Mexico - David Guetta has sold over six million albums worldwide, so it is no surprise that he can fill an arena anywhere in the world. On 8 March, 2013 he did just that, as he packed more than 60,000 excited fans into Estadio Azteca for the Mexican stop on his Nothing but the Beat world tour. There are already thousands of YouTube clips circulating from the night that shows the excitement and popularity of this mega- star of the electronic dance music world.

Audio Systems del Norte was tasked with the job of providing sound for the event with the system tuning done by SonoTribe Audio Consultants, and technical support provided by Showco Mexico, the local distributor for Adamson products. Showco manager, Mauricio Alva said, "This was the first time that David Guetta's crew had used the E15s on their tour. As soon as the levels had been set to their specification Es S

Turkey - Digiturk is Turkey's largest digital subscription entertainment platform with more than 2.5m subscribers. They required a top quality sound system for their newly renovated multifunction screening room and a key requirement to the system was that it needed to have an unobtrusive design.

The 90 sq.m room provides seating for 30 people. The asymmetrical room is highly dampened to provide very high speech intelligibility and because of that it poses a serious challenge in terms of achieving sufficient SPL and even coverage from a nearly invisible sound system.

Installer Can Electronik chose Cornered C6TRM's for front and centre channels and six Cornered C5s for side and rear surround channels. Also, a pair of C12PNC subs provides LFE coverage with seamless integration with the rest of the system. The system is powered by the eight-channel Crown CTs 8150 amplifier for the

UK - Since 1984, Oxford Ice Rink has been a magnet for skating fans within and beyond the boundaries of the university town. In addition to being home base for National Ice Hockey League team the Oxford City Stars, the 700-seater stadium also serves as a venue for skating competitions and performances as well as a weekly ice disco. Under new management since 2009, the venue underwent a thorough programme of modernization last year that included the installation of a new sound system. This made its debut on in December with the Christmas Ice Show.

The task of designing and installing the new sound system was entrusted to Oxford-based specialists Lancelyn Theatre Supplies, who replaced the previous sound reinforcement system with a new one from Electro-Voice over the course of three weeks - all without any interruption of service. "We knew already from countless simila

USA - Audinate has announced that Innovative Electronic Designs, LLC has licensed Audinate's Dante digital-media networking technology and will incorporate Dante into several new products.

Audinate's patented Dante solution is a media networking solution suite designed to transport many channels of high-resolution, uncompressed, low-latency digital media over relatively long distances and to multiple locations, using a standard 100 Mbps or 1 Gb Ethernet network. It has become the solution of choice for a variety of professional applications because it delivers tightly synchronized, sample-accurate playback while simplifying installation and configuration of AV networks.

"IED has always been on the cutting edge of high quality networked audio solutions," observes IED's VP of product development Jody Green. "Audinate's Dante technology will allow us to expand our

Germany - Fohhn Audio is now shipping its new LX-220 high performance hybrid line source system, the latest addition to its popular Linea Series. The 2.2m, four-way loudspeaker has been specially developed to provide the best possible sound quality for speech and live music applications in challenging acoustic environments where visual integration is also a requirement.

The LX-220 is equipped with 18 x 4" high performance, long excursion, neodymium speakers arranged in a column, plus three 1" compression drivers with horn loaded Fohhn Waveguide system and self-resetting Intelligent Protection Circuit (IPC). This arrangement produces a very direct, cylindrical beam characteristic, with sound pressure levels remaining more constant over distance, hence its suitability for use in larger rooms (25-40m in length). Unwanted reflections from the floor or ceiling can also be a

UK - Loudspeaker manufacturer Tannoy has thrown its weight behind the Red Dreams charity in Hartlepool, England, by donating two sets of studio monitors to help young sound technicians with recording and mix downs.

The charity, which supports young people in the area by providing various creative outlets, was set up by Ian McManus and his wife Dawn in memory of their son Kyle, who died tragically aged 16 from a brain haemorrhage. Since Kyle had such a keen interest in the arts, his parents began a legacy that now coaches and mentors young people in creative arts, providing a valuable focus and outlet.

Red Dreams has a very basic ethos of 'Confidence Through Creativity'; however this is underpinned by a number of values, including dedication, respect, focus, determination and support. Red Dreams not only looks to support young people in their creative endeavours, but also offer

Germany - Studiomaster is showing several new and re-engineered / restyled product ranges at Musikmesse. Two major new product series at the show are the complete new Horizon mixer range, comprising two self powered and two passive variants of this major new design, and the Starlight integrated sound and lighting speaker cabinets.

