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UK - Blue Microphones has entered into an agreement with Focusrite for the distribution of Blue products in the United Kingdom/Ireland beginning 1 April. Focusrite will be replacing Sonic Sales of the UK and will be headed up by Focusrite sales director Chris Gooddie and his management team. According to Blue owner Skipper Wise: "This distribution move is a natural progression of a tremendously successful co-operative marketing partnership that we've forged in the United States with the help of Dino Virella, national sales manager of Focusrite US."

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Italy - Outline’s Doppia and Spectra enclosures were used recently for the Viareggio Carnival, one of the most famous and colourful Italian shows in the world, attended this year by over 100,000 people. Michele Brudaglio’s Sound Service rental firm, based in Pisa, fitted out a float - one of the most impressive - with the Outline sound system, achieving an enormous concentration of power and sound pressure in a small space, say Outline. The system consisted of Doppia and four Spectra enclosures, four Victor Live subwoofers and four Stackbass upper bass units, all powered by Series T digital power amps and controlled by Outline Genius 6 digital processors. Power came from a single power generator on the deck of the float.

(Lee Baldock)

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USA - SoundField and Soundelux have come together as the microphone ‘Dream Team’. Surround sound mic manufacturer and distributor, SoundField, have taken on worldwide distribution, excluding the USA, of the critically acclaimed Soundelux range of valve and FET microphones.

Hand-built in Hollywood, with an uncompromising commitment to quality and workmanship, Soundelux have developed a comprehensive range of professional grade microphones. Such models as their ELUX 251, E47, U99 and IFET 7 recreate the sound attributes of the sought after vintage classics.

Pieter Schillebeeckx, SoundField International Sales, stated: "The Soundelux products don’t compete with any of our models. Our own SoundField multi-capsule technology is aimed firmly at the stereo and surround sound market, particularly in Broadcast. Soundelux’s popularity with so many high profi

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USA - Mackie Designs Inc has announced that Syntrillium Software has made support available for Mackie Control in the latest version of their Cool Edit Pro audio editing software. With the release of version 2.1, Cool Edit Pro joins a growing family of leading digital audio workstations to support the Mackie Control including Cakewalk Sonar, Digidesign Pro Tools, Magix Samplitude, MOTU Digital Performer, RML Labs SAWStudio, as well as Steinberg Cubase SX, Cubase SL and Nuendo.

As with all other supporting software, Mackie offers a custom Cool Edit Pro-specific overlay for the Mackie Control's master section, indicating key software control functions for each button. The overlay dramatically reduces the learning curve for experienced Cool Edit Pro users, and helps make the transition from keyboard and mouse to the Mackie Control quick and easy. The Cool Edit Pro overlay currently

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Brazil - The Jordan Ford Formula 1 racing team’s first Grand Prix win of this season’s F1 championship was aided by driver Giancarlo Fisichella’s custom-designed earpiece created by in-ear monitor pioneers Garwood. Fisichella wears a specially shaped earpiece, developed by Garwood, that maximises the intelligibility of radio instructions given by Jordan Ford’s technicians. Garwood founder Chrys Lindop explains that a unique solution was required to the acoustical problems encountered while racing at 200mph (322kph) or more.

"The communications systems in the cars," he says, "are designed primarily with two factors in mind: intelligibility and reliability. The outcome of a race might hang on a driver hearing an instruction or warning clearly and being able to react instantly to it."

Garwood used its unique version of dual driver techn

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UK - SSE recently supplied Irish PA company Alan Nolan & Sons with a substantial Nexo Geo-S system for Irish star Daniel O’Donnell’s sold-out show at London’s Royal Albert Hall. SSE’s relationship with Alan Nolan (who supply all of Daniel O’Donnell’s shows) goes back many years, and they have always turned to SSE to rent systems for Daniel at the RAH. In the past the systems have been Nexo Alpha. This was the first time that the super-compact Geo-S system has been specified.

According to SSE’s Emma Barwell, Nolans were very impressed by Geo-S when they came over in January for a demo of both Geo-S and the new Geo-T. "While they’d always been very happy with the performance of the Alpha system, it does have quite a rock and roll profile, but Daniel isn’t really a rock and roll act, so when they saw the Geo-S, they were de

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UK - The recently downsized S Club are out on the road again, as part of a major UK arena tour. Working with production director Chris Vaughan of CV Productions, LSD/Fourth Phase is providing the lighting (Pete Barnes is again LD), Britannia Row the sound (including an EAW line array speaker system and flown subs) and XL Video the video equipment. The sets were designed by Hattie Spice and the set construction was a collaboration between Brilliant Stages, Total Fabrications and Hangman Backdrops, whilst the spectacular inflatable for the cave scene was built by Air Artists.

