Japan / France - Yamaha Corporation of Japan and Nexo S.A. of France, a leading manufacturer of professional speaker systems, have entered into a strategic alliance concerning pro audio product development and distribution. Both companies believe that the integration of advanced digital technology and premier speaker technology will greatly enhance the system solutions in pro audio products. As a part of the alliance, Yamaha has acquired 10.22% of the common shares of Nexo.

Yamaha has over 30 years of mixing console development and manufacturing experience, with over 15 years of experience in digital mixing console technology, including the development of industry-standard products, such as PM1D and PM5D. Yamaha is also well known for its range of digital signal processors, power amplifiers and speakers such as the DME24N/64N and PC-1N power amplifiers.

NEXO is a leading manuf

New Zealand - Six years ago in New Zealand a six-piece cover band was formed and called themselves the Pink Floyd Experience. Their success was such that they grew into their home countries biggest touring production with a three hour plus show that features performances of the original Floyd's albums Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall, as well as Shine On You Crazy Diamond from the Wish You Were Here album.

Having successfully toured New Zealand, they moved on to Australia and South Africa with a sound system that has encompassed just about every loudspeaker brand there is. But the consistent element throughout is XTA loudspeaker processing.

Front of house engineer Andy Craig explains the ethos behind the Experience's sound: "On a show like this I work on two levels and XTA products help me throughout the day. My first task is to ensure that t

Poland / Germany - The Polish premiere of the X-Line Very Compact line-array system from Electro-Voice took place in the Stodola - one of the most historic, and still among the most popular, clubs in Warsaw. In this relatively small venue, much loved by the large student population of the Polish capital, the X-Line Very Compact was able to demonstrate its adaptability, its outstanding sound quality and its extremely modest requirements in terms of space.

In mid-May, the Audio Plus team, EVI Audio's Polish partners, demonstrated the system at an open air cinema in the historic centre of Warsaw (the square dedicated to the Warsaw Uprising). This time, the system was flown, and the results were just as convincing. "The X-Line Very Compact filled the representatives of the rental companies with enthusiasm," Sebastian Pawlak, Audio Plus's MD, told us. "The sound was tr

UK - Leading PA rental company, Crayford-based ML Executives, has just purchased 60 Lab.gruppen fP 6400 amps from UK distributor Sennheiser, to drive its recently-acquired V-DOSC and dV-DOSC rig.

Commenting on the purchase, ML's managing director, Gary Marks, says, "We're already one of the UK's larger rental-users of Lab.gruppen, which powers our EAW KF760 rig that's currently out on Iron Maiden's 2005 world tour. When we purchased 24 boxes of V-DOSC and six of dV-DOSC, choosing Lab to power it was a natural. Not only was it our first choice but it's also the amp L'Acoustics recommend for V-DOSC, so it keeps our system consistent with all of the others in the market."

Marks continues, "Our first priority has always been sound quality but another big advantage with the Lab.gruppen switch mode power amps is their class AB performance with superb control and power

Europe - Europe's music festival season is in full swing, with the continent's leading sound hire companies working overtime to keep up with an increasing demand for Meyer Sound systems at festival sites from the Baltic to the Mediterranean.

In Scandinavia, Sweden's annual Hultsfred Festival has attracted increasing hordes of hard-rock fans with each successive event. In recent years, audio provider Starlight AB has responded with larger complements of Meyer Sound loudspeakers to provide both crowd-pleasing power and the precise directional control needed to comply with Sweden's tough noise ordinances. This year Meyer Sound is powering four main stages: M3D line arrays anchor the systems for the Hawaii and Pampas stages, while MILO high-power curvilinear arrays cover at the Atlantis stage and M2D compact curvilinear arrays pump up a crowd of 2,000 in the indoor theatre.

"

UK - Broadcast sound specialists, Plus 4 Rentals has recently acquired Trantec's internationally award-winning S6000 and S6002 radio microphone systems. Complementing the company's existing portfolio of cutting edge equipment, Plus 4 Rentals has added 32 channels to its fleet; divided equally between the S6000 multi-channel 2U receiver and the S6002 - its compact dual channel counterpart. Both Trantec systems' augment the company's potential to provide advanced solutions for a host of broadcast applications, particularly Light Entertainment and Reality shows.

