Pharos - Leaderboard - May 2024

Sound

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UAE - Tannoy's VQ Series loudspeaker system has been putting in a leading performance at a theatre in Dubai, with a pair of VQNET 60 cabs at Dubai Community Theatre & Arts Centre (DUCTAC), located within the Mall of the Emirates.

DUCTAC is the first modern, non-profit, cross-community creative centre in the Gulf region, built to international specifications. The brainchild of local theatre-lovers and business people who recognised the need for an entertainment and educational centre for the community and future generations of Dubai, the facility opened in late 2006.

The main auditorium within DUCTAC comprises of a tiered two level theatre with a capacity of 543, including four VIP boxes, and plays host to an array of international and local theatre, dance, comedy and music as well as TV shoots and exhibitions. The centre has been trying out Tannoy's new VQ Series, with positiv

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Europe - Jay-Z has just completed a run of European dates and festival appearances accompanied by a FOH Midas XL8 live production system, provided by Clair Brothers. At the controls is Kenyatta 'Kelo' Saunders, the rap artist's long-time sound engineer and Grammy-award winner, whohas worked with artists including D'Angelo, Eminem, The Roots, Joss Stone and Erykah Badu.

Philadelphia-based Kelo has favoured Midas consoles throughout his long and distinguished career, and this was his first outing with a Midas digital system. "At heart I'm an analogue guy," he states. "I've been using the H3000 for most of my work for years, and I'm all about the warmth of analogue. I've tried other digital consoles, but moving to the XL8 is the only thing so far that makes me feel at home, I love it.

"I was able to get my mix going very simply; the learning curve was incredib

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UK - With little more than one week remaining before the closing date for entries to this year's PLASA Awards for Innovation, PLASA exhibitors are being urged to put their latest innovations forward for these prestigious awards.

Up to eight Awards for Innovation are available each year, as well as a special Environmental Award for a product which the judges feel contributes to the industry's quest for energy efficiency and sustainability.

This year, for the first time, all nominees will have the opportunity to present their products live to a panel of expert judges, during the Sunday of the show, on a specially-built stage on the Innovation Gallery itself, inside Earls Court 2.

The presentations and subsequent Q&A opportunities will be filmed and the winning presentations repeated on the PLASA Show's central LED screen during the Tuesday and Wednesday of the show, as well as

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UK - Samson Technologies will give a first UK showing to the AirLine Micro Wireless Earset Systemwhich utilises the latest in lithium ion battery technology and couples it with small, high-quality audio components.

Samson's Expedition Series offers an array of practical and portable PA solutions for a variety of applications. Now, the series has a new flagship model: the XP510i that offers more power with a comprehensive feature set.

Bridging the gap between fixed installation and portable applications, Samson will also introduce the Auro active speaker systems.

(Jim Evans)

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UK - In response to the impending need for UK wireless microphone and in-ear monitor users to move from Channel 69 (854-862 MHz) to Channel 38 (606-614 MHz), Sennheiser UK has announced the full availability of its new G3 GB systems.

The G3 GB frequency range variant covers ALL of Channel 38 and as many 'future proofed' interleaved frequencies above Channel 38 as its 42 MHz (from 606-648 MHz) tuning range will allow.

As previously stated in July, Channel 69 remains available nationally for wireless microphone use and continues to be licensable. However, the current Ofcom timetable will see access to channels 61-69 inclusive (790-862 MHz) cease during the second half of 2012. This means that any Channel 69 equipment purchased now will have a steadily reducing window of usability for most of its tuning range, with just over two years the longest period for which it will continue

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UK - With two simultaneous events taking place in the north and south of the UK, the NewWine Festivals provide a wide spread of PA venues for sound rental company Wigwam's young engineers to gain experience with the latest equipment. More than 30 stages have to be equipped, and this year sees the addition of eight Roland digital consoles to the inventory.

New Wine originated as a Christian festival, established in 1989 by members of the Anglican clergy. It now appeals to the largest network of Christians open to the charismatic movement in the UK, running a number of week-long festivals in England, Scotland and Wales and currently attracting around 30,000 delegates per year. Its success has spawned the well-known Soul Survivor event for teenagers.

Wigwam has provided sound reinforcement services for the twin festivals for several years, using the residential even

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UK - The Paul Hamlyn Hall in London's Royal Opera House is the latest in a line of prestigious venues to be graced by an Innovason Eclipse digital mixing console with onboard multitrack recording. The occasion was a special one-off concert by Hungarian folk artist Marta Sebestyen. Paul Nicholson of Red Square Audio was called upon to specify all the PA and FoH equipment for the event, which included an Innovason Eclipse.

