UK - Eclectic Breaks and Seltron Components have formed a new partnership. According to spokesman Michael Williams the new company, Ebsel, was developed as a direct reaction to the lack of creativity, practicality and innovation within the marketing, design, promotion, manufacture and distribution of DJ components and products. "When we were designing our acclaimed Pro X Fade analogue crossfader, which took two years to develop, we found any number of manufacturers and component suppliers with what I'd call a decadent approach to important aspects of new products and in particular, a distinct lack of support for existing products and components."

Ebsel will show its Eclectic Breaks Pro-X-Fade analogue crossfader at the Pro Light& Sound exhibition in Frankfurt (29 March - 1 April). Also showing will be the full range of Seltron/Sellmark electromechanical audio component

Germany - Audio-Technica is introducing its new 3000A Series UHF true diversity wireless systems with Automatic Frequency Scanning functionality, complete with the ATW-T371 handheld transmitter with high quality condenser capsule, being launched at Pro Light & Sound in Frankfurt (29 March - 1 April).

Also being launched at Pro Light & Sound is the ATW-A49SP Active Antenna Splitter Kit. The new re-engineered Unipoint Series of full-line, miniaturized, condenser installation and sound reinforcement microphones, featuring unique Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) shielding, is also being shown, as are the latest sub-miniature AT898 and AT899 lavalier mics, and the AT892 MicroSet headworn mic from the company's Broadcast + Production Series. The new Import Series headphones, introduced into Europe for the first time, includes three professional monitor for engineering and DJ applica

Italy - At the Turin 2006 Winter Olympics, KV2 Audio was selected as the key manufacturer for sound reinforcement at Sestriere, host to the Alpine Skiing events, and the company's recently-launched VHD system found itself fulfilling the roles of a sound triathlete.

By day, single stacks of VHD ensured announcements, presentations, and the occasional live act were heard loud and clear by the several thousand athletes and visitors attending the events. By night, a purpose-built nightclub in the Olympic village converted from a cinema specifically for the Olympic events, played host to the second VHD system.

Installed by Tekno Technic of Italy (in a total of four weeks in temperatures regularly dropping below -10°C) and supplied by Audio Sales, this is the first time the system has been used at such a prestigious event in the Italian marketplace, and "a testament to the inc

UK - With the best quality audio complemented by intuitive precision vinyl emulation, the CDJ-1000MK2 is established as the world's standard CD deck: performance that's evolving with the CDJ-1000MK3. The new deck provides full MP3 compatibility, a Hot Loop feature, 'Jog feeling adjust' and improved presentation of track and Wave data. With refinements to the CDJ-800MK2 also headlined by MP3, the new decks round out a Pioneer CD/DVD DJ range that's fully digital and MP3-ready.

"The CDJ-1000MK2 became the industry standard CD player through input from leading DJs across the world and they've again advised us on the new modifications that will advance digital DJ'ing," says Martin Dockree, sales manager, Pioneer Pro-DJ. "We have evolved the standard with the 'MK3' by improving the presentation of track data, adding features like 'JOG feeling adjust' and including MP3

Asia - Biamp has appointed Antoine Rouget as technical support specialist for the Asia/Pacific region. Rouget will be based in Biamp's Hong Kong office and report directly to Kiley Henner, Biamp¹s Technical Support Manager. His responsibilities include providing technical and application support for the full range of Biamp products throughout the entire Asia/Pacific territory.

Commenting on the announcement, Henner said: "The Asia/Pacific region is quickly becoming one of our most important regions. With the addition of Antoine, Biamp will be able to provide a quicker response to our burgeoning customer base throughout the region. Antoine brings a very comprehensive approach to technical and application issues that our customers face on a daily basis. His extensive experience in the audio industry, most recently as a consultant, coupled with his technical and inter-persona

UK - Global installation specialist Sarner Ltd selected Allen & Heath's new GR2 analogue zone mixer to control audio in Sotheby's Institute of Art - the world-famous auction house's education arm. With venues in London and New York, Sotheby's Institute of Art is among the world's leading institutions offering MA and PhD degrees, specialised courses, and study abroad programmes, providing graduates with the scholastic and practical skills for a career in the art world.

Sotheby's recently acquired a new building in Bedford Square, London, to relocate the Institute, and appointed Surrey-based Sarner to design and install an audio system to fit the building's new purpose. The GR2 was selected for installation in a mobile rack, used for audio distribution in the Institute's lecture theatres and classrooms.

