Sound

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UK - The latest pop musical to arrive on the West End stage is Our House, written by Tim Firth and featuring the music of eighties legends Madness. Mike Mann reports . . .

Despite the complexity of the flying manoeuvres (and AVW's heavy workload elsewhere in Europe during the fit-up), Brown reports that the system went in smoothly, and has coped well with the demands of a fast-moving show. "We did a lot of work with Delstar who provided the mechanical engineering. Although we have AVW control at the National Theatre, this is the first time that Impressario Advance! has been in the West End, and it's being used to control several moves with motors running at full speed."

The Impressario Advance is the second generation of theatre controllers from AVW, and was launched just prior to the show's opening. Based on the original Impressario product, the new system adds seve

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Australia - Despite more than a decade of false starts and operator frustration, simple wireless and infra-red remote control of lighting has finally reached a level of sophistication and reliability where it has become a useful production tool. Audio, on the other hand, with its hundreds of parameters and its ever-increasing complexity, has thus far resisted any simple approach to wireless remote control.

System Sound, Melbourne-based specialists in audio for musical theatre and musical events, have been working on developing systems for remote control of audio, based entirely on off-the-shelf technologies and commonly available components. Much of this work has been done by Julian Spink, who in addition to being one of System Sound's supervisors and an associate sound designer, works on developing advanced engineering solutions for the company.

System's first brush with radi

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USA - Mach Speakers and the Pro Audio Group of Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc have formed a strategic alliance aimed at increasing brand awareness for both companies' products. The agreement joins together the Mach speaker brand with a leader in digital entertainment technology in a group sales and marketing effort that will give greater visibility to the Mach and Pioneer product lines while strengthening Martin's Total Club Supplier concept in the US market.

For Mach, the alliance allows the company to co-market Pioneer products alongside its own range of speakers, adding another established, professional brand to the Total Club Supplier, one-stop shop concept. The Total Club Supplier concept enables clients to procure Mach audio, Martin lighting, and Jem smoke in one convenient package. Mach will now be able to add a vast line of Pioneer digital entertainment products to its au

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UK - Pete Hughes has joined Canegreen as a full-time special projects manager following years on the road as a freelance engineer. Having started engineering bands 15 years ago, Pete has worked periodically with Canegreen for about 12 years, since when he has toured with the likes of David Byrne, 911, Stevie Wonder, Nanci Griffiths, Neil Finn, Patti Smith, King Crimson, Jethro Tull and most recently Toploader.

In addition to touring, Pete has also managed the sound for a number of large one-off events including The Prince's Trust's 'Party in the Park', Capital Xmas Live and Cambridge Folk Festival, along with stadium shows for The Corrs and Paul Weller as far afield as Japan.

Hughes will be based at Canegreen's North London premises, working alongside Yan Stile and Andrew Frengley. As well as overseeing some large projects this year, he will also be charged to ensure the effec

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UK - Newlands Technology Ltd, based on the Science Park of the University of Hull, has appointed Gary Orrell as its general manager for audio. Gary held a similar post with NXT, the flat panel loudspeaker technology company and prior to that, introduced Wharfedale Loudspeakers to the commercial/professional market in the late 80s and early 90s.

Newlands has recently introduced its first commercial audio product to the market, the Soundbug, an audio device, similar in shape to a PC mouse but slightly smaller; driven directly by a Walkman/Discman, it is attached to plane surfaces such as table tops or windows, transforming the whole surface into loudspeakers.

Newlands design and innovation work is based on magnetostriction - the process by which a material changes its shape in response to a magnetic field. Terfenol-D is a material that displays extreme magnetostrictive propertie

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UK - UK console manufacturer Soundcraft has launched the second in its new range of multi-purpose live performance mixers, the MH3. The new design follows Soundcraft's highly successful MH4 console, bringing the benefits of dual-mode operation at a lower price level, achieved through an appropriate feature set and mechanical and electronic designs that permit lower manufacturing costs.

"The success of the MH4 has shown that people really want this flexibility, and by bringing out the MH3 we are offering that flexibility to a wider section of the market," states Soundcraft product manager, Andy Brown. The MH3 features eight groups, 12 auxiliary busses, the same new mic amp and EQ designs as the MH4, eight VCA and eight Mute groups with snapshot automation, true LCR panning and outputs, and an integral 12x4 matrix. Consoles are available in 24, 32, 40, 48 and 56 mono inp

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USA - New from PreSonus Audio Electronics comes the TubePRE, which the company says delivers the sound of a tube-based system at an affordable price. "The TubePRE is a fantastic product that solves problems for the musician or vocalist," says Jim Odom, president of PreSonus, adding that it "is a no-nonsense, tube-based preamp that delivers the classic warm sound of valve technology, while providing a flexible platform that addresses the many interface needs found in live and recording situations. It offers excellent sound at a very aggressive price point, making this product a winner for musicians and studios alike."

