USA - California-based loudspeaker manufacturer Renkus-Heinz Inc has further expanded its e-commerce facilities, by offering web-based online order tracking for authorized dealers. This builds on the company's existing web application for dealers, Configurator Online, which allows customized product configuration and order placement.

The password-protected section allows authorized dealers to access detailed order information and to track order status from initial submission to delivery. Critical stages in the order process include confirmation, credit approval, production, ship dates (required, changed and actual) and delivery date. After shipment, the online order tracker provides links to common carriers and shipment tracking numbers. A second password controls online access to financial information such as outstanding invoices, credit limits, sales totals, etc. To maintain c

Turkey - KV2 Audio has appointed AVS to distribute its products in Turkey. The Istanbul-based company is a dedicated AV specialist, working in all sections of the professional audio-visual market. AVS owners Yalcin and Osman Celik commented: "We have always worked with top quality products; when we first saw and heard KV2 speakers we knew that they were right for us. It seemed natural to have a line of speakers of this quality to distribute directly to the Turkish market."

The official launch of KV2 Audio in Turkey took place at the Pro Sound show, which was held in Istanbul from 8-11 April. At the show, AVS showed the whole range of KV2 Audio products. "The co operation with AVS is an important step for KV2 Audio, as it opens the doors in one of the markets that is showing in recent years one of the highest growth rates in Europe," said Alex Pagliani, Europe

The Netherlands - Q-Dance, a subsidiary of major Dutch dance promoter ID&T, hosted a progressive hardhouse event entitled 'in Qontrol', at Amsterdam's RAI Congress Centre this April. The 25,000-strong crowd was treated to performances from the leading DJs in the genre, including Pavo, DJ Luna and Deepack.

Sound equipment provider, Stage Pro, selected Allen & Heath's new Xone:92 mixer to be used on the main stage. Shortly before the show, the DJs were introduced to the recently-launched mixer and were very impressed, commenting that it beats every console that they have used previously.

The Xone:92's clarity, headroom and filters fully complemented the V-Dosc sound system. Additionally, the Xone:92's two record sends were used as a feed for the multi-track recording of this massive dance-event.

(Sarah Rushton-Read)

Belgium / Luxemburg - Brussels-based Prévost - distributor for Belgium and Luxemburg for brands including Beyerdynamic, Dynacord, Electro-Voice, Klark Teknik and Koenig & Meyer, has launched a new division - 'Pro Entertainment' - which will be exclusively dedicated to pro audio in the European concert sound and fixed install markets.

"The new division will fulfill the specific needs of the big rental companies," explains Walter Geerts, managing director, "as well as the contractors involved in projects such as theatres, arts centres and last but not least broadcast companies. We will supply products ... aimed at the mobile and fixed install concert sound systems market, offering high-end solutions to our clients requirements. Our main activities, on top of monitoring projects from the ground up to their realization, will include seminars and roadshows, as well as

Italy - The ELISA 2126from RCF is a multi-function unit combining a six-CD auto-changer with cartridge operation, FM tuner with station memory and a seven-input integrated amplifier with 120W RMS - available on four selectable speaker lines.

Suitable for bars, restaurants, retail stores and fast food chains, the EL 2126 offers four balanced mic/ line inputs and an external Line-Level input for an additional source (i.e. Satellite Receiver). The system can be connected to a priority source (i.e. PABX) and has a built-in chime and a double siren with adjustable volume for emergency. This versatile unit also has an integrated four-zone selection keyboard for individual activation of the sound to different rooms.

(Sarah Rushton-Read)

UK - The highly acclaimed Rolls product line is now available in the UK from Smart Sound Direct. Comprising an extensive range of commercial and music-related mixers and sub-mixers, signal processors, phantom power supplies, headphone monitor systems, interface devices and headphone amplifiers, all products are built to a high standard in the USA. The range offers something for most sound scenarios - from boardrooms, churches and restaurants, to schools, nightclubs, DJs, studios, sound engineers and musicians.

