UK - A scalable QSC Q-Sys digital audio network has been installed at London's Excel Exhibition Centre by experienced installation specialists Paul Todd and Eddie Thomas of SSE Audio. Based around a Core 1100 processor, the new QSC system replaces Excel's ageing background music system, and is used in conjunction with an existing Ateis voice alarm. All of the QSC equipment was provided by Shure Distribution UK.

Having struggled with the daily management of the previous system, Excel gave SSE a brief to create a fully redundant network with a bespoke, user-friendly graphical user interface. Q-Sys has been integrated into Excel's existing fibre network ring, and now distributes up to 256 x 256 digital audio channels from 18 racks, each with fibre network connectivity and full redundancy.

Excel is one of London's largest exhibition centres, offering a total of 100,000sq.m of us

Poland - Cadac's Polish distributor, Tommex, has installed a CDC six console in the Miejskie Centrum Kultury (MCK) in P?onsk, as part of the modernization of the town's cultural centre. This is the latest in a clutch of initial sales of Cadac's medium format live sound console across Europe, which has seen consoles ship to customers in Benelux, Denmark, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the UK. Consoles have also been sold and shipped to several Asian territories, including China.

The Tommex installation - the first in Poland - is in Miejskie Centrum Kultury's Kalejdoskop Cinema, a multipurpose hall. The MCK facility also features workshops, offices, a recording studio, conference room, dance studio and gallery. The CDC six and two MegaCOMMS connected CDC I/O 3216 stageboxes were chosen by the MCK P?onsk in a tender, providing a system configuration that met the venue's objectiv

UK - Allen & Heath's new dLive mixing system made its debut appearance at London's O2 arena recently, with King Charles supporting Mumford & Sons on their UK tour.

King Charles front-of-house engineer Jon Lewis employed a dLive S3000 console with an A&H DM64 mixrack for FOH, with an Allen & Heath GLD Chrome mixer handling monitor duties. The 20 fader, 12" touch-screen equipped S3000 allows for up to 120 fader strips and extremely fast workflow.

With credits including Roni Size, The Feeling and Clean Cut Kid, Lewis is a fast-rising UK FOH engineer, with extensive experience of Allen & Heath's existing iLive mixing system. And he describes the dLive as being "on another level. From the build quality to the GUI to the flexibility of the console, everything's taken a huge step up. But it's also extremely intuitive - we only had a day's rehearsal with the console before

Latvia - 3S SIA, the Latvian distributor for Portuguese manufacturer NEXT-proaudio, recently installed a NEXT-proaudio LA122 line-array system in Vecpuisu parka paviljons in Valmiera, Latvia. The complex was built in 1914 and after an eventful history completely rebuilt as an event hall for corporate parties, small scale concerts, and medium size parties.

General tech company SIA Decibel, represented by general manager Aivis Balodis, contracted SIA 3S to supply and install the PA system. The calculations and room simulations with Ease Focus were made by Arturs Cintins, technical director of 3S SIA. He also developed and implemented FIR filters for that system.

"SIA Decibel is long term customer of ours and he was sure it has to be a NEXT-proaudio system, so he called me. The choice was LA122 line array system, maybe a bit massive for the room, but it can handle anything

USA - Like many audio system design projects, the biggest challenge in specifying sound for a house of worship is often overcoming the limitations of the physical space. That was the situation that Ft. Wayne, IN-based Custom Sound Designs (CSD) Group, Inc. faced in a recent project for First Assembly Church of Raleigh, NC, and a system based on L-Acoustics' Kiva and ARCS WiFo product lines controlled by a Yamaha CL5 digital audio console was its solution.

"This is not just a case of it being a large and acoustically unfriendly space," explains CSD President Doug Hood. "In some ways it was closer to a new-construction project than a typical renovation, but the nature of the construction limited what could be done. The site was originally a manufacturing facility, so it was a large and almost completely open environment. Things like support beams are central to the

EMEA - Community Professional Loudspeakers has announced the appointment of Jamie Ward as international sales manager, EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa).

Ward has extensive sales and business management experience in the pro audio industry. His previous roles have included regional sales manager with Allen & Heath, sales director UK with Stanton Group and senior sales manager, HPRO EMEA Central, with Harman International.

"I am excited to be joining Community at such an important time in the company's growth and development internationally," said Ward. "With such a strong product offering specifically focused across the commercial and engineered installed sound verticals, there is a huge amount of potential to offer customers the right solutions and support they need."

