UK - Allen & Heath will be releasing new firmware updates for the Xone:DB4 and Xone:DB2 digital FX mixers, and the Xone:K2 MIDI controller. Previewing at the BPM show, the new software provides enhanced FX sections and configuration for the DB4 and DB2 mixers, and greater integration between the DB4 and the K2 controller.

Xone:DB4 V2.0 firmware offers more creative flexibility with an advanced channel FX configuration, which allows the user to determine where the FX section, EQ section and FX ON switch are placed in the signal path - including much requested Post Fade FX. In addition, each FX section can be configured in Classic, Send or Hybrid Mode, to create a subtly different sound for each effect type. The new firmware also introduces a powerful new effect to the DB4's extensive FX library - Infrabass - a low frequency enhancer that generates infra bass energy from the sub-b

Lebanon - Brothers Rami and Joe Keyrouz opened the Bar National in Beirut early 2012, yet within a few months were having to look at replacing their installed audio system. "This is a roof top bar with live DJ and music playback," said Youssef Aoun from sound specialists Seebeck Audio. "In the winter the bar keeps the glass walls to the balcony closed, but as soon as the warm weather arrived and they opened up the neighbours began complaining about the noise."

Music manager for Bar National, Gunther Sabbagh asked Aoun to take a cold hard look at the bar's physical orientation and surrounding neighbourhood. "He came up with a tricky but effective solution," said Sabbagh. "Beyond removing the existing system I could see two immediate problems," said Aoun. "The only way to contain low end at moderate levels to the surrounding buildings w

Italy - K-array announced during their Global Distributors Meeting that Michel Brouard will join the company as corporate vice-president of sales. Brouard will personally manage the handling of the Asian Market. He is joining K-array from L-Acoustics, where he covered multiple roles.

"I am delighted to be joining the K-array team," Brouard said. "This is an exciting time with our strong lineup of upcoming product releases and line diversifications. What attracted me to K-array was its dynamic team motivation. The vision of growth and 'keep it in the family' spirit is the primary motivation behind the company's success - that and their open-minded approach to the market."

(Jim Evans)

Colombia - A DiGiCo SD8 is the latest mixing console purchased by Colombian company Grupo Hangar, which provides technical production services to events in and around the city of Medellín. Already used successfully on the city's highest profile festival, the SD8 has made many friends.

Grupo Hangar provides its services for live music, cultural festivals, sport, exhibitions, trade and fashion shows. The company needed a mixing console that could handle all of them and satisfy their policy of providing a bespoke solution for each one.

"We purchased the SD8 for a number of reasons," says Grupo Hangar producer Santiago Vélez. "First of all it has a wonderful sound - not only in terms of the features to shape the sound, but just by bringing the faders up it sounds amazing. It's also a very versatile desk; each session can be configured to each event's needs,

Norway - The Hålogaland Theatre in Troms°, Norway, is putting its new DPA d:fine Headset Microphones through their paces on a production of Les Misérables, which opened on 6 September 2012.

The theatre has replaced its old stock of DPA 4060 omnidirectional miniature microphones with 40 directional d:fine Headset Microphones and 40 d:fine omni microphone booms, which are being used with a new 32 channel Shure Axient wireless system. The microphones were supplied by sound company Lydproduksjon Troms° AS, in conjunction with DPA's Norwegian distributor Lydsystemer.

Jim Oddvar Hansen, head of sound at the theatre, says, "The new d:fine Headset Microphones replace a selection of DPA 4060 miniature microphones that we had had for some time. As our previous experience with DPA technology had always been good, it made sense to upgrade using the same manufac

UK - Now signed to the Ministry of Sound label, electronic heavyweights Hadouken! performed a headline show at the Ministry of Sound Club itself. The London gig not only showcased the band's new single Bad Signal, but also the club's ability to stage pulsating live shows with the help of a JBL VT4886/VT4883 sub-compact Vertec line array.

The system consisted of two hangs of five JBL VT4886 sub-compact line array elements with three ground-stacked VT4883 subs per side. The system was powered by Crown iTech 12000HD power amplifiers, housed in three tour-ready Crown V-Racks. The JBL VT4886 is a true three-way high directivity line array element which with its companion VT4883 cardioid-arrayable subwoofer provide a very high degree of output and predictable coverage capabilities in an extremely compact package.

