Sound

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UK - With special half-price pre-registration now live on the PLASA08 website, organiser PLASA Events has revealed that the host of its first ever PLASA Masterclass will be Funktion One co-founder Tony Andrews - the winner of last year's inaugural Gottelier Award.

A highly regarded designer and manufacturer of high quality point source speaker systems, with numerous patents to his name, Andrews' landmark developments include the hugely successful Flashlight and Floodlight systems, and more recently the distinctive Funktion One Resolution Series.

Andrews headlines a growing programme of educational presentations at the show, which include a number of exciting new initiatives and partnerships. There will be a strong focus on industry technologies, with several sessions addressing existing and emerging audio, AV and lighting technologies and how to maximise their application in t

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The Netherlands - With 50.000 tickets sold in the first few days after the premiere, visited by Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands, Ciske de Rat - the Musical scored its first record. Now, over six months underway and running, with around 400.000 tickets sold, it is the most successful travelling Dutch musical ever.

This musical scored seven awards out of the 13 nominations at the recent Musical Awards Gala 2008 - another record.

The musical, based on three books written by Piet Bakker in the Fourties, tells about the Amsterdam street rascal Ciske, having difficulty in finding his way in life, in the Thirties. The head role is interpreted by Danny de Munk, who already played the renowned character in the successful movie from 1984.

The sound design was by Jeroen ten Brinke. After having already successfully deployed Alcons pro-ribbon systems in earlier music

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UK - Manchester-based AV hire company, Sound Support Services, recently used a KV2 Audio VHD system to reinforce the National Union of Teachers national conference at Manchester's GMEX centre.

Sound Support, who currently run KV2 Audio ES Systems, used just two VHD 2.0 cabinets flown in full range mode - driven and controlled via two VHD2000 controller amplifiers - to cover the venue with its 1700 delegate teachers. The four day event consisted largely of speeches with some background music - and of course, the obligatory singing of the Red Flag at the final point of the conference.

Sound Support's Dave Lowton, commented: "We had wanted to try out the VHD, and though our ES system would have been adequate, the conference gave us the perfect opportunity. The GMEX is an acoustically hostile environment and the VHD coped brilliantly and enabled us to use such a small

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UAE - An Allen & Heath iLive digital system was recently employed for Hewlett Packard's Design Your Personal Life event at Wafi City in Dubai. PA company, Udaya Sound, was appointed to manage the AV requirements for the event, and had recently acquired the iLive system - comprising iDR10 mix rack and iLive-144 control surface - from Allen & Heath's distributor, VV & Sons.

"iLive's proven technology will give Udaya an edge in terms of sound processing, and VV & Sons has provided full training and technical support in order to get the very best out of this sophisticated hardware," comments VV & Sons' touring sound specialist, J Ninel.

The Dubai event was part of a global campaign taking form as a battle of the bands competition designed to draw youths together from different countries with similar experiences and environments. Events were staged simultaneously i

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Austria - Over 8,000 spectators have been assembling almost daily in the Austrian city of Linz during the European football championships for a giant football party. The organisers engaged MTR-Production - using systems from Electro-Voice - to handle the sound.

MTR-Production is being supported for this event by EV distributor Signal Sound & Light Distribution of Fohnsdorf. Signal MX Matthias Reinthaler commented: "The sound reinforcement at public viewing events such as these invariably poses a challenge, since people want to be able to hear and understand every word of the commentary even when - as is often the case - their fellow supporters are making the most almighty din."

To resolve this, MTR-Production proprietor Thomas Millmann and his team opted for systems from Electro-Voice: 24 Electro-Voice XLC127 DVX line array elements driven by 16 Electro-Voice P3000 a

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Leisuretec Distribution Ltd has secured the first shipment of the newly launched Cloud DCM-1 eight channel digitally controlled mixer.

The DCM-1 is Cloud's first ever microprocessor controlled multi zoner, providing space-conscious sound installations with a high level of flexibility without the need of a PC. Leisuretec Distribution received the first shipment to leave the production line of the Sheffield-based manufacturer this month.

"As with all Cloud products initial demand for the DCM-1 is expected to be high," said Leisuretec CEO Mike Henden. "Leisuretec customers want innovative products on demand and we have taken action by further increasing our Cloud stock to ensure Leisuretec can continue to deliver Cloud products with speed and efficiency."

