Installationen News
Installationen News Schlagzeilen
Philips Unite LED brings new collaboration capabilities to municipal government offices
The municipal government offices in Leer, Germany, selected the Philips Unite LED 6000 Series All In One (AIO) display from PPDS to transform their meeting room capabilities. The solution is being utilized for presentations, council sessions, and hybrid collaboration.
Leer Municipal - based in the Rathaus - serves as the central administrative hub for the town of Leer. It serves as the seat of local government where the mayor and administration oversee key decisions, manage local services, and handle civic matters for the community.
As part of its ongoing focus on improving operational performance and workplace efficiency, the Leer Municipal team set out to modernise its central meeting room with a new visual solution that combines modern display technology and collaboration functionalities.
The 135’’ Philips Unite LED 6000 Series AIO display - featuring full HD resolution, 900 cd/sqm brightness, and a 1.5 mm pixel pitch - met the requirements. The integrated media player, connectivity options including HDMI, DisplayPort, USB-C, and audio, and the included wall mounting system ensure flexible use and integration into existing setups.
Supporting the Leer Municipal team’s focus on sustainability, the new display consumes less energy versus comparable models, including just 0.5 watts in “ultra low” standby mode. Local integrator LS IT & Media, a PPDS Partner, oversaw the entire process, from planning and component selection through to installation and commissioning, to ensuring seamless alignment with the full meeting room solution.
The overall solution also incorporates a professional AVer PTZ camera for hybrid collaboration, two Sennheiser TeamConnect Ceiling Medium microphones for room audio coverage, a conferencing PC, and Dante audio technology for lossless signal transmission.
The installation has added enhanced visibility for participants, seamless hybrid meeting support, clear voice capture without the need for table microphones, and expanded functionality such as recording and AI-powered transcription via tools like Tucan.ai. The modular and scalable AV infrastructure also ensures the system is well prepared for future needs.
(Photo: PPDS)
Produzent David Brand nutzt Monitorsystem von PSI Audio im Studio
David Brand gründete das Reponse Studio in Marin nahe Neuchâtel in der Schweiz für Artists, Brands und Kreative. Um die Klangkunst aus dem Studio in andere Hör-Umgebungen zu übersetzen, nutzt er PSI Audios 3-Wege-Monitore A25-M mit Sub-A125-M-Subwoofern.
Mit seinem Hintergrund als Ingenieur für Automation und IT hatte Brand weitreichende Erfahrung im Bereich Projektmanagement gesammelt, die er auf sein Studio anwendete. „Für mich ist ein modernes Studio nicht nur ein Ort mit Equipment“, sagt er. „Es sollte Artists und Kunden eine echte Arbeitserfahrung bieten. Ich lege daher großen Wert auf Projektnachverfolgung, Kommunikation und Vertrauen.“
Brand hat entsprechende Vorgänge und Strukturen in die Arbeit des Reponse Studios integriert und bietet auch einen digitalen Kundenbereich sowie eine App, um Projekte verfolgen, zentral kommunizieren und alle wichtigen Daten an einem Ort sammeln zu können. „Die Technologie entwickelt sich rasend schnell weiter, aber die Rolle des Studios bleibt menschlich“, betont er. „Werkzeuge sind dafür da, der Musik zu dienen.“
Manchmal macht eine große Produktion den Produzenten berühmt - und manchmal nicht. „Ich habe viel Musik produziert, oft auch in Ghost-Production-Projekten“, erzählt Brand und meint damit Projekte, an denen er zwar gearbeitet hat, für die er aber keine Referenzen bekommt. „Manche der Stücke, an denen ich mitgewirkt habe, sind in die Charts gekommen. Einer wurde sogar mal der meistgehörte Track auf den Streaming-Plattformen.“
Während Brand nicht den Ruhm dafür einstreichen konnte, zog er aus der Erfahrung so viele Erkenntnisse wie möglich: „Das ist schon speziell, weil der eigene Beitrag nicht öffentlich bekannt ist. Aber ich habe durch diese Arbeit verstehen können, wie eine Produktion angelegt sein muss, die ein großes Publikum ansprechen soll. Der Sound muss emotional, aber auch technisch auf allen Hörsystemen und in jedem Kontext funktionieren.“
Zu diesen Projekten kommt noch Brands Arbeit an Sound-Design und Postproduktion für internationale Filme und Bandprojekte hinzu, wodurch er über Erfahrung in nahezu allen Bereichen der Audioproduktion verfügt. „Diese Meilensteine sind für mich nicht einfach nur Referenzen, sondern formen die Art, wie ich arbeite“, sagt er.
Ein Teil dieser Arbeitsweise beinhaltet Brands üppige Sammlung an Outboard-Equipment. „Ich genieße die Arbeit mit einer hybriden Signalkette“, erörtert er seinen Ansatz. „Outboard muss der Musik etwas Greifbares hinzufügen: Tiefe, Bewegung, Zusammenhalt, oder eine gewisse Farbe. Eines der zentralen Elemente in meinem Workflow ist mein analoger Summiermischer, der einem Mix mehr Dreidimensionalität, Breite und Tiefe verleiht. Er hilft mir, über das rein Digitale hinauszugehen, und gibt dem Resultat ein organisches Gefühl, ohne das hohe Maß an Präzision zu beeinträchtigen.“
Auch bei dynamischen Prozessoren greift Brand gern auf eine große Auswahl von Modellen zurück: „Ich nutze sie, um die Energie unter Kontrolle zu bringen, einer Vocal-Spur mehr Dichte zu verleihen, einem Drum-Bus mehr Stabilität zu geben oder den Zusammenhalt eines Mixes zu stärken.“ Die analogen Racks fügten der Palette des Reponse Studios einige Farben hinzu.
Ein weiterer komplett analoger Teil des Reponse Studios ist das Monitor-Setup: ein Paar PSI Audio A25-M mit zwei Sub A125-M. „Mein ganzes Equipment hat nur dann wirklich Sinn, wenn die Monitore mir ermöglichen, die richtigen Entscheidungen zu treffen“, betont Brand die Wichtigkeit seiner Hörsituation. „Bei Recording, Mixing und Mastering fälle ich jede Entscheidung auf der Basis des Vertrauens, das ich in mein Monitorsystem setze. Wenn die Monitore nicht zuverlässig sind, korrigiert man leicht Probleme, die es gar nicht gibt, oder man versäumt wichtige Details.“
„Im Studio brauche ich keinen Lautsprecher, der mir schmeichelt“, sagt Brand abschließend. „Ich brauche einen Lautsprecher, der mir die Wahrheit sagt. Ohne meine PSI Audio A25-M mache ich gar nichts.“
(Foto: Fabrice Del-Prete)
L-Acoustics Syva delivers concert-grade sound to North London home
For a North London homeowner, it started with a Burna Boy concert. Struck by the sound, he looked into the system behind it, found L-Acoustics, and wondered if that same experience could exist in a private home. The answer, he decided, would require two very different rooms, and two completely opposite approaches to the same goal.
“By the time he arrived at the L-Acoustics showroom in Highgate, the client had a clear sense of what he wanted”, says Nick Fichte, Global Business Development Lead, Hospitality, Home & Yacht at L-Acoustics. “He was interested in recreating the physical and emotional impact of live sound, rather than simply replicating it.”
The client came with specific tracks he wanted to hear, ideas about speaker placement, and a vision for how he wanted each space to feel. He also returned to Highgate a second time to refine his choices as the project moved closer to completion.
The two spaces required distinct design approaches. Working with the wider project team, Hill House Interiors (HHI) helped shape how the audio systems were integrated into each room. In the cinema room, the client didn’t want the speakers to be visible at all. HHI developed the design approach that allowed the speakers to be concealed entirely behind fabric walls, with acoustic treatment and build work handled by specialist contractor Desmond & Sons, leaving no visible trace of the technology behind the experience. The result is a seamlessly integrated, immersive listening environment.
“Bringing the design and audio teams together early allowed the acoustic brief to inform the room from the outset, from wall build-ups and material choices through to the ceiling design”, explain Helen Bygraves and Jenny Weiss, Co-Founders and Directors of Hill House Interiors, adding that L-Acoustics ensured keeping the technology discreet, “so the cinema still reads as an intimate, resolved interior rather than a purely technical space”.
The games room was the opposite brief entirely. Here, the client wanted the speakers visible - a deliberate design statement rather than a hidden system. The acoustic challenge was considerable: floor-to-ceiling glass, hard floors, a bar surface running the length of the room, and glazed doors opening onto a swimming pool left almost nothing to absorb reflections.
“To match the Syva speakers, we RAL colour-matched them to the joinery, and designed them to read as a deliberate design statement within the room”, says Fichte. “Given the complexity of the acoustic environment, we also brought in one of our L-Acoustics application engineers to calibrate the system. Their expertise was essential to achieving the performance the space required.”
The cinema room is built around three X8i handling left, centre and right channels, supported by ten X4i covering surround and height channels, and two Syva Sub for low frequency extension. System drive is handled by an LA7.16i amplified controller.