PreSonus's TubePRE is a single channel preamp based around a 12AX7 vacuum tube circuit that provides a stable, transformer-free signal path. The unit can be used as the primary stage of a live or studio system, as a direct box or in a side effect

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UK - North London recording and mixing complex Angel Studios, which specializes in classical recordings and film soundtrack work, has installed a Meyer Sound X-10 5.1 system into its newly-refurbished studio one.

Angel is the second London studio to install Meyer X-10s following the installation of a stereo system at Abbey Road's mastering room 7. Allen Stagg, recording engineer and former manager of Abbey Road Studios, was instrumental in introducing the Angel staff to the X-10. The sale was conducted through acoustic analysis expert Bob Hodas, a Meyer studio products dealer who is well-versed in X-10 technology. Meyer's UK distributor Autograph Sales handled the sale and also provided a SIM System II FFT Analyser for Hodas to install and tune the system.

Angel Studio's senior engineer Gary Thomas requested that Hodas help them to configure a 5.1 system for the new room. They

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Denmark - Switchcraft Inc, the US manufacturer of connectors, audio and video patchbays and cable assemblies, has strengthened its international distributor base by appointing Professional Sound Systems to distribute its products in the Danish broadcast and professional audio markets.

Stephen Waldron, Switchcraft's director of international sales, said: "PSS is a very capable and well established distributor in the Danish market and we are very pleased to enter this partnership that will provide our audio and broadcast customers with improved product availability, service and support."

(Lee Baldock)

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UK - Marquee Audio has assisted in the upgrade of Dust Bar Café on London's trendy Clerkenwell Road. The independent bar had been running as a ground-floor DJ bar on a 2am licence for the past five years - but recently decided to expand the operation onto the first floor. According to project director, Alan Burrows, the sound system upgrade coincided with a new interior design (by owner and co-director, Raymond Brown) and the launch of a new restaurant and cocktail list.

"Dust has developed a reputation on the back of breaking out new DJ talent, and so with the addition of a second floor, good sound reinforcement became a top priority," he said. He had been referred to Marquee by another satisfied client from a Shoreditch bar/restaurant, but the decision to use Marquee was only made after a competitive tender. "We found the company to have the necessary tec

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UK - Lively south coast nightspot TJ's in Eastbourne is the first UK venue to receive JBL's powerful, new, low-profile AE series installation speakers. Arbiter Pro Audio, JBL's UK distributor, supplied the speakers to installers Accord Audio, based in Horam, East Sussex, who fitted out the system as part of the club's latest technical upgrade.

The dancefloor in TJ's main room now features four JBL AM6212/95 bi-amped speakers, complete with high-powered ASB6128 subs. The AM6212 is the most powerful of three types of speakers in the AE range. A major feature, and one of the enclosure's many innovative points, is its very low profile - a slim and elegant physical shape and size which make it an ideal solution for fitting into small spaces unobtrusively.

The sizing has been made possible because the enclosures have rotatable waveguides, enabling them to be just as easily be mounte

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USA - The redesigned Shure Incorporated website made its online debut recently with a showing of smart new graphics and an enhanced architecture. Including full product information, endorsing artist pages with exclusive backstage info, detailed product specifications, and an intuitive, easy-to-use Wireless Frequency Reference Guide, the site is a useful tool for everyone from seasoned touring pros and contractors to young musicians just starting out.

Site visitors will note that Shure.com is now organized into three primary content 'channels' - Products, Knowledge and Artists. One of the most noticeable elements within the site is its highlight of content dedicated to education and knowledge-sharing. The Solution Database found in the Knowledge channel provides in-depth answers to virtually any Shure-related question, and encourages users to add to that database by asking any qu

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India - With bases in Hong Kong and India, Light Sound Image Ltd has developed a wide portfolio of high profile pan-Asia contracts. The company is the largest international AV consultancy group in India, which creates a hectic schedule for its audio-visual consultant Ian D Harris.

