Singapore - Richard Lim from ARX's Singapore distributor Bell & Order Engineering Pte Ltd has recently completed two major installation contracts involving ARX products. The new sound reinforcement system Bell & Order has installed throughout the four-storey New Assayfaah Mosque located in Sembawang Road, Singapore caters for the reproduction of both prayers and speech, and includes two EQ60 graphic equalizers, five EQ 15 graphic equalizers, eight ZR 350C constant voltage power amplifiers, one ZR 550 power amplifier and 16 of the company's new Climate weather-resistant loudspeakers.
Bell & Order has also completed the installation of audio-visual systems at the new DSTA (Defence Science Technology Agency) Building, located at Singapore's Science Park #3 complex. The six-storey facility now includes four ZR550 power amplifiers, two ZA400 multi-channel power amplifiers and six ZR350 power amplifiers. Signal processing includes CentreMix, Level 8 and Maxisplit units. Eight ARX Ambience 5 and 16 Ambience 1 Series loudspeakers were also used in the completion of the project.
(Lee Baldock)
Austria - Having received numerous TEC Awards over the years in recognition of its achievements in microphone technology, Vienna-based AKG received the prestigious award again this year for its K 271 Studio headphones.
The award was presented at a ceremony at the New York Marriott Marquis on October 11. Presenters of the awards included music and recording legend Les Paul, Grammy awarded producer Bob Ludwig, bassists Will Lee and T. M. Stevens and famous recording engineers including Al Schmitt and Chuck Ainlay.
The K 271 Studio headphones have been internationally acclaimed and accepted by audio professionals due to their sonic quality, user comfort offered, product styling, and manufacturing excellence. Dr. Richard Barnert from the Vienna AKG headphone team and Mike Torlone, market development manager of studio products and headphones, from AKG Nashville, accepted the TEC Award.
Two other AKG products were also nominated for TEC-Awards: the fully modular conferencing system CS2, and the WMS 40 Diversity Wireless Microphone System together with MicroTools. The TEC Awards, presented annually by the Mix Foundation for Excellence in Audio and Mix magazine, recognizes new audio products that represent superior accomplishment in their respective classes. Products are nominated for TEC Awards by a selected panel of industry professionals and are then voted on by over 40,000 subscribers of Mix magazine.
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
UK - West London's trendy Ladbroke Grove has seen the reawakening of the acclaimed Subterania club, which was closed earlier this year. The new venue, christened 'Neighbourhood', is owned by Ben Watt and Alan Grant, partners in the famed Cherry Jam club. UK AV designers Blue Box created the club's sound system, featuring a mix of four QSC PowerLight PL 2.0 and four PL 4.0 amplifiers driving a four way Funktion One system with six F218 bass boxes and six Res4 mid-high enclosures. The club also uses several QSC PL230 amps to drive the Funktion One F88 cabinets in the ante area and on the mezzanine.
The spacious DJ booth, designed by Ben Watt, is centered on a Rane MP44 mixer. The booth is also equipped for live sound mixing, with a Midas Venice 32-channel board. Effects and dynamics are courtesy of Yamaha, BSS and Drawmer. QSC PL236 amplifiers drive monitors in the booth and on stage.
Blue Box's Mark Metcalf explains: "The system is designed for quad left-right cross configuration. This allows us to fine-tune the front and rear balances in its present configuration, while providing a surround-ready setup for future integration of multi-channel hardware and software currently under development." UK distributor Shure Distribution supplied the QSC components.
The club's owners have long demonstrated their commitment to clarity and high-quality sound, making Blue Box's recommendation of the QSC/Funktion One system an easy choice. The initial public reception of Neighbourhood has ranked it on a par with top UK clubs Heaven and the Egg.
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
France - Delta Sound recently provided all sound reinforcement for the prestigious Microsoft Xbox X03 games festival in the South of France, attended by some 400 guests, among them members of the international games press, developers, publishers and programmers.
