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The Black Cat team was delighted to attend the Music Mark online conference last month.

Music Mark's first ever virtual conference, Play On: the Music in Music Education, went live to music educators across the country and beyond on Friday 20th November. Hosted by YolanDa Brown, talented speakers and panellists came together for a day of online networking, learning and discussion.

Exploring the theme of putting the ‘music’ into music education, the Music Mark team brought together essential sessions covering genre, composition, accessible notation, and practical CPD for teachers, as well as discussions about diversity and how to address the challenges and opportunities of the current period. Black Cat was pleased to attend the conference and to exhibit in the Virtual Exhibition.

Black Cat Music is proud to be exclusive UK distributor for Wenger in Europe and Russia, supplying music education equipment ranging from Wenger music stands, orchestra chairs, staging and choral risers, choir and band folders, instrument storage cabinets and acoustic treatments to the UK music education sector.  Black Cat is also UK distributor for Studiobricks sound-isolation booths - ideal for rehearsing and recording music in schools, colleges, radio stations and professional recording studios.

For those who were not able to attend the conference on 20th November, a post-conference ticket is now available to book until 14th December. This will allow those who may have missed out on a ticket to our live event to log-on to the conference microsite and watch all of the conference sessions as recordings until Christmas. In addition to the session recordings from the Main Channel and Webinar Channels, you will be able to access the full Virtual Exhibition, the On Demand videos and the Resource Bank.

Successful British Voice Actor Gabrielle Baker invested in a VO edition Studiobricks booth a couple of years ago and describes it as ‘the best business investment I’ve made!’  Gabrielle described the booth as ‘a fantastic product’, which has had a real impact on the amount of work she can produce: ‘The quality of the audio I record has meant that my productivity has increased ten fold and I have full confidence that live sessions with clients will give them the professional quality they require’.

A highly respected and experienced British Voice Actor with her own studio at her home in Kent, UK, Gabrielle works in all genres of voice over and narration with clients around the world.  Gabrielle was a finalist for a Voice Arts Award in 2016 in Los Angeles and has gone on to be a best-selling audiobook narrator.

Gabrielle recently moved house, and was able to take the Studiobricks booth with her to her new home.  Gabrielle reports: ‘The booth is so well designed and easy to build that during my recent studio move my husband and I were able to deconstruct and reconstruct the booth seamlessly and without any damage.  This means that investing in a VO Edition booth is an investment for life, once purchased it’s yours forever’.

Gabrielle adds: ‘The customer service from Black Cat Music was fantastic.  By chance they were close to me so I was able to visit their premises and see, touch and test a vocal booth.  The order was managed by Black Cat Music from start to finish and at all times communication was great.  I was kept fully up to date with the delivery and also a follow-up to make sure I was happy with my new vocal booth. 

Gabrielle concludes: ‘I cannot recommend both the VO Edition Studiobricks booth and Black Cat Music enough.  A great product and fantastic customer service.  What more could I ask for?’

Here are the first ‘hot-off-the-press’ pictures of the acoustic panels which we installed at London South Bank University’s Edric Hall Theatre this week – we are all delighted with the results!

London South Bank University’s Edric Theatre is a dedicated theatre and rehearsal space for drama, performance and technical theatre students. With its reconfigurable 90-seat auditorium, seven studio theatres, rehearsal spaces and backstage facilities, the Edric Theatre is a wonderful space for rehearsals and performances – both for students, and for commercial theatre companies.

The theatre had recognized a need to improve the acoustics in the much-loved Edric Hall, so Black Cat Music & Acoustics was brought in to make the improvements.

The team installed elegant, curved Acoustic GRG acoustic panels – and the result is a beautiful-looking ceiling providing dramatically enhanced hall acoustics.

The whole team is really pleased with the new look and feel of the hall and we wish London South Bank University many successful rehearsals and performances for years to come.

British voiceover artist Ben Wake is wowed by his Studiobricks VO booth!