However, his life has been made easier with the discovery of the BSS 9088 Soundweb networked digital matrix system, which he used for the first time recently on installations for the ITC Sheraton Hotel Group in India. LSI won a competitive tender to provide an AV solution for two Irish pubs, situated within the Sheratons in Delhi and Kolkata (Calcutta). With Irish theming, these act essentially as fun pubs, but with a dancefloor and potent sound systems.

Ian Harris was asked to support LSI's Delhi-based Systems Integration Division and programme Soundweb for the two installations. "Although I ha

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UK - Leading sound, lighting and AV designer and installer Metropolis AV and FX has completed the design, supply and install of an entire lighting, sound and AV system at the new Sports Café in Manchester.

The £1.2 million project sees the conversion of a utilitarian 1960's office block in Quay Street, central Manchester, into an 1600-capacity sports-themed environment on two levels. Facilities include bar/dining areas with a large dancefloor, a mezzanine chill-out/games area with 16 pool tables, a Team Room used for private functions and, behind a laminated glass wall but clearly visible from the street, a basketball practice area - for those wanting a bit of physical exertion mixed with their energy drinks.

The Sports Café's technical infrastructure was designed by Metropolis's Simon Harris, working directly for Sports Café. The client specifically

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UK - UK distributor, HW International has announced a number of new products from the Phonic Corporation. First is a range of powered loudspeakers with moulded plastic cabinets. Consisting of two models, the PA450 and PA550, the PA Series of speakers are bi-amplified, featuring a built-in precision 24dB/oct Linkwitz-Riley electronic crossover, a 3-input mixer, 2-band EQ and a link out. Designed to offer a flexible solution to everyday PA requirements, both full-range models are ideal for overcoming rugged and challenging sound environments, say HW.

Also now available is the eagerly-awaited PAA2 - described as a super-accurate, palm-held audio analyzer. Complete with a 31-band real time spectrum analyzer, SPL and line level meter, internal noise generator, EQ setting program allowing for microphone calibrations and speaker phase-checking abilities. The compact package also featur

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New Zealand - At the end of 2002, the eagerly anticipated second instalment of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Two Towers, premiered in New Zealand, where the majority of the filming took place. XTA played its own part when Wellington-based Western Audio Engineering provided the sound along the red carpet at Courtenay Place in central Wellington, with an XTA SiDD at the heart of the system.

By day Courtenay Place is normally one of Wellington's busiest streets, and premier day saw over 15,000 Wellingtonians greeting the stars at this prestigious occasion. Western Audio is one of New Zealand's leading sound providers and, under the direction of Andy Craig, they provided both the people and technologies to stage this well-executed event, with two main Electro-Voice X-Array systems controlled by XTA DP226 processors, and the linking distributed system time-aligned with an additi

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UK - AV8 is a remarkable new venue situated adjacent to the mile-long runway at Kemble Airfield in Cirencester. Owner Ronan Harvey has just celebrated quite a month, having successfully negotiated for the classic Gnat jet, owned by Pink Floyd's Dave Gilmour, achieved a CAA licence, enabling him to operate as a commercial airfield, and successfully converted the former fire station into his new luxury bar/restaurant.

Harvey contacted an old interior design friend, Simon Radclyffe of Radclyffe Associates, to combine an Indonesian theme with an Airfix kit leitmotif - using the fabric and large ribs to soften the vibrancy of the wonderful terracotta, yellow and dark blues, hand-painted by local artist/sculptress Joanne Walker.

Manic Street Preachers' LD, Ollie Metcalfe, provided clever theatrical dichroic trackspot lighting, controlled by Hans Beier's CAV (who also provided the Ma

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UK - Last February, A.C. Lighting Projects Divison were awarded the contract to design, supply, and install state-of-the-art production facilities into a major new educational venue. The ultra-modern facilities include a 300-seat theatre, main hall, lecture theatre, sound studio, media centre and dance studio, fitted out with industry standard products.

The entire installation involved more than 200 product lines from industry leading manufacturers, including ETC, Strand, Aldo Ianiro, Manfrotto, Audio-Technica, Sennheiser, Soundcraft, Allen & Heath, Denon and Martin. The company provided not only the complete lighting, audio and AV systems but also bespoke solutions, by the design and installation of three multimedia control lecterns, tailored for each facility's specific requirements.

Each lectern has an integrated LCD touch-screen, offering the user access to a comprehensive

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USA - Grammy Award-winning recording engineer Geoff Emerick and audio equipment manufacturer Shure Inc have been named recipients of the 2003 Technical Grammy Award, in an announcement by the Recording Academy. The Technical Grammy Award is presented to individuals and/or companies who have made contributions of outstanding technical significance to the recording field. Formal acknowledgment of the Technical Grammys will be made on 22 February at an event prior to the 45th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony.

