UK - Creating a fine balance between a teaching facility and a professional audio theatre is no easy feet. With the help of leading audio specialists Shure Distribution UK, The Royal Grammar School was able to transform the school venue into a professional sounding theatre that has become a huge hit for pupils and attracted professional artists from outside the school.

The new equipment, provided by Shure Distribution UK, has been installed following the theatre's first year of operation, which was originally designed for theatrical and classical orchestral events. The equipment had to be of a professional standard for hosting live rock and jazz concerts and portable enough for use in performances outside the school.

The new installation includes a PA system consisting of QSC's HPR 122I monitors, HPR 153I mid-high range speakers and HPR 181I sub woofers. The Shure DFR22 digita

USA - Shure Incorporated has introduced three new products - the PG27USB and PG42USB Side-Address Condenser Microphones and the X2U XLR-to-USB Signal Adapter. In addition, Shure has added XLR models of the new microphones, the PG27 and PG42.

"Over the past several years, more and more musicians, both professional and amateur, have taken recording into their own hands at home, on the road, in their bedroom, basement, tour bus...wherever," said Chad Wiggins, category manager, Wired Microphones. "With these new products, we're bringing the legendary heritage of Shure microphones to every level of performer and home recording artist as the proliferation of digital recording continues."

The PG27USB and PG42USB microphones connect professional-calibre Shure microphones to any USB computer port with 'Plug and Play' performance. The cardioid condenser microphones f

UK - Martin Audio has announced that David Bissett-Powell is stepping down as managing director and Robert Lingfield is stepping down as sales and marketing director of Martin Audio Ltd.

David said: "Last year, as part of our succession planning, I appointed Anthony Taylor as Joint managing director and he has filled this position admirably. With his 14 years of experience within the team I am now happy to hand over the reigns to him fully although I shall remain involved with the company as a Consultant and, amongst other roles, will support the distribution in China by becoming Ambassador to the Region. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the amazing team that I've had the privilege of working alongside over the last 17 years. We have built a business that has been consistently profitable with strong business partners, superior engineering skills and excellent rela

China - Shure Incorporated reports that it has struck two further blows in the company's fight against counterfeiting as a result of close cooperation with Chinese authorities.

An investigation initiated by Shure in Futian District, Shenzhen, in mainland China led to a raid by the Shenzhen Administration for Industry and Commerce (AIC) on a wholesale shop, Sanze Electronics, in the Zhongdian Electronics and Technology Building on Huaqiang Road, and another at an associated warehouse.

"Counterfeiting is not just a problem for Shure," said Sandy LaMantia, Shure's president and CEO. "This is a serious issue that impacts our entire industry. Every brand of professional audio and consumer electronics is at risk because of this criminal activity. Shure continues to cooperate with other brands in joint actions and criminal prosecutions in China to present a united fron

UK - Music tutors at Preston College have torn up the timetables for 94 students in its Performing Arts Academy this week. The students will spend a fortnight working in mini-production units, in a move reminiscent of the hit film, School of Rock.They are tasked with project managing eight live band performances for the opening of the College's state-of-the-art Roland Music Academy. The official launch event takes place at the College's Park Campus on Moor Park Avenue, on the evening of February 10 with celebrity guests invited to attend.

Each project group is made up of students of mixed ages and abilities, including performing artists, music technologists and sound engineers. At the end of the fortnight, students will have to submit a detailed summary of their learning experiences to be eligible for credit towards their formal qualifications.

Dan Clarke, the Preston C

USA - Aviom continues to add to its Pro64 Series with the introduction of the 6416o v.2 Output Module. The output levels featured on this module simplify connectivity with other manufacturers' mixing consoles, amplifiers, powered speaker systems, and recording devices, and increase the flexibility of Aviom's high-fidelity digital audio networking solution, says the company.

The 6416o v.2 is compatible with a wide range of signal level requirements, making it suitable for live sound reinforcement, broadcast, and other audio distribution applications. Each channel on the 2U rack-mount 16-channel digital-to-analogue converter has a four-position output level switch with settings for +24, +18, and +4dBu line-level, or mic-level output, as well as three-segment level metering. With the 6416o v.2, complex installations are easy to configure and manage by specifying the channel/slot ra

UK - The 100th Midas PRO6 console has now shipped, and an ever-growing order book is heading towards the next 100, which are being shipped as fast as they can be built, says the company.

