Sound

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UK - Wharfedale Pro has produced two complete powered systems, which will be making their debut at the Music Live expo, at the NEC in November. The PM500 and PM600 powered mixer systems have been designed to deliver optimum sound in a variety of applications - from live music performance and playback, to sound reinforcement or public address. Not only that, but they are road tough and simple to transport and set up.

The PM500 Series comprises of a PM500 powered mixer, two PT10 two-way 10" loudspeakers and a DM1.0 dynamic mic (with all cabling). The PM600 system incorporates the PM600 powered mixer, two PT12 two-way 12" loudspeakers and a DM1.0 mic (with cabling). The PT loudspeakers form an integral part of the system: these are high-output, high efficiency loudspeakers, featuring Wharfedale Pro proprietary drive units and a purpose-built high quality Electro-Dynamic H

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UK - Entec Sound & Light has supplied production lighting and audio equipment to the highly successful Skin 'Trashed' tour that has just completed its UK and European legs. Skin's FOH sound engineer Paul Ramsey and lighting designer Chris Oldfield have both enjoyed a good working relationship with Entec for some years, so they were the obvious choice as equipment supplier. Being essentially a club tour, the Skin production team, led by tour manager Andy Burnstein, toured their own consoles, specials and essentials, integrating them with the various house systems as they went.

Paul Ramsey has been working with Skin since 1996 and the Skunk Anansie days. He's a big d&b fan and says had he been able to take a full box system on this tour, that's what it would have been. However, they used the house stacks and racks at each venue, and took in their own DiGiCo D5 console, mics and ca

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UK - Telford-based Press Red Rentals Ltd has acquired the rental business of Soundsense from the liquidator, Bristol-based Bishop Fleming. Established in July 1997, Soundsense rented audio-visual, sound and video nationwide. The company was placed into voluntary liquidation on 17 September, at which point Bishop Fleming was appointed liquidator.

Press Red Rentals has acquired certain assets and goodwill from the liquidators for an undisclosed fee. Managing director Mark Stoner commented: "We are pleased to have been able to close this deal quickly and efficiently as it means we can offer continuation of service to thosecustomers who previously rented from Soundsense. We would like to take this opportunity to thank those customers who have been so supportive during this transitional period."

The business will trade under the Press Red banner.

(Le Baldock)

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USA - Loud Technologies announced two additions to its worldwide sales organization - longtime pro audio sales professionals David Christensen and Kurt Metzler. As director of international sales, Christensen, involved with pro audio most of his life, will be responsible for directing all international sales efforts for the entire portfolio of Loud Technologies brands including Mackie, EAW, Tapco and RCF. Christiansen brings extensive industry experience in building successful international sales organizations within the professional audio industry including Solid State Logic, Sony and Euphonix Inc.

Frank Loyko, senior vice president of sales at Loud Technologies commented: "Export markets make up a significant portion of Loud's current revenue and hold great potential in helping us to realize our sales goals in 2004. In order to realize this potential, we chose a senior le

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UK - Coastal Acoustics announced the appointment of Chris Hollebone as general manager in a move to strengthen its sales and marketing resource. Coastal and sister company Harris Grant Associates, have completed a number of highly prestigious assignments this year and with an eye on significant expansion in 2004, this was the appropriate time to make a move.

Hollebone has previously held senior management positions at Sony Broadcast & Professional, TimeLine and DTS. Latterly he has been running his own sales and marketing consultancy and providing articles for a number of trade publications. Neil Grant, MD of both Coastal and HGA commented: "We asked Chris to review Coastal's portfolio and provide suggestions on how to maintain this momentum. One of the conclusions was that we needed additional sales, marketing and general management support. Who better than Chris himself.&

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USA - SIA Software, a Loud Technologies (formerly Mackie Designs) brand and Lake Technology, innovators in digital audio signal processing, announced the release of a new plug-in for Lake Contour that provides full integration between the Contour Controller software and SIA SmaartLive, the industry standard analysis package for sound system optimization. Available in October from Lake Technology, the SmaartLive plug-in shows spectrum, spectrograph and transfer functions directly within the intuitive Contour Controller graphical interface, giving engineers the power to listen, measure and adjust an entire performance sound system on a single display. Using the Contour wireless tablet, this can be done from anywhere in a venue in real-time - even during a live performance.

"This is the first time a loudspeaker processor like Contour has been fully integrated with professional

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UK / Italy - Midas and Klark Teknik hosted their first international distributor conference in the beautiful setting of the shores of Lake Como in Italy at the end of September. Over 120 representatives from over 50 nations attended the two-day event, which culminated in a spectacular Gala Awards dinner at one of Italy's leading hotels, the Villa d'Este on Lake Como.