Ward continued, "With a lot of manufacturing still on site in the US, everyone

UK - Cloud is shipping its new MK4 versions of the Industry Standard Z8 and Z4 Venue Zone Mixer.

The Z-Series of Venue Zone Mixer from Cloud Electronics, first introduced to the market in 2005, is established as a reliable solution for multi-zone audio applications in hospitality, leisure, retail and commercial markets. The Z-Series offers simple, intuitive control for end-users and straight forward installation for system integrators but with flexibility to provide independent zone source/volume selection per zone, paging per zone and independent remote input options per zone, all from a reliable, tried and tested analogue design.

The new MK4 versions have been developed directly as a result of listening to existing installers and system integrators and adding features to improve this already popular model. Whilst the familiar front-panel remains almost untouched, the back-

UK - Peerless-AV has announced the appointment of Tom Fenton as business development manager, EMEA. Working alongside the UK and export sales teams, Tom will be responsible for growing new business opportunities across all regions.

Tom joins Peerless-AV from one of the major global LFD brands where he held various business development and product management positions within the LFD division; most recently focusing on interactive and professional display products.

"Peerless-AV has worked hard to position itself as a market leader and now is an ideal time to join as the company is experiencing strong growth and the biggest ever ISE is around the corner," said Tom Fenton. "I look forward to working with my new team to develop both the UK and export sides of the business even further in 2016."

Based at Peerless-AV's European Headquarters in Watford, UK, To

Theatre Funding - Arts leaders have warned that cuts to local funding will be the biggest issue facing the theatre industry in 2016. This comes after the government announced a total reduction to local authority grants of £6.1 billion, which will be implemented between now and 2019/20. David Brownlee, director of theatre consultancy firm BON Culture, said pressures on council funding would mean the difficulties faced by regional theatre move "from a drama to a crisis". He added that mid and small-scale venues would be most at risk, especially those run directly by local authorities.

It Was 25 Years Ago - On Christmas Day 1990, Sir Tim Berners-Lee and Robert Cailliau (in collaboration with CERN) communicated between a web browser and a webserver for the first time - thus the world's first website went live.

Honours List - The music world is repre

UK - When the European premiere of the hugely anticipated Star Wars: The Force Awakens came to London, Utopium were on hand to illuminate the red carpet royalty and Nelson's Column.

Thousands of dedicated fans flocked to London to celebrate the latest instalment in the Star Wars franchise, where Stormtroopers and Jedi knights joined the cast and celebrities for the biggest premiere of the year.

Utopium illuminated Nelson's Column, transforming it into a giant light sabre. Utopium provided 24 Clay Paky Mythos, three MDG One atmosphere machines, four Studio Due City-Color LEDs and two Studio Due City-Beams to create the spectacle.

In Leicester Square, the cast and crew were joined by celebrity guests as the area was transformed into a space-themed venue. Utopium installed 120 tonnes of ballast to stabilise the 26 masts supporting 175m of 52cm ST header truss, from wh

Canada - B&J Music, a division of JAM, will be the new Canadian distributor for the Peavey Composite Acoustics, Trace Elliot and Budda lines. The agreement was confirmed recently after discussions amongst JAM president, Martin Szpiro, VP Jeff Carman, B&J VP David McAllister and Peavey C.O.O., Courtland Gray, GM of North American sales, Fred Poole and Hartley Peavey, Peavey Electronics' founder.

"The decision to partner with B&J was given great consideration. After looking at other opportunities and initiatives, we realized that the JAM organization is best positioned to enhance Peavey and grow its presence in Canada," said Gray.

"This giant U.S. amplification and instrument brand is a welcome addition to B&J's existing catalogue of exclusive products and we believe that B&J aligns well with Peavey's decision to transition to full distribution in Canada. To kno

Switzerland - Swiss manufacturer Schertler has announced the release of JAM, the third member of its "next generation" acoustic amplifier series. Representing an evolution of the company's best-selling JAM 150 amplifier, this new 5-channel "all-rounder" offers greater flexibility in both live performance and studio situations. The amp combines a comprehensive feature set with the updated technology and enhanced "look" that is characteristic of all the models in this series.

