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UK - Lighting and sound rental house HSL kicked off 2005 as it means to continue, purchasing a large quantity of Vari lite VL1000TS framing units for hire stock. This is in response to the steady and continuing growth of HSL's hire division and to service several immediately up-coming productions.

Other recent lighting purchases include Avolites dimming and control - with more Pearl 2004 consoles and rack mount optical splitters joining the inventory. Additional WholeHog II and Hog 1000 consoles have also been added to HSL's stock, plus a series of power distribution units from SES Ltd.

Blackburn-based HSL also continues to invest heavily in LED technology, and the number of James Thomas Pixel LED units continues to increase. HSL now offers access to over 250 JTE 1044 PixelLine battens and 150 PixelPAR 90 units - making HSL the largest European supplier of LED lighting.

MD S

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USA - Richmond Sound Design Ltd (RSD) of Vancouver, Canada, and London, England, has appointed Merv Buchanan to the newly created position of market development manager for North America. Buchanan brings a wealth of experience to RSD, having worked as a music producer, systems designer, college instructor and marketing executive with organizations as diverse as Videomax, Trend Records, Toa Electronics, Fanshawe College and MuchMusic. A native of Cape Breton, Buchanan began in the entertainment business in 1963, while attending DeVry Technical Institute, an electronics college in Toronto.

During the sixties, Buchanan operated his own record label and recording studio in Toronto. Trend Records was Canada's first independent, fully integrated record company. In 1969 he produced the landmark 'Sussex' by Bent Wind, the most collectable album ever produced in Canada. In the 70s he ra

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UK - Sound design and installation company CP Sound has completed an eye-catching integrated audio system at Cocoon in Regent Street - an elegant, classy sushi bar and Japanese restaurant. CP Sound encountered many challenges throughout the project, the major one being the design and build of 18 custom spherical speakers: these contain JBL components, and were designed and produced by CP Sound's in-house team. CP Sound won the contract on the strength of previous successful one-off projects for Cocoon's owners and operators, Ignite.

The entire geometry, design and individual ambience of Cocoon - created by the renowned New York-based Stephan Dupoux - revolves around a spatially lavish series of interlocking circles and spheres. This specific environment required highly precise audio: "The only way to achieve exactly what they wanted was to start from scratch, producing a s

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UK - The Spring Term at Reading University began in 2005 with a bit of a party which was also the opening night for its new AD Systems sound installation. The university Nightclub - 3sixty - opened in January 2001 with a capacity of 1200 and holds events up to four times a week so quickly established itself as one of the best Student Union venues in the country.

As well as catering for the clubbers in the university, there has been a number of major acts making an appearance on the 3sixty stage including Supergrass, Miss Dynamite, Lisa Mafia, Reef, Dannii Minogue, The Bluetones and Judge Jules! The new sound system had to ensure it did not infringe on the stage or floor area, remained within the aesthetics' of the existing décor, provides a system that will cope with play back and touring bands and finally be cost effective, reliable and low maintenance. Ian MacDonald, Readings

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USA - The televised pre-game entertainment from Super Bowl XXXIX (that's 39 for non-Romans), held at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, used a variety of Sennheiser equipment. "The entire pre-game entertainment was all Sennheiser," confirms James Stoffo, an RF expert who works on many major sports and entertainment events. "There were Sennheiser 3000 in-ears and Sennheiser EM1046 receivers and Sennheiser 5000 handhelds with Neumann heads."

Stoffo, whose Professional Wireless Systems (PWS), a Masque Sound company, is based in Orlando, Florida, supplied the RF microphones, receivers and antennas, while sound production company ATK AudioTek supplied the 3000 Series personal monitor systems. Every handheld comprised a Sennheiser/Neumann hybrid RF mic, which combines a Sennheiser 5000 Series wireless transmitter with Neumann's KK105 capsule.

"But the cool th

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France - d&b audiotechnik's latest Qi-Series installation range of loudspeakers made a colourful display at the SIEL exhibition in Paris. Personnel from d&b audiotechnik France along with its sales partners played host, presenting a selection of the product range, including the renowned Q-Series, the D12 amplifier, d&b's Remote network and ROPE C software.

