Taiwan - Among the many disciplines that Buddhist meditation is widely held to develop is the art of concentration, and so maintaining an atmosphere of calm and serenity at Taiwan's Ling Yen temple was of the utmost importance to Teamwork's recent installation of a Turbosound sound reinforcement system.

Located about one hour's drive from Taichung City on the western flank of Taiwan's central mountainous region, the Taiwan Ling Yen Buddhist temple is set amongst beautiful mountain scenery in Puli township, Nantou County. It has recently been the subject of a comprehensive sound system installation comprising a range of Turbosound loudspeakers.

The specification for the new sound system at Ling Yen was put together by installation company Teamwork Co. Based in Taichung, the company is headed by Harry Chen and regularly works on audio projects all over the island. After extensiv

UK - Dance troupe Diversity, winners of the 2009 series of televised talent show Britain's Got Talent have just completed a highly successful UK tour with a Yamaha LS9 mixing both front of house and monitors.

Taking the nine-piece troupe's show to 24 sold-out theatre shows across the UK (including three nights at London's Hammersmith Apollo), the tour's 32-channel LS9 was manned by Simon Hall and Rob Priddle, who regularly work on tours by the likes of George Michael, Coldplay and Oasis.

The tour's sound requirements were supplied by Wigwam, the LS9 being set up with 16 channels for FOH and 16 channels for monitors, Hall and Priddle splitting the channels to give separate head amps for each. Diversity and first support act, rapper Aggro Santos, used four d&b side-fills for monitoring, while the second support (duo Mini Viva) used Ultimate Ears UE4 IEMs.

With the audio

UK - Apple Sound, in conjunction with POLARaudio, recently completed a an audio-visual installation in the new, purpose-built council chambers at Huntingdon District Council.

Apple Sound, a provider of specialist audio, sound masking and speech privacy systems, was commissioned to install a beyerdynamic MCW-D 200 Digital Wireless Microphone System in the Huntingdon council offices after being awarded the tender and successfully undertaking the first stage of the AV installation.

Apple Sound were briefed to provide the council with a secure wireless conference microphone system that would enable full utilisation of the flexible room formats with the facility for voting and recording. It was to be be controlled and managed via MCWD Controller and Steno-S recording software and Apple had specified the beyerdynamic MCW-D 200 Digital Wireless System for the job. beyerdynamic's MCW-

USA - Brian Tapley, sound engineer for country music star Chris Young recently used an Allen & Heath iLive digital mixing system for the first time whilst on tour in Florida. Performing at the Block in Fort Walton Beach, Tapley was presented with an Allen & Heath iLive-144 digital system from the venue's audio supplier, TSC Productions.

"Before the band arrived, I set up the surface according to Chris Young's input list, with the routing set up to the main PA," recalls TSC Productions', Brendon Grimes. "Brian had never used an iLive before, so I gave him a quick tutorial, showed him some features I thought he might like, and set him loose. Within about five minutes, he went straight to sound check."

"Every night is different, and that's not always a good thing. You're at the mercy of the venue, so it's always nice to find something that's easy to work

UK - Systems Workshop Distribution supplied Britannia Row Productions with a range of Schertler DYN Series transducers for miking orchestral strings and a grand piano at the Classical BRIT Awards 2010. The show took place in the Royal Albert Hall, London, last night.

Specially designed for orchestral amplification, Schertler's DYN Series - which includes the DYN-V for violin/viola, DYN-C for 'cello and DYN-B for double bass - offers accurate and natural sound reproduction. Easily moved between instruments, the transducers can be safely mounted on precious violins, 'cellos and basses and connected directly to the microphone inputs of a stage mixer. Schertler's DYN-GP Grand Piano model utilises a matched pair of transducers that capture the sound at two separate points, achieving a greater sense of space and a more balanced tone, says the company.

Brit Row's Bryan Grant c

UK - The new Edinburgh Lighting and Sound School will be based at Granton and is being run in association with Black Light, leading specialists in professional lighting, staging, sound and audio visual equipment. Black Light have been supplying products and services to theatres, exhibitions, conferences, tradeshows, heritage centres and many more organisations for over 25 years.

The school will offer a One Year intensive course based at the heart of the industry. The course will include specialist teaching from industry professionals and a series of placements in Theatres, Conference Centres, Lighting, Sound and Events Companies. Fifteen students will be recruited to the course.