Ideal for work on location, the S6002 was recently deployed by Plus 4's MD, Stewart Chaney on ITV 1's - Hells Kitchen. Sixteen transmitter channels were combined with the S6002 dual receiver to provide a robust and reliable solution. As the dual receiver version of the S6000 rack based receiver, the S6002, which is housed i

UK - Denon Professional's best-selling DN-V300 DVD players have advanced with new features and control functionality following a collaborative venture between D&M Europe and software specialists Designer Systems. Based in Cornwall, Designer Systems has created a range of controllers and interfaces, implemented on the DN-V300, which expand the unit's control capabilities in media presentation and EPOS applications.

Designer Systems' new range of control interfaces connect to the DN-V300 via the unit's serial RS232 port. Initially four products have been announced: DVD-DSPRX proximity detector. Typically used in a kiosk environment, where a DVD player system is used to provide POS and EPOS advertising, the DSPRX will detect the motion of a passer-by via infrared sensor, and control the playback of media accordingly.

DVD-D9 interface box. Typically used in a kiosk e

UK - Adlib Audio sent 22 crew and engineers to Glastonbury 2005 to run eight entertainment areas. Although it was turned into a mudfest on the first day thanks to four hours of violent thunderstorms and torrential downpours, none of the famous Glasto spirit was dampened!

Continuing its association with the Festival, Adlib supplied sound systems for the Theatre, Circus and Cabaret tents, the Outside Circus and Outside Theatre areas, plus a transit van mobile system that was on call for various outdoor areas as required. Engineer Carl Billington battled bravely with the elements to ensure that he didn't become the 'immobile' system!

The Cabaret tent featured a Nexo Alpha system with a Soundcraft Series 4 console at FOH and an SM20 onstage, complete with a full ADLIB active/passive wedge monitor compliment. This tent was run by Dave Jones on monitors and Ben Booker at FOH plus te

UK - Marquee Audio has completed a complex and pioneering digitally-based public address/voice evacuation system at Derby County Football Club's Pride Park stadium, making it arguably the most technically advanced stadium system to date.

In seeking to develop a fully featured system with complete redundancy, the company approached Beyerdynamic, whose technical director, Jon Stanley came up with a design concept. This was duly adapted so that it could be delivered as a compliant system that would both integrate with the club's existing infrastructure and extend the scope into the corporate areas and ground control.

Working in conjunction with Stanley, Marquee Audio's Scott Wakelin project managed the installation of an IP-addressable, fully-monitored, A + B redundant system - both inside the grandstand of the 30,000-seat bowl as well as the general concourse, season ticket hold

UK - It's all happening in the world of the DJ - the technology, the software, the formats - they're all changing dramatically, and there's one place where you can learn all about this digital revolution. This year's PLASA Show (11-14 September, Earls Court, London) will give DJs a chance to check out all the latest gear and mix with some of the best-known names in the business, say the organizers.

Events kick off with 'DJ Sunday', on 11 September. Sponsored by iDJ Magazine, the day showcases all the major manufacturers' new kit and includes various events, product launches, on-stand demos, giveaways and workshops. Central to it all is the Gemini 'Extreme V' DJ Competition - a major showcase of current and new talent that attracts entries from all over Europe.

Spurred on by the evolution of digital technology, the latest major DJ technology developments can be seen - many of t

Switzerland - The 39th Montreux Jazz Festival marks the 19th year that Meyer Sound has been a sponsor of international music festivals. Meyer Sound loudspeaker systems in use at the festival's venues this year will feature 20 different models, including the new MICA compact high-power curvilinear array loudspeaker.

The company's co-founder Helen Meyer, says: "We've been a festival sponsor for three-quarters of Meyer Sound's existence and, in addition to the challenge of providing high-quality sound for such a wide variety of artists and venues, it is very satisfying to feel that we can contribute to an outstanding experience for music fans at these festivals."

The largest sound system will be in the 3,500-seat Auditorium Stravinski and will feature 20 MILO high-power curvilinear array loudspeakers, supported by four MICA cabinets, eight 700-HP ultrahigh-power subwoof

UK - Following on from this weekend's spectacular Live 8 gigs, London's Metropolis Studios is gearing up for the marathon task of mixing, mastering, compiling and authoring the audio from the concerts for subsequent DVD release.

To facilitate this process, Metropolis is utilizing ADA-8 multi-channel converter and processor units from Prism Sound, including its recently purchased ADA-8XR units. Building on the success of the ADA-8, the XR operates at sampling rates up to 192kHz and boasts even greater analogue performance. Metropolis Studios is well stocked with Prism Sound equipment, including A/D and D/A converters and Maselec Master Series EQs and compressors. The facility was the first in the UK to buy ADA-8XRs and according to John Goldstraw, head of technical development at Metropolis, they are ideally suited to mastering applications.

