Denmark - Products from Tannoy and Lab.gruppen feature in the installation at Audi's newest facility in Fredericia, Denmark. The new building, for exclusive Danish dealership Semler Audi Detail, opened in late September and is one of the first of its kind in the world.

A demanding client brief led to a variety of Tannoy's in-ceiling range being specified throughout the facility, including the Scottish based company's new CVS4 Micro and their Dual Concentric driver equipped CMS series. The system was powered by a range of Lab.gruppen's C Series amplifiers including the four-channel C 28:4 and eight-channel C 20:8X, engineered specifically for demanding installed sound applications such as this, as well as an NLB-60E NomadLink bridge and network controller for amplifier monitoring and control.

The German prestige auto marque has recently embarked on a new strategy where its car

UK - Award-winning drummer Johanne James is the latest signing to Shuttlesound's artist endorsement programme for Electro-Voice microphones, flying the flag for the new EV PL Series in particular.

For three years in a row, Johanne James has won the Classic Rock Society Award for Best Drummer of the year, earning his place among the best drummers in the UK. He is no stranger to the limelight, having played a variety of stages from small venues to major festivals around the world, performing with the likes of Dream Theater, Psychotic Waltz and Pain of Salvation. James is best-known as the 'engine room' of Threshold, a veteran band on the progressive metal scene, and has recently formed his own hard metal three-piece, Kyrbgrinder, as a means of sharing his own style of hard driving, infectious melodic rock.

Johanne James will be giving the new EV microphones an exhaustive road te

Europe - Denon DJ has announced the availability of two new professional DJ products with the arrival in stores of its flagship DN-X1700 mixer and DN-S3700 digital media turntable. Debuted at PLASA and MusicMesse respectively this year, these products represent Denon DJ's new top of the range line up for professionals.

Designed as an ultimate DJ performance tool, the Denon DN-X1700 boasts standards of quality, control and performance exceeding anything that has gone before, says the company. Years of collaboration with top professional DJs around the world have gone into the development and engineering of this. Joining the DN-X1700, the Denon DN-S3700 is a direct drive, digital media turntable and USB / MIDI controller.

The DN-X1700 is a highly ergonomic 4-channel 'industry standard' size tabletop mixer. It's spacious, highly tactile control layout features studio quality 60 m

The Netherlands - Swiss digital signage manufacturer SpinetiX will be showcasing a live digital signage system that represents many projects in operation around the globe today on their stand at ISE 2010.

The HMP100 Hyper Media Player will be integrated with the Poster Digital 1.0 web-based digital signage management software tool from Madrid-based engineering company, Tecnilogica Soluciones Avanzadas.

"Poster Digital 1.0 has been created with the HMP100 in mind," says Jorge Gutiérrez, MD at Tecnilogica Soluciones Avanzadas. "The failsafe Poster Digital 1.0 software is able to control most of the configuration parameters of the HMP100, as well as the content and interactive features of the HMP100 in real-time.

"An easy to use interface designed by one of Spain's leading user experience designers Jesús Gorriti ensures that basic digital signage tas

UK - The recent closure of EDC, Britain's largest optical disc manufacturing plant, has left many UK music industry professionals without an established supplier of CDs and DVDs. However, in the wake of the shut-down, a former EDC manager has founded a new business - Quick Discs Limited - which seeks to restore manufacturing capacity and to provide continuity of service to musicians, distributors and record labels across the country.

Based in Blackburn, near to EDC's original site, Quick Discs has been launched by Grant Mitchell, who had worked at the company for more than 20 years. When, earlier this year, the decision was taken to close EDC's Blackburn facility and to move all operations to Germany, Grant recognised that many UK music producers - one of the company's primary customer groups - would be left without a specialist supplier. He therefore resolved to create a new bu

UK - London entertainment technology installation experts Viba Sound has completed the installation of sound, lighting, video and CCTV for the new designer pool bar and music venue Miss Q's in west London. The use of an all-Nexo sound system allows this basement venue to co-exist happily with its residential neighbours.

Miss Q is a 420-capacity pool bar, diner and live music club/saloon in Earl's Court, west London, which adds a contemporary twist to retro 'Beat' Americana and is defined by its rock 'n' roll interior and heady mix of live music, pool, classic American diner-style food and hard liquor.