Leisuretec has a policy of in house training, with experienced Cloud products specialist Brian Payne placed to

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USA - JBL Professional introduced the new 8100 Series ceiling speakers at InfoComm 08. The 8100 Series are full-range in-ceiling loudspeakers with high sensitivity, low distortion, and smooth frequency response, says the company.

The 8100 Series lineup includes two models: the 8124, a 4-inch loudspeaker with wide coverage; and the 8128, an 8-inch loudspeaker that offers extended bass response and higher SPL output. Both speakers feature high sensitivity for maximum system efficiency and full-range response, making them suitable for small to medium background music systems.

"The JBL 8100 Series in-ceiling loudspeakers provide an optimal combination of affordability and quality," said Rick Kamlet, senior market director, commercial sound, JBL Professional. "Their ease of installation and wide coverage makes them a great fit for cost-effective installations in a va

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UK - Alan 'Doof' McCann has been piloting Lostprophets' FOH mix since soon after Welshmen, Ian Watkins and Mike Lewis, formed the band back in 1997. Eight years on, and Doof's biggest change has been his conversion from analogue mixing to the digital world of the Soundcraft Vi6, using the Studer-developed Vistonics II technology (and the SCore Live DSP core). "After so long, it was a highly significant decision to switch from analogue to digital," he says.

With the SSE Group supplying the Vi6 for the current Lostprophets tour, including the headline spot at the Download Festival this month, he acknowledges that "it now seems pointless bringing racks - it makes for a happy local crew when there are just two cases to take to FOH."

He adds: "What I didn't like about digital consoles initially was that sometimes it would take six or seven clicks to

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Italy - Aethra SpA has announced that it has signed a new agreement with Keysco Co for the distribution of its video conferencing product range throughout the Korean market using Keysco's well-established sales network.

Keysco will distribute the entire Aethra video communication range, with a particular emphasis on the Vega X Line series of set tops, X3, X5 and X7, the Maia XC videophone and the Aethra Director Suite, which are perfectly targeted at the Korean market.

Kwangyoung Seo, CEO of Keysco said: "I'm very proud to be Aethra's distributor and I believe that we can create good synergy for business improvement in Korea in this long-term and strong relationship. Keysco has been developing video streaming solution based on H.264, and we also have launched a Unified Management System which integrates internet broadcasting into video conferencing through our agreement.

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UK - PLASA Events Ltd, the organisers of the PLASA Show at Earls Court in London (7-10 Sept 2008) have announced the official launch of the 2008 PLASA Awards for Innovation, which this year will feature some significant enhancements - and also the 2008 Gottelier Award, which recognises the contribution of an outstanding individual to product development.

Innovation: PLASA goes for Gold
During consultation with the PLASA Awards for Innovation Judges after the 2007 PLASA Show, the judges expressed a desire to be able to more accurately reflect the levels of innovation seen in the products nominated for the Awards. Specifically, they were looking for a way to highlight those cases where a product truly delivered something strikingly new and innovative to the industry.

Roland Hemming, a highly-respected audio consultant and a regular on the PLASA Awards for Innovation j

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Germany - Dance act, Scooter, whose first album release in the UK since 2002 promptly knocked Madonna off the number one slot last month, has just completed a triumphant tour throughout Germany, Switzerland and Austria. The most successful act of all time in their native Germany, Scooter has also enjoyed a huge international career with over 14 million record sales and in excess of 80 gold and platinum discs worldwide, plus countless music prizes and trophies.

Their latest tour, Jumping All Over The World was a high-energy techno extravaganza in true Scooter fashion. Czech rental company, RentalPro, supplied full audio, lighting, laser, video and staging equipment including two InnovaSon Sy48 digital mixing consoles equipped with an LX6464ES soundcard.

A Camco-driven Nexo GEO T system was selected for the main PA, all run from an Sy48 digital console. A second Sy48 was

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Russia - In preparation for the UEFA Champions League Final 2008, the host venue, Luzhniki Stadium, installed a new audio system in its press and VIP centre based around Allen & Heath's iDR DSP matrix mixer and a GL4800 multi-purpose mixing console.

The Moscow stadium's press centre comprises a 275-capacity conference hall, working area with 80 stations and eight individual reporting booths for journalists, and a press bar.

The iDR-8 forms the core of the new sound system deployed in the press centre, with iDR-in and iDR-out expander units providing additional inputs and outputs, bringing the system to its full capacity of a 16x16 digital matrix. A 32-channel Allen & Heath GL4800 multi-purpose console was also selected to provide manual control of the live audio requirements.

