Mondo-DR 35-4

M A Y / J U N E 2 02 5

LIGHT OF CREATION HOUSES OF WORSHIP A UDI O & L I G H T I N G C O N S O L E S

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VGs Subwoofer VGt Line-Array

MONDO-DR 35.4 MAY / JUNE 2025 ON THE COVER Light of Creation Photo courtesy of Fabian Skala EDITOR Todd Staszko t.staszko@mondiale.co.uk ASSISTANT EDITOR Daisy Thorogood d.thorogood@mondiale.co.uk ACCOUNT MANAGER Cameron Crawford c.crawford@mondiale.co.uk ACCOUNT MANAGER Bethany Price b.price@mondiale.co.uk MARKETING & EVENTS MANAGER Alice Clarke a.clarke@mondiale.co.uk MARKETING & EVENTS ASSISTANT Charlie Moore c.moore@mondiale.co.uk DESIGN & PRODUCTION Mel Capper, Jez Reid, Dan Seaton DIGITAL CONTENT MANAGER James Robertson j.robertson@mondiale.co.uk EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Peter Iantorno p.iantorno@mondiale.co.uk CEO Justin Gawne j.gawne@mondiale.co.uk FINANCE DIRECTOR Amanda Giles a.giles@mondiale.co.uk CREDIT CONTROL ar@mondiale.co.uk GROUP CHAIRMAN Damian Walsh MONDIALE PUBLISHING Strawberry Studios, Watson Square, Stockport SK1 3AZ , UK Tel: +44 161 476 8340 Fax: +44 161 429 7214 ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION RATES (7 ISSUES) UK: £30.00 / Europe: £50.00 / Rest Of World: £65.00 Two year rates are available on request.

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FR O M TH E E DI TO R...

As we enter the summer months, we’re delighted to bring you another edition of MONDO-DR, filled with a wide range of exciting projects from across the globe.

It’s an especially busy time in the office as we prepare for the MONDO-DR Awards, which returns to Orlando’s Ole Red on Wednesday 11 June.

Once again, we received well over 100 superb entries, and all that’s left for you to do is to register to attend to find out this year’s winning projects.

The cover story for this issue is Light of Creation, the multimedia show transforming Vienna’s Votive Church – an impressive first project from Parnassus Immersive. Also inside, we highlight the work that went into creating Bradford’s newest performance venue, Loading Bay, which forms part of the city’s celebration as the 2025 UK City of Culture (page 92), there’s a massive venue report focussing on recent AV upgrades inside houses of worship (page 22), and an interview with both Daniel and Andreas Sennheiser, who share the role of thirdgeneration Sennheiser Co-CEOs (page 56). Additionally, we find out more about Genelec’s Installed Sound business, we feature discussion articles from BrightSign and LumenRadio, and we have a profile on Equipson.

Enjoy the issue, and we’ll see you in Orlando!

TODD STASZKO EDITOR

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IN THIS ISSUE . . .

10

O’SULLIVANS BAR BASTILLE Paris, France

12

THE LONDON WEST HOLLYWOOD Los Angeles, USA

14

KHAJURAHO TEMPLES Madhya Pradesh, India

16

OTM RESTAURANT & BAR Kanazawa, Japan

18

EXPO DIARY

IN FOCUS 22

REPORT Houses of Worship

56

THE BIG INTERVIEW Andreas & Daniel Sennheiser, Co-CEO, Sennheiser

64

LIGHT OF CREATION Vienna, Austria

70

DANSEHALLERNE Copenhagen, Denmark

74

MAZOWSZE AUDITORIUM Otrębusy, Poland

78

FUN ART BLOKHUS Blokhus, Denmark

80

HIVE St. Julian’s, Malta

82

HJORTVIKEN COUNTRY CLUB Hindås, Sweden

86

CORNER CORNER London, UK

92

LOADING BAY Bradford, UK

96

BLOODSPORTS London, UK

100

CAPE WELIGAMA Weligama, Sri Lanka

IN BUSINESS 102

COMPANY PROFILE Equipson

106

IN DISCUSSION Lumen Radio

108

INSIDE VIEW Genelec

112

IN DISCUSSION BrightSign

114

SHOW REPORT Prolight + Sound

118

SHOW PREVIEW InfoComm

120

PRODUCT GUIDE Audio & Lighting Consoles

126

IN DETAIL Konig & Meyer

128

IN DETAIL Adam Hall Group

130

IN DETAIL 1 SOUND

132

DIRECTORY

7

IN B R I E F Audio and aesthetics in focus at O’Sullivans Bar Bastille Fronting onto the Place de Bastille in the heart of Paris, O’Sullivans Bar Bastille opened its doors in 2024. The venue is the most recent of five O’Sullivans bars to open in the city, describing itself as a blend of chic Parisian brasserie and welcoming Irish pub. On Friday and Saturday nights the venue switches gear, transforming part of its seating area into a dancefloor to host DJ sets and live music performances.

O’Sullivans enlisted consultant Aurelian D. to design an audio system capable of providing both excellent audio quality for day-to-day music playback and the flexibility and power to accommodate weekend performances, without the need to hire in additional PA equipment. The audio solution also needed to be visually unobtrusive to avoid detracting from O’Sullivans Bastille’s distinctive interior design with its centrepiece two-storey drinks display. The resulting system was installed by Benjamin Gouilly-Frossard of Aquila Event, with support from distributor Sequoia Audio. A total of 16 Audiofocus Cyris CX6 six-inch coaxial loudspeakers were discreetly mounted on the walls and ceilings, providing even audio coverage across both floors. Low frequency reinforcement is supplied by eight low profile C210S double 10-inch subwoofers, which have been neatly concealed in custom-designed seating and other furniture. For the ground floor dancefloor area, four ceiling-mounted Audiofocus Isolde AP108ix point source cabinets provide extra power. Cédric Niedzielski, Sales Manager for Audiofocus’ French distributor, Sequoia Audio commented: “O’Sullivans Bastille is a beautiful environment for dining, socialising, and partying, so we were delighted to help Aurelian and Benjamin to create an audio system that reflected the same level of quality while respecting the venue’s unique aesthetics. By delivering high SPL in such a tiny footprint the Cyris series is ideal for this type of project, and the low form factor of the sub makes it possible to deliver low frequency punch invisibly.”

All loudspeakers are powered by Powersoft Ottocanali and Quattrocanali multi-channel amplifiers. The system is managed via Q-SYS, with custom touchscreens providing the busy staff with a simple means of controlling audio throughout the venue. www.audiofocus.eu

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I N BRI E F Renkus-Heinz ensures the audio quality matches the vibe at the picturesque rooftop bar at The London West Hollywood The London West Hollywood at Beverly Hills stands as a beacon of luxury and refinement, nestled in the heart of one of Los Angeles’ most celebrated neighbourhoods.

The crown jewel of this property is its West End Rooftop, a 107ft by 40ft open-air space that serves as a prime venue for high-profile events, weddings, and corporate functions.

However, sound from the rooftop terrace’s events frequently spilt beyond the property, creating friction with nearby residents and leading to repeated noise complaints.

To address these issues without compromising the venue’s reputation, the hotel turned to Russ DuBrow at Electronic Technology for a transformative audio solution, who selected Renkus-Heinz’s IC Live X Series loudspeakers to suit the rooftop’s unique requirements. Four ICLX units were mounted along the wall at intervals of 25ft, each placed 12ft above the ground. The system was designed to provide one seamless zone of audio, ensuring even sound distribution throughout the rooftop. Complementing the ICLX

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loudspeakers are two SA112 subwoofers, which provide deep and impactful bass.

The entire system was configured using Renkus-Heinz’s RHAON II platform, a powerful digital tool that enables precise adjustments to EQ settings, delay, and SPL placement. By digitally steering the sound using RenkusHeinz’s OmniBeam software and tailoring it to the venue’s acoustic characteristics, the installation team created a system capable of delivering clarity, power, and control.

“The IC Live X speakers allowed us to direct sound exactly where we needed – below the glass walls – while concentrating the sound in the approximate middle and completely avoiding areas where it wasn’t wanted,” DuBrow commented. “Not only does the system deliver incredible sound for guests, but it also keeps the hotel out of trouble with neighbours and city authorities, so it’s a win for everyone involved.” www.renkus-heinz.com

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I N BR I E F Christie projectors illuminate the historic Khajuraho Temples with immersive storytelling A breathtaking light and sound show at the Khajuraho Temples in Madhya Pradesh, India, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is captivating audiences with a mesmerising blend of projection mapping, holograms, dynamic lighting, and 5.1 audio.

Created by Tricolor India Schauspiel, the visual spectacle is powered by seven Christie D23WU-HS 1DLP laser projectors, delivering exceptional brightness and image quality to bring the rich history of these thousand-year-old monuments to life.

The 35-minute show, commissioned by the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation and voiced by actor Amitabh Bachchan, takes visitors on an immersive journey through time, narrating the temple’s storied past like never before.

“The primary objective was to create an engaging evening attraction for visitors,” said Himanshu Sabharwal, Chief

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Creative Officer, Tricolor India Schauspiel. “During the day, tourists see the remains of these magnificent temples, and at night, we bring their ancient glory to life, and the Christie D23WU-HS projectors play a pivotal role in making this vision a reality.”

Deploying projection technology in a heritage site posed unique challenges. With strict Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) restrictions, the projectors had to be installed outside the complex at a distance of nearly 100m away.

“The site demanded maximum output on a modest budget, and the Christie D23WU-HS projectors, with their high brightness and omnidirectional capabilities, exceeded expectations, delivering vivid imagery – even at a distance,” Sabharwal noted. “By strategically stacking and orienting the projectors, we achieved an optimal visual impact while preserving the sanctity of the site.” www.christiedigital.com

I N BRI E F Microgreens meet premium sound at OTM Restaurant & Bar In the heart of Kanazawa on the west coast of Japan, OTM Restaurant & Bar is redefining dining with a fresh concept – microgreens. As the country’s first eatery dedicated to these nutrient-packed young plants, OTM offers a health-conscious menu in a sleek, industrial space, elevated by an unexpected yet essential element: high-quality sound from Genelec.

Recognising the crucial role of music in shaping ambience, Mr. Yamazaki, CEO of restaurant operator, SU-BEE.CO., LTD, decided to integrate high-quality audio into OTM’s design – a first for the company, where acoustics had previously been an afterthought. Inspired by a visit to a Tokyo art gallery featuring Genelec loudspeakers, SU-BEE partnered with Genelec Japan to design an audio system tailored to OTM’s layout. Ten compact 4020C loudspeakers in Genelec’s unique RAW aluminium finish were strategically positioned throughout the space and connected using Euroblock terminals for a clean, seamless installation. Beyond aesthetics, the 4020C speakers deliver crystal-clear, immersive sound without overpowering conversations. “It was important to find loudspeakers that provide great sound without interfering with the ability to chat comfortably at the table,” said SU-BEE’s Yuka Miyamoto. “Genelec’s loudspeakers achieve exactly that. There’s no harshness or distortion, and the bass feels natural and warm.” An iPad-controlled audio system allows transitions between relaxing daytime playlists and lively evening beats, curated by Yamazaki himself, with future plans to include live DJ sessions. www.genelec.com

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FOC U S 22

56

REPORT Houses of Worship THE BIG INTERVIEW Andreas & Daniel Sennheiser, Co-CEO, Sennheiser

64

LIGHT OF CREATION Vienna, Austria

70

DANSEHALLERNE Copenhagen, Denmark

74

MAZOWSZE AUDITORIUM Otrębusy, Poland

78

FUN ART BLOKHUS Blokhus, Denmark

80

HIVE St Julian’s, Malta

82

HJORTVIKEN COUNTRY CLUB Hindås, Sweden

86

CORNER CORNER London, UK

92

LOADING BAY Bradford, Uk

96

BLOODSPORTS London, UK

100

CAPE WELIGAMA Weligama, Sri Lanka

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H OU S E S OF W ORS H I P Technological upgrades and enhancements in worship spaces from around the world.

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B r i stol Cat h e d ra l COMPANY: NEXO LOCATION: Bristol, UK

Bristol Cathedral was originally built as an Augustinian Abbey and dates back to 1140. Further additions to the building took place through the centuries until it became a Cathedral in 1542, with its magnificent nave completed in 1877.

Today the Cathedral continues a centuries-long tradition of being a welcoming space for the people of Bristol and visitors to the city, open daily with a rich programme of services and events, historic architecture and a peaceful garden.

To ensure the full enjoyment of this rapidly expanding range of activities by congregations and audiences, clergy and performers alike, the Cathedral recently issued a tender for the design and installation of a modern, versatile, new sound system which could perform at the highest level while also remaining relatively discreet in such a beautiful and historic building.

Bristol-based production services and installation specialists Enlightened were ultimately selected for the job. Head of Installations Henry Parr takes up the story: “We’ve been fortunate enough to be one of the Cathedral’s main technical suppliers for a while now, supporting events with anything required on either a dry hire or a production basis,” said Parr. “We were able to demonstrate the value we could provide as one of the only local options considered in the tender and, with equal importance, how our values align on even simple things such as our environmental policies for reducing our carbon footprint, getting to and from the Cathedral. It’s all these small details that really add up.

“The core of the tender process was essentially quoting against a fixed specification that had been produced by a third party,” Parr continued. “We weren’t entirely convinced that it was the right solution and provided some alternative options, the main point being that we really felt that a NEXO system would benefit the Cathedral more in terms of value for money.

“The key thing for us was intelligibility and, working with the NEXO Engineering Support Team, we found that NEXO was going to provide very, very similar results to a system significantly more expensive. This freed up a significant part of the budget to produce a better

result using more expensive, higher quality microphones, better processing, and to install more infrastructure for futureproofing on other projects.”

The bulk of the system comprises 32 NEXO ID84 column speakers, mainly concentrated in the nave, with similarly voiced, ultra-compact ID14s nestled in the stonework under the pulpit, in the Eastern Lady Chapel and in other areas of the Cathedral.

“We really like the ID Series for a lot of reasons,” said Parr. “It’s a good format and has a lot of flexible options in terms of rigging and mounting, and important for us is that the ID84 has the right visual profile for the installation. In a Grade 1 listed building, it is very, very important that the system not only sounds good, but also looks right.”

To that end, all cabinets feature a custom RAL paint finish to match the colour of the stone columns upon which they’re mounted, while custom colours were also specified for all of the brackets and cables required.

“We’ve worked very closely with the cathedral for the last 12 months, looking through extensive site visits to find the best routes for cables, often using existing cable routes in the main heating trench around the nave,” said Parr. “Of all the seven miles of cabling in the system, there is only around 200m of it that is actually visible.”

Power and speaker processing for the system come from a rack of NEXO NXAMPMk2s and Enlightened have provided touch-screen control for the easy configuration of the system by non-technical operators for all types of uses.

Commenting in conclusion for Enlightened, Founder and Managing Director Simon Marcus said: “I was delighted with the reaction that we got from NEXO when we brought this project, and we explained just how much we needed to work together to actually achieve where we needed to get to.

“The responsibility that we have as designers and installers to bring 21st century technology to these historic spaces is absolutely immense, and we all need to really respect where we are and what we are doing.” www.nexo.fr

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C uster Ro a d U nite d Me t h od i st Ch u rc h COMPANY: EAW LOCATION: Plano, Texas, USA

The traditional architecture and high ceilings at Custer Road United Methodist Church (Custer Road UMC) were creating audio issues that prevented the congregation from fully connecting during its services.

Recognising this, church leadership wanted to improve audio quality to foster a more engaging worship experience with a modern audio upgrade to match its sanctuary’s refreshed look and offer clear, consistent sound. “The church underwent a major renovation, and part of that effort was to ensure the technical systems were up to date,” said Shawn Slocum, Account Manager at Electro Acoustics. “We knew it was time to improve the audio system, and EAW’s AC6 ADAPTive system was the perfect solution.”

Custer Road UMC discovered the capabilities of the AC6 Column Loudspeaker during a demonstration in the sanctuary led by Clayton Mills, Sales Manager at Highway Marketing. “We needed a space for an AC6 training session, and the church graciously offered its sanctuary,” shared Mills. “It turned out to be the perfect setting, after hearing the AC6 system in action, the church immediately knew it was the right fit for their needs.”

Jim Carter, Director of AV and Computer Services at Custer Road UMC, added: “The demonstration from Highway Marketing was all that it took from my end to convince us that we had found the right solution to solve our problem.”

With the AC6 system chosen, Electro Acoustics worked closely with Highway Marketing and EAW to implement a custom design. The solution included triple-stacked AC6 speakers on each side of the sanctuary, EAW MKD526 Loudspeakers for under-balcony fills, and

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SB828P Subwoofers to deliver rich, low-end sound. This design addressed the church’s technical needs while blending seamlessly with the sanctuary’s architecture. “One of the final touches that really impressed the church was the ability to custom paint the speakers to match the sanctuary’s new colour scheme,” adds Mills. “It was a small detail, but it added to the overall experience and integration.”

The new AC6 system’s adaptive technology, powered by EAW’s Resolution software, provided precise tuning and exceptional sound coverage throughout the space. This solution solved acoustical challenges posed by the 43ft ceiling and wraparound balcony, significantly enhancing audio clarity.

According to Slocum: “The new EAW AC6 system has drastically improved the church’s audio quality. It brings the sound closer to the congregation, making it feel more intimate. The ADAPTive technology ensures that every seat in the sanctuary receives clear and consistent audio, which is a huge win for the church.”

Since the installation, Custer Road UMC has seen notable improvements in microphone gain before feedback and enhanced clarity for both spoken word and musical performances.

“The renovation has been very successful in increasing the intelligibility of the spoken word in the room,” shared Carter. “With the positive feedback we continue to receive from the congregation and staff members, we have been able to accomplish our goals. Many thanks to EAW, as its products gave us the opportunity to have that success and take us into the future at Custer Road UMC.” www.eaw.com

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Traditional systems could not provide immersive coverage throughout Faith Community Church’s intimate sanctuary. ADAPTive’s unique ability to control coverage delivered full range, even sound from each loudspeaker to each listener, drawing the congregation together into a shared experience.

“The ADAPTive part of this is unlike anything else… it’s shocking. This is the solution for churches.”

- Jacob Pierce, Administrative Pastor at Faith Community Church

C itip o i nte C hurc h COMPANY: Absen LOCATION: Brisbane, Australia

Citipointe Church is one of the largest pentecostal church movements in Australia with campuses across the country and internationally. Its main campus is in Brisbane, where it has an auditorium that seats over 2000 people. The church invests in technology for the long term, which purchases carefully planned and staged under the guidance of Technical Director Chris Poulton and the church executive.

Recently the church has made a large investment in Absen LED display technology, a key technology plank in contributing to the church’s vision.

“In a church setting, the way we communicate the message has to go beyond just audio from loudspeakers,” says Chris Poulton. “When you add a visual component to an auditory message, the communication becomes clearer, more impactful, and is retained longer.”

The chief challenge of this technical upgrade was cost. No one was in any doubt that the church would benefit from LED in the role of a main backdrop display: “We have a modern, contemporary setup with concert lighting, which would constantly overpower the projector output,” noted Poulton. “It was clear we needed a better solution for presenting lyrics, scripture, announcements, and visuals.”

The ideal LED screen to replace the ageing projection system would fill most of the 18m stage width, and be at least 3.5m tall. Such a LED screen is a huge investment for any organisation. The church was resolute in its commitment to not cut corners or make short-term costs savings by buying direct from a factory.

“When we finally decided to make the investment in LED, it wasn’t just about getting a screen that looked good today, it had to be something that would perform well for at least

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10, ideally 15, years,” continued Poulton. “We also needed a reliable partner who could support that investment over time. That’s where Brisbane Sound Group (BSG) came in, playing a key role in ensuring longevity and support beyond just installation. We could have sourced directly from China, but when things go wrong, who do you turn to?”

Citipointe Church worked closely with BSG to arrive at the best possible LED solution, balancing budget consideration with load and engineering considerations – determining the size of screen the church could literally, and financially, bear.

Poulton and his team has plenty of experience working with hired LED, although almost always outdoor solutions: “We’ve hired a lot of outdoor LED screens over the years and it was clear to me that that approach wasn’t great. Turning outdoor screens down to less than 5% brightness can cause issues, like out-of-control moiré, washed-out blacks and random pixel blooming.

“With the indoor Absen PL Series product, everything looks great – it can easily compete with our stage lighting but it’s still operating in its optimal range.”

After deciding on an indoor model of display, a big consideration was choosing its pixel pitch, with a 3.9mm option winning over the finer 2.9mm pp. “ Citipointe Church may have been a late adopter of LED but it now has an exceptional display destined to provide many years of service with the reassurance of top quality support from BSG and National Audio Solutions (NAS). Poulton couldn’t be happier with the result: “The response has been overwhelmingly positive,” he said. “Our graphics and video department love the fact that their content is displayed accurately, with high resolution and clarity.” www.absen.com

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B ar ner t Temple COMPANY: 1 SOUND LOCATION: New Jersey, USA

With the goal of achieving sonic clarity in every seat for both spoken word and live music performances, while also blending in aesthetically to not distract from its architecture, a new 1 SOUND audio system has been installed at Barnert Temple in New Jersey.

ComNet Communications worked with Barnert Temple’s AV team to implement the new audio system, choosing 1 SOUND’s Tower Series as the main loudspeakers.

“The Tower LCC84 was the ideal loudspeaker for this application as its precise dispersion pattern is also narrow vertically, so the sound does not bleed into the cavernous ceilings,” said Ed O’Connor, AV Systems Designer, ComNet Communications. “The Tower’s cardioid property makes this ideal for limiting the sound on the stage area, and they have 20dB of cancellation in the offaxis/rear of the loudspeaker, limiting unwanted sound bleeding into microphones.”

There is a L-C-R arrangement of Tower LCC84s, with four more deployed as delays in the synagogue, while four SUB12s are recessed in the ceiling for concealed low frequency. The team at 1 SOUND worked closely with ComNet to make sure they were satisfied with the color match of the loudspeakers so they would blend in seamlessly, while Powersoft T304 and T604 amplifiers were selected to power the system.

In conclusion, O’Connor said: “The customer was extremely pleased, and I am pretty sure, since I started doing this in 1981, that I haven’t heard anything that sounds this good.” www.1-sound.com

S a i n t T h om a s t h e A p ostle Cat h ol i c Ch u rc h COMPANY: Wharfedale Pro LOCATION: Jakarta, Indonesia The Saint Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church recently completed a highly successful sound system upgrade, featuring Wharfedale Pro GPL Series loudspeakers and DP Series amplifiers. The church sought to enhance its audio experience by ensuring clearer, more even sound distribution across the entire space. In collaboration with PT. Batavia Putera Prima, Wharfedale Pro’s trusted distribution partner in Indonesia, and PT. Perkasa Bermitra Sentosa, the system overhaul was expertly executed to improve the worship experience. The upgrade included the installation of multiple Wharfedale Pro GPL-5 coaxial loudspeakers as front fills, which now provide exceptional clarity, ensuring that every word and note is heard with precision.

The DP-F series amplifiers were chosen for their multi-channel flexibility and advanced FIR filters, offering the ability to fine-tune

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the sound across various areas of the church. Additionally, multiple DP-4035i installation amplifiers were integrated to deliver efficient multi-zone amplification, further enhancing the church’s sound coverage and flexibility. Fendy Waworega, the representative from integrators PT. Perkasa Bermitra Sentosa, said: “The GPL-5 loudspeakers have truly transformed the audio experience, providing outstanding clarity, and with the DP-F series amplifiers, we now have greater control over the larger system, allowing us to adjust the sound for different zones within the church.”

The GPL Series, featuring Beyma coaxial drivers, multiple mounting options, and conical or 80° by 40° (HQ models) dispersion patterns, are proving to be a versatile and powerful choice for houses of worship and other demanding environments. www.wharfedalepro.com

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C hurc h o f S a nt ’E ra s m o COMPANY: Martin Audio LOCATION: Castel Goffredo, Italy Photos: Lo re n z o M ore n i

There are certain architectural and historic structures that present particularly demanding challenges when it comes to installing and optimising sound systems. This complexity is particularly redolent of churches and other places of worship, where avoiding annoying acoustic reverberations, preventing incorrect propagation of sounds, and ensuring maximum intelligibility of music and speech (while still respecting precise architectural constraints) are of paramount importance, especially when dealing with treasured historical buildings.

This challenge was recently faced head-on by the Piacenza-based IT and system integration company Inside Srl, for the Church of Sant’Erasmo in Castel Goffredo, situated in the province of Mantua. The Church’s parish priest, Don Giuseppe Bergamaschi, explained, “The idea of upgrading the sound system in our church was a need felt for many years by all users – from the congregation to the readers, from the choristers to the instrumentalists, as well as the priests themselves.

“We entrusted the renovation of the acoustic system to Inside Srl of Piacenza – and right from the outset, when the tests and studies of other systems were conducted, we realised the solution we had chosen would provide optimum performance.”

This solution was Martin Audio’s O-Line micro-array. The fundamental requirement was to completely replace a very dated, and no longer performing audio system with a system capable of guaranteeing speech that was always clear and intelligible, even in a highly reverberant environment such as that of the Church of Sant’Erasmo. Added to this

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was the specific request of the client – the Parish of Castel Goffredo – to have a sound system capable of enhancing the choir, which not only animates the celebrations, but also performs in concerts inside the Church, which also hosts musical performances by other groups.

The solution proposed by Inside Srl’s technical manager, Cristian Sartori, and his colleague Gianluca Pighi, was the Martin Audio O-Line 2-way system (in white) – four elements per side. The system’s unique technology offers impressive sidelobe-free vertical dispersion. Firstly, the listening test was successfully conducted inside the Church, with the parish priest and Inside Srl team verifying the suitability of the system for voice and music – as well as its aesthetic integration into the surrounding environment. Next came another key stage in the process as attention turned to acoustic simulation. This was done with the team of product specialists at Audiosales, Martin Audio’s distribution partner. Completing the Martin Audio deployment, a pair of CDD8W loudspeakers are set on two columns towards the altar area, performing fill duties. Inside Srl’s remit for the Church of Sant’Erasmo was not limited to providing sound reinforcement. The client also requested that Masses and celebrations be broadcast live via the Castel Goffredo radio station, Radio Alfa. “Many people follow both weekday and Sunday Holy Mass via streaming,” explained Bergamaschi. “And so we have the church directly connected to Radio Alfa and the audio is excellent, as is the video.” www.martin-audio.com

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C hurc h o f S a n M i g u e l COMPANY: KV2 Audio LOCATION: Cuenca, Spain Photos: Ibe rc ov e r S tu d io

The ancient temple of San Miguel in the city of Cuenca in the mountains of east-central Spain provides a stunning backdrop for ‘Luz Cuenca’, a fully immersive sensory experience offering an artistic expression of the cultural wealth of the city. Drawing on the city’s history which is closely linked to art – and especially abstract art – Luz Cuenca is a multimedia exhibition that combines artistic lighting techniques and a dramatic orchestral music score with 2D and 3D projection mapping. Digital immersive experience specialists, Ibercover Studio, were in charge of production and content design for Luz Cuenca. They turned to leading AV experts Fluge to design and supply a high-quality sound system for the project. Fluge had no hesitation in specifying KV2 Audio, as Fluge’s Jesús Cata explained: “Ibercover Studio asked us to design an immersive, robust and high-quality audio system as a key element of the overall immersive experience combining sound, light and projection mapping.

“The main objective was to effectively and uniformly reproduce sound in space at low volumes. The required SPL levels were not particularly high since the acoustics of the church play an important role in the sound environment, giving more importance to quality rather than pressure. We selected KV2 systems because they are outstanding when it comes to delivering high-quality, detailed, transparent sound at low SPLs, and that’s not easy to do.”

