USA - Studiomaster showcased the new Venture Series high performance ultra-compact professional reinforcement cabinets for the very first time at NAMM.

Available in both active and passive variants, Venture is Studiomaster's premier foray into the premium quality / compact PA product class, and represents outstanding performance and value for money, says the company. Director of R&D, Paul Belcher, states, "The performance and quality of the Venture Series matches any 1000 watt compact PA speaker currently available, and at a very competitive price. We engaged in a long testing programme in developing the final design, and the resultant performance of the range has far exceeded our original design objectives. The sound quality is exceptional for such a compact and light weight cabinet."

Venture comprises 12 inch and 15 inch 2-way cabinets, and a matched 18 inch sub; a

USA - Centre position on the Carlsbro / Studiomaster NAMM stand was the artist performance stage, which hosted a line-up of live performances from a variety of musicians throughout the duration of the show.

Performances on the second day featured young San Francisco singer-songwriter Megan Slankard. The acclaimed independent recording artist is enjoying sales success, with four albums released already and a fifth on the way, and has toured constantly across the States for the last two and half years, supporting the likes of Train and returning home to play sell-out dates at the Swedish American Hall and Café du Nord, perform at the 75th Anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge and sing the National Anthem to 42,000 fans in the San Francisco Giant's stadium. On Friday she took to the Carlsbro / Studiomaster stage for a solo acoustic set.

Other artists appearing include US f

UK - MG Event and Sound specialise in sound and lighting for businesses, churches and schools. Recently they have been using MilTec's British built Blakite speakers for church installations.

For two recent jobs they used the TP10 mid/top and SP121 compact sub. The TP10s were chosen for their crisp, detailed sound and good projection in the relatively large space of a church. The SP121 subs warm the sound without being boomy, a common problem in churches.

On one of the jobs, four TP10s, 2x SP121 subs and a pair of IF06 in-fill speakers were all run from one of Miltec's MA472 amps. The MA472 is a lightweight multi-channel amp, delivering 4x 750WRMS into 4Ohms.

Mike Godden, MD commented, "Over the past couple of years Miltec have become a "Go-To Supplier" to specify for our various installations across the country. The Blakite speakers offer a good mixture of ove

The Netherlands - Located in the historic centre of Haarlem, Netherlands, De Toneelschuur is a theatre and cinema which has a diverse approach to the performing arts. Recently its Yamaha digital mixing inventory has seen two CL1 consoles added, which are helping to ensure that its sounds are as innovative as its sights.

De Toneelschuur puts on shows and films designed to inspire a wide audience. Independent and 'art house' films show alongside family movies and cinema classics; experimental theatre, mime, cabaret and drama are produced alongside contemporary plays and comedy. This diversity has led to it being regarded as one of the Netherlands leading arts venues.

Designed by artist Joost Swarte, the current building was opened in 2003 and features two theatre spaces and two cinemas. However, De Toneelschuur has had a long and happy relationship with Yamaha digital mixing bef

UK - AKG has continued its support of Red Bull Studio for the third series of Launched At Red Bull Studios - the Channel 4 programme featuring conversation and performance by up-and-coming bands and singers, introduced by Annie Mac.

The first of five episodes was aired on 8 January. Building on the success of the first two series, this time Launched interviewed artists like Rudimental, Rita Ora, Mark Owen, Yannis Philippakis (Foals), Malay, Guy Lawrence (Disclosure), Will Kennard (Chase & Status), Tom Odell and Bastille front man Dan Smith about why they were tipping the new talent featured in the latest series.

"The DMS700 V2 and IVM4500 IEM systems proved invaluable during filming and were utilised by the majority of acts on the show," reports studio manager & head engineer, Brendon Harding. "The feedback on these systems from both the artists and their

UK - One of the biggest-selling artists in the history of classical music with over 80m albums sold to date, and one of the very few classical artists to achieve crossover acceptance into the mainstream, Andrea Bocelli is probably the most popular classical Italian singer in the world today.

In November 2013 Bocelli performed two sold-out UK shows at the First Direct Arena in Leeds and Glasgow's SSE Hydro. His long-time FOH engineer is fellow Italian Andrea Taglia, who is a devotee of Outline's GTO system and has been using it with Bocelli throughout his 2013 US tour. Both UK shows featured an Outline GTO-based loudspeaker system, specified by Andrea Taglia, facilitated by Britannia Row Productions and with Outline's UK distributor CUK Audio providing operational support).

