UK - Buxton Opera House in Derbyshire recently selected a combined Allen & Heath iDR installation and iLive digital mixing system as the audio distribution and FOH mixer for a new multi-format theatre in its Pavilion Arts Centre.

The 360-capacity auditorium, which hosts a varied programme of theatre and conference events, has an iDR-32 MixRack and iDR-8 Mix Processor installed in a backstage sound rack, with an iLive-T80 Control Surface at FOH position. There is also a PL-6 remote fader panel and a laptop loaded with iLive and iDR control software in the studio, as well as a PL-10 rotary control panel in the prompt corner position. The rest of the PA system comprises Martin Audio speakers and amps.

"An iDR-8 was installed in the main Opera House to control the speaker PA system and we've been impressed by its versatility and user-friendliness, so a combined iDR-8 and iLiv

The Netherlands - Christoph Willibald von Gluck's opera Orfeo ed Euridice was staged during June and July against the royal backdrop of Soestdijk Palace in Utrecht, attracting 1,500 people per night. A large quantity of DPA microphones, including the first 2006A and 2011A mics to arrive in Holland, were provided by DPA's Dutch distributor Amptec for the event.

The opera, directed by De Utrechtse Spelen's artistic director Jos Thie, sees Orfeo persuading Amore, the god of love, to bring his beloved Euridice back from the Underworld. The action took place on a lake in front of the palace, with a steel net constructed just below the water level so the singers could walk, and even cycle, across the water from the palace to the main stage. Allowing the actors to appear in, on and below the water perfectly represented the two different realms - Earth, home of the living, and th

UK - EAW will unveil several product ranges to the UK market at this year's PLASA Show.

The new VF passive series consists of five models of VFR two-way full-range loudspeakers - two VFS subwoofers and three VSM stage monitors. This range represents a new approach to the needs of professional audio from EAW; combining a hybrid of portable and install features in one package, says the company.

The VF series is intended for both portable and install applications and environments, including auditoriums, theatres, nightclubs and DJ setups, bars, music performances, houses of worship, and mobile churches.

New SBK series subwoofers will also debut. Designed to complement EAW's MK Series full-range loudspeakers in construction, size and sound, they can also be used as stand-alone subwoofers in a system from any other EAW model.

The SBK line includes three models: SBK150 (single 1

USA - Since 1975, Tulsa's Mabee Centre has been the site of the annual Miss Oklahoma Pageant. Located on the campus of Oral Roberts University, Mabee Centre is also the home of the Golden Eagles men's' and women's' basketball teams and serves as the area's primary venue for concerts, business conferences, seminars, and other special events.

This year's Miss Oklahoma Pageant and its sibling event, Miss Oklahoma's Outstanding Teen contributed more than $2M in scholarship funds to the contestants. To ensure robust music reproduction and the finest speech intelligibility possible, the Mabee Center staff pulled out all the stops with its deployment of a robust sound reinforcement system drawn from the catalogue of D.A.S. Audio.

Casey Phariss serves as Oral Roberts University's audio services manager and chief audio engineer. In this capacity, he oversees the day-to-day operations a

Saudi Arabia - Sennheiser Middle East has recently supplied 16 ADN systems to Saudi Arabian AV systems integrator Electronic Special Equipment (ESE) for a single governmental project in the country's capital of Riyadh.

The project marks the largest single sale of the German manufacturer's flagship conference system and elevates Saudi Arabia to the position of the country with the most ADN systems in the world.

"We chose ADN for our client because we knew it would provide a true audio conference experience in a reliable system," comments ESE's sales manager, Khaled Makki. "ADN delivers high speech intelligibility in a modern designed unit that befits the glory and splendour of the project."

The system comprises a total of 240 delegate units and 16 chairman units. ADN CU-1 comes with free software that is continually updated, with the next version due in Se

France / Monaco - With bases in Paris, Nice and Marseille, French rental company Arpege Son Lumiere is continually busy with festivals, live tours, television shows and corporate events. The company has invested heavily in DiGiCo consoles, which are in constant use.

With four SD7s, four SD8s, three SD9s and an SD Ten on its books, as well as several D1s and D5s, Arpege is committed to DiGiCo and 2011 is proving a particularly busy summer for the consoles.

One of the highest profile events to use the company's DiGiCo consoles was the wedding of Albert II, Prince of Monaco, and Charlene Wittstock. Multiple mixers were involved in the ceremony itself and associated celebrations.