Designed by sound engineer Poti Martin, the system comprises 12 EX26 2-way active loudspeaker systems evenly distributed along the walls of the nave. With its 100° by 100° horn, the EX26 provides wide, even coverage, superb vocal intelligibility and high-quality musical reproduction. A further two EX26s reinforce the upper gallery level, while low end reinforcement is provided by eight EX1.5 subwoofers distributed in pairs either side of the altar, plus a further pair left and right slightly further down the nave.

Due to the immersive character of the room, each loudspeaker receives independent audio signals which are sent via Dante, track by track, from a Dataton Watchout 6 video playback system, and then processed and distributed to the loudspeakers via NST Audio DSP matrices. Finally, custom white housings were designed for all the loudspeakers to minimise any interference with the video mapping.

“The synergy between the EX26 and the compact EX1.5 subwoofer for the reproduction of the entire sound spectrum in a completely flat manner, with no dropoff at any frequency, is unique,” said Martin. “You can hear absolutely every detail of the music exactly as it’s meant to sound, even at low SPLs. However, this doesn’t mean that it won’t reproduce higher SPLs with the same degree of success – indeed, in addition to Luz Cuenca, the system will be used for many other events with more demanding level requirements, and we know it will sound just as good.” www.kv2audio.com

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C otto nwo o d C reek Ch u rch COMPANY: TT+ Audio LOCATION: Allen, Texas, USA Photos: J o h n H am es

Cottonwood Creek Church recently concluded its ‘Make Room’ campaign which most notably increased the size of its main worship center by 800 seats to nearly 3,000. As a result of the expansion, the existing sound system could no longer cover the expanded space. Dallas-based DHSystems, a systems integrator specialising in sound lighting and video equipment with around 75% of its business focused on the house of worship market, implemented a solution based around the first USinstalled TT+ Audio GTX line array system, delivered by RCF USA. While Cottonwood Creek did not have a fixed budget, “the cost of the system was a concern,” said Zach Anthony, DHSystems owner, design lead, and senior systems engineer.

“The cost of expanding the existing six-year-old speaker system with additional amplifiers and speakers was close to the cost of replacing the whole system with GTX,” he expanded.

As well as not having the reach to cover the new seating, the existing PA didn’t cover the room evenly.

“Some of the boxes in the old system were very wide and put a lot of energy on the walls, so there was a lot of reflection,” said Anthony. “The new system has a very precise pattern control for what we need in the room, and intelligibility has gone up.”

Based on their experience and long-term relationship with RCF USA, DHSystems had no hesitation specifying the TT+ Audio GTX 12 passive three-way line array system, even before the new components were available and shipping.

“There’s a L-R array with eight GTX 12 boxes providing primary coverage all the way front to back,” said Anthony. “The center section does not need delay coverage at the back of the room.”

Built into the front of the stage are seven TT 515-A active two-way

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loudspeakers as front fills, while three TTW 4-A active wide directivity two-way loudspeakers are flown with the rest of the PA to provide L-R-C down fill. Two additional TTW 4-As are used delayed as fill for the far rear corners of the room, while 12 of the GTX companion highperformance passive GTS 29 subwoofers, each with dual 19-inch drivers, are flown in three centre arc end fire arrays for low frequency extension which “allows us to control the horizontal coverage so that we have equal energy across the width of the room,” continued Anthony. “Each sub array has four cabinets, two to the rear, two to the front, and we’re able to delay the outer end fire arrays to steer the pattern wider in the room while still having excellent cancellation at the rear.”

The GTX/GTS system is powered and controlled by XPS 16KD Danteenabled four-channel DSP amplifiers which have voicings and presets for all of the RCF products. “Even though the GTX cabinets don’t have amplifiers built into them, it is a complete, closed loop system,” continued Anthony. “For this project, with all these speakers in the air, having the amplifiers remotely located in an amp rack is much better from a long-term support and serviceability standpoint.”

RCF’s RDNET sound system management and control software were used for the initial system configuration and alignment, including the cabinet voicing and shading, and is currently used for monitoring the system status. “RDNET gives you a nice graphical interface to see everything,” said Anthony. The TT+ Audio system was also interfaced with Cottonwood Creek Church’s existing Q-SYS network, used for facility-wide audio management including reconfiguration for various applications. www.rcf-usa.com www.ttaudio.com

C hrist C hurc h COMPANY: Pliant Technologies LOCATION: West Monroe, Louisiana, USA

A multi-site church with campuses in West Monroe, Ruston, and Sterlington, Christ Church has grown to become a leading house of worship in Louisiana.

With roughly 2,000 congregants in attendance weekly at its main location in West Monroe, Christ Church deploys Pliant Technologies’ CrewCom Wireless Intercom System for seamless communication amongst its media and production team. The West Monroe location has a full production setup, including eight cameras, and a separate in-house and online mix. For intercoms, the team utilises a CrewCom Control Unit (CU), as well as four of the brand’s CrewCom Radio Transceivers (RTs) placed throughout the facility and the team has a total of 15 Pliant CrewCom Radio Packs (RPs) consisting of ten two-channel and five four-channel packs, and 15 Pliant single and dual-ear SmartBoom PRO headsets.

“With this setup, we have complete coverage of the entire campus,” said Craig Roberson, Media and Production Director at Christ Church, West Monroe. “It’s very versatile and we can go pretty much wherever we want with the comms units.

“With the ability to have multiple Radio Packs per Radio Transceiver at a time, our personnel are always in range, even if they are out in the parking lot for an event.”

According to Roberson and other members of his team, including Johnny Norman, Christ Church Video Director, and Casey Newcomer, Christ Church Videographer, the upgrade to Pliant has been a vast improvement, providing clear communication. “We are able to hear the band even if we are not in the worship centre, as well as the director talking to us,” said Norman. “We came from a one-channel system, so having additional channels has been a real benefit, while also being really straightforward to learn and use.”

Additionally, the team feels as though the audio quality and range of the Pliant CrewCom system is unmatched. “I noticed an improvement from day one,” continued Norman. “We can hear everybody very clearly. The camera ops especially have told me that they can hear everything I say now. Before, we only had single-ear headsets, but now, all camera ops on stage with the band have a dual-ear headset, so they can hear the band and me in both ears. This results in fewer mistakes on my part and theirs because we now have clear communication.” www.plianttechnologies.com

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Austi n Sto ne C hurc h COMPANY: RF Venue LOCATION: Austin, Texas, USA

Austin Stone is a six-site church in the Austin, Texas area, and the church’s southwest campus serves a congregation that had previously been meeting in a school as a setup/tear-down church for 11 years.

Finally, in a position to construct a new-build facility, under the direction of Zach Richards, Director of Integration, and Joe Johnson, Integration Project Manager, the Integration division of Denver-area-based Brown Note Productions spearheaded the design and installation of the facility’s AV systems, including a wide range of RF Venue wireless essentials for the new building’s wireless RF and in-ear monitor systems.

The project presented a challenge in having numerous spaces with varying amounts of wireless audio, and Austin Stone wanted the wireless system to be highly flexible for many different types of events throughout the whole facility. The majority of the wireless resides in the main auditorium, plus there is an outdoor stage, a youth room and two kids’ spaces, as well as three classrooms and a lobby area.

Brown Note have previously designed and deployed numerous AVL installations in music venues, houses of worship and universities. “We have been using RF Venue since the very beginnings of the company,” stated Johnson. “All of us on the Brown Note team are on the same page, recognising RF Venue as the standard for RF antennas and distribution, and are the third-party system that works with all the wireless brands – their products simply work. Everyone here just trusts that they’re that good.”

To realise Austin Stone’s broad vision for wireless, Brown Note

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opted for 26 channels of the Shure ULX-D Digital Wireless System (based in part on its Dante capabilities), along with eight channels of Sennheiser ew-IEM G4 wireless in-ear monitoring systems.

Brown Note chose RF Venue’s CP Architectural and Diversity Architectural antennas, painted satin black to blend in with the facility’s stage architecture, along with RF Venue’s DISTRO4 RF distribution systems for mics and COMBINE8 IEM transmitter combiner.

“We installed a DISTRO4 to distribute the Diversity Architectural antenna signal from the main auditorium to all the wireless receivers,” stated Johnson. “We also fed all of the IEM transmitters into a COMBINE8 which fed a single CP Architectural antenna. All the antennas we used on this project worked flawlessly.

“We’re using Q-SYS control, and we’re already using Dante for all of our distribution for audio. What made sense was to upgrade the microphone systems to Shure ULX-D, and then we were able to just put the receivers in the remote racks, which made things easy for routing audio anywhere we wanted to.

“We only spec products that we know we can stand behind,” Johnson concluded. “Number one, we need to know that the manufacturer is going to have our back. And two, that we’re going to be able to support these installations in the long run. So whether it comes to speakers or audio consoles, lighting fixtures, or, in this case RF antennas and distribution, we draw a line and we say, ‘This is what we do, and it’s because we trust this.’ And that is RF Venue.” www.rfvenue.com

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Graham Memorial Chapel, St. Louis - USA

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Ho pe L ut hera n Ch u rch COMPANY: DAS Audio LOCATION: Palm Desert, California, USA

For decades, Hope Lutheran Church has been a pillar of the Palm Desert community offering a welcoming space for worship. With an aging audio infrastructure the venue was facing challenges that impacted both experience and engagement, as the sound was harsh in some seats, muddy in others, and the choir often had trouble hearing themselves. Needing a solution that was powerful without being overwhelming, they enlisted Maverick Productions to design a system to suit the needs of the venue.

“They weren’t looking for a concert experience,” said Jonathan Lein of Maverick Productions. “They were looking for connection – sound that feels good, and that is exactly where DAS Audio shines.”

Working closely with the church, Maverick deployed a tailored solution using 24 EVENT-26A loudspeakers in three clusters, two EVENT-115A subwoofers and ARTEC-308s for the overflow space.

The install took six weeks, not because of the nature of the project, but because the team meticulously reinforced the ceilings, hid every cable, and even disassembled and custom-painted each speaker to blend into the space.

The new system boasts a 2.1 dB variance across the entire sanctuary, and a 50-person choir no longer needs floor wedges or earplugs. “It’s a game-changer,” said Pastor

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Rick Bailard. “The difference has been nothing short of remarkable.”

For the more contemporary Hope Center, a casual, multiuse space that has evolved into a Sunday service venue, the approach was completely different. This room needed impact and energy, and here 12 EVENT-208As and two EVENT-218A subwoofers delivered just that. The system was installed in a week, and it’s been running since December 2024 without a single call for support.

“You want to feel it in your chest,” Lein said. “That was the goal...and we hit it. The mapping, the warmth, the price-toperformance ratio… DAS just nails it.”

The system is so intuitive, even non-technical staff have been able to run it with confidence, with audio engineers and pastors alike singing its praises, word has already started to spread about the clarity of DAS Audio systems.

Lein has been a DAS believer since 2013. After side-by-side demos with other major brands, he made the switch and hasn’t looked back.

“It’s the best box you’ve never heard of and we’re ready to change that,” he said. “DAS is warm, it’s reliable, and it’s personal. You’re not calling a corporate hot line, you’re talking to real people who care.” www.dasaudio.com

Walnut St reet Ba pt i st Ch u rc h COMPANY: Listen Technologies LOCATION: Newark, New Jersey, USA

Walnut Street Baptist Church is a small community church located in Newark, New Jersey with a congregation of about 300 members, which is primarily Portuguese speaking with many Brazilian-born members.

When the children and grandchildren of the largely Portuguesespeaking congregation wanted to attend services, they didn’t always understand what was being said from the pulpit, and so around five years ago, Nilson Dimarzio Jr. installed a radio frequency system for translating church services for Englishspeaking congregants at the church. The system did not work as well as hoped and eventually stopped working altogether, and that’s when Dimarzio Jr. contacted Listen Technologies.

After receiving the new ListenRF system on a Saturday, churchgoers urgently encouraged Dimarzio Jr. to set up the system for Sunday services. They were very excited to use the equipment the next day to translate Sunday’s sermon to English, and so he quickly and easily installed the ListenRF system. He then gathered a few people that needed to understand how to use it and gave them simple instructions on how the system worked, and the next day the ListenRF system was used during Sunday services.

Five patrons used the iDSP ListenRF receivers by wearing the small and sleek devices around their neck on a lanyard. They plugged headsets into the receivers and listened to the pastor deliver a passionate and inspiring sermon in Portuguese while receiving the English translation in their headsets.

Walnut Street parishioners loved the new ListenRF 72 MHz system for its crystal-clear audio, the small and simple receivers, and the way it is allowing them to connect with their family and community. The use of the system for translation means that grandparents, parents, and children can attend church services together in their community and all hear the same message – without language being a barrier to their connection. www.listentech.com

Eastr i dge C hurc h COMPANY: Meyer Sound LOCATION: Issaquah, Washington, USA

Eastridge Church in Issaquah on the outskirts of Seattle recently upgraded its main campus with a new Meyer Sound LEOPARD system that meets the high production values and diverse audience demands of its contemporary services.

Designed and installed by AV integrator and concert/corporate sound provider Point Source Inc. in collaboration with Meyer Sound, the new upgrade replaces a legacy system that had become a bottleneck for both sonic quality and programming flexibility.

“We were struggling with old equipment that was causing disparities in sound quality and volume all around our room,” said Lead Pastor Josh Jamison. “These guys came in and made our needs the focus and priority. They worked alongside us as a true partner in ministry, and our experience, both in quality of work and quality of product, has been stellar.”

Eastridge Church’s production team oversees full-service audio, video, and broadcast support for both in-person and online worship, as well as special events and strategic partnerships with touring artists. Production Director Keefe Bieggar admitted that the old audio system was holding them back – not just in terms of sonic performance, but in consistency and reliability.

“Our old system was incredibly harsh and had substantial coverage issues,” said Bieggar. “The issues extended to the low end with a poorly deployed ground sub system. You could stand in one place and get blown away, then move four feet over and not hear any low end whatsoever, which meant that every person in the congregation was getting a different experience.”

The new Meyer Sound system at Eastridge Church centers around eight LEOPARD compact linear line array loudspeakers

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per side, supported by a flown center cluster of three 2100LFC low-frequency control elements in an end-fire cardioid configuration for focused, even bass coverage.

Additional fill coverage is provided by ULTRA family point source loudspeakers, including ULTRA-X40 and ULTRA-X42 center and side fills and ULTRA-X20 front fills positioned along the stage lip.

The system is managed by a Galileo GALAXY 816 Network Platform.

Point Source Inc. led the installation and system design, in collaboration with Meyer Sound Technical Support Specialist David Vincent and Eastridge’s in-house production team.

“LEOPARD was the right size and scale for the room,” explained Curt Hare, Point Source’s owner. “It gave us the right visual impact, the right weight load, and the right coverage and power.”

Meyer Sound and Point Source worked with Eastridge to meet both its sonic and budget targets, leveraging the capabilities of the 2100-LFC to reduce system complexity and cost compared to previous designs.

“Out of the three bids we received, Meyer Sound actually came in under the other two,” said Bieggar. “I wish every church could have Meyer Sound – it solves so many problems, and it’s shockingly affordable considering it’s a premium product.

“This upgrade isn’t just about being louder or newer, it’s about removing barriers to the message. When the sound system becomes transparent – when it stops being a distraction – people can actually engage with what’s happening. And that’s the whole point.” www.meyersound.com

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Ma s j i d N e g a ra COMPANY: Renkus-Heinz LOCATION: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Set within 13 acres of tranquil gardens, the National Mosque of Malaysia (Masjid Negara) is an oasis of calm in the centre of the bustling capital city. With a 240ft minaret, a 16-point star on its roof, and space for up to 15,000 worshippers at any one time, the mosque is one of the most iconic in Malaysia.

Since its construction in 1965, the mosque has seen several upgrades to its PA system, in both the indoor and outdoor prayer spaces, but has continued to struggle with poor intelligibility, inadequate coverage and a system that was difficult for mosque operators to manage. It wasn’t until the fourth and most recent refit using steerable loudspeakers from Renkus-Heinz and the brand’s innovative OmniBeam technology that the sound issues were fully resolved.

Leading the project was specialist AV integration and acoustic consultancy firm, Acousticon Sdn Bhd, reputed for their work in mosques and other worship spaces.

“This was a highly complex project that we implemented in two phases due to scale and budget,” noted Azizi Bin Ala, Acousticon founder and Technical Director. “The grand design was developed in 2019 with the consultant, the Public Works Department (PWD) of the Federal Territory, utilising AES67 audio networking for improved interoperability.

“We opted for a Renkus-Heinz solution throughout based on the company’s strong track record of installations in Malaysia, notably at the Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin Mosque in Putrajaya. Renkus-Heinz is known for performance and reliability, and is endorsed by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM).”

Delivered in 2020, the first phase focused on bringing clear yet unobtrusive sound to the mosque’s outdoor prayer area. This was a complex task due to the narrow 80m-long covered terrace, 48 supporting pillars, and the mosque’s proximity to residential and commercial properties. Acousticon designed a distributed audio system from RenkusHeinz based on twelve passive Iconyx ICX7-II mechanically steerable line arrays.

These were installed using the fixings of the previous system to comply with strict heritage regulations that prohibited further mountings on walls or pillars. Properly optimised with the help of EASE Focus 3 software, the new system provides clear, intelligible and properly contained audio throughout the prayer area.

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The upgrade also introduced a Q-SYS digital control system, replacing complex manual controls with an intuitive touch panel interface – an essential improvement for staff with minimal audio training. Notably, this became the first mosque in Malaysia to implement AES67 networking, making the system both scalable and future-proof.

Phase two of the project – which was completed in 2024 – concentrated on improving sound within the main prayer hall, a 50m by 50m indoor space notorious for its challenging acoustics. This required an advanced solution of active steerable loudspeakers capable of overcoming the hall’s high reverberation time (RT60) while complying with the heritage preservation regulations. Following extensive EASE modelling and sound measurement testing, active Iconyx IC24-RD digitally steerable line arrays proved to be the ideal solution.

Furthermore, as the IC24-RDs support multimode connectivity including Dante, RHAON and AES67, the integration into the digital network ecosystem implemented in phase one was seamless.

“The biggest challenge was the ceiling height limitation, as it directly affects the sound throw distance,” explains Bin Ala. “As a rule of thumb, the higher a loudspeaker is mounted, the further the sound can travel.

To compensate for the 5.4m ceiling height limitation inside the mosque, a loudspeaker with a movable acoustic center is essential, ensuring that sound projection can still reach up to 50m. Restoration restrictions also meant that we couldn’t mount anything on the walls or pillars.”

To get around the mounting restrictions, the IC24-RD steerable loudspeakers were placed in custom-made, decorative stainless-steel poles, strategically positioned to combat the hall’s reverberation issues.

Worshippers and mosque officials alike have been delighted with the transformation, remarking on the dramatic improvement in clarity, even during peak prayer times.

“The new system sounds very different from the previous one, as the sound is highly intelligible, with excellent tonality and excellent coverage,” said Haji Ehsan Bin Mohd Hosni, Grand Imam of the mosque.

“In the past, I needed an additional monitor speaker in front of me, but this is no longer the case. The experience for everyone has been greatly improved.” www.renkus-heinz.com

St Jo hn’s C at hedra l COMPANY: Audio-Technica LOCATION: Portsmouth, UK

Opened in 1882, the Cathedral of St John the Evangelist in Portsmouth is the mother church of the Catholic diocese and seat of the Bishop of Portsmouth.

Services in the church’s striking Nave – designed in Gothic Revival style – are now being delivered via an AudioTechnica System 20 PRO 2.4GHz digital wireless system, supplied and installed by church installation specialist System Design Audio. The company can trace its history back to 1967 and its relationship with St John’s began in 2010.

“We’ve used Audio-Technica wireless systems in many house of worship projects over the years,” said System Design Audio Managing Director Peter Hearn, “and I was very interested in System 20 PRO as soon it was launched.

We typically need a very robust, reliable and easy-to-use solution for our clients and the license-free nature of 2.4GHz systems is a real benefit too.”

The installation at St John’s Cathedral involved a 4-channel System 20 PRO ATW-R1440 receiver and two

ATW-T1401 bodypack transmitters with lavalier microphones, for use by clergy delivering services from the lectern. The receiver is mounted unobtrusively on a column some distance from the System 20 PRO half-rack chassis, and connected via Ethernet cable to allow for discreet installation without detracting from the church’s aesthetic.

“Despite the size of the cathedral’s nave, a single receiver gives us the best coverage of any wireless system we’ve ever installed at St John’s,” explained Hearn. “When we were testing System 20 PRO, no matter where we roamed with a transmitter, we couldn’t get it to drop out.

“The installation was incredibly easy as the system is designed to be plugand-play, and that’s certainly been the case here. Straight from the box the transmitters and receivers synced with each other, which really inspires confidence in a solution that’s used dayto-day by clergy and other volunteers with no professional audio training. www.audio-technica.com

St . Lu ke ’ s E p i sc op a l Churc h COMPANY: DPA Microphones LOCATION: Gladstone, New Jersey, USA Once exclusively a recording business designed to give young musicians a leg up in the industry, Front Row Seat Productions has evolved to include a wide array of audio and video production services for clients of all types. Today, that includes specifying and installing equipment at houses of worship throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and the surrounding regions. One of these is St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Gladstone, NJ, where the Front Row Seat Productions team deployed DPA Microphones.

Members are encouraged to join in the singing that is synonymous to the Episcopal/ Anglican Church at St Luke’s, and with both traditional and contemporary styles of worship available “For this project, we installed a network of microphones, which includes a 4006A Omnidirectional Mic in the most critical spot, pointed up the middle of the chancel; 2006 Twin Diaphragm Mics for ambient

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capture and 4097 Choir Mics hung above the two opposing sides of the choir,” said Front Row Seat Productions Founder and President Robert Bullington. “This gives the church a beautiful, immersive sound for when it live streams.”

Bullington also created a second system for St. Luke’s contemporary services, which are held in the courtyard and in the parish hall. “The church members have affectionately nicknamed the system R2-D2, and it integrates DPA’s 4099 Instrument Microphones for the piano and two guitars,” added Bullington. “We also deployed DPA 2028 Vocal Microphone capsules on a Sennheiser wireless handheld system for the pastor and vocalists. We project everything through RCF loudspeakers, and the combination of these solutions has resulted in pristine audio for all participants.” www.dpamicrophones.com

O live Ba pt ist C hurc h COMPANY: KLANG LOCATION: Pensacola, Florida, USA

Part of the Southern Baptist Convention and at 10,000 members, Olive Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida is among the largest congregations in the region.

Its main campus, one of two in the city, has always fielded a large contingent of musicians, vocalists, and praise leaders both onstage and on the main floor in front of the stage.

After the pandemic, the orchestra and vocalists were spread out even wider at the front of the 3,300-seat auditorium, now split left and right on the 250-seat choir risers, with the band’s guitars, drums, and keyboards staying onstage.

The church’s in-ear monitoring system, already strained, simply couldn’t manage the new configuration. But KLANG could, and so the church acquired and installed a pair of KLANG:vokal immersive in-ear monitor mixing systems and 14 KLANG:kontrollers, providing the church’s musical multitude with the highest degree of sonic IEM quality and control over their stage mixes.

“The previous IEM system was, well, let’s just say, ‘lo-fi,’” said Olive Baptist Church Director of Media Production Allen Hendrix. “Once the format onstage changed, it became completely inadequate. We needed better sound quality for monitoring, but we also wanted dimensionality, because the musicians and singers are more spread out now.

The KLANG system offered a way to let everyone put the instruments and the voices into a perspective onstage that was better oriented for everyone.”

The 14 KLANG:kontrollers are divided among groups within the music array.

For instance, vocalists are grouped as sopranos, altos, and male voices, with each group having its own mix through the :kontrollers. The orchestra is divided

into woodwinds and strings on one mix and brass on another, and the electrified band members have individual :kontroller mixes.

While the church’s tech and praise teams did the installation and integration of the KLANG systems themselves, Ryan Shelton, National Sales Manager for Professional Audio Products at KLANG:technologies’ distributor, Group One Ltd, was onsite for the initial configuration of the systems and for training. “The technical support we’ve received, from KLANG in Germany and here in the US, is fantastic,” continued Hendrix. Since installing the KLANG system, the change in workflow and experience, has been remarkable.

“Everyone in the band onstage now has a much better sense of presence in the IEMs, thanks to KLANG’s 3D aspect,” added Hendrix. “Using KLANG:app on an iPad or iPhone, they can place all the instruments in a soundscape that reflects the reality on the stage. The same goes for the vocalists.

It was exactly what we needed after reconfiguring the musicians and singers.”

“One additional benefit has been that everyone can turn their volumes down.

Previously, that had been a major problem, not just about performance but also about health and ear safety.

“Before KLANG had been installed, people had been leaving one side of their IEMs out and using the other mostly to hear the click and cues, and for pitch. But now they’re all getting the full monitoring experience, as much choir and orchestra as they want in their individual mixes, so it’s much more comfortable and safer to keep both IEMs in. Altogether, the addition of the KLANG system has been a game changer, definitely for the better, for everyone.” www.klang.com.

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Vine C hr ist i a n C en t re COMPANY: Outline LOCATION: Bridgend, Wales

When the Vine Christian Centre decided to upgrade the audio system in their main venue, they turned to local integrator Spartan AV, who installed a high-quality solution in conjunction with their supportive technical distributor, CUK Group.

The previous audio system had been in use for over 20 years, with recent temporary repairs made to prolong its life. Fundamentally, though, the system did not provide adequate coverage in a venue which is three times as wide as it is deep. Stand-mounted speakers had been added to improve coverage, at the expense of blocking site lines.

Sean Hales, Spartan AV Operations Director, takes up the story: “The client was initially fairly set on a flown line-array system; however, after my initial site visit, I deemed that a correctly designed point-source system was the right way to tackle this project,” said Hales. “Another consideration was loading on structural points in the roof, making a careful design necessary.”

With an accurate floor plan and other details garnered from the site survey, distributor CUK Group was tasked with providing design assistance. The church required a system capable of full-range musical performance at moderate SPL levels with an emphasis on high-quality audio. The room’s silent stage, with DI’d instruments, electronic drum kit and use of in-ear monitors, eliminates audio spill from the stage but, as a consequence, places the entire burden of audio reproduction on the main PA system. The design approach taken was therefore similar to that of a live performance venue, optimised for a modern worship band and speech intelligibility. Using Open Array, a proprietary simulation software from Outline, CUK Group designed a loudspeaker

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system in a virtual room modelled in 3D, providing a fast and accurate representation of the system’s direct sound output. With the system designed, discussed, and tweaked, a short on-site demonstration followed during which the client confirmed their acceptance of the solution.

“Having a 3D simulation was key to proving that, between Spartan AV and CUK Audio, we had provided a carefully considered and thoughtfully proposed solution, and ultimately it was a very simple listening demo that convinced all listeners of the quality and performance on offer from Outline,” said James Lawford of CUK Group.

The new system comprises four Outline Vegas 10 loudspeakers, carefully spaced and aimed to achieve extremely consistent coverage across the full width of the venue, at all frequency ranges. A single Vegas 6.5 provides centre fill coverage for the first half of the audience.

Two SUB 118 sub-bass loudspeakers ensure a full-range audio response and sufficient headroom to allow for any use case.

Two Powersoft amplifiers, a Quattrocanali 4804 DSP and a Quattrocanali 2404 DSP, provide all the power and loudspeaker processing necessary for optimal system performance, with control over every speaker, and power sharing between channels.

“Outline are a high-class brand, and every product we have used from their range has always had the highest quality output,” said Dave Morgan, Spartan AV Installation Director.

“This made Outline a go-to brand for this particular project.

