Sound

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Falkland Islands - FiberPlex reports that its LightViper audio transport system was recently utilised by BBC Television on the Falkland Islands last month to capture and link live pictures and sound for a Remembrance Service which commemorated the 25th Anniversary of the British/Argentinian armed conflict.

Live coverage from the Falkland's service, attended by veterans and currently-serving British soldiers, was sent via satellite and simultaneously fed into live coverage of a corollary service taking place at the Horse Guards venue in London's Whitehall.

For the BBC's senior sound supervisor, Tim Davies, there were a number of important considerations since the crew would be working in arduous conditions with limited electricity supply. High on his list were reducing freight costs and equipment reliability.

As the hub for his signal chain, Davies chose a FiberPlex LightVipe

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UK - M-Audio has announced shipment of its EX Series EX66 digital high-definition studio reference monitors. Sold individually, the monitors easily integrate into both 2-channel and multi-channel environments, say the company.

The M-Audio EX66 uses a midwoofer-tweeter-midwoofer (MTM) vertical array configuration to provide optimal imaging. Traditional 2-way speaker designs can cause significant early reflections from consoles, floors and ceilings, resulting in coloration and smeared details in the audio. In the M-Audio EX66 monitor's MTM design, the interaction of the two large drivers with the tweeter channels the sound into a much narrower vertical band, thereby eliminating many of these reflection problems, say M-Audio.

The M-Audio EX66 monitor uses two separate 100W continuous power amplifiers to drive the 4-ohm woofer combination and 4-ohm tweeter separately in an audioph

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Germany - Superband Toto played on an Alcons Audio-based sound system while visiting Germany on their European Falling In Between 2007 tour, promoting the album of the same name.

For the gig in Bremerhafen, Herbert Heinze of Blue Sound Veranstaltungstechnik designed a sound system based on Alcons pro-ribbon line-arrays. The system consisted of LR16s (main left/right), LR16Bs (bass left/right) and LR14s, powered and controlled by ALC. Overall system control was taken care of by a Dolby Lake processor.

Toto's engineer Jon Ostrin observed: "The Alcons pro-ribbon line-array is a great system: I love it."

(Jim Evans)

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Germany - Cadac Electronics Plc reports that the German cruise ship AIDAdiva recently set sail, complete with a 64 input Cadac R-Type Live Production Console and three D16 Digital Mix Matrices as part of its sound and complex multimedia system. Designed by Hendrik Maassen and Malte Polli-Holstein, the ship's system was supplied and installed by the specialist German systems house, Amptown Sound & Communication (ASC).

The R-Type provides the main FOH mixing facilities in the AIDAdiva's Theatrium, incorporating more than 3000sq.m of central entertainment area and stages over three decks, linked by an impressive open stairway. Comprising a giant glass and steel dome, the Theatrium plays host to up to five different shows a night across a wide range of production styles.

Hendrik Maassen comments: "We needed a highly flexible and capable solution that would deliver a top quali

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UK - Blitz has been commissioned to work alongside sound designer Richard Brooker on the new musical Never Forget which is breaking box office records around the country.

The production, which features the catalogue of music by Take That, premiered in Cardiff last month and will move on to venues in Manchester, Stoke, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Richard Brooker comments: "The Never Forget musical is a production which promises Take That and musical fans a night that they will never forget, therefore the partnership with the technical specialist has to be perfectly aligned with the audiences' incredibly high expectations."

Blitz provided a full range of services for the show from its extensive Cadac mixer stock. Cadac D16s and M16s, provide monitor mixes to an Aviom system for band foldback. A 38-way Sennheiser radio microphone system is utilised, while Bli

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UK - Anyone who pre-registers for PLASA 2007 will be automatically entered into the Harman 'Hot Tickets' daily draw to win tickets to see major superstars in concert at the O2 Arena (the newly completed stadium at the former Millennium Dome) in September.

Harman Pro UK, organisers of the 'Hot Tickets' campaign, will be giving away tickets each day of the show at their stand at the show (D22), to celebrate the recent completion of its installation work at the rebuilt Dome. Among the top acts appearing at the O2 this autumn are The White Stripes and Prince.

Harman played a major role in the design of the PA/VA system in the stadium (and supplied most of the equipment for it), as well as assisting with the design and equipment supply for the sound systems throughout the rest of the reconstructed Dome.

