Audio-Technica Microphones to Capture Live and Broadcast Audio at Youth Olympics
Microphones from Audio-Technica, a leading innovator in transducer technology for over 50 years, have been chosen to capture both live and broadcast audio at the upcoming Youth Olympics Games, taking place October 6-18, 2018, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The announcement was made by Michael Edwards, Audio-Technica Vice President, Professional Markets, and is part of Audio-Technica’s longstanding tradition of providing mic solutions for high-profile athletic events.
The Youth Olympic Games, held every two years (Winter and Summer games staggered in years opposite the adult games), are an international multi-sport event organized by the International Olympic Committee. Buenos Aires 2018 will be the scenario for 32 sports and 36 disciplines. It will be the debut of karate, sport climbing, breaking, roller speed skating, futsal, kiteboarding, beach handball and BMX freestyle.
A wide selection of Audio-Technica microphones will be employed, including BP4071 Line + Gradient (Shotgun) Condenser Microphones, BP4073 Line + Gradient (Shotgun) Condenser Microphones, AT899 Subminiature Omnidirectional Condenser Lavalier Microphones and BP4001 Cardioid Dynamic Microphones (handheld, for interviews).
“We are pleased to be participating in the technical setup at the Buenos Aires Youth Olympic Games,” stated Michael Edwards. “We know that these audio professionals need the peace of mind that can only come from dependable products, and we are proud to be a name they turn to for these high-profile events.”
Tom Van de Sande named CEO of PVS
Founder and CEO of Belgian pro audio manufacturer PVS, Patrick Van de Sande, announced that his son Tom will succeed him as CEO. This was presented to the public during the celebration of the 35th birthday of PVS. The company is also finalizing an investment of 12 million euro in new buildings for R&D, Quality control and distribution in Stevoort, Hasselt.
A few years ago, PVS already invested heavily in its own experience centre at the Veldstraat in Hasselt. In the meantime, the company has bought the buildings and terrains of a former transportation company in Stevoort, Hasselt.
“We have just invested 12 million euro in our new logistics centre, complete with new testing facilities and R&D centre,” said the new CEO. “From this location our products are shipped worldwide, to every continent.”
The own brands AUDAC (Audio equipment), PROCAB (cables & accessories) and CAYMON (flight cases and racks), all developed in Hasselt are finding their way to 83 countries.
“We are proud to collaborate with several leading brands worldwide”, says Tom. “Today the PVS equipment can be admired at branches of Nike, Starbuck, IKEA and many others. There is even more than 70 kilometres of PROCAB cables in the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building.”
The past few days, the company celebrated its 35th anniversary along with over 200 clients from all parts of the world. On this occasion, father Patrick (60) announced that he would pass on the torch of CEO to his son Tom (32). “I worked sixteen hours a day, day in, day out. That became too much”, Patrick explains.
‘It’s quite a legacy,” realises son Tom. “I will have to keep surrounding myself with great people.”
But he is not all alone right away. Father, Patrick, remains on board as technical director (CTO).
Meanwhile, PVS still has big plans for the future. Due to the rapid growth, they will have to move their headquarters in the long term. At the current location in the Veldstraat in Hasselt there is no room for expansion.
“By 2025 we will move everything to our logistics centre in Stevoort. At our new facilities there is plenty of space available to ensure we can keep expanding by offering innovative solutions to the AV market,” the brand-new CEO announces.
Tata Power Completes World’s Largest Solar Rooftop Installation
Tata Power Solar, India’s largest integrated solar company and Tata Power's wholly-owned subsidiary, has commissioned 820.8kWp at Cricket Club of India, Mumbai.
The project was executed by Tata Power Solar to provide solar rooftop solution for the stadium located at Mumbai and was completed in 100 days.
Shri Devendra Fadnavis, Honourable Chief Minister of Maharashtra completed the inauguration of the stadium. Tata Power Solar joined hands with Cricket Club of India to utilise the potential of solar energy.