First, on 30th June, was a concert by the Eagles in the 25,000-capacity Stade Louis II. Here Arpege provided the entire audio production, except Eagles backline, including the SD9.

Over the next two d

New Zealand - Bethlehem Baptist Church in Tauranga recently decided to upgrade its FOH console from analogue to digital, selecting Allen & Heath's iLive digital mixing system as the replacement.

The church, which has capacity for approximately 1800 worshipers, is undergoing expansion, including the installation of new mixers and a speaker array system as part of the audio upgrade.

An iLive system, comprising an iDR-48 MixRack and iLive-T112 Control Surface, was supplied by Jansen Professional Audio & Lighting.

"Our volunteers find iLive logical and simple to use, yet it allows more technical users to dig into advanced features when needed," explains Bethlehem Baptist Church's technical co-ordinator, Caleb Fryett. "We have been so pleased with this purchase that we have since purchased a second."

The second smaller iLive system, comprising an iDR-16 MixR

Rose Bruford College will be featuring its two innovative new programmes in Performance Sound and Creative Lighting Control. These three-year BA programmes are unique in Higher Education, and with two year's of graduates working in the industry, says the college, they are already making their mark.

BA (Hons) Performance Sound reflects the growing importance of sound in every field of performance - from theatre to music concerts, from sports events to dance, and from site-specific installation to radio drama. The programme combines sound design, technology and operation, with a strong emphasis on live production, and has recently attracted the support of key players in the audio industry, including sponsorship by Harman Pro Group UK in the shape of a Soundcraft VI-1 digital mixer.

BA (Hons) Creative Lighting Control has been created in response to rapidly growing industry demand for s

Out Board will preview iPad and iPhone apps developed to control the TiMax2 SoundHub mix matrix, playback server and audio show control matrix. Simple factory-default setups are user-configurable, and a custom programming service provides bespoke GUIs specifically tailored to individual systems and sound effects control projects.

Also on demonstration will be the new S-Version software features for the TiMax2 SoundHub - the PanSpace effects map and TimeLine Editor for in-depth sound-effects programming, featuring multi-channel waveform-based editing, looping, panning, volume profiling and versatile show control trigger management. TiMax2 SoundHub is a scaleable mix-engine, sound effects playback server and delay-matrix platform which offers up to 64 channels of analogue or AES I/O - with MADI, Ethersound, CobraNet and Dante networking options - in a single compact 2U chassis.

It will

UK - Sound Technology is set to debut JBL's new Marquis Dance Club Series Loudspeakers at PLASA on stand no: E21.

The series comprises eight models all designed to bring a new level of sonic excellence to dance club environments and incorporates new driver configurations and enclosure designs to deliver "powerful, immersive sound with exceptional clarity and fidelity even at higher volume levels".

Jon Sager, senior manager, installed sound, JBL Professional comments, "JBL began offering loudspeakers for club use back in the 1970s, and JBL products helped define club sound when the industry was just beginning. The JBL Marquis Dance Club Series continues this heritage of innovation with a range of purpose-designed loudspeakers that bring high-impact sound to club goers who want to feel and hear all the excitement of the music."

The MD1, MD2, MD3 and MD7 ult

UK - Dealers and customers were treated to a fashion show with a difference at the recent John Deere 2011 new product launch which was held in the majestic setting of Thrumpton Hall, just outside Nottingham.

Newark based events and exhibitions specialist, OneBigStar supplied full production and design services for the reveal show which took place in a large saddle span tent in the grounds of the 17th century stately home. With the models weighing in at up to sixteen ton and measuring four metres wide, the event, entitled Setting Directions needed a fair bit of space- and some innovative production.

Guests were seated in a 250 capacity auditorium inside the tent to view technical product presentations on multiple screens given by John Deere staff whilst the new products paraded (or in most cases were driven) past. This was followed by an opportunity for a close up inspec

UK - One of the south's largest University complexes, the University of the West of England in Bristol called in acoustic design company Munro Acoustics to design and build a new suite of recording studios to serve the expanding audio engineering department.

UWE Music & Multimedia technician, Richard Brown explained that their existing facility lacked isolation and was far too small so they chose Munro because they wanted to be confident of the best possible outcome. "We knew of Munro's reputation and we were not disappointed. In addition to being a good looking design, the new rooms are amazingly well isolated and acoustically perfect for what we needed, " he said. "As well as recording and mixing audio the rooms will be used for film dubbing and other audio applications, giving us complete flexibility."