JBL speakers are in evidence in all the public walkways, the 11-screen multip

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UK - The headlines on the Shuttlesound stand at PLASA 07 are all about the 80th anniversary of Electro-Voice. New to the UK is EV's ZxA5 powered speaker, which features an integrated high output, lightweight digital amplifier that produces 1000W LF and 250W HF. Designed for a wide range of applications, the DVX3150 provides lightweight reliability, but with a heavyweight 500W power rating.

Shuttlesound is focussing its high-end product display on compact line array, featuring flown hangs from three different ranges, the XLC, XLD and XLE. The well-established XLC design has recently been given a major boost in the shape of the DVX upgrade, incorporating new EV 12" low-frequency/mid-bass woofers into the XLC127 cabinets, giving greater high-SPL stability and full-bandwidth intelligibility than previously available.

EV's smaller XLD systems are also capable of producing conc

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UK - Void Acoustics, celebrating its fourth year at Earls Court, will be featuring the new Waveform Series, offering "sweeping curves and ultra modern design for those discerning club owners and consultants wanting to give a venue that extra edge over its competitors in the all too familiar 'Black Box' environment.

The portable line array system Arcline has been designed to take the logistical difficulties away and "provides amazing sound for most venues without having to constantly travel with four plus workers to set up and break down with a mire of cabinets". Designed to be a one-man system to feed 2000+ arenas, but with a price tag that's very cost effective, says the company.

Void Acoustics touring series Stasys has been augmented with the addition of the Stasys X double 18 bass enclosure.

Also on show will be the Kryo and Infinite amplifiers, while the B

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UK - Sound reinforcement specialist Vieta will unveil its proprietary network protocol and software - Vieta-Net - demonstrating its potential with another new product, the Ti Line compact remote-controlled amplifier system.

Designed to DIN rail size and fixing standards, compatible with an extensive range of over-the-counter accessories, these simple devices can connect via IP to Vieta-Net to drive small, medium and large installations, which can be monitored and controlled remotely, says the company - "Fit them in a shop or hotel in London, and manage the installation from a laptop on the beach in Barcelona."

Vieta has also produced new accessories for the established So Line wireless speakers. An adaptor now allows the So Cube to be mounted on any microphone stand, and a new Junior Flightcase/Re-charging station for six units enables the So Line technology to be us

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USA - Rental company Sound Image is providing the JBL Vertec live audio system for the current Gwen Stefani world tour, The Sweet Escape. Since kicking off with a successful two months in North America, the tour is now extending to Australia, Asia and Europe. Additional US dates are now being added for November.

Rehearsals for the current world tour began March 17 at Sound Image's worldwide headquarters in San Diego, California. Front-of-house sound engineer Michelle Sabolchik-Pettinat challenged Sound Image to provide a touring system that was adaptable to both medium and large-scale venues, and that would deliver consistent sound in the wide variety of indoor and outdoor buildings where the show would play.

Tour industry veteran Gary Sanguinet is the project's system engineer, and long-time Sound Image employee John Schimke is on board as monitor engineer. Sound Image

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UK - A little over two years after Nexo and Yamaha announced the formation of a strategic alliance for product development and distribution, the first fruits of the collaboration are to be revealed at PLASA 2007.

For the first time on the international stage, Nexo will unveil the NXamp, a powered TD Controller. The integration of amplifier, available in two 4-channel sizes, with the Nexo TDController is a cooler, cleaner and more efficient solution which will bring cost and operational benefits to live use as well as fixed installation, the company says.

The TDController function provides crossover, sensed amplifier control and system alignment, using digital software algorithms to combine this calibrated data with sensed voltage and current measurements, precisely controlling the temperature and displacement of each driver.

The larger of the two NXamps displays "except

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UK - PLASA 2007 will mark Logic System's tenth appearance at the show. Recent shows have seen additions to the Ethos Array live sound products and PLASA 2007 continues in that vein with the launch of Ethos Nd bass options.

The heart of Ethos Nd is new generation long excursion neodymium drive units. Three products will be launched at the show with further additions coming on line over the next 12 months.

Ethos Nd215 has been introduced to compliment the Ethos CA fixed angle array box and will form the basis of ground stacking CA or have the capability to be flown above it.

Nd315 has been designed to fulfil the same role with Ethos VA vertical array, while Ethos Nd218 aims to be the reference touring sub bass enclosure. All cabinets share the new driver technology which has permitted both a reduction in weight and size combined with an increase in both power handling and usab

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USA - SpeakerCraft has announced three new models in its series of TIME motorised loudspeakers. Last year's introduction of the Theatre in Motion Experience (TIME) changed the way people looked at flush-mounted ceiling speakers, says the company.

