Sound

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UK / Germany - Introduced at last year's ProLight & Sound Show, Tannoy Precision near field reference monitors, are already serving the demanding needs of professionals in recording, broadcast and post production environments.

iDP (Interactive Digital Programming) technology has now been incorporated within two new Precision monitors - Precision 6iDP and 8iDP - and these will be launched at this year's Show. These stunningly versatile and intelligent active monitoring systems bring together the unique Tannoy Dual Concentric and WideBand technology with the latest cutting edge digital processing from TC Electronic.

The built-in EQ capability of Precision iDP allows precise room optimisation with the user being able to compensate for acoustic anomalies in the room. Loudspeaker positioning compensation in the software guarantees the same reference sound irrespective of their plac

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Italy - For the two-week duration of the 2006 Turin Winter Olympic Games, the northern Italian city's beautiful baroque Piazza Castello was re-christened 'Medals Plaza', and was not only the location for 55 of the Games' medal ceremonies but also hosted a variety of concerts. Opposite the large stage, the square also hosted the Media Tower as well as hosting TV crews from all over the world, also had the FOH control suite for the event.

Created, organised and managed by Get Live, a group formed by Clear Channel Entertainment, Four One Music and Set Up, the venue featured the combined work of designer Italo Rota, art director Roberto De Luca, executive producer David J. Goldberg, Italo Lupi, sound designer Daniele Tramontani and lighting designer Giovanni Pinna.

Before the medals ceremonies, the stage hosted the Torino Festival, featuring two bands each evening and three on the

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USA / Germany - Community Professional Loudspeakers is again taking a substantial stand at this year's ProLight&Sound in Frankfurt to show its wide range of products. The main focus of the stand will be iBOX, a range of premium quality, large format systems aimed at sound reinforcement in stadia, multi-purpose sports facilities, houses of worship, nightclubs, bars and live sound venues. The first iBOX models were introduced at Frankfurt last year but this year's exhibition will see the first showing of the complete range in Europe.

The first major installation of iBOX was at the Palavela Arena, recently host of the Torino 2006 Winter Olympic Games. The main PA for this 6,600 capacity venue, used for the figure skating and short track speed skating competitions, consists of 96 Community iBOX loudspeakers: 32 iHP3594H, 26 iHP1596, 20 iHP1294 and 18 CPL42-94.

Complementing iBOX,

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UK - Leisuretec Distribution has undertaken the exclusive distribution of Vestax products for the UK market. Manufacturing products for DJs, musicians, the installation and lifestyle sectors, the Vestax Corporation is renowned for innovative and cutting-edge technology.

For some time the Vestax Corporation has been developing the innovative VRX-2000 Vinyl Cutter, which was recently launched for the UK market. Other recent product releases include the PMC-08 Pro Mixer and the innovative CDR-07 Performance CD-Writer.

In recent years, Vestax Europe Ltd has distributed the Vestax range of products in the UK, however, Vestax Europe will cease trading on 31 March 2006. Managing director for Leisuretec Distribution Nick Spalding commented: "Distributing products for the DJ market is second nature for Leisuretec, having originated and been consistently prominent in this sector fr

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Worldwide - "I first became acquainted with a Yamaha PM5D in July last year just before I was due to tour with David Gray," says freelance sound engineer Mark Jones, who mixed front-of-house for Gray. "I wanted to use a digital desk on the tour to get the right sound quality so I took a PM5D along to David Gray's Church Studio's in London where I put it through its paces for a few days. It didn't take long to get to grips with it and I found it intuitive and straightforward to use."

For the European and UK tours, two PM5D's to mix FOH and monitors were supplied by leading pro-audio specialists, Reading-based Skan PA Hire. Jones used the PM5D throughout Gray's recent tours. "I initially intended to use the desk for only a short time but I just loved the sound it produced so I kept it on," he continued. His fellow sound engineer, Jon Ormesher, used th

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Europe, Middle East & Africa - Shure Inc has formed a new Shure Personal Audio Business Unit (PABU) team for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). The announcement follows on the success of the Personal Audio division in the US and aims to maximise Shure's presence in EMEA. Shure's Personal Audio accessories have already experienced worldwide attention, illustrating the potential for professional quality consumer peripherals alongside consumer electronic devices, including MP3 players, mobile phones, multimedia laptops and mobile gaming systems.