The complex consists of a main live area which doubl

Iraq - Local audio company Farasout Negar has completed the design and installation of a PA system for calling Muslims to prayer at the Imam Mousa Kazim Holy Shrine in Kazmein, Iraq.

To achieve 360-degree coverage and very high SPLs, Farasout Negar designed a system based on 16 Community RSH-462 exponential FocusedArray horn systems. Each voice-range RSH-462 utilises four Community M200 ferrofluid-cooled compression drivers mounted to a hand laminated, reinforced composite fibreglass horn-array with a 60 degree horizontal and 20 degree vertical coverage pattern. With a sensitivity of 117dB for 1W at 1 metre and a 750W program power handling capacity the RSH-462 provided the considerable SPL required.

Coverage was achieved by mounting four RSH-462 in each of the shrine's four minarets, at a height of 33m from the ground. Four Lab.gruppen C28:4 four-channel power amplifiers are

Morocco - Late May saw Morocco's Festival Mawazine - Rhythms Of The World celebrate its 10th anniversary with an event that was bigger and more diverse than ever. Bringing together an eclectic array of artists from across the globe, Sennheiser helped to ensure that every one of a highly varied collection of traditional instruments and vocals was heard in detail.

Festival Mawazine - Rhythms Of The World takes place in the Moroccan capital Rabat and is patronised by the country's King Mohammed VI. Featuring live concerts, street shows, art and creative workshops, it is noted for hosting performances in a wide range of venues.

One venue - the Roman and medieval ruins of Chellah - featured an all-digital audio system, which was the result of close co-operation between Sennheiser France, Sennheiser Global Relations, K-array, Innovason, Rabat-based audio company HLO / TLS and French

UK - Yamaha Commercial Audio Europe comes to PLASA2011 on the back of the company's most successful ever festival season and is showing three products which are making their European trade show debuts.

Summer2011 has seen the highest ever number of Yamaha PM5D digital mixing consoles at work in a single summer season, as it is now regarded as 'the standard' for outdoor monitor systems. Yamaha consoles have been in use at the majority of Europe's biggest festivals, while the continuing expansion of the market has seen the M7CL and LS9 become mainstays of an ever-growing variety of outdoor shows.

Exhibiting on Stand 1-G31, PLASA2011 sees Yamaha showing three new products which continue to broaden the company's ranges and add value and functionality to existing systems.

Nearly 50,000 copies of the original StageMix iPad app have been downloaded since its launch at PLASA last ye

UK - Sound Technology will premiere AKG's flagship DMS 700 V2 digital wireless system at PLASA on stand no E21.

AKG has launched the DMS 700 V2 digital wireless microphone system. With 512-bit encryption, ultra-low latency and the new DPT700 bodypack, DMS700 V2 offers artists and engineers "absolute confidence in performance with a reliable, easy-to- use wireless component".

The DMS 700 V2 improves the link quality and increases the working range of the transmitters and receivers to allow for more freedom in arranging anything from lecture halls in universities to houses of worship and live performances on tour to broadcast operations, says the company.

Already compatible with the future-proof Channel 38, DMS700 v2 is now available pre-loaded with UK-specific frequency presets. In addition, DMS700 v2 is now also available with a hand-held transmitter featuring AKG'

South Africa - ProAudio, distributors of HK Audio in South Africa has announced a restructuring within the HK Audio support base in SA.

A dedicated HK Audio Specialist has been appointed to provide after sales support for the HK Audio brand. Andrew Sorrill has been in the professional audio industry since 1995, serving various sectors from a sound engineer, audio mixer, audio department manager, advisor and lecturer. He is also a seasoned radio broadcaster.

The HK Audio Specialist will amongst others, provide sound-related advice, on-site quotations and general expertise, product knowledge and information on HK Audio products. Seminars will also be held on audio education as well as selected HK Audio brands.

ProAudio has a large product show room which clients are encouraged to visit to take a listen to the various HK Audio loudspeaker systems for first hand experience. Plan

USA - Blue Microphones has announced the appointment of Michael 'Hucky' Huckler as the vice president of worldwide sales - pro division. Huckler, an industry veteran with expertise in both international sales and global distribution strategies, will be responsible for continuing domestic growth, along with expanding Blue's global market share and distribution in international pro audio sales channels. In addition to supporting sales of Blue's line-up of professional mics, Huckler will be responsible for driving sales of the several new additions to Blue's line.