In the games room, a pair of Syva with Syva Sub forms the main system, complemented by four X4r installed in the ceiling, powered by an LA4X amplified controller.
(Photos: L-Acoustics/Hill House Interiors)
White Light supplies Elation KL Series for Bangor University Arts and Innovation Centre
Bangor University’s Pontio Arts and Innovation Centre, North Wales, recently completed a major upgrade to its theatre and studio lighting systems with Elation KL Series fixtures to move toward a more sustainable technical infrastructure. Lighting specialist White Light supplied and facilitated onsite demonstrations as well as provided technical guidance to Pontio’s in-house team, who carried out the full installation.
As the University’s arts and innovation center, the venue is home to numerous teaching and learning spaces, including a 600-seat flexible theatre, a 200-seat cinema, a studio theatre, and an Innovation Center. With program of music, drama, gigs, cinema, cabaret, and more, Pontio is in use seven days a week for the benefit of both the university and local community.
The majority of Pontio’s traditional tungsten fixtures were replaced with LED fixtures, resulting in lower energy consumption, reduced maintenance time, and expanded creative possibilities for visiting artists and companies. Pontio took a phased approach to the project, first fully converting its studio spaces, and then upgrading the majority of the theatre’s fixtures.
The new system is built around Elation KL Fresnels and KL Profile Compacts, offering the versatility required for a theatre space that routinely transitions between different configurations on a day-to-day basis. The project team installed sixty KL Fresnel 6 FC, twelve KL Profile FC Compact, and two Obsidian Netron EN4 Ethernet-to-DMX gateways for signal distribution.
(Photos: Pontio Arts)
LD Systems upgrades audio system at NRG Stadium in Houston
LD Systems has installed a new Fulcrum Acoustic bowl audio system at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, for the FIFA World Cup 2026. The new system is based on a large-scale deployment of weather-resistant Fulcrum loudspeakers to ensure operation whether the stadium’s roof is open or closed.
All loudspeaker enclosures are now able to withstand potential exposure to environmental challenges in what has become the largest World Cup in history. Working on behalf of Harris County and the NFL Houston Texans, LD Systems worked with technical consultants WJHW for the scope which focused on improving audio quality while maintaining the venue’s existing point-source system design.
In 2002, LD Systems integrated the venue’s original audio requirements stadium-wide, including concourses, clubs, restrooms, terraces, and entrances, and has provided its technical maintenance and production support for every major event since. “Our deep knowledge of NRG Stadium has allowed us to be extremely precise during this new phase of the building”, says LD Systems Sales Engineer Kevin Broussard. “We knew exactly what this job required and that familiarity ultimately saw us back on the project.”
The main bowl (situated on the venue’s “super truss”), concourses, and support spaces utilize a total of 1,194 Fulcrum loudspeakers comprising AHC443 horn-loaded arrays, CS218LWR dual 18-inch subwoofers, and various other models including CX1226-MT200, CX1226, CX1595, CX826-MT120, FH1566 and FH1595. According to LD Systems, the overall system weight has been reduced by forty percent compared to the previous rig. “Because this stadium has a retractable roof, we can’t hang anything from it and therefore everything had to be mounted onto the super truss”, explains Broussard. “This constraint defined both the original system design and upgrade.”
The super truss is located approximately 250 ft above the football field. “We re-used the original custom rigging system frames which allows the speakers to be lowered and serviced without ever affecting alignment”, says Broussard. “In 24 years, we’ve never had to lower a single speaker from the original system. Our new install follows the same approach - removing old speakers and hoisting new ones into the exact same positions.” The LD Systems team, including Project Manager Michael Keefe and Project Engineer Anthony DiDonato, had six months to remove the old system and install the full, site-wide upgrade, yet bowl system tuning was completed in just six hours over a single day.
The combination of long-throw horn-loaded systems, distributed point-source loudspeakers, and dedicated subwoofers provides NRG with even coverage and high intelligibility throughout. System amplification is provided by Powersoft Unica amplifiers serving the main seating bowl and concourse systems, and Crown DCI amplifiers are dedicated to clubs, back-of-house, and ancillary spaces.
LD Systems has also installed a new control system and network backbone across the building. The primary mixing platform is a Yamaha Rivage PM5, and wireless audio is supported by Shure Axient wireless microphones. The audio infrastructure is managed through a Q-Sys platform featuring Core 5200 processors operating in a redundant configuration, and the Core 610 processors service the suite-level audio systems.
Suite audio distribution was a significant aspect of the upgrade and houses more Q-Sys; SPA-Qf 60x4 network amplifiers and QSC AD-C6T-ZB-WH ceiling loudspeakers. This design provides a centralized control center, monitoring, routing, and DSP processing across the stadium while also enabling independent audio management for the venue’s premium VIP suites and hospitality areas.
“One of the biggest improvements during this entire upgrade was adding dedicated audio to over 260 suites”, Broussard concludes. “Previously, the suites relied on spill from the bowl or delayed TV audio, which could lag by up to four seconds. Now, every suite has its own speaker system, control panel, and multiple selectable sources: bowl audio, TV audio, radio, postgame feeds, and Bluetooth. Each Bluetooth receiver is also uniquely named, allowing suite users to connect directly and hear the action in real time.”
(Photos: LD Systems)
WSDG delivers acoustics, AV systems and technical interior design for La Caja de Música at University of the Andes
La Caja de Música is the latest musical practice, recording, and film-mixing facility at University of the Andes (Universidad de los Andes) in Bogotá, Colombia. Officially opened earlier this year, the project combines prize-winning architecture by former University graduates, as well as acoustics and AV systems design by WSDG.
WSDG was contracted to deliver structural acoustics, isolation and room acoustics, AV systems design, as well as Technical Interior Design (TID) for the entire project. Conceived as a multifunctional hub, La Caja de Música brings together music education, performance, recording, and cinematic sound production. At the heart of the facility is the 1,399 sq ft (130 sqm), triple-height live room, designed as both a recording space and a flexible venue for recitals, ensemble rehearsals, and lectures.
“La Caja de Música was designed as the architectural metaphor of a music box that unfolds and envelops its surroundings with melodies, offering visitors a uniquely immersive sensory experience from within”, explains Santiago Lozano, Director of the University’s Department of Music.
The acoustics and technical performance of this signature space were central to WSDG’s work. “This room needed to operate as a live recording space and as a venue”, says WSDG Senior Partner and Co-CEO Sergio Molho. “It had to support everything from orchestral sessions to lectures, which meant full isolation, large-scale variable acoustics, and absolute flexibility.”
To achieve this, WSDG implemented a room-within-a-room construction for complete isolation from the busy campus environment, a critical requirement given the room’s extensive glass facade facing a public courtyard. In addition, motorised acoustic banners and movable wall elements allow the room to adapt instantly from a tight speech-focused acoustic to a reverberant musical environment.
Lozano emphasises the technical ambition: “Music simply sounds better when the spatial volume is greater, that is why we have a three-storey-high studio. We can record full orchestras, large ensembles, or small chamber groups with first-class equipment.” The live room also features retractable seating, enabling intimate performances and screenings.
Attached to the live room is a fully equipped control room designed by WSDG to support Dolby Atmos and stereo workflows. The space features a monitoring system with Adam Audio studio monitors, custom diffusers, NC20-level isolation, and a minimalist, Scandinavian-inspired interior palette that visually ties back to the main room.
On the upper level, WSDG designed a Dolby Atmos film-mixing theatre, complete with ISO booth and educational cinema seating, creating a facility enabling students to work with immersive, object-based audio. “This will allow us to produce audio for film and other audiovisual projects at the highest professional standard”, notes Lozano.
WSDG’s design extends across the entire facility, including isolation booths, technical rooms, AV systems specification, interior materials, theatrical lighting support, and integration of a complex technical infrastructure hidden neatly within architectural elements, particularly the uneven ceilings engineered for low-frequency control and to discreetly house lighting and technology systems. “We followed strict standards appropriate for both professional studios and educational facilities”, Molho concludes.
(Photos: WSDG)
Shure brings audio to Upstairs at Ronnie’s as Ronnie Scott’s opens new live music room
Jazz club Ronnie Scott’s, located in London’s Soho district, has turned to Shure to deliver the audio backbone of Upstairs at Ronnie’s, its newly redeveloped live music room. The venue, which sits above the club’s downstairs stage, has been built from the ground up.
Designed to seat 140 guests, Upstairs at Ronnie’s pairs a Yamaha S3X Grand Piano and d&b Audiotechnik sound system with a fully digital Shure microphone and monitoring signal chain built around SLX-D+ and Axient Digital PSM. “With Upstairs at Ronnie’s, we set ourselves the somewhat audacious goal of creating the greatest small live music venue in the world”, says Charlie Dale, Technical Manager at Ronnie Scott’s. “We wanted a space where artists and audiences could feel even closer to the music.”
