Sound

Details
UK - Sky News has recently purchased 68 radio mic systems from Sennheiser for its cameramen and reporters in the field, choosing SK 3063-U bodypack transmitters paired with EK 3241 receivers, with a selection of MD 46 reporters' microphones and MKE2 lapel mics.

George Davies, head of cameras, Sky News, said that, given the microphones and cameras had to be used worldwide, sometimes in hostile environments, it was the equipment's physical toughness that had primarily informed the broadcaster's choice.

"Robustness and reliability come first," he explained. "Sennheiser kit is made from metal and is therefore heavy duty. It is also capable of reasonably high-powered output which is important to us, as our journalists want to do walking, talking pieces to camera and sometimes start fifty yards away."

Sky News is currently using the Sennheiser equipment in Wash

Details
UK - Adlib Audio's first batch of 14 engineers have completed the initial phase of their official V-DOSC training and are on the path to attaining QVT (Qualified V-DOSC Technicians) status in the wake of the company's recent investment in L-Acoustics' flagship audio system.

The three-day training session was taught by Sherif El Barbari from L'Acoustics and was co-ordinated by Adlib's Tony Szabo. Szabo first toured the system in 1999 then took the original course in 2004 and has since worked extensively on the road with V-DOSC systems, in the process becoming a Certified V-DOSC Engineer (CVE). This also qualifies him as an assessor for other engineers working towards the next level.

The training - designed to ensure the engineers know the theory behind the DOSC systems and the best methods for optimising the gear on the road - took place over three days at Speke City Learning C

Details
UK - Harman Pro UK is beginning a regular series of free industry training sessions aimed at improving PA-related knowledge amongst retailers. Known as the PA School, the educational initiative follows on from a successful masterclass held at last year's Harman Roadshow, and aims to give sales assistants and staff at audio retailers throughout the industry a more thorough grounding in their understanding of PA and sound reinforcement basics.

The sessions will take up an afternoon, and will cover everything a retail assistant should know - from assembling a PA for a variety of applications and budgets to actually miking up and soundchecking various types of live acts, from a lone singer/songwriter to a multi-piece band with drums and amplified guitars, basses, and keyboards. By the end of each PA School session, attendees should know everything they need to sell a live rig to a s

Details
Denmark - In September 2007, DPA Sound took delivery of two DiGiCo consoles, a D1 and a CS-D5. The Danish company was so impressed with its purchase, it decided to invest in even more DiGiCo desks at the beginning of this year, with the addition of two more CS-D5s and another D1.

Kim Johansen, a consultant for the Danish DiGiCo distributors Soundware confirmed that DPA Sound Co A/S requested the three consoles; no selling of the products was required. According to Johansen, the reason DPA chose the desks again was because of the "flexibility of the DiGiCo systems, and the sound quality. DPA likes the fact that the same consoles have the ability to do theatre, corporate and music. The company also received great feedback from other users."

The desks have already been used for a number of tours with Danish bands, including those of Tina Dickow, TV-2, Big Fat Snake, Pou

Details
UK - On 12 February, one of Central China Television's (CCTV) most popular programmes, The Same Song, hosted a concert in London's Westminster Central Hall. This was the first time The Same Song concert series had reached Europe and Turbosound Aspect loudspeakers were chosen by London-based Subfrantic Production Services to cope with the challenges the venue presents.

The concert's theme highlighted this summer's Beijing Olympics, is part of a world tour and featured many of China's top names including Chinese-American singer Kris Phillips, known in China as Fei Xiang, as well as British opera singer Alfie Boe. The show, which will also be visiting Toronto, New York and Los Angeles, is one of CCTV's most popular offerings, with audience figures estimated to be around 100,000,000 when it was aired the following weekend.

"The brief for this show was quite vagu

Details
UK - Harman Pro UK has announced another of its successful training days for live sound engineers who wish to know more about the Soundcraft Vi6 digital live sound console. This time, the event will take place on Friday 7 March 2008, at the head office of live sound specialists and equipment hire company SSE Audio in Redditch, near Birmingham.

Two training sessions will be held on the day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, each catering for up to 10 engineers. At each session, following an initial technical presentation, the 10 will be divided into two groups of five, each with access to their own Vi6, so that every attendee is assured of some properly supervised hands-on time with the console.

(Jim Evans)

Details
Finland - Near the end of last year the Finnish shipping company Viking Line Abp signed a contract with Aker Finnyards Oy for the construction of a high-speed passenger ferry for the route between Helsinki (Finland) and Tallinn (Estonia), with delivery set for April 2008.