The installation of the solar rooftop project will help to generate over 1.12 million electricity per year which will lead to 25% of savings in the power consumption cost. At present on an average (apart from stadium floodlights, which runs on DG), the stadium consumes 4 lakhs kWh /month, but with solar installation, on an average basis, the consumption from the grid would fall to approx. 3 lakhs kWh/month. CCI will also be able to curb the emission of over 840 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.
Mr. Praveer Sinha, MD & CEO, Tata Power, said: “We are delighted to partner with Cricket Club of India on the World’s largest solar-powered cricket stadium in Mumbai. We continuously seek to move ahead in our renewable and sustainability objectives.”
With an aim to be environmentally responsible by reducing its carbon footprint, Cricket Club of India initiated a project to install 820.8kWp roof-mounted solar plant at the CCI stadium, Mumbai.
Mr. Ashish Khanna, President, Tata Power (Renewables), added: “After executing The World’s largest Rooftop in a single location and India’s largest carport at Cochin International Airport, Tata Power Solar has installed The World’s largest Rooftop in a Cricket Stadium at CCI Mumbai, in a record period of 100 days.”
Speaking on the occasion, Premal Udani, President, CCI and Rakesh Kapoor, Vice Chairman of Infrastructure and Green Technology Committee, CCI explained: “We continuously look at projects which promote renewable energy focus, and are glad to partner with Tata Power Solar to execute this landmark project for us. They have delivered on the promise of the brand TATA. We have set an example to use rooftop space in the stadiums to help protect the environment.”
Tata Power Solar has commissioned more than 1.45 GW of ground-mount utility scale and over 220 MW of rooftop and distributed generation projects across the country till date. Tata Power Solar has been ranked #1 EPC rooftop solar player consistently for four years by BRIDGE TO INDIA, a leading cleantech consulting and knowledge services provider. The total installed capacity in the rooftop segment is over 220 MW as of 31 March 2018 including commercial, residential & industrial sector.
Clair Brothers Solves Holy Spirit College Audio Problems
Clair Brothers was tasked to execute the audio design Austrailia's Holy Spirit College audio upgrade and Videopro for the refreshment of the video system’s functionality, quality and longevity.
As it works with so many schools, the sports hall at Holy Spirit holds more than just sports matches. The hall hosts numerous assemblies, from college band and choir performances to special ceremonies that include ANZAC Day, college mass, fashion shows, graduations, career expos, and much more.
Greg Duncan, Business Manager at Holy Spirit College, explained: “Each of these events have their own requirements but the common thread to all is the need for high-quality audio and video. So, when we decided to upgrade our audio and video systems, we wanted equipment to take us to the next level and stand the test of time.”
“The new systems are part of an integrated A/V installation and the Clair Brothers equipment is the showpiece of the audio component. These loudspeakers provide a ‘wow’ factor every time they’re used. Historically, these types of rooms have limited or poorly designed audio reinforcement. This Clair Brothers system shows what can be achieved,” explained Martin Ridley of Videopro.
Overseeing the installation with an expert eye on Clair Brothers role in the audio upgrade was Wayne Grosser, the director of the company’s Australian office, whose approach to this particular venue system design was based on a long-term solution that would suit the multipurpose nature of the room.
“The multipurpose hall always posed challenges because of its size and construction. It’s not necessarily set up to be a performance area, so setting up for different types of performances often proved frustrating.”
Wayne pointed out: “Like any typical basketball hall the acoustics are very lively since the floors are hardwood and the walls are concrete. Plus, the stage is mobile and can vary in size depending on the event.”
The Holy Spirit College sports hall is thirty-six meters wide and nineteen meters deep. In this case, Greg recommended an array of three Clair Brothers kiT12s (60deg horizontal by 40deg vertical per cabinet) plus one CS218 subwoofer per side.
“This gear and configuration provide even coverage of the large width and long throw depth. The truth is, this wasn’t really an application for a line array system. But it works incredibly well,” Greg explained.
He concluded: “The audio/video solution designed by Clair Brothers and Videopro suit our applications perfectly! We’ve already had a number of events since the installation and the feedback from staff, students and guests has been super positive. We can’t wait for our next event!”
