USA - Community Professional Loudspeakers reoorts that it has gained EN54-24 certification for its R-Series R1, R2 and R6 loudspeaker systems. EN54-24 is the harmonized EU standard for loudspeakers for use in fire detection and fire alarm systems.

R1, R2 and R6 loudspeakers are able to provide the full bandwidth and high-level music and voice reproduction required in venues such as stadia, sports facilities and convention centres. With EN54-24 certification, installations will no longer need to install a separate voice evacuation system for listening areas covered by these R-Series loudspeakers. This can result in substantial cost savings for projects.

Chris Barrow, Community's product manager, explains this advantage, "While specifiers and contractors have previously had to consider the use of non-EN54-24 loudspeakers with 'special application exemptions' to design an ef

Spain - In 1973, almost 20 years before 'house' became a byword for a mix of euphoric dance and sound, Pacha Ibiza opened its doors and the minds of its celebrants to a new way of immersing the soul in music. The fact that four decades later it is still the leading brand with franchised clubs all over the world is indicative of a questing attitude. Pacha looks constantly to reinvent ways of being and hearing; two thousand and twelve has witnessed just such a reinvention.

"We were looking to the complete renewal of the sound system. What we wanted to achieve was a more homogeneous and exciting sound throughout the Ibiza club and the dance floors," explained Toni Prats, technical director for the Pacha Group.

Prats engaged the services of Imaginamusica, d&b audiotechnik partner for Northeast Spain. "We had done the research," said Toni Prats,"With Imagin

Germany - Beneath the banner Let's celebrate together in the free state of Bavaria a giant open-air party to mark the Day of German Unity was thrown in Munich's city centre on 2-3 October. Over 400,000 revellers accepted the invitation, thronging the area between the Siegestor, Ludwigstrasse and Odeonsplatz in bright sunlight.

The highlight of the celebrations was an ecumenical service in the Jesuit church of St Michael featuring addresses by the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Joachim Gauck, and its Chancellor, Angela Merkel, as well as the Minister President of Bavaria, Horst Seehofer. The mix was sweetened by the attractive programme of entertainment on offer in the Odeonsplatz.

The sound production for the stage in Odeonsplatz was the responsibility of the Weilheim-based company TC Showtechnik. The team led by managing director Martin Schulze (sound),

UK - The University of Exeter's stunning new multi-million pound Forum project has transformed the heart of the Streatham Campus and provided it with a vibrant new centrepiece.

Officially opened by Her Majesty The Queen, the inspirational mix of outside and inside space includes an Auditorium, two technology-rich Exploration Labs, a Multimedia Room, featuring three fully specific editing stations with 60-inch preview monitoring, Seminar Training Room and the Seminar Block and Group Study Room - as well as a new Student Services Centre, refurbished library, retail and catering outlets.

Sir Robert Mcalpine, main contractor to the University of Exeter, commissioned GV Multi-media Ltd with the challenging task of providing and integrating the vast AV system in the Forum. Working to tight timescales (since the opening needed to form part of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations)

UK - Following speculation on the speaker system of choice for their next tour, Mumford and Sons FOH engineer Chris Pollard has elected to take out audio rental company Capital Sound's new Martin Audio MLA system for the band's debut arena tour in the UK.

'"The MLA momentum is building and we knew that once Chris got to hear the system he would go for it," says Capital's general manager Paul Timmins. "But because of the band's hectic schedule in Australasia and North America, we had a problem simply getting him in front of it."

However, Pollard managed to spend some time at London's The 02 during the Killers' first show day there. "We showed him around the equipment and then he listened to the incredible coverage MLA delivers without the need for the delay hangs that are usually necessary for The O2," continues Paul. "He made his decision lat

Denmark - The European premiere of Disney's Aladdin: The New Stage Musical opened in the Fredericia Theatre in Denmark on 4 October to glowing reviews from the Danish press. The Fredericia is one of only five theatres worldwide and the only venue in Europe to be selected as a Disney partner. Demand has been so high that the initial run was extended until 25 November, which is a fitting tribute to the theatre's production team and the cast, all of whom have worked extremely hard to make the show a success.

Unsurprisingly, Aladdin is the biggest production that has ever been staged at the Fredericia theatre, so theatre director, S°ren M°ller, had no hesitation in turning to Lars Frederiksen from TTA distributor and audio solutions provider, Alfa Audio, to supply both equipment and expertise on all aspects of the sound production. One of the key elements provi

The Netherlands - Riedel Communications donated an Artist Digital Matrix intercom system to Emma TV. Emma is a Dutch TV station for the Emma Kinder Ziekenhuis, a children's hospital in Amsterdam.

