UK - Meyer Sound Leo Family reinforcement systems lay down a rock-solid sonic foundation for two of the hottest musicals playing on London's West End, Andrew Lloyd Webber's brash and energetic School of Rock and the soulfully scintillating Motown: The Musical. Both systems were provided by London-based Autograph Sound with logistical coordination by Scott Arnold.

The sound design for School Of Rock was by Mick Potter, whose credits include Les Miserables, The Phantom Of The Opera, Evita, Cats, Miss Saigon and Sunset Boulevard among many other notable productions. For the London design, Potter tweaked the system template he created in 2015 for the still-running Broadway production, with both systems anchored by main left and right hangs each comprising 10 Lyon-W wide coverage line array loudspeakers.

"The linear

South Africa - CODA Audio's South African distributors Tadco have sold the first AiRAY system on the African continent to leading rental company Virtual Productions. Virtual were already enthusiastic users of a CODA ViRAY system, which they have owned since 2013 and felt that the purchase of an AiRAY system was a natural progression. The South African market differs in many respects from that found in the UK, Europe and the US, in that there is no real established scheduled touring circuit. As a consequence, the challenges presented to Virtual Productions are highly diverse and demand a high degree of flexibility and adaptability.

Victor Van Graan, Production Manager Virtual Productions comments: "We provide every technical service to a very wide range of events and in terms of staging and lighting provision we felt able to cover every base. In terms of audio, we felt a little

UK - OHM (UK) has named Kaushal Garg as its new director of sales for Middle East and Africa. In his position, Mr Garg will be responsible for overseeing all sales activities in the regions, supporting OHM UK's existing legacy and expansion in these markets.

Mr Garg brings more than 20 years of experience in the professional audio industry, having begun his career with Bose in 1998 growing through the ranks from technical manager, national sales manager, to divisional manager. Kaushal has also worked with Harman Pro where he managed sales at a national level, developing strategy that grew business to new heights, before moving up to the position of divisional manager-Middle East and Africa at Bose Professional.

"OHM (UK) has a reputation for quality, British manufactured products with innovative design, clearly understanding the evolving requirements of the pro audio marke

The Netherlands - Powersoft is set to plug an important gap in its multi-channel installation series. A new series will make its debut at ISE 2017 on the stand of its Dutch distribution partner, Ampco Flashlight Sales (# 7-K180).

Powersoft will throw a party on the opening day to toast the new arrival, inviting media, integrators and partners to join in the celebration. The party will start from 4pm onwards and is based on the key concept: 4 Human Integration, which will be spread over a video, graphics and T-shirt.

Full details will be announced nearer the time, but suffice it to say that Powersoft's trademark technology - including switch-mode power supply with power factor correction, smart rail management and bridgeable switch mode fixed frequency Class D output circuit topology - will all be in evidence.

Not content with this, Powersoft will also occupy an

USA - At NAMM 2017, Sennheiser and Neumann will expand their live performance and monitoring portfolios with the introduction of several new products.

Visitors to Hall A, Booth No. 6577, will be the first to see the Sennheiser XS Wireless 1 and XS Wireless 2 radio microphone series, as well as the Neumann KH 80 DSP monitoring loudspeaker. Sennheiser will also be launching the new HD 200 Pro headphones, alongside new frequency variants for the evolution wireless 300 G3 and 500 G3 series for the USA and Canada.

While exploring the latest tools for the stage and the (mobile) studio, visitors will be able to enjoy a wealth of live performances at the booth.

NAMM 2017 will see Sennheiser launch XS Wireless 1, a series of six wireless microphone sets for the budget-conscious user looking for exceptional ease of use and fast set-up. The audio specialist will also preview XS W

The Netherlands - Martin Audio will take its new BlacklineX passive series to ISE 2017 - its first journey to mainland Europe.

It will form not only the main focus of the static stand display but will also be a central cog in the now familiar demo room experience.

The manufacturer will host hour-long product showcases daily in the E104 Audio Demo Room, close to Hall 10, with two on the final day. These will run at 11am, 1pm, 2pm and 5pm, 7-9 February and 11am and 1pm on the 10 February.

