UAE - L-Acoustics recently hosted a two-day Certified Provider System Integrator Training programme in Dubai, UAE. The seminar, attended by seven providers from four countries, was hosted by L-Acoustics sales manager Peter Owen and tech support engineer Germain Simon and covered the LA Network Manager, Soundvision, Wavefront Sculpture Technology and other installation related issues and features that the manufacturer offers.

As the course concentrated on installation, the control and monitoring modules (Crestron, AMX) which allow control of L-ACOUSTICS amplified controllers were also covered.

"I was delighted that all the recently appointed certified providers were able to attend," says Owen. "We plan to host another course later in 2012 as we identify more system integrators who share our approach to installation in the Gulf area. We aim to create a standard wh

UK / China - Theatre sound automation specialists Out Board have appointed Sound Works Supplies Ltd as their new Hong Kong & PRC distributor for TiMax2 SoundHub audio showcontrol matrix and TiMax Tracker performer tracking system.

SWS principals Freddie To and Daniel Chan hosted a TiMax workshop in Hong Kong where Out Board director Robin Whittaker presented and demonstrated the principles of TiMax delay based Source-Oriented Reinforcement to around 40 guests. Delegates learnt how continuously varying audio localisation could be applied to wireless vocal mics using the TiMax2 SoundHUb dynamic delay matrix, and how this could be automated via continuous control by Out Board's market-leading TiMax Tracker performer tracking system.

TiMax2 SoundHub's sound effects and playback server capabilities were also demonstrated using multiple atmos and spot effects played off the units in

USA - When the movie industry gathers in Arizona for the 18th Sedona International Film Festival on 18-26 February, 2012, a Meyer Sound EXP cinema loudspeaker system will help transform the intimate Mary D. Fisher Theatre into a stunning 120-seat, DCI-compliant cinema. Converted from a former bank building, this new screening venue will present Sedona International Film Festival films throughout the year.

The 7.1 surround installation comprises Acheron Studio screen channel loudspeakers, X-800C high-power cinema subwoofers, HMS-10 cinema surround and UP-4XP loudspeakers, and a Galileo loudspeaker management system with a direct digital connection to a Dolby CP650 cinema processor.

"We wanted a sound experience that was like no other," says Patrick Schweiss, the festival's executive director. "When we found out that Meyer Sound was custom-designing a system just

Germany - What the four Grand Slam tournaments are to tennis, and the four Majors to golf, the Four Hills Tournament is to ski jumping. The four legs (Oberstdorf, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Innsbruck and Bischofshofen) of the Vierschanzentournee, as it's known in the vernacular, are the competitions that are the most keenly contested, the most widely watched, and in which victory carries the most prestige. Such has long been the case. In fact, this winter's was the sixtieth edition of the tournament, so the level of interest among spectators and in the media was especially high.

Despite adverse weather conditions, over 18,000 fans made their way to Garmisch-Partenkirchen on New Year's Day to watch the tournament's second leg. To ensure spectators were kept abreast of the unfolding competition and their spirits maintained during lulls in the action, for the fourteenth year running t

UK - SSE Audio Group has announced the recent completion of two more installation projects for Novus Leisure, one is a Kanaloa at Tiger Tiger, Croydon, and the second is a conference centre in the basement of one of Balls Brothers' sites in the City, Minster Exchange.

Minster Exchange is SSE's first project using the Crestron range of AV control systems. Mark Hatfield, SSE Installation project manager said, "We used the Crestron system to link a variety of audio and video inputs, including projectors, laptops, mics, radio mic, iPod docks, three conference audio systems and a DJ audio system, so it could be operated through one simple control interface, in this case a wireless, proprietary touchscreen."

He continued, "The touchscreen can be used from any of the three conference rooms and it also allows the user to link the systems in rooms together for larger mee

USA - UK-based digital console manufacturer, DiGiCo, was the live music console of choice at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles, as specified by longtime show production partner ATK AudioTek. The music celebration and ceremony garnered the second highest ratings of any Grammy airing with approximately 41m viewers.

A combination of five of DiGiCo's newer SD10 consoles along with one of its larger format SD7s handled FOH and monitor duties - for a total of 400+ I/O's and 256 mic preamps distributed between six SD Racks - among four engineers in three locations within the Staples Center arena.

