Two year rates are available on request. Subscribe online at www.mondiale.co.uk or call +44 (0)161 476 5580 ISSN: 1476 4067
Mondo DR (ISSN 1476 4067) is published in January, March, May, July, September, November and December by Mondiale Publishing Ltd, Strawberry Studios, Watson Square, Stockport, SK1 3AZ, UK
Subscription records are maintained at Mondiale Media Ltd, Strawberry Studios, Watson Square, Stockport, SK1 3AZ, UK
FROM THE EDITOR...
As we step into a new year, we’re delighted to share the first edition of 2026, bringing you some of the most impressive and intriguing installations from a range of venues all over the world. Inside this issue, I take a deep-dive into the first European residency in the 40-year history of Cirque du Soleil as the company takes over and refits the Theater am Potsdamer Platz in Berlin for its latest stunning production, ALIZÉ. Also inside, we speak with ACT Entertainment’s Chief Innovation Officer, Bob Bonniol, who gives us his insight into what the future of immersive entertainment looks like, and we have company profiles on dBTechnologies and Dutch Barrier Services.
We also round up some of the most impressive upgrades across the hospitality sector in a special report on Bars & Restaurants, provide updates from MA Lighting and Sennheiser, and carry a product guide on Rigging, Trussing and Staging solutions.
The whole team will be at ISE looking forward to catching up with the industry, and I’m excited to be hosting two installspecific panels at the Live Events Stage in Hall 6.
MIR MULTIMEDIA INTEGRATION EXPO RIMINI, ITALY www.mirtechexpo.com
APR 19-21
SOUNDCHECK MEXICO CITY, MEXICO www.soundcheckexpo.com.mx
MAY
APR 15-16
EXPO SCENE MONTREAL, CANADA www.citt.org
MAY 4-6
SLS EXPO RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA www.saudilightandsoundexpo.com
APR 15-17
INFOCOMM CHINA BEIJING, CHINA www.infocomm-china.com
MAY 5
SET AWARDS RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA www.saudilightandsoundexpo.com
APR 19-22
NAB SHOW LAS VEGAS, USA www.nabshow.com
MAY 12-13
PLASA FOCUS LEEDS, UK www.plasaleeds.com
ISE 2026
Fira de Barcelona I Gran Via I 3 - 6 February 2026
This isn’t the show for slow. It’s for adopters ahead of the curve. The tools of tomorrow are here. We just need the people who can unlock their potential. Calling all who seek to push the boundaries of possibility–are you ready to test it for yourself? The next Innovation is here and now.
GET YOUR FREE TICKET
Register with code: mondodr at iseurope.org
A joint venture partnership of
MA LIGHTING INTERNATIONAL
Stephan Saremba, Managing Director of MA Lighting International, speaks ahead of the manufacturer’s appearance at ISE in 2026, giving the industry a glimpse at what we’ll be able to see at the show, as well as taking a deep dive into his personal pro AV journey so far.
How did you get your start in the industry?
I’m relatively fresh to the entertainment and live events industry specifically, but I’ve been working in adjacent fields since I was young. After university, I joined an architectural lighting controls company, where I worked for a total of 15 years, gaining experience as a product manager based in the US. Later, I took on a role with a control and signal management company, AMX, which was acquired by HARMAN Professional. This was when I had my first interaction with the exciting world of entertainment and live events. I was instantly interested and moved to MA Lighting International in April of 2020 to immerse myself in this sector further. I’m very happy to be in this industry. The sense of community and the passion for sharing knowledge and experiences within this field are unlike anything I’ve ever seen or felt.
How would you characterise the current global market landscape for entertainment lighting and control systems?
The way the entertainment and live events industry has expanded and accelerated in the last five years is remarkable. There’s a buzz of excitement within audiences and customers worldwide, and the people running events and spaces are determined to give everyone a memorable experience. At MA Lighting, we’ve
seen that people want more effects and more dynamic visuals in the shows and venues they’re going to. For example, at theatre productions or sporting events, people expect a ‘rock’ n’ roll’ factor. Luckily, rock’ n’ roll is in MA Lighting’s DNA, allowing us to empower designers to create energetic venues, providing solutions that are flexible and future-proof.
Can you expand on the challenges AVL integrators, designers and specifiers are facing in the industry today?
One of the biggest challenges is the increasing need for interoperability. Venues and rental companies want control systems that integrate seamlessly within the wider context of the systems used on the project and their protocols. End devices are getting more complex, so everyone faces the challenge to handle everything in less time.
At MA Lighting, our approach is to be system agnostic and provide tools that allow users to concentrate on their creativity, while ensuring that installations and venues can rely on a safe and flexible system.
We see strong growth opportunities in three key areas: theatre, architainment, and large-scale sporting venues. Regarding the latter, we have been very pleased to collaborate with creative and technical teams behind the FIFA World Cup 2026, figuring out how
to provide a high-tech, dynamic experience for pre-show entertainment. Audiences continue to seek experiences that go beyond just the game, so pre-game shows that build anticipation and excitement are becoming an essential part of the event. This demand ultimately drives growth across our industry, as it means that venues come to us for the systems to help facilitate such shows.
Another focus market for us is houses of worship. This is an area we are particularly passionate about. Many professionals working in entertainment today found their first jobs in their local churches, in much the same way many in the theatre world began through school productions. Because of this, we believe it’s important for MA Lighting to be present and engaged in the space.
On that note, one of our key goals is supporting those who are newer to the AVL industry. To put this into action, we will be launching a new product at ISE, the DMX Key. This solution is designed to lower the barrier to entry into the MA Lighting ecosystem, with an added dedicated ‘starter’ version to make it easier for users to begin working with our tools and to grow with us over time.
How does the MA Lighting ecosystem align with the specific workflows and goals of house of worship installations?
House of worship productions are unique. The requirements they have are a mixture of those of concerts, professional broadcasts, and timesensitive productions. So, for a house of worship show to be executed correctly, venues need a hybrid system that ticks all these boxes. This is one of the core strengths of the grandMA3 platform.
In the house of worship market, some users, particularly those operating larger venues, are highly specialised lighting professionals and programmers. At the same time, many productions rely on volunteer technicians who need an interface that is approachable and easy to learn. grandMA3 is designed to support both ends of that spectrum. We place a strong emphasis on making it easy to get started with MA Lighting, while still allowing experienced users to access deep levels of control as their skills develop. One example of this is the integrated Startshow file, which includes a range of preconfigured settings and structures, allowing users to begin working with their stage and fixtures
The FIFA Club World Cup 2025, using grandMA3 systems.
China’s National Games Opening Ceremony, powered by the grandMA3. Photo: Guangzhou Rui Feng Culture.
‘Light of Creation’ at Vienna’s Votivkirche, controlled by a compact grandMA3 console. Photo: Light of Creation.
Clockwise from left:
Stephan Saremba, Managing Director of MA Lighting.
Photo: Lab2580.
immediately. From there, the system can be refined and customised in great detail. Our goal is to offer a low barrier to entry alongside intuitive, streamlined workflows, ensuring that everyone involved, from volunteers to seasoned professionals, can focus on delivering the best possible experience.
On a similar note, what benefits does the grandMA3 system bring to architainment installations?
The architainment vertical has the potential to rival the stage lighting market in terms of scale. In the past, architectural projects often focused on relatively simple effects, such as static or slowly changing colours. Today, those expectations have evolved dramatically.
If you look at New Year’s Eve celebrations on landmarks like the Burj Khalifa or large-scale activations in Times Square, these are no longer just lighting displays, they are full-scale live shows with a strong entertainment character.
This shift plays directly to our strengths. MA Lighting enables designers to create sophisticated, dynamic effects with the same creative freedom they expect in concert and live event environments, while still working within the constraints of architectural structures. Another critical requirement in architectural projects is seamless integration into existing network infrastructures. To support this, we have focussed on robust and transparent networking solutions. One example is our partnership with Luminex and the MA Network License, which allows users to identify and monitor every MA device on the network. This level of visibility makes it significantly easier for system integrators to design, deploy, and manage complex architectural lighting networks with confidence.
What are the defining USPs of the grandMA3 platform?
It would be fairly boring if I answered this with a simple list of specifications, so I prefer to look at it from a broader perspective. At MA Lighting, we truly dedicate ourselves to our users and creating the best stage lighting control possible. We wake up in the morning thinking about how to improve our systems for MA users, we work on them all day, and we probably dream about them at night, too!
From the very early days of MA Lighting, scalability and flexibility have been central design principles. Users might start with operating our systems for a small show, and as their careers and responsibilities develop, they can grow and refine the solution. Equally, production companies sometimes have to handle a small event one day and a stadium tour the next – we want them to be able to utilise our equipment for both of these projects.
The key is that users shouldn’t have to reinvent the wheel every time they work on something new. The system needs to be able to change alongside their needs.
With grandMA3, you can use the same software, personal settings, and workflows whether you are running a laptop with a single output device or operating a large, multi-console system controlling a stadiumscale production. To enable this, we have developed a unique system architecture based on distributed networking components, which provides seamless redundancy and enables multiple users to program and operate the system simultaneously.
Our greatest USP is our global community of MA users. I can confidently say that almost anywhere in the world, you can find a skilled grandMA programmer and a rental company that can supply MA equipment. Through our worldwide distribution and partner network, users also have access to local support and service wherever they are. In a global industry that is always working against the clock, this reliability and accessibility are a fundamental part of our brand promise.
How will MA Lighting present its systems at ISE 2026, and what can visitors expect to experience on the booth?
Our key message at ISE is MA Lighting’s power in integration, specifically how the grandMA3 system supports different application areas, including sports venues, houses of worship, theatre, and dynamic architectural lighting. Venue owners, specifiers, and system
installers will be able to experience how the MA system is designed for these environments and understand the specific benefits it offers for each application.
On the booth, visitors can explore real-world system setups using MA products, supported by interactive system maps that demonstrate how easily grandMA3 integrates within different venues and infrastructures.
The goal is to make complex systems tangible and easy to understand, regardless of a visitor’s background.
At the same time, we are very conscious of MA Lighting’s strong heritage in concert touring and festivals, which remains a core part of our DNA.
For our touring community, we have created a dedicated product demo and test area that includes a typical FOH setup.
Each day at ISE, we will host an ‘Operator Club’ event, where we will present the upcoming grandMA3 software version 2.4, showcasing new workflows and innovations. These sessions are also an opportunity for MA users to engage directly with our product management and development teams. And, of course, we’ll make sure there are cold drinks on hand as well!
For users attending the trade show, what do you believe will be the most exciting or relevant takeaway from your presence there?
For those customers who already know MA and are working with MA, the DMX key product launch and the launch of the new Software Version will be the most exciting elements of our appearance at ISE. We invite everyone at the show to engage and share their feedback on the new solutions.
For customers that don’t know much about MA Lighting but have always wondered about how to safely and effectively integrate a show control system, they need search no more. At ISE, we are happy to demonstrate solutions around several applications, including theatre, house of worship, architainment, stadiums, and all manner of venues.
To close, it’s been reported that MA Lighting International is building a new headquarters. Can you share a bit more about this? Yes, this is something we’re working on very hard! As you can imagine, the creation and construction process generates lots of interesting but welcome challenges. This new building will be a hub for the MA team, but also for our customers, users, and fans to come and experience the brand and, more importantly, the people behind it. All I’ll say for now is stay tuned for more details in 2026... www.malighting.com
Above : The Singapore National Day Parade. Photo: Gabriel Chan.
Open the Trade Expressway. GETshow helps you， Easily expand into the international market. Zone
We cordially invite you to visit and purchase professional lighting and audio systems in Guangzhou，China
Welcome to contact and register for exhibition services!
“THERE’S NO POINT IN LIFE WHERE YOU GRADUATE FROM LEARNING. IN FACT, IN AN INDUSTRY THAT’S SO OFTEN EVOLVING, I’D SAY I’M IN THE BUSINESS OF LEARNING.”
BOB BONNIOL Chief Innovation Officer, ACT Entertainment
At the start of 2025, Bob Bonniol was in Los Angeles, supporting his daughter as she wrapped up an internship with ACT Entertainment while balancing his responsibilities as MODE Studios’ Chief Creative Officer. During that time, he received a call from ACT Entertainment CEO Ben Saltzman. At MODE, the company he had founded and guided for decades alongside his partner, Bonniol was thriving as a director and designer of live entertainment. Yet he had confessed to Saltzman that the role, despite his lifelong passion for the industry, had left him feeling “a little worn out.” Saltzman was calling with an offer. ACT’s video division, consisting of Green Hippo, tvONE, and Magenta, was poised for significant reinvention. The engineering was strong and the teams capable, but the brands needed unified direction. They needed someone who understood technology from a creative operator’s perspective. Or as Bonniol put it: “They wanted a painter who actually used the brushes to be in charge of the brush factory.”
Saltzman believed Bonniol’s experience in creative production could help guide the team. “Ben laid out for me that ACT’s video branch had slightly lost its compass,” Bonniol recalled. “He said, ‘I have this challenge, and it strikes me that you’re the perfect person for it. I don’t know if you’d be interested in this kind of job, but would you like
to come in to give the division purpose and shape?’”
By February 2025, Bonniol had accepted the position, initially as Director of Video and Innovation. His role evolved quickly, and he was soon appointed Chief Innovation Officer, overseeing all brands under the ACT Entertainment umbrella. MONDO-DR spoke with Bonniol following his first trade show appearance in the new role. At LDI 2025, he discussed his mission to create a unified “entertainment or experience infrastructure” that blends ACT’s offerings into one seamless solution, from Green Hippo’s advanced media servers to tvONE’s signal engineering.
“LDI had such a great, exciting energy,” he said. “In my new position, I was able to talk and think about all the ways that ACT Entertainment products can be brought together to drive innovation and create immense technological impact.”
While his current title represents a shift from his time at MODE, Bonniol sees it as a natural evolution. “I feel like my entire professional life, without me even realising it, prepared me to do this. This is absolutely where I’m meant to be, cosmically and karmically.”
His journey into entertainment began at the Trinity Repertory theatre in Rhode Island, where he introduced himself to the head lighting technician and secured a gig operating the venue’s follow spots. “I ran the lights for the
Green Hippo pixel mapping software is used for a project in North Riyadh.
theatre’s various shows, and I ran them badly!” he laughed. “But witnessing the creatives in the room coming together to make something, seeing how audiences are transported… Theatre and entertainment are about bringing people together and having them walk out of a space changed, whether in big or small ways. It turned out that this is what I was obsessed with. I immediately said, ‘This is what I want to do!’” His time at Trinity Repertory proved significant both professionally and personally. Bonniol eventually married that same head technician, Colleen Bonniol, and the pair went on to found MODE Studios together. “Colleen’s career trajectory also saw her take the world of rock and roll touring by storm, in an era where it was even more maledominated than it is now,” he added.
From there, Bonniol worked his way up from technician to lighting designer and director for prestigious venues and shows. “I’ve designed the lighting for fixed installation projects, for touring, for broadcast uses; I’ve had so many great opportunities. I’ve wandered all over the map in my career, and I consider myself very fortunate to have been able to do so.”
An Emmy-winning creative force whose credits span Broadway, major tours, and large-scale theme park productions, Bonniol combines an artistic perspective with a deep understanding of the technology that drives entertainment. Now, with ACT Entertainment, he leads a 150-person team he calls “a scrappy bunch of rebels”, as he reported they are passionate and committed, but unafraid to disrupt the status quo in search of innovative ideas.
“ I’VE WANDERED ALL OVER THE MAP IN MY CAREER, AND I CONSIDER MYSELF VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO SO. ”
“I’m lucky to work with an incredible band of people who embrace the discomfort that comes with innovation and still say, ‘Yes, let’s try something new.’” he continued.
This willingness to experiment, he believes, is essential as the industry moves toward tools and workflows that may look entirely different within the next few years, offerings he imagines will be “unrecognisable in 24 months.”
“I’M LUCKY TO WORK WITH AN INCREDIBLE BAND OF PEOPLE WHO EMBRACE THE DISCOMFORT THAT COMES WITH INNOVATION AND STILL SAY, ‘YES, LET’S TRY SOMETHING NEW.’”
Bonniol brought more than 30 years of directing experience to his approach. His initial goal was simply to learn the culture and key solutions underpinning the organisation. “I let myself work in the background at the start, focusing on educating myself. I spent the first three months just listening. I went to the factory in Margate, UK, to speak to those on the front line of the company. During my first 90 days at ACT, I asked lots of questions, figuring out what the people at the brand were working to solve. I didn’t say much, but I listened a lot.”
That deep dive affirmed his decision to join, and he quickly began developing strategies to unify and advance ACT’s brands. “There was some amazing, really cutting-edge engineering happening within the organisation. I joined at an appropriate time to help push the evolution forward and to help think about the next generation of products.”
One area of focus for him was Green Hippo’s media server offerings. Recognising that traditional media servers were designed primarily to play pre-authored clips, Bonniol envisioned a new era in which these systems would become central hubs for immersive, interactive experiences. “We need to transform media servers into experience servers,”
he said, noting that modern audiences and creators increasingly demand flexibility and interactivity.
He applied the same principles he’d honed directing live productions, team coordination and iterative problemsolving, to guide Green Hippo’s engineers in developing systems that integrate video, audio, and sensor data into a unified “production fabric.”
This focus helped drive the successful creation and release of Green Hippo’s new Hippotizer MX series, a lineup of five customisable media server solutions and just one of ACT’s seven new products released in 2025. The MX series has been well-received, winning an award at the 2025 LDI exhibition. The idea of “production fabric” is something Bonniol continues to explore across ACT’s other branches.
He spoke about analysing tvONE’s flagship CALICO PRO video processor, determining ways to make controls more intuitive and efficient for use in large media spaces, particularly the interactive, immersive experiences that are currently in high demand.
Artificial intelligence has been another focus this year, though Bonniol is careful to frame it as an enabler rather than a replacement for human creativity. “AI is going to very quickly move into the background and remove the need for us to think about certain technical problems,” he said. He believes AI will simplify complex tasks such as signal routing, system configuration, and interoperability, allowing creators to focus more fully on artistic intent rather than technical constraints.
Within ACT, this perspective is influencing both product design and internal workflows. Bonniol has been exploring how AI-driven tools could support engineers, developers,
Left: Gwen Stefani’s performance at The Sphere in Las Vegas, which Bob Bonniol helped deliver.
and operations teams while improving the user experience for programmers and designers in the field.
“If we can make systems more intuitive, whether through automation, natural language control, or smarter interfaces, then we unlock an entirely new level of creativity,” he explained. He pointed to a future where creators may converse with their equipment, using speech or high-level prompts rather than navigating dense tables of parameters. “Ideally, we could chat to the consoles as if they were just another member of the production team!
“It’s an incredibly exciting time to be part of the pro AV industry. The pace of change is remarkable, and artificial intelligence in particular represents a shift so profound that I’d dare to compare it to the invention of the printing press.”
Though he admits to being a “techno-optimist,” Bonniol sees real dangers in the potential misuse of such powerful technology in its relative infancy. “It is inevitable that such a major technological development comes with massive disruption. It’s about figuring out where it fits into our culture so humans can continue to thrive, first and foremost. In the end, new inventions should be about empowering people. Technology should collaborate with us, not get in the way.”
Looking toward an equally busy 2026, Bonniol expects ACT’s innovation efforts to continue expanding across the full technology stack. With brands such as MA Lighting, Ayrton, SGM, Avid, and PK Sound also under the ACT umbrella, he sees an opportunity to align cutting-edge products into a
Above: Future Stores London brand activation space, running entirely on Green Hippo Hippotizer media servers.
LINEAR 9
•
THE SCALABLE LONG THROW LINE
• • • •
Scalable system through horizontal clustering of the LINEAR 9 210 LTA
HK Audio’s custom-designed, rotatable multicell transformer for maximum sound pressure with unprecedented sonic depth
Modern and updatable DSP at the heart of every LINEAR 9 speaker
•
Non-networked speakers can be integrated into the LINEAR 9 network through DSP Out
Engineered and made in Germany
“IT’S
AN INCREDIBLY EXCITING TIME TO BE PART OF THE PRO AV INDUSTRY. THE PACE OF CHANGE IS REMARKABLE, AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN PARTICULAR REPRESENTS A SHIFT SO PROFOUND THAT I’D DARE TO COMPARE IT TO THE INVENTION OF THE PRINTING PRESS.”
more cohesive experience for end users. “We have some of the most progressive technologies in every category. Now, the challenge, and opportunity, is bringing them together in a way that feels seamless.”
Despite the scale of the task, Bonniol says that he remains confident thanks to the mindset that has guided his career since the beginning, a commitment to learning. Describing himself as a “perpetual student,” he emphasised the importance of staying curious in a technology-driven field. “There’s no point in life where you graduate from learning. In fact, in an industry that’s so often evolving, I’d say I’m in the business of learning.”
Having made the switch from MODE Studios to ACT Entertainment while also serving as a major player in delivering Gwen Stefani’s show at The Sphere in Las Vegas, Bonniol embraced a year of education. “I think I’ve learned just as much this past couple of years as I have in all my life before that. I’ve been very lucky to have Ben (Saltzman) by my side to help me grasp how to run a big business.”
As a perpetual student, Bonniol has accumulated guidance from friends and colleagues across the professional AV industry throughout his career. He closed by sharing one piece of advice that has stayed with him, one he recently passed on to students at a trade show, many of whom were just starting out.
“When you’re beginning a new role or trying to enter an industry, take every opportunity you can. Even if something feels outside your typical remit, say yes. That’s often when your path starts to reveal itself. Especially in a creative field like entertainment technology, you shouldn’t be focused on fame or money, but on asking, ‘What could happen if…?’” www.actentertainment.com
Above: Future Stores, driven by Hippotizer servers. Below: An interactive wall enabled by Hippotizer.
A True Workhorse Long-throw Luminaire
No compromise IP65/66 high-output low footprint
LED WashBeam and FollowSpot
BARS & RESTAURANTS
Audiovisual enhancements made at hospitality venues around the world.
