UK - In April of this year, John Moss (drums), Mikey Craig (bass), Phil Pickett (songwriter and keyboard player) and Tony Gordon (manager) decided to bend to public pressure for Culture Club to play live and re-enter the touring circuit.

After launching a daunting but successful quest to find 'Sam The Man' - a front man to temporarily replace the inimitable Boy George - they performed their first live gig since 2002 during this summer at London's Too2Much club, where front of house engineer Mark Portlock and monitor engineer Liam Halpin made groundbreaking use of their DiGiCo D1 Live digital mixing console.

"As production manager as well as FOH engineer, sometimes I have to make difficult decisions for the overall benefit of budget and ultimate show delivery," says Portlock. "With DiGiCo I feel that the decisions are now far less difficult."

Playing a sma

The Netherlands - The Interactive Multimedia & Collaborative Communications Alliance (IMCCA) will be hosting a Collaborative Conferencing Pavilion at Integrated Systems Europe 2007, which opens on January 30th 2007 in Amsterdam.

The Pavilion is designed for companies to showcase solutions and technologies in video conferencing, audio conferencing and data/web conferencing in a dedicated area. The pavilion will encompass a presentation room where participating companies will also have the opportunity to be included in the scheduled programme of seminars to visitors.

Carol Zelkin, executive director at IMCCA states, "Any form of business communication including business conference calls, web conferencing and video conferencing is a key market that unites the corporate business, IT and AV industries. By working together, Collaborative Conferencing can create the perfect plat

Russia - Bossman Ltd, D.A.S. Audio distributor for Russia has supplied D.A.S. powered systems for installation in the Cinema Art Hall theatre in Norilsk and in the Mir Kino movie theatre and auditorium located in Moscow's Tsvetnoy Square.

The 1,000-capacity Mir Kino can be used for both movie screenings and theatre performances. When the stage is used for conferences, theatre plays or concerts the main PA designed by Bossman consists of four CA-28A powered line array systems flown at the centre of the stage as well as eight powered Compact 2 systems built into the flanks of the stage.

PA Mixing is through a Yamaha PM5D , while Bossman installed six SM-15A powered stage monitors. The microphones for theatre and music performances are Audix and the lightning by Robe.

For film screenings, screenings, Bossman opted for Dynamics, with 24 DS-12 boxes distributed throughout the aud

UK - Stagecraft reports a healthy increase in sales for its hire department during summer 2006. The combination of a prolonged summer of fine, dry weather and an increase in the number of outdoor performances and festivals has resulted in an abundance of new opportunities for the Salisbury-based company.

"It has been an excellent summer for hire this year and we have thoroughly enjoyed working on such a wide variety of projects," comments technical director Mike Naish. "Fine weather has also helped organisations to feel confident about staging outdoor events although we always build into our plans the possibility of a downpour!"

The company supplied Martin Mac 250s and Mac 500s for a private performance by the band Madness, the Arc Roof and stage for the Salisbury International Arts Festival, Art Asia and the Honey Pot charity appeal; Source 4 profiles and

UK - Focusrite Audio Engineering has announced the appointment of Damian Hawley to the position of UK manager for the Focusrite, Novation and KRK brands.

Hawley has an Honours Degree (BEng) in Electronics & Business from Middlesex University and joined Focusrite as sales executive for UK South in late 2004. He previously occupied positions at JP Morgan and Synthax UK.

Chris Gooddie, worldwide sales director for Focusrite/Novation commented: "I'm delighted to appoint Damian to the position, a new role which been created as a result of our recent strong growth across both our house brands, and our acquisition of KRK distribution for the UK and Ireland."

(Jim Evans)

UK - The Engine Shed, the University of Lincoln's brand new £6 million multi-purpose venue, opened to great acclaim thanks to the entertainment install carried out by Stage Electrics. Stage Electrics worked with the University back in 2004 when carrying out the installation of the Drama Studio and were the obvious choice for this most recent project.

The Engine Shed, now the largest music venue is the East Midlands, has been built on the site of old railway buildings by Brayford Pool and retains much of the old brick architecture. The interior walls are decorated with posters illustrating the site's historic background as a major railway junction.

A comprehensive lighting and sound system was installed throughout the venue which consists of four main areas, the main room with a capacity of 1500, the Mezzanine Bar, the Tower Bar and the Sports Bar.