The redevelopment gives the club the platform to support a far broader range of performances than would traditionally be associated with a small jazz club. Monday nights host a classical series presented by violinist Lizzie Ball and the club’s Artistic Director and House Pianist James Pearson; Wednesdays focus on jazz vocal performances followed by a vocal jam night for emerging and established singers alike; and the venue’s long-running Friday night Cuban music session continues a tradition stretching back well over a decade.
“For many of the shows, our goal is to make the PA as audibly invisible as possible, while also needing the ability to have a more vibey and in-your-face sound for shows that require it”, Dale notes. The club is open 362 days a year, often staging between two and four shows daily, placing significant demands on every piece of equipment in the building. “We needed to make sure the equipment we chose was as robust as possible”, Dale continues. “Working with trusted brands within the industry such as Shure, d&b and Yamaha was essential to achieve these goals.”
Upstairs at Ronnie’s deploys Shure SLX-D+ for microphones and Axient Digital PSM for in-ear monitoring, giving the venue a fully digital signal chain from mic to monitor. Four channels of Axient Digital PSM are run, with the system also allowing the team to monitor RF quality and settings directly from the console over the venue’s Dante network.
The venue’s Axient Digital PSM system benefits from Shure’s recent firmware update introducing Single Carrier (SC) Narrowband, a new digital transmission mode designed to give engineers a more familiar and dependable RF setup without the need for complex coordination or advanced antenna configurations. The option of stereo in-ear monitoring, an increasingly common request within the jazz world, gives artists greater choice over how they perform and monitor themselves within such an intimate setting.
The club praised the installation and commissioning support provided by the Shure UK team: “Working with the UK Shure team is always a great experience, and this time is no different”, Dale concludes. “A huge thanks must go to Stuart Moots and Peppe Mallozzi for organising the installation, and to Jack Drury and Andrew Francis for commissioning the installation for us, including making sure we had the latest firmware on all the equipment and that our Dante network was rock solid.”
(Photos: Photus Photography/Taran Wilkhu/James Wood)
K-array delivers audio for Alpine venue “Bei Tomschy”
Perched high above the historic town of Kitzbühel, “Restaurant Hochkitzbühel bei Tomschy” has established itself as one of the most vibrant destinations in the Austrian Alps, blending panoramic dining with a high energy après-ski atmosphere.
By day, the venue welcomes guests for meals overlooking the surrounding peaks, while at weekends it transforms into a DJ-led social hub drawing crowds from across the region. This dual identity, coupled with its sensitive Alpine setting surrounded by neighboring lodges, created a complex audio challenge: the need to deliver powerful sound while maintaining strict control over noise dispersion.
Owner Christoph Tomschy was looking for a system that could transition between background music and full-scale DJ performance without breaching local sound regulations. Working in close collaboration with integrator LiveWire, audio manufacturer K-array offered a solution that ensures the venue could operate confidently across both indoor and outdoor environments.
Inside the main lounge, the design had to contend with acoustically reflective materials including wood flooring and glass partitions. K-array addressed this through the deployment of multiple Python KP52 discreet line array loudspeakers, whose controlled vertical dispersion reduces unwanted reflections.
Additional Dragon KX12 loudspeakers positioned near the DJ booth provide the necessary headroom and impact for live performances. A combination of Thunder KS1 and KS3 subwoofers delivers low frequency reinforcement. Dedicated monitoring ensures DJs can perform without excessive stage volume.
The outdoor terrace presented an even greater challenge: with views across the Alpine landscape, it is highly exposed to environmental conditions and subject to strict local noise limits. Here, K-array’s directional loudspeaker technology proved critical. Python KP102 marine-grade column loudspeakers were selected to deliver controlled horizontal coverage with narrow vertical dispersion. Complementing this, Rumble KU315 subwoofers are strategically positioned to reinforce bass within the venue boundary.
Central to the project is the system’s intelligent control and processing infrastructure. Powered by a Kommander KA68 amplifier with integrated DSP, the system allows precise tuning across all zones, including crossover management, delay alignment and level control. A Q-Sys platform enables staff to switch between different usage scenarios such as daytime dining, après-ski gatherings and DJ events.
(Photo: Malte Babion)
Einstein-Saal der Archenhold-Sternwarte mit Beleuchtung von GDS ausgestattet
Die Archenhold-Sternwarte im Berliner Ortsteil Alt-Treptow ist die größte und älteste Volkssternwarte Deutschlands und zählt zu den bedeutendsten wissenschaftlichen Einrichtungen ihrer Art. Ihr Zentrum bildet das 1896 errichtete Riesenfernrohr, der „Große Refraktor“, mit einer Brennweite von 21 Metern - bis heute das längste bewegliche Linsenfernrohr der Welt.
Neben diesem technischen Wahrzeichen gehört auch der historische Einstein-Saal mit seiner charakteristischen Kassettendecke zu den architektonischen Highlights der Anlage. Albert Einstein präsentierte hier einst erstmals seine Allgemeine Relativitätstheorie und machte den Raum damit zu einem Ort von besonderer wissenschaftshistorischer Bedeutung.
Im Zuge einer umfassenden Sanierung stand genau diese Decke im Fokus. Die Stiftung Planetarium Berlin suchte gezielt nach einer Beleuchtungslösung, die sich harmonisch in den denkmalgeschützten Saal integriert, ohne die bestehende Verkabelung verändern zu müssen. Gleichzeitig sollte die Kassettendecke gleichmäßig ausgeleuchtet werden, ohne ihren einzigartigen Charakter zu überlagern.
Die bestehende Beleuchtung - unter anderem acht 1-kW-Halogen-Deckenstrahler - erzeugte eine ungleichmäßige, fleckige Ausleuchtung mit starken Schlagschatten. Auch die Wandleuchten waren im Laufe der Zeit von klassischer Glühlampentechnik auf Leuchtstofflampen umgerüstet worden, was sich negativ auf Dimmverhalten und Lichtstimmung auswirkte.
„Raum und Decke sollten unbedingt im Vordergrund bleiben“, erklärt Michael Förster, Ingenieur für Theater- und Veranstaltungstechnik bei der Stiftung Planetarium Berlin. „Wir suchten also nach leisen Scheinwerfern, die sich unauffällig integrieren lassen.“ In Zusammenarbeit mit der PIK AG als Systemintegrator wurde schließlich ein modernes und zugleich denkmalgerechtes Beleuchtungskonzept realisiert.
Eine besondere Herausforderung bestand darin, dass aufgrund der Gebäudestruktur keine neuen Steuer- oder DMX-Leitungen verlegt werden konnten. Eine Lösung bot die IPM2-Technologie der VisionTwo-Marke GDS, die es ermöglicht, Steuer- und Stromsignale über die bestehende Verkabelung zu führen.
Als Deckenbeleuchtung kommen 32 GDS-Sirius-Leuchten mit IPM2-Technologie zum Einsatz. Unterschiedliche Abstrahlwinkel - von Cyc- bis Spot-Optiken - ermöglichen eine gleichmäßige Ausleuchtung der Kassettendecke. Darüber hinaus eröffnet die Einzelansteuerung jeder Leuchte neue gestalterische Möglichkeiten - von dezenten Weißlichtszenarien bis hin zu farbigen Inszenierungen, etwa für Veranstaltungen oder wissenschaftliche Visualisierungen wie Gewitterstimmungen oder Nachthimmelprojektionen.
Auch die vierzehn historischen Wandleuchten wurden modernisiert. Insgesamt 42 GDS-Lamps (IPM), jeweils drei pro Leuchte, ersetzen die zuvor eingesetzten Leuchtmittel. Sie kombinieren LED-Technologie mit einem warmen Glühlampeneffekt. Mittels Fade-to-Warm-Dimmung verändert sich die Farbtemperatur beim Dimmen von 3.000 bis hin zu 1.800 Kelvin - ein Effekt, der dem ursprünglichen Lichtcharakter des Saals nahekommt.
Eine wesentliche Eigenschaft des gesamten Systems liegt in seiner 48-Volt-Basis, bei der das Steuersignal über einen GDS-Prozessor auf das Stromsignal aufmoduliert wird. Dadurch konnte vollständig auf Funklösungen und das Verlegen neuer Kabel verzichtet werden, während gleichzeitig eine präzise Steuerung per DMX oder über einen Szenenspeicher möglich ist. Die komplette Installation wurde innerhalb weniger Tage umgesetzt.
(Fotos: Christoph Eisenmenger)
Radio Riot favor new Martin Audio BlacklineQ series
Radio Riot are a three-piece pub and function band delivering Britpop and guitar-driven covers spanning five decades. In choosing a portable sound system, lead singer and guitarist David Preston turned to Martin Audio’s new BlacklineQ series of loudspeakers.
For Preston, who brings a professional audio background to the project, production standards are non-negotiable regardless of the venue. “We want to create a big gig feel”, he says. “Everything is mic’d up no matter what the venue, whether it’s a small function room, a cricket club or a pub. We want the full show, every time.”