The entire PA system was powered by a versatile Opticore fibre optic network, which made it possible for the consoles to tie together seamlessly and also allowing the signal path to stay 100% digital from mic preamps to amplifiers. Additionally, the Opticore network cut t

Denmark - With his first major label release Behold, Danish singer-songwriter Mads Langer is now breaking through as an international artist. Bringing his guitar-based ballads to a wider audience, DiGiCo SD11 consoles and Neumann digital microphones were a feature of Langer's end-of-year European tour.

Sound company for the tour was Victory Tour Production, a long-term DiGiCo rental house that provided a pair of SD11s and shared SD racks for the tour purchased via DiGiCo's Danish distributor Soundware, with DiGiCo supplying AES42 interfaces.

"We wanted to use Neumann digital microphones and DiGiCo is one of only two manufacturers who currently offer the right interface, allowing us to have digital audio all the way from the microphone capsules to the loudspeakers," says Front of House engineer Jacob Navne.

"We were on a very tight budget and I needed so

USA - For nearly two decades, the organisers of the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival have been attracting world music fans to Boonville, California for an event that emphasises community, social and environmental responsibility and the unifying power of music. While they've always held the conviction that music has the power to move mountains, this year, with their main FOH powered exclusively by Lab.gruppen PLM 20000Q amplifiers, they came a fair bit closer to being able to do so literally.

Although Sacramento Production Services has been providing audio for the three-day festival for 16 years, 2011's SNWMF was the first time they've used Lab.gruppen amplifiers. "It's our first year using the Labs and the first time we used Lake Processing on this PA. We built it and sent it out specifically for this gig," says Sacramento Production Services' FOH engineer and system

UAE - Melody House, distributors of HK Audio speakers have recently supplied an Elements system to complement the PA inventory of Dubai based rental firm Abacus Rentals. The complete system includes the EF435 Mid/Top, EP1 Poles and the EA600 Active Subwoofers.

"After purchasing a ConTour Array system from Melody House in June last year, the company has seen a return on its investment and reinforced their trust in HK by purchasing the Elements system," commented Amrith Verghese, HK Audio product specialist at Melody House.

"Now with the Elements system, the company can fulfill both small to medium requirements for corporate events, small to medium band setups and other such applications where clear sound is obtained at a very cost effective manner."

(Jim Evans)

Mexico - Mexico City's Condesa neighbourhood is the centre of nightlife for the area's upwardly mobile residents, much like New York's East Village. Over the past six years, Condesa's music tastemakers and club-goers have flocked to a cluster of five chic nightspots where Meyer Sound loudspeaker systems have proven a key ingredient in a successful formula. Completed in 2005, the AM club was the first to install Meyer Sound products and has recently added MM-4XP miniature self-powered loudspeakers and a UMS-1P subwoofer as part of a remodeling project.

The five Meyer Sound-equipped Condesa clubs and restaurants - AM, PM, Rexo, Artic Bar, and Bar La Capital - all are owned by hospitality entrepreneur Carlos Alvarez, and sound system design for all was entrusted to freelance audio engineer Ramon Salazar. The runaway success of the first install at the AM club - pulsating nightly wi

UAE - Nicolas Kyvernitis Electronics Enterprises, distributors of Midas and Klark Teknik in the Middle East have recently supplied a new Midas PRO2 digital live audio system to Loud N Clear Middle East. After a two-day orientation, the console was immediately used at an Arabic wedding concert in the Emirates Palace Hotel, Abu Dhabi where Emirati singer Hussain Al Jasmi performed.

"Loud N Clear have been a Midas user for quite a long time now with their first ever console being a Midas Siena a few years ago, since then the company has grown and has now taken the digital leap with the Midas Pro2," commented Chicco Hiranandani, business development manager at NMK.

"The Pro2 will make significant in roads with the Arabic audio engineers due to the fact that it is very simple to use and provide the engineer with that analogue feel and more importantly, analogue sound

USA - The Philip Glass Ensemble along with the New York Philharmonic orchestra and the Collegiate Choir recently performed Philip Glass's powerful music for the 1982 Godfrey Reggio film Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out Of Balance at Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Centre. The landmark film was projected on a large screen above the stage throughout the performance.

Simon Nathan, owner of Audio Production Services of Amawalk, NY, worked closely with Dan Dryden, FOH engineer for the Philip Glass Ensemble, to design the sound system for the event.

"Because Avery Fisher hall is home to the Philharmonic, it doesn't have an in-house system that could handle this performance," explains Nathan. "We were asked to provide a high quality system that could cover the entire hall without impeding any stage site lines and provide clean, consistent sound throughout the room."

