USA - Waves Audio has announced updated SoundGrid capability for consoles from DiGiCo. The update, SoundGrid Version 2, features dual engine support for DiGiCo SD7 consoles running Waves V8 plugins.

Since Waves and DiGiCo formed a strategic alliance in 2010, DiGiCo users are able to run Waves' reverbs, equalizers, compressors, limiters, delays and more, directly from their DiGiCo SD series consoles.

Designed for front-of-house, monitor, broadcast, and theatre applications alike, SoundGrid gives users" instant access to the industry's leading audio processors, directly from the industry's leading consoles". To make things simpler, Waves SoundGrid-compatible plugins come pre-loaded into DiGiCo consoles, eliminating the need to install.

(Jim Evans)

USA - Omaha is a city that loves its baseball and despite the lack of a major league franchise, there's nothing minor league about the new TD Ameritrade Park. The $128m stadium, home to the Creighton Bluejays and the NCAA's premier event, the College World Series, has brought a major league baseball experience to the city.

The 2011 College World Series took place last month for the first time in the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship's new 24,300 seat stadium. It is among the game's most technologically advanced, with modern features including microphones embedded in home plate and the pitcher's mound, the second largest video board in the state of Nebraska, and a sub-air system within the playing surface that can either heat or cool the field.

The venue is also outfitted with high-tech sound reinforcement and broadcast cabling systems designed by Austin, TX-based BAI and i

Belgian manufacturer APart Audio is to give several new products their UK début at PLASA 2011. The new lineup is headed by the OVO cabinet speaker series that, says the company, combines budget with quality sound. Available in low impedance as well as 100 Volts, and ready to fit in any décor or interior style, OVO can be used in covered outdoor applications and exists in three sizes : three, five and eight inch.

Also new is the MA247 100V mixing amp, which replaces the MA246 and adds 24V dedicated priority output per zone and folder selectable MP3 playback.

CMAR is a new range of three low-impedance in-wall/in-ceiling marine speakers, designed especially for use in the most humid and hot conditions including yachts and saunas.

CHAMP-3D remains the flagship of the 2011 line up. The three-channel fully programmable digital amplifier adds a built-in DSP, fully parametric

UAE - Melody House, distributors of HK Audio speaker systems in the United Arab Emirates have recently supplied another 16 cabinets of the CT108 to Dubai based rental firm Delta Sound which provides support to major production and equipment rental companies from their base in the UAE and also now from their new branch office in Doha, Qatar.

In addition to the stunning opening of the Atlantis Hotel, George Michael, F1 concerts in Abu Dhabi and numerous corporate events the company was involved in the epic grand opening of the Burj Khalifa.

"The CT108s have received great response from the market for their compact size and quality," commented Dino Drimakis, business development manager at Melody House. "We expect the HK Audio brand to have a greater presence in the Middle East live sound market because of this great reference."

(Jim Evans)

EAW will be showing its new additions to the MicroWedge series of stage monitors at PLASA 2011. The MicroWedge8 (MW8) and MicroWedge10 (MW10) are a small-format continuation of the MW line. Although even smaller than the compact MW12 and MW15, EAW says the MW8 and MW10 offer volume levels and voicing that rival full-size industry-standard 12-inch and 15-inch monitors.

The MW8 and MW10 are suitable for mid-to-high-volume rock/alternative performers, houses of worship, theatres, edge of stage-fills, corporate shows/events and presenters. They are also designed for front-of-house or monitor engineers looking for a live monitoring option on the console meter bridge.

The MW8 is the smallest in the MW line of products, featuring an 8-inch woofer, while the MW10 features a 10-inch woofer. Both units' coaxial designs pair the respective woofers with a 3-in (diaphragm) coaxially-mounted HF co

DYMO will show the latest in its Rhino industrial range of handheld labelling machines at PLASA 2011. Designed specifically for every application in datacom, IT, pro AV and other industrial environments, the labelling tools' features include hot key technology to make the job both fast and easy.

The company cites benefits including performing labelling jobs with 77% fewer keystrokes than the competition, hot keys to eliminate guesswork, quick formatting of common labels, a pre-programmed library of terms and symbols, memory storage for up to 1,000 custom labels, quality craftsmanship and integrated shock bumpers, and customizability for adding graphics and logos to labels.

