The sound of splintering wood and hardware being shattered would usually strike fear in the hearts of any sound engineer or crew member. However, last year in Florida, the noise of sledge hammers smashing speakers was greeted with triumphant cheers, as L-Acoustics invited a selection of rental houses to take up arms and smash a pile of speakers to pieces before being recycled. Why did the destruction of 136 speakers provoke such celebration? Well, despite their L-Acoustics branding, these particular products were in fact counterfeit. Following a successful court case against a local Floridian rental house, L-Acoustics was awarded damages…
Author: Jacob Waite
British-Bahraini trumpeter and composer, Yazz Ahmed, continued her exploration into electronic soundscapes in partnership with producer, composer and drummer, Hector Plimmer, and percussionist and vibraphonist, Ralph Wyld at EFG London Jazz Festival. Following their collaboration on 2018s La Saboteuse Remixed, the collective presented an evening of improvisation and live sampling of each other’s music, mixed by Yazz Ahmed’s long-time FOH Engineer, Tim Hand – who explored the creative possibilities of King Place’s immersive d&b Soundscape system, situated in Hall Two. “One of the great things about Yazz is her collaborative approach and the fluid nature of the line-ups she performs…
Following the release of her surprise second studio album, Problématique, German singer-songwriter – and the first openly transgender woman to win a GRAMMY Award – Kim Petras, and her touring team hit the road on 27 September in Austin, Texas to showcase the Feed the Beast World Tour campaign in all its glory. Split into five acts based on the story of Dante’s Inferno overseen by Show Director William Baker, Creative Director Eli Sheppard, and choreographers, Brian, and Scott Nicholson. The show spotlighted Petras’ discography with theatrical, bold, and immersive lighting devised by Ricardo Rojas. Technical suppliers came in the…
It takes a special artist to use their fame and success to make a cultural change in their region. Take Italian hip-hop star Marracash, for example. Getting his start in the underground hip-hop scene in Milan, his career has gone from strength to strength. With his latest releases being more introspective than previous records, the artist has come to be known as the Italian ‘King of Rap’. Following a hugely successful arena tour in 2022, the cogs started turning for Marrageddon Festival. Taking place across two locations at the end of September 2023, this two-stop festival welcomed 85,000 and 55,000…
HK Audio has an extensive history in concert sound, supporting names such as Westlife, Shakira, Rock Im Park festival and Daniel O’Donnell over the years. The company is now making moves to get back to its live music roots. “Our history providing for these huge events is all the more reason to reconnect with the live events industry, especially after COVID-19,” commented HK Audio Sales Manager and Engineer, Marco Zeidler. “There is a strong restart feeling at HK Audio, and we are focussing on bringing our newer products to live events.” Since its inception in 2017, Music and Gig has…
Fredrik Stormby from Sweden-based design studio Green Wall Designs, has today been revealed as the Lighting and Screen Content Designer for the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö, Sweden. He will join the senior production team along with Production Designer, Florian Wieder, to help create, design, and deliver a large-scale and spectacular show to a global audience of over 160 million. Co-founded by Fredrik Stormby, Green Wall Designs are one of the world’s leading creative studios renowned for crafting captivating visual experiences in the world of live entertainment. Specialising in video, lighting, and scenic elements, the team has contributed to…
FOH Engineer, Greg Bess has worked with The Offspring for 26 years, yet his relationship with Britannia Row Productions dates back even further – four decades and counting. “The first time I contacted Brit Row was in 1979, when I wanted to drop in on Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall’ tour,” he recalled. “I’m proud to say that I’ve now known Bryan Grant for longer than I haven’t!” Fresh from summer festivals, The Offspring – whose members comprise lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Bryan ‘Dexter’ Holland, bassist Todd Morse, drummer Brandon Pertzborn and lead guitarist Kevin ‘Noodles’ Wasserman – embarked on…
ROE Visual has appointed Jonathan Sheard, a seasoned industry veteran, as Managing Director of its UK team. Sheard brings a wealth of hands-on experience and a huge amount of in-depth LED knowledge to the team. His three-decade-long journey in the live event business has endowed him with a deep understanding of our industry’s cultural, technical, and commercial aspects. His rich background working within the diverse CT group uniquely positions him to comprehend and serve ROE Visual’s client base. With this extensive experience and a knack for nurturing strong business relationships, Sheard is eager to embark on his new role, commenting:…
They knew her as Carolina Giraldo Navarro in her native Medellín, Colombia, but the world now knows her as Karol G. She’s the multi-platinum global recording artist, two-time Latin Grammy Award winner, international pop culture icon, and trend-setting powerhouse who’s at home with reggaeton, Latin trap, sertanejo, and other genres that are creating a new artistic front in global music. The first female artist to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200 with a Spanish-language album, who broke the all-time record for the biggest female Latin album by first-day streams on Apple Music and had the biggest debut ever for…
