Sound

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Federal Signal has appointed Profitek as its new distributor for Norway. Bergen-based Profitek AS, which has offices in Stavangar and Oslo, employs 50 people and specializes in supplying and installing industrial communication systems to the Norwegian offshore and processing industries. Customers include ABB, Siemens, StatOil, ARCO and Norske Hydro.

Federal Signal will be using Profitek’s experience to develop regional sales of its GL loudspeakers, which can provide remote interrogation and tapping facilities. The move provides a platform to build sales of the company’s life safety communication systems, notably the Echo digital intercom and party paging system and the Aucams duplicated PA/GA system, used wherever oil and drilling companies have a need to comply with the principle of dual redundancy.

(Ruth Rossington)

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Stereophonics, with special guests Feeder, have just successfully completed a tour of European arenas employing a vast array of Shure microphones, with support from long standing UK sole distributor HW International.

London Arena was the penultimate venue for the extended UK leg of the tour where Welsh wonder boys Stereophonics and Feeder played yet another sell-out gig. Shure microphones were extensively used to capture the performances: Shure Beta58As handled all the Stereophonics’ vocals, with Kelly Jones (lead vocals, guitar), Richard Jones (vocals, bass), Scott James (vocals, guitar) and Tony Kirkham (keyboards, vocals) choosing this particular microphone due to its tight response pattern and crisp sound. Meanwhile, Stuart Cable’s drum kit was no stranger to Shure product with a Shure Beta52 being employed on kick drum, a Shure Beta57A on snare top and Shure KSM32&rsqu

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Frequently referred to as Boston Theatre District’s ‘Little Princess’, the 90-year-old, 1,600-seat Shubert Theatre recently capped off its house sound reinforcement system with the addition of a 32-channel Soundcraft Series FOUR mixing console. Local dealer Boston Light & Sound provided the sale.

The Shubert underwent a $6m restoration back in 1996, at which time an all-EAW/QSC system was installed. A 24-channel Soundcraft 800B desk that had previously been used next door at the Wang since the early 1980s was brought over at the tail end of the renovation to run the Shubert’s house system. Now, almost six years later, the theatre has finally retired its 800B, nearly 20 years old, in favor of a new Series FOUR, which is located ‘rear orchestra’ in typical Broadway fashion.

James R. McCartney, the Shubert’s union sound man for the past three ye

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The beautiful 325m long Millennium Bridge, which spans the Thames between St. Paul's Cathedral on the north bank and the Tate Modern on the south, opened on 10 June 2000 as London’s first new Thames crossing in more than 100 years. Unbelievably, it remained open for just two days before being closed to the public completely after the bridge started to sway alarmingly as large numbers of pedestrians made the crossing. Engineers to the Millennium Bridge, Arup, have since installed giant dampers to act as shock absorbers for the structure and are now in the final stages of testing the bridge prior to its long-awaited re-opening.

The biggest concern during any test is the safety of those involved. For this particular project the challenge was to devise a communications system which would allow engineers to communicate from one side of the bridge to the other in both directions as wel

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Fostex Corporation Japan has announced the launch of a website dedicated to their new family of DVD-RAM professional audio mastering products (www.fostexdvd.net). Beginning with the DV40 Master Recorder, the first product of their DVD-RAM family, Fostex is set to revolutionise audio mastering for sound mixers, post production, recording studios, broadcast professionals and more by putting their experience of timecode and portable timecode DAT to the DVD-RAM platform.

"Since DVD-RAM is going to be an important future category for Fostex, we felt that a dedicated website was a sensible communication solution," states Hiroaki Kawahata, international sales and marketing manager at Fostex Japan. "DV40 is certainly a field developed product with much input gained from our existing PD-4 and timecode DAT users in both America and Europe. The web is an ideal way for them to stay

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SoundField has built a large 5.1 reference and demo room, fully equipped with Genelec monitors at its Wakefield headquarters. The five 1030 monitors and a 1092 sub bass speaker will mainly be used for research, development and the testing of new SoundField ‘MAP’ (Microphone Array Pattern) cards, to be installed in the SP451 Surround Processor. Each MAP card can create an array up to eight microphones from the B-Format information generated by SoundField microphones.

Development engineer Pieter Schillebeeckx rigorously tested many different 5.1 systems before deciding to go with Genelec. He told us: "We are developing MAP cards for both two dimensional and three dimensional multi-channel playback. The accurate localization of sound sources is vital in our development process and after listening to a wide variety of program material the Genelec’s came out on top.&q

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Crest Audio, the US-based manufacturer of professional audio equipment, has announced new distribution arrangements for its products in the United Kingdom.

