Top Gear - The musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is to tour the UK from December. The production opens at the West Yorkshire Playhouse on 2 December, where it will play for nine weeks. It will then begin a tour of the UK and Ireland, beginning at the Mayflower Theatre on 10 February, 2016. It is produced by WYP and Music and Lyrics.

Silver Scream - Primal Scream will be named musical icons at the Silver Clef award ceremony in July. The band, who were instrumental in shaping the indie pop scene in the early 1990s, called the icon award "a real honour". Previous wi

World - Shure Incorporated is celebrating its 90th year as an industry leader in professional audio. From its humble beginnings as a one-man company selling radio parts kits, Shure now offers a diverse portfolio of wired and wireless microphones, listening products, personal monitoring systems, phonograph cartridges, and conferencing and discussion systems.

Shure products have been used by such luminaries as Martin Luther King, Jr., Elvis Presley, and every United States President since Lyndon B. Johnson.

There have been many milestones in the Company's 90 year history:

The introd

Japan - After an extensive renovation that took five years to complete, the historic Himeji Castle's grand reopening ceremony was an event not to be missed.

The renovation of what is considered Japan's most spectacular castle, which is frequently known as Hakuro-jo (White Egret Castle) or Shirasagi-jo (White Heron Castle) because of its brilliant white exterior, began in October 2009. It involved returning the walls to 'the white egret' whilst repairing the kawara tiled roof, and the recreation of the symbolic Shachihoko (Japanese mythological animal) decorating its ridge.

The openi

- Since India's first Hard Rock Café opened in Mumbai's busy upmarket Worli district about nine years ago, the venue has built up a great following, thanks to its role as a standard-bearer of the brand's successful combination of good food and good music.

More recently, a second Hard Rock Café opened in Andheri (with its 1.5m inhabitants, one of the most vibrant important Mumbai suburbs) and recent changes to the two venues' music policy have been followed by a decision to upgrade the older venue's sound systems, with an Outline rig (the newer HRC, centrally locate

UK - UK companies installing energy monitoring systems, such as the MeasureMyEnergy equipment offered by consultancy :entertaining sustainability, can now qualify for upfront financing from the Carbon Trust's Energy Efficiency Financing Scheme.

The scheme, which is run on behalf of the Carbon Trust by Siemens Finance, provides initial funding for the installation, with repayments made over a maximum of five years from the savings generated by working with the equipment.

The MeasureMyEnergy system - already installed at the Royal Opera House's Linbury Studio - utilises sensors on eac

UK - Since it opened its doors (and, indeed, retractable roof) in 1999, Cardiff's Millennium Stadium has hosted myriad high-profile sporting and music events. From special rally stages and speedway races to concerts featuring the likes of U2, The Police and The Rolling Stones, the venue has welcomed them all.

But it's rugby with which the Millennium Stadium is most closely associated - it is, after all, home to the Welsh rugby union team and recently saw two of the Six Nations 2015 matches played out on its turf.

For several years a PreSonus digital mixer has been at the heart of th

UAE - Portuguese audio manufacturer brand NEXT-proaudio has announced the appointment of its new distributor for the United Arab Emirates. The distribution company is Echo Beats Electronics, and from now on they will handle the exclusive distribution of NEXT-proaudio products for that market.

Echo Beats Electronics is part of a regional group with more than 27 years of experience in professional audio, lighting and A/V Equipment and more than 10 years in the broadcast industry.

"We are very happy to start this distribution with Echo Beats. We found a very professional company t

USA - At NAB 2015 in Las Vegas, Shure debuted the Motiv MVL Lavalier Microphone, the latest addition to the company's Motiv line of digital recording solutions.

Suitable for capturing quality audio for field recording, dictation, news reporting, audio/video recording, and more, the MVL omnidirectional condenser lavalier microphone connects directly to any iOS and Android device for ultimate convenience and mobility.

Connecting directly to tablets and smartphones, the MVL is designed to be used with Shure's newest iOS app, ShurePlus Motiv Mobile Recording App, which is loaded with sm

China - Beijing-based RV Sun Acoustics has been appointed distributor for Pan Acoustics, the advanced steerable audio specialist from Wolfenbüttel in Germany.

