Los Angeles, California, April 17, 2024 – Solotech, the global leader in audiovisual and entertainment technology, is thrilled to announce the grand opening of its latest venture in Hollywood, California: two premium rehearsal spaces designed to meet the diverse needs of the entertainment industry. 

Studio A, spanning an impressive 8,500 square feet, and Studio B, offering 3,200 square feet of versatile space, are equipped to facilitate seamless rehearsals and productions. Boasting well-appointed dressing rooms, control rooms, production offices and server rooms, a full kitchen, loading docks, and ample parking in a gated lot, Solotech Hollywood Studios provide the perfect blend of functionality and comfort in the heart of Hollywood. 

“We’re excited to provide a premier rehearsal destination in Hollywood,” stated Mickey Curbishley, Solotech President, Live Productions Division, USA, UK. “With our extensive experience and dedication to excellence, we aim to support the vibrant entertainment community by offering top-tier facilities for creative endeavors.” 

Solotech, with 47 years of expertise in AV solutions, handles over 12,000 projects annually, including prestigious festivals and the top music tours worldwide. Renowned for its innovation and commitment to quality, Solotech recently received accolades such as Lighting Company of the Year in 2024 and Video Production Company of the Year in 2023 at the Parnelli Awards. 

For more information about Solotech Hollywood Studios, including booking inquiries, please contact: studios@solotech.com | (323) 487-6757 | Hollywood Studios Rental  (solotech.com) 

About Solotech  
Founded over 45 years ago, Solotech is a world leader in audiovisual and entertainment technology, with 20 strategic locations in Canada, the United States, Europe, and Asia. Thanks to an inventory encompassing over 300 renowned manufacturers, Solotech is the single source for audio, video, lighting, rigging, soft goods, control and collaboration solutions and services. The company is internationally recognized for its expertise in live productions and systems integration in various markets, namely music, sports, business, culture and education. Solotech employs over 2,000 professionals in its offices located in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Nashville, Miami, Orlando, Pensacola, London, Birmingham, Manchester, Southampton, Frankfurt, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec City, Saguenay, Halifax, Macau, and Hong Kong.  

 Find out more at www.solotech.com  

 Media Contact: media@solotech.com  

Mickey shared, “I think that we have a duty – there’s so much we are doing. I
think one of the big points is that we’ve come so far, but we’ve got to keep
going – we’ve got to keep working – we’ve got to work together.”

To listen click here: Podcast | Geezers Of Gear 

Contact: media@solotech.com  

This one-day discussion and networking event has one eye very much on the future and looks to discuss, understand, and address topics that the live music industry face in the coming years. Among the discussions was the green agenda. Specifically, what we as an industry, can do to help mitigate our impact on climate change.

As an industry luminary with more than forty years’ experience, Mickey Curbishley, President of Solotech’s Global Live Production Division, was asked to lend his own thoughts on the topic. He kicked off by talking about a particular tour, one that really helped to move the needle in the industry.

“One of the earliest projects I remember impacting sustainability was the Jonas Brothers “Happiness Begins” tour back in 2019.”

“They designed a show which used around 600 moving lights. Initially this was designed using a traditional incandescent lamp, and when we calculated the power requirements we realised we needed 4 x 300 amp supplies.”

“Most of the venues could supply 2 x 300-amp feeds, which meant that we would be bringing in generators for a great deal of the shows. Over a 6-month period the financial and environmental cost was staggering!”

“Working with Baz Halpin and the team at Silent House Productions, we came up with an idea to use a new range of LED lights, instead of the incandescent lamps. It didn’t take much time to persuade everyone of the benefits.”

“Unknowingly, the Jonas Brothers had a really positive impact on the touring industry. As for Solotech, we have continued along the path of migrating as many of our lighting fixtures as possible to LED.”

But Mickey acknowledges that there’s a long way to go. Working closer, smarter, and more efficiently is how the industry can help to deliver a real impact. “We all have our part to play”

“The longer the lead time we have to plan, organise, and prepare to get ready for that first show, the less of an impact we, as a business, will have on the environment.”

“The show will always go on, we will make sure of that, but shorter turnarounds create more pressure on the supply chain. We have to keep working closely with our clients and promoters and educate them where we can.”

“We’ve come a long way, and there is a lot of new, fresh energy coming into the industry, and that’s great, but we have a long way still to go. We’re all on a journey. Through product innovation, collaboration, and operational excellence, Solotech are determined to help make a difference.”

International Live Music Conference

 In this episode of Meet Our Team, we introduce you to a member of Solotech’s exceptional team: Bid Manager, Diana Silva. 