Victor Okladnov, sound engineer of Luzhniki Stadium, commented, "Our new GL4800 proved to be ve

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UK - The world's first consumer products to feature airSound's single point stereo technology are being shown for the first time at CEDIA Expo. new products from ELAC and orbitsound mark the entry of the airSound's single enclosure stereo reproduction system to the commercial market place.

Commenting on the company's CEDIA debut, business development director Alan Johnson states: "We have come from launching airSound technology and the company just one year ago, to showing the first commercial products featuring our technology at CEDIA 08. The industry is beginning to realise the significance of this technology; potentially it changes everything. The products on our stand represent the single most significant development in audio since the inception of stereo itself."

The ELAC 3D-13 Bluetooth (A2DP) equipped, fully active loudspeaker is billed as a 21st century stere

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UK - Winning J&C Joel its third Hook Clamp award, the company's new JCJ Serge Tape attracted a lot of attention at this year's ABTT show. Fiona Blackett, marketing and Far East business manager, said: "Black wool serge is our biggest selling product and now most tears can be invisibly repaired with a matching strip of black serge instead of shiny gaffer tape. It is such a simple idea, but I am nevertheless surprised at just how genuinely interested people are - we've already had verbal orders from many technicians and theatrical dealers."

The tape that won Widget of the Year for J&C Joel was a prototype, but with a few minor changes to the packaging and branding the JCJ Serge Tape should be in production and ready for delivery by the end of July. Designed for use in Ideal theatres, touring shows, rental companies, film and TV studios and schools, this is one of those p

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UK - Digidesign has announced the immediate availability of Pro Tools 7.4.2 software, which provides Mac OS X 10.5.3 (Leopard) compatibility for Pro Tools|HD, Pro Tools LE, and Pro Tools M-Powered users.

"Since the release of Mac OS X Leopard, we have been working closely with Apple to ensure that a Leopard-compatible version of Pro Tools delivers the same level of performance and reliability that our customers have come to depend on," commented Dave Lebolt, Avid vice-president and general manager of Digidesign.

"With the release of Mac OS X 10.5.3 just a few weeks ago, we were able to enter the final stages of performance testing and quality assurance before making qualified versions of Pro Tools available to our customers. We're pleased to finally be able to offer all of our customers - HD, LE, and M-Powered alike - a fully qualified version of Pro Tools softw

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Business News: Yamaha Corporation is making an offer to the founders of French loudspeaker manufacturer Nexo S.A. to acquire all of their shares of Nexo - bringing Yamaha's share holding to 74.9% of the share capital. Yamaha intends to seek to acquire 100% of the shares of Nexo through the launching of a tender offer process for the acquisition of the remaining shares.

Festival News: Organisers of festivals including Womad, Creamfields, Bestival, Electric Picnic and Big Chill have joined forces to take on their bigger rivals. They have agreed to work together to help make events better for fans, greener and more cost-effective. Bestival promoter Rob da Bank said it was important to "ride out the problems and make them better for the customer". Creamfields owner James Barton said it was a good idea because "smaller festivals are also often overlooked". He added: &quo

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UK - Cirrus Environmental, a new business which aims to help organisations measure the noise they make and thereby manage the impact that noise has on neighbours and the surrounding environment, has been established this month. The new business is a sister company to Cirrus Research plc, the UK operation which specialises in the design and development of noise measurement equipment for health, safety and environmental applications.

Cirrus Environmental will use acoustic equipment developed by Cirrus Research to provide tailor-made environmental noise measurement systems for a wide range of applications including: transport, mining, construction, power generation, manufacturing and entertainment. Environmental noise pollution is an extremely serious issue according to Cirrus Environmental's new managing director, Richard Wright.

"Noise can have a negative impact on people'

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USA - Introduced in 2007, the Sygma Line from Renkus-Heinz is designed for flexibility and outstanding performance in a broad range of professional audio applications. "Sygma has become a vital growth platform for our business partners," says national sales manager David Rahn. "Along with enthusiastic support, they have given us excellent suggestions, to which we have listened."

New this month is the SG/SGX12S subwoofer. Multiple versions are available: the externally powered SGX12S, the SG12S-2 with a 200W digital amplifier, and the SG12S-5 with 500W of integrated Class D amplification. Also available, the RHAON-Empowered SG12S-2R and SG12S-5R. All versions are capable of at least 128dB SPL from 60 to 120Hz.