The labels are also designed withstand moisture, heat, solvents, oil, dirt, chemicals and UV rays without smearing, fading or peeling, and the machines feature lithium-ion rechargeable batteries for fast charging a

UK - June saw Capital Radio host its third Summertime Ball at London's Wembley Stadium. With a complex wireless specification to deal with, event sound company Adlib Audio's close working relationship with Sennheiser ensured that everybody heard only what they were meant to.

Adlib are long-term Sennheiser users, exclusively using the company's in-ear monitor systems, plus an extensive inventory of microphones and radio wireless systems.

"The RF is rock solid, Sennheiser UK offers really good support and works with us post-sale, as opposed to just leaving us to it," says Adlib director Dave Kay. "Having a company with a UK-base which really knows how to get the most from the product is great.

"They really get involved in educating users. Every year we hold a two-day training session with them. They provide excellent training and, in return, we provide the

UAE - Nicolas Kyvernitis Electronics Enterprises, distribution centre for Shure in the Gulf has recently supplied Dubai based rental firm Mediakraft with wireless microphone systems from the UHF-R series.

The deal includes receivers and transmitters from the top of the line UHF-R series. More importantly, Mediakraft have purchased the new UR4D+ receiver, which allows them to cascade up to 10 units without the use of an antenna distribution system.

"The UR4D+ and the UR4S+ are the latest update to the highly popular and successful UHF-R series from Shure," commented Shajahan K K, Shure product manager. "Mediakraft have recently open their new office in Doha, Qatar and have invested in additional channels to supplement their inventory there."

(Jim Evans)

UK - The official UK launch of the new Bose RoomMatch series of progressive directivity array loudspeakers and the PowerMatch PM8500 & PM8500N configurable professional power amplifiers will take place at PLASA in September.

Introduced to consultants and dealers in Istanbul earlier this year, these products provide sound designers with "unprecedented scalability and configurability for venues including arenas, performing arts centres, live music venues and houses of worship". They enable concert-quality sound to be delivered more consistently and efficiently, regardless of room size, shape, or acoustic properties.

Also on show at PLASA will be updated Bose Modeler software including features for designing systems with RoomMatch array modules, and new Bose ControlSpace Designer software providing setup, control and monitor functions for the PowerMatch amplifier, while

Germany - Sommer Cable has introduced "a first aid kit for the musician". The jack plug kit for a solder-free assembly contains four jack plugs with a massive pin, gold-plated contact surface and a super solid barrel plus 16m of high-quality TRICONE XXL guitar/instrument cable.

The plug connectors can be coded with coloured rubber rings which makes this tool a reliable companion of any guitar or keyboard player, event technician and studio designer, says the company.

(Jim Evans)

LD Systems will be showcasing its new Dave8XS at PLASA 2011. Available in either black or white, this portable multimedia system is equipped with a 150W RMS 8" band pass subwoofer and two 100W 4" satellites.

The system is designed for use in a variety of multimedia applications including home recording, studio monitoring, PC speaker setup and small public facilities such as pubs. The A/B class amplification module integrated in the subwoofer delivers a high output that powers both the sub and satellites.

An integrated limiter keeps the system safe from overloading and will guarantee a long operational lifespan. Situated on the side of the sub is an On/Off switch, a 180° phase reverse and a separate subwoofer volume knob, allowing the user to find an optimum sound balance. The satellites feature a mic stand flange allowing a quick installation and configuration of your s

Making their PLASA Show début, FBT's EvoMaxX speakers feature new neodymium woofers, more powerful Class-D amplifiers with switch mode power supply, and a digital signal processor with four presets to provide quick equalisation contours.

Claiming "amazing value for money" for the product, FBT says the EvoMaxX's polypropylene cabinets feature a monitor taper design to suit them to front of house for a main sound system, as stage floor monitors or within permanent installations.

The series consists of four powered and three passive models which vary in woofer size but all feature a 1-inch B&C HF driver, apart from the EvoMaxX 9Sa powered 15-inch subwoofer.

The cabinets feature Class-D 400W LF and 100W HF power amplifiers with switch mode power supplies in a lightweight design with passively cooled circuitry. The filter algorithms include dynamic equalisation at low f

UK - With vagaries of the British climate offering plenty of rain from above and mud from below, festival stages provide one of the toughest environments for wedge monitors. But the confidence of rental company APR Audio in the new DAS Road Series meant that they had no qualms about giving them their world concert debut at three major UK festivals.