The drivers in all three new models are mounted at a fixed 45° angle inside of a cylinder that smoothly descends out of the ceiling when the system is activated. During setup the installer manually rotates the cylinder to point the speakers toward the listening area. The speakers return to their flush position when desired. All of this is accomplished through the use of a rugged miniature motor assembly, which is controlled and powered by a Cat 5 cable.

The TIME Mini 2 is the smallest of the new offerings with an exterior diameter of 5.75" with a 2.5" full-range driver. The TIME Mini 5.1 and 5.3 models both have an exter

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Spain - Head of QSC Spain, Mauri Costa reports that three major entertainment venues in the Catalonia region have recently adopted the QSC brand - both for the system transparency and design aesthetic. And two of these - Sala Highland in Tarragona and Sala Mandra in the Barcelona suburb of Hospitalet del Llobregat - have already pledged to maintain continuity with the QSC systems approach when they begin their second phase of development.

But it is the 800-capacity Sala Ángel in the Barcelona suburb of Sabadell, that has really captured the imagination. Situated in the Zona Hermética industrial area, after dark the district is turned over to live entertainment, and becomes one large party.

Ángel owner Gregorio García wanted to appeal to an audience seeking to be entertained away from the Barcelona downtown scene. With a unique venue, which would cover both live perfo

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UK - The Centre Court atmosphere at this year's Wimbledon Tennis Championships was a very different one due to the absence of a roof! This very different environment called for a very different loudspeaker system.

It was clear to Tim Speight and Jon Berry of sound contractor RG Jones Sound Engineering (suppliers of sound systems for the Club), that installing a distributed system would not be a viable option; as the limitations on possible loudspeaker positions and cable routes would have compromised the performance of a distributed system enough to render it useless. So an innovative approach was required.

"The distributed approach was not an option," said Berry, "so we started thinking about possibilities for a point source system, but designing a point source system that was capable of throwing the 100m across the bowl whilst at the same time containing the s

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Austria - Austrian Harman Pro distributors, Kain Audio, has fitted out two high-pedigree, but vastly different hotels in Austria, using a ZonePRO audio solution from dbx Professional Products.

Said Franz Werner, sales manager for Kain Audio, "ZonePRO is the perfect answer when we are looking to send different audio sources to many different zones, with a paging override - as is the case in hotel applications."

Kain divided Roomz into 10 different sound zones and Bleibergerhof into 12, using a ZonePRO 641 and ZonePRO 1261 in the former and a pair of ZonePRO 1261's in the latter.

In Vienna, the futuristic 152-bed Roomz is a frenzy of different colours and shapes and already an urban architectural landmark. Situated in the southernmost part of Austria (in Bad Bleiberg), the more rural Bleibergerhof Hotel takes advantage of the area's high altitude thermal waters and i

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South Africa - Catering for a diverse corporate and private clientele, The Catwalk, located in Gauteng's Fourways Mall, is the ultimate venue for casual, social gatherings and slick, professional events.

Harman Pro distributors, Wild and Marr, were approached to provide a complete audio and lighting solution. The elaborate technical demands called for a system that is flexible in operation, as the dynamic venue will cater to a variety of events, including a cross spectrum of entertainment. After many site visits, audio system designer, Justin Mamulis, proposed a multi-faceted solution.

At the heart of the system is BSS Audio Soundweb London. With 12 inputs and 20 outputs, the system offers total control and flexibility. All the routing and DSP is controlled via a Soundweb London BLU-10 programmable remote panel in the control booth.

The input stage features a Soundcraft GB4/

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UK - Soundcraft will be emphasising the compact footprint of its range of mixers at PLASA 2007, displaying a selection of its multipurpose consoles ranging from the flagship Vi Series of digital desks to a trio of new effects mixers featuring on-board Lexicon processing.

The Soundcraft Vi Series of digital live sound consoles has lately 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 better 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/5 feet, 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 II touch-scr

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USA The Midas XL8 performed in the prestigious company of the New York Philharmonic this summer, as FOH mixing console for the 43rd consecutive Concerts in the Parks series, which brings free of charge world-class classical music performances to parks across New York City's five boroughs.

The XL8 was supplied by Sound Associates, who are having particular success with the new digital Midas in their theatrical show sound designs, including the hit Sister Act.

