Sound

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UK - Following on from successful stints in Sunderland & Dundee, Radio 1 ventured to Preston to kick-off UK Festival season in style. Adlib Audio supplied a JBL VerTec sound system for the INMWT (In New Music We Trust) stage at Radio 1's One Big Weekend in Preston. Featured artists included The Gossip, Maximo Park, Bloc Party, Groove Armada, the Klaxons and many more.

It was the first time that Liverpool-based Adlib has been involved in the event, brought onboard by promoters SJM and Radio 1's Sam Cunningham. Adlib's client manager Phil Kielty says: "When Andy Redhead at SJM invited us to supply for this event he stressed how important it was to impress Radio 1 and we were determined to do so."

"We did everything in our power to deliver the service to an exceptional standard", commented Dave Jones Adlib's PA manager, who liaised with Andy Redhead to ensure

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Singapore - Leading line array manufacturers are being invited to go head-to-head in a shoot-out at this year's PALME Asia show, (previously known as PALA) in Singapore, 12-14 July, Singapore Expo.

The opportunity for visitors to make their own evaluation on a large scale is a development of the idea piloted at PALME India last year - on a much larger scale. As a result, PALME Asia's associate partner, UnUsUal Productions, will build the special infrastructure for the Event 360° segment of the show to support this in Hall 5 at Singapore Expo (which will now operate in parallel with the integrated exhibition in Halls 3 and 4).

"This is a major breakthrough for PALME Asia," said the show's sales manager, Hanslee Azhar. "We will be offering a maximum of 12 manufacturers the opportunity to participate - and the response has been overwhelming."

To date, DA

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USA - Humpin' Hannah's in Boise, Idaho recently upgraded its sound system to match its high-energy, eclectic environment. The system includes four JBL VP7215/64DPAN powered, 15" loudspeakers.

Located in the heart of downtown Boise, Humpin' Hannah's has been a staple of the city's nightlife since it opened 29 years ago. The tri-level venue serves as both a live rock club and dance club. Having worn out its existing 10-year-old loudspeaker system, Hannah's needed a new high-performance system that could serve a variety of events.

"We average almost 1,000 people on any given Saturday night, so we needed a PA system that could handle a lot of volume but was lightweight enough to reconfigure if necessary," said Rocci Johnson, co-owner of Humpin' Hannah's and lead singer of the club's resident rock outfit, The Rocci Johnson Band.

After a demonstration of the JBL VP

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USA - Symetrix has appointed Dallas Dougherty to the newly-created position of product and training specialist/field engineer. He will spend most of his time travelling to help existing and potential customers understand the applications for Symetrix technology, listen to their needs and identify solutions. While he will work with all of the Symetrix brands, his main focus will be training and support for SymNet.

Dougherty has experience in every market Symetrix covers - recording, live sound/production and installed sound. His studio days were spent at Ironwood Studios and the Tank, as well as being owner of Pink on Vinyl Productions.

Commented Dougherty, "Innovative product design and dedication to the customer are the driving forces behind Symetrix. I am excited to be a part of this incredible team, and look forward to promoting the SymNet line through training."<

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UK - Gerhard Schroeder, Jesse Jackson and explorer Monty Halls will be sharing their thoughts with UK business people this month - and making sure their words of wisdom aren't drowned out by rain or echoing acoustics is a Yorkshire-based sound specialist.

The 12th Yorkshire International Business Convention is being held at the Yorkshire Event Centre in Harrogate on 8 June. There, an audience of the region's key business people will be keen to hear from the former Chancellor of Germany, from the Rev. Jesse Jackson, business guru Jonas Ridderstråle and Lyn Heward, former creative director of Cirque du Soleil.

TMC engineers, sub-contracted by Saville AV, have the job of installing and running a sound system that ensures every one of the 1,500 delegates can hear clearly, but is visually discreet enough to blend into the background. "Acoustically the room isn't ideal,

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UK - Digital mixing console manufacturer DiGiCo and Nexo UK distributor Fuzion plc pooled their resources to put on a demonstration of both DiGiCo consoles and the new Nexo Geo D10 array at London's Hippodrome in Leicester Square.

The event offered live hands-on experience and training on DiGiCo's D5 and D1 digital consoles, sending multitrack mixes to Nexo's Geo D10 tangential array, which was flown in the venue.

Paul Ward of Fuzion comments, "Our objective was to create interest in the new Geo D system among touring professionals. We wanted to communicate directly with Nexo's potential end-users, hence the choice of an easy-to-get-to central London venue and a very relaxed format that allowed the system to be demonstrated as it would be used in a real situation.

