Poland - In cooperation with Polish cities, the Warsaw-based radio station Radio ESKA organised a live concert tour called Letnia Scena ESKI (Summer Stage of ESKA) featuring a wide range of national and international talent. In 2012, in the course of a tour lasting several months, ESKA visited 15 Polish cities bringing acts such as Feel, Blue Cafe, Kayah, Piasek, Lzy, Afromental, Robert M., the DJs of Wet Fingers and the French duet The Nycer and Eddy Wata to a wider public. With thousands attending in every city visited, the recently concluded tour was an undoubted success.

The production company responsible, Promotor United Entertainment (ZPR), delegated its technical implementation to the Polish rental company Magtex - Technika Sceniczna, while Dynacord partner Tommex Zebrowscy Sp. J. stood by to offer technical support to Magtex. In view of the diverse requirements of the 15

UK - Electrosonic has announced the promotion of Paul Taylor to sales manager of the Cultural Entertainment and Leisure (CEL) business for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Taylor replaces Rob Smith who was promoted to general manager of Service EMEA.

Electrosonic's Cultural Entertainment and Leisure business provides a complete set of audio-visual services, including custom designed audio, video and control systems and on-site service solutions. Custom solutions are provided for museums, theme parks, hotels and visitor centres. Entertainment clients include designers, curators, producers, fit-out contractors and end clients themselves.

"Paul has been instrumental in helping to define the new direction of Electrosonic's leisure business" commented Chris Conte, vice president of entertainment. "He will now use his extensive experience and leadership skills t

Europe - Launched in March last year, Yamaha's CL Series has been extended with the introduction of the new Ri8-D Input and Ro8-D Output rack units, which use the same Dante audio networking to deliver "almost limitless system flexibility".

Complementing the CL series Rio3224-D and Rio1608-D i/o units, the space-saving 1U size Ri8-D and Ro8-D make it possible to now place inputs where a system only needs inputs and outputs where it only need outputs, or any combination of the two.

The Ri8-D and Ro8-D work seamlessly with compatible Yamaha professional audio products which have the Dante-MY16-AUD interface card installed. These include the M7CL and LS9 digital consoles and the DME64N digital mixing engine. The Ri8-D head amplifiers can also be controlled directly from the user interface of a compatible console.

"The Ri8-D and Ro8-D have been developed to delive

USA - Australian-based audio company RØDE Microphones has announced the iXY, a stereo microphone for iPhone and iPad with 30-pin connector that allows high quality recording at sampling rates up to 24-bit/96kHz, "the only microphone on the market to do so," says the company.

Appearing at the International CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas for the first time, the company has unveiled the innovative device to an expected audience of over 150,000 visitors.

At the heart of the iXY is a matched pair of ½" cardioid condenser capsules, fixed in a perfect 90 degree 'near-coincident' alignment resulting in immersive and true-to-life stereo recordings, captured in incredibly high detail, says RØDE. The iXY uses its own high-fidelity analogue to digital conversion ensuring all recordings are "rich, smooth and accurate".

The iXY's small

Brazil - The Expo Center Norte, located in Sao Paulo, is one of Latin America's most versatile and comprehensive exhibition and convention centres. The venue first opened in 1993 and has over 98,000sq.m of space for hosting a wide range of events, including trade shows, conventions and corporate events.

Roberto Benedito from the Expo Center Norte requested a proposal for upgrading the venues sound system from Sao Paulo-based systems integrator Soundvision. The original sound system was unintelligible and event attendees could not hear important announcements, which was of great concern to the venue's management.

According to Antonio Tadeu Torquato, general director at Soundvision, "We immediately narrowed the choice for the project down to Community's R-Series, because of the output, directivity and intelligibility they provide."

To demonstrate the performance of t

USA - In order to support the proliferation of Audinate's Dante media networking solution across the AV industry, Steve Greenall has joined Audinate as director of sales for Europe.

Greenall, who resides in the UK, will also be responsible for leading sales activities in the Middle East, Africa and ASEAN countries.

"Over the past few years, I have been extremely impressed with the rapid adoption of Dante and how Audinate is universally recognized for delivering the most complete AV media networking solution available" says Greenall." I am thrilled to help contribute to Audinate's growth going forward."

