Colombia - When Colombian rental company C Villa worked with a DiGiCo SD8 on a tour by Grammy-winning singer Carlos Vives, so impressed were the staff by its performance that it wasn't long before the company purchased one for its own inventory, adding another country to the console's world itinerary.

Vives' Front of House engineer Rob 'Cubby' Colby is a keen DiGiCo user and C Villa proprietor Mauricio Vilar Martinez felt the SD8 would be the ideal product for the company.

"The audio quality, dynamics and frequency response are all excellent and I really like being able to connect the remote snake via MADI," says Martinez. "When it came off the plane from the UK, we started using it right away, without even reading the manual. It worked really well from the start."

One of the more challenging events the SD8 has already been used on is at the Festival o

USA / UK - Martin Audio's signature dance system at the Ministry of Sound (London) has picked up one of the industry's most coveted awards after being voted Best Club Sound System Design at the International Dance Music Awards(IDMA).

As one of the most anticipated annual events on the global dance music calendar, the IDMA's generate over 1m votes from music enthusiasts in 183 countries every year to honour exceptional achievements in 57 award categories. It has become the focal point of the Winter Music Conferenc in Miami.

This year Ministry of Sound London not only won the Best Club Sound System Design but also the Best Global Club.

Over the years, the south London club has systematically converted to an all-Martin Audio system, capped off by a bespoke club stack in its main room (the Box). The final piece in the jigsaw came in February this year, when it beca

USA - Charlotte's Knight Theatre has been outfitted with a sound system that includes Renkus-Heinz's PNX102LA line arrays, along with centre clusters of STX4-Series loudspeakers.

Part of the newly-completed Wells Fargo Cultural Campus that also houses the 55-story Duke Energy Centre, the Mint Museum and the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, the 1200-seat Knight Theatre is home to the North Carolina Dance Theatre, the Charlotte Symphony, and a wide variety of music, comedy and touring productions.

The diverse roster of performances was one reason for the selection of the Renkus-Heinz systems, says project manager Robert Delaney of Raleigh-based Strategic Connections. "The Knight Theatre is a very well designed space, with diffusers that can be rearranged to adapt its acoustics to different types of program material," he explains. "To make the most of this flexibilit

UK - Keith Monks Sound Systems, the audio installation division of Cunnings Recording Associates has completed a major installation at St Mary's Church, Kilburn.

The audio system at the church was designed to be unobtrusive and provide a natural sound. The system is based around the Yamaha DME24N hardware providing an operator free sound system solution.

Discrete Tannoy column loudspeakers provide sound coverage throughout the church, two positioned on the chancel arch covering the entire nave and one smaller column in each side aisle, time aligned to suit their respective positions. Discrete

headworn TOA radio mics and Audio-Technica gooseneck microphones ensure the system is completely seamless in operation.

The visual system was designed to be both aesthetically pleasing and unobtrusive. The ornate stained glass window was not to be permanently obstructed and as such an

Germany - After an extensive test phase and a final shootout between six brands, Nationaltheater Mannheim has decided on a system from Dutch manufacturer Alcons Audio.

Specified was a system with an excellent, natural sound response, with very little compression. The old system did not have a sufficient coverage on and below the balconies.

Tonmeister Christian Stader Stader reports, "In the shootout, Alcons was for all involved in the decision, the clear overall winner. The system is in complete harmony with our room."

Another important aspect for Stader is the support: "The cooperation is very personal and based on trust I rarely experienced a better support. One feels taken care of in the best way with Alcons."

In Mannheim 12 units of LR14 and six units of LR7 were installed, with two BF302 double 15" subwoofers, as well as two VR8 compact monito

The Show Goes On - Icelandic volcanoes and closed airports have not stood in the way of attending this year's PALME exhibition which closes today, say the organisers. The eighth annual PALME Middle East 2010 was officially opened at the Dubai World Trade Centre by Engineer Hussain Nasser Lootah, director general of Dubai Municipality. "PALME has always been an important show at which to do business and this year is no exception. The exhibition has grown 10 per cent compared to 2009, proving the importance of the date on the international entertainment calendar," said Alex Heuff, exhibition director.

