France - EVI Audio France recently hosted its first Midas and Klark Teknik academy at the Eurodisney resort near Paris. At the event new product lines were introduced to the 50 participants by service department manager Jean Marandet and managing director, Cécile Dehlinger. The session started with a brief introduction to Klark Teknik's history, presenting all the products that have established the brand throughout the years. Jean Marandet then introduced the Helix Digital EQ System, highlighting the dedicated managing software RCS (Remote Control System).

"The audience was very impressed by the ease of use of the software and its full compatibility with Midas consoles," says Marandet. "The set-up, consisting of a Heritage 1000 and a DN9340 linked together by a laptop using wireless technology (WiFi), was functional in no time and configured live according to req

UK - Metropolis AV has completed the sound lighting and AV specification, supply and installation at the latest Sports Café in Liverpool, following projects in Manchester, Leeds and Glasgow plus two refurbishments for the chain.

Each Sports Café entertainment system is custom designed at Metropolis. Company chief design engineer Shane Winterbourne explained it has developed a specific technical formula across the Sports Café venues, primarily so: "Managers can go into any site and work the AV systems."

Metropolis supplied, installed and commissioned the house dimming and effects lighting, which includes 13 Robe Spot160 XT moving lights and 18 Par 64s, controlled via a LightProcessor Power Station 18 channel dimmer and a QCommander 512 desk. Winterbourne comments: "Effects lighting for the Sports Café is designed to be easily operated and robust. The system i

UK - Following on from the success of last year's Human Resources Seminar, PLASA (the Professional Lighting and Sound Association) is presenting a one-day workshop that will focus on giving practical advice on key employer responsibilities and employee rights. The seminar will also highlight future changes in employment law, including legislation relating to flexible working, work-life balance and parental rights. The session will be delivered by HR specialist Clive Payne, and areas covered will include key elements of the employment contract; disputes resolution and discrimination issues; family rights; and the impact of what's new and on the horizon.

Throughout the workshop opportunities will be given to discuss real issues and to evaluate your own situation and the processes currently used in your workplace against legal requirements. Places are limited due to the practical a

Australia / UK - In a surprise move, Tom Misner - president and founder of the multi-national SAE (School of Audio Engineering) Group - has announced the acquisition of the leading console manufacturer, AMS Neve. Misner, an audio technologist, visionary and educator in the music field, has maintained a strong industry association and has been a user of Neve consoles for the past 30 years. AMS Neve's MD Mark Crabtree said: "We are very happy to now be part of such a strong global organization." He added: "With the full support of the SAE Group it will enable us to increase our market share and above all accelerate the introduction of our new product range."

SAE Institute will now be providing through its network in over 45 colleges in 20 countries AMS Neve broadcast/music/film and post seminars for past and new clients. This will be a first of a kind service o

France - Since 1889, the Moulin Rouge has played host to some of the world's most famous and spectacular shows. Immortalized by Tolouse-Lautrec and used as an inspirational backdrop in literature and cinema, this international star factory has been graced by stars of the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Liza Minnelli, Frank Sinatra, Elton John, Edith Piaf and many more. The Moulin Rouge's two sell-out shows, every night of the year, feature traditional costumes of sequins, rhinestones and goose feathers, fantastical stage sets, original music and of course beautiful women recruited from all over the world after a rigorous selection process.

Féerie was launched to celebrate the new millennium and narrates the Moulin Rouge's fascinating history. With 1,000 costumes, 100 artists, six ponies and five pythons, this new show features circus acts and traditional choreography, as well

USA - Look Solutions' high performance Unique hazers were used extensively for the filming of War of the Worlds, the latest Steven Spielberg film, which opens 29 June. The Uniques were used to create a hazy atmosphere in the sci-fi feature, based on the classic H.G. Wells novel. "The Unique's high output and fine controllability made it the obvious choice for this customer," said Doug Weber, president of Theatre Effects, the Cincinnati-based company that supplied the machines. "In fact, its excellent reliability record, combined with its price, compact size, and the fact that it's water-based, has made the Unique pretty much the only hazer we sell nowadays."

The film stars Tom Cruise and is a modern-day version of the classic story, set in New England and truer to the original novel. It's said to have required 500 effects shots, more than any other Spi

USA - Veteran front-of-house engineer John Cooper is using Lake Contour and Lake Mesa Quad EQ digital processors to maintain a consistent day-to-day sound system performance as Bruce Springsteen's five-week solo acoustic tour winds its way through Europe. The award-winning Cooper, well known for his work with The Judds and other Audio Analysts clients, is using two Lake Contours for the main left/right PA speaker set-up with a Mesa Quad EQ optimizing the nearfield and side hang systems.