Forty-five GTO enclosures were flown as three hangs of 15 each in variants of Taglia's preferred mono L-C

Europe - Yamaha's Nick Cook has announced he is to leave his current position as European Marketing Director for Commercial Audio to set up a strategic marketing and sales consultancy, called NCM.

Cook, who has been with Yamaha for eight years, was responsible for managing and coordinating Commercial Audio sales and marketing activities throughout Europe. Prior to joining Yamaha, Cook was already highly regarded within the professional audio community having held a number of senior sales and marketing positions with leading manufacturing companies including Solid State Logic, Amek and Fairlight.

Nick told us: "My time at Yamaha has been hugely rewarding and challenging in equal measure: integrating and developing Yamaha's CA operations throughout Europe has been very satisfying. I have now decided to devote my marketing, sales and organisational experi

Germany - The SW12 is a direct-radiating subwoofer for use with system amplifiers. The compact bass reflex system weighs only 23 kg (50.8 lbs) has a 12" cone driver with a 4" voice coil and a power handling of 1,000 / 2,000 W (RMS / programme). Due to its linear tuning, the SW12 produces a controlled lowrange down to below 40 Hz.

The high-power SW12 is acoustically compatible with the larger SW18 and SW28 subwoofers on the system amplifiers. Which means that their phase and frequency responses are virtually identical. Electrically the SW12 is ready for the cardioid operation mode.

A total of four Speakon sockets - two on the back and another two on the front - allow a front/rear system cabling without custom-wired reversible cables. Rubber feet for horizontal and upright operation, numerous sockets for the MT10 and MT12 in horizontal and upright operation plus an M20

Japan - Yamaha has introduced the new generation of MG Series compact mixing consoles. With a flexible lineup of completely re-designed consoles suitable for both portable and installation applications offering varying input and processing capabilities, these new MG mixers put an emphasis on sound quality combined with a level of reliability and performance that have made this series an industry standard, says the company.

Featuring five standard models ranging from six to twenty inputs, and five XU models featuring onboard SPX effect processors, the new series comprises a versatile lineup of ten models in total that will meet the demands of a wide range of mixing applications.

The new MG Series feature Yamaha's discrete Class-A "D-PRE" microphone preamps. Utilizing an inverted Darlington circuit topography, these studio-grade preamps feature multiple circuitry eleme

UK - Two Audient ASP4816s were delivered to dBs Music, one each for its Plymouth and Bristol-based facilities, with a view predominantly "to encourage students from our range of courses to explore the sonic benefits of working and mixing with an analogue desk and outboard," says Matt Bernard, the centre manager in Plymouth.

The analogue desk there is wired in line with a ProTools 16 i/o HD system with a range of outboard and full patch-bay, teamed with Adam A8X monitors and various outboard, together with a selection of studio classic mics. "Our requirements were for an analogue signal path to replace a digital control surface that wasn't getting a huge amount of use. It also balanced up the analogue/digital balance in our main teaching studios in Plymouth," Matt continues.

The dBs Music centre in Berlin already had experience of Audient in the shape of an

USA / UK - PLASA has announced the launch of its International interactive job board. With its focus on the creative industries, the PLASA Job Board offers its members - and the creative industries at large - an easy-to-use and highly targeted resource for online employment connections.

"We're very excited about the PLASA Job Board because we know how critical it is for employers in the industry to attract first-rate talent with a minimum expenditure of time and resources," said Kacey Coffin, Director of Membership for PLASA worldwide. "And it's important for us to help enable smooth career transitions for our members and those seeking industry jobs."

Both members and non-members can use the new PLASA Job Board to reach qualified candidates with members receiving special pricing. Employers can post jobs online, search for qualified candidates based on speci

The Netherlands - Coda Audio GmbH will be exhibiting its full range of high quality sound reinforcement products at ISE 2014, which deliver "exceptional audio quality to any installed audio project".

Products range from the compact D- and G3000 -Series, which are designed for a wide range of distributed systems where high quality, short-throw sound is required; through the CoRAY and G500 ranges for medium-sized venues, to the ViRAY and G700 systems which deliver "exceptional sound quality for large theatres, clubs, houses of worship and concert venues".

The compact OMNIO5 omnidirectional system will also be on display, which delivers uniform 360ยบ coverage without hot spots, as well as Coda's power amplifiers and system controllers, which manage and distribute audio to loudspeaker systems with precision.