A star attraction at NAMM in January, the Starlight sound and lighting cabinet is billed as "a world first, fully integrating FOH and monitor sound and stage lighting within a pair of portable trapezoidal PA cabinets". Comprising two stand or pole mountable, two-way 12 inch or 15 inch cabinets, Starlight combines 250 watt self powered FOH reinforcement and a 50 watt powered side mounted monitor driver within each cabinet. Each cabinet features a rear panel mounted two-channel mixer with three-band EQ, and an external source monitor input and

USA - The new campus of Orlando's Faith Assembly of God Church was a huge project. In addition to the 3,000-seat, stadium-style sanctuary, the campus also needed sound systems for three kids theatres, a wedding chapel, choir room, and atrium. Primary AV contractor Encore Broadcast Solutions decided to leave nothing to chance, partnering with Atlantic Professional Audio (APA) as audio sub-contractor for the design and installation.

"Even though it was new construction, we were actually the second contractor on the job, so we had to design the sound system around conduit and fly points that were already in place," explains Jeff Cameron of Encore's Winter Springs, FL office. "It was a big challenge. We've partnered successfully with Atlantic Pro Audio on several other projects, and brought them in to provide a turnkey solution. They put together a shootout for the ch

Spain - The new distributor of Electro-Voice and Dynacord products in Spain has, since the start of 2013, been Pro3 & Co. Founded in 1995 and based in Barcelona, Pro3 & Co. is one of the most highly respected players on the Iberian pro audio scene - not only in the concert sound, but also in the fixed installation and mobile audio sector.

Pro3 & Co.'s reference list is long and features some of the most prestigious projects in Spain. These include halls, such as the Barcelona International Convention Centre, Toledo cathedral, Mallorca's Teatre Principal de Palma and the Centro Cultural Miguel Delibes in Valladolid, as well as a number of soccer stadiums, including FC Barcelona's Camp Nou.

"It's our corporate philosophy to offer our customers solutions tailored to their individual needs," comments Xavier Oliver, Pro3 & Co.'s marketing director. "Now, with Electro

UK - Funktion-One has made history by becoming the first loudspeaker manufacturer to supply sound for a house music event in the Houses of Parliament.

On Wednesday 6 March, a very special music event was staged at the centre of British politics - the Houses of Parliament - as the 'House the House' competition reached its spectacular conclusion. Organised by the charity Last Night A DJ Saved My Life (LNADJ), the two-and-a-half hour musical extravaganza saw a series of inspiring musical performances, including a set by DJ superstar Fatboy Slim.

Headlining the bill was 'House the House' winner Bryce Fury, who won the Final at Ministry of Sound in February. As the competition's winner, he snagged a stunning first-prize package, which also included a fully paid Audio Production Degree Scholarship at SAE Institute worth £20,000, a set at We Love Space in Ibiza and a haul of Ve

USA Behringer has introduced the latest in its Europort product line, the iP40PRO, an all-in-one portable PA system with full Bluetooth connectivity for users "who demand cutting-edge audio coupled with supreme ease of operation". The iP40PRO can handle gatherings of up to 250 people, making it suitable for company gatherings, pool parties, corporate presentations - or any other event requiring fast setup and high-quality audio performance.

The iP40PRO features a 40-Watt, Class-D amplifier; a powerful 8" woofer and high-resolution tweeter housed in a rugged self-contained package; Integrated wheels and a convenient retractable luggage-style handle for ease of transport. To further enhance portability, a rechargeable internal battery provides up to 12 hours of on-the-go operation.

A robust 'Planet Earth' switching power supply offers maximum flexibility (100 - 24

Germany - Lab.gruppen will once again be making an appearance at the Messe in Frankfurt in 2013, coinciding with the Prolight+Sound and Musikmesse exhibitions on 10-13 April.

The company is using the occasion to launch a brand new product to market, and while details are being kept strictly under wraps until the official launch in April, a dedicated website - now live at www.thegamechanges.com - hints at what's to come.

However, visitors who want to see the latest innovation from the leading amplifier manufacturer will need to venture into completely new territory, as Lab.gruppen and Lake take over a prime location in the lobby of Hall 4.2 (the hall itself isn't in use) alongside fellow TC Group brands Tannoy, TC Electronic and TC Helicon and distributed brand Dynaudio.

