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Italy - Following weeks of intensive testing and evaluation at Prase Engineering's facilities in Noventa di Piave, Ennio and Alberto Prase met with Audica's sales director, Derek West, at ISE Amsterdam to shake hands on their agreement to distribute Audica Professional in Italy.

Commenting on the decision to add Audica to its portfolio, Ennio Prase says, "With every conceivable type of loudspeaker available in the market, it was difficult to imagine that anything new could be radically different - but Audica is just that. With MICROseries, Audica has designed a system with such style and innovation that it is a real advance, and that is a great compliment to their design capability.

Audica Professional's Derek West adds: "I have always regarded Prase Engineering as a reference distributor, for their integrity, ability and technical standards. With such an appreciatio

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USA - New Covenant Ministries in Lithona, Georgia, has a new sound system designed by Ronnie Stanford of dB Audio and Video. For years, New Covenant suffered through a sound system that provided terrible coverage to much of the main room. "Between the mix position and the first row," recalled Stanford, "there was a 25dB drop! If you got thingssounding right at the mix position, you blew the front row away. Altogether,it was a poor design filled with poor speakers.

"But New Covenant had a very sharp tech team," Stanford continued. "They knew exactly what they wanted in the way of fidelity. Pastor Billy Johnson is an amazing musician with an extraordinary voice. When we brought our first demo over, he asked us to turn it off so that he could play keyboard through the system. That was the real test."

The challenge for Stanford was to deliver 105

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UK - The Soundcraft Vi Series of digital live sound consoles has been extended with the new Soundcraft Vi4 model, offering "all the functionality and facilities of the Soundcraft Vi6, but in a smaller, more compact footprint more suited for space-conscious applications such as Theatres, Houses of Worship and venues or clubs with space-limited mix positions".

In just under 1.5m, the Soundcraft Vi4 offers access to 48 inputs on 24 faders, with a total of 27 output busses available for use as masters, groups, auxes or matrices. All other features of the Soundcraft Vi6, such as the Vistonics touch-screen user interface, and FaderGlow fader function display are inherited by the Soundcraft Vi4.

Also available on the Soundcraft Vi4 is the new Processing Card option, which adds eight powerful assignable Lexicon Effects sections, together with 30-band BSS Audio graphic equali

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Sweden / UK - Lab.gruppen has signed an exclusive UK distribution agreement with newly formed Cambridge-based Audioforce. The new company is headed up by industry veteran Guy Lewis, most recently sales and marketing director at XTA, and backed by the commercial resources of PAXT, a long-standing audio export specialist captained by managing director Tim Pollard. Audioforce will operate from the PAXT headquarters in Cambridge and will benefit from the company's well-established commercial infrastructure and support capability.

"We are delighted to have Audioforce on board in the UK. We have evolved a very close rapport with Guy Lewis and Tim Pollard in the past few weeks and it is clear to us that Audioforce will come as close as possible to having a factory-direct operation, such is the symbiosis between ourselves and Audioforce," says Lab.gruppen's European sales mana

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Germany - SPL will be showing several new products at ProLight&Sound, headed by the SPL RackPack modular system that allows for free configuration of an analogue rack fully loaded with SPL kit.

From June 2007, the first available modules will be the two new preamps. The Preference Mic-Pre is a straightforward, transformerless IC preamp, while the Premium Mic-Pre offers a triple stage solid state design with a Lundahl input transformer and discrete transistor circuitry. Further modules will follow later in the year; tube modules are scheduled for 2008.

SPL's new Atmos Controller system is a complete surround miking system including the ASM5 microphone based upon VM1 capsules from Brauner. The Controller's concept now focuses on basic mic'ing features and can be complemented with further modules to meet individual demands, such as a remote control to adjust the ASM5 pattern char

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USA - Biamp reports that all of its products are fully compliant with the China RoHS directive. As of 1 March, 2007, all of Biamp's products are shipping with marking and manual verbiage that comply with all of China's new RoHS laws. Biamp customers will notice all packaging includes the mandatory EPUP logo. This ensures that product will not release any defined hazardous substances, including lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, or brominated fire retardants, says the company.

"We are very proud to announce that we are fully compliant with the new China RoHS directive, ahead of the deadline," said Chuck Gollnick, lead engineer at Biamp. "Our products have not contained many of these harmful substances for a number of years now. With a concentrated effort, we have taken the extra steps needed to ensure all of our products are fully compliant without interr

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USA - At the USITT exhibition in Phoenix, d&b featured the newly expanded d&b Remote network. Comprising the new R60 USB to CAN interface, the recently released ROPE C Version 2.0.7 remote software for PC platforms and the d&b D12 and E-PAC amplifiers.