Nicholson engineered the whole show from the Eclipse console, including monitors, and he also recorded it using the onboard M.A,R.S. system. "With the Eclipse I feel really comfortable having simultaneous control of FoH, monitors and multitrack recording as all the functions are at your fingertips and displayed on the surface and the screen," he noted. "I also like the fact that as the surface is fully user configurable and very analogue to the to

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UK - RG Jones Sound Engineering has completed the latest phase of development of the PA / VA system at Lord's, the home of both Marylebone Cricket Club and of cricket itself.

The newly completed system, developed by an RG Jones project team headed by Roland Hemming, sees a fully integrated IP based PA/VA system that incorporates the latest safety standards including EN54. It also meets the much stricter security and environmental regulations that have developed in the 25 years since RG Jones began its longstanding relationship with MCC in the 1980s - matching the London based company's quarter-century relationship with the UK home of tennis at Wimbledon.

The new system scores a number of 'world firsts', being a fully IP based plug-and-play project that features the world's largest Dante network and allows users to treat all the equipment as a single system; it is also the firs

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Local News - Kylie Minogue and Tinie Tempah performed at the Ring O' Bells pub in Compton Martin, Somerset on last week. They were drafted in as a treat for staff from their record company, Parlophone, who were in the area for a conference. Eliza Doolittle and new signing Morning Parade also performed. Bewildered locals were alerted to the impromptu concert by a small sign outside the pub which read For one night only! Kylie Minogue, Tinie Tempah, tonight!.

The rapper was up first - he performed his number one hit Pass Out and new single Written In The Stars. Kylie performed an acoustic version of All The Lovers and the night's biggest crowd-pleaser, her 1988 worldwide hit I Should Be So Lucky. Pub landlord Reuben Goddard commented, "The locals were shocked but we all had an evening we'll never forget. It's a bit out of the ordinary for ro

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Germany - The Bang Your Head festival, one of Germany's most prominent heavy metal festivals, celebrated its 15th anniversary between 15-17 July. Around 15,000 metal fans from all over Europe travelled to Swabian Balingen in the south west of Germany to party for three days and nights and take in performances of over 30 metal bands, amongst them were Queensryche, Twisted Sister and Hammerfall.

Full-service rental company Prolite Event, based locally in Balingen, has been an integral part of the festival crew for many years - for the most part, running the indoor stage in the 2,500 capacity Volksbank Messehalle on the festival ground. This year, Saxon, Demon, Dark Tranquility and Destruction headlined the indoor stage.

The company's HK Audio-based FOH and monitoring systems were completely powered with Lab.gruppen FP+ Series amplifiers, with some new FP 14000 amplifiers

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Europe - After re-forming in 2009, Irish rock band The Cranberries have embarked on a 2010 European Summer Tour. Their audio arsenal centres round a DiGiCo SD8 digital mixing console, manned by Oliver Waring at the monitor position.

"I've been using DiGiCo consoles for a number of years," says Waring. "I started out teching with a D5 when I was looking after Dave Guerin, monitor engineer for Morrissey. Then I inherited the monitor position and looked after Morrissey for a couple of years on the D5, later upgrading to an SD7.

"I've been working with The Cranberries for a couple of months now and I'd inherited a console from another manufacturer that wasn't my first choice. I changed to the SD8 and at its first soundcheck, after just one song, the band commented how different it sounded: that it was a lot crisper, a lot clearer and they knew straight away tha

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UK - POLARaudio is presenting a number of new products at PLASA 2010 from many of the brands in its extensive portfolio. POLARaudio will feature live demonstrations of the latest in digital networked audio, as well as key developments in live audio & PA.

Highlights at this year's show include new products from ASL, Australian Monitor, Aviom, beyerdynamic, Biamp, Renkus Heinz, MC² and XTA. In addition, POLARaudio will introduce "exciting new milestones from Dynacord", details of which will be announced during the show. ASL, Cue, and Novasonar will also feature on the stand.

New products include, from beyerdynamic, D290 and D790 professional series headphones and headsets now available with an integrated level limiter, Australian Monitor AMD series Amplifiers and Revolution DSP, Aviom's AllFrame Multi-Modular I/O System, the EN-54-16 certified Biamp Vocia and a new fl

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USA - Renkus-Heinz has announced compatibility between its Iconyx Digitally Steerable Arrays and Crestron remote controllers.

