Sweden - 2008 has been a year of rich pickings for Swedish professional audio equipment manufacturer, Lab.gruppen following the launch of its PLM 10000Q Powered Loudspeaker Management system 12 months ago. Since then, the product has been honoured with three separate technology awards in the US, France and Spain.

The first of those was the WFX New Product Awards, which recognises the newest and most innovative building, management, and technology products, applicable to worship facilities, and launched within the past year. PLM 10000Q emerged as the winner in the Audio Amplification category.

At the recent SIEL-SATIS-RADIO show in Paris, PLM 10000Q was named the winner of the 'Trophée de l'Iinnovation' in the PA/broadcast category. And, most recently in Spain, the PLM 10000Q was voted Best PA Product by the readers of Producción Audio magazine.

Lab.gruppen hea

UK - Kramer Electronics, has introduced its SPK Series speakers comprised of six models for various AV applications. The SPK Series is designed for use in professional AV environments or other multimedia applications. Their addition to Kramer's full line up of professional A/V signal management equipment allows dealers and customers to experience an even more complete one-stop shopping experience for all their projects with Kramer Electronics, says the company.

The SPK Series includes closed-back models with can backs and open-back models with round grilles for ceiling mounting. The line also includes an open-back model with a rectangular grille for wall mounting and an enclosed rectangular model for indoor/outdoor surface mounting.

The SPK-CO608 model speakers are round ceiling mount speakers and the SPK-IO608 are rectangular wall mount speakers. The SPK-IO608 wall-mounted sp

UK - Covering a 43-acre site and spanning nine London postcode areas, the Westfield London retail complex is set to become one of the city's biggest attractions, with up to 60,000 people a day estimated to visit.

Complementing over 260 retailers, 50 places to eat and a 14-screen cinema (due to open in 2009), one of Westfield's major features is The Atrium, a 6,500m2 rectangular central area that will host a wide range of entertainment, including live performances and exhibitions.

A sound, lighting and video system that can be used and then stored away as needed, has been specified to combine quality and flexibility with reliability.

"They want this to be a multipurpose space that enjoys an audio quality that reflects Westfield's status as an ultra-modern facility," says Lee Dennison, project manager for Surrey-based Delta Sound, which was awarded the contract to de

UK - Midas aficionado Ian Bond has purchased a PRO6 Live Audio System - serial number 007 - from UK distributor Shuttlesound. Having become familiar with the Midas XL8 Live Performance System on tours with King Crimson and Porcupine Tree, Bond took the opportunity to own Midas' digital technology and audio performance in a compact, more affordable package.

"I've always been a fan of Midas analogue consoles, so stepping up to Midas digital seemed a logical step, and I was keen to order a PRO6," he says. "Midas build quality and reliability also played a large part in my decision, and of course, the most important thing about any console is how it sounds. The PRO6 sounds like a Midas should: warm, but still accurate.

"I also really like the speed at which you can navigate around the control surface (GUIs), and get to all the features easily. And just like the

Canada - Following the Number One debut of their latest album in the Canadian album charts, Indie rockers, the Sam Roberts Band is currently on tour throughout Canada with Love at the end of the world. At the heart of the show is a full panoply of Innjovasaon digital mixing consoles; an Sy80 supplied by Metalworks Production Group in Toronto presides at FoH manned by engineer, Phil Hornung, whilst monitor engineer and tour manager, Denton Fraser, is at the helm of an Sy48.

Phil Hornung comments: "I think these desks sound better than a lot of the digital products on the market. I find the desk extremely easy to operate, and I don't have to pay a lot of attention to it during the show itself, which lets me pay attention to the mix instead of worrying about what's on the screen. In fact, we often offer it to opening bands to use instead of using a second console. The e

UK - A.C. Audio recently supplied broadcast and new media production company Three Media Creative with a complete sound solution of QSC HPR loudspeakers.

The Manchester based event production company was looking to expand its hire stock and required a versatile powered speaker system. They needed a system that could be used as one large PA, yet could also be broken down for smaller events and adapted for any bespoke situation that could arise. 10 QSC HPR152i 500 watt loudspeakers were chosen together with four complementing HPR181i subwoofers to enable a wall of sound to be effortlessly created in venues for in excess of 1000 people.