Recently nominated for 4 awards at the One Voice Awards 2020 including UK Male Voice Over Artist of the Year, Ben’s career has gone from strength to strength. Having a good recording space is essential to his work, so he made the decision to invest in a Studiobricks Voiceover booth - and was delighted with the results: "All I can say is WOW!! I invested in the Studiobricks One Plus VO Edition having seen it at the One Voice Conference in London, as a Voice Actor my recording space is integral to my job and this does not disappoint."

Ben was impressed with the design of the booth: “The engineering involved in the construction is incredibly clever and the design makes assembly pretty easy.”

Ben delivers a whole range of voiceover work from serious narrations to TV and radio commercials and infomercials. Ben’s VO booth and equipment needs to be the right quality to support Ben’s versatile range of styles. The Studiobricks booth does just this: “The booth looks incredible and it sounds even better.” Ben added: “Absolutely faultless service from both Black Cat Acoustics and Studiobricks meant it was built, shipped and received in an incredibly short time especially considering the current global climate. I love it and clients think it sounds great, really couldn’t be happier.”

About the Studiobricks VO Edition

The STUDIOBRICKS sound-isolation cabin is designed to be incredibly fast and easy to install, without compromising the booth’s excellent sound-isolating properties.

Superb sound isolation is achieved from the high performance acoustic materials in the patented panels which simply slot together. The modular, interlocking panel design makes virtually any size of room possible.

The Studiobricks VO Edition combines the benefits of the Studiobricks booth with professional VO equipment – making it ideal for voiceover artists and podcasters who need to record studio-standard material at home.

Further information and contacts:

Studiobricks UK - brought to you by Black Cat Music
Tel: 01892 619719

Ben Wake Voiceover
Tel: +44 (0) 7903235300
ben@benwakevoiceover.com
www.benwakevoiceover.com

The importance of music posture chairs for music practice

Medical experts and academic research attest to the fact that music-making is strenuous physical activity.

Without proper body support and appropriate equipment, musicians can suffer overuse injuries that inhibit learning and diminish performance. The pain and distractions caused by such discomfort can lead to disruptive behavior in younger music students. For older musicians, such irritations may discourage or prevent further music participation.

Why are proper music chairs important?

If a musician is sitting on an uncomfortable, poor-quality chair, they are going to be unhappy, playing in pain, and playing poorly. Eventually over time it could predispose them to injury. The right chair helps musicians fine-tune their instrument to sound the best and perform better.

UK voiceover artist Verity Panter opted for a Studiobricks VO booth, and is absolutely delighted with the results: “What a fantastic booth! I love the quality and went for the full VO version which is very comfortable, plenty of room to work.”

For Verity, combining her considerable talent and experience as a voiceover artist with state-of-the-art equipment was key to success in the voiceover industry. Whether inviting the listener to climb inside a warm, silky narrative or communicating important information with her crisp, clear received pronunciation, for Verity it was crucial to be able to deliver a high quality professional performance every time: “My clients love the sound isolation, both when they dial in or I send them a file. It offers great consistency for longer projects too.”

For this reason she chose the Studiobricks VO edition booth, which takes the already excellent sound-isolating properties of Studiobricks and adds the functionality demanded by busy voice-over artists and podcasters.

For Verity, the ability to install the booth herself in a matter of hours was a key selling point: “I made the decision to put it together with my neighbour, it was very straight forward and only took a couple of hours, you need to be strong though! “My Studio Bricks booth is perfect for me in rented accommodation as I can take it with me when I move house and it leaves no damage. 5 stars!”

About the Studiobricks VO Edition

The STUDIOBRICKS sound-isolation cabin is designed to be incredibly fast and easy to install, without compromising the booth’s excellent sound-isolating properties.

Superb sound isolation is achieved from the high performance acoustic materials in the patented panels which simply slot together. The modular, interlocking panel design makes virtually any size of room possible.

The Studiobricks VO Edition combines the benefits of the Studiobricks booth with professional VO equipment – making it ideal for voiceover artists and podcasters who need to record studio-standard material at home.

Further information and contacts:

Studiobricks UK Tel: 01892 619719
Web: www.acousticabins.com

Verity Panter Voiceover Tel: 0771 253 1360
Web: myvoice@veritypanter.com

Now there is no excuse for ignoring the Conductor!

