Sound

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USA - George Michael has completed the six-week-long North American leg of his 25 Live tour, the third and final leg of an exhausting global tour lasting nearly two years. The tour featured a stage full of Sennheiser and Neumann microphones, including the singer's wireless handheld of choice, a Sennheiser SKM 5200 fitted with a Neumann KK 104 S capsule.

"Combining the Neumann capsule with the Sennheiser wireless system has thrust the legendary Neumann sound to the top of the wireless domain," says George Michael's long serving personal monitor mixer and audio consultant, Andy 'Baggy' Robinson. "It's opened up new dimensions in sound for sophisticated live-performance engineering. For me, the Neumann KK 104 has a warm, smooth and clean response that requires virtually no EQ. Despite a loud backline, I can always place George's vocal exactly where I want it i

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China - The Wukesong Basketball Arena, one of the three major landmark buildings specially created for the Olympic Games, is delivering audio to its 24,500 spectators with a Renkus-Heinz PN102/LA self-powered, digitally networked four-cornered centre cluster and distributed delay system.

Part of the Beijing Wukesong Culture & Sports Centre, it ranks alongside the Beijing National Stadium and Beijing Aquatic Park as one of the Games' three showpiece buildings. Post-Games, its world-class facilities will continue to host the NBA Basketball it was designed to showcase - as well as providing Beijing with a new, all-purpose live music venue, capable of seating up to 18,000 fans.

With a brief to deliver excellent speech and music to every seat, Taiwan-based Linfair Engineering - which has offices in both Hong Kong and Beijing, as well as Taiwan - won the contract to design, supply a

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UK - Vue Entertainment has selected Martin Audio to provide cinema sound systems for its Princes Quay Hull cinema, Europe's first new-build, all-digital multiplex cinema.

Vue has invested £5m in developing the multiplex and equipping it with state of the art digital projection and processed surround sound technology as part of the complete innovation package. Martin Audio has been the system of choice for Vue Cinemas for many years and each system is purpose-built for Vue.

Throughout Hull's ten screening rooms Martin Audio's purpose-developed Screen 5 or Screen 4 systems (depending on room size) have been fitted, accompanied by Screen Sub 1A's and Effect 5 surround speakers. These were set into position by Canadian company Eomac, who also designed the screen frames and stretch wall fabric, with the full termination/integration and commissioning of the sound and projectio

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UK - Commercial audio specialist in public address and voice alarm systems, Ateis UK is set to exhibit at PLASA for the first time (7-10 September, Earls Court, London).

Ateis UK is introducing a number of new additions to its internationally acclaimed range, and is inviting designers, engineers, installers and rental specialists to visit their stand and learn more about Ateis's potential across all commercial, ecclesiastical, auditoria and stadia application environments.

Expanding the potential of its Messenger range of active line array loudspeakers, which are recognised for the high quality speech intelligibility, the new steerable Bass Array enables the low frequencies to be carried over a greater distance. Whilst minimising signal deviation (2dB within 100m), it is fully steerable and is self powered to provide maximum clarity in controlled areas, say Ateis.

The Messen

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USA - Aviom, developer of the audio transport protocol, A-Net, has increased its connectivity options with the release of its AN-16/o v.4 Output Module, making its industry debut at PLASA 2008. The flexibility offered by this new Pro16 Series output module simplifies connectivity with other manufacturers' mixing consoles, amplifiers, powered speaker systems, and recording devices, says the company.

Designed for live sound reinforcement and other audio distribution applications, the AN-16/o v.4 is compatible with a wide range of signal level requirements. Each pair of channels on the 1U rack-mount 16-channel digital-to-analog converter has a four-position output level switch with settings for +24, +18, and +4dBu line-level, or mic-level output. All channels feature front-panel LEDs for signal present and clip. The AN-16/o v.4 comes equipped with DB25 multipin connectors for analo

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Norway - Over 20,000 music lovers made their annual pilgrimage this July to the small Norwegian village of Sel for the Dansefestival. The festival reached record attendance numbers and more than 50 national and international acts performed, including The Monroes, Casanova, Grass and Something New.

The sound systems deployed on the main stage in the 6,000 person capacity festival marquee were once again the responsibility of Norwegian service provider MultiTechnic AS. MultiTechnic sound designer Dag Josten and his team relied primarily on a Dynacord Cobra-4 line-array system for the stage main system and a Dynacord Cobra-2 for side- fill.