Even though the client wasn’t particularly familiar with Outline, they were blown away by the quality.” www.outline.it

C hos en Wo r ld M i n i st r i e s COMPANY: BeamZ Pro LOCATION: Johannesburg, South Africa

A large-scale installation of Beamz Pro lighting solutions has been successfully completed by Pro AV Team at the Chosen World Ministries in Johannesburg, with the equipment supplied by StageOne. “We were privileged to design a lighting system that meets the diverse needs of Chosen World Ministries,” said Leon Fourie, owner of Pro AV Team. “This venue is not only a church but also a multi-purpose space that can be rented out for various events.

“Our goal was to create a lighting setup that is both visually captivating and easy to operate, even for volunteers.

We wanted the lighting to enhance the emotional element of the church services, making the worship experience even more engaging.”

The scale of this project is unprecedented for Pro AV Team. “This is the biggest installation we’ve done to date,” continued Fourie. “We used over 150 Beamz Pro fixtures, 600m of power cables, 200m of Alustage Quad truss, and 800m of DMX cabling.”

Reverend Witness Acts, the leader of Chosen World Ministries, gave Pro AV Team free reign to design the lighting system, with the primary requirement to ensure the system was simple enough for volunteers to operate, while still delivering professional-grade performance.

For the stage lighting, Pro AV Team

used 36 Beamz Pro LCB-14 Hybrid LED Bars to frame the 20m by 8m LED screen and 12 BeamZ Pro Ignite 300 moving head fixtures.

In addition, 16 Beamz Pro Kratos LED Tube Lights were positioned in front of the stage for special effects and to enhance the overall visual impact. For front-of-house lighting, Pro AV Team used 10 BeamZ Pro BTS300Z LED Profile Spot Zoom fixtures and eight Beamz Pro MHL1240.

For audience lighting, 36 Beamz Pro Lucid 2.8 LED Bars were installed in the ceiling.

“Beamz Pro has a variety of fixtures that allowed us to achieve the coverage and effects needed,” said Fourie. “Their range of products gave us the flexibility to specify exact requirements and meet the church’s needs whilst sticking to the budget.”

The entire lighting system is controlled using an Avolites Tiger Touch 2, utilising 16 full universes of lighting control, with Fourie excited to show the church technicians what the new equipment is capable of. “We are still training the church team, but everyone is eager to start painting with light and pushing faders,” he said. “We are already planning for phase two of the installation with a view to further enhancing the visual experience at Chosen World Ministries.” www.beamzlighting.com

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The D wel l i ng P la ce COMPANY: TiMax LOCATION: Houston, Texas, USA

Wanting to create an immersive experience that would reach out to his congregation, Sound Designer, John Hettinger chose TiMax SoundHub-S32 object-based spatialisation to complement a newly installed Meyer Sound loudspeaker system upgrade at The Dwelling Place in Houston.

The venue previously worshipped in a traditional stereo audio set up, but Hettinger noticed that the seating arrangement was not suited to this format.

“We wanted a sound system that had depth and soundstage for every seat in the room,” said Hettinger. “We wanted to create a worship experience you could get lost in, and that was an experience you had to be in the room for.

“Once I’d helped the sound team here learn how to create an object-based mix we quickly hit that spot where the PA disappeared and the music wraps around you, and it was absolutely beautiful.”

The sound team mix from a Waves eMotion LV1 audio console from which the audio outputs via an MGB Soundgrid into the TiMax. TiMax outputs MADI into Auvitran which converts the signal to AVB for the Meyer Sound Galileo Galaxy Processors, feeding out to a total of four main hangs of Meyer Sound line array and front fills, with surrounds fed direct from TiMax analogue outs.

The objective of this sound design was to wrap the worship music around the room, with the option to localise the music back to its originating position. To this end, the four line-array hangs are positioned around a phantom centre, while front-corner, side and rear surrounds are positioned, in Hettinger’s words, “…with enough

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overlap between all the speakers so TiMax creates full immersion”.

Hettinger and the sound team at The Dwelling Place put TiMax SoundHub through its paces to discover the full and powerful extent of it spatialisation capabilities.

Hettinger noted that he really delved into the delay-matrix. “This feature, and the PanSpace spatialisation is great for getting creative with different setups, wrapping stereo keys, guitars and pads around the room,” he said.

“TiMax is pretty incredible in its capability to work in any configuration. I design the whole room so the speakers disappear, and this set up gives me also enough localisation to widen the soundstage on the stage.”

The effect of widening the soundstage is a highly effective TiMax feature and used commonly for getting the best overall sound for the audience from orchestras and bands. By localising each instrument and voice to its originating position and spreading them out, they are effectively given more space so that the music comes alive to the listener.

“The vocal clarity and depth for every seat in the room is notable, as well as an immersive soundstage,” concluded Hettinger.

“Using TiMax, we were able to design a system with not only tonal balance, but fully balanced energy and immersion across the whole room. The sound is world class, and people have reached out after hearing it to get more information on how to go immersive, as well as asking for demos. It’s convincing people immersive is more than just a gimmick.” www.timaxspatial.com

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Joong Ang C hurc h COMPANY: Solid Sound Solutions LOCATION: Las Vegas, USA

The Korean-American Joong Ang Church in Las Vegas has seen a steady growth in its congregation and recently moved to a new larger chapel building on Peace Way, just ten minutes away from the city’s main strip. The venue’s main space seats approximately 600 and hosts a variety of worship including spoken sermons, solo singers, bands, and complete musical shows. With the location move, the Church’s team realised its existing sound system was out-dated and unreliable. Pastor Im In-Cheol decided to install a new audio system and engaged Troy Choi of Solid Sound Solutions to deliver the solution. As a member of the close-knit Korean Church community, Troy is a trusted and expert audio practitioner in both the installation and live sound sectors, and Solid Sound Solution’s ever-growing portfolio of successful church installations attests to this. Choi recommended a system comprising FBT Mitus line array loudspeakers powered by MC² amplification.

“I was looking for an excellent amplifier with great DSP to level up the loudspeakers,” explained Choi. “As sound guys, we know a good amp is necessary to obtain the best results from loudspeakers as it can change mid-class speakers into first-class speakers, and firstclass into low-class.

“This was the first time I’d used the MC² Delta Series with its XTA DSP and Globcon software as well, and as soon as I connected the amps to the loudspeakers and played music without any tuning, I smiled. The FBT Mitus is a good small box as a self-powered/DSP version in its own right, but this was another sound altogether. It really is very impressive - MC² amplification with XTA DSP is super powerful, and to be honest I think the price is reasonable for the strengths it brings.” www.solidsoundsolution.com

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P a l m e t to P oi n te Churc h COMPANY: elektraLite LOCATION: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA

A new lighting rig featuring 30 elektraLite Stingray Profile Cast RGBW 350-watt ellipsoidal fixtures is illuminating Sunday services and the occasional concert at the Palmetto Point Church in South Carolina.

The elektraLite fixture arrays were designed and installed by Paul D. Sweetman of Sweetman Designs, who worked with MC Sound Consultants to completely renovate the venue’s audio and lighting.

“This was an old lighting design that was installed in late 1990s and everything really needed to be updated,” explained Sweetman. “The previous ellipsoidals were worn out, and a lot of the moving lights were shot; they just needed to do a refresh to enhance the production value.”

Sweetman hung 16 of the elektraLite Stingray Profile Cast RGBW fixtures at a 19° angle from the main catwalk, and 14 more at 10° from a second catwalk.

“The 19° fixtures were only about a 30- to- 35ft throw, but the second catwalk was more like a 60ft throw and needed a lot more horsepower and a much tighter beam,” he said. “The Stingray is the perfect choice for all of that.”

Sweetman cites the Stingray’s power efficiency as especially important for cost-conscious churches. “We were able to exchange 1,000W ellipsoidals for the Stingray’s 350W without losing any illumination and save a ton of energy,” he continued.

The Stingray Profile Cast RGBW boasts a powerful 350W COB LED with high CRI, delivering deep primary colors and even color mixing.

“I call them our Lamborghini lights!” exclaimed Clint Redwine, Palmetto Pointe Church’s Production Director, who added that when touring artists come to the church to perform, they’re delighted to find a world-class lighting package there. “We’re a church that likes to stay close to the leading edge of technology without being flashy, and the Stingrays are that: state-of-the-art, but part of the larger picture. What I tell people is that we have a Lamborghini that we drive in second gear most of the time, but it’s always good to know that fifth gear is there when we need it.” www.myelektralite.com

C atedra l de To ledo COMPANY: Adam Hall Group LOCATION: Toledo, Spain

A 50-minute multimedia production engages visitors at the Catedral de Toledo in central Spain, with technical service providers Meraki Cultura Audiovisual SL, deploying 22 Cameo light fixtures, two Cameo PHANTOM H2 Hazers, and an LD Systems audio system to enhance the venue’s storytelling capability. “‘Lumina Catedral de Toledo’ is a globally unique multimedia and cultural experience,” explained Project Director Alfonso López Rivera, Managing Director of Meraki Cultura Audiovisual SL. “The idea for this project was born from the desire to create an innovative experience that combines cutting-edge technology with culture, history, art, tradition, and spirituality to bring the cathedral to life in a completely new way.”

A combination of Cameo ZENIT, OPUS, and EVOS fixtures and the LD Systems CURV 500 array systems were utilised, and in order not to compromise the immersive staging, the fixtures had to be integrated as invisibly as possible into the church architecture. For this reason, the focus when selecting the lights was not least on secondary factors such as size, weight, and quiet operation.

“At the same time, it was important that the movements and control paths were precise and linear, as details of the cathedral are repeatedly emphasised by extremely slow pan, tilt, and dimmer movements,” explained López Rivera. “With the OPUS SP5 FC Profile Spot and the EVOS W3 Wash Light, we can give the audience exactly the impressions we were aiming for.”

The ZENIT W600-D Outdoor Wash Lights with daylight LEDs were also given a special task, as they were directed onto the stained-glass windows from outside, allowing the windows to appear in all their colourful glory.

The biggest challenge for the sound system was the enormous size of Toledo Cathedral. “We needed compact loudspeakers that were able to cover the huge area and, at the same time, enable high speech intelligibility,” continued López Rivera.

With its modular design, the LD Systems Portable Array System met all the requirements and enabled flexible adaptation to the structural and acoustic conditions on-site. “For budget reasons, we still had to use a few loudspeakers from the previous installation at the start of production,” added López Rivera. “These will now gradually be replaced by further CURV 500 systems, and the sound will become more precise, transparent, and natural with every step.” www.adamhall.com

MONDO DPS Rather Bigger FINAL copy.pdf

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“OUR GRANDFATHER ALWAYS SAID THAT ENGINEERS NEED THE SPACE TO HAVE CRAZY THOUGHTS! WE STRIVE TO KEEP SOME FREEDOM WITHIN PLANNED PROJECTS TO ALLOW FOR UNEXPECTED, RADICAL INNOVATIONS.”

DAN IE L A N D A N DRE A S S E NNHE I S E R C o - C E O s , S e nnh e ise r

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The Sennheiser name isn’t just on its products; the family behind the brand is equally as foundational to the company’s identity as the renowned audio systems that shape its portfolio. Now in its third generation of leadership, Daniel and Andreas Sennheiser pilot the business through dual CEO roles, following in the footsteps of their father, and his father before him.

MONDO-DR speaks to the brothers as the company enters its 80th year of operation, marking a notably more upbeat occasion than when the magazine last caught up with them five years prior. Back then, Sennheiser’s 75th anniversary was bittersweet, with celebrations postponed due to the global pandemic.

Asked how they will be commemorating the 80th birthday, Andreas replied: “We’re recognising that we have always delivered the best and most truthful audio experiences reliably, thus creating the future of audio over eight decades. This path was not always a straight line, so we want to celebrate by discussing our rich history, sharing the stories behind the products, milestones, and successes, but also the failures and struggles. Further, we want to make sure we use this time to honour the meaningful relationships we have built over the years.”

Daniel brought MONDO-DR up to date on what Sennheiser has been focused on since the previous discussion, confirming that over the past five years, they’ve been proud to have concentrated firmly on the pro audio side of the industry, selling their consumer business unit.

“We’re convinced this strategic focus has helped us better understand our customer needs, therefore creating better user experiences,” he said.

Behind the Brand Though Sennheiser’s global success today is far from modest, the company’s journey began in humble settings, having been founded in 1945 in a farmhouse near Hanover.

Fritz Sennheiser took the knowledge and skills gained from his scientific career to respond to the high demand for measuring devices and microphones. His drive for audio excellence led to the creation of prominent models such as the world’s first shotgun microphone in 1956, the first openback headphones in 1968, and the MD 441 in 1971, which maintains its status as a classic today.

Then in 1982, the business was passed to his son, Prof. Dr. Jörg Sennheiser, who continued to build upon the brand that had grown to an esteemed reputation. After joining the company years prior, 2013 saw Andreas and Daniel appointed to a dual leadership role.

Daniel is the elder by a year, though both brothers balance company responsibilities as equal Co-CEOS; a testament to their secure relationship, he disclosed they insist on serving the brand “without a segregation of duties.”

Daniel continued: “Both my brother and I joined the company after extensive work experience elsewhere.

Although it may seem like this was always the big Sennheiser family plan, it was a rather lucky coincidence that we both ended up here, as we entered with diverse yet complementary backgrounds.”

Andreas is the engineer of the two, holding a PhD in Supply Chain Management and having worked in the production department at Hilti. Daniel, on the other hand, is more of a creative head and designer, with expertise in advertising and experience in the fast-moving consumer goods sector at Procter & Gamble.

“We both joined after extensive screening from an external coach alongside the supervisory board. We then worked for a couple of years in the company before moving to

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L e f t : D an i e l a n d An d r ea s Sen n heiser .

B e l o w l eft: Fr it z Sen n heiser , t he f ou n d er of t he br a n d .

B e l o w : Th e Sen n heiser I n n ova t ion C am p u s in Wed ema r k , Ger ma n y.

the Executive Management Board, preceding our 2013 designation as Co-CEOs,” Daniel added.

With audio pioneership almost hereditary for the Sennheiser family, it’s unsurprising that the brothers’ upbringing was rich with valuable lessons on how to thrive in the AV industry, and more broadly, as creators.

Andreas recounted: “Our grandfather always said that engineers need the space to have crazy thoughts! We strive to keep some freedom within planned projects to allow for unexpected, radical innovations. From this freedom came the open-type headphone, or more recently, Spectera. Spectera is important to us, as it is the world’s first wideband, bidirectional digital wireless ecosystem, which revolutionises how wireless audio transmission is used and managed.”

He continued: “Our father had the remarkable ability to focus on strategic priorities, often by simply saying ‘no’ and trusting that the truly good ideas would rise to the top. Especially as a family-owned business, it is important to invest time in the big ideas that make a real difference for our users. As a result, we prioritise staying close to our customers and maintaining strong control over our supply chain by manufacturing most of our products in-house.

These qualities make us a reliable partner, even in difficult and turbulent times like COVID-19 or the latest geopolitical volatility.”

A family-run business brings a level of commitment and agility that’s hard to match, Daniel stated. “Working so closely together allows us to make decisions quickly, stay connected to our customers, and ensure that every solution we deliver reflects our shared values.”

The Trends of Today When MONDO-DR last spoke with the CEOs, they predicted that immersive audio would be the next big frontier for Sennheiser. In the years since, the immersive experience industry has boomed, with countless international venues hosting exhibitions filled with light, sound, projection, and special effects. Reflecting on his earlier statement, Andreas said: “Solutions for such audio have now truly entered the mainstream.”

He added: “With our AMBEO initiative and innovative technologies, we were very much ahead of the curve in this space.” Sennheiser’s AMBEO spatial audio initiative refers to the company’s mission for completely immersive 3D audio. The program encompasses products, technologies, software, and workflows for the entire audio signal chain.

“We think long-term,” Andreas continued. “This has allowed us to steadily build deep expertise in the immersive systems field. Today, our solutions can do anything, from capturing spatial audio with our AMBEO VR Mic or traditional microphones, to mixing and processing via tools like

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“TH ER E W I L L A L W A Y S B E A D EM A N D FO R W I R E L E SS SY STEM S , A S I T ’ S H U MA N N A TUR E T O S E E K C O N N ECT ION TH R O U G H S H A R I N G L I V E EXPERI E N C E S . ”

Below: Senn h ei s er’ s MD 421 I I Dy na m i c Mi c r o p h o n e .

Bottom: Sennh ei s er’ s MD441 Mi c roph on e.

Below Right : T h e N eum a n n R h odi um Edi ti o n M i c r o p h o n e , celebr at ing 50 y ea rs of th e c om pa n y .

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Pyramix, RIME, or products like the Neumann MT48, all the way through to playback on AMBEO Soundbar.”

Alongside the trend of increasingly advanced immersive audiovisual experiences, Sennheiser reports dynamic growth across various market areas – some more unexpected than others. Since the pandemic caused companies to invest heavily in remote working technologies, the manufacturer has witnessed a strong, constant increase in demand in its business communication sector.

Andreas stated: “Though the height of COVID-19 has long passed, we’re seeing that the world is adapting to hybrid working, learning, and meeting being ‘the new normal’. We expect this to remain a key part of the landscape.”

Despite the growing desire for remote solutions, the CEOs noted that Sennheiser’s wireless division, which powers in-person events like theatres, concert halls, and festivals, continue to see steady engagement. “There will always be a demand for wireless systems, as it’s human nature to seek connection through sharing live experiences,” Andreas noted. “We’re proud to support all kinds of audio needs.”

Appropriately, Sennheiser’s wireless systems portfolio has recently been expanded with the introduction of Spectera – the previously mentioned wideband, bidirectional wireless ecosystem, which has just begun shipping at the time of this interview.

The brothers expressed their excitement for this, stating that it is the “first real revolution” in wireless audio since its invention in 1958. wideband, bidirectional wireless ecosystem, which they reveal will continue to be expanded and modelled upon as a series.

Daniel also weighed in on market trends, noting: “We see great opportunities in delivering more intuitive and connected solutions across the entire digital signal chain – from capture to playback – especially in educational environments and the automotive industry. These are areas where seamless integration and high-quality communication experiences are becoming increasingly important.”

After 80 years in operation, the company remains abreast of the everchanging demands of the audiovisual industry. This is perhaps in part due to what Daniel calls an “agnostic” approach, staying open to challenges and criticism rather than being blindly confident in Sennheiser’s proprietary tech.

I N T E RV I E W - D AN I E L A N D AN D R E A S SE N N H EISER | W W W.MONDODR.COM

“ W E ARE A FAM ILY- OWNED AND FAMILY -RU N BU S INES S , AND T HAT SP IR IT IS DEEPLY E MB E D D E D T HR OU G HOU T THE BRAN D . ”

L e f t : S e n n h e i s e r ’s S p e c t e r a in pr od u c t ion .

B e l o w : S e n n h e i s e r ’s S p e ct er a in a ct ion .

B o t t o m : Th e Ne u m an n U 6 7 St u d io Tu be Micr ophon e.

“We can’t expect our customers and integrators to build the best possible solutions when they’re locked into a single ecosystem,” he explained. “Being open and transparent, interfacing with all relevant players in the game is our way forward.”

Company Culture This led to a discussion on why the manufacturer’s international partners and alliances are so significant to development. Daniel explained that such relationships are “central to brand strategy”, noting that a strong, reliable network of partners is the secret to crafting innovative, high-performing audio solutions. “No company can achieve this level of success alone,” he added. “Collaboration and co-creation are key – both for Sennheiser and the industry in general.”

It’s not just the current audio landscape that the brothers make a conscious effort to stay attuned to. They revealed that understanding and respecting their past – both the successes and failures – only allows for more growth. “The victorious solutions of the past are our most important inspiration for the future, but also its hardest competitors,” mused Daniel.

He continued: “We have to balance the preservation of legacies like the Neumann U67 and U87 microphones, the MD421 and MD441 models, while reinventing the whole wireless ecosystem with Spectera.” Stability between the eras of Sennheiser requires constant, thorough self-awareness for the brothers and the brand, and Daniel expressed that this balance is “what has kept the business beloved for more than 80 years”.

The Co-CEOs understandably feel a great deal of pride towards the company’s decades of industry achievement, but the warm culture of Sennheiser is something they feel equally gratified about. Andreas said: “We are a family-owned and family-run business, and that spirit is deeply embedded throughout the brand. We extend the notion of family to include our employees, partners and customers, with whom we strive to build long-lasting, dependable relationships.”

The brothers remind us that true audiovisual progress stems from a personal connection to the craft. The two recounted how they still “jam out”, testing all their products, and looking back fondly at the fact that there was always music playing in the house as they grew up.

“There are musical pieces that have carried me through moments of joy, but also times of grief or doubt,” Daniel concluded, giving a glimpse into the strong family values that remain central to the Sennheiser identity. “However, even the very finest audio system can’t compete with the simple sound of my children’s voices – that is what is truly meaningful to me.” www.sennheiser.com

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LIG HT OF CR EATION EM EA

VIENNA / AUSTRIA

O ne of the Au s t r i a n c a pi t a l ’ s mos t s igni f i c a n t l a n d m a r k s , t h is m onu m e n t a l c h u r c h h a s becom e th e s i t e f o r a n e w i m m er s ive s h o w t h a t b r i n g s its a ud ience o n a j o u r n e y t h r o ug h t h e b ir th o f o u r u n i v e r s e .

Photos: Fabian S k a la .

Pictured through o u t : V i enna ’ s V oti v k i rc h e i l luminat ed wit h proj ec ti on m a ppi n g b y MP-ST UDIO , t elling th e s tory of E ar t h’s firs t days .

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Within its relatively short 30-minute runtime, the Light of Creation experience transforms Vienna’s Votivkirche, or Votive Church, into an interpretation of the dawn of time. Through an audio and visual arrangement reliant on carefully designed acoustic and projection systems, visitors are taken through an ethereal, abstract narrative, showcasing the Big Bang, the genesis of first life, and the formation of Earth’s elements.

Projection-mapped planets and beams of light animate the building’s neo-Gothic architecture, set to an original orchestral score that delivers a fully immersive sensory experience.

The Votive Church was built in the 19th century, meticulously restored in recent years, and now plans to host Light of Creation for a minimum of five years. This exhibition came to fruition when Max Emanuel Cenčić, an internationally renowned opera singer and now the Production & Artistic Director of Light of Creation, contemplated how he could blend classical music with modern technology.

Cenčić’s project began by assembling a team of artists and audiovisual experts who could share his vision of exploring celestial themes and existential questions through light and sound.

Among the earliest to join the effort was Parnassus Immersive, led by Stefan Treske. This exhibition is particularly significant for Treske, as it

was the catalyst for his company’s formation. He recounted: “Cenčić came up with the concept back in 2018. He’s used to producing operas, but Light of Creation was to be his first foray into light shows.”

During this time, Treske was working solely in the classical music industry with his organisation, Orchestra 1756. “However,” he continued, “Cenčić saw my potential for his audiovisual project as he knew that my partner, Konstantin Hiller, and I understood what audiences wanted and how we could get people into the venue, along with our knowledge of the growing immersive experiences scene.”

A lengthy planning period and a few years later saw the 2023 formal launch of Treske’s Parnassus as an immersive exhibition producer.

Treske said: “Light of Creation is the foundation of the company, but we’ve wanted to break into the immersive experience industry for a while, so this will be the first of many shows.”

Succeeding this, Adam Lukas was appointed as the composer for the production. Uniquely, Lukas was tasked with creating the soundtrack for the performance first, before any visual or technical elements were decided. The aim was to place music at the core of the experience, with complementary projection-mapped art and audiovisual equipment to be decided upon subsequently.

Treske said Lukas was “excited for the unique opportunity,” as the

composer produces for Hans Zimmer’s Bleeding Fingers Music collective, where audio is typically designed after visuals.

Lukas’ Light of Creation composition, in his own words, “ranges from ethereal and meditative to powerful and uplifting,” mimicking a tour through the first days of Earth.

Such powerful music unsurprisingly prompted Cenčić to recruit AV professionals who would be able to deliver matching audio, lighting, and projection equipment. Georg Fuchs and his company, Concept Solutions, were consequently brought onto the team for the integration of these elements.

With a crew formed, Cenčić finalised the show’s narrative. “The goal was to create a show within a sacred space that both respects its spiritual and historical context while also remaining accessible to all viewers.

Light of Creation draws inspiration from the oldest story in the world – the story of creation,” he said.

Creating a Projection Solution An initial step in creating the experience involved designing a system capable of casting large, dynamic visuals across the church’s interior.

Driving 28 projectors is AV Stumpfl technology, which Treske called “the heart running the show.”

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The manufacturer’s PIXERA four and PIXERA two GEN2 media servers were installed to control the projection mapping, automation, and content playback. These allow for the transformation of the building into a canvas for impressive visuals, which were designed and mapped by Marin Petkov at MP-STUDIO. To the installer, it was clear that AV Stumpfl servers were best suited for the job. The tech’s flexibility and suitability for large, complex projects were the selling points.

Treske explained: “We hadn’t worked with the manufacturer before, but we had heard from other artsy venues that PIXERA was a top-of-therange, reliable choice for immersive experiences.”

The latest version of VIOSO ProjectionTools is also used within Light of Creation, with the installer choosing this software to ensure precise automatic calibration, alignment, and black level adjustment of the cast images. This integrates nicely with PIXERA; Treske said, “they’ve been reliable systems and have done a great job so far!” Furthermore, 12 VIOSO Calibration Kits were specified, accompanying the projectors.

Venue staff were quickly trained in how to operate PIXERA, guaranteeing that for its five-year life span, Light of Creation will run smoothly, and any challenges can be tackled by the in-house team.

Petkov of MP-STUDIO detailed what visitors will see at Light of Creation, thanks in part to his projection mapping with PIXERA, assisted by VIOSO tech. “You can expect a 360-degree sensory experience where the boundaries between reality and illusion blur,” he said.

Specifying an Audio Solution Moving on to designing a sound system powerful enough to highlight Lukas’ expert composition, Concept Solutions tackled the problem of hanging heavy audio equipment in such an historic, monumental building.

Votivkirche’s religious and cultural significance render it a protected structure. Treske explained

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that this made the planning phase difficult, “if we wanted even one screw added to the wall, we would have to undergo rigorous, thorough discussion with the location’s owners. This still wouldn’t guarantee permission,” he said.

“So, we decided that whatever we wanted to implement, we would have to do it without touching the material of the building in any way.”

Traditionally gothic, the church’s architecture posed additional issues, in that its high ceilings caused acoustic complications. Treske confirmed, “There was around 15 seconds of reverberation in the echo – very long, and very problematic.”

This placed further pressure on the quality of audio equipment; the suboptimal venue properties couldn’t be fixed with material soundproofing, as it would harm the site’s aesthetics. “We needed the audio system to be high-quality in both its brand and placement,” Treske said.

Concept Solutions selected a wholly Yamahabased arrangement for the job. This includes Yamaha VXL1W-24 speakers supported by VXS10S subwoofers, amplified by the PX5 amp, the XMV8280-D, and XMV4280-D. The brand’s clever matrix system, the MRX7-D processor, was then specified to somewhat control the unfavourable acoustic conditions.

To deploy the system, Parnassus Immersive and the integration team first recruited professionals to help them work around the awkward venue protection regulations. Scenery building company ALTAX proposed that ‘column-covers’ could be developed to surround the actual architecture, entirely matching the design of the structure, acting as a shell that could be built into without touching the original material.

This innovation turned out to be a winner, with the constructions allowing for unencumbered equipment integration – “It turned out perfectly, visitors don’t even notice the columns,” Treske commented. “The cabling was another key aspect of the audiovisual set up,” he continued, “To

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connect everything dependably without wiring being visible, we brought in a German company called E-Team. They did a really great job aligning cables with the column covers to keep the appearance clean.”