The team from A.C. Entertainment Technologies drove through the night to Nice, France, from London to board a flight to Dubai, arriving at 1am this morning to make the show. "We said we would be at the show and when we say something we mean it, but this is also an impo

UK - This year has seen the release of KV2 Audio's first range of passive loudspeakers allowing users to utilise third party amplification for the first time.

In accepting the need to introduce a passive range of cabinets the design team knew that just another passive box would not produce the quality our dealers and end users had come to expect of KV2, says the company. After several months of R & D the answer came in a revolutionary analogue delay line that allows perfect time and phase alignment of the components within the box but without the use of active electronics. The end result is a range of three passive speakers with flat response, high output and consistent coverage.

Applications include AV and hire for corporate events, high quality speech reproduction, music playback for installation or live use and studio monitors. ESD is also commonly utilised as peripheral or

USA - Founded in 1910, Radford University celebrates its centennial anniversary this year as one of the state's most vibrant and well-respected colleges. The school's Highlanders basketball team boasts an enviable Division I NCAA record, and the team's potential NBA first-round draft pick has sparked national and local attention, easily filling the 5,000-seat Dedmon Centre.

When it opened its doors in 1981, the Dedmon Center was among the first venues in the United States to boast a then-futuristic air-supported roof. The Centre recently underwent a major renovation that included a new steel-reinforced roof, new basketball court, new LED video scoreboards and broadcast capabilities, and an audio system utilising Community Professional Loudspeakers' Solutions Series loudspeakers.

"It's a great place to see a game, but the sound system was always something of an afterthough

UK - Following Ofcom's recent announcement BEIRG reports that it is pleased and relieved that Ofcom has accepted the Programme Making and Special Event (PMSE) sector's arguments regarding security of tenure.

BEIRG states: "We consequently welcome the fact that they have committed to address the 'cliff edge', which would have otherwise resulted in no guaranteed spectrum access for the sector beyond 2018. We are grateful to our supporters in Parliament, especially Peter Luff MP, who have helped us on this issue. We look forward to continued constructive discussions with Ofcom officials as they move forward with more detailed policy plans and a final decision on how to address that cliff edge.

"The extension of guaranteed access to channel 69 until at lea

UK - PLASA Events, organisers of PLASA Focus: Leeds 2010 - which takes place next week on Tuesday 27 and Wednesday 28 April at the Royal Armouries in Leeds - report that the event looks set to break records this year, as visitor pre-registrations have topped 2,500 - an increase of some 20% on last year's inaugural show. PLASA Events has also announced the availability online of the Digital Edition of this year's PLASA Focus: Leeds 2010 Show Guide - click here to view the Guide in advance of the event.

The exhibition space itself sold out long ago, as last year's returning exhibitors were joined by 33 new names, filling both The Royal Armouries & Saviles Halls. Dozens of new product launches have been announced, many making their first UK appearance following international launches at Prolight&Sound in

UK - Following recent Ofcom announcements concerning Channel 38 (606-614MHz) as the replacement for UK radio microphone Channel 69, Hand Held Audio has added dedicated Channel 38 radio mics to its hire stock. The versatile Trantec S5.5 system covers Channels 38, 39, 40 and 41 (606-638MHz) and provides a lower cost rental option.

Following a thorough testing and assessment process the S5.5 proved itself to have the quality and durability to "cut the mustard" in the hire department, say Hand Held Audio. Features include easy set-up and operation, intuitive controls and infra-red synching for fast set-up of multiple systems.

Hand Held Audio's current stock includes 16 x S5.5-RX diversity receivers (capable of running as a 16-way system) with relevant antenna distribution and cabling. Transmitters are the compact S5.5-LTX belt pack and the S5.5-HDX hand held with dynamic

Italy - Proel amplifiers have been chosen by Hollywood Service, responsible for the outfitting of a real piano keyboard built on the stairs leading out of Milan's subway station of Piazza Duomo for LiveMi.

LiveMi is a major initiative aimed at relaunching Italian emergent music, under the artistic direction of Italian Music TV personality Red Ronnie and supported by the Municipality of Milan and by ATM (Milan's public transportation company).

It offers artists and bands having their own repertoire a series of important and free opportunities for their career. Among the various opportunities available are a chance to perform on a professional stage at the Milan Metro, a video broadcast of the concerts on maxi-screens and on YouTube, and participation to the web community.