Crest Audio UK is a newly formed division of Peavey Electronics Ltd, joining MediaMatrix and Architectural Acoustics. Group marketing manager Dave Bearman welcomes Crest as a perfect fit with the other products. He has also announced the appointment of Andy Simmons as sales manager for Crest Audio UK. Andy has a wealth of experience with Crest products and will strengthen the brand’s position as a leader in the industry.

Crest manufacture a high end range of power amplifiers and professional mixing consoles, together with the Crest Performance series of power amplifiers, speaker systems and audio equipment. The entire range will be available through the new distribution channel. Although Crest Audio UK will be a separate ope

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A new face on the international trade show circuit is Le Mark's Rebecca Lace. She has joined the company as project manager with the task of expanding sales and the product profile of Le Mark’s reusable PAL Roadcase Label and accessory range within the US. One of Rebecca’s first outings came at the recent NAMM show held at the Anaheim (Los Angeles) Convention Centre in January, where Le Mark shared a stand with Penn Fabrication.

Penn has developed a unique range of steel dishes for Le Mark's label range. The dish can be specified by clients and can be built in as original equipment for all new roadcases. It is available on a worldwide basis through Penn and its extensive Dealer network.

(Ruth Rossington)

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Just a few days remain before the Institute of Sound & Communication Engineers (ISCE) ISCEx 2002 - an event designed to address those who work in the installed sound sector. The event, which takes place at the Alexander Stadium, Perry Barr, Birmingham this Wednesday (27th February), will combine a one-day seminar programme and a small exhibition. It will also feature the first ever Warren-Barnett Memorial Lecture given by Peter Mapp.

In addition to the Memorial Lecture, the main seminar programme will feature presentations on Audio for Video Conferencing by Jon Raper; Getting the Measure of Intelligibility by Peter Mapp and Helen Goddard; The Future of the VA Standards by Phil Pratt and Teaching an Old Bear Tricks by Helen Goddard and Robert Thornton.

Exhibitors at the event include AMS-Mapp Acoustics, Baldwin Boxall Communications Ltd, CIE Group Ltd, Communication Technology Ltd, D

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Central Theatre Supplies in Birmingham were the hosts of a Lighting & Sound Workshop held at Solihull Arts Complex in Solihull on 2 February. Almost 250 people from amateur theatres, drama groups and schools attended the day and were given a full insight into stage lighting and sound. Exhibitors including Zero 88, Selecon, Audio Technica, Strand Lighting, Celestion, HW International, Doughty Engineering, Stonewood Audio and Prolyte were in attendance to demonstrate their latest products and services.

The first session of the day - entitled ‘Lighting from Scratch’ - was led by Jason Larcombe of the White Light Group. This was later followed by a demonstration of effects by Ian Knight, hire manager for Central Theatre Supplies. This offered those in attendance an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the recommended practices when working with pyro. Ian also demonstrated

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North London-based Powerhouse Audio were the first production company in Europe to stock the new EAW SM84 wedge monitors. Powerhouse, who handle a great deal of the high profile corporate production work in and around London, count some of the capital’s major names among their clients. These include companies such as Virgin Records, Channel 4 Television, BBC Radio 2, The BAFTAs and The Financial Times - to name just few.

Nigel Winer explains: "We worked on a TV dance programme, 'Flava' for Channel 4. We were responsible for the production of the studio sound for guest live acts. TV producers try to keep wedge monitors out of shot where possible. One of the advantages of the SM84s is the fact that they are so low profile. We had one in shot and the rest at the other end of the studio. The beauty of the EAW wedges is that the sound is there when you need it. Hence none of the

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Marantz Professional Europe has announced a distribution deal with acclaimed UK manufacturer Mordaunt-Short for loudspeaker products suitable for use in professional surround sound and installation applications. Following careful evaluation of the newly-acquired Mordaunt-Short (MS) range, the Marantz team has introduced the Declaration THX Select System, Premiere System 300 and MS302 2-way cabinet to its professional collection.

Mark Perrins, European general manager, states: "The market is changing and we needed a high quality and visually stunning speaker range to complement our existing AV control and installation products for the boardroom, presentation and SI sectors. The MS systems sound great but they also offer a more relaxed choice of finishes to get away from the normal rugged standard."