Microsoft is a long-term client of Delta, and this was the third year running that the London-based PA company has worked on one of the annual Xbox events. It followed the unveiling of the first console, the X01, at Pierre Cardin's 'bubble' villa, also in the South of France, and a second event on a lake in Seville last year. This year saw a return to the Côte d'Azur and the exclusive resort of Juan Les Pins, where the festival was held at the newly opened Les Pecheurs beach club followed by an all-day conference at the town's Palais des Congrès.
The proceedings kicked off with presentations by Microsoft dignitaries from three podiums on the beach, following an appearance by the corporate vice-president of games publishing, Ed Fries, who introduced the new line-up of games. To relay the presentations across the beach and club, Delta suspended three arrays of eight L-Acoustics dV-Dosc and two ground-stacked SB218 subwoofers, while 12m masts at each of the presentation positions provided rigging for the system. There were also 45 x 3m cubes that were located around the club and beach housing a viewing monitor and an EV S80 loudspeaker. These pods were used as general fill-in positions providing additional coverage and helping refer the audience to the various presentation areas.
A Yamaha DM2000 desk con
The Netherlands - Leading Dutch rental agency, Sound Support, currently touring with one of Holland's top acts, 'Van Dik Hout', has recently made a considerable purchase to boost its Allen & Heath stock. In addition to its existing stock, which includes ML5000, GL4000, GL3300 and MixWizard consoles - Allen & Heath's Dutch distributor, TM Audio, has supplied the company with an ML5000, two ML4000s, a GL3300 and a MixWizard.
Sound Support's Jack van den Berg said: "The diversity of our clients and productions generates complex technical demands, which require flexibility and quality in the equipment we provide. Allen & Heath's GL and ML series have been acclaimed all over the world as great sounding, high quality consoles.''
(Lee Baldock)
USA - Shure recently announced that it has been recognized by the second annual Chicago Innovation Awards for the development of the Shure E2c sound isolating earphones, a revolutionary new approach for providing a pure listening experience.
The E2c earphones are the result of Shure's long history in "in-ear innovation." The technology for the E2c earphones was originally developed for musicians trying to monitor their performances in loud onstage environments. They work by using soft foam or flex sleeves to seal out background noise, allowing the high-performance mini-speakers to deliver precise sound directly to the ear. The E2c earphones can be used with any audio or video device such as CD, MP3, and DVD players.
Sandy LaMantia, president and CEO of Shure, said: "This award is incredibly exciting for us. We're thrilled to help bolster Chicago's reputation as one of the world's leading centres of innovation, and we feel this award is a testament to our commitment to building and delivering innovative technologies for musicians and consumers alike, I'd like to thank Shure's employees for their outstanding efforts and dedication to Shure and its customers. Without them, this award would not be possible."
The Chicago Innovation Awards judging panel selected the Shure E2c earphones from among more than 130 nominations for the 2003 awards. Nominees were judged based on the success of products and services introduced between January 2001 and June 2003 that uniquely satisfied un-met needs in the marketplace. The contest was open to any type of or
USA - QSC Audio Products Inc has announced two new appointments. Paul Kenline takes the position of senior technical trainer, while Shawn Watts joins the company as systems specialist for installed sound.
Kenline joins the Marketing Services team after four years as an engineer in QSC's R&D division. His in-depth knowledge of QSC's products makes him the ideal person to spearhead the company's education and demonstration initiatives, say QSC. Kenline's responsibilities will include conducting informational seminars, overseeing technical marketing support material, and co-ordinating the development of QSC's new education and demonstration programs. These programs are part of QSC's effort to distribute product and background information to each specific vertical market in a manner that is consistent with the company's drive for excellence.
Prior to joining QSC, Shawn Watts held the position of manufacturers' representative for Mackie Designs and Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW) in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington DC. Watts has over 12 years industry experience and has held positions in the contracting community with roles as consultant, sales, engineering, project management, and installation technician. He has also worked in the contracting community with such companies as Muzak Corporation.
