Germany - ATEÏS is highlighting its EN54 compliant product ranges and new SIP-Networking equipment at this year's Frankfurt Prolight + Sound show. ATEÏS ' public address and voice alarm products will be displayed on a newly designed booth.

EN54 compliance is vitally important in today's commercial audio and installation business. With some companies giving up and moving out of the market because of the high cost of certification, ATEÏS has taken the opportunity to invest and ensure its products comply with the mandatory European standard for the compliance of components and housing

UK - The largest surviving conventional auditorium in the country, the Gaumont State Theatre in north London, has been purchased by the non-denominational Christian church Ruach Ministries, and is being restored to its original 1937 glory, albeit with discreetly non-traditional Roland digital audio control systems.

Originally from Brixton in South London, Ruach Ministries is one of the fastest-growing churches of its kind in Europe. Seventy years to the day after it first opened, in December 2007, the organisation purchased Kilburn's landmark Gaumont State concert venue. Most recently

Germany - Line 6 will be showcasing its XD-V digital wireless microphone systems at Prolight + Sound 2011.

Line 6 digital wireless mics offer a simple and effective alternative to conventional core TV band UHF wireless systems. XD-V systems operate in the 2.4 GHz band, which permits worldwide license-free operation while successfully avoiding interference.

"Since its release, Line 6 digital wireless technology has received unanimous praise for its superior vocal reproduction, Line 6 modeling and unparalleled signal reliability," says Simon Jones, vice president of new mark

Germany - ARX Systems, the Australian based manufacturer of digital and analogue interface and signal processing products will be releasing a number of new products at the upcoming Frankfurt ProLight +Sound exhibition.

Product releases include the BSX16 active microphone/line splitter, developed to deliver the performance required by the increasingly sophisticated level of today's standards of E.N.G and broadcast audio production.

Also being shown for the first time is ARX's new MaxiDrive - six channel high current line driver / distribution amplifier. The MaxiDrive's low output imp

USA / Japan -The following statement has been issued by Audio-Technica U.S: "Audio-Technica U.S. extends its deepest condolences to those affected by the 2011 Tohoku Pacific Coast earthquake. Audio-Technica Japan facilities have not been damaged by the disaster, and all employees are accounted for and safe. Operations at Audio-Technica Japan are normal, although minimally affected by power outages, as office workers with long commutes are working from home when possible via cell phone and computer. The company is constantly monitoring the status of operations at all sites, with saf

The Netherlands - The largest live music venue in central Rotterdam, the 1,000-capacity Off Corso, has completed a comprehensive sound system upgrade following a long-term leasing deal with the Synco Europe Network. The club joins the Milkweg (Milky Way) and Paradiso clubs in Amsterdam, and the Tivoli in Utrecht, in providing exclusive Synco stage monitors, while Off Corso also now boasts a full Synco by Martin Audio line array PA system.

Off_Corso, a multifunctional building, is housed in the former Corso cinema in Kruiskade, close to the central train station. As well as live music

Argentina / USA - Solidyne S.R.L., the world's oldest manufacturer of broadcasting consoles and the first company to create a PC based digital audio system for radio station automation will incorporate Audinate's Dante digital media technology into its new 2600 line of digital consoles.

In 1995 Solidyne introduced Audicom 5, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) software application for radio station automation. Solidyne was awarded the First National Prize for Technological Innovation in Argentina for this invention. Today this technology is used in radio stations in more than 120 countrie

UK - Outline has announced the appointment of Chris Hinds as director of sales for EMEA. Hinds joins Outline following some years as European sales manager at Turbosound.

In addition to direct responsibility for European sales, he will be proactively developing the distributor network throughout the region.

"This is a really exciting opportunity to work with a company who are genuinely innovative, very progressive and with a clear vision of the future," says Hinds. "Obviously I've been aware of Outline for years, particularly because of their relationship with Britann

Belgium - After decades of misuse, looting and squatters the Villa Empain in Brussels has been restored to its former glory. A 5m Euro, two year renovation project turned it into a museum for intercultural dialogue. The management and architects chose APart for their sound system.