The new Viking XPRS had to be tailored for the growing customer needs that have characterised the Helsinki-Tallinn route since Estonia joined the European Union in May 2004. The emphasis was thus on providing full facilities, including a modern range of shopping and dining choices, flexible conferencing spaces and a nightclub. At the same time it needed to meet the increased requirement for passenger vehicles - 365 days of the year.

Multiple Soundweb SW9088iis DSP devices from BSS Audio were specified to create the routing flexibility.

Jouni Sironen, AV co-ordinator for Viking Line Abp, developed an archite

Details
USA - The Christian Faith Center in Seattle is one of the latest large houses of worship yet to install a Midas XL8 digital mixing system. The church is located on two main campuses in suburban Seattle - one of which is a state-of-the-art facility completed in September 2007 - and 8,000 people a week now attend services at the two sites.

When it came to improving its sound reinforcement system, the church worked with AV specialists Michael Garrison Associates to install two XL8 systems in the 5,000-seat sanctuary at their new campus, a 550sq.ft octagonal space with stadium seating.

Kris Hillstrom, technical director at Christian Faith Center, described how the church is sounding better than ever: "We knew that we wanted to make a substantial investment in our new sound system. Seattle is a very music-savvy part of the world, and we all felt that, as one of the largest hou

Details
South Africa - Stage Audio Works, a leading distributor of live event technology and architainment solutions in Sub-Saharan Africa, has announced the opening of its new office in Johannesburg.

Stage Audio Works' CEO, Will Deysel, remarked: "It's an exciting time in the history books of Stage Audio Works; from a small business in a garage to two offices, one in Port Elizabeth and the other in Johannesburg. We are constantly making improvements in all areas in order to offer clients the best possible service and products while retaining the 'Stage Audio Works Flavour'. The future looks bright - this is the start of wonderful things."

(Jim Evans)

Details
Switzerland - Hosted annually by a radio station in Zurich, Energy Stars for Free is one of the biggest winter music events in Europe. This year, the Hallenstadion sports arena was filled to capacity for a six-hour eclectic presentation of Europe's leading pop artists including Baschi, Monrose, Sugababes and David Bisbal.

For the concert's live TV and radio simulcast, as well as a live audience of 13,000, Regensdorf, Switzerland-based Habegger AG met the challenge with a robust system of Meyer Sound self-powered loudspeakers, provided by Hamburg, Germany-based Procon Multimedia AG.

System design was handled using Meyer Sound's MAPP Online Pro acoustical prediction programme. "The Hallenstadion is highly reflective, especially in the rear," says FOH sound mixer Dani Niedermann. "But we managed to design a great-sounding array with no reflection whatsoever.

Details
USA - dbx Professional Products is introducing the new SC 64 (System Core) and SC 32 Digital Matrix Processors. These processors feature Wizard-driven system configuration using Harman's HiQnet System Architect.

The SC 64 and SC 32 host a total of 64 and 32 analogue I/O respectively, configurable in banks of eight. The flexibility of eight analogue input cards and eight analogue output cards facilitates many different fully loaded configurations, accommodating a wide range of standard sources via the onboard mic/line and phantom power switching per input, the company says.

Two high-speed option slots on the SC 64 and one high-speed option slot on the SC 32 also provide an interface for adding forthcoming high bandwidth audio transport I/O cards.

The units feature dedicated DSP for common processing functions as well as insert positions for specialised processing and popular

Details
UK - Martin Audio has announced its adoption of the new EASE GLL format for its Omniline micro line-array system.

EASE is one of the most established and widely-used acoustic prediction programmes available. However, until now, separate, plug-in DLL (Dynamic Link Library) software programmes have been needed to enable EASE to predict the performance of complex line arrays. The new GLL (Generic Loudspeaker Library) format included in EASE 4.2 is an advanced data format that allows for more accurate and sophisticated modelling of line arrays, clusters and columns.

From its introduction as a concept in 2005, Martin Audio recognised the GLL as a major step forward - with entire systems, including high-resolution complex acoustic data, crossover filters and mechanical properties all bound together in one file, says the company.

The flexibility of a GLL also allows implementation

Details
USA - dbx Professional Products has introduced two new direct injection boxes into the product line. Representing a new category of product offering for dbx, the dB10 Passive Direct Box and dB12 Active Direct Box build on the dbx heritage, while the aggressive styling of their solid, road-worthy, cast-metal chassis is a departure from the usual utilitarian look of most direct boxes, the company says.