The tour features an integrated show performed by both S Club Juniors and Seniors, with the Juniors’ high-action set kick-starting the evening’s entertainment. The live camera mix is directed by Blue Leach, working with an XL team of five. Leach was also involved in creating most of the Seniors&r

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UK - To coincide with the imminent summer festival season, the Technical Focus section of the May issue of Lighting&Sound International magazine will be looking at the technology related to the development and use of mains distribution systems. An often overlooked area of entertainment technology, safe and efficient distribution systems are a fundamental part of any show. We will also assess some of the current standards and safety issues in this area, including work done by British Standards and the ABTT. This will be followed by a brief profile of the main manufacturers and coverage of a selection of their leading products in the marketplace.

If you would like your product to be featured in this report, please e-mail L&SI’s technical editor James Eade at the e-mail address below before Thursday 1 May, 2003.

(James Eade)

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UK - As part of the re-structure of beyerdynamic GB’s expanding distribution operation, the company has welcomed on board Chris Hinds as specialist product manager. He will concentrate on developing the market share of ASL intercom products, Biamp, Renkus-Heinz and XTA across the installation, hire and live performance sectors.

Having spent over a decade in the sound reinforcement market, working as technical sales for loudspeaker manufacturer Turbosound and as operations manager for touring sound company GPA Hire, Hinds brings to beyerdynamic a wealth of experience and a deep understanding of contemporary market demands.

Commenting on his new position he enthused: "I’m delighted to be part of the beyer team. I’m looking forward to working with contractors, installers and rental companies nationwide to spearhead the use of this powerful product combinat

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Australia - Spanish loudspeaker manufacturer D.A.S. Audio's systems have been used in the refurbishment of two famous hotels in South Australia. Built in the early 1800s, the Lion and Royal Hotels conserve the elegance of the period while integrating the latest in sound reinforcement systems.

D.A.S. distributor for Australia, Magna Systems & Engineering, provided the numerous D.A.S systems for BSS Light & Sound, responsible for the installation of the products in two of the most historic and well-known hotels in the city of Adelaide. The recently-renovated Lion Hotel has installed D.A.S. Factor and Dynamics series products throughout.

At The Lion, while a modern glass and chrome bar complements the bluestone facade which is a landmark in North Adelaide, the barn-like drinking hall of the early 80s and the gloomy eating areas of the past have gone - replaced with a stylish rest

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UK - Sennheiser UK has announced the launch of its third annual Best Unsigned Artist Contest. The contest aims to promote live performance and original songwriting and goes into its third year following its success in 2002, having attracted over 1200 entries from all over the UK. Culminating in a grand final, in front of an audience of several thousand, Best Unsigned Artist 2003 is a featured event at the internationally famous Balloon Fiesta in Bristol.

Sennheiser UK director of marketing John Steven describes the initiative as "a means of establishing closer contact with up and coming performing artists," commending the contest as a way of "genuinely trying to help bands and artists who don’t fall into the category of manufactured pop idol. The live music industry depends on the continuing development of new performing artists for its survival," conti

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The Netherlands / Germany - After a successful launch of the new Alcons brand at the Frankfurt Pro Light+Sound exhibition in March, Dutch sound system manufacturer Alcons Audio has expanded into Germany with the founding of Alcons Audio Deutschland GmbH.

The move involves an agreement between Alcons Audio and Carsten Albrecht, with Albrecht to act as sales and technical support manager of Alcons Audio Deutschland. In this role, he will be responsible for client contacts, technical support and project management. Alcons Audio Deutschland will be operating from Kassel.

Albrecht, a musician at heart, worked for Stage Accompany Germany for almost nine years, providing service, installation and application support. "Advanced technology, teamwork and a unique sound are for me absolute necessities in my work," he says. "Therefore I’ve decided to take this very im

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UK - Arbiter Pro Audio has supplied installation company The Music Room with a large quantity of JBL speakers for an innovative project at a massive new Chinese restaurant/noodle bar - Hong Kong City - in new Cross, south east London.