"We recently added to our compl

USA - How does one go about putting a wireless microphone transmitter on a desperate housewife? "Quickly and accurately," says to Agamemnon Adrianos, the production sound mixer for the hit series Desperate Housewives. The wireless transmitter adopted by Adrianos for use on the show's lead characters is the recently introduced SM from Lectrosonics. The SM (for 'Super Mini') is a high-powered, cost-effective and compandor-free wireless transmitter in a tiny, splash-proof package, say Lectrosonics.

Adrianos, with 33 years' experience of sound mixing for TV and film, was intrigued with the SM from the first moment he saw the prototype at NAB 2004. "I got very excited about it because of potential production applications due to the very small size," he relates. "On a movie set or on location, speed is important . . . and anything to make our job go fas

UK - Midas consoles were out in force at this year's Glastonbury festival, triumphing over flood and storm to ensure the thousands of waterlogged music fans were guaranteed the best in sound quality and technical reliability. Once again the abundance of Midas consoles across the festival site confirmed them as the board of choice for large outdoor events.

The Pyramid Stage boasted a veritable moving feast of Midas consoles at FOH including two Heritage 3000s and two XL4s, courtesy of SSE. On stage, two XL3s handled monitor duties for a range of acts across the weekend including The Killers, Brian Wilson, the White Stripes and Coldplay as well as Basement Jaxx, whose show-stopping headline performance was not only a fantastic finale to the strong weekend lineup but also a fitting tribute to Kylie.

Sound for the Other Stage was as usual in the capable hands of Skan PA Hire, whic

UK - Turbosound has announced the appointment of New Musik Sweden as its Swedish distributor. Based in Stockholm, New Musik Sweden is distributing Turbosound products to the sound reinforcement installation and rental markets, theatre and MI sector. The company reports rapid success with the brand, and has already supplied a Turbosound Aspect touring system to Swedish rental company Scenteknik.

New Musik Sweden was launched earlier this year and distributes a number of premium brands in Sweden, including the UK-built MC2 power amplifier range. Håkan Sjöö, sales manager of New Musik Sweden, says: "I have personal experience of Turbosound products for over eight years, and this is a particularly exciting time to be involved with the company. The product range is now extremely comprehensive, with much to offer all our market sectors. The QLight DP series of digitally-powere

USA - Former director of sales and marketing, Larry Howard, has been named director of strategic development for Community Professional Loudspeakers. Howard will direct Community's efforts, developing new business in the themed entertainment, cruise ship, casino, and hotel industries, as well as in the military, OEM, and business music markets.

Howard says: "I am excited to be able to take advantage of our new product groups, as well as our well-established R-Series and WET Series loudspeakers. The results of our product development strategies have put us in a position to be effective in any world market."

Howard's experience in the pro audio industry goes back to 1989 when he was show systems supervisor at Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida.

(Cheryl Constable)

USA - The Wolf Trap Foundation's Filene Centre has completed a distribution infrastructure upgrade that included the installation of six Lake Mesa Quad EQ digital matrix processors, which are handling loudspeaker optimization for the 12-zone system at the Filene Centre, a 7,000-seat performing arts amphitheatre. "Our Mesas sound amazing and we love the interface," says audio department head, Jens McVoy. "I envision us eventually going to Contour, but we're taking incremental steps with the capital improvement of the sound system . . . It was amazing how easy it was to install the Lakes and it's been a very intuitive process."

The centre accommodates nearly 3,500 people inside an open-sided opera house-like structure, with the remainder of the audience seated on a sloping lawn outside. As part of the infrastructure overhaul, Henry Parks, the venue's master ele

UK - Experienced sound engineer Robbie Barrow sees it as his mission to introduce the new generation of DJ's to the Urei 1620LE rotary sound mixer.

"Even before I heard it I knew of its reputation at Studio 54 in New York, and as part of the famous Richard Long system at Paradise Garage 25 years ago," he said. Barrow has been technician in residence at Shoreditch's Herbal dance venue - pretty much since Spencer Carroll and Chris Michaels first opened the place five years ago.

By the time Bobby & Steve's Zoo Groove arrived at the club with a Urei 1620LE, the engineer had already introduced his Watt.co dance system to the House/Drum and Bass emporium. The former Kiss FM DJ's told Barrow how they believed the 1620LE could enhance the sound system, believing it to be the ideal tool to create their classic House mix. "Since then I've been hooked," says Ba

USA - American Audio recently announced that sound contractors and pro audio installers can choose from four distinct size options with its new PXI Series of powered speakers.

