Despite health and safety restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the determination of promoter Mooban Wonder has enabled the Wonderfruit Festival to present most of the events of its December schedule. Mr Team Productions has been supplying NEXO STM sound reinforcement systems to Wonderfruit since 2014. For the latest edition of the five-week festival, held at the Siam Country Club in Pattaya, Pok Sutat Kohkiat and his staff had to adapt their designs to suit a reduced audience area and smaller attendance. “Wonderfruit attracts an elite international audience,” said Kohkiat. “Visitors come from all over south-east Asia for this event, because…
Author: James Robertson
In 2020, like many other productions, the League of Legends World Championship (Worlds) esports event migrated to the virtual realm and was broadcast live for over 240 hours using the most advanced and pioneering XR (Extended Reality) and MR (Mixed Reality) technologies, relying heavily on Brompton’s Tessera 4K SX40 LED processors to ensure perfect image reproduction on its LED video set. League of Legends tournaments have traditionally featured a host country, with teams touring different cities for each round of the games. However, with the challenges posed for both travel and live audiences, Possible Productions, a creative developer agency that…
Martin Audio has appointed Quito-based Mejor Sonido as its new distributor for Ecuador – the first time the British brand has had direct representation in this South American country. The move was confirmed by Berenice Gutierrez, Director of Pro Active Latin America and Latam Sales for Martin Audio, who handle all Martin Audio’s sales activity on the continent. “This is the first official distribution partner in the country and I’m proud to get them on board, and into the LATAM Distributor Partnership,” she exclaimed. She said the groundswell of interest had been building in the country for some time.…
ROE Visual has announced that the NEP Group, including European businesses Faber Audiovisuals and Creative Technology, have made a significant joint investment in the new Black Quartz outdoor LED panel. The NEP Group has taken delivery of 3,000m2, making them the largest operator of this new and high-performance outdoor LED product. This volume will create a sufficiently large rental base to provide even the largest events with premium outdoor LED screens. Being able to supply a large batch of matched, high-quality, and mechanically optimised outdoor LED panels within the NEP group has many advantages. It allows NEP’s global live events…
CHAUVET Professional unveils the new Maverick Force 2 Profile and Maverick Force 1 Spot. Developed after extensive R&D and with input from leading designers, this new family of high-performance, LED moving heads, pack arena-sized punch in lightweight frames. “We developed the new Maverick Force series to address the demand for compact, but powerful fixtures that our touring and broadcast customers have been asking for,” said Albert Chauvet, CEO of Chauvet. “Smaller framed, easier-to-handle fixtures are especially well-suited to today’s social distancing environment where limited set-up crews are expected to do the jobs that were once performed by more people.” The…
In the temporary absence of live events, Manchester based audio-visual production company, Sterling Event Group continue to invest in virtual technologies – launching a new website dedicated to its virtual event services. Launching originally in March 2020, Sterling Studio has now been expanded to include a multitude of studio spaces and virtual event services. Proving a popular choice for the organisers of virtual events, the 5 physical studio spaces, along with 3 purpose-built fully remote Virtual Control Centres (whereby events can be managed 100% remotely) are currently in high-demand. Richard Bowden, Founder and MD of Sterling Event Group commented: “We’re…
The ongoing pandemic has taken its toll on the music and event industry and clubs around the world have been forced to close their doors for good. Last year, Tavastia, one of the oldest rock clubs in Europe celebrated its 50th anniversary and their celebratory plans were cancelled. Since they could not invite people to the club they decided to bring it to people’s homes – launching a Backstage collection together with Vallila Interior, a Nordic design company. The upcoming collection brings an exact replica of the backstage wall to people’s homes. Since its opening in 1970, Tavastia has had…
Encore has named Fiona Robson as Vice President and Group Commercial Director, EMEA. She will be responsible for leading Encore’s commercial strategy across the EMEA region, driving growth across the UK, Europe and the Middle East. The latest recruit will take on the role having previously headed up Sales Operations for Hilton across Europe. She brings with her extensive international industry experience gained both in commercial roles with global hospitality brands and as a partner in hospitality consultancy. “I’m delighted to welcome Fiona to the Encore EMEA team. She has deep, cross-functional expertise in sales, meetings and events and distribution,…
After a three-year break, the globally renowned MOBO Awards (MOBOs), the UK’s biggest celebration of black music and culture, returned in December last year. Moving from a live to virtual format, it was a show like no other. The 90-minute awards ceremony was brought to life by a high-quality LED screen running on Brompton Tessera processing provided by Universal Pixels (UP), that delivered beautiful, exceptionally realistic looking, multiple video playbacks throughout the virtual ceremony. Hosted by former BBC Radio 1 presenter Maya Jama and YouTube creator Chunkz, and with exclusive performances by Headie One feat. M Huncho, Ms Banks, Tiwa…