Darius Kedros, (FoH engineer for Hadouken!), commented, "A

Sold Out - Glastonbury tickets have sold out in a record time of just one hour and 40 minutes after thousands of fans flooded the website and phone lines. The festival's Twitter feed apologised to the "thousands" who missed out, adding that there had been some problems with getting through "due to the sheer volume of people". Fans could reserve up to eight tickets - each costing £205 plus booking fee. Any returned tickets will be put on sale in April 2013.

When tickets sold out, Michael and Emily Eavis posted a joint statement on Twitter saying: "We're genuinely humbled by the sheer number of people who would like to come to the festival and we dearly wish we could have you all along. Sadly, that just isn't possible, which means a significant number of people have missed out. Demand simply outstripped supply."

Live Advice - The Musici

Finland - Scandinavian cruise company Viking Line has announced that their new flagship cruise liner M/S Viking Grace, due to set sail in January 2013, will be amplified by Swedish brand Lab.gruppen. The announcement continues a successful relationship between the two companies, with seven of Viking Line's current fleet now being kitted out with Lab.gruppen amplifiers.

Lab.gruppen's Finnish distributor Noretron Audio Ltd. finalised the deal with Viking Line Abp, which will see the delivery of a total of 27 Lab.gruppen amplifiers to the new M/S Viking Grace cruise ship. Amplification is for a massive 344 units of Turbosound loudspeakers which will be installed in the night club, several restaurants, tax free shop and conference rooms.

Noretron is also supplying all other entertainment audio including digital and analogue consoles, wireless microphone- and IEM-systems.

Accordi

Poland - Home to the oldest sports club operating in Poland, Cracovia Rink has benefitted from a complete programme of reconstruction and refurbishment in recent years, and has now had a state-of-the-art sound system designed and installed by Wroc?aw-based Tommex ?ebrowscy Sp. J.

Sound Skating Cracovia is a multi-functional PA/VA system. The commentator's room houses a Dynacord CMS 1000-2 mixer and the system's Dynacord DSP244 digital processor. This feeds to the amplification room which houses the heart of the system, the Swiss g+m elektronik APROSYS APS modular system. In addition to the priority task of efficient evacuation during an emergency, the sound system is also used for commercial purposes at sporting events.

"Due to the difficult acoustics and harsh climatic conditions in the ice hall, the choice of loudspeakers was fundamental to the system's performance and

Turkey - Date Restaurant & Designers' Corner recently celebrated its opening, gathering together Istanbul's dining, entertainment and fashion and design communities.

Date Restaurant & Designers' Corner is a new multi-functional venue in Istanbul offering entertainment around cuisine and fashion. On the first floor, Date Restaurant & Designers' Corner serves as a bar and restaurant. On the second floor, the Date Restaurant & Designers' Corner hosts events around fashion and design. Fashion collections designed especially for Date were exhibited for the opening celebration, followed by a fashion show choreographed by the Turkish fashion designer U?urkan Erez.

Aside from providing a multiple activities under one roof, Date Restaurant and Designers' Corner put a lot of thought into choosing the sound system and sound design appropriate for their space. The building dates from 1873

USA - Ricketts Field, Farmington, NM, has always been more than just a local ball park for this city near America's Four Corners. Since opening its doors in 1965, the stadium has been the home of one of Little League Baseball's signature events, the Connie Mack World Series.

The venerable 5100-seat venue was recently treated to a large-scale audio makeover, upgrading their aging horn-based system to Community's R-Series all-weather loudspeakers. According to William Hartley of Albuquerque-based Sound & Signal Systems, the R-Series was selected not only for its durability but also for its tight pattern control.

"The stadium is situated very close to a residential neighbourhood, and the sound from those pole-mounted horns was shooting right across the surrounding homes," Hartley explains. "After receiving several formal complaints, the city approached us to design

UK - The St James Theatre in London SW1 is the first newly built theatre complex in central London for 30 years. Specifically designed as a smaller, off-Broadway type venue in which to develop shows prior to moving to the West End, the new complex, designed by Foster Wilson Architects, features a main 312-seat theatre and a smaller 100-seat studio theatre as well as a brasserie and lobby bar.

The sound design for both theatres was entrusted to Mathew Smethust-Evans of London-based consultancy firm, Theatreplan, who specified EM Acoustics products throughout.

