Sound

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New features of the latest version of the rental management software package include a whole set of new clear icons, built-in support for backup and restore of data and reports, saving of the last used sort-order and sorted column in all List-tabs and Finder-windows, a new facility for multiple contacts per company, default country and telephone settings and much more.

For a full run-down of all the latest features from RMS22, visit the company website at the address below.

(Lee Baldock)

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Audio-Technica officially opened the doors of Technica House/AstroStudio, the company’s newest office complex, on November 13, 2001. Local officials, friends and key representatives from Audio-Technica’s corporate headquarters and subsidiary offices worldwide attended a dedication ceremony that included a gala party, a tour of the AstroStudio facility and a speech by Audio-Technica Corporation president Kazuo Matsushita.

Located in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, the eight-story building has a unique architectural design based on a giant transducer, symbolizing the importance that A-T places on listening and responding to the needs of the audio community. As well as the impressive office environment it provides, Technica House also features AstroStudio, a world-class Dolby 5.1-ready surround recording, mixing and monitoring facility.

Speaking at the dedication ceremony, A-T corporation

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BBC Television is to broadcast five programmes this week which will feature interviews and behind the scenes footage from various West End shows. A Week in the West End will be broadcast daily at 3.30pm on BBC2.

(Ruth Rossington)

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Capital Sound Hire has added a pair of Allen & Heath consoles to its hire stock. The London-based rental company bought the mixers - a 32-channel ML3000 VCA mixer and a 40-channel GL4000 - through Ray Bradman of Bonza Sound Services in Surrey, with whom Capital has had a close relationship for around 20 years.

Within hours of delivery the ML3000 went straight out onto the road to perform monitor duties for critically acclaimed drum 'n bass outfit Kosheen, whilst the GL4000 made its debut front-of-house on tour with former Level 42 front man Mark King. Both consoles are now scheduled to go out on David Essex's Theatre of Dreams tour, starting on March 15th.

Capital Sound Hire's project manager Martin Connolly explains why he chose the A&H consoles: "What we needed were dual purpose compact mixers that could go out on smaller jobs at either end of the multi-core. I am expecting th

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The organisers of Entech, the leading entertainment technology exhibition for the Australasian market have reported increased attendance for last week’s three-day show. Darling Harbor proved a popular destination for Entech, with greater interstate attendance (up 8%) and more local visitors. International visits were static, with decreases from destinations other than Singapore (up 10%) and New Zealand (up 5%). Audited actual attendance was up, a record 5,143 trade attended, in addition to 1,272 exhibitor personnel.

The Entech Awards dinner once again sold out, held again at the Metro in George Street. A complete list of winners is attached. Voting was done on the trade show floor, for the first time, in addition to votes garnered from all those who nominated products and people. The Award for Best Lighting Product at the show went to AVR for the Arc Screen; Best Audio Product at

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The new EVP-S Series from Wharfedale Pro is the second generation of the company’s successful EVP Series. At the heart of the EVP-S series is the all new WP-M44 high performance compression driver. Coupled to this is a sophisticated crossover design with built in dynamic limiter/protection. The addition of two new high performance stage-monitors further enhances the family. The EVP-S series gains additional valuable features in the new waveguide/horn, ergonomic handles, a recessed-protected input plate, metal stand adaptors, plus the new 15SB ST stereo input subwoofer with internal low-pass, high level sub woofer processing giving stereo PA systems cost effective and powerful low end extension in a compact and cost effective package.

(Ruth Rossington)

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Following the success of its previous open days, direct marketing company Smart Sound Direct has confirmed Saturday 28 April as the date for this year's event, to be held at Airport House, Purley Way, Croydon, Surrey.