Concerned with accentuating Votivkirche’s intricate interior without disturbing the projection-mapped visuals, Concept Solutions created an ambient lighting system. The resultant package was less brand-exclusive than its audio counterpart, but it delivers on its mission of providing atmospheric illumination. Martin Lighting’s MAC Aura XIP, SGM Lighting’s P-3 Wash, Prolights’ Astra Hybrid330, and Robe’s FORTE fixtures were deployed, again using ALTAX’s furnishings to preserve the original structure.

These fixtures are controlled by MA Lighting’s flagship grandMA3 console in its compact edition.

Treske noted that the lighting solution was of great importance to the show.

“With our experience, we weren’t only trying to tell a narrative, we were also trying to incorporate and highlight the architecture of Votive Church. We play around with the building during Light of Creation’s runtime.”

Although the significance of the Votivkirche posed initial challenges, Treske said he can’t imagine a more suitable venue for the first rendition of Light of Creation. “We decided to host it in this church for a few reasons. I’ve worked a lot in older buildings like churches and castles in my time, producing classical and rock concerts. For me, housing performance art in a church just felt really natural,” he said.

“Using a monumental building as the setting for an immersive experience creates a uniquely compelling result, where historical architecture seamlessly blends with modern technology. Other similar sites are difficult to secure for these sorts of projects, but as churches are often utilised for modern events, it was easier to get the venue on board. Some might say that we could have used a completely new building for Light of Creation, instead of having to work around construction permissions, but I think a bit of the magic gets lost that way!”

Luckily, the Priest at Votive Church loved the idea of the space running an immersive experience. “He was excited to talk about it!” enthused Treske.

Taking care to respect the local Christian community, the extremely low visibility of Concept Solutions’ audiovisual systems means that all religious services can carry on as normal, unrestricted by the technology.

The Exhibition Moving Forward Following years of collaboration among multiple companies and the integration of high-quality audiovisual systems, Light of Creation has reached its completion. “We’re really pleased with how we told this story,” Treske said. Though Votivkirche is a catholic church, the show has attracted audiences across all faiths to the house of worship. “The show isn’t directly religious; it’s more of a musing on how this world could have come to be. It takes ideas and imagery from many different cultures and beliefs. Cenčić and I believe that everyone, no matter where they’re from, has questions about how the universe came to exist.”

The reception to the show has been overwhelmingly positive. According to Treske, even local audiences in Vienna have shared that Light of Creation gave them a new appreciation for the Votivkirche. The installation is being seen as a catalyst for increased public engagement and visitor traffic to the historic site. More broadly, it positions Vienna as an active participant in the growing global trend of immersive experiences.

“The integration was a slow process, but one I enjoyed witnessing. Every time we altered something in the projection mapping program, moved a piece of equipment, or reconfigured a solution, we had to watch the entire performance again to ensure everything still worked together. I wish I could watch the performance through the eyes of someone who hadn’t gone through the testing phase!” Treske joked.

While the production phase of Light of Creation has concluded, the partners behind the experience are far from finished. The success of the Austrian exhibition has caused Cenčić and his team to receive multiple requests from international monuments that want their own rendition. “This is just the first step. We want to explore the world through Light of Creation. When and where it will appear next – I can’t confirm. But we’re staying open to every opportunity,” concluded Treske.

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TECHNICAL INFORMATION LIGHTING 6 x Martin Lighting MAC Aura XIP 84 x SGM Lighting P-3 Wash 1 x Robe FORTE 6 x Prolights Astra Hybrid330 AUDIO 24 x Yamaha VXS10S subwoofers 10 x Yamaha VXL1W-24 speakers 12 x Yamaha PX5 amplifiers 1 x Yamaha XMV8280-D amplifiers 1 x Yamaha XMV4280-D amplifiers SERVERS, CALIBRATION, AND CONTROL 1 x PIXERA four media server 3 x PIXERA two GEN2 media server 12 x VIOSO Calibration Kits 1 x MA Lighting grandMA3 compact 1 x Yamaha MRX7-D processor

www.light-of-creation.com www.mp-studio.eu www.conceptsolutions.at

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DAN S EH ALLERN E EM EA

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COPENHAGEN / DENMARK

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A m a j o r i n d u s tria l b u i l d i n g i n C o pe n h a g e n i s t r a n s f o r m e d i n t o an in t e r n a t i o n a l c e n t r e f or da n c e , w i t h c u t t i n g - e dg e infr as t r u c t u r e a t i t s h eart.

Ph oto: A d am Mo r k

Nestled in the Carlsberg Byen district of Copenhagen, Dansehallerne represents a cutting-edge fusion of advanced technology and architectural preservation.

This unique venue, dedicated to contemporary dance and choreography, has been designed to cater to a wide variety of artistic needs, from intimate performances to large-scale productions.

Central to the venue’s success is its flexible and adaptive technical infrastructure, which includes an innovative chain hoist system, MOVEKET cranes, and a sophisticated Elion load cell system.

These systems, alongside state-of-the-art lighting and sound setups, ensure that Dansehallerne can accommodate the diverse and evolving demands of contemporary performing arts.

Transforming the historic former boiler house, which was built in 1928, into a state-of-the-art performance space came with a set of unique challenges. The building’s status as a listed industrial site meant that any modifications to the structure had to be carefully considered to preserve its architectural integrity. One of the major challenges was the weightbearing limitations of the venue’s ceiling, which made traditional chain hoist systems unsuitable. The solution came in the form of MOVEKET lifting devices, lightweight and highly efficient chain hoists that allow for flexible rigging setups without compromising the building’s structure.

Dansehallerne’s technical team, led by local consultant and integration company Stouenborg, collaborated closely with engineers and architects to ensure that the chain hoist system not only met the venue’s technical requirements but also worked in harmony with the historical building.

The integration of MOVEKET hoists was key to meeting the building’s strict load-bearing requirements, ensuring that performances could be staged with the flexibility and efficiency required by modern productions.

MOVEKET Hoists and Elion Load Cell Systems: Precision and Flexibility The MOVEKET hoists installed at Dansehallerne are key to the venue’s ability to quickly and seamlessly adapt to a range of performance configurations. The lightweight systems are designed to provide exceptional flexibility, enabling the reconfiguration of stage layouts for various types of performances – from large theatrical productions to more intimate, experimental dance pieces.

Safety and Operational Efficiency The capacity to adjust rigging and equipment dynamically is essential for the venue’s functionality, particularly in a world where artistic needs are ever-evolving. At the heart of this flexibility lies the Elion load cell system, which plays a critical role in ensuring both safety and operational efficiency. This system continuously monitors the weight load on each of the MOVEKET hoists, providing real-time feedback to the technical team.

With this data, the team can ensure that the weight limits of the building’s ceiling are never exceeded, which is essential for preserving the integrity of the historic structure. A key advantage of the Elion load cell system is its precision, enabling the technical team to make wellinformed decisions about how to rig and operate the hoists safely during complex performances. The system’s ability to monitor and control the weight distribution of the cranes in real time is especially crucial at Dansehallerne, where the staging often requires the movement of heavy equipment, lights, and other technical elements.

Furthermore, the use of MOVEKET hoists and Elion load cells at Dansehallerne is fully compliant with the European standard EN17206, which governs the safety and performance requirements of lifting equipment in entertainment applications.

This standard ensures that all systems are safe, reliable, and suitable for the dynamic environment of performance venues. By adhering to EN17206, Dansehallerne not only guarantees the safety of its artists and audiences, but also sets a benchmark for contemporary performing arts venues that integrate cutting-edge technology with strict safety standards.

Incorporating MOVEKET hoists and the Elion load cell system allows Dansehallerne to be a model for future performance spaces that balance technological innovation with the preservation of architectural heritage.

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This combination of precision, flexibility, and compliance with industry standards makes Dansehallerne a standout example of how modern theatres can evolve without compromising safety or historical value.

While the MOVEKET hoists and Elion load cell system provide the structural flexibility required for Dansehallerne’s performance space, the venue’s lighting and sound systems complement these technologies, ensuring a seamless experience for both artists and audiences.

Audio, Video & Lighting Dansehallerne’s AVL system is highly versatile, supporting a wide range of artistic expressions and performance styles.

The venue’s lighting system, which includes over 120 fixtures from Astera, Robe, and Prolights, is designed for precision and flexibility, and is controlled via an MA Lighting grandMA3 system so the lighting can be adjusted in real time to create a unique atmosphere for each performance. In tandem with the lighting, the venue’s sound system, powered by Meyer Sound’s Spacemap Go technology, offers spatial sound configurations that can be customised for any performance.

The system is designed to support the fluid movement of both performers and the audience, allowing for perfectly synchronised sound that follows the action as it unfolds across the venue.

Whether the performance takes place in the large White Box or the more intimate Black Box, the sound system ensures that the audio experience remains immersive and engaging, providing the audience with a cohesive and dynamic experience.

Dansehallerne features two main performance spaces that each serve a distinct purpose. The White Box is the larger of the two, with its high ceilings and open space providing a dramatic backdrop for large performances.

Its industrial architecture is a defining feature of the venue, with original arches and windows adding a unique character. The White Box’s flexible configuration makes it ideal for grand performances, exhibitions, and large-scale events, allowing for the free movement of sound and light across the space. In contrast, the Black Box offers a more intimate setting, with its enclosed space designed to foster experimental performances and smaller productions. The Black Box’s ceiling acts as a mezzanine for viewing the White Box from a height, creating a layered and visually dynamic space. The versatility of the Black Box allows for different seating and stage configurations, making it an ideal space for rehearsals, workshops, and smaller performances that demand a more intimate connection between the performers and the audience.

Adaptability The adaptability of both spaces is enhanced by the MOVEKET hoist system and the Elion load cell monitoring technology. These systems allow the venue’s technical team to easily switch between different configurations, whether for a traditional seated performance or an immersive experience where the audience is surrounded by the action.

The ability to reconfigure seating, rigging, and lighting quickly ensures that Dansehallerne can support a wide range of artistic activities, making it a dynamic and versatile venue for contemporary dance productions.

Dansehallerne stands as a prime example of how modern technology can enhance the flexibility and creativity of performance spaces, all while preserving the integrity of historic architecture.

The MOVEKET hoists, along with the precision of the Elion load cell system, are at the heart of Dansehallerne’s flexibility, ensuring that the venue can reconfigure spaces rapidly and safely to meet the needs of each production.

The venue’s innovative use of technology in a historic building sets a new standard for theatres and performance spaces worldwide, offering a model for how cutting-edge technical systems can blend seamlessly with the artistry of dance and theatre, providing an adaptable and dynamic environment for both performers and audiences.

“Dansehallerne is a dream come true, and so many people have worked hard to make it possible,” said Dansehallern Director Danjel Andersson. “It used to be a factory, and now it is a fully functional theatre, and it took so much hard work and planning. The technical team from the theatre side, with Stouenborg as leader, has made this dream possible, and this modern house is a testament to their commitment and hard work.” www.dansehallerne.dk / www.stouenborg.dk

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“ DANSE H ALLERN E IS A DREA M C O ME TRUE, A N D SO MA N Y P E O P LE H AV E WORK ED HA RD TO MAKE IT P OSSIBL E. IT USED T O B E A F ACTORY , A N D N OW IT IS A F U LL Y FUN CTION A L TH E AT RE , A N D IT TOOK SO MU C H HA RD WORK A N D PL A N N IN G”.

A b o ve t op : MOVEKET hoist s a n d Elion l o ad c e l l syst em pr ovid e t he st r u c t u r a l f l e x i b i l i t y r equ ir ed f or D a n seha ller n e’s ma in per f or ma n ce spa c e.

A b o ve : T he sma ller B la c k B ox t hea t r e in sid e D a n seha ller n e.

Phot os: Na lle Ma gn u sson .

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MAZOWSZE SONG AND DANCE ENSEMBLE EMEA

OTRĘBUSY / POLAND

Th e h ome of Pola nd’s pre mier folk e nse mble ble nds tradition a nd inn ovation with ma ssive te c h nolog ic a l up gr ad e f e aturing adva nc e d pe rf orman ce te c h nolog y f rom DiGiC o a nd L-A cou stics.

Founded in 1949 and celebrated globally as an ambassador for Polish culture, Mazowsze has consistently balanced preservation with innovation in its mission to share Poland’s folk heritage. Located in Otrębusy on the outskirts of Warsaw, the Auditorium is the main facility in the headquarters of Mazowsze and can accommodate 600 spectators, with its construction allowing for adaptability, including the removal of all its seating.

Last year, the centre completed a massive upgrade to its performance space with the addition of four DiGiCo consoles and the installation of an immersive sound system utilising the combination of L-Acoustics’ newest L Series progressive ultra-dense line array loudspeakers with L-ISA processing technology.

This state-of-the-art configuration creates an enveloping sound environment that brings new dimension to traditional folk performance, while maintaining the authenticity that is central to Mazowsze’s mission. The visionary project emerged from a comprehensive technology audit led by Sound Director & Engineer Krzysztof Polesinski, with the objective to create a sound-system that honoured the principles of acoustic designer Ewa Więckowska-Kosmala, who sadly passed away in 2023, while also enriching the audience and artist experience.

Powering the upgrades are two DiGiCo Quantum 852-T consoles and two further DiGiCo Quantum338 consoles, also equipped with Theatre software and Pulse upgrades for touring use, all supplied by Polsound, DiGiCo’s Distributor in Poland.

Polesiński is a keen advocate of DiGiCo and a renowned sound designer. Head of Audio Technology at the Mazowsze Auditorium, he has designed many immersive sound systems around the world.

“The flexibility, layout design, and quick access

to functions are the DiGiCo Quantum features I like the most,” he said. “The Theatre automation is also crucial, as it accelerates the workflow significantly, allowing us to meet the increasing demands for high-quality audio and ensuring that we can focus on what matters most — delivering an exceptional performance.”

The experience for the artists is just as important as the audience’s experience, so Polesiński assembled a team that would be able to provide a fully immersive experience for the musicians and performers.

Piotr Przedbora, FOH Engineer and Head of Sound Engineers at the Mazowsze Auditorium, is also well known for his Dolby Atmos immersive mixes and mastering.

“DiGiCo consoles are basically the only choice for me. I’ve used them for years, whether here or on other projects and they are great for our applications,” said Przedbora. “The sound of these consoles is second to none, they offer more than enough channels, and the addition of Mustard processing is great.

Our performances are very dynamic and the Quantum 852T can deliver exactly what I imagine.”

To deliver the full immersive experience, the system utilises three Fourier Transform engines, two at the front-of-house position, and the third dedicated for touring. Training for this cutting-edge system was provided by Polsound.

The monitor system is powered by KLANG:konductor, offering engineers complete control from the console.

“With the immersive sound system in the main auditorium, we anticipated the need for immersive monitoring for the company, so we have prepared for this with KLANG:konductor,” noted Monitor Engineer Mikołaj Grzebieniowski.

“KLANG integration offers an easy way to offer a truly immersive experience for our artists and a simple way to control it.”

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The power of the DiGiCo Quantum range is not just in the ability to control audio inputs and outputs, the console can also integrate with any outboard device, either directly or via a network, thanks to the availability of many modular cards. Using these cards enables engineers to pick and choose functionality, swapping as necessary to fully utilise the Quantum’s interoperability.

“The flexibility of the DiGiCo consoles allows us to control multiple devices from a single position,” continued Przedbora. “For example, we can integrate the Quantum 852 with the L-ISA system, KLANG, Fourier and Waves servers, seamlessly controlling everything with just a few clicks. This streamlines our workflow and ensures that we can deliver the highest quality experience to both the performers and the audience.”

Auditorium loudspeakers The new loudspeaker configuration marks Poland’s first venue to incorporate L2D loudspeakers in the L-Acoustics L-ISA configuration, and the country’s fifth L-ISA system.

After extensive research into L-Acoustics newly launched L Series, including detailed auditions in Italy, and a rigorous tender process, Poland’s L-Acoustics distributor Audio Plus was selected to bring this project to life. The installation presented formidable technical challenges, including the modification of a 4-ton ceiling sound barrier to accommodate the sophisticated speaker array. Using L-Acoustics Soundvision software, Polesinski designed an intricate audio architecture that precisely maps sound throughout the 3D space. The venue’s folding seat system, which compacts into two towers, provided crucial flexibility during the complex three-month installation process.

The concert hall sound design creates a true 360° soundscape through a precisely orchestrated network of L-Acoustics technology. Seven individual L2D line source arrays provide detailed Scene System coverage, while fifteen 5XT coaxial speakers spread across the stage lip provide spatial front-fill.

Six KS21 subwoofers in a cardioid configuration ensure controlled, low frequency coverage throughout. Twenty-one X8 and seven X15 coaxial speakers are placed around the audience, one X15 and four X8 on each of the sides, five X15 in the back and a further thirteen X8 overhead to complete the three-dimensional sound field, allowing sound designers to place individual instruments and voices anywhere within the sonic

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canvas. Onstage, A10, X12 and X8 speakers provide monitoring for the performers, and the whole system is powered by two L-ISA Processor II and one P1 processor, 12 LS10 switches, 12 LA7.16, and nine LA4X amplified controllers.

“This immersive sound environment represents a transformative moment in how traditional folk music can be experienced,” said Conductor and General Manager Jacek Boniecki. “While technology can never replace the soul of artistry, it can dramatically amplify its emotional impact. With L-ISA technology, every nuance of each musician’s performance is perfectly clear within the soundscape. The ability to place sounds precisely in three-dimensional space creates an unprecedented intimacy between performers and audience, allowing us to touch hearts and minds in ways we never could before.”

In addition to the auditorium’s upgrade, the venue’s lobby spaces are also fitted with an L-Acoustics system designed for optimal coverage and aesthetic integration. The upper lobby features six 5XT, two X8, and an SB6i subwoofer, while the lower lobby is equipped with eight X6i and an SB10i subwoofer. All components here were chosen in white to blend with the architecture, with the X6i speakers near invisible thanks to L-Acoustics mounting solutions. The lobby system is powered by LA4X amplified controllers and managed through the comprehensive DiGiCo control system, ensuring precise sound management throughout these hospitality spaces.

The final word on this project must be centered on the auditorium’s upgrade, as that is at the heart of Mazowsze. The venue’s entire department enjoys the power and flexibility of the DiGiCo family of solutions, and coupled with the L-Acoustics-enabled immersive audio experience for the audience, the new system has future-proofed its audio needs and established the venue as a leading provider of Polish cultural experiences.

“The Mazowsze Ensemble has made incredible changes and with this technology, the listener can be a part of the event, while for production it opens up completely new possibilities,” concluded Polesiński. “We can be more creative and we can work even better on each instrument, because suddenly we can hear more details.” www.mazowsze.waw.pl www.polsound.pl www.audioplus.pl

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FUN ART BLOKHUS EM EA

BLOKHUS / DENMARK

F un, enter t a i n m e n t a n d b u s i ne ss – P r ofox e q u i ps F u n Ar t B l o kh us with a com pl e t e AV pa c k a g e i n cl ud ing a l a r g e n u m b e r o f Ca m eo l igh t i n g f i xt u r e s .

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Experiences and activities for the whole family: the Fun Art Blokhus in North Jutland, Denmark, is a combined indoor/outdoor activity park that unites games, events, and catering together. In this newly built leisure park, guests can go trampolining, play boules and minigolf, unleash their creativity at the in-house ceramics workshop, or attend one of the many concerts organised inside.

For concerts and staged events, the operators built their own event hall, which integrators Profox ApS then equipped with a vast number of Cameo fixtures and a CODA Audio sound system. Fun Art Blokhus also offers several bookable meeting rooms equipped with permanently installed sound systems from LD Systems.

“Fun Art Blokhus is a real multifunctional venue,” said Profox CTO Søren Kabbel Dalgaard. “One day, there can be a big concert taking place in the event hall, followed by an art exhibition a week later, surrounded by many small events happening in the building’s many meeting rooms. So as a result of this, we needed solutions that could be used as flexibly as possible.”

Since the event hall is used for both concerts and art exhibitions, the quality of the colour reproduction played a decisive role in selecting the lighting fixtures.

A total of 60 Cameo F1 FC Fresnel Spotlights live up to this requirement perfectly. The compact fixtures with RGBW LED have a high CRI and a large zoom range (14° to 54°), and their colour temperature can be continuously adjusted between 1600K and 6500K.

While the F1 FCs are used for audience lighting while a concert is taking place, they serve as ambient lighting for the alternating exhibits in exhibition operations.

“We opted for the F1 FC because in addition to its vibrant colours, they are also light and compact, and enable quick conversion work,” continued Dalgaard. Profox selected the F1 T Fresnel Spotlights with Tungsten LED for the front truss above the stage, while Cameo AZOR S2 Spot Moving Heads are placed on other truss positions, and are also used in the two rear trusses where ZENIT Z120 G2 LED PAR fixtures can also be found.

“The AZOR S2 and the ZENIT Z120 G2 make a perfect pair and complement each other perfectly,” said Dalgaard. “The ZENIT Z120s in particular impressed us with their large zoom range which allowed us to create a variety of looks for concerts.”

The Cameo lighting in the event hall is rounded off by the H1FC LED house lights, which were placed along the walls from above and below, and give the large room a cosy, warmer tone, and also radiate vibrantly when used on special occasions.

The CODA Audio hung PA consists of N-RAY compact 3-way line-array loudspeakers and N-aps 2-way arrayable point source loudspeakers, with SCP subwoofers housed under the stage, all powered by CODA’s Linus DSP amplifiers.

The hall’s trussing is Litec QX30sa finished in black, while the control desks are an Allen & Heath SQ-5 for audio, and a ChamSys QuickQ 20 for lighting, The whole venue is

equipped with Q-Sys systems for intelligent control of both sound, light and image, which provides maximum flexibility, so that everything from small meetings to large concerts can be run smoothly.

The system covers control in the concert and event hall, as well as in the associated bars, and also the many meeting rooms and VIP lounge. The venue’s 11 meeting rooms are of differing sizes, and are equipped with the slim installation speakers of the LD Systems SAT series. Depending on the size of the room and the LED touchscreens in place (between 52-inch and 86-inch), Profox opted for the SAT 242 G2 or the larger SAT 442 G2.

“The SAT speakers are the ideal choice for meeting rooms thanks to their compact size and the ability to match the housing colour to the room in question,” said Dalgaard.

In the foyer and in the meeting rooms, Profox also installed the frameless CFL 62 two-way installation speakers as a 100V version, supplemented by several DQOR installation speakers for the public play areas.

“We have been involved all the way from the planning phase to the installation and testing of the systems,” confirmed Dalgaard.

“It has been a great pleasure to work with Fun Art, and we are incredibly proud to have helped realise their vision of a multifunctional and technologically advanced experience centre in Blokhus.” www.profox.dk www.funart.dk

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HI V E EMEA

ST. JULIAN’S, MALTA

F o l l o w i n g a c omple te site ma ke ove r f rom DSh o w D e s i g n a n d F uture Te c h P ro, more th a n 1 00 ADJ f i xt u r e s h a ve be e n installe d in th is te c h nolog ically a d v a n c e d South e rn E urope an nig h tc lub.

St. Julian’s, an area that has long been identified as Malta’s clubbing capital, has welcomed a new venue to its vibrant nightlife scene with the opening of Hive. Housed in part of the former Axis Discotheque, Hive blends the storied legacy of its predecessor with an innovative, modern audiovisual design, positioning itself as an entertainment space built for the clubbers of today.

The venue has a large central dance floor surrounded by a stage, an extensive, raised seating area opposite a bar, with a VIP mezzanine above. It became apparent to the building’s owners that a sizeable lighting and visual solution was needed to ensure that absolutely no corner of the club became a technological dead zone.

Bringing in Domnic Attard of DShow Design to create the blueprints for such a high-demand project was the obvious choice, given his extensive

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experience, some of the most comprehensive of any designer on the island. His background in lighting theatre productions, concerts, and of course, nightclubs, proved useful in the development of this large, extravagant venue.

Attard was joined during the planning stage by Stefan Farrugia from FutureTech Pro, who provided fixture recommendations that influenced the final design. After careful thought, the lighting and special effects solutions were designed wholly using ADJ products. FutureTech Pro was then responsible for both supplying and installing the equipment before Attard programmed the visual effects.

Farrugia said: “I’ve worked with Domnic on many projects in the past – he’s the best for these type of designs and he’s really great with creating 3d renders.”

Describing the initial challenges of the project, Attard commented: “The ceiling was relatively low, so we had to select compact fixtures.

Another layout issue came with the large column that sits at the rear of the dance floor. To get it all perfect, I think I had to change the design around eight times.”

Beginning the lighting and visual specification, Farrugia and Attard searched for a fixture with versatility at its core. This led them to choose ADJ’s Focus Hybrid light to be used by Hive as either a beam or a spot, depending on the occasion. The installer described that the fixture’s ability to generate narrow beams as well as wide GOBO projections made it ideal for what the venue team required.

“The Focus Hybrid is a very versatile fixture,” commented Farrugia. “It offers the best of both worlds: spot and beam.”

Attard described how 20 of these fixtures were deployed, with 10 on each half of the dance floor. “This gives a good throw for the beams, despite the low ceiling, allowing them to shoot all the way across the space,” he added.

Positioned between the Focus Hybrids within the central section of the club are 10 of the manufacturer’s Jolt Panel FX fixtures. These are used within Hive to generate strobe flashes, colour washes, and ‘eye-candy’ effects, pixel-mapped by Attard. Additionally, four of the similar Jolt Bar FX linear features were deployed along the rear of the stage to provide backlight for the DJ booth.

Attard explained: “Because Hive is more of an RnB club, the strobe doesn’t always get used, but it’s there when it’s needed. We used the Jolts more for their vibrant colour wash output, which can fill the whole dance floor with beautifully saturated colours. The bars behind the DJ are also very effective, when all the other lighting is turned off it creates an impressive effect that turns everyone’s head to the stage.”

At this stage of the project, sub-contractor Andrew Zammit and his company, InnovaLED Technologies, were brought in to create a video solution that would further add to the club’s visual pull. Zammit and his team positioned a large LED screen at the back of the stage with another angled above it. Rectangular screens were then, uniquely, positioned above the dance floor.

Even the spaces between these screens were utilised; gaps were filled with lines of the Allegro Z6, with 10 of the fixtures deployed in total, interspersed with the manufacturer’s Encore Z7 LP zoom pars.

On this product choice, Attard explained: “We thought about using moving head washes in place of the pars, however, because of the low ceiling and to fit within our budget, we chose the Encore Z7 LPs. I use these to wash the whole club or to generate narrow beams of colour.”

For special effects, four Fog Fury Jett Pro fog machines are mounted to the ceiling of the venue alongside a pair of Entour Venue Faze machines.

These units not only provide dramatic bursts of fog and a steady atmospheric haze, but also enhance the team’s lighting design.

Hive’s light shows, programmed by Attard, are immersive and dynamic, which is facilitated by the signal distribution from six of ADJ’s D4 Brand RM modules.

Completing the project, FutureTech integrated a comprehensive audio system, complementing the lighting solution by focusing on sound clarity and quality. A full DAS Audio-based package was created. For the main dance floor, 12 VANTEC-12 loudspeakers paired with six VANTEC-218 subwoofers were deployed. The DJ booth has a further two VANTEC-12 supported by two VANTEC-18 subs.

“To make sure the resident DJs had an excellent setup, we supplied equipment from Pioneer DJ, of which we are distributors,” Farrugia said.

Four CDJ3000 and one DJM-V10 were accordingly provided.

Looking at the result of the collaboration between FutureTech Pro, InnovaLED Technologies, and DShow Design, Attard concluded: “I love Hive. It was such a great project to work on and I’m very proud of the end result.” Farrugia added: “We’re very happy with the result, but more importantly, the customer is thrilled.”