China - Rental company LAB, the country's first-ever L-Acoustics Rental Network Agent, has purchased a K1 WST line source system from exclusive Chinese distributor Rightway Audio Consultants.

LAB used the K1 system for the first time for pop singer Jane Zhang at the Mastercard Center, Beijing, part of her Personal Look tour of China. A system of 12 K1s and three Karas per side was flown, with six K1-SB subwoofers suspended behind each K1 hang in a cardioid configuration.

In addition, 24 Kudos were used as side-hangs for offstage-fill and six KARAs for front-fill, with a total of 12 SB28 subs. The monitor system included 16 115XT HiQ active coaxials, two MTD 108As, four ARCS and four SB28 subs. The whole system was powered by a total of 45 LA8 amplified controllers in 15 LA RAKs, controlled using the LA Network Manager. L-Acoustics Soundvision proprietary acoustic modell

UK - Renewing its working relationship with US pop rock duo Panic At The Disco which stretches back to 2006, Liverpool based Adlib Solutions supplied lighting and sound packages for the band's recent UK tour, including full production for the Manchester Apollo and Brixton Academy shows.

The touring lighting elements comprised a floor-based rig which could be used in conjunction with house rigs, while two DigiDesign D Show Profile mixing consoles - also used by the support acts, complete with racks, splitters, cables and mains distro - were supplied on the audio side.

With the Beatle-esque number Nine In The Afternoon a firm Adlib office anthem, account manager Phil Kielty states, "We've been fortunate to work with the band in the UK for six years and seen them grow both on their own tours and the festival circuit. By pure coincidence we bumped into their new crew i

Canada - SmithsonMartin Inc has announced its new Emulator Modular 1.0 software. The new software, which is available now at several online retail stores and directly through SmithsonMartin's website, "extends the proven functionality and flexibility of the Emulator control platform to a much broader range of music professionals beyond the DJ universe".

Emulator Modular 1.0 delivers powerful capabilities for music, pro audio, lighting and A/V professionals to customise multi-touch midi-controllers, allowing them to leverage an unprecedented degree of control and flexibility over settings and parameters. The new software can benefit anyone using MIDI-based software, including music producers, video editors, broadcasters, front of house operators, lighting designers, church AV installers and many others, says the company.

"Our newest software, Emulator Modular, ha

UK - The Tony Award-winning play Master Class by Terrence McNally has just transferred from Broadway to the West End for a short run at the Vaudeville Theatre. Sound design is by the veteran Jon Gottlieb, who flew into London at short notice to recreate his Broadway design, working with local associate sound designer Crispian Covell and Orbital Sound, ahead of the official opening on 7th February.

Gottlieb's involvement with Master Class dates back to the very first production in 1995, which clocked up nearly 600 performances in total. An ardent fan of Meyer Sound loudspeaker systems, Gottlieb was initially concerned about how to replicate his Broadway design in the West End environment in the minimal time available, as he explains:

"This was a challenging transfer, and it all happened very fast. We knew that we had to hit the ground running from the moment

Italy - The 'Palacongressi' in Rimini is Italy's largest and most modern convention centre; it features 39 rooms, a maximum capacity of 9,000 people plus "exceptional functionality and state-of-the-art technology". Bosch Security Systems won the project and was asked to install a flexible and reliable voice alarm system, in addition to sound reinforcement and interpretation technology for all conference rooms.

"Our biggest challenge was to come up with an idea of how to connect all the conference rooms and construct the audio system as a whole, combined with the interpretation solution", said Luca Galli, product manager public address & conference systems at Bosch Security Systems. The aim was to achieve a reliable and smooth audio transmission from each room to all the others, to guarantee intelligibility at all times. In particular, due to the main room's m

UK - The Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama has recently purchased a Roland M-480 digital console as part of the ongoing refurbishment of the college, which already features a number of Roland Systems Group products across its multi-venue facilities.

In June 2011 the Royal Welsh College's dream of having its own world-class performance and rehearsal spaces became a reality as it opened its doors to new £22.5m facilities, including the 180 seat Richard Burton Theatre and the 400 seat Dora Stoutzker Concert Hall. A recording studio was also built to support the concert hall which can be patched into all the new rehearsal and performance spaces. Their event calendar encompasses over 300 public performances each year including orchestral concerts, recitals, drama, opera and musical theatre, making the choice of audio equipment to satisfy these varied applications an importan

USA - Saginaw Valley State University is one of Michigan's fastest-growing universities, and its Cardinal Athletics teams draw a steady stream of fans year-round. The university's main athletic complex, the Ryder Centre, comprises a number of venues, including a 6800-seat football stadium, indoor and outdoor track and field facilities, baseball, soccer and softball fields and more.