(Lee Baldock)
Malaysia - An iDR-8 has been installed in Berjaya Times Square, a new multi-million dollar development in the heart of Malaysia's capital city, Kuala Lumpur. Measuring 2,100,000sq.ft, it is the largest shopping/leisure complex and houses the largest indoor theme park in the Asia Pacific region.
Allen & Heath's iDR-8 unit, with an iDR-out expander, has been installed as a zone controller in the indoor theme park, where a resident DJ pumps out the music. The signal from the DJ mixer is distributed to 16 zone loudspeakers. An event schedule has also been created using the DSP system's programmable patches, whereby at 2.30pm daily the zone volumes gradually increase with a 10 second crossfade; similarly at 10pm the volume automatically decreases with the same crossfade effect. There is a dedicated PC at the DJ booth for remote control of the iDR-8 & iDR-out over Cat 5 cable.
Malaysia's Works Minister, Datuk Seri S.Samy Vellu, said Berjaya Times Square was the largest development of its kind in the Asia Pacific and the largest project undertaken in a single-phase anywhere in the world. Altogether, it will have 15 floors of retail shops, restaurants, department stores, cinemas and an indoor theme park. The complex has projected visit traffic of three million visitors per month.
"I believe that Berjaya Times Square is set to become an international landmark for shopping, luxury accommodation, business, amusement, food and beverage and entertainment," says Vellu.
(Lee Baldock)
Czech Republic - Inter-Noise 2004, the 33rd International Congress and Exposition on Noise Control Engineering, will be held in Prague, Czech Republic, from 22-25 August 2004. The congress is being organized by the Czech Acoustical Society and sponsored by the International Institute of Noise Control Engineering.
The theme for the Congress is 'Progress in Noise Control for the 21st Century', and all innovative contributions to noise control engineering are welcomed. The organizing committee is arranging an outstanding technical program, with a number of structured sessions and distinguished lectures in preparation.
Inter-Noise 2004 will take place at the Czech Technical University, Faculty of Electrical Engineering in Prague. The university campus is situated in the district of Dejvice, in the western part of the city and close to some of Prague's largest hotels. The main congress hotels are within easy walking distance. Congress participants and accompanying persons will have the opportunity to take part in a wide range of social, cultural and sightseeing activities organized during and after the congress. An exhibition of acoustical equipment, materials, software, and other products for noise and vibration control, measurement and diagnosis, will be presented. All companies active in the field are welcome to participate in the exhibition.
Technical papers in all areas of noise control may be submitted for inclusion in the technical program. Further details are available from the web address below.
(Lee Baldock)
UK - Few events could match the gathering of celebrity, style and music talent that filled London's Royal Albert Hall recently for Fashion Rocks for The Prince's Trust. The charity event was based around 18 top fashion designers, each with their own catwalk parade and with their chosen artist performing a soundtrack. A circular stage with the catwalk around the outside made an ideal setting for this glamorous event.
Hand Held Audio were asked to provide the radio microphones for all the artists and also presenters Elizabeth Hurley and Denis Leary. Most of the soundtracks consisted of live vocal to playback so a large in-ear monitor requirement added to the complexity of the wireless system.RF expert John 'Freddo' Fredericks, who was on site to oversee operations, said: "It was a great show. There was a really good atmosphere - egos seemed to take a back seat and everything ran smoothly. I'd recommend watching the broadcast on Channel 4 this Sunday to anyone."
Among the artists present were some of Hand Held's regular customers - Robbie Williams (singing for Versace), Blue (for Dolce & Gabbana), Skin (for Gucci) and Björk (for Alexander McQueen).
(Lee Baldock)
UK - The Urban Music Seminar (UMS) was formed in 1998 as a non-profit making organization to inform and educate young people about working in the music industry, and is now annually attracting around 12,000 visitors. Expert panels hosted by celebrities and music industry executives and offering advice on A&R, artist relations, legal issues, marketing, promotion and publishing are held in the main auditorium of London's Royal Festival Hall, which can accommodate up to 4,000 people.