According to David Cooper, recently appointed director of sales and marketing for Midas and Klark Teknik, the event was a thoroughly worthwhile exercise, and appreciated by invitees and hosts alike. "With the possible exception of the products themselves, our distributor network is the most important tool of our trade, so it's important both for us and for them that our communication channels remain strong ... Not only was it enormously valuable for our customers in terms of what they learned about new products

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UK - Ford of Britain hired design and communications company Imagination to produce six themed exhibition stands at Mela 2003. Mela, a culture and lifestyle show celebrating all aspects of life enjoyed by Asian Communities, took place at Wembley Exhibition Centre from 10-12 October with over 30,000 visitors attending. The event was divided into seven main areas relating to Asian culture: Lifestyle, Health & Beauty, Fashion, Weddings, Food, Business & Entertainment. Imagination created six exhibition stands heavily influenced by each subject zone. Each exhibition stand showed a relevant Ford vehicle, which was designed and decorated with an Asian theme. One car even had a bespoke oversized 'bindi' designed by leading bindi designer Manjeet Bedi (founder of Jazzy Bindi) attached to the front of the car bonnet.

Ford was one of the main sponsors of Mela 2003 and the all-encompassing

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Asia - KV2 Audio has appointed Singapore based, Sindo Exports as distributor for Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. Sindo's Koh Yock Kee said of the appointment: "We are very pleased to be appointed the exclusive distributor in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. We are positive that we will be able to promote this product and help it to grow with our company."

Koh Yock Kee is a well know figure in the audio industry around the Asia Pacific area, having previously worked with Electronics and Engineering (E&E) representing products such as Altec Lancing, Electro-Voice and Harman products.

KV2's Brian Stan added: "As we expand worldwide distribution of our products into the Asia Pacific region it's imperative that we create relationships with companies that have the energy and enthusiasm necessary to actively promote our products in their territory. Sindo Exports h

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UK - BBC Radio Resources has commissioned the upgrading of its SCV5 and SCV6 (Stereo Control Vehicle) Radio OB trucks with PMC MB2S-Active monitors. The MB2s were recently installed in SCV5 and are about to be installed in SCV6; the vehicles are primarily used for live broadcasting for BBC Radio1 and Radio 2 OBs, as well as for other BBC Radio networks.

Both SCV5 and SCV6 were built as 24-track recording/broadcasting vehicles in the mid 1980s and have been consistently upgraded since that time. The MB2S-Active is self-powered with PMC/Bryston electronics and low distortion active cross-overs. Among the newly refurbished SCV5 truck's most recent notable outings was at Glastonbury 2003, Europe's biggest contemporary performing arts festival, where it was used for a live to air broadcast from 'The Other Stage'. Senior engineer (audio) Colin Pearson comments: "The speakers prov

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UK - The Palace Theatre in Westcliffe-on-Sea, Essex, has been fitted out with a new Electro-Voice sound reinforcement system by Brighton-based installation company, MBI. The 100-year old theatre has a capacity of 600 seats, arranged over stalls, two circles and four boxes. David Howe of Shuttlesound, working with MBI and the theatre's owners, designed and commissioned the system, which uses Electro-Voice RX loudspeakers, driven by EV's new Precision Series remote amplifiers. "The theatre has quite reasonable acoustics," says Howe, "but we were subject to a few constraints as to where we could place speaker cabinets. We were asked not to position them above the proscenium arch, so we've wall-mounted six EV RX112 full-range cabinets, three speakers either side of the stage."

With a pair of RX218 subs built in under the stage, there are two RX112s for the stalls

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USA - Hempfield United Methodist Church in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA have installed a new sound system, controlled by Allen & Heath's iDR digital signal processing system and a GL2200 analogue mixing console, in its former sanctuary. The combination allows the multi-purpose room to switch quickly between a variety of worship services and other activities.

Dave Marks of Hempfield UMC's Youth Technical Ministry explains: "We needed a system that could be turned on and operated without technical assistance and that would meet the rigorous needs of our youth program, we contacted Dale Shirk of Shirk Audio, who had helped us with previous projects. Dale presented us with a design using an Allen & Heath iDR DSP for the aerobics and simple meeting events and an Allen & Heath GL2200-24 for the youth programs."

