Russia - Some 62 miles to the west of the Urals, in the federal district of the Volga, lies the city of Ufa, capital of the Russian republic of Bashkortostan. The largest Russian Orthodox church in the city is around 100 years old and capable of accommodating congregations of up to 1,500. The building has a colourful history, having functioned, variously, as a prison, an aircraft workshop, and a cinema in the course of the communist period.

Now the church has been renovated from the ground up and equipped with a new sound system from Electro-Voice. One of the most awkward factors for the acoustic engineers here was the reverberation time, with RT60 beneath the central dome extending to several seconds, severely compromising intelligibility. However, Ufa-based First Install Company, confident in the assistance of Electro-Voice's Russian partner Ruton S, was undaunted by the chall

Ireland - Pearl AV is the first customer to snap up the new V-1600HD Live Video Switcher from the Roland Systems Group. Pearl's new unit went out to work on the day it arrived, and, within weeks, has become an integral element of the company's HD platform.

"Our visuals department are delighted to welcome the V-1600 to our HD product range," says Pearl's MD and founder Frank White. "The mixer integrates perfectly with our existing HD projection stocks; we were the first company in Ireland to purchase HD 18K lumen projectors, and now, with the V-1600HD, we can offer true HD vision mixing seamlessly from source right through to our hi-brite screens."

TheYouth Citizenship Awards, produced as a TV programme starring guest performers Jedward, provided a solid test for the V-1600HD in its first few weeks. Pearl's production team, led by technical director Paul Cav

UK - POLARaudio has announced that with immediate effect it has been appointed exclusive distributor in the UK and Ireland for CobraNet interface provider Attero Tech.

Indiana-based Attero Tech LLC designs and manufactures a range of in-wall CobraNet input and output interfaces that allow integrators to provide clients with cost effective solutions in distributed audio systems. Attero Tech's range of microphone/line level input and output panels offer robust connection to CobraNet networks and are designed to work together or with third party manufacturers devices.

Polar audio's technical director Jon Dew-Stanley commented, "Polar Audio is delighted to represent Attero Tech in the UK and Ireland, the products complement many of our current brands such as XTA, MC2, Australian Monitor and Biamp, assisting us to provide and design UK integrators with intelligent and cost eff

USA - After more than 40 years together ZZ Top continue to tour worldwide. In 2010 they continued the long tradition of Bandit Lites, also 40 plus years old, as their illumination supplier. Tour manager Pablo Gamboa, production manager Rob Kern and long time lighting designer Chris Stuba all worked with Bandit VP Michael Golden through the year to "deliver Texas to the world".

Stuba's design involves VL 3000 Spots, VL 3500 Washes, VL 2500 Spots, MAC 2000 Washes, Atomic Strobes, Color Blasts and Grand MA consoles. Bandit Jeff Archibeque travels the world keeping continuity to Stuba's crew, wherever the show may be.

(Jim Evans)

India - Allen & Heath's Indian distributor, Sun Infonet, recently completed a series of training sessions in three key locations - Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Calcutta - targeting customers who are ready to move from traditional analogue to digital solutions.

"I thought there was a very good knowledge of digital and IT solutions, and several engineers who had operated competitor digital consoles were keen to come and compare their experiences," comments Allen & Heath product manager, Leon Phillips.

The seminars were split into three areas - ZED, GL and iLive/iDR - attracting over 100 attendees selected from Sun Infonet's customer base comprising live PA owner/operators, dealerships and installation contractors with broadcast experience.

"Digital mixing is in its infancy in India," says Sun Infonet's director, Neeraj Chandra. "However, enthusiasm is high

Switzerland / UK - The members of Take That are lending their support to Hear the World, alongside more than 40 high -profile celebrities, helping to raise awareness about the importance of hearing and the consequences of hearing loss.

With the original line-up recently reunited, following the return of Robbie Williams, the hugely successful pop group are the latest names to support Hear the World, a global initiative launched by hearing system manufacturer Phonak, and will join stars like Jude Law, Elle Macpherson, Annie Lennox, Sting and Peter Gabriel.

As part of their support, each celebrity has been photographed by musician and campaign photographer Bryan Adams holding the Hear the World pose - with one hand cupped behind their ear to convey conscious hearing.

"Hearing is something that we rely on every day, even more so being musicians. To lend our support to this

Italy / Denmark - At a press conference in central London last night, RCF Group's Arturo Vicari introduced Peter Johansen as the new head of R&D at Italian lighting manufacturer SGM. The founder of Martin Professional, Johansen returns to the lighting industry after an absence of more than a decade. Based in Aarhus, Denmark, and joined by eight of his former R&D team, Johansen will oversee parallel development of a series of conventional discharge moving lights and LED fixtures.