As patron of the school, Francis Reid, veteran lighting designer, author of 15 books on theatre technology, and lecturer of lighting across six continents, says: "The staging of plays, musicals, c

UAE - Nicolas Kyvernitis Electronics Enterprises have supplied Spectrum Rentals in Dubai with the Shure UHF-R microphone system for their live sound concerts and corporate events. The sale includes six channels that consist of the UR4D receivers and transmitters with the KSM9 microphone cartridge.

"Spectrum Rentals have completely kitted their microphone inventory with SM and Beta wired microphones," commented Richie Hiranandani, marketing manager. "The purchase of the UHF-R series is the icing on the cake as it undeniably propels the wireless microphone system to the market leader position in the live sound market here in the UAE."

(Jim Evans)

UK - Love Never Dies, Andrew Lloyd Webber's sequel to The Phantom of the Opera, has opened at London's Adelphi Theatre, with cast and orchestra fully miked up with DPA microphones, specified by sound designer Mick Potter and supplied by Autograph Sound Hire.

All 36 cast members are miked with DPA 4061s, with the principals wearing two each with dual transmitters and receivers. The 21-piece orchestra is miked with a selection of DPA mics including 4022 and 4011 cardioids and 4007 condensers across brass, woodwind and percussion. For the string section, Potter has chosen a combination of 4011s as ambient mics and 4061s for close miking.

"The balance between these two mics changes per cue depending on the required feel," says Mick Potter. "In the big cinematic moments the mix is biased towards the 4061s and in the more subtle orchestral moments the 40

Mexico / Spain - VMB has appointed Hi Tech Audio as its exclusive distributor for lifts in Mexico. Hi Tech Audio will be distributing all VMB models.

"We made contact with Hi Tech Audio in Frankfurt" says Ben Sinclair, VMB's export manager, "and it was immediately apparent that the company was an ideal partner for the Mexican Market. They knew our product well and were aware of all the features and benefits the product delivers. Their approach and experience in the sector leave us convinced that they will do a fantastic job in promoting the brand and offering superb service and sales."

The Mexican distributor recently premiered the TL-A220 at Expo Sound Check and was able to demonstrate to the Mexican Pro Audio market the Line Array lifting system.

Jose Antonio Martinez, from Hi Tech Audio said, "We are very happy to introduce to Mexico a completely

Georgia - The new trading centre Karvasla, a project heralded as the first and biggest international standard shopping mall in Georgia, features 350 dBTechnologies M50TW loudspeakers. Situated metres from the capital city's central railway station, the shopping centre opened with suitable pomp this month in the presence of the mayor of Tbilisi.

Specified and subsequently installed by local company and dBTechnologies distributor Smarthouse and Office LLC, the full audio system was put to the test on its opening day. "There was a live band and a presentation, in front of many guests as well as the city mayor," says Konstantine Beruchashvili of Smarthouse. "We supplied dBTechnologies' Opera speakers for two floors of the new shopping centre for the opening ceremony, and I'm pleased to report that both the installed and the live system sounded perfect."

Finance

Germany - Sommer Cable has introduced the Club Series Tempoflex miscrophone cable, especially developed for use on theatre stages, for musical backdrops and large live events.

"Take a pair of conductors with thin 0.34 mm² copper litz wires, braid around them several Kevlar strain relief elements and jacket the whole thing with a special TPE SP moulded sheath (° 7.3 mm) - and here it is, the microphone Liana," says the company.

"We have braided the screen made of aluminised fleece and tinned copper mesh in a motion-optimised angle so that the sturdy cable reels easily on a cable drum and in addition to permanent installations may also be used for mobile applications. The Club Series Tempoflex withstands temperatures between -20 °C and +110 °C."

(Jim Evans)

UK - An Audient ASP8024-48 high resolution mixing console sits at the heart of the brand new Sound Engineering facility at Herefordshire College of Technology (HCT). Comprising five recording studios, the facility's rebuild is just part of a £32m development project centred on the main Hereford campus, which is "set to transform post-16 education and vocational learning in Herefordshire", according to its website.

