Robe - LEADERBOARD - Feb 2025
LSi 40 - Banner - July-Nov 2025

Sound

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USA - Two public institutions in the USA have recently been the recipient of new Merging digital audio workstations. The Washington-based Library of Congress has recently acquired several Pyramix DAWs, each built around a Merging Mykerinos MB5 card with an AES-EBU digital output daughterboard.

The DAWs are being installed in the Library's new facilities at the National Audio Visual Conservation Centre in Culpeper, Virginia, where staff will be using them primarily to digitise the Library's audio collections, creating high-quality preservation files. The Pyramix systems were assembled by Merging Technologies' US distributor Independent Audio and supplied to the Library of Congress by Massachusetts dealer Parsons Audio.

In a separate sale, Washington's National Gallery of Art has also installed a Pyramix for use by the Gallery's audio-visual staff.

(Jim Evans)

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UK - Harman Pro UK has announced the judges for the final of the AKG Unsigned Heroes battle of the bands competition, which is taking place at Camden's Koko on 26 April. The Summer festivals at which the winning group will play later in the year have also been confirmed. The lucky band will take the stage at both the prestigious Isle Of Wight festival at the start of June (headlining on the Platform 1 stage), and also on the Brit Bus stage at the Kent Festival, with headliners the Feeling, the Ordinary Boys and the Ghosts, from 29 June to 1 July.

With this and other prizes (such as an AKG sponsorship deal and PA equipment worth £10,000) riding on how the bands perform at Koko on the night of the final, it's important that the competition judges have plenty of music-business experience.

Harman Pro UK's five choices fit the bill nicely: Jez Coad is a renowned film composer

LSi 40 - Banner - July-Nov 2025

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USA - Clear-Com has released a number of upgrades to its FreeSpeak Digital Wireless Intercom System, including a software upgrade, improved electronics with internal silent vibrator alert and a new multi-way battery charger.

With the release of version 1.5.6 of FreeSpeak software, users will benefit from improvements in the software that makes it easy to restore factory default settings, says the company.

Version 1.5.6 will be delivered installed on new FreeSpeak belt-pack purchases, and is available for installation on existing FreeSpeak units as a purchasable upgrade. The software is installed from a PC via a serial connection to the belt-pack.

(Jim Evans)

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South Africa - The Durban International Conference Centre in KwaZulu-Natal has celebrated its 10th anniversary with the launch of the new ICC Durban Arena - a sub-divisible 32,000sq.m space that will be used for show space and exhibitions. Midas consoles and Klark Teknik signal processing equipment were used extensively for the new venue's launch, supplied by South African distributor Prosound Pty, which was contracted to provide the audio and production management for the event including overseeing the design and set-up of the audio system.

The opening of the arena coincided with George Benson and Al Jarreau's South African leg of their Giving It Up tour, so it was decided to host the Durban show at the new venue as part of the opening ceremony. The launch also featured a speciality show, The Power of Durban, devised and produced by Durban ICC's technical producti

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World - In early 2007 Rod Stewart embarked on his Rockin' in the Round Tour an ambitious theatre-in-the-round production that kicked off a 56-city North American tour in January, to be followed by a swing through European stadiums in June and July.

The production is impressive in both scope and scale. Stewart's tour makes the most of the set, starting with four huge, high-definition video screens that face each direction. Before the show, a video called The Rodfather touting Stewart's history as a pop innovator is screened, while during the show, images of Stewart, his band, and shots of the city in which the performance is taking place are displayed on the screens. Two catwalks coming off opposite sides of the stage allow Stewart to venture out of the main performing area and into the crowd. The intricate lighting rig includes multicolour LED lights built into the

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USA - Intelix LLC has announced the release of the AVO-A2-WP-F wallplate balun, which distributes a high-fidelity stereo audio signal up to 2,500ft over standard twisted pair cable, such as Cat 5 or Cat 6.

The front panel of the AVO-A2-WP-F features two gold-plated female RCA connectors on a white decora face-plate. The rear panel features an RJ45 connector and optional grounding screw. The installed unit fits in a standard depth wall-box.

Used in pairs or with a rack-mountable Intelix AVO-A2 modular balun, the AVO-A2-WP-F transmits 20 Hz to 20 kHz analogue audio in either direction up to 2,500 feet.

(Jim Evans)The AVO-A2-WP.

