Sound

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UK - Cadac Electronics Plc unveiled its new S-Digital mixing console at PLASA '06 this week at Earl's Court in London. The Cadac S-Digital, designed from the ground up specifically for theatre sound applications, "sets a new yardstick in digital console design for live sound", say Cadac.

In a major departure from conventional paradigms, the S-Digital is conceived to reflect the surface architecture of Cadac's industry standard J-Type analogue console. It combines the J-Type's hallmark audio quality, tools and features with the operational and creative benefits of audio manipulation and control in the digital domain - producing a digital console that sounds, looks and behaves like a familiar analogue desk.

The Cadac S-Digital builds on the company's 20-year history at the forefront of theatre sound. In its basic configuration, it offers a minimum specification of 72 i

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UK - D-Tools Inc, the system integration software specialist, has announced that it will team up with former D-Tools product designer and president of designecentral Inc, Bill Battaglia, to add resource allocation and procurement functionality to the next version of its award-winning System Integrator software.

designecentral's software, an internet-based solution that will add functionality to System Integrator 5, comes in three editions: the Management Edition allows systems integrators to upload D-Tools project information, manage the project hours and assign resources to the project automatically; the Resource Edition allows the user to see tasks assigned to them through the project information, mark them as completed and enter actual hours; and the Procurement Edition, which will be released in the first quarter of 2007, allows the warehouse processing agent to look at the

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UK - After a number of previews at international shows over the recent months, Alcons is now shipping the SR9.

The SR9 is a passive 2-way ultra-compact loudspeaker, specifically designed for applications where ultimate fidelity response needs to be projected with wide horizontal and precise vertical coverage. Typical (short to medium throw) applications for the SR9 range from low-profile stage-lip/front-fill to upper-/under-balcony, up to "stealth-mounted" system in stair risers or walls.

As 'signature' of all Alcons' designs, the SR9 combines clarity with high SPL. Loaded with the RBN401 pro-ribbon driver, with its patented horizontally controlled dispersion and 800W peak power handling, the SR9 system features 120° horizontal coverage with a super fast transient response for unsurpassed intelligibility and a digitally dynamic response.

The narrow 15° vert

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UK - HSL supplied lighting and sound for 12 live music and DJ venues at the 2006 Bestival. This involved five artics of equipment and a team of 32 crew co-ordinated by site project manager Ian Stevens.

The hugely popular 'boutique' style music festival now in its third year on the Isle of Wight expanded dramatically in size, capacity and surface area this year - almost doubling - for producers Loudsound. Headline acts included The Pet Shop Boys and the Scissor Sisters.

HSL has also been involved with Bestival since its inception, and once again worked closely with event production manger Lee Charteris and Loudsound's Jim King and Jo MacKay in co-ordinating all the site's technical production and infrastructure.

They brought ML Executives onboard to supply the main stage's VDosc sound system and also co-ordinated with Star Events, site-wide suppliers of staging and structures

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Spain - The third edition of AFIAL's Convention looks set to be a success, according to the Spanish trade association, with a strong level of participation already confirmed. AFIAL began to contract space in July, and has now sold more than 70 % of the total floorspace of the exhibition.

This reflects the interest of Spanish companies in this exhibition, which has become the prime market focus for Spain's national entertainment technology industry. Contracted exhibitors to date include Adagio, Ben-Ri, D.A.S. Audio, Equipson, Gemini, Guil, Pinanson, Seesound, Stonex and Yamaha, among others.

Further information on the exhibition is available from the AFIAL website provided below.

(Lee Baldock)

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UK - Now that the dust has settled on this year's PLASA Show, the organisers of next year's show - the newly-formed PLASA Events Ltd - are looking forward to building on this week's hugely successful 2006 event - the last to be organised on PLASA's behalf by Clarion Events.

Exact visitor figures will be released in due course, following the independent ABC Audit of the figures. However, early indications are that PLASA '06 may even have surpassed last year's PLASA Show (which was memorable for its frenetic business activity) with a notable increase in visitor numbers, and a very strong international attendance.

Many of the exhibitors that the PLASA Media team spoke to across during the four days of the show praised both the quality of the customers they had been seeing, and the large numbers of international visitors from all around of the world. Despite a relatively 'quiet' S

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UK - tsg has recently completed the installation of a promedia hard disk player and audio system at the new Sam & Maxies restaurant in the Trafford Centre, Manchester. This Sam & Maxies, which is part of La Tasca Group Plc, is the second outlet to be opened during 2006 and is the third brand within the Group, which already operates La Vina and La Tasca.