The Centre's 3700-seat James E. O'Neill Arena is home to the university's Cardinal basketball teams. The multipurpose facility can be segmented using movable walls, accommodating not just basketball, but everything from baseball practice, pole vaulting and shot putting to convocations, and even the occasional swap meet. The arena recently received a major sound system upgrade, overseen by Bret Emerson of Rockford, MI-based CommTech Design, installing a high-powered audio system featuring Renkus-Heinz

UK - Broadcast and pro audio technology specialists HHB Communications has announced the release of the HHB 2012 Catalogue, its biggest ever annual catalogue with information on over 2,000 professional audio products and editorial features from industry leading experts.

Produced for over three decades, the HHB Catalogue is a comprehensive guide to the latest pro audio technology for the broadcast, education, music recording, OB, post, radio, television and video games markets. The HHB 2012 Catalogue is the biggest edition yet, featuring information on products for file-based workflow, MADI, audio over IP, HD, loudness, Pro Tools, storage, and many more professional applications. Detailed descriptions, specifications, pictures and pricing for all available items are included.

The HHB Catalogue is also a trusted technical reference source due to its original editorial features w

UK - POLARaudio has announced the appointment of Stuart Leader as business development manager for the AV and Integration markets.

With over 16 years' experience in the Audio Visual Industry, Leader has worked for some of the foremost AV companies including Sanyo and Crestron, spending much of his career working on large projects with end-users, consultants and specifiers. Leader has been brought in to the company in a business development capacity and will be responsible for supporting POLARaudios' existing client base, developing new business and taking new technologies such as Biamp's AVB (Audio Video Bridging) to the AV and integration markets.

POLARaudio's managing director John Midgley commented, "We are delighted to welcome on-board the newest member of the team. Stuart possesses an abundance of experience and industry knowledge and will be a key part of our develo

The Netherlands - In partnership with their Dutch distributors, TM Audio, Martin Audio has added another premium concert venue in the Amsterdam region.

Following landmark installations in the iconic Paradiso and Melkweg clubs in the past few years, a Martin Audio W8LCi compact line array system has now been installed in latest Amsterdam rock venue (and cultural centre), Duycker.

Owned by the local government, and situated near Schiphol Airport (in the affluent town of Hoofddorp), the complex comprises two live rooms and a café bar, where sound reinforcement is provided by Martin Audio's AQ architectural range.

The Martin Audio W8LCi solution was chosen for installation in the large, 850-capacity room after the line array approach had been compared with modular systems by experienced freelance sound engineer, Gerald Chermin, who was brought in as technical director to

Park Life - The number of concerts held at Hyde Park has been cut from 13 a year to nine after complaints from residents. Westminster Council has also decided to reduce the number of people who can attend the events, from 80,000 to 65,000, and in some cases to 50,000.The changes come into effect next year. Hyde Park's licence to host events came under review after complaints about noise almost doubled since 2008.

The staging of live Olympics screenings and concerts planned for 2012 were not included in the review and the council agreed that an 18-day series of concerts will be held in the park to celebrate the Games and events related to the Queen's Jubilee.

Councillor Audrey Lewis, Westminster Council's Licensing chairman, said, "We have a duty to balance the needs of local residents with the desire of concert organisers to hold events and the compromise that the committ

UK - Flare Audio supplied the sound system for Coca Cola's worldwide Olympic TV campaign filmed next to the London 2012 stadium, featuring Mark Ronson and Katy B.

Flare Audio provided a 13 box flown Triwave i10 FOH System coupled with their Quadhorn Q218 bass enclosure.

"The sound produced by the system sounded incredible and the entire system was extremely fast to setup and de-rig," comments Arron Smith, project manager for Flare Audio.

The complex stage monitoring system was made up of the entire range of Flare Audio products; Stealth Array was used as side-fills, M15 as stage monitors, the V65 and V12 bass enclosures fitted perfectly into some of the smaller spaces where larger speakers would have restricted the athletes movements.

Davies Roberts from Flare Audio comments, "We were very honoured to have been selected to provide our new British designed an

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