UK - Veteran producer & mix engineer Chris Kimsey recently completed three days in London's boutique Kore Studios, recording the winners of Shure Europe's 2013 Call For Legends unsigned bands competition, Fingertrap.

The Welsh four-piece were selected as the competition winners from a total of 240 bands from 31 different countries, and used their winning session time wisely, managing to track and mix three new songs. During the sessions, Chris Kimsey also experimented with some new Shure microphones, particularly enjoying the KSM313 bi-directional ribbon mic.

"As with all my recordings, I tried a few mics to find the perfect sound, and ended up using the KSM313 mic on guitars and on vocals. It sounded outstanding on guitar, giving a 'full-fat' sound but with a top end not normally heard from a ribbon. It was also the preferred choice on most of the vocal recordings, sound

QSC Audio Products has announced that Ray van Straten has been promoted to vice president of QSC Professional, the newly formed business unit which will serve customers in the retail, rental, production and distribution (box sales) segments. In his new role, van Straten will be responsible for guiding the direction of the business unit, utilizing his vast experience in sales, marketing, product management, channel management and strategy to grow and unify the QSC brand in the business segments served.

QSC Professional will work together with the newly-formed QSC Systems and QSC Cinema Business Units to serve the company's customers worldwide. QSC Systems will focus on serving customers in the Integrated Systems business, and will be headed by Joe Pham, QSC President and CEO who will serve as its interim VP. The new QSC Cinema Business Unit will be headed by existing unit head Barry Fer

UK - PLASA Focus: Leeds sees Audio-Technica showing key products from the Vicoustic acoustic treatment line-up for the first time since the company assumed UK distribution for the Portugese brand earlier in the month. A selection from the core Wavewood, Multifusor and Varipanel ranges will be on display, alongside Audio-Technica and Allen & Heath microphones, headphones and mixing desks.

The new M Series headphones will be among the Audio-Technica highlights at PLASA Focus - the professional monitoring headphones (M20x, M30x, M40x and M50x) debuted at the NAMM Show in January and have met with praise from press and public alike for their natural, well-balanced tone and comfort during long tracking or mixing sessions. The new line-up takes its lead from the original, much-loved M50 and shares the same sonic signature, making it available at a variety of price-points.

High-end r

Serbia - Elation Professional's Serbian partner, Light and Sound Design, recently held a special Elation Open Day at the prestigious National Theatre in Belgrade where the latest in Elation lighting technology was demoed for lighting professionals from Serbia's television and theatre industries.

"We had an excellent turnout with over 30 attendees spending quality time and getting a closer look at Elation products," stated Milan Scepanovic, general manager of Light and Sound Design. "All the attendees were professionals, many representing government institutions or TV stations, and half of them came with their own lux meters and measuring devices. We had a lot of products on hand and a beautiful venue to display them in. Overall the response was very positive and the day quite a success."

A full range of Elation LED lighting solutions optimized for theatre,

Brazil - As the owner of creative content and social impact company Content-OS, producer Andres Levin is an expert in developing inspired content for cause-marketing campaigns. When presented with an opportunity to collaborate on an awareness campaign for The Rainforest Alliance, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving biodiversity, Levin knew he wanted to take the project to a new level. To offer viewers a true-to-life snapshot of the environment, he traveled to the depths of the Tijuca Forest to record a unique musical and cinematic production.

Knowing he'd be faced with extreme temperatures, high humidity, limited space, and less than four days to record, Levin knew rugged, reliable gear, that could withstand the harsh conditions and consistently record professional-quality sound, would be imperative to his success. Based on his decades of experience u

UK - Music Group has announced the promotion of Graham Rowlands to vice president of global sales, Professional Division, following his success as head for the Asia Pacific region. In his new capacity, Graham will head global sales for the company's professional brands, which includes such legendary brands as Midas, Klark Teknik and Turbosound.

"Music Group is entering an exciting new phase and my goal is to make our professional brands number one around the world," stated Graham. "I am thrilled to take on this role and fortunate to have the support of a very talented sales team. Together we will make this vision a reality."

"Graham brings strong Pro Audio knowledge to Music Group, having championed several truly impressive campaigns over his 16-year career in the industry," stated Music Group founder and CEO Uli Behringer. "Graham's approach

Italy - To ensure the audience a hard-hitting "live" sound for a preview 4K screening of Muse live at Rome Olympic Stadium, described by the band itself as its best concert of the year, UCI Italia, the country's cinema market leader, chose a sound system by Outline for its UCI Bicocca venue, one of only 20 theatres selected throughout the world for the high profile event.