In early 2007 the villa (protected as a historical monument) was bought by the Boghossian Foundation who wanted to use it as a museum for intercultural dialogue. The foundation asked Francis Metzger, an architect with experience in renovating famous art deco buildings to lead the restoration. It was the star

Germany - Following on from the recently established Turbosound Japan subsidiary, Prolight+Sound 2011 marks the formation of a new Turbosound sales channel for Germany.

The Italian based Proel Group has established a direct-to-market sales channel to manage its Proel and Turbosound brands and their product lines in Germany.

"With our rapidly growing German customer base and our strategic drive to be more directly connected with our customers, the creation of the Proel Group Germany as a direct sales channel solution is the logical distribution choice for us," says Turbosou

Germany - In mid-February Yamaha invited 30 influential system designers from across Europe to a two-day seminar, where a comprehensive range of issues was discussed.

Held in Wiehl, Germany, this was the third such event hosted by Yamaha over the past few years. Company staff who led the sessions were Ron Bakker, Ruben van der Goor, Arthur Koll, Andy Cooper, Max Ota and Pawel Zachanowic. Kai Koennecke and Jan Prins provided technical and logistical support, while the technical preparation was aided by Atsushi Kitagawa.

The designers who took part came from a number of European count

UK - As the service company contracted to maintain the PA/VA system throughout the entire O2 complex, Eddie Thomas's ETASound find themselves supporting between 150 and 200 events per year.

The main arena itself is equipped with a full Harman Pro rig, offering a matched JBL / Crown / BSS system solution, operating on a Cobranet backbone running HiQnet. But Thomas also holds a serious inventory of complementary Harman Pro components which makes him well placed to add any further reinforcement when the occasion arises.

The most challenging events, he says, are not so much the conventi

UK - DB Systems has taken on three new members of staff to help facilitate a growing list of clients.

Nobunao Amos, who is fluent in Japanese, has joined as an account manager and will work with DB's design agency and event organiser clients. In addition, Dan Hunt has joined the company's Hire Desk and will handle equipment rental to venues and exhibitors, as well as other AV companies. Meanwhile, Carrie Martinge has joined the company's DBpixelhouse division in an account management and administration capacity.

David Bulley, DB's managing director, said, "We've had a busy star

Germany - The RE320 - the latest addition to the Electro-Voice RE Performance Group of wired microphones - puts many key features of the RE20 and RE27N/D Broadcast Group products into a versatile studio and live performance mic.

Designed to meet the demanding needs of project and pro studio operators, live and studio performers and engineers, as well as podcasters and broadcasters at any level, the RE320 brings heritage Electro-Voice technology and performance to bear in an exciting and versatile new MI product, says the company.

The RE320's key features include Electro-Voice's Vari

The Netherlands - Duran Audio has launched two Axys iPhone Apps and the AxysWireless Network Interface. Utilising the on-board pre-set programmability of the Axys products, the user can now simply switch programs from their Apple device and then adjust volume, EQ, mute or solo. The App is free to Axys users and will be promoted at ProLight+ Sound in Frankfurt next month.

(Jim Evans)

Australia - Keith Prestidge has joined Harman's Studer team as sales director, Asia Pacific reporting to Adrian Curtis and with a brief to grow the expanding region in broadcast and performance installations for Studer audio mixing systems.

Previously general manager at Klotz Digital Asia, Prestidge has resided in the territory for 15 years. He started his professional life as a hands-on radio broadcast engineer and has spent 20 years in the industry, which has included periods in project engineering and sales.

"Extending the Studer sales team with Keith based in Sydney will fu

UK - Mention Dave 'Hawkeye' Hawker's name to anyone of a certain age in the industry and they will all have done 'stuff' with him - the big and not so big gigs, live events, parties and practical jokes.