"The Audient console is used in our flagship control room," says course tutor, Dan Armstrong. "The room is fed from two Roland REAC-based Digital Snake setups, supplying 32 channels of mic lines. The console is used heavily for tracking, mixing and programming. We've got Mac Pro running Logic 9, and ProTools 8, which feeds into the console. The (Alesis) HD24s also feed directly into the console across all 48 channels."

The ASP8024

Festivals Boost - The popularity of festivals has helped fuel a rise in the fortunes of live music events, new figures show. UK fans spent £1.45bn on gigs in 2009 - up 4% from the previous year, according to songwriters' body PRS For Music. Some £275m of that was spent on festivals, up about £50m - a sharper rise than any other area of live music. "This seems to be a UK phenomenon," PRS chief economist Will Page said. "I don't think anywhere else in Europe has seen the same explosion in festivals."

There are more than 670 events being held in the UK in 2010, according to efestivals.co.uk guide. PRS For Music put the boom down to promoters appealing to all types of music fan by offering a wider variety of events, with innovations including crèches for families. "They're growing this market with incredible acumen," Mr Page said at t

USA - TC Group Americas (TCGA) has announced it is to distribute Audica Professional in North, Central and South America, adding the brand to its existing portfolio of Tannoy, Lab.gruppen, TC Electronic, TC-Helicon, Dynaudio Acoustics and Linn Products. TCGA will introduce Audica Professional formally at Infocomm Las Vegas in June.

Audica Professional manufactures the MICROseries range of electronics and loudspeakers combining for commercial background music, corporate AV and audio communications. For applications such as retail outlets, restaurants, hotel public areas and guest rooms, meeting rooms, museums and visitor centres the MICROseries systems fit neatly below the level serviced by Tannoy's product range and both TCGA and Audica Professional view the expanded offering of the two brands as very complementary.

"America is key for most pro audio manufacturers",

Belgium - Dating back to 1425, the University of Leuven is Belgium's oldest university. It has had a turbulent history, things finally settling down after the 1968 division into two separate institutions, the Dutch-speaking Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and its French-speaking counterpart, the Université Catholique de Louvain. The former has recently seen the installation of Ampetronic induction loops in two of its most prestigious teaching spaces, allowing hard of hearing students to enjoy exactly the same teaching experience as their fellows.

The Pieter de Somer and Gasthuisberg auditoria are respectively the oldest and newest lecture theatres at the university, but each needs to provide an equally high quality experience for the users of the induction loop systems.

"The university has students who are hard of hearing, but its administration also realises that l

USA - The Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, Arizona describes itself as 'the world's first global musical instrument museum' with an impressive array of instruments from nearly 250 countries and territories. Integrated audio and video experiences enable audiences to appreciate the sounds of these instruments, as well as to see them played in their cultural context.

The building, a 190,000sq.ft structure located on a 20-acre campus, was designed by award-winning architect Rich Varda, along with RSP Architects. The architecture evokes the topography of the American Southwest with a richly textured Indian limestone façade. Interior galleries are linked by an undulating central corridor known as 'El Rio'.

Stage Technologies Las Vegas installed an automation system in the museum's 299-seat Music Theatre. The team worked closely with general contractors Ryan Construction and co

UK - DB Systems is putting the final touches to an intensive six-month IT & Telephony work programme in preparation for the Farnborough International Airshow.

DB's technicians have been at the Hampshire site since January preparing the internet and telecommunications systems and services that will be available for all exhibitors at upcoming event (19 - 25 July).

The massive task involves DB supplying 600 Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephones and over 400mb of internet bandwidth. These will be serviced via a Cisco controlled network incorporating over 100 network switches, 20km of fibre optics and 10km of cabling.

The project is being overseen by DB's Internet & Telecommunications Division, which was set up earlier this year after the company expanded into the internet and telecommunications market.

Grahame Jones, Operations Director for Farnborough International,

UK - With the conference line-up for the Audio Engineering Society's 128th Convention in London now confirmed, some distinguished guests are beginning to make their way to London for the associated conferences (22-25 May) and exhibition (23-25 May), both of which are taking place this year at the Novotel Convention Centre in Hammersmith.

Japanese music technology research scientist and gifted public speaker Masataka Goto has now been confirmed as the Keynote Speaker at the Convention's opening ceremony on 22 May, and the Convention's final day will be graced by an appearance from Sir George Martin CBE, who will be accepting an Honorary Membership from the AES before introducing one of the afternoon seminars on the final day of the Convention.

