UK - POLARaudio in conjunction with Stage Audio Services recently provided the trackside sound for the Top Gear Live Expo at the Birmingham NEC and London's Excel.

Hire company Stage Audio Services were commissioned to provide the on track audio for the popular event, held in November last year. Top Gear Live developed an indoor track extravaganza in partnership with Group Lotus Motorsport, designers of the original Top Gear test-track. The tracks were the central feature of the all-new Top Gear Live event at NEC Birmingham and ExCeL London and were configured to enable all manner of driving disciplines during a full programme of incredible action.

The Renkus Heinz IC Live series was chosen for the event and took centre stage around the track. Eight IC Live R with IC215S-R subwoofers were positioned in front of the audience area.

Mark Bromfield, business develo

UK - Innovation Productions and Merging Technologies, eMerging UK have announced a joint demonstration day in order to showcase the new Ovation 3.0 show control and playout software and Yamaha, Martin Audio and Sennheiser Products.

Merging Technologies has over 20 years' of experience in building complex mix engines and audio DSP to the broadcast and music world. "In that time they have developed and built some of the world's most advanced and powerful mix engines and audio systems, for applications ranging from theatre playout, live events, fixed installations, exhibitions and much more. Sequencer and Controller is the ultimate choice when performance and quality is a necessity," says the company.

Ovation 3.0's features include: support for different file types: WAV, MP3, AAC, FLAC; Optional hardware control with theatre-style 'go' button; Full integration with Pyra

Canada The Rose Theatre in Brampton, built in 2006 in the very centre of the city, is a confident combination of glass and brick that boldly reflects the city's pride in itself.

The new theatre came equipped with a new loudspeaker system but, as Trevor Nash, technical co-ordinator explains, all was not rosy in the garden. "Plans on paper don't always successfully translate into real world situations. There were coverage issues in several areas of the auditorium. Although adding ground stacked subwoofers and two-way cabinets provided some acoustic improvement, sightlines were compromised as a result."

Nash had worked with a rented d&b audiotechnik loudspeaker system from APEX Sound and Lighton Jesse Cook's Canadian tour in 2010 and was in no doubt it would be the right choice for The Rose.

"Having mixed on just about every type of speaker system around the worl

UK - BBC Northern Ireland has upgraded its dubbing studios with another Yamaha DM2000digital mixing console, adding considerable flexibility to the facility.

Broadcasting House, Belfast, features two dubbing areas - Dub1 and Dub2 - which have respectively featured Yamaha DM2000 and 02R96 digital consoles for the past five years.

With the facility working on ever-more complex productions, Dub2 has now been upgraded with a DM2000 to match the facilities in Dub1, with Yamaha Studio Manager used to exchange mixes between the areas.

The new console was supplied by Aylesbury-based specialist Aspen Media, which has a long track record in supplying high quality technical systems to national and international broadcasters.

"Supplying a second DM2000 was the ideal solution, as the BBC staff had a lot of experience with the existing two Yamaha consoles and it means both dubbing

UK - Allen & Heath has released new firmware V1.12 for the Xone:DB4 digital DJ FX mixer, with many enhancements and new features, including a rotary mixer mode, revised gain structure, new effects architecture, new FX types, and the addition of X:Link functionality to connect other compatible Xone products.

New effects types have been added, including a Masif-Q DLY FX, BitBash-2 DMG FX, and new Classic/KillSend/Send FX modes. The revised gain structure provides better signal level alignment between analogue and digital inputs, and the effects architecture now allows the tails of reverbs and delays to continue in the mix when the Wet/Dry control is turned back to Dry.

There is now the option to switch to rotary mixer mode, which swaps the functionality of the channel fader controls and the FX Wet/Dry knob. The added X:Link functionality allows the user to connect compatible Xon

UK - MilTec (UK) Ltd started the new year by exhibiting at ISE in Amsterdam. Items on display included lightweight multi-channel amplifiers, signal processing and mixing products from the MT Audio range.

The LEDHead LED lighting products included the LED Batten2, fitted with 18 x 8W quadcolour LEDs and LED tapes with tricolour and white LED options.

Directors David Faulkes and Graham Gosden were at the show looking to increase their overseas distributor network. "This was a very successful first show for us," said David Faulkes. "We have picked up a number of companies from different parts of the world looking to distribute our range of UK designed audio and lighting products. However, we still have work to do, finding distributors to complete the network."