"With this explosion of multimedia devices and the consequent demand for high-end accessories, Shure has not only experienced remarkable success in the US, but is also witnessing increasing momentum in EMEA," said Mark Karnes, general manager, Shure's Personal Audio Business Unit. "With a targeted push to bring Shure's pr

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USA - San Francisco's oldest and grandest nightclub, the Great American Music Hall, upgraded its front-of-house system a few short months ago with the addition of a new L-Acoustics Kudo loudspeaker rig.Twin arrays, each comprised of five Kudo boxes, now hang over the far left and right sides of the stage directly above two stacks of three SB118 single-18-inch subs. Two coaxial 115XT HiQ enclosures have also been installed to supply improved coverage to the side balcony seating areas with a pair of 115XTs addressing the rear balcony. All L-Acoustics systems are powered by the manufacturer's LA Series amplification.

According to Jonathan Nelson, co-owner of both the Great American Music Hall and its sibling local venue Slim's, "This room has never felt anything like what this sound system provides, with the exception of the '89 earthquake! The Kudo systems and subs have easil

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UK - Sennheiser and Neumann microphones were much in evidence again at the 2006 BRIT Awards, held at Earls Court, London. All presenters on the night used the SKM 5000N, which marries the outstanding RF that Sennheiser is renowned for, with all the warmth of a great Neumann capsule.

The 2006 show also saw all acts, with the exception of Coldplay, utilising the Sennheiser Evolution 300 series in-ear monitors. The Kaiser Chiefs opened the show with a full compliment of Evolution mics, before going on to collect awards in three categories - Best British Rock Act, Best British Live Act, and Best British Group.

Amongst other artists choosing Sennheiser were Jack Johnson, Gorillaz and, despite the distraction of 77 near-naked gold-painted ladies, US star Kanye West who picked up Best International Breakthrough Act. Sennheiser artist relations manager Mark Saunders says: "We are

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UK - The Professional Lighting and Sound Association (PLASA) has launched the first in a new suite of financial services designed to help member companies protect themselves against the risk of bad debts and to assist them in trading competitively in the growing global market.

The three new services - free credit checks, credit insurance facilities and a debt collection service - have been launched to minimise the risks involved in trading with particular customers and enable members to make more informed decisions.

PLASA Members can now request free credit checks on all UK companies. The service, provided by CreditSafe, allows members to request Reports on clients or business contacts. Updated on a daily basis, the Reports include financial information, key ratios, trend analysis, directors' details, payment record and a rating system classifying companies on a scale from 0 t

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USA - Shure Inc has appointed Christine Schyvinck as executive vice-president of global marketing and sales. In this role, she will have responsibility for the management of Shure's five business units: US, EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), Asia, International Americas (Canada, South and Central America) and Personal Audio.

"Chris's leadership has been integral to the steady growth and profitability of Shure for many years, "said Sandy LaMantia, president and CEO. "We are confident that her management of our marketing and sales functions will continue this success given her broad knowledge and understanding of all areas of our company worldwide."

Schyvinck replaces Michael McGinn, who has left the company. Previously, Schyvinck had been executive vice-president of Operations and had responsibility for the management of global manufacturing and quality

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Worldwide - Dave Skaff, monitor mixer on U2's current Vertigo global tour, has chosen Lab.gruppen fP Series 2400Q amplifiers for power. Skaff was having trouble with the amplifiers originally supplied for the in-ear monitors and switched to Lab.gruppen after consulting trusted associates for advice, he says: "The Lab.gruppen amplifiers came top of the list", says Skaff.

Distributed exclusively in the UK by Sennheiser, the Lab.gruppen fP 2400Qs became the amplifier of choice and are being used to power in-ear monitor mixes for U2's drum, keyboard, and cue mixes. According to Skaff, they have been working flawlessly. "They sound very open and true, with no coloration," he says. "The reason I switched from the original amps was that they did not have enough front-end headroom and tended to color the sound on high transients in the mix. The fP 2400Qs were th

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Italy - For the first time in her existence, Dutch sound system manufacturer Alcons Audio will be exhibiting at the SIB show in Rimini this year (11-14 March), mark the official launch of Alcons on the Italian market.

