China - TC Group has appointed Owen Xing as managing director of its Chinese division, TC Group China. Owen Xing, 34, has held managing positions in the music and audio industries for more than a decade. He also has a background as a guitar player and composer, which also ties in well with the core values of TC Group that is rooted in the passion for sound in all forms.

Owen Xing joins TC Group China, as the company has recently moved to a brand new location and established a dedicated sales company as well as an Asian distribution centre, all of which is due to continuous growth for both TC Group China and its key partners.

"I am pleased to welcome Owen Xing as our new managing director in China," says Anders Fauerskov, CEO of TC Group. "With his background in the industry, I am confident that he will be the right person for cementing our presence in China even

UK - Midas has announced the immediate availability of their new Mixtender 2 iPad App for the best-selling PRO Series and XL8 digital consoles. Loaded with new features, and delivering "an unprecedented range of control and mobility", Mixtender 2 was designed and developed by Midas engineers for "absolute best in class performance".

Providing remote access to virtually all key console functions with smooth and responsive system metering, Mixtender 2 offers support for multiple iPads, allowing FOH and monitor engineers to work collaboratively from any location in the venue.

Mixtender 2's upgraded feature set includes full-screen EQ editing, for highly accurate individual channel adjustments; VCA and POP group unfolding and member editing function; plus a quick navigation page with comprehensive level metering that allows engineers to monitor all signals whil

USA - Clear-Com will show its latest range of intercom solutions at the 135th International AES Convention (Booth 3030). The company will display its enhanced Eclipse HX Digital Matrix System and HelixNet Partyline Intercom System. It is also highlighting its new RS-700 Series Analog Partyline Beltpacks and ICON Connectivity Solutions, as well as the most recent updates to its Tempest Wireless Intercom System.

"At Clear-Com, we are constantly developing communication systems and adding features that allow our users to have a more efficient workflow," says James Schaller, regional sales manager, Northeastern U.S., Clear-Com. "Our latest set of wired and wireless intercoms give users increased speed, capacity and scalability. With hundreds of high-quality products in our portfolio, customers have the opportunity to design communication infrastructures to address nea

USA - Rational Acoustics has been appointed exclusive US distributor for SG Audio's 10EaZy SPL monitoring software & hardware systems. Distribution rights have also been granted for Canada on a non-exclusive basis.

Developed in 2005 by SG Audio Aps., 10EaZy has become a European standard for "accurate, reliable, easy-to-use IEC/ANSI Class 1 and Class 2 compliant SPL monitoring solutions for live sound".

"Rational Acoustics is very excited to partner with SG Audio and represent 10EaZy in the United States." says Karen Anderson, Rational Acoustics COO. "10EaZy is an incredibly slick, powerful and modern approach to real-time SPL monitoring, particularly for live sound. We at Rational are, obviously, fans of innovative software & hardware solutions that provide audio professionals with the tools they need for greater system analysis, optimization and cont

Brazil - Allen & Heath digital iLive systems were used for the recording of a new DVD by one of Brazil's most popular singers, Claudia Leitte. Recorded at a major gig in Pernambuco Arena in Recife, an iLive-112 Control Surface with iDR-64 MixRack was used by monitor engineer, Roque Fausto, and an iLive-144 surface with iDR-64 rack using Dante, was employed by famed engineer, Beto Neves, in the mobile recording truck.

Claudia Leitte is a Brazilian axé singer and former vocalist in the group, Babado Novo. The singer is currently one of the coaches in Brazil's version of The Voice, and this latest DVD recording entitled Axe Music, is the third DVD of her solo career. The recording took place during a concert The Greatest Show In the World, which also featured performances by other well-known Brazilian artists, Saulo Fernandes, Anitta and Wesley Safadão.

Denmark - Big Mick Hughes, Front of House sound engineer for the US heavy metal band Metallica, is using DPA's d:vote 4099 Instrument Microphones to capture the sound of drummer Lars Ulrich's cymbals and toms.

"After 30 years with Metallica - and 15 years miking Lars' drums with another brand of microphone - I was finally persuaded to test DPA microphones by Morten Uldbæk, who is the Danish distributor for Midas consoles," says Hughes. "I have to admit I had never considered DPA as the right kind of microphone for live rock music, but after giving them a try I was really impressed with their brightness and crispness."