That ambition extends to the backing tracks, which incorporate keyboards, strings and synths. “When we’re doing songs like ’Bittersweet Symphony’ or ’Town Called Malice’, we need those strings and keyboards to land properly”, he notes. “We spent a year and a half building the show before we played our first gig.”
In search of a PA capable of delivering that “big gig” impact from a system that could also fit in the boot of a car, Preston turned to Martin Audio’s BlacklineQ, a new series of passive loudspeakers driven by a Linea Research 44M06 amplifier. “With self-powered systems, you sometimes hit limiters too early”, he explains. “Stepping up to external amplification gives you much more headroom and quality and allows us to control the PA far better.”
The portable rig comprises a pair of Blackline Q15 tops and a pair of Blackline Q118 subwoofers. The Q15 is capable of a peak SPL of 133 dB, featuring a 15-inch LF driver with a 4-inch voice coil and a 1.4-inch exit HF compression driver with a 3-inch dome. Its 70°-90° horizontal x 50° vertical Differential Dispersion horn ensures wide, consistent coverage across the audience area. Completing the system, the Q118 is an 18-inch compact subwoofer extending low-frequency response down to 38 Hz, with a peak SPL of 136 dB.
“Because we always mic up the full backline, the subs handle whatever we throw at them”, says Preston. “The PA handles the whole band even when we have all the synths, keys, or full-range horn parts on the track as well, and we can still break the system down easily and load it into our cars. The subs are light enough to lift into a car on your own, and even the 15s aren’t unreasonably heavy - it’s essentially a one-man operation. What we’re running now is smaller than we had before but delivers the same power with considerably more clarity.”
For system control, Preston runs Martin Audio’s System Engineer 8 software on a tablet, using the Linea Research amplifier’s onboard DSP for system EQ. “I do my main overall PA EQ within the amp rather than the mixer”, he concludes.
(Photos: Amy Louise Kolsteren)
Ulster Hall equipped with new Robe lighting rig
Ulster Hall, a concert and entertainment venue that is part of the ICC complex in central Belfast, Northern Ireland, has recently received a new lighting installation featuring nearly sixty Robe moving lights, including nine Esprite Profiles, twenty-five Painte Profiles and twenty-five LEDBeam 350s.
This is part of a general upgrade for the venue, which is also a Grade A listed building dating to 1862. It is also home to the Ulster Orchestra. Dave Young, head of production for the ICC complex - which also includes Waterfront Hall and ICC Belfast - explains that the previous lighting upgrade was in the mid-noughties, so after twenty years of service, the refurbishment was overdue.
Young and his team started scouting around for appropriate lighting fixtures in 2025, and Robe was among the contenders. After looking thoroughly at all the options, Young decided that Robe was the best choice for them. “These three types of fixtures are ideal for our specific needs”, he says. “We didn’t need the biggest or the brightest, we needed the best all-round options that fitted our budget and the space, and that would offer great value to all the promoters and clients working in the venue.”
Overhead, they needed a set of profiles and washes, and lights that would work for anything from a recital to a rock show to a comedy night. All of the new lights are in the over-stage rig apart from six of the Paintes which make up a floor package. The hall has a 1,400 standing capacity and 800 seated, and the shows are a mix of both formats.
Dave Young was already familiar with Robe products - in fact, he first encountered the brand when working at holiday parks right at the start of his career. This continued through his work with the NEC Group and then when he was running production at Birmingham ICC before moving to Belfast. He says he has also seen them constantly on touring shows.
The new Ulster Hall lights were delivered by Robe UK, project-managed by Gavin Mooney, national sales manager for Robe Ireland. Ulster Hall’s technical team comprises four production managers who work with different promoters and clients, plus eleven full-time techs to cover sound, lighting and AV, and around thirty regular freelancers.
The staff have expanded in recent years, and while the venue was previously purely a receiving house, there is now an in-house production company. In addition to the concerts, Ulster Hall hosts a range of business and corporate events and trade fairs, all with production supplied in-house.
Pictured: The Answer performing at Ulster Hall. (Photos: BWUH Ltd/Ulster Hall)
Unicol engineers permanent dvLED solution for Loughborough University Sports Hall
Unicol Engineering delivered a bespoke ceiling suspension system for a permanent dvLED video wall installation at Loughborough University’s Sports Hall. The project, completed in partnership with AV integration specialist GVAV, replaces a long-standing temporary screen solution with a permanent fixture above the venue’s main entranceway.
For many years, Loughborough University had erected a temporary screen in the position for graduations and major events at the Sports Hall complex. The recurring cost and effort of installing and removing a temporary display each time prompted the university to commission a permanent replacement, timed to coincide with a wider refit of the main reception area and external redecoration of the building.
The resulting installation features a 6,800 by 1,480 mm ceiling-suspended Spirit dvLED mount and frame, built around a 12-by-2 array of Absen AW2.5F-750 tiles. To meet the specific demands of the site, Unicol engineered a new suspension clamp designed to securely hold the extrusion frame. This connects to a column length to achieve the correct suspension height, and then to a box/girder clamp overhead. Infill panels at either end provide a clean, integrated finish while also contributing additional structural support. Rear support brackets were incorporated to brace the installation against the high winds that regularly affect the exposed location.
The project presented a number of engineering considerations. The installation site is subject to significant wind loading, requiring a rigid and thoroughly braced structure. Measurements at height also carried an inherent degree of uncertainty, so Unicol designed all bracketry to be adjustable and clamping, accommodating tolerances of up to 15-20 mm.
The system was further designed to be built modularly, allowing individual components to be taken up and assembled at height, rather than requiring the complete structure to be assembled at ground level and hoisted into position. The entire project, from initial design through to completed installation, was turned around in approximately six weeks.
“Unicol was very good at getting the drawings to us and re-doing any drawings we needed”, notes Scott Meikle, Project Manager at GVAV. “The mount product itself is all modular, it all clips together.”
(Photo: Unicol Engineering)
Alfalite installs 150 LED panels in Torre Iberdrola auditorium
Alfalite has completed a major new corporate installation in Spain with the upgrade of the auditorium at Torre Iberdrola in Bilbao, headquarters of Iberdrola, one of Europe’s largest energy companies. The project features a visual system made up of 150 UHD Finepix 1.5 Matix AlfaCOB LED panels.
Located in the heart of Bilbao’s financial district, Torre Iberdrola is one of the most recognisable buildings in northern Spain. Designed by architect César Pelli and inaugurated in 2012, the 165-metre tower has become a symbol of Bilbao’s urban transformation and serves as the corporate headquarters of Iberdrola.
The new LED installation was designed to modernise the auditorium with a high-resolution display solution, including a main screen measuring 6.00 x 3.38 metres and two side screens measuring 3.00 x 1.69 metres each, to create an audiovisual environment tailored for executive presentations, conferences, meetings and corporate events.
One of the project’s most distinctive features was the development and installation of a custom ceiling-mounted motorised system that allows the central screen to be moved in order to facilitate maintenance operations and provide access to the curtains and glass surfaces located behind the stage.
The installation features Alfalite UHD Finepix 1.5 panels with Matix AlfaCOB technology which provides enhanced protection against impacts, dust and humidity while also improving thermal dissipation. Matix technology reduces reflections and glare and improves perceived black levels.
“In corporate auditoriums, it’s not enough for a screen to simply look good”, says Gilberto Martín, Channel Sales Director at Alfalite. “It also needs to integrate naturally within the architecture, support everyday usability and provide long-term operational confidence. In this project, we were able to deliver a complete solution tailored to the real needs of the space and designed for long-term performance.”
(Photos: Alfalite)
Jan Kiepura Masovian Musical Theater upgrades with EAW
The Jan Kiepura Masovian Musical Theater, located in the heart of Warsaw’s Praga district, has installed a sound system from Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW). For years, the theater operated with a subleased sound system that delivered strong performance but presented significant coverage limitations.
Due to its size, the previous system had to be hung high, resulting in uneven sound distribution throughout the auditorium. “We either had excellent coverage at the top and average at the bottom, or excellent coverage from the third row to almost the last row”, explains Maciej Marcinuik, Deputy Director for Administration and Investment at the Masovian Musical Theater. “Because we have the orchestra directly in front of the system, we don’t have the possibility to use traditional front-fills. That was our biggest challenge.”
The solution came in the form of the EAW AC6 Adaptive column loudspeaker system. Each compact AC6 column contains six 6-inch low-frequency drivers and a total of thirty high-frequency drivers. Every enclosure features its own onboard amplification and dedicated DSP channels, enabling precise, computer-controlled coverage and optimization. “After the change, we achieved practically the same SPL throughout the entire auditorium”, says Marcinuik. “We measured it at virtually every seat; the difference from the first row to the last is minimal. That level of consistency was exactly what we were looking for.”
