Sound

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USA - Nominations open 1 May 2010 for the third annual ESTA Rock Our World Awards, which recognise groundbreaking achievement by ESTA Members in new products, product applications, or projects. These awards were created to acknowledge the genius of both the creator of technology and the designer or integrator who applies the technology in a real world environment.

Contestants for the 2009 awards showcased a wide variety of new products and product applications from the simplest problem solver to complex uses of technology that extended the boundaries of the entertainment technology field. Project nominations showcased everything from the lighting of the Grand Mosque to the staging of the Democratic National Convention and highlighted the collaborative nature of our industry.

Nominations may be made by anyone in the industry, but an ESTA member must be involved as the de

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UK - Adam Hall has expand its growing product portfolio by becoming the exclusive UK distributor for Audac.

Audac is an audio manufacturer that offers a complete range of professional audio equipment including amplifiers, loudspeakers, microphones and more.

"The installation market is extremely important and Audac will be a perfect supplement to our existing range," says Adam Hall's general manager, Andrew Richardson.

Audac's export manager Mark Asselberghs adds, "We are proud to have a respected company like Adam Hall for our major markets within Europe. With their wide range of products they have the right customers for our products. Together with the support from Audac they will continue to flourish in the successful installation market."

(Jim Evans)

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UK - After 18 years at the forefront of Midas and Klark Teknik, David Cooper has announced that he has left the company to form David Cooper Consulting.

The philosophy of David Cooper Consulting is to provide focused, long term sales and brand management services to an exclusive number of pro audio manufacturers. The select few that the new enterprise will go into partnership with will benefit from the company's strategic approach to brand management as well as its extensive global network of relationships built up over a generation.

"I'm absolutely thrilled to be in a position to now offer my services to other manufacturers," says Cooper. "Fronting Midas' exceptional sales and marketing team for nearly 20 years has been an honour and a pleasure but over the last few months I've had a strong desire to be in charge of my own destiny. At Midas, we've had some good

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New Zealand - For the sound reinforcement professional, an outdoor concert featuring dub, funk, afrobeat and soul (as performed by The Black Seeds) and an indoor concert featuring acoustic guitar, vocals, and orchestra (as performed by the Topp Twins and the Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra) are every bit as different from one another as apples and jackhammers. This is precisely what Auckland, NZ-based Edwards Sound Systems encountered on two recent projects. They both used the new Aero 12A line array system from D.A.S. Audio.

Edwards Sound - a full service sound, lighting and audio visual - recently took delivery of their new Aero 12A line array speakers, which are part of D.A.S. Audio's Aero Series 2 product line. These two very different projects were among the first applications for the company's new equipment.

Jonathan Hardie-Neil, managing director of Edwards Sound report

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Germany - After almost two decades, d&b audiotechnik has found it necessary to update a classic. The venerable E3 has now been superseded by the E6, taking years of audio heritage and redefining it for a new generation of listeners. Smaller and lighter, this powerful new loudspeaker equals or exceeds E3 performance in every way, says the company. The E6 fits smoothly between the acknowledged E0 and E8 loudspeakers within the d&b audiotechnik E-Series product range. Not only is the E6 smaller and lighter than its ancestor but it also punches above its weight.

The E6 is a high performance multipurpose loudspeaker employing an integrated 6.5"/1" exit coaxial driver design with neodymium magnet and constant directivity horn loading. The innovative horn design with its 100° x 55° (h x v) dispersion pattern can easily be rotated through 90° providing a 55° x

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UK - Grammy Award winning US producer/engineers and founding members of the METAlliance, Chuck Ainlay and George Massenburg, are to jointly host two recording masterclass seminars in London, directly after the forthcoming AES convention. The two-day sessions, to be held at British Grove Studios in West London on 26-29 May will cover aspects of the entire recording process: preproduction session planning, studio set-up for tracking, mic placement, overdubs, mixing, delivery, and archiving. They will also cover effective use of tools: microphones, analogue & digital equipment, outboard effects and plug-ins, in-the-box as well as analogue console mixing, plus detailed stereo & multichannel mixing techniques.

A live band will be present on the first day of each session. The plan is to make the whole event a very hands-on experience for everyone who attends. The event is being manage

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Israel - Waves Audio is now shipping the WSG-Y16 mini-YGDAI SoundGrid I/O card for Yamaha mixing consoles. The card widens the sonic capabilities of a Yamaha console, giving live engineers the opportunity to more accurately duplicate the sounds of hit studio recordings, the company says. Also, it gives front-of-house engineers the ability to select from a wide palette of vintage outboard signal processing without having to haul racks of fragile classic gear. Together with Waves SoundGrid Server (SGS), a Control PC, a network switch and an authorised iLok with SoundGrid-compatible Waves plug-ins, the WSG-Y16 enables Yamaha consoles to process 16 channels of audio with Waves plug-ins. The WSG-Y16 also supports MIDI input, for remote plug-in control directly from the console or external control surface.

