Germany - At Prolight+Sound 2015 in Frankfurt, d&b audiotechnik introduced the newest four channel, two rack unit (2RU) amplifier: the D20. The new amplifier features proven, intuitive user interfaces and offers fast, responsive remote control and monitoring via Ethernet through the Open Control Architecture (OCA) protocol

The D20 amplifier has four independent 1600 Watt channels, each with two 16-band equalizers which feature parametric, notch, shelving and asymmetric filters and up to 10 seconds of delay. The digital signal processing (DSP) power of the D20 means that external syste

Germany - DiGiCo's new compact 2U Orange Box is a simple-to-use audio format converter with multiple options, allowing you to use DiGiCo Multichannel Interface (DMI) cards to create audio paths over a variety of interfaces.

With two PSUs for redundancy and two slots to accommodate any of the ten current interfaces available (DANTE, HYDRA2, BNC, CAT5, Optocore, Aviom, ADC, AES, DAC and SoundGrid), the 'anything in, anything out' Orange Box allows conversion of almost any audio format to another.

"The Orange Box is our first technology release borne of the pro audio group we have

Germany - HK Audio has announced a series of Key Rack package solutions for rental, touring and professional musicians, as well as IPD passive speaker system solutions for audio installers.

Developed by HK Audio's application specialists, the Key Rack packages feature the latest generation of advanced controller amps made by market leaders Lab.gruppen - the IPD 2400 and IPD 1200. The amp racks can be easily configured to drive a variety of HK Audio speaker setups simply by selecting the appropriate filter set.

Two HK Audio Key Rack packages are currently available: the compact 2-RU

China - Clear-Com has appointed Ann Williams as its new director of sales Asia Pacific, effective immediately. Williams will use her considerable sales and leadership experience to build on the current success in the region and drive new business. In addition to the Southeast Asia region, Williams will have supervisory responsibility for the China and India markets as well as Japan, Korean, Australia, and New Zealand.

"Asia-Pacific remains a strategically important region with considerable growth opportunities for Clear-Com. Thanks to the support and dedication of our in-region t

UK - Chairman John H. Skewes and managing director Dennis J. Drumm welcomed Prime Minister David Cameron's General Election 'Battle Bus' to the Garforth, Yorkshire premises of John Hornby Skewes & Co. Ltd - as the company celebrates its Golden Anniversary year.

Introduced by local constituency MP Alec Shelbrooke, the Prime Minister spoke on the topics of the day to local supporters, guests and JHS staff, then toured the JHS facility, showing great interest in the company's story, which was started in 1965, from humble beginnings in the home of the eponymous John Hornby Skewes and his

Germany - XI-Machines, the manufacturer of high-end workstations, has announced the availability of Rrecorder.1, a rack-mountable 1U audio recorder for up to 194 tracks simultaneously, after a 14-month development process.

Recorder.1 is designed to provide easy and reliable live recording within the most compact space possible. The world's first 19", 1U multitrack recorder delivers recording of up to 194 audio tracks simultaneously at 48kHz/24-bit, with a ready-for-operation time of less than a minute, says the company.

Recorsder.1 runs the Nuendo Live software, which is optimi

Norway / UK - Bright Norway AS and UK's Sonalyst have officially become the first companies to purchase the new Leopard linear sound reinforcement system from Meyer Sound. Having just made their debut at Prolight+Sound, the Leopard line array loudspeaker and its accompanying 900-LFC low-frequency control element are the smallest and most versatile members of Meyer Sound's flagship Leo family.

Following the success with its Leo Family products in high-profile projects such as the Nobel Peace Prize Concert and the FIS Cross-Country World Cup skiing competition, Bright Norway says the ne

UK - Sony unveiled new functions for its DWX series at Prolight+Sound. The digital wireless microphone platform for studio and ENG is now available with an extended frequency spectrum with four different channels, as well as new features in the free Wireless Studio 4.0 studio software. This will make wireless microphone use on stage or in TV transmission even more convenient.