Coda is exhibiting in Hall 7, Stand H186, where the

UK - Live entertainment sustainability consultancy :entertaining sustainability is partnering with energy measurement experts Measure My Energy to provide their full range of sophisticated, web-enabled smart energy meters.

The system, which is perfectly adapted for use in either performing arts buildings or supply chain warehouses has been developed to deliver easy-to-read live consumption information for electricity, water and gas direct to buildings or facilities managers securely over the internet.

The information gathered can help drive down energy use by identifying exact wastage points. Logical grouping of areas, departments or buildings is easily achieved, with detailed reports easily created to show weekly, monthly, annual or custom period usages.

SMS or email alerts can be sent to key workers in the event of defined parameters being met - be that, for example, unexp

The Netherlands - Powersoft will make clever use of its display area, as each power amp line will show integrated technology, with control software and third-party plug-ins - connecting the products with their key applications.

Foremost among these will be the award winning Ottocanali 12K4, one of the most powerful 8-channel amplifiers on the market, offering a wide range of system control and monitoring functions in 2RU.

Also on show will be the Ottocanali 1204 DSP+ETH, the Duecanali 5204 DSP+AESOP 2-channel power amp and the M50Q DSP + AESOP 4-channel amp, as well as various amp modules.

DEVA, the much awaited self-contained multifunctional multimedia device dedicated to the installation market will also be previewed. It integrates solar power, bi-directional WiFi 802.11n A/V communication, audio, camera, microphone, lighting and a Class D amplifier with an 8-inch speaker

The Netherlands - Roland Systems Group is launching the VR-3EX - the latest addition to the popular VR Series of 'all in one' A/V mixers, adding to a growing line up of AV mixers for live production, web streaming and recording from Roland. The innovative design of the VR-3EX incorporates a video switcher, audio mixer, touchscreen preview monitor and streaming-ready USB output all in a single unit.

Expanding the feature set of the Roland VR-3, the VR-3EX boasts 4 HDMI inputs, 2 HDMI outputs, built-in scaling with resolutions up to 1080p and WUXGA, HDCP support, a full 18-channel digital audio mixer with effects and over 200 video transitions and effects. The compact design of the VR-3EX makes it ideal for use in a variety of portable or permanently installed applications including house of worship, education, corporate A/V and live production.

The VR-3EX features audio embeddi

South Africa - Syzygy, a dance production by the Break Thru Dance Company and in particular, the work of choreographer Taryn Makaab, ran at the Izulu Theatre at Sibaya Casino in Durban from the 25 - 28 September 2013.

Lighting the show, which consisted of a range of dance styles from contemporary to ballet and hip hop, was a beautiful experience for Vimal Rawjee of Insane Sound. "It was a theatrical production and included many cues with about 40 dancers participating," said Rawjee, who plotted on an Avolites Tiger Touch.

With a great turn out and well over 300 guests attending per evening, it was a proud moment for Rawjee to receive positive feedback on his lighting design. "It was different to lighting a concert," he said. He used multiple cues with slow black out fades to create contemporary looks. "It was out of the box, not our usual and it

USA / Germany - Audinate, the inventors of Dante, have entered into a licensing agreement with ESI, one of the leading vendors of professional and semi-professional audio equipment worldwide. ESI will incorporate Dante into future products.

Built on existing networking protocols and standards, Audinate's Dante is a plug-and-play networking solution which delivers ultra-low latency and tightly synchronized media, while simplifying installation and configuration of digital media networks.

ESI has been making professional audio products for over a decade which are manufactured and distributed worldwide by ESI Audiotechnik GmbH, located in Leonberg, Germany. Their ESI branded and various OEM products are well known and used daily by hundreds of thousands of customers all over the world.

"We believe that Dante is the solution to provide affordable and competitive networking

UK - The BBC deployed an Allen & Heath iLive digital mixing system for the Friday Night is Music Night Christmas Special on Radio 2, to provide the live FOH mix. The system comprised a MADI-enabled iDR-48 MixRack, which is part of the BBC's OB equipment stock, along with an iLive-T112 Control Surface.

Hosted at the BBC's Mermaid Theatre, the event was presented by Ken Bruce, and featured performances from singers Louise Dearman (Wicked) and John Owen-Jones (Phantom, Les Miserables), top West End vocal group Capital Voices, readings and poetry from Samantha Bond and Kenneth Cranham, and the BBC Concert Orchestra.