Based in Kent, England, MilTec is responsible for the design and manufacture of LEDHead LED Lightin

Germany - The Westfalenhallen exhibition centre in Dortmund boasts a well-earned reputation as a multi-purpose exhibition hall. From 6-8 January, die-hard motocross fans from across Europe descended on the Westfalenhallen for the 29th edition of the ADAC Supercross to see the Who's Who in the global motocross scene come together, as teams from around Germany and Europe took part in a variety of different categories and races.

Venue specifications, as well as the direction of the action, meant that centrally positioned LED screens were essential. The live event was broadcast onto LED screens hung in the centre of the venue to bring the experience and performance of the leading drivers even closer to the more than 9,000 spectators each day. Music clips, advertisements, statements, progress reports, greetings, and awards ceremonies were recorded and broadcast to every seat in the h

USA - Members of the team from the d&b audiotechnik US office will join exhibitors at PLASA Focus Austin, showcasing new products and contributing to the show's Professional Development Programme.

At booth 326, one of the latest additions to the compact E-Series, the E4 loudspeaker will join the T10, a loudspeaker that "with a twist of the wrist encompasses both line array and point source technologies in a single package".

On Wednesday 22 February, Jason Waggoner from the Education and Application Support team will present Demystifying Audio in Room 1 from 2-3 pm. During the session, Waggoner will use demonstrations and experiments to guide his audience through the principles of acoustics, from the loudspeaker to the listener's ears. The seminar is open to all and free to attend but please arrive in pl

UK - AKG and its UK distributor Sound Technology Ltd have announced the UK shipping of its recently launched WMS40 MINI 2 dual-channel compact wireless systems.

The AKG WMS 40 MINI 2 Dual wireless systems, launched at Winter NAMM, offers high-definition audio performance, with efficient body pack and cardioid mic transmitters, ensuring advanced, reliable and quality sound for performances.

The WMS 40 MINI 2 Dual Package is available in three sets - the Vocal, Instrumental and Mix sets.

The Vocal set features two HT 40 MINI dynamic handheld cardioid microphone transmitters and the SR 40 MINI 2 dual receiver. The Instrumental set includes two PT 40 MINI body packs - the smallest transmitters in their class that last up to 30 hours on a single AA battery -the SR 40 MINI 2 dual receiver and two guitar cables.

(Lee Baldock)

UK - Off-road running's answer to the Iron Man triathlon, the Hell Down South event in the Brooks HellRunner drew around 6,500 competitors to the Longmoor Military Training Camp near Bordon in Hampshire, with a sell-out crowd of 5,000 spectators cheering them on.

The inhospitable conditions, however, posed a challenge not only to the men and women taking part but also to the loudspeakers and amplifiers deployed by the Surrey-based public address and communication hire specialists,. Show Hire. Although the company has been active in the pro audio business for some 30 years, overcoming many production challenges in the process, those posed by the HellRunner series are particularly severe.

"The area to be covered is very, very extensive," explains managing director Nick Chubb, "and the weather here in November is anything but equipment friendly." The Show Hire

Czech Republic - The 130-year old Mahen Theatre in the Czech Republic has recently installed a full Yamaha DME-based Ethersound network, complementing its existing Yamaha digital mixing consoles.

One of the cultural hubs of Brno, the second largest city in the Czech Republic, on its opening in 1882 the Mahen Theatre was one of the first public buildings in the world to be lit entirely by electric light. This was in response to a spate of fires in gas-lit theatres across Europe.

Installed by Prague-based Audiopro, the latest upgrade adds an Ethersound audio network which features four Yamaha SB168-ES stage boxes, four DME4io-ES digital mixing engines and an NAI48-ES Ethersound interface to work with the theatre's twoM7CL-48 and 01V96V2 digital mixing consoles.

"The theatre's main auditorium uses the two M7CL consoles and a second, smaller stage which uses the 01V96V2,&qu

UK - Located in one of the city's most exclusive areas, the Sofitel London St James is one of the UK capital's leading five-star hotels, combining traditional British design with a French contemporary style. When one of the hotel's most elegant areas needed a new audio system, a K-array loudspeaker system and Sennheiser G3 radio microphones were chosen to meet the strict criteria.

Sofitel London St James is housed in the sympathetically renovated, Grade II-listed former Cox's and King's bank building. A flexible, high quality audio installation was required to cover the grand brasserie, The Balcon, the Champagne Balcony and the St James Bar where the décor is inspired by the 1920's Paris apartment of Coco Chanel. With interiors designed by the Russell Sage Studio, a quality sound system that would be invisible to the eye was a necessity.