The Qi-Series, based on d&b's popular Q-Series products, includes loudspeakers and specialized accessories that can be properly colour matched to interior designs, are mechanically adapted for installation use and can be protected for climatically hostile environments. Five loudspeaker types make up the Series; the Qi1, Qi7 and Qi10 that are passively crossed over two-way loudspeakers sharing the same physical size, shape, weight and driver compliment (a 1.3" exit HF and two 10" LF drivers), while the Qi-SUB and QiC

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USA - Bogen Communications. and Apogee Sound announced today that Daytona International Speedway has installed a broad and extensive array of leading edge Bogen and Apogee sound equipment in its new "World Center of Racing". The World Center of Racing, built in just seven months, embodies a new multi-million dollar, state-of-the art venue located within the Daytona Speedway's infield. It offers the world's most extraordinary, "up-close and personal" fan experience in motor sports: interactive displays; a tribute area to the legends of the Speedway; rooftop spectator areas; upgraded specialty vehicle infield parking; renovated NEXTEL Cup Series and NASCAR Busch Series Garages; a new Gatorade Victory Lane; and a new signature infield structure, the Daytona 500 Club building. All sound reinforcement in each of these locations is delivered exclusively through Bogen

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UK - Ampetronic induction loops have recently been installed at the heart of two major London tourist attractions, ensuring that the hearing impaired can enjoy the experience just as much as those with no disability. Driven by twin Ampetronic ILD9 induction loop amplifiers via an SP5 phaser, Scanaudio has installed adjacent ultra-low spill loop systems at the British Museum's Virtual Mummy exhibition. This showcase is made possible by CAT scanning technology, allowing the Museum to see 'inside' an Egyptian mummy which has resided intact at the museum since the late 19th Century. The exhibition is based on the resulting three-dimensional model and explores who the body inside the mummy might have been, how he lived and so on. Visitors are treated to a 20-minute IMAG show, featuring full surround sound and 3D visuals.

"Because of the show's format, our main consideration was

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UK - Hawthorn Theatrical, has made its first investment in line array technology - with Martin Audio. The company has consolidated a relationship with the High Wycombe company that extends over a decade by purchasing 16 x W8LM Mini Line Array enclosures, matched with six WLX subs.

Hawthorn's head of sound, Iain Reinhold, said the acquisition made perfect sense. "It creates compatibility with our already comprehensive inventory of Martin Wavefront systems and will allow us to expand our work portfolio by quoting for more outdoor work."

This portfolio is already substantial, as Martin Hawthorn's Leicestershire-based company has carved out an enviable share of the large-scale corporate event market since setting up the business 18 years ago as sound and lighting specialists.

"As we were being asked to service more arena-style conferences we decided to demo the Ma

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Germany - The new D-Lite 2000 satellite system from Dynacord combines audio performance; easy handling, versatility and expandability say the company. The 2000W system is tailored to the needs of entertainers, mobile DJs and small bands.

The central unit of the Dynacord D-Lite 2000 system is the PowerSub 315 active sub-woofer. Weighing in at 39 kilos, the PowerSub 315 houses the 1000W Class D amplifier that drives the integrated 15" sub-woofer plus 2 X 500W for the connected satellites but also all the audio processing. By optimizing the air stream, the integrated high-speed laminar vent (HSLV - patent pending) delivers extremely high sound pressure levels in the sub-bass region, which here reaches all the way down to 32 Hz!

The PowerSub 315 is capable of powering up to four eight-ohm satellites (two per side) and an additional pair of eight-ohm subwoofers. The sub-woofer

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USA - Sennheiser RF and wired microphones and wireless personal monitor systems played a significant part in the 47th Annual Grammy Awards show telecast, held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. In addition to the wide array of Sennheiser and Neumann equipment used onstage, this year, for the very first time, the stereo and 5.1 surround broadcast audio was enhanced with the addition of more than 36 audience microphones. Capturing the crowd ambiance were four Sennheiser shotgun microphones, plus Neumann cardioid compact miniature and large diaphragm mics.