"Nearly 40 front-of-house engineers came through the doors, and I think their experience of the system

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UK - ISCE's revised Training Initiative got off to a flying start. Already nearly 50 attendees have been trained and accredited with their certificates, in the Measurement & Certification of AFILS Systems, to the newly revised IEC60118-4 Standard. This is a vital course for anyone involved with Induction Loop Systems.

Regional courses have already been held in Watford, Warrington, Washington (Tyne & Wear), and Northern Ireland and, with places filling fast for course venues at Bristol and Crowborough on 9 and 16 July respectively, there is no time to lose if you don't want to miss out on this essential training and accreditation, says ISCE.

Future courses being planned include Design and Installation of AFILS; Commissioning, Balancing and Equalisation of Sound Systems; Implementation of the new EMC Standards; and courses specifically for Voice Alarm Systems. For those new to

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USA - Furman Sound has appointed John Benz as the new marketing manager for Furman Sound, LLC. Benz has served Furman for more than two years in the marketing department, and has previously owned his own marketing services company.

Furman's former marketing manager, Dave Dilitkanich, will remain with the company for six weeks to assist in transitioning the position to Mr. Benz. He will then be leaving to pursue an MBA at the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

(Jim Evans)

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USA - Fletcher Cove is a stretch of ocean paradise on California's lower left coast. It's a favourite spot for surfers, swimmers and residents of north county San Diego. As with any populated beach, lifeguards have their hands full with watching the waters and keeping people safe. Communicating over the ocean's roar can be critical, and is always a challenge.

"The area had been experiencing some minor issues," explains Steven Manno, systems designer at BlueWater Audio. "Typical stuff like swimmers and surfers straying into each others' areas and such, and they needed a marine announcement system. They only had this one small, out-of-the-way lifeguard station and a very limited budget."

Manno opted to mount a pair of Community R.5-HP loudspeakers midway up a bluff overlooking the cove, which maximised throw and limited potential vandalism. The installation w

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USA - In an unusual project, dB Audio and Video's system advisor Keith Armstrong oversaw the conversion of a gym to a sanctuary at Meadowbrook Baptist Church in Gadsden, Alabama.

The gymnasium was a large 120ft x 80ft x 22ft box covered with reflective surfaces, and Armstrong measured its reverb time at 7.5 seconds. However, the church had determined that they could place a generous stage along one of the long walls and still accommodate 900 church members.

"Diffusion panels would help kill the rather extreme flutter echo," Armstrong explained, "but there was still a massive slap-back echo from the back wall to the stage." To combat the problem, dB Audio and Video designed a regiment of two-inch absorption panels and installed them along the back wall. They soaked up most of the energy above 1kHz and a good deal below that frequency.

"Although we did

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USA - A high power Renkus-Heinz line array PA has been installed at the OC Pavilion in Santa Ana, CA, a multipurpose 500-seat entertainment venue that hosts a wide range of events - theatre, concerts, private functions, corporate events and film shoots.

Owner, architect and developer Michael Harrah purchased the property in 2001 and has invested over $21 million in developing it. And as its website proudly proclaims, it offers "intimate seating for 500 and a state-of-the-art sound system that is second to none," adding, "patrons can experience artists in a setting that is reminiscent of days gone by, when the artist's performance wasn't just something to witness, but rather, experience."

The sound system in question is a Renkus-Heinz STLA/9, the company's most powerful line array product, augmented by PN81 two-way down-fill loudspeakers, all self-powered.

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Australia - Three Australian sound rental companies - Production Dungeon, Barossa Valley Sound and Vision and Ashton Admor - have recently chosen to make substantial investments in Aspect, Turbosound's modular point source system.

Derek Bovill from Brisbane-based Production Dungeon, knew exactly what he was looking for in a new speaker system and Aspect Wide "fitted the bill perfectly". The company services a diverse range of artists and needed a system with clarity, yet capable of brutal SPL and projection for outdoor shows.

Since taking delivery, Production Dungeon has used the system with a range of groups including Paul Kelly, Gangajang, The Original Angels and hardcore rockers Terror and Testament.

Further inland, Barossa Valley Sound and Vision has also taken delivery of an Aspect Wide system including four TA-500 mid-highs, four TSW-218 subwoofers, Turbosoun

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UK - Heralding a new era of live music at one of Scotland's most prestigious sports venues, new promoter Murrayfield Sport & Leisure recently launched a five-year programme of events in the Edinburgh stadium, with two spectacular concerts using a Star Events Group Group Vertech stage.