Also available from Smart Sound Direct are the PSS amplifiers (designed by French amp guru, Yuri Gutsatz) known for their build and sound quality, safety and reliability and all models carry a 10-year manufacturer's guarantee. Said to produce deep, full-bodied bass, clear and clean highs, and accurate mids, the latest trio of newcomers to the range are the PSS600, PSS1200

Germany - HK Audio welcomed more than 50 international distributors to its premises in St Wendel, Germany, prior to the start of Frankfurt's ProLight&Sound exhibition. The loudspeaker manufacturer's distributors came from as far afield as Mexico, Korea, Zimbabwe, Indonesia, Russia and China.

One of the highlights of the two-day event was an awards ceremony held to recognize the contributions of several of the company's distributors. The Award for Concert Sound Sales went to John Hornby Skewes of the UK and was accepted by Dennis Drumm and Neville Raine. SDS of Switzerland picked up the Award for Portable Sound Sales, and Stefano Pagani, Ilan Kriesi and Christian Kraska were on hand to collect. In the field of Install Sound Sales, the Award was won by Space Lights of Greece and collected by Klem Tokatlidis and Christos Asproulis. There was also an award for the Most Improved Dis

USA - VTG Audio and Stardraw announced that Net CAD has won a Pick Hits award at NAB 2004. Net CAD is VTG Audio's new on-line custom panel design and ordering application, commissioned from software providers, Stardraw.com, which went live at the recent NSCA show in Las Vegas.

(Sarah Rushton-Read)

UK - Oceanic, the London studio of Who guitarist Pete Townshend, has upgraded with a new Genelec 5.1 monitoring system based around the new 7071LSE subs, with bass management feature. The Genelecs were installed especially so that producer Bob Pridden could re-mix a live Who performance from Boston in 5.1. format.

Pridden has used his much-loved Lockwood monitors with Tannoy Red drivers since the 70s all over the world, but when he came to do The Who's and a number of other 5.1 projects, he knew they had to upgrade. He and the band tried out "dozens of speakers" but he wasn't impressed by any as he felt they sounded "too hi-fi". But, "the minute they tried the Genelecs I loved them," he said.

The live show was recorded in June 2002 and features Pino Paladino on bass after the untimely death of The Who's John Entwhistle. It was recorded on eight 8

The Netherlands - Midas Consoles Holland, the new distribution model for Midas and Klark Teknik products in the Netherlands, has enjoyed success since its launch in January. April saw a particularly busy month for the company, whose sales included a 32-channel Heritage 1000 console to the internationally-renowned concert hall and congress centre - De Doelen, as well as a Venice 320 and eight of Klark Teknik's industry standard DN360 EQ devices to another performance venue, 013 in Tilburg.

The Heritage 1000 has been installed into De Doelen's main concert hall, the 2,200-seater Grote Zaal, although it was supplied with a touring package, so in fact the desk can be moved into any room within the venue as required. Sander Zijlstra, head of sound at De Doelen, said. "We host over 600 concerts a year here, and that means a lot of visiting engineers," he said. "The adva

UK - The alarming truth about Britain's nightclubs has been revealed in new research published by the Royal National Institute for the Deaf (RNID) - the largest charity representing the nine million deaf and hard-of-hearing people in the UK. The report, A noise hangover?, is based on the findings of a covert survey of 15 nightclubs in five UK cities - London, Manchester, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast - and reveals noise in Britain's clubs has reached damaging levels.

RNID commissioned the survey, which measured noise levels in three different areas within each club - the dance floor, the bar and the chill-out area. It found that in some venues, the noise was so loud on the dance floor - sometimes as loud as an aircraft taking off (approx. 110dB(A)) - that for those clubbers regularly exposed to loud music, the cumulative effect could be very damaging. Someone who goes c

Italy - Soundcraft's Italian distributor, Audio Equipment, has reported strong sales of the company's MH3 and MH4 consoles following the SIB expo in Rimini - with a staggering 27 consoles requisitioned by the time of the Frankfurt ProLight&Sound exhibition three weeks later. Audio equipment's Marco Porro attributed this to the fact that many of his customers had wanted to suspend their buying decisions until they were in a position to make like-for-like comparisons - and SIB provided the opportunity.

"The season starts at the end of April and I knew SIB would be an important show for us," said Porro. "While I knew some orders had been promised, other rental companies decided to check out the features on competitive desks - but in every case they came back to us."

