USA - The Church at Pinnacle Hills is one of a growing number of houses of worship whose word reaches well beyond its immediate area of northwest Arkansas. With a regular series of webcasts, podcasts and broadcasts via the Daystar Television Network, the services at Pinnacle Hills are heard and seen by viewers across the country and across the world.

On stage in the church's sanctuary, the performers rely on Community M12 monitors to hear themselves. The M12s are part of the church's recently updated sound system, designed by Dallas-based Acoustic Dimensions. As Acoustic Dimensions' Ryan Knox observes, the M12 monitors were selected both for their powerful performance, as well as for their low on-camera profile.

"The M-12 is a camera-friendly, low profile stage monitor that throws further upstage than many comparable solutions," says Knox. "It works well on stag

UK - UK mixer manufacturer, Allen & Heath, has made a significant change to its distribution structure in the UK by appointing John Hornby Skewes & Co. Ltd. (JHS) as the exclusive distributor for the PA and ZED Series of small format A&H mixers.

"Since adding the ZED series to the range, Allen & Heath's products are now more diverse than ever with consoles for touring systems to bedroom DJ's. Because of this, it was vital we found the correct distribution vehicle to cater for such diversity," explains A&H Director of Sales, Bob Goleniowski.

"Recently we have been examining how to broaden our reach in the UK MI sector. Knowing the JHS team well, it was clear they were ideal for the role. The products fit seamlessly into their portfolio, and with an 11-strong sales force on the ground servicing the UK, JHS was the logical choice to take the brand forward."

UK - JBL's new Control Contractor 300 ceiling speakers have received their UK baptism in a new-build, multi-room Chinese restaurant in Bristol.

Situated in the Harbourside regeneration area, Zen is a luxurious, glass-fronted building on Millennium Square that caters for up to 400. The design mixes old and new, combining marbled toilets with chic private dining rooms. Zen artefacts, Chinese paintings and period Chinese furnishings complete the experience.

Owner Suzanna Ho, who also founded Dynasty in the BS1 postal district, is accustomed to renting in potent PA systems for corporate events; and with funky house music added selectively to the eclectic menu at Zen, she again needed a system at the same time capable of producing warm-sounding background music and a medium night club sound.

AET (Abbeymoor Electrical Technical) were recommended to the project by Premier Sound & L

Spain - Rock in Rio has gained a reputation as the largest rock festival in the world, drawing crowds of over a million to the original Brazilian events. In recent years the show has expanded to include festivals in Lisbon, and this year marked the first Rock in Rio festival in Madrid, where more than 300,000 fans enjoyed performances by Bob Dylan, the Police, Shakira, Lenny Kravitz, Jamiroquai, Neil Young, Alanis Morrisette, Franz Ferdinand and other top-name acts.

Brazilian sound company Gabisom provided six Digidesign Venue systems for the event, as well as an Icon D-Control for post production tasks. Four D-Show consoles and two D-Show Profiles were in service at FOH and monitor positions. At the same time, all performances were simultaneously recorded on dual Pro Tools|HD systems, creating preliminary mixes in real time using one of the D-Show Profile consoles, and remixing

UK - Telex/RTS' intercom technology is playing an important role in the refurbished master control room (MCR) at MTV's European headquarters in Camden, North London, which provides switching for three onsite studios and over 50 television channels across the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe.

Based on a 112-port ADAM (Advanced Digital Audio Matrix) frame, with integral RVON (RTS Voice Over Network) VoIP cards, the system is able to connect to desktop panels using Ethernet links, plus three Virtual Key Panels, around the MTV studios complex.

Computer technology is having an increasing influence on broadcast communications and the Virtual Key Panel is a PC interface that replicates the familiar intercom switch panel on a desktop or laptop screen and offers the same functions as the traditional hardware version, with audio reproduced through the onboard soundcard.

Being able to c

UK - Stage Electrics provided staging, lighting, power distribution, sound and crew in support of the annual Trafalgar Square Festival over a three week period from 7 - 23 August. Trafalgar Square Festival is London's annual programme of street arts and performance, set in the heart of the capital.