The Dane says he had no intention of re-entering the lighting industry once his 10-year non-compete contract had expired; however, after meeting Arturo Vicari, managing director of the RCF Group (of which SGM is a part), the deal was struck. "I could see they would be great guys to work with - but I only agreed to join SGM on the understanding that I could get my old team back," said Johansen.

USA - The world's first installation of the Meyer Sound MINA line array loudspeaker is to be found in the Tupelo Music Hall in White River Junction, Vt., a live concert venue which opened in early October.

"The sound in the room is incredible, really," says Tupelo Music Hall owner Scott Hayward. "For example, last night Marc Cohn was trading licks with his guitar player and it was astonishing the detail you could hear. It was like being on the stage no matter where you were in the room."

Connecting audiences with music is the founding purpose of Tupelo Music Hall, a 4,000sq.ft space inside a former railway freight depot. New acoustically treated walls and original hardwood flooring enclose a space devoted to the ultimate experience of live music.

"For rooms like this, Meyer Sound absolutely nailed it with MINA," states Scott Tkachuk, system desi

USA - Full Sail University in Winter Park, Fla. launched a bold new educational initiative earlier this summer with the opening of Full Sail Live, a 22,000sq.ft multi-use performance venue. At the heart of the facility's technology is a flexible, 65-cabinet Meyer Sound reinforcement system that can be reconfigured for concert, spoken word presentations, or cinema and multimedia surround applications.

For director of audio programmes Dana Roun, the selection of a Meyer Sound system was driven by a careful balance of technological and educational considerations. "The audio system had to be second-to-none in performance and versatility," he notes. "We had to satisfy every imaginable scenario, from full-tilt, high SPL concerts to precise acoustic music, plus guest speakers, surround visual presentations, and theatre in the round. The Meyer Sound system certainly deliv

UK - The drpgroup has realised its challenge to complete 30 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects in its 30th anniversary year. The business has also managed to implement 30 environmental improvements to its activities, benefiting both the company and the clients it works with. The drpgroup launched 30 separate challenges of each kind at the beginning of 2010 with the 30 CSR projects and 30 environmental improvements the driving force behind the whole 30th anniversary initiative. The aim was to complete all the '30s' by January 2011, but the team have delivered on the challenges with months to spare, says the company.

The 30 CSR projects were completed following the sponsorship of and participation in the annual Springboard Awards for Excellence due to take place this November. Throughout the year the drpvideo team has slept rough to raise awareness of homelessness for

USA - The Texas Rangers hauled in a massive Daktronics mobile LED display and hosted a fan-appreciation rally just days after losing the 2010 World Series to the San Francisco Giants.

The video displays, provided by GoVision , Daktronics rental partner, were at the centre of the celebration, offering hundreds of fans in attendance a larger-than-life view of the participating players and coaches, as well as highlights from the season.

GoVision brought in three huge mobile screens for the festivities, including its massive 19' x 33' 'GoBigger' unit - the world's largest mobile LED screen, featuring Daktronics HD-16 LED video technology. The company also brought its 9' x16' GoBig and 9' x 12' GoTron units, to make sure every fan had a front-row-worthy view of the celebration.

"Like everyone else across North Texas, we were riveted by the Rangers' postseason run, and absolu

Singapore - Robe and Anolis lighting fixtures have been specified and installed into three separate busy clubs in Orchard Tower, 400 Orchard Road, a well known landmark on the Singaporean night scene for those who enjoy serious pole dancing and drinking culture.

The three clubs - Queens, Crazy Horse and Top 5 Disco - all owned by Helen Yap, have all recently had their lighting upgraded to keep pace with the latest technology. This has been specified by technical manager Dave Rock who has been involved with various venues in Orchard Towers for the last 25 years.

In Crazy Horse, Yap specifically wanted the dancefloor illuminated, so Rock looked at the options and received some demos, including from Louis Teo of Lighting & Sound Distribution, the local Robe and Anolis distributor. He wanted a quality, energy efficient lightsource that would produce rich deep colours, and chose An

USA - Since its inception, the Woodruff Arts Centre in Atlanta has grown into one of the most dynamic centres for the visual and performing arts in the South. Today the centre includes the Alliance Theatre, High Museum of Art, Young Audiences, 14th Street Playhouse and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. The Alliance Theatre, now in its 42nd season, is nationally acclaimed and the recipient of the 2007 Regional Theatre Tony Award.