The event also features live performances, celebrity speakers, master classes, a sound stage for unsigned acts and networking and employment opportunities. It attracted a host of names including Destiny's Child's Kelly Rowland, Mercury Music Prize-winning Dizzee Rascal, producer Damon Dash, Big Brovaz, Norman Jay MBE, Jamelia, Javine, So Solid Crew's Asha D and Heartless Crew.
FX provided radio mics, processing and decks for the main auditorium, a PA system, audio-visual equipment and an engineer for one of the master class rooms and a PA system and engineer for the sound stage. FX's Paul Winter ran the sound stage, which presented artists performing live vocals to CD backing tracks. The equipment package included four Mackie SRM450 speakers and two for monitors, two Hertz PB400 subwoofers, a Mackie 1604VLZ mixing console, four Shure UHF radio mic kits, a Yamaha SPX900 digital effects processor, two Denon DN-C630 CD players, two Technics SL1210 turntables and a Pioneer DJM600 DJ mixer.
In the master class room, FX's Kevin Jacobs worked a setup of two Mackie SRM450 speakers, a Mackie 1
UK - Radio 1 has re-invented its approach to taking live events to its listeners this year, under the auspices of its live events manager, Dave McCalmont. He joined Radio 1 two years ago having previously worked with MCP/SFX. L&SI spoke to Dave after the final 'One Big Weekend' event in Cardiff, where 20,000 ticket holders got to see some of the world's leading DJs, as well as bands such as The Darkness, Travis and Dido.
Why change the format of your events?
We wanted to create events which would work within the overall festival calendar and still allow us to focus on our organization and promotion. We wanted to produce top-notch events that gave the public good, free entertainment that they couldn't get anywhere else. We were careful to place our three main shows across the summer months, starting in May in Manchester and finishing in September in Cardiff with the 'One Big Weekend' shows, and a 'One Big Sunday' in Leicester in between. We also produced or had some form of presence at around 20 other major events this summer.
How did the concept for One Big Weekend come about?
One Big Weekend was developed as the event that would best serve the listeners who love live dance events. We made a conscious decision to ticket the shows and work to a 10,000 capacity.
How do you evaluate the change in format?
We have looked at what came out as a live event, coupled with what we produced in terms of live broadcast material. Manchester was a tough situation (the first day, featuring dance music, was cancelled due to inclement weather), but w
UK - L&SI joined more than 100,000 people at the V Festival's Hylands Park site in Chelmsford for the V weekend in June, and 65,000 people at Reading for the Carling Weekend. For both events, the weather was spectacular, the perfect backdrop for strong performances from headlining bands such as the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Coldplay, David Gray and the Foo Fighters at V, and Metallica, Primal Scream, Linkin Park, System of a Down and Blur at Reading.
As anyone who's worked on them will know, the festival season presents enormous challenges to technical suppliers and employers responsible for planning and co-ordinating such large-scale events. The logistics are complex thanks to the sheer volume of equipment required and the high turnover of acts at each event. When bands 'flip-flop' between venues over a weekend, as in the case of Chelmsford/Telford and Reading/Leeds, festival sites necessitate identical technical specs. With each venue having its own unique footprint, a massive amount of liaison between sites is therefore needed.
So to the V Festival, where L&SI joined Shure Distribution backstage in the production area. Shure was sponsoring the main stage artists bar at Chelmsford's Hylands Park, donating all bar profits to charity. SSE Hire was the main audio supplier for the event, with Shure supplying SSE with microphones from its Beta range, in addition to receivers, amplifiers and antenna.
SSE has dominated the 2003 season of large summer festivals: over two consecutive weekends in August, the SSE team serviced four music events - the Virgin-sponsored V2
UK - TC Group announces the appointment of Fred Speckeen to director of business development. In this new position, based at Tannoy Ltd (Scotland), he will be responsible for enhancing overall Group business practice, acceleration of technology transfer between companies within the Group, and the coordination and growth of future business direction. Speckeen leaves his position as CEO / Managing Director of the TC joint-venture company TC-Helicon Vocal Technologies (Victoria, BC, CANADA) after successfully establishing that company in 2000.
