Australia - Based on the life, songs and music of the entertainer and songwriter Peter Allen, and performed for the first time in 1998 in Sydney, The Boy From Oz has just closed after a sell-out three-month Australian tour. This new production of the original musical especially designed for arena format venues (more than 10,000 people), include a 25-piece live orchestra and 100 singers from the Australian Girls' choir. Australian V-Dosc Partner, Jands Production Services, was chosen to design and supply the sound reinforcement.
Sound designer Michael Waters, who won a Helpmann Award for Best Sound Design for Dusty the Musical, specified a turnkey L Acoustics V Dosc system which includes 36 V Dosc, 27 dV-DOSC, 4 ARCS and 18 SB218 subwoofers.
Jim Straw, general manager of Jands Production Services, stated: "The Boy from Oz is a complex and ambitious are
UK - Formula Sound has followed up the successful launch of its new FF-4000 modular mixer by announcing that the unit is now available with a factory-fitted Pro X Fade crossfader from Eclectic Breaks (Ebsel). This new crossfader has been receiving highly enthusiastic reviews in the media, and its inclusion as an option on the FF-4000 (and also on Formula Sound's larger 6-channel FF-6000) reflects the growing reputation that these FF Series mixers are enjoying among the DJ and club market.
"We weren't surprised at the great reaction that the original FF-6000 6-channel mixer received from the DJ community when it was launched in 2005," commented Formula Sound's Barry Penaligon. "The mixer was designed in conjunction with Funktion-One and a panel of leading DJs. We took the DJs' comments on board and provided the things they asked for such as larger control knobs on
USA - Symetrix Inc, a provider of signalprocessing technology for the installed sound, broadcast, and recordingmarkets, announces the appointment of Paul Roberts, director of domestic andinternational sales.
Roberts spent eight years as inside sales manager for Symetrix from 1995 to2003. He is returning from Loud Technologies, Woodinville, Washington wherehe worked in sales management for the past two years. "I'm thrilled to beback at Symetrix at this particular moment in our proud 30-year history,"commented Roberts. "The acknowledged breadth and depth of our four brands,Symetrix, SymNet, Lucid, and AirTools have poised the company for evengreater growth and expansion. I'm especially excited about the newIntegrator Series and its first product, the Zone Mix 760. The 760 isdesigned to meet the needs of restaurants, hotels, and similar venueswithout any unnecessary
USA - Solid State Logic, a manufacturer of analogue and digital audio consoles and provider of creative tools for music, broadcast and post production professionals, has announced the hiring of Fadi Hayek as national sales manager, Workstation Partner Products.
Hayek comes to SSL from Yamaha Corporation, where he served as national sales manager for Steinberg products. During his 11-year tenure at Steinberg Media Technologies, which continued through its 2005 acquisition by Yamaha, Hayek was instrumental in the planning and development of the Nuendo platform. Prior to Steinberg, he worked as a recording engineer at several New York studios and served in a management role at Sam Ash Music, also in New York.
"The idea of Solid State Logic claiming its place in the digital audio workstation market is what attracted me," Hayek comments. "It clearly has a role to pl
UK - The Arts and Entertainment Technical Training Initiative (aetti) has announced a new qualification. The Awarding body Edexcel has approved their submission for a BTEC Award in Sound. The approval lasts until 2011. The first course will be delivered at the Assembly Rooms in Derby in February 2007.
The new Sound course will sit alongside the existing BTEC qualifications; Technical Skills in Live Entertainment and Stage Lighting, Rigging and Operation.
Loughborough College's head of enterprise and workforce development, Chris Garner, says: "The original proposal required some altering to suit the Edexcel criteria for a formal award and I would thank the aetti members for responding quickly to ensure that the delivery of the programme can proceed as planned. If the BTEC in Sound is as popular as the existing Lighting course then we would expect more than a 150 technician
UK - Every year, British digital signal processor manufacturer XTA Electronics rewards those of its distributors that have achieved the most significant business growth for XTA products over the previous year, known as the Xemplary Territory Awards.
This year saw Ampco Belgium, Sennheiser Canada, R&A Services in China, Prodance from the Czech Republic, SC Sound APS in Denmark, Estonia's Eventech, TM Audio from Holland, Pro Audio & Light Systems in Russia, Swiss distributor Decibel, Turkey's Sevcan Electronics, Group One from the United States and PAXT in the Middle East and Africa all take awards back from PLASA.