Smethust-Evans worked closely with the theatre's technical manager, Nick Butler (previously at the New Wimbledon theatre) to ensure that the general philosophies behind the equipment matched his approach. Butler was more than happy with Theatreplan's recommendation of EM Acoustics, having already used the equipment elsewhe

France - It's been a busy summer/autumn for the Uniline Solution rental network, with events and festivals of all types and sizes taking place throughout Europe. One such festival was Jazz à Vannes, now in its 33rd year and an absolute must on the European jazz circuit. The line up this year featured the likes of Marcus Miller, Malia, the Kyle Eastwood Band, the Jacky Terrason Trio and many more.

Rental company and jazz specialists, Studio Sextan, were in charge of the audio requirements for the festival. They supplied an APG Uniline system as the PA for the main stage in the Jardins de Limur complete with a DX Series stage monitor system and two Innovason Sy48 consoles at FoH and monitors.

For Studio Sextan's Vincent Mahey, Jazz à Vannes is an annual fixture. "I've been doing this festival for 23 years now," he remarked. "On the one hand it's very familiar; o

UK - Having been approached once again by Ronin Events to supply audio for the Shakedown Festival at Stanmer Park, Brighton, Capital Sound's Charles Ellery swung into action to provide a Martin Audio system for the event.

"Initially, I was looking at using a mid size Martin Audio LC system," says Ellery, "but I had seen the site plans and I realised we were looking at a different part of Stanmer Park for the Main Stage arena, and an increase from an 8,000 to potentially a 15,000 audience capacity in this arena, so I changed the spec to a large format cabinet with the Martin W8-L."

However, Capital's general manager Paul Timmins suggested to Ellery that he might be able to the company's brand new purchase, the Martin Audio MLA system, for the event.

"A few calls to Martin Audio confirmed we would have the system at the warehouse in time, so I adjusted

Czech Republic - Prague-based pro audio company Audiopro has been appointed Electro-Voice and Dynacord distributor as of 1 October 2012. Founded in 2002.

Audiopro's CEO Andrej Hronec comments, "Electro-Voice and Dynacord have always had a great reputation in our country, with products already being delivered before the Velvet Revolution. The opportunity to add these brands to our portfolio is another important milestone in the history of our company. Both are known for the quality of their products and their extraordinary reliability, as well as the first class technical support that their technical staff provide to system integrators during sound system design."

Audiopro's staff comprises around 20 employees divided between management, the sales department (with six separate sections for musicians and DJs, studio and sound techniques, broadcasting and telecommunicat

UK - PLASA Skills is set to take part in TheatreCraft at the Royal Opera House, London (30 November) and is looking to promote work experience initiatives in place at PLASA Member companies on its stand throughout the event.

TheatreCraft is open to anyone between the ages of 17 and 25 and provides a unique glimpse into the behind the scenes world of theatre - from stage management to wig-making, lighting to marketing and writing to designing.

PLASA Skills will be present at the event to give young people advice about getting the skills and experience they need to give them a head start towards an enjoyable career in theatre.

PLASA Members are welcome to promote their own work experience initiatives through the PLASA Skills stand. Anyone interested in this opportunity should email Michele Enright with details.

(Claire Beeson)

Indonesia - Following to recent participation to PALME Thailand, FBT have carried out a seminar tour in Indonesia, touching the cities of Solo, Yogyakarta and Serang.

Roberto Mataloni, FBT export manager accompanied by Remo Orsoni, product manager, supported by Eric Haslim of PT Citra Intirama, FBT's Indonesian distributor and the local dealers, Queen Music of Solo, Diana Musik of Yogyakarta, 100% One Stop Productions of Serang have greeted the many attendees to the events.

With such in-depth promotional tour FBT and PT Citra Intirama have delivered to the attendees the most comprehensive information about the Italian manufacturer history and facilities, product lines, unique selling points, technical highlights for optimal applications and a sound demonstration of a very wide range of FBT products, all displayed, connected and available for listening tests.

"On this oc

Brazil - Cadac has announced the appointment of leading regional pro audio distributor, Decomac, following a highly successful brand debut at ExpoMusic Brazil in Sao Paulo.

The agreement was finalised prior to the exposition where Cadac's new CDC Eight digital console was the central exhibit on the company's stand, attracting serious interest from the region's top rental and sound production companies, and leading sound engineers.

Cadac international sales manager, Ben Millson, was in attendance to cement the agreement and introduce Cadac's new range of digital and analogue consoles - the CDC Eight, CDC Four, S-Type and LIVE1.