The BBC also owns an iLive-R72 rackmount surface, which was purchased in preparation for Wimbledon this year, and has subsequently been used on several BBC shows.

(Jim Evans)

The Netherlands - Solid State Logic will showcase the SSL Live console at the 2014 ISE show (Stand 7.H18).

"Industry reaction to the arrival of SSL in live sound has been extremely encouraging," states Antony David, managing director at SSL. "Much of the initial attention has centred on the superb sound of the console and the excellent ergonomics it offers to engineers, but the console also delivers from a technical integration perspective.

"The combination of versatile inbuilt and remote connectivity, generous processing capability and extremely flexible console configuration and routing and powerful output matrix make Live the perfect product for installed environments. We are very excited to be exhibiting at ISE for the first time and looking forward to meeting the unique partner and user community that attend the show."

(Jim Evans)

USA - The Harvest Bible Church in Cypress, Texas, had a challenging agenda: allow its 1,000-seat sanctuary to have an intimate ambience yet still have both speech and music fill the entire space intelligibly and coherently, despite a relatively low 18-foot ceiling and highly reflective surfaces on the walls and floor. And one more criterion: keep the PA system's profile minimal and as invisible as possible.

It might have seemed difficult to meet all of these goals, but a RoomMatch loudspeaker system from Bose Professional Systems was just the right solution.

Covenant Communications, an AV systems designer and integrator in Houston, used two RM12020 modules, one RM12010 module and an RMS215 subwoofer in each of two L/R arrays, all powered by three Bose PowerMatch PM8500N eight-channel amplifiers. That was all it took to fulfil all of the needs of this complex acoustical space.<

USA - John Meyer, CEO and co-founder of Meyer Sound Laboratories, was inducted into the TEC Awards Hall of Fame at the 2014 NAMM Show. Following an introduction by Dennis 'Wiz' Leonard, long-time FOH mixer for the Grateful Dead, Meyer received the award as he joined Frank Zappa, Phil Spector, T Bone Burnett, and 30 other luminaries who have shaped the art and science of music, recording, and sound reinforcement technologies.

"Throughout my career, I have worked to create technology that brings audiences closer to musicians in a transparent way," Meyer says. "There are products designed specifically to make art, but my interest has always been to create a high-quality listening experience without interfering with the artist's creation. By providing these tools, we strive to enhance the shared entertainment experience that will surely remain a way of life for genera

Spain / The Netherlands - Among all the products for AV installers and integrators that Work is presenting at ISE 2014 (stand 7-M176), UDA 16, the array configuration column, is "probably the crown jewel", the company says.

"This new concept of column loudspeaker with line array shape provides many advantages for integrators: controlled beamwidth for almost all frequencies reproduced by the column which leads not only to minimise undesirable effects induced by walls and ceiling reflections (reverbs and echoes) but also to excellent results in reverberant acoustic conditions and a perfect music and speech intelligibility," says the company.

Another attractive launch prepared for Amsterdam will be the new series of active and passive subwoofers Z15 and Z18. This new series is composed of four models, Z15 (single 15"), Z18 (single 18") that can be co

USA - Calvary Church of Naperville, located in the western suburbs of Chicago, recently wrapped up a five-month sanctuary renovation that increased seating from 2500 to 3000 without moving any walls. As part of the project, the church also underwent a full AVL system retrofit, which was designed and integrated by CCI Solutions of Olympia, Washington.

CCI church relations director Duke DeJong said the client put a premium on the audio portion of the project. "From the very start, the church was very intentional about making sure the new sound system would be more than a home run; it had to be a home run with fireworks," he says. "They were very specific in saying that the audio needed to be intelligible, powerful and flexible - spectacular in every sense."

With this as their directive, CCI senior systems consultant Mark Pearson and his team turned to three l

UAE - Sennheiser Group reports another year of significant double-digit growth for its Dubai-based Middle East operation. The company attributes the growth to increased regional adoption of conference and translation systems, the Middle East broadcast industry's ambitions to match global standards in audio systems design and deployment and an increased usage of wireless audio systems in smart classrooms.

The company recorded a 62% year-on-year (YOY) increase in gross profit in the region owing to a number of project wins in the education and hospitality sectors and a notably strong performance in the consumer electronics segment in which the company saw revenues increase by 52% in 2013.

Mig Cardamone, sales and marketing manager at Sennheiser Middle East believes that the fresh wave of spending in the region presents a huge opportunity for the company. "There is no doubt

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