USA - Waves Audio has responded to the difficulties facing the 2010 FIFA World Cup telecasts by unveiling a solution that "dramatically reduces the problematic sound of the omnipresent Vuvuzela trumpet avoured by South African soccer fans". In response to the widely publicised complaints from TV viewers and broadcasters about the continuous Vuvuzela blasts, Waves engineers began devising a solution to decrease the amount of noise.

Working in conjunction with a major television broadcaster, Waves crafted a real-time processing chain consisting of two plug-ins which proved effective in solving the task at hand: The WNS Waves Noise Suppressor and the Q10 Paragraphic Equalizer. These two audio plug-ins together not only reduce the Vuvuzela noise, they increase the intelligibility of the game announcers' play-by-play action and colour commentary, claims the company. In fact

Qatar The Pearl, an exclusive island located off the coast of Qatar's capital city of Doha, is home to the prestigious Italian vehicles dealership run by Alfardán Sports Motor Co., where D.A.S. sound systems have been installed.

The local company in charge of the sound work, Almana Network, headed by Deon Cains, recommended the convenience of the compact and efficient D.A.S. Audio Ceiling systems for the 700 m2 dealership. These discrete systems have been seamlessly integrated into the exposition's décor.

A dozen D.A.S. Ceiling CL-6T six-inch white ceiling loudspeakers, equipped with line transformers, provide a wide soundfield and intelligible sound transmission and optimal acoustic dispersion during music playback.

Almana Network Solutions also opted to install the D.A.S. CSA-T amplifiers. Specially designed to power 70 and 100 volt distributed audio systems, in in

Norway - Hi-tech education facility, Bjornholt Upper Secondary School in Oslo, recently took delivery of an Allen & Heath iLive digital mixing system for installation in its performing arts auditorium.

The system, comprising an iDR-48 MixRack and iLive-T112 Control Surface, has already been used to manage a variety of events from a large 1300-capacity presentation incorporating delay speakers, to a small 150-capacity music concert with performances from several bands.

"With the processing power built in, we don't need to use outboard equipment any more," explains Bjornholt School building manager, Agnar Andersen. "The show recall function makes set up times very quick, and due to the surface layout, our students have adapted faster to the controls than they have with other consoles. Also, everybody has commented that the sound has improved a lot through our exis

UK - Void Acoustics has announced a significant addition to its line-up, with the launch of the Trinity X wide bandwidth sub-bass enclosure. The Trinity X integrates a number of new technologies in a single-box solution. Designed for the spectrum of low frequency applications, the Trinity X is suited for large-scale live events, club venues and touring.

With power handling of 1500W RMS and a peak output of 139dB, Void's objective with the Trinity X design is to "set a new standard for bass output and extension in the 400-litre class".

Director Alex Skan explains: "Our designer, Rog Mogale, is always looking for a new challenge, and has been working on our new high output Trinity Line Array series due for launch later this year. The Trinity X came about as part of this ongoing development, and has turned out to be a perfect complement to our signature triple-horn

Czech Republic - Meyer Sound has announced MediaTech s.r.o. as its first exclusive distributor for the Czech Republic. Under the leadership of managing director Miroslav Sostaric, MediaTech will work closely with Meyer Sound to make its range of audio solutions and technical services more accessible to the professional audio community in the region.

"By sealing this partnership with MediaTech, we hope to make it easier for audio technicians and providers to take advantage of Meyer Sound's world renowned technologies and educational offerings," says Scott Gledhill, international sales manager at Meyer Sound. "MediaTech's experience, reputation, and most importantly, our shared philosophy of quality make it an excellent representative for Meyer Sound in the Czech Republic."

Established in 1991, MediaTech is an ISO 9001:2000 certified professional audio suppli

Australia - Rockhampton's Pilbeam Theatre - one of the finest theatres in regional Australia - offers a diverse range of productions all year round, from the best local, national and international entertainers. When owners Rockhampton Regional Council came to purchase and install a new PA system into the theatre, it was done in true country-style - with a shoot-out!

