Sound

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To make this years summer a little hotter Tchibo, the German coffee company invited three legendary soul ladies to form a comeback on stages in Hamburg, Munich and Oberhausen.

Whitney Houston was of course star of the show, no less remarkable was the re-appearance of her cousin Dionne Warwick, the Burt Bacherach voice of the swinging sixties, and Nat King Cole's daughter Nathalie who had turned her father's jazz songs into nineties pop hits. This melange of rich soul voices sold out crowds at Hamburg's Color Line Arena, the Olympia Hall in Munich and the Kvnig Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen.

For these German summer soul events a total of one hundred d&b audiotechnik loudspeakers in various configurations were supplied and rigged by Yousound Showtechnik of Augsburg, Germany, ensuring clear, faithful reproduction of the Divas brilliant performances. "We chose d&b equipment for this

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USA - D-Tools Inc. president and CEO Adam Stone, announced that Steve Collard, current chief financial officer of the fast-growing software manufacturing company, will expand his management duties to assume the role of chief operating officer, effective immediately.

"The depth of experience, financial leadership and vision Steve brings to our management team at this important juncture of our growth plan makes this a logical next step for the company," said Stone.

D-Tools is the industry's leading provider of software solutions for audio/video and control system design, installation, job costing, project management and billing for designers and system integrators for both residential and commercial applications.

"The company has been positioning itself for enormous growth, especially in the commercial application sector, with the planned introduction of several

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Malaysia - Spanish manufacturer D.A.S. Audio offered a series of concerts coinciding with the 16th PALA 2004, which was held from 15 - 18 July in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. During the three days of the show, the new line arrays were on hand for demos at an outdoor stage adjacent to the fairgrounds. Six Aero-48 large format line array systems were flown on each side of the stage and bass reinforcement was provided by six Aero 218 Subs. Stage monitoring was provided using D.A.S. ST-32 co-axial floor monitors. Demos were also provided using the Aero-28 compact line array systems, comprising of four CA-28 mid-high units and 2 x CA-215 for low frequency reproduction.

The D.A.S. Malaysian distributor, Syarikat Instraco Sdn. Bhd., was in charge of organizing the line array demos. Providing factory support was D.A.S. engineer Joan La Roda, who helped out with the final adjustment of the

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UK - Rock Solid Ethernet is a new book by Artistic Licence managing director, Wayne Howell. Ethernet technology is becoming commonplace in entertainment technology. This means that end users, specifiers, designers and engineers need to know the rules: What can you do? What can't you do? So what can you get away with?Rock Solid Ethernet is split into three sections, discussing the technology from the perspective of end users and specifiers, system installers and manufacturers and designers. Subjects covered range from making an RJ45 cable through network topology to the use of radio links. This book is laid out in a style that allows the reader to quickly find the answers to their questions.

Howell commented: "Over the past few years I have looked for a concise reference on the subject of Ethernet. Somewhat to my surprise I was unable to find what I wanted! There are many go

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UK - The Scottish Parliament has chosen Bosch's advanced congress sound management and communications system for the new Holyrood parliament building in Edinburgh which opens later this year. The innovative new building will feature a fully digital DCN Digital Congress system from Bosch Security Systems to provide high quality digital sound management with electronic voting, multilingual translation facilities as well as 'Smart Card' reading for automatic identification and authentication of members.

Additional features include Infra-Red and Inductive Loop audio facilities for enhanced audio communication for the hard of hearing, plus high quality sound reinforcement for both the main chamber and press and public galleries. The system allows simultaneous translation into various languages including Gaelic as well as other EC languages when hosting international events. The Infr

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Spain - Since its launch, the Aero line array system is rapidly becoming the choice of an increasing number of sound engineers worldwide. The Aero system has seen action in concerts and live events in Korea, El Salvador, Ecuador, Italy, Argentina and the US. Most recently, the stage was in Mongolia, one of the world's most exotic travel destinations.