"We invested some time in the run-up to the festival making sure the flown enclosures were perfectly aimed and tuned," says Dag Josten. "We were also using a Cobra-2 system this year for the first time to provide side fil

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The Netherlands - Previewed at Frankfurt's ProLight&Sound, Alcons is now shipping its LR14/90 pro-ribbon line-array. The LR14/90 is a passive 2-way ultra-compact line-array module, to be used in vertical stacked or flown arrays. The very compact design and a maximum SPL of 130dB+ per unit makes the LR14/90 the ideal system for small to medium-sized applications, says the company.

The LR14/90 uses Alcons' proprietary pro-ribbon technology for MHF reproduction; The unusually high 800W peak power handling and crystal-clear response of the RBN401 pro-ribbon driver enables a true HiFi sound reproduction at concert SPL's.

(Jim Evans)

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UK - British jazz fusion guitarist John Etheridge is the owner of a DPA IMK4061 instrument microphone kit, supplied by UK distributor Sound Network. Comprising a DPA 4061 miniature mic with a variety of useful and discreet mounting solutions, the kit is proving to be a useful addition to Etheridge's equipment for the different types of gigs he plays.

"I've been using the IMK4061 for all dates I play with (classical guitarist) John Williams, and also on an acoustic Selmer guitar with my band Sweet Chorus - a 'hot club' style of jazz and a personal homage to (French jazz violinist) Stephane Grappelli," he says.

"I love the clear, true reproduction - the ease of mounting and the way that it gives me a great sound plus the freedom to move around."

The mounting accessories also allow Etheridge flexibility when it comes to positioning the mic on his instrument

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China - Crown Audio provided China's National Stadium with 400 Crown I-Tech amplifiers to power the sound system during the 16 days of events at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games being held in Beijing.

"As 100,000 spectators cheer for their respective countrymen in the opening ceremony, clear and present audio will be important, no matter what language is being spoken," said Marc Kellom, vice president of marketing for Crown Audio. "With over 400 of our I-Tech amplifiers powering the system, we're confident that everyone in attendance including the athletes will be able to hear their country's introduction."

Audio alone takes up two full rooms in the spacious stadium and Crown's 400 I-Tech amplifiers are housed in 30 racks. The audio system, which is fibre based, was designed by China Broadcast Bureau, a state-run agency. All the processing in the system is bei

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Australia - The Frankston Arts Centre is an iconic landmark in one of Melbourne's fastest growing areas. Designed by renowned Australian architect, Daryl Jackson, the Frankston is one of the largest metropolitan and regional arts venues in Australia. It is a major focus for the performing arts in the region with facilities that contribute to the growing stature of local companies and provide a venue for local dance schools, as well as tertiary and secondary student productions.

It was decided that they needed a new loudspeaker system to take the venue's bookings and offerings into the next level. The previous system was locally designed and built and had been the in-house system since the venue opened in 1995. When the time came to upgrade, venue sound technician and long-time fan of d&b audiotechnik systems, Ben Thompson contacted Simon Moran of Optim Audio who ultimately insta

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USA - Robert Plant and Alison Krauss played the US and Europe with their Raising Sand tour, Taylor, Mich.-based Thunder Audio provided production and a sound system based on Meyer Sound's self-powered loudspeakers.

"You're talking about two icons here, so the sound has to be perfect," says production manager Gary Trew. "The nature of the music and the backing band fluctuates from places where you can hear a pin drop clear to big crescendos during some numbers."

Robert Plant's long-time FOH engineer who also handled the Raising Sand tour, Roy Williams agrees, "Two very different artists getting together means very different expectations among the audience as well, but after a few shows, we realised we had a Raising Sand audience. It allowed us to add more dynamics to the mix, going from a whisper to a scream. The audience was recept

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USA - Loud Technologies Inc has announced the appointment of James Stewart as its chief operating officer.

Stewart will be responsible for the core operations of the company including iInformation technologies, technical support, service and logistics as well as management of Loud's manufacturing partners. Stewart comes to Loud with more than 28 years of experience in the technology industry.

"We are excited to have Jim join Loud's executive team, where his proven record of success and passion will enable us to achieve our objectives," said Jamie Engen, CEO of Loud. "Jim's leadership skills will help us fully realise the growth opportunities before us."

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UK - CUK Audio has announced its appointment as the exclusive distributor for Sabine for the UK and Ireland. Previously distributed by Audio-Technica UK, the move of Sabine to CUK is effective immediately. With headquarters in Alachua, Florida, the Sabine range includes wireless microphone systems, feedback exterminators, multi-function digital signal processors, phantom mic riders, phantom gooseneck mics and autotuners.