"We began the process of selecting a PA with a shoot-out," explained Matthias Conway, senior technician at the venue. "We were deciding between an Electro Voice's EVA Line Array, Nexo's GEO S12s, and a JBL VRX system. We hung the EVA system, comprising of two EVA-2082S-906 and two EVA-2082S-920 boxes, on the left side of the venue and four Nexo GEO S12 speakers on the right side. We used one Dynacord H5000 to power all the EV boxes with no processing at all. Although we didn't use subs with the EV boxe

UK - AKG recently provided a complete set of microphones to support the Chelsea Academy, the recently opened secondary school in southwest London. Working with The Bryan Adams Foundation, AKG has donated a six-piece drum microphone set and four C1000 S condenser mics to the Academy's Music Centre, which is designed to give students a thorough grounding in performance and recording techniques.

The Chelsea Academy is state-funded and part of the Government's Academies programme to provide a broad education for children in local communities. It was established in September 2009 and is sponsored by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the London Diocesan Board for Schools of the Church of England.

The Bryan Adams Foundation has guaranteed to help support and finance the Music Centre at the Chelsea Academy. Founded by musician and photographer Bryan Adams in 2006 with th

USA - Voice communication systems specialist Clear-Com is helping Royal Caribbean International's Oasis of the Seas cruise ship with its on-board communication needs by providing its FreeSpeak digital wireless intercom system as the anchor of the ship's communications system. Using FreeSpeak, the Oasis of the Seas crew coordinates many of the ship's theatrical productions, including several weekly runs of the Tony Award-winning, Broadway-licensed musical, Hairspray.

With Clear-Com equipment installed on 16 other Royal Caribbean cruise ships, Royal Caribbean's technical design staff members knew they could rely on it to provide the communications system for Oasis of the Seas, the world's largest ship. As the ship plays host to a myriad of entertainment options, with seven distinctly themed neighbourhoods and performance spaces, Clear-Com's FreeSpeak digital wireless interc

USA - Meyer Sound has announced the appointment of Brad van Niekerk to the role of public relations manager to spearhead the company's global public relations activities and social media programme.

As PR manager, van Niekerk will work closely with Meyer Sound customers, sales managers, and technical support to develop and oversee comprehensive public relations programs to increase brand and product awareness of Meyer Sound to the media.

"Brad brings an excellent range of experience representing technology brands in global markets," says Meyer Sound's director of marketing, Rachel Archibald. "We're excited to have him lead strategic communications and public relations programs at Meyer Sound."

Bringing more than 13 years of public relations experience in both domestic and international markets, van Niekerk has represented enterprise and consumer technologi

Hong Kong - Specialist event services provider GL Events Hong Kong has boosted its extensive inventory of Nexo sound reinforcement products with the addition of new PS10-R2 compact full-range cabinets. Senior sales manager Axel Moyse says: "GL events works primarily for the production companies of the region which are organising conferences, congress and convention events, gala dinners, fashion shows and product launches.

"Ninety-five per cent of our loudspeaker inventory is Nexo. GL carries the GeoS12 line array, which we use with RS15s, we also have a larger quantity of PS15 and have now added the new PS10 models, and we use the new NXAMP 4x4 amplifiers for all power and system management applications. Not only do the Nexo products offer very high-quality audio performance, but there is great flexibility in the systems. We can stack, rig, fly, hang from poles, and we

Canada - Word of Life Church in Red Deer, Alberta, has developed a worship service style that brings together families and friends from across generations. When the building's original sound system failed to keep up with the church's growth, lead pastor and music director Jachin Mullen realised it was time for an update.

Brendon and Aaron Gerber - brothers, church members, and principals of boutique A/V company Absolute Music - have installed an L-Acoustics dV-Dosc line array system with dV-SUB and SB28 low-end to give the church a pristine voice for its musical focus.

With dark décor, theatrical lighting and stage enough for a full band, Word of Life's 1,300 capacity auditorium is reminiscent of a theatre or music club. A temporary back wall had been removed to provide 50% more space, but the sound system, which had always been somewhat lacking, had not been upgraded,

Europe - Metal giants Megadeth have arrived in Europe on their Endgame tour with a Midas PRO6 at front of house, provided on this leg by AudioLease.

"Nothing but a Midas will do," says Doug Short, FOH engineer for Megadeth who has also worked with artists like Prince, Van Halen, and Joe Cocker. "I've tried just about every digital console on the market, and they just don't measure up sonically."

Short, a committed analogue fan, was first persuaded to use the PRO6 by Thunder Audio's Paul Owen for the US leg of the tour which opened in March. "When Megadeth started up," says Short. "My rider required a Midas XL4 at front of house. But Paul said, 'Instead of taking out 1,168 pounds of XL4, why not give the PRO6 a shot?'"

