UK - Marquee Audio has returned to Shoreditch's club/live music hybrid, Cargo, three years after carrying out the original fit-out, to reinforce the sound system. Matt Smith, technical manager of the Cantaloupe Group's venue, said that Marquee was called in when it was felt that certain areas of the venue needed boosting. "In particular, we needed to upgrade the bass amps and add front-loaded 15" bass bins, to achieve a faster, tighter bass response from the system. We knew this would allow the existing speakers to concentrate on a narrower bandwidth, thus giving more clarity across the full audio spectrum."

Cargo also wanted to add more power to the existing set-up in the main room. To fulfil these requirements Marquee recommended QSC PowerLight PL4.0 (2 x 1400W) amplifiers to power the bass, which now consists of a pair of Turbosound TQ-425 (2 x 15"), with

Spain - With the objective of reinforcing its presence worldwide, D.A.S Audio has appointed Mónica Ramírez as media coordinator. Qualified in Communication Sciences, she will be responsible for all communication with the specialized media on both the national and international levels. Ramirez's previous experience includes work as a writer for numerous Spanish newspapers and magazines. For the last two years she has been working in the company's marketing department and has been responsible for press relations with the Spanish media.

(Lee Baldock)

UK - An innovative exhibition, sponsored by Shell, has been in place on the Thames riverside in the heart of London for the last few months - an outdoor sound and light installation, powered by wind energy, intended to celebrate the natural forces of the planet. The exhibit stretches for some 600m along London's South Bank. At its heart is a full-size wind turbine, which generates the power to operate lighting, sound and effects units. Nexo PS8 compact loudspeakers are hidden in more than 40 trees, playing original music co-ordinated with the light and mist effects.

Sound design for the Shell Electric Storm was developed by Robin Whittaker of Out Board, and the system features Out Board's TIMAX system, a large number of digital processors to provide network capability, and an Apple Macintosh computer to respond to the atmospheric sensors and change the remixes according to the w

USA - French manufacturer InnovaSON reports increased success for its digital mixing consoles in the US houses of worship market, with Shadow Mountain Ministries of El Cajon, California and the Christ United Methodist Church in Sugar Land, Texas among those grasping InnovaSON technology.

Shadow Mountain recently upgraded its 2,500 seat main worship centre with a new InnovaSON Sy80 digital mixing console, taking care of both FOH and monitor duties for a full band, a 35-piece orchestra, 160-voice choir, praise team and numerous soloist, groups, speakers and guests. The worship centre is the focus of the Shadow Mountain campus which with up to 40 events each week, has a worldwide potential audience of millions, broadcasting services and sermons to over a thousand TV and several thousand radio stations around the globe.

Technical director Timothy Hunten admits he has his hands ful

France - Digigram, the innovator in digital audio network solutions, has sold its 40% share in Audemat-Aztec, manufacturer of measurement and monitoring equipment for broadcast applications, to the remaining shareholders of Audemat-Aztec.

"This move will help us to concentrate on what we do best: providing high quality digital audio solutions for the broadcast and public address markets." said Digigram's managing director Philippe Delacroix. "We have many exciting product developments in the pipeline that demand all our attention and energy. Although Audemat-Aztec will continue to develop products using Digigram technology, the commercial and technological overlap with the Audemat-Aztec's product portfolio isn't big enough to justify our continued minority involvement."

The sale of the Audemat-Aztec shares further strengthens Digigram's financial position,

UK - Turbosound, the British-based manufacturer of live performance and installed sound loudspeakers, is releasing its innovative new sound reinforcement system at Frankfurt ProLight & Sound 2004 (Hall 8.0, Stand J52). Turbosound's most efficient loudspeaker design to date, the new system is easily scaleable to suit specific acoustic and venue requirements ranging from small clubs and auditoria, to the largest arenas and stadia.

The new system comprises a set of proprietary transducers, which operate over four individual frequency bands, and are divided between two identically-sized modular enclosures. It incorporates many patented designs, with the key element being the deployment of equal-path-length multi-cellular horns, or 'polyhorns', to create a phase-coherent wavefront. The system permits individual wavefronts to coincide seamlessly with the physical curvature of an array

UK - Canegreen Commercial supplied the PA system for the 2004 NME Awards, held in London's Hammersmith Palais recently, where Radiohead achieved a double swoop of awards for Best Video and Best Album, as did Kings of Leon for Best New Band and Best International Band, with other winners including Arthur Lee for Living Legend and Ozzy Osbourne for Godlike Genius.

