Sound

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UK - Theatre sound specialist Orbital reports that seven Yamaha PM1Ds from their rental stock are currently in use on major London West End Musicals, including Andrew Lloyd Webber's latest production, The Woman In White. This musical adaptation of Wilkie Collins' renowned Victorian novel stars Michael Crawford and Maria Freidman, and opens at The Palace Theatre in October.

Freelance sound designer Mick Potter, who first specified the PM1D for Andrew Lloyd Webber's Bombay Dreams has again opted for the console for The Woman in White. His configuration at the FOH position involves one PM1D cascaded to a Yamaha DM2000 giving 160 mix channels. A second PM1D, running in mirror mode, allows Potter to make complex adjustments to the mix without interfering with sound operator Tim Clarke's concentration. While Clarke mixes the show on one surface, Potter and his pro

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UK - Sennheiser 's popular annual audio industry event, the Golf Challenge Trophy, took place in July at the Mill Ride Golf Course at Ascot, where 65 customers and staff took to the green. Thankfully the rain held off and the standard of play was as high and competitive as always, with everyone making it to the 19th hole in good time and accounted for - at least at the start of the evening. Congratulations go to this year's golf-meisters: The trophy winner was Praful Patel (ASK Electronics), runner-up was Howard Till (Canegreen) and third place went to Michael Storey (Netcom).

Helped by generously donated prizes and possibly a little alcohol, the evening dinner and charity auction went on late into the night, raising £30,000, which will be divided between Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy for Children and the charity for Breast Cancer. Sennheiser UK would like to say a very sincer

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UK - PLASA 2004 will see the first UK appearance of the new 3-way, high output line array system that combines two of Renkus-Heinz's unique technologies. The system made its European début on the Stevie Wonder-headlined Molde Jazz Festival in Norway last month. The STLA/9 is the lightest 'full size' self-powered line array module available, say Renkus-Heinz. With 139dB peak SPL broadband per module, the STLA/9 can handle the largest sound reinforcement applications - yet the self-powered version weighs in at under 200lb (90kg) per cabinet.

The new internally tri-amplified cabinet builds on the success of the company's initial line array offering, the PN102/LA, and uses many of its technologies. The low frequencies are handled by two high-powered 12" woofers, whose horizontal spacing assures horizontal pattern control down to as low as 200Hz.

Renkus-Heinz's CoEntrant Dri

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UK - This year's Glastonbury Festival was again hailed a huge success, with many companies battling the inclement weather to supply staging, lighting, sound and AV to this ever-developing event. With so many stages, tents and zones on site, the following can only be a snapshot of those industry experts who worked so hard - some regular festival suppliers and some new faces - to ensure the continued success of arguably the world's most famous annual outdoor musical event - ever!

Lighting

In action for Oasis' Friday night headline slot on the Pyramid stage were192 James Thomas Pixelline LED battens - part of a stunning lighting scheme designed by LD Andi Watson, with gear supplied by LSD/Fourth Phase.

On The Other Stage, LD Jonny Gaskell used 55 Pixellines and PixelDrive software, supplied by Bandit Lites, for Orbital's final set. Taking an experimental approach, Gaskell took

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UK - AuviTran, designer and developer of innovative audio and video networking solutions and products, has appointed Marquee Audio as its UK distributor.

As a full EtherSound licensee, AuviTran is exploiting this technology with its own EtherSound-based products, as well as offering services to other pro audio companies.

Marquee Audio will focus mainly on these EtherSound-based products. In particular, Marquee's Andy Huffer expects success with the AVY16-ES cards, which bring EtherSound compatibility to Yamaha digital mixers and other professional audio products featuring the 'mini-YGDAI' interface. "The Auvitran card effectively brings Yamaha to the EtherSound party, all the Yamaha products can now hop onto the EtherSound bandwagon, including the new PM5D and DME64. As we are probably Yamaha's foremost dealer in the UK, this is going to be very significant for Marquee Audio,&q

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UK - Pop divas and recently announced Audio-Technica endorsees, Sugababes, are celebrating the release of their latest single, Caught In A Moment, with a series of festival dates around Europe and the UK, exclusively using A-T microphones.

The band's decision to place 100% reliance on Audio-Technica microphones and wireless technology was decided by production manager Adrian Barnard: "It was a quality and control decision to carry our own mics for vocals and backline. I've been a fan of Audio-Technica for a long time but we wanted to be sure we were using the right mics. A-T kindly arranged for their entire range to be made available and we did a lot of comparative testing.

