UK - Allen & Heath has launched the latest version of the Windows based iDR Software Manager that configures hardware components into an integrated audio distribution system. Version 3.4 has been developed to provide even more flexibility, enabling communication with more third party equipment, allowing holistic control across linked systems, reducing the need for wiring and increasing system capacity with more available connections.

Version 3.4 has custom serial port settings and strings, which allow the iDR system to communicate with a wide variety of third party equipment, such as CD and DVD players, software programs, and alarm and lighting systems.

The new software also allows more PL remote control devices to be connected and uses chain/star configurations, which reduce the need for extensive wiring. The number of automated, programmable presets has been increased to 250

UK - In a move that both brings the brands of Midas and Klark Teknik closer together in addition to providing a more effective way of working, Midas and Klark Teknik have announced that David Wiggins, previously responsible for international sales of Klark Teknik, is to assume equal responsibility in his role as international sales manager for both brands.

"In terms of the way we have been restructuring the company in recent months, this is a move that makes complete sense," affirmed Wiggins. "As technology continues to develop apace, so the interaction between the two brands becomes increasingly important. We are already seeing this at a product and therefore R&D level; for example the ability to link any Heritage or Legend console to Helix via the auto-solo function to name but one example. It therefore follows that the same strategy should be reflected in sales

UK - It has been confirmed recently that HZ-International is now officially in liquidation. However Rackz Limited will take on some of the lines formerly manufactured by HZ, mainly comprising the static 19" Flat-Pack Racking and Pro Audio a division of Rackz Ltd.

Rackz will now be offering a full back up and repair service for the above products. Mike Butt former senior electronic engineer from Hz and Dave Roberts former technical designer will be dealing with the loudspeaker problems. However the company is unable to perform any free guarantee work on behalf of the former HZ International Ltd. All work will be charged out at £22 per hour or part thereof plus parts and carry a three-month guarantee.

(Sarah Rushton-Read)

Link introduced new products in its LK connectors and Eurocable ranges. For its new LKS rubber locking ring, Link is offering a free replacement service in the case of a break within three years; encouragingly, this includes a 'no questions asked' policy - so you can do what you like with them. The company also introduced rubber locking rings for its LKH connectors and for the LK Audio range of connectors.

USA - Transamerica Audio Group, the U.S. distributor for Soundelux Microphones announced the new E49 large diaphragm condenser microphone, based on the original 1952 German IRT design, is now shipping.

The original vintage tube 49 microphone is still the gold standard in studios around the world, due to its incredible flexibility in any application from distant orchestral recordings requiring a neutral sound quality to close up micing where the tailored proximity effect is well known and valued for achieving big vocal sounds.

Like the original, the Soundelux E49 is a remote variable pattern tube mic that uses Soundelux' KK47 large diaphragm capsule and a unique head grille design that replicates the original's acoustic and mechanical sonic signatures. A specially designed Soundelux SteadyState(r) fixed-bias type tube amplifier (similar to the original) is used but has lower no

Another SIB exhibitor quietly enjoying significant growth is Dutch company Highlite International, which now produces a huge range of lighting, audio and trussing products. Company owner Huub de la Haije told me that since the company was founded in the early 90s, it has doubled its turnover every two years. Highlite has always manufactured its products in China, and has more than 10 years' worth of relationships with Chinese manufacturing interests under it belt. Consequently it is somewhat ahead of the game now that everyone's eyes turn are turning eastwards.

UK - For performing arts professionals and students based in Scotland, it's a long trek to trade shows in the Midlands and south to see the latest products and talk to equipment manufacturers. So this year the Department of Technical and Production Arts at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD) added a Sponsors Trade Show to run alongside its annual graduate exhibition. Spearheaded by Ros Maddison and David Ripley (RSAMD's head of Technical and Production Arts and production manager respectively), the combined event was held on 24-25 March.

