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The Netherlands - It was today announced by liquidator Marcel Willems that Rent-All BV is to take over all the assets of Focus Show Equipment BV, which was declared bankrupt on 17 November.

Rent-All is a versatile rental company headquartered in Bemmel, The Netherlands, with a second branch in Bottrop, Germany. Rent-All offers a wide range of lighting, sound, rigging and video equipment, and the purchase of the assets of Focus Show Equipment contributes to the further development of its rental range.

Focus Advanced Event Technology will continue their activities, with a slightly smaller staff, the company reports.

Focus Show Equipment provides technical and logistics services for numerous events including large theatre productions, conferences, fairs, product launches and corporate events. Focus will now be partnering Rent-All, and will be better able to meet the needs of it

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USA - In June 1981, the parishioners of Saint Brendon Church dedicated their brand new sanctuary in Youngstown, Ohio. The building's ornate architecture, meticulously planned colour schemes and soaring ceilings have brought joy and pride to the congregation.

While the room's four second reverb time made for a majestic choir and organ sound, the drums and guitars of the church's contemporary services were a challenge to tame. And for sermons and spoken word presentations, the intelligibility factor was more than a little problematic. The church needed a solution that would provide high intelligibility without impacting the room's aesthetics, and found it in Community Entasys loudspeakers.

"They had tried a number of other systems over the years, but it usually involved conventional speaker cabinets flown too high to achieve any directionality," says Jay Dunkle of Radi

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UK - Metropolis Studios in London is running monthly showcases of creative talent with acoustic live performances from the industry's most promising up-and-coming artists. Organisers of the Power Down sessions have chosen Roland and RSS to partner them with digital control equipment and instruments for the live events.

Staged in the bar area of the Metropolis Power House, the showcases offer performers the chance to use one of Roland's new V-Pianos, the and the new Roland TD-20KX V-Drums kit.

Front-of-house sound for the showcases themselves is controlled by a 48-channel digital audio RSS M-400 V-Mixer, together with two S-1608 configurable digital snakes transmitting over Cat 5 cable using REAC (Roland Ethernet Audio Communication).

"The idea was conceived at Metropolis's 20th anniversary party," says RSS sales & marketing manager Martin Thomas. "Our f

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UK - Electro-Voice loudspeakers, amplifiers and microphones can be found throughout the new Gurdwara Sahib, (House of the Guru), the multi-million pound Sikh temple which has just opened its doors in Leamington Spa.

The temple, its £11 milllion cost entirely funded by the local Sikh community, has been designed to look similar to the traditional Gurdwaras found in Punjab, India. Serving as a house of worship and a community centre, the temple will also host open days, tours, and school visits to teach people about the Sikh religion.

Audio Installation Services (AIS) from Bedford are becoming known as the go-to guys for AV installations in houses of worship. Having completed notable projects for other Sikh and Hindu temples as well as a sizeable mosque in Bedford, Luke Magliaro at AIS is a regular user of Electro-Voice in worship environments.

"In congregational ch

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UK - Following the announcement that the Music Group has acquired the Midas and Klark Teknik brands, Midas & Klark Teknik stress that their distribution companies worldwide will remain in place, and that the brands will not be available through any other channels.

"Over the last five years we have secured the industry's leading professional audio distribution channels to ensure that Midas and Klark Teknik customers in each territory get the same standard of support that our award-winning team provides in the UK, says David Cooper, sales and marketing director for Midas.

"It's a great time to be a Midas customer. This deal ensures that our long term distribution partnerships will get stronger and the investment of Midas' customers is not only protected but enhanced."

(Jim Evans)

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Europe - Promoting Foot Of The Mountain - their first album in four years - Norwegian pop superstars A-Ha have spent the autumn touring venues throughout Europe and Japan with a DiGiCo SD7 at Front of House and an SD8 on monitors.

Manning the SD7 was FOH engineer Sherif El Barbari, reacquainting himself with the console he first used 18 months ago when manning the faders for South African singer Howard Carpendale.

"For me, using either a DiGiCo D5 or SD7 feels like meeting up with an old friend," says El Barbari. "Given the flexibility and the sonic quality of both consoles, it is a 'comfort factor' that definitely makes life much easier.

"I specified the SD7 for this tour because of that and for the complete confidence it instils that I can deliver a great show time after time."

