Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

InfoComm 2018: Live Sound's New Status Is Underscored

22/06/2018

InfoComm 2018: Live Sound's New Status Is Underscored Show focuses on the use of A/V tech in creating experiences By Dan Daley, Audio Editor

Thursday, June 21, 2018 - 8:00 am

Print This Story

Story Highlights

InfoComm 2018, which concluded last week for the first time under the aegis of AVIXA, InterComm International's new name (derived from Audiovisual and Integrated Experience Association ), demonstrated a shift in emphasis from A/V technology in and of itself to the use of that technology in the service of creating experiences.

Nearly 43,000 attendees and 1,000 exhibitors participated in InfoComm 2018.

By the end of the show, nearly 43,000 registered attendees - a 10% increase over the last time InfoComm was held in Las Vegas, in 2016 - and nearly 1,000 exhibitors had shown their interest in and their wares matching that new goal. Demonstrating the growing intersection of A/V and IT, exhibitors included tech giants Google, Microsoft, Dolby, Lenovo, Intel, and Dell, alongside A/V stalwarts Dolby Laboratories, Audio-Technica, Panasonic, Shure, and Sennheiser.

Audio in particular indicated the shift to immersive, more deeply engaging platforms. SVG sponsors A-T, Clear-Com, Professional Wireless Systems, Radio Active Designs, Sennheiser, Shure, Solid State Logic, the Telos Alliance TV Solutions Group, and Yamaha Corp. of America were among the 245 companies in the Audio Pavilion area in the venue's Central Hall and the 23 exhibitors in the nearby demo rooms, where global sound-reinforcement vendors including d&b audiotechnik, L-Acoustics, Renkus-Heinz, EAW, D.A.S. Audio, RCF Audio, and K-Array, underscored the growth of the U.S. live-sound market, of which sports venues are a major component.

Sounds Good

The live-sound demos drew one very consistent comment: PA systems as a category have attained a remarkably high level of sonic quality. That's making system differentiation based solely on sonic quality increasingly difficult, notes Guy Low, content and creative manager, Bosch subsidiary Electro-Voice: We've reached a point in pro audio where large-scale PA systems sound like hi-fi systems.

As a result, the show introduced technology, such as software-based system-management platforms, being developed by audio manufacturers to provide additional evaluation criteria that will influence purchasing decisions. For instance, L-Acoustics' Soundvision, a 3D, real-time acoustical-simulation program allows sound designers to define target SPL and will calculate the optimal speaker angles to achieve it, applying DSP settings for system optimization.

Collaboration Is a Theme

Besides plenty of M&A activity preceding and even during the expo - A/V integrator Diversified, which has put audio into such venues as the Miami Dolphins' Hard Rock Stadium, announced the acquisition of UK-based Digitavia - InfoComm 2018 saw several product alliances in search of synergies. For instance, Yamaha and Sennheiser announced that the Sennheiser Digital 6000 microphone systems can now be integrated into Yamaha CL and QL series consoles, via forthcoming Sennheiser and Yamaha firmware updates. These updates mean that Sennheiser's EM 6000 and EM 6000 Dante-compliant wireless receivers can be monitored directly from the consoles, allowing engineers to check such parameters as RF performance, link quality, audio level, and battery status directly from the console and also to adjust certain parameters without the need for additional software or screens. This integration is already available for Soundcraft Vi000 consoles.

The Audio Pavilion at InfoComm 2018 housed 245 exhibitors.

Sennheiser is always keen to collaborate with other manufacturers to allow our systems to interface with their products, making user workflows as smooth and easy as possible, says Tom Vollmers, senior product manager, professional audio, Sennheiser.

Another example of collaboration was found in Avid's announcement that development partners Flux::, d&b audiotechnik, and L-Acoustics have each integrated immersive-sound-processing solutions - respectively, SPAT Revolution, Soundscape, L-ISA - with the Avid VENUE | S6L live-sound system. Each company has developed an AAX DSP plug-in that runs natively on the Avid VENUE | S6L to provide tactile control and software integration of its respective system from the S6L surface and VENUE software, allowing engineers hands-on control over surround parameters from the console.

Underscoring the expo's enhanced status as a live-event-technology show, SSL launched its L100 compact live-sound console, which features a 12 2 fader-configuration frame while retaining the same fast-access layer/bank switching and Super-Q technology to keep all channel, group, aux, VCA, or master controls handy. According to Solid State Logic CEO/Group Commercial Director Piers Plaskitt, it can provide a major-league level of live-sound control to any size sports venue. SSL also announced the launch of new Remote Tile hardware and V4.7 software, which includes an upgrade to SSL's Super Query workflow, enhanced TaCo (remote tablet control) features, a new Transfer Function Analyzer Tool and Auto Pan effect, and support for external-touchscreen control.