Short faced a baptism of fire with a new desk and no production rehearsals. He pays tribute to Eric Rogers from

UK - Llanelli-based Vaughan Sound Installations (VSI), part of the PAI Group, has installed and integrated new sound, lighting, video and control elements for The Pierhead in Cardiff Bay, transforming the main room of the Grade One listed building of the National Assembly for Wales into a multi functional space.

It is one of the city of Cardiff's most familiar landmarks, originally built in 1897 as the headquarters for the Bute Dock Company.

The venue's main hall can now be run as an interactive visitor attraction or utilised for numerous events and functions. VSI worked to a technical specification originated by theatre consultant Paul Covell, adding their own expertise and specialist knowledge.

The new installation includes a projection system that shows a seven-minute video biography detailing the history of the Pierhead. This combines various archival and current materia

UK - UK distributors for Swiss loudspeaker manufacturers PSI Audio, eMerging, unveiled a new active reference monitor at the recent AES show in London.

The two-way A21-M v3 builds on the success of the existing A21-M, and is a more powerful and efficient design producing less wasted energy. Thanks to the inclusion of a new-generation Class G amplifier inspired by the one used in PSI's existing A215-M, the new A21-M v3 features an enhanced (38Hz to 20kHz) frequency response, improved thermal efficiency and power yield (an extra 20W), and a higher maximum continuous SPL of 108dB, says the company.

The monitor otherwise offers all the features of the existing successful A21-M. Users of the older version of the monitor can even upgrade it to the specification of the latest revision. The upgrade can be carried out quickly and affordably by a PSI dealer, including eMerging in London

UK - Over 25,000 spectators have been treated to a spectacular new event hitting summer's social calendar. Mint Polo in the Park brought the sport of royals to London's Hurlingham Park over three days this month, with a new format to the game making for a faster and more exciting experience for TV and event spectators.

Eight teams of three players, a smaller pitch, no changing of ends after each goal, point incentives for long shots on goal, hard plastic balls to give players more length to their shots and full match video coverage with live competitor commentary have updated the glamorous game of Polo to make the sport faster and harder in a similar way to how Twenty20 has changed the game of cricket.

Contracted by World Polo Ltd., Dimension Audio provided full audio facilities for the three day event. Control and playback in the form of LS9-16 and Instant Repla

UK - The ABTT (Association of British Theatre Technicians) reports another successful new product Awards ceremony staged at its annual ABTT Theatre Show.

This year the competition for the coveted Hook Clamp Trophies was as strong as ever, with a host of companies entered across five key categories, which represent the spectrum of the industry. The Awards continue to set a precedent, highlighting the spectrum of products and services for the theatre production and staging market. The winners of the Awards were:

Best New Lighting Product: White Light scooped the Award for best new lighting product with its Prism Reveal, which was chosen by the judges for its flat field, colour correcting ability and overall efficiency. The nominees in this category included: Robin 300 Plasma Spot from Robe; the Gekko Kezia LED Spot Lamp from PRG and the Cyclo LED Panel from Showtex.

Italy - Despite the financial constraints that most companies are finding themselves in at the moment, many different types of venues are investing in Yamaha audio solutions, just one of which is Sicily's Mambo Wine Bar, the company reports.

Located in the Isola delle Femmine province of Palermo, Mambo Wine Bar combines sophisticated internal décor with stunning views of the island's dramatic north coast. Enhancing the ambience is a Yamaha audio system, which is also giving the venue a significant audio advantage over a neighbouring club.

The bar's owners wanted a high specification audio system whose quality would be the perfect complement both the high quality surroundings and exquisite coastal views. Having examined a number of different options, they chose the Yamaha system proposed by design and Palermo-based installation company Decibel Pro.

"The Yamaha sys

Sounds Of Silence - Simon and Garfunkel's planned tour of North America has been "postponed indefinitely" because Art Garfunkel has a condition affecting his voice. He is recovering from a vocal paresis which "inhibits the duo from performing shows" to their normal standard, a statement on their website said. The tour had already been postponed from April to July.

"According to his doctors, Art is expected to make a full recovery. However, they cannot predict an exact timeline," a statement said. Garfunkel added: "I do feel bad about disrupting so many people's plans but, as I continue to mend, I can't yet bring my A-game to a tour, and I would not perform for you with anything less."

