UK - Sound Division continues to build on its reputation as London's premier supplier of entertainment services and systems to restaurants, clubs and bars with the installation of a new DJ system into acclaimed London restaurant, Shumi. Based in St. James's Street, Shumi is the second concept restaurant (after Hush) of Geoffrey Moore (son of Roger) and Jamie Barber. In addition to supplying the DJ system for Shumi's sophisticated basement cocktail bar, the Calma Lounge, Sound Division also undertook a complete refurbishment of the existing system to incorporate the new elements.
The DJ system comprises two Technics SL1210 Mk2 turntables, Ortofon cartridges a Pioneer DJM300 professional DJ mixer and a Denon DND400 twin CD player all complete with aluminium flightcases as the system is designed to be portable. Sound Division also supplied four JBL Control 28 loudspeakers and an SB2 sub bass unit to supplement the existing system which was completely refurbished and re-equalized to create a coherent whole.
Steamroller Restaurant's Jamie Barber was pleased with the results. "Sound Division provided us with an efficient and cost-effective service," he commented. "The system downstairs definitely needed upgrading as the popularity of the Calma Lounge as a really happening and vibrant nightspot has grown, but we didn't want to have to replace everything. Sound Division understood that and were happy to work with the existing system, only adding equipment where necessary rather than trying to persuade us that the only solution was to rip everything out and
UK - Bradford-based Pro Audio Systems have carried out a complete sound and vision refurbishment for Kents Health & Fitness Centre in the Yorkshire city. A dealer for Wharfedale Pro systems for a number of years, it has chosen its loudspeakers judiciously from across the company's range, to fulfill different functions in the multi-zoned health and fitness centre.
The installation has been developed in several phases, according to PAS director (and project manager) Brian Lumb. After supplying equipment on a piecemeal basis over the years they have now been tasked with carrying out a complete integration of the spinning and aerobics studios, cardiovascular, weights and reception areas (which are divided into six zones). In the two studios, PAS have specified two identical stand-alone systems, with Wharfedale Twin 12's fed from a Marantz PAC-750 cassette/CD/mixer combo, with Samson compressor/limiting. A Sennheiser Evolution beltpack radio system is also supplied for the aerobics instructors in Studio 2.
In the general Cardiovascular area four Wharfedale Programe 60's are fed by multiple sources, including tuner, CD, Sky satellite input or Rolec hard disk system, while elsewhere 12 Programme 50's are deployed in the Weights and Reception areas and six Programme 52s in some of the workout areas. All routing is carried out by a Cloud Z8 zoner, while a Cloud CPM8 paging mic is positioned at Reception.
The Twin 12's are high-end dual concentric coaxial speakers, which are perfectly matched for the two studios. The Programme range are purpose-built two-way ported foreg
UK - Proel's NEXT range of speakers, launched earlier this year, has now arrived in the UK and is starting to cut a significant slice of the cake for portable PA speakers, Proel (International) recently reorted.
The NEXT series represents Proel's first move into the plastic enclosure market, using sturdy polypropylene boxes fitted with the sort of quality loudspeakers usually found in more expensive ply enclosures. The result, the company says, is an exceptionally clean and dynamic sound. The speakers used include a 12" neodymium custom-designed and manufactured LF unit, fitted with an aluminium diecast basket, which enables exceptional power delivery. High frequencies are handled by a 1" compression driver mated to a 900 x 600 horn.
Powered models in the NEXT range are fully bi-amped and fitted with custom crossovers and electronic protection. They also feature onboard mixers with three separate balanced inputs allowing connection of both mics and instruments, without the need for an external mixer, two-band EQ, volume and ground lift switching. Active models include the NEXT 12BA (170W+30W RMS) and the NEXT 12HBA (300W+100W RMS). Both models have thermal, DC voltage and short-circuit protection, plus subsonic filter, soft start and RF immunity filter.