The audio system must handle a variety of events during the co

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USA - At the AES Convention in New York, Mackie, a Loud Technologies Inc brand, has introduced to the industry its next generation digital production console. The Mackie dXb is a 96k/192k capable, 72 x 72 I/O matrix (36 x 36 at 192k) digital production console with dual integrated touch screens, internal DSP, powerful automation and control surface functionality, as well as FireWire I/O option cards for streaming audio to/from a desktop or laptop computer.

Development of the dXb was a collaborative effort between Mackie and Sanewave Inc, a Washington-based engineering and design company specializing in digital audio technology. Ken Berger, senior vice-president of marketing and product development at Loud Technologies, commented: "Sanewave was the perfect partner for the dXb because their group includes members of the original development team behind Mackie's award-winning

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Ireland - Sound Communications, Ireland's distributor for Midas and Klark Teknik, has recently supplied a complete PA system to Ireland's largest AV rental company, Corporate AV Services (CAVS) for a brand new television show that goes out live from the Helix Centre in Dublin every Friday night. Two Midas Legend 3000 consoles and a significant amount of Klark Teknik processing equipment including eight classic DN360 graphic EQs, eight DN500 Plus dual compressor limiters, four DN514 Plus quad gates, and four DN1248 Plus active mic splitters form the heart of the package.

The Dunphy Show, hosted by Eamon Dunphy, is Ireland's brand new talk show styled very much in the David Letterman mould. The show goes out every Friday at 9pm from Helix's second theatre, which has essentially been converted into a TV studio for the duration of the show's 30-week run. According to Sound Communica

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Germany - Guitar legend Carlos Santana and his band are currently on a world tour which is turning into a global triumph for the Grammy Award winner. The German leg of the tour is proving no exception - selling out major venues like Munich's Olympiahalle several times over.

Providing the sound system for the tour is British rental company Major Tom Ltd / Sound Image, who have made the Electro-Voice X-Line and XLC PA system the centrepiece of their production. Major Tom's Chris Marsh, explains why: "We were all agreed that the EV X-Line has the most brilliant sound of any comparable system. It offers impressive clarity at the top and remarkable warmth at the bottom." As side-hangs, FOH man Rob Mailman and his team are using Electro-Voice's new, compact XLC system with eight cabinets per side. The system is being driven with Electro-Voice P-3000 amps.

For Major Tom Ltd

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USA - The Actors' Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre in South Florida has installed a 48-input Allen & Heath ML5000 27-buss live sound VCA console in its 600-seat main-stage auditorium as part of an audio system upgrade. The Miracle Theatre, a private/public partnership with the City of Coral Gables, is a performing arts facility that also includes the 300-seat Balcony Theatre and 100-seat Black Box Theatre.

Head audio engineer Alexander Herrin, who has been at the theatre for a year and a half, explains: "This summer we decided to upgrade our sound system. We were replacing a three or four-year-old console that had just fallen to pieces. They asked me what I thought we should get. I'd worked with the GL4000 in the past and told them that I really like Allen & Heath. Phil Mester from StageTech, who installed the system, brought us a console to try out, a 32-channel ML5000.&qu

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Germany - One of Autograph Sound's longest-running success stories is its ongoing work on worldwide productions of Les Misérables. Most recently, the show opened in Berlin, with sound design by Nick Lidster who was part of the original sound department when the show opened at the Palace Theatre, London in 1985. This is Lidster's first design of Les Misérables and it gives him the chance to view it with a fresh but experienced approach. His updated design now includes four Martin W8LC (Martin's new Compact Line Array) and two WSX subs, supporting the main Meyer M1D PA.

Some of the changes are due to the particular demands of the Theatre des Westens in Berlin. Lidster comments: "The Theatre des Westens is a grand, four-tier European style opera house with a large, flat stalls area and three very shallow circle areas starting around 15m back from the stage, a c

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Europe / Australia - The maiden voyage in the late summer of Crystal Cruises' latest example of floating luxury, Crystal Serenity, featured TiMax Audio Imaging as the centrepiece of its state-of-the-art cabaret theatre venue, the Galaxy Room. Specified by Alistair Meacham of marine audio-visual contractor MAVCO, the TiMax ImageMaker16 system was installed by the company alongside a Sony digital console, Tascam multitrack playback media and comprehensive automated showcontrol infrastructure.