Fred Speckeen will be working closely together with TC Group CEO Anders Fauerskov, who comments: "We are very pleased to be able to add Fred to the team of high achievers within TC Group. Through his previous functions at IVL and, more recently, as Managing Director responsible for the successful start-up of TC Helicon, Fred has continually proven his strong sense of business acumen and leadership. The respect for Fred within TC Group and in the industry is very well deserved."
TC Group consists of Tannoy, LabGruppen, Goodmans Loudspeakers, TC Electronic, TC Works, TC Applied Technologies, and TC Helicon, and is focused on providing integrated solutions for the discerning audio customer.
(Lee Baldock)
UK - Nearly 14,000 fans saw David Gray, Morcheeba and Nitin Sawhney perform at a free concert in Trafalgar Square - lined up to boost tourism and showcase the revamped square.
There was also a top line-up of production services to ensure that, technically, the event - organized by b-live, with production by AMP - went without a hitch. Star Hire's Roger Barrett was the show's technical director, working closely with AMP production manager Steve Allen. Other members of the creative team included LD Mark Cunniffe.
The Star Events Group installed a VerTech stage on the North Terrace of the Square, and handled the rigging requirements, with CT Screenco fielding two of the new Lighthouse LVP-1650 16mm outdoor LED screens. While the Lighthouse screens relayed images from the PA wings, the upstage centre backdrop, designed by Cunniffe, took the form of columns of 25mm LED display - the destination for some striking graphics from Richard Shipman.
UK - More details are emerging on the restructure at Arbiter Group, including the news that the Group's chairman, Ivor Arbiter, is to retire. The only official confirmation that the company has closed its Pro Audio Division comes from the Arbiter Pro Audio website (see below), which states: "Arbiter Group PLC are no longer distributing products manufactured by JBL Professional, AKG Acoustics, dbx Professional and Digitech." Enquiries are referred to the manufacturer's representative in each case.
There has been no indication as to what UK distribution arrangements will be put in place for the four Harman brands in the long-term, but negotiations with the manufacturers have been ongoing and an announcement is expected from Arbiter within the next few days.
The Pro Audio division was a subsidiary company of Arbiter Group plc and handled the exclusive distribution in the UK and Eire of the product ranges of AKG, JBL Professional, dbx Professional and Powersoft - all Harman-owned brands. With these products as key building blocks, the division began to develop an integrated audio package for the pro audio markets and had been involved in some high profile venue installations in recent months, including the recent refit of the Ministry of Sound in London.
Meanwhile, Arbiter has issued a press statement outlining the restructure of its MI and Consumer Divisions. Its Guitar and Amp Division, distributing leading brands such as Fender and Squire, has been sold for an undisclosed sum to Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. The Consumer Division, concentrat
International - The Technical Focus column in the November issue of Lighting&Sound International magazine will look at the technology related to Digital Audio mixing desks. The ever-increasing level of technology available today has resulted in the increase of 'all digital' desks, which process audio in the digital domain.
As with most things technological, the ability to perform digital processing continues to become cheaper as semiconductors drop in price, and accordingly digital desks are no longer the preserve of the major league, but are available in more compact versions and making in-roads into the smaller shows and venues. L&SI's article will go some way to giving the reader an insight into this technology, explaining the processes, methods and terminology - and will be followed by a brief profile of the main manufacturers and coverage of their key product(s).
L&SI will be approaching leading manufacturers over the coming days to source information for the article; however, in the meantime, if you feel that you should be a part of this feature, please contact technical editor James Eade at the e-mail address below. Please note that the article covers FOH/Monitor and similar desks only, rather than DSP units that can emulate a desk via a computer. Please also remember that inclusion in this article is free - the aim is to raise awareness of the various manufacturers and products in this market sector.
Previous Technical Focus features from Lighting&Sound International magazine are available to view online at the web address below.