The Artist system that consists of an Artist mainframe and five Artist 1000 series control panels replaces the old intercom system. "Our old intercom system was at its end. Riedel was so kind to step in and sponsor us with a new intercom installation. Since we are relying on sponsorships and donations, we are really glad Riedel helped us out here," said Alex Vermeulen, volunteer technical manager at Emma TV.

"Riedel helped us with a very reliable Intercom and we are very happy with it. At the end you want to entertain the sick children and make life a bit more easy on them. Not to worry about technical issue helps a lot. "

(Jim Evans)

Malaysia - Established in 1995, Alexis Group has five premises in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. There are a variety of elements that make the Alexis experience so special: stylish interiors; warm hospitality; delicious food; and the finest jazz music in town.

Nestled in Kuala Lumpur's commercial and embassy district, Alexis Ampang's acclaimed programme of jazz performances on weekend nights showcase internationally renowned musicians and local legends.

"The installation of Alcons systems has certainly fine tuned the premise's in-house live acoustic, which met the musicians' demands for superb sound and delivered listening pleasure for its audience," says Alexis' Eleen Ng, manager of Alexis.

The system comprises two VR8 pro-ribbon full-range loudspeakers and two BF181 long-excursion 18" subs, controlled by two ALC2 amplified loudspeaker controllers of two 1kW output

USA - The Book of Mormon, the recent Broadway show that absolutely dominated the awards ceremonies by winning nine 2011 Tony Awards, five 2011 Drama Desk Awards and a 2012 Grammy Award, is now taking the show on the road with two North American touring productions, both of which are using Kara loudspeaker systems supplied by East Rutherford, NJ-based L-Acoustics certified provider Masque Sound.

Sound design for the new productions was once again provided by Brian Ronan, the award-winning sound designer responsible for the show's original run at the Eugene O'Neil Theatre in Manhattan. Cody Spencer assisted Ronan as the associate sound designer on the off-Broadway projects, with Christopher Sloan again serving as production engineer.

The first production, which officially premiered at Los Angeles' Pantages Theatre in mid-September following a two-week preview in Denver, f

UK - Allen & Heath has launched a new AES Out option module for the fixed format MixRacks from its iLive digital mixing Series.

Customers are now able to order an iDR-16, iDR-32, iDR-48 and iDR-64 fixed format MixRack or the xDR-16 expander unit, fitted with an AES Digital Output Option, providing two AES3 digital 2-channel outputs in place of four of the analogue line outputs. Supported by the newly released firmware V1.9, the option is also available as a retro-fit kit for existing customers, allowing single or multiple AES Digital Output options to be fitted.

"A&H is really pleased to be able to offer the option for AES outputs on all of the fixed format MixRacks in the iLive family. The launch comes in response to engineers and installers who want to keep the connection to the PA in the digital domain. Previously only an option on the flagship modular iLive systems, t

The Netherlands - The hugely popular Votown Allstars has held another concert in the Netherlands to raise money for their local football club FC Volendam - and three Midas digital consoles were deployed.

As The Votown Allstars - Jan Smit, Nick & Simon, and 3JS performed, a Midas XL8 took care of monitor duties while a Midas PRO2 and PRO6 could be found FOH. A Klark Teknik DN9696 High Resolution Audio Recorder was also used to provide a virtual sound check to ensure that the audio was clean and intelligible in every corner of the stadium.

The concert, held at the Volendam Stadion, was hugely successful and 100% of the fundraising revenues went to FC Volendam.

The annual event was established when FC Volendam's main sponsor fell victim to the current economic crisis and was forced to withdraw funding. Local artists joined forces and formed the Votown Allstars in order to raise

UK - An underground sewer lair was created in London recently to celebrate the launch of the next generation of popular children's series.

Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products (NVCP) invited over 350 guests to Shoreditch, London to announce their plans for well-known characters; Dora the Explorer, SpongeBob SquarePants and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles including films, toys, apps and programmes.

To stage the launch, event production and audio-visual specialists, Anagram was tasked to create an environment that would replicate the underground sewer lair the Turtles inhabit in the series including a giant concrete sewer pipe stage. This included a projection onto one of the venue's external walls to enable LA-based artist, David Flores to paint a 120m² mural of the Turtles. Inside the venue, Anagram provided all AV support, sound system, LX and video projection together

UK - Though we might argue the paucity of proper theatre on the West End stage these days, it's rare indeed that a show presents honestly, as totally without drama. Even so, the Beatles theatrical concert Let It Be at the Prince of Wales theatre has received excellent reviews for precisely that candour.

