USA - Voice communication systems specialist Clear-Com is helping Royal Caribbean International's Oasis of the Seas cruise ship with its on-board communication needs by providing its FreeSpeak digital wireless intercom system as the anchor of the ship's communications system. Using FreeSpeak, the Oasis of the Seas crew coordinates many of the ship's theatrical productions, including several weekly runs of the Tony Award-winning, Broadway-licensed musical, Hairspray.

With Clear-Com equipment installed on 16 other Royal Caribbean cruise ships, Royal Caribbean's technical design staff members knew they could rely on it to provide the communications system for Oasis of the Seas, the world's largest ship. As the ship plays host to a myriad of entertainment options, with seven distinctly themed neighbourhoods and performance spaces, Clear-Com's FreeSpeak digital wireless interc

USA - Meyer Sound has announced the appointment of Brad van Niekerk to the role of public relations manager to spearhead the company's global public relations activities and social media programme.

As PR manager, van Niekerk will work closely with Meyer Sound customers, sales managers, and technical support to develop and oversee comprehensive public relations programs to increase brand and product awareness of Meyer Sound to the media.

"Brad brings an excellent range of experience representing technology brands in global markets," says Meyer Sound's director of marketing, Rachel Archibald. "We're excited to have him lead strategic communications and public relations programs at Meyer Sound."

Bringing more than 13 years of public relations experience in both domestic and international markets, van Niekerk has represented enterprise and consumer technologi

Hong Kong - Specialist event services provider GL Events Hong Kong has boosted its extensive inventory of Nexo sound reinforcement products with the addition of new PS10-R2 compact full-range cabinets. Senior sales manager Axel Moyse says: "GL events works primarily for the production companies of the region which are organising conferences, congress and convention events, gala dinners, fashion shows and product launches.

"Ninety-five per cent of our loudspeaker inventory is Nexo. GL carries the GeoS12 line array, which we use with RS15s, we also have a larger quantity of PS15 and have now added the new PS10 models, and we use the new NXAMP 4x4 amplifiers for all power and system management applications. Not only do the Nexo products offer very high-quality audio performance, but there is great flexibility in the systems. We can stack, rig, fly, hang from poles, and we

Canada - Word of Life Church in Red Deer, Alberta, has developed a worship service style that brings together families and friends from across generations. When the building's original sound system failed to keep up with the church's growth, lead pastor and music director Jachin Mullen realised it was time for an update.

Brendon and Aaron Gerber - brothers, church members, and principals of boutique A/V company Absolute Music - have installed an L-Acoustics dV-Dosc line array system with dV-SUB and SB28 low-end to give the church a pristine voice for its musical focus.

With dark décor, theatrical lighting and stage enough for a full band, Word of Life's 1,300 capacity auditorium is reminiscent of a theatre or music club. A temporary back wall had been removed to provide 50% more space, but the sound system, which had always been somewhat lacking, had not been upgraded,

Europe - Metal giants Megadeth have arrived in Europe on their Endgame tour with a Midas PRO6 at front of house, provided on this leg by AudioLease.

"Nothing but a Midas will do," says Doug Short, FOH engineer for Megadeth who has also worked with artists like Prince, Van Halen, and Joe Cocker. "I've tried just about every digital console on the market, and they just don't measure up sonically."

Short, a committed analogue fan, was first persuaded to use the PRO6 by Thunder Audio's Paul Owen for the US leg of the tour which opened in March. "When Megadeth started up," says Short. "My rider required a Midas XL4 at front of house. But Paul said, 'Instead of taking out 1,168 pounds of XL4, why not give the PRO6 a shot?'"

Short faced a baptism of fire with a new desk and no production rehearsals. He pays tribute to Eric Rogers from

UK - Llanelli-based Vaughan Sound Installations (VSI), part of the PAI Group, has installed and integrated new sound, lighting, video and control elements for The Pierhead in Cardiff Bay, transforming the main room of the Grade One listed building of the National Assembly for Wales into a multi functional space.

It is one of the city of Cardiff's most familiar landmarks, originally built in 1897 as the headquarters for the Bute Dock Company.

The venue's main hall can now be run as an interactive visitor attraction or utilised for numerous events and functions. VSI worked to a technical specification originated by theatre consultant Paul Covell, adding their own expertise and specialist knowledge.