The passive NEXT range comprises the NEXT12P4/NEXT 12P8 (170W AES) and the NEXT 12HP4/NEXT12HP8 (300W AES). All NEXT speakers feature a convex shaped front grille, rubberised ergonomic handles, a stacking system, M8 threads/eyebolts for flying and a trapezoidal shape, which allows for use in multiple a
Denmark - Nordic Rentals A/S, one of Denmark's leading rental and production companies, has taken delivery of a further five Klark Teknik DN1248 Plus active signal splitters from KT's Danish distributor, Ascon Trading. Nordic Rentals now boasts a total of 10 units, giving them the capacity of a full split up 120 channels of audio.
Nordic's chief engineer and head of sound, Jens Elsborg, invested in the first five units late last year specifically to handle the broadcast splits for the Junior Eurovision Song contest hosted in Copenhagen in November. He was so impressed with the sonic quality and ease of use of the DN1248 Plus that he opted to take another five pieces in order to handle the demands of the gruelling summer festival season. It also gives him the capacity to handle even larger broadcast events.
"We used to buy our splitters from another manufacturer, but the problem was that they just didn't have the capacity to accept high input levels without distorting or clipping," explained Elsborg. "For example, signal from, say, a high-hat or a condenser mic just used to send them off the scale. We would then have to reduce the gain by as much as 10dB so that the split could handle the signal safely, but of course, in a festival situation when the next monitor guy comes and plugs his gear in, all the levels are f**ked! It's very frustrating. You end up spending your entire day adjusting and readjusting the settings. However, with the KT device, you can just plug it in and walk away. It has sufficient headroom to handle pretty much anything we thr
UK - For the second year running, Out Board's Dave Haydon and Robin Whittaker have given a seminar on Source-Oriented Reinforcement to degree students studying Sound Technology and Theatre and Performance Technology at The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, coordinated by lecturer Chris Layton and technical manager Andy Waddell.
Using a TiMax Audio Imaging delay matrix and multi-channel speaker system set up in the college's Paul McCartney Auditorium, students were able to hear how control of relative arrival times between audio wave fronts affects accuracy of panoramic and surround imaging, essential in theatre and live presentation to maintain authenticity and intelligibility. The demonstrations included the delay-time boundaries that create undesirable comb-filtering and echo-perception, and how combining delay localization with conventional level panning can significantly enhance the perception of multi-channel surround sound effects over a wide audience area.
Out Board subsequently loaned a TiMax ImageMaker8 system to LIPA, at the request of students Dan Bennett and Colyn Lewin, to help implement their animated sound design for a dance, sound and installation production called Chimaera, a production based on the theme of rhythm and the result of cross-collaboration between sound and movement.
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
Germany - Besides boasting a great and growing tradition, the Jazz an der Donau (JADD) festival, now in its 18th year, is one of the eight biggest jazz festivals in the world. With a world-class line-up again this year, it's a status JADD is in no danger of losing.
In securing the services of blues legend B.B.King for the opening night, the organizers have pulled off a real coup. Rarely seen these days in Europe, the heavyweight blues hero with his trademark semi-acoustic, 'Lucille', joins an illustrious list of jazz and blues legends that have graced the JADD festival over the years. King's presence will further enhance the cachet of the festival, to which not only the exuberant atmosphere but also the superb staging and sound equipment contribute in large measure.
For EVI Audio, who again this year will be providing the sound reinforcement equipment, the Jazz on the Danube festival is a home game, Straubing being the seat of the company headquarters. Last year, the quality of the sound drew an enthusiastic response from performers and public alike. "Since I've been handling this festival," commented the organizer of the jazz marathon, Ralph Huber, "I've never known the musicians to be as unanimous in their praise of a sound system." The team, led by Ingo Haasch, EVI Audio's concert sound manager, are confident they can repeat their success this year.
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
UK - Engineers, producers and pro audio suppliers joined together at Kore Studios in West London for the much-anticipated listening comparisons of the Audient ASP008 8-channel mic variable impedance mic pre and the public unveiling of the soon-to-be-released Sumo high definition analogue summing amplifier.
Kore's owner and chief engineer, George Apsion was at hand to ensure that all of the mic pres had a fair hearing. Units from Millenia, Avalon, Focusrite and Amek, all kindly donated by FX Rentals for the day, were compared directly with the Audient ASP008. Audio professionals were then invited to pass comment on the sound quality of each, with source material provided by an excellent female vocal and acoustic guitar duo.
