UK - Salcombe Estuary is an idyllic harbour enclave of South Devon and now home to the recently redesigned, renovated and expanded Salcombe Harbour Hotel.

Bedford-based Kazbar Systems were contracted to install the sound system for The Jetty Restaurant & Bar, corridors, reception and outside terraces in this spa hotel, which is built into the side of a cliff.

The hotel management wanted a sound system which delivered a full range sound throughout these areas, where the music would be clear at low levels, when delivered through their customer-profiled MP3 player, but equally have the

UK - Specialist lighting and sound finance company Azule Finance has financed a £100,000 deal for Aberdeen Performing Arts (APA) to upgrade one of its theatre sound systems. His Majesty's Theatre Aberdeen, one of three theatres owned and run by APA, chose to invest in D&B speaker systems to bring high quality audio to the many comedy and West End shows it hosts. The company chose to provide swift and competitive finance to support this investment which represents a substantial strategic overhaul for the theatre.

As the biggest arts organisation in North Scotland, with a staff of

Austria - A total of four Allen & Heath iLive digital mixing systems were employed for the grand opening of the 2013 Vienna Music and Arts festival. The annual event is held in front of the historical City Hall in Vienna's Rathaus Square, and iLives have been used to manage the event for the past four years.

The large production utilised a number of different size consoles to manage the various acts, which incorporates the final of the Eurovision Young Musicians Contest. The finalists were supported by the Radio Symphonic Orchestra Vienna (RSO Vienna), and support acts included seven-

Germany - Riedel Communications has released a new universal video I/O card for the company's MediorNet Modular real-time network. Supporting a variety of small form-factor pluggable (SFP) optical transceivers, the MediorNet MN-C-OPT-HDMI and MN-HDO-4IO universal video cards enable the flexible configuration of MediorNet systems for bidirectional transport of analog composite video, HDMI, DVI, and optical or coaxial SDI signals.

Designed for environments including theatres, houses of worship, hotels, convention centres, and stadiums, the MediorNet bidirectional video cards bring added

UK - Soundcraft became associated with the famous name of Brian Epstein, the Beatles' legendary manager, when a Vi1 digital mixing desk was recently installed in the Liverpool Theatre that bears his name.

Ever since 1913 this landmark venue in Hanover Street - formally known as Cranes Music Hall, Cranes Theatre and most recently The Neptune Theatre - has provided live entertainment to the city's residents.

Following a £1.2m refurbishment - and rebrand as The Epstein Theatre - it has celebrated its centenary by commissioning a permanently installed sound reinforcement system, c

USA - Solid State Logic has begun the roll out of the US reseller network for SSL Live consoles with the appointment of professional audio equipment and services company Spectrum Sound. The announcement is the first of many with a steady stream of rental and resale providers preparing to join the SSL Live reseller network.

"We are very excited to be a part of the SSL family and offer the new SSL Live console to the marketplace," says Ken Porter, founder and CEO of Spectrum Sound. "Because SSL is a musician-owned company, it prioritizes the same truly important things th

UK - DiGiCo's 12 Days of Christmas is back for its second festive instalment. This year, Santa and his elves have been even more creative and come up with some wonderful presents.

To be in with a chance of winning one of the 12 great gifts, all you need to do is visit DiGiCo's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/DiGiCo.Official

Like last year, the fun starts on the 12 December and finishes on the 23rd with a prize to be won each day. You must first of all, 'Like' the DiGiCo Facebook page, click on the competition tab and answer all 12 questions correctly in order to be in with a chanc

UK - Martin Audio has announced dates for a European Showcase Demonstration of its new MLA Mini ultra-compact multi-cellular loudspeaker array.

This will take place over two days (18-19 February 2014) at The Backstage Centre, Purfleet, Essex, UK.

The entire pro audio community - from distributors, dealers, rental companies, system integrators and consultants, as well as FOH engineers, system techs and event production managers - are invited to attend.

It will also provide an opportunity for the media to experience the new system's award-winning technology at close quarters.

