UK - Two Welsh theatres have recently installed DiGiCo SD9 consoles. Milford Haven's Torch Theatre is a multi-function venue that combines main and studio theatres, an art gallery and café, it caters for plays, films, live music, dance, conferences and much more.

The Torch has also joined a growing trend in regional theatre of showing live and recorded transmissions of high profile stage shows, such as those by the National Theatre and New York's Metropolitan Opera.

Supplied by Stage Electrics, the SD9 has transformed the theatre's experience with digital audio, which began on a less than auspicious note.

"The SD9 isn't our first digital console," says the theatre's technical manager Andrew Sturley. "Previously we had a 24 channel digital desk from another manufacturer and went through four in a year, so it wasn't a great start. We ended up without any

USA - Sports bars have come a long way from the dingy, smoky, male-orientated establishments of the past. The most successful ventures today are big, bright and highly family oriented with casual but generally upscale décor, full lunch and dinner menus, scores of imported beers on tap, and multi-room, high-end audio and video systems.

P.J. Whelihan's is a prime example of today's sports bar with all the right elements. First opened in 1983, the chain now covers 16 locations in the Philadelphia and southern New Jersey region, including the most recent addition in suburban Downingtown, PA. It's a multi-use venue that can handle not just day-to-day sporting broadcasts but parties and live events as well.

"They've got a stage set up at one end of the main room for live performances and DJs," says Bob Schermerhorn of Allentown, PA-based Entertainment Service Group

Europe - Outline has announced the appointment of The Audio Specialists b.v. as their exclusive distribution partners for Benelux and Germany , with immediate effect.

TAS is the brainchild and property of former E-Audio Benelux managing director Axel Nagtegaal, under whom the company "achieved spectacular results for a number of leading pro-audio brands in Benelux , including Midas, Klark Teknik, Electrovoice and others". Nagtegaal and his team pioneered the concept of 'service hatch' distribution in pro-audio, where a territorial distributor effectively becomes the local office for the manufacturer(s) they represent. This model was instrumental in his prior successes in Benelux and will be re-applied to his new distribution venture.

"The Outline product portfolio contains a whole raft of innovative and relevant technologies that really make it so much more than

France - Opened in 1998 for that year's FIFA World Cup, Stade de France in Paris has recently undergone a €1.5m upgrade to its audio system, with a major Yamaha and Nexo system.

Famed for staging rugby, football and athletics, Stade de France also hosts concerts by many of the world's biggest artists like the Rolling Stones, U2, Muse, Madonna, Prince and the country's iconic Johnny Hallyday. When constructed it was equipped with a Nexo Alpha audio system but, over a decade on and with considerable advances in digital audio technology, it was felt that a new system would improve the intelligibility and listening comfort for stadium users.

A number of companies were invited to tender for the contract. After a successful demonstration of a Yamaha/Nexo solution, Nantes-based Melpomen (the company which installed the original system) was the chosen supplier.

Featuring a Yamaha M

UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET)'s audio division has supplied a new Nexo speaker system for the Performing Arts Centre at Downe House - one of the UK's leading boarding schools for 11 - 18 year old girls.

An integral hub of activity on the school campus, the multi-purpose space is a former barn, originally converted into a venue during the 1950s. The building is in constant daily use, not just for stage plays, dance and drama shows, bands and live music, but also for lectures and presentations.

It features a very distinctive hydraulic floor, which can be raised up to transform the flat floor space into a raked seated auditorium, which immediately changes the point of focus for sound and all the related acoustic characteristics of the space.

The time had come for the former sound system - installed about seven years ago - to be replaced. Joe Hilton, Downe House's

Latvia - One of the most popular restaurant chains in Latvia and the other Baltic states, Gan Bei has a variety of establishments across the region, all of which are revered for both the quality of the food and the surroundings in which it is served.

When fitting out their new Asian restaurant Gan Bei City, located in the shopping centre Galleria Riga in the Latvian capital Riga, the restaurant owners were keen to continue the tradition of quality with a classy interior that had echoes of the Orient, but at the same time was sleek and ultra-modern. And they needed an audio set up that fitted in with that ethos.

Owner of the restaurant Oleg Arup called in audio specialists Unique Ltd to give them a system that wouldn't interfere with the design aesthetic of their new restaurant, but would still offer the quality and flexibility they needed.

