USA - Many Communities, One Voice is a music, arts and community festival and much more. It seeks to heal, empower and unite Baltimore through the celebration of arts and culture. The free, outdoor festival was held at the Highway to Nowhere,Route 40, at Franklin and N. Gilmor, with five stages of music, art, dancing, food and fun.

On the Roots Festival 2011 the main acts were Talib Kweli, Chuck Brown, Anthony David, and Sunni Patterson.

Atlanta Audio Visual supplied the TT+ system to the main stage. The system comprised RCF TTL55-A's with six pieces per side and with four TTS56-A subwoofers on each side.

"Atlanta Audio Visual's main rig for large outdoor events is the RCF TT+ system and with six TTL55-A and 4 TTL56-A per side at the Roots Festival, the clarity and warmth of the system could be heard throughout the entire festival grounds," says Taylo

Canada - Necessary Angel Theatre Company's production of Racine's Andromache, part of Toronto's prestigious Luminato Festival, was more soundscape design commission than conventional theatrical sound design, and made prominent use of a TiMax2 Soundhub audio delay matrix to fully engage the audience in the emotion of this anti-heroic tale.

The immersive soundscape was central to director Graham McLaren's intense interpretation of the story's highly original treatment by collaborating writer, Evie Christie.

The job of sound design was entrusted to UK-based sound artist John Wynne - whose past works notably include a large installation that became the first work of sound art in the Saatchi collection and won the artist a 2010 British Composer Award for Sonic Art.

Wynne created an energetic soundbed which included a virtually continuous backdrop of atmospheric drones as w

Portugal - Midas has appointed Boomerang as its new distributor for Portugal. The newly-formed company has been set up by Carlos Cunha, formerly a director of Midas' previous distributor Electrosound, with more than 30 years' experience in pro audio.

"Midas and Klark Teknik are brands I have the highest respect for, due to the long experience I have with this company, and the team of excellent professionals and friendly people that work there," says Cunha. "Midas produces the best mixing consoles in the world so I am very proud to be part of this team again. It is a great pleasure to be back with my old friends after a short interval of time."

According to Cunha, Boomerang has been formed with the pressures of today's market conditions in mind. "Today, a company needs to be very efficient and cost effective to be competitive enough to survive," he

Australia - Located on the corner of Roe and William Streets in Northbridge, the State Theatre Centre of Western Australia features the 575 seat Heath Ledger Theatre and the flexible performance space, Studio Underground, capable of seating 200+. Also included in the centre is The Courtyard, a multi-purpose outdoor events space, two rehearsal rooms and two flexible use private suites.

Designed by award-winning Kerry Hill Architects, the design delivers a building which not only provides a functional and inspiring venue for performers and their audiences, but is also a defining architectural landmark for Perth.

Jands supplied and commissioned all the technical equipment throughout the venue except for the in-house audio installation, which was supplied by Jands, but installed by Perth-based Vizcom Technologies.

The Heath Ledger Theatre is a traditional proscenium arch stage,

USA - Omaha is a city that loves its baseball and despite the lack of a major league franchise, there's nothing minor league about the new TD Ameritrade Park. The $128m stadium, home to the Creighton Bluejays and the NCAA's premier event, the College World Series, has brought a major league baseball experience to the city.

The 2011 College World Series took place last month for the first time in the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship's new 24,300 seat stadium. It is among the game's most technologically advanced, with modern features including microphones embedded in home plate and the pitcher's mound, the second largest video board in the state of Nebraska, and a sub-air system within the playing surface that can either heat or cool the field.

The venue is also outfitted with high-tech sound reinforcement and broadcast cabling systems designed by Austin, TX-based BAI and i

Australia - Industry members from all over Australia flocked to Darling Harbour in the thousands last week to visit ENTECH 2011, the trade show for the latest pro audio, lighting and audio visual equipment.

Unaudited figures released this week by ETF, the show organiSers, indicate that there were 4562 unique visitors to ENTECH 2011 with 393 of them coming back for a second look during the three day tradeshow.

"We are very pleased with these recording breaking results, they surpass our previous best show in 2004", stated ENTECH's event director Robby Clark. "The co-location with SMPTE was a huge success with exhibitors at both shows seeing the positive impact on visitor numbers."

