Sound

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USA - FOH Engineer Dave Rat and his company, Rat Sound Systems, has worked on The Red Hot Chili Peppers' tours for nearly two decades now.

For the Peppers' most recent album, Stadium Arcadium, Rat Sound chose to augment its L-Acoustics amplifier arsenal with the addition of two dozen more LA48s to drive the tour's V-Dosc and dV-Dosc rig.

"After the June 2004 European stadium tour with the Peppers, where we used nine local vendors for shows in a dozen countries, I was able to get a good idea of the similarities and differences between the three amp types used in Europe," says Rat. "Though the differences in audio were relatively subtle, our decision to use the LA48 amplifiers was ultimately based on the fact that they greatly reduced our overall touring weight without any sonic sacrifice whatsoever."

For the current Stadium Arcadium outing, t

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USA - Launched at London's PLASA Show in September, TurboDrive network control software - a new software package from Turbosound that will help to make the jobs of live sound engineers easier - was also shown for the first time in the US at the 121st Audio Engineering Society Convention at San Francisco's Moscone Centre from 5 to 8 October.

The TurboDrive package gives online access and fast, intuitive control of Turbosound controllers and powered speakers, either individually or in a BVNet network of up to 100 devices.

User control of input EQ, delay and mute is available, while key factory settings such as limiters and driver correction are locked out to ensure maximum flexibility to the user, whilst maintaining consistent voicing and driver protection in the field.

Every parameter of an LMS-D2X controller is allowed, either by typing in exact values or by using on-screen

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UK - Clear-Com, a Vitec Group brand and global leader of intercom solutions has introduced a new choice of service contracts and extended warranties for customers.

While Clear-Com products are recognised throughout the live performance and broadcast industry for their construction and reliability, with the increasing complexity of systems, Clear-Com has decided to enhance their after sales service with a choice of service contracts and extended warranties. These new services ensure complete customer confidence through a dedicated global support team, says the company.

The Clear-Com Service Contract can now run for three or five years and is available as an optional service, to all customers. Key features include: technical customer on site training; a maintenance visit; an annual site visit and system service check; global 24 x 7 technical, multi-lingual customer support desk;

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South Africa - d&b audiotechnik have appointed Stage Audio Works as a new distributor based in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

"We started in business seventeen years ago", said Stage Audio Works founder Will Deysel. "Back then there was no one providing a repair service for loudspeaker systems, spares from overseas were just not available, so I started the country's first domestic re-cone and repair company, making everything ourselves."

Deysel, a sound engineer, soon found a ready demand for his business, "It grew and grew, I now have good, well established partners in the three main cities of Johannesburg, Durban and Cape town; the downside is I no longer get much chance to engineer, but I still do bits and pieces to keep my ear in." Keeping his ear in is what led Deysel to d&b audiotechnik, "I'd noticed more and more technical riders coming

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Legendary reverb manufacturer Lexicon (Harman Pro) presented two new products, seen for the first time in Europe. The MX400 and MX400XL are both four-in four-out hardware reverb units for studio and live use. The 1U rack-mounted units have an independent processor on each channel, with the only difference between the units being the connectors on the XL sporting XLRs while the 400 is fitted with quarter-inch TRS jacks. The four inputs and outputs also allow for surround processing and effects are included, making the units an affordable way to enter the surround sound processing arena.

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Roland Systems Group and its Digital Snake system has been gaining market share since its relatively recent launch. On display at the show was a new interface for the unit, an AES/EBU module with internal and external sync' options and word clock. Also on display for the RSS was a REAC (Roland's Ethernet data transfer technology) ASIO driver, allowing 40 channels of audio to be connected directly into a PC and into a multi-track recording system - in this case Cakewalk's SONAR 5 or 6.

Nestling unassumingly in a nearby rack were the AR-3000R and AR200R audio announcement system. The AR-3000R will record, playback and edit samples for announcements and voice alarms, while the AR-200 is a half-rack playback-only version.

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Mackie proudly displayed its new flagship subwoofer at PLASA. The SWA2801z 18" Active is said to provide greater performance than mere 'powered' loudspeakers. Mackie's Active electronics are customised for each new product, providing monitoring and real-time control over critical functions such as crossover and equalisation. The SWA2801z can be stacked or pole-mounted and can be easily integrated with other full-range Mackie products.

For the club scene, Mackie previewed its new four-channel mixer, the d.4 Pro. Due for launch in early 2007, the mixer features Onyx mic preamps, VCA and analogue filter effects and 3-band EQ.