"We proved that Audio-Technica AEW-T6100 hypercardioid dynamic transmitter mics and AEW-R4100 True Diversity receiver gave us the warmth and quality of sound that we wanted for lead vocals and c

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UK - London's Hammersmith Odeon played host to the first gig of The Corrs' European tour in June, showcasing the songs from the band's new album, Borrowed Heaven. Absent from the touring scene since 2001, the band has spent 18 months recording the new album in Dublin and Los Angeles, and will tour British arenas in November, taking in Newcastle, Glasgow, Sheffield, Birmingham, Manchester and London's Wembley Arena, following a month visiting European destinations.

The band has used live sound specialist Canegreen since its first set of UK dates in 1998, as tour manager Henry McGroggan explained: "The Corrs have grown with Canegreen; tonight we have 80 channels of audio running from the stage and the Canegreen boys can manage it. The technology has moved on significantly over the years and Canegreen keep right up to date in terms of offering us new equipment that will make the ban

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UK - RW Salt Communications, one of the UK's leading wholesalers of pro audio equipment, is to host a new trade show aimed specifically at installers who work predominantly in the architectural and commercial fields of pro audio. The event will be held at the Mere Golf & Country Club in Cheshire on Thursday 14 October 2004.'Audex' will feature product from many well-known manufacturers in a stand-based exhibition and a full seminar programme in the presentation theatre, while TOA Corporation will hold its 2004 technical training seminars in the second presentation suite.

Craig Buckley, MD of RW Salt, commented: "For too long our industry has lacked an exhibition dedicated to presenting products and services specifically to the Architectural and Commercial Audio installer. These installers represent the core of our business and as such we wanted to bring the manufacturers to them i

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UK - At last, start-up DJ's can enjoy the luxury of Denon design and build pedigree with a nifty little tabletop device that will meet all their MP3 (as well as CD) requirements. Denon knew an entry-level product was feasible for the first time after adapting the template of the hugely-popular DN-S5000 into the feature-rich (and keenly-priced) DN-S3000. With the DN-S1000 they have achieved their objective, reducing the footprint of this portable beauty to a mere 226mm x 92mm (inc feet) x 215mm, while still retaining advanced MP3 functionality.

In addition to its starter appeal, the DN-S1000 is sufficiently well-specified to be considered as an add-on by seasoned turntable DJs, who feel they are ready to straddle the different formats. It all adds up to a package with an astonishing performance to weight/price ratio - and when paired with Denon's brand new 2-channel DN-X100 battl

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UK - A new event, set in the Oxfordshire countryside, Cornbury is a 'country fayre' style festival. With headliners including Will Young, Blondie and Jools Holland, and a pint of real ale only metres away, there was a different air to this event.

Sound Advice, better known in the corporate event sector, organized the event, with James Cobb taking on the role of production manager. This was the first festival on the site (for over 150 years) and the local council was understandably apprehensive about sound levels in neighbouring villages.

Cobb contracted Canegreen, and project manager Pete Hughes, to design a PA system to meet the restrictions imposed, whilst keeping levels good for the audience. A Meyer combination of four M3Ds and eight MILO cabinets was flown either side of the stage in line array format, with the new Meyer Sub 700 cabinets staked beneath. Meyer UPAs acted as in-fi

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UK - Mach speakers will show its comprehensive and innovative C-Range of speakers for installation applications at this year's PLASA Show. Co-designed by contractors for contractors, the C-Range includes the CN7, CN8 and CN 12, and has been developed for natural sound reproduction in near field applications. The series features a unique and innovative spider mount system with 18 flying points - four of which are fully adjustable allowing for total flexibility when setting the aim points in the application.

The CN series is designed for flexible and easy connection in seconds with recessed Speakon and barrier strip terminals, with easy access to all serviceable parts. The CN series combines powerful hi-fi properties with intermediate SPL levels in a compact design. Acoustical performance has been optimized with specific emphasis on elevated power levels, clarity and speech intell

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Australia - ARX Systems has released the new AV-DI, the latest addition to its AudiBox range of precision tools, designed to perform essential professional audio functions in an ultra-compact, flexible package. The new AV-DI stereo audio-visual active direct box is ideal for interfacing any consumer stereo audio signal (especially notebook computer sound cards) with the balanced inputs required for professional sound systems.

System interface is via dual RCA or stereo mini-jack inputs and dual balanced XLR outputs. There is a 20dB pad to tame hot signals, plus Phantom or 12V DC power options. Permanent soft audio ground network prevents ground loops starting, providing pristine audio quality, say the company. The AV-DI is housed heavy duty all-steel chassis finished in matt textured powdercoat, with hardwearing epoxy screen printing and slip-resistant rubber pads. Security featu

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Germany - Yamaha mixing desks were much in evidence at the recent Soul Divas concerts in Germany. The three Divas - soul legends Whitney Houston, Natalie Cole and Dionne Warwick - thrilled fans at three separate concerts in Hamburg's Color Line Arena, the Olympia Hall in Munich and the König Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen.