Part of the festival included a giant screen installed at the foot of Nelson's Column, which played scenes from the Beijing Olympics. The screen showed everything from the opening ceremony in Beijing to the closing ceremony, and the handover to London and captured all of Team GB's successes. The festival had plenty of Chinese inspired performances to accompany the Olympic theme with acts and performances from the Flying Dragon Circus and the Yellow Earth Theatre. Many of the artists taking part in the festival used digital imagery and art as part of their act.

Stage Electrics worked

UK - Featuring internationally renowned surf and skate competitions, the week-long Rip Curl Boardmasters festival held in Newquay Cornwall, also features top line music events at various locations around the beach side town. Three iLive digital systems were used by two PA companies managing the two main music sites.

The main music event is the weekend-long Unleashed which takes place above the beautiful Watergate Bay. This year's event hosted BBC Radio 1's Chris Moyles for a special one-off afternoon show. Local PA company, Impact Sound & Light, managed the sound requirements, selecting an Allen & Heath iLive-112 digital system for the live show and broadcast feed. The Zutons were special guests on the live show, performing an acoustic set to the assembled crowd, in addition to the usual Moyles show elements, such as the mash up sessions, involving a live DJ conte

USA - Barix reports that the Fountain of Life Center, a multi-building 'Spiritual Oasis' spread over 106 acres in Florence, New Jersey, is using a suite of Barix products for a variety of control, automation, security, and audio transport applications.

Barix products are now live in the campus' Life Center, a sports, recreational and fitness centre that opened this spring; Life Center Academy, a private, non-denominational K-12 school; WIFI-AM, a 500-watt Christian radio station; and the worship sanctuary, chapel and 2200-seat auditorium in the main Fountain of Life Center building.

According to Thomas Spadaro, director of technical ministries for Fountain of Life Center, the majority of the technology on campus is funded through donations, and the low cost of the Barix devices are ideal for his budget. Spadaro added that open-standards technology from companies like Barix al

Norway - The new Clarion Hotel Bergen Airport, on the outskirts of Bergen - Norway's second city - is one of the first hotels of its type to be built in Norway. Just 50 yards away from the terminal of Bergen Airport, the hotel is a "music hotel" - with live musicians performing most nights and a distinct musical theme on each of the hotel's floors.

The Clarion also boasts some of the most impressive conference facilities in the country with over 1600sq.m of dedicated floor space across several meeting rooms, handling up to 1200 conference visitors each day. A crucial part of its technical specification was the audio installation, which would be required to facilitate effective multimedia presentations and deliver loudness and clarity in both speech and music. To meet these needs, the specifiers opted for Tannoy's range of premium in-ceiling and surface-mount loudspeake

UK - Allen & Heath is releasing v1.3 software for the iLive digital console range, adding a host of new features for monitor engineering, as well as providing a platform for iLive Editor control software.

New features in v1.3 include engineers' fader strips for wedge and in-ears, which allow separate fader control and dedicated outputs to the operator's listen wedge and IEM personal system. Optional processing and aux monitor mixes can be assigned to wedge or IEM strips, automatically appearing in the desired monitor when auditioned.

Another key feature is the addition of Real Time Analyser (RTA) to enable the engineer to quickly identify feedback, tune room acoustics, and tailor the onstage monitor wedges. Accessed via the PAFL system, the frequency content of any input or mix, and the spectrum of the main mix, can be viewed on screen and on meters in the Graphic EQ flip-to-f

UAE - United Broadcast & Media Solutions (UBMS), the system house and distributor based in Dubai, is Telex/RTS's new partner in the United Arab Emirates for the broadcasting market.Comments Kamil Swobodzinski, director sales ACT & CCS EMEA, "In order to fulfil our growth path, Telex/RTS relies on strong partners in the Middle East region. I am sure this new partnership with UBMS will push the Telex/RTS portfolio to the next level."

(Jim Evans)

UK - Andrew Lloyd Webber and Charles Hart's Phantom of the Opera, one of the West End's most successful productions, celebrated 21 years at Her Majesty's Theatre in London. The occasion was marked with the installation of a Meyer Sound system featuring the new UPQ-1P wide coverage loudspeaker.

Sound designer Mick Potter handled the audio system, provided by Blitz Audio who purchased the equipment through Meyer Sound dealer Autograph Sales. Using Meyer Sound's Matrix3 audio show control, Potter created a sound design to immerse the audience in a range of ambiences. A Galileo loudspeaker management system with eight Galileo 616 processors provides multiple zones and system DSP.