The show fulfilled three functions: to give the Academy's sponsors something in return, by bringing their products out 'to the market' and providing a forum to informally talk direct to the students; to give the students the opportunity to talk to the companies, to discuss products, working practices, work placements and employ

France - Digigram, one of the world leaders in innovative digital audio network solutions, has released a new driver set v2.00g for its miXart 8 range of multi-channel sound cards, which include: miXart 8, miXart 8 AES/EBU, and miXart 8 CN. For the first time, the driver set features an ASIO driver in addition to the existing WAVE and Digigram np drivers. An open source Linux driver project for this range of sound cards was launched in September 2003.

Marc Bénard, Digigram's sound cards product manager said: "ASIO has become a recognized standard for multi-channel applications in music and audio content production, as well as video post-production and DJ applications. We are proud that professional users and ambitious amateurs now can capitalize on both ASIO's low latency and the miXart 8's sound quality."

The miXart 8 is a platform that combines powerful Digigram o

UK - SSE hire has just taken delivery of two Midas Heritage 4000 monitor consoles to add to its already considerable Midas inventory. Already the biggest Midas owner in the UK, the addition of a further two Heritage 4000s serves underline SSE's continuing commitment not just to Midas but to large format analogue console technology. In addition to the Heritage 4000s, SSE has also ordered three Midas Verona's.

SSE's John Penn comments: "We have a hugely busy summer season in front of us, and we needed more consoles. We were going to invest in more Heritage 3000s, but when the Heritage 4000 came out, it made more sense for us to invest in a desk that has even more facilities and the extra capacity to handle heavy-duty monitor applications, but can still go out in the place of a Heritage 3000 if necessary. And of course, it's a Midas, and Midas has proved since time immemorial

UK - The Coliseum, home to the English National Opera, was in the final stages of its £41m refurbishment when I visited in early February. Having experienced hideous delays resulting in both the cancellation of Nixon in China and the advertised first night of Rheingold, ENO tentatively opened its doors on 27 February with the first part of Wagner's pioneering tetralogy, The Ring Cycle. Whilst the opening show received mixed reviews the interior itself procured gasps of admiration from FOH staff and punters alike.

Originally a variety house designed by the renowned architect Frank Matcham, the Coliseum has been home to the English National Opera since 1968. This restoration is the first major programme of repair since it opened in 1904: the venue has undergone several face-lifts in the past, some of which have eradicated many of the theatre's beautiful original features.

Respo

UK - Experienced industry executive, Garry Broadbent, has been confirmed as the new MD of CRS Ltd and Powerent. Broadbent will take the reigns at two of the Longville Group's specialist equipment rental companies after a complete restructure by the new board which was appointed at the end of last year. CRS is one of the country's leading climate control hire specialists and Powerent provides power and generator solutions.

Broadbent was one of the original founders of CRS in 1995 and moved with the company, becoming sales director, when the Longville Group acquired it in 1999. Broadbent not only has a background in sales but also mechanical engineering, which is crucial in what is a technical, installation and solution driven market.

Broadbent said: "The restructure at Longville has created a great opportunity for our businesses to focus on their own unique strengths and c

Italy - Eros Ramazzotti is one of Italy's top exports music-wise: the Roman singer/songwriter is in fact currently globetrotting with his high-tech World Tour, performing hits and tracks from '9', his latest BMG album, to packed crowds throughout Europe - from Moscow to Lisbon - then over to South and Central America, before coming back for a summer leg in European open-air sports arenas.

Producers Clear Channel Entertainment Italia called in Canadian set Designers Serge Denoncourt and Francis LaPorte and LD Alain Lortié who, along with production manager Giorgio Ioan and musical director Claudio Giudetti, came up with a world-class multimedia spectacle. Ioan says: "Eros decided he wanted a complete change and the show really is different - with a great deal of work going into the actual concept, the lighting, sound and video."

Ioan went to Canada and met the design

Finland - Genelec is launching a new line of near-field, two-way systems - the 8000 Series - comprising three new products: the 8030A, 8040A and 8050A, which replace the 1029A, 1030A, and 1031A, respectively.