Luke Baldry, sales and marketing director for Audient, comments: "The most interesting aspect of this test was that there was little evidence of the difference between mic pres being subjective, there were clear winners and losers in this test. I'm pleased to say we were amongst the winners!"
"The ASP008 is a lot closer in terms of the sound quality to the more expensive units tested," adds George Apsion." In one case it easily out-performed a mic pre that I assumed would be in a different league. The clarity and definition of the ASP008 is remarkable given the price of the unit."
Those present were also given the opportunity to audition the Audient Sumo for the first time. The Sumo provides a high quality, analogue sum of the individual D/A converters of a workstation, with the addition of a buss compressor
UK - London-based PA specialists Capital Sound Hire supplied an entirely XTA driven PA system for 50 Cent's first outdoor UK performance this year, at Rockingham's Days of Thunder events. Each thrilling race day has 170mph-plus racing and The Smash Hits Rockingham Stage, which plays host to a variety of top pop acts.
On 6 June, Europe's hottest rap DJ Tim Westwood played a half-hour set, followed by a ground-shaking performance by 50 Cent. To cope with the heavy amount of sub bass the rapper puts out, Capital employed a 16 per side Meyer Milo line array system with 12 of Meyer's new 700HPS sub-bass - its first use on an outdoor show in the UK. This would normally be more than enough, but on this occasion they added another 12 Martin W8L subs because, as Capital's Paul Timmins explains: "50 Cent's type of music is very sub-bass heavy, so we needed to have a huge amount of subs! Centre-fill in the pit was four W8Ls, two W8C conventional medium-throw cabinets and four Meyer UPA-1Ps as barrier fills.This was all driven by four XTA DP226s. "We had up to 24 zones with the Meyer equipment," continues Timmins. "Because it's a powered system, we were using the DP226s as line drivers to give us up to 24 lines to zone the system, and set up was with XTA's AudioCore software."
Dave Wooster, FOH engineer adds: "As well as using the DP226s as line drivers on the Meyer system, we were using them for EQ and crossovers on the Martin subs. I was also using my own SiDD across the complete system. It provided overall fine-tuning using the compres
UK - Adlib Audio was out in force again at Glastonbury 2004. Fielding 19 engineers and audio technicians, they serviced seven stages - the Cabaret Tent, The Circus Big Top, Outside Theatre, Outside Circus, the Theatre Tent, the Albatross Stage plus a mobile system.
The 3,000 capacity Cabaret Tent was the largest Adlib audio system, featuring Nexo Alpha speakers and a Soundcraft Series 4 console at FOH and SM20 onstage, complete with ADLIB monitors. Marc Peers, Tim Dalton and Paul Roberts looked after this. James Coates, Chris Smethurst and Dave McKenzie using an Adlib FD system with Allen & Heath control at both ends of the multicore coordinated the Circus Tent sounds. The Outdoor Theatre was overseen by the multi-skilled Hassane, Paul Dakin and Graham Smith, who ran another Adlib FD system with Allen & Heath control.
On the outdoor stage were Richie Nicholson and Carl Billington, together with another FD/Allen & Heath system - proving the great versatility of this combination. In the Theatre Tent, all types of performance - from the experimental to the absurd - were sonically attended by Steve Pattison, Dave Bennett and Charlie Jeale with yet another FD system, this time with a Soundcraft MH3 mixer at FOH. The Albatross stage saw Kenny Perrin avoiding any cheap bird-like puns with another FD/A&H combination rig.
The mobile stage was coordinated by Danny Castree and Scott Negus, who also looked after the 12 complete Shure radio systems supplied by Adlib for assorted stages at various different times. Keeping tabs on what was needed where and when - and getting
UK - Wharfedale loudspeakers have been used throughout a new vodka bar, which has opened on one of Portsmouth's main drinking circuits. Peter Young, who built up the successful Hong Kong Charlies restaurant chain, came out of retirement in order to open HKC Vodka Bar on the site of the former Madisons Restaurant. Young wanted a multi-room sound system to match his multi-flavoured vodkas, and Ben Cleary at local suppliers, Portsmouth Sound & Light, remembers: "The inquiry for an integrated system came out of the blue."