The show's sound designer, Gareth Owen, offered a rational explanation of why this might be: "Let It Be is very different from the typical juke box musical to which we've become accustomed; think of it more as a proper concert. There is no contrived knitting together of lyrics to weave a narrative; however it would be wrong to say it is without drama. The drama comes from the mix of a faithful live rendition of original material coupled with video footage of the band."

Owen was first approached by producer Jamie Hendry just over a year ago; he has been w

Switzerland - Behringer reports that their X32 Digital Mixer, S16 Stage Box and P16 Monitoring System have been selected by the noted Swiss Christmas show in Zurich, Switzerland for their annual production. This world-renowned event weaves acrobatic performance with live music and theatre into an interpretation of a classic Christmas story that becomes the centrepiece of Zurich's storybook Christmas season.

Set in a massive tent city on the outdoor velodrome in Zurich-Oerlikon, the annual show attracts visitors from all over the world. This special location requires a stable and reliable audio setup that also delivers premium sound quality and the fast pace of the show demands a superior workflow. The X32 system provides front of house mixing, digital transport between stage and FOH position and a complete personal monitoring setup.

Swiss Christmas FOH sound eng

France - DX5 is the latest addition to the Dispersion Series of multipurpose, monitor speakers from French loudspeaker manufacturer APG. Little brother to DX15, DX12, and the recently launched DX8, DX5 is "the ultra-compact, light weight model that everyone has been waiting for". There is now a DX Series model for every conceivable application.

Like the rest of the range, DX5 is a coaxial loudspeaker. The coaxial arrangement of the drivers provides a wide and perfectly coherent sound field even in nearfield applications. The choice of a 'pure' coaxial configuration (no horn) and acoustic baffling with no side flanks limits distortion and diffraction. As a result the DX5 features a very high level of sonic accuracy and optimized gain before feedback for "studio monitoring" type performance.

Characterized by its ultra-compact format and exceptional performanc

Australia - Sydney Theatre Company's new bar, aptly named 'The Bar at the End of the Wharf', is a busy little hot spot for Sydney's inner city crowds in the know. As the name neatly implies, the bar is found at the end of the Wharf just past the Wharf 1 Theatre. It is now the owner of a new DiGiCo SD9 console.

With the 500+ capacity bar now being an extension of STC's operations it is capable of hosting any number of acts and performances such as opening nights, season launches, media calls and monthly live gigs.

When the time came to choose the front of house console that could be utilised in both the bar and the Wharf 2 theatre STC's head of sound, Ben Lightowlers, was quick to go with DiGiCo, based on his prior experiences with the two SD8 consoles in use at Sydney Theatre. With both the SD9 and SD8 featuring the same audio processing and software interface, users could mov

The Netherlands / USA - Duran Audio BV recently announced the reorganization of its US sales strategy, distributing directly the AXYS brand through its growing network of AXYS preferred partners, & regional rep firms.

Max Lindsay-Johnson, sales & marketing manager for Duran Audio USA commented, "The US market is of vital importance to Duran Audio. We believe this new approach to the region will not only allow us to offer direct support to contractors, but will also offer Duran Audio a better understanding of our US customers requirements. It is our aim to strength the existing network of brand representatives throughout the US during the coming months.

"The introduction of the AXYS preferred partner network will also offer customers the expertise regionally that is required by contractors in order to successfully complete any project. We eagerly anticipate the launch

UK - A.C. Special Projects (ACSP) Ltd. have designed, supplied and installed a custom trussing, lighting and acoustic dampening solution for the new cutting-edge 4,000sq.ft demonstration facility of leading UK pro audio and MI distributor, Sound Technology - located at their premises in Hertfordshire.

Sound Technology is the UK and Eire master distributor for high profile Harman Professional pro audio brands including JBL Professional, Soundcraft, Crown, AKG, BSS Audio, Lexicon and dbx Professional. It operates in multiple market sectors including studio & broadcast, pro live sound, commercial audio, cinema sound and music retail.

