South Africa - Electrosonic SA reports the addition of Renier Smit to the Johannesburg lighting sales team. With the demand for our lighting products getting larger all the time Electrosonic had to increase their sales team in order to continue to provide the level of service our customers are used too, says the company.

Smit comes with a wealth of entertainment lighting and rigging sales experience, having spent the last six years at AC Entertainment in the UK. He was responsible for export sales to the Middle East, Europe and Africa.

"What's great about Renier is that he already has relationships with South African clients, did not need any product training and literally was quoting on his first day in the office "says Bruce Schwartz lighting division manager.

(Jim Evans)

USA - On 28 August, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum welcomed back the Latino Heritage Festival, an annual event that celebrates the rich Hispanic culture and its musical traditions. Held on the outside plaza of the Rock Hall, the event featured performances by Hector Tricoche, Sammy De Leon y su Orquesta, the Latin Soul Ballroom Dance Company, the Julia De Burgos' Explosion Divina Dance Troupe, Zumba instructors, and others. The sound system featured Aero 12A line array enclosures from D.A.S. Audio.

Cleveland-based Vertical Sound, a sound services firm with a focus on the special events market, was contracted to provide sound services for this year's festival. Richard Masarik, owner/operator and one of the firm's chief engineers, commented on the project and his decision to deploy the D.A.S. Aero 12A line array system.

"The plaza outside the Rock Hall spans an a

Qatar - Two soccer stadiums in Qatar have each been equipped with custom designed Renkus-Heinz IC Live digitally beam steerable PA systems, configured to deliver music, safety announcements and match commentary in the largely roofless venues, which are owned by the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC).

The multi-purpose stadium in Al-Rayyan, Qatar, home to the Al-Rayyan and Al-Kharitiyath sports clubs, and the near-identical Al-Gharafa stadium, seat around 25,000 apiece. Both are largely open-air apart from VIP grandstands, and in a country where summertime temperatures can hit 40°C/104°F, the term "bleacher" means exactly what it says.

They are the latest in a series of high profile Renkus-Heinz beam steering installations in the Middle East, two other recent prestigious projects being the Qatar Royal Mosque and the Dubai Swim Stadium.

Consultant Fredrik Setterbe

Saudi Arabia - Allen & Heath mixing consoles have been installed throughout the new Princess Noura bint AbdulRahman University for Women in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Supplied by CAP France BAT with the support of Allen & Heath distributor PAXT Pro Audio Engineering, the audio installation encompasses the University's Convention Centre including a 2800 capacity theatre, a smaller 1400 capacity theatre, a rehearsal/multi-purpose theatre, and ten seminar rooms.

The University was officially opened by Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah less than three years after laying the first foundation stone. The major building project covers 8m square metres, and includes administration buildings, 13 faculties, a 700-bed student hospital, laboratories, research centres and a residential area including accommodation for students and staff. The capacity of the university is around 26,000 students.

The

UK - Canford announced at PLASA that they are to exclusively distribute the MA2 series of Inter-M mixer amps in the UK. The MA series provides a cost effective solution for zoned PA in smaller installations such as houses of worship, retail, education etc. There are three models each featuring six inputs and five zones and both a single low-impedance and 100V line outputs. The units are all mono and rated at 60W, 120W and 240W respectively.

Despite the relatively low cost, each of the models in the MA series is well equipped. Facilities include input signal indicators, an output level meter, a graphic equaliser, announcement chime, siren and VCA remote control of volume using just a standard potentiometer. There are also external mute and chime controls.

The level of inputs three to six are controlled by the priority control volume when inputs one and two, or the chime or sire

UK - PLASA Media has learned the sad news of the death of veteran live sound engineer Moray McMillin. Moray, a concert touring veteran and most recently EAW's Application Support Group Representative for the EMEA region, passed away after a long battle with cancer. He was 58.

Moray worked with many of rock's greatest acts over the past three decades, including Black Sabbath, Saxon, Ozzy Osbourne's solo outings, Motorhead, Dio, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Whitesnake - culminating in a 10-year spell as Deep Purple's front-of-house engineer.

