Sound

Details
South Africa - South African reality TV show Project Fame based on the format of Fame Academy in the UK, sees contestants living together in the Academy and receiving professional training as well as grooming for stardom. The contestants competed against each other in weekly live television broadcasts until only the winner remained.

The venue chosen to stage the live events, The Pyramid Convention Centre in Downtown Johannesburg, was a shell which was transformed by the temporary installation of an enormous lighting rig, sound system and AV screens. Matrix Sound, the Johannesburg-based audio company, was awarded the sound supply contract and owner Trevor Peters created the sound design. Peters says: "It was one of the most challenging designs we have undertaken in that the show, stage and space we were working in was so fluid. Each week the line up of musicia

Details
Canada -Adamson Systems Engineering has announced the appointment of Eastern Acoustic Development (EAD) as exclusive distributor for the Adamson brand in the regions of Hong Kong and China.

Eastern Acoustic Development, with head offices based in Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong, was established in 1997 and is involved in public communication, audio/video system engineering, and international trade business. EAD is a leading edge system design and professional products supplier in Hong Kong and China, and act as sole distributor in its region for pro audio brands including Allen & Heath, Lab.gruppen, Symetrix, Lake Contour, Ashly, and RCF.

"We're extremely pleased to have EAD as our partner in China," said Keith Vanderkley, Adamson's director of sales. "Their past experience, product expertise and large client base makes them a superbly qualified distributor for the Adamso

Details
UK - The Pogues toured the UK and Ireland in December with the classic '87 to '93 line-up of Shane MacGowan, Spider Stacy, Jem Finer, Philip Chevron, Terry Woods, Andrew Ranken, James Fearnley and Darryl Hunt, which last toured the UK in 2001. Cait O'Riordan, the original bass player from '82 to '86, also joined the band on vocals.

East Anglia-based AudioLease supplied the PA for the nine-date tour, which included Glasgow, Newcastle, Birmingham, Manchester, London and Dublin. AudioLease used its Lab.gruppen powered Adamson Y-Axis Y10 line array system for all but the Dublin gig, as there was insufficient time to ship it from the previous night's concert.

Steve Sunderland of AudioLease explained the choice of PA, "For dynamic Irish Folk, with a lot of acoustic instruments, The Pogues engineer Paul Scully wanted a PA that was extremely precise, clean and with genuine hi-fi

Details
Australia - ARX Systems, the Australia-based pro audio manufacturer is pleased to announce the addition of the new Pro DI direct box to its AudiBox range of precision tools, designed to perform essential professional audio functions in a compact, flexible package. The Pro DI will convert single-ended unbalanced signals to low-impedance balanced signals and features a normal 1/4" jack input with hardwired Loop Out and a Speaker Level input at -40dB attenuation.

Typical applications, say the company, include interfacing musical instrument and consumer level product to professional standard systems for performance, broadcast and Installation use. For Stereo and Dual Channel applications, the Pro DI is also available in ARX's unique 'double header' two-channel format as the 'Pro DI Duo'.

The Pro DI is powered by an external 12 VDC supply or +48 VDC phantom power and is hous

Details
UK - The highly-specified DJ set-up at Brownstone in Bristol, provided by locally-based Bristol Architectural Sound Services (BASS), uses a pair of Denon's new DN-S5000 tabletop CD players - installed into the concrete booth at the request of Hed Kandi, who play a Thursday night residency there. BASS's Mike Brice says that these award-winning players, with the active analogue turntable platter, are a popular component of the Denon DJ catalogue, which he has been installing for several years. "I like Denon both for their features and their reliability," he says.

In a short space of time Brice's company has established itself on the city's late night circuit; venues he has fitted include the ultra chic Bar Pam Pam's in Clifton - which features a Denon DN-S9000 double CD/MP3 player, with platter jogwheel - along with other high-profile venues such as Zeebar, Bar Wash and

Details
UK - Leading British electronic music act Way Out West has selected Allen & Heath's MIDI-enabled Xone:92 DJ mixer for use on its new, and highly acclaimed album 'Don't Look Now' (Distinct'ive), and promotional tour. The bonus mix CD which accompanies the 'Don't Look Now' album was mixed live on the Xone:92 at Way Out West's studio in Bristol, and the mixer was used throughout an intensive live tour of North America, which took place during November 2004.