A.C. Audio sales manager Peter Butler comments: "Due to the nature of Three Media Creative's international business, it was very important that we supplied a reliable and durable system that would perform in all different climates. I have bee

USA - Harman Professional has announced the appointment of Alexander Rojas to the newly-created position of director of sales, intercontinental south as part of its continuing initiative to better serve the emerging and established markets of Central America and South America. Rojas will report to Jaime Albors, senior director of sales intercontinental and will operate from the company's new Intercontinental sales office in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Alexander Rojas joins Harman Professional from Caribbean Broadcast Suppliers, a family owned business, where he held the position of sales & marketing director since 1999 and was responsible for all sales operations and marketing activities.

"Alexander Rojas will be a very valuable addition to the Harman Professional team and I am confident his value will be felt immediately by our customers, distribution partners and dealers ali

Russia - In Omsk, one of the largest cities in Siberia, the General Court has commissioned a Nexo line-array sound system installation. The remarkable historic interior of the Courthouse calls for an aesthetic solution as well as a sonic one, and the loudspeaker modules have been supplied in white to complement the sky-blue walls and white detailing of the main courtroom.

Design and installation of this sound reinforcement system has been carried out by Light Sound Systems Company in Omsk City. LSS's Alexander Muravitsky had to propose a solution to the challenging acoustics of the courtroom, which has a ceiling height of 9m, and large picture windows down one side of the room.

"It was not an easy installation, but, from our point of view, the Nexo Geo S8 arrays provided the ideal way to minimise problems with reverberation, while still giving us the perfect dispersion cu

USA - Apogee Electronics has received the Green Business Certification from the Santa Monica Green Business Certification Programme. By participating in this programme, Apogee Electronics is recognised by the City of Santa Monica, the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce, Sustainable Works and the Santa Monica Convention and Visitors Bureau as "an outstanding green business in the community ".

In preparation for the certification, Apogee installed a premier solar panel system using 96 energy-generating panels at its Santa Monica headquarters. The modules generate up to 15,000 watts at peak and any surplus power generated on weekends and holidays is fed back to the greater Los Angeles power grid. The company also promotes the recycling of all paper, bottles, cans, and other materials used within the office and is compliant with RoHS and WEEE Directives for its electr

UK - Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith, West London, is continually looking at ways to improve its facilities. Its most recent project was to develop a centre of excellence in the performing arts, to which end a bespoke building was constructed, which includes an impressive distributed audio system designed and installed by leading professional audio company, Autograph Sales.

The building, which owes its existence in large part to an anonymous donor, is connected to the existing arts centre by glass bridges, includes 110-seat recital hall, a dance/drama studio, a suite of teaching rooms that can house between one and six students and a music room that can accommodate a full orchestra.

Autograph designed an extensive audio infrastructure allowing analogue and digital audio signals to be routed to and from any room in the building, allowing many digital and analogue audio/medi

Nepal - As a sponsored event on behalf of Cancer Research, DiGiCo's Phil Down was part of a group - organised by trekking and climbing specialists Summit Climb - that completed a 16 day expedition to climb two mountains - the 6200m Island Peak, 5700m Kalar Patar and also visited Everest Base Camp (at 5540m no mean feat in itself).

Unfortunately Phil's trip got off to the worst possible start, losing four days after arrival in Nepal to a stomach bug, leaving the entire trip in jeopardy for him. But this is where his audio crew's sense of dedication and unwillingness to be beaten came to the fore - he wasn't about to let a bout of illness stop him. After racing against time to catch up with the rest of the trek, he met them at Island Peak Base Camp and was the first to the summit.

"It was the hardest journey of my life!" says Down. "But the thought of letting down

UK - When Osibisa arrived to play a rare gig in English West Country, Midas Pro Sound proprietor Paul Nicholson seized the opportunity to get behind the desk himself and road-test the complete suite of live mixing and recording products from RSS.

Osibisa, founded in London by four African and three Caribbean musicians, went on to become one of the first widely popular African bands. Performing live at the Salisbury Arts Centre in celebration of their 40th anniversary, these seasoned musicians found themselves in the midst of a most modern PA system; full front-of-house and monitor control using the RSS M-400 V-Mixer digital consoles, with dedicated digital multicores and stageboxes, connected to a show recording system via Roland's proprietary EtherNet protocol REAC.

Paul Nicholson was mixing the show on a Tannoy VQ PA system provided by his rental company Midas Pro Sound. Alt

Philippines - Soundcheck recently deployed a multi-array system equipped with JBL DrivePack technology to support a massive R&B show featuring Rihanna and Chris Brown. Promoted by Globe and sponsored by MTV Philippines, the outdoor concert was staged at Manila's Bonifactio Global City Open Field on 16 November for nearly 70,000 music fans.

