UK - The iTunes Festival relocated to The Roundhouse in North London this year, with over 60 artists playing live at this free event, which runs throughout July.

With bands ranging from Oasis, Kasabian, Franz Ferdinand and Snow Patrol at the commercial end to acoustic performers like Newton Faulkner, quirky performance artists with wide dynamic ranges (like Bat for Lashes' Natasha Khan), leavened with some good old fashioned hard house and R&B it was important that the event's experienced sound engineers, Dave Roden at FOH (here deployed as system tech) and Will King down at the stage had digital mixing environments on which incoming engineers could hit the ground running.

Last year, when the event was held at Koko, iTunes production manager Stuart Turvill took advantage of a pair of Soundcraft Vi6's, with the Studer Vistonics II interface, and it proved so popul

Canada - Now celebrating its 30th year, the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo (RNSIT) is the largest annual indoor show in the world. Each year, literally thousands of performers amass from around the world in what might best be described as a Vaudeville show of truly epic proportions. Everything from operatic performances to motorcycle stunts keep the thousands of spectators at the Halifax Metro Centre at the edge of their seats for 10 days.

For those who can appreciate such things, the logistics of sound reinforcement for the RNSIT would be an act in itself, analogous to watching a fire-eating contortionist spin plates while singing O Canada on the back of a dune buggy. To make that task slightly less convoluted, the RNSIT recently purchased a phalanx of Kling & Freitag self-powered loudspeakers and subwoofers, a high fidelity output to complement the huge collecti

USA - Loud Technologies has announced the appointment of veteran salesman Kurt Metzler to the position of North American sales manager, EAW.

"EAW is on a roll," commented Ernie Lansford, Loud's director of North American sales. "The combination of EAW's innovative product line - including the new JFL, NTL, MicroWedge and MicroSub - and Kurt's rock-solid reputation will make EAW the most preferred vendor to our consultant customers."

In his new role, Metzler will lead the existing EAW internal sales support team, North American rep force and distributor network to build EAW and EAW Commercial's market position, and share, among contractors and consultants. Metzler will report to Ernie Lansford.

Metzler joins Loud from Meyer Sound where he managed Meyer's A/V consultant relationships. This is his second stint at Loud -- prior to joining Meyer, Metzler spent

UK - Kave Theatre Services sponsored The University of Warwick's SPLAT festival, the largest student run drama festival in the World.

Kave supplied a comprehensive package to multiple stages of both generic and moving lights, scalable sound systems, all necessary rigging and staging and a quantity of the site power infrastructure.

SPLAT Fest, celebrating Student Performance Literature Art & Theatre at the University of Warwick, is dedicated to creating opportunities for all students to pursue their creative talents. The Festival is now in its sixth year and proved to be the most successful to date.

For the first time, this year the event moved into an A&J Bigtop dubbed "The BigSPLAT". This provided the organisers some much needed space to expand the festival, allowing two stages to work back to back in the same venue. With a packed schedule this was e

UK - RG Jones continued its long relationship with one of the high society events of the English summer season, the Henley Festival. The company's involvement with the black tie event, which takes place on the banks of the Thames, dates back to 1986, and once again they fielded a full Synco Martin Audio production rig - that took care of the very different requirements of the three prime stages - as well as a zonal, site-wide paging infrastructure, incorporated into the artistic lighting structures, to safeguard security and evacuation.

Synco Martin Audio W8LC's and W8LM's formed the principal sound reinforcement in the Floating Stage and Club Marquee, while in the third area, for the more strident, rock and roll vibe of the Dome, a vintage Martin Audio Wavefront 8 system delivered the goods.

On the Floating Stage RGJ rigged two stacks of six Synco Martin Audio W8LC enc

Spain - Merida is the capitol of the Extremadura region of Spain and was one of the most famous Roman capitols of the Iberian Peninsula. Today it features some of the best preserved Roman ruins in Europe and a spectacular new exhibition centre - the Merida Exhibition Venue (Instituto Ferial de Mérida - IFEME). The centre includes many old converted buildings with special characteristics. When it came to installing a sound system, the choice of the operators was the Praesideo Voice Evacuation and Public Address System from Bosch.

Bosch engineers provided individual acoustic solutions for the different halls bearing in mind the special architecture of each of them and the wide coverage required. This included the new Hemi-directional Loudspeakers from Bosch with high quality sound, which are especially well suited for the high ceilings in the Merida exhibition halls. IFEME

UK - Take That have long been Sennheiser users and the recent Circus tour was no different. The four members of the band all used SKM 5200 mics with MD 5235 heads while they and their backing band were all fitted out with ew 300 G2 IEMs. In addition, ew 500 series radio guitar systems were used for all the member of the backing band with moving instruments.