Canegreen Commercial was tasked with ensuring speech and music could be heard by a room full of loud (and possibly drunk!) rock 'n' roll stars. Andrew Frengley, MD of Canegreen Commercial, designed and co-ordinated the system set up for the show's event director Paul Corrick of production company, Reality, the pair having worked together on numerous projects in the past, including last year's NME Awards. Corrick commented: "Andrews' ability to solve problems made Canegreen Commercial the obvious choice to ensure we

Germany - Camco will launch three key products at the ProLight & Sound show in Frankfurt (31 March - 3 April), including a new top-of-the-range model in their acclaimed Vortex Series of power amplifiers.

The Vortex 200V is Camco's new flagship, the latest addition to the company's line of pioneering digital amplifier products. Specified at more than 3kW per channel RMS at 4 Ohms, the Vortex 200V delivers voltage at the output of 200V per channel. It shares the standard features of the Vortex Series, such as on-board Remote Control; power transistor control with emergency shutdown in case of extreme malfunctions; reliable over-voltage protection; thermal protective circuitry for the transistors, and hum-free operation in case of extreme under-voltage (instead of sound-deteriorating limiters).

Camco's Tecton Series, launched last year, is a range of power amps featuring the lat

Germany - Shure Europe and Shure Distribution Germany have announced that the highlight of this year's ProLight & Sound exhibition will be the European introduction of the brand-new SLX Wireless Systems for professional installations. Suited to installed sound applications and working bands, the new SLX Wireless Systems feature Shure's patented Audio Reference Companding technology. As well as an innovative setup, complete with automatic synchronization, SLX supports up to 12 compatible systems per frequency band (country dependent).

SLX easily integrates with other Shure products like in-ear monitoring systems, automatic mixers, audio processors and the new ConferenceONE discussion systems to provide flexible and powerful audio solutions for virtually any application, say Shure.

(Lee Baldock)

USA - Symetrix has introduced the Express Series of DSP devices to the SymNet family. Available in two different versions, Express hardware is aimed at stand-alone applications with three new models, and CobraNet-capable applications with four more.

Standard Express hardware is intended for use in stand-alone applications where a single DSP will suffice. Models include a 12x4 for multiple microphones or sources, a 4x12 for paging or speaker processing, and an 8x8 for more complex input and output routing. All Express Cobra models include an eight-channel CobraNet license, and are otherwise identical to the standard Express hardware. Express Cobra provides interconnectivity with compatible hardware from Symetrix and other vendors. I/O configurations in the Express Cobra series include 12x4, 4x12, 8x8, and 4x4.

Each Express unit is individually-addressable over Ethernet. The onb

UK - Cadac has released the latest version of its Sound Automation Manager (SAM) software (v1.07), incorporating new multi-console control capabilities, support for multi-lingual versions, and enhanced MIDI facilities. The new release also includes additional tracking and remote control features.

Over 20 man-years' of development time has gone into SAM software, say Cadac, with the latest release providing integrated support for all Cadac consoles and products, as well as cross-console compatibility and conversion facilities for seamless show portability. SAM is freely available to any interested user, via the Cadac website.

SAM's ability to support multi-lingual operation was a priority for Cadac's Philip Jones, explaining: "In order to get the best out of any system, you need to be able to use iteasily and intuitively in your own language. This requirement set us thinki

UK - Cerwin-Vega Professional's ProStax Series, first previewed at last September's PLASA Show in London, is now in full production, and shipping through UK distributor, Lamba plc. The range, featuring five all-new systems with heightened levels of performance, is tailored to the needs of live sound, DJ and music playback professionals.

The ProStax Series is comprised of three, three-way, full-range trapezoidal enclosures as well as a floor monitor and bandpass subwoofer. Members of the line include the PSX-123, a single 12" three-way system, the PSX-153, a single 15" three-way system and the PSX-253, a dual 15" three-way system. The line is rounded out by the PSX-122, a single 12" coaxial which doubles as a floor monitor/ two-way stage system with pole mount and the PSX-115 15" bandpass subwoofer.

"ProStax Series represents a singular level of pe

UK - Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen is a trendy eatery and late night lounge bar in north London's Hoxton Square. Having taken over what was the Lux cinema next door to their original bar, Barworks (the holding company) has converted the front half of the building into a trendy restaurant, and the back half into a multi-purpose bar/music room whilst retaining the original bar at the side. Barworks turned to audio and lighting specialists Sound Division to design, supply and install the venue's audio system.