All Iconyx systems have long been equipped with an RS485 external connector for data communication. Now this data port will enable users to implement control and monitoring via third party controllers such as those made by Crestron.

Details on controlling an Iconyx array using a Crestron control system may be found on the Crestron website. Further information on initializing Iconyx systems for third party control via RS485 may be found in the Iconyx manual.

"User interface has always been very important to our customers and the addition of an open third party control protocol really adds to our flexibility," says Renkus-Heinz marketing manager Margie Ulm.

(Jim Evans)

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UK - A recent tender specification issued by LOCOG - the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games - demonstrates the importance BS 8901 will play in the delivery of the London2012 Games.

In the past there have been concerns that BS 8901 - the new event management standard developed to ensure the 2012 Games are delivered in a sustainable way - was merely tokenism, but LOCOG has reiterated its commitment to the standard, and is now seeking third party certification for its own implementation of the standard across the Olympic venues.

If you are interested in supplying the Olympics this information is significant because it strengthens the requirement for suppliers to be working towards BS 8901 compliance, plus it's clear there will now be an emphasis on being third party certified as opposed to relying on 'self certification' in the future.

PLASA is working in partners

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Italy - The 2010 tour of Italian artist Alexia continues with new dates and the familiar crowds of fans who always gather to show their appreciation for her voice and songs.

Among her latest shows, she also performed in the Val Vibrata, in Abruzzo not far from Proel's headquarters. The singer from La Spezia performed in Corropoli before an audience that was able to appreciate her talent thanks to a Proel Axiom Audio System.

Vai con La Sigla, the sound service on every date of this tour, chose an Axiom configuration including 16 Axiom AX3210P modules, 16 Sub 21" EDGE121SP, six Powersoft K10 Amplifiers and two Proel DSO480 digital processors

"This is the second year in a row that we have chosen an Axiom system for Alexia's tour," comments Damiano Prosperi, the owner of Vai con La Sigla. "The system has proven to be really reliable and it was confirmed for t

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Bulgaria - Night Flight is one of the latest additions to Bulgaria's emerging and vibrant nightclub scene, boasting one of the highest specification audio-visual systems yet seen in any club around the country's bustling capital of Sofia. Located in the heart of the city, Night Flight opened in December 2009, with the remit of providing a top class venue for both club nights and special promotion events such as live performance shows, pop music record launches and cabaret shows.

The ultra-modern design extends beyond the decor to an impressive array of AV technology including Tannoy VQ loudspeaker system, powered by Lab.gruppen's amplifiers, as well as a host of lighting, special effects and giant LCD screen.

The 1000-capacity venue is split over two levels, with a VIP balcony overlooking the main floor and performance/stage area below, and a total of four bars between the lev

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Hong Kong - A range of DPA miniature microphones were used at Jacky Cheung's recent Private Corner concert in the Jockey Auditorium, Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

The DPA 4099S 4099T instrument clip mics were used at the concert for trombone, trumpet and saxophones, while a grand piano was miked with 4061 miniature omnidirectional microphones.

Mike Wong, Cheung's monitor engineer, chose the cardioid 4099s for their focus on the instrument as well as isolation and rejection from adjacent musicians. "In this concert, we were striving for a natural and uncoloured sound and therefore really appreciated the musical accuracy of the 4099s," he says.

Adds front of house engineer Daniel Kwan, "Besides the superior sound quality, we like DPA microphones for their mounting and positioning possibilities. The 4099 series has mounts and clips for a wide range of

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Germany - The Roth Challenge triathlon in Franconia, an event sponsored by the German radio station Bayern 3, has attained cult status. This year, 2,500 triathletes competing individually and 500 relay squads from over 50 different countries lined up at the start, with more than 120,000 spectators lining the route to cheer them on. DJs, live music, the 'Finish Line' party, and a closing firework display added to the fun, creating a party-like atmosphere among spectators that contrasted strangely with the solid determination of competitors in the throes of the gruelling eight-hour ordeal.

The need to provide spectators with intelligible live commentary and information on the intermediate placing and times of the various teams and athletes, as well as music before, during, and after the competition, meant that the quality of the sound reinforcement was of crucial importance to the

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UK - 5 Star Cases has invested in another Thermwood Model 40 CNC machining centre to help keep pace with its healthy order book, which has experienced "phenomenal sales" in 2010 following a consistent year in 2009.