Rock concerts have been identified by UCI as being among the most successful alternatives to traditional films and, after investigating the possibility of offering key venues audio quality on a par with live concerts, their collaboration with Outline enabled them to achieve this, enhancing the screening of the Muse show, recorded in ultra-HD before a 60,000-strong crowd in July 2013.

Although frequently mentioned in the trade press for the use of its sound reinforcement systems by leading int

USA - When a group of cellists decided to blend their classical music skills with their love of rock 'n' roll, the result was a cello-rock band known as Break of Reality. Comprised of three cellists and a percussionist, the group has been performing for more than a decade. During that time, the quartet has experimented with a series of audio setups, including both pickups and microphones, but continuously fell short of finding an ideal audio solution. That is, until they discovered DPA Microphones' d:vote 4099 Instrument Microphone and its clip for the cello.

As the quartet takes to the road, the members praise their recently purchased d:vote 4099 setup for creating a new sense of comfort that previously did not exist when miking the cellos. The group has tested a variety of audio amplification setups, which evolved from an early dependence on pickups, and they say they can alre

UK - Leading UK concert and touring sound provider Wigwam Acoustics, a member of SSE Audio Group, has announced the appointment of Joel Perry as Business Development Manager.

Perry brings 15 years of experience operating in the production industry to this new role at Wigwam. Most recently he worked as Commercial Manager at Total Production International (TPi). Long term Wigwam associate Simon Hall has also joined the company as an additional Project Manager, strengthening the division's resources in Heywood.

Wigwam Managing Director, Spencer Beard commented: "We have been lucky to secure Joel for this new role. He is already well known and respected in the industry and will fit in really well here at Wigwam."

He continued: "It's now a year since Wigwam joined SSE. We always felt it was key to maintain

Wigwam's unique identity so we are now embarking on a pro

USA - Television Broadcast mixer Paul Sandweiss (the Academy Awards, American Music Awards, BET Awards, EMMY Awards, and Kennedy Center Honors, and founder of Sound Design Corporation), has chosen the RedNet 6 MADI-to-Dante Bridge to interface his Yamaha CL5 consoles with the rest of his systems on the road and in broadcast mixing situations.

So far, Sandweiss has used his system with the RedNet 6 units on the recent 86th Academy Awards (with longtime associate Biff Dawes mixing the music performances on the live broadcast), the BET Awards, the EMMY's, the American Music Awards, the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 50th Anniversary Special, The BET Celebration of Gospel and an upcoming Conan O'Brien broadcast from the road in Dallas.

Sandweiss states, "I have flight pack systems, and the flight packs house a Yamaha CL5 console that works on the Dante network. To record from th

Germany - The Bosch Group has started the new year with a good increase in sales. In the first quarter, sales grew by roughly 7 percent. After adjusting for exchange-rate effects, the increase was roughly 10 percent. For the current fiscal year, the global provider of technology and services expects its sales to grow 3 to 5 percent.

"We continue to move forward with our traditional business and are opening up new fields of business. In so doing, we are benefiting from our broad technological and industrial expertise," said Dr. Volkmar Denner, chairman of the Bosch board of management, at the company's annual press conference.

The Bosch Automotive Technology business sector continued its strong business performance of the previous year, growing impressively in the first quarter of 2014. "We have also seen clear growth in our other business sectors. With regard to

Chile - Viña del Mar, Chile-based Audiopro has invested in a Meyer Sound Lyon linear sound reinforcement system. According to Jorge Diez, owner of Audiopro, the purchase will extend his company's rapid growth in Chile's thriving concert and event production market.

"I have been using Meyer Sound loudspeakers since 1997, and they have been the foundation of my business," says Diez. "When I heard the Lyon demos in San Francisco, I knew immediately that I wanted this system. Its powerful, precise sound will appeal to a broad range of clients."

Introduced in January, Lyon incorporates the advanced technology of the Leo Family in a lighter and more compact package, extending the advantages of highly linear self-powered systems to a wider range of venues and applications.

The Audiopro order comprises 32 Lyon-M main line array loudspeakers, 16 Lyon-W wide-cover

UK - On Sunday 13 April, the cream of the UK theatre industry gathered at London's Royal Opera House for the 2014 Olivier Awards. Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along walked away with two of the illustrious prizes, recognition aided by the performance of the show's Sennheiser Digital 9000 series digital wireless system.