"The hotel delivers a stand

France - Radio France has just invested in their third Eclipse digital console from Innovason. The national broadcaster already owns seven Innovason desks including two Eclipses, one of which is installed in Radio France's legendary Studio 106 which, amongst other things, broadcasts the daily show on France Inter, Les Affranchis, hosted by Isabelle Giordano.

Head of sound reinforcement at Radio France, Bruno Lompech, explained why he decided to go for another Eclipse. "I felt it was important that we have a back-up console that could be available quickly for the studios that are broadcasting every day, in particular Studio 106. Not that we expect to have problems - on the contrary, all of our Innovason consoles and especially Eclipse have proved to be extremely reliable, but it's good practice to have a spare.

"By the same token, we also needed a spare for the

UK - The new Westfield Stratford City retail and leisure destination in East London, which opened its doors to the public last September, is the largest urban shopping centre in Europe. Boasting over 250 shops, 70 places to eat and drink, three hotels, a 14-lane bowling alley, and a 17-screen all-digital Vue cinema, not to mention the UK's largest casino. Westfield Stratford City is also the prestigious gateway to London's Olympic Park for the forthcoming 2012 Games.

Systems integration and project management company, Media Powerhouse were the elected contractors for the supply and installation of all the audio systems throughout Westfield Stratford City's Events Spaces, which included two systems from UK loudspeaker company EM Acoustics.

In fact, Westfield used the successful audio installations at the Westfield London site as the blueprint for Westfield Stratford City. Follo

UK - TV chef Gordon Ramsay's latest venture is Bread Street Kitchen in London's East End. Drawing inspiration from its industrial surroundings, the 250-seat gourmet temple is aesthetically reminiscent of a warehouse.

Since Gordon Ramsay conceives of a meal as a feast for all the senses, he attaches serious importance to the sound distribution systems installed in his restaurants. Responsibility for the system design and installation in the Bread Street Kitchen was entrusted to CGA Integration, specialists in sound, light and video integration.

"Russell Sage's restaurant design posed a real challenge," says CGA's Chris Gunton. "Very high ceilings and a monopoly of hard surfaces are treacherous - especially when the restaurant is full. The sound system we installed needed to focus on eliminating the reverberation characteristic of large open venues such as warehou

UK - Newly formed installation business, Push the Button Ltd (PTB), launched in January 2012, is the brainchild of Nick Ewins.

"PTB's full time staff members, alongside our team of skilled specialist electricians and engineers, bring a friendly, expert approach to the demands of entertainment installation projects. Whether it's a top West End theatre, a cruise ship or a multipurpose arts venue, PTB understands the client's needs and has the ability to respond productively and positively every time," says Ewins. "This philosophy has brought work to our doors from the moment we opened them for business."

Push the Button's mission is "to bring an intelligent and sympathetic approach to its clients' projects". The business covers the fields of electrical design, installation, project management and test & inspection.

Although PTB is effectively a st

Qatar - An Optocore system has been used by French rental company De Préférence for a one-off show by Vangelis, to inaugurate the new Katara Amphitheatre in Doha.

The Greek composer had written a celebratory opus for the grand opening and the Paris-based production company, which specialises in large-scale spectacular events such as this, was tasked with constructing an optical fibre ring using seven of their Optocore and SANE converters to deliver the sound to an audience of 3,000 people.

The concert also brought together the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra (a multinational ensemble) and Moscow's Yurlov State Academic Choir, boosted by superstar soprano Angela Gheorghiu and tenorissimo, Roberto Alagna.

This required De Préférence, and their 14-strong crew, to construct an elaborate network loop via Optocore fibre and SANE Cat 5 Ethernet platforms, u

UK - Broadcast audio specialists HHB Communications is holding the world premiere of the new RØDE Stereo VideoMic Pro during the BVE London show at Earls Court 2 this week.

TheStereo VideoMic Pro builds on the features of the popular VideoMic Pro by using a matched pair of high sensitivity, half-inch cardioid condenser capsules in a coincident XY pair.

Designed for videographers, as well as recording music and atmospheric ambience, the Stereo VideoMic Pro has an ergonomic form factor perfectly suited to DSLR, consumer camcorders and large sensor video cameras. An integrated shock mounting system is also provided to offer isolation from vibration and mechanical noise.