Designed to match any application, the PXI series includes 8", 10", 12" and 15" versions. All four of the new models - the PXI 8P, PXI 10P, PXI 12P and PXI 15P - include a high-powered bi-amplifier system with electronic crossover for sonic clarity, presence and punch, say the company.

"With such a wide array of models to choose from in our new PXI Series, you don't have to try to make the wrong size speaker work for the job," said Tom Freret, national sales manager for American Audio. "Until now, there hasn't been a lot of variety in that market. There are plenty of 10s and 15s on the market, but not many 8s and 12s. Now, with the PXI series you can find a speaker that

GermanyThe Jazz an der Donau ('Jazz on the Danube') festival is not just one of the world's biggest jazz festivals, but also, thanks to its intimate atmosphere, one of the most attractive. With appearances by stars of the calibre of Diana Ross, Al Jarreau and David Sanborn, this year's festival can only enhance the popularity and prestige of the event.

As in previous years, the organizers are relying exclusively on systems from EVI Audio; but this isn't simply a case of favouring the home team, as Heinz Huber makes clear: "The sound reinforcement equipment last year was absolutely sensational. All the musicians said so. In fact, B.B. King's European manager described the Jazz on the Danube festival as one of the best organized and - from the standpoint of sound quality - the most perfect that he had ever attended."

The team led by Ingo Haasch will be using the

UK - Pro Audio Systems' hire division recently managed the sound for one of Europe's largest Mela festivals, selecting an Allen & Heath ML5000 live sound VCA console as the monitor mixer for the main stage.

The 2005 Bradford Mela attracted 300,000 visitors over the two days. From the Sanskrit 'to meet', the Mela originates from the Indian subcontinent and is now a worldwide celebration of the art, craft, culture and community of South Asia, both traditional and modern.

Entertainment ranged from workshops on cookery, dancing and meditation, to a spectrum of musical acts from traditional artists to DJ's.

The main stage hosted fourteen acts over the two days, including the Indie-Bhangra band, Cassava Music; Bollywood-style, Orchestra Music World; Asian-rock band, Trick Baby; pop singer, Faakhir; and the Mercury Prize winning, Talvin Singh Trio.

"The audio requirements fo

The Netherlands - Recently commissioned and based in Amsterdam, the Pure Liner is a floating presentation venue capable of accommodating up to 650 guests for a daylong product launch. Equipped with state of the art lighting, sound and audio facilities, the boat is aimed at companies in Holland, Belgium and Germany who want to make product presentations in a novel environment and is fully equipped to sail to any of those countries.

Included in the facilities is a d&b sound system comprising compact E3 and E0 loudspeakers with Qsubwoofers, all colour co-ordinated to match the black and white theme of the surroundings.

In the main presentation area, a giant screen is surrounded by E3s to provide a T0 point for the sound with E0s front and back in a circular configuration to provide the delays. The system was supplied by d&b's Dutch partner Audio Pro Nederland and was designed by

USA - With six stages hosting over 100 major and emerging musical acts, the Music Midtown Festival boasts one of the most diverse lineups of any festival in the world. This June, for the 12th year in a row, the Atlanta, Georgia, event rolled out the best in southern comfort and hospitality, in addition to a lot of music, to entertain more than 300,000 guests on the 40-plus-acre festival site.

Rock 'n' Road Audio of Tucker, Georgia, supplied the sound for the event. Rock 'n' Road's Roy Drukenmiller and on-site production manager James (Jid) O'Brien worked with Nashville's Spectrum Sound and Blackhawk Audio to ensure there would be enough powerful hardware to guarantee a splendid time for all.

On the Miller Lite/99X/Comcast Stage, alt-rock ruled with a lineup that included the Pixies, Lemonheads, White Stripes, DEVO and Keane performing through a substantial array featuring 34 M

UK - DiGiCo has licensed the open standard EtherSound protocol for digital audio distribution and will utilise EtherSound Authorised Implementor AuviTran to accelerate the development of EtherSound-enabled digital consoles.

"DiGiCo is proud to become an addition to the EtherSound family, utilising this superb data transmission protocol to provide yet another solution to DiGiCo's customers in this ever-changing digital world," says DiGiCo managing director Bob Doyle. Marketing director David Webster explains further, "We wanted to expand our connectivity with other devices. We've already got analogue, optical, AES/EBU, T/DIF/ADAT and others, so regardless of what you want to plug into - you can. EtherSound is appearing on enough devices to make it a strategic addition to DiGiCo consoles in any signal chain."

"DiGiCo's rapid emergence as a leader in digi

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