"Sotheby's required a flexible system, which could be configured in a n

Canada - Montréal-based pop-punk band Simple Plan recently became the first major North American act to hit the road with L-Acoustics Kudo line source array systems as its primary house rig.

Tour Tech East of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, served as the sound reinforcement provider for the group's 19-city coast-to-coast Canadian arena trek, which benefited from large quantities of L-Acoustics gear, including up to 21 Kudos per side (many of which were provided by Rocky Mountain Production Services of Vancouver, BC).

Certified V-Dosc engineer (CVE) Trevor Coppen, who has been Simple Plan's FOH engineer for nearly four years, ultimately made the call to utilize Kudo based on his respect for V-Dosc and faith in L-Acoustics' technologies.

"V-Dosc has been 'number one' on my audio rider for quite some time now, so after talking with other engineers about Kudo and reading abo

Indochina - Thailand will play host to the inaugural professional audio, visual and lighting international trade exhibition, AVL Thailand 2006, from 28-30 June. Taking place in Impact - the largest exhibition centre in Thailand - AVL Thailand 2006 will showcase a wide array of the latest equipment in professional audio, visual, lighting, staging, and entertainment technology to a targeted buyer audience from the emerging market of Thailand and its surrounding Indochina region, according to organizer Singex Exhibitions.

Steady economic growth in Indochina is fuelling continuous new build and refurbishments of commercial buildings, theme parks, sports facilities, performance centres, cinemas, casinos and shopping malls across the region, while the "phenomenal growth" in Indochina's club scene looks set to continue - offering huge opportunities for entertainment technolog

Germany - This year Australian based manufacturer ARX Systems will be displayingseveral new additions to the ARX Signal Processing range at Frankfurt's Pro Light &Sound, including the 'i Switch' Line Switcher, AV Stream Audio Video Zoner / Switcher, the AudiBox range of Audio Accessories and new models for the SPL range of integrated powered loudspeakers.

ARX managing director Colin Park says: "Frankfurt is the most important Exhibition of the year for ARX and we're pleased to announce the release of some exciting new products being shown there on World first release.

"Europe has been a great market for ARX in the past year and with the appointment ofnew Distributors like Audiosales in Italy, RMS Audio in Hungary, AVS Global in Turkey,Natural Musica y Sonido in Spain and S & V Mega Sound in Cyprus our policy of distribution channel rejuvenation implemented ear

USA - There were two ways to attack the intimidating slopes of the Chevrolet Freestyle International Competition held recently at Deer Valley Resort: with gold medal skiing if you were an athlete, or rock-solid wireless mics if you were a sound engineer. As owner of Atkinson Sound, Hoyt Atkinson was definitely the latter, and the wireless microphone systems he used at this NBC-broadcast event were from Lectrosonics.

"The terrain at ski events presents big challenges to sound production. To run cable from the mountain top all the way to the finish areas would be almost impossible," says Atkinson. "TheLectrosonics R400A receiver and UT400 handheld microphones made a big difference for us this year. Even when we were using the microphones a good 300-350 feet from the receiver, there were absolutely no dropouts, pops, or hisses. The sound quality was indiscerni

UK - KV2 Europe have announced further expansion within their company with the addition of Andy Simmons as operations director to lead the company from its new headquarters in Harrogate, UK.

KV2's business development director Jonathan Reece-Farren made the announcement as plans for the new headquarters were being finalised: "I am very pleased to confirm the appointment of Andy Simmons as operations director for KV2 Europe Ltd. All of us at KV2 Europe have known Andy for many years now, mainly through his association with Crest Audio in the UK. He brings with him a wealth of knowledge of the marketplace which will be an invaluable resource to us as a company."

Simmons commented: "This is an extremely exciting opportunity for me and I am pleased that Jonathan and Andy [Austin-Brown, KV2 sales director] considered me for the job. I've admired the company for a lon

Spain - TESI, the Barcelona-based broadcast engineering company, has launched two new ultra-compact, software controlled analogue audio routers, the Legato A48M and Legato A48, which are deal for a wide range of applications including TV and radio broadcasting, film and video post production, for large PA systems.

Each unit takes a miniscule amount of rack space - just 2U (19inches) each. The difference between them is that the Legato 48M features a built-in mixer for increased flexibility. Both units are controllable with powerful user-friendly Windows 2000 or XP software.