The R60 USB to CAN interface is the latest addition to the d&b Remote network. It is designed to connect d&b's amplifiers to a PC and comes with drivers for WindowsR operating systems. The ROPE C Version 2.0.7 permits the use of up to five R60 interfaces with one computer enabling a maximum of 500 and three amplifiers into one system design.

This latest software version of ROPE C also offers the ability to control and monitor d&b loudspeaker systems in much greater detail at the amplifier level, via its graphical drag and drop interface.

Colin Beveridge who heads up d&b's US office commented, "We see ever more complex sys

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USA - Biamp has announced the hiring of four new engineers. Larry Copley, Jeff Jones, Dominic Perez and Angela Van Osdol have joined the Biamp Systems team under the direction of Matt Czyzewski, VP technical operations, Biamp Systems.

Regarding the announcement, Czyzewski stated: "Larry, Jeff, Dominic and Angela each bring knowledge and experience that we feel will greatly benefit our manufacturing and production processes. We are very fortunate to add these new members who have a proven record for innovative thinking and efficiency and we look forward to the great results we know these engineers can enable Biamp to provide."

Larry Copley's career includes having worked as a compliance engineer with RadiSys Corporation, and a number of different positions with Underwriters Laboratories. Test Engineer Jeff Jones most recently worked as a senior systems electrical vali

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UK - As the largest co-educational boarding school in the UK, Millfield School in Somerset recently commissioned a fully-featured concert hall, the focal point of a newly-developed £12 million music block. The public school brought in Arup Acoustics, who became responsible for sound containment and acoustic optimisation, while Stirling Trading were awarded the contract to specify and fit out the auditorium and provide other music facilities.

Andrew Stirling managed the project personally, specifying a Nexo PS15 system to meet the diverse programme requirements, ranging from orchestral recitals to rock concerts. "The brief for the concert hall was to provide a good quality utility sound reinforcement system that would principally fulfil the vocal requirement," said Stirling. "It needed to be sufficiently powerful without being overly-intrusive, and so we opte

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UK / Germany - With worldwide sales of live sound products doubling over the last two years, Logic System's presence at ProLight&Sound will "unashamedly be all about its Ethos range of products that targets this market", the company says.

This attention will centre on the Ethos CA system, which was previewed at PLASA '06 and is now in full production. CA is an ultra-compact fixed angle array box, which comes with a complementary bass cabinet, the Ethos B300. The system can be flown, ground-stacked or even pole-mounted. The standard enclosure offers coverage of 90° x 20° and Frankfurt will see the release of an additional version the Ethos CA10 with optional 90° x 10° directivity.

The stand will also feature the Ethos VA array system, LM series stage monitors and the ML range of multifunction cabinets.

Logic adds that ProLight&Sound will also see the

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UK - A project to record the history of Britain's Moroccan community is underway, thanks to a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Project organisers the Migrant and Refugee Communities' Forum (MRCF) have chosen to use a fleet of Marantz PMD660 portable solid state recorders for all the data collection in the field.

The scheme will span a period of two years and record interviews with three generations of Moroccan migrants across the UK. Most of the work will be concentrated in London, where up to half of the country's 70,000 Moroccan residents live. 17 field-workers will conduct the interviews, which will ultimately be stored in the National Sound Archive at the British Library.

Project manager Verusca Calabria says: "We needed the best equipment, as this should be a long-term resource for the MRCF. We sought advice from the leading authorities in this field, from the B

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USA - Middle Atlantic Products introduced its new Vertical Lacer Strips, along with a number of new cable management accessories, at NSCA Expo 2007.

The Vertical Lacer Strips provide AV integrators with a large number of cable tie points for organising and arranging cable runs of any size within a fully integrated enclosure system. The Strips accept Velcro cable ties and are available in two widths as well as a variety of heights to fit any Middle Atlantic Products enclosure.

"The result of a field-level research and development initiative, our new Vertical Lacer Strips completely change the way integrators have traditionally mounted cable runs," said Jay Franetovich, application engineer, Middle Atlantic Products. "Now securing cables is as simple as binding them with Velcro and looping the Velcro on the most convenient hook."

The new TSW-15 Cable Tie Sa

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UK - For Amy Winehouse's current UK/US tour, production manager and FOH engineer Dave Swallow is using After being introduced to the Digidesign D-Show Profile desk.