"We are delighted to add the Waves WSG-Y16 SoundGrid MY-card to the ever-g

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USA - One of the main elements of any live performance is the mixing console, but Memphis Train Revue, a 10-piece R&B/soul band based in Austin, Texas, and their engineer James Duvall have been successful with a new paradigm. The band's sound system is designed around Allen & Heath's iDR-32 MixRack connected to a laptop, eliminating the mixing console completely.

Memphis Train Revue is a high-energy show band that plays a lot of private events. "One of the things we specialize in is making things efficient and seamless for our clients. Everything we do can happen within the boundaries of the stage itself. Eliminating the mixing console frees up a significant amount of floor space, and that can be the difference in getting the gig, whether it's a club, theatre or ballroom," says James Duvall of Creative Engineering & Solutions in Austin, who does both the house and moni

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Global Music Sales - Sales of music slid by 7% around the world in 2009, new figures have revealed. But the music market in 13 countries, including the UK, grew during the past year, according to data released by recording industry body the IFPI. It added that global digital sales registered a strong increase across many markets in 2009. Susan Boyle's debut album was confirmed as the world's biggest seller of the year, shifting 8.3m copies. The Scottish star's performance was substantially up on 2008's world number one, Coldplay's Viva La Vida, which sold 6.8m. The Black Eyed Peas and Michael Jackson's This Is It followed Boyle in the rundown.

The IFPI also reported that countries which have the least stringent protection from music piracy, such as Spain and Canada, registered the most serious falls in official music sales. Improvements in anti-piracy measures in countrie

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UK - PLASA and L&SI magazine have joined forces with the technical team at The Centaur in Cheltenham to stage a three-day loudspeaker demonstration on Tuesday 18th, Wednesday 19th and Thursday 20th May. The event, which PLASA and L&SI plan to be the first of many such product-led industry gatherings, will allow visitors to hear and compare a range of the world's leading professional PA systems designed for shows and events with up to 5000 audience capacity.

Over the course of three days, 12 leading manufacturers will gather at the 4000-capacity multi-purpose venue to demo' their systems. The Participants will include DAS Audio, EAW, Funktion-One, JBL, K-Array, KV2 Audio, Martin Audio, Meyer Sound, RCF, Renkus-Heinz and Tannoy.

Audio consultant Steve Jones of SJA has designed the demo format in consultation with the manufacturers involved, and will be on hand to ensure an even

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UK - PLASA Events confirms that PLASA Focus: Leeds 2010 has broken all records over the two days at the Royal Armouries in Leeds. Visitor attendance topped 1800 - an increase of nearly 30% on last year's launch event. Thirty-three first-time exhibitors at PLASA Focus meant the show was brimming with key industry players, bringing the total to over 130 exhibitors, with both halls sold out weeks in advance of the show.

A lengthy list of new products were on show, many representing their first UK appearance following international launches, including 15 new products by Martin Professional; the SADiE 6 LiVE system; the UK debut of RCF's VSA 2050 Digital Steerable Column; Audio-Technica's updated 2000, 3000, 4000 & 5000 wireless systems; Clay Paky's first LED screen product - the Mirage LED curtain display; Trantec's Channel 38-ready S6 wireless system; GDS's latest additions

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UK - Housed within an old brewery bottling plant building on one of the oldest streets in Norwich, The Waterfront is a popular 700-capacity venue hosting over 100 live music events every year since it opened in 1993. The venue is owned by the University of East Anglia student union, but is run as an independent business open to the general public, and open four or five nights per week.

The venue has always offered something of an in-house PA system for touring acts, but recently secured funds to upgrade or replace its existing outdated system. It was at this point that production manager Nic Morris and the venue's in-house engineer, Lavar Bullard, discovered Tannoy's new VQ Live system through an encounter with Paul Nicholson of Red Square Audio, who made the recommendation to arrange a demonstration.

The VQ Live system surpassed all expectations with clarity, headroom and sep

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USA - Audio-Technica provided wireless solutions for the 41st Annual GMA Dove Awards, taped live on Wednesday 21 April, at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry House, and broadcast on GMC, Sunday 25 April 2010.