Cooper, who has been in the business for nearly 30 years, has apparently become an instant fan of the Lake Technology processors. "I have immediately fallen in love with them," he comments. "It's definitely the best tool for my job." The engineer, who also mixed the mammoth world tour promoting Springsteen's 'The Rising' in 2002/2003, is looking forward to adopting Lake Contou

UK - The Royal Albert Hall (RAH) is one of the world's best-known venues, and the task of providing sound reinforcement in such a prestigious hall is a sobering responsibility amply shouldered in recent years by Woking-based Sound By Design (SBD). As part of their ongoing development of sound services available in the RAH, SBD has installed an assortment of Meyer Sound self-powered systems - highlighted by a new centre cluster of M2D compact curvilinear array loudspeakers - as well as upgrading the existing permanent loudspeaker installation in the building.

After an intensive assessment period, the company took delivery of the package of M2D cabinets to complement its existing stock of M1D ultra-compact curvilinear array loudspeakers. A new three-hang centre cluster was designed, consisting of eight central M2D units with outer hangs of eight M1Ds each, all driven by LD-3 compe

USA - Coldplay's video for its latest single, Speed of Sound features Versa TUBE units from Element Labs. In an unprecedented application, nearly the entire video shoot was done with LED lights from a total of 700 Versa TUBEs. Filmed on a massive sound stage, the video features a delicate, half-crescent back wall composed of 640 Versa TUBEs placed on approximately 6" centres. Since the TUBEs were used without diffusion sleeves and the surrounding structure is quite minimal, the lights appear to be suspended in mid-air.

Production designer Mike Keeling of Project X and director Mark Romanek put together this singular look."The idea here is having the band on this raw stage and everything is done in silhouette with lighting and key lighting," Keeling explains. "Once we embarked on it, Mark and I just decided to do the entire video in LED lighting. That w

UK - Yorkshire-based Yorkshire Audio Ltd is the latest company to invest in Audient's acclaimed Aztec live performance console. Owner Bob Collinson had used Aztec on many occasions and thought it time to purchase one for a forthcoming tour, so this month he collected a new 48-channel Aztec Touring Edition. Collinson notes: "I had used Aztec on a number of gigs and loved it every time. When looking recently for a new large format console, I noted that Aztec had turned up of many riders last year and its evident success made it a very sensible option for my hire inventory."

UK sales manager, Nick Pemberton completed the sale. "As a person with Yorkshire blood in me, I understood what Bob wanted from his console: quality and flexibility, without it breaking the bank. Aztec fits the bill perfectly. As one of the finest sounding console available, Aztec's "no nons

UK - HSL Productions has supplied full lighting rigs for both performance areas at the ABC, Glasgow's newest live music venue. ABC, situated right downtown in a charismatic building on the City's famous Sauchiehall Street, is owned by Scottish promoters Regular Music and PCL, and the Workers Beer Company. It features a 1,250 capacity main room and a 350 capacity second room plus VIP bar, and plugs the gap for a medium sized, highly specified live venue in central Glasgow.

Venue general manager Malcolm (Malky) Blair, a well known figure on the Scottish and UK music and touring scenes says, "We wanted a really excellent production facility to encourage bands and performers to play without needing to bring in their own rigs". As it's a multi purpose venue as well as a live music space, ABC will feature several regular club nights, so versatile lighting was also top of the

USA - The San Francisco Hilton Hotel and Towers has added an Allen & Heath MixWizard WZ3 16:2 mixing console to its special event audio production equipment, which already includes a 24 mono/8 stereo input Allen & Heath GL4000 and a 24-channel GL4. The hotel chose the MixWizard for its compact size, flexibility and ease of set-up. "We're getting quite a fleet of Allen & Heath desks now and I'm excited about using the new MixWizard," said ballroom engineer, John Fagan. "It's a real space-saver; we bought a case with it as well, so it goes in, tilts up, and off we go! That's what it's all about now, a quick set-up and a quick strike."