Alan Li, vice general manager of RV Sun Acoustics explained their choice of Pan Beam, "With many column speakers available in the market over the last 10+ years, many companies have engineered their own solutions as part of an existing range of products in an attempt to tap into the growing market.

"We have been looking at the various solutions available in the market and all had their strengths and weaknesses, heav

UK - Fulbridge Academy in Peterborough is a primary school that was recently judged as 'outstanding' by Ofsted. A culturally and socially diverse school with children from more than 25 countries, it is renowned for its creative approach to the curriculum.

In keeping with its pioneering, forward thinking ethos, Fulbridge has enhanced its internal surroundings with a thought-provoking series of themed areas that relate to specific topics being studied by its children. The school contacted integrators Playfords, with a view to adding a carefully manageable audio element to the project an

UK - From its award-winning venue, to its business only focus and change in opening hours, PLASA 2015 has its sights firmly set on providing a show that delivers on every level.

"This will be our third year at London's ExCeL," says Christopher Toulmin, director of Events Division at PLASA. "Relocating events is never an easy decision to make but the closure of Earls Court made it inevitable. Our move to ExCeL- the only venue in London that can fully support the technical requirements of our industry- has proved the right decision and has enabled us to pursue our excitin

UK - The Roland O.H.R.C.A M-5000 live sound digital mixing console will be the star of the show for Roland at PLASA Focus Leeds (stand R-B12). Based on O.H.R.C.A - a brand new operating platform from Roland - the M-5000 has received critical acclaim worldwide, most recently winning the award for Best Mixing System (Live) at the Pro Light & Sound International Press Awards.

O.H.R.C.A stands for three key concepts: Open; High Resolution; and Configurable Architecture and provides more adaptability to individual workflow than any previous option. This combination adapts to the needs both

USA - Ariana Grande's 77-show Honeymoon Tour is the breakout artist's first tour to deploy a Meyer Sound Leo and Lyon linear sound reinforcement system. According to FOH engineer Toby Francis, the system has proven to be the perfect vehicle for delivering Grande's potent voice over the sound of screaming fans in sellout arenas.

"I can't say enough about the Leo system," says Francis, who has previously mixed Aerosmith, ZZ Top, Kanye West, and New Kids on the Block. "Ariana's vocals sound absolutely amazing through it. I've had some visiting engineers comment on how 'in-

USA - The Perelman theatre in Philadelphia's Kimmel Centre for the Performing arts is primarily a recital room but also serves as the venue's cinema.

David Conner is the centre's audio department head: "We have just completed a significant investment in the Perelman cinema system, this is now full 4k specification, a 32,000 lumen Barco projector, 40ft wide Stewart Filmscreen, and a bespoke 7:1 audio system using d&b audiotechnik V-Series and E-Series, designed and implemented by Pete Cosmos at systems integrator, Acme Professional.

Seating 650 and with two shallow balconies abo

UK - At PLASA Focus Leeds, KV2 will promote the newly released ESD 5. The ultra compact two-way 5" ESD 5 is the latest addition to KV2 Audio's passive ESD range. The ESD 5 has been developed in conjunction with prestigious sound designers working globally within the theatre industry. It was initially designed as a high quality delay unit for theatre applications where high quality audio is paramount but sight lines are also key.

The ESD 5 is equally at home as a discreet sound reinforcement product for entertainment venues, houses of worship, schools and boardrooms and can be use

Denmark - After much speculation in the pro audio industry, Uli Behringer's Music Group has announced its acquisition of TC Group, one of the largest groupss of companies in the pro audio industry. The deal has been signed and it is expected to close within days.

Headquartered in Denmark, and with offices worldwide, TC Group owns well-known brands Tannoy, Lab.gruppen, Lake, TC Electronic, TC Helicon and TC Applied Technologies.

Music Group adds Tannoy, Lab.gruppen and Lake to its professional install and touring sound offerings, alongside Midas, Klark Teknik and Turbosound, while TC

USA - Fresh off a stadium tour supporting One Direction, Australian punk pop band, 5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS), embarked on a promo tour of the USA with Allen & Heath's Qu-16 digital rackmount mixer managing the live acoustic performances.