"I had originally planned to use an analogue desk, but I then saw the Sugababes at an AOL Winter show at Kentish Town Forum, and they were using a D-Show to mix the sound. I remember it sounded so clean and for the kind of material Amy was doing that's exactly what we wanted," says Swallow.

When it was time to put the production together he contacted Roly Oliver at Brit Row and said he would like to try out the desk. Brit Row duly obliged, supplying the console as part of a production set-up which included the Outline Butterfly line array system. Along with the D-Show Profile came the support package - courtesy of Digidesign's UK reseller Marquee Audio.

Jock Bain, system tech for the Winehouse tour alon

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Chile - Robbie Williams kicked off his Close Encounters world tour in April in South Africa, recently landing in South-America in Chile's capital city of Santiago. 77,000 people packed themselves at the Estadio National, to listen to his latest offerings, including the Spanish language version of his early hit Angels, bringing his total 'Close Encounters' tour attendance numbers to a whopping three million.

Cristian Olavarria Ltd is an Adamson Y-Axis partner, and a well respected rental company that supplies sound production for the majority of international acts, including Pearl Jam, Avril Lavigne, Black Eyed Peas and Coldplay, when making their stop in Chile. Williams usually tours with Britannia Row's inventory when possible, with FOH engineer Tony Szabo and system tech Sherif El Barbari ensuring a top-notch sound.

Olavarria Ltd, which owns a large inventory o

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Germany - The L-Acoustics will be promoting its KIVA PA system at ProLight&Sound. Packaged in a sleek, fully integrated, ultra-compact design, KIVA is intended to "meet the highest demands of audio professionals and deliver the ultimate performance level in its category".

KIVA also fulfills the five WST (Wavefront Sculpture Technology) criteria in line with the scientific concepts introduced by L-Acoustics in 1992 and shared by the benchmark WST lineage of V-Dosc, dV-Dosc, and Kudo.

The system is "highly appropriate" for both the fixed installation and rental production markets. The main system components consist of KIVA, full-range element operating from 80 Hz to 20 kHz bandwidth; KILO, complimentary low frequency extension element operating from 50 Hz to 100 Hz bandwidth, and the LA4 amplified controller.

"KIVA delivers a considerable number of imp

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Germany - eJamming AUDiiO is being promoted as "the first and only software application and online service that enables musicians to find, network and play music with one another over the Internet in real time and in perfect synchrony, facilitating music education, social networking and collaboration".

eJamming AUDiiO provides a virtual practice and recording studio for musicians and singers worldwide. With eJamming AUDiiO, musicians can write, rehearse, record, learn and play with each other over the Internet, in real time and more importantly, in synchrony. All they need is access to a computer, broadband connection, audio interface device and microphone, says the company.

The eJamming AUDiiO portal includes such social networking features as searchable musician profiles including music samples, an automated calendar for scheduling sessions, forums, celebrity blogs

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USA - GearSource has added another account executive who will be based on the West Coast. Shaun Robinson joins GearSource following many successful years with the Guitar Center companies. Most recently, Robinson served for GC Pro where he became one of the company's banner sales associates and established a large following, especially among nightclubs and other installs.

GearSource president, Marcel Fairbain says: "We've worked with Shaun for many years as a client of both GearSource and most recently, LED Source. He's a great guy, and will add a very cool dynamic to our organisation".

In related news, GearSourceEurope has completely re-vamped and redesigned its website, making it easier to navigate and locate items of interest rapidly. GearSourceEurope was established at the beginning of 2006 and has grown to incorporate a large stock of audio, lighting and staging

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USA - Tapco has announced that brand group vice President John Boudreau is now heading up the development and direction of Tapco products. With Boudreau at the helm, Tapco is brought under the same successful leadership that drives the Mackie brand, better aligning Loud,s development and engineering resources - as well as its vision - with Tapco products," says the company.

"I am really excited to work on the Tapco brand and to have the opportunity to reach young artists and music enthusiasts of all kinds," said Boudreau. "With Loud resources behind Tapco, we are able to offer entry-level audio products of unparalleled quality. We have great things in store for 2007."

New in 2007 for Tapco are two sound reinforcement products - the Thump TH-15A active loudspeaker and the Series 69 passive loudspeaker - as well as one recording product, the Link.FireWir

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USA / Germany - Following the success of the SRM450 and SRM350 Active PA speakers, Mackie will unveil at ProLight&Sound the newest member of the SRM family, the SRM150. This compact active PA System is designed for a variety of sound reinforcement needs. With 150w of ultra-efficient Class D amplification and the 5.25" EAW-designed, full-range neodymium driver, the SRM150 delivers high sound pressure levels.