The participating installers and designers were able to renew this gem of Maltese nightlife by ensuring that every zone within the club was visually striking, allowing Axis Discotheque to live on as its technologically innovative successor, Hive.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION LIGHTING AND SFX 20 x ADJ Focus Hybrid 32 x ADJ Encore Z7 LP 12 x ADJ UV COB Cannon 10 x ADJ Jolt Panel FX 4 x ADJ Jolt Bar FX 10 x ADJ Allegro Z6 4 x ADJ COB Cannon LP200 ST 6 x ADJ D4 Branch RM 2 x ADJ Entour Venue Faze Machines 4 x ADJ Fog Fury Jett Pro AUDIO 14 x DAS Audio VANTEC-12 6 x DAS Audio VANTEC-218 2 x DAS Audio VANTEC-18 4 x Pioneer DJ CDJ3000 1 x Pioneer DJ DJM-V10 www.futuretech-malta.com www.dshowdesign.com www.innovaledmalta.com

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HJ ORT VIK E N C OUNTRY CLUB E ME A

HINDÅS / SWEDEN

Bravo Norge AS designs and equips a bespoke AV package at new upscale hotel, including over 250 Bose Professional loudspeakers across the property.

Located in the town of Hindås, 25 minutes from Gothenburg, Hjortviken Country Club is the latest luxury property owned and operated by ESS Group. Opened in January, the facility features 150 guest rooms, various sized meeting and conference rooms, indoor and outdoor pool areas, a spa, nightclub, two restaurants and a bar.

With the desire to offer its guests an audio experience to match the stunning interiors, ESS Group sought the expertise of IT and AV integrators Bravo Norge AS. “We went all-in with Bose Professional once we understood the scale of the project and the need for audio systems across many different zones,” said David Eriksson, Key Account Manager at Bravo Norge AS. “The designs we came up with early on were based partly on our preference but most importantly the client’s needs.”

Eriksson reached out to Bose Professional’s Swedish Experience Centre, handily located in Gothenburg, to invite the venue operators to experience the company’s wide variety of audio solutions.

“We set up a listening session to ensure that the end user was familiar with why we chose certain products for each area,” said Eriksson. “They had their perceptions of what they required, and we demonstrated the solutions we had in mind at Bose Professional. For this project, ESS Group have their own sound image for the venue, so they could try all their content at the demo.”

Anders Haglund, Bose Professional’s Territory Manager for Sweden, was project lead from Bose Pro, and described the process.

“In our demo room we have all of our products set up and ready to play – and we offer customers to chance to come in and play their own choice of music,” said Haglund. “We can pair different subwoofers with different loudspeakers, and effectively put together an audio solution tailored specifically for each space.

“We held a short presentation, during which we showcased solutions for background music, foreground music, and a nightclub setting, because we wanted to avoid the customer purchasing loudspeakers for a certain area that didn’t work to their expectations. We took our time, but it was worth it.”

After the session, Eriksson put together a pre-project document to outline the specifics, which pinpointed what would meet the client’s needs, both aesthetically and from an audio quality perspective.

Close to 300 speakers were selected for use across the building, while a dedicated AV package was supplied for the meeting and conference rooms, which was made up of Epson projectors, Samsung displays, Sennheiser and Barco communication solutions, and Bose Professional

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videobars, per the requirements of each space. One area Eriksson and Haglund paid close attention to was the Hot Spot, a large space for socialising with a central fireplace.

“The Hot Spot stands out from a hotel perspective, because that area is equipped with the kind of equipment that you could expect to find in a top nightclub,” said Eriksson.

“The system in that room is designed for all kinds of events, and we used seven DesignMax DM8S 8-inch loudspeakers, four AMM112 multipurpose loudspeakers, two MB210 compact subwoofers and two ShowMatch SMS118 subwoofers.

“The set up is super high-end with a sound solution that could fit any event, with plenty of power. I would say that it is the best sound-equipped area within a hotel in Sweden.”

Haglund believes that the demonstration was essential in the decision-making process. “They really wanted a high-end package for this specific area of the hotel, and that’s why the demo session was so important,” he said. “That listening session really opened their eyes to invest in the equipment that would meet their demands, and everything supplied works in the context of the vibe which they were looking to achieve.”

The demo was so pivotal, that it in fact led the venue to pivot from its initial concepts of the Hot Spot space, as ESS Group’s Christoffer Laudon, Project Leader for AV at Hjortviken, explained: “We always start with a preconceived idea of what we want the guest to experience in every detail – design, sound, and atmosphere,” said Laudon. “But ideas can evolve significantly over time, and, for example, when we first started, Hot Spot was meant to be a cozy fire lounge where guests could relax, have a drink, and listen to a mixtape curated by our own music brand ambassador, Massi.

“Instead, we went in the opposite direction and created a nightclub, and Bose Professional and Bravo helped us during the installation period and they managed to take our vision into reality. The listening session at Bose Professional gave us greater confidence in tailoring the sound experience for each space.”

Sound Scaled Up and Down Across the hotel, the sound is scaled up and down where required, with the products used – and their deployment – reflecting this.

The Playground is a lounge for pre-meal drinks with games such as shuffle board, and here eight DM8S (in white) and two MB210 subwoofers provide ample audio coverage.

For the indoor pool area, four AMU108 and 18 DM8S 8-inch loudspeakers are placed alongside nine MB210 subwoofers, all finished in white, while the same combination of DM8S and MB210 subs, alongside supplemental AMM112 loudspeakers, is used in the adjacent BayBay restaurant.

The hotel’s main eatery, the Club Room, pays homage to Tore Wretman, the Swedish chef who helped educate the nation on world cuisines and cookery, and this space required 17 DM6SE 6-inch loudspeakers, finished in white, with five DM10S subs, while the outdoor balcony area features 15 strategically placed AMU108 loudspeakers and seven MB210 subwoofers.

The only space where Bose Professional loudspeakers weren’t selected for audio coverage is the elevator, where the constraints of the building meant Eriksson had to source another solution.

“It was physically impossible to implement a ceiling speaker in the elevator because we couldn’t make a hole in its ceiling,” said Eriksson. “For this we chose a K-array KGEAR GH4 passive 4-inch speaker and placed one in the top corner of each of the three elevators.”

In the corridors throughout the hotel, because of the restrictions from the building’s structure, Bravo chose the 2-inch low profile DM2C-LP (DesignMax) ceiling speakers, with a total of 64 fitted.

Powering the system is a combination of PowerShare and PowerShareX amplifiers, with 27 in total, including 10

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A b o ve : Th e i n t e r i o r ar e a s o f Hjortviken Country Club where o v e r 2 5 0 B o s e Pr o f e s s i o n al speakers are installed.

PowerShareX PSX4804D, with DSP handled by five ControlSpace EX-1280 processors. Staff are able to control the hotel’s audio at fixed points with Crestron panels in each area. The master panel is located in the management office, from which the over-arching control of the whole facility can be managed.

With the venue newly opened and the owners assessing their AV requirements the relationship with Bravo remains fluid, with more audio solutions being added to other areas where it is needed.

“We’re still working with the venue because it is seeking to maximise its ambient potential, with Bravo recently installing new audio solutions in the dressing rooms and other areas of the facility,” continued Eriksson.

“Ahead of the summer we will install 18 AMU208, seven AMU108 and seven MB210 subwoofers in the outdoor pool area.”

Commenting on the installation process, Eriksson said: “The building’s cable infrastructure is shared between the AV network and the electrics, so when the electrical contractors pulled through our cabling, it was left to us to finish the connections and seal it off.

“We collaborated on this throughout the project, giving them a roadmap of our expectations of the number of cables, and labelling requirements, and when they completed that, we finished up with the final touches.”

TECHNICAL INFORMATION AUDIO 68 x Bose Professional DM2C-LP 41 x Bose Professional DM8S 22 x Bose Professional DM5SE 25 x Bose Professional DM6SE 11 x Bose Professional DM3C 26 x Bose Professional AMU108 18 x Bose Professional AMU208 8 x Bose Professional AMM112 29 x Bose Professional MB210 subwoofer 6 x Bose Professional SMS118 subwoofer 17 x Bose Professional DM10S subwoofer 3 x K-array KGEAR GH4 5 x Bose Professional PowerShare PS404D 3 x Bose Professional PowerShare PS604D 1 x Bose Professional PowerShareX 1204D 8 x Bose Professional PowerShareX 2404D 10 x Bose Professional PowerShareX PSX4804D 5 x Bose Professional ControlSpace EX-1280 CONNECTIVITY: 10 x Crestron TSS-770-B-S 6 x Crestron TSW-770-B-S 9 x Barco ClickShare CX-20 Gen2 4 x Sennheiser EW-DX wireless microphone system 2 x Sennheiser Teamconnect Medium 3 x Epson EB-PU1007W 4 x Bose Professional VB1 Videobar www.bravosteps.no www.essgroup.se

CORNER CORN E R E ME A

LONDON / UK

Cha m p io n i n g d i v e r s e c u i s ine s, live p er f or m a n c e , a n d i n d o o r fa rming , Br oa d wick a d d s a n o t h e r m u ltipurpose venue t o i t s g r o w i n g po r t f olio of com mu n i t y - e n h a n c i n g s pac e s.

Born from a regeneration initiative led by British Land and AustralianSuper, Corner Corner plays an important role in the ongoing evolution of London’s Canada Water district. Developed by Broadwick in collaboration with KERB, the space realises Broadwick Founder and Owner Simeon Aldred’s vision of an “experimental” and “hybrid” venue.

With its expansive offerings, Corner Corner delivers a distinctive and dynamic entertainment experience.

The building’s 55,000 sq ft houses multiple functions motivated by four words: Nature, Rhythm, Taste, and Culture. The influence of ‘Taste’ can be found in Corner Corner’s food hall and cafe, to which KERB brought its experience operating The Seven Dials Market to create a food hall line-up that showcases the diversity of London’s independent cuisine scene.

‘Rhythm’ is within the venue’s stage area, which promises to host both live jazz performances and rotating selectors. ‘Culture’ comes in part with what Aldred describes as “the engine room” of Corner Corner – its dry hire exhibition space.

The owner continued: “As Canada Water is still a developing area, we didn’t want to just open a food hall, as we assumed this kind of standalone experience wouldn’t gain much traction. Instead, we allow around half of the building to be rented out for different long-term events; more people will be encouraged to visit the jazz bar, for example, if they’re already coming along to Corner Corner to see an exhibition.”

‘Nature’ inspired what is perhaps the most distinctive element of the venue: its indoor vertical farm. Developed by Harvest London, this is the city’s largest commercial farm. Proposing an alternative method for sustainable dining, most of the produce grown is used in the space’s cafe. Commenting on the venue’s advanced multifunctionality, Alex Sprogis, the project’s architect, said: “In general, we have a ‘no more labels’ approach to planning new spaces and purposefully avoid defining by typology, behaviour or event type. The dramatic juxtaposition of uses is Corner Corner’s charm.”

The chosen functions of the venue fit nicely with Broadwick’s overall mission in producing Corner Corner. Aldred explained that what shaped the space was, uniquely, The Range.

“There was a branch of British variety store and garden centre, The Range, in Canada Water that was owned by British Land and AustralianSuper.

Though some people might turn their noses up at this, the shop was important to Canada Water’s community. The large store became a place where people would visit daily, just to pop in and get random bits and

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bobs. It was part of a day out for families or friends, and it became a place the elderly locals of Canada Water would visit a lot. So, we took this context and decided we were going to make Corner Corner a place for the community to similarly gather,” he said.

Beginning the Installation With a desire to provide the members of Canada Water and beyond with a multi-faceted entertainment facility came the need for a high-tech, comprehensive audiovisual package. Vibration Production, the installation company owned by Broadwick, naturally became involved, having delivered all the company’s renowned venues, from Printworks London to The Pelligon. Niall Spierin, Production Director at Vibration Production, detailed how the integration team, led by Emeka Amobi, Senior Technical Manager, designed, procured, and deployed a comprehensive audiovisual system for the building’s permanent entertainment spaces, including the jazz club, the food hall, and the cafe/bar areas. Corner Corner’s aesthetic was key to the venue team.

Aldred noted that the history of Canada Water is honoured throughout the space; Canadian pine wood finishes harken to the district’s presence in the tree-felling industry, and a green, raw, and industrial motif in all areas further promotes this “natural, evergreen background.” Consequently, Vibration Production’s design brief favoured low visibility yet high impact.

Spierin said: “We didn’t just want to slap a load of noticeable tech on top of the venue. Simeon gave us instructions to keep all production above a certain line on the roof, so that it could be as low-key as possible. The project was to create a large sound system, mainly, as we already had some house lighting.”

Implementing a suitable audio solution didn’t come without a lengthy planning process, though. The venue’s structural challenges, along with the high acoustic standards of Corner Corner’s premium musical line-up, required careful consideration.

The installer continued: “The room is L-shaped, with the stage in one corner, the cafe at one end, and a bar at the other. To treat this, we designed a sound system that has a nice big punchy front of house, so when there’s live music or performance on stage, we’ve got a warm, high-quality sound coming from that area, and then there are delay speakers and supporting systems around the room.”

An innovative solution for hanging these systems was needed to preserve the clean look. The Vibration Production team designed a rolled scaffolding made of black aluminium pipe that runs along the exact same arc as the stage.

“We didn’t want to hang heavy trussing around, so this solution joins the wall and is supported by the roof. We’re really happy with how this has come out; with the cables attached neatly on the pipe’s back, it just looks so neat,” he said.

High-Grade Sound Kit Spierin affirmed that as jazz is such a passionate genre, and the musicians scheduled to play at Corner Corner were of such high quality, the most reliable speakers were needed. The PA system is therefore made up of what Spierin classes as a “workhorse” of a brand, Martin Audio. Throughout Corner Corner’s main jazz bar/cafe areas, four Martin Audio FP12 loudspeakers were flown, alongside two SX115 subs and four FP6 front fills. In the food hall, another 12 of the FP6 were flown for even coverage, either providing zoned background music for the dining experience or acting as a main stage delay for popular performances. He commented: “We stock a lot of Martin Audio, and it’s always super trustworthy with good sound quality. The equipment we chose is excellent for high-end frequencies, for background music, for speaking, anything. The warmth of the products also really fits the dynamic nature of the jazz performances and the welcoming atmosphere of Corner Corner.”

Continuing to provide high-quality sound for high-calibre

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P r e vi o u s p a g e : C o r n e r C or n er ’s j a z z ba r .

A b o ve : Th e v e n u e’s f ood ha ll.

R i g h t : Th e e x t e r ior a n d in t er ior o f C o r n e r C o r n e r ’s in d oor f a r m, c r e at e d in pa r t n er ship w i t h Ha r vest Lon d on .

performance, Speierin said that the microphones were specified with “absolutely no skimping on price or grade.”

He confirmed: “We integrated top-of-the-line microphones because of the level of artists we’ve got coming into the venue.”

A package of Audix mics, including the i5, the ADX51, and the AX D2, D6, and D6 was invested in, alongside units from Shure’s SM series, its Beta line, and Shure e906 amp mics.

The venue’s DJ offerings prompted a similarly thoughtful technical design, with the list of selectors performing requiring what Aldred called “a bespoke tuned system”. Corner Corner has a full backline for digital and analogue DJS and vinyl DJS. “We’re set up for any kind of performance,” said Spierin.

This includes two Pioneer DJ CDJ3000 PRO, a DJM-V 10, two of Technics’ 1210mk7 turntables, four Ortofon Concorde, and even an Alphatheta Euphonia Rotary Mixer, reminding visitors of the vintage selector inspiration.

“All the people we’re contracting to come and DJ are very much ‘music-heads’, so the system had to be absolutely perfect,” he continued. This whole sound system has been routed through Q-SYS, for easy network management by the in-house venue team. Vibration Production programmed three amplification

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setups that the employees of Corner Corner can choose from, depending on the entertainment schedule.

The first is for ambient music, which evenly distributes audio for clear background sound across the space. The second is reserved for live performances on stage; when this setting is utilised, the audio becomes more concentrated towards the musician. Finally, there is a similar arrangement for the DJ booth that amplifies sound nearer the selector.

Spierin added: “The microphones are also built into the Q-SYS system. As new, varied artists will appear weekly, the venue didn’t want to have to get a technician to mic people up. We made it so the handheld mics can be easily used and controlled by staff.”

Illumination and Visuals The lighting solution deployed is built to create warm tones to complement Corner Corner’s jazzy soundtrack and friendly, community-focused atmosphere. Six CHAUVET Professional Ovation Fresnel point to the stage, and 15 of ETC’s ColorSource Spot Junior light the audience.

Spierin noted that the Fresnels were an easy choice; in the planning phase of fixtures for the stage, a test in Vibration’s warehouse determined that the Chauvet equipment had the softer tones they were looking for.

Finally, digital signage was integrated, helping to communicate the venue’s key theme of ‘Taste’. Seven digital screens with LS425 BrightSign players were situated behind the bar. Because food traders will change on a regular basis, creating a diverse lineup much like that of Corner Corner’s music schedule, full menu control was needed. The fixed signage is able to correspond to whichever street food vendor, usually a local business, takes the spot.

Completing the Install In comparison to other Broadwick and Vibration Production projects, Aldred said that this new space significantly differs. “A lot of our spaces are super hybrid like Corner Corner. But this is a unique venue for us in that there’s very little controlled entry.”

Harkening back to Canada Water’s The Range shop and its community-minded approach to leisure, Corner Corner invites visitors to see its performances for free and use its hall and cafe areas as places to sit, catch-up with friends, meet new people, or even do work, all without the pressure of buying something.

“This differs from some of our other more commercial, ticket-based venues. It’s got an open-door policy and it’s very democratic.” he continued.

Speirin added: “Until now, Vibration has worked on builds that have stood as hireable event spaces for private clients who want to invite their own guests. Obviously, we love being part of such projects, but it’s also been nice to design a venue open to the public all week. We know that what we’ve done is being enjoyed by the local community, not just by the people who can afford to hire a venue and put an event on.”

With this, Corner Corner speaks to the need that large cities like London have for venues that function as a ‘third space’, the concept of an open location, separate from work and home lives, for people to freely visit. Architect Alex Sprogis elaborated: “The intention was to create the warm and welcoming atmosphere of a living room... educational, enriching, accessible, and family friendly.”

The venue is now in operation, with the dry hire space’s opening exhibition being ‘The Minecraft Experience’. Evaluating the project, Aldred concluded: “For me, there have been so many rewarding things about bringing this site to life. Being able to construct a significantly sized indoor farm was technically difficult, but we pulled it off. Also, being able to implement an audiovisual system that achieved our goals felt great. Most importantly, it’s wonderful to see Corner Corner come to fruition as a place that’s bringing the community together. Seeing so many families and friends enjoying the venue affirms everything we set out to achieve.”

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TECHNICAL INFORMATION AUDIO 4 x Martin Audio FP12 2 x Martin Audio SX115 4x Martin Audio FP6 6 x Martin Audio LE100 12 x Martin Audio FP6 2 x Pioneer CDJ3000 PRO 1 x Alphatheta Euphonia Rotary Mixer 1 x Pioneer DJM-V 10 1 x Digico SD11i 1 x Focusrite RedNet RedNet D64R MICS 1 x Audix i5 2 x Audix D2 1 x Audix D4 1 x Audix D6 2 x Audix ADX51 2 x Shure - SM81-LC - SM 2 x Shure Beta 57a 2 x Shure Beta 58a 1 x Shure SM57 1 x Shure SM58 2 x Shure e906 1 x AKG C414-XLS/ST Stereo Pair 4 x EW-DX SKM SeV7 Capsules LIGHTING AND VIDEO 6 x CHAUVET Professional Ovation Fresnel 15 x ETC Lighting ColorSource Spot Junior LS425 brightsign players www.broadwick.com www.vibrationproduction.com

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02/09/2024 17:30

LOAD ING BA Y EM EA

BRADFORD / UK

Oppo si t e: T h e T h ea tre at Loading Ba y s ea ts 200 people.

Righ t : Loa di n g Ba y i s hous ed in a form er di s u s ed wa reh ous e.

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N ew ar ts an d per for man ce ven u e ope ns in Br ad for d , with c ontr actor s wor k in g aro u n d the clock to de live r high fu n ction in g te c h n ical spaces for a variety of pr od u ction s an d ar tists.

Bradford is this year’s UK City of Culture, a 12-month celebration of the city and district that aims to make a life-long impact by opening opportunities for audiences and artists in the region through a yearround programme of events, investment in cultural spaces, as well as skills, training and education initiatives.

To enhance the city’s designation, the organisation behind Bradford 2025 have transformed a disused old storage depot into a multipurpose venue capable of hosting a diverse range of events, from gigs and comedy nights to exhibitions and immersive theatre shows across its two performance spaces and a gallery, spread over three floors.

In order to provide a setting capable of welcoming touring productions, Ben Pugh, Bradford 2025’s Director of Production, knew that a big investment was needed in high-end professional AV and lighting.

“There isn’t currently a natural home in Bradford for the touring circuit of small theatrical shows and comedy, so we decided to make a viable space for them, because we have that rare privilege as City of Culture,” said Pugh.

Contracted to supply the building’s audio and AV needs was Bradfordbased Pro Audio Systems, with Manchester company dbnAudile providing professional lighting, rigging solutions, draping in the theatre, and power distribution around the venue.

Loading Bay will operate as a pop-up venue for one year, and its transformation from a semi-derelict former department store warehouse with no modern infrastructure into a fully equipped venue is nothing short of remarkable.

“We took the building on in early October 2024, and it was ready to host shows by the middle of March, with contractors working around the clock to get it ready,” continued Pugh. “What would normally be a 12-month development programme has been completed in just over five months, and the contractors were phenomenal in their willingness to push through. The fact we were able to source the equipment needed in that time frame is testament to the hard work.”

Loading Bay’s main performance space is the Theatre, a 200-seater auditorium with a strong production infrastructure able to host acts at a national touring level, while the Basement is a flexible room with highly configurable mobile solutions, and the upstairs Gallery is able to hold a variety of exhibitions and events.

The lighting rig in the Theatre consists entirely of Chauvet solutions, with a mix of CHAUVET Professional and CHAUVET DJ fixtures selected after consultation between dbnAudile’s Nick Walton, Chauvet’s Business

Development Manager for UK North, Graham Barron, and Sam McCarthy-Robinson from the Bradford 2025 technical team.

Walton said: “Initially I proposed a range of fixtures for the Theatre, and then that was honed in with the assistance of Sam and Graham to find the right solutions within budget.”

Four CHAUVET Professional Maverick Force 2 Profile fixtures provide plenty of dynamic options for visiting or in-house lighting designers, while eight CHAUVET Professional Rogue R2X Wash were also selected to complete the line up of moving heads.

Moving Heads Additional CHAUVET Professional units on the rig are 13 COLORado 1QS, while nine CHAUVET DJ SlimBANK H18 ILS are used as house lighting, and 16 CHAUVET DJ EVE E-160ZQ and 14 CHAUVET DJ EVE F-160ZQ are deployed among the other fixtures across the venue’s five bars of trussing. Eight COLORado Batten 72X units were also supplied for mobile deployment and ambient uplighting.

McCarthy-Robinson is the Technical Manager at Bradford 2025’s touring venue The Beacon, and was brought in to assist on the lighting specifications for the Theatre at Loading Bay, prior to the appointment of George Jackson as Loading Bay’s Technical Manager.

“When looking at lighting fixture options with Nick and Graham, I tried to be as open-minded as possible, knowing that it would be someone else working with the venue’s equipment,” said McCarthy-Robinson.

“We went with four of the Maverick Force 2 Profiles as it’s a nice even number to give plenty of options, and we deployed all of them in prime position across the advanced truss at the front of the stage because we knew they would give any LD a lot of options and flexibility.

“They’ve got a great selection of gobos on two gobo wheels, which was a big selling point, and they’re a great, punchy fixture and really act as the workhorse of the lighting rig.”

Commentating on the lighting set up in the Theatre, Pugh added: “The partnership with Chauvet has been great because it has enabled us to raise the bar on the equipment that we can offer.

“Our budget was quite tight, but we have been able to deliver a lot of high-end equipment – and on time,” continued Pugh. “Nick, Graham and Sam worked hard to create a specification that can meet the expectations of touring companies without us having to break the bank, and we can confidently open the doors to productions without the need to sub-hire anything.”

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TECHNICAL INFORMATION Lighting 4 x CHAUVET Professional Maverick Force 2 Profile 8 x CHAUVET Professional Rogue R2X Wash 8 x CHAUVET Professional COLORado Batten 72X 13 x CHAUVET Professional COLORado 1QS 1 x CHAUVET Professional Amhaze ECO 9 x CHAUVET DJ SlimBANK H18 ILS 16 x CHAUVET DJ EVE E-160ZQ 14 x CHAUVET DJ EVE F-160ZQ 1 x ETC Ion Xe 20 Rigging & Staging 60m Global Truss F34200-B 10 x GIS LPM 250 electrical chain hoists 6 x Doughty Tank Trap 3 Position Audio 2 x EM Acoustics R8 2 x EM Acoustics R5 2 x EM Acoustics S15 2 x EM Acoustics R4 1 x EM Acoustics Di20 8 x RCF NX10SMA 2 x RCF SUB 15-AX 1 x Allen & Heath Avantis Solo 1 x Allen & Heath SQ5 1 x Allen & Heath GX4816 Stagebox Comms 6 x Green-GO BPX Beltpack X 5 x Green-GO HS200S 1 x Green-GO HS200D Mics 6 x Shure SM58 2 x Shure SM58SE 6 x Shure SM57 6 x Shure Beta 57A 1 x Sennheiser E604 (3 pack) 1 x Shure Beta 52A 1 x Shure Beta 91A 2 x Sennheiser e906 1 x AKG C414 XLII/ST (Stereo Pair) 1 x AKG C451B/ST 2 x Radial ProDI Passive DI 1 x Radial ProD2 Stereo Passive DI 6 x Radial Pro48 Active DI 2 x Sennheiser EW-DX EM 4 DANTE (S1-10) 4 x Sennheiser EW-DX SK (S1-10) 4 x Sennheiser EW-DX SKM-S (S1-10) 4 x Sennheiser MMD-935 4 x DPA 2061 Lav Mic 4 x DPA 4466 (with DAD6034 adapter) 4 x Sennheiser ADP UHF Paging System 1 x AtlasIED AZM8 2 x AtlasIED X-ZPS 1 x AtlasIED AT-BT-EU 1 x AtlasIED A-RCA-EU-RCA 2 x Dynacord U120:1 2 x Cloud CS-S6 wall mount speaker 8 x Cloud CVS-P62TW pendant speaker Assistive Listening 1 x Sennheiser MobileConnect Station 1 x AKG C391 overhead mic 1 x Sennheiser HP 02-140 (20 pack) 5 x Sennheiser EZT 3012 Neckloop Projection 1 x Panasonic VMZ71BEJ www.dbnaudile.co.uk www.proaudiosystems.co.uk www.bradford2025.co.uk

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For lighting control, an ETC ION XE 20 console was specified due to the number of theatrical tours that are set to come through the venue.

The venue’s truss in both the Theatre and Basement is Global Truss F34200-B, finished in black, with the majority of the supplemental trussing and rigging accessories bought from Prolight Concepts. In addition, 10 GIS LPM 250 electrical chain hoists were also purchased directly from GIS Lift Turn Move, based in Liverpool.

For the stage draping in the Theatre, a Triple E 2Way tracking solution was sourced from AC Entertainment, along with six Doughty tank traps for use in various applications around the building.

Facing spatial constraints in the ceiling, Walton specified the compact GIS D8 Electric chain motors, with the rigging taking place early in the project.

“We fitted out a regular grid of rigging points for the Theatre and Basement because at the time the layout of each venue wasn’t finalised, so we tried to supply as much rigging flexibility as possible,” said Walton. “Late into the project, when the venues started to take shape, we added a few more points because the design for the sound and lighting was then formalised in the Theatre.”

