Robe - LEADERBOARD - Feb 2025
PLASA Show 2025 - Banner - June-Aug 2025

Sound

Details
UK - Richard Nowell Sound Services (RNSS) has installed the UK's very first Midas Verona bearing serial number 001 into London's Royal Festival Hall. RNSS invested in the Verona without even seeing it - just a quick glance at the spec sheet and a telephone conversation with Midas and Klark Teknik's Richard Ferriday were enough to convince Nowell that the Verona was exactly what they he was looking for.

RNSS is responsible for the in-house sound systems throughout the South Bank Centre, from voice alarm and evacuation systems through to PA. The PA systems in particular have evolved over many years, so the company is currently involved in upgrading and rationalizing the equipment throughout. Having replaced the loudspeaker system in the Queen Elizabeth Hall, it became imperative to replace the console.

Nowell recounts: "When we first took over the contract for the South Ban

Details
Australia - Fresh from its successes in being specified for high profile musical productions in Spain and the Netherlands, Formula Sound's recently-launched QUE-18 foldback mixer is also now being used in a leading production of the Queen musical, We Will Rock You in Melbourne, Australia.

Officially launched at last year's PLASA Show, the QUE-18 builds on Formula Sound's existing QUE-8 and QUE-10 foldback mixers by adding valuable extra channels and new features to what has proved to be a very popular and thoroughly proven design. It has been created to satisfy demands from sound design professionals for a product that provides new levels of foldback flexibility, especially in theatre applications, and has received an enthusiastic response from users such as Bobby Aitken of Bobby Aitken Sound Designs, who specified the QUE-18 for the Queen musical.

"They have prov

Doughty - Banner - from 8 Aug 2025

Details
USA - For the 19th consecutive year, the International Ballroom at Merv Griffin's Beverly Hilton Hotel was outfitted with Apogee loudspeakers and power amplifiers for the Golden Globe Awards. The Awards are presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association to honour achievements in film and television during the calendar year. The show, broadcast live on NBC on 25 January and shown in 125 countries, attracted a worldwide television audience of 250 million viewers.

Veteran sound engineer Bruce Burns of Innovative Audio Technologies, Inc of Sun Valley, California, has selected Apogee loudspeakers for the Golden Globes since Apogee technology was available in 1985. In 2000, The Beverly Hilton, impressed by the quality and reliability of Apogee's performance, purchased from Thomas Gregor Audio Associates a permanent Apogee system for the International Ballroom, which also hosts

Details
UK / Europe - Skan PA Hire has confirmed that it is continuing its strong relationship with The Darkness by supplying sound control equipment for the band's February European tour. The four-week tour includes two full production shows in Portsmouth and Folkestone and some of Europe's most famous cities, including Hamburg, Copenhagen and Vienna.

Skan is providing Midas Heritage 2000 and XL3 consoles, with technicians Scott Essen and Nick Stagg working alongside The Darkness' FOH engineer Pedro Ferreira and monitor engineer Andy Shillito. The Darkness first toured with Skan in October 2003 using its L'Acoustics dV-DOSC system, and again in November supporting Meatloaf. After an impressive performance, Skan was asked to provide an enhanced system for the heavily publicized Christmas 'Elf Hazard' tour.

(Sarah Rushton-Read)

Details
UK - Symetrix is introducing the new AirTools 6200 voice processor, and showing upgrades to the Studio Matrix signal processing system at the forthcoming NAB 2004 exhibition in in Las Vegas. All units are now shipping, say the company.

The AirTools 6200 is a dual-channel, DSP-driven voice processor, with all the necessary functions to handle complete signal processing of microphone or line-level signals, in dual-mono or stereo. Processing blocks are editable from the front panel or from a Windows-based GUI accessed via USB or Ethernet ports, and changes are stored in any of the 1024 onboard preset locations. Processes include filtering, parametric equalization, compression, de-essing, gating, room simulation and more. The 6200 also supports HomerLink, an interconnect protocol that makes it compatible with the Studio Matrix system.

The Studio Matrix system is now shipping and s

Details
Worldwide - Monitor engineer for American alternative metal band A Perfect Circle, Michael Mulé, has 22 years of hands-on experience in live music. He's been working with a DiGiCo D5 Live digital mixing console on the band's latest tour, travelling around America, Europe, Australia and Japan, which will finish on the 2004 summer festival scene. He only had one day prior to rehearsal to get to know his way around the console, but he found an almost instant affinity with the interface and, seven months into the tour, he says he wouldn't change it for the world.