The value of ENTECH as a must-attend industry event is clearly recognized both nationally and overseas. Approximately 20% of visitors to the show were from interstate and a furthe

Belgian manufacturer APart Audio is to give several new products their UK début at PLASA 2011. The new lineup is headed by the OVO cabinet speaker series that, says the company, combines budget with quality sound. Available in low impedance as well as 100 Volts, and ready to fit in any décor or interior style, OVO can be used in covered outdoor applications and exists in three sizes : three, five and eight inch.

Also new is the MA247 100V mixing amp, which replaces the MA246 and adds 24V dedicated priority output per zone and folder selectable MP3 playback.

CMAR is a new range of three low-impedance in-wall/in-ceiling marine speakers, designed especially for use in the most humid and hot conditions including yachts and saunas.

CHAMP-3D remains the flagship of the 2011 line up. The three-channel fully programmable digital amplifier adds a built-in DSP, fully parametric

UAE - Melody House, distributors of HK Audio speaker systems in the United Arab Emirates have recently supplied another 16 cabinets of the CT108 to Dubai based rental firm Delta Sound which provides support to major production and equipment rental companies from their base in the UAE and also now from their new branch office in Doha, Qatar.

In addition to the stunning opening of the Atlantis Hotel, George Michael, F1 concerts in Abu Dhabi and numerous corporate events the company was involved in the epic grand opening of the Burj Khalifa.

"The CT108s have received great response from the market for their compact size and quality," commented Dino Drimakis, business development manager at Melody House. "We expect the HK Audio brand to have a greater presence in the Middle East live sound market because of this great reference."

(Jim Evans)

Europe - XL Video Group Holdings has secured major new investment for the XL Group representing 19m Euros.

Gimv-XL, an independent European investment company with over 30 years experience in private equity and venture capital projects is listed on Euronext Brussels. It has taken up this opportunity of becoming a new shareholder in the XL Video Group, which includes XL's global video rental enterprises and also its LED and product design and manufacturing arm, XL Technologies.

Says XL's CEO and co-founder René De Keijzer, "We are all very enthusiastic about the new partnership and the opportunities that Gimv coming onboard will bring. It will allow us to make major investments in new technologies in the immediate future, which will benefit all our clients and end-users. Longer term, it will allow us to strengthen our position in the marketplace and move forward wit

MilTec (UK) Ltd will be showing a host of new audio and lighting products at PLASA 2011, including the latest in its range of LED luminaires, the LEDHead EPW multi-function LED moving head.

The LEDHead EPW uses the latest LED technology to give a moving head with true spot and wash capabilities, says the company. The 60W white LED light engine, colour wheel, two gobo wheels and rotating prism provide the spot functions.

Wash lighting is provided by eight high powered tricolour LEDs situated at the front of the unit. This allows both functions to be used independently or simultaneously, expanding its applications for creative lighting design. In addition to these functions, the tricolour LEDs are arranged in four zones to provide visual effect capabilities.

PLASA 2011 1-F1

EAW will be showing its new additions to the MicroWedge series of stage monitors at PLASA 2011. The MicroWedge8 (MW8) and MicroWedge10 (MW10) are a small-format continuation of the MW line. Although even smaller than the compact MW12 and MW15, EAW says the MW8 and MW10 offer volume levels and voicing that rival full-size industry-standard 12-inch and 15-inch monitors.

The MW8 and MW10 are suitable for mid-to-high-volume rock/alternative performers, houses of worship, theatres, edge of stage-fills, corporate shows/events and presenters. They are also designed for front-of-house or monitor engineers looking for a live monitoring option on the console meter bridge.

The MW8 is the smallest in the MW line of products, featuring an 8-inch woofer, while the MW10 features a 10-inch woofer. Both units' coaxial designs pair the respective woofers with a 3-in (diaphragm) coaxially-mounted HF co

Robert Juliat will be showing its Aledin 630 LED profile and the new Aledin 330 LED wash light - the latter for the first time at PLASA 2011. The new, variable beam angle, 85W LED Aledin wash light is a complement to the award-winning Robert Juliat Aledin 630 LED profile spot.

Initially aimed at television studios, Robert Juliat says broader interest in the Aledin wash is growing, with exhibition halls and theatres also choosing to take advantage of its qualities.

Lionel Garraud, Robert Juliat sales director, says: "The feedback we are receiving is that customers find the Aledin wash a very powerful LED product which is easy to daisy chain and produces a clean, even beam. The dimming is very smooth with no 'stepping', its strobe feature is useful for concert lighting and the choice of colour temperature lends itself well to exhibition work. The result is a very versatile unit th

DYMO will show the latest in its Rhino industrial range of handheld labelling machines at PLASA 2011. Designed specifically for every application in datacom, IT, pro AV and other industrial environments, the labelling tools' features include hot key technology to make the job both fast and easy.