The venue is divided into four essential sound zones - the main bar, middle lounge, back lounge and pool bar - and Young wanted to be able to route CD, DVD and satellite sources - with an auxiliary input allowing a Karaoke DJ to plumb into the system. Four Wharfedale 3190s are mounted on Powerdrive brackets in the main bar, the 350W speakers are purpose-designed for bars and restaurants. These are complemented by four of the two-way ported Programme 52s in the raised middle lounge, providing a wide frequency range, coupled with high power handling. PSL then specified eight Wharfedale Programme 1 polypropylene compact installation speakers to be divided evenly between the back lounge and pool bar. To complete the atmosphere the company fitted plasma screens and LED lighting, supplied by the owner.
Cleary says that Wharfedale systems are proving increasingly popular with his clients on the south coast - and recently supplied Sam Adeniji with Wharfedale VS10s and VS18SB subs for installation in his V Bar.
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
Canary Islands - At the end of May, 2004, Aplicaciones Acusticas Musicals S.L., the exclusive HK Audio distributor for the Canary Islands, held a successful demonstration of the Coherent Dynamic Response Array (Cohedra) from HK Audio. Over 70 sound engineers, owners and managers of sound reinforcement rental firms took part in the one-day presentation, which included lectures about line arrays in general and Cohedra in particular, as well as a live demonstration with two different bands.
AAM general manager Javier Ramirez Vega commented: "The Cohedra presentation further solidified the professional image of HK Audio here in the Canary Islands. The T-Series and R-Series from HK Audio's Concert Sound range are practically a standard here; especially since they have been installed in the 32,000-seat Estadio de Gran Canaria. The large number of people who came to the presentation and the great interest they showed in the products is indicative of the fact that HK Audio is considered top-tier here in the Canary Islands too."
Rental firm Sonilanza S.L. from the island of Lanzarote made its decision to purchase a Cohedra system during the presentation itself. Owner José Luis de León Armas said: "We already owned a large number of different HK Audio T-Series systems and several active systems as well, making us well equipped for conventional sound gigs. So a line array system was the next logical step for us. Since we already had very favorable experiences with HK Audio and we've made it our policy to invest only in well established brands, the expecta
UK - Following extensive evaluation, SSE Hire in Birmingham, UK, has purchased a pair of Lake Contour speaker management processors for system zone control, along with the new Lake SMAART Controller plug-in to provide full SMAARTLive integration on the Contour's wireless LAN PC tablet. SSE's Chris Beale commented: "We have been impressed by the control versatility and sonic quality of the Contour product and, coupled with Lake's intuitive SMAART integration, we felt it would be a step forward in overall control for our touring and festival systems."
The first outing for the Contours is with the current Metallica tour, engineered by Mick Hughes: Chris Beale also deployed Contours for front-of-house system EQ and delay management on the Pyramid Stage at this year's Glastonbury Festival.
Other tours featuring Lake Contours recently include Westlife and Radiohead, both out with Manchester UK-based Wigwam Acoustics, who purchased a pair of the processors late last year. Using the units for overall front-of-house zone EQ control, Radiohead's system engineer Florent Bernard commented: "The Contour processors perform great and the software is a really well-designed sound engineer's tool."
Lake Technology products are distributed in the UK by Out Board.
(Lee Baldock)
New Zealand - Allen & Heath's New Zealand distributor, Jansen Professional Audio & Lighting, has provided the PA system for The New Zealand Schools Tour (NZST), an annual showcase for emerging bands to inspire and motivate high school students to enter the music industry.
Now in its third year, the nationwide tour is championed by pop punk outfit, Goodnight Nurse, who will visit 95 secondary schools over a period of 19 weeks. The band performs a lunchtime concert at each school, followed by a two-hour music clinic, providing students with an opportunity to meet the band and learn about the music industry and live performance. Jansen selected Allen & Heath's portable PA28 stereo live mixer for the tour, which features an internal FX unit and an optimized four-band parametric output EQ. The mixer is complimented by Proel TFL series speakers with fold back from Phonic powered speakers, powered by Phonic XP amps, and an Audio-Technica mic kit.
