The Netherlands - Cloud Electronics has announced the launch of a new speaker range, with ISE 2015 providing the first opportunity to see and hear these innovative new additions.

The new range of speakers includes both surface and ceiling models tuned to "sound excellent with Cloud amplifiers and mixer amplifiers and so guarantee Clouds signature, Clearly Better Sound."

Features of the 5, 6 and 8-inch ceiling speakers include 2-way drivers offering consistent dispersion across broad frequency ranges, magnetic speaker grilles available in black or white, accessible high-impedance or low impedance switch settings and removable logs ensure Cloud speakers can be used discretely in almost any environment.

A range of new surface mount speakers will also be launched at ISE 2015.

Custom built for quality performance Cloud speakers are designed and tested to a superior st

UAE - Melody House, sole distributor of Primacoustic in the Middle East, has recently supplied the Centre for Musical Arts (CMA) with a complete acoustic solution providing the school with four London 12 room kits and thirty 2" broadband panels.

The London 12 room kit is designed for rooms that measure between 100 to 200sq.ft the London 12 employs a variant of the popular live-end, dead-end LEDE concept whereby the source end of the room is fitted with increased absorption while the receive end of the room is left more lively to retain a sense of air and space.

CMA is a non profit making organisation with a vision to develop and enhance the existing musical community initially in Dubai, but more importantly to make the musical experience available to the wider audience through its teaching programmes, concerts, recitals and workshops. CMA is one of only seven recognised e

UK - With Colette Carter having recently joined Stage Electrics as sales manager with responsibility for developing growth in hire, Colette has been swift to act by restructuring the customer facing hire team.

Based at the company's headquarters, Colette brings a wealth of experience to the Stage Electrics London and Bristol operations, having worked for more than 20 years within the engineering and distribution industries.

Previously, Colette was branch manager at Buck and Hickman, one of the UK's leading distributors of tools, maintenance and health and safety equipment. Prior to that she had moved up 'through the ranks', holding a number of key management positions.

On joining Stage Electrics she was tasked by Adrian Searle, head of technical & hire operations to re-focus the company's hire sales team.

"My background is predominantly in people management and develo

The Netherlands - At this year's ISE show at stand W270 (Hall 7) in Amsterdam, Lawo will showcase with the mc²36 its newest mc² series console, alongside the stagebox Compact I/O and the IP-based video units of the Lawo V line.

With the mc²36, Lawo will show its Ravenna live audio mixing console, an all-in-one mixing desk, with a comprehensive feature set that covers broadcast, theater, house of worship, live and install applications.

The mc²36 offers plenty of local interfacing - and if plenty is not enough, the mc² Compact I/O is a convenient and cost-efficient way to expand the mc² 36's connectivity and to provide a distant stagebox solution in addition to the on-board I/O. Connected via Cat 5 or fibre (optional), the ruggedized 5RU stagebox provides 32 Mic/Line inputs, 32 Line outputs, 8 digital AES3 inputs, 8 digital AES3 outputs, eight GPIO and a MADI (SFP) port. T

UK - RCF's Engineering Support Group will host a special Commercial Technical Seminar at this year's ISCEx 2015 exhibition, focusing on the latest developments in their EN54 VA/PA solutions.

Taking place at 12.30pm on 4 March in the Walnut Room at the Coombe Abbey Hotel & Conference Centre near Coventry - the venue for the exhibition - the seminar will introduce the new DXT 9000 Digital Matrix Control and Amplification System as well as the Wall Mount DXT 3000 Voice Evacuation System.

RCF engineers will also be on hand to provide updates on the latest developments of the RCF DXT 7000 System, which now offers control over IP networks.

Running in parallel, RCF will demonstrate the complete range of EN54 electronics and speaker systems throughout the exhibition (running from 9.30pm-4.30pm).

(Jim Evans)

USA - Together with the rest of the community, St. Mary's Catholic Church and Elementary School in Joplin, Missouri has faced the difficult, but heartening, task of rebuilding after one of the worst tornados on record destroyed its buildings in 2011. The church and school relocated southwest of the city, where it has more room to comfortably accommodate a larger congregation and a larger student body.

Although unwelcomed, the school capitalized on the opportunity to build new infrastructure, including a multipurpose cafeteria with a flexible sound reinforcement system. A cost-effective, multi-channel Ashly Pema 4250.70 network Protea matrix processor combined with a four-channel amplifier delivers the flexibility that allows even non-technical staff to set the system up using Ashly neWR-5 remote controls.