Phil Bailey, 5 Star's chief engineer explains: "Once we'd made the decision to invest in a third machine, plans were initiated to ensure the smoothest possible installation with the minimum disruption to production - which took some logistical juggling as we have been absolutely flat out busy throughout the summer."

The existing two machines were moved, along with the necessary electrical and air services, allowing the third Thermwood to be secured in place.

Bailey concludes: "Having completed the installation and commissioning of the latest machine, 5 Star now has even further capacity to produce cases and foam inserts that require CNC ma

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USA - Having laid claim to the moon with a Declaration of Lunar Ownership in 1966, Geneva, Ohio is a small city with a history of thinking big. So it's no surprise that the local GaREAT Sports Complex, operated by the non-profit Geneva Area Recreational, Educational, Athletic Trust, is an ambitious undertaking.

Started just two years ago, the multi-sport recreational facility on a 175-acre campus already encompasses more than 450,000sq.ft of indoor fields, courts, and tracks for year-round practices and competitions, as well as an outdoor stadium with a field and a track. Sound throughout the facility, which also includes dining and meeting rooms, has been handled by Paladin Professional Sound of Valley View, Ohio, working in close cooperation with manufacturers' representatives C. L. Pugh & Associates of Brunswick, Ohio.

With two decades of experience serving clients includin

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The Netherlands - The Digital Media Centre (DMC), one of Europe's leading providers of channel playout services, TV distribution and content delivery; has upgraded its intercom system with a comprehensive communications system from Riedel Communications. Riedel installed a Riedel Artist digital matrix intercom installation with seamless VoIP telephone and professional mobile radio integration at the DMC premises in Amsterdam.

The main requirements for the installation were the integration of VoIP telephones and enough connections for the previous system's 4-wire signals. Furthermore, the transition to the new system needed to be completed as fast as possible to prevent downtime.

At the core of the system is a Riedel Artist 128 mainframe providing connections for 40 4-wire signals via Riedel Artist AIO client cards. Due to Artist's modular approach the system can be easily expa

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UK - Lake has announced an upcoming series of online seminars aimed at providing an in-depth insight to their new LM 26 digital audio loudspeaker processor and the Lake Controller software.

On Wednesday 1 September TC Group's VP of international sales, Miguel Hadelich and the Lake team will present a detailed look at the new product. Hadelich will be on hand to field questions and "take you through the ins and outs (literally) of Lake". There will be two webinars on the day, to cater for varying time zones of an international marketplace, one at 11am GMT and the other at 5pm GMT.

Lake was one of the first brands to integrate Dante with its products. The webinars offer an opportunity for professionals working in the concert sound, stage mixing, broadcast or recording studio industries to learn more about using Dante within Lake and in combination with other Dante enab

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USA - Johns Hopkins University's Peabody Conservatory, which has educated some of the world's finest musicians and whose curriculum also has an extensive professional audio training component, recently purchased and installed an entire new 5.1 surround monitoring system from Genelec.

The new system consists of an L-C-R array of three Genelec 8260A Tri-Amplified DSP Monitors, and a rear pair of 8250A Bi-Amplified DSP Monitors. All five monitors are mounted on stands surrounding the control room's console. The system is completed with Genelec 7270A Active DSP Subwoofer. The Conservatory also purchased a Genelec AD9200A 192kHz 8-channel converter. The Genelec monitors and converter were sold by Greg Lukens at Washington Professional Systems.

The Peabody Conservatory's director of recording arts and sciences, Scott Metcalfe, comments: "The studio is used for recording, mixing

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Europe - Denon DJ has announced a major performance enhancement to its DN-S3700 direct drive digital media turntable. The firmware upgrade, to both new and existing units, implements MIDI Hybrid mode, enabling the DN-S3700 to also fully control DJ computer software, like Serato Scratch Live, from its control surface, including its 9" direct drive vinyl control platter.

The upgrade, implemented on all new production models, is available to existing users as a free download from the Denon DJ website (late September 2010). By internally generating relative mode timecode (output via the phono audio outs) the DN-S3700 now provides direct spinning platter control of various supported DVS applications (on PC or Mac) such as Serato Scratch Live; the MIDI hybrid mode is supplied with a default setting and mapping of the DN-S3700 controls to Scratch Live, but controls can be mapped t

  1. Soundcraft appoints applications engineer
  2. Hollebone launches bespoke sales service
  3. Black Light adds d&b to audio portfolio
  4. Prism Sound and SADiE sponsor Sounding Out
  5. MilTec celebrate 10th Birthday at PLASA 2010
  6. Elements in Phnom Penh opts for EAW
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