"The Xone:92 is wonderful and I love it," says Jody Wisternoff. "I was really happy that we were able to use it for the 'Don't Look Now' mix CD - every track went through it, and it warmed up everything. It's definitely the best sounding DJ mixer I've ever heard and I've been playing around with the MIDI functions. The Xone:92 is studio quality - Allen & Heath don't mess around. I've played records at home throug

Details
UK - Producer Jim Lowe looked to Mackie when he decided he needed a cost-effective desk that could be used to record bands during rehearsal sessions. Lowe, who has recently produced and engineered a new album for the Stereophonics, said: "I was looking for an easy and affordable way to record bands in rehearsal situations, without having to compromise on quality. Mackie desks are renowned for their good EQ and mic amps, so the company's range was an obvious place to begin my search."

Lowe chose an Onyx 1640 with FireWire option. This 16-channel small-format analogue mixer is the flagship of Mackie's new Onyx range, with features including an innovative 24-bit/96khz FireWire 1/0 option that allows it to stream multi-channel audio directly into a laptop or desktop computer.

"The FireWire option was a must-have because I use a G4 laptop and I needed a quick and e

Details
UK - The launch of Ethos VA Array at the PLASA show in 2004 had a dramatic effect on Logic System's standing in the live sound industry. While system sales have been achieved in Asia, Europe and Scandinavia, UK demand has been running at an unprecedented level, say the company. To cope with the production demands in the run up to Christmas the Logic factory has been operating an additional night shift to cope. The availability of a cost effective installation version of the array has also not been lost on Logic Systems installation customers and as a result it has been specified on a number of new installations coming on line in the next few months.

The first of these is the newly refurbished Odeon in Leicester. Built as a cinema in the 1940's the decaying Art Deco interior has been lovingly restored to its former glory and the tiered seating replaced by six raised balconies ena

Details
Italy - December saw an Outline sound reinforcement system installed in the 400-seat multi-function room of Iveco SpA, a member company of the Fiat Group and one of the world's largest manufacturers of diesel engines and goods vehicles. The audio system - comprising three Spectra II 9075 loudspeaker enclosures, a Topsub Plus and two Micra II, powered by Outline T4 and T44 digital power amplifiers - is regularly used for conferences by Iveco's management, but also by public bodies such as Brescia's municipal and provincial authorities, and various important trade associations. In line with the philosophy of a multi-function room, as well as these applications, the room is also used by the Group's staff and their families, who greatly appreciate the sophisticated AV technology installed, particularly for the screening of films in 5.1 Dolby Surround.

The audio equipment was insta

Details
USA - Meyer Sound has appointed veteran system tech/audio engineer Steve Bush as a senior technical support representative. Bush will provide problem-solving and consulting services to Meyer Sound's customers from the company's Berkeley headquarters. Bush, who has years of high-level experience in touring sound reinforcement, was most recently system technician on the last three Norah Jones tours, and has also mixed FOH for artists as diverse as Three Dog Night and Keiko Matsui.

"Steve brings with him a strong combination of technical and management skills, in addition to his extensive experience doing shows," says technical support manager John Monitto. "This is exactly what we like to find, because we believe our customers are best supported by people who fully understand their needs from first-hand experience. We're happy we could get Steve to join us and I kn

Details
UK - Mixing the sound for a broad range of frontline television spectaculars, Plus 4 Audio's Stew Chaney knows the value of having a maximum number of inputs in a minimum amount of flexible retail estate, that can be transported and sited discretely.

For the past two years he has supported the Yamaha digital platform, and like his colleague Fred Jackson (of Jackson Post) with whom he often shares mixing duties - their preferred supplier is Marquee Audio.

Last month Marquee supplied Plus 4 Audio with the new PM5D-RH - and Chaney returned from mxing the sound for Miss World in China to go straight into The London Studios on the South Bank, to join Jackson on the new board for ITV's Record of the Year show, where the full complement of internal pre-amps, FX and stereo returns were in use.

Chaney had been looking for a step up from the DM2000 for around a year on shows which req

Details
USA - This years' Christmas Celebration Tour by Mannheim Steamroller was mixed by Rande Ferguson, who added a Mackie Digital X Bus console to the show's audio arsenal. Ferguson has served as sound engineer for Mannheim Steamroller, during their traditional touring months of November and December, for the past 16 years. For the other 10 months of the year, Ferguson is a design/build contractor in Omaha, Nebraska with Audio Support Group.

He says: "In this job I'm able to stay well-versed in new audio products and technologies," said Ferguson. "In fact, this is how I first became aware of Mackie's new digital console. It was my good friend and sales rep, Tim Eakins of Eakins-Bernstein & Associates, that suggested that the new Digital X Bus might be just what I needed for the Mannheim Steamroller tour."

Ferguson adds: "Chip [Davies] has been writing in

Details
Norway - An annual fixture each December in Norway's Oslo, the Nobel Peace Prize Concert. This is the climax of a series of celebratory events centred around the presentation of the Nobel Peace Prize. 2004's recipient was Kenyan environmentalist Wangari Maathai for her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace. As in previous years, Norwegian audio company AVAB CAC provided the sound system for the event, which featured DiGiCo D5 Live and D1 Live digital mixing consoles.