On the stand of Headroom from Besana, Alcons' newly appointed distributor for Italy, a selection of Alcons products will be on display, among which the LR14 ultra-compact ribbon line-array module featuring the patented RBN401 pro-ribbon driver. This line-array system is experiencing "enormous popularity", say the company, with the entry of line-array in performing arts theatres, with the musical Beauty & the Beast and Staatsoper Stuttgart being just two examples.

The system will be shown in flown and stacked configuration, with the unique bracket to have three units LR14 on stand mount, with full line-array functionality. The LR14 will be complem

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UK - The Guildford-based Academy of Contemporary Music has confirmed its appointment of cable specialist Van Damme as an official sponsor of the college. The deal will ensure that every new student will receive a selection of cables from the recently launched Van Damme Musician Series. This will be incorporated into ACM's Gig Bag, a welcome pack given to every student at the start of his or her college career.

The Academy of Contemporary Music is regarded as one of the UK's finest music education institutions. Students have access to superb music education facilities and are taught in an environment that encourages effective networking with other serious musicians. Whether they enrol on an entry level beginners course or the BA Honours degree, students benefit from the thousands of hours of high level industry experience that has enabled the ACM teaching staff to create and deli

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UK / Germany - The forthcoming NSCA and Frankfurt exhibitions will be the first chance for British manufacturer XTA to show the world its flexible new offering for speaker system control. XTA's Guy Lewis says: "With hundreds of our 4 in, 8 out processors now driving audio systems worldwide, we are completing the family, and really giving every sound company and installer a flexible choice of how they structure their drive processing and speaker systems. If a 4 in, 8 out format is not perfect for your world, we can now offer either 2 or 4 inputs, with either 4, 6 or 8 outputs - plenty to choose from."

Lewis is referring to the new DP446, DP444, DP424 and the renamed DP448. "It does not matter if it is an LCR system, a two-way monitor rack, four-way front-of-house system or four-channel EQ front-end. Anyone can fit the processing to their way of working, without com

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France / Poland - Media Business Solutions has recently been appointed as the L-Acoustics distributor for Poland. Based in Warsaw, Media Business Solutions has been operating since May 1999, and working with major recording/TV/post studios, PA companies, top artists and dealer networks as well, and also provides system design.

Media Business Solutions' president Piotr Lugowski explains: "We are very excited to be joining the L-Acoustics family. We believe that it will allow us to better fulfill our market demand and needs. Together with our other audio brands, the distribution of L-Acoustics products will provide our customers with the best of quality and flexibility for their PA rental and installation business."

Media Business Solutions took the opportunity at the Jean Michel Jarre concert on 26 August (one of the biggest events in Poland this summer, coinciding wi

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Italy / New Zealand - TAGNZ has been appointed as New Zealand distributor for FBT professional audio equipment. "After a temporary absence, we are excited to be able to offer this excellent product to the New Zealand market", said Robert Judd of TAGNZ.

FBT has built a strong reputation of professional sound reinforcement manufacturing and its high quality products meet the most demanding applications. FBT has one of the most advanced R&D departments in the industry. Products like the MaxX series, a true benchmark among the polypropylene moulded speaker models are just examples of the company's skills to invent original sound products. "Were excited to be working with TAGNZ," said Roberto Mataloni, international sales at FBT. "TAGNZ's commitment to high quality products and support matches FBT's history of excellence in speaker design."

Established

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UK / Germany - Harman Pro is showing a several new products across its various brands at this year's ProLight&Sound exhibition in Frankfurt. Products being debuted in Europe include the new JBL VP Series powered reinforcement systems, Crown Xti and new XLS power amplifiers, Lexicon MX400 and MX400XL Dual Stereo/Surround Reverb Processors, and Alpha Desktop Recording Studio. Other new products being shown include the AKG WMS40 PRO wireless microphone series, the dbx DriveRack 4800, and JBL LSR4300 Linear Spatial Reference Series studio monitors.

The new JBL VP (Venue Performance) Series is described as "a best-in-class powered loudspeaker system family", and is intended to fulfil a wide range of professional installation and portable touring applications. The series of two and three way cabinets and a sub, integrates proven Differential Drive transducers, a 'next genera

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USA - Shure will distribute the HA-8089 Helical Antenna of Orlando-based Professional Wireless Systems (PWS), effective as of January 2006. As an in ear monitor (IEM) transmitter antenna or wireless microphone receiver antenna, the Helix minimizes RF dropouts and considerably increases the range over an omnidirectional antenna. Shure now recommends the HA-8089 antenna as accessory for their UHF-R Wireless Systems.