(James Eade)
UK - Italian pro audio manufacturer Outline demonstrated its innovative Butterfly line array PA system to sound engineers and rental company representatives at London's Hammersmith Apollo in late September. Early arrivals enjoyed time to listen to recorded material via CD and MiniDisc and discuss technical aspects of the system with system designer Guido Noselli and president of international sales Giorgio Biffi, along with Peter Barnard, the UK distributor for Outline products.
There was also time for a demo of Outline's proprietary Software Program - VIP (Vector Implementation Protocol), which works on an Open GL Platform and will calculate the number of modules required to achieve optimum vertical and horizontal coverage of any venue, be it open-air or indoor. Further tools to accompany VIP, including a laser range finder and trim height device which will also incorporate a temperature and humidity probe with inclinometer, are currently in BETA testing. This device will be connected via the USB port to the system designer's laptop, thus giving an accurate prediction of the amount of modules required.
At 2pm the live band was introduced and the 'Jazz Friends' performed for 40 minutes to allow attendees to hear live music through the Butterfly. The day concluded with the system being flown in to show the ease of the patented flying equipment. Peter Barnard told L&SI: "Comments made on the day were very positive and the product received a warm reception."
Germany - Brown Box AV, UK wholesalers of AV and lighting solutions, is celebrating its first German installation of Audeon, its wireless personal entertainment system, at the Station One club in Bochum. The managing director of Station One, Winfried Horstenkamp, commented: "I was delighted with the speed at which our Audeon cardio entertainment system was installed at Station One. I had expected some disruption and inconvenience to members but, due to the wireless nature of Audeon, the installation was completely pain free. My members are delighted with this innovative new product and we look forward to many years of enjoyable use."
Audeon is currently one of the only quality, wireless, cardio entertainment product available on the European market specifically designed for the leisure industry that can transmit between eight and sixteen audio channels and provide exceptional sound quality. Featuring superior UK build quality, Audeon carries a three-year warranty and is designed to be extremely easy to service.
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
Europe / Australia - The maiden voyage in the late summer of Crystal Cruises' latest example of floating luxury, Crystal Serenity, featured TiMax Audio Imaging as the centrepiece of its state-of-the-art cabaret theatre venue, the Galaxy Room. Specified by Alistair Meacham of marine audio-visual contractor MAVCO, the TiMax ImageMaker16 system was installed by the company alongside a Sony digital console, Tascam multitrack playback media and comprehensive automated showcontrol infrastructure.
The brief for the venue's LCR and multi-channel surround sound system was to immerse the audience with pre-recorded vocal, music and effects beds in Gershwin-style cabaret shows which would vary from day to day, with spectacular lighting and sound effects synchronized to song and dance troupes onstage. SMPTE timecode linked the Tascam to the console, TiMax and multi-format showcontrol system so that fully automated audio animation and other effects could be triggered simultaneously. The multipurpose venue can also be configured for more conventional artiste shows, and debut live performances on this voyage included the legendary Dionne Warwick.
On Brisbane's Gold Coast in Australia, the Conrad Jupiters Casino complex recently deployed TiMax with similar objectives, but this time the approach was slightly different. A 16 x 16 TiMax rack system was rented under Out Board's TiMax Production Support Program for the venue's new STORM cabaret residency by sound designer Hugh Covill, who used it to set up static and dynamic image localizations in the room and to record the TiMax outp
Germany - One of Autograph Sound's longest-running success stories is its ongoing work on worldwide productions of Les Misérables. Most recently, the show opened in Berlin, with sound design by Nick Lidster who was part of the original sound department when the show opened at the Palace Theatre, London in 1985. This is Lidster's first design of Les Misérables and it gives him the chance to view it with a fresh but experienced approach. His updated design now includes four Martin W8LC (Martin's new Compact Line Array) and two WSX subs, supporting the main Meyer M1D PA.
Some of the changes are due to the particular demands of the Theatre des Westens in Berlin. Lidster comments: "The Theatre des Westens is a grand, four-tier European style opera house with a large, flat stalls area and three very shallow circle areas starting around 15m back from the stage, a conventional loudspeaker installation would struggle to cover this auditorium. By using these two types of line array systems I can get the coverage I require. The Martin W8LCs are in a central cluster above the pros arch, covering a 500-seat gallery area starting about 15m from the stage. I felt I needed something slightly more powerful to cover this seating block and I liked the sound and long-throw capability of the W8LCs which appear suited to this type of coverage and distance. The WSX subs are in the boxes either side of the stage, adding low-end to the system."