Jame

Italy/China - FaitalPRO has launched a Chinese version of its website. Gianluca Turra, FaitalPRO area manager responsible for the Asian market, states, "The new website constitutes a very important foundation for the further expansion of FaitalPRO into the Chinese market, which is giving us a lot of satisfaction. It will become a very important tool for our clients as it is a precious and rich source of information for a huge potential market of Chinese speaking internet users.

"Furthermore, we would like to take this opportunity to emphasize FaitalPRO's presence in this mar

Mexico - Solid State Logic has announced the latest appointment in its ongoing development of a global partner network for SSL Live consoles: pro audio specialist Audio Acústica y Electrónica S.A. de C.V. will distribute SSL Live in Mexico.

"Audio Acústica is proud to be the face of the SSL Live in Mexico," says F. Javier Posada Morales, director general of Audio Acústica y Electrónica S.A. de C.V. "As the next big thing in live mixing, SSL Live is definitely setting new trends and standards for live audio, which is something the company has been doing for more tha

UK - The Institute of Sound and Communications Engineers (ISCE) has appointed Anthony Smith as its new president. It was announced at a recent AGM that the new president would be taking up the position vacated by Terry Baldwin, who is stepping down from the office he has held for the last four years.

Anthony was the founder of AVX Systems before going on to develop one of the first digital networking voice alarm systems(VxLAN) - which later became SigNET - and in 1999 developed the first generation SigTEL fire telephone system. He set up Current Thinking Ltd in 2001, developing new in

UK - Sony has announced that the PCM-D100, a portable linear PCM recorder with built-in 32 GB flash memory will be available for purchase in Europe from early 2014. The recorder reproduces high sound quality, live instrumental performances and outdoor capture with a close likeness to organic sound. The PCM-D100 is designed for live music events, theatrical performances, and electronic news gathering.

The PCM-D100 is compatible with 2.8 MHz /1-bit direct stream digital DSD, a format that records source sounds using digital signals, but in a format that closely resembles analogue wavefo

Mexico - Ten of the Best is an ensemble featuring 10 of the world's most renowned trumpet players. Playing a crossover of classical, jazz and pop music, Yamaha digital mixing consoles are a key accompaniment to their live shows.

Formed in 1991 by piccolo trumpet legend Otto Sauter, Ten of the Best features its founder plus nine other players of global renown, including the principal trumpet players of the Royal Stockholm Opera, Vienna State Opera, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and the Radio Symphony Orchestra Prague.

Recently the group played several of their Richard Wagner Project

UK - Liverpool based Adlib supported electronic duo Disclosure with plenty of enthusiasm, a control package for their latest UK tour and a sound system for their two sold-out Brixton Academy performances.

The Brixton shows were the culmination of a busy year for brothers Guy and Howard Lawrence whose career has leapt from 0-200 in the last 18 months.

Disclosure's production team including tour manager/production manager Toby Iddison and FOH engineer Rob Webster-Reed approached Adlib to put together a touring package after they had crossed paths on numerous festivals throughout the S

USA - D.A.S. Audio confirms that the company's US-based division has relocated into new headquarters. With the company's expanding presence throughout the Americas, the new facility provides increased warehouse space, newly designed offices, a training room, and a large format demo room-enabling the company to better serve its growing clientele base.

D.A.S. Audio of America's new facility is a 25,000sq.ft free standing building and includes an adjacent lot that will enable the company to expand its operations in the future. Purchased in March 2013, the building underwent extensive rem

USA - From his base in Los Angeles to venues as far apart as Nashville and Hong Kong, Daniel Ho has taken the traditional music of Hawaii far and wide. The Oahu native has recorded 18 solo albums and produced over 100 albums, in the process winning six Grammy Awards as an artist, producer and audio engineer.