Visitors will see DJs demonstrating Smart Sound Direct's full complement of PA enclosures, monitors, power amps, mixers, rack-mounted effects and accessories. Exclusive to the show will be the launch of a new SmartLight range of lightweight speaker cabinets. These include bass bins which, when coupled with a power amp and mixer from the SmartLight line, provide one of the lightest portable and compact PA packages available. Visitors will also be able audition a variety of innovative products, including the CP8SP (according to the company, the only compact 1000W RMS sub-bass currently on the market) and the 'neighbour-approved' guitarists' gizmo, the Lockwood Isolation Bo

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The new EVO speaker system from JBL Professional has been installed at the high profile Teatr Komedia in Warsaw. The theatre, built in the 19th century, is one of the busiest and most successful in Poland, primarily due to its popular and accessible programme of entertainment.

The theatre was looking for a dynamic and highly precise sound system that would be applicable for a wide variety of shows. They approached JBL’s Polish distributor Polsound, with whom they have worked previously and arranged for a demonstration of the system. Impressed by what they heard, the technical team gave the go ahead for the design, supply and installation of the EVO/JBL system which was overseen by Polsound’s Wojciech Puczynski & Pawel Danikiewicz.

Four EVOi.324 speakers are used for the main auditorium left and right arrays. They are joined by two JBL Marquis Series MS28s for centre fills

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Following the sudden death last month of its founder and managing director Bob Salt, RW Salt Communications has announced the appointment of its new general manager, Craig Buckley. In a statement from the company, RW Salt’s chairman, Richard A Lyon, said: "It is to Bob’s credit that even though he was taken away so unexpectedly, he left everything in good order, which has enabled our company to function very well indeed."

Lyon also welcomed Buckley to the company. Buckley, who is well known to many in the audio industry, joins RW Salt from Bose, where he had worked for 10 years, recently as national sales manager.

(Lee Baldock)

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AMS Neve has recently signed an initial one-year sponsorship deal with the Music Producers Guild (MPG). The aim of the sponsorship deal is to help further the profile and work carried out by the MPG and to maintain AMS Neve's awareness amongst the producer community. AMS Neve supplies analogue and digital mixing consoles and hard disk recorder/editors to facilities worldwide.

The MPG is an association made up of over 300 record producers, recording engineers and programmers. Andy East, MPG chairman says: "AMS Neve's sponsorship package is another significant development for the continued growth and future of the MPG. It underlines our commitment to the membership in aligning ourselves with an established and highly respected manufacturer that recognizes our members' contribution to the recording industry."

As part of their commitment to education, the MPG will continue t

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The recent Pop Idol and the current Johnny Vaughan show have been two of the UK's top music entertainment shows over the past months, and just part of the client roster of newly-formed TV sound suppliers, Plus 4 Audio. In order to continue to service its clients’ needs, the company has recently invested in three Klark Teknik DN1248 Plus microphone splitters supplied by Marquee Audio, with a fourth to come at the end of the month.

Plus 4's Stewart Chaney explains why he decided to create the company. "Quite simply I was frustrated at the lack of high quality audio facilities for TV, particularly in the music and entertainment sector where the need is particularly pressing. Having come from a rock and roll/corporate environment, both of which are extremely well provided for, I wanted to create the same service for the market I now work in, which is TV broadcasting, and so Plus

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Entering a high-profile competition to win a superb HK Audio Projector PA system as recently run by Music Mart magazine certainly paid off big time for one lucky reader. Trying not to look too stunned as he collected his sound reinforcement haul was Farnborough-based winner, Richard Payne. Richard, 21, who works in customer services in an energy management company, is a big fan of the south of England’s techno scene, and had been saving hard for a deposit for a decent PA system when he received the good news.

Richard collected an £8999 3.6kW self-powered active Projector system from the head office of exclusive HK Audio UK & Eire distributors, John Hornby Skewes & Co. Ltd. Richard is already making plans for his new system, including getting it out working on the South’s techno circuit, and setting it up on a pitch at Glastonbury 2002.

(Ruth Rossington)

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Following the demise of Out Board Electronics Ltd, which entered into voluntary liquidation in November 2001, the ‘assets, name and goodwill’ of the company have been purchased from the liquidators by the company’s original founder and inventor of TiMax, Robin Whittaker, and former commercial director, Dave Haydon.

