Belgium - StageCo, Tait Technologies, XL Video and Barco are are all involved with the U2 360° tour which hits Belgium on 22 and 23 September. The audience will be able to enjoy the show, with a giant 360° stage and video screen, made in Belgium.

The U2 360° tour started on 30 June 2009 in Camp Nou in Barcelona and will go on until the summer of 2011. This month, it finally sets foot in Belgium. Both the spectacular stage, as well as the transformable LED screen were made possible by Belgian companies.

StageCo was responsible for the construction of the impressive stage

USA / UK - Clair Brothers, one of the most respected names in the entertainment industry, is now expanding its reach outside the US. Roy Clair, founder of Clair Brothers, and his son Barry Clair, president of Clair Brothers, have committed to design and manufacture a high-end line of loudspeaker systems and will continue to offer their expertise and attention to details to the AV systems design and integration industry.

Clair Brothers has signalled its intent to become a leading provider of loudspeaker systems by securing the services of David Cooper in the newly created position of B

Australia - ARX has announced the release of the PC-pre2 two channel microphone preamplifier. The PC-pre2 can be mounted into a standard PC tower 5-1/4" Disk Player slot or alternatively used as a stand-alone unit.

The PC-pre2 has been designed for applications include Hard Disk recording, data acquisition, loudspeaker testing measurement, sound system testing & EQ'ing and law enforcement interview recording.

Features include the latest ultra low noise & distortion THAT Corp Mic Preamp ICs, high current +48V DC Phantom Power and a full Bi Polar Power Supply for maximum signal h

UK / Germany - As soon as Martin Audio's revolutionary Multicellular Loudspeaker Array (MLA) had completed its world debut with German rap band Fettes Brot, the band's Berlin-based production company, Complete Audio, became the first global customer for the new system.

They wasted no time in placing an order for the rig, comprising 20 x MLA, 2 x MLD enclosures and 14 x MLX subs (along with Merlin network management system, rigging and peripherals), with Martin Audio's German distributor, Atlantic Audio. Complete Audio MD, André Rauhut remarked, "I now own a system which is

UK / Brazil - Following up on its acquisition of Brazilian loudspeaker manufacturer Electronica Selenium in June this year, Harman presented the European professional audio community with Selenium by Harman at PLASA 2010. Selenium is now part of Harman Professional's Loudspeaker Group .

"Being a part of a global organization such as Harman allows Selenium to expand our distribution in a measured, strategic and well-supported manner," says Rodrigo Rihl Kniest, country manager, Harman Brazil. "In doing so, we dovetail well with other Harman Professional brand offerings an

France / UK Surbiton-based Plus 4 Audio serves the London Studios, Fountain Studios, Maidstone Studios and the BBC as well as various OB events with shows such as Dancing on Ice, Mercury Music Prize, Must be the Music, Over the Rainbow, Strictly Come Dancing and Sports Personality of the Year to name but a few. The company has just taken delivery of 12 DX12 compact, low profile monitor speakers from APG for rental stock from APG's UK distributor, Red Square Audio.

Plus 4's Stewart Chaney comments, "I had been looking for a micro wedge mon

UK - The cutting edge of modern audio and acoustics will be highlighted again at the Reproduced Sound 2010 conference which opens at the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff, on 18 November.

Now in its 26 year, the two-day conference, organised by the Institute of Acoustics, has become a key event in the calendar for consultants, manufacturers, contractors and end users.

As well as providing delegates with detailed updates of major new developments, the informal environment of the event allows them to mingle and share insights and information.

This year's theme will be Perfo

UK - At PLASA 2010, rental companies ETA Sound, Total Sound Solutions and A1 Entertainments all placed orders for Nexo line array systems.

ETASound, which is based in North Wales but also has a London office at the O2 Arena, is to take delivery of 16 Nexo D10 modules, with an option to buy the same again, following installation trials of Geo D at one of the UK's most prominent live venues. In April, Eddie Thomas became one of the first rental companies in the world to buy the new RS18 subs from Nexo, and has just ordered more cabinets for ETASound's inventory.