The final impetus to switch to DPA came from the studio engineers who were working on the soundtrack for Metallica's 3D film Through the Never, which will hadits first public screening at the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center in

UK - The Music Producers Guild is holding its East Midlands Autumn Speakeasy on 6 November 2013 at the Mezz Lounge, the Broadway, Nottingham.

Doors open at 6 pm and everyone is welcome - entry is free and you do not need to be an MPG member to attend.

Producers Mick Glossop and Andrew Hunt from the MPG executive board will at the event to discuss initiatives and the scope of what the MPG can offer.

John Paul Braddock, MPG East Midlands coordinator, says, "Speakeasy events are a great opportunity to network. As many producer and engineers work in isolation, they provide a chance for music industry professionals to meet, exchange stories, discuss problems and develop new ideas and partnerships."

(Jim Evans)

UK - During the long evolution of Novus Leisure's Tiger Tiger brand, beginning with the pilot unit in London's Haymarket in 1998, much of the technical infrastructure work has been serviced from companies within the SSE Audio Group - initially Green-i and now the installation division of SSE Audio itself.

Green-i's Ian Woodall, in particular, had been a strong advocate of BSS Audio's early pioneering Soundweb platform, and as the Tiger Tiger footprints and zonal requirements became more ambitious, the iconic BSS SW-9088 'Green' DSP devices and remote SW-9010 'Jellyfish' local remote wall panels started to abound.

But in the world of digital processing and sampling rates, technology moves fast - and the Soundweb Originals were duly superseded by Soundweb London. This constantly evolving series offered more flexibility, enhanced I/O configuration, dual-redundant CobraNetTM audio

USA - On Thursday 26 September, Vintage King Los Angeles (VKLA), was the place to be as Focusrite presented a showcase of its RedNet Ethernet-networked interfaces, which are based around the industry-standard low-latency Audinate Dante audio networking system.

The event's attendance read like a who's-who of the pro audio community, with such leading industry figures present as Chris Lord-Alge, CJ Vanston, Michael Bradford, Dave Reitzas, Herb Tarwick, Al Schmitt, Steve Genewick and Dean Martin Hovey.

"The event was a huge success," stated Phil Wagner, president of Focusrite Novation Inc. "Vintage King's Los Angeles facility was the perfect place to hold this event, because of their extensive installation network infrastructure and customer base. The quality time we got to spend with key members of the audio community was an invaluable experience. Everyone at VKLA

UK - British loudspeaker technology company, Flare Audio, have announced the release of a new series of bass enclosures whose objective is sonic invisibility of the loudspeaker box. Flare's Space and Vortex technologies combine to create high definition natural sound.

Applying Flare Audio's theory of Waveform Integrity, Flare Audio has revolutionised bass enclosures with the release of SB21, SB18 and SB12. These compact enclosures (less than half the size of typical 21", 18" and 12" sealed design bass loudspeakers) deliver clear strong bass over the driver's full frequency range without false enhancement.

The SB21C features a 21" 1400w driver in a 600mm x 600mm x 300mm 42kg enclosure, the SB18C houses an 18" 1200w driver in a 513mm x 513mm x 261mm 23.5kg enclosure and the SB12C, a 12" 900w driver in a 374mm x 374mm x 178mm enclosure.

Employing F

UK - Mackie has recently updated and expanded three of its most popular and enduring product ranges and PLASA London will offer the first opportunity to see these new models.

The SRM 1600W High-Definition Powered Loudspeakers deliver on Mackie's "Built-Like-A-Tank" SRM legacy in professional grade all-wood designs. The range features enhanced Mackie digital processing and provides new levels of SRM ruggedness, output, clarity and simplicity. The SRM550 and SRM650 are available in 12" and 15" LF driver configurations with 1.4" HF compression drivers, while the SRM1850 offers a powerful 18" subwoofer with integrated digital crossover.

The new VLZ4 analogue mixers now include not only Mackie's industry-proven Onyx preamps, providing the highest headroom and lowest noise possible but also deliver the rugged construction that has established the VLZ se

UK - In order to maintain a successful sound rental company Chris Hooke, of Swansea-based Total Sound Solutions (TSS), knows the importance of a regular inventory review in order to meet all requirements within his diverse customer base.

This includes a fleet of mixers to meet all budgets and demands. "For example we will typically use Soundcraft 16-channel EFX mixers for weddings and speakers - however, when we recently did Swansea Uni summer ball, with 4,000 people and three stages, we provided two Soundcraft Vi1 digital desks on the main stage."