On 11 May, tribute bands the Bootleg Beatles, Bjorn Again, Killer Queen and Led Astray performed, while the following evening opera singers Katherine Jenkins and Russell Watson were backed by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra - an evening which also included the two singers performing together for the very first time.

The Vertech VT2015FPVL stage unusually being placed on a 'long' side of the stadium, rather than the traditional position at one end.

As Murrayfield is the home of Scottish international rugby, great care had to be taken of both the playing surface and the perimeter running tr

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USA - Bill Johnson worked with some big names in live music - Dave Matthews Band, Concrete Blonde, Ice T, Widespread Panic - before hanging up his rock 'n' roll touring hat and taking his career in a slightly different direction. He is currently full-time technical director and chief audio engineer for Kenneth Copeland Ministries (KCM), founded by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, in Ft. Worth, Texas and also owns and runs Johnson Audio Works.

Johnson's most recent audio acquisition for KCM is at its Eagle Mountain International Church in Newark, TX, where he specified one of the first DiGiCo CS-D5s in the world, purchased on the basis of its sound quality, ease of use, flexibility and consistency.

Eagle Mountain alone comprises an 1800-seat main sanctuary, 500-seat chapel, used primarily for children's services, and 500 seat hangar, used for youth services. However, the church als

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UK - Reading-based BITS Ltd recently installed JBL Control 24CT speakers in Sony Ericsson's flagship Kensington store. "We installed 10 Control 24CTs within the shop area, and four in each of the two conference rooms in the basement," explains BITS's Paul Childerhouse. "The white models were a perfect fit for the shop's sound system requirements."

JBL's Control 24C and Control 24CT ceiling-mount speakers (the latter models featuring built-in transformers) are part of the company's Control Contractor range of loudspeakers for installed sound applications. The two-way speakers comprise a four-inch woofer and a three-quarter inch titanium tweeter, and are capable of dispersing sound uniformly over a 130° conical area.

(Jim Evans)

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UK - One of the UK's most stylish independent restaurant operators, The Individual Restaurant Co., is favouring Electro-Voice loudspeakers for its distinctive venues. From the swish Restaurant Bar & Grill in Leeds, to the Piccolino chain of upmarket modern Italian restaurants and bars, installation company Rio Systems has specified EV at the heart of the background music systems.

One of the new flagships in the IRC portfolio is the Restaurant Bar & Grill in the centre of Leeds. Converted from an old post office, this elegant brasserie features a double-height restaurant, which takes advantage of the original Victorian architectural features. Oldham-based installation company Rio Systems chose the newest high-output small-format loudspeakers from Electro-Voice for the main restaurant; 12x EV ZX1s are wall-mounted about 15 feet above floor level, either side of the room.

With ve

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UK - London PA company Systems Etc has followed Electro-Voice's newly-available upgrade path for its XLC compact line array system, adding the new EV DVX3121 12" low-frequency/mid-bass woofers to all of its XLC127 cabinets. The first major outing for the new boosted system was the Orange Freevolution music festival in Newcastle on May Bank Holiday, the largest free festival in the UK.

Freevolution takes place across two stages in Baltic Square and quayside at Spillers Wharf. The larger of the stages is the 'Innovation' stage at Spillers Wharf, where headliners included Maxïmo Park, Echo and the Bunnymen and Joe Jackson. Systems Etc put up two hangs of 12 XLC127DVX, powered by EV's Precision Series P3000RL amplifiers, with 14 X-Subs for subbass and Xi1152s for front-fills.

Surprisingly for Newcastle-upon-Tyne in spring, the weather was shocking; rainy with winds gusting u

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Europe - LCD Soundsystem, the New York-based dance-punk outfit fronted by James Murphy, are following up their sold-out spring tour and acclaimed album Sound of Silver with a string of summer festivals in Europe. And they've insisted on using the Synco stage monitor system - the same system that's now been chosen for the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury this year - for all the festival dates as well.

The live setup comprises Murphy himself on vocals and various instruments, Nancy Whang on keyboards and vocals, Pat Mahoney (drums), Tyler Pope (bass) and Phil Mossman (guitar, percussion, keys and bass). They play at levels that are constantly on the edge of feedback yet Mary Alafetich, LCD's monitor engineer, says Murphy demands much more than sheer power.

"What James really wants is effectively an enlarged studio on stage built to his specification," she says. Band

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UK - As part of RCF's expansion into the theatre and large concert events markets, it is now in the process of appointing a number of key professional resellers - 'Audio Partners' - to handle its TT+ speaker range. Initially there will be up to eight companies throughout the UK.