Mr Orgoin Bayar, owner of the leisure centre 'UB Palace', the largest in the capital of Ulaan Baatar, was impressed with the performance of the Aero systems he had seen at the Frankfurt Pro Light and Sound show. After comparing the D.A.S. system with many others, he decided on acquiring the first line array system in Mongolia, buying 20 x Aero 48 large format line array modules and 12 x Aero-218 Sub low frequency systems. On 10 July the system debuted at the 'Naadam Festival', the largest live event in Mongolia. The outdoor event wa

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UK - CP Sound, Staines-based creative lighting and sound specialists, has completed the second stage of an installation at the popular Waxy O'Connor's concept bar in Birmingham.

This follows the original audio design and installation that was completed by CP Sound in 2002, including JBL speakers, a Rolec computer music system and RSE amplification. The entrance area has been jazzed up with the addition of five MADColor MBI 150 colour changing fixtures, controlled by a Raving MAD DMX controller, specified for its simplicity and ease of operation. Push button control offers a pre-selection of different lighting modes - 'mood', 'chill', 'dance' and 'mad'.

CP's Colin Pattenden recommended the addition of a JBL sub bass speaker to boost sound 'feel' inside the entrance. Downstairs in Waxy's main Church Bar, Pattenden and his team added four HTI 150 Arc discharge Power Flower lighti

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UK - Beyma will present new models at the PLASA 2004 Trade Fair with its solution for Line Array design as the main innovative product. The new items included in the Beyma 2004 catalogue provide a response to the growing demand for very light and powerful loudspeakers.

The greatest innovation is the WL5, which Beyma launches to the market as the best solution for the high frequency design of Line Array Systems. This model is composed of two components: A specially designed high frequency compression driver, based in the CP-755/ND but in a much more compact size for optimum assembling, with 108dB and 80 W AES, and a simple but effective wave guide which transforms the circular aperture of the compression driver into a rectangular surface, without excessive angle aperture to provide minimum vertical dispersion to the acoustic wavefront. The design fulfills the curvature requiremen

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Germany - Introduced at the ProLight+Sound 2004 exhibition in Frankfurt, the Line 212-SP, with integrated active electronics and the new SW 215E and SW215E-SP subwoofers, are now available, say manufacturer Kling & Freitag.

Like the passive version, the Line 212-SP is available as a 65° and a 90° version. One unique feature of the Line 212 Systems is the patented FLC technology which causes a targeted dispersion pattern which already begins in the lower frequency spectrum. If necessary, the horn-loaded extremely compact full-range system Line 212 can be supplemented with additional subwoofers. The new double 15" subwoofer SW 215E, also available as an SP version (self-powered), is especially well-suited for this. Using stacking foot grooves on the top and the side of the SW 215E, the Line 212 systems can be set up for stand-alone or cluster use. Both systems can be opera

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UK - dB Technologies new electronically-controlled active system, Fifty Line, is a flexible and compact PA system with three main components. The FL10 passive high frequency speaker, equipped with a horn loaded 10" woofer and a B&C 1" pressure driver (coaxially mounted). dB has used its long history and experience in plastics to develop this horn and this is reflected in the weight, sound and output pressure of the system. The 1" driver has been specially designed and manufactured for the unit to achieve an smooth frequency and dispersion.

FL15 is the mid-bass of the system, incorporating both a 500W/RMS power amp and a 300 +100 W/RMS power amp, used to power the FL 10, by way of a four-channel speaker cable. The result of combining the two units is a complete full-range speaker system.

FL18 sub-bass is a bass reflex unit driven by an 18" B&C woofer, togeth

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UK - A.C. Lighting's Audio division has supplied the West Yorkshire Playhouse with two Yamaha DM1000 audio mixing consoles as part of an upgrade of the venue's sound equipment. Since opening in March 1990, the venue has established a reputation both nationally and internationally as one of Britain's most exciting producing theatres, and is the largest regional repertory theatre outside of London and Stratford. The Playhouse produces 16 of its own shows each year in its two auditoria, approximately a third of which are world or British premieres.

When the theatre wanted to replace the existing sound mixers in its two auditoria - the 750-seat Quarry Theatre and 350 seat Courtyard Theatre - they approached A.C. to supply the two Yamaha DM1000 consoles. As a certified Yamaha digital dealer, A.C. were able to offer an extensive in-house consultation and after-sales backup service, in

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UK - Newly-formed Muse Research has launched with Receptor, a sophisticated but simple-to-operate VST instrument and effects player for studio and live applications. The problem with many VST instruments and effects is that they are difficult to use and set-up, but the Receptor's intuitive front panel with knob controls, makes it easy. But the 2U rack-mountable, multi-timbral sound and effects Receptor makes the task of using plug-ins as easy as "dial and play". Using proprietary Muse software, Receptor can run VST software from the best developers in the world without the complexity and fragility of a computer.