Lilibet’s
COMPANY: K-array
LOCATION: London, UK
The birthplace of Queen Elizabeth II and named in honour of the young Queen’s affectionate childhood nickname, Lilibet’s, at No.17 Bruton Street, London, boasts a refined menu of seafood and an equally elegant interior.
Introduced to the project through an AV consultant, London-based systems integrator, Tateside, was responsible for the design and implementation of a complete background audio system based on K-array’s Vyper family of loudspeakers. Lilibet’s is just one of more than a dozen high-end hospitality spaces in this prestigious neighbourhood that trust in K-array’s audio solutions.
“Working in collaboration with the consultant and local distributors 2BHeard, the scope was to design and install an elegant, yet discreet, distributed background audio system that would respect the prestigious nature of the venue,” explained Joby Morris, Project Manager at Tateside. “The design did not require high SPL DJ playback, like something you’d find in a club system; it was more about creating a high-fidelity sound that would complement the atmosphere across the groundfloor restaurant level, yet with enough headroom to support live musicians.”
K-array’s characteristic Pure Array Technology (PAT), which helps ensure even audio coverage, with sound being directed into the centre of the room to avoid hotspots, was one of the key motivations behind the selection of their Vyper series loudspeakers. “K-array offers that perfect balance between performance and form-factor,” continued Morris. “To ensure an efficient installation and accurate coverage, we first plotted the system into K-array’s K-Framework software to finetune the configuration, which helped greatly with our planning and keeping time on-site to a minimum.”
2B Heard also provided support during the design phase, undertaking acoustic simulations to ensure the best possible audio coverage.
A total of 14 Vyper KV25 are installed throughout the ground-floor dining room, with 12 Rumble KU26 subwoofers. Two Kommander KA18 amplifiers power the wall-mounted Vypers, whilst a Kommander KA28 drives the subs.
“We tried to get as close as possible to a 1-1 ratio of subwoofers and loudspeaker elements, ensuring a single point of reference and low-end frequency extension throughout the 100-plus capacity restaurant,” said Morris. “The dispersion angles of the Vypers are narrow in the vertical field and have the ability to throw audio effectively, ensuring complete coverage to all tables.”
All loudspeakers are mounted along the perimeter walls, with subwoofers carefully hidden beneath banquettes or within joinery. Each Vyper unit is finished in a custom RAL colour, rendering the tech almost undetectable amongst the colourful wallpaper and patterned interiors.
Additionally, Tateside supplied a range of DPA and Sennheiser instrument microphones to cater for live musicians.
“The combination of the subs and Vypers together acts as a single full-range source,” noted Morris. “The result is not a typical background audio experience for diners, but rather a very full and rich sound that perfectly suits the atmosphere of Lilibet’s.”
Harnessing the Q-SYS-certified integration of K-array’s Kommander amplifiers, a Q-SYS core processor handles all audio input processing and control, with simplified user control via an iPad.
K-array’s K-Monitor software allows for remote access and monitoring of the system, providing logging of the amps and the ability for Tateside to run system health checks or make adjustments on the fly.
“The Tateside team went above and beyond on this project,” confirmed Ross Shonhan, Chef and Restaurateur at Lilibet’s. “Their precise sound mapping of the space has delivered an audio experience unlike anything I’ve heard before, and guests consistently remark on how impressive it is.”
A stone’s throw from Monaco, Twiga Baia Beniamin is the latest exclusive venue from Flavio Briatore, which offers a blend of sophisticated design, fine dining, and a luxurious atmosphere.
To enhance the guest experience, an Outline audio system has been installed. Designed to meet the high technical standards required by a venue of this calibre, the system was delivered by Vibra Service, a Ligurian company known for equipping some of the region’s most prestigious spaces.
In order to ensure an audio experience worthy of its international DJ roster and refined clientele, Stefano Lo Sardo, founder and managing director of Vibra Service, selected Outline’s Vegas series.
“The Vegas range won us over for three key reasons: its exceptional sound quality, impressive SPL, and robust weather resistance – it’s a true outdoor performer,” he said. “After exploring various brands in our early years, we found Vegas to be unmatched. Its ability to
consistently impress clients while standing up to the rigours of a hot summer season is invaluable.”
The installation highlighted the Vegas series’ ability to deliver in an outdoor setting, where exposure to the elements poses unique challenges. “The Vegas range provides us with the ideal speaker for any environment. With options from 4in to 15-inch coaxials and subs to suit everything from intimate bars to expansive clubs, it covers every need,” said Lo Sardo. “Twiga’s owners and resident DJs were captivated, and at the first sound check, everyone was left amazed. The bass response, clarity, and versatility at varying volumes make it perfect for everything from seaside lunches to lively evening events.”
The audio system not only delivers premium sound but also stands out for its long-term reliability, a critical factor for Vibra Service, which manages audio installations across 14 venues every summer.
www.outline.it
Social Beach Club
COMPANY: HH Audio
LOCATION: Porto Rotondo, Sardinia
Situated in Porto Rotondo, Social Beach Club has recently undergone a transformation to create an Italian beach escape with a tropical Caribbean flair. The 1,600 sq m venue is driven by HH Audio, combining luxurious decor with high-performance sound. The venue is split into four zones: bar, restaurant, beach, and garden. Each needing clear audio that stayed out of sight the system also had to be flexible enough to run multiple zones with simple presets for different scenarios.
Supplied by InterTech SRL and installed by the former with AV Network SRL, the system was built so staff can easily switch between lounge, DJ, and morning presets with the flick of a switch – no expertise needed.
Upon arrival, guests are welcomed by a small bar, covered by four TNi-W6-BK wallmounted loudspeakers, powered by a single MZ-140Q.
The same zone amplifier powers eight TNi-W8-BK loudspeakers positioned around the main bar, while in the central space, a restaurant by day and dancefloor by night, here an SP48 signal processor manages custom scene presets, created via the SP Series desktop app. Eight TNi-W8PRO-BK high-performance loudspeakers powered by two M-750D amplifiers deliver the main sound, supported by two TRS-1500 subs for extended low-end.
A single MZ-280Q handles both the garden and beach zones, and when the party moves to the beach at night, an M-750D powers two TNi-W15PRO-BK loudspeakers, delivering the power needed for the late-night DJ sets
“We’ve had an excellent experience with both the electronics and the loudspeakers,” said Oscar Cipolla of InterTech SRL. “The M-Series power amps and MZ zone controllers are extremely flexible and reliable tools, while the TNi-WPRO series is straightforward to install and delivers excellent performance at both low and high levels, and the TNi-W6 and W8 models are great all-rounders, offering a consistent, impressive tone and real value for money.” www.hhaudio.com
Mr. Panther
COMPANY: KV2 Audio
LOCATION: Lagos, Nigeria
Mr. Panther, a sophisticated addition to Lagos’ nightlife, is a high-energy resto-lounge located on the seventh floor of The Avenue Suites Hotel, offering stunning views and a dynamic atmosphere that transitions from a fine-dining experience into a vibrant lounge as the night progresses.
With its gold-accented interiors, sleek glass façades, and an overall design that epitomises opulence, Mr Panther aims to leave a lasting impression on every guest, and KV2 Audio was chosen to create an audio system to match this elevated vision.
The project resulted from a collaboration between Standalone Group and Freehand Acoustics. When the group decided to expand into Lagos, Freehand Acoustics was brought into the fold during the concept phase.
“We were brought on board to design and commission the sound system,” explained Rayan Wehbe, Principal Consultant at Freehand Acoustics. “This allowed us to coordinate seamlessly with interior design, lighting, and audio to ensure all elements worked harmoniously,”
The brief was to create a system capable of supporting a high-end dining experience that evolves into a vibrant lounge atmosphere in the evening. Having experienced KV2 Audio’s systems in similar environments, Wehbe was confident in their ability to deliver exceptional audio quality.
“KV2’s acoustical performance, especially their subwoofers’ rich lowend, always impresses,” he said. “Coupled with competitive pricing among high-end brands, the decision was straightforward,” he noted.
The ESD series proved to be a perfect fit for Mr. Panther – its compact design provided a powerful solution while meeting the venue’s spatial and aesthetic requirements. To ensure every corner of the venue received sound coverage, a meticulous configuration of KV2 models was employed. The guest experience begins in the lobby elevators where
gold-painted ESD Cube loudspeakers deliver full-range audio, while the champagne bar, located at the entrance, is equipped with four custompainted ESD5 loudspeakers mounted on the ceiling to provide ambient background music. On the main floor, the audio design features a robust LCR system, with ESD10 loudspeakers positioned left and right and an ESD12 used as a centre channel. These are paired with three ESD1.18 subwoofers integrated into the furniture to maintain a sleek aesthetic. Under the balcony, ESD Cubes are strategically placed to ensure even sound distribution across lounges that would otherwise face limited direct sound coverage.
The VIP mezzanine section features an L-R configuration of ESD8 loudspeakers paired with two ESD1.15 subwoofers to provide a rich, bass-driven experience for elite patrons. “A crucial factor was ensuring the loudspeakers’ directivity minimised reflections in a space with challenging acoustic properties,” Wehbe explained. “The venue’s combination of hard floors, glass façades, and thick felt-like materials created an acoustically challenging environment. To mitigate this, the KV2 system’s controlled dispersion and precise directivity was ideal in focusing energy where needed and minimising excessive reflections.”
A Xilica Solaro QR1 processor handles the system control, with a customdesigned interface that allows the venue team to adjust levels, monitor performance, and recall presets easily from mobile devices or PCs.
“The client praised the system’s clarity and power,” Wehbe concluded. “At capacity, the system provides the required SPL while maintaining headroom, and the harmonious blend of aesthetics, functionality, and audio excellence solidifies Mr. Panther as a premier destination.” www.kv2audio.com
Gastromé
COMPANY: Genelec
LOCATION: Aarhus, Denmark
One of Aarhus’s most elegant dining destinations, Gastromé has enchanted guests with its refined blend of modern Nordic cuisine and European flair, and an installation of Genelec’s Smart IP loudspeakers have added an extra layer of luxury to the restaurant.
Requiring a high-quality, discreet audio offering, the Gastromé team turned to specialist systems integrator Thomas Vestergaard.
“We wanted to deliver state-of-the-art audio that could match the food,” said Vestergaard. “Due to the room sizes and, in many cases, the limited distances between the loudspeakers and the diners, we needed loudspeakers that were able to distribute linear and highly detailed sound reproduction at low levels.
“We also had to consider the constraints of working within a listed building – therefore, to minimise the infrastructure and use as light a touch as possible in installation terms, the Smart IP range from Genelec was an obvious choice.”
Requiring just a single network cable to deliver audio, power and control and with no bulky external amplifiers to worry about, Smart IP loudspeakers are often an excellent choice for heritage sites, or any other installation looking to reduce cabling and benefit from a fully networked system that can even share the same network as the IT infrastructure.
Vestergaard installed 14 compact Genelec 4420A models throughout the various spaces in the restaurant as well as the lounge and lobby areas. The system comprises separate zones that can be controlled independently via an iPad.
“Installing a Smart IP system is about as easy as it gets for an integrator,” remarked Vestergaard. “Once you’ve decided on your loudspeaker positions, you just hang them up, connect them to the network with the CAT cable and you’re pretty much done.
Genelec’s Smart IP Manager software takes all the headaches out of configuration and zoning and offers a much-appreciated level of control and monitoring. At Gastromé we configured seven different zones, ensuring that the audio was perfectly optimised for each area.”
The Smart IP system fits quietly and effectively into the space, delivering detailed audio that adds ambience while still allowing diners and staff to converse with ease. www.genelec.com
Shellona
COMPANY: NEXO
LOCATION: St Tropez, France
Shellona serves fresh and colourful Mediterranean dishes to relaxed and bohemian crowds and welcomes live bands and internationally famous DJs to curate a sophisticated soundtrack. Committed to offering the best dining and nightlife experience, the choice of its sound system was an important one for owner, DB Group.
Local AV Technology specialist COLORSONIC proposed NEXO’s Alpha+, one of the first deployments of NEXO’s new hybrid source stacking system anywhere in France.
Shot through with the same DNA as its 1990s predecessor, Alpha+ is an ultra-powerful, long-throw, ‘three-box’ FOH system that combines the benefits of line source coupling with the easy deployment typical of point source speakers.
The full system, including NEXO P18 monitors, is powered by NEXO NXAMPMk2 Powered TD Controllers. Commenting on the performance of the system, which will be heading to Shellona St Barts when the season in Saint Tropez is over, COLORSONIC Technical Director Christophe Orlando said: “The new Alpha+ performed really well at Shellona Saint Tropez this summer and many of the visiting DJs commented on the high quality of the sound.” www.nexo-sa.com | www.colorsonic.fr
Funktion-One’s live sound technologies deliver an unparalleled combination of sonic excellence and user friendliness. From groundbreaking loudspeaker design to streamlined workflows and a new standard of monitoring performance.
Star Millenium
COMPANY: INFiLED
LOCATION: Le Havre, France
Partnering with systems integrator MTCA, INFiLED has implemented an advanced large-scale LED display solution at Star Millenium, a premium restaurant and sports bar in Le Havre, France.
The new installation, featuring high-performance displays from INFiLED’s MV Series, transforms the venue into a live sports destination, absorbing fans in a high-resolution viewing experience.
Looking to establish itself as the city’s go-to venue for match days, Star Millenium commissioned two largeformat LED displays set-ups measuring 6m by 3.5m and 4m by 2.5m.
The solution for Star Millenium needed to balance exceptional image quality with budget considerations, while also aligning with the venue’s modern design and technical requirements.
MTCA (Moyens & Techniques de Communication Audiovisuelle), an expert in complex image capture and broadcast integration, collaborated closely with INFiLED to develop and deliver a setup tailored to the unique needs of the venue.
The installation features five MV-Series displays: the 6m by 3.5m screen, which is installed on the venue’s main stage, and a four-sided suspended cube made up four of the 4m by 2.5m panels.
The MV Series was selected for its slim profile,
lightweight construction and high visual performance. With a depth of 86mm and significantly lighter than traditional cabinets, the panels were quick to install and required minimal structural modification, while maintaining excellent durability for long-term use in a high-traffic environment.
A wide 160° viewing angle in both directions guarantees a clear picture from anywhere in the venue, while the fast refresh rate enables smooth playback of high-speed sports content with zero lag or tearing. The displays also feature front and rear service access, making them easy to maintain without interrupting service. Built-in sensors adjust brightness automatically based on ambient lighting, while the integrated Display Monitoring System (DMS) allows remote performance tracking to ensure seamless operation during live broadcasts.
MTCA’s collaboration with INFiLED included onsite consultations, technical design and responsive support throughout the process, and the project was delivered on time and within budget.
According to the Star Millenium, the installation has redefined the viewing experience at the bar, boosted foot traffic, food and beverage sales, and overall customer loyalty.
www.infiled.com | www.mtca.fr
Sound plays a crucial role in shaping the perfect dining experience, creating atmosphere, supporting conversation, and enhancing the overall mood. This is why restaurants need audio solutions that offer both refined aesthetics and outstanding performance. K-array’s Vyper line meets these demands with style and precision.
Housed in a sleek and durable 2-inch-deep aluminum frame, these ultra-slim loudspeakers feature closely spaced transducers powered by Pure Array Technology to deliver clear, even and highly detailed sound in any environment.
Vyper-KV25 II Ultra-flat aluminum line array element
Lilibet’s at.17 Bruton StreetLondon
Soundtrack Café
COMPANY: LEA Professional
LOCATION: Pune, India
Opened in 2018, Soundtrack Café is an independent music café in India, dedicated to showcasing and enabling musicians to share their music, and since opening the owners have continually adapted, seeking the best audio solutions for the unique space. They ultimately chose LEA Professional Connect Series amplifiers to achieve their goals.
In addition to regular indie performances, the venue also hosts curated poetry soirées and provides young artists with the opportunity to gain exposure through the Indie Stage kids’ open mic nights. However, for a venue so focussed on music, the existing background music system lacked the dynamic range and flexibility necessary for live sound.
Owners Rajesh Patil and Peeyush Singh are also co-owners of Audio Technik India, an audio-visual integration and consulting firm with its office directly above the café.
They recognised the importance of selecting top-quality audio technology to ensure that both musicians and guests in the café receive the best possible experience. To meet the new demands, Audio Technik India collaborated with Generation AV to enhance the café’s audio capabilities, and selected LEA Professional Connect Series 354 amplifiers, which provide pristine, high-impact sound for both background music and live performances.
“We needed a system that could provide exceptional sound quality and smoothly transition between background music and live shows,” said Patil. “The scalability capabilities of the Connect Series made it the ideal solution for our needs, and the ability to monitor and manage the system remotely through LEA Cloud provides us with peace of mind. Even when we aren’t physically present,
we know the system is operating flawlessly.” The four-channel smart amplifier provides 350 watts per channel and supports both Hi-Z (70V or 100V) and Lo-Z configurations, making it flexible for different audio needs.
The Smart Power Bridge technology allows the team to create multiple audio zones while also accommodating a dedicated subwoofer channel for added low-end presence during live shows. By utilising LEA Cloud and SharkWare control software, the café’s audio system is now fully accessible remotely. The Soundtrack Café operates in multiple distinct modes, creating a unique and varying experience throughout the week.
One of the biggest challenges the café faced was managing the changeovers between background music and live performances. With the signal-sensing override feature on the Connect Series 354, this transition has been automated. Now, when live musicians perform, the system automatically prioritises the live audio feed, ensuring a seamless switch without any manual intervention.
The success of the Soundtrack Café installation has established it as a blueprint project for Audio Technik India. Since its completion, Rajesh and his team have incorporated LEA Professional amplifiers into several high-profile projects, further solidifying LEA’s reputation in the region.
“Soundtrack Café demonstrates the incredible power and versatility of LEA Professional amplifiers,” concluded Patil. “This project helped us gain confidence in adopting LEA’s technology for future installations, and we’re excited about the opportunities that lie ahead.”
www.leaprofessional.com
Starbucks Greener Store
COMPANY: Powersoft
LOCATION: Bangkok, Thailand
Powersoft’s half-rack-unit Mezzo amplifier platform is powering the audio experience at Starbucks’ largest Greener Store and fourth flagship location in One Bangkok, Thailand’s mixed-use development project.
At the end of 2024, this Starbucks features energy-efficient lighting, water-saving fixtures and a goal on waste reduction. To serve the brew-hungry crowd with a cup of coffee with a side order of high-quality audio, the flagship outlet needed a sound system that would cover an area of 860 sq m, divided into two floors.
“The brief was clear,” said Chuthintorn Bhanyotin, Managing Director of systems integrator System Plus. “We needed to provide exceptional sound quality with a natural feel that would enhance the atmosphere and be in line with the sustainability goals. This is why Powersoft was a natural choice for a project like this.”
The size of the venue demanded a sound system that could provide a consistent performance while delivering the sustainable energy efficiency required for a Starbucks Reserve store. Powersoft’s Mezzo 604A rose to this challenge, offering reliability, ease of use and robust power output.
“Powersoft gave us the confidence to meet Starbucks’ standards,” said Chuthintorn.
“Mezzo delivers a level of performance that other brands couldn’t match.”
System Plus’s team installed the Mezzo 604A in the equipment room along with nine BOSE DesignMax DM3P pendant speakers and eight BOSE DesignMax DM3C ceiling speakers around the space to ensure an even sound coverage. The integrator also installed four Powersoft WMP controllers for volume level control in the main area and two TOA Attenuator Model AT-4030 AS for the meeting room.
The integrator also commissioned two tests, an initial test immediately after installation and the second, after the coffee shop’s interior was fully finished. “This ensured that the whole system was installed correctly, and we performed optimally before the grand opening,” explained Chuthintorn.
Feedback from the coffee shop has been “overwhelmingly positive”, with the sound system described as nothing short of “excellent,” stated Chuthintorn. Encouraged by this success, System Plus is already looking to integrate Powersoft amplifiers into future Starbucks projects across Thailand. www.powersoft.com
Motto Am Fluss
COMPANY: Pro Performance
LOCATION: Vienna, Austria
Photos: Anna Heise
Jutting out over the banks of the Danube, Motto am Fluss has long been one of Vienna’s most distinctive gastronomic destinations – a place where the city’s cosmopolitan energy meets relaxed waterfront charm, and where tourists can harmoniously mix with local residents. With its striking modern architecture and reputation for refined and welcoming hospitality, the venue attracts those who come for the lively atmosphere as well as those who come for culinary delights.
As part of the long-standing and respected Motto Group – a portfolio that includes a boutique hotel, bakery, multiple restaurants, and a bar – Motto am Fluss embodies the group’s commitment to quality, design, and experience. In line with this dedication to excellence, the venue recently completed a major upgrade to its audio infrastructure, aiming to elevate the guest experience across all areas of the space.
To achieve this, the management team chose to implement a high-end solution featuring Monitor Audio’s Climate Series, selected for its ability to deliver detailed, high-fidelity sound while blending unobtrusively into the venue’s clean architecture.
The installation features 32 C2L loudspeakers, driven by two RAM Audio MDi8-2K7 eight-channel amplifiers, creating a distributed system capable of delivering consistent, even coverage throughout the restaurant, bar, and terrace.
The design ensures that sound remains present yet discreet – offering warm, atmospheric background music during the day without intruding on conversation, and transforming seamlessly into a more dynamic presence as the evening energy builds. The system’s visual subtlety was a deciding factor, allowing the speakers to integrate effortlessly into
the venue’s interior without detracting from the panoramic river views. Booker and long-standing partner Michael Pacher (Roadmusic) has overseen countless evenings at Motto.
“A restaurant known for its great atmosphere and fantastic food now sounds just as ‘finger-licking good’ – thanks to the new sound system,” said Pacher.
Because Motto am Fluss functions as a daytime café and restaurant and as as a vibrant hub of Viennese nightlife, the new audio system was specifically designed to support a wide range of programming.
On weekends, the venue regularly hosts live DJs to set the tone for the evening and drive it onwards late into the night.
To accommodate these varying requirements, the integrators Pro Performance implemented a Xilica matrix-controlled zoning setup, providing flexible control over volume levels and audio distribution at the touch of a screen.