Other manufacturers also had a busy show. Shure released the latest version of its Designer software application, providing improved workflow efficiency in configuring Shure products during design and build cycles. The company also announced that it will offer an Integrated Systems Certification Program through the Shure Audio Institute (SAI), featuring training courses on integrated systems for channel partners, A/V professionals, systems integrators, and audio engineers.

Pliant Technologies announced shipment of its new CrewCom wireless intercom system, which can be used simultaneously in both 2.4 GHz and 900 MHz frequenc
LINK: https://www.sportsvideo.org/2018/06/21/infocomm-2018-live-sounds-new-s...
See more stories from svg

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

06/09/2026

Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Germany with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos

June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

04/07/2026

Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in Dolby Cinemas Across Japan, Presented in Dolby Atmos and Dolby ...

April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...

17/06/2026

Spectrum Awards $1.1 Million in Digital Education Grants

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

17/06/2026

XR Sports Alliance Adds New Members

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

17/06/2026

AIMS Launches Free Online IPMX Training Series

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

17/06/2026

Kiloview Partners with SFM to Expand AV-over-IP Solutions...

Montr al, Quebec, June 11, 2026 Kiloview, a leading provider of AV-over-IP and NDI -based video transmission solutions, today announced a distribution partner...

17/06/2026

Kiloview Launches U4 IP Video Dock Bringing Professional...

Changsha, China, June 15, 2026 Kiloview officially announced the launch of U4 IP Video Dock, a compact IP video decoder and output dock designed to bring prof...

17/06/2026

June 16, 2026

Calibr-Skaggs awarded $5.1M by NIH to develop long-acting hepatitis B virus therapy A new program aims to replace a daily HBV drug with once-monthly or even qua...

16/06/2026

Thomson launches new learning App

Thomson's highly regarded expert-led online learning courses are now easier to access on the go via our new App. Available now on Google Play Store, the J...

16/06/2026

Neumann MT 48 Receives Major Firmware 2.0 Update

Neumann.Berlin has released firmware version 2.0 for the MT 48 audio interface, adding plugin compatibility, expanded Dante networking options, broadcast encode...

16/06/2026

TVNewsCheck Opens Nominations for 2027 Women in Technology Awards

TVNewsCheck has announced that nominations are now open for its 2027 Women in Technology Awards, to be presented at NAB Show 2027 on Tuesday, April 6 in the Med...

16/06/2026

Clear-Com Introduces Avalon IP Intercom Platform

Clear-Com has announced Avalon, a 1RU IP intercom platform for broadcast, live events, and production environments. Designed for IP-only workflows, Avalon suppo...

16/06/2026

SNS EVO Enables Remote and Distributed Video Editing Workflows

SNS has published a guide to remote video editing workflows using its EVO shared storage platform and companion tools, covering use cases ranging from home edit...

16/06/2026

Richmond Flying Squirrels Deploy Grass Valley LDX 110 Cameras at CarMax Park

Grass Valley has announced that the Richmond Flying Squirrels, a Minor League Baseball affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, have deployed five Grass Valley LD...

16/06/2026

AIMS Launches Free Official IPMX Training Series Online

The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) has announced the launch of the Official IPMX Training Series, a free online program covering the design, configurati...

16/06/2026

Swerve Womens Sports Announces Distribution Deals with Fubo, Plex, Amazon Fire TV, and Anoki AI

Swerve TV has announced distribution agreements with Fubo, Plex, Amazon Fire TV,...

16/06/2026

ATP and TikTok Expand Global Content Partnership

ATP and TikTok have announced an expansion of their global content partnership, extending the ATP's TikTok hub powered by TikTok GamePlan to cover all nine ...

16/06/2026

FOX Sports Turns Los Angeles Pico Lot Into Its FIFA World Cup Production Nerve Center

Network's LA facility serves as the heart of a sprawling operation built to ...

16/06/2026

300+ Records a Day, 150 TB Daily, and a Relentless Content Avalanche: Inside FOX Sports' World Cup Media Engine

At Pico, the network's media-management team is supporting a flood of HBS fe...

16/06/2026

NHL Games Leaving CBC in Canada as Sublicense With Rogers Sportsnet Ends

The NHL will no longer air on CBC after the pulic broadcasters and national rights-holder Rogers Sportsnet were unable to come to agreement. After a successfu...

16/06/2026

SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Virtual Eye's Ben Taylor on Making Live Sports More Valuable and Entertaining Through Data-Driven Graphics

As live sports broadcasters continue to seek new ways to make complex action mor...

16/06/2026

Thats BRISK, Baby! FOX Sports' Broadcast Remote IP Studio Kits Bring World Cup Fan Energy Back to Pico

Built with the 2026 FIFA World Cup in mind, these small but mighty IP-based tran...