Essentially a bar, grill and smokehouse, Sam & Maxies offers a subtle, more mature offer of 'Americana' but is not overly themed. Targeted at families, especially those with children of a school age, Sam & Maxies is an elevated offer of the typical American restaurants found within the UK today, with the children's menu being a scaled down version of the adult menu. Music is an integral part in establishing an appropriate dining experience and James Horler, chief executive of La Tasca Group, turned to tsg and its candyrock music

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UK - Denon DJ have announced the launch of a professional multimedia player and controller (the DN-HD2500), which provides working DJs with a complete system solution that addresses virtually all their needs.

The rugged and portable DN-HD2500 is designed for everything from small parties to weddings, club installations, outdoor events or anywhere that professional-quality, reliable operation is required. It joins Denon DJ's full line of high-performance products for working DJs.

Denon DJ brand manager, Silvio Zeppieri, says: "DJ equipment has progressed over the past few years, with DJs moving from vinyl to compact disc to laptop computers to a combination of all three technologies. Our DN-HD2500 represents the next step in this product evolution, offering a total all-in-one solution that addresses and actually anticipates the many different needs of working DJs. With bui

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Mexico - The D.A.S. Aero Line Array Systems Training programme held its first seminar at the Crown Plaza Hotel Mexico City recently. The main speakers were Alejandro Valles, from Mexican firm Top Music, D.A.S. distributor in Mexico, Ashok Maharaj the independent professional audio consultant for Venezuela, and Javier Navarro, D.A.S. Audio sound engineer.

Over ninety Latin American Aero systems owners attended the event which focused more on the theory behind line arrays rather than on the practical side. The opening talk was by Jack Palacio, D.A.S. Audio export director; Able Villanueva's talk was concerned with the line array theory; Javier Navarro focused on the technical settings of Aero systems and the handling parameters of digital processors; Alejandro Valles commented on the electric and electronic aspects in the context of equipment interconnections. Ashok Maharaj expose

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UK - Andrew Lloyd Webber's stage musical Evita has returned to the West End twenty-eight years after it first opened 28 years ago. Advances in technology down the decades see the production enjoying the latest generation of audio products, including DPA microphones which are being used across the entire cast.

"Radio microphone and miniature microphone technology in particular has had a huge impact on musical theatre," says sound designer Mick Potter, who specified the DPA mics, having used them extensively on all his sound designs since Saturday Night Fever in 1998. "The amount of frequencies now available for reliable use means miking all performers in a cast of 30 or 40 is no longer an issue. Transmitters are so small that on this production, female cast members wear them in their wigs, meaning no visible cable or transmitter packs at all. This is

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USA - In Cleveland, Ohio, the Browns Stadium's seven year old sound system has been revamped with the assistance of Nashville-based Durrell Acoustic Solutions. Durrell, a sports stadium audio specialist whose resume includes the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the homes of the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals, determined that approximately 90% of the stadium's loudspeaker drivers showed signs of damage from the elements.

They recommended a complete system overhaul, with a new audio setup based on Community Professional Loudspeakers' WET series. "We chose the Community WET series as our primary loudspeaker system based on its proven ability to stand up to the extreme weather the Browns' Stadium experiences on the shore of Lake Erie," explained John Horrell, President of Durrell. "As Durrell was asked to warranty the new speakers for seven years, the WET se

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USA - This month sees a new distribution company, CW Sales & Marketing, stepping out in the US pro audio market with brands including Audient, LA Audio and Tube Tech in its portfolio. Based east of Los Angeles and founded this year by Chris Walsh, there is confidence that following on from his success at AXI and Pro Audio Design, the new business will grow in strength.

"We set up with products that reflect our ethos," explains Walsh. "Audient for example has earned itself a reputation in the US for high quality at very reasonable prices. Although LA Audio has not yet gained much notice here in the States, I'm very optimistic about this product line."

Walsh cut his teeth in the sales and marketing role as VP sales and marketing at Martinsound and managing sales at Tannoy prior to running distribution company AXI. "I have been in the same basic position

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Switzerland - Nexo's new tangent array system, the GEO D, has been used in Switzerland for the Rock'Oz Arènes festival, the first high-profile outing for the system with mainstream international acts, and has received a universally positive reception from sound engineers, audience and local 'sound police'.