The new version of the DWR-R02D digital wireless 19" rack-mount receiver has a bandwidth of 72MHz in the frequency spectrum from 470MHz to 542MHz. With the three other channel versions, the DWX series now co

Germany - Martin Audio's German rental company partners, Complete Audio Berlin, recently fielded their MLA system for The Prodigy - a band renowned for their chest-thumping bass. Mixing at front-of-house was their long-serving sound engineer, Jon Burton.

Back in 2008 Burton had called on his many years of experience to commission a custom 21in sub from Martin Audio's R&D director Jason Baird specifically to cover that summer's V Festivals.

But now he was at Berlin's 12,000-capacity Velodrom - a circular building with a low ceiling, designed for indoor track cycling - and mixing thro

Germany - With the highly anticipated world launch of its CDD installation series Martin Audio was able to report its most positive Frankfurt Prolight+Sound experience in recent memory.

The international trade press thronged onto the stand on the opening morning to hear the presentation of this new dedicated installation loudspeaker range, confirming the company's commitment to significant R&D in the Contractor market in a similar vein to which it has brought to the touring market. Combining distinctive curved enclosures with unique Coaxial Differential Dispersion technology, it is de

Germany - d&b audiotechnik previewed two new products and a significant software update at Prolight+Sound, Frankfurt. The update to the ArrayCalc simulation software includes a new feature called ArrayProcessing, to further elevate the performance of d&b line arrays. d&b also announced the introduction of the D20, the latest addition to the company's four-channel amplifier family, and the MAX2, a flexible 15" stage monitor.

Sabina Berloffa, director of marketing and product management at d&b, says: "The launch of ArrayProcessing is a testament to our commitment to advancing

USA - Ultra Music Festival 2015, which took place Friday to Sunday, 27-29 March, drew thousands of music fans to Bayfront Park in downtown Miami, which has hosted the event since 2012.

"We've been doing the Ultra festival for a long time and have become very familiar with what a system needs to be able to do this kind of show right," observes Andre Serafini, founder and president of Beach Sound, the Miami Gardens-based sound reinforcement provider for Ultra over the past decade. "Bayfront Park can be a challenging venue for this kind of music, but the L-Acoustics system

Germany - Following the successful ISE launch of Liviau R, the new, all-in-one conference room control system from Apex, the company has unveiled the latest in the series, Liviau S. Based on the same sleek, yet robust hardware platform as Liviau R, S offers all the same audio functionality as R but with greatly enhanced video and lighting capabilities for bars, clubs, retail, houses of worship and corporate applications.

Seen for the very first time at ProLight & Sound 2015, Liviau S features a fully integrated DMX controller for powerful and sophisticated lighting control. As well as

China - With a lot to show and a lot to say, d&b audiotechnik (China) Ltd took care to focus their product displays at this year's PL+S Guangzhou and at InfoComm Beijing, placing the professional concert systems of J, V and Q-Series together in one area, with the more installation oriented systems from the xS and xA-Series placed discretely elsewhere.

"We chose to differentiate the systems in a clearly visual sense," said Freddie To, director, d&b China, "but with the emphasis firmly on how the many elements of the d&b product range can be integrated in any combination.

Belgium - The Apart VINCI Series has been expanded with a new VINCI4-16 bass reflex cabinet loudspeaker. VINCI4-16 has an impedance of 16 ohms, what allows the connection of up to 4 VINCI4-16 loudspeakers in parallel on a single amplifier channel, capable of handling a 4 ohm load.

The VINCI4-16 is a small yet true high-end speaker specifically designed for fixed install applications. VINCI4-16 loudspeakers are highly recommended for use in small to medium-sized projects where design and sound quality really matter. VINCI series loudspeakers are ideal for use in retail stores, high cla

Germany - Bose Professional has drawn acclaim from end users and venue owners for its L1 portable array systems. At Prolight+Sound 2015, Bose expanded its portable P.A. offerings with the introduction of the F1 Model 812 flexible array loudspeaker and F1 subwoofer. Designed to serve an even broader set of applications than L1 systems, F1 Model 812 is the first powered portable loudspeaker that lets users optimise sound by creating up to four different vertical coverage patterns.