This network of partners will have to have the facilities to demonstrate TT+, says the company. They will of course benefit from a full back up service from RCF.

RCF UK's Greg Oliver comments, "We are very much behind this scheme of Audio Partners, as it gives us a chance to offer a complete back up support service to our key distributors."

The first appointment - Stage Electrics - will be confirmed at the ABTT show in London this week.

(Jim Evans)

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The Netherlands - Alcons Audio is scheduled to show its products at three imminent trade shows - the ABTT Show in London, MediaTech in Johannesburg and the Cinema Expo convention in Amsterdam.

Emphasising its fast growing presence in the theatre market, Alcons will be exhibiting at the coming ABTT show in London with all three theatre sound system philosophies: point-source (VR, SR), line-source (QR) and line-array (LR) systems.

At the same time, on another continent, Alcons' Pro Ribbon Partner Matrix Sound from South-Africa, will be exhibiting at the Mediatech show in Johannesburg. Also here, the three system philosophies will be present. Matrix offers visitors a sneak preview of the Phitom large-format line-array design study, as showed at the Frankfurt ProLight&Sound show in March.

Alcons' key words at the Cinema Expo convention in Amsterdam will be "the only digit

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UK - BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend free festival in Moor Park, Preston, was reinforced through Turbosound Aspect loudspeakers.

Britannia Row was the main audio provider for the event, with Turbosound's head of R&D Dominic Harter managing the set-up of the Aspect system which comprised six TA-890H mid-highs, nine TA-890L lows and four TSW-218 subs per side, all ground-stacked. QLight TQ-425 subs along with Turbosound monitor wedges were deployed as monitors for the DJs. Amplification was via eight T-25 and 12 T-45 amplifiers, with control by two XTA DP448s and an XTA D2 for any added dynamic equalisation required.

"The decision to have an outdoor arena - and to use Aspect - was quickly proven right, as it was a stunning success, with a huge crowd enjoying the superstar DJ sets on each day. I have never known such an immediate and enthusiastic response to any system from everyo

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UK - One of Chelsea's best-known private members club - and a landmark on the King's Road for more than 40 years - Raffles has entered its latest manifestation with a complete makeover from the ground up.

The team of leisure consultants behind the new venture include Piers Adam, who has joined forces with Patrice Gouty, one of the co-founders of Chinawhite, Jeanette Calliva, party planner for Woodhead Calliva, and interior designer Tara Bernerd, of Target Living. It was Bernerd who masterminded the interior conversion, working in conjunction with main contractors, Du Boulay Contracts and The Sound Division Group.

Under the stewardship of the experienced Jon Carey (JLC Contracts) and SDG installations manager Elliot Patterson, the installers deployed the same highly-qualified team of programming and project professionals that had delivered the complex Tamarai in Covent Garden a

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USA - Furman Sound has announced the release of newly designed IT-Reference 16E and SPR-16E power management products for the European market. The new designs feature smooth contours of black steel and silver brushed aluminium complemented by clear blue LED lights, while offering the same performance and technologies Furman's customers have come to rely on, says the company.

The new IT-Reference 16E and SPR-16E units will be designated with a letter 'i' at the end of each model number to differentiate them from the original series. The conditioner offers Discrete Symmetrical Power to cancel hum-inducing noise from audio and video, Power Factor Technology to provide current on-demand for power-starved amplifiers, and three discrete dual-screen power banks to eliminate intercomponent interference and noise.

"We are very excited about the fresh look of our IT-Reference 16E i

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Europe - OMD's Architecture and Morality European tour in May saw founder members Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys perform together for the first time since 1988. The duo was joined by the band's original line-up, together with FOH engineer Stuart M°rch-Kerrison who first mixed them back in 1984.

M°rch-Kerrison became the first engineer to specify a Midas XL8 live performance system for an international tour. The system has been provided by SSE Hire, a member of the M7 Group set up to facilitate XL8 hire in the UK.

"I made it very clear that I had certain parameters, and one of those was the Midas XL8," says M°rch-Kerrison. "I never thought about being the first; I just knew this was the tool I wanted to use. The great things about Midas are reliability, commitment to redundancy, and the fact it has to work every day - it should be able to fa

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  3. Stage Electrics Award winner gets his cans
  4. Sound Division supports Winton tribute
  5. Meyer Sound to debut in Berlin
  6. Crown celebrates 60th anniversary
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