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UK - Duncan Payne has been appointed client development manager for Charter Broadcast, reporting directly to managing director Michael Breen. Payne joins Charter from Mitcorp, where he spent over six years, and was responsible for selling top end broadcast equipment in to the rental and outside broadcast markets. Having joined Mitcorp as a sales executive, and progressing to become sales manager, Payne brings a wealth of industry knowledge and expertise, the company says.

At Charter, Payne will focus on developing its already successful dry hire business further by broadening the market it currently services. He will be overseeing Charter's disposals policy, ensuring that Charter reinforces its reputation as a quality supplier of quality equipment. He comments: "I am delighted to be joining Charter Broadcast at such an exciting time. I have worked with Charter many times ov

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The Netherlands - The Ampco / Flashlight Group (AFG) has announced the appointment of Dick van Berkum as its managing director from October 1 2006, succeeding industry pioneer Eric de Bruijn.

Van Berkum, a chartered accountant and a well-known figure in the industry, began working for AFG in February 2006 as financial director with a growing involvement in the group's management. His remit is to continue the strategy and policy developed over recent years, while bringing his considerable corporate, financial and organisational experience to help the Group achieve its ambitions.

The group's strategy encompasses both regional growth and diversification of services to meet the demands of the evolving entertainment market. AFG's activities already include sales, rentals, distribution, R&D and manufacturing of sound, lighting, video and rigging.Karel de Piere says: "AFG has a

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JBL (Harman Pro), never short of a few new products, didn't fail to please at PLASA, announcing two new additions to its product line in the form of the VRX915M 15" wedge to complement the VRX9000 constant curvature array, as well as the MRX500 lightweight, passive, portable PA system aimed at gigging musicians. Three monitors - the MRX512M, MRX515 and MRX525 - and two subs - the MRX518S and MRX528S complete the line-up.

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Ecler's new products - distributed in the UK by MilTec - included the AC6 19" mixer, the Ambit 108 low impedance 100Volt line speaker and the Philos 10A active speaker. Also showing was their DPA, MPA, XPA and DJ amplifiers.

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Adam Hall, hardware distributors for pretty much anything you can think of, were showing products from spanish manufacturer Beyma Loudspeakers, for whom they have recently become UK resellers. The Beyma products included new Neodymium and specialised line array drivers. There was also the ASUB-15 from LD Systems; a 400W sub cabinet with built-in limiter and 100Hz crossover along with a selection of other products from the company's extensive catalogue. Finally, the company's SM707 adjustable angle top-hat received a commendation from the judges in the Awards for Innovation.

Managing director Bob Mundy did well off the stand, too - winning the limited edition lithograph of the original score of Yesterday, signed by Sir Paul McCartney and Sir George Martin, in PLASA's prize draw!

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Funktion One were showing a full range of products at this year's PLASA Show. The company, who are continuing to make more of their range self-powered, showed the F221 double 21" sub-bass, in addition to the imposing Dance Stack. Additionally, the purple people demonstrated their production versions of the RM12 and RM15 self-powered stage monitors.

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Cornered Audio Systems definitely win the show prize for most ingenious use of a product number. Director Hans Madsen detailed the 90 and 60° dispersion corner-mounted C90TRM and C60TRM respectively: "These speakers can mount in the corner of a room without brackets and subsequently are very discrete," he said, adding that the TRM stood for 'The Real McCoy'!

To complement the TRMs, Madsen also demonstrated the Sub Bass Seat, C12PNC or 'Puffy not Cornered' floor-mounted sub. The cabinet, which can be screwed into the floor, is sure to make anyone's night - even without dancing!

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If vinyl and CDs are too old-school, then the iDJ could be right up your street. If you are rich enough to own two iPods of any flavour, then the iDJ will allow you to mix them via integrated docking stations and providesS-Video output should you be lucky enough to own a video iPod. However, if iPods are too easy to lose or break, then the HDX Hard Drive Turntable could well be the way to go. A removable 80GB drive allows storage of thousands of songs while the full size platter provides the real feel of vinyl.

On the other hand, if audio isn't your thing then the VJ01 DVD/CD/MP3 player allows pitch, loop, cue, zoom, angle and slo mo control of many audio and video formats. With a built-in screen for monitoring and preview the VJ01 is ideal for the mobile VJ.

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Cadac Electronics unveiled its much-anticipated S-Digital mixing console, designed specifically for theatre sound applications. Reflecting the surface architecture of Cadac's J-Type analogue console, its basic configuration offers a minimum spec of 72 input channels, 66 mix busses, and three stereo listen busses.