The new installation includes a projection system that shows a seven-minute video biography detailing the history of the Pierhead. This combines various archival and current materia

UK - UK distributors for Swiss loudspeaker manufacturers PSI Audio, eMerging, unveiled a new active reference monitor at the recent AES show in London.

The two-way A21-M v3 builds on the success of the existing A21-M, and is a more powerful and efficient design producing less wasted energy. Thanks to the inclusion of a new-generation Class G amplifier inspired by the one used in PSI's existing A215-M, the new A21-M v3 features an enhanced (38Hz to 20kHz) frequency response, improved thermal efficiency and power yield (an extra 20W), and a higher maximum continuous SPL of 108dB, says the company.

The monitor otherwise offers all the features of the existing successful A21-M. Users of the older version of the monitor can even upgrade it to the specification of the latest revision. The upgrade can be carried out quickly and affordably by a PSI dealer, including eMerging in London

UK - Over 25,000 spectators have been treated to a spectacular new event hitting summer's social calendar. Mint Polo in the Park brought the sport of royals to London's Hurlingham Park over three days this month, with a new format to the game making for a faster and more exciting experience for TV and event spectators.

Eight teams of three players, a smaller pitch, no changing of ends after each goal, point incentives for long shots on goal, hard plastic balls to give players more length to their shots and full match video coverage with live competitor commentary have updated the glamorous game of Polo to make the sport faster and harder in a similar way to how Twenty20 has changed the game of cricket.

Contracted by World Polo Ltd., Dimension Audio provided full audio facilities for the three day event. Control and playback in the form of LS9-16 and Instant Repla

UK - The ABTT (Association of British Theatre Technicians) reports another successful new product Awards ceremony staged at its annual ABTT Theatre Show.

This year the competition for the coveted Hook Clamp Trophies was as strong as ever, with a host of companies entered across five key categories, which represent the spectrum of the industry. The Awards continue to set a precedent, highlighting the spectrum of products and services for the theatre production and staging market. The winners of the Awards were:

Best New Lighting Product: White Light scooped the Award for best new lighting product with its Prism Reveal, which was chosen by the judges for its flat field, colour correcting ability and overall efficiency. The nominees in this category included: Robin 300 Plasma Spot from Robe; the Gekko Kezia LED Spot Lamp from PRG and the Cyclo LED Panel from Showtex.

Italy - Despite the financial constraints that most companies are finding themselves in at the moment, many different types of venues are investing in Yamaha audio solutions, just one of which is Sicily's Mambo Wine Bar, the company reports.

Located in the Isola delle Femmine province of Palermo, Mambo Wine Bar combines sophisticated internal décor with stunning views of the island's dramatic north coast. Enhancing the ambience is a Yamaha audio system, which is also giving the venue a significant audio advantage over a neighbouring club.

The bar's owners wanted a high specification audio system whose quality would be the perfect complement both the high quality surroundings and exquisite coastal views. Having examined a number of different options, they chose the Yamaha system proposed by design and Palermo-based installation company Decibel Pro.

"The Yamaha sys

Sounds Of Silence - Simon and Garfunkel's planned tour of North America has been "postponed indefinitely" because Art Garfunkel has a condition affecting his voice. He is recovering from a vocal paresis which "inhibits the duo from performing shows" to their normal standard, a statement on their website said. The tour had already been postponed from April to July.

"According to his doctors, Art is expected to make a full recovery. However, they cannot predict an exact timeline," a statement said. Garfunkel added: "I do feel bad about disrupting so many people's plans but, as I continue to mend, I can't yet bring my A-game to a tour, and I would not perform for you with anything less."

In The Sale Room - John Lennon's handwritten lyrics to Beatles song A Day In The Life have sold for $1.2m (£810,000) at auction, well a

UK - Bose is to exhibit at this year's PLASA exhibition for the first time in a decade. The decision was taken as the company's Professional Systems Division pushes forward with plans to work more closely with consultants and integrators on a series of prestigious projects.

Bose Pro divisional manager, Simon Holley, says, "It's been several years since Bose last exhibited at PLASA, but we feel that the time is right to demonstrate our commitment to the pro audio market. We have some exciting new products in the developmental stage, so this year is all about connecting with new contacts and building on existing relationships to create a strong foundation from which to move forward. We are delighted to join so many strong brands at what should be a tremendous show."