Seen for the first time in a concert situation at London's Feis, the John Peel Stage at Glastonbury and the Hop Farm festival in Kent, the trust that APR boss Andy Reed put in one of his engineers was richly rewarded.

"We had never used DAS before, but Sennheiser UK's Nick Pemberton suggested that we have a look at them," says Reed. "My monitor engineer Fabrizio went over and said to me 'Take these on, they're going to be great.' I took him at his word and they've been way above our expectations."

The powered R

Germany - Sound engineer Joerg Grünsfelder has been using a Midas PRO6 live audio system for the Dolby 5.1 surround sound show, Jud Süß in Worms, one of Germany's biggest theatrical productions. The show, which ran during June and July, attracted 2,000 people each night. All audio and video equipment including the PRO6 was provided by German rental company Medienpark Vision from Worms.

The outdoor production, staged in the shadows of Worms Cathedral, tells the tale of great friendship between a duke and his adviser Joseph Süß in a moving drama based on love, hatred, prejudice, betrayal and an unprecedented judicial scandal.

"I use Midas consoles primarily because of the sound and their phenomenal cross-fade option, which allows me to create simple global cross fades and also very complex fades by using unique cross-fade-groups," says Grünsfelder. "M

Australia - Canterbury College is an independent, co-educational, day school affiliated with the Anglican Church of Australia. The campus is located on 32 hectares in Waterford, between Beenleigh and Loganlea in Queensland.

The College is very pro music and sports hence their new Canterbury Events Centre caters to both disciplines. The footprint of the building is 75m x 45m with a stage size approximately 24m x 12m plus wing space and side of stage areas. In full seating mode the centre can host 2000 seats.

The building itself is a BER funded project whilst the sound, lighting, audio visual and curtains have been funded by the College via fundraising along with some government funding.

"The Events Centre is used for many presentations such as speech night for senior, middle and junior levels and recently a Disney mjusical Beauty & the Beast with three fully sold

Denmark - Danish Rental Network Agents have provided L-Acoustics WST line source systems for Roskilde 2011, one of Europe's largest summer festivals. Nordic Rentals deployed its K1 system for the Orange stage, while Moto Rental, also a Rental Network Agent, supplied a V-DOSC/dV-DOSC system for the Arena stage.

The extensive system on the Orange stage consisted of 72 K1 cabinets with 24 K1-SB subs, 48 SB28 subs, 26 KUDOs, 28 KARAs and six SB18 subs, all powered by 75 LA8 amplified controllers in LA-RAKs.

"The sound was especially designed for the broad range of artists who visited the Orange Stage," says Nordic Rentals' Thomas Christensen. "It was able to create an almost electronic club sound for artists like Deadmau5, as well as classic stadium rock for artists such as Kings of Leon."

Adds Paul Jensen, from the Stage Section of the Roskilde Festival, &qu

UK - Rental company HSL continues its busy concert touring season supplying lighting and video projectors to the latest leg of the Brit Floyd UK tour - a new show celebrating the musical legacy of progressive rock band, Pink Floyd - which plays London's O2 Arena this coming week.

Brit Floyd under the musical and creative direction of Damian Darlington boasts a Floydesque style lightshow which is equally as original in its own right, has been co-designed by Dave Hill and Neil Trenell, with Trenell going out on the road operating.

The project is managed for HSL by Mike Oates who says, "Supplying a Pink Floyd show of any description is a lighting company's dream, considering they were such great technical innovators and responsible for evolving the whole concept of integrated visuals into a powerful, emotive, experience. In the process, they put the whole idea of touring and

USA - Infusing the excitement and atmosphere of a big rock show into a largely speech based national meeting can be a daunting prospect. "During the awards segments of the show the dBC weighted reading reached 106-108 dB SPL," said sound supervisor Chas Gerber of Gerber Acoustics.

"The programme was underpinned by lots of upbeat dance music with plenty of low end." Add the 37,000 highly motivated sales people for Primerica that thronged the reverberant confines of the Atlanta Georgia Dome and it's not hard to imagine the challenges facing Gerber. "With two cross stage lecterns for the presenters reading off the award winners' names, I needed to be extremely careful."