The main EAW loudspea

USA - The Dave Matthews Band (DMB) spent four months crossing the US on their marathon summer 2006 tour for which FOH engineer Jeff Thomas switched the band to a system of self-powered Milo curvilinear array, supplied by San Francisco-based Pro Media/UltraSound.

Thomas and the DMB have worked with UltraSound since early in the band's career, originally assembling a sound system based around Meyer Sound's unpowered MSL-3 reinforcement loudspeaker. Derek Featherstone, UltraSound's director of rentals and touring, says, "When Jeff Thomas and I first started talking eleven years ago about sound systems, the direction to go was with Meyer. A decade later when we were looking for a compact, high-powered, tour-friendly line array and Milo was on the market and proven in the field, it was a natural fit for the band."

"The tour carries 28 Milo cabinets, so we can hang as

Eire - The Abbey Theatre in Dublin has two auditoriums, the Abbey being the main theatre seating 628 and a smaller studio space called the Peacock Theatre seating 157. Recently the theatre management took the opportunity to install a d&b audiotechnik system that could be used in either auditorium.

"When the prospect arose to acquire a new sound system I consulted my technical staff for their views," said director of technical services, Tony Wakefield. "They were very enthusiastic about the quality of d&b systems."

The system, designed by sound engineers Cormac Caroll and Eddie Breslin with input from MOSCO's Kevin McGing, comprises Q7s, Q-SUBs, E3s and E12 SUBs all driven by d&b's E-PAC amplifiers and was supplied by Dublin based dealer, Big Bear Sound.

The installation is semi-permanent and can be used in either auditorium as well as other areas of the b

Australia - Family Nightclub in Brisbane, Australia, recently overhauled its sound system, installing Allen & Heath mixers in all rooms, including the audiophile Xone:V6, MIDI-enabled Xone:92, and industry-standard Xone:62.

Winner of 'Best Club in Australia' for three consecutive years, Family boasts line-ups with top international artists, and superior technical equipment.

Family installed the full V6 package - including additional EQ Isolator and Crossfader units - in their main dance arena, along with a Xone:92 for DJs requiring sliding channel faders and MIDI capability, and four Allen & Heath VF-1 filter units, one for each turntable and CD audio source. The Xone:V6 is a luxury rotary mixer, with valves on every input channel, discrete circuitry, precise filters, and oil-damped, ultra-smooth rotary faders.

"It's the first time I've heard a million dollars worth of

Germany - One of the leading companies in the German events industry, Düsseldorf Congress GmbH, has taken delivery of a new Soundcraft Vi6 digital audio console for one of its primary city locations, the 7,500-capacity PhilipsHalle in Düsseldorf.

Although the Soundcraft Vi6 will mainly be used in the PhilipsHalle, it will be mobile, enabling it to be used in any of the seven other Düsseldorf Congress venues, such as the massive 61,000-capacity LTU-Arena and the 13,400-seat ISS Dome, home of the Düsseldorf ice-hockey team, where the console made its debut on an outdoor show.

Markus Grotheer, event engineer for Düsseldorf Congress GmbH, was assigned the task of selecting a digital console to replace the ageing analogue desk in the PhilipsHalle. He and his colleagues had already decided on a popular mid-range model when they came across the Soundcraft Vi6 at the ProLight+Sou

Europe - Meyer Sound has long been committed to providing the professional audio community with high-level training seminars that present scientifically valid information on both theoretical concepts and their practical applications. Continuing the steady expansion the company's education program has seen in the last few years, Meyer Sound's latest seminars are now coming to the European continent.

"Our goal with the Meyer Sound seminars is to impart accurate, real-world professional information to the audio community," says educational programmes manager Gavin Canaan. "By offering instruction from some of professional audio's consummate authorities, we aim to bring a vital frame of reference and an unparalleled body of expertise to our users."

One of the most important seminars is a two-part, in-depth course encompassing both system design and training on

Worldwide - Despite announcing his retirement from touring and producing records more than two years ago, worldwide rap superstar Jay-Z has found it hard to sit on his laurels; he's been constantly busy in the studio, and this Autumn has seen him cris-crossing the globe on a massive world tour. And handling all of his on-stage vocals every night has been an AKG WMS 4000 wireless mic system, supplied by his tour production manager Bryon Tate, after the original mic system used on the tour proved unsatisfactory.

Like a lot of rappers, Jay-Z 'cups' the mic on stage, holding it close to the capsule. When using other mics, this resulted in a huge boost in mid-range response due to the microphones' natural proximity effect, but the effect was not as noticeable with the WMS 4000 system, and so it won the day. It is thought that Jay-Z made the switch to AKG after Kanye West noticed simi

UK - With a champagne reception at chic London venue the Hedges & Butler Members' Club, London PA rental company Systems Etc celebrated its first decade.