During our conversation, we delved into the professional journey of Diana as she shared the path that brought her to Solotech. Diana provided insights into her role, offering a glimpse into the intricacies of managing bids and what she finds most fulfilling about her work at Solotech. 

Watch the interview now: 

Adding a twist to the conversation, Diana wanted to showcase her trilingual skills by conducting the interview in Spanish as well! 

Watch the interview in Spanish here: 

Martin Carrier, President of Live Productions at Solotech, stresses the importance of meeting the expectations of audiences accustomed to top-of-the-range content, even at business events. He points out that making audiovisual content and production consistent with an organizing company’s identity is essential.  

For instance, Solotech provided audiovisual services for Lightspeed’s annual general meeting, designing an immersive 360-degree experience that reflected Lightspeed’s commitment to innovation and technology. For Sophie Dupras, Head of Global Corporate Events at Lightspeed, this approach was crucial to bringing together employees from around the world and conveying the company’s values. 

Source: Les Affaires, February 21, 2024, Tourisme: l’audiovisuel justifie le déplacement. 

Contact: media@solotech.com  

In this episode of Meet Our Team, we introduce you to a member of Solotech’s exceptional team: skilled wireless microphone technician, Fanny-Elena Lemire. 

Fanny-Elena shares the fascinating journey that led her to Solotech. She discusses the intricacies of her role, shedding light on the aspects of being a wireless microphone technician and what she finds most rewarding about her work at Solotech. To add a touch of humor to the conversation, Fanny-Elena also shares her funniest work anecdote at the warehouse. 

Watch here:

“What a great night for the Solotech family. Being recognized by our peers for all of the hard work that went into this record-breaking, electrifying tour during 2023 is an honor. This award goes out, not only to the hard working, passionate team at Solotech, but also to our partners: the designer, producer, production managers, and her whole management team that made this all possible”, said Mickey Curbishley, Solotech President, Live Productions Division, USA, UK.  

“We have some of the most creative, supremely passionate staff in the business, and this recognition is a testament to the quality of our team and the collaborative spirit we share with our partners”, added Curbishley. 

The Parnelli Awards, recognized as one of the live event industry’s highest honors, annually recognizes innovative companies and professionals for their influential contributions. Solotech congratulates all the 2023 nominees and winners for their impressive work in the live production industry and this incredible achievement.  

The award ceremony was held this past weekend in Anaheim, CA, coinciding with the 2024 NAMM Show. 

Contact: media@solotech.com

Festivalbox is essentially a point-to-point converter, which enables all signals and protocols to tunnel over the same fibre – ideal for productions requiring a substantial number of connections between stage and FOH or where a succession of artist engineers are rocking up with different consoles, operating on a variety of protocols. Deployed as a data tunnel, comms, video, the support band console and remote aerials can all be put through it, thereby substantially reducing the number of cables at front of house. So the advantages are self-evident.

Robin Conway, Solotech Senior Account Manager commented, “Optocore is used and spec’d by many techs and PM’s at Solotech in the UK. It will continue to be used when required and when specified for both loudspeaker returns systems and as a way of bringing additional I/O to DiGiCo networks.

Read the full article on the Optocore Website

Move Afrika is a project run by Global Citizen, an international education and advocacy organisation seeking to end extreme poverty and promote social justice and equity across the globe. The first Move Afrika concert is the launch of a five-year tour schedule aimed at pioneering world-class music and live entertainment across the African continent, in an effort to inject jobs and skills training into local economies.

Move Afrika: Rwanda, in association with global production company Done + Dusted and the Rwanda Events Group, employed more than 1,000 Rwandans, and engaged 75% local crew and production staff, with a specific focus on creating opportunities for skill development and international event training.

Solotech were asked to supply a control package and production crew for the event, with PA to be supplied locally. Solotech Senior Account Manager, Martin Connolly explained, “Solotech has a wealth of experience in festival situations that require a quick-changeover of artists. That kind of technical expertise just isn’t currently available in Rwanda, hence the reason we supplied a crew of eight for the event.”

The Solotech control package included an AVID S6L at FOH with a DiGiCo SD12 provided for monitors. Over in RF, 16 channels of Shure Axient were available for inputs while Shure PSM1000 was deployed for IEMs. A comprehensive microphone package, Riedel Bolero comms, L-Acoustics ARCS sidefills, Martin Audo wedges and a full line system completed the system that made the 6000 mile journey from Birmingham to Kigali.