"We seem to have judged the market exactly right with the launch of PRO6," says Midas sales and marketing director David Cooper. "We knew during our planning phase that we had a great concept for the second Midas digital system in terms of its superb audio, features set, build quality and price, but the overwhelmingly positive response from both owners and users has surpassed our wildest dreams.

"With other manufacturers focusing on the low end we're confident we are very well placed to meet the rigorous demands of national and international touring riders, as well as those performance audio installations where good enough just isn't good enough."

One of the latest e

UK - A new, £6 million swimming centre, in the north Wales seaside town of Llandudno, has a weatherised Renkus-Heinz PNX61 loudspeaker system, with Biamp NPS and Audiaflex control, that allows the calls of trainers and event announcers to reach every corner of the facility with perfect clarity.

Llandudno Swimming Centre, designed as a fully equipped regional facility and fully compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act, has a 25m, eight-lane international short course main competition pool, with a moveable floor that allows its depth to be varied, a 20m four- lane pool for teaching and training, and seating for 427 spectators and 250 competitors.

Both pools, seating areas and changing rooms, are covered by a six-zone, digitally based audio paging and background music system, installed by system integrators Martin Dawes with the backup of Renkus-Heinz and Biamp UK d

Canada - The second week of January 2009 saw Adamson distributors gather in Port Perry for a series of seminars and meetings.

The meetings were held at the Adamson Headquarters and at the historic Port Perry Town Hall, the home of local community theatre. The first day saw distributors engaged in conversation on all new developments at Adamson, including a new five stage in-line wash system, an automated powder line and the automated driver assembly line among other topics. For some, this visit marked their first visit to the factory, therefore a detailed factory tour highlighting the many new advancements, was a must for many.

Over 30 Distributors from France (DV2), Italy (Reference Laboratory), Spain (Seesound), Portugal (Merging Select), Scandinavia (Adamson Scandinavia), Germany (Trius GmbH), Netherlands (Sound & Light Import), Poland (Megamusic), Greece (DN'A), Brazil (So

Europe - Kanye West had a successful tour across Europe in late 2008, making stops in Brussels, Rotterdam, Manchester, and at London's O2 arena. After supporting West on previous tours with Meyer Sound systems, London-based Canegreen provided a multifaceted Meyer Sound MILO and MICA line array system for the rapper's latest shows.

Working alongside West's FOH engineer Horace Ward, systems tech Dan Seal used Meyer Sound's MAPP Online Pro acoustical prediction program to plan out the system configuration and streamline setup time. "MAPP is absolutely stunning," Seal says. "To me, it's part of why we use Meyer Sound. I can plan my PA hang so precisely, I know I'm going to get the best out of every show."

The main system included 12 MILO, two MILO 120, and four M3D line array loudspeakers per side, augmented by sidefills of 12 MICA line array loudspeakers each.

The Netherlands - Sound designer Jeroen ten Brinke is using an Alcons Audio-based sound system for the touring production of Les Misérables.

The show has run for nine months in the Rotterdam Nieuwe Luxor theater, now moved to Amsterdam's 1,800-seat Royal Carré Theater, a return to the capital's theatre after 17 years, and from here to the Stadsschouwburg in Antwerpen, so Jeroen's design - with equipment supplied by Peter Scheunhage at Dutch rental company Focus Showequipment - has to take variations in size and configuration of the venues into account.

"We have a total of three hangs of six LR14 ultra-compact line-arrays (RBN401 pro-ribbon HF + 2x 6.5" LF) per side for theatres where we have three levels or two balconies," explains ten Brinke. "But usually, with one balcony, we use the top and bottom cluster only, which are two arrays of six L

USA - Chadron State College's athletic facilities have been given a long-anticipated update, with powerful new sound systems installed at the school's Softball Field and Don Beebe Stadium at Elliot Field.

Rapid City, SD-based Haggerty's Audio Video designed and installed the systems, both centred around Community Professional R-Series loudspeakers. As Haggerty's Steve Foudray explains, the facilities had been sorely in need of audio improvements.

"The stadium had several issues, each reinforcing the other," he says. "The system itself was underpowered - just a few old horns and a single 100 Watt amp - so it was low fidelity and distorted to begin with. The horns were also mounted on the scoreboards at one end of the field, so there was a time delay between the announcer and the horns. And the horns were directly across from the large gymnasium building, so there

Switzerland - Barix has announced new features to its Exstreamer-100 and Exstreamer-110 IP audio decoders designed specifically to improve audio quality, reduce bandwidth costs, improve audio quality, and implement DRM (digital rights management) encryption firmware to protect audio content at the store location. Retail chains, restaurants, clubs and hotels are among the many businesses using audio at the point of purchase that can benefit from these new features, says the company. The new features will be introduced at the Digital Signage Expo, taking place 24-26 February at the Las Vegas Convention Centre.