Bose will be fielding a strong side at the show, with representatives from both the technical and sales

Turkey - One of the most enigmatic of sweetmeats, there are just eight simple ingredients to make this most ancient of pleasures. Rosewater is essential and what gives it a flavour that resembles no other; Turkish Delight is quite simply unique. It transpires that Hakan Tamer, President of Display Sound and Light Systems in Istanbul, has a selection of ingredients too when creating his latest recipe.

"Since we took on the Distributorship for d&b audiotechnik it quickly became apparent we needed something special to tempt the appetite of our clients." That something was a new showroom and office premises, "But it needed some specific ingredients. It had to be easy to find and simple to reach; maybe not such a big deal in Paris or Singapore, but Istanbul has unbelievable traffic, there's almost no escape. So we managed to find a street that's not too crowded, a very

USA - Renkus-Heinz introduced a number of new products at the recent InfoComm exhibition in Las Vegas, including the new IC2 (IC Squared) - what the company calls "the first ever crossover array".

The company says: "The IC2 is a digitally steerable line array that combines the power and focus of point source loudspeaker technology with the control and flexibility of a digitally steered array."

The system integrates Renkus-Heinz's digital beam steering into a powerful and versatile point source design. Four 8" low frequency Neodymium transducers and 1" Titanium Nitride coated HF drivers offer high SPL point source performance, while individual steering control of each driver gives the IC2 excellent vertical pattern control for maximum intelligibility, even in the most reverberant spaces, the company claims.

Each IC2 two-way 8" module deliver

Australia - Violinist Marcus Holden has purchased a DPA 4099V clip mount from distributor Amber Sound. Holden has been using his mic to tour Australia with Scotland the Brave, a musical tribute to Scotland, and also for the Sydney Theatre Company production, Spring Awakening.

"The first thing I noticed about the 4099V was the amount of gain you can get before feedback occurs," he says. "The sound is incredibly natural; it brings out the real tone of the instrument and totally minimises breath and surround noise. For someone who plays with a combination of microphone and piezo pickups on violins, mandolins and bizarre hybrid instrument situations in a myriad of acoustic or amplified venues, the DPA is the solution. I've been waiting 30 years for someone to invent this microphone."

Holden, a recording engineer as well as a violinist, is also a fan of D

The Netherlands - With 18 bars and restaurants spread throughout the east of Holland, expanding operators, Oubaha Beheer BV, have retired their eight year old sound system at the 600-capacity, heavily themed Aspen Valley Enschede music bar in favour of a complete QSC system approach.

The Nijmegen-based operators had already adopted a QSC solution at the sister Aspen Valley Arnhem, but head of technology and maintenance, Gerwin van den Brink, has now gone a step further.

A long time user of QSC components, he was first introduced to the brand's amplifiers four years ago by Benelux distributors, AED. But now the Californian manufacturer has a complete set of audio tools he has been able to network Aspen Valley's three nautical concept bars (including a circular revolving bar) on a CobraNet backbone.

It was AED, who alerted van den Brink to the potential of this end-to-end solu

Finland - L- Acoustics' Finnish distributor Starlike has supplied a new sound reinforcement system to the Old Student House, a multipurpose hall in the centre of Helsinki dating back to 1870.

The installation features five Kudo line source cabinets and an SB28 sub bass unit per side, with a 12XT coaxial providing centre-fill, driven by five LA8 amplified controllers.

As the venue is protected by the Finnish National board of Antiquities, any changes to the building or its structure were strictly forbidden. "My mission was to find a high quality system for this very demanding venue," says Old Student House sound engineer Sami Ahonen. "Any acoustic treatment is forbidden, and the stone walls and hard wood floor create a very powerful and long reverberation."

One of the venue's main requirement was to have an angle of horizontal coverage of 90° or less t

UK / Germany - Optocore's new OptoRack environment - the plug and play fibre line system, co-developed by the German manufacturer and Wigwam Hire - has made its world debut on Leona Lewis's current Labyrinth tour.

Experienced FOH sound engineer (and long-term Wigwam affiliate) Kevin Pruce, said that the returns system, designed to provide a flexible solution to the technical restrictions which many hire / production companies face with Cat 5 cable systems, was functioning without a hitch.

"I enjoy working with new systems and know that Wigwam would never put anything out until they are 100% sure that it works," said the sound engineer. "Chris [Hill, Wigwam Hire director] decided it was time to find a solution to the problem of having to supply various different types of cable runs from FOH to stage, (AES, analogue and data). This system overcomes that, by

USA - Audio-Technica is a sponsor for the 15th Annual USA Songwriting Competition. This is the 11th year of Audio-Technica's involvement in the contest.