Originally announced back in October last year, BlacklineX represents a reinvention of the original multi-purpose Blackline Series, launched in 1999. This immediately found favour not only as installation boxes in nightclubs, bars, commercial spaces and Houses of Worship, but also as portable sound reinforcement and stage monitoring solutions for live bands, DJ's and corporate events.

The Netherlands - Ampco Flashlight Rental, has employed the Allen & Heath dLive S Class digital mixing system from its hire stock for two major TV production series, Holland's Got Talent and Idols Holland.

For both programmes, the dLive system, comprising the flagship S7000 Surface and DM64 MixRack, was running the complete FOH setup. This included all of the contestant live acts and vocalists, as well as the shows' bands, which involved up to 40 channels. Commentary from the presenters and celebrity jury is also mixed through dLive.

Both programmes were produced by Blue Circle at the Mediarena TV studio in Amsterdam.

"The Ampco team involved in the shows are very happy with dLive's transparent preamps and sonic quality," comments Rogier van Ganzewinkel, project manager at Ampco Flashlight Rental. "The engineers particularly like the interface and flexibl

The Netherlands - Audinate is running its popular Certification Programme as part of this year's Dante AV Networking World for ISE 2017. Now in its seventh year, AV Networking World is the one of the most popular education events at ISE, showcasing the benefits of audio networking for commercial installation.

The programme includes training for new and advanced Dante users, a general session covering emerging trends pertinent to the future of Audio over IP networking for professional audio systems, and Level 1 and Level 2 Dante Certification.

The all-day event, which takes place on 6 February in Rooms G104 and G105 at the Amsterdam RAI, will adopt the two-track format successfully introduced this past year at InfoComm, ensuring valuable training and education benefits for both novices and experienced Dante customers.

Upon conclusion, all attendees are invited to reconv

UK - Damon Crisp has been appointed as Orbital Sound's new Field Sales Representative to expand the reach of Orbital's busy sales department into new markets around the UK.

As Nexo's main UK dealer, Damon will be concentrating on maximising the potential this exciting brand offers, says Orbital. With new product launches scheduled for later this year, Damon will be at the forefront of promoting these new and existing products UK wide.

Orbital's Andy Simmons commented: "Damon has a wealth of experience in the industry and his contact list is equally as impressive. He also brings experience of new markets to Orbital which will only go to enhance our overall performance within various sectors. With our status as Nexo's Main UK Dealer we needed someone of Damon's calibre to support our goals for this product and I can only see this going in one direction. His enthusiasm is inf

China - Nexo has a new face in the Far East, as Michel Brouard steps into the new role of business development manager for East Asia.

Industry veteran Brouard joined Nexo 18 months ago with responsibility for Greater China. His remit has been increased to include Japan, South Korea and Mongolia, as well as China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

"Michel will play a critical role in increasing the presence and success of Nexo in Japan and south Korea," says Nexo CEO Jean Mullor. "Keeping his responsibility for China, he will now be active in other Asian territories that he knows well, working closely with Denis Baudier, sales director of Nexo."

(Jim Evans)

Finland - Genelec has welcomed two highly respected industry figures to its sales team in the shape of new international sales director Ole Jensen, and sales manager Jonas Olsen. The two men arrive with more than 50 years of combined experience across the professional monitor and AV markets.

Jensen is a well-recognised figure within the professional audio market, having most recently led the worldwide distribution of Dynaudio Pro. Over the course of more than three decades he has held a succession of high profile sales and distribution roles including an early post at Yamaha, followed by a long period of service with TC Group, during which he became VP of sales for broadcast and production. He was also responsible for the development of the company's European pro audio distribution network. In his new role, Jensen will develop and support Genelec's international network of sal

UK - Audio-visual equipment supply company LSH Events (part of the London Speaker Hire family) has been an enthusiastic supplier and promoter of Shure equipment over the last 10 years, and was closely involved with testing the mic manufacturer's technically ground-breaking dual-diaphragm KSM8 even prior to its official launch in January 2016. Throughout the microphone's launch year, LSH supplied KSM8s to many high-profile artists and engineers, and even helped it to play an important part in the setting of a new world record, as LSH managing director Grant Turner relates.