The S-Digital's key features include: single or multi-operator control with multiple listen systems provided as standard; the ability to configure multiple control surfaces within a single mixing system, allowing control over all console parameters from multiple locations (such as control room and FOH pit, or FOH and monitor); a proprietary high-speed communications protocol; hot swappable input and output modules. Shipping is scheduled for October 2006.

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dbx (Harman Pro) announced the launch of the new DriveRack 4820 at the PLASA show. Featuring a 96kHz processing engine, HiQnet and optional CobraNet control the system processor includes a wealth of new algorithms, EQ, delay, classic dbx compression and limiting as well as bandpass and crossover filters. With four inputs and eight outputs, the 4820 is flexible enough to be used in many different installations.

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Dolby/Lake Technology won a PLASA Award for Innovation for the Dolby Lake Processor, which provides advanced control and flexibility of complex speaker systems for live events, fixed installations and studio settings. Easy to integrate into any audio system, the processor's software interface is intuitive, and thanks to innovative four front-panel portals and a wireless tablet, engineers can monitor a system easily, making adjustments in real-time.

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Swedish amplifier manufacturer Lab Gruppen, currently enjoying record sales, unveiled two new products at PLASA this year. The FP+ series ("the most significant product launch in the company's history") offers a real step forward in power/size and weight ratio, offering a real advantage to the touring industry, its intended market. The FP+ provides flexibility with both two- and four-channel configurations ranging from 1.5kW to 6.5kW into 2ohms. With all channels being bridgeable, the flexibility of the FP+ series provides a much greater amount of power per amp than many others on the market.

As if that wasn't enough, the company also announced the C Series, a collection of four units for the installation market. With network control, four channels, low impedance and 70/100V line level switchable outputs, the series provides output from 6.8kW with the C68:4 though to 1.6kW on

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As regular readers will be aware, Italian manufacturer RCF is back in some style, and this year presented the waiting PLASA massive with some of its new products, including its Forum Congress Digital Conference System. The system can be used in open discussion, automatic discussion, automatic timed discussion and managed discussion modes. The system is also interactive and can show a variety of information including voting results and the number of delegates in the booking queue. As well as the Forum Congress, the company announced that its MQ50 high efficiency Ceiling Monitor speaker is now shipping. The two-way, wide-dispersion unit is very fast to install and offers various wattage taps and voltage adjustment options.

RCF also gave the first UK showing of its TT+ high definition range. Since its launch in Frankfurt earlier in the year, RCF's R&D bods have improved the onboard

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Logic System Pro Audio used PLASA to present several new products to an expectant crowd. Adding to the company's existing Ethos range, the Ethos Compact Array was on show. The box, which is a fixed-angle array offering a 15° x 90° dispersion pattern, is loaded with an 8" driver and two waveguide-mounted 1" compression drivers. The box has been designed to run at 16ohms, allowing up to four boxes to be run off of one amplifier channel. The Ethos CA is also designed to be ground-stacked or flown and can be used equally well in a small theatre environment, as infills or even an AV installation. Retailing at £1195 per box and weighing in at only 13kg each, the Ethos CA could become a very cost-effective and flexible system.

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dB Technologies used this year's PLASA Show to launch the DVA (Digital Vertical Array) active, compact line array system. Designed for small- to medium-sized venues, the DVA comprises two boxes, the DVA T4 mid/high and the DVA S20 sub. Both boxes are self-powered with Class T digital amplification and provides 15° of horizontal dispersion. dB also announced the PU850 UHF wireless microphone system which provides options for handheld, lavalier, guitar and headset microphones.

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USA - Symetrix, a supplier of audio processing solutions for the installed sound market, announces that it is now shipping all SymNet CobraLink units with fully-loaded CobraNet channel counts. Symetrix includes the full 64-channels (32x32) of CobraNet audio capacity in its CobraLink product eliminating the hassle of upgrading or additional licensing down the road. This results in greater flexibility right out of the box and an instant cost-savings for Symetrix customers, says the company.

As digital audio networks continue to expand and become more complex, higher CobraNet channel counts are a necessity. The popular CobraLink unit, now fully-loaded with its maximum CobraNet channel count right out of the box, serves to bridge SymNet SymLink hardware to any industry-standard CobraNet audio network. It also provides a means to network SymNet Express Cobra units with SymLink hardwa

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Wembley Loudspeakers showed their new range of HPI-8 full-range, studio quality installation speakers on their stand. The company also had an opportunity to enable potential customers to actually hear their products by providing the PA for the Gemini DJ Competition on the Sunday: "We had some great feedback from that," said Wembley's Paul MacCallum.
  1. Fuzion
  2. Peavey Electronics
  3. Meyer Sound
  4. ElectroVoice
  5. Acustica Beyma
  6. Crown
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