Following the footsteps of the 7000 series of LSE subwoofers, the 8000 series takes a new approach to enclosure design, driver technology, and active electronics, say Genelec. All three models utilize all aluminium, minimum diffraction enclosure (MDE) design, with large internal volumes, curved edges, and significant mechanical strength.

Ilpo Martikainen, MD of Genelec, commented: "Genelec changes models only when real performance improvements can be achieved. The design brief for the new 8000 series called for a reduction in various linear and non-linear distortions. After careful analysis of what improvements were technically and economically feasible, our engineer

Iraq - Capital Productions' contract with Combined Services Entertainment (CSE) - which provides entertainment to HM Forces serving worldwide - last year extended to Iraq.

With a high number of British troops stationed in Basra, the shows tend to be more complex. Here Capital created the staging, barriers and ground support system, supplied the backline kit and sub-contracted the lighting from Brian Leitch's company, Siyan.

Capital's Paul Timmins told us: "I'm always striving to improve on the equipment and I desperately wanted to use the Martin line array system. It's the first time these premium speakers have been in the sand."

An array of eight W8L enclosures and six ground-stacked WSX subs were positioned either side of the stage, supported by a further six Martin Audio W2s for barrier fills. With air support provided by the Royal Air Force, some 24 tons of e

Ireland - On 19 February, Pink, the bad girl of pop, made a dramatic entrance onto the stage at the Point Theatre Dublin as she was lowered smoothly to the stage in a rusty steel bird cage (pictured right). Pink opened her show with the hit song There You Go, telling the 8,000 strong crowd that the evening was to be an 'illusion of music'. . .

Brilliant Stages were approached by production manager Rich Barr to work on the Mark Fisher design for the European leg of Pink's world tour. The company supplied two 'smart' hoists - to lower the cage to the stage - preferred for their ability to ramp up and down from a soft start to produce a smooth descent. The set pieces include two exaggerated speaker stacks mounted to an upstage raised walkway, accessed via two open-tread aluminium staircases on stage left and right.

The 64 speaker cones, constructed from fibreglass, are up to 3ft

USA - Well-known for his past work with Primus, as well as the current line-up of Guns n' Roses, drummer Brain (Bryan Mantia) has been pursuing a parallel career in computer music and beat programming for the past few years. Using two portable Metric Halo setups, Brain is able to bring his programming talents to bear on multiple projects simultaneously.

"I do a lot of programming for albums," Brain acknowledges. "I just did a load of stuff for the new Vanessa Carlton album. I also just did an album with Buckethead, the guitarist from Guns n' Roses. His new album has a lot of programming."

Brain now uses a pair of G4 Titanium laptops. Looking for a high quality digital audio interface, he reports that friends in the industry, such as producers Michael Beinhorn and Roy Thomas Baker, recommended that he check out Metric Halo. "Everybody told me about the

UK - The new Sonic Arts Research Centre (SARC) at Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland, is a unique interdisciplinary project that has brought together experts in the areas of musical composition, signal processing, internet technology and digital hardware. This new centre, established in a purpose-built facility located alongside the engineering departments of Queen's University, will certainly create interest amongst the engineering community in Northern Ireland and particularly those interested in new genre electronic music production using innovative digital signal processing techniques and hardware implementations.

The centrepiece of SARC, the Sonic Laboratory, is a facility for cutting-edge initiatives in the creation and delivery of music and audio. According to QUB, the Sonic Laboratory offers a high degree of flexibility for experiments in 3D sound diffusion and

China - Turbosound reports that over 50 of its products - including some 32 QLight systems - have been installed in the People's Great Hall at Wenzhou in eastern China. Handled by Turbosound's exclusive distributor for the Chinese territories, Hong Kong-based Phoenix Audio and Lighting Technology, the project was designed by Mac Lo, the company's technical director.