The dB10 Passive Direct Box includes all the basic features you would expect from a workhorse direct box - 1/4" input and parallel 'thru' jacks, transformer isolation, balanced XLR output, and ground lift switch - but provides additional value not found in budget direct boxes, says the company.

Its three-position pad switch easily accommodates instrument, line level and speaker level signals, while further versatility is added with its selectable polarity invert and high-cut

Details
UK - CUK Audio, the Glasgow-based UK distributor for Audica Professional, Community, Digigram, DIS Danish Interpretation Systems, InOut and KIND, has announced the appointment of Tom Blackwell as sales manager.

Blackwell is well known throughout the industry from his time with Sennheiser UK and, more recently, Harman Pro. Commenting on the move Blackwell said: "I have followed the progress of CUK since it was started, and have been impressed by the market penetration they have achieved. They have a great product portfolio, with a whole range of unique and advanced solutions, and a refreshing attitude where customer service isn't just marketing spiel, but an intrinsic part of the way they operate at all levels."

Blackwell continues: "On the personal side, it also offers me great variety across a broad spectrum of pro audio, from the high volume sales of hot produ

Details
USA - Volkswagen made sure its stand would be noticed at this year's North American International Auto Show, with a little help from G-LEC's Phantom 30 technology.

The show, which was held in Detroit in January, showcased jaw-dropping exhibits, production and concept vehicles and exciting, fun-filled attractions. Among the displays was Volkswagen's eye-catching stand with 44m wide, custom made Phantom 30 frames set up in an arc on each side of a high resolution video wall.

Designer and technical coordinator Ulrich Schmidt-Kalteich of Lightidee, Germany, specified the Phantom because of its transparency, brightness and static possibilities. He says: "The client's brief stated high brightness and transparency from both sides - front and back - with a clean, architecturally unobtrusive outfit. In order to soften the image for people close-up, we placed a voile fabric in fron

Details
UK - L-acoustics reports that Gearhouse South Africa supplied the Elton John South African tour leg with L-Acoustics systems.

The Gearhouse set-up for Elton John in Newlands was the biggest line array PA ever used in South Africa. Main left and right was 12 a side V-DOSC with two dV-DOSC down-fills and six KUDO side as outer hangs. Delays were on Gearhouse's TFL V-Towers with nine KUDO on each and outer delays, also on towers, of nine dV-DOSC a side. An additional four dV-DOSC were deployed as front- fills.

Ofer Lapid, MD of Gearhouse SA, heard the new PA for the first time in CT. Speaking at the show he said, "Even as a lighting guy I know when I hear excellent sound because the hairs on my arms stand on end. This is what happened when I heard the V-DOSC at Newlands. I am very happy with the purchase."

The Elton John crew then moved to Durban for another outdoor s

Details
USA - Shure Incorporated has announced the availability of new Microflex microphones. Designed for boardroom, conferencing, and corporate applications, as well as anywhere else that unobtrusive integration is desired, each model in the product group provides versatile functionality, easy setup, and premium sound quality, says the company. Like their predecessors, the new gooseneck models all feature interchangeable cartridges as well.

The MX405 and MX410 are five and 10" goosenecks, respectively, offered in both wired and wireless configurations. Outfitted with fully adjustable goosenecks, five-pin XLR connectors (wired versions), and a sleek new windscreen, both models can be used with a surface-mount preamp, a wired desktop base with a programmable mute switch, or the MX890 wireless desktop base with a programmable mute switch. Users can also choose either a bi-colour sta

Details
USA - Fresh from a recent performance at the 8th Annual Latin Grammy Awards show (where he was nominated for four awards), Colombian rocker and previous 12-time Grammy Award winner, Juanes, kicks off his La Vida World Tour this March at New York's Madison Square Garden. At the audio helm with DiGiCo's D5 live digital console is Rob 'Cubby' Colby, best known for his lengthy resume as front-of-house/recording engineer for artists including Phil Collins, Genesis, Prince, Janet Jackson, Bob Seeger, Ricky Martin and Shakira.

Handling tour production is Eighth Day Sound, who supplied the D5 consoles at FOH and monitors, along with d&b J- and Q-Series line arrays and subs, and Dolby Lake drives.

"I went online and got their standalone software and programmed my own console before I even sat in front of it," Colby raves. "I immediately fell in love with the struc

Details
Iran - MC2 Audio and XTA Electronics were chosen to supply amplification and system management to Tehran's Avini Hall and for the Fadjr International Music Festival.