Total Sound Solutions

UK - Martin Audio's Multicellular Loudspeaker Array (MLA) took the top prize at this year's PLASA Awards for Innovation, at London's Earls Court this week.

Winners of the Awards were announced in a special presentation during the PLASA Show, and after a hotly contested nomination process MLA headed the list of 62 products entered.

For the first time, the Awards were judged 'live' at the Innovation Gallery by an independent panel of 16 expert judges, in front of show visitors and a camera team on Sunday 12 September. Show visitors were able to watch the judging process replayed on la

UK - For the third time in recent years, the Italian manufacturer Outline received the PLASA Award for Innovation, thanks to its Mini-COM.P.A.S.S. iMode vertical line array.

The independent panel of judges noted, "This loudspeaker's combination of generic IT and innovative line array technology represents a step forward for the industry in systems integration. The cabinet's built-in web-browser support makes it possible to control a complete loudspeaker array from a plethora of industry standard devices."

"This is the third award won over a relatively short period, co

UK - The Martin Audio DD6 is the first in a new line of products that will eventually replace the Wavefront range. The DD6 extends the company's loudspeaker portfolio and targets the touring and theatre segments. "The DD6 marks the first step in a new evolution," states Martin Audio R&D director, Jason Baird. "This ultra-versatile system offers a variety of different deployment options in a tour grade enclosure."

However, it is the custom-designed Differential Dispersion horn, developed using Martin Audio's proprietary BEM tools, which is the system's greatest USP,

UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies, Audio division has taken stock of the new Sennheiser G3 GB wireless microphone systems for use on Channel 38 (606-614 MHz), enabling customers to start 'future proofing' their investment in new equipment for the impending UK radio frequency move.

As a distributor for all major wireless equipment brands, A.C. Audio have been keenly following the Ofcom designated 2012 digital switchover from Channel 69 (854-862 MHz) with a view to providing impartial customer advice and recommending the best course of action that will ensure minimal disruption.

Th

UK - Shaka Zulu, the African themed restaurant and late night venue in Camden's Stables Market, North London, opened its doors this summer.

The venue, costing an estimated £5.5m, is spread over two floors occupying approximately 27,000sq.ft and features hand carved exotic wood walls, elaborate furniture and dominating statues - both over the main entrance and within the premises itself.

Shaka Zulu is a high profile, large scale project, some three years in the making; proprietor Roger Payne turned to long term supplier Carl Broadhurst and his company CTS Productions to provide

UK - The flagship Oxford Circus Topshop store has added a Topman trading floor at the top of the building. Former Radio 1 DJ, Bruno Brookes has provided an end-to-end concept for content and sound reinforcement via his broadcast firm Immedia, making this a blueprint for future installations in other stores.

The Harman Pro solution chosen by Immedia will eventually utilise more than 500 JBL Control 47CT and Control 24CT Micro transformer ceiling speakers and Control 28T surface mount enclosures distributed throughout the five trading floors. These are driven by Crown CTs and CDi series

USA - A big date on Hollywood calendars each year is the Teen Choice Awards which honours the year's biggest achievements in music, movies, sports, television, fashion and more, as voted by teens.

This year's ceremony was held on 8 August at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles and aired the following day on the Fox Network. Lighting design veteran Tom Kenny created animated looks to match the show's youthful energy using Martin's LC Series LED panels for backdrop graphics, as well as Martin Atomic 3000 strobes and MAC 2000 Wash XB moving heads.

"All in all, the clarit

Germany - Neumann is well-known in the audio industry for its top-of-the-range microphones. Neumann has also been a pioneer in the audio industry for over 80 years with a long history of world-class products - from mixing consoles and disc cutting lathes, to more recent innovations in digital technology with the Solution-D system. Wolfgang Fraissinet, president of marketing/sales at Neumann Berlin, comments, "Neumann is excited to introduce its latest innovation, the KH 120, representing the first product in the new line of Neumann Studio Monitors."