The basic configuration of both units is a 16 input/16 output audio switching matrix. The matrix of the A48 can be enlarged considerably by adding 16 input / 16 output expansion cards, providing up to 48 inputs/ 48 outputs all contained within the 2U rack unit. The A48M can also be expanded to 32 inputs/16

UK - The annual BRIT Awards are the highlight of the British recording industry's year, and the 2006 show reflected the impressive health of the current music scene by moving to a much larger London venue.

The ove to Earls Court One meant that sound designer Derrick Zieba and regular PA supplier Britannia Row had to re-think the sound system. Once again using the Electro-Voice X-Line array system, Zieba chose to manage the larger rectangular auditorium by effectively splitting the room into two halves and "making sure that the delay system worked as a substantial primary system."

Half way down the venue, three delay hangs each comprising eight Xls boxes, were spread in a L/C/R configuration right across the room. The main PA system featured left and right hangs, each using 12 EV Xls plus six Xlt cabinets and a downfill; additionally there was a centre hang of six Xlc

Spain - In acknowledgement of Spanish being one of the world's most widely spoken languages, d&b audiotechnick reports that it now provides its sound information via its website to all Spanish speakers in their native tongue.

(Lee Baldock)

France - One of the highlights of the recent SIEL expo in Paris was the presence of dance station radio FG, where among the presenters making guest appearances in their makeshift studio was Paris-based producer and electro/house exponent, Patrice Strike.

With a string of production credits (and top club residencies) to his name the station's Saturday night presenter played an hour-long set to a packed house.

Patrice Strike now uses exclusively Denon DJ equipment as a result of a new sponsorship agreement set up this month with D&M Professional France.

When he returns to Ibiza this summer it will be with the new DN-S3500 CD/MP3 player and DN-X1500 mixer package - a combination which he says has revolutionised his art. For monitoring he is using Denon's HP1000 high performance headphones, which utilise a dynamic, closed back design for better isolation and large 53mm speaker d

UK / France - Established Belgium-based pro audio distributor and manufacturer Apex Audio has launched a French subsidiary, the initial focus of which will be placed on penetrating the French market with both the DiGiCo and Soundtracs brands.

Apex international sales manager Rik Hoerée explains that the move follows the company's launch of operations in Holland at the beginning of 2005, and is a direct result of the growing demand of both customers and suppliers to have solid distribution-partners with highly experienced in-house technical staff. In line with this, former SAV representative Laurent Laignel has been appointed sales engineer for Apex France. "We wanted to kick off with brands of which we have already gained good knowledge and results, both technically and commercially, so that we can offer this same expertise to the French market," says Hoer&eacut

USA - The heavy hitters of power pop have returned to their US homeland after a storming tour of Europe's arenas. When in Europe, the Foo Fighters are regular clients of London PA company Britannia Row, which provided the tour with an Electro-Voice X-Line array system.

Bryan Worthen, FOH engineer for the Foos, explains: "We always use X-Line over here in Europe, it's been that way ever since I started working for the band. It's definitely a big rock band sounding PA - perfect for this band."

In the majority of venues, the X-Line was set up with 28 x Xls and ten Xlt cabinets, supported by 24 x X-subs, with 12 x 1152s for infill. The system is powered by EV's Precision Series P3000RL amps, running the IRIS management software.

"The coverage is excellent," says Worthen. "From my point of view, out front, it gives me pretty much everything I want. It's v

UK - Premier Digidesign dealer Marquee Audio has completed a twin-location training course for sound engineers and PA companies, on the Venue digital environment. Conceived as two-day workshops by Marquee's digital specialist Andy Huffer, the sessions were designed to familiarise existing and potential users with the console's operation and configuration, as well as its unique TDM plug-ins and Pro Tools recording capabilities.

In the north of England the training was conducted at Lee Engineering's facility in Lancaster by Venue specialist, Ian Nelson, assisted by Rob Magoolagan, before southern-based engineers and production companies assembled at Shepperton Film Studios where Marquee Audio are based. Here Andy Huffer was assisted by Digidesign's product support man, Andy Rimroth, and training specialist, Dave Tyler.