This allows users to quickly and easily adjust sound levels and match them to different times of day, from relaxed lunchtime ambience to latenight parties, ensuring a comfortable environment for everyone.
This latest audio investment highlights Motto am Fluss’s ongoing commitment to crafting engaging experiences.
Whether guests arrive for breakfast, a leisurely afternoon drink, or a music-filled night out, the upgraded sound system enhances the venue’s atmosphere. True to its name, everything at Motto am Fluss continues to flow – now with sound that is as carefully considered as the cuisine, design, and service that define this Viennese institution. www.properformance.audio
DUO Gastrobar
COMPANY: Martin Audio LOCATION: Dubai, UAE
Situated in the luxury residential area of Dubai Hills, on the Business Park, DUO Gastrobar has joined the growing list of haute cuisine restaurants being sucked into the fastdeveloping neighbourhood.
Founded by Duoband Restaurant Group and headed by Renat Malikov and Dmitry Blinov, its quest for the best has already earned a Michelin Star for its cuisine, while clientele luxuriate in an interior characterised by light, airy colours and natural materials, and the musical ambience is delivered by Martin Audio’s CDD series.
But it wasn’t the aesthetic of the white CDD5s so much as the sound quality that had impressed the owners, according to regional distributor, PRO LAB. Already with a presence in the area, the operator was aware that Martin Audio is the brand of choice for many upmarket establishments and also for project designers/ consultants, LXA – who have worked on a number of projects with PRO LAB.
“The owners had asked LXA to look for the providers of Martin Audio as it has such good
visibility in the region,” confirmed PRO LAB
General Manager at the time, Jan Tarakji. The Martin Audio distributor was happy to support LXA Senior Project Manager, Riaan Koch as he designed the main bar/restaurant sound around five discreet CDD5W.
The operators also wanted some headroom in the system for when needed, and to this was added a pair of SX110 subwoofers.
Tarakji added: “They know that if they want to push the system, they now have the tools to do so, as these are small and punchy. Thanks to
eyebolts, LXA have been able to fly these – one at the bar and one at the opposite end of the venue – as space on the floor is at a premium.” In addition to the main area there is also a separate covered terrace, with a different vibe where patrons are served their music via a further five CDD5W. The owners operate their own customer profiled playlist streaming it from an LD Systems RSMP universal media player, with the DSP/router offering easy touch panel operation by the staff. www.martin-audio.com
Advanced Stage Monitoring for Live Applications
The Funktion-One PSM15 is a high-performance stage monitor engineered for superior clarity, control and feedback resistance in demanding live environments. It delivers a natural and detailed response, with excellent vocal intelligibility and low distortion at high SPL.
Mamani
COMPANY: 1 SOUND
LOCATION: Dallas, Texas, USA
Mamani in uptown Dallas has recently been adorned a Michelin Star for its culinary offerings, and its audio output complements the food nicely thanks to its 1 Sound system as installed by Bespoke Technology Group.
Phil Ayache, President of Bespoke Technology Group, worked directly with Brandon Cohanim, co-owner of Feels like Home hospitality group, to make sure they achieved the goals for the audio integration.
“We brought Brandon to one of our client’s restaurants with 1 SOUND in Dallas, gave him full control over playback, and let him experience the system across a wide spectrum of music,” explained Ayache.
“From classical to EDM, he was convinced that this was the sound he wanted for Mamani.
“Mamani’s dining experience required sound that is present, immersive, yet unobtrusive, which enhances the meal without drawing attention to itself,” continued Ayache. “Despite challenges like curved ceilings, hard walls, and Venetian plaster finishes, the system delivers clarity and depth in every corner of the restaurant.”
1 SOUND’s Cannon Series was selected to offer high-fidelity listening across the restaurant. For the main dining areas and bar, Cannon C5i were deployed while Cannon C6i are set up in the main foyer and where the chef’s table is to provide additional throw and SPL, as they are mounted higher up on the walls. In the private dining room, Bespoke used Cannon C4i, and for distributed bass, 1 SOUND’s SUB28 and Floor
Sub FSUB45 were hidden inside banquets.
The sonic quality remained consistent into the outdoor patio seating, where Cannon C5 were mounted and FSUB45 deployed in the planters, and the complete system is all powered by Powersoft Unica amplifiers.
The Cannon speakers were mounted with discreet swivel mounts that are virtually invisible and provide precise horizontal and downward aiming.
The SUB28 subwoofers proved to be ideal for strategically fitting within banquette seating, while offering a great amount of SPL in a compact form, directing the energy outward, thus minimising vibration and resonance in diners’ seats.
“There is an impressive amount of sound pressure those subs put out without being disruptive to anyone sitting on them,” said Ayache.
“Brandon went and sat on top of every single sub in the restaurant just to make sure. I love clients that care that much about the end result – they want it to be perfect for the diners and even throughout the space.
“It sounds great, and they’ve hired us for a couple more projects that we’ve already started, including refurbing a couple of their pre-existing venues with new 1 SOUND solutions.”
1 SOUND’s Custom Shop worked closely to match the painted walls and wood finishes throughout the bar and dining areas, ensuring the system integrated seamlessly into the restaurant’s interiors.
Post-install, 1 SOUND provided onsite tuning and commissioning to guarantee an exceptional audio experience, supporting the ambitious vision of a restaurant pursuing Michelin recognition.
Brandon Cohanim, concluded: “1 SOUND’s presence alone speaks volumes about how much the company cares, not just about the product, but about how it sounds and feels in the spaces it’s installed.
“The fact that the 1 SOUND team came out personally to ensure the sound is as incredible as it could be is something I deeply value.” www.1-sound.com | www.bespoketech.com
Bar Nola
COMPANY: Verjans AV
LOCATION: Maastricht, the Netherlands
Bar Nola, in the heart of Maastricht offers customers the opportunity to experience the ambience and elegance of a world-class, big-city bar. The swanky interior, designed by renowned architect Hans Kuiten, oozes luxury and ambient LED lighting by Artecta, chosen by Harald Verjans from Verjans AV, enhances the mood, casting a warm, inviting glow that complements the fine furnishings.
For the perfect ambience, Verjans AV installed Artecta Dropper and Neonflex lighting, which integrates seamlessly into the bar’s stylish surroundings. These units, powered by energy-efficient drivers from Artecta and Meanwell, ensure both safety and performance. Harald Verjans, owner of Verjans AV, chose Artecta because of its reputation for quality, affordability and durability, and when the vibe calls for extra flair, two Showtec Stellar UF-1000 Upright smoke machines mounted on the ceiling add a dramatic touch to the experience.
Needing an audio system with the output quality that matches the room, Verjans installed a CODA Audio system. Verjans first encountered CODA Audio in 2013 and has been a fan of the brand and customer of Viladco, CODA’s Benelux distributor, ever since. “I attended a demo in Hanover and was immediately struck by the audio quality and the power coming from such small boxes,” said Verjans. “The fact that all the different cabinets share the same sonic signature was also a big plus.”
The management at restaurant and bar wanted the best possible sound from a discreet professional-grade system which matched the ambience of its carefully designed interior, and so Verjans selected eight CODA Audio HOPS5, compact two-way double 5in-high output point source loudspeakers, and matched them with a pair of CODA Audio U12 subs. www.verjansav.nl
Tiger Club
COMPANY: APG
LOCATION: Hossegor, France
Photo: South Events
Tiger Club is a sports bar, restaurant and night venue which recently updated its sound system to a new APG system to achieve its acoustic and operational goals.
The owners approached South Events initially with a request to provide a new LED screen, and as conversations progressed, it became clear that the hybrid venue needed more than a single display: it required a fully integrated audiovisual, lighting, automation and security system that would enhance the venue’s overall experience.
Requiring an audio system capable of delivering clarity, versatility and controlled sound dispersion, APG supported South Evans with detailed acoustic modelling in EASE 5 to ensure the proposed solution met both performance expectations and environmental constraints.
For the bar and restaurant areas, a full APG system consisting of 17 iX5 5in two-way coaxial loudspeakers coupled with three iS110 subwoofers, all powered by APG’s DA2.8 amplifiers with Dante. This provided precise coverage and a warm, balanced sound that suited background music as well as more energetic service periods. In the clubbing zone, the system expanded to include four iX8s, two iX6s and two iS115 compact subwoofers, driven by a combination of DA2.8 and DA6 amplifiers. This configuration delivered the higher output and impact required for club events while maintaining control over spill into neighbouring properties.
All audio routing across the installation is handled via Dante, with an Allen & Heath matrix managing the system and providing flexibility for DJ sets, live acts or comedy
performances. DI (direct input) boxes placed strategically around the venue ensure seamless integration of guest equipment. For the outdoor areas, a discreet, low-output operation sound system was chosen to minimise noise pollution. Throughout the project, the APG team, led by area manager Rodolphe Portet, provided continuous technical support, particularly during the acoustic design phase and the final tuning of the clubbing system. Their involvement helped validate South Events’ proposals and strengthened the client’s confidence in the overall audio solution.
To complement the new state-of-the-art sound system, South Events integrated an exceptionally video-rich environment, including eleven screens for sports events, around ten additional monitors and a full LED wall managed through a Wyrestorm signal distribution platform. Dynamic lighting, delivered through moving heads in the bar and restaurant including MinuitUne fixtures in the club area, is controlled via an Artnet network to create atmospheres that shift fluidly throughout the day and night. Since opening, Tiger Club has reported excellent results and feedback from customers. As Guillaume Lupé, CEO and President of South Events concluded: “The client has been particularly impressed by the system’s operational simplicity and the quality of the audio experience. The success of the Hossegor project has already led to two additional projects in nearby venues, underscoring the effectiveness of APG products as the foundation of our integrated audiovisual design.”
www.apg.audio | www.southevents.fr
Prati Italia
COMPANY: SoundTube
LOCATION: Jacksonville, Florida, USA
Upscale contemporary Italian restaurant Prati Italia recently upgraded its audio system with the SoundTube DSM-16 Dante System Manager, showcasing the benefits of a Dante-enabled Power over Ethernet (PoE) audio solution in a restaurant setting. Owned by Chef Tom Gray and his wife Sarah Marie Johnston, Prati Italia’s audio system, originally installed in January 2013, required an upgrade. The new system was designed to perfectly complement the haute design and culinary experience that Prati Italia offers.
Jerry Gray, the IT manager, explained that their primary goal was to update the restaurant’s audio control capabilities, particularly in the conference rooms. The existing remote system, which was over 12 years old, was failing and no longer meeting their needs for audio distribution.
This led to the decision to implement a hybrid system that could manage both new and existing audio equipment while providing flexibility in different areas of the establishment.
The SoundTube DSM-16 Dante System Manager was chosen for its ability to integrate with both new and existing audio equipment. The main challenge was integrating the new Dante-enabled system with the existing legacy amplifiers.
The team overcame this by creating a hybrid system that allows for gradual upgrades as older equipment fails over time. The DSM16 Dante System Manager offers several valuable features that
have proven beneficial for Prati Italia. It allows for flexible zoning, enabling different audio sources and volume levels in various areas of the restaurant.
Staff can adjust volume levels in different spaces using tablets or wall-mounted controls. The system’s scalability was demonstrated when audio was added to the outdoor deck area. Additionally, the remote management capability allows for control and troubleshooting without the need for on-site technical support. Gray reported positive feedback on the system’s performance, noting that the team at Prati Italia appreciated the system’s reliability and the improved control it provides over the restaurant’s audio environment.
Customers have been enjoying the ambiance and highperformance sound provided by the DSM-16 and SoundTube’s pendant, ceiling, surface wall mount, and outdoor speakers. The implementation of the SoundTube DSM-16 Dante System Manager at Prati Italia has significantly improved the restaurant’s audio capabilities. Its flexibility, ease of use, and scalability have made it an ideal solution for the restaurant’s evolving needs.
As Prati Italia’s owners expand their company with a new concept, the SoundTube system will play a crucial role in maintaining a high-quality audio experience for its patrons while remaining userfriendly for the restaurant staff. www.soundtube.mseaudio.com
FOCUS
Marquee Nightclub, Las Vegas. Photo: Sam Marshall
IN BRIEF
Digital Projection lights up the Kilden Performing Arts Centre
Kilden Performing Arts Centre, in Kristiansand, Norway, is one of the Nordic countries’ most exciting environments for professional performing arts and music.
Home to the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra, Kilden Theatre, Kilden Opera, and Kilden Culture, the centre brings together an unprecedented range of events and content under one roof. Given the huge variety of programming that comes through its doors, from concerts and comedy to opera and theatre, the centre required a flexible, modular projection solution to enhance its visual capabilities.
Awarded the project via public tender, Bravida provided a turnkey solution, delivering, installing and configuring the equipment, and at the heart of the installation are two identical TITAN 4K RGB laser projectors, located in the venue’s Concert and Theatre Hall, each powered by Digital Projection’s Satellite Modular Light System (MLS).
Installed on three rack-mounted modules, the Satellite TITAN system delivers approximately 10,000 ISO lumens of brightness, which are optically combined into a single cable feeding the projector head, resulting in a total output of around 26,000 ISO lumens per projector.
This modular configuration provides significant operational redundancy – if one light source were to fail, the system can typically continue running with low impact.
Bravida supplied the core projection system and signal cabling, while Kilden’s in-house technical team managed signal routing and integration.
“This project reflects how modern modular projection systems can meet the demanding needs of a national cultural venue,” said Bravida Serve Manager Audun Kolstad. “With its high brightness, exceptional image quality, quiet operation and built-in redundancy, the Digital Projection solution empowers Kilden Performing Arts Centre to deliver immersive visual experiences across a wide range of artistic disciplines.” www.digitalprojection.com
Picture: Archivocuartel
O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE
LONDON / UK EMEA
A major investment at the beloved West London venue brings its PA up to date and in line with modern rider expectations.
Photos: Luke Dyson
Built in 1903 and designed by famed theatre architect Frank Matcham, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire is a Grade II listed building, and has been operating as a music venue since 1994, currently operated by Academy Music Group.
Having held performances from Charlie Chaplin in its early days, the venue became the BBC Television Theatre in the 1950s, before being converted into a gig venue in the 1990s with a capacity of 2000.
In summer 2025, the venue underwent a comprehensive technical upgrade, transforming the venue’s audio capabilities and updating the stage lighting – while preserving the architectural integrity and remaining sensitive to the backdrop of performances at one the most well-known theatres in London.
Partnering with Adlib, a new ground-stacked d&b audiotechnik sound system with supplemental fill speakers has been installed, in addition to new light fixture upgrades and new power distribution.
Rob Crossland, Installation Project Manager at Adlib, led the project, with the audio system designed alongside his colleague George Puttock.
“Whenever it comes to installing a PA in a venue, my goal is always to give the venue more coverage and options than any touring artist with their own PA could bring with them,” said Crossland. “At Shephard’s Bush Empire, on the first and second balcony levels there is a wraparound where the audience stand, so we decided to add fill speakers there, so it sparkles a little for the audience in those areas.
“It is something the previous system didn’t have, and is something that could not be done by anyone coming in to perform for the evening.
But for me, this is what it is all about – trying to cover the whole audience. It’s difficult and detailed.”
After assessing the room and its sightlines, Crossland decided that the best option for the main PA elements was to mimic the deployment of old system and bring it up to date.
“This is a different type of room to many music venues in the UK and we really needed to preserve the sightlines and not block any of the unique heritage elements of the room with array hangs,” said Crossland. “It’s not a big space, and that’s why we went with this option of having smaller arrays at each level.
“For this room, we found that d&b had the right product with the XSL series. It is compact, three-way and very powerful for its size – it ticked every single box, and is the only product that could do the job in the manner in which we needed it to.”
For the floor level, on each side of the stage in what Crossland dubbed the “PA caves” there are main stacks of three XLS-Sub with two each of
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
AUDIO
Stalls
6 x d&b audiotechnik XSL-SUB
4 x d&b audiotechnik XSL12
4 x d&b audiotechnik XSL8
1 x d&b audiotechnik V7P infill & outfill
4 x d&b audiotechnik SL-GSUB
(Two stacks of 3 x XSL Sub, 2 x XSL12 and 2 x XSL8)
Under Balcony
6 x d&b audiotechnik Y10P
L1 Balcony
6 x d&b audiotechnik XSL-SUB
4 x d&b audiotechnik XSL12
4 x d&b audiotechnik XSL8
2 x d&b audiotechnik 12S-D Mid-balcony Fills
2 x d&b audiotechnik E8 Outfill
(Two stacks of 3 x XSL Sub, 2 x XSL12 and 2 x XSL8)
L2 Balcony
12 x d&b audiotechnik XSL8
2 x d&b audiotechnik E8 Outfill
(Two stacks of 6 x XSL8)
Gods
4 x d&b audiotechnik V10P
2 x d&b audiotechnik Y7P Outfill
Monitors and side fills
16 x d&b audiotechnik M4
3 x d&b audiotechnik V8 per side
3 x d&b audiotechnik V-SUB per side
1 x d&b audiotechnik V-SUB drum Fill
www.academymusicgroup.com www.adlib.co.uk
XSL12 and XSL8, with two SL-GSUBs for extra low end and a single V7P for outfill under the balcony.
Above this, on a custom-built steel shelf, are the same arrays of XLS-Sub, XSL12 and XSL8 to cover the level one balcony area.
Covering the second level with a longer throw is an array of six XSL8 on both sides, while four V10P loudspeakers are hung from a ceiling truss to cover the highest tier, with two Y7P used for outfill.
“It’s a stunning auditorium with a beautifully proportioned proscenium arch, and the lighting truss is masked and draped, so the in-house technical team have taken a lot of time and care to get it to look nice, and we couldn’t come in and spoil it with an ugly loudspeaker deployment,” added Crossland.
“This sound system is going to be used for a long time, and we want it to be loved, so we were driven by what the client wanted,” he continued. “Once aligned, it was then it was a case of cross-referencing our designs using d&b’s ArrayCalc software, working alongside George Puttock to design this system.”
Completing the system are four E8 loudspeakers utilised as outfills under each balcony, and six Y10P hung under the first level balcony to give a stereo image to punters situated behind the FOH desk.
A monitor package of 16 M4 wedges were supplied as part of the inventory, which also included sidefills of three V8 loudspeakers and V-SUBs per side and a single V-SUB for the drum fill.
As part of this project, Adlib also installed a brand-new house lighting system which provides a comprehensive range of rider-friendly lighting fixtures to deliver an enhanced experience across its diverse programming formats. The system features six Robe T1 Profiles and eight Robe LEDWash 600X, four GLP JDC Burst 1 strobes and four CHAUVET Professional STRIKE Array 2 blinders.
The lighting distribution has also been upgraded to include an 18-way ‘touring’ hot power distribution rack with Powerlock in and out connections and 8 Socapex outputs.
“The venue was short on wash lights, and the profiles at FOH were very, very old and in need of updating,” said Crossland. “These are key aspects of the lighting set up, and so they were refreshed, and we added extra power distribution, so that they can offer touring parties more lighting options, should they need it.”
Taking place over summer, the installation was completed ahead of the venue’s busy autumn and winter season.
Bill Marshall, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire’s Manager, concluded: “This is such a well-loved venue, and the management team here collectively hold 100 years of experience working with this legendary building.
“Stepping out onto the Level One balcony has always been an awe-inspiring experience, but the refurbishment of that space has raised the bar even further, and we can’t wait for people to come in and see, hear and feel the updates we’ve made.”
Previous Page: A ground-stacked PA system preserves the sightlines at 02 Shepherd’s Bush Academy.
Left: An array of six d&b audiotechnik XSL8 sits on both sides of the auditorium to cover the second balcony.
MONTAG AUS LICHT AT PHILHARMONIE DE PARIS
PARIS / FRANCE EMEA
For the new season at the Philharmonie de Paris, the Festival d’Automne and the ensemble Le Balcon, led by co-founder and artistic director Florent Derex, have presented one of the most ambitious staged music projects in contemporary opera: Montag aus Licht, the penultimate opera of Karlheinz Stockhausen’s monumental seven-part cycle, produced by Le Balcon.
For Le Balcon, a company renowned for its pioneering work in contemporary and mixed music, Montag aus Licht is not merely an opera, it is a technical and artistic summit.
Unlike traditional opera with an orchestra in the pit and singers on stage, this unfolds as a constellation of forces: six choirs, nearly 250 choristers, detailed choreography, intricate processions, and continuous spatial movement written directly into the score.
“We have more than 200 singers who are costumed, staged, and all on wireless microphones, with very precise choreography, and Stockhausen gives spatial indications in the score that we must recreate as faithfully as possible,” said Derex.
Stockhausen, one of the first composers to integrate live electronics and spatialisation directly into his writing, envisioned the sound engineer as a central performer. His scores specify not only musical gestures but trajectories, placements, and sound movements that form part of the dramaturgy.
For Derex, who is both producer and sound engineer, the project represents a unique convergence of artistic vision and technical ingenuity.
“Stockhausen placed the sound engineer at the very heart of his work,” said Derex. “He wrote this opera over the course of 30 years, sitting at the console himself.”
To honour this vision in 2025 requires a sound system capable of precision, power, and narrative subtlety, and one that could translate the complexity of Stockhausen’s late-20th-century imagination into today’s architectural and acoustic reality. The Philharmonie’s hall, designed by Jean Nouvel, offers a magnificent yet demanding environment
An unprecedented collaboration brings Stockhausen’s spatial vision to life.
Below left: Photo: Denis Allard
for immersive sound. Its floating balconies, cloud-like canopies, and generous 2.5-second natural reverberation make traditional spatial approaches very difficult.
Deploying a dense, three-dimensional WFS system was out of the question because the geometry alone would require an unmanageable number of loudspeakers.
Instead, Derex designed a hybrid system where HOLOPHONIX became the core engine: a central, adaptive processor which is capable of unifying multiple loudspeaker families, formats, and spatial approaches into a coherent whole.