Equipped with a 1" dome tweeter and 8" woofer, and featuring an optimized 2-way bass reflex construction, JAM offers 200W (150W + 50W) of bi-amplified power. The amplifier includes a balanced microphone (XLR) input, an unbalanced mic/instrument input and an input offering both balanced microphone and unbalanced mic/instrument options. Both instrument inputs feature a B

The Netherlands - Analog Way is exhibiting at ISE 2016 in February and will present the new VIO 4K, a premium multi-format converter, along with the NeXtage 08, the latest premium seamless switcher added to the LiveCore series. Also showcased on the booth will be the new firmware version for the Vertige remote controller that brings new features.

VIO 4K is a powerful multi-format converter offering the latest generation of digital connectivity. Natively equipped with seven inputs, VIO 4K enables the conversion of a multitude of signals including: Dual-link DVI, DisplayPort, HDMI, 6G-SDI Optical, and universal analogue, into an impressive array of output signal formats up to 4K 30Hz. VIO 4K was designed to provide optimum versatility; it includes three slots for optional I/O modules, two for video processing with capacity to handle formats up to 4K 60Hz 4:4:4 and one for audio p

UK / Netherlands - Cloud Electronics has announced additions to the recently launched CS-C in-ceiling speaker series, and will unveil three new speaker models at ISE 2016 for contracting audio installations in retail, hospitality, commercial and leisure.

The new premium speaker models include the CS-C3, a 3" full-range in-ceiling speaker, the CS-S3, a 3" full-range surface speaker and the CS-SSUB8 a versatile 8" passive surface subwoofer, a companion for the surface and ceiling models. All speakers adopt an architectural aesthetic, are available in black or white and feature ZeroEdge grilles which makes them suitable for most environments including restaurants, hotels, leisure centres, houses of worship and retail stores.

Having already introduced a 5, 6 and 8-inch in-ceiling speaker range with the CS-C Series in 2015, the new full-range CS-C3 3" ceiling

UK - John Hornby Skewes & Co has released details of its new HK Audio Dealership Agreements. They have opted for "a Selective Distribution Agreement with a view to creating a tighter network of enthusiastic, committed, likeminded dealers".

There are three dealership options available for existing and new dealers to apply for including Reseller, Lucas Nano, and Commercial Partner options.

JHS executive director, sales and marketing Alan Smith explained, "Over time we'd noticed that our resellers had become very diverse with differing levels of commitment, and all of those resellers have varying levels of product presentation and technical understanding.

"We're creating a new network of dealers who will be creating the high-end quality environment in which we'd like HK Audio to be represented. It'll be a new and stronger partnership where we'll be invest

USA - A 24 channel Audient ASP8024 analogue mixing console is now at the heart of a new 1400sq.ft teaching facility at Lake Havasu High School's CTE (Career Technical Education) Audio Production Program. Remodelled earlier this year under the close supervision of its director, Sam Brindis, the upgrade of this new studio space - to be known as Knight House Studios - heralds the beginning of a new era for the Music & Audio Production Technology programme.

Brindis has adapted the course over the four years he's been at Lake Havasu High School with programme numbers steadily increasing from the initial 45 in his first year. "The programme used to be called Audio/Video; there was pretty much no audio whatsoever." That has certainly changed, with 160 students in regular contact with the desk today, learning basic recording techniques, tracking, mixing, signal flow and patch

UK - Following a year of changes, PLASA is looking forward to a fresh new approach for 2016. With the de-merger from PLASA North America enabling the Association to re-focus its resources and push forward with plans to re-engage with its members, PLASA is now set to introduce a series of initiatives based on the constructive feedback gained from the industry.

Despite its difficulties, 2015 saw many positives for PLASA. At PLASA Media, Lighting&Sound International celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2015, having been confirmed by research completed by Fusion Insight & Strategy as the market leading magazine and by far the number one choice of readers in the marketplace. LSi also welcomed a new media sales team: commercial manager Andrew Organ and business development manager Greg Morley have quickly settled into their roles, and 2016 is shaping up to be LSi's most successf

The Netherlands - tvONE is launching CORIOmaster and CORIOmaster mini 4K input & output modules and a new AV over IP module at ISE in Amsterdam (stand 1-M60). It will also be revealing a completely new innovation - details are as yet undisclosed.

CORIOmaster and CORIOmaster mini video wall processors offer anything in, anything out capability fully covering 4K. With the new 4K and AV over IP modules, the processors can accept IP streams up to 1080p, 4K file playback via USB3.0 and 4K still images - all on one card, in one slot.