David Walters, president and principal consultant at Diversified Design

Hungary - The new Audi Arena Gyor, described as "the newest and most modern hall in Hungary", has been equipped with a major RCF system.

According to the Italian company's Hungarian distributor, Chromasound Ltd, this 5,500 capacity multifunctional sports hall is without comparison when it comes to speech intelligibility - thanks largely to the work undertaken by their integration partner, G-Sound Ltd.

Jozsef Gricz was their system designer, working in cooperation with Laszlo Suto, and they specified 40 Acustica C5212-96 two way full range enclosures, with narrow 90° x 60° coverage pattern. These surround the sports field on all four sides in 20 clusters of two, hung from above. The speakers are faced on the upper (fixed) and lower (mobile) part of the audience area - with the underneath enclosures installed horizontally with rotated horns, on unique designed

Denmark - Danish hip-hop artist L.O.C. became the latest artist to tour with Meyer Sound Leo-M and Lyon linear line array loudspeakers. Named the R°dt Lys Tour (Red Light Tour), the production was mixed by Mads Stærke, one of Scandinavia's most in-demand FOH engineers.

"With Leo and Lyon, I know the system will respond musically, so I just let the voices and the instruments do their thing and use much less EQ," says Stærke, who has worked with L.O.C. for the past seven years. "This system allows me to mix musically, and not technically."

The touring system comprised 20 Lyon-M main line array loudspeakers, with four Lyon-W wide-coverage line array loudspeakers as down-fill and four UPA-1P loudspeakers as additional fill. In some of the larger venues, 16 Leo-M line array loudspeakers anchored the main system. Ten 1100-LFC low-frequency control el

UK - Reproduced Sound 2015, the 31st in the annual series organised by the Institute of Acoustics, takes place at Fire Service College, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, 10-12 November.

The theme this year is Playing with Fire: sound for art, entertainment and emergency purposes, which will concentrate on all aspects of electroacoustics for live events, including music, theatres and sports in auditoria, festivals and stadia.

Suggested topics for papers include: Live Sound - Intelligibility; Venue Safety and Crowd Management; Measurement & Evaluation; Audio System Design; Loudspeakers and Microphones; Case Studies; Acoustics of Venues; Environmental Noise Control of Events.

Offers of papers on any electroacoustics topic will also be considered for the programme.

Please send your abstract (150 words) for papers plus a short biography of up to 150 words to linda.canty

France - L-Acoustics sound systems have a reputation for electrifying the biggest live entertainment crowds the world over. From the Sochi Olympics to the 400,000-strong crowd at Tomorrowland, audiences the world over have experienced the power and precision of an L-Acoustics sound system.

So when it comes to kitting out intimate live entertainment venues, many owners and managers are surprised to realise that L-Acoustics solutions can also perfectly fit both acoustical and budgetary needs of their spaces. Olivier Inizan, L-Acoustics account manager, responsible for fixed installations projects throughout France, regularly works with small venues to create sound systems perfectly tailored for high SPL in compact to medium-sized venues.

A number of venues have already been convinced by the L-Acoustics ARCS WIFO line source combination, and the feedback from users is very positi

Germany - Deutscher Medienpreis - German Media Prize - is an award that has been given annually since 1992 by Media Control, a company for market statistics, to honour public figures.

A jury consisting of chief editors of leading newspapers and magazines decide on the winner with previous recipients having included Nelson Mandela, Bill Clinton, Dalai Lama, Bono and George Clooney, and the event itself is high profile affair with specially invited guests. This year's recipient was Juergen Loew, the coach of the German national football team, in recognition not only of his role in their World Cup victory but also his leadership style, and as an ambassador of a modern and cosmopolitan Germany.

AE Sound & Light GmbH provide production duties, and in former years they have provided coverage with Martin Audio's W8LM Mini Line Array. But owing to the provision of a larger video scree

USA - Audinate has announced that John Rechsteiner has joined the company as vice president of global sales and support. Rechsteiner brings over two decades of sales, marketing and customer support experience in the pro audio, broadcast and post production industries. John most recently served as vice president of sales, Asia Pacific for Avid based in Tokyo, Japan.

Rechsteiner will lead the worldwide sales and customer support teams as Audinate scales these teams in response to the growing number of manufacturers who have adopted Dante. Earlier in his career, Rechsteiner led the expansion of DigiDesign (now Avid) in the Asia Pacific region.