An advocate of line array technology, Moray became one of the first certified V-DOSC engineers in the UK, and later, through the company's links with Deep Purple, he assisted German manufacturer HK Audio in the development of its COHEDRA system. Moray took the decision to leave his life on the road in 2004 and took a sales role with the HK

UK - Leading international agents and promoters John Giddings of Solo/Isle of Wight Festival, Stuart Galbraith of Kilimanjaro Live and Rob Hallett of AEG Live will be among the speakers at the LIVE UK Summit, set for 5-6 October in London.

Other speakers will include Free Trade Agency boss Paul Boswell, HMV/MAMA Group's Daryl Robinson and Academy Music Group's Carl Bathgate.

One particularly lively part of the conference programme will undoubtedly be the ticketing session, Selling The Show, following eBay-owned US resale giant StubHub's announcement that it's about to enter the UK, and the surprise takeover of See Tickets by French media conglomerate Vivendi.

"StubHub's arrival will significantly increase activity in the resale sector, especially in the battle for hearts and minds, and general endorsement of the concept," says Summit producer and Audience managing

USA - Audinate has entered into a distribution agreement with Digicustics S.R.L., to support the South American market. Under the agreement, Digicustics will act as an authorized distributor and engineering partner for all of South America. Digicustics will actively work with AV OEMs in South America to integrate Audinate's patented Dante media networking technology.

Digicustics S.R.L., created five years ago by Sebastian Wenger and Martin Gutierrez, offers consulting, design, systems integration and engineering services for the install and live sound markets. Based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the company is oriented to all segments of these markets with coverage throughout South America.

"By establishing this new relationship with Audinate, we are confident that we will be able to provide our customers a whole new era of solutions for audio and media transport," com

USA - Audio-Technica has announced two appointments to its Latin American sales team. Mary Eisaman has been named sales and marketing manager for Latin America. She will be responsible for all countries in Central and South America except for Brazil. Alexandre (Alex) Algranti has been named sales and marketing director for Brazil. The announcement was made by Audio-Technica US president and CEO Philip Cajka.

Mary Eisaman joined Audio-Technica in 2008, and has served the company since then in a variety of roles, most recently as sales support manager.

Alex Algranti's previous positions have included sales and marketing responsibilities for Latin America and Brazil for Beyerdynamic and Sennheiser respectively.

Cajka stated, "Audio-Technica is strongly committed to meeting the needs of Latin America. I am confident that Alex Algranti and Mary Eisaman will help us continue

UK - Allen & Heath chose PLASA 2011 to announce its distributor of the year, awarding the company's Russian distribution partner, MixArt. The award recognises the best overall performance by an international distributor during Allen & Heath's 2011 fiscal year.

"Mixart has always been a strong partner, working in a challenging market. Last year, they more than doubled their business, and remarkably, they are on course to double their sales again this year. For that excellent performance we wanted to show our appreciation," comments A&H European sales manager, Norbert Perstinger.

(Jim Evans)

UK - It has been a highly successful year for Northern Ireland trio Two Door Cinema Club, playing many festival dates around the globe as well as indoor shows in Europe, North America, Mexico and Singapore. All of which must make Front of House engineer Pete Bartlett's comprehensive Sennheiser microphone kit incredibly widely travelled.

Pete first started using Sennheiser mics back in the late 1970s and switched to using them full-time in 2005 with Bloc Party.

"I bought two 421s way back in 1978 and I've always loved the 441," he says. "I used another manufacturer's mics for years, without thinking there was a serious alternative, until the point came with Bloc Party when I wanted something tighter and more in keeping with their first record. The Sennheisers worked so well that I got hooked and the sound of the microphones has translated really well to Two Door

Hungary - Hungary is currently seeing major investment in state-of-the-art entertainment and corporate venues. After the €22m Kodály Centre in Pécs, which features a major Yamaha audio installation, comes another multi-million Euro venue, the RaM Colosseum in the country's capital Budapest.

As well as housing the city's biggest theatre, the RaM Colosseum also features three gyms, clubs, a library and restaurant, all connected by a central atrium. A major feature is that the theatre has a unique, hydraulically-operated adjustable floor which allows it to be adapted for a variety of events. The audio system is based around a Yamaha M7CL-48ES and SB168-ES stage boxes.