"The Matrix3 affords a level of control that simply wouldn't be achievable with more conventional components," Potter observes. "For me as a sound designer, it gives me an entirely n

USA - Harman Professional has announced the opening of new field sales offices in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Kuala Lumpur office will be led by David McKinney, who is promoted to senior director of sales, Asia, Harman Professional. The San Juan office will serve Latin America and Canada and will be led by Jaime Albors, who is promoted to senior director of sales, intercontinental, Harman Professional. Both offices will soon add staff in field sales and technical support.

Michael MacDonald, executive vice president of marketing & sales, comments: "Harman Professional owes much of its global success to the contribution of channel partners in Asia, Latin America and Canada. In recognition of this fact and the considerable opportunity presented by emerging markets in Latin America and Asia, we are investing in these new offices in regions that have pr

Poland - Audica Professional loudspeakers and amplifier/controllers have been installed in one of the Warsaw University of Technology's most historic and prestigious rooms, primarily used for conferences and recognized as a flagship conference facility in Warsaw. The University of Technology is the oldest technology university in Poland, founded by the visionary, Stanislaw Staszic.

The system was designed and installed by Tommex, Audica Professional's exclusive distributor for Poland. In addition to requiring the highest possible sound quality, the loudspeakers had to merge technology with the elaborate historic architecture of the room and Tommex proposed Audica MICROline and MICROpoint for their slim unobtrusive shape and neutral colour.

The system in the eight metre high Auditorium uses a distributed system, with ten MICROlines in pairs forming the basis. MICROlines' abilit

UK - SSE has provided a Midas XL8 and Klark Teknik DN9696 for Rafi Resurrected, a tribute to legendary Bollywood singer Mohammad Rafi performed by Indian singing superstar Sonu Niigaam and the CBSO (City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra). Rafi was a Bollywood megastar during his 35-year career as a singer on Indian film soundtracks.

SSE's then project manager Rob Hughes - now working for Midas and Klark Teknik's UK distributor Shuttlesound - won the contract to supply the PA and crew for the three shows at the Birmingham Symphony Hall, Manchester Apollo and London Collisium respectively.

Having previously worked with the show's producer Tim Pottier. Hughes had no hesitation in spec'ing the XL8. "Its large channel count, ease of navigation to channels via the VCA and POP groups and high quality audio was such an important factor for such a large show," he says.

UK - As the curtain came down on the Beijing Olympics the spotlight fell on London, host of the next Summer Games in 2012. To celebrate the handing over of the Olympic baton, a star-studded event took place in The Mall in front of Buckingham Palace on 24 August. Broadcast live on the BBC, and graced by the presence of many Olympic medallists, the event climaxed with a celebratory concert featuring artists including Il Divo, The Feeling, Heather Small and Will Young.

Combining the official start of the build up to London 2012 with a celebration of the remarkable success of Team GB in Beijing, the day was also a major success for Sennheiser, working in conjunction with Britannia Row.

All the presenter mics on the day were Sennheiser SKM 5200 handhelds with Neumann KK 105 heads, and those same mics were used by Il Divo and The Feeling.

Heather Small, Sophie Ellis Bextor and Wil

USA - Shure Incorporated has launched its new Spanish-language website es.shure.com. The newly designed site allows Shure to provide an "in language" experience for the Company's Spanish-speaking customers around the world.

"This new site will make information about our products, artist endorsers, and resources more accessible for our Spanish speaking customers," said José Rivas, director of sales and marketing for Shure's International Americas Business Unit. "It will also help us share our Company's 83-year history as a leader in the audio industry with these customers."

Additional updates and resources will become available on the site in the coming months.

(Jim Evans)

Germany - The Procon group is celebrating 20 years in business. In August 1988 Morten Carlsson, current CEO of Procon, founded the company, Procon Bühnen Produktions, in Hamburg with two partners who are now no longer with the company. Since then, the company has grown from being a specialist in lighting technology into a full service supplier for events and television productions.