Hong Kong City’s owner, Mr Su, acquired the site - formerly a dusty old pub - and had it completely gutted and transformed it into a lively, bustling new venue seating 300-plus people. Packed to the gunnels throughout the week, Hong Kong City is capitalizing on the current community-wide trend for Asian fast food and haute cuisine.

A high quality sound system was an essential element of the mix: Su turned to Gordon Gapper from the Music Room to produce a system appropriate for the environment, in which karaoke is also a key element of the evening’s entertainment. Music Room’s Dean Watkin then produced the sound design and specif

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UK - Drapes and rigging specialist Blackout was recently appointed by London-based Production House PAV, to help realise the dramatic set for a sensational one-off club night - The King of Clubs - for brand giants Budweiser.

Staged at London’s famous Old Billingsgate market, the event concept was inspired by the Budweiser King of Beers’ commercial, and King of Clubs was the culmination of a point-of-sale campaign by the company. Re-igniting the spontaneous party spirit of the late 1980’s rave scene, over 3,000 invited guests met at a central London location, before being whisked away by boat to Billingsgate - the first time the venue has been used as a club.

Blackout’s Project Manager, Chris Brain collaborated with Paul-Ant Viollet of PAV Productions, to realise his design, which took references from the ad campaign. Blackout provided massive quantiti

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USA - Apogee loudspeakers were used for the first time to provide live sound at the Independent Film Producers' (IFP) Independent Spirit Awards ceremony. The event, held March 22, hosted 1,300 guests and 350 members of the international press in a large tent on a beach in Santa Monica, CA. Twenty Apogee AE-5 loudspeakers and eight Apogee SSMs were used to provide sound for the audience.

"Providing quality sound in a tent can be difficult," said Bruce Burns, sound designer and audio co-ordinator for show. "We couldn't use trusses, so special mounting brackets had to be fabricated to affix the Apogee AE-5s to the tent poles. This arrangement could have compromised coverage, but with the AE-5s, the coverage was excellent."

Since the 1990s, the veteran Hollywood sound designer has selected Apogee for large-scale events including the Grammy Awards, Golden Glob

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UK - Building on the success of his former company ISE, Glen Smith has launched Glen Smith Audio. The new company will offer select, high quality, new and used equipment, as well as acting as a specialist brokerage service.

"GSA will select a portfolio of niche products, rather than present products just to fill inventory gaps," said Smith. "We will concentrate all our efforts on our targeted customers, who we believe will appreciate a more dedicated and professional approach. By limiting the product range, we can concentrate wholly on support and promotion to clients.

GSA will also offer an equipment valuation service, thereby capitalizing on Smith’s established reputation with finance houses and audio companies, as a valuer and consultant for pro-audio equipment. Smith’s third string is alliances - Smith has already forged a partnership with Midas

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Switzerland - Geneva-based Skynight and Nexo's Swiss distributor Zap Audio have completed the installation of a Nexo GEO S sound reinforcement system at the Geneva Stadium in Switzerland.

Nexo's pedigree in sports stadia is well-established, with venues such as the Stade de France in Paris and the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, using different Nexo loudspeaker products. Drawing on the success of a stand-alone GEO S system in the commercial village outside the Stade de France, the 35,000-capacity Geneva Stadium has become the first to use Nexo's flagship GEO technology as the main SR system.

The original specification followed very conventional lines, calling for 120 x 15 degree loudspeakers spread under the roof, with 60 amps located in one position. Cabling runs were enormous, and the project called for two people to spend three weeks, just hanging the loudspeakers. The

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UK - Spring is upon us and we are told it is no more keenly felt than in Osiers Road where Britannia Row Productions is enjoying an extremely fertile season. Neil Young and Bryan Adams are touring with Brit Row’s two leading Line Array systems - the L-Acoustics’ V-dosc and EV X-line respectively, and the ever popular Turbosound Flashlight system is out with both Simply Red and Alison Moyet. In addition, Brit Row’s expertise is also being applied to tours by Peter Gabriel and S Club (V-dosc and X-line), both of whom, together with Simply Red, are using Yamaha PM1D consoles. Midas Heritage and XL4s are the control for Goldfrapp, Whitesnake, Death in Vegas, and The Vines’ tours.