"On the two previous Take That Tours we've used the SKM 5200 with Neumann KK 104 cardioid heads," explains front of house engineer Gary Bradshaw. "We've had great results with that set up. But this tour posed some different problems, as we wouldn't have a roof everywhere we played, so weatherproofing everything was a major consideration. With this in mind we decided to try the 5235 heads. The results have been excellent. We've had great vocal clarity and feedback rejection and the mics are able to withst

Italy - The opening whistle has been blown at Viareggio Beach Stadium, inaugurated at the beginning of June: a rich event calendar with musical and sporting events has been scheduled for the summer season and will be covered by several TV networks.

Apart from the champions who will compete in the most popular beach sports, the spotlights will be focused on Proel equipment, chosen by Happy Sound Service to amplify the running commentary, to reinforce the sound of the numerous scheduled shows and to light up the field during the night tournaments.

The sound reinforcement set up for the Beach Stadium activities includes, four Proel NEOS218SP subs, four Proel NEOS152P speakers, racks of four Proel HPD3400PFC power amplifiers and AS025 processor.

When the Stadium becomes the stage for bigger events, its sound reinforcement turns to Axiom with six Proel AX3210P speakers, eight Pro

Lebanon - A Midas PRO6 live audio system has been installed into the Casino du Liban, Lebanon, where it is being used at front of house in the 1,200-capacity venue for a wide range of live music performances, from rock and pop through to jazz, classical, Arabic, dance shows and musicals. The PRO6, the first to be sold in the country, was supplied by Midas' Lebanese distributor, Eltek.

"We consider the Casino du Liban as an extremely important first customer for the Midas PRO6," says Dr Fouad Bechwati, senior acoustics consultant, Eltek. "The console will gain excellent exposure being used on international shows by one of the most competent sound engineers in the country, Tony Khoury. We are very pleased that our first ever sale of the PRO6 has been to a very high profile client, and are happy to confirm that the Casino du Liban intends to purchase further PRO6s to

Germany - Once again, this year's Jazz an der Donau (Jazz on the Danube) festival offered a classy lineup of acts, including Santana and Lee Ritenour, as well as German jazz greats Till Brönner und Klaus Doldinger's Passport. The performers drew some 10,000 music lovers to Straubing in Lower Bavaria between 16 and 19 July. A team led by Ingo Haasch was responsible for the sound at the festival, and they relied once again on equipment from Electro-Voice.

The centrepiece of the production comprised a combination of XLC and XLE line-array systems from Electro-Voice, driven by TG7 power amplifiers equipped with RCM-26 modules. Xi-2123A/106F loudspeakers accompanied by Xsubs. Xi-1122 loudspeakers driven by CP3000S amplifiers saw action as side- and front-fills.

"The sound quality was singled out for praise by numerous visitors as well as many of the musicians,&q

The Netherlands/UK - ASL, a supplier of advanced digital and analogue intercom systems, has announced the addition of four new tabletop-format speaker stations to its expanding Digital Intercom line.

The DS 830 Speaker Station, an eight-channel unit mounted in a smartly styled 3U cabinet, will debut at ASL Digital's stand at IBC and at ASL's UK distributor Polar Audio's stand F4 at PLASA09. Three more companion tabletop units - offering 16, 24 and 32 channel capacities - will also be available in the near future/in early 2010.

"Many theatres and concert halls have expressed a strong preference for the groundbreaking technologies in our new digital system," notes Susan McLohon, ASL Intercom's director of sales and marketing. "They are pleased that they can specify either tabletop enclosures or 1U rackmount units, or even select optional 19" rack mounting of

Switzerland - Technical services company, DS DreamSound, took delivery of a DiGiCo SD8 in May 2009. As well as the planning and production of small to medium sized events for up to 2,500 people, the company also operates a PA rental service, produces CDs, CDRs and DVDs and has its own recording studio which is amongst the most up-to-date recording studios in Switzerland.

The team plans to increase its live sound activities with the help of SD8, taking advantage of the fact that Switzerland holds claim to having the most open-air events in the world.

Markus Zehnder, DreamSound business manager, is very happy with the new acquisition. "We have had a Soundtracs DPC2 in our studio for almost 10 years," he says. "The application software is consistent to a greater or lesser extent and that's half the battle. Our old MADI 19" I/O racks are still compatible with t

UK - The annual Wakestock festival turned 10 this year, with Kling & Freitag playing a key role at the festival. Three stages hosted an eclectic line-up - the Open Air stage, XFM Misadventures stage and sponsors Relentless Live stage. Headliners included Moby, N*E*R*D, Dizzee Rascal, Calvin Harris, Mr Scruff, Chase and Status and Zane Lowe.