Clay Benning, resident sound designer for the past 11 years uses Dante Virtual Soundcard and a Dante-MY16-AUD card for productions on the Alliance Stage and on the smaller Hertz Stage. Using the Dante Virtual Soundcard he can now bypass a FireWire connection, using Ethernet instead, which future-proofs the solution and in turn saves money in the long run.

The Alliance's setup includes an Apple Mac Mini, running DVS and Figure 53's Qlab v2 software, and t

Panama - The Rommel Fernandez Stadium in Panama City is considered the most technologically advanced stadium in Central America. Seating 32,000 spectators for soccer games and other sports and live events, the recently-opened stadium boasts a wide-array of professional AV equipment to enhance the consumer experience.

Technomad supplied 35 Noho C loudspeakers as part of a multi-zone audio system designed and installed by systems integration firm Extended GM of Panama City.

The goal, according to Hernan Gonzalez O'Farrill, president of Extended GM, was to design a robust, user-friendly audio system that offered various coverage options for full or partial sound reinforcement depending on the event. O'Farrill and his team conducted a venue-wide analysis in advance of equipment selection, collecting the necessary calculations to ensure uniform sound through the venue.

"We n

Europe - Rock band Supertramp has embarked on the Supertramp 70-10 European tour to celebrate its 40th anniversary. The band is performing greatest hits from 11 studio albums with the help of an L-Acoustics K1 line source system, provided by German rental company and Rental Network Agent Sirius Showequipment.

The L-Acoustics system consists of 24 K1 boxes with eight K1-SB subs, 36 V-DOSC and 12 dV-DOSC cabinets,18 SB28 subs and a stage monitor system of 115XT HiQs, all driven by LA amplified controllers in 14 LA-RAKs. Such a versatile system means that the configuration can change depending on the requirements of the venues hosting the tour's 35 concerts.

For example, at the Olympia Halle in Munich, 12 K1s and four K1-SBs were flown per side, with three dV-DOSCs beneath each for down-fill. The system also included two hangs of six SB28s, an additional six SB28s as groun

China - DiGiCo mixing consoles are currently enjoying increasing success in China. Following on from their key role in the opening of the iconic Canton Tower, further DiGiCo mixers are making an impression elsewhere in the country.

Situated in Guangzhou, the same city as the Canton Tower, the Intown Live House is a live music venue and bar which hosts a wide range of music. Rightway Audio - DiGiCo's China distributor, who used an SD8 and SD9 on the Canton Tower opening ceremony - introduced the venue's owner, Pan Zhibing, to the DiGiCo SD9.

"It's a special venue and we paid great attention to the design of the audio system," says Rightway Audio's Stanley He. "Mr Pan used to work in the audio industry and so knew what he wanted from the system. The console had to be powerful and flexible, but also very compact. He immediately knew that the SD9 was the right choic

USA - Family Church of the Southern Tier, located in Jamestown, NY, recently moved from its original, small sanctuary to a new worship hall. For the new facility, the church chose Turner Specialty Contractors to install an entirely new audio, video and lighting system featuring an Aviom Pro16 Digital Snake and A-16II Personal Mixers.

A presentation by the local Aviom sales rep from McFadden Sales sold Randall Turner, owner of Turner Specialty Contractors, on the Aviom Pro16 digital snake and A-16II Personal Mixers, which he purchased for Family Church of the Southern Tier and is considering for other projects. The speedy installation of the snake, ease of use of the personal mixers, and overall reliability of the entire system also made a positive impression on him.

"The Aviom Pro16 digital snake is a very trustworthy system," says Turner. "The best part is, the

Germany - Rental companies, Bavaria-based Rain Age and North West Rheinland's Go Audio Rental, have augmented their inventories with Midas PRO6 live audio systems purchased from Midas' German distributor Mega Audio.

"We have been long standing Midas fans since first using the XL200 and XL250," says Rain Age managing director Pascal John. "We still have two H3000s on our books and now we are delighted to invest in Midas digital."

Rain Age head of audio and lighting, Martin Heining, has been eager to acquire a PRO6 since first seeing one at Midas' Kidderminster factory in 2008. "It didn't even have a name then," he says, "but I knew it was the future.

"In our opinion," Heining continues, "the PRO6 will become a worldwide audio standard. Rain Age provides high class audio, and we wanted to be one of the first German rental compa

USA - RTS Intercom Systems (a brand of Bosch Security Systems) reports that it will receive two awards at the upcoming National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) 62nd Annual Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards.