ETC Hires Four New Vice Presidents
ETC, the manufacturer of lighting and rigging technology, announced the promotion of four ETC employees into Vice Presidents roles. ETC has seen consistent growth over the past several years and now employs over 1200 people in 10 countries around the globe.
Those hired into these positions are all long-time employees of the company and have a combined tenure of nearly 80 years with ETC. Fred Foster, ETC CEO says, “Each of our new VPs bring fresh viewpoints to our executive group which is something we constantly encourage across the entire company.”
Jake Dunnum is the new Vice President of Commercial and Industrial Operations. Dunnum started working for ETC 18 years ago as a technical support specialist, later moved into marketing product management and most recently became the General Manager of Business Development. In his new role as vice president, Dunnum will continue his duties in business development for all ETC companies around the globe and oversee the management of the commercial and industrial companies of Echoflex and Penko.
Vice President of Human Resources, Val Farace, will focus on the global employee experience at ETC. Farace joined ETC 22 years ago in the London office as a receptionist. She was later promoted to Human Resources manager of that same office. In 2004 she transferred to the headquarters building in Middleton, WI to become the Global HR manager.
Durrell Ramer is the new Vice President of ETC International Operations and responsible for directing the international offices in Asia, Germany, the UK. Ramer began working at ETC in the quotations department in 1995 and was most recently the Global Customer Service and Systems Manager.
Bob Tollefson has accepted the position of Vice President of Business Resources. He will oversee the business needs of the overall corporation including the IT departments as well as the facilities and quality departments on a global level. Tollefson started at ETC in 2001 as quickly moved into a management role in IT where he worked to implement business systems in each of the ETC global offices.
Dick Titus, ETC President says, “As ETC continues to grow, it is of the highest importance that we maintain quality leadership at the top levels. I believe our new vice presidents are an exemplary group that deeply understand the past history and future goals of this company. I look forward to working more closely with each of them.”
Daktronics Deploys New Generation Narrow Pixel Pitch
Daktronics of Brookings, South Dakota, has launched a new generation of the company’s narrow pixel pitch product line including pixel pitches of 1.2, 1.5, 1.9 and 2.5 millimetres.
As AV integrators are increasingly adopting LED video technology as a viable alternative to LCD technology, this product line brings an easy installation option to the market.
“To capture a larger share of the growing high-resolution business, we’ve launched our new narrow pixel pitch product line to meet the needs of our customers in indoor applications,” said Daktronics President and CEO Reece Kurtenbach.
“These products are the first from a broader initiative focused on narrow pixel pitch displays. We’ve also invested in our manufacturing space to simultaneously develop technologies for the streamlined production of this new generation of product, showing our commitment to the future of this technology and what it provides for our customers.”
With this new generation, Daktronics has developed a patented module access tool for easier and service friendly installation. The magnetic tool can be engaged and disengaged easily to preserve the integrity of the display face and LEDs during installation and service, a unique aspect of Daktronics technology which greatly reduces installation time and issues surrounding the initial display launch.
Daktronics leveraged 20 years of experience with indoor LED video technology to create this new generation of product which brings higher brightness to ensure a crisp, vibrant image when installing in areas receiving more natural and ambient light. It also features improved reliability compared to current industry standards.
Target Field and South Dakota State University are two locations quick to jump on the new technology for their venues. Many more have looked to take advantage of the ultra-close viewing distances this product provides by implementing it in club spaces, concourses, mall atriums and other gathering spaces.
Assembly of the new product line from component level to final assembly, including any technical service or parts support, takes place in Brookings, South Dakota.
Daktronics Provides New LED Display System for Crown Coliseum
Daktronics (NASDAQ-DAKT) of Brookings, South Dakota, has announced a full LED display project with Crown Coliseum, a multi-use facility in Fayetteville, North Carolina. The company designed and installed new center-hung video displays and ribbon displays for the facility in 2018.
“We are beyond excited to provide our patrons with a boosted event-day experience through state-of-the-art technology,” said Spectra Venue Management’s Jim Grafstrom, general manager of the Crown Complex. “These enhancements will quickly become the focal point of the venue and will benefit all users from our tenant sports teams to conferences, concerts and exposition-style functions.”