Barix in-store audio platforms are built around Audio over IP distribution, with Exstreamer devices receiving audio from a central location (live or stored) and decoding it for playback at branch locations.

"Barix continues to incorporate new features into the Exstrea

UK - ML Executives recently added several EAW KF760 Long-Throw Line Array Modules and KF761 Short-Throw Line Array Modules to its stock. ML Executives has a long history with EAW products, and with the recent stock upgrade, they now hold a grand total of 68 KF760s and 22 KF761s, making them the largest EAW-equipped sound reinforcement contractor in Europe.

Over the years, ML Executives has supplied EAW systems for Iron Maiden, Kiss, Deep Purple and Bryan Ferry, among many others, and the upcoming 2009 touring schedule has necessitated some additional EAW inventory. "We have a busy summer of festival shows coming up that we're providing cabinets for, as well as ongoing Iron Maiden stadium and arena tours," noted Gary Marks, ML Executives managing director. "We wanted to add to our supply, so that we could take care of stadium tours around Europe without having to r

USA - Furman has announced the P-1800 AR rack-mount voltage regulator/power conditioner. A successor to Furman's r AR-15 II, the P-1800 AR provides stable voltage protection and line noise filtration for any A/V installation where reliable, comprehensive protection is needed.

The P-1800 AR provides consistent 120-V output (±5 V) from input voltages ranging from 97 VAC to 137 VAC. Unlike commercial voltage regulators, the P-1800 AR's new True RMS voltage regulation technology, featuring an ultra-low-noise, microprocessor-controlled eight-tap toroidal autoformer, is engineered for use in any A/V environment.

The benefit of True RMS is the assurance of quiet operation for critical listening and recording applications, with minimal leakage of stray magnetic fields. Additionally, when the autoformer switches voltage taps at the zero cross points of both voltage and current, it doe

Sweden - Lab.gruppen has announced accelerated development of the LM 26 Loudspeaker Management processor, a stand-alone digital loudspeaker processor based on Lake Processing technology. The first product introduced under the newly acquired Lake brand, this new unit will extend and solidify the company's commitment to the technology, which has been incorporated in Lab.gruppen's PLM Series of Powered Loudspeaker Management systems since 2007.

Scheduled for launch later in 2009, the LM 26 is a full-featured 2-in/6-out Lab.gruppen Lake Processor in a compact 1 U frame. It will offer seamless compatibility with the PLM Series as well as with all Dolby Lake Processors and earlier versions of the technology, including Mesa Quad and Contour. The easily programmable EQ and delay capabilities in the new product will allow quick configuration for use as a processor and line driver for sel

UK - With the recent introduction of the SB-168ES stage box for Yamaha's digital consoles, SSE Audio Group decided to host a Yamaha demonstration day at its Redditch headquarters. The day focused primarily on the mid-range M7CL digital mixing console, and including both theoretical and hands-on experience with the M7CL and SB-168ES, the planned event raised such interest that SSE had to add a second day.

SSE Audio Group equipment sales specialist Alex Penn said: "With the recent introduction of the SB-168ES, it was a good time to talk about it and the M7CL. So we ran the days to help people to learn more about their capabilities, as well as letting people see for themselves the wide range of resources we have here at SSE."

A multi-track signal source was run into one SB168-ES which then fed the seven M7CLs used in the training session. This gave all attendees a chanc

Albania - Prosound is the new HK Audio dealer in Tirana, Albania. The company reports that it has already begun to make excellent headway in the city. In a relatively short period of time, Prosound has already managed to install sound systems in four of Tirana's clubs and bars.

In the first one, Club Sharm, Prosound installed four HK Audio E.L.I.A.S. PX hi/mid-range units, two E.L.I.A.S. PX subwoofers, two PRO:15 cabinets and two PRO: 15x cabs. This club is situated directly across from the Sheraton Hotel and receives a large number of hotel guests, who appreciate the broad eclectic mix of music offered here.