"We won't be making our usual appearance at Prolight+sound in Hall 8.0 this year, but we'll sure be m

USA - Kid Rock and his band, Twisted Brown Trucker, are once again rolling across the US with two months of arena shows between February and April. Along for the ride are not only opening acts Buckcherry and Hellbound Glory, but also another "old friend" - Sound Image's L-Acoustics K1 system.

The 2013 Rebel Soul tour, in support of Kid Rock's latest album of the same name, marks the sixth year that Steve 'Half Pint' Cross has manned FOH for the group. With John 'Haircut' Tompkins once again serving as systems engineer, and Parnelli Award-winning audio system tech Vic 'Beaker' Wagner assisting with PA. setup and optimization, the tour is taking advantage of a full complement of K1, Kudo and Kara loudspeakers, all powered by LA8-equipped LA-RAK.

Similar to Kid Rock's touring system from his Born Free tour with Sheryl Crow two years ago, the main house sys

UK - The reconciliation of Status Quo - the Frantic Four - John Coghlan, Alan Lancaster, Rick Parfitt and Francis Rossi - formed the highlight of a recent feature-length film documenting the history of Status Quo. So when, for nine UK shows only, the band's classic line-up took to the stage again, the tickets were in more demand than air guitars at a headbangers convention . . . and Yamaha digital mixing consoles played their full part in reuniting the band on stage for the first time in over 30 years.

"Nobody's trying to pretend that it's 1976 again," says front of house engineer Andy May, owner of one of the very first Yamaha PM5D digital consoles to roll off the production line. "But these shows are for the 'hardcore' fans, so we have tried to put on a good, old-fashioned rock'n'roll show."

He and lighting designer Pat Marks have succeeded admirably in t

Germany - Goethe University Frankfurt am Main is a modern, research-oriented university in the heart of Germany. As a Stiftungsuniversität (a university privately funded by a foundation) and citizens' university, it is closely associated with the city and the region of Frankfurt. Westend

Campus Westend of the Goethe University Frankfurt nestles in a burst of parkland, yet directly borders Frankfurt's downtown, boasting a wealth of eateries, shops, theatres and other recreational facilities. The buildings of Campus Westend are based around the Neo-Realist IG Farben Building , while immediately beyond the campus boundaries you can find splendid art deco residences and cutting-edge modernist architecture.

The House of Finance building is part of a gigantic investment by the State of Hesse to build a new site for the Goethe University. The House of Finance is encompassing 14,000

Austria - Allen & Heath's iLive digital mixing system was used for the recent Regions of Climate Action (R20) conference in Vienna.

R20 is a non-profit environmental organisation founded by former Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, with the support of the United Nations. A coalition of sub-national governments, private companies, international organisations, NGOs and academic and financial institutions, R20 supports governments building a green economy.

The two day conference gathered nearly 600 participants, and was hosted by Schwarzenegger. Local broadcast company, RadioMax, led by production manager, Martin Jeschke, was appointed to manage all technical aspects, and freelancer, Andreas Putz, was appointed chief audio engineer.

Based in Austria, Putz specialises in live sound engineering for music and corporate events and also specialises in multimedia AV desig

USA - In the weeks leading up to the opening of the Cedar Street Courtyard music venue in Austin, Texas, America's live music capital, the venue was already drawing noise concerns. Due to its close proximity to residences and other establishments, Cedar Street Courtyard was looking to minimize its contribution to the noise pollution problem, and RoomMatch loudspeakers and PowerMatch amplifiers from Bose Professional Systems Division were able to solve these issues by controlling the sound with "extraordinary precision".

Nashville-based consultant Steve Durr was called in to recommend a sound system whose sonic quality would keep it competitive with the city's many other music venues, while at the same time keeping the sound highly controlled and away from reflective surfaces, and keeping the energy channelled within the venue and away from neighbouring residences.

Th

UK - This year's Winter Jam Tour has had upwards of 300,000 attendees and sold out 23 arena shows to date. Headlined by TobyMac, the 10-artist, 44-city concert tour is powered by a potent system built around the Meyer Sound Milo line array supplied by Blackhawk Audio of Whitehouse, Tenn.

Winter Jam serves up a wide range of music styles-from the dub step of the Capital Kings to the acoustic pop of Jamie Grace, the guitar rock of Red and the rap of headliner TobyMac.