Both pre-configured surround sound systems and the MS302 cabinet offer stylis

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Stagetec is supplying a custom-built show relay and paging system for the prestigious new state-of-the-art Laban contemporary dance centre on Deptford Creek. The £22 million project is due for completion in autumn this year, and will be the largest purpose-built contemporary dance centre in the world. The huge 7,800sq.m building, designed by architects Herzog & de Meuron, includes 12 dance studios and a 300-seat theatre. There’s also a community studio/meeting room for local schools and community groups - a media information resource centre, 100-seat lecture theatre, café and public gardens.

The project specification was put together by theatre consultants Carr & Angier, with whom Stagetec have worked on numerous other projects around the country. For Stagetec, the Laban project involves the supply and installation of the equipment, plus the design of the system and project man

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John ‘Brad’ Bradshaw, formerly of Triflite Cases (Trifibre Containers), has started a new Flightcase business called Dragon Cases based in Cwmbran, South Wales. Brad - a well-known face in the industry - started his career in flightcases at Autopia some 15 years ago. After being made redundant after five years from Trifibre in December of last year, he returned to Autopia (then renamed as Encaseit) for a couple of weeks until again being made redundant after the receivers were called in on 16 January.

Brad will be working in partnership with Nomad Cases, a manufacturer of custom-built flightcases, polypropylene cases and padded bags, based in Market Harborough, Leicestershire.

(Lee Baldock)

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Sony Broadcast and Professional UK has announced a significant enhancement to the triple award-winning DMX-R100 digital console, with the introduction of its DMBK-R109 MADI (Multichannel Audio Digital Interface) card. The interface expands to 108 the number of audio inputs that can be configured in a single DMX-R100 and supports the dual console cascade mode, providing an integrated 168-input, 112-channel, 48 fader digital mix system. Uniquely, the internal 32-bit fixed point Bus resolution is maintained between cascaded consoles, ensuring no compromise to the DMX-R100’s sound quality.

The powerful new DMBK-R109 utilizes the established AES 10 24-bit MADI I/O ‘bit-slip’ free standard and provides 48-channel digital I/O expansion compatible with other MADI devices such as the Sony PCM-3348HR DASH recorder. Compatibility with the expanding array of MADI stageboxes, audi

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Carlsbro has launched what it claims to be one of the first efficient mobile or static monster speaker systems available in Europe. Following extensive trials in venues across the UK, at a recent rave in London, a sound check revealed that the system delivered a record 165db with no audible distortion. A pneumatic drill delivers 110db. This prompted one of the driver manufacturers to fly two engineers over from America to determine how this was achieved. Radio one DJ Dave Pearce listened to the system last week and is quoted as saying: "It is the best speaker system I have ever heard. It makes the Dance music I play come to life and the bass thump is wicked."

Meanwhile, a group of gospel singers from America flew into West Yorkshire to sing at Huddersfield Christian Fellowship where a multiple system delivered 22,000W of music to the 1,000 strong congregation. The choir, whic

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UK PA company Big Sound was recently involved in the production of The Trench, a BBC documentary series following the 10th Battalion of the East Yorkshire regiment and the role they played in the First World War.

Filming began in October 2001 and involved 24 volunteers from Hull and East Yorkshire, all of whom were of similar ages to the original soldiers. The volunteers spent two weeks in an authentically constructed trench system in Northern France. Big Sound, based in Wales, was asked to provide speaker and 5.1 surround systems that would deliver the sound effects in the most realistic form. Another requirement Big Sound had to consider was the need for the systems to deliver high-end sound effects while remaining as far away from the actual set as possible so that they didn't interfere with camera sight. Big Sound opted for a mixture of powered speakers and mini stacks of powered c

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Edwards is a newly opened bar in Cardiff - part of a major roll out from Six Continents. The audio installation was carried out by Orritt Electronics and owes much to the award-winning sound system installed at Loaf in Manchester.

Dave Orritt explains: "The spark of Edwards originally came from Loaf in Manchester. We were able to take the best of the Loaf design features and incorporate them into this venue. The difficult issue at Edwards was the venue’s acoustics. A hotel is situated above the venue so we had to pass NR 45 in order to get planning consent. What we have in Edwards is basically a box within a box within a box. To get the sound pressure levels with the quality of dispersion needed, we used multiple clusters of Mackie Monitors 5s and MSW8 subs, which were flown from the ceiling."