"Allen & Heath's PA28 is the perfect mixer for the Schools Tour as its straight forward layout makes it a good entry level mixer for new bands and students to learn the rudiments of mixing. Furthermore, it is portable and easy to set up, a great feature for a date-packed diary," comments Jansen's director, Simon Adams.
"However, the PA Series offers much more than portability and simplicity; the compact desk has all the functionality that a touring band requires and it is designed and manufactured with the same build quality as a large touring desk, providing first rate, professional sound quality," Adams
USA - Promedia Productions, a leading provider of audio-visual production for corporate clients, has expanded its capabilities by doubling the number of EAW KF730 boxes in its audio inventory, making a grand total of 24 in all. Promedia, based in Orlando, Florida, services a clientele consisting mostly of fortune 500 companies, as well as the occasional 'shin-dig' for a high-profile client. The company offers full staging, lighting, and audio services for over 150 events every year throughout the nation.
Most recently, Promedia used their capable KF730 rig at a star-studded birthday celebration for pop music icon, Lou Pearlman. Pearlman is most notable for launching such acts as Backstreet Boys and N*Sync. For this event, the system consisted of 12 KF730 full-range boxes with eight SB730s providing the low-end. The party featured various performances by many of Pearlman's up-and-coming talents, as well as a final celebration by KC and the Sunshine Band, and was attended by many of Pearlman's more notable clients, friends, and industry leaders.
Michael Reale of Promedia, speaking about the success of the event, told us "Everyone was ecstatic with the sound. We were looking for a small profile system with good coverage and excellent fidelity. Sound quality was paramount. The KF730 configuration represented the best return for our investment."
(Lee Baldock)
UK - Manufacturer and installer HIQ Sound has refurbished the sound in a Sleaford bar/restaurant, close to its headquarters in Lincoln. Using a combination of products from its own, and the Wharfedale Pro catalogues, the company has injected a new lease of life into the Barge & Bottle.
As system manufacturers, HIQ partners Mark Hudson and Tony Hopkinson are discerning audiophiles, and they did not take the decision to specify Wharfedale's Programme 50Ts and Class AB MP1800 amplifiers lightly.
Said Hudson: "The existing system was awful and so I worked alongside the proprietor (Frank Graves) to redesign the sound. It was singularly pointless building our own loudspeakers for the background areas when the Programme 50s are so well turned-out and sensibly priced. Overall, they are nicely finished and very satisfying. "They provided the perfect solution for delivering the BGM in the large venue's new multi-zone set-up.
Some eight Programme 50T (100V line) enclosures cover the four secondary zones (including the restaurant, function room and carvery area), driven from a proprietary multi-channel amp.
Powering the main HIQ bespoke system in the main bar (which takes karaoke, video, jukebox and multiplay CD feeds) is the Wharfedale MP1800 2 x 300W/8 ohm amplifier. "We did a full evaluation on this before spec'ing it," confirmed Hudson. "There's a plethora of low-cost amplifiers now on the market, most of which are awful. The Wharfedale MP Series is a highly-satisfactory utility amp - meaty, beaty big and bouncy. There is enough silicon insid
UK - American hard-core metal rock band Korn played a sell-out gig at the London Apollo using an unprecedented EV X-Line system which utilized a 1:1 ratio of line-array cabinets to subwoofers. The system was designed by Chris Marsh of Major Tom, who described it as "phenomenal!". He added, "Korn is predominantly about strong low-end frequencies, so they used every bit of the energy in the subs, but this was the first time I'd put together a system like this. It was incredibly loud."
With 10 EV Xvls high-output cabinets and 10 X-subs per side, Marsh admitted that he was glad that Korn had their own sound engineer to mix the show. "That kind of level hurts," he said.
Major Tom has also been using X-Line at the Belfast Odyssey Arena, where the annual indoor festival is being headlined by the legendary Bob Dylan. Marsh has set up a very different system, using eight Xvls and two Xvlts per side and only 14 subs distributed left, right and centre. The side hangs each consist of four Xvls and two Xvlts, and there are a number of EV 1152s for in-fills, out-fills and side-fills.
(Lee Baldock)
UK - Selfridges recently held a series of Brazilian carnival events at several of its main department stores around the UK. 'Brasil 40' offered a taste of Latin America in the form of Brazilian music, art, fashion and food.