Rihards Rubenis, CEO at Unique, sai

UK/Singapore - UK-based broadcast mixing console manufacturer Calrec Audio have expanded their office in the Asia/Pacific Rim region with the appointment of Mr Ace Yip to a full-time technical sales and support position.

Calrec has had a permanent presence in Asia to support its distributors in the region since mid-2009, following a period when all sales and support was administered directly from the company's headquarters in the UK. Now based on the prestigious Alexandra Techno Park development in Singapore (also home to the local headquarters for Hewlett Packard, Nokia and Sennheiser), Calrec's Asian office is run by Graham Murray, who attributes the company's healthy and expanding sales in the region to having a local office in the right time zone for business in the region.

"We've had an increase of more than 250 percent in annual sales turnover in this region since o

Portugal -- Acoustic solutions manufacturer Vicoustic has released ViTUNE, the company's first acoustic measurement software. More than simply a measurement tool, ViTUNE is designed to help both audio professionals and hi-fi enthusiasts tune their rooms without requiring specialist training.

Based on a simple 'traffic light' indication system, room measurement is carried out in four easy steps via the software's intuitive interface. Configure the sound card, test the signal level, enter the room dimensions and click Go! For customers with more experience of acoustic analysis, the software also includes an Advanced section showing results for full frequency response, smoothed frequency, impulse response, reverb time and energy time curve.

As well as measuring the room, ViTUNE also indicates how much treatment should be used to improve the overall acoustic. Two choices of produc

UK - IT and AV rental company DB Systems is already hard at work preparing the temporary internet and telecommunications network for the Farnborough International Airshow (FIA) which takes place July 2012.

Over the next eight months DB's Event Networks and Telecoms division will install and manage a temporary internet and telecommunications infrastructure, which will eventually allow internet access and connectivity for over 350 individual companies, hundreds of journalists and thousands of members of the public expected to attend the event.

The completed network will be able to deliver VoIP telephony, faxes, as well as general internet connectivity and WiFi. The network will also provide for large upload requirements in the press areas and live video streaming, and high download speeds for all users.

David Bulley, DB's managing director, said: "This will be the second

The Netherlands - Systems integrators visiting ISE 2012 will get an opportunity to hone their audio skills and knowledge with loudspeaker manufacturer, Genelec. The sessions will run on the Genelec booth throughout the show and will allow integrators to get hands-on with products and see demos of acoustic simulation software for the fixed installation market.

"The A-V market is becoming increasingly competitive and integrators with a good background in audio have a real business edge," says Markus Kahelin, installation product specialist at Genelec. "Our short courses will give the integrator - whatever their existing level of knowledge - the confidence to tackle all types of audio installation and deliver maximum benefit to their clients."

Two years ago Genelec launched the 4000 Series active loudspeakers. The range has grown to include the compact and pow

Canada - DJW has supplied, installed and programmed a wealth of equipment at Fort Edmonton Park, Canada's largest living history site on the bank of the North Saskatchewan River.

Thanks to the production team led by Rob Wyatt of Artisan Design, visitors to the park are able to gain a much better understanding of how Edmonton developed through the ages; from the ice age, man inhabiting the planet, Canadian first peoples to the arrival of early settlers and coming up to the date of the Capitol Theatre on the 1920's street and life in Edmonton in the 1920's.

The project is centred around the park's re-creation of Edmonton's original Capitol Theatre. Walking through the theatre's lobby, past framed pictures on the wall, which in fact show '1920's moving pictures', hearing the voice of a 1920's actress over the speaker, guests are ushered into the 250 seat theatre, complete with lu

USA - Lead guitarist Dave Amato of REO Speedwagon has become a fan of the Sensaphonics 3D Active Ambient IEM System he bought a couple years ago, the company reports.

"My problem with regular in-ears was that I couldn't hear my rig," he explains. "The ambient system lets me dial in that outside world, as much of it as I need. Now I have a full band mix from monitor world, plus I can hear my whole rig, including the effects. It's the perfect thing for guitarists."

When REO Speedwagon decided to move to IEMs several years ago, Amato was far from enthusiastic. "Originally, I fought against it, because I knew I needed to hear my amp," he recalls. "So like a lot of guys, I ended up using only one ear on stage. In fact, I used to cut off one earpiece. But that meant my stage mix was mono, and I had to turn it up pretty loud to hear everything. When

Germany - Live event audio production supplier Neumann & Mueller (N&M) has augmented its rental inventory with a TiMax2 SoundHub audio showcontrol matrix and TiMax Tracker performer tracking system. The purchase followed a 12-month period of extensive evaluation that culminated in a well-received outdoor staging of Die Zauberfloete (The Magic Flute) at Erfurt's Domstufen Festspiele event.