At the heart of the setup is a front-fill sound ramp developed by Amadeus and deployed over nearly 22m. This large-format sound bar is built around the Amadeus SR 790 model, featuring a 5.25in diaphragm transducer, two 5.25in passive radiators, and a 1.75in dome tweeter, all configured in a coaxial arrangement.
“The lower level is a beautiful Amadeus ramp using their SR790 system,” Derex commented. “It runs the entire length of the stage front and integrates perfectly with the scenography. In our case, it is built into tubular elements that are part of the set design, which gives us nearly 22m of continuous coverage.”
Above this front-fill ramp, driven in Wave Field Synthesis (WFS) by the HOLOPHONIX processor, a second tier of L-Acoustics L2D long throw systems provides full coverage of the hall’s unique architecture, while circular clusters of L-Acoustics Kiva II diffuse the electronic trajectories and choir movements, creating a multi-layered spatial fabric that adapts to the demands of the score.
The audio architecture of Montag aus Licht is both sophisticated and streamlined. At its core is HOLOPHONIX, an agnostic spatialisation engine which drives all spatial decisions, transitions, and object movements, from the precise placement of 200 microphoned singers to the highly choreographed trajectories of the electronic sources via the KNN buses and the two frontal planes driven in WFS. “HOLOPHONIX is the core of the reactor, everything
Left: Artistic Director Florent Derex operating the Yamaha DM7 during a performance. Photo: Helen Karam.
passes through it,” said Derex. Mixing is handled through a Yamaha DM7 console, while pre-amplification and digital conversion rely on AX32 and DAD systems. Microphones used include Schoeps compact CCM series for instrumentalists, clipped directly to their instruments, and DPA 6061 microphones for the singers. Preparation for the opera began long before the system was physically deployed.
Derex programmed every source, movement, and bus directly into HOLOPHONIX, translating the highly detailed spatial instructions from Stockhausen’s score. During rehearsals, he followed the performance physically and in real time, integrating his observations into the system. On site, the workflow is highly efficient: deployment of all sources and spatialisation took just three to four days.
With the system in place, HOLOPHONIX enables precise deployment of all sound sources. “Within HOLOPHONIX, I position sources exactly where they need to be, and for the first time, I am also using positional control directly from the Yamaha DM7 console,” continued Derex. “Previously, we had to find workarounds to route sources through buses and adjust panning from the console. Now, we can move coordinates in X and Y directly from the Yamaha console, it’s extremely effective.”
For electronic sources and complex bus routing, HOLOPHONIX interacts seamlessly with OSC-controlled Max objects, enabling remote control of source movements across multiple spatial buses. This integration ensures that sound is not just amplified, but rather an intrinsic part of the performance, translating Stockhausen’s late-20th-century spatial vision into a fully immersive experience. Unlike traditional opera houses, the Philharmonie offers only a few days of on-site adaptation.
HOLOPHONIX enabled Derex and his team to transition seamlessly from rehearsal observation to full-scale deployment, translating the composer’s spatial notations with fidelity and fluidity. “Everything had to be done in three or four days,” said Derex. “There are a lot of people involved but it works, and we are very happy.”
The result is a performance where sound does not accompany the staging, it is the staging. Spatial trajectories become choreography; loudspeaker arrays become part of the dramaturgy; and Stockhausen’s vision, conceived in the late 1980s with tools far more limited than those available today, is finally given the spatial breadth it imagined.
The Licht cycle will continue its journey next year at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, marking the culmination of the seven-year cycle with Mittwoch aus Licht undertaken by Le Balcon and its partners. The Philharmonie, having accompanied each chapter, will also host the reprise.
For HOLOPHONIX, this project stands as a testament to what is possible when technology becomes an instrument of artistic intention, when spatial sound is not decoration but narrative architecture.
And Derex believes that there is a broader change happening across the classical world: “Many musical directors now fully understand that loudspeakers are part of our musical and artistic history,” he said. “And thanks to technologies like HOLOPHONIX, it’s much easier to integrate audio systems beautifully into a scenography.”
As Le Balcon continues to prepare for future projects, including a major 2028 production reimagining Pierre Henry’s iconic Tenth Symphony of Beethoven at the Théâtre de Châtelet, HOLOPHONIX remains at the centre of a growing practice: a new way of staging sound, where the loudspeaker becomes a dramaturgical tool and spatialisation becomes performance.
Below: At the heart of the sound system is a front-fill sound ramp developed by Amadeus and deployed over nearly 22m. Photo: Helen Karam.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
AUDIO
1 x HOLOPHONIX Ultra Processor
1 x Yamaha DM7
1 x Yamaha CL5
2 x DAD AX32
5 x L-Acoustics L2D
4 x L-Acoustics AIO focus
2 x L-Acoustics AIO wide
4 x L-Acoustics SB28
20 x L-Acoustics KIVA
8 x L-Acoustics 5XT
22 x Amadeus SR-790
Custom sound-ramp module incorporating a coaxial transducer (1 × 5.25’’ LF; 1 × 1.75’’ HF) and two passive radiators (2 × 5’’ PR), length: 790mm, front-panel angle: 17°.”
www.philharmoniedeparis.fr www.lebalcon.com
CONCRETE VOIDS
LONDON / UK EMEA
Inside this almost six-decadesold auditorium, Tony Birch works alongside TiMax and a range of artists to craft moving, dynamic soundscapes within an acoustically challenging yet creatively rich venue.
Experimental audio project Concrete Voids is an acoustic exploration of the Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall auditorium, using the space’s giant air vents, literal empty concrete voids, to understand how room structure affects sound. Designed and conceived by Southbank’s audio technician, Tony Birch, Concrete Voids is a loving and unconventional analysis of the venue that Birch knows intimately; “I’ve been making things louder in the Queen Elizabeth Hall for nearly 20 years now,” he explained. The project asks audiences to look at the auditorium as an instrument in and of itself. The room’s 20 large air vents of six metres high and six metres wide, sitting both below and above the seating area, would cause many sound designers to regard it as an acoustic nightmare, though this is exactly what attracts Birch to the space. “Queen Elizabeth Hall has its own personality and opinions. The same performance can sound different every time, and that’s been the fun part of researching and developing Concrete Voids,” he said. Playing off the hall’s unique anatomy, Birch carefully positioned over 80 repurposed and custom-built speakers throughout the space in a manner that means not one
single loudspeaker points at the audience directly – “everything bounces off a wall or goes through a vent,” he noted. “My father is a retired engineer, and at his workshop in Leeds, I spent time rebuilding old speakers to put inside Concrete Voids.”
The sound technician then commissioned four artists to work within the auditorium, to “find out what the sound set-up does,” with this musician lineup beginning an instalment of public performances in March of 2025.
Though Concrete Voids is inherently “antiacoustic and anti-manufacturer,” as Birch fondly terms it, there has been one piece of audiovisual technology that completely underpins every show in the project – TiMax panLab spatial audio software. Birch needed a way to control performances for Concrete Voids in real time, rather than just playback pieces, which he realised could be achieved with panLab after meeting with Dan Higgott, the creator of the software.
“I brought Dan on site within 24 hours, explained what I was doing, and he said, ‘This idea is absurd... It’s going to be amazing,’ before joining the project,” Birch revealed. He explained that the relationship between himself and Higgott became “symbiotic” – as Concrete Voids developed, so did panLab, with the collaboration between Higgott and Birch leading to the software upgrading from 2D to 3D visualisation. The technician said, “I told Dan I needed to be able to control sound in 3D. Just a week later, after plenty of sweat
and effort on his part, he came back with a 3D visualisation version!”
In 3D, Birch then designed a custom spatial environment of the Queen Elizabeth Hall auditorium by layering multiple ‘zones’ on top of each other to create a completely customised spatial environment that works perfectly within the room’s eccentric architecture. Based on the output of panLab’s proprietary spatial algorithm, auxiliary and matrix send levels on the venue’s Yamaha QL5 console activate the audio through the loudspeakers. Though the result of thorough research and development from Higgott, one of the most paramount aspects of the 3D visualisation addition is that it is extremely simple to use. Birch recalled that when he began experimenting with panLab’s 3D feature, he brought in his nine-year-old son to help test it out. “Dan told me that the new upgrade was child’s play. So, I played my son some sounds that I was planning to broadcast within the space and then asked him to draw what he heard using panLab. He was able to design and draw paths on the software!” In a project like Concrete Voids, such simplicity is vital, Birch detailed. Another way in which the software is easy to use is in the fact it can connect to equipment via OSC, MIDI and Timecode. One of the active elements Birch has prepared is a set of MIDI commands for the commissioned artists to incorporate into their experimental sound designs: “We have it all very simply in front of the artist, and they
Far left and left: Performances inside the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Photos: @zeescope.
can move what they want, wherever they want.”
It quickly came time to run the system and hear how the space and technology interact. Before Concrete Void’s initial test, nerves were high. “A dear friend analogised it beautifully, they said it was like I had been in a two-yearlong online relationship, and I was finally meeting the partner for the first time.” Despite this anxiety, the synergy between the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Birch’s custom speakers, and panLab translated into an incredibly unique and moving spatial soundscape.
When asked what Concrete Voids has taught him, Birch replied that he now has even more confidence in breaking the supposed ‘rules’ of audio. “If you commit to going against what is conventional in venue and sound design, you get some really interesting outcomes. Through embracing the difference and organic structure of the Queen Elizabeth Hall, I’ve learnt not to be afraid of such experimentation. The fun thing about projects like this is that certain things really work, and certain things really don’t.”
It’s clear that Birch’s ongoing investment in spatial audio research continues to inform his work as we move into 2026. Offering a glimpse into what audiences might expect from future instalments of Concrete Voids or subsequent exhibitions, he pointed to a new line of inquiry: “The spatial sound world is all about electronically moving audio around static loudspeakers. But what would happen if the loudspeakers were mobile and the sound remained static? “Along with my son and my father, who are members of the Bradford Model Engineering Society, I’m going to build model trains with speakers integrated in them, and drive them round a circular track... It’s fun, early experimentations like this that end up being the backbone of my large projects like Concrete Voids.”
Above: Queen Elizabeth Hall’s vents, or ‘concrete voids.’ Photo: Pete Woodhead.
Below: Tony Birch using the venue’s Yamaha QL5 console. Photo: Pete Woodhead.
Versatile surface-mounted loudspeakers designed to deliver outstanding audio performance in any environment.
Available in 8” 10” 12” sizes, Black and White. Passive, 100V, Active & Active Dante™ variants.
WATERMILL THEATRE
NEWBURY / ENGLAND EMEA
Prestigious theatre installs a new PA to meet the needs of its growing reputation as a venue capable of hosting all manner of events.
Below: A 2025
production of Jesus Christ Superstar at Watermill Theatre.
Photo: Pamela Raith.
Set within a converted watermill in rural West Berkshire, around 30 miles west of Reading, the Watermill Theatre recently completed the installation of a permanent EM Acoustics audio system.
Designed to meet the particular demands of a very special new production, the new system also offers the adaptability required for the theatre’s diverse year-round programme.
The new system replaces the venue’s long-serving setup and is already proving its value in supporting complex productions for this much-loved and highly respected producing theatre.
The initial catalyst for the upgrade was the Watermill’s 2025 production, by arrangement with The Really Useful Group Ltd, of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar, a musically demanding show which required high-performance, consistent coverage, and exceptional vocal clarity across the entire auditorium.
“Jesus Christ Superstar is a big show for any space, with up to 18 actor-musicians playing instruments on stage,” said Neil Starke, Technical Manager at Watermill Theatre.
“In a venue like ours, where intimacy is key, and audience proximity is close, we needed a system that could offer excellent clarity and power, without taking up too much space in the auditorium.
“The EM Acoustics rig was the perfect choice, and having used their kit in the past, I already knew how good it was.”
The previous system had grown organically over the years, and whilst the sound designers were doing an incredible job, the upcoming production of Jesus Christ Superstar would require an upgrade to pull off the show-stopping rock musical the Watermill team had imagined.
Starke got in touch with EM Acoustics and, with their support, began to design and implement a system within a few short weeks in January of 2025.
“Being in an old watermill, we don’t have the usual rigging points, such as a proscenium, so the small boxes from EM Acoustics were ideal,” continued Starke. “We wanted a distributed sound, using lots of smaller loudspeakers, and we knew that their products could deliver that with the high level of audio clarity we required.”
Following consultation with other sound designers, the Watermill team settled on a specification based around
EM Acoustics’ flagship Reference series and EMS series loudspeakers, designed to suit the theatre’s unique architectural quirks, and ensure that every seat in the 220-capacity venue could enjoy high-quality sound.
The main system brings together a central R8 loudspeaker, two R6s on each of the two levels and R4s to take care of coverage in some of the more awkward overhang locations. A total of 12 R5s were also installed, with three boxes per side covering slip seating and the rest covering other seating areas, including the rear circle.
Two S18 subwoofers, one installed under a staircase and the other mounted on a perch, provide extra power for low frequencies, while 24 EMS-51s are installed for surround sound. EM Acoustics’ Di20D amplifiers provide power and system control over a Dante network, whilst a floating stock of EMS-61s, EMS-41s and EMS-81Xs gives the Watermill complete flexibility to scale their system up and down, depending on the needs of their productions.
“The tiny EMS-41s as a set of front fills is really helpful,” added Starke. “Not having the main proscenium makes it tricky, so we have to be flexible with our positions. Having coverage that would work for all those areas was a challenge, but the small form factor of the EM Acoustics boxes meant we could hide the R4s under the slips, which has helped us solve all those coverage issues.”
Sound operator, Rob Summers, who has worked on several recent productions at the Watermill Theatre since the upgrade, including Jesus Christ Superstar and Piaf, echoed these sentiments.
“With EM Acoustics, the clarity upfront makes every audience member feel like they’re centre-stage, no matter where they’re sat,” he commented. “Coverage is even, clean and loud where it needs to be. There are no dead zones, and there’s no guesswork.”
Beyond the immediate success of Jesus Christ Superstar, which has garnered rave reviews for its excellent actormusicians and crystal-clear audio, the Watermill’s investment was made with future productions in mind.
The flexibility and modularity of the EM Acoustics system mean it can be adapted to suit a variety of productions.
“We didn’t just need a system that could handle Superstar,” said Starke. “We needed something that could adapt,
from pared-back plays one week, to a loud contemporary musical the next. This system gives us that range.”
For Jesus Christ Superstar in particular, having the headroom provided by the EM Acoustics system has ensured the vocal and music clarity needed, despite rock instruments being played live on stage.
These qualities proved essential in a show where the balance between rock-band intensity and the nuance of spoken word is essential. Furthermore, the system upgrade has allowed the show’s sound designers to focus on the creative side of their work, rather than worrying about the quality of the audio.
“The system is so consistent, I don’t have to second-guess a thing,” noted Summers on his experience of the EM Acoustics system. “What I hear is exactly what the audience hears. With EM Acoustics in the rig, I spend less time fighting the space and more time mixing the show. Actors can speak naturally and it will still carry – I’m not having to ride the faders to compensate for the room.”
Throughout the project, the EM Acoustics team were been on hand to support with advice and expertise. “We are lucky to have dealt directly with EM Acoustics,” confirmed Starke. “We knew they were committed to helping us build the right system for the Watermill, and they’ve been there from the beginning and continue to be at the end of the phone should we need to expand or adjust the system.” Indeed, the collaborative efforts and careful system design
resulted in positive reviews for the production of Jesus Christ Superstar, which went on to win Best Musical Production in the UK Theatre Awards 2025.
Audiences have commented on the clarity of the sound and confirmed that every word of the musical can be clearly heard, despite the rock opera theme of the soundtrack. On the other hand, visiting sound designers have also noticed the difference, with the EM Acoustics system being likened to ‘night and day’ when compared with the previous setup.
“The new EM Acoustics installation at the Watermill has revolutionised the audio experience beyond all expectations, bringing a new depth, clarity and superior quality,” said Tom Marshall, who has been designing shows at the Watermill for the past decade, including Jesus Christ Superstar. “This has greatly helped to give the production the impact and control needed in this small and prestigious venue.”
With a system that offers exceptional clarity, even coverage and superb dynamic range, the Watermill, having made a significant investment, is well equipped for the artistic and technical demands of future productions. This installation not only met the challenges of Jesus Christ Superstar, but it has also set a solid foundation that the Watermill can build upon for years to come.
“It doesn’t sound like a PA, it just sounds like the show,” remarked Summers. “I’ve used a lot of systems in awkward rooms and EM Acoustics makes this one sound easy.”
Above: The headroom provided by the EM Acoustics system ensured the vocal and music clarity needed for the production of Jesus Christ Superstar. Photo: Pamela Raith.
WAYNE MCGREGOR: INFINITE BODIES
LONDON / UK EMEA
Sleek and discreet AV deployment helps keep the narrative flowing in an exhibition at Somerset House which blends choreography with advanced technology.
A series of multi-sensory choreographic installations, performances and experiments have taken over Somerset House’s Embankment Galleries for Wayne McGregor: Infinite Bodies, a groundbreaking exhibition dedicated to the visionary practice of choreographer Sir Wayne McGregor CBE.
McGregor is the resident choreographer of The Royal Ballet, and the brains behind the dance moves of the holographic avatars at ABBA Voyage, and this exhibition explores how McGregor’s investigations into the body, movement and cutting-edge digital technologies have radically redefined our perception of physical intelligence.
With an emphasis on technology within the exhibits – and forming a major part of them – plenty of AV solutions were needed to assist in the story-telling.
“I think one of the interesting challenges of the exhibition set up – and also what was really fun - was trying to utilise technology in so many different ways, making the exhibition a compilation of individually tailored solutions and a few plug-and-play options,” said Somerset House’s Director of Exhibitions and co-curator for this show, Dr Cliff Lauson. “Each exhibit is also a collaboration between McGregor and another person or company – it could be a visual artist or a designer, or large corporations such as Google, or Industrial Light and Magic, who have their own proprietary systems, which also added to the levels of complexity involved.”
With the individual set ups for the exhibition coming in all manner of shapes and sizes, Lauson and the Somerset House technical team, led by Senior Technical Production Manager Jacopo Sarzi, went in search of partners to help deliver what was required.
A connection between one of the venue’s trustees and ROE Visual brought the LED manufacturer on board to specify and supply two different LED walls for the first and last exhibition rooms.
“The results in these two rooms are stunning because ROE Visual were able to help us get there with their latest and most innovative technologies,” said Lauson. “We had lots of great conversations with them about what pixel pitches would be best in each application, and they were really great to work with.”
The exhibition begins with ‘OMNI’, and ends with ‘On The Other Earth –2D Preview’, and both rooms feature different ROE Visual products, as Simon Morton, Technical Support Engineer, ROE Visual UK, explained: “Somerset House were really looking for a high-quality LED solution for these two spaces,” said Morton. “However, the requirement for the
screen in each space was slightly different, and so we sat down with their team to discuss the options.”
In ‘OMNI’, the looped content, which was a collaboration between McGregor and Industrial Light and Magic, is shown on a 9.6m by 2.7m ROE Visual Coral LED wall with a 1.2mm pixel pitch, which was manufactured specifically for this project.
“Coral is primarily a fixed installation product and has a very wide colour gamut,” said Morton. “It also has a very low power consumption rate, making it cool to the touch, which is an important aspect when deployed in a relatively small room with a low ceiling, because you don’t want the atmosphere to get too hot.
“The Flip Chip technology in the Coral series means that there is less resistance from wiring, which equates to less heat production and less power needed,” continued Morton. “It also means a higher light output for the same power consumption, making it the right product for this particular application.”
Video processing here is handled by a HELIOS Processing Platform from MegaPixel, with the content stored on a PIXERA zero media server. For the final room, ‘On The Other Earth – 2D Preview’, which acts as a preview for an off-site continuation of the exhibition, content is looped on a curved ROE Visual Topaz LED wall, with a 2.6mm pixel pitch.
Playback is processed by a Brompton Tessera SX40 processor, with content fed from a BrightSign HD225 player.
“The Topaz is something of a workhorse and can be used across many applications such as live events, corporate installs, and in broadcast, because it performs really well in a number of different environments,” said Morton. “Its flexibility allows it to be deployed curved, in a cube or flat, and for this use, its 90º concave curvature fit the space in the corner of the room very well.”
Elsewhere in the exhibition, customised AV solutions were sought across projection and audio, with integrators KSO Audiovisual enlisted to deliver supplemental equipment to Somerset House’s inventory, as Lauson outlined: “We worked with KSO AV who are very well known in the museum and gallery sector, particularly here in London, and they are very sympathetic to the way that museums and artists work, which is a little bit different to typical commercial commissions.”
Projection was required in two spaces, the ‘Cinematic Motion’ room, and ‘A Body for AI’, and in both rooms Panasonic 1 chip DLP projectors were specified.
Within ‘Cinematic Motion’, three Panasonic PT-REQ 12 4K projectors
Previous Page: The first room, ‘OMNI’, features a 9.6m by 2.7m ROE Visual Coral LED wall.
illuminate three walls, with content stored on a BrightSign HD244 UHD networking media player.
Also installed are four Martin Audio CDD8 loudspeakers and a single SX110 subwoofer, powered by three Crown XLS 1002 power amplifiers, while specific flooring was also required to help aid the visuals on the walls.
Harlequin Flooring’s Hi-Shine black performance dance floor covered the whole room, a high-gloss, reflective surface which was chosen specifically to complement the three-sided projection environment. The mirror-like finish enhances the immersive visual experience, extending the digital imagery across the floor.
In ‘A Body for AI’, a huge projection surface which contorts vertically and rotates horizontally is mounted onto a tracking mechanism on a stable truss, with the same model of Panasonic PT-REQ 12 4K projector deployed to shine content onto the moving surface.
“The original piece didn’t fit in the room, so after conversations with Wayne and exhibit collaborator and artist Ben Cullen Williams, we decided to scale it down slightly,” said Lauson.
“The tracking mechanism and pivot was still functioning from its previous use, and so the wings, which has a scrim on one side to act as the projection surface, were remade to fit.
“We also discussed the room’s relative brightness with Ben quite a lot , and making the walls grey to aid the visibility of the projection onto the scrim, which is semi-transparent and allows the content to pass through it – because grey helps to limit reflection as opposed to standard white walls.”