Another club in Tirana that has opted for the HK Audio brand of sound is the Mad-Club.This club is one of the best known and most popular club hopping destinations in Albania's capital. With its capacity of 600-800 guests, the Mad-Club plays house and R&B music, usually s

USA - January 2009 marked the 20th Anniversary for Behringer and NAMM provided the venue to recap the last two decades. At a press conference, Uli Behringer had the opportunity to reflect on the last two decades: "If anyone had asked me twenty years ago if Behringer would have 3,500 employees around the world and be one of the biggest companies in the MI market, I would have said they were nuts."

Behringer continued: "We owe our success to the dedication and passion of our employees who produce astounding products. We could not have achieved this level of success without the support of the press and our world-wide dealer and distributor network. We absolutely owe a debt of gratitude to our customers who understand the value we bring, and have become loyal users and advocates."

Addressing the current economic landscape, CEO Michael Deeb was specific. "W

USA - Shure Incorporated recently celebrated the opening of the new S.N. Shure Theatre at the Company's Corporate Headquarters in Niles, Illinois. Shure Chairman, Rose L. Shure, and president and CEO, Sandy LaMantia, participated in the ribbon cutting ceremony and then welcomed Shure Associates and special guests into the new venue.

"We've wanted to build out this space ever since we moved into our new headquarters five years ago," said LaMantia. "Following the completion of the Shure Technology Annex in 2004 and the Performance and Listening Center [PLC] in 2005, we were finally able to turn our attention to this project, which turned out even better than we imagined. It's a beautiful venue that will serve as a lasting tribute to our founder, S.N. Shure, for many years to come."

In his comments during the ceremony, LaMantia said to Mrs. Shure that he hopes

UK - Liverpool based rental company Adlib supplied lighting, AV and sound to recent UK tours by two leading British comedians - Jimmy Carr and Frankie Boyle.

Lighting was overseen for both tours by Adlib's Tim Spilman, who also designed both rigs.

The Jimmy Carr set-up featured a down stage truss with eight Martin Professional MAC 250 wash lights. These gave great colour saturation on the whole down stage area allowing Spilman to highlight the relevant areas individually. There were three main performance positions - centre stage, sofa stage right and table stage left - each of which was lit with two profiles and two floor cans.

Three 19 degree ETC Source Four profiles on side booms were positioned each side of the thrust for downstage side illumination. There were six floorcans positioned across the front of the stage fitted with heavy frost filters to eliminate facial shad

Norway - PA company, Lydfiksern, selected an iLive mixing system to manage FOH and monitor duties for the opening ceremony of the new AKS concert hall, in Hammerfest.

"Having used the digital house desk on a production run prior to the official opening, I decided to bring in our iLive, which sonically outperforms it and is easier to use. iLive provided more power, greater flexibility, superior dynamics and EQ, and better effects, which meant I could leave my L960 reverb at the warehouse. It took six people to remove the house desk but only two to install iLive," reports Lydfiksern's MD, Thomas Mikarlsen.

Artists performing at the opening ceremony were all connected to the town of Hammerfest, and they included the national acts, Unit Five and Marte Heggelund, plus noted bass player, Knut Erik Sundquist.

"iLive seamlessly integrated with the house PA system and

Snow Business - Heavy snowfall caused several West End theatres to cancel their Monday evening performances. The newly-opened Oliver!, Avenue Q, Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera, Mamma Mia! and Jersey Boys were all called off. The Royal Opera House performance of Die tote Stadt was also cancelled. Promoters said the weather meant that they could not guarantee the performers and crew would be able to make it into central London.

Eurovision Countdown - Jade Ewen has been chosen to sing Andrew Lloyd Webber's Eurovision Song Contest entry for the UK in Moscow. The Londoner won the public vote ahead of Sheffield siblings The Twins and Welshman Mark Evans after all three acts performed My Time. The ballad, heard for the first time, was composed by Lloyd Webber with US Grammy-winning lyricist Diane Warren. The compo

UAE - With the global appetite for energy continually increasing, in only its second year the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) has already established itself as a leading forum for change that is becoming more urgent by the year. Held between 19 and 21 January 2009 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 16,820 people from 79 countries visited the WFES exhibition, while 2,634 delegates took part in a conference which featured some of the world highest profile politicians and renewable energy experts.

It was in this latter high pressure environment that a Yamaha M7CL digital mixing console was entrusted with ensuring that every word of each speaker was heard perfectly by both the delegates present and around the world via the media.

Bristol-based Revelation Event Management provided production crew for the conference and appointed Tim Headley to mix the front of house sound. Headl

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