With sound design by the twice previously-nominated Gareth Owen, Merrily We Roll Along claimed more five star reviews than any other West End show in history. This was borne out at the Oliviers, with Gareth winning an award for Best Sound Design, while the show was also awarded the Best Musical Revival prize.

"Merrily was a really good test for the 9000 system because, with Sondheim, the trick is to make the show sound unamplified, but without losing the excitement. You tend to put so much effort into making a Sondheim musical sound natural that it's ea

Poland - Clear-Com has announced that the Grand Theatre and National Opera in Warsaw, Poland, has extended its existing Clear-Com wired partyline intercom system with a FreeSpeak wireless system including two Basestations and 35 digital beltpacks. The new elements were supplied and installed by Profiaudio Ltd, Clearcom's authorized distributor in Poland.

The Grand Theatre and National Opera, built in 1833, is one of the largest theatres in the world. A Clear-Com partyline communication system had been installed in the theatre several years ago for the lighting team, but there was a requirement to enable the entire theatre staff to communicate throughout the venue, both inside and outside. Having considered other comms systems, the theatre's technical team decided instead to extend the existing Clear-Com installation with 35 additional beltpacks and two FreeSpeak Basestations.

USA - Until recently, the 950-seat auditorium used by Wabash City High School and Middle School (Wabash, Indiana) featured a sound system that had not been updated in 30 years. That has all changed since a new RoomMatch sound system from Bose Professional Systems was installed there recently. Now, students, faculty and visitors to the schools can enjoy high-quality sound and increased intelligibility for everything from school band and theatrical performances to graduation and other ceremonies.

In the auditorium, Indiana-based AV systems integrator Circle City Audio installed a RoomMatch system composed of three RM9040 modules, two RM7020 modules and two RMS215 subwoofers, configured in a dual-hang arrangement at the front of the hall. These are powered by three Bose PowerMatch PM8500N amplifiers, with processing by a pair of Bose ControlSpace ESP-88 digital signal processors.

UK - The anticipation that preluded the sixth PLASA Focus: Leeds delivered everything it promised, with two-days of packed show floors and seminar rooms. A total of 2107 visitors flooded into the Leeds' Royal Armouries, drawn by a showcase of professional sound, lighting, video, trussing and staging companies, plus an education programme that spanned the industry's expertise.

A mixture of quality, variety and enthusiasm combined to create the unmistakable atmosphere that the show has become renowned for. "We really enjoy PLASA Focus," says Michael Brooksbank, European General Manager, Chauvet Professional. "It's a small, intimate, networking show, it doesn't cost us a significant amount of money, which always helps, and we get instant returns."

Martin Professional's UK Sales Director, Mike Walker, adds: "It's an important show for us. The international

USA - When the touring production of the five-time Tony Award-nominated 80's musical Rock of Ages hit the road to rock its way across America for a third season, Masque Sound went along for the ride, supplying a custom audio equipment package to support sound designer Craig Cassidy and his team.

Set in 1987 on Hollywood's famed Sunset Strip, Rock of Ages tells the story of a small town girl who meets a big city rocker at Los Angeles' most famous rock club, The Bourbon Room. This arena-rock love story is told through the hits of the greatest bands of the 80's including, Journey, Night Ranger, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister, Poison, Asia, Whitesnake, Bon Jovi and more.

Recreating the heavy, arena-rocking sound that defined the big hair 80's with a PA system that would be able to move in and out of the theatres quickly enough for the tour's rigoro

UK - Belfast PA company, Wackiki, employed its Allen & Heath GLD digital mixing system, comprising the GLD-80 mixer and accompanying AR2412 remote I/O rack, for the recent Arenacross UK tour, which visited seven arenas from Belfast to Wembley, showcasing an international line-up of pro racers and Freestyle motocross.

"We chose GLD because of its small footprint and I/O processing abilities. The use of compressors, high pass filters and 4-band EQ on each channel was a must. With some venues posing difficult cable runs, we liked that the GLD only required a single CAT5 to connect the stage box, instead of multiple cables like most desks," explains Wackiki's hire manager, Steve Woods. "The truck pack was also very tight with the amount of truss and PA involved, and the only way the tour budget would work was if all the sound and lighting production fit into one truck

UK - Having previously been nominated for two Olivier Awards, it was it was third time lucky for sound designer Gareth Owen as he won one of the coveted awards for Sondheim musical Merrily We Roll Along. Gareth's choice of a Yamaha PM5D digital console for the show proved that his philosophy of 'the right tools for the right job' is a recipe for success.