For the last nine years VME have been responsible for all technical requirements for the festival that took place in Abersoch, Wales. "To deliver everything from fuel for the generators, to speakers, lighting, LED screens and trussing is a good challenge every year," states Dion Davie, director of VME. The festival has grown from small beginnings to a respectful 30.000 visitor site.

"We use only Kling & Freitag speakers for all stages. They are reliable and the performance is unrivalled," André Davie, brother and

UK - PLASA 2009 marks Allen & Heath's 40th year designing and manufacturing innovative pro audio products for the live, recording and DJ spheres. The British mixer manufacturer will commemorate the milestone with an exclusive party in a top London landmark, and display a cross section of its current digital, analogue and DJ mixers on the stand. These include the flagship iLive digital systems ZED analogue range, and Xone DJ series.

The iLive digital family will be central to the display. Following the recent launch of RAB2, iLive's latest remote audio card, it is now possible to 'mix 'n match' the flagship modular iLive hardware with the iLive-T fixed I/O MixRacks and Control Surfaces, increasing hire inventory flexibility and system integration.

RAB2 enables iLive digital mixing systems to work with a variety of common audio interface and networking standards. The new module

UK - For the second summer in a row, the Mayhem Tour is featuring the ribbon-loaded Versarray 212 line-array sound system from Peavey Electronics. As the exclusive sound system of the Jägermeister Mobile Stage - a custom-built, travelling foldout stage housed in a 44ft trailer - the Peavey Versarray 212 will provide sound reinforcement for metal heavyweights Trivium, All That Remains, God Forbid and more, as the festival criss-crosses the nation from July through August.

"The Peavey Versarray 212 is a big leap forward for sound reinforcement technology," said Dave Summers, road and production manager for the Jägermeister Mobile Stage. "With this system, Peavey developed a line array that positions 16 loudspeaker components in a compact enclosure while delivering the highest levels of performance. It's the ideal system for modern touring situations, where

USA - Audio-Technica has recognised Westchester, Pennsylvania-based Lienau AV Associates as its Rep of the Year for the 2009 fiscal year. Marc Lee Shannon, Audio-Technica vice president, sales, and Glenn Roop, Audio-Technica director, professional product sales, presented the award to Lienau Principals Eric Schwartz, Tom Macri and Chris Hutnick.

Lienau AV sells Audio-Technica's complete line of professional audio products to sound contractors and retailers in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Southern New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.

Audio-Technica held the awards ceremony during this year's InfoComm expo in Orlando, to honour its dedicated force of manufacturer's representatives. The A-T Rep of the Year recipient was congratulated for outstanding sales performance and bestowed with Audio-Technica's Samurai doll award. Lienau AV Associates was acknowled

Norway - The Norwegian parliament in Oslo is using a large number of BSS Audio Soundweb devices for different applications, covering meeting rooms, hearing rooms and the main parliament assembly auditorium.

The plenary chamber recently saw a major upgrade to a Soundweb London system, relieving the older Soundweb Original system from its duties, which it has been performing since 2002.

The new system, installed during the Easter recess by Norwegian BSS Audio distributor, LydRommet AS, includes four BLU-320 break-in / out devices in an 8 x 8 configuration, and eight BLU-160 devices, all configured with four analogue inputs, four digital outputs and eight analogue outputs. Two BLU-10 touch screen remotes control the system locally, and the package includes a BLU-80 device located in the offices of the technical department for surveillance and monitoring of the entire system.

Al

USA - In Texas, the new Dallas Cowboys stadium has opened its doors with an audio system that includes Community Professional's weather-resistant R-Series loudspeakers, along with iBOX and Cloud in-ceiling speakers.

Systems consultants WJHW designed the system, which includes a selection of powerful R.5 loudspeakers on the exterior lighting poles. Community i2W8 full-range two-way boxes ring the main seating bowl, providing under-balcony fill, with Cloud12 compact coaxial loudspeakers installed in the Club Lounge ceiling of the main concourse. Bay Area-based ProMedia / UltraSound provided the system's installation.

As WJHW's Kevin Day explains, the R.5s are mounted on the lighting poles that illuminate the building's exterior. "We selected the R.5s for their weather-resistant design," says Day, "and the architect was pleased at how well they match the lighting e

Serbia - In preparation for one of the world's most famous sporting events, systems integration firm Studio Berar outfitted 13 sports venues in Serbia with JBL loudspeakers and Crown amplifiers for the 2009 Summer Universiade games.