The Stereo VideoMic Pro's solid construction and high-quality capsules are complemented by features such as power and equalisation controls, including a high pass filter at 75Hz, a robust multi-strand cab

UK - out post sound has been working closely with the team behind the Batman Live World Tour for several months to create fully synchronised, dubbed version of the show for foreign language audiences.

Ros Cranmer, general manager for the production said: "Having never even seen a live theatrical performance dubbed into another language, I was nervous about how it would work for our arena production of Batman Live. The final result, however, was fantastic, and it became clear that a foreign language voiceover actually translates incredibly well into that entertainment medium, making our show accessible to audiences all over the world."

Working closely with production company Water Lane Productions, sound designer Simon Baker and sound engineer for the show Simon Fox, out post sound developed a unique workflow process that enables the English cast to perform to a fully

USA - For the 15th year in a row, Audio-Technica microphones appeared on the Grammy Awards Show. This year, the 54th Annual Grammyss, held 12 February at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, featured a wide selection of artists from various genres of music. For the live show and broadcast, Audio-Technica supplied over 250 of its microphones, including an impressive array of hard-wired mics and Artist Elite 5000 Series UHF Wireless Systems.

The Grammy Awards ceremony itself has garnered widespread notice throughout the years as it continually raises the standard for broadcast entertainment.

The sound system was provided by ATK AudioTek with FOH (front-of-house) Engineers Ron Reaves and Mikael Stewart, with the house audio supervised by Leslie Ann Jones, a prominent member of the Producers & Engineers Wing of The Recording Academy.

New Jersey/California-based remote facilities c

UAE - The Official Ceremony for the UAE 40th National Day saw Zayed Sports Stadium in Abu Dhabi full to capacity as thousands turned out to celebrate the achievements of the nation, and Audinate's Dante was there to make sure all the networked audio delivery functioned without a hitch.

The 360 degree stadium production placed complex demands upon audio contractors Britannia Row Productions. The stadium was covered by eight hangs containing L'acoustics Kudo, SB218, VDOSC, D-VDosc, 108XTs, Kiva, Kilo and other various distributed speakers, all controlled by 17 Lake LM26 Processors, three Yamaha DME Processors, six XTA Breakout Boxes and connected by a Dual Redundant Fibre-optic IP network.

The Lake LM26 processors, which were distributed throughout the system, provided crossovers, EQ and time alignment were all connected by Audinate's Dante networking technology. This proved ess

USA - Prompted by the growth of its digital product line, Meyer Sound has announced promotions for two key design services team members. Todd Meier, formerly director of design services, has been promoted to the newly created position of digital products manager. Meanwhile, Michael Creason, who had served as a design services associate since 2008, is taking over duties for Meier as design services manager.

"Our engineers have pushed the boundaries of digital audio since as early as 1984 when the first SIM audio analyzer and CP-10 equalizer set a new standard for acoustical measurement and correction," says Helen Meyer, executive vice president of Meyer Sound. "As we look ahead, it's important to expand our resources so we can continue the mushrooming growth of our digital efforts in a structured manner, while making sure we are meeting our customers' project suppo

UK - As part of their 2012 sponsorship package, Coca Cola Enterprises (CCE) were given permission to stage an event for 3,000 of their employees at the newly constructed Velodrome, one of the first Olympic venues to be completed. Designed by FPP and produced by Rocket Science, the event was based on the theme of 'Creating the Extraordinary', and took place on 5 January 2012. Paul Hutton, managing director at Blitz, worked closely with the event team as technical consultant for the project.

Staged in the in-field area (inside the track), Blitz provided the video, audio and lighting equipment for the production. Fulfilling the video requirements, the presentations and entertainment were relayed to an audience of 3,000 via two 20m2 9mm LED screens, sourced from a digital video playback system, and a combination of fixed and radio HD cameras, all controlled by a Barco Encore switchi

Saudi Arabia - Sennheiser's ADN conference system is proving a major success in the Middle East, with Saudi Arabia now boasting the highest number of installed systems in the world. Sennheiser Middle East recently supplied two further examples to prestigious Saudi venues, via Jeddah-based Abu Moammar Est (AME).

The first system was installed at the Royal Exclusive Management Meeting Hall (Prince Mohammad Bin Nasir Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud,Ministry of Interior Government of Jazan). AME was invited to tender for a conference system and, having every confidence in the Sennheiser ADN system, the company's general manager Moammar AL Harbi requested that they be allowed to arrange a demonstration.

"We were given the chance to demonstrate the equipment and the client was so impressed that, after the demo, the ADN system was the only one he wanted," says Mr AL Harbi. "It

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