The small but influential Rock'Oz Arènes festival got a bit of a shock this year, after adding a fifth night to the front of its programme to put on Radiohead. As tickets went on sale, more than 100,000 internet applications crashed the system, such was the demand to see this band in such an intimate setting.

PA company Jaccoud is one of the first in the world to invest in the GEO D tangent array system, purchased off-plan at the ProLight+Sound expo in Frankfurt this spring. Together with Frédéric Walder of Zap Audio, distributor of Nexo product

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UK - London-based theatre sound specialist Orbital has been awarded the sound supply contract by Dutch producers Stardust BV for their epic-scale new musical, Rembrandt.

Staged in The Netherlands' internationally renowned Royal Carre Theatre, Stardust's Rembrandt celebrates the 400th anniversary of the great painter. Orbital's team, headed by Drew Mollison, collaborated with sound designer Jeroen ten Brinke from the early planning stages to ensure that the specified Alcons system met his exact requirements.

Jeroen Brinke commented: "Working to a tight three-week pre-production phase, the Orbital team were fantastic. Streamlining operations on site, their practical advice and 24/7 technical support team sets a precedent. It's great working with them. Their level of service and support through the production process and on-going has been unparalleled."

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UK - In order the give the public a more in-depth understanding of the structure of an orchestra, the Royal Festival Hall on the South Bank, London, came up with an original way of introducing the structure and sound of the orchestra to both children and adults.

By positioning sixty special pods in the physical shape of the Philharmonic Orchestra and feeding the sound of individual instruments to each pod, the system enables visitors to listen to the different sounds of the respective musical instruments that comprise the orchestra.

The Royal Festival Hall turned to Audio Design Services of Stockport to configure a way of creating an amplifier for each pod position without the need to house 60 separate amplifiers. It was also necessary to provide high quality loudspeakers in the pods to faithfully reproduce the original sound of the respective instruments and yet come within a

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USA - One of the largest churches in North America, Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky, has installed Adamson Systems in their main sanctuary. Duncan Edwards, an ADI Group consultant, hired by Southeast Christian, concluded that an Adamson System would be the best system to meet the needs of the church after rigorous demonstrations and comparisons of line array products in the market. Edwards recommended Adamson to the church's board of directors who gave the final go-ahead.

Southeast Christian Church, founded in 1962, has grown to become one of the largest churches in North America. The current facility opened in 1998 and features a sanctuary that seats 9,600. The most attended day of the year is Easter Sunday, where crowds are commonly in excess of 30,000. This is facilitated through multiple services, all held in the main sanctuary. Adamson's demo stock was le

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UK - Allen & Heath chose the recent PLASA show to acknowledge the individual achievements of its international partners, with the presentation of its annual distributor awards.

Asimetrik in Turkey received the award for 'Most Improved Territory in Europe', whilst EAD from China was awarded 'Most Improved Territory in Asia'; 'Most Improved Territory in Latin America' went to Masteraudio from Argentina, and Canada's Erikson Pro received 'Most Improved Territory in North America'. The most prestigious award went to American Music & Sound, which was presented with 'Distributor of the Year'.

"We are extremely pleased with the effort our distributors have made over our fiscal year and are proud to honour their achievements with these awards. Particular mention must go to our American distributor, who not only achieved the biggest increase in sales, but was presented with 'Distr

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UK - Following Dominic Harter's move to the position of product development director, UK loudspeaker manufacturer Turbosound has appointed Chris Hinds as its European sales manager. Hinds began his career in the pro audio industry with Turbosound, where he spent seven years before leaving to run a tour sound company. He then moved into distribution with beyerdynamic, then on to EM Acoustics before returning to the Turbosound fold.

"I've worked for manufacturers, end users and distributors," says Hinds, "so I can appreciate how each part of the chain works. My move back to Turbosound was prompted because I wanted to have a more European role with a company that has a huge amount of focus.

"Turbosound has a product set that really works and makes sense, going as it does from entry level all the way up to a full touring PA. And Aspect is especially exciting as

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UK - This year, a record crowd of 45,000 made its way to the Creamfields festival's new home of Daresbury Estate in the heart of the Cheshire countryside. Headlining the massive main stage this year were the Prodigy, and as headline act, the audio system was designed to meet the specification on their rider. This included a powerful EAW KF760 line array system from ML Executives.