The event, which is also produced for television and distributed to 48 nations world-wide, is hosted by Tom Cruise and Oprah Winfrey, saw a stellar cast perform at Oslo Spektrum including Andrea Bocelli, Tony Bennett, Diana Krall, Cindy Lauper, Joss Stone and Patti LaBelle. With three stages set across the arena, the artists performed alternately on the left and right stages, whilst the Norweg

Details
Ireland - Waterford has finally got a club and live venue that any cosmopolitan city would envy. TEN at 10 John Street, owned by local entrepreneurs, Bob Tweedy and Willie Hanrahan, is designed by the John Duffy Design Group in Dublin and is married with sound, lighting and video specified and installed by Irish AV contractors, Dublin-based AVL Systems Ltd. At the heart of it all is an EAW sound system selected for its power and versatility.

TEN has rapidly become home to some of the biggest nights out in Waterford including Resistance, featuring names such as Steve Lawler, Mylo, French techno-wizard, Laurent Garnier and Resistance resident Phil Kieran; Ulysses, with an equally stellar line-up; and is soon to play host to MTV and Radio One superstar, Trevor Nelson and his Rhythm Nation tour. A number of live acts have also played the venue including Ian Brown, Ocean Colour Scene

Details
UK - TPA 05 - the Graduate Exhibition and Trade Show of the Technical and Production Arts department of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD) will take place on 22-23 March 2005. Once again, Graduating students from the BA Technical and Production Arts course will be showing their work over the past three years in the Academy's Chandler Studio Theatre. Supporting this in the New Athenaeum, the RSAMD's main house, the industry supporters of the course will be showing a large range of production equipment.

Triple E and Black Light have joined the list of course sponsors this year and will exhibiting alongside PRG Europe, Le Mark, Rosco, Rope Assemblies, White Light, Zero 88, Autograph Sales and Hall Stage. Also new to the show will be Lift, Turn, Move and Learn 2B Safe, as well as several industry organizations such as the ABTT, SMA, PSA, PLASA and the ALD, many o

Details
USA - Texan root rockers, Los Lonely Boys, recently partnered up with Audio-Technica, to ensure the band's sound on tour lives up to the energy, flair and virtuosity of their performances. The group, which recorded its platinum selling debut album at Willie Nelson's Pedernales Studios, by personal invitation, comprises brothers Henry Garza on guitar, Jojo Garza on bass and Ringo Garza on drums.

Bobby Filarowicz, currently monitor engineer on the road with Los Lonely Boys, discovered long ago that Audio-Technica mics make his job easier, and his bands sound better. A-T microphones are amazing and true," he says. "The A-T microphones sound great flat and give me an accurate picture of what the band on stage is hearing. The gain before feedback performance of all of the microphones is incredible, which also makes my job easier and the band's onstage sound better."

Details
China - Beijing's prestigious new Club Tango has been equipped with an elaborate Turbosound-based sound system. Predominantly featuring Turbosound QLight products, plus the company's TSW low-frequency enclosures, the installation utilizes 50 Turbosound loudspeakers in the club's dance-floor area, and a further 16 in the adjoining Mango Bar. Designed and installed by Hong Kong-based Phoenix Audio and Lighting Technology (Turbosound's exclusive distributor for the Chinese territories) the Club Tango project also includes TXD-121 units as DJ monitors, plus TCS-12M loudspeakers for stage monitoring.

Club Tango set out to be Beijing's leading nightclub, with a need for a best-quality sound system to match its up-market image. Already attracting top-name DJs and acts from around the world, including DJ Sasha as part of his Asian Tour, Club Tango offers its clientele up-to-the-minute

Details
UK - According to company valuation specialist Plimsoll, there is good news for the UK sound equipment industry as we begin 2005. According to Plimsolll, 47% of companies in the industry have seen their values increase in the last 12 months, some by as much as 50%. David Pattison, senior snalyst at Plimsoll, maintains: "Having valued many companies in the UK sound equipment industry in the last two years, I am amazed that despite poor margins and low growth being commonplace in the market, so many of them have managed to increase in value. While 11% of companies saw no change, only 42% of the industry suffered a fall in value."

Pattison believes that the key to improving the value of a company in a highly aggressive marketplace is to get the fundamentals right: "In 2004, many companies in the industry focused solely on increasing sales at all costs. Ironically, i

Details
Spain - Denon has danced its way onto a famous international salsa contest in Spain - the third Simposium Internacional de Salsa de Madrid. This major event featured four days and nights of pure salsa, and every piece of music mixed by the specialist DJs was done so using Denon equipment.