As well as the three members of the band itself, A-Ha was tour

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Hong Kong - After five successful years in Taiwan, the singing extravaganza Asian Million Star premiered in Hong Kong with help from the versatile, frequency-agile AKG DMS 700 wireless microphone system. The popular television show, which started months before the on-air premier with 5,000 aspiring singers, featured 25 contestants competing over the course of 13 episodes, with a panel of judges selecting the best vocal performers to move on to the finale.

Judges for the show included an array of respected audio and musical professionals ranging from creative composers to studio producers. With some of the most finely tuned ears in the business deciding the fate of each performer, the AKG DMS 700 system matched musical talent with sonic integrity.

"The AKG DMS 700 was specifically engineered for applications like Asian Million Star", said Thomas Stubics,

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Bolivia - In Bolivia, where music is part of daily life, technology is changing the way people listen. Smaller shows can be just as technologically advanced as the big ones.

Cochabamba is located in central Bolivia, in a valley bearing the same name within the Andes Mountains. It is the third largest city in Bolivia with a metropolitan population of more than 1m people and is often referred to as the "City of Eternal Spring" due to its spring-like temperatures all year round.

In Cochabamba, the Cespedes Brothers Wilson and Ygort, established Studio Mediterraneo 19 years ago. A young lawyer Rolando Caseres, joined the brothers a few years later, filling the shoes of shop manager and corporate client liaison. Today G.M. Wilson is also the head of the audio department and Ygort is the chief audio engineer and they boast nine full-time employees. Studio Mediterraneo work

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The Netherlands - Tannoy will again be out in force at the Integrated Systems Europe show in Amsterdam, between in February 2010. The Scottish based company will be exhibiting an extensive range of its loudspeaker solutions ranging from cutting-edge digitally steerable arrays through to high end home cinema audio systems.

At the forefront of Tannoy's recent innovations is the QFlex range of self-powered digital beam-steering array loudspeakers specifically designed to overcome intelligibility problems associated with highly reverberant surroundings. QFlex will satisfy a host of audio installation requirements such as airports and other transportation hubs, shopping malls, conference facilities, museums, houses of worship and many other locations with problematic acoustics, says the company.

After just over a year on the market, QFlex has already proven its worth across the wo

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Italy - Besio Sound Co has chosen Proel Sound Systems for the Italian theatre tour of Michelina, a musical play by Edoardo Erba, which has made its debut at the Franco Parenti Theatre in Milan.

Set in the 1940s in the rice paddy fields of Lomellina, northern Italy, this comedy tells the story of Michelina, a rice-weeder played by actress Maria Amelia Monti, who likes to perform on the stage and falls in love with a cardinal, thus provoking angry reactions from the clergy.

"Even in theatres with a particular acoustic response, such as the Franco Parenti Theatre, they perform as exceptionally as ever - I refer to the Edge speakers, of course," commented Giorgio Albani from Besio Sound Co, in charge of the technical staging of the play produced by the Teatro Stabile of Florence.

Satisfaction was also expressed by Lorenzo Alberti, the sound engineer from Soundar

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UK - Soundcraft Studer's production strategy - to converge both brands production in the Potters Bar UK facility - passed a significant milestone this week. With UK production now in full swing, the first Studer Vista large-format consoles were completed and went through test procedures "with flying colours".

Formerly Vista, OnAir 3000 and Router production was done in the Studer Regensdorf facility near Zurich in Switzerland. Speaking from the Potters Bar production floor, Soundcraft Studer president Andy Trott reflected, "Over the past few months our staff here and in Switzerland have worked incredibly hard to transfer the knowledge, logistics and skills to the UK team, and so to see our flagship product come through its rigorous tests so smoothly today is a great testament to the quality of our people on both sites. From planning and procurement, to PCBA, build

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UK - Support for the campaign and coverage has been increasing over the past few weeks. The campaign is now at a critical stage and needs the support of the wider industry and indeed the general public. The campaign is calling on all those affected to write to their MP and ask them to sign Early Day Motion number 323, called Save Our Sound UK campaign. "We intend to make this as easy as possible. Therefore, we have uploaded draft letters on the website that you can either e-mail or post to your MP once it has been appropriately personalised," says John Steven.

Last week, Peter Luff MP tabled a Motion in the House of Commons. This has already been signed by several supportive MPs, including two Select Committee chairmen. The Motion calls upon the Government to provide a compensation package that covers all fifteen spectrum channels being cleared, and at levels th

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Germany - In an effort to bring Meyer Sound even closer to the Scandinavian market, Meyer Sound Germany has announced the appointment of Klaus Hansen as business development representative, Scandinavia, serving the expanding customer base in Denmark, Sweden, and Finland.