Wireless systems, provided and overseen by frequency coordinator Dave Bellamy and his Soundtronics RF service company, included Sennheiser SKM5000-N handhelds fitted with Neumann KK 105-S elements for a variety of artists, including Eve, performing with Gwen Stefani, Tim McGraw, and Joss Stone. Two-thirds of the 24 RF persona

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UK - Although Andrew and Roselyn Baldwin have been operating in the nightclub industry for the past 14 years, it has been during the 12 months since establishing Jedi Light and Sound that they have really made an impact on the installation front.

Last month the company provided a radical sound and lighting upgrade to the former Oval in Wood Green - animating the venue (now known as Club KO) with a number of original Geni scanning effects from Lighting Effects Distribution and re-configuring the resident Martin Audio sound system.

DJ Spoony had been one of the partners in the previous Oval operation, which opened in the spring of 2002, but these days the venue is under the proprietorship of Mick Theo. "It was already a nice venue but lacked that wow factor," declared Andrew. Firstly they recommended two Geni Burst 2X 360° full-barrel effects - flipping and spinning 1

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UK - Kylie Minogue, Travis, The Strokes and Liberty X are just some of the artists who have benefited recently from the touring combination of Van Damme Cable and Capital Sound Hire. "When you're putting together equipment for a major artist's tour, the three key elements you look for are quality, reliability and flexibility," says Capital Sound Hire's Simon Barron. "Van Damme's Black Tour Grade cable fits all three criteria perfectly, which is why we specify it for just about every tour we handle."

London-based Capital Sound Hire, incorporating Capital Sound Design and Capital Productions, is responsible for hiring sound equipment, freelance technical crews and transport to the entertainment world. Touring artists make up a large percentage of its business - and their tours may involve anything from a few UK dates to major international events incorporating

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UK / Germany - UK manufacturer Allen & Heath debut additions to its portfolio of live sound mixers at the Pro Light & Sound exhibition in Frankfurt from 6-9 April. Exhibiting on stand B22 in Hall 8.0, the company will unveil the new products on the first day of the show, including the latest design from its award-winning Xone range of DJ products, to be launched later in the year.

The Xone:3D is a new DJ control concept allowing the user to manipulate and manage any source - such as MP3, CD, video and vinyl - from a central interface. The Xone:3D is an amalgamation of a fully-featured high performance DJ mixer, a top spec multi-channel USB soundcard, and a comprehensive control surface with MIDI and PC connectivity. This versatile product has 14 stereo inputs and 10 stereo outputs, and can simultaneously mix up to 11 stereo signals.

The Xone VF-1 1U rack universal analogue

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Germany - Mega Audio, the German distributor for InnovaSON digital mixing consoles, has supplied an Sy80 to the Estrel Convention Centre in Berlin, part of Europe's largest convention, entertainment and hotel complex, boasting 1,125 rooms and suites, five restaurants, two bars and a beer garden. The Convention Centre itself offers a total of 15,000sq.m of event space including the 4,800sq.m convention halll - which can be partitioned as required -as well as four galleries, a VIP area and a range of further conference rooms and foyers. The InnovaSON console, which replaces an old analogue board, is configured with a stagebox, seven SI8D3 mic/line input cards, two XO8D2 processed output cards and a set of digital in and output cards.

Thomas Herzberg, head of the Estrel Convention Centre's technical department, chose the Sy80 for its flexibility and easy handling. "Since we a

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The Professional Snake Reel offers 16 gauge steel construction and individually jacketed and shielded multi-pair cable in an integrated cable reel/stage box design. Standard Snake Reels come in two lengths - 100ft and 150ft - in 16x4 or 24x4 configurations and a customer choice of returns. Custom lengths and channel options are available to order. The Snake Reel also includes rubber wheels with locks for smooth rolling and safety.

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USA - The Black-Eyed Peas, helped "get it started" at this year's 47th Annual Grammy Awards show with fellow Shure endorsers and Best New Artist award winners, Maroon 5. The Black-Eyed Peas performed 'Let's Get it Started', which won the Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, using Shure U2/58 microphone systems, while Maroon 5 opted for U2/Beta 58 systems to sing their hit, 'This Love'. "This year was an incredible showcase of talent across every genre of music from hip-hop to country to rock," said Shure artist relations team member Ryan Smith. "Bono said it was the best Grammys ever and I would agree."