Gerber Acoustics has managed the audio responsibilities of this annual presentation before, and called upon the services of frequent collaborator Florida based Beachsound to provide a

South Africa - Stage Audio Works exhibited for the fourth consecutive time at Mediatech, which took place from the 20th to 22nd July at The Coca-Cola Dome in Johannesburg. The stand's impressive aluminium double tier design showcased Stage Audio Works' manufacturing division - Stage Plus Engineering, Total Fabrication trussing and the impressive Tour Step staircase with all the components designed and machined and fabricated in-house and proudly South African.

Total Fabrications is manufactured under licence by Stage Audio Works in Africa, making this world-renowned truss design more easily available to the local market. The obvious benefits for local customers with local manufacture and back-up service, is that expensive international freight costs will be eliminated and time delays will be all but eradicated.

Members of the team were also spinning Black and White on the stan

UK - British mixer manufacturer Allen & Heath, will be exhibiting on stand 1-E9 at the forthcoming PLASA show in London.

The company will be showing various control surface and MixRack components from its iLive digital mixing family, as well as the range of audio networking possibilities such as MADI and Dante, and additional control options including the Allen & Heath PL Series remote controllers, iLive Editor software, iLive Tweak app for iPhone and the MixPad app for iPad.

Also on display will be models from the Xone DJ range - including the Xone:PB patchbay, Xone:S2 installation mixer and Xone:DB4 FX mixer - as well as the ZED USB compact mixers and GS-R24 recording mixer.

(Jim Evans)

USA - EAW has appointed John Speck to the position of marketing director. Speck has a long history with the company, having served on the marketing team from 1995-2000 and as an outside consultant in the years since. His return was announced by Jeff Rocha, EAW president. Speck brings with him a deep well of expertise, including keen technical knowledge and finely honed communication/writing skills, which will help him to develop an ongoing strategic vision for marketing EAW, says the company.

Rocha states, "It's very rare in our industry to find a person who can both understand an innovation at the technical level and also communicate that innovation in a compelling, non-technical way. John is such a person, as he proved over and over during the 1990s. Because John was such an important part of our marketing team in the 1990s, he already understands what works for us. In fa

Russia - PA rental company the Live Sound Agency has deployed its L-Acoustics K1 WST line source system at Rock on the Volga, a one-day festival in the city of Samara.

Among international artists to appear at the festival were Finnish singer Tarja Turunen, UK rock band Skunk Anansie and Russian artists Aquarium, Kipelov and Peter Mamonov.

The Live Sound Agency's engineer Vitaly Grinevich deployed two hangs of 16 K1 cabinets with two hangs of eight K1s for out-fill, and two hangs of six K1-SB subwoofers per side flown behind the K1s. A further 16 per side SB28 subwoofers were ground stacked beneath the K1 system. There were also six delay towers with six V-DOSC cabinets each.

According to Grinevich, this configuration allowed all 220,000 audience members to enjoy optimum sound right across the festival site.

On stage, monitoring was provided via 18115XT HiQ active stage mon

Australia - Audinate Pty has elected David Krall as chairman of its board of directors. His election as chairman comes at a time of rapid growth for Audinate, completing its most recent fiscal year (ending 30 June 2011) with almost double its revenues from the prior year. Krall originally joined Audinate's board of directors earlier this year. He also currently serves as executive chair of QSecure in addition to serving on the board of directors of Progress Software.

"Audinate's board of directors is integral to our ability to execute our growth strategy, and having someone with David's industry background as our chair will be a tremendous asset," said Lee Ellison, president and CEO of Audinate. "David Krall's diverse background in developing companies who are in the start-up's high-growth phase, as well as large publically traded companies, will be a major benefi

USA - Prism Sound has consolidated its relationship with producer/engineer Leif Mases by taking on US distribution for his entire Mases Electronics Maselec range of analogue dynamic processors and custom consoles.

Prism Media Products Inc, Prism Sound's US sales and distribution company, already markets the Maselec Master Series MEA-2, MLA-2 and MMA4-XR processors. Under the terms of the new arrangement, Prism Media Products Inc will now also market the MLA-3 multi-band compressor; the MPL-2 peak and frequency limiter; the MDS-2 high frequency limiter (De-esser); the MTC-2 and MTC-6 mastering consoles.

"This new arrangement allows both companies to exploit the excellent synergy between our product ranges," Leif Mases says. "My relationship with Prism Sound has always been mutually helpful and it makes perfect sense to develop this in the US by using PMPI for my

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