Whittaker and Haydon have incorporated a new company called Sheriff Technology Ltd, which will trade under the ‘Out Board’ name. The new company will focus its core business on TiMax and its applications, as well as future peripheral and related audio and media technology development and marketing. The company is establishing manufacturing and marketing joint-ventures in chain-hoist motor control, PAT testing and AC distro in order to maintain and develop market support and growth in these technology sectors.

For its core audio control produc

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Northamptonshire County Council is the first Council in Britain to have a Virtual Audio Network. The system, CDS-VAN, has come from Brähler ICS UK Ltd, as has a microphone and voting system, CDS-200. The latter was chosen to improve both the overall management of meetings and the audibility of the proceedings. The Council Chamber is now equipped with 74 councillors’ units. Each of these has removable directional microphones with in-built speakers to enhance audio reproduction. And the chairman’s unit has a priority button which gives it an override facility.

The system, supplied through Willow Communications of Northampton, was selected after an extensive evaluation process that involved other manufacturers, its unobtrusiveness and user friendly operation securing it the contract. The CDS-200 includes an integrated digital voting system. To signal a vote, delegates simply

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Britannia Row Productions (BRP) has added Jim Alexander to its ranks. Alexander is that classic of the industry, a former ENTS man from his time at college, who now specializes in the corporate event market.

"Although my first steps in audio were with live bands, it’s always been my ambition to service the corporate sector and do it properly," said Alexander. "I left college and immediately worked with a local PA company in Crawley who had an F2 system. A little hairy for a first system, I soon learned the fundamentals of sound control." A few years later Alexander established Forefront Audio with Jim Mills from Blue Box, determined to make the jump to corporate presentation. "Unfortunately, as with so many fledgling companies, we couldn’t service the jobs and provide the infrastructure and support they required simultaneously. We were either mixing

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Incubus are currently enjoying a sold out world tour, coinciding with the runaway success of third album, Morning View.

The lighting designer for the tour is Joe Paradise, who took the bold step of choosing an all-Martin MAC moving light rig - there’s not a generic light in sight! So far, 16 MAC 600s, four 500s, eight 300s, ten 250s and four 2000s have been Paradise’s tools, arranged between two trusses and the floor, operated by Paradise using a WholeHog II console.

In the supply seat are the US and UK operations of Bandit Lites, who are providing lighting for the whole tour, which kicked off on September 14th and also takes in Japan and Australia before returning to play three months’ worth of arenas in the US. Paradise is a hands-on LD and currently it’s just him and Bandit US crew-member Geddy Kordyjaka in the lighting department, although the system was

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Shure unveiled its new Performance Gear Microphones at this year's Winter NAMM. The line, which is due to ship in the first quarter of 2002, is ideal for both the first-time buyer and the musician looking for reasonably-priced, application-specific microphones. Comprising six models designed for vocals and various instruments, all Performance Gear microphones come packaged with cables and mounting accessories to provide plug-and-play simplicity, as well as rugged reliability for onstage performance. As a complement to its individual models, the Performance Gear line additionally includes a pair of drum mic kits, both of which come in their own carrying cases.

Vocal models include the PG48 and PG58. The PG48, created for speech and karaoke, has a cardioid pick-up pattern and a smooth frequency response. For more demanding vocal applications such as lead and back-up vocals, the PG58 offe

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I half expected there to be fleets of Parka clad spotty youths on spangled scooters outside the venue. The billing alone was enough to evoke a mid sixties revival - the Who? Watford Town Hall? Surely not?

L&SI does not take lightly the privilege to exclusively witness this unique event, many thanks to Bill Curbishley (manager), Mick Double (production manager) and Tom Kenny (lighting designer) for their kindness.

In essence this was one of two warm-up venues for the Who’s brief residency at the Albert Hall - but of course, it was also so much more than that. How often do less than a thousand punters get the chance to see a band of this stature in such intimate surroundings? Feeling like the David Attenborough of R’n’R, I recognised instantly the natural habitat of this wildest of beasts, a seminal rock band in a provincial shoebox.