Having just celebrated 10 years in the business, Chris Hooke's relationship with Soundcraft's new generation models began with the purchase of an Si Compact 24, and in April last year the company took delivery of its first Vi1. Exactly 12 months to the day, the company's second Vi1 arrived, along with the new popular, port

UK - Renowned engineer, Ben Booker, employed an Allen & Heath Qu-16 compact digital mixer to sub mix eight channels of keys with scenes at the Stephen Lawrence Unity concert, held at the O2 Arena in London last weekend.

"I used the Qu-16 as it gave me an option to run each song as a different scene, so levels, EQ and compression could be change per artist," Booker explains. "I also used the QuPad app to remotely mix the keyboard levels and adjust compression and HPF on channels in rehearsals."

(Jim Evans)

Austria - Since the start of the 2013 season, the State Theatre in Salzburg, Austria has operated with a sound system from Dutch manufacturer Alcons Audio . The new acquisition was made because the existing sound system was not able meet the increased demands on the in-house sound system.

As a so-called 'Viersparten' (four artistic divisions) theatre, the State Theatre makes particularly high demands on sound reinforcement, as it offers its audience musical theatre (opera, operetta, musicals), ballet, drama as well as children's theatre. This wide range of productions had to be sonically supported to the highest standard.

"A sound system in this house must be in a position to reinforce a rock band, classical music, vocals and subtle music cues for theater plays with finest resolution", says Timo Hintz (head of sound) . In addition, the new sound system was expected t

UK - As Technical Partner to PLASA London 2013, Roland Systems Group (RSG) products and people will take an active role in the AudioLab Arena as well as hosting two seminars at the show, which opend its doors today.

The AudioLab Arena is a new purpose built pro audio demonstration facility where the latest products for club sound, mobile and large format systems will be showcased. The Roland V-800HD Multi Format Video Switcher will feature at the core of the set-up in the Arena which will host shoot outs from exhibitors such as Adam Hall, Dynacord and FBT.

Peter Heath, Sales and Marketing Director for RSG UK will present a business seminar in Seminar Theatre 1 on Monday 7th at 5.00pm entitled 'Maximising Sales Efforts'. This is a session aimed at sales people/managers about the benefits of pro-active calling and selling. It will also look at building and managing sales pipelin

Armonk, NY - October 4, 2013-Production Resource Group, L.L.C. (PRG) will be demonstrating their innovative proprietary products as well as debuting new products at the PLASA 2013 show, October 6 - 9 in London. PRG will be on Stand R20 at the ExCeL London Exhibition Centre, where attendees can get in-depth demonstrations of new, ultra-portable lighting and media control products, two new compact UV blacklight luminaires, PRG's award-winning automated luminaire line and control console range, as well as PRG Nocturne's LED video module products.

PLASA 2013 attendees will get an opportunity to try out the compact V276 on Mac control interface and Mbox® Studio, a software-only version of the popular Mbox Extreme® media server, both of which are available for sale. Both products are designed for use with a user-supplied Apple Mac computer. Individually these solutions are feature-ri

Germany - The Audio Engineering Society (AES) has announced the dates and location for its upcoming 136th International Convention: Saturday 26 April, through Tuesday, 29 April, 2014, in Berlin, Germany. The Convention's 'Call for Papers' will be available in the coming months, and AES will be accepting proposals for abstract-precis-reviewed and peer-reviewed papers.

"We are excited to return to Berlin for the 136th Convention," stated Bob Moses, Audio Engineering Society executive director. "Berlin is a hub of technology and industry, with a vital and rich history in audio innovation. In addition, Germany is an extremely important marketplace for our business partners and sponsors to engage with pro audio customers. It is a more-than-fitting site for our next European convention."

(Jim Evans)

Canada - ADJ has named Montreal based SF Marketing as the exclusive distributor of ADJ Lighting, American Audio and Global Truss America/DuraTruss products throughout all of Canada.

The agreement brings together two of the most widely known and respected names in the entertainment products industry. ADJ has been a leading supplier of special effects and entertainment lighting since 1985. SF Marketing goes back even further, tracing its roots to 1978. Since its founding that year, the company has represented some of the leading names in the audio industry in Canada.