But Ho's greatest pleasure is taking Hawaiian music to people, performing it in concerts all over the world. And besides his ukulele, he always travels with his L1 portable sound system from Bose Professional Systems. From ukulele clinics at venues around the country, including Gu

USA - The School of Church Music at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary recently enlisted the help of DPA Microphones and Steinway Hall of Dallas, Plano and Fort Worth to put on Keyboards at Christmas - a performance of 'grand' proportions. With 17 Steinway Grand Pianos on stage, student and professional musicians performed holiday songs for the packed house at the 3,500-seat venue.

Already DPA Microphones enthusiasts for the ability of its mics to reproduce the natural beauty of a Steinway, the music staff at Southwestern Baptist knew it wanted to equip all 17 pianos wit

The Netherlands - With its recent purchase of the 1100-LFC low-frequency control elements and JM-1P arrayable loudspeakers, Veldhoven-based rental company Bazelmans AVR has grown its inventory to include more than 100 Meyer Sound loudspeakers.

"We had heard through the grapevine that the 1100-LFCs were amazing, but when we first fired up the units for testing we were dumbstruck," says Aart Habraken, rental manager for Bazelmans AVR. "The 1100-LFC maintains linearity regardless of power levels and SPL output. It truly raises the bar for all others to follow. With the EDM

UK - Sennheiser's 9000 Series digital wireless system is proving a winner in theatre sound design where absolutely silent operation is critical. After a highly successful trial run on the West End production of Dear World with a system, sound designer Mike Walker has invested in 9000 Series for his company Loh Humm Audio.

Walker had been using Sennheiser's 5000 Series systems for around 15 years, so he was keen to try the 9000 series. "I really like the 5000 Series - of the earlier Sennheiser systems I think it's the best suited to voices and I've been very happy with its

The Netherlands - In October 2010, an Alcons LR14 loudspeaker system took its bow at the first performances of Soldaat van Oranje, De Musical (Soldier of Orange, the Musical), a huge, technically complex theatrical production based on the book by Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema and the film of the same name. Three years, a thousand performances and over a million audience members later, the Alcons system is still performing flawlessly.

Soldaat van Oranje, De Musical is by far the biggest theatrical production ever staged in the Netherlands, housed in a converted aircraft hangar

Gross Income - US rock band Bon Jovi had the biggest international music tour of the year, according to Billboard magazine's 2013 rankings. The group played to more than two million fans during 90 sell-out shows, grossing $205m (£125m).

Cirque Du Soleil's Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour was second on the list, followed by singer Pink. The Rolling Stones were the highest placed British act - at number six - raking in $126m (£75m) from 23 shows. They finished behind Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, who were fourth on the list after grossing $147m

UK - For their recent 20th anniversary tour, UK band Tindersticks turned to Schertler's new Magnetico AG6 pickup to enhance their acoustic guitar sounds. The AG6 is the first model in a range of specially developed, fretted instrument pickups that combine high-end Schertler electronics with active multiple coil technology.

The compact AG6, equipped with it own volume control, is designed to fit inside the guitar's sound hole. Schertler produced a customized "left-handed" version of the pickup for guitarist Neil Fraser who used it in combination with the new S-MIC-M, a high-q

The Netherlands - One of the major benefits delivered by the Yamaha CL1 digital console is that it has brought high specification digital mixing to rental companies whose events demand the latest technology, but in a very compact footprint. Such is the case at Sound & Light Technology of Mierlo, Netherlands.

The Dutch company is very much a family concern. Founded by current owner Robin Janssens' grandfather as a woodworking business, under Robin's father it became one of the BeNeLux region's biggest nightclub interior design companies. Working in the audio industry since 1996, Robin

The Netherlands - Over the last year Dutch based installer First Impression Audiovisueel was commissioned to supply an audio, video and light installation for Basic Fit - a large chain of sport clubs located throughout the Netherlands and Belgium. First Impression found a suitable control solution in the CueCore solid-state control for this customer.

The CueCore is a lighting controller for permanent installations manufactured by Dutch company Visual Productions BV. The device is completely solid-state, with no moving parts; it is a secure and low-maintenance installation control solu

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