Sound Associates Domonic Sack, one of the sound designers for Sister Act and system designer for the Concerts in the Park, was instrumental in introducing the XL8 to PJ Volpes and Rob Gordon, both sound engineers for the Metropolitan Opera and support engineers for the Concerts in the Parks tour.

The list of distinguished FOH engineers who mixed with XL8 on the tour included Lawrence Ro

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UK - Transmission is a ground-breaking music television format, pioneered by Channel 4 and heavily sponsored by telecommunications company T-Mobile. Although it has a prime-time broadcast slot on Friday nights, this magazine programme with live performance goes nowhere near a television studio. Instead, the recent Transmission tour spent 10 weeks on the road in the UK, recording in oddball locations, such as warehouses, old cinemas and, in Brighton, the Udderbelly - an inflatable purple tent in the shape of a cow.

In all locations, the show is recorded in front of a small live audience, typically about 150 people. Musicians perform on one, two or three stage areas; a separate intimate seating area is used by the host presenters to chat with the artists. The format flows freely, with the audience moving around the venue to see each item as it happens.

However, a r

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Germany - Klotz Digital has appointed Jim Bakker to the position of sales director for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). He is responsible for the sale of the whole range of Klotz Digital's's broadcast and PA products, with the brief to expand the company's sales channel in both markets.

"I am delighted to have joined Klotz Digital, as it is a dynamic company well established in the radio broadcast market. Furthermore it offers a broad range of promising products and solutions with great potential to conquer the PA sector," says Bakker. "I will focus strongly on managing and developing Klotz Digital's business relations to fuel the company's further growth."

Bakker was previously with AKG Acoustics where he was fully responsible for sales business in Europe. Prior to that he was involved in sales, consulting, design and installation for high-performanc

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UK - Community Professional Loudspeakers is exhibiting at PLASA 07 with UK distributor CUK Audio. On display will be an extensive selection from the recently introduced iBOX and VERIS installation loudspeakers, the all-weather R-Series and WET Series ll, CLOUD ceiling and I/O indoor/outdoor loudspeakers and, for professional musicians and portable applications, the new SONUS Series.

New at PLASA is an addition to the iBOX Series. The Community i2W8 is a two-way, full-range loudspeaker system designed to provide high quality music and voice reproduction in applications requiring smooth, ultra-wide, horizontal coverage. It provides an uncompromised musical system in a compact, attractive package, says the company.

Designed for use in distributed systems and for fill, the loudspeaker enclosure and baffle are constructed of 13-ply Baltic birch; LF cones are low mass, high stiffnes

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UK - Every inch of Trafalgar Square was taken up for the first-ever open-air Pakistan Festival, staged to mark 60 years of Pakistan's independence. Designed to show off Pakistan's rich heritage, and vibrant diverse culture, the free show in the centre of London was based around a large stage, complete with Electro-Voice XLD compact line array.

Some of the country's best-known stars were flown over from Pakistan, their performances broadcast live back to Asia via satellite link. Musical genres included pop, bhangra and folk music; top names included Abrar-ul-Haq, Hadiqa Kiyani, Ali Zafar and Jawad Ahmed.

For the 10,000-strong audience, London-based PA rental company Systems Etc provided an impressively small sound system, the new EV XLD compact line array, which delivered coverage throughout the huge square with just eight boxes per side (six XLD281 plus two XLC215 subs). Power

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Iceland - The recent concert-stage event in Iceland's capitol city of Reykjavik, commemorating the country's National Day, drew thousands of enthusiastic live-music fans. The nationwide holiday celebration marked the anniversary of Iceland's independence from Denmark in 1944.

The concert was staged at Arnarholl, an outdoor performance venue in downtown Reykjavik. Artists on the bill included Mezzoforte, Lay Low, Ampop, Steed Lord, Benni Heem Heem and Shogun. All sound, lights and staging including the rental audio system, were deployed by Hljodx.

The package included 16 Vertec VT4888 mid-size line array elements with an array of eight on each side of the stage, powered by Crown I-Tech 8000 and 6000 amplifiers and relying upon a dbx 4800 DriveRack loudspeaker management system.

Remote control and monitoring of the system was achieved with Harman's HiQnet System Architect soft

  1. Turbosound adds two to TA-500 series
  2. Orbital Sound introduces RockNet at PLASA
  3. Sanecore to distribute A&H in China
  4. Jazz on a Caribbean island
  5. Riedel takes Digital Partyline to PLASA 07
  6. APB DynaSonics at PLASA07
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