"The SRM150 integrates the proven technology from the SRM series, along with an easy-to-use onboard mixer in a compact package," said Mackie Brand group vice president John Boudreau. "It makes the SRM150 the perfect choice for a wide range of applications such as boardroom and classroom A/V, and live music performance in venues such as coffee houses, piano bars, and rehearsal rooms. Plus, the SRM150 outperforms everything in its class by delivering higher

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USA - Furman Sound reports that the All-American Rejects are using Furman Power Factor Pro conditioners and SPB-8C pedal boards for "uncompromised sound" on tour. With a double-platinum album and a recent 2006 MTV Video Music Award for Best Group Video, the All-American Rejects have been in high demand. They toured US colleges and universities recently, and followed that up by headlining the Tournado Tour, a multi-act event that stopped in over two-dozen cities.

To combat contaminated AC power and its effects during live performances, the band chose Furman Power Factor Pro conditioners. These are designed specifically for musicians and feature Clear Tone Technology, which lowers the AC line impedance supplied by wall outlets, and Linear Filtering, which suppresses noise.

"When playing multiple venues, we never really know how the amplifiers are goi

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UK - FeONIC is to unveil its latest generation of loudspeaker driver systems, which it says can turn any resonant panel or surface into a loudspeaker. The sounders can be placed onto the hidden side, say the company, so no wiring, speaker grilles or boxes are visible.

Currently aimed at domestic applications, but also likely to attract attention from designers of retail and leisure spaces, FeONIC technology can be used with any audio system with sufficient power rating, replacing conventional speakers in 2.1, 5.1, 7.1 and even 9.1 systems, the company says.

FeONIC says its audio systems can be created from standard plasterboard, MDF, plywood or blockboard, and hardwood floorings, creating a truly integrated, hidden sound system. It also offers the benefits of an even dispersion, rather than the 'sweet spots' associated with conventional loudspeaker technology.

(Lee Baldock)

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USA - Aviom debuted its AV-M8 Mic Input Module at NSCA 2007. Promoted as "ideal for distributing audio in boardrooms and conference rooms", the Aviom AV-M8 Mic Input Module saves contractors time, money, and labour, says the company.

The AV-M8 converts 8 analogue audio channels to a digital stream and provides eight mic-level inputs. It offers plug-and-play simplicity that runs over an easy-to-install Cat 5e cable, requiring no drilling of conduit.

Two channels include a 30dB switchable pad, allowing line-level signals to be connected. Eight channels of digital audio may also be input via ADAT, from a second AV-M8 module. Analogue audio is input via eight latching 5.0mm Euroblock connectors. Each analogue input channel features a set of configuration DIP switches for individually selectable gain settings, +48V phantom power, and low cut filter.

Analogue input chann

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France - The new 8XT and 12XT from L-Acoustics represents "the next generation of single-point-source coaxial loudspeakers" according to the manufacturer. Drawing on two decades of leading edge experience dating back to the MTD coaxial concept in 1987, the new XT systems promise to deliver "the ultimate sonic performance in a compact and versatile multi-tasking package".

Featuring a compact and lightweight design, the 8XT cabinet is the most compact model of the L-Acoustics coaxial range. Operating on a frequency bandwidth of 65Hz to 20kHz, this response can be lowered to 32Hz with the addition of the SB118 subwoofer.

The 8XT contains a 1.5" diaphragm compression driver, coaxially loaded by an 8" low-frequency transducer in a bass-reflex tune enclosure. The internal passive crossover network uses proprietary third-order filters with built-in phase

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Greece - Chios has long been considered one of the most beautiful Aegean islands. Now, with the 1,200 capacity Palazzo club, Chios has gained a new attraction. In addition to an elegant ambience, the club boasts a Dynacord alpha sound system.

To ensure that the dance floors of the 1,200 capacity Palazzo remain packed at all times, the management regularly brings in internationally famous DJs from abroad to relieve the house roster.

Club manager Tsatsalis Leonidas comments, "Whilst in terms of location and ambience, the Palazzo can easily hold its own with the best in Greece, it's our sound system that really sets us apart. There we really are setting new standards, as we've been told now, repeatedly, by visiting DJs."

The sound system that gives the Palazzo the edge is an alpha system from Dynacord. In use now in many of the world's top discotheques (including the

  1. Clear-Com introduces Tempest
  2. Westbury National raises its game with JBL
  3. Aviom unveils latest output module
  4. Audio-Technica at Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
  5. All change for Studer in Sweden
  6. Marquee supplies Kinetic with Yamaha desk
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