The AC6 system’s Adaptive technology allows the theater to manage coverage scenarios entirely through software. With presets loaded directly into the loudspeakers, all system management is handled via computer. Marcinuik explains: “We can use several scenarios. We can play to the stage, to the orchestra pit, to the audience - or only to the audience. Sometimes the orchestra pit is used for additional seating or staging. With two clicks, we can decide whether we’re playing there or not. No mechanical adjustments, just software.”
The theater’s wide-ranging repertoire includes musically and visually complex productions featuring up to 24 condenser microphones in the orchestra pit, plus actors wearing headset microphones moving freely across the stage. “Feedback resistance is something we absolutely have to emphasize”, notes Marcinuik. “Actors sometimes run within a meter or two of the main system with condenser capsules, and they still have complete comfort.”
Beyond performance, aesthetics also played a major role. During one production’s set design phase, the loudspeaker mounting location was found to sit directly behind a scenic element. “The set designer simply designed openings with mesh for the speakers”, Marcinuik recalls. “I know where the system is, but the audience has no idea. It’s completely invisible.”
The installation also includes a Dante-based digital audio network with redundant connections for fault tolerance, ensuring uninterrupted performance in the event of a failure. The system continuously monitors its components, instantly alerting staff to any issues. “If a transducer or DSP module fails, the program informs us immediately and specifies the location”, says Marcinuik. “Then we can press the ‘self-healing’ button, and the system recalculates the beam to compensate. We maintain the same coverage. There may be a slight drop in sensitivity, but coverage remains consistent from the first to the last row.”
(Photos: Eastern Acoustic Works)
Belgrade’s Sava Centar installs L-Acoustics L2
Built in 1979 as part of New Belgrade’s wave of large-scale modernist architecture, the Blue Hall at Sava Centar is one of the region’s most demanding audio environments. The 4,000-seat auditorium measures roughly 50 metres wide by 45 metres deep, with a stage volume that rivals many purpose-built concert halls.
Its retained theatrical staging infrastructure - a structure designed for a different era of production - presents rigging limitations that any visiting production company will recognise immediately. And at the centre of the stage opening sits a 20 x 11-metre cinema screen, the largest of its kind in the region, which dominates both the visual and acoustic geometry of the room.
For decades, the hall operated without a permanent sound system. Touring events arrived with their own rigs, which worked until Sava Centar’s owners committed to a major renovation of the Blue Hall with the ambition of competing seriously for the large-scale concerts and shows that had been bypassing Belgrade for more technically equipped arenas. A permanent professional audio system was not in the original renovation brief. By the time the project was properly under way, it was clear it needed to be.
Sava Centar engaged two companies to design and deliver the installation: L-Acoustics Certified Provider Dicroic, who led the project, working alongside acoustic consultancy Acoustic Design, who’s principal Nemanja Stanojevic had already been in dialogue with the venue’s investors at an early stage.
The defining constraint was the cinema screen. It spans the full stage width and the investor’s position was non-negotiable: the sound system could not obstruct it. That ruled out a conventional centre-hung arrangement and forced the main left and right hangs to be positioned well apart - a span that immediately created a coverage challenge across the width of the audience area, and one that a centre-fill cluster would need to address.
“The main challenge was that the installation needed to cater equally to the many different events the Blue Hall hosts”, explains Sava Centar AV manager Ivan Brusic. “It was important to ensure that the sound system did not visually compromise the hall’s cinema screen. That constraint influenced every decision that followed.”
Beyond the screen, the hall’s original fly tower and rigging infrastructure, which were never intended for large-format loudspeaker systems, presented further challenges. Placement of the central subwoofer cluster was subject to constant negotiation with the room’s architecture. Every position was a compromise, and the design process had to anticipate each one before a single cabinet was flown.
“We presented and convinced the investor of the advantages of the L-Acoustics L2 system, that it could satisfy all types of events in the hall, and that the return on investment through rental income would be realised within two years”, shares Marko Fio, Dicroic CEO. With Dicroic leading the negotiating process and L-Acoustics application engineer Willi Klein embedded in the project from the start, the team built a full model of the room in L-Acoustics Soundvision before committing to any rigging position.
The geometry was complex: the mains had to clear the screen; the KS28 subwoofer cluster had to fit within a fly tower not designed to house it; and the centre-fill position had to bridge the coverage gap between the widely-spaced main hangs. Soundvision allowed the team to test every option and quantify every compromise before installation began. The physical installation was completed in four to five days, with Dicroic handling all rigging and preparation to allow Klein to proceed directly to system calibration.
The main system pairs two hangs of two L2 over one L2D per side, positioned to provide primary coverage across the full audience area while clearing the cinema screen entirely. Twelve KS28 are flown centrally above the stage. A centre-fill cluster of three A15 Focus and one A15 Wide addresses coverage across the central audience zone, complementing the mains. Eight X8 deployed as front-fills deliver consistent level and intelligibility for audience members in the front rows.
System drive and processing is handled by six LA7.16i and four LA12X amplified controllers, with a single LA4X completing the amplification. A P1 processor manages the Milan-AVB network connecting all amplified controllers, with a secondary AVB path and AES67 tertiary backup - a layered redundancy architecture well suited to a venue operating across a dense and varied event calendar. Six LS10 network switches complete the signal distribution infrastructure.
With the installation complete and the system calibrated, the Blue Hall now operates with a permanent audio infrastructure that removes the logistical overhead that a hired rig entails for every event. “The Blue Hall is now one of the two leading large-format venues in Serbia”, concludes Fio.
(Photos: L-Acoustics)
Groupe Novelty’s Magnum revitalises event space in Paris
Located beneath the world’s most visited museum, Les Salles du Carrousel is one of Paris’ most distinctive event venues. Operated by Viparis, the site combines historic architecture with contemporary event facilities, offering 6,635 square metres of modular interior space capable of hosting conferences, product launches, exhibitions and gala evenings.
The three primary spaces - the Le Nôtre Suite, the Soufflot Suite and the Foyer - recently underwent a technical FOH revitalisation delivered by Magnum, a Groupe Novelty company, who is also the official technical operator of the venue. The FOH of the last two venue spaces, the Delorme Suite and the Gabriel Suite, will also benefit from an upgrade this summer. On top of that, all Suites now benefit from a new generation of integrated sound, lighting, rigging and network infrastructure designed to streamline event production while improving safety, operational efficiency and sustainability.
“The spaces now offer a completely redesigned technical infrastructure, which includes changes on every level”, says Pierre-Marie Tournier, Magnum’s business manager for Les Salles du Carrousel. Le Nôtre Suite, the largest of the renovated spaces, offers 1,900 square metres of flexible event space and includes retractable bleachers capable of seating between 500 and 1,600 guests. Adjacent to it, the 925-square-metre Soufflot Suite provides an adaptable environment suited for conferences, workshops and exhibitions.
The third renovated space, the Foyer, spans 1,310 square metres and is distinguished by a curved ceiling constructed from more than 3,000 wooden elements. With its vaulted ceiling and oak parquet flooring, the 750 sqm Gabriel space provides a large and cosy venue. It can be combined with the last Suite, Delorme, which spans over 1,600 sqm and is specially designed to accommodate large-scale scenography for up to 1,200 people.
Magnum, a major technical production company founded in 1986 and part of Groupe Novelty since 2016, specialises in designing and delivering technical systems for events and venues across France and Europe. With around 300 staff and a strong presence in the Paris events market, the company combines event production services with permanent integration and venue technical management. “At Les Salles du Carrousel, Magnum has implemented complete technical room packages”, explains Tournier. “We’ve provided turnkey systems that include sound, lighting and video for events. These specially designed packages deliver time savings for every event organiser using the space.”
Central to the revitalisation was a total overhaul of the venue’s rigging infrastructure. New-generation curved trusses from Alu Soudure Diffusion (ASD) were installed, with motorised GIS D8+ chain hoists using Sonos Altimate control systems to enable precise and secure lifting operations. In total, 120 GIS LP500 D8+ electric chain hoists were deployed across the technical grid, while Altimate load monitoring systems were integrated at each rigging point to provide real-time supervision of suspended equipment. LED indicators on the load cells allow technicians to monitor loads instantly, improving operational safety during event setup and production.
“The electrical network has been completely rebuilt using StageSmarts power distribution units”, notes Tournier. “This provides reliable, scalable distribution perfectly suited to the diversity of events hosted here.” Lighting across the spaces was modernised using Robe Esprite and LEDBeam 200 fixtures. Magnum delivered audio reinforcement in all suites via a d&b Audiotechnik Compact Cardioid Line Array configuration, with in total eighteen clusters of three CCL12 loudspeakers supported by ten CCL-Sub subwoofers positioned according to the geometry of the spaces.
The d&b Audiotechnik system was specified by Edouard Dubus, working closely with d&b on the system design. The installation made use of d&b’s Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) programme, which provides professionally refurbished equipment at equivalent performance to brand-new products while delivering an 80-percent reduction in CO2 emissions compared to purchasing new.