"We're excited to have John join our team as we expand rapidly throughout the world. John is the right person to further build, develop and inspire our talented sales and support team," said Lee Ellison, CEO of Audinate. "Joh

South Korea - Psy, a global viral superstar, recently played four sold-out shows at Seoul's 14,000-capacity Olympic Park Gymnastics Arena. Dubbed All Night Stand, the hometown shows were powered by a Meyer Sound Leo linear large-scale sound reinforcement system.

"The extended headroom and linear output characteristic of Leo is huge with Psy's music," says Park Dong Won, the singer's veteran FOH engineer. "The highs were smooth and natural, even when we pushed the levels, and the dispersion meant uniform coverage for every seat. I'm not just confident in specifying LEO, but also proud to use it."

The system comprised dual main arrays, each with 15 Leo-M line array loudspeakers flown over two Lyon-W wide-coverage line array loudspeakers as down fill. Twenty-four 1100-LFC low-frequency control elements were arranged in a directional array, with seven Mi

UK - Electrosonic has expanded its facilities in Scotland with the opening of a second regional office in Aberdeen. The office in Cults, just outside Aberdeen City Centre, will be used to support its growing business in the city and the region.

The new Aberdeen office will provide local service and workshop facilities, stores, and a fabrication space. The Edinburgh office continues to offer a full set of services and has recently been refurbished.

Colin Lemmings, Director of Electrosonic's corporate business, commented, "Having worked in the Aberdeen area for four years, opening an office here is a natural progression for Electrosonic. The office is in a great location to serve our growing business in the oil & gas sector, as well as other new local clients in the region for whom it is a requirement that their supplier have tangible local resources."

For the past t

UK - The Pound Bar & Kitchen has become the first evidence of the redevelopment of Canterbury's 600-year old jail after the local council awarded the lease of one of its famous landmarks to One Pound Lane Ltd. Part of the complex, that includes the Westgate Towers Museum, dates back to 1380.

Headed by lighting installation and interior design specialist Steve Allen (of Lightqube Ltd), the team of contractors has restored former police station cells never before open to the public, transforming them into private dining rooms as part of the atmospheric restaurant and bar, retaining original details such as the Victorian glazed bricks and cell doors complete with oversized locks and inspection hatches.

All these spaces required sensitive treatment in order to respect the heritage, and the technical infrastructure was dependent on a discreet, potent and aesthetic sound system. All

Austria - It is 75 years of the Hahnenkamm Downhill and Slalom Races in the Austrian ski resort of Kitzbühel. The organisers of the Skiclub Kitzbühel rely on a partnership with the local rental company Murdock Event & Media who assembled a large production team for the event, sparing neither expense nor effort for this complicated audio challenge on the SlalomTrack and chose K-array loudspeakers which have proved reliable in extreme weather conditions at other key ski events such as the Val Viemme in Italy.

The masterpiece of this year's sound reinforcement design was the Firenze Series KH8 Line array touring speaker and powerful KS8 subwoofers. The team flew a line of six KH8 units and three KS8 units with four KH15s for side-fill.

One of the key advantages of the Firenze series is the software calibration and digital acoustic steering that allowed Klaus Hausherr K-array's

Canada - Solotech has announced its expansion in Toronto with the acquisition of the assets of P.A. Plus Productions. François Ménard, CEO of Solotech, says the transaction will allow Solotech to add P.A. Plus Productions' sound system expertise to services already offered by Solotech in the greater Toronto area. The move will complement Solotech's offer in audio, lighting, video, rigging and scenery and will be an addition to the activities of Midnite Hour Productions, acquired by Solotech last November.

"This is our second acquisition in Toronto in the last three months. Toronto is an important market and we want our clients to have access to a diversified list of equipment as well as a team of experts with technical capabilities and creativity to answer their needs," explained Ménard.

(Lee Baldock)

UK - Vaughan Sound has been awarded a place on a £100m university framework for the supply and installation of audio-visual equipment.

Following an extensive tender competition, the South Wales-based specialist integrator, founded in 1964, has become a preferred supplier for universities and colleges across Wales and South West England.

The agreement is in place from 2 February 2015 until 31 January 2017. It will see Vaughan Sound given the opportunity to provide a range of AV products and installation services to over 30 HEPCW and SUPC registered institutions across the two regions.

Managing director Paul Adams comments: "Winning a place on this university framework is very exciting for Vaughan Sound and the PAI Group as it provides the perfect pathway for us to develop long-term meaningful relationships with higher education establishments.

"At Vaughan So

Australia - Gearhouse Broadcast provided a complete broadcast system for the 2015 Australian Open, with its newly purchased Bel Digital MADI Monitor playing an integral part in the smooth running of a vast MADI network.