Edwards has a harsh industrial quality to it - with cable trays exposed aro

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Rolec has launched its new PHD-1 Music Store. The product is ideal for pubs, bars and cafes looking for a dynamic choice of music and a quick, simple and fuss-free device from which to play it. The unit can store up to 2500 tracks and the latest chart hits can be added thanks to a monthly update CD supplied by Rolec. Pre-programmed timed announcements, adverts, tag lines and promotional offers can also be stored. The machine’s internal clock is date-sensitive, offering the facility to recognize specific seasons and programme appropriate music up to a year in advance. It can also play standard audio CDs.

The Music Store offers all the flexibility of a computer-based system, operated through just four buttons on the front, but because it’s a dedicated player, it doesn’t hang up, like computer-based music systems can do, when the power is switched on and off. For playbac

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A new sound installation at the famous Globe Arena in Stockholm, scene of the 2000 European Song Contest, will feature clusters of Martin Audio Wavefront 8 Compacts. The audio rental and contractor company DM Audio AB - Martin Audio’s Swedish distributor - has finalized the design to update and expand the installation which they undertook 12 years ago - when the arena was originally built.

"The reason for the expansion," explained DM Audio’s Lars Wern,"is that when the arena has hosted touring artists their sound engineers have often received complaints from the audience seated in the highest seats. Most tours do not bring enough equipment, or simply could not tilt the speakers upwards enough (the catwalk is situated 36 metres above the floor). To help the visiting sound engineers, it was decided to install a delay speaker system that could be added to the ma

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The Institute of Sound and Communications Engineers’ first combined seminar/exhibition event exceeded all expectations when it took place on Wednesday 27 February at Birmingham's recently upgraded Alexandra Stadium.

The full day's seminar programme covered a wide variety of subjects including Video Conferencing, Audio Measurements, VA Standards and a 'behind the scenes' look at the acoustic problems of Paddington station. There was also a sneak preview and demonstration of the World's first disposal loudspeaker! But the undoubted highlight of the day was the inaugural Warren-Barnett Memorial Lecture in memory of two respected figures in the industry which was delivered by Peter Mapp.

Twelve specialist PA/VA manufacturers supported the event with stylish 'table top' displays, and all reported a high level of interest from the nearly 100 ISCE members and others who braved a squal

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Stardraw.com has appointed Prevost SA as the exclusive premier partner for Belgium and Luxembourg. With over 50 years experience in the professional sound industry and exclusive distribution of 14 of the top lines in the pro audio and AV market, Prevost is well placed to make the maximum impact with Stardraw. According to Stardraw sales director David Morrison: "Prevost numbers among the top pro audio distributors in northern Europe, and is definitely the right choice for us as a premier partner. Indeed, Stardraw complements Prevost's existing portfolio very nicely as we already have relationships with most of the other manufacturers they represent, so I am looking forward to a mutually beneficial relationship."

(Ruth Rossington)

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Philips CSI has appointed Reg Nicholls as general manager to head up its growing UK operation. He takes over from Kevin Diss who has just been appointed general manager of Philips Lighting in the UK.

Previously general manager of Philips Analytical in Cambridge and responsible for Europe, Middle East and Africa, Nicholls has a wealth of experience in general management and sales. In his new role at Philips CSI, he will be responsible for expanding Philips’ already strong market presence in the CCTV, PA, congress and communications markets.

Philips CSI has recently invested heavily in major new products including new generation REO digital observation systems, new AutoDome and NetCam cameras, new digital CCTV products, new digital congress systems, plus complete new ranges of PA systems including PLENA and FlexiLine and the advanced Praesideo - the world’s first fully dig

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Kellys nightclub complex at Port Rush is one of the province’s busiest venues. The complex includes the ultra modern LUSH with its even cooler Chill Out room and the now totally refurbished Wild, with its traditional stone and wood interiors.

WILD is split across two floors with separate sound systems: on the top floor the venue retains its existing RCF Event system, whilst on the ground floor a new EAW system has been spec’d. Local installation company, Light and Sound FX were involved in the original installation and won the contract to handle the system revamp. Darren Gardener of Light and Sound FX explains: "Our brief was to reconfigure the Event system upstairs and put a new sound system in on the ground floor. We decided to talk to Andy Austin Brown at Mackie, as he'd been involved in the original spec, and since we had no flying options, he recommended the EAW s

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  4. The Full Monty Reveals Two Cadacs
  5. Audia checks in to the Jolly Hotels
  6. Rod Stewart tours Australia with X-Line and ACP
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