When using other antennas, such as log periodic paddles, maximum energy transfer can only be expected if the receiver paddle is positioned vertically or horizontally, respectively, say Shure. When used as wireless microphone receiver antenna, for example, the helical antenna will transfer maximum RF energy regardless of the polarization of the transmitted wave. As the RF energy from the IEM transmitter radiates out of the helical, it is continuously spun through 360°

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France - The famous modern French variety singer Mylene Farmer has made a successful return to the stage after performing at the Paris' Bercy from January 13th through to the 29th 2006!

The equipment used for the shows was so vast and complex that no tour has been planned by way of follow up, as only the Bercy was able to welcome such an huge technical show. The sound system alone comprised an impressive L-Acoustics system consisting of 30 V-Dosc and 128 dV-Dosc cabinets, with 48 SB218 subwoofers for the combined main and central systems (the show happening on both the stage and the central pit).

The sound design was devised more than a year ago by sound engineer Stephane Plisson, and Laurent Delenclos a freelance Certified V-Dosc Engineer (CVE). Delenclos made it possible to realize Plisson's ideas and was in charge of positioning the speakers. Plisson assisted by Vladimir Co

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France - French company SCV Audio has scooped dbx's coveted European Distributor of the Year award.

The announcement was made during the Harman Pro conference prior to this year's NAMM Show in Anaheim, but the presentation was formally made the following month by Glen Harris, director of European sales for dbx and Lexicon, during the SIEL Show in Paris.

Harris congratulated SCV sales director, Thierry Lamotte (centre) and product manager Franck Surena (right) on the considerable growth they had registered with dbx sales during the past 12 months. "In particular we are delighted with the performance of the retail-based products," he said. "SCV's 'Rack Road' and 'Global Answer' initiatives have had considerable impact on growing the business in that respect."

(Sarah Rushton-Read)

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USA - Audio-Technica supplied over 200 microphones for the live broadcast of the 48th Grammy Awards, held on 8 February at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles. The event featured a wide array of Audio-Technica microphones, including many hard-wired mics and Artist Elite 5000 Series UHF Wireless Systems.

The Emmy-winning Grammy Awards was the first major awards show to venture into HDTV and 5.1 surround sound, and makes increasingly elaborate forays into using current technology to the fullest advantage. Once again CBS delivered the most advanced form of HDTV, with 1,080 lines of picture resolution and 5.1-channel surround sound. To meet the sonic demands of this format, the audio engineers and music mixers employed a range of Audio-Technica microphones for the show's audio.

ATK/ Audiotek provided the sound system with FOH (front-of-house) engineer Ron Reeves and Mikael Stewart,

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Australia - In 1988, the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre (SCEC) opened its doors to booming business and high demand for a first-class venue for meetings. Set on the edge of Sydney's picturesque Darling Harbour, the centre was literally an overnight success, and remains to this day the largest convention centre in Australia. More than 600 different conventions, events, meetings and product launches are held at the SCEC every year, with attendees at many major conferences numbering more than 5,000. Though business shows no sign of slowing, the centre is far from content to rest on its laurels, particularly given increased international and domestic competition over the years.

As Australia's leading conference venue, the SCEC is focused on providing quality facilities, including cutting edge technology. With in-house video production facilities, audio services, and advance

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USA - Peter Jackson's epic remake of King Kong has won the Oscar for Achievement In Sound Mixing at the 78th annual Academy Awards, held in Hollywood on Sunday March 5th.

Already an Oscar winner for his work on Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, sound mixer Hammond Peek relied solely upon the HHB Portadrive to record the dramatic location sound on King Kong, on an often arduous shoot that lasted some nine months.

"Solid build, eight track flexibility and reliable hard disk recording made Portadrive the recorder of choice for King Kong," reports Stephen Buckland of HHB's New Zealand distributor Sound Techniques, himself an experienced sound mixer. "The Portadrive also excelled in trials to check compatibility with post-production workflow, a very important consideration for the production."

A massive worldwide TV audience for t

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