Offering exceptional power and clarity, the F1 system provides versatility for a wide range of applications

Italy - Based on leading edge technology and customer demands, the 18XL1800 subwoofer from FaitalPRO is designed to recreate the very low natural audible frequencies of 20 to 30Hz, and give an intense acoustic performance.

It has a very high mechanical excursion, which is at least one and a half times greater than the other 18" woofers in the FaitalPRO catalog.

With a rated power of 1600 W and declared 3200 W maximum (according to AES standard), it maintains a good operating reserve allowing for optimum performance even in extreme conditions.

It offers 95dB sensitivity and is

Germany - Alcons Audio is celebrating its most successful Prolight+Sound ever, with two new pro-ribbon line-array systems, the LR28 and LR16.2, taking centre stage.

"This was our most successful Prolight+Sound to date," says Alcons co-founder Tom Back. "The LR28 created an incredible buzz. During the show, Norwegian rental company Trondheim Lyd was happy to announce the purchase of the first system in the world - a complete package of 32 LR28s, plus BC543 triple 18" cardioid subs and Sentinel10 amplified loudspeaker controllers."

The LR28 larger-format line-

Canada - HHB Canada has announce the exclusive distribution of Adam Audio in Canada. The agreement is effective 1 May, 2015

Adam Audio was founded in March 1999 in Berlin Germany. Since then the company has been developing, manufacturing and distributing loudspeakers in the field of Professional Audio.

Ferdinand von Wrede, managing director of Adam Audio comments, "We are pleased to announce our partnership with HHB Canada. Together we will be able to grow substantially in the Canadian market and best support our customers and end-users in their work with our products."

UK - Martin Audio has boosted its UK sales force by recruiting Richard Van Nairn as a new account manager, working alongside Al Brown.

With a lifelong love of music, recording and production he is well placed to drive sales after spending four and a half years honing his skills at Martin Audio dealer, LMC Audio. During his time there Richard looked after the needs of customers in the south of the country, catering for their pro audio needs.

Of his move to Martin Audio, the new account manager states, "The company has been leading the way in professional touring sound since the

UK - Professional audio designer Ian Colville joins Flare Audio as its head of pro technical this May, expanding the company's presence in the pro-audio market and introducing its technology to the concert-going public.

Colville joins Flare following eight-and-a-half years with audio rental company Capital Sound, where as technical manager and systems designer he worked on a wide range of high profile projects including Take That's Progress stadium tour, The British Summertime Concerts in Hyde Park, London, and The Killers at Wembley Stadium.

"Sound has been my passion for the

UK - Few rental companies have been as progressive as Wigwam in deploying Optocore optical fibre interfaces over the years, and configuring drive racks designed to give their sound engineers a much more 'fuel efficient', elegant and secure ride.

After initially devising the OptoRack data returns system, when Optocore announced the DiGiCo implementation last Autumn, Wigwam wasted no time in building the first multiplexed DiGiCo Fibre Ring systems, allowing a range of DiGiCo mixing consoles and Optocore devices to work seamlessly together.

And when the experienced Dave Bracey, FOH eng

UK - The Nexo Geo M6 will be taking centre stage on Orbital Sound's stand (R-D14) at PLASA Focus Leeds, following its recent appointment as Nexo's UK full-service main dealer and approved rental partner. As Orbital Sound's principal loudspeaker brand, the Nexo line-up offers a range of new compact modular designs, including the Geo M6 - a high quality all-purpose AV and musical theatre system, suitable for deployment in a wide variety of situations.

Commenting on Orbital Sound's recent appointment as the UK main dealer, director of sales Andy Simmons said, "The Nexo Geo M6 packag

UK - Visitors to the upcoming PLASA Focus Leeds (12-13 May, Leeds Royal Armouries) will get the chance to see Meyer Sound's brand new LEOPARD and 900-LFC for the very first time in the UK.

Bradford-based Pro Audio Systems, Meyer Sound's official partner for the North of England and a long-term supporter of PLASA Focus, will be showing the brand new Meyer Sound Leopard and 900-LFC loudspeaker products on their stand (N-A18) throughout the show. Leopard and 900-LFC are the latest members of Meyer Sound's LEO family, and also by far the smallest and lightest, delivering extraordinary pow

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