Review: Audac SMQ500

Quad channel power amp AUDAC makes a range of power amplifiers under the Wave Dynamics name, including both the SMA dual channel models and SMQ quad channel units. Each of these ranges is available in three different power output levels – 350, 500 or 750W into 4 ohms. The basic feature set is common across…

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School Musical: How to do it

Last night I enjoyed Putney Public School’s dance musical, where every kid had a role. The school only stage this every other year, and throw everything into it. Costumes, choreography, and planning were first rate. Being a technical production person, I best appreciated the simple lighting and audio provided by nearby Epping Boys High School.…

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The Mill Report: B-Side Blues…

There’s a disease gripping the world of singer songwriters that’s gone undiagnosed for ages now. It’s brought on by a combination of things: the natural desire to be the best, a determination to sound amazing, insufficient funds and a lack of free time to finish a project without distraction. I call it ‘B-Side Blues’ or ‘Killing…

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Review : Soundcraft Ui16

What’s in a name? The odd thing about the Ui is that while Soundcraft is an English company, the Ui was actually conceived in Melbourne, Australia by SM Pro Audio. The firm was acquired by Soundcraft earlier this year, and now the Ui12 and Ui16 have landed on shelves. The Ui series has a feature…

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Brisbane City Hall : Taming Reflective Acoustics with L-Acoustics 

Brisbane City Hall has stood imposingly over King George Square since 1930. In Italian Renaissance style, it’s grand and opulent, with an auditorium to match. However, its architects sadly never foresaw the electroacoustic issues that would be caused by basing the auditorium’s shape on The Pantheon in Rome. “It’s extremely difficult,” said Damian Juhasz, Audio Systems…

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Roadskills: Hermitude

2015 has already been a big year for the Blue Mountains boys who are the electronic duo Hermitude. They signed a worldwide deal with Nettwerk Records, played their first headline tour of the US, taking in South by Southwest festival and going on to festivals such as Governor’s Ball and Lollapollooza. In support of their…

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Review: Sennheiser evolution D1

Digital wireless with more D1 is the next evolution of wireless systems from Sennheiser. It’s a 24 bit 48kHz digital platform operating in the globally license-free 2.4GHz band. The marketing info tells me D1 is “designed for people who make music as a part of their lives, not for people who make a living making music”. I reckon…

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Ulumbarra Theatre RISES – Bendigo Leads With 900 Seat Stunner

Brand new regional theatres are thin on the ground across Australia, and Bendigo has set a new benchmark with theirs. The city, located about 2 hours out of Melbourne in Central Victoria is growing. The current population of 110,000 will swell by 50% in the next few decades. The new Ulumbarra Theatre is built around…

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Let’s do the time warp again?

No, let’s not. Please, just let it go I won’t be going to any of them, since I heard quite enough of old showtunes when growing up with my parents. Not only did they insist on dragging me along to things like High Society, Carmen Jones, South Pacific, Porgy and Bess etc. etc., and if that…

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Review: Meyer Sound CAL

Smarter than your average column speaker    Something I really like about Meyer Sound is that their solutions to challenging audio problems are founded firmly in science, not marketing. Every functional design decision is made for a reason based on actual physics. CAL, or the Column Array Loudspeaker from Meyer was designed with the specific…

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Road Skills: The Preatures

Billed as’pop-rock, 90s-inspired synth and avant-garde bass’, The Preatures are known for their explosive live shows and on-stage chemistry. The Sydney five-piece band did not fail to deliver when they played the Joan Sutherland Theatre at the Sydney Opera House as part of Vivid LIVE. Clinton Stagoll wears many hats for the band including production manager, tour…

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