The system designer was Krisztian Varga, pro-audio consultant at Budapest sound specialists Audmax Kft. Working closely with the RaM Colosseum's chief sound engineer Bertalan Kupcsik, he chose the Yamaha so

USA - Bosch Security Systems, Inc., Communications Systems Division recently named Bob Rieder as its new product marketing manager for pro sound - install. Rieder will support the Americas region by developing and implementing marketing strategies for Electro-Voice installed audio product lines.

Rieder brings a wide range of industry experience to his new position, having worked extensively in the pro audio industry and, internationally, as a radio producer and host. After working at Jensen in OEM loudspeaker design, Rieder moved into a marketing role at Shure, serving as category director for their install product lines, including wired and wireless mics, DSP, mixers, and PSM monitor systems. Rieder added an MBA to his electrical engineering and music degrees, and worked in market research and consulting before joining Bosch/Electro-Voice.

Rieder brings a lifelong passion for

UAE - Recently completing a successful seminar on Primacoustic acoustic products in the United Arab Emirates with the President and CEO of Radial Engineering, Peter Janis, Melody House has now also been appointed as the distributor of Radial products in the region.

Radial Engineering is a Canadian based manufacturer that designs and builds Radial DIs, splitters, switchers, isolators and re-ampers. The company also manufactures the Primacoustic range of acoustic products that include recoil stabilizers, room kits, panels, bass traps, diffusers and IsoTools.

"We have been working with Radial Engineering over the past year promoting the Primacoustic brand which we have had some reasonable success with," commented Dino Drimakis, business development manager at Melody House. He added, "although Radial is not so well known here they are great products and we like work

USA - The athletes at Eastern Pennsylvania's Moravian College returned to school this September to find their familiar Steel Field complex radically transformed. The $2.6m renovation project created a new sports facility, including an expanded and resurfaced Timothy Breidegam Track, a new playing surface on Rocco Calvo Field, renewed bleachers, a new scoreboard, and a new high output full-range, horn-loaded R-Series loudspeaker system by Community Professional Loudspeakers.

Pat Conneen of AVSG/HiFi House Group, audio designer and installer for the project, explains that the college had some very specific requirements for their new audio system. "They needed a solution that could be easily configured for a wide range of activities, from football games to track meets and special ceremonies," he says. "It also had to enable Moravian's audio engineers to control and d

Hungary - dBTechnologies DVA loudspeakers flanked the stage recently at the new Mercedes-Benz plant in Kecskemét in Hungary. A total of six DVA T4 speakers (three each side) and two DVA S10 subwoofers were supplied by dBTechnologies' retailer Prodyn on 23 July when Formula One drivers Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher found time to visit the factory in the week before the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring.

"It was very easy to set up the system; we only needed three quarters of an hour from unloading the lorry to sound check," said Janos Szabo, owner of Prodyn L. "The speeches and background music needed reinforcing within a 30m x 60m area, and the roof height was 4m. The audience size was somewhere in the region of 800-1000 people.

The DVA system made it easy for the drivers and the throng to take part in a question-and-answer session on the seas

UAE - Nicolas Kyvernitis Electronics Enterprises, distributors of Midas and Klark Teknik in the Middle East, have been awarded as distributors of the year for 2011 at the recent distributor meeting, which coincided with the PLASA 2011 exhibition.

Based in the United Arab Emirates, NMK have over the past few years spearheaded the sales of digital Midas consoles in the region with a total of 7 PRO6 consoles, a PRO3 console and an XL8 sold to market segments that include install sound, live sound and broadcast sound.

With a few more sales in the pipeline and the introduction of the new PRO2 and PRO2C consoles in the market, NMK are preparing themselves" for a very busy and exciting year ahead that will see a lot more Midas digital consoles in the market".

"We are grateful to the team at Midas/Klark Teknik for acknowledging our hard work and dedication to the bran

Festival Funding - Edinburgh festival-goers could be asked to volunteer to pay extra for tickets in a bid to help raise money for the city to host major events. Jenny Dawe, Edinburgh City Council's leader, said a box to tick to add a "small percentage" could be added to online booking forms. She said she there was "generally no objection" if people knew the money was going to improve venues. Sales of tickets at this year's Edinburgh Fringe were up by 3% on 2010. According to figures released by the Fringe Society, 1,877,119 tickets were sold by its box office over the festival.