Erfurt's cathedral forms a focus, particularly across the three weeks of every summer when it provides the backdrop to the Domstufen Festspiele - an open-air theatrical extravaganza which takes the vast medieval cathedral steps as its performance platform. This year's production - by Guy Montavon - of Mozart's final opera transformed the imposing cathedral steps into the lush green of a magical garden where the enchanting story unfurled to capacity audiences every night.

With N&M's loc

UK - Flightcase and audio speaker solutions specialist Penn-Elcom announces that Bristol based rack aficionados Rackz is to join the Penn Elcom Group, "bringing a wealth of experience in the field of 19 inch rack mounting design, construction and installation to the equation". Rackz is headed up by Dave Roberts, designer, innovator, engineer and musician.

Rackz will continue to operate exactly as is in its current set up, with Roberts at the helm and all staff staying onboard. They will service their own clients in addition to expanding Penn's current range of racking products and working on a host of new Penn racking-based projects.

Penn-Elcom has expanded its business steadily and specifically over the last two years, strengthening and consolidating its already robust activities in flightcase components and pro-audio peripherals.

Rackz and Penn Elcom have been wo

UK - The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh has recently completed the upgrade of the historic Great Hall. RCPE called in Audio Light Systems as they could provide audio, lighting & AV all from under the same roof. The brief was to install lighting, system control & audio in extremely sensitive surroundings.

The audio system is primarily for conference work, but is also used for foreground music at functions. QSC Acoustic Design speakers were installed as they are compact in size while still being horn loaded. The Acoustic Design subs were also discretely installed in existing wall cavities.

A Crestron processor is controlled wirelessly with an iPad or iPod, which gives user flexibility while also giving a great library of music. The Crestron processor controls the iLight lighting & QSC audio system (via an Allen & Heath DSP) using both presets and individual channel con

UK - The Theatres Trust, The National Advisory Public Body for Theatres, has announced its sixth annual conference, 'Delivering Sustainable Theatres' - on the challenge of achieving the triple bottom line.

Taking place on 12 June 2012 at Stratford Circus, next to the Olympic Park in East London, the Conference will explore how theatre buildings are managing their building's resources and addressing their future sustainability. The Conference takes place the day before the ABTT Theatre Show, allowing attendees and sponsors to take full advantage of these two London events.

The Conference will address the question of 'Delivering Sustainable Theatres' looking at how theatres are addressing the sustainability agenda in these rapidly changing times, and how they are providing a catalyst for social and economic recovery in the communities they serve. Conference speakers, sponsors an

China - The Ejin Horo Banner Theatre complex in Ordos has been equipped with a range of Fohhn loudspeakers, DSP-controlled amplifiers and system control technology. The complex is situated in an area of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region of China that is historically significant as the location of Genghis Khan's Mausoleum.

Within the complex itself, an impressive 1200-seater theatre space is flanked by a concert hall and multi-purpose hall, each with a capacity of 600, plus six conference rooms. In each of the spaces, Fohhn systems have been installed with a view to achieving excellent reproduction of speech and music combined with flexible remote control and networking possibilities, while remaining sympathetic to the architectural surroundings.

A range of Fohhn Arc-Series compact high performance loudspeakers, including 18 AT-66, 44 AT-07, 12 AT-201 and eight AT-50 models,

UK - Crestron has appointed Matthew Buck to the position of commercial account manager. He will be responsible for bringing new members into the Crestron family as well as maintaining good links with existing clients.

Since graduating from Swansea Metropolitan, Buck worked for Polar Audio (originally Beyerdynamic UK) and progressed from the position of consumer products manager to business development manager; where he was responsible for key accounts in the South East, generating over 30% of the company's turnover.

"Crestron has long since been the leader in control and automation systems which makes my new role a real privilege and hugely exciting," says Buck. "Having gained some valuable experience working within the professional AV market at Polar, I'm relishing the prospect of working with an already strong and successful team to further the success of the

Italy - FaitalPRO has announced the introduction of several new families of Ferrite products.