The convention was split into two distinct areas: the morning and afternoon dance workshops - held in the huge Moscardó Polideportivo gymnasium - were presided over by the best teachers in the world, while by night, the venue La Riviera featured some of the world's best dancers - and a host of international DJs.

This is where Denon came into its own. Spanish dealer, DBM Pro ES, was one of the sponsors and took advantage of demonstrating the scope and capacity of Denon products at both the workshops and the La Riviera show. For the latter they set up a rig comprising four DN-S5000 tabletop C

Details
The Netherlands - d&b audiotechnik's partner in The Netherlands, Audio Pro Nederland, will be exhibiting at the ISE exhibition and demonstrating its own integration skills alongside the integrated tools offered by d&b. Featured on the stand will be the latest d&b audiotechnik Remote network, ROPE C Version 1 software, the D12 amplifier and seen for the very first time d&b's latest installation range of loudspeaker products.

ROPE C is a PC based graphical drag and drop user interface enabling total control of d&b systems through a screen based virtual surface. It allows the D12 amplifier through its CAN-Bus interfaces to be remotely controlled and monitored and gives central access to its user definable four band parametric equalizer and delay functions. The D12 dual channel amplifier is specifically designed for use with d&b loudspeakers, it has both analog and digital signal

Details
UK - Almost exactly one year after the shipping of the first batch of LR16's, Alcons is now shipping its LR14. The LR14 is a passive two-way ultra-compact line-array module, to be used in vertical arrays, either in stacked or flown configuration. The very compact design and a maximum SPL of 130dB per unit makes the LR14 the ideal system for small to medium-sized applications.

For HF reproduction, the LR14 is loaded with the patented Alcons RBN401 ribbon driver, the most powerful ribbon driver in its category. The all-natural cylindrical radiation of the RBN401 through the 'Morpher' wave-guide brings the active frontal radiation of the LR14 up to 94%, offering even and 'spike-less' dispersion with seamless wide coverage.

The 'Morpher' is mounted in a 120 x 15 degree HempHorn; Alcons' unique waveguide, made of hemp particles. The much higher internal damping of this new combinat

Details
UK - Simon Curtis of D&M Pro Europe has left the company to join Sennheiser UK as director of sales. Curtis started in the industry selling audio/video components and accessories for Bandridge before joining Hayden Labs in 1990 to successfully grow sales and distribution of Denon Hi-Fi. For a short period this also included Sennheiser, prior to the change of distribution to Sennheiser UK.

Paul Whiting, MD of Sennheiser commented: "Simon's experience of integrating different markets and operations is a strength we want to bring to our diverse operation. We are looking forward to working with him and welcome the additional experience he brings to Sennheiser UK."

In 1995, Curtis set up the Denon Pro Leisure Division as sales and marketing manager, in response to Denon's growing interests in the Contract Installation and DJ sectors. In addition to building strong distr

Details
UK - New Year's Eve 2004 saw the British Airways London Eye become the focal point for a spectacular light and fireworks display for 150,000 Londoners on Westminster Bridge and the Embankment - plus a nationwide television audience.

Although tempered by news of the Asian Tsunami - a two-minute silence was held before the display and certain elements of the projection and light show were removed - the overall reaction from audience and press was that London had got this New Year's Eve event absolutely right. Jack Morton Worldwide (JMW) designed and produced the entertainment and managed the logistics for the event. JMW project director Jeremy Garbett and his team worked for months in advance to co-ordinate and accommodate the various council and public safety concerns.

Fireworks were obviously the major element of the show and French designer Christophe Berthonneau and his team

Details
UK - The presence of Sting at any opening gala is indicative of a significant event, if not a worthy cause. This gala was different; while Sting wasn't overshadowed, he was at pains to keep his presence muted for there was a bigger star on offer. The accolades heaped upon Newcastle College's School of Music and Performing Arts - the Performance Academy - are many: Britain's education inspectors, Ofsted, have repeatedly awarded it Grade 1 status. That alone is perhaps good enough reason for £21m to be spent on a new purpose-built home for the Academy in the college grounds on Rye Hill.

While the new building is not unattractive, you have to conclude that most of the cash has been spent on the interior. What resonates most strongly as you enter the atrium foyer is how little like an education establishment it feels, and how much it reflects the style of a typical modern performan

  1. Deep Purple goes Bananas!
  2. Cats with V-Dosc
  3. Cats with V-Dosc
  4. Deep Purple goes Bananas!
  5. New Formula Sound mixer
  6. London's Eye on the New Year
Page 679 of 1372

Latest Issue. . .