"Decomac attracted our attention some months ago, due to their strong market position and a great product portfolio that only lacked a leading console brand; Cadac is in good company, within a lineup that includes d&b, DAS, Lab Gruppen, Lake, Jand

USA - Audio-Technica, currently celebrating '50 Years of Passionate Listening', reports that it is the vocal microphone of choice for legendary performer Barbra Streisand on her current Back to Brooklyn North American tour, spanning the US and Canada.

Streisand opened her tour, in support of her new album titled Release Me, at Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Centre on Monday, 8 October 8.

(Jim Evans)

UK - The US band Neon Trees requested a dual FOH/monitor Allen & Heath iLive digital system for a recent performance at a private function in central London hosted by Universal Music.

Formerly a grand hotel, the venue 8 Northumberland Avenue is now a conference and functions facility. The gig was held in the Billiard Room, and also featured a set by British performer, Ellie Goulding. Sound Hire provided the PA for the event, sub-hiring the FOH/monitor iLive system, comprising two iLive-112 Control Surfaces with an iDR-32 and iDR-48 MixRacks, from the SRD Group.

"iLive was very straight forward to set up. I emailed the show files for SRD to pre-load, and the systems were sent straight to the venue. Neither my FOH nor monitor techs had used iLive before so it was a relief to find it so easy to hook the systems up with just the one Cat 5 cable between rack and surface. In fa

USA - Escondido, California based Southern California Sound Image, a leading provider of audio systems for touring and installation applications globally, has recently doubled their inventory of Adamson's E15 Line Source System. Sound Image was one of the first American companies to invest in Project Energia, and in less than one year they have doubled their rental inventory. Historically Sound Image also carried Adamson Y18, Y10 and T21 systems in the hire stock.

Jesse Adamson, director of marketing and sales comments on the acquisition, "Sound Image is a strong Beta partner and a leader with Adamson in the USA. We are extremely happy with their contribution to Project Energia. Their positive feedback and consistent push with our product is invaluable."

Dave Shadoan, president of Sound Image explains, "The E15 is gaining popularity quickly amongst touring engin

USA - The iconic Golden Gate Bridge turned 75 this year, and DPA Microphones is supporting local San Francisco artist Bill Fontana in honouring the landmark's anniversary. With a video camera and seven DPA Reference Standard 4006A Omnidirectional microphones affixed to the bridge, Fontana is streaming and capturing six months' worth of sound and footage for a live video and sound portrait titled Acoustical Visions of the Golden Gate. He also relies on a Sound Devices 788T multi-track digital audio recorder to capture the audio.

Fontana, who commemorated the landmark's 50th anniversary in similar fashion, has been a long-time DPA Microphones advocate. He selected the highly praised DPA Reference Standard 4006A for the 75th anniversary project for its true-to-life sound reproduction and its ability to withstand all San Francisco weather conditions.

"I think DPA micro

UK - Paul Brewis has joined Studioking Ltd as international sales and business development manager for both Carlsbro and Studiomaster brands.

Brewis brings 12 years of experience with Marshall Amplification and a wealth of industry and international artist contacts to the newly created role. His brief is to develop and implement completely new market strategies for the Carlsbro and Studiomaster brands to establish them as major players in the MI and pro audio industries.

Speaking on record for the first time in his new position, Brewis stated, "In terms of our ongoing approach to the market we are starting with a completely blank canvas. At this stage I'm not going to go into the detail as to what we are going to be doing or how we are going to be doing it, except to say that the planned innovative changes and strategy will encompass all market sectors and price points -

USA - Audio-Technica, currently celebrating "50 Years of Passionate Listening," supplied microphones used on both candidates and the moderator at the 2012 Vice-Presidential debate 11 October at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky.

Products used included A-T's Engineered Sound® ES935ML6 MicroLine Condenser Gooseneck Microphones on Vice-President Joe Biden and Republican vice presidential nominee Rep. Paul Ryan. Two AT898cW Subminiature Cardioid Condenser Lavalier Microphones with 5000 Series wireless were used for moderator Martha Raddatz. Audio-Technica's BP4071 Line + Gradient Condenser Microphones were used for room ambience. Backup mics at the event included AT898cW wireless lavaliers and AEW-T5400 handheld transmitters with 5000 Series wireless for the candidates, and AT898 wired lavalier mics for Raddatz.

Larry Estrin, of Best Audio in Studio City, CA, serv

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