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UK - The Association of British Theatre Technicians (ABTT), is sponsoring Performing Theatres, part of The Theatres' Trust Conference 07. Performing Theatres follows on from the successful 2006 ABTT Theatre, Architecture and Engineering Conference and develops the need for there to be a stronger profile for users in setting out requirements for building and refurbishing theatres.

Raising issues about how best to maximise theatre design in the 21st Century, the Performing Theatres Conference is chaired by Ian Brown, artistic director, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Genista McIntosh and Venu Dhupa, director of creative innovation, Southbank Centre. The one day event promises to offer a lively and wide-ranging debate on how the design of theatres will meet our needs in the 21st Century.

Complementing ABTT's annual Theatre Show, which highlights technological innovation a

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UK - The concrete is dry, the first crowds have walked the terraces, and just after Easter it was time to test the sound. "When we were approached to test the house sound facilities at the new Wembley Stadium in conjunction with a concert system set-up, we were of course delighted," said Mike Lowe of Britannia Row Productions Ltd. "We expect to be servicing many shows here over the coming months and years, so the opportunity to be the first to get a real feel for the building was not to be missed."

Over three days (11-13 April) Britannia Row crews rigged the stadium for 'end on' and 'side on' concert configurations. "We rigged an EV Xline system off 15 metre SmarTmasts from Summit Steel as for a main stage system, and then added Outline Butterfly delays off 11 metre masts out in the field. The system was then linked into the house EAW installed system an

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UK - Pro audio manufacturer, Allen & Heath, will be introducing a fourth control surface to the iLive digital mixing console system, joining the existing iLive-122, iLive-144 and iLive-176 at the forthcoming ABTT show.

Designed for smaller venues, the new iLive-80 is the smallest in the range of control surfaces, providing 80 control strips grouped in two sections each with four banks, with an LCD display above each fader for labelling and colour-coding. The channel controls for preamp, filter and EQ are laid out across the top of the surface, while a colour LCD touch screen presents a graphical view of the processing and access to the automation and set up screens.

Also new to the show is the WZ³12M monitor mixer, a rackmount/desktop console which combines the design principles of the industry-standard MixWizard Series with many modern monitor facilities, implemented in the

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Italy - FBT has announced the launch of the new HiMaxX series of professional powered polypropylene moulded speaker systems.

The HiMaxX40a is a 2-way, professional powered polypropylene moulded speaker system featuring: built-in 500W rms power amplifier in Class D (PWM technology) for the LF woofer; built-in 150W rms power amplifier in Class G for the HF compression driver; +4dB (measured at 1mt with music signal) increase, thanks to the higher power, to a woofer granting a lower power compression and to a more sophisticated limiting circuit.

Also key to the series is a new FBT proprietary 12" neodymium magnet woofer. B&C custom made, it has a more efficient ventilation system resulting in a 1.5dB reduction of power compression and a more rigid cone for increased reliability and sensitivity. The internal coil has 75mm (3") diameter for greater power handling and reli

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Canada - To maximize support, shorten lead times and improve price competitiveness in the European market, Adamson Systems Engineering is announcing a new European support and sales structure.

As of 1 April 2007, Adamson is implementing factory direct sales to distributors, and countries without established distribution, throughout Europe. Previously, France based DV2 managed all EU territories, but now maintains distribution duties for France and Belgium exclusively. DV2 will continue to contribute as a key partner to the overall support throughout Europe.

Countries with established distribution are France & Belgium (DV2), Spain (Lambda/2), Italy (Reference Laboratory), The Netherlands (Sound & Light Import), Denmark (Nordic Rentals), Czech Republic (Mediatech Spol.sr.o.), Greece & Cyprus (Enttech S.A.) and Russia (I.S.P.A.).

Adamson has retained Andy Weingärtner in the ch

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UK - Sitting quietly in Bristol harbour, one of the UK's most quirky - and in some ways historic - venues has recently had a sound and lighting makeover, including the installation of a major Turbosound loudspeaker system.

Owned by DHP, the Motor Vessel (MV) Thekla gained notoriety in the 1980s as The Old Profanity Showboat, run by well-known eccentric and former Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band main man Vivian Stanshall.

