USA - In a metropolis obsessed with the biggest, best and costliest, CityCenter Las Vegas moves to the front of the class. At a price tag approaching $11 billion, CityCenter is the largest privately funded development in the United States. This vast 76-acre, mixed-use complex encompasses not only a mega-size resort and casino (the 61-story Aria), but also three somewhat smaller boutique hotel/residential towers as well the sprawling, upscale Crystals retail and entertainment district.

CityCenter also deploys fully networked AV technology on an unprecedented scale, with the core network technologies for audio systems - as well as the lion's share of all connected audio equipment - supplied by the Harman Professional Group.

"This is rumored to be the largest consolidated AV system design in history," reports Darren Smith, who has lived and breathed CityCenter for three

The Netherlands - Barix will introduce Store and Play, a new FTP/HTTP download and playback application for in-store audio programming at the upcoming ISE show in Amsterdam.

"While digital signage and out-of-home networks remain the big buzz for in-store entertainment and advertising, many businesses continue to rely on audio as their main resource for reaching customers at the point of purchase," said Johannes G. Rietschel, CEO and founder of Barix AG.

"Recent studies have proven that the right mix of music and advertising can have a significant influence on brand perception and in-store atmosphere, de-stressing both customers and employees to respectively increase purchasing and raise productivity. The Barix Store and Play application can deliver these benefits to retailers and hospitality businesses that need a less expensive, premium-quality alternative to p

USA - dbx Professional Products has announced the launch of the newly redesigned dbx Professional Products website (www.dbxpro.com). The site features improved navigation, and more targeted resources geared toward the markets dbx serves.

Featuring individual areas on the website focused on the installed, portable, tour, and studio sound markets, website visitors can now more easily navigate through the site to find dbx products that are most appropriate for their specific applications, says the company.

"We developed our new website with the goal of giving our customers and dealers a greater resource to information about our full product range and the continued support and service they have come to expect from dbx. In addition to increased functionality, we have created a better resource for communicating new information that will allow us to better serve our customers,&q

India - Soundcraft's new Si3 digital desk is receiving high exposure on the Indian sub-continent, thanks to the support of New-Delhi based rental company, Dhawan Electricals Pvt.

Having already used the board to mix one of India's leading rock bands Agnee this autumn, sound engineer Yogesh Dhawan, says that the Si3 has subsequently enjoyed a heavy tour of duty. "Pathways World School went crazy when I told them that we were going digital for this year's Annual Day," he said.

The two-day Founders Weekend at the exclusive school in early December featured non-stop entertainment on its 30-acre campus, under the theme of the school's motto, Learn, Work, Play, Think, LIVE!.

Over the weekend of festivities Dhawan ended up making around 25 cues for each event and used almost 37 channels on the board as a programme of Indian classical music, orchestras, theatre (inv

USA - Meyer Sound has announced CAL, a new series of self-powered steerable column array loudspeakers that offer "unprecedented control and low-profile aesthetics". The Meyer Sound CAL steerable column array loudspeakers feature vertical coverage control and low-distortion sound. Without sacrificing any power, the vertical beam can be angled up or down 30 degrees and can be configured with vertical beam widths from five to 60 degrees. Multiple or split beams can be used as needed to fit the application.

Using a range of vertical control presets programmed for the steerable column array loudspeakers, system integrators can choose the angle and dispersion to accurately project sound where needed while avoiding surfaces that interfere with speech signal transmissions. For acoustically challenging spaces such as churches, mosques, airports, cruise ships, stadiums, and them

UK - Llanelli- based AV integration specialists PAI recently completed the roll-out of bespoke narrow bezel LCD panel technology for a series of the Reiss mens and womenswear retail stores in central London.

The locations - Barrett Street; Kings Road, Chelsea; Kent House, Oxford Circus and Selfridges in Oxford Street - are some of the busiest locations for the popular high street brand.

PAI was contacted by Reiss's design team who were seeking a technical solution to deliver their concept for a new in-store promotion system requiring an anamorphic screen measuring approximately 1.8M high and 0.6M wide.

PAI won the contract for offering design realisation at the right price and the ability to deliver a fully working end product within the client's demanding programme.

"We reviewed the brief and came up with a simple cost-effective approach," reports PAI's technica

The Netherlands - Duran Audio will be showing two new products at ISE in Amsterdam. On display will be the AXYS Octadrive DSP and the AXYS PB400.