Housing five separate conference spaces, the Wenzhou People's Great Hall is a new purpose-built and highly prestigious venue, and the first of several government projects planned for the region. Bordering the East China Sea, the city of Wenzhou represents the economic, cultural and political centre in the southern part of Zhejiang Province. Principally used for high-profile government-level conferences, requiring clear, intelligible speech reinforcement, the Great Hall is also utilized for live music events, particul

UK / USA - According to acoustic specialist Arup, it is now possible for the first time to 'hear' a building even before the foundations have been laid. The company's Arup SoundLab is an immersive listening environment used as a new acoustic design tool to allow the auralization of any building, whether existing or virtual. With listening rooms in London and New York and shortly in Melbourne, it has already had an impact, say Arup, on the design of concert venues, opera houses, studios, airports, railway stations, offices, museums and galleries.

Created by measuring more than 70 prestigious concert halls and opera houses and using over 15 years' research to calibrate 3D models and validate the accuracy of a predicted sound environment, the SoundLab enables the listener to experience the sound of a space or potential space as never before. Listeners can compare the same orchestr

Germany - The Fun Company, a new Germany-based venture aimed at bringing new show control solutoions to the market, launched its E.GO show control system at the recent Frankfurt ProLight&Sound exhibition. The E.GO system offers control of lights, video and sound in professional theatrical or event environments, and follows a fully modular concept which allows the user to add and combine any number of modules to one console.

In addition, each module can work as a stand-alone unit, so it can function as a full desk on its own. There are three modules available, each being tailored towards a specific use: the Designer module for direct access, the Performer for playing back complex shows and the Fader module for flexible device mixing.

Technologies such as the easy to use ColorTarget and the ShowDrive make the E.GO show control system one of the most versatile and easy to use s

UK / Germany - At the recent Frankfurt MusikMesse, UK pro audio and MI distributor, John Hornby Skewes & Co Ltd received HK Audio's award for 'Best Distributor Concert Sound' for 2003.

Exclusive UK and Eire HK Audio distributor JHS says that HK Audio's innovative range of pro audio systems managed to achieve a hugely impressive 40% sales increase overall last year. This result, the company says, was spearheaded by the profile achieved following the introduction of the compact and innovative HK Audio Cohedra compact line array concert system. Dennis Drumm, JHS MD commented: "The UK and Eire pro audio market has demonstrated great interest in the potential offered by the Cohedra system. Sales of this system are accelerating, in addition to ongoing sales figures achieved by HK Audio's existing, established high-performance concert systems, the R-Series, T-Series and M-Series o

The Netherlands - Dutch hire company A.J. Kooijmans Audio is the first European company to place an order for 16 Linex systems, Sound Projects' new line-array. The company already had long experience with the Sound Projects 4 (SP-4) hybrid line array system, and after a comprehensive market analysis and several live gigs with different FOH technicians, Kooijmans was ready to opt for the Linex. A first order was placed for a medium-sized rig of 16 Linex systems. Kooijmans already owns over 120 self-powered Sound Projects systems including a major SP-4 rig and is one of the fastest growing rental companies in the Netherlands.

Second in line is rental company Spot & Speaker, located in Utrecht. House supplier of the European Darts Championships and specialising in major events, Spot & Speaker also placed an order for 16 Linex systems. Dennis Bos, managing director, said: "Init

USA - Studer - the US manufacturer of digital and analogue mixing consoles, tape recorders, and other high-end products for broadcast and recording applications - has appointed Clayton Blick as national sales manager, reporting to Kim Templeman-Holmes, Harman Pro North America (HPNA) general manager and vice president.

Based just outside of New York City, Blick is now overseeing all aspects of Studer's domestic sales efforts on a daily operations basis, and HPNA is actively recruiting further members for the Studer USA sales team. Blick will initially focus his main sales activities on the eastern half of the country, with a western region sales manager to be appointed shortly.

Blick comes to Studer from Sony Electronics Inc, where he spent 17 years in various sales and marketing capacities including, most notably, a seven-year stint as national sales manager for the company'

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