A Perfect Circle is composer and guitar player Billy Howerdel, who formed the band, lead singer Maynard James Keenan (also lead singer with Tool), James Iha from Smashing Pumpkins, Jeordie White from Marilyn Manson, and drummer Josh Freese, a Stellar Studio musician and has played with many bands. This is the

Details
USA - The First Baptist Church of Cumming, Georgia recently replaced its sound system, turning to Mike Hedden at dB Acoustics & Sound, a design/build firm that specializes in contemporary churches with production-oriented worship. "We do about a church a week," says Hedden. "Our philosophy is that the AV system needs to be a seamless part of the worship service. If we do our job correctly, the congregation won't be distracted by technology."

The church had initially invested in quality equipment such as Crown amps and a Soundcraft K2 console, and Hedden kept as much of the original equipment as possible.

The main room seats around 800-900 people. Hedden and his team installed a mono distributed system featuring a main centre cluster of two SPL-triktraps from Sound Physics Labs and two SPL-td1 subwoofers. SPL-triktraps provide wide-angle coverage of 60° x 6

Details
Switzerland - Two Soundcraft MH3 mixing consoles and BSS 9088 Soundwebs have entered the big top, running the audio for the Swiss National Circus as part of a 100% Harman Pro system installation. The Knie Dynasty, which has been in existence for over 200 years - touring as the Swiss National Circus since 1918 - decided to replace their entire audio system with a complete Harman Pro solution.

The Knie family opted for a VerTec Line Array system to fill the 3,000-capacity big top. Supplied by Swiss distributor Dr. W. A. Günther, the music and playback system consists of 12 JBL VerTec VT 4887, underpinned by three JBL CSR82 subs - all powered by Crown MacroTech. The vocal system and delays are carried by 10 JBL AE AC2212 powered by Crown XS, while the brace of BSS Soundweb 9088 DSP devices store the crossover and EQ gain settings as presets, and handle the signal routing. The mixi

Details
UK / Germany - Trantec will showcase its entire range of advanced radio products at this year's Frankfurt ProLight&Sound exhibition. Making its European debut is the Trantec S6001 which, the company says, carries on where the award-winning S5000 left off. It features many of the benefits of the internationally acclaimed S6000 rack system, but in a compact, single-channel unit.

Using the same receiver technology currently employed in the S6000, the S6001 can operate from 798MHz to 865MHz. It can operate from user defined frequency sets programmed via a USB port, or custom programmed to individual frequencies via the data wheel on the front panel. The unit displays all the standard information through a latest generation vacuum fluorescent display (VFD), giving high visual clarity in all environments.

Trantec will also be showcasing its new 4.16 - a low cost radio mic system.

Details
UK - Public address and voice alarm specialist Millbank Electronics (now owned by Ampekko Ltd) has de-centralized its UK distributor network and appointed nine new distributors nationwide. The strategic decision to broaden the network across the UK was agreed with Millbank's long-standing UK distributor RW Salt. Featuring as a part of the on-going policy at Millbank to expand its market potential, provide enhanced end user support and technical back up, the new network comprises organizations that are traditional PA/VA specialists as well as companies that focus on allied niche markets.

In the North East, Canford Audio will represent Millbank and push the brand into studio and related marketplaces, whilst Blaydon Communications will service the traditional PA/VA sector in this region. RW Salt will handle Manchester's environs, whilst Ansabac will look after the Birmingham area a

Details
UK - The Square is a new nightclub venue in Daventry, Northamptonshire, owned by Lord Maurice Fermoy. Fermoy, who aims to bring a touch of class to a night out, has opened the new venue as phase one of a two-part experience, with phase two due for completion during Spring 2004.

Installer for the venue, Complete Light and Sound Services (CLASS), have utilized Digita and Mini Sub loudspeakers from Italian manufacturer Outline for this prestigious venue. The Mini Subs have been placed in custom-built cabinets and the system is powered by QSC, with Behringer processing, with the main club mixer the popular and reliable Allen & Heath Xone 6:2.

The decision to use the Outline range for this installation was reached by the combination of the past experience of William Yeo and Richard Alldred. The lighting system for the venue, which has also been installed by CLASS, includes products

Details
Australia - ARX Systems has announced the release of the new ARX Afterburner II multi-mode compressor/limiter, designed for use in the most demanding professional audio dynamics control applications. The Afterburner II can be used in three different modes of operation: In two-channel mode, it performs as two independent compressor/limiters, with 'industry standard' variable Threshold, Ratio and Output gain; In stereo mode, ARX's new Adaptive Stereo Link circuitry provides increased stereo imaging accuracy when linking both channels as a stereo pair; A single front panel switch puts the Afterburner into its alternative Mono mode - setting it up as a single-channel, dual band compressor/limiter, with separate dynamics control of both low and high frequencies, opening up a whole new range of gain control techniques.