The San Francisco Hilton Hotel and Towers offers a wide selection of ballrooms and conference spaces to handle its busy events schedule, from the 30,000sq.ft Grand Ballroom - which seats 3,300 in a theatrical configuration - down

UK - DiGiCo's dedicated theatre console, the D5T, formed a major part of LSI Projects' stand at the recent ABTT show in London. As a supplier and system integrator of sound, lighting, audio-visual and suspension equipment for a diverse range of markets, LSI Projects has recognized the need for a high-end digital mixing console for the theatre market, and believes that DiGiCo's D5T has provided an ideal solution for them. "LSI Projects is one of the number one installation companies in the UK, Middle and Far East for the theatre installation market," says DiGiCo's sales director James Gordon. "They have been specifying our products on a number of projects recently and we're extremely pleased to welcome them into the DiGiCo family."

(Lee Baldock)

UK - Mojo Barriers UK supplied all of the stage crowd barriers to the 2005 Download Festival at Donington. 50,000 heavy rock fans descended on Donington to 'rock out' to over 60 bands featuring Black Sabbath, Velvet Revolver, Slayer, Slipknot, Feeder and Garbage.

Mojo Barriers UK director Jim Gaffney managed the project and liaised with Clear Channel's festival manager John Probyn and site manager Andy Pearson to agree an effective barrier design to create a safe environment for the exuberant fans. Jim explained: "There a lot of factors to consider when deciding on the best barrier configuration for the show. We have done lots of shows at Donington, as has John (Probyn) so it was great working with someone who had some great ideas whilst listening to our advice. The music/audience type and slope of the ground (left to right) were the two over-riding factors in deciding on t

USA - Folk legend John Prine made his first live performance as a singer/songwriter in Illinois in 1946. Over the course of his career, he has released eight studio albums and penned such classics as Please Don't Bury Me, Fish And Whistle and Souvenirs. His music has also inspired other artists like Bette Midler, Bonnie Raitt, Tammy Wynette and Johnny Cash to release their own versions of Prine tunes.

Much to his fans' delight, Prine recently went back out on the road to support his new album Fair & Square, the first studio album of new material in over nine years. Joining him for the Fair & Square 2005 tour is veteran live sound mixer Dan Lance of Nomad Productions, who has offices in Dallas, Texas and Nashville, Tennessee. Lance, whose mixing career began in 1982 with Showco, has worked with a wide variety of professional performers including Barbara Mandr

UK - Wisbech based 5 Star Cases Limited has a major investment into additional CNC machining facilities. 5 Star is one of Europe's leading case manufacturers and has seen steady growth since its formation over twenty-one years ago. The company has been using CNC in its production facilities for almost six years, since its first installation of a Thermwood model 40.This machine has been the heart of the company's CNC machining systems along with two aluminium extrusion-notching saws. Due to continued growth and healthy order book, a second Thermwood 40 has been ordered with the Indiana, USA based manufacturer and will be installed in mid August."This is a major investment for the company but will hopefully demonstrate our commitment to our customers and retain our position as a leading case manufacturer" explains Andy Hudson, 5 Star's production manager. "Due to rece

UK - Front-of-house sound engineer Geoff Hooper is using a JBL VerTec VT 4889 line array system for Elvis Costello's current UK tour - a decision made as they stepped up a level in terms of production and venue size. Hopper has used VerTec for the three years he's been touring with Costello in the US, where the venues vary from 700 capacity clubs to 4000 capacity theatres and arenas. With several large concert halls on the itinerary for this UK leg of the tour, VerTec was the obvious option.

Costello knows exactly what he wants from a sound system, making the task of engineering simultaneously challenging and rewarding: "I interfere as little as possible with the distinctive Costello sound coming offstage," says Hopper. "I know I can get a great 'natural' sound out of the VerTec, and that's a primary reason it's my choice of system," he says.

Costello's flo

USA - In May, TMB shipped the 100th ProPower Rack Panel Distribution (RPD) System. The system was sold to Ed & Ted's Excellent Lighting, Inc. in support of an intensive summer of concert and corporate events, commencing with the Eminem North American Tour.

TMB's ProPower RPD features a comprehensive range of cULus Listed panels. Included are virtually every type of connector, voltage range, or special purpose power distro device used in the live event and entertainment industries. Over 150 panels are available, with more being added regularly. Panels and their positioning in the rack are selected by the user and the RPD system is built exactly as specified. RPD rack systems are normally shipped within ten days, completely ready to use. In addition to Power Distribution panels, an entire family of panels has been engineered using the ETC SmartPack dimmer modules and ProPlex Data

France/UK - Owned by Bruno Bertrand, Audiopole is a long time distributor of pro audio equipment for a number of leading manufacturers. The company recently found it had a gap in its product range that the MC2 brand could fill.