A temporary stage with overhead roof and structural scaffolding support was erected onsite to support an extensive lighting system and video projection setup. Concert sound reinforcement services were provided by Soundcheck, the primary rental system contractor for the event, with additional Vertec inventory having been sub-hired from regional system owner FriendlyFire Sound. A total of 48 VT4888DP-CN midsize powered line array elements and 16 VT4888 enclosures were in use, along with a total of 28 VT4880 and VT4880A full-size arrayable subwoo

UK - With 50 years in the industry under his belt, the professionalism and attention to detail that Cliff Richard pays to his live shows are well-known. In November he did a three-week UK arena tour to celebrate the anniversary, with Yamaha PM5D consoles at the front of house and monitor positions.

The professionalism is very apparent as the show is set up. This is achieved by Richard building long-term relationships with the people that work with him. Monitor engineer John 'JJ' James has been there for a remarkable 29 years, with front of house man Mike 'Bunny' Warren still a bit like the new boy with a mere 12 years under his belt.

Despite it being just a three week, 14 show tour playing in seven UK arenas, the 50th Anniversary Time Machine tour was in production rehearsals for a surprising five weeks.

"That's why he's always good, he's a perfectionist," s

UK - In April this year changes were made to the Noise at Work Regulations. As a result theatres, performing arts centres, night clubs and other venues are now required, by law, to comply with the new legislation (having previously been exempt).

In line with the changes in law, Stage Electrics has added a new sound monitoring device to its portfolio of products. SPLnet Systems provide a powerful set of tools to measure, display, and respond to sound levels at venues both indoor and out. The platform provides professionals with the data needed to cost effectively and simply monitor and manage sound and noise on a real-time basis.

Stage Electrics recently introduced SPLnet Systems to the market by hosting a 'Pie and a Pint' lunchtime event in the heart of theatre land. The informal event, held at The Theodore Bullfrog Pub in the West End, involved a demonstration of SPLnet Syste

France - Audiolite has completed the installation of a permanent system for the Football Stadium of Lorient with 42 Adamson Metrix W enclosures. Lorient is located in Rennes, Brittany on the Atlantic Ocean.

The Stadium's new sound system is mainly used for speeches and sports-event entertainment segments including music, but occasionally the venue is used for larger events such as the Festival Interceltique de Lorient.

The installation design was carried out jointly by Audiolite and DV2. On the site, project supervisor Franck Fily, sound system designer Sylvain Turpin - who was also in charge of the system alignment, rigging expert Lionel Gillet and cable manufacturer Jord Mallejac placed three clusters of six Adamson Metrix Ws in the North bleachers and four clusters of six Adamson Metrix Ws in the Presidential bleachers.

With the system's permanent placement outdoors at a

Singapore - Each year Singapore holds a National Day of celebrations in August to mark the anniversary of its foundation. The festivities take place across the broad swathe of Singapore with colourful dances and music, fabulous aerial displays, and fireworks in abundance. But the main focus is on a purpose built outdoor show ground, the National Day Parade (NDP) Ground, dominated as it is by a giant three-tier stage.

Audio consultant Scott Willsallen reports: "I design the audio system and release a tender package which several companies responded to." Willsallen is an audio designer with much experience of such spectacular events for large audiences, most notably through his work on the Athens Olympics in 2004 and more recently the Asian Games in Doha 2006. "For the 2008 NDP the contract was awarded to Showtec, who in turn sub-hired additional equipment and speci

USA - Western High School in Davie, Florida boasts a stellar athletics department, with winning teams and a spacious and well-equipped athletic complex. The school's football stadium had only one minor - albeit somewhat glaring - flaw: it lacked a PA system.

"The stadium was built without consideration for a PA system," says Gary Matthews of Total Audio Video Systems (TAVS) in Sunrise, Florida, the company behind the stadium's new Community Professional audio system. "There were no existing conduit runs from the press box on the home side to the visitors' side of the field," he says. "There were also numerous sidewalks, out buildings and other underground utility conduits that would get in the way of any trenching required to provide for mounting loudspeakers on the visitors' side."