Augsburg-based Yousound Showtechnik rigged the shows as well as providing trucking and full logistics. "We used a PM1D just for the monitor system with 96 input channels and 32 outputs," said Stefan Heinicke of Yousound. "That's a lot, but well within the capabilities of the desk."Much of the front-of-house mixing was provided by a Yamaha PM3500 mixing desk to provide the Divas with high quality sound through an impressive PA system using around 100 speakers. "We were really working the desk," said Heinicke. "We had everything

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UK - PLASA 2004 (12-15 September) will see the UK show debut for the Ethos Array from Logic System. After its preview at Frankfurt earlier this year, the system is now in full production and will be the centrepiece of the Logic stand at PLASA. The Ethos Array is composed of the VA vertical array enclosure which combines with the complementary B2 bass and SB2 sub bass cabinets.

The show will also see a major reorganisation of the Logic System product range. Existing key products from the LS and LM series will be regrouped under the Ethos umbrella along with a new bass range that will replace all existing bass options. The streamlined Ethos range aims to cover a broad range of the requirements of the pro audio industry with a compact range of products. Ethos will be sub divided into four sections - VA (Vertical Array), B - A (a range of bass options to integrate with full-range Lo

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UK - The Oxford Sound Company has recently completed a £2.5m installation to provide the Afro Caribbean Millennium Centre (ACMC) with a multimedia facility. This comprises a radio station, recording studio, business centre, live performance area, IT and media training areas and an Internet café - all fully integrated into one purpose-built facility. The Centre was funded though grants from the The Millennium Commission, The European Regional Development Fund, Birmingham City Council and The Arts Council as well as support form the local Afro Caribbean community that the centre has been designed to serve.

"This was a bit different to the client base we are most familiar with," Andrew Riley confessed. "The clients had an idea of what technology could offer, but little idea of how to implement it so we had to make sure that the system we specified could cope, and h

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UK - MEDC Ltd, the manufacturer of the Next Two range of loudspeakers for background music, voice alarm and background music applications, will be launching new loudspeakers at PLASA 2004. The new products are the WS range of cabinet loudspeakers and the MC8 range of ceiling speakers. Development of these new products have focused on visual appeal, ease of installation, competitive pricing and performance.

The WS range is a 6/10W 100V line loudspeaker with true first and second stage installation with a plug connector. A stainless steel bezel to further enhance its aesthetic appeal is also available as an optional extra. This unit can be used for VA as well as PA applications.

The MC8 is a 8" 100V line ceiling speaker available in both T (for PA applications) and FT (Firesome suitable for BS5839, part 8 compliant installations) which offers a clean flush fit appearance an

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UK - At the forthcoming PLASA show, Alcons Audio will show a complete new product range and highlights of its current line-up. Seen in prototype form at last year's PLASA show, this year the production model of the LR16 pro-ribbon line-array module will be on the show. The recently-launched LR16B, double-15" NeoDymium driver bandpass supplement, will join the LR16.

The LR14, Alcons' ultra-compact line array module, featuring the patented RBN401 pro-ribbon driver, is designed as either an ultra-compact line array system, or as an under-fill for the LR16. It has a dispersion pattern of 120° x 15°, and its 800W peak power handling offers a similar dynamic response to its bigger brother, the LR16.

Also at PLASA, a sneak-preview will be given of the company's new Q-series - a complete new product range of modular line-source array columns, featuring all-new pro-ribbon transd

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UK - In late April, having received an impromptu visit and presentation of the new KV2 Audio ES system by Andy Austin-Brown, both Phil Soltys and Dave Charman of PSD Electronics in Newquay were impressed enough to invite Austin-Brown back to conduct an "on-site, live Friday night demonstration in the heart of Newquay nightlife."

The venue was the Koola Club, an eclectic mix of club, bar and attached restaurant, feeding the requirements of the resident surf and sand fraternity as well as the hedonist weekend visitors and devout clubbers, situated on the seafront. The owners wanted to invest in a new sophisticated, but discreet audio system that could provide extreme high power with exceptional clarity and finesse. With a diverse range of entertainments from dance to live performances, the system had to operate with the minimum of attention.