Right for the Room When it came to selecting an audio system for the Theatre, Dave Simpson, Business Development Manager at Pro Audio Systems, had confidence in a solution from UK manufacturers EM Acoustics.

“As a company we have been users of EM Acoustics in other projects over many years and we were confident that this set up would work – both from a budget and performance standpoint,” said Simpson.

“The equipment needs to be right for the room, so we selected loudspeakers from the Reference series, with two R8 loudspeakers and two S15 subwoofers in a L-R set up, two R4 loudspeakers for front fill, and two R5 loudspeakers as delays, all powered by one Di20 eight channel amplifier, which allows for each speaker to have its own channel for complete flexibility.”

Simpson specified Allen&Heath Avantis Solo and SQ5 consoles as part of the full audio package for the venue, which also included a Green-Go wireless communications

system, a wide selection of instrument and vocal mics from Shure, DPA Microphones, Sennheiser and AKG, a venuewide AtlasIED Atmosphere paging system, and Sennheiser MobileConnect assistive listening solution. Also supplied for the Theatre is a Panasonic VMZ71BEJ projector.

“We worked with the venue to ascertain exactly what they needed, and we were happy to discuss the right options for the building,” continued Simpson. “They wanted to remain flexible should they need to hire extra equipment for certain events, but also required high-level equipment for incoming technicians – and I think we succeeded.”

For the Basement, a very flexible audio solution was required. “Initially the venue wanted powered monitors which are easy to plug-in-and-play, but the programme is so varied that we decided on multi-purpose loudspeakers, so that they can be used as stage monitors in the Theatre, and also as a PA in the Basement and upstairs Gallery, if required,” said Simpson. “With that in mind, we selected eight RCF NX 10-SMA loudspeakers, an active coaxial monitor which can be deployed as a PA, and so we supplied them with stands for use on their own, or with poles so they can slot into the two RCF Sub 15-AX. “This gives the venue a medium-sized PA which can be deployed around the building, and because of the variety of the events, there is often a necessity to deploy the equipment quickly and efficiently, and this RCF set-up will facilitate that.”

Across the build of Loading Bay were more than 20 main contractors, which included 13 businesses from the Bradford District, including Torus Construction Group and SETSTAGE, as well as five from West Yorkshire, and two from Greater Manchester, all overseen by a Project Management consortium rooted in Bradford.

“What’s been really refreshing about this project is how every contractor has worked together to get it done, and work extremely effectively,” said Simpson. “The time constraints added a lot of pressure, but it was really satisfying to work together and get it done for the city of Bradford, and the end result is superb.”

Pugh echoed that sentiment. “This project is part of a wider scheme to put Bradford on the map as a cultural destination, and I think we’ve achieved that with the help of our suppliers and contractors.”

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BL OOD S PORTS EM EA

LONDON / UK

Ta tes id e d e l i v e r s a h i g h - t e c h a udiovisua l sol ution f o r t h i s a d d i t i o n t o London’s al ter na tive e n t e r t a i n m e n t s ce ne , pr ovid ing e v e r y t h i n g f o r t h e spa c e to h ost scr eenings o f b o t h g o r y s l a sh e r f ilms and f a s t-p a ced s po r t i n g a c t i o n .

With his previous hospitality success, MEATliquor, a unique restaurant serving dishes such as a ‘Dead Hippie’ burger, Co-Founder and CEO Scott Collins is no stranger to an edgy venue concept. When he devised the idea for an aesthetically similar bar, BLOODsports, Collins turned to Tateside to design a bespoke audiovisual solution for the space, having previously worked with the integrators on other unique AV projects.

Located in London’s Covent Garden, BLOODsports is an eccentric take on a sports bar. Collins refers to it as a ‘watching’ venue as opposed to a ‘listening’ venue; the dive bar/sports bar amalgamation houses multiple large screens that broadcast both major sporting events and cult-classic horror films. The site spans a large underground area, which serves to further accentuate the dark yet playful atmosphere the space aims for.

“We’ve worked with the MEATliquor team for around five years, so we were enthusiastic to be a part of this new concept,” said Jack Cornish, Technical Director at Tateside. “You don’t find many sports bars around these days, and with its prime location, it was an exciting project to be involved in.”

Tateside’s previous involvement with Collins spanned AV design, implementation, and maintenance, with this new project requiring a similarly thorough collaboration.

Describing their brief for the venue, Cornish revealed: “We had to create a system that was centred around reliability. After all, a sports bar with black screens would be a bit of a disaster! The client also wanted total flexibility, ensuring that routing of any source audio could be sent to any zone. If they wanted to route the Karaoke machine for a whole bar sing-along to all screens and all speakers, it needed to be a quick routing change from the iPad or touch panel. For us, Support was a critical design element, so remote access and network-controlled power outlets were a must!”

Wall-to-Wall Entertainment BLOODsports’ horror movie and sports streaming features meant that it was of paramount importance for the bar to have a high-quality and robust video solution. “The vision was for non-stop entertainment,” Cornish explained.

Setting out to truly deliver this concept to its maximum, a total of 28 Hisense screens were strategically placed throughout the venue, furnishing the main bar, games room, snug area, private events space, and, uniquely, even the bathrooms.

“We faced an initial challenge of sourcing a large amount of high-quality screens at competitive pricing,” Cornish said. However, after working closely with Hisense’s UK distributor, they realised a system that would provide top-tier visuals across multiple screen sizes without exceeding budget constraints.

Tateside then designed and implemented a video-over-IP solution with

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P h o t o s : B LOOD spor t s’ ma in ba r a r e a , f e a t u r in g Hisen se sc r een s r e a d y t o s t rea m a n yt hin g f r om The Shin in g t o live spor t .

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TECHNICAL INFORMATION VISUAL 28 x Hisense DM66D screens AUDIO 4 x Bose Professional DM8 2 x Martin Audio SX212 8 x AUDAC CELO6 8 x AUDAC Cira 724 1 x QSC Q-SYS CORE 8 FLEX 1 x QSC Q-SYS TSC-70-G3 Controller 4 x Void Acoustics Cyclone 55 2 x Void Acoustics Cyclone Bass 1 x Powersoft Quatrrocanali 4804 1 x Powersoft Quattrocanali 2404 1 x Powersoft Quattrocanali 1204 1 x Powersoft Mezzo 604 AD www.tateside.com

robustness at its core, using Blustream IP300 series transmitters and receivers that support 4K video at 60 Hz, a complete essential for delivering live sports.

The resultant system allows BLOODsports’ clientele to watch the scheduled horror films or sporting events from every possible seat and angle in the house. The solution combines eight different video sources, including Sky boxes, streaming services, a DVD player for vintage horror screenings, and a signage player for promotions.

“One of the most interesting and on-brand visual features of BLOODsports was an LED ticker tape, which we installed above the bar,” said Cornish. “We commissioned a custom 9-metre by 250mm ticker-style LED, which is used for displaying slogans, drinks promos, and sports stats. This creative integration ensures guests are constantly engaged.”

Venue-Wide Sound Attention was then turned towards the bar’s audio needs. Open plan in its nature, careful consideration of audio zoning was a necessity to prevent sound clashes. The issue with promising non-stop entertainment on multiple screens soon emerged: if different areas of the venue were broadcasting various events or films simultaneously, audio interference between streams could become a problem.

To tackle this, Tateside meticulously designed a solution that combined precise speaker placement with audio routing via Q-SYS, allowing for asynchronous media to still be heard clearly.

The hardware set-up begins in the entrance, where two AUDAC CIRA7 ceiling speakers are deployed. With this equipment being well-trusted by the Tateside team, an additional six were installed across the bathrooms.

The Main Bar’s sound solution consists of four Bose Professional DM8 loudspeakers and two Martin Audio SX212 subwoofers, with three AUDAC CELO6 ceiling speakers at its rear section. Across the Snug and the Games Room, a further five AUDAC CELO6 were integrated.

The VIP Room’s audio solution takes inspiration from the venue’s predecessor, MEATliquor, in that a similar Void Acoustics system was deployed, using equipment that the client already owned. Here, four Void Cyclone 55 speakers and two Cyclone Bass subs were integrated.

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Using technology that both the installer and client were already confident in was key, as the audio demands were simply too high to allow for any faults.

To ensure seamless distribution and flexibility, Dante-enabled Powersoft amplifiers were deployed, with Netgear POE+ switches managing networked AV traffic.

Evaluating Tateside’s chosen sound solution, Cornish said: “The result is a high-fidelity, adaptable audio environment where multiple sports broadcasts can be streamed simultaneously without audio overlap. No matter the event, the audio experience remains clear, powerful, and perfectly tuned to the venue’s energetic atmosphere.”

Though the initial installation is complete, Tateside and BLOODsports’ relationship is far from over. A managed services agreement has been implemented, in which Tateside will provide ongoing support; Collins guarantees a four-hour response time for any maintenance needs that the high-tech, high-demand venue may have. “This high level of support is crucial for a venue that relies so heavily on its AV infrastructure as part of the guest experience,” he commented.

The teams at both the venue and the installer have been happy to advertise that since its opening, the bar has been extremely well received as a truly unique entertainment destination. “This was our first time working on a sports bar, and it was exciting to be part of something so bold and brash,” remarked Cornish.

“It’s an ambitious project that combines entertainment, audio, and digital signage, making one cohesive experience. The fact that we didn’t have to hide the tech and we instead were able to make it a part of the bar atmosphere made this a really enjoyable project for us. Our installation shows that AV technology can be woven into the DNA of a venue rather than just being an afterthought.”

Ignoring genre conventions and blending elements of edgy horror cinema, a classic dive bar aesthetic, and popular sports into a single venue may have seemed like a daunting task at first, but Collins only has praise for the result. “The AV setup at BLOODsports is next level; every screen, every speaker – everything just works seamlessly. Whether it’s game day or a late-night horror screening, the atmosphere is always spot on. Tateside absolutely nailed it,” the CEO concluded.

The future is

NEW MARA

More at dasaudio.com

SELF-POWERED CARDIOID LINE ARRAY / 6-CHANNEL, CLASS D, 4200WRMS AMPLIFIER / HORIZONTAL DISPERSION CONTROLLED DOWN TO 100 HZ / CARDIOID ATTENUATION OF -12 DB (80 HZ - 200 HZ) / IP CONTROL AND MONITORING THROUGH ALMATM / FIR PROCESSING AND DIGITAL MANAGEMENT VIA DASAIMTM / 148 DB SPL MAX / WEIGHT: 71,5 KG (157.3 LB)

CAPE WELIG A MA APAC

WELIGAMA / SRI LANKA

Digital Ear equips luxury clifftop resort with bespoke audio systems to enhance the atmosphere in two of its busy eateries.

As a member of the Relais & Châteaux chain of luxury properties, Cape Weligama is one of Sri Lanka’s most renowned resorts, offering a relaxed coastal retreat, shaped by the founders of Dilmah Ceylon Tea. Ahead of the 2025 tourism season, the resort underwent a major refurbishment, which included a complete overhaul of its audio systems in two of its social areas – The Atlas and The Society – and in every hotel lodging. Specialists in premium audio integration, Digital Ear was entrusted with designing and installing a cohesive solution tailored to the resort’s luxury aesthetic and performance needs.

A combination of Void Acoustics speakers and amplifiers, and Ruark Audio Smart Radios was selected to deliver impactful yet discreet sound across the property.

“The resort had a clear vision – sound that enhanced the ambience without overpowering it or disrupting the resort’s architecture.” explained Haren Perera, Managing Director at Digital Ear. Void’s Cyclone series was deployed in both The Atlas and The Society, chosen for its IP rated, marine grade durability and sleek, compact form. At The Atlas, four Cyclone 55 speakers were positioned along the rooms’ timber pillars – an approach that preserved the venue’s architectural symmetry while ensuring full coverage. Powered by a single Void Bias D1 amplifier and fine-tuned using Armonia Pro Audio Suite, the system delivered highfidelity sound with excellent dispersion and minimal echo – ideal for the venue’s open-plan layout. A single Powersoft WMP – Level Controller was installed here for localised control.

The Society Bar, a multipurpose space that transitions from a casual lounge to a private event venue, required a system that could provide subtle background music while also being capable of higher volume when needed. This space was fitted with two Cyclone 55 speakers in the main area and two Cyclone 4 speakers in adjacent zones. A Void Inca 500 amplifier powered the setup, supported by two Powersoft WMP – Level controllers, for intuitive zone-based volume control. Complementing the public area systems, Digital Ear also introduced an elevated inroom experience. Each of the resort’s 39 guest rooms was fitted with a Ruark Audio R1S Smart Radio – a compact yet premium device offering Bluetooth connectivity, preloaded stations and elegant design. “The R1S was the perfect fit – stylish and user-friendly, complementing the elegance of the hotel with various pre-sets loaded onto the device. It’s also small and portable, giving guests the freedom to move it around within their accommodation – whether relaxing indoors or enjoying the view from the balcony. This marks our second large-scale hospitality project to feature them.” added Perera.

Malik Fernando, Managing Director of Resplendent Ceylon, shared his thoughts on the completed project: “We always strive to create an unparalleled experience for our guests at Cape Weligama, and sound plays an essential role in that. The new audio system installed by Digital Ear has met our high standards for quality, while preserving our aesthetic values, and we’re extremely pleased with the results.”

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TECHNICAL INFORMATION AUDIO 6 x Void Acoustics Cyclone 55 2 x Void Acoustics Cyclone 4 1 x Void Acoustics Bias D1 1 x Void Acoustics Inca 500 3 x Powersoft WMP – Level Controllers 39 x Ruark Audio R1S Smart Radios www.digitalearsl.com www.resplendentceylon.com

B USIN E S S 102

COMPANY PROFILE Equipson

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IN DISCUSSION Lumen Radio

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INSIDE VIEW Genelec

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IN DISCUSSION BrightSign

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SHOW REPORT Prolight + Sound

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SHOW PREVIEW InfoComm

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PRODUCT GUIDE Audio & Lighting Consoles

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IN DETAIL Konig & Meyer

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IN DETAIL Adam Hall Group

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IN DETAIL 1 SOUND

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DIRECTORY

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EQUIPSON: IN CONVERSATION WITH JUAN JOSÉ VILA IN APRIL OF 2025, THE MONDO-DR TEAM MADE THE TRIP OUT TO EASTERN SPAIN TO VISIT EQUIPSON’S VALENCIAN HEADQUARTERS. THIS VISIT CAME FOUR MONTHS AFTER OUR PREVIOUS CHAT WITH THE MANUFACTURER’S CSO, JUAN JOSÉ VILA, IN WHICH HE DESCRIBED THE DEVASTATING IMPACT THAT THE CATASTROPHIC FLOODING OF OCTOBER 2024 HAD ON THE CITY. THE FULL CONVERSATION CAN BE FOUND IN MONDO-DR 35.2, WHERE THE CSO DETAILED HIS CAMPAIGN TO HELP THE EASTERN SPANISH COMMUNITY, #AVFORVALENCIA. THIS MOVEMENT AIMED TO RAISE AWARENESS REGARDING THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE PHENOMENON, KNOWN AS DANA (DEPRESIÓN AISLADA EN NIVELES ALTOS, TRANSLATING TO ISOLATED HIGH-ALTITUDE DEPRESSION) AND GUIDE INTERNATIONAL MEMBERS OF THE AUDIOVISUAL COMMUNITY TOWARD APPROPRIATE CHARITABLE DONATION CHANNELS. THIS MOST RECENT TRIP GAVE US THE CHANCE TO CATCH UP WITH JUAN, WHERE AN IN-DEPTH DISCUSSION WAS ABLE TO TAKE PLACE, TAKING A FURTHER LOOK AT HIS ACTIVISM, THE INCREDIBLE RESILIENCE OF THE VALENCIAN COMMUNITY, AND MORE GENERALLY, WHAT WE CAN EXPECT TO SEE FROM EQUIPSON IN FORTHCOMING MONTHS. Looking back at the timeline of his #AVforValencia campaign, Juan explained that he set out with a single mission: “raising awareness, and quickly.”

He detailed how the water from the torrential floods stopped only a mere 300 meters from the Equipson headquarters, “so we had a small amount of superficial damage. We were really, really lucky compared to countless others.”

Many lives were destroyed and taken as a product of the DANA, with many inside the industry impacted heavily as well. “For example,” the CSO continued, “there are many factories and suppliers in the region that can never open again. We’ve lost two lovely companies that stood as suppliers for our brand, Fantek. I saw so much of the destruction, both inside and outside of the AV world, first-hand, and I felt like the news channels were not reflecting how truly dire the situation was. The only thing I felt like I could do was make noise and let people know the truth.”

After sharing videos of the state of eastern Spain on his social media channels, Juan received frequent messages and calls from international members of the AV community who wanted to offer their help.

However, there wasn’t much of a platform for anyone outside the region to easily donate to the victims of the flood. Accordingly, he contacted charity Fundación-In Jóvenes contra el Cáncer, which, alongside Juan, provisionally realigned their established mission of helping children with cancer to host a hub for funds for DANA recovery.

“In less than an hour after I’d contacted them, they provided a platform for people to donate

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to. We have used this hub to raise over €60,000 in total since October 2024, which is currently being transferred to Casa Caridad’s emergency fund to target the relief efforts.”

Part of this figure also came from fundraising from Bike Fest, a yearly event arranged in part by AFIAL (an association led by Juan), that consists of industry professionals cycling from Valencia across the Mediterranean Coast to ISE in Barcelona within a few days.

“The annual occasion usually raises funds for Backup Tech, a UK-based program that provides financial and well-being support to tech industry members. However, for 2025’s Bike Fest, I told the team that despite my unwavering support for Backup Tech, I could not bring myself to focus on any charity other than those aiding Valencia right now. Everyone involved was very understanding, so we were able to donate half of the 2025 event’s funds to the cause. This was a huge help.”

With a huge sum of money raised and Juan alongside the Fundación-In Jóvenes contra el Cáncer team joining the physical recovery efforts by helping with cleaning and reconstruction in the region, #AVforValencia is reaching the end of its fundraising mission.

“We’ve managed to collect as much as we could for the cause, and the campaign for attention has been successful. However, we won’t stop talking about it as long as there are affected people who need a voice.”

He continued: “The only positive from this horrendous tragedy is that it showed me the solidarity between people. In the wake of the DANA, many residents from other parts of Spain came every day to help the victims.”

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The showroom at the Equipson group HQ. The aftermath of October 2024’s tragic flooding in eastern Spain.

The beginning of the post-DANA clean-up efforts.

The Equipson HQ in Valencia.

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Such aid has been present within the AV industry, too, with the CSO recounting how, after one conversation with a professional at ISE, they donated two trucks of lamps for people who had their sources of light destroyed.

Outside of the crucial donations it was able to accrue, 2025’s Bike Fest was also generally successful over its three days of riding. “Each year we reach more and more industry professionals with the event,” Juan said.

“The experience is always great. Even the hard moments were satisfying; we had some strong rains, but that just meant that when the sun came back, it felt like a victory! The mood was great. The ride finished, as is typical, at ISE 2025, where all attendees seemed to know about Bike Fest.”

Despite the year’s necessary focus on #AVforValencia, Juan and Equipson are not only politically and socially aware of regional charities and issues.

On the global matter of sustainability, he commented: “Here at Equipson, all our power comes from solar. Not just the HQ, but also our factories! Most of our offices are lit purely by natural daylight, too. Additionally, 100% of the aluminium we buy for our trussing brand, Fantek, is recycled.

Metal workshops can be unsustainable, but we want to do whatever we can to minimise this.”

Equipson also concerns itself with building trust between the brand and its end users and suppliers.

Other than attending busy trade shows, the manufacturer aims to strengthen this relationship by really engaging customers in its products.

“For example, our brand LightShark has a private community for all users where we share with them, and they share with us. We send over case studies, our latest softwares to try, launch upcoming

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updates, and test the waters with prospective ideas, inviting them to comment on it all before release. We’ve opened up a channel to engage our distributors and customers and receive feedback.”

Juan went on to detail just some of what we can expect to see from Equipson and its brands throughout the rest of 2025.

“We launched a lot of new products at our ISE stand this year, and we expect to see the products used throughout different venue types as the year continues.” For instance, division WORK PRO displayed its latest Raptor series range, designed with smaller spaces in need of robust kit in mind.

“In terms of Fantek,” he continued, “we want to try and be at the forefront of trussing innovation. We are going to do this by expanding our offerings whilst keeping our high quality, still making our 30 by 30 truss, our best-selling truss, but also creating bigger systems to make our way into a wider market.”

At InfoComm this year, LightShark will take centre stage, with Juan confirming that six new products from the division will be on display. “It’s going to be a great year for LightShark,” he said.

“Though Equipson is an umbrella with multiple brands beneath it, we want people to know that each division works independently with their own targeted R&D team, sales team, engineers, and more. But, of course, there is so much synergy between these companies, which is something we are really proud of.”

The CSO concluded by stating that, for the remainder of the year, Equipson will continue to showcase the harmony between its brands while staying firmly attuned to social and environmental issues both within and beyond the industry. www.equipson.es

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Juan Hosé Vila, Equipson CSO. The showroom at the Equipson group HQ.

LUM E NRADIO: WH Y WIRE LE SS? Mic h a e l Karlsson, H e a d of R& D and Produc t Ma na g e r, Lume nRa dio

At its simplest definition, LumenRadio provides wireless communication systems. Can you expand the brand’s mission further?

Michael Karlsson: LumenRadio was founded on the idea that cables themselves can sometimes be limiting. Through eliminating the need for expensive and complex cabling, we believe we can enable more creative installations that don’t have to be altered due to the need for considering where and how wires will be integrated. Wireless technology is important within the entertainment industry, helping create theatre productions, art exhibitions, concerts, architectural installations, and more. For example, our solutions have been implemented in theatres with moving stage elements. In such cases, the venue can be as dynamic as it likes without worrying about having to realign or untangle cables.

Can you explain LumenRadio’s proprietary wireless technology?

MK: One of our patented technologies is what we call Cognitive Coexistence. It’s the foundation of our offering and one of the reasons we are the most reliable connectivity solution on the market. It ensures that at any given point in time, our tech is communicating on the sections of the frequency that are either not used at all, or are the least used. This makes communication with LumenRadio more robust, as we’re transmitting where other people aren’t, eliminating the risk of interference. My colleague compares it to a small motorbike on a congested highway; even if all the big cars have come to a standstill, LumenRadio is the bike can still squeeze between them, and change lanes if needed.

Wired connections were once the most common choice for connectivity solutions. Why do you think this is now shifting in favour of wireless?

MK: From the conversations we’ve had with other industry professionals, there are three main reasons. One is that pulling new cabling can be quite costly, especially in larger architectural installations. For example, we integrated our systems in one of Melbourne Airport’s terminals a while ago. If we were fitting wires, not only would there be the cost of pulling the cable itself, but the physically intrusive nature of such solutions would have caused the terminal to halt operations for some time, causing financial impact. People also turn to wireless for its flexibility. The first site visit after a project’s planning phase often shows that not everything is exactly as laid out on paper. Wireless solutions are adaptable, making design alterations easy. The third main driving factor is the creativity it opens. Wireless helps signals get to places where it would be impossible to pull a cable. For example, we’ve had cases where some lights have been placed on top of small islands within a lake, and we even worked on an installation last year that consisted of lighting up a waterfall. In these cases, wires are simply not an option. We want designers to be able to be more creative, not bound by environmental or spatial hurdles.

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B e l o w : L u m e n R ad i o w i r e l e ss t ec hn ology a t t he br a n d ’s HQ.

T hough c a b l i n g h a s b e e n a long -truste d me th od f or c onne c tin g enter ta i n m e n t , M i c h a e l Karlsson, Lume nRadio’s H e a d of R& D an d Pr od u ct M a na ge r , E n t e r t a i n m e n t Lig h ting , be lie ve s th e industry is at t he for efr on t of a wi r e l e s s s o l u t i o n r e volution. In an industry inc re asing ly dr iven by the need fo r s t r e a m l i n i n g , c o st-e f f e c tive ne ss, a nd innova tion, h e ex plain s how A V p r ofes si o n a l s c a n u s e s u ch syste ms to me e t th e se de mands. Her e K ar lsson eva l ua t e s t h e w i r e d - v e r s u s-wire le ss disc ourse , a nd introduc e s the ex ten sive op p or t u n i t i e s t h a t c a n c o me f rom Lume nRa dio te c h nolog y.

So far in 2025, in which areas are you seeing higher demand for wireless solutions?

MK: For our wireless DMX technology, our largest user base is in the film and broadcast world, but we’ve also been extremely successful in other entertainment spaces, such as theatres and concert arenas. What we have seen is a growing demand for connectivity in the ‘architainment’ market. This is a blend between architecture and entertainment, like a colourful light show mapped onto a landmark. We’re seeing a lot more of these types of use cases.

What are some of the biggest misconceptions surrounding wireless technology?

MK: Some people think that all wireless systems are the same. Even today, we quite often hear people claim that they don’t want to use wireless, as they used it a decade ago and it wasn’t suitable. However, it’s a constantly evolving technology, and not all wireless solutions are built with the same power. Our connectivity isn’t at all comparable to a simple office Wi-Fi system. It’s for mission-critical data distribution and accuracy, to the millisecond. Being strictly for professional applications, our systems don’t have the reliability issues that a non-specialist wireless system might have. Obviously, there are cases where wireless isn’t the best solution for the job and cables are needed. However, we believe that venue demands are evolving to a point where wireless will be the typical, expected choice.

What are the most prevalent challenges in using wireless?

MK: We see problems occur when people don’t give themselves time to learn about the technology, when they just run straight into use without checking if the system is properly set up, or if there’s anything that could cause interference. When people spend more time understanding the tech, though, they can use it effectively for practically any application.

What do you, and the installers that you work with, see as the biggest advantages of wireless systems?

MK: Regardless of whether it’s a permanent or touring installation, there’s the potential to get a load of cables involved. With wireless, its right there in the name – no cables. This means that every time you’re setting up it is a huge time saver, and again, allows for so much flexibility. Also, a lot of the installers we work with on permanent integrations have to think about building regulations; there are often construction rules around important or historic venues. Wireless eliminates the need to worry about where and when cables can be laid in such buildings.

Finally, what advice would you give to audiovisual professionals who are hesitant to switch to wireless communications solutions?

MK: Use it for a small project first. Get to know the technology. When you’ve had some practice, the possibilities are endless… www.lumenradio.com

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GENEL EC I NSTA L L E D SOU N D Wit h a l o n g - s t a n d i n g tradition dating ba c k to 1978 , th e c or e philosophy of lo u d s pe a k e r m a n u f ac ture r Ge ne le c is to of f e r re lia ble , n eu tr al sou n d r epr o d u c t i o n f r o m i t s solutions in any applic a tion. An indu str y lead er in a c t i v e m o n i t o r s pe ake rs, Ge ne le c ’s busine ss h a s e xpa nded beyon d th e pr o f e s s i o n a l s t u d i o monitor se g me nt to se le c te d c onsu mer an d A V i n s t a l l a t i o n m a r k e ts. H e re , Kati Pajukallio, B usine ss Man ager , an d A nt h o n y B e r r y , S a l e s Support E ng ine e r, f rom th e c ompany ’s In stalled Sou n d t e a m , d i s c u s s t h e c ompany’s re c e nt g rowth in th e p r o A V m a r k e t , a n d h o w t h i s h as e volve d out of th e ir Nordic h e a r tlan d s an d ex p a n d e d a r o u n d t h e world.

With an established business model in the music/broadcast segment, what was the catalyst for Genelec to move into the pro AV world of installations?