Stuart Thomson, managing director of CUK Audio, commented: "We are pleased to be appointed as the new distributor for Sabine. The brand has been professionally distributed by Audio-Technica and has a strong market position in the UK. We are also appreciative of A-T for assisting with a smooth handover to ensure continuity for Sabine customers. With its quality and innovation, Sabine will be a key brand in our portfolio and customers can be assured of that i

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UK - HHB Communications has announced availability of the new HHB Catalogue 08/09, alongside a number of important developments to the HHB website.

The HHB catalogue is bigger than ever this year and includes details of more than 1700 products. The 176-page publication is printed in full colour throughout and contains 16 chapters covering all the major product groups ­ microphones, mixers, computer audio hardware and software, EQ and dynamics, etc., with every product listed in an index at the back.

Meanwhile HHB is enhancing the content of the on-line version of The Catalogue, initially to include rear panel images and more detailed information and specifications. Also new at hhb.co.uk is a Quote Building function, allowing customers to build lists of products to submit to HHB for competitive quoting.

Speaking at the launch of the 08/09 HHB Catalogue, HHB sales director St

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UK - Still celebrating its fifth anniversary, Alcons Audio will be present at PLASA 2008 with a number of new products and developments. Though this year's stand is still under the headquarters' name, the stand is actually hosted by recently founded Alcons Audio UK.

Main eye catcher on the stand will be the "R-Ray" design study; Becoming an annual "stand feature", Alcons shares a glimpse of R&D projects, by displaying assembled prototype products of which part developments may be applied in future products.

R-Ray shows the study on achieving maximum projection control through a modular point-source cluster, utilizing (pro-ribbon) line-source technology.

Also on show will be the LR7, the latest and smallest member of Alcons' pro-ribbon line-arrays. Billed as "micro pro-ribbon line-array", the system features a single 6.5" woofer, next to a 4

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Hong Kong - The Olympic Equestrian Venue (Sha Tin) is outfitted with a JBL EON system for the racetrack area during the 2008 Summer Games. While the majority of the Olympic events are taking place in Beijing, the equestrian events are being held in Hong Kong.

Managed by the Hong Kong Jockey Club, the venue is equipped with world class facilities, including a 100- x 80m all-weather sand area capable of supporting 18,000 spectators and a 5.7k cross-country course. All three events of the equestrian programme, comprising jumping, dressage, and eventing, are being held at the venue.

Dispersed throughout the racetrack area are JBL EON series portable loudspeakers. In total, 14 systems have been installed, providing sound to the competitors, media and Olympics officials located on the field. Other Harman components at the Hong Kong Olympic Equestrian Venue include six Soundcraft Com

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USA - Audio-Technica has announced that Fayetteville, Georgia-based Global Sales Management has been presented with A-T's President's Award. The announcement was made by Marc Lee Shannon, Audio-Technica vice-president, sales.

Global Sales Management founders Ralph and Judy Quintero accepted the award, which recognizes a leading manufacturer's representative for outstanding commitment and dedication during the Audio-Technica 2007/2008 fiscal year. The firm is responsible for various territories in the Latin American region.

Shannon commented: "Global Sales Management has displayed exemplary commitment and dedication. We recognise them for their continued contribution to building the A-T brand in Latin America, and we congratulate Ralph, Judy and the staff for their outstanding performance."

(Jim Evans)

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UK - Two of the UK's leading PA Hire companies - SSE Audio Group and Canegreen - have merged. The deal follows many months of negotiation to find a formula that will deliver the most for both companies and their customers, the companies said.

Canegreen will continue as a trading name within the SSE Audio Group, offering Meyer andEAW alongside SSE Hire's Nexo, L-Acoustics and Adamson products, thereby offering the widest choice of systems to customers from any single UK supplier. Canegreen founders Yan Stile and Pete Edmonds join the board of SSE Audio Group as both directors and shareholders.

SSE's Redditch base will remain as Group Headquarters, with over 35,000sq.ft of warehouse space for the preparation, servicing and storage of hire equipment. The Group will retain Canegreen's London base in Tottenham, enabling the Group to service its hire contracts more effectively in th

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UK - JBL Professional is introducing the 8100 Series ceiling speakers at this year's PLASA 08. The 8100 Series comprises full-range in-ceiling loudspeakers with high sensitivity, low distortion, and smooth frequency response.