In The Sale Room - John Lennon's handwritten lyrics to Beatles song A Day In The Life have sold for $1.2m (£810,000) at auction, well a

UK - Bose is to exhibit at this year's PLASA exhibition for the first time in a decade. The decision was taken as the company's Professional Systems Division pushes forward with plans to work more closely with consultants and integrators on a series of prestigious projects.

Bose Pro divisional manager, Simon Holley, says, "It's been several years since Bose last exhibited at PLASA, but we feel that the time is right to demonstrate our commitment to the pro audio market. We have some exciting new products in the developmental stage, so this year is all about connecting with new contacts and building on existing relationships to create a strong foundation from which to move forward. We are delighted to join so many strong brands at what should be a tremendous show."

Bose will be fielding a strong side at the show, with representatives from both the technical and sales

Turkey - One of the most enigmatic of sweetmeats, there are just eight simple ingredients to make this most ancient of pleasures. Rosewater is essential and what gives it a flavour that resembles no other; Turkish Delight is quite simply unique. It transpires that Hakan Tamer, President of Display Sound and Light Systems in Istanbul, has a selection of ingredients too when creating his latest recipe.

"Since we took on the Distributorship for d&b audiotechnik it quickly became apparent we needed something special to tempt the appetite of our clients." That something was a new showroom and office premises, "But it needed some specific ingredients. It had to be easy to find and simple to reach; maybe not such a big deal in Paris or Singapore, but Istanbul has unbelievable traffic, there's almost no escape. So we managed to find a street that's not too crowded, a very

USA - Renkus-Heinz introduced a number of new products at the recent InfoComm exhibition in Las Vegas, including the new IC2 (IC Squared) - what the company calls "the first ever crossover array".

The company says: "The IC2 is a digitally steerable line array that combines the power and focus of point source loudspeaker technology with the control and flexibility of a digitally steered array."

The system integrates Renkus-Heinz's digital beam steering into a powerful and versatile point source design. Four 8" low frequency Neodymium transducers and 1" Titanium Nitride coated HF drivers offer high SPL point source performance, while individual steering control of each driver gives the IC2 excellent vertical pattern control for maximum intelligibility, even in the most reverberant spaces, the company claims.

Each IC2 two-way 8" module deliver

Australia - Violinist Marcus Holden has purchased a DPA 4099V clip mount from distributor Amber Sound. Holden has been using his mic to tour Australia with Scotland the Brave, a musical tribute to Scotland, and also for the Sydney Theatre Company production, Spring Awakening.

"The first thing I noticed about the 4099V was the amount of gain you can get before feedback occurs," he says. "The sound is incredibly natural; it brings out the real tone of the instrument and totally minimises breath and surround noise. For someone who plays with a combination of microphone and piezo pickups on violins, mandolins and bizarre hybrid instrument situations in a myriad of acoustic or amplified venues, the DPA is the solution. I've been waiting 30 years for someone to invent this microphone."

Holden, a recording engineer as well as a violinist, is also a fan of D

The Netherlands - With 18 bars and restaurants spread throughout the east of Holland, expanding operators, Oubaha Beheer BV, have retired their eight year old sound system at the 600-capacity, heavily themed Aspen Valley Enschede music bar in favour of a complete QSC system approach.

The Nijmegen-based operators had already adopted a QSC solution at the sister Aspen Valley Arnhem, but head of technology and maintenance, Gerwin van den Brink, has now gone a step further.

A long time user of QSC components, he was first introduced to the brand's amplifiers four years ago by Benelux distributors, AED. But now the Californian manufacturer has a complete set of audio tools he has been able to network Aspen Valley's three nautical concept bars (including a circular revolving bar) on a CobraNet backbone.

It was AED, who alerted van den Brink to the potential of this end-to-end solu

Finland - L- Acoustics' Finnish distributor Starlike has supplied a new sound reinforcement system to the Old Student House, a multipurpose hall in the centre of Helsinki dating back to 1870.

The installation features five Kudo line source cabinets and an SB28 sub bass unit per side, with a 12XT coaxial providing centre-fill, driven by five LA8 amplified controllers.

As the venue is protected by the Finnish National board of Antiquities, any changes to the building or its structure were strictly forbidden. "My mission was to find a high quality system for this very demanding venue," says Old Student House sound engineer Sami Ahonen. "Any acoustic treatment is forbidden, and the stone walls and hard wood floor create a very powerful and long reverberation."

One of the venue's main requirement was to have an angle of horizontal coverage of 90° or less t

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