Marshall Electronics has released its CV630-NDIW 30X UHD PTZ camera with NDI|HX2. The CV630-NDIW PTZ camera captures crisp UHD video combined with smooth PTZ camera positioning and 30X optical zoom for a versatile NDI networked video solution. NDI|HX provides low latency, high quality, frame-accurate video, and audio in real time to NDI workflows. Using NDI, customers can easily discover, monitor, and adjust remote video sources in most production workflows. The CV630-NDIW features NDI|HX2 with simultaneous HDMI and 3GSDI from a professional level 8-megapixel UHD sensor and smooth synchronous PTZ movements. At its core, the CV630 packs a powerful 8-megapixel 1/2.5″…
HARMAN Professional Solutions has entered into an agreement to acquire FLUX SOFTWARE ENGINEERING (“FLUX::”). The acquisition will broaden HARMAN Professional’s offerings across multiple applications with world-class immersive technology, in addition to establishing a foundation for future innovation by bringing together FLUX::’s team with the hardware and software engineers of HARMAN Professional. When closed, the purchase will include FLUX::’s immersive, processing, and analysis solutions across live production, installation sound, content creation, and post-production. “The FLUX:: acquisition is part of a technology investment HARMAN Professional is making to bring outstanding immersive experiences for live and recorded productions,” said Brian Divine, President, HARMAN…
ACT Entertainment will begin offering solutions from PK Sound to customers in North America. “As a Canadian manufacturer with a growing international profile, we were looking for a distribution partner in North America that could help augment sales in the territory, but also ultimately serve as a regional support centre for our network,” said Jeremy Bridge, CEO, PK Sound. “Working with ACT Entertainment opens our company up to new opportunities. This will be especially valuable as we continue to grow our business and product offerings in the coming years.” “At ACT Entertainment, we are passionate about helping our clients realise…
Right from the start, Papa Roach fans at the Prudential Center knew that the trailblazing metal masters were going to be coming at them in full force. Walking onto a dark stage, the band started to play Between Angels and Insects, as the background behind them suddenly erupted with strobing images from a massive video wall that ran almost the entire width of the stage. The menacingly raw and powerful images on the wall were repeated on the extended riser, making the band members on it look as if they were being absorbed into the foreboding video. It was exactly…
To deliver a fresh and revamped visual experience for Foo Fighters’ 2023 domestic and international tour dates, veteran lighting designer Dan Hadley created a versatile and powerful lighting rig utilising Martin MAC Ultra Performance and MAC Aura Wash fixtures. Since arriving in 1995 with their eponymous debut album, Foo Fighters have established themselves as one of the preeminent rock bands in the world, earning 15 Grammy Awards along the way, including winning Best Rock Album five times. In March 2022, the band suffered the tragic loss of drummer and beloved band member Taylor Hawkins, forcing them to cancel all performances…
Avid Technology has been acquired by an affiliate of STG in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $1.4bn. The acquisition was previously announced on 9 August 2023, and approved by Avid stockholders on 2 November 2023. Under the terms of the merger agreement, Avid stockholders will receive $27.05 per share. As a result of the completion of this transaction, Avid common stock will cease trading prior to the opening of trading on November 7, 2023, and will no longer be listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market. Avid will operate as a privately-held company and remain headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts. “By…
The annual Billboard Latin Music Awards is the biggest night of the year for Latin American music and this year. To reflect this, Lighting Designer, John Daniels employed a selection of Elation lights to create captivating effects and aesthetic looks on the show. Aired live on 5 October 2023 from the Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Florida, Daniels creatively incorporated Elation Proteus Rayzor Blade, Proteus Excalibur, and Smarty MAX luminaires as some of the most impactful lights on the event. Daniels, in his fifth year working the show, designed lighting looks for 16 performances from top talent like Bad Bunny,…
Entourage Pro: Insights, the research division of Entourage Pro has produced a report surrounding Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of both on UK-based production personnel. The report has been developed with input from various organisations working towards a more stable future for industry, its services, and its people. Canvassing over 600 UK-based crew, with 50% plus having more than 20 years’ experience, its purpose is to add the context of their concerns to a wider industry audience. “Our freelance community were asked to provide comparative thoughts on experiences, concerns, obstacles and the issues they now face regarding…
Christie RGB pure laser and 1DLP laser projectors lit up a host of projection mapping exhibits at the Signal Festival in Prague, Czechia. Christie technology – including Griffyn 4K50-RGB, M 4K25 RGB, and 4K10-HS projectors – featured in four exhibits at the festival of digital and creative culture, where international artists created a unique collection of rich and colourful experiences for attendees to enjoy. “We were thrilled to collaborate with Christie, a brand synonymous with high-end projectors and visual innovation,” said Martin Posta, founder and CEO of Signal Festival. “This partnership is more than a meeting of minds; it’s a…
