Wide News
From recording, broadcast, postproduction and A/V
London’s Albany installs EM Acoustics sound system
The Albany multidisciplinary arts centre opened as the Albany Institute in 1899 with the aim of improving the lives of local people in Southeast London, becoming the Albany Empire in the 1970s and establishing a reputation for pioneering work in radical community arts. The building was destroyed by fire in 1978, but rebuilt and is now a theatre in the round hosting diverse range of events.
The venue has recently replaced its ageing PA with a new Reference Series system from EM Acoustics, supplied by Stage Electrics.
2022 BRIT Awards
The BRIT Awards returned to the Virgin Media O2 Arena for 2022, with performances from Adele, Ed Sheeran, Bring Me The Horizon, Little Simz, Liam Gallagher, Sam Fender, Dave, Anne-Marie, KSI, and Rising Star Award recipient, Holly Humberstone.
Britannia Row’s relationship with the event continues, with Josh Lloyd resuming his role as System Designer and FOH Mixer, creating a PA design that would allow the music to blend into the stage by avoiding key sightlines, while giving clear feeds to the broadcast team. ‘The design changed in the weeks leading up to the event due to the stage and seating being reconfigured in the venue, which in turn meant that I had to move the system out so as not to cover the stage runways,’ he notes.
SSL Duality chosen for new University of Otago studio
The University of Otago – New Zealand’s oldest, having been established in 1869 –opened a School of Performing Arts in 2020, a purpose-built, two-storey facility to support its teaching programme while also accommodating national and regional music industry projects and encouraging community engagement through workshops and various other events.
Central to the studio’s operation is a Solid State Logic Duality Delta SuperAnalogue mixing console, supplied by Amber Technology NZ, in its spacious main recording studio.
Sweetwater Studios upgrades with RND
Sweetwater Studios has completed a program of upgrades to its flagship Studio A in Fort Wayne, Indiana, with the addition of a custom Rupert Neve Designs 5088 Analog Mixing Console as its new centrepiece.
The studio is presently expanding the expressive feel of the complex, while retaining the elements that made it special to begin with. ‘We wanted to find ways to continue doing what we’ve always done – but better,’ explains Sweetwater Studios producer and engineer, Shawn Dealey. ‘What that means for us in a practical sense is making upgrades that will enhance the studio and make it an even more creative and inspiring place to be.’
South Korea opens first 9.1.6 Dolby Atmos studio
South Korea has seen the opening of its first 9.1.6 Dolby Atmos studio, Sound360 the creation of CEO Jung Hoon Choi, who is already a well-known figure in the Korean music industry through his Audioguy record label. Key to the installation is the use of Genelec’s Smart Active Monitors.
‘The recording room is designed for Dolby Atmos 3D audio, and immersive sound recording and mixing,’ explains Ha Neul Lee, the audio engineer responsible for both stereo and Dolby Atmos mixing at Audioguy. ‘Reverberation time and acoustic treatment for the studio were also calibrated for 360° mixing with the surround monitors.’