In November 2020, rock band Dance Gavin Dance performed their new album Tree City Sessions 2 in its entirety on Tower Bridge in Sacramento, California, a setting that provided a visually stunning framework for the introduction of their latest music. The PPV concert, executive produced by Danny Wimmer Presents, was lit by Justin Wade and Sacramento Production & Lighting (SPL) using a rig of Elation Professional luminaires. Formed in 2005, Dance Gavin Dance hail from Sacramento and are local favorites. Last February, the band had just started a tour to promote a new album release when the shutdown hit. Tour…
Mike Osman is an audio professional with an impressive, eclectic and distinctly global CV. Based near Brisbane in Australia, his career began 10,000 miles away in South Wales. As a young working musician he started a small PA company, and cut his teeth providing audio for a wide range of events. Gaining experience and with a clear flair for audio engineering, Osman moved to London to work on the ABBA MANIA West End show. Still working with bands, he impressed singer Wayne Hussey (while mixing support band Karnataka) and was offered a role with Hussey’s goth-rockers The Mission. During this…
PK SOUND has appointed James Oliver as Chief Strategy Officer. Reporting directly to Founder and CEO Jeremy Bridge, Oliver is responsible for the development, communication, execution, and sustainment of strategic corporate initiatives. In addition to his role on PK SOUND’s senior management team, Oliver has also joined the company’s ownership group. Oliver comes to PK SOUND following a high-profile, seven-year tenure with Adamson Systems Engineering, most recently serving as Director of Marketing and Sales. Throughout that stint, he spearheaded the development of turnkey system offerings and a sophisticated global distribution network that led to exponential year-over-year growth for the manufacturer.…
Audinate has announced the availability of a software development kit (SDK) for manufacturers of Arm-based audio products. This SDK lets manufacturers deploy Dante audio networking as on-chip software in their products, reducing costs and conserving on space while delivering world-class audio performance. The Dante Embedded Platform SDK provides the tools needed to develop Dante-enabled products built upon 32- and 64-bit Arm Cortex-A processors using a Linux operating system, and supports online license activation for OEMs. The SDK allows manufacturers to validate their own designs for performance and capability, ensuring solid reliability for end users. “We’re very pleased to offer the…
ETC has announced the release of Hog 4 OS v3.15 software, which includes enhancements to MIDI mapping of third-party control panels, adding tap tempo for effects and internal effect engine optimisations. This version also contains new keyboard shortcuts a number of bug fixes, listed in the release notes. Hog 4 OS v3.15 is available here, and we recommend users update their systems as their production schedules allow, and that users with existing MIDI mapping applications become familiar with the new mapping scheme prior to show day. Entertainment Controls Product Manager, Sarah Clausen commented: “We are happy to bring improvements to…
The latest member of the CrewCom family, the CB2 Professional Wireless Intercom system is a new full-duplex, install-friendly and feature-packed solution for small to mid-level applications requiring a reliable, great sounding wireless intercom with excellent RF coverage and range. Available in both 900MHz and 2.4GHz frequency options as well as 900MHz Oceania and 2.4GHz CE compliant models, the system includes the CrewCom CB2 basestation and up to six CRP-12 two-channel radio packs to create a powerful but economical wireless intercom system. This latest solution from Pliant provides customers with two intercom channels as well as interconnectivity to all industry standard…
Vidiu X uses H.264 video compression to capture and encode live video and broadcast it in HD to streaming platforms like Facebook Live, YouTube Live, Twitch, and Ustream. Built for streamers seeking 1080p video resolution and an encoder that’s HDMI-compatible with cameras, switchers, and media players, Vidiu X enters the market at a time when live streaming is experiencing a massive boom, with a noticeable uptick since COVID-19. “COVID-19 has permanently changed the online media landscape with millions of people spending more time than ever watching live streamed content,” said Michael Gailing, Teradek’s Vice President & General Manager of Live…
From the exhilarating keyboard ascents of the great Martha Argerich, to the gentle and complex intonations of Zhu Xiao-Mej, the Château de Florans has resonated with the sound of unforgettable piano performances for over 40 years. The music continued to soar in 2020, despite the dark cloud of the pandemic, as the Piano Festival of La Roque d’Anthéron once again took place at the stately castle. Seating for the three-week outdoor event was strictly limited in keeping with COVID-19 safety protocols. However, the excitement and energy level were as great as ever, as gifted pianists and other musicians appeared on…
With 90 million records sold, Andrea Bocelli is one of the most popular artists of all time, Bocelli and Igor Mitoraj’s sculptural works were the protagonists of a special evening in Noto to promote Sicilian Unesco sites. wysiwyg lit the concert and its cultural assets as Bocelli’s voice filled the piazza in front of the Noto Cathedral in Sicily during a concert held to convey a message of courage and unity among the seven sites recognized by UNESCO in Sicily. The tenor was accompanied by an orchestra and the Teatro Massimo Bellini choir in Catania, directed by Alberto Bartalini. The…