The company cites benefits including performing labelling jobs with 77% fewer keystrokes than the competition, hot keys to eliminate guesswork, quick formatting of common labels, a pre-programmed library of terms and symbols, memory storage for up to 1,000 custom labels, quality craftsmanship and integrated shock bumpers, and customizability for adding graphics and logos to labels.

The labels are also designed withstand moisture, heat, solvents, oil, dirt, chemicals and UV rays without smearing, fading or peeling, and the machines feature lithium-ion rechargeable batteries for fast charging a

South Africa - One of South Africa's leading professional lighting sales operations, DWR Distribution, enjoyed a successful Mediatech Africa 2011 exhibition, the country's biennial trade show for the professional live events and production technology industry.

It is the third time that DWR has participated in the 3 day exhibition, for the second time staged at the Coca Cola Dome venue in Northgate, Johannesburg. The show presented a diverse set of related seminars and discussions running in parallel, and on the Thursday evening, the annual TPSA Awards, presented by South Africa's Technical Production Services Association.

DWR won a Mediatech Platinum Award for the Best Booth Design, with the panel of independent judges hand-picked from international media attendees noting that they had made very efficient use of the space, creating an action-packed environment that highlighted

Turkey - Istanbul has become home to the latest incarnation of Billionaire Club, the upscale nightclub brand owned by Italian tycoon and Formula One entrepreneur Flavio Briatore.

The club, located inside Istanbul's fashionable Edition Hotel, recreates the same combination of cuisine and after-dinner entertainment that originated at the first Billionaire Club on the jet-set getaway of Costa Smeralda in Sardinia.

Inside, the space has been conceived as a glimmering disco ballroom accessed via a dramatic staircase that descends into the main. Guests entering the space are immediately struck by the lighting - a composition of Clay Paky Alpha Wash 300s and Spot HPE 300s, and architectural LED lighting.

The concept here is one of absolute luxury, designed for the local jet-setters who flock to the club for the vibe as well as the music performed by top international DJs. French in

South Africa - A new sporting awards event - the Sport Awards Gauteng 2011 - was staged at Emperor's Palace in Kempton Park, Johannesburg - an initiative by the local Gauteng government to reward and acknowledge those in the province who excel at various sports. It was broadcast live on the Supersport 4 satellite TV channel.

Lighting designer Nicholas Michaletos' rig contained 80 Robe moving lights, which were the core of the lighting, supplied by locally based MGG productions - plus a large generic rig - all of which was programmed and run by MGG's Kevin Rieck using a grandMA console.

The lighting design was based around a set and production design by Wayne Sproule of Pendragon Dezign. He gave Michaletos a very clear idea of what he wanted in terms of lighting aesthetics, and the result was a slick and smooth fusion of classical theatrical and televisual styles.

The set pro

UK - June saw Capital Radio host its third Summertime Ball at London's Wembley Stadium. With a complex wireless specification to deal with, event sound company Adlib Audio's close working relationship with Sennheiser ensured that everybody heard only what they were meant to.

Adlib are long-term Sennheiser users, exclusively using the company's in-ear monitor systems, plus an extensive inventory of microphones and radio wireless systems.

"The RF is rock solid, Sennheiser UK offers really good support and works with us post-sale, as opposed to just leaving us to it," says Adlib director Dave Kay. "Having a company with a UK-base which really knows how to get the most from the product is great.

"They really get involved in educating users. Every year we hold a two-day training session with them. They provide excellent training and, in return, we provide the

UAE - Nicolas Kyvernitis Electronics Enterprises, distribution centre for Shure in the Gulf has recently supplied Dubai based rental firm Mediakraft with wireless microphone systems from the UHF-R series.

The deal includes receivers and transmitters from the top of the line UHF-R series. More importantly, Mediakraft have purchased the new UR4D+ receiver, which allows them to cascade up to 10 units without the use of an antenna distribution system.

"The UR4D+ and the UR4S+ are the latest update to the highly popular and successful UHF-R series from Shure," commented Shajahan K K, Shure product manager. "Mediakraft have recently open their new office in Doha, Qatar and have invested in additional channels to supplement their inventory there."