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. Low-saturation transformers with taps as low as 0.75 Watts allow the use of many speakers on 70V/100V distributed loudspeaker system lines.

"The JBL 8100 Series in-ceiling loudspeakers provide an optimal combination of affordability and quality," said Rick Kamlet, senior market director, commercial sou

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Ireland - Dublin-based Mikam Sound provided full sound production for the annual Live at the Marquee festival held in Cork during June and July. Mikam owner Paul Aungier deployed a compact but powerful Meyer Sound system that rose to the challenging acoustics of a huge tent with a capacity of 5,000.

In recent years, Live at the Marquee has gained a reputation for featuring high profile acts as well as an eclectic mix of music and comedy. This year, the musical bill featured Eric Clapton, Paul Simon, Pink, Paul Weller, Neil Young, Dolly Parton, Jay-Z, Massive Attack and Meatloaf throughout the two-week event, along with Irish comedian Tommy Tiernan charming the audience for three sold-out nights.

"This event is a real test for any system because there are so many engineers coming through the FOH position," says Aungier. "They all have their favorite

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UK - At Aberdeen's Moorings Bar XTA processors are helping to ensure that this compact live music venue has top quality sound.

Located close to the centre of the city, the Moorings Bar has a capacity of just 200. However, its owners Craig and Laura Adams have shown commitment to providing the best sound quality for its audience.

Installed by Stonehaven-based Taylored Sound, the all-digital audio system features a Funktion One PA system (complete with delays), controlled by a pair of XTA DP448 processors, fed from a rackmount Yamaha mixing console and all controlled via a PC.

"We have used XTA for the last six years on our rental systems, including DP448s on our own Funktion One PA," says Taylored Sound's Nick Taylor. "The sound quality is always the first thing we look for, then it's build quality followed by ease of use. The XTA units tick all our boxes. We o

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Lebanon - The Beirut International Exhibition and Leisure Centre's Sky Bar, whose roof terrace is open to the stars during the hot summer nights, features a Turbosound installation.

Long-time Turbosound client Thunder Electronics specified weather-resistant TCS Compact series loudspeakers for the project. 12 TCS-121CW, 16 TCS-081CW, eight TCS-20 and eight TCS-215CW have been installed, with control by an LMS-D24 processor and sound from CD decks and DJ mixers.

"Sky Bar opens at 8pm each evening and functions as a chill-out lounge with food and background music," says Thunder Electronics' Louay Agha. "Then at midnight it fires up as a nightclub, with DJ sets and occasional live performances. So the loudspeakers need to be able to cope with a variety of different kinds of music and maintain excellent sound quality at different volume levels.

"Because of our

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UK - APR Audio reports on another successful Glastonbury Festival, supplying EV X-Line and XLC DVX systems for the third year and winning a repeat booking for 2009.

As last year, APR Audio provided sound reinforcement for the Jazz World Stage. This year's system deployed 10x X-Line Xvls and two Xvlt per side, with 10 x X-Subs per side ground-stacked on towers, and another 12x X-Subs on the floor. Front- fills were handled by 6 XLE cabinets.

All amps were P3000RLs running Iris-Net. The FOH console was a Midas XL4 with a Heritage 3000 on-stage with Helix and a Rapide for EQ. Wedges were EV XW15 with drum and side fill provision from X-Array systems.

APR's Matt Gunter was on hand as crew chief and primary system designer for a busy stage that hosted the Fun Lovin' Criminals, Eddy Grant, Buddy Guy and Estelle.

"Jazz World is generally regarded as the musicians' stage,&quo

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Lexicon is now shipping its PCM96 professional stereo reverb/effects processor. Featuring an array of complex reverb algorithms with related delays and effects, the single rack-space PCM96 integrates seamlessly into the modern studio as a control-only DAW insert or FireWire streaming hardware plug-in, says the company.

Following in the tradition of the PCM60 and PCM70 signal processors, the PCM96 offers a comprehensive selection of Lexicon reverbs and effects, including the return of the Concert Hall reverb. Appearing for the first time are new Room and Hall algorithms, plus an assortment of new mono reverbs and effects. Selectable, reversible reflection patterns, multimode filters, and 'infinity switches' provide additional new capabilities.

With two channels XLR analogue and two channels XLR AES/EBU digital I/O, as well as MIDI, Wordclock, Ethernet and Firewire connectivity, the PC

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