"We're extremely excited to enter into this agreement with SF Marketing," said Toby Velazquez, president of the ADJ Group of Companies. "Both of our companies share the same corporate philosophy of expanding our markets by educating and serving our customers better. Everything about SF Marketing has i

UK - Following a decision by Shure EMEA to align its distribution practices uniformly across Europe, Shure Distribution UK (SDUK) announced at PLASA London 2013 an internal reorganisation. The creation of three groups to directly serve Retail, Pro Audio & Systems Integration mirrors the structure already applied to product portfolio and customer segmentation.

Shure Distribution UK is essentially redefining its role in terms of distribution, and committing resource into a more complete and channel-focused support package for its selected partners. Rolling this concept out on a pan-European level ensures service and support levels are consistent at a country level, which is essential when resellers and service providers are increasingly operating in a single European market.

The sales function at SDUK is now accordingly structured into three divisions and these reflect the frame

UK - Solid State Logic has appointed HD Pro Audio as its Live console dealer in the UK.

"We're very happy to be involved with SSL in bringing this console to our U.K. clients," says Andy Huffer, HD Pro Audio sales director. "When I first heard about SSL doing a live console, I thought 'here we go, another manufacturer giving an existing product a makeover and calling it the live version.' Then I saw SSL Live at Musikmesse/Prolight + Sound and quickly realised that I was completely wrong and that HD Pro Audio had to be involved with this product.

"Building on the company's established history of manufacturing high-quality analogue and digital mixing consoles, with rock-solid reliability for the demanding broadcast market, the SSL Live console is a force to be reckoned with. Beyond the outstanding control surface ergonomics, high channel count, routing flexib

Following a second hectic day at PLASA London 2013, a packed audience gathered yesterday evening in the AudioLab Arena to congratulate the winners of the PLASA Awards for Innovation, sponsored by Lighting & Sound International magazine. The winner of the prestigious Gottelier Award was also announced at the ceremony.

The PLASA Awards for Innovation recognise products that advance the industry by demonstrating a new style of thinking, improving technical practice or taking a key step forward in terms of safety. During the show's opening two days, 45 new products were judged 'live' by an independent panel of expert judges who toured the show floor to view each product presentation.

Eight awards of equal standing were presented, as well as the PLASA Award for Sustainability, to the following winners:

Clay Paky for the A.Leda B-EYE K20

The judges said, "The B-EYE had a &q

Malaysia - Two of Malaysia's leading rental companies came together this summer to ensure Metallica's first-ever concert in the country would be a memorable event. By merging their Meyer Sound inventories, Kuala Lumpur-based EHQ Projects and Selangor-based SES Sound & Lighting created a massive, 146-loudspeaker system based around Milo line array loudspeakers.

"There were no delays, but the sound was clear and very loud even 100m back from the stage," recalls Jay Neil, technical director of EHQ Projects. "Afterwards, I had people telling me it sounded like a CD on a great stereo."

In order to cover an audience of 30,000 in Kuala Lumpur's Stadium Merdeka, the two companies configured a system of 72 Milo loudspeakers, including 40 for main hangs, 30 for side hangs, and two for out-fills. Front-fill was provided by 12 M'elodie line array loudspeakers, and 40 7

Record Sales - Tickets for next year's Glastonbury Festival have sold out in record time, according to organisers. Michael and Emily Eavis issued a joint statement confirming all 120,000 remaining tickets had been sold in just one hour and 27 minutes. They said they were "blown away" by the numbers logging on and were "genuinely sorry" that so many had missed out. Ticketing website See Tickets had earlier apologised to customers on Twitter for "technical difficulties". The site, which had been managing the sale of tickets for Glastonbury, wrote that the issues had led to "a very difficult half an hour" before the site stabilised, later adding that it was selling 3,000 tickets a minute.

Prices for the 2014 event had been increased by £10 to £210, plus a booking fee, but festival-goers could pay a deposit of £50 before sett

France - UK indie rock band Tindersticks is marking its 21st anniversary with a 12-date European tour that starts in France later this month. Among the key items of equipment at each show will be two DPA d:vote 4099 Instrument Microphones, which are being used on the band's cello and double bass.

Jamie Hickey, Tindersticks monitor engineer since 2008, says he used DPA d:vote 4099 Instrument Microphones over the summer when the band performed seven shows as a taster for the 21st anniversary tour. One of these performances involved a special set at the Blue Balls Festival in Lucern, Switzerland, where the six-piece band was joined by a 17-piece string section.

"The venue had a stock of DPA 4061 Miniature Microphones that it was happy for us to use on the string section, but due to their omni polar pattern I didn't think they were the best option for a string section that wa

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