge 15’’ conference teleprompter to help with on-stage speech delivery.
The conferencing technology is built upon a Crestron Flex Video Conference System for Microsoft Teams Rooms. A Christie DWU960-iS laser projector is used for the main display, with Samsung 55’’ and 65’’ screens for downstage comfort monitors as well as providing digital signage at the entrance to the auditorium. Content distribution is handled by Crestron’s DM NVX AV-over-IP solution.
“Ceiling microphones were specifically requested by the client, so we chose the Sennheiser TeamConnect Ceiling 2 (TCC2) microphones for this application”, says Smit. “For lighting, we opted for Cameo LED Fresnel wash lights in combination with an LED profile spotlight, which can be controlled via the Crestron wall plate at the auditorium entrance, plus LED strip lights.”
A custom podium from Windhoek Joinery Works (WJW), with a Sennheiser Gooseneck microphone and a 7’’ Crestron touch panel display, plus space to plug and play your own device, provides those presenting with what they need to conduct hybrid conferences.
(Photos: Sonja Kilian Art & Photography)