The PB400 is the latest product in the AXYS IndustryAmp range, which was first introduced to complement the AXYS ADC and ABF loudspeaker ranges. The PB400 is a 4 channel 250W per channel power amplifier, with built in DSP, which is available with either low impedance or 70V/100V line output stages. The 100V unit has a CobraNet interface and a wide range of features as standard.

The Octadrive DSP is designed for use as a high performance line driver that can be used for a variety of situations and forms an interface between third party systems and AXYS products. The unit has eight analogue line level outputs (all with pilot tone generators and individual processing) and on board DSP. The unit also comes complete with a CobraNet inter

UK - Sheffield-based Cloud Electronics has launched the VTX-WM1 web monitor card, a web server Ethernet option card option for Cloud's new VTX power amplifiers.

The VTX card hosts its own website providing monitoring and surveillance information about the amplifier's condition and status which can be viewed from any remote location at any time using any computer (or PDA, smartphone, etc.) via its normal Internet browser application.

Passwords and criteria are established at point of installation. Monitoring options span load monitoring, input level monitoring, signal level indications, temperature and level controls and all user configurable settings. Alarm warnings and status messages are sent via email (or SMS). This includes a Black Box message should the amplifier fail and shut down: the battery back-up within the card allows it to send a final message and its settings.

Germany - A problem faced increasingly by many leading European football clubs is what to do when their stadium - often originally built in the early-to-mid 20th Century - is no longer adequate for the needs of the modern supporter? High on the list of priorities is the provision of high quality audio, which has been achieved at two of Germany's highest profile clubs with installations that feature 120 Yamaha power amplifiers and DME digital mixing engine control.

Bayer Leverkusen and Augsburg FCs both recently faced the dilemma of having stadia which could no longer fulfil 21st century expectations. To achieve this they chose different options - Leverkusen to radically extend its existing facility, whereas Augsburg went for a completely new build.

In both cases new systems were needed to deliver high quality audio. The flexibility, reliability and quality of Yamaha power ampl

The Netherlands - This week's ISE2010 will see the introduction of a software upgrade for all existing Yamaha M7CLs, but also the first show outing of a new model, the M7CL-48ES.

Developed partly in response to "the remarkable uptake" of Yamaha's SB168-ES EtherSound stage box, M7CL-48ES replaces the 48 internal mic pre-amps with two EtherSound ports. This keeps the three MY card slots free for other uses - for example allowing connection of multitrack recording equipment.

Also included is a third port, which allows permanent connection of the console to a computer while using EtherSound in 'ring' mode.

To make setup quick and easy, the M7CL-48ES auto-configures its connection to the SB168-ES stage box, obviating the need to use ES Monitor software to establish the link.

The upgraded, Version 3, software - which will be offered as a free upgrade to all existing M7

Sweden - The TC Group has announced a restructuring that has resulted in the formation of a new organization known as TC Group International which will operate out of Aarhus in Denmark and Coatbridge, Scotland.

The new organisation, which comes into being today (1 February), will offer "a new and revitalised sales and support structure based on vertical markets" across all TCGI-owned brands, namely TC Electronic, TC Helicon, Lab.gruppen, Lake and Tannoy, as well as the distributed brands Dynaudio Acoustics and Blue Microphones.

All sales activity that was previously handled at individual brand level, such as order processing, and account management will now be centralised and handled at group level out of the offices in Aarhus and Coatbridge.

In addition to this, all sales force and sales support activity will be organised by market segment, of which there are five

UK - Liverpool based rental company Adlib supplied Lighting, AV and PA to the latest successful UK tour by award winning comedian Jimmy Carr.

Adlib has worked with Carr for the last four years and they have also been enjoying a spurt of comedy tours in recent months which included Russell Howard's pre-festive arena tour.

The lighting rig was designed and operated by Adlib's Tim Spilman. The set-up featured a front truss with eight Martin Professional MAC 250 wash lights, with three 90 degree ETC Source Four profiles on side booms each side of the thrust stage for downstage side illumination. There were six floor PARs, fitted with front filters to eliminate facial shadows.

A black back curtain was up-lit with another five floor PARs. There were three main performance positions - centre stage, sofa stage right and table stage right - each of which was lit with two profiles and

The Netherlands - DMi D&M Installation Europe is showing the new in-ceiling Architectural Series from Boston Acoustics for the first time at Integrated Systems Europe 2010 this week. The CI speaker series has been nominated for an InAvation Technology Award 2010.