The musical staircase was installed last December for the inauguration of LiveMi. Pa

USA - Lexicon has released new Windows 7 software drivers for Alpha, Lambda, Omega and the I?ONIX U22, U42S, and U82S series of Desktop Recording Interfaces. Now all of the Lexicon USB Desktop Recording Interfaces operate seamlessly on any computers running 32-bit or 64-bit Windows 7, Vista, or XP. Also, these interfaces operate on all Mac computers operating on OS X 10.4.9 or higher regardless of whether they are based on PowerPC or Intel processors.

Speaking about the newly updated drivers for the Desktop Recording Interfaces, business segment director for Lexicon Paul Faby said: "We're excited to be continuing our effort to offer the latest software updates to support these products. This is a fantastic line-up which offers unbelievable sonic capabilities at very attractive prices."

(Jim Evans)

UK - AC-ET's Audio division has been appointed as an authorised dealer for the RSS by Roland range of professional audio products. The line-up includes cost-effective digital mixing, digital snake multicore and audio recorder solutions which can be easily integrated into specific commercial applications.

As part of the agreement, AC-ET will carry stock of key product lines as well as having access to the full RSS product range.

The RSS by Roland M-400 live mixing console will be featured on AC-ET's stand at the PLASA Focus show.

The RSS by Roland digital snake multicore range includes the S-4000S, a modular system delivering up to 160 channels of high quality 24-bit/96kHz audio over Cat 5e cables. Features include remote controllable XR-1 professional quality mic preamps, redundant Ethernet ports and splits using standard Ethernet hardware.

A.C. Audio Sales Manager, Peter

UK - The 128th Convention of the Audio Engineering Society, the international audio technology organisation and standards body, takes place in London this year, from 22-25 May at the Novotel Convention Centre, Hammersmith.

The Convention consists of technical presentations and discussion sessions, workshops, and student-orientated activities. The associated equipment exhibition takes place in the neighbouring Novotel Exhibition Hall.

An international mix of speakers is lined up for the Convention, in sessions ranging from white-paper presentations on the latest developments in psychoacoustic research, forensic audio restoration techniques and surround sound, to practical discussion sessions on the future of running commercial studios and producing audio soundtracks for console and computer games.

Roger Furness, executive director of the AES, comments: "We're delighted t

USA - Audio-Technica provided wireless solutions for the 45th Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards, broadcast live on the CBS Television Network from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday 18 April 18.

Several performers used Audio-Technica's Artist Elite 5000 Series UHF Wireless System during the course of the show. Country/pop singer-songwriter Taylor Swift paired the 5000 Series system with the AEW-T4100 Cardioid Dynamic Handheld Transmitter for her lead vocals. Audio-Technica endorser Jason Aldean performed with the 5000 Series and the AEW-T6100 Hypercardioid Dynamic Handheld Transmitter. Darius Rucker and A-T endorser Kenny Chesney each performed with the AEW-T5400 Cardioid Condenser Handheld Transmitter.

"Some of the best ears in the business choose Audio-Technica every day," said Soundtronics Wireless's Dave Bellamy, wireless engineer for the ACM A

USA - In preparing for the 2010 summer tour season, Rat Sound knew it would be adding some new equipment to its inventory. Starting the season doing five stages at the Coachella festival in April and with several arena tours booked, the company is poised for a big summer. "We're seeing demand we haven't seen in several years," notes company president Dave Rat. "This will definitely be our strongest year ever."

One area of need was a new digital mixing console. Rat says: "Knowing our client requirements, we tested several consoles. There were two different angles I look at in evaluating a board - me personally as an engineer, and of course, the company as a sound vendor. Basically, we found that the Midas PRO6 has features and usability that I have not been able to find in other digital consoles."

From a business perspective, Rat Sound's needs were

UK - Prog rock band Aeon Zen is the first band in the UK to embrace fully the system functionality and interconnectivity of the Roland Systems Group suite of sound and video control products, investing in a portable digital mixing and stage monitoring package put together for them by Wigwam Sales. This compact system, contained in just two custom flightcases, includes a six-way stage monitoring system using RSS M-48 individual mixers, and a RSS M-400 digital mixing console with Digital Snake for use at front-of-house.