The venue is the latest venture from Nick Valentine and the first venture for Eddie Bloom, son of Jamie Bloom, former owner of the legendary Rainbow Theatre. The concept, interior and branding of Miss Q's has been created by Paul Daly Design Studio, the firm behind high-profile p

China - The Sixth World Chinese Entrepreneurs Summit in Macau was hosted at the Venetian Hotel Convention and Exhibition Centre in October with 1300 delegates representing 35 countries. The summit was collectively organised by the World Chinese Entrepreneurs Alliance, the Macau Trade and Investment Promotion Bureau, China International Trade Promotion Committee and the Taiwan Business Association. The number of participants exceeded all previous years, being the largest gathering of delegates at this convention to date.

In order for all delegates to gain the messages brought by the speeches and presentations in a clear and precise way it was important that the audio system was of high quality. The dBTechnologies DVA Line Array system was provided and installed by Cyber Audio Engenharia.

Cyber bought their first DVA Line Array system more than a year ago from distributor Guangz

USA - Musical-instrument and sound-equipment innovator Peavey Electronics and software and hardware platform specialists Muse Research and Development have established "a collaborative strategic alliance" to introduce innovative new products to the global marketplace.

This partnership brings together Peavey's 45 years of research, development and VST software innovations, as well as its extensive global distribution network and manufacturing capabilities, with Muse Research and Development's technology-based product designs. By utilising each company's core competencies, the companies will bring to market innovative new products beginning with the flexible MuseBox musical instrument and effects box.

"We are very excited to establish this relationship with Muse Research and Development," said Hartley Peavey, founder and CEO of Peavey Electronics Corporation.

Sweden - Stockholm City Hall is one of Sweden's most famous buildings, not only for its National Romanticism architectural style, 10,000 pipe organ and 106m high bell tower, but also as the setting for the annual Nobel Prize banquet. Recently the building's council chamber installed an Ampetronic induction loop system to aid its hard of hearing visitors and staff.

The building's council chamber, or Rådssalen, has been the seat of Stockholm local government since 1923, with seats for 108 councillors and a balcony that can accommodate 200 members of the public.

Although the council chamber had an induction loop, it was proving very troublesome with less than adequate coverage, so Stockholm-based audio specialists Sennberg AB were asked to design and install a replacement.

"I was asked to do an analysis of the existing loop system because there had been a lot of complaint

Ireland - Dublin's National Concert Hall (An Ceoláras Náisiúnta) is the premier venue in Ireland for classical concerts and also the home of the RTE National Symphony Orchestra. Recently, its long-serving analogue Yamaha PM5000 mixing console was replaced with a digital PM5D-RH, which had to be installed in just one night.

Originally constructed for the Dublin International Exhibition of 1865, the building was converted into the central building of University College Dublin (UCD) when the National University of Ireland was founded in 1908. With UCD gradually relocating to a new campus in the 1960s, part of the building was converted to a music venue and reopened as the National Concert Hall in 1981.

Having done many years of sterling service, the replacement of the PM5000 with a PM5D also saw the addition of an LS9-16 mixing console and two SB168-ES stage boxes for the hall

UK - The Pandemonium Tour by The Pet Shop Boys is the first touring show to use Britannia Row's 'new' X-Line system, which has recently been turbocharged by the implementation of EV's FIR-Drive (Finite Impulse Response Filters) technology.

[FIR-Drive is the name that EV gives to its entire range of FIR offerings, including FIR-capable processing hardware, custom FIR speaker setting files and related software.]

"The FIR-Drive products have given X-Line a new lease of life, it's like a different system," says Jerry Wing, technical head of Britannia Row Productions. "X-Line always was a good rock 'n' roll system, but the FIR filters have unleashed something that was hidden - as well as being raunchy and loud, the system now has finesse and clarity."

Brit Row debuted its FIR-enabled X-Line at the Classical Brit Awards with system designer Derri

USA - Proel is debuting new models in its FLASH Series at NAMM. The FLASH Series is a complete line of lightweight and versatile speakers featuring modern design and high quality sound,suitable for any working or entertainment applications, says the company.

FLASH8 is a full-range speaker with 8" woofer, available both in passive (8P) and active (8A) versions.The technical solutions employed include a polypropylene cabinet with an extended system of internal ribs designed through FEM analysis, a new 90°x60° constant-directivity high-frequency horn, a bi-amplifier (50W class AB - 180W class D for low frequencies) with separate line and mic inputs, two-band EQ, double clip limiter circuit and Neutrik connectors.

The cabinet shape which makes these speakers suitable as stage floor monitors, four M8 rigging points for suspended installation and one handle for easy tra

UK - The Minotaure complex in Vendôme has bought a new Outline sound reinforcement system, comprising 12 Mini-COM.P.A.S.S. speakers and two SubTech 218 SP subwoofers, controlled by an Outline Genius 26 unit.