Sennheiser UK's director of engineering was a man who always left a strong impression; a perfectionist's perfectionist and sound engineer par excellence. Never happier than when facing a challenge and putting those 30 years of hardcore experience to full effect, there are so many tales to tell of his technical brilliance, his irascible humour and warm friendship. It's difficult to know

Germany - Loudspeaker manufacturer dBTechnologies is set to launch a number of new products at this year's ProLight+Sound exhibition, augmenting their wide range of rental and installation equipment. Visitors to the Italian acoustic specialist's stand will be introduced to three new Flexsys stage monitors: FM8, FM10 and FM12 as well as two new digital subwoofers SUB 12D and SUB 05D.

Comprising three models, the new Flexsys range offers tailored monitoring solutions using innovative technologies. Each of the active coaxial speakers is housed in a compact multifunctional enclosure, whic

Australia - The historic Strawberry Hills Hotel in Sydney has recently emerged from a six million dollar renovation. It's a classic pub with art deco windows, twenties style pub tiles and a State Theatre carpet but there is nothing old-school about the sophisticated audio visual system designed and installed by the Constant Group.

For audio, a range of JBL speakers and Crown amplifiers were chosen including surface mount JBL Control 25's along with JBL SB-210 and JBL ASB-6115 subs, which have been discreetly integrated into the walls and cabinetry making it as aesthetically pleasing a

Australia - Hillsong Church has selected Lab.gruppen's PLM Series Powered Loudspeaker Management System for its flagship Baulkham Hills campus in Sydney. The PLMs power the church's new speaker system and make full use of the Lab's integrated Lake processing and monitoring features.

Steve LeRoux and Jad Gilles head the Hillsong audio team. "We purchased our first Lab.gruppen amplifiers a few years ago and they have been rock-solid," says LeRoux. "We've also been using Lake processors for many years, so the combination of Lake processing built into a Lab amp made choosin

USA - Renkus-Heinz is launching two InfoComm CTS accredited RU training programmes for audio technicians in the fields of Intelligibility and Digital Beam Steering. The senior course instructor is well-known pro audio developer, instructor, AES moderator, author and journalist John Murray.

Both courses will be hosted at multiple locations across the USA, including at the Renkus-Heinz factory in Foothill Ranch, CA.

The Intelligibility (Non-Manufacturer) course - worth four RUs - covers Line-Source vs Point-Source, Technology Theory and Intelligibility. Topics include understanding li

Germany - Set for launch at ProLight+Sound in Frankfurt next month, Funktion One's latest offering, the PSM12 addresses a need for "an extremely powerful yet compact floor monitor with the qualities of the ground-breaking RM18 in a much smaller package".

The product features a custom designed 4" voice coil, 12" driver for maximum power at low frequencies and a 1.4" compression driver for high frequencies.

Funktion One's unique driver technology allows the compression driver crossover point to be nearly an octave higher than is typical, resulting in an extrem

UK - All exhibition spaces were taken at ISCEx2011 and the wide variety of exhibitors and seminars attracted a larger than ever number of bookings at an event that goes from strength to strength each year, say the organisers.

Kraken Acoustics used the exhibition in Watford to launch their new carbon fibre BB80 micro-bass loudspeaker together with the unique BB80 X3 active crossover amplifier and were very impressed with the excellent turnout.

Andy Tinsey, of Kraken Acoustics, said, "Many thanks for the organisation of a great exhibition. We were extremely pleased with the respo

USA - The Gateway Church in Southlake, TX changed its former AV distribution and communications system for a fibre based network installation. The fully integrated solution consists of a MediorNet fibre network backbone and an Artist digital matrix intercom from Riedel Communications. Responsible for the installation and planning was the systems integrator Beck Associates.

The Gateway Church comprises three different campuses. For providing distribution of all video, audio and communications signals, the Gateway Church installed a comprehensive system consisting based on Riedel Medior

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