Mick Double joined the band as

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Cologne-based audio rental company, Toneheads, has bought a pair of Allen & Heath ML4000 mixing consoles for use on the hit comedy television show TV Total. The programme is produced by Brainpool for the ProsiebenSat.1 network and stars cult German TV personality and former Eurovision contestant, Stefan Raab. A 48-channel ML4000 console provides the house mix and broadcast feed, whilst a 32-channel version fulfills monitoring duties.

Their experience of using the consoles for TV Total has given Toneheads the confidence to invest in another two ML4000s. These additional mixers will be used in the production of two more successful ProsiebenSat.1 programmes, Wochenshow and Elton TV. The consoles were supplied by Expotus, the exclusive Allen & Heath distributor in Germany. ML4000 is a 23-buss live sound console with eight VCA groups, eight audio groups, 12 aux sends and an 11 x 4 matrix.

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The Arcimboldi Theatre - temporary home to the La Scala Opera company whilst its famous home is being renovated - has found itself in the news again just weeks after opening.

A glass panel, one of 100 designed to improve acoustics at the venue, fell onto seating during a recent performance of the ballet Excelsior. Fortunately, the seats beneath were empty, cleared because technicians felt uneasy about cracks that had started to appear in some of the panels. Inevitably, this has led commentators to speculate on the safety of the theatre, which was constructed in just over two years in order to be ready for the start of the 2002 season. The theatre is currently closed whilst further investigations takes place.

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Symetrix, one of the leading US-based manufacturers of signal processing, recording and broadcast equipment, has named Jim Latimer director of sales for both the Symetrix and Lucid lines. Latimer, who joined the company in 2000 as director of sales, pro audio, will apply his comprehensive understanding of the professional audio market with a commensurate knowledge of the recording, installed sound and MI markets. Prior to Symetrix, he was national sales manager for MI and Broadcast with Sonic Foundry.

(Ruth Rossington)

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Alessandro Safina - christened by the press as the ‘singing George Clooney’ - made his US television debut recently on Thirteen/WNET New York’s Great Performances: Only You, produced by David Horn.

An opera fan from his childhood days, the Tuscan tenor has already performed across Europe in Puccini’s La Bohème and Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, but is also a confirmed U2 fan. With musician/composer Romano Musumarra, known for his work with Celine Dion, Safina has developed a new ‘pop-opera’ genre and the show, also featuring Mexico’s Patricia Manterola, captured the artist under the warm Sicilian stars in the breathtaking setting of Taormina’s ancient Greek amphitheatre.

The international team involved in the shoot before a live audience, included LD Patrick Woodroffe, production manager Robbie Williams and sound designer Daniele T

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Coe-tech has provided all lighting and sound equipment for Aqua - a new independent club concept, the first of which has recently opened in Grays, Essex. The equipment was supplied through IFC and the installation company DIVAS. Owned by Lee Darcy, Aqua is water themed, fusing the oceanic sights, sounds and atmospheres of bubbles, mermaids, fish and fun.

The dancefloor lighting scheme - devised by Coe-tech’s design team headed by Nathan Wan - was crucial to the venue’s visual identity. The walls and columns are painted a pastel blue, complete with stencilled bubbles - and are ideal for gobos and projection effects. The lighting brief was to produce a liquid and flowing feel for the room, and low ceiling height also played a role in the choice of fixtures.

Wan chose 24 Coemar I-Spot 150s (which were launched at PLASA 2001), one of the Italian manufacturer’s new stabl

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Metool Products Ltd, one of the UK’s largest manufacturers of flexible cable handling systems, has purchased the Cable Reeling Division of Sturge Industries Ltd of Dudley, West Midlands.

Sturge winders and reels are designed for a wide range of critical electrical and power applications, including inflammable and other dangerous environments where EX certified products are mandatory. Typical applications include electrical hoists, overhead cranes and mobile control systems, inspection lighting and portable power tools. Sturge slip-ring cable reels are specified for low-current/standard cable requirements in non-hazardous environments and where space is limited or the payout length is shorter.

Malcolm Dade, managing director of Metool commented: "This is an important addition to our range of reeling technologies in the electrical engineering market and a further step in ou

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