Since it was founded in 1996, Systems Etc has increased its turnover 200-fold, expanded its workforce from two to 20, and acquired nearly £2 million of hire stock. The company's commercial trajectory has been determined by acquisition, to date three sound rental operators have been absorbed into the group portfolio. Systems Etc owner Bernard Mani says he's aiming for a 30% share of the UK's pro-audio rental market.

The origins of Systems Etc date back to 1990 when Bernard Mani, still at school, began building loudspeakers and using them on student productions. Leaving college at 18, equipped with an engineering qualification, he headed off to Spain. The scene there was one big party, and Mani's response was to put toget

Canada - Rental sound company P.A. Plus Productions recently provided a live audio system for Just Give Me Jesus, an event featuring Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of renowned evangelist Billy Graham, at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.

The Just Give Me Jesus Series is a collection of unique events designed to be a life-changing revival for women. The most recent Just Give Me Jesus event took place twice over the weekend of September 29, drawing an average attendance of 17,000 per event.

Because the stage was located in the centre of the arena, John Lacina of P.A. Plus designed an "in-the-round" loudspeaker system that included 72 Vertec VT4889 full-size line array elements and 32 VT4887 compact models. This gave a total of 104 full-range Vertec enclosures in the system design, which was carefully formatted in co-ordination with four massive video p

UK - One of the UK's most historic stately homes - Hatfield House in Hertfordshire - has opened the Riding School Conference Centre in its magnificent grounds, complete with a QSC sound reinforcement system. The Old Palace at Hatfield dates back to 1485 and the Jacobean Hatfield House to 1607, celebrating its 400th anniversary next year.

The Riding School itself is an early Victorian building - but the new facilities show high quality refurbishment at its best, as designed by architects Brooks Murray. Today its use will be multipurpose - hosting a wide range of events from conferences to fashion shows and wedding receptions. The main atrium can accommodate up to 200 comfortably, with adjoining breakout/meeting rooms.

The contract for the audio visual installation was awarded to Hammonds AVS Ltd, who imaginatively deployed QSC AcousticDesign AD-S282 and AD-S52T loudspeakers, bo

The Netherlands - In Holland, the club Paard van Troje in Den Haag has just taken delivery of two new Soundcraft analogue mixing consoles for the smaller of its two venues. Although nominally a pop venue, the club's sound engineer Peter Kerkvliet explains that "our productions vary from hardcore, punk, metal, reggae, hiphop, singer-songwriter, americana to multimedia, presentations, debates, standup-comedy, theatre, lectures and so on. About 50 per cent of our activities are dance events."

With such a variety of presentation, one of the main reasons for his choice of Soundcraft MH3 and MH2 consoles was their versatility. "Often we do monitor-mixing from the front of house position, or FOH-mixing from the monitor position. Because of the dual-purpose set-up possible with both the MH2 and MH3, we have the option to swap desks. In most cases, the MH3 is used out fron

UK - Clear-Com a Vitec Group brand, the global leader of trusted intercom solutions, today announced the appointment of Jake Dodson as vice president of product management for Clear-Com Communications Systems. Dodson will be driving Clear-Com's technology strategy in Cambridge, UK and in Emeryville, California.

Dodson has spent more than 15 years managing successful product lines for telecommunications networks, and has brought over 15 new products to market from concept to production. As the founder of a telecommunications start up, as well as director of product management for two Silicon Valley-based companies, Dodson offers a wealth of executive experience to drive Clear-Com's strategic product development.

"We are excited to make this announcement, as Dodson brings a tremendous level of product management expertise to the Clear-Com brand," said Matt Danilowicz,

UK - AKG Microphones has linked up with myspace.com to promote its Unsigned Heroes 07 Battle of the Bands competition, which launched this month at Music Live in Birmingham.

The competition now has its own dedicated myspace page, making it easier for bands already promoting themselves through the website to log in and upload their demos.

Under the banner 'This Ain't A Competition - It's A Battle!', AKG Microphones is encouraging up-and-coming bands to enter the competition, which could win them a day in a recording studio with a named producer and the opportunity to play at a major festival in 2007. All bands have to do is submit an MP3 of their music for the judges' consideration. Bands must have a minimum of three performers and all songs must be original compositions, not cover versions of another artist's song.