Flavio Naggi, overseas sales manager, states, "Our FaitalPRO brand has been on the market for just five years, but we are already appreciated worldwide as a reference point for professional neodymium loudspeakers and are now meeting the requests of numerous clients in the PA and SR areas with the launch of many new products in Ferrite.

"We are offering our clients an alternative based on new, soft and refined acoustic tonalities: the current product range will remain and the new families with a ferrite heart will join them to complete a now very extensive catalogue."

This launch will not only respond to budget related issues: many clients had already requested them also for challenges regarding acoustics and weight: for example, in many fixed installations, where ther

UK - Scottish three-piece rock band Biffy Clyro have played some major live shows in the last 12 months, supporting US rockers, Foo Fighters, at Milton Keynes Bowl, and opening for Metallica in Bangalore, India. A hectic and impressive list of festival dates has underlined the band's ever-growing popularity; they played Glastonbury's Pyramid Stage for the first time, headlined Wakestock Festival in Wales, and hit perhaps their highest point when they topped the bill on day two of the now-annual UK Sonisphere Festival at KnebworthPark.

To ensure they kept at the top of their game throughout the year, the band decided to deploy a Peavey monitoring system into their rehearsal space, which is located in their hometown of Kilmarnock.

"They originally wanted something that would give them eight monitor mixes because one of the options was to have stereo in-ear monitoring. Our p

UK - Software provider Stardraw.com has announced the launch of Stardraw Design 7. Stardraw's all-new system design/documentation tool is available for download from www.stardraw.com. The move follows the initial unveiling of the software at InfoComm 2011 in June which marked the debut of a public beta phase.

The application is Stardraw.com's seventh-generation software solution for systems integrators. Drawing on nearly two decades of market experience, and exploiting the latest in software technologies, Stardraw Design 7 offers audio and video system designers/installers "unparalleled speed, ease of use and task-orientated functionality in a modular package" which will enable integrators to custom configure the software to suit their particular requirements and budget. Users also have access to the industry's largest quality library of manufacturers' products.

Usin

UK - When it was decided that St Mary's Church in Ashford, Kent would benefit from opening its doors to a wider audience, Bose pro partner, Ashdown AV, was approached to provide some advice as to how audio might be used to help create a multi-purpose space for events and concerts as well as the traditional Sunday service.

After careful consideration of the layout of the building and the acoustics of the space, Ashdown AV recommended that a Bose ControlSpace DSP audio management system be installed to control multiple Bose Panaray speakers. The installation includes Bose Panaray MA12 line array speakers delivering clear music and voice to the body of the church, plus Bose Panaray 402 II speakers cleverly flown from the ceiling to cover additional areas, with Bose MB12 bass support.

According to Canon Colin Preece, "At its heart, the refurbishment of St. Mary the Virgin Ash

Singapore - As part of MediaCorp Radio's 75th anniversary, more than 25 local acts took to the stage at Marina Promontory on Saturday, 5 November for more than eight hours of non-stop music.

MediaCorp hosted the MeRadio Rocks The Marina!project - a celebratory concert where music and friendship all came together. With a capacity of roughly 5,000 people, the Promontory was rocking. The sound reinforcement featured loudspeakers from the Aero Series 2, Avant, and Road catalogs of D.A.S. Audio.

Singapore-based Showmakers (S) Pte, with over 15 years of event production experience and owners of a DAS Audio Aero 12A system, was contracted to provide sound services for the production.

The D.A.S. Audio sound system deployed for the concert was large, as Juan Luis Garcia, D.A.S. Audio Asia's managing director described, "We have an Aero 50 system in Singapore that is frequ

UK - London- based Entec Sound & Light supplied lighting, sound and video production and crew for the recent Friends of the Earth's star studded comedy extravaganza at the HMV Hammersmith Apollo, Laugh or the Polar Bear Gets It.

The line up of eight comedians, one singer and one larger than life polar bear's head set-piece featured Tim Minchin, Josie Long, Badly Drawn Boy and Richard Herring and was presented by Greg Davies. The venue was completely sold out as all united in an evening of hilarity and arctic proportions.

Laughing all the way to the lighting desk was Entec's Ryan Brown, who created a production lighting design for the evening - which resembled a festival in style and execution.

His aim was to compliment the main set piece, a giant polystyrene polar bear's head, so to connect this to its immediate environment, he imbibed the stage with an arctic ambienc

Latest Issue. . .