Several other Shure endorsers walked away with Grammy awards on Sunday night, including:John Mayer, who won Song of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for the song 'Daughters' from his album 'Heavier Things'; Ozomatli receiv

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Aviom introduced the A-Net Pro64 ASIC, a new technology now supported by a new division within the company, the Aviom Technologies Group. Pro64 is an upgrade to Aviom's proprietary A-Net audio networking protocol.

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A year after unveiling the Verona console at the same exhibition, Midas launched Siena (see above). Verona is said to have shifted 1,400 units worldwide, with Midas console sales up a reported 57% since that launch. Siena is pitched at a similar price-point to Verona and is similar in build, but with 16 aux sends has extra appeal to monitor engineers while remaining suitable for FOH use.

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UK - Located in the heart of the capital on Trafalgar Square, Albannach is one of the hottest openings of the year. A brand new contemporary Scottish bar and restaurant Albannach is offering the best in food and drink along with the latest technology in sound and lighting to provide an unusual location for corporate meetings, events and product launches.

AV systems integration specialists, The Sound Division Group was called in to design, specify and install the audio visual system throughout, which includes LCD screens for laptop presentations, a 12ft projection screen with a powerful Mitsubishi projection system on the lower ground floor, and a 50" plasma screen in the VIP room. All are equipped with the usual DVD, CD and VCR facilities along with terrestrial and SKY TV feeds.

The brief was for a fully integrated and zoned audio visual system with the ability to route a

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Corporate audio on the rise as it is, we couldn't have a NAMM show without Behringer signalling its ambitions in the marketplace, and you sometimes get the impression that the company is willing - and able - to rival the conglomerates already mentioned with its single brand. In the press room, Group CEO Michael Deeb gave a timely summary of Behringer's corporate developments, following the announcement of a head-spinning 78 new products, and confidently cited the benefits of establishing a wholly-owned R&D and manufacturing base in China - which the company did in 2001.

"The internalisation of manufacturing operations has brought about faster time to market and cost-effectiveness in production, and product design and development," he said, and anyone with lingering doubts as to whether better products are going to cost even less in the future was obliged to go outside for a q

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Meanwhile RCF used the platform of the NAMM show to cement the re-launch of the RCF brand in North America, following original MD Arturo Vicari's return to the driving seat a year ago. A convivial reception presented new RCF Inc president Hans Radda, who has already ushered Vicari's other brand, dB Technologies, into the territory with some success and who will be expected to do the same with the new generation of ART speakers, the new 4Pro range and the rest.

"Over the past year, we have had great support from our distributors, who have helped us to reintroduce RCF to the market," Vicari announced. "We now find ourselves with strong distribution in most of the key areas of the world. As a result of this we can now begin work in developing RCF in North America."

Radda himself added: "We know that it is difficult for a European company to launch in the States,

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The Crest Performance division of Crest Audio launched the CPM 24-4 and CPM 32-4 mixing consoles for studio or live audio applications; the CPM 2462, a 16-channel desktop/rack-mountable mixer; and the mono I-Pro I and stereo I-Pro II microphone and line input intelligibility processors. The units are designed to optimize audio signals in recording, broadcast and live applications by processing input signals via a parametric EQ section and a compand/limit dynamics section.

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One thing NAMM also demonstrates annually is that there is still plenty of life in all manner of analogue consoles, even as the digital ones proliferate. Ever ones to celebrate technology properly, Midas continued a long tradition by unveiling a mid-size, versatile analogue console and treating its dealers and guests to blues-influenced hospitality at every opportunity. With the smooth glissando of a bottle-neck, and at least 12 bars to go, the Siena console was rolled out as the Verona's highest complement - available in six frame sizes from 24 up to 64 channels and featuring 16 dedicated aux sends.

Brand development manager Richard Ferriday was on hand to place the desk into precise context. "Siena and Verona are both dual-purpose consoles," he told me, "but the Verona is a FOH console that can also do monitors, while the Siena is a monitor console that can also do FOH

  1. Integrated Systems Europe '05 - Amsterdam
  2. Phil Ward reports from the NAMM exhibition in Anaheim, California
  3. Mackie
  4. Beyerdynamic
  5. SLS Loudspeakers
  6. JBL Professional
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