"It's a challenge for the PA because you can't simply tune it for a certain style," says Jerry Holcomb, production manager and one of the FOH engineers on the tour. "Fortunately, the Meyer system shines on all of them. It's a very musical PA at any level. It doesn't have to be loud. The lighter bands early on all sound great, and by the time TobyMac comes on it's still very high fidelity-only much lo

Australia - The Hills SVL Group has been appointed distributor for L-Acoustics. The agreement between the Hills SVL Group and L-Acoustics covers Australia and New Zealand and sees the Hills SVL Group promoting and supporting the range through its seven sales offices and warehouses across Australia and NZ.

Don McConnell, head of product, for the Hills SVL Group, commented, "We're delighted to be involved with such a respected and innovative company. The timing of the agreement is perfect with new products including ARCS WIDE, ARCS Focus and ARCS II sure to create a lot of interest. This along with respected line source products such as Kiva, Kara and Kudo, and the coaxial range, provides us with a wide yet complementary product offering. We're looking forward to introducing the full range of products to our customers. We know they'll be impressed."

Tim McCall, sales m

UK / Sweden - Working in collaboration with the production team at this year's Eurovision Song Contest, PLASA is pleased to announce plans for a unique event: PLASA Focus: Backstage Malmö, taking place on 7-8 May, one week prior to Eurovision's live broadcasts, in Malmö, Sweden.

As one of the world's most-watched live music productions, attracting in excess of 100m television viewers each year, the Eurovision Song Contest has become a major annual showcase for the technologies at the cutting edge of the show production industry.

This year's Eurovision Song Contest, produced by the European Broadcast Union (EBU) and SVT, the national broadcaster of last year's winning nation, Sweden, will be preceded by PLASA Focus: Backstage Malmö - an opportunity for industry professionals to take a first-hand look at these technologies in context.

The event will include a series of excl

UK - Manchester-based lighting and rigging specialists dbn created an elegant, bespoke, self climbing, ground support truss design to achieve the perfect positioning for key production equipment in The Pavilion Suite at Ascot Racecourse, Berkshire.

This allowed a conference and awards event to be staged in-the-round; ensured that all delegates in the room had a clear view of the proceedings with the installation of 16 plasma screens in strategic positions ... and maximised the very low and idiosyncratically shaped headroom of the space.

dbn's project manager was Nick Todd and the company was working for event producers, WRG.

The Pavilion Suite is a long rectangular room with a very low ceiling height of just under three metres down each side but up to five metres in the middle.

In addition to making this full ceiling area into usable space ... the other big challenge was a

The Netherlands - Ampco Flashlight Rental BV has announced the appointment of Dennis van der Haagen, who has joined its board as commercial and operational director.

Van der Haagen, for the last 17 years the leader of one of Holland's most successful live entertainment production companies, Sightline Productions, brings his enthusiasm and commercial management skills to aid the growth of Ampco Flashlight, the leading technical production group in the Netherlands with expertise that spans audio, lighting, video, rigging and every related service.

Dennis van der Haagen commented, "Sightline Productions has grown to the level that, from the foundation of the company, we always had in mind. It's with a lot of satisfaction to hand over the daily management to the safe hands of a younger generation that has grown up within the company.

"And now, I have decided to work fo

Germany - MilTec (UK) Ltd will be using the Prolight and Sound show in Frankfurt to launch their new Blakite and Blakite TR ranges of speakers.

The new speaker will be built entirely in the UK. "We wanted to help bring back manufacturing to Britain and to fly the flag for home grown products." said technical director Graham Gosden. "We will be using high quality materials and components with a hard wearing, professional finish. The speakers will be made from European birch ply and will be fitted with high quality drivers supplied by British and European manufacturers. Manufacturing in the UK will also enable us to greatly improve stock control."

The new speakers will replace the highly successful TP range which has been a standard fixture in clubs, bars, schools and rental companies for the past three years.

The Blakite mid/top speakers will all include p

Germany - The annual trip to Frankfurt signals the launch of a brand new product for Audient this year. Breaking new ground for the British signal processing manufacturer and putting its young, creative R&D team to full use, the company is keeping the identity of the product under wraps until Musikmesse, when the unveiling will take place at the Audient booth: Hall 5.1 D73.

The company's 9500-strong Facebook fan base and 2000 Twitter followers will be kept in the virtual loop with clues, and a preview competition in the countdown to the show's opening on 10 April. "Show news and product information will continue to be beamed around the world directly from the stand during the four-day international trade fair, so Audient's clients, distributors and dealers will be fully informed. Whether they can't be at the show, or are tied up in meetings it's important that they don't mi

Latest Issue. . .