As part of the competition's prize packages, Audio-Technica has provided four AT4040 Cardioid Condenser Microphones, two ATM450 Cardioid Condenser Instrument Microphones, 10 ATH-M40fs Precision Studio Headphones, two AT2041SP Studio Microphone Packs and two ATM610 Hypercardioid Dynamic Handheld Microphones. The entry period recently ended 28 May 2010, and winners will be announced in November.

The USA Songwriting Competition is currently the longest-running consecutive-year songwriting competition. Last year's contest saw 34,900 entries from around the world. The competition has a proven track record in helping winners achieve recording contracts, publishing contracts and getting their music placed in film and television. Winn

USA - Peavey has updated the PR Series powered loudspeakers with its new class D amplifier topology for lighter weight on the new PR 15D and PR 12D models, which are available now.

The Peavey PR 15D and PR 12D are two-way powered loudspeaker systems engineered with a bi-amplified class D power section that drives a 12" woofer with a robust 150 watts continuous and a 1.4" titanium-diaphragm RX 14 compression driver with another 50 watts continuous.

The PR 15D and PR 12D are capable of up to 120dB peak SPL and feature Peavey's exclusive DDT speaker protection, which virtually eliminates audible power amplifier clipping. A built-in, heavy-duty crossover increases reliability at high power levels, says the company.

A Woofer Servo monitors the woofer for back-EMF that is not a result of the drive signal and compensates for the unwanted woofer response in the overall sig

USA - Audio-Technica has expanded its contractor-exclusive Engineered Sound line with the introduction of the ES963 Three-Element Multidirectional Boundary Microphone. The ES963 is designed for surface-mount applications such as high-quality sound reinforcement, conferencing, professional recording, television and other demanding sound pickup applications in the installed sound and sound contracting markets, says the company.

Three cardioid condenser elements mounted in the microphone housing are factory set with an angle of 120 degrees between them to provide complete 360-degree coverage (in the hemisphere above mounting surface).

Two positioning levers on the microphone base allow two of the three elements to be reoriented (with no tools or disassembly required) to offer angles of 90/90/180 degrees between elements - ideal for positioning at the end of long conference tables

USA - John Taylor ,speaking at this year's Broadway Sound Master classes said, "This is clearly an award by the people who use the kit, rather than by those who buy advertising space, so it's an award we really value." Taylor was accepting the award for Best Loudspeaker on behalf of d&b audiotechnik. "The panel, kept secret from all of us who submit products, is made up of sound designers and sound operators. We might not know who they are, but we do see some of their comments which is great."

The loudspeaker in question is the new d&b B4-SUB, ostensibly a cardioid sub and the new addition to d&b's extensive subwoofer collection. "But this one is very different," said Taylor. "Matthias Christner from the R&D acoustics department refers to it as PSP (as opposed to DSP) which stands for Plywood Signal Processing!

"DSP is normally needed to

China/Switzerland - Chinese radio company Chongqing Broadcasting Group has placed an order for more than 20 Pyramix digital audio workstations with Merging Asia, the Chinese distributor for Pyramix's Swiss manufacturer, Merging Technologies.

The order is part of the broadcasting group's plan to move its eight radio stations to a new headquarters. In addition to the 16 DAWs required for live use on air (two for each station: one for live use, and one for back-up), a further six systems have been purchased to make recordings from the new headquarters' performance hall, and for use in the broadcaster's recording and post-production studios.

Weishen Xu, president of Merging Asia, comments, "The Chinese radio broadcast industry is entering a period of rapid change, and the new systems at Chongqing Broadcasting Group form a milestone installation, one offering a level of qualit

USA - North Carolina-based system designer Strategic Connections recently upgraded the sound system for the newly expanded Church on the Move in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The new sound reinforcement system features JBL loudspeakers, Crown amplifiers, and BSS processing.

Already the largest church in the region, the 12,000-member church chose to remodel its existing main sanctuary by adding an additional 700 seats.

At the heart of the new sound reinforcement system are 38 JBL VerTec VT4888 midsize line array elements flown in four arrays with 16 JBL ASB6128V subwoofers, 10 flown and six located under the stage. For front-fills, seven JBL AC28/95 loudspeakers are housed behind the perimeter of the stage. "The goal was to provide rock and roll style PA without filling the space with tons of speakers," stated Brant Doell, system designer for Strategic Connections.

The system is

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