Prior to joining Meyer Sound, Hansen was in the sales force for several renowned Scandinavian rental and installation companies, and founded Copenhagen Sound Production in 1995. He is the sound engineer for The Olson Brothers, a winner of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2000, and the systems engineer at the annual Roskilde Festival."I am excited to join Meyer Sound," states Hansen. "Meyer Sound's loudspeaker products and new digital audio technologies have a lot of potential in the Scandinavian AV market and my priority is to work closely with the customers here on ways we can help with thei

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USA - American Music & Sound (AM&S) has been appointed USA distributor for beyerdynamic pro audio products including the company's wide offering of wired and wireless microphones, headphones, and broadcast related products, effective 1 January 2010.

"This is a momentous occasion for AM&S," comments Lynn Martin, president of American Music & Sound. "With more than 85 years experience manufacturing the world's best microphones and pro audio products, beyerdynamic is an incredible fit with our other live sound product lines, and we are looking forward to expanding their penetration in the US. Together with beyerdynamic, we are now able to offer the finest transducer-to-transducer live sound solutions in the United States."

Additionally, Paul Froula has been appointed national sales manager for American Music & Sound. Froula, an industry veteran, has managed va

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UK - Dolby Laboratories and Barco announced report that the Empire Leicester Square showed the world premiere of the James Cameron movie Avatar on Thursday, 10 December 10, using the Dolby 3D solution for large screens.

"Empire Leicester Square boasts one of the largest screens in the UK, which is why it regularly plays host to world premieres," said Julian Pinn, business development manager, Production Services Group, Dolby Laboratories. "Avatar promises to deliver state-of-the-art 3D special effects to audiences around the world. To ensure every seat in Empire Leicester Square enjoyed the fully immersing 3D experience, Dolby Production Services worked with Barco, Empire, and Twentieth Century Fox to ensure the best combination of brightness, image sharpness, and colour accuracy to display this spectacular new movie as director James Cameron intended."

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USA - Taking advantage of the power of Crown's I-Tech HD series amplifiers and flexibility of the Studer Vista 5SR console, California-based Sound Image deployed 80 I-Tech HD amplifiers and a Studer Vista 5SR for use on country music star Taylor Swift's tour throughout North America.

The 2009 tour, which included 52 concerts, sold out within minutes, prompting a second leg of the tour to be added for 2010. Sound Image's FOH engineer on the Taylor Swift tour, Russell Fischer, stated, "The goal was to bring Taylor Swift's brand of country pop music to life, and to get the show's energy and feeling across to an already excited crowd."

According to Fischer, Sound Image chose the Vista 5SR for its audio quality and versatile control surface. "The audio quality is the most obvious advantage over other digital consoles," stated Fischer. "Being able to do six

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UK - The 15-date Snow Patrol Reworked tour of the UK and Ireland recreated songs from the band's 15-year career with a dual Midas XL8 system at front of house and monitors, provided by Britannia Row. As the shows featured six band members, 10 musicians and special guests, all 96 channels of each desk were full to capacity.

"The band wanted to create an organic reconstruction of their songs, so lots of different types of acoustic instruments are being used," said monitor engineer Tristan Farrow. We have up to 18 musicians on stage at one time, using a combination of in ear monitors and wedge mixes, hence my desk is full. All the inputs and outputs are being used, we even have to use the direct inputs and outputs for the vocal effects."

Farrow was making good use of the system's automation on this tour. "I've had to create a scene for every song," he sai

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UK - The Hot Rats, a side project of British band, Supergrass, recently embarked on tour with a compact Allen & Heath iLive digital mixing system to manage various live performances and media appearances.

The band comprises Supergrass members Gaz Coombes and Danny Goffey, who have teamed up with Radiohead producer, Nigel Godrich, to create an album of eclectic covers. The band's live performance is based around pre-programmed audio set to a click track, making IEMs a necessity.

Previously an analogue engineer, Gavin McComb set out to find a user-friendly and analogue-sounding digital alternative that is both compact and can manage both FOH and monitor mixing, selecting an iDR10 MixRack with iLive-80 Control Surface.

McComb explains, "The iDR10 houses the inputs and I am Y splitting everything internally in the desk so that I have separate FOH control for EQ and dynamics

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USA - W-DMX by Wireless Solution Sweden helped add flare to the largest inland regatta in the United States with spectacular lighting effects, lasers, strobes and video projections. The Pittsburgh 250 Three Rivers Regatta held on 4 July on Pittsburgh's North Shore, included the F-1 ChampBoat Series, a concert by Soul Asylum and a fireworks and laser display.