The makeover includes a complete new lighting and sound rig, supplied by Stage Electrics. The hold is still the main performance area, which sees six Turbosound QLight TQ-445 full range enclosures, four TQ-425 bass units and two TSB-118 subs installed, controlled by two LMS-D24 digital controllers and driven by Turbosound-badged MC amplifiers.

On stage six Turbosound TXD-15M wedges are used for foldback, while the bar area in the main room also sports four QLight TQ-

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UK - As the UK distributor of HME's range of advanced wireless intercom products, Orbital Sound reports that it has recently been awarded HME's Outstanding Distribution Award for the second time. Orbital earned the award by continuing to deliver the DX wireless intercom series, which comprises the DX 200 and DX 100, to the UK's broadcast, live performance and installed sound markets.

Recent organisations that have embraced the DX200 system include The Royal Court Theatre, Scottish Opera, Queens Theatre Hornchurch, Grand Theatre Wolverhampton, Royal Welsh College of Music & Dance and Hull Truck Theatre Company.

HME's sales director John Kowalski comments, "Orbital Sound followed up 2005 with such an amazing performance in 2006. HME systems can be found throughout the live performance and broadcast markets in the UK and Orbital Sound is behind this. We're proud to be associ

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Japan - The second Midas XL8 live performance system to be sold in Japan has been delivered to PA company Zero-db by EVI Audio Japan.

Established in 1997, Zero-db has become well-known for its application of innovative solutions to the live music scene in Japan. The company has invested heavily in Midas technology over the past decade, with analogue consoles including XL3, XL250 and Heritage featuring on its inventory.

"When we heard that Midas was to launch its digital console, I instantly decided to add it to our rental stock," says Zero-db president Mr Shunji Izawa. "As I've been using Midas products for a long time, I was assured of its ease of use and reliability of operation. Perhaps most importantly, we also know we can rely on the Midas philosophy towards concert sound and the audio quality we've come to enjoy from their consoles."

EVI Audio Japan

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UK - Paul Roughton is the new face representing Stage Electrics on the London scene, having joined the existing business development team of Darren Beckley, Matt Townsend and Chris Patton.

For over five years prior to joining Stage Electrics, Roughton worked in the West End for The Really Useful Theatre Group. He was the deputy chief electrician at Shaftesbury Avenue's Lyric Theatre, and then most recently at The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, where he worked on shows including Anything Goes and The Producers.

Roughton will be splitting his time as a business development manager between long term hires and installations from the London office, working closely with the existing team. "My previous experience will allow me to bring a user's perspective and insight, to make sure our customers receive the best possible service, " he says.

(Jim Evans)

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Germany - Now under the Bosch umbrella, EVI Audio came up with a new concept for its presentation at this year's ProLight+Sound in Frankfurt. This included a live stage and a new open-plan booth design. The predominantly white décor combined with the lavish dimensions of the booth to create a sense of light and space, symbolising the birth of a new era that began with the acquisition of former parent company Telex by Bosch in September of last year, says the company.

Robert Pletz, marketing services Europe, who was responsible for the trade fair presentation, points out: "Although the booth had a fresh new look to it, we remained faithful to the values for which we are known and the strategies that have served us so well in the past. Never before, in fact, have we applied our adage The demo makes the sale quite as consistently as we did this year."

This

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UK - Leading names in the history of music production joined forces recently to help launch Studio Sonic, a state of the art demo studio facility for Sonic Distribution based at Canalot Studios, London.

Marking Sonic Distribution's fifth anniversary, Rupert Neve, one of the most important figures in the development of pro audio equipment, gave a speech to mark the occasion and demoed some of the latest products from Rupert Neve Designs. Famed producer Bob Clearmountain (Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney and many others) and the head of sE Electronics, Siwei Zou, were also on hand to mark the occasion.

The facility boasts cutting edge studio and live rooms kitted out with the latest hardware and software, with users being able to demo the latest releases from Apogee, sE, Ghost Acoustics, Waves, Rupert Neve Designs and iLok.

James Young, MD of Sonic Distributio

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USA - Aviom, developer of the audio transport technology, A-Net, recently debuted the latest addition to its Pro64 Series of audio distribution products, the 6416dio Digital I/O Module.

The 6416dio provides 16 channels of digital inputs and outputs to and from a Pro64 A Net audio network in a single 2U package, using the AES3 format.

With exceptional clock per formance, the 6416dio meets the needs of digital console and workstation users in a range of applications for broadcast on remotes and locations, film sets and church campuses, says Aviom.