The solution was found in Community's R-Series loudspeakers. The

UK - Joe Brown recently passed his fiftieth year on the stage, and celebrated in style with a gala performance at London's Royal Albert Hall (RAH). The band that helped him celebrate included Henry Gross on guitar, Molly Marriot (daughter of the late Steve Marriot) on backing vocals, and Joe's daughter, Sam Brown.

Guest artists included Dave Edmunds, Jools Holland, Mark Knopfler, Chas & Dave, and Dennis Locorriere. "This was always going to be a bit of a tricky show to manage," said Ian Grove, Brown's long time sound engineer, "and not just channel counts. I've done sound in the Albert Hall many times but this was my first playing to a full house.

"I ended up designing a system using six hangs of d&b Q-Series loudspeakers, and a single hang of Q subwoofers. It's been my experience in here that with large centre clusters of PA, a lot of low end is put onto t

Canada - Hailing from Newfoundland, Great Big Sea recently completed a tour of the US and Canada with a compact Meyer Sound system that includes the MSL-4 loudspeaker and 700-HP subwoofer.

Formed in 1993, Great Big Sea has spent the past 15 years touring extensively throughout America and Europe, earning a dedicated following for its hybrid blend of traditional Newfoundland folk and edgy rock. Impromptu guest appearances by good friends like Russell Crowe have also boosted attendance and sparked interest in the group.

The system, provided by Nova Scotia-based Tour Tech East, was chosen for its power and compact size. FOH engineer Steve Doherty says: "We wanted to carry our own production, and the requirement was that all audio and lighting had to fit into a 16sq.ft trailer behind the bus. And of course, we needed a rig that would deliver top-notch sound; we're not Metalli

UAE - Located adjacent to the Al Jazira hotel complex at Ghantoot, midway between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Plastik Beach Club is one of the latest leisure destinations in the UAE where those who want to see and be seen can relax and enjoy themselves.

With comfortable surroundings, a restaurant, spa, club nights, fashion shows, VIP terrace and exclusive hillside retreat, much of the club is open to the spectacular night sky. And it's all accompanied by music, delivered by Turbosound loudspeakers.

Specified and installed by Dubai-based Reference Audio, the Plastik Beach Club features 10 TCS-121CW and four Impact 50 full range units, plus two TCS-218 subs, all painted white to match the club's colour scheme. It is the latest of a number of clubs in the region to feature Turbosound loudspeakers.

"The sound quality of the speakers was extremely important, of course," says F

Europe - Audio Rent Clair and UK-based Concert Sound have joined forces. Both companies have long histories in the tour sound and contracting segments of the professional audio market and have co-operated on many events in the past, most notably on tours and one-off events with Sir Paul McCartney, Mark Knopfler and Tina Turner.

Jürg Hügin, chairman of the Audio Rent Clair board, comments: "The opportunities for both companies that became apparent when we started talking have made this such an obvious move for us. Our clients have asked us for increased flexibility and we have been able to answer in a way that extends our in- house skills base even further, as well as adding logistical benefits. It's a great situation for everyone."

As part of the Audio Rent Clair group, Concert Sound Clair will maintain its own identity and commercial operation. Concert Sound's cur

UK - For one brief spell during the festive season The Who, Coldplay, and Damon Albarn's Monkey, Journey to the West simultaneously occupy all three venues at the Millennium site - the O2 Arena, IndigO2, and the Meridian Gardens which is a giant tent outside the O2.

On engineering duties are Daniel Green for Coldplay, Paul Ramsay for The Who and Barry Bartlett for Monkey, while all three productions were reinforced via d&b loudspeaker systems.(Jim Evans)

The Netherlands - The CR1 is an ultra-compact three-way sound system, designed to provide medium output, high quality cinema and AV sound reproduction. It is designed for cinema theatres, screening rooms, boardrooms, dubbing stages, as well as surround sound recording and home theatres / residential sound systems.

The shallow MDF enclosure design of only 18cm provides for flexible mounting in even the smallest spaces behind the screen. It can be stacked, wall-mounted, or even flown, with a weight of only 29.8kg.

Featuring a 4" pro-ribbon driver for HF, a Neodymium 6.5" vented mid-range driver and Neodymium 12" side-vented woofer, the system's frequency response is 45Hz - 20.000Hz (-3dB) with a dynamic range of up to 128dB.

Alcons' proprietary and multiple-patented RBN401 pro-ribbon driver offers non-compressed sound reproduction from 1.000Hz. to 20.000Hz; Wit

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