Pittsburgh 250 is the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the naming of the region in 1758. With the support of business, government and civic leaders, Pittsburgh 250 has set out to raise awareness, improve communities and attract visitors through a yearlong schedule of events.

The show included over 100 lasers and large format lights, pyrotechnics, synchronised soundtrack, and a mid-river water screen. Lasers were distributed on downtown buildings and on Mount Washington over a one-mile radius with W-DMX signal

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UK - AKG and Sound Technology have announced immediate availability of the AKG DMS700 Digital Wireless System covering Channel 38, the future-proof frequency band for radio microphones.

Ofcom's decision to sell off part of the wireless spectrum has caused turmoil in the radio microphone industry with existing Channel 69 systems becoming obsolete from 2012 as the 800Mhz bandwidth is cleared for digital TV use. The new AKG DMS700 Digital Wireless System offers a solution now, securing buyers' investment into the future, says the company.

The ultra-wide tuning bandwidth (548.1Mhz - 697.9Mhz) of the AKG Band 1 system includes Channel 38, the future-proof band already available for licensed radio microphone use in most of the UK. Also available is the AKG Band 2 system (710.1Mhz - 864.9Mhz) covering the current Channel 69.

The DMS700 is a professional wireless system with a host

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Poland - One Love Sound Festival, the biggest indoor reggae festival in Europe, took place in the historic Centennial Hall, in Wroclaw, Poland, which is listed as one the great architectural and engineering achievements of the 20th century by UNESCO. On 14 November close to 10,000 people filled the famous venue for the sixth edition of the Festival.

One love features a balance of both international and local artists who are presenting new and ambitious projects which cover many musical styles beyond reggae. Roots, dub, hip-hop, dancehall, and world music, as well as experimental electronic music took centre stage.

The sound system for the event was provided by a Czak Music based in Tarnobrzeg, Poland. Czak Music originated as a music instrument and technical equipment store, but has since grown to include a full live sound production division. Czak has invested i

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USA - As a non-profit organisation with a mission to foster musical success around Berkeley, California, Freight and Salvage Coffee House has hosted a wide range of musical performances for more than 40 years. When it moved to a new facility at the beginning of the year, it needed an audio system that had the flexibility to handle anything from rock and roll to soft acoustical shows, which is why the venue opted for the Soundcraft Vi4 digital console.

Located in the heart of Berkeley since 1968, Freight and Salvage had been in the same building since opening its doors. When the decision to move was made at the beginning of the year, it needed to find a building that could provide a large auditorium for concerts, but also contain smaller rooms for its expanding educational programme. Freight and Salvage relocated to an old building that was renovated to look like new; it now feat

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France - The resort of Saint-Jean-de-Monts on the west coast of France is renowned for its endless sandy beaches and vast network of cycle paths. It is also home to the Odysséa, a multi-space convention centre capable of hosting events of all types from 20 to 1000 people. At the heart of Odysséa is a 450-seat auditorium which has recently been installed with a powerful Uniline compact line array system from APG with amplification from Lab.gruppen.

The system comprises eight UL210 three-way bi-amped array elements and four TB115S subs supplemented by four DS12S front-fills and delays and a further six DS15s which are used either as stage monitors or extra fills depending on the application. Processing is courtesy of two APG DMS26 processors on a BVNet network which enables full remote system control and EQ.

Amplification is handled by two 4-channel C88:4 amplifier

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Switzerland - Contact microphone manufacturer, Schertler has released the latest addition to its range of Basik pickup packs. The new Basik-Road pack presents the electrostatic contact microphone in a specially designed, eye-catching, padded carrying case made from durable high-density nylon.

Two separate phantom power adapters are also included; a 48V adapter for pro audio and recording studio applications, and a 1.5V AA battery-powered power supply adapter for other applications, including use with hi-fi equipment or PCs. The Basik-Road pack now affords musicians and engineers even greater flexibility by enabling the pickup to be easily adapted for virtually any performance or recording situation, says the company.

With convenience and flexibility in mind, Schertler has also rolled out its newly designed carrying case across the entire Basik range, which includes the Basik-P

  1. An audience with POLARaudio at the Forum
  2. Moonlight Amphitheatre shines with JBL
  3. Tommy Bolan relies on DigiTech for Zyko tour
  4. Gearhouse switches on the lights in Cape Town
  5. Event Sound & Light adds to RCF inventory
  6. Lexicon ships PCM92 live sound processor
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