Comprising a series of radio and store appearances, the tour culminated in the band's Derp Con fan convention, where lucky fans were handpicked and flown from all over the world to LA to meet the band, watch a live acoustic performance and take part in a Q&A.

FOH engineer, John Delf, and monitor engineer, Ben Booker, selected the Qu-16 to mix the 1

Finland - Jutel is one of the world's most experienced suppliers of radio station automation and digital radio broadcast solutions worldwide. In an interesting departure from their usual field of activities, the company has recently implemented the world's first all audio-over-IP AES67/Ravenna-based system into the newly refurbished Restaurant Nallikari in the Finnish city of Oulu.

Oulu is reputed as a major high-tech centre, particularly in IT and wellness technology. Restaurant Nallikari combines both. Benefiting from the most glorious setting right on Nallikari beach, Restaurant Na

USA - With their new album, Future Hearts, at the top of the charts, Baltimore-based punk/pop band All Time Low will be touring heavily throughout 2015. As always, the entire band will be using Sensaphonics in-ear monitors on stage.

"We've all used Sensaphonics for years now, and they have never let us down," notes guitarist Jack Barakat. "I've had problems in the past because of the amount I run around on stage, but with Sensaphonics I've never had an issue with a perfect seal and a perfect sound. Whether in the studio or touring around the world, I'm never with

USA - South Biscayne Church in Florida's North Port is a faith and Bible believing, Southern Baptist Convention church that offers a high energy, always exciting worship experience for all ages.

Bringing quality audio and video functionality to the church's worship experience was a particularly challenging endeavour because the space was originally developed as a shopping centre and, hence, not optimized for its current purpose. With careful planning and the right equipment however, services are a vibrant, contemporary experience-thanks in no small part to the sonic excellence deliver

UK - d&b audiotechnik has announced its return to PLASA Focus Leeds for 2015. Taking place from 12-13 May at the Royal Armouries, the upcoming show follows a very successful Prolight+Sound for d&b. The company introduced three new products: the D20 amplifier, the MAX2 stage monitor and ArrayProcessing, a significant software update within ArrayCalc V8.

At stand NA-24 in the New Dock Hall this trio of products will make their UK debut.

ArrayProcessing is a new, optional, feature for optimizing the tonal and level balance of d&b J, V and Y-Series line array systems across an entire li

France - The renowned Lille National Orchestra (ONL) under conductor Jean-Claude Casadesus has become Europe's first orchestra to go fully digital. With a recent investment in a Sennheiser and Neumann microphone set-up, the orchestra now boasts a fully digital signal chain from sound pick-up to recording. Their mobile studio comprises a total of 33 digital Neumann microphones, 24 digital Sennheiser microphones, all on active stands and booms, and six DMI-8 interfaces.

Also included in the studio are a six-channel Sennheiser wireless system and a full Neumann monitoring set-up. Managin

UK - Orbital Sound has recently completed a major installation project at the University of Wolverhampton's Arena Theatre, a 150-seat studio space, involving a Cat 6 network and d&b audiotechnik E-Series system.

Host to a wide variety of touring acts, as well as a series of jazz events, the Arena Theatre specified the E-Series ultra compact system after a comprehensive on-site evaluation by d&b audiotechnik, identifying it as the best match to the venue's requirement. The new system comprised d&b E12d cabinets, combined with E15X subs and E6 delays for the main theatre, complemented b

USA - University of Utah's Jon M. Huntsman Centre, a 15,000-seat arena that serves as home to the school's Runnin' Utes basketball, Utes volleyball and Red Rocks gymnastic teams, recently wrapped up a massive $6m renovation project.

When the dust finally settled, U of U's largest sporting and entertainment venue featured two new grand entrances plus a new floor, drapes, LED lighting system and versatile house sound system comprised of L-Acoustics' powerful Kara and high-directivity ARCS WiFo enclosures.

The audio portion of the project represented a joint effort between two Salt Lak

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