The positive feedback, Porro says, was based on the VCAs and improved EQ of the MH3 and MH4, a

UK - Sound Division has installed a sophisticated AV system into the brand new bar and restaurant in London's Battersea, called Iniquity, and owned and run by Rising Star Leisure. According to Rising Star's chief executive, Steve Kelly, the brief was to "implement a high quality and resilient audio-visual system, based on best-of-breed technology, to provide great sound quality from a variety of input sources, including CD, Hard Disk, MP3, DVD, and DJ."

To this end, Sound Division's David Graham specified a Crown-driven JBL system that is split into two zones with the ability to control both zones from each area. The bar area is served by JBL Control 28 loudspeakers while Graham opted for Control 25Avs for the lounge with system control courtesy of a Cloud CX242 dual zone mixer. In addition to the audio system, Sound Division has also installed a sophisticated AV syst

UK - Klark Teknik announced the launch of a PC remote control for the award-winning Helix DN9340 digital equalization system. This is the latest add-in to the ELGAR software control shell that has been developed for Klark Teknik and Midas products.

The PC controller mirrors the operation of the units themselves, allowing instant and simultaneous online control of up to 64 channels of EQ from a laptop, tablet computer or compatible device. The unique 'FastNav' feature allows access to any function of any channel with just two button clicks, making control of even the largest systems quick and simple. The software has been extensively beta-tested on numerous events and tours with excellent results.

The Graphical User Interface is intuitive and straightforward to use. The Homepage provides a composite view of the overall operation of any channel and full real-time metering is pro

UK - UK audio rental company Concert Sound has invested in 48 JBL Vertec VT4889 line array cabinets, which went straight out on the European and UK legs of the current Eric Clapton world tour. The Vertec was supplied via JBL's UK distributor, Harman Pro UK.

Clapton's FOH engineer is the charismatic Rob Collins, who's worked for the legendary artist since 1989. Collins is also one of the founding members of Concert Sound. An industry maverick in his own right, Collins won the Total Production 'Sound Engineer of the Year 2004' Award in February.

Concert sound - who's director's also include sound engineers Jeff Hooper and Pab Boothroyd - had been discussing the addition of another large scale audio system to add to their hire stock for some time. They wanted something powerful and precise, and also a system that was familiar to a lot of engineers. Collins had first used the Vert

Denmark - TC Electronic introduces Mastering 6000, which will make its debut at AES, Berlin. The Mastering 6000 is a four-engine mastering processor based on the company's award-winning multi-channel processing platform, System 6000. Mastering 6000 is a custom set of precise timing and high-resolution digital signal processing tools designed specifically for mastering engineers producing high-quality audio for CD, DVD, SACD and film. Mastering 6000 has a license-based structure, which enables it to be augmented with optional processing tools.

New limiting and compression algorithms in Mastering 6000 include MD4, featuring a five-band stereo and MS processor with linear phase split filter topology, an updated Brickwall Limiter that prevents listening fatigue and distortion using internal sample rates of up to 480 kHz (five times upsampling) and new custom A/D and D/A conversion

Germany - Steinberg Media Technologies recently announced that the latest version of its award-winning WaveLab audio editing and mastering application is now shipping to resellers worldwide. Offering full multi-channel surround support, a video track and DVD audio mastering and authoring.

One of the major new releases in Steinberg's 20th anniversary year, WaveLab 5 now encompasses a full set of DVD Audio mastering and authoring tools, making WaveLab 5 the first and currently only application to support both CD-Audio and DVD Audio formats within a unified interface. WaveLab 5 is also the first and currently only application to combine all aspects of stereo and multi-channel high-resolution audio editing, processing, mastering and DVD-Audio authoring/burning.

Arnd Kaiser, Steinberg's senior product manager for Music Technology commented: "We are, of course, very proud to be

UK - The concert hall at Nottingham's Royal Centre has been fitted out to a top touring spec by a company that understand the demands of live production work. Northampton-based TourTech have visited the venue many times as a rental/production company, and were thus seen as best equipped to design and install a system that would obviate the need for many of the incoming shows to carry their own production.