Supporting the entire technical environment is a new audiovisual network built on a spine-leaf architecture using Netgear and Luminex switches. The network supports multiple professional AV protocols, including AVB, AES67, ST2110/IPMX and Dante, enabling full interoperability between systems. “Technical teams now benefit from instant interconnection between the different spaces thanks to a centralised nodal system”, says Fabrice Gosnet, Magnum’s AV network director. “The paging sound system has also been redesigned around a Yamaha MRX7-D matrix and PGM1 microphones, all controlled through an intuitive interface developed by Magnum.”
Additional infrastructure improvements were incorporated into the renovation as well. “The control rooms have been redesigned to guarantee optimal comfort and safety”, says Tournier. “Workstations are secured with guardrails, and the overall ergonomics have been significantly improved.”
Sustainability was paramount for this upgrade, and Magnum counted on Groupe Novelty’s expertise in this field, whose environmental commitment has been accelerated by managing director Christophe Piette. His drive for a formalised environmental strategy resulted in Groupe Novelty’s attainment of ISO 20121 certification, the international standard for sustainable event management.
This reflects a structured commitment to reducing the social and environmental impact of its operations. “This transformation is part of a precise eco-responsible approach”, says Piette. “The new equipment is designed to be more energy-efficient, supporting the sustainable development goals from our clients and partners.”
(Photos: Hugues De Beauchesne/CDL/d&b Audiotechnik/HDB/Magnum/Viparis)
Brighton College stattet neues Cairns Theatre mit GLP aus
Mit der Eröffnung des Richard Cairns Building hat das Brighton College ein neues kulturelles Zentrum geschaffen, dessen Herzstück aus einem multifunktionalen Theater mit 400 Sitzplätzen besteht. Zur technischen Infrastruktur des Hauses gehören fünf verschiedene Produktserien aus dem Portfolio von GLP, geliefert vom Vertriebspartner Stage Electrics, mit Unterstützung von GLP UK.
Zum Einsatz kommen Impression X5 Wash, WildBar 16, JDC Burst 1 und Creos. Darüber hinaus nutzt das College sechzig kabellose und akkubetriebene Nexus-RGBW-Panels von GLP. Neben dem Theater beherbergt das neue Gebäude ein separates Studio für Schauspiel und Tanz, dreizehn Musikräume sowie einen flexibel nutzbaren Foyerbereich für spontane Darbietungen.
Für Joe Wailes, Technical & Facilities Manager Performing Arts und selbst erfahrener Touring-Lichtdesigner und Produktionsleiter, standen deshalb Portabilität und eine Schutzart nach IP65 im Zentrum der Überlegungen. Ein Scheinwerfertyp ist im Cairns Theatre allerdings fest installiert: Als Ober- und Gegenlicht-Wash kommen Geräte aus der ersten Charge der X5 Wash zum Einsatz. „Sie sind zu unserem Standard-Washlight geworden, und sie sind meiner Meinung nach die besten Farbscheinwerfer, die wir im Haus haben“, so Wailes.
Das gesamte Projekt war ursprünglich bereits 2019 ausgeschrieben worden, durchlief dann jedoch eine längere Entwicklungsphase. Ein Teil der ursprünglich vorgesehenen Beleuchtung wird inzwischen im Blackbox-Tanzstudio eingesetzt. Als Joe Wailes im Sommer 2024 zum Team stieß, entschied er sich auf Basis seiner eigenen Praxiserfahrung für seine bevorzugten Hersteller. „Bei Washlights würde ich mich immer für GLP entscheiden“, sagt er.
Zwar wurde das Projekt regulär ausgeschrieben, doch mit Stage Electrics verband Wailes bereits aus einem früheren Engagement eine enge Zusammenarbeit. „Ich wollte unbedingt wieder mit ihnen arbeiten und war mit der gelieferten Technik und dem Service sehr zufrieden“, konstatiert er. „Außerdem haben sie für uns einen Demo-Tag mit vielen verschiedenen Gerätetypen organisiert, was die Auswahl enorm erleichterte.“ Die Installation übernahm das hauseigene Team des Colleges. Nach einer schrittweisen Inbetriebnahme wurde das Cairns Theatre im September 2025 für die Öffentlichkeit zugänglich gemacht.
„Ich habe mich für GLP entschieden, weil wir die Geräte auch an anderen Orten im Gebäude und auf dem Campus flexibel einsetzen wollten“, so Wailes weiter. Sowohl die WildBars als auch die Creos verfügen über die Schutzart IP65. Die Creos tauchten kürzlich die Außenfassade des Gebäudes für eine Veranstaltung in ein sattes Rot.
Ein weiterer wichtiger Aspekt bei der Produktauswahl sei laut Wailes das Thema Zukunftsfähigkeit im Sinne der Studenten gewesen: „Wenn sie später eine Laufbahn im technischen Theater-Bereich einschlagen möchten, sollten sie mit Equipment arbeiten, das aktuell in der Branche eingesetzt wird und als Industriestandard gilt. Auch das war ein Grund, warum ich mich bei den Washlights für GLP entschieden habe.“
Die sechzig modularen Nexus-Einheiten kommen häufig im Backstage-Bereich sowie im Aufführungsbereich des Foyers zum Einsatz. Mittels Magnetleisten lassen sie sich an der Stahlunterkonstruktion befestigen, um atmosphärisches Licht zu schaffen. Gesteuert werden sämtliche Produktionen im multifunktionalen Cairns Theatre, dessen Programm von Oper bis Musical reicht, über eine ETC-Eos-Apex-Konsole.
Als laut Eigeneinschätzung „Riesenvorteil“ hebt Wailes die Konsistenz innerhalb des Lichtkonzepts hervor: „Dass in WildBar 16 und Creos dieselben LEDs verbaut sind wie im X5, gibt meinen Designs deutlich mehr Flexibilität, weil ich mir über die Farbabstimmung keine Gedanken machen muss.“
(Fotos: Brighton College/Liz Finlayson/Vervate)
LSC Unitour empowers flexibility for Arlon’s House of Culture
The Maison de la Culture d’Arlon, a theatre and cultural destination in the south-east of Belgium, has taken delivery of a Unitour system from LSC Control Systems, an Australia-based manufacturer of data distribution, power and lighting control systems.
“We needed a power distribution system that could solve various problems in a single device”, explains the theatre’s Technical Director, Benoit Petit. “It had to be easy to move, fairly compact and able to provide both direct and dimmed power and sACN compliant for dimmer control. It also needed to include a monitoring system and electrical protection.”
Portability was key because although the system would mainly serve the smaller, 120-capacity secondary venue, it would also be needed for other stages around the building, or sometimes in different locations across the town.
Following a demo of Unitour given by LSC’s Benelux distribution partner Controllux and LSC’s Business Development Manager for Europe, Kris Noerens, Petit was convinced by the system’s functions and user approach. Furthermore, the Houston X software - which would allow for remote monitoring and configuration, enabling the team to receive alerts ahead of dropouts - was a major consideration.
Petit placed the order for the touring-grade power distribution system just before Christmas, and delivery followed in mid-February. Specified and delivered by Controllux, the chosen system is a 24-channel Unitour rack, complete with Houston X remote control software. Unitour features LSC’s TruPower dim/switch technology, enabling the client to protect and monitor the venue’s equipment in a reliable way.
Unitour’s functionalities are almost exactly the same as those offered by LSC’s Unity systems, which are designed for fixed installations, but in a robust, mobile rack. Due to the staggered channel start-up, avoiding high inrush currents, this system is suited for powering equipment with switched power circuits, such as LED walls.
(Photo: Glenn Knapen, watchkraft.com)
Nucleus and Russell Sage Studio build Wow!house 2026 around L-Acoustics Hyriss
Wow!house, the annual showhouse staged at Design Centre Chelsea Harbour, has opened its fifth edition with 22 rooms by an invited roster of architects and interior designers. The culmination of the visit is The Nucleus Immersive Room by Russell Sage Studio. The Momentarium is built around an L-Acoustics Hyriss spatial audio system - the first time Hyriss has been specified for a designer showhouse, and the technology is the structural premise of this space.
Wow!house is open to the public from June 2 to July 2, 2026, with twice-daily guided tours included in the ticket price. The event draws an audience of design enthusiasts and the international design press, as well as architects, interior designers, hoteliers, yacht designers, and property developers who specify residential and hospitality interiors.
Nucleus, the UK residential AV integrator behind the project, returned to Wow!house after presenting a media room at the 2025 edition. This year, the team set out to design a room in which audio would shape every element of the experience: narrative, atmosphere, and visitor interaction alike.
Russell Sage Studio partnered with Nucleus to develop the concept around the idea of memory: a circular, cocooning interior in which visitors lift objects like letters, photographs, and small heirlooms from a set of bespoke drawers and chests, and each object cues a corresponding sound and atmosphere. A fragment of music. An ambient texture. A shift in light. Two pieces of music were written for the room by Krishna Jhaveri and Sanaya Ardeshir, composers working in L-ISA Studio.