Greenall has over 25 years professional sales experience, with the last 13 years focused directly in the A/V industry. He was recently sales director of VBrick in the UK, a leading provider of IP Video streaming solutions. Prior to that, he was the business

UK - POLARaudio has announced the appointment of Max Shuter in a newly created sales and marketing role.

Shuter brings with him extensive product knowledge and industry experience along with a detailed understanding of website design and maintenance. His most recent positions include product specialist at Roland and freelance web content producer for a leading Music Industry retailer.

In the latest phase of POLARaudio's growth, an in-house position has been created to support exciting projects planned for 2013. These include the development and implementation of a new website and the optimisation of all of POLARaudio extensive product content.

MD John Midgley commented, "Max joins us, initially to spearhead our web development programme, optimise our CRM system and then to work closely with the sales and marketing team on projects such as promotions, SEO and our social

Norway - The annual Nobel Peace Prize Concert, held in Oslo, saw an extensive network of Midas live audio mixing consoles ensure artists, including Kylie Minogue, Jennifer Hudson, and Seal, sounded spectacular.

Hosted by the American actress Sarah Jessica Parker and Scottish actor Gerard Butler, the concert was recorded live and televised to over 120 countries to reach more than 500m viewers worldwide.

Set across three stages, the centre stage accommodated a full size orchestra conducted by Nick Davies. The three stage design ensures that the live televised show runs seamlessly from beginning to end as artist performances alternate between stages.

Norway's biggest rental house - and long-term Midas partner AVAB-CAC, supplied full production for the show. The company deployed two Midas XL8s front of house: one for the 55 strong, individually mic'd, Norwegian Radio Orchestra a

Philippines - Allen & Heath has appointed JB Music as its exclusive distributor in the Philippines. The A&H brand has been rapidly gaining market share in South East Asia, and JB's established dealer network, excellent service department and in house technical expertise mean they are able to serve this growing customer base.

"We at JB Music Philippines are very proud and honoured to finally exclusively distribute and promote Allen and Heath. Allen & Heath has been an institution in the pro audio industry and now we can officially say that we are a complete musical and pro audio company," said Jerico Fernando, VP sales & operations and marketing director at JB Music.

"We are so excited and encouraged by JB Music's team. They bring a level of professionalism that has been refreshing to watch and experience. We expect to see great things in the important Philippine

UK - Goodnight Mister Tom follows the story of eight- year old evacuee William Beech who is sent to live in the heart of the English countryside in the quiet village of Little Weirwold during the Second World War. The show has been capturing the hearts and minds of audiences around the UK during its current tour and after packing houses around the country the tour has come into the West End for a nine-week season.

Sound design for the production is by Gregory Clarke whose credits include Equus on Broadway for which he won a Tony Award for Best Sound Design in a play and he received the New York Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Sound Design for Journey's End.

It's not the first time Clarke has used the AXYS loudspeakers on a show, his first experience of them was on Misterman at the National Theatre earlier this year. When asked for a quote on how th

The Netherlands - German loudspeaker manufacturer Fohhn Audio demonstrates the full capability of its state-of-the-art beam steering technology at Integrated Systems Europe in Amsterdam (stand 7-H179). On show will be the company's Focus Series of electronically steerable line array systems. This includes the established Linea Focus LFI-120 - LFI-450 family of 1.2m to 4.5m loudspeakers and the recently released Focus Modular series comprising the FM/I-100 and FM/1-110 high frequency modules and the FM/I-400 low-mid/full range module. Fohhn will also premiere its new Linea LX-220 high performance hybrid line source loudspeaker system.

In Focus Modular, Fohhn takes the concept of modular line array systems with real-time beam steering to new levels. The compact modules each contain three separate, specially developed DSP processors with dedicated functionality, designed to produce

UK - Professional audio technology supplier HHB Communications has appointed Sean Evans to its professional audio sales department.

After studying music technology and popular music at the University of Huddersfield, Evans gained experience working in several recording studios as a freelance audio engineer, in addition to mastering, vintage recording equipment and musical instrument repair experience. He has also worked as a session drummer.

HHB director of sales Martin O'Donnell comments on the appointment, "Sean's experience with audio technology has already made him a valuable asset to our professional audio sales team. His enthusiasm is matched by a keen understanding of our customers' needs."