Morten Carlsson became involved in the events market whilst still at school and later became one of the co-founders of a small lighting company in Flensburg (a small town in northern Germany). In August 1988 Carlsson founded Procon. Various company acquisitions followed: Procon acquired majority holdings in suppliers of video technology, camera technology, sound technology and stage construction. Finally, in 1999 the company became a public limited partnership. In the following years Procon acquired

USA - With a casino larger than three football fields and the area's only 5/8 mile harness racing track, Harrah's Casino and Racetrack combines the best of indoor and outdoor gaming. Located just down the road from Philadelphia International Airport, the Race-Ino offers live racing during the summer months, featuring a multi-story gaming lounge that overlooks the entire track through massive walls of glass.

Jim Esher, Harrah's technical manager of entertainment, oversaw the design of the venue's audio and video systems. As Esher explains, the casino's close proximity to one of the nation's busiest airports presented its own unique challenges. "We're so close to the end of the runway, I can look up and tell you what kind of sunglasses the pilot's wearing," he says. "Needless to say, one of our biggest issues was to overcome the noise factor."

Esher specified

UK - The range of seminars and workshops for PLASA08 (which opens at Earls Court in London this Sunday) has attracted the highest-ever number of advance online bookings. The sessions, which are free, cover a broad range of industry subjects and interests.

Sunday's special interest seminar programme includes two Infocomm seminars; the Institute of Acoustics, Royal Shakespeare Company, National Skills Academy, PMA and Arup feature on Monday; Tuesday sees sessions from the Arcola Theatre, National Theatre, ATG/ABTT and Cirque du Soleil; while Wednesday's line-up is headed by the Institute of Acoustics and CC Skills' Creative Apprenticeships seminar. Technologies For Worship is hosting seminars on every day of the show.

Meanwhile, manufacturer-led sessions include Zero 88 (Sunday), Alcons, Wireless Solution, White Light and Martin Professional (Tuesday) and Cast Software (Wednesda

UK - Commercial audio specialist Ateis UK, has announced the appointment of HD Pro Audio as a main UK distributor for its range, which will be premiered at PLASA08.

Ateis' MD Neil Voce commented: "I am personally delighted to welcome HD Pro Audio on board as a main distributor of Ateis products. Both companies are new ventures in the UK and this means fresh thinking and the positive attitude we need to succeed. The two companies offer complementary skill sets and backgrounds and these will combine well to ensure customers get a first class service."

HD Pro Audio's Andy Huffer, added: "What we like to do here is combine great products with great support, and Ateis have a fantastic range of products that are suitable for a wide range of applications from basic AV mixers to multi-site networked digital PA/VA systems. They've got an established reputation for perfor

Sweden - Wireless Solution Sweden has appointed Mikael Uddh as key account sales manager for Europe. Uddh brings with him more than 20 years experience in the entertainment lighting industry including OneTwoSales and Spectra Stage & Event Technologies.

"I'm very excited to be part of the Wireless Solution team," says Uddh, "The company has worked very hard to build a good reputation and make W-DMX the best system on the market for wireless DMX. I look forward to helping continue this trend."

(Jim Evans)

UK - Spanish sound reinforcement manufacturer Vieta has appointed Audioforce as its new distribution partner in the UK.

Audioforce is a relatively new addition to the pro-audio distribution scene, yet has already made its mark with the Lab.gruppen range of products. This was an influential factor in the award of the contract to Guy Lewis and his Cambridge-based agency.

"Audioforce has shown us that they can dedicate themselves to a brand and get it right," says Vieta's export sales director Mick Brophy. "We recognise in them a team of professionals which will give our products the personal attention that they need. With so many new ideas pouring out of Vieta's R&D department, we wanted to find a partner who can match our creativity with careful, intelligent and diligent representation."

Joining forces for PLASA 08, Vieta and Audioforce will present new p

UK - Soundcraft today introduced 96- and 72-channel upgrades to the Vi6 and Vi4 consoles, respectively. According to Andy Trott, president of Soundcraft and Studer, the new additions will make the Vi6 and Vi4 even more potent and versatile tools for front-of-house and monitor engineers in a vast array of tour and fixed install applications including large houses of worship. The input-to-mix expansion is part of the new V3.0 software release.

"Never before has so much power and versatility been accompanied by such an easily navigable, application-engineered user interface," Andy Trott, said today. "We are very pleased to expand the Vi Series and from our continuous discussions with members of the engineering community, we're confident that the 96-channel and 72-channel variants will resonate strongly with the market."

With its advanced Vistonics II user inte

Latest Issue. . .