"Hucky's accomplished history and comprehensive understanding of the marketplace will allow him to have an immediate impact on the expansion of Blue's pro audio product lines into the global market," said John Maier, CEO of Blue Microphones. "As Blue expands our product offering and market share, Hucky will

UAE - Dubai based rental, company Spectrum Entertainment Services, has invested in a new in-ear monitor system - Sennheiser's ew 300 IEM G3. Supplied by Sennheiser's UAE distributer Venuetech, the eight channel system includes transmitters, receivers, antenna combiners and omni-directional antennae.

"We were looking for a high quality wireless in-ear monitoring system that can work as eight channels or can be split into two four channel systems," says Julien Beyrouthy, Spectrum Entertainment Services general manager. "We recently used the Sennheiser system on concerts by Shaggy and DOV Amiel and were really pleased with its performance."

The system includes a 42mHz switching bandwidth, five band EQ and data ports for use with Sennheiser's Wireless Systems Manager software.

"Sennheiser IEM systems are now the norm on most stages across the world,"

UK - Proms in the Park made a welcome return to Bedford Park this year and local sound specialists JAP Sound chose a Roland Systems Group M-480 cascade and REAC solution to take care of the production. The Proms, which took place for one night only in Bedford, saw stars such as Aled Jones and Natasha Marsh performing live alongside the London Gala Orchestra. This year's eventwhich was organized by The Full Effect and attracted a record number of people.

"We chose Roland because it is a scalable package and we have the options of using one or two desks or cascading two desks together - we also have all the Digital Snake stage boxes to choose from- there are so many options that all fit together easily. Once you've set up the desk you just plug in the stage boxes and they find each other - there is no complicated programming required as the desk recognizes each one as you con

Peru - The famous Incan city of Machu Picchu in Peru is considered one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. On 7 July this year, it celebrated the 100 year anniversary of its rediscovery by North American adventurer and archaeologist Hiram Bingham. Andrés Cuadros and Guillermo Riera, owners of rental company Red Power, provided a sound and light spectacular for the celebration, with a DiGiCo SD8 digital mixing console being pivotal to the audio design.

With overall direction from Peruvian movie director, Luis Llosa, 200 actors, under the direction of Eduardo San Roman, took part in the show of dance, lights, fireworks and music. A performance from Peruvian singer Tania Libertad was accompanied by the Cusco Symphony Orchestra, directed by Coco Salazar and a rhythm section, made up of drums, keyboards, electric guitar and bass, with Manuel Miranda on wind instruments.

R

UK - A new trade association for sound designers will be launched at PLASA 2011 next month.

For the last 18 months a group of sound designers have been working to create a new professional association with a series of meetings to discuss what the association should do and how it should work. The meetings were held at the National Theatre, the Royal Court and the Royal Exchange with attendance from over 60 of the country's leading sound designers as well as representatives from hire companies including Autograph, Blitz, Mac Sound and Orbital; manufacturers including d&b audiotechnik and Duran Audio; and educational institutes such as the Central School of Speech and Drama.

Gareth Fry, chair of the newly-elected Board of Trustees of the ASD, said that "the meetings were a great opportunity for a lot of sound designers to meet up, some for the first time, and discuss releva

Finland - Integrators and designers looking to add a touch of flair to their audio installations will be interested in the latest offering from Genelec - a choice of over 200 RAL classic colour finishes available for their 4000 Series. All models in RAL colours are available to special order and will allow the speakers to contribute to the interior design scheme of any type of fixed installation.

"Many interior designers bemoan the fact that loudspeakers interfere with the clean look of their interiors," says Terho Savolainen, marketing manager, Genelec Oy. "Well, not any more. The new finishes for our 4000 Series can contribute to the design of any club, restaurant, theatre, gallery or residence; so whether you want to blend them in or make them stand out, be bold or discreet, our colours will help you achieve that. The 4000 Series offers unrivalled audio perform

USA - The collapse in high winds of a temporary concert stage at the Indiana State Fair on Saturday claimed five lives and left almost 50 injured, according to US news reports. An investigation into the circumstances surrounding the collapse began on Sunday, and its findings will be watched with great interest by the event production industry.

In addition to issues surrounding the build and stability of the structure itself, the question of why the event was not stopped and the audience evacuated far sooner will surely form a major part of the investigation.

It is reported that organisers had urged audience members to seek shelter just minutes before the sudden winds hit the stage structure - far too late, as it turned out, for an effective evacuation. With news reports claiming that forecasters at the National Weather Service had predicted the strong winds of 60-70mph up to t

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