"We've got an extremely good distribution network," says XTA marketing manager Guy Lewis. "This means the companies that won awards have done exceptionally well as sales have been exemplary on a global scale."
Eastern Europe - Over 400 visitors attended four ISE Roadshow events in Eastern Europe which concluded at the Istanbul Hilton last week. The organisers reported that attendee levels exceeded all expectations and the events attracted positive and enthusiastic comments from both visitors and sponsors alike.
Mike Blackman, ISE managing director was delighted with the results, which justified the decision to take this event beyond the existing European frontier. "Attendance was excellent and initial feedback has been extremely positive. We had visitors who came ready to talk and were prepared to do business. They brought with them an optimistic approach to the exciting opportunities in the AV and electronic systems industry. These events have demonstrated to us how influential and exciting the Eastern European and Turkish markets are for our industry. In every location attendee
UK - The Light Viper 32/8 digital line system has provided The X-Factor sound supervisor Robert Edwards (of Video Sound Services) with a neat fibre transmission solution, overcoming the obstacles created by a complex set at Wembley's Fountain Studios in an environment rife with RF.
On Edwards' recommendation, production company talkbackThames purchased the Light Viper system to cover signal transmission from mic to desk, and for talkback via returns on the latest series of the reality show.
With transmission to ITV1 and ITV2, VSS were looking for a more efficient means of delivering the sound from the studio floor to the control room, and turned to a FiberPlex Light Viper VIS-1832/VIM-1832 fibre-optic snake to create far more effective tie lines over greater distances.
Light Viper's fibre optic system offers immunity to ground loops, RFI, EMI and electromechanical noi
Italy - A&AG S.r.l., Italian-based manufacturers of the Kind range of high quality professional power amplifiers, has introduced the DSP Board-1 input card that can provide all of the functions of a loudspeaker system crossover/controller without the need for an external processor.
Suitable for KDL, DDX and DQX series amplifiers, the 2-in / 3-out processor has crossover, EQ, compressor and delay functions, providing a cost effective and tamper-proof system solution for most applications. The card is programmed by PC with the provided software, giving a high quality graphic interface for logical and easy access to all settings and functions. Facilities, such as 'copy left' and 'copy right', speed up the process by allowing parameters to be set for one channel and transferred to the other at the press of a button.
The input card utilizes 24-bit (26-bit inner processing) with 48
Italy - Link Srl, has introduced the CVS LKSPKAL 12/3 U2A2 - a new line of intelligent self-powered speaker cable that includes a 12/3 double shielded power cable, two AES individually jacketed and shielded pairs and two colour coded UTP Ethernet lines, featuring Link's cross-spacer (CAT6 style) construction. These cables are specifically designed for self-powered loudspeaker systems that incorporate CAT5 control and/or signal connectivity.
JBL Professional utilises numerous sets of Link's new CVS LKSPKAL 12/3 U2A2 cable in 23 metre (75 ft) lengths for its portable touring sound systems that are used for onsite customer evaluations, including Vertec DP Series and the new Venue Performance Series powered, network-compatible products. "The growing number of JBL systems in the field was Link's inspiration to develop this new hybrid cable," says Marco Piromalli, president
Germany - The sun has set and the Mercedes Sprinter door closed for the last time this year on the Tannoy & Friends Tour 2006 in Germany. This year the Tannoy tour team was the strongest it has been to date, with special guests Panasonic, Shure, Crestron and Simax all on board and presenting their latest new products. Kicking off in Frankfurt on 17th October, the tour travelled clockwise around the country stopping at seven cities in nine days! (Frankfurt, Remscheid, Hamburg, Berlin, Halle, Munich and Stutgartt).
Celebrating 80 years in business this year, Tannoy presented their latest products to feature their renowned Dual Concentric drive unit. Since its invention six decades ago, the Scottish-based loudspeaker manufacturer's point source drive unit technology has been constantly refined. The latest incarnation of the 'Dual', a miniature 4" version, is used in the highly
UK - Stardraw Control, the multi-award winning control application from design and control software systems developer, Stardraw.com has been named as a finalist for the Technology InAVation 2007 award in the category of Most Innovative Control Product for Commercial Use. The nomination coincides with the landmark 5,000 user tally, an astonishing achievement in just over twelve months when the product was still only in beta form.