16/06/2026

Rumble three-band soft synth by UVI

Boasts individual synths for each band UVI's latest synth takes an interesting approach to synthesis, offering a trio of synth engines that each operate...

16/06/2026

PSP Levelizer: auto level adjustment plug-in from PSPaudioware

New intelligent auto-fader plug-in unveiled PSPaudioware's latest release offers automatic level adjustment and provides more detailed control than many...

16/06/2026

The Crow Hill Company launch Crystal Pads

New performance-focused library announced Crystal Pads is the latest addition to The Crow Hill Company's ever-growing product range, and according to th...

16/06/2026

GForce launch official Prophet-5 soft synth

Developed in partnership with Sequential In recent years, GForce Software have branched into official emulations of classic hardware synths, delivering a ha...

16/06/2026

DT 30 IE: New in-ears from beyerdynamic

Designed specifically for live performance monitoring beyerdynamic's latest announcement sees the company introduce an affordable in-ear monitoring syst...

16/06/2026

Cherry Audio recreate the Ensoniq ESQ-1

Official emulation celebrates iconic synth's 40th anniversary Cherry Audio have just introduced Ensoniq ESQ-1, an official recreation of the 1986 polyph...

16/06/2026

Australians place growing trust in SBS News

Australians place growing trust in SBS News 16 June, 2026 Media releases SBS has been recognised as one of Australia's most trusted news providers, ran...

16/06/2026

Rohde & Schwarz achieves highest number of GCF validated 3GPP NR NTN test cases for RF, RRM and PCT domains

Rohde & Schwarz achieves highest number of GCF validated 3GPP NR NTN test cases ...

16/06/2026

Hitachi and PESA Announce Strategic Partnership to Drive Growth in Poland's Rail Market

Bydgoszcz to Become a Local Centre of Excellence for Advanced Rail Technologies....

16/06/2026

Chyron Unveils Chyron Weather 2.4

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

16/06/2026

Historic Zhuque-3 Reusable Rocket Test Mission Captured with URSA Cine Immersive

Historic Zhuque-3 Reusable Rocket Test Mission Captured with URSA Cine Immersive Brie Clayton June 16, 2026 0 Comments Apple Immersive Video puts view...

16/06/2026

SMPTE Plans ST 2110 Education Summer Programs

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

16/06/2026

Rise Awards Returns for 2026 to Celebrate Excellence in B...

Rise WIB, the award-winning advocacy group championing gender diversity and career progression across the broadcast and media technology industry, today announc...

16/06/2026

Limecraft Expands its Media Production Platform with Team...

Limecraft today announced the availability of Limecraft 2026.4, the fourth of eight planned platform releases this year. The update introduces Team-Based Access...

16/06/2026

Perry Sook: Big Tech Poses 'Very Urgent Threat to Broadcast Stations

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

16/06/2026

FIFA World Cup Delivers Record Ratings on Fox

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

16/06/2026

AIMS Launches the Official IPMX Training Series Online

Free Program Supports IPMX Education from Foundational Concepts Through System and Network Design The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) today announced t...

16/06/2026

Share your views on Screen Australia and the future of the industry

Share your views on Screen Australia and the future of the industry 15 June 2026 Your feedback matters. Following the instrumental insights provided in 2025,...

16/06/2026

HPE AI Factory With NVIDIA Expands for the Era of Agents

Enterprises are moving agentic AI from proof of concept to production - and the next generation of AI factories are built for the era of agents. At HPE Discove...

16/06/2026

Coherent Breaks Ground on Expanded Texas Facility, Scaling AI's Optical Backbone

AI runs at the speed of light. More and more, that light is made in Texas. Cohe...

16/06/2026

Techtel Supports T-Motion RCCP-2A Controller Upgrade for Major Australian Broadcaster

Techtel Supports T-Motion RCCP-2A Controller Upgrade for Major Australian Broadc...

16/06/2026

Record audiences tune in for opening weekend of ICC Womens T20 World Cup 2026 on Sky Sports

Tuesday 16 June 2026 Record audiences tune in for opening weekend of ICC Women&...

16/06/2026

Fastest, Largest, Strongest: NVIDIA Blackwell Sweeps MLPerf Training 6.0

Every breakthrough AI model starts the same way: with a training run. The infrastructure running those training jobs shapes everything: how fast teams can itera...

15/06/2026

University of South Carolina's Valerie Gerfin on Gamecock Productions' Growth, Upgrades at Williams-Brice Stadium

One of the more exciting internal video production divisions within a college at...

15/06/2026

Fox Corp. To Acquire Roku, Pairs Live Sports Powerhouse With Major CTV Platform

The deal valued at $22 Billion is expected to close in the first half of 2027...