"We were delighted with the quality of people who regis

USA - Production Resource Group's Las Vegas operation purchased 30 Kudo line source array loudspeakers and 36 LA48a amplifiers from L-Acoustics in December. Roger Gibbons, PRG Las Vegas' general manager of touring, reports that the products were added specifically for Aerosmith and Nickelback's 2006 North American tours, both of which kicked off in mid-January.

The Kudo systems are serving slightly different purposes on each tour. Aerosmith, out on the second leg of its Rockin' The Joint tour, is employing its twin nine-box Kudo arrays as rear hangs for the show, which is selling seats in 360 degrees around the stage. Nickelback, touring in support of its latest CD, All The Right Reasons, is conversely using two arrays of nine Kudo cabinets each as auxiliary side hangs to address the left and right edges of the production's typical 270-degree seating configuration.

USA - Eagle Audio and Lighting is pleased to announce that production veteran Randy Wade has joined its operations in Ft. Worth - Dallas as vice-president of sales and marketing. Wade has been tapped to grow and develop audio, lighting, staging and power solutions for clientele in a variety of markets including corporate, theatre, concert touring, festival and themed events.

"We are proud to bring Randy on board. His vast experience in all areas of the entertainment industry will be a tremendous asset to Eagle", states Greg Hulett, CEO. "With a vast wealth of industry experience and a resource network of several decades, we look forward to having him continue to grow and expand our business on local, regional and a national level. It proves that we are committed to provide all the resources necessary to ensure Eagle Audio and Lighting is an industry leader."<

UK - Denon DJ has announced that it is supporting the Waxworks Music Initiative - a social enterprise that aims to re-engage socially excluded or disadvantaged young people in Bradford by offering them opportunities to gain nationally recognised qualifications in and around music.

The company is throwing its brand cachet into the enterprise by supplying a DN-S1000 MP3 tabletop player and matching DN-X100, contained in a single soft-cased package. Working within diverse communities, Waxworks has created bespoke music programmes and accredited courses through the national open college network (NOCN). It has recently been supported by the local authorities (for its work towards their community cohesion agenda), by Bradford Vision (the local strategic partnership who oversee the regeneration of the city) and by many equipment manufacturers (such as Denon).

Waxworks has assembled s

UK - Marquee Audio reports a prodigious year for sales of the Yamaha PM5D digital console, with numerous consoles delivered to leading UK PA companies and live TV facility companies.

In the touring world, PM5Ds have been sold to Tour Tech, Concert Sound, Major Tom, Delta Sound, John Henry's and Canegreen. The two consoles for MSL have been used for nearly 100 Jools Holland gigs. High-profile live TV specialists Jackson Post and Plus 4 Audio have also taken delivery of desks and Blitz Sound are using two in corporatre/theatre work.

Marquee's Andy Huffer has been a particular champion of the PM5D, and the importance of his input is confirmed by the experience of one customer in particular, Skan PA, which has bought four desks in ten months. Abby Llewellyn of Skan explains that, although they generally prefer to deal direct with manufacturers, Huffer's knowledge of the digital co

France - Nexo SA has announced the appointment of Denis Baudier as managing director. The company says Baudier will continue in his role as international sales director, whilst implementing the company's management policies.

Baudier's appointment comes almost exactly 10 years after he first joined Nexo and reflects an impressive career trajectory with the company. After several years with Yamaha France, he joined Nexo in 1996 as sales director for the French market and was appointed to the Nexo board in 2000. In 2002, he was promoted to International sales director. Under his management, Nexo's international sales network has grown strongly. Baudier will retain responsibility for international sales, leading a team of sales managers based in the Americas, Europe and Asia.

Company co-founder Michael Johnson steps up to the position of President of Nexo. These changes will enabl

UK - Formed in 1980, West Midlands band UB40's reggae style has lost none of its appeal over the years. Their extensive touring schedule continues with Who You Fighting For. This is a show that has seen a significant change in audio equipment: DiGiCo D5 Lives now sit at both front of house and monitor positions and have been warmly welcomed by crew and band alike.

SSE Hire, a company that has a long and happy association with UB40, supplies the sound system. Front-of-house engineer Tom Wiggans has been with the band for a little over two years and his first experience with the D5 was at Live 8 in Hyde Park, where they first toyed with the idea of changing console. Although the frenetic atmosphere of Live 8 wasn't the best place to assess how the D5 performed sonically, its other features were attractive enough to awaken Wiggans' interest. "So we decided we'd give it a go in

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