The Universiade is an international event that hosts university athletes from around the world. This year's Summer Universiade took place from 1-12 July in Belgrade. It hosted more than 9,000 athletes from over 140 countries, all of who competed in 15 different sports and 203 disciplines at more than 50 sport venues. This year's games celebrated three anniversaries for what some consider to be the largest and most important sporting event next to the Olympic Games: the 25th Summer Universiade, the 50th anniversary of Universiade, and the 60th anniversary of the International University Sports Federation.

For the largest sports venues, including so

Germany - Following the success of the Neumann KMS 104 hand held stage microphone, Neumann has announced the arrival of the KMS 104 plus.

The KMS 104 plus is tailored to have an extended bass response, so it's especially suitable when extra weight is needed in the bottom end. For example, to enhance low end growl for female vocals and for any voices that need low-end enhancement. Having been developed with a wide range of professional vocalists, the KMS 104 plus delivers natural warmth, but without any loss in transparency, says the company.

In comparison with other handheld microphones, most of which use dynamic capsules, the KMS series, with its condenser capsules, has a high acoustic transparency, a wide frequency range and "excellent" feedback rejection.

All Neumann KMS microphones have a robust housing, tough enough for the rigorous demands of touring, and com

Germany - The Comet Awards were recently held at König-Pilsener-Arena in Oberhausen, with sound reinforcement coming from more than 190 Meyer Sound self-powered loudspeakers, which stayed out of TV sightlines for the live broadcast pop music event. The TM Array configuration of subwoofers was deployed to provide even low-frequency coverage.

Appealing to a large teenage audience, the Comet Awards was presented by Viva TV, a German subsidiary of MTV Networks. System design for the show's dual stages required special care from project manager sound David Bergmann, system tech Thorsten Maier, FOH engineer Kai Reiss, and monitor engineer Mathias Hentschel, using Meyer Sound MAPP Online Pro acoustical prediction programme and loudspeakers supplied by Hamburg-based Procon Event Engineering.

The first stage was mostly used by performing artists including Sportfreunde Stiller,

Spain - Desfase Sonido e Illuminicatión is a pro audio rental company located in Albendín, Cordoba in Andalusia, Spain. Desfase's's main business is made up of rock, pop and flamenco shows. The company has provided sound reinforcement for the Festival Fiestas del Vino in Valdepeñas, Cuidad Real, which was attended by an audience of 20,000, as well as for the Layenda Tour 2007, La Madre Que Los Parió Tour 2008, and the Córdoba Blues Festival and many other events and tours.

Last year, Desfase owners Francisco José Morales Martín and Julio Santiago García attended a Cohedra training seminar at HK Audio company headquarters in St. Wendel, at which they were so impressed with the system that shortly thereafter they invested in a 2x8 HK Cohedra Line Array made up of 16 CDR 208 mid/high units and an equal number of CDR 210 2x10" subs as w

Germany - Last month, the latest product of the Meyer Werft shipyard, the Celebrity Equinox, sailed down the river Ems and into the open sea. It was a feat of navigation calling for millimetre precision, because the cruise liner, which cost more than €500 million, is 317m long, 36m wide, and boasts 13 decks.

The Celebrity Cruises' vessel boasts a casino, library, theatre, golf course, and several swimming pools. Equally lavish are the sound systems on board. Like its sister ship the Celebrity Solstice, which launched in the fall of 2008, the Equinox relies on Dynacord Promatrix 4000 systems. FUNA Nachrichtentechnik of Emden installed and networked no fewer than four of these reference electro-acoustic systems on board the cruise ship.

FUNA Nachrichtentechnik's senior manager Andreas Köhler comments: "The Promatrix 4000 has already proved itself to us one hundred percent

USA - Viewers of the 2009 Tour de France saw hundreds of racers cover over 2,200 miles during July, each vying for the finish line on Paris' Avenue des Champs-Elysées. Audio-Technica AT835ST M-S stereo shotgun microphones were mounted to the cameras on five motorcycles that covered the miles-long pack of racers.

The AT835ST microphones were provided by the Societé Française de Production (SFP), a division of the Euro Media Group, which has been a longtime supplier of broadcast technology and services to the Tour de France and other major sporting events.

Throughout the race, the motorbike crews covered the action from top to bottom, pacing the riders and collecting crowd reaction effects. The audio, embedded with the video signal, was sent via low-power broadcast to a pair of helicopters and two circling airplanes. They, in turn, relayed the signals to three gro

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