All three models - including a subwoofer - are designed to resemble small modern halogen type enclosures, providing "the most discrete sound installation speakers yet devised, while employing proprietary Boston Acoustics' technology and engineering to ensure that this is achieved without any compromise to the company's renowned sound quality".

The HSi 430 and HSi 435 are 3½ " hi/mid enclosures, with round and square bezels respectively; the matching HSi S6W2 subwoofer also comes with alternative bezel forms. In addition to their diminutive size, the speakers feature dramatically reduced bezel visibilit

UK - Berkshire-based sound rental company Event Sound has joined the ranks of UK mid-format line-array providers, with its purchase of an Electro-Voice XLC system from Shuttlesound.

The upgrade of an inventory which has included two generations of Electro-Voice PA products signals the serious intentions of Event Sound's owners Nick Billinghurst and Jason Spencer, who are now committed full-time to building the high-end rental operation, and adding a sales and installation dimension to the company.

Shuttlesound will supply Event Sound with 18 XLC 127DVX modules with eight Xsubs, and a stock of new Tour Grade amplifiers, which are fitted with RCM26 remote control modules, providing the full complement of IIR filters, signal routing, level control, compression and limiting, and FIR-Drive processing.

"They have big plans and they're prepared to work hard," says Shuttle

Guadeloupe - L-Acoustics' rental network agent in Guadeloupe, J2C Antilles, has supplied a Kudo/Kiva system for a concert by Lionel Richie at the Baie-Mahault Stadium in Pointe-à-Pitre. The international star, who has sold more than 100m records worldwide and is promoting his new album Just Go, performed before an audience of 15,000.

The system comprised nine Kudo line source cabinets and four SB28 subwoofers per side, a centre cluster of six Kiva ultra compact line source cabinets, and out-fills of three Kivas per side. The whole system was driven by nine LA8 amplified controllers housed in LA-RAK touring racks.

François Chaumeil, L-Acoustics' technical support for France, explains , "The total audience area was 60m wide by 100m deep, with the nine Kudo covering an area from 15m back to 100m. Using Kudo's K-Louver system, the top three cabinets were open at an

UK - Sting's recording engineer Donal Hodgson recently embarked on a project to record the artist for A Winter's Night...Live from Durham Cathedral - a concert version of his latest album, If On A Winter's Night... for DVD release and international broadcast.

Hodgson selected a wide range of DPA microphones to assist him in this complex task, which presented many challenges. The largest of these was the building itself. A beautiful cathedral dating back to 1093, Durham provided an amazing backdrop to the concert, but its solid stone construction threw up some serious reverb problems. As the concert was also being filmed, clean sight lines were essential.

"The cathedral has a lovely sounding reverb, but it's at least five seconds long," recalls Hodgson. "The only way to make it sound good was to close mic all 38 musicians. The biggest challenge I

Austria - The Four Hills Tournament is the ski-jumping highlight of the entire season, followed avidly by enthusiasts throughout the world. This latest (58th) edition of the tournament, ski-jumping's unofficial world championship, ran from the 29 December 2009 to the 6 January 2010 and comprised four competitions on four different slopes.

Traditionally, the Garmisch-Partenkirchen leg of the tournament (the other venues being Oberstdorf, Innsbruck and Bischofshofen) takes place on New Year's Day and in 2010, for the eleventh year in a row, the task of providing the sound reinforcement was entrusted to the Weilheim-based production company TC Showtechnik. The team led by Martin Schulze and Stefan Rehthaler once again relied on Electro-Voice. The centrepiece of the solution proposed by TC Showtechnik for the event, which was watched live by 25,000 spectators and followed by million

UK / UAE - SES Entertainment Services, based near London, has appointed the newly formed RFW Trading LLC as its sole UAE distributor for its extensive range of power distribution products.

RFW, owned and managed by Fragille Wade, formerly of Dubai-based Protec, has tied up with SES to sell its products to an already extensive client base in the region.

Fragille Wade commented: "Having worked with SES's products for many years, I was pleased to be able to represent them in the region and supply a market that has an insatiable appetite for quality distribution equipment. There has been a significant gap in the market here for some time which we hope to be able to fill with a wide range of Power Products which we will hold in stock at our new warehouse in Dubai. We will be adding to our product range over the coming months and will be a one stop shop for the production and e

USA / Sweden - Audinate has announced that Lake, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lab.gruppen, has launched its new LM 26 Digital Audio Loudspeaker Processor with Dante networking inside. The Lake LM 26 is the natural successor to the Dolby Lake Processor (DLP) with extensive digital matrix functions including Dante digital networking, which provides seamless compatibility with Lab.gruppen's Dante-enabled PLM Series as well as legacy DLPs.