Stardraw's marketing director, Rob Robinson, is delighted that Stardraw Control has qualified as a finalist for the inaugural Technology InAVation Awards which will be held at the forthcoming ISE show in Amsterdam next February. "Stardraw Control has already been recognised at several prestigious industry awards, and the Technology InAVation nomination serves as further testament to the truly innovative nature of the product," noted Robinson. &
UK - ChristChurch, London, has recently purchased an Innovason Sy48 Evolution digital console package to handle all of their FOH and monitoring needs at their new venue, the 1200-seat Piccadilly Theatre in London's West End.
Technical director Rhys Scott was looking for a console that would be intuitive to use, flexible, fast to work on and with high audio quality. Furthermore, as the console is largely used by volunteers, it needed to be accessible and logically laid out. "I met the Innovason team at the Messe in Frankfurt earlier in the year and was given a demo of the Sy48. It was extremely impressive, and there was no doubt that it met all of our criteria," said Scott. "We were looking to have the new console in place before we moved to our new venue at the Piccadilly Theatre, and fortunately for us, Innovason launched their 'New for Old" initiative just
Canada - An Allen & Heath ML5000 VCA mixer has been installed in the fictionalstudio of the popular Canadian TV show, Instant Star. Now in its thirdseason, the TV drama chronicles the life of a feisty young rock star,Jude Harrison, who has won a recording contract with G-Major studios.
"Our main objective with Instant Star is to make the series as realisticas possible to accurately reflect the music industry, which is why wehad to have a fully functioning board and not just a set piece. This isenhanced with the presence of the Allen & Heath ML5000 mixer, which isthe centrepiece of our recording studio set in the fictitious 'G Major'Studio," explains executive producer, Stephen Stohn. "Many of the show'sfans are intrigued by the music business, so the challenge is to haveall the equipment working as a real studio with the mixer at the coreoperating as
Europe - EAW has reported massive sales in Europe of their compact line array system, KF730. Year-to-date sales alone have topped the $2 million mark with further significant sales scheduled before the end of the year.
According to European technical sales manager, Sean Martin, these figures offer ample testament to the fact that KF730 is the leading system of its class, and that the European EAW line array network is a highly productive organisation.
"We have customers all over Europe, from as far afield as Rumania (where we've just sold another large system via our distributors, Stage Expert), Portugal, Spain, and even Iceland, to name but a few," noted Martin. "We have an extremely strong network of well over forty European distributors who, in conjunction with our own application support specialists, have worked particularly hard holding line array demonstra
UK - PLASA has announced that the next meeting of its Manufacturers Forum will take place on Tuesday 5 December at the DTI Conference Centre in central London. The Forum, which was established in 2005 to allow PLASA to better understand the issues faced by its manufacturing members, is open to any member company who wishes to attend.
One of the dominant themes of the December forum will be a discussion of Ofcom's proposals, as part of the planned TV switchover from analogue to digital, to sell-off the radio frequencies currently used by the UK entertainment industry. If the sell-off goes ahead as planned, it will leave the UK live events sector without a licence - a major blow for the industry.
Thanks to a strategy suggested by PLASA and its political lobbyists Ranelagh, BEIRG is now lobbying Government to highlight the damage that the spectrum sell-off will have to a sector t
Norway - Since 1989, the performance of Peer Gynt in Gålå has been one of the highlights of the Norwegian open-air season. This year, over 150,000 spectators made a pilgrimage to the open-air stage to enjoy Ibsen's celebrated drama, set to music by Edvard Grieg. The idyllic lakeside setting, framed by mountains and forests, made the play a truly unforgettable experience. With no cars, or trains, or city noise to distract the listener, it seemed every word spoken and every note played was expressed with a far greater intensity than in the theatres, concert halls and opera houses of the major cities.
Naturally, the organisers were aware of the unique acoustics prior to the event, so they asked MultiTechnic to provide a sonic image that, according to Erik S. Landsem of the Oslo-based sound specialists, "would appear to be issuing not from the loudspeakers, but from th
UK - Audio-Technica Ltd. has reported that this year's Music Live show was its most successful ever. Highlights included record visitor numbers on the company's stand, a prize draw featuring Audio-Technica endorsees Breed77, a Bluetooth mobile phone promotion, and record sales of microphones and headphones.
Audio-Technica's Music Live stand design featured the Zen inspired themes unveiled at PLASA. In contrast to the frenetic energy throughout the rest of the show, the stand featured a clean, gallery like approach to the display of products and graphics.
Over 500 entries were received for the Breed77 prize draw, held on the first day of the show. Prizes, which were presented on the day by the band, included Audio-Technica ATH-EM7 GM headphones, signed tee shirts and copies of the band's new album 'In My Blood'.