Kati Pajukallio: It’s not common knowledge, but in the very early days of Genelec we were active in the sound reinforcement market – so we did already have some experience of the audio world beyond music and broadcast. But over the years our studio loudspeakers kept finding their way into more premium installations, because the clarity, intelligibility and reliability required for critical music and broadcast applications obviously transfer very naturally to the world of AV. So professional integrators with a particular interest in great audio have consistently turned to Genelec for solutions. As this trend developed, we could see the obvious business potential, and so we started to allocate more resources to the Installed Sound segment, and launched the 4000 series of installation

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loudspeakers back in 2010, followed by the introduction of the Smart IP family some years later. Today, alongside our professional studio loudspeaker ranges, we now have a line of active loudspeakers for both Home Audio and Installed Sound, and these segments have grown naturally with the efforts of our global distribution network.

When the Smart IP networked loudspeaker family launched in 2019, what were the company’s short-term expectations for the products, and how have those expectations grown since then?

KP: The rise of AVoIP created a clear demand for an IP speaker, and we already had experience of bringing a networked loudspeaker to market – the 8430, which we introduced at ISE in 2016. So we had entered the market early and done a lot of valuable work on networked audio prior to Smart IP’s launch.

Far left: Sa les Su ppor t En gin eer , An t hon y B er r y a n d B u sin ess Ma n a ger Ka t i Pa j u k a llio, f r om Gen elec ’s I n st a lled Sou n d t ea m.

M i ddle: 7 0 Gen elec Sma r t I P lou d spea k er s a r e u t ilised a t t he M a r vel: Ea r t h’s Might iest E x h ibit ion in New Z ea la n d .

L e ft: Gen elec solu t ion s on displa y a t t he compa n y’s Exper ien c e C en t r e in Seou l.

The focus on delivering audio over IP networks seemed to be the right direction, but since the 8430 model was based on the Ravenna protocol and was mains powered, it appealed more to broadcasters than integrators. With Smart IP, we knew that by producing a studio quality loudspeaker that was both Dante and AES67 compatible – and could be powered via PoE – this would be warmly embraced by integrators. This has proved to be the case. Truthful sound sits at the heart of Genelec designs, and guides the development for all products. To us, this makes them the right choice for any installation project where there is a genuine focus on quality audio, whether that’s corporate environments, retail, museums and attractions, or a local restaurant. The range of projects that have deployed Smart IP has been very broad. Geographically, we didn’t see any barriers to where Smart IP might be utilised, but it was natural that the early adopters would be in the Nordic region, which had traditionally been our strongest Installed Sound market. But Smart IP obviously offered genuine global business potential, and it encouraged us to put more focus on key international territories beyond our Nordic heartland. That work is continuing.

Was there a plan in place to monitor the success of the Installed Sound sector locally in the Nordics, and then deciding if, and how, that could translate to further afield?

KP: The growth of our Installed Sound business in the Nordics has been mainly linked to people and language, and having dedicated and passionate personnel to support the markets and promote the products has been key to this growth. But, as mentioned, the arrival of Smart IP represented a step-change in our view on other international markets, and by engaging, supporting and training our global sales network, new markets have emerged. Sometimes the process has been assisted by our local distribution partners recruiting specialist installation professionals to support our efforts, or in some cases we’ve appointed new distributors specifically to handle our Installed Sound solutions. But either way, having knowledgeable and wellconnected local AV teams is crucial.

The company has recently announced two new roles in the Installed Sound team – one positioned in Europe and one in the USA – how does this reflect Genelec’s commitment to growing its Installed Sound division?

Anthony Berry: Having dedicated brand ambassadors for the Installed Sound segment became a natural progression of our strategy, following the dedicated ambassadors we already have for the Pro Audio Monitoring market. Giving AV professionals the opportunity to experience the Genelec sound is vital to understand our vision and the quality of audio that we offer.

Implementation of the Smart IP range requires some technical understanding, and that’s best taught with the personal expertise that we as a company can offer. Reaching out to the market internationally is our goal, and my role as Sales Support Engineer is to work alongside our global distribution partners to ensure that consultants, integrators and installers alike can get the very best performance from Genelec solutions. My colleague Andrew Glasmacher also joined us recently, and his role as US Sales Manager is to support contractors, consultants and architects there, and develop and cultivate new business relationships and accounts. Obviously, the USA is a key market for us, and it’s an area where we’re already seeing impressive growth.

What are the long-term goals for the Installed Sound team with these two new roles in place?

AB: Globally, with very different maturity of markets, we have the challenge of making sure that all AV professionals and audio fans globally know about our Installed Sound solutions, and their versatility for various applications. Our long term goal is simply to grow the reach and visibility of the Installed Sound segment.

What are the types of projects that are fuelling this international growth – and how do they compare with what you have witnessed across the Nordics?

KP: We see a growing interest in the museum market – where creating immersive and engaging environments is very easy with Genelec Smart IP solutions – and hospitality, restaurants and

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hotels are also investing in the creation of atmospheres and elevating the customer experience. We’re witnessing increasing demand from listening bars to exclusive lounges, and in the Nordics – where our brand is very well-known and long established – we are the desired solution in corporate environments, showrooms and retail. This is something that we wish to grow in other markets too.

How would you describe the international demand, has it been gradual and steady, or was there an element of surprise to its speed – and where has this growth occurred?

KP: The increase in demand has definitely been gradual.

Steady, incremental, manageable growth is something we as a company always strive for, since it allows us to keep meeting client expectations concerning delivery times. The recent launches of new products in the Smart IP family, which has now grown to encompass wall, ceiling and pendant loudspeaker models, plus a complementary subwoofer, have definitely helped drive demand.

Additionally, integration with a growing range of third party control systems is really helping to ease installation pressure points, and is contributing to Smart IP’s popularity.

Growth-wise, Europe and the USA are currently leading the way for us, but our focus continues to be global.

Anthony, how does your experience with Genelec products in a previous role at a distributor and integrator help you in this newly created role of Sales Support Engineer, and can you outline what the role entails?

AB: My previous experience has provided me with a comprehensive understanding of the capabilities of Genelec solutions, their integration and implementation within various systems, and the specific needs and challenges of integrators and installers. I’ve gained hands-on experience with technical specifications, installation procedures, and troubleshooting for Smart IP systems. In the role of Sales Support Engineer, I’ll be focused on supporting the sales team and our partners by providing in-depth technical assistance, product demonstrations and training.

The role also involves troubleshooting, liaising with the Genelec technical support team and the R&D department.

Supporting our sales, marketing and business development teams will also enable me to act as a brand ambassador.

So….I’m going to be pretty busy!

Having been based in Sweden for ten years, do you feel well placed to take what you’ve seen in the Nordic region to the international market?

AB: Yes, definitely. The Nordic market is known for its focus on innovation, high quality standards, sustainability, and strong demand for premium audio products. As a result, Genelec has been very successful in this space with both the 4000 and Smart IP series of speakers. By leveraging my previous experience combined with Genelec’s outstanding quality and performance, I believe I can effectively translate the Nordic approach to international markets. Some adaptation might be required from time to time, but I’ll be maintaining the core values that have driven our success in the Nordic region.

How important is the relationship with customers and end users in making informed decisions on the direction of the company?

KP: Since every product we have ever made is designed to solve specific customer problems, understanding our

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customers and the challenges they face is crucial. That’s the reason we exist as a company. So, we take pride in our personal and attentive customer service, which serves customers globally across all our segments. Our international Installed Sound partners are well positioned to support, educate and inspire customers personally in their local markets. Events are still very important for providing that up-close experience of our products, and personal face to face interaction. We aim to be a partner that is reachable and supportive.

How important is the new 3440A subwoofer in enhancing the Smart IP family and offering a ‘full solution’ single-cable audio system?

AB: As the Smart IP loudspeaker range grew, the lack of a complementary subwoofer was an obvious missing piece of the jigsaw. We could see that a Smart IP subwoofer was going to enable the creation of full-range systems via PoE+, and that was a valuable prize. But, delivering clean low frequency performance at high SPLs over PoE+ is a major technical challenge, and took a considerable amount of work. Like other Smart IP models, the proprietary power supply design acts as a reservoir to store the modest power output of PoE+ and then release it as and when needed to cope with the dynamics of music and speech. Hats off to our R&D team, the 3440A enables us to deliver premium quality audio in all solutions, with accurate and powerful bass. It’s a real showcase for Genelec’s creativity and technological innovation.

With Genelec Experience Centres located around the world – is there scope to further enhance these facilities and showcase the installation solutions to invite customers for in-person demonstrations?

KP: While the Experience Centres have primarily focused on our Pro Audio Monitoring solutions, they do also provide an opportunity to evaluate our Installed Sound technology.

This is an important part of our communication, and we know first-hand that these listening experiences have been a key part of the customer decision journey for AV clients.

The Centres also have an important role to play in educating our customers in Installed Sound. They serve as places for training and demonstrations, supporting our local distributors globally. www.genelec.com/installed-sound

Abo v e: The n ew 3440 A su bw oof er ha s en ha n ced t he Sma r t I P f a mily of lou d spea k er s.

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MADE IN GERMANY

B RI G H TSI G N M O NDO -DR sits down with B rig h tSig n ’s V ice P re side nt of Inte rna tiona l Sale s, Pie rr e Gillet, to d i sc uss all th ing s dig ital sig na g e , e va lu atin g the c o nstantly e volving industry and h ow gr owth in a re a s suc h a s a rtif ic ia l inte llig e nc e , in ter action an d i mme rsive ve nue s, and IoT inte g ration ar e helpin g s h a pe th e c ompany’s of f e ring s.

What are they key points of BrightSign’s current mission?

Pierre Gillet: At BrightSign, our mission is to empower businesses to attract, engage, and captivate audiences by bringing visual content and experiences to life. That means we deliver digital media products with the performance required to engage today’s evolving audiences, with the security and reliability demanded by industries from corporate enterprise and retail to transportation hubs and QSR. Our technology is known for its signature operating system (BrightSignOS), ease of use, and purposebuilt design. And through our Bright Alliance program, we partner with outstanding content management system (CMS) providers to provide collaborative support to unlock greater possibilities for new signage experiences. For us, it is about giving our growing partner ecosystem (including integrators) and creative end users the power to transform information, content, and experiences into dynamic, immersive, and memorable moments.

Can you share a recent customer case study that reflects the potential of BrightSign’s offerings in creating an immersive experience?

PG: We collaborated with BIG Digital, a leader in digital immersive and interactive technology for live sports to install our digital signage players within BIG Digital’s freestanding, rugged, portable digital billboards. They were deployed at the DP World Tour’s flagship tournament, the BMW PGA Championship in 2023, and again at The Ryder Cup two weeks later, and subsequent DP World Tour tournaments in 2023 and throughout 2024.

The network of dual-screen portable digital billboards used API integrations with the DP World Tour to provide real-time information such as live scoring, tee-off times, and player location updates.

With fans spread across such a large vicinity, the digital signage solution played a key role in making sure everyone received necessary updates.

And with members of Gen Z less likely to attend sporting events than other generations, the technology played a key role in keeping them engaged, powering an AR activation that let them take a photo with a digital version of their favourite golfer.

Last year, what trends in customer demands did you see, and how do you expect to see this change in 2025?

PG: Consumers expect highly dynamic, interactive, and personalised experiences across all aspects of their lives, from retail stores and

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airports, to concerts, theme parks and stadiums. Wherever individuals and groups gather, 2024 saw a demand for elevated content. This placed pressure on businesses to keep up. As a result, we saw a shift in what was being asked of digital signage solutions and media players so that businesses could go about creating exciting, interactive, and shareable experiences. And, when you include the integration of IoT and other advanced technologies, like AI, into digital signage platforms, experiences reach a whole new level. This trend will continue in 2025. We’re also seeing customers place greater focus on security, looking for digital signage solutions that share information securely and reliably, because every single content experience matters.

Bel o w Left a n d R i g h t : B r i g h t S i g n s olu ti ons at t h e 2 0 2 3 R y d e r C u p .

Bo t t o m R i gh t : B r i g h t S i g n ’s b o o t h at IS E 2 0 2 5 .

How is BrightSign adapting to the rise of AI in digital signage, and do you see the increase in AI use as something that will have a net positive or negative impact on the industry?

PG: AI is here to stay in the digital signage industry and can be used to great effect to improve experiences. For example, the integration of NPUs into digital media players speeds up how fast and how accurately data can be interpreted and fed back into the experience. So, at a sporting event or concert or even in a public space, being able to route foot traffic, guide people to less crowded foot stalls and amenities, and use data to chart exit paths will become common use cases. Every business wants to do more with data and then deliver a better product, service, or experience using that information. AI in digital signage is making that a reality.

What role do you see interactivity and personalisation playing in the future of signage?

PG: Interactivity and personalisation represent the future of signage for many industries. Both are key to creating engaging and dynamic content experiences. It is one of the reasons we have a growing technology integrator and partner ecosystem, giving businesses the means to connect with audiences and change the content based on that interaction. For example, in a retail setting, using augmented reality and digital media players in combination allows for the virtual try-on of clothes or items creating upsell opportunities and a far more exciting experience.

Additionally, IoT integration is making digital signage more interactive and immersive, supporting the ability to personalise content in near real time for audiences. Sensors built into digital signage players can help detect when a shopper picks up a product to show information about that item, such as additional colour options and sizes available online. Retailers can then use this data to understand which products are popular and to offer better content recommendations. For instance, IoT-enabled lights can illuminate to guide shoppers to other sections of the store where they can find items similar to or complementary to the ones they just picked up.

As one of the global leaders in the digital signage industry, what strategies have helped BrightSign on its journey?

PG: BrightSign has nearly 3 million digital media players powering content experiences worldwide across all settings, including corporate, retail, QSR, live event, and transportation. We maintain our reputation by continuing to deliver solutions that redefine industry standards and meet diverse customer needs while offering cutting-edge performance, unmatched versatility, and exceptional reliability. We’re committed to understanding customer needs and challenges so we can respond with reliable solutions, continuing to power our growing partner ecosystem in the process. www.brightsign.biz

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P ro l igh t + Sound EM EA

FRANKFURT, GERMANY / 8 – 11 APR, 2025

For four days, the Messe Frankfurt grounds saw 491 exhibitors, over 580 events, and visitors from all over the world, creating an exciting hub for discussion around the innovations and advancements in modern audiovisual technology. The MONDO-DR team were present, as usual, visiting the hundreds of stands and chatting with the event organisers, who were pleased with PL+S 2025’s outcome.

The German market, which Wolfgang Marzin, President and CEO of Messe Frankfurt, called “one of the most important in the industry,” was highly active in its attendance at the show. However, PL+S welcomed a significant global audience too, with international visitors making up around 36% of the crowd.

ADJ found the tradeshow floor a particularly fitting place to celebrate its 40th anniversary. Among the standout products it displayed were the Vizi Pix Z19, ADJ’s automated wash zoom luminaire, the Hydro Flex L7 and Hydro Flex L19 moving heads, the retro-inspired Vintage X and Vintage

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Bar, and the Encore DBX blinder, a dynamic effect fixture.

Adam Hall’s lighting brand, Cameo, had a strong presence at the exhibition, using the event to unveil a refreshed visual identity as part of what the team described as the brand’s ongoing evolution. Alongside this rebranding, Cameo showcased several new products, including the P6 LED profile light and the compact AZOR SP2 IP65-rated spot profile moving head. Also on display were the high-end ORON H2 and OPUS X4 moving heads. Rounding out their exhibition presence, Cameo offered a shuttle service to the Adam Hall Group Experience Centre, where the MONDO-DR team enjoyed an immersive demonstration featuring the latest Cameo lighting technology.

Avolites, a Robe brand, was pleased to present the D7, the latest addition to its Diamond collection of consoles, with two variants, D7-330 and D7-215 while Amate Audio displayed its X82FD, a high-performance, Dante-equipped powered point-source design, in a lightweight 50-pound, dual-8-inch format, based on its best-selling X102FD. After its launch at ISE 2025 in February, AV Stumpfl showcased Pixera Zero, the smallest member of its Pixera ecosystem. This compact media server platform is designed for digital signage and multi-display applications, and is available in three models, PXZ-0, PXZ-2, and PXZ4. The show also coincided with the brand’s 50th anniversary since its founding.

Ayrton’s light show was a highlight of the Messe Frankfurt experience.

The brand’s new Kyalami and Nando 502 Wash were unveiled on the

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stand, and then utilised in the light show alongside its Cobra, Cobra2, Rivale Profile, WildSun K9 Wash, Zonda 3, Zonda 9 and Argo 6. This year, Ayrton hosted the Rose Stunde event, a gathering of women in the AV industry that started at the show 14 years ago.

CHAUVET Professional’s attendance was underlined by its PL+S exclusive slogan, ‘Finally True Colours ReveaLED’, which manifested in the introduction of three products – the Maverick Storm 1 Flex spot/beam/wash, the new addition to its STRIKE series, STRIKE V, and the Rogue Outcast 3X Wash.

Claypaky introduced several new fixtures, including the Tambora Stormy Linear hybrid strobe bar and the Volero Twins, a hybrid batten with dual light engines, pan/ tilt/zoom functions, and solid beam effects. Claypaky also debuted the ADB Actoris Fresnel, a multispectral fixture designed for consistent colour washes in studio, theatre, and live event environments.

DAS Audio’s huge stand spotlit its new ARA Series system: MARA. This cardioid selfpowered line array system joined the series alongside the LARA and SARA systems.

Visitors to the stand were able to learn all about MARA and how it can be a great solution for medium to large-scale events.

Elation was also in attendance to present a number of its new systems. This included PARAGON, its automated lighting series that debuted at the end of 2024. Furthermore, Elation’s new compact LED profile fixture for a variety of venue sizes, REBEL, was on display. The PROTEUS BRUTUS FS and the FUZE PFX were among other products the brand featured at PL+S 2025.

The ETC team gave MONDO-DR a comprehensive tour around its large stand, detailing all of the solutions it chose to emphasise at the exhibition. In celebration of the brand’s 50th anniversary, it hosted the public debut of the new Foundry Switch Panel, a family

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1 Zep Mouris of Green Hippo.

2 The RCF demonstration at Messe Frankfurt’s outdoor stage.

3 Álvaro Fontanals of DAS Audio.

4 Larry Beck and Eric Loader of Elation Lighting.

5 Uli Steinle of GLP. 6 Arnaud Thaler and Inga Ruhöfer of CHAUVET Professional.

7 Eddie Short and Danny Krichel of ADJ. 8 Pavel Němec of Robe.

9 Sam Woodward of TAIT. 10 Alena Turiakova and Dylan De Matteo of Claypaky.

11 Benjamin Stocklöw of Smoke Factory.

12 Tim Otte of HOF. 13 Rainer Brandstätter of AV Stumpfl.

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of relay racks designed and built in Europe for the 230V market. Updates to the Hog family of consoles alongside the new ColorSource PAR V Zoom and ColorSource Fresnel V Max were also featured at the stand.

Harmonic Design revealed its brand-new hd BS10 BatterySpeakerSystem for the first time, the brand’s newest product for mobile audio applications in a compact, battery-powered active loudspeaker. Weighing only 10 kg and equipped with two hot-swappable 18V battery slots (compatible with common brand batteries), the system allows for completely wireless operation.

Highlite exhibited to present its wide range of new and updated products across its multiple brands: Showtec, Infinity, DAP, DMT, Showgear, and Wentex. Highlights included the launch of Showtec’s XPRESSION moving heads, the Goliath retro light, and IP65-rated Spectra fixtures.

In addition to its classic products, HK Audio presented its new FINEO series, the comprehensive HK Audio product family for professional fixed installations. They also displayed the latest additions to the LINEAR 5 MK II series, the 308 LTA long-throw mid/high unit and the particularly powerful 118 Sub HPA subwoofer.

As a yearly exhibitor of PL+S for over 20 years, Kling & Freitag was also in attendance. The focal point of its trade fair appearance was the SEQUENZA 8: a line array system that attracted attention thanks to its special technical features and flexible usability.

KV2 Audio were actively involved in the Live Sound Arena. This space offered an outdoor environment to experience professional sound systems under realistic conditions. Here, KV2 demonstrated its VHD2 system, a long-throw system designed for audiences of up to 20,000 people without the need for additional delays.

As well as showcasing its flagship products, MA Lighting uniquely created a training programme called MA University. This offered both beginner and advanced training courses for the grandMA3 directly at the exhibition centre, with all places being fully booked even before the start of the trade fair.

Robe also enjoyed an active expo, exhibiting its five core businesses – Robe, Avolites, Anolis, LSC Systems, and Artistic Licence – in a ‘Robe

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Village’ area. Many attractions drew visitors to the Robe booth, including the final performances of “The Fifth Dimension”, Robe’s 2024-25 live expo show concept, together with two new product launches, the T31 Cyc and T31 Cyc Slim, half-length versions of Robe’s existing T32 Cyc and T32 Cyc Slim range. A host of other just-launched Robe technologies stood out prominently on the stand and its two public demo areas, including the WTF! moving strobe-wash, the new LedPOINTE – the first LED version of Robe’s Pointe family of products – and the iESPRITE LTL. TAIT was also at the show, demonstrating its latest innovations across show control, automation, and staging technology. This included a preview of the new epiQ mini, the smallest console in the epiQ series and the Kinesys series.

At the TWAUDiO booth, the spotlight was on the new B12: in combination with its ELLA6, it can be flexibly deployed – either as a conventional subwoofer or in cardioid mode, mounted back-to-back with a second B12 using a magnetic locking system and the matching preset.

As the Wednesday of the show came to an end, Prolight + Sound celebrated its 30th anniversary by inviting attendees to a party, featuring DJs, live music, and an abundance of food and drinks. Spirits were high, both at the birthday event and across the four days of the exhibition, proving that Frankfurt’s Prolight + Sound is still a relevant member of the tradeshow circuit.

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Alex Pole of CHAUVET Professional.

Susi Niemeier and Helmut Seidl of Dynacord and Electro-Voice.

Tim Maier of Harmonic Design.

Gabi Vorholzer and Wolfgang Huber of Lawo.

Opasna Randev and Cat Shepherd of ETC Lighting.

Joachim Bogetvedt of Martin Professional.

Precision. Power. Purity.

N O W B U I LT F O R A B I G G E R S TA G E .

Introducing It’s lightweight, compact and pound-for-pound our most powerful point source yet. No need for multiple systems and amps. Just one, easy-to-rig loudspeaker that’s versatile enough for all kinds of venues. meyersound.com/ultra-x80

NOW SHIPPING

INFO COMM 202 5 P RE VIEW

Adamson Intelligent Sound Solutions Stand 6071 • • • • •

Dynacord IX Series Multichannel Networked DSP Power Amplifiers

VGt & VGs: Setting a new standard for intelligent line array systems.

FletcherMachine: Spatial audio solutions that retain the highest audio quality and offer intuitive control.

A selection of the Adamson Install Series (IS).

MG10: Low-profile, high-performance intelligent stage monitor.

New products revealed at the show.

Stand 6244

www.adamson.ai • • • • •

Five 4- and 8-channel networked DSP amplifiers for Hi-Z and Lo-Z operations with 6 kW, 3 kW and 1.5 kW total output power.

Equipped with four/eight mic/line inputs with switchable 48V phantom power and 8x8 Dante channels.

Fully featured 96 kHz DSP with matrix mixer, FIR and Dynacord FX. Advanced Dynacord technologies like ecoRAIL and ghostPOWER via PoE ensure flawless, energy-efficient operation.

Plug-Ins for Crestron and Q-SYS, TaskEngine for system integration, automation and control.

www.dynacord.com

NST DM88

Stand 5842

Genelec Smart IP series Stand 6781 • • • • •

Genelec will be showcasing the entire Smart IP networked loudspeaker family.

Power, audio and management via a single CAT cable.

Powered via PoE, and compatible with Dante and AES67 streams.

Exceptional audio quality with superb clarity, intelligibility and coverage.

Highly configurable via Smart IP Manager software, and compatible with a wide range of third party control systems.

www.genelec.com

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The DM88 incorporates not only the best quality audio conversion and DSP but also new levels of flexibility for routing and processing.

Featuring 16 Dante, 8 analogue and 8 AES inputs, these are all available to be matrixed to one of 16 processing channels, optimised for either general input processing or for more specialised output speaker processing.

General input processing features multiple layers of parametric EQ with a library of selectable behaviours, 3 bands of dynamic EQ, compression, highpass filter plus delay and phase reverse.

Specialised output processing includes 48dB/Oct high and low-pass filters, multiple EQ layers, FIR filtering, and a new 2- way mode limiter, designed for use with passive 2-way speaker boxes.

www.nstaudio.com

COMPACT C WP SERIES BUILT FOR THE ELEMENTS.

The RCF Compact C WP Series combines high-definition sound and powerful bass in a robust, weather-resistant enclosure.

Designed for permanent indoor or outdoor installations, each enclosure features a durable birch plywood structure, heavy-duty polyurea coating, and a powder-coated steel grille with water-repellent, acoustically transparent fabric. Available in 12” and 15” models, both equipped with titanium compression drivers (3.0” or 4.0”) and lightweight neodymium magnet, it features a 100° x 50° rotatable constant directivity waveguide to ensure precise coverage, with the optional accessories for 100° x 25° or 60° x 25° dispersion. Rated IP67 with Amphenol connectors and multiple mounting options via M8 and M10 inserts, the Compact C WP Series is engineered for reliable performance in stadiums, arenas, clubs, and demanding applications.

#ExperienceRCF

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Avolites D7 The Avolites D7 lighting consoles offer a powerful, flexible, and highly portable control solution for lighting at shows, concerts, live events, and houses of worship.

Two D7 variants are available – the D7215 and the D7-330 – both running on Avolites’ famous Titan software.

The D7 is designed and priced as a workhorse console that will unlock more creativity for designers, programmers, and operators. It sits above the Avolites Classic Range – the Tiger Touch II, Arena, Sapphire Touch & Quartz – and offers many of the larger D9’s most popular time-saving and handy features.

The compact D7-215 has two touchsensitive screens, 15 motorised playback faders and 15 encoders. It is super-portable, fitting into a standard Peli Air 1650 case and coming within the checked baggage weight allowance of most airlines.

The slightly larger D7-330 features three 14-inch screens and 30 motorised playback faders / 30 playback encoders, offering more control for even larger shows whilst maintaining portability.

The motorised faders have an RGB LED indicator along each one, and there is a single level RGB halo indicator for each encoder. There is in-built LED light at the top of the screen panel and along the rear of the console.

Rear ports include a 4-port network switch, four DMX, LTC Input & loop, MIDI ports, two and one external monitors for the D7-215 & D7-330 respectively, one Secondary Ethernet, Trigger in, GP IO and both variants are showfile compatible with all of Avolites’ Titan consoles. The USB port is conveniently concealed from plain

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sight in the right-hand side handle recess! The general ergonomics offer premium styling but are keenly priced, making D7 a rental company volume product and a soon-to-be-favourite for concerts, music shows, touring productions, live events, and festivals.

The latest processors and components give peak performance with builtin longevity. Avolites has made it powerful, quick to programme, and easy to use, which the manufacturer says has always been its USP. Anyone already able to operate an Avolites console will be able to run a D7 easily, due to both D7s running on Avolites’ Titan software.

All the vital programming tools are to hand via a touch screen for speed and efficiency, an enhanced back-lit keyboard located in a retractable drawer is optimised for assisting programming in dim or dark environments. The On / Off button is concealed under the keyboard drawer to reduce the chance of accidental activation.

Both the D7-215 and D7-330 can control up to 32 DMX universes out-ofthe-box with expandable networking via rackmount Titan Net Processors.

These are powerful consoles with a small footprint. The D7-215 has been designed to offer maximum control & programming capability with minimal weight – it can be packed into a standard Peli Air case and weight less than 27kg – allowing you to easily check in as hold luggage to fly anywhere you go.