Sound Division already has plenty of experience in Hoxton Square, having installed Shish last year and continuing to look after regular clients Traffik and 333 Club. The brief for Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen was to supply a high quality background audio system for the restaurant while the music room at the back required a system that would deliver high quality background music f

USA - In preparation for the upcoming NSCA show in Las Vegas, the newly formed EAW Commercial group has unveiled a complete line of high performance commercial audio products as well as a new website.

The announcement comes just three months after parent company Loud Technologies announced intentions to address the commercial audio market under the EAW brand name. The complete EAW Commercial line includes DSP matrix mixers, amplifiers, ceiling speakers, and a full range of loudspeakers - all backed by the manufacturing and engineering talents at EAW, Mackie, SIA Software and Acuma Labs.

"When we announced our plans to address this market under the EAW brand last December, the EAW and Mackie product development teams had already begun working on a revitalized family of products for the commercial sound market," commented Ken Berger, senior vice president of marketing

Czech Republic - Prague's underground network, named the 'Metro' after its Parisian model, has been open since 1974. Comprising three lines and over 50km of tunnels, it is already carrying around half a billion passengers per year - and the trend is rising. In 2004, another three stations are due to be opened, bringing the total to 54.

The company responsible for the sound systems in the underground stations is Audio Zeman of Prague. Commissioned by the project management, Metroprojekt, the company's engineers conducted exhaustive simulations, with the result that they were given the go-ahead to install the first 100 DL-94 ceiling loudspeakers from Dynacord. The results were so impressive that in 2001, Audio Zeman was asked to do the same in other stations, in some of which the intelligibility of the existing systems, despite the multitude of ceiling speakers installed, was, acc

USA - Mackie will use this year's NSCA show as a platform to introduce the commercial audio market to a range of new products, including the new TT24 digital live console the Onyx series of FireWire-capable analogue mixers. The TT24 digital live console is a powerful 24-mic input digital mixer developed specifically for live sound applications such as clubs, theatres, houses of worship, rental companies, sound production companies and regional touring acts.

Architecturally, TT24 is a 56 x 45, 24-bit, 96kHz capable digital live console with 100mm touch-sensitive faders, on-board analogue and digital I/O, full channel metering, digital recall, EQ, dynamics, and effects. A unique control section combines a 5" touch screen, eight function buttons, and 12-parameter rotary encoders that work together to provide quick and easy access to key live functions such as Fat channel overv

UK - Richard Nowell Sound Services (RNSS) has installed the UK's very first Midas Verona bearing serial number 001 into London's Royal Festival Hall. RNSS invested in the Verona without even seeing it - just a quick glance at the spec sheet and a telephone conversation with Midas and Klark Teknik's Richard Ferriday were enough to convince Nowell that the Verona was exactly what they he was looking for.

RNSS is responsible for the in-house sound systems throughout the South Bank Centre, from voice alarm and evacuation systems through to PA. The PA systems in particular have evolved over many years, so the company is currently involved in upgrading and rationalizing the equipment throughout. Having replaced the loudspeaker system in the Queen Elizabeth Hall, it became imperative to replace the console.

Nowell recounts: "When we first took over the contract for the South Ban

Australia - Fresh from its successes in being specified for high profile musical productions in Spain and the Netherlands, Formula Sound's recently-launched QUE-18 foldback mixer is also now being used in a leading production of the Queen musical, We Will Rock You in Melbourne, Australia.

Officially launched at last year's PLASA Show, the QUE-18 builds on Formula Sound's existing QUE-8 and QUE-10 foldback mixers by adding valuable extra channels and new features to what has proved to be a very popular and thoroughly proven design. It has been created to satisfy demands from sound design professionals for a product that provides new levels of foldback flexibility, especially in theatre applications, and has received an enthusiastic response from users such as Bobby Aitken of Bobby Aitken Sound Designs, who specified the QUE-18 for the Queen musical.

"They have prov

USA - For the 19th consecutive year, the International Ballroom at Merv Griffin's Beverly Hilton Hotel was outfitted with Apogee loudspeakers and power amplifiers for the Golden Globe Awards. The Awards are presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association to honour achievements in film and television during the calendar year. The show, broadcast live on NBC on 25 January and shown in 125 countries, attracted a worldwide television audience of 250 million viewers.