The KH 120 studio monitor

UAE - Roland Systems Group (RSG), a member of the Roland Corporation Group, has appointed Nicolas Kyvernitis Electronics Enterprises (NMK) as the exclusive distributor for supplying its Roland Professional audio and video product line to UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman.

NMK headquarters are located in Dubai and the company has been operating in the market for 26 years already, since they started in 1984 focusing on the audio, video and lighting industries. NMK began in Sharjah (UAE) as a small company and during its years of operation has become a leading distributor of professio

UK - PLASA 2010 closed on a high, with preliminary visitor figures set to show an increase over 2009 and strong international engagement from across the world. Exhibitors across all the show's sectors enthused about the quality of business leads and relished the show's vibrant atmosphere. The event, which filled London's Earls Court 1 and 2, drew over 12,000 visitors, while the international attendance continued to be strong with nearly 30% of visitors attending from 99 countries worldwide.

Show director Nicola Rowland commented: "The universally positive feedback and the strong

UK - Orbital Sound has supplied Bristol-based PA rental company Amber Audio with two Digidesign SC48 Venue digital consoles, as well as a d&b audiotechnik Q1 line array, complete with J-SUB and B4-SUB cardioid subs - winner of a PLASA 2010 Innovation Award.

Amber Audio wanted to expand its hire stock to cope with an increasing workload, and the company's Alan Burgess selected Orbital after considering a range of suppliers, following advice on suitable line-arrays and digital consoles that would meet its criteria for rider-friendly brands. Since receiving the new systems, Amber has dep

UK - Adlib Audio's festival run included supplying the NME/Radio 1 Stages at both sites for the Reading & Leeds Festivals. The brief for these tented venues included the provision of sound for outdoor areas left, right and to the back of the tents as well as the standard system inside. Adlib sent a crew of six to each site, with Marc Peers crew-chiefing Leeds and James Neale in Reading.

The PA systems were near identical for both sites, allowing the line-ups to flip-flop between locations, teamwork between Adlib's two crews - who exchanged show files, notes, patch and settings informa

Argentina / Italy - Italian audio manufacturer dBTechnologies has appointed Todomusica S.A. as exclusive distributor for its full product range in Argentina. Founded by current owner/CEO Rafael Pedace, Todomusica started life 26 years ago as a small retail store and has since grown into a leading distributor in both the pro audio and musical instruments sectors.

"We are very proud to be working with dBTechnologies," says Pedace, who has headed up the Argentinian company since its inception. "It's not 'just another brand' to us. dBTechnologies is renowned for its quality

UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies has acquired the entertainment business of Primarc as part of an ongoing expansion programme that will merge the two companies' entertainment lighting businesses and enable Primarc to focus predominately on the specialist lamps market.

From 1 October, Primarc will relocate to AC-ET's international sales office and warehouse operation in High Wycombe, allowing the company to benefit from AC-ET's infrastructure and logistics.

Primarc's Bob Peach and Kevin Everett will then join AC-ET's UK sales team. With access to both companies' entertainment lig

UK - Following on from a successful run at The Lyric in Hammersmith, the Duke of York's theatre on St Martins' Lane in London is currently playing host to Ghost Stories - a spine-chilling production which has been shocking audiences since June.

The production, written by Jeremy Dyson (of League of Gentlemen fame) and Andy Nyman, co-creator of Derren Brown's television and stage productions, features a series of different ghost stories, brought to life by stage, lighting and sound effects.

Audio plays a major role in the production, with sound designer Nick Manning crea

Germany - dBTechnologies Deutschland celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, coinciding with the completion of a new 500sq.m showroom at its Cologne-based offices, where the team and some 220 visitors were able to toast the company's first decade, at a party concluding its annual distributor convention recently.

Founded in the year 2000 by three people with a vision that the brand should be made available to a wider audience, dBTechnologies Deutschland was set up as a daughter company of Italian AEB Industriale. For over 25 years dBTechnologies has been a force in both wireless and

Latest Issue. . .