"I'm not one to always use the same equipment - no 'cookie cutter' specs, if you will. I believe in picking the tools that are best for each production and not spending a lot of the producer's money on gear for the sake of it," he says.

"Merrily We Roll Along was all about sonic clarity and fast operation. It needed a straightforward system, just exactly what was needed to deliver a sound which was very clear and true to the original. Three of the main reason why I chose the PM5D was because it has

USA - Rational Acoustics has announced the release of the fifth major version update for the Smaart v.7 measurement platform - Smaart v.7.5. This latest release includes significant feature additions, usability enhancements, interface modifications and important bug fixes. This is a free update and is recommended for all Smaart v.7 users.

Notable among the feature additions in Smaart v.7.5 is the addition of 'Target Curves' on RTA plots allowing ASCII traces such as the X curve (used in cinema tunings) to be imported into Smaart and displayed in a static position on the RTA plot to serve as a visual target or threshold for single channel measurements. A 'Quick Compare' feature has also been added for transfer function measurements which captures a copy of the top transfer function trace and stores the inverse in memory as a weighting curve, allowing it to be quickly applied as a

UK - Who wouldn't want to be in Leeds on a sunny spring day with all the delights of the PLASA Focus event laid out before you? As usual, long before the need for a mid-morning latte, the place was busy with visitors and exhibitors alike. Nowhere was busier than the d&b audiotechnik stand in the New Dock Hall where the three latest products were on display.

Mounted against a backdrop of vaulted gothic cathedral windows was the rather elegant xC-Series of column loudspeakers, comprising the 16C, 24C and 24C-E. Designed specifically to deliver the d&b System reality in those difficult reverberant environments, the company's long experience of working with passively crossed loudspeakers has produced a series of column loudspeakers with supremely effective horizontal pattern control.

Meanwhile, the freshly updated ArrayCalc simulation software from d&b attracted a steady stream of

UK - MilTec (UK) Ltd had another busy PLASA Focus show this year with a stand in the New Dock Hall and an audio demo room in the Holiday Inn hotel next door. Both positions were themed to promote MilTec's increasing British manufacturing base. Visitors to the demo room had the opportunity to try out a traditional Kentish ale or a G&T made with London dry gin.

As well as promoting fine British ale and spirits, the company also used the additional space to demonstrate their Blakite range of British speakers along with their own signal processing equipment. New products on show included a 6" speaker and 12" compact stage wedge, both fitted with dual concentric drivers. These speakers and two subs were being powered by a prototype class-d amplifier. The amp has six channels giving 2x 2,500WRMS and 4x 800WRMS into 4 Ohms. It also includes an updated version of MilTec's DNP2

USA - Meyer Sound has bolstered its marketing efforts by recruiting Karen Ames for the newly created position of vice president of marketing and communications.

A veteran communications professional who has worked with a diverse range of artists and institutions - from the San Francisco Symphony to George Thorogood - Ames joins the Meyer Sound senior leadership team to head up its global marketing and communications strategy. She is charged with the overall leadership for corporate communications, marketing, advertising and sponsorships, social media, public relations, philanthropy, and public affairs.

As part of this restructuring, Ames heads up a marketing team that includes Jodi Hughes, who assumes the director of marketing position, and Rachel Archibald, who drives strategic marketing initiatives such as competitive research, market development, and industry alliances. The

USA - Though he was born in Pasadena, CA, vocalist / composer / performer Gerardo Ortiz was reared in Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico. These days, Ortiz is recognised as a stand-out artist in the Norteño-Banda, Corridos music genre and, in 2011, he dominated the Billboard Mexican Music Awards. Ortiz is presently on tour and, to ensure the best audio fidelity with consistent coverage, he relies on loudspeakers drawn from the Aero Series 2, Convert, and Road catalogs of Valencia, Spain-based D.A.S. Audio.

Los Angeles-based International House of Music, Inc. (IHOMI), a full service music and audio equipment supplier that services a wide range of customers from individuals to professional touring acts, recently sold the Ortiz tour a large D.A.S. Audio sound reinforcement system. Presently, the mains system includes 36 D.A.S. Aero 50 3-way, large-format line array modules powered by Lab G

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