"When our previous amplifier brand stopped being made, we were on the lookout for a manufacturer offering innovative products to fit both fixed installation and touring applications," comments Bertrand. "These market segments need high powered, compact and reliable amplifiers that few manufacturers can offer today at a high quality level.

"After checking the new E series, we decided that MC2 products fit those needs exactly. Moreover, having been in touch with Ian McCarthy several times, we know the company has a profile that can offer innovation, flexibility and a friendly relationship. We are very happy to see that sales have start

Germany - Audio specialist Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG concluded financial year 2004 with worldwide sales of EUR 261.7 million, which corresponds to an increase of 10.3 per cent on the previous year. Sennheiser say that in addition to the positive development of the economic climate, this success can be attributed to the company's consistently high investments in production technologies and research and development; other contributory factors were decisive improvements to its logistics processes and efficient marketing strategies.

The Sennheiser Group, which in the year under report consisted of the parent company plus four domestic and 13 foreign subsidiaries, and the joint venture Sennheiser Communications A/S, raised its sales by EUR 24.5 million in 2004 to a figure of EUR 261.7 million. Profits increased to EUR 13.2 million, which already takes into account a special

UK - Electro-Voice's chic designer EViD loudspeakers are the ideal fit for the new refurbished interior of Birmingham's leading gay club, The Nightingale, where Matthews Electronics of Birmingham has just completed the installation of high-end sound and lighting systems throughout the venue.

The Nightingale is a unique managed business owned by its members, reinvesting its profits into the business. Now 35 years old and in its fourth location, the venue has recently undergone a £3/4 million redevelopment, evolving into a 'style bar and nightclub', open seven days a week.

Set over three floors, The Nightingale has capacity for 2,000. With live PA on the ground floor, and another large dance club on the second floor, the first floor in the middle features the new B5 Bar and Restaurant, together with a piano lounge and café bar with swanky leather sofas, chunky tables and big l

UK - ETC has always had a busy, but not large, stand at ABTT and this year Mark White, manager for UK and Ireland, decided the company needed a bigger area to demonstrate its wares. This meant a move into what has traditionally been one of the show's quieter halls, but ETC's presence soon drew the crowds say the company.

The main attraction was ETC's Congo lighting control console - field project manager Jeremy Roberts was so busy doing demonstrations that he hardly had a break during the entire two days. Other products drawing attention were the Source Four Revolution, SmartBar, SmartFade and SmartPack Wallmount with SmartLink and wall stations. However, ETC also said that visitors to the stand were equally delighted with a very British glass of Pimm's No.1, mixed by ETC project manager Iain Quinn.

(Lee Baldock)

USA - Interpol, New York's most talked-about rock band, has been touring in Europe with a JBL VerTec system, souped up with BSS Audio's FDS-366T Omnidrive Compact Plus's. The FDS-366T was used as the main crossover unit for the VerTec's low mid-hi cabinets and for the subwoofers that made up the system.

Playing mid-size venues with 1500-3000 capacity, the European dates of Interpol's tour were serviced by British PA company, SSE Hire. Tim Fraleigh, system technician on the tour, praised the sound quality of the BSS unit, especially the facility which allows the engineer to EQ the system beyond the crossover settings.

The FDS-366T's are equipped with the V1T tunings using WHISEWORKS-NTM filters, first pioneered with VerTec by SSE during last years Metallica tour.

(Sarah Rushton-Read)

Spain - When Spanish soccer giants Real Madrid decided to renew their old sound system at the famous Bernabeu Stadium they turned to pro audio specialists Gaplasa/DBM Pro ES, who recommended a Denon/Marantz playback solution.

As one of the best football teams in the world Gaplasa's José Maria Penalba rationalized the club deserved nothing less than the best in sound quality too. "However, it was not only a question of offering them top quality equipment but also the best engineering team and service," he emphasized.

After listening carefully to the club's needs, the D&M Professional Spanish distributors were able to meet all system requirements from the company's catalogue. The background music is now delivered from a Marantz Professional CC 4300P 5-disc CD changer, designed for commercial use. Also installed is a Marantz Professional CDR510 Live Event CD Recorder.

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