Also new at ISE is the tvONE 1T-MV-8474 4K Multiviewer, the latest product in its range of 4K enabled products. The Multiviewer can display up to four video windows simultaneously via sixteen different fixed layouts, which can be recalled to present content in a variety of combinations. This could vary from a straight forward Quad split, Picture-In-Pi

Australia - Progressive metalcore band, Northlane, have just completed a sold out homecoming tour carrying an Allen & Heath iLive monitor system, comprising an iDR-32 MixRack with iLive Editor app for control.

Following the band's successful 2014 tour supporting Bring Me the Horizon, who own an iLive-R72 monitor system, Northlane decided to invest in their own compact iLive for touring.

Northlane purchased an iDR-32 MixRack to operate their touring in-ear monitor rig. By setting up the mix over a wireless connection with the iLive Editor app, the band is able to maintain a consistent monitor mix in any venue or practice space around the world.

"With the iDR-32 we can take our entire monitoring system with us on flights, plus having a quick set up at gigs and practice sessions is awesome," said guitarist, Josh.

Since the band's latest album, Node, hit number 1

UK - A ground breaking interactive audio installation is bringing China's 6,300 km Yangtze River to London Gatwick, using actual sounds recorded on the river.

Delta Sound have installed Bose FreeSpace DS100SEs along the length of the 194m Gatwick skybridge linking Pier 6 to Gatwick's North Terminal, to give passengers a real taste of the sounds of the river all the way from source to mouth.

The installation features over 100 hours of authentic sounds taken directly from 35 locations on the Yangtze, and complemented by a wall of colourful imagery showcasing the wildlife, nature and people who call the river home.

Called A Living River, the installation celebrates the work of HSBC's Water Programme and 15-year partnership with WWF, and was created by J Walter Thompson London, working with creative sound designer, Nick Ryan & technical sound designer Davey Williamson.

UK - Space Productions, the in-house company at off-West End fringe venue the Space, has brought an original play, The Lighthouse, to its boards for the post-Christmas period. The play is written by promising new playwright Rachael Claye, who was recently long-listed for the Old Vic 12 mentoring scheme.

Resident Space sound designer, Keri Danielle Chesser has defined a complex 3D soundscape for the production, bringing the play truly alive for the audience, and once again using TiMax Soundhub 3D audio showcontrol matrix.

In this production, Chesser connects sound effects playback directly from the QLab Macbook into TiMax via a MOTU UltraLite MK3 Hybrid interface, which also provides MIDI commands from QLab. TiMax Group faders are used for any live volume changes, while all other mix elements are handled within QLab, with TiMax providing spatialisation via MIDI trigger

UK - HD Pro Audio has announced five new dates for Avid Venue | S6L training. The first session is being held on 26 January, with subsequent events on 29 February, 15 March, 19 April and 17 May.

The events will take place at John Henry's Studio Three in London N7 and will give engineers a comprehensive view of the features and operation of this advanced console, with some hands-on opportunity.

Training places are free, but limited, so anyone interested in attending should contact HD Pro Audio at info@hdproaudio.co.uk as soon as possible.

(Jim Evans)

The Netherlands - VUE Audiotechnik has appointed Ron Vogel Audio (RVA), based in Zwanenburg, as its exclusive dealer for the Netherlands. RVA will facilitate distributor-like services such as sales demonstrations and service of VUE Audiotechnik products across the country, as well as specify VUE products for various permanent installation projects. The relationship will help reinforce VUE's presence across Europe, working closely with VUE Europa in Germany and augmenting existing distributor offices in Italy and Norway. RVA will present VUE Audiotechnik products at the upcoming CUE 2016 tradeshow taking place in Rotterdam on January 18th - 20th.

Owner Ron Vogel has worked in the pro audio industry for more than 40 years as a front-of-house engineer, monitor engineer and tour manager for local and international bands. Ron chose to quit the road and became a sales manager for a m

USA - For the second straight year, the 2015 Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) Orlando featured a Meyer Sound Leo Family loudspeaker system on its main stage. One of the most important electronic dance music (EDM) events on the East Coast, EDC Orlando showcased some of the biggest names in EDM including Tiƫsto, Calvin Harris, Kaskade, and Eric Prydz. The artists played to a sold-out audience of 60,000 over two days at Tinker Field.

"My first reaction to Leo is that I was working in front of a system unlike any other," says Fabrizio Piazzini, FOH engineer for international EDM superstar Calvin Harris. "It has precision, clarity and punch - and all of those elements are redefined by these loudspeakers. Also, the headroom is incredible - I don't think I hit the limiters on any component. The sound was very relaxed, even at high SPLs."

Piazzini has found that mi

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