Live gear

Salzburg Hall’s Control Room. Austria (March 18, 2025)—Austrian public broadcaster ORF has upgraded the audio control room at the Grosses Festspielhaus (Grand Festival Hall) in Salzburg with Lawo technology. The Grosses Festspielhaus, with a seating capacity of 2,200, is an opera and concert venue that opened in 1960; since then, it has served as central stage for the Salzburg Festival (Salzburger Festspiele). As part of a recent refurbishment, the venue now has a Lawo mc²56 MkIII audio production console with 32 faders. The system is powered by the A__UHD Core audio engine, complemented by A__stage64 and A__stage80 stageboxes for high-resolution audio interfacing, and A__madi6 for integration with additional audio components. The Waves SoundGrid integration provides sound processing capabilities, while a fully IP-based network infrastructure with redundant switches aids signal transmission. The new Lawo system has been in operation since early 2024, supporting events such as the Mozart Weeks, Easter Festival and other music events. Frank Wendtner-Andraschko, ORF tonmeister, noted, “Opera productions uniquely blend music, vocals and stage performance. The orchestra plays from the pit, while singers and choirs perform on stage. Additional musical and vocal elements are often positioned behind the scenes, on lighting bridges, in the loft, or beneath the stage. Each production presents new challenges, from microphone placement to mixing in 5.1 surround. Another factor in choosing Lawo was its integration into ORF’s broader infrastructure. “Our studio control rooms and OB trucks already use Lawo technology, allowing us to rely on a proven system. IP-based signal distribution enables us to seamlessly control productions not only in the Grand Festival Hall, but also in the Felsenreitschule and the House for Mozart. The stage boxes are then housed centrally in the central hub, where the signals from all the venues are received and distributed via fiber optics.”

The two pro-audio manufacturers behind Milan Manager have launched a website for the network management solution. New York, NY (March 18, 2025)—At InfoComm 2024, d&b audiotechnik and L-Acoustics unveiled Milan Manager, the network management solution for Milan-AVB technology that they created in collaboration. With the arrival of Milan Manager V2.0, the software is also getting its own unique website, milanmanager.com, which will be a centralized, manufacturer-neutral resource for those looking to implement Milan-AVB networks. There, users can download Milan Manager software free of charge. The new website helps usher in a new upgrade to the software with likewise new features, the most significant being the addition of an advanced offline mode that enables pre-configuration of Milan-AVB networks using an embedded library of certified products. Designs can then be saved as a file for future use or directly applied to the devices once they are connected to the network. L-Acoustics and d&b Team to Develop Software Platform “The launch of milanmanager.com represents a milestone in simplified network management,” said Genio Kronauer, Executive Director of R&D, Technologies and Platforms at L-Acoustics. “This dedicated platform demonstrates our commitment to making Milan-AVB technology accessible to the entire professional audio community.” “By providing a neutral, centralized resource for Milan Manager, we’re fostering broader adoption of Milan-AVB networks across the industry,” said Matthias Christner, Head of R&D Systems & Technologies at d&b audiotechnik. “This platform will serve as a foundation for continued collaboration and innovation.” Milan Manager continues to be free to use and provides numerous features, including automatic device discovery, streamlined network configuration, and real-time status monitoring.

Shure’s Microflex Wireless neXt 4 and neXt 8 (MXW neXt 4 and neXt 8). Photo: Shure. Niles, IL (February 18, 2025)—Shure has announced that it is forming the Wireless Microphone Spectrum Alliance (WMSA), a coalition that will work to ensure access to RF spectrum for wireless microphones. This alliance will include end users, content creators, live production service providers, equipment manufacturers and other stakeholders. The group has not yet announced any other members. In launching the group, Shure noted that wireless microphones are essential for a wide variety of activities, including concerts, events, corporate presentations, houses of worship, sports, film production, television, music, conferences, community meetings across the United States. They are also used in events that are a significant source of revenue for media companies and others. To protect scarce spectrum for their operations, WMSA will advocate for access to the RF spectrum that allows those events to operate using wireless microphones. More specifically, the group said its mission will be to: Preserve RF Spectrum: Ensure the availability of spectrum for wireless microphone users across various industries Raise Awareness: Through education, highlight the critical importance of spectrum for concerts, live sports, live events, concerts, the film industry, broadcast, theater, worship and other content creators Foster Collaboration: Create a platform for stakeholders to join forces in advocating for spectrum preservation Engage Policymakers: Work closely with the FCC, Congress, and other policymakers to advocate for sufficient spectrum allocations for current and future wireless microphone use Conduct Public Outreach: Encourage public involvement through outreach and events that demonstrate the necessity of wireless spectrum and the impact its loss would have on various productions In addition, the group stressed that, without proper spectrum availability for wireless microphones, many cities may not be able to successfully operate large-scale sporting events like the Super Bowl or the Olympic Games. Wireless microphones are used extensively for a wide variety of activities during these events, including during press conferences, halftime shows, pre-show concerts and referee calls. FCC Enacts WMAS Rules, Allowing More ‘Spectrally Efficient’ Wireless Mics RF spectrum for wireless microphones will also play an important role in the U.S. for such upcoming major events as the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Olympic Games, the group said. Shure said that organizations interested in joining this effort can contact Prakash Moorut (global head of spectrum and regulatory affairs at Shure) at moorutp@shure.com.