Elsewhere, across three of the exhibits is the audio expertise of Invisible Mountain, who have
1: The final room, ‘On The Other Earth – 2D Preview’ has content playing on a curved ROE Visual Topaz LED wall, with processing coming from a Brompton Tessera SX40.
2: In ‘Future Self’, a responsive light installation captures movement and reacts in real-time to visitor movements across 10,000 LED lights. Photo: Andrea Rosetti.
3. A Panasonic PT-REQ 12 4K projector fires content onto the contorting exhibit ‘A Body for AI’. Photo: Andrea Rosetti.
4: In ‘Cinematic Motion’, three Panasonic PT-REQ 12 4K projectors illuminate three walls, with Harlequin Flooring installed to expand the digital canvas. Photo: David Parry.
collaborated with Wayne McGregor for many years, particularly on stage.
The collective composes soundscapes utilising their own proprietary Bronze AI software, which is a library of sound that features an algorithm which is able to compose and manipulate the music on the fly.
Running over a Dante network into three of the rooms across the building, including ‘OMNI’, the specification by Invisible Mountain was for d&b audiotechnik loudspeakers, with six E5 loudspeakers set up in each room, powered by six 5D amplifiers, with a Yamaha DM3 desk required in the exhibit titled ‘Soul Mirrors’.
Amid all the vivid visual exhibits is an interactive room which was a collaboration between McGregor and contemporary art group Random International.
In ‘Future Self’, a responsive light installation captures movement and reacts in real-time to visitor movements across 10,000 LED lights, with custom electronics and sensors. Here, two dancers from Company Wayne McGregor often perform a choreographic intervention – both with each other and with their own reflections in the light structure – to a specially commissioned score by Max Richter.
Concluding on the exhibition, Lauson said: “For a complex exhibition like this, a lot of the setup came with plug-and-play solutions, which needed mapping out and installing, and on the other end of the spectrum there are completely bespoke solutions and new commissions, so we went through our fair share of head-scratching to ensure everything was delivered to everyone’s satisfaction.”
Wayne McGregor: Infinite Bodies is open at the Embankment Galleries at London’s Somerset House until 22 February, 2026, and Wayne McGregor: On The Other Earth is at Stone Nest, in London’s West until 22 February, 2026. www.somersethouse.org.uk www.roevisual.com
CIRQUE DU SOLEIL ALIZÉ
Premiering in November 2025, ALIZÉ is a spectacular new large-scale show which marks the first-ever European residency in the 40-year history of Cirque du Soleil.
BERLIN / GERMANY EMEA
Photos: Anne-Marie Forker
The Theater am Potsdamer Platz in Berlin has been extensively transformed and redesigned to meet the unique requirements of a complex new permanent Cirque du Soleil production, which features captivating acrobatic performances and mesmerising visuals.
In what is the company’s 54th original production and its first European residency, Cirque du Soleil ALIZÉ celebrates the magic of humanity by delving into the depths of imagination and wonder, blurring the boundaries between what is known and what is imagined, and where the human spirit soars.
After months of meticulous creation, design, and staging, ALIZÉ introduces a groundbreaking concept called “Acromagic”, a fusion of acrobatics and magic that redefines live entertainment.
It is a truly groundbreaking audience experience, with holographicstyle visuals appearing and disappearing, deliberately blurring the line between physical performance and illusion.
Bringing this vision to life was a collective effort led by Cirque du Soleil’s creative and technical teams, supported by a network of specialised external partners.
Among the key vendors who were essential to the success and realisation of Cirque du Soleil ALIZÉ were Solotech, Waagner-Biro Stage Systems, Theatrixx, VYV, Elements Entertainment and CRYSTAL Group. Wonder Works was engaged as a technical CAD design partner, supporting Cirque du Soleil’s internal technical design and management team by translating the creative vision into highly detailed 3D models, CAD documentation, and coordination packages.
Working under the technical direction of Cirque du Soleil, Wonder Works – led by Technical Designer Andy Bailey – developed phased drawing packages spanning schematics, general arrangements, vendor coordination, and final as-built documentation.
These millimetre-accurate models enabled Cirque du Soleil’s technical design and management team to push the physical limits of the theatre, fully exploiting every available millimetre of space while preserving safety, sightlines, and operational reliability.
Production designs
While preliminary work on both the building blueprint and production designs began in late 2024, it wasn’t until June 2025 that Cirque physically took over the theatre, which is operated by co-producers of the show, Live Nation Germany.
Technical integration was completed by the end of August with rehearsals starting in September ahead of show previews, which began on 24 October 2025, allowing approximately eight weeks of on-site finetuning before the gala premiere.
“Traditionally with Cirque du Soleil residencies, we design the theatrical space for the show, but here we flipped that and had to design the show for the theatre,” explained Production Technical Director, Larose-Lachance. “With this project we have pushed the limit of what is possible in a theatre. In addition to what is below, behind and above the stage, the grid above the audience is also completely packed with functioning equipment.”
To understand the complexity of this project, it is best to look at it in two parts – the refurbishment of the theatre, and the technical needs of the production itself.
Associate Technical Director Emily Meyer led the on-site construction and load-in, managing a 24/7 build phase to bring the theatre to full technical capacity under significant time pressure.
At the same time, Camille Labelle, Assistant Technical Director, played a central coordination role, effectively acting as a chief-of-staff for the technical department by organising simultaneous technical operations spread across multiple continents and disciplines.
Global production leadership was overseen diligently by Anastasia Kitsos, Production Director, whose role was keeping an exceptionally complex project on track from first ideas through opening.
Vienna-based Waagner-Biro Stage Systems was contracted to provide a full turnkey automation solution for the theatre, which included 60 new axes lines, three tracking trollies, acrobatic winches, and a control system based on Waagner-Biro’s CAT V5 platform, deployed on a dedicated show network. “Waagner-Biro Stage Systems was tasked with
redesigning the automation for the theatre, and designing the system for automating all the axes for the show,” said Larose-Lachance.
“We drew up a huge outline of design specs, and shared that directly with Waagner-Biro, and it became a collaboration to bring together the final result, and during the process a great relationship developed.
“It was also a learning curve for both companies as we were faced with such a short timeline, with the project discussions beginning in late 2024,” he added.
“For this show, we tried to automate as much as possible, because it’s very complex, and the goal is to be efficient on the operation as we only have 35 crew in total to run it.
“Every time there is human levitation, or props flying or lifting off stage, they are being flown by the automation system, and there are a lot of
safety procedures to know before you can fly something, and this relies on communication, and an element of trust.”
Part of the engineering that was commissioned specifically is a revolving stage storage system, due to the small footprint of the theatre. During the changeovers in the show, used props are sent under the stage, and props for the next act come up on a revolving platform.
“We started the physical element of the show design in our facility in Montreal in May, and had our own automation system in place,” said Larose-Lachance. “The storyboard was in place with scene changes, so elements could be pre-programmed based on that.
“Meanwhile, we were developing the ‘magic flight’ and the ‘acrobat flight’ lines with the system we had in Montreal, and then those references could be copied into Waagner-Biro Stage Systems’ CAT V5
system. During this process, we found out a few things to iron out.
Then, when we arrived in Berlin with the acrobats and performers, our technicians were already familiar with the CAT V5 system which had been adapted to our needs.”
When it came to implementing the venue’s network and data distribution, a Netgear-based switching infrastructure formed the backbone for audio, lighting, video, automation, communications, and monitoring systems.
John Thurston was the Lead Systems Manager for the project, who drove the technical design with the assistance of Solotech, with Thurston noting that Solotech’s Jonathan Couillard played a major role.
“From the very beginning of the project, Jonathan Couillard understood the concept of the show and what infrastructure was required to make
it work, and with that took on the network design alongside Jonathan Levesque,” said Thurston, who relocated to Montreal for the duration of the creation of the theatre’s technical backbone.
Couillard and Levesque drew up the converged network, which forms the backbone for everything, with main switches at FOH, side stage, substage, grid, galleries, house right and left, and various sub-trees off the network which used more specific access points and switches.
“For a project of this complexity, it had been suggested that enterprisegrade switches should be used,” said Thurston. “However, because of the speed at which we needed to obtain things and start building, Solotech outlined that professional-grade switches would be used.
“The venue was first opened in the late 1990s, so it had some cables that we could reuse, and we converted old DMX cable into Cat5 ethernet cable in various places – making the best use of the existing infrastructure as we could, and augmented that with a new installation where it was needed.”
In addition to designing, supplying and integrating the network solutions and extensive cabling, Solotech supplied the audio, lighting, comms and LED equipment, and established a relationship with Theatrixx for the LED solutions, which are critical to the show’s success, as Hugo Tardif, Project Manager for Solotech on ALIZÉ, explained:
“Early on it became apparent that Solotech’s involvement would mainly come from our teams in Montreal because the show was designed there,” began Tardif. “Before Cirque du Soleil was ready with the artists and performers rehearsing in Montreal, we did a mock up as close as possible to the final vision at their HQ in their huge studio space.
“Here we put together an early demo to test the concept of a pepper’s ghost effect, which creates the most spectacular of the many stunning visual elements in the show, and we tested utilising projection, lighting and LED. When it came to the alignment of the LED pixels, they needed to be ultra-precise, so numerous products were tested.”
Desired visual goals
During testing, the crew landed on the Theatrixx xVision Nomad 2.6mm TPEP (Titanium Polymer Edge Protection) LED tiles as the optimal LED product to achieve the desired visual goals, with processing coming from Brompton Tessera SX40 LED processors. The LED panels were fasttracked into production specifically for this project, with Theatrixx staff
The LED and processing setup at ALIZÉ is proprietary and represents a cutting-edge approach to live performance events with advanced colour reproduction.
working around the clock to QC the 952 panels required for the show.
To measure and validate the video system to ensure the brightness and colour fidelity was at the level that a company like Cirque demands, video calibration expert Angel Banchs from Red Rock Ops was enlisted.
“Brompton introduced me to Theatrixx to help them achieve the highest-quality colour for ALIZÉ,” said Banchs. “Our task was to work alongside the Cirque team to deliver the highest level of colour accuracy and dynamic range. The LED and processing setup at ALIZÉ is proprietary and represents a cutting-edge approach to live performance events with advanced colour reproduction.
“From the beginning, the Cirque team provided a detailed white paper outlining the exact goals and technical expectations for this cuttingedge production. Thomas Peters from Brompton and I reviewed every requirement, and built a detailed technical plan to achieve the ultimate result using the SX40 processors and Nomad LED tiles.
“As we began reviewing the content created by the Cirque team and watched it come to life in our prototype setup at the Theatrixx facility in Montreal, we all had moments of genuine awe.”
For Solotech, it was a race against time to get the equipment through the testing phase and then shipped over to Europe, and trucked to Berlin ahead of the installation. “We really had to speed up the process of getting the equipment, because a lot of it was new purchases – some
SPECTERA
1 Rack Unit = Up to 64 Channels
Spectera Base Station (Wideband)
32 Mono/16 Stereo IEM =
32 Mic/Inst +
Typical Mic/IEM Setup (Narrowband)
The future of professional wireless is here
Spectera, the world’s first bidirectional wideband ecosystem, solves many of the issues that owners and operators of wireless systems are faced with today. With its small footprint and greatly reduced setup time, Spectera ensures smooth workflows on location. Wireless mics, IEMs and control data are all accommodated on the very same RF carrier, the width of a TV channel (8or 6 MHz), enabling full remote control and bodypacks that combine mic transmitter and IEM receiver in one unit. Learn more about this growing ecosystem at www.sennheiser.com/spectera
came from our inventory, but quite a lot, including Theatrixx’s LED solutions, came specially made from their LED manufacturing factory,” said Tardif. “It was a major endeavour to get this product to Montreal, do the QC tests at Theatrixx’s HQ, test the processors, do the colour testing, and then get that over to Cirque’s facility, set up, and test it in practice – and then get it shipped to Germany.
“Thankfully, that testing went incredibly well, and the Cirque team started to understand how they can push the technology, and how they can push the boundaries of what they were already creating. It was a very good process.”
Elsewhere, when it came to a video content solution, Larose-Lachance revisited a familiar contact in the form of Anthony ‘Bez’ Bezençon and Nicolas Dupont of VYV, who were both vendors and video system designers on the project.
VYV Photon and VYV Albion directs the visual content to the Theatrixx LED panels through the Brompton processors, and to 16 Epson projectors, and also handles all the performer tracking.
Positional data
LiDAR is used to track performers, and the positional data is converted to PosiStageNet, which is then fed into the audio, lighting, automation, stage machinery, and projection systems. There are 34 cameras for the performance just for tracking where things are and making sure that everyone sees everything. Great accuracy is required for the tracking because of how heavily automated the systems are.
“My first contact on this project was to Bez at VYV,” said LaroseLachance. “I have a long-standing relationship with them, and I can’t recall a project from the past seven years that Bez didn’t have some involvement in. Their knowledge is exceptional, and they have so much experience that I know that their designs and planning will work.
“The systems are adaptable – and their expertise is part of the VYV
package. And they are the key to how we create the magic on ALIZÉ.”
Used as an almost ever-present tool, projection transforms the theatre, from the floor to the set pieces, to the performers, to create both a visual spectacle and a narrative focus. Eight overlaying Epson EB-PU2220B 20,000-lumen laser projectors, paired with a selection of lenses, were used to enhance the theatre’s dynamic canvas, blurring the lines between reality and illusion, as each illumination pulls the audience deeper into a world of shifting perception.
“Projection is a powerful tool that helps bring our stories and characters to life; it can transform a set, replace textures and even change the very nature of an object,” said Félix Fradet-Faguy, Projection Designer, Cirque du Soleil ALIZÉ.
With the VYV and Epson equipment coming directly from the manufacturers, the majority of the rest of the AV equipment, including the massive CCTV system, was delivered by Solotech, as Tardif continued: “From the get-go, the Cirque team and their designers put together a wish list of equipment of what they would like to work with, and we worked together to provide a package that could be easily serviced in Europe, should any equipment need repairing or maintaining,” he said.
Spatial sound
A Meyer Sound system, centred around L-R arrays of 10 PANTHER linear line array loudspeakers, was designed by Sound Designer JeanMichel Caron, who has worked with Cirque du Soleil for more than 25 years. “Sound is a character in the show,” said Caron. “If you lock what happens on stage with the music and sound design, you can build suspense, move the audience to the edge of their seat, and completely change their reaction.”
The production’s spatial sound design was realised using Meyer Sound’s Spacemap Go sound design and mixing tool. “With Spacemap Go, I
Left: Intricate work makes sure that the AV equipment doesn’t clash with the scenic pieces and wires.
can move sounds anywhere in the room – a music box on a balcony, a vocal that suddenly comes from the opposite side – and pull the audience’s focus exactly where it needs to be,” Caron explained, noting that the theatre was already equipped with a Dolby Atmos loudspeaker system, and he integrated those speakers into the Meyer Sound system, repurposing them as surrounds.
“We’re not using the Atmos processor – instead it is all running through GALAXY and Spacemap Go,” he said. “That gave me control and flexibility. I like that Spacemap Go doesn’t lock you into a fixed speaker layout – you can draw any configuration you want, and be creative.”
System optimisation and spatial processing are supplied by ten Galileo GALAXY Network Platforms, with six dedicated to the PA and four running in Spacemap Go mode to manage approximately 64 outputs, and everything is connected via a Milan AVB network.
Caron chose an Avid VENUE | S6L control surface for control, and Tardif was happy to be working with someone he considers an expert in the field. “Jean-Michel Caron had it all planned out and the system is rock solid,” said Tardif.
“It was a challenge to install it all, because there wasn’t a lot of space in the false proscenium void – there was barely an inch to move. There was a lot of work involved in making sure that the AV equipment wouldn’t clash with the scenic pieces and wires, but it was fun to work with Jean-Michel; he worked with us to make the system how he wanted it, and it’s a pleasure to go to those lengths with him so that he, and the wider Cirque team are happy.”
During the installation phase, Solotech had 16 technicians on site working to get the equipment set up, while the rigging was completed by BIGRIG.
“We had to follow a very, very tight production schedule because there was so much happening in the theatre at the same time,” said Tardif. “Basically, it was a construction zone. Equipment was loaded in, but then couldn’t be set up until certain jobs were completed, making it a complex operation. It was all about patience, being solution-oriented, and understanding that at the end of the day there was no room for error,” concluded Tardif.
For stage lighting, Solotech supplied a package consisting of Robe FORTE and ESPRITE fixtures, along with Aryton Khamsin, CHAUVET Professional COLOrado PXL Bar and Ovation Reve E-3 Profile, and Elation KL Fresnel FC8 fixtures on a Luminex network with an MA Lighting grandMA3 Full Size and grandMA3 light.
Kinetic lighting
In addition to the theatrical and stage lighting, a custom kinetic lighting system was also developed and integrated by Solotech for a particular section of the show.
Over 400 small light fixtures are on a large winch system that is run from the grid above the auditorium. The fixtures are controllable from an MA Lighting grandMA, and they are hung on automated winches so that they fly independently to make patterns, and the result looks like an indoor drone show.
A special effects package was supplied by Elements Entertainment, and for the tornado sequence, Cirque du Soleil collaborated with CRYSTAL (France), led by Michel Amann, an ‘artiste-ingénieur’ whose hybrid artistic and engineering expertise was instrumental in developing a bespoke solution.
Working closely with Cirque du Soleil’s technical design and management team, the collaboration transformed a poetic creative idea into a safe, repeatable, and visually striking effect suited to a permanent production environment.
The show’s opening curtain reveal, and other soft goods and custom textiles, were developed in partnership with ShowTex, while other fabrics and tracks were designed and supplied by Gerriets.
With a massive assortment of equipment crammed neatly and effectively into the constraints of a mid-sized theatre, the project can be considered a triumph, and the two-hour show of Cirque du Soleil ALIZÉ is everything audiences would expect from a Cirque du Soleil production – and more. “I can not say enough about how instrumental
our vendors were in the success of this project,” said Thurston. “From a systems and AV point of view, I have to give extra credit to Hugo at Solotech, and Jacques Tessier, CEO of Theatrixx, who were fantastic, and went above and beyond, pulling out all the stops to make this thing as good as it possibly could be.”
Larose-Lachance concluded: “I can’t say that everything went like clockwork, and it was a push at every level. The whole project had a level of creation – the show and the venue. The production team worked for 18 months on the development of the show and its systems.
Then when we got into the venue, slowly the operation team worked with us to put the show together.
“It was great to have Solotech’s support because they are local to us in Montreal, and in the eight weeks that we had to create the show on site it wasn’t possible to come up with all the solutions, and we needed that time of pre-production and testing in Montreal in their studio and our studio to make it happen.”
The Cirque du Soliel ALIZÉ residency opened to the public with its premier in November, and it really needs to be seen to be believed.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
VIDEO & TRACKING
952 x Theatrixx Nomad 2.6 Indoor TPEP panels
16 x Brompton 4K Tessera SX40
16 x Brompton Tessera XD
16 x EPSON EB-PU2220B
6 x EPSON ELPLW08
6 x EPSON ELPLU4
4 x EPSON ELPLM15
2 x VYV Photon Controller V11
6 x VYV Photon Display Server V11
2 x Albion Tracking Controller V11
2 x Albion Tracking Server V11
32 x VYV 3.5mm Tracking Camera
20 x VYV Copernic Performer Tracking Beltpack
32 x VYV Fixed Anchor Tracking Emitters
LIGHTING
1 x MA Lighting grandMA3 Full Size
1 x MA Lighting grandMA3 Light
1 x MA Lighting grandMA PUL MA
7 x Luminex GigaCore
15 x Luminex DMX8
21 x Luminex Lumi Split 2.10
18 x Robe FORTE
73 x Robe ESPRITE 16 x Ayrton Khamsin 12 x CHAUVET Professional PXL
x CHAUVET Professional Reve E-3
20 x Elation KL Fresnel FC8 2 x Leon Audio QLM16 MK4
16 x Leon Audio QLS-SM MK4
KINETIC LIGHTING SYSTEM
210 x Custom 12m Winch Unit 210 x Custom Fixed Unit
SPECIAL FX 10 x Showven Creeper 2 x MDG ATMe 4 x Look Solutions Unique 2.1 12 x TMB Profan 2 x ReelFX RE-5
Above: For the tornado sequence, Cirque du Soleil collaborated with CRYSTAL (France), whose artistic and engineering expertise was instrumental in developing a bespoke solution.
John Thurston – Lead Systems Manager (Audio, Lighting, Video, SFX)
Simon Fox – Lighting System Manager
Anthony Bezençon – Technical Designer, Video
Nicolas Dupont – Technical Manager, Video
Nathalie Rail – Technical Coordinator
Félix Cauffopé – Junior Technical Manager
Camille Labelle – Assistant to the Technical Director
Emily Meyer – Associate Technical Director
Simon L. Lachance – Technical Director
Anastasia Kitsos – Production Director
NOTRE-DAME DE PARIS CATHEDRAL
EMEA
PARIS / FRANCE
For the repair and restoration of this house of worship, Groupe Novelty was appointed to design and deliver the cathedral’s new audiovisual systems under exceptionally sensitive heritage constraints.
On 15 April 2019, devastation spread across the city of Paris as one of its most legendary monuments, the Notre-Dame Cathedral, became victim to a highly destructive structural fire. A beloved symbol of French architecture and faith, city residents weren’t the only ones to feel the grief of the disaster; worldwide, people mourned the damage to the house of worship, with its spire, roof, altar, pipe organs, windows, and religious relics scarred by the flames.
After a gruelling and ambitious restoration process, over five years later, on 7 December 2024, the cathedral officially reopened. Appointed as lead integrator for this tall task, Groupe Novelty and its diverse subsidiaries were responsible for designing, installing, and commissioning a fully integrated audio, video, and broadcast infrastructure capable of supporting daily worship, major liturgical celebrations, concerts, and an international television broadcast system. Further, the organisation was brought in to repair more structural issues, also focusing on acoustic optimisation and venue fine-tuning.
