Solidays Music Festival Celebrates 10th Anniversary with NEXO

FRANCE — For the past 10 years, the Ile de France region has supported the Solidays music festival to raise AIDS awareness.  A play on the words solidarity and holidays, Solidays is dedicated to both concepts, and its timing in the event calendar means it represents the kick-off for the festival season in France. As this year was the 10th anniversary of the festival, a fifth stage was added and a vast electic selection of hip-hop, rock, reggae and techno artists invited to perform. French PA company Melpomen, which has provided PA support for the last decade, was able to use three generations of NEXO’s GEO Series line array loudspeakers in their FOH systems.

NEW YORK — Donna Summer, singer/songwriter/pop culture icon and five-time Grammy winner, is back with Crayons, her first full-length studio release in 17 years. Summer embarked on the “Stamp Your Feet” tour with N.Y.-based SK Systems and Tom Heinisch at the controls of the summer U.S. swing. They spec’d a DiGiCo CS D5 at FOH and a DiGiCo D-1 at monitors to handle the roughly 50+ inputs from the stage — and he anticipates they’ll be adding more inputs with the addition of local orchestras in certain cities.

Alcons is now shipping its LR14/90 pro-ribbon line-array. The LR14/90 is a passive 2-way ultra-compact line-array module, to be used in vertical stacked or flown arrays. The compact design and a maximum SPL of 130dB+ per unit makes the LR14/90 designed for small to medium-sized applications. With the addition of the 90°x15° version, the LR14 system is designed to offer more flexibility and tailored projection. The LR14/90 uses Alcons’ proprietary pro-ribbon technology for MHF reproduction; the 800W peak power handling of the RBN401 pro-ribbon driver enables a HiFi sound reproduction at concert SPLs.

LAS VEGAS – This is your shot to have your mug in the AES issue of FOH! All you have to do is take five… Read More »Get Your Face in the AES Issue!

GILFORD, N.H. — Earth Wind & Fire, are without a doubt one of the hardest working bands in show business. These days, the band still performs consistently throughout the year — be it a club, concert venue or corporate setting. For the band’s long-time FOH Engineer Terry “TJ” Jackson (who has also worked with Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, George Duke, Anita Baker and Toni, Toni, Toni) the migration from the DiGiCo D5 to SD7 was a natural one, offering a streamlined roadworthy rig, and giving him the tools to flex the overall sound to the venue at hand. The EWF tour — with production partner Eighth Day Sound — was one of the first tours to head out stateside with the new SD7 console.
 

MELBOURNE, Australia – The Frankston Arts Centre is a landmark in one of Melbourne's fastest growing areas. Designed by Australian architect, Daryl Jackson, the Frankston is one of the largest metropolitan and regional arts venues in Australia. It was decided that the venue needed a new loudspeaker system to take its offerings into the next level. Venue sound technician and long-time fan of d&b audiotechnik systems, Ben Thompson, contacted Simon Moran of Optim Audio who ultimately installed the new system.

BEIJING — Anyone who has ever witnessed or participated in an indoor swimming competition knows that acoustics play a significant part in the experience. Too reverberant and announcements become unintelligible; too sterile and the excitement and sense of place is diminished. JBL Professional Precision Directivity (PD) Series and Application Engineered (AE) Series loudspeakers are on the job at the 2008 Olympic Summer Games in the National Aquatic Centre in Beijing to make certain that the sound will be exactly what it needs to be for the array of Olympic games taking place there Aug. 8-24 this summer.

ITALY – Teatro Regio di Torino (Turin Royal Theatre), one of Italy’s most famous and prominent opera houses, recently installed a Soundcraft Vi6 digital console as part of an equipment upgrade.