The sound system for the Manchester branch events was provided by ACE PA Ltd, in conjunction with Manchester City Council. ACE used its Allen & Heath ML3000 VCA console to manage sound reinforcement for all the diverse forms of entertainment on display. Other equipment included a 7kW JBL speaker system, Camco PA and monitoring amps, Yamaha SPX990 and 900 effects units and Klark Teknik DN360 graphic equalizers.
ACE PA's Gary Jones commented that, once again, the ML3000 delivered clear and clean sound with the VCA system making the job easy.
(Barry Howse)
UK - When Club Euphoria's Chris Davidson decided to open a new high-impact dance venue in Hull, the loudspeaker recommended to him by Euphoria colleagues, Del Blewitt, Eddie Short and Dan Donnelly, was Cerwin Vega! "Having frequently experienced the Cerwin sound in clubs throughout the world, they said it was the best they'd ever heard," said Davidson. "As I had worked for them as tour manager their recommendation demanded respect."
And so they suggested Davidson talk to Paul Marston at Black Box London, the largest independent stockist of Cerwin Vega! Intense Series PA systems. He, in turn, alerted them to the imminent arrival in the UK of the new Vision series. Cerwin Vega! is distributed in the UK by Lamba plc but what Davidson hadn't realized is that Lamba also handle the Stanton product range (including Final Scratch).
What he has ended up with is a radical system, designed by Paul Marston, that will give the eventual five-room venue full network and content management capabilities, thus making it one of the most technologically-advanced in the UK. Each of the unique rooms in the current 650-capacity venue will have its own Final Scratch system with three of Stanton's flagship STR8-150 straight tone-arm turntables (described by Davidson as "absolutely superb") in each of the two main dance rooms, fitted with 680HP cartridges.
Part of a progressive development in the city centre venue, Club Euphoria presently has two rooms in operation. Downstairs the sound will be reinforced by four Vision VIS-153s, supported by a pair of EC36
UK / Japan - Asahi Kasei Microsystems Co. Ltd. (AKM) a leading supplier of audio ICs for professional and consumer markets, recently introduced a new Class-D two-channel modulator generating 110dB signal-to-noise ratio. The AK4730 marks AKM's first entry into the high-power amplifier world and is aimed at both professional and consumer products.
AKM's AK4730 exceeds Class-AB performance with Class-D efficiency. The input to AK4730 is digital and supports two-channel, 192kHz sampling. The chip combines a two-channel PWM modulator with pre-driver circuitry for external MOSFETs. Unlike other solutions that use two voltage levels for modulation (H-Bridge), AKM's Class D products utilize an advanced multi-reference E-Bridge architecture that achieves higher linearity and SNR performance for audio playback with fidelity closer to the original sound.
With an integrated driver, the AK4730 MOSFET output stage is a simple circuit and is easily incorporated into an audio system. Output power to suit system requirements can be readily achieved by changing the MOSFETs. In addition to an on-chip PWM modulator and MOSFET driver, the AK4730 has built-in individual channel digital volume controls, tone controls, digital-realm output stage power supply regulation and an overload detection circuit. Simply connecting the power MOSFETs permits a complete class-D amplifier configuration. When combined with the AK4113 Digital Audio Interface IC, ultra-low crosstalk six-channel solutions are realized, simplifying the engineering of high-performance multi-channel audio systems.
AK4730
UK - Event company Logistik co-ordinated and produced the Athens 2004 Ball - a high profile charity live event staged at London's Battersea Park Marquee, for Sparks, The British Olympic Association and The Sir Steve Redgrave Charitable Trust.
Over 1,000 people enjoyed the event during an evening of entertainment hosted by Radio 2's Jeremy Vine and Sir Steve Redgrave - an official 'send-off' party to wish the GB Olympic team success at the upcoming Athens Olympics. Leeds and London-based Logistik were called in to oversee the event's creative and technical production including the design, graphics, dressing and venue themeing for the event.
The night culminated in live performances by international artists including Gabrielle, Mike & The Mechanics and Amy Winehouse. It was recorded for broadcast by Radio 2, and a post-event DVD will be produced by Logistik Vision, the company's video production department.