AKG's Amanda Chester says: "We know there's a we

Germany - The new Berlin Hauptbahnhof is right in the heart of the historical 800-year-old city. The German capital's new central train station is an architectural masterpiece, and at over 900 feet long and as tall as a skyscraper, has caused more than a few awestruck passers-by to liken it to a "Cathedral of Rail Traffic". The long structure features a glass-lined outer hull that lets visitors see both the German Chancellery and the Reichstag buildings. The numbers are as impressive as the view: covering more than 70,000sq.m, and capable of hosting 2,000 trains and 300,000 commuters a day.

The opening celebration started with Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel addressing an exclusive crowd of 600 invited guests and went from there with performances from popular German bands, a multimedia mega-event titled Symphony of Lights - Welcome to Berlin, specially illumina

UK - Digidesign and Marquee Audio recently helped production manager Steve Watson to fulfil an ambitious project at The Sage, Gateshead. Entitled Anthem for Northumberland the project was a full length film, with musical soundtrack, aimed at recording an impression of Northumberland as seen and experienced by the young people of the county.

The unique musical composition was created and arranged by students from three Northumberland High Schools, and one special school working with 13 musicians, and The Sage Gateshead trainees. It was performed live by Northern Sinfonia and many young musicians at The Sage.

Operating under the aegis of the Arts Council's Creative Partnerships Northumberland, the enterprise was backed by musician, producer and orchestrator Nitin Sawnhey, who provided artistic direction. This is the latest of a number of creative workshops supported by Ni

USA - With sophisticated AV technology assuming an expanded and increasingly creative role in contemporary worship, Meyer Sound will respond at the upcoming Worship Facilities Expo (WFX) in Dallas with a high-profile showcase of industry-leading audio systems that have found broad acceptance in churches of all sizes and types. On the exhibition floor at the Dallas Convention Center on November 9 and 10 (conference proceedings begin on November 8), the Meyer Sound booth (709) will spotlight several new loudspeaker products and introduce Constellation electroacoustic architecture to the worship facilities community. Nearby, a large meeting hall will provide an appropriate setting for full-system demonstrations of the eyebrow-raising M'elodie ultracompact high-power curvilinear array.

Those who have yet to experience M'elodie will have the opportunity on Thursday, November 9, when

Ireland - The Eccles is situated at the foot of the bay in Glengariff, Co. Cork, with far reaching views over the Atlantic and nearby Whiddy Island. Run as a family owned business, the hotel has provided accommodation for many seasoned travellers as well as extending formal welcomes to the many transatlantic Cruise liners that make Glengariff a port of call to introduce the lucky vacationers to a taste of the real Ireland, via the amazing scenery and internationally accepted hospitality.

Amongst all this, the hotel has for many years been the focus and hub of a thriving entertainment facility, with a full function suite and hall catering for private parties, large-scale weddings, concerts and conferences. Whilst proving successful, over time the hotel has suffered from noise pollution problems culminating in a recent problem that finally had to be addressed, when the new and bri

USA - As the season started, the Atlanta Falcons had asmall problem: how to realistically recreate the noisy game day conditionsof the Georgia Dome at their training headquarters north of the city inFlowery Branch. The answer, a compact Danley Sound Labs speaker systemcomprised of SH-50 full-range and TH-115 subwoofer units, proved not only tobe a powerful solution, but also, a surprisinglymobile one.

Mike Hedden, of Danley Sound Labs, explains that he initially demonstrated theDanley Sound Labs system, which is manufactured in Gainesville, Georgia,after a friend who works at the Falcons' facility told him that the team wasrenting equipment to simulate crowd noise during practice. "The old systemwas cumbersome and time consuming to setup but most importantly wasn'tsupplying enough 'oomph' to simulate the sound of a crowd of 72,000 people,"relates Hedden.

After settin

USA - Scott Robbins has been promoted to the position of senior vice president of worldwide sales for Crown International. Robbins previously held the position of vice president of worldwide sales for Crown.

Making the announcement was Mark Graham, president of Crown. "Scott's promotion to senior vice president underscores his great value to the executive team at Crown. Scott has done an outstanding job of leading the efforts of our sales and customer service teams over the past several years and has truly earned this recognition," says Graham.

Robbins has over 17 years of experience with Crown, starting in the service department in 1987 and working his way up the ranks through progressively more responsible positions in sales. During that time, Robbins temporarily joined Bose Professional where he worked in sales management for a few years before returning to Crown.

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