Evans adds, "I have always had a great respect for HHB, as they are known throughout the industry as being an extremely knowledgeable company with experience in all

Germany - Pro audio distributor Mega Audio GmbH has hired Harald von Falkenstein as new sales director. His tasks include customer liaison and support for the key accounts, as well as the active shaping of the strategic development of the company. Further he will lead the internal and external sales staff including sales reps and product managers.

After almost 10 years as international sales manager for dBTechnologies, HVF returns to the national circuit in Germany. His career to date encompasses internships in music retail and wholesale as well as an extended stay in the UK working for a large MI-and pro audio supplier.

"I am looking forward to the new challenge and I am extremly excited to work with Burkhard Elsner and his team," says Harald.

Burkhard Elsner, CEO of Mega Audio comments, "With Harald von Falkenstein we are adding an experienced and versatile

UK - In the past 12 months Stage Electrics have supplied DiGiCo SD8, SD9 and SD11 digital mixing consoles to over 10 venues across the country with recent sales to Embassy Theatre in Skegness, Scarborough's Stephen Joseph Theatre, The BRIT School in Croydon; Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse, Eton College, Peterborough Key Theatre, and to Newcastle College who have installed two DiGiCo SD9's in their main house and studio theatre. The college also plays host to the company's successful annual Tyneside exhibition which takes place in the autumn and is set to take place again on Tuesday 22nd October 2013.

Nick Rogerson, instructor at Newcastle College Performance Academy said, "The purchase of these two desks has allowed us to upgrade the resources available to our Stage Management and Technical Theatre students and stay current with the equipment in use in the industry. I was i

Italy - The second sound engineering course organized by the Department of Science and Methods for Engineering of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, in cooperation with RCF SpA has been scheduled for 6 May - 6 June, encompassing 120 hours, divided into a five week period, from Monday through Friday. The course will be held in English.

The primary goal is to provide engineers with a specific knowledge of the state-of-the-art technologies related to sound, transducers and speaker systems and their applications in the professional market.

The course is organised in modules taking the participants through a learning process from the basis of electro-acoustic components like transducers, amplifiers and digital processors till the design of a complete audio project based on a real case study. An international reference project carried out by RCF engineers will be used as a

UK - Demonstrated at NAMM and ISE, JoeCo's latest software update for the award-winning BlackBox brings several new features and enhancements to the multi-channel live audio recorder/player series. With version 2.2.7x, both the BlackBox Recorder and the BlackBox Player now support the replay of polyphonic wav files, from multiple stereo files up to 24 or even 64 channel PolyWAV files. Mono, stereo and multichannel files can even be used together in the same song massively enhancing the system's flexibility.

JoeCo's iXML plug-in also enables PolyWAV files to be recorded - a feature aimed at TV and film location recordists to better serve the needs of post production facilities, or systems where audio material is ingested in single large files.

The ability to import polyphonic wav files from a DAW has also brought BlackBox Player capability to JoeCo's 64-channel MADI and Dante s

Benelux - The last three months of 2012 have seen popular Belgian rock band Zornik on an extensive tour to promote their latest album Less > More. Playing 25 dates in their home country, plus four in the Netherlands, a range of venue sizes has meant that a flexible audio system was required. A Coda Airline LA8 system was chosen.

The system has been supplied by Studio Haifax, based in Sint-Martens-Bodegem, on the outskirts of Brussels. Company owner Pieter Begard is touring with the band as crew chief and, as he puts it, "general technical problem-solver".

"Last year I was invited by Coda's Belgian distributor, Apex Audio, to its presentation of the Airline LA8 system and they also provided a complete LA8 system for a few demo shows," says Begard. "Both I and my system engineer, Yves Van Moerbeke, were impressed by the audible 'truthfulness' of t

USA - Renkus-Heinz has announced the appointment of Scott Leslie to the position of president.

Leslie comes to Renkus-Heinz from JBL Professional, where he served as vice president of engineering. His deep industry background includes stints at a wide range of technology leaders including Sun Microsystems, Tektronix, and Altec Lansing. Leslie is also founder of Evidant Corporation, providers of Business Intelligence for IT solutions, where he has held executive level positions since 2002.

Leslie joins Renkus-Heinz as the company is experiencing unprecedented growth. Despite the economic downturn, Renkus-Heinz has seen a substantial surge in sales and has significantly grown its engineering staff. Leslie's new position will see him spearheading the company's continued expansion, working closely with company founder and chairman Harro Heinz.