The new LM 26 will accept audio signals via Audinate's Dante digital audio network at 48 and 96 kHz sampling rates. Automatic input priority switching may be enabled, and the unit can function as both an input matrix mixer and Dante break-in box or break-out box.

"We are very proud to bring LM 26 to market. This new Digital Audio Loudspeaker Processor builds on the Lake heritage and, with its unique and advanced features, takes loudspeaker

UK - Orbital Sound reports strong sales to the UK club scene, including new systems to London's 229 Club in Great Portland Street, and Brighton's Concorde 2. In London, 229 Club has invested in a substantial new sound system, designed around d&b audioteknik's Q1 line array complemented by Digidesign's recently launched SC48 mixing console, for its 620-capacity main room. In Brighton, Concorde 2 has extended its top-end sound system with the addition of the compact Digidesign Venue Mix Rack System, comprising the Venue Profile console and all-in-one Venue Mix Rack processing and I/O component.

Since opening in 2007, 229 has established itself as one of the UK's leading small to medium-sized venues, attracting acts such as Primal Scream, Keane, Gnarls Barkley and Razorlight. 229 came to Orbital Sound in early 2009, looking for a high quality and reliable sound system that delivere

USA - Moonlighting Production Services, a sound and lighting production rental and sales company based in Portland, ME, has added 12 Radian Audio Engineer APEX-1200 low-profile, 12" two-way coaxial stage monitor wedges to its rental inventory. The company, co-founded by Gary Massey and Ted Dunbar, provides production services for concerts, corporate events and special events.

Massey, vice-president of operations for Moonlighting, reports that Radian Audio delivered the APEX-1200 wedges in time for a performance by Pink Martini at Portland's Merrill Auditorium. Moonlighting then put the wedges to work on the annual L. L. Bean concert series, which this year included artists such as Madeleine Peyroux, Patty Loveless, Blues Traveler, the Wallflowers and Asleep at the Wheel.

For the show by Pink Martini, a 12-piece band, Massey recounts: "We had 11 wedges on 11 mixes, pl

Italy / China - Link srl is has appointed Rightway Audio as its exclusive distributor for China. Headquartered on the Chinese mainland in Guangzhou, with branches in Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai, Rightway Audio offers the opportunity to significantly increase Link's presence in the region. The company represents numerous major international brands including Camco, L-Acoustics, Midas / Klark Teknik, Sennheiser and Riedel, and is pleased to add Link to this prestigious list.

"The superior quality of Link's cabling and connectors, along with their ever increasing willingness to offer custom hybrid solutions for our customers' live sound, theatre and broadcast needs is a perfect complement to our current business model," commented Danny Lau, Managing Director, Rightway Audio.

"As the industry demand for hybrid connectivity solutions increases, it is essential tha

The Netherlands - Bosch Security Systems' new Vari-directional Arrays are designed for use in challenging locations such as railway stations, airports and places of worship where hard construction materials are often used which absorb very little sound, creating a reverberant environment.

The loudspeakers are fully EVAC compliant, which means they conform to local and regional requirements and are suitable for all voice-alarm applications. All the amplifier and loudspeaker components including the drivers are fully supervised, faults are logged and a 24 V DC backup power supply can be connected.

The modular-designed product range consists of a base unit and extension units that can be simply connected together. The configuration software can automatically detect a connected extension unit to reduce configuration time. On its own, the base unit can cover up to 15m. Adding one e

USA - SADiE digital audio workstations have played a part in helping independent audio production company Five/Four Productions achieve success at this year's Grammy Awards, which took place in Los Angeles on 31 January.

Five/Four Productions received a total of four nominations for projects recorded or produced by its staff. It went on to win in the Best Surround Sound Album category for Transmigration, featuring Robert Spano and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Choruses and released on Telarc. This award was given to Michael Bishop who engineered and mastered the album, and to Elaine Martone, who produced it.

Based in Cleveland, Ohio, Five/Four Productions is headed by Michael Bishop, Robert Friedrich and Thomas Moore, all former key production members of Telarc Records. Between them, they have created team of audio specialists with Grammy-winning experience across

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