The band is now trying to ramp up its live touring schedule ahead of the release of a second album. "The only way this music will work live is if we recreate the studio sound with the right gear," explains Aeon Zen's founder and songwriter Rich Hinks. "It's too technical to sound good in a normal set-up so we take advantage of MIDI triggers and effec

USA - Celtic Woman merges modern elements with Celtic tunes through the voices of five female soloists backed by a full band and an eight-member choir. Since its formation in 2004, the group has sold over 50m albums and has played to sold-out arenas throughout the world. The current 75 city tour, Songs From the Heart supports the latest release of the same name and made its way in late February through New York City.

The group invited the Internet phenomenon P.S. 22 Chorus to share the stage at Radio City Music Hall. Under the direction of Gregg Breinberg, the P.S. 22 Chorus is a school chorus from Staten Island, New York, whose performances have "gone viral" on YouTube.com, inspiring over 13m views. In addition to the large amount of Sennheiser wireless and wired microphones and personal monitors that Celtic Woman normally travels with, FOH engineer Wayne Paule

France - Innovason, French manufacturer of live digital mixing consoles, has announced the appointment of Marcel Babazadeh to the position of international sales director.

Philipp Lawo, CEO of the Lawo Group which has a majority shareholding in Innovason, is pleased to welcome Babazadeh to the Innovason team: "Marcel has extensive experience in audio hardware sales; his commercial success with leading companies in our industry provides irrefutable evidence of this", he says. "I was particularly impressed with his excellent relationship with users, pre- and post-sales support, and his thorough product knowledge."

Prior to taking over the Innovason sales operation, Babazadeh was sales director for digital mixing consoles in the European and South American markets, as well as Sales Tonmeister for an internationally known company in the professional audio indus

China - KV2 Audio has announced the appointment of Aivin Audio as its new distribution partner in China. Having a wealth of experience in audio installations as well as the thriving Karaoke market, Aivin is well positioned to build on the success of the KV2 brand in the rest of the world.

Currently working towards the forthcoming PALME show in Beijing next month where KV2 will have a demonstration room for the first time, as well as increased exposure on the floor, a new purpose built club demonstration facility is also being constructed for customers to experience the KV2 systems at their Guangzhou facility.

Commenting on the appointment, whilst attending a training seminar for KV2 dealers in China, CEO Jonathan Reece-Farren says: "2010 looks like an exciting year for both companies and we look forward to reporting back on their mutual success over the coming months.&quo

Israel - L-Acoustics has announced the appointment of Lightone as its new distributor for Israel. Lightone has extensive experience of the Israeli sound reinforcement market, and boasts a knowledgeable sales and technical team.

"Having previously worked with Lightone I am excited to renew my contact with them," says Tim McCall, L-Acoustics sales manager. "I anticipate that their appointment will open up new possibilities and markets to further strengthen the L-Acoustics brand name in Israel."

(Jim Evans)

Hungary - Loud And Pro has become the first Hungarian rental company to own a Midas PRO6 live audio system, purchasing two for its fast-growing PA inventory. Loud And Pro, which started life 10 years ago, is now the biggest backline supplier in the country, and has diversified into PA hire.

"We have a small PA system at the moment but it was time to upgrade," says Loud And Pro's sales and marketing manager Levente Csecsi. "We contacted many Hungarian distributors including Midas distributor Bluesound, who suggested we try a PRO6 and invited us for a demo. It wasn't hard to convince our boss. We bought two, enabling us to provide a dual FOH/monitor system. We'll be mainly using them for festivals, for open-air stadium gigs, arena concerts etc."

CEO Thomas Balog has long been an admirer of Midas consoles, and was delighted when the PRO6 was launched, finding

Australia - Situated on the scenic Central Coast in Gosford, Bluetongue Stadium has earned a reputation as one of Australia's most picturesque venues.

With a total capacity of 20,059, Bluetongue Stadium has played host to many major events. These include International Rugby Union, National Rugby League and National A-League Football matches, branching out to boxing, motorcross and open-air rock concerts as well as a multitude of local sporting and community events.

The construction of Bluetongue Stadium was completed in February 2000, bringing to Gosford a premier multifunctional facility overlooking the beautiful Brisbane Waters. The speaker system installed at that time had been adversely affected by the salt air.

"Some of the speakers weren't working because their components had been corroded," explained Chris Fanning, director of Newcastle-based A1 Audio & Ligh

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