Logistik's production director Attila Keskin and project manager Will Sutton headed up the team. Theming was Olympic-orientated, with the main room's set and scenic backdrop including a set of bespoke Olympic-style rings, complete with British Olympic Association branding, created by Logistik Inspire, the company's theming division.
Keskin - an experienced LD and production co-ordinator before joining the Logistik team - approached some of the UK's top production suppliers and asked for good deals to allow the charities to gain the maximum benefits from the event. Lighting equipment was supplied by VLPS, sound by GPA, live video production by XL Video and cr
Germany / Malaysia - K.M.E., the German manufacturer of professional audio systems, will exhibit at the PALA exhibition in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia between 15-18 July 2004, marking its first appearance at an Asian trade exhibition.
Products on show will include the 2-I, 6-out digital controller, DAP 26; a switch-mode power amp, the SMA 2000, featuring 2 x 1000W at only 7.5kg; the active CA 6 system with plug-in modules DDM and MM2 and various other active and passive installation systems of the Prestige series, also incorporating a TCP/IP-remote control module.
PT Multi Audio Perkasa in Jakarta already represents K.M.E. on the Indonesian market, where the quality of the products, which are entirely manufactured in Germany, is particularly appreciated, say K.M.E. Systems of the Cluster and Prestige series among others have been installed in various churches and used for the Lotus-Surabaya project.
The PALA exhibition, together with the Visualcomm and Musicasia exhibitions are taking place for the 16th time this year. 150 exhibitors from 25 countries and 8,000 visitors, of whom 85% are coming from ASEAN states are expected.(Lee Baldock)
UK - Stand-up, sausages, a shindig and the support of Stage Electrics, marked the first ever fund-raising event at Battersea Art Centre. Stage Electrics donated the use of sound and lighting equipment to support BAC's contribution to developing theatre arts on a local, national and international level. BAC's programme structure helps new work to grow by showing it at unfinished stages to an audience. The collaborative approach this fosters means that BAC is a creative breeding ground for the next generation of theatre makers, not just actors and directors but for lighting designers, sound artists and technical staff.
Stewart Lee, comedian and long-term fan of the trailblazing theatre, organized an extraordinary line up of comic talent in aid of BAC's fundraising campaign. Lee is also the co writer of Jerry Springer The Opera, the breakaway smash hit that began its life at BAC. Harry Hill (TV Burp), Lee Mack (ITV's Sketch Show), Catherine Tait (BBC2's Catherine Tait Show), Stewart Lee (This Morning with Richard Not Judy), Simon Amstell (C4's Popworld), Peter Baynham as 'Peter' (Fist Of Fun, I Am Not An Animal), Arnold Brown (inventor of Alternative Comedy), Kevin Eldon (Nighty Night), Richard Thomas and Kombat Opera (Jerry Springer The Opera), scoffed gourmet sausages and rocked the mikes in front of a sell-out crowd. BAC is fund-raising to maintain current levels of activity in light of a reduction in funding from Wandsworth Borough Council.
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
USA - DPA Microphones has appointed a new exclusive distributor in New Zealand by Amber Technology (NZ) Ltd. Formed in 1987 as a result of a management buy-out of the audio and film divisions of Rank Electronic, Amber has become one of Australasia's leading professional audio, multimedia and audio-visual distributors.
Amber's New Zealand office has a national network of offices to provide distribution and support across the country and is active in markets including broadcast, recording, live sound, post-production, education and government. A third of its technical staff work in technical support roles, and the company takes advantage of factory training for support staff wherever possible, communicating with the technical/engineering staff of suppliers to establish strong working relationships. Its central warehouse and logistics system, which maintains over 3,500 individual products and 12,500 component and spare part lines, is optimized by computer-controlled warehousing and inventory control, and Amber's distribution order delivery system guarantees customers next-day-delivery via premier air and road freight companies.
The DPA range - which will be handled by audio product manager Rodney Houston - joins brands such as Otari, TC Electronic, Dynaudio Acoustics, Canare, Soundtracs and Pro-Bel in Amber's product portfolio.
(Lee Baldock)