When it came to providing the demo facility solution, ACSP were an obvious choice due to their extensive experience working with leading venues and clients in the performance and leisure industry sectors. In addition, sister sales company, A.C. Enter

UK - From April 2013 Britannia Row Productions Training will be offering courses in live sound practice and theory to people seriously considering a career in live audio. There will be a three month intensive full-time 'Live Sound Technology' course covering all essential aspects of live audio production. Advanced courses will offer training to industry professionals who wish to develop their skills further in specialist areas such as mix engineering.

Since its formation in 1975 Britannia Row Productions has always been at the forefront of live audio. In the ensuing decades, touring credits include artists as varied as The Pink Floyd, The Cure, Neil Young, Frank Sinatra, Florence and the Machine, Paul Simon, Duran Duran, Kasabian and the Foo Fighters. The company has also provided audio for events such as Live8, the Golden and Diamond Jubilees, as well as TV events such as BRIT

Europe - After spending more than a year touring North America, Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour has finally touched down in Europe. After a run of nine shows at London's O2 Arena, this production, which fuses the King of Pop's greatest hits and Cirque's trademark acrobatic prowess, will then head into Europe for an extensive six-month stint, returning to the UK again in March 2013 for several shows in Manchester and Birmingham. For the whole tour, two DiGiCo SD7s are in control of everything audio at both FOH and monitor positions respectively.

"This isn't a typical monitoring position, but it's great, as I am in the perfect place to see the stage and the people," smiles monitor engineer, Renato Petruzziello, whose SD7 is positioned on the upper tier of London's O2, looking down on the stage, and boasting a panoramic view of the arena.

UK - Preparations are now underway for the inaugural Edinburgh Guitar & Music Festival, the largest of its kind to be held in Scotland. The three-day festival takes place in Edinburgh's historic Corn Exchange from 25-27 May 2013 and aims to attract participants and visitors from all over the world with an extensive programme of performances, seminars and competitions, as well as a trade exhibition.

Performances will embrace a variety of genres and styles, featuring an international line-up of artists that includes acoustic guitar virtuoso Peter Finger from Germany, Italian fingerstyle guitarist Daniele Bazzani, swing jazz guitarist Anth Purdy and Scotland's jazz virtuoso Nigel Clark with many more to follow.

In the Festival's seminar programme, visitors can learn skills, tips and tricks from leading performers and practitioners. With something for every guitarist, sessions inc

UK - In an agreement that celebrates a melding of technology, people and shared values, Autograph Sales & Installations has announced a new collaboration with the Barbican.

Located in the heart of the City Of London and opened in 1982, the Grade II listed Barbican complex comprises a large concert hall, two theatres, a cinema, two art galleries, a library, a roof top tropical conservatory, three restaurants and numerous public foyers and spaces.

Referred to by the Guardian as 'A building where there is always something rich and strange going on', the Barbican is Europe's largest multi-arts and conference venue presenting a diverse range of art, music, theatre, dance, film and creative learning events. It is also home to the London Symphony Orchestra.

The association between Autograph Sales & Installations and the Barbican dates back some years, and includes the installation

Taiwan - The Buddha Memorial Centreof Taiwan's Kaohsiung City is a symbol of tranquility and spiritual exploration. As a meeting place for Buddhists from around the world, the memorial centre must be prepared to host any number of events. Covering more than one thousand hectares, the Centre faces east and is built along a central axial line. It consists of a Welcoming hall, eight Chinese styled pagodas that stand for the Noble Eightfold Path, photo terrace, Bodhi square, Memorial hall, four stupas that symbolize the four noble truths and the Fo Guang Buddha.

"It is not an easy task for us to find a system that can meet our requirements, as we launch a wide variety of activities in the hall such as seminars, conferences or concerts," explains Master Miao Zhi, who works with the Memorial Centre. "The Grand Enlightenment Auditorium (GEA) alone covers around six hundr

France - The largest MLA Compact rig to date made its French debut at the Paris Bercy recently, when a capacity 17,000 crowd attended a six-hour marathon concert, called La Nuit de l'Outremer (the Overseas Night).

This technical deployment could hardly have provided a more exacting challenge for production company Franck Sono, who have become the first French customer for the new MLA Compact Multi-cellular Loudspeaker Array, by investing in a System 36.

This French Caribbean festival saw the appearance of a succession of artists highly popular in the black community, including Admiral T, Kreyol La, Akiyo, Daly, Esy Kennenga, Desiré François, Stony, Princess Lover, Jean-Marie Ragald, Tanya St Val, Jean-Marc Ferdinand, Daddy Yod, Tiwony and many others.

Since Franck Sono wanted to achieve coverage over the vast space without setting up delay points, they rigged

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