The Avini Hall is a 1,700-seat, multipurpose theatre and is the centrepiece of the Iranian capital's Bahman Culture Club. Not only is the Avini home to the Tehran Symphony Orchestra but it also hosts a wide variety of productions from musicals, plays and concerts to seminars and live TV and radio shows.

To meet the demands of this broad range of performances, the board of directors at the Bahman Culture Club decided to upgrade the sound system. Following a shoot-out between the main loudspeaker brands in Iran, Foujan Loudspeakers was chosen to supply a four-way, P Series system and was installed by their installation division.

MC2 Audio's T2000 and T4-250 amplifiers power the Foujan Loudspeakers at FOH, front-fi

Details
UK - The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 means that it is illegal for an owner of a workplace to expose workers to sound pressure levels over 85dB without adequate hearing protection. However, in pubs and clubs it's not always straightforward to ensure that those levels are adhered to, especially in situations where visiting DJs and guests are in control of the venue's music.

The APart Audiolock, distributed in the UK by Sennheiser, is an automatic decibel level controller that ensures that the sound pressure level will never exceed the maximum level as set by the venue.

The Audiolock is "sabotage proof", both electronically and mechanically, while a remote control unit allows the owner or manager to adjust the maximum level from outside the DJ booth. The maximum level, set on the central unit in the booth itself, cannot be exceeded, and a green LED will tu

Details
Germany - Audica Professional will again be exhibiting at ProLight&Sound with its German distributor Trius. In addition to showing the complete range of MICROseries electronics and loudspeakers for background music, AV and audio communication applications, the company will be launching the new MICROplus 4-channel power amplifier.

The Audica Professional MICROplus is an ultra-compact unit with the same size and style of head-unit mounting as the company's MICROzone pre/amp/controller, which it is designed to partner. Features include four-channel limiting and protection and individual channel bar indicators showing output level, clip and fault. The unit has rear-mount level control, phono in/out and screw terminal loudspeaker outputs for each channel.

Being a straight gain amplifier, the MICROplus is designed to be used in conjunction with the MICROzone, which provides pre-amp

Details
France - Marseille-based PA company, L'Art Scene, selected a recent performance by renowned Corsican band, Canta, held at Paris' 1000-capacity historic music hall, Le Bataclan, to test out Allen & Heath's iLive digital system for monitor sound.

"It did not take long for me to find my way around the control surface - it is very intuitive," comments monitor engineer, David Copin. "I love the precision of the EQ, the quality of the effects, and the surface ergonomics, which allow me to make adjustments without having to consult the touch screen."

Accompanied by the house orchestra, the band comprised 10 singers and five musicians performing on bass, guitars, drums, keyboard and accordion. Using an iDR10 mix rack with iLive-144 surface, L'Art Scene provided eight line stereo in-ear and eight line mono in-ear and wedge feeds.

"iLive is great for monitor a

Details
UK - Stirling-based professional sound and lighting specialist, Scotaudio, selected Community I/O8 loudspeakers for the new Hydrotherapy Pool installation at Raploch Campus, Stirling. The pool is designed for children with special needs, and comprises innovative interactive lighting which can be controlled via floating radio switches. The install presented some challenges in terms of controlling both sound and lighting within an IP rated environment.

Scotaudio technical director, Andy Greig, commented: "We needed loudspeakers that were aesthetically pleasing and could cope with the high humidity environment whilst delivering a solid and accurate reproduction in an acoustically live room - the Community I/O8 was a perfect choice. For some of the children who will use this facility, sound is one of the main senses they use to explore their environment, and we needed the best

Details
Austria - The Hahnenkamm races in Kitzbühel are to the international ski circus what Monte Carlo is to that of Formula One or Wimbledon to that of tennis: the top event of the season. To meet the huge, international expectations, the organizers of the event, Skiclub Kitzbühel, has for the last six years put its faith in the Fieberbrunn-based sound and rental company Murdock Music Entertainment. "Each year, we learn something new about taming the Hahnenkamm," says Peter Auer, Murdock Music Entertainment's production manager, "but it remains nonetheless a formidable challenge.

"On the one hand, you have to provide even coverage to all 45,000 spectators attending the races, but on the other, you must avoid interfering with the efforts of colleagues to provide TV and radio coverage to those following the event from the comfort of their homes. And then there's t

  1. Allen & Heath adds to DJ range
  2. DiGiCo on Spice Girls dates
  3. John Butler Trio and XTA in France
  4. Audio-Technica enters in-ear market
  5. Dynacord systems popular in Florida
  6. Meyer Sound expands German operation
Page 859 of 1372

Latest Issue. . .