Gwen Stefani performs onstage at the 59th Academy of Country Music Awards at The Star in Frisco on May 16, 2024, in Frisco, Texas. (Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images for ACM) Frisco, TX (June 4, 2024)—The 59th Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards, broadcast live on Amazon, combined artists from the country and pop worlds in a series of duets while also featuring the likes of Lainey Wilson, this year’s entertainer of the year award winner. To deliver the unique pairings and performances, the show’s audio team used Shure’s Axient digital wireless microphone system and PSM 100 in-ear personal monitoring system. Gwen Stefani and Thomas Rhett used Shure’s newest microphone platform, Nexadyne with Revonic dual transducer technology, during their duet. The award show’s audio equipment was supplied by ATK, and the antenna infrastructure and RF coordination were managed by Soundtronics. “At high-stakes, live broadcast events like the Academy of Country Music Awards, Shure Axient Digital and PSM 1000 always deliver, despite the challenging RF environment and high channel count. With Wireless Workbench, frequency planning and coordination is seamless, saving time and energy when it matters most,” says Steve Vaughn, the event’s RF coordinator. “We had two instances of Wireless Workbench set up on both sides of the stage, so A2s could monitor frequencies throughout the show as well.” Barry Warwick handled the FOH production mix while Jeff Peterson oversaw the FOH music mix. The production broadcast mix was helmed by Mark King, along with music mixers Eric Schilling and Biff Dawes. Tom Pesa and Andres Arango handled the monitors. Arango says, “PSM 1000 is still the number-one choice and still the most requested IEM for award shows.” Overall, 120 P10R bodypack receivers were deployed. Thomas Rhett Tour Has A ‘Home Team’ Advantage Trey Smith, FOH mixer for Thomas Rhett, comments, “The Nexadyne 8/C capsule has quickly become a valuable tool for our show. Its rejection and balanced response provide confidence that Thomas Rhett’s voice will be represented consistently each night, even in challenging situations.” For their duet of “Think I’m in Love with You,” Chris Stapleton sang into a vintage SM58 while Dua Lipa performed with a Shure KSM11. Entertainer of the Year winner, Lainey Wilson, performed “God Blessed Texas” and “Hang Tight Honey” with the SM58. Tigirlily Gold performed “I Tried a Ring On” and Parker McCollum performed “Burn it Down’ with SM58s. In total, the awards show relied on 11 Shure AD4Q four-channel digital wireless receivers, a Shure AD4D two-channel digital wireless receiver, and three Shure UR4D dual wireless receivers.

Dave Natale with Guns N’ Roses drummer Frank Ferrer and his drum tech, Imy James. Photo: Guilherme Neto/Ron Schilling. New York, NY (November 14, 2023)—Guns N’ Roses has been on the prowl the last few years, and following stretches in Europe and the Middle East this year, the group hit the stadiums of North America, wrapping up last week in Toluca, Mexico. Along for the ride was another legend, engineer Dave Natale (Rolling Stones, Tina Turner, Fleetwood Mac), manning the FOH desk. Gn’R is well-known for its sonic bombast, and at the root of that is a drum sound has to anchor the songs, so Natale brought in some Austrian Audio mics to capture them, much as he did on two of the most recent Rolling Stones tours. Austrian Audio Launches MiCreator Studio For Guns N’ Roses, Natale has employed Austrian Audio OC18 precision microphones for overheads and CC8 true condenser microphones on the hi-hat, ride cymbal and cowbell on drummer Frank Ferrer’s kit. The results caught the attention of Guns N’ Roses guitarist Richard Fortus, who now has some Austrian Audio mics on his live rig, too: “Dave put the Austrian Audio mics on my amps when he started with us. I have been so impressed with the sound of the OC18 on my Magnatone amps live that I had to try them in my studio as well. I’m blown away by the detail and warmth. An absolute classic.”

Backnang, Germany (October 30, 2023)—German pro audio technology company d&b group is collaborating on ways to increase audience interactions in mass-event experiences through a partnership with Belgian innovation program EntertainmentLAB. EntertainmentLAB, a recently launched Belgian innovation program for startups in the entertainment industry, is an initiative of Flanders Technology & Innovation (FTI) and Startup.Flanders with the support of Tomorrowland. Together with corporate partners d&b, Brussels Airport and Telenet, they address three challenges within the entertainment industry: circularity and recycling, immersive experiences, and crowd monitoring. d&b will sponsor the Immersive Experiences challenge, encouraging startups to find solutions to empower crowds and give them a more active role in large-scale event experiences. Feist Gets Immersive Live Andy Hook, technical solutions director at d&b solutions, said, “We have seen it become the norm for audiences to capture experiences on their mobile devices, but what if we could make them more of an active part of the performance through those devices, or personalize the experience for them? With the rise of AR, next-level mobile apps, smart glasses, and other advanced wearables, a world of new creative possibilities has opened up, and we worked with the next-generation of creators to make this a reality.” Startups from around the world can apply for the three EntertainmentLAB challenges until November 17. Then, from January 2024 onwards, startups selected for the Immersive Experience challenge will work alongside an expert team from d&b, in the creation of a proof-of-concept of their innovation. “Key specifications we looked for in potential participants were skill sets such as real-time gaming engines, cloud computing or rendering, crowd-sentiment analysis, AI-based content generation, or integration of personal mobile devices with festival stage audio, video, light, and media technology. Most important for us, though, was to find a tech-savvy and passionate team of agile-thinking explorers who were keen to push their limits to develop the best possible solution out there,” said Florian Platt, senior manager corporate development at d&b. EntertainmentLAB aims to create a permanent hub for entertainment technology in Flanders’ Rupel, an area located in the southern region of Antwerp, Belgium that invests more than 3.65% of its GDP in research and development. Since its launch, EntertainmentLAB has actively pursued this vision of becoming a pioneer in entertainment technology.