A new feature of the company's marketing campaign was an animate
UK / USA - Clear-Com a Vitec Group brand, has announced the appointment of Graham Ramsey as vice president of worldwide sales and support. Ramsey will establish and direct the sales and support efforts in Cambridge, UK and in Emeryville, California.
Ramsey spent 18 years at Vinten Broadcast, Ltd., where he held the position of general manager, responsible for the commercial operation of Vinten Broadcast, Ltd. in its global markets. His experience managing sales and customer support programmes successfully in the broadcast business will help drive Clear-Com's sales and support efforts.
"We are extremely thrilled to have Graham join the Clear-Com team,"said Matt Danilowicz, managing director of Vitec Group Communications."Graham's successful track record in managing sales and service organisations, deep market knowledge in Broadcasting, and extensive experience ru
UK - Theatre sound specialist Orbital has supplied London's Young Vic with an advanced Q-series d&b audiotechnik system, which features as part of the newly augmented technical infrastructure of the theatre. Re-opening after an extensive 3-year redevelopment project, London's Young Vic has been transformed into a larger and more flexible theatre complex designed by London based architects Haworth Tompkins.
To meet the demands of The Young Vic's innovative and expanding programme, the project has radically enhanced its facilities both front of house and backstage. Comprising its main auditorium restored to the highest and ultra-contemporary standards, it now features two new spaces : the Maria (capacity 160) and the Clare (capacity 80). The Young Vic now also provides audiences with welcoming public areas, a split level Cut Bar & Restaurant - boasting extensive entertaining facil
Australia - Jands Production Services has added a Digidesign Venue live sound console to its ever-expanding hire inventory. "JPS purchased the Digidesign Venue as part of our commitment to supplying the latest technology to service our clients needs and due to its stable platform, reliability and constant appearance on technical riders," said Jim Straw, general manager of JPS. "We are now the first rental company in Australia to offer a fully optioned 96ch D-Show Console."
The Digidesign Venue console has made its debut for JPS on the current Pearl Jam tour with front-of-house engineer Greg Nelson in the driver's seat. Having graduated from a Midas XL4 to a Yamaha PM5D last year, Nelson decided to switch to the Venue console four months ago. "I'm very comfortable operating the Venue," stated Nelson at the band's sold-out Sydney gig. "It's laid
Germany - Software Design Ahnert GmbH (SDA) has released version 1.4 of EASE Focus, its freely available, publicly licensed program for configuring line arrays and modelling their performance. Version 1.4 includes English, German and Spanish translations of the software and help files, and updates to AutoSplay, the mapping displays and other important functions. SDA has simplified the array configuration process and made it more intuitive in Version 1.4.
EASE Focus provides accurate predictions of line array performance using the same acoustic engine as EASE, the industry standard software for simulating and designing acoustical environments and sound systems. Line array cabinets can be defined as complex models that include multiple sources. Other enhancements to Version 1.4 include extended Print Report functionality and improved online updates as well as enhanced modelling of
UK - Leeds' Grand Theatre, the performance base for Opera North, has reopened to great acclaim after a two year transformation programme by BDP.
The Grand Theatre built in 1878 was a major milestone in Victorian theatre building and is listed Grade II. Once described as "probably the finest theatre of its size in Britain," the Grand's 19th century facilities no longer met present day audience and performance expectations. Working conditions backstage and facilities for artists were increasingly difficult and inefficient.
The £16m first phase works on the theatre have involved new seating, improved sight lines, better ventilation and improved facilities for the disabled. Backstage, the fly tower and flying systems have been upgraded, and two new rehearsal rooms constructed on an adjacent site are connected to the Theatre by a wide bridge, which also acts as a sc
UK - RG Jones Hire Department has invested in the latest Yamaha LS9 series console, following RG's recent installation of two of the consoles into the Great Hall at Guildhall - upgrading the analogue system that was installed by RG Jones during the 1980s. The LS9 is both compact and light enough for one person to move and set up easily and includes features that have been field-proven in previous Yamaha digital consoles offering outstanding sonic quality, say RG Jones.
In addition to an extensive range of gating, compression, and equalization capabilities, there's also a built-in USB memory recorder/player for recording or BGM playback, and other functionality that give you everything you need for small to medium scale live sound or installed applications in remarkably compact, all-in-one console.
RG Jones project manager for the Guildhall, Jon Berry said: "The main reaso