"Since we opened our event and band rehearsal facilities in East London, LSH Spaces, we've been involved with a lot of current high-profile bands and their technical support staff," explains Turner from LSH's London HQ. "We put some KSM8s in one of the rehearsal rooms there alongside the usual SM58s, and peop

UK - Hull launched its year as the 2017 UK City of Culture with Made in Hull, a week of innovative and engaging mixed media sound, lighting and visual installations telling the story of the city and its people over almost a century. Audio specialist tube uk joined in the excitement, specifying, rigging and fine-tuning audio systems for six separate interactive works around the city centre.

Made in Hull was designed to thrill, excite and intrigue the public and was created by the core creative team of Sean McAllister, Ala, Lloyd, Rupert Creed, Durham Marenghi, Dan Jones and producer Niccy Hallifax, working alongside numerous artists. The installations ran for seven days from 1-7 January.

tube - based in Manchester and London and known for its penchant for invention and thinking 'out-of-the-box' was working closely with BAFTA and Ivor Novello Award winning soun

Germany - Following a construction period lasting 10 years, the long-awaited moment came on 11 January 2017, when the Norddeutsche Rundfunk (NDR) Elbphilharmonie Symphony Orchestra under its principal conductor Thomas Hengelbrok opened the spectacular Big Concert Hall in Hamburg's new landmark building with a musical journey from the Renaissance to present times.

The concert was recorded and broadcast by German public broadcaster Norddeutscher Rundfunk (situated in the North of the country) from an audio control room in the same building as the performance - using a Lawo mc

UK - PLASA Focus Glasgow has announced its final programme of events, including support from the BBC who will provide a unique opportunity to visit the BBC Scotland production facility. PLASA Focus Glasgow - Scotland's sole entertainment technology show - returns to the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC) on 18-19 January 2017.

John Carmichael, BBC Radio operations manager for Scotland, will host a tour of the studio for the Quay Sessions, a live music programme recorded in front of an audience, including a run-through of the state-of-the-art studio technology in use. The studio is in the BBC Scotland production facility at Pacific Quay, just a few minutes' walk from the SECC.

Other highlights on the Glasgow programme include a networking event at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, who will host a drinks reception and technical tours. Seminar sessions

Italy - Powersoft's mission to strengthen the company further in 2017 has begun with the appointment of the experienced Klas Dalbj

The Netherlands - The OCA Alliance, the AV industry alliance promoting awareness and adoption of Open Control Architecture, also known as OCA and standardized as AES70, is proud to demonstrate new examples of how this technology is evolving at ISE 2017.

On booth # 7-V250 the OCA Alliance is showcasing multiple examples of OCA (AES70) in action, including hardware and software reference designs, new web-based GUI interfaces for OCA (AES70) solutions, a demonstration of the synergy of AES67 and AES70 in creating complete media networking solutions, and integration examples of selected products implementing OCA (AES70), available on the market today.

"The OCA Alliance has been looking forward to exhibiting at ISE this year, as the OCA (AES70) ecosystem is evolving in several very interesting ways," commented Ethan Wetzell, platform strategist for Bosch Communications Systems.

Italy - Proel has launched a major upgrade of its Pronet remote control software. Based on the stable and reliable Can Bus communication protocol, Pronet AX enables remote control of all Axiom powered loudspeakers, DSP amplifiers, and system controllers in a network of devices equipped with the Core DSP platform.

The new Pronet AX software offers a totally redesigned user interface with improved object identification and management - thanks to colour-coded items, intuitive icons and panels, desktop grid, and docking Editor Panel.

Three different operating modes are provided: Setup, Edit, and Live; these can be chosen depending on whether systems are to be set up for the first time, units are to be edited individually, or operated under live conditions; and on the operations to be performed on the loudspeaker system.

The interface allows different choices of information

USA - Electro-Voice is kicking off its 90th birthday year with a Loud & Clear pledge to portable speaker customers at the upcoming NAMM show in Anaheim, California:

Under the Loud & Clear banner, EV's new NAMM booth will serve as a live performance venue to showcase talent playing through EV's best-selling family of portable loudspeakers and new ND Series microphones.