Several featured performers used Audio-Technica's Artist Elite 5000 Series UHF Wireless System, paired with the AEW-T5400 Cardioid Condenser Handheld Transmitter, during the course of the show, including co-host Bart Millard of MercyMe; Amy Grant; Francesca Battistelli; Jars of Clay; Tenth Avenue North; Red; Donald Lawrence; Phillips, Craig & Dean; Kari Jobe; and Michael W. Smith, who led a moving finale performance of the Haiti benefit Come Together Now, accompanied by the rest of the night's artists. A-T's 5000 Series wireless was also used as part of the mic setup for a gospel medley performance, and additionally the house band used a selection of A-T hardwired microphone

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USA - For many types of entertainment, the Paradise Theatre is one of greater New York's leading destinations and now features a new D.A.S. Audio based sound system.

Engineer Fernando Garcia of the AVS Production Group, the Bronx, NY-based production company contracted to handle sound at the Paradise Theatre, was instrumental in both specifying and erecting the massive sound system that consists of 20 D.A.S. Audio Aero 50 large format, three-way line array modules plus another four Aero 12A 2-way, compact, mid-high line array elements.

"Prior to the theatre's new management," Garcia explained, "I worked this theatre with another sound system. We constantly had problems with inconsistent sound coverage and poor speech intelligibility. The upper balcony and the rear area of the main floor, in particular, had spotty sound. The only means of even marginally addressi

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Germany - Pro Audio Technik, German distributor of Out Board's TiMax range of audio delay matrix and tracking products, made the company's first sale to a German rental company when it supplied a TiMax2 SoundHub and TiMax Tracker system to Sugar Veranstaltungstechnik, PA contractors of Sinzing, Germany.

The system was specified by award-winning sound designer, Thomas Strebel of audiopool, Switzerland, for inclusion on the bizarre tour of musical comedy, Die Patienten by leading Swiss comic, Marco Rima. Strebel is well versed in producing clear and source oriented sound reinforcement for performances of vast proportions and also in the round, so he and his team were perfectly at home amongst the tour madness.

Die Patienten is the story of the members of a mental care institution who form a rock band but need to escape their current closed environment to fulfil the

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France - Electronic pop duo, Air, recently completed an extensive tour of Europe and America to promote their new album, Love2, carrying a combined FOH and monitor iLive digital system from Allen & Heath.

"I've been using an iLive-112 system ever since I toured with Florence & the Machine in 2008," says AIR's FOH engineer. Dave McDonald. "iLive's two greatest attributes are the way it's laid out and the way it sounds. When I glance down everything's in place telling me what's going on and it's very easy to understand, whereas with some of the other digital boards there's a lot of scrolling and you end up becoming a mechanic, which kills the artistic side of mixing."

The Air iLive system comprises an iDR10 MixRack digitally split to an iDR0 minirack positioned on stage, with iLive-112 Control Surfaces at FOH and monitors.

"The FX are amazing to

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UK - For 10 years the Teenage Cancer Trust (TCT) has famously staged one of the biggest music extravaganzas on the UK calendar, and this year's 10th anniversary event was no exception.

A star-studded and eclectic line up took over the Royal Albert Hall for the duration of the 10-day event, including Suede, Noel Gallagher, JLS, The Specials, Arctic Monkeys, The Who and Them Crooked Vultures, to name but a few in an exceptional line up.

Throughout this anniversary series of gigs, Shure was to the fore with their newly launched PSM900 wireless Personal Monitoring System. London-based Entec Sound and Light provided the PA for the event, as they have done since the very first TCT event back in 2001.

"We'd already heard demonstrations of Shure's PSM900, and it was immediately obvious from the sound quality that we had to showcase them at the Teenage Cancer Trust shows,"

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Norway - Since its opening in mid 2009, up to 900 guests daily have been making their way to the fashionable Club Gossip in Trondheim. The managers of the new dance temple offer a variety of events and genres on the club's three different levels, ranging from house, rock 'n' roll, soul and R&B playback to live concerts - a bandwidth that demands considerable versatility from the sound reinforcement system.

After carefully comparing the offerings of three other suppliers, Gossip's managers opted for a sound reinforcement system from Electro-Voice, designed by Norwegian installation engineers and audio consultants avon a|s.

The nerve centre and heart of the system is found in the air-conditioned equipment room on the first floor of the club, where 10 of Electro-Voice's CPS series amplifiers deliver the power, while a NetMax N8000 signal processor with IRIS-Net v.2.0 software sup

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UK - Electrosonic announced today that it has acquired The Multimedia Group, owners of the DRV companies DRV Integration - one of Europe's foremost designers and integrators of corporate, medical and educational audio-visual technology, and DRV Support - a leading provider of multimedia managed service and maintenance solutions to organisations across the UK.