Veteran sound engineer Bruce Burns of Innovative Audio Technologies, Inc of Sun Valley, California, has selected Apogee loudspeakers for the Golden Globes since Apogee technology was available in 1985. In 2000, The Beverly Hilton, impressed by the quality and reliability of Apogee's performance, purchased from Thomas Gregor Audio Associates a permanent Apogee system for the International Ballroom, which also hosts

UK / Europe - Skan PA Hire has confirmed that it is continuing its strong relationship with The Darkness by supplying sound control equipment for the band's February European tour. The four-week tour includes two full production shows in Portsmouth and Folkestone and some of Europe's most famous cities, including Hamburg, Copenhagen and Vienna.

Skan is providing Midas Heritage 2000 and XL3 consoles, with technicians Scott Essen and Nick Stagg working alongside The Darkness' FOH engineer Pedro Ferreira and monitor engineer Andy Shillito. The Darkness first toured with Skan in October 2003 using its L'Acoustics dV-DOSC system, and again in November supporting Meatloaf. After an impressive performance, Skan was asked to provide an enhanced system for the heavily publicized Christmas 'Elf Hazard' tour.

(Sarah Rushton-Read)

UK - Symetrix is introducing the new AirTools 6200 voice processor, and showing upgrades to the Studio Matrix signal processing system at the forthcoming NAB 2004 exhibition in in Las Vegas. All units are now shipping, say the company.

The AirTools 6200 is a dual-channel, DSP-driven voice processor, with all the necessary functions to handle complete signal processing of microphone or line-level signals, in dual-mono or stereo. Processing blocks are editable from the front panel or from a Windows-based GUI accessed via USB or Ethernet ports, and changes are stored in any of the 1024 onboard preset locations. Processes include filtering, parametric equalization, compression, de-essing, gating, room simulation and more. The 6200 also supports HomerLink, an interconnect protocol that makes it compatible with the Studio Matrix system.

The Studio Matrix system is now shipping and s

Worldwide - Monitor engineer for American alternative metal band A Perfect Circle, Michael Mulé, has 22 years of hands-on experience in live music. He's been working with a DiGiCo D5 Live digital mixing console on the band's latest tour, travelling around America, Europe, Australia and Japan, which will finish on the 2004 summer festival scene. He only had one day prior to rehearsal to get to know his way around the console, but he found an almost instant affinity with the interface and, seven months into the tour, he says he wouldn't change it for the world.

A Perfect Circle is composer and guitar player Billy Howerdel, who formed the band, lead singer Maynard James Keenan (also lead singer with Tool), James Iha from Smashing Pumpkins, Jeordie White from Marilyn Manson, and drummer Josh Freese, a Stellar Studio musician and has played with many bands. This is the

USA - The First Baptist Church of Cumming, Georgia recently replaced its sound system, turning to Mike Hedden at dB Acoustics & Sound, a design/build firm that specializes in contemporary churches with production-oriented worship. "We do about a church a week," says Hedden. "Our philosophy is that the AV system needs to be a seamless part of the worship service. If we do our job correctly, the congregation won't be distracted by technology."

The church had initially invested in quality equipment such as Crown amps and a Soundcraft K2 console, and Hedden kept as much of the original equipment as possible.

The main room seats around 800-900 people. Hedden and his team installed a mono distributed system featuring a main centre cluster of two SPL-triktraps from Sound Physics Labs and two SPL-td1 subwoofers. SPL-triktraps provide wide-angle coverage of 60° x 6

Switzerland - Two Soundcraft MH3 mixing consoles and BSS 9088 Soundwebs have entered the big top, running the audio for the Swiss National Circus as part of a 100% Harman Pro system installation. The Knie Dynasty, which has been in existence for over 200 years - touring as the Swiss National Circus since 1918 - decided to replace their entire audio system with a complete Harman Pro solution.

The Knie family opted for a VerTec Line Array system to fill the 3,000-capacity big top. Supplied by Swiss distributor Dr. W. A. Günther, the music and playback system consists of 12 JBL VerTec VT 4887, underpinned by three JBL CSR82 subs - all powered by Crown MacroTech. The vocal system and delays are carried by 10 JBL AE AC2212 powered by Crown XS, while the brace of BSS Soundweb 9088 DSP devices store the crossover and EQ gain settings as presets, and handle the signal routing. The mixi

Latest Issue. . .