The brief for the venue's LCR and multi-channel surround sound system was to immerse the audience with pre-recorded vocal, music and effects beds in Gershwin-style cabaret shows which would vary from day to day, with spectacular lighting and sound effects synchronized to song and dance troupes onstage. SMPTE timecode linked the Tascam to the console, TiMax and multi-format showcontrol system

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Germany - Brown Box AV, UK wholesalers of AV and lighting solutions, is celebrating its first German installation of Audeon, its wireless personal entertainment system, at the Station One club in Bochum. The managing director of Station One, Winfried Horstenkamp, commented: "I was delighted with the speed at which our Audeon cardio entertainment system was installed at Station One. I had expected some disruption and inconvenience to members but, due to the wireless nature of Audeon, the installation was completely pain free. My members are delighted with this innovative new product and we look forward to many years of enjoyable use."

Audeon is currently one of the only quality, wireless, cardio entertainment product available on the European market specifically designed for the leisure industry that can transmit between eight and sixteen audio channels and provide exce

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UK - Italian pro audio manufacturer Outline demonstrated its innovative Butterfly line array PA system to sound engineers and rental company representatives at London's Hammersmith Apollo in late September. Early arrivals enjoyed time to listen to recorded material via CD and MiniDisc and discuss technical aspects of the system with system designer Guido Noselli and president of international sales Giorgio Biffi, along with Peter Barnard, the UK distributor for Outline products.

There was also time for a demo of Outline's proprietary Software Program - VIP (Vector Implementation Protocol), which works on an Open GL Platform and will calculate the number of modules required to achieve optimum vertical and horizontal coverage of any venue, be it open-air or indoor. Further tools to accompany VIP, including a laser range finder and trim height device which will also incorporate a t

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International - The Technical Focus column in the November issue of Lighting&Sound International magazine will look at the technology related to Digital Audio mixing desks. The ever-increasing level of technology available today has resulted in the increase of 'all digital' desks, which process audio in the digital domain.

As with most things technological, the ability to perform digital processing continues to become cheaper as semiconductors drop in price, and accordingly digital desks are no longer the preserve of the major league, but are available in more compact versions and making in-roads into the smaller shows and venues. L&SI's article will go some way to giving the reader an insight into this technology, explaining the processes, methods and terminology - and will be followed by a brief profile of the main manufacturers and coverage of their key product(s).

L&SI wi

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UK - More details are emerging on the restructure at Arbiter Group, including the news that the Group's chairman, Ivor Arbiter, is to retire. The only official confirmation that the company has closed its Pro Audio Division comes from the Arbiter Pro Audio website (see below), which states: "Arbiter Group PLC are no longer distributing products manufactured by JBL Professional, AKG Acoustics, dbx Professional and Digitech." Enquiries are referred to the manufacturer's representative in each case.

There has been no indication as to what UK distribution arrangements will be put in place for the four Harman brands in the long-term, but negotiations with the manufacturers have been ongoing and an announcement is expected from Arbiter within the next few days.

The Pro Audio division was a subsidiary company of Arbiter Group plc and handled the exclusive distribution in th

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UK - Nearly 14,000 fans saw David Gray, Morcheeba and Nitin Sawhney perform at a free concert in Trafalgar Square - lined up to boost tourism and showcase the revamped square.

There was also a top line-up of production services to ensure that, technically, the event - organized by b-live, with production by AMP - went without a hitch. Star Hire's Roger Barrett was the show's technical director, working closely with AMP production manager Steve Allen. Other members of the creative team included LD Mark Cunniffe.

The Star Events Group installed a VerTech stage on the North Terrace of the Square, and handled the rigging requirements, with CT Screenco fielding two of the new Lighthouse LVP-1650 16mm outdoor LED screens. While the Lighthouse screens relayed images from the PA wings, the upstage centre backdrop, designed by Cunniffe, took the form of columns of 25mm LED display - th

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UK - TC Group announces the appointment of Fred Speckeen to director of business development. In this new position, based at Tannoy Ltd (Scotland), he will be responsible for enhancing overall Group business practice, acceleration of technology transfer between companies within the Group, and the coordination and growth of future business direction. Speckeen leaves his position as CEO / Managing Director of the TC joint-venture company TC-Helicon Vocal Technologies (Victoria, BC, CANADA) after successfully establishing that company in 2000.

Fred Speckeen will be working closely together with TC Group CEO Anders Fauerskov, who comments: "We are very pleased to be able to add Fred to the team of high achievers within TC Group. Through his previous functions at IVL and, more recently, as Managing Director responsible for the successful start-up of TC Helicon, Fred has continua

  1. Festival Headliners
  2. Radio 1 Live
  3. FX Rentals supports Urban Music at Royal Festival Hall
  4. Fashion Rocks at The Albert Hall
  5. InterNoise 2004
  6. Allen & Heath's iDR in major Malaysian development
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