The room sits at the close of the visitor journey through Wow!house. Seating is a custom curved banquette under a sculpted plaster ceiling; fabrics are layered in soft hues; lighting, by John Cullen Lighting, is built into the architecture; scent is provided by Jo Malone London. Audio, video, lighting, and shading are orchestrated as a single layer through Crestron, so that when a drawer is opened it changes both the soundtrack and the room’s entire atmosphere.
“We wanted to push our media room further”, says Durgesh Sinh, Founding Director of Nucleus. “Our aim was to show what happens when technology is considered from the start, as part of the architecture, the interior, the lighting, and the acoustics, all at once. The room had to use sound to do something we hadn’t done before in a designed space.”
A conventional 5.1 or 7.1 surround system was incompatible with the design brief. Channel-based audio ties sound to fixed speaker positions; the Momentarium needed sounds that move with the listener as the room’s state changes. Nucleus, having previously experienced Hyriss (Hyperreal Immersive Sound Space) at the L-Acoustics showroom in Highgate, specified it for the project.
Hyriss’s adaptability allowed the Momentarium to function as a memory-trigger environment in the first place: the same loudspeakers and processing that reproduce a film soundtrack can, a minute later, place a fragment of music behind the listener’s shoulder. “We chose Hyriss because we wanted the room to go beyond conventional surround sound or a standard home cinema format”, says Sinh. “The idea was to create a room where sound could become part of the storytelling.”
Russell Sage Studio’s interior had to remain visually unbroken. Acoustically transparent fabric, specified with Nucleus, conceals the loudspeakers. Sony displays provide visual content where required. Every system in the room is controlled and orchestrated through Crestron. “What inspires me about Nucleus is their ability to translate complex technology into something elegant and intuitive”, says Russell Sage. “They treat sound, light, and control as architectural tools, not add-ons. That mindset allows us to create spaces where technology enhances atmosphere rather than interrupting it.”
The Momentarium is built around seventeen X4i coaxial loudspeakers and supported by twelve SB6i subwoofers. System drive is handled by two LA1.16i amplified controllers, with a single LC16D and two LS10 network switches managing signal distribution throughout the room. At the heart of the processing chain sits an L-ISA Processor II alongside a P1 processor for Ambiance, delivering the object-based audio spatialisation that defines the space. The L-ISA Processor II runs the Anima engine to adapt the room’s acoustic behaviour to each scene.
“Sound had to cocoon the room, create movement, support the visual content, and help transform the overall atmosphere”, Sinh concludes. “Hyriss is what makes the room different. It allows the Momentarium to become more than a beautiful space with AV integrated. It’s a room that can shift, tell stories and create a lasting emotional response. That was always the core ambition of the project.”
(Photos: James McDonald)
WSDG designs Swing Music 2.0 for Argentine composers Andres Goldstein and Daniel Tarrab
WSDG has completed the acoustic and technical design of Swing Music 2.0, a new dual-studio creative environment developed for Argentine composers and producers Andres Goldstein and Daniel Tarrab, founders of the Latin American music production company Swing Music.
Having previously collaborated with WSDG on the original Swing Music studio, Goldstein and Tarrab once again partnered with the firm, led by Senior Partner and Co-CEO Sergio Molho, to create a new generation of production spaces tailored to the evolving demands of contemporary film, television and multimedia composition.
Designed as two distinct but interconnected creative environments, Swing Music 2.0 reflects the individual workflows and artistic personalities of its owners while maintaining a cohesive production identity. The studios support the full spectrum of modern soundtrack production, from composition and programming to recording, editing, mixing and remote collaboration.
“Over the years, the way we work has evolved enormously”, says Goldstein. “We needed spaces that could support very long creative sessions, allow us to move quickly between different stages of production, and still feel inspiring and comfortable every day. WSDG understood that immediately and translated it into rooms that genuinely support the creative process.”
Located in Buenos Aires, the project was developed around the increasingly hybrid nature of modern music production. WSDG’s brief included acoustic design, technical integration, workflow planning, lighting design and technical interior design for both studio environments.
Rather than creating two identical rooms, WSDG worked closely with Goldstein and Tarrab to shape each studio around their individual working methods and technical preferences. “Each of us has a very personal relationship with sound, instruments and workflow”, explains Tarrab. “What I appreciated most was that WSDG never approached the project with a ‘one-size-fits-all’ mentality. They listened carefully to how we actually create music and designed spaces around that reality.”
Goldstein’s studio, Swing Godoy Cruz, is centered around a hybrid scoring workflow and features a master Mac system alongside a dedicated Mac slave for sound libraries, a Smart TV for picture reference, Genelec 8331A monitoring, Focusrite Scarlett 4th Gen interface, Avalon compressor, Studiologic control surface, keyboard controller, Beyer headphone distribution, and AKG 414 and Neumann microphones.
Meanwhile, Tarrab’s Swing Control Z Studio combines digital production tools with an extensive collection of instruments and analog equipment. The studio features a Hackintosh master computer, PC slave, Studiologic SL88-Grand, Studiologic SL Mixface, Avalon AD2022 preamplifier, SSL 2+ interface, Genelec 8040A monitoring, AKG 414 and Neumann U87 microphones, as well as a curated instrument collection including a 1905 Steinway & Sons Vertegrand piano, Yamaha CP70, Fender Jazz Bass and multiple Epiphone guitars.
Swing Music 2.0 now serves as a flexible and future-ready production hub supporting the composers’ growing body of soundtrack, television and multimedia work. Throughout their careers, Goldstein and Tarrab have contributed to a number of internationally recognized film and television productions, including “Some Who Lived”, directed by Luis Puenzo and produced by Steven Spielberg; Lucía Puenzo’s “XXY”, which screened at Cannes in 2007; the Emmy-winning “Inheritance”, directed by James Moll; Netflix’s “Nadie Nos Vio Partir”; Prime Video’s “La Jauría”; and “Señorita 89” for StarzPlay.
(Photos: WSDG)
Theater Magdeburg investiert in Elation KL Cyc L
Das Theater Magdeburg hat seinen Beleuchtungsbestand um acht KL-Cyc-L-LED-Horizontleuchten von Elation erweitert. Das Venue verfügt mit Schauspielhaus und Opernhaus über zwei eigenständige Spielstätten mit getrennten Technikpools. Die neuen KL Cyc L wurden für den Einsatz im Opernhaus angeschafft.
„Da wir nicht über grenzenlose Mittel verfügen, müssen wir sehr sorgfältig auswählen, welche Leuchten wir im Idealfall möglichst vielseitig einsetzen können“, sagt Felix Schumann, Meister für Veranstaltungstechnik am Theater Magdeburg. „Wir wollten bewusst einen neuen Allrounder anschaffen.“
Im Rahmen der Produktauswahl sichtete das Theater verschiedene Lösungen am Markt. Auf die KL Cyc L aufmerksam wurde das Team schließlich durch eine Vorführung von Igor Cernitori, dem Theaterspezialisten im Team von LMP Lichttechnik. Dort bestand zudem die Möglichkeit, die Leuchte direkt mit einem anderen System zu vergleichen.
Die Entscheidung zugunsten der Elation KL Cyc L sei letztlich vor allem aufgrund ihrer Flexibilität im Theaterbetrieb gefallen, so Schumann. „Durch die Blendenschieber können sie sehr gut abgeschoben werden, gleichzeitig haben wir die Möglichkeit, sie auch mal zu hängen“, erklärt er. „Auch die Helligkeit und die Farben haben uns überzeugt.“
Im Alltag werden die KL Cyc L im Opernhaus des Theaters Magdeburg nicht ausschließlich als Horizontbeleuchtung genutzt - je nach Produktion kommen die Leuchten ebenso als Fußrampe, Gassenlicht oder zur Ausleuchtung von Bühnenbildern zum Einsatz.
(Fotos: Theater Magdeburg/Nilz Böhme)
New Christchurch Court Theatre chooses LSC technology
Years after the earthquake that devastated the city, Christchurch, New Zealand’s Court Theatre has reopened in the newly developed Performing Arts Precinct, complete with power management and data solutions from LSC Control Systems.
When the Arts Centre was damaged by the earthquake of 2011, the Court Theatre was forced to relocate to a temporary home, an old grain storehouse in the nearby suburb of Addington, called “The Shed”. This “temporary” measure was to be the theatre’s home for the next fourteen years, while the city progressed ambitious plans for a new cultural hub in the city centre, to be known as the Performing Arts Precinct.
The new theatre, which eventually opened in May 2025, is a modern producing facility. It includes an intimate, “courtyard”-style 377-seat main house called The Stewart Theatre, a flexible studio theatre space - the Wakefield Family Front Room, accommodating audience capacities from 120-150 - and two smaller multi-purpose event spaces, the Rata Foundation Studio and the Ravenscar Lounge.
The technical production infrastructure throughout is designed to meet the highest standards. Following a technical specification drawn up by leading international theatre consultancy Charcoalblue, Auckland-based specialist LS Group was engaged by Hawkins Construction and Court Theatre to supply, install and commission the theatrical lighting and control systems.