Nine different artists spanning a broad scope of genres will perform through various system setups at the booth over the course of the four-day show, including ZLX, ELX, EKX and ETX models, so visitors can hear EV sound quality for themselves. Multiple product experience areas will give guests a chance to compare and contrast the various features each series offers to suit a range of portable applications and budgets.

EV is also launching the new #EVsound social media campaign at the show -

USA - The Georgia World Congress Centre in downtown Atlanta is the site for the semi-annual Bronner Brothers International Beauty Show, a three-day professional beauty industry event that is the largest multicultural/multi-textural tradeshow in the United States.

More than 30,000 beauty professionals were in attendance for education, workshops and entertainment. The show culminated with the televised, legendary hair battle on the main stage.

Locally based AEE Productions provided an Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW) KF line array sound reinforcement system that was the driving force behind the show's entertainment and fashion events, including the televised competition.

"We were on site for full production except for the broadcast trucks," explains Tracy Towne, production manager for AEE. "We designed and set up the EAW system to ensure the audience received the full impact

France - French artist Jeanne Added has found the perfect complement for her powerful, harmonic voice - a DPA d:facto Vocal Microphone that allows her to convey emotion without changing the timbre of her singing. Jeanne, who last year released her debut solo album Be Sensational, was introduced to the d:facto by her sound engineer, Gilles Olivesi.

"I was looking for a very flat microphone that wouldn't try to enhance anything in her voice," Olivesi explains. "French engineer Malik Malki told me about the d:facto, so we tried it with Jeanne in the studio and compared it to a number of other vocal mics. We all agreed that it was the right one because it keeps her voice sounding natural. It also works for the FOH mix and the monitors - in my opinion vocalists sing better when they can hear themselves clearly without stretching the monitor's EQ."

Jeanne's tour is also a

Europe - Heralding the New Year 2017, ALC NetworX has announced that German telephone hybrids, audio codecs specialist AVT Audio Video Technologies has joined the RAVENNA community to contribute their expertise and provide yet another building block in the ever-growing landscape of RAVENNA/AES67-enabled products.

AVT are experts in the field of telephone hybrids or talk show systems, which are technologies that convert an incoming phone call into an audio signal that is suitable for a studio environment. Naturally, Voice-over-IP technology is playing an increasingly important part in this crucial domain. Another field of expertise for AVT concerns audio codecs that are needed for high quality audio transmissions over different networks. Once again, the transmission standard is now AoIP rather than ISDN or 2-Mbit/s that were used in the past. It is therefore a logical step for

Finland - Organized for the first time this year, Slush Music took place in the Finnish capital of Helsinki. Its aim was to enhance the dialogue between tech entrepreneurs and music, with its exciting setting being an additional draw. Part of this event's offering was its Silent Disco, where Sennheiser's MobileConnect technology provided a very personal experience.

Held on 30 November and 1 December, Slush Music is the music and tech exclusive vertical of Slush, which started in 2015 and has been described as 'Burning Man meets TED'. It gathered 1,500 industry professionals, including over 80 speakers, for an exchange of thoughts about exceptional ways to push music forward with technology.

The intense agenda of Slush Music featured topics including global music consumption, the revenue distribution of streaming and the revolutionary aspect of using blockchain technologies

Ireland - Award-winning Irish singer-songwriter Gavin James has played one of the biggest shows of his young life, at the 3 Arena in Dublin. It was also one of the biggest indoor shows of the year for Irish rental company Sound Design, using its new Nexo STM Series modular line array systems for the first time on an arena-sized live music event.

This was in fact the first deployment of Sound Design's newly-purchased STM system with M28 omnipurpose cabinets, purchased after a successful pilot event in Croke Park stadium, a multimedia spectacular for the 1916/2016 commemoration, and the RTE Centenary show in the Bord Gais Energy Theatre, Dublin.

With 12,000 people attending Dublin's 3 Arena, high production values were in place for the Gavin James show. At FOH was well-known live sound engineer Marc Carolan, supported by Eddie O'Brien, one of his regular techs who is also sy

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