Located in the centre of Vendôme, the 'Le Minotaure' complex has a total area of 1,500sq.m. It hosts a 769-seat theatre hall, a multi-purpose hall (holding 400 people seated and 600 standing), several smaller meeting rooms and a naturally illuminated foyer for exhibitions. Le Minotaure was inaugurated in 2002, and has hosted numerous shows since .

The theatre hall suffered from poor acoustics. The coverage was uneven, and the stereo image unbalanced. In 2009, it was decided to replace the front of house reinforcement system.

Several systems were compared - among them, a Mini-COM.P.A.S.S. vertical line array, lent by Outline's French distributor Audio2. This system pass

Nigeria - The Experience, a non-denominational gospel music concert in Lagos, has grown to become by far the largest music event in Africa. A Woodstock-sized throng estimated at 450,000 jammed into the Tafawa Balewa Square and spilled over into an adjacent cricket field for a spiritual celebration featuring 14 American and Nigerian gospel artists, including headliners Kirk Franklin, Phil Driscoll, and Bebe and Cece Winans.

The event's ongoing sound system supplier, GQ Acoustics of Lagos, pampered the enlarged crowd this year with an expanded Meyer Sound system that had been boosted with more Milo line array loudspeakers and 700-HP subwoofers, plus a new complement of problem-solving JM-1P arrayable loudspeakers.

"The main venue is an open quadrangle about 170m across, with the stage on one long side, grandstands opposite, and three-story pavilions on the short side

UK - Allen & Heath has unveiled its smallest format mixers to date, the ZED-10 and ZED-10FX. Part of the ZED range of USB-equipped mixers for live performance, recording and production, the new additions are simple, ultra compact mixers built to a professional standard, which will suit a wide range of applications including solo artists, bands, schools, houses of worship and conference facilities, says the company.

ZED-10 and ZED-10FX feature two ultra high impedance discrete Class A FET (Field Effect Transistor) inputs, which allow an instrument to be plugged directly into the mixer, emulating the valve/tube input circuitry commonly found on instrument combos or amplifiers. There is also a 26dB gain boost switch, which caters for instruments with very low output pickups.

The ZED-10 can also manage up to four microphones and two stereo sources with MP3 player compatibility, pr

USA - Prism Sound and SADiE and PMC are sponsoring The Recording Academy Producers & Engineers Wing's third annual Grammy Week event, to be held at the Village Recording Studios in West Los Angeles. Set for Wednesday 27 January 2010, this event honours excellence in music, audio, and the professionals who work behind the scenes to create great recordings.

As part of 2010 Grammy Week, the P&E Wing will be celebrating the music of Island Records and its founder Chris Blackwell, whose vision and commitment brought to the world the music of artists such as Desmond Dekker and the Aces, Nick Drake, Melissa Etheridge, Grace Jones, Bob Marley, Roxy Music, Cat Stevens, Toots and the Maytals, U2, Steve Winwood, and many others.

The event, entitled Catch a Fire is named for Bob Marley's first album, which is a 2010 inductee into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Honorary chairs for the eve

Israel - Waves Audio has announced that noted Front-of-House engineer Ken 'Pooch' Van Druten has joined the Waves Live Division as a product specialist. Most recently on tour with multi-million-selling rockers Linkin Park, Van Druten brings with him decades of experience as a first-call live sound engineer. A graduate of Boston's Berklee College of Music, he has worked with many contemporary musical acts, including Beastie Boys, Jay-Z, Kid Rock, Eminem and Whitney Houston.

As part of his role as a Waves product specialist, Van Druten will be called upon to share his vast knowledge with the Waves customer base, as well as shed light upon the digital revolution now taking place in the live sound arena.

Waves CEO Gilad Keren stated: "Pooch is one of the very best at what he does, and his input is invaluable to both the Waves team and our end users. The Waves Live Division is

USA - Community Professional Loudspeakers has announced the availability of custom colour paint for their Entasys high-performance column line-array loudspeakers. Entasys, which features a three-way full-range column and a low frequency column in matched enclosures, was released last year and has quickly become one of Community's most popular products.

Designed for permanent installations including auditoria, airports, train stations, conference centres, houses of worship, stadium concourses and museums, its weather-resistant design makes Entasys equally suitable for permanent outdoor installation. Custom colour options include painting of the enclosure, end caps, T-bar and grille, with black or white grille cloth behind the painted grille. Customers can provide a RAL colour matching reference or a colour sample.