Receptor's mixer-like architecture combines up to 16 different audio sources, which can be either internal VSTi instruments or external analogue/digital inputs. Each source is then routed through its own inline effects matrix, allowing three VST plug-ins to be

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UK - Setting new standards in efficiency, 32 companies have been identified in the latest Plimsoll Portfolio Analysis - Sound Equipment as getting the very best from their people. The consequence for companies in the rest of the industry is that to compete, they will need to axe as many as 1300 jobs in the next 12 months.

By getting the most from employees, these 32 highly efficient companies are delivering nearly 45% more sales and four times the profit per person of an average UK sound equipment company. Typically, they are generating £208,000 sales per person and £13,000 profit per person. Last year, the average UK sound equipment company achieved £143,000 sales per employee and a mere £3,000 profit per employee.

At most risk of being left behind, 20 companies have been identified as only generating an average of £81,000 per employee. Their spend on salaries is far too

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Denmark - Danish PA company DPA Soundco has supplied various sound reinforcement systems to the Roskilde Festival over the past 12 years, but this year, for the first time, the company equipped two stages with Nexo GEO T Series tangent arrays. The company reports the system received unprecedented praise over a diverse range of performances, from the Scissor Sisters to the Royal Danish Opera and a variety of world music.

DPA Soundco's system designer Gorm Jakobsen was responsible for PA on three of Roskilde's six stages, including the 11,000-capacity Arena Stage (the second largest), and the Ballroom stage, which hosted the world music events. In the past, Jakobsen has used systems including Turbosound's Floodlight and Flashlight and, last year, the JBL VerTec. He comments: "They all worked, although, of the three, the line array was the best design for the space. However, this yea

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Greece - Bon Studio S.A. won the contract to install the audio infrastructure in three of the most contemporary stadia in Europe, used recently for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Drawing heavily on the product portfolio of Harman Pro group companies for whom they handle distribution, Bon Studio was able to meet the specifications laid down for the Pampeloponissiako and Panthessaliko Outdoor Stadia, and Nikaia Indoor Stadium. When some of the designs were later modified to achieve optimum sound quality, Bon Studio were able to comply with the revised requirement.

The new 24,000-seat Pampeloponissiako stadium in Patra was built in order to stage the Olympic football tournaments. Bon Studio installed the sound reinforcement system in the stadium's main arena plus sound reinforcement and public address systems in the internal peripheral areas. Using EASE predictive software, the

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UK - Production Services has announced the upgrading of its SP Series power amplifiers - despite the fact that the existing designs have provided sterling service with only one breakdown (due to operator problems) over the last 12 months from all the SP Series amps in use worldwide, say the company.

The changes start with the front plate, machined from 10mm thick aluminium block. Superior airflow has been achieved as well as making the amplifier more robust. According to the manufacturer, everything about the amplifiers has been upgraded from transparent output limiting through components to general design and layout. The result, the company says, is improved reliability and sonic performance - with no price increase.

(Sarah Rushton-Read)

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France - Digigram, a world leader in innovative digital audio network solutions, announced recently that US based Jimmy Kawalek has been hired as worldwide business development manager for the licensing program of Digigram's patented EtherSound technology.

"There are few people in the world that have as much knowledge and market insight in professional networked audio as Jimmy has. He knows exactly what pro audio manufacturers need to efficiently implement audio networking and remote control capabilities into their products, and he has a proven track record of creating long-term business relations, which are beneficial for all parties. We are very happy to have him on board," said Philippe Delacroix, Digigram managing director.

Kawalek added: "I am very excited to join Digigram and to be part of the EtherSound team. The more I learn about this incredible technol

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UK - Massive Attack's summer festival tour was a high impact combination of electronics and visual expression, with James Thomas Pixelline fixtures and United Visual Artists' Dragonfly II software amalgamated into arguably the brightest show of the summer season. For those unable to prize their shades from their craniums after dark - this was the gig to be at!