"The creative fearlessness of Geoff Emerick and the immeasurable contribution that Shure Incorporated has made to the world of audio are the achievements of true visionaries," said Producer & Engineers Wing director Leslie Lewis. "Emerick's groundbreaking and skillful techniques continue to inspire generations and Shure's audio equipment consistently sets the stand

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UK - The Blue Room is a brand new web discussion forum, set up by two keen, dedicated industry professionals, where advice may be sought and offered by anybody working in, entering or just plain interested in any aspect of life behind the scenes in the Entertainments Industry. All are welcome to visit and browse, and register as members should they wish to take part in discussions and debates about industry issues.

Forums have been created for all major industry disciplines, as well as for students, health & safety and useful outside sources of information, all alongside a place to just chat with other like-minded people. There is also a private messaging facility, where members may communicate with each other personally. Up-to-date security measures, together with sensitive, responsive moderation of the forums, help to maintain a relaxed and friendly atmosphere in which people

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USA - The City of Meridian has renamed a portion of Mississippi Highway 493 in honour of Hartley Peavey, founder and CEO of Peavey Electronics, in a ceremony at Peavey International Headquarters on 31 January. Officials from the City of Meridian and Lauderdale County joined the Peavey family and employees in celebrating the accomplishments of Hartley and his company during their first 38 years of business. The new Hartley Peavey Drive runs in front of Peavey International Headquarters, stretching from nearby North Hills St. to Meridian's northern city limits.

Hartley Peavey commented: "This is truly an honour, but while it is my name on the sign, all of this certainly was not just my doing - I am merely the catalyst. Together, we're expanding our horizons and changing our products and methods. We're doing the only thing we know: innovating."

Mayor John Robert Smith p

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UK - A Cerwin-Vega Intense! rig has been installed into landmark Birmingham nightclub, The Dome. First Leisure's former award-winning 3,000-capacity club is now under the private ownership of Dome Leisure Ltd, and when contracts and design manager Tim Matthews approached local retailer/installers, Matthews Electronics, they recommended the Cerwin rig - distributed in the UK by Lamba plc - as part of a complete sound and lighting solution.

The company re-used the serviceable equipment (redeploying some of the existing speakers as fills) and specified a powerful amplifier rack to drive the 21k Intense T250/T36 rig, which drives the main dancefloor system. The system is based around a QSC PL9.0 - to drive the four ground-stacked Cerwin Vega T36s and four S218 subs - and Powersoft DIGAM 7000 and DIGAM 5000 amps to run the T250 mid/highs (these are flown, using Matthews' own bespoke

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UK - The double-award-winning DiGiCo D5 Live digital mixing system has been expanded with the launch of the new D5 56E 'Extended' version featuring a built-in digital effects engine and a 96-channel control surface.

It comes with a 56 mic-input stage end 'DigiRack' with 56 channels of A/D converters, 8 line outputs 100m metres of fibre optic cable and a 40 input / 40 output 'local' (desk end) DigiRack.

The 56E 'Extended' system provides up to six digital effects per channel simultaneously, including a range of exceptionally high quality reverbs, flanging, phasing, double tracking, vocoder and delays. Effects channels 5 and 6 provide digital dynamics, equalisation and compression for up to 7.1 surround sound outputs. As with the DSP engine in the D5 Live itself, the effects processor has the processing capacity to support use of every available effect at once, across all channe

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UK - Adam Hall Ltd, the UK manufacturer of flightcase and cabinet hardware components, cables and stands has announced its appointment as the new UK distributor for US manufacturer SKB's range of high quality moulded cases for instruments and 19" racks. This news has already been welcomed by many current UK dealers of SKB products, say Adam Hall. Sales manager Rob Fricker commented: "This is an excellent new line for Adam Hall. Our aim is to improve the service and delivery to all SKB dealers, making the product range more accessible to the end user."

Other distribution lines for Adam Hall include Amphenol Audio Connectors, Palmer Audiotools and Racklight.

(Lee Baldock)

  1. New catalogue available from Raper & Wayman
  2. Yugoslavian sales for MC2 Audio
  3. New finance deal for Mackie Designs
  4. Korean church chooses XTA
  5. New loudspeakers from EV
  6. Proel gives users the Edge
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