Olympic Countdown - The London Philharmonic Orchestra has finished recording more than 200 national anthems for the Olympic and Paralympic Games next year. The epic challenge took 52 recording hours at Abbey Road Studios and finished with Zimbabwe on Sunday. The orchestra had on

UK - Cadac literally cut the cake in celebration of major accomplishments at this year's PLASA exhibition, marking a triumphant return to the show for the heritage mixer company. Cadac's management was unequivocal in its appraisal of the company's presence at the show. Head of marketing Patrick Almond stated, "This is the most successful PLASA show for Cadac in years; perhaps the best ever."

The launch of the company's new digital sound touring console, the CDC Eight, was among the most heavily attended events of the show floor. Press, distributors, dealers, customers and Cadac aficionados crowded onto the company's stand for a glimpse of the new mixer.

Development manager Vincenzo Borrelli stated, "The CDC Eight attracted the most wonderful comments and compliments from professional engineers, installers, theatre technicians and the many Cadac enthusiasts at PL

USA - American Music & Sound has announced the appointment of Dave Hetrick to the position of national sales manager for Beyer Dynamic, Fostex, and Alpine in the United States.

Hetrick is a singer/songwriter/musician with considerable experience in the recording and engineering world and comes to AM&S as the previous director of worldwide sales for KRK / Cerwin Vega Group.

Lynn Martin, president of AM&S, comments, "Dave's experience in the recording and technology world will be a definite asset for American Music & Sound."

(Jim Evans)

Slovenia - Musician and media personality Anja Bukovec has been using a DPA 4099V instrument clip mic for her live appearances. The microphone was provided by Sonus, DPA's distributor in Slovenia.

"After trying several different pickups and microphones over the years, I can only say that I'm more than happy with my new DPA 4099," says Bukovec. "It captures the natural sound of my instrument, and has proven to be a reliable choice for indoor and outdoor concerts. I use it for my solo performances and also when I'm playing in a band. The 4099 has instantly become a mandatory piece of my equipment."

Adds Borut ?elik, Sonus sales manager, "The 4099 accurately captures the sound of Anja's instrument and provides enough gain before feedback on the most difficult stages."

Bukovek performs all over the world as a soloist, and has won international award

Switzerland - Genelec 4000 Series active loudspeakers feature in a recent refurbishment project at the University of Zurich. Eleven new classrooms have been created at a University campus site in the city, with Genelec's installation-friendly speakers providing the sound element to complement the new audio visual equipment installation.

The University of Zurich, is the largest university in Switzerland, with over 25,000 students attending a diverse range of courses. The campus is spread across many buildings located across the city. The new teaching facility is part of the Film Studies Faculty and in acquiring the space the University took the opportunity to create a 21st Century teaching environment complete with a top quality audio visual installation. The Genelec speakers were supplied by Dr.W.A.Günther Audio Systems AG in Erlenbach.

"We supply a lot of Genelec speake

USA - The 70-year-old, 10,000-seat Abbott Memorial Stadium in Alabama is an historic treasure to Tuskegee University and its alumni. The university, in alignment with ongoing stadium preservation, recently added a Technomad Turnkey PA system with six Technomad Berlin weatherproof loudspeakers. The system plays out intelligible voice and high-quality music across four zones and long distances for football games, graduations and other stadium events.

Wortz Consulting, an Alabama-based IT consulting company with expertise in audio/video, network infrastructure and lighting, designed and integrated the sound system. Chris Wortz, president, balanced the sound detail inside and outside the stadium. The Technomad system substantially improves sound to the field, bleachers, press box, common outdoor spaces and a lawn section with picnic areas.

"The sound needed to extend beyond t

UK - As part of a recent £600k equipment investment, Blitz Communications has added two DiGiCo SD8 digital mixing consoles to its audio inventory.

With a need for consoles that could work across both sides of the company's business, Blitz Head of Sound, Chris Jordan, explains why they decided to invest in the SD8s. "We'd made the decision to purchase some new consoles and we wanted to invest in a clear market leader, a favourite with engineers and what we believe to be the best product around," he says. "It is clear that the DiGiCo SD7T has become the desk of choice with the vast majority of theatre sound designers. A number of designers we work with have given DiGiCo a strong endorsement and that reinforces what we hear ourselves, which is that they sound very good.

"After an extensive evaluation process, we decided the SD8 is the most appropriate de

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