The ultimate travel and performance console, the D7 has been designed for lighting designers, by lighting designers, and is now shipping. www.avolites.com

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Cadac CM-J50 The CM-J50 features 96 input channels and 56 busses, and has been designed to provide an intuitive user interface, with class leading audio performance, in a very competitive package.

Cadac’s gesture-based navigation, via an impressively large 23.5-inch optically bonded touchscreen, allows the user to scroll through the console’s input channels and busses. A simple swipe, touch and turn gives complete creative control of the audio, with the faders and encoders seamlessly mapping to the screen’s active functions, resulting in an intuitive mix experience. The combination of a compact form factor, exceptional user interface, Cadac mic-pre’s, state-of-the art DSP and FPGA processing, coupled with astonishingly low latency, makes the CM-J50 an incredible proposition for those who do not want to compromise on either audio quality or creativity. www.cadac-consoles.com

ChamSys QuickQ 30

DiGiCo Quantum 7

The QuickQ 30 is part of ChamSys QuickQ range of user friendly and affordable lighting control consoles. The QuickQ 30 is the perfect choice console for control of dimmer, LED colour mixing and moving light fixtures which features a large 9.7-inch touch screen utilising a smart phone-like interface for setup, programming and playback of your show. The console can automatically detect, patch and configure RDM compliant fixtures and also features in-built Wi-Fi capabilities enabling remote connections to the free QuickQ app available on iOS, Andoid and Windows tablets and phones. Easily connect the app by simply scanning the QR code on the console display. The console has easy-to-understand buttons and faders, simple colour selection and intensity control tools, a large touch screen with zooming and scrolling at your fingertips, as well as a simple cue/chase system for playback.

Specifically aimed at the novice user, the QuickQ interface easily leads you through setup, programming and operation of the console. www.chamsyslighting.com

Quantum 7 places the world’s most flexible and feature-rich mixing experience at your fingertips. Standard channel processing across both inputs and outputs includes Channel Delay, DiGiTuBe, Single and MultiChannel Presets, Dual insert points, Hi- and Lo-pass filters at 24dB/ octave, four-band parametric EQ (eight on outputs) with band curve selection and Dynamic EQ on each band, DiGiCo’s DYN 1 (Compressor, De-esser or Multiband Compressor) and DYN 2 (Gate, Compressor or Ducker). All of this is before the arrival of Mustard Processing, a fully integrated suite of additional processing that can be assigned to any strip to boost your mix with a range of modelled preamps, vintage dynamics units and EQ sections, all only a touch away. The master section incorporates 48 gangable 48 band graphic EQs, 48 stereo effects, and 36 control groups (VCAs); using snapshots, you can now switch between complete configurations in any live environment more quickly and easily than ever before, be it during rehearsals, set-up or even mid-show. In addition, 128 busses are assignable as mono/stereo groups or auxiliaries, while a 48×48 output matrix, dual solo busses with True Solo, and a LR/LCR/5.1 Master buss is available for even deeper configurability. With the inclusion of patented Nodal Processing, engineers now enjoy more creativity than was previously possible – for the first time, processing can be applied to any node on the auxiliary section of the console, allowing engineers to send unique processing on each send from single or multiple channels. www.digico.biz

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ETC Next Generation Hog ETC has unveiled its next-generation Hog lighting control consoles, designed to cater to the diverse needs of lighting professionals across the industry.

The Tour Hog console is built for professionals who need a powerful and flexible console on the move. Packed with new hardware and software features, it enhances the Hog workflow while maintaining a sleek and compact design. The 24-inch articulating display, dual 12.5-inch dashboard screens, motorized RGB-backlit keys, and faders ensure quick access to vital functions, perfect for fast-paced, dynamic live events. New function keys, now reconfigured with large full-color displays, offer intuitive access to Hog’s traditional kinds and commands, while eight new user-definable keys allow for further customization of the front panel, ensuring flexibility for any production scenario.

For those looking for even greater adaptability, the Stage Hog offers the same power and precision as the Tour Hog but without a monitor, allowing users to incorporate their own displays and other accessories. Its modular design features the same front panel controls as Tour Hog, while accessory mounts accommodate third-party adapters for monitors, tablets, laptops, and cameras to tailor the setup to your needs. etcconnect.com

E ​ UROLITE DMX Commander 512 The DMX Commander 512 is a modern theatre lighting console that enables the control of up to 512 DMX channels.

Up to 16 fixtures with up to 32 DMX channels each can be managed, allowing flexible adaptation to different lighting requirements. A practical feature of the console is the separation between dimmer and function channels. This makes it possible to reduce the brightness of a scene without affecting the settings of the function channels. In addition, all function channels can be set in advance before the brightness is increased. A total of 57 memory locations are available for programming, 54 of which can be called up via nine faders on six pages. Three further memory locations with pageindependent faders are suitable for frequently used settings such as audience lighting or front lighting. The sequences can be run manually or automatically, with the speed being individually adjustable. The DMX Commander 512 is designed for installation in a 19-inch rack and has connections for 3-pin or 5-pin DMX signals as well as a 6.3mm jack connection for audio signals. Two USB interfaces enable the connection of a USB stick or serve as a power source, e.g. for a console light.

The clear overview is supported by the option of creating and patching spotlights as fixtures. All functions can be labelled and displayed using the buttons above the control faders. The console is supplied with neutral white fader caps, but also includes eight caps each in seven other colours to create an individual colour scheme. www.steinigke.de

Highlite International BV Showtec LAMPY The Showtec LAMPY series offers intuitive and professional DMX control in a compact form, making it ideal for lighting designers, rental companies, and event venues. Whether you’re managing a small venue or a large event, the LAMPY consoles offer the flexibility and control you need. The LAMPY 20 1U provides a single DMX universe with 512 channels, featuring a 10.1-inch touchscreen, 10 multi-function faders, 10 playback faders, multicolour indicator LEDs, and four encoder wheels with OLED displays making it ideal for venues with simpler lighting rigs that don’t require extensive channel control. For larger or more complex setups, the LAMPY 20 2U offers two DMX universes (1024 channels), maintaining the same user-friendly interface and robust control options. Both models support external touchscreen integration and mobile control via OSC compatibility. For those needing even more control, the Showtec LAMPY 40 series is available in 1U and 2U versions as well. Both models include 30 multifunction faders, 10 playback faders, and nine memory storage pages for extensive cue storage. Other key features include RDM support, Art-Net & sACN output, an external screen option via HDMI, and showfile compatibility for seamless programming and playback. www.highlite.com/en/lampy

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Lawo mc²56 Modern live, theater, and musical productions demand exceptional audio quality, system flexibility, and seamless integration into complex technical environments. Lawo’s mc²56 production console meets these challenges with advanced features tailored for today’s dynamic workflows. The latest software releases – v10.12.0 and v12.0.0 – introduce powerful tools for enhanced control and automation. Version 10.12.0 adds sophisticated snapshot handling functions including oversnaps for recall-safe mixing, snapshot preview for offline checks, and VCA maps to streamline large productions with multiple actors, scenes, or mic sources. These features enable precise cue-based mixing and fast transitions, critical for live performance.

Software version 12.0.0 brings full compatibility with external show control systems via the Open Sound Control (OSC) protocol. This allows remote triggering of console snapshots, cues, and transport commands directly from systems like QLab. Conversely, QLab actions such as “Go,” “Panic,” and “Pause” can be triggered directly from the mc²56, enabling integrated, tactile control of audio playback and automation sequences. Additionally, support for the ADM-OSC protocol ensures seamless, bidirectional communication with third-party systems – ideal for touring productions and multi-venue shows where interoperability is key. Combined with pristine audio quality and intuitive operation, the mc²56 is the ultimate tool for today’s performance audio professionals. www.lawo.com

LightShark LS Core io The LS Core io by LightShark is an innovative multi-protocol lighting console ideal for all AV setups for live events and fixed installations. It has a web-based interface, extensive connectivity and comprehensive control options. It is compatible with third-party control systems such as Crestron, AMX, Q-Sys and Control4 and can be a primary or auxiliary control unit triggering lighting scenes and commands for seamless AV Integration environments. The LS Core io console also offers customizable libraries to integrate non DMX devices through various protocols like OSC, HTTP, UDP, TCP, and MIDI. Users can create profiles for projectors or audio systems for seamless integration into different AV setups, ensuring comprehensive control and versatility for diverse applications.

In addition the console has event scheduling with geopositioning for automating lighting scenes based on local sunrise and sunset times, valuable for precise timing and synchronization with natural light conditions in events or installations. The LS Core io is a web-based system that eliminates the need for dedicated hardware or PCs. It offers cross-platform control from any browser-enabled device, simplifying setup and usage. Integrators can remotely manage the system over the internet, updating software and reprogramming consoles, which is beneficial for managing multiple installations efficiently. www.lightshark.es

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MA Lighting grandMA3 Both the grandMA3 full-size and light models feature huge multi-touch screen surface area, and all dedicated encoder and playback information is accessed directly on the letterbox screens allowing the larger screens to be fully-configured to suit user needs. Models incorporate a sophisticated thermal design, transferring heat to a cooling corridor, which isolates critical components from harmful dust and keeps fan-noise to a whisper. The lightweight chassis has been designed for durability and easy handling. The large screen housing on the full-size and light models have a dual friction hinge system, providing fast-folding for portability whilst ensuring maximum visibility for users. The grandMA3 control consoles are compatible with shows created on grandMA2 consoles. Where features allow, existing shows can be exported from grandMA2 software 3.4 and later, for use in all grandMA3 console models. All grandMA3 console models (except the grandMA3 onPC consoles) incorporate a fully featured Mode2, which runs native grandMA2 software. The grandMA3 control software utilises a flexible new fixture concept, developed to replicate the real-world physical components of the most complex fixtures. Fixture information is now generic and allows simpler sharing of programmed data between fixtures. www.malighting.com

Midas HD Series The HERITAGE-D is a live digital mixer with up to 144 input channels, 123 mix buses, a 96KHz sample rate and the first full HD 21-inch multi-touchscreen in the company’s history, showcasing formidable ultramodern graphic user interface.

Heritage D is a vision of the future with thought-provoking new features such as Channel AI. Adaptive presets let you pick the style of sound you want and the Channel AI does the rest. New tap off points on channels have been introduced to allow signals to be sent from any point in the signal path. This gives greater flexibility for sending signals to stage before any element of processing has been performed. For the first time on a Midas, post insert fader points are available plus all processing options orders can be changed by simply dragging and dropping in the order you desire. www.midasconsoles.com

Obsidian Control Systems NXW The NXW is a sleek, portable, and fully featured PC control wing designed to bring professional-grade power to any ONYX setup. Through its USB-C connection, the NXW provides a responsive, professional hardware surface to operate ONYX on any PC system. Designed for freelancers, touring professionals, and fixed installs alike, the NXW delivers everything lighting operators love in a compact, road-ready form. From RGB-backlit motorised playback faders to RGB-backlit keycaps and customisable multi-function buttons, every detail is crafted to boost speed and creativity. The design is ergonomic and comfortable. Plug it into an ONYX PC system and get started instantly with no setup or additional installation required. Portable and lightweight, the NXW is expandable with Elation’s NXP motorised fader wing and is a perfect add-on to the NX1 console.

Whether you’re lighting a live concert, a theatre show, or a broadcast studio, the NXW adapts to your needs – and your budget. www.obsidiancontrol.com

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Tascam Sonicview 24 Sonicview 24 offers 24 physical input channels with motorised faders and Tascam’s Class 1 HDIA microphone preamps. Internally, the architecture of the two models is the same: generous 44 input channels (40 mono channels and 2 stereo channels), 22 flex output buses, the L/R main bus and an internal SD/USB stereo audio recorder.

The Tascam Sonicview 24 offers motorised channel faders in three banks of eight, plus a motorised fader for the main stereo bus. Above each bank of channel faders is a colour touch panel allowing for viewing entire mixer channels, or get down to details, controlling each parameter with your fingertips. Save fader settings and instantly recall them later to continue where you left off. Check levels in a mix or submix at a glance and adjust them during mixdown with either the physical faders or the touchscreen. Your changes will be instantly updated in both. Thanks to a 54-bit floating-point FPGA mixing engine, Tascam Sonicview delivers the finest audio performance in its class with continuous, high-definition 32-bit/96-kHz sampling and 32-bit analogue-to-digital converters. www.tascam.com

TiMax panLab TiMax panLab is a spatial audio mixing solution, which adds spatial rendering capabilities to hardware and software solutions users already own. With its innovative and intuitive 3D spatial rendering, users can control QLab, mixing consoles and processors, as well as TiMax SoundHub. Its powerful 3D visual interface allows real-time manipulation of sources and speaker arrays across x, y axes, using a bespoke amplitude-based panning algorithm for natural, spatially accurate imaging.

Democratising access to spatial audio, TiMax panLab enables users to create and manipulate audio environments quickly and without a steep learning curve.

TiMax panLab presents highly efficient workflows such as drag-anddrop object placement, multi-object selection, and offline programming capabilities. Users can design and automate detailed spatial movement sequences, draw custom paths directly in the 3D environment, and apply tempo-mapped cues.

TiMax panLab has a variety of licences available to download including a free 7-day trial. www.timaxspatial.com

Yamaha DM7 Series More than 30 years since the release of Yamaha’s first digital mixer, the DMP7, the landscape of professional audio has seen a steady progression in technological advancements and innovations that have impacted mixing and recording styles significantly. The DM7 series of mixing consoles represent a sizable step forward in this evolution of form, functionality, and flexibility with their intuitive UI, compact design, and comprehensive suite of powerful features that allow them to outperform other mixers in their class in an impressive range of audio environments. From broadcasting, streaming, and music production, to live hybrid events and concert performances, the advanced capabilities of the DM7 series set a new standard in operability and workflow while simultaneously staying true to Yamaha’s sonic tradition of “natural sound”. As the times continue to change, the DM7 will keep you ahead of the curve with a user experience that’s a cut above anything in its class, and sonic performance well beyond the expectations of audiences and engineers alike. www.yamaha.com

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KÖNI G & MEYER COMPACT STAGE SERIES Answering the growing demand for stands with a flat, heavy, square-shaped base, König & Meyer created its Compact Stage product series. The product’s flat steel base offers maximum stability for the secure positioning of speakers and lights. In addition, the bases combined with the sleek rod combinations look unobtrusive and elegant. With König & Meyer’s speaker and light stands being characterised by high-quality materials, the Compact Stage series has an extremely robust construction and guarantees years of reliable operation. The release of this stand series came from König & Meyer’s revision of its own product range, which led the manufacturer to realise it was time to offer a comprehensive system based on flat, square bases, meaning that even more customers can find a suitable stand or stand combination for their individual needs. The stands are available in various heights up to a maximum of 2.42m. In addition to black powder-coated models, there are also stand models in white. Customers can also choose from the various individual components to put together the perfect stand, combining different base plates and distance rods to craft custom systems. Whether for light or heavy speakers or for stable lighting fixtures, the König & Meyer team believes that anyone can find the right solution with its versatile stand system. The Compact Stage series offers different square base sizes from S (406 by 406mm), M (489 by 489mm), to L (550 by 550mm). Each size is available either with an M20 threaded connection or with three M20 female threads so that the distance rod can also be positioned off-centre. Users can either opt for the safety hook with clamping screw or the locking bolt with safety screw. With one of König & Meyer’s priorities being user safety, it also offers suitable carrying cases for all base plates and distance rods, making transportation of the Compact Stage series easy. The high-quality padding and robust material ensure that all equipment is safe and protected. The series can be utilised in many different ways, no matter the requirements. For example, in use cases with high safety requirements, the bases can be supplemented with the additional König & Meyer weight 26709. Depending on the needs of a project, several additional weight plates can be used for greater stability. The Compact Stage series is built on providing practical and lightweight stands, all with a space-saving flat base for maximum stability and elegant design. www.k-m.de

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ICOA PRO The popular ICOA PA systems have been further developed to include two active full-range coaxial speakers – ICOA PRO 12 A and ICOA PRO 15 A – as well as the active 21-inch bassreflex PA subwoofer ICOA PRO SUB 21 A. With its professional features and high output power, the ICOA PRO series is aimed at ambitious bands, musicians and DJs as well as hire companies and commercial customers looking for a compact, robust and powerful PA sound system.

The ICOA PRO series is rounded off with modern connection and control options via Bluetooth 5.1 and the specially developed ICOA PRO app, for use on smartphones and tablets.

While the well-known ICOA series was primarily developed for the MI market, LD Systems also addresses the needs of event technology service providers and dry hire companies with the ICOA PRO. The new Class D power amplifiers have an extremely high-power consumption of up to 3000 W peak and offer almost unrivalled performance and application versatility for coaxial systems in their class. Whether as a front-of-house PA, a stage monitor, or permanently installed speakers in bars and clubs, the ICOA PRO series easily covers small to medium-sized concerts and events.

ICOA series is available in three models: the full-range speakers ICOA PRO 12 A and ICOA PRO 15 A with coaxial speaker design and the ICOA PRO SUB 21 A high-performance bass reflex subwoofer.

ICOA PRO 12 A & ICOA PRO 15 A The ICOA PRO 12 A and ICOA PRO 15 A full-range PA systems are based on a coaxial speaker design featuring a 12-inch or 15-inch woofer and a 3-inch HF driver. A BEM-optimised, rotatable CD horn ensures precise dispersion (90° by 50°) Additional bass reflex ports enable the speakers to reproduce a full-range, even playback down to 50Hz. The integrated Class D power amplifier delivers 2000 W (ICOA PRO 12 A) or 3000 W (ICOA PRO 15 A) and a maximum level of 133 or 135dB SPL. The ICOA PRO 12 A and ICOA PRO 15 A work with a modern SysCore DSP with FIR/IIR filters, which guarantee distortionfree sound even at maximum volume. A parametric 4-band EQ with various pre-programmed system presets is also available, including a low-latency preset for monitoring applications and a cardioid preset for subwoofer setups. The ICOA PRO models can also be delayed and integrated into larger setups using a delay function. The ICOA PRO series has almost the same dimensions as the ICOA series but features a new design based on a robust ABS housing with various rigging and mounting options. The PA speakers can be aligned via the dual-tilt stand mount with a tilt angle of 0° or 5° on a 35mm speaker pole or mounted on a truss via six M10 flying points or the LD Systems EasyMount bracket.

The ICOA PRO models have a newly designed control panel on the back, with a 2.4-inch colour display and a single controller for intuitive menu navigation.

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CAMEO P6 Cameo’s P6 is a future-proof LED profiler with a powerful 600 W RGBACL engine and 16,000 lumens. It’s an energy-efficient replacement for 2.5 kW halogen profile lights in theatres and venues. With excellent light quality and natural colour rendering, it fits perfectly in theatres, musicals, TV studios, congresses, and live events.

The P6 uses German-engineered XColour technology, featuring a precise RGBACL (Red, Green, Blue, Amber, Cyan, Lime) mixing system. It delivers high CRI and TLCI values, making people and objects appear vibrant and clear. The white light colour temperature can be adjusted from 1,800 K to 10,000 K. So that the P6’s powerful light can be flexibly adapted to different stage requirements, the LED profiler is equipped with an integrated zoom in the

5-degree to 50-degree range. A special feature is the 360-degree rotatable four-blade framing system, which offers a wide array of creative light-shaping options in combination with the zoom and the infinitely variable integrated frost filter.

Optional iris and gobo holders can be added via a slot system. Cameo offers an optional mounting bracket for use as a follow spot and has designed the P6 in such a way that all settings can be made manually on the device, if required, allowing you to continue using familiar work processes.

With an LED life of 50,000 hours and low power use, the P6 cuts energy costs and supports the EU’s ‘Green Deal’ goals for climate neutrality by 2050. It also meets updated eco-design rules for lighting. www.adamhall.com

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1 SOUND LEVEL SERIES The Level Series is a new take on a single-channel point source. The Level loudspeakers are dynamic, 3-way, full range speakers that are meant to be mounted flush onto a ceiling or a wall using their included recessed bracket. The Level Series has two models: the L38 and a smaller version, the L35. They have a progressive horn design enabling a far throw of precise mid-high frequency while having a dispersion pattern that is wider in the near-field and narrows in the far-field. When mounted on a wall, optimally at a height of between 8-15ft (2.4 - 5m), the dispersion comes almost 90º directly under the speaker. When mounted on a ceiling, the dispersion pattern is directly underneath the speaker with a long throw forward.

The Level Series is ideal for distributed installation audio such as retail, hospitality, and under-balconies in theaters or performance venues, and more.

The Level L38: big volume, controlled & cardioid behavior The L38 has a max SPL of 130dB with frequency response down to 65Hz. This loudspeaker has an impactful sound with outstanding clarity and sonic intelligibility, especially at a higher SPL range. The L38 was designed to have passive cardioid behavior, giving it a linear 8dB of reduction off-axis; this limits unwanted reflections and makes them easier to design in a distributed system.

The Level L35: small box, full range, big coverage The smaller L35 measures19.70 inches (50cm) wide and stands 5.9 inch (15cm) off a wall or ceiling. Being a 3-way loudspeaker, the L35 delivers musical and refined sonic quality while having great volume capability for its size. It is capable of a max SPL of 122dB, while its bandwidth goes down to 65Hz, great for spoken word or music playback reproduction.

Discreet Premium Audio System The Level loudspeakers are truly discreet, being able to be recessed or standing minimally off a wall or ceiling. 1 SOUND offers all its loudspeakers in custom colors and finishes, advocating to help make the loudspeakers blend in - or stand out in their environment. 1 SOUND is officially launching the L35 at InfoComm and will be demonstrating the Level Series on booth 6575 and demo room W221A. www.1-sound.com

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1. Alfalite MODULARPIX

MODULARPIX is the ideal LED panel series for demanding fixed installations in the Leisure, Broadcast, Virtual Set, Corporate and Retail markets. It is an adaptation of the Litepix LED panel, specifically designed for fixed indoor installation. It maintains its lightweight aluminIum injection chassis and the possibility of curved configuration.

MODULARPIX PRO can also be manufactured with rear or front access with magnets to suit the requirements of any installation. The modules and power supply can be manipulated from the front for repairs. This LED series also offers the option to be integrated with ORIM (optical resin injection module) technology. www.alfalite.com

2. Proel DIVA12A

DIVA12A is digitally processed active loudspeaker systems featuring multiple inputs and a versatile Bluetoorh connectivity. Hosted in lightweight yet ultra-durable polypropylene cabinets with ergonomic handles, they combine selected transducers driven with a powerful 1000W CLASS-D amplifier with SMPS, featuring high headroom and an accurate dynamic control for the maximum undistorted output power. The sophisticated preamp section includes an advanced processing with high-performance DSP engine and linear phase FIR filters, for a very smooth response and high-definition sound. www.proelworld.com

3. AtlasIED IsoFlare

The IsoFlare Series is the benchmark of premium loudspeakers in the commercial market. Designed in collaboration with Fyne Audio, IsoFlare uses point source technology to deliver outstanding off-axis clarity across all frequency ranges. The combination of sleek, modern aesthetics with audiophile grade sound quality positions the series perfectly for hospitality, retail, corporate, and even educational markets where audio is part of the experience. In-Ceiling models feature a patented tool-free secure-clamp mechanism for effortless installation, with optional pre-install models for perfect placement and easy final setup. Surface Mount models are also available, offering exceptional audio in 4-inch, 6-inch, and 8-inch sizes to suit any environment. www.atlasied.com

4. Blaze Audio PowerZone Connect 1008D

The PowerZone Connect 1U series is a line of DSP-enabled Class-D amplifiers designed to simplify the lives of system installers, providing unmatched reliability, efficiency, and exceptional system configuration. Their compact form factor makes them an ideal choice for audio/voice installation projects with limited space constraints, demanding high-output performance of up to 1000 W. The 1U family powers both conventional lowimpedance (4 Ω to 16 Ω) loudspeakers and constant voltage (70 V/100 V) transformer-coupled loudspeakers, and features automatic power-sharing technology for proportional distribution in both Lo-Z and Hi-Z modes. www.blaze-audio.com

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D I R E C T O RY | WWW.M O ND O D R .CO M

1. KV2 Audio VHD5.0

The VHD5.0 is a three‑way enclosure handling low mids, mids and highs over a frequency range from 45Hz through to 20kHz. It incorporates eight front‑loaded ten inch low mid drivers, six horn‑loaded eight inch mid range drivers and three 3-inch NVPD (Nitrate Vapour Particle Deposition) Titanium compression drivers on a custom designed, manifold horn assembly with summing waveguide. With the capacity to run full range down to 45Hz the VHD5.0 is usually crossed over at 70Hz to the VHD4.21 Active Sub Bass Modules. Both the VHD5.0 and VHD8.10 cabinets incorporate very simple to use integrated fly ware that links cabinets together quickly and easily. www.kv2audio.com

2. Martin Professional Mac Aura

MAC Aura XIP is a premium moving head wash light with a radical aura filament effect and full pixel control with video mapping capabilities onto the beam, aura, or both. It’s Martin’s newest addition to the MAC Aura family of workhorse wash lights and the first fixture in its class to be rated for outdoor use, with close to zero compromises in weight, size, and aesthetics due to Martin’s smart outdoor-capable design. It raises the bar for optical quality, featuring an even wash field with soft edge, minimal stray light, and high intensity mid-air beams with improved light engine control. Perfect for a wide range of concert and touring productions, MAC Aura XIP is equipped with a smart, outdoor design for festivals and events, while still being quiet and lightweight enough for theatre, television, corporate events and more. www.martin.com

3. Funktion-One F61

F61 brings an outstanding level of performance to a wide range of applications, including music venues, hospitality, fashion, galleries, studio reference and domestic use. Following the same design principles as the popular F81.2 and F101.2, the F61 sits between the F5.2 and F81.2 in the Funktion-One Compact Range. It achieves very low distortion and excellent integration between drivers for stable and engaging imaging. In addition to being a very useful installation speaker, F61 combines with SB8A or SB10A self-powered bass as an impressive standalone system. www.funktion-one.com

4. LINK EUROCABLE Multi-Circuit Power Cable

Eurocable’s Multi-Circuit Power Cables are a specialised solution, comprising six circuits of power and tailored for seamless compatibility with LKS 19 or any 19-pin lighting connectors (SOCA compatible). These cables are thoughtfully arranged to align with the standard SOCA pin assignment, which significantly simplifies and speeds up assembly operations. Designed to endure the rigors of touring, Eurocable’s Multi-Circuit Power Cables maintain their integrity even under the most demanding conditions. Their construction emphasises not only flexibility and robustness but also a high flame resistance rate, making them exceptionally suitable for both fixed installations and outdoor applications. This combination of durability, ease of use, and safety makes these cables a reliable choice for a wide range of lighting power needs, particularly in environments where reliability and quick setup are essential. www.linkitaly.com

1 33

AD I N D E X 86 Speakers

35

Adamson

4

Altimate

53

Antari

131

Auri

45

AV Stumpfl

13

BOSE Professional

85

Broadweigh

43

Celestion

5

ChamSys

67

Clear-Com

69

Contrik

29

DAS Audio

99

Digital Projection

3

Dynacord

33

EAW

25

Elation Lighting

61

EM Acoustics

54-55

FENIX Stage

18-19

FOCON

41

Funktion-One

73

Genelec

6

Global Truss

89

Harlequin Floors

127

K-Array

39

Konig & Meyer

63

L-Acoustics

IFC

LAWO

49

Look Solutions

47

Lumen Radio

105

Martin Audio

91

Meyer Sound

117

Modulo Pi

63

MONDO-DR Awards

IBC

Neutrik

31

Pharos

8-9

Powerlights

111

Powersoft

BC

Pro Tapes

43

RCF

119

Riedel

17

ROBE

36-37

Showven

134

SIXTY82

111

Starway

77

Steinigke

20

Tarm

51

TT+ Audio

27

Yamaha

15

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R E G IS T ER T O ATT END

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