The Sygma Line now makes it easier to choose the best coverage pattern with expanded Complex Conic horn options. The SG/SGX121 is available either a 1

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USA - Community Professional has introduced the VLF Series of Versatile Low Frequency loudspeakers. The VLF line boasts a compact, low-profile design that is designed for theaters, restaurants, houses of worship and other applications, fitting into areas where larger subwoofers are impractical.

The dual 8-inch VLF208 and dual 12-inch VLF212 are the first in a series of powerful low frequency subwoofers. With a response down to 70 Hz in passive mode or 60 Hz using digital signal processing, the VLF208 can function in pairs as a steered bass array, and is equipped with fly points and four rubber feet.

The VLF212 features slot-loaded woofers for extended low frequency response down to 50 Hz in passive mode or 43 Hz using DSP. The VLF212 will also be available in a powered version with an integrated amplifier in both portable and installed models beginning in the fourth quarter of

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UK - Following on the success of the updated ICON D-Control ES worksurface, Digidesign has announced the newly-updated ICON D-Command ES worksurface, which features the same aesthetics as its larger sibling, but in a compact design. As an update to the original blue D-Command, the new D-Command ES has been enhanced with a darker colour scheme as well as updated, higher contrast text and graphics for improved legibility in low light, says the company.

Like other members of the ICON family, the new D-Command ES boasts integration with industry-standard Pro Tools HD software, including complete recall of all session parameters, routing, and plug-ins. Expandable up to 24 faders, D-Command ES features dedicated central controls for editing EQ and Dynamics plug-ins, enabling mixers to make adjustments while monitoring in the "sweet spot." It also provides per-channel control

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Sweden - Wireless Solution Sweden has announced the next installment of Wireless University, its series of presentations and hands-on demonstrations aimed at educating the industry on the technology and benefits of wireless DMX.

The programme will be held during PALME Asia in Singapore on Wednesday, 9 July at the Suntec Singapore International Exhibition & Convention Centre. Niclas Arvidsson, International sales manager and co-founder of Wireless Solution will host the session and will cover topics including the pros and cons of wireless control, how it works, radio protocols (W-LAN, Bluetooth, etc.), choosing a radio system, system planning, and peripheral equipment.

"We're very excited about the educational series," says Arvidsson, "We encourage everyone to attend - dealers, specifiers, students - no matter what your level of knowledge on the subject. I

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Korea - The Conventions and Exhibitions Center in Seoul hosted Koba 2008, the international audio, lighting, and musical instruments exposition, which was held 28-31 May. D.A.S. Audio was represented by its distributor in Korea, Pro Audio Corporation Korea, who exhibited a wide range of D.A.S. products.

Sound engineer, Joan La Roda, arrived from Spain and Juan Luís García, D.A.S. Audio Asia director, from Singapore to give their support to the D.A.S. distributor at the stand. In Seoul, La Roda explained the technical features and applications of the line array systems in the seminar entitled Line Arrays: How they work. The next subject was Subwoofer Configurations and Time Alignment where he addressed the different types and features.

Joan La Roda's next stop was in Auckland (New Zealand) where he visited Edwards Sound's, a D.A.S. client, new installatio

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India - One of India's leading global integrated media and entertainment group, UTV, recently purchased the new Allen & Heath ZED-12FX USB mixer for its dubbing division.

UTV is involved in production and distribution for movies, broadcasting, interactive (gaming), television and new media (web, mobile & iptv). The company has operations across the UK, USA, Middle East and Australia, and has one of the biggest dubbing facilities in India with a presence in three Indian cities. UTV's client list includes National Geographic Channel, the History Channel, Bindass, Disney, TV18 and Hungama TV.

The new ZED FX mixer has been installed in UTV's Delhi sound studios. "Since we founded the business in 1990 we have installed Allen & Heath mixers in our studios as they always meet our requirements and budget," explains UTV Dubbing Division's technical manager, Rajesh Nair. "

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USA - Meyer Sound has announced the launch of its 24-hour worldwide technical consultation phone line, a new addition to the company's comprehensive customer support programme.

Long known for its award-winning products and exceptional customer service, Meyer Sound understands the pressure audio professionals could face during setup for a live show or in the middle of a critical installation. Meyer Sound believes that accessible service is essential to ensure success for each customer.

"We take pride in giving our customers 100% confidence when using our products, from highly reliable and pristine-sounding equipment to accessible and knowledgeable support when they need it," says John Monitto, director of technical support. "It is important for us to work closely with our customers and give them the attention they deserve."

For Meyer Sound's 24-hour techni

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