(Jim Evans)

USA - Peavey has added two new mixers to its long-running PV Series, the PV 6 USB, and PV 8 USB.

The PV 6 USB and PV 8 USB feature effects send on every channel with stereo return, and zero latency record monitoring capabilities, while a USB port allows direct connection to a USB-equipped computer for recording from the mixer or playing back digital audio (compatible with Mac OSX, Windows XP, ME & 2000). Both of these models also include pre-fader monitor sends; inserts on all channels; and dual switchable line inputs on the two stereo channels.

All PV Series mixers include Tape to Control Room and Tape to Mix assigns, which allow the operator to monitor an external stereo signal without using any of the mixer's channels. In addition, the mixers' Control Room output sends a stereo master output signal to an external source for monitoring. Phantom power, effects send and a cont

UK - Clockaudio has announced two new additions to its distributor network in Europe.

In Sweden, the Karlstad-based Special-Elektronik AB will represent the British microphone manufacturer. A specialist distributor of AV technology for conferencing and auditoria, Special-Elektronik will also handle the line in Denmark.

Clockaudio sales in Belgium will forthwith be handled by M-PRO BeNeLux BVBA. Led by Mario Clabots, the M-PRO team already represents respected audio brands such as MiPro, Symetrix and Australian Monitor. A regular equipment supplier to AV projects like city halls, court rooms and boardrooms, M-PRO is well-known for providing high-quality competitive solutions in Belgium and Luxembourg.

(Jim Evans)

Norway - The Norsk Film Institute (NFI) features a Yamaha DME installation and is regarded as the axle upon which the Norwegian film industry revolves, with over 2000 screenings a year in its Oslo premises. Around half of these are previews of major international releases for press and cinema owners, so having the best sound and vision is a fundamental requirement.

The rest of the industry has been quick to follow the NFI's example and installing Yamaha-based digital audio systems.

Unique Cinema Systems (UCS) is one of Norway's major suppliers to the country's cinema industry and the company, which introduced the Yamaha DME64N to the Scandinavian cinema market., It has sold more than 50 DME64N and many Yamaha amplifiers and loudspeakers, with over 10% of Norway's cinemas now featuring Yamaha equipment, a figure which is rising monthly.

"Yamaha equipment has been install

UK / China - London-based AV sales and service company eMerging has reached an exclusive distribution agreement with Chinese recording microphone company MicW for the UK and Ireland. Effective immediately, the entire range of MicW mono and stereo instrument microphones will be available in the UK through eMerging and a network of selected dealers.

A subsidiary of the Beijing-based measurement microphone manufacturer BWSA, the largest such manufacturer of microphones for test and measurement and industrial applications in China, MicW was formed in 2008 to concentrate on the market for high-quality microphones aimed at broadcast, recording and live applications. After being active in the domestic Chinese market for a year, MicW launched its international sales activities in Europe in Spring 2009. The UK distribution agreement is the largest so far signed by the company, which is c

UK - The PLASA 2010 Show has officially launched with the opening of a free registration month, enabling early bookers to gain admission to this year's show, at Earls Court on 12 - 15 September 2010, at no charge. Registration is now open on the new-look PLASA 2010 website (www.plasashow.com) with free visitor registration available until 11 February.

Following the highly upbeat reaction to PLASA09, with exhibitors expressing delight at the quality of visitors despite the financial climate, expectations for PLASA 2010 are also high.

Early exhibitor news includes confirmation by Martin Professional; a doubling of stand space by Nexo; and the return after a one-year absence of Zero 88.

PLASA's Events manager Sophie Atkinson said, "Last year the free registration offer helped boost exhibitors' confidence in the show's compelling drawing power by attracting thousands of ear

UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies has been appointed as a dealer for CoolTalk, the microphone and headset solution for two-way communication in windy and noisy environments.

Designed as a plug-in for radios and walkie-talkies, the headset can work in 'Vox mode' for complete hands-free operation and cuts out background noise by up to 90%. When placed around the neck, the user's voice will be picked up by CoolTalk's revolutionary vibration technology. This makes it suitable for production personnel working at heights when communicating with crew on the ground in noisy surroundings.

The CoolTalk headset features a durable, hard-wearing design which is IP66 splash proof rated. A.C. Entertainment Technologies is offering the product as a four-way wireless intercom kit featuring four CoolTalk headsets with four Motorola T5 radios and charger.

(Jim Evans)

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