Groupe Novelty, a company with French roots itself, knew that this was not an average project and needed to be treated with the utmost care and caution. The challenge was to restore an active heritage site governed by extreme constraints and understandably uncompromising expectations around durability. Jacques de La Guillonnière, President and Founder of the brand, commented, “This cathedral is far more than a building or a regular house of worship; it is a symbol of French heritage, a spiritual home for millions, and a monument recognised across the world.” Groupe Novelty’s involvement in Notre-Dame did not begin with the fire of April 2019, though.
The group had maintained a long-standing relationship with the cathedral, having supplied permanent audio installations and large-scale event infrastructure for decades. That familiarity proved decisive when, in spring 2023, the Diocese of Paris issued a rapid call for integrators able to meet the project’s compressed timelines.
On this, Groupe Novelty’s Project Manager, David Créteur, commented: “We were asked to respond quickly to a project that had already been outlined for several months. Given our history with the site, it was a real pleasure to be called upon once again.” What followed would become more than two years of execution work that was arguably part of one of the most complex heritage restoration programmes ever undertaken anywhere in Europe.
Beginning the reconstruction
By the time Groupe Novelty was brought into the project, the Diocese of Paris had already selected audio and video configurations developed by its chosen consulting firms. These designs largely followed the previous system layout, but with renewed and more powerful equipment.
Groupe Novelty’s role was therefore not to redesign the system conceptually, but to refine and optimise it, before installing the finished blueprint. “We contributed our technical expertise and our in-depth knowledge of the site and its operational needs as far as possible,” stated Créteur. The project manager explained that the earliest days of the project began with discussions on how a smooth, trouble-free operation could be ensured for decades to come. “This included pushing for a significant reassessment of the fibre-optic requirements,
ensuring the building would be extensively and properly cabled for the future,” he said.
The installer quickly requested an increased capacity for optic fibre to be used for the cabling infrastructure.
A full-fibre infrastructure was deployed throughout the cathedral, enabling seamless management for technicians and external service providers, alongside a dual spine-leaf network topology that supports both audio and visual workflows and utilises industry-standard protocols.
“If you rebuild a monument of this scale, you have to think beyond immediate needs,” he said, recognising the importance of this futureproofing.
The sound system comprises approximately 120 L-Acoustics loudspeakers distributed throughout almost the entire cathedral. System design prioritised intelligibility and uniform coverage over sheer output, which turned out to be a necessity in a space defined by long reverberation times and complex reflections.
“The S Series, combining Soka and Syva models, is particularly effective in this type of high reverberation volume,” Créteur explained. “Their slim profiles and custom colour finish allow for extremely discreet integration into the architecture.”
These are complemented by compact 5XT units for specific zones, 4Xi loudspeakers in side chapels, and two Kiva arrays providing longer throws.
Amplification is distributed across seven racks of LA7.16i and LA2Xi amplifiers, positioned around the grandstands. The project manager explained, “These amplifiers were specified for their channel density and native Milan
compatibility, which was essential given the scale and distribution of the system.”
Mixing and processing are handled via a DiGiCo SD9 console and 4REA4 processing, supported by remote preamps positioned close to sound sources, particularly in the choir. “We wanted to remain as close as possible to the sources, both for signal quality and operational clarity,” Créteur revealed. An Optocore loop runs around the building, allowing for the capturing of ambience and organ signals and the distribution of multiple programme feeds. For external events and complex routing, a DirectOut Prodigy matrix ensures that each digital audio network remains fully isolated. Microphone selection combined continuity with careful evaluation. 20 Schoeps CCM microphones, including a special re-edition of a historic stand design, were selected for lecterns and the Maîtrise de Notre-Dame. Then, for the altar, the team conducted extensive comparisons before selecting the Sennheiser MEB 114. Wireless transmission posed a particular challenge in such a vast and architecturally complex environment. Groupe Novelty proposed and deployed the world’s first permanent installation of Sennheiser Spectera. “This allowed us to dispense with combiners and fibrebased RF extensions,” Créteur explained. “It also ensured near-optimal coverage across the entire ground floor of the cathedral, with integrated mobile monitoring functions for operators.” The UHD broadcast system was designed to support both in-house operation and daily remote production by KTO, the French Catholic television channel. Eight Panasonic AW-UE150 PTZ cameras were installed
Previous page: Photo: Geoffrey Hubble Left: The ceremony marking Notre-Dame’s reopening. Photo: Hugues de Beauschesne.
throughout the cathedral, alongside three AWHE130 units providing near-zero-latency analogue monitoring for organists.
Créteur commented, “These are benchmark cameras in television studios, and they allowed us to meet broadcast expectations without introducing visually intrusive equipment.”
Custom fibre solutions from LanSee handle video transport and distribution to ten NEC displays discreetly positioned throughout the nave. Two switchers receive the camera feeds: a Panasonic AV-UHS500 for local production and a Blackmagic Design ATEM 4 M/E Constellation 4K for remote production at KTO’s headquarters.
Integration and optimisation
Physical installation represented one of the project’s most sensitive aspects. In Notre-Dame, drilling into stone is almost never permitted.
The project manager said that this led Groupe Novelty to utilise a sliding primary support system for deploying equipment into the space. This needed to be installed in coordination with the cathedral’s trusted masonry company, as he noted, “they’re the only party authorised to drill into the house of worship.” This system allowed loudspeaker mounts to be positioned precisely without repeated intervention. For loudspeakers above capitals,
custom metalwork allowed units to rest directly on stone while routing cabling discreetly through mortar joints. After integration was complete, one brand under the Groupe Novelty umbrella in particular, De Préférence, stepped in to play a notable role in the final stages of the project.
Créteur said that two members of the subsidiary in particular, Sébastien Pavageau and Olivier Gascoin had “golden ears” when it came to optimising the acoustics in the new Notre-Dame.
“They contributed to defining and implementing the operating modes for the technical staff, as well as to the precise and meticulous tuning of the entire sound system. The numerous positive comments on listening comfort and sonic presence, from casual visitors to seasoned professionals alike, speak for themselves,” he continued.
Asked how this project, the restoration of a renowned landmark destroyed by a fire, compared to the process of other installations in Groupe Novelty’s portfolio, he said, “We’ve handled our fair share of complex projects over the years, but Notre-Dame required never-before-seen levels of combined expertise from all of the company’s entities.” He noted that the constraints were unlike anything they had experienced before, with heritage rules, extremely tight deadlines, and multiple sensitive zones that only half the team had
Above: Photo: Geoffrey Hubble.
clearance to enter, under strict protective and decontamination protocols. “This added a whole new layer of coordination to an already demanding installation. However, I will say that this made the project uniquely rewarding! “Over 24 months of work we were able to provide a system that is robust, efficient, and discreet, which makes me so proud. I hope it will support, serve, and simplify the day-to-day operation of this magnificent building for many years to come.” de La Guillonnière added that when he talks about this project, two words immediately come to mind. “I instantly feel pride and satisfaction,” he said. “Being involved in the resurrection of one of the brightest jewels of French history is an immense
honour, both personally and for the entire Groupe Novelty family. To be entrusted with contributing to its rebirth after such a devastating tragedy is something we will carry with us for the rest of our careers. This is arguably one of the most significant achievements in our history as a company.”
The Groupe Novelty president concluded by reporting that the reaction from the public has thankfully been overwhelmingly positive. “Seeing Notre-Dame illuminated, finally resonating with music again, and welcoming visitors from around the world has certainly touched people far beyond France. And for our teams, witnessing that collective happiness has probably been the most meaningful reward,” he said.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
AUDIO
128 x L-Acoustics various speakers (KIVA, SYVA, SOKA, 5XT, X4i)
L-Acoustics LA2Xi amplifier
L-Acoustics LA7-16i amplifier
DiGiCo SD9 console
MICROPHONES
20 x Schoeps CCM4
Sennheiser MEB-114 SW
Sennheiser Spectera
VIDEO
8 x Panasonic AW-UE150 PTZ cameras
Panasonic 4K AV-UHS500 switchers
Blackmagic ATEM 4 M/E Constellation 4K switchers
10 x NEC 43-inch displays
www.groupe-novelty.com
Below: Photo: Hugues de Beauschesne.
IN BRIEF
Century-old Tonhalle Düsseldorf tames its stage bleed with new L-Acoustics L2 system
Originally built in 1926 as a planetarium, Tonhalle Düsseldorf was converted into a concert hall during the 1970s and has since earned worldwide recognition for its exceptional natural acoustics.
After its aging sound system started to experience critical failures, it was time for an upgrade, with integrators Thomann Audio Professional installing a comprehensive L-Acoustics solution following a design from consultancy firm Bühnenplanung
Walter Kottke Ingenieure.
Requiring a powerful, rider-friendly sound system that could satisfy touring engineers across every genre while respecting the hall’s classical music heritage the L-Acoustics L2 emerged as the optimal solution.
“L2 was our recommended route for two compelling reasons: its relatively compact design and, perhaps more importantly, its cardioid dispersion pattern,” explained Florian Denzler, Head of Department, Sound and Theatre Technology at Thomann. “Cardioid dispersion delivers significant acoustic improvements on
stage, which is especially critical for classical concerts requiring sound reinforcement.
Given Tonhalle Düsseldorf’s strong classical programming alongside its need to accommodate every genre, L2 was the obvious choice.”
Jürgen Meyer, project lead at BWKI, added: “From the beginning, our objective was to preserve Tonhalle’s pristine acoustics while introducing a rider-compliant reinforcement system.”
BWKI’s design process centered on Soundvision modeling to ensure comprehensive coverage throughout the architecturally challenging space. The planning phase, led by Meyer at BWKI, in close collaboration with Martin Rode at L-Acoustics, leveraged Soundvision’s precision to account for every single seat in the venue before any cabinets were deployed.
With the new L-Acoustics installation now operational, Tonhalle Düsseldorf has positioned itself to meet the technical expectations of worldclass touring productions. www.l-acoustics.com
Create curved truss systems without extra components.
Leave mounted video modules in the truss during transportation.
Mount lighting equipment at the transition between two trusses.
Extremly extensive structural analysis.
MARQUEE LAS VEGAS
LAS VEGAS / USA AMERICAS
Storied nightclub receives a massive facelift with a full refurbishment, including a complete overhaul of its video, lighting and audio systems to set a new standard in Las Vegas event production.
Situated inside the Cosmopolitan Hotel, Marquee is a 40,000 sq ft venue long-credited with ushering in the dance music craze to Las Vegas since its opening in 2010.
Having undergone a significant remodel in 2014, the club, currently operated by Tao Group Hospitality, closed for the summer in 2025 to be completely stripped and re-imagined once again, with SJ Lighting and Visual Artform at the heart of the new visual production designs, and Sound Investment Audio tasked with updating the sound system.
The new main room features next-generation audiovisuals, including a 1.5-tonnes LED screen, a kinetic centrepiece, and cutting-edge lighting and lasers, which are built in layers from the LED centrepiece, with every detail designed to create an unforgettable fusion of music and visuals.
“One of the directives from Tao Group operations was to have more video surface, and so collectively we came up with what is now referred to as the ‘monolith’ – a 30 ft tall high-resolution LED wall which is behind the DJ booth,” began SJ Lighting Founder and Owner Stephen Lieberman, who has over 30 years’ experience in the lighting industry.
“From the perimeter of the monolith we placed complementary lighting fixtures in various layers that expand outwards, which allows us to expand and contract the front elevation view.”
With video as the primary effect, the lighting fixtures add dynamism, as Lieberman continued: “Framing the video screen down both sides are Acme Pixel Line IP LED fixtures, and outside of that is 16 ACME Tornado fixtures installed vertically, which has five heads on one fixture, to give it multiple functions and the ability to create effective wave looks.
“Outside of this are 22 Ayrton Mistral-S moving heads, and outside of that Kvant Beam Brush lasers are set up for audience scanning, which makes the front view a very dynamic and layered visual presentation.”
Situated above the LED wall in the ceiling is a huge automation system, featuring a mesh LED video cube which extends out from the back wall above the dance floor. With mesh LED on all four sides, inside the cube are 48 CHAUVET Professional COLORado PXL Bar 8, which shine through the mesh to add an extra dimension.
“The cube is on a winch system from Niscon, and moves up and down throughout the space and is fully programmable, and we’ve really pushed the limits of this to get some very violent angles,” said Lieberman.
Two additional trusses either side of the cube form part of the automation system, and both have an LED ribbon around the bottom
Above and right: The new lighting and video set up allowed creative studio Visual Artform to adapt the design of its content for the club.
edges and six Ayrton Mistral-S spot fixtures lined up inside it.
Supplementing these are MasterFX Atlas fog machines, which are hung upside down to throw fog 40 ft into the heart of the club.
“These two trusses are hung at each corner from four points, allowing them to penny roll in plane with the main cube, or move at more extreme angles to create an interesting look.”
Further out from the LED, Martin Professional Mac One wash lights were selected in the areas of the club with lower ceilings, which give another layer of downlighting without being overpowering.
Elsewhere, the key lighting of the artist in the DJ booth is designed to be different from the norm, and instead of coming from above with two beams of fixtures, two Astera HydraPanels are placed up front to present the DJs in a soft light without any beams polluting the video content behind.
“Every fixture that we picked was to precise specification, and there are certain parameters that we needed for a fixed install such as this,” said Lieberman. “We needed fixtures that are in high visibility location to have really clean lines, and they also have to be dependable.
“Ayrton supports us via their distributors ACT Entertainment, and my relationship with ACT Entertainment goes back almost 30 years and they have been very good to us.”
Video content
The new lighting and video set up allowed creative studio Visual Artform to adapt the design of its content for the club to the movement of the rig.
“We played a lot with depth perception, and with the gradual movement of the trusses and cube, and the lighting effects, we can make it seem like the content is moving towards you,” said Simon Evans, Co-Founder, Visual Artform, and Senior Director of Creative AV for TAO Group.
“We’ve been to many venues around the world, and I have not really seen anything which creates this kind of look in such an intimate space.”
The design concept for Visual Artform was to design a series of themes
which are pivoted to via portals created on the video wall by laser etching from two Kvant ClubMax 10 FB4 lasers.
“These lasers fire from the back of the room and are time-coded with the video content to create the portals that open into the different themes that we’ve created,” said Evans. “Throughout the night, we will use the laser etching as a way to move from theme to theme, building the show in layers and combining video and lighting to create some ‘wow’-factor moments.
“As an example of that, we could animate a 3D planet floating on the transparent LED cube, and we can use lighting fixtures to add light beams to replicate the look of stars running through the video content.
“Overall, we’ve created a show design which can be flexible and adapted in an organic way, because there are a lot of different genres of performers coming through the club.
“This has been driven by the team through good communication, and by training them into knowing how to put on a good visual show, on the fly, no matter where the DJs take the night musically.”
In order to bring the club’s vision to life, the room was completely cleaned out of its previous AV system, and stripped right back. It shut its doors in June, and re-opened in early October.
“It was a quick turnaround,” said Evans. “It put Stephen and my team under a lot of pressure to get the programming and the integration done ahead of the grand opening week. We got the new rig fully set up around three days before, so we had around 72 hours to really dial the show design in.”
Adding to the pressure was the fact that both teams were working on a huge re-fit at Marquee New York around the same time.
“Both clubs were big ambitious endeavours, and two weeks prior to Marquee Las Vegas opening we had completed Marquee New York,” said Evans. “We had a large scope of work, across both of our offices, to get two world-class venues running at the same time – and there was about a 14-day gap between openings.
“Both Marquee venues have the same ownership with the same goals,
modulo-pi.com Effortlessly create engaging interactive experiences with Modulo Kinetic, the scalable media server platform
From small set pieces to stadium roof points, Broadweigh wireless load cells meet every rigging challenge — now with the BW-S900 9000kg variant for the heaviest lifts. Trusted worldwide, they deliver real-time load data with accuracy and reliability. Know more. Do more.
Left: Show designs are flexible so they can be adapted in an organic way throughout the night.
but feature very different rooms with very different challenges, but both came together very well.”
The audio system selected for the refit of Marquee Las Vegas is centered around Funktion-One’s flagship touring speaker, the Vero VX90. The system was designed by Sound Investment Audio (SIA), who have provided many of the highest profile system designs for the Tao Group over the last decade.
Daniel Agne, Lead Designer and President of SIA, described the process of providing a sound system design for one of the most successful night clubs in the world: “We have learned from the hundreds of systems that we have done that the overall quality of a system depends on every component in the system,” he said. “Of course the system has to be able to achieve high SPLs, but high sound quality is also critical. For an operator like the Tao Group, basically every section of the room has to have proper coverage and high SPL sound, but also be enjoyable to listen to.”
The sound system in the main room consists of left and right front main hangs of five Funktion-One Vero VX90 to provide transparent and dynamic sound at whatever SPL may be required in a vertical column configuration. Various other zones of the room are covered by FunktionOne’s Evo 7EH, Res 2 and F101.2 compact speakers and F124, F118.2 and BR115 subwoofers.
“The Funktion-One line has a wide variety of concert-grade speakers in many form factors,” continued Agne. “The interior designers work with us to locate the subs in the furniture, seating and front of the
stage. Sometimes it seems excessive, but once the room is packed with patrons and everywhere has to have power and intensity, it becomes clear why we do what we do.”
The system is powered by Full Fat Audio amplifiers, which are designed specifically to complement high performance speaker systems, while system processing is provided by NST Audio. “FFA amplifiers allow the Funktion-One loudspeakers to perform to their highest possible extent and are SIA’s first choice for systems of this calibre,” said Agne. “We have worked with various other DSP platforms and, to my ears, nothing sounds as transparent as the NSTs. We’re using the NST Audio DM88 as the front end router and control unit. The system routing and other control features like scheduling is done using the Q-SYS platform, which allows for a great deal of flexibility.”
With the audio system being tuned at the same time as much of the lighting and video integration and programming ahead of opening, Lieberman acknowledged the importance of working with familiar collaborators with a common goal in mind.
“My team, Simon and his team, and the team from Sound Investment Audio – we’ve worked together plenty of times in the past, and in many ways it was like putting the band back together, and there’s a level of comfort in working together,” he said.
“It was four hard months of construction and installation, and the design concepts for the production started around six months before that. All in all it was a big team effort to get it looking and sounding the way it does.”
IN BRIEF
XYZ installs CODA Audio at the refurbished Café Concert Theatre in Montréal
Located within the Montréal Marriot Château Champlain, Café Concert or Caf’ Conc’, is an historic 200/300 capacity intimate theatre space which now boasts cutting-edge AV provision to provide the perfect platform for performing arts and hospitality. The space can be deployed in different configurations to meet the needs of a wide variety of uses, from concerts to receptions, and banquets to educational presentations.
Event supplier Creativ Nation was engaged as the AV supplier for the project and in turn reached out to the Montréal team of international integrator XYZ Technologies to design, supply, and install AV, sound, and lighting systems. With excellent audio quality and reliability central to the brief, XYZ chose a CODA Audio system based on the German manufacturer’s APS (arrayable point source) loudspeakers, chosen for their wide dispersion and optimal coverage. XYZ’s Mario St-Onge selected units from across the CODA Audio range and determined their positioning to ensure optimal coverage of the space.
The XYZ team installed the system, which comprised (per side) three CODA Audio APS (arrayable point source) flown with three N-SUB (15-inch multipurpose subwoofer). Two HOPS 8 (8-inch high output point source) and a single G18-Sub (18-inch) multi-purpose sub extension were used as front fills. Two N-APS and four HOPS5 units were used as delays for the upper and lower rear balconies, respectively, with a further six HOPS5 deployed for the side balconies.
The system is powered by two CODA Audio LINUS14 and three LINUS6.4 DSP amplifiers.
Freelance sound engineer Pierre Tougas calibrated the system, which is XYZ’s first CODA Audio installation in Canada. www.codaaudio.com
BELLA LIVE
SYDNEY / AUSTRALIA APAC
New performance space opens in suburban Australia with state of the art AV implemented to attract top international acts.
Photos: Harpreet Singh
Strategically located on the outskirts of Sydney within its rapidly growing north-west region, Bella Live sets a new benchmark for live performance venues in the city, and is one of Australia’s largest new multi-purpose entertainment venues.
Momento Hospitality, a key player in Australia’s pub and hotel industry, expanded its flagship Bella Vista hotel to utilise its nearby 1400 sq m storage warehouse with 8m ceilings in creating Bella Live.
The owners anticipated strong local interest, following a ‘build it and they will come’ approach, and with an almost-2000 capacity it sits alongside any superclub in Australia to host various events in a region rarely visited by international acts and alternative promoters.
Designed by Archebiosis Architects, Bella Live blends sleek, modern style with an industrial warehouse vibe. The space features a 17.5m bar and a prominent 10m by 8m accessible stage, flanked by VIP booths for an exclusive viewing experience.
Design details include concrete-rendered finishes, glossy red accents, marble terrazzo benchtops, and glowing linear pendants.
Engineered for scale and flexibility, Bella Live is designed to meet the technical demands of major national and international tours, while also providing space for emerging and local talent to flourish.
The venue has been crafted to be versatile enough to host a headline DJ set, stand-up comedy night, major sporting event, or significant corporate event.
From techno nights to relaxed, soulful Sunday sessions, Bella Live can easily flex from daytime keynotes to late-night celebrations, while sports fans can enjoy UFC, F1, and Premier League action on giant screens in a lively atmosphere.
“Bella Live can instantly become whatever it needs to be,” confirmed General Manager Richard Saliba.
Momento’s long-standing partnership with AV integrator Vestec Electro involved installing the AV infrastructure and equipment across the site, under the project management of Mark Versic and Neville Hanna, while distributors Technical Audio Group (TAG) played a significant role in the audio design with their system solutions and engineering (SSE) team contributing with Martin Audio’s Display software and EASE Modelling.
TAG Technical Director, Anthony Russo was charged with leading the team, and he acknowledged that work needed to be done on the room acoustics before any audio spec could be drawn up.