The band wanted a visual departure from last year's LED wall, which featured low-resolution imagery. They favoured a less technical stage look, but also wanted to continue with digital technology: this provided the starting point for lighting designers Andy Hurst and Vince Foster and the UVA team, who came up with the concept of a super low-res horizontal wall of Pixelline - 151 pixels wide by 161 high - with gaps in between the units.

Highlighting the band in silhouette, the Pixelline wall served as a dynamic (and very bright)

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UK - Established in 1990, Sound Division has come a long way since its roots as a sales and service provider in the DJ technology field. Since the restructuring of the company in 2000, managing director David Graham has worked hard to develop other areas of the business with the result that now, some four years on, Sound Division is a much broader-based concern. Today, the company encompasses contracts and installations as a key area of its market, and a thriving entertainments and corporate events division run by Chris Baxter, which trades under the name of 'Sounds Good To Me' - as well as its traditional hire and sales operations.

While Sounds Good To Me is a side of the business that has always done well under Baxter's direction, and continues to do so, Graham is particularly pleased at the way in which business has taken off for the contracts division. Over the last two to three ye

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UK - Wakestock, which takes place in Abersoch, North Wales, is Europe's largest wakeboard music festival - a watersport/music combination which is proving highly popular. Sound, lighting and power for the event was provided by Cheshire-based VME.

The event was staged over three locations: Pwellheli inner marina and Abersoch main beach were used for the wakeboard competition, while Penrhos was the music site, where headline act Kosheen was supported by the Ordinary Boys, Snatch and others. It took two and a half days to set all power, lighting and sound equipment across the site.

PA for the main area was Kling & Freitag's Access system: four T9 and T5 cabintes, with 12 B5 and four B10s as subwoofers, powered by Lab Gruppen amplification. At front-of-house were a Yamaha PM4000 and an Allen & Heath ML5000. For each desk was an outboard rack carrying a Yamaha SPX 900 and SPX 2000, a dbx

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UK - The organizers of the Reproduced Sound conference have issued a provisional programme for this year's event, which takes place at the Oxford Hotel in Wolvercote, Oxford, from 8-10 October 2004. Previously known as 'The Windermere Conference' after the location in which it spent its first 14 years, the conference was successfully held at its new location in November 2003, and will return there this year for its 20th event.

The theme for the conference this year is 'Improving the listening experience', and the organizers are encouraging creative interpretations of theme in papers submitted for the programme. The event will also include an area for demonstrating and exhibiting products and catalogues, and practical demonstration sessions will take place on each of the two evenings.

The event is expected to attract more than 100 delegates, from all parts of the audio profession. Fu

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Ireland - AVC, the Dublin-based audio-visual equipment hire company, has become the latest European rental operator to invest in the Nexo GEO S Series tangent array system.

John Magann and his team at AVC opted for the GEO S "because of the technology and the compactness of the system." Already a Nexo PS Series user, AVC has now made the strategic decision to concentrate its hire stock entirely around the Nexo designs. "It's a perfect fit," says Magann. "The GEO S elements are ideal for the concert and cabaret work that we do, as well as being perfectly suited to our corporate clients and the events market. The Nexo PS Series can be used as a monitor system with GEO S, or in its own right for the smaller jobs."

AVC made its decision after discussion with local dealer Rea Sound, and a visit to the Millennium Forum in Derry, where a Nexo GEO S sound system

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Denmark - Dynaudio Acoustics has introduced AIR Base 12 and AIR Base 24, two new powerful active subwoofers featuring an original 12" driver specifically designed for low frequency reproduction and tight impulse response. AIR Base 12 features 500W into a single 12" driver and AIR Base 24 features 700W of amplification into two 12" drivers. With these latest additions to the series, AIR System owners have even more options for selecting the right subwoofer for the size of their monitor system. The AIR Base 12 and AIR Base 24 subwoofers will ship in September 2004.

Dynaudio Acoustics has put great effort into designing a pair of subwoofers that are able to withstand resonance within the enclosure due to low-end frequency response, thus ensuring a more precise output. With a total frequency response of 22Hz - 200Hz and a 500W amplifier, AIR Base 12 delivers a lot of

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