Held in Melbourne Park from 19 January to 1 February, the Australian Open is the first Grand Slam tennis tournament of the year. It sees all the major players, with Serbia's Novak Djokovic playing against the UK's Andy Murray in the final to win this key title in the tennis calendar.

Gearhouse Broadcast purchased the Bel Digital BM-A2-64MADI MADI Monitor to provide assistance with the installation and smooth running of nine networked audio consoles and associated stage boxes, which were connected via a central MADI router.

Crucially, the MADI Monitor was used extensively during configuration and setup of the system prior to the event, allowing the Gearhouse t

India - Two days in mid-November saw a festival dedicated to stringed instruments take place in New Delhi, India. Featuring acclaimed string musicians from around the world, a DiGiCo SD8 was on hand to tame the dynamics of a wide array of instruments.

The festival was founded and is organised by leading Indian violinist Sharat Chandra Shrivastava of world fusion band Mrigya. Its purpose is not only to perform different forms of string music from around the world, but also to showcase stringed instruments which are either rare or whose use has faded into obscurity.

"Originally inspired by Indian classical music and the fusion greats like Pandit Ravi Shankar and Shakti, Mrigya evolved a unique style of music signature that incorporates jazz, blues, rock, folk and other styles overlaid on Hindustani Classical. It was this fusion that led to the idea of Strings of the World,&

UAE - The Nexo Soundcheck event is taking place in Dubai in February. In conjunction with V.V.& Sons, the Nexo distributor for the region, the French manufacturer will stage a special one-day ETC training seminar, followed by "a spectacular live demonstration" of its latest compact line-array products the Geo M6 and the STM Series.

Headquartered at the Intercontinental Hotel in Dubai Festival City, the Nexo Soundcheck will take place on 24-25 February, and everybody is welcome, subject to a free registration with V.V. & Sons.

On Tuesday 24, Nexo's training manager and concert sound specialist Val Gilbert will conduct a one-day ETC1 training seminar. ETC is Nexo's Education, Training and Certification programme, and the ETC1 module covers the fundamentals of Nexo philosophy and technology, from the classic point-source Alpha Series systems to the present-day flagship

Germany - Ranked amongst the top five symphonic concert venues, Konzerthaus Berlin has recently installed the steerable Meyer Sound CAL column array loudspeakers in its Great Hall (Großer Saal). Blending inconspicuously into the hall's neoclassical architecture, the slender arrays are used for music reproduction as well as voice applications from concert narration and conductor commentary to emergency alarm systems.

"After modelling and measuring CAL's extended frequency performance, we were impressed by the system's ability to handle both speech and high-fidelity music reinforcement," says system designer and acoustical consultant Ralf Bauer-Diefenbach of Berlin-based MMT Network. "That has surprised many musicians who have heard it; they are amazed that such a small, unobtrusive system can sound so natural."

Several factors steered the venue toward

UK - Professional audio sales company LMC Audio has announced its first Wireless Mastered Seminar, held in conjunction with the Shure Academy European Audio Network and taking place at the Shure Academy Centre in Waltham Abbey, Essex on 3 March.

Presented by Tuomo Tolonen, Shure Distribution UK's Pro Audio Group manager and RF specialist, the event will take place in the LiveRoom at the Shure Academy Centre between 10.00am and 3.30pm, with a break for light refreshments.

This masterclass is aimed at all LMC customers and live sound users including FOH and monitor engineers, production staff, venue technicians, installers and anyone that regularly uses wireless technology. Across large, medium and small-scale event spaces, from stadium-sized concert venues through to compact corporate conference rooms, wireless systems make possible a vast array of sound reinforcement applicati

The Netherlands - Fernando Lameirinhas is one of the most revered writers and performers of world music in the Netherlands, combining many different styles and influences into a unique palette of songs. Currently on tour with his latest project, Noir, a Yamaha QL1 is ensuring audiences enjoy every nuance, despite a very limited touring budget.

Although Portuguese by birth, Lameirinhas has lived in Belgium, later Holland, all his adult life. Working with bass guitarist brother Antonio and many other musicians, he has been a high profile part of the Dutch music scene for 40 years.

The current tour sees Fernando and Antonio performing with guitarist Daniel de Moraes and a pair of African musicians, drummer Udo Demandt and Mola Sylla on vocals, mbira and kalimba.

In recent years Lameirinhas has taken musical inspiration from people and concepts that particularly interest

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