“No system of any size, brand, or power could have worked in this space until the room acoustics had been addressed,” said Russo. “We needed to engage the best acousticians to tame the space of horrendous low-
frequency problems and reduce the reverberation time to a level that strikes the aural balance for patrons and artists.”
Enter well-known acoustician David Gilfillan from Gilfillan Soundwork, whose team conducted on-site measurements and computer modelling using the latest room simulation software from Treble Tech.
They demonstrated to the client the before-and-after effects of the room treatments using headphones, and the owners were left with no doubt that the investment, while significant, was entirely worthwhile.
“In my extensive experience with audio, this was a monumental challenge for a venue of this kind, and demanding a no-holds-barred approach,” said Russo.
To reduce the long, low-frequency reverberation time, 31 Helmholtz bass absorber resonators were constructed. Each resonator was over 3m tall and 1.5m wide and had a depth of 500mm, with varying angles and calculated timber perforations.
They were carefully positioned along the walls, with 100mm thick acoustic panels installed between them.
In addition, the ceiling with acoustic Envirospray, and the area above the stage was also fitted with 24 suspended 1m by 1m panels, and 100 mm thick acoustic panels to reduce vertical reflections.
“From the concrete bunker we once knew to the acoustics of a proper theatre auditorium, the difference was spectacular, and worlds apart,” confirmed Russo, who then set to work on the sound system design for the room.
With the promoters seeking to attract top international acts and meet all rider requirements, as well as deliver a concert experience for 2000 people, TAG’s design team developed a solution based on 12 Martin Audio WPC Wavefront Precision line arrays combined with eight Martin Audio SX 218 dual 18-inch sub bass units, all powered by factory-supplied iKon
ik42 20,000W amplifiers. The WPC, featuring its dual 10-inch three-way design, provided sufficient SPL and headroom to handle full-house nights. Simultaneously, Martin Audio’s electronic steering capability enhanced pattern control in a reverberant environment. Extensive CAD modelling made bass control crucial. Traditional left and right stacked setups caused the usual power-alley issue, with the final solution being a horizontal arrangement of the subs in a continuous line beneath the stage.
This enabled the individual steering of each cabinet if needed, leading to better low-frequency summation and overall performance. To minimise energy emission from the subs at the rear, top, and sides, 100 sandbags weighing 30 kg each were placed on top of the cabinets and around the back and sides.
“If you have to have subs under stage, you have to make sure you control the energy reaching the stage floors and direct it toward more useful areas,” said Russo.
To support the main system and VIP booth areas, a delay system consisting of 10 Martin X15s and six SX 212 subs was installed.
To meet the rider requirements, a foldback system comprising seven Martin Audio LE 200 high-powered concert 15-inch two-way wedges and an SX118 subwoofer was supplied with two iKon 42s, enabling an eight-send monitor system for the main stage.
Consistent with top performance spaces, Vestec installed a comprehensive house and stage data and analog patching system, including a 48-channel concert splitter and multiple tie lines. This setup enables the space to manage live events and any broadcast or recording needs.
Total system processing and routing are managed through two Q-SYS Core 110f units running in backup mode, capable of handling Dante and analog streams, while a cloud-
Below: To reduce the long, low-frequency reverberation time, Helmholtz bass absorber resonators were installed before any AV integration took place.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
AUDIO
12 x Martin Audio Wavefront Precision WPC
8 x Martin Audio SX218
7 x Martin Audio iKon iK42
7 x Martin Audio LE 200
1 x Martin Audio SX118
1 x 48-way ACC Limited multipin splitter system
CONTROL
2 x Q-SYS Core 100f Digital Processing
2 x Netgear AV line 4250 network switches
LIGHTING
15 x Prolights Ruby FCX
6 x Pluto 600
10 x Neptune 400 Wash 8 FX
3 x ShowPRO Collider FC
2 x Look Solutions Unique 2.1
4 x Unity Laser Elite Pro FD4
1 x MA Lighting GrandMA3
VIDEO
2 x Leaton Vision 2.5 LED wall
2 x Sony VPL-PZH61
2 x Novastar VX 400
www.bellalive.com.au
www.tag.com.au
www.showtech.com.au
based Q-SYS Reflect system allows for remote monitoring, software updates, and email fault notifications.
When Bella Live planned its lighting system, the goal was clear — to construct a lighting rig that would meet the demands of international touring artists while also delivering an exceptional light show to captivate the audience.
Gareth Mealing from Show Technology worked closely with the owners to carefully select equipment capable of supporting a wide range of events, with the guiding principle behind the design of ‘quantity is king’.
This approach resulted in a robust setup featuring 15 Prolights Ruby FCX profiles, which are packed gobos, a linear prism, frost, and infinite pan and tilt rotation, and six Pluto 600 high-powered LED moving head profiles featuring an advanced motorised zoom system. The team selected ten Neptune 400 Wash FX units for its vivid colour displays, precise pixel control and LED ring effect, while three ShowPRO Collider FC strobes offer more creativity with a wide range of preprogrammed macros, special effects and flash. A pair of Look Solutions Unique 2.1 hazers provide steady haze for optimal atmosphere and enhanced lighting effects. Together, these fixtures provided the room with remarkable depth, vibrant colour, and dynamic movement, allowing for a variety of visual effects, and no nightclub is truly complete without some powerful lasers, and so the team incorporated four Unity Laser’s Elite Pro FD4, adding a next-level visual impact. With the design finalised, Mark and Nev from
Vestec Electro took charge of the installation, delivering a tidy, professional fit-out that looks impressive and performs flawlessly.
Recognising that the backbone of any serious lighting rig must be world-class, the team opted for an MA Lighting grandMA3 onPC rack system paired with ArtNode 8, ensuring reliable control and flexibility. The system is meticulously programmed so that the entire rig can be operated with just a touch, keeping Bella Live fully prepared for any event, from headline acts to massive weekend parties. With such an enormous venue, no performance space could be without a video system, and so Vestec engineered and installed two Leaton Vision 2.5 pixel pitch 6m by 3m video walls, and the venue’s inventory includes additional panels to enable custom designs for various performances, including DJ decks, dance podiums, and corporate events. Additional room and bar projection are managed by two Sony VPL-PZH61 projectors, delivering 7000 lumens and a 21.9 aspect ratio.
Control is handled by a Novastar system with Q-SYS managing additional venue management control.
With care and attention paid to its top-tobottom AV build out, Bella Live offers a space that has long been lacking in suburban Australia – a venue able to host everything from top-tier acts to corporate events. Such has been the success of Bella Live that it has already hosted some of the biggest international acts, including Snoop Dogg, Will Sparks, NE-YO, Lil Jon, Wiz Khalifa, and more. A testament to the success of a cutting-edge design, experience, and installation.
LESSSOMETIMES ISMORE
All the wireless power, audio clarity, and seamless integration you expect from Bolero now in a lighter, smaller form. With proven Boleroperformanceinacompactanddiscreet body, Bolero Mini is ready for any challenge inbroadcast,sports,orliveevents.
Namwon Arts Center in Korea adds Ayrton Argo 6 FX to its lighting rig
The addition of 24 Ayrton Argo 6 FX fixtures has added flexibility to the lighting designers at the Namwon Arts Center, following a recent shoot out and investment. Distributors Hansam System welcomed the venue’s Lighting Director, Jae Beak Im, to test fixtures from various manufacturers, and the Argo 6 FX won thanks to its vast array of features.
“This may have been the first time I have used Ayrton fixtures but the reasons for this investment were very clear to me,” said Beak Im.
The team who accompanied Beak Im comprised six staff from the City Hall and a number of theatre experts to ensure all aspects of the purchase choice were covered.
The venue itself is a relatively small, intimate space with just over 300 seats and a 20m by 15m stage. In addition, the fixtures needed to be flexible enough to work in various other cultural spaces in the Center that are also used for educational and youth group presentations.
“For me, the most impressive features of the Argo 6 FX are Liquid Effect and Infinite Rotation,” said Beak Im. “It has such a wide zoom range, from 4° to 56° that, in addition to its wash capabilities, I am able to engage a huge variety of graphic effects using the Liquid Effect, yet still apply dynamic movements throughout the stage with Infinite Rotation.”
Hansam System, Ayrton’s exclusive distributor for South Korea, supplied the fixtures, and Beak Im praised their role in the purchase.
“I am very comfortable with the speed of service and technical support we have received from Hansam System,” he said. “I am very satisfied with the whole journey, from making the initial choice of Argo 6 FX to the delivery and operational status. This is a service that feels like a ‘partnership’ rather than just a sale.”
www.ayrton.eu | www.hansamsystem.com
Photos: Namwon Arts Center
1 Members of the CHAINMASTER and Moveket teams.
2 Pavel Nemec from Robe.
3 Madeline Dachs and Sara Morgan from Martin Professional.
4 The Broadweigh team on its stand.
5 Members of the Absen team.
6 Brandon Gonzales from ROE Visual.
7 Bill Edwards from Tyler Truss.
8 Edward Smith & Daniel Boemer from Obsidian Control Systems.
9 Kati Eismann & Anastasia Trubnikova from Cameo Lighting.
10 Thomas Gottschlich and Mark Miller from Swisson.
11 Ryan Birkett from Master FX.
12 Kent Kerslake and Jason Wines from Christie Digital.
13 Melissa Mulligan and Victoria Nery from Pixmob.
14 Richard Baldinger from AV Stumpfl.
15 Brian Dowdle and Eddie Short from ADJ.
LDI SHOW
AMERICAS
LAS VEGAS, USA / 05 DEC – 07 DEC, 2025
The annual LDI Show decked out the West Hall at the Las Vegas Convention Centre with the latest solutions for the live events and show production industry. Up-and-coming manufactures held their own with some impressive displays, while the established players flexed their muscle with a host of new product releases and innovations. The halls were relatively busy, and there was a plethora of professional training and insight from industry leaders with over 75 courses, and more than 100 panel sessions featuring 215 speakers.
Robe launched three products at the show, its new PowerDolly, the compact iPAINTE LTM and the high-power multispectral T3 Profile, while at the heart of the Avolites booth was its newly launched D3 series of lighting controls. Claypaky celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2026 and premiered multiple new products including the AROLLA AQUA M-LT and AROLLA AQUA S-LT, while the AROLLA AQUA HP and ULTIMO SHARPY was shown for the first time at LDI. Martin Professional collaborated with Emmy Award-winning LD Oscar Dominguez on a booth design, transforming the space into a live, narrative-driven lighting experience that explores how technology and emotion converge through design, utilising a range of Martin’s newest technologies. Antari unveiled its latest solutions with the all-new J-100 Sonic Jet, AF-10 and AF-14 highvelocity effect fans, and the DNG-50 low-lying fog machine premiering
at the show, while GLP announced the launch of its new E-Frost filter for the GLP Creos. ADJ launched eight new lighting fixtures and announced the new compact AX2 control solution, while Kvant introduced two new fixtures, the 600 Prestige Beam and Atom XR. RCF supplied rigs for the Pavilion Stage and the Battle of the Busk video and lighting competition, and displayed products its TT+ Audio line on its booth along with RCF’s touring products from its KX line. LynTec debut its new Dual Output DMX Relay, legacy relay panels and expanded versions of the LCRP lighting control panels, while Disguise partnered with LED wall manufacturers DVS and allowed attendees to get hands-on with the X1 solution, which was exhibited for the first time in the USA. elektraLite introduced a weather-resistant version of the compact Stingray Mini, while Elation unveiled myriad new releases, including the new KL BATTEN series; new cutting-edge KL FRESNEL lights; innovative REBEL LINE linear effect lights; a powerful new REBEL DARTZ beam moving head; and a preview of a new simplified performer tracking solution, HELIOTRAQ. The show also saw 16 new products debuted by Blizzard Lighting, with the company building its largest and most interactive booth yet at the show, complete with 36 ft rocket. Blizzard’s new product launches included additions to the popular InfiniPix and StormChaser lines, plus a new member of the SwitchBlade family. The 2026 edition of LDI will take place 2 – 8 December, with the Expo taking place 5 – 8 December.
EagleStrike was born from a bespoke request for a signature luminaire. It stands as the first LED-source followspot in Ayrton’s range, engineered for intensive outdoor use across long distances where precision is paramount. To create this uncompromising and unmatched extreme-luminaire, Ayrton developed an oversized 270 mm front lens that delivers a record-breaking illuminance of over 100,000 lux at 10 metres, with the beam narrowed to just 2.9°.
Illuminance at 10m > 100,000 lx
Zoom Aperture 2.9° to 43° Weight
Front Lens
dBTechnologies
FOUNDED IN 1990 AS PART OF AEB INDUSTRIALE S.R.L., DBTECHNOLOGIES HAS BEEN ON A STEADY GLOBAL EXPANSION IN RECENT YEARS, WITH OFFICES OPENING IN GERMANY AND THE USA TO SUPPLEMENT ITS MANUFACTURING HQ IN BOLOGNA, ITALY. WITH DBTECHNOLOGIES USA OPERATIONAL SINCE 2022, THE COMPANY IS SET TO GROW FURTHER AS IT LOOKS FORWARD WITH OVER 30 YEARS’ EXPERIENCE AT THE HEART OF ITS PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT.
Having founded AEB Industriale S.r.l in the mid 1970s, Arturo Vicari guided his company’s early years exploring several verticals, including the prosumer segment and wireless microphone solutions, achieving the first major commercial successes.
As markets evolved, Vicari identified a rising demand and introduced a new focus on portable loudspeakers – an area elevated by a balance of quality and price, designed for the needs of musicians which he understood thanks to his longstanding experience within the music market. From that moment, AEB began its ascent in the professional audio sector.
“Today, Mr. Vicari remains the visionary entrepreneur behind the entire AEB Industriale universe, brought to life through the dBTechnologies brand, which launched as a its own company in 1990,” said Giovanni Barbieri, the company’s General Manager. “dBTechnologies stands as a solid, wellestablished company built on three key verticals. The portable/MI segment, where the company continues to innovate with new technologies and increasingly refined solutions. “The touring sector, strengthened by more than a decade of progress and market-share growth, driven by premium-level innovations such as the VIO series, now a recognised benchmark.
“And the Installation market, the newest frontier, which is delivering promising results and represents a strong opportunity for further expansion.
“These activities are supported by dedicated business units within the company’s overall organisational structure, ensuring focus, specialisation, and a coherent strategic direction across all segments.”
The company’s R&D Director, Claudio Ottani, has been at the company since the 1980s, and has overseen a lot of change in that time. “Having been primarily focussed on the MI market when I first started, we have shifted toward a segment that truly values added features, performance, technology, and design,” said Ottani. “This evolution completely transformed our mindset. Today,
our engineering process is driven by the goal of creating what doesn’t yet exist -identifying gaps and bringing innovative solutions to the market.
“A visionary R&D department is what drives innovation and allows the company to position itself far beyond the constraints of price-only competition. Innovation is part of the company’s DNA – in every area –from the adoption of new technologies to material choices and the development and manufacturing processes. Modern R&D must be free to imagine boldly and have the courage to rethink things when necessary.”
Throughout its history, the company has achieved several milestones which have played decisive roles in shaping its journey.
“A few products, in particular, have marked turning points – each representing a leap forward in technology, vision, and market positioning,” said Barbieri. “Among the most significant was the Opera Series, which established the company in the 1990s in the portable segment and continues to evolve with new lines.
“The DVA Series in 2004 enabled dBTechnologies to gain strong recognition in the live and touring market, and of course, the VIO series, launched in 2016 is a true gamechanger that opened the door to increasingly prestigious stages worldwide.
“We believe that the DVA T4 completely changed the market landscape because it brought an affordable line source system to live sound providers. Back then it was mostly large format wooden enclosures from a few loudspeaker manufacturers which were available, and the cost of entry was far too great for many. The DVA T4 offered line source systems to a whole other market segment.”
As dBTechnologies grew in the U.S between 2016-2022, the brand became large enough to move from the distributor model, and a dedicated U.S division – dBTechnologies USA –was established in 2022.
Coinciding with the launch of the VIO Series was the appointment of a new National Sales Manager for the USA working within a distribution entity alongside American
1 The dBTechnologies HQ located in Bologna, Italy
2 The production line.
3 dBTechnologies solutions installed at PalaTrento arena in Trento, Italy
4 The IS210L is the first IS line array dedicated to installations.
5 Claudio Ottani, R&D Director
6 Giovanni Barbieri, General Manager
Music & Sound, with Colin Studybaker taking on the role which has since expanded to see him become President of dBTechnologies USA.
“It was right as the first VIO Series products hit the market that I joined the company, and that timing was huge,” said Studybaker. “This product really accelerated our growth in both revenue and brand visibility. As the company expanded, my role evolved too, from National Sales Manager to Vice President, and now President of dBTechnologies USA. My progression has mirrored the trajectory of the brand here in the States.”
Working with a network of manufacturer’s reps across the country, Studybaker has recognised numerous trends emerging in recent years.
“I’m not in the trenches as much, but I’m constantly talking with business owners, and one thing I hear a lot is how much people appreciate compact active systems. For the touring market they love that these systems have a small footprint and are incredibly quick to deploy, and with our new passive Install Series, we’re seeing a lot of momentum in the installation market, with integrators really responding to the performance and the simplicity of the line.”
With an office location in Miami and inventory held in Mississippi, the company is well equipped to supply product quickly from its central location, and Studybaker acknowledges the importance of having full-time staff dedicated to this specific market.
“As one of the most influential pro-audio markets in the world, the USA plays a pivotal role in global growth – particularly through the touring sector, which drives momentum across all verticals,” he continued. “By establishing a full United States division which encompasses sales, marketing, warehousing, shipping, and hands-on support such as technical services, system design, and education through our Academy program, we’ve positioned ourselves exactly where the market demands.
“This dedicated team enables us to respond swiftly to changing market conditions and to evolving customer needs and expectations.”
www.dbtechnologies.com
1 Colin Studybaker, President, dBTechnologies USA.
2 Two new VIO Series resident PAs are installed across two rooms at The Rave/Eagles Club in Wisconsin, USA.
chainmaster.de
FOAM MACHINES, CANONS & FLUID
80 YEARS OF SENNHEISER
Bringing together journalists from all over the globe, Sennheiser’s 80th Anniversary International Press Trip opened up both Sennheiser’s home in Wennebostel and Neumann’s headquarters in Berlin, Germany. MONDO-DR catches up with Jacqueline Gusmag, Sennheiser Communications Manager, in the wake of the trip.
Nady El-Tounsy.
Left : Sennheiser’s Wennebostel HQ. Centre : Testing products in the headquarter’s anechoic chamber.
Right : The Wennebostel farm house where Sennheiser began.
Since MONDO-DR last spoke to Sennheiser in April for our interview with Daniel and Andreas Sennheiser, how have the brand’s 80th birthday celebrations continued?
The celebrations definitely didn’t stop in April! We’ve been keeping them going all year long with the people who matter most to us – our teams, our customers, and all the friends who’ve shaped Sennheiser into what it is today.
We’ve hosted special events around the world and shared so many moments with our community, including releasing anniversary editions like a limited edition of the MD 421 Kompakt, which has been such a meaningful throwback to our heritage.
Honestly, it’s been a big ‘thank you’ tour, celebrating with everyone who has walked this journey with us. We’re 80, but we certainly don’t feel like slowing down!
What was the main message Sennheiser hoped to communicate to the industry by bringing journalists and partners together for the 80th birthday milestone trip?
The big message was that our past, present, and future are all connected.
By gathering everyone in Wennebostel and Berlin, we really wanted our guests to feel how deeply we care about audio, how proud we are of our roots, and how excited we are about the future we are building as the Sennheiser Group.
The whole experience was designed as a journey through 80 years of innovation, independence, and passion for sound.
How did you choose which elements of Sennheiser’s legacy to highlight on this press trip?
For us, it always comes back to the things that make Sennheiser... Sennheiser.
We highlighted the innovations that truly meant something, the technologies that moved the industry forward, not just the ones that looked nice in a timeline.
Whether it was Spectera, AMBEO, or Sennheiser Mobility in-car audio solutions, we wanted to show how our heritage and our future-facing work actually coexist.
We also shared our story as an independent, family-owned company, where audio isn’t just a business but something we genuinely live and breathe every day. And of course, craftsmanship was a big part of the narrative, from our modest beginnings back in 1945 to today’s state-of-the-art production.
Photos:
The trip offered up behind-the-scenes access to R&D and manufacturing. What did you want attendees to take away from seeing those processes first-hand?
We hoped they come away thinking, ‘Wow… this is where it all happens - and these people really care.’
In Wennebostel, we demonstrated how our story grew from a small farmhouse into a global audio company, and how precision and passion still underpin every product we make. The factory and heritage tours, guided by experts like Gritta Gramm and Andreas Grüning, offered such a rare glimpse of where craftsmanship meets cutting-edge technology.
And of course, seeing teams demonstrate innovations like Spectera, AMBEO, and Sennheiser Mobility in-car audio systems was a highlight for many.
Then in Berlin, attendees stepped into Neumann’s universe, where nearly a century of studio excellence continues to evolve. From legendary microphones to the KH monitors, MT 48 audio interface, the RIME plug-in and Neumann’s latest innovation, the Virtual Immersive Studio (VIS) application for the Apple Vision Pro, the demonstrations by Boris Kummerer, Martin Schneider, Jorma Marquardt, Felix Lau and others really showcased the depth of expertise there.
But the biggest takeaway we hoped for was that everyone felt the people behind the products - the engineers, technicians, craftspeople, acoustic experts - all pouring their expertise and their hearts into tools that inspire artists, content creators, engineers, and audiences around the world.
Finally, on a personal note, what moment from the anniversary trip stood out to you the most, and why?
There was this moment at the dinner on the first evening when I looked around the room and saw people from everywhere gathered together, all connected in some way to Sennheiser. And it hit me: we brought all these amazing people together because this brand means something to them. It was honestly a little emotional!