(Jim Evans)

LTH GmbH will show a number of products at PLASA 2011 including the new SquareLED Luminizer 12x 15 Watt RGB Striplight, an RGB outdoor wallwasher for architectural lighting with a protection classification of IP 65. Equipped with 12 15W RGB LEDs, LTH says its light output is extremely high. Specially designed optics with a 32°beam angle produce a homogenous light field from 10cm from the ground. Power supply and control, including automatic mode, DMX-512, master/slave and sound-active mode are integrated in the unit. Fanless convection cooling allows silent operation.

Also on show is the new SquareLED Bajazzo CMY Colour Changer, which provides eight DMX channels and a CMY color mixing system with independent dimming function. A forced air cooling enhances system stability and durability, with digital setup of address code. The product, which carries multiple design patents, can be

Adam Hall will show the new Gruv Gear V-Cart Solo, a multi-position personal utility cart that offers to ease the task of loading and unloading equipment with a 230 kg load capacity, has four different positional modes and folds down to a compact and easy to store form.

The cart, says the company, is designed for creative professionals, including musicians, DJs, photographers, cinematographers, filmmakers, studio engineers, audio/video techs and stage crews.

Patent-pending features including the multi-position handle and sliding support arm were designed and engineered for ergonomics, strength, stability, maneuverability and ease of use. The V-CartSolo comes with a range of accessories including flat bungee bands, grip tape, carpeted puzzle decks and an extra-large extension frame.

The cart quickly transforms from its compact and portable storage mode to three configurations: four-

Jezet Seating will launch a new version of its Plaza Plus model at PLASA 2011. This auditorium seat has an anti-panic writing tablet integrated in the armrest and is suitable for both retractable and fixed seating systems.

In common with all of its seats, says Jezet, the Plaza Plus is characterised by an ergonomic and comfortable design. The seat is designed for installation in auditoria, theatres, cultural centres and exhibition halls, and is available in various finishes.

The company has been a supplier of retractable seating systems, seats for theatres, auditoria and sports halls for more than 35 years. From its Overpelt, Belgium, base it handles the development process, from preliminary studies to the end product, completely in-house, delivering made-to-measure solutions to ensure, it says, that every individual space is laid out in the most functional and flexible way possible.<

LD Systems will be showcasing its new Dave8XS at PLASA 2011. Available in either black or white, this portable multimedia system is equipped with a 150W RMS 8" band pass subwoofer and two 100W 4" satellites.

The system is designed for use in a variety of multimedia applications including home recording, studio monitoring, PC speaker setup and small public facilities such as pubs. The A/B class amplification module integrated in the subwoofer delivers a high output that powers both the sub and satellites.

An integrated limiter keeps the system safe from overloading and will guarantee a long operational lifespan. Situated on the side of the sub is an On/Off switch, a 180° phase reverse and a separate subwoofer volume knob, allowing the user to find an optimum sound balance. The satellites feature a mic stand flange allowing a quick installation and configuration of your s

Making their PLASA Show début, FBT's EvoMaxX speakers feature new neodymium woofers, more powerful Class-D amplifiers with switch mode power supply, and a digital signal processor with four presets to provide quick equalisation contours.

Claiming "amazing value for money" for the product, FBT says the EvoMaxX's polypropylene cabinets feature a monitor taper design to suit them to front of house for a main sound system, as stage floor monitors or within permanent installations.

The series consists of four powered and three passive models which vary in woofer size but all feature a 1-inch B&C HF driver, apart from the EvoMaxX 9Sa powered 15-inch subwoofer.

The cabinets feature Class-D 400W LF and 100W HF power amplifiers with switch mode power supplies in a lightweight design with passively cooled circuitry. The filter algorithms include dynamic equalisation at low f

UK - With vagaries of the British climate offering plenty of rain from above and mud from below, festival stages provide one of the toughest environments for wedge monitors. But the confidence of rental company APR Audio in the new DAS Road Series meant that they had no qualms about giving them their world concert debut at three major UK festivals.

Seen for the first time in a concert situation at London's Feis, the John Peel Stage at Glastonbury and the Hop Farm festival in Kent, the trust that APR boss Andy Reed put in one of his engineers was richly rewarded.

"We had never used DAS before, but Sennheiser UK's Nick Pemberton suggested that we have a look at them," says Reed. "My monitor engineer Fabrizio went over and said to me 'Take these on, they're going to be great.' I took him at his word and they've been way above our expectations."

The powered R

Latest Issue. . .