On the new four-sided center-hung, each of the four LED video displays measures 9 feet high by 16.5 feet wide and features tight 6-millimetre line spacing to deliver crisp, clear images to fans in every seat. Each display is capable of variable content zoning allowing each to show one large image or to be divided into multiple sections to share any combination of live video, instant replay, game information and statistics, graphics and animation, and sponsorship messages.
Circling the top of the centre-hung is a ring display measuring 2 feet high by 85 feet in circumference. Likewise, circling the bottom of the centre-hung is a display measuring 2 feet high by 56 feet in circumference. These displays feature 10-millimeter line spacing to provide graphics and animations supplemental to the main displays.
“Daktronics is thrilled to be a part of this great project as the new center-hung and ribbon displays will transform the atmosphere of the Crown Coliseum,” said Corey Williams, Daktronics sales representative. “Our partnership with this great facility extends back to when the building first opened. We’re excited to be able to build upon our relationship while helping them to enhance the fan experience on game day.”
Along the seating fascia in the Coliseum, four new ribbon displays were installed. Each display measures 2.5 feet high and features 15-millimetre line spacing. They vary to include 115, 138, 167 and 198 feet in length. These displays provide the opportunity to show supplemental statistics and graphics while also highlighting sponsors throughout events.
Daktronics also included its powerful Show Control System with this installation. This industry-leading system provides a combination of display control software, world-class video processing, data integration and playback hardware that forms a user-friendly production solution. For more information on Show Control, visit www.daktronics.com/show.
In addition to the equipment installation, Crown Coliseum will also receive a content package that will be produced and delivered by Daktronics Creative Services.
Meyer Sound Steps into the Arena at University of Maryland
The new $85 million UMBC Event Center is the long-anticipated new home for indoor sporting events at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and in addition, it serves as a flexible venue for hosting concerts, convocations and graduations, trade shows and other events.
About 4,700 fans are accommodated for UMBC Retrievers basketball and volleyball games, with uniform audio coverage and “pump ‘em up” power supplied by a distributed system based on Meyer Sound’s new LINA™ very compact line arrays.
The new Meyer Sound LINA system is the centrepiece of a complete AV package designed and installed by Baltimore-based Design & Integration. According to project engineer Kevin Barrett, his company worked with university technical and managerial staff to come up with the optimum, long-term solution for a house reinforcement system.
“The audiovisual consultant based a performance specification on an alternative externally powered system but listed Meyer Sound as an approved option,” he said.
“We decided to pursue the Meyer Sound solution and discovered it offered a number of advantages. We came up with a design that not only would meet or exceed all the performance numbers, but also would fit into a smaller footprint, reduce installation costs, and provide more configuration flexibility along with detailed system confidence monitoring.”
The thorough system selection process also factored in the university’s prior experience with Meyer Sound LEO Family line array systems.
“We have a portable system based around 24 Meyer Sound LEOPARD line array loudspeakers and it has served us very well in the old Retrievers Activities Center and for many outdoor events,” said Sam Zuckerman, head audio technician and sound engineer for university events.
“We were very happy with the LEOPARDs and wanted to continue working with Meyer. And the new LINA system has delivered as promised. The coverage is very even, and the clarity is outstanding for spoken word events such as commencements. And at the games, I’ve attended it really gets the crowd pumped up. It definitely has plenty of punch.”
The new system is anchored by five arrays of eight each Meyer Sound LINA loudspeakers for coverage of the U-shaped main bowl. Three 1100-LFC low-frequency control elements supply convincing impact for deep bass effects, while two Meyer Sound UPQ-1P loudspeakers are flown as court fills. Two Meyer Sound GALAXY 816 networked processors handle overall system drive and optimization.
Although owned by the university, the UMBC Event Center contracts with the Oak View Group to handle venue operations and outside concert and event bookings. Frantzer LeBlanc, Oak View Group’s director of events and operations at UMBC, is pleased with the power, clarity and versatility of the house audio system at his disposal.
“The major touring acts that play concerts here will carry their own production, but we’re delighted with the way our house system is taking care of everything else,” said Frantzer.