Walking through the award-filled corridors at both locations, meeting the brilliant minds behind so many iconic products, and watching everyone interact on the same wavelength… that connection is the moment I’ll remember. It reminded me why we do what we do.
www.sennheiser.com
POWER IN STYLE
_ Moving spotlight with 640 watt COB LED _ CMY color mixing for infinite color variety _ Zoom from 10° to 47° _ Frost filter + 2 gobo wheels
DUTCH BARRIER SERVICES
MONDO-DR GOES BEHIND THE SCENES AT DUTCH BARRIER SERVICES HQ TO MEET THE TEAM AND EXPLORE THE PRODUCTS DRIVING ONE OF THE FASTEST-GROWING BRANDS IN ENTERTAINMENT SAFETY.
Despite having been in operation for just three and a half years, Dutch Barrier Services has made a marked impact on the global entertainment safety sector. With more than 10,000 barrier units manufactured in that short timeframe, the company’s market entry has been nothing short of significant.
Speaking from the company’s headquarters in Emmeloord, Netherlands, Managing Director Cees Muurling reflected on the early days: “When we were in the first stages of developing the system as a “hobby” during covid, we knew barriers were a niche product, and as a potential newcomer we expected or hoped we might sell or rent around 200 units per year.”
That projection was quickly surpassed. By 2022 alone, Dutch Barrier Services had produced 1,200 units and relocated to a purpose-built headquarters spanning 14,000 sqm, including 5,000 sqm of dedicated warehouse space. This rapid growth has been underpinned by a clearly defined business ethos. “We will never cut corners cosmetically, quality-wise, or safetywise,” Muurling stated. Further, the team’s extensive background and experience as full-service safety providers has undoubtedly
helped the brand’s position as a trusted manufacturer. Beyond its success in the rental world, which has seen its equipment used in tours such as Imagine Dragons, Benson Boone, Twenty One Pilots, and Metallica, Dutch Barrier Services is establishing itself as a key player in the installation market. The company’s first foray into direct sales came with Bergen Live in Norway. “Their festival experienced material shortages in 2022,” explained Muurling.
“They realised we were producing barriers, and they needed 400 meters, leading them to call, asking how to secure our products. We really trust the quality of what we make, so we told them, ‘Book a plane ticket first, come see our barriers, then decide.’”
After seeing the barriers, the festival promptly invested in the brand. “Seeing people use our barriers and then continue to invest in our products based on their quality, our team, our motivation, and how we approach things feels amazing.” Following Bergen Live, the company expanded to other customers and to arenas like Oslo’s Spektrum. Muurling noted that the venues that rent or buy their equipment often adopt “standard”, more traditional
1 Cees Muurling, Managing Director of Dutch Barrier Services.
2 Daniel van Lochem, Cees Muurling, Erwin Sprengers, and Stanley Jilesen of Dutch Barrier Services.
barrier layouts suitable for around 80% of their shows, while more complex use cases can require bespoke configurations, which he reports Dutch Barrier Services’ portfolio is more than equipped to deal with. The rise of larger, more intricate venue setups has created new challenges and opportunities for the manufacturer. Artists and concert spaces increasingly demand proximity to audiences, extended stages, and VIP areas, all of which necessitate additional, specialised barriers. Dutch Barrier Services has responded by combining its modular, user-friendly designs with deep logistical expertise, ensuring every setup is both safe and adaptable. “It’s not just about supplying barriers. It’s about educating venues and optimising layouts so the audience can enjoy the experience safely and comfortably,” said Muurling.
Safety remains a core virtue for the company. Every barrier type is TUV-certified, tested for forces far beyond typical pressures, and designed to deform safely under extreme loads rather than collapse. Muurling emphasised that while many venues now understand the importance of audience safety, there remains a knowledge gap in practical barrier deployment, which Dutch Barrier Services fills with on-theground expertise and consultation.
Sustainability is a key pilar of the business, too, with the aluminium in Dutch Barrier Services products having the lowest carbon footprint on the market. It is certified with a maximum of 4.5 kg CO2 per kilogram of aluminium,
compared to the traditional footprint of 10 to 22 kg of CO2 per kilogram.
Muurling explained: “We source our sheet metal from Speira, an aluminium rolling and recycling company in Norway. You can’t find a lower carbon footprint anywhere! It costs more, but we believe that as a factory and a company, we should always be as sustainable as possible.” Looking forward, Dutch Barrier Services aims to deepen its footprint, though it is focusing on what is in front of it first. “We’re still concentrating on covering Europe initially, making sure every project is executed to the highest standard,” Muurling said.
The brand’s sights are also set on continuing to increase its presence in the installation market. Muurling suggested that we will soon see more Dutch Barrier Services products being purchased permanently by large-scale venues. When asked why some venues might choose to buy rather than rent, he explained that both sustainability and financial considerations can make a full purchase more appealing. “It’s more environmentally friendly, since venues don’t need artists to bring their own barriers, which significantly reduces the number of trucks, and therefore fuel, needed to transport equipment. “Additionally, if a concert space regularly requires barriers, purchasing them outright can make more financial sense. However, ultimately it depends on what works best for each venue, and we aim to support them either way.”
www.dutchbarrier.services/en
3
4 The
The Dutch Barrier team in the Emmeloord HQ showroom.
manufacturing process of Dutch Barrier Services systems.
ISE PREVIEW
Aura Audio i-series Stand 7L100
True full range with no filters required 10-inch excursion cone and 1-inch dome drivers 14kg, 122dB, 500W (program)
• Usable down to 50Hz
• IP55 version available on request www.auraaudio.fi/i10
Amadeus NUMAX Series Stand 7E600 Dynacord V Series Zone Audio Platform Stand 3B300
Three models: NUMAX XV (point source), NUMAX Focus (variable curvature), and NUMAX Wide (constant curvature) – enabling greater flexibility across applications and system configurations High-density output reaching 140dB peak at 1m, with extended low-frequency bandwidth down to 50Hz 4-way design incorporating five transducers, including a dedicated 8-inch midrange engine operating from 300Hz to 2000Hz, for exceptional intelligibility and vocal precision True built-in cardioid architecture delivering unmatched low-frequency rejection and clarity
• Custom-designed transducers, engineered and made in France
www.amadeuslab.com
Complete plug & play zone audio platform
• Reliably handling BGM, paging, and messaging tasks
• 20 processed input sources including 8 balanced Mic/Line inputs
• Full matrix DSP, 32 GB MicroSD card, multilingual support
• Easy configuration and control via browser-based app www.dynacord.com
Full Fat Audio FFA HD G3 DSP Power Amplifiers Stand 7J100
• Exceptional natural sound and power delivery for demanding high-output applications
• Fully featured NST Audio DSP with 4 AUX DSP outputs for connection to non DSP amplifiers
• Analogue and digital audio over ethernet input, iPad, Apple, iPhone and PC control.
• Rugged high quality construction for long term use.
• Designed and made in the UK www.fullfataudio.com
• Connect with Funktion-One partners from around the world and discuss upcoming projects www.funktion-one.com Funktion-One PSM15 & Audio Demos Stand 7J880 / Audio Demo Room E2
International trade show debut for the outstanding PSM15 stage monitor Experience the sonic capabilities of the Funktion-One product range - demos every 45 mins
• Groundbreaking loudspeaker design, streamlined workflows and a new standard of monitoring performance
Ecosystem Evolution Stand 5G700
• Full line-up of award-winning Beeblade media engines and modular enclosures
• Beeblade Nexus – the world’s first 8K60 media server built on Intel SDM
• Next-generation IP workflows with SMPTE 2110 video and Dante audio integration
Advanced pixel mapping and playback tools in the latest HIVE software New VIOSO-HIVE workflow integration for seamless multi projector calibration
www.hive.run
• HOF presents innovative truss systems, custom constructions and technical solutions for demanding projects
• Special highlight is the presentation of selected references in the field of special constructions, including the Royal Ballet & Opera House London
• Original MLT Pre Rig Truss Series, XOOP Lighting product range, architecturally elegant Excellent Line, the powerful PG3 Neo, the Trusstilt for precise tilting of professional AV equipment, as well as a wide range of TÜV-certified couplers and clamps including the modular Neo Connector System
www.h-of.de HOF Stand 6C500
Boost your Booth system with the 200-2 LED and 290-1 LED trusses
The HOF team can be found at ISE at booth 6C500
Keenfinity DICENTIS Multimedia Device Stand 3B300
• Launching the next generation DICENTIS Multimedia Device at ISE 2026
The new DICENTIS Multimedia Device empowers organizations to communicate, decide, and collaborate with confidence.
Explore the future-proof solutions, get ready for a live e-gaming experience
Visit us and get Moved by Sound.
www.keenfinity-group.com
Renkus-Heinz New ICLX-48S Column Subwoofer
Stand 7G100 / Audio Demo Room E8
• Ultra-compact quad 8-inch column subwoofer
• High-performance sub-bass in a discreet form factor
• Expands the IC Live X Series of modular, steerable arrays
• Can be arrayed with ICLX units in a single, unified column 123 dBZ peak, 38 Hz to 155 Hz with great vertical pattern control
https://renkus-heinz.com/ise2026/
Symetrix Stand 5M390
Celebrating 50 years of innovation at ISE 2026: a legacy of reliability, performance, and integrator-first design.
Making a major technology debut to remove long-standing barriers like scalability, inefficiencies, and the growing complexity of modern AV-over-IP environments.
Get a first look at Symetrix’s new approach to AV tools that goes beyond site design, streamlines configuration, and simplifies control interface creation.
• Experience hands-on demos with flagship DSP, Control & AVoIP Solutions – the Symetrix D100 Server, Radius NX and Prism DSPs, and SymVue control interfaces.
• See how high-performance audio, intuitive control, and networked scalability come together in real-world deployments.
• Raise a glass to 50 years with Symetrix on Thursday, February 5, at 4:00 PM.
www.symetrix.co
Keenfinity Public Address and Voice Alarm by Bosch Stand 3B300
Two global Public Address and Voice Alarm introductions at ISE 2026
Hear the sound of certainty in every environment
Experience the evolution in scalability and flexibility of the PRAESENSA PA/VA solution
Get ready for a live e-gaming experience
Visit us and get Moved by Sound!
www.keenfinity-group.com
RTS Intercom Systems NOMAD Wireless Intercom Stand 3B300
Built for rugged reliability and advanced connectivity
• Up to 16 glitch-free audio and control channels
• Redundant copper & fiber connections keep communication seamless.
• IP-65 rated belt packs & access points for superior protection
• No downtime - stay connected while charging.
https://rtsintercoms.com/nomad
VIOSO EXAPLAY media playback Stand 5K400
• Focus on what you need in 90% of your AV projects
• Simple, affordable, stable, powerful, and versatile media playback
• Supports super high-resolution codecs by supporting HAP, HAP-Q, Notch and FFMPEG Medialooks Timelines and cue list Domemaster-Formats are supported up to 6K x 6K resolution @ 60Hz
www.vioso.com
Broadcast Audio for Assistive Listening
From houses of worship to performing arts venues, universities to sports venues, Auri™ is redefining how people connect to sound in public spaces.
Powered by Auracast™ broadcast audio, Auri™ delivers clear, low-latency audio directly to hearing aids, earbuds, smartphones, or dedicated receivers, making inclusive listening effortless for every venue and every guest.
Designed for today’s accessibility needs and ready for tomorrow’s devices, Auri™ supports assistive listening, interpretation, audio description, and more, all without changing the look or feel of your space.
PRODUCT GUIDE: RIGGING, TRUSSING & STAGING
SPONSORED BY
Broadweigh
Real-Time Load Monitoring for Modern Rigging & Truss Networks
In today’s entertainment environments – with productions growing in scale, creativity and technical demand – effective load monitoring has become an essential part of smooth, efficient operations. Broadweigh provides a fully scalable wireless measurement ecosystem designed for rigging professionals who need clear, immediate insight into load distribution, wind conditions and structural behaviour across their truss systems. Now widely used on tours, festivals, arena installations and permanent architectural setups, Broadweigh has evolved into a complete instrumentation framework with critical real-time data to help you do your best work, safely.
At the heart of the system sits Broadweigh’s wireless load cell family. Available in shackle format, these devices capture live load data at high update rates and transmit it securely across large venues with exceptional range performance and battery life. Each unit is machined, built and proof-tested for the harsh realities of touring and arena work – shock, vibration, rigging dust and rapid mobilise/ demobilise cycles.
Importantly, the wireless architecture eliminates signal cabling, reducing setup time, minimising snag hazards and keeping the grid cleaner when access is limited. For riggers building multi-point truss systems or monitoring complex bridles and mother-grids, the ability to deploy a network of cells at height and stream data instantly to ground-level control is a clear operational advantage. Where mobile-first workflows are preferred, Broadweigh Bluetooth Load Cells extend this accessibility still further. Designed for fast deployment, walk-up diagnostics and field-side verification, the Bluetooth range enables crew to read loads directly via smartphone or tablet. No gateway, no infrastructure – just instant visibility. This makes Bluetooth an ideal solution for trim height checks, simpler safety audits or small-scale installs where laptop-based monitoring isn’t required. Combined with Broadweigh’s intuitive mobile app, technicians retain the same transparency of load readings and alarm thresholds without interrupting workflow or moving back to the control position.
For larger networks, Broadweigh software ties the system together. The platform transforms raw load cell readings into actionable intelligence, giving riggers a command-level view of live force distribution. Operators can visualise grids in multi-point layout, group channels into logical clusters, log and replay sessions, overlay load limits and export historical data for compliance and review. The software provides the analytical power to turn sensor data into
decision-making capability. Multiple load cells can be monitored simultaneously, turning complex structures into understandable digital models. SensorSpace is Broadweigh’s cloud-enabled monitoring platform that provides secure, remote access to live load, wind and system status data from anywhere in the world. Alongside software monitoring, the handheld reader offers a secondary layer of operational control. Designed for technicians working at height, during climbs or when performing load checks under time pressure, the handheld receiver provides instant readouts of several load cells within range. It’s rugged, tactile, and built for the environment riggers work in – not just for desk-based supervision. For festival roofs, temporary outdoor truss grids, or situations where data needs to be confirmed in person without breaking concentration, the handheld remains a trusted tool.
Environmental awareness is a growing topic in structural safety, and wind is one of the most significant external forces acting on outdoor roofs and temporary structures. Broadweigh’s Wind Speed Sensor integrates into the same system, delivering continuous wind monitoring alongside load values. Rather than treating wind as a separate hazard, the device incorporates live data into the same operational overview, enabling riggers to correlate uplift, drag and tension changes with evolving weather conditions.
The ability to trigger alarms or warning outputs when wind thresholds are exceeded gives ground crew critical time to secure equipment, adjust trim or lower the roof before conditions breach safety parameters.
Rounding out the ecosystem is the Broadweigh Warning Module –an alert interface designed for the real world. When load or wind limits are crossed, the warning module activates visual and audible cues, ensuring operators are notified even if software screens are not actively monitored.
It can trigger stack lights, sounders or custom integrated responses, allowing safety protocols to move beyond information-only and into real-time HMI-based intervention. In scenarios where response time is everything, that difference is transformative.
The strength of the Broadweigh system lies not in any single device, but in the connectivity between them. Load cells, Bluetooth interfaces, handhelds, wind sensors and the warning module all feed into a single operational language: awareness. When riggers know what is happening above their heads – in real time – they make smarter decisions, work with confidence, and uphold a standard of safety that audiences never need to think about.
For MONDO-DR readers working at the intersection of touring, architectural rigging and large-scale temporary structures, Broadweigh represents more than load monitoring hardware. It is an ecosystem built for the evolving demands of modern production – wireless by design, founded on safety, and proven across stages worldwide.
CHAINMASTER EASYLINK Control Series
The EASYLINK Control Series by CHAINMASTER offers a versatile and reliable solution for modern lifting and stage applications. Designed with flexibility in mind, EASYLINK supports a wide range of motor configurations and channel options, allowing operators to choose the setup that best fits their needs. EASYLINK supports Direct Control (DC) and Low-Voltage (LV) control, depending on the configuration. The CORE series is DC-only, while the XTRA series offers both options. Front panels are consistent across all versions, with LV systems offering additional functionality such as PICKLE MODE. www.chainmaster.de
FANTEK FPR PreRig Truss
The FPR PreRig Truss is a system designed to optimise efficiency, safety, and versatility for professionals in live events and touring productions. The FPR features an effective folding mechanism, double height stacking for transportation, forklift-friendly grooves and adjustable height. Unique features include an open-sided design to provide perfect alignment for LED Screen fixtures, enabling ease of use when additional lighting fixtures are required to be in the centre of two connecting trusses. There are two size options available in 2.4 m and 3 m lengths to accommodate diverse project needs.
www.fantek.es/home
GUIL
TMD-570
The TMD-570 Line Array Tower is a compact, high-performance rigging solution developed by GUIL for professional touring and live events. Designed to lift line array systems of up to 800 kg to a maximum height of 8m, it combines strength, safety, and practicality in a single structure. A key feature of the TMD-570 is its innovative base, specifically designed to accommodate all components of the tower in one unit. This solution prevents loss of parts and reflects a unique, pioneering concept within the rigging sector. When stowed, the complete tower occupies just 3.68m³, while the integrated wheeled base allows a single technician to transport the entire structure easily from lorry to set-up position. www.guil.es
HOF
MLT THREE PRE RIG TRUSS
The MLT THREE PRE RIG TRUSS is designed for efficient handling and offers high flexibility and certified structural safety for touring and event applications. The system enables complete video modules, including hanging frames, to be left mounted in the truss during transportation, thereby reducing handling time and minimising the need for repeated rigging operations. Straight and curved truss systems can be created without the need for additional components, enabling flexible system layouts. An optional double rail system enables equipment to be mounted at two different vertical levels. This also enables lighting fixtures to be installed at the transitions between two trusses.
www.h-of.de
Prolyte Rolling Stage
The Prolyte Rolling Stage is designed for versatility and ease of use, making it suitable for both flat and elevated stage setups. Its modular, foldable design reduces setup time and offers an efficient, customisable staging solution for events of all sizes. The load-bearing wheels enable the entire stage to be rolled with the maximum allowable load, while rotatable 4-way adapters minimise the need for individual support frames. This design creates open pathways beneath the stage, ideal for storage or equipment setups. www.prolyte.com
TAF GST610LD
Experience a new level of performance and reliability with the TAF GST610LD Fork Truss, engineered to meet the growing demands of modern event production and stage engineering. Designed as a powerful evolution of the trusted GS family, the GST610LD delivers over 30% more load capacity than the popular TAF GS620 at key working spans, enabling larger, heavier, and more ambitious builds. This increase in strength comes from a reinforced truss profile and upgraded tubing specifications, featuring main tubes of 60 by 5 mm and braces of 40 by 3 mm. These improvements translate into higher stability, greater rigidity, and increased confidence on site. www.taf.cz
Tyler Truss T-MAX
Tyler T-Max 12 by 12-inch bolting rivals the load capacity of MD 20.5-inch bolting. A 12-inch option that reduces 26/53 ft truck packs over 50%, T-Max also saves warehouse space and can help you increase profits. The strongest 12-inch bolting available, T-Max is perfect for ballrooms and any indoor or outdoor venues. T-Max corner blocks are available as well. T-max truss also comes in 16-inch and 20.5-inch versions that offer surprising load capacity. The T-MAX can come in a mill or powder-coated finish. www.tylertruss.com
The TE-086 is a top-loading, telescopic lifter designed to lift a maximum weight of 300kg (661lb) to a maximum height of 6.5m (21.3ft). Manufactured in Valencia, Spain, it is comprised of five premium-grade steel masts finished in black, epoxy, powder-coated paint for greater resistance to the elements for both indoor and outdoor use. VMB’s ALS (Auto Lock Security) system ensures maximum safety. The lift is automatically locked at intermittent heights via the ALS bolt so that the lifter does not have to rely on the cable for security, making it impossible for the load to fall.
www.prolifts.es
JACK CORNISH
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR, TATESIDE
Can you briefly outline the history of Tateside, and what the company’s core business is today?
Tateside started in 2008 and originally focused on data infrastructure. While we’re still involved in infrastructure projects today, the business has evolved significantly, and our core focus is now audiovisual technology and system integration.
How has the technology available made life as an integrator and systems designer easier in that time?
It’s hard to know where to start, because so much has changed. There have been huge developments that have streamlined almost every part of the process, from online quoting platforms to project management tools. On the design side, software advances now give us far better tools to properly design audio systems, and they’re much more user-friendly when it comes to visualising concepts for clients. Something like providing a 3D render, for example, would have been completely out of reach in terms of time and budget when we started. Now, even entry-level tools can produce great results.
How do you manage client expectations when their budgets can’t stretch to their ideal solution?
One advantage we have now is the breadth of manufacturers in the market, covering a wide range of price points. The best way to manage expectations is to show real-world examples. Many manufacturers have demo spaces and are willing to support proofs of concept. There’s also an element of education. If, for example, we reduce the number of loudspeakers and coverage is going to suffer, we can quickly model that in EASE and show the impact visually. Most people find it much easier to understand what they’re seeing, rather than reading it in a quote.
Are there any recent projects that you’re particularly proud of completing?
One that stands out is the Soho House and Mollie’s project in Manchester. It’s a mixed-use development, with a hotel at the lower levels of the building and a members’ club at the top. It was a large project for us and showcases everything from performance spaces through to large-scale background music systems. It hasn’t been without its challenges, but when AV design and interior design are tightly integrated, as they were on this project, the result can be genuinely stunning.
How important is company culture at Tateside?
It’s one of my top priorities. We want the team to be proud of what they’re part of and to feel that the working environment is challenging, interesting and full of people they can learn from. Culture has to come from the top down, but it’s not something you can force. It’s about building the right team of people who share the same values, then giving them the environment and support to do their best work.
What recent trends have you become aware of across hospitality, leisure and retail sectors?
There’s a real push to break boundaries with aesthetics, which means integrators need to think more creatively about how AV is incorporated. We’re doing far more bespoke fabrication and out-of-the-box thinking to achieve the look clients want, without compromising on performance.
Is there a tool in your toolbox – hardware or software – that you can’t do a project without?
My trusty digital tape measure. The batteries always seem to need a good shake, but it hasn’t let me down yet. I should probably just replace the batteries. www.tateside.com