Both TourTech and the venue itself have a long history of operating Soundcraft desks, so it didn't take long for the hire company's Dick Rabel and concert hall technical manager, Pearse Ellis to agree on a 32-channel MH3 to mix the sound in the 2,300-capacity, three-tiered hall.

There is now continuity with the adjacent Theatre Royal, who have just taken delivery of an MH4 from Orbital Sound - flight cased so can be used for touring purposes. "Although it's a smaller ven

USA - Mariners Church, located in Irvine, California, recently installed a new ATI Paragon PII production console. The analogue live sound console was purchased for front-of-house mixing duties in the 2,300-seat worship centre. Mariner's has four weekend worship services that regularly draw approximately 4,500 adults. Weekend youth programmes draw an average of 900 children and 800 students.

Audio coordinator and main house mix engineer Van Metschke specified a console with 48-channels and four stereo inputs. He explained: "We have a typical rhythm section, drums and bass, plus a couple of guitars, piano, keyboards, and an occasional string section or horn section. And we could have up to 16 vocalists on individual mics. We also have a 50-voice choir once a month."

As Metschke explains, the decision to purchase the Paragon PII was based on a long-standing desire to w

Germany - Digigram, manufacturer of sound cards for high end pro audio applications, launched at AES Europe the LCM220v2 sound card with 2/2 balanced analogue I/Os, which replaces the popular LCM220. The new board is targeted at broadcast automation, permanent playback, logging, and other pro audio applications.

By offering a more specific set of functions, the LCM220v2 provides Digigram on-board audio processing and features at a lower price point than comparable cards in Digigram's PCX range. Full duplex, the card offers simultaneous and independent record and playback capabilities, as well as real-time, simultaneous MPEG Layer I and Layer II compression and decompression during record and playback.

New features include 24-bit converters, analog and digital level control on the outputs, short length PCI format (175 mm or 6.875"), as well as Universal PCI bus (5V, 5V+3.3

UK - Mission Professional has announced the appointment of two new distributors - Sonatel in Croatia and Kinotechniki in Greece. Sonatel Ltd., based in Zagreb, distributes a number of audio and A-V brands within the consumer and professional markets in Croatia. The company's philosophy is based on 'not being the biggest, but the best'.

Athens based Kinotechniki Ltd., signed up with Mission Professional at Musikmesse 2004. They represent well-established brands like Denon, Cerwin Vega and Ortofon and are keen to move further into the studio, installation and corporate A-V markets with Mission Professional.

Mission Pro's director of sales and marketing, Steve Jordan commented: "We are very pleased with the appointments of Sonatel and Kinotechniki. Both are well established distributors who share our ideals of quality sound and customer service."

(Sarah Rushton-Read)

UK - Trantec has introduced its PT1 UHF stereo audio system, aimed at use in theatre venues and other public buildings. In October 2004, new legislation in the form of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) will come into force requiring theatre venues and all public spaces to make facilities available for patrons with sensory disabilities. Trantec's PT1 offers a flexible radio-based solution to the complex issues surrounding this new legislation.

The DDA requires that theatre venues should be able to provide subtitles or captioning and signed performances for hearing impaired patrons and audio description for partially sighted and blind patrons. The key to the solution is to offer dual-channel systems either through Infrared or radio frequency-based systems, which can simultaneously transmit hearing reinforcement and audio description.

The PT1, originally designed for multi-

UK - Northern Ireland audio supplier DL Electrical has successfully completed the installation of a new sound system for St Patrick's Church of Ireland Cathedral Armagh. After completing a previous installation in the St Patrick's Roman Catholic Cathedral Armagh, the Lisburn-based company has installed Intellivox loudspeakers from Duran Audio UK in the refurbished building.

The nave is provided with two Intellivox 2C digital arrays and the rear altar with a single Intellivox 1B.Choir and military, plus ladies chapels, were equipped with DNH CAS30T column loudspeakers. The amplification equipment has been provided by Australian Monitor TX8000 mixers with AKG's Discreet Acoustics GN30ES gooseneck microphones complete with CK31 capsules being installed in the pulpit, Dean's stall and choir areas. One AKG C747 has been discreetly mounted on the brass eagle of the lectern. The compan

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