In any mode, the Afterburner II also features true analogue comput

Details
UK - Following the successful introduction of the new WHISEworks-NTM filter in the Omnidrive Compact Plus - used with great success on the recent David Bowie tour by Adlib Audio - BSS has announced a firmware upgrade for its Minidrive FDS-334 and FDS-336 units, which includes the new filters.

The new firmware, available as a free download via the BSS website, includes the new 36dB and 52dB slope filters, which use a notching design to provide a faster roll-off than equivalent order Linkwitz-Riley designs, allowing speaker drivers to be powered to their optimum bandwidth. Jerry Wing of top UK sound company Britannia Row Productions, is calling the new filter "the biggest step forward in digital crossover technology since Linkwitz-Riley."

The new firmware also includes updates to allow Minidrive to be included in the new release of the SB2 control suite, which is avai

Details
UK - Andrew Diey, leading UK composer, sound designer and owner of Alchemy Audio Lab, is behind some of DPA Microphones' more unusual applications. His work on films, TV programmes and video games has involved the use of DPA 4011 cardioid microphones and IMK4061 miniature microphone kits to record Challenger 2 tanks, Ferraris, V8 Dodges, modified Japanese cars and the loud transients of an artillery crack. His latest project was to record the sound of Harrier Jump Jets for a second series of British TV programme, Building the Ultimate, for Granada/Channel 5.

Diey had already used his DPA mics as music composer and sound designer for the programme's first series to record machines such as tanks and submarines. This time, together with his assistant Pete Trickett, he set up a pair of 4011s to capture the sound of the famous jet fighter, at one point tracking a Harrier in flight wi

Details
The Netherlands - With the purchase of a new GEO T rig by PA Geluid in Nijmegen, Nexo's new tangent-array technology is now available on the rental market in The Netherlands. PA Geluid is a well-respected sound reinforcement rental company, with a particularly strong reputation in theatre.

Owner Paul Achterberg first bought into the Nexo GEO technology in 2002, ordering 24 GEO S full-range cabinets with four CD18 sub-bass units from Nexo's Dutch distributor, Iemke Roos. Over the last 18 months, this system has built up an exceptional track record working in theatre in Holland.Achterberg and PA Geluid were asked to provide a system for a major metal festival, Metalbash at de Maaspoort at Den Bosch, headlined by Machinehead, whose front-of-house engineer was demanding 115dB at the desk. This was the cue for Achterberg to order Nexo's new GEO T full-range high-output loudspeakers,

Details
UK - It was almost standing room only at the five seminar sessions organized by The Institute of Sound & Communications Engineers (ISCE) on Tuesday 24 February at the Watford Moat House Hotel. The seminar programme ran alongside a table-top exhibition with over 20 invited companies having a unique opportunity to present their products and services to the technical specifiers and users in the sound contracting industry. The organizers report good feedback from exhibitors, with Jon Doar of CIE-Audio saying there was positive feedback from delegates and customers, and adding "roll on the next event!"

(Lee Baldock)

Details
UK - Allen & Heath has announced a change in the production of its Xone:02 pro scratch mixer. In place of the custom-made VCA faders that have been used since the mixer's launch in November 2001, Penny & Giles faders will now be fitted as standard as opposed to an optional extra.

"Allen & Heath is renowned worldwide for its top-end Xone series of DJ and club mixers and our design philosophy is always focussed on providing the best quality products on the market," commented sales director, Bob Goleniowski. "The fader is the most important part of a scratch mixer and Penny & Giles' impressive reputation in this field has made their fader very popular with our customers."

Although it looks like a two channel mixer, the Xone:02's pair of dual stereo channels and dual mic channel allow up to four stereo and two mono sources to be mixed simultaneously with indep

Details
UK - Autograph Sound Recording, the world-renowned sound design and theatre rental specialist, has been invited to work on the brand new West End musical Jailhouse Rock. Based on the classic 1957 Elvis film of the same name, this energetic show will no doubt have London's Piccadilly Theatre 'all shook up'!

Autograph's award winning Simon Baker, recently honoured as LDI's sound designer of the year, was chosen to design the show by production company Theatre Partners after their collaboration on 125th Street. Simon is working with the unusual situation of the entire cast being actor/musicians, who play all their own instruments live with no orchestral backup, resulting in a much more complex and intuitive system design.

Autograph have supplied a Cadac F-Type mixing console, as well as three additional digital Yamaha D1000 desks, one for foldback, one to pre-mix al

Details
UK - Young musician Kelly Stanley won Medway Council's Sound Generation Concert, held in Chatham this month, and walked away with the first prize of a Soundcraft GigRac, the latest in professional audio mixing consoles.