RTS, who received their first Technology & Engineering EmmyAward in 1989, will receive the new awards at a ceremony to be held on Thursday, 6 January at the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

Launched in 1948, The Technology and Engineering Emmy Awards honour development and innovation in broadcast technology and recognise companies, organisations, and individuals for breakthroughs in technology that have a significant effect on television engineering.

"We are absolutely thrilled to be recognised at this highest level by our industry colleagues," says Ralph Strader, business line manager for Telex & RTS Intercom. &q

UK - The Reproduced Sound 2010 conference (or RS26) will take place 18 - 19 November at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff, around 2 hours by train from London and easily reached from Heathrow. The conference will concentrate on design-team challenges and the interdisciplinary approach necessary to successfully integrate highly specialised design services into a fully ambitious project. The design team Principles will be on board, along with a great range of contributors and activities.

Highlights include of the event will include:

- Key note paper from Leo Beranek

- Paper from Jonathan Adams, the Architect of the Wales Millennium Centre

- Paper from Jeremy Newton, the Acoustic Consultant

- Gareth Fry on designing sound for the theatre

- Trevor Cox on "Sonic Wonders of the World"

- An intimate performance of Beethoven's Piano Concert No. 5, played by co

USA - The Touring Company Store is a new retail concept in the SoHo area of Manhattan. It's a retail store selling indie designers products in addition to some conventional fare in an environment that looks and feels like the backstage of a concert area. It is also "an advocate of independent designers, musicians, artists, filmmakers, and all other forms of independent self expression". The store management recently selected a sound reinforcement system from D.A.S. Audio.

Luis Lojo, an independent sound engineer and system designer based in the New York area, was contracted to design and install the store's new loudspeaker setup. After reviewing products from a variety of manufacturers, Lojo and the Touring Company Store management ultimately selected a system drawn primarily from D.A.S. Audio's Variant catalogue.

The new sound reinforcement system consists of six Va

UK - Bandit UK CE Lester Cobrin and the team in Bedford have had their hands full with some major events of late. The 2010 Horse of the Year Show, The 2010 Alternative Hair Show and UFC 120 were all on the schedule.

The Horse of the Year Show is Europe's largest annual celebration of equine events. It has been an annual event since 1949 and in 2002 it moved to the NEC Arena, Birmingham.

Nadia Raibin of The Production Team engaged lighting designer Ben Fox and Bandit to supply this event. The assorted kit chosen by Fox included hundreds of 1K flood fixtures, four light units, MAC 2000 Profiles, MAC 2000 Washes, VL 3000 Spots, Source 4 lekos, Pixel PAR's, Avolites dimming and Whole Hog 2 consoles. The primary console operator was Mark Strange, while crew chief Peter Parchment along with staff Steve "Ruslig, Mez Storrod, Benet Parchment and Vic St

USA / UK - Fans racing to be among the first visitors to the new NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina will discover cutting-edge AV technology supporting the interactive motor sports attraction. Working with an aggressive schedule, Electrosonic provided AV systems for the Belk High Octane Theatre and more than 100 exhibits as well as interior and exterior giant video displays and supporting sound systems.

The 150,000 sq.ft NASCAR Hall of Fame opened in May to commemorate the history and heritage of NASCAR. Designed to educate and entertain race fans and non-fans alike, it features numerous interactive exhibits, artefacts, a Hall of Honour, 278-seat Belk High Octane Theatre and NASCAR Media Group-operated broadcast studio.

The Electrosonic contribution to the NASCAR Hall of Fame helps bring fans closer to the sights and sounds of the sport from the Belk High Octane

Germany - Professional loudspeaker systems manufacturer Fohhn Audio will show its Linea Focus electronically steerable, active line array systems at the 26th Tonmeistertagung in Leipzig's Congress Centre (25-28 November).

Since its launch in 2009, the Linea Focus series has proved popular for both mobile and fixed installation applications, particularly in environments with challenging acoustics. The design of the loudspeakers enables their vertical sound dispersion characteristics to be directed towards specific audience areas and remotely controlled in real time, from a central location, without any need to mechanically alter the speaker's position.

The Linea Focus family currently includes four models ranging from the LFI-120 with 8 high-performance speakers, 8 separate amplifiers and DSP processors, through to its top-of-the-range 4.5 metre LFI-450 featuring 32 speakers, 3

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