They supplied four of LSC’s Unity switching/dimming racks (each 96-channel) - three serving the Stewart Theatre, and one for the Wakefield Family Front Room. “These dimmers provide the backbone of power dimming that allows Court Theatre to use a mixture of tungsten and LED lighting”, says LS Group’s Nick Abel.
Giles Tanner, the theatre’s Head Technician and Principal Lighting Designer, adds: “In moving to a new facility, we were faced with a conundrum: would we transition to an LED-only lighting rig, or have a mix of LED and incandescent fixtures? Because these two options require very different scenarios, this had significant implications in how lighting power would be implemented.”
The Unity racks are mounted on a floating, isolated metal framing system for seismic bracing, while vibration isolation was specified by Charcoalblue to prevent mechanical vibration being transferred to the building. In addition, the requirements of the Rata Foundation Studio and the Ravenscar Lounge are served by six Gen-VI units, three for each space.
With output channels configurable as 8-bit or 16-bit dimmers for lamps and LEDs, or as direct power relay channels (TruPower) for moving lights, video screens, and audio amplifiers, these dimming and power distribution systems offer a wide range of options. Here again, they allow for the operation of a mixture of tungsten and LED lighting.
The LSC product range also met various DMX routing requirements. Included were a number of MDR rack-mount DMX/RDM data splitters for the venue’s day-to-day DMX signal routing, and MDR DIN-rail splitters, as well as Nexus rack-mount Nodes for ethernet-DMX routing, plus a couple of Nexen DIN-Rail nodes providing power control for the house lighting system.
“We have moved largely to LED fixtures but find that integrating conventional fixtures is both efficient and convenient”, concludes Tanner. “There are some situations where LED fixtures just do not give the best results and the option to seamlessly integrate conventional fixtures is fantastic.”
(Photo: Charlie Rose Creative)
Karol Lipinski Academy of Music upgrades infrastructure with new Harrison analog mixing console
The Karol Lipinski Academy of Music in Wroclaw, Poland, has upgraded its STM (Studio Technik Multimedialnych) studio with the installation of a Harrison Audio 32Classic 48-channel analog mixing console supplied by the official distributor in Poland, Commercial Audio.
The new 32Classic 48, which includes a Dante interface, has been integrated with the academy’s Dante network to enable patching to/from four Harrison D510r 10-slot 500 Series racks and the DAW, plus access to sources anywhere in the building.
The studio, built in 2012, supports students and faculty and is also available for commercial projects. It has recently begun a revitalization and modernization process. “STM is designed to bridge education, art and professional production, and our goal is to create a facility that meets high production standards while remaining an effective learning environment - and the Harrison 32Classic is a central element of that vision”, says Dr. Przemyslaw Jarosz, Sound Engineer/Recording Mixer at STM.
“For students, the Harrison 32Classic is an opportunity to work on a legendary analog console and truly understand how audio behaves in a classic ‘in-line’ signal path”, he continues. “At the same time, the system is built for today’s workflows thanks to AoIP (Dante) interface integration. This hybrid approach lets students and engineers learn both worlds: traditional analog technique and modern networked audio.”
The Harrison console’s integrated Dante interface has revolutionized the way faculty and students approach recording and mixing sessions, reports Jarosz: “It’s a unique feature in the world of analog consoles, and for us it’s been a game changer. First, it enables a highly flexible in-line workflow. We can return signals from the DAW straight back onto the console faders during a recording session, which makes tracking and monitoring feel immediate and intuitive.”
Dante also makes mixing faster, he adds: “When we’re working on already recorded material, we can route DAW outputs to the console channels in a very efficient way, with quick changes and minimal setup time. On top of that, the console’s matrix capabilities and external inputs implemented via Dante significantly streamline day-to-day operation. They allow us to switch sources - both at the console and within the digital routing - and build monitoring or routing scenarios quickly.”
The four Dante-enabled Harrison D510r 500 Series racks, loaded with twenty SSL and twenty Harrison compressor modules, further expand the 32Classic’s capabilities. “We now have fully featured channels with both EQ and dynamics - the kind of complete, hands-on channel processing you normally associate with classic large-format analog desks - but with full AoIP routing flexibility over the Dante network”, explains Jarosz. The Harrison D510 500 Series system at the Karol Lipinski Academy features the D510dante audio interface for seamless routing to/from the console, as well as any other devices on the Dante network.
A digital audio format converter with MADI and Dante cards transcodes signals from the Academy’s MADI network to Dante for direct input to the console. “With the digital integration, we can record and route any analog or digital audio signal from anywhere in the Academy - from multiple studios and concert halls, or even from several locations at once - while keeping sources separated and organized through flexible routing and different transmission domains”, says Jarosz. “In practice, this means we can capture complex sessions efficiently, combining various spaces and ensembles into one coherent production workflow.”
Since the installation, the 32Classic has already been used across a broad range of Academy-related work, including classical, jazz and film-oriented sessions, as well as live and streaming productions. Projects range from solo recordings through chamber music to full symphony orchestras. In addition to supplying the console, Commercial Audio also handled the complete integration with all of the Academy’s studio rooms, the concert hall and the entire outboard setup.
(Photos: Harrison Audio/Karol Lipinski Academy of Music)
Teqsas supplies Coda Audio system for Culture Centre in Germany
The Hardt Congress and Cultural Centre in the German municipality of Linkenheim-Hochstetten is a multi-use facility which sits at the heart of its community. The venue has been the hub of social life since the 1990s, hosting municipal events on every scale, as well as external conferences, meetings, trade fairs, and more.
The Centre recently took the decision to upgrade its audio provision, requiring a system that offered optimal delivery of spoken word events and concerts. A Coda Audio system was selected to meet the brief. The goal was to achieve an even coverage throughout the room without affecting the lines of sight - especially in the area of the gallery.
A central element of the concept was a switchable array which would allow flexible adaptation to different audio applications. This would allow for optimal configuration of the system depending on the format of the event, from conferences and lectures to concerts and cultural events.
The Centre’s Technical Director, Jürgen Faul, organised the testing and comparison of several solutions, before deciding on the Coda Audio N-Ray system. The Centre’s in-house technical team installed the system, which is powered by Coda Audio Linus 6.4 DSP amplifiers, and comprises sixteen Coda Audio N-Ray (compact three-way line array), seven D5 Cube (compact two-way point source) and two Hops7-Pro (compact point source), supported by six G18-Sub (multipurpose sub extension).
The new system provides even sound distribution throughout the room and ensures that the gallery is reliably reached from the front sound system. At the same time, the system remains flexible enough to cover a wide range of event formats, and deliver stable performance when higher levels are required. The N-Ray system was supplied by Teqsas GmbH.
(Photos: Coda Audio)
Rebranded French nightclub upgrades with Martin Audio WPS line array
Situated in the Nantes commune of Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire, the former Papa Tango Club recently underwent a rebrand from owners Evoe Group and resurfaced as Moon Social Club. As part of a substantial renovation and expansion to create a larger capacity, a new Martin Audio WPS line array has been installed by technology specialists and Martin Audio partners Make It Event. The company has been working with the operators since 2018 and currently manages around fifteen venues for the group.
The client has been a long-standing partner of Martin Audio, and several other venues within the Group are already equipped with the British manufacturer’s systems. However, due to the specific constraints of the new venue, the client wished to evaluate multiple audio solutions on site before reach a decision.
Make It arranged several proof-of-concept tests, including systems from competing brands. The final choice went in favour of Martin Audio, not least because of the strong collaboration between Make It and French distributor Algam Enterprise, who were able to deliver a solution that met the requirements.
The sound system was designed by Benjamin Verneuil, Head of Integration at Make It Event, and his solution was for eight WPS, flown four aside, either side of the stage, after carrying out visualisation in the manufacturer’s Display prediction software. The line array is driven in 2-box resolution from a pair of Dante-enabled Martin Audio iK42 and an iK81 multichannel amplifiers.
The main hangs are further reinforced by a pair of CDD8 as sidefills to improve coverage at the centre of the stage - along with four CDD12 ceiling-mounted delays for additional coverage, a further pair of CDD12 on the sides, to open up the sound field, and four SXH218 subwoofers. These are arranged in a sub arc under the stage - a solution chosen for both practical reasons and overall coherence, as traditional stacking was not possible in this space.
The main stage forms one of five separate sound zones, all of which feature Martin Audio solutions. Elsewhere, a separate club room is equipped with a mini W8LM system (three elements aside) with a single WMX sub per side. Two VIP rooms are each equipped with three wall-mounted CDD5, and at the entrance, guests are greeted by discreet sound emanating from four ACS-55TS compact, two-way ceiling speakers. For those venturing outside, a dedicated area is populated with four Martin Audio AQ8 and an SX215 sub.
(Photos: Martin Audio/Eric Menard/Photo Studio Algam)