Black Cat Music is delighted to introduce the Maestro Conductor’s Chair.  This elevated chair affords the conductor better visibility for the orchestra, and is fully adjustable in height and inclination.

With its adjustable seat and backrest, the Maestro Conductor’s Chair is exceptionally comfortable.  The footrest helps to give the Conductor extra support.

Height can be adjusted from 64 to 90cm, giving ultimate flexibility.

The five-foot base ensures that the chair is extremely stable.

With its elevated height, combined with superb adjustability and stability, the Maestro Conductor’s Chair will ensure the Conductor is visible to every orchestra-member throughout rehearsals and performances. 

The Auditorio de Tenerife is delighted with its new Wenger Diva acoustic shell

In September 2019 Black Cat Music supplied a Wenger Diva full-stage acoustic shell to the Auditorio de Tenerife. The shell, installed with the help of Wenger’s specialist installation team, has absolutely delighted the Auditorio, making a significant improvement both in terms of acoustics and in terms of operational processes.

Jorge Cabrera, technical production head of Auditorio de Tenerife, states that “the new Wenger Diva Acoustic Shell means for our venue one important improvement in terms of an acoustic performance, amazing esthetic and optimal stage operational working processes."

He also praises that the shell is “highly flexible, with its 8 possible specific configurations, from a piano soloist or a chamber orchestra to full orchestras & full choral formations”. “We have reduced 30% the setting up time, and obtained maximun optimization of storaging areas, and operational spaces”, he states.

Alice Dagger, Managing Director of Black Cat Music & Acoustics, reports: “We are thrilled with the success of this project, and so pleased that the shell has made a significant improvement to the acoustics and really sped up the operational processes for the Auditorio de Tenerife.”

Black Cat Music is proud to be Master Distributor for Wenger in Europe and Russia. Wenger is unchallenged as the world’s largest manufacturer of fully-guaranteed staging and music performance equipment in the world.

Diva gives a stunning backdrop that is audibly magnificent and its mobile architecture gives the appearance of a beautiful, permanent wall in a smart system that's extremely mobile and compact for tight storage. From its elegant design to its remarkable impact on acoustics, Diva takes sound artistry to a new level of excellence. It is, without doubt, the most advanced full-stage acoustical shell of its kind.

Diva’s composite-panel construction provides superior acoustical performance and Diva's ability to produce custom aesthetics at a lower cost is a Wenger exclusive. Engineered and built to the highest possible standard, the all-aluminium frame provides exclusive advantages, including longer-lasting rigidity and easy operation. Diva also gives you unique advantages of the Air Transporter, which allows one person to move Diva towers on a cushion of air.

• Modular design for ensembles to full orchestras
• Ideal for medium and large theatres, particularly those requiring high-end aesthetic coordination
• Rich full-stage acoustics for improved sound projection
• Safe, fast and easy set-up with a small crew and exclusive Air Transporter
• Built-in levelling pads
• Tower and ceiling panel framework constructed of aluminium
• Overhead panels raise and lower with theatre's rigging and can be flown in fly tower when not in use

Photograph copyrights:

©Auditorio de Tenerife/Miguel Barreto For the building images: ©Auditorio de Tenerife/Efrain Pinto or ©Auditorio de Tenerife/JR Oller

In June, Black Cat Music welcomed Nik Williams to the team. Formally a sales and product manager for Fender, Nik, a keen drummer, started his career as a percussion sales specialist for Yamaha.

“It is with great pleasure we welcome Nik” said Black Cat’s managing director Alice Dagger, “he brings fifteen years of experience in the world of music with two of its biggest brands”.

Nik too is excited. “Working at Black Cat has expanded my knowledge beyond instruments into accessories, furniture and acoustics whilst keeping me within the music industry, which I love.”

Nik looks forward to continuing and building relationships with Black Cat’s distributors and end users throughout Europe “Already Black Cat has a reputation for supplying excellent quality products combined with the personal touch” said Nik “already I feel like part of the Black Cat family” he added.