The input and output sections of the 6416dio module can be independently configured to operate within a specified 16-channel A Net Slot range for maximum versatility. Input and output port assignments for Manual Mode are also independently configurable. Each channel of a 6416dio can be made active on the Pro64 audio network as needed

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UK - Byblos, in the rejuvenated area of Merchant City, Glasgow, hosts the debut of the Flashlite Dance Array, shocking-pink groundstacks of Electro-Voice cabinets that, according to installer Andy O'Neill, "exploit the EV range far beyond the manufacturer's recommendation!"

The newly-built, newly-opened club is located beneath Merchant Square in the heart of Glasgow. Owned by private entrepreneur company Springbrisk, Byblos has the capacity for 900 people, spread out through three lavishly designed rooms, and aims to be the biggest thing on Glasgow's busy club scene.

O'Neill's company, Flashlite, was contracted to Byblos on the basis of his reputation. O'Neill likes to work with Electro-Voice, and with its UK distributor Shuttlesound, so much so that the equipment list at Byblos reads like an EV catalogue, and features some notable 'firsts' in terms of installation.

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UK - Show Of Hands, the folk duo comprising Steve Knightley and Phil Beer, performed before a sell-out crowd at London's Royal Albert Hall on Easter Sunday, using DI boxes and guitar pre-ampsdesigned and manufactured by Devon-based Orchid Electronics.

John Godsland, director of Orchid Electronics, created the equipment for the band using Van Damme cables and Neutrik connectors supplied by UK cabling specialist VDC Trading.

"Thanks to my background in telecoms and audio engineering, I have come to understand the importance of reliability when choosing cables and connectors. I'm a big fan of Van Damme microphone, speaker and instrument cables because they have always proved to be extremely tough and reliable," John Godsland says.

As well as Orchid Electronic's cable requirements, VDC also supplied the Neutrik connectors, which Godsland stated are "the best on th

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UK - Hearing specialists Sensorcom has expanded its fleet of in ear monitors and custom fit earplugs with the addition of the new Alpine Musicsafe Pro.

Designed to reduce the damaging and irreversible effects of high-level sound exposure to the ear, the Alpine Musicsafe Pro is a sophisticated earplug system, which attenuates surrounding sounds to a safe and sustainable level without distortion or impacting the user's sonic experience of being in a bar, club or at a live gig, says the company.

The Alpine Musicsafe Pro has three different exchangeable filter sets to compensate for the music level the user is exposed to: white is low sound level; silver is medium and gold very loud. And they still allow the user to be aware of conversation and the surrounding ambience without the closed unnatural sensation that can occur with earplugs that occlude (block) the ear.

The concept b

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UK - Brighton-based out post sound has opened for business in what many have described as the south coast's most vibrant and culturally diverse city. The company, based in the quiet area of Five Ways, is owned by Rob Speight, and ably assisted by a host of well-known engineers and designers. "What we are trying to do here is create a new way of running a studio by combining it with the ever increasing desire of bands, promoters, managers and labels to digitally multi-track live events," he explained.

Based around a Digidesign Pro Tools HD | 2 Accel system, the company aims to work in two main areas. At its base, out post will concentrate on utilising its vocal booth and 5.1 Genelec surround monitoring to record and mix voice overs, audio for film, television and gaming as well as supporting podcast creation and hosting in-house. Additionally, out post's extensive sound

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Dubai - CEDIA, the global trade association representing designers, manufacturers, installers and distributors of home electronics, is lending its support to Install Middle East, which forms a developing sector in this year's PALME Middle East show in Dubai.

CEDIA will be staging a full educational programme which commences on the opening day (May 20) with a three-hour presentation on Home Cinema Designby Peter Aylett.

The schedule also includes: Introduction To Systems Integration (presented by Simon Buddle), Residential Audio and Video Multi-Room Systems (Steve Martin), IP In Residential Custom Installation (Peter Aylett), and Project Management Workshop (Simon Buddle and Steve Martin).

(Jim Evans)

  1. Nitelites invests in Martin monitors
  2. Fleetwood records in cathedrals
  3. Satisfaction reunite with EV in Holland
  4. PanAVid boosts InnovaSON inventory
  5. Allen & Heath launches Xone headphones
  6. Unsigned contest postponed
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