Lidster has used the WSX subs before, notably on the current UK tour of Miss Saigon, but this is the first time
USA - The Actors' Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre in South Florida has installed a 48-input Allen & Heath ML5000 27-buss live sound VCA console in its 600-seat main-stage auditorium as part of an audio system upgrade. The Miracle Theatre, a private/public partnership with the City of Coral Gables, is a performing arts facility that also includes the 300-seat Balcony Theatre and 100-seat Black Box Theatre.
Head audio engineer Alexander Herrin, who has been at the theatre for a year and a half, explains: "This summer we decided to upgrade our sound system. We were replacing a three or four-year-old console that had just fallen to pieces. They asked me what I thought we should get. I'd worked with the GL4000 in the past and told them that I really like Allen & Heath. Phil Mester from StageTech, who installed the system, brought us a console to try out, a 32-channel ML5000."
StageTech supplied and installed the entire system, which also includes a Stage Accompany Performer Series speaker system. "We're running LCR, which is another reason why this console is great, with its panning capability," says Herrin.
The flagship of the Allen & Heath range, the ML5000 features the company's proprietary LCRplus panning capability, which allows signals to be blended and panned anywhere across the Center and Left/Right busses. The dual functionality of the FOH/monitor console allows any combination of 12 aux sends and 8 subgroups to be assigned to fader control with inserts and metering. The ML5000 includes eight VCA groups and snapshot automation with an
Germany - Guitar legend Carlos Santana and his band are currently on a world tour which is turning into a global triumph for the Grammy Award winner. The German leg of the tour is proving no exception - selling out major venues like Munich's Olympiahalle several times over.
Providing the sound system for the tour is British rental company Major Tom Ltd / Sound Image, who have made the Electro-Voice X-Line and XLC PA system the centrepiece of their production. Major Tom's Chris Marsh, explains why: "We were all agreed that the EV X-Line has the most brilliant sound of any comparable system. It offers impressive clarity at the top and remarkable warmth at the bottom." As side-hangs, FOH man Rob Mailman and his team are using Electro-Voice's new, compact XLC system with eight cabinets per side. The system is being driven with Electro-Voice P-3000 amps.
For Major Tom Ltd / Sound Image, the Santana tour follows the tour of ex-Beach Boy Brian Wilson earlier this year.
(Lee Baldock)
Ireland - Sound Communications, Ireland's distributor for Midas and Klark Teknik, has recently supplied a complete PA system to Ireland's largest AV rental company, Corporate AV Services (CAVS) for a brand new television show that goes out live from the Helix Centre in Dublin every Friday night. Two Midas Legend 3000 consoles and a significant amount of Klark Teknik processing equipment including eight classic DN360 graphic EQs, eight DN500 Plus dual compressor limiters, four DN514 Plus quad gates, and four DN1248 Plus active mic splitters form the heart of the package.
The Dunphy Show, hosted by Eamon Dunphy, is Ireland's brand new talk show styled very much in the David Letterman mould. The show goes out every Friday at 9pm from Helix's second theatre, which has essentially been converted into a TV studio for the duration of the show's 30-week run. According to Sound Communications' Alan Murphy, the Legend 3000 was ideal for the show's requirements. "It offers us all the facilities we need, including the ability to handle broadcast feeds, yet it represents a much faster return on the customers investment than a Heritage desk. And the engineer, who is an XL4 user, absolutely loves it!"
The engineer in question is Paul Ashe-Brown, who says: "It's the Leatherman of mixing consoles!" he says with a grin. "The facilities on it are tremendous, especially for handling monitors. For what is really a semi-budget desk it represents extraordinary value, yet it still sounds like a Midas. We've got Bob Geldof coming in next week with a full band set