“Shipping out a PA system would have been ideal but just wasn’t practical on this occasion,” continued Martin Connolly. “A local supplier had some L-Acoustics K3 which was supplemented by a Dynacord system, along with some L-Acoustics KIVA. We sent out System Tech Dan Leaver and he was able to turn the package into a working solution, which by all accounts sounded great.”

“Feedback from the crew was really positive. The whole experience – from the brand new multipurpose BK Arena to the country itself – was unforgettable. It’s been a pleasure to work with Global Citizen on this project and we look forward to building this relationship further in the near future.”

Solotech Crew
Dan Leaver, Stephen “Alf” Alflatt, Pete Hughes, Jack Hubball, Dom Green, Henry Pearce, Will Hall and Martin Hutt

Read more on Global Citizen: https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/

The one-off gig was put together by Sensible Events and had a stellar line up of guests including Roger Taylor, Mike Rutherford, Paul Carack, John Issley, Mike Sanchez and compere Andy Fairweather Low supported by a ‘house band’ of some of the leading session musicians the UK can offer.

Brooker’s voice and pianist skills were the single defining constant of Procol Harum’s fifty-year international concert career. He also collaborated with some of the best in the business. He played,wrote and sang for Eric Clapton’s band and with Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings, toured with Ringo’s All-Starr’s, and contributed to solo projects for Paul McCartney and George Harrison.

The setlist covered off many Procol Harum tracks as well as numbers from the guest artists. Interspersed throughout the set were video tributes to Gary from a host of friends and colleagues, including Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney.

Solotech supplied an L-Acoustics system to provide the audio coverage throughout Guildford’s G-Live theatre. 10 x L-Acoustics K3 cabinets per side were flown left and right, with KS28 subs groundstacked to provide the sub bass. A pair of DiGiCo SD12s deployed either end of the snake for monitor and FOH mixes.

On stage Solotech opted for d&b audiotechnik M4 monitors powered by D80 amplifiers, with twelve channels of Shure PSM1000 for in ear monitoring.

Remembering Gary Brooker raised funds for Gary’s preferred charities, The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity and Cure Parkinsons. Solotech supplied all the audio equipment for free, asking only that the transport and crew costs be covered.

Andrew Zweck from Sensible Events was delighted with the service from Solotech, commenting: “Thank you for donating the cost of your equipment, which made a huge difference to the bottom line for the charities. The contribution from your team was first class and helped create an event of which everyone is really proud.”

Robin Conway, Senior Account Manager at Solotech commented, “We were delighted to support this prestigious event in aid of such worthy causes. It was a pleasure to work with all the artists and production team for what turned out to be a fantastic night. Special mention should go to the following people:

Production Team
Sean Busby-Little – Production Manager
Kevin Hopgood – Production Manager
Bree Ishikawa – Production Assistant
Mike “Bunny” Warren – FOH Engineer
James John “JJ” – MON Engineer

Solotech Crew
Alejandro Palada – Stage/Mons Tech
Olly Bridgewater – Stage Tech
James Collee “JC” – System Tech

Royal Marsden Cancer Charity

Cure Parkinson’s

For the recent UBS Arena show in Elmont, New York, Solotech showcased its proficiency by deploying the L-Acoustics K2 PA system. With 16 boxes on the mains, 12 on the side, and complemented by KS28 subwoofers, Solotech ensured a flawless rendition of centuries-old classical compositions in a modern arena setting.

Solotech’s crew chief/system engineer, Alexandre Dugas, emphasized the company’s integral role in Rieu’s tours, stating, “It’s always big shoes to fill.” The long-standing collaboration between Solotech and Rieu signifies the seamless integration of traditional musical artistry with cutting-edge audio technologies, making each concert a memorable performance.

As Solotech continues to evolve its tour packages for adaptability and efficiency, the enduring partnership with Andre Rieu stands as a testament to the company’s commitment to delivering top-notch audio solutions on a global stage.

For further details, read the full article on Mix Online.

Source: Mix Online (November 20), Around the World with Andre Rieu

Contact: media@solotech.com

The production team aimed for a robust and reliable sound system that could handle 40 channels accommodating Burna Boy, his core band, an 11-piece marching band, and a 10-piece choir. A sophisticated range of the Shure Axient Digital Wireless System equipment was selected and deployed by Jamie Skey, hire project manager – live productions at Solotech, and Valentin James, RF technician at Solotech.

Jamie Skey said: “Having extensive experience with Shure wireless products in the field, I was confident we could achieve exceptional performance, even in the congested RF environment. Shure’s Axient Digital Wireless System was the only solution considered by the production engineers for this high-profile production.”

Adapted form an original article in LSI Magazine – read the full transcript here