The acquisition further expands the reach of Electrosonic's audio-visual solutions and reinforces its focus on growing its service business. DRV's clients include an impressive list of high profile users of audio and video technology including blue chip companies, government departments and some of the world's most prominent banking, pharmaceutical and educational establishments.

"DRV is a perfect fit with Electrosonic. This acquisition aligns well with our strategic goals and also brings a wealth of talent and exper

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Indonesia - As Nexo enjoys consistent growth in south-east Asia, a new distribution appointment has consolidated the company's network in the region. E&E Indonesia will now be the exclusive representative for the brand in Indonesia.

Nexo's marketing manager Joe White, who worked closely with E&E Indonesia to reach agreement, is delighted to complete a regional picture which includes Yamaha Music Asia in Singapore and Audio Solutions in Malaysia.

"Over recent years, we have seen each country in south-east Asia developing personalised market needs that have to be addressed on a local level," says White. "Our current distributors have established a great presence for Nexo in Malaysia and Singapore, and we've been seeking to duplicate this kind of support for Indonesia, which has high potential for us in both the installation and live sound sectors.

"E&E Indo

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China - Loudspeaker manufacturer Fohhn Audio has exclusively equipped the German, Swiss and China State Grid Pavilions at Expo 2010, Shanghai, with state-of-the-art loudspeaker-, amplifier- and DSP-technology. Hundreds of the German-engineered speakers have been shipped to China, installed and finely tuned by Fohhn engineers in the months leading up to EXPO 2010, which officially opened on 1 May.

The theme of the 2010 exhibition, Better City, Better Life, is reflected in the 6000 sq.m German "balancity" Pavilion, where visitors undertake a guided walking tour of the pavilion 'city', moving through 13 different areas including a harbour, parks and the city's power plant. Over 300 Fohhn products, including a range of Arc Series loudspeakers, have been networked using Fohhn's DSP control technology to provide a balanced acoustic environment throughout the different

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UK - At over 300 years old, contemporary art auctioneer Phillips de Pury & Company knows that having high quality sound in its premises is essential. With buyers potentially paying many thousands of pounds at the company's auctions, every word uttered by the auctioneer must be clear and unmistakeable. With this in mind, the company recently commissioned a new audio system at its London premises, controlled by a Yamaha DME series digital mixing engine.

Adapting a Victorian former Post Office sorting station as its London premises, the company needed an audio system that could cater for a wide variety of applications with equal, high sound quality. Most importantly, however, it had to be very discreet.

Cambridgeshire-based Absolute Pro Audio was commissioned to design and install the system. Comprising 16 zones, the system's 'brains' had to be able to cover all eventualities fro

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Switzerland - A high-end audio-visual system has been installed at Jade, the newest addition to Zurich's nightclub and restaurant scene, featuring Nexo's compact Geo S12 line array modules for the main dancefloor and a variety of PS cabinets around the venue.

Jade has quickly established itself as one of Zurich's top clubs. The new venue is located in an old post office. Throughout the day, it is open as a fine-dining restaurant, and on the weekend, it is transformed into a high-spec nightclub, home to national and international DJs, and a crowd of 700 guests. Such dual identity represents a relatively new fashion for Switzerland, although "such hybrid concepts are widespread in other countries", observes owner Mario Contartese.

Zurich-based AV integration specialist Baranday AG was chosen to handle the installation. CEO and project manager Nicola Votta is a long-tim

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USA - Live F.O.H mix engineer Richard Barling used a SADiE LRX2 location audio workstation on the recent three-week Friendly Fires tour of the United States.

"The LRX2 performed very well," Barling says. "I used it to both multitrack record the shows and 'virtual soundcheck' at soundcheck time. We ran 28 channels from stage, four lines of music and intro at F.O.H and two audience mics. In total, we recorded 36 channels every night via the two fibre optic MADI cables linked to a Soundcraft Vi6 local rack with MADI outs and one wordclock cable. The audio sounded great."

Barling adds that he used the SADiE MTR software to capture and play the audio back into every channel on the Vi6, as if the band were performing on stage.

"The audio comes back into the desk in exactly the same gain level," he explains. "MTR saved the files neatly onto an ext

  1. PLASA & L&SI confirm Loudspeaker Demo schedule
  2. Allen & Heath debuts larger iLive at ABTT Show
  3. Julie Andrews returns to London stage with Meyer
  4. Technomad introduces all-environment subwoofer
  5. Roland releases Edirol Live Video Switcher
  6. Outline appoints Mods Art as Italian distributor
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