“In addition to UMBC Retrievers games we’ve hosted community church services, well-known speakers, martial arts competitions and trade show events. The performance has been really, really good for all of them. The sound conforms to the bowl in a way that gives a sense of intimacy despite the size. We also really appreciate how easily and effectively we can zone the system to cover only designated seating areas when we’re using part of the arena.”
Although specifying a highly compact line array system for a mid-sized auditorium may seem somewhat audacious, Design & Integration’s Kevin Barrett was confident of the outcome.
“Although LINA was not even shipping when we did our initial design, we were confident based on Meyer Sound’s reputation and on what we had heard from its predecessor, MINA, at another installation we’d done recently,” he remarked.
“I knew that with the power inside the box, and with the precise tuning options available in GALAXY to deal with the reverberant space, we could make LINA work. I knew it would sound great, and it does.”
The full AV installation provided by Design & Integration also includes an Allen & Heath digital mixer with D-Live control surface and MixRack engine. A QSC Q-Sys network backbone ties together the arena bowl system with all back-of-house systems. Design & Integration also supplied a comprehensive broadcast cabling system, distributed CATV video systems, and both wired and wireless production intercom systems.
Located on a hilltop campus in Catonsville, about eight miles from downtown Baltimore, UMBC has a total enrollment of over 13,000 students. The university’s Retrievers athletic teams compete in the NCAA Division 1 America East Conference.
Louis Armstrong Stadium Opens for the US Tennis Open
The 14,069-seater arena was opened by the United States Tennis Association (USTA) on August 22 2018.
The new stadium is the final piece of a US $600m five-year strategic transformation; featuring innovative design, which encourages air flow through the building while keeping the rain off the court - making it the world’s first naturally ventilated tennis stadium with a retractable roof.
Rossetti designed Louis Armstrong Stadium with an operable roof as well as a naturally ventilated bowl, which enables play to continue during rain.
On each side of the stadium, the façades are covered with 14,250 overlapping terracotta louvres; allowing airflow through the upper part of the building on the north and south elevations while protecting the court from the rain and shading spectators from the sun.
The Louis Armstrong stadium will host its first official match when the main draw of the 2018 US Open begins on August 27 2018. It will also host a dedicated night session for the first week of the tournament, giving the US Open two stadia with night matches for the first time in tournament history.
McEnroe concluded: “Alright, this is awesome. I know the players are going to be super excited. As a New Yorker and as a Queens boy, I couldn’t be prouder of this stadium.”
Brentford FC Delays Stadium Move to Summer 2020
Construction work on Brentford FC's new 17,250-seater stadium has pushed back its completion date to summer 2020.
Key milestones have been satisfactorily achieved with piling works for the foundations now 90 per cent complete, the first parts of the steel frame in place, and the laying of sections of terracing for the south stand well in hand.
A Brentford FC club statement reads: "Against this backdrop, a critical decision for the Club has been taken on the date to move to the new stadium. In conjunction with our development partners, EcoWorld London and their building sub-contractors, Buckingham Group, and having reviewed all of the relevant factors and views, we are delighted to confirm to all our supporters and fans that Brentford FC will play a full final season at Griffin Park and then move to our new stadium at the end of the 2019/20 season and in good time to commence the 2020/21 season."
Construction on the club's new home has been underway for the past 4 months.
"Given the complexity of large-scale building works adjacent to railway lines, the need to anticipate the normal delays and problems that inevitably arise in a complicated construction project, and the operational challenges surrounding a mid-season move, our view is that an end of season move is best. This, of course, gives us the chance to give Griffin Park a proper full season’s send-off as we mark the Club’s 130th year during the 2019/20 season.
"The Brentford Community Stadium development is an important part of the wider regeneration of the area known as Brentford East and will deliver a stadium ready for both Premier League football and Premiership rugby, together with more than 900 new homes, a new purpose-built location for Brentford FC Community Sports Trust, and a public square with shops and cafes. We look forward to sharing updates with fans and local residents as the stadium takes shape. Dates for the sale of Season Tickets for the last season at Griffin Park and those for the new stadium will be communicated over the coming weeks."