"Scott brings with him a wealt

Argentina - DPA Microphones were present in abundance at the Gran Rex Theatre in Buenos Aires when keyboardist and composer Rick Wakeman played two concerts featuring his best-selling albums Journey to the Centre of the Earth and The Six Wives of Henry VIII.

The concerts were the culmination of a South American tour that also included six band-only shows in Brazil, Chile and Argentina. The final two sell-out concerts in Buenos Aires involved two different full orchestral shows, complete with a five-piece rock band, a choir, narration and solo singers.

Front of House sound engineer and co-production manager Ian Barfoot, who has worked with Rick Wakeman on numerous occasions since 1985, was given the task of specifying the audio equipment for the tour.

"The two orchestral concerts in Buenos Aires involved more than 90 channels, of which more a third used DPA

UK - Fuelled by a significant upgrade to the original 1978 concept, Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of The Worlds, The New Generation as it is now known, has been playing to packed arenas throughout the UK and Northern Europe this winter.

The 'new generation' prefix heralds a fresh cast but the tried and trusted team of Simon Honywill (FOH engineer), Mark Edwards (system technician) and Steve Watson (monitor engineer) remain the same ... with sound production company RG Jones again fielding Martin Audio's MLA Multi-cellular Loudspeaker Array system to create the soundscape.

The production sees Liam Neeson take over the Richard Burton role as the journalist and Kaiser Chiefs' Ricky Wilson as the Artilleryman. There were to be other changes as Marti Pellow was added to the cast as the Voice of Humanity and Jason Donovan returned - this time as Parson Nathaniel, wi

The Netherlands - Since fitting out the Amsterdam ArenA, home to Dutch football giants Ajax, when the stadium underwent a €1.4m acoustic transformation back in 2006, TM Audio has maintained a steady programme of maintenance and upgrade at the venue.

Over the next five years they expanded the voice evacuation system while sister company Ampco Flashlight Rental (AFR) continues to provide sound engineers on match days and for other events.

But recently they engaged on another major project with the expansion of the business centre - the most radical investment since the stadium was originally built in 1996.

With Ajax winning the Dutch League (Eredivisie) championship over the past two seasons, interest has grown considerably on the corporate side. With the investment of €20m in adding a further 6000 sq.m. to accommodate three hospitality rooms, the Business Centre is capable

UK - Jay Cresswell has been appointed to the position of permanent installation consultant at the ProSound division of Bosch Security Systems UK. In his new position, Cresswell will be the contact partner for permanent installations, providing advice, technical backup on site as well as training opportunities.

"Electro-Voice and Dynacord deservedly enjoy a high reputation in the industry", says Cresswell. "In combination with Bosch's own products, I look forward to offering our customers complete, customised audio solutions of the highest quality."

With over 20 years experience in the pro audio, MI and installation markets, Jay Cresswell has made himself a name in the industry as a sales as well as business development manager. Additionally, as an experienced sound engineer and professional musician, Cresswell brings a keen interest in music and technology

UK - AV and IT rental company, DB Systems has promoted account manager James Barnett to the position of sales manager, responsible for the day-to-day management of the sales and account management team within the company's audiovisual and IT rental division.

DB has also taken on two new recruits. Shaun Roberts joins the hire department, working primarily with exhibitors that order equipment at those shows where DB has been appointed as an official AV supplier. In addition, Toby Francis has joined the commercial services department, working in sales administration.

David Bulley, managing director of DB Systems, said, "2013 is going to be a big year for us so we need to have the right people in the right jobs to ensure we continue to offer our customers the very best service. I have no doubt that James will excel in his new senior role, while Toby and Shaun will be solid ad

UK - Martin Audio has appointed the experienced Dominic Jacobson to the new role of export account manager.

Jacobson will be applying the extensive skills gleaned in the film, broadcast TV and music production industries to the live sound and contracting markets, where he will be responsible for the EMEA territories, says the company.

"I'm relishing the challenge of promoting a brand that is so highly regarded in each of its core market sectors," he said. "I am particularly looking forward to growing the business in certain parts of the world such as Africa, where there is scope for furthering Martin Audio's market share."

The new export manager will report to director of sales, Simon Bull, who confirms, "Dominic's appointment will provide much-needed assistance through a range of EMEA territories and enable us to apply greater focus to some burgeoni

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