Dave Charman explained: &qu

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UK - Smart Sound Direct reports that Galaxy Audio's replacement Neolite S5N-8 driver is now fitted as standard in the Hot Spot HSVC and HSRG monitors, PA5X140 powered PA system and PMCB Contractor Series speakers. Offering the same power handling capacity (100W RMS @ 8 ohms/200W max) and frequency range (150Hz-18kHz) as its predecessor, this new, lightweight Neodymium 5" driver retains the same clarity, power and reliability, but at a fraction of the previous weight, say the company.

The S5N-8 incorporates the company's patented Super Cool ferrofluid cooling technology to reduce distortion and power compression - and at 13.8oz (0.39kg), it's two thirds lighter than the original.

(Lee Baldock)

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UK - Brent Cross Shopping Centre has chosen a JVC SX21 projector to upgrade its conference room facility. The projector was installed in early August by security systems integrator G1 Ltd. Brent Cross Shopping Centre is North London's largest shopping centre. It attracts 19 million shoppers a year and houses over 110 retail outlets including brands such as Fenwick, Marks & Spencer, Monsoon, Hugo Boss, Boots, Waitrose and John Lewis and employs approximately 4,500 staff.

Training, conferences, promotions and presentations for staff and contractors are becoming a bigger part of the centre's business. G1 recommended the JVC SX21 projector (model DLA-SX21) which has been seamlessly integrated with a full multi-media presentation system that includes surround sound.

The SX21 is capable of projecting multiple images with high resolution, high contrast and excellent natural colour r

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USA - Renowned wildlife and documentary sound recordist Chris Watson has been using his new Nagra ARES-PII linear, solid state, handheld recorder for a major new TV series - capturing the individual footfalls of army ants in the Costa Rican rainforest and the sounds of burrowing bees in the Mojave Desert, Arizona, USA.

Watson, who is well used to recording in some of the planet's harshest environments, commented: "The first time I used the ARES-PII was straight out of the box at the La Selva Tropical Studies centre - at 100% humidity. I just switched it on, hit record and got some wild tracks down straight away. I realized how easy it was, even through its neoprene case and decided to use it as my main recorder. Also, because it's solid state, I didn't have to pack it with silica gel to absorb moisture. Afterwards I plugged the card straight into my Mac Powerbook, backed up

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New Zealand - Shooters Bar in Christchurch, New Zealand, has taken delivery of a new sound system and video distribution system, based around a Soundweb 9016 video audio matrix, two BSS Soundweb 9088iiMM networked programmable DSP units, a BSS 9010 'Jellyfish' remote control and two BSS 9015 remote control panels. JBL AE (Application Engineered) and Control Series Speakers were used throughout the venue.

The bar owners originally approached Strawberry Sound in Dunedin for assistance with the audio and video system design and supply, and the installation was co-ordinated by Strawberry Sound Christchurch. System commissioning was done in conjunction with Jands Electronics New Zealand, who supplied the turnkey audio solution. The Soundweb units were selected as they could provide all the speaker management and zoning requirements, allowing for a 16 x 16 audio matrix, as well as int

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USA - Behringer has appointed Stephen Fraser as its president at Behringer USA. Michael Deeb, the group chief executive officer, said: "Mr. Fraser brings with him a wealth of experience gained through an admirable history of industry achievements. This appointment heralds a new wave of exciting developments we are bringing to the American (North and South America) and Canadian markets. We are confident that Mr. Fraser will lead our business to even greater heights."

Fraser has previously held several senior-executive positions, predominantly in the financial and service industries. His career has seen a strong focus on customer relationship management, which has translated into consistent bottom-line revenue growth for the companies he has worked for.

(Lee Baldock)

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UK - Sound Leisure, a name traditionally associated with jukeboxes, will show an array of futuristic digital AV products at this year's PLASA Show. As well as offering audio and flat screen video technology, Sound Leisure has harnessed the technological possibilities of touchscreens and transducers to create interactive displays utilizing existing materials such as glass windows, walls, or wooden panels.

The Versatile Video System (VVS) can be used simply to play music, but by attaching a number of screens, the system allows you to simultaneously play different music and video sources in different areas.

Bubbles are eye-catching acrylic spheres, available in a number of acid colours and in various screen sizes (6.8" to 30" diameter). They can house either speakers (Boutique Bubbles) or TFT display screens. Bubbles are cost-effective, easy-to-fit and look great hangi

  1. TiMax assists corporate and special events
  2. Enttec to debut at PLASA
  3. Innovason's Sy80 makes Asian debut
  4. PLASA: CDX-05 from Vestax
  5. APR Audio Handles Its Own Party In The Park
  6. Kylie plays it safe with XTA
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