An eclectic mix of corporate and one-off events are interspersed with all of this touring activity, using a selection of Turbosound, d&b, DV-dosc and X-line XLC. Brit Row’s Br

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The Netherlands - Anyone interested in tracking Alcons’ product initiatives can watch the development of the company’s new line array system on-line. The building block of the new system is the recently-introduced Alcons RBN 601 ribbon driver, a highly efficient driver, with ‘real90’ horizontal dispersion, which has a natural cylindrical wave front, the main ‘ingredient’ for a good working line-array system. The current acceptance of line array technology and the development of the high-power RBN 601 has led Alcons to develop a ribbon-loaded line-array system for high power applications. This first system will be a compact, multi-use system, complete with dedicated processing and control. Visitors to the Alcons’ website can ‘witness’ its development online.

(Ruth Rossington)

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USA - Turbosound's QLight products are making a difference to the sound quality at San Francisco's high profile W Hotel. Installed by local specialist Zebra Sound, the hotel's new loudspeaker systems were supplied through Sennheiser Electronic Corporation, Turbosound's US distributor.

The project involved the installation of various Turbosound components in several public areas of the W San Francisco, a hotel located close to the city's Moscone Centre and Museum of Modern Art, in the downtown South-of-Market neighbourhood. Part of the Starwood Hotels and Resorts group, which also includes the Westin, Sheraton and Four Seasons chains, the W hosts entertainment events in the Atrium, XYZ Bar and Restaurant.

"We had an arrangement with the W to provide sound reinforcement rental services," Megerssa elaborates. "They handle major events attracting up to 1,500 people.

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Portugal - ARX Systems is pleased to announce the appointment of Engineering of Imagination Ltd (Engenharia da Imaginação Lda) as its exclusive distributor for Portugal. Engineering of Imagination Ltd is a new company formed by three well-known figures in the Portuguese pro audio market, Miguel Lourtie, João Salgueiro and Renato Gomesto to distribute ARX and resell Meyer products in the Portuguese market.

Miguel Lourtie told us: "As our company name indicates we’ll be making use of existing partnerships with leading experts in all areas of the Industry, providing complete solutions for the most daunting ideas and challenges in the theatre, installation and sound reinforcement markets."

"Our company’s philosophy is total dealer support with project and technical sales backupwhich will allow us to better train our partners, to give them the edge ove

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France - The business of Master Europe, the France-based loudspeaker manufacturer, which had gone into receivership, has now been taken over by Hortus Audio. Hortus Audio was set up on April 1st 2003 in the form of an SAS (simplified joint stock company) with capital of €100,000 to take over the design and manufacture of speaker series Granit, Promann, Contract and NSX under the Hortus Audio brand, along with dedicated amplifiers and controllers.

Hortus Audio is the result of the determination of Silvère Davoust, former audio product manager at Master Europe, to continue the business and save the jobs of the employees. The mission of Hortus Audio is, the company says, to offer its partners reliable high-quality products that are designed and manufactured in France, in such a way as to achieve rapid return on investment. Hortus Audio is driven by the commitment of a dedicated t

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USA - Michigan-based Thunder Audio Inc recently used the new Klark Teknik DN9340 Helix digital equalizer and DN9344 Helix digital slave equalizer at the Phillip Morris ‘Altria Invitational’ corporate event in West Palm Beach, Florida. Guest artists included Elton John, Gloria Estefan and Michael Bolton.

Thunder’s head audio engineer Scott Minkley described the event and how the fully programmable Helix and Helix slave units were able to meet the EQ requirements of each act’s FOH engineer with seamless transitions from set to set. "We brought a whole PA system down for the various acts’ engineers to use. The Helix was particularly useful because there were 10 zones of audio and numerous engineers to work with, so the units were definitely put to task and proved themselves extremely versatile. The event took place at the PGA National Resort and S

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UK - Roxy Music’s live enhanced CD - Roxy Music Live - which will be released in the UK in early June - was compiled from a marathon of recordings made by producer/engineer Rhett Davies during Roxy’s recent world tour, encompassing Oceania, North America, Asia and Europe. Davies recorded 45 of the 51 shows betaking direct feeds from 72 outputs in the FOH mixer to three Mackie Hard Disk Recorders, synced together for each show.

Davies said: "The Mackie HDRs were all flight-cased and rack-mounted and we all had to do was connect the multicore, press the record button and we were away. It was as simple as that. We didn’t have a lot of opportunity to listen back to the recording on the road. But when we finally did, the results that came out of the Mackies were phenomenal."

However, sifting through all material recorded from 45 shows was not quite so ea

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