"The AES is delighted to present George Martin with this award," comments AES executive director Roger Furness. "The rank

UK - Clear-Com will announce the European debut of HelixNet, a unified intercom platform at AES 2010 in London this month.

HelixNet simplifies the setup, management and use of intercom systems often required in today's multiplatform production workflows, including those of local broadcast facilities, houses of worship and intimate live venues. Based on Clear-Com's award-winning I.V.Core technology, HelixNet breaks down the silos of separate intercoms and allows operators to effortlessly and seamlessly connect and control multiple system connections on a single communications platform ? whether it's a main station, portable beltpack, digital panel, wall-speaker unit or software-based client.

HelixNet offers flexible and simple cabling and networking. All systems on the platform are designed to work on common, standard cabling, such as microphone cables, Cat 5 and fibre. In addi

China - Loudspeaker manufacturer dBTechnologies' DVA line array series has been chosen for use in the Venezuela area, one of 240 countries' and organisations' exhibitions at the six-month long World Expo in Shanghai this year, expected to attracted some 70m visitors.

"A powerful, yet small system, the DVA range was just right for the Venezuela Pavilion theatre," explains Shelly Xiao, general manager of dBTechnologies distributor, Sharp Dragon. "The digital self powered line array fitted the bill perfectly: lightweight, not too obtrusive and it sounds excellent."

The system comprises 12 flown T4 full range cabinets arrayed six on each side within the arc-shaped ceiling, two ground-stacked S10 powered subwoofers fitted with onboard SDD delay modules, two dBTechnologies Arena 15 passive cabinets to support the centre sound and a DSX 2040 controller, providing

Switzerland / USA - Barix AG announces that NJ Transit, the public transportation corporation for the state of New Jersey, has standardized on Barix Audio over IP equipment for IP-based distribution of public address (PA) announcements at rail and bus stations across the state.

NJ Transit is in the process of building out an IP-based PA and digital display network that will disseminate audio and visual passenger information from one to many points. NJ Transit and consultant Baran Design Associates specified Barix Exstreamers to receive and decode PA messages at every NJ Transit location. The devices are currently operational across the River Line light rail system and Northeast Corridor rail lines, as well as a number of bus stations.

Audio messages with relevant passenger information are continuously updated and streamed to pre-assigned, IP-addressable Exstreamers to ensure t

UK - Hip hop trio N-Dubz have recently been promoting the platinum-selling album Against All Odds with a major April UK tour. Accompanying the band have been their Sennheiser microphones and in-ear monitors.

The tour's schedule was relentless, with very few non-show days as the band played gigs from Folkestone to Glasgow and all points between. Reliability was essential, but monitor engineer Chris 'Bronski' Jablonski is just as impressed with the hi-fidelity sound of the Sennheiser equipment.

The band's three vocalists - Dino 'Dappy' Contostavlos, Tula 'Tulisa' Contostavlos and Richard 'Fazer' Rawson were all using SKM 935 G3 microphones and ew 300 G3 in-ear monitors, with a three-piece backing band and Chris also using ew 300 G3 IEMs.

"I've been using Sennheiser for the last six or so years for a wide variety of projects, the 500 series for live vocals, and the

Argentina - Seventeen years after their last Argentinian concert, some 45,000 fans attended , Guns N' Roses' recent Buenos Aires concert - part of the Chinese Democracy World Tour 2010.

Buenos Aires Live Show was responsible for the technical staging of the event, and chose Proel Edge15CXPB coaxial monitors.

(Jim Evans)

UK - Audio visual specialist RaceTech AV is working with sound system manufacturer Bose to provide audio, visual, control and digital signage solutions to the new Marriot Hotel in Lingfield as part of their multi?million pound new build hotel complex.

The project has included design and build services for a bespoke turnkey solution to multiple public areas within the hotel, all controlled by AMX touch panel controls that are networked throughout the facility for maximum flexibility and ease of use. The whole system utilises a simple 'touch screen' interface that manages all of the installed technology.

"By working with prime contractors, architects and client representatives we have been able to provide a leading edge turnkey design and supply service to the Marriot Hotel and commission high quality audio, video, signage and multiple induction loops to many key public are

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