The Sound Generation concert, which was organized to generate awareness of the Council's road safety SAFE (Stop Accidents For Ever) campaign, attracted a large audience under the Chatham centre flyover, as the bands blasted out their music on a Sunday afternoon.

Kelly Stanley, the youngest finalist in the competition at just 13, demonstrated her ability with a stunning mix of feminine rock and acoustic ballads. In a fiercely contested afternoon all six finalists produced outstanding performances with sets consisting of original music. The other finalists included bands PKFY, Seven Story Down, CCTV and Delayed Experience and rapper 'Richie D'.

Medway Council'

Details
UK - One of the leading UK generator suppliers, Powerent - part of the Longville Group - has had a busy couple of years providing silent power to some major film productions. The company's list of credits include this winter's box office success Love Actually staring Hugh Grant. Powerent's silent 1000kW and 500kW generators were used to power an impressive reproduction of a Heathrow departure lounge in Shepperton Studios. Simultaneously in the same studio, Powerent also provided power for period drama Complete Female Stage Beauty starring Rupert Everett and Claire Danes, due to be released later this year.

The latest Harry Potter film utilized a super silent generator with fuel tank to supply extra power for a set being filmed in St Pancras Chambers in London. The Victorian Gothic building, which was being used for some interior shots was unable to supply sufficien

Details
UK / Germany - Leading British PA/VA manufacturer Millbank will exhibit its extensive range of cutting-edge CENELEC and BS5839 pt8 compliant products at Frankfurt ProLight&Sound 2004. Since Millbank was acquired by Ampekko Ltd in 2003, further investment has expanded the company's product portfolio, and it will showcase a range of new products designed specifically for PA applications.

In particular, a sophisticated new digital voice store will be displayed. As a compact and easy-to-install unit, the DVS increases the flexibility and potential of the legendary Millbank VA range. The new VxLINK also making its international debut is designed to enhance any complex systems' design. As another simple to install product from Millbank, it effectively augments the potential of the Millbank PA range.

In addition, Millbank's other products will be showcased, including VeriFIRE and Jus

Details
Gambia - The New Covenant Worship Centre, part of Abiding Word Ministries (AWM) in Serrekunda, the Gambia, has undergone an upgrade of its audio equipment to meet increasing technical demands. Headed by Pastor Francis Forbes, a well-known national figure, the church is heavily involved in TV and radio broadcast and music production, beyond the capabilities of the existing sound system.

Tim Kemp, director of Hull, UK-based installers Euronis Ltd, was responsible for the specification and installation of the system. The PA was refurbished with Crown amplifiers, Peavey loudspeakers, Alesis outboard devices, Sennheiser mics and a 32-channel Allen & Heath GL2200 mixing console.

The GL2200/32 was chosen for its suitability as a multi-role mixer. Its main function is for live sound reinforcement during services and concerts where the audio requirements include wired and wireless mi

Details
Germany - EVI has announced that Frauke Jungbluth took over the position of export manager, Western Europe, for Dynacord. Jungbluth's previous experience includes eight years as a sales manager with another company in the pro audio sector. She gained her first experience of audio in 1986, when she worked as a marketing assistant for Electro-Voice.

EVI also announces that Christian Gress is taking over additional responsibilities. Having taken on the position of sales manager for Midas Venice at the beginning of last year, he will now take on the role of export sales manager, Western Europe, for both Electro-Voice and Midas Venice.

Gress, who acquired his knowledge of the industry and its products as a sound engineer, has been a member of the EVI Audio team since mid 2001. Of his new role, he says: "I see in our current products enormous potential for Electro-Voice in ever

Details
USA - The United Nations building in New York City became one of the first venues in the US to use the recently launched Midas Verona 8-bus mixing console for its sound reinforcement needs in addition to the new ElectroVoice Plasma powered speaker line for main FOH stacks and delays. New York Audio Service was asked to provide sound reinforcement services for an all-star line-up of jazz legends including Herbie Hancock, Larry Coryell, Terri Lyne Carrington, Nestor Torres and Buster Williams, who performed a special concert for the 'Culture of Peace' benefit at the UN last month.

New York Audio Service founder David Gibson remarked: "The Midas Verona is extremely user-friendly and straightforward. I spent a day with it in the shop, and had no trouble at all in familiarising myself with the board. I actually ran the entire show off the matrix busses, and only used 16-17 of th

  1. Messe product fest for ARX
  2. New Tapco studio monitors at NAB
  3. Kramer puts audio & video in sync
  4. Midas Consoles Holland launched
  5. Bank station banks on Millbank
  6. Martin & QSC enter the Ozone
Page 622 of 1359
Adam Hall - Large MPU - Aug 2025
LSi 40 Sponsors - MPU - Aug-Nov

Latest Issue. . .