According to ML Executive's Oz Bagnall, project manager and system tech for the event, the concern, as always with Prodigy, was being able to provide a system large enough and powerful enough to match their legendary onstage monitoring needs, while still offering headroom to spare. As Prodigy's FoH engineer, Jon Burton put it; "Think of it as driving an expensive car with a big engine. You don't drive it flat out all the time, but when you put your foot down, you want to feel the power as it accele

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Jamaica - A record 37,000 people attended the 11th annual edition of the Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival at the Rose Hall Resort & Country Club of Montego Bay to see and hear a star-studded bill featuring artists such as Patti Labelle, Al Green, John Legend, Nestor Torres, Shaggy, Morgan Heritage, Air Supply, and Bo Diddley.

The technical team of Jamaica's John Swaby Entertainment, the festival's audio provider, relied on a system of self-powered Meyer Sound loudspeakers to reinforce the many different musical styles featured at the event.

Since this was the first time that Meyer Sound products were used at the festival, Swaby Entertainment enlisted the support of Philip Grant, managing director of Sound Design in Kingston, Meyer's dealer in Jamaica, to ensure that the equipment reached the festival on time.

The main system consisted of an array of six MILO curvilinear a

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Germany - Bosch Security Systems' Digital Congress Network (DCN) Next Generation congress system has already gained an enviable reputation thanks to its powerful features and exceptional ease-of-use. Now the company has introduced an advanced intuitive Congress Control Software to further enhance the versatility and ease-of-use of the DCN systems.

The company's new Synoptic Microphone and Voting Software provides a range of functions including automatic seat assignment, synoptic microphone monitoring and control, synoptic voting management, easy control of the system, monitoring and adjustments of all settings, and automatic link to PowerPoint.

The new software also departs from the traditional control panel and buttons, which are replaced with an intuitive user interface based on a graphical representation of the conference venue. When a device is connected to the system, it

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UK - Harman Pro UK has supplied Harlow's long-established live music venue, The Square, with a new Soundcraft MH2 front-of-house console. For nearly thirty years, The Square has been renowned for its reputation on the 'up-and-coming' circuit - many British bands who have played here in the past have subsequently gone on to great things, including Blur, Coldplay and Muse.

Stuart Graham of Harlow-based Clarity in Sound Light and Vision contacted Harman Pro UK's Gary Dent, who came down to The Square with a 24-channel MH2, and ran through the features with The Square's sound engineers. They liked what they saw and heard, and the MH2 offered them more flexibility than their old desk.

Comments Gary Dent: "The Square were very keen to get more into running on-stage monitor mixes, and their old desk just didn't have enough aux busses to do the job comfortably. But with the MH2,

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Ireland - Churches, live music venues, theatres and dance societies are just some of the venues that have installed PA equipment supplied by Harman Pro UK's main dealer in Ireland, Reynolds of Raphoe, recently. Reynolds, based in the North-West of the Irish Republic, have notched up an impressive list of recent sales, Harman reports, supplying installation companies in Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic with equipment from the Harman portfolio such as JBL speakers, Crown amplifiers and dbx processing units.

"The Celtic Tiger has slowed, but the Irish economy is still very buoyant and this naturally has an impact on leisure and entertainment. As a result, plenty of new bars, clubs and venues have opened around the country, while others have upgraded their sound systems to compete with the newcomers," says Reynolds sales manager Brian McGrath. "Our pro-active a

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Austria - The Rettenbach Glacier, which enters the Austrian Ötztal-valley near the ski resort of Söldenprovided the backdrop to a production entitled Mars:2068 which is a science fiction spectacle about the conquest of the planet Mars.

The production was staged by lawine torrèn, a network of dancers, actors, media artists and technicians under the artistic direction of Hubert Lepka that was founded in 1992 in Salzburg.

The technical services for the project were provided by You Sound from Augsburg with Klaus Mayer as the technical director. "The production Mars:2068 is in itself quite demanding. Especially with the climatic